Utilization of Pets in a Hospice Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doyle, Kathleen; Kukowski, Thomas

1989-01-01

The therapeutic use of animals with specific populations has gained increased attention and interest. Pet placement in special settings such as prisons, mental institutions and hospices have shown beneficial results. Development of a pet visitation program requires specific planning and organization. (JD)

The Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions Framework for Competency-Based Education: A Grounded Theory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butland, Mark James

2017-01-01

Colleges facing pressures to increase student outcomes while reducing costs have shown an increasing interest in competency-based education (CBE) models. Regional accreditors created a joint policy on CBE evaluation. Two years later, through this grounded theory study, I sought to understand from experts the nature of this policy, its impact, and…

An Overview on Medicinal Chemistry of Synthetic and Natural Derivatives of Cannabidiol.

PubMed

Morales, Paula; Reggio, Patricia H; Jagerovic, Nadine

2017-01-01

Cannabidiol (CBD) has been traditionally used in Cannabis -based preparation, however historically, it has received far less interest as a single drug than the other components of Cannabis . Currently, CBD generates considerable interest due to its beneficial neuroprotective, antiepileptic, anxiolytic, antipsychotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, the CBD scaffold becomes of increasing interest for medicinal chemists. This review provides an overview of the chemical structure of natural and synthetic CBD derivatives including the molecular targets associated with these compounds. A clear identification of their biological targets has been shown to be still very challenging.

An Overview on Medicinal Chemistry of Synthetic and Natural Derivatives of Cannabidiol

PubMed Central

Morales, Paula; Reggio, Patricia H.; Jagerovic, Nadine

2017-01-01

Cannabidiol (CBD) has been traditionally used in Cannabis-based preparation, however historically, it has received far less interest as a single drug than the other components of Cannabis. Currently, CBD generates considerable interest due to its beneficial neuroprotective, antiepileptic, anxiolytic, antipsychotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, the CBD scaffold becomes of increasing interest for medicinal chemists. This review provides an overview of the chemical structure of natural and synthetic CBD derivatives including the molecular targets associated with these compounds. A clear identification of their biological targets has been shown to be still very challenging. PMID:28701957

Gamification in the Business Communication Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veltsos, Jennifer R.

2017-01-01

Interest in gamification in higher education has been growing steadily in the past decade. Using games and game elements has been shown to increase student engagement, motivation, and autonomy. This article draws parallels between game elements, instructional design, and the teaching of business and professional communication. It suggests ways…

Capuchin Monkeys Judge Third-Party Reciprocity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, James R.; Takimoto, Ayaka; Kuroshima, Hika; Fujita, Kazuo

2013-01-01

Increasing interest is being shown in how children develop an understanding of reciprocity in social exchanges and fairness in resource distribution, including social exchanges between third parties. Although there are descriptions of reciprocity on a one-to-one basis in other species, whether nonhumans detect reciprocity and violations of…

Laboratory ginning and blending impacts on cotton fiber micronaire measurements

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Micronaire, a critical cotton quality parameter, is normally measured in a conditioned laboratory, but increasing interest has been shown in new technologies that can measure micronaire both in and outside of the laboratory. Near Infrared (NIR) technology has demonstrated its ability to measure cot...

Educational Technologies for Precollege Engineering Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riojas, M.; Lysecky, S.; Rozenblit, J.

2012-01-01

Numerous efforts seek to increase awareness, interest, and participation in scientific and technological fields at the precollege level. Studies have shown these students are at a critical age where exposure to engineering and other related fields such as science, mathematics, and technology greatly impact their career goals. A variety of advanced…

DEVELOPMENT OF BIOLOGICALLY BASED SEDIMENT CRITERIA IN MOUNTAIN STREAMS OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES

EPA Science Inventory

Sediment has long been recognized as a leading cause of impairment of biological condition in rivers and streams of the United States. Recently, federal and state agencies have shown increased interest in developing sediment criteria to maintain or improve habitat quality for the...

Test Anxiety? Try a Stick of Gum...

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilmore, Elaine L.

American schools face pressure to increase their students' test scores. Research reports have shown American students to be particularly stressed over test taking partially because of other outside interests in their lives that also take up time. This paper offers tips to help students relieve stress arising from the testing situation. Students…

Personality Traits, Learning and Academic Achievements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Mikael

2015-01-01

There has been an increased interest in personality traits (especially the five-factor model) in relation to education and learning over the last decade. Previous studies have shown a relation between personality traits and learning, and between personality traits and academic achievement. The latter is typically described in terms of Grade Point…

(Dys)functional Guilt and Shame in Developmental Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferguson, T.; And Others

Sociologists and psychologists have shown increasing interest in moral emotions such as pride, shame, and guilt, including their developmental role. While these emotions have an important part in normal development, the chronically shame-prone person has feelings of worthlessness, incompetence, and helplessness; a guilt-prone person dwells on…

Influence of Biochar on Nitrogen Fractions in a Coastal Plain Soil

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Interest in use of biochar from pyrolysis of biomass to sequester C and improve soil productivity has increased; however, research has shown biochar has a high variability in physical and chemical characteristics. Greater understanding is needed about the effects of biochar on soil N dynamics in ag...

Developing Citizenship through Honors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hester, Jacob Andrew; Besing, Kari Lynn

2017-01-01

For decades, research has shown that higher levels of education correspond to increased interest in politics and civic engagement. Despite the vast amount of scholarly attention, why this link exists is still disputed. One theory about the connection is the civic education hypothesis, which claims that the causal link between education and civic…

Nitrogen catch crops

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

High costs of nitrogen (N) fertilizer and the potential for N losses to ground and surface water have resulted in increased interest in using catch crops to recover this N. Research on potatoes has shown that the amount of N lost to leaching can be as much as the amount of N removed from the field ...

Effect of feeding legumes containing condensed tannins with orchardgrass on ruminal fermentation and methane production in continuous culture

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Developing feeding strategies that allow farmers to reduce methane (CH4) emissions from livestock is gaining interest worldwide. Legumes containing condensed tannins (CT) have been shown to decrease enteric CH4 in ruminants; however, research is lacking on how increased CT levels affect ruminal ferm...

The Visible and the Invisible: Mathematics as Revelation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roth, Wolff-Michael; Maheux, Jean-François

2015-01-01

Mathematics educators have shown increasing interest in theorizing knowing and learning as something alive or as something that comes alive through the involvement of the body. Almost all current efforts attempt doing so by focusing on the body in which the otherwise invisible living being exhibits itself, thereby failing to consider everything…

Towards Understanding How to Assess Help-Seeking Behavior across Cultures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogan, Amy; Walker, Erin; Baker, Ryan; Rodrigo, Ma. Mercedes T.; Soriano, Jose Carlo; Castro, Maynor Jimenez

2015-01-01

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in automatically assessing help seeking, the process of referring to resources outside of oneself to accomplish a task or solve a problem. Research in the United States has shown that specific help-seeking behaviors led to better learning within intelligent tutoring systems. However, intelligent…

Evaluation of sprouted barley fodder production systems on organic dairy farms in temperate regions of the United States

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Take home Message Producing high-quality forage is more economical than producing fodder for US organic dairy farms Introduction Organic dairy farmers have shown increased interest in growing sprouted barley fodder in temperate regions of the United States where producing high-quality forage has b...

China's Immediate Future: Renewed Cultural Borrowing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, R. F.

In the years following the Eleventh Party Congress of 1977, China's leadership has shown a renewed interest in cultural borrowing and, subsequently, points of cultural contact with other countries have greatly increased. Many students and scholars have been sent abroad, and many foreign teachers have been invited to China. Between 1978 and 1980,…

Charter Management Organizations: An Emerging Approach to Scaling up What Works

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farrell, Caitlin; Wohlstetter, Priscilla; Smith, Joanna

2012-01-01

Policymakers have shown increasing interest in replicating high-quality education models as a way to improve chronically underperforming schools. Charter management organizations (CMOs) have been touted as one organizational model poised to be such a vehicle for reform. CMOs are nonprofit organizations that operate a network of charter schools…

The Effect of Instructional Method on Teaching Assistants' Classroom Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Current, Kelley; Kowalske, Megan Grunert

2016-01-01

There has been increased interest in the transformation of post-secondary level instructional practices in STEM from more traditional to evidence-based practices that are more aligned with how learning occurs. Research has shown that instructional practices are linked to student learning outcomes even when content is unchanged; therefore,…

Elements for Successful Collaboration between K-8 School, Community Agency, and University Partners: The Lead Peace Partnership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bosma, Linda M.; Sieving, Renee E.; Ericson, Annie; Russ, Pamela; Cavender, Laura; Bonine, Mark

2010-01-01

Background: Researchers, schools, and community organizations are increasingly interested in forming partnerships to improve health and learning outcomes for adolescents. School-based service learning programs with young adolescents have been shown to improve students' health and educational outcomes. Quality school-based service learning practice…

The interaction of gold with gallium arsenide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weizer, Victor G.; Fatemi, Navid S.

1988-01-01

Gold and gold-based alloys, commonly used as solar-cell contact materials, are known to react readily with gallium arsenide. Experiments designed to identify the mechanisms involved in these GaAs-metal interactions have yielded several interesting results. It is shown that the reaction of GaAs with gold takes place via a dissociative diffusion process. It is shown further that the GaAs-metal reaction rate is controlled to a very great extent by the condition of the free surface of the contact metal, an interesting example of which is the previously unexplained increase in the reaction rate that has been observed for samples annealed in a vacuum environment as compared to those annealed in a gaseous ambient. A number of other hard-to-explain observations, such as the low-temperature formation of voids in the gold lattice and crystallite growth on the gold surface, are also explained by invoking this mechanism.

26 CFR 301.6621-3 - Higher interest rate payable on large corporate underpayments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... resulting from a math error on Y's return. Y did not request an abatement of the assessment pursuant to...,000 amount shown as due on the math error assessment notice (plus interest) on or before January 31...,000 amount shown as due on the math error assessment notice (plus interest) on or before January 31...

26 CFR 301.6621-3 - Higher interest rate payable on large corporate underpayments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... resulting from a math error on Y's return. Y did not request an abatement of the assessment pursuant to...,000 amount shown as due on the math error assessment notice (plus interest) on or before January 31...,000 amount shown as due on the math error assessment notice (plus interest) on or before January 31...

26 CFR 301.6621-3 - Higher interest rate payable on large corporate underpayments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... resulting from a math error on Y's return. Y did not request an abatement of the assessment pursuant to...,000 amount shown as due on the math error assessment notice (plus interest) on or before January 31...,000 amount shown as due on the math error assessment notice (plus interest) on or before January 31...

26 CFR 301.6621-3 - Higher interest rate payable on large corporate underpayments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... resulting from a math error on Y's return. Y did not request an abatement of the assessment pursuant to...,000 amount shown as due on the math error assessment notice (plus interest) on or before January 31...,000 amount shown as due on the math error assessment notice (plus interest) on or before January 31...

26 CFR 301.6621-3 - Higher interest rate payable on large corporate underpayments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... resulting from a math error on Y's return. Y did not request an abatement of the assessment pursuant to...,000 amount shown as due on the math error assessment notice (plus interest) on or before January 31...,000 amount shown as due on the math error assessment notice (plus interest) on or before January 31...

Psychotic-like experiences in esoterism: A twilight zone?

PubMed

Hinterbuchinger, Barbara; Litvan, Zsuzsa; Meyer, Elias Laurin; Friedrich, Fabian; Kaltenboeck, Alexander; Gruber, Maria; König, Daniel; Sueßenbacher, Stefanie; Mossaheb, Nilufar

2018-03-01

Over the past decades, research has suggested the existence of a psychosis continuum ranging from psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) in the general population to psychotic symptoms in patients with affective and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Especially individuals interested in esoterism were more often reported having experienced PLEs. However, there is little information on the extent of PLEs in this subculture. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of PLEs in a non-clinical population with interest in esoterism by means of an anonymized clinically used screening questionnaire. The 16-item version of the Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ-16), a self-report screening questionnaire assessing the presence of PLEs was administered to individuals with interest in esoterism (IE) and a control group without interest in esoterism (NI). The sample included 402 individuals. 224 subjects (55.7%) reported interest in esoterism and 178 subjects (44.3%) showed no such interest. In an ANCOVA, interest in esoterism was shown to have a significant impact on the PQ-16 score (<0.001). Also, age (p=0.022) and the interaction between age and interest in esoterism had a significant impact on the PQ-16 score (p=0.004). Specifically, younger individuals interested in esoterism showed increased PQ-16 scores, whereas scores decreased with increasing age. In individuals without interest in esoterism, age had no relevant impact on the score. Younger individuals interested in esoterism seem to be more prone to reporting psychotic-like experiences compared to individuals without interest in esoterism and compared to their older counterparts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Contamination by lead and cadmium during smoke drying of cereals].

PubMed

Woggon, H; Malkus, Z

1978-01-01

Direct drying of cereals with diesel oil as a fuel does not increase the lead and cadmium contents. From the viewpoint of food hygiene and in the interest of the consumer's protection, however, it is recommendable to abandon this kind of drying since previous studies have shown that it involves the risk of contamination by cancerogenic hydrocarbons.

Social and Emotional Learning in the Kindergarten Classroom: Evaluation of the "Strong Start" Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kramer, Thomas J.; Caldarella, Paul; Christensen, Lynnette; Shatzer, Ryan H.

2010-01-01

There has been increasing interest in the promotion of social and emotional learning in schools, and research has shown positive outcomes. However, relatively few studies have been conducted in kindergarten classrooms or considered the feasibility of kindergarten implementation. This study examined the effects of "Strong Start" on the social and…

The Role of Calgranulin Overexpression in Breast Cancer Progression

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-09-01

transfected cells. As shown in Figure 4, exposure of MCF-7 cells to 25ng/ml OSM for 24 hours caused a very significant increase in Cal A levels . Interestingly...Cal A expression was not observed in the parental or vector alone cells, but the transfected cells showed an elevation in Cal A levels . The

Cognitive Abilities That Mediate SES's Effect on Elementary Mathematics Learning: The Uruguayan Tablet-Based Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valle-Lisboa, Juan; Cabana, Álvaro; Eisinger, Robert; Mailhos, Álvaro; Luzardo, Mario; Halberda, Justin; Maiche, Alejandro

2016-01-01

In unequal societies the effectiveness of formal education depends on the socioeconomic status (SES) of students. Studies have shown that poverty affects the development of the brain in ways that might compromise future learning, thus increasing the differences between groups with different SES. Interest is growing in the development of tools that…

Childrens' Learning and Behaviour and the Association with Cheek Cell Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirby, A.; Woodward, A.; Jackson, S.; Wang, Y.; Crawford, M. A.

2010-01-01

Increasing interest in the role of omega-3 fatty acids in relation to neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g. ADHD, dyslexia, autism) has occurred as a consequence of some international studies highlighting this link. In particular, some studies have shown that children with ADHD may have lower concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs),…

Decoding the Voluntourism Process: A Case Study of the Pay It Forward Tour

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Andrew W.; Fernando, Irene K.

2011-01-01

"Voluntourism" refers to the use of "discretionary time and income to travel out of the sphere of regular activity to assist others in need" (McGehee & Santos, 2005, p. 760). These experiences have been shown to raise consciousness and increase interest in activism (McGehee, 2002; Wearing, 2001) and to build pro-social…

Polymethylsilsesquioxanes through base-catalyzed redistribution of oligomethylhydridosiloxanes

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

RAHIMIAN,KAMYAR; ASSINK,ROGER A.; LOY,DOUGLAS A.

2000-04-04

There has been an increasing amount of interest in silsesquioxanes and polysilsesquioxanes. They have been used as models for silica surfaces and have been shown to have great potential for several industrial applications. Typical synthesis of polysilsesquioxanes involves the hydrolysis of organotricholorosilanes and/or organotrialkoxysilanes in the presence of acid or base catalysts, usually in the presence of organic solvents.

Enrolling and Engaging High-Risk Youths and Families in Community-Based, Brief Intervention Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dembo, Richard; Gulledge, Laura; Robinson, Rhissa Briones; Winters, Ken C.

2011-01-01

Increasing interest has been shown in brief interventions for troubled persons, including those with substance abuse problems. Most of the published literature on this topic has focused on adults, and on the efficacy of these interventions. Few of these studies have examined the critical issues of enrollment and engagement in brief intervention…

The Design of Instructional Multimedia in E-Learning: A Media Richness Theory-Based Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Pei-Chen; Cheng, Hsing Kenny

2007-01-01

The rapid development of computer and Internet technologies has made e-Learning become an important learning method. There has been a considerable increase in the needs for multimedia instructional material in e-Learning recently as such content has been shown to attract a learner's attention and interests. The multimedia content alone, however,…

A Comparative Study between Teachers' Self-Efficacy of Differentiated Instruction and Frequency Differentiated Instruction is Implemented

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrett, Stacie

2017-01-01

Differentiated instruction (DI) is a curriculum framework that focuses on the individual student. Students achieve because teachers develop lessons to the students' readiness levels, interests, and learning styles. Students in early childhood through college have shown increased achievement when DI is implemented. The purpose of this quantitative,…

Consumer Behavior Analysis of Fair Trade Coffee: Evidence from Field Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stratton, Jeanine P.; Werner, Matt J.

2013-01-01

Consumers have shown increased interest in purchasing goods with pro- environmental claims or products that promote societal well-being, such as fair wages paid to farmers of the raw materials and workers in the manufacturing process of a good (e.g., social product labels, including Fair Trade). However, few studies have explored actual purchase…

Electromyographic analysis of skeletal muscle changes arising from 9 days of weightlessness in the Apollo-Soyuz space mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lafevers, E. V.; Nicogossian, A. E.; Hursta, W. N.

1976-01-01

Both integration and frequency analyses of the electromyograms from voluntary contractions were performed in one crewman of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission. Of particular interest were changes in excitability, electrical efficiency, and fatigability. As a result of 9 days of weightlessness, muscle excitability was shown to increase; muscle electrical efficiency was found to decrease in calf muscles and to increase in arm muscles; and fatigability was found to increase significantly, as shown by spectral power shifts into lower frequencies. It was concluded from this study that skeletal muscles are affected by the disuse of weightlessness early in the period of weightlessness, antigravity muscles seem most affected by weightlessness, and exercise may abrogate the weightlessness effect. It was further concluded that electromyography is a sensitive tool for measuring spaceflight muscle effects.

Ultrasonic Spray Drying vs High Vacuum and Microwaves Technology for Blueberries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Candia-Muñoz, N.; Ramirez-Bunster, M.; Vargas-Hernández, Y.; Gaete-Garretón, L.

Interest in high quality foods: good taste and a high content of nutrients with healthy beneficial effects are increasing. Fruits have good properties but, they are lost because the oxidation process, additionally, for different reasons a 40% of harvested fruit are lost. To conserve the fruit properties an ultrasonic assisted spray dryer was developed and tested, comparing its results with microwave-vacuum drying technology. Results did shown taste, color, smell, particle shape and size distribution better than the conventional one. The antioxidants conservation were quite good except in the anthocyanins, in which the microwave and vacuum technology shown best results.

Elementary Educators' Attitudes about the Utility of Educational Robotics and Their Ability and Intent to Use It with Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ensign, Todd I.

2017-01-01

Educational robotics (ER) combines accessible and age-appropriate building materials, programmable interfaces, and computer coding to teach science and mathematics using the engineering design process. ER has been shown to increase K-12 students' understanding of STEM concepts, and can develop students' self-confidence and interest in STEM. As…

The Effect of a Climate Change Monitoring Program on Students' Knowledge and Perceptions of STEAM Education in Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeong, Sophia; Kim, Hyoungbum

2015-01-01

Korea has recently started to implement a STEM-like approach in K-12 education, titled STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) curriculum, to educate the next generation of students to become creative innovators. As this approach has been shown to increase educational success, it is vital to prepare and develop interest in…

Mediational Effects of Desktop-Videoconferencing Telecollaborative Exchanges on the Intercultural Communicative Competence of Students of French as a Foreign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Veronique

2013-01-01

Since the early 2000s, foreign language practitioners and researchers have shown an increasing interest in exploring the affordances of multimodal telecollaborative environments for the linguistic and intercultural development of their students. Due in part to their inherent complexity, one-on-one desktop-videoconferencing contexts have not been…

A General Approach to Measuring Test-Taking Effort on Computer-Based Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wise, Steven L.; Gao, Lingyun

2017-01-01

There has been an increased interest in the impact of unmotivated test taking on test performance and score validity. This has led to the development of new ways of measuring test-taking effort based on item response time. In particular, Response Time Effort (RTE) has been shown to provide an assessment of effort down to the level of individual…

[Melatonin and epilepsy].

PubMed

Rufo-Campos, M

2002-09-01

This review has been prepared in response to the increasing interest shown in understanding the part played by melatonin in the body, which has led to the search for new uses of it in cerebral disorders, such as sleep disorders including insomnia, irritability, depression, behaviour disorders and even the treatment of autism, since sleep disorders also occur in this condition. We pay particular attention to studies involving epilepsy. We show that interest in melatonin is rapidly increasing and new discoveries are being made of the part it plays in the biological regulation of circadian rhythm, sleep, mood, ageing, tumour growth and reproduction. Perhaps these processes between them have led to its use in the treatment of many current problems such as neuroprotection, migraine and the control of epileptic seizures. It has been shown that in both children and adults melatonin is of low toxicity and may be used in high risk persons. In this paper we make a careful analysis of recent publications in the medical literature dealing with the use of melatonin in the control of epileptic seizures and discuss its advantages and disadvantages. However, as with other types of treatment, further study, both experimental and otherwise, is necessary for confirmation.

Day at Goddard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wawro, Martha; Van Norden, Wendy

2013-03-01

Day at Goddard is an all day event for high school students that the SDO EPO team has been running for 5 years now. During the event, students are given a tour of the integration and testing facilities, shown science on a sphere, participate in a meet and greet with scientists and engineers and participate in a hands-on lab activity. The purpose of these field trips is to increase the students' interest in STEM subjects, expose them to STEM-related careers and increase their awareness of the research that NASA conducts.

Polar solar wind and interstellar wind properties from interplanetary Lyman-alpha radiation measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Witt, N.; Blum, P. W.; Ajello, J. M.

1981-01-01

The analysis of Mariner 10 observations of Lyman-alpha resonance radiation shows an increase of interplanetary neutral hydrogen densities above the solar poles. This increase is caused by a latitudinal variation of the solar wind velocity and/or flux. Using both the Mariner 10 results and other solar wind observations, the values of the solar wind flux and velocity with latitude are determined for several cases of interest. The latitudinal variation of interplanetary hydrogen gas, arising from the solar wind latitudinal variation, is shown to be most pronounced in the inner solar system. From this result it is shown that spacecraft Lyman-alpha observations are more sensitive to the latitudinal anisotropy for a spacecraft location in the inner solar system near the downwind axis.

Explorations into Chemical Reactions and Biochemical Pathways.

PubMed

Gasteiger, Johann

2016-12-01

A brief overview of the work in the research group of the present author on extracting knowledge from chemical reaction data is presented. Methods have been developed to calculate physicochemical effects at the reaction site. It is shown that these physicochemical effects can quite favourably be used to derive equations for the calculation of data on gas phase reactions and on reactions in solution such as aqueous acidity of alcohols or carboxylic acids or the hydrolysis of amides. Furthermore, it is shown that these physicochemical effects are quite effective for assigning reactions into reaction classes that correspond to chemical knowledge. Biochemical reactions constitute a particularly interesting and challenging task for increasing our understanding of living species. The BioPath.Database is a rich source of information on biochemical reactions and has been used for a variety of applications of chemical, biological, or medicinal interests. Thus, it was shown that biochemical reactions can be assigned by the physicochemical effects into classes that correspond to the classification of enzymes by the EC numbers. Furthermore, 3D models of reaction intermediates can be used for searching for novel enzyme inhibitors. It was shown in a combined application of chemoinformatics and bioinformatics that essential pathways of diseases can be uncovered. Furthermore, a study showed that bacterial flavor-forming pathways can be discovered. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Broken heart: depression in cardiovascular disease

PubMed Central

Krishnan, K. Ranga R.

2003-01-01

Heart disease and depression are among the most common diseases seen in developed countries. The relation-ship between heart disease and depression has been the subject of both popular interest and scientific research. Sadness is often portrayed as a feeling of heaviness in the chest or as a “broken heart.” Interestingly as we learn more about the expression of emotions, it appears that these perceptions may simply be the language representation of somatic feelings. Large, prospective, longitudinal studies that have examined the relationship between depression and development of coronary artery disease (CAD) have shown that depression is a risk factor for the development of CAD. Depression also increases mortality in patients with stable CAD or myocardial infarction compared with patients without depression. The recent Sertraline AntiDepressant HeARt attack Trial (SADHART) has shown that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors like sertraline can be safely used in patients with depression following myocardial infarction. There is also intriguing evidence that treating depression with antidepressants may improve outcomes, including mortality. PMID:22034195

Fitting measurement models to vocational interest data: are dominance models ideal?

PubMed

Tay, Louis; Drasgow, Fritz; Rounds, James; Williams, Bruce A

2009-09-01

In this study, the authors examined the item response process underlying 3 vocational interest inventories: the Occupational Preference Inventory (C.-P. Deng, P. I. Armstrong, & J. Rounds, 2007), the Interest Profiler (J. Rounds, T. Smith, L. Hubert, P. Lewis, & D. Rivkin, 1999; J. Rounds, C. M. Walker, et al., 1999), and the Interest Finder (J. E. Wall & H. E. Baker, 1997; J. E. Wall, L. L. Wise, & H. E. Baker, 1996). Item response theory (IRT) dominance models, such as the 2-parameter and 3-parameter logistic models, assume that item response functions (IRFs) are monotonically increasing as the latent trait increases. In contrast, IRT ideal point models, such as the generalized graded unfolding model, have IRFs that peak where the latent trait matches the item. Ideal point models are expected to fit better because vocational interest inventories ask about typical behavior, as opposed to requiring maximal performance. Results show that across all 3 interest inventories, the ideal point model provided better descriptions of the response process. The importance of specifying the correct item response model for precise measurement is discussed. In particular, scores computed by a dominance model were shown to be sometimes illogical: individuals endorsing mostly realistic or mostly social items were given similar scores, whereas scores based on an ideal point model were sensitive to which type of items respondents endorsed.

The Benefits of a Challenge: Student Motivation and Flow Experience in Tablet-PC-Game-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hung, Cheng-Yu; Sun, Jerry Chih-Yuan; Yu, Pao-Ta

2015-01-01

Advances in technology have led to continuous innovation in teaching and learning methods. For instance, the use of tablet PCs (TPCs) in classroom instruction has been shown to be effective in attracting and motivating students' interest and increasing their desire to participate in learning activities. In this paper, we used a TPCs game--an iPad…

Effect of Socioeconomic Status (SES) Disparity on Neural Development in Female African-American Infants at Age 1 Month

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Betancourt, Laura M.; Avants, Brian; Farah, Martha J.; Brodsky, Nancy L.; Wu, Jue; Ashtari, Manzar; Hurt, Hallam

2016-01-01

There is increasing interest in both the cumulative and long-term impact of early life adversity on brain structure and function, especially as the brain is both highly vulnerable and highly adaptive during childhood. Relationships between SES and neural development have been shown in children older than age 2 years. Less is known regarding the…

Ecosystem Function in Appalachian Headwater Streams during an Active Invasion by the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Treesearch

Robert M. Northington; Jackson R. Webster; Ernest F. Benfield; Beth M. Cheever; Barbara R. Niederlehner

2013-01-01

Forested ecosystems in the southeastern United States are currently undergoing an invasion by the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). Previous studies in this area have shown changes to forest structure, decreases in canopy cover, increases in organic matter, and changes to nutrient cycling on the forest floor and soil. Here, we were interested in how the effects of canopy...

Standardization and Digital Enclosure: The Privatization of Standards, Knowledge, and Policy in the Age of Global Information Technology. Part of the Advances in IT Standards and Standardization Research (AISSR) Book Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schoechle, Timothy, Ed.

2009-01-01

Recent trends have shown increasing privatization of standardization activities under various corporations, trade associations, and consortia, raising significant public policy issues about how the public interest may be represented. This book establishes a framework of analysis for public policy discussion and debate. Discussing topics such as…

Laser Beam Propagation Through Inhomogeneous Media with Shock-Like Profiles: Modeling and Computing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adamovsky, Grigory; Ida, Nathan

1997-01-01

Wave propagation in inhomogeneous media has been studied for such diverse applications as propagation of radiowaves in atmosphere, light propagation through thin films and in inhomogeneous waveguides, flow visualization, and others. In recent years an increased interest has been developed in wave propagation through shocks in supersonic flows. Results of experiments conducted in the past few years has shown such interesting phenomena as a laser beam splitting and spreading. The paper describes a model constructed to propagate a laser beam through shock-like inhomogeneous media. Numerical techniques are presented to compute the beam through such media. The results of computation are presented, discussed, and compared with experimental data.

[Surgery for diabetes type 2?].

PubMed

Müller, Markus K; Nocito, A; Schiesser, M

2010-02-17

Diabetes mellitus type 2 is a chronic disease with increasing prevalence in western society. Obesity represents a well established risk factor for the development of diabetes mellitus type 2. Several studies on surgical procedures for the treatment of obesity have shown a postoperative reduction of obesity-related co-morbidities. Thus, diabetes mellitus type 2 was shown to resolve or improve in more than 75% of morbidly obese patients (BMI >35) after bariatric surgery. These insights paved the way for the advent of metabolic surgery - a novel field with the goal to improve glucose metabolism in patients with a BMI of less than 35. Encouraging results from mostly observational studies have sparked the interest in the surgical management of diabetes mellitus type 2.

A Role of DLPFC in the Learning Process of Human Mate Copying

PubMed Central

Zhuang, Jin-Ying; Xie, Jiajia; Hu, Die; Fan, Mingxia; Zheng, Li

2016-01-01

In the current study, we conducted a behavioral experiment to test the mate coping effect and a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment to test the neural basis involved in the social learning process of mate copying. In the behavioral experiment, participants were asked to rate the attractiveness of isolated opposite-sex (potential mates) facial photographs, then shown the targets associating with a neutral-faced model with textual cues indicating the models’ attitude (interested vs. not-interested) toward the potential mates, and then asked to re-evaluate the potential mates’ attractiveness. Using a similar procedure as the behavioral experiment, participants were scanned while observing the compound images in the fMRI experiment. The mate copying effect was confirmed in the behavioral experiment –greater increase in attractiveness ratings was observed for opposite-sex photographs in the interested than in the not-interested condition. The fMRI results showed that the dorsolateral prefrontal gyrus (DLPFC) was significantly active in the comparison of interested > not-interested condition, suggesting that a cognitive integration and selection function may be involved when participants process information from conditions related to mate copying. PMID:27148151

Exploring Situational Interest Sources in the French Physical Education Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roure, Cédric; Pasco, Denis

2018-01-01

Based on the framework of interest, studies have shown that situational interest possesses strong motivation potential for students in physical education. Understanding how teachers can use situational interest in a classroom context is critical to motivate students. However, such investigations have been exclusively conducted in the United States…

Dispersion and viscous attenuation of capillary waves with finite amplitude

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denner, Fabian; Paré, Gounséti; Zaleski, Stéphane

2017-04-01

We present a comprehensive study of the dispersion of capillary waves with finite amplitude, based on direct numerical simulations. The presented results show an increase of viscous attenuation and, consequently, a smaller frequency of capillary waves with increasing initial wave amplitude. Interestingly, however, the critical wavenumber as well as the wavenumber at which the maximum frequency is observed remain the same for a given two-phase system, irrespective of the wave amplitude. By devising an empirical correlation that describes the effect of the wave amplitude on the viscous attenuation, the dispersion of capillary waves with finite initial amplitude is shown to be, in very good approximation, self-similar throughout the entire underdamped regime and independent of the fluid properties. The results also shown that analytical solutions for capillary waves with infinitesimal amplitude are applicable with reasonable accuracy for capillary waves with moderate amplitude.

Evaluation of Student Injuries at the Sergeants Major Course (SMC), Fort Bliss, Texas, August 2013-May 2014

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-24

benefit from collection of process metrics, additional factors influencing injury incidence, and additional outcomes of interest. 15. SUBJECT TERMS...therapist at the SMC. Future evaluations would benefit from pre- and post-implementation measurement of additional factors contributing to injury...increased during the SMC. The incorporation of cross-training is likely beneficial, as noted above. Cross-training has also been shown to have benefits

Doppler electron velocimetry : notes on creating a practical tool.

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

Reu, Phillip L.; Milster, Tom

2008-11-01

The Doppler electron velocimeter (DEV) has been shown to be theoretically possible. This report attempts to answer the next logical question: Is it a practical instrument? The answer hinges upon whether enough electrons are available to create a time-varying Doppler current to be measured by a detector with enough sensitivity and bandwidth. The answer to both of these questions is a qualified yes. A target Doppler frequency of 1 MHz was set as a minimum rate of interest. At this target a theoretical beam current signal-to-noise ratio of 25-to-1 is shown for existing electron holography equipment. A detector is alsomore » demonstrated with a bandwidth of 1-MHz at a current of 10 pA. Additionally, a Linnik-type interferometer that would increase the available beam current is shown that would offer a more flexible arrangement for Doppler electron measurements over the traditional biprism.« less

Developing an Academic Ability Scale for the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Figel, William J.

Earlier studies had shown that differences in measured interests are related to differences in scores on tests of academic ability. Specifically, scores on the college major interest scales of the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey (KOIS) were found to be related to scores on the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT). This suggested…

The Effects of Primary Light Sources on Worker Performance and Alertness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, Lily; Caddick, Zachary; Kuriyagawa, Yukiyo; Flynn-Evans, Erin

2017-01-01

Traditional office buildings use a variety of primary light sources (e.g., LED/fluorescent lights). As interest in LEED certified office buildings increase and research has shown that enhanced lighting design improves human performance and alertness (Viola et al., 2008; Juslén & Tenner, 2005; Edwards & Torcellini, 2002), more office buildings are incorporating a daylighting design. We investigated the differences between employee performance and alertness in two different building types (daylight vs. artificial light). We hypothesized that employee performance and sleep duration would be improved in a building designed to increase exposure to natural daylight compared to traditional office settings.

The value of private patient information in the physician-patient relationship: a game-theoretic account.

PubMed

De Jaegher, Kris

2012-01-01

This paper presents a game-theoretical model of the physician-patient relationship. There is a conflict of interests between physician and patient, in that the physician prefers the patient to always obtain a particular treatment, even if the patient would not consider this treatment in his interest. The patient obtains imperfect cues of whether or not he needs the treatment. The effect of an increase in the quality of the patient's private information is studied, in the form of an improvement in the quality of his cues. It is shown that when the patient's information improves in this sense, he may either become better off or worse off. The precise circumstances under which either result is obtained are derived.

12 CFR 366.11 - Will the FDIC waive a conflict of interest?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Will the FDIC waive a conflict of interest? 366... FDIC waive a conflict of interest? (a) We may waive a conflict of interest for good cause shown at our... examples of when we may grant you a waiver for a conflict of interest. These examples are not inclusive. (1...

Targeting BET bromodomain proteins in solid tumors

PubMed Central

Sahai, Vaibhav; Redig, Amanda J.; Collier, Katharine A.; Eckerdt, Frank D.; Munshi, Hidayatullah G.

2016-01-01

There is increasing interest in inhibitors targeting BET (bromodomain and extra-terminal) proteins because of the association between this family of proteins and cancer progression. BET inhibitors were initially shown to have efficacy in hematologic malignancies; however, a number of studies have now shown that BET inhibitors can also block progression of non-hematologic malignancies. In this Review, we summarize the efficacy of BET inhibitors in select solid tumors; evaluate the role of BET proteins in mediating resistance to current targeted therapies; and consider potential toxicities of BET inhibitors. We also evaluate recently characterized mechanisms of resistance to BET inhibitors; summarize ongoing clinical trials with these inhibitors; and discuss potential future roles of BET inhibitors in patients with solid tumors. PMID:27283767

Chalcones as Promising Lead Compounds on Cancer Therapy.

PubMed

León-González, Antonio J; Acero, Nuria; Muñoz-Mingarro, Dolores; Navarro, Inmaculada; Martín-Cordero, Carmen

2015-01-01

Chalcones constitute a group of phenolic compounds that command an increasing interest on cancer research. Natural chalcones are widespread through the plant kingdom. The most abundant and investigated chalcones are isoliquiritigenin, flavokawain and xanthohumol, which are present in the Fabaceae, Piperaceae, Cannabaceae, and Moraceae families. These chalcones have been shown to be promising lead antitumor-chemopreventive drugs by three different activities: antioxidants, cytotoxic and apoptosis inducers. In the recent years, SAR (structure-activity relationship) has contributed towards the improvement of anticancer properties of chalcones by substituting aryl rings and introducing heterocyclic moieties. This review summarizes the anticancer activities shown by natural chalcones and the SAR and describes how different chemical moiety modifications could lead them to be therapeutically useful in the treatment of cancer.

Inertial frictional ratchets and their load bearing efficiencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kharkongor, D.; Reenbohn, W. L.; Mahato, Mangal C.

2018-03-01

We investigate the performance of an inertial frictional ratchet in a sinusoidal potential driven by a sinusoidal external field. The dependence of the performance on the parameters of the sinusoidally varying friction, such as the mean friction coefficient and its phase difference with the potential, is studied in detail. Interestingly, under certain circumstances, the thermodynamic efficiency of the ratchet against an applied load shows a non-monotonic behaviour as a function of the mean friction coefficient. Also, in the large friction ranges, the efficiency is shown to increase with increasing applied load even though the corresponding ratchet current decreases as the applied load increases. These counterintuitive numerical results are explained in the text.

Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine: Myth or Reality of the 21th Century

PubMed Central

Stoltz, J.-F.; de Isla, N.; Li, Y. P.; Bensoussan, D.; Zhang, L.; Huselstein, C.; Chen, Y.; Decot, V.; Magdalou, J.; Li, N.; Reppel, L.; He, Y.

2015-01-01

Since the 1960s and the therapeutic use of hematopoietic stem cells of bone marrow origin, there has been an increasing interest in the study of undifferentiated progenitors that have the ability to proliferate and differentiate into various tissues. Stem cells (SC) with different potency can be isolated and characterised. Despite the promise of embryonic stem cells, in many cases, adult or even fetal stem cells provide a more interesting approach for clinical applications. It is undeniable that mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) from bone marrow, adipose tissue, or Wharton's Jelly are of potential interest for clinical applications in regenerative medicine because they are easily available without ethical problems for their uses. During the last 10 years, these multipotent cells have generated considerable interest and have particularly been shown to escape to allogeneic immune response and be capable of immunomodulatory activity. These properties may be of a great interest for regenerative medicine. Different clinical applications are under study (cardiac insufficiency, atherosclerosis, stroke, bone and cartilage deterioration, diabetes, urology, liver, ophthalmology, and organ's reconstruction). This review focuses mainly on tissue and organ regeneration using SC and in particular MSC. PMID:26300923

Capturing public interest toward new tools for controlling human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection exploiting data from Google Trends.

PubMed

Mahroum, Naim; Bragazzi, Nicola Luigi; Brigo, Francesco; Waknin, Roy; Sharif, Kassem; Mahagna, Hussein; Amital, Howard; Watad, Abdulla

2018-04-01

Human immunodeficiency virus vaccination and pre-exposure prophylaxis represent two different emerging preventive tools. Google Trends was used to assess the public interest toward these tools in terms of digital activities. Worldwide web searches concerning the human immunodeficiency virus vaccine represented 0.34 percent, 0.03 percent, and 46.97 percent of human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome treatment-related Google Trends queries, respectively. Concerning temporal trends, digital activities were shown to increase from 0 percent as of 1 January 2004 percent to 46 percent as of 8 October 2017 with two spikes observed in May and July 2012, coinciding with the US Food and Drug Administration approval. Bursts in search number and volume were recorded as human immunodeficiency virus vaccine trials emerged. This search topic has decreased in the past decade in parallel to the increase in Truvada-related topics. Concentrated searches were noticed among African countries with high human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome prevalence. Stakeholders should take advantage of public interest especially in preventive medicine in high disease burden countries.

WorldWide Telescope Ambassadors, a Year 3 Update

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udomprasert, Patricia S.; Goodman, A. A.; Wong, C.

2013-01-01

The WorldWide Telescope Ambassadors (WWTA) Program has a track record of inspiring middle school students and getting them excited about science. The WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is a stunningly beautiful and freely available data visualization environment developed by Microsoft Research in collaboration with professional astronomers. Trained volunteer Ambassadors show teachers and students how to use WWT in their classrooms to explore and learn about our Universe. Our initial study has shown that WWT increases student understanding of astrophysical concepts and interest in astronomy and science. As an example of how excited students feel about learning astronomy with WWT, one middle school boy exclaimed, “This is way cooler than Call of Duty!” Our vision is to capitalize on the demonstrated inspirational and educational potential of WWT to increase the number of students who express interest in STEM fields. In this oral presentation, we provide a status update on the WWTA program, including ongoing results from our work with over 700 middle school students to date, and preliminary results from a new NSF-funded study comparing learning and interest gains for students studying Moon phases with WWT vs with the 2-dimensional simulator activity that accompanies their textbook. More information is available at wwtambassadors.org

A mentorship-based preclinical elective increases exposure, confidence, and interest in surgery.

PubMed

Drolet, Brian C; Sangisetty, Suma; Mulvaney, Patrick M; Ryder, Beth A; Cioffi, William G

2014-02-01

The predicted shortage of surgeons is of growing concern with declining medical student interest in surgical careers. We hypothesized that earlier exposure to operative experiences and the establishment of resident mentors through a preclinical elective would enhance student confidence and interest in surgery. We developed a preclinical elective in surgery, which served as an organized curriculum for junior medical students to experience surgery through a paired resident-mentorship model. We assessed student exposure and confidence with clinical activities before and after the elective (N = 24, 100% response rate). We compared these students with a cohort of peers not enrolled in the elective (N = 147, 67% response rate). We found significantly improved confidence (2.8 vs 4.4) and clinical exposure (2.4 vs 4.3) before versus after the elective, with precourse scores equal to matched peers. This elective incorporates elements that have been shown to positively influence student decision making in surgical career choice. The mentorship model promotes residents as educators, whereas the elective provides a means for early identification of students interested in surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc.

How power influences moral thinking.

PubMed

Lammers, Joris; Stapel, Diederik A

2009-08-01

The authors conducted 5 studies to test the idea that both thinking about and having power affects the way in which people resolve moral dilemmas. It is shown that high power increases the use of rule-based (deontological) moral thinking styles, whereas low power increases reliance on outcome-based (consequentialist) moral thinking. Stated differently, in determining whether an act is right or wrong, the powerful focus on whether rules and principles are violated, whereas the powerless focus on the consequences. For this reason, the powerful are also more inclined to stick to the rules, irrespective of whether this has positive or negative effects, whereas the powerless are more inclined to make exceptions. The first 3 experiments show that thinking about power increases rule-based thinking and decreases outcome-based thinking in participants' moral decision making. A 4th experiment shows the mediating role of moral orientation in the effect of power on moral decisions. The 5th experiment demonstrates the role of self-interest by showing that the power-moral link is reversed when rule-based decisions threaten participants' own self-interests.

47 CFR 73.3592 - Conditional grant.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... may, if the public interest will be served thereby, make a conditional grant of one of the..., it is shown that public interest will be better served by a grant of one of the other applications... another application; or (2) That public interest requires the prompt establishment of broadcast service in...

The Interactions of Relationships, Interest, and Self-Efficacy in Undergraduate Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dou, Remy

This collected papers dissertation explores students' academic interactions in an active learning, introductory physics settings as they relate to the development of physics self-efficacy and interest. The motivation for this work extends from the national call to increase participation of students in the pursuit of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Self-efficacy and interest are factors that play prominent roles in popular, evidence-based, career theories, including the Social cognitive career theory (SCCT) and the identity framework. Understanding how these constructs develop in light of the most pervasive characteristic of the active learning introductory physics classroom (i.e., peer-to-peer interactions) has implications on how students learn in a variety of introductory STEM classrooms and settings structured after constructivist and sociocultural learning theories. I collected data related to students' in-class interactions using the tools of social network analysis (SNA). Social network analysis has recently been shown to be an effective and useful way to examine the structure of student relationships that develop in and out of STEM classrooms. This set of studies furthers the implementation of SNA as a tool to examine self-efficacy and interest formation in the active learning physics classroom. Here I represent a variety of statistical applications of SNA, including bootstrapped linear regression (Chapter 2), structural equation modeling (Chapter 3), and hierarchical linear modeling for longitudinal analyses (Chapter 4). Self-efficacy data were collected using the Sources of Self-Efficacy for Science Courses - Physics survey (SOSESC-P), and interest data were collected using the physics identity survey. Data for these studies came from the Modeling Instruction sections of Introductory Physics with Calculus offered at Florida International University in the fall of 2014 and 2015. Analyses support the idea that students' perceptions of one another impact the development of their social network centrality, which in turn affects their self-efficacy building experiences and their overall self-efficacy. It was shown that unlike career theories that emphasize causal relationships between the development of self-efficacy and the subsequent growth of student interest, in this context student interest takes precedence before the development of student self-efficacy. This outcome also has various implications for career theories.

Recurrent fuzzy ranking methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hajjari, Tayebeh

2012-11-01

With the increasing development of fuzzy set theory in various scientific fields and the need to compare fuzzy numbers in different areas. Therefore, Ranking of fuzzy numbers plays a very important role in linguistic decision-making, engineering, business and some other fuzzy application systems. Several strategies have been proposed for ranking of fuzzy numbers. Each of these techniques has been shown to produce non-intuitive results in certain case. In this paper, we reviewed some recent ranking methods, which will be useful for the researchers who are interested in this area.

Kombucha, the fermented tea: microbiology, composition, and claimed health effects.

PubMed

Greenwalt, C J; Steinkraus, K H; Ledford, R A

2000-07-01

Kombucha is a slightly sweet, slightly acidic tea beverage consumed worldwide, but historically in China, Russia, and Germany. Kombucha is prepared by fermenting sweetened black tea preparations with a symbiotic culture of yeasts and bacteria. Potential health effects have created an increased interest in Kombucha. Yet, only a few research studies have shown that Kombucha has in vitro antimicrobial activity and enhances sleep and pain thresholds in rats. Furthermore, Kombucha consumption has proven to be harmful in several documented instances.

Digital phase-locked loop speed control for a brushless dc motor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wise, M. G.

1985-06-01

Speed control of d.c. motors by phase-locked loops (PLL) is becoming increasingly popular. Primary interest has been in employing PLL for constant speed control. This thesis investigates the theory and techniques of digital PLL to speed control of a brushless d.c. motor with a variable speed of operation. Addition of logic controlled count enable/disable to a synchronous up/down counter, used as a phase-frequency detector, is shown to improve the performance of previously proposed PLL control schemes.

Increasing Glucose 6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Activity Restores Redox Balance in Vascular Endothelial Cells Exposed to High Glucose

PubMed Central

Zhu, Bo; Hu, Ji; Liew, Chong Wee; Zhang, Yingyi; Leopold, Jane A.; Handy, Diane E.; Loscalzo, Joseph; Stanton, Robert C.

2012-01-01

Previous studies have shown that high glucose increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) in endothelial cells that contributes to vascular dysfunction and atherosclerosis. Accumulation of ROS is due to dysregulated redox balance between ROS-producing systems and antioxidant systems. Previous research from our laboratory has shown that high glucose decreases the principal cellular reductant, NADPH by impairing the activity of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). We and others also have shown that the high glucose-induced decrease in G6PD activity is mediated, at least in part, by cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA). As both the major antioxidant enzymes and NADPH oxidase, a major source of ROS, use NADPH as substrate, we explored whether G6PD activity was a critical mediator of redox balance. We found that overexpression of G6PD by pAD-G6PD infection restored redox balance. Moreover inhibition of PKA decreased ROS accumulation and increased redox enzymes, while not altering the protein expression level of redox enzymes. Interestingly, high glucose stimulated an increase in NADPH oxidase (NOX) and colocalization of G6PD with NOX, which was inhibited by the PKA inhibitor. Lastly, inhibition of PKA ameliorated high glucose mediated increase in cell death and inhibition of cell growth. These studies illustrate that increasing G6PD activity restores redox balance in endothelial cells exposed to high glucose, which is a potentially important therapeutic target to protect ECs from the deleterious effects of high glucose. PMID:23185302

The beneficial effects of massage therapy for insomnia in postmenopausal women.

PubMed

Hachul, H; Oliveira, D S; Bittencourt, L R A; Andersen, M L; Tufik, S

2014-06-01

With increases life expectancy, the incidence of undesirable manifestations of menopause has increased as well. The effects of lost ovarian function include progressive decrease in estradiol secretion, trophic changes in the breast, vasomotor symptoms, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders. Insomnia, which has physiological consequences and can result in a loss of quality of life, is prevalent in women after menopause. Hormone therapy has been widely used to reduce menopausal symptoms, but its use in recent years has been questioned because of the reported risks of cardiovascular events and increased incidence of tumors. This controversy has generated significant interest in non-hormonal treatments among both physicians and patients. Our previous research has shown a positive effect of massage therapy on menopausal symptoms. We explored the hypothesis that massage therapy would produce beneficial effects in postmenopausal women through inflammatory and immunological changes. Recent results from self-report questionnaires have shown improvements in sleep pattern and quality of life following massage therapy. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of massage therapy for the treatment of postmenopausal symptoms, particularly insomnia, and indicate that it is a promising line of research.

Full-Scale Wind-Tunnel Investigation of a Jet Flap in Conjunction with a Plain Flap with Blowing Boundary-Layer Control on a 35 deg Sweptback-Wing Airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aoyagi, Kiyoshi; Hickey, David H.

1959-01-01

Previous investigations have shown that increased blowing at the hinge-line radius of a plain flap will give flap lift increases above that realized with boundary-layer control. Other experiments and theory have shown that blowing from a wing trailing edge, through the jet flap effect, produced lift increases. The present investigation was made to determine whether blowing simultaneously at the hinge-line radius and trailing edge would be more effective than blowing separately at either location. The tests were made at a Reynolds number of 4.5 x 10(exp 6) with a 35 deg sweptback-wing airplane. For this report, only the lift data are presented. Of the three flap blowing arrangements tested, blowing distributed between the trailing edge and the hinge-line radius of a plain flap was found to be superior to blowing at either location separately at the plain flap deflections of interest. Comparison of estimated and experimental jet flap effectiveness was fair.

The beneficial effects of massage therapy for insomnia in postmenopausal women☆

PubMed Central

Hachul, H.; Oliveira, D.S.; Bittencourt, L.R.A.; Andersen, M.L.; Tufik, S.

2014-01-01

With increases life expectancy, the incidence of undesirable manifestations of menopause has increased as well. The effects of lost ovarian function include progressive decrease in estradiol secretion, trophic changes in the breast, vasomotor symptoms, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders. Insomnia, which has physiological consequences and can result in a loss of quality of life, is prevalent in women after menopause. Hormone therapy has been widely used to reduce menopausal symptoms, but its use in recent years has been questioned because of the reported risks of cardiovascular events and increased incidence of tumors. This controversy has generated significant interest in non-hormonal treatments among both physicians and patients. Our previous research has shown a positive effect of massage therapy on menopausal symptoms. We explored the hypothesis that massage therapy would produce beneficial effects in postmenopausal women through inflammatory and immunological changes. Recent results from self-report questionnaires have shown improvements in sleep pattern and quality of life following massage therapy. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of massage therapy for the treatment of postmenopausal symptoms, particularly insomnia, and indicate that it is a promising line of research. PMID:26483913

Physiological responses to taste signals of functional food components.

PubMed

Narukawa, Masataka

2018-02-01

The functions of food have three categories: nutrition, palatability, and bioregulation. As the onset of lifestyle-related diseases has increased, many people have shown interest in functional foods that are beneficial to bioregulation. We believe that functional foods should be highly palatable for increased acceptance from consumers. In order to design functional foods with a high palatability, we have investigated about the palatability, especially in relation to the taste of food. In this review, we discuss (1) the identification of taste receptors that respond to functional food components; (2) an analysis of the peripheral taste transduction system; and (3) the investigation of the relationship between physiological functions and taste signals.

Nanobiotechnology and its applications in drug delivery system: a review.

PubMed

Khan, Imran; Khan, Momin; Umar, Muhammad Naveed; Oh, Deog-Hwan

2015-12-01

Nanobiotechnology holds great potential in various regimes of life sciences. In this review, the potential applications of nanobiotechnology in various sectors of nanotechnologies, including nanomedicine and nanobiopharmaceuticals, are highlighted. To overcome the problems associated with drug delivery, nanotechnology has gained increasing interest in recent years. Nanosystems with different biological properties and compositions have been extensively investigated for drug delivery applications. Nanoparticles fabricated through various techniques have elevated therapeutic efficacy, provided stability to the drugs and proved capable of targeting the cells and controlled release inside the cell. Polymeric nanoparticles have shown increased development and usage in drug delivery as well as in diagnostics in recent decades.

A life cycle cost economics model for projects with uniformly varying operating costs. [management planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Remer, D. S.

1977-01-01

A mathematical model is developed for calculating the life cycle costs for a project where the operating costs increase or decrease in a linear manner with time. The life cycle cost is shown to be a function of the investment costs, initial operating costs, operating cost gradient, project life time, interest rate for capital and salvage value. The results show that the life cycle cost for a project can be grossly underestimated (or overestimated) if the operating costs increase (or decrease) uniformly over time rather than being constant as is often assumed in project economic evaluations. The following range of variables is examined: (1) project life from 2 to 30 years; (2) interest rate from 0 to 15 percent per year; and (3) operating cost gradient from 5 to 90 percent of the initial operating costs. A numerical example plus tables and graphs is given to help calculate project life cycle costs over a wide range of variables.

Review of Grit and Resilience Literature within Health Professions Education

PubMed Central

Cain, Jeff

2018-01-01

Objective. To review literature pertaining to grit and resilience in health professions education. Findings. There is significant interest in grit and resilience throughout the health professions, but little has been published with regard to pharmacy. Although there are methodological issues with defining and measuring grit and resilience, several studies have shown relationships between the constructs and personal and academic well-being. Educational interventions aimed at increasing grit and resilience have produced mixed results. Developing protective factors appears to be the most common approach in helping students become more resilient. Summary. Literature pertaining to grit and resilience reveals that the terms are nuanced, complex, and difficult to measure and understand. Regardless, the general characteristics associated with grit and resilience are of interest to educators and warrant further study. PMID:29606705

Experimental and computational investigation of lateral gauge response in polycarbonate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eliot, Jim; Harris, Ernest Joseph; Hazell, Paul; Appleby-Thomas, Gareth James; Winter, Ron; Wood, David Christopher

2012-03-01

The shock behaviour of polycarbonate is of interest due to its extensive use in defence applications. Interestingly, embedded lateral manganin stress gauges in polycarbonate have shown gradients behind incident shocks, suggestive of increasing shear strength. However, such gauges are commonly embedded in a central epoxy interlayer. This is an inherently invasive approach. Recently, research has suggested that in such systems interlayer/target impedance may contribute to observed gradients in lateral stress. Here, experimental T-gauge (Vishay Micro-Measurements® type J2M-SS-580SF-025) traces from polycarbonate targets are compared to computational simulations. The effects of gauge environment are investigated by looking at the response of lateral gauges with both standard "glued-joint" and a "dry joint" encapsulation, where no encapsulating medium is employed.

The Effects of a Curriculum Intervention on Arkansas Students' Interests in Manufacturing as Measured by the Kuder Career Interest Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shemwell, Bridget Duncan

2010-01-01

The Kuder Career Planning System administrative database results for the past five years have shown a low interest in the manufacturing career cluster among Arkansas students. The low student interest and shortage of high-skilled labor in manufacturing prompted the Arkansas Department of Career Education to invest grant funds in a new…

Stressed to death: implication of lymphocyte apoptosis for psychoneuroimmunology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shi, Yufang; Devadas, Satish; Greeneltch, Kristy M.; Yin, Deling; Allan Mufson, R.; Zhou, Jian-nian

2003-01-01

Psychological and physical stressors best exemplify the intercommunication of the immune and the nervous systems. It has been shown that stress significantly impacts leukocyte cellularity and immune responses and alters susceptibility to various diseases. While acute stress has been shown to enhance immune responses, chronic stress often leads to immunosuppression. Among many criteria examined upon exposure to chronic stress, the reduction in lymphocyte mitogenic response and lymphocyte cellularity are commonly assessed. We have reported that chronic restraint stress could induce lymphocyte reduction, an effect dependent on endogenous opioids. Interestingly, the effect of endogenous opioids was found to be exerted through increasing the expression of a cell death receptor, Fas, and an increased sensitivity of lymphocytes to apoptosis. Stress-induced lymphocyte reduction was not affected by adrenalectomy. In this review, based on available literature and our recent data, we will discuss the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and endogenous opioids and examine the mechanisms by which chronic stress modulates lymphocyte apoptosis.

Biomedical Science Ph.D. Career Interest Patterns by Race/Ethnicity and Gender

PubMed Central

Gibbs, Kenneth D.; McGready, John; Bennett, Jessica C.; Griffin, Kimberly

2014-01-01

Increasing biomedical workforce diversity remains a persistent challenge. Recent reports have shown that biomedical sciences (BMS) graduate students become less interested in faculty careers as training progresses; however, it is unclear whether or how the career preferences of women and underrepresented minority (URM) scientists change in manners distinct from their better-represented peers. We report results from a survey of 1500 recent American BMS Ph.D. graduates (including 276 URMs) that examined career preferences over the course of their graduate training experiences. On average, scientists from all social backgrounds showed significantly decreased interest in faculty careers at research universities, and significantly increased interest in non-research careers at Ph.D. completion relative to entry. However, group differences emerged in overall levels of interest (at Ph.D. entry and completion), and the magnitude of change in interest in these careers. Multiple logistic regression showed that when controlling for career pathway interest at Ph.D. entry, first-author publication rate, faculty support, research self-efficacy, and graduate training experiences, differences in career pathway interest between social identity groups persisted. All groups were less likely than men from well-represented (WR) racial/ethnic backgrounds to report high interest in faculty careers at research-intensive universities (URM men: OR 0.60, 95% CI: 0.36–0.98, p = 0.04; WR women: OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.47–0.89, p = 0.008; URM women: OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.30–0.71, p<0.001), and URM women were more likely than all other groups to report high interest in non-research careers (OR: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.28–2.90, p = 0.002). The persistence of disparities in the career interests of Ph.D. recipients suggests that a supply-side (or “pipeline”) framing of biomedical workforce diversity challenges may limit the effectiveness of efforts to attract and retain the best and most diverse workforce. We propose incorporation of an ecological perspective of career development when considering strategies to enhance the biomedical workforce and professoriate through diversity. PMID:25493425

Biomedical Science Ph.D. Career Interest Patterns by Race/Ethnicity and Gender.

PubMed

Gibbs, Kenneth D; McGready, John; Bennett, Jessica C; Griffin, Kimberly

2014-01-01

Increasing biomedical workforce diversity remains a persistent challenge. Recent reports have shown that biomedical sciences (BMS) graduate students become less interested in faculty careers as training progresses; however, it is unclear whether or how the career preferences of women and underrepresented minority (URM) scientists change in manners distinct from their better-represented peers. We report results from a survey of 1500 recent American BMS Ph.D. graduates (including 276 URMs) that examined career preferences over the course of their graduate training experiences. On average, scientists from all social backgrounds showed significantly decreased interest in faculty careers at research universities, and significantly increased interest in non-research careers at Ph.D. completion relative to entry. However, group differences emerged in overall levels of interest (at Ph.D. entry and completion), and the magnitude of change in interest in these careers. Multiple logistic regression showed that when controlling for career pathway interest at Ph.D. entry, first-author publication rate, faculty support, research self-efficacy, and graduate training experiences, differences in career pathway interest between social identity groups persisted. All groups were less likely than men from well-represented (WR) racial/ethnic backgrounds to report high interest in faculty careers at research-intensive universities (URM men: OR 0.60, 95% CI: 0.36-0.98, p = 0.04; WR women: OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.47-0.89, p = 0.008; URM women: OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.30-0.71, p<0.001), and URM women were more likely than all other groups to report high interest in non-research careers (OR: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.28-2.90, p = 0.002). The persistence of disparities in the career interests of Ph.D. recipients suggests that a supply-side (or "pipeline") framing of biomedical workforce diversity challenges may limit the effectiveness of efforts to attract and retain the best and most diverse workforce. We propose incorporation of an ecological perspective of career development when considering strategies to enhance the biomedical workforce and professoriate through diversity.

31 CFR 344.7 - What are Demand Deposit securities?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... indebtedness. Funds invested in the ninety-day certificates of indebtedness earn simple interest equal to the... security shall bear a variable rate of interest based on an adjustment of the average yield for three-month... regular auction of three-month Treasury bills and is shown in the SLGS rate table. Interest is accrued and...

Sex-Atypical Interests and Inferred Values of Ns of One.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diamond, Esther E.

Over the years, the responses of men and women to interest inventories have shown large differences that, in the interests of sex-fairness, have necessitated separate scales and norms for empirically built inventories. The degree of overlap between scores on male- and female-normed scales quickly identifies the individual with sex-typical or…

Considering Cognitive Factors in Interest Research: Context Personalization and Illustrations in Math Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Candace, Walkington; Clinton, Virginia; Mingle, Leigh

2016-01-01

This paper examines two factors that have been shown in previous literature to enhance students' interest in learning mathematics--personalization of problems to students' interest areas, and the addition of visual representations such as decorative illustrations. In two studies taking place within an online curriculum for middle school…

Global Patterns in Students' Views of Science and Interest in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Griethuijsen, Ralf A. L. F.; van Eijck, Michiel W.; Haste, Helen; den Brok, Perry J.; Skinner, Nigel C.; Mansour, Nasser; Savran Gencer, Ayse; BouJaoude, Saouma

2015-01-01

International studies have shown that interest in science and technology among primary and secondary school students in Western European countries is low and seems to be decreasing. In many countries outside Europe, and especially in developing countries, interest in science and technology remains strong. As part of the large-scale European Union…

The Impact of Learning Task Design on Students' Situational Interest in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roure, Cédric; Pasco, Denis

2018-01-01

Purpose: Based on the framework of interest, studies have shown that teachers can enhance students' situational interest (SI) by manipulating the components of learning tasks. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of learning task design on students' SI in physical education (PE). Method: The participants were 167 secondary school…

Beyond Quantitative Decline: Conceptual Shifts in Adolescents' Development of Interest in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frenzel, Anne C.; Pekrun, Reinhard; Dicke, Anna-Lena; Goetz, Thomas

2012-01-01

Research has shown that the average values for academic interest decrease during adolescence. Looking beyond such quantitative decline, we explored qualitative change of interest in the domain of mathematics across adolescence. Study 1 was based on a longitudinal data set (annual assessments from Grade 5 to Grade 9; N = 3,193). Latent variable…

Surgical residency training and international volunteerism: a national survey of residents from 2 surgical specialties.

PubMed

Matar, Wadih Y; Trottier, Daniel C; Balaa, Fady; Fairful-Smith, Robin; Moroz, Paul

2012-08-01

Many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) lack basic surgical resources, resulting in avoidable disability and mortality. Recently, residents in surgical training programs have shown increasing interest in overseas elective experiences to assist surgical programs in LMICs. The purpose of this study was to survey Canadian surgical residents about their interest in international volunteerism. We sent a web-based survey to all general and orthopedic surgery residents enrolled in surgical training programs in Canada. The survey assessed residents' interests, attitudes and motivations, and perceived barriers and aids with respect to international volunteerism. In all, 361 residents completed the survey for a response rate of 38.0%. Half of the respondents indicated that the availability of an international surgery elective would have positively influenced their selection of a residency program. Excluding the 18 residents who had volunteered during residency, 63.8% of the remaining residents confirmed an interest in international volunteering with "contributing to an important cause," "teaching" and "tourism/cultural enhancement" as the leading reasons for their interest. Perceived barriers included "lack of financial support" and "lack of available organized opportunities." All (100%) respondents who had done an international elective during residency confirmed that they would pursue such work in the future. Administrators of Canadian surgical programs should be aware of strong resident interest in global health care and accordingly develop opportunities by encouraging faculty mentorships and resources for global health teaching.

A few of my favorite things: circumscribed interests in autism are not accompanied by increased attentional salience on a personalized selective attention task.

PubMed

Parsons, Owen E; Bayliss, Andrew P; Remington, Anna

2017-01-01

Autistic individuals commonly show circumscribed or "special" interests: areas of obsessive interest in a specific category. The present study investigated what impact these interests have on attention, an aspect of autistic cognition often reported as altered. In neurotypical individuals, interest and expertise have been shown to result in an automatic attentional priority for related items. Here, we examine whether this change in salience is also seen in autism. Adolescents and young adults with and without autism performed a personalized selective attention task assessing the level of attentional priority afforded to images related to the participant's specific interests. In addition, participants performed a similar task with generic images in order to isolate any effects of interest and expertise. Crucially, all autistic and non-autistic individuals recruited for this study held a strong passion or interest. As such, any differences in attention could not be solely attributed to differing prevalence of interests in the two groups. In both tasks, participants were asked to perform a central target-detection task while ignoring irrelevant distractors (related or unrelated to their interests). The level of distractor interference under various task conditions was taken as an indication of attentional priority. Neurotypical individuals showed the predicted attentional priority for the circumscribed interest images but not generic items, reflecting the impact of their interest and expertise. Contrary to predictions, autistic individuals did not show this priority: processing the interest-related stimuli only when task demands were low. Attention to images unrelated to circumscribed interests was equivalent in the two groups. These results suggest that despite autistic individuals holding an intense interest in a particular class of stimuli, there may be a reduced impact of this prior experience and expertise on attentional processing. The implications of this absence of automatic priority are discussed in terms of the behaviors associated with the condition.

A Data Model and Task Space for Data of Interest (DOI) Eye-Tracking Analyses.

PubMed

Jianu, Radu; Alam, Sayeed Safayet

2018-03-01

Eye-tracking data is traditionally analyzed by looking at where on a visual stimulus subjects fixate, or, to facilitate more advanced analyses, by using area-of-interests (AOI) defined onto visual stimuli. Recently, there is increasing interest in methods that capture what users are looking at rather than where they are looking. By instrumenting visualization code that transforms a data model into visual content, gaze coordinates reported by an eye-tracker can be mapped directly to granular data shown on the screen, producing temporal sequences of data objects that subjects viewed in an experiment. Such data collection, which is called gaze to object mapping (GTOM) or data-of-interest analysis (DOI), can be done reliably with limited overhead and can facilitate research workflows not previously possible. Our paper contributes to establishing a foundation of DOI analyses by defining a DOI data model and highlighting its differences to AOI data in structure and scale; by defining and exemplifying a space of DOI enabled tasks; by describing three concrete examples of DOI experimentation in three different domains; and by discussing immediate research challenges in creating a framework of visual support for DOI experimentation and analysis.

Direct Estimation of Kinetic Parametric Images for Dynamic PET

PubMed Central

Wang, Guobao; Qi, Jinyi

2013-01-01

Dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) can monitor spatiotemporal distribution of radiotracer in vivo. The spatiotemporal information can be used to estimate parametric images of radiotracer kinetics that are of physiological and biochemical interests. Direct estimation of parametric images from raw projection data allows accurate noise modeling and has been shown to offer better image quality than conventional indirect methods, which reconstruct a sequence of PET images first and then perform tracer kinetic modeling pixel-by-pixel. Direct reconstruction of parametric images has gained increasing interests with the advances in computing hardware. Many direct reconstruction algorithms have been developed for different kinetic models. In this paper we review the recent progress in the development of direct reconstruction algorithms for parametric image estimation. Algorithms for linear and nonlinear kinetic models are described and their properties are discussed. PMID:24396500

Scanning lidar fluorosensor for remote diagnostic of surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caneve, Luisa; Colao, Francesco; Fantoni, Roberta; Fiorani, Luca

2013-08-01

Scanning hyperspectral systems based on laser induced fluorescence (LIF) have been developed and realized at the ENEA allowing to obtain information of analytical and qualitative interest on different materials by the study of the emission of fluorescence. This technique, for a surface analysis, is fast, remote, not invasive and specific. A new compact setup capable of fast 2D monochromatic images acquisition on up to 90 different spectral channels in the visible/UV range will be presented. It has been recently built with the aim to increase the performances in terms of space resolution, time resolved capabilities and data acquisition speed. Major achievements have been reached by a critical review of the optical design. The results recently obtained with in-situ measurements of interest for applications in the field of cultural heritage will be shown. 2001 Elsevier Science. All rights reserved

The regulatory role of heparin on c-Met signaling in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

PubMed

İşcan, Evin; Güneş, Aysim; Korhan, Peyda; Yılmaz, Yeliz; Erdal, Esra; Atabey, Neşe

2017-06-01

The role of heparin as an anticoagulant is well defined; however, its role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression is not clear yet. Some studies have shown that anticoagulant treatment in cancer patients improve overall survival, however, recent clinical trials have not shown a survival benefit in cancer patients receiving heparin treatment. In our previous studies we have shown the inhibitory effects of heparin on Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF)-induced invasion and migration in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. In this study, we showed the differential effects of heparin on the behaviors of HCC cells based on the presence or absence of HGF. In the absence of HGF, heparin activated HGF/c-Met signaling and promoted motility and invasion in HCC cells. Heparin treatment led to c-Met receptor dimerization and activated c-Met signaling in an HGF independent manner. Heparin-induced c-Met activation increased migration and invasion through ERK1/2, early growth response factor 1 (EGR1) and Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMP) axis. Interestingly, heparin modestly decreased the proliferation of HCC cells by inhibiting activatory phosphorylation of Akt. The inhibition of c-Met signaling reversed heparin-induced increase in motility and invasion and, proliferation inhibition. Our study provides a new perspective into the role of heparin on c-Met signaling in HCC.

Genetics Show Current Decline and Pleistocene Expansion in Northern Spotted Owls

USGS Publications Warehouse

Funk, W. Chris; Forsman, Eric D.; Mullins, Thomas D.; Haig, Susan M.

2008-01-01

The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) is one of the most controversial threatened subspecies ever listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Because of concern for persistence of the subspecies, logging on Federal lands in the U.S. Pacific Northwest was dramatically reduced under the Northwest Forest Plan in 1994. Despite protection of its remaining forest habitat, recent field studies show continued demographic declines of northern spotted owls. One potential threat to northern spotted owls that has not yet been shown is loss of genetic variation from population bottlenecks that can increase inbreeding depression and decrease adaptive potential. Here, we show recent genetic bottlenecks in northern spotted owls using a large genetic dataset (352 individuals from across the subspecies' range and 11 microsatellite loci). The signature of bottlenecks was strongest in Washington State, in agreement with field data. Interestingly, we also found a genetic signature of Pleistocene expansion in the same study areas where recent bottlenecks were shown. Our results provide independent evidence that northern spotted owls have recently declined, and suggest that loss of genetic variation is an emerging threat to the subspecies' persistence. Reduced effective population size (Ne), shown here in addition to field evidence for demographic decline, highlights the increasing vulnerability of this bird to extinction.

Bioactive sterols from marine resources and their potential benefits for human health.

PubMed

Kim, Se-Kwon; Van Ta, Quang

2012-01-01

Bioactive agents from marine resources have shown their valuable health beneficial effects. Therefore, increase knowledge on novel functional ingredients with biological activities from marine animal and microbe has gained much attention. Sterols are recognized as potential in development functional food ingredients and pharmaceutical agents. Marine resources, with a great diversity, can be a very interesting natural resource of sterols. This chapter focuses on biological activities of marine animal and microbe sterols with potential health beneficial applications in functional foods and pharmaceuticals. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Monitoring Distributed Real-Time Systems: A Survey and Future Directions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodloe, Alwyn E.; Pike, Lee

2010-01-01

Runtime monitors have been proposed as a means to increase the reliability of safety-critical systems. In particular, this report addresses runtime monitors for distributed hard real-time systems. This class of systems has had little attention from the monitoring community. The need for monitors is shown by discussing examples of avionic systems failure. We survey related work in the field of runtime monitoring. Several potential monitoring architectures for distributed real-time systems are presented along with a discussion of how they might be used to monitor properties of interest.

The line continuum luminosity ratio in AGN: Or on the Baldwin Effect

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mushotzky, R.; Ferland, F. J.

1983-01-01

The luminosity dependence of the equivalent width of CIV in active galaxies, the "Baldwin" effect, is shown to be a consequence of a luminosity dependent ionization parameter. This law also agrees with the lack of a "Baldwin" effect in Ly alpha or other hydrogen lines. A fit to the available data gives a weak indication that the mean covering factor decreases with increasing luminosity, consistent with the inference from X-ray observations. The effects of continuum shape and density on various line ratios of interest are discussed.

Psychological essentialism among Korean children and adults: a modified replication study.

PubMed

Kim, Geunyoung

2013-01-01

Developmental psychologists have shown interest in the development of psychological essentialism among children; that is, a belief that certain psychological characteristics (such as personality) are relatively stable and unchanging. Although previous studies have shown that children are essentialistic about human traits, and the coherence among various essentialism dimensions increases with age, moderating cultural factors in the development of essentialism, especially among Asian children, have received little attention. Using the methodologies of Gelman, Heyman, and Legare (2007), levels of psychological essentialism among Korean children and adults were measured, and compared with the original US data. Results demonstrated cross-cultural similarity in the development of coherence in essentialistic thought, and difference in the level of essentialism among adult participants. The present findings imply that different cultural values between Asians and Westerners can play a role in the developmental trajectory of psychological essentialism.

Drosophila VAMP7 regulates Wingless intracellular trafficking.

PubMed

Gao, Han; He, Fang; Lin, Xinhua; Wu, Yihui

2017-01-01

Drosophila Wingless (Wg) is a morphogen that determines cell fate during development. Previous studies have shown that endocytic pathways regulate Wg trafficking and signaling. Here, we showed that loss of vamp7, a gene required for vesicle fusion, dramatically increased Wg levels and decreased Wg signaling. Interestingly, we found that levels of Dally-like (Dlp), a glypican that can interact with Wg to suppress Wg signaling at the dorsoventral boundary of the Drosophila wing, were also increased in vamp7 mutant cells. Moreover, Wg puncta in Rab4-dependent recycling endosomes were Dlp positive. We hypothesize that VAMP7 is required for Wg intracellular trafficking and the accumulation of Wg in Rab4-dependent recycling endosomes might affect Wg signaling.

Corneal collagen cross-linking in the stabilization of PRK, LASIK, thermal keratoplasty, and orthokeratology.

PubMed

Nguyen, Michelle K; Chuck, Roy S

2013-07-01

To describe the use of corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) and its efficacy in the stabilization of keratorefractive procedures, including PRK, laser in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK), thermal keratoplasty, and orthokeratology. Since its introduction, CXL has quickly gained interest in the treatment of ectactic disorders due to its ability to increase the biomechanical stability of the cornea. In its earliest use, it has shown to be effective in the treatment of both keratoconus and post-LASIK ectasia. More recent studies of CXL in combination with keratorefractive procedures have shown varying degrees of success. CXL with PRK has shown to be effective in slowing or halting the progression of keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, and post-LASIK ectasia, in addition to potentially decreasing or delaying the need for penetrating keratoplasty. Several small case series have also demonstrated improved stability and efficacy of PRK and LASIK when combined with CXL, as well as a potentially decreased risk of postprocedure ectasia. In conjunction with thermokeratoplasty and orthokeratology, CXL has shown improved but only temporary results in the treatment of keratoconus. Future studies are needed to determine the efficacy and long-term stability of CXL in combination with keratorefractive procedures, as well as to address possible complications.

Modulating signaling networks by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated transposable element insertion.

PubMed

Vaschetto, Luis María

2018-04-01

In a recent past, transposable elements (TEs) were referred to as selfish genetic components only capable of copying themselves with the aim of increasing the odds of being inherited. Nonetheless, TEs have been initially proposed as positive control elements acting in synergy with the host. Nowadays, it is well known that TE movement into host genome comprises an important evolutionary mechanism capable of increasing the adaptive fitness. As insights into TE functioning are increasing day to day, the manipulation of transposition has raised an interesting possibility of setting the host functions, although the lack of appropriate genome engineering tools has unpaved it. Fortunately, the emergence of genome editing technologies based on programmable nucleases, and especially the arrival of a multipurpose RNA-guided Cas9 endonuclease system, has made it possible to reconsider this challenge. For such purpose, a particular type of transposons referred to as miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) has shown a series of interesting characteristics for designing functional drivers. Here, recent insights into MITE elements and versatile RNA-guided CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering system are given to understand how to deploy the potential of TEs for control of the host transcriptional activity.

Weldability of Aluminium Alloys for Automotive Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Löveborn, D.; Larsson, J. K.; Persson, K.-A.

Restrictions in CO2-emissions have caused increased demands on decreased weight and increased use of lightweight materials in the automotive industry. Aluminium has shown to be of great interest due to its beneficial weight to strength ratio, and are suitable for hang-on parts such as roof, doors etc. However, the use of aluminium requires reliable joining techniques. This project has been focusing on laser welding of aluminium. It have been reported earlier that hot cracks and porosity are common defects while joining aluminium with laser welding. The aim with this project has been to produce crack free laser welds while joining thin aluminium sheets. Two different optics have been used in this project, oscillating- and triple-spot optics. The results from the experiments show that both the oscillating optics and the triple-spot optics can produce crack free welds. The amount of pores is shown to be low for both cases. The results do also show that the amount of pores in the welds increases with the weld length while the flange length is of minor impact. The mechanical properties are similar for the both optics. The oscillation specimens receive a higher tensile strength while the triple-spot specimens receive a larger elongation at break value.

Unveiling the decoherence effect of noise on the entropic uncertainty relation and its control by partially collapsed operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Min-Nan; Sun, Wen-Yang; Huang, Ai-Jun; Ming, Fei; Wang, Dong; Ye, Liu

2018-01-01

In this work, we investigate the dynamics of quantum-memory-assisted entropic uncertainty relations under open systems, and how to steer the uncertainty under different types of decoherence. Specifically, we develop the dynamical behaviors of the uncertainty of interest under two typical categories of noise; bit flipping and depolarizing channels. It has been shown that the measurement uncertainty firstly increases and then decreases with the growth of the decoherence strength in bit flipping channels. In contrast, the uncertainty monotonically increases with the increase of the decoherence strength in depolarizing channels. Notably, and to a large degree, it is shown that the uncertainty depends on both the systematic quantum correlation and the minimal conditional entropy of the observed subsystem. Moreover, we present a possible physical interpretation for these distinctive behaviors of the uncertainty within such scenarios. Furthermore, we propose a simple and effective strategy to reduce the entropic uncertainty by means of a partially collapsed operation—quantum weak measurement. Therefore, our investigations might offer an insight into the dynamics of the measurment uncertainty under decoherence, and be of importance to quantum precision measurement in open systems.

Synthesis and pharmacological characterization of novel inverse agonists acting on the viral-encoded chemokine receptor US28.

PubMed

Hulshof, Janneke W; Vischer, Henry F; Verheij, Mark H P; Fratantoni, Silvina A; Smit, Martine J; de Esch, Iwan J P; Leurs, Rob

2006-11-01

G-protein coupled receptors encoded by viruses represent an unexplored class of potential drug targets. In this study, we describe the synthesis and pharmacological characterization of the first class of inverse agonists acting on the HCMV-encoded receptor US28. It is shown that replacement of the 4-hydroxy group of lead compound 1 with a methylamine group results in a significant 6-fold increase in affinity. Interestingly, increasing the rigidity of the spacer by the introduction of a double bond also leads to a significant increase in binding affinity compared to 1. These novel inverse agonists serve as valuable tools to elucidate the role of constitutive signaling in the pathogenesis of viral infection and may have therapeutic potential as leads for new antiviral drugs.

The Validity of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Recordings of Visuospatial Working Memory Processes in Humans.

PubMed

Witmer, Joëlle S; Aeschlimann, Eva A; Metz, Andreas J; Troche, Stefan J; Rammsayer, Thomas H

2018-04-05

Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is increasingly used for investigating cognitive processes. To provide converging evidence for the validity of fNIRS recordings in cognitive neuroscience, we investigated functional activation in the frontal cortex in 43 participants during the processing of a visuospatial working memory (WM) task and a sensory duration discrimination (DD) task functionally unrelated to WM. To distinguish WM-related processes from a general effect of increased task demand, we applied an adaptive approach, which ensured that subjective task demand was virtually identical for all individuals and across both tasks. Our specified region of interest covered Brodmann Area 8 of the left hemisphere, known for its important role in the execution of WM processes. Functional activation, as indicated by an increase of oxygenated and a decrease of deoxygenated hemoglobin, was shown for the WM task, but not in the DD task. The overall pattern of results indicated that hemodynamic responses recorded by fNIRS are sensitive to specific visuospatial WM capacity-related processes and do not reflect a general effect of increased task demand. In addition, the finding that no such functional activation could be shown for participants with far above-average mental ability suggested different cognitive processes adopted by this latter group.

The Validity of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Recordings of Visuospatial Working Memory Processes in Humans

PubMed Central

Witmer, Joëlle S.; Aeschlimann, Eva A.; Metz, Andreas J.; Rammsayer, Thomas H.

2018-01-01

Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is increasingly used for investigating cognitive processes. To provide converging evidence for the validity of fNIRS recordings in cognitive neuroscience, we investigated functional activation in the frontal cortex in 43 participants during the processing of a visuospatial working memory (WM) task and a sensory duration discrimination (DD) task functionally unrelated to WM. To distinguish WM-related processes from a general effect of increased task demand, we applied an adaptive approach, which ensured that subjective task demand was virtually identical for all individuals and across both tasks. Our specified region of interest covered Brodmann Area 8 of the left hemisphere, known for its important role in the execution of WM processes. Functional activation, as indicated by an increase of oxygenated and a decrease of deoxygenated hemoglobin, was shown for the WM task, but not in the DD task. The overall pattern of results indicated that hemodynamic responses recorded by fNIRS are sensitive to specific visuospatial WM capacity-related processes and do not reflect a general effect of increased task demand. In addition, the finding that no such functional activation could be shown for participants with far above-average mental ability suggested different cognitive processes adopted by this latter group. PMID:29621179

Review of russian literature on biological action of DC and low-frequency AC magnetic fields.

PubMed

Zhadin, M N

2001-01-01

This review considers the Russian scientific literature on the influence of weak static and of low-frequency alternating magnetic fields on biological systems. The review covers the most interesting works and the main lines of investigation during the period 1900 to the present. Shown here are the historical roots, beginning with the ideas of V. Vernadsky and A. Chizhevsky, which led in the field of Russian biology to an increasing interest in magnetic fields, based on an intimate connection between solar activity and life on the Earth, and which determined the peculiar development of Russian magnetobiology. The variety of studies on the effects of magnetic storms and extremely low-frequency, periodic variations of the geomagnetic field on human beings and animals as well as on social phenomena are described. The diverse experiments involving artificial laboratory magnetic fields acting on different biological entities under different conditions are also considered. A series of theoretical advances are reviewed that have paved the way for a step-by-step understanding of the mechanisms of magnetic field effects on biological systems. The predominantly unfavorable influence of magnetic fields on living beings is shown, but the cases of favorable influence of magnetic fields on human beings and lower animals are demonstrated as well. The majority of Russian investigations in this area of science has been unknown among the non-Russian speaking audience for many reasons, primarily because of a language barrier. Therefore, it is hoped that this review may be of interest to the international scientific community. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Medical aspects of ambulance design.

PubMed

Snook, R

1972-09-02

Various observations have shown that the interior layout of many ambulances leaves much to be desired. The lighting levels are inadequate, heat loss could be prevented, vehicle identification and passage through traffic could be improved, and measurable differences exist between the ride characteristics of commercially available ambulances, a prototype purpose-built ambulance, and a private car. Moreover the condition of some patients may be affected by the motion of the vehicle either directly or indirectly. Even though they form a small percentage of the total number carried, they represent a very considerable financial risk. A personally conducted survey of ambulance chief officers showed a deep interest and involvement in the upgrading of the service with a general dissatisfaction with many of the vehicles currently available. Hence there is a market for the purpose-built ambulance, which would benefit the patient and the ambulanceman alike.The inadequacies of many vehicles currently in use as ambulances have been shown to work against the interests of the patient requiring life support treatment, and it is suggested that this warrants urgent attention and action. A more extensive research project involving medical observations on the supine sick and injured, attendant task performance, and instrumentation analysis of linear and angular vehicle motions should enable the harmful effects of ride motion to be identified.None of these investigations, however, will be of any value unless they are used in developing future ambulances. Such development must also parallel an increase in the awareness of the importance of ambulance design and its relation to the increased comfort and chance of survival of the patients carried.

Medical Aspects of Ambulance Design

PubMed Central

Snook, Roger

1972-01-01

Various observations have shown that the interior layout of many ambulances leaves much to be desired. The lighting levels are inadequate, heat loss could be prevented, vehicle identification and passage through traffic could be improved, and measurable differences exist between the ride characteristics of commercially available ambulances, a prototype purpose-built ambulance, and a private car. Moreover the condition of some patients may be affected by the motion of the vehicle either directly or indirectly. Even though they form a small percentage of the total number carried, they represent a very considerable financial risk. A personally conducted survey of ambulance chief officers showed a deep interest and involvement in the upgrading of the service with a general dissatisfaction with many of the vehicles currently available. Hence there is a market for the purpose-built ambulance, which would benefit the patient and the ambulanceman alike. The inadequacies of many vehicles currently in use as ambulances have been shown to work against the interests of the patient requiring life support treatment, and it is suggested that this warrants urgent attention and action. A more extensive research project involving medical observations on the supine sick and injured, attendant task performance, and instrumentation analysis of linear and angular vehicle motions should enable the harmful effects of ride motion to be identified. None of these investigations, however, will be of any value unless they are used in developing future ambulances. Such development must also parallel an increase in the awareness of the importance of ambulance design and its relation to the increased comfort and chance of survival of the patients carried. ImagesFIG. 2FIG. 4 PMID:5069643

A Stand-Alone Interactive Physics Showcase

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pfaff, Daniel; Hagelgans, Anja; Weidemuller, Matthias; Bretzer, Klaus

2012-01-01

We present a showcase with interactive exhibits of basic physical experiments that constitutes a complementary method for teaching physics and interesting students in physical phenomena. Our interactive physics showcase, shown in Fig. 1, stimulates interest for science by letting the students experience, firsthand, surprising phenomena and…

Task switching in video game players: Benefits of selective attention but not resistance to proactive interference.

PubMed

Karle, James W; Watter, Scott; Shedden, Judith M

2010-05-01

Research into the perceptual and cognitive effects of playing video games is an area of increasing interest for many investigators. Over the past decade, expert video game players (VGPs) have been shown to display superior performance compared to non-video game players (nVGPs) on a range of visuospatial and attentional tasks. A benefit of video game expertise has recently been shown for task switching, suggesting that VGPs also have superior cognitive control abilities compared to nVGPs. In two experiments, we examined which aspects of task switching performance this VGP benefit may be localized to. With minimal trial-to-trial interference from minimally overlapping task set rules, VGPs demonstrated a task switching benefit compared to nVGPs. However, this benefit disappeared when proactive interference between tasks was increased, with substantial stimulus and response overlap in task set rules. We suggest that VGPs have no generalized benefit in task switching-related cognitive control processes compared to nVGPs, with switch cost reductions due instead to a specific benefit in controlling selective attention. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A neural mass model of basal ganglia nuclei simulates pathological beta rhythm in Parkinson's disease

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Fei; Wang, Jiang; Liu, Chen; Li, Huiyan; Deng, Bin; Fietkiewicz, Chris; Loparo, Kenneth A.

2016-12-01

An increase in beta oscillations within the basal ganglia nuclei has been shown to be associated with movement disorder, such as Parkinson's disease. The motor cortex and an excitatory-inhibitory neuronal network composed of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and the external globus pallidus (GPe) are thought to play an important role in the generation of these oscillations. In this paper, we propose a neuron mass model of the basal ganglia on the population level that reproduces the Parkinsonian oscillations in a reciprocal excitatory-inhibitory network. Moreover, it is shown that the generation and frequency of these pathological beta oscillations are varied by the coupling strength and the intrinsic characteristics of the basal ganglia. Simulation results reveal that increase of the coupling strength induces the generation of the beta oscillation, as well as enhances the oscillation frequency. However, for the intrinsic properties of each nucleus in the excitatory-inhibitory network, the STN primarily influences the generation of the beta oscillation while the GPe mainly determines its frequency. Interestingly, describing function analysis applied on this model theoretically explains the mechanism of pathological beta oscillations.

Gelatin Nanoparticles with Enhanced Affinity for Calcium Phosphate.

PubMed

Farbod, Kambiz; Diba, Mani; Zinkevich, Tatiana; Schmidt, Stephan; Harrington, Matthew J; Kentgens, Arno P M; Leeuwenburgh, Sander C G

2016-05-01

Gelatin nanoparticles can be tuned with respect to their drug loading efficiency, degradation rate, and release kinetics, which renders these drug carriers highly suitable for a wide variety of biomedical applications. The ease of functionalization has rendered gelatin an interesting candidate material to introduce specific motifs for selective targeting to specific organs, but gelatin nanoparticles have not yet been modified to increase their affinity to mineralized tissue. By means of conjugating bone-targeting alendronate to biocompatible gelatin nanoparticles, a simple method is developed for the preparation of gelatin nanoparticles which exhibit strong affinity to mineralized surfaces. It has been shown that the degree of alendronate functionalization can be tuned by controlling the glutaraldehyde crosslinking density, the molar ratio between alendronate and glutaraldehyde, as well as the pH of the conjugation reaction. Moreover, it has been shown that the affinity of gelatin nanoparticles to calcium phosphate increases considerably upon functionalization with alendronate. In summary, gelatin nanoparticles have been developed, which exhibit great potential for use in bone-specific drug delivery and regenerative medicine. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Electronic structure properties of deep defects in hBN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dev, Pratibha; Prdm Collaboration

In recent years, the search for room-temperature solid-state qubit (quantum bit) candidates has revived interest in the study of deep-defect centers in semiconductors. The charged NV-center in diamond is the best known amongst these defects. However, as a host material, diamond poses several challenges and so, increasingly, there is an interest in exploring deep defects in alternative semiconductors such as hBN. The layered structure of hBN makes it a scalable platform for quantum applications, as there is a greater potential for controlling the location of the deep defect in the 2D-matrix through careful experiments. Using density functional theory-based methods, we have studied the electronic and structural properties of several deep defects in hBN. Native defects within hBN layers are shown to have high spin ground states that should survive even at room temperature, making them interesting solid-state qubit candidates in a 2D matrix. Partnership for Reduced Dimensional Material (PRDM) is part of the NSF sponsored Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM).

An inventory of publications on electronic medical records revisited.

PubMed

Moorman, P W; Schuemie, M J; van der Lei, J

2009-01-01

In this short review we provide an update of our earlier inventories of publications indexed in MedLine with the MeSH term 'Medical Records Systems, Computerized'. We retrieved and analyzed all references to English articles published before January 1, 2008, and indexed in PubMed with the MeSH term 'Medical Records Systems, Computerized'. We retrieved a total of 11,924 publications, of which 3937 (33%) appeared in a journal with an impact factor. Since 2002 the number of yearly publications, and the number of journals in which those publications appeared, increased. A cluster analysis revealed three clusters: an organizational issues cluster, a technically oriented cluster and a cluster about order-entry and research. Although our previous inventory in 2003 suggested a constant yearly production of publications on electronic medical records since 1998, the current inventory shows another rise in production since 2002. In addition, many new journals and countries have shown interest during the last five years. In the last 15 years, interest in organizational issues remained fairly constant, order entry and research with systems gained attention, while interest in technical issues relatively decreased.

Surgical residency training and international volunteerism: a national survey of residents from 2 surgical specialties

PubMed Central

Matar, Wadih Y.; Trottier, Daniel C.; Balaa, Fady; Fairful-Smith, Robin; Moroz, Paul

2012-01-01

Background Many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) lack basic surgical resources, resulting in avoidable disability and mortality. Recently, residents in surgical training programs have shown increasing interest in overseas elective experiences to assist surgical programs in LMICs. The purpose of this study was to survey Canadian surgical residents about their interest in international volunteerism. Methods We sent a web-based survey to all general and orthopedic surgery residents enrolled in surgical training programs in Canada. The survey assessed residents’ interests, attitudes and motivations, and perceived barriers and aids with respect to international volunteerism. Results In all, 361 residents completed the survey for a response rate of 38.0%. Half of the respondents indicated that the availability of an international surgery elective would have positively influenced their selection of a residency program. Excluding the 18 residents who had volunteered during residency, 63.8% of the remaining residents confirmed an interest in international volunteering with “contributing to an important cause,” “teaching” and “tourism/cultural enhancement” as the leading reasons for their interest. Perceived barriers included “lack of financial support” and “lack of available organized opportunities.” All (100%) respondents who had done an international elective during residency confirmed that they would pursue such work in the future. Conclusion Administrators of Canadian surgical programs should be aware of strong resident interest in global health care and accordingly develop opportunities by encouraging faculty mentorships and resources for global health teaching. PMID:22854155

The interest in eight new psychoactive substances before and after scheduling.

PubMed

Ledberg, Anders

2015-07-01

In recent years the recreational use of new psychoactive substances (NPS) has increased. NPS are considered a threat to public health and the main response to this threat is to make the selling and buying of these substances illegal. In Sweden, during the last 5 years, 62 new substances have been classified as narcotics but little is known of the effects of making a particular substance illegal. The aim of this work is to study how legal status influences the interest in NPS in Sweden. Forty-five thousand posts made in a Swedish Internet discussion forum (Flashback Forum) related to eight NPS (MDPV, Methylone, 4-MEC, 4-HO-MET, MXE, 6-APB, AH-7921, and 3-MMC) were used to derive time-dependent measures of interest in these substances. Intervention analyses were used to investigate the effects of legal status on the forum interest. For all eight substances the activity on the forum (measured as number of posts per day) showed a drastic decrease around the time of classification. The statistical analysis showed that in seven of eight cases, the drop in activity could be accounted for by the legal status of the substances. The legal status of the substances was shown to have a substantial effect on the interest in the substances. The novel measure used to trace the interest in particular NPS could be a useful tool to follow trends in substance use in almost real-time. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pharmacological properties of shikonin - a review of literature since 2002.

PubMed

Andújar, Isabel; Ríos, José Luis; Giner, Rosa María; Recio, María Carmen

2013-12-01

The naphthoquinone shikonin is the main active principle of Zicao, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine made from the dried root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon. Studies carried out over the past 30 years have provided a scientific basis for the use of Zicao which has been long employed in folk medicine to treat a variety of inflammatory and infectious diseases. In particular, shikonin has been shown to possess many diverse properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, antimicrobial, and wound healing effects. The fact that shikonin shows so many beneficial properties has increased the interest in this molecule dramatically, especially in the past few years. The aim of this review is to provide an update of the new data published on shikonin, whose wide spectrum of pharmacological effects as well as pharmacokinetic properties and toxicity make it a highly interesting target molecule. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Preparation of samples for leaf architecture studies, a method for mounting cleared leaves.

PubMed

Vasco, Alejandra; Thadeo, Marcela; Conover, Margaret; Daly, Douglas C

2014-09-01

Several recent waves of interest in leaf architecture have shown an expanding range of approaches and applications across a number of disciplines. Despite this increased interest, examination of existing archives of cleared and mounted leaves shows that current methods for mounting, in particular, yield unsatisfactory results and deterioration of samples over relatively short periods. Although techniques for clearing and staining leaves are numerous, published techniques for mounting leaves are scarce. • Here we present a complete protocol and recommendations for clearing, staining, and imaging leaves, and, most importantly, a method to permanently mount cleared leaves. • The mounting protocol is faster than other methods, inexpensive, and straightforward; moreover, it yields clear and permanent samples that can easily be imaged, scanned, and stored. Specimens mounted with this method preserve well, with leaves that were mounted more than 35 years ago showing no signs of bubbling or discoloration.

Identifying regions of interest in medical images using self-organizing maps.

PubMed

Teng, Wei-Guang; Chang, Ping-Lin

2012-10-01

Advances in data acquisition, processing and visualization techniques have had a tremendous impact on medical imaging in recent years. However, the interpretation of medical images is still almost always performed by radiologists. Developments in artificial intelligence and image processing have shown the increasingly great potential of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD). Nevertheless, it has remained challenging to develop a general approach to process various commonly used types of medical images (e.g., X-ray, MRI, and ultrasound images). To facilitate diagnosis, we recommend the use of image segmentation to discover regions of interest (ROI) using self-organizing maps (SOM). We devise a two-stage SOM approach that can be used to precisely identify the dominant colors of a medical image and then segment it into several small regions. In addition, by appropriately conducting the recursive merging steps to merge smaller regions into larger ones, radiologists can usually identify one or more ROIs within a medical image.

Conflict of interest and professional medical associations: the North American Spine Society experience.

PubMed

Schofferman, Jerome A; Eskay-Auerbach, Marjorie L; Sawyer, Laura S; Herring, Stanley A; Arnold, Paul M; Muehlbauer, Eric J

2013-08-01

Recently the financial relationships between industry and professional medical associations have come under increased scrutiny because of the concern that industry ties may create real or perceived conflicts of interest. Professional medical associations pursue public advocacy as well as promote medical education, develop clinical practice guidelines, fund research, and regulate professional conduct. Therefore, the conflicts of interest of a professional medical association and its leadership can have more far-reaching effects on patient care than those of an individual physician. Few if any professional medical associations have reported their experience with implementing strict divestment and disclosure policies, and among the policies that have been issued, there is little uniformity. We describe the experience of the North American Spine Society (NASS) in implementing comprehensive conflicts of interest policies. A special feature article. We discuss financial conflicts of interest as they apply to professional medical associations rather than to individual physicians. We describe the current policies of disclosure and divestment adopted by the NASS and how these policies have evolved, been refined, and have had no detrimental impact on membership, attendance at annual meetings, finances, or leadership recruitment. No funding was received for this work. The authors report no potential conflict-of-interest-associated biases in the text. The NASS has shown that a professional medical association can manage its financial relationships with industry in a manner that minimizes influence and bias. The NASS experience can provide a template for other professional medical associations to help manage their own possible conflicts of interest issues. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Factors that Influence the Reinforcing Value of Foods and Beverages

PubMed Central

Temple, Jennifer L.

2014-01-01

Behavioral economic principles state that as the cost of a product increases, purchasing or consumption of that product will decrease. To understand the impact of behavioral economics on ingestive behavior, our laboratory utilizes an operant behavior paradigm to measure how much work an individual will engage in to get access to foods and beverages. This task provides an objective measure of the reinforcing value. We have shown that consumption of the same high fat snack food every day for two weeks reduces its reinforcing value in lean individuals, but increases its reinforcing value in a subset of obese individuals. This increase in the reinforcing value of food predicts future weight gain. Similarly, we have shown that repeated intake of caffeinated soda increases its reinforcing value in boys, but not in girls. This increase in reinforcing value is not related to usual caffeine consumption, but may be associated with positive, subjective effects of caffeine that are more likely to be reported by boys than by girls. Because food and beverage reinforcement relates to real-world consumption, it is important to determine factors that increase or decrease the reinforcing value and determine the consequences of these responses. We are especially interested in determining ways to shift the behavioral economic curve in order to develop novel strategies to decrease the reinforcing value of less healthy snack foods and beverages, such as soda, potato chips and candy and to increase the reinforcing value of healthier foods and beverages, such a water, fruits, and vegetables. PMID:24793218

Manufacturing human mesenchymal stem cells at clinical scale: process and regulatory challenges.

PubMed

Jossen, Valentin; van den Bos, Christian; Eibl, Regine; Eibl, Dieter

2018-05-01

Human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC)-based therapies are of increasing interest in the field of regenerative medicine. As economic considerations have shown, allogeneic therapy seems to be the most cost-effective method. Standardized procedures based on instrumented single-use bioreactors have been shown to provide billion of cells with consistent product quality and to be superior to traditional expansions in planar cultivation systems. Furthermore, under consideration of the complex nature and requirements of allogeneic hMSC-therapeutics, a new equipment for downstream processing (DSP) was successfully evaluated. This mini-review summarizes both the current state of the hMSC production process and the challenges which have to be taken into account when efficiently producing hMSCs for the clinical scale. Special emphasis is placed on the upstream processing (USP) and DSP operations which cover expansion, harvesting, detachment, separation, washing and concentration steps, and the regulatory demands.

Tretinoin for the treatment of photodamaged skin.

PubMed

Ting, William

2010-07-01

Interest in and interventions for photodamaged skin have dramatically increased over the last few years. Although a number of topical therapies have been used for the treatment of photodamaged skin, many therapies remain unproven in efficacy, unapproved, or only supported with limited clinical evidence. Topical retinoids, particularly tretinoin, are the most extensively studied. They have been shown to attenuate and reverse the signs of photodamage, such as coarse wrinkling. In addition, the clinical changes achieved with tretinoin are accompanied by histologic evidence of benefit. The main drawbacks to retinoid use are local irritation and erythema that can limit utility in some patients. New retinoids and formulations specifically optimized to improve cutaneous tolerability have been introduced. Two case reports of patients using low-concentration tretinoin gel 0.05% for the treatment of photodamaged skin are discussed. Over a relatively short treatment period of 4 weeks, tretinoin gel 0.05% was shown to provide both chemoprevention and reversal of photodamage.

Some predictions of the attached eddy model for a high Reynolds number boundary layer.

PubMed

Nickels, T B; Marusic, I; Hafez, S; Hutchins, N; Chong, M S

2007-03-15

Many flows of practical interest occur at high Reynolds number, at which the flow in most of the boundary layer is turbulent, showing apparently random fluctuations in velocity across a wide range of scales. The range of scales over which these fluctuations occur increases with the Reynolds number and hence high Reynolds number flows are difficult to compute or predict. In this paper, we discuss the structure of these flows and describe a physical model, based on the attached eddy hypothesis, which makes predictions for the statistical properties of these flows and their variation with Reynolds number. The predictions are shown to compare well with the results from recent experiments in a new purpose-built high Reynolds number facility. The model is also shown to provide a clear physical explanation for the trends in the data. The limits of applicability of the model are also discussed.

Contact formation in gallium arsenide solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weizer, Victor G.; Fatemi, Navid S.

1988-01-01

Gold and gold-based alloys, commonly used as solar cell contact materials, are known to react readily with gallium arsenide. Experiments were performed to identify the mechanisms involved in these GaAs-metal interactions. It is shown that the reaction of GaAs with gold takes place via a dissociative diffusion process. It is shown further that the GaAs-metal reaction rate is controlled to a very great extent by the condition of the free surface of the contact metal, an interesting example of which is the previously unexplained increase in the reaction rate that has been observed for samples annealed in a vacuum environment as compared to those annealed in a gaseous ambient. A number of other hard-to-explain observations, such as the low-temperature formation of voids in the gold lattice and crystallite growth on the gold surface, are explained by invoking this mechanism.

Preliminary aerodynamic design considerations for advanced laminar flow aircraft configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Joseph L., Jr.; Yip, Long P.; Jordan, Frank L., Jr.

1986-01-01

Modern composite manufacturing methods have provided the opportunity for smooth surfaces that can sustain large regions of natural laminar flow (NLF) boundary layer behavior and have stimulated interest in developing advanced NLF airfoils and improved aircraft designs. Some of the preliminary results obtained in exploratory research investigations on advanced aircraft configurations at the NASA Langley Research Center are discussed. Results of the initial studies have shown that the aerodynamic effects of configuration variables such as canard/wing arrangements, airfoils, and pusher-type and tractor-type propeller installations can be particularly significant at high angles of attack. Flow field interactions between aircraft components were shown to produce undesirable aerodynamic effects on a wing behind a heavily loaded canard, and the use of properly designed wing leading-edge modifications, such as a leading-edge droop, offset the undesirable aerodynamic effects by delaying wing stall and providing increased stall/spin resistance with minimum degradation of laminar flow behavior.

Update on the pathophysiological activities of the cardiac molecule cardiotrophin-1 in obesity.

PubMed

Asrih, Mohamed; Mach, François; Quercioli, Alessandra; Dallegri, Franco; Montecucco, Fabrizio

2013-01-01

Cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) is a heart-targeting cytokine that has been reported to exert a variety of activities also in other organs such as the liver, adipose tissue, and atherosclerotic arteries. CT-1 has been shown to induce these effects via binding to a transmembrane receptor, comprising the leukaemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIFR β ) subunit and the glycoprotein 130 (gp130, a common signal transducer). Both local and systemic concentrations of CT-1 have been shown to potentially play a critical role in obesity. For instance, CT-1 plasma concentrations have been shown to be increased in metabolic syndrome (a cluster disease including obesity) probably due to adipose tissue overexpression. Interestingly, treatment with exogenous CT-1 has been shown to improve lipid and glucose metabolism in animal models of obesity. These benefits might suggest a potential therapeutic role for CT-1. However, beyond its beneficial properties, CT-1 has been also shown to induce some adverse effects, such as cardiac hypertrophy and adipose tissue inflammation. Although scientific evidence is still needed, CT-1 might be considered as a potential example of damage/danger-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) in obesity-related cardiovascular diseases. In this narrative review, we aimed at discussing and updating evidence from basic research on the pathophysiological and potential therapeutic roles of CT-1 in obesity.

Interest rates in quantum finance: the Wilson expansion and Hamiltonian.

PubMed

Baaquie, Belal E

2009-10-01

Interest rate instruments form a major component of the capital markets. The Libor market model (LMM) is the finance industry standard interest rate model for both Libor and Euribor, which are the most important interest rates. The quantum finance formulation of the Libor market model is given in this paper and leads to a key generalization: all the Libors, for different future times, are imperfectly correlated. A key difference between a forward interest rate model and the LMM lies in the fact that the LMM is calibrated directly from the observed market interest rates. The short distance Wilson expansion [Phys. Rev. 179, 1499 (1969)] of a Gaussian quantum field is shown to provide the generalization of Ito calculus; in particular, the Wilson expansion of the Gaussian quantum field A(t,x) driving the Libors yields a derivation of the Libor drift term that incorporates imperfect correlations of the different Libors. The logarithm of Libor phi(t,x) is defined and provides an efficient and compact representation of the quantum field theory of the Libor market model. The Lagrangian and Feynman path integrals of the Libor market model of interest rates are obtained, as well as a derivation given by its Hamiltonian. The Hamiltonian formulation of the martingale condition provides an exact solution for the nonlinear drift of the Libor market model. The quantum finance formulation of the LMM is shown to reduce to the industry standard Bruce-Gatarek-Musiela-Jamshidian model when the forward interest rates are taken to be exactly correlated.

Social networks: a new source of psychological stress or a way to enhance self-esteem? Negative and positive implications in bronchial asthma.

PubMed

D'Amato, G; Cecchi, L; Liccardi, G; Pellegrino, F; D'Amato, M; Sofia, M

2012-01-01

The Internet and, in particular, social networks are an increasingly important part of daily life for both adolescents and adults who maintain a virtual relationship with others sharing interests and goals. Very often, they disclose more about themselves online than they do in person. However, cyberbullying and cyberostracism can be problematic for adolescents and sensitive individuals, who might be negatively affected by social networks. Some studies have shown an increased risk of depression, whereas others suggest beneficial effects through enhanced communication, social connection, and self-esteem. Bronchial asthma is an increasingly frequent disease in the industrialized world, and psychological implications play a role in increasing or in reducing its severity. One year after the case report of an asthma exacerbation that may have been triggered by Facebook, it seems reasonable to analyze the effects of social networks on bronchial asthma.

Gratitude as moral sentiment: emotion-guided cooperation in economic exchange.

PubMed

DeSteno, David; Bartlett, Monica Y; Baumann, Jolie; Williams, Lisa A; Dickens, Leah

2010-04-01

Economic exchange often pits options for selfish and cooperative benefit against one another. Decisions favoring communal profit at the expense of self-interest have traditionally been thought to stem from strategic control aimed at tamping down emotional responses centered on immediate resource acquisition. In the present article, evidence is provided to argue against this limited view of the role played by emotion in shaping prosociality. Findings demonstrate that the social emotion gratitude functions to engender cooperative economic exchange even at the expense of greater individual financial gains. Using real-time inductions, increased gratitude is shown to directly mediate increased monetary giving within the context of an economic game, even where such giving increases communal profit at the expense of individual gains. Moreover, increased giving occurred regardless of whether the beneficiary was a known individual or complete stranger, thereby removing the possibility that it stemmed from simple awareness of reciprocity constraints. Copyright 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

Formative Constructs Implemented via Common Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Treiblmaier, Horst; Bentler, Peter M.; Mair, Patrick

2011-01-01

Recently there has been a renewed interest in formative measurement and its role in properly specified models. Formative measurement models are difficult to identify, and hence to estimate and test. Existing solutions to the identification problem are shown to not adequately represent the formative constructs of interest. We propose a new two-step…

One Interesting Family of Diophantine Triplets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deshpande, M. N.

2002-01-01

In this note properties of two sequences generated by the recurrence relation G[subscript n] +2 = 4 G[subscript n] +1 - G[subscript n], are studied. It is shown that one of the sequences leads to a family of diophantine triplets. Some interesting properties of these sequences are also established.

Relationship Between LIBS Ablation and Pit Volume for Geologic Samples: Applications for the In Situ Absolute Geochronology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Devismes, Damien; Cohen, Barbara; Miller, J.-S.; Gillot, P.-Y.; Lefevre, J.-C.; Boukari, C.

2014-01-01

These first results demonstrate that LIBS spectra can be an interesting tool to estimate the ablated volume. When the ablated volume is bigger than 9.10(exp 6) cubic micrometers, this method has less than 10% of uncertainties. Far enough to be directly implemented in the KArLE experiment protocol. Nevertheless, depending on the samples and their mean grain size, the difficulty to have homogeneous spectra will increase with the ablated volume. Several K-Ar dating studies based on this approach will be implemented. After that, the results will be shown and discussed.

Three lines of defence model and the role of internal audit activities as the response to the global economic crisis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dragičević Radičević, T.; Stojanović Trivanović, M.; Stanojević, Lj

2017-05-01

The existing framework of corporate governance has shown a number of weaknesses, and the result was a new economic crisis at the global level. The main problems were identified as: increased risk of investors, non-transparency of information, conflict of interest between corporation subjects. European Institute of Internal Auditors in response to the strengthening the trust in information, shareholders activism, better communication, which all will lead to the reduction of risks and restore investors confidence, proposed the Model Three Lines of Defence, where the key role has internal audit.

Spitzer Operations: Scheduling the Out Years

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mahoney, William A.; Effertz, Mark J.; Fisher, Mark E.; Garcia, Lisa J.; Hunt, Joseph C. Jr.; Mannings, Vincent; McElroy, Douglas B.; Scire, Elena

2012-01-01

Spitzer Warm Mission operations have remained robust and exceptionally efficient since the cryogenic mission ended in mid-2009. The distance to the now exceeds 1 AU, making telecommunications increasingly difficult; however, analysis has shown that two-way communication could be maintained through at least 2017 with minimal loss in observing efficiency. The science program continues to emphasize the characterization of exoplanets, time domain studies, and deep surveys, all of which can impose interesting scheduling constraints. Recent changes have significantly improved on-board data compression, which both enables certain high volume observations and reduces Spitzer's demand for competitive Deep Space Network resources.

Intensification of heat and mass transfer by ultrasound: application to heat exchangers and membrane separation processes.

PubMed

Gondrexon, N; Cheze, L; Jin, Y; Legay, M; Tissot, Q; Hengl, N; Baup, S; Boldo, P; Pignon, F; Talansier, E

2015-07-01

This paper aims to illustrate the interest of ultrasound technology as an efficient technique for both heat and mass transfer intensification. It is demonstrated that the use of ultrasound results in an increase of heat exchanger performances and in a possible fouling monitoring in heat exchangers. Mass transfer intensification was observed in the case of cross-flow ultrafiltration. It is shown that the enhancement of the membrane separation process strongly depends on the physico-chemical properties of the filtered suspensions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Consolidation modelling for thermoplastic composites forming simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, H.; Rusanov, A.; Hamila, N.; Boisse, P.

2016-10-01

Pre-impregnated thermoplastic composites are widely used in the aerospace industry for their excellent mechanical properties, Thermoforming thermoplastic prepregs is a fast manufacturing process, the automotive industry has shown increasing interest in this manufacturing processes, in which the reconsolidation is an essential stage. The model of intimate contact is investigated as the consolidation model, compression experiments have been launched to identify the material parameters, several numerical tests show the influents of the temperature and pressure applied during processing. Finally, a new solid-shell prismatic element has been presented for the simulation of consolidation step in the thermoplastic composites forming process.

The Development of a Semtex-H Simulant for Terahertz Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenall, N.; Valavanis, A.; Desai, H. J.; Acheampong, D. O.; Li, L. H.; Cunningham, J. E.; Davies, A. G.; Linfield, E. H.; Burnett, A. D.

2017-03-01

The development and use of terahertz (THz) frequency spectroscopy systems for security screening has shown an increased growth over the past 15 years. In order to test these systems in real-world situations, safe simulants of illicit materials, such as Semtex-H, are required. Ideally, simulants should mimic key features of the material of interest, such that they at least resemble or even appear indistinguishable from the materials of interest to the interrogating technique(s), whilst not having hazardous or illicit properties. An ideal simulant should have similar physical properties (malleability, density, surface energy and volatility to the material of interest); be non-toxic and easy to clean and decontaminate from surfaces; be recyclable or disposable; and be useable in a public environment. Here, we present a method for developing such an explosive simulant (for Semtex-H) based on a database of THz spectra of common organic molecules, and the use of a genetic algorithm to select a mixture of compounds automatically to form such a simulant. Whilst we focus on a security application, this work could be applied to various other contexts, where the material of interest is dangerous, impractical or costly. We propose four mixtures that could then be used to test the spectral response of any instrument, working at terahertz frequencies, without the need for an explosive substance.

Meet Robynne Murray | NREL

Science.gov Websites

researcher shown half in the laboratory and half in a curling center. Discover Wind Blades + Snowboards NREL researcher shown half in the laboratory and half in a curling center. Discover Wind Blades + Snowboards It more about harnessing tidal energy, and became interested in the manufacturing of blades for water

[Diabetes mellitus and depressive disorder, an undesirable association].

PubMed

Nicolau, Joana; Masmiquel, Lluís

2013-12-01

Type 2 diabetes and depressive disorder are 2 chronic diseases highly prevalent in developed countries and with a negative impact on quality of life and life expectancy. In recent years, both conditions have been shown to be strongly associated. Thus, diabetics have an increased risk of suffering depressive disorder, as well as impaired glucose homeostasis, if they experience depression. In diabetic patients, concurrent depression is associated to greater difficulties in disease management and metabolic control, increased risk of developing chronic complications, decreased quality of life, and higher healthcare expenses. As a result, the interest of diabetic scientific societies in this association has increased, and they recommend regular mood assessment in diabetic patients. However, the limited clinical experience available and the conflicting results reported to date make it difficult to draw conclusions. Copyright © 2012 SEEN. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

The free radical theory of aging revisited: the cell signaling disruption theory of aging.

PubMed

Viña, Jose; Borras, Consuelo; Abdelaziz, Kheira M; Garcia-Valles, Rebeca; Gomez-Cabrera, Mari Carmen

2013-09-10

The free radical theory of aging has provided a theoretical framework for an enormous amount of work leading to significant advances in our understanding of aging. Up to the turn of the century, the theory received abundant support from observations coming from fields as far apart as comparative physiology or molecular biology. Work from many laboratories supports the theory, for instance showing that overexpression of antioxidant enzymes results in increases in life-span. But other labs have shown that in some cases, there is an increased oxidative stress and increased longevity. The discovery that free radicals can not only cause molecular damage to cells, but also serve as signals; led to the proposal that they act as modulators of physiological processes. For instance, reactive oxygen species (ROS) stimulate physiological adaptations to physical exercise. A critical blow to the free radical theory of aging came from epidemiological studies showing that antioxidant supplementation did not lower the incidence of many age-associated diseases but, in some cases, increased the risk of death. Moreover, recent molecular evidence has shown that increasing generation of ROS, in some cases, increases longevity. Gerontologists interested in free radical biology are at a crossroads and clearly new insights are required to clarify the role of ROS in the process of aging. The hurdles are, no doubt, very high, but the intellectual and practical promise of these studies is of such magnitude that we feel that all efforts will be generously rewarding.

Paraquat toxicity is increased in Escherichia coli defective in the synthesis of polyamines.

PubMed

Minton, K W; Tabor, H; Tabor, C W

1990-04-01

We have shown that toxicity of paraquat for Escherichia coli is increased over 10-fold in strains defective in the biosynthesis of spermidine compared to isogenic strains containing spermidine. The increased sensitivity of these spermidine-deficient mutants to paraquat is eliminated by growth in medium containing spermidine or by endogenous supplementation of spermidine by the use of a speE+D+ plasmid. No paraquat toxicity is seen in the absence of oxygen, even in amine-deficient strains, indicating that superoxide is the agent responsible for the increased toxicity. However, the specific mechanisms responsible for the increased paraquat toxicity in the spermidine-deficient mutants remain to be determined. The marked sensitivity to paraquat of E. coli deficient in spermidine is of particular interest, since such mutants have no other phenotypic properties that can be easily assayed. This increased sensitivity has been used as the basis of a convenient method for scoring for mutants in polyamine biosynthesis and for the detection of plasmids containing the biosynthetic genes.

Renal and metabolic effects of three months of decarbonated cola beverages in rats.

PubMed

Celec, Peter; Pálffy, Roland; Gardlík, Roman; Behuliak, Michal; Hodosy, Július; Jáni, Peter; Bozek, Peter; Sebeková, Katarína

2010-11-01

Epidemiological studies have shown an association between the intake of cola beverages and chronic kidney diseases. Experimental evidence for the negative effects of cola intake on kidneys is lacking. Male Wistar rats had ad libitum access to water (control group) or three different sugar-sweetened cola beverages for three months. Despite very high cola intake (daily cca 140 mL), no differences were found in body weight, kidney weight, glomerular morphology, oxidative and carbonyl stress or expression of selected marker genes in the renal cortex. Interestingly, all groups consuming cola beverages had lower blood glucose levels during an oral glucose tolerance test, suggesting improved insulin sensitivity. Despite hyperfiltration (5-6-fold increase in diuresis), cola beverages had no effect on assessed parameters of renal function, histology, gene expression or oxidative stress. Moreover, cola intake seems to increase creatinine clearance and to decrease plasma levels of urea. In our study increased insulin sensitivity and altered renal functional parameters were observed in rats receiving cola beverages for three months. Whether the findings are due to the short duration of the study or interspecies metabolic differences should be uncovered in further studies. Even more interesting might be the analysis of effects of cola intake in animal models of diabetes.

Deformation mechanisms during nanoindentation of sodium borosilicate glasses of nuclear interest.

PubMed

Kilymis, D A; Delaye, J-M

2014-07-07

In this paper we analyze results of Molecular Dynamics simulations of Vickers nanoindentation, performed for sodium borosilicate glasses of interest in the nuclear industry. Three glasses have been studied in their pristine form, as well as a disordered one that is analogous to the real irradiated glass. We focused in the behavior of the glass during the nanoindentation in order to reveal the mechanisms of deformation and how they are affected by microstructural characteristics. Results have shown a strong dependence on the SiO2 content of the glass, which promotes densification due to the open structure of SiO4 tetrahedra and also due to the strength of Si-O bonds. Densification for the glasses is primarily expressed by the relative decrease of the Si-O-Si and Si-O-B angles, indicating rotation of the structural units and decrease of free volume. The increase of alkali content on the other hand results to higher plasticity of the matrix and increased shear flow. The most important effect on the deformation mechanism of the disordered glasses is that of the highly depolymerized network that will also induce shear flow and, in combination with the increased free volume, will result in the decreased hardness of these glasses, as has been previously observed.

The strength of metal matrix composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baxter, William J.

1992-11-01

There is intensive interest in metal matrix composites (MMCs) for automotive components, and the first production applications in Japan use discontinuous fibers as the reinforcements. These fibers are randomly oriented, resulting in an MMC with isotropic properties. However, there are conflicting reports on the tensile strengths attainable. In some cases, the strength increases with increasing volume fraction (V f) of fibers, while in other cases, there is little or no benefit. A simple method is proposed to calculate the strength of this type of MMC. It is shown that the fibers oriented perpendicular to the stress direction play a key role, and the strength depends upon the strength of the interfacial bond. Upper and lower limits of the composite strength are calculated. If the bond strength is larger than the matrix strength, the composite strength has a maximum value which increases with V f. If the bond strength is weaker than the matrix, the composite strength has a minimum value which is either weakly dependent or even independent of V f. These calculations are in good agreement with examples taken from the literature of aluminum composites reinforced with either A12O3, graphite, or SiC. The strength of the matrix alloy is shown to be a very important parameter: weak alloys are easily strengthened, while in certain cases, strong alloys may be weakened.

Fractionation of Poly(butyl methacrylate) by Molecular Topology Using Multidetector Thermal Field-Flow Fractionation.

PubMed

Greyling, Guilaume; Pasch, Harald

2015-12-01

Thermal field-flow fractionation (ThFFF) is an interesting alternative to column-based fractionation being able to address different molecular parameters including size and composition. Until today it has not been shown to be able to fractionate polymers of similar molar masses and chemical compositions by molecular topology. The present study demonstrates that poly(butyl methacrylates) with identical molar masses can be fractionated by ThFFF according to the topology of the butyl group. The influence of the solvent polarity on the thermal diffusion behavior of these polymers is presented and it is shown to have a significant influence on the fractionation of poly(n-butyl methacrylate) and poly(t-butyl methacrylate). Fractionation improves with increasing solvent polarity and solvent polarity may have a greater influence on fractionation than solvent viscosity. It is found that the thermal diffusion coefficient, D(T), as well as the hydrodynamic diameter, D(h), exhibit increasing trends with increasing solvent polarity. The solvent quality has a significant influence on the fractionation. It is found that cyclohexane, being a theta solvent for poly(t-butyl methacrylate) but not for poly(n-butyl methacrylate), significantly improves the fractionation of the samples by decreasing the diffusion rate of the former but not the latter. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

CFAE: The Casebook. Aid-to-Education Programs of Leading Business Concerns.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council for Financial Aid to Education, New York, NY.

Details of the aid-to-education programs of leading companies are compiled, revealing profiles of corporate purposes and policies in educational support and the principal types of support mechanisms being used to reflect corporate interests. Ways in which diverse corporate interests can be accommodated by program structure are shown. The casebook…

Cyber Bullying in ADHD and Asperger Syndrome Populations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kowalski, Robin M.; Fedina, Cristin

2011-01-01

Cyber bullying or electronic bullying refers to bullying that occurs through the Internet or cellular phones. With the rise of technology, researchers have shown a keen interest in the topic of cyber bullying. However, that interest has not extended to individuals with special needs. To address this gap in the literature, the current study…

INTRODUCTING A THERMAL DISSIPATION PROBE SYSTEM FOR MEASURING BI-DIRECTIONAL ROOT WATER FLUX

EPA Science Inventory

The interest in measuring the direction and magnitude of root sapflow has accelerated in the past few years because of interest in the redistribution of water in the soil by roots. Plant roots have been shown to redistribute water between areas of soil with differing water conte...

12 CFR Appendix A to Part 230 - Annual Percentage Yield Calculation

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... stepped interest rates, and to certain time accounts with a stated maturity greater than one year. A... calculated by the formula shown below. Institutions shall calculate the annual percentage yield based on the... determining the total interest figure to be used in the formula, institutions shall assume that all principal...

12 CFR Appendix A to Part 230 - Annual Percentage Yield Calculation

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... stepped interest rates, and to certain time accounts with a stated maturity greater than one year. A... calculated by the formula shown below. Institutions shall calculate the annual percentage yield based on the... determining the total interest figure to be used in the formula, institutions shall assume that all principal...

12 CFR Appendix A to Part 230 - Annual Percentage Yield Calculation

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... stepped interest rates, and to certain time accounts with a stated maturity greater than one year. A... calculated by the formula shown below. Institutions shall calculate the annual percentage yield based on the... determining the total interest figure to be used in the formula, institutions shall assume that all principal...

Making Learning Meaningful: Facilitating Interest Development and Transfer in At-Risk College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heddy, Benjamin C.; Sinatra, Gale M.; Seli, Helena; Taasoobshirazi, Gita; Mukhopadhyay, Ananya

2017-01-01

The Teaching for Transformative Experience in Science (TTES) model has shown to be a useful tool to generate learning and engagement in science. We investigated the effectiveness of TTES for facilitating transformative experience (TE), learning, the development of topic interest and transfer of course concepts to other courses employing a…

Education in Germany. Bulletin, 1938, No. 15

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindegren, Alina M.

1939-01-01

While educational developments in Germany have always been of interest to the people of this country, educators and laymen in the United States have shown particular interest since 1933 because of the relationship which the school system there has had to the central government and its evolving political, economic, racial, and social doctrines. The…

Interleukin-1β: A New Regulator of the Kynurenine Pathway Affecting Human Hippocampal Neurogenesis

PubMed Central

Zunszain, Patricia A; Anacker, Christoph; Cattaneo, Annamaria; Choudhury, Shanas; Musaelyan, Ksenia; Myint, Aye Mu; Thuret, Sandrine; Price, Jack; Pariante, Carmine M

2012-01-01

Increased inflammation and reduced neurogenesis have been associated with the pathophysiology of major depression. Here, we show for the first time how IL-1β, a pro-inflammatory cytokine shown to be increased in depressed patients, decreases neurogenesis in human hippocampal progenitor cells. IL-1β was detrimental to neurogenesis, as shown by a decrease in the number of doublecortin-positive neuroblasts (−28%), and mature, microtubule-associated protein-2-positive neurons (−36%). Analysis of the enzymes that regulate the kynurenine pathway showed that IL-1β induced an upregulation of transcripts for indolamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO), and kynureninase (42-, 12- and 30-fold increase, respectively, under differentiating conditions), the enzymes involved in the neurotoxic arm of the kynurenine pathway. Moreover, treatment with IL-1β resulted in an increase in kynurenine, the catabolic product of IDO-induced tryptophan metabolism. Interestingly, co-treatment with the KMO inhibitor Ro 61-8048 reversed the detrimental effects of IL-1β on neurogenesis. These observations indicate that IL-1β has a critical role in regulating neurogenesis whereas affecting the availability of tryptophan and the production of enzymes conducive to toxic metabolites. Our results suggest that inhibition of the kynurenine pathway may provide a new therapy to revert inflammatory-induced reduction in neurogenesis. PMID:22071871

The burn surgeon: an endangered species. Can exposure in medical school increase interest in burn surgery?

PubMed

Kahn, Steven Alexander; Goldman, Matthew; Daul, Matthew; Lentz, Christopher W

2011-01-01

The nation is faced with a shortage of subspecialty physicians, including burn surgeons. Exposure to a specialty in medical school has been shown to influence students' career choices. The authors postulate that exposure to burn surgery increases their interest in the field. Students from a medical school with an American Burn Association-verified burn center and from a school without a burn center were anonymously surveyed and asked to report their interest and knowledge regarding burn surgery using a 5-point Likert scale. They were asked about their current year in school, gender, overall interest in surgery, and any prior exposure to burn surgery (eg, preceptorship or rotation). Students were asked whether exposure to burn surgery or to a strong mentor might increase their interest in the field. Finally, they were asked to pick the most important factor in a list of deterrents to pursuing a career in burn surgery. Predictors of interest in burn surgery were determined with regression analyses. A total of 380 of 662 students responded to the survey (57.4%). Significant predictors of interest in burn surgery were an interest in surgery (P < .001, odds ratio [OR] = 56.3), prior exposure to burn surgery (P = .02, OR = 5.7), and year in school (P = .006, OR = 1.7). First- and second-year students were more likely to report interest in burn surgery (P < .001). Gender and medical school attended were not significant predictors. Prior exposure to burn surgery became a stronger predictor in subgroup analysis of the fourth-year students (P < .001, OR = 24.5). The majority of students reported that exposure to burn surgery (76%) and a strong mentor (87%) would make them more likely to consider burn surgery as a career. "Not interested in surgery" was the most important deterrent to pursuing a career in burn surgery, which was selected by 33% of students. However, 25% of students chose "I don't know anything about burn surgery" as the most important deterrent. Factors specific to burn surgery were less frequently selected (eg, wound care and hot operating room). The majority of students reported ignorance of the field of burns: 64% disagreed that they understood what a burn surgeon does on a daily basis, and 74% agreed they did not know enough about the field to consider it as a career. Exposure to burn surgery in the form of a clinical rotation fosters medical student interest. However, the majority of medical students lack knowledge about the field of burn surgery. Many consider this a deterrent to selecting it as a career. More exposure during medical school and strong mentorship may influence more students to become burn surgeons. Mentorship and recruiting efforts should be focused on students with a general interest in surgery.

Age-dependent divergent effects of OX40L treatment on the development of diabetes in NOD mice

PubMed Central

Haddad, Christine S.; Bhattacharya, Palash; Alharshawi, Khaled; Marinelarena, Alejandra; Kumar, Prabhakaran; El-Sayed, Osama; Elshabrawy, Hatem A.; Epstein, Alan L.; Prabhakar, Bellur S.

2016-01-01

Earlier, we have shown that GM-CSF derived bone marrow dendritic cells (G-BMDCs) can expand Foxp3+ regulatory T-cells (Tregs) through a TCR-independent, but IL-2 dependent mechanism that required OX40L/OX40 interaction. While some reports have shown suppression of autoimmunity upon treatment with an OX40 agonist, others have shown exacerbation of autoimmune disease instead. To better understand the basis for these differing outcomes, we compared the effects of OX40L treatment in 6-week-old pre-diabetic and 12-week-old near diabetic NOD mice. Upon treatment with OX40L, 6-week-old NOD mice remained normoglycemic and showed a significant increase in Tregs in their spleen and lymph nodes, while 12-week-old NOD mice very rapidly developed hyperglycemia and failed to show Treg increase in spleen or LN. Interestingly, OX40L treatment increased Tregs in the thymus of both age groups. However, it induced Foxp3+CD103+CD38− stable-phenotype Tregs in the thymus and reduced the frequency of autoreactive Teff cells in 6-week-old mice; while it induced Foxp3+CD103−CD38+ labile-phenotype Tregs in the thymus and increased autoreactive CD4+ T cells in the periphery of 12-week-old mice. This increase in autoreactive CD4+ T cells was likely due to either a poor suppressive function or conversion of labile Tregs into Teff cells. Using ex vivo cultures, we found that the reduction in Treg numbers in 12-week-old mice was likely due to IL-2 deficit, and their numbers could be increased upon addition of exogenous IL-2. The observed divergent effects of OX40L treatment were likely due to differences in the ability of 6- and 12-week-old NOD mice to produce IL-2. PMID:27245356

Factors influencing research engagement: research interest, confidence and experience in an Australian speech-language pathology workforce.

PubMed

Finch, Emma; Cornwell, Petrea; Ward, Elizabeth C; McPhail, Steven M

2013-04-19

Recent initiatives within an Australia public healthcare service have seen a focus on increasing the research capacity of their workforce. One of the key initiatives involves encouraging clinicians to be research generators rather than solely research consumers. As a result, baseline data of current research capacity are essential to determine whether initiatives encouraging clinicians to undertake research have been effective. Speech pathologists have previously been shown to be interested in conducting research within their clinical role; therefore they are well positioned to benefit from such initiatives. The present study examined the current research interest, confidence and experience of speech language pathologists (SLPs) in a public healthcare workforce, as well as factors that predicted clinician research engagement. Data were collected via an online survey emailed to an estimated 330 SLPs working within Queensland, Australia. The survey consisted of 30 questions relating to current levels of interest, confidence and experience performing specific research tasks, as well as how frequently SLPs had performed these tasks in the last 5 years. Although 158 SLPs responded to the survey, complete data were available for only 137. Respondents were more confident and experienced with basic research tasks (e.g., finding literature) and less confident and experienced with complex research tasks (e.g., analysing and interpreting results, publishing results). For most tasks, SLPs displayed higher levels of interest in the task than confidence and experience. Research engagement was predicted by highest qualification obtained, current job classification level and overall interest in research. Respondents generally reported levels of interest in research higher than their confidence and experience, with many respondents reporting limited experience in most research tasks. Therefore SLPs have potential to benefit from research capacity building activities to increase their research skills in order to meet organisational research engagement objectives. However, these findings must be interpreted with the caveats that a relatively low response rate occurred and participants were recruited from a single state-wide health service, and therefore may not be representative of the wider SLP workforce.

Children's Conceptions of Work and Play: Exploring an Alternative to the Discounting Principle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hennessey, Beth A.; Berger, Andrea R.

Factors such as an expected reward have been shown to severely undermine individuals' intrinsic interest in a given task. This "overjustification effect," or "discounting principle," has been demonstrated across the life span, except in the case of young children, who have been shown to be incapable of engaging in this…

78 FR 69883 - Investigations Regarding Eligibility To Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-21

..., at the address shown below, not later than December 2, 2013. The petitions filed in this case are... request is filed in writing with the Director, Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance, at the address shown below, not later than December 2, 2013. Interested persons are invited to submit written comments...

Multivalent glycopeptide dendrimers for the targeted delivery of antigens to dendritic cells.

PubMed

García-Vallejo, Juan J; Ambrosini, Martino; Overbeek, Annemieke; van Riel, Wilhelmina E; Bloem, Karien; Unger, Wendy W J; Chiodo, Fabrizio; Bolscher, Jan G; Nazmi, Kamran; Kalay, Hakan; van Kooyk, Yvette

2013-04-01

Dendritic cells are the most powerful type of antigen presenting cells. Current immunotherapies targeting dendritic cells have shown a relative degree of success but still require further improvement. One of the most important issues to solve is the efficiency of antigen delivery to dendritic cells in order to achieve an appropriate uptake, processing, and presentation to Ag-specific T cells. C-type lectins have shown to be ideal receptors for the targeting of antigens to dendritic cells and allow the use of their natural ligands - glycans - instead of antibodies. Amongst them, dendritic cell-specific ICAM-3-grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN) is an interesting candidate due to its biological properties and the availability of its natural carbohydrate ligands. Using Le(b)-conjugated poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) dendrimers we aimed to characterize the optimal level of multivalency necessary to achieve the desired internalization, lysosomal delivery, Ag-specific T cell proliferation, and cytokine response. Increasing DC-SIGN ligand multivalency directly translated in an enhanced binding, which might also be interesting for blocking purposes. Internalization, routing to lysosomal compartments, antigen presentation and cytokine response could be optimally achieved with glycopeptide dendrimers carrying 16-32 glycan units. This report provides the basis for the design of efficient targeting of peptide antigens for the immunotherapy of cancer, autoimmunity and infectious diseases. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Patients’ Need for Tailored Comparative Health Care Information: A Qualitative Study on Choosing a Hospital

PubMed Central

Zwijnenberg, Nicolien C; Bloemendal, Evelien; Damman, Olga C; de Jong, Judith D; Delnoij, Diana MJ; Rademakers, Jany JD

2016-01-01

Background The Internet is increasingly being used to provide patients with information about the quality of care of different health care providers. Although online comparative health care information is widely available internationally, and patients have been shown to be interested in this information, its effect on patients’ decision making is still limited. Objective This study aimed to explore patients’ preferences regarding information presentation and their values concerning tailored comparative health care information. Meeting patients’ information presentation needs might increase the perceived relevance and use of the information. Methods A total of 38 people participated in 4 focus groups. Comparative health care information about hip and knee replacement surgery was used as a case example. One part of the interview focused on patients’ information presentation preferences, whereas the other part focused on patients’ values of tailored information (ie, showing reviews of patients with comparable demographics). The qualitative data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Results The following themes were deduced from the transcripts: number of health care providers to be presented, order in which providers are presented, relevancy of tailoring patient reviews, and concerns about tailoring. Participants’ preferences differed concerning how many and in which order health care providers must be presented. Most participants had no interest in patient reviews that were shown for specific subgroups based on age, gender, or ethnicity. Concerns of tailoring were related to the representativeness of results and the complexity of information. A need for information about the medical specialist when choosing a hospital was stressed by several participants. Conclusions The preferences for how comparative health care information should be presented differ between people. “Information on demand” and information about the medical specialist might be promising ways to increase the relevancy and use of online comparative health care information. Future research should focus on how different groups of people use comparative health care information for different health care choices in real life. PMID:27895006

Factors that influence the reinforcing value of foods and beverages.

PubMed

Temple, Jennifer L

2014-09-01

Behavioral economic principles state that as the cost of a product increases, purchasing or consumption of that product will decrease. To understand the impact of behavioral economics on ingestive behavior, our laboratory utilizes an operant behavior paradigm to measure how much work an individual will engage in to get access to foods and beverages. This task provides an objective measure of the reinforcing value. We have shown that consumption of the same high fat snack food every day for two weeks reduces its reinforcing value in lean individuals, but increases its reinforcing value in a subset of obese individuals. This increase in the reinforcing value of food predicts future weight gain. Similarly, we have shown that repeated intake of caffeinated soda increases its reinforcing value in boys, but not in girls. This increase in reinforcing value is not related to usual caffeine consumption, but may be associated with positive, subjective effects of caffeine that are more likely to be reported by boys than by girls. Because food and beverage reinforcement relates to real-world consumption, it is important to determine factors that increase or decrease the reinforcing value and determine the consequences of these responses. We are especially interested in determining ways to shift the behavioral economic curve in order to develop novel strategies to decrease the reinforcing value of less healthy snack foods and beverages, such as soda, potato chips and candy and to increase the reinforcing value of healthier foods and beverages, such as water, fruits, and vegetables. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transnational labour migration and the politics of care in the Southeast Asian family

PubMed Central

Hoang, Lan Anh; Yeoh, Brenda S.A.; Wattie, Anna Marie

2012-01-01

Recent increases in female labour migration in and from Asia have triggered a surge of interest in how the absence of the mother and wife for extended periods of time affects the left-behind family, particularly children, in labour-sending countries. While migration studies in the region have shown that the extended family, especially female relatives, is often called on for support in childcare during the mother’s absence it is not yet clear how childcare arrangements are made. Drawing on in-depth interviews with non-parent carers of left-behind children in Indonesia and Vietnam, the paper aims to unveil complexities and nuances around care in the context of transnational labour migration. In so doing it draws attention to the enduring influence of social norms on the organisation of family life when women are increasingly drawn into the global labour market. By contrasting a predominantly patrilineal East Asian family structure in Vietnam with what is often understood as a bilateral South-East Asian family structure in Indonesia, the paper seeks to provide interesting comparative insights into the adaptive strategies that the transnational family pursues in order to cope with the reproductive vacuum left behind by the migrant mother. PMID:22984293

Object Synthesis in Conway's Game of Life and Other Cellular Automata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niemiec, Mark D.

Of the very large number of cellular automata rules in existence, a relatively small number of rules may be considered interesting. Some of the features that make such rules interesting permit patterns to expand, contract, separate into multiple sub-patterns, or combine with other patterns. Such rules generally include still-lifes, oscillators, spaceships, spaceship guns, and puffer trains. Such structures can often be used to construct more complicated computational circuitry, and rules that contain them can often be shown to be computationally universal. Conway's Game of Life is one rule that has been well-studied for several decades, and has been shown to be very fruitful in this regard.

Bench press exercise: the key points.

PubMed

Padulo, J; Laffaye, G; Chaouachi, A; Chamari, K

2015-06-01

The bench press exercise (BPE) is receiving increasing interest as a field testing, training/therapeutic modality to improve neuromuscular performance or to increase bone mass density. Several studies have been performed using BPE as a standard for increasing upper-limb strength. For this purpose, the position of the bar, the loads, the sets, the number of repetitions, the recovery time in-between sets, the movement speed, the muscular work and the use of the determination of the one repetition maximum (1-RM) are the classical tools investigated in the literature that have been shown to affect the BPE effect on neuromuscular. The goal of the present short review is to make a picture of the current knowledge on the bench press exercise, which could be very helpful for a better understanding of this standard movement and its effects. Based on the related literature, several recommendations on these key points are presented here.

The effects of increased CO[sub 2] on the competitive ability of Lupinus arboreus, a dominant nitrogen-fixing shrub

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

Wallace, A.M.

Plant responses to increased atmospheric CO[sub 2] have been shown to be both species-specific and dependent on other environmental factors, potentially changing competitive interactions and altering community structure. The competitive response of a dominant nitrogen-fixing shrub to an introduced annual (Bromus diandrus) and a native perennial grass (Bromus carinatus) was measured under ambient and high CO[sub 2] and two nitrogen levels. These species coexist in a generally nitrogen-limited coastal grassland reserve besieged with alien species. The relative competitive ability of the lupin increased with CO[sub 2] for all treatments, with the largest difference occurring at low nitrogen in competition withmore » the introduced annual. This study provides a global change perspective for those interested in conserving native Californian grassland species, as well as the first data on the competitive response of nitrogen-fixers to high CO[sub 2].« less

Mechanisms of Heparanase Inhibitors in Cancer Therapy

PubMed Central

Heyman, Benjamin; Yang, Yiping

2016-01-01

Heparanase is an endo-β-D-glucuronidase capable of cleaving heparan sulfate (HS) side chains contributing to break down of the extracellular matrix. Increased expression of heparanase has been found in numerous malignancies, and is associated with a poor prognosis. It has generated significant interest as a potential anti-neoplastic target because of the multiple roles it plays in tumor growth and metastasis. The pro-tumorigenic effects of heparanase are enhanced by the release of HS side chains, with subsequent increase in bioactive fragments and increased cytokine levels; both promoting tumor invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis. Preclinical experiments have shown heparanase inhibitors to substantially reduce tumor growth and metastasis leading to clinical trials with heparan sulfate mimetics. In this review we will examine heparanase’s role in tumor biology, its interaction with heparan surface proteoglycans, specifically syndecan-1; as well as the mechanism of action for heparanase inhibitors developed as anti-neoplastic therapeutics. PMID:27576132

Synthetic RORγt Agonists Enhance Protective Immunity

PubMed Central

Chang, Mi Ra; Dharmarajan, Venkatasubramanian; Doebelin, Christelle; Garcia-Ordonez, Ruben D.; Novick, Scott J.; Kuruvilla, Dana S.; Kamenecka, Theodore M.; Griffin, Patrick R.

2016-01-01

The T cell specific RORγ isoform RORγt has been shown to be the key lineage-defining transcription factor to initiate the differentiation program of TH17 and Tc17 cells, cells that have demonstrated anti-tumor efficacy. RORγt controls gene networks that enhance immunity including increased IL17 production and decreased immune suppression. Both synthetic and putative endogenous agonists of RORγt have been shown to increase the basal activity of RORγt enhancing TH17 cell proliferation. Here we show that activation of RORγt using synthetic agonists drives proliferation of TH17 cells while decreasing levels of the immune checkpoint protein PD-1, a mechanism that should enhance anti-tumor immunity while blunting tumor associated adaptive immune resistance. Interestingly, putative endogenous agonists drive proliferation of TH17 cells but do not repress PD-1. These findings suggest that synthetic agonists of RORγt should activate TC17/TH17 cells (with concomitant reduction in the Tregs population), repress PD-1, and produce IL17 in situ (a factor associated with good prognosis in cancer). Enhanced immunity and blockage of immune checkpoints has transformed cancer treatment, thus such a molecule would provide a unique approach for the treatment of cancer. PMID:26785144

Uric acid inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase IV in vitro is dependent on the intracellular formation of triuret.

PubMed

Mohandas, Rajesh; Sautina, Laura; Beem, Elaine; Schuler, Anna; Chan, Wai-Yan; Domsic, John; McKenna, Robert; Johnson, Richard J; Segal, Mark S

2014-08-01

Uric acid affects endothelial and adipose cell function and has been linked to diseases such as hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. Interestingly uric acid has been shown to increase endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) mobilization, a potential mechanism to repair endothelial injury. Since EPC mobilization is dependent on activity of the enzyme CD26/dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)IV, we examined the effect uric acid will have on CD26/DPPIV activity. Uric acid inhibited the CD26/DPPIV associated with human umbilical vein endothelial cells but not human recombinant (hr) CD26/DPPIV. However, triuret, a product of uric acid and peroxynitrite, could inhibit cell associated and hrCD26/DPPIV. Increasing or decreasing intracellular peroxynitrite levels enhanced or decreased the ability of uric acid to inhibit cell associated CD26/DPPIV, respectively. Finally, protein modeling demonstrates how triuret can act as a small molecule inhibitor of CD26/DPPIV activity. This is the first time that uric acid or a uric acid reaction product has been shown to affect enzymatic activity and suggests a novel avenue of research in the role of uric acid in the development of clinically important diseases. Published by Elsevier Inc.

On hybridising lettuce seedlings with nanoparticles and the resultant effects on the organisms' electrical characteristics.

PubMed

Gizzie, Nina; Mayne, Richard; Patton, David; Kendrick, Paul; Adamatzky, Andrew

2016-09-01

Lettuce seedlings are attracting interest in the computing world due to their capacity to become hybrid circuit components, more specifically, in the creation of living 'wires'. Previous studies have shown that seedlings can be hybridised with gold nanoparticles and withstand mild electrical currents. In this study, lettuce seedlings were hybridised with a variety of metallic and non-metallic nanomaterials: carbon nanotubes, graphene oxide, aluminium oxide and calcium phosphate. Toxic effects and the following electrical properties were monitored: mean potential, resistance and capacitance. Macroscopic observations revealed only slight deleterious health effects after administration with one variety of particle, aluminium oxide. Mean potential in calcium phosphate-hybridised seedlings showed a considerable increase when compared with the control, whereas those administered with graphene oxide showed a small decrease; there were no notable variations across the remaining treatments. Electrical resistance decreased substantially in graphene oxide-treated seedlings whereas slight increases were shown following calcium phosphate and carbon nanotubes applications. Capacitance showed no considerable variation across treated seedlings. These results demonstrate that use of some nanomaterials, specifically graphene oxide and calcium phosphate, may be towards biohybridisation purposes including the generation of living 'wires'. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the self-damping nature of densification in photonic sintering of nanoparticles

PubMed Central

MacNeill, William; Choi, Chang-Ho; Chang, Chih-Hung; Malhotra, Rajiv

2015-01-01

Sintering of nanoparticle inks over large area-substrates is a key enabler for scalable fabrication of patterned and continuous films, with multiple emerging applications. The high speed and ambient condition operation of photonic sintering has elicited significant interest for this purpose. In this work, we experimentally characterize the temperature evolution and densification in photonic sintering of silver nanoparticle inks, as a function of nanoparticle size. It is shown that smaller nanoparticles result in faster densification, with lower temperatures during sintering, as compared to larger nanoparticles. Further, high densification can be achieved even without nanoparticle melting. Electromagnetic Finite Element Analysis of photonic heating is coupled to an analytical sintering model, to examine the role of interparticle neck growth in photonic sintering. It is shown that photonic sintering is an inherently self-damping process, i.e., the progress of densification reduces the magnitude of subsequent photonic heating even before full density is reached. By accounting for this phenomenon, the developed coupled model better captures the experimentally observed sintering temperature and densification as compared to conventional photonic sintering models. Further, this model is used to uncover the reason behind the experimentally observed increase in densification with increasing weight ratio of smaller to larger nanoparticles. PMID:26443492

17 CFR 210.12-23 - Mortgage loans on real estate and interest earned on mortgages. 1

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... period 5 Liens on: Farms (total) Residential (total) Apartments and business (total) Unimproved (total) Total 12 1 All money columns shall be totaled. 2 If mortgages represent other than first liens, list... the total of column G with the amount shown in the profit and loss or income statement, interest...

17 CFR 210.12-23 - Mortgage loans on real estate and interest earned on mortgages. 1

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... (total) Apartments and business (total) Unimproved (total) Total 12 1 All money columns shall be totaled... amount shown in the profit and loss or income statement, interest income earned applicable to period from... column C includes intercompany profits, state the bases of the transactions resulting in such profits and...

17 CFR 210.12-23 - Mortgage loans on real estate and interest earned on mortgages. 1

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... period 5 Liens on: Farms (total) Residential (total) Apartments and business (total) Unimproved (total) Total 12 1 All money columns shall be totaled. 2 If mortgages represent other than first liens, list... the total of column G with the amount shown in the profit and loss or income statement, interest...

A Concurrent Test of Accuracy-of-Classification for the Strong Vocational Interest and Kuder Occupational Interest Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zytowski, Donald G.

1972-01-01

Owing to the uncertainty concerning the concurrent validity of the SVIB and the KOIS, a test of accuracy of classification of men in the occupations common to both inventories was undertaken. The results suggest that neither show any less validity than had been shown in separate studies previously. (Author)

77 FR 12085 - Investigations Regarding Certifications of Eligibility To Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-28

... involved. The petitioners or any other persons showing a substantial interest in the subject matter of the... of Trade Adjustment Assistance, at the address shown below, not later than March 9, 2012. Interested... Systems America, Inc. (SISA) (Workers). 81298 Syniverse Technologies, Watertown, MA 02/07/12 02/06/12 Inc...

75 FR 49533 - Investigations Regarding Certifications of Eligibility To Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-13

... persons showing a substantial interest in the subject matter of the investigations may request a public... Assistance, at the address shown below, not later than August 23, 2010. Interested persons are invited to...). 74436 Faurecia Automotive Troy, MI 07/28/10 07/06/10 Seating Group (State/ One-Stop). [[Page 49534...

Flavonoid Rutin Increases Thyroid Iodide Uptake in Rats

PubMed Central

Lima Gonçalves, Carlos Frederico; de Souza dos Santos, Maria Carolina; Ginabreda, Maria Gloria; Soares Fortunato, Rodrigo; Pires de Carvalho, Denise; Freitas Ferreira, Andrea Claudia

2013-01-01

Thyroid iodide uptake through the sodium-iodide symporter (NIS) is not only an essential step for thyroid hormones biosynthesis, but also fundamental for the diagnosis and treatment of different thyroid diseases. However, part of patients with thyroid cancer is refractory to radioiodine therapy, due to reduced ability to uptake iodide, which greatly reduces the chances of survival. Therefore, compounds able to increase thyroid iodide uptake are of great interest. It has been shown that some flavonoids are able to increase iodide uptake and NIS expression in vitro, however, data in vivo are lacking. Flavonoids are polyhydroxyphenolic compounds, found in vegetables present in human diet, and have been shown not only to modulate NIS, but also thyroperoxidase (TPO), the key enzyme in thyroid hormones biosynthesis, besides having antiproliferative effect in thyroid cancer cell lines. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effect of some flavonoids on thyroid iodide uptake in Wistar rats in vivo. Among the flavonoids tested, rutin was the only one able to increase thyroid iodide uptake, so we decided to evaluate the effect of this flavonoid on some aspects of thyroid hormones synthesis and metabolism. Rutin led to a slight reduction of serum T4 and T3 without changes in serum thyrotropin (TSH), and significantly increased hypothalamic, pituitary and brown adipose tissue type 2 deiodinase and decreased liver type 1 deiodinase activities. Moreover, rutin treatment increased thyroid iodide uptake probably due to the increment of NIS expression, which might be secondary to increased response to TSH, since TSH receptor expression was increased. Thus, rutin might be useful as an adjuvant in radioiodine therapy, since this flavonoid increased thyroid iodide uptake without greatly affecting thyroid function. PMID:24023911

Association between gravitational force and tissue metabolism in periparturient rats

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zakrzewska, E. I.; Maple, R.; Lintault, L.; Wade, C.; Baer, L.; Ronca, A.; Plaut, K.

2004-01-01

Recently, interest in mammalian reproduction and offspring survival in altered gravity has been growing. Because successful lactation is critical for mammalian neonate survival, we have been studying the effect of gravity metabolism. We have shown an exponential relationship between glucose metabolic rate in mammary tissue of periparturient rats and an increase in gravity load. In this study we showed that changes in mammary metabolic rate due to gravity force were accompanied by a decrease in glucose metabolism in adipose tissue and by a reduced size of adipocytes. We assume that these changes are likely due to changes in prolactin or leptin levels related to altered gravity load.

Effectivity of fluoride treatment on hydrogen and corrosion product generation in temporal implants for different magnesium alloys.

PubMed

Trinidad, Javier; Arruebarrena, Gurutze; Marco, Iñigo; Hurtado, Iñaki; Sáenz de Argandoña, Eneko

2013-12-01

The increasing interest on magnesium alloys relies on their biocompatibility, bioabsorbility and especially on their mechanical properties. Due to these characteristics, magnesium alloys are becoming a promising solution to be used, as temporary implants. However, magnesium alloys must overcome their poor corrosion resistance. This article analyses the corrosion behaviour in phosphate-buffered saline solution of three commercial magnesium alloys (AZ31B, WE43 and ZM21) as well as the influence of fluoride treatment on their corrosion behaviour. It is shown that the corrosion rate of all the alloys is decreased by fluoride treatment. However, fluoride treatment affects each alloy differently.

Teaching Chemistry Lab Safety through Comics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

di Raddo, Pasquale

2006-04-01

As a means for raising students' interest in aspects pertaining to chemistry lab safety, this article presents a novel approach to teaching this important subject. Comic book lab scenes that involve fictional characters familiar to many students are presented and discussed as to the safety concerns represented in those images. These are discussed in a safety prelab session. For the sake of comparison, students are then shown images taken from current chemistry journals of safety-conscious contemporary chemists at work in their labs. Finally the need to adhere to copyright regulations for the use of the images is discussed so as to increase students' awareness of academic honesty and copyright issues.

An application review of dielectric electroactive polymer actuators in acoustics and vibration control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Zhenghong; Shuai, Changgeng; Gao, Yan; Rustighi, Emiliano; Xuan, Yuan

2016-09-01

Recent years have seen an increasing interest in the dielectric electroactive polymers (DEAPs) and their potential in actuator applications due to the large strain capabilities. This paper starts with an overview of some configurations of the DEAP actuators and follows with an in-depth literature and technical review of recent advances in the field with special considerations given to aspects pertaining to acoustics and vibration control. Significant research has shown that these smart actuators are promising replacement for many conventional actuators. The paper has been written with reference to a large number of published papers listed in the reference section.

Giant molecular clouds as regions of particle acceleration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dogiel, V. A.; Gurevich, A. V.; Istomin, Y. N.; Zybin, K. A.

1985-01-01

One of the most interesting results of investigations carried out on the satellites SAS-II and COS-B is the discovery of unidentified discrete gamma sources. Possibly a considerable part of them may well be giant molecular clouds. Gamma emission from clouds is caused by the processes with participation of cosmic rays. The estimation of the cosmic ray density in clouds has shown that for the energy E approx. = I GeV their density can 10 to 1000 times exceed the one in intercloud space. We have made an attempt to determine the mechanism which could lead to the increase in the cosmic ray density in clouds.

Patient Derived Xenograft Models: An Emerging Platform for Translational Cancer Research

PubMed Central

Hidalgo, Manuel; Amant, Frederic; Biankin, Andrew V.; Budinská, Eva; Byrne, Annette T.; Caldas, Carlos; Clarke, Robert B.; de Jong, Steven; Jonkers, Jos; Mælandsmo, Gunhild Mari; Roman-Roman, Sergio; Seoane, Joan; Trusolino, Livio; Villanueva, Alberto

2014-01-01

Recently, there has been increasing interest in the development and characterization of patient derived tumor xenograft (PDX) models for cancer research. PDX models mostly retain the principal histological and genetic characteristics of their donor tumor and remain stable across passages. These models have been shown to be predictive of clinical outcomes and are being used for preclinical drug evaluation, biomarker identification, biological studies, and personalized medicine strategies. This paper summarizes the current state of the art in this field including methodological issues, available collections, practical applications, challenges and shortcoming, and future directions, and introduces a European consortium of PDX models. PMID:25185190

Characteristics of University of Auckland medical students intending to work in the regional/rural setting.

PubMed

Pasley, Thomas; Poole, Phillippa

2009-04-03

To assess the level of interest in regional/rural (RR) practice in final year Auckland medical students and to investigate the demographic characteristics and speciality intentions of these students. A questionnaire was distributed to all graduating students from The University of Auckland's School of Medicine (SOM) in 2006 and 2007. Students intending to work in a RR setting had their demographic data and intended specialty compared with students intending to work in the city. There were 186 respondents, with a response rate of 71%. Of this cohort, 58% stated an intention to work in a city, 15% in an RR setting, and 27% were undecided. RR-destined students were more likely to be Maori and less likely to be Asian then their city-destined counterparts. RR students were more likely to have strong interests in general practice than students intending to work in the city. Prior to the introduction of a specific rural selection pathway, Auckland medical students have shown a similar level of interest in RR medicine when compared to previous studies. However the proportion of students interested in RR health is significantly below the current proportion of people living in RR areas. The large proportion of students undecided on career setting at graduation suggests there may be room to increase the proportion further through formative early postgraduate experiences, or other incentives.

The Free Radical Theory of Aging Revisited: The Cell Signaling Disruption Theory of Aging

PubMed Central

Borras, Consuelo; Abdelaziz, Kheira M.; Garcia-Valles, Rebeca; Gomez-Cabrera, Mari Carmen

2013-01-01

Abstract Significance: The free radical theory of aging has provided a theoretical framework for an enormous amount of work leading to significant advances in our understanding of aging. Up to the turn of the century, the theory received abundant support from observations coming from fields as far apart as comparative physiology or molecular biology. Recent Advances: Work from many laboratories supports the theory, for instance showing that overexpression of antioxidant enzymes results in increases in life-span. But other labs have shown that in some cases, there is an increased oxidative stress and increased longevity. The discovery that free radicals can not only cause molecular damage to cells, but also serve as signals; led to the proposal that they act as modulators of physiological processes. For instance, reactive oxygen species (ROS) stimulate physiological adaptations to physical exercise. Critical Issues: A critical blow to the free radical theory of aging came from epidemiological studies showing that antioxidant supplementation did not lower the incidence of many age-associated diseases but, in some cases, increased the risk of death. Moreover, recent molecular evidence has shown that increasing generation of ROS, in some cases, increases longevity. Future Directions: Gerontologists interested in free radical biology are at a crossroads and clearly new insights are required to clarify the role of ROS in the process of aging. The hurdles are, no doubt, very high, but the intellectual and practical promise of these studies is of such magnitude that we feel that all efforts will be generously rewarding. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 19, 779–787. PMID:23841595

Monitoring landscape metrics by point sampling: accuracy in estimating Shannon's diversity and edge density.

PubMed

Ramezani, Habib; Holm, Sören; Allard, Anna; Ståhl, Göran

2010-05-01

Environmental monitoring of landscapes is of increasing interest. To quantify landscape patterns, a number of metrics are used, of which Shannon's diversity, edge length, and density are studied here. As an alternative to complete mapping, point sampling was applied to estimate the metrics for already mapped landscapes selected from the National Inventory of Landscapes in Sweden (NILS). Monte-Carlo simulation was applied to study the performance of different designs. Random and systematic samplings were applied for four sample sizes and five buffer widths. The latter feature was relevant for edge length, since length was estimated through the number of points falling in buffer areas around edges. In addition, two landscape complexities were tested by applying two classification schemes with seven or 20 land cover classes to the NILS data. As expected, the root mean square error (RMSE) of the estimators decreased with increasing sample size. The estimators of both metrics were slightly biased, but the bias of Shannon's diversity estimator was shown to decrease when sample size increased. In the edge length case, an increasing buffer width resulted in larger bias due to the increased impact of boundary conditions; this effect was shown to be independent of sample size. However, we also developed adjusted estimators that eliminate the bias of the edge length estimator. The rates of decrease of RMSE with increasing sample size and buffer width were quantified by a regression model. Finally, indicative cost-accuracy relationships were derived showing that point sampling could be a competitive alternative to complete wall-to-wall mapping.

Gendered Occupational Interests: Prenatal Androgen Effects on Psychological Orientation to Things Versus People

PubMed Central

Beltz, Adriene M.; Swanson, Jane L.; Berenbaum, Sheri A.

2011-01-01

There is considerable interest in understanding women’s underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. Career choices have been shown to be driven in part by interests, and gender differences in those interests have generally been considered to result from socialization. We explored the contribution of sex hormones to career-related interests, in particular studying whether prenatal androgens affect interests through psychological orientation to Things versus People. We examined this question in individuals with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), who have atypical exposure to androgens early in development, and their unaffected siblings (total N = 125 aged 9 to 26 years). Females with CAH had more interest in Things versus People than did unaffected females, and variations among females with CAH reflected variations in their degree of androgen exposure. Results provide strong support for hormonal influences on interest in occupations characterized by working with Things versus People. PMID:21689657

Gendered occupational interests: prenatal androgen effects on psychological orientation to Things versus People.

PubMed

Beltz, Adriene M; Swanson, Jane L; Berenbaum, Sheri A

2011-09-01

There is considerable interest in understanding women's underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. Career choices have been shown to be driven in part by interests, and gender differences in those interests have generally been considered to result from socialization. We explored the contribution of sex hormones to career-related interests, in particular studying whether prenatal androgens affect interests through psychological orientation to Things versus People. We examined this question in individuals with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), who have atypical exposure to androgens early in development, and their unaffected siblings (total N=125 aged 9 to 26 years). Females with CAH had more interest in Things versus People than did unaffected females, and variations among females with CAH reflected variations in their degree of androgen exposure. Results provide strong support for hormonal influences on interest in occupations characterized by working with Things versus People. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Is it Possible to Arouse Interest in a Career in Traumatology with a Curricular Course in Medical School?

PubMed

Meder, A; Lammerding-Köppel, M; Zundel, S; Stöckle, U; Bahrs, C; Gonser, C

2016-12-01

Background: There is a serious lack of young doctors in trauma surgery, which has intensified in recent years. The reasons are complex. Studies have shown that the interest in starting a career in surgery significantly decreases during medical school. To counteract the lack of young talent in the clinic, interest in the subject should be aroused in medical school. The aim of the present study was to evaluate current teaching at our university, where trauma surgery is a curricular subject with mandatory attendance for all medical students. Material and Methods: The current curriculum is intended for medicine students in their fifth year. The curriculum comprises lectures, practical courses and observation modules held in small groups. Students are provided with an experienced surgeon as teacher and mentor for the whole week. A teaching and training centre is available for the practical courses. In an anonymised questionnaire, students were asked about their overall assessment and the training success of practical and theory-oriented modules, as well as their specific interest in traumatology. Results: The evaluated curriculum gave very good results, with an overall rating of 1.53 (average) on a 6-point Likert scale in the overall assessment. It could be shown that students previously not interested in starting a career in trauma surgery showed significantly more interest in the subject after the curriculum. The practical parts scored best in the individual assessment. Conclusion: We showed that intensive teaching can arouse interest in traumatology in students who had been indifferent to orthopaedics and traumatology. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Public evaluation of an announcement of public interests communicated by an AIDS patient.

PubMed

Lau, J T; Cheung, C K

1999-01-01

Announcements of public interests (APIs) on television (TV) have been an important means of AIDS prevention. Recently in Hong Kong, the first API on TV which was communicated by a male AIDS patient, named J.J., was displayed on the screen from April to December, 1995. The objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of this API, as compared with other APIs previously shown in Hong Kong. Collecting data from a random sample of 1,275 residential respondents in Hong Kong through a telephone survey, this study demonstrated that the public gave very favorable evaluation on J.J.'s API, when compared with other APIs. Remarkable impacts of J.J.'s API on the public included increasing concern for AIDS, condom use, and testing blood for HIV infection, and reducing the number of sex partners. The impacts tended to be more salient on male than female viewers. Some of these impacts also appeared to vary by different levels of education and family income.

Reducing Stigma and Punitive Attitudes Toward Pedophiles Through Narrative Humanization.

PubMed

Harper, Craig A; Bartels, Ross M; Hogue, Todd E

2016-12-01

Stigmatization and societal punitiveness about pedophilia have a range of potential consequences, such as the social isolation of people with sexual interest in children, and the formation of policies that are not consistent with empirical research findings. Previous research has shown that people with pedophilic sexual interests use societal thinking to self-stigmatize, which in turn may actually serve to increase their risk of committing a sexual offense. In this study, we compared two attitudinal interventions (first-person narrative vs. expert opinion) using a student sample ( N = 100). It was hypothesized that both interventions would lead to reductions in stigmatization and punitive attitudes about pedophiles on an explicit (self-report) level but that only the narrative intervention would lead to reductions of these constructs at the implicit level. Our findings supported both hypotheses. We further discuss the role of narrative humanization in this area and offer suggestions for further research based upon the theoretical and methodological implications of the findings.

Artifact reduction in short-scan CBCT by use of optimization-based reconstruction

PubMed Central

Zhang, Zheng; Han, Xiao; Pearson, Erik; Pelizzari, Charles; Sidky, Emil Y; Pan, Xiaochuan

2017-01-01

Increasing interest in optimization-based reconstruction in research on, and applications of, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) exists because it has been shown to have to potential to reduce artifacts observed in reconstructions obtained with the Feldkamp–Davis–Kress (FDK) algorithm (or its variants), which is used extensively for image reconstruction in current CBCT applications. In this work, we carried out a study on optimization-based reconstruction for possible reduction of artifacts in FDK reconstruction specifically from short-scan CBCT data. The investigation includes a set of optimization programs such as the image-total-variation (TV)-constrained data-divergency minimization, data-weighting matrices such as the Parker weighting matrix, and objects of practical interest for demonstrating and assessing the degree of artifact reduction. Results of investigative work reveal that appropriately designed optimization-based reconstruction, including the image-TV-constrained reconstruction, can reduce significant artifacts observed in FDK reconstruction in CBCT with a short-scan configuration. PMID:27046218

Immune-based strategies for mood disorders: facts and challenges.

PubMed

Colpo, Gabriela D; Leboyer, Marion; Dantzer, Robert; Trivedi, Mahdukar H; Teixeira, Antonio L

2018-02-01

Inflammation seems to play a role in the pathophysiology of mood disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). In the last years several studies have shown increased levels of inflammatory and/or immune markers in patients with mood disorders. Accordingly, the immune system has become a target of interest for the development of biomarkers and therapeutics for mood disorders. Areas covered: Here, we review the evidence showing low-grade inflammation in mood disorders and the studies evaluating immune-based strategies for the treatment of these conditions. Expert commentary: Clinical trials with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, polyunsaturated acids, N-acetylcysteine, anti-cytokines, physical activity and probiotics have provided promising results in terms of antidepressant efficacy in patients with MDD and BD. Regarding stem cells, only studies with animal models have been performed so far with interesting pre-clinical results. Due to the preliminary nature of the results, most of the clinical studies need to be replicated and/or confirmed in larger clinical settings, embracing the highly heterogeneous pathophysiology of mood disorders.

Behavior analysis and the study of human aging

PubMed Central

Derenne, Adam; Baron, Alan

2002-01-01

As the population of older adults continues to rise, psychologists along with other behavioral and social scientists have shown increasing interest in this age group. Although behavior analysts have contributed to research on aging, the focus has been on applications that remedy age-related deficits, rather than a concern with aging as a developmental process. In particular, there has been little interest in the central theoretical questions that have guided gerontologists. How does behavior change with advancing years, and what are the sources of those changes? We consider the possibility that this neglect reflects the long-standing commitment of behavior analysts to variables that can be experimentally manipulated, a requirement that excludes the key variable—age itself. We review the options available to researchers and present strategies that minimize deviations from the traditional features of behavior-analytic designs. Our comments are predicated on the view that aging issues within contemporary society are far too important for behavior analysts to ignore. PMID:22478383

[Thermoconversion of carbonaceous materials to produce synthetic fuels: the biomass case].

PubMed

Dupont, Capucine; Chataing, Thierry; Rougé, Sylvie

2008-01-01

In the present energy context, there is a growing interest for the fuel production from biomass. While the first generation of biofuels has shown its limits, a second generation appears that is based on the valorisation of the unused resources of lignocellulosic biomass. This could significantly increase the biofuels potential in France. Up to 40 % of the total needs of transport fuel could be covered. Among the processes under development, the Biomass to Liquid (BtL) process seems as an interesting route, able to be shortly implemented at an industrial scale. This process consists in producing liquid fuel (such as Diesel Fischer-Trospch) through a synthetic gas obtained by biomass gasification However R&D work is still needed to solve the remaining key issues of the process. These studies are performed in several laboratories in Europe, especially in Germany and in the Nordic countries, and also more recently in France, notably in the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique.

ZnO nanowire-based light-emitting diodes with tunable emission from near-UV to blue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pauporté, Thierry; Lupan, Oleg; Viana, Bruno; le Bahers, T.

2013-03-01

Nanowires (NWs)-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) have drawn large interest due to many advantages compared to thin film based devices. We have successfully prepared epitaxial n-ZnO(NW)/p-GaN heterojunctions using low temperature soft electrochemical techniques. The structures have been used in LED devices and exhibited highly interesting performances. Moreover, the bandgap of ZnO has been tuned by Cu or Cd doping at controlled atomic concentration. A result was the controlled shift of the LED emission in the visible spectral wavelength region. Using DFT computing calculations, we have also shown that the bandgap narrowing has two different origins for Zn1-xCdxO (ZnO:Cd) and ZnO:Cu. In the first case, it is due to the crystal lattice expansion, whereas in the second case Cu-3d donor and Cu-3d combined to O-2p acceptor bands appear in the bandgap which broadnesses increase with the dopant concentration. This leads to the bandgap reduction.

Preparation of samples for leaf architecture studies, a method for mounting cleared leaves1

PubMed Central

Vasco, Alejandra; Thadeo, Marcela; Conover, Margaret; Daly, Douglas C.

2014-01-01

• Premise of the study: Several recent waves of interest in leaf architecture have shown an expanding range of approaches and applications across a number of disciplines. Despite this increased interest, examination of existing archives of cleared and mounted leaves shows that current methods for mounting, in particular, yield unsatisfactory results and deterioration of samples over relatively short periods. Although techniques for clearing and staining leaves are numerous, published techniques for mounting leaves are scarce. • Methods and Results: Here we present a complete protocol and recommendations for clearing, staining, and imaging leaves, and, most importantly, a method to permanently mount cleared leaves. • Conclusions: The mounting protocol is faster than other methods, inexpensive, and straightforward; moreover, it yields clear and permanent samples that can easily be imaged, scanned, and stored. Specimens mounted with this method preserve well, with leaves that were mounted more than 35 years ago showing no signs of bubbling or discoloration. PMID:25225627

Influence of running velocity on vertical, leg and joint stiffness : modelling and recommendations for future research.

PubMed

Brughelli, Matt; Cronin, John

2008-01-01

Human running can be modelled as either a spring-mass model or multiple springs in series. A force is required to stretch or compress the spring, and thus stiffness, the variable of interest in this paper, can be calculated from the ratio of this force to the change in spring length. Given the link between force and length change, muscle stiffness and mechanical stiffness have been areas of interest to researchers, clinicians, and strength and conditioning practitioners for many years. This review focuses on mechanical stiffness, and in particular, vertical, leg and joint stiffness, since these are the only stiffness types that have been directly calculated during human running. It has been established that as running velocity increases from slow-to-moderate values, leg stiffness remains constant while both vertical stiffness and joint stiffness increase. However, no studies have calculated vertical, leg or joint stiffness over a range of slow-to-moderate values to maximum values in an athletic population. Therefore, the effects of faster running velocities on stiffness are relatively unexplored. Furthermore, no experimental research has examined the effects of training on vertical, leg or joint stiffness and the subsequent effects on running performance. Various methods of training (Olympic style weightlifting, heavy resistance training, plyometrics, eccentric strength training) have shown to be effective at improving running performance. However, the effects of these training methods on vertical, leg and joint stiffness are unknown. As a result, the true importance of stiffness to running performance remains unexplored, and the best practice for changing stiffness to optimize running performance is speculative at best. It is our hope that a better understanding of stiffness, and the influence of running speed on stiffness, will lead to greater interest and an increase in experimental research in this area.

Impact of advertisements promoting candy-like flavoured e-cigarettes on appeal of tobacco smoking among children: an experimental study

PubMed Central

Vasiljevic, Milica; Petrescu, Dragos C; Marteau, Theresa M

2016-01-01

Background There are concerns that the marketing of e-cigarettes may increase the appeal of tobacco smoking in children. We examined this concern by assessing the impact on appeal of tobacco smoking after exposure to advertisements for e-cigarettes with and without candy-like flavours, such as, bubble gum and milk chocolate. Methods We assigned 598 English school children (aged 11–16 years) to 1 of 3 different conditions corresponding to the adverts to which they were exposed: adverts for flavoured e-cigarettes, adverts for non-flavoured e-cigarettes or a control condition in which no adverts were shown. The primary endpoint was appeal of tobacco smoking. Secondary endpoints were: appeal of using e-cigarettes, susceptibility to tobacco smoking, perceived harm of tobacco, appeal of e-cigarette adverts and interest in buying and trying e-cigarettes. Results Tobacco smokers and e-cigarette users were excluded from analyses (final sample=471). Exposure to either set of adverts did not increase the appeal of tobacco smoking, the appeal of using e-cigarettes, or susceptibility to tobacco smoking. Also, it did not reduce the perceived harm of tobacco smoking, which was high. Flavoured e-cigarette adverts were, however, more appealing than adverts for non-flavoured e-cigarettes and elicited greater interest in buying and trying e-cigarettes. Conclusions Exposure to adverts for e-cigarettes does not seem to increase the appeal of tobacco smoking in children. Flavoured, compared with non-flavoured, e-cigarette adverts did, however, elicit greater appeal and interest in buying and trying e-cigarettes. Further studies extending the current research are needed to elucidate the impact of flavoured and non-flavoured e-cigarette adverts. PMID:26781305

Quantum correlations of helicity entangled states in non-inertial frames beyond single mode approximation

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

Harsij, Zeynab, E-mail: z.harsij@ph.iut.ac.ir; Mirza, Behrouz, E-mail: b.mirza@cc.iut.ac.ir

A helicity entangled tripartite state is considered in which the degree of entanglement is preserved in non-inertial frames. It is shown that Quantum Entanglement remains observer independent. As another measure of quantum correlation, Quantum Discord has been investigated. It is explicitly shown that acceleration has no effect on the degree of quantum correlation for the bipartite and tripartite helicity entangled states. Geometric Quantum Discord as a Hilbert–Schmidt distance is computed for helicity entangled states. It is shown that living in non-inertial frames does not make any influence on this distance, either. In addition, the analysis has been extended beyond singlemore » mode approximation to show that acceleration does not have any impact on the quantum features in the limit beyond the single mode. As an interesting result, while the density matrix depends on the right and left Unruh modes, the Negativity as a measure of Quantum Entanglement remains constant. Also, Quantum Discord does not change beyond single mode approximation. - Highlights: • The helicity entangled states here are observer independent in non-inertial frames. • It is explicitly shown that Quantum Discord for these states is observer independent. • Geometric Quantum Discord is also not affected by acceleration increase. • Extending to beyond single mode does not change the degree of entanglement. • Beyond single mode approximation the degree of Quantum Discord is also preserved.« less

Characteristics of lipid micro- and nanoparticles based on supercritical formation for potential pharmaceutical application

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

The interest of the pharmaceutical industry in lipid drug delivery systems due to their prolonged release profile, biocompatibility, reduction of side effects, and so on is already known. However, conventional methods of preparation of these structures for their use and production in the pharmaceutical industry are difficult since these methods are usually multi-step and involve high amount of organic solvent. Furthermore, some processes need extreme conditions, which can lead to an increase of heterogeneity of particle size and degradation of the drug. An alternative for drug delivery system production is the utilization of supercritical fluid technique. Lipid particles produced by supercritical fluid have shown different physicochemical properties in comparison to lipid particles produced by classical methods. Such particles have shown more physical stability and narrower size distribution. So, in this paper, a critical overview of supercritical fluid-based processes for the production of lipid micro- and nanoparticles is given and the most important characteristics of each process are highlighted. PMID:24034341

Comparing mode-crosstalk and mode-dependent loss of laterally displaced orbital angular momentum and Hermite-Gaussian modes for free-space optical communication.

PubMed

Ndagano, Bienvenu; Mphuthi, Nokwazi; Milione, Giovanni; Forbes, Andrew

2017-10-15

There is interest in using orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes to increase the data speed of free-space optical communication. A prevalent challenge is the mitigation of mode-crosstalk and mode-dependent loss that is caused by the modes' lateral displacement at the data receiver. Here, the mode-crosstalk and mode-dependent loss of laterally displaced OAM modes (LG 0,+1 , LG 0,-1 ) are experimentally compared to that of a Hermite-Gaussian (HG) mode subset (HG 0,1 , HG 1,0 ). It is shown, for an aperture larger than the modes' waist sizes, some of the HG modes can experience less mode-crosstalk and mode-dependent loss when laterally displaced along a symmetry axis. It is also shown, over a normal distribution of lateral displacements whose standard deviation is 2× the modes' waist sizes, on average, the HG modes experience 66% less mode-crosstalk and 17% less mode-dependent loss.

Pterostilbene induces apoptosis through caspase activation in ovarian cancer cells.

PubMed

Dong, J; Guo, H; Chen, Y

2016-01-01

Pterostilbene, an analog of resveratrol increasing bioavailability has shown to offer antioxidant and anticancer properties in vitro and in vivo. Dietary compounds with anti-oxidant properties have been shown to gain importance due to therapeutic applications. In addition, compounds with higher bioavailability levels show great interest in present scenario. Thus, the present study aimed at investigating the cytotoxic role of pterostilbene and its mechanism of cell death in ovarian cancer cells line. The effect of pterostilbene was determined on SKOV-3 cells, by cytotoxicity assays, oxidative stress levels, [Ca2+]i levels, mitochondrial depolarization, cell cycle analysis and caspase 3, 8, and 9 activities. The study revealed that pterostilbene offered cytotoxic effect at a concentration of IC50-55 uM. Further, pterostilbene induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediated intrinsic pathway of apoptosis through enhancing oxidative stress, [Ca2+]i levels, mitochondrial depolarization, Sub G1 accumulation, and activation of caspase 3 and 9. The study demonstrates for the first time the cytotoxic potential of pterostilbene against ovarian cancer cells.

A "natural" approach: synthesis and cytoxicity of monodesmosidic glycyrrhetinic acid glycosides.

PubMed

Schwarz, Stefan; Siewert, Bianka; Xavier, Nuno M; Jesus, Ana R; Rauter, Amélia P; Csuk, René

2014-01-24

Several pentacyclic triterpenoic acids have shown noteworthy antitumor activity, among them betulinic acid as well as oleanolic acid and derivatives thereof. Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) exhibits some cytotoxic activity albeit this compound is not as active as betulinic acid, but GA came in the focus of scientific interest since it triggers apoptosis in tumor cells. In addition, it can be extracted from the roots of liquorice in high yields. Previous studies revealed that the introduction of an extra hydrophilic moiety increases the cytotoxicity of these compounds. Thus, a series of GA glycosides was prepared utilizing hexoses as well as pentoses (in D- and L-configuration) by using glycosyl trichloroacetimidates and TMSOTf as catalyst. The compounds were screened for cytotoxic activity against seven human cancer cell lines and the not malignant murine cell line NIH 3T3using a photometric SRB assay. The compounds trigger apoptosis as shown from extra trypan blue and acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Anaerobic threshold: review of the concept and directions for future research.

PubMed

Davis, J A

1985-02-01

Although the term anaerobic threshold was introduced 20 years ago, the concept that an exercise-induced lactic acidosis occurs at a particular oxygen uptake which varies among subjects is over 50 years old. The surge of new interest in the parameter relates to its strong relationship to prolonged exercise performance. The average marathon running speed has been shown to be closely related to the running speed at the anaerobic threshold. Numerous studies have shown that the parameter can be validly measured during incremental exercise from the gas exchange consequences of the increased carbon dioxide and hydrogen ion levels in blood resulting from bicarbonate buffering of lactic acid. Refinement of the noninvasive detection scheme has made the parameter attractive to investigators in preventative, rehabilitative, and occupational medicine and to researchers in the exercise sciences. Controversy exists regarding the specific cause for the onset of exercise-induced metabolic acidosis. As experimentation continues to unravel the mechanisms of lactate production and ventilatory control during exercise, the anaerobic threshold concept can be further evaluated.

Effects of Flavonoid-Containing Beverages and EGCG on Endothelial Function

PubMed Central

Shenouda, Sherene M.; Vita, Joseph A.

2009-01-01

Abnormalities of the vascular endothelium contribute to all stages of atherosclerosis from lesion development to clinical cardiovascular disease events. Recognized risk factors, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, cigarette smoking, and sedentary lifestyle are associated with endothelial dysfunction. A variety of pharmacological and behavioral interventions have been shown to reverse endothelial dysfunction in patients with cardiovascular disease. A large number of epidemiological studies suggest that dietary factors, including increased intake of flavonoid-containing foods and beverages, reduce cardiovascular risk, and recent studies have shown that such beverages have favorable effects on endothelial function. These studies have engendered interest in the development of dietary supplements or drugs that would allow for more convenient and higher dose administration of flavonoids and might prove useful for prevention or treatment of cardiovascular disease. In this paper, we will review the contribution of endothelial dysfunction to the pathogenesis and clinical expression of atherosclerosis and recent data linking flavonoid and EGCG consumption to improved endothelial function and reduced cardiovascular risk. PMID:17906190

Community of Interest Engagement Process Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-02-09

and input from Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), as shown in the far left of Figure 2. The team may prepare a Business Process Model Notation ( BPMN ) 22...22 Business Process Modeling Notation ( BPMN ) is a method of illustrating business processes in the form of a...Community of Interest Engagement Plan Joint Planning and Development Office 21 10. Acronyms BPMN Business Process Modeling Notation COI

Interest high in EEC technology grants

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

Not Available

1981-06-01

There has been high interest shown by oil companies and industrialists in the seventh round grants for hydrocarbon technology projects funded by the European Economic Community (EEC). So far, the EEC has obtained 63 applications for projects costing 668 million European units of account. A listing of the 1980 projects describes concepts, company, and country; EEC contributions; and a brief sketch of project objectives.

Benzene metabolite levels in blood and bone marrow of B6C3F{sub 1} mice after low-level exposure

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

Bechtold, W.E.; Strunk, M.R.; Thornton-Manning, J.R.

1995-12-01

Studies at the Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute (ITRI) have explored the species-specific uptake and metabolism of benzene. Results have shown that metabolism is dependent on both dose and route of administration. Of particular interest were shifts in the major metabolic pathways as a function of exposure concentration. In these studies, B6C3F{sub 1} mice were exposed to increasing levels of benzene by either gavage or inhalation. As benzene internal dose increased, the relative amounts of muconic acid and hydroquinone decreased. In contrast, the relative amount of catechol increased with increasing exposure. These results show that the relative levels of toxic metabolitesmore » are a function of exposure level. Based on these results and assuming a linear relationship between exposure concentration and levels of bone marrow metabolites, it would be difficult to detect an elevation of any phenolic metabolites above background after occupational exposures to the OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit of 1 ppm benzene.« less

Super-resolved microsphere-assisted Mirau digital holography by oblique illumination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasian, Vahid; Ganjkhani, Yasaman; Akhlaghi, Ehsan A.; Anand, Arun; Javidi, Bahram; Moradi, Ali-Reza

2018-06-01

In this paper, oblique illumination is used to improve the lateral resolution and edge sharpness in microsphere (MS)-assisted Mirau digital holographic microscopy (Mirau-DHM). Abbe showed that tilting the illumination light allows entrance of higher spatial frequencies into the imaging system thus increasing the resolution power. We extended the idea to common-path DHM, based on Mirau objective, toward super-resolved 3D imaging. High magnification Mirau objectives are very expensive and low-magnification ones suffer from low resolution, therefore, any attempt to increase the effective resolution of the system may be of a great interest. We have already demonstrated the effective resolution increasing of a Mirau-DHM system by incorporating a transparent MS within the working distance of the objective. Here, we show that by integrating a MS-assisted Mirau-DHM with the oblique illumination even higher resolutions can be achieved. We have applied the technique for various samples and have shown the increase in the lateral resolution for the both cases of Mirau-DHM with and without the MS.

Preparing Tomorrow’s Nursing Home Nurses: The Wisconsin-Long Term Care Clinical Scholars Program

PubMed Central

Nolet, Kim; Roberts, Tonya; Gilmore-Bykovskyi, Andrea; Roiland, Rachel; Gullickson, Colleen; Ryther, Brenda; Bowers, Barbara J.

2014-01-01

Preparing future nurses to care for the growing population of older adults has become a national priority. The demand for long term care services is expected to double between 2000 and 2040, yet the field remains stigmatized as an undesirable place for highly-skilled nurses to work. Recent efforts to increase student preparation in geriatrics have been shown to improve student attitudes toward working with older adults and increase knowledge, but long term care settings remain unattractive to students. This paper reports on development, implementation and evaluation of The Wisconsin Long Term Care Clinical Scholars Program, a nursing home internship for baccalaureate nursing students. The program couples a paid nursing home work experience with an evidence-based long term care nursing curriculum. The program increased student preparation and interest in working with older adults and in nursing homes, while concurrently increasing the capacity of nursing homes to provide a positive student experience. PMID:25162659

Changes in oil content of transgenic soybeans expressing the yeast SLC1 gene.

PubMed

Rao, Suryadevara S; Hildebrand, David

2009-10-01

The wild type (Wt) and mutant form of yeast (sphingolipid compensation) genes, SLC1 and SLC1-1, have been shown to have lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAT) activities (Nageic et al. in J Biol Chem 269:22156-22163, 1993). Expression of these LPAT genes was reported to increase oil content in transgenic Arabidopsis and Brassica napus. It is of interest to determine if the TAG content increase would also be seen in soybeans. Therefore, the wild type SLC1 was expressed in soybean somatic embryos under the control of seed specific phaseolin promoter. Some transgenic somatic embryos and in both T2 and T3 transgenic seeds showed higher oil contents. Compared to controls, the average increase in triglyceride values went up by 1.5% in transgenic somatic embryos. A maximum of 3.2% increase in seed oil content was observed in a T3 line. Expression of the yeast Wt LPAT gene did not alter the fatty acid composition of the seed oil.

Condensation cyclization reactions of electron deficient aromatics. 4: Tricyclic nitropropene nitronates from the reaction of phloroglucinol and cycloalkanones with sym-trinitrobenzene

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strauss, M. J.; Taylor, S. P. B.; Shindo, H.

1972-01-01

Interesting similarities have been shown between the reactions of sym-trinitrobenzene with cycloalkanones, and with phloroglucinol. Previously unsuspected common intermediates have been shown to intervene. The structurally similar products in each case are tricyclic nitropropene nitronates. Protonation of these yields the corresponding nitronic acids in certain instances.

A New Labor Theory of Value for Rational Planning Through Use of the Bourgeois Profit Rate

PubMed Central

Weizsäcker, C. C. Von; Samuelson, Paul A.

1971-01-01

To maximaze steady-state per capita consumptions, goods should be valued at their “synchronized labor requirement costs”, which are shown to deviate from Marx's schemata of “values” but to coincide with bourgeois prices calculated at dated labor requirements, marked-up by compound interest, at a profit or interest rate equal to the system's rate of exponential growth. With capitalists saving all their incomes for future profits, workers get all there is to get. Departures from such an exogenous, or endogenous, golden-rule state are the rule in history rather than the exception. In the case of exponential labor-augmenting change, it is shown that competitive prices will equal historically embodied labor content. PMID:16591926

The development of thermoplastic fibre based reinforcements for the rotational moulding process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alemán, D. N. Castellanos; McCourt, M.; Kearns, M. P.; Martin, P. J.; Butterfield, J.

2018-05-01

Rotational moulding is a method used to produce hollow plastic parts through the heating, melting and cooling of polymer powder within a metal mould. A wide range of products are made using this process, such as fluid containment tanks, boats, light weight vehicle bodies and marine buoys. Rotomoulded composites using thermoplastic fibres are of increasing interest to the industry, as they have the potential to significantly improve impact strength, whilst reducing part weight, resulting in a structure that is 100% recyclable compared to a traditional composite. A series of self-reinforced thermoplastic weaves can be used to produce a number of composite structures using the rotational moulding process. This work outlines the improvements obtained from the range of rotomoulded composites structures, as well as preforms that could be used in future rotational moulding work. Characteristics of self-reinforced materials were exploited with the aim of increasing the mechanical properties, preserving the weaves and increasing the nature of the material adhesion. Addition of the fabrics in the cooling stage was shown to be of great interest as this avoided exposure of the material to the peak temperature, which may affect the integrity of the fabric. Placing the weave during cooling was useful as the material could receive the maximum amount of tensile force during the impact test. A total of nine diverse types of compounds were manufactured and tested, with seven of the impact tests showing an increase in strength greater than 50%.

Acute effects of ayahuasca on neuropsychological performance: differences in executive function between experienced and occasional users.

PubMed

Bouso, José Carlos; Fábregas, Josep Maria; Antonijoan, Rosa Maria; Rodríguez-Fornells, Antoni; Riba, Jordi

2013-12-01

Ayahuasca, a South American psychotropic plant tea containing the psychedelic 5-HT2A receptor agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine, has been shown to increase regional cerebral blood flow in prefrontal brain regions after acute administration to humans. Despite interactions at this level, neuropsychological studies have not found cognitive deficits in abstinent long-term users. Here, we wished to investigate the effects of acute ayahuasca intake on neuropsychological performance, specifically on working memory and executive function. Twenty-four ayahuasca users (11 long-term experienced users and 13 occasional users) were assessed in their habitual setting using the Stroop, Sternberg, and Tower of London tasks prior to and following ayahuasca intake. Errors in the Sternberg task increased, whereas reaction times in the Stroop task decreased and accuracy was maintained for the whole sample following ayahuasca intake. Interestingly, results in the Tower of London showed significantly increased execution and resolution times and number of movements for the occasional but not the experienced users. Additionally, a correlation analysis including all subjects showed that impaired performance in the Tower of London was inversely correlated with lifetime ayahuasca use. Acute ayahuasca administration impaired working memory but decreased stimulus-response interference. Interestingly, detrimental effects on higher cognition were only observed in the less experienced group. Rather than leading to increased impairment, greater prior exposure to ayahuasca was associated with reduced incapacitation. Compensatory or neuromodulatory effects associated with long-term ayahuasca intake could underlie preserved executive function in experienced users.

Influence of cigarette smoking on thyroid gland--an update.

PubMed

Sawicka-Gutaj, Nadia; Gutaj, Paweł; Sowiński, Jerzy; Wender-Ożegowska, Ewa; Czarnywojtek, Agata; Brązert, Jacek; Ruchała, Marek

2014-01-01

Many studies have shown that cigarette smoking exerts multiple effects on the thyroid gland. Smoking seems to induce changes in thyroid function tests, like decrease in TSH and increase in thyroid hormones. However, these alterations are usually mild. In addition, tobacco smoking may also play a role in thyroid autoimmunity. Many studies have confirmed a significant influence of smoking on Graves' hyperthyroidism and particularly on Graves' orbitopathy. Here, smoking may increase the risk of disease development, may reduce the effectiveness of treatment, and eventually induce relapse. The role of smoking in Hashimoto's thyroiditis is not as well established as in Graves' disease. Nonetheless, lower prevalence of thyroglobulin antibodies, thyroperoxidase antibodies and hypothyroidism were found in smokers. These findings contrast with a study that reported increased risk of hypothyroidism in smokers with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Moreover, cigarette smoking increases the incidence of multinodular goitre, especially in iodine-deficient areas. Some studies have examined cigarette smoking in relation to the risk of thyroid cancer. Interestingly, many of them have shown that smoking may reduce the risk of differentiated thyroid cancer. Furthermore, both active and passive smoking during pregnancy might modify maternal and foetal thyroid function. This review evaluates the current data concerning the influence of cigarette smoking on thyroid gland, including hormonal changes, autoimmunity and selected diseases. These findings, however, in our opinion, should be carefully evaluated and some of them are not totally evidence-based. Further studies are required to explain the effects of smoking upon thyroid pathophysiology.

Multilayer graphene rubber nanocomposites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schartel, Bernhard; Frasca, Daniele; Schulze, Dietmar; Wachtendorf, Volker; Krafft, Bernd; Morys, Michael; Böhning, Martin; Rybak, Thomas

2016-05-01

Multilayer Graphene (MLG), a nanoparticle with a specific surface of BET = 250 m2/g and thus made of only approximately 10 graphene sheets, is proposed as a nanofiller for rubbers. When homogenously dispersed, it works at low loadings enabling the replacement of carbon black (CB), increase in efficiency, or reduction in filler concentration. Actually the appropriate preparation yielded nanocomposites in which just 3 phr are sufficient to significantly improve the rheological, curing and mechanical properties of different rubbers, as shown for Chlorine-Isobutylene-Isoprene Rubber (CIIR), Nitrile-Butadiene Rubber (NBR), Natural Rubber (NR), and Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR). A mere 3 phr of MLG tripled the Young's modulus of CIIR, an effect equivalent to 20 phr of carbon black. Similar equivalents are observed for MLG/CB mixtures. MLG reduces gas permeability, increases thermal and electrical conductivities, and retards fire behavior. The later shown by the reduction in heat release rate in the cone calorimeter. The higher the nanofiller concentration is (3 phr, 5 phr, and 10 phr was investigated), the greater the improvement in the properties of the nanocomposites. Moreover, the MLG nanocomposites improve stability of mechanical properties against weathering. An increase in UV-absorption as well as a pronounced radical scavenging are proposed and were proved experimentally. To sum up, MLG is interesting as a multifunctional nanofiller and seems to be quite ready for rubber development.

Changes in soil nitrogen cycling under Norway spruce logging residues on a clear-cut

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smolander, Aino; Lindroos, Antti-Jussi; Kitunen, Veikko

2016-04-01

In Europe, forest biomass is increasingly being used as a source of energy to replace fossil fuels. In practice, this means that logging residues, consisting of green branches and stem tops, are more commonly harvested. In 2012 logging residues were harvested from about one third of clear-cuts in Finland. Our aim was to study how logging residues affect soil organic matter quality, in particular soil N cycling processes and composition of certain groups of plant secondary compounds, tannins and terpenes. Compounds in these groups were of interest because they are abundant in logging residues, and they have been shown to control soil N cycling. In connection with clear-cutting a Norway spruce stand in southern Finland, we established a controlled field experiment by building logging residue piles (40 kg/m2) on study plots. The piles consisted of fresh spruce branches and tops with green foliage. Control plots with no residues were included (0 kg/m2). Changes in soil organic matter properties have now been monitored for three growing seasons. Logging residues affected organic layer properties strongly. For example, they increased net nitrification and nitrate concentrations. There were also increases in the concentrations of certain terpenes and condensed tannins due to the residues. The significance of logging residues on soil processes and properties will be shown.

Use of calcium caseinate in association with lecithin for masking the bitterness of acetaminophen--comparative study with sodium caseinate.

PubMed

Hoang Thi, Thanh Huong; Lemdani, Mohamed; Flament, Marie-Pierre

2013-11-18

Owing to a variety of structural and functional properties, milk proteins are steadily studied for food and pharmaceutical applications. In the present study, calcium caseinate in association with lecithin was firstly investigated in order to encapsulate the acetaminophen through spray-drying for taste-masking purpose for pediatric medicines. A 2(4)-full factorial design revealed that the spray flow, the calcium caseinate amount and the lecithin amount had significant effects on the release of drug during the first 2 min. Indeed, increasing the spray flow and/or the calcium caseinate amount led to increase the released amount, whereas increasing the lecithin amount decreased the released amount. The "interaction" between the calcium caseinate amount and the lecithin amount was also shown to be statistically significant. The second objective was to compare the efficiency of two caseinate-based formulations, i.e. sodium caseinate and calcium caseinate, on the taste-masking effect. The characteristics of spray-dried powders determined by SEM and DSC were shown to depend on the caseinate/lecithin proportion rather than the type of caseinate. Interestingly, calcium caseinate-based formulations were found to lower the released amount of drug during the early time to a higher extent than sodium caseinate-based formulations, which indicates better taste-masking efficiency. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a green tea polyphenol, stimulates hepatic autophagy and lipid clearance.

PubMed

Zhou, Jin; Farah, Benjamin Livingston; Sinha, Rohit Anthony; Wu, Yajun; Singh, Brijesh Kumar; Bay, Boon-Huat; Yang, Chung S; Yen, Paul Michael

2014-01-01

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a major polyphenol in green tea that has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-steatotic effects on the liver. Autophagy also mediates similar effects; however, it is not currently known whether EGCG can regulate hepatic autophagy. Here, we show that EGCG increases hepatic autophagy by promoting the formation of autophagosomes, increasing lysosomal acidification, and stimulating autophagic flux in hepatic cells and in vivo. EGCG also increases phosphorylation of AMPK, one of the major regulators of autophagy. Importantly, siRNA knockdown of AMPK abrogated autophagy induced by EGCG. Interestingly, we observed lipid droplet within autophagosomes and autolysosomes and increased lipid clearance by EGCG, suggesting it promotes lipid metabolism by increasing autophagy. In mice fed with high-fat/western style diet (HFW; 60% energy as fat, reduced levels of calcium, vitamin D3, choline, folate, and fiber), EGCG treatment reduces hepatosteatosis and concomitantly increases autophagy. In summary, we have used genetic and pharmacological approaches to demonstrate EGCG induction of hepatic autophagy, and this may contribute to its beneficial effects in reducing hepatosteatosis and potentially some other pathological liver conditions.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor

PubMed Central

Kiss, Elina A.; Vonarbourg, Cedric

2012-01-01

Intestinal homeostasis results from a complex mutualism between gut microbiota and host cells. Defining the molecular network regulating such mutualism is currently of increasing interest, as its deregulation is reported to lead to increased susceptibility to infections, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases and cancer. Until now, the focus has been on the mechanism, by which the composition of indigenous microbiota shapes the immune system. In a recent study, we have shown that dietary compounds have also the ability to affect innate immune system. This regulation involves aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a sensor of plant-derived phytochemicals, which mediates the maintenance of Retinoic acid related orphan receptor γ t-expressing innate lymphoid cells (RORγt+ ILC) in the gut and consequently formation of postnatal lymphoid follicles. Thus, AhR represents the first evidence of a molecular link between diet and immunity at intestinal mucosal surfaces. PMID:22909905

High-performance parallel processors based on star-coupled wavelength division multiplexing optical interconnects

DOEpatents

Deri, Robert J.; DeGroot, Anthony J.; Haigh, Ronald E.

2002-01-01

As the performance of individual elements within parallel processing systems increases, increased communication capability between distributed processor and memory elements is required. There is great interest in using fiber optics to improve interconnect communication beyond that attainable using electronic technology. Several groups have considered WDM, star-coupled optical interconnects. The invention uses a fiber optic transceiver to provide low latency, high bandwidth channels for such interconnects using a robust multimode fiber technology. Instruction-level simulation is used to quantify the bandwidth, latency, and concurrency required for such interconnects to scale to 256 nodes, each operating at 1 GFLOPS performance. Performance scales have been shown to .apprxeq.100 GFLOPS for scientific application kernels using a small number of wavelengths (8 to 32), only one wavelength received per node, and achievable optoelectronic bandwidth and latency.

Culture and vocational interests: the moderating role of collectivism and gender egalitarianism.

PubMed

Ott-Holland, Catherine J; Huang, Jason L; Ryan, Ann Marie; Elizondo, Fabian; Wadlington, Patrick L

2013-10-01

In some cultures, individuals are free to pursue careers that match their personalities. In others, familial and societal expectations regarding career paths may restrict the links between individual personality and interests. Gender role expectations also may vary across cultures and may be associated with gender differences in interests. Past meta-analytic research has shown some career interests are related to personality traits (Barrick, Mount, & Gupta, 2003; Larson, Rottinghaus, & Borgen, 2002), but the cross-cultural variation of these relationships has not been sufficiently explored. Interest and personality data were obtained from an archival data set of 391,485 individuals from 20 countries. Results indicated that in cultures with high in-group collectivism, connections between personality traits and occupational interests may be less pronounced. Cultural gender egalitarianism moderated the level of gender differences in interests, unexpectedly demonstrating that gender differences may be wider in egalitarian cultures. Implications for career guidance in multicultural settings are discussed.

"The Interests of the Child" Seen from the Child's Perspective: The Case of the Netherlands

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levering, Bas

2011-01-01

The Dutch government has decided to intervene in parents' role in bringing up their children by imposing compulsory parenting support. As such an intervention has to be legitimatised as being "in the interests of the child", it is important to take a closer look at this concept. First it is shown that it is not evident that the…

Lepidium meyenii (Maca): a plant from the highlands of Peru--from tradition to science.

PubMed

Gonzales, Gustavo F; Gonzales, Carla; Gonzales-Castañeda, Cynthia

2009-12-01

This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on Lepidium meyenii (maca), a cruciferous plant (Brassicaceae family) which is cultivated exclusively at an altitude of 4,000-4,500 m in the Peruvian Central Andes. Maca is traditionally used for its nutritional and presumed medicinal properties. Over the past 20 years, interest in maca has increased in many parts of the world, and since 2005 maca is considered one of the seven Peruvian flag products. Maca is exported as powder, capsules, pills, flour, liquor, and extracts. There are different types of maca with differ-ent colors ranging from white to black. We have studied the pharmacological effects of 3 types; yellow, black, and red maca. Evidence from experimental studies indicates effects of maca on nutrition, fertility, memory, and mood. Black maca has better effects on sperm production than yellow maca which has only moderate effects. Red maca, however, has no effect on sperm production. However, red maca has been shown to reduce prostate size in rats in which prostate hyperplasia had been induced with testosterone enanthate; yellow maca has shown moderate effects here, whereas black maca has not shown any effects. Randomized clinical trials have shown that maca has favorable effects on energy and mood, may decrease anxiety and improve sexual desire. Maca has also been shown to improve sperm production, sperm motility, and semen volume. Serum levels of testosterone, estradiol, LH, FSH, and prolactin were not affected. The exact mechanisms of action are still unclear, but so far research clearly indicates that various bioactive constituents contribute to the clinical effects reported.

Molecular pathways: regulation of metabolism by RB.

PubMed

Clem, Brian F; Chesney, Jason

2012-11-15

The discovery of the retinoblastoma (RB-1) gene as a tumor suppressor that is disrupted in a majority of human cancers either via direct or indirect genetic alterations has resulted in increased interest in its functions and downstream effectors. Although the canonical pathway that links this tumor suppressor to human cancers details its interaction with the E2F transcription factors and cell-cycle progression, recent studies have shown an essential role for RB-1 in the suppression of glycolytic and glutaminolytic metabolism. Characterization of the precise metabolic transporters and enzymes suppressed by the RB-E2F axis should enable the identification of small molecule antagonists that have selective and potent antitumor properties. ©2012 AACR.

A2A adenosine receptor agonists and their potential therapeutic applications. An update.

PubMed

Guerrero, Angel

2018-03-12

In the last 20 years, an increasing interest of medicinal chemists on the development of potent and selective agonists and antagonists of adenosine receptors has been noticed due to the large impact they have shown in a variety of important biological processes and diseases. Among these, it should be mentioned vasodilation, inflammation, cancer, wound healing, ischemia reperfusion injury, Parkinson disease, infectious diseases, and other CNS disorders. In this review, I will provide an update of the structures of the A2A agonists known, their selectivity versus other adenosine receptors, and their latest therapeutic applications. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Characterization and Emulsification Properties of Rhamnolipid and Sophorolipid Biosurfactants and Their Applications

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Thu T.; Sabatini, David A.

2011-01-01

Due to their non-toxic nature, biodegradability and production from renewable resources, research has shown an increasing interest in the use of biosurfactants in a wide variety of applications. This paper reviews the characterization of rhamnolipid and sophorolipid biosurfactants based on their hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity and their ability to form microemulsions with a range of oils without additives. The use of the biosurfactants in applications such as detergency and vegetable oil extraction for biodiesel application is also discussed. Rhamnolipid was found to be a hydrophilic surfactant while sophorolipid was found to be very hydrophobic. Therefore, rhamnolipid and sophorolipid biosurfactants in mixtures showed robust performance in these applications. PMID:21541055

Going global: considerations for introducing global health into family medicine training programs.

PubMed

Evert, Jessica; Bazemore, Andrew; Hixon, Allen; Withy, Kelley

2007-10-01

Medical students and residents have shown increasing interest in international health experiences. Before attempting to establish a global health training program in a family medicine residency, program faculty must consider the goals of the international program, whether there are champions to support the program, the resources available, and the specific type of program that best fits with the residency. The program itself should include didactics, peer education, experiential learning in international and domestic settings, and methods for preparing learners and evaluating program outcomes. Several hurdles can be anticipated in developing global health programs, including finances, meeting curricular and supervision requirements, and issues related to employment law, liability, and sustainability.

The unlikely high efficiency of a molecular motor based on active motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebeling, W.

2015-07-01

The efficiency of a simple model of a motor converting chemical into mechanical energy is studied analytically. The model motor shows interesting properties corresponding qualitatively to motors investigated in experiments. The efficiency increases with the load and may for low loss reach high values near to 100 percent in a narrow regime of optimal load. It is shown that the optimal load and the maximal efficiency depend by universal power laws on the dimensionless loss parameter. Stochastic effects decrease the stability of motor regimes with high efficiency and make them unlikely. Numerical studies show efficiencies below the theoretical optimum and demonstrate that special ratchet profiles my stabilize efficient regimes.

Laser Hot Wire Process: A Novel Process for Near-Net Shape Fabrication for High-Throughput Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kottman, Michael; Zhang, Shenjia; McGuffin-Cawley, James; Denney, Paul; Narayanan, Badri K.

2015-03-01

The laser hot wire process has gained considerable interest for additive manufacturing applications, leveraging its high deposition rate, low dilution, thermal stability, and general metallurgical control including the ability to introduce and preserve desired meta-stable phases. Recent advancements in closed-loop process control and laser technology have increased productivity, process stability, and control of deposit metallurgy. The laser hot wire process has shown success in several applications: repairing and rejuvenating casting dies, depositing a variety of alloys including abrasion wear-resistant overlays with solid and tubular wires, and producing low-dilution (<5%) nickel alloy overlays for corrosion applications. The feasibility of fabricating titanium buildups is being assessed for aerospace applications.

Curcumin and Health.

PubMed

Pulido-Moran, Mario; Moreno-Fernandez, Jorge; Ramirez-Tortosa, Cesar; Ramirez-Tortosa, Mcarmen

2016-02-25

Nowadays, there are some molecules that have shown over the years a high capacity to act against relevant pathologies such as cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorders or cancer. This article provides a brief review about the origin, bioavailability and new research on curcumin and synthetized derivatives. It examines the beneficial effects on health, delving into aspects such as cancer, cardiovascular effects, metabolic syndrome, antioxidant capacity, anti-inflammatory properties, and neurological, liver and respiratory disorders. Thanks to all these activities, curcumin is positioned as an interesting nutraceutical. This is the reason why it has been subjected to several modifications in its structure and administration form that have permitted an increase in bioavailability and effectiveness against different diseases, decreasing the mortality and morbidity associated to these pathologies.

Recursiveness in learning processes: An analogy to help software development for ABA intervention for autistic kids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Presti, Giovambattista; Premarini, Claudio; Leuzzi, Martina; Di Blasi, Melina; Squatrito, Valeria

2017-11-01

The operant was conceptualized by Skinner as a class of behaviors which have common effect on the environment and that, as a class can be shown to vary lawfully in their relations to the other environmental variables, namely antecedents and consequences. And Skinner himself underlined the fact that "operant field is the very field purpose of behavior". The operant offers interesting basic and applied characteristic to conceptualize complex behavior as a recursive process of learning. In this paper we will discuss how the operant concept can be applied in the implementation of software oriented to increase cognitive skills in autistic children and provide an example.

Audit of an aromatherapy service in a maternity unit.

PubMed

Mousley, Susan

2005-08-01

This paper reports the results of the audit of a maternity aromatherapy service at a small Midlands maternity unit. The service was introduced in May 2000 and the principal aims of the audit, conducted in October 2002 were to investigate clinical effectiveness, maternal satisfaction and staff training needs. The service has been shown to be effective in normalising childbirth and increasing satisfaction of mothers in respect of their labour experiences. A concurrent audit of staff demonstrated interest and enthusiasm of the service and identified areas for further development. The service was short listed for the Prince of Wales Foundation for Integrated Health Awards for Good Practice in 2003 and awarded a certificate of achievement.

Galilean symmetry in a noncommutative gravitational quantum well

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

Saha, Anirban

2010-06-15

A thorough analysis of Galilean symmetries for the gravitational well problem on a noncommutative plane is presented. A complete closure of the one-parameter centrally extended Galilean algebra is realized for the model. This implies that the field theoretic model constructed to describe noncommutative gravitational quantum well in [A. Saha, Eur. Phys. J. C 51, 199 (2007).] is indeed independent of the coordinate choice. Hence the energy spectrum predicted by the model can be associated with the experimental results to establish the upper bound on a time-space noncommutative parameter. Interestingly, noncommutativity is shown to increase the gravitational pull on the neutronmore » trapped in the gravitational well.« less

Visual Hybrid Development Learning System (VHDLS) framework for children with autism.

PubMed

Banire, Bilikis; Jomhari, Nazean; Ahmad, Rodina

2015-10-01

The effect of education on children with autism serves as a relative cure for their deficits. As a result of this, they require special techniques to gain their attention and interest in learning as compared to typical children. Several studies have shown that these children are visual learners. In this study, we proposed a Visual Hybrid Development Learning System (VHDLS) framework that is based on an instructional design model, multimedia cognitive learning theory, and learning style in order to guide software developers in developing learning systems for children with autism. The results from this study showed that the attention of children with autism increased more with the proposed VHDLS framework.

Environmental aspects of large-scale wind-power systems in the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robson, A.

1983-12-01

Environmental issues relating to the introduction of large, MW-scale wind turbines at land-based sites in the U.K. are discussed. Areas of interest include noise, television interference, hazards to bird life and visual effects. A number of areas of uncertainty are identified, but enough is known from experience elsewhere in the world to enable the first U.K. machines to be introduced in a safe and environmentally acceptable manner. Research currently under way will serve to establish siting criteria more clearly, and could significantly increase the potential wind-energy resource. Certain studies of the comparative risk of energy systems are shown to be overpessimistic for U.K. wind turbines.

Arbitrary shape region-of-interest fluoroscopy system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Tong; Le, Huy; Molloi, Sabee Y.

2002-05-01

Region-of-interest (ROI) fluoroscopy has previously been investigated as a method to reduce x-ray exposure to the patient and the operator. This ROI fluoroscopy technique allows the operator to arbitrarily determine the shape, size, and location of the ROI. A device was used to generate patient specific x-ray beam filters. The device is comprised of 18 step-motors that control a 16 X 16 matrix of pistons to form the filter from a deformable attenuating material. Patient exposure reductions were measured to be 84 percent for a 65 kVp beam. Operator exposure reduction was measured to be 69 percent. Due to the reduced x-ray scatter, image contrast was improved by 23 percent inside the ROI. The reduced gray level in the periphery was corrected using an experimentally determined compensation ratio. A running average interpolation technique was used to eliminate the artifacts from the ROI edge. As expected, the final corrected images show increased noise in the periphery. However, the anatomical structures in the periphery could still be visualized. This arbitrary shaped region of interest fluoroscopic technique was shown to be effective in terms of its ability to reduce patient and operator exposure without significant reduction in image quality. The ability to define an arbitrary shaped ROI should make the technique more clinically feasible.

A multispectral automatic target recognition application for maritime surveillance, search, and rescue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schoonmaker, Jon; Reed, Scott; Podobna, Yuliya; Vazquez, Jose; Boucher, Cynthia

2010-04-01

Due to increased security concerns, the commitment to monitor and maintain security in the maritime environment is increasingly a priority. A country's coast is the most vulnerable area for the incursion of illegal immigrants, terrorists and contraband. This work illustrates the ability of a low-cost, light-weight, multi-spectral, multi-channel imaging system to handle the environment and see under difficult marine conditions. The system and its implemented detecting and tracking technologies should be organic to the maritime homeland security community for search and rescue, fisheries, defense, and law enforcement. It is tailored for airborne and ship based platforms to detect, track and monitor suspected objects (such as semi-submerged targets like marine mammals, vessels in distress, and drug smugglers). In this system, automated detection and tracking technology is used to detect, classify and localize potential threats or objects of interest within the imagery provided by the multi-spectral system. These algorithms process the sensor data in real time, thereby providing immediate feedback when features of interest have been detected. A supervised detection system based on Haar features and Cascade Classifiers is presented and results are provided on real data. The system is shown to be extendable and reusable for a variety of different applications.

Bioactive properties and potentials cosmeceutical applications of phlorotannins isolated from brown seaweeds: A review.

PubMed

Sanjeewa, Kalu Kapuge Asanka; Kim, Eun-A; Son, Kwang-Tae; Jeon, You-Jin

2016-09-01

Currently, natural ingredients are becoming more attractive for the industries such as functional food, nutraceuticals, cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical industries as people starting to believe naturally occurring compounds are safer to humans than artificial compounds. Seaweeds are one of the most interesting organisms found in oceans around the earth, which are carrying great ecological importance and contribute to increase the biodiversity of ecosystems where they were originated and habitat. Within last few decades, discovery of secondary metabolites with biological activities from seaweeds has been significantly increased. Further, the unique secondary metabolites isolated from seaweeds including polysaccharides, carotenoids and polyphenols possess range of bioactive properties that make them potential ingredient for many industrial applications. Among those groups of compounds phlorotannins isolated from brown seaweeds have shown interesting bioactive properties including anti-cancer, anti-inflammation, anti-oxidant, anti-allergic, anti-wrinkling and hair growth promotion properties. Moreover, these properties associated with phlorotannins make them an ideal compounds to use as a functional ingredient in cosmeceutical products. Up to now no report has been reviewed about discuss properties of phlorotannins related to the cosmeceutical application. In the present review primary attention is given to the collect scientific data published about bioactive properties of brown algal phlorotannins related to the cosmeceutical industry. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic and nutrient modulation of acetyl-CoA levels in Synechocystis for n-butanol production.

PubMed

Anfelt, Josefine; Kaczmarzyk, Danuta; Shabestary, Kiyan; Renberg, Björn; Rockberg, Johan; Nielsen, Jens; Uhlén, Mathias; Hudson, Elton P

2015-10-16

There is a strong interest in using photosynthetic cyanobacteria as production hosts for biofuels and chemicals. Recent work has shown the benefit of pathway engineering, enzyme tolerance, and co-factor usage for improving yields of fermentation products. An n-butanol pathway was inserted into a Synechocystis mutant deficient in polyhydroxybutyrate synthesis. We found that nitrogen starvation increased specific butanol productivity up to threefold, but cessation of cell growth limited total n-butanol titers. Metabolite profiling showed that acetyl-CoA increased twofold during nitrogen starvation. Introduction of a phosphoketolase increased acetyl-CoA levels sixfold at nitrogen replete conditions and increased butanol titers from 22 to 37 mg/L at day 8. Flux balance analysis of photoautotrophic metabolism showed that a Calvin-Benson-Bassham-Phosphoketolase pathway had higher theoretical butanol productivity than CBB-Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas and a reduced butanol ATP demand. These results demonstrate that phosphoketolase overexpression and modulation of nitrogen levels are two attractive routes toward increased production of acetyl-CoA derived products in cyanobacteria and could be implemented with complementary metabolic engineering strategies.

Summary results of the Industry Conference on the Commercial Use of Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

REUSE; Thuerbach, R. P.

1985-01-01

The future intentions of the Federal Republic of Germany in the area of the commercialization of space are presented. It is shown that significant advances in microgravity research, particulary in the areas of materials science, composite materials, physical chemistry, crystal growth, biology, and process engineering will have an effect on future plans for establishing sponsoring organizations to guide commercial interests in German space research. An organizational and functional outline of a proposed sponsoring organization to promote space commercialization under German supervision, including the objectives, the target group to be served, and the administrative structure, is presented. The role of the DFVLR (German Aerospace Research Establishment) and the BMFT (German Ministry for Research and Technology) as sponsoring organizations representing the interests of the German government is shown.

EG-10LONG NON-CODING RNAs IN GLIOBLASTOMA

PubMed Central

Pastori, Chiara; Kapranov, Philipp; Penas, Clara; Laurent, Georges St.; Ayad, Nagi; Wahlestedt, Claes

2014-01-01

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common, aggressive and incurable primary brain tumor in adults. Genome studies have confirmed that GBM is extremely heterogeneous with many genetically different subgroups. Consequently, there is much current interest in epigenetic drugs that may be active across genetically distinct tumors. In support of this, some epigenetic drugs has recently shown efficacy against several cancers including glioblastoma. Much recent interest has also been devoted to long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which can modulate gene expression regulating chromatin architecture, in part through the interaction with epigenetic protein machineries. To date, however, only a few lncRNAs have been studied in human cancer. We therefore embarked on a comprehensive genomic and functional analysis of lncRNAs in GBM. Using the Helicos Single Molecule Sequencing platform glioblastoma samples were sequenced resulting in the identification of hundreds of dysregulated lncRNAs. Among these the lncRNA HOTAIR was found massively increased in GBM. This observation parallels findings in other cancers where HOTAIR's increased expression has been linked to poor prognosis due to metastatic events. Interestingly, here we show that in glioblastoma HOTAIR does not promote metastasis, but instead sustains the ability of these cells to proliferate. In fact, we demonstrate that HOTAIR knockdown in GBM strongly impairs cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Further, we implicate HOTAIR in the mechanism of action of certain epigenetic drugs. In summary, long noncoding RNAs (newly discovered epigenomic factors) play a vital role in GBM and deserve attention as entirely novel drug targets as well as biomarkers.

Why home hemodialysis? A systematic "marketing" analysis.

PubMed

Piccoli, Giorgina Barbara; Ferraresi, Martina; Consiglio, Valentina; Scognamiglio, Stefania; Deagostini, Maria Chiara; Randone, Olga; Vigotti, Federica Neve; Calderale, Pasquale Mario

2012-01-01

Home hemodialysis (HHD) has met with alternating fortunes. The present revival of interest is due to lower costs and more frequent/efficient treatments. HHD is underdeveloped, and a marketing approach may help in defining development strategies. The aim of this study was to systematically review the recent literature (2000-2010) according to a marketing approach, defining the potential of HHD according to the classical marketing items: market size, growth rate, profitability, trends, keys for success, needs for structures and distribution channels. A Medline search was conducted for 2000-2010. The analysis took into account the recent trends in publication as a measure of interest, size and trends, while survival and costs were analyzed as keys for success. The issues of structures and distribution channels were arbitrarily considered as equivalent to the overall hemodialysis market. Interest in HHD is growing, as shown by the increasing number of published papers (9 in 2000, 52 in 2010); yet, clinical studies accounted for less than half of the papers. In the 138 clinical studies, quality of life (33 papers) and metabolism (16 papers) were the most studied topics. Survival and cost analyses were highly heterogeneous (the broad inclusion of nocturnal or quotidian dialysis has to be mentioned). Overall, survival was equal to, or better than, that for other modalities, including transplantation and peritoneal dialysis; costs compared favorably with hospital dialysis and were equivalent to those of peritoneal dialysis. The small "market" of HHD is increasing, with potential for further growth, the keys for success being equivalence or superiority of survival at equivalent or lower costs.

Human neural progenitor cells over-expressing IGF-1 protect dopamine neurons and restore function in a rat model of Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Ebert, Allison D; Beres, Amy J; Barber, Amelia E; Svendsen, Clive N

2008-01-01

Growth factors such as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) have been shown to prevent neurodegeneration and promote regeneration in many animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD). Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is also known to have neuroprotective effects in a number of disease models but has not been extensively studied in models of PD. We produced human neural progenitor cells (hNPC) releasing either GDNF or IGF-1 and transplanted them into a rat model of PD. hNPC secreting either GDNF or IGF-1 were shown to significantly reduce amphetamine-induced rotational asymmetry and dopamine neuron loss when transplanted 7 days after a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion. Neither untransduced hNPC nor a sham transplant had this effect suggesting GDNF and IGF-1 release was required. Interestingly, GDNF, but not IGF-1, was able to protect or regenerate tyrosine hydroxylase-positive fibers in the striatum. In contrast, IGF-1, but not GDNF, significantly increased the overall survival of hNPC both in vitro and following transplantation. This suggests a dual role of IGF-1 to both increase hNPC survival after transplantation and exert trophic effects on degenerating dopamine neurons in this rat model of PD.

Mechanical Properties of Stable Glasses Using Nanoindentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolf, Sarah; Liu, Tianyi; Jiang, Yijie; Ablajan, Keyume; Zhang, Yue; Walsh, Patrick; Turner, Kevin; Fakhraai, Zahra

Glasses with enhanced stability over ordinary, liquid quenched glasses have been formed via the process of Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) by using a sufficiently slow deposition rate and a substrate temperature slightly below the glass transition temperature. These stable glasses have been shown to exhibit higher density, lower enthalpy, and better kinetic stability over ordinary glass, and are typically optically birefringent, due to packing and orientational anisotropy. Given these exceptional properties, it is of interest to further investigate how the properties of stable glasses compare to those of ordinary glass. In particular, the mechanical properties of stable glasses remain relatively under-investigated. While the speed of sound and elastic moduli have been shown to increase with increased stability, little is known about their hardness and fracture toughness compared to ordinary glasses. In this study, glasses of 9-(3,5-di(naphthalen-1-yl)phenyl)anthracene were deposited at varying temperatures relative to their glass transition temperature, and their mechanical properties measured by nanoindentation. Hardness and elastic modulus of the glasses were compared across substrate temperatures. After indentation, the topography of these films were studied using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in order to further compare the relationship between thermodynamic and kinetic stability and mechanical failure. Z.F. and P.W. acknowledge funding from NSF(DMREF-1628407).

Skin aging by glycation: lessons from the reconstructed skin model.

PubMed

Pageon, Hervé; Zucchi, Hélène; Rousset, Françoise; Monnier, Vincent M; Asselineau, Daniel

2014-01-01

Aging is the result of several mechanisms which operate simultaneously. Among them, glycation is of particular interest because it is a reaction which affects slowly renewing tissues and macromolecules with elevated half-life, like the dermis, a skin compartment highly affected by aging. Glycation produces crosslinks between macromolecules thereby providing an explanation for the increased age-related stiffness of the skin. Glycation products, also called AGEs (advanced glycation end products), accumulate primarily in extracellular matrix molecules like collagen or elastin. In order to reproduce this phenomenon in vitro we have created a model of reconstructed skin modified by glycation of the collagen used to fabricate the dermal compartment. This system allowed us to uncover biological modifications of dermal markers, and more surprisingly epidermal markers, as well as an increase of metalloproteinases responsible for degradation of the dermal matrix. Consequently, the imbalance between synthesis and degradation that results from glycation, may contribute to skin aging, as shown in this model. Moreover these modifications were shown to be prevented by the addition of aminoguanidine, a well-known inhibitor of glycation. Using this experimental approach our results taken together stress the importance and possibly central role of glycation in skin aging and the usefulness of the reconstructed skin as a model of physiological aging.

Inhibition of nonhomologous end joining to increase the specificity of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing.

PubMed

Vartak, Supriya V; Raghavan, Sathees C

2015-11-01

DNA repair, one of the fundamental processes occurring in a cell, safeguards the genome and maintains its integrity. Among various DNA lesions, double-strand breaks are considered to be the most deleterious, as they can lead to potential loss of genetic information, if not repaired. Nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination are two major double-strand break repair pathways. SCR7, a DNA ligase IV inhibitor, was recently identified and characterized as a potential anticancer compound. Interestingly, SCR7 was shown to have several applications, owing to its unique property as an NHEJ inhibitor. Here, we focus on three main areas of research in which SCR7 is actively being used, and discuss one of the applications, i.e. genome editing via CRISPR/Cas, in detail. In the past year, different studies have shown that SCR7 significantly increases the efficiency of precise genome editing by inhibiting NHEJ, and favouring the error-free homologous recombination pathway, both in vitro and in vivo. Overall, we discuss the current applications of SCR7 to shed light on the unique property of the small molecule of having distinct applications in normal and cancer cells, when used at different cellular concentrations. © 2015 FEBS.

Physical Activity to Reduce Systemic Inflammation Associated With Chronic Pain and Obesity: A Narrative Review.

PubMed

Paley, Carole A; Johnson, Mark I

2016-04-01

The increasing prevalence of chronic pain and obesity has significant health and cost implications for economies in the developed and developing world. Evidence suggests that there is a positive correlation between obesity and chronic pain and the link between them is thought to be systemic inflammation. The aim of this narrative review was to explore the physiological links between chronic musculoskeletal pain and obesity and to consider the potential role of regular physical activity in providing a means of managing obesity-related chronic pain. Systemic inflammation, mechanical overload, and autonomic dysfunction are associated with increased prevalence and severity of chronic pain in individuals with obesity. It has been proposed, therefore, that interventions that target systemic inflammation could help to reduce chronic pain in obese individuals. Reduction in abdominal fat has been shown to alleviate pain and reduce the systemic markers of inflammation that contribute to chronic pain. Interventions that include exercise prescription have been shown to reduce both abdominal fat and systemic inflammation. Furthermore, exercise is also known to reduce pain perception and improve mental health and quality of life that also improves pain outcomes. However, adherence to formal exercise prescription is poor and therefore exercise programmes should be tailored to the interests, needs, and abilities of individuals to reduce attrition.

A systems biology approach to Down syndrome: identification of Notch/Wnt dysregulation in a model of stem cells aging.

PubMed

Cairney, C J; Sanguinetti, G; Ranghini, E; Chantry, A D; Nostro, M C; Bhattacharyya, A; Svendsen, C N; Keith, W N; Bellantuono, I

2009-04-01

Stem cells are central to the development and maintenance of many tissues. This is due to their capacity for extensive proliferation and differentiation into effector cells. More recently it has been shown that the proliferative and differentiative ability of stem cells decreases with age, suggesting that this may play a role in tissue aging. Down syndrome (DS), is associated with many of the signs of premature tissue aging including T-cell deficiency, increased incidence of early Alzheimer-type, Myelodysplastic-type disease and leukaemia. Previously we have shown that both hematopoietic (HSC) and neural stem cells (NSC) in patients affected by DS showed signs of accelerated aging. In this study we tested the hypothesis that changes in gene expression in HSC and NSC of patients affected by DS reflect changes occurring in stem cells with age. The profiles of genes expressed in HSC and NSC from DS patients highlight pathways associated with cellular aging including a downregulation of DNA repair genes and increases in proapoptotic genes, s-phase cell cycle genes, inflammation and angiogenesis genes. Interestingly, Notch signaling was identified as a potential hub, which when deregulated may drive stem cell aging. These data suggests that DS is a valuable model to study early events in stem cell aging.

[The incidence of human papilloma virus associated vulvar cancer in younger women is increasing and wide local excision with sentinel lymph node biopsie has become standard].

PubMed

Fehr, Mathias K

2011-10-01

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) dissections have been shown to be sensitive for the evaluation of nodal basins for metastatic disease and are associated with decreased short-term and long-term morbidity when compared with complete lymph node dissection. There has been increasing interest in the use of SLN technology in gynecologic cancers. This review assesses the current evidence-based literature for the use of SLN dissections in gynecologic malignancies. Recent literature continues to support the safety and feasibility of SLN biopsy for early stage vulvar cancer with negative predictive value approaching 100 % and low false negative rates. Alternatively, for endometrial cancer most studies have reported low false-negative rates, with variable sensitivities and have reported low detection rates of the sentinel node. Studies examining the utility of SLN biopsy in early-stage cervical cancer remain promising with detection rates, sensitivities, and false-negative rates greater than 90 % for stage 1B1 tumors. SLN dissections have been shown to be effective and safe in certain, select vulvar cancer patients and can be considered an alternative surgical approach for these patients. For endometrial and cervical cancer, SLN dissection continues to have encouraging results and however needs further investigation.

Functional role of DNA mismatch repair gene PMS2 in prostate cancer cells.

PubMed

Fukuhara, Shinichiro; Chang, Inik; Mitsui, Yozo; Chiyomaru, Takeshi; Yamamura, Soichiro; Majid, Shahana; Saini, Sharanjot; Deng, Guoren; Gill, Ankurpreet; Wong, Darryn K; Shiina, Hiroaki; Nonomura, Norio; Lau, Yun-Fai C; Dahiya, Rajvir; Tanaka, Yuichiro

2015-06-30

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) enzymes act as proofreading complexes that maintains genomic integrity and MMR-deficient cells show an increased mutation rate. MMR has also been shown to influence cell signaling and the regulation of tumor development. MMR consists of various genes and includes post-meiotic segregation (PMS) 2 which is a vital component of mutL-alpha. In prostate, the functional role of this gene has never been reported and in this study, our aim was to investigate the effect of PMS2 on growth properties of prostate cancer (PCa) cells. Previous studies have shown PMS2 to be deficient in DU145 cells and this lack of expression was confirmed by Western blotting whereas normal prostatic PWR-1E and RWPE-1 cells expressed this gene. PMS2 effects on various growth properties of DU145 were then determined by creating stable gene transfectants. Interestingly, PMS2 caused decreased cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and in vivo growth; and increased apoptosis as compared to vector control. We further analyzed genes affected by PMS2 expression and observe the apoptosis-related TMS1 gene to be significantly upregulated whereas anti-apoptotic BCL2A1 was downregulated. These results demonstrate a functional role for PMS2 to protect against PCa progression by enhancing apoptosis of PCa cells.

Role of Alternative Therapies for Chronic Pain Syndromes.

PubMed

Thomas, Donna-Ann; Maslin, Benjamin; Legler, Aron; Springer, Erin; Asgerally, Abbas; Vadivelu, Nalini

2016-05-01

There is increasing interest in the use of complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) for the treatment of chronic pain. This review examines alternative and complimentary therapies, which can be incorporated as part of a biopsychosocial approach in the treatment of chronic pain syndromes. In the present investigation, literature from articles indexed on PubMed was evaluated including topics of alternative therapies, complimentary therapies, pain psychology, biofeedback therapy, physical exercise therapies, acupuncture, natural and herbal supplements, whole-body cryotherapy, and smartphone technologies in the treatment of chronic pain syndromes. This review highlights the key role of psychology in the treatment of chronic pain. Cognitive behavior therapy appears to be the most impactful while biofeedback therapy has also been shown to be effective for chronic pain. Exercise therapy has been shown to be effective in short-, intermediate-, and long-term pain states. When compared to that in sham controls, acupuncture has shown some benefit for neck pain immediately after the procedure and in the short term and improvement has also been demonstrated in the treatment of headaches. The role of smartphones and whole-body cryotherapy are new modalities and further studies are needed. Recent literature suggests that several alternate therapies could play a role in the treatment of chronic pain, supporting the biopsychosocial model in the treatment of pain states.

An investigation on the motion and deformation of viscoelastic drops descending in another viscoelastic media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davoodi, M.; Norouzi, M.

2016-10-01

In the present study, an investigation of the motion and shape deformation of drops is carried out in creeping flow to highlight the effect of viscoelastic properties on the problem. A perturbation method is employed to derive an analytical solution for the general case that both interior and exterior fluids are viscoelastic, both fluids obeying the Giesekus model. An experiment is also performed for the limiting case of an immiscible drop of a 0.03% (w/w) polyacrylamide in an 80:20 glycerol/water solution falling through a viscous Newtonian silicon oil (410 cP polydimethylsiloxane oil) in order to check the accuracy of the analytical solution. It is shown that the addition of elastic properties to the interior fluid may cause a decrease in the terminal velocity of the droplet while an increase in the elastic properties of the exterior fluid results in the opposite behavior and increases the terminal velocity. The well-known spherical shape of creeping drops for Newtonian fluids is modified by elasticity into either prolate or oblate shapes. Using the analytical solution, it is shown that normal stresses play a key role on the final steady-state shape of the drops. To keep the drops spherical in viscoelastic phases, it is shown that the effect of normal stresses on the interior and exterior media can cancel out under certain conditions. The results presented here may be of interest to industries dealing with petroleum and medicine processing, paint and power-plant related fields where knowledge of the shape and terminal velocity of descending droplets is of great importance.

A Study of Energy Conversion Devices Using Photoactive Organometallic Electrocatalysts.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-05-23

arylisocyanide complexes confined to polymeric thin films in solar energy conversion systems . The chemical systems of interest were chromium...The goals of the project then became threefold: 1) examine the thermo- dynamics an- ’ kinetics of charge transfer in the systems in which we had shown...complexes confined to polymeric thin films in solar energy conversion systems . The chemical systems of interest were chromium, molybdenum and

Clinical careers film.

PubMed

2015-09-01

Those interested in developing clinical academic careers might be interested in a short animated film by Health Education England (HEE) and the National Institute for Health Research. The three-minute film, a frame from which is shown below, describes the sort of opportunities that are on offer to all professionals as part of the HEE's clinical academic careers framework. You can view the film on YouTube at tinyurl.com/pelb95c.

The 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor tepoxalin induces oxidative damage and altered PTEN status prior to apoptosis in canine osteosarcoma cell lines.

PubMed

Loftus, J P; Cavatorta, D; Bushey, J J; Levine, C B; Sevier, C S; Wakshlag, J J

2016-06-01

The 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) inhibitor tepoxalin has been shown to slow canine osteosarcoma (OSA) tumour xenografts growth, yet the mechanisms are poorly elucidated. Further examination of tepoxalin in canine OSA cell lines shows that tepoxalin treated cells undergo apoptosis through caspase-3 activation and annexin staining. Interestingly, apoptosis is superseded by an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS), as measured by activation of dihydrorhodamine 123 and mitosox. This increase in ROS appears to be related to the 5-LOX inhibitor regardless of cellular 5-LOX status, and was not observed after treatment with the tepoxalin metabolite RWJ20142. Additionally, 5-LOX inhibition by tepoxalin appears to increase phosphatase and tensin (PTEN) homolog activity by preventing its alkylation or oxidation. PTEN modification or inhibition allows phosphoinositide-3 (PI3) kinase activity thereby heightening activation of protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation. Our data suggest that off target oxidation and LOX inhibition play roles in the apoptotic response. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Optimal Energy Extraction From a Hot Water Geothermal Reservoir

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golabi, Kamal; Scherer, Charles R.; Tsang, Chin Fu; Mozumder, Sashi

1981-01-01

An analytical decision model is presented for determining optimal energy extraction rates from hot water geothermal reservoirs when cooled brine is reinjected into the hot water aquifer. This applied economic management model computes the optimal fluid pumping rate and reinjection temperature and the project (reservoir) life consistent with maximum present worth of the net revenues from sales of energy for space heating. The real value of product energy is assumed to increase with time, as is the cost of energy used in pumping the aquifer. The economic model is implemented by using a hydrothermal model that relates hydraulic pumping rate to the quality (temperature) of remaining heat energy in the aquifer. The results of a numerical application to space heating show that profit-maximizing extraction rate increases with interest (discount) rate and decreases as the rate of rise of real energy value increases. The economic life of the reservoir generally varies inversely with extraction rate. Results were shown to be sensitive to permeability, initial equilibrium temperature, well cost, and well life.

Influence of phase type and solute structure on changes in retention with pressure in reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Fallas, Morgane M; Tanaka, Nobuo; Buckenmaier, Stephan M C; McCalley, David V

2013-07-05

The influence of pressure on the retention of several types of solute, including acids, bases and neutrals, was studied by the use of restriction capillaries added to the end of various monomeric and polymeric octadecylsilyl-modified 5μm particle size columns. Although it appeared that certain polymeric columns could give somewhat greater increases in retention with pressure, differences in behaviour between these different C18 columns were rather small. Differences in solute molecular size were most important in determining increases in retention with pressure. However, solute structure such as polarity and planarity were also influential. A prototype C30 column gave interesting selectivity changes between planar and non-planar solutes as a function of pressure. Considerable selectivity differences with pressure were shown when diverse mixtures of solutes were analysed. For the solutes studied, only minor effects of increased pressure on column efficiency and peak shape were noted. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A synthetic chalcone as a potent inducer of glutathione biosynthesis.

PubMed

Kachadourian, Remy; Day, Brian J; Pugazhenti, Subbiah; Franklin, Christopher C; Genoux-Bastide, Estelle; Mahaffey, Gregory; Gauthier, Charlotte; Di Pietro, Attilio; Boumendjel, Ahcène

2012-02-09

Chalcones continue to attract considerable interest due to their anti-inflammatory and antiangiogenic properties. We recently reported the ability of 2',5'-dihydroxychalcone (2',5'-DHC) to induce both breast cancer resistance protein-mediated export of glutathione (GSH) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase-mediated increased intracellular GSH levels. Herein, we report a structure-activity relationship study of a series of 30 synthetic chalcone derivatives with hydroxyl, methoxyl, and halogen (F and Cl) substituents and their ability to increase intracellular GSH levels. This effect was drastically improved with one or two electrowithdrawing groups on phenyl ring B and up to three methoxyl and/or hydroxyl groups on phenyl ring A. The optimal structure, 2-chloro-4',6'-dimethoxy-2'-hydroxychalcone, induced both a potent NF-E2-related factor 2-mediated transcriptional response and an increased formation of glutamate cysteine ligase holoenzyme, as shown using a human breast cancer cell line stably expressing a luciferase reporter gene driven by antioxidant response elements.

A Synthetic Chalcone as a Potent Inducer of Glutathione Biosynthesis

PubMed Central

Kachadourian, Remy; Day, Brian J.; Pugazhenti, Subbiah; Franklin, Christopher C.; Genoux-Bastide, Estelle; Mahaffey, Gregory; Gauthier, Charlotte; Di Pietro, Attilio; Boumendjel, Ahcène

2014-01-01

Chalcones continue to attract considerable interest due to their anti-inflammatory and antiangiogenic properties. We recently reported the ability of 2′,5′-dihydroxychalcone (2′,5′-DHC) to induce both breast cancer resistance protein-mediated export of glutathione (GSH) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase-mediated increased intracellular GSH levels. Herein, we report a structure–activity relationship study of a series of 30 synthetic chalcone derivatives with hydroxyl, methoxyl, and halogen (F and Cl) substituents and their ability to increase intracellular GSH levels. This effect was drastically improved with one or two electrowithdrawing groups on phenyl ring B and up to three methoxyl and/or hydroxyl groups on phenyl ring A. The optimal structure, 2-chloro-4′,6′-dimethoxy-2′-hydroxychalcone, induced both a potent NF-E2-related factor 2-mediated transcriptional response and an increased formation of glutamate cysteine ligase holoenzyme, as shown using a human breast cancer cell line stably expressing a luciferase reporter gene driven by antioxidant response elements. PMID:22239485

Design of an ultra-thin near-eye display with geometrical waveguide and freeform optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Meng-Che; Lee, Tsung-Xian

2017-02-01

Due to the worldwide portable devices and illumination technology trends, researches interest in laser diodes applications are booming in recent years. One of the popular and potential LDs applications is near-eye display used in VR/AR. An ideal near-eye display needs to provide high resolution, wide FOV imagery with compact magnifying optics, and long battery life for prolonged use. However, previous studies still cannot reach high light utilization efficiency in illumination and imaging optical systems which should be raised as possible to increase wear comfort. To meet these needs, a waveguide illumination system of near-eye display is presented in this paper. We focused on proposing a high efficiency RGB LDs light engine which could reduce power consumption and increase flexibility of mechanism design by using freeform TIR reflectors instead of beam splitters. By these structures, the total system efficiency of near-eye display is successfully increased, and the improved results in efficiency and fabrication tolerance of near-eye displays are shown in this paper.

Caloric Restriction-Induced Extension of Chronological Lifespan Requires Intact Respiration in Budding Yeast.

PubMed

Kwon, Young-Yon; Lee, Sung-Keun; Lee, Cheol-Koo

2017-04-01

Caloric restriction (CR) has been shown to extend lifespan and prevent cellular senescence in various species ranging from yeast to humans. Many effects of CR may contribute to extend lifespan. Specifically, CR prevents oxidative damage from reactive oxygen species (ROS) by enhancing mitochondrial function. In this study, we characterized 33 single electron transport chain (ETC) gene-deletion strains to identify CR-induced chronological lifespan (CLS) extension mechanisms. Interestingly, defects in 17 of these 33 ETC gene-deleted strains showed loss of both respiratory function and CR-induced CLS extension. On the contrary, the other 16 respiration-capable mutants showed increased CLS upon CR along with increased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, with decreased mitochondrial superoxide generation. We measured the same parameters in the 17 non-respiratory mutants upon CR. CR simultaneously increased MMP and mitochondrial superoxide generation without altering intracellular ATP levels. In conclusion, respiration is essential for CLS extension by CR and is important for balancing MMP, ROS, and ATP levels.

Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in oyster tissue around three coastal marinas

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

Marcus, J.M.; Stokes, T.P.

1985-12-01

Marinas present the potential for introduction of various pollutants into the surrounding waters such as coliform bacteria, primary pathogens, heavy metals, and petroleum hydrocarbons. Little data have been presented specifically addressing the effects of recreational marinas on petroleum hydrocarbon levels or, for that matter, other constituent levels in oysters near those marinas. In order to obtain such data, a comprehensive assessment of water and oyster quality around three coastal marinas was conducted by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental control (SCDHEC) during 1983. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were selected as the petroleum hydrocarbon fraction of interest since theymore » are mainly of pyrogenic origin; have been shown to be the most toxic/carcinogenic fraction of oil; have been shown to affect the respiration and heart rates of mussels; and have been shown to be linked to neoplasia in clams and proliferative disorders in mussels. C. virginica was chosen as the mollusc of interest because of its widespread distribution in the estuaries of South Carolina, its importance as an economic and recreational resource, and its suitability as a sentinel organism for monitoring coastal pollution.« less

[Cell renovation in the intestinal epithelium in aging].

PubMed

Gusel'nikova, E A; Konovalov, S S; Poliakova, V O; Kvetnoĭ, I M

2010-01-01

The ability to cell renovation of two basic cell types of intestinal mucosa is the important mechanism for the regulation and support of the gut physiological functions in aging and under the influence of the ecological negative factors. The study of the processes of cell renovation of the intestinal epithelial and neuroendocrine cells in physiological and radiological aging has a great interest, because the irradiation in the subletal doses could be considered as the model of artificial aging, and this fact enables studying of the radiological influence as the ecological factor, promoting the aging. In this study, the increase of cell proliferation in intestinal mucosa in physiological as well as artificial aging was observed. It was shown, that the total population of mitotic cells increases two times. These data testify about active participation of the mechanisms of cell renovation in the safety of gut functions during aging.

Mechanical properties of 3D printed warped membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosmrlj, Andrej; Xiao, Kechao; Weaver, James C.; Vlassak, Joost J.; Nelson, David R.

2015-03-01

We explore how a frozen background metric affects the mechanical properties of solid planar membranes. Our focus is a special class of ``warped membranes'' with a preferred random height profile characterized by random Gaussian variables h (q) in Fourier space with zero mean and variance < | h (q) | 2 > q-m . It has been shown theoretically that in the linear response regime, this quenched random disorder increases the effective bending rigidity, while the Young's and shear moduli are reduced. Compared to flat plates of the same thickness t, the bending rigidity of warped membranes is increased by a factor hv / t while the in-plane elastic moduli are reduced by t /hv , where hv =√{< | h (x) | 2 > } describes the frozen height fluctuations. Interestingly, hv is system size dependent for warped membranes characterized with m > 2 . We present experimental tests of these predictions, using warped membranes prepared via high resolution 3D printing.

Spirulina platensis Lacks Antitumor Effect against Solid Ehrlich Carcinoma in Female Mice

PubMed Central

Barakat, Waleed; Elshazly, Shimaa M.; Mahmoud, Amr A. A.

2015-01-01

Spirulina is a blue-green alga used as a dietary supplement. It has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective properties. This study was designed to evaluate the antitumor effect of spirulina (200 and 800 mg/kg) against a murine model of solid Ehrlich carcinoma compared to a standard chemotherapeutic drug, 5-fluorouracil (20 mg/kg). Untreated mice developed a palpable solid tumor after 13 days. Unlike fluorouracil, spirulina at the investigated two dose levels failed to exert any protective effect. In addition, spirulina did not potentiate the antitumor effect of fluorouracil when they were administered concurrently. Interestingly, their combined administration resulted in a dose-dependent increase in mortality. The present study demonstrates that spirulina lacks antitumor effect against this model of solid Ehrlich carcinoma and increased mortality when combined with fluorouracil. However, the implicated mechanism is still elusive. PMID:26366170

The role of religion and spirituality in mental health.

PubMed

Weber, Samuel R; Pargament, Kenneth I

2014-09-01

There has been increased interest in the relationship between religion and spirituality and mental health in recent years. This article reviews recent research into the capacity of religion and spirituality to benefit or harm the mental health of believers. We also examine the implications this may have for assessment and treatment in psychiatric settings. Studies indicate that religion and spirituality can promote mental health through positive religious coping, community and support, and positive beliefs. Research also shows that religion and spirituality can be damaging to mental health by means of negative religious coping, misunderstanding and miscommunication, and negative beliefs. Tools for the assessment of patients' spiritual needs have been studied, and incorporation of spiritual themes into treatment has shown some promise. Religion and spirituality have the ability to promote or damage mental health. This potential demands an increased awareness of religious matters by practitioners in the mental health field as well as ongoing attention in psychiatric research.

Drug Delivery Innovations for Enhancing the Anticancer Potential of Vitamin E Isoforms and Their Derivatives

PubMed Central

Neophytou, Christiana M.; Constantinou, Andreas I.

2015-01-01

Vitamin E isoforms have been extensively studied for their anticancer properties. Novel drug delivery systems (DDS) that include liposomes, nanoparticles, and micelles are actively being developed to improve Vitamin E delivery. Furthermore, several drug delivery systems that incorporate Vitamin E isoforms have been synthesized in order to increase the bioavailability of chemotherapeutic agents or to provide a synergistic effect. D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (Vitamin E TPGS or TPGS) is a synthetic derivative of natural alpha-tocopherol which is gaining increasing interest in the development of drug delivery systems and has also shown promising anticancer effect as a single agent. This review provides a summary of the properties and anticancer effects of the most potent Vitamin E isoforms and an overview of the various formulations developed to improve their efficacy, with an emphasis on the use of TPGS in drug delivery approaches. PMID:26137487

Biocatalytic induction of supramolecular order

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirst, Andrew R.; Roy, Sangita; Arora, Meenakshi; Das, Apurba K.; Hodson, Nigel; Murray, Paul; Marshall, Stephen; Javid, Nadeem; Sefcik, Jan; Boekhoven, Job; van Esch, Jan H.; Santabarbara, Stefano; Hunt, Neil T.; Ulijn, Rein V.

2010-12-01

Supramolecular gels, which demonstrate tunable functionalities, have attracted much interest in a range of areas, including healthcare, environmental protection and energy-related technologies. Preparing these materials in a reliable manner is challenging, with an increased level of kinetic defects observed at higher self-assembly rates. Here, by combining biocatalysis and molecular self-assembly, we have shown the ability to more quickly access higher-ordered structures. By simply increasing enzyme concentration, supramolecular order expressed at molecular, nano- and micro-levels is dramatically enhanced, and, importantly, the gelator concentrations remain identical. Amphiphile molecules were prepared by attaching an aromatic moiety to a dipeptide backbone capped with a methyl ester. Their self-assembly was induced by an enzyme that hydrolysed the ester. Different enzyme concentrations altered the catalytic activity and size of the enzyme clusters, affecting their mobility. This allowed structurally diverse materials that represent local minima in the free energy landscape to be accessed based on a single gelator structure.

The Transmutation of Deference in Medicine: An Ethico-Legal Perspective.

PubMed

Devaney, Sarah; Holm, Søren

2018-05-01

This article critically considers the question of whether an increase in legal recognition of patient autonomy culminating in the decision of the Supreme Court in Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board in 2015 has led to the death of deference to doctors, not only within the courts and healthcare regulatory arenas in England and Wales but also in the consulting room and the health care system more broadly. We argue that deference has not been eradicated, but that the types of deference paid to doctors and to the medical profession have changed. In addition, whilst traditionally deference was extended towards the medical profession, increasing instances of deference being shown to other parties in the healthcare setting can be identified, allowing wider debate or recognition of the complexity of understandings, interests and aims of all those involved. Finally, we note instances in which deference to the medical profession has become more hidden.

Regulation of the renal Na+-Cl− cotransporter by phosphorylation and ubiquitylation

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

The activity of the renal thiazide-sensitive NaCl cotransporter (NCC) in the distal convoluted tubule plays a key role in defining arterial blood pressure levels. Increased or decreased activity of the NCC is associated with arterial hypertension or hypotension, respectively. Thus it is of major interest to understand the activity of NCC using in vivo models. Phosphorylation of certain residues of the amino-terminal domain of NCC has been shown to be associated with its activation. The development of phospho-specific antibodies against these sites provides a powerful tool that is helping to increase our understanding of the molecular physiology of NCC. Additionally, NCC expression in the plasma membrane is modulated by ubiquitylation, which represents another major mechanism for regulating protein activity. This work presents a review of our current knowledge of the regulation of NCC activity by phosphorylation and ubiquitylation. PMID:23034942

Polymer-based actuators for virtual reality devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolzmacher, Christian; Hafez, Moustapha; Benali Khoudja, Mohamed; Bernardoni, Paul; Dubowsky, Steven

2004-07-01

Virtual Reality (VR) is gaining more importance in our society. For many years, VR has been limited to the entertainment applications. Today, practical applications such as training and prototyping find a promising future in VR. Therefore there is an increasing demand for low-cost, lightweight haptic devices in virtual reality (VR) environment. Electroactive polymers seem to be a potential actuation technology that could satisfy these requirements. Dielectric polymers developed the past few years have shown large displacements (more than 300%). This feature makes them quite interesting for integration in haptic devices due to their muscle-like behaviour. Polymer actuators are flexible and lightweight as compared to traditional actuators. Using stacks with several layers of elatomeric film increase the force without limiting the output displacement. The paper discusses some design methods for a linear dielectric polymer actuator for VR devices. Experimental results of the actuator performance is presented.

Using a Mixed-Methods RE-AIM Framework to Evaluate Community Health Programs for Older Latinas.

PubMed

Schwingel, Andiara; Gálvez, Patricia; Linares, Deborah; Sebastião, Emerson

2017-06-01

This study used the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework to evaluate a promotora-led community health program designed for Latinas ages 50 and older that sought to improve physical activity, nutrition, and stress management. A mixed-methods evaluation approach was administered at participant and organizational levels with a focus on the efficacy, adoption, implementation, and maintenance components of the RE-AIM theoretical model. The program was shown to be effective at improving participants' eating behaviors, increasing their physical activity levels, and lowering their depressive symptoms. Promotoras felt motivated and sufficiently prepared to deliver the program. Some implementation challenges were reported. More child care opportunities and an increased focus on mental well-being were suggested. The promotora delivery model has promise for program sustainability with both promotoras and participants alike expressing interest in leading future programs.

Three-parameter modeling of the soil sorption of acetanilide and triazine herbicide derivatives.

PubMed

Freitas, Mirlaine R; Matias, Stella V B G; Macedo, Renato L G; Freitas, Matheus P; Venturin, Nelson

2014-02-01

Herbicides have widely variable toxicity and many of them are persistent soil contaminants. Acetanilide and triazine family of herbicides have widespread use, but increasing interest for the development of new herbicides has been rising to increase their effectiveness and to diminish environmental hazard. The environmental risk of new herbicides can be accessed by estimating their soil sorption (logKoc), which is usually correlated to the octanol/water partition coefficient (logKow). However, earlier findings have shown that this correlation is not valid for some acetanilide and triazine herbicides. Thus, easily accessible quantitative structure-property relationship models are required to predict logKoc of analogues of the these compounds. Octanol/water partition coefficient, molecular weight and volume were calculated and then regressed against logKoc for two series of acetanilide and triazine herbicides using multiple linear regression, resulting in predictive and validated models.

Genitourinary mast cells and survival

PubMed Central

Stewart, Julia M.

2015-01-01

Mast cells (MCs) are ubiquitous in the body, but they have historically been associated with allergies, and most recently with regulation of immunity and inflammation. However, it remains a puzzle why so many MCs are located in the diencephalon, which regulates emotions and in the genitourinary tract, including the bladder, prostate, penis, vagina and uterus that hardly ever get allergic reactions. A number of papers have reported that MCs have estrogen, gonadotropin and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) receptors. Moreover, animal experiments have shown that diencephalic MCs increase in number during courting in doves. We had reported that allergic stimulation of nasal MCs leads to hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) activation. Interestingly, anecdotal information indicates that female patients with mastocytosis or mast cell activation syndrome may have increased libido. Preliminary evidence also suggests that MCs may have olfactory receptors. MCs may, therefore, have been retained phylogenetically not only to “smell danger”, but to promote survival and procreation. PMID:26813805

Genitourinary mast cells and survival.

PubMed

Theoharides, Theoharis C; Stewart, Julia M

2015-10-01

Mast cells (MCs) are ubiquitous in the body, but they have historically been associated with allergies, and most recently with regulation of immunity and inflammation. However, it remains a puzzle why so many MCs are located in the diencephalon, which regulates emotions and in the genitourinary tract, including the bladder, prostate, penis, vagina and uterus that hardly ever get allergic reactions. A number of papers have reported that MCs have estrogen, gonadotropin and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) receptors. Moreover, animal experiments have shown that diencephalic MCs increase in number during courting in doves. We had reported that allergic stimulation of nasal MCs leads to hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) activation. Interestingly, anecdotal information indicates that female patients with mastocytosis or mast cell activation syndrome may have increased libido. Preliminary evidence also suggests that MCs may have olfactory receptors. MCs may, therefore, have been retained phylogenetically not only to "smell danger", but to promote survival and procreation.

Effect of electron beam irradiation on the viscosity of carboxymethylcellulose solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Jong-il; Lee, Hee-Sub; Kim, Jae-Hun; Lee, Kwang-Won; Chung, Young-Jin; Byun, Myung-Woo; Lee, Ju-Woon

2008-12-01

In this study, the effects of an electron beam irradiation on the viscosity of a carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) solution were investigated. The viscosity of the CMC solution was decreased with an increase in the irradiation dose. Interestingly, the extent of the degradation of the CMC was found to decrease with an increase of the CMC concentration in the solution. The change of the average molar mass confirmed the decrease in the viscosity due to the degradation of the polymer. The energy of the electron beam also affected the degradation of the CMC. Lower degradation of the CMC was obtained with a decreasing electron beam energy due to its lower penetration. Addition of vitamin C as a radical scavenger to the solution and an irradiation at -70 °C were shown to be moderately effective in preventing a decrease in the viscosity of the solution by irradiation.

Poly(vinylbenzylchloride) Based Anion-Exchange Blend Membranes (AEBMs): Influence of PEG Additive on Conductivity and Stability

PubMed Central

Kerres, Jochen A.; Krieg, Henning M.

2017-01-01

In view of the many possible applications such as fuel cells and electrolysers, recent interest in novel anion exchange membranes (AEMs) has increased significantly. However, their low conductivity and chemical stability limits their current suitability. In this study, the synthesis and characterization of several three- and four-component anion exchange blend membranes (AEBMs) is described, where the compositions have been systematically varied to study the influence of the AEBM’s composition on the anion conductivities as well as chemical and thermal stabilities under strongly alkaline conditions. It was shown that the epoxide-functionalized poly(ethylene glycol)s that were introduced into the four-component AEBMs resulted in increased conductivity as well as a marked improvement in the stability of the AEBMs in an alkaline environment. In addition, the thermal stability of the novel AEBMs was excellent showing the suitability of these membranes for several electrochemical applications. PMID:28621717

Detection of forced oscillations in power systems with multichannel methods

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

Follum, James D.

2015-09-30

The increasing availability of high fidelity, geographically dispersed measurements in power systems improves the ability of researchers and engineers to study dynamic behaviors in the grid. One such behavior that is garnering increased attention is the presence of forced oscillations. Power system engineers are interested in forced oscillations because they are often symptomatic of the malfunction or misoperation of equipment. Though the resulting oscillation is not always large in amplitude, the root cause may be serious. In this report, multi-channel forced oscillation detection methods are developed. These methods leverage previously developed detection approaches based on the periodogram and spectral-coherence. Makingmore » use of geographically distributed channels of data is shown to improved detection performance and shorten the delay before an oscillation can be detected in the online environment. Results from simulated and measured power system data are presented.« less

Patients' Need for Tailored Comparative Health Care Information: A Qualitative Study on Choosing a Hospital.

PubMed

Zwijnenberg, Nicolien C; Hendriks, Michelle; Bloemendal, Evelien; Damman, Olga C; de Jong, Judith D; Delnoij, Diana Mj; Rademakers, Jany Jd

2016-11-28

The Internet is increasingly being used to provide patients with information about the quality of care of different health care providers. Although online comparative health care information is widely available internationally, and patients have been shown to be interested in this information, its effect on patients' decision making is still limited. This study aimed to explore patients' preferences regarding information presentation and their values concerning tailored comparative health care information. Meeting patients' information presentation needs might increase the perceived relevance and use of the information. A total of 38 people participated in 4 focus groups. Comparative health care information about hip and knee replacement surgery was used as a case example. One part of the interview focused on patients' information presentation preferences, whereas the other part focused on patients' values of tailored information (ie, showing reviews of patients with comparable demographics). The qualitative data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the constant comparative method. The following themes were deduced from the transcripts: number of health care providers to be presented, order in which providers are presented, relevancy of tailoring patient reviews, and concerns about tailoring. Participants' preferences differed concerning how many and in which order health care providers must be presented. Most participants had no interest in patient reviews that were shown for specific subgroups based on age, gender, or ethnicity. Concerns of tailoring were related to the representativeness of results and the complexity of information. A need for information about the medical specialist when choosing a hospital was stressed by several participants. The preferences for how comparative health care information should be presented differ between people. "Information on demand" and information about the medical specialist might be promising ways to increase the relevancy and use of online comparative health care information. Future research should focus on how different groups of people use comparative health care information for different health care choices in real life. ©Nicolien C Zwijnenberg, Michelle Hendriks, Evelien Bloemendal, Olga C Damman, Judith D de Jong, Diana MJ Delnoij, Jany JD Rademakers. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 28.11.2016.

Practical Cleanroom Operations Constraints

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughes, David; Ginyard, Amani

2007-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the GSFC Cleanroom Facility i.e., Spacecraft Systems Development and Integration Facility (SSDIF) with particular interest in its use during the development of the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). The SSDIF is described and a diagram of the SSDIF is shown. A Constraint Table was created for consistency within Contamination Control Team. This table is shown. Another table that shows the activities that were allowed during the integration under given WFC3 condition and activity location is presented. Three decision trees are shown for different phases of the work: (1) Hardware Relocation, Hardware Work, and Contamination Control Operations.

Ectopic adenine nucleotide translocase activity controls extracellular ADP levels and regulates the F1-ATPase-mediated HDL endocytosis pathway on hepatocytes.

PubMed

Cardouat, G; Duparc, T; Fried, S; Perret, B; Najib, S; Martinez, L O

2017-09-01

Ecto-F 1 -ATPase is a complex related to mitochondrial ATP synthase which has been identified as a plasma membrane receptor for apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), the major protein of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and has been shown to contribute to HDL endocytosis in several cell types. On hepatocytes, apoA-I binding to ecto-F 1 -ATPase stimulates extracellular ATP hydrolysis into ADP, which subsequently activates a P2Y 13 -mediated HDL endocytosis pathway. Interestingly, other mitochondrial proteins have been found to be expressed at the plasma membrane of several cell types. Among these, adenine nucleotide translocase (ANT) is an ADP/ATP carrier but its role in controlling extracellular ADP levels and F 1 -ATPase-mediated HDL endocytosis has never been investigated. Here we confirmed the presence of ANT at the plasma membrane of human hepatocytes. We then showed that ecto-ANT activity increases or reduces extracellular ADP level, depending on the extracellular ADP/ATP ratio. Interestingly, ecto-ANT co-localized with ecto-F 1 -ATPase at the hepatocyte plasma membrane and pharmacological inhibition of ecto-ANT activity increased extracellular ADP level when ecto-F 1 -ATPase was activated by apoA-I. This increase in the bioavailability of extracellular ADP accordingly translated into an increase of HDL endocytosis on human hepatocytes. This study thus uncovered a new location and function of ANT for which activity at the cell surface of hepatocytes modulates the concentration of extracellular ADP and regulates HDL endocytosis. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Solutal separation in a binary nanofluid due to thermodiffusion

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

Saghir, M.Z.; Yousefi, T.; Farahbakhsh, B.

2015-03-10

Transport phenomena in porous media have received considerable attention due to an increasing interest in geothermal processes, chemical catalytic reactors, waste storage (especially geological or ocean storage of carbon dioxide), etc. Among others, oil industry has shown an increasing interest in studying diffusion phenomenon. Nanofluid is a term used to describe the suspension of low concentration of metallic and non-metallic nanoparticles in a base fluid. The size of a nanoparticle ranges from 10 to 100nm, and the conventional fluids used are water, ethylene glycol (C{sub 2}H{sub 6}O{sub 2}) or engine oil. Various studies have proven that nanoparticles improve the heatmore » transfer of a base fluid. However, using various nanofluids it has been shown that the results could vary depending on different initial concentrations. The main objective of this paper is to study the diffusion and the thermodiffusion effect in a nanofluid for different fluid/porous media configurations. In this configuration, a liquid layer surrounds a porous layer. The full Brinkman equation coupled with the heat and mass transfer equations have been solved numerically for the porous layer using the finite element technique. The full Navier stokes equation coupled with heat and mass transfer equations have been solved for the liquid layer using the finite element method. A constraint between the liquid and porous layer has been applied to ensure heat flow and mass transfer continuity is maintained. A square cavity filled with hydrocarbon nanofluid of a mixture of fullerene-toluene with varying concentration of fullerene has been subject to different heating conditions. The entire cavity has been considered to be fully wetted with nanofluid. Results have confirmed that in the presence of a nanofluid a heat transfer enhancement is present up to certain initial concentration of the fullerene. The heat convection coefficient has been found to be 16% higher when a nanofluid is used as the working fluid.« less

A highly crystalline single Au wire network as a high temperature transparent heater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, K. D. M.; Kulkarni, Giridhar U.

2014-05-01

A transparent conductor which can generate high temperatures finds important applications in optoelectronics. In this article, a wire network made of Au on quartz is shown to serve as an effective high temperature transparent heater. The heater has been fabricated by depositing Au onto a cracked sacrificial template. The highly interconnected Au wire network thus formed exhibited a transmittance of ~87% in a wide spectral range with a sheet resistance of 5.4 Ω □-1. By passing current through the network, it could be joule heated to ~600 °C within a few seconds. The extraordinary thermal performance and stability owe much to the seamless junctions present in the wire network. Furthermore, the wire network gets self-annealed through joule heating as seen from its increased crystallinity. Interestingly, both transmittance and sheet resistance improved following annealing to 92% and 3.2 Ω □-1, respectively. A transparent conductor which can generate high temperatures finds important applications in optoelectronics. In this article, a wire network made of Au on quartz is shown to serve as an effective high temperature transparent heater. The heater has been fabricated by depositing Au onto a cracked sacrificial template. The highly interconnected Au wire network thus formed exhibited a transmittance of ~87% in a wide spectral range with a sheet resistance of 5.4 Ω □-1. By passing current through the network, it could be joule heated to ~600 °C within a few seconds. The extraordinary thermal performance and stability owe much to the seamless junctions present in the wire network. Furthermore, the wire network gets self-annealed through joule heating as seen from its increased crystallinity. Interestingly, both transmittance and sheet resistance improved following annealing to 92% and 3.2 Ω □-1, respectively. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Optical micrographs, EDAX, XRD, SEM and TEM images of Au metal wires. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr00869c

Insulin pump treatment in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

PubMed

Hofer, S; Meraner, D; Koehle, J

2012-08-01

Within children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes insulin pump treatment is of increasing interest. Frequency of insulin pump therapy shows a rapid and steep increase in toddlers and young children. Insulin pumps allow a close to physiologic insulin delivery due to basal rates programmed over 24 hours with circadian rhythms taken into account. Furthermore, another advantage of technical devices as insulin pumps is the application of extremely small amounts of insulin, as needed in very young children, with the possibility of titration of infusion rates down to 0.01E/h. Dawn Phenomenon and hypoglycemic events are main indications for insulin pump treatment in children and adolescents. A significant reduction of severe hypoglycemia, especially nocturnal hypoglycemia was shown, whereas a reduction of HbA1c and an improvement of metabolic control has been reported in short term and in some but not all long term studies. Ketoacidosis rate did not increase in insulin pump therapy. Complications due to continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion, like local infections and dermatological changes are frequent but were not associated with glycemic control and did not lead to discontinuation of insulin pump treatment. Pump discontinuation rate in general is low, varying from 1% in very young children up to 6% in pubertal adolescent girls. Insulin pump treatment was shown to be safe and efficient and the simplicity of handling the devices as well as an improvement of quality of life may explain the rapid increase of pump treatment in young children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

Thermoelectricity near Anderson localization transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Kaoru; Aharony, Amnon; Entin-Wohlman, Ora; Hatano, Naomichi

2017-10-01

The electronic thermoelectric coefficients are analyzed in the vicinity of one and two Anderson localization thresholds in three dimensions. For a single mobility edge, we correct and extend previous studies and find universal approximants which allow us to deduce the critical exponent for the zero-temperature conductivity from thermoelectric measurements. In particular, we find that at nonzero low temperatures the Seebeck coefficient and the thermoelectric efficiency can be very large on the "insulating" side, for chemical potentials below the (zero-temperature) localization threshold. Corrections to the leading power-law singularity in the zero-temperature conductivity are shown to introduce nonuniversal temperature-dependent corrections to the otherwise universal functions which describe the Seebeck coefficient, the figure of merit, and the Wiedemann-Franz ratio. Next, the thermoelectric coefficients are shown to have interesting dependences on the system size. While the Seebeck coefficient decreases with decreasing size, the figure of merit first decreases but then increases, while the Wiedemann-Franz ratio first increases but then decreases as the size decreases. Small (but finite) samples may thus have larger thermoelectric efficiencies. In the last part we study thermoelectricity in systems with a pair of localization edges, the ubiquitous situation in random systems near the centers of electronic energy bands. As the disorder increases, the two thresholds approach each other, and then the Seebeck coefficient and the figure of merit increase significantly, as expected from the general arguments of Mahan and Sofo [J. D. Mahan and J. O. Sofo, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93, 7436 (1996), 10.1073/pnas.93.15.7436] for a narrow energy range of the zero-temperature metallic behavior.

A clinical perspective on a pain neuroscience education approach to manual therapy.

PubMed

Louw, Adriaan; Nijs, Jo; Puentedura, Emilio J

2017-07-01

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in pain neuroscience education (PNE) in physical therapy. There is growing evidence for the efficacy of PNE to decrease pain, disability, fear-avoidance, pain catastrophization, limited movement, and health care utilization in people struggling with pain. PNE teaches people in pain more about the biology and physiology of their pain experience including processes such as central sensitization, peripheral sensitization, allodynia, inhibition, facilitation, neuroplasticity and more. PNE's neurobiological model often finds itself at odds with traditional biomedical models used in physical therapy. Traditional biomedical models, focusing on anatomy, pathoanatomy, and biomechanics have been shown to have limited efficacy in helping people understand their pain, especially chronic pain, and may in fact even increase a person's pain experience by increasing fear-avoidance and pain catastrophization. An area of physical therapy where the biomedical model is used a lot is manual therapy. This contrast between PNE and manual therapy has seemingly polarized followers from each approach to see PNE as a 'hands-off' approach even having clinicians categorize patients as either in need of receiving PNE (with no hands-on), or hands-on with no PNE. In this paper, we explore the notion of PNE and manual therapy co-existing. PNE research has shown to have immediate effects of various clinical signs and symptoms associated with central sensitization. Using a model of sensitization (innocuous, noxious, and allodynia), we argue that PNE can be used in a manual therapy model, especially treating someone where the nervous system has become increasingly hypervigilant. Level of Evidence : VII.

Using PLSI-U To Detect Insider Threats from Email Traffic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okolica, James; Peterson, Gilbert; Mills, Robert

Despite a technology bias that focuses on external electronic threats, insiders pose the greatest threat to commercial and government organizations. Once information on a specific topic has gone missing, being able to quickly determine who has shown an interest in that topic can allow investigators to focus their attention. Even more promising is when individuals can be found who have an interest in the topic but who have never communicated that interest within the organization. An employee's interests can be discerned by data mining corporate email correspondence. These interests can be used to construct social networks that graphically expose investigative leads. This paper describes the use of Probabilistic Latent Semantic Indexing (PLSI) [4] extended to include users (PLSI-U) to determine topics that are of interest to employees from their email activity. It then applies PLSI-U to the Enron email corpus and finds a small number of employees (0.02%) who appear to have had clandestine interests.

Instagram use is linked to increased symptoms of orthorexia nervosa.

PubMed

Turner, Pixie G; Lefevre, Carmen E

2017-06-01

Social media use is ever increasing amongst young adults and has previously been shown to have negative effects on body image, depression, social comparison, and disordered eating. One eating disorder of interest in this context is orthorexia nervosa, an obsession with eating healthily. High orthorexia nervosa prevalence has been found in populations who take an active interest in their health and body and is frequently comorbid with anorexia nervosa. Here, we investigate links between social media use, in particularly Instagram and orthorexia nervosa symptoms. We conducted an online survey of social media users (N = 680) following health food accounts. We assessed their social media use, eating behaviours, and orthorexia nervosa symptoms using the ORTO-15 inventory. Higher Instagram use was associated with a greater tendency towards orthorexia nervosa, with no other social media channel having this effect. In exploratory analyses Twitter showed a small positive association with orthorexia symptoms. BMI and age had no association with orthorexia nervosa. The prevalence of orthorexia nervosa among the study population was 49%, which is significantly higher than the general population (<1%). Our results suggest that the healthy eating community on Instagram has a high prevalence of orthorexia symptoms, with higher Instagram use being linked to increased symptoms. These findings highlight the implications social media can have on psychological wellbeing, and the influence social media 'celebrities' may have over hundreds of thousands of individuals. These results may also have clinical implications for eating disorder development and recovery.

Csub60/Collapsed Carbon Nanotube Hybrids: A Variant of Peapods (Open Access)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-02

fullerenes , collapsed carbon nanotubes, silocrystals Hybrid nanostructures are of great interest due to thepotential for engineering new materials with...tunable physical and chemical properties. An example is the so-called nanotube “peapod” first described by Smith et al.,1 where fullerene C60 molecules...an interesting derivative of CNTs. It has been theoretically shown that CNTs are prone to collapse into a nearly flat, ribbon- like configuration if

Burnout Syndrome: Global Medicine Volunteering as a Possible Treatment Strategy.

PubMed

Iserson, Kenneth V

2018-04-01

In the last few decades, "burnout syndrome" has become more common among clinicians, or at least more frequently recognized. Methods to prevent and treat burnout have had inconsistent results. Simultaneously, clinicians' interest in global medicine has increased dramatically, offering a possible intervention strategy for burnout while providing help to underserved areas. Caused by a variety of stressors, burnout syndrome ultimately results in physicians feeling that their work no longer embodies why they entered the medical field. This attitude harms clinicians, their patients and colleagues, and society. Few consistently successful interventions exist. At the same time, clinicians' interest in global medicine has risen exponentially. This paper reviews the basics of both phenomena and posits that global medicine experiences, although greatly assisting target populations, also may offer a strategy for combating burnout by reconnecting physicians with their love of the profession. Because studies have shown that regular volunteering improves mental health, short-term global medicine experiences may reinvigorate and reengage clinicians on the verge of, or suffering from, persistent burnout syndrome. Fortuitously, this intervention often will greatly benefit medically underserved populations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ethics, morality, and conflicting interests: how questionable professional integrity in some scientists supports global corporate influence in public health.

PubMed

Baur, Xaver; Budnik, Lygia Therese; Ruff, Kathleen; Egilman, David S; Lemen, Richard A; Soskolne, Colin L

2015-01-01

Clinical and public health research, education, and medical practice are vulnerable to influence by corporate interests driven by the for-profit motive. Developments over the last 10 years have shown that transparency and self-reporting of corporate ties do not always mitigate bias. In this article, we provide examples of how sound scientific reasoning and evidence-gathering are undermined through compromised scientific enquiry resulting in misleading science, decision-making, and policy intervention. Various medical disciplines provide reference literature essential for informing public, environmental, and occupational health policy. Published literature impacts clinical and laboratory methods, the validity of respective clinical guidelines, and the development and implementation of public health regulations. Said literature is also used in expert testimony related to resolving tort actions on work-related illnesses and environmental risks. We call for increased sensitivity, full transparency, and the implementation of effective ethical and professional praxis rules at all relevant regulatory levels to rout out inappropriate corporate influence in science. This is needed because influencing the integrity of scientists who engage in such activities cannot be depended upon.

Neutrophil-derived cytokines involved in physiological and pathological angiogenesis.

PubMed

Tecchio, Cristina; Cassatella, Marco Antonio

2014-01-01

Increasing data from the literature point to a neutrophil-mediated role via cytokine production in several aspects of mammalian biology, including angiogenesis. In such regard, neutrophils have been shown to synthetize and release a number of molecules able to promote, directly or indirectly, the growth and migration of endothelial cells, in turn inducing the formation of new blood vessels from preexisting ones. Interestingly, neutrophil-derived cytokines can be involved either in physiological or in pathological angiogenesis, depending on either the functioning or dysregulation of sophisticated interplays among different cell types, extracellular matrix and soluble mediators within the microenvironment. Our review resumes the most interesting studies elucidating the role of neutrophil-derived cytokines in human physiological and pathological angiogenesis. When appropriate, supporting observations generated in animal models will be also mentioned. Particular emphasis will be given to VEGF and PK2/Bv8, rather than CXCL8/IL-8 and OSM. We will also discuss the potential role of neutrophil-derived cytokines such as FGF2, Ang1 and IL-17, whose roles in angiogenesis - albeit anticipated - remain to be elucidated. Copyright © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The Association between Medicare Advantage Market Penetration and Diabetes in the United States

PubMed Central

Howard, Steven W.; Bernell, Stephanie Lazarus; Wilmott, Jennifer; Casim, M. Faizan; Wang, Jing; Pearson, Lindsey; Byler, Caitlin M.; Zhang, Zidong

2015-01-01

The objective of this study is to explore the extent to which managed care market penetration in the United States is associated with the presence of chronic disease. Diabetes was selected as the chronic disease of interest due to its increasing prevalence as well as the disease management protocols that can lessen disease complications. We hypothesized that greater managed care market penetration would be associated with (1) lower prevalence of diabetes and (2) lower prevalence of diabetes-related comorbidities (DRCs) among diabetics. Data for this analysis came from two sources. We merged Medicare Advantage (MA) market penetration data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) (2004–2008). Results suggest that county-level MA market penetration is not significantly associated with prevalence of diabetes or DRCs. That finding is quite interesting in that managed care market penetration has been shown to have an effect on utilization of inpatient services. It may be that managed care protocols do not offer the same benefits beyond the inpatient setting. PMID:26501052

The Association between Medicare Advantage Market Penetration and Diabetes in the United States.

PubMed

Howard, Steven W; Bernell, Stephanie Lazarus; Wilmott, Jennifer; Casim, M Faizan; Wang, Jing; Pearson, Lindsey; Byler, Caitlin M; Zhang, Zidong

2015-01-01

The objective of this study is to explore the extent to which managed care market penetration in the United States is associated with the presence of chronic disease. Diabetes was selected as the chronic disease of interest due to its increasing prevalence as well as the disease management protocols that can lessen disease complications. We hypothesized that greater managed care market penetration would be associated with (1) lower prevalence of diabetes and (2) lower prevalence of diabetes-related comorbidities (DRCs) among diabetics. Data for this analysis came from two sources. We merged Medicare Advantage (MA) market penetration data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) (2004-2008). Results suggest that county-level MA market penetration is not significantly associated with prevalence of diabetes or DRCs. That finding is quite interesting in that managed care market penetration has been shown to have an effect on utilization of inpatient services. It may be that managed care protocols do not offer the same benefits beyond the inpatient setting.

Seasonal Storminess in the North Pacific, Bering Sea, and Alaskan Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shippee, N. J.; Atkinson, D. E.; Walsh, J. E.; Partain, J.; Gottschalck, J.; Marra, J.

2012-12-01

Annually, extra-tropical cyclones present a high impact natural hazard to the North Pacific, Bering Sea, and Alaskan regions. In these regions, extensive subsistence and commercial fishing, new oil and gas field development, tourism, growing interest in and exploitation of new commercial shipping potential, and increasing military and Coast Guard activity, all represent potential parties impacted by storms in these waters. It is of interest to many parties to begin developing capacity to provide some indication of storm activity at a monthly- to seasonal-outlook (30 to 90 days) timeframe. Using storm track data from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center for the North Pacific and Alaskan region, an experimental seasonal storminess outlook product, using eigen-based methods similar to the operational seasonal temperature and precipitation products currently produced at NOAA CPC, has been created and tested in hindcast mode using predicted states of ENSO, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), the Pacific-North American Pattern (PNA), and the Arctic Oscillation (AO). A sample of the seasonal storminess outlook product will be shown along with a discussion of the utility of individual teleconnection patterns in the generation of the product.

Advanced Computed Tomography Inspection System (ACTIS): An overview of the technology and its application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hediger, Lisa H.

1991-01-01

The Advanced Computed Tomography Inspection System (ACTIS) was developed by NASA Marshall to support solid propulsion test programs. ACTIS represents a significant advance in state-of-the-art inspection systems. Its flexibility and superior technical performance have made ACTIS very popular, both within and outside the aerospace community. Through technology utilization efforts, ACTIS has been applied to inspection problems in commercial aerospace, lumber, automotive, and nuclear waste disposal industries. ACTIS has been used to inspect items of historical interest. ACTIS has consistently produced valuable results, providing information which was unattainable through conventional inspection methods. Although many successes have already been shown, the full potential of ACTIS has not yet been realized. It is currently being applied in the commercial aerospace industry by Boeing. Smaller systems, based on ACTIS technology, are becoming increasingly available. This technology has much to offer the small business and industry, especially in identifying design and process problems early in the product development cycle to prevent defects. Several options are available to businesses interested in this technology.

Biomarkers and Surrogate Markers: An FDA Perspective

PubMed Central

Katz, Russell

2004-01-01

Summary: Interest is increasing rapidly in the use of surrogate markers as primary measures of the effectiveness of investigational drugs in definitive drug trials. Many such surrogate markers have been proposed as potential candidates for use in definitive effectiveness trials of agents to treat neurologic or psychiatric disease, but as of this date, there are no such markers that have been adequately “validated,” that is, shown to predict the effect of the treatment on the clinical outcome of interest. While the current law and regulations permit the United States Food and Drug Administration to base the approval of a drug product on a determination the effect of the drug on an unvalidated surrogate marker (that is, one for which it is not known that an effect on the surrogate actually predicts the desired clinical benefit), there are a number of difficulties in interpreting trials that use surrogate markers as primary measures of drug effect. In this article, the relevant regulatory context will be discussed, as well as the epistemological problems related to the interpretation of clinical trials in which unvalidated surrogate markers are used as primary outcomes. PMID:15717019

Experiential avoidance mediates the association between thought suppression and mindfulness with problem gambling.

PubMed

Riley, Ben

2014-03-01

Experiential avoidance (EA) has been shown to be an important etiological and maintenance factor in a wide range psychopathology that includes addictive, anxiety, depressive and impulse control disorders. One common form of EA is thought suppression. Problem gambling causes enormous problems for afflicted individuals and has major social costs for their families and the community. Despite increasing interest in the contribution of EA to a broad range of psychological problems, its association with problem gambling has not previously been empirically investigated. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship between EA, thought suppression, and mindfulness among a group of 103 treatment seeking problem gamblers. Of particular interest was the extent to which EA accounted for the relationships between problem gambling and the two theoretically opposing constructs: thought suppression and mindfulness. Results showed EA was predictive of problem gambling. Thought suppression was positively associated and mindfulness negatively associated with problem gambling, and these relationships were mediated by EA. Directions for future research are suggested which include the application of treatments for problem gambling that undermine EA, such as acceptance and mindfulness based therapies.

A comparison of fast and reactive pyrolysis with insitu derivatisation of fructose, inulin and Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus).

PubMed

Mattonai, Marco; Ribechini, Erika

2018-08-09

Reactive pyrolysis is a technique that provides mechanistic information by performing pyrolysis of the substrate in a sealed glass capsule at elevated temperature and pressure for relatively long time. This technique has already shown great potential for the analysis of biomass, favouring the formation of only the most thermostable compounds. In this work, both fast and reactive pyrolysis with on-line gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis (Py-GC/MS) are used to study fructose, inulin and Jerusalem artichoke tubers (Heliantus tuberosus). Interesting differences were found between the two systems, and became even more evident as the reaction time was increased. The most striking result was the formation of di-fructose dianhydrides (DFAs), a class of compounds with interesting biological activities. DFAs were obtained in high yields from reactive pyrolysis, but not from fast pyrolysis. Hypotheses on the pyrolysis mechanisms were made based upon the composition of the pyrolysates. This work describes for the first time the behaviour of fructans under reactive pyrolysis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Radiological risks of neutron interrogation of food.

PubMed

Albright, S; Seviour, R

2015-09-01

In recent years there has been growing interest in the use of neutron scanning techniques for security. Neutron techniques with a range of energy spectra including thermal, white and fast neutrons have been shown to work in different scenarios. As international interest in neutron scanning increases the risk of activating cargo, especially foodstuffs must be considered. There has been a limited amount of research into the activation of foods by neutron beams and we have sought to improve the amount of information available. In this paper we show that for three important metrics; activity, ingestion dose and Time to Background there is a strong dependence on the food being irradiated and a weak dependence on the energy of irradiation. Previous studies into activation used results based on irradiation of pharmaceuticals as the basis for research into activation of food. The earlier work reports that (24)Na production is the dominant threat which motivated the search for (24)Na(n,γ)(24)Na in highly salted foods. We show that (42)K can be more significant than (24)Na in low sodium foods such as Bananas and Potatoes.

On the skill of various ensemble spread estimators for probabilistic short range wind forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kann, A.

2012-05-01

A variety of applications ranging from civil protection associated with severe weather to economical interests are heavily dependent on meteorological information. For example, a precise planning of the energy supply with a high share of renewables requires detailed meteorological information on high temporal and spatial resolution. With respect to wind power, detailed analyses and forecasts of wind speed are of crucial interest for the energy management. Although the applicability and the current skill of state-of-the-art probabilistic short range forecasts has increased during the last years, ensemble systems still show systematic deficiencies which limit its practical use. This paper presents methods to improve the ensemble skill of 10-m wind speed forecasts by combining deterministic information from a nowcasting system on very high horizontal resolution with uncertainty estimates from a limited area ensemble system. It is shown for a one month validation period that a statistical post-processing procedure (a modified non-homogeneous Gaussian regression) adds further skill to the probabilistic forecasts, especially beyond the nowcasting range after +6 h.

Assessing the co-occurrence of intimate partner violence domains across the life-course: relating typologies to mental health.

PubMed

Armour, Cherie; Sleath, Emma

2014-01-01

The inter-generational transmission of violence (ITV) hypothesis and polyvictimisation have been studied extensively. The extant evidence suggests that individuals from violent families are at increased risk of subsequent intimate partner violence (IPV) and that a proportion of individuals experience victimisation across multiple rather than single IPV domains. Both ITV and polyvictimisation are shown to increase the risk of psychiatric morbidity, alcohol use, and anger expression. The current study aimed to 1) ascertain if underlying typologies of victimisation across the life-course and over multiple victimisation domains were present and 2) ascertain if groupings differed on mean scores of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, alcohol use, and anger expression. University students (N=318) were queried in relation to victimisation experiences and psychological well-being. Responses across multiple domains of IPV spanning the life-course were used in a latent profile analysis. ANOVA was subsequently used to determine if profiles differed in their mean scores on PTSD, depression, alcohol use, and anger expression. Three distinct profiles were identified; one of which comprised individuals who experienced "life-course polyvictimisation," another showing individuals who experienced "witnessing parental victimisation," and one which experienced "psychological victimisation only." Life-course polyvictims scored the highest across most assessed measures. Witnessing severe physical aggression and injury in parental relationships as a child has an interesting impact on the ITV into adolescence and adulthood. Life-course polyvictims are shown to experience increased levels of psychiatric morbidity and issues with alcohol misuse and anger expression.

Biofortification (Se): Does it increase the content of phenolic compounds in virgin olive oil (VOO)?

PubMed Central

D’Amato, Roberto; Proietti, Primo; Onofri, Andrea; Regni, Luca; Esposto, Sonia; Servili, Maurizio; Businelli, Daniela; Selvaggini, Roberto

2017-01-01

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is a fundamental component of the Mediterranean diet and it may contain several anti-oxidant substances, such as phenols. Previous research has shown that this food may be enriched in phenols by spraying a sodium-selenate solution (100 mg L-1 Se) onto the crop canopy before flowering. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of this Se-fertilization before flowering (cv. Leccino) on the phenolic profile of EVOOs, and test to what extent such effects depend on the weather pattern, as observed in two contrasting experimental seasons (2013 and 2014). Results showed that Se-fertilisation enriched EVOOs both in selenium (up to 120 μg kg-1) and in phenols (up to 401 mg kg-1). This latter enrichment was related to an increase in PAL (L-Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase) activities and it was largely independent on the climatic pattern. Considering the phenolic profile, oleacein, ligustroside, aglycone and oleocanthal were the most affected compounds and were increased by 57, 50 and 32%, respectively. All these compounds, especially oleacein, have been shown to exert a relevant anti-oxidant activity, contributing both to the shelf-life of EVOOs and to positive effects on human health. It is suggested that Se-fertilisation of olive trees before flowering may be an interesting practice, particularly with poor cultivars and cold and rainy weather patterns, which would normally lead to the production of EVOOs with unfavourable phenolic profile. PMID:28448631

Upper bounds on sequential decoding performance parameters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jelinek, F.

1974-01-01

This paper presents the best obtainable random coding and expurgated upper bounds on the probabilities of undetectable error, of t-order failure (advance to depth t into an incorrect subset), and of likelihood rise in the incorrect subset, applicable to sequential decoding when the metric bias G is arbitrary. Upper bounds on the Pareto exponent are also presented. The G-values optimizing each of the parameters of interest are determined, and are shown to lie in intervals that in general have nonzero widths. The G-optimal expurgated bound on undetectable error is shown to agree with that for maximum likelihood decoding of convolutional codes, and that on failure agrees with the block code expurgated bound. Included are curves evaluating the bounds for interesting choices of G and SNR for a binary-input quantized-output Gaussian additive noise channel.

Molecular basis of human body odour formation: insights deduced from corynebacterial genome sequences.

PubMed

Barzantny, H; Brune, I; Tauch, A

2012-02-01

During the past few decades, there has been an increased interest in the essential role of commensal skin bacteria in human body odour formation. It is now generally accepted that skin bacteria cause body odour by biotransformation of sweat components secreted in the human axillae. Especially, aerobic corynebacteria have been shown to contribute strongly to axillary malodour, whereas other human skin residents seem to have little influence. Analysis of odoriferous sweat components has shown that the major odour-causing substances in human sweat include steroid derivatives, short volatile branched-chain fatty acids and sulphanylalkanols. In this mini-review, we describe the molecular basis of the four most extensively studied routes of human body odour formation, while focusing on the underlying enzymatic processes. Considering the previously reported role of β-oxidation in odour formation, we analysed the genetic repertoire of eight Corynebacterium species concerning fatty acid metabolism. We particularly focused on the metabolic abilities of the lipophilic axillary isolate Corynebacterium jeikeium K411. © 2011 The Authors. ICS © 2011 Society of Cosmetic Scientists and the Société Française de Cosmétologie.

Modulation of Astrocyte Activity by Cannabidiol, a Nonpsychoactive Cannabinoid

PubMed Central

Kozela, Ewa; Juknat, Ana; Vogel, Zvi

2017-01-01

The astrocytes have gained in recent decades an enormous interest as a potential target for neurotherapies, due to their essential and pleiotropic roles in brain physiology and pathology. Their precise regulation is still far from understood, although several candidate molecules/systems arise as promising targets for astrocyte-mediated neuroregulation and/or neuroprotection. The cannabinoid system and its ligands have been shown to interact and affect activities of astrocytes. Cannabidiol (CBD) is the main non-psychotomimetic cannabinoid derived from Cannabis. CBD is devoid of direct CB1 and CB2 receptor activity, but exerts a number of important effects in the brain. Here, we attempt to sum up the current findings on the effects of CBD on astrocyte activity, and in this way on central nervous system (CNS) functions, across various tested models and neuropathologies. The collected data shows that increased astrocyte activity is suppressed in the presence of CBD in models of ischemia, Alzheimer-like and Multiple-Sclerosis-like neurodegenerations, sciatic nerve injury, epilepsy, and schizophrenia. Moreover, CBD has been shown to decrease proinflammatory functions and signaling in astrocytes. PMID:28788104

Strain Measurement in Aluminium Alloy during the Solidification Process Using Embedded Fibre Bragg Gratings.

PubMed

Weraneck, Klaus; Heilmeier, Florian; Lindner, Markus; Graf, Moritz; Jakobi, Martin; Volk, Wolfram; Roths, Johannes; Koch, Alexander W

2016-11-04

In recent years, the observation of the behaviour of components during the production process and over their life cycle is of increasing importance. Structural health monitoring, for example of carbon composites, is state-of-the-art research. The usage of Fibre Bragg Gratings (FBGs) in this field is of major advantage. Another possible area of application is in foundries. The internal state of melts during the solidification process is of particular interest. By using embedded FBGs, temperature and stress can be monitored during the process. In this work, FBGs were embedded in aluminium alloys in order to observe the occurring strain. Two different FBG positions were chosen in the mould in order to compare its dependence. It was shown that FBGs can withstand the solidification process, although a compression in the range of one percent was measured, which is in agreement with the literature value. Furthermore, different lengths of the gratings were applied, and it was shown that shorter gratings result in more accurate measurements. The obtained results prove that FBGs are applicable as sensors for temperatures up to 740 °C.

Melasma: systematic review of the systemic treatments.

PubMed

Zhou, Linghong Linda; Baibergenova, Akerke

2017-09-01

Currently available treatment options for melasma include prevention of UV radiation, topical lightening agents, chemical peels, and light-based and laser therapies. However, none have shown effective and sustained results, with incomplete clearance and frequent recurrences. There has been increasing interest recently in oral medications and dietary supplements in improving melasma. We sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety/tolerability of oral medications and dietary supplements for the treatment of melasma. Multiple databases were systematically searched for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the use of oral medication for treatment of melasma alone or in combination with other treatments. A total of eight RCTs met inclusion criteria. Oral medications and dietary supplements evaluated include tranexamic acid, Polypodium leucotomos extract, beta-carotenoid, melatonin, and procyanidin. These agents appear to have a beneficial effect on melasma improvement. In conclusion, oral medications have a role in melasma treatment and have been shown to be efficacious and tolerable with a minimal number and severity of adverse events. Therefore, dermatologists should keep oral medications and dietary supplements in their armamentarium for the treatment of melasma. © 2017 The International Society of Dermatology.

Modulation of Astrocyte Activity by Cannabidiol, a Nonpsychoactive Cannabinoid.

PubMed

Kozela, Ewa; Juknat, Ana; Vogel, Zvi

2017-07-31

The astrocytes have gained in recent decades an enormous interest as a potential target for neurotherapies, due to their essential and pleiotropic roles in brain physiology and pathology. Their precise regulation is still far from understood, although several candidate molecules/systems arise as promising targets for astrocyte-mediated neuroregulation and/or neuroprotection. The cannabinoid system and its ligands have been shown to interact and affect activities of astrocytes. Cannabidiol (CBD) is the main non-psychotomimetic cannabinoid derived from Cannabis . CBD is devoid of direct CB1 and CB2 receptor activity, but exerts a number of important effects in the brain. Here, we attempt to sum up the current findings on the effects of CBD on astrocyte activity, and in this way on central nervous system (CNS) functions, across various tested models and neuropathologies. The collected data shows that increased astrocyte activity is suppressed in the presence of CBD in models of ischemia, Alzheimer-like and Multiple-Sclerosis-like neurodegenerations, sciatic nerve injury, epilepsy, and schizophrenia. Moreover, CBD has been shown to decrease proinflammatory functions and signaling in astrocytes.

Tea polyphenols for health promotion

PubMed Central

Khan, Naghma; Mukhtar, Hasan

2011-01-01

People have been consuming brewed tea from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant for almost 50 centuries. Although health benefits have been attributed to tea, especially green tea consumption since the beginning of its history, scientific investigations of this beverage and its constituents have been underway for less than three decades. Currently, tea, in the form of green or black tea, next to water, is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. In vitro and animal studies provide strong evidence that polyphenols derived from tea may possess the bioactivity to affect the pathogenesis of several chronic diseases. Among all tea polyphenols, epigallocatechin-3-gallate has been shown to be responsible for much of the health promoting ability of green tea. Tea and tea preparations have been shown to inhibit tumorigenesis in a variety of animal models of carcinogenesis. However, with increasing interest in the health promoting properties of tea and a significant rise in scientific investigation, this review covers recent findings on the medicinal properties and health benefits of tea with special reference to cancer and cardiovascular diseases. PMID:17655876

Amniotic fluid derived stem cells give rise to neuron-like cells without a further differentiation potential into retina-like cells

PubMed Central

Hartmann, K; Raabe, O; Wenisch, S; Arnhold, S

2013-01-01

Amniotic fluid contains heterogeneous cell types and has become an interesting source for obtaining fetal stem cells. These stem cells have a high proliferative capacity and a good differentiation potential and may thus be suitable for regenerative medicine. As there is increasing evidence, that these stem cells are also able to be directed into the neural lineage, in our study we investigated the neuronal and glial differentiation potential of these cells, so that they may also be applied to cure degenerative diseases of the retina. Mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from routine prenatal amniocentesis at 15 to 18 weeks of pregnancy of human amniotic fluid and expanded in the cell culture. Cells were cultivated according to standard procedures for mesenchymal stem cells and were differentiated along the neural lineage using various protocols. Furthermore, it was also tried to direct them into cell types of the retina as well as into endothelial cells. Cells of more than 72 amniotic fluid samples were collected and characterized. While after induction neural-like phenotypes could actually be detected, which was confirmed using neural marker proteins such as GFAP and ßIII tubulina further differentiation into retinal like cells could not reliably be shown. These data suggest that amniotic fluid derived cells are an interesting cell source, which may also give rise to neural-like cells. However, a more specific differentiation into neuronal and glial cells could not unequivocally be shown, so that further investigations have to becarried out. PMID:23862099

Effects of tissue stiffness, ultrasound frequency, and pressure on histotripsy-induced cavitation bubble behavior.

PubMed

Vlaisavljevich, Eli; Lin, Kuang-Wei; Warnez, Matthew T; Singh, Rahul; Mancia, Lauren; Putnam, Andrew J; Johnsen, Eric; Cain, Charles; Xu, Zhen

2015-03-21

Histotripsy is an ultrasound ablation method that controls cavitation to fractionate soft tissue. In order to effectively fractionate tissue, histotripsy requires cavitation bubbles to rapidly expand from nanometer-sized initial nuclei into bubbles often larger than 50 µm. Using a negative pressure high enough to initiate a bubble cloud and expand bubbles to a sufficient size, histotripsy has been shown capable of completely fractionating soft tissue into acelluar debris resulting in effective tissue removal. Previous work has shown that the histotripsy process is affected by tissue mechanical properties with stiffer tissues showing increased resistance to histotripsy fractionation, which we hypothesize to be caused by impeded bubble expansion in stiffer tissues. In this study, the hypothesis that increases in tissue stiffness cause a reduction in bubble expansion was investigated both theoretically and experimentally. High speed optical imaging was used to capture a series of time delayed images of bubbles produced inside mechanically tunable agarose tissue phantoms using histotripsy pulses produced by 345 kHz, 500 kHz, 1.5 MHz, and 3 MHz histotripsy transducers. The results demonstrated a significant decrease in maximum bubble radius (Rmax) and collapse time (tc) with both increasing Young's modulus and increasing frequency. Furthermore, results showed that Rmax was not increased by raising the pressure above the intrinsic threshold. Finally, this work demonstrated the potential of using a dual-frequency strategy to modulate the expansion of histotripsy bubbles. Overall, the results of this study improve our understanding of how tissue stiffness and ultrasound parameters affect histotripsy-induced bubble behavior and provide a rational basis to tailor acoustic parameters for treatment of the specific tissues of interest.

Effects of tissue stiffness, ultrasound frequency, and pressure on histotripsy-induced cavitation bubble behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vlaisavljevich, Eli; Lin, Kuang-Wei; Warnez, Matthew T.; Singh, Rahul; Mancia, Lauren; Putnam, Andrew J.; Johnsen, Eric; Cain, Charles; Xu, Zhen

2015-03-01

Histotripsy is an ultrasound ablation method that controls cavitation to fractionate soft tissue. In order to effectively fractionate tissue, histotripsy requires cavitation bubbles to rapidly expand from nanometer-sized initial nuclei into bubbles often larger than 50 µm. Using a negative pressure high enough to initiate a bubble cloud and expand bubbles to a sufficient size, histotripsy has been shown capable of completely fractionating soft tissue into acelluar debris resulting in effective tissue removal. Previous work has shown that the histotripsy process is affected by tissue mechanical properties with stiffer tissues showing increased resistance to histotripsy fractionation, which we hypothesize to be caused by impeded bubble expansion in stiffer tissues. In this study, the hypothesis that increases in tissue stiffness cause a reduction in bubble expansion was investigated both theoretically and experimentally. High speed optical imaging was used to capture a series of time delayed images of bubbles produced inside mechanically tunable agarose tissue phantoms using histotripsy pulses produced by 345 kHz, 500 kHz, 1.5 MHz, and 3 MHz histotripsy transducers. The results demonstrated a significant decrease in maximum bubble radius (Rmax) and collapse time (tc) with both increasing Young’s modulus and increasing frequency. Furthermore, results showed that Rmax was not increased by raising the pressure above the intrinsic threshold. Finally, this work demonstrated the potential of using a dual-frequency strategy to modulate the expansion of histotripsy bubbles. Overall, the results of this study improve our understanding of how tissue stiffness and ultrasound parameters affect histotripsy-induced bubble behavior and provide a rational basis to tailor acoustic parameters for treatment of the specific tissues of interest.

Effects of an educational intervention on female biomedical scientists' research self-efficacy.

PubMed

Bakken, Lori L; Byars-Winston, Angela; Gundermann, Dawn M; Ward, Earlise C; Slattery, Angela; King, Andrea; Scott, Denise; Taylor, Robert E

2010-05-01

Women and people of color continue to be underrepresented among biomedical researchers to an alarming degree. Research interest and subsequent productivity have been shown to be affected by the research training environment through the mediating effects of research self-efficacy. This article presents the findings of a study to determine whether a short-term research training program coupled with an efficacy enhancing intervention for novice female biomedical scientists of diverse racial backgrounds would increase their research self-efficacy beliefs. Forty-three female biomedical scientists were randomized into a control or intervention group and 15 men participated as a control group. Research self-efficacy significantly increased for women who participated in the self-efficacy intervention workshop. Research self-efficacy within each group also significantly increased following the short-term research training program, but cross-group comparisons were not significant. These findings suggest that educational interventions that target sources of self-efficacy and provide domain-specific learning experiences are effective at increasing research self-efficacy for women and men. Further studies are needed to determine the longitudinal outcomes of this effort.

Effects of an Educational Intervention on Female Biomedical Scientists’ Research Self-Efficacy

PubMed Central

Bakken, Lori L.; Byars-Winston, Angela; Gundermann, Dawn M.; Ward, Earlise C.; Slattery, Angela; King, Andrea; Scott, Denise; Taylor, Robert E.

2009-01-01

Women and people of color continue to be underrepresented among biomedical researchers to an alarming degree. Research interest and subsequent productivity have been shown to be affected by the research training environment through the mediating effects of research self-efficacy. This article presents the findings of a study to determine whether a short-term research training program coupled with an efficacy enhancing intervention for novice female biomedical scientists of diverse racial backgrounds would increase their research self-efficacy beliefs. Forty-three female biomedical scientists were randomized into a control or intervention group and 15 men participated as a control group. Research self-efficacy significantly increased for women who participated in the self-efficacy intervention workshop. Research self-efficacy within each group also significantly increased following the short-term research training program, but cross-group comparisons were not significant. These findings suggest that educational interventions that target sources of self-efficacy and provide domain-specific learning experiences are effective at increasing research self-efficacy for women and men. Further studies are needed to determine the longitudinal outcomes of this effort. PMID:19774477

Increased enterocyte production in gnotobiotic rats mono-associated with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG.

PubMed

Banasaz, M; Norin, E; Holma, R; Midtvedt, T

2002-06-01

There is increasing scientific and commercial interest in using beneficial microorganisms (i.e., probiotics) to enhance intestinal health. Of the numerous microbial strains examined, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG has been most extensively studied. Daily intake of L. rhamnosus GG shortens the course of rotavirus infection by mechanisms that have not been fully elucidated. Comparative studies with germfree and conventional rats have shown that the microbial status of an animal influences the intestinal cell kinetics and morphology. The present study was undertaken to study whether establishment of L. rhamnosus GG as a mono-associate in germfree rats influences intestinal cell kinetics and morphology. L. rhamnosus GG was easily established in germfree rats. After 3 days of mono-association, the rate of mitoses in the upper part of the small intestine (jejunum 1) increased as much as 14 and 22% compared to the rates in germfree and conventional counterparts, respectively. The most striking alteration in morphology was an increase in the number of cells in the villi. We hypothesis that the compartmentalized effects of L. rhamnosus GG may represent a reparative event for the mucosa.

Reductive dechlorination of trichloroethylene by iron bimetallics

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

Orth, R.G.; Dauda, T.; McKenzie, D.E.

1998-07-01

Reductive dechlorination using a zero valence metal such as iron has seen an increase in interest with the extension of iron dechlorination to in-situ treatment of ground water. Studies to increase the rate of dechlorination and the long term stability have lead many to examine the use of bimetallic iron systems. Results are shown for bimetallic iron systems of Cu, Sn, Ni, Ag, Au, and Pd. All of these bimetallic couples form a galvanic couple which increase corrosion rates and the production of hydrogen. Increased rates of reaction normalized to surface area were observed for all the couples. The reactionmore » rates were found to depended on surface area and surface coverage of the iron. The results of studies in deuterium oxide indicate that the pathways changed as the bimetallic is changed and that the pathway in all cases could be a combination of dehydrohalgenation and sequential dechlorination. Degradation of DNAPL TCE by iron was found to be zero order and the type of product observed was different from that observed for TCE dissolved in water.« less

Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Peptide Systems During Formation of Life on Earth.

PubMed

Konstantinov, Konstantin K; Konstantinova, Alisa F

2018-03-01

Chiral symmetry breaking in complex chemical systems with a large number of amino acids and a large number of similar reactions was considered. It was shown that effective averaging over similar reaction channels may result in very weak effective enantioselectivity of forward reactions, which does not allow most of the known models to result in chiral symmetry breaking during formation of life on Earth. Models with simple and catalytic synthesis of a single amino acid, formation of peptides up to length five, and sedimentation of insoluble pair of substances were considered. It was shown that depending on the model and the values of the parameters, chiral symmetry breaking may occur in up to about 10% out of all possible unique insoluble pair combinations even in the absence of any catalytic synthesis and that minimum total number of amino acids in the pair is 5. If weak enantioselective forward catalytic synthesis of amino acids is present, then the number of possible variants, in which chiral symmetry breaking may occur, increases substantially. It was shown that that the most interesting catalysts have zero or one amino acid of "incorrect" chirality. If the parameters of the model are adjusted in such a way to result in an increase of concentration of longer peptides, then catalysts with two amino acids of incorrect chirality start to appear at peptides of length five. Models of chiral symmetry breaking in the presence of epimerization were considered for peptides up to length three. It was shown that the range of parameters in which chiral symmetry breaking could occur significantly shrinks in comparison to previously considered models with peptides up to length two. An experiment of chiral symmetry breaking was proposed. The experiment consists of a three-step cycle: reversible catalytic synthesis of amino acids, reversible synthesis of peptides, and irreversible sedimentation of insoluble substances.

Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Peptide Systems During Formation of Life on Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konstantinov, Konstantin K.; Konstantinova, Alisa F.

2018-03-01

Chiral symmetry breaking in complex chemical systems with a large number of amino acids and a large number of similar reactions was considered. It was shown that effective averaging over similar reaction channels may result in very weak effective enantioselectivity of forward reactions, which does not allow most of the known models to result in chiral symmetry breaking during formation of life on Earth. Models with simple and catalytic synthesis of a single amino acid, formation of peptides up to length five, and sedimentation of insoluble pair of substances were considered. It was shown that depending on the model and the values of the parameters, chiral symmetry breaking may occur in up to about 10% out of all possible unique insoluble pair combinations even in the absence of any catalytic synthesis and that minimum total number of amino acids in the pair is 5. If weak enantioselective forward catalytic synthesis of amino acids is present, then the number of possible variants, in which chiral symmetry breaking may occur, increases substantially. It was shown that that the most interesting catalysts have zero or one amino acid of "incorrect" chirality. If the parameters of the model are adjusted in such a way to result in an increase of concentration of longer peptides, then catalysts with two amino acids of incorrect chirality start to appear at peptides of length five. Models of chiral symmetry breaking in the presence of epimerization were considered for peptides up to length three. It was shown that the range of parameters in which chiral symmetry breaking could occur significantly shrinks in comparison to previously considered models with peptides up to length two. An experiment of chiral symmetry breaking was proposed. The experiment consists of a three-step cycle: reversible catalytic synthesis of amino acids, reversible synthesis of peptides, and irreversible sedimentation of insoluble substances.

Monoamine oxidase B is elevated in Alzheimer disease neurons, is associated with γ-secretase and regulates neuronal amyloid β-peptide levels.

PubMed

Schedin-Weiss, Sophia; Inoue, Mitsuhiro; Hromadkova, Lenka; Teranishi, Yasuhiro; Yamamoto, Natsuko Goto; Wiehager, Birgitta; Bogdanovic, Nenad; Winblad, Bengt; Sandebring-Matton, Anna; Frykman, Susanne; Tjernberg, Lars O

2017-08-01

Increased levels of the pathogenic amyloid β-peptide (Aβ), released from its precursor by the transmembrane protease γ-secretase, are found in Alzheimer disease (AD) brains. Interestingly, monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) activity is also increased in AD brain, but its role in AD pathogenesis is not known. Recent neuroimaging studies have shown that the increased MAO-B expression in AD brain starts several years before the onset of the disease. Here, we show a potential connection between MAO-B, γ-secretase and Aβ in neurons. MAO-B immunohistochemistry was performed on postmortem human brain. Affinity purification of γ-secretase followed by mass spectrometry was used for unbiased identification of γ-secretase-associated proteins. The association of MAO-B with γ-secretase was studied by coimmunoprecipitation from brain homogenate, and by in-situ proximity ligation assay (PLA) in neurons as well as mouse and human brain sections. The effect of MAO-B on Aβ production and Notch processing in cell cultures was analyzed by siRNA silencing or overexpression experiments followed by ELISA, western blot or FRET analysis. Methodology for measuring relative intraneuronal MAO-B and Aβ42 levels in single cells was developed by combining immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy with quantitative image analysis. Immunohistochemistry revealed MAO-B staining in neurons in the frontal cortex, hippocampus CA1 and entorhinal cortex in postmortem human brain. Interestingly, the neuronal staining intensity was higher in AD brain than in control brain in these regions. Mass spectrometric data from affinity purified γ-secretase suggested that MAO-B is a γ-secretase-associated protein, which was confirmed by immunoprecipitation and PLA, and a neuronal location of the interaction was shown. Strikingly, intraneuronal Aβ42 levels correlated with MAO-B levels, and siRNA silencing of MAO-B resulted in significantly reduced levels of intraneuronal Aβ42. Furthermore, overexpression of MAO-B enhanced Aβ production. This study shows that MAO-B levels are increased not only in astrocytes but also in pyramidal neurons in AD brain. The study also suggests that MAO-B regulates Aβ production in neurons via γ-secretase and thereby provides a key to understanding the relationship between MAO-B and AD pathogenesis. Potentially, the γ-secretase/MAO-B association may be a target for reducing Aβ levels using protein-protein interaction breakers.

24 CFR 221.256 - Interest rate increase and payment of mortgage insurance premiums on mortgages under § 221.60 and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Interest rate increase and payment... Interest rate increase and payment of mortgage insurance premiums on mortgages under § 221.60 and § 221.65... continuation of a below market interest rate, interest on such mortgage shall be computed by the mortgagee at...

Measuring the Interestingness of Articles in a Limited User Environment

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

Pon, Raymond K.

Search engines, such as Google, assign scores to news articles based on their relevancy to a query. However, not all relevant articles for the query may be interesting to a user. For example, if the article is old or yields little new information, the article would be uninteresting. Relevancy scores do not take into account what makes an article interesting, which varies from user to user. Although methods such as collaborative filtering have been shown to be effective in recommendation systems, in a limited user environment, there are not enough users that would make collaborative filtering effective. A general framework,more » called iScore, is presented for defining and measuring the 'interestingness' of articles, incorporating user-feedback. iScore addresses various aspects of what makes an article interesting, such as topic relevancy, uniqueness, freshness, source reputation, and writing style. It employs various methods to measure these features and uses a classifier operating on these features to recommend articles. The basic iScore configuration is shown to improve recommendation results by as much as 20%. In addition to the basic iScore features, additional features are presented to address the deficiencies of existing feature extractors, such as one that tracks multiple topics, called MTT, and a version of the Rocchio algorithm that learns its parameters online as it processes documents, called eRocchio. The inclusion of both MTT and eRocchio into iScore is shown to improve iScore recommendation results by as much as 3.1% and 5.6%, respectively. Additionally, in TREC11 Adaptive Filter Task, eRocchio is shown to be 10% better than the best filter in the last run of the task. In addition to these two major topic relevancy measures, other features are also introduced that employ language models, phrases, clustering, and changes in topics to improve recommendation results. These additional features are shown to improve recommendation results by iScore by up to 14%. Due to varying reasons that users hold regarding why an article is interesting, an online feature selection method in naive Bayes is also introduced. Online feature selection can improve recommendation results in iScore by up to 18.9%. In summary, iScore in its best configuration can outperform traditional IR techniques by as much as 50.7%. iScore and its components are evaluated in the news recommendation task using three datasets from Yahoo! News, actual users, and Digg. iScore and its components are also evaluated in the TREC Adaptive Filter task using the Reuters RCV1 corpus.« less

Accelerating Use of Sustainable Materials in Transportation Infrastructure

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-05-01

With the push towards sustainable design of highway infrastructure systems owners have shown interest in leveraging materials with minimal environmental impacts and extended service lives. Within this emphasis most efforts on sustainable material des...

ARC-1999-AC99-0013-4

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-26

Prince Willem-Alexander van Oranje (Crown Prince of the Netherlands) visits Ames. Shown here with Dr Henry McDonald, Ames Director in lobby of N-243. His visit was prompted by his strong personal interest in aviation.

National Interest Shown in Watershed Mapping Tool

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The State of Maryland is able to identify prime locations for watershed restoration and preservation using an interactive mapping tool developed by a partnership of agencies led by EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Water Protection Division.

A novel paradigm for engineering education: virtual internships with individualized mentoring and assessment of engineering thinking.

PubMed

Chesler, Naomi C; Ruis, A R; Collier, Wesley; Swiecki, Zachari; Arastoopour, Golnaz; Williamson Shaffer, David

2015-02-01

Engineering virtual internships are a novel paradigm for providing authentic engineering experiences in the first-year curriculum. They are both individualized and accommodate large numbers of students. As we describe in this report, this approach can (a) enable students to solve complex engineering problems in a mentored, collaborative environment; (b) allow educators to assess engineering thinking; and (c) provide an introductory experience that students enjoy and find valuable. Furthermore, engineering virtual internships have been shown to increase students'-and especially women's-interest in and motivation to pursue engineering degrees. When implemented in first-year engineering curricula more broadly, the potential impact of engineering virtual internships on the size and diversity of the engineering workforce could be dramatic.

[Symptoms of Celiac disease in childhood].

PubMed

Mouterde, O; Dumant, C; Mallet, E

2013-06-01

The knowledge regarding celiac disease has increased dramatically in recent years, due to the availability of accurate serologic markers. Mass screening studies have shown that the prevalence of sensitization can be as high as 1/80. The range of symptoms is wide, from the classic growth failure, denutrition and diarrhea in infancy to clinically and histologically asymptomatic sensitized subjects. The interest of a routine mass screening is debated. The classical celiac disease in infancy is well known. Atypical symptoms and potentially associated disease are more frequent and potentially confounding. Physicians should be aware of any clue for celiac disease in atypical cases in order to improve the diagnostic yield, and therefore avoiding short or long term consequences. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Improving Information Exchange in the Chicken Processing Sector Using Standardised Data Lists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donnelly, Kathryn Anne-Marie; van der Roest, Joop; Höskuldsson, Stefán Torfi; Olsen, Petter; Karlsen, Kine Mari

Research has shown that to improve electronic communication between companies, universal standardised data lists are necessary. In food supply chains in particular there is an increased need to exchange data in the wake of food safety incidents. Food supply chain companies already record numerous measurements, properties and parameters. These records are necessary for legal reasons, labelling, traceability, profiling desirable characteristics, showing compliance and for meeting customer requirements. Universal standards for name and content of each of these data elements would improve information exchange between buyers, sellers, authorities, consumers and other interested parties. A case study, carried out for the chicken sector, attempted to identify the most relevant parameters including which of these were already communicated to external bodies.

Prostate Artery Embolization as a New Treatment for Benign Prostate Hyperplasia: Contemporary Status in 2016.

PubMed

Noor, Amir; Fischman, Aaron M

2016-07-01

The gold standard treatment for benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) or open prostatectomy (OP). Recently, there has been increased interest and research in less invasive alternative treatments with less morbidity including prostate artery embolization (PAE). Several studies have shown PAE to be an effective alternative to TURP to treat lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with BPH with decreased morbidity. Specifically, PAE has been advantageous in selected patient populations such as those with prostates too large for TURP or unsuitable surgical candidates, showing a promising potential for the future care of patients with BPH. Further studies are being done to demonstrate the clinical applications and advantages of this therapy in reduction of LUTS.

Properties of PMR Polyimides Improved by Preparation of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS) Nanocomposites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, Sandi G.; Lee, Andre

2005-01-01

The field of hybrid organic-inorganic materials has grown drastically over the last several years. This interest stems from our ever-increasing ability to custom-build and control molecular structure at several length scales. This ability to control both the composition and structure of hybrid materials is sometimes broadly referred to as nanocomposite systems. One class of hybrid (organic-inorganic) nanostructured material is polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS), shown in the preceding diagram. The hybrid composition gives POSS materials dramatically enhanced properties relative to traditional hydrocarbons and inorganics. An important benefit of this technology is that it makes possible the formulations of nanostructured chemicals with excellent thermal and oxidative stability. This is largely due to the inorganic component.

Modeling and image reconstruction in spectrally resolved bioluminescence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dehghani, Hamid; Pogue, Brian W.; Davis, Scott C.; Patterson, Michael S.

2007-02-01

Recent interest in modeling and reconstruction algorithms for Bioluminescence Tomography (BLT) has increased and led to the general consensus that non-spectrally resolved intensity-based BLT results in a non-unique problem. However, the light emitted from, for example firefly Luciferase, is widely distributed over the band of wavelengths from 500 nm to 650 nm and above, with the dominant fraction emitted from tissue being above 550 nm. This paper demonstrates the development of an algorithm used for multi-wavelength 3D spectrally resolved BLT image reconstruction in a mouse model. It is shown that using a single view data, bioluminescence sources of up to 15 mm deep can be successfully recovered given correct information about the underlying tissue absorption and scatter.

1.2 million kids and counting-Mobile science laboratories drive student interest in STEM.

PubMed

Jones, Amanda L; Stapleton, Mary K

2017-05-01

In today's increasingly technological society, a workforce proficient in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills is essential. Research has shown that active engagement by K-12 students in hands-on science activities that use authentic science tools promotes student learning and retention. Mobile laboratory programs provide this type of learning in schools and communities across the United States and internationally. Many programs are members of the Mobile Lab Coalition (MLC), a nonprofit organization of mobile and other laboratory-based education programs built on scientist and educator collaborations. A recent survey of the member programs revealed that they provide an impressive variety of programming and have collectively served over 1.2 million students across the US.

WiFi-based person identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Jing

2016-10-01

There has been increased interest in WIFI devices equipped with multiple antennas, which brings various wireless sensing applications such as localization, gesture identification and motion tracking. WIFI-based sensing has a lot of benefits such as device Free, which has shown great potential in smart scenarios. In this paper, we present WIP, a system that can distinguish a person from a small group of people. We prove that Channel State Information (CSI) can identify a person's gait. From the related-work, different people have different gait features. Thus the CSI-based gait features can be used to identify a person. We then proposed a machine-learning model-ANN to classify different person. The results show that ANN has a good performance in our scenario.

Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease: Implications for Refinement of the Concept.

PubMed

Vos, Stephanie J B; Visser, Pieter Jelle

2018-05-23

Increasing interest in clinical trials and clinical research settings to identify Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the earliest stages of the disease has led to the concept of preclinical AD. Individuals with preclinical AD have AD pathology without clinical symptoms yet. Accumulating evidence has shown that biomarkers can identify preclinical AD and that preclinical AD is associated with a poor clinical outcome. Little is known yet about the role of vascular and lifestyle risk factors in the development of preclinical AD. In order to better understand preclinical AD pathology and clinical progression rates, there is a need to refine the concept of preclinical AD. This will be of great value for advancements in future research, clinical trials, and eventually clinical practice.

The roller coaster flight strategy of bar-headed geese conserves energy during Himalayan migrations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bishop, C.M.; Spivey, R.J.; Hawkes, L. A.; Batbayar, N.; Chua, B.; Frappell, P.B.; Milsom, W.K.; Natsagdorj, T.; Newman, S.H.; Scott, G.R.; Takekawa, John Y.; Wikelski, Martin; Butler, Patrick J.

2015-01-01

The physiological and biomechanical requirements of flight at high altitude have been the subject of much interest. Here, we uncover a steep relation between heart rate and wingbeat frequency (raised to the exponent 3.5) and estimated metabolic power and wingbeat frequency (exponent 7) of migratory bar-headed geese. Flight costs increase more rapidly than anticipated as air density declines, which overturns prevailing expectations that this species should maintain high-altitude flight when traversing the Himalayas. Instead, a "roller coaster" strategy, of tracking the underlying terrain and discarding large altitude gains only to recoup them later in the flight with occasional benefits from orographic lift, is shown to be energetically advantageous for flights over the Himalayas.

Fostering prosocial behavior and empathy in young children.

PubMed

Spinrad, Tracy L; Gal, Diana E

2018-04-01

There is increasing interest in understanding ways to foster young children's prosocial behavior (i.e. voluntary acts to benefit another). We begin this review by differentiating between types of prosocial behavior, empathy, and sympathy. We argue that sympathy and some types of prosocial behaviors are most likely intrinsically motivated, whereas other types of prosocial behaviors may be extrinsically motivated. Next, we highlight work focusing on the socialization practices that have been found to predict individual differences in young children's prosocial behavior and concern for others. Although work in the area is limited, we also review some intervention programs that have shown effectiveness in improving young children's positive social behaviors. We conclude with areas for future research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of advertisements promoting candy-like flavoured e-cigarettes on appeal of tobacco smoking among children: an experimental study.

PubMed

Vasiljevic, Milica; Petrescu, Dragos C; Marteau, Theresa M

2016-12-01

There are concerns that the marketing of e-cigarettes may increase the appeal of tobacco smoking in children. We examined this concern by assessing the impact on appeal of tobacco smoking after exposure to advertisements for e-cigarettes with and without candy-like flavours, such as, bubble gum and milk chocolate. We assigned 598 English school children (aged 11-16 years) to 1 of 3 different conditions corresponding to the adverts to which they were exposed: adverts for flavoured e-cigarettes, adverts for non-flavoured e-cigarettes or a control condition in which no adverts were shown. The primary endpoint was appeal of tobacco smoking. Secondary endpoints were: appeal of using e-cigarettes, susceptibility to tobacco smoking, perceived harm of tobacco, appeal of e-cigarette adverts and interest in buying and trying e-cigarettes. Tobacco smokers and e-cigarette users were excluded from analyses (final sample=471). Exposure to either set of adverts did not increase the appeal of tobacco smoking, the appeal of using e-cigarettes, or susceptibility to tobacco smoking. Also, it did not reduce the perceived harm of tobacco smoking, which was high. Flavoured e-cigarette adverts were, however, more appealing than adverts for non-flavoured e-cigarettes and elicited greater interest in buying and trying e-cigarettes. Exposure to adverts for e-cigarettes does not seem to increase the appeal of tobacco smoking in children. Flavoured, compared with non-flavoured, e-cigarette adverts did, however, elicit greater appeal and interest in buying and trying e-cigarettes. Further studies extending the current research are needed to elucidate the impact of flavoured and non-flavoured e-cigarette adverts. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

PolarTREC-Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating: Science Education from the Poles to the World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timm, K. M.; Warburton, J.; Owens, R.; Warnick, W. K.

2008-12-01

PolarTREC--Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating, a program of the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS), is a National Science Foundation (NSF)--funded International Polar Year (IPY) project in which K-12 educators participate in hands-on field experiences, working closely with IPY scientists as a pathway to improving science education. PolarTREC has developed a successful internet-based platform for teachers and researchers to interact and share their diverse experiences and expertise by creating interdisciplinary educational tools including online journals and forums, real-time Internet seminars, lesson plans, activities, audio, and other educational resources that address a broad range of scientific topics. These highly relevant, adaptable, and accessible resources are available to educators across the globe and have connected thousands of students and citizens to the excitement of polar science. By fostering the integration of research and education and infusing education with the thrill of discovery, PolarTREC will produce a legacy of long-term teacher-researcher collaborations and increased student knowledge of and interest in the polar regions well beyond the IPY time period. Educator and student feedback from preliminary evaluations has shown that PolarTREC's comprehensive program activities have many positive impacts on educators and their ability to teach science concepts and improve their teaching methods. Additionally, K-12 students polled in interest surveys showed significant changes in key areas including amount of time spent in school exploring research activities, importance of understanding science for future work, importance of understanding the polar regions as a person in today's world, as well as increased self-reported knowledge and interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics content areas. PolarTREC provides a tested approach and a clear route for researcher participation in the education community, facilitating increased educator, student, and community understanding of science and the polar regions during times of interrelated global change. For more information, visit the PolarTREC website.

Optimal Periodic Control Theory.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

single pair of complex eigenvalues are restricted to the unit circle in the complex plane . This is shown by first applying the reciprocity property to a...figure 6.2a and for H in figure 6.2b. Traversing the right half plot of figure 6.1a in a counter-clockwise direction, beginning at the origin...respectively. Only the lower half of the plots are shown because this region provides the solutions of most interest to the optimal periodic control problem

Transparent Glass-Ceramics Produced by Sol-Gel: A Suitable Alternative for Photonic Materials.

PubMed

Gorni, Giulio; Velázquez, Jose J; Mosa, Jadra; Balda, Rolindes; Fernández, Joaquin; Durán, Alicia; Castro, Yolanda

2018-01-30

Transparent glass-ceramics have shown interesting optical properties for several photonic applications. In particular, compositions based on oxide glass matrices with fluoride crystals embedded inside, known as oxyfluoride glass-ceramics, have gained increasing interest in the last few decades. Melt-quenching is still the most used method to prepare these materials but sol-gel has been indicated as a suitable alternative. Many papers have been published since the end of the 1990s, when these materials were prepared by sol-gel for the first time, thus a review of the achievements obtained so far is necessary. In the first part of this paper, a review of transparent sol-gel glass-ceramics is made focusing mainly on oxyfluoride compositions. Many interesting optical results have been obtained but very little innovation of synthesis and processing is found with respect to pioneering papers published 20 years ago. In the second part we describe the improvements in synthesis and processing obtained by the authors during the last five years. The main achievements are the preparation of oxyfluoride glass-ceramics with a much higher fluoride crystal fraction, at least double that reported up to now, and the first synthesis of NaGdF₄ glass-ceramics. Moreover, a new SiO₂ precursor was introduced in the synthesis, allowing for a reduction in the treatment temperature and favoring hydroxyl group removal. Interesting optical properties demonstrated the incorporation of dopant ions in the fluoride crystals, thus obtaining crystal-like spectra along with higher efficiencies with respect to xerogels, and hence demonstrating that these materials are a suitable alternative for photonic applications.

Quantitation of viable Coxiella burnetii in milk using an integrated cell culture-polymerase chain reaction (ICC-PCR) assay.

PubMed

Stewart, Diana; Shieh, Y-Carol; Tortorello, Mary; Kukreja, Ankush; Shazer, Arlette; Schlesser, Joseph

2015-11-01

The obligate intracellular pathogen Coxiella burnetii has long been considered the most heat resistant pathogen in raw milk, making it the reference pathogen for determining pasteurisation conditions for milk products. New milk formulations and novel non-thermal processes require validation of effectiveness which requires a more practical method for analysis than using the currently used animal model for assessing Coxiella survival. Also, there is an interest in better characterising thermal inactivation of Coxiella in various milk formulations. To avoid the use of the guinea pig model for evaluating Coxiella survival, an Integrated Cell Culture-PCR (ICC-PCR) method was developed for determining Coxiella viability in milk. Vero cell cultures were directly infected from Coxiella-contaminated milk in duplicate 24-well plates. Viability of the Coxiella in milk was shown by a ≥ 0.5 log genome equivalent (ge)/ml increase in the quantity of IS111a gene from the baseline post-infection (day 0) level after 9-11 d propagation. Coxiella in skim, 2%, and whole milk, and half and half successfully infected Vero cells and increased in number by at least 2 logs using a 48-h infection period followed by 9-d propagation time. As few as 125 Coxiella ge/ml in whole milk was shown to infect and propagate at least 2 logs in the optimised ICC-PCR assay, though variable confirmation of propagation was shown for as low as 25 Coxiella ge/ml. Applicability of the ICC-PCR method was further proven in an MPN format to quantitate the number of viable Coxiella remaining in whole milk after 60 °C thermal treatment at 0, 20, 40, 60 and 90 min.

The effects of autonomy-supportive and controlling teaching behaviour in biology lessons with primary and secondary experiences on students' intrinsic motivation and flow-experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hofferber, Natalia; Basten, Melanie; Großmann, Nadine; Wilde, Matthias

2016-09-01

Self-Determination Theory and Flow Theory propose that perceived autonomy fosters the positive qualities of motivation and flow-experience. Autonomy-support can help to maintain students' motivation in very interesting learning activities and may lead to an increase in the positive qualities of motivation in less interesting learning activities. This paper investigates whether autonomy-supportive or controlling teaching behaviour influence students' motivation and flow-experience in biology class. In study 1, 158 students of grade six worked on the adaptations of Harvest Mice (Micromys minutus) with living animals. The 153 sixth graders of study 2 dealt with the same content but instead worked with short films on laptops. Previous studies have shown that students perceive film sequences as less interesting than working with living animals. Students' intrinsic motivation and flow-experience were measured at the end of the first and the third lesson. In study 1, autonomy-supportive teaching behaviour led to significant differences in students' intrinsic motivation and flow-experience when compared to controlling teaching behaviour. In study 2, motivation and flow-experience were not always in line with theory. The positive effects of autonomy-supportive and the non-beneficial effects of the controlling teaching behaviour seem to be dependent on the interestingness of the teaching material.

Feasibility study on the readiness, suitability and acceptance of M-Learning AR in learning History

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taharim, Nurwahida Faradila; Lokman, Anitawati Mohd; Hanesh, Amjad; Aziz, Azhar Abd

2016-02-01

There is no doubt that globalization and innovation in technology has led to the use of technology widespread in almost all sectors, including in the field of education. In recent years, the use of technology in the field of education has more widely and rapidly expand worldwide. Integration of technology in education always open to new opportunities where past studies have shown that technology enhances teaching and learning experience. There are various technologies that have been integrated into the various disciplines of education. Augmented Reality (AR) in mobile learning, which allows a combination of real and virtual worlds in a mobile device, is one of the latest technological potential and has been applied in the field of education. The aim of this research work is to mitigate the challenges faced by end users namely students and teachers of history class by means of creating Augmented Reality mobile application to increase the interest in both delivering and receiving the subject matter. The system consists a mobile platform for students to view the content, and a cloud-based engine to deliver the content based on recognized marker. The impact of such system has been tested on both students and teachers, where students showed interest in learning history, while teachers expressed interest to extend and adopt the system school wide.

Estimating parameters of hidden Markov models based on marked individuals: use of robust design data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kendall, William L.; White, Gary C.; Hines, James E.; Langtimm, Catherine A.; Yoshizaki, Jun

2012-01-01

Development and use of multistate mark-recapture models, which provide estimates of parameters of Markov processes in the face of imperfect detection, have become common over the last twenty years. Recently, estimating parameters of hidden Markov models, where the state of an individual can be uncertain even when it is detected, has received attention. Previous work has shown that ignoring state uncertainty biases estimates of survival and state transition probabilities, thereby reducing the power to detect effects. Efforts to adjust for state uncertainty have included special cases and a general framework for a single sample per period of interest. We provide a flexible framework for adjusting for state uncertainty in multistate models, while utilizing multiple sampling occasions per period of interest to increase precision and remove parameter redundancy. These models also produce direct estimates of state structure for each primary period, even for the case where there is just one sampling occasion. We apply our model to expected value data, and to data from a study of Florida manatees, to provide examples of the improvement in precision due to secondary capture occasions. We also provide user-friendly software to implement these models. This general framework could also be used by practitioners to consider constrained models of particular interest, or model the relationship between within-primary period parameters (e.g., state structure) and between-primary period parameters (e.g., state transition probabilities).

Counterbalancing the use of ultrasound contrast agents by a cavitation-regulated system.

PubMed

Desjouy, C; Fouqueray, M; Lo, C W; Muleki Seya, P; Lee, J L; Bera, J C; Chen, W S; Inserra, C

2015-09-01

The stochastic behavior of cavitation can lead to major problems of initiation and maintenance of cavitation during sonication, responsible of poor reproducibility of US-induced bioeffects in the context of sonoporation for instance. To overcome these disadvantages, the injection of ultrasound contrast agents as cavitation nuclei ensures fast initiation and lower acoustic intensities required for cavitation activity. More recently, regulated-cavitation devices based on the real-time modulation of the applied acoustic intensity have shown their potential to maintain a stable cavitation state during an ultrasonic shot, in continuous or pulsed wave conditions. In this paper is investigated the interest, in terms of cavitation activity, of using such regulated-cavitation device or injecting ultrasound contrast agents in the sonicated medium. When using fixed applied acoustic intensity, results showed that introducing ultrasound contrast agents increases reproducibility of cavitation activity (coefficient of variation 62% and 22% without and with UCA, respectively). Moreover, the use of the regulated-cavitation device ensures a given cavitation activity (coefficient of variation less 0.4% in presence of UCAs or not). This highlights the interest of controlling cavitation over time to free cavitation-based application from the use of UCAs. Interestingly, during a one minute sonication, while ultrasound contrast agents progressively disappear, the regulated-cavitation device counterbalance their destruction to sustain a stable inertial cavitation activity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Effect of DUCOM's Mini-Medical School Summer Camp on Students' Interests in Medicine.

PubMed

Briskey, Michael; Ayyash, Ali; Chang, Angela; Mulcahey, Mary K

2017-01-01

Drexel University College of Medicine hosts two, three-week long Mini-Medical School Summer Camps each summer. These programs offer high-school seniors and freshmen in college the opportunity to experience various aspects of medical school and the life of a physician: attending lectures, observing surgeries, shadowing clinical physicians, etc. The purpose of this study is to see if the program increases students' interest in pursuing a career in medicine, the aspects of the program that accomplish this, and assess general satisfaction of the program. Information was collected from surveys administered to students before and after completion of the program. The program failed to show a difference in students' interest of pursuing a career in medicine before and after the program. Experiences in the operating room and ambulatory care (shadowing) were shown to be most influential on a student's decision to pursue a career in medicine. Students indicated the most enjoyed activity for both sessions was observing surgeries in the operating room. The majority of students would do the program again and recommend the program to their friends. Future studies should be conducted on similar programs to look at variables such as different age groups or socioeconomic statuses, and the impact these factors have on pursuing careers in medicine. Copyright © 2017 National Medical Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Three-Dimensional Analysis of Voids in AM60B Magnesium Tensile Bars Using Computed Tomography Imagery

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

Waters, A M

2001-05-01

In an effort to increase automobile fuel efficiency as well as decrease the output of harmful greenhouse gases, the automotive industry has recently shown increased interest in cast light metals such as magnesium alloys in an effort to increase weight savings. Currently several magnesium alloys such as AZ91 and AM60B are being used in structural applications for automobiles. However, these magnesium alloys are not as well characterized as other commonly used structural metals such as aluminum. This dissertation presents a methodology to nondestructively quantify damage accumulation due to void behavior in three dimensions in die-cast magnesium AM60B tensile bars asmore » a function of mechanical load. Computed tomography data was acquired after tensile bars were loaded up to and including failure, and analyzed to characterize void behavior as it relates to damage accumulation. Signal and image processing techniques were used along with a cluster labeling routine to nondestructively quantify damage parameters in three dimensions. Void analyses were performed including void volume distribution characterization, nearest neighbor distance calculations, shape parameters, and volumetric renderings of voids in the alloy. The processed CT data was used to generate input files for use in finite element simulations, both two- and three-dimensional. The void analyses revealed that the overwhelming source of failure in each tensile bar was a ring of porosity within each bar, possibly due to a solidification front inherent to the casting process. The measured damage parameters related to void nucleation, growth, and coalescence were shown to contribute significantly to total damage accumulation. Void volume distributions were characterized using a Weibull function, and the spatial distributions of voids were shown to be clustered. Two-dimensional finite element analyses of the tensile bars were used to fine-tune material damage models and a three-dimensional mesh of an extracted portion of one tensile bar including voids was generated from CT data and used as input to a finite element analysis.« less

Effect of Climate Change and Transaction Costs on Performance of a Groundwater Market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, H. F.; Brown, C.

2017-12-01

With surface water resources becoming increasingly stressed, groundwater extraction, much of it unmanaged, has increased globally. Incentive-based policies, such as the cap-and-trade system, have been shown to be useful in the context of groundwater management. Previous research has shown that optimal groundwater markets (i.e. incentives-based policy) outperforms water quotas (command and control policy) with regards to both economic and environmental outcomes. In this work, we investigate whether these advantages of a water market over water quotas hold when assumptions of perfect information are violated due to climate change and hydrogeologic heterogeneity. We also assess whether the benefits of a cap-and-trade system outweigh the costs of implementing it, and how changes in future climate affect the performance a cap-and trade system. We use a sub-basin of the Republican River Basin, overlying the Ogallala aquifer in the High Plains of the United States, as a case study. We develop a multi-agent system model where individual benefits of each self-interested agent are maximized subject to bounds on irrigation requirements and water use permits. This economic model is coupled with a calibrated physically based groundwater model for the study region. Results show that permitting farmers to trade results in increased economic benefits and reduced environmental violations. However, the benefits of trading are dependent on the total allocations and the resulting level of water demand. We quantify third party impacts and environmental externalities for different water allocations, and highlight the unequal distributional effects of uniform water allocations resulting in `winners' and `losers'. The study reveals that high transaction costs can reduce the efficiency of the cap-and-trade system even below that of water quotas. Future changes in climate are shown to significantly influence the dynamics of the water market, and emphasize the need to address climate sensitivity in the setup of water markets.

An ex ante control chart for project monitoring using earned duration management observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mortaji, Seyed Taha Hossein; Noori, Siamak; Noorossana, Rassoul; Bagherpour, Morteza

2017-12-01

In the past few years, there has been an increasing interest in developing project control systems. The primary purpose of such systems is to indicate whether the actual performance is consistent with the baseline and to produce a signal in the case of non-compliance. Recently, researchers have shown an increased interest in monitoring project's performance indicators, by plotting them on the Shewhart-type control charts over time. However, these control charts are fundamentally designed for processes and ignore project-specific dynamics, which can lead to weak results and misleading interpretations. By paying close attention to the project baseline schedule and using statistical foundations, this paper proposes a new ex ante control chart which discriminates between acceptable (as-planned) and non-acceptable (not-as-planned) variations of the project's schedule performance. Such control chart enables project managers to set more realistic thresholds leading to a better decision making for taking corrective and/or preventive actions. For the sake of clarity, an illustrative example has been presented to show how the ex ante control chart is constructed in practice. Furthermore, an experimental investigation has been set up to analyze the performance of the proposed control chart. As expected, the results confirm that, when a project starts to deflect significantly from the project's baseline schedule, the ex ante control chart shows a respectable ability to detect and report right signals while avoiding false alarms.

A Bridge to Coordination Isomer Selection in Lanthanide(III) DOTA-tetraamide Complexes

PubMed Central

Vipond, Jeff; Woods, Mark; Zhao, Piyu; Tircso, Gyula; Ren, Jimin; Bott, Simon G.; Ogrin, Doug; Kiefer, Garry E.; Kovacs, Zoltan; Sherry, A.Dean

2008-01-01

Interest in macrocyclic lanthanide complexes such as DOTA is driven largely through interest in their use as contrast agents for MRI. The lanthanide tetraamide derivatives of DOTA have shown considerable promise as PARACEST agents, taking advantage of the slow water exchange kinetics of this class of complex. We postulated that water exchange in these tetraamide complexes could be slowed even further by introducing a group to sterically encumber the space above the water coordination site, thereby hindering the departure and approach of water molecules to the complex. The ligand 8O2-bridged-DOTAM was synthesized in a 34% yield from cyclen. It was found that the lanthanide complexes of this ligand did not possess a water molecule in the inner coordination sphere of the bound lanthanide. The crystal structure of the ytterbium complex revealed that distortions to the coordination sphere were induced by the steric constraints imposed on the complex by the bridging unit. The extent of the distortion was found to increase with increasing ionic radius of the lanthanide ion, eventually resulting in a complete loss of symmetry in the complex. Because this ligand system is bicyclic, the conformation of each ring in the system is constrained by that of the other, in consequence inclusion of the bridging unit in the complexes means only a twisted square antiprismatic coordination geometry is observed for complexes of 8O2-bridged-DOTAM. PMID:17295475

3D joint inversion of gravity-gradient and borehole gravity data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geng, Meixia; Yang, Qingjie; Huang, Danian

2017-12-01

Borehole gravity is increasingly used in mineral exploration due to the advent of slim-hole gravimeters. Given the full-tensor gradiometry data available nowadays, joint inversion of surface and borehole data is a logical next step. Here, we base our inversions on cokriging, which is a geostatistical method of estimation where the error variance is minimised by applying cross-correlation between several variables. In this study, the density estimates are derived using gravity-gradient data, borehole gravity and known densities along the borehole as a secondary variable and the density as the primary variable. Cokriging is non-iterative and therefore is computationally efficient. In addition, cokriging inversion provides estimates of the error variance for each model, which allows direct assessment of the inverse model. Examples are shown involving data from a single borehole, from multiple boreholes, and combinations of borehole gravity and gravity-gradient data. The results clearly show that the depth resolution of gravity-gradient inversion can be improved significantly by including borehole data in addition to gravity-gradient data. However, the resolution of borehole data falls off rapidly as the distance between the borehole and the feature of interest increases. In the case where the borehole is far away from the target of interest, the inverted result can be improved by incorporating gravity-gradient data, especially all five independent components for inversion.

[In the consumers' interest: precautionary principles for protection against electromagnetic fields].

PubMed

Dehos, A; Weiss, W

2002-12-01

The considerable increase in using mobile communication which will increase when new technologies, such as UMTS, are introduced has resulted in further public interest concerning the possible health risks from electromagnetic fields of cellular phone networks. In view of evaluating the scientific state-of-the art, it has been shown that based on the available scientific results, the individual risk in view of proved health consequences is considered low. There are, however, indications of biological effects of high-frequency electromagnetic fields, even at intensities below the currently applied limit values or recommendations for limit values. Although the health relevance of these effects is still unclear, they give reason to precautionary measures with the object to minimise possible health risks which might affect a large number of persons. The precautionary measures recommended by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection include three principles: 1. Exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields should be as low as possible. This applies for both the fixed parts of cellular phone networks and for mobile phones. 2. The population should be informed of risks in an objective and comprehensive way and be involved in the decisions on the construction and operation of cellular phone networks. 3. Scientific uncertainties should be reduced by means of well-directed research programmes. These precautionary measures and the significance of limit values are explained below.

Fruiting Body Formation of Cordyceps militaris from Multi-Ascospore Isolates and Their Single Ascospore Progeny Strains

PubMed Central

Shrestha, Bhushan; Han, Sang-Kuk; Sung, Jae-Mo

2012-01-01

Interest in commercial cultivation and product development of Cordyceps species has shown a recent increase. Due to its biochemical and pharmacological effects, Cordyceps militaris, commonly known as orange caterpillar fungus, is being investigated with great interest. Cultivation of C. militaris has been practiced on a large scale in order to fulfill a demand for scientific investigation and product development. Isolates of C. militaris can be easily established from both spores and tissue. For isolation of spores, ascospores released from mature stromata are trapped in sterile medium. Multi-ascospore isolates, as well as combinations of single ascospore strains, are used for production of fruiting bodies. Progeny ascospore strains can be isolated from artificial fruiting bodies, thus, the cycle of fruiting body production can be continued for a long period of time. In this study, we examined fruiting body production from multi-ascospore isolates and their progeny strains for three generations. F1 progeny strains generally produced a larger number of fruiting bodies, compared with their mother multi-ascospore isolates; however, F2 and F3 progeny strains produced fewer fruiting bodies. Optimum preservation conditions could help to increase the vitality of the progeny strains. In order to retain the fruiting ability of the strains, further testing of various methods of preservation and different methods for isolation should be performed. PMID:22870051

Avenanthramides: chemistry and biosynthesis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Avenanthramides are secondary metabolites produced in oat (and possibly in carnation) that function as phytoalexins (antimicrobial compounds) in the plant. They also possess potent anti-oxidant properties and have also shown several interesting nutraceutical properties in laboratory tests. This book...

Nothing to declare: mandatory and voluntary disclosure leads advisors to avoid conflicts of interest.

PubMed

Sah, Sunita; Loewenstein, George

2014-02-01

Professionals face conflicts of interest when they have a personal interest in giving biased advice. Mandatory disclosure--informing consumers of the conflict--is a widely adopted strategy in numerous professions, such as medicine, finance, and accounting. Prior research has shown, however, that such disclosures have little impact on consumer behavior, and can backfire by leading advisors to give even more biased advice. We present results from three experiments with real monetary stakes. These results show that, although disclosure has generally been found to be ineffective for dealing with unavoidable conflicts of interest, it can be beneficial when providers have the ability to avoid conflicts. Mandatory and voluntary disclosure can deter advisors from accepting conflicts of interest so that they have nothing to disclose except the absence of conflicts. We propose that people are averse to being viewed as biased, and that policies designed to activate reputational and ethical concerns will motivate advisors to avoid conflicts of interest.

Polyphenolic Composition of Crataegus monogyna Jacq.: From Chemistry to Medical Applications

PubMed Central

Nabavi, Seyed Fazel; Habtemariam, Solomon; Ahmed, Touqeer; Sureda, Antoni; Daglia, Maria; Sobarzo-Sánchez, Eduardo; Nabavi, Seyed Mohammad

2015-01-01

The abundance of scientific evidence has shown that many synthetic drugs can cause serious adverse effects in patients. Recently, the search of natural therapeutic agents with low adverse effects has attracted much attention. In particular, considerable interest has focused on edible and medicinal plants, which play an important role in human diet, and have been used for disease treatment since ancient times. Crataegus monogyna Jacq. (hawthorn) is one of the most important edible plants of the Rosaceae family and is also used in traditional medicine. Growing evidence has shown that this plant has various interesting physiological and pharmacological activities due to the presence of different bioactive natural compounds. In addition, scientific evidence suggests that the toxicity of hawthorn is negligible. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide a critical review of the available scientific literature about pharmacological activities as well as botanical aspects, phytochemistry and clinical impacts of C. monogyna. PMID:26378574

Polyphenolic Composition of Crataegus monogyna Jacq.: From Chemistry to Medical Applications.

PubMed

Nabavi, Seyed Fazel; Habtemariam, Solomon; Ahmed, Touqeer; Sureda, Antoni; Daglia, Maria; Sobarzo-Sánchez, Eduardo; Nabavi, Seyed Mohammad

2015-09-11

The abundance of scientific evidence has shown that many synthetic drugs can cause serious adverse effects in patients. Recently, the search of natural therapeutic agents with low adverse effects has attracted much attention. In particular, considerable interest has focused on edible and medicinal plants, which play an important role in human diet, and have been used for disease treatment since ancient times. Crataegus monogyna Jacq. (hawthorn) is one of the most important edible plants of the Rosaceae family and is also used in traditional medicine. Growing evidence has shown that this plant has various interesting physiological and pharmacological activities due to the presence of different bioactive natural compounds. In addition, scientific evidence suggests that the toxicity of hawthorn is negligible. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide a critical review of the available scientific literature about pharmacological activities as well as botanical aspects, phytochemistry and clinical impacts of C. monogyna.

Taming the nonlinearity of the Einstein equation.

PubMed

Harte, Abraham I

2014-12-31

Many of the technical complications associated with the general theory of relativity ultimately stem from the nonlinearity of Einstein's equation. It is shown here that an appropriate choice of dynamical variables may be used to eliminate all such nonlinearities beyond a particular order: Both Landau-Lifshitz and tetrad formulations of Einstein's equation are obtained that involve only finite products of the unknowns and their derivatives. Considerable additional simplifications arise in physically interesting cases where metrics become approximately Kerr or, e.g., plane waves, suggesting that the variables described here can be used to efficiently reformulate perturbation theory in a variety of contexts. In all cases, these variables are shown to have simple geometrical interpretations that directly relate the local causal structure associated with the metric of interest to the causal structure associated with a prescribed background. A new method to search for exact solutions is outlined as well.

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.

Oxidative stress and inflammation: liver responses and adaptations to acute and regular exercise.

PubMed

Pillon Barcelos, Rômulo; Freire Royes, Luiz Fernando; Gonzalez-Gallego, Javier; Bresciani, Guilherme

2017-02-01

The liver is remarkably important during exercise outcomes due to its contribution to detoxification, synthesis, and release of biomolecules, and energy supply to the exercising muscles. Recently, liver has been also shown to play an important role in redox status and inflammatory modulation during exercise. However, while several studies have described the adaptations of skeletal muscles to acute and chronic exercise, hepatic changes are still scarcely investigated. Indeed, acute intense exercise challenges the liver with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammation onset, whereas regular training induces hepatic antioxidant and anti-inflammatory improvements. Acute and regular exercise protocols in combination with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory supplementation have been also tested to verify hepatic adaptations to exercise. Although positive results have been reported in some acute models, several studies have shown an increased exercise-related stress upon liver. A similar trend has been observed during training: while synergistic effects of training and antioxidant/anti-inflammatory supplementations have been occasionally found, others reported a blunting of relevant adaptations to exercise, following the patterns described in skeletal muscles. This review discusses current data regarding liver responses and adaptation to acute and regular exercise protocols alone or combined with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory supplementation. The understanding of the mechanisms behind these modulations is of interest for both exercise-related health and performance outcomes.

Elucidating the Function of Penetratin and a Static Magnetic Field in Cellular Uptake of Magnetic Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Chaudhary, Suman; Smith, Carol Anne; del Pino, Pablo; de la Fuente, Jesus M.; Mullin, Margaret; Hursthouse, Andrew; Stirling, David; Berry, Catherine C.

2013-01-01

Nanotechnology plays an increasingly important role in the biomedical arena. In particular, magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) have become important tools in molecular diagnostics, in vivo imaging and improved treatment of disease, with the ultimate aim of producing a more theranostic approach. Due to their small sizes, the nanoparticles can cross most of the biological barriers such as the blood vessels and the blood brain barrier, thus providing ubiquitous access to most tissues. In all biomedical applications maximum nanoparticle uptake into cells is required. Two promising methods employed to this end include functionalization of mNPs with cell-penetrating peptides to promote efficient translocation of cargo into the cell and the use of external magnetic fields for enhanced delivery. This study aimed to compare the effect of both penetratin and a static magnetic field with regards to the cellular uptake of 200 nm magnetic NPs and determine the route of uptake by both methods. Results demonstrated that both techniques increased particle uptake, with penetratin proving more cell specific. Clathrin- medicated endocytosis appeared to be responsible for uptake as shown via PCR and western blot, with Pitstop 2 (known to selectively block clathrin formation) blocking particle uptake. Interestingly, it was further shown that a magnetic field was able to reverse or overcome the blocking, suggesting an alternative route of uptake. PMID:24275948

The role of turmerones on curcumin transportation and P-glycoprotein activities in intestinal Caco-2 cells.

PubMed

Yue, Grace G L; Cheng, Sau-Wan; Yu, Hua; Xu, Zi-Sheng; Lee, Julia K M; Hon, Po-Ming; Lee, Mavis Y H; Kennelly, Edward J; Deng, Gary; Yeung, Simon K; Cassileth, Barrie R; Fung, Kwok-Pui; Leung, Ping-Chung; Lau, Clara B S

2012-03-01

The rhizome of Curcuma longa (turmeric) is often used in Asia as a spice and as a medicine. Its most well-studied component, curcumin, has been shown to exhibit poor bioavailability in animal studies and clinical trials. We hypothesized that the presence of lipophilic components (e.g., turmerones) in turmeric extract would affect the absorption of curcumin. The effects of turmerones on curcumin transport were evaluated in human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells. The roles of turmerones on P-glycoprotein (P-gp) activities and mRNA expression were also evaluated. Results showed that in the presence of α- and aromatic turmerones, the amount of curcumin transported into the Caco-2 cells in 2 hours was significantly increased. α-Turmerone and verapamil (a P-gp inhibitor) significantly inhibited the efflux of rhodamine-123 and digoxin (i.e., inhibited the activity of P-gp). It is interesting that aromatic turmerone significantly increased the rhodamine-123 efflux and P-gp (MDR1 gene) mRNA expression levels. The effects of α- and aromatic turmerones on curcumin transport as well as P-gp activities were shown here for the first time. The presence of turmerones did affect the absorption of curcumin in vitro. These findings suggest the potential use of turmeric extract (including curcumin and turmerones), rather than curcumin alone, for treating diseases.

Trace element status and fatty acids metabolism during healthy ageing: an example of a population from the Tunisian eastern coast.

PubMed

Sfar, Sonia; El Heni, Jihen; Laporte, François; Braham, Hamadi; Jawed, Abdelhafidh; Amor, Salah; Sfar, Mohamed Tahar; Kerkeni, Abdelhamid

2012-03-01

Micronutrients as well as essential fatty acids are indispensable for the correct functioning of the organism. The risk of disturbance in the associated nutrition and metabolism is expected to increase during ageing. In addition, it seems that trace elements are involved in the fatty acids metabolism. The aim of the present study was then to assess age-related changes in trace elements status and in plasma essential fatty acids composition with an emphasis on the desaturase activity estimation. Two hundred healthy Tunisian subjects (30-85 years old) were recruited and separated into two subgroups: elderly (65-85 years old) and middle-aged (30-60 years old). The findings revealed that plasma zinc and calcium concentrations significantly decreased according to age. The prevalence of zinc deficiency was therefore shown to increase in old age (over 60% of elderly subjects were deficient or at risk of deficiency). No age-related changes were obtained for copper or magnesium status. The Δ6 desaturase, involved in the EFAs conversion, was shown to decrease according to age and to be associated with the plasma zinc level. Since elderly subjects were at risk of nutritional imbalance, it would be interesting to set optimal dietary proportion. This will help to prevent age-associated alterations and diseases for a better and healthy ageing. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Role of Turmerones on Curcumin Transportation and P-Glycoprotein Activities in Intestinal Caco-2 Cells

PubMed Central

Yue, Grace G.L.; Cheng, Sau-Wan; Yu, Hua; Xu, Zi-Sheng; Lee, Julia K.M.; Hon, Po-Ming; Lee, Mavis Y.H.; Kennelly, Edward J.; Deng, Gary; Yeung, Simon K.; Cassileth, Barrie R.; Fung, Kwok-Pui; Leung, Ping-Chung

2012-01-01

Abstract The rhizome of Curcuma longa (turmeric) is often used in Asia as a spice and as a medicine. Its most well-studied component, curcumin, has been shown to exhibit poor bioavailability in animal studies and clinical trials. We hypothesized that the presence of lipophilic components (e.g., turmerones) in turmeric extract would affect the absorption of curcumin. The effects of turmerones on curcumin transport were evaluated in human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells. The roles of turmerones on P-glycoprotein (P-gp) activities and mRNA expression were also evaluated. Results showed that in the presence of α- and aromatic turmerones, the amount of curcumin transported into the Caco-2 cells in 2 hours was significantly increased. α-Turmerone and verapamil (a P-gp inhibitor) significantly inhibited the efflux of rhodamine-123 and digoxin (i.e., inhibited the activity of P-gp). It is interesting that aromatic turmerone significantly increased the rhodamine-123 efflux and P-gp (MDR1 gene) mRNA expression levels. The effects of α- and aromatic turmerones on curcumin transport as well as P-gp activities were shown here for the first time. The presence of turmerones did affect the absorption of curcumin in vitro. These findings suggest the potential use of turmeric extract (including curcumin and turmerones), rather than curcumin alone, for treating diseases. PMID:22181075

Functional role of DNA mismatch repair gene PMS2 in prostate cancer cells

PubMed Central

Mitsui, Yozo; Chiyomaru, Takeshi; Yamamura, Soichiro; Majid, Shahana; Saini, Sharanjot; Deng, Guoren; Gill, Ankurpreet; Wong, Darryn K.; Shiina, Hiroaki; Nonomura, Norio; Lau, Yun-Fai C.; Dahiya, Rajvir; Tanaka, Yuichiro

2015-01-01

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) enzymes act as proofreading complexes that maintains genomic integrity and MMR-deficient cells show an increased mutation rate. MMR has also been shown to influence cell signaling and the regulation of tumor development. MMR consists of various genes and includes post-meiotic segregation (PMS) 2 which is a vital component of mutL-alpha. In prostate, the functional role of this gene has never been reported and in this study, our aim was to investigate the effect of PMS2 on growth properties of prostate cancer (PCa) cells. Previous studies have shown PMS2 to be deficient in DU145 cells and this lack of expression was confirmed by Western blotting whereas normal prostatic PWR-1E and RWPE-1 cells expressed this gene. PMS2 effects on various growth properties of DU145 were then determined by creating stable gene transfectants. Interestingly, PMS2 caused decreased cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and in vivo growth; and increased apoptosis as compared to vector control. We further analyzed genes affected by PMS2 expression and observe the apoptosis-related TMS1 gene to be significantly upregulated whereas anti-apoptotic BCL2A1 was downregulated. These results demonstrate a functional role for PMS2 to protect against PCa progression by enhancing apoptosis of PCa cells. PMID:26036629

Increasing physical activity and exercise in lung cancer: reviewing safety, benefits, and application.

PubMed

Bade, Brett C; Thomas, D David; Scott, JoAnn B; Silvestri, Gerard A

2015-06-01

Lung cancer continues to be a difficult disease frequently diagnosed in late stages with a high mortality and symptom burden. In part because of frequent lung comorbidity, even lung cancer survivors often remain symptomatic and functionally limited. Though targeted therapy continues to increase treatment options for advanced-stage disease, symptom burden remains high with few therapeutic options. In the last several decades, exercise and physical activity have arisen as therapeutic options for obstructive lung disease and lung cancer. To date, exercise has been shown to reduce symptoms, increase exercise tolerance, improve quality of life, and potentially reduce length of stay and postoperative complications. Multiple small trials have been performed in perioperative non-small-cell lung cancer patients, although fewer studies are available for patients with advanced-stage disease. Despite the increased interest in this subject over the last few years, a validated exercise regimen has not been established for perioperative or advanced-stage disease. Clinicians underutilize exercise and pulmonary rehabilitation as a therapy, in part because of the lack of evidence-based consensus as to how and when to implement increasing physical activity. This review summarizes the existing evidence on exercise in lung cancer patients.

Examine How Botswana Defense Force in Concurrence with Other Instruments of National Power, Promote Botwana’s National Interests in a Multifarious International Security Environment Regionally

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-10

national objectives that will be pursued through the implementation of the NSS. It is now prudent to focus arguments on the NDS. Formulating the...interests through foreign policy development ) in the region and abroad. 83 The fundamental purpose of Botswana’s NSS is principally based on a...notion. This will also be shown in subsequent arguments when discussing the Foreign Policy; Formulation and Implementation Model . But it is equally

Inquiry Learning in the Singaporean Context: Factors affecting student interest in school science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jocz, Jennifer Ann; Zhai, Junqing; Tan, Aik Ling

2014-10-01

Recent research reveals that students' interest in school science begins to decline at an early age. As this lack of interest could result in fewer individuals qualified for scientific careers and a population unprepared to engage with scientific societal issues, it is imperative to investigate ways in which interest in school science can be increased. Studies have suggested that inquiry learning is one way to increase interest in science. Inquiry learning forms the core of the primary syllabus in Singapore; as such, we examine how inquiry practices may shape students' perceptions of science and school science. This study investigates how classroom inquiry activities relate to students' interest in school science. Data were collected from 425 grade 4 students who responded to a questionnaire and 27 students who participated in follow-up focus group interviews conducted in 14 classrooms in Singapore. Results indicate that students have a high interest in science class. Additionally, self-efficacy and leisure-time science activities, but not gender, were significantly associated with an increased interest in school science. Interestingly, while hands-on activities are viewed as fun and interesting, connecting learning to real-life and discussing ideas with their peers had a greater relation to student interest in school science. These findings suggest that inquiry learning can increase Singaporean students' interest in school science; however, simply engaging students in hands-on activities is insufficient. Instead, student interest may be increased by ensuring that classroom activities emphasize the everyday applications of science and allow for peer discussion.

Early effects of a high-caloric diet and physical exercise on brain volumetry and behavior: a combined MRI and histology study in mice.

PubMed

Sack, Markus; Lenz, Jenny N; Jakovcevski, Mira; Biedermann, Sarah V; Falfán-Melgoza, Claudia; Deussing, Jan; Bielohuby, Maximilian; Bidlingmaier, Martin; Pfister, Frederik; Stalla, Günter K; Sartorius, Alexander; Gass, Peter; Weber-Fahr, Wolfgang; Fuss, Johannes; Auer, Matthias K

2017-10-01

Excessive intake of high-caloric diets as well as subsequent development of obesity and diabetes mellitus may exert a wide range of unfavorable effects on the central nervous system (CNS) in the long-term. The potentially harmful effects of such diets were suggested to be mitigated by physical exercise. Here, we conducted a study investigating early effects of a cafeteria-diet on gray and white brain matter volume by means of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and region-of-interest (ROI) analysis. Half of the mice performed voluntary wheel running to study if regular physical exercise prevents unfavorable effects of a cafeteria-diet. In addition, histological analyses for myelination and neurogenesis were performed. As expected, wheel running resulted in a significant increase of gray matter volume in the CA1-3 areas, the dentate gyrus and stratum granulosum of the hippocampus in the VBM analysis, while a positive effect of the cafeteria-diet was shown for the whole hippocampal CA1-3 area only in the ROI analysis, indicating a regional volume effect. It was earlier found that hippocampal neurogenesis may be related to volume increases after exercise. Interestingly, while running resulted in a significant increase in neurogenesis assessed by doublecortin (DCX)-labeling, this was not true for cafeteria diet. This indicates different underlying mechanisms for gray matter increase. Moreover, animals receiving cafeteria diet only showed mild deficits in long-term memory assessed by the puzzle-box paradigm, while executive functioning and short term memory were not affected. Our data therefore highlight that high caloric diet impacts on the brain and behavior. Physical exercise seems not to interact with these mechanisms.

Mitochondrial genome modulates myocardial Akt/GLUT/HK salvage pathway in spontaneously hypertensive rats adapted to chronic hypoxia.

PubMed

Nedvedova, Iveta; Kolar, David; Elsnicova, Barbara; Hornikova, Daniela; Novotny, Jiri; Kalous, Martin; Pravenec, Michal; Neckar, Jan; Kolar, Frantisek; Zurmanova, Jitka M

2018-04-20

Recently we have shown that adaptation to continuous normobaric hypoxia (CNH) decreases myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and in conplastic strain (SHR-mt BN ). The protective effect was stronger in the latter group characterized by a selective replacement of SHR mitochondrial genome with that of a more ischemia-resistant Brown Norway strain. The aim of the present study was to examine the possible involvement of the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-dependent pathway of the protein kinase B/glucose transporters/hexokinase (Akt/GLUT/HK) in this mitochondrial genome-related difference of the cardioprotective phenotype. Adult male rats were exposed for 3 weeks to CNH (FiO 2 0.1). The expression of dominant isoforms of Akt, GLUT and HK in left ventricular myocardium was determined by Real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting. Subcellular localization of GLUTs was assessed by quantitative immunofluorescence. Whereas adaptation to hypoxia markedly upregulated protein expression of HK2, GLUT1 and GLUT4 in both rat strains, Akt2 protein level was significantly increased in SHR-mt BN only. Interestingly, higher content of HK2 was revealed in the sarcoplasmic reticulum enriched fraction in SHR-mt BN after CNH. The increased activity of HK determined in the mitochondrial fraction after CNH in both strains suggested an increase of HK association with mitochondria. Interestingly, HIF1a mRNA increased and HIF2a mRNA decreased after CNH, the former effect being more pronounced in SHR-mt BN than in SHR. Pleiotropic effects of upregulated Akt2 along with HK translocation to mitochondria and mitochondria-associated membranes can potentially contribute to a stronger CNH-afforded cardioprotection in SHR-mt BN compared to progenitor SHR.

Iterative repair for scheduling and rescheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zweben, Monte; Davis, Eugene; Deale, Michael

1991-01-01

An iterative repair search method is described called constraint based simulated annealing. Simulated annealing is a hill climbing search technique capable of escaping local minima. The utility of the constraint based framework is shown by comparing search performance with and without the constraint framework on a suite of randomly generated problems. Results are also shown of applying the technique to the NASA Space Shuttle ground processing problem. These experiments show that the search methods scales to complex, real world problems and reflects interesting anytime behavior.

A Carbon Nanotube Pillar Array Ionizer for Miniature Ion Thruster Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

interest in using argon as a propellant. The advantages of argon go beyond its low cost to include its inertness, which makes it safe to handle and...They can be formed either as single- walled structures (SWCNTs), as shown in Figure 5, or as multi-walled structures ( MWCNTs ), as shown in Figure 6...The structure in Figure 6 is known as a Russian Doll MWCNT due to its structure of concentric individual CNTs. There is another type of MWCNT known

Effect of Ethanol Chemistry on SCC of Carbon Steel

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-02-22

Pipeline companies have a keen interest in assessing the feasibility of transporting fuel grade ethanol (FGE) and ethanol blends in existing pipelines. Previous field experience and laboratory research, funded by PRCI and API, has shown that steel ca...

Cardiovascular effects of environmental noise: research in Sweden.

PubMed

Bluhm, Gösta; Eriksson, Charlotta

2011-01-01

In Sweden, as in many other European countries, traffic noise is an important environmental health issue. At present, almost two million people are exposed to average noise levels exceeding the outdoor national guideline value (55 dB(A)). Despite efforts to reduce the noise burden, noise-related health effects, such as annoyance and sleep disturbances, are increasing. The scientific interest regarding more serious health effects related to the cardiovascular system is growing, and several experimental and epidemiological studies have been performed or are ongoing. Most of the studies on cardiovascular outcomes have been related to noise from road or aircraft traffic. Few studies have included railway noise. The outcomes under study include morning saliva cortisol, treatment for hypertension, self-reported hypertension, and myocardial infarction. The Swedish studies on road traffic noise support the hypothesis of an association between long-term noise exposure and cardiovascular disease. However, the magnitude of effect varies between the studies and has been shown to depend on factors such as sex, number of years at residence, and noise annoyance. Two national studies have been performed on the cardiovascular effects of aircraft noise exposure. The first one, a cross-sectional study assessing self-reported hypertension, has shown a 30% risk increase per 5 dB(A) noise increase. The second one, which to our knowledge is the first longitudinal study assessing the cumulative incidence of hypertension, found a relative risk (RR) of 1.10 (95% CI 1.01 - 1.19) per 5 dB(A) noise increase. No associations have been found between railway noise and cardiovascular diseases. The findings regarding noise-related health effects and their economic consequences should be taken into account in future noise abatement policies and community planning.

Forced Oscillations of Supported Drops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkes, Edward D.; Basaran, Osman A.

1996-01-01

Oscillations of supported liquid drops are the subject of wide scientific interest, with applications in areas as diverse as liquid-liquid extraction, synthesis of ceramic powders, growing of pure crystals in low gravity, and measurement of dynamic surface tension. In this research, axisymmetric forced oscillations of arbitrary amplitude of viscous liquid drops of fixed volume which are pendant from or sessile on a rod with a fixed or moving contact line and surrounded by an inviscid ambient gas are induced by moving the rod in the vertical direction sinusiodally in time. In this paper, a preliminary report is made on the computational analysis of the oscillations of supported drops that have 'clean' interfaces and whose contact lines remain fixed throughout their motions. The relative importance of forcing to damping can be increased by either increasing the amplitude of rod motion A or Reynolds number Re. It is shown that as the ratio of forcing to damping rises, for drops starting from an initial rest state a sharp increase in deformation can occur when they are forced to oscillate in the vicinity of their resonance frequencies, indicating the incipience of hysteresis. However, it is also shown that the existence of a second stable limit cycle and the occurrence of hysteresis can be observed if the drop is subjected to a so-called frequency sweep, where the forcing frequency is first increased and then decreased over a suitable range. Because the change in drop deformation response is abrupt in the vicinity of the forcing frequencies where hysteresis occurs, it should be possible to exploit the phenomenon to accurately measure the viscosity and surface tension of the drop liquid.

Neural correlate of spatial presence in an arousing and noninteractive virtual reality: an EEG and psychophysiology study.

PubMed

Baumgartner, Thomas; Valko, Lilian; Esslen, Michaela; Jäncke, Lutz

2006-02-01

Using electroencephalography (EEG), psychophysiology, and psychometric measures, this is the first study which investigated the neurophysiological underpinnings of spatial presence. Spatial presence is considered a sense of being physically situated within a spatial environment portrayed by a medium (e.g., television, virtual reality). Twelve healthy children and 11 healthy adolescents were watching different virtual roller coaster scenarios. During a control session, the roller coaster cab drove through a horizontal roundabout track. The following realistic roller coaster rides consisted of spectacular ups, downs, and loops. Low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) and event-related desynchronization (ERD) were used to analyze the EEG data. As expected, we found that, compared to the control condition, experiencing a virtual roller coaster ride evoked in both groups strong SP experiences, increased electrodermal reactions, and activations in parietal brain areas known to be involved in spatial navigation. In addition, brain areas that receive homeostatic afferents from somatic and visceral sensations of the body were strongly activated. Most interesting, children (as compared to adolescents) reported higher spatial presence experiences and demonstrated a different frontal activation pattern. While adolescents showed increased activation in prefrontal areas known to be involved in the control of executive functions, children demonstrated a decreased activity in these brain regions. Interestingly, recent neuroanatomical and neurophysiological studies have shown that the frontal brain continues to develop to adult status well into adolescence. Thus, the result of our study implies that the increased spatial presence experience in children may result from the not fully developed control functions of the frontal cortex.

Meta-analytic review of the effects of a single dose of intranasal oxytocin on threat processing in humans.

PubMed

Leppanen, Jenni; Ng, Kah Wee; Kim, Youl-Ri; Tchanturia, Kate; Treasure, Janet

2018-01-01

Heightened threat sensitivity is a transdiagnostic feature in several psychiatric disorders. The neuropeptide oxytocin has been shown to reduce fear related behaviours and facilitated fear extinction in animals. These findings have led to increasing interest to explore the effects of intranasal oxytocin on threat processing in humans. The review included 26 studies (N = 1173), nine of which included clinical populations (N = 234). The clinical groups included were people with borderline personality disorder (BPD), anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, depression, anxiety, and alcohol dependence disorder. We examined the effects of a single dose of intranasal oxytocin on startle response, attentional responses, and behavioural responses to threat. A single dose of intranasal oxytocin significantly increased the physiological startle response to threat in healthy people with a small effect size. However, oxytocin did not have significant effects on attentional bias towards social or disorder-specific threat, fixation towards threatening stimuli among healthy or clinical populations, or on threat related behavioural approach or avoidance responses. No studies investigated the effects of oxytocin on the startle response to threat among clinical populations. Additionally, only one of the reviewed studies had sufficient power to detect at least a moderate effect of oxytocin according to our criterion. The synthesis of literature suggest that oxytocin may influence the salience of threatening stimuli among healthy individuals, increasing the startle response to threat. It would be of interest to investigate the effects of oxytocin on the startle response to threat among clinical populations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multilevel Assessment of Middle School Students’ Interest in the Health Sciences: Development and Validation of a New Measurement Tool

PubMed Central

Romine, William L.; Miller, Michele E.; Knese, Shawn A.; Folk, William R.

2016-01-01

Using the context of a 2-wk instructional unit focused on eye and vision health, we developed and validated a multilevel measure of middle school students’ interest in science and health careers. This survey contained three subscales positioned differently with respect to curricular content. Interest in Vision Care was most related, but less transferrable to other contexts. Interest in Science was most general, and Interest in Healthcare was positioned between the two. We found that, with two exceptions, items fitted well with validity expectations and were stable across a 2-wk intervention. Further, measures of interest in science, health, and vision-care careers were shown to be reliable and valid. We found that ease of facilitating change across the intervention was generally greater in subscales closely related to the curricular context but that the average magnitude of change in Interest in Healthcare and Interest in Science was not significantly different. We discuss use of these measures in informing instructional efforts and advise that changes in students’ perceptions of how science and healthcare relate should be considered in longitudinal analyses. PMID:27252297

Continuing Medical Education for Air Medical Providers: The Successes and Challenges.

PubMed

Miller, Jenna O; Thammasitboon, Satid; Hsu, Deborah C; Shah, Manish I; Minard, Charles G; Graf, Jeanine M

2016-02-01

Research has shown that patients transported by nonpediatric teams have higher rates of morbidity and mortality. There is currently a paucity of pediatric standardized ongoing medical education for emergency medical service providers, thus we aimed to develop a model curriculum to increase their knowledge regarding pediatric respiratory distress and failure. The curriculum was based on the Kolb Learning Cycle to optimize learning. Target learners were flight nurses (registered nurse) and emergency medical technicians of a private helicopter emergency transport team. The topics included were pediatric stridor, wheezing, and respiratory failure. Online modules were developed for continued spaced education. Knowledge gained from the interventions was measured by precurricular and postcurricular testing and compared with paired t tests. A linear mixed regression model was used to investigate covariates of interest. Sixty-two learners attended the workshop. Fifty-nine learners completed both precurricular and postcurricular testing. The mean increase between pretest and posttest scores was 12.1% (95% confidence interval, 9.4, 14.8; P < 0.001). Type of licensure (private emergency medical technician vs registered nurse) and number of years experience had no association with the level of knowledge gained. Learners who had greater than 1 year of pediatric transport experience scored higher on their pretests. There was no significant retention shown by those who participated in spaced education. The curriculum was associated with a short term increased knowledge regarding pediatric respiratory distress and failure for emergency helicopter transport providers and could be used as an alternative model to develop standardized ongoing medical education in pediatrics. Further work is needed to achieve knowledge retention in this learner population.

Assessing the co-occurrence of intimate partner violence domains across the life-course: relating typologies to mental health

PubMed Central

Armour, Cherie; Sleath, Emma

2014-01-01

Background The inter-generational transmission of violence (ITV) hypothesis and polyvictimisation have been studied extensively. The extant evidence suggests that individuals from violent families are at increased risk of subsequent intimate partner violence (IPV) and that a proportion of individuals experience victimisation across multiple rather than single IPV domains. Both ITV and polyvictimisation are shown to increase the risk of psychiatric morbidity, alcohol use, and anger expression. Objective The current study aimed to 1) ascertain if underlying typologies of victimisation across the life-course and over multiple victimisation domains were present and 2) ascertain if groupings differed on mean scores of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, alcohol use, and anger expression. Method University students (N=318) were queried in relation to victimisation experiences and psychological well-being. Responses across multiple domains of IPV spanning the life-course were used in a latent profile analysis. ANOVA was subsequently used to determine if profiles differed in their mean scores on PTSD, depression, alcohol use, and anger expression. Results Three distinct profiles were identified; one of which comprised individuals who experienced “life-course polyvictimisation,” another showing individuals who experienced “witnessing parental victimisation,” and one which experienced “psychological victimisation only.” Life-course polyvictims scored the highest across most assessed measures. Conclusion Witnessing severe physical aggression and injury in parental relationships as a child has an interesting impact on the ITV into adolescence and adulthood. Life-course polyvictims are shown to experience increased levels of psychiatric morbidity and issues with alcohol misuse and anger expression. PMID:25279106

Enhancement of the physical stability of amorphous indomethacin by mixing it with octaacetylmaltose. inter and intra molecular studies.

PubMed

Kaminska, E; Adrjanowicz, K; Zakowiecki, D; Milanowski, B; Tarnacka, M; Hawelek, L; Dulski, M; Pilch, J; Smolka, W; Kaczmarczyk-Sedlak, I; Kaminski, K

2014-10-01

To demonstrate a very effective and easy way of stabilization of amorphous indomethacin (IMC) by preparing binary mixtures with octaacetylmaltose (acMAL). In order to understand the origin of increased stability of amorphous system inter- and intramolecular interactions between IMC and acMAL were studied. The amorphous IMC, acMAL and binary mixtures (IMC-acMAL) with different weight ratios were analyzed by using Dielectric Spectroscopy (DS), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Raman Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR). Our studies have revealed that indomethacin mixed with acetylated saccharide forms homogeneous mixture. Interestingly, even a small amount of modified maltose prevents from recrystallization of amorphous indomethacin. FTIR measurements and QSAR calculations have shown that octaacetylmaltose significantly affects the concentration of indomethacin dimers. Moreover, with increasing the amount of acMAL in the amorphous solid dispersion molecular interactions between matrix and API become more dominant than IMC-IMC ones. Structural investigations with the use of X-ray diffraction technique have demonstrated that binary mixture of indomethacin with acMAL does not recrystallize upon storage at room temperature for more than 1.5 year. Finally, it was shown that acMAL can be used to improve solubility of IMC. Acetylated derivative of maltose might be very effective agent to improve physical stability of amorphous indomethacin as well as to enhance its solubility. Intermolecular interactions between modified carbohydrate and IMC are likely to be responsible for increased stability effect in the glassy state.

Ultrasensitive Ambient Mass Spectrometric Analysis with a Pin-to-Capillary Flowing Atmospheric-Pressure Afterglow Source

PubMed Central

Shelley, Jacob T.; Wiley, Joshua S.; Hieftje, Gary M.

2011-01-01

The advent of ambient desorption/ionization mass spectrometry has resulted in a strong interest in ionization sources that are capable of direct analyte sampling and ionization. One source that has enjoyed increasing interest is the Flowing Atmospheric-Pressure Afterglow (FAPA). FAPA has been proven capable of directly desorbing/ionizing samples in any phase (solid, liquid, or gas) and with impressive limits of detection (<100 fmol). The FAPA was also shown to be less affected by competitive-ionization matrix effects than other plasma-based sources. However, the original FAPA design exhibited substantial background levels, cluttered background spectra in the negative-ion mode, and significant oxidation of aromatic analytes, which ultimately compromised analyte identification and quantification. In the present study, a change in the FAPA configuration from a pin-to-plate to a pin-to-capillary geometry was found to vastly improve performance. Background signals in positive- and negative-ionization modes were reduced by 89% and 99%, respectively. Additionally, the capillary anode strongly reduced the amount of atomic oxygen that could cause oxidation of analytes. Temperatures of the gas stream that interacts with the sample, which heavily influences desorption capabilities, were compared between the two sources by means of IR thermography. The performance of the new FAPA configuration is evaluated through the determination of a variety of compounds in positive- and negative-ion mode, including agrochemicals and explosives. A detection limit of 4 amol was found for the direct determination of the agrochemical ametryn, and appears to be spectrometer-limited. The ability to quickly screen for analytes in bulk liquid samples with the pin-to-capillary FAPA is also shown. PMID:21627097

Ultrasensitive ambient mass spectrometric analysis with a pin-to-capillary flowing atmospheric-pressure afterglow source.

PubMed

Shelley, Jacob T; Wiley, Joshua S; Hieftje, Gary M

2011-07-15

The advent of ambient desorption/ionization mass spectrometry has resulted in a strong interest in ionization sources that are capable of direct analyte sampling and ionization. One source that has enjoyed increasing interest is the flowing atmospheric-pressure afterglow (FAPA). The FAPA has been proven capable of directly desorbing/ionizing samples in any phase (solid, liquid, or gas) and with impressive limits of detection (<100 fmol). The FAPA was also shown to be less affected by competitive-ionization matrix effects than other plasma-based sources. However, the original FAPA design exhibited substantial background levels, cluttered background spectra in the negative-ion mode, and significant oxidation of aromatic analytes, which ultimately compromised analyte identification and quantification. In the present study, a change in the FAPA configuration from a pin-to-plate to a pin-to-capillary geometry was found to vastly improve performance. Background signals in positive- and negative-ionization modes were reduced by 89% and 99%, respectively. Additionally, the capillary anode strongly reduced the amount of atomic oxygen that could cause oxidation of analytes. Temperatures of the gas stream that interacts with the sample, which heavily influences desorption capabilities, were compared between the two sources by means of IR thermography. The performance of the new FAPA configuration is evaluated through the determination of a variety of compounds in positive- and negative-ion mode, including agrochemicals and explosives. A detection limit of 4 amol was found for the direct determination of the agrochemical ametryn and appears to be spectrometer-limited. The ability to quickly screen for analytes in bulk liquid samples with the pin-to-capillary FAPA is also shown.

Of Mice and Men: The Benefits of Caloric Restriction, Exercise, and Mimetics

PubMed Central

Mercken, Evi M.; Carboneau, Bethany A.; Krzysik-Walker, Susan M.; de Cabo, Rafael

2012-01-01

During aging there is an increasing imbalance of energy intake and expenditure resulting in obesity, frailty, and metabolic disorders. For decades, research has shown that caloric restriction (CR) and exercise can postpone detrimental aspects of aging. These two interventions invoke a similar physiological signature involving pathways associated with stress responses and mitochondrial homeostasis. Nonetheless, CR is able to delay aging processes that result in an increase of both mean and maximum lifespan, whereas exercise primarily increases healthspan. Due to the strict dietary regime necessary to achieve the beneficial effects of CR, most studies to date have focused on rodents and non-human primates. As a consequence, there is vast interest in the development of compounds such as resveratrol, metformin and rapamycin that would activate the same metabolic- and stress-response pathways induced by these interventions without actually restricting caloric intake. Therefore the scope of this review is to (i) describe the benefits of CR and exercise in healthy individuals, (ii) discuss the role of these interventions in the diseased state, and (iii) examine some of the promising pharmacological alternatives such as CR- and exercise-mimetics. PMID:22210414

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

Zhu Lingling; Zaidi, Samir; Peng Yuanzhen

Strontium ranelate, a new agent for the treatment of osteoporosis, has been shown stimulate bone formation in various experimental models. This study examines the effect of strontium ranelate on gene expression in osteoblasts, as well as the formation of mineralized (von Kossa-positive) colony-forming unit-osteoblasts (CFU-obs). Bone marrow-derived stromal cells cultured for 21 days under differentiating conditions, when exposed to strontium ranelate, displayed a significant time- and concentration-dependent increase in the expression of the master gene, Runx2, as well as bone sialoprotein (BSP), but interestingly without effects on osteocalcin. This was associated with a significant increase in the formation of CFU-obsmore » at day 21 of culture. In U-33 pre-osteoblastic cells, strontium ranelate significantly enhanced the expression of Runx2 and osteocalcin, but not BSP. Late, more mature osteoblastic OB-6 cells showed significant elevations in BSP and osteocalcin, but with only minimal effects on Runx2. In conclusion, strontium ranelate stimulates osteoblast differentiation, but the induction of the program of gene expression appears to be cell type-specific. The increased osteoblastic differentiation is the likely basis underlying the therapeutic bone-forming actions of strontium ranelate.« less

Glial cell morphological and density changes through the lifespan of rhesus macaques.

PubMed

Robillard, Katelyn N; Lee, Kim M; Chiu, Kevin B; MacLean, Andrew G

2016-07-01

How aging impacts the central nervous system (CNS) is an area of intense interest. Glial morphology is known to affect neuronal and immune function as well as metabolic and homeostatic balance. Activation of glia, both astrocytes and microglia, occurs at several stages during development and aging. The present study analyzed changes in glial morphology and density through the entire lifespan of rhesus macaques, which are physiologically and anatomically similar to humans. We observed apparent increases in gray matter astrocytic process length and process complexity as rhesus macaques matured from juveniles through adulthood. These changes were not attributed to cell enlargement because they were not accompanied by proportional changes in soma or process volume. There was a decrease in white matter microglial process length as rhesus macaques aged. Aging was shown to have a significant effect on gray matter microglial density, with a significant increase in aged macaques compared with adults. Overall, we observed significant changes in glial morphology as macaques age indicative of astrocytic activation with subsequent increase in microglial density in aged macaques. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

Hoke, Anderson; Shirazi, Mariko; Chakraborty, Sudipta

As deployment of power electronic coupled generation such as photovoltaic (PV) systems increases, grid operators have shown increasing interest in calling on inverter-coupled generation to help mitigate frequency contingency events by rapidly surging active power into the grid. When responding to contingency events, the faster the active power is provided, the more effective it may be for arresting the frequency event. This paper proposes a predictive PV inverter control method for very fast and accurate control of active power. This rapid active power control method will increase the effectiveness of various higher-level controls designed to mitigate grid frequency contingency events,more » including fast power-frequency droop, inertia emulation, and fast frequency response, without the need for energy storage. The rapid active power control method, coupled with a maximum power point estimation method, is implemented in a prototype PV inverter connected to a PV array. The prototype inverter's response to various frequency events is experimentally confirmed to be fast (beginning within 2 line cycles and completing within 4.5 line cycles of a severe test event) and accurate (below 2% steady-state error).« less

A novel method for rotation invariant palm print image stitching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, Shishir Paramathma; Panetta, Karen; Agaian, Sos S.

2017-05-01

Although not as popular as fingerprint biometrics, palm prints have garnered interest in scientific community for the rich amount of distinctive information available on the palm. In this paper, a novel method for touchless palm print stitching to increase the effective area is presented. The method is not only rotation invariant but also able to robustly handle many distortions of touchless systems like illumination variations, pose variations etc. The proposed method also can handle partial palmprints, which have a high chance of occurrence in a scene of crime, by stitching them together to produce a much larger-to-full size palmprint for authentication purpose. Experiment results are shown for IIT-D palmprint database, from which pseudo partial palmprints were generated by cropping and randomly rotating them. Furthermore, the quality of stitching algorithm is determined by extensive computer simulations and visual analysis of the stitched image. Experimental results also show that the stitching significantly increases the area of palm image for feature point detection and hence provides a way to increase the accuracy and reliability of detection.

The potential of terahertz imaging for cancer diagnosis: A review of investigations to date.

PubMed

Yu, Calvin; Fan, Shuting; Sun, Yiwen; Pickwell-Macpherson, Emma

2012-03-01

The terahertz region lies between the microwave and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum such that it is strongly attenuated by water and very sensitive to water content. Terahertz radiation has very low photon energy and thus it does not pose any ionization hazard for biological tissues. Because of these characteristic properties, there has been an increasing interest in terahertz imaging and spectroscopy for biological applications within the last few years and more and more terahertz spectra are being reported, including spectroscopic studies of cancer. The presence of cancer often causes increased blood supply to affected tissues and a local increase in tissue water content may be observed: this acts as a natural contrast mechanism for terahertz imaging of cancer. Furthermore the structural changes that occur in affected tissues have also been shown to contribute to terahertz image contrast. This paper introduces terahertz technology and provides a short review of recent advances in terahertz imaging and spectroscopy techniques. In particular investigations relating to the potential of terahertz imaging and spectroscopy for cancer diagnosis will be highlighted.

The potential of terahertz imaging for cancer diagnosis: A review of investigations to date

PubMed Central

Yu, Calvin; Fan, Shuting; Sun, Yiwen; Pickwell-MacPherson, Emma

2012-01-01

The terahertz region lies between the microwave and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum such that it is strongly attenuated by water and very sensitive to water content. Terahertz radiation has very low photon energy and thus it does not pose any ionization hazard for biological tissues. Because of these characteristic properties, there has been an increasing interest in terahertz imaging and spectroscopy for biological applications within the last few years and more and more terahertz spectra are being reported, including spectroscopic studies of cancer. The presence of cancer often causes increased blood supply to affected tissues and a local increase in tissue water content may be observed: this acts as a natural contrast mechanism for terahertz imaging of cancer. Furthermore the structural changes that occur in affected tissues have also been shown to contribute to terahertz image contrast. This paper introduces terahertz technology and provides a short review of recent advances in terahertz imaging and spectroscopy techniques. In particular investigations relating to the potential of terahertz imaging and spectroscopy for cancer diagnosis will be highlighted. PMID:23256057

Experimental investigation of the influence of internal frames on the vibroacoustic behavior of a stiffened cylindrical shell using wavenumber analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, V.; Maxit, L.; Renou, Y.; Audoly, C.

2017-09-01

The understanding of the influence of non-axisymmetric internal frames on the vibroacoustic behavior of a stiffened cylindrical shell is of high interest for the naval or aeronautic industries. Several numerical studies have shown that the non-axisymmetric internal frame can increase the radiation efficiency significantly in the case of a mechanical point force. However, less attention has been paid to the experimental verification of this statement. That is why this paper proposes to compare the radiation efficiency estimated experimentally for a stiffened cylindrical shell with and without internal frames. The experimental process is based on scanning laser vibrometer measurements of the vibrations on the surface of the shell. A transform of the vibratory field in the wavenumber domain is then performed. It allows estimating the far-field radiated pressure with the stationary phase theorem. An increase of the radiation efficiency is observed in the low frequencies. Analysis of the velocity field in the physical and wavenumber spaces allows highlighting the coupling of the circumferential orders at the origin of the increase in the radiation efficiency.

[The history of home hemodialysis and its likely revival].

PubMed

Ralli, Chiara; Imperiali, Patrizio; Duranti, Ennio

2016-01-01

The home extracorporeal hemodialysis, which aroused a great interest in the past, has not kept its promises due to the complexity and expectations for family involvement in treatment management. In the United States NxStage One portable system was proposed and designed for home use. In this work we describe, starting from the history of home hemodialysis, the method with NxStage system by comparing it with the conventional HD in 5 patients. The dialysis efficiency was similar between the two treatments, even if home hemodialysis showed a reduction in serum urea, creatinine and phosphorus. At the same time phosphate binders use decreased with an increase in serum calcium while hemoglobin increased reducing doses of erythropoietin. The method was successful in the training of the patients and their partners during hospital training and at home. Patients have shown great enthusiasm at the beginning and during the therapy, which is developed around the users personal needs, being able to decide at its own times during 24 hours according to personal needs, in addition to faster recovery after the dialysis. This method certainly improved the patients' wellness and increased their autonomy.

[Progressive lost of interest of family medicine residents with regard to home follow-up of the elderly].

PubMed

Aubry, François; Couturier, Yves; Dumont, Serge

2014-06-01

This paper deals with the lack of interest shown by family medicine residents in Quebec (Canada) in home follow-up or monitoring of the elderly. By collecting and analyzing data from sixteen family medicine residents before and after their first experience of home follow-up, and from four medical supervisors, we found that residents experience a rapid loss of interest in this practice over a very short period. We show that this lack of interest stems first from the difficulty of applying the principle of patient-centered care, wherein medical interventions must meet the needs of the elderly in their entirety. Secondly, residents complain that they have to deal with many administrative tasks. They call for implementation of professional features to better integrate services such as case management.

Implementing Responsibility Centre Budgeting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vonasek, Joseph

2011-01-01

Recently, institutes of higher education (universities) have shown a renewed interest in organisational structures and operating methodologies that generate productivity and innovation; responsibility centre budgeting (RCB) is one such process. This paper describes the underlying principles constituting RCB, its origin and structural elements, and…

Stimulating Public Interest in Lunar Exploration and Enhancing Science Literacy Through Library Programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shipp, S.; Nelson, B.; Stockman, S.; Weir, H.; Carter, B.; Bleacher, L.

2008-07-01

Libraries are vibrant learning places, seeking partners in science programming. LPI's Explore! program offers a model for public engagement in lunar exploration in libraries, as shown by materials created collaboratively with the LRO E/PO team.

Delamination Defect Detection Using Ultrasonic Guided Waves in Advanced Hybrid Structural Elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Fei; Qi, Kevin ``Xue''; Rose, Joseph L.; Weiland, Hasso

2010-02-01

Nondestructive testing for multilayered structures is challenging because of increased numbers of layers and plate thicknesses. In this paper, ultrasonic guided waves are applied to detect delamination defects inside a 23-layer Alcoa Advanced Hybrid Structural plate. A semi-analytical finite element (SAFE) method generates dispersion curves and wave structures in order to select appropriate wave structures to detect certain defects. One guided wave mode and frequency is chosen to achieve large in-plane displacements at regions of interest. The interactions of the selected mode with defects are simulated using finite element models. Experiments are conducted and compared with bulk wave measurements. It is shown that guided waves can detect deeply embedded damages inside thick multilayer fiber-metal laminates with suitable mode and frequency selection.

Pediatric Obesity: Is There Room for Active Video Games in Prevention or Management?

PubMed

Thivel, David; OʼMalley, Grace

2016-01-01

Children and adolescents spend a considerable amount of time engaged in sedentary behaviors that have been shown to favor weight gain and impaired physical fitness. Active video games have been proposed to increase physical activity levels. Although active video games may offer an interesting alternative to reducing sedentary time for children, the present commentary aimed to determine whether there is adequate evidence that compared active video gaming to real-life play and exercise. Given the dearth of data, it is not possible at present to support the use of active video games as substitutes for traditional forms of active play and health-enhancing physical activity. Further research should be encouraged and therapists should not consider active video games exclusively for intervention in children with obesity.

Pervasive influence of idiosyncratic associative biases during facial emotion recognition.

PubMed

El Zein, Marwa; Wyart, Valentin; Grèzes, Julie

2018-06-11

Facial morphology has been shown to influence perceptual judgments of emotion in a way that is shared across human observers. Here we demonstrate that these shared associations between facial morphology and emotion coexist with strong variations unique to each human observer. Interestingly, a large part of these idiosyncratic associations does not vary on short time scales, emerging from stable inter-individual differences in the way facial morphological features influence emotion recognition. Computational modelling of decision-making and neural recordings of electrical brain activity revealed that both shared and idiosyncratic face-emotion associations operate through a common biasing mechanism rather than an increased sensitivity to face-associated emotions. Together, these findings emphasize the underestimated influence of idiosyncrasies on core social judgments and identify their neuro-computational signatures.

Numerical Study of Three Dimensional Effects in Longitudinal Space-Charge Impedance

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

Halavanau, A.; Piot, P.

2015-06-01

Longitudinal space-charge (LSC) effects are generally considered as detrimental in free-electron lasers as they can seed instabilities. Such “microbunching instabilities” were recently shown to be potentially useful to support the generation of broadband coherent radiation pulses [1, 2]. Therefore there has been an increasing interest in devising accelerator beamlines capable of sustaining this LSC instability as a mechanism to produce a coherent light source. To date most of these studies have been carried out with a one-dimensional impedance model for the LSC. In this paper we use a N-body “Barnes-Hut” algorithm [3] to simulate the 3D space charge force inmore » the beam combined with elegant [4] and explore the limitation of the 1D model often used« less

Swimming using surface acoustic waves.

PubMed

Bourquin, Yannyk; Cooper, Jonathan M

2013-01-01

Microactuation of free standing objects in fluids is currently dominated by the rotary propeller, giving rise to a range of potential applications in the military, aeronautic and biomedical fields. Previously, surface acoustic waves (SAWs) have been shown to be of increasing interest in the field of microfluidics, where the refraction of a SAW into a drop of fluid creates a convective flow, a phenomenon generally known as SAW streaming. We now show how SAWs, generated at microelectronic devices, can be used as an efficient method of propulsion actuated by localised fluid streaming. The direction of the force arising from such streaming is optimal when the devices are maintained at the Rayleigh angle. The technique provides propulsion without any moving parts, and, due to the inherent design of the SAW transducer, enables simple control of the direction of travel.

Preparation of Chito-Oligomers by Hydrolysis of Chitosan in the Presence of Zeolite as Adsorbent

PubMed Central

Ibrahim, Khalid A.; El-Eswed, Bassam I.; Abu-Sbeih, Khaleel A.; Arafat, Tawfeeq A.; Al Omari, Mahmoud M. H.; Darras, Fouad H.; Badwan, Adnan A.

2016-01-01

An increasing interest has recently been shown to use chitin/chitosan oligomers (chito-oligomers) in medicine and food fields because they are not only water-soluble, nontoxic, and biocompatible materials, but they also exhibit numerous biological properties, including antibacterial, antifungal, and antitumor activities, as well as immuno-enhancing effects on animals. Conventional depolymerization methods of chitosan to chito-oligomers are either chemical by acid-hydrolysis under harsh conditions or by enzymatic degradation. In this work, hydrolysis of chitosan to chito-oligomers has been achieved by applying adsorption-separation technique using diluted HCl in the presence of different types of zeolite as adsorbents. The chito-oligomers were retrieved from adsorbents and characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy (LC/MS), and ninhydrin test. PMID:27455287

Advanced imaging techniques in brain tumors

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Abstract Perfusion, permeability and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) are now widely used in the research and clinical settings. In the clinical setting, qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative approaches such as review of color-coded maps to region of interest analysis and analysis of signal intensity curves are being applied in practice. There are several pitfalls with all of these approaches. Some of these shortcomings are reviewed, such as the relative low sensitivity of metabolite ratios from MRS and the effect of leakage on the appearance of color-coded maps from dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) magnetic resonance (MR) perfusion imaging and what correction and normalization methods can be applied. Combining and applying these different imaging techniques in a multi-parametric algorithmic fashion in the clinical setting can be shown to increase diagnostic specificity and confidence. PMID:19965287

Recent advances on the stimulatory effects of metals in breast cancer.

PubMed

Lappano, Rosamaria; Malaguarnera, Roberta; Belfiore, Antonino; Maggiolini, Marcello

2017-12-05

Certain environmental chemicals may accumulate in human serum and tissues eliciting estrogenic and/or carcinogenic effects. Therefore, there is heightened interest in determining whether environmental chemicals may increase the risk for endocrine-related tumors like breast cancer. For instance, metals as cadmium, zinc, copper, iron, nickel and aluminum have been shown to mimic estrogen action. Moreover, the exposure to these chemicals has been reported to stimulate diverse malignancies including breast cancer, which is the most common tumor in women worldwide. In this review, we summarize the epidemiologic and experimental evidence regarding the association between the exposure to some trace elements and breast cancer risk. We also address recent insights on the molecular mechanisms involved by metals in breast tumorigenesis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Heart rate variability.

PubMed

Cygankiewicz, Iwona; Zareba, Wojciech

2013-01-01

Heart rate variability (HRV) provides indirect insight into autonomic nervous system tone, and has a well-established role as a marker of cardiovascular risk. Recent decades brought an increasing interest in HRV assessment as a diagnostic tool in detection of autonomic impairment, and prediction of prognosis in several neurological disorders. Both bedside analysis of simple markers of HRV, as well as more sophisticated HRV analyses including time, frequency domain and nonlinear analysis have been proven to detect early autonomic involvement in several neurological disorders. Furthermore, altered HRV parameters were shown to be related with cardiovascular risk, including sudden cardiac risk, in patients with neurological diseases. This chapter aims to review clinical and prognostic application of HRV analysis in diabetes, stroke, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophies, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Power system analysis of Hanlim superconducting HVDC system using real time digital simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Won, Y. J.; Kim, J. G.; Kim, A. R.; Kim, G. H.; Park, M.; Yu, I. K.; Sim, K. D.; Cho, J.; Lee, S.; Jeong, K. W.; Watanabe, K.

2011-11-01

Jeju island is located approximately 100 km south from the mainland of Korea, and had a peak load of about 553 MW in 2008. The demand increases 7.2% a year over the last 5 years. Since the wind profiles of Jeju island are more favorable than mainland of Korea, many companies have shown interest in the wind power business at the Jeju island. Moreover KEPCO has a plan for renewable energy test too whose power will be delivered by HVDC system. One kilometer length of total 8 km was designed as superconducting DC cable. Rest 7 km will be the conventional overhead line. In this paper, the authors have developed a simulation model of the power network around 8 km HVDC system using real time digital simulator (RTDS).

Investigation of nonlinear optical properties of various organic materials by the Z-scan method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganeev, R. A.; Boltaev, G. S.; Tugushev, R. I.; Usmanov, T.

2012-06-01

We have studied the nonlinear optical properties of various organic materials (vegetable oil, juice, wine, cognac, Coca-Cola and Fanta drinks, Nescafé coffee, tea, gasoline, clock oil, glycerol, and polyphenyl ether) that are used in everyday life. Their nonlinearities have been studied by the Z-scan method in the near-IR and visible spectral ranges. We have shown that the majority of samples possess a nonlinear absorption; however, some of the studied materials show a strong saturated absorption and nonlinear refraction. Red wine and glycerol proved to be the most interesting materials. For these samples, we have observed a change in the sign of the nonlinear absorption with increasing laser intensity, which was attributed to the competition between two-photon absorption and saturated absorption.

Thermal analysis applied to irradiated propolis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuda, Andrea Harumi; Machado, Luci Brocardo; del Mastro, Nélida Lucia

2002-03-01

Propolis is a resinous hive product, collected by bees. Raw propolis requires a decontamination procedure and irradiation appears as a promising technique for this purpose. The valuable properties of propolis for food and pharmaceutical industries have led to increasing interest in its technological behavior. Thermal analysis is a chemical analysis that gives information about changes on heating of great importance for technological applications. Ground propolis samples were 60Co gamma irradiated with 0 and 10 kGy. Thermogravimetry curves shown a similar multi-stage decomposition pattern for both irradiated and unirradiated samples up to 600°C. Similarly, through differential scanning calorimetry , a coincidence of melting point of irradiated and unirradiated samples was found. The results suggest that the irradiation process do not interfere on the thermal properties of propolis when irradiated up to 10 kGy.

Artificial intelligence-based computer modeling tools for controlling slag foaming in electric arc furnaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, Eric Lee

Due to increased competition in a world economy, steel companies are currently interested in developing techniques that will allow for the improvement of the steelmaking process, either by increasing output efficiency or by improving the quality of their product, or both. Slag foaming is one practice that has been shown to contribute to both these goals. However, slag foaming is highly dynamic and difficult to model or control. This dissertation describes an effort to use artificial intelligence-based tools (genetic algorithms, fuzzy logic, and neural networks) to both model and control the slag foaming process. Specifically, a neural network is trained and tested on slag foaming data provided by a steel plant. This neural network model is then controlled by a fuzzy logic controller, which in turn is optimized by a genetic algorithm. This tuned controller is then installed at a steel plant and given control be a more efficient slag foaming controller than what was previously used by the steel plant.

Innovative formulations for the delivery of levothyroxine to the skin.

PubMed

Padula, Cristina; Nicoli, Sara; Santi, Patrizia

2009-05-08

The aim of this work was to realize innovative transdermal formulations containing sodium levothyroxine in view of topical administration. Permeation experiments were performed in vitro, using rabbit ear skin as barrier. At the end of the permeation experiments levothyroxine retained in the skin was extracted and quantified by HPLC. Formulations tested were microemulsions and transdermal films. Microemulsions containing isopropyl myristate and isobutanol were shown to be able to increase levothyroxine solubility by the inclusion in reverse micelles. However, the inclusion in reversed micelles reduced the drug release to a significant extent, and consequently skin retention, compared to aqueous solutions. When the microemulsion was included in the transdermal film, drug retention was increased, probably for the enhancer effect of its excipients. The transdermal film proposed in this work could be an interesting alternative to semisolid formulations for the ease of use and the control in the amount of active applied. Additional benefit can be obtained if the film is used in occlusive conditions.

Cyclodextrins in delivery systems: Applications

PubMed Central

Tiwari, Gaurav; Tiwari, Ruchi; Rai, Awani K.

2010-01-01

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are a family of cyclic oligosaccharides with a hydrophilic outer surface and a lipophilic central cavity. CD molecules are relatively large with a number of hydrogen donors and acceptors and, thus in general, they do not permeate lipophilic membranes. In the pharmaceutical industry, CDs have mainly been used as complexing agents to increase aqueous solubility of poorly soluble drugs and to increase their bioavailability and stability. CDs are used in pharmaceutical applications for numerous purposes, including improving the bioavailability of drugs. Current CD-based therapeutics is described and possible future applications are discussed. CD-containing polymers are reviewed and their use in drug delivery is presented. Of specific interest is the use of CD-containing polymers to provide unique capabilities for the delivery of nucleic acids. Studies in both humans and animals have shown that CDs can be used to improve drug delivery from almost any type of drug formulation. Currently, there are approximately 30 different pharmaceutical products worldwide containing drug/CD complexes in the market. PMID:21814436

Synaptic Phospholipid Signaling Modulates Axon Outgrowth via Glutamate-dependent Ca2+-mediated Molecular Pathways.

PubMed

Vogt, Johannes; Kirischuk, Sergei; Unichenko, Petr; Schlüter, Leslie; Pelosi, Assunta; Endle, Heiko; Yang, Jenq-Wei; Schmarowski, Nikolai; Cheng, Jin; Thalman, Carine; Strauss, Ulf; Prokudin, Alexey; Bharati, B Suman; Aoki, Junken; Chun, Jerold; Lutz, Beat; Luhmann, Heiko J; Nitsch, Robert

2017-01-01

Altered synaptic bioactive lipid signaling has been recently shown to augment neuronal excitation in the hippocampus of adult animals by activation of presynaptic LPA2-receptors leading to increased presynaptic glutamate release. Here, we show that this results in higher postsynaptic Ca2+ levels and in premature onset of spontaneous neuronal activity in the developing entorhinal cortex. Interestingly, increased synchronized neuronal activity led to reduced axon growth velocity of entorhinal neurons which project via the perforant path to the hippocampus. This was due to Ca2+-dependent molecular signaling to the axon affecting stabilization of the actin cytoskeleton. The spontaneous activity affected the entire entorhinal cortical network and thus led to reduced overall axon fiber numbers in the mature perforant path that is known to be important for specific memory functions. Our data show that precise regulation of early cortical activity by bioactive lipids is of critical importance for proper circuit formation. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

A protective effect of the laminated layer on Echinococcus granulosus survival dependent on upregulation of host arginase.

PubMed

Amri, Manel; Touil-Boukoffa, Chafia

2015-09-01

The role of nitric oxide (NO) in host defense against Echinococcus granulosus larvae was previously reported. However, NO production by NOS2 (inducible NO synthase) is counteracted by the expression of Arginase. In the present study, our aim is to evaluate the involvement of the laminated layer (external layer of parasitic cyst) in Arginase induction and the protoscoleces (living and infective part of the cyst) survival. Our in vitro results indicate that this cystic compound increases the Arginase activity in macrophages. Moreover, C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) with specificity for mannan and the TGF-β are implicated in this effect as shown after adding Mannan and Anti-TGFβ. Interestingly, the laminated layer increases protoscoleces survival in macrophages-parasite co-cultures. Our results indicate that the laminated layer protects E. granulosus against the NOS2 protective response through Arginase pathway, a hallmark of M2 macrophages. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Statistical Analysis of Compressive and Flexural Test Results on the Sustainable Adobe Reinforced with Steel Wire Mesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jokhio, Gul A.; Syed Mohsin, Sharifah M.; Gul, Yasmeen

2018-04-01

It has been established that Adobe provides, in addition to being sustainable and economic, a better indoor air quality without spending extensive amounts of energy as opposed to the modern synthetic materials. The material, however, suffers from weak structural behaviour when subjected to adverse loading conditions. A wide range of mechanical properties has been reported in literature owing to lack of research and standardization. The present paper presents the statistical analysis of the results that were obtained through compressive and flexural tests on Adobe samples. Adobe specimens with and without wire mesh reinforcement were tested and the results were reported. The statistical analysis of these results presents an interesting read. It has been found that the compressive strength of adobe increases by about 43% after adding a single layer of wire mesh reinforcement. This increase is statistically significant. The flexural response of Adobe has also shown improvement with the addition of wire mesh reinforcement, however, the statistical significance of the same cannot be established.

Dynamics of Lysozyme in a Glycerol-Water system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghatty, Pavan; Carri, Gustavo

2007-03-01

Bio-preservation of proteins is of great commercial and academic interest. A variety of sugars have been found to be effective in preserving the structure of proteins. This has been attributed and in some cases proved to their ability to form strong hydrogen bonds with proteins thus restricting their motion. The work presented here explores the hypothesis that glycerol, a tri-alcohol curbs the motion of protein. We have carried out a 10ns Molecular Dynamics simulation to study the phenomenon. The structure of Lysozyme (PDB code 193L) has been studied in three solutions of 10, 20 and 30 % by weight of glycerol in water. Glycerol molecules in all three solutions have shown a tendency to agglomerate around the protein. Strong hydrogen bonding has also been observed between glycerol molecules and the protein. With increasing time, the g(r) of glycerol molecules around proteins shows two peaks with increasing prominence suggesting the movement of glycerol cluster to positions closer to the protein surface.

Neurodevelopmental disorders in children born to mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus.

PubMed

Vinet, É; Pineau, C A; Clarke, A E; Fombonne, É; Platt, R W; Bernatsky, S

2014-10-01

Children born to women with systemic lupus erythematosus seem to have a potentially increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders compared to children born to healthy women. Recent experimental data suggest in utero exposure to maternal antibodies and cytokines as important risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders. Interestingly, women with systemic lupus erythematosus display high levels of autoantibodies and cytokines, which have been shown, in animal models, to alter fetal brain development and induce behavioral anomalies in offspring. Furthermore, subjects with systemic lupus erythematosus and neurodevelopmental disorders share a common genetic predisposition, which could impair the fetal immune response to in utero immunologic insults. Moreover, systemic lupus erythematosus pregnancies are at increased risk of adverse obstetrical outcomes and medication exposures, which have been implicated as potential risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders. In this article, we review the current state of knowledge on neurodevelopmental disorders and their potential determinants in systemic lupus erythematosus offspring. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Nutrient Restriction and Radiation Therapy for Cancer Treatment: When Less Is More

PubMed Central

Champ, Colin E.; Baserga, Renato; Mishra, Mark V.; Jin, Lianjin; Sotgia, Federica; Lisanti, Michael P.; Pestell, Richard G.; Dicker, Adam P.

2013-01-01

Calorie restriction (CR), or a diet modification aiming to reduce the total intake of calories by 20%–40%, has been shown to increase longevity across multiple species. Recently, there has been growing interest in investigating the potential role of CR as a treatment intervention for age-related diseases, such as cancer, because an increasing body of literature has demonstrated a metabolic component to both carcinogenesis and tumor progression. In fact, many of the molecular pathways that are altered with CR are also known to be altered in cancer. Therefore, manipulation of these pathways using CR can render cancer cells, and most notably breast cancer cells, more susceptible to standard cytotoxic treatment with radiation and chemotherapy. In this review article we demonstrate the laboratory and clinical evidence that exists for CR and show compelling evidence through the molecular pathways CR induces about how it may be used as a treatment in tandem with radiation therapy to improve our rates of disease control. PMID:23299773

Effects of morphology and chemical doping on electrochemical properties of metal hydroxides in pseudocapacitors.

PubMed

Lee, Gyeonghee; Varanasi, Chakrapani V; Liu, Jie

2015-02-21

It is well known that both the structural morphology and chemical doping are important factors that affect the properties of metal hydroxide materials in electrochemical energy storage devices. In this work, an effective method to tailor the morphology and chemical doping of metal hydroxides is developed. It is shown that the morphology and the degree of crystallinity of Ni(OH)2 can be changed by adding glucose in the ethanol-mediated solvothermal synthesis. Ni(OH)2 produced in this manner exhibited an increased specific capacitance, which is partially attributed to its increased surface area. Interestingly, the effect of morphology on cobalt doped-Ni(OH)2 is found to be more effective at low cobalt contents than at high cobalt contents in terms of improving the electrochemical performance. This result reveals the existence of competitive effects between chemical doping and morphology change. These findings will provide important insights to design effective materials for energy storage devices.

Ginseng Is Useful to Enhance Cardiac Contractility in Animals

PubMed Central

Cherng, Yih-Giun; Chen, Li-Jen; Niu, Ho-Shan; Chang, Chen Kuei; Niu, Chiang-Shan

2014-01-01

Ginseng has been shown to be effective on cardiac dysfunction. Recent evidence has highlighted the mediation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) in cardiac function. Thus, we are interested to investigate the role of PPARδ in ginseng-induced modification of cardiac contractility. The isolated hearts in Langendorff apparatus and hemodynamic analysis in catheterized rats were applied to measure the actions of ginseng ex vivo and in vivo. In normal rats, ginseng enhanced cardiac contractility and hemodynamic dP/dt max significantly. Both actions were diminished by GSK0660 at a dose enough to block PPARδ. However, ginseng failed to modify heart rate at the same dose, although it did produce a mild increase in blood pressure. Data of intracellular calcium level and Western blotting analysis showed that both the PPARδ expression and troponin I phosphorylation were raised by ginseng in neonatal rat cardiomyocyte. Thus, we suggest that ginseng could enhance cardiac contractility through increased PPARδ expression in cardiac cells. PMID:24689053

Adjusting Wavelet-based Multiresolution Analysis Boundary Conditions for Robust Long-term Streamflow Forecasting Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maslova, I.; Ticlavilca, A. M.; McKee, M.

2012-12-01

There has been an increased interest in wavelet-based streamflow forecasting models in recent years. Often overlooked in this approach are the circularity assumptions of the wavelet transform. We propose a novel technique for minimizing the wavelet decomposition boundary condition effect to produce long-term, up to 12 months ahead, forecasts of streamflow. A simulation study is performed to evaluate the effects of different wavelet boundary rules using synthetic and real streamflow data. A hybrid wavelet-multivariate relevance vector machine model is developed for forecasting the streamflow in real-time for Yellowstone River, Uinta Basin, Utah, USA. The inputs of the model utilize only the past monthly streamflow records. They are decomposed into components formulated in terms of wavelet multiresolution analysis. It is shown that the model model accuracy can be increased by using the wavelet boundary rule introduced in this study. This long-term streamflow modeling and forecasting methodology would enable better decision-making and managing water availability risk.

Shear stress enhances microcin B17 production in a rotating wall bioreactor, but ethanol stress does not

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gao, Q.; Fang, A.; Pierson, D. L.; Mishra, S. K.; Demain, A. L.

2001-01-01

Stress, including that caused by ethanol, has been shown to induce or promote secondary metabolism in a number of microbial systems. Rotating-wall bioreactors provide a low stress and simulated microgravity environment which, however, supports only poor production of microcin B17 by Escherichia coli ZK650, as compared to production in agitated flasks. We wondered whether the poor production is due to the low level of stress and whether increasing stress in the bioreactors would raise the amount of microcin B17 formed. We found that applying shear stress by addition of a single Teflon bead to a rotating wall bioreactor improved microcin B17 production. By contrast, addition of various concentrations of ethanol to such bioreactors (or to shaken flasks) failed to increase microcin B17 production. Ethanol stress merely decreased production and, at higher concentrations, inhibited growth. Interestingly, cells growing in the bioreactor were much more resistant to the growth-inhibitory and production-inhibitory effects of ethanol than cells growing in shaken flasks.

Structure and Dynamics of Polymers in Cylindrical Nanoconfinement: A Molecular Dynamics Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pressly, James; Riggleman, Robert; Winey, Karen

The structure and dynamics of polymers under nanoconfinement is critical for understanding how polymers behave in applications from hydraulic fracking to fabricating integrated circuits. We previously used simulations to explore the effect of the diameter of cylindrical pores (d = 10-40 σ, where σ is the unit length in reduced units) on polymer end-to-end distance (Ree,perp, Ree,par) , entanglement density, melt diffusion coefficient (D), and local relaxation time (τperp, τpar) at fixed polymer chain length (N = 350). These studies found D, Ree,par, and τperp increased with increasing confinement while entanglement density, Ree,perp, and τpar decreased. Experiments also found that D increased but to a lesser extent. Here, we examine the molecular weight dependence of these properties using N = 25, 50, 100, 200, 350, and 500 confined to pores of diameter 14 σ to examine a range of confinements. Our preliminary results show that as N increases D and Ree,par, increase as well, relative to the unconfined state, while entanglement density and Ree,perp decrease, consistent with our previous work. Interestingly, τ is shown to be independent of chain length indicating the impact of confinement imposed by reducing pore diameter is distinct from that imposed by increasing chain length.

Preparing Historically Underserved Students for STEM Careers: The Role of an Inquiry-based High School Science Sequence Beginning with Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bridges, Jon P.

Improving the STEM readiness of students from historically underserved groups is a moral and economic imperative requiring greater attention and effort than has been shown to date. The current literature suggests a high school science sequence beginning with physics and centered on developing conceptual understanding, using inquiry labs and modeling to allow students to explore new ideas, and addressing and correcting student misconceptions can increase student interest in and preparation for STEM careers. The purpose of this study was to determine if the science college readiness of historically underserved students can be improved by implementing an inquiry-based high school science sequence comprised of coursework in physics, chemistry, and biology for every student. The study used a retrospective cohort observational design to address the primary research question: are there differences between historically underserved students completing a Physics First science sequence and their peers completing a traditional science sequence in 1) science college-readiness test scores, 2) rates of science college-and career-readiness, and 3) interest in STEM? Small positive effects were found for all three outcomes for historically underserved students in the Physics First sequence.

Temporal Topic Modeling to Assess Associations between News Trends and Infectious Disease Outbreaks.

PubMed

Ghosh, Saurav; Chakraborty, Prithwish; Nsoesie, Elaine O; Cohn, Emily; Mekaru, Sumiko R; Brownstein, John S; Ramakrishnan, Naren

2017-01-19

In retrospective assessments, internet news reports have been shown to capture early reports of unknown infectious disease transmission prior to official laboratory confirmation. In general, media interest and reporting peaks and wanes during the course of an outbreak. In this study, we quantify the extent to which media interest during infectious disease outbreaks is indicative of trends of reported incidence. We introduce an approach that uses supervised temporal topic models to transform large corpora of news articles into temporal topic trends. The key advantages of this approach include: applicability to a wide range of diseases and ability to capture disease dynamics, including seasonality, abrupt peaks and troughs. We evaluated the method using data from multiple infectious disease outbreaks reported in the United States of America (U.S.), China, and India. We demonstrate that temporal topic trends extracted from disease-related news reports successfully capture the dynamics of multiple outbreaks such as whooping cough in U.S. (2012), dengue outbreaks in India (2013) and China (2014). Our observations also suggest that, when news coverage is uniform, efficient modeling of temporal topic trends using time-series regression techniques can estimate disease case counts with increased precision before official reports by health organizations.

Is there any connection between the network morphology and the fluctuations of the stock market index?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stefan, F. M.; Atman, A. P. F.

2015-02-01

Models which consider behavioral aspects of the investors have attracted increasing interest in the Finance and Econophysics literature in the last years. Different behavioral profiles (imitation, anti-imitation, indifference) were proposed for the investors, which take their decision based on their trust network (neighborhood). Results from agent-based models have shown that most of the features observed in actual stock market indices can be replicated in simulations. Here, we present a deeper investigation of an agent based model considering different network morphologies (regular, random, small-world) for the investors' trust network, in an attempt to answer the question raised in the title. We study the model by considering four scenarios for the investors and different initial conditions to analyze their influence in the stock market fluctuations. We have characterized the stationary limit for each scenario tested, focusing on the changes introduced when complex networks were used, and calculated the Hurst exponent in some cases. Simulations showed interesting results suggesting that the fluctuations of the stock market index are strongly affected by the network morphology, a remarkable result which we believe was never reported or predicted before.

Temporal Topic Modeling to Assess Associations between News Trends and Infectious Disease Outbreaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Saurav; Chakraborty, Prithwish; Nsoesie, Elaine O.; Cohn, Emily; Mekaru, Sumiko R.; Brownstein, John S.; Ramakrishnan, Naren

2017-01-01

In retrospective assessments, internet news reports have been shown to capture early reports of unknown infectious disease transmission prior to official laboratory confirmation. In general, media interest and reporting peaks and wanes during the course of an outbreak. In this study, we quantify the extent to which media interest during infectious disease outbreaks is indicative of trends of reported incidence. We introduce an approach that uses supervised temporal topic models to transform large corpora of news articles into temporal topic trends. The key advantages of this approach include: applicability to a wide range of diseases and ability to capture disease dynamics, including seasonality, abrupt peaks and troughs. We evaluated the method using data from multiple infectious disease outbreaks reported in the United States of America (U.S.), China, and India. We demonstrate that temporal topic trends extracted from disease-related news reports successfully capture the dynamics of multiple outbreaks such as whooping cough in U.S. (2012), dengue outbreaks in India (2013) and China (2014). Our observations also suggest that, when news coverage is uniform, efficient modeling of temporal topic trends using time-series regression techniques can estimate disease case counts with increased precision before official reports by health organizations.

A study of the sensitivity of an imaging telescope (GRITS) for high energy gamma-ray astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yearian, Mason R.

1990-01-01

When a gamma-ray telescope is placed in Earth orbit, it is bombarded by a flux of cosmic protons much greater than the flux of interesting gammas. These protons can interact in the telescope's thermal shielding to produce detectable gamma rays, most of which are vetoed. Since the proton flux is so high, the unvetoed gamma rays constitute a significant background relative to some weak sources. This background increases the observing time required to pinpoint some sources and entirely obscures other sources. Although recent telescopes have been designed to minimize this background, its strength and spectral characteristics were not previously calculated in detail. Monte Carlo calculations are presented which characterize the strength, spectrum and other features of the cosmic proton background using FLUKA, a hadronic cascade program. Several gamma-ray telescopes, including SAS-2, EGRET and the Gamma Ray Imaging Telescope System (GRITS), are analyzed, and their proton-induced backgrounds are characterized. In all cases, the backgrounds are either shown to be low relative to interesting signals or suggestions are made which would reduce the background sufficiently to leave the telescope unimpaired. In addition, several limiting cases are examined for comparison to previous estimates and calibration measurements.

Nanoparticle forming reactive plasmas: a multidiagnostic approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinz, Alexander; Wahl, Erik von; Faupel, Franz; Strunskus, Thomas; Kersten, Holger

2018-05-01

With an ever increasing interest in functional materials based on nanoparticles a large amount of research in this field is dedicated to the development of new production methods for nanoparticles. A promising class of methods for the production of nanoparticles is reactive plasmas. However, since the particle formation process and the interaction between the particles and the plasma are so far not completely understood, it remains difficult to control the particle formation. As the interaction between the nanoparticles and the plasma in which they are dispersed is complex the use of one or two diagnostics often provides only an incomplete understanding of the involved processes. Thus a multidiagnostic approach is needed. This contribution reviews the latest results from the study of nanoparticle formation in a hydrocarbon-based reactive plasma by such a multidiagnostic approach. It is shown that the use of various diagnostics like an IV-probe, optical emission spectroscopy, and a multipole resonance probe in conjunction with an investigation of the particle formation provides a much more detailed picture of these interesting, yet challenging, systems. Contribution to the Topical Issue "Fundamentals of Complex Plasmas", edited by Jürgen Meichsner, Michael Bonitz, Holger Fehske, Alexander Piel.

Medical students, money, and career selection: students' perception of financial factors and remuneration in family medicine.

PubMed

Morra, Dante J; Regehr, Glenn; Ginsburg, Shiphra

2009-02-01

Medical students have had a declining interest in family medicine as a career. Some studies have shown a small inverse relationship between debt levels and primary care, but it is unclear how students perceive remuneration in different specialties and how these perceptions might influence career choice. Medical students at one school were surveyed to understand their perceptions of physician remuneration and to gain insight into how these perceptions might affect career selection. Response rate was 72% (560/781 students). Students' estimates of physician income were accurate throughout training, with the overall estimate for family medicine being lower than the actual income by only $10,656. The vast majority of students agreed with the statement that family physicians get paid too little (85%-89% of each class). The importance of payment as a factor in career decision making increased with higher debt and with advancing training. Students are able to accurately predict income by specialty from an early stage of training and have a negative perception of income in family medicine. The perception that family physicians make too little money could be an important driver--or at least a modifier--in the lack of interest in family medicine.

Generating Accurate Urban Area Maps from Nighttime Satellite (DMSP/OLS) Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Imhoff, Marc; Lawrence, William; Elvidge, Christopher

2000-01-01

There has been an increasing interest by the international research community to use the nighttime acquired "city-lights" data sets collected by the US Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's Operational Linescan system to study issues relative to urbanization. Many researchers are interested in using these data to estimate human demographic parameters over large areas and then characterize the interactions between urban development , natural ecosystems, and other aspects of the human enterprise. Many of these attempts rely on an ability to accurately identify urbanized area. However, beyond the simple determination of the loci of human activity, using these data to generate accurate estimates of urbanized area can be problematic. Sensor blooming and registration error can cause large overestimates of urban land based on a simple measure of lit area from the raw data. We discuss these issues, show results of an attempt to do a historical urban growth model in Egypt, and then describe a few basic processing techniques that use geo-spatial analysis to threshold the DMSP data to accurately estimate urbanized areas. Algorithm results are shown for the United States and an application to use the data to estimate the impact of urban sprawl on sustainable agriculture in the US and China is described.

Temporal Topic Modeling to Assess Associations between News Trends and Infectious Disease Outbreaks

PubMed Central

Ghosh, Saurav; Chakraborty, Prithwish; Nsoesie, Elaine O.; Cohn, Emily; Mekaru, Sumiko R.; Brownstein, John S.; Ramakrishnan, Naren

2017-01-01

In retrospective assessments, internet news reports have been shown to capture early reports of unknown infectious disease transmission prior to official laboratory confirmation. In general, media interest and reporting peaks and wanes during the course of an outbreak. In this study, we quantify the extent to which media interest during infectious disease outbreaks is indicative of trends of reported incidence. We introduce an approach that uses supervised temporal topic models to transform large corpora of news articles into temporal topic trends. The key advantages of this approach include: applicability to a wide range of diseases and ability to capture disease dynamics, including seasonality, abrupt peaks and troughs. We evaluated the method using data from multiple infectious disease outbreaks reported in the United States of America (U.S.), China, and India. We demonstrate that temporal topic trends extracted from disease-related news reports successfully capture the dynamics of multiple outbreaks such as whooping cough in U.S. (2012), dengue outbreaks in India (2013) and China (2014). Our observations also suggest that, when news coverage is uniform, efficient modeling of temporal topic trends using time-series regression techniques can estimate disease case counts with increased precision before official reports by health organizations. PMID:28102319

Role of transmethylation reactions in alcoholic liver disease

PubMed Central

Kharbanda, Kusum K

2007-01-01

Alcoholic liver disease is a major health care problem worldwide. Findings from many laboratories, including ours, have demonstrated that ethanol feeding impairs several of the many steps involved in methionine metabolism. Ethanol consumption predominantly results in a decrease in the hepatocyte level of S-adenosylmethionine and the increases in two toxic metabolites, homocysteine and S-adenosylhomocysteine. These changes, in turn, result in serious functional consequences which include decreases in essential methylation reactions via inhibition of various methyltransferases. Of particular interest to our laboratory is the inhibition of three important enzymes, phosphatidylethanolamine methyltransferase, isoprenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransferase and protein L-isoaspartate methyltransferase. Decreased activity of these enzymes results in increased fat deposition, increased apoptosis and increased accumulation of damaged proteins-all of which are hallmark features of alcoholic liver injury. Of all the therapeutic modalities available, betaine has been shown to be the safest, least expensive and most effective in attenuating ethanol-induced liver injury. Betaine, by virtue of aiding in the remethylation of homocysteine, removes both toxic metabolites (homocysteine and S-adenosylhomocysteine), restores S-adenosylmethionine level, and reverses steatosis, apoptosis and damaged proteins accumulation. In conclusion, betaine appears to be a promising therapeutic agent in relieving the methylation and other defects associated with alcoholic abuse. PMID:17854136

On the response of dynamic cracks to increasing overload

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

Gumbsch, P.

1996-12-01

One of the most interesting questions in the dynamics of brittle fracture is how a running brittle crack responds to an overload, i.e., to a mechanical energy release rate larger than that due to the increase in surface energy of the two cleavage surfaces. To address this question, dynamically running cracks in different crystal lattices are modelled atomistically under the condition of constant energy release rate. Stable crack propagation as well as the onset of crack tip instabilities are studied. It will be shown that small overloads lead to stable crack propagation with steady state velocities which quickly reach themore » terminal velocity of about 0.4 of the Rayleigh wave speed upon increasing the overload. Further increasing the overload does not change the steady state velocity but significantly changes the energy dissipation process towards shock wave emission at the breaking of every single atomic bond. Eventually the perfectly brittle crack becomes unstable, which then leads to dislocation generation and to the production of cleavage steps. The onset of the instability as well as the terminal velocity are related to the non-linearity of the interatomic interaction.« less

Increasing medical student interest in general practice in New Zealand: where to from here?

PubMed

Poole, Phillippa; Bourke, David; Shulruf, Boaz

2010-05-28

To meet increasing health demands, increasing the proportion of local graduates entering general practice is imperative. Students entering or exiting The University of Auckland's medical programme from 2006 to 2008 were invited to complete a tracking project survey. Levels of interest in general practice were determined along with characteristics associated with a greater or lesser interest in this career. 712 students replied--a response rate of 80%. At entry, 40% of students had a strong interest in a career in general practice, and at exit, 29% (P =0.003). A quarter at each time point had no interest. The proportion of domestic students born outside NZ or Australia was 160/376 (42.5%). There were significantly higher levels of interest in general practice among females, students born in NZ, and those from outside Auckland--especially rural origin. Flexibility in career was more important to students with a strong interest in general practice than those with no interest. Auckland medical students have levels of interest in general practice comparable with international data. Increasing this interest further may require admission of a greater proportion of students from those groups with higher interest levels, greater emphasis on the positive aspects of general practice, and on GPs as equals to other specialists.

Incorporating approximation error in surrogate based Bayesian inversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, J.; Zeng, L.; Li, W.; Wu, L.

2015-12-01

There are increasing interests in applying surrogates for inverse Bayesian modeling to reduce repetitive evaluations of original model. In this way, the computational cost is expected to be saved. However, the approximation error of surrogate model is usually overlooked. This is partly because that it is difficult to evaluate the approximation error for many surrogates. Previous studies have shown that, the direct combination of surrogates and Bayesian methods (e.g., Markov Chain Monte Carlo, MCMC) may lead to biased estimations when the surrogate cannot emulate the highly nonlinear original system. This problem can be alleviated by implementing MCMC in a two-stage manner. However, the computational cost is still high since a relatively large number of original model simulations are required. In this study, we illustrate the importance of incorporating approximation error in inverse Bayesian modeling. Gaussian process (GP) is chosen to construct the surrogate for its convenience in approximation error evaluation. Numerical cases of Bayesian experimental design and parameter estimation for contaminant source identification are used to illustrate this idea. It is shown that, once the surrogate approximation error is well incorporated into Bayesian framework, promising results can be obtained even when the surrogate is directly used, and no further original model simulations are required.

A Preliminary Model for Spacecraft Propulsion Performance Analysis Based on Nuclear Gain and Subsystem Mass-Power Balances

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chakrabarti, Suman; Schmidt, George R.; Thio, Y. C.; Hurst, Chantelle M.

1999-01-01

A preliminary model for spacecraft propulsion performance analysis based on nuclear gain and subsystem mass-power balances are presented in viewgraph form. For very fast missions with straight-line trajectories, it has been shown that mission trip time is proportional to the cube root of alpha. Analysis of spacecraft power systems via a power balance and examination of gain vs. mass-power ratio has shown: 1) A minimum gain is needed to have enough power for thruster and driver operation; and 2) Increases in gain result in decreases in overall mass-power ratio, which in turn leads to greater achievable accelerations. However, subsystem mass-power ratios and efficiencies are crucial: less efficient values for these can partially offset the effect of nuclear gain. Therefore, it is of interest to monitor the progress of gain-limited subsystem technologies and it is also possible that power-limited systems with sufficiently low alpha may be competitive for such ambitious missions. Topics include Space flight requirements; Spacecraft energy gain; Control theory for performance; Mission assumptions; Round trips: Time and distance; Trip times; Vehicle acceleration; and Minimizing trip times.

Patient web portals, disease management, and primary prevention.

PubMed

Coughlin, Steven S; Prochaska, Judith J; Williams, Lovoria B; Besenyi, Gina M; Heboyan, Vahé; Goggans, D Stephen; Yoo, Wonsuk; De Leo, Gianluca

2017-01-01

Efforts aimed at health care reform and continued advances in information technologies have prompted interest among providers and researchers in patient web portals. Patient web portals are password-protected online websites that offer the patients 24-hour access to personal health information from anywhere with an Internet connection. This article, which is based upon bibliographic searches in PubMed, reviews important developments in web portals for primary and secondary disease prevention, including patient web portals tethered to electronic medical records, disease-specific portals, health disparities, and health-related community web portals. Although findings have not been uniformly positive, several studies of the effectiveness of health care system patient portals in chronic disease management have shown promising results with regard to patient outcomes. Patient web portals have also shown promising results in increasing adherence with screening recommendations. Racial and ethnic minorities, younger persons, and patients who are less educated or have lower health literacy have been found to be less likely to use patient portals. Additional studies are needed of the utility and effectiveness of different elements of web portals for different patient populations. This should include additional diseases and health topics such as smoking cessation and weight management.

Safety and efficacy analysis of liposomal insulin-like growth factor-1 in a fluid gel formulation for hair-loss treatment in a hamster model.

PubMed

Castro, R F; Azzalis, L A; Feder, D; Perazzo, F F; Pereira, E C; Junqueira, V B C; Rocha, K C; Machado, C D'A; Paschoal, F C; Gnann, L A; Fonseca, F L A

2012-12-01

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 has shown some interesting results in studies examining its use as a hair-loss treatment. IGF-1 works by regulating cellular proliferation and migration during the development of hair follicles. Hepatotoxicity and myelotoxicity were evaluated in hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) after topical application of the liquid gel vehicle (placebo), 1% IGF-1 or 3% IGF-1. No significant difference in the levels of aspartate aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase was found between the control and treated groups. ELISA did not shown any increase in the plasma level of IGF-1. A haematopoietic niche was found, but it was not associated with myelotoxicity. Efficacy was determined by dermatoscopy analysis of hair density and microscopy analysis of hair diameter, with hair found to be thicker and with more rapid growth in the 3% group than in either the 1% group or the control group. These results strongly suggest that liposomal IGF-1 in a liquid gel formulation is a safe and efficient treatment for hair loss. © The Author(s). CED © 2012 British Association of Dermatologists.

"CH"/N substituted mer-Gaq3 and mer-Alq3 derivatives: an effective approach for the tuning of emitting color.

PubMed

Gahungu, Godefroid; Zhang, Jingping

2005-09-22

Equilibrium geometry configurations of the "CH"/N substituted Alq3 and Gaq3 derivatives are calculated by density functional theory (B3LYP/6-31G). The frontier molecular orbital and gap energy calculations for all complexes have been performed at the HF/6-31G level. It was shown that, compared to the pristine molecules, the HOMO and LUMO are stabilized, the net effect being however an increasing/decreasing of the gap (Eg) depending on the position of the substituted group. On the basis of the equilibrium geometries, the effect of the substitution on the absorption and emission spectra was evaluated using TDB3LYP/3-21G. It was shown that the change of "CH"/N substituted position on 8-hydroxyquinoline ligand is a powerful approach for the tuning of emitting color. An important blue shift was predicted for 5-substituted 8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives, an important red one being observed for 4-substituted ones. Interestingly, relatively significant blue and red shifts were also predicted for the 7- and 2-substituted derivatives. In this work, the correlation between the spectrum shifts and the metal-ligand bonding is also discussed.

Conformal and Spectrally Agile Ultra Wideband Phased Array Antenna for Communication and Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Novak, M.; Alwan, Elias; Miranda, Felix; Volakis, John

2015-01-01

There is a continuing need for reducing size and weight of satellite systems, and is also strong interest to increase the functional role of small- and nano-satellites (for instance SmallSats and CubeSats). To this end, a family of arrays is presented, demonstrating ultra-wideband operation across the numerous satellite communications and sensing frequencies up to the Ku-, Ka-, and Millimeter-Wave bands. An example design is demonstrated to operate from 3.5-18.5 GHz with VSWR2 at broadside, and validated through fabrication of an 8 x 8 prototype. This design is optimized for low cost, using Printed Circuit Board (PCB) fabrication. With the same fabrication technology, scaling is shown to be feasible up to a 9-49 GHz band. Further designs are discussed, which extend this wideband operation beyond the Ka-band, for instance from 20-80 GHz. Finally we will discuss recent efforts in the direct integration of such arrays with digital beamforming back-ends. It will be shown that using a novel on-site coding architecture, orders of magnitude reduction in hardware size, power, and cost is accomplished in this transceiver.

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

Graham, Kenneth R.; Mei, Jianguo; Stalder, Romain

The effect of the macromolecular additive, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), on the performance of solution processed molecular bulk heterojunction solar cells is investigated, and the addition of PDMS is shown to improve device power conversion efficiency by ~70% and significantly reduce cell-to-cell variation, from a power conversion efficiency of 1.25 ± 0.37% with no PDMS to 2.16 ± 0.09% upon the addition of 0.1 mg/mL PDMS to the casting solution. The cells are based on a thiophene and isoindigo containing oligomer as the electron donor and [6,6]-phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PC 61BM) as the electron acceptor. PDMS is shown to havemore » a strong influence on film morphology, with a significant decrease in film roughness and feature size observed. The morphology change leads to improved performance parameters, most notably an increase in the short circuit current density from 4.3 to 6.8 mA/cm 2 upon addition of 0.1 mg/mL PDMS. The use of PDMS is of particular interest, as this additive appears frequently as a lubricant in plastic syringes commonly used in device fabrication; therefore, PDMS may unintentionally be incorporated into device active layers.« less

Polarotaxis in Nature: If they can see it, why can't we?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tynes, Hatcher; Kattawar, George

2000-03-01

Like most creatures in nature, we rely on vision in order to gain information about the world around us. However, while we may all be looking at the same things, some of our neighbors appear to be seeing more than we. What are we missing and why? The answer to both questions lies in the discovery that, while we see only the intensity of light, many creatures possess the ability to detect not only its intensity but its polarization state as well. Wehner et al. have shown that insects such as bees and ants use the polarization of the sky to navigate. Recently, Shashar et al. have shown that squid use polarized light to detect transparent food and to send secret signals to one another. Such findings have generated increasing interest in the study and use of polarized light as a remote sensing tool. In this talk I will briefly review polarization and describe how some creatures have adapted in order to use the polarization of natural light fields in their environments. Using several striking images, I will show how polarization imaging, using circularly polarized light in particular, can let us see what we have been missing all this time.

Neurobiological effects of Hyperforin and its potential in Alzheimer's disease therapy.

PubMed

Griffith, T N; Varela-Nallar, L; Dinamarca, M C; Inestrosa, N C

2010-01-01

St. John's Wort (SJW) has been used medicinally for over 5,000 years. Relatively recently, one of its phloroglucinol derivatives, hyperforin, has emerged as a compound of interest. Hyperforin first gained attention as the constituent of SJW responsible for its antidepressant effects. Since then, several of its neurobiological effects have been described, including neurotransmitter re-uptake inhibition, the ability to increase intracellular sodium and calcium levels, canonical transient receptor potential 6 (TRPC6) activation, N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonism as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Until recently, its pharmacological actions outside of depression had not been investigated. However, hyperforin has been shown to have cognitive enhancing and memory facilitating properties. Importantly, it has been shown to have neuroprotective effects against Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology, including the ability to disassemble amyloid-beta (Abeta) aggregates in vitro, decrease astrogliosis and microglia activation, as well as improve spatial memory in vivo. This review will examine some of the early studies involving hyperforin and its effects in the central nervous system (CNS), with an emphasis on its potential use in AD therapy. With further investigation, hyperforin could emerge to be a likely therapeutical candidate in the treatment of this disease.

Patient web portals, disease management, and primary prevention

PubMed Central

Coughlin, Steven S; Prochaska, Judith J; Williams, Lovoria B; Besenyi, Gina M; Heboyan, Vahé; Goggans, D Stephen; Yoo, Wonsuk; De Leo, Gianluca

2017-01-01

Background Efforts aimed at health care reform and continued advances in information technologies have prompted interest among providers and researchers in patient web portals. Patient web portals are password-protected online websites that offer the patients 24-hour access to personal health information from anywhere with an Internet connection. Methods This article, which is based upon bibliographic searches in PubMed, reviews important developments in web portals for primary and secondary disease prevention, including patient web portals tethered to electronic medical records, disease-specific portals, health disparities, and health-related community web portals. Results Although findings have not been uniformly positive, several studies of the effectiveness of health care system patient portals in chronic disease management have shown promising results with regard to patient outcomes. Patient web portals have also shown promising results in increasing adherence with screening recommendations. Racial and ethnic minorities, younger persons, and patients who are less educated or have lower health literacy have been found to be less likely to use patient portals. Conclusion Additional studies are needed of the utility and effectiveness of different elements of web portals for different patient populations. This should include additional diseases and health topics such as smoking cessation and weight management. PMID:28435342

18O stable isotope labeling, quantitative model experiments, and molecular dynamics simulation studies on the trans-specific degradation of the bitter tasting iso-alpha-acids of beer.

PubMed

Intelmann, Daniel; Demmer, Oliver; Desmer, Nina; Hofmann, Thomas

2009-11-25

The typical bitterness of fresh beer is well-known to decrease in intensity and to change in quality with increasing age. This phenomenon was recently shown to be caused by the conversion of bitter tasting trans-iso-alpha-acids into lingering and harsh bitter tasting tri- and tetracyclic degradation products such as tricyclocohumol, tricyclocohumene, isotricyclocohumene, tetracyclocohumol, and epitetracyclocohumol. Interestingly, the formation of these compounds was shown to be trans-specific and the corresponding cis-iso-alpha-acids were found to be comparatively stable. Application of 18O stable isotope labeling as well as quantitative model studies combined with LC-MS/MS experiments, followed by computer-based molecular dynamics simulations revealed for the first time a conclusive mechanism explaining the stereospecific transformation of trans-iso-alpha-acids into the tri- and tetracyclic degradation products. This transformation was proposed to be induced by a proton-catalyzed carbon/carbon bond formation between the carbonyl atom C(1') of the isohexenoyl moiety and the alkene carbon C(2'') of the isoprenyl moiety of the trans-iso-alpha-acids.

Therapeutic esophageal interventions for dysphagia and bleeding.

PubMed

Siersema, Peter D

2006-07-01

This article reviews the most notable results of esophageal interventions for dysphagia and bleeding published in 2005. Long-term rubber tube placement was shown to be an interesting treatment option for difficult esophageal strictures. Two studies demonstrated that only 50% of patients who had undergone pneumatic dilation for achalasia were dysphagia-free after long-term follow-up. It was shown that patients with dysphagia from esophageal cancer should be treated by intraluminal radiotherapy (brachytherapy), whereas stent placement was preferable in those with a poor prognosis. Temporary stent placement is an option in patients undergoing radiotherapy for inoperable esophageal cancer to increase the dysphagia-free period. Two studies were published on the successful use of silicone-covered plastic stents for sealing of leaks after surgery of the esophagus. The optimal treatment for bleeding varices was confirmed to be endoscopic band ligation. A meta-analysis demonstrated that adding sclerotherapy to band ligation for secondary prophylaxis of bleeding varices had no effect on clinical outcome. In 2005, new techniques for the treatment of complicated strictures were presented. In addition, expanding indications for stents were reported. Finally, endoscopic band ligation was confirmed to be the most optimal technique for the treatment of varices.

Ovarian function's role during cancer cachexia progression in the female mouse.

PubMed

Hetzler, Kimbell L; Hardee, Justin P; LaVoie, Holly A; Murphy, E Angela; Carson, James A

2017-05-01

Cachexia is a debilitating condition that occurs with chronic disease, including cancer; our research has shown that some regulation of cancer cachexia progression is affected by sex differences. The Apc Min/+ mouse is genetically predisposed to develop intestinal tumors; IL-6 signaling and hypogonadism are associated with cachexia severity in the male. This relationship in the female warrants further investigation, as we have shown that the ability of IL-6 to induce cachexia differs between the sexes. Since ovarian reproductive function relies on a complex system of endocrine signaling to affect whole body homeostasis, we examined the relationship between ovarian reproductive function and progression of cancer cachexia in the female Apc Min/+ mouse. Our study of ovarian reproductive function in female Apc Min/+ mice showed disease-related cessation of estrous cycling (acyclicity) in 38% of mice. Acyclicity, including morphological and functional losses and enhanced muscle inflammatory gene expression, was associated with severe cachexia. Interestingly, ovariectomy rescued body weight and muscle mass and function but increased muscle sensitivity to systemic IL-6 overexpression. In conclusion, our results provide evidence for a relationship between ovarian reproductive function and cachexia progression in female Apc Min/+ mice. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Ovarian function’s role during cancer cachexia progression in the female mouse

PubMed Central

Hetzler, Kimbell L.; Hardee, Justin P.; LaVoie, Holly A.; Murphy, E. Angela

2017-01-01

Cachexia is a debilitating condition that occurs with chronic disease, including cancer; our research has shown that some regulation of cancer cachexia progression is affected by sex differences. The ApcMin/+ mouse is genetically predisposed to develop intestinal tumors; IL-6 signaling and hypogonadism are associated with cachexia severity in the male. This relationship in the female warrants further investigation, as we have shown that the ability of IL-6 to induce cachexia differs between the sexes. Since ovarian reproductive function relies on a complex system of endocrine signaling to affect whole body homeostasis, we examined the relationship between ovarian reproductive function and progression of cancer cachexia in the female ApcMin/+ mouse. Our study of ovarian reproductive function in female ApcMin/+ mice showed disease-related cessation of estrous cycling (acyclicity) in 38% of mice. Acyclicity, including morphological and functional losses and enhanced muscle inflammatory gene expression, was associated with severe cachexia. Interestingly, ovariectomy rescued body weight and muscle mass and function but increased muscle sensitivity to systemic IL-6 overexpression. In conclusion, our results provide evidence for a relationship between ovarian reproductive function and cachexia progression in female ApcMin/+ mice. PMID:28292759

Effects of Magnesium on the Phosphate Toxicity in Chronic Kidney Disease: Time for Intervention Studies.

PubMed

Sakaguchi, Yusuke; Hamano, Takayuki; Isaka, Yoshitaka

2017-02-06

Magnesium, an essential mineral for human health, plays a pivotal role in the cardiovascular system. Epidemiological studies in the general population have found an association between lower dietary magnesium intake and an elevated risk of cardiovascular events. In addition, magnesium supplementation was shown to improve blood pressure control, insulin sensitivity, and endothelial function. The relationship between magnesium and cardiovascular prognosis among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been increasingly investigated as it is becoming evident that magnesium can inhibit vascular calcification, a prominent risk of cardiovascular events, which commonly occurs in CKD patients. Cohort studies in patients receiving dialysis have shown a lower serum magnesium level as a significant risk for cardiovascular mortality. Interestingly, the cardiovascular mortality risk associated with hyperphosphatemia is alleviated among those with high serum magnesium levels, consistent with in vitro evidence that magnesium inhibits high-phosphate induced calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells. Furthermore, a harmful effect of high phosphate on the progression of CKD is also attenuated among those with high serum magnesium levels. The potential usefulness of magnesium as a remedy for phosphate toxicity should be further explored by future intervention studies.

Effects of Magnesium on the Phosphate Toxicity in Chronic Kidney Disease: Time for Intervention Studies

PubMed Central

Sakaguchi, Yusuke; Hamano, Takayuki; Isaka, Yoshitaka

2017-01-01

Magnesium, an essential mineral for human health, plays a pivotal role in the cardiovascular system. Epidemiological studies in the general population have found an association between lower dietary magnesium intake and an elevated risk of cardiovascular events. In addition, magnesium supplementation was shown to improve blood pressure control, insulin sensitivity, and endothelial function. The relationship between magnesium and cardiovascular prognosis among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been increasingly investigated as it is becoming evident that magnesium can inhibit vascular calcification, a prominent risk of cardiovascular events, which commonly occurs in CKD patients. Cohort studies in patients receiving dialysis have shown a lower serum magnesium level as a significant risk for cardiovascular mortality. Interestingly, the cardiovascular mortality risk associated with hyperphosphatemia is alleviated among those with high serum magnesium levels, consistent with in vitro evidence that magnesium inhibits high-phosphate induced calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells. Furthermore, a harmful effect of high phosphate on the progression of CKD is also attenuated among those with high serum magnesium levels. The potential usefulness of magnesium as a remedy for phosphate toxicity should be further explored by future intervention studies. PMID:28178182

Training Strategies for Mitigating the Effect of Proportional Control on Classification in Pattern Recognition Based Myoelectric Control

PubMed Central

Scheme, Erik; Englehart, Kevin

2013-01-01

The performance of pattern recognition based myoelectric control has seen significant interest in the research community for many years. Due to a recent surge in the development of dexterous prosthetic devices, determining the clinical viability of multifunction myoelectric control has become paramount. Several factors contribute to differences between offline classification accuracy and clinical usability, but the overriding theme is that the variability of the elicited patterns increases greatly during functional use. Proportional control has been shown to greatly improve the usability of conventional myoelectric control systems. Typically, a measure of the amplitude of the electromyogram (a rectified and smoothed version) is used to dictate the velocity of control of a device. The discriminatory power of myoelectric pattern classifiers, however, is also largely based on amplitude features of the electromyogram. This work presents an introductory look at the effect of contraction strength and proportional control on pattern recognition based control. These effects are investigated using typical pattern recognition data collection methods as well as a real-time position tracking test. Training with dynamically force varying contractions and appropriate gain selection is shown to significantly improve (p<0.001) the classifier’s performance and tolerance to proportional control. PMID:23894224

26 CFR 301.6330-1 - Notice and opportunity for hearing prior to levy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... additional assessment represents accruals of interest, accruals of penalties, or both. Q-D2. Will a CDP...? A-D2. To the extent practicable, a CDP hearing with respect to one tax period shown on a CDP Notice...

Summary report of the Aircraft Design Committee

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodcock, R. J.

1977-01-01

Meetings were held concerning aircraft design with considerable interest shown in aircraft operations. Topics covered were: (1) structural design for turbulence; (2) flight control; (3) data needs; and (4) lightning. Other factors discussed were temperature, rain, hail, icing, pressure, density, corrosives, and abrasives.

DISINFECTION, Chapter 4

EPA Science Inventory

Wet-weather flow has been shown to be a significant contributor to microbial contamination of receiving waters. The presence of pathogens in SW and CSO, as well as their potential release into receiving waters, are the main reasons for growing interest in the area of WWF disinfe...

Applying lean techniques in the delivery of transportation infrastructure construction projects.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-07-01

It is well documented that construction productivity has been declining since the 1960s. Additionally, studies have shown that only : 40% of construction workers time is considered to be value-added work. Interest in the use of Lean techniques ...

76 FR 47646 - Additional Designation of Person Whose Property and Interests in Property Are Blocked Pursuant to...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-05

... is featured in an Al-Shabaab video in which militia members are shown training and explicitly stating... organizing a suicide bombing attack carried out by a Somali-American from Minnesota who traveled to Somalia...

Estimating upper-stem and limb-wood volume in northeastern hardwoods

Treesearch

Wayne G. Banks; Frederick E. Hampf

1955-01-01

In the nationwide forest survey being made by the U.S. Forest Service, one of the items required is the cubic-foot volume in limbs of hardwood trees. Pulp companies and others have shown interest in this kind of information.

[Effects of Reactive Jump Training in Handball Players Regarding Jump Height and Power Development in the Triceps Surae Muscle].

PubMed

Rensing, N; Westermann, A; Möller, D; von Piekartz, H

2015-12-01

Studies have shown changes in the technical and physical demands in modern handball. The game has increased considerably in speed, power and dynamics. Jump training has, therefore, become ever more important in the training of the athletes. These developments contribute to the fact that handball is now one of the most injury-prone types of sport, with the lower extremities being most frequently affected. Reactive jump training is not only used in training by now, but also increasingly in injury prevention. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of reactive jump training with handball players. 21 regional league handball players were randomly divided into an intervention group (n = 12) and a control group (n = 9). The intervention group completed a six-week reactive jump training programme while the control group went through a non-specific training programme. Jump height (squat and counter movement jump), isokinetic and isometric maximum power as well as muscle activity served as measuring parameters. A comparison of the intervention and control groups revealed that the reactive jump training led to significant improvements in jump height. The isometric and isokinetic maximum power measurements and the electromyographic activities of the triceps surae muscle demonstrated an improvement in the values within the intervention group. However, this improvement was not significant compared with the control group. Likewise both jumps correlated with the muscle activity of the soleus muscle as shown by electromyography. A moderate correlation was noticed between the isokinetic maximum power measurement and the electromyographic activity of the soleus and gastrocnemius medialis muscles. Furthermore, the correlations of the isometric and isokinetic maximum power meas-urements resulted in a strong correlation coefficient. This study revealed a significant increase in jump height after reactive jump training. There was no significant difference in power development between the two groups. However, we were able to demonstrate correlations which would make it seem reasonable and interesting to investigate the question more closely. An interesting field of research could be the question of the effectiveness of reactive jump training in the areas of rehabilitation and injury prevention. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Transparent Glass-Ceramics Produced by Sol-Gel: A Suitable Alternative for Photonic Materials

PubMed Central

Gorni, Giulio; Mosa, Jadra; Balda, Rolindes; Fernández, Joaquin; Durán, Alicia; Castro, Yolanda

2018-01-01

Transparent glass-ceramics have shown interesting optical properties for several photonic applications. In particular, compositions based on oxide glass matrices with fluoride crystals embedded inside, known as oxyfluoride glass-ceramics, have gained increasing interest in the last few decades. Melt-quenching is still the most used method to prepare these materials but sol-gel has been indicated as a suitable alternative. Many papers have been published since the end of the 1990s, when these materials were prepared by sol-gel for the first time, thus a review of the achievements obtained so far is necessary. In the first part of this paper, a review of transparent sol-gel glass-ceramics is made focusing mainly on oxyfluoride compositions. Many interesting optical results have been obtained but very little innovation of synthesis and processing is found with respect to pioneering papers published 20 years ago. In the second part we describe the improvements in synthesis and processing obtained by the authors during the last five years. The main achievements are the preparation of oxyfluoride glass-ceramics with a much higher fluoride crystal fraction, at least double that reported up to now, and the first synthesis of NaGdF4 glass-ceramics. Moreover, a new SiO2 precursor was introduced in the synthesis, allowing for a reduction in the treatment temperature and favoring hydroxyl group removal. Interesting optical properties demonstrated the incorporation of dopant ions in the fluoride crystals, thus obtaining crystal-like spectra along with higher efficiencies with respect to xerogels, and hence demonstrating that these materials are a suitable alternative for photonic applications. PMID:29385706

Finding Regions of Interest on Toroidal Meshes

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

Wu, Kesheng; Sinha, Rishi R; Jones, Chad

2011-02-09

Fusion promises to provide clean and safe energy, and a considerable amount of research effort is underway to turn this aspiration intoreality. This work focuses on a building block for analyzing data produced from the simulation of microturbulence in magnetic confinementfusion devices: the task of efficiently extracting regions of interest. Like many other simulations where a large amount of data are produced,the careful study of ``interesting'' parts of the data is critical to gain understanding. In this paper, we present an efficient approach forfinding these regions of interest. Our approach takes full advantage of the underlying mesh structure in magneticmore » coordinates to produce acompact representation of the mesh points inside the regions and an efficient connected component labeling algorithm for constructingregions from points. This approach scales linearly with the surface area of the regions of interest instead of the volume as shown with bothcomputational complexity analysis and experimental measurements. Furthermore, this new approach is 100s of times faster than a recentlypublished method based on Cartesian coordinates.« less

Andrzej PȨKALSKI Networks of Scientific Interests with Internal Degrees of Freedom Through Self-Citation Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ausloos, M.; Lambiotte, R.; Scharnhorst, A.; Hellsten, I.

Old and recent theoretical works by Andrzej Pȩkalski (APE) are recalled as possible sources of interest for describing network formation and clustering in complex (scientific) communities, through self-organization and percolation processes. Emphasis is placed on APE self-citation network over four decades. The method is that used for detecting scientists' field mobility by focusing on author's self-citation, co-authorships and article topics networks as in Refs. 1 and 2. It is shown that APE's self-citation patterns reveal important information on APE interest for research topics over time as well as APE engagement on different scientific topics and in different networks of collaboration. Its interesting complexity results from "degrees of freedom" and external fields leading to so called internal shock resistance. It is found that APE network of scientific interests belongs to independent clusters and occurs through rare or drastic events as in irreversible "preferential attachment processes", similar to those found in usual mechanics and thermodynamics phase transitions.

The Role of the Urologist in Treating Patients with Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer

PubMed Central

Crawford, E. David

2003-01-01

Objectives: To ascertain what percentage of urologists’ oncology practice is dedicated to the care of prostate cancer patients and to determine urologists’ attitudes towards the treatment of patients with metastatic and hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). An additional objective is to determine urologists’ interest in administering various types of chemotherapy in HRPC patients. Materials and Methods: The American Urological Association (AUA) directory of practicing urologists was obtained, and 3000 randomly selected members of the AUA, as well as the complete list of 168 Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO) members, were chosen for the mailing of a 16-item questionnaire. The urologists were asked about how many of their patients have prostate cancer, how many have metastatic disease, and how many have HRPC and are currently receiving intravenous (IV) chemotherapy. In addition, the urologists were queried regarding their level of interest in learning about chemotherapy options as well as learning how to administer chemotherapy. Results: A total of 654 survey questionnaires were completed and returned for tabulation, resulting in a 21% effective response rate. Sixty-four percent of the responding urologists’ cancer patients had prostate cancer, 21% had metastatic disease, and 19% had HRPC; only 4% of the urologists currently administer IV chemotherapy themselves. When asked to describe their interest in learning how to deliver and be reimbursed for IV chemotherapy, 26% expressed an extremely low level of interest, 23% a low level of interest, 31% a high level of interest, and 17% an extremely high level of interest. The results of other questions are presented and correlated with the number of years the urologists have been in practice and other demographic data. Conclusions: The management of prostate cancer comprises a major portion of urologists’ practices. Almost one half (48%) of the urologists in this survey were interested in administering and being reimbursed for IV chemotherapy. Several chemotherapy regimens have been shown to improve quality of life in patients with HRPC, yet only about 30% of these patients were referred for chemotherapy. If more urologists were able to deliver these drugs, then the number of patients referred for chemotherapy would likely increase, as would accrual to important clinical trials in HRPC. The results of this survey suggest that methods to implement the training and reimbursement of urologists in the use of chemotherapy regimens should be investigated. PMID:16986047