Sample records for solvent accessibility rsa

  1. Modeling coding-sequence evolution within the context of residue solvent accessibility.

    PubMed

    Scherrer, Michael P; Meyer, Austin G; Wilke, Claus O

    2012-09-12

    Protein structure mediates site-specific patterns of sequence divergence. In particular, residues in the core of a protein (solvent-inaccessible residues) tend to be more evolutionarily conserved than residues on the surface (solvent-accessible residues). Here, we present a model of sequence evolution that explicitly accounts for the relative solvent accessibility of each residue in a protein. Our model is a variant of the Goldman-Yang 1994 (GY94) model in which all model parameters can be functions of the relative solvent accessibility (RSA) of a residue. We apply this model to a data set comprised of nearly 600 yeast genes, and find that an evolutionary-rate ratio ω that varies linearly with RSA provides a better model fit than an RSA-independent ω or an ω that is estimated separately in individual RSA bins. We further show that the branch length t and the transition-transverion ratio κ also vary with RSA. The RSA-dependent GY94 model performs better than an RSA-dependent Muse-Gaut 1994 (MG94) model in which the synonymous and non-synonymous rates individually are linear functions of RSA. Finally, protein core size affects the slope of the linear relationship between ω and RSA, and gene expression level affects both the intercept and the slope. Structure-aware models of sequence evolution provide a significantly better fit than traditional models that neglect structure. The linear relationship between ω and RSA implies that genes are better characterized by their ω slope and intercept than by just their mean ω.

  2. Linear regression models for solvent accessibility prediction in proteins.

    PubMed

    Wagner, Michael; Adamczak, Rafał; Porollo, Aleksey; Meller, Jarosław

    2005-04-01

    The relative solvent accessibility (RSA) of an amino acid residue in a protein structure is a real number that represents the solvent exposed surface area of this residue in relative terms. The problem of predicting the RSA from the primary amino acid sequence can therefore be cast as a regression problem. Nevertheless, RSA prediction has so far typically been cast as a classification problem. Consequently, various machine learning techniques have been used within the classification framework to predict whether a given amino acid exceeds some (arbitrary) RSA threshold and would thus be predicted to be "exposed," as opposed to "buried." We have recently developed novel methods for RSA prediction using nonlinear regression techniques which provide accurate estimates of the real-valued RSA and outperform classification-based approaches with respect to commonly used two-class projections. However, while their performance seems to provide a significant improvement over previously published approaches, these Neural Network (NN) based methods are computationally expensive to train and involve several thousand parameters. In this work, we develop alternative regression models for RSA prediction which are computationally much less expensive, involve orders-of-magnitude fewer parameters, and are still competitive in terms of prediction quality. In particular, we investigate several regression models for RSA prediction using linear L1-support vector regression (SVR) approaches as well as standard linear least squares (LS) regression. Using rigorously derived validation sets of protein structures and extensive cross-validation analysis, we compare the performance of the SVR with that of LS regression and NN-based methods. In particular, we show that the flexibility of the SVR (as encoded by metaparameters such as the error insensitivity and the error penalization terms) can be very beneficial to optimize the prediction accuracy for buried residues. We conclude that the simple and computationally much more efficient linear SVR performs comparably to nonlinear models and thus can be used in order to facilitate further attempts to design more accurate RSA prediction methods, with applications to fold recognition and de novo protein structure prediction methods.

  3. Improved prediction of residue flexibility by embedding optimized amino acid grouping into RSA-based linear models.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hua; Kurgan, Lukasz

    2014-12-01

    Knowledge of protein flexibility is vital for deciphering the corresponding functional mechanisms. This knowledge would help, for instance, in improving computational drug design and refinement in homology-based modeling. We propose a new predictor of the residue flexibility, which is expressed by B-factors, from protein chains that use local (in the chain) predicted (or native) relative solvent accessibility (RSA) and custom-derived amino acid (AA) alphabets. Our predictor is implemented as a two-stage linear regression model that uses RSA-based space in a local sequence window in the first stage and a reduced AA pair-based space in the second stage as the inputs. This method is easy to comprehend explicit linear form in both stages. Particle swarm optimization was used to find an optimal reduced AA alphabet to simplify the input space and improve the prediction performance. The average correlation coefficients between the native and predicted B-factors measured on a large benchmark dataset are improved from 0.65 to 0.67 when using the native RSA values and from 0.55 to 0.57 when using the predicted RSA values. Blind tests that were performed on two independent datasets show consistent improvements in the average correlation coefficients by a modest value of 0.02 for both native and predicted RSA-based predictions.

  4. Structural study of the effects of mutations in proteins to identify the molecular basis of the loss of local structural fluidity leading to the onset of autoimmune diseases

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

    Ali, Ananya; Ghosh, Semanti; Bagchi, Angshuman

    Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs) are crucial in most of the biological processes and PPI dysfunctions are known to be associated with the onsets of various diseases. One of such diseases is the auto-immune disease. Auto-immune diseases are one among the less studied group of diseases with very high mortality rates. Thus, we tried to correlate the appearances of mutations with their probable biochemical basis of the molecular mechanisms leading to the onset of the disease phenotypes. We compared the effects of the Single Amino Acid Variants (SAVs) in the wild type and mutated proteins to identify any structural deformities that mightmore » lead to altered PPIs leading ultimately to disease onset. For this we used Relative Solvent Accessibility (RSA) as a spatial parameter to compare the structural perturbation in mutated and wild type proteins. We observed that the mutations were capable to increase intra-chain PPIs whereas inter-chain PPIs would remain mostly unaltered. This might lead to more intra-molecular friction causing a deleterious alteration of protein's normal function. A Lyapunov exponent analysis, using the altered RSA values due to polymorphic and disease causing mutations, revealed polymorphic mutations have a positive mean value for the Lyapunov exponent while disease causing mutations have a negative mean value. Thus, local spatial stochasticity has been lost due to disease causing mutations, indicating a loss of structural fluidity. The amino acid conversion plot also showed a clear tendency of altered surface patch residue conversion propensity than polymorphic conversions. So far, this is the first report that compares the effects of different kinds of mutations (disease and non-disease causing polymorphic mutations) in the onset of autoimmune diseases. - Highlights: • Protein-Protein Interaction. • Changes in Relative Solvent Accessibility (RSA). • Amino acid conversion matrix. • Polymorphic mutations. • Disease causing mutations.« less

  5. Characterization of the interaction between protein Snu13p/15.5K and the Rsa1p/NUFIP factor and demonstration of its functional importance for snoRNP assembly

    PubMed Central

    Rothé, Benjamin; Back, Régis; Quinternet, Marc; Bizarro, Jonathan; Robert, Marie-Cécile; Blaud, Magali; Romier, Christophe; Manival, Xavier; Charpentier, Bruno; Bertrand, Edouard; Branlant, Christiane

    2014-01-01

    The yeast Snu13p protein and its 15.5K human homolog both bind U4 snRNA and box C/D snoRNAs. They also bind the Rsa1p/NUFIP assembly factor, proposed to scaffold immature snoRNPs and to recruit the Hsp90-R2TP chaperone complex. However, the nature of the Snu13p/15.5K–Rsa1p/NUFIP interaction and its exact role in snoRNP assembly remained to be elucidated. By using biophysical, molecular and imaging approaches, here, we identify residues needed for Snu13p/15.5K–Rsa1p/NUFIP interaction. By NMR structure determination and docking approaches, we built a 3D model of the Snup13p–Rsa1p interface, suggesting that residues R249, R246 and K250 in Rsa1p and E72 and D73 in Snu13p form a network of electrostatic interactions shielded from the solvent by hydrophobic residues from both proteins and that residue W253 of Rsa1p is inserted in a hydrophobic cavity of Snu13p. Individual mutations of residues in yeast demonstrate the functional importance of the predicted interactions for both cell growth and snoRNP formation. Using archaeal box C/D sRNP 3D structures as templates, the association of Snu13p with Rsa1p is predicted to be exclusive of interactions in active snoRNPs. Rsa1p and NUFIP may thus prevent premature activity of pre-snoRNPs, and their removal may be a key step for active snoRNP production. PMID:24234454

  6. Optical limiting device and method of preparation thereof

    DOEpatents

    Wang, Hsing-Lin; Xu, Su; McBranch, Duncan W.

    2003-01-01

    Optical limiting device and method of preparation thereof. The optical limiting device includes a transparent substrate and at least one homogeneous layer of an RSA material in polyvinylbutyral attached to the substrate. The device may be produced by preparing a solution of an RSA material, preferably a metallophthalocyanine complex, and a solution of polyvinylbutyral, and then mixing the two solutions together to remove air bubbles. The resulting solution is layered onto the substrate and the solvent is evaporated. The method can be used to produce a dual tandem optical limiting device.

  7. Capturing Arabidopsis root architecture dynamics with ROOT-FIT reveals diversity in responses to salinity.

    PubMed

    Julkowska, Magdalena M; Hoefsloot, Huub C J; Mol, Selena; Feron, Richard; de Boer, Gert-Jan; Haring, Michel A; Testerink, Christa

    2014-11-01

    The plant root is the first organ to encounter salinity stress, but the effect of salinity on root system architecture (RSA) remains elusive. Both the reduction in main root (MR) elongation and the redistribution of the root mass between MRs and lateral roots (LRs) are likely to play crucial roles in water extraction efficiency and ion exclusion. To establish which RSA parameters are responsive to salt stress, we performed a detailed time course experiment in which Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedlings were grown on agar plates under different salt stress conditions. We captured RSA dynamics with quadratic growth functions (root-fit) and summarized the salt-induced differences in RSA dynamics in three growth parameters: MR elongation, average LR elongation, and increase in number of LRs. In the ecotype Columbia-0 accession of Arabidopsis, salt stress affected MR elongation more severely than LR elongation and an increase in LRs, leading to a significantly altered RSA. By quantifying RSA dynamics of 31 different Arabidopsis accessions in control and mild salt stress conditions, different strategies for regulation of MR and LR meristems and root branching were revealed. Different RSA strategies partially correlated with natural variation in abscisic acid sensitivity and different Na(+)/K(+) ratios in shoots of seedlings grown under mild salt stress. Applying root-fit to describe the dynamics of RSA allowed us to uncover the natural diversity in root morphology and cluster it into four response types that otherwise would have been overlooked. © 2014 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

  8. Mitigation of reversible self-association and viscosity in a human IgG1 monoclonal antibody by rational, structure-guided Fv engineering

    PubMed Central

    Geoghegan, James C.; Fleming, Ryan; Damschroder, Melissa; Bishop, Steven M.; Sathish, Hasige A.; Esfandiary, Reza

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Undesired solution behaviors such as reversible self-association (RSA), high viscosity, and liquid-liquid phase separation can introduce substantial challenges during development of monoclonal antibody formulations. Although a global mechanistic understanding of RSA (i.e., native and reversible protein-protein interactions) is sufficient to develop robust formulation controls, its mitigation via protein engineering requires knowledge of the sites of protein-protein interactions. In the study reported here, we coupled our previous hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry findings with structural modeling and in vitro screening to identify the residues responsible for RSA of a model IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb-C), and rationally engineered variants with improved solution properties (i.e., reduced RSA and viscosity). Our data show that mutation of either solvent-exposed aromatic residues within the heavy and light chain variable regions or buried residues within the heavy chain/light chain interface can significantly mitigate RSA and viscosity by reducing the IgG's surface hydrophobicity. The engineering strategy described here highlights the utility of integrating complementary experimental and in silico methods to identify mutations that can improve developability, in particular, high concentration solution properties, of candidate therapeutic antibodies. PMID:27050875

  9. The utility of protein structure as a predictor of site-wise dN/dS varies widely among HIV-1 proteins.

    PubMed

    Meyer, Austin G; Wilke, Claus O

    2015-10-06

    Protein structure acts as a general constraint on the evolution of viral proteins. One widely recognized structural constraint explaining evolutionary variation among sites is the relative solvent accessibility (RSA) of residues in the folded protein. In influenza virus, the distance from functional sites has been found to explain an additional portion of the evolutionary variation in the external antigenic proteins. However, to what extent RSA and distance from a reference site in the protein can be used more generally to explain protein adaptation in other viruses and in the different proteins of any given virus remains an open question. To address this question, we have carried out an analysis of the distribution and structural predictors of site-wise dN/dS in HIV-1. Our results indicate that the distribution of dN/dS in HIV follows a smooth gamma distribution, with no special enrichment or depletion of sites with dN/dS at or above one. The variation in dN/dS can be partially explained by RSA and distance from a reference site in the protein, but these structural constraints do not act uniformly among the different HIV-1 proteins. Structural constraints are highly predictive in just one of the three enzymes and one of three structural proteins in HIV-1. For these two proteins, the protease enzyme and the gp120 structural protein, structure explains between 30 and 40% of the variation in dN/dS. Finally, for the gp120 protein of the receptor-binding complex, we also find that glycosylation sites explain just 2% of the variation in dN/dS and do not explain gp120 evolution independently of either RSA or distance from the apical surface. © 2015 The Author(s).

  10. Antioxidant Activity of Orange Flesh and Peel Extracted with Various Solvents

    PubMed Central

    Park, Jae-Hee; Lee, Minhee; Park, Eunju

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant activity of orange (Citrus auranthium) flesh (OF) and peel (OP) extracted with acetone, ethanol, and methanol. Antioxidant potential was examined by measuring total phenolic content (TPC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (RSA), total radical-trapping anti-oxidant potential (TRAP), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and cellular antioxidant activity (CAA). The comet assay was used to determine the protective effects of OF and OP against H2O2-induced DNA damage. TPC was highest in the acetone extracts of OF and OP. DPPH RSA was also higher in the acetone extracts than in the ethanol extracts. The DPPH RSA was highest in the acetone extracts of OF. The TRAP and ORAC values of the all extracts increased in a dose-dependent manner. In the TRAP assay, the acetone extracts of OF and OP had the lowest IC50 values. In the CAA assay, the methanol and acetone extracts of OP had the lowest IC50 values. All of the samples protected against H2O2-induced DNA damage in human leukocytes, as measured by the comet assay, but the acetone extracts of OP had the strongest effect. These results suggest that acetone is the best solvent for the extraction of antioxidant compounds from OF and OP. Furthermore, the high antioxidant activity of OP, which is a by-product of orange processing, suggests that it can be used in nutraceutical and functional foods. PMID:25580393

  11. RSA Key Development Using Fingerprint Image on Text Message

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rahman, Sayuti; Triana, Indah; Khairani, Sumi; Yasir, Amru; Sundari, Siti

    2017-12-01

    Along with the development of technology today, humans are very facilitated in accessing information and Communicate with various media, including through the Internet network . Messages are sent by media such as text are not necessarily guaranteed security. it is often found someone that wants to send a secret message to the recipient, but the messages can be known by irresponsible people. So the sender feels dissappointed because the secret message that should be known only to the recipient only becomes known by the irresponsible people . It is necessary to do security the message by using the RSA algorithm, Using fingerprint image to generate RSA key.This is a solution to enrich the security of a message,it is needed to process images firstly before generating RSA keys with feature extraction.

  12. Dynamic effects of root system architecture improve root water uptake in 1-D process-based soil-root hydrodynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bouda, Martin; Saiers, James E.

    2017-12-01

    Root system architecture (RSA) can significantly affect plant access to water, total transpiration, as well as its partitioning by soil depth, with implications for surface heat, water, and carbon budgets. Despite recent advances in land surface model (LSM) descriptions of plant hydraulics, descriptions of RSA have not been included because of their three-dimensional complexity, which makes them generally too computationally costly. Here we demonstrate a new, process-based 1D layered model that captures the dynamic shifts in water potential gradients of 3D RSA under different soil moisture conditions: the RSA stencil. Using root systems calibrated to the rooting profiles of four plant functional types (PFT) of the Community Land Model, we show that the RSA stencil predicts plant water potentials within 2% to the outputs of a full 3D model, under the same assumptions on soil moisture heterogeneity, despite its trivial computational cost, resulting in improved predictions of water uptake and soil moisture compared to a model without RSA in a transient simulation. Our results suggest that LSM predictions of soil moisture dynamics and dependent variables can be improved by the implementation of this model, calibrated for individual PFTs using field observations.

  13. Using Flux Site Observations to Calibrate Root System Architecture Stencils for Water Uptake of Plant Functional Types in Land Surface Models.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bouda, M.

    2017-12-01

    Root system architecture (RSA) can significantly affect plant access to water, total transpiration, as well as its partitioning by soil depth, with implications for surface heat, water, and carbon budgets. Despite recent advances in land surface model (LSM) descriptions of plant hydraulics, RSA has not been included because of its three-dimensional complexity, which makes RSA modelling generally too computationally costly. This work builds upon the recently introduced "RSA stencil," a process-based 1D layered model that captures the dynamic shifts in water potential gradients of 3D RSA in response to heterogeneous soil moisture profiles. In validations using root systems calibrated to the rooting profiles of four plant functional types (PFT) of the Community Land Model, the RSA stencil predicts plant water potentials within 2% of the outputs of full 3D models, despite its trivial computational cost. In transient simulations, the RSA stencil yields improved predictions of water uptake and soil moisture profiles compared to a 1D model based on root fraction alone. Here I show how the RSA stencil can be calibrated to time-series observations of soil moisture and transpiration to yield a water uptake PFT definition for use in terrestrial models. This model-data integration exercise aims to improve LSM predictions of soil moisture dynamics and, under water-limiting conditions, surface fluxes. These improvements can be expected to significantly impact predictions of downstream variables, including surface fluxes, climate-vegetation feedbacks and soil nutrient cycling.

  14. Physicochemical, nutritional, and sensory qualities of wine grape pomace fortified baked goods.

    PubMed

    Walker, Rebecca; Tseng, Angela; Cavender, George; Ross, Andrew; Zhao, Yanyun

    2014-09-01

    Wine grape pomace (WGP) as a source of antioxidant dietary fiber (DF) was used to fortify baked goods, including breads, muffins, and brownies. Pinot Noir WGP (RWGP) and Pinot Grigio WGP (WWGP) substituted wheat flour at concentration of 5%, 10%, and 15% for bread, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% RWGP for brownies, and 5%, 10%, and 15% RWGP or 10%, 15%, and 20% WWGP for muffins. The finished products were evaluated for total phenolic content (TPC), radical scavenging activity (RSA), and total DF, as well as physicochemical and sensory properties. WGP flour blends were also tested for solvent retention capacity (SRC). The highest TPC and RSA values for bread and muffins were achieved in 15% RWGP fortified samples with TPC and RSA values of 68.32 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/serving and 80.70 AAE mg/serving, respectively for bread, and 2164 mg GAE/serving and 1526 mg AAE/serving, respectively for muffins. Brownies fortified with 10% RWGP had the highest RSA value (115.52 mg AAE/serving) while the control had the highest TPC value (1152 mg GAE/serving). Breads and muffins with 15% RWGP and brownies with 25% RWGP had the highest amount of DF (6.33, 12.32, and 7.73 g/serving, respectively). Sensory evaluation concluded that there is no difference in overall liking of 5% and 10% RWGP breads and muffins or 15% and 20% WGP brownies compared to the controls. This study demonstrated that WGP is a viable functional ingredient in bakery goods to increase TPC, RSA, and DF in consumer's diets. © 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®

  15. Initial development of the recovery-oriented services assessment: A collaboration with peer-provider consultants.

    PubMed

    Lodge, Amy C; Kuhn, Wendy; Earley, Juli; Stevens Manser, Stacey

    2018-06-01

    The Recovery Self-Assessment (RSA) is a reliable and valid tool used to measure recovery-oriented services. Recent studies, however, suggest that the length and reading level of the RSA makes its routine use in service settings difficult. Recognizing the importance of including people with lived experience of a mental health challenge in research processes and the need to enhance the utility of tools that measure recovery-oriented services, this paper describes an innovative researcher-peer provider consultant multistep process used to revise the provider version of the RSA to create a new instrument-the Recovery-Oriented Services Assessment (ROSA). The authors conducted an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with principal axis factoring extraction and direct oblimin rotation to evaluate the underlying structure of the provider RSA using data from mental health employees (n = 323). To triangulate the findings of the EFA, quantitative and qualitative data were collected from peer provider consultants (n = 9) on the importance of and language of RSA items. EFA results indicated that a 1-factor solution provided the best fit and explained 48% of the total variance. Consultants triangulated EFA results and recommended the addition of 2 items and language revisions. These results were used to develop the ROSA-a 15-item instrument measuring recovery-oriented services with accessible language. Two versions of the ROSA were developed: a staff version and a people-in-services version. The ROSA may provide organizations with a more accessible way to measure the extent to which their services are recovery oriented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  16. Relationships between residue Voronoi volume and sequence conservation in proteins.

    PubMed

    Liu, Jen-Wei; Cheng, Chih-Wen; Lin, Yu-Feng; Chen, Shao-Yu; Hwang, Jenn-Kang; Yen, Shih-Chung

    2018-02-01

    Functional and biophysical constraints can cause different levels of sequence conservation in proteins. Previously, structural properties, e.g., relative solvent accessibility (RSA) and packing density of the weighted contact number (WCN), have been found to be related to protein sequence conservation (CS). The Voronoi volume has recently been recognized as a new structural property of the local protein structural environment reflecting CS. However, for surface residues, it is sensitive to water molecules surrounding the protein structure. Herein, we present a simple structural determinant termed the relative space of Voronoi volume (RSV); it uses the Voronoi volume and the van der Waals volume of particular residues to quantify the local structural environment. RSV (range, 0-1) is defined as (Voronoi volume-van der Waals volume)/Voronoi volume of the target residue. The concept of RSV describes the extent of available space for every protein residue. RSV and Voronoi profiles with and without water molecules (RSVw, RSV, VOw, and VO) were compared for 554 non-homologous proteins. RSV (without water) showed better Pearson's correlations with CS than did RSVw, VO, or VOw values. The mean correlation coefficient between RSV and CS was 0.51, which is comparable to the correlation between RSA and CS (0.49) and that between WCN and CS (0.56). RSV is a robust structural descriptor with and without water molecules and can quantitatively reflect evolutionary information in a single protein structure. Therefore, it may represent a practical structural determinant to study protein sequence, structure, and function relationships. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Prioritizing quantitative trait loci for root system architecture in tetraploid wheat

    PubMed Central

    Maccaferri, Marco; El-Feki, Walid; Nazemi, Ghasemali; Salvi, Silvio; Canè, Maria Angela; Colalongo, Maria Chiara; Stefanelli, Sandra; Tuberosa, Roberto

    2016-01-01

    Optimization of root system architecture (RSA) traits is an important objective for modern wheat breeding. Linkage and association mapping for RSA in two recombinant inbred line populations and one association mapping panel of 183 elite durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum Desf.) accessions evaluated as seedlings grown on filter paper/polycarbonate screening plates revealed 20 clusters of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for root length and number, as well as 30 QTLs for root growth angle (RGA). Divergent RGA phenotypes observed by seminal root screening were validated by root phenotyping of field-grown adult plants. QTLs were mapped on a high-density tetraploid consensus map based on transcript-associated Illumina 90K single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) developed for bread and durum wheat, thus allowing for an accurate cross-referencing of RSA QTLs between durum and bread wheat. Among the main QTL clusters for root length and number highlighted in this study, 15 overlapped with QTLs for multiple RSA traits reported in bread wheat, while out of 30 QTLs for RGA, only six showed co-location with previously reported QTLs in wheat. Based on their relative additive effects/significance, allelic distribution in the association mapping panel, and co-location with QTLs for grain weight and grain yield, the RSA QTLs have been prioritized in terms of breeding value. Three major QTL clusters for root length and number (RSA_QTL_cluster_5#, RSA_QTL_cluster_6#, and RSA_QTL_cluster_12#) and nine RGA QTL clusters (QRGA.ubo-2A.1, QRGA.ubo-2A.3, QRGA.ubo-2B.2/2B.3, QRGA.ubo-4B.4, QRGA.ubo-6A.1, QRGA.ubo-6A.2, QRGA.ubo-7A.1, QRGA.ubo-7A.2, and QRGA.ubo-7B) appear particularly valuable for further characterization towards a possible implementation of breeding applications in marker-assisted selection and/or cloning of the causal genes underlying the QTLs. PMID:26880749

  18. [Sociodemographic and environmental factors associated with sports physical activity in the urban population of Peru].

    PubMed

    Seclén-Palacín, Juan A; Jacoby, Enrique R

    2003-10-01

    To determine the frequency of sports physical activity in the urban population of Peru and to identify the sociodemographic, economic, and environmental factors associated with that activity. This study utilized information collected by the country's National Household Survey (Encuesta Nacional de Hogares) in the second quarter of 1997. That Survey is overseen by Peru's National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática). The Survey was based on a probabilistic, multistage sample that was stratified for all the urban areas of the country, which was divided into eight geographic regions: metropolitan Lima, northern coast, central coast, southern coast, northern mountains, central mountains, southern mountains, and jungle. In total, 14 913 homes were visited and 45 319 people at least 15 years of age were interviewed. The frequency of engaging in sports physical activity was classified as daily, every other day, weekly, or occasional. "Regular sports activity" (RSA) was defined as engaging in sports either every day or every other day. The preferences for and obstacles to sports practice were also examined. A descriptive analysis of the levels of RSA was carried out for gender, using the chi-square test. The factors associated with RSA were analyzed through conditional multiple logistic regression and analysis of residuals, multicollinearity, and interactions. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Practicing sports at least once a week was more common among men (44.5%) than among women (32.4%), and the same was true for RSA (12.8% versus 10.5%). The age group with the highest level of RSA was 50-55 years for men (20%), and 40-45 years for women (18%). RSA was most common in three geographic regions: jungle (15.3%), central mountains (12.8%), and central coast (12.1%). RSA was least common in two regions: southern mountains (9.7%) and metropolitan Lima (10.6%). The income bracket was not associated with RSA. However, other variables associated indirectly with the socioeconomic level - such as having more formal education, being employed, and having access to the Internet or cable television - and consumption of sports information were significantly and directly associated with RSA. The most frequent barriers to practicing sports were the lack of time, the lack of nearby sports infrastructure (playing fields or courts, etc.), and people's lack of interest. RSA on the part of the members of a household was significantly associated with RSA performed by the head of the household (male or female). RSA is limited in the urban areas of Peru. This is most true for persons who are less than 30 years old, for women, and for residents of the Lima metropolitan area. This low RSA level is a challenge for public health, and it confirms the need for promoting active lifestyles. More study is needed on the observed positive influence when the head of the household performs RSA and on the fact that RSA is more common in urban areas outside metropolitan Lima. These two findings should also be taken into consideration in designing specific interventions.

  19. Enhanced Cyberspace Defense through Covert Publish-Subscribe Broker Pattern Communications

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-06-01

    http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9902/26/t_t/internet.time/, accessed June 2008. [3] C. V. Clausewitz, On War, 1st ed.. London, England: Kegan ...34 2003. [17] T. Greene . (2008 , Apr.) Network World. [Online]. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/040908-rsa-hack-power-grid.html, accessed

  20. Prioritizing quantitative trait loci for root system architecture in tetraploid wheat.

    PubMed

    Maccaferri, Marco; El-Feki, Walid; Nazemi, Ghasemali; Salvi, Silvio; Canè, Maria Angela; Colalongo, Maria Chiara; Stefanelli, Sandra; Tuberosa, Roberto

    2016-02-01

    Optimization of root system architecture (RSA) traits is an important objective for modern wheat breeding. Linkage and association mapping for RSA in two recombinant inbred line populations and one association mapping panel of 183 elite durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum Desf.) accessions evaluated as seedlings grown on filter paper/polycarbonate screening plates revealed 20 clusters of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for root length and number, as well as 30 QTLs for root growth angle (RGA). Divergent RGA phenotypes observed by seminal root screening were validated by root phenotyping of field-grown adult plants. QTLs were mapped on a high-density tetraploid consensus map based on transcript-associated Illumina 90K single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) developed for bread and durum wheat, thus allowing for an accurate cross-referencing of RSA QTLs between durum and bread wheat. Among the main QTL clusters for root length and number highlighted in this study, 15 overlapped with QTLs for multiple RSA traits reported in bread wheat, while out of 30 QTLs for RGA, only six showed co-location with previously reported QTLs in wheat. Based on their relative additive effects/significance, allelic distribution in the association mapping panel, and co-location with QTLs for grain weight and grain yield, the RSA QTLs have been prioritized in terms of breeding value. Three major QTL clusters for root length and number (RSA_QTL_cluster_5#, RSA_QTL_cluster_6#, and RSA_QTL_cluster_12#) and nine RGA QTL clusters (QRGA.ubo-2A.1, QRGA.ubo-2A.3, QRGA.ubo-2B.2/2B.3, QRGA.ubo-4B.4, QRGA.ubo-6A.1, QRGA.ubo-6A.2, QRGA.ubo-7A.1, QRGA.ubo-7A.2, and QRGA.ubo-7B) appear particularly valuable for further characterization towards a possible implementation of breeding applications in marker-assisted selection and/or cloning of the causal genes underlying the QTLs. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

  1. Structural study of the effects of mutations in proteins to identify the molecular basis of the loss of local structural fluidity leading to the onset of autoimmune diseases.

    PubMed

    Ali, Ananya; Ghosh, Semanti; Bagchi, Angshuman

    2017-02-26

    Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs) are crucial in most of the biological processes and PPI dysfunctions are known to be associated with the onsets of various diseases. One of such diseases is the auto-immune disease. Auto-immune diseases are one among the less studied group of diseases with very high mortality rates. Thus, we tried to correlate the appearances of mutations with their probable biochemical basis of the molecular mechanisms leading to the onset of the disease phenotypes. We compared the effects of the Single Amino Acid Variants (SAVs) in the wild type and mutated proteins to identify any structural deformities that might lead to altered PPIs leading ultimately to disease onset. For this we used Relative Solvent Accessibility (RSA) as a spatial parameter to compare the structural perturbation in mutated and wild type proteins. We observed that the mutations were capable to increase intra-chain PPIs whereas inter-chain PPIs would remain mostly unaltered. This might lead to more intra-molecular friction causing a deleterious alteration of protein's normal function. A Lyapunov exponent analysis, using the altered RSA values due to polymorphic and disease causing mutations, revealed polymorphic mutations have a positive mean value for the Lyapunov exponent while disease causing mutations have a negative mean value. Thus, local spatial stochasticity has been lost due to disease causing mutations, indicating a loss of structural fluidity. The amino acid conversion plot also showed a clear tendency of altered surface patch residue conversion propensity than polymorphic conversions. So far, this is the first report that compares the effects of different kinds of mutations (disease and non-disease causing polymorphic mutations) in the onset of autoimmune diseases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Children's externalizing and internalizing symptoms over time: the role of individual differences in patterns of RSA responding.

    PubMed

    Hinnant, James Benjamin; El-Sheikh, Mona

    2009-11-01

    We examined associations between basal respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in conjunction with RSA regulation with the hypothesis that their interaction would explain unique variability in children's prospective adjustment 2 years later. Participants were 176 children (98 girls; 78 boys) in middle childhood. RSA regulation was assessed through social and problem-solving challenges. Parents reported on children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Interactions between RSA baseline and regulation to the social stressor predicted children's later internalizing symptoms. Interactions between RSA baseline and responding to the problem-solving stressor predicted children's externalizing symptoms. The highest levels of internalizing symptoms were predicted for children with both lower basal RSA and higher RSA suppression. The highest levels of externalizing symptoms were predicted for children who demonstrated lower basal RSA in conjunction with RSA augmentation. Findings highlight the importance of the contemporaneous consideration of basal RSA and RSA regulation in the prediction of developmental psychopathology symptomology.

  3. Range Scheduling Aid (RSA)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Logan, J. R.; Pulvermacher, M. K.

    1991-01-01

    Range Scheduling Aid (RSA) is presented in the form of the viewgraphs. The following subject areas are covered: satellite control network; current and new approaches to range scheduling; MITRE tasking; RSA features; RSA display; constraint based analytic capability; RSA architecture; and RSA benefits.

  4. Model-based RSA of a femoral hip stem using surface and geometrical shape models.

    PubMed

    Kaptein, Bart L; Valstar, Edward R; Spoor, Cees W; Stoel, Berend C; Rozing, Piet M

    2006-07-01

    Roentgen stereophotogrammetry (RSA) is a highly accurate three-dimensional measuring technique for assessing micromotion of orthopaedic implants. A drawback is that markers have to be attached to the implant. Model-based techniques have been developed to prevent using special marked implants. We compared two model-based RSA methods with standard marker-based RSA techniques. The first model-based RSA method used surface models, and the second method used elementary geometrical shape (EGS) models. We used a commercially available stem to perform experiments with a phantom as well as reanalysis of patient RSA radiographs. The data from the phantom experiment indicated the accuracy and precision of the elementary geometrical shape model-based RSA method is equal to marker-based RSA. For model-based RSA using surface models, the accuracy is equal to the accuracy of marker-based RSA, but its precision is worse. We found no difference in accuracy and precision between the two model-based RSA techniques in clinical data. For this particular hip stem, EGS model-based RSA is a good alternative for marker-based RSA.

  5. Combinations of resting RSA and RSA reactivity impact maladaptive mood repair and depression symptoms

    PubMed Central

    Yaroslavsky, Ilya; Bylsma, Lauren M.; Rottenberg, Jonathan; Kovacs, Maria

    2013-01-01

    We examined whether the combined indices of respiratory sinus arrhythmia at rest (resting RSA) and in response to a sad film (RSA reactivity) predict effective and ineffective responses to reduce sadness (adaptive vs. maladaptive mood repair) in women with histories of juvenile-onset depression (n = 74) and no history of major mental disorders (n = 75). Structural equation models were used to estimate latent resting RSA, depression, and adaptive and maladaptive mood repair and to test the study hypotheses. Results indicated that combinations of resting RSA+RSA reactivity (RSA patterns) predicted maladaptive mood repair, which in turn, mediated the effects of RSA pattern on depression. Further, RSA patterns moderated the depressogenic effects of maladaptive mood repair. RSA patterns were unrelated to adaptive mood repair. Our findings suggest that mood repair is one mechanism through which physiological vulnerabilities adversely affect mental health. PMID:23827087

  6. Combinations of resting RSA and RSA reactivity impact maladaptive mood repair and depression symptoms.

    PubMed

    Yaroslavsky, Ilya; Bylsma, Lauren M; Rottenberg, Jonathan; Kovacs, Maria

    2013-10-01

    We examined whether the combined indices of respiratory sinus arrhythmia at rest (resting RSA) and in response to a sad film (RSA reactivity) predict effective and ineffective responses to reduce sadness (adaptive vs. maladaptive mood repair) in women with histories of juvenile-onset depression (n=74) and no history of major mental disorders (n=75). Structural equation models were used to estimate latent resting RSA, depression, and adaptive and maladaptive mood repair and to test the study hypotheses. Results indicated that combinations of resting RSA+RSA reactivity (RSA patterns) predicted maladaptive mood repair, which in turn, mediated the effects of RSA pattern on depression. Further, RSA patterns moderated the depressogenic effects of maladaptive mood repair. RSA patterns were unrelated to adaptive mood repair. Our findings suggest that mood repair is one mechanism through which physiological vulnerabilities adversely affect mental health. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. The utility of combining RSA indices in depression prediction.

    PubMed

    Yaroslavsky, Ilya; Rottenberg, Jonathan; Kovacs, Maria

    2013-05-01

    Depression is associated with protracted despondent mood, blunted emotional reactivity, and dysregulated parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity. PNS activity is commonly indexed via cardiac output, using indictors of its level (resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]) or fluctuations (RSA reactivity). RSA reactivity can reflect increased or decreased PNS cardiac output (RSA augmentation and RSA withdrawal, respectively). Because a single index of a dynamic physiological system may be inadequate to characterize interindividual differences, we investigated whether the interaction of RSA reactivity and resting RSA is a better predictor of depression. Adult probands with childhood-onset depressive disorder histories (n = 113) and controls with no history of major mental disorders (n = 93) completed a psychophysiology protocol involving assessment of RSA at multiple rest periods and while watching a sad film. When examined independently, resting RSA and RSA reactivity were unrelated to depression, but their interaction predicted latent depression levels and proband status. In the context of high resting RSA, RSA withdrawal from the sad film predicted the lowest levels of depressive symptoms (irrespective of depression histories) and the greatest likelihood of having had no history of major mental disorder (irrespective of current distress). Our findings highlight the utility of combining indices of physiological responses in studying depression; combinations of RSA indices should be given future consideration as reflecting depression endophenotypes. © 2013 American Psychological Association

  8. Use of the RSA/RCOD Index to Identify Training Priority in Soccer Players.

    PubMed

    Wong, Del P; Hjelde, Geir H; Cheng, Ching-Feng; Ngo, Jake K

    2015-10-01

    The use of RSA/RCOD index indicates the repeated change-of-direction (RCOD) performance relative to the repeated-sprint ability (RSA) and provides a standardized approach to prioritize training needs for RSA and RCOD. To compare the RSA/RCOD index among different age groups, RSA and RCOD were measured from 20 under-16 players (U16), 20 under-19 players (U19), and 17 first-team professional players (PRO) from a football (soccer) club that has regular participation in the UEFA Champions League. Each player performed the RSA and RCOD tests, during which the fastest time (FT), average time (AT), total time (TT), and percentage decrement score (%Dec) were recorded. No significant differences were found in RSA/RCOD index-FT, AT, TT, and %Dec among the 3 groups (p > 0.05) and between U19 and PRO in all RSA and RCOD measures (p > 0.05). Most values of RSA/RCOD index were 0.51 among the U16, U19, and PRO groups. Moreover, we concluded that the RSA/RCOD index might not be further changed after 16 years of age unless specific training programs for RSA and RCOD are prescribed. Therefore, this study provides an empirical case, and coaches can establish the RSA/RCOD index value relevant to their training system and monitor players' training needs of RSA and RCOD in a longer term.

  9. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia during worry forecasts stress-related increases in psychological distress.

    PubMed

    Gouin, Jean-Philippe; Deschênes, Sonya S; Dugas, Michel J

    2014-09-01

    Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) has been conceptualized as an index of emotion regulation abilities. Although resting RSA has been associated with both concurrent and prospective affective responses to stress, the impact of RSA reactivity on emotional responses to stress is inconsistent across studies. The type of emotional stimuli used to elicit these phasic RSA responses may influence the adaptive value of RSA reactivity. We propose that RSA reactivity to a personally relevant worry-based stressor might forecast future affective responses to stress. To evaluate whether resting RSA and RSA reactivity to worry inductions predict stress-related increases in psychological distress, an academic stress model was used to prospectively examine changes in psychological distress from the well-defined low- and high-stress periods. During the low-stress period, 76 participants completed self-report mood measures and had their RSA assessed during a resting baseline, free worry period and worry catastrophizing interview. Participants completed another mood assessment during the high-stress period. Results indicated that baseline psychological distress predicted larger decreases in RSA during the worry inductions. Lower resting RSA and greater RSA suppression to the worry inductions at baseline prospectively predicted larger increases in psychological distress from the low- to high-stress period, even after accounting for the impact of baseline distress on RSA. These results provide further evidence that RSA may represent a unique index of emotion regulation abilities in times of stress.

  10. Comparison of two different Radiostereometric analysis (RSA) systems with markerless elementary geometrical shape modeling for the measurement of stem migration.

    PubMed

    Li, Ye; Röhrl, Stephan M; Bøe, B; Nordsletten, Lars

    2014-09-01

    Radiostereometric analysis (RSA) is the gold standard of measurement for in vivo 3D implants migration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo precision of 2 RSA marker-based systems compared with that of marker-free, elementary geometrical shape modeling RSA. Stem migration was measured in 50 patients recruited from an on-going Randomized Controlled Trial. We performed marker-based analysis with the Um RSA and RSAcore systems and compared these results with those of the elementary geometrical shape RSA. The precision for subsidence was 0.118 mm for Um RSA, 0.141 mm for RSAcore, and 0.136 mm for elementary geometrical shape RSA. The precision for retroversion was 1.3° for elementary geometrical shape RSA, approximately 2-fold greater than that for the other methods. The intraclass correlation coefficient between the marker-based systems and elementary geometrical shape RSA was approximately 0.5 for retroversion. All 3 methods yielded ICCs for subsidence and varus-valgus rotation above 0.9. We found an excellent correlation between marker-based RSA and elementary geometrical shape RSA for subsidence and varus-valgus rotation, independent of the system used. The precisions for out-of-plane migration were inferior for elementary geometrical shape RSA. Therefore, as a mechanism of failure, retroversion may be more difficult to detect early. This is to our knowledge the first study to compare different RSA systems with or without markers on the implant. Marker-based RSA has high precision in all planes, independent of the system used. Elementary geometrical shape RSA is inferior in out-of-plane migration. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Dynamic RSA: Examining parasympathetic regulatory dynamics via vector-autoregressive modeling of time-varying RSA and heart period.

    PubMed

    Fisher, Aaron J; Reeves, Jonathan W; Chi, Cyrus

    2016-07-01

    Expanding on recently published methods, the current study presents an approach to estimating the dynamic, regulatory effect of the parasympathetic nervous system on heart period on a moment-to-moment basis. We estimated second-to-second variation in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in order to estimate the contemporaneous and time-lagged relationships among RSA, interbeat interval (IBI), and respiration rate via vector autoregression. Moreover, we modeled these relationships at lags of 1 s to 10 s, in order to evaluate the optimal latency for estimating dynamic RSA effects. The IBI (t) on RSA (t-n) regression parameter was extracted from individual models as an operationalization of the regulatory effect of RSA on IBI-referred to as dynamic RSA (dRSA). Dynamic RSA positively correlated with standard averages of heart rate and negatively correlated with standard averages of RSA. We propose that dRSA reflects the active downregulation of heart period by the parasympathetic nervous system and thus represents a novel metric that provides incremental validity in the measurement of autonomic cardiac control-specifically, a method by which parasympathetic regulatory effects can be measured in process. © 2016 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  12. Adolescent RSA Responses during an Anger Discussion Task: Relations to Emotion Regulation and Adjustment

    PubMed Central

    Cui, Lixian; Morris, Amanda Sheffield; Harrist, Amanda W.; Larzelere, Robert E.; Criss, Michael M.; Houltberg, Benjamin J.

    2015-01-01

    The current study examined associations between adolescent respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) during an angry event discussion task and adolescents’ emotion regulation and adjustment. Data were collected from 206 adolescents (10–18 years old, M age = 13.37). Electrocardiogram (ECG) and respiration data were collected from adolescents, and RSA values and respiration rates were computed. Adolescents reported on their own emotion regulation, prosocial behavior, and aggressive behavior. Multi-level latent growth modeling was employed to capture RSA responses across time (i.e., linear and quadratic changes; time course approach), and adolescent emotion regulation and adjustment variables were included in the model to test their links to RSA responses. Results indicated that high RSA baseline was associated with more adolescent prosocial behavior. A pattern of initial RSA decreases (RSA suppression) in response to angry event recall and subsequent RSA increases (RSA rebound) were related to better anger and sadness regulation and more prosocial behavior. However, RSA was not significantly linked to adolescent aggressive behavior. We also compared the time course approach with the conventional linear approach and found that the time course approach provided more meaningful and rich information. The implications of adaptive RSA change patterns are discussed. PMID:25642723

  13. Superior accuracy of model-based radiostereometric analysis for measurement of polyethylene wear

    PubMed Central

    Stilling, M.; Kold, S.; de Raedt, S.; Andersen, N. T.; Rahbek, O.; Søballe, K.

    2012-01-01

    Objectives The accuracy and precision of two new methods of model-based radiostereometric analysis (RSA) were hypothesised to be superior to a plain radiograph method in the assessment of polyethylene (PE) wear. Methods A phantom device was constructed to simulate three-dimensional (3D) PE wear. Images were obtained consecutively for each simulated wear position for each modality. Three commercially available packages were evaluated: model-based RSA using laser-scanned cup models (MB-RSA), model-based RSA using computer-generated elementary geometrical shape models (EGS-RSA), and PolyWare. Precision (95% repeatability limits) and accuracy (Root Mean Square Errors) for two-dimensional (2D) and 3D wear measurements were assessed. Results The precision for 2D wear measures was 0.078 mm, 0.102 mm, and 0.076 mm for EGS-RSA, MB-RSA, and PolyWare, respectively. For the 3D wear measures the precision was 0.185 mm, 0.189 mm, and 0.244 mm for EGS-RSA, MB-RSA, and PolyWare respectively. Repeatability was similar for all methods within the same dimension, when compared between 2D and 3D (all p > 0.28). For the 2D RSA methods, accuracy was below 0.055 mm and at least 0.335 mm for PolyWare. For 3D measurements, accuracy was 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, and 0.3 mm for EGS-RSA, MB-RSA and PolyWare respectively. PolyWare was less accurate compared with RSA methods (p = 0.036). No difference was observed between the RSA methods (p = 0.10). Conclusions For all methods, precision and accuracy were better in 2D, with RSA methods being superior in accuracy. Although less accurate and precise, 3D RSA defines the clinically relevant wear pattern (multidirectional). PolyWare is a good and low-cost alternative to RSA, despite being less accurate and requiring a larger sample size. PMID:23610688

  14. Modified Multi Prime RSA Cryptosystem

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghazali Kamardan, M.; Aminudin, N.; Che-Him, Norziha; Sufahani, Suliadi; Khalid, Kamil; Roslan, Rozaini

    2018-04-01

    RSA [1] is one of the mostly used cryptosystem in securing data and information. Though, it has been recently discovered that RSA has some weaknesses and in advance technology, RSA is believed to be inefficient especially when it comes to decryption. Thus, a new algorithm called Multi prime RSA, an extended version of the standard RSA is studied. Then, a modification is made to the Multi prime RSA where another keys is shared secretly between the receiver and the sender to increase the securerity. As in RSA, the methodology used for modified Multi-prime RSA also consists of three phases; 1. Key Generation in which the secret and public keys are generated and published. In this phase, the secrecy is improved by adding more prime numbers and addition of secret keys. 2. Encryption of the message using the public and secret keys given. 3. Decryption of the secret message using the secret key generated. For the decryption phase, a method called Chinese Remainder Theorem is used which helps to fasten the computation. Since Multi prime RSA use more than two prime numbers, the algorithm is more efficient and secure when compared to the standard RSA. Furthermore, in modified Multi prime RSA another secret key is introduced to increase the obstacle to the attacker. Therefore, it is strongly believed that this new algorithm is better and can be an alternative to the RSA.

  15. The Importance of Juvenile Root Traits for Crop Yields

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    White, Philip; Adu, Michael; Broadley, Martin; Brown, Lawrie; Dupuy, Lionel; George, Timothy; Graham, Neil; Hammond, John; Hayden, Rory; Neugebauer, Konrad; Nightingale, Mark; Ramsay, Gavin; Thomas, Catherine; Thompson, Jacqueline; Wishart, Jane; Wright, Gladys

    2014-05-01

    Genetic variation in root system architecture (RSA) is an under-exploited breeding resource. This is partly a consequence of difficulties in the rapid and accurate assessment of subterranean root systems. However, although the characterisation of root systems of large plants in the field are both time-consuming and labour-intensive, high-throughput (HTP) screens of root systems of juvenile plants can be performed in the field, glasshouse or laboratory. It is hypothesised that improving the root systems of juvenile plants can accelerate access to water and essential mineral elements, leading to rapid crop establishment and, consequently, greater yields. This presentation will illustrate how aspects of the juvenile root systems of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and oilseed rape (OSR; Brassica napus L.) correlate with crop yields and examine the reasons for such correlations. It will first describe the significant positive relationships between early root system development, phosphorus acquisition, canopy establishment and eventual yield among potato genotypes. It will report the development of a glasshouse assay for root system architecture (RSA) of juvenile potato plants, the correlations between root system architectures measured in the glasshouse and field, and the relationships between aspects of the juvenile root system and crop yields under drought conditions. It will then describe the development of HTP systems for assaying RSA of OSR seedlings, the identification of genetic loci affecting RSA in OSR, the development of mathematical models describing resource acquisition by OSR, and the correlations between root traits recorded in the HTP systems and yields of OSR in the field.

  16. Hybrid cryptosystem RSA - CRT optimization and VMPC

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rahmadani, R.; Mawengkang, H.; Sutarman

    2018-03-01

    Hybrid cryptosystem combines symmetric algorithms and asymmetric algorithms. This combination utilizes speeds on encryption/decryption processes of symmetric algorithms and asymmetric algorithms to secure symmetric keys. In this paper we propose hybrid cryptosystem that combine symmetric algorithms VMPC and asymmetric algorithms RSA - CRT optimization. RSA - CRT optimization speeds up the decryption process by obtaining plaintext with dp and p key only, so there is no need to perform CRT processes. The VMPC algorithm is more efficient in software implementation and reduces known weaknesses in RC4 key generation. The results show hybrid cryptosystem RSA - CRT optimization and VMPC is faster than hybrid cryptosystem RSA - VMPC and hybrid cryptosystem RSA - CRT - VMPC. Keyword : Cryptography, RSA, RSA - CRT, VMPC, Hybrid Cryptosystem.

  17. RSA fluctuation in major depressive disorder.

    PubMed

    Rottenberg, Jonathan; Clift, April; Bolden, Sarah; Salomon, Kristen

    2007-05-01

    Cardiac vagal control, as measured by indices of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), has been investigated as a marker of impaired self-regulation in mental disorders, including depression. Past work in depressed samples has focused on deficits in resting RSA levels, with mixed results. This study tested the hypothesis that depression involves abnormal RSA fluctuation. RSA was measured in depressed and healthy control participants during rest and during two reactivity tasks, each followed by a recovery period. Relative to controls, depressed persons exhibited lower resting RSA levels as well as less RSA fluctuation, primarily evidenced by a lack of task-related vagal suppression. Group differences in RSA fluctuation were not accounted for by differences in physical health or respiration, whereas group differences in resting RSA level did not survive covariate analyses. Depression may involve multiple deficits in cardiac vagal control.

  18. High-precision measurements of cementless acetabular components using model-based RSA: an experimental study.

    PubMed

    Baad-Hansen, Thomas; Kold, Søren; Kaptein, Bart L; Søballe, Kjeld

    2007-08-01

    In RSA, tantalum markers attached to metal-backed acetabular cups are often difficult to detect on stereo radiographs due to the high density of the metal shell. This results in occlusion of the prosthesis markers and may lead to inconclusive migration results. Within the last few years, new software systems have been developed to solve this problem. We compared the precision of 3 RSA systems in migration analysis of the acetabular component. A hemispherical and a non-hemispherical acetabular component were mounted in a phantom. Both acetabular components underwent migration analyses with 3 different RSA systems: conventional RSA using tantalum markers, an RSA system using a hemispherical cup algorithm, and a novel model-based RSA system. We found narrow confidence intervals, indicating high precision of the conventional marker system and model-based RSA with regard to migration and rotation. The confidence intervals of conventional RSA and model-based RSA were narrower than those of the hemispherical cup algorithm-based system regarding cup migration and rotation. The model-based RSA software combines the precision of the conventional RSA software with the convenience of the hemispherical cup algorithm-based system. Based on our findings, we believe that these new tools offer an improvement in the measurement of acetabular component migration.

  19. Adolescent RSA responses during an anger discussion task: Relations to emotion regulation and adjustment.

    PubMed

    Cui, Lixian; Morris, Amanda Sheffield; Harrist, Amanda W; Larzelere, Robert E; Criss, Michael M; Houltberg, Benjamin J

    2015-06-01

    The current study examined associations between adolescent respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) during an angry event discussion task and adolescents' emotion regulation and adjustment. Data were collected from 206 adolescents (10-18 years of age, M age = 13.37). Electrocardiogram (ECG) and respiration data were collected from adolescents, and RSA values and respiration rates were computed. Adolescents reported on their own emotion regulation, prosocial behavior, and aggressive behavior. Multilevel latent growth modeling was employed to capture RSA responses across time (i.e., linear and quadratic changes; time course approach), and adolescent emotion regulation and adjustment variables were included in the model to test their links to RSA responses. Results indicated that high RSA baseline was associated with more adolescent prosocial behavior. A pattern of initial RSA decreases (RSA suppression) in response to angry event recall and subsequent RSA increases (RSA rebound) were related to better anger and sadness regulation and more prosocial behavior. However, RSA was not significantly linked to adolescent aggressive behavior. We also compared the time course approach with the conventional linear approach and found that the time course approach provided more meaningful and rich information. The implications of adaptive RSA change patterns are discussed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  20. Codevelopment of externalizing and internalizing symptoms in middle to late childhood: Sex, baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity as predictors

    PubMed Central

    Hinnant, J. Benjamin; EL-Sheikh, Mona

    2013-01-01

    We investigated the roles of sex and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), an index of autonomic parasympathetic nervous system activity, as predictors of codeveloping externalizing and internalizing symptoms in middle childhood. We expected that sex, baseline RSA (RSA-B), and RSA reactivity (RSA-R) to two types of tasks would interact to differentiate co-occurring trajectories of symptoms. We tested these hypotheses by combining longitudinal data from two independent samples (n = 390; 210 girls, 180 boys) with repeated measures at ages 8, 9, 10, and 11. RSA-R was measured in response to a socially stressful and frustrating stressor. Indicators of growth in externalizing and internalizing symptoms were derived from multiple domain growth models and used in person-centered growth mixture analyses. Three groups of externalizing and internalizing trajectories were found. Profile membership was predicted by several two-way interactions among sex, RSA-B, or RSA-R but was not predicted by three-way interactions. Children with low RSA-B and strong RSA withdrawal, girls with low RSA-B, and girls with strong RSA withdrawal were more likely to be on a developmental trajectory of low externalizing symptoms and moderately elevated internalizing symptoms. Membership in the high externalizing and high internalizing trajectory was predicted by weak RSA withdrawal for boys and strong RSA withdrawal for girls. The type of stressor task also played a role in predicting probability of profile membership. Results are discussed in the context of developmental psychobiology and implications for the codevelopment of psychopathology symptoms in childhood. PMID:23627954

  1. Assessment of ventilatory thresholds during graded and maximal exercise test using time varying analysis of respiratory sinus arrhythmia.

    PubMed

    Blain, G; Meste, O; Bouchard, T; Bermon, S

    2005-07-01

    To test whether ventilatory thresholds, measured during an exercise test, could be assessed using time varying analysis of respiratory sinus arrhythmia frequency (f(RSA)). Fourteen sedentary subjects and 12 endurance athletes performed a graded and maximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer: initial load 75 W (sedentary subjects) and 150 W (athletes), increments 37.5 W/2 min. f(RSA) was extracted from heart period series using an evolutive model. First (T(V1)) and second (T(V2)) ventilatory thresholds were determined from the time course curves of ventilation and ventilatory equivalents for O(2) and CO(2). f(RSA) was accurately extracted from all recordings and positively correlated to respiratory frequency (r = 0.96 (0.03), p<0.01). In 21 of the 26 subjects, two successive non-linear increases were determined in f(RSA), defining the first (T(RSA1)) and second (T(RSA2)) f(RSA) thresholds. When expressed as a function of power, T(RSA1) and T(RSA2) were not significantly different from and closely linked to T(V1) (r = 0.99, p<0.001) and T(V2) (r = 0.99, p<0.001), respectively. In the five remaining subjects, only one non-linear increase was observed close to T(V2). Significant differences (p<0.04) were found between athlete and sedentary groups when T(RSA1) and T(RSA2) were expressed in terms of absolute and relative power and percentage of maximal aerobic power. In the sedentary group, T(RSA1) and T(RSA2) were 150.3 (18.7) W and 198.3 (28.8) W, respectively, whereas in the athlete group T(RSA1) and T(RSA2) were 247.3 (32.8) W and 316.0 (28.8) W, respectively. Dynamic analysis of f(RSA) provides a useful tool for identifying ventilatory thresholds during graded and maximal exercise test in sedentary subjects and athletes.

  2. RSA and its Correctness through Modular Arithmetic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meelu, Punita; Malik, Sitender

    2010-11-01

    To ensure the security to the applications of business, the business sectors use Public Key Cryptographic Systems (PKCS). An RSA system generally belongs to the category of PKCS for both encryption and authentication. This paper describes an introduction to RSA through encryption and decryption schemes, mathematical background which includes theorems to combine modular equations and correctness of RSA. In short, this paper explains some of the maths concepts that RSA is based on, and then provides a complete proof that RSA works correctly. We can proof the correctness of RSA through combined process of encryption and decryption based on the Chinese Remainder Theorem (CRT) and Euler theorem. However, there is no mathematical proof that RSA is secure, everyone takes that on trust!.

  3. RSA cryptography and multi prime RSA cryptography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sani, Nur Atiqah Abdul; Kamarulhaili, Hailiza

    2017-08-01

    RSA cryptography is one of the most powerful and popular cryptosystem which is being applied until now. There is one variant of RSA cryptography named Multi Prime RSA (MPRSA) cryptography. MPRSA cryptography is the improved version of RSA cryptography. We only need to modify a few steps in key generation part and apply the Chinese Remainder Theorem (CRT) in the decryption part to get the MPRSA algorithm. The focus of this research is to compare between the standard RSA cryptography and MPRSA cryptography in a few aspects. The research shows that MPRSA cryptography is more efficient than the RSA cryptography. Time complexity using Mathematica software is also conducted and it is proven that MPRSA cryptography has shorter time taken. It also implies the computational time is less than RSA cryptography. Mathematica software version 9.0 and a laptop HP ProBook 4331s are used to check the timing and to implement both algorithms.

  4. Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia as an Index of Vagal Activity during Stress in Infants: Respiratory Influences and Their Control

    PubMed Central

    Ritz, Thomas; Bosquet Enlow, Michelle; Schulz, Stefan M.; Kitts, Robert; Staudenmayer, John; Wright, Rosalind J.

    2012-01-01

    Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is related to cardiac vagal outflow and the respiratory pattern. Prior infant studies have not systematically examined respiration rate and tidal volume influences on infant RSA or the extent to which infants' breathing is too fast to extract a valid RSA. We therefore monitored cardiac activity, respiration, and physical activity in 23 six-month old infants during a standardized laboratory stressor protocol. On average, 12.6% (range 0–58.2%) of analyzed breaths were too short for RSA extraction. Higher respiration rate was associated with lower RSA amplitude in most infants, and lower tidal volume was associated with lower RSA amplitude in some infants. RSA amplitude corrected for respiration rate and tidal volume influences showed theoretically expected strong reductions during stress, whereas performance of uncorrected RSA was less consistent. We conclude that stress-induced changes of peak-valley RSA and effects of variations in breathing patterns on RSA can be determined for a representative percentage of infant breaths. As expected, breathing substantially affects infant RSA and needs to be considered in studies of infant psychophysiology. PMID:23300753

  5. Marker-based or model-based RSA for evaluation of hip resurfacing arthroplasty? A clinical validation and 5-year follow-up.

    PubMed

    Lorenzen, Nina Dyrberg; Stilling, Maiken; Jakobsen, Stig Storgaard; Gustafson, Klas; Søballe, Kjeld; Baad-Hansen, Thomas

    2013-11-01

    The stability of implants is vital to ensure a long-term survival. RSA determines micro-motions of implants as a predictor of early implant failure. RSA can be performed as a marker- or model-based analysis. So far, CAD and RE model-based RSA have not been validated for use in hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA). A phantom study determined the precision of marker-based and CAD and RE model-based RSA on a HRA implant. In a clinical study, 19 patients were followed with stereoradiographs until 5 years after surgery. Analysis of double-examination migration results determined the clinical precision of marker-based and CAD model-based RSA, and at the 5-year follow-up, results of the total translation (TT) and the total rotation (TR) for marker- and CAD model-based RSA were compared. The phantom study showed that comparison of the precision (SDdiff) in marker-based RSA analysis was more precise than model-based RSA analysis in TT (p CAD < 0.001; p RE = 0.04) and TR (p CAD = 0.01; p RE < 0.001). The clinical precision (double examination in 8 patients) comparing the precision SDdiff was better evaluating the TT using the marker-based RSA analysis (p = 0.002), but showed no difference between the marker- and CAD model-based RSA analysis regarding the TR (p = 0.91). Comparing the mean signed values regarding the TT and the TR at the 5-year follow-up in 13 patients, the TT was lower (p = 0.03) and the TR higher (p = 0.04) in the marker-based RSA compared to CAD model-based RSA. The precision of marker-based RSA was significantly better than model-based RSA. However, problems with occluded markers lead to exclusion of many patients which was not a problem with model-based RSA. HRA were stable at the 5-year follow-up. The detection limit was 0.2 mm TT and 1° TR for marker-based and 0.5 mm TT and 1° TR for CAD model-based RSA for HRA.

  6. 3-2-1 Ignition*: Making Science Creative, Accessible and Fun

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reichardt, Oliver

    2013-01-01

    For over 250 years, the RSA (Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) has been committed to finding practical solutions to today's social challenges. The Society's way of working consists of providing a platform for critical debate and new ideas; working with partners to translate knowledge and progressive thinking…

  7. Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Moderates the Relation between Parent-Adolescent Relationship Quality and Adolescents' Social Adjustment.

    PubMed

    Van der Graaff, Jolien; Meeus, Wim; de Wied, Minet; van Boxtel, Anton; van Lier, Pol; Branje, Susan

    2016-02-01

    This 2-wave longitudinal study aimed (1) to investigate whether high resting RSA predicted adolescents' lower externalizing behavior and higher empathic concern, and (2) to address the potential moderating role of resting RSA in the association between parent-adolescent relationship quality and adolescents' externalizing behavior and empathic concern. In a sample of 379 adolescents (212 boys, 167 girls), resting RSA was assessed during a laboratory session, and adolescents reported on parental support, negative interaction with parents, empathic concern and externalizing behavior during a home visit. We found no support for high resting RSA predicting low externalizing behavior or high empathic concern. However, in line with our hypotheses, we did find several instances of RSA functioning as a moderator, although the interaction patterns varied. First, negative interaction with parents was a negative predictor of externalizing behavior for girls low in resting RSA, whereas the association was non-significant for girls with high RSA. Second, higher negative interaction with parents predicted lower empathic concern for boys high in resting RSA, whereas the association was reversed for boys with low resting RSA. Third, parental support was a positive predictor of empathic concern for girls high in resting RSA, whereas the association was non-significant for girls low in resting RSA. The findings suggest that adolescents with different levels of resting RSA respond differentially to relationship quality with parents.

  8. Associations between narcissism and emotion regulation difficulties: Respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity as a moderator.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hui; Wang, Zhenhong; You, Xuqun; Lü, Wei; Luo, Yun

    2015-09-01

    The aim of the current study was to examine the direct and interactive effects of two types of narcissism (overt and covert) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity on emotion regulation difficulties in 227 undergraduate students. Overt and covert narcissism and emotion regulation difficulties were assessed with self-report measures (narcissistic personality inventory (NPI)-16, hypersensitive narcissism scale (HSNS), and difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS)), and physiological data were measured during the baseline, stress (a public-speaking task), and recovery periods in the laboratory. Results indicated that overt narcissism was negatively related to a lack of emotional awareness and emotional clarity, whereas covert narcissism was positively related to overall emotion regulation difficulties, nonacceptance of emotional responses, impulse control difficulties, limited access to emotion regulation strategies, and a lack of emotional clarity. RSA reactivity in response to a mock job interview moderated the associations between covert narcissism (as a predictor) and overall emotion regulation difficulties and impulse control difficulties (as outcomes). This finding showed that a greater stress-induced RSA decrease may serve as a protective factor and ameliorate the effect of covert narcissism on individuals' emotion regulation difficulties. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Sex Differences in the Contribution of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia and Trauma to Children's Psychopathology.

    PubMed

    Gray, Sarah A O; Theall, Katherine; Lipschutz, Rebecca; Drury, Stacy

    2017-03-01

    Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a marker of parasympathetic activity, has been shown to moderate the relation between adversity and child behavioral outcomes; however, this work has been conducted in primarily Caucasian samples and limited in focus to family-level adversity. The current analysis extends the previous literature to examine the co-contribution of exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs), baseline RSA, and RSA withdrawal to internalizing and externalizing behavior in a sample of primarily African American youth ( n = 92) recruited using neighborhood mapping techniques from communities high in epidemiological indicators of adversity. Exposure to PTEs was associated with lower baseline RSA. Complex interactions were observed between sex of the child, baseline RSA and RSA withdrawal, and PTE exposure predicting to internalizing behaviors. Among girls with high (4+) levels of PTEs, high baseline RSA and RSA withdrawal predicted higher internalizing; for RSA withdrawal only, the inverse was observed for girls with low PTE exposure, for whom high RSA withdrawal predicted lower internalizing. No associations were observed from RSA to externalizing, or among boys to internalizing. Findings are consistent with distinct patterns among primarily African American samples and suggest the need for sex-specific conceptualizations of the link between environmental adversity, physiological reactivity, and internalizing behaviors.

  10. Sex Differences in the Contribution of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia and Trauma to Children’s Psychopathology

    PubMed Central

    Gray, Sarah A. O.; Theall, Katherine; Lipschutz, Rebecca; Drury, Stacy

    2016-01-01

    Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a marker of parasympathetic activity, has been shown to moderate the relation between adversity and child behavioral outcomes; however, this work has been conducted in primarily Caucasian samples and limited in focus to family-level adversity. The current analysis extends the previous literature to examine the co-contribution of exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs), baseline RSA, and RSA withdrawal to internalizing and externalizing behavior in a sample of primarily African American youth (n = 92) recruited using neighborhood mapping techniques from communities high in epidemiological indicators of adversity. Exposure to PTEs was associated with lower baseline RSA. Complex interactions were observed between sex of the child, baseline RSA and RSA withdrawal, and PTE exposure predicting to internalizing behaviors. Among girls with high (4+) levels of PTEs, high baseline RSA and RSA withdrawal predicted higher internalizing; for RSA withdrawal only, the inverse was observed for girls with low PTE exposure, for whom high RSA withdrawal predicted lower internalizing. No associations were observed from RSA to externalizing, or among boys to internalizing. Findings are consistent with distinct patterns among primarily African American samples and suggest the need for sex-specific conceptualizations of the link between environmental adversity, physiological reactivity, and internalizing behaviors. PMID:28479668

  11. Cardiac vagal control and children’s adaptive functioning: A meta-analysis

    PubMed Central

    Graziano, Paulo; Derefinko, Karen

    2014-01-01

    Polyvagal theory has influenced research on the role of cardiac vagal control, indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia withdrawal (RSA-W) during challenging states, in children’s self-regulation. However, it remains unclear how well RSA-W predicts adaptive functioning (AF) outcomes and whether certain caveats of measuring RSA (e.g., respiration) significantly impact these associations. A meta-analysis of 44 studies (n = 4,996 children) revealed small effect sizes such that greater levels of RSA-W were related to fewer externalizing, internalizing, and cognitive/academic problems. In contrast, RSA-W was differentially related to children’s social problems according to sample type (community vs. clinical/at-risk). The relations between RSA-W and children’s AF outcomes were stronger among studies that co-varied baseline RSA and in Caucasian children (no effect was found for respiration). Children from clinical/at-risk samples displayed lower levels of baseline RSA and RSA-W compared to children from community samples. Theoretical/practical implications for the study of cardiac vagal control are discussed. PMID:23648264

  12. Sequence Based Prediction of Antioxidant Proteins Using a Classifier Selection Strategy

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Lina; Zhang, Chengjin; Gao, Rui; Yang, Runtao; Song, Qing

    2016-01-01

    Antioxidant proteins perform significant functions in maintaining oxidation/antioxidation balance and have potential therapies for some diseases. Accurate identification of antioxidant proteins could contribute to revealing physiological processes of oxidation/antioxidation balance and developing novel antioxidation-based drugs. In this study, an ensemble method is presented to predict antioxidant proteins with hybrid features, incorporating SSI (Secondary Structure Information), PSSM (Position Specific Scoring Matrix), RSA (Relative Solvent Accessibility), and CTD (Composition, Transition, Distribution). The prediction results of the ensemble predictor are determined by an average of prediction results of multiple base classifiers. Based on a classifier selection strategy, we obtain an optimal ensemble classifier composed of RF (Random Forest), SMO (Sequential Minimal Optimization), NNA (Nearest Neighbor Algorithm), and J48 with an accuracy of 0.925. A Relief combined with IFS (Incremental Feature Selection) method is adopted to obtain optimal features from hybrid features. With the optimal features, the ensemble method achieves improved performance with a sensitivity of 0.95, a specificity of 0.93, an accuracy of 0.94, and an MCC (Matthew’s Correlation Coefficient) of 0.880, far better than the existing method. To evaluate the prediction performance objectively, the proposed method is compared with existing methods on the same independent testing dataset. Encouragingly, our method performs better than previous studies. In addition, our method achieves more balanced performance with a sensitivity of 0.878 and a specificity of 0.860. These results suggest that the proposed ensemble method can be a potential candidate for antioxidant protein prediction. For public access, we develop a user-friendly web server for antioxidant protein identification that is freely accessible at http://antioxidant.weka.cc. PMID:27662651

  13. Automated respiratory sinus arrhythmia measurement: Demonstration using executive function assessment.

    PubMed

    Hegarty-Craver, Meghan; Gilchrist, Kristin H; Propper, Cathi B; Lewis, Gregory F; DeFilipp, Samuel J; Coffman, Jennifer L; Willoughby, Michael T

    2017-08-08

    Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is a quantitative metric that reflects autonomic nervous system regulation and provides a physiological marker of attentional engagement that supports cognitive and affective regulatory processes. RSA can be added to executive function (EF) assessments with minimal participant burden because of the commercial availability of lightweight, wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) sensors. However, the inclusion of RSA data in large data collection efforts has been hindered by the time-intensive processing of RSA. In this study we evaluated the performance of an automated RSA-scoring method in the context of an EF study in preschool-aged children. The absolute differences in RSA across both scoring methods were small (mean RSA differences = -0.02-0.10), with little to no evidence of bias for the automated relative to the hand-scoring approach. Moreover, the relative rank-ordering of RSA across both scoring methods was strong (rs = .96-.99). Reliable changes in RSA from baseline to the EF task were highly similar across both scoring methods (96%-100% absolute agreement; Kappa = .83-1.0). On the basis of these findings, the automated RSA algorithm appears to be a suitable substitute for hand-scoring in the context of EF assessment.

  14. Dynamic changes in parent affect and adolescent cardiac vagal regulation: a real-time analysis.

    PubMed

    Cui, Lixian; Morris, Amanda Sheffield; Harrist, Amanda W; Larzelere, Robert E; Criss, Michael M

    2015-04-01

    The current study explored the role of parents' negative and positive affect in adolescent respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity during a parent-adolescent conflict discussion task and the moderating effects of adolescent sex and age. Questionnaire data were collected from 206 adolescents (10-18 years of age; M = 13.37 years) and their primary caregivers (83.3% biological mothers). Electrocardiogram and respiration data were collected from adolescents, and RSA variables were computed. Parent affect was coded during the conflict discussion task. Multilevel modeling was used to distinguish the between- and within-individual effects of parent affect on adolescent RSA. Results indicated that observed within-parent-teen dyad anger was negatively associated with adolescent RSA, controlling for previous-minute RSA level, particularly among adolescents 13 years and older. In addition, observed between-dyad positive affect was positively linked to RSA for both boys and girls when previous-minute RSA level was controlled. Within-dyad positive affect was positively related to girl's RSA only. These findings suggest that expressions of positive affect may be related to better vagal regulation (RSA increases), whereas expressions of anger may be related to poor vagal regulation (RSA decreases) during social engagement. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  15. Performance and Metabolic Demand of a New Repeated-Sprint Ability Test in Basketball Players: Does the Number of Changes of Direction Matter?

    PubMed

    Zagatto, Alessandro M; Ardigò, Luca P; Barbieri, Fabio A; Milioni, Fabio; Dello Iacono, Antonio; Camargo, Bruno H F; Padulo, Johnny

    2017-09-01

    Zagatto, AM, Ardigò, LP, Barbieri, FA, Milioni, F, Dello Iacono, A, Camargo, BHF, and Padulo, J. Performance and metabolic demand of a new repeated-sprint ability test in basketball players: does the number of changes of direction matter? J Strength Cond Res 31(9): 2438-2446, 2017-This study compared 2 repeated-sprint ability (RSA) tests in basketball players. Both tests included 10 × 30-m sprints, with the difference that the previously validated test (RSA2COD) featured 2 changes of direction (COD) per sprint, whereas the experimental test (RSA5COD) featured 5 CODs per sprint. Test performances and metabolic demands were specifically assessed in 20 basketball players. First, RSA5COD test-retest reliability was investigated. Then, RSA2COD, RSA5COD sprint times, peak speeds, oxygen uptake (V[Combining Dot Above]O2) and posttest blood lactate concentration [La] were measured. The RSA5COD results showed to be reliable. RSA2COD performance resulted better than the RSA5COD version (p < 0.01), with shorter sprint times and higher peak speeds. Over sprints, the tests did not differ from each other in terms of V[Combining Dot Above]O2 (p > 0.05). Over whole bout, the RSA2COD was more demanding than the RSA5COD, considering overall metabolic power requirement (i.e., VO2-driven + [La]-driven components). Given that RSA5COD (a) mimics real game-play as sprint distance and action change frequency/direction and (b) has the same metabolic expenditure per task completion as metabolic cost, RSA5COD is a valuable option for players and coaches for training basketball-specific agility and assessing bioenergetic demands.

  16. The Role of Prenatal Substance Exposure and Early Adversity on Parasympathetic Functioning from 3 to 6 Years of Age

    PubMed Central

    Abar, Beau; Sheinkopf, Stephen; Lester, Barry; Lagasse, Linda; Seifer, Ronald; Shankaran, Seetha; Bada-Ellzey, Henrietta; Bauer, Charles; Whitaker, Toni; Hinckley, Matt; Hammond, Jane; Higgins, Rosemary

    2014-01-01

    We employed latent growth curve analysis to examine trajectories of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) from 3 to 6 years among children with varying levels of prenatal substance exposure and early adversity. Data were drawn from a prospective longitudinal study of prenatal substance exposure that included 1,121 participants. Baseline RSA and RSA reactivity to an attention-demanding task were assessed at 3, 4, 5, and 6 years. Overall, there were significant individual differences in the trajectories of RSA reactivity, but not baseline RSA, across development. Greater levels of prenatal substance exposure, and less exposure to early adversity, were associated with increased RSA reactivity at 3 years, but by 6 years, both were associated with greater RSA reactivity. Prenatal substance exposure had an indirect influence through early adversity on growth in RSA reactivity. Results are in support of and contribute to the framework of allostatic load. PMID:24002807

  17. Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia: A Transdiagnostic Biomarker of Emotion Dysregulation and Psychopathology

    PubMed Central

    Beauchaine, Theodore P.

    2015-01-01

    In the past two decades, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)—an index of parasympathetic nervous system (PNS)-mediated cardiac control—has emerged as a reliable peripheral biomarker of emotion regulation (ER). Reduced RSA and excessive RSA reactivity (i.e., withdrawal) to emotional challenge are observed consistently among individuals with poor ER capabilities, including those with various forms of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, and those with specific psychopathological syndromes, including anxiety, phobias, attention problems, autism, callousness, conduct disorder, depression, non-suicidal self-injury, panic disorder, and trait hostility. Emerging evidence suggests that low RSA and excessive RSA reactivity index poor ER because they are downstream peripheral markers of prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction. Poorly modulated inhibitory efferent pathways from the medial PFC to the PNS result in reduced RSA and excessive RSA reactivity. According to this perspective, RSA is a non-invasive proxy for poor executive control over behavior, which characterizes most forms of psychopathology. PMID:25866835

  18. Measurement of migration of soft tissue by modified Roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA): validation of a new technique to monitor rotator cuff tears.

    PubMed

    Cashman, P M M; Baring, T; Reilly, P; Emery, R J H; Amis, A A

    2010-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a technique to use Roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA) to measure migration of soft-tissue structures after rotator cuff repair. RSA stereo films were obtained; images were analysed using a semi-automatic software program allowing 3D viewing of results. RSA imaging experiments were performed to validate the technique, using a glass phantom with implanted RSA beads and an animal model with steel sutures as RSA markers which were moved known distances. Repeated measurements allowed assessment of inter- and intra-observer variability at a maximum of 1.06 mm. RSA analysis of the phantom showed a variation up to 0.22 mm for static and 0.28 mm for dynamic studies. The ovine tissue specimen demonstrated that using steel sutures as RSA markers in soft tissue is feasible, although less accurate than when measuring bone motion. This novel application of RSA to measure soft tissue migration is practicable and can be extended to in vivo studies.

  19. RSA Reactivity in Current and Remitted Major Depressive Disorder

    PubMed Central

    Bylsma, Lauren M.; Salomon, Kristen; Taylor-Clift, April; Morris, Bethany H.; Rottenberg, Jonathan

    2014-01-01

    Objective Low resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) levels and blunted RSA reactivity are thought to index impaired emotion regulation capacity. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) has been associated with abberant RSA reactivity and recovery to a speech stressor task relative to healthy controls. Whether impaired RSA functioning reflects aspects of the depressed mood state or a stable vulnerability marker for depression is unknown. Methods We compared resting RSA and RSA reactivity between individuals with MDD (n=49), remitted depression (RMD, n=24), and healthy controls (n=45). ECG data were collected during a resting baseline, a paced-breathing baseline, and two reactivity tasks (speech stressor, cold exposure). Results A group by time quadratic effect emerged (F=4.36(2,109), p=.015) for RSA across phases of the speech stressor (baseline, instruction, preparation, speech, recovery). Follow-up analyses revealed that those with MDD uniquely exhibited blunted RSA reactivity, whereas RMD and controls both exhibited normal task-related vagal withdrawal and post-task recovery. The group by time interaction remained after covariation for age, sex, waist circumference, physical activity, and respiration, but not sleep quality. Conclusions These results provide new evidence that abberant RSA reactivity marks features that track the depressed state, such as poor sleep, rather than a stable trait evident among asymtomatic persons. PMID:24367127

  20. Coregulation of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia between Parents and Preschoolers: Differences by Children’s Externalizing Problems

    PubMed Central

    Lunkenheimer, Erika; Tiberio, Stacey S.; Buss, Kristin A.; Lucas-Thompson, Rachel G.; Boker, Steven M.; Timpe, Zachary C.

    2015-01-01

    The coordination of physiological processes between parents and infants is thought to support behaviors critical for infant adaptation, but we know little about parent-child physiological coregulation during the preschool years. The present study examined whether time-varying changes in parent and child respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) exhibited coregulation (across-person dynamics) accounting for individual differences in parent and child RSA, and whether there were differences in these parasympathetic processes by children’s externalizing problems. Mother-child dyads (N=47; Child age M=3½ years) engaged in three laboratory tasks (free play, clean up, puzzle task) for 18 min, during which RSA data were collected. Multilevel coupled autoregressive models revealed that mothers and preschoolers showed positive coregulation of RSA such that changes in mother RSA predicted changes in the same direction in child RSA and vice versa, controlling for the stability of within-person RSA over time and individual differences in overall mean RSA. However, when children’s externalizing behaviors were higher, coregulation was negative such that changes in real-time mother and child RSA showed divergence rather than positive concordance. Results suggest that mothers and preschoolers do coregulate RSA during real-time interactions, but that children’s higher externalizing behavior problems are related to disruptions in these processes. PMID:25976070

  1. Center index method-an alternative for wear measurements with radiostereometry (RSA).

    PubMed

    Dahl, Jon; Figved, Wender; Snorrason, Finnur; Nordsletten, Lars; Röhrl, Stephan M

    2013-03-01

    Radiostereometry (RSA) is considered to be the most precise and accurate method for wear-measurements in total hip replacement. Post-operative stereoradiographs has so far been necessary for wear measurement. Hence, the use of RSA has been limited to studies planned for RSA measurements. We compared a new RSA method for wear measurements that does not require previous radiographs with conventional RSA. Instead of comparing present stereoradiographs with post-operative ones, we developed a method for calculating the post-operative position of the center of the femoral head on the present examination and using this as the index measurement. We compared this alternative method to conventional RSA in 27 hips in an ongoing RSA study. We found a high degree of agreement between the methods for both mean proximal (1.19 mm vs. 1.14 mm) and mean 3D wear (1.52 mm vs. 1.44 mm) after 10 years. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were 0.958 and 0.955, respectively (p<0.001 for both ICCs). The results were also within the limits of agreement when plotted subject-by-subject in a Bland-Altman plot. Our alternative method for wear measurements with RSA offers comparable results to conventional RSA measurements. It allows precise wear measurements without previous radiological examinations. Copyright © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society.

  2. Longitudinal Associations Between Temperament and Socioemotional Outcomes in Young Children: The Moderating Role of RSA and Gender

    PubMed Central

    Morales, Santiago; Beekman, Charles; Blandon, Alysia Y.; Stifter, Cynthia A.; Buss, Kristin A.

    2015-01-01

    Temperament is an important predictor of socioemotional adjustment, such as externalizing and internalizing symptoms. However, there is not a one-to-one correspondence between temperamental predispositions and these outcomes, implying that other factors also contribute to the development of internalizing and externalizing problems. Self-regulation is believed to interact with temperament, and has been studied as a predictor for later socioemotional outcomes. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is a psychophysiological measure of self-regulation that has been studied as a moderator of risk. The primary aim of the present study was to test if RSA baseline and RSA reactivity would moderate the link between temperament and socioemotional outcomes. Mothers reported the temperament of their infants (20 months; N=154), RSA was collected at 24- and 42-months, and mothers reported externalizing and internalizing behaviors at kindergarten entry. RSA baseline and RSA reactivity moderated the relation between exuberant temperament and externalizing behaviors. However, these results were only significant for girls, such that high RSA baseline and greater RSA suppression predicted more externalizing behaviors when exuberance was high. Fearful temperament predicted later internalizing behaviors, but no moderation was present. These results are discussed in light of recent evidence regarding gender differences in the role of RSA as a protective factor for risk. PMID:25399505

  3. Longitudinal associations between temperament and socioemotional outcomes in young children: the moderating role of RSA and gender.

    PubMed

    Morales, Santiago; Beekman, Charles; Blandon, Alysia Y; Stifter, Cynthia A; Buss, Kristin A

    2015-01-01

    Temperament is an important predictor of socioemotional adjustment, such as externalizing and internalizing symptoms. However, there is not a one-to-one correspondence between temperamental predispositions and these outcomes, implying that other factors also contribute to the development of internalizing and externalizing problems. Self-regulation is believed to interact with temperament, and has been studied as a predictor for later socioemotional outcomes. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is a psychophysiological measure of self-regulation that has been studied as a moderator of risk. The primary aim of the present study was to test if RSA baseline and RSA reactivity would moderate the link between temperament and socioemotional outcomes. Mothers reported the temperament of their infants (20 months; N = 154), RSA was collected at 24- and 42-months, and mothers reported externalizing and internalizing behaviors at kindergarten entry. RSA baseline and RSA reactivity moderated the relation between exuberant temperament and externalizing behaviors. However, these results were only significant for girls, such that high RSA baseline and greater RSA suppression predicted more externalizing behaviors when exuberance was high. Fearful temperament predicted later internalizing behaviors, but no moderation was present. These results are discussed in light of recent evidence regarding gender differences in the role of RSA as a protective factor for risk. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Coregulation of respiratory sinus arrhythmia between parents and preschoolers: differences by children's externalizing problems.

    PubMed

    Lunkenheimer, Erika; Tiberio, Stacey S; Buss, Kristin A; Lucas-Thompson, Rachel G; Boker, Steven M; Timpe, Zachary C

    2015-12-01

    The coordination of physiological processes between parents and infants is thought to support behaviors critical for infant adaptation, but we know little about parent-child physiological coregulation during the preschool years. The present study examined whether time-varying changes in parent and child respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) exhibited coregulation (across-person dynamics) accounting for individual differences in parent and child RSA, and whether there were differences in these parasympathetic processes by children's externalizing problems. Mother-child dyads (N = 47; Child age M = 3½ years) engaged in three laboratory tasks (free play, clean up, puzzle task) for 18 min, during which RSA data were collected. Multilevel coupled autoregressive models revealed that mothers and preschoolers showed positive coregulation of RSA such that changes in mother RSA predicted changes in the same direction in child RSA and vice versa, controlling for the stability of within-person RSA over time and individual differences in overall mean RSA. However, when children's externalizing behaviors were higher, coregulation was negative such that changes in real-time mother and child RSA showed divergence rather than positive concordance. Results suggest that mothers and preschoolers do coregulate RSA during real-time interactions, but that children's higher externalizing behavior problems are related to disruptions in these processes. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Are CT Scans a Satisfactory Substitute for the Follow-Up of RSA Migration Studies of Uncemented Cups? A Comparison of RSA Double Examinations and CT Datasets of 46 Total Hip Arthroplasties

    PubMed Central

    Zeleznik, Michael P.; Nilsson, Kjell G.; Olivecrona, Henrik

    2017-01-01

    As part of the 14-year follow-up of a prospectively randomized radiostereometry (RSA) study on uncemented cup fixation, two pairs of stereo radiographs and a CT scan of 46 hips were compared. Tantalum beads, inserted during the primary operation, were detected in the CT volume and the stereo radiographs and used to produce datasets of 3D coordinates. The limit of agreement between the combined CT and RSA datasets was calculated in the same way as the precision of the double RSA examination. The precision of RSA corresponding to the 99% confidence interval was 1.36°, 1.36°, and 0.60° for X-, Y-, and Z-rotation and 0.40, 0.17, and 0.37 mm for X-, Y-, and Z-translation. The limit of agreement between CT and RSA was 1.51°, 2.17°, and 1.05° for rotation and 0.59, 0.56, and 0.74 mm for translation. The differences between CT and RSA are close to the described normal 99% confidence interval for precision in RSA: 0.3° to 2° for rotation and 0.15 to 0.6 mm for translation. We conclude that measurements using CT and RSA are comparable and that CT can be used for migration studies for longitudinal evaluations of patients with RSA markers. PMID:28243598

  6. Are CT Scans a Satisfactory Substitute for the Follow-Up of RSA Migration Studies of Uncemented Cups? A Comparison of RSA Double Examinations and CT Datasets of 46 Total Hip Arthroplasties.

    PubMed

    Otten, Volker; Maguire, Gerald Q; Noz, Marilyn E; Zeleznik, Michael P; Nilsson, Kjell G; Olivecrona, Henrik

    2017-01-01

    As part of the 14-year follow-up of a prospectively randomized radiostereometry (RSA) study on uncemented cup fixation, two pairs of stereo radiographs and a CT scan of 46 hips were compared. Tantalum beads, inserted during the primary operation, were detected in the CT volume and the stereo radiographs and used to produce datasets of 3D coordinates. The limit of agreement between the combined CT and RSA datasets was calculated in the same way as the precision of the double RSA examination. The precision of RSA corresponding to the 99% confidence interval was 1.36°, 1.36°, and 0.60° for X -, Y -, and Z -rotation and 0.40, 0.17, and 0.37 mm for X -, Y -, and Z -translation. The limit of agreement between CT and RSA was 1.51°, 2.17°, and 1.05° for rotation and 0.59, 0.56, and 0.74 mm for translation. The differences between CT and RSA are close to the described normal 99% confidence interval for precision in RSA: 0.3° to 2° for rotation and 0.15 to 0.6 mm for translation. We conclude that measurements using CT and RSA are comparable and that CT can be used for migration studies for longitudinal evaluations of patients with RSA markers.

  7. Marital Conflict, Allostatic Load, and the Development of Children's Fluid Cognitive Performance

    PubMed Central

    Hinnant, J. Benjamin; El-Sheikh, Mona; Keiley, Margaret; Buckhalt, Joseph A.

    2013-01-01

    Relations between marital conflict, children’s respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and fluid cognitive performance were examined over three years to assess allostatic processes. Participants were 251 children reporting on marital conflict, baseline RSA and RSA reactivity to a lab challenge were recorded, and fluid cognitive performance was measured using the Woodcock-Johnson III. A cross-lagged model showed that higher levels of marital conflict at age 8 predicted weaker RSA-R at age 9 for children with lower baseline RSA. A growth model showed that lower baseline RSA in conjunction with weaker RSA-R predicted the slowest development of fluid cognitive performance. Findings suggest that stress may affect development of physiological systems regulating attention, which are tied to the development of fluid cognitive performance. PMID:23534537

  8. Children’s dynamic RSA change during anger and its relations with parenting, temperament, and control of aggression☆

    PubMed Central

    Miller, Jonas G.; Chocol, Caroline; Nuselovici, Jacob N.; Utendale, William T.; Simard, Melissa; Hastings, Paul D.

    2014-01-01

    This study examined the moderating effects of child temperament on the association between maternal socialization and 4–6-year-old children’s dynamic respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) change in response to anger-themed emotional materials (N = 180). We used latent growth curve modeling to explore adaptive patterns of dynamic RSA change in response to anger. Greater change in RSA during anger-induction, characterized by more initial RSA suppression and a subsequent return to baseline, was related to children’s better regulation of aggression. For anger-themed materials, low levels of authoritarian parenting predicted more RSA suppression and recovery for more anger-prone children, whereas more authoritative parenting predicted more RSA suppression and recovery for less anger-prone children. These findings suggest that children’s adaptive patterns of dynamic RSA change can be characterized by latent growth curve modeling, and that these patterns may be differentially shaped by parent socialization experiences as a function of child temperament. PMID:23274169

  9. Associations between respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity and effortful control in preschool-age children.

    PubMed

    Sulik, Michael J; Eisenberg, Nancy; Spinrad, Tracy L; Silva, Kassondra M

    2015-07-01

    We tested whether respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity in response to each of three self-regulation tasks (bird and dragon; knock-tap; and gift wrap) would predict self-regulation performance in a sample of 101 preschool-age children (M age = 4.49, SD = .64). While controlling for baseline RSA, decreases in RSA from bird and dragon to knock-tap (but not from baseline to bird and dragon) predicted a latent variable measuring self-regulation. Furthermore, increases in RSA from the knock-tap to gift wrap-the only task involving delay of gratification-were related to concurrent task performance while controlling for the relation between RSA reactivity and the latent self-regulation variable. Results suggest that the relations between RSA reactivity and self-regulatory ability are influenced by task-specific demands and possibly by task order. Furthermore, RSA reactivity appears to relate differently to performance on motivationally salient self-regulation tasks such as delay of gratification relative to cool executive function tasks. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia responses to cognitive tasks: effects of task factors and RSA indices.

    PubMed

    Overbeek, Thérèse J M; van Boxtel, Anton; Westerink, Joyce H D M

    2014-05-01

    Many studies show that respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) decreases while performing cognitive tasks. However, there is uncertainty about the role of contaminating factors such as physical activity and stress-inducing task variables. Different methods to quantify RSA may also contribute to variable results. In 83 healthy subjects, we studied RSA responses to a working memory task requiring varying levels of cognitive control and a perceptual attention task not requiring strong cognitive control. RSA responses were quantified in the time and frequency domain and were additionally corrected for differences in mean interbeat interval and respiration rate, resulting in eight different RSA indices. The two tasks were clearly differentiated by heart rate and facial EMG reference measures. Cognitive control induced inhibition of RSA whereas perceptual attention generally did not. However, the results show several differences between different RSA indices, emphasizing the importance of methodological variables. Age and sex did not influence the results. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Dynamic measures of RSA predict distress and regulation in toddlers.

    PubMed

    Brooker, Rebecca J; Buss, Kristin A

    2010-05-01

    In this study, we examined a new method for quantifying individual variability using dynamic measures of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). This method incorporated temporal variation into the measurement of RSA and provided information beyond that offered by more traditional quantifications such as difference scores. Dynamic and static measures of change in RSA were tested in relation to displays of emotion and affective behaviors during a fear-eliciting episode in a sample of 88 typically developing and high-fear toddlers during a laboratory visit at age 24 months. Dynamic measures of RSA contributed information that was unique from traditionally employed, static change scores in predicting high-fear toddlers' displays of shyness during a fear-eliciting episode. In contrast, RSA change scores offered information related to boldness in nonhigh-fear children. In addition, several associations included estimates of nonlinear change in RSA. Implications for the study of individual differences in RSA and relations with emotion and emotion regulation are discussed.

  12. Children's dynamic RSA change during anger and its relations with parenting, temperament, and control of aggression.

    PubMed

    Miller, Jonas G; Chocol, Caroline; Nuselovici, Jacob N; Utendale, William T; Simard, Melissa; Hastings, Paul D

    2013-02-01

    This study examined the moderating effects of child temperament on the association between maternal socialization and 4-6-year-old children's dynamic respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) change in response to anger-themed emotional materials (N=180). We used latent growth curve modeling to explore adaptive patterns of dynamic RSA change in response to anger. Greater change in RSA during anger-induction, characterized by more initial RSA suppression and a subsequent return to baseline, was related to children's better regulation of aggression. For anger-themed materials, low levels of authoritarian parenting predicted more RSA suppression and recovery for more anger-prone children, whereas more authoritative parenting predicted more RSA suppression and recovery for less anger-prone children. These findings suggest that children's adaptive patterns of dynamic RSA change can be characterized by latent growth curve modeling, and that these patterns may be differentially shaped by parent socialization experiences as a function of child temperament. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. X-Ray Computed Tomography Reveals the Response of Root System Architecture to Soil Texture1[OPEN

    PubMed Central

    Rogers, Eric D.; Monaenkova, Daria; Mijar, Medhavinee; Goldman, Daniel I.

    2016-01-01

    Root system architecture (RSA) impacts plant fitness and crop yield by facilitating efficient nutrient and water uptake from the soil. A better understanding of the effects of soil on RSA could improve crop productivity by matching roots to their soil environment. We used x-ray computed tomography to perform a detailed three-dimensional quantification of changes in rice (Oryza sativa) RSA in response to the physical properties of a granular substrate. We characterized the RSA of eight rice cultivars in five different growth substrates and determined that RSA is the result of interactions between genotype and growth environment. We identified cultivar-specific changes in RSA in response to changing growth substrate texture. The cultivar Azucena exhibited low RSA plasticity in all growth substrates, whereas cultivar Bala root depth was a function of soil hardness. Our imaging techniques provide a framework to study RSA in different growth environments, the results of which can be used to improve root traits with agronomic potential. PMID:27208237

  14. Longitudinal Patterns of Autonomic Nervous System Responding to Emotion Evocation among Children with Conduct Problems and/or Depression

    PubMed Central

    Pang, Karen C.; Beauchaine, Theodore P.

    2012-01-01

    Conduct disorder (CD) and depression co-occur at far greater levels than chance, despite largely separate diagnostic criteria. One potential shared mechanism of this comorbidity is emotion dysregulation, which characterizes both internalizing and externalizing disorders. Previous research demonstrates that respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)—a peripheral biomarker of emotion regulation—is attenuated among children with CD, and among children with depression. However, few studies have examined biomarkers of emotion regulation as a function of heterotypic comorbidity. We evaluated longitudinal patterns of RSA and RSA reactivity to emotion evocation across three annual assessments among 207 children diagnosed at ages 8–12 years with CD (n=30), depression (n=28), comorbid CD and depression (n=80), or no psychiatric condition (n=69). Using continuous symptom counts as predictors, Depression × CD interactions were observed for both Time 1 resting RSA and Time 1 RSA reactivity. Conduct disorder, depression, and their interaction were all associated with low resting RSA at Time 1. In addition, concurrently elevated CD and depression scores predicted the greatest RSA reactivity to emotion evocation. Psychopathology scores were unrelated to developmental changes in RSA and RSA reactivity over time. PMID:22826111

  15. Security for decentralized health information systems.

    PubMed

    Bleumer, G

    1994-02-01

    Health care information systems must reflect at least two basic characteristics of the health care community: the increasing mobility of patients and the personal liability of everyone giving medical treatment. Open distributed information systems bear the potential to reflect these requirements. But the market for open information systems and operating systems hardly provides secure products today. This 'missing link' is approached by the prototype SECURE Talk that provides secure transmission and archiving of files on top of an existing operating system. Its services may be utilized by existing medical applications. SECURE Talk demonstrates secure communication utilizing only standard hardware. Its message is that cryptography (and in particular asymmetric cryptography) is practical for many medical applications even if implemented in software. All mechanisms are software implemented in order to be executable on standard-hardware. One can investigate more or less decentralized forms of public key management and the performance of many different cryptographic mechanisms. That of, e.g. hybrid encryption and decryption (RSA+DES-PCBC) is about 300 kbit/s. That of signing and verifying is approximately the same using RSA with a DES hash function. The internal speed, without disk accesses etc., is about 1.1 Mbit/s. (Apple Quadra 950 (MC 68040, 33 MHz, RAM: 20 MB, 80 ns. Length of RSA modulus is 512 bit).

  16. Attachment Status and Mother-Preschooler Parasympathetic Response to the Strange Situation Procedure

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Justin D.; Woodhouse, Susan S.; Clark, Caron A. C.; Skowron, Elizabeth A.

    2016-01-01

    Background Early attachment relationships are important for children’s development of behavioral and physiological regulation strategies. Parasympathetic nervous system activity, indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), is a key indicator of self-regulation, with links to numerous developmental outcomes. Attachment-related changes in and associations between mother and child RSA during the Strange Situation procedure (SSP) can elucidate individual differences in physiological response to stress that are important for understanding the development of and intervention for psychopathology. Methods A sample of 142 at-risk mothers and preschool-age children participated in the SSP and provided time-synchronized RSA data during the 7 episodes, which included 2 separations and 2 reunions. Attachment classifications were obtained using the Cassidy and Marvin (1992) coding system. Linear mixed-effects models were constructed to examine attachment-related change in RSA during the SSP and the concordance between mother and child RSA over time. Results Findings demonstrated attachment-related differences in children’s RSA. Secure children’s RSA was relatively stable over time, whereas insecure–avoidant children showed RSA increases during the first separation and insecure–resistant children’s RSA declined across the SSP. Mothers showed RSA withdrawal during separation regardless of child’s attachment classification. Mother–child RSA showed a positive concordance that was strongest in the insecure–resistant group, compared with the other groups. Conclusions Results support attachment theories concerning parasympathetic response to stress and the role of the mother–child relationship in physiological regulation. Our findings advance previous research by focusing on at-risk mother–preschooler dyads within diverse attachment classifications. PMID:26738633

  17. 76 FR 10342 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-24

    ... Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights (PAIR) Program Performance Report (Form RSA-509) will be used to... protect their legal and human rights. The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) uses the form to... annually using the form, which is due on or before December 30 each year. Form RSA-509 has enabled RSA to...

  18. 75 FR 14428 - Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-25

    ... Dogfish, Research Set- Aside (RSA), and Executive Committees will hold public meetings. DATES: Tuesday.... until 4 p.m.. From 4 p.m. until 5:30 p.m., the Research Set-Aside (RSA) will meet. On Wednesday, April... Amendment 3). The RSA Committee will discuss possible ways to improve the RSA program and consider...

  19. The C. elegans RSA complex localizes protein phosphatase 2A to centrosomes and regulates mitotic spindle assembly.

    PubMed

    Schlaitz, Anne-Lore; Srayko, Martin; Dammermann, Alexander; Quintin, Sophie; Wielsch, Natalie; MacLeod, Ian; de Robillard, Quentin; Zinke, Andrea; Yates, John R; Müller-Reichert, Thomas; Shevchenko, Andrei; Oegema, Karen; Hyman, Anthony A

    2007-01-12

    Microtubule behavior changes during the cell cycle and during spindle assembly. However, it remains unclear how these changes are regulated and coordinated. We describe a complex that targets the Protein Phosphatase 2A holoenzyme (PP2A) to centrosomes in C. elegans embryos. This complex includes Regulator of Spindle Assembly 1 (RSA-1), a targeting subunit for PP2A, and RSA-2, a protein that binds and recruits RSA-1 to centrosomes. In contrast to the multiple functions of the PP2A catalytic subunit, RSA-1 and RSA-2 are specifically required for microtubule outgrowth from centrosomes and for spindle assembly. The centrosomally localized RSA-PP2A complex mediates these functions in part by regulating two critical mitotic effectors: the microtubule destabilizer KLP-7 and the C. elegans regulator of spindle assembly TPXL-1. By regulating a subset of PP2A functions at the centrosome, the RSA complex could therefore provide a means of coordinating microtubule outgrowth from centrosomes and kinetochore microtubule stability during mitotic spindle assembly.

  20. Parasympathetic reactivity and disruptive behavior problems in young children during interactions with their mothers and other adults: A preliminary investigation

    PubMed Central

    Cooper-Vince, Christine E.; DeSerisy, Mariah; Cornacchio, Danielle; Sanchez, Amanda; McLaughlin, Katie A.; Comer, Jonathan S.

    2017-01-01

    Parasympathetic nervous system influences on cardiac functions—commonly indexed via respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)—are central to self-regulation. RSA suppression during challenging emotional and cognitive tasks is often associated with better emotional and behavioral functioning in preschoolers. However, the links between RSA suppression and child behavior across various challenging interpersonal contexts remains unclear. The present study experimentally evaluated the relationship between child RSA reactivity to adult (mother vs. study staff) direction and disruptive behavior problems in children ages 3–8 with varying levels of disruptive behavior problems (N=43). Reduced RSA suppression in the context of mothers’ play-based direction was associated with more severe child behavior problems. In contrast, RSA suppression in the context of staff play-based direction was not associated with behavior problems. Findings suggest that the association between RSA suppression and child behavior problems may vary by social context (i.e., mother vs. other adult direction-givers). Findings are discussed in regard to RSA as an indicator of autonomic self-regulation that has relevance to child disruptive behavior problems. PMID:28261792

  1. X-Ray Computed Tomography Reveals the Response of Root System Architecture to Soil Texture.

    PubMed

    Rogers, Eric D; Monaenkova, Daria; Mijar, Medhavinee; Nori, Apoorva; Goldman, Daniel I; Benfey, Philip N

    2016-07-01

    Root system architecture (RSA) impacts plant fitness and crop yield by facilitating efficient nutrient and water uptake from the soil. A better understanding of the effects of soil on RSA could improve crop productivity by matching roots to their soil environment. We used x-ray computed tomography to perform a detailed three-dimensional quantification of changes in rice (Oryza sativa) RSA in response to the physical properties of a granular substrate. We characterized the RSA of eight rice cultivars in five different growth substrates and determined that RSA is the result of interactions between genotype and growth environment. We identified cultivar-specific changes in RSA in response to changing growth substrate texture. The cultivar Azucena exhibited low RSA plasticity in all growth substrates, whereas cultivar Bala root depth was a function of soil hardness. Our imaging techniques provide a framework to study RSA in different growth environments, the results of which can be used to improve root traits with agronomic potential. © 2016 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

  2. A distributed model: redefining a robust research subject advocacy program at the Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center.

    PubMed

    Winkler, Sabune J; Cagliero, Enrico; Witte, Elizabeth; Bierer, Barbara E

    2014-08-01

    The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center ("Harvard Catalyst") Research Subject Advocacy (RSA) Program has reengineered subject advocacy, distributing the delivery of advocacy functions through a multi-institutional, central platform rather than vesting these roles and responsibilities in a single individual functioning as a subject advocate. The program is process-oriented and output-driven, drawing on the strengths of participating institutions to engage local stakeholders both in the protection of research subjects and in advocacy for subjects' rights. The program engages stakeholder communities in the collaborative development and distributed delivery of accessible and applicable educational programming and resources. The Harvard Catalyst RSA Program identifies, develops, and supports the sharing and distribution of expertise, education, and resources for the benefit of all institutions, with a particular focus on the frontline: research subjects, researchers, research coordinators, and research nurses. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Speed of recovery after shoulder arthroplasty: a comparison of reverse and anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty.

    PubMed

    Levy, Jonathan C; Everding, Nathan G; Gil, Carlos C; Stephens, Scott; Giveans, M Russell

    2014-12-01

    Whereas patient expectations after anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) relate to sustained improvements in pain, function, and motion, the time necessary to reach these goals is unclear. Our purpose was to investigate the speed of recovery and to compare the effectiveness of primary TSA and RSA. We analyzed (preoperative, 3 month, 6 month, 1-year, and 2-year scores) pain scores, functional scores, and motion for 122 patients treated with primary RSA and 166 patients treated with primary TSA with a minimum of 1 year of follow-up. Comparisons were made to determine the effectiveness of treatment, time required to reach a plateau in improvement, and percentage of overall improvement at 3 and 6 months. Significant improvements were observed for both TSA and RSA at all intervals (P < .001), except with internal rotation for RSA. Pain relief was rapid after both TSA and RSA. TSA patients reached a consistent plateau for pain and function by 6 months and for shoulder elevation by 1 year. RSA patients demonstrated variability with multiple false plateau points. By 6 months, TSA patients had achieved 90% to 100% of functional improvement, whereas RSA patients reached 72% to 91%. The effectiveness of TSA was greater than that of RSA for all measures with the exception of elevation and abduction. Whereas patients treated with primary TSA and RSA can expect rapid improvements in pain, those treated with TSA can anticipate a more consistent and effective recovery of pain, function, and shoulder rotation. Patients receiving RSA can expect a variable length of recovery with greater improvements in forward elevation and abduction. Copyright © 2014 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Activity Predicts Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors in Non-referred Boys

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Wei; Fagan, Shawn E.; Gao, Yu

    2017-01-01

    Atypical respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a biomarker of emotion dysregulation, is associated with both externalizing and internalizing behaviors. In addition, social adversity and gender may moderate this association. In this study, we investigated if RSA (both resting RSA and RSA reactivity in an emotion regulation task) predicts externalizing and/or internalizing behaviors and the extent to which social adversity moderates this relationship. Two hundred and fifty-three children (at Time 1, mean age = 9.05, SD = 0.60, 48% boys) and their caregivers from the community participated in this study. Resting RSA and RSA reactivity were assessed, and caregivers reported children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors at both Time 1 and Time 2 (1 year later). We found that lower resting RSA (but not RSA reactivity) at Time 1 was associated with increased externalizing and internalizing behaviors at Time 2 in boys, even after controlling for the effects of Time 1 behavioral problems and Time 2 age. Moreover, there was a significant interaction effect between Time 1 resting RSA and social adversity such that lower resting RSA predicted higher externalizing and internalizing behaviors in boys only under conditions of high social adversity. Follow-up analyses revealed that these predictive effects were stronger for externalizing behavior than for internalizing behavior. No significant effects were found for girls. Our findings provide further evidence that low resting RSA may be a transdiagnostic biomarker of emotion dysregulation and a predisposing risk factor for both types of behavior problems, in particular for boys who grow up in adverse environments. We conclude that biosocial interaction effects and gender differences should be considered when examining the etiological mechanisms of child psychopathology. PMID:28955262

  5. Children's Externalizing and Internalizing Symptoms over Time: The Role of Individual Differences in Patterns of RSA Responding

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hinnant, James Benjamin; El-Sheikh, Mona

    2009-01-01

    We examined associations between basal respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in conjunction with RSA regulation with the hypothesis that their interaction would explain unique variability in children's prospective adjustment 2 years later. Participants were 176 children (98 girls; 78 boys) in middle childhood. RSA regulation was assessed through…

  6. Marital Conflict, Allostatic Load, and the Development of Children's Fluid Cognitive Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hinnant, J. Benjamin; El-Sheikh, Mona; Keiley, Margaret; Buckhalt, Joseph A.

    2013-01-01

    Relations between marital conflict, children's respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and fluid cognitive performance were examined over 3 years to assess allostatic processes. Participants were 251 children reporting on marital conflict, baseline RSA, and RSA reactivity (RSA-R) to a lab challenge were recorded, and fluid cognitive performance…

  7. Decisive Routing and Admission Control According to Quality of Service Constraints

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-03-01

    Level &(Key Size) 1 1 RSA (1280); RSA (1536); Elg-E (1280) 1 2 Elg-E ( 768 ); Elg-E(1024); RSA (1024) 1 3 3DES, BlowFish, CAST5 2 1 Elg-E(1536); Elg-E(1792...upon the intractibility of the discrete logarithm problem [11] RSA A public key encryption scheme named after inventors R. Rivest, A. Shamir, and L...gpgTester would make system calls to the GNU Privacy Guard to choose from system and public key algorithms, ElGamal, RSA , AES, AES192, AES256, TwoFish

  8. The contributions of early adverse experiences and trajectories of respiratory sinus arrhythmia on the development of neurobehavioral disinhibition among children with prenatal substance exposure

    PubMed Central

    Conradt, Elisabeth; Degarmo, David; Fisher, Phil; Abar, Beau; Lester, Barry M.; Lagasse, Linda L.; Shankaran, Seetha; Bada, Henrietta; Bauer, Charles R.; Whitaker, Toni M.; Hammond, Jane A.

    2015-01-01

    Neurobehavioral disinhibition (ND) is a complex condition reflecting a wide range of problems involving difficulties with emotion regulation and behavior control. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is a physiological correlate of emotion regulation that has been studied in a variety of at-risk populations; however, there are no studies of RSA in children with ND. Data were drawn from a prospective longitudinal study of prenatal substance exposure that included 1,073 participants. Baseline RSA and RSA reactivity to an attention-demanding task were assessed at 3, 4, 5, and 6 years. ND was assessed at ages 8/9, 11, and 13/14 years via behavioral dysregulation and executive dysfunction composite measures. Greater exposure to early adversity was related to less RSA reactivity at 3 years, increases in RSA reactivity from ages 3 to 6 years, and increased behavioral dysregulation from ages 8/9 to 13/14. RSA reactivity was examined as a moderator of the association between early adversity and changes in ND. A significant Early Adversity × RSA Reactivity quadratic interaction revealed that children with decelerations in RSA reactivity exhibited increases in behavioral dysregulation, regardless of their exposure to early adversity. However, greater exposure to early adversity was related to greater increases in behavioral dysregulation, but only if children exhibited accelerations in RSA reactivity from ages 3 to 6 years. The results contribute to our understanding of how interactions across multiple levels of analysis contribute to the development of ND. PMID:24909973

  9. Differential Susceptibility and the Early Development of Aggression: Interactive Effects of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia and Environmental Quality

    PubMed Central

    Eisenberg, Nancy; Sulik, Michael J.; Spinrad, Tracy L.; Edwards, Alison; Eggum, Natalie D.; Liew, Jeffrey; Sallquist, Julie; Popp, Tierney K.; Smith, Cynthia L.; Hart, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of the current study was to predict the development of aggressive behavior from young children’s respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and environmental quality. In a longitudinal sample of 213 children, baseline RSA, RSA suppression in response to a film of crying babies, and a composite measure of environmental quality (incorporating socioeconomic status and marital adjustment) were measured, and parent-reported aggression was assessed from 18 to 54 months of age. Predictions based on biological sensitivity-to-context/differential susceptibility and diathesis-stress models, as well as potential moderation by child sex, were examined. The interaction of baseline RSA with environmental quality predicted the development (slope) and 54-month intercept of mothers’ reports of aggression. For girls only, the interaction between baseline RSA and environmental quality predicted the 18-month intercept of fathers’ reports. In general, significant negative relations between RSA and aggression were found primarily at high levels of environmental quality. In addition, we found a significant Sex × RSA interaction predicting the slope and 54-month intercept of fathers’ reports of aggression, such that RSA was negatively related to aggression for boys but not for girls. Contrary to predictions, no significant main effects or interactions were found for RSA suppression. The results provide mixed but not full support for differential susceptibility theory and provide little support for the diathesis-stress model. PMID:22182294

  10. Biofeedback assisted control of respiratory sinus arrhythmia as a biobehavioral intervention for depressive symptoms in patients after cardiac surgery: a preliminary study.

    PubMed

    Patron, Elisabetta; Messerotti Benvenuti, Simone; Favretto, Giuseppe; Valfrè, Carlo; Bonfà, Carlotta; Gasparotto, Renata; Palomba, Daniela

    2013-03-01

    The current study investigated whether biofeedback training aimed at increasing respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a measure of cardiac vagal modulation, can reduce depressive symptoms in patients after cardiac surgery. This randomized controlled study enrolled 26 patients after first-time cardiac surgery. The patients were randomly assigned to an RSA-biofeedback group (N = 13) or to a treatment as usual group (N = 13). The biofeedback training consisted of five 45 min sessions designed to increase RSA. The outcome was assessed as changes in RSA and in the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression (CES-D) values from pre- to post-training. Both groups were comparable for demographic and biomedical characteristics. RSA increased significantly in patients who underwent RSA-biofeedback compared to controls. Moreover, the CES-D scores were reduced significantly from pre- to post-training in the RSA-biofeedback group compared to the controls. Changes in RSA were inversely related to changes in CES-D scores from pre- to post-training. These findings extend the effectiveness of RSA-biofeedback for increasing vagal modulation as well as for reducing depressive symptoms in post-surgical patients. Overall, the current study also suggests that this biobehavioral intervention may add to the efficacy of postoperative risk reduction programs and rehabilitation protocols in cardiac surgery patients.

  11. Behavior Problems among Cocaine Exposed Children: Role of Physiological Regulation and Parenting

    PubMed Central

    Finger, Brent; Schuetze, Pamela; Eiden, Rina D.

    2014-01-01

    This study examined interrelations between prenatal cocaine exposure, child autonomic regulation, parenting behavior and child sex on parent-reported behavior problems at 36 months of age. We hypothesized that respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)1 at 13 months of age would mediate the relation between cocaine exposure and behavior problems. We also hypothesized that child sex, maternal negative affect, and maternal sensitivity observed at 13 months of age would moderate the relation between RSA and behavior problems. Results revealed that cocaine exposure predicted low baseline RSA and low RSA withdrawal during a negative affect task. Low baseline RSA, in turn, predicted fewer behavior problems offering support for an indirect association between cocaine exposure and behavior problems. The association between baseline RSA and behavior problems was further moderated by maternal negative affect such that high baseline RSA was more strongly related to behavior problems under conditions of high compared to low maternal negative affect. Results also revealed a near significant trend for baseline RSA to be more strongly related to behavior problems among boys than girls. These findings highlight several possible pathways toward behavior problems among cocaine exposed children. PMID:24480789

  12. RSA in Spine: A Review.

    PubMed

    Humadi, Ali; Dawood, Sulaf; Halldin, Klas; Freeman, Brian

    2017-12-01

    Systematic review of literature. This systematic review was conducted to investigate the accuracy of radiostereometric analysis (RSA), its assessment of spinal motion and disorders, and to investigate the limitations of this technique in spine assessment. Systematic review in all current literature to invesigate the role of RSA in spine. The results of this review concluded that RSA is a very powerful tool to detect small changes between 2 rigid bodies such as a vertebral segment. The technique is described for animal and human studies for cervical and lumbar spine and can be used to analyze range of motion, inducible displacement, and fusion of segments. However, there are a few disadvantages with the technique; RSA percutaneous procedure needs to be performed to implant the markers (and cannot be used preoperatively), one needs a specific knowledge to handle data and interpret the results, and is relatively time consuming and expensive. RSA should be looked at as a very powerful research instrument and there are many questions suitable for RSA studies.

  13. RSA in Spine: A Review

    PubMed Central

    Dawood, Sulaf; Halldin, Klas; Freeman, Brian

    2017-01-01

    Study Design: Systematic review of literature. Objectives: This systematic review was conducted to investigate the accuracy of radiostereometric analysis (RSA), its assessment of spinal motion and disorders, and to investigate the limitations of this technique in spine assessment. Methods: Systematic review in all current literature to invesigate the role of RSA in spine. Results: The results of this review concluded that RSA is a very powerful tool to detect small changes between 2 rigid bodies such as a vertebral segment. The technique is described for animal and human studies for cervical and lumbar spine and can be used to analyze range of motion, inducible displacement, and fusion of segments. However, there are a few disadvantages with the technique; RSA percutaneous procedure needs to be performed to implant the markers (and cannot be used preoperatively), one needs a specific knowledge to handle data and interpret the results, and is relatively time consuming and expensive. Conclusions: RSA should be looked at as a very powerful research instrument and there are many questions suitable for RSA studies. PMID:29238647

  14. Directly assessing interpersonal RSA influences in the frequency domain: An illustration with generalized partial directed coherence.

    PubMed

    Liu, Siwei; Gates, Kathleen M; Blandon, Alysia Y

    2018-06-01

    Despite recent research indicating that interpersonal linkage in physiology is a common phenomenon during social interactions, and the well-established role of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in socially facilitative physiological regulation, little research has directly examined interpersonal influences in RSA, perhaps due to methodological challenges in analyzing multivariate RSA data. In this article, we aim to bridge this methodological gap by introducing a new method for quantifying interpersonal RSA influences. Specifically, we show that a frequency-domain statistic, generalized partial directed coherence (gPDC), can be used to capture lagged relations in RSA between social partners without first estimating RSA for each person. We illustrate its utility by examining the relation between gPDC and marital conflict in a sample of married couples. Finally, we discuss how gPDC complements existing methods in the time domain and provide guidelines for choosing among these different statistical techniques. © 2018 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  15. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia responses to induced emotional states: effects of RSA indices, emotion induction method, age, and sex.

    PubMed

    Overbeek, Thérèse J M; van Boxtel, Anton; Westerink, Joyce H D M

    2012-09-01

    The literature shows large inconsistencies in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) responses to induced emotional states. This may be caused by differences in emotion induction methods, RSA quantification, and non-emotional demands of the situation. In 83 healthy subjects, we studied RSA responses to pictures and film fragments eliciting six different discrete emotions relative to neutral baseline stimuli. RSA responses were quantified in the time and frequency domain and were additionally corrected for differences in mean heart rate and respiration rate, resulting in eight different RSA response measures. Subjective ratings of emotional stimuli and facial electromyographic responses indicated that pictures and film fragments elicited the intended emotions. Although RSA measures showed various emotional effects, responses were quite heterogeneous and frequently nonsignificant. They were substantially influenced by methodological factors, in particular time vs. frequency domain response measures, correction for changes in respiration rate, use of pictures vs. film fragments, and sex of participants. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Normalization of respiratory sinus arrhythmia by factoring in tidal volume.

    PubMed

    Kobayashi, H

    1998-09-01

    The amplitude of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was measured in eight healthy young male students with special reference to the effect of tidal volume (Vt). Under simultaneously controlled respiratory frequency and Vt, the heart rate variability (HRV) of the subjects was measured. While the respiratory frequency was adjusted to either 0.25 or 0.10 Hz, the Vt was controlled at 13 different volumes for each frequency. Linear relationships between RSA amplitude and Vt were observed and close correlations were obtained for 0.25 Hz compared with 0.10 Hz. However, regression equations showed a marked variation among subjects. Furthermore, RSA amplitude was related to vital capacity. Subjects who had lower vital capacity tended to show higher RSA amplitudes at the same Vt. Therefore, the ratio (% Vt) of Vt to vital capacity is a more effective index in normalizing RSA than raw tidal volume. From these results, we have proposed a normalized RSA (RSA amplitude/% Vt) as a new index of autonomic activity that provides a constant value regardless of Vt.

  17. The Combination of RSA And Block Chiper Algorithms To Maintain Message Authentication

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yanti Tarigan, Sepri; Sartika Ginting, Dewi; Lumban Gaol, Melva; Lorensi Sitompul, Kristin

    2017-12-01

    RSA algorithm is public key algorithm using prime number and even still used today. The strength of this algorithm lies in the exponential process, and the factorial number into 2 prime numbers which until now difficult to do factoring. The RSA scheme itself adopts the block cipher scheme, where prior to encryption, the existing plaintext is divide in several block of the same length, where the plaintext and ciphertext are integers between 1 to n, where n is typically 1024 bit, and the block length itself is smaller or equal to log(n)+1 with base 2. With the combination of RSA algorithm and block chiper it is expected that the authentication of plaintext is secure. The secured message will be encrypted with RSA algorithm first and will be encrypted again using block chiper. And conversely, the chipertext will be decrypted with the block chiper first and decrypted again with the RSA algorithm. This paper suggests a combination of RSA algorithms and block chiper to secure data.

  18. Examining the relation between respiratory sinus arrhythmia and depressive symptoms in emerging adults: A longitudinal study.

    PubMed

    Yaptangco, Mona; Crowell, Sheila E; Baucom, Brian R; Bride, Daniel L; Hansen, Erik J

    2015-09-01

    Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating and prevalent disorder associated with lower quality of life and substantial economic burden. Recently, there has been strong interest in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as a biological predictor of later depression. Theoretical work suggests that higher resting RSA indexes physiological flexibility and better emotion regulation whereas lower RSA may mark vulnerability for psychopathology. However, empirical findings have varied. This study examined whether lower resting RSA predicted later depressive symptoms in a sample of healthy young adults across one year (n=185). Results indicate that year one (Y1) resting RSA predicted Y2 depressive symptoms. This finding remained significant when accounting for the stability of RSA and depressive symptoms across both time points and when including trait anxiety, body mass index, and medication use in statistical models. Findings provide further support for RSA as a promising biological marker for understanding and predicting depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Optimizing root system architecture in biofuel crops for sustainable energy production and soil carbon sequestration.

    PubMed

    To, Jennifer Pc; Zhu, Jinming; Benfey, Philip N; Elich, Tedd

    2010-09-08

    Root system architecture (RSA) describes the dynamic spatial configuration of different types and ages of roots in a plant, which allows adaptation to different environments. Modifications in RSA enhance agronomic traits in crops and have been implicated in soil organic carbon content. Together, these fundamental properties of RSA contribute to the net carbon balance and overall sustainability of biofuels. In this article, we will review recent data supporting carbon sequestration by biofuel crops, highlight current progress in studying RSA, and discuss future opportunities for optimizing RSA for biofuel production and soil carbon sequestration.

  20. Two Outer Membrane Proteins Contribute to Caulobacter crescentus Cellular Fitness by Preventing Intracellular S-Layer Protein Accumulation

    DOE PAGES

    Overton, K. Wesley; Park, Dan M.; Yung, Mimi C.; ...

    2016-09-23

    Surface layers, or S-layers, are two-dimensional protein arrays that form the outermost layer of many bacteria and archaea. They serve several functions, including physical protection of the cell from environmental threats. The high abundance of S-layer proteins necessitates a highly efficient export mechanism to transport the S-layer protein from the cytoplasm to the cell exterior.Caulobacter crescentusis unique in that it has two homologous, seemingly redundant outer membrane proteins, RsaF aand RsaF b, which together with other components form a type I protein translocation pathway for S-layer export. These proteins have homology toEscherichia coliTolC, the outer membrane channel of multidrug effluxmore » pumps. Here we provide evidence that, unlike TolC, RsaF aand RsaF bare not involved in either the maintenance of membrane stability or the active export of antimicrobial compounds. Rather, RsaF aand RsaF bare required to prevent intracellular accumulation and aggregation of the S-layer protein RsaA; deletion of RsaF aand RsaF bled to a general growth defect and lowered cellular fitness. Using Western blotting, transmission electron microscopy, and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq), we show that loss of both RsaF aand RsaF bled to accumulation of insoluble RsaA in the cytoplasm, which in turn caused upregulation of a number of genes involved in protein misfolding and degradation pathways. These findings provide new insight into the requirement for RsaF aand RsaF bin cellular fitness and tolerance to antimicrobial agents and further our understanding of the S-layer export mechanism on both the transcriptional and translational levels inC. crescentus. IMPORTANCEDecreased growth rate and reduced cell fitness are common side effects of protein production in overexpression systems. Inclusion bodies typically form inside the cell, largely due to a lack of sufficient export machinery to transport the overexpressed proteins to the extracellular environment. This phenomenon can conceivably also occur in natural systems. As one example of a system evolved to prevent intracellular protein accumulation, our study demonstrates thatCaulobacter crescentushas two homologous outer membrane transporter proteins that are involved in S-layer export. This is an interesting case study that demonstrates how bacteria can evolve redundancy to ensure adequate protein export functionality and maintain high cellular fitness. Moreover, we provide evidence that these two outer membrane proteins, although being the closestC. crescentushomologs to TolC inE. coli, do not process TolC functionality inC. crescentus.« less

  1. Two Outer Membrane Proteins Contribute to Caulobacter crescentus Cellular Fitness by Preventing Intracellular S-Layer Protein Accumulation

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

    Overton, K. Wesley; Park, Dan M.; Yung, Mimi C.

    ABSTRACT Surface layers, or S-layers, are two-dimensional protein arrays that form the outermost layer of many bacteria and archaea. They serve several functions, including physical protection of the cell from environmental threats. The high abundance of S-layer proteins necessitates a highly efficient export mechanism to transport the S-layer protein from the cytoplasm to the cell exterior.Caulobacter crescentusis unique in that it has two homologous, seemingly redundant outer membrane proteins, RsaF aand RsaF b, which together with other components form a type I protein translocation pathway for S-layer export. These proteins have homology toEscherichia coliTolC, the outer membrane channel of multidrugmore » efflux pumps. Here we provide evidence that, unlike TolC, RsaF aand RsaF bare not involved in either the maintenance of membrane stability or the active export of antimicrobial compounds. Rather, RsaF aand RsaF bare required to prevent intracellular accumulation and aggregation of the S-layer protein RsaA; deletion of RsaF aand RsaF bled to a general growth defect and lowered cellular fitness. Using Western blotting, transmission electron microscopy, and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq), we show that loss of both RsaF aand RsaF bled to accumulation of insoluble RsaA in the cytoplasm, which in turn caused upregulation of a number of genes involved in protein misfolding and degradation pathways. These findings provide new insight into the requirement for RsaF aand RsaF bin cellular fitness and tolerance to antimicrobial agents and further our understanding of the S-layer export mechanism on both the transcriptional and translational levels inC. crescentus. IMPORTANCEDecreased growth rate and reduced cell fitness are common side effects of protein production in overexpression systems. Inclusion bodies typically form inside the cell, largely due to a lack of sufficient export machinery to transport the overexpressed proteins to the extracellular environment. This phenomenon can conceivably also occur in natural systems. As one example of a system evolved to prevent intracellular protein accumulation, our study demonstrates thatCaulobacter crescentushas two homologous outer membrane transporter proteins that are involved in S-layer export. This is an interesting case study that demonstrates how bacteria can evolve redundancy to ensure adequate protein export functionality and maintain high cellular fitness. Moreover, we provide evidence that these two outer membrane proteins, although being the closestC. crescentushomologs to TolC inE. coli, do not process TolC functionality inC. crescentus.« less

  2. Two Outer Membrane Proteins Contribute to Caulobacter crescentus Cellular Fitness by Preventing Intracellular S-Layer Protein Accumulation

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

    Overton, K. Wesley; Park, Dan M.; Yung, Mimi C.

    Surface layers, or S-layers, are two-dimensional protein arrays that form the outermost layer of many bacteria and archaea. They serve several functions, including physical protection of the cell from environmental threats. The high abundance of S-layer proteins necessitates a highly efficient export mechanism to transport the S-layer protein from the cytoplasm to the cell exterior.Caulobacter crescentusis unique in that it has two homologous, seemingly redundant outer membrane proteins, RsaF aand RsaF b, which together with other components form a type I protein translocation pathway for S-layer export. These proteins have homology toEscherichia coliTolC, the outer membrane channel of multidrug effluxmore » pumps. Here we provide evidence that, unlike TolC, RsaF aand RsaF bare not involved in either the maintenance of membrane stability or the active export of antimicrobial compounds. Rather, RsaF aand RsaF bare required to prevent intracellular accumulation and aggregation of the S-layer protein RsaA; deletion of RsaF aand RsaF bled to a general growth defect and lowered cellular fitness. Using Western blotting, transmission electron microscopy, and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq), we show that loss of both RsaF aand RsaF bled to accumulation of insoluble RsaA in the cytoplasm, which in turn caused upregulation of a number of genes involved in protein misfolding and degradation pathways. These findings provide new insight into the requirement for RsaF aand RsaF bin cellular fitness and tolerance to antimicrobial agents and further our understanding of the S-layer export mechanism on both the transcriptional and translational levels inC. crescentus. IMPORTANCEDecreased growth rate and reduced cell fitness are common side effects of protein production in overexpression systems. Inclusion bodies typically form inside the cell, largely due to a lack of sufficient export machinery to transport the overexpressed proteins to the extracellular environment. This phenomenon can conceivably also occur in natural systems. As one example of a system evolved to prevent intracellular protein accumulation, our study demonstrates thatCaulobacter crescentushas two homologous outer membrane transporter proteins that are involved in S-layer export. This is an interesting case study that demonstrates how bacteria can evolve redundancy to ensure adequate protein export functionality and maintain high cellular fitness. Moreover, we provide evidence that these two outer membrane proteins, although being the closestC. crescentushomologs to TolC inE. coli, do not process TolC functionality inC. crescentus.« less

  3. The accuracy and precision of radiostereometric analysis in upper limb arthroplasty.

    PubMed

    Ten Brinke, Bart; Beumer, Annechien; Koenraadt, Koen L M; Eygendaal, Denise; Kraan, Gerald A; Mathijssen, Nina M C

    2017-06-01

    Background and purpose - Radiostereometric analysis (RSA) is an accurate method for measurement of early migration of implants. Since a relation has been shown between early migration and future loosening of total knee and hip prostheses, RSA plays an important role in the development and evaluation of prostheses. However, there have been few RSA studies of the upper limb, and the value of RSA of the upper limb is not yet clear. We therefore performed a systematic review to investigate the accuracy and precision of RSA of the upper limb. Patients and methods - PRISMA guidelines were followed and the protocol for this review was published online at PROSPERO under registration number CRD42016042014. A systematic search of the literature was performed in the databases Embase, Medline, Cochrane, Web of Science, Scopus, Cinahl, and Google Scholar on April 25, 2015 based on the keywords radiostereometric analysis, shoulder prosthesis, elbow prosthesis, wrist prosthesis, trapeziometacarpal joint prosthesis, humerus, ulna, radius, carpus. Articles concerning RSA for the analysis of early migration of prostheses of the upper limb were included. Quality assessment was performed using the MINORS score, Downs and Black checklist, and the ISO RSA Results - 23 studies were included. Precision values were in the 0.06-0.88 mm and 0.05-10.7° range for the shoulder, the 0.05-0.34 mm and 0.16-0.76° range for the elbow, and the 0.16-1.83 mm and 11-124° range for the TMC joint. Accuracy data from marker- and model-based RSA were not reported in the studies included. Interpretation - RSA is a highly precise method for measurement of early migration of orthopedic implants in the upper limb. However, the precision of rotation measurement is poor in some components. Challenges with RSA in the upper limb include the symmetrical shape of prostheses and the limited size of surrounding bone, leading to over-projection of the markers by the prosthesis. We recommend higher adherence to RSA guidelines and encourage investigators to publish long-term follow-up RSA studies.

  4. Effectiveness of leukocyte immunotherapy in primary recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA).

    PubMed

    Gharesi-Fard, Behrouz; Zolghadri, Jaleh; Foroughinia, Leila; Tavazoo, Fahimeh; Samsami Dehaghani, Alamtaj

    2007-09-01

    Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is defined as three or more sequential abortions before the twentieth week of gestation. There are evidences to support an allo-immunologic mechanism for RSA. One of the methods for treatment of RSA is leukocyte therapy; however there is still controversy about effectiveness of this method. To evaluate the effectiveness of leukocyte therapy for treatment of RSA. Ninety two non-pregnant women with at least three sequential abortions (60 primary & 32 secondary aborters) recognized as RSA were referred to our Laboratory for immunotherapy. All the cases were immunized by isolated lymphocytes from their husbands. Fifty to 100 million washed and resuspended mononuclear cells were injected by I.V., S.C., and I.D. route. The result of each injection was checked by WBC cross matching between couples after four weeks of injections. Immunization was repeated in fifth week to a maximum of 3 times if needed. Eighty one age-matched non-pregnant RSA women (52 primary and 29 secondary aborters) with at least three sequential abortions were also included in this study as controls. The control group was not immunized. 67 out of 92 (72.8%) immunized cases and 44 out of 81 controls (54.3%) showed a successful outcome of pregnancy (p<0.02). Comparison of primary and secondary aborters indicated a significantly better outcome only in primary (75% vs. 42.3%. p<0.001) but not in secondary aborters (68.8% vs. 75.9%, p = 0.7). The present investigation showed the effectiveness of leukocyte therapy in primary but not in secondary RSA patients. Despite the current controversy and limitation of leukocyte therapy in RSA, the results of our investigation provide evidence supporting the use of allo-immunization in improving the outcome of pregnancy in primary RSA patients.

  5. Precision assessment of model-based RSA for a total knee prosthesis in a biplanar set-up.

    PubMed

    Trozzi, C; Kaptein, B L; Garling, E H; Shelyakova, T; Russo, A; Bragonzoni, L; Martelli, S

    2008-10-01

    Model-based Roentgen Stereophotogrammetric Analysis (RSA) was recently developed for the measurement of prosthesis micromotion. Its main advantage is that markers do not need to be attached to the implants as traditional marker-based RSA requires. Model-based RSA has only been tested in uniplanar radiographic set-ups. A biplanar set-up would theoretically facilitate the pose estimation algorithm, since radiographic projections would show more different shape features of the implants than in uniplanar images. We tested the precision of model-based RSA and compared it with that of the traditional marker-based method in a biplanar set-up. Micromotions of both tibial and femoral components were measured with both the techniques from double examinations of patients participating in a clinical study. The results showed that in the biplanar set-up model-based RSA presents a homogeneous distribution of precision for all the translation directions, but an inhomogeneous error for rotations, especially internal-external rotation presented higher errors than rotations about the transverse and sagittal axes. Model-based RSA was less precise than the marker-based method, although the differences were not significant for the translations and rotations of the tibial component, with the exception of the internal-external rotations. For both prosthesis components the precisions of model-based RSA were below 0.2 mm for all the translations, and below 0.3 degrees for rotations about transverse and sagittal axes. These values are still acceptable for clinical studies aimed at evaluating total knee prosthesis micromotion. In a biplanar set-up model-based RSA is a valid alternative to traditional marker-based RSA where marking of the prosthesis is an enormous disadvantage.

  6. Thinking Across Generations: Unique Contributions of Maternal Early Life and Prenatal Stress to Infant Physiology.

    PubMed

    Gray, Sarah A O; Jones, Christopher W; Theall, Katherine P; Glackin, Erin; Drury, Stacy S

    2017-11-01

    Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is a parasympathetic-mediated biomarker of self-regulation linked to lifespan mental and physical health outcomes. Intergenerational impacts of mothers' exposure to prenatal stress have been demonstrated, but evidence for biological embedding of maternal preconception stress, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), on infant RSA is lacking. We examine the independent effects of maternal ACEs and prenatal stress on infant RSA, seeking to broaden the understanding of the earliest origins of mental and physical health risk. Mothers reported on ACEs and prenatal stress. RSA was recorded in a sample of 167 4-month-old infants (49% female and 51% male) during a dyadic stressor, the Still Face Paradigm. Independent contributions of maternal ACEs and prenatal stress to infant RSA were observed. High maternal ACEs were associated with lower RSA, whereas prenatal stress was associated with failure to recover following the stressor. Sex but not race differences were observed. Prenatal stress was associated with higher RSA among boys but lower RSA among girls. Infants' RSA is affected by mothers' life course experiences of stress, with ACEs predicting a lower set point and prenatal stress dampening recovery from stress. For prenatal stress but not ACEs, patterns vary across sex. Findings underscore that stress-reducing interventions for pregnant women or those considering pregnancy may lead to decreased physical and mental health risk across generations. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Associations between respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity and internalizing and externalizing symptoms are emotion specific

    PubMed Central

    Fortunato, Christine K.; Gatzke-Kopp, Lisa M.; Ram, Nilam

    2015-01-01

    Internalizing and externalizing disorders are often, though inconsistently in studies of young children, associated with low baseline levels of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). RSA is thus considered to reflect the capacity for flexible and regulated affective reactivity and a general propensity for psychopathology. However, studies assessing RSA reactivity to emotional challenges tend to report more consistent associations with internalizing than with externalizing disorders, although it is unclear whether this is a function of the type of emotion challenges used. In the present study, we examined whether baseline RSA was associated with internalizing and/or externalizing severity in a sample of 273 young children (ages 5–6) with elevated symptoms of psychopathology. Following motivation-based models of emotion, we also tested whether RSA reactivity during withdrawal-based (fear, sadness) and approach-based (happiness, anger) emotion inductions was differentially associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms, respectively. Baseline RSA was not associated with externalizing or internalizing symptom severity. However, RSA reactivity to specific emotional challenges was associated differentially with each symptom domain. As expected, internalizing symptom severity was associated with greater RSA withdrawal (increased arousal) during fearful and sad film segments. Conversely, externalizing symptom severity was related to blunted RSA withdrawal during a happy film segment. The use of theoretically derived stimuli may be important in characterizing the nature of the deficits in emotion processing that differentiate the internalizing and externalizing domains of psychopathology. PMID:23233122

  8. Executive Functions Impact the Relation Between Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia and Frequency of Stuttering in Young Children Who Do and Do Not Stutter

    PubMed Central

    Walden, Tedra A.; Conture, Edward G.; Erdemir, Aysu; Lambert, Warren E.; Porges, Stephen W.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose This study sought to determine whether respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and executive functions are associated with stuttered speech disfluencies of young children who do (CWS) and do not stutter (CWNS). Method Thirty-six young CWS and 36 CWNS were exposed to neutral, negative, and positive emotion-inducing video clips, followed by their participation in speaking tasks. During the neutral video, we measured baseline RSA, a physiological index of emotion regulation, and during video viewing and speaking, we measured RSA change from baseline, a physiological index of regulatory responses during challenge. Participants' caregivers completed the Children's Behavior Questionnaire from which a composite score of the inhibitory control and attentional focusing subscales served to index executive functioning. Results For both CWS and CWNS, greater decrease of RSA during both video viewing and speaking was associated with more stuttering. During speaking, CWS with lower executive functioning exhibited a negative association between RSA change and stuttering; conversely, CWNS with higher executive functioning exhibited a negative association between RSA change and stuttering. Conclusion Findings suggest that decreased RSA during video viewing and speaking is associated with increased stuttering and young CWS differ from CWNS in terms of how their executive functions moderate the relation between RSA change and stuttered disfluencies. PMID:28763803

  9. Association between HLA-E gene polymorphism and unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) in Iranian women.

    PubMed

    Fotoohi, Maryam; Ghasemi, Nasrin; Mirghanizadeh, Seyed Ali; Vakili, Mahmood; Samadi, Morteza

    2016-07-01

    Human leukocyte antigen-E (HLA-E)is a non-classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigens which expressed on extra villous cytotrophoblast, which interacts with NKG2A, is an inhibitory receptor on natural killer (NK) cells and leading to down regulation of immune response in the maternal-fetal interface and provides maternal immune tolerance of the fetus. This study was designated to investigate the gene frequencies of E0101 and E0103 in HLA-E gene in Iranian women with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS-PCR) technique was carried out to detect polymorphism in exon 3 of the HLA-E gene in women with RSA and controls (n=200). Differences between groups were analyzed by SPSS19 software using (2) test. There was no significant difference in the allele frequencies of the HLA-E polymorphism between RSA and fertile controls but HLA-E 0101/0103 heterozygous genotype was found to be significantly higher in RSA group (p=0.006, OR=1.73), so this genotype might confer susceptibility to RSA. Our results suggest that HLA-E 0101/0103 heterozygous genotype leads to increase of RSA risk. It seems that by genotyping of HLA-E polymorphism, we can predict the risk of RSA in infertile women.

  10. Women with recurrent spontaneous abortion have decreased 25(OH) vitamin D and VDR at the fetal-maternal interface

    PubMed Central

    Li, N.; Wu, H.M.; Hang, F.; Zhang, Y.S.; Li, M.J.

    2017-01-01

    Immunological mechanisms have been proposed to underlie the pathogenesis of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). Vitamin D has a potent immunomodulatory effect, which may affect pregnancy outcome. The objective of this study was to investigate 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH) D] concentration and vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression in the decidual tissues of RSA patients. Thirty women with RSA (RSA group) and thirty women undergoing elective abortion (control group) were recruited during 2016 from gynecology outpatient clinics. We measured 25(OH) D, interleukin (IL)-17, IL-23, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), VDR and 1-α-hydroxylase (CYP27B1) in decidual tissues collected during the abortion procedure. In the RSA group, 25(OH) D and TGF-β were significantly decreased while IL-17 and IL-23 were significantly increased compared with the control group. VDR expression was significantly decreased in the RSA group compared with the control group. Logistic regression analysis showed a significant negative correlation between 25(OH) D in decidual tissues and RSA. These results indicated that vitamin D concentrations in the decidua are associated with inflammatory cytokine production, suggesting that vitamin D and VDR may play a role in the etiology of RSA. PMID:28902929

  11. Women with recurrent spontaneous abortion have decreased 25(OH) vitamin D and VDR at the fetal-maternal interface.

    PubMed

    Li, N; Wu, H M; Hang, F; Zhang, Y S; Li, M J

    2017-09-12

    Immunological mechanisms have been proposed to underlie the pathogenesis of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). Vitamin D has a potent immunomodulatory effect, which may affect pregnancy outcome. The objective of this study was to investigate 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH) D] concentration and vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression in the decidual tissues of RSA patients. Thirty women with RSA (RSA group) and thirty women undergoing elective abortion (control group) were recruited during 2016 from gynecology outpatient clinics. We measured 25(OH) D, interleukin (IL)-17, IL-23, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), VDR and 1-α-hydroxylase (CYP27B1) in decidual tissues collected during the abortion procedure. In the RSA group, 25(OH) D and TGF-β were significantly decreased while IL-17 and IL-23 were significantly increased compared with the control group. VDR expression was significantly decreased in the RSA group compared with the control group. Logistic regression analysis showed a significant negative correlation between 25(OH) D in decidual tissues and RSA. These results indicated that vitamin D concentrations in the decidua are associated with inflammatory cytokine production, suggesting that vitamin D and VDR may play a role in the etiology of RSA.

  12. Repeated Sprint Ability in Young Basketball Players: Multi-direction vs. One-Change of Direction (Part 1)

    PubMed Central

    Padulo, Johnny; Bragazzi, Nicola L.; Nikolaidis, Pantelis T.; Dello Iacono, Antonio; Attene, Giuseppe; Pizzolato, Fabio; Dal Pupo, Juliano; Zagatto, Alessandro M.; Oggianu, Marcello; Migliaccio, Gian M.

    2016-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to examine the reliability of a novel multi-direction repeated sprint ability (RSA) test [RSM; 10 × (6 × 5-m)] compared with a RSA with one change of direction [10 × (2 × 15-m)], and the relationship of the RSM and RSA with Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1) and jump performances [squat jump (SJ) and counter-movement-jump (CMJ)]. Thirty-six (male, n = 14, female n = 22) young basketball players (age 16.0 ± 0.9 yrs) performed the RSM, RSA, Yo-Yo IR1, SJ, and CMJ, and were re-tested only for RSM and RSA after 1 week. The absolute error of reliability (standard error of the measurement) was lower than 0.212 and 0.617-s for the time variables of the RSA and RSM test, respectively. Performance in the RSA and RSM test significantly correlated with CMJ and SJ. The best time, worst time, and total time of the RSA and RSM test were negatively correlated with Yo-Yo IR1 distance. Based on these findings, consistent with previously published studies, it was concluded that the novel RSM test was valid and reliable. PMID:27148072

  13. Executive Functions Impact the Relation Between Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia and Frequency of Stuttering in Young Children Who Do and Do Not Stutter.

    PubMed

    Jones, Robin M; Walden, Tedra A; Conture, Edward G; Erdemir, Aysu; Lambert, Warren E; Porges, Stephen W

    2017-08-16

    This study sought to determine whether respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and executive functions are associated with stuttered speech disfluencies of young children who do (CWS) and do not stutter (CWNS). Thirty-six young CWS and 36 CWNS were exposed to neutral, negative, and positive emotion-inducing video clips, followed by their participation in speaking tasks. During the neutral video, we measured baseline RSA, a physiological index of emotion regulation, and during video viewing and speaking, we measured RSA change from baseline, a physiological index of regulatory responses during challenge. Participants' caregivers completed the Children's Behavior Questionnaire from which a composite score of the inhibitory control and attentional focusing subscales served to index executive functioning. For both CWS and CWNS, greater decrease of RSA during both video viewing and speaking was associated with more stuttering. During speaking, CWS with lower executive functioning exhibited a negative association between RSA change and stuttering; conversely, CWNS with higher executive functioning exhibited a negative association between RSA change and stuttering. Findings suggest that decreased RSA during video viewing and speaking is associated with increased stuttering and young CWS differ from CWNS in terms of how their executive functions moderate the relation between RSA change and stuttered disfluencies.

  14. Estimating time-varying RSA to examine psychophysiological linkage of marital dyads.

    PubMed

    Gates, Kathleen M; Gatzke-Kopp, Lisa M; Sandsten, Maria; Blandon, Alysia Y

    2015-08-01

    One of the primary tenets of polyvagal theory dictates that parasympathetic influence on heart rate, often estimated by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), shifts rapidly in response to changing environmental demands. The current standard analytic approach of aggregating RSA estimates across time to arrive at one value fails to capture this dynamic property within individuals. By utilizing recent methodological developments that enable precise RSA estimates at smaller time intervals, we demonstrate the utility of computing time-varying RSA for assessing psychophysiological linkage (or synchrony) in husband-wife dyads using time-locked data collected in a naturalistic setting. © 2015 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  15. Simple Backdoors on RSA Modulus by Using RSA Vulnerability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Hung-Min; Wu, Mu-En; Yang, Cheng-Ta

    This investigation proposes two methods for embedding backdoors in the RSA modulus N=pq rather than in the public exponent e. This strategy not only permits manufacturers to embed backdoors in an RSA system, but also allows users to choose any desired public exponent, such as e=216+1, to ensure efficient encryption. This work utilizes lattice attack and exhaustive attack to embed backdoors in two proposed methods, called RSASBLT and RSASBES, respectively. Both approaches involve straightforward steps, making their running time roughly the same as that of normal RSA key-generation time, implying that no one can detect the backdoor by observing time imparity.

  16. 76 FR 55656 - Notice of Submission for OMB Review

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-08

    ... Administration (RSA) approval a program improvement plan (PIP) using the on-line form located on the RSA...(c), RSA reviews an agency's progress toward achieving the goals established in the PIP. For this...

  17. The Effects of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia on Anger Reactivity and Persistence in Major Depression

    PubMed Central

    Ellis, Alissa J.; Shumake, Jason; Beevers, Christopher G.

    2016-01-01

    The experience of anger during a depressive episode has recently been identified as a poor prognostic indicator of illness course. Given the clinical implications of anger in major depressive disorder (MDD), understanding the mechanisms involved in anger reactivity and persistence is critical for improved intervention. Biological processes involved in emotion regulation during stress, such as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), may play a role in maintaining negative moods. Clinically depressed (MDD) (n=49) and non-depressed (non-MDD) (n=50) individuals were challenged with a stressful computer task shown to increase anger, while RSA (high frequency range 0.15–0.4 Hz) was collected. RSA predicted future anger, but was unrelated to current anger. That is, across participants, low baseline RSA predicted anger reactivity during the task, and in depressed individuals, those with low RSA during the task had a greater likelihood of anger persistence during a recovery period. These results suggest that low RSA may be a psychophysiological process involved in anger regulation in depression. Low RSA may contribute to sustained illness course by diminishing the repair of angry moods. PMID:27401801

  18. Genome-scale characterization of RNA tertiary structures and their functional impact by RNA solvent accessibility prediction.

    PubMed

    Yang, Yuedong; Li, Xiaomei; Zhao, Huiying; Zhan, Jian; Wang, Jihua; Zhou, Yaoqi

    2017-01-01

    As most RNA structures are elusive to structure determination, obtaining solvent accessible surface areas (ASAs) of nucleotides in an RNA structure is an important first step to characterize potential functional sites and core structural regions. Here, we developed RNAsnap, the first machine-learning method trained on protein-bound RNA structures for solvent accessibility prediction. Built on sequence profiles from multiple sequence alignment (RNAsnap-prof), the method provided robust prediction in fivefold cross-validation and an independent test (Pearson correlation coefficients, r, between predicted and actual ASA values are 0.66 and 0.63, respectively). Application of the method to 6178 mRNAs revealed its positive correlation to mRNA accessibility by dimethyl sulphate (DMS) experimentally measured in vivo (r = 0.37) but not in vitro (r = 0.07), despite the lack of training on mRNAs and the fact that DMS accessibility is only an approximation to solvent accessibility. We further found strong association across coding and noncoding regions between predicted solvent accessibility of the mutation site of a single nucleotide variant (SNV) and the frequency of that variant in the population for 2.2 million SNVs obtained in the 1000 Genomes Project. Moreover, mapping solvent accessibility of RNAs to the human genome indicated that introns, 5' cap of 5' and 3' cap of 3' untranslated regions, are more solvent accessible, consistent with their respective functional roles. These results support conformational selections as the mechanism for the formation of RNA-protein complexes and highlight the utility of genome-scale characterization of RNA tertiary structures by RNAsnap. The server and its stand-alone downloadable version are available at http://sparks-lab.org. © 2016 Yang et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press for the RNA Society.

  19. 76 FR 38645 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-01

    ... (RSA) approval a Program Improvement Plan (PIP) using the on-line form located on the RSA management... strategies for the achievement of the goals. In accordance with regulations at 34 CFR 361.89 (c), RSA reviews...

  20. Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia, Shyness, and Effortful Control in Preschool-Age Children

    PubMed Central

    Sulik, Michael J.; Eisenberg, Nancy; Silva, Kassondra M.; Spinrad, Tracy L.; Kupfer, Anne

    2015-01-01

    Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and shyness were examined as predictors of effortful control (EC) in a sample of 101 preschool-age children. Resting RSA was calculated from respiration and heart rate data collected during a neutral film; shyness was measured using parents’, preschool teachers’, and classroom observers’ reports; and EC was measured using four laboratory tasks in addition to questionnaire measures. Principal components analysis was used to create composite measures of EC and shyness. The relation between RSA and EC was moderated by shyness, such that RSA was positively related to EC only for children high in shyness. This interaction suggests that emotional reactivity affects the degree to which RSA can be considered a correlate of EC. This study also draws attention to the need to consider the measurement context when assessing resting psychophysiology measures; shy individuals may not exhibit true baseline RSA responding in an unfamiliar laboratory setting. PMID:23127725

  1. Solvent Flux Method (SFM): A Case Study of Water Access to Candida antarctica Lipase B.

    PubMed

    Benson, Sven P; Pleiss, Jürgen

    2014-11-11

    The solvent flux method (SFM) was developed to comprehensively characterize the influx of solvent molecules from the solvent environment into the active site of a protein in the framework of molecular dynamics simulations. This was achieved by introducing a solvent concentration gradient as well as partially reorienting and rescaling the velocity vector of all solvent molecules contained within a spherical volume enclosing the protein, thus inducing an accelerated solvent influx toward the active site. In addition to the detection of solvent access pathway within the protein structure, it is hereby possible to identify potential amino acid positions relevant to solvent-related enzyme engineering with high statistical significance. The method is particularly aimed at improving the reverse hydrolysis reaction rates in nonaqueous media. Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) binds to a triglyceride-water interface with its substrate entrance channel oriented toward the hydrophobic substrate interface. The lipase-triglyceride-water system served as a model system for SFM to evaluate the influx of water molecules to the active site. As a proof of principle for SFM, a previously known water access pathway in CALB was identified as the primary water channel. In addition, a secondary water channel and two pathways for water access which contribute to water leakage between the protein and the triglyceride-water interface were identified.

  2. Evolution of Determinant Factors of Repeated Sprint Ability.

    PubMed

    Pareja-Blanco, Fernando; Suarez-Arrones, Luis; Rodríguez-Rosell, David; López-Segovia, Manuel; Jiménez-Reyes, Pedro; Bachero-Mena, Beatriz; González-Badillo, Juan José

    2016-12-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in the relationships between repeated sprint ability (RSA) and anthropometric measures as well as fitness qualities in soccer players. Twenty-one professional soccer players performed several anthropometric and physical tests including countermovement vertical jumps (CMJs), a straight-line 30 m sprint (T30), an RSA test (6 x 20 + 20 m with 20 s recovery), a progressive isoinertial loading test in a full squat, a Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level-1 (YYIRT-1) and a 20 m shuttle run test (20mSRT). The mean (RSAmean), the fastest (RSAbest), each single sprint time, and the percentage in a sprint decrease (%Dec) in the RSA test were calculated. RSAbest correlated significantly with RSAmean (r = .82) and with all single sprints (p < 0.05), showing a downward trend as the number of sprints performed increased. No significant relationship was observed between the %Dec and RSA performance. CMJs and the T30 also showed a correlation with RSA performance, whereas lower limb strength did not show any relationship with RSA performance. RSAmean showed significant (p < 0.05) relationships with body mass (r = .44), adiposity (r = .59) and the YYIRT-1 (r = -.62), increasing as the number of repeated sprints increased. The 20mSRT showed minimal relationships with RSA performance. In conclusion, maximal sprint capacity seems to be relevant for the RSA performance, mainly in the first sprints. However, high intermittent endurance capacity and low adiposity might help enhance the RSA performance when increasing the number of repeated sprints.

  3. Evolution of Determinant Factors of Repeated Sprint Ability

    PubMed Central

    Suarez-Arrones, Luis; Rodríguez-Rosell, David; López-Segovia, Manuel; Jiménez-Reyes, Pedro; Bachero-Mena, Beatriz; González-Badillo, Juan José

    2016-01-01

    Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in the relationships between repeated sprint ability (RSA) and anthropometric measures as well as fitness qualities in soccer players. Twenty-one professional soccer players performed several anthropometric and physical tests including countermovement vertical jumps (CMJs), a straight-line 30 m sprint (T30), an RSA test (6 x 20 + 20 m with 20 s recovery), a progressive isoinertial loading test in a full squat, a Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level-1 (YYIRT-1) and a 20 m shuttle run test (20mSRT). The mean (RSAmean), the fastest (RSAbest), each single sprint time, and the percentage in a sprint decrease (%Dec) in the RSA test were calculated. RSAbest correlated significantly with RSAmean (r = .82) and with all single sprints (p < 0.05), showing a downward trend as the number of sprints performed increased. No significant relationship was observed between the %Dec and RSA performance. CMJs and the T30 also showed a correlation with RSA performance, whereas lower limb strength did not show any relationship with RSA performance. RSAmean showed significant (p < 0.05) relationships with body mass (r = .44), adiposity (r = .59) and the YYIRT-1 (r = -.62), increasing as the number of repeated sprints increased. The 20mSRT showed minimal relationships with RSA performance. In conclusion, maximal sprint capacity seems to be relevant for the RSA performance, mainly in the first sprints. However, high intermittent endurance capacity and low adiposity might help enhance the RSA performance when increasing the number of repeated sprints. PMID:28031763

  4. Continuing professional development for medical, nursing, and midwifery cadres in Malawi, Tanzania and South Africa: A qualitative evaluation

    PubMed Central

    Pintye, Jillian; Jacob, Sheena; Chung, Michael H.; Middleton, Lyn; Iliffe, Jill; Kim, H. Nina

    2017-01-01

    Background As innovations in the prevention and treatment of HIV and TB advance, continuing professional development (CPD) of health care workers (HCWs) remains a high priority, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where dual TB/HIV epidemics are compounded by severe HCW shortages. There is further need to examine CPD programs to identify challenges and effective solutions to strengthen HIV/TB-related CPD. Methods Qualitative evaluations in Malawi, Tanzania and South Africa (RSA) were conducted using key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) in each country to identify barriers and enablers of effective HIV/TB-related CPD. Key stakeholders represented CPD implementers, regulators, and developers. HCWs were purposively sampled from high disease burden districts; each HCW completed brief, semi-structured questionnaires and participated in a FGD. KII and FGD results were combined into key themes spanning across countries using a grounded theory approach. Results Fifty-two KIIs were conducted: 17 in Malawi, 19 in Tanzania and 16 in RSA. Eighty-nine HCWs (24 from Malawi, 38 from Tanzania and 27 from RSA) completed questionnaires and participated in FGDs. Primarily, lack of sustainable financial resources and limitations in coordination of CPD result in poor accountability for CPD oversight and reduce CPD quality assurance. Healthcare worker shortages limit CPD opportunities, creating disparities in CPD access. CPD irrelevance and imbalance between HCW-identified CPD needs and current programs reduce enthusiasm for CPD. Facility-level constraints, including poor infrastructure and weak supply chains, restrict implementation of CPD skills and knowledge. Challenges are more severe in rural settings. Conclusion To address identified gaps, sustainable funding, strong leadership and collaboration at every level are needed to strengthen CPD regulation and accreditation systems; increase CPD accessibility in the workplace; and create enabling environments for CPD implementation. Together, these improvements may improve TB/HIV CPD quality and patient outcomes. PMID:29040303

  5. Continuing professional development for medical, nursing, and midwifery cadres in Malawi, Tanzania and South Africa: A qualitative evaluation.

    PubMed

    Feldacker, Caryl; Pintye, Jillian; Jacob, Sheena; Chung, Michael H; Middleton, Lyn; Iliffe, Jill; Kim, H Nina

    2017-01-01

    As innovations in the prevention and treatment of HIV and TB advance, continuing professional development (CPD) of health care workers (HCWs) remains a high priority, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where dual TB/HIV epidemics are compounded by severe HCW shortages. There is further need to examine CPD programs to identify challenges and effective solutions to strengthen HIV/TB-related CPD. Qualitative evaluations in Malawi, Tanzania and South Africa (RSA) were conducted using key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) in each country to identify barriers and enablers of effective HIV/TB-related CPD. Key stakeholders represented CPD implementers, regulators, and developers. HCWs were purposively sampled from high disease burden districts; each HCW completed brief, semi-structured questionnaires and participated in a FGD. KII and FGD results were combined into key themes spanning across countries using a grounded theory approach. Fifty-two KIIs were conducted: 17 in Malawi, 19 in Tanzania and 16 in RSA. Eighty-nine HCWs (24 from Malawi, 38 from Tanzania and 27 from RSA) completed questionnaires and participated in FGDs. Primarily, lack of sustainable financial resources and limitations in coordination of CPD result in poor accountability for CPD oversight and reduce CPD quality assurance. Healthcare worker shortages limit CPD opportunities, creating disparities in CPD access. CPD irrelevance and imbalance between HCW-identified CPD needs and current programs reduce enthusiasm for CPD. Facility-level constraints, including poor infrastructure and weak supply chains, restrict implementation of CPD skills and knowledge. Challenges are more severe in rural settings. To address identified gaps, sustainable funding, strong leadership and collaboration at every level are needed to strengthen CPD regulation and accreditation systems; increase CPD accessibility in the workplace; and create enabling environments for CPD implementation. Together, these improvements may improve TB/HIV CPD quality and patient outcomes.

  6. Evaluation of transcobalamin II rs1801198 and transcobalamin II receptor rs2336573 gene polymorphisms in recurrent spontaneous abortion.

    PubMed

    Hashemi, Mohammad; Mokhtari, Mojgan; Yazdani-Shahrbabaki, Vajiheh; Danesh, Hiva; Bizhani, Fatemeh; Taheri, Mohsen

    2018-03-14

    It has been proposed that transcobalamin 2 (TCN2) and the transcobalamin 2 receptor (TCN2R) are associated with idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of TCN2 rs1801198 and TCN2R rs2336573 polymorphism on RSA in a sample of Iranian population. This case-control study was done on 92 RSA patients and 93 normal, fertile women. Genotyping of the TCN2 rs1801198 and TCN2R rs2336573 variants was done by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The findings showed no significant association between the TCN2 rs1801198 and TCN2R rs2336573 polymorphisms and the risk/protection of RSA. Our results did not support an association between the TCN2 polymorphism and the risk of RSA in a sample of southeast Iranian population. Larger studies with different ethnicities are needed to evaluate the possible impact of TCN2 and TCN2R polymorphisms on the pathogenesis of RSA. Impact statement What is already known on this subject? Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), a multifactorial condition, is one of the most common complications of pregnancy. It has been proposed that genetic polymorphisms play a role in the pathogenesis of RSA. Few studies have examined the association between TNC2 and TCN2R polymorphisms and the RSA risk and the findings were inconsistent. The aim of the current study was to determine the possible association between the TCN2 rs1801198 and TCN2R rs2336573 polymorphisms and the RSA in a sample of the southeast Iranian population. What do the results of the study add? The findings of the present case-control study did not support an association between the TCN2 rs1801198 and TCN2R rs2336573 polymorphisms and the risk of RSA in a sample of the Iranian population. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and future research? The findings of this study may provide a basis for future studies with larger sample sizes and different ethnicities on the role of TCN2 and TCN2R polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of RSA.

  7. Atypical patterns of respiratory sinus arrhythmia index an endophenotype for depression

    PubMed Central

    Yaroslavsky, Ilya; Rottenberg, Jonathan; Kovacs, Maria

    2015-01-01

    Can atypical patterns of parasympathetic nervous system activity serve as endophenotypes for depression? Using respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as an index of parasympathetic nervous system function, we examined this question in two studies: one involving mothers with and without depression histories and their offspring (at high and low risk for depression, respectively), and a further study of adolescent sibling pairs concordant and discordant for major depression. In both studies, subjects were exposed to sad mood induction; subjects’ RSA was monitored during rest periods and in response to the mood induction. We used Gottesman and Gould’s (2003) criteria for an endophenotype and a priori defined “atypical” and “normative” RSA patterns (combinations of resting RSA and RSA reactivity). We found that atypical RSA patterns (a) predicted current depressive episodes and remission status among women with histories of juvenile onset depression and healthy controls, (b) predicted longitudinal trajectories of depressive symptoms among high- and low-risk young offspring, (c) were concordant across mothers and their juvenile offspring, (d) were more prevalent among never-depressed youth at high risk for depression than their low-risk peers, and (e) were more concordant across adolescent sibling pairs in which both versus only one had a history of major depression. Thus, the results support atypical RSA patterns as an endophenotype for depression. Possible mechanisms by which RSA patterns increase depression risk and their genetic contributors are discussed. PMID:25422965

  8. Dynamic Polymorphic Reconfiguration to Effectively Cloak a Circuit’s Function

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-03-24

    86 B . RSA Traces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 2.1...56 22 SEMA of Separate Square and Multiply Trace with key (E B5) - RSA Version B ...56 23 Separate Square and Multiply Trace after signal processing - RSA Version B

  9. A sparse autoencoder-based deep neural network for protein solvent accessibility and contact number prediction.

    PubMed

    Deng, Lei; Fan, Chao; Zeng, Zhiwen

    2017-12-28

    Direct prediction of the three-dimensional (3D) structures of proteins from one-dimensional (1D) sequences is a challenging problem. Significant structural characteristics such as solvent accessibility and contact number are essential for deriving restrains in modeling protein folding and protein 3D structure. Thus, accurately predicting these features is a critical step for 3D protein structure building. In this study, we present DeepSacon, a computational method that can effectively predict protein solvent accessibility and contact number by using a deep neural network, which is built based on stacked autoencoder and a dropout method. The results demonstrate that our proposed DeepSacon achieves a significant improvement in the prediction quality compared with the state-of-the-art methods. We obtain 0.70 three-state accuracy for solvent accessibility, 0.33 15-state accuracy and 0.74 Pearson Correlation Coefficient (PCC) for the contact number on the 5729 monomeric soluble globular protein dataset. We also evaluate the performance on the CASP11 benchmark dataset, DeepSacon achieves 0.68 three-state accuracy and 0.69 PCC for solvent accessibility and contact number, respectively. We have shown that DeepSacon can reliably predict solvent accessibility and contact number with stacked sparse autoencoder and a dropout approach.

  10. RSA-Based Password-Authenticated Key Exchange, Revisited

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shin, Seonghan; Kobara, Kazukuni; Imai, Hideki

    The RSA-based Password-Authenticated Key Exchange (PAKE) protocols have been proposed to realize both mutual authentication and generation of secure session keys where a client is sharing his/her password only with a server and the latter should generate its RSA public/private key pair (e, n), (d, n) every time due to the lack of PKI (Public-Key Infrastructures). One of the ways to avoid a special kind of off-line (so called e-residue) attacks in the RSA-based PAKE protocols is to deploy a challenge/response method by which a client verifies the relative primality of e and φ(n) interactively with a server. However, this kind of RSA-based PAKE protocols did not give any proof of the underlying challenge/response method and therefore could not specify the exact complexity of their protocols since there exists another security parameter, needed in the challenge/response method. In this paper, we first present an RSA-based PAKE (RSA-PAKE) protocol that can deploy two different challenge/response methods (denoted by Challenge/Response Method1 and Challenge/Response Method2). The main contributions of this work include: (1) Based on the number theory, we prove that the Challenge/Response Method1 and the Challenge/Response Method2 are secure against e-residue attacks for any odd prime e (2) With the security parameter for the on-line attacks, we show that the RSA-PAKE protocol is provably secure in the random oracle model where all of the off-line attacks are not more efficient than on-line dictionary attacks; and (3) By considering the Hamming weight of e and its complexity in the. RSA-PAKE protocol, we search for primes to be recommended for a practical use. We also compare the RSA-PAKE protocol with the previous ones mainly in terms of computation and communication complexities.

  11. Changes in circulating IGF1 receptor stimulating activity do not parallel changes in total IGF1 during GH treatment of GH-deficient adults.

    PubMed

    Varewijck, Aimee J; Lamberts, Steven W J; van der Lely, A J; Neggers, Sebastian J C M M; Hofland, Leo J; Janssen, Joseph A M J L

    2015-08-01

    Previously we demonstrated that IGF1 receptor stimulating activity (IGF1RSA) offers advantages in diagnostic evaluation of adult GH deficiency (GHD). It is unknown whether IGF1RSA can be used to monitor GH therapy. To investigate the value of circulating IGF1RSA for monitoring GH therapy. 106 patients (54 m; 52 f) diagnosed with GHD were included; 22 were GH-naïve, 84 were already on GH treatment and discontinued therapy 4 weeks before baseline values were established. IGF1RSA was determined by the IGF1R kinase receptor activating assay, total IGF1 by immunoassay (Immulite). GH doses were titrated to achieve total IGF1 levels within the normal range. After 12 months, total IGF1 and IGF1RSA increased significantly (total IGF1 from 8.1 (95% CI 7.3-8.9) to 14.9 (95% CI 13.5-16.4) nmol/l and IGF1RSA from 115 (95% CI 104-127) to 181 (95% CI 162-202) pmol/l). After 12 months, total IGF1 normalized in 81% of patients, IGF1RSA in 51% and remained below normal in more than 40% of patients in whom total IGF1 had normalized. During 12 months of GH treatment, changes in IGF1RSA did not parallel changes in total IGF1. Despite normalization of total IGF1, IGF1RSA remained subnormal in a considerable proportion of patients. At present our results have no short-term consequences for GH therapy of GHD patients. However, based on our findings we propose future studies to examine whether titrating GH dose against IGF1RSA results in a better clinical outcome than titrating against total IGF1. © 2015 European Society of Endocrinology.

  12. The effects of respiratory sinus arrhythmia on anger reactivity and persistence in major depression.

    PubMed

    Ellis, Alissa J; Shumake, Jason; Beevers, Christopher G

    2016-10-01

    The experience of anger during a depressive episode has recently been identified as a poor prognostic indicator of illness course. Given the clinical implications of anger in major depressive disorder (MDD), understanding the mechanisms involved in anger reactivity and persistence is critical for improved intervention. Biological processes involved in emotion regulation during stress, such as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), may play a role in maintaining negative moods. Clinically depressed (MDD; n = 49) and nondepressed (non-MDD; n = 50) individuals were challenged with a stressful computer task shown to increase anger, while RSA (high frequency range 0.15-0.4 Hz) was collected. RSA predicted future anger, but was unrelated to current anger. That is, across participants, low baseline RSA predicted anger reactivity during the task, and in depressed individuals, those with low RSA during the task had a greater likelihood of anger persistence during a recovery period. These results suggest that low RSA may be a psychophysiological process involved in anger regulation in depression. Low RSA may contribute to sustained illness course by diminishing the repair of angry moods. © 2016 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  13. Short-Exponent RSA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Hung-Min; Yang, Cheng-Ta; Wu, Mu-En

    In some applications, a short private exponent d is chosen to improve the decryption or signing process for RSA public key cryptosystem. However, in a typical RSA, if the private exponent d is selected first, the public exponent e should be of the same order of magnitude as φ(N). Sun et al. devised three RSA variants using unbalanced prime factors p and q to lower the computational cost. Unfortunately, Durfee & Nguyen broke the illustrated instances of the first and third variants by solving small roots to trivariate modular polynomial equations. They also indicated that the instances with unbalanced primes p and q are more insecure than the instances with balanced p and q. This investigation focuses on designing a new RSA variant with balanced p and q, and short exponents d and e, to improve the security of an RSA variant against the Durfee & Nguyen's attack, and the other existing attacks. Furthermore, the proposed variant (Scheme A) is also extended to another RSA variant (Scheme B) in which p and q are balanced, and a trade-off between the lengths of d and e is enable. In addition, we provide the security analysis and feasibility analysis of the proposed schemes.

  14. Young adults' internet addiction: Prediction by the interaction of parental marital conflict and respiratory sinus arrhythmia.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hui; Spinrad, Tracy L; Eisenberg, Nancy; Luo, Yun; Wang, Zhenhong

    2017-10-01

    The aim of the current study was to address the potential moderating roles of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA; baseline and suppression) and participant sex in the relation between parents' marital conflict and young adults' internet addiction. Participants included 105 (65 men) Chinese young adults who reported on their internet addiction and their parents' marital conflict. Marital conflict interacted with RSA suppression to predict internet addiction. Specifically, high RSA suppression was associated with low internet addiction, regardless of parental marital conflict; however, for participants with low RSA suppression, a positive relation between marital conflict and internet addiction was found. Internet addiction also was predicted by a significant three-way interaction among baseline RSA, marital conflict, and participant sex. Specifically, for men, marital conflict positively predicted internet addiction under conditions of low (but not high) baseline RSA. For women, marital conflict positively predicted internet addiction under conditions of high (but not low) baseline RSA. Findings highlight the importance of simultaneous consideration of physiological factors, in conjunction with family factors, in the prediction of young adults' internet addiction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity to a sad film predicts depression symptom improvement and symptomatic trajectory

    PubMed Central

    Panaite, Vanessa; Hindash, Alexandra Cowden; Bylsma, Lauren M.; Small, Brent J.; Salomon, Kristen; Rottenberg, Jonathan

    2015-01-01

    Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity, an index of cardiac vagal tone, has been linked to self-regulation and the severity and course of depression (Rottenberg, 2007). Although initial data supports the proposition that RSA withdrawal during a sad film is a specific predictor of depression course (Fraguas, 2007; Rottenberg, 2005), the robustness and specificity of this finding are unclear. To provide a stronger test, RSA reactivity to three emotion films (happy, sad, fear) and to a more robust stressor, a speech task, were examined in currently depressed individuals (n = 37), who were assessed for their degree of symptomatic improvement over 30 weeks. Robust RSA reactivity to the sad film uniquely predicted overall symptom improvement over 30 weeks. RSA reactivity to both sad and stressful stimuli predicted the speed and maintenance of symptomatic improvement. The current analyses provide the most robust support to date that RSA withdrawal to sad stimuli (but not stressful) has specificity in predicting the overall symptomatic improvement. In contrast, RSA reactivity to negative stimuli (both sad and stressful) predicted the trajectory of depression course. Patients’ engagement with sad stimuli may be an important sign to attend to in therapeutic settings. PMID:26681648

  16. The effect of decreasing computed tomography dosage on radiostereometric analysis (RSA) accuracy at the glenohumeral joint.

    PubMed

    Fox, Anne-Marie V; Kedgley, Angela E; Lalone, Emily A; Johnson, James A; Athwal, George S; Jenkyn, Thomas R

    2011-11-10

    Standard, beaded radiostereometric analysis (RSA) and markerless RSA often use computed tomography (CT) scans to create three-dimensional (3D) bone models. However, ethical concerns exist due to risks associated with CT radiation exposure. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of decreasing CT dosage on RSA accuracy. Four cadaveric shoulder specimens were scanned using a normal-dose CT protocol and two low-dose protocols, where the dosage was decreased by 89% and 98%. 3D computer models of the humerus and scapula were created using each CT protocol. Bi-planar fluoroscopy was used to image five different static glenohumeral positions and two dynamic glenohumeral movements, of which a total of five static and four dynamic poses were selected for analysis. For standard RSA, negligible differences were found in bead (0.21±0.31mm) and bony landmark (2.31±1.90mm) locations when the CT dosage was decreased by 98% (p-values>0.167). For markerless RSA kinematic results, excellent agreement was found between the normal-dose and lowest-dose protocol, with all Spearman rank correlation coefficients greater than 0.95. Average root mean squared errors of 1.04±0.68mm and 2.42±0.81° were also found at this reduced dosage for static positions. In summary, CT dosage can be markedly reduced when performing shoulder RSA to minimize the risks of radiation exposure. Standard RSA accuracy was negligibly affected by the 98% CT dose reduction and for markerless RSA, the benefits of decreasing CT dosage to the subject outweigh the introduced errors. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Concordance and Discordance of Self-Rated and Researcher-Measured Successful Aging: Subtypes and Associated Factors.

    PubMed

    Gu, Danan; Feng, Qiushi; Sautter, Jessica M; Yang, Fang; Ma, Lei; Zhen, Zhihong

    2017-03-01

    To investigate subtypes of successful aging (SA) based on concordance and discordance between self-rated and researcher-defined measures and their associations with demographic, psychosocial, and life satisfaction factors. We used multinomial logistic regression models to analyze 2013 cross-sectional survey data from 1,962 persons aged 65 and older in Shanghai that measured self-rated successful aging (SSA) with a single global assessment and researcher-defined successful aging (RSA) with a cumulative deficit index reflecting physical, physiological, cognitive, psychological, and social engagement domains. We generated four subtypes based on these two dichotomous variables: nonsuccessful aging (non-SA; meeting neither the criterion of RSA nor the criterion of SSA), RSA-only (meeting the criterion of RSA-only but not the criterion of SSA), SSA-only (meeting the criterion of SSA-only but not the criterion of RSA), and both-successful aging (both-SA; meeting both criteria of RSA and SSA). In the sample, 32% were nonsuccessful agers, 7% RSA-only, 34% SSA-only, and 27% successful agers. Female gender and older age were associated with lower likelihood of RSA-only and both-SA relative to non-SA, but with greater likelihood of SSA-only. Good socioeconomic conditions and social networks were associated with greater likelihood of SSA-only and both-SA relative to non-SA or RSA-only. Satisfaction with life domains was robustly and positively associated with good successful aging outcomes. Researcher-defined successful aging and self-rated successful aging are different measures with distinct social correlates. Subtypes of concordance and discordance provide a more holistic biopsychosocial conceptualization of successful aging. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. Effects of assisted and variable mechanical ventilation on cardiorespiratory interactions in anesthetized pigs.

    PubMed

    Beda, Alessandro; Güldner, Andreas; Simpson, David M; Carvalho, Nadja C; Franke, Susanne; Uhlig, Christopher; Koch, Thea; Pelosi, Paolo; de Abreu, Marcelo Gama

    2012-03-01

    The physiological importance of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and cardioventilatory coupling (CVC) has not yet been fully elucidated, but these phenomena might contribute to improve ventilation/perfusion matching, with beneficial effects on gas exchange. Furthermore, decreased RSA amplitude has been suggested as an indicator of impaired autonomic control and poor clinical outcome, also during positive-pressure mechanical ventilation (MV). However, it is currently unknown how different modes of MV, including variable tidal volumes (V(T)), affect RSA and CVC during anesthesia. We compared the effects of pressure controlled (PCV) versus pressure assisted (PSV) ventilation, and of random variable versus constant V(T), on RSA and CVC in eight anesthetized pigs. At comparable depth of anesthesia, global hemodynamics, and ventilation, RSA amplitude increased from 20 ms in PCV to 50 ms in PSV (p < 0.05). CVC was detected (using proportional Shannon entropy of the interval between each inspiration onset and the previous R-peak in ECG) in two animals in PCV and seven animals in PSV. Variable V(T) did not significantly influence these phenomena. Furthermore, heart period and systolic arterial pressure oscillations were in phase during PCV but in counter-phase during PSV. At the same depth of anesthesia in pigs, PSV increases RSA amplitude and CVC compared to PCV. Our data suggest that the central respiratory drive, but not the baroreflex or the mechano-electric feedback in the heart, is the main mechanism behind the RSA increase. Hence, differences in RSA and CVC between mechanically ventilated patients might reflect the difference in ventilation mode rather than autonomic impairment. Also, since gas exchange did not increase from PCV to PSV, it is questionable whether RSA has any significance in improving ventilation/perfusion matching during MV.

  19. Tn-seq of Caulobacter crescentus under uranium stress reveals genes essential for detoxification and stress tolerance

    DOE PAGES

    Yung, Mimi C.; Park, Dan M.; Overton, K. Wesley; ...

    2015-07-20

    Ubiquitous aquatic bacterium Caulobacter crescentus is highly resistant to uranium (U) and facilitates U biomineralization and thus holds promise as an agent of U bioremediation. In order to gain an understanding of how C. crescentus tolerates U, we employed transposon (Tn) mutagenesis paired with deep sequencing (Tn-seq) in a global screen for genomic elements required for U resistance. Of the 3,879 annotated genes in the C. crescentus genome, 37 were found to be specifically associated with fitness under U stress, 15 of which were subsequently tested through mutational analysis. Systematic deletion analysis revealed that mutants lacking outer membrane transporters (rsaFamore » and rsaFb), a stress-responsive transcription factor (cztR), or a ppGpp synthetase/hydrolase (spoT) exhibited a significantly lower survival rate under U stress. RsaFa and RsaFb, which are homologues of TolC in Escherichia coli, have previously been shown to mediate S-layer export. Transcriptional analysis revealed upregulation of rsaF a and rsaF b by 4- and 10-fold, respectively, in the presence of U. We additionally show that rsaFa mutants accumulated higher levels of U than the wild type, with no significant increase in oxidative stress levels. These results suggest a function for RsaF a and RsaF b in U efflux and/or maintenance of membrane integrity during U stress. In addition, we present data implicating CztR and SpoT in resistance to U stress. Together, our findings reveal novel gene targets that are key to understanding the molecular mechanisms of U resistance in C. crescentus.« less

  20. RSA and registries: the quest for phased introduction of new implants.

    PubMed

    Nelissen, Rob G H H; Pijls, Bart G; Kärrholm, Johan; Malchau, Henrik; Nieuwenhuijse, Marc J; Valstar, Edward R

    2011-12-21

    Although the overall survival of knee and hip prostheses at ten years averages 90%, recent problems with several hip and knee prostheses have illustrated that the orthopaedic community, industry, and regulators can still further improve patient safety. Given the early predictive properties of roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA) and the meticulous follow-up of national joint registries, these two methods are ideal tools for such a phased clinical introduction. In this paper, we elaborate on the predictive power of RSA within a two-year follow-up after arthroplasty and its relationship to national joint registries. The association between RSA prosthesis-migration data and registry data is evaluated. The five-year rate of revision of RSA-tested total knee replacements was compared with that of non-RSA-tested total knee replacements. Data were extracted from the published results of the national joint registries of Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand. There was a 22% to 35% reduction in the number of revisions of RSA-tested total knee replacements as compared with non-RSA-tested total knee replacements in the national joint registries. Assuming that the total cost of total knee arthroplasty is $37,000 in the United States, a 22% to 35% reduction in the number of revisions (currently close to 55,000 annually) could lead to an estimated annual savings of over $400 million to the health-care system. The phased clinical introduction of new prostheses with two-year RSA results as a qualitative tool could lead to better patient care and could reduce the costs associated with revision total knee arthroplasty. Follow-up in registries is necessary to substantiate these results and to improve post-market surveillance.

  1. Monte Carlo simulation of evaporation-driven self-assembly in suspensions of colloidal rods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lebovka, Nikolai I.; Vygornitskii, Nikolai V.; Gigiberiya, Volodymyr A.; Tarasevich, Yuri Yu.

    2016-12-01

    The vertical drying of a colloidal film containing rodlike particles was studied by means of kinetic Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. The problem was approached using a two-dimensional square lattice, and the rods were represented as linear k -mers (i.e., particles occupying k adjacent sites). The initial state before drying was produced using a model of random sequential adsorption (RSA) with isotropic orientations of the k -mers (orientation of the k -mers along horizontal x and vertical y directions are equiprobable). In the RSA model, overlapping of the k -mers is forbidden. During the evaporation, an upper interface falls with a linear velocity of u in the vertical direction and the k -mers undergo translation Brownian motion. The MC simulations were run at different initial concentrations, pi, (pi∈[0 ,pj] , where pj is the jamming concentration), lengths of k -mers (k ∈[1 ,12 ] ), and solvent evaporation rates, u . For completely dried films, the spatial distributions of k -mers and their electrical conductivities in both x and y directions were examined. Significant evaporation-driven self-assembly and orientation stratification of the k -mers oriented along the x and y directions were observed. The extent of stratification increased with increasing value of k . The anisotropy of the electrical conductivity of the film can be finely regulated by changes in the values of pi, k , and u .

  2. VLSI implementation of RSA encryption system using ancient Indian Vedic mathematics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thapliyal, Himanshu; Srinivas, M. B.

    2005-06-01

    This paper proposes the hardware implementation of RSA encryption/decryption algorithm using the algorithms of Ancient Indian Vedic Mathematics that have been modified to improve performance. The recently proposed hierarchical overlay multiplier architecture is used in the RSA circuitry for multiplication operation. The most significant aspect of the paper is the development of a division architecture based on Straight Division algorithm of Ancient Indian Vedic Mathematics and embedding it in RSA encryption/decryption circuitry for improved efficiency. The coding is done in Verilog HDL and the FPGA synthesis is done using Xilinx Spartan library. The results show that RSA circuitry implemented using Vedic division and multiplication is efficient in terms of area/speed compared to its implementation using conventional multiplication and division architectures.

  3. Residue solvent accessibilities in the unfolded polypeptide chain.

    PubMed Central

    Zielenkiewicz, P; Saenger, W

    1992-01-01

    The difference of solvent accessibilities in the native and unfolded states of the protein is used as a measure of the hydrophobic contribution to the free energy of folding. We present a new approximation of amino acids solvent accessibilities in the unfolded state based on the 1-ns molecular dynamics simulation of Ala-X-Ala tripeptides at a temperature of 368 K. The standard accessibility values averaged from the molecular dynamics study are significantly lower from those previously obtained by considering only selected conformations of Ala-X-Ala tripeptides. PMID:1489908

  4. Early adversity, RSA, and inhibitory control: evidence of children's neurobiological sensitivity to social context.

    PubMed

    Skowron, Elizabeth A; Cipriano-Essel, Elizabeth; Gatzke-Kopp, Lisa M; Teti, Douglas M; Ammerman, Robert T

    2014-07-01

    This study examined parasympathetic physiology as a moderator of the effects of early adversity (i.e., child abuse and neglect) on children's inhibitory control. Children's respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was assessed during a resting baseline, two joint challenge tasks with mother, and an individual frustration task. RSA assessed during each of the joint parent-child challenge tasks moderated the effects of child maltreatment (CM) status on children's independently-assessed inhibitory control. No moderation effect was found for RSA assessed at baseline or in the child-alone challenge task. Among CM-exposed children, lower RSA levels during the joint task predicted the lowest inhibitory control, whereas higher joint task RSA was linked to higher inhibitory control scores that were indistinguishable from those of non-CM children. Results are discussed with regard to the importance of considering context specificity (i.e., individual and caregiver contexts) in how biomarkers inform our understanding of individual differences in vulnerability among at-risk children. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Early Adversity, RSA, and Inhibitory Control: Evidence of Children’s Neurobiological Sensitivity to Social Context

    PubMed Central

    Skowron, Elizabeth A.; Cipriano-Essel, Elizabeth; Gatzke-Kopp, Lisa M.; Teti, Douglas M.; Ammerman, Robert T.

    2014-01-01

    This study examined parasympathetic physiology as a moderator of the effects of early adversity (i.e., child abuse and neglect) on children’s inhibitory control. Children’s respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was assessed during a resting baseline, two joint challenge tasks with mother, and an individual frustration task. RSA assessed during each of the joint parent–child challenge tasks moderated the effects of child maltreatment (CM) status on children’s independently-assessed inhibitory control. No moderation effect was found for RSA assessed at baseline or in the child-alone challenge task. Among CM-exposed children, lower RSA levels during the joint task predicted the lowest inhibitory control, whereas higher joint task RSA was linked to higher inhibitory control scores that were indistinguishable from those of non-CM children. Results are discussed with regard to the importance of considering context specificity (i.e., individual and caregiver contexts) in how biomarkers inform our understanding of individual differences in vulnerability among at-risk children. PMID:24142832

  6. Compression-RSA technique: A more efficient encryption-decryption procedure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mandangan, Arif; Mei, Loh Chai; Hung, Chang Ee; Che Hussin, Che Haziqah

    2014-06-01

    The efficiency of encryption-decryption procedures has become a major problem in asymmetric cryptography. Compression-RSA technique is developed to overcome the efficiency problem by compressing the numbers of kplaintext, where k∈Z+ and k > 2, becoming only 2 plaintext. That means, no matter how large the numbers of plaintext, they will be compressed to only 2 plaintext. The encryption-decryption procedures are expected to be more efficient since these procedures only receive 2 inputs to be processed instead of kinputs. However, it is observed that as the numbers of original plaintext are increasing, the size of the new plaintext becomes bigger. As a consequence, it will probably affect the efficiency of encryption-decryption procedures, especially for RSA cryptosystem since both of its encryption-decryption procedures involve exponential operations. In this paper, we evaluated the relationship between the numbers of original plaintext and the size of the new plaintext. In addition, we conducted several experiments to show that the RSA cryptosystem with embedded Compression-RSA technique is more efficient than the ordinary RSA cryptosystem.

  7. Density dependence explains tree species abundance and diversity in tropical forests.

    PubMed

    Volkov, Igor; Banavar, Jayanth R; He, Fangliang; Hubbell, Stephen P; Maritan, Amos

    2005-12-01

    The recurrent patterns in the commonness and rarity of species in ecological communities--the relative species abundance--have puzzled ecologists for more than half a century. Here we show that the framework of the current neutral theory in ecology can easily be generalized to incorporate symmetric density dependence. We can calculate precisely the strength of the rare-species advantage that is needed to explain a given RSA distribution. Previously, we demonstrated that a mechanism of dispersal limitation also fits RSA data well. Here we compare fits of the dispersal and density-dependence mechanisms for empirical RSA data on tree species in six New and Old World tropical forests and show that both mechanisms offer sufficient and independent explanations. We suggest that RSA data cannot by themselves be used to discriminate among these explanations of RSA patterns--empirical studies will be required to determine whether RSA patterns are due to one or the other mechanism, or to some combination of both.

  8. Digital imaging of root traits (DIRT): a high-throughput computing and collaboration platform for field-based root phenomics.

    PubMed

    Das, Abhiram; Schneider, Hannah; Burridge, James; Ascanio, Ana Karine Martinez; Wojciechowski, Tobias; Topp, Christopher N; Lynch, Jonathan P; Weitz, Joshua S; Bucksch, Alexander

    2015-01-01

    Plant root systems are key drivers of plant function and yield. They are also under-explored targets to meet global food and energy demands. Many new technologies have been developed to characterize crop root system architecture (CRSA). These technologies have the potential to accelerate the progress in understanding the genetic control and environmental response of CRSA. Putting this potential into practice requires new methods and algorithms to analyze CRSA in digital images. Most prior approaches have solely focused on the estimation of root traits from images, yet no integrated platform exists that allows easy and intuitive access to trait extraction and analysis methods from images combined with storage solutions linked to metadata. Automated high-throughput phenotyping methods are increasingly used in laboratory-based efforts to link plant genotype with phenotype, whereas similar field-based studies remain predominantly manual low-throughput. Here, we present an open-source phenomics platform "DIRT", as a means to integrate scalable supercomputing architectures into field experiments and analysis pipelines. DIRT is an online platform that enables researchers to store images of plant roots, measure dicot and monocot root traits under field conditions, and share data and results within collaborative teams and the broader community. The DIRT platform seamlessly connects end-users with large-scale compute "commons" enabling the estimation and analysis of root phenotypes from field experiments of unprecedented size. DIRT is an automated high-throughput computing and collaboration platform for field based crop root phenomics. The platform is accessible at http://www.dirt.iplantcollaborative.org/ and hosted on the iPlant cyber-infrastructure using high-throughput grid computing resources of the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC). DIRT is a high volume central depository and high-throughput RSA trait computation platform for plant scientists working on crop roots. It enables scientists to store, manage and share crop root images with metadata and compute RSA traits from thousands of images in parallel. It makes high-throughput RSA trait computation available to the community with just a few button clicks. As such it enables plant scientists to spend more time on science rather than on technology. All stored and computed data is easily accessible to the public and broader scientific community. We hope that easy data accessibility will attract new tool developers and spur creative data usage that may even be applied to other fields of science.

  9. Image-based RSA: Roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis based on 2D-3D image registration.

    PubMed

    de Bruin, P W; Kaptein, B L; Stoel, B C; Reiber, J H C; Rozing, P M; Valstar, E R

    2008-01-01

    Image-based Roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (IBRSA) integrates 2D-3D image registration and conventional RSA. Instead of radiopaque RSA bone markers, IBRSA uses 3D CT data, from which digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs) are generated. Using 2D-3D image registration, the 3D pose of the CT is iteratively adjusted such that the generated DRRs resemble the 2D RSA images as closely as possible, according to an image matching metric. Effectively, by registering all 2D follow-up moments to the same 3D CT, the CT volume functions as common ground. In two experiments, using RSA and using a micromanipulator as gold standard, IBRSA has been validated on cadaveric and sawbone scapula radiographs, and good matching results have been achieved. The accuracy was: |mu |< 0.083 mm for translations and |mu| < 0.023 degrees for rotations. The precision sigma in x-, y-, and z-direction was 0.090, 0.077, and 0.220 mm for translations and 0.155 degrees , 0.243 degrees , and 0.074 degrees for rotations. Our results show that the accuracy and precision of in vitro IBRSA, performed under ideal laboratory conditions, are lower than in vitro standard RSA but higher than in vivo standard RSA. Because IBRSA does not require radiopaque markers, it adds functionality to the RSA method by opening new directions and possibilities for research, such as dynamic analyses using fluoroscopy on subjects without markers and computer navigation applications.

  10. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia as a predictor of eating disorder symptoms in college students: Moderation by responses to stress and parent psychological control.

    PubMed

    Abaied, Jamie L; Wagner, Caitlin; Breslend, Nicole Lafko; Flynn, Megan

    2016-04-01

    This longitudinal study examined the prospective contribution of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a key physiological indicator of self-regulation, to eating disorder symptoms in college students, and whether this link was moderated by maladaptive responses to stress and parent psychological control. At Wave 1, college students' RSA was measured at rest. At Waves 1 and 2 (six-month follow-up), students reported on their eating disorder symptoms, coping and involuntary responses to stress, and perceptions of their parents' use of psychological control. Significant three-way interactions indicated that the link between RSA and subsequent eating disorder symptoms was contingent on responses to stress and parent psychological control. In the context of maladaptive responses to stress and high psychological control, RSA predicted increased eating disorder symptoms over time. In the absence of parent psychological control, high RSA was beneficial in most cases, even when individuals reported maladaptive responses to stress. This study presents novel evidence that high RSA contributes to risk for or resilience to eating disorder symptoms over time. RSA can be protective against eating disorder symptoms, but in some contexts, the self-regulation resources that high RSA provides may be inappropriately applied to eating cognitions and behaviors. This research highlights the importance of examining physiological functioning conjointly with other risk factors as precursors to eating disorder symptoms over time. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  11. The putative RNA helicase Dbp6p functionally interacts with Rpl3p, Nop8p and the novel trans-acting Factor Rsa3p during biogenesis of 60S ribosomal subunits in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed Central

    de la Cruz, Jesús; Lacombe, Thierry; Deloche, Olivier; Linder, Patrick; Kressler, Dieter

    2004-01-01

    Ribosome biogenesis requires at least 18 putative ATP-dependent RNA helicases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To explore the functional environment of one of these putative RNA helicases, Dbp6p, we have performed a synthetic lethal screen with dbp6 alleles. We have previously characterized the nonessential Rsa1p, whose null allele is synthetically lethal with dbp6 alleles. Here, we report on the characterization of the four remaining synthetic lethal mutants, which reveals that Dbp6p also functionally interacts with Rpl3p, Nop8p, and the so-far-uncharacterized Rsa3p (ribosome assembly 3). The nonessential Rsa3p is a predominantly nucleolar protein required for optimal biogenesis of 60S ribosomal subunits. Both Dbp6p and Rsa3p are associated with complexes that most likely correspond to early pre-60S ribosomal particles. Moreover, Rsa3p is co-immunoprecipitated with protA-tagged Dbp6p under low salt conditions. In addition, we have established a synthetic interaction network among factors involved in different aspects of 60S-ribosomal-subunit biogenesis. This extensive genetic analysis reveals that the rsa3 null mutant displays some specificity by being synthetically lethal with dbp6 alleles and by showing some synthetic enhancement with the nop8-101 and the rsa1 null allele. PMID:15126390

  12. Parent-child coregulation of parasympathetic processes varies by social context and risk for psychopathology.

    PubMed

    Lunkenheimer, Erika; Tiberio, Stacey S; Skoranski, Amanda M; Buss, Kristin A; Cole, Pamela M

    2018-02-01

    The parasympathetic nervous system supports social interaction and varies in relation to psychopathology. However, we know little about parasympathetic processes from a dyadic framework, nor in early childhood when parent-child social interactions become more complex and child psychopathology first emerges. We hypothesized that higher risk for psychopathology (maternal psychopathology symptoms and child problem behavior) would be related to weaker concordance of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) between mothers and children (M = 3½ years old; N = 47) and that these relations could vary by social contextual demands, comparing unstructured free play, semistructured cleanup, and structured teaching tasks. Multilevel coupled autoregressive models of RSA during parent-child interactions showed overall dynamic, positive concordance in mother-child RSA over time, but this concordance was weaker during the more structured teaching task. In contrast, higher maternal psychological aggression and child externalizing and internalizing problems were associated with weaker dyadic RSA concordance, which was weakest during unstructured free play. Higher maternal depressive symptoms were related to disrupted individual mother and child RSA but not to RSA concordance. Thus, risk for psychopathology was generally related to weaker dyadic mother-child RSA concordance in contexts with less complex structure or demands (free play, cleanup), as compared to the structured teaching task that showed weaker RSA concordance for all dyads. Implications for the meaning and utility of the construct of parent-child physiological coregulation are discussed. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  13. Harsh Parenting, Parasympathetic Activity, and Development of Delinquency and Substance Use

    PubMed Central

    Hinnant, J. Benjamin; Erath, Stephen; El-Sheikh, Mona

    2014-01-01

    Stress response systems are thought to play an important role in the development of psychopathology. Additionally, family stress may have a significant influence on the development of stress response systems. One potential avenue of change is through alterations to thresholds for the activation of stress responses: Decreased threshold for responding may mark increased stress sensitivity. Our first aim was to evaluate the interaction between thresholds for parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) responding, operationalized as resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and harsh parenting in the prediction of development of delinquency and adolescent substance use (resting RSA as a biomarker of risk). The second aim was to evaluate if resting RSA changes over time as a function of harsh parenting and stress reactivity indexed by RSA withdrawal (altered threshold for stress responding). Our third aim was to evaluate the moderating role of sex in these relations. We used longitudinal data from 251 children ages 8 to 16. Mother-reports of child delinquency and RSA were acquired at all ages. Adolescents self-reported substance use at age 16. Family stress was assessed with child-reported harsh parenting. Controlling for marital conflict and change over time in harsh parenting, lower resting RSA predicted increases in delinquency and increased likelihood of drug use in contexts of harsh parenting, especially for boys. Harsh parenting was associated with declining resting RSA for children who exhibited greater RSA withdrawal to stress. Findings support resting PNS activity as a moderator of developmental risk that can be altered over time. PMID:25688440

  14. A Practical Evaluation of a High-Security Energy-Efficient Gateway for IoT Fog Computing Applications

    PubMed Central

    Castedo, Luis

    2017-01-01

    Fog computing extends cloud computing to the edge of a network enabling new Internet of Things (IoT) applications and services, which may involve critical data that require privacy and security. In an IoT fog computing system, three elements can be distinguished: IoT nodes that collect data, the cloud, and interconnected IoT gateways that exchange messages with the IoT nodes and with the cloud. This article focuses on securing IoT gateways, which are assumed to be constrained in terms of computational resources, but that are able to offload some processing from the cloud and to reduce the latency in the responses to the IoT nodes. However, it is usually taken for granted that IoT gateways have direct access to the electrical grid, which is not always the case: in mission-critical applications like natural disaster relief or environmental monitoring, it is common to deploy IoT nodes and gateways in large areas where electricity comes from solar or wind energy that charge the batteries that power every device. In this article, how to secure IoT gateway communications while minimizing power consumption is analyzed. The throughput and power consumption of Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) are considered, since they are really popular, but have not been thoroughly analyzed when applied to IoT scenarios. Moreover, the most widespread Transport Layer Security (TLS) cipher suites use RSA as the main public key-exchange algorithm, but the key sizes needed are not practical for most IoT devices and cannot be scaled to high security levels. In contrast, ECC represents a much lighter and scalable alternative. Thus, RSA and ECC are compared for equivalent security levels, and power consumption and data throughput are measured using a testbed of IoT gateways. The measurements obtained indicate that, in the specific fog computing scenario proposed, ECC is clearly a much better alternative than RSA, obtaining energy consumption reductions of up to 50% and a data throughput that doubles RSA in most scenarios. These conclusions are then corroborated by a frame temporal analysis of Ethernet packets. In addition, current data compression algorithms are evaluated, concluding that, when dealing with the small payloads related to IoT applications, they do not pay off in terms of real data throughput and power consumption. PMID:28850104

  15. A Practical Evaluation of a High-Security Energy-Efficient Gateway for IoT Fog Computing Applications.

    PubMed

    Suárez-Albela, Manuel; Fernández-Caramés, Tiago M; Fraga-Lamas, Paula; Castedo, Luis

    2017-08-29

    Fog computing extends cloud computing to the edge of a network enabling new Internet of Things (IoT) applications and services, which may involve critical data that require privacy and security. In an IoT fog computing system, three elements can be distinguished: IoT nodes that collect data, the cloud, and interconnected IoT gateways that exchange messages with the IoT nodes and with the cloud. This article focuses on securing IoT gateways, which are assumed to be constrained in terms of computational resources, but that are able to offload some processing from the cloud and to reduce the latency in the responses to the IoT nodes. However, it is usually taken for granted that IoT gateways have direct access to the electrical grid, which is not always the case: in mission-critical applications like natural disaster relief or environmental monitoring, it is common to deploy IoT nodes and gateways in large areas where electricity comes from solar or wind energy that charge the batteries that power every device. In this article, how to secure IoT gateway communications while minimizing power consumption is analyzed. The throughput and power consumption of Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) are considered, since they are really popular, but have not been thoroughly analyzed when applied to IoT scenarios. Moreover, the most widespread Transport Layer Security (TLS) cipher suites use RSA as the main public key-exchange algorithm, but the key sizes needed are not practical for most IoT devices and cannot be scaled to high security levels. In contrast, ECC represents a much lighter and scalable alternative. Thus, RSA and ECC are compared for equivalent security levels, and power consumption and data throughput are measured using a testbed of IoT gateways. The measurements obtained indicate that, in the specific fog computing scenario proposed, ECC is clearly a much better alternative than RSA, obtaining energy consumption reductions of up to 50% and a data throughput that doubles RSA in most scenarios. These conclusions are then corroborated by a frame temporal analysis of Ethernet packets. In addition, current data compression algorithms are evaluated, concluding that, when dealing with the small payloads related to IoT applications, they do not pay off in terms of real data throughput and power consumption.

  16. RSA Monitoring Redesign Initiative Informational Booklet #1

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    US Department of Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    This informational booklet contains background materials regarding the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) initiative to redesign its monitoring system. The booklet is intended to expand the knowledge and understanding of those individuals selected to participate in the RSA-sponsored monitoring conference that was held August 24 and 25,…

  17. 76 FR 27033 - Notice of Submission for OMB Review

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-10

    ... Advocacy of Individual Rights. OMB Control Number: 1820-0627. Agency Form Number(s): Form RSA-509... Advocacy of Individual Rights Program Performance Report (Form RSA-509) will be used to analyze and... and human rights. Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) uses the form to meet specific data...

  18. Phosphate-Dependent Root System Architecture Responses to Salt Stress1[OPEN

    PubMed Central

    Sommerfeld, Hector Montero; ter Horst, Anneliek; Haring, Michel A.

    2016-01-01

    Nutrient availability and salinity of the soil affect the growth and development of plant roots. Here, we describe how inorganic phosphate (Pi) availability affects the root system architecture (RSA) of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and how Pi levels modulate responses of the root to salt stress. Pi starvation reduced main root length and increased the number of lateral roots of Arabidopsis Columbia-0 seedlings. In combination with salt, low Pi dampened the inhibiting effect of mild salt stress (75 mm) on all measured RSA components. At higher salt concentrations, the Pi deprivation response prevailed over the salt stress only for lateral root elongation. The Pi deprivation response of lateral roots appeared to be oppositely affected by abscisic acid signaling compared with the salt stress response. Natural variation in the response to the combination treatment of salt and Pi starvation within 330 Arabidopsis accessions could be grouped into four response patterns. When exposed to double stress, in general, lateral roots prioritized responses to salt, while the effect on main root traits was additive. Interestingly, these patterns were not identical for all accessions studied, and multiple strategies to integrate the signals from Pi deprivation and salinity were identified. By genome-wide association mapping, 12 genomic loci were identified as putative factors integrating responses to salt stress and Pi starvation. From our experiments, we conclude that Pi starvation interferes with salt responses mainly at the level of lateral roots and that large natural variation exists in the available genetic repertoire of accessions to handle the combination of stresses. PMID:27208277

  19. 77 FR 39224 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests; Office of Special Education and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-02

    ..., Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)-2 collects data on the vocational rehabilitation (VR) and supported... Rehabilitation Program/Cost Report (RSA-2) collects data on the vocational rehabilitation (VR) and supported... (Rehabilitation Act). The RSA-2 captures: administrative expenditures for the VR and SE programs; VR program...

  20. 76 FR 9330 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-17

    ... Number: 1820-0528. Agency Form Number(s): Form RSA-227. Frequency of Responses: Annually. Affected Public... Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 896. Abstract: Form RSA-227 is used to meet specific data.... In addition, Form RSA-227 will be used to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of individual Client...

  1. Brief Report: Social Skills, Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms, and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia in Autism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Neuhaus, Emily; Bernier, Raphael; Beauchaine, Theodore P.

    2014-01-01

    Theoretical and empirical models describe respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as a peripheral biomarker of emotion regulation and social competence. Recent findings also link RSA to individual differences in social functioning within autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, associations between RSA and symptoms of internalizing/externalizing…

  2. H1 in RSA galaxies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Richter, OTTO-G.

    1993-01-01

    The original Revised Shapley-Ames (RSA) galaxy sample of almost 1300 galaxies has been augmented with further bright galaxies from the RSA appendix as well as newer galaxy catalogs. A complete and homogeneous, strictly magnitude-limited all-sky sample of 2345 galaxies brighter than 13.4 in apparent blue magnitude was formed. New 21 cm H1 line observations for more than 600 RSA galaxies have been combined with all previously available H1 data from the literature. This new extentise data act allows detailed tests of widely accepted 'standard' reduction and analysis techniques.

  3. Nonrandom Acts of Kindness: Parasympathetic and Subjective Empathic Responses to Sadness Predict Children’s Prosociality

    PubMed Central

    Miller, Jonas G.; Nuselovici, Jacob N.; Hastings, Paul D.

    2016-01-01

    How does empathic physiology unfold as a dynamic process, and which aspect of empathy predicts children’s kindness? In response to empathy induction videos, 4–6 year-old children (N = 180) showed an average pattern of dynamic respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) change characterized by early RSA suppression followed by RSA recovery, and modest subsequent suppression during positive resolution of the empathic event. Children’s capacity for this pattern of flexible RSA change was associated with their subjective empathic feelings, which were concurrently associated with more sympathetic and prosocial responses to others. Conversely, only children’s dynamic RSA change longitudinally predicted prosocial behavior two years later. These findings have implications for understanding the dynamic and multifaceted nature of empathy, and its relation with prosocial development. PMID:28262932

  4. Food for thought: how nutrients regulate root system architecture.

    PubMed

    Shahzad, Zaigham; Amtmann, Anna

    2017-10-01

    The spatial arrangement of the plant root system (root system architecture, RSA) is very sensitive to edaphic and endogenous signals that report on the nutrient status of soil and plant. Signalling pathways underpinning RSA responses to individual nutrients, particularly nitrate and phosphate, have been unravelled. Researchers have now started to investigate interactive effects between two or more nutrients on RSA. Several proteins enabling crosstalk between signalling pathways have recently been identified. RSA is potentially an important trait for sustainable and/or marginal agriculture. It is generally assumed that RSA responses are adaptive and optimise nutrient uptake in a given environment, but hard evidence for this paradigm is still sparse. Here we summarize recent advances made in these areas of research. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  5. Compression-RSA: New approach of encryption and decryption method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hung, Chang Ee; Mandangan, Arif

    2013-04-01

    Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) cryptosystem is a well known asymmetric cryptosystem and it has been applied in a very wide area. Many researches with different approaches have been carried out in order to improve the security and performance of RSA cryptosystem. The enhancement of the performance of RSA cryptosystem is our main interest. In this paper, we propose a new method to increase the efficiency of RSA by shortening the number of plaintext before it goes under encryption process without affecting the original content of the plaintext. Concept of simple Continued Fraction and the new special relationship between it and Euclidean Algorithm have been applied on this newly proposed method. By reducing the number of plaintext-ciphertext, the encryption-decryption processes of a secret message can be accelerated.

  6. miR-520 promotes DNA-damage-induced trophoblast cell apoptosis by targeting PARP1 in recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA).

    PubMed

    Dong, Xiujuan; Yang, Long; Wang, Hui

    2017-04-01

    The establishment and maintenance of successful pregnancy mainly depends on trophoblast cells. Their dysfunction has been implicated in recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), a major complication of pregnancy. However, the underlying mechanisms of trophoblasts dysfunction remain unclear. DNA-damage-induced cell apoptosis has been reported to play a vital role in cell death. In this study, we identified a novel microRNA (miR-520) in RSA progression via regulating trophoblast cell apoptosis. Microarray analysis showed that miR-520 was highly expressed in villus of RSA patients. By using flow cytometry analysis, we observed miR-520 expression was correlated with human trophoblast cell apoptosis in vitro, along with decreased poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) expression. With the analysis of clinic samples, we observed that miR-520 level was negatively correlated with PARP1 level in RSA villus. In addition, overexpression of PARP1 restored the miR-520-induced trophoblast cell apoptosis in vitro. The status of chromosome in trophoblast implied that miR-520-promoted DNA-damage-induced cell apoptosis to regulate RSA progression. These results indicated that the level of miR-520 might associate with RSA by prompting trophoblast cell apoptosis via PARP1 dependent DNA-damage pathway.

  7. Association of the IL4R single-nucleotide polymorphism I50V with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA).

    PubMed

    Tavasolian, Fataneh; Abdollahi, Elham; Samadi, Morteza

    2014-07-01

    Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is defined as three or more consecutive abortions before the 20th week of gestation. There is increasing evidence to support an immunological mechanism for the occurrence of RSA. The purpose of our study was to examine whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the interleukin-4 receptor gene IL4R influence susceptibility to, recurrent spontaneous abortion. This is a case-control study. We recruited 200 patients with RSA (case group) using established diagnostic criteria and 200, normal individuals (control group) at the fertility and infertility center in Yazd city and Isfahan city during 2012 to 2013. We screened the I50V variant in IL-4R in patients and controls by PCR-RFLF method, and we performed an association analysis between I50V variant and RSA.the data was analyzed by spss 16 software using Chi-square test. No differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of the I50V SNPs were identified between patients with RSA and healthy controls. The frequency of SNP in IL-4 receptor (I50V) in patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion did not differ significantly compared with the control group. Analysis of IL4R SNP haplotypes or complex alleles suggested no dominant protection in patients with RSA.

  8. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity to a sad film predicts depression symptom improvement and symptomatic trajectory.

    PubMed

    Panaite, Vanessa; Hindash, Alexandra Cowden; Bylsma, Lauren M; Small, Brent J; Salomon, Kristen; Rottenberg, Jonathan

    2016-01-01

    Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity, an index of cardiac vagal tone, has been linked to self-regulation and the severity and course of depression (Rottenberg, 2007). Although initial data supports the proposition that RSA withdrawal during a sad film is a specific predictor of depression course (Fraguas, 2007; Rottenberg, 2005), the robustness and specificity of this finding are unclear. To provide a stronger test, RSA reactivity to three emotion films (happy, sad, fear) and to a more robust stressor, a speech task, were examined in currently depressed individuals (n=37), who were assessed for their degree of symptomatic improvement over 30weeks. Robust RSA reactivity to the sad film uniquely predicted overall symptom improvement over 30weeks. RSA reactivity to both sad and stressful stimuli predicted the speed and maintenance of symptomatic improvement. The current analyses provide the most robust support to date that RSA withdrawal to sad stimuli (but not stressful) has specificity in predicting the overall symptomatic improvement. In contrast, RSA reactivity to negative stimuli (both sad and stressful) predicted the trajectory of depression course. Patients' engagement with sad stimuli may be an important sign to attend to in therapeutic settings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. [Correlation of polymorphisms of adiponectin receptor 2 gene +33371Gln/Arg, cytochrome P4502E1 gene Rsa I and smoking with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Chaoxian; Guo, Like

    2014-10-01

    To investigate the correlation of the polymorphisms of adiponectin receptor 2 (AdipoR2) gene +33371Gln/;Arg and cytochromes P4502E1 gene Rsa I (CYP2E1-Rsa I) as well as smoking with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The polymorphisms of AdipoR2 gene +33371Gln/Arg and CYP2E1-Rsa I were analyzed with PCR technique in peripheral blood leukocytes from 750 NAFLD cases and 750 healthy subjects. The frequencies of AdipoR2 gene +33371Gln/Arg (A/A) and CYP2E1-Rsa I (c2/c2 ) were 39.20% and 71.73% in NAFLD cases, respectively, significantly higher than those in healthy subjects (21.07% and 43.07%, respectively, P<0.01). The risk of NAFLD increased significantly in subjects carrying +33371Gln/Arg (A/A) (OR=2.4156, 95% CI=1.8164-4.0725) and CYP2E1-Rsa I (c2/c2) (OR=3.3547, 95% CI=1.9182-4.5057). Combined analysis of the polymorphisms showed that the percentage of +33371Gln/Arg (A/A)/CYP2E1-Rsa I (c2/c2) was 32. 67% in NAFLD cases, significantly higher than that in the healthy subjects (6.40%, P<0.01), and subjects carrying both +33371Gln/Arg (A/A) and CYP2E1-Rsa I (c2/c2) had a high risk of NAFLD (OR=9.9264, 95% CI=4.2928-12.4241). The smoking rate was significantly higher in the case group than in the control group (OR=2.5919, 95% CI=1.4194-4. 9527, P<0.01), and statistical analysis suggested an interaction between smoking and +33371Gln/Arg (A/A)/CYP2E1-Rsa I (c2/c2) to increase the risk of NAFLD (OR=34.6764, 95% CI=18.9076-61.5825). +33371Gln/Arg (A/A), CYP2E1-Rsa I (c2/c2 ) and smoking are risk factors for NAFLD and coordinately contribute to the occurrence of NAFLD.

  10. High entomotoxicity and mechanism of the fungal GalNAc/Gal-specific Rhizoctonia solani lectin in pest insects.

    PubMed

    Hamshou, Mohamad; Van Damme, Els J M; Caccia, Silvia; Cappelle, Kaat; Vandenborre, Gianni; Ghesquière, Bart; Gevaert, Kris; Smagghe, Guy

    2013-03-01

    Whole insect assays where Rhizoctonia solani agglutinin (RSA) was fed to larval stages of the cotton leaf-worm Spodoptera littoralis and the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum demonstrated a high concentration-dependent entomotoxicity, suggesting that this GalNAc/Gal-specific fungal lectin might be a good control agent for different pest insects. RSA at 10 mg/g in the solid diet of 2nd-instar caterpillars caused 84% weight reduction after 8 days with none of the caterpillars reaching the 4th-instar stage. In sucking aphids, 50% mortality was achieved after 3 days with 9 μM of RSA in the liquid diet. Feeding of FITC-labeled RSA to both insect pest species revealed strong lectin binding at the apical/luminal side of the midgut epithelium with the brush border zone, suggesting the insect midgut as a primary insecticide target tissue for RSA. This was also confirmed with cell cultures in vitro, where there was high fluorescence binding at the microvillar zone with primary cultures of larval midgut columnar cells of S. littoralis, and also at the surface with the insect midgut CF-203 cell line without lectin uptake in the midgut cells. In vitro assays using insect midgut CF-203 cells, revealed that RSA was highly toxic with an EC50 of 0.3 μM. Preincubation with GalNAc and saponin indicated that this action of RSA was carbohydrate-binding dependent and happened at the surface of the cells. Intoxicated CF-203 cells showed symptoms of apoptosis as nuclear condensation and DNA fragmentation, and this concurred with an increase of caspase-3/7, -8 and -9 activities. Finally, RSA affinity chromatography of membrane extracts of CF-203 cells followed by LC-MS/MS allowed the identification of 5747 unique peptides, among which four putatively glycosylated membrane proteins that are associated with apoptosis induction, namely Fas-associated factor, Apoptosis-linked gene-2, Neuroglian and CG2076, as potential binding targets for RSA. These data are discussed in relation to the physiological effects of RSA. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Comparative Analysis of Root Traits and the Associated QTLs for Maize Seedlings Grown in Paper Roll, Hydroponics and Vermiculite Culture System.

    PubMed

    Liu, Zhigang; Gao, Kun; Shan, Shengchen; Gu, Riling; Wang, Zhangkui; Craft, Eric J; Mi, Guohua; Yuan, Lixing; Chen, Fanjun

    2017-01-01

    Root system architecture (RSA) plays an important role in the acquisition of both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from the environment. Currently RSA is rarely considered as criteria for selection to improve nutrient uptake efficiency in crop breeding. Under field conditions roots can be greatly influenced by uncontrolled environment factors. Therefore, it is necessary to develop fast selection methods for evaluating root traits of young seedlings in the lab which can then be related to high nutrient efficiency of adult plants in the field. Here, a maize recombination inbred line (RILs) population was used to compare the genetic relationship between RSA and nitrogen and phosphorous efficiency traits. The phenotypes of eight RSA-related traits were evaluated in young seedlings using three different growth systems (i.e., paper roll, hydroponics and vermiculite), and then subjected to correlation analysis with N efficiency and P efficiency related traits measured under field conditions. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) of RSA were determined and QTL co-localizations across different growth systems were further analyzed. Phenotypic associations were observed for most of RSA traits among all three culture systems. RSA-related traits in hydroponics and vermiculite weakly correlated with Nitrogen (NupE) uptake efficiency ( r = 0.17-0.31) and Phosphorus (PupE) uptake efficiency ( r = 0.22-0.34). This correlation was not found in the paper roll growth system. A total of 14 QTLs for RSA were identified in paper rolls, 18 in hydroponics, and 14 in vermiculite. Co-localization of QTLs for RSA traits were identified in six chromosome regions of bin 1.04/1.05, 1.06, 2.04/2.05, 3.04, 4.05, and 5.04/5.05. The results suggest the problem of using the phenotype from one growth system to predict those in another growth system. Assessing RSA traits at the seedling stage using either hydroponics or a vermiculite system appears better suited than the paper roll system as an important index to accelerate the selection of high N and P efficient genotypes for maize breeding programs.

  12. Comparative Analysis of Root Traits and the Associated QTLs for Maize Seedlings Grown in Paper Roll, Hydroponics and Vermiculite Culture System

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Zhigang; Gao, Kun; Shan, Shengchen; Gu, Riling; Wang, Zhangkui; Craft, Eric J.; Mi, Guohua; Yuan, Lixing; Chen, Fanjun

    2017-01-01

    Root system architecture (RSA) plays an important role in the acquisition of both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from the environment. Currently RSA is rarely considered as criteria for selection to improve nutrient uptake efficiency in crop breeding. Under field conditions roots can be greatly influenced by uncontrolled environment factors. Therefore, it is necessary to develop fast selection methods for evaluating root traits of young seedlings in the lab which can then be related to high nutrient efficiency of adult plants in the field. Here, a maize recombination inbred line (RILs) population was used to compare the genetic relationship between RSA and nitrogen and phosphorous efficiency traits. The phenotypes of eight RSA-related traits were evaluated in young seedlings using three different growth systems (i.e., paper roll, hydroponics and vermiculite), and then subjected to correlation analysis with N efficiency and P efficiency related traits measured under field conditions. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) of RSA were determined and QTL co-localizations across different growth systems were further analyzed. Phenotypic associations were observed for most of RSA traits among all three culture systems. RSA-related traits in hydroponics and vermiculite weakly correlated with Nitrogen (NupE) uptake efficiency (r = 0.17–0.31) and Phosphorus (PupE) uptake efficiency (r = 0.22–0.34). This correlation was not found in the paper roll growth system. A total of 14 QTLs for RSA were identified in paper rolls, 18 in hydroponics, and 14 in vermiculite. Co-localization of QTLs for RSA traits were identified in six chromosome regions of bin 1.04/1.05, 1.06, 2.04/2.05, 3.04, 4.05, and 5.04/5.05. The results suggest the problem of using the phenotype from one growth system to predict those in another growth system. Assessing RSA traits at the seedling stage using either hydroponics or a vermiculite system appears better suited than the paper roll system as an important index to accelerate the selection of high N and P efficient genotypes for maize breeding programs. PMID:28424719

  13. [Study on the relationship between ER Rsa I gene polymorphism and children's dental fluorosis].

    PubMed

    Ba, Yue; Li, Hai-Xia; Yin, Gong-Ju; Wu, Wei-Hua; Yu, Bo; Cheng, Xue-Min; Cui, Liu-Xin

    2009-09-01

    To explore the distribution of ER Rsa I genotype in children who lived in the areas with or without high fluoride, and evaluate the relationship between ER Rsa I gene polymorphism and children's dental fluorosis. Children aged 8 to 12 years, born and raised in high fluoride areas and control areas in two counties of Henan Province were recruited. The Rsa I marker of ER gene was genotyped in 237 children composed of both dental fluorosis cases and controls by PCR-RFLP procedure. Urine fluoride was detected with fluoride ion selective electrode method. The frequency distribution of ER Rsa I genotype was rr 60.81% (45/74), Rr 27.02% (20/74), RR 12.16% (9/74) in children with fluorosis; rr 73.91% (51/69), Rr 20.29% (14/69), RR 5.80% (4/69) in children without fluorosis from high fluoride areas, and rr 63.83% (60/94), Rr 34.04% (32/94), RR 2.13% (2/94) in the children without fluorosis from control areas respectively. There were no significant differences in the three groups (P>0.05), but children carrying allele R of ER Rsa I had a significantly increased risk of dental fluorosis (OR=1.821, 95% CI: 1.013-3.274) compared to children carrying the allele r in endemic fluorosis areas. Although no significant difference was found in ER Rsa I genotype between cases and non-dental fluorosis in endemic fluorosis areas, children carrying R allele of ER Rsa I had a higher risk compared to children carrying r allele, and the further study is needed.

  14. Accuracy and Precision of Three-Dimensional Low Dose CT Compared to Standard RSA in Acetabular Cups: An Experimental Study.

    PubMed

    Brodén, Cyrus; Olivecrona, Henrik; Maguire, Gerald Q; Noz, Marilyn E; Zeleznik, Michael P; Sköldenberg, Olof

    2016-01-01

    Background and Purpose. The gold standard for detection of implant wear and migration is currently radiostereometry (RSA). The purpose of this study is to compare a three-dimensional computed tomography technique (3D CT) to standard RSA as an alternative technique for measuring migration of acetabular cups in total hip arthroplasty. Materials and Methods. With tantalum beads, we marked one cemented and one uncemented cup and mounted these on a similarly marked pelvic model. A comparison was made between 3D CT and standard RSA for measuring migration. Twelve repeated stereoradiographs and CT scans with double examinations in each position and gradual migration of the implants were made. Precision and accuracy of the 3D CT were calculated. Results. The accuracy of the 3D CT ranged between 0.07 and 0.32 mm for translations and 0.21 and 0.82° for rotation. The precision ranged between 0.01 and 0.09 mm for translations and 0.06 and 0.29° for rotations, respectively. For standard RSA, the precision ranged between 0.04 and 0.09 mm for translations and 0.08 and 0.32° for rotations, respectively. There was no significant difference in precision between 3D CT and standard RSA. The effective radiation dose of the 3D CT method, comparable to RSA, was estimated to be 0.33 mSv. Interpretation. Low dose 3D CT is a comparable method to standard RSA in an experimental setting.

  15. Improving Managers' Psychophysical Well-Being: Effectiveness of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Biofeedback.

    PubMed

    Munafò, Marianna; Patron, Elisabetta; Palomba, Daniela

    2016-06-01

    High work stress has been consistently associated with disturbed autonomic balance, specifically, lowered vagal cardiac control and increased sympathetic activity, which may lead to increased cardiovascular risk. Stress management procedures have been proposed to reduce autonomic dysfunctions related to work stress in different categories of workers exposed to heightened work demands, while a limited number of studies addressed this issue in managers. The present study was aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of a respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) biofeedback (BF) intervention on psychological and physiological outcomes, in managers with high-level work responsibilities. Thirty-one managers leading outstanding private or public companies were randomly assigned to either a RSA-BF training (RSA-BF; N = 16) or a control group (N = 15). The RSA-BF training consisted of five weekly 45 min sessions, designed to increase RSA, whereas controls had to provide a daily stress diary once a week. After the training, managers in both groups reported reduced heart rate at rest, lower anxiety levels and improvement in health-related quality of life. More importantly, managers in the RSA-BF group showed increased vagal control (as indexed by increased RSA), decreased sympathetic arousal (as indexed by reduced skin conductance and systolic blood pressure) and lower emotional interferences, compared to managers in the control group. Results from this study showed that RSA-BF training was effective in improving cardiac autonomic balance at rest. Moreover, findings from this study underline the effectiveness of biofeedback in reducing psychophysiological negative outcomes associated with stress in managers.

  16. 78 FR 34962 - American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program; Proposed Waivers and Extensions of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-11

    ... Vocational Rehabilitation Services (AIVRS) Program in the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA): eight... funds under this program. Further, if the proposed waivers and extensions are made final, RSA would not... that RSA has the authority to make an AIVRS grant effective for more than 60 months, pursuant to...

  17. 78 FR 14230 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fisheries...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-05

    ... mortality cap allocation for 2013. Final Research Set-Aside (RSA) allocations for a given year are typically not available until final specifications, and the exclusion of the final RSA allocation results in... to account for allocated butterfish RSA. The proposed rule included the 13-percent reduction to the...

  18. Marital Conflict and Children's Externalizing Behavior: Interactions between Parasympathetic and Sympathetic Nervous System Activity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    El-Sheikh, Mona; Kouros, Chrystyna D.; Erath, Stephen; Cummings, E. Mark; Keller, Peggy; Staton, Lori

    2009-01-01

    Toward greater specificity in the prediction of externalizing problems in the context of interparental conflict, interactions between children's parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system (PNS and SNS) activity were examined as moderators. PNS activity was indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and RSA reactivity (RSA-R) to lab…

  19. Public-key encryption with chaos.

    PubMed

    Kocarev, Ljupco; Sterjev, Marjan; Fekete, Attila; Vattay, Gabor

    2004-12-01

    We propose public-key encryption algorithms based on chaotic maps, which are generalization of well-known and commercially used algorithms: Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA), ElGamal, and Rabin. For the case of generalized RSA algorithm we discuss in detail its software implementation and properties. We show that our algorithm is as secure as RSA algorithm.

  20. Public-key encryption with chaos

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kocarev, Ljupco; Sterjev, Marjan; Fekete, Attila; Vattay, Gabor

    2004-12-01

    We propose public-key encryption algorithms based on chaotic maps, which are generalization of well-known and commercially used algorithms: Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA), ElGamal, and Rabin. For the case of generalized RSA algorithm we discuss in detail its software implementation and properties. We show that our algorithm is as secure as RSA algorithm.

  1. 50 CFR 648.207 - Herring Research Set-Aside (RSA).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Herring Research Set-Aside (RSA). 648.207... Measures for the Atlantic Herring Fishery § 648.207 Herring Research Set-Aside (RSA). (a) NMFS shall... established by NMFS, to solicit proposals from industry for the upcoming 3 fishing years, based on research...

  2. Enhanced rearrangement technique for secure data transmission: case study credit card process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vyavahare, Tushar; Tekade, Darshana; Nayak, Saurabh; kumar, N. Suresh; Blessy Trencia Lincy, S. S.

    2017-11-01

    Encryption of data is very important in order to keep the data secure and make secure transactions and transmission of data. Such as online shopping. whenever we give our card details there is possibility of data being hacked or intruded. So to secure that we need to encrypt the data and decryption strategy should be known only to that particular bank. Therefore to achieve this objective RSA algorithm can be used. Where only intended sender and receiver can know about the encryption and decryption of data. To make the RSA technique more secure in this paper we propose the technique we call it Modified RSA. for which a transposition module is designed which uses Row Transposition method to encrypt the data. Before giving the card details to RSA the input will be given to this transposition module which will scrambles the data and rearranges it. Output of transposition will be then provided to the modified RSA which produces the cipher text to send over the network. Use of RSA and the transposition module will provide the dual security to whole system.

  3. Child sex and respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity as moderators of the relation between internalizing symptoms and aggression.

    PubMed

    Aults, Christopher D; Cooper, Patrick J; Pauletti, Rachel E; Jones, Nancy Aaron; Perry, David G

    2015-12-01

    Previous studies have examined sex differences in physiological responding, including respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity in response to changing stimulus conditions involving situation specific or gender related cues, in children and adolescents. The present study examined whether RSA reactivity moderates the relation between aggression and internalizing symptoms and whether there are sex differences in this effect. Participants were 82 adolescents (M age = 12.1 years; 44 girls) from the general middle-school population. Peer nominations assessed aggression and internalizing symptoms, and RSA reactivity (defined as change in RSA from baseline to task) was recorded while participants anticipated and responded to an 85 dB signaled white-noise burst. For girls, internalizing symptoms were associated with aggression only if girls showed low RSA reactivity from baseline to task; there was no effect for boys. This association was absent when girls showed high RSA reactivity. Thus, child sex appears to influence not only levels of physiological responding but also relations of physiological responding to comorbidity of adjustment problems.

  4. The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase c.c.677 C>T and c.c.1298 A>C polymorphisms in reproductive failures: Experience from an RSA and RIF study on a Polish population.

    PubMed

    Nowak, Izabela; Bylińska, Aleksandra; Wilczyńska, Karolina; Wiśniewski, Andrzej; Malinowski, Andrzej; Wilczyński, Jacek R; Radwan, Paweł; Radwan, Michał; Barcz, Ewa; Płoski, Rafał; Motak-Pochrzęst, Hanna; Banasik, Małgorzata; Sobczyński, Maciej; Kuśnierczyk, Piotr

    2017-01-01

    Almost 1600 individuals from the Polish population were recruited to this study. Among them 319 were fertile couples, 289 were recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) couples, and 131 were in the group of recurrent implantation failure (RIF) following in vitro fertilization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the MTHFR c.c.677 C>T and c.c.1298 A>C polymorphisms' association with RSA and RIF. We used PCR-RFLP with HinfI (677 C>T) and MboII (1298 A>C) digestion. We observed a protective effect of the female AC genotype (OR = 0.64, p = 0.01) and the C allele (AC+CC genotypes; OR = 0.65, p = 0.009) against RSA. Moreover, 1298 AA/677 CT women were more frequent in RSA (31.14%) and RIF (25.20%) groups in comparison to fertile women (22.88%), although this difference was significant only in the case of RSA (p = 0.022, OR = 1.52). Male combined genotype analysis revealed no association with reproductive failure of their partners. Nevertheless, the female/male combination AA/AC of the 1298 polymorphism was more frequent in RSA couples (p = 0.049, OR = 1.49). However, the significant results became insignificant after Bonferroni correction. In addition, analysis of haplotypes showed significantly higher frequency of the C/C haplotype (1298 C/677 C) in the female control group than in the female RSA group (p = 0.03, OR = 0.77). Moreover, the association between elevated homocysteine (Hcy) level in plasma of RSA and RIF women and MTHFR polymorphisms was investigated but did not reveal significant differences. In conclusion, for clinical practice, it is better to check the homocysteine level in plasma and, if the Hcy level is increased, to recommend patients to take folic acid supplements rather than undergo screening of MTHFR for 1298 A>C and 677 C>T polymorphisms.

  5. Psychometric properties of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) and its relationship with life-stress, anxiety and depression in a Hispanic Latin-American community sample.

    PubMed

    Morote, Roxanna; Hjemdal, Odin; Martinez Uribe, Patricia; Corveleyn, Jozef

    2017-01-01

    Resilience is a multi-dimensional construct associated with health and well-being. At present, we do not yet have a valid, scientific instrument that is designed to evaluate adult resilience in Spanish-speaking countries and that accounts for family, social and individual components. This study aimed at investigating the construct and cross-cultural validity of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) by combining Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) and Hierarchical Regression models in a Hispanic Latin-American group. A community sample of 805 adults answered the RSA, Spanish Language Stressful Life-Events checklist (SL-SLE), and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25). First-order CFA verified the six factors structure for the RSA (RMSEA = .037, SRMR = .047, CFI = .91, TLI = .90). Five RSA scales and total score have good internal consistency (scales α > .70; total score α = .90). Two second-order CFA verified the intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions of the protector factors of resilience, as well as their commonality and uniqueness with affective symptoms (anxiety and depression). An exploratory MDS reproduced the relations of RSA items and factors at first and second-order levels against random simulated data, thereby providing initial evidence of its cross-cultural validity in a Spanish-speaking group. The Four-steps hierarchical model showed that the RSA scales are the strongest predictors of anxiety and depression-greater than gender, age, education and stressful life-events. Three RSA scales are significant unique predictors of affective symptoms. In addition, similar to findings in diverse cultural settings, resilience is positively associated with age but not with education. Women report higher scores of Social Resources and Social Competence and lower scores of Perception of the Self. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the construct and criterion-related validity of the RSA in broad, diverse and Spanish speaking sample.

  6. Psychometric properties of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) and its relationship with life-stress, anxiety and depression in a Hispanic Latin-American community sample

    PubMed Central

    Martinez Uribe, Patricia; Corveleyn, Jozef

    2017-01-01

    Resilience is a multi-dimensional construct associated with health and well-being. At present, we do not yet have a valid, scientific instrument that is designed to evaluate adult resilience in Spanish-speaking countries and that accounts for family, social and individual components. This study aimed at investigating the construct and cross-cultural validity of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) by combining Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) and Hierarchical Regression models in a Hispanic Latin-American group. A community sample of 805 adults answered the RSA, Spanish Language Stressful Life-Events checklist (SL-SLE), and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25). First-order CFA verified the six factors structure for the RSA (RMSEA = .037, SRMR = .047, CFI = .91, TLI = .90). Five RSA scales and total score have good internal consistency (scales α > .70; total score α = .90). Two second-order CFA verified the intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions of the protector factors of resilience, as well as their commonality and uniqueness with affective symptoms (anxiety and depression). An exploratory MDS reproduced the relations of RSA items and factors at first and second-order levels against random simulated data, thereby providing initial evidence of its cross-cultural validity in a Spanish-speaking group. The Four-steps hierarchical model showed that the RSA scales are the strongest predictors of anxiety and depression–greater than gender, age, education and stressful life-events. Three RSA scales are significant unique predictors of affective symptoms. In addition, similar to findings in diverse cultural settings, resilience is positively associated with age but not with education. Women report higher scores of Social Resources and Social Competence and lower scores of Perception of the Self. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the construct and criterion-related validity of the RSA in broad, diverse and Spanish speaking sample. PMID:29125876

  7. A genetic relationship between nitrogen use efficiency and seedling root traits in maize as revealed by QTL analysis.

    PubMed

    Li, Pengcheng; Chen, Fanjun; Cai, Hongguang; Liu, Jianchao; Pan, Qingchun; Liu, Zhigang; Gu, Riliang; Mi, Guohua; Zhang, Fusuo; Yuan, Lixing

    2015-06-01

    That root system architecture (RSA) has an essential role in nitrogen acquisition is expected in maize, but the genetic relationship between RSA and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) traits remains to be elucidated. Here, the genetic basis of RSA and NUE traits was investigated in maize using a recombination inbred line population that was derived from two lines contrasted for both traits. Under high-nitrogen and low-nitrogen conditions, 10 NUE- and 9 RSA-related traits were evaluated in four field environments and three hydroponic experiments, respectively. In contrast to nitrogen utilization efficiency (NutE), nitrogen uptake efficiency (NupE) had significant phenotypic correlations with RSA, particularly the traits of seminal roots (r = 0.15-0.31) and crown roots (r = 0.15-0.18). A total of 331 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were detected, including 184 and 147 QTLs for NUE- and RSA-related traits, respectively. These QTLs were assigned into 64 distinct QTL clusters, and ~70% of QTLs for nitrogen-efficiency (NUE, NupE, and NutE) coincided in clusters with those for RSA. Five important QTLs clusters at the chromosomal regions bin1.04, 2.04, 3.04, 3.05/3.06, and 6.07/6.08 were found in which QTLs for both traits had favourable effects from alleles coming from the large-rooted and high-NupE parent. Introgression of these QTL clusters in the advanced backcross-derived lines conferred mean increases in grain yield of ~14.8% for the line per se and ~15.9% in the testcross. These results reveal a significant genetic relationship between RSA and NUE traits, and uncover the most promising genomic regions for marker-assisted selection of RSA to improve NUE in maize. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

  8. The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase c.c.677 C>T and c.c.1298 A>C polymorphisms in reproductive failures: Experience from an RSA and RIF study on a Polish population

    PubMed Central

    Bylińska, Aleksandra; Wilczyńska, Karolina; Wiśniewski, Andrzej; Malinowski, Andrzej; Wilczyński, Jacek R.; Radwan, Paweł; Radwan, Michał; Barcz, Ewa; Płoski, Rafał; Motak-Pochrzęst, Hanna; Banasik, Małgorzata; Sobczyński, Maciej; Kuśnierczyk, Piotr

    2017-01-01

    Almost 1600 individuals from the Polish population were recruited to this study. Among them 319 were fertile couples, 289 were recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) couples, and 131 were in the group of recurrent implantation failure (RIF) following in vitro fertilization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the MTHFR c.c.677 C>T and c.c.1298 A>C polymorphisms’ association with RSA and RIF. We used PCR-RFLP with HinfI (677 C>T) and MboII (1298 A>C) digestion. We observed a protective effect of the female AC genotype (OR = 0.64, p = 0.01) and the C allele (AC+CC genotypes; OR = 0.65, p = 0.009) against RSA. Moreover, 1298 AA/677 CT women were more frequent in RSA (31.14%) and RIF (25.20%) groups in comparison to fertile women (22.88%), although this difference was significant only in the case of RSA (p = 0.022, OR = 1.52). Male combined genotype analysis revealed no association with reproductive failure of their partners. Nevertheless, the female/male combination AA/AC of the 1298 polymorphism was more frequent in RSA couples (p = 0.049, OR = 1.49). However, the significant results became insignificant after Bonferroni correction. In addition, analysis of haplotypes showed significantly higher frequency of the C/C haplotype (1298 C/677 C) in the female control group than in the female RSA group (p = 0.03, OR = 0.77). Moreover, the association between elevated homocysteine (Hcy) level in plasma of RSA and RIF women and MTHFR polymorphisms was investigated but did not reveal significant differences. In conclusion, for clinical practice, it is better to check the homocysteine level in plasma and, if the Hcy level is increased, to recommend patients to take folic acid supplements rather than undergo screening of MTHFR for 1298 A>C and 677 C>T polymorphisms. PMID:29073227

  9. Inconsistency in the Crown-to-Root Ratios of Single-Rooted Premolars Measured by 2D and 3D Examinations.

    PubMed

    Hong, Hsiang-Hsi; Liu, Heng-Liang; Hong, Adrienne; Chao, Pu

    2017-11-28

    Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) was applied to elucidate the relationship between the three-dimensional (3D) root surface area (RSA) and two-dimensional (2D) crown-to-root ratio (CRR) of extracted teeth to classify the periodontitis and assign a periodontal/prosthetic prognosis. A total of 31 maxillary and 35 mandibular single-rooted human premolars were examined. The amount of periodontal support on the basis of 3D RSA and 2D root length (RL) at CRRs of 1:1, 5:4, 3:2, and 2:1 were analyzed. Both maxillary and mandibular premolars demonstrated a nonsignificant RSA percentage at the evaluated CRRs. The coronal 21%-22% 2D RL and the 26%-28% 3D RSA bone loss apical to the cemento-enamel junction corresponded to a CRR of 1:1, relating to mild-moderate periodontitis. The coronal 30%-31% 2D RL and the 41%-42% 3D RSA bone loss corresponded to a CRR of 5:4, correlating to severe periodontitis. More severe clinical attachment loss (CAL) was observed in the 3D RSA measurement than in the 2D RL measurement at the evaluated CRRs. The amount of CAL at the CRR of 1:1 was inadequate to assess the severity of periodontitis on the basis of the 2D RL and 3D RSA measurements.

  10. Marital conflict, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and allostatic load: Interrelations and associations with the development of children’s externalizing behavior

    PubMed Central

    El-Sheikh, Mona; Hinnant, J. Benjamin

    2011-01-01

    Allostatic load theory hypothesizes that stress and the body’s responses to stressors contribute to longer term physiological changes in multiple systems over time (allostasis), and that shifts in how these systems function have implications for adjustment and health. We investigated these hypotheses with longitudinal data from two independent samples (n = 413; 219 girls, 194 boys) with repeated measures at ages 8, 9, 10, and 11. Initial parental marital conflict and its change over time indexed children’s exposure to an important familial stressor, which was examined in interaction with children’s respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity to laboratory tasks (stress response) to predict children’s basal levels of RSA over time. We also investigated children’s sex as an additional possible moderator. Our second research question focused on examining whether initial levels and changes in resting RSA over time predicted children’s externalizing behavior. Boys with a strong RSA suppression response to a frustrating laboratory task who experienced higher initial marital conflict or increasing marital conflict over time showed decreases in their resting RSA over time. In addition, boys’ initial resting RSA (but not changes in resting RSA over time) was negatively related to change over time in externalizing symptoms. Findings for girls were more mixed. Results are discussed in the context of developmental psychobiology, allostatic load, and implications for the development of psychopathology. PMID:21756434

  11. Up-regulated expression of Tim-3/Gal-9 at maternal-fetal interface in pregnant woman with recurrent spontaneous abortion.

    PubMed

    Li, Jing; Li, Fan-fan; Zuo, Wei; Zhou, Yuan; Hao, Hai-yan; Dang, Jing; Jiang, Min; He, Meng-zhou; Deng, Dong-rui

    2014-08-01

    The relationship between T cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain protein 3 (Tim-3)/Galectin (Gal)-9 pathway and recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) was studied. Thirty-one pregnant women with RSA and 27 normal early gravidas were investigated to detect the levels of Tim-3 and Gal-9 in villi and deciduas by Western blotting. Meanwhile, the concentration of interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-12 in peripheral blood plasma was determined by ELISA in 25 healthy fertile non-pregnant controls, the normal early gravidas and pregnant women with RSA mentioned above, respectively. It was found that the relative expression levels of Tim-3 and Gal-9 in villi and deciduas were significantly increased in pregnant women with RSA as compared with those in the normal early gravidas. The concentration of IL-4 in peripheral blood plasma of pregnant women with RSA was lower than that of the normal early gravidas (P<0.05) and healthy fertile non-pregnant controls (P<0.05), but that of IL-2 in pregnant women with RSA was significantly higher than that of the normal early gravidas (P<0.05) and healthy fertile non-pregnant controls (P<0.05). It was suggested that the overexpression of Tim-3/Gal-9 pathway may be related to the pathogenesis of RSA.

  12. Cardiorespiratory interactions during resistive load breathing.

    PubMed

    Calabrese, P; Perrault, H; Dinh, T P; Eberhard, A; Benchetrit, G

    2000-12-01

    The addition to the respiratory system of a resistive load results in breathing pattern changes and in negative intrathoracic pressure increases. The aim of this study was to use resistive load breathing as a stimulus to the cardiorespiratory interaction and to examine the extent of the changes in heart rate variability (HRV) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in relation to the breathing pattern changes. HRV and RSA were studied in seven healthy subjects where four resistive loads were applied in a random order during the breath and 8-min recording made in each condition. The HRV spectral power components were computed from the R-R interval sequences, and the RSA amplitude and phase were computed from the sinusoid fitting the instantaneous heart rate within each breath. Adding resistive loads resulted in 1) increasing respiratory period, 2) unchanging heart rate, and 3) increasing HRV and changing RSA characteristics. HRV and RSA characteristics are linearly correlated to the respiratory period. These modifications appear to be linked to load-induced changes in the respiratory period in each individual, because HRV and RSA characteristics are similar at a respiratory period obtained either by loading or by imposed frequency breathing. The present results are discussed with regard to the importance of the breathing cycle duration in these cardiorespiratory interactions, suggesting that these interactions may depend on the time necessary for activation and dissipation of neurotransmitters involved in RSA.

  13. AE Monitoring of Diamond Turned Rapidly Soldified Aluminium 443

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Onwuka, G.; Abou-El-Hossein, K.; Mkoko, Z.

    2017-05-01

    The fast replacement of conventional aluminium with rapidly solidified aluminium alloys has become a noticeable trend in the current manufacturing industries involved in the production of optics and optical molding inserts. This is as a result of the improved performance and durability of rapidly solidified aluminium alloys when compared to conventional aluminium. Melt spinning process is vital for manufacturing rapidly solidified aluminium alloys like RSA 905, RSA 6061 and RSA 443 which are common in the industries today. RSA 443 is a newly developed alloy with few research findings and huge research potential. There is no available literature focused on monitoring the machining of RSA 443 alloys. In this research, Acoustic Emission sensing technique was applied to monitor the single point diamond turning of RSA 443 on an ultrahigh precision lathe machine. The machining process was carried out after careful selection of feed, speed and depths of cut. The monitoring process was achieved with a high sampling data acquisition system using different tools while concurrent measurement of the surface roughness and tool wear were initiated after covering a total feed distance of 13km. An increasing trend of raw AE spikes and peak to peak signal were observed with an increase in the surface roughness and tool wear values. Hence, acoustic emission sensing technique proves to be an effective monitoring method for the machining of RSA 443 alloy.

  14. Parasympathetic Nervous System Reactivity Moderates Associations Between Children's Executive Functioning and Social and Academic Competence.

    PubMed

    McQuade, Julia D; Penzel, Taylor E; Silk, Jennifer S; Lee, Kyung Hwa

    2017-10-01

    This study examined whether children with poor executive functioning (EF) evidenced less social and academic impairments, compared to other children, if they demonstrated adaptive parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) regulation during experiences of failure. Participants with and without clinical elevations in ADHD symptoms (N = 61; 9-13 years; 48% male; 85% Caucasian) were administered a battery of EF tests and completed manipulated social and cognitive failure tasks. While participants completed failure tasks, respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity (RSA-R) was measured as an indicator of PNS reactivity. Children's social and academic impairment in daily life was assessed based on parent and teacher report on multiple measures. RSA-R during social failure moderated the association between poor EF and adult-rated social impairment and RSA-R during cognitive failure moderated the association between poor EF and adult-rated academic impairment. Simple effects indicated that poor EF was significantly associated with impairment when children demonstrated RSA activation (increased PNS activity) but not when children demonstrated RSA withdrawal (decreases in PNS activity). Domain-crossed models (e.g., reactivity to social failure predicting academic impairment) were not significant, suggesting that the moderating effect of RSA-R was domain-specific. Results suggest that not all children with poor EF evidence social and academic impairment; RSA withdrawal during experiences of failure may be protective specifically for children with impaired EF skills.

  15. Marital conflict, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and allostatic load: interrelations and associations with the development of children's externalizing behavior.

    PubMed

    El-Sheikh, Mona; Hinnant, J Benjamin

    2011-08-01

    Allostatic load theory hypothesizes that stress and the body's responses to stressors contribute to longer term physiological changes in multiple systems over time (allostasis), and that shifts in how these systems function have implications for adjustment and health. We investigated these hypotheses with longitudinal data from two independent samples (n = 413; 219 girls, 194 boys) with repeated measures at ages 8, 9, 10, and 11. Initial parental marital conflict and its change over time indexed children's exposure to an important familial stressor, which was examined in interaction with children's respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity to laboratory tasks (stress response) to predict children's basal levels of RSA over time. We also investigated children's sex as an additional possible moderator. Our second research question focused on examining whether initial levels and changes in resting RSA over time predicted children's externalizing behavior. Boys with a strong RSA suppression response to a frustrating laboratory task who experienced higher initial marital conflict or increasing marital conflict over time showed decreases in their resting RSA over time. In addition, boys' initial resting RSA (but not changes in resting RSA over time) was negatively related to change over time in externalizing symptoms. Findings for girls were more mixed. Results are discussed in the context of developmental psychobiology, allostatic load, and implications for the development of psychopathology.

  16. The Analgesic Efficiency of Ultrasound-Guided Rectus Sheath Analgesia Compared with Low Thoracic Epidural Analgesia After Elective Abdominal Surgery with a Midline Incision: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial.

    PubMed

    Yassin, Hany Mahmoud; Abd Elmoneim, Ahmed Tohamy; El Moutaz, Hatem

    2017-06-01

    Ultrasound-guided rectus sheath blockade has been described to provide analgesia for midline abdominal incisions. We aimed to compare thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) and rectus sheath analgesia (RSA) with respect to safety and efficacy. Sixty patients who underwent elective laparotomies through a midline incision were assigned randomly to receive either continuous TEA (TEA group, n = 31) or intermittent RSA (RSA group, n = 29). The number of patients who required analgesia, the time to first request analgesia, the interval and the cumulative morphine doses consumption during 72 hours postoperatively, and pain intensity using visual analog score (VAS) at rest and upon coughing were reported in addition to any side effects related to both techniques or administered drugs. While 17 (54.84 %) patients were in the TEA group, 25 (86.21%) patients in the RSA group required analgesia postoperatively, P = 0.008. Cumulative morphine consumed during the early 72 hours postoperatively median (interquartile range) = 33 mg (27 - 39 mg), 95% confidence interval (28.63 - 37.37 mg) for the TEA group. While in the RSA group, it was 51 mg (45 - 57 mg), 95% CI (47.4 - 54.6 mg), P < 0.001. The time for the first request of morphine was 256.77 ± 73.45 minutes in the TEA group versus 208.82 ± 64.65 min in the RSA group, P = 0.031. VAS at rest and cough were comparable in both groups at all time points of assessment, P > 0.05. The time to the ambulation was significantly shorter in the RSA group (38.47 ± 12.34 hours) as compared to the TEA group (45.89 ± 8.72 hours), P = 0.009. Sedation scores were significantly higher in the RSA group, only at 12 hours and 24 hours postoperatively than in TEA group, with P = 0.041 and 0.013, respectively. The incidence of other morphine-related side effects, time to pass flatus, and patients satisfaction scores were comparable between both groups. Continuous TEA had better opioid sparing effects markedly during the early 72 hours postoperatively than that of intermittent RSA with catheters inserted under real-time ultrasound guidance, both had comparable safety perspectives, and RSA had the advantage of early ambulation. RSA could be used as an effective alternative when TEA could not be employed in patients undergoing laparotomies with an extended midline incision, especially after the first postoperative day.

  17. The Analgesic Efficiency of Ultrasound-Guided Rectus Sheath Analgesia Compared with Low Thoracic Epidural Analgesia After Elective Abdominal Surgery with a Midline Incision: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial

    PubMed Central

    Yassin, Hany Mahmoud; Abd Elmoneim, Ahmed Tohamy; El Moutaz, Hatem

    2017-01-01

    Background Ultrasound-guided rectus sheath blockade has been described to provide analgesia for midline abdominal incisions. We aimed to compare thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) and rectus sheath analgesia (RSA) with respect to safety and efficacy. Methods Sixty patients who underwent elective laparotomies through a midline incision were assigned randomly to receive either continuous TEA (TEA group, n = 31) or intermittent RSA (RSA group, n = 29). The number of patients who required analgesia, the time to first request analgesia, the interval and the cumulative morphine doses consumption during 72 hours postoperatively, and pain intensity using visual analog score (VAS) at rest and upon coughing were reported in addition to any side effects related to both techniques or administered drugs. Results While 17 (54.84 %) patients were in the TEA group, 25 (86.21%) patients in the RSA group required analgesia postoperatively, P = 0.008. Cumulative morphine consumed during the early 72 hours postoperatively median (interquartile range) = 33 mg (27 - 39 mg), 95% confidence interval (28.63 - 37.37 mg) for the TEA group. While in the RSA group, it was 51 mg (45 - 57 mg), 95% CI (47.4 - 54.6 mg), P < 0.001. The time for the first request of morphine was 256.77 ± 73.45 minutes in the TEA group versus 208.82 ± 64.65 min in the RSA group, P = 0.031. VAS at rest and cough were comparable in both groups at all time points of assessment, P > 0.05. The time to the ambulation was significantly shorter in the RSA group (38.47 ± 12.34 hours) as compared to the TEA group (45.89 ± 8.72 hours), P = 0.009. Sedation scores were significantly higher in the RSA group, only at 12 hours and 24 hours postoperatively than in TEA group, with P = 0.041 and 0.013, respectively. The incidence of other morphine-related side effects, time to pass flatus, and patients satisfaction scores were comparable between both groups. Conclusions Continuous TEA had better opioid sparing effects markedly during the early 72 hours postoperatively than that of intermittent RSA with catheters inserted under real-time ultrasound guidance, both had comparable safety perspectives, and RSA had the advantage of early ambulation. RSA could be used as an effective alternative when TEA could not be employed in patients undergoing laparotomies with an extended midline incision, especially after the first postoperative day. PMID:28856110

  18. Three-dimensional computer simulation of radiostereometric analysis (RSA) in distal radius fractures.

    PubMed

    Madanat, Rami; Moritz, Niko; Aro, Hannu T

    2007-01-01

    Physical phantom models have conventionally been used to determine the accuracy and precision of radiostereometric analysis (RSA) in various orthopaedic applications. Using a phantom model of a fracture of the distal radius it has previously been shown that RSA is a highly accurate and precise method for measuring both translation and rotation in three-dimensions (3-D). The main shortcoming of a physical phantom model is its inability to mimic complex 3-D motion. The goal of this study was to create a realistic computer model for preoperative planning of RSA studies and to test the accuracy of RSA in measuring complex movements in fractures of the distal radius using this new model. The 3-D computer model was created from a set of tomographic scans. The simulation of the radiographic imaging was performed using ray-tracing software (POV-Ray). RSA measurements were performed according to standard protocol. Using a two-part fracture model (AO/ASIF type A2), it was found that for simple movements in one axis, translations in the range of 25microm-2mm could be measured with an accuracy of +/-2microm. Rotations ranging from 16 degrees to 2 degrees could be measured with an accuracy of +/-0.015 degrees . Using a three-part fracture model the corresponding values of accuracy were found to be +/-4microm and +/-0.031 degrees for translation and rotation, respectively. For complex 3-D motion in a three-part fracture model (AO/ASIF type C1) the accuracy was +/-6microm for translation and +/-0.120 degrees for rotation. The use of 3-D computer modelling can provide a method for preoperative planning of RSA studies in complex fractures of the distal radius and in other clinical situations in which the RSA method is applicable.

  19. Risk of insufficient internal rotation after bilateral reverse shoulder arthroplasty: clinical and patient-reported outcome in 57 patients.

    PubMed

    Wirth, Barbara; Kolling, Christoph; Schwyzer, Hans-Kaspar; Flury, Matthias; Audigé, Laurent

    2016-07-01

    Bilateral reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) is controversial because of potential rotational deficits impairing daily living activities. We assessed achievement of insufficient internal rotation (IR) and associated factors in bilateral RSA patients. Fifty-seven staged bilateral RSA patients with a minimum of 1 year of follow-up after the second intervention were identified from our local monocentric register. Shoulder range of motion (including IR using the Apley scratch test), strength, and Constant and Shoulder Pain and Disability Index scores were assessed preoperatively and 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively. Before surgery, both shoulders were similar regarding imaging parameters, but first operated shoulders tended to have poorer function. One year after the first RSA, 21% of patients had insufficient IR (not reaching the lumbosacral junction) compared with 33% after the second intervention (P = .180). At 2 years, 5% of patients had insufficient IR on both sides. Patients with insufficient IR on the second side at baseline (relative risk [RR], 1.8 [1.0-3.2]) and patients with insufficient IR 1 year after the first RSA (RR, 3.0 [1.6-5.6]) were more likely to have insufficient IR 1 year after the second RSA. Constant and Shoulder Pain and Disability Index scores and abduction of the second side were significantly worse 1 year after the second RSA (P ≤ .047); at 2 years, there were no differences in functional outcome between shoulders. A minority of bilateral RSA patients did not achieve sufficient IR on at least 1 side. Staged surgery is justified, particularly when the outcome of the initial operation is satisfactory. Copyright © 2016 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. An oral colon-targeting controlled release system based on resistant starch acetate: synthetization, characterization, and preparation of film-coating pellets.

    PubMed

    Pu, Huayin; Chen, Ling; Li, Xiaoxi; Xie, Fengwei; Yu, Long; Li, Lin

    2011-05-25

    An oral colon-targeting controlled release system based on resistant starch acetate (RSA) as a film-coating material was developed. The RSA was successfully synthesized, and its digestion resistibility could be improved by increasing the degree of substitution (DS), which was favorable for the colon-targeting purpose. As a delivery carrier material, the characteristics of RSA were investigated by polarized light microscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The results revealed a decrease of the crystallinity of RSA and a change of its crystalline structure from B + V hydrid type to V type. To evaluate the colon-targeting release performance, the RSA film-coated pellets loaded with different bioactive components were prepared by extrusion-spheronization and then by fluid bed coating. The effects of the DS, plasticizer content, and coating thickness of the RSA film and those of the content and molecular weight of the loaded bioactive component on the colon-targeting release performance of the resulting delivery system were investigated. By adjusting the DS, the coating thickness, and the plasticizer content of the RSA film, either the pellets loaded with a small molecular bioactive component such as 5-aminosalicylic acid or those with a macromolecular bioactive peptide or protein such as bovine serum albumin, hepatocyte growth-promoting factor, or insulin showed a desirable colon-targeting release performance. The release percentage was less than 12% in simulated upper gastrointestinal tract and went up to 70% over a period of 40 h in simulated colonic fluid. This suggests that the delivery system based on RSA film has an excellent colon-targeting release performance and the universality for a wide range of bioactive components.

  1. Cardiac Vagal Tone and Quality of Parenting Show Concurrent and Time-Ordered Associations That Diverge in Abusive, Neglectful, and Non-Maltreating Mothers

    PubMed Central

    Skowron, Elizabeth A.; Cipriano-Essel, Elizabeth; Benjamin, Lorna Smith; Pincus, Aaron L.; Van Ryzin, Mark J.

    2014-01-01

    Concurrent and lagged maternal respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was monitored in the context of parenting. One hundred and forty-one preschooler-mother dyads—involved with child welfare as documented perpetrators of child abuse or neglect, or non-maltreating (non-CM)—were observed completing a resting baseline and joint challenge task. Parenting behaviors were coded using SASB (Benjamin, 1996) and maternal RSA was simultaneously monitored, longitudinally-nested within-person (WP), and subjected to MLM. Abusive and neglectful mothers displayed less positive parenting and more strict/hostile control, relative to non-CM mothers. Non-CM mothers displayed greater WP heterogeneity in variance over time in their RSA scores, and greater consistency over time in their parenting behaviors, relative to abusive or neglectful mothers. CM group also moderated concurrent and lagged WP associations in RSA and positive parenting. When abusive mothers displayed lower RSA in a given epoch, relative to their task average, they showed concurrent increases in positive parenting, and higher subsequent levels of hostile control in the following epoch, suggesting that it is physiologically taxing for abusive mothers to parent in positive ways. In contrast, lagged effects for non-CM mothers were observed in which RSA decreases led to subsequent WP increases in positive parenting and decreases in control. Reversed models were significant only for neglectful mothers: Increases in positive parenting led to subsequent increases in RSA levels, and increases in strict, hostile control led to subsequent RSA decreases. These results provide new evidence that concurrent and time-ordered coupling in maternal physiology and behavior during parenting vary in theoretically meaningful ways across CM and non-CM mothers. Implications for intervention and study limitations are discussed. PMID:24729945

  2. Interactive Effects of Snps Located Within CD28/B7Pathway and Environment on Susceptibility to Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion.

    PubMed

    Wang, Guiling; Sun, Jing

    2017-01-01

    This study was aimed to explore the interaction between environment and CD28/B7 pathway to provide the potential epidemiology for prevention and treatment of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). The retrospective study included 630 RSA cases and 1320 healthy women during their middle and late prenatal care. Their living environment was investigated, and the influence of environmental factors on pregnancy abortion was analyzed. The genomic DNAs were extracted from the study subjects, and the polymorphisms of CD28 and B7 were analyzed. Finally, the interaction of gene and environment on RSA was analyzed with the logistic regression analyses. The multi-variate regression analysis indicated that vitamin supplement, intake of fresh fruits or vegetables, night shift, staying up late, history miscarriage, as well as history induced abortion were, independently, risk factors for RSA (all P< 0.05). Moreover, rs3116496 (T>C), rs3181098 (G>A) and rs3181100 (G>C) of CD28, rs1915087 (C>T) of B7-2, as well as rs6804441 (A>G) and rs41271391 (G>T) of B7-1 were correlated with modified RSA risk (all P< 0.05). The haplotypes TGT and TAG could also regulate the risk of RSA (both P< 0.05). The synthetic influences of the aforementioned SNPs and environmental factors could also significantly affect the susceptibility to RSA (all P< 0.05). The interaction of environment and SNPs of CD28/B7 pathway on RSA risk was distinct from CD28/B7 pathway or environment alone. © 2017 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

  3. Effect of pH, temperature and moisture content during composting of rice straw burning at different temperature with food waste and effective microorganisms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Azura Zakarya, Irnis; Baya Khalib, Siti Noor; Ramzi, Norhasykin Mohd

    2018-03-01

    Rice straw is considered as one of the most important agricultural residues and represented as one of the major by-products from rice production process. Normally, rice straw that produced after harvesting season been directly burned on-farm. Conversion of rice straw into value added compost will improve the productivity of plant, reduction of pollution towards environment and reduction of local pollution due to open burning activity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of composting rice straw ash (RSA) with food waste (FW) and effective microorganisms (EM) in term of the compost quality (pH, temperature, moisture content). RSA was prepared by burning the raw rice straw at three different temperature of 300°C, 400°C and 500°C for one hour. EM used during the composting process was prepared by mixing of brown sugar, `tempe' and water that can be used after one week of fermentation process. There are four treatments of RSA-compost; RSA (300°C), RSA (400°C), RSA (500°C) and control (raw rice straw) with the same amount of compost medium; 1kg black soil, 0.5kg RSA, 3L EM and 1kg FW. The composting process happens for 30 days. During the composting process, all the parameters of RSA-compost obtained in a range like; pH value 8-10, temperature 20-50°C and moisture content 40-60%. The result showed that all compost quality of rice straw ash compost obtained in an acceptable range for final compost to establish.

  4. Sleep duration and RSA suppression as predictors of internalizing and externalizing behaviors

    PubMed Central

    Cho, Sunghye; Philbrook, Lauren E.; Davis, Elizabeth L.; Buss, Kristin A.

    2017-01-01

    Although the conceptual interplay among the biological and clinical features of sleep, arousal, and emotion regulation has been noted, little is understood about how indices of sleep duration and parasympathetic reactivity operate jointly to predict adjustment in early childhood. Using a sample of 123 toddlers, the present study examined sleep duration and RSA reactivity as predictors of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Parents reported on children’s sleep duration and adjustment. RSA reactivity was assessed via children’s responses to fear-eliciting stimuli and an inhibitory control challenge. Findings demonstrated that greater RSA suppression to both types of tasks in combination with longer sleep duration was concurrently associated with less internalizing. In contrast, greater RSA augmentation to an inhibitory control task in the context of shorter sleep duration predicted more externalizing 1 year later. The significance of duration of toddlers’ sleep as well as the context in which physiological regulatory difficulties occurs is discussed. PMID:27577700

  5. Acute effects of MDMA on autonomic cardiac activity and their relation to subjective prosocial and stimulant effects.

    PubMed

    Clark, Christine M; Frye, Charles G; Wardle, Margaret C; Norman, Greg J; de Wit, Harriet

    2015-03-01

    MDMA is a stimulant with unique "prosocial" effects, the physiological and pharmacological mechanisms of which are unknown. Here, we examine the relationship of measures of parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system activity to the prosocial effects of MDMA. Parasympathetic activity was measured using respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and sympathetic activity using pre-ejection period (PEP). Over three sessions, 33 healthy volunteers received placebo, 0.75 mg/kg, and 1.5 mg/kg MDMA under counterbalanced, double-blind conditions, while we measured subjective feelings, RSA, and PEP. RSA and PEP data were available for 26 and 21 participants, respectively. MDMA increased prosocial and stimulated feelings, decreased RSA, and decreased PEP. At 1.5 mg/kg, subjective prosocial effects correlated with stimulated feelings and PEP, but not RSA. This suggests sympathetic, rather than parasympathetic, effects relate to the prosocial effects of MDMA. © 2014 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  6. 76 FR 58782 - Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Public Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-22

    .... SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council), its Research Set-Aside (RSA) Committee... INFORMATION: On Tuesday, October 11, the RSA Committee will meet from 8:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. The SMB..., the Council will convene at 8:30 a.m. The RSA Program Review Report will be heard from 8:30 a.m. until...

  7. Nonrandom Acts of Kindness: Parasympathetic and Subjective Empathic Responses to Sadness Predict Children's Prosociality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Jonas G.; Nuselovici, Jacob N.; Hastings, Paul D.

    2016-01-01

    How does empathic physiology unfold as a dynamic process, and which aspect of empathy predicts children's kindness? In response to empathy induction videos, 4- to 6-year-old children (N = 180) showed an average pattern of dynamic respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) change characterized by early RSA suppression, followed by RSA recovery, and modest…

  8. Differential Susceptibility and the Early Development of Aggression: Interactive Effects of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia and Environmental Quality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eisenberg, Nancy; Sulik, Michael J.; Spinrad, Tracy L.; Edwards, Alison; Eggum, Natalie D.; Liew, Jeffrey; Sallquist, Julie; Popp, Tierney K.; Smith, Cynthia L.; Hart, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of the current study was to predict the development of aggressive behavior from young children's respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and environmental quality. In a longitudinal sample of 213 children, baseline RSA, RSA suppression in response to a film of crying babies, and a composite measure of environmental quality (incorporating…

  9. The correlation of sperm morphology with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion: A systematic review and meta-analysis

    PubMed Central

    Cao, Xiaodan; Cui, Yun; Zhang, Xiaoxia; Lou, Jiangtao; Zhou, Jun; Wei, Renxiong

    2017-01-01

    Sperm morphology displays a potential impact on sperm function and may ultimately impact reproductive function. Current studies have investigated the correlation between sperm morphology with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) but have shown inconsistent results. Hence, we systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CNKI databases, as well as the Cochrane Library for studies that examined the association between sperm morphology and unexplained RSA. Fifteen studies were identified, including 883 cases and 530 controls. Our meta-analysis results indicated that the percentage of normal sperm morphology from men with RSA partners was significantly lower than those from normal controls(SMD [95% CI]: − 0.60 [−0.81, −0.40]; P<0.00001) and the percentage of sperm morphologic alterations was significantly higher in patients with RSA compared with the control group (SMD [95% CI]: 0.92 [0.42, 1.43]; P=0.0004). The present study suggested that the percentage of normal sperm morphology may indeed decrease in men from RSA group compared with controls. However, there were some limitations in the study such as the differences in stain techniques and classification criteria. Further evidences are needed to better elucidate the relationship between sperm morphology and unexplained RSA. PMID:28903451

  10. Examining Biological Vulnerability in Environmental Context: Parenting Moderates Effects of Low Resting Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia on Adolescent Depressive Symptoms

    PubMed Central

    Crystal, Sarah I.; Ahles, Joshua J.; Crowell, Sheila E.

    2015-01-01

    Polyvagal theory suggests that parasympathetic regulation of cardiac function, indexed by resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), may be a marker of emotion regulatory capacity and associated with youth psychopathology. Contemporary models of psychopathology suggest that the effects of biological vulnerability may be moderated by developmental context. The aim of the present study was to examine whether parenting, particularly parental responses to youth’s negative emotions, moderated the effects of resting RSA on depressive symptoms among early adolescents. We examined resting RSA, depressive symptoms, and parental responses to youth negative emotions among 120 adolescents aged 11–14 years (M = 12.86, SD = .85; 52.5% female). Resting RSA and lack of supportive parenting interacted to predict youth depressive symptoms, such that low resting RSA predicted more depressive symptoms only in the context of low levels of supportive parental responses to youth’s negative emotions. By contrast, high resting RSA buffered the effects of low supportive parenting on youth depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of understanding joint contributions of biological vulnerability and developmental context on youth depression outcomes. PMID:26290213

  11. The Effects of in-Season Repeated Sprint Training Compared to Regular Soccer Training.

    PubMed

    Nedrehagen, Eirik Solberg; Saeterbakken, Atle Hole

    2015-12-22

    The aim of this study was to compare the effects of repeated sprints (RSA) training and regular soccer training on Yo-Yo IR-1 and RSA performance (6 x 40 m shuttle sprints). Thirteen semi-professional female soccer players and nine amateur male soccer players were randomised into a repeated sprint group (RSG; n = 12) or a regular soccer training group (STG; n = 10). The RSG soccer players executed 3-4 sets of 4-6 repeated sprints (30 m with 180° directional changes) weekly during the last eight weeks of the in-season. In parallel, the STG soccer players performed low- to moderate intensity soccer training in form of technical or tactical skills. The RSG showed 15% improvement in Yo-Yo IR-1 (p = 0.04; ES = 1.83) and their mean RSA times were reduced by 1.5% (p = 0.02; ES = 0.89). No significant changes were found for the STG (Yo-Yo IR-1, p = 0.13; RSA, p = 0.49). Comparing the groups, greater improvements were observed in Yo-Yo IR-1 for the RSG (p = 0.02; ES = 1.15), but not for the RSA (p = 0.23; ES = -0.33). Similar training volumes and intensities (% of HFmax) were observed between the groups (p = 0.22 and p = 0.79). In conclusion, a weekly RSA session integrated into a regular soccer regime improved in-season RSA and Yo-Yo IR-1 performance compared to regular soccer training.

  12. Stable fixation of an osseointegated implant system for above-the-knee amputees: titel RSA and radiographic evaluation of migration and bone remodeling in 55 cases.

    PubMed

    Nebergall, Audrey; Bragdon, Charles; Antonellis, Anne; Kärrholm, Johan; Brånemark, Rickard; Malchau, Henrik

    2012-04-01

    Rehabilitation of patients with transfemoral amputations is particularly difficult due to problems in using standard socket prostheses. We wanted to assess long-term fixation of the osseointegrated implant system (OPRA) using radiostereometric analysis (RSA) and periprosthetic bone remodeling. 51 patients with transfemoral amputations (55 implants) were enrolled in an RSA study. RSA and plain radiographs were scheduled at 6 months and at 1, 2, 5, 7, and 10 years after surgery. RSA films were analyzed using UmRSA software. Plain radiographs were graded for bone resorption, cancellization, cortical thinning, and trabecular streaming or buttressing in specifically defined zones around the implant. At 5 years, the median (SE) migration of the implant was -0.02 (0.06) mm distally. The rotational movement was 0.42 (0.32) degrees around the longitudinal axis. There was no statistically significant difference in median rotation or migration at any follow-up time. Cancellization of the cortex (plain radiographic grading) appeared in at least 1 zone in over half of the patients at 2 years. However, the prevalence of cancellization had decreased by the 5-year follow-up. The RSA analysis for the OPRA system indicated stable fixation of the implant. The periprosthetic bone remodeling showed similarities with changes seen around uncemented hip stems. The OPRA system is a new and promising approach for addressing the challenges faced by patients with transfemoral amputations.

  13. Parasympathetic nervous system activity predicts mood repair use and its effectiveness among adolescents with and without histories of major depression

    PubMed Central

    Yaroslavsky, Ilya; Rottenberg, Jonathan; Bylsma, Lauren M.; Jennings, J. Richard; George, Charles; Baji, Ildikó; Benák, István; Dochnal, Roberta; Halas, Kitti; Kapornai, Krisztina; Kiss, Enikő; Makai, Attila; Varga, Hedvig; Vetró, Ágnes; Kovacs, Maria

    2016-01-01

    Depressive disorders that onset in the juvenile years have been linked to far reaching adverse consequences, making it imperative to elucidate key mechanisms and contributory factors. Excessive use of regulatory responses that exacerbate sadness (maladaptive mood repair) or insufficient use of regulatory responses that reduce it (adaptive mood repair) may reflect behavioral mechanisms of depression risk. Cardiac vagal control, indexed by patterns of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), has received attention as a putative physiological risk factor for depression. Although mood repair and RSA are related, the nature of this relationship is not well characterized in the context of depression risk. Therefore, we tested alternative models of the relationships between RSA patterns (at rest and in response to a sad film), trait mood repair, and the effectiveness of a mood repair response in the laboratory (state mood repair) among adolescents with depression histories (n=210) and emotionally healthy peers (n=161). In our data, a mediation model best explained the association between the key constructs: Adolescents with normative RSA patterns exhibited lower levels of depression and trait maladaptive mood repair, and benefited more from instructed (state) mood repair in the laboratory. By contrast, adolescents with atypical RSA patterns exhibited higher levels of depression and dispositional maladaptive mood repair, which, in turn, mediated the relations of RSA patterns and depression symptoms. Atypical RSA patterns also predicted reduced benefits from laboratory mood repair. PMID:26950752

  14. Comparison of shuttle and straight repeated-sprint ability tests and their relationship to anthropometrics and explosive muscular performance of lower limb in elite handball players.

    PubMed

    Hermassi, Souhail; Schwesig, René; Wollny, Rainer; Fieseler, Georg; van den Tillaar, Roland; Fernandez-Fernandez, Jaime; Shephard, Roy J; Chelly, Mohamed S

    2017-06-21

    This study assessed inter-relationships between shuttle and straight repeated-sprint ability tests and the relationship of each measure to anthropometric and explosive lower limb performance data in elite handball players. Twenty-two elite male handball players (18.9 ± 0.2 years; body mass: 83.3 ± 1.1 kg, height: 1.79 ± 2.30 m, body fat: 12.8 ± 0.2%) completed tests that included a lower limb force-velocity test of peak power (Wpeak), jumping ability (squat and counter-movement jumps; SJ, CMJ), 1 repetition maximum (1-RM) half back squat, average sprint velocity over 5 m (V-5 m), peak velocity between 25-30 m (Vmax), and Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1), and anthropometric determinations of cross-sectional areas and muscle volumes for leg and thigh muscles. Data were compared with performance on 2 repeated sprint tests; the straight test [6 × 30 m (RSA30)] and the intermittent test [6 x (2 x 15 m) shuttle sprints (RSA15)]. V-5 m; 1-RM; and thigh and leg muscle cross-sectional areas and volumes showed relevant relationships to the shuttle RSA test (r2≥0.5). The Yo-Yo IR1 explained the largest percentage of variance in RSA15 total time (60%), and V-5 m also explained 56% of the variance in RSA15 total time. RSA15% fatigue was only related to 1-RM (explained variance: 58%), and the RSA30 test showed no useful correlations with any of the investigated predictors. Multiple-regression analyses using all physical tests explained 91% of the variance in RSA15 total time (p<0.001). The volume of the leg muscles seems important to power production and repeated sprints over distances of 15 m or less. RSA15 is related to muscular power, maximal strength, speed and endurance performance; however, the straight repeated sprint ability test is not, and thus does not seem relevant for the testing of handball players.

  15. Peripheral blood natural killer cells and mild thyroid abnormalities in women with reproductive failure

    PubMed Central

    Triggianese, P; Perricone, C; Conigliaro, P; Chimenti, MS; Perricone, R; De Carolis, C

    2015-01-01

    Abnormalities in peripheral blood natural killer (NK) cells have been reported in women with primary infertility and recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) and several studies have been presented to define cutoff values for abnormal peripheral blood NK cell levels in this context. Elevated levels of NK cells were observed in infertile/RSA women in the presence of thyroid autoimmunity (TAI), while no studies have been carried out, to date, on NK cells in infertile/RSA women with non-autoimmune thyroid diseases. The contribution of this study is two-fold: (1) the evaluation of peripheral blood NK cell levels in a cohort of infertile/RSA women, in order to confirm related data from the literature; and (2) the assessment of NK cell levels in the presence of both TAI and subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) in order to explore the possibility that the association between NK cells and thyroid function is not only restricted to TAI but also to SCH. In a retrospective study, 259 age-matched women (primary infertility [n = 49], primary RSA [n = 145], and secondary RSA [n = 65]) were evaluated for CD56+CD16+NK cells by flow cytometry. Women were stratified according to thyroid status: TAI, SCH, and without thyroid diseases (ET). Fertile women (n = 45) were used as controls. Infertile/RSA women showed higher mean NK cell levels than controls. The cutoff value determining the abnormal NK cell levels resulted ⩾15% in all the groups of women. Among the infertile/RSA women, SCH resulted the most frequently associated thyroid disorder while no difference resulted in the prevalence of TAI and ET women between patients and controls. A higher prevalence of women with NK cell levels ⩾15% was observed in infertile/RSA women with SCH when compared to TAI/ET women. According to our data, NK cell assessment could be used as a diagnostic tool in women with reproductive failure and we suggest that the possible association between NK cell levels and thyroid function can be described not only in the presence of TAI but also in the presence of non-autoimmune thyroid disorders. PMID:26657164

  16. Information hiding based on double random-phase encoding and public-key cryptography.

    PubMed

    Sheng, Yuan; Xin, Zhou; Alam, Mohammed S; Xi, Lu; Xiao-Feng, Li

    2009-03-02

    A novel information hiding method based on double random-phase encoding (DRPE) and Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) public-key cryptosystem is proposed. In the proposed technique, the inherent diffusion property of DRPE is cleverly utilized to make up the diffusion insufficiency of RSA public-key cryptography, while the RSA cryptosystem is utilized for simultaneous transmission of the cipher text and the two phase-masks, which is not possible under the DRPE technique. This technique combines the complementary advantages of the DPRE and RSA encryption techniques and brings security and convenience for efficient information transmission. Extensive numerical simulation results are presented to verify the performance of the proposed technique.

  17. Emotion suppression moderates the quadratic association between RSA and executive function

    PubMed Central

    Spangler, Derek P.; Bell, Martha Ann; Deater-Deckard, Kirby

    2016-01-01

    There is uncertainty about whether respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a cardiac marker of adaptive emotion regulation, is involved in relatively low or high executive function performance. In the present study, we investigated: (1) whether RSA during rest and tasks predict both relatively low and high executive function within a larger quadratic association among the two variables, and (2) the extent to which this quadratic trend was moderated by individual differences in emotion regulation. To achieve these aims, a sample of ethnically and socioeconomically diverse women self-reported reappraisal and emotion suppression. They next experienced a two-minute resting period during which ECG was continually assessed. In the next phase, the women completed an array of executive function and non-executive cognitive tasks while ECG was measured throughout. As anticipated, resting RSA showed a quadratic association with executive function that was strongest for high suppression. These results suggest that relatively high resting RSA may predict poor executive function ability when emotion regulation consumes executive control resources needed for ongoing cognitive performance. PMID:26018941

  18. Sleep duration and RSA suppression as predictors of internalizing and externalizing behaviors.

    PubMed

    Cho, Sunghye; Philbrook, Lauren E; Davis, Elizabeth L; Buss, Kristin A

    2017-01-01

    Although the conceptual interplay among the biological and clinical features of sleep, arousal, and emotion regulation has been noted, little is understood about how indices of sleep duration and parasympathetic reactivity operate jointly to predict adjustment in early childhood. Using a sample of 123 toddlers, the present study examined sleep duration and RSA reactivity as predictors of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Parents reported on children's sleep duration and adjustment. RSA reactivity was assessed via children's responses to fear-eliciting stimuli and an inhibitory control challenge. Findings demonstrated that greater RSA suppression to both types of tasks in combination with longer sleep duration was concurrently associated with less internalizing. In contrast, greater RSA augmentation to an inhibitory control task in the context of shorter sleep duration predicted more externalizing 1 year later. The significance of duration of toddlers' sleep as well as the context in which physiological regulatory difficulties occurs is discussed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia as a measure of cognitive workload.

    PubMed

    Muth, Eric R; Moss, Jason D; Rosopa, Patrick J; Salley, James N; Walker, Alexander D

    2012-01-01

    The current standard for measuring cognitive workload is the NASA Task-load Index (TLX) questionnaire. Although this measure has a high degree of reliability, diagnosticity, and sensitivity, a reliable physiological measure of cognitive workload could provide a non-invasive, objective measure of workload that could be tracked in real or near real-time without interrupting the task. This study investigated changes in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) during seven different sub-sections of a proposed selection test for Navy aviation and compared them to changes reported on the NASA-TLX. 201 healthy participants performed the seven tasks of the Navy's Performance Based Measure. RSA was measured during each task and the NASA-TLX was administered after each task. Multi-level modeling revealed that RSA significantly predicted NASA-TLX scores. A moderate within-subject correlation was also found between RSA and NASA TLX scores. The findings support the potential development of RSA as a real-time measure of cognitive workload. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  20. On factoring RSA modulus using random-restart hill-climbing algorithm and Pollard’s rho algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Budiman, M. A.; Rachmawati, D.

    2017-12-01

    The security of the widely-used RSA public key cryptography algorithm depends on the difficulty of factoring a big integer into two large prime numbers. For many years, the integer factorization problem has been intensively and extensively studied in the field of number theory. As a result, a lot of deterministic algorithms such as Euler’s algorithm, Kraitchik’s, and variants of Pollard’s algorithms have been researched comprehensively. Our study takes a rather uncommon approach: rather than making use of intensive number theories, we attempt to factorize RSA modulus n by using random-restart hill-climbing algorithm, which belongs the class of metaheuristic algorithms. The factorization time of RSA moduli with different lengths is recorded and compared with the factorization time of Pollard’s rho algorithm, which is a deterministic algorithm. Our experimental results indicates that while random-restart hill-climbing algorithm is an acceptable candidate to factorize smaller RSA moduli, the factorization speed is much slower than that of Pollard’s rho algorithm.

  1. Footprints in the Sand: Personal, Psychological, and Relational Profiles of Religious, Spiritual, and Atheist LGB Individuals.

    PubMed

    Foster, Aasha B; Brewster, Melanie E; Velez, Brandon L; Eklund, Austin; Keum, Brian T

    2017-01-01

    The present study offers a comparison of the demographic features and lived experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals with religious, spiritual, or atheist (R/S/A) belief systems. In this sample of 212 participants, the relationship of participants' R/S/A beliefs to personal variables (e.g., age, gender, race), mental health variables (e.g., life satisfaction, psychological distress, internalized heterosexism, self-esteem), and relational variables (e.g., outness, connection to LGBTQ communities) were assessed. Correlational analyses indicated that level of R/S/A belief was unrelated to self-esteem, life satisfaction, or psychological distress; however, greater religious belief was correlated positively and significantly with internalized heterosexism and outness as LGB. To test the interactions of R/S/A beliefs and categorical variables of interest (e.g., race), log-linear analyses with follow-up chi-square tests were conducted. Findings suggested more similarities than differences for LGB people across R/S/A systems of belief. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

  2. The relation of respiratory sinus arrhythmia to later shyness: Moderation by neighborhood quality.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hui; Spinrad, Tracy L; Eisenberg, Nancy; Zhang, Linlin

    2018-05-21

    The purpose of the study was to predict young children's shyness from both internal/biological (i.e., resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia; RSA) and external (i.e., neighborhood quality) factors. Participants were 180 children at 42 (Time 1; T1), 72 (T2), and 84 (T3) months of age. RSA data were obtained at T1 during a neutral film in the laboratory. Mothers reported perceived neighborhood quality at T2 and children's dispositional shyness at T1 and T3. Path analyses indicated that resting RSA interacted with neighborhood quality to predict T3 shyness, even after controlling for earlier family income and T1 shyness. Specifically, high levels of resting RSA predicted low levels of shyness in the context of high neighborhood quality. When neighborhood quality was low, resting RSA was positively related to later shyness. These findings indicate that children's shyness is predicted by more than biological processes and that consideration of the broader context is critical to understanding children's social behavior. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Relation between aggression exposure in adolescence and adult posttraumatic stress symptoms: Moderating role of the parasympathetic nervous system.

    PubMed

    Barry, Samantha A; Rabkin, Ari N; Olezeski, Christy L; Rivers, Alison J; Gordis, Elana B

    2015-03-15

    The present study examines the impact of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), as measured by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), on the link between family aggression experienced during adolescence and posttraumatic stress symptoms during young adulthood. Participants completed retrospective self-report measures of interparental aggression and harsh parenting exposure during adolescence and measures of current posttraumatic stress symptoms. RSA indexed PNS activity. Among females, the three-way interaction between harsh parenting, interparental aggression, and resting RSA was significant in accounting for young adulthood PTSD symptoms. At higher values of resting RSA and higher levels of interparental aggression exposure, harsh parenting experienced during adolescence was positively associated with adulthood PTSD symptoms. Among males, adolescent aggression exposure and resting RSA did not significantly account for variation in adulthood PTSD symptoms. Thus, this study suggests that resting PNS activity may play an important role in the relationship between stressors during adolescence and later PTSD in females. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. AcconPred: Predicting Solvent Accessibility and Contact Number Simultaneously by a Multitask Learning Framework under the Conditional Neural Fields Model.

    PubMed

    Ma, Jianzhu; Wang, Sheng

    2015-01-01

    The solvent accessibility of protein residues is one of the driving forces of protein folding, while the contact number of protein residues limits the possibilities of protein conformations. The de novo prediction of these properties from protein sequence is important for the study of protein structure and function. Although these two properties are certainly related with each other, it is challenging to exploit this dependency for the prediction. We present a method AcconPred for predicting solvent accessibility and contact number simultaneously, which is based on a shared weight multitask learning framework under the CNF (conditional neural fields) model. The multitask learning framework on a collection of related tasks provides more accurate prediction than the framework trained only on a single task. The CNF method not only models the complex relationship between the input features and the predicted labels, but also exploits the interdependency among adjacent labels. Trained on 5729 monomeric soluble globular protein datasets, AcconPred could reach 0.68 three-state accuracy for solvent accessibility and 0.75 correlation for contact number. Tested on the 105 CASP11 domain datasets for solvent accessibility, AcconPred could reach 0.64 accuracy, which outperforms existing methods.

  5. AcconPred: Predicting Solvent Accessibility and Contact Number Simultaneously by a Multitask Learning Framework under the Conditional Neural Fields Model

    PubMed Central

    Ma, Jianzhu; Wang, Sheng

    2015-01-01

    Motivation. The solvent accessibility of protein residues is one of the driving forces of protein folding, while the contact number of protein residues limits the possibilities of protein conformations. The de novo prediction of these properties from protein sequence is important for the study of protein structure and function. Although these two properties are certainly related with each other, it is challenging to exploit this dependency for the prediction. Method. We present a method AcconPred for predicting solvent accessibility and contact number simultaneously, which is based on a shared weight multitask learning framework under the CNF (conditional neural fields) model. The multitask learning framework on a collection of related tasks provides more accurate prediction than the framework trained only on a single task. The CNF method not only models the complex relationship between the input features and the predicted labels, but also exploits the interdependency among adjacent labels. Results. Trained on 5729 monomeric soluble globular protein datasets, AcconPred could reach 0.68 three-state accuracy for solvent accessibility and 0.75 correlation for contact number. Tested on the 105 CASP11 domain datasets for solvent accessibility, AcconPred could reach 0.64 accuracy, which outperforms existing methods. PMID:26339631

  6. [Health care economic guidance in Germany from the example Morbi-RSA].

    PubMed

    Litmathe, Jens

    2016-04-01

    Increasing costs in health care represent still a major challenge in most industrial contries. A lot of attempts especially in Germany have been made to manage such problems and for a fair allocation oft he underlying resources. One of this ist the Morbi-RSA. The current review reflects all historical, medical and economical aspects of the Morbi-RSA and gives a perspective to possible future developments.

  7. Federation for a Secure Enterprise

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-09-10

    12 October 2005 e. RFC Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure: Certification Path Building, 2005 f. Public Key Cryptography Standard, PKCS #1...v2.2: RSA Cryptography Standard, RSA Laboratories, October 27, 2012 g. PKCS#12 format PKCS #12 v1.0: Personal Information Exchange Syntax Standard, RSA...ClientHello padding extension, 2015-02-17 f. Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) Cipher Suites for Transport Layer Security (TLS) Versions 1.2 and Earlier

  8. Nonlinear Optical Fiber Arrays for Limiting Application

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-09-05

    Absorption [ RSA ], Two-Photon Absorption [TPA] and Excited State Absorption [ESA] or Nonlinear Scattering properties [NS] (e.g. carbon black suspension...practical implementation: I. "Saturation Effect and Dynamic Range" - In general, RSA materials have low switching threshold (<<pJ), but are (linearly...transition between the molecular levels involved, RSA materials can be easily ’bleached’, i.e. the absorption electronic state is depopulated by the laser. TPA

  9. Implementation and validation of an implant-based coordinate system for RSA migration calculation.

    PubMed

    Laende, Elise K; Deluzio, Kevin J; Hennigar, Allan W; Dunbar, Michael J

    2009-10-16

    An in vitro radiostereometric analysis (RSA) phantom study of a total knee replacement was carried out to evaluate the effect of implementing two new modifications to the conventional RSA procedure: (i) adding a landmark of the tibial component as an implant marker and (ii) defining an implant-based coordinate system constructed from implant landmarks for the calculation of migration results. The motivation for these two modifications were (i) to improve the representation of the implant by the markers by including the stem tip marker which increases the marker distribution (ii) to recover clinical RSA study cases with insufficient numbers of markers visible in the implant polyethylene and (iii) to eliminate errors in migration calculations due to misalignment of the anatomical axes with the RSA global coordinate system. The translational and rotational phantom studies showed no loss of accuracy with the two new measurement methods. The RSA system employing these methods has a precision of better than 0.05 mm for translations and 0.03 degrees for rotations, and an accuracy of 0.05 mm for translations and 0.15 degrees for rotations. These results indicate that the new methods to improve the interpretability, relevance, and standardization of the results do not compromise precision and accuracy, and are suitable for application to clinical data.

  10. The relationships between phenolic content, pollen diversity, physicochemical information and radical scavenging activity in honey.

    PubMed

    Giorgi, Annamaria; Madeo, Moira; Baumgartner, Johann; Lozzia, Giuseppe Carlo

    2011-01-07

    Honey is rich in different secondary plant metabolites acting as natural antioxidants and contributing to human health. Radical scavenging activity (RSA) is related to antioxidant activity, while the correlation between the phenolic content and RSA is often weak. Consequently, exclusive information on phenolics is often insufficient to qualify the RSA and the health promoting effects of honey. The paper deals with a case study of honey samples originating from the alpine areas of Italy's Lombardia and Veneto regions and realized by standard physicochemical and statistical analytical methods. In pure honey, the total phenolic content and the RSA were measured in spectrophotometric tests with the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH·) free radical and Folin-Ciocalteu assays, respectively. Melissopalynological data was used to qualify pollen diversity through rank-frequency curves separating the samples into two groups. On the basis of physicochemical data, the samples were analyzed through multivariate classification and ranking procedures resulting in the identification of an outlier. Elimination of the outlier produced a high correlation between the total phenolic content and RSA in the two pollen diversity groups. The case study suggests that, after disregarding outliers, the RSA activity can be satisfactorily qualified on the basis of phenolics with pollen diversity as a covariate.

  11. The effect of personalized versus standard patient protocols for radiostereometric analysis (RSA).

    PubMed

    Muharemovic, O; Troelsen, A; Thomsen, M G; Kallemose, T; Gosvig, K K

    2018-05-01

    Increasing pressure in the clinic requires a more standardized approach to radiostereometric analysis (RSA) imaging. The aim of this study was to investigate whether implementation of personalized RSA patient protocols could increase image quality and decrease examination time and the number of exposure repetitions. Forty patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty were equally randomized to either a case or a control group. Radiographers in the case group were assisted by personalized patient protocols containing information about each patient's post-operative RSA imaging. Radiographers in the control group used a standard RSA protocol. At three months, radiographers in the case group significantly reduced (p < 0.001) the number of exposures by 1.6, examination time with 19.2 min, and distance between centrum of prosthesis and centrum of calibration field with 34.1 mm when compared to post-operative (baseline) results. At twelve months, the case group significantly reduced (p < 0.001) number of exposures by two, examination time with 22.5 min, and centrum of prosthesis to centrum of calibration field distance with 43.1 mm when compared to baseline results. No significant improvements were found in the control group at any time point. There is strong evidence that personalized RSA patient protocols have a positive effect on image quality and radiation dose savings. Implementation of personal patient protocols as a RSA standard will contribute to the reduction of examination time, thus ensuring a cost benefit for department and patient safety. Copyright © 2017 The College of Radiographers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Early caregiving stress exposure moderates the relation between respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity at 1 month and biobehavioral outcomes at age 3

    PubMed Central

    CONRADT, ELISABETH; BEAUCHAINE, THEODORE; ABAR, BEAU; LAGASSE, LINDA; SHANKARAN, SEETHA; BADA, HENRIETTA; BAUER, CHARLES; WHITAKER, TONI; HAMMOND, JANE; LESTER, BARRY

    2016-01-01

    There is a growing scientific interest in the psychophysiological functioning of children living in low-socioeconomic status (SES) contexts, though this research is complicated by knowledge that physiology–behavior relations often operate differently in these environments among adults. Importantly, such research is made more difficult because SES may be a proxy for a wide range of risk factors including poor caregiving and exposure to parental substance use. We used factor analysis to organize risk-exposure data collected from 827 children—many of whom were raised in low-SES contexts and exposed to substances prenatally—into dissociable components including economic stress, caregiving stress (e.g., stress the caregiver may experience, including parental psychopathology), and postnatal substance exposure. These factors, along with respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity at age 1 month, were used to predict behavior dysregulation and resting RSA at age 3 years. A significant RSA Reactivity × Caregiving Stress interaction indicated that infants who exhibited high RSA reactivity at 1 month experienced the greatest behavior dysregulation at 3 years, but only when they were exposed to high levels of caregiving stress. Among African Americans, the highest resting RSA at 3 years was found in infants with less RSA reactivity, but only if they also experienced less caregiving stress. Our work is consistent with biological sensitivity to context, adaptive calibration, and allostatic load models, and highlights the importance of studying Physiology × Environment interactions in low-SES contexts for predicting behavior and resting RSA. PMID:26681620

  13. Does respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) predict anxiety reduction during cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for social anxiety disorder (SAD)?

    PubMed

    Mathewson, Karen J; Schmidt, Louis A; Miskovic, Vladimir; Santesso, Diane L; Duku, Eric; McCabe, Randi E; Antony, Martin M; Moscovitch, David A

    2013-05-01

    Modifying dysfunctional emotion regulation is an important goal in psychological treatments for social anxiety disorder (SAD). Antecedent-focused strategies learned in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), such as cognitive reappraisal, have proven more effective in reducing social anxiety than response-focused strategies, such as expressive suppression. Still, not all patients with SAD respond well to CBT. Medications and physiological factors may also influence the clinical response. The purpose of the present study was to examine the role that these factors play in determining treatment response following CBT for SAD. Using multilevel modeling, we examined associations across four separate laboratory visits between change in self-reported anxiety and indices of reappraisal, suppression, medication status, and resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a proxy measure of self-regulatory capacity, in 23 socially anxious adults during a 12-week program of CBT. Most participants were ultimately classified as responders to CBT (n=15), but in some, anxiety levels remained unchanged (n=8). Medication use explained substantial variance related to individual differences in anxiety among participants. When modeled separately, reappraisal, suppression, and RSA each accounted for significant variance related to anxiety. However, the best-fitting model included reappraisal and RSA. Moreover, RSA reactivity (change in RSA levels over time) was more important for predicting anxiety reduction than were baseline levels of RSA. These findings suggest that reappraisal and parasympathetic responsiveness may be important in reducing anxiety in adults with SAD who respond well to CBT. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Can a Repeated Sprint Ability Test Help Clear a Previously Injured Soccer Player for Fully Functional Return to Activity? A Pilot Study.

    PubMed

    Padulo, Johnny; Attene, Giuseppe; Ardigò, Luca P; Bragazzi, Nicola L; Maffulli, Nicola; Zagatto, Alessandro M; Dello Iacono, Antonio

    2017-07-01

    To investigate the effects of fatigue induced by a repeated sprint ability (RSA) test on the neuromuscular responses of soccer players with a recent history of lower limb injuries (CH) and a matched control group in good fitness condition (GH). This was a case-control study. Nine CH and 9 GH. Allocation to CH or GH. Each player was assessed for blood lactate concentration and jumping performance [squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ)] before/after RSA. Post-RSA rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was obtained. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to calculate RSA sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing between CH and GH. Intraclass correlation coefficient was used to assess reliability. No baseline differences were found for any variable. ΔSJ before/after RSA was -14 ± 2% and -5 ± 2% in CH and GH, respectively (P < 0.05). ΔCMJ before/after RSA was -15 ± 2% and -7 ± 2% in CH and GH, respectively (P < 0.05). ΔSJ-based and ΔCMJ-based (before/after RSA) area under curve (AUC) resulted in 0.90 ± 0.07 and 0.86 ± 0.09, respectively, with both AUCs differentiating between CH and GH with 77.78% sensitivity and 88.89% specificity. Pooled AUC resulted in 0.88 ± 0.06. Intraclass correlation coefficient was high (0.85/0.97). Repeated sprint ability is a simple, low-cost field test potentially able to assist in clinical decision making for return to sport.

  15. Physiological correlates of neurobehavioral disinhibition that relate to drug use and risky sexual behavior in adolescents with prenatal substance exposure.

    PubMed

    Conradt, Elisabeth; Lagasse, Linda L; Shankaran, Seetha; Bada, Henrietta; Bauer, Charles R; Whitaker, Toni M; Hammond, Jane A; Lester, Barry M

    2014-01-01

    Physiological correlates of behavioral and emotional problems, substance use onset and initiation of risky sexual behavior have not been studied in adolescents with prenatal drug exposure. We studied the concordance between baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) at age 3 and baseline cortisol levels at age 11. We hypothesized that children who showed concordance between RSA and cortisol would have lower neurobehavioral disinhibition scores which would in turn predict age of substance use onset and first sexual intercourse. The sample included 860 children aged 16 years participating in the Maternal Lifestyle Study, a multisite longitudinal study of children with prenatal exposure to cocaine and other substances. Structural equation modeling was used to test pathways between prenatal substance exposure, early adversity, baseline RSA, baseline cortisol, neurobehavioral disinhibition, drug use, and sexual behavior outcomes. Concordance was studied by examining separate male and female models in which there were statistically significant interactions between baseline RSA and cortisol. Prenatal substance exposure was operationalized as the number of substances to which the child was exposed. An adversity score was computed based on caregiver postnatal substance use, depression and psychological distress, number of caregiver changes, socioeconomic and poverty status, quality of the home environment, and child history of protective service involvement, abuse and neglect. RSA and cortisol were measured during a baseline period prior to the beginning of a task. Neurobehavioral disinhibition, based on composite scores of behavioral dysregulation and executive dysfunction, substance use and sexual behavior were derived from questionnaires and cognitive tests administered to the child. Findings were sex specific. In females, those with discordance between RSA and cortisol (high RSA and low cortisol or low RSA and high cortisol) had the most executive dysfunction which, in turn, predicted earlier initiation of alcohol by age 16. Among boys, there also existed a significant baseline RSA by baseline cortisol interaction. Boys with low baseline RSA and high baseline cortisol had the highest levels of behavioral dysregulation. This increase in behavioral dysregulation was in turn related to initiation of alcohol use by age 16 and lower age of first sexual intercourse. We found sex-specific pathways to the initiation of alcohol use and risky sexual behavior through the combined activity of parasympathetic and neuroendocrine functioning. The study of multiple physiological systems may suggest new pathways to the study of age of onset of substance use and engagement in risky sexual behavior in adolescents. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  16. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity of internet addiction abusers in negative and positive emotional states using film clips stimulation.

    PubMed

    Hsieh, Dai-Ling; Hsiao, Tzu-Chien

    2016-07-04

    People with internet addiction (IA) suffer from mental, physical, social, and occupational problems. IA includes psychological and physiological syndromes, and among the syndromes, emotion was suggested important mental and physiological expressions of IA. However, few physiologically emotional characters of IA were investigated. Autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity was a good link between IA and emotion, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) gained from ANS was hypothesized related to IA. An emotional induction experiment using negative and positive emotional films was conducted to validate the hypotheses. Thirty-four participants recruited from college were classified into high-risk IA group (HIA) and low-risk IA group (LIA). The respiratory signals, ECG signals, and self-assessed emotional intensity were acquired. The relationship and difference between IA and RSA was tested using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The RSA values of HIA were lower than those of LIA both before and after the induction of positive and negative emotions. When participants experienced a negative emotion (anger or fear), their RSA values declined; the decline for HIA was greater than that for LIA. The RSA values of HIA participants before induction of fear, happiness, or surprise, statistically significantly differed from that after induction of those emotions, with p values of 0.007, 0.04 and 0.01 respectively. The difference between the changes in RSA values upon the induction of surprise of HIA and LIA was statistically significant difference (p = 0.03). The interaction between two IA groups among emotional induction states was statistically significant difference. RSA value here was the main variable that reflected ANS activity, and especially vagus nerve regulation. The results revealed that the changes in RSA values were biologically significantly different between HIA and LIA, especially when sadness, happiness, or surprise was induced. HIA people exhibited stronger RSA reactivity following negative emotion than LIA people, but the RSA reactivity following positive emotion was weaker. This study provides more physiological information about IA and assists further investigation on the regulation of the ANS for IA abusers. The results will benefit the further application, early detection, therapy, and even early prevention. Clinical trial registration details This study was approved by the Institution Review Board of the National Taiwan University Hospital, Hsinchu Branch (Hsinchu, Taiwan), under the research project: A study of interactions between cognition, emotion and physiology (contract no.100IRB-32).

  17. Physiological Correlates of Neurobehavioral Disinhibition that Relate to Drug Use and Risky Sexual Behavior in Adolescents with Prenatal Substance Exposure

    PubMed Central

    Conradt, Elisabeth; Lagasse, Linda L.; Shankaran, Seetha; Bada, Henrietta; Bauer, Charles R.; Whitaker, Toni M.; Hammond, Jane A.; Lester, Barry M.

    2015-01-01

    Physiological correlates of behavioral and emotional problems, substance use onset and initiation of risky sexual behavior have not been studied in adolescents with prenatal drug exposure. We studied the concordance between baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) at age 3 and baseline Cortisol levels at age 11. We hypothesized that children who showed concordance between RSA and Cortisol would have lower neurobehavioral disinhibition scores which would in turn predict age of substance use onset and first sexual intercourse. The sample included 860 children aged 16 years participating in the Maternal Lifestyle Study, a multisite longitudinal study of children with prenatal exposure to cocaine and other substances. Structural equation modeling was used to test pathways between prenatal substance exposure, early adversity, baseline RSA, baseline Cortisol, neurobehavioral disinhibition, drug use, and sexual behavior outcomes. Concordance was studied by examining separate male and female models in which there were statistically significant interactions between baseline RSA and Cortisol. Prenatal substance exposure was operationalized as the number of substances to which the child was exposed. An adversity score was computed based on caregiver postnatal substance use, depression and psychological distress, number of caregiver changes, socioeconomic and poverty status, quality of the home environment, and child history of protective service involvement, abuse and neglect. RSA and Cortisol were measured during a baseline period prior to the beginning of a task. Neurobehavioral disinhibition, based on composite scores of behavioral dysregulation and executive dysfunction, substance use and sexual behavior were derived from questionnaires and cognitive tests administered to the child. Findings were sex specific. In females, those with discordance between RSA and Cortisol (high RSA and low Cortisol or low RSA and high Cortisol) had the most executive dysfunction which, in turn, predicted earlier initiation of alcohol by age 16. Among boys, there also existed a significant baseline RSA by baseline Cortisol interaction. Boys with low baseline RSA and high baseline Cortisol had the highest levels of behavioral dysregulation. This increase in behavioral dysregulation was in turn related to initiation of alcohol use by age 16 and lower age of first sexual intercourse. We found sex-specific pathways to the initiation of alcohol use and risky sexual behavior through the combined activity of parasympathetic and neuroendocrine functioning. The study of multiple physiological systems may suggest new pathways to the study of age of onset of substance use and engagement in risky sexual behavior in adolescents. PMID:25033835

  18. Spectroscopic and DFT-based computational studies on the molecular electronic structural characteristics and the third-order nonlinear property of an organic NLO crystal: (E)-N‧-(4-chlorobenzylidene)-4-methylbenzenesulfonohydrazide

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sasikala, V.; Sajan, D.; Joseph, Lynnette; Balaji, J.; Prabu, S.; Srinivasan, P.

    2017-04-01

    Single crystals of (E)-N‧-(4-chlorobenzylidene)-4-methylbenzenesulfonohydrazide (CBMBSH) have been grown by slow evaporation crystal growth method. The structure stabilizing intramolecular donor-acceptor interactions and the presence of the Nsbnd H⋯O, Csbnd H⋯O and Csbnd H⋯C(π) hydrogen bonds in the crystal were confirmed by vibrational spectroscopic and DFT methods. The linear optical absorption characteristics of the solvent phase of CBMBSH were investigated using UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopic and TD-DFT approaches. The 2PA assisted RSA nonlinear absorption and the optical limiting properties of CBMBSH were studied using the open-aperture Z-scan method. The topological characteristics of the electron density have been determined using the quantum theory of atoms in molecules method.

  19. Validation of the brief version of the Recovery Self-Assessment (RSA-B) using Rasch measurement theory.

    PubMed

    Barbic, Skye P; Kidd, Sean A; Davidson, Larry; McKenzie, Kwame; O'Connell, Maria J

    2015-12-01

    In psychiatry, the recovery paradigm is increasingly identified as the overarching framework for service provision. Currently, the Recovery Self-Assessment (RSA), a 36-item rating scale, is commonly used to assess the uptake of a recovery orientation in clinical services. However, the consumer version of the RSA has been found challenging to complete because of length and the reading level required. In response to this feedback, a brief 12-item version of the RSA was developed (RSA-B). This article describes the development of the modified instrument and the application of traditional psychometric analysis and Rasch Measurement Theory to test the psychometrics properties of the RSA-B. Data from a multisite study of adults with serious mental illnesses (n = 1256) who were followed by assertive community treatment teams were examined for reliability, clinical meaning, targeting, response categories, model fit, reliability, dependency, and raw interval-level measurement. Analyses were performed using the Rasch Unidimensional Measurement Model (RUMM 2030). Adequate fit to the Rasch model was observed (χ2 = 112.46, df = 90, p = .06) and internal consistency was good (r = .86). However, Rasch analysis revealed limitations of the 12-item version, with items covering only 39% of the targeted theoretical continuum, 2 misfitting items, and strong evidence for the 5 option response categories not working as intended. This study revealed areas for improvement in the shortened version of the 12-item RSA-B. A revisit of the conceptual model and original 36-item rating scale is encouraged to select items that will help practitioners and researchers measure the full range of recovery orientation. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  20. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia stabilizes mean arterial blood pressure at high-frequency interval in healthy humans.

    PubMed

    Elstad, Maja; Walløe, Lars; Holme, Nathalie L A; Maes, Elke; Thoresen, Marianne

    2015-03-01

    Arterial blood pressure variations are an independent risk factor for end organ failure. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is a sign of a healthy cardiovascular system. However, whether RSA counteracts arterial blood pressure variations during the respiratory cycle remains controversial. We restricted normal RSA with non-invasive intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) to test the hypothesis that RSA normally functions to stabilize mean arterial blood pressure. Ten young volunteers were investigated during metronome-paced breathing and IPPV. Heart rate (ECG), mean arterial blood pressure and left stroke volume (finger arterial pressure curve) and right stroke volume (pulsed ultrasound Doppler) were recorded, while systemic and pulmonary blood flow were calculated beat-by-beat. Respiratory variations (high-frequency power, 0.15-0.40 Hz) in cardiovascular variables were estimated by spectral analysis. Phase angles and correlation were calculated by cross-spectral analysis. The magnitude of RSA was reduced from 4.9 bpm(2) (95% CI 3.0, 6.2) during metronome breathing to 2.8 bpm(2) (95% CI 1.1, 5.0) during IPPV (p = 0.03). Variations in mean arterial blood pressure were greater (2.3 mmHg(2) (95% CI 1.4, 3.9) during IPPV than during metronome breathing (1.0 mmHg(2) [95% CI 0.7, 1.3]) (p = 0.014). Respiratory variations in right and left stroke volumes were inversely related in the respiratory cycle during both metronome breathing and IPPV. RSA magnitude is lower and mean arterial blood pressure variability is greater during IPPV than during metronome breathing. We conclude that in healthy humans, RSA stabilizes mean arterial blood pressure at respiratory frequency.

  1. Effects of Resistance Training and Combined Training Program on Repeated Sprint Ability in Futsal Players.

    PubMed

    Torres-Torrelo, Julio; Rodríguez-Rosell, David; Mora-Custodio, Ricardo; Pareja-Blanco, Fernando; Yañez-García, Juan Manuel; González-Badillo, Juan José

    2018-05-16

    The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of 6 weeks resistance training (RT) with combined RT and loaded change of direction (CD) exercise on muscle strength and repeated sprint ability (RSA) in futsal players. Thirty-four players (age: 23.7±4.1 years; height: 1.77±0.06 m; body mass: 74.1±8.2 kg) were randomly assigned into three groups: full squat group (SG, n=12), combined full squat and CD group (S+CDG, n=12), and control group (CG, n=10). The RT for SG consisted of full squat with low-load (~45-60% 1RM) and low-volume (2-3 sets and 4-6 repetitions), whereas the S+CDG performed the same RT program combined with loaded CD (2-5 sets of 10 s). Estimated one-repetition maximum (1RM est ) and variables derived from RSA test including mean sprint time (RSA mean ), best sprint time (RSA best ), percent sprint decrement (S dec ), mean ground contact time (GCT mean ) and mean step length (SL) were selected as testing variables. Changes in sprint time and GCT in each sprint were also analysed. Both experimental groups showed significant (P<0.05-0.001) improvements for 1RM est , RSA best and first and second sprint time. In addition, S+CDG achieved significant (P<0.05-0.001) improvements in RSA mean, sprint time (from fifth to ninth sprint) and GCT (from third to eighth sprint). These results indicate that only 6 weeks of low-load and low-volume RT combined with CD in addition to routine futsal training is enough to improve RSA and strength performance simultaneously in futsal players. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  2. Effect of lateralized design on muscle and joint reaction forces for reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

    PubMed

    Liou, William; Yang, Yang; Petersen-Fitts, Graysen R; Lombardo, Daniel J; Stine, Sasha; Sabesan, Vani J

    2017-04-01

    Manufacturers of reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) implants have recently designed innovative implants to optimize performance in rotator cuff-deficient shoulders. These advancements are not without tradeoffs and can have negative biomechanical effects. The objective of this study was to develop an integrated finite element analysis-kinematic model to compare the muscle forces and joint reaction forces (JRFs) of 3 different RSA designs. A kinematic model of a normal shoulder joint was adapted from the Delft model and integrated with the well-validated OpenSim shoulder model. Static optimizations then allowed for calculation of the individual muscle forces, moment arms, and JRFs relative to net joint moments. Three-dimensional computer models of 3 RSA designs-humeral lateralized design (HLD), glenoid lateralized design, and Grammont design-were integrated, and parametric studies were performed. Overall, there were decreases in deltoid and rotator cuff muscle forces for all 3 RSA designs. These decreases were greatest in the middle deltoid of the HLD model for abduction and flexion and in the rotator cuff muscles under both internal rotation and external rotation. The JRFs in abduction and flexion decreased similarly for all RSA designs compared with the normal shoulder model, with the greatest decrease seen in the HLD model. These findings demonstrate that the design characteristics implicit in these modified RSA prostheses result in mechanical differences most prominently seen in the deltoid muscle and overall JRFs. Further research using this novel integrated model can help guide continued optimization of RSA design and clinical outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Maternal natural killer cell immunoglobulin receptor genes and human leukocyte antigen-C ligands influence recurrent spontaneous abortion in the Han Chinese population

    PubMed Central

    Su, Ning; Wang, Hongdan; Zhang, Bowei; Kang, Yiqing; Guo, Qiannan; Xiao, Hai; Yang, Hecai; Liao, Shixiu

    2018-01-01

    The underlying mechanism of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) has remained elusive for many years. Several previous studies have suggested that the killer cell immunoglobulin receptor (KIR) gene family is associated with RSA, however, it is not clear exactly how. The present study detected KIR and human leukocyte antigen-C (HLA-C) genes in 110 Han Chinese women with unexplained RSA and 105 Han Chinese healthy females. The aim of the present study was to determine if certain genotypes were more susceptible to the occurrence of miscarriage. The frequency of KIR genes and different KIR haplotypes in the 2 groups demonstrated no statistical differences. However, in women who had miscarried ≥3 times, the frequency of KIR3DL1 was significantly reduced and the BB haplotype frequency was significantly higher compared with the control group. HLA-C2C2 was significantly increased in the KIR AB and KIR BB groups in the RSA groups compared with the control group. The women in the RSA group who had a homozygous HLA-C2C2 had a significantly higher frequency of the 2DS1 gene compared with the control group. The reduction of inhibitory gene and increased activation combinations may induce the activation of uterine natural killer cells, which may reduce the probability of fetal survival. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first report demonstrating the association between maternal KIR and HLA-C genes and RSA in women of a Han Chinese ethnicity. The present study revealed that females who miscarry ≥3 times may be used as selection criteria for RSA and so may exhibit higher research value. PMID:29387191

  4. Solvent-dependent gating motions of an extremophilic lipase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

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

    Johnson, Quentin R.; Nellas, Ricky B.; Shen, Tongye

    2012-07-25

    Understanding how organic solvent-stable proteins can function in anhydrous and often complex solutions is essential for the study of the interaction of protein and molecular immiscible interfaces and the design of efficient industrial enzymes in nonaqueous solvents. Using an extremophilic lipase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa as an example, we investigated the conformational dynamics of an organic solvent-tolerant enzyme in complex solvent milieux. Four 100-ns molecular dynamics simulations of the lipase were performed in solvent systems: water, hexane, and two mixtures of hexane and water, 5% and 95% (w/w) hexane. Our results show a solvent-dependent structural change of the protein, especially inmore » the region that regulates the admission of the substrate. We observed that the lipase is much less flexible in hexane than in aqueous solution or at the immiscible interface. Quantified by the size of the accessible channel, the lipase in water has a closed-gate conformation and no access to the active site, while in the hexane-containing systems, the lipase is at various degrees of open-gate state, with the immiscible interface setup being in the widely open conformation ensembles. Furthermore, the composition of explicit solvents in the access channel showed a significant influence on the conformational dynamics of the protein. Interestingly, the slowest step (bottleneck) of the hexane-induced conformational switch seems to be correlated with the slow dehydration dynamics of the channel.« less

  5. Reducing Mission Costs by Leveraging Previous Investments in Space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miller, Ron; Adams, W. James

    1999-01-01

    The Rapid Spacecraft Development Office (RSDO) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has been charged with the responsibility to reduce mission cost by allowing access to previous developments on government and commercial space missions. RSDO accomplishes this responsibility by implementing two revolutionary contract vehicles, the Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition (RSA) and Quick Ride. This paper will describe the concept behind these contracts, the current capabilities available to missions, analysis of pricing trends to date using the RSDO processes, and future plans to increase flexibility and capabilities available to mission planners.

  6. Final priority; Rehabilitation Services Administration--Assistive Technology Alternative Financing Program. Final priority.

    PubMed

    2014-08-14

    The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services announces a priority under the Assistive Technology Alternative Financing Program administered by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). The Assistant Secretary may use this priority for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2014 and later years. This priority is designed to ensure that the Department funds high-quality assistive technology (AT) alternative financing programs (AFPs) that meet rigorous standards in order to enable individuals with disabilities to access and acquire assistive technology devices and services necessary to achieve education, community living, and employment goals.

  7. Protein Solvent-Accessibility Prediction by a Stacked Deep Bidirectional Recurrent Neural Network.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Buzhong; Li, Linqing; Lü, Qiang

    2018-05-25

    Residue solvent accessibility is closely related to the spatial arrangement and packing of residues. Predicting the solvent accessibility of a protein is an important step to understand its structure and function. In this work, we present a deep learning method to predict residue solvent accessibility, which is based on a stacked deep bidirectional recurrent neural network applied to sequence profiles. To capture more long-range sequence information, a merging operator was proposed when bidirectional information from hidden nodes was merged for outputs. Three types of merging operators were used in our improved model, with a long short-term memory network performing as a hidden computing node. The trained database was constructed from 7361 proteins extracted from the PISCES server using a cut-off of 25% sequence identity. Sequence-derived features including position-specific scoring matrix, physical properties, physicochemical characteristics, conservation score and protein coding were used to represent a residue. Using this method, predictive values of continuous relative solvent-accessible area were obtained, and then, these values were transformed into binary states with predefined thresholds. Our experimental results showed that our deep learning method improved prediction quality relative to current methods, with mean absolute error and Pearson's correlation coefficient values of 8.8% and 74.8%, respectively, on the CB502 dataset and 8.2% and 78%, respectively, on the Manesh215 dataset.

  8. Emotion suppression moderates the quadratic association between RSA and executive function.

    PubMed

    Spangler, Derek P; Bell, Martha Ann; Deater-Deckard, Kirby

    2015-09-01

    There is uncertainty about whether respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a cardiac marker of adaptive emotion regulation, is involved in relatively low or high executive function performance. In the present study, we investigated (a) whether RSA during rest and tasks predict both relatively low and high executive function within a larger quadratic association among the two variables, and (b) the extent to which this quadratic trend was moderated by individual differences in emotion regulation. To achieve these aims, a sample of ethnically and socioeconomically diverse women self-reported reappraisal and emotion suppression. They next experienced a 2-min resting period during which electrocardiogram (ECG) was continually assessed. In the next phase, the women completed an array of executive function and nonexecutive cognitive tasks while ECG was measured throughout. As anticipated, resting RSA showed a quadratic association with executive function that was strongest for high suppression. These results suggest that relatively high resting RSA may predict poor executive function ability when emotion regulation consumes executive control resources needed for ongoing cognitive performance. © 2015 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  9. Aerobic Capacity is Related to Repeated Sprint Ability with Sprint Distances Less Than 40 Meters

    PubMed Central

    SANDERS, GABRIEL J.; TURNER, ZACHARY; BOOS, BRIAN; PEACOCK, COREY A.; PEVELER, WILLARD; LIPPING, ALAR

    2017-01-01

    Research is inconclusive regarding the association between aerobic fitness (objectively measured VO2max) and repeated sprint performance when the sprints are less than 40 meters. Soccer athletes must be able to repeat sprints without significant decreases in speed and strength and conditioning coaches need to better understand if aerobic fitness is related to repeated sprint ability (RSA). Twenty (10 male, 10 female) Division I soccer athletes first completed a graded maximal treadmill test to measure VO2max. Then on a separate day, athletes completed the RSA test. The RSA test consisted of 10, 30-meter sprints which athletes repeated every 30 seconds. There were significant negative correlations (r ≤ −0.69, P < 0.001) between VO2max and all 10-sprint times and average sprint time. More aerobically fit Division I soccer athletes were faster at all time points during the RSA test. Aerobic fitness is associated with faster sprint times during a more anaerobic RSA test when sprint distances are less than 40 meters. PMID:28344734

  10. Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia, Effortful Control, and Parenting as Predictors of Children’s Sympathy Across Early Childhood

    PubMed Central

    Taylor, Zoe E.; Eisenberg, Nancy; Spinrad, Tracy L.

    2015-01-01

    The goal of this study was to examine physiological and environmental predictors of children’s sympathy (an emotional response consisting of feelings of concern or sorrow for others who are distressed or in need) and whether temperamental effortful control mediated these relations. Specifically, in a study of 192 children (23% Hispanic; 54% male), respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a measure thought to reflect physiological regulation, and observed authoritative parenting (both at 42 months) were examined as predictors of children’s effortful control (at 54 months) and, in turn, children’s sympathy (at 72 and 84 months). Measures of both baseline RSA and RSA suppression were examined. In a structural equation model, observed parenting was positively related to children’s subsequent sympathy through its positive relation to effortful control. Furthermore, the indirect path from baseline RSA to higher sympathy through effortful control was marginally significant. Authoritative parenting and baseline RSA uniquely predicted individual differences in children’s effortful control. Findings highlight the potential role of both authoritative parenting and physiological regulation in the development of children’s sympathy. PMID:25329555

  11. RSA/Legacy Wind Sensor Comparison. Part 2; Eastern Range

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Short, David A.; Wheeler, Mark M.

    2006-01-01

    This report describes a comparison of data from ultrasonic and propeller-and-vane anemometers on 5 wind towers at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The ultrasonic sensors are scheduled to replace the Legacy propeller-and-vane sensors under the Range Standardization and Automation (RSA) program. Because previous studies have noted differences between peak wind speeds reported by mechanical and ultrasonic wind sensors, the latter having no moving parts, the 30th and 45th Weather Squadrons wanted to understand possible differences between the two sensor types. The period-of-record was 13-30 May 2005, A total of 357,626 readings of 1-minute average and peak wind speed/direction from each sensor type were used. Statistics of differences in speed and direction were used to identify 15 out of 19 RSA sensors having the most consistent performance, with respect to the Legacy sensors. RSA average wind speed data from these 15 showed a small positive bias of 0.38 kts. A slightly larger positive bias of 0.94 kts was found in the RSA peak wind speed.

  12. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia, effortful control, and parenting as predictors of children's sympathy across early childhood.

    PubMed

    Taylor, Zoe E; Eisenberg, Nancy; Spinrad, Tracy L

    2015-01-01

    The goal of this study was to examine physiological and environmental predictors of children's sympathy (an emotional response consisting of feelings of concern or sorrow for others who are distressed or in need) and whether temperamental effortful control mediated these relations. Specifically, in a study of 192 children (23% Hispanic; 54% male), respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a measure thought to reflect physiological regulation, and observed authoritative parenting (both at 42 months) were examined as predictors of children's effortful control (at 54 months) and, in turn, children's sympathy (at 72 and 84 months). Measures of both baseline RSA and RSA suppression were examined. In a structural equation model, observed parenting was positively related to children's subsequent sympathy through its positive relation to effortful control. Furthermore, the indirect path from baseline RSA to higher sympathy through effortful control was marginally significant. Authoritative parenting and baseline RSA uniquely predicted individual differences in children's effortful control. Findings highlight the potential role of both authoritative parenting and physiological regulation in the development of children's sympathy.

  13. Security analysis of RSA cryptosystem algorithm and it’s properties

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

    Liu, Chenglian; Guo, Yongning, E-mail: guoyn@163.com, E-mail: linjuanliucaihong@qq.com; Lin, Juan, E-mail: guoyn@163.com, E-mail: linjuanliucaihong@qq.com

    2014-10-06

    The information technology rapidly development and dramatically changed the life style people, in addition to shortening the distance of communication, but also promote the smooth exchange of information flows. However, derivatives to facilitate the relative safety of these issues, since into the digital information age, the majority of the practitioners of engineering and technical personnel and technical workers in terms of technology, information security is increasingly becoming an important issue. The RSA algorithm was published in 1978. It is a kind of very popular and widely application modem cryptosystem in the world. Even though there are lots of articles tomore » discuss about how to break the RSA, but it is still secure today. In this paper, the authors would like to introduce a variant attack to RSA.« less

  14. 47 CFR 22.969 - Cellular RSA licenses subject to competitive bidding.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... CARRIER SERVICES PUBLIC MOBILE SERVICES Cellular Radiotelephone Service § 22.969 Cellular RSA licenses subject to competitive bidding. Mutually exclusive applications for initial authorization for the...

  15. Dialable Cryptography for Wireless Networks

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-03-01

    size increased the file size differences for RSA and ELG-E. For example, Elg-E with key size 768 had a smaller file size difference than Elg-E with...not tested at key size 768 ). Figure 11 shows the file size differences for RSA and ElGamal for the different key sizes (all file size differences...times for key sizes 1024 and 1280 (key size 768 was only tested with ElGamal. Once the key size increased above 1280, RSA rose slower than ElGamal

  16. DYZ1 copy number variation, Y chromosome polymorphism and early recurrent spontaneous abortion/early embryo growth arrest.

    PubMed

    Yan, Junhao; Fan, Lingling; Zhao, Yueran; You, Li; Wang, Laicheng; Zhao, Han; Li, Yuan; Chen, Zi-Jiang

    2011-12-01

    To find the association between recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA)/early embryo growth arrest and Y chromosome polymorphism. Peripheral blood samples of the male patients of big Y chromosome, small Y chromosome and other male patients whose partners suffered from unexplained RSA/early embryo growth arrest were collected. PCR and real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR were used to test the deletion and the copy number variation of DYZ1 region in Y chromosome of the patients. A total of 79 big Y chromosome patients (48 of whose partners suffered from RSA or early embryo growth arrest), 7 small Y chromosome patients, 106 other male patients whose partners had suffered from unexplained RSA or early embryo growth arrest, and 100 normal male controls were enrolled. There was no fraction deletion of DYZ1 detected both in big Y patients and in normal men. Of RSA patients, 1 case showed deletion of 266bp from the gene locus 25-290bp, and 2 cases showed deletion of 773bp from 1347 to 2119bp. Of only 7 small Y chromosome patients, 2 cases showed deletion of 266bp from 25 to 290bp, and 4 cases showed deletion of 773bp from 1347 to 2119bp and 275bp from 3128 to 3420bp. The mean of DYZ1 copies was 3900 in normal control men; the mean in big Y patients was 5571, in RSA patients was 2655, and in small Y patients was 1059. All of the others were significantly different (P<0.01) compared with normal control men, which meant that DYZ1 copy number in normal control men was less than that of big Y chromosome patients, and was more than that of unexplained early RSA patients and small Y patients. The integrity and copy number variation of DYZ1 are closely related to the Y chromosome length under microscope. The cause of RSA/early embryo growth arrest in some couples may be the increase (big Y patients) or decrease of DYZ1 copy number in the husbands' Y chromosome. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Comparison of volume and surface area nonpolar solvation free energy terms for implicit solvent simulations.

    PubMed

    Lee, Michael S; Olson, Mark A

    2013-07-28

    Implicit solvent models for molecular dynamics simulations are often composed of polar and nonpolar terms. Typically, the nonpolar solvation free energy is approximated by the solvent-accessible-surface area times a constant factor. More sophisticated approaches incorporate an estimate of the attractive dispersion forces of the solvent and∕or a solvent-accessible volume cavitation term. In this work, we confirm that a single volume-based nonpolar term most closely fits the dispersion and cavitation forces obtained from benchmark explicit solvent simulations of fixed protein conformations. Next, we incorporated the volume term into molecular dynamics simulations and find the term is not universally suitable for folding up small proteins. We surmise that while mean-field cavitation terms such as volume and SASA often tilt the energy landscape towards native-like folds, they also may sporadically introduce bottlenecks into the folding pathway that hinder the progression towards the native state.

  18. Comparison of volume and surface area nonpolar solvation free energy terms for implicit solvent simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Michael S.; Olson, Mark A.

    2013-07-01

    Implicit solvent models for molecular dynamics simulations are often composed of polar and nonpolar terms. Typically, the nonpolar solvation free energy is approximated by the solvent-accessible-surface area times a constant factor. More sophisticated approaches incorporate an estimate of the attractive dispersion forces of the solvent and/or a solvent-accessible volume cavitation term. In this work, we confirm that a single volume-based nonpolar term most closely fits the dispersion and cavitation forces obtained from benchmark explicit solvent simulations of fixed protein conformations. Next, we incorporated the volume term into molecular dynamics simulations and find the term is not universally suitable for folding up small proteins. We surmise that while mean-field cavitation terms such as volume and SASA often tilt the energy landscape towards native-like folds, they also may sporadically introduce bottlenecks into the folding pathway that hinder the progression towards the native state.

  19. Assessing implicit models for nonpolar mean solvation forces: The importance of dispersion and volume terms

    PubMed Central

    Wagoner, Jason A.; Baker, Nathan A.

    2006-01-01

    Continuum solvation models provide appealing alternatives to explicit solvent methods because of their ability to reproduce solvation effects while alleviating the need for expensive sampling. Our previous work has demonstrated that Poisson-Boltzmann methods are capable of faithfully reproducing polar explicit solvent forces for dilute protein systems; however, the popular solvent-accessible surface area model was shown to be incapable of accurately describing nonpolar solvation forces at atomic-length scales. Therefore, alternate continuum methods are needed to reproduce nonpolar interactions at the atomic scale. In the present work, we address this issue by supplementing the solvent-accessible surface area model with additional volume and dispersion integral terms suggested by scaled particle models and Weeks–Chandler–Andersen theory, respectively. This more complete nonpolar implicit solvent model shows very good agreement with explicit solvent results and suggests that, although often overlooked, the inclusion of appropriate dispersion and volume terms are essential for an accurate implicit solvent description of atomic-scale nonpolar forces. PMID:16709675

  20. Association between lower frequency of R381Q variant (rs11209026) in IL-23 receptor gene and increased risk of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA).

    PubMed

    Abdollahi, Elham; Tavasolian, Fataneh; Ghasemi, Nasrin; Mirghanizadeh, Seyed Ali; Azizi, Mohammdareza; Ghoryani, Mohsen; Samadi, Morteza

    2015-01-01

    Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is defined as three or more consecutive spontaneous abortions before the 20th week of gestation. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between a functional single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the interleukin (IL)-23 receptor gene (IL-23R; rs11209026, 1142 G wild type → A reduced function, Arg381Gln, R381Q) and RSA. For the study, 200 RSA patients (confirmed using established diagnostic criteria) and 200 normal individuals in fertility and infertility centers in the cities of Yazd and Isfahan were recruited during a period from 2012-2013. Using PCR-RFLP, the R381Q variant was screened for in the IL-23R gene of the patients and controls. The results indicated there were significant differences in the frequency of this genetic variant in the patients versus the healthy controls, i.e. 2% and 7.5%, respectively (p value = 0.01; odds ratio = 0.25; CI = 95%). No significant difference was found for the G allelic frequency in patients with RSA and in the control group (p = 0.60). The A allelic frequency was significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.01). Based on these findings, it is concluded that the frequency of single nucleotide polymorphism in the IL-23 receptor (R381Q) in patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is less than that found in normal control women.

  1. RSA migration of total knee replacements.

    PubMed

    Pijls, Bart G; Plevier, José W M; Nelissen, Rob G H H

    2018-06-01

    Purpose - We performed a systematic review and meta-analyses to evaluate the early and long-term migration patterns of tibial components of TKR of all known RSA studies. Methods - Migration pattern was defined as at least 2 postoperative RSA follow-up moments. Maximal total point motion (MTPM) at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, and 10 years were considered. Results - The literature search yielded 1,167 hits of which 53 studies were included, comprising 111 study groups and 2,470 knees. The majority of the early migration occurred in the first 6 months postoperatively followed by a period of stability, i.e., no or very little migration. Cemented and uncemented tibial components had different migration patterns. For cemented tibial components there was no difference in migration between all-poly and metal-backed components, between mobile bearing and fixed bearing, between cruciate retaining and posterior stabilized. Furthermore, no difference existed between TKR measured with model-based RSA or marker-based RSA methods. For uncemented TKR there was some variation in migration with the highest migration for uncoated TKR. Interpretation - The results from this meta-analysis on RSA migration of TKR are in line with both the survival analyses results from joint registries of these TKRs as well as revision rates results from meta-analyses, thus providing further proof for the association between early migration and late revision for loosening. The pooled migration patterns can be used both as benchmarks and for defining migration thresholds for future evaluation of new TKR.

  2. Effect of ADA1 mother-fetus and wife-husband phenotypic differences on the ratio birth weight/placental weight in fertile women and on reproductive success in couples with RSA.

    PubMed

    Gloria-Bottini, Fulvia; Nicotra, Maria; Amante, Ada; Ambrosi, Sara; Cozzoli, Eliana; Saccucci, Patrizia; Bottini, Egidio; Magrini, Andrea

    2012-01-01

    To study the effect Adenosine Deaminase locus 1 (ADA(1)) mother-fetus and wife-husband phenotypic differences on the ratio Birth Weight/Placental Weight (BW/PW) in fertile women and on reproductive success in couples with repeated spontaneous abortion (RSA). 209 couples with primary RSA and a consecutive series of 379 healthy puerperae with their newborn infants from the White Caucasian population of central Italy were studied. In primary RSA women reproductive success was indicated by the presence of at least one live-born infant within 5 years of follow up. Two way contingency tables were analyzed by chi-square. The proportion of primary RSA couples with at least a live-born infant shows the highest value in couples mother ADA(1)1/father carrier of ADA(1)*2 allele (55.2%) and the lowest value in reciprocal couples mother carrier of ADA(1)*2 allele /father ADA(1)1 (18.7%) (O.R. = 5.33; P = 0.023). The highest ratio BW/PW is observed in the class mother ADA(1)1/newborn carrier of ADA(1)*2 allele while the lowest ratio is observed in the reciprocal class mother carrier of ADA(1)*2 allele/ newborn ADA(1)1. Differences between mother and fetus in ADA(1) phenotype may influence the ratio BW/PW in healthy women and reproductive success in RSA women. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Establishing a recovery orientation in mental health services: Evaluating the Recovery Self-Assessment (RSA) in a Swedish context.

    PubMed

    Rosenberg, David; Svedberg, Petra; Schön, Ulla-Karin

    2015-12-01

    Although there has been an emphasis on developing knowledge regarding recovery in Sweden, it is unclear to what extent this has been translated into a recovery orientation in the provision of mental health services. Instruments, which present the components of recovery as measurable dimensions of change, may provide a framework for program development. Involving users is an essential factor in the utilization of such tools. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Recovery Self-Assessment (RSA) measure and its potential for being utilized in a Swedish context. The sample consisted of 78 participants from 6 community mental health services targeting people with serious mental illnesses in a municipality in Sweden. They completed the RSA at the study baseline and two weeks later. User panels participated in the translation and administration of the RSA and the reporting of results. The Swedish version of the RSA had good face and content validity, satisfactory internal consistency, and a moderate to good level of stability in test-retest reliability. The user panels contributed to establishing validity and as collaborators in the study. Establishing the RSA as a valid and reliable instrument with which to focus on the recovery orientation of services is a first step in beginning to study the types of interventions that may effect and contribute to recovery oriented practice in Sweden. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  4. Prospective relations between intrusive parenting and child behavior problems: Differential moderation by parasympathetic nervous system regulation and child sex.

    PubMed

    Rudd, Kristen L; Alkon, Abbey; Yates, Tuppett M

    2017-10-15

    This study examined children's parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) regulation, which was indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) during rest, reactivity, and recovery episodes, and sex as moderators of predicted relations between observed intrusive parenting and later observer-rated child behavior problems. Child-caregiver dyads (N=250; 50% girls; 46% Latino/a) completed a series of laboratory assessments yielding independent measures of intrusive parenting at age 4, PNS regulation at age 6, and child behavior problems at age 8. Results indicated that intrusive parenting was related to more internalizing problems among boys who showed low RSA reactivity (i.e., PNS withdrawal from pre-startle to startle challenge), but RSA reactivity did not moderate this relation among girls. Interestingly, RSA recovery (i.e., PNS activation from startle challenge to post-startle) moderated these relations differently for boys and girls. For girls with relatively low RSA post-startle (i.e., less recovery), intrusive parenting was positively related to both internalizing and externalizing problems. However, the reverse was true for boys, such that there was a significant positive relation between intrusive parenting and later externalizing problems among boys who evidenced relatively high RSA post-startle (i.e., more recovery). Findings provide evidence for the moderation of intrusive caregiving effects by children's PNS regulation while highlighting the differential patterning of these relations across distinct phases of the regulatory response and as a function of child sex. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Mothers' Vagal Regulation During the Still-Face Paradigm: Normative Reactivity and Impact of Depression Symptoms

    PubMed Central

    Oppenheimer, Julia E.; Measelle, Jeffrey R.; Laurent, Heidemarie K.; Ablow, Jennifer C.

    2013-01-01

    This study examined mothers' physiological reactivity in response to infant distress during the Still-Face Paradigm. We aimed to explore normative regulatory profiles and associated physiological and behavioral processes in order to further our understanding of what constitutes regulation in this dyadic context. We examined physiological patterns—vagal tone, indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)-- while mothers maintained a neutral expression over the course of the still face episode, as well as differential reactivity patterns in mothers with depression symptoms compared to non-depressed mothers. Behavioral and physiological data were collected from mothers of 5-month-old infants during the emotion suppression phase of the Still-Face Paradigm. We used Hierarchical Linear Modeling to examine changes in mothers' RSA during infant distress and explored maternal depression as a predictor of physiological profiles. Mothers were generally able to maintain a neutral expression and simultaneously demonstrated a mean-level increase in RSA during the still face episode compared to baseline, indicating an active regulatory response overall. A more detailed time-course examination of RSA trajectories revealed that an initial RSA increase was typically followed by a decrease in response to peak infant distress, suggesting a physiological mobilization response. However, this was not true of mothers with elevated depressive symptoms, who showed no change in RSA during infant distress. These distinct patterns of infant distress-related physiological activation may help to explain differences in maternal sensitivity and adaptive parenting. PMID:23454427

  6. Children's behavioral inhibition and anxiety disorder symptom severity: The role of individual differences in respiratory sinus arrhythmia.

    PubMed

    Viana, Andres G; Palmer, Cara A; Zvolensky, Michael J; Alfano, Candice A; Dixon, Laura J; Raines, Elizabeth M

    2017-06-01

    Although behavioral inhibition (BI) is clearly identified as a temperamental risk factor for childhood anxiety psychopathology, much less is known about whether the strength of this association may vary as a function of parasympathetic nervous system regulation in children with anxiety disorders. To build upon extant research in this area, the present study examined whether respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) can explicate the conditions in which BI is linked to increased symptom severity among anxiety-disordered children (N = 44; M = 9.61 years, SD = 1.63; 52% female and African American, respectively). We examined RSA responding both during a basal period and during a stressor ("challenge" RSA): interacting with a "mystery guest" who was wearing a mask. As hypothesized, the interaction between BI and both basal and challenge RSA was significantly related to anxiety disorder symptom severity, even after controlling for depressive symptoms. The form of the interaction indicated that highest levels of anxiety disorder symptoms were found among children with high levels of BI and low basal and challenge RSA, respectively. These data provide novel empirical evidence of a clinically-relevant interplay between RSA and BI in relation to anxiety disorder symptom severity among clinical youth. Future work is needed to expand on the specific mechanisms that may be responsible e for the interplay between temperamental and psychobiological risks for childhood anxiety. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. A rapid solvent accessible surface area estimator for coarse grained molecular simulations.

    PubMed

    Wei, Shuai; Brooks, Charles L; Frank, Aaron T

    2017-06-05

    The rapid and accurate calculation of solvent accessible surface area (SASA) is extremely useful in the energetic analysis of biomolecules. For example, SASA models can be used to estimate the transfer free energy associated with biophysical processes, and when combined with coarse-grained simulations, can be particularly useful for accounting for solvation effects within the framework of implicit solvent models. In such cases, a fast and accurate, residue-wise SASA predictor is highly desirable. Here, we develop a predictive model that estimates SASAs based on Cα-only protein structures. Through an extensive comparison between this method and a comparable method, POPS-R, we demonstrate that our new method, Protein-C α Solvent Accessibilities or PCASA, shows better performance, especially for unfolded conformations of proteins. We anticipate that this model will be quite useful in the efficient inclusion of SASA-based solvent free energy estimations in coarse-grained protein folding simulations. PCASA is made freely available to the academic community at https://github.com/atfrank/PCASA. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Third order nonlinear optical properties of graphene quantum dots under continuous wavelength regime at 532 nm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumara, K.; Shetty, T. C. S.; Patil, P. S.; Maidur, Shivaraj R.; Dharmaprakash, S. M.

    2018-04-01

    Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have drawn more attention due to their multifunctional characteristics which can be used for various applications. However, literature on nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of GQDs is scarcely available. Therefore more investigations are required on NLO properties of GQDs. We report preparation of GQDs from pyrolysis method using citric acid as starting material. Third order nonlinear optical (TNLO) properties are studied using Z-scan technique employing continuous wavelength laser. Study reveals that GQD's show self defocusing effect. This is due to thermal heating of solvent which leads to negative nonlinear refractive index of the material. Open aperture (OA) Z-scan reveals reverse saturation absorption (RSA) nature of the material indicating optical limiting (OL) property. A broad UV absorbance spectrum reveals photoluminescence (PL) emission of the material which is independent of excitation wavelength.

  9. RSA prediction of high failure rate for the uncoated Interax TKA confirmed by meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Pijls, Bart G; Nieuwenhuijse, Marc J; Schoones, Jan W; Middeldorp, Saskia; Valstar, Edward R; Nelissen, Rob G H H

    2012-04-01

    In a previous radiostereometric (RSA) trial the uncoated, uncemented, Interax tibial components showed excessive migration within 2 years compared to HA-coated and cemented tibial components. It was predicted that this type of fixation would have a high failure rate. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate whether this RSA prediction was correct. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the revision rate for aseptic loosening of the uncoated and cemented Interax tibial components. 3 studies were included, involving 349 Interax total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) for the comparison of uncoated and cemented fixation. There were 30 revisions: 27 uncoated and 3 cemented components. There was a 3-times higher revision rate for the uncoated Interax components than that for cemented Interax components (OR = 3; 95% CI: 1.4-7.2). This meta-analysis confirms the prediction of a previous RSA trial. The uncoated Interax components showed the highest migration and turned out to have the highest revision rate for aseptic loosening. RSA appears to enable efficient detection of an inferior design as early as 2 years postoperatively in a small group of patients.

  10. Cross-cultural validation of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) in Iran.

    PubMed

    Jowkar, Bahram; Friborg, Oddgeir; Hjemdal, Odin

    2010-10-01

    Resilience, as an ability to withstand and rebound from crisis and adversity, is becoming an increasingly popular concept in research on intervention and prevention of mental health. The present study examined psychometric properties of a Persian version of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA), a scale intended to measure protective factors presumed to enhance resilience. The participants were 373 university undergraduate students, as well as 30 pairs of run-away girls and a matched control group. A confirmatory factor analysis verified the Norwegian five-factor structure. All subscale scores, personal competence, social competence, family cohesion, social resources and structured style, had good reliability. The convergent validity of the RSA was supported by showing positive associations with another resilience scale, i.e., a Persian version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Predictive validity of the RSA was supported, as well, by significantly differentiating between girls who had run away from home and a matched control group. The results indicate that the RSA may be a valid and reliable scale for the assessment of resilience protective resources in an Iranian population. © 2010 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2010 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

  11. Effect of packing method on the randomness of disc packings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Z. P.; Yu, A. B.; Oakeshott, R. B. S.

    1996-06-01

    The randomness of disc packings, generated by random sequential adsorption (RSA), random packing under gravity (RPG) and Mason packing (MP) which gives a packing density close to that of the RSA packing, has been analysed, based on the Delaunay tessellation, and is evaluated at two levels, i.e. the randomness at individual subunit level which relates to the construction of a triangle from a given edge length distribution and the randomness at network level which relates to the connection between triangles from a given triangle frequency distribution. The Delaunay tessellation itself is also analysed and its almost perfect randomness at the two levels is demonstrated, which verifies the proposed approach and provides a random reference system for the present analysis. It is found that (i) the construction of a triangle subunit is not random for the RSA, MP and RPG packings, with the degree of randomness decreasing from the RSA to MP and then to RPG packing; (ii) the connection of triangular subunits in the network is almost perfectly random for the RSA packing, acceptable for the MP packing and not good for the RPG packing. Packing method is an important factor governing the randomness of disc packings.

  12. Implementation of Rivest Shamir Adleman Algorithm (RSA) and Vigenere Cipher In Web Based Information System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aryanti, Aryanti; Mekongga, Ikhthison

    2018-02-01

    Data security and confidentiality is one of the most important aspects of information systems at the moment. One attempt to secure data such as by using cryptography. In this study developed a data security system by implementing the cryptography algorithm Rivest, Shamir Adleman (RSA) and Vigenere Cipher. The research was done by combining Rivest, Shamir Adleman (RSA) and Vigenere Cipher cryptographic algorithms to document file either word, excel, and pdf. This application includes the process of encryption and decryption of data, which is created by using PHP software and my SQL. Data encryption is done on the transmit side through RSA cryptographic calculations using the public key, then proceed with Vigenere Cipher algorithm which also uses public key. As for the stage of the decryption side received by using the Vigenere Cipher algorithm still use public key and then the RSA cryptographic algorithm using a private key. Test results show that the system can encrypt files, decrypt files and transmit files. Tests performed on the process of encryption and decryption of files with different file sizes, file size affects the process of encryption and decryption. The larger the file size the longer the process of encryption and decryption.

  13. Psychological and socio-demographic data contributing to the resilience of holocaust survivors.

    PubMed

    Fossion, Pierre; Leys, Christophe; Kempenaers, Chantal; Braun, Stéphanie; Verbanck, Paul; Linkowski, Paul

    2014-01-01

    The authors provide a within-group study of 65 Former Hidden Children (FHC; i.e., Jewish youths who spent World War II in various hideaway shelters across Nazi-occupied Europe) evaluated by the Hopkins Symptom Check List (HSCL), the Sense of Coherence Scale (SOCS), the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA), and a socio-demographic questionnaire. The aim of the present article is to address the sensitization model of resilience (consisting in a reduction of resistance to additional stress due to previous exposure to trauma) and to identify the family, psychological, and socio-demographic characteristics that predict resilience among a group of FHC. The RSA score is negatively correlated with the number of post-war traumas and positively correlated with the SOCS score. FHC who have children present a higher RSA score than FHC who have no children. RSA global score negatively and significantly predicts HSCL score. In a global multivariate model, and in accordance with the sensitization model, the number of post-war traumas negatively predicts the RSA score. Moreover, the SOCS score and the number of children positively predict it. Therapeutic implications are discussed, limitations are considered, and further investigations are proposed.

  14. Rumination and Cognitive Distraction in Major Depressive Disorder: An Examination of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia

    PubMed Central

    LeMoult, Joelle; Yoon, K. Lira; Joormann, Jutta

    2015-01-01

    Difficulty regulating emotions following stressful events is a hallmark of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Although individuals’ ability to regulate their emotions is believed to have direct consequences for both emotional and physical wellbeing, few studies have examined the cardiovascular effects of different emotion regulation strategies in MDD. To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first to examine the effects of two emotion regulation strategies, cognitive distraction and rumination, on both self-reported sadness and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in individuals with MDD and healthy controls (CTLs). Following a forced-failure stressor, participants were randomly assigned to a rumination or cognitive distraction condition. As expected, rumination increased sadness and triggered RSA withdrawal for both MDDs and CTLs. Interestingly, although cognitive distraction reduced sadness, it also triggered RSA withdrawal. Moreover, cognitive distraction was associated with greater RSA withdrawal for MDDs than CTLs. Thus, although depressed individuals are able to use cognitive distraction to emotionally recover from stress, it may be associated with greater cognitive effort. Adding low-cost physiological measures such as RSA into assessments has the potential to offer new and important information about the effects of emotion regulation on mental and physiological health. PMID:27199505

  15. RSA/Legacy Wind Sensor Comparison. Part 1; Western Range

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Short, David A.; Wheeler, Mark M.

    2006-01-01

    This report describes a comparison of data from ultrasonic and cup-and-vane anemometers on 5 wind towers at Vandenberg AFB. The ultrasonic sensors are scheduled to replace the Legacy cup-and-vane sensors under the Range Standardization and Automation (RSA) program. Because previous studies have noted differences between peak wind speeds reported by mechanical and ultrasonic wind sensors, the latter having no moving parts, the 30th and 45th Weather Squadrons wanted to understand possible differences between the two sensor types. The period-of-record was 13-30 May 2005. A total of 153,961 readings of I-minute average and peak wind speed/direction from each sensor type were used. Statistics of differences in speed and direction were used to identify 18 out of 34 RSA sensors having the most consistent performance, with respect to the Legacy sensors. Data from these 18 were used to form a composite comparison. A small positive bias in the composite RSA average wind speed increased from +0.5 kts at 15 kts, to +1 kt at 25 kts. A slightly larger positive bias in the RSA peak wind speed increased from +1 kt at 15 kts, to +2 kts at 30 kts.

  16. RSA Opening Minds: A Curriculum for the 21st Century

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Candy, Sara

    2011-01-01

    This article discusses the RSA Opening Minds competence framework, an innovative curriculum to meet the needs of young people as future employees, lifelong learners and as citizens of the twenty-first century.

  17. Data Collecting using the MetalMapper in Dynamic Data Acquisition and Cued Modes TEMTADS Surveys at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-06-20

    inch mortars, large caliber projectiles (75-millimeter [mm] to 155-mm), and numerous types of bombs . With the exception of some areas north of RSA-312...scarring/craters are visible in RSA-073 in the Light Detection and Ranging data set. The MEC reportedly used in RSA-073 includes: AN-M76 bombs , PT1...incendiary mixture similar to Goop) filled; M47-type bombs , isobutyl methacrylate incendiary mix (IM-AE) and napalm filled; M69 bombs , IM-AE filled; 155

  18. Using Chaotic System in Encryption

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Findik, Oğuz; Kahramanli, Şirzat

    In this paper chaotic systems and RSA encryption algorithm are combined in order to develop an encryption algorithm which accomplishes the modern standards. E.Lorenz's weather forecast' equations which are used to simulate non-linear systems are utilized to create chaotic map. This equation can be used to generate random numbers. In order to achieve up-to-date standards and use online and offline status, a new encryption technique that combines chaotic systems and RSA encryption algorithm has been developed. The combination of RSA algorithm and chaotic systems makes encryption system.

  19. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia in Chagas disease.

    PubMed

    Neves, Victor Ribeiro; Peltola, Mirja; Huikuri, Heikki; Rocha, Manoel Otávio da Costa; Ribeiro, Antonio Luiz

    2014-10-01

    We applied the respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) quantification algorithm to 24-hour ECG recordings of Chagas disease (ChD) patients with (G1, n=148) and without left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) (G2, n=33), and in control subjects (G0, n=28). Both ChD groups displayed a reduced RSA index; G1=299 (144-812); G2=335 (162-667), p=0.011, which was correlated with vagal indexes of heart rate variability analysis. RSA index is a marker of vagal modulation in ChD patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Model-based Roentgen stereophotogrammetry of orthopaedic implants.

    PubMed

    Valstar, E R; de Jong, F W; Vrooman, H A; Rozing, P M; Reiber, J H

    2001-06-01

    Attaching tantalum markers to prostheses for Roentgen stereophotogrammetry (RSA) may be difficult and is sometimes even impossible. In this study, a model-based RSA method that avoids the attachment of markers to prostheses is presented and validated. This model-based RSA method uses a triangulated surface model of the implant. A projected contour of this model is calculated and this calculated model contour is matched onto the detected contour of the actual implant in the RSA radiograph. The difference between the two contours is minimized by variation of the position and orientation of the model. When a minimal difference between the contours is found, an optimal position and orientation of the model has been obtained. The method was validated by means of a phantom experiment. Three prosthesis components were used in this experiment: the femoral and tibial component of an Interax total knee prosthesis (Stryker Howmedica Osteonics Corp., Rutherfort, USA) and the femoral component of a Profix total knee prosthesis (Smith & Nephew, Memphis, USA). For the prosthesis components used in this study, the accuracy of the model-based method is lower than the accuracy of traditional RSA. For the Interax femoral and tibial components, significant dimensional tolerances were found that were probably caused by the casting process and manual polishing of the components surfaces. The largest standard deviation for any translation was 0.19mm and for any rotation it was 0.52 degrees. For the Profix femoral component that had no large dimensional tolerances, the largest standard deviation for any translation was 0.22mm and for any rotation it was 0.22 degrees. From this study we may conclude that the accuracy of the current model-based RSA method is sensitive to dimensional tolerances of the implant. Research is now being conducted to make model-based RSA less sensitive to dimensional tolerances and thereby improving its accuracy.

  1. Short Durations of Static Stretching when Combined with Dynamic Stretching do not Impair Repeated Sprints and Agility

    PubMed Central

    Wong, Del P.; Chaouachi, Anis; Lau, Patrick W.C.; Behm, David G.

    2011-01-01

    This study aimed to compare the effect of different static stretching durations followed by dynamic stretching on repeated sprint ability (RSA) and change of direction (COD). Twenty-five participants performed the RSA and COD tests in a randomized order. After a 5 min aerobic warm up, participants performed one of the three static stretching protocols of 30 s, 60 s or 90 s total duration (3 stretches x 10 s, 20 s or 30 s). Three dynamic stretching exercises of 30 s duration were then performed (90 s total). Sit-and-reach flexibility tests were conducted before the aerobic warm up, after the combined static and dynamic stretching, and post- RSA/COD test. The duration of static stretching had a positive effect on flexibility with 36.3% and 85.6% greater sit-and-reach scores with the 60 s and 90 s static stretching conditions respectively than with the 30 s condition (p ≤ 0.001). However there were no significant differences in RSA and COD performance between the 3 stretching conditions. The lack of change in RSA and COD might be attributed to a counterbalancing of static and dynamic stretching effects. Furthermore, the short duration (≤ 90 s) static stretching may not have provided sufficient stimulus to elicit performance impairments. Key points The duration of combined static and dynamic stretching had a positive effect on flexibility with 36.3% and 85.6% greater sit and reach scores with the 60 s and 90 s static stretching conditions respectively than with the 30 s condition (p ≤ 0.001). No significant differences in RSA and COD between the 3 stretching conditions. The lack of change in RSA and COD might be attributed to a counterbalancing of static and dynamic stretching effects. The short duration (≤ 90 s) static stretching may not have provided sufficient stimulus to elicit performance impairments. PMID:24149890

  2. Relationships between maximal strength of lower limb, anthropometric characteristics and fundamental explosive performance in handball players.

    PubMed

    Hermassi, Souhail; Chelly, Mohamed Souhaiel; Wagner, Herbert; Fieseler, Georg; Schulze, Stephan; Delank, Karl-Stefan; Shephard, Roy J; Schwesig, René

    2018-02-14

     The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between lower body muscular strength, anthropometric characteristics and several measures of explosive performance in elite team-handball players.  22 male elite team-handball players (age: 19.1 ± 1.7 years) were studied during the competitive season. Standard anthropometric and body composition measures included body mass index, lower limb and thigh muscle volume, and body fat percentage. Maximal leg strength was determined by a one-repetition maximum (1-RM) half back-squat. Vertical jump performance was assessed using a squat jump (SJ) and a counter movement jump (CMJ). Repeated shuttle-sprint ability (RSA) was tested by 6 (2 × 15 m) shuttle sprints with 20 s of active recovery intervals. The best time in a single shuttle sprint (30m; RSA best ), fastest total time (RSA TT ) and RSA test performance decrement (RSA dec ) were recorded. Agility was measured using a modified T-half test (MAT). Throwing velocities of jump shooting and 3-step throwing were recorded by digital video camera.  The explained variance of 1-RM half-back-squats ranged from 0.2 % (RSA% Fatigue Index) to 70.1 % (CMJ). Four out of 8 variables (RSA Best Time, CMJ, SJ, throwing velocity of jump shoot) demonstrated an r 2  > 0.5. Jump performances seemed closely related to 1-RM half-back-squats. Furthermore, 1-RM half-back-squats were positively correlated with leg and thigh muscle volumes (r = 0.652, r = 0.768).  The anthropometric characteristics and some physical performance tests are closely related to the maximal strength performance of handball players. Coaches should focus on maximal strength training programs for the lower limbs when seeking improvements in the throwing velocity and jump performance of handball players. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  3. Short Durations of Static Stretching when Combined with Dynamic Stretching do not Impair Repeated Sprints and Agility.

    PubMed

    Wong, Del P; Chaouachi, Anis; Lau, Patrick W C; Behm, David G

    2011-01-01

    This study aimed to compare the effect of different static stretching durations followed by dynamic stretching on repeated sprint ability (RSA) and change of direction (COD). Twenty-five participants performed the RSA and COD tests in a randomized order. After a 5 min aerobic warm up, participants performed one of the three static stretching protocols of 30 s, 60 s or 90 s total duration (3 stretches x 10 s, 20 s or 30 s). Three dynamic stretching exercises of 30 s duration were then performed (90 s total). Sit-and-reach flexibility tests were conducted before the aerobic warm up, after the combined static and dynamic stretching, and post- RSA/COD test. The duration of static stretching had a positive effect on flexibility with 36.3% and 85.6% greater sit-and-reach scores with the 60 s and 90 s static stretching conditions respectively than with the 30 s condition (p ≤ 0.001). However there were no significant differences in RSA and COD performance between the 3 stretching conditions. The lack of change in RSA and COD might be attributed to a counterbalancing of static and dynamic stretching effects. Furthermore, the short duration (≤ 90 s) static stretching may not have provided sufficient stimulus to elicit performance impairments. Key pointsThe duration of combined static and dynamic stretching had a positive effect on flexibility with 36.3% and 85.6% greater sit and reach scores with the 60 s and 90 s static stretching conditions respectively than with the 30 s condition (p ≤ 0.001).No significant differences in RSA and COD between the 3 stretching conditions.The lack of change in RSA and COD might be attributed to a counterbalancing of static and dynamic stretching effects.The short duration (≤ 90 s) static stretching may not have provided sufficient stimulus to elicit performance impairments.

  4. Metabolomic Profiling of Plasma Samples from Women with Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion.

    PubMed

    Li, XiaoCui; Yin, MingHong; Gu, JinPing; Hou, YanYan; Tian, FuJu; Sun, Feng

    2018-06-13

    BACKGROUND Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolomics have been deployed to detect novel differential metabolites in cases with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifty patients who had recurrent spontaneous abortions (RSAs) and 51 control patients (age, gestational age, and body mass index (BMI) match) were enrolled in this study. Untargeted GC-MS and targeted LC-MS were combined to discover and validate the different metabolomic profiles between groups. Score plots of orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) clearly separated the RSA group from the control group. The variable importance in projection (VIP) generated in OPLS-DA processing represented the contribution to the discrimination of each metabolite ion between groups. Variables with a VIP >1 and P<0.05 were considered to be different variables. We also used MetaboAnalyst 3.0 to analyze the pathway impact of potential metabolite biomarkers. RESULTS Fifty-four metabolites were significantly different between the two groups, as indicated by a VIP >1 and P<0.05. The metabolic pathways involving glycine, serine, threonine (P=0.00529, impact=0.26), beta-alanine (P=0.0284, impact=0.27), and phenylalanine metabolism (P=0.0217, impact=0.17), along with the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle (P=0.0113, impact=0.19) and the glycolysis pathway (P=0.037, impact=0.1) are obviously related to RSA. Verification by LC-MS showed that the concentration of lactic acid in RSA was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05), while the concentration of 5-methoxytryptamine was significantly lower in the RSA group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS In our study, untargeted GC-MS was used to detect disturbance of metabolism occurs in RSA and targeted LC-MS further was used to show that plasma concentrations of two metabolites (lactic acid and 5-methoxytryptamine) were different in the RSA compared to the control group.

  5. Recent Suicide Attempts Across Multiple Social Identities Among Gay and Bisexual Men: An Intersectionality Analysis.

    PubMed

    Ferlatte, Olivier; Salway, Travis; Hankivsky, Olena; Trussler, Terry; Oliffe, John L; Marchand, Rick

    2017-09-08

    This study draws from intersectionality to describe variations in recent suicide attempts (RSA) among gay and bisexual men (GBM) across sociodemographics. Using survey data, logistic regression modeling explored RSA in two analytical stages: (1) the individual effects of each sociodemographic were measured; (2) two-way interaction terms between sociodemographics were tested and added to the models created in stage A. In stage A, only education and income achieved significance. In stage B, the study found that (a) education and income interacted significantly such that the odds of RSA increased for those with a lower income and a lower education; (b) sexual orientation and partnership status interacted, resulting in decreased odds among bisexual men in heterosexual partnerships; and (c) income and education interacted with geography; the effects of these variables were significant only among urban men. These findings suggest that GBM are at unequal risk of RSA according to intersecting sociodemographics.

  6. Complications in reverse shoulder arthroplasty

    PubMed Central

    Barco, Raul; Savvidou, Olga D.; Sperling, John W.; Sanchez-Sotelo, Joaquín; Cofield, Robert H.

    2016-01-01

    The reported rate of complications of reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) seems to be higher than the complication rate of anatomical total shoulder arthroplasty. The reported overall complication rate of primary RSA is approximately 15%; when RSA is used in the revision setting, the complication rate may approach 40%. The most common complications of RSA include instability, infection, notching, loosening, nerve injury, acromial and scapular spine fractures, intra-operative fractures and component disengagement. Careful attention to implant design and surgical technique, including implantation of components in the correct version and height, selection of the best glenosphere-humeral bearing match, avoidance of impingement, and adequate management of the soft tissues will hopefully translate in a decreasing number of complications in the future. Cite this article: Barco R, Savvidou OD, Sperling JW, Sanchez-Sotelo J, Cofield RH. Complications in reverse shoulder arthroplasty. EFORT Open Rev 2016;1:72-80. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.1.160003. PMID:28461931

  7. Complications in reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

    PubMed

    Barco, Raul; Savvidou, Olga D; Sperling, John W; Sanchez-Sotelo, Joaquín; Cofield, Robert H

    2016-03-01

    The reported rate of complications of reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) seems to be higher than the complication rate of anatomical total shoulder arthroplasty.The reported overall complication rate of primary RSA is approximately 15%; when RSA is used in the revision setting, the complication rate may approach 40%.The most common complications of RSA include instability, infection, notching, loosening, nerve injury, acromial and scapular spine fractures, intra-operative fractures and component disengagement.Careful attention to implant design and surgical technique, including implantation of components in the correct version and height, selection of the best glenosphere-humeral bearing match, avoidance of impingement, and adequate management of the soft tissues will hopefully translate in a decreasing number of complications in the future. Cite this article: Barco R, Savvidou OD, Sperling JW, Sanchez-Sotelo J, Cofield RH. Complications in reverse shoulder arthroplasty. EFORT Open Rev 2016;1:72-80. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.1.160003.

  8. Development and validation of a composite scoring system for robot-assisted surgical training--the Robotic Skills Assessment Score.

    PubMed

    Chowriappa, Ashirwad J; Shi, Yi; Raza, Syed Johar; Ahmed, Kamran; Stegemann, Andrew; Wilding, Gregory; Kaouk, Jihad; Peabody, James O; Menon, Mani; Hassett, James M; Kesavadas, Thenkurussi; Guru, Khurshid A

    2013-12-01

    A standardized scoring system does not exist in virtual reality-based assessment metrics to describe safe and crucial surgical skills in robot-assisted surgery. This study aims to develop an assessment score along with its construct validation. All subjects performed key tasks on previously validated Fundamental Skills of Robotic Surgery curriculum, which were recorded, and metrics were stored. After an expert consensus for the purpose of content validation (Delphi), critical safety determining procedural steps were identified from the Fundamental Skills of Robotic Surgery curriculum and a hierarchical task decomposition of multiple parameters using a variety of metrics was used to develop Robotic Skills Assessment Score (RSA-Score). Robotic Skills Assessment mainly focuses on safety in operative field, critical error, economy, bimanual dexterity, and time. Following, the RSA-Score was further evaluated for construct validation and feasibility. Spearman correlation tests performed between tasks using the RSA-Scores indicate no cross correlation. Wilcoxon rank sum tests were performed between the two groups. The proposed RSA-Score was evaluated on non-robotic surgeons (n = 15) and on expert-robotic surgeons (n = 12). The expert group demonstrated significantly better performance on all four tasks in comparison to the novice group. Validation of the RSA-Score in this study was carried out on the Robotic Surgical Simulator. The RSA-Score is a valid scoring system that could be incorporated in any virtual reality-based surgical simulator to achieve standardized assessment of fundamental surgical tents during robot-assisted surgery. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Adherence of hip and knee arthroplasty studies to RSA standardization guidelines. A systematic review.

    PubMed

    Madanat, Rami; Mäkinen, Tatu J; Aro, Hannu T; Bragdon, Charles; Malchau, Henrik

    2014-09-01

    Guidelines for standardization of radiostereometry (RSA) of implants were published in 2005 to facilitate comparison of outcomes between various research groups. In this systematic review, we determined how well studies have adhered to these guidelines. We carried out a literature search to identify all articles published between January 2000 and December 2011 that used RSA in the evaluation of hip or knee prosthesis migration. 2 investigators independently evaluated each of the studies for adherence to the 13 individual guideline items. Since some of the 13 points included more than 1 criterion, studies were assessed on whether each point was fully met, partially met, or not met. 153 studies that met our inclusion criteria were identified. 61 of these were published before the guidelines were introduced (2000-2005) and 92 after the guidelines were introduced (2006-2011). The methodological quality of RSA studies clearly improved from 2000 to 2011. None of the studies fully met all 13 guidelines. Nearly half (43) of the studies published after the guidelines demonstrated a high methodological quality and adhered at least partially to 10 of the 13 guidelines, whereas less than one-fifth (11) of the studies published before the guidelines had the same methodological quality. Commonly unaddressed guideline items were related to imaging methodology, determination of precision from double examinations, and also mean error of rigid-body fitting and condition number cutoff levels. The guidelines have improved methodological reporting in RSA studies, but adherence to these guidelines is still relatively low. There is a need to update and clarify the guidelines for clinical hip and knee arthroplasty RSA studies.

  10. Resilience in a reborn nation: Validation of the Lithuanian Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA).

    PubMed

    Hilbig, Jan; Viliūnienė, Rima; Friborg, Oddgeir; Pakalniškienė, Vilmantė; Danilevičiūtė, Vita

    2015-07-01

    Resilience, as an ability to withstand or rebound from crisis or adversity, is becoming an increasingly significant concept in health promotion and well-being. Individuals exhibiting resilience use skills or resources flexibly to solve situational demands. The Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) may be used to assess protective resources, and the aim of the present study was to validate the Lithuanian translation. The translated RSA was administered to a clinical (n=125) and a non clinical sample (n=499) to examine the discriminant validity of the RSA items with a confirmatory factor analysis, the internal consistency as well as construct validity by correlating it with the Quick Psycho-Affective Symptoms Scan (QPASS). The internal consistency, the test-retest stability and the factor structure were replicated as adequate, thus indicating good psychometric properties and support of discriminant validity. Females reported more resilience resources for the domains of social competence, family cohesion and social resources compared to men. The RSA subscales correlated negatively with the QPASS scores, and patients reported significantly less resilience resources than non-patients, thus indicating construct validity. Valid psychometric tools for research purposes and routine every-day use are urgently needed in Lithuania, a young nation still under numerous challenges due to social, economic and political transitions. The RSA represents a reliable and valid tool for assessing protective factors. Assessing resilience factors may extend the understanding of factors relevant for mental health problems as well as treatment prognosis beyond the capabilities of mere symptom oriented approaches. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. The balance of the immune system between HLA-G and NK cells in unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion and polymorphisms analysis.

    PubMed

    Arjmand, Fateme; Ghasemi, Nasrin; Mirghanizadeh, Seyed Ali; Samadi, Morteza

    2016-06-01

    Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G is involved in immunoregulatory processes and particularly in pathogenesis of inflammatory disorders such as recurrent spontaneous abortions (RSA). The purpose of the current study was to examine whether two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of HLA-G gene (rs1736936 and HLA-G*0105N) influence susceptibility to recurrent spontaneous abortion. Genomic DNA from 117 RSA patients and 117 normal fertile control individuals was isolated using the salted out method. The two single nucleotide polymorphisms in HLA-G gene were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Differences between the two groups were analyzed by SPSS19 software using Chi-square test. The results revealed a significant increase in HLA-G*0105N allele in the proportion of whole group of RSA women compared with fertile controls (P value = 0.015), OR (95 % CI) = 2.054 (1.798-2.347), as well as an absence of homozygosity for HLA-G*0105N in the study population. No significant difference was observed between the RSA and the fertile groups in terms of alleles and genotypes frequency of rs1736936 (P value = 0.323), OR (95 CI %) = 1.056 (0.844-1.319). The presented data suggest that the investigated HLA-G*0105N allele is potentially associated with RSA through linkage disequilibrium with other genetic elements. Meanwhile, the rs1736936 SNP do not predispose to RSA in the study population.

  12. Socioeconomic Adversity, Negativity in the Parent Child-Relationship, and Physiological Reactivity: An Examination of Pathways and Interactive Processes Affecting Young Children's Physical Health.

    PubMed

    Hagan, Melissa J; Roubinov, Danielle S; Adler, Nancy E; Boyce, William Thomas; Bush, Nicole R

    We tested the hypothesis that socioeconomic status (SES) would predict children's physical health problems at the end of kindergarten among children whose parent reported greater parent-child relationship (PCR) negativity and/or who exhibited greater parasympathetic (RSA) reactivity. We also tested whether RSA and PCR negativity mediated the SES-health association. Data were collected from 338 children (mean [SD] age, 5.32 [.32] years) and their primary caregivers (87% biological mothers) during the fall and subsequent spring of kindergarten. In the fall, parents reported income and education level (SES) and PCR negativity, and RSA reactivity was assessed via a standardized challenge protocol for young children. In the fall and then spring, parents reported children's chronic medical conditions and physical health impairments. Multivariate regression was conducted within a structural equation-modeling framework to test hypotheses. Significant interactions were found between SES and PCR negativity (b = -0.074, p = .035) and between SES and RSA reactivity (b = 0.169, p = .019) as predicts children's spring health impairment, adjusting for health in the preceding fall. Lower SES was associated with greater health impairment among children whose parents reported more PCR negativity (b = -0.110, p = .024) and children who showed greater RSA reactivity (b = -0.106, p = .011). Socioeconomic status was unrelated to physical health at low PCR negativity or RSA reactivity. Mediation models were not supported. Parent-child relationship quality and individual differences in stress reactivity may modulate the influence of SES on physical health in childhood.

  13. Low Vagal Tone Magnifies the Association Between Psychosocial Stress Exposure and Internalizing Psychopathology in Adolescents

    PubMed Central

    McLaughlin, Katie A.; Rith-Najarian, Leslie; Dirks, Melanie A.; Sheridan, Margaret A.

    2014-01-01

    Vagal tone is a measure of cardiovascular function that facilitates adaptive responses to environmental challenge. Low vagal tone is associated with poor emotional and attentional regulation in children and has been conceptualized as a marker of sensitivity to stress. We investigated whether the associations of a wide range of psychosocial stressors with internalizing and externalizing psychopathology were magnified in adolescents with low vagal tone. Resting heart period data were collected from a diverse community sample of adolescents (ages 13–17; N =168). Adolescents completed measures assessing internalizing and externalizing psychopathology and exposure to stressors occurring in family, peer, and community contexts. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was calculated from the interbeat interval time series. We estimated interactions between RSA and stress exposure in predicting internalizing and externalizing symptoms and evaluated whether interactions differed by gender. Exposure to psychosocial stressors was associated strongly with psychopathology. RSA was unrelated to internalizing or externalizing problems. Significant interactions were observed between RSA and child abuse, community violence, peer victimization, and traumatic events in predicting internalizing but not externalizing symptoms. Stressors were positively associated with internalizing symptoms in adolescents with low RSA but not in those with high RSA. Similar patterns were observed for anxiety and depression. These interactions were more consistently observed for male than female individuals. Low vagal tone is associated with internalizing psychopathology in adolescents exposed to high levels of stressors. Measurement of vagal tone in clinical settings might provide useful information about sensitivity to stress in child and adolescent clients. PMID:24156380

  14. Resilience or hope? Incremental and convergent validity of the resilience scale for adults (RSA) and the Herth hope scale (HHS) in the prediction of anxiety and depression.

    PubMed

    Morote, Roxanna; Hjemdal, Odin; Krysinska, Karolina; Martinez Uribe, Patricia; Corveleyn, Jozef

    2017-10-27

    Hope and resilience protect against inner vulnerabilities or harsh life circumstances; they explain individual differences in physical or mental health outcomes under high stress. They have been studied in complementary or competing theoretical frameworks; therefore, the study of measures of hope and resilience should be undertaken prior to explore if they are truly value-added for research. This study investigates the convergent and incremental validity of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) and the Herth Hope Scale (HHS), in the prediction of anxiety and depression (HSCL-25). Participants in this community-based sample are 762 adults from 18 to 74 years old. They answered the RSA, HHS, Spanish Language Stressful Life-Events Checklist (SL-SLE), and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25). Incremental validity analyses combined hierarchical regression and structural equation models (SEM). First, hierarchical regression models were compared based on three criteria (R 2 Diff., ΔF, and semi-partial r), then the direct effect of resilience on affective symptoms was compared with the mediated effect of resilience on affective symptoms through hope. The hierarchical models showed that (1) hope and resilience account significantly for the variance of affective symptoms above age, sex, and life-stress; (2) Resilience Total score has greater incremental validity than positive scales of HHS Hope; and (3) RSA Total score, HHS Optimism/Spiritual support, Stressful life-events and sex are unique predictors of affective symptoms. The SEM analyses verified a stronger direct effect of resilience in the prediction of affective symptoms above the significant partial mediated effect of resilience through hope. Additionally, results show that age and better educational opportunities were associated with protection (i.e. resilience and hope) and emotional well-being (i.e. affective symptoms and hopelessness). Women showed higher scores in social competences and resources (RSA), interconnectedness and initiative to take action (HHS). However, they have poorer evaluations of own abilities and efficacy (RSA), and higher scores in all the affective symptoms assessed. The RSA has incremental validity above the HHS, however, both the RSA and the HHS are effective, differentiated and complementary measures of protection that are of high relevance for research on psychosocial and emotional well-being.

  15. Accessibility of Nitroxide Side Chains: Absolute Heisenberg Exchange Rates from Power Saturation EPR

    PubMed Central

    Altenbach, Christian; Froncisz, Wojciech; Hemker, Roy; Mchaourab, Hassane; Hubbell, Wayne L.

    2005-01-01

    In site-directed spin labeling, the relative solvent accessibility of spin-labeled side chains is taken to be proportional to the Heisenberg exchange rate (Wex) of the nitroxide with a paramagnetic reagent in solution. In turn, relative values of Wex are determined by continuous wave power saturation methods and expressed as a proportional and dimensionless parameter Π. In the experiments presented here, NiEDDA is characterized as a paramagnetic reagent for solvent accessibility studies, and it is shown that absolute values of Wex can be determined from Π, and that the proportionality constant relating them is independent of the paramagnetic reagent and mobility of the nitroxide. Based on absolute exchange rates, an accessibility factor is defined (0 < ρ < 1) that serves as a quantitative measure of side-chain solvent accessibility. The accessibility factors for a nitroxide side chain at 14 different sites in T4 lysozyme are shown to correlate with a structure-based accessibility parameter derived from the crystal structure of the protein. These results provide a useful means for relating crystallographic and site-directed spin labeling data, and hence comparing crystal and solution structures. PMID:15994891

  16. Interdisciplinary Management of a Perforated Aneurysmal Arteria Lusoria: A Case Report.

    PubMed

    Rouman, Mina; Petrovitch, Alexander; Gey, Eva-Maria; Kuntze, Thomas

    2017-01-01

    Background  An aberrant right subclavian artery (RSA) or arteria lusoria is the most common congenital abnormality of the aortic arch with an incidence of 0.3 to 3.0%. Case Description  We report a case of a perforated aneurysmal aberrant RSA, managed using a hybrid approach. Conclusion  In emergency cases with acute bleeding, we recommend an endovascular approach to avoid the lethal sequel of arterial leakage. Whenever possible, the pulsatile blood flow to the right arm should be restored. Management should be tailored to the nature of the aneurysmal aberrant RSA, patient's comorbidities, and concomitant lesions.

  17. Association of FOXD1 variants with adverse pregnancy outcomes in mice and humans

    PubMed Central

    Laissue, Paul; Lakhal, Besma; Vatin, Magalie; Batista, Frank; Burgio, Gaëtan; Mercier, Eric; Santos, Esther Dos; Buffat, Christophe; Sierra-Diaz, Diana Carolina; Renault, Gilles; Montagutelli, Xavier; Salmon, Jane; Monget, Philippe; Veitia, Reiner A.; Méhats, Céline; Fellous, Marc; Gris, Jean-Christophe; Cocquet, Julie

    2016-01-01

    Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is a common cause of infertility, but previous attempts at identifying RSA causative genes have been relatively unsuccessful. Such failure to describe RSA aetiological genes might be explained by the fact that reproductive phenotypes should be considered as quantitative traits resulting from the intricate interaction of numerous genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors. Here, we studied an interspecific recombinant congenic strain (IRCS) of Mus musculus from the C57BL6/J strain of mice harbouring an approximate 5 Mb DNA fragment from chromosome 13 from Mus spretus mice (66H-MMU13 strain), with a high rate of embryonic resorption (ER). Transcriptome analyses of endometrial and placental tissues from these mice showed a deregulation of many genes associated with the coagulation and inflammatory response pathways. Bioinformatics approaches led us to select Foxd1 as a candidate gene potentially related to ER and RSA. Sequencing analysis of Foxd1 in the 66H-MMU13 strain, and in 556 women affected by RSA and 271 controls revealed non-synonymous sequence variants. In vitro assays revealed that some led to perturbations in FOXD1 transactivation properties on promoters of genes having key roles during implantation/placentation, suggesting a role of this gene in mammalian implantation processes. PMID:27805902

  18. Developmental Trajectories of Delinquency Symptoms in Childhood: The Role of Marital Conflict and Autonomic Nervous System Activity

    PubMed Central

    El-Sheikh, Mona; Hinnant, J. Benjamin; Erath, Stephen

    2010-01-01

    Trajectories of delinquency symptoms across middle and late childhood were examined through latent growth modeling, with a focus on the role of interactions among parental marital conflict, child sex, and multiple indices (baseline, reactivity) of either parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity, indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), or sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity, indexed by skin conductance level (SCL) as predictors of growth. At T1, 128 girls and 123 boys (Mean age 8.23 yrs ± .73) and their parents participated. The sample was comprised of 64% European-American (EA) and 36% African-American (AA) children. Families participated in 2nd and 3rd waves of data collection with a one-year lag between each wave. Interactions among marital conflict, sex, baseline RSA, and RSA reactivity from baseline to a frustrating lab task were significant predictors of growth in delinquent behavior from age 8 to age 10, with overall patterns indicating increasing symptoms for boys who live in high conflict homes and have an RSA response profile comprised of lower RSA during the baseline and RSA augmentation (increase from baseline to the frustrating task). Furthermore, increases in delinquency symptoms over time were observed for children from high conflict homes with an SCL profile characterized by higher baseline levels and lower reactivity (less pronounced SCL increases from baseline) to the frustrating task. Findings highlight the importance of contemporaneous assessments of resting and reactivity levels when examining relations between the environment, physiological functioning, and psychopathology. Results are discussed in the context of biology by environment interactions as relevant to the development of psychopathology. PMID:20919788

  19. Validation of gait analysis with dynamic radiostereometric analysis (RSA) in patients operated with total hip arthroplasty.

    PubMed

    Zügner, Roland; Tranberg, Roy; Lisovskaja, Vera; Shareghi, Bita; Kärrholm, Johan

    2017-07-01

    We simultaneously examined 14 patients with OTS and dynamic radiostereometric analysis (RSA) to evaluate the accuracy of both skin- and a cluster-marker models. The mean differences between the OTS and RSA system in hip flexion, abduction, and rotation varied up to 9.5° for the skin-marker and up to 11.3° for the cluster-marker models, respectively. Both models tended to underestimate the amount of flexion and abduction, but a significant systematic difference between the marker and RSA evaluations could only be established for recordings of hip abduction using cluster markers (p = 0.04). The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.7 or higher during flexion for both models and during abduction using skin markers, but decreased to 0.5-0.6 when abduction motion was studied with cluster markers. During active hip rotation, the two marker models tended to deviate from the RSA recordings in different ways with poor correlations at the end of the motion (ICC ≤0.4). During active hip motions soft tissue displacements occasionally induced considerable differences when compared to skeletal motions. The best correlation between RSA recordings and the skin- and cluster-marker model was found for studies of hip flexion and abduction with the skin-marker model. Studies of hip abduction with use of cluster markers were associated with a constant underestimation of the motion. Recordings of skeletal motions with use of skin or cluster markers during hip rotation were associated with high mean errors amounting up to about 10° at certain positions. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:1515-1522, 2017. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Adherence of hip and knee arthroplasty studies to RSA standardization guidelines

    PubMed Central

    Mäkinen, Tatu J; Aro, Hannu T; Bragdon, Charles; Malchau, Henrik

    2014-01-01

    Background and purpose Guidelines for standardization of radiostereometry (RSA) of implants were published in 2005 to facilitate comparison of outcomes between various research groups. In this systematic review, we determined how well studies have adhered to these guidelines. Methods We carried out a literature search to identify all articles published between January 2000 and December 2011 that used RSA in the evaluation of hip or knee prosthesis migration. 2 investigators independently evaluated each of the studies for adherence to the 13 individual guideline items. Since some of the 13 points included more than 1 criterion, studies were assessed on whether each point was fully met, partially met, or not met. Results 153 studies that met our inclusion criteria were identified. 61 of these were published before the guidelines were introduced (2000–2005) and 92 after the guidelines were introduced (2006–2011). The methodological quality of RSA studies clearly improved from 2000 to 2011. None of the studies fully met all 13 guidelines. Nearly half (43) of the studies published after the guidelines demonstrated a high methodological quality and adhered at least partially to 10 of the 13 guidelines, whereas less than one-fifth (11) of the studies published before the guidelines had the same methodological quality. Commonly unaddressed guideline items were related to imaging methodology, determination of precision from double examinations, and also mean error of rigid-body fitting and condition number cutoff levels. Interpretation The guidelines have improved methodological reporting in RSA studies, but adherence to these guidelines is still relatively low. There is a need to update and clarify the guidelines for clinical hip and knee arthroplasty RSA studies. PMID:24954489

  1. Repeated sprint ability in young basketball players: one vs. two changes of direction (Part 1).

    PubMed

    Padulo, Johnny; Laffaye, Guillaume; Haddad, Monoem; Chaouachi, Anis; Attene, Giuseppe; Migliaccio, Gian Mario; Chamari, Karim; Pizzolato, Fabio

    2015-01-01

    The present study aimed to compare the changes of direction on repeated sprint ability (RSA) vs. intensive repeated sprint ability (IRSA) protocols in basketball. Eighteen young male basketball players performed on RSA [10 × 30-m (15 + 15-m, one change of direction)] and IRSA [10 × 30-m (10 + 10 + 10-m, two changes of direction)]. A correlation matrix between RSA, IRSA, "squat jump (SJ)-countermovement jump (CMJ)", footstep analysis and total distance in Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 1 was performed. The best time, worst time, total time and the number of footsteps were significantly smaller in the RSA test compared to IRSA test (P < 0.001), even though they were significantly correlated with each other (r > 0.80, P < 0.05). Blood lactate level and fatigue index did not show any difference between tests. The sensibility of the two tests assessed by the Bland-Altman analysis revealed a small bias (<1.5%) for almost all variables. Moreover, almost all time variables of the two tests were significantly correlated with the SJ (r > 0.478, P < 0.05), CMJ (r > 0.515, P < 0.05) and Yo-Yo (r > 0.489, P < 0.05) performances. The IRSA provided a reliable method for assessing specific sprint ability (with 10-m legs for IRSA ~2.3 s vs. 15 m for RSA ~3 s) with a closer link to basketball game's actions (~2 s). Besides, IRSA could be an appropriate choice for assessing both RSA and changes of direction capacities in basketball players.

  2. Reverse shoulder prosthesis in the treatment of locked anterior shoulders: a comparison with classic reverse shoulder indications.

    PubMed

    Kurowicki, Jennifer; Triplet, Jacob J; Momoh, Enesi; Moor, Molly A; Levy, Jonathan C

    2016-12-01

    Locked anterior shoulder (LAS) with static instability and anterior glenoid bone loss is challenging in the elderly population. Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) has been employed in treating these patients. No study has compared RSA for LAS with classically indicated RSA. A retrospective case-control study of patients treated with RSA for LAS with glenoid bone loss and static instability was performed using matched controls treated with primary RSA for classic indications. Twenty-four cases and 48 controls were evaluated. Average follow-up was 25.5 months, and median age was 76 years. Motion, outcome assessments, and postoperative radiographs were compared. Preoperatively, LAS had significantly less rotation and lower baseline outcome scores. Glenoid bone grafting was more common (P = .05) in the control group (26%) than in the LAS group (6.3%). Larger glenospheres were used more often (P = .001) in the LAS group (75%) than in the control group (29%). Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in pain, function, and outcome scores. Postoperatively, the control group had significantly better elevation and functional outcome scores. With the exception of flexion and Simple Shoulder Test score, effectiveness of treatment was similar between groups. Postoperative acromion stress fractures were seen in 21% of LAS patients and 9% of controls (P = .023) with a predominance of type 3 fractures in LAS. Two LAS patients remained dislocated. Patients with LAS treated with RSA can anticipate improvements in pain and function by use of larger glenospheres, often without the need for glenoid bone grafting. Worse postoperative motion and function and a higher incidence of acromion stress fracture may be expected. Copyright © 2016 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Solute Carrier Family 19, member 1 (SLC19A1) polymorphisms (-43T>C, 80G>A, and 696C>T), and haplotypes in idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion in a Korean population.

    PubMed

    Rah, HyungChul; Choi, Yi Seul; Jeon, Young Joo; Choi, Youngsok; Cha, Sun Hee; Choi, Dong Hee; Ko, Jung Jae; Shim, Sung Han; Kim, Nam Keun

    2012-05-01

    The objective was to investigate the association between idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) and 3 SLC19A1 polymorphisms (-43T>C, 80G>A, and 696C>T). DNA from 269 patients with RSA and 125 controls were genotyped for the 3 SLC19A1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Homocysteine and folate levels of 100 patients with RSA were available for analysis. The combination genotypes of SLC19A1 -43TC/80GG, -43TC/80AA, and -43CC/80GA; 80GA/696TT, 80AA/696CC; and -43TC/696CC were less frequent in patients with RSA compared to controls (P < .05 for each). The -43C/80A/696 T and -43T/80G/696C haplotypes were more frequent in patients than controls, whereas -43T/80A/696C, -43C/80A/696C, -43C/80G/696C, -43C/80G/696T, and -43T/80G/696T haplotypes were less frequent in patients (P < .05 for each). The -43T/80G and 80A/696T haplotypes were more frequent in patients, while -43T/80A, -43C/80G, 80A/696C, 80G/696T, and -43C/696C haplotypes occurred less frequently in patients (P < .05 for each). The associations between idiopathic RSA occurrence and SLC19A1 -43T>C/80G>A/696C>T polymorphisms were identified and can be developed as biomarkers for RSA risk.

  4. Insulin resistance in first-trimester pregnant women with pre-pregnant glucose tolerance and history of recurrent spontaneous abortion.

    PubMed

    Hong, Y; Xie, Q X; Chen, C Y; Yang, C; Li, Y Z; Chen, D M; Xie, M Q

    2013-01-01

    Insulin resistance (IR) has been reported to play an important role in recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) among patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, scanted materials exist regarding the independent effect of IR on RSA. The aim of this study is to investigate the status of IR in first trimester pregnant patients with normal pre-pregnant glucose tolerance and history of RSA. This two-center case-control study enrolled totally 626 first trimester pregnant women including 161 patients with a history of recurrent spontaneous abortion, who were pre-pregnantly glucose-tolerant according to oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and 465 women with no history of abnormal pregnancies of any kind. Clinical, biochemical and hormonal parameters were simultaneously measured in all participants. Serum beta-HCG, estradiol, progesterone, fasting plasma glucose and fasting plasma insulin levels, as well, the calculated homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), fasting plasma glucose/insulin ratio(G/I) and pregnancy outcome were analyzed and compared. Serum beta-HCG and progesterone were found to be significantly lower in RSA group compared to controls. Subjects in RSA group were found to have higher HOMA-IR and lower G/I ratio than those in control group. Serum beta-HCG and progesterone were negatively correlated with HOMA-IR, and positively with G/I ratio even after adjustment for BMI. The spontaneous abortion rate within first trimester pregnancy of RSA patients was significantly higher than that in controls. In conclusion, woman with recurrent spontaneous abortion and normal pre-pregnant glucose metabolism tends to be more insulin resistant during first trimester pregnancy than healthy controls, no matter whether she has PCOS or not. Insulin resistance might be one of the direct causes that lead to recurrent abortion.

  5. Outcomes of an anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty with a contralateral reverse total shoulder arthroplasty.

    PubMed

    Cox, Ryan M; Padegimas, Eric M; Abboud, Joseph A; Getz, Charles L; Lazarus, Mark D; Ramsey, Matthew L; Williams, Gerald R; Horneff, John G

    2018-06-01

    It is common for patients to require staged bilateral shoulder arthroplasties. There is a unique cohort of patients who require an anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and a contralateral reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA). This study compared the outcomes of patients with a TSA in 1 shoulder and an RSA in the contralateral shoulder. Our institutional database was queried to identify all patients with a TSA and a contralateral RSA. Data collection included patient demographics, preoperative and latest follow-up shoulder range of motion, radiographic analysis, and postoperative complications. Identified patients were assessed at follow-up visits or contacted by phone for functional outcome scores. Nineteen patients met our inclusion/exclusion criteria. There was statistically significant greater internal rotation in the TSA shoulder (P= .044) but no significant difference in forward elevation (P = .573) or external rotation (P= .368). There was no radiographic evidence of humeral or glenoid component loosening of any arthroplasty implants. There were no significant differences between TSA and RSA shoulders for the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment (P= .381), Simple Shoulder Test (P = .352), Single Assessment Numerical Evaluation (P = .709), and visual analog scale satisfaction (P= .448) or pain scores (P= .305). Thirteen patients (68.4%) preferred the RSA side, 1 patient (5.3%; z = 4.04, P < .001) patient preferred the TSA side, and 5 patients expressed no preference. Despite known limitations and differences between TSA and RSA designs, patients who have received both implants are highly satisfied with both. The only parameter in which the TSA had superior outcomes was internal rotation. Copyright © 2017 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Synchrony of Physiological Activity during Mother-Child Interaction: Moderation by Maternal History of Major Depressive Disorder

    PubMed Central

    Woody, Mary L.; Feurer, Cope; Sosoo, Effua E.; Hastings, Paul D.; Gibb, Brandon E.

    2017-01-01

    Background The family environment plays an important role in the intergenerational transmission of MDD, but less is known about how day-to-day mother-child interactions may be disrupted in families with a history of MDD. Disruptions in mother-child synchrony, the dynamic and convergent exchange of physiological and behavioral cues during interactions, may be one important risk factor. Although maternal MDD is associated with a lack of mother-child synchrony at the behavioral level, no studies have examined the impact of maternal MDD on physiological synchrony. Therefore, the current study examined whether maternal history of MDD moderates mother-child physiological synchrony (measured via RSA) during positive and negative discussions. Method Children ages 7–11 and mothers with either a history of MDD during the child’s lifetime (n=44) or no lifetime diagnosis of any mood disorder (n=50) completed positive and negative discussion tasks while RSA was continuously recorded for both child and mother. Results Results indicated significant between-dyad and within-dyad group differences in physiological synchrony during positive and negative discussions. Between-dyad analyses revealed evidence of synchrony only among never depressed dyads, among whom higher average mother RSA during both discussions was associated with higher average child RSA. Within-dyad analyses revealed that never depressed dyads displayed positive synchrony (RSA concordance) whereas dyads with a history of maternal MDD displayed negative synchrony (RSA discordance) during the negative discussion and that the degree of negative synchrony exhibited during the negative discussion was associated with mothers’ and children’s levels of sadness. Conclusions These results provide preliminary evidence that physiological synchrony is disrupted in families with a history of maternal MDD and may be a potential risk factor for the intergenerational transmission of depression. PMID:27090774

  7. Tenofovir in second-line ART in Zambia and South Africa: Collaborative analysis of cohort studies

    PubMed Central

    Wandeler, Gilles; Keiser, Olivia; Mulenga, Lloyd; Hoffmann, Christopher J; Wood, Robin; Chaweza, Thom; Brennan, Alana; Prozesky, Hans; Garone, Daniela; Giddy, Janet; Chimbetete, Cleophas; Boulle, Andrew; Egger, Matthias

    2012-01-01

    Objectives Tenofovir (TDF) is increasingly used in second-line antiretroviral treatment (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa. We compared outcomes of second-line ART containing and not containing TDF in cohort studies from Zambia and the Republic of South Africa (RSA). Methods Patients aged ≥ 16 years starting protease inhibitor-based second-line ART in Zambia (1 cohort) and RSA (5 cohorts) were included. We compared mortality, immunological failure (all cohorts) and virological failure (RSA only) between patients receiving and not receiving TDF. Competing risk models and Cox models adjusted for age, sex, CD4 count, time on first-line ART and calendar year were used to analyse mortality and treatment failure, respectively. Hazard ratios (HRs) were combined in fixed-effects meta-analysis. Findings 1,687 patients from Zambia and 1,556 patients from RSA, including 1,350 (80.0%) and 206 (13.2%) patients starting TDF, were followed over 4,471 person-years. Patients on TDF were more likely to have started second-line ART in recent years, and had slightly higher baseline CD4 counts than patients not on TDF. Overall 127 patients died, 532 were lost to follow-up and 240 patients developed immunological failure. In RSA 94 patients had virologic failure. Combined HRs comparing tenofovir with other regimens were 0.60 (95% CI 0.41–0.87) for immunologic failure and 0.63 (0.38–1.05) for mortality. The HR for virologic failure in RSA was 0.28 (0.09–0.90). Conclusions In this observational study patients on TDF-containing second-line ART were less likely to develop treatment failure than patients on other regimens. TDF seems to be an effective component of second-line ART in southern Africa. PMID:22743595

  8. Charge-mediated Fab-Fc interactions in an IgG1 antibody induce reversible self-association, cluster formation, and elevated viscosity.

    PubMed

    Arora, Jayant; Hu, Yue; Esfandiary, Reza; Sathish, Hasige A; Bishop, Steven M; Joshi, Sangeeta B; Middaugh, C Russell; Volkin, David B; Weis, David D

    Concentration-dependent reversible self-association (RSA) of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) poses a challenge to their pharmaceutical development as viable candidates for subcutaneous delivery. While the role of the antigen-binding fragment (Fab) in initiating RSA is well-established, little evidence supports the involvement of the crystallizable fragment (Fc). In this report, a variety of biophysical tools, including hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry, are used to elucidate the protein interface of such non-covalent protein-protein interactions. Using dynamic and static light scattering combined with viscosity measurements, we find that an IgG1 mAb (mAb-J) undergoes RSA primarily through electrostatic interactions and forms a monomer-dimer-tetramer equilibrium. We provide the first direct experimental mapping of the interface formed between the Fab and Fc domains of an antibody at high protein concentrations. Charge distribution heterogeneity between the positively charged interface spanning complementarity-determining regions CDR3H and CDR2L in the Fab and a negatively charged region in C H 3/Fc domain mediates the RSA of mAb-J. When arginine and NaCl are added, they disrupt RSA of mAb-J and decrease the solution viscosity. Fab-Fc domain interactions between mAb monomers may promote the formation of large transient antibody complexes that ultimately cause increases in solution viscosity. Our findings illustrate how limited specific arrangements of amino-acid residues can cause mAbs to undergo RSA at high protein concentrations and how conserved regions in the Fc portion of the antibody can also play an important role in initiating weak and transient protein-protein interactions.

  9. RSA Monitoring Redesign Initiative Informational Booklet #2

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    US Department of Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    The U.S. Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) is undertaking a major initiative to substantially redesign its program monitoring and improvement system. The overriding goal is to improve vocational rehabilitation (VR) services and employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities through the development of a…

  10. 78 FR 65971 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Monkfish Fisheries Management Plan; Reallocation of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-04

    ... DAS as RSA DAS to be used to conduct monkfish research. Amendment 2 also established the Monkfish Exemption Program, which requires NMFS to make any unallocated RSA DAS available as exempted DAS. These exempted DAS [[Page 65972

  11. Assessment of Rail Seat Abrasion Patterns and Environment

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-05-01

    Rail seat abrasion (RSA) of concrete ties is manifested by the loss of material under the rail seat area and, in extreme cases, results in loss of rail clip holding power, reverse rail cant, and gauge widening. RSA was measured in several curves on t...

  12. On the improvement of Wiener attack on RSA with small private exponent.

    PubMed

    Wu, Mu-En; Chen, Chien-Ming; Lin, Yue-Hsun; Sun, Hung-Min

    2014-01-01

    RSA system is based on the hardness of the integer factorization problem (IFP). Given an RSA modulus N = pq, it is difficult to determine the prime factors p and q efficiently. One of the most famous short exponent attacks on RSA is the Wiener attack. In 1997, Verheul and van Tilborg use an exhaustive search to extend the boundary of the Wiener attack. Their result shows that the cost of exhaustive search is 2r + 8 bits when extending the Weiner's boundary r bits. In this paper, we first reduce the cost of exhaustive search from 2r + 8 bits to 2r + 2 bits. Then, we propose a method named EPF. With EPF, the cost of exhaustive search is further reduced to 2r - 6 bits when we extend Weiner's boundary r bits. It means that our result is 2(14) times faster than Verheul and van Tilborg's result. Besides, the security boundary is extended 7 bits.

  13. Time scale of random sequential adsorption.

    PubMed

    Erban, Radek; Chapman, S Jonathan

    2007-04-01

    A simple multiscale approach to the diffusion-driven adsorption from a solution to a solid surface is presented. The model combines two important features of the adsorption process: (i) The kinetics of the chemical reaction between adsorbing molecules and the surface and (ii) geometrical constraints on the surface made by molecules which are already adsorbed. The process (i) is modeled in a diffusion-driven context, i.e., the conditional probability of adsorbing a molecule provided that the molecule hits the surface is related to the macroscopic surface reaction rate. The geometrical constraint (ii) is modeled using random sequential adsorption (RSA), which is the sequential addition of molecules at random positions on a surface; one attempt to attach a molecule is made per one RSA simulation time step. By coupling RSA with the diffusion of molecules in the solution above the surface the RSA simulation time step is related to the real physical time. The method is illustrated on a model of chemisorption of reactive polymers to a virus surface.

  14. On the Improvement of Wiener Attack on RSA with Small Private Exponent

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Chien-Ming; Lin, Yue-Hsun

    2014-01-01

    RSA system is based on the hardness of the integer factorization problem (IFP). Given an RSA modulus N = pq, it is difficult to determine the prime factors p and q efficiently. One of the most famous short exponent attacks on RSA is the Wiener attack. In 1997, Verheul and van Tilborg use an exhaustive search to extend the boundary of the Wiener attack. Their result shows that the cost of exhaustive search is 2r + 8 bits when extending the Weiner's boundary r bits. In this paper, we first reduce the cost of exhaustive search from 2r + 8 bits to 2r + 2 bits. Then, we propose a method named EPF. With EPF, the cost of exhaustive search is further reduced to 2r − 6 bits when we extend Weiner's boundary r bits. It means that our result is 214 times faster than Verheul and van Tilborg's result. Besides, the security boundary is extended 7 bits. PMID:24982974

  15. Growth Models of Dyadic Synchrony and Mother-Child Vagal Tone in the Context of Parenting At-Risk

    PubMed Central

    Giuliano, Ryan J.; Skowron, Elizabeth A.; Berkman, Elliot T.

    2015-01-01

    We used multilevel modeling to examine dynamic changes in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and observer-coded interactive synchrony for mother-child dyads engaged in a laboratory interaction, to characterize parenting-at-risk. Seventy-nine preschooler-mother dyads including a subset with documented child maltreatment (CM; n=43) were observed completing a joint puzzle task while physiological measures were recorded. Dyads led by CM mothers showed decreases in positive synchrony over time, whereas no variation was observed in non-CM dyads. Growth models of maternal RSA indicated that mothers who maintained high levels of positive interactive synchrony with their child evidenced greater RSA reactivity, characterized by an initial withdrawal followed by augmentation as the task progressed, after accounting for CM group status. These results help to clarify patterns of RSA responding in the context of caregiver-child interactions, and demonstrate the importance of modeling dynamic changes in physiology over time in order to better understanding biological correlates of parenting-at-risk. PMID:25542759

  16. Implementation of Digital Signature Using Aes and Rsa Algorithms as a Security in Disposition System af Letter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Siregar, H.; Junaeti, E.; Hayatno, T.

    2017-03-01

    Activities correspondence is often used by agencies or companies, so that institutions or companies set up a special division to handle issues related to the letter management. Most of the distribution of letters using electronic media, then the letter should be kept confidential in order to avoid things that are not desirable. Techniques that can be done to meet the security aspect is by using cryptography or by giving a digital signature. The addition of asymmetric and symmetric algorithms, i.e. RSA and AES algorithms, on the digital signature had been done in this study to maintain data security. The RSA algorithm was used during the process of giving digital signature, while the AES algorithm was used during the process of encoding a message that will be sent to the receiver. Based on the research can be concluded that the additions of AES and RSA algorithms on the digital signature meet four objectives of cryptography: Secrecy, Data Integrity, Authentication and Non-repudiation.

  17. Cumulative risk exposure moderates the association between parasympathetic reactivity and inhibitory control in preschool-age children.

    PubMed

    Giuliano, Ryan J; Roos, Leslie E; Farrar, Jessica D; Skowron, Elizabeth A

    2018-04-01

    A child's cumulative risk for early exposure to stress has been linked to alterations of self-regulation outcomes, including neurobiological correlates of inhibitory control (IC). We examined whether children's ability to engage the parasympathetic nervous system impacts how risk affects IC. Children ages 3-5 years completed two laboratory measures of IC while respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was measured, indexing parasympathetic activity. Children with greater risk demonstrated lower IC; risk also moderated associations between RSA reactivity and IC. For children with less risk, greater RSA withdrawal during IC tasks was associated with better IC. In contrast, greater risk was associated with poor IC, regardless of RSA withdrawal. Effects of risk were more pronounced for cumulative than individual measures. Results suggest that cumulative risk exposure disrupts connectivity between physiological and behavioral components of self-regulation in early childhood. Parasympathetic withdrawal to cognitive tasks may be less relevant for performance in developmental samples experiencing greater life stress. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Eavesdropping-aware routing and spectrum allocation based on multi-flow virtual concatenation for confidential information service in elastic optical networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bai, Wei; Yang, Hui; Yu, Ao; Xiao, Hongyun; He, Linkuan; Feng, Lei; Zhang, Jie

    2018-01-01

    The leakage of confidential information is one of important issues in the network security area. Elastic Optical Networks (EON) as a promising technology in the optical transport network is under threat from eavesdropping attacks. It is a great demand to support confidential information service (CIS) and design efficient security strategy against the eavesdropping attacks. In this paper, we propose a solution to cope with the eavesdropping attacks in routing and spectrum allocation. Firstly, we introduce probability theory to describe eavesdropping issue and achieve awareness of eavesdropping attacks. Then we propose an eavesdropping-aware routing and spectrum allocation (ES-RSA) algorithm to guarantee information security. For further improving security and network performance, we employ multi-flow virtual concatenation (MFVC) and propose an eavesdropping-aware MFVC-based secure routing and spectrum allocation (MES-RSA) algorithm. The presented simulation results show that the proposed two RSA algorithms can both achieve greater security against the eavesdropping attacks and MES-RSA can also improve the network performance efficiently.

  19. Correlation between indexes of autonomic maneuvers and heart rate variability in hemodialysis patients.

    PubMed

    Vieira, Carlos Felipe Delmondes; Lima, Márcia Maria Oliveira; Costa, Henrique Silveira; Diniz, Karen Marina Alves; Guião, João Paulo Lemos; Alves, Frederico Lopes; Maciel, Emílio Henrique; Brandao, Vanessa Gomes; Figueiredo, Pedro Henrique Scheidt

    2016-06-01

    The autonomic maneuvers are simple methods to evaluate autonomic balance, but the association between autonomic maneuvers and heart rate variability (HRV) in hemodialysis patients remains unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between HRV and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and Valsalva maneuver (VM) indexes in hemodialysis patients and to compare two methods for RSA indexes acquisitions. Forty-eight volunteers on hemodialysis (66.7 % men) were evaluated by VM, RSA, and 24 h Holter monitoring. At the VM, the Valsalva index (VI) was the variable considered. In the RSA, the ratio and difference between the RR intervals of inspiratory and expiratory phase (E:I and E-I, respectively) were considered by traditional form (average of respiratory cycles) and independent respiratory cycles (E:Iindep and E-Iindep). The HRV indexes evaluated were standard deviation of all normal RR intervals (SDNN), standard deviation of sequential 5-min RR interval means (SDANN), root mean square of the successive differences (rMSSD) and percentage of adjacent RR intervals with difference of duration greater than 50 ms (pNN50). The SDNN, SDANN showed significant correlation with all classic indexes of RSA (E:I: r = 0.62, 0.55, respectively, E-I: r = 0.64, 0.57, respectively), E:Iindep (r = 0.59, 0.54, respectively), E-Iindep (r = 0.47, 0.43, respectively) and VI (r = 0.42, 0.34, respectively). Significant correlation of rMSSD with E:I (r = 0.37), E-I (r = 0.41) and E:Iindep (r = 0.34) was also observed. There was no association of any variable with pNN50. Have been show high values for all variables of independent cycles method (p < 0.05). The autonomic maneuvers, especially RSA, are useful methods to evaluate cardiac autonomic function in hemodialysis patients. The acquisition of the RSA index by independent cycles should not be used in this population.

  20. Quantitation of mRNAs for α 1-acid glycoprotein and for serum albumin in livers of normal, stressed, fasted, and refed rats. [ 125I or 131I radioimmunoassay for protein products of specific mRNA activity

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

    Harris, Linda Jean

    1978-01-01

    A new procedure for determining the relative levels of a specific mRNA species was developed and applied to mRNA for rat serum albumin (RSA) and α 1-AGP) in rat liver. The method is a radioimmunoassay ( 125In or 131I) for the completed protein, but which also detects antigenic determinants in nascent polypeptide chains on plysomes synthesizing the specific protein. Results show that 24 hs after stressing the rat by turpentine injection the total number of polysomes per mg DNA has increased by 20 to 25%; however, the number of RSA synthesizing polysomes per mg DNA has decreased slightly. In ratsmore » fasted for 6 days, the number of RSA synthesizing polysomes per mg polysomal RNA is only slightly below normal, but the total number of RSA synthesizing polysomes per mg DNA has decreased by 40%. Again, it is seen that RSA mRNA levels do not decrease as sharply as the rate of RSA synthesis. Twelve hours after refeeding the rats, the number of RSA synthesizing polysomes begins to increase, reaching a peak two to three times normal levels 24 to 48 hours after commencement of refeeding. During the first 24 hs after turpentine injection, there is a linear increase in the number of α 1-AGP synthesizing polysomes. The increase is smaller during the next 24 hs and there is a small decrease between 48 and 72 hs. The serum concentrations of α 1-AGP following turpentine treatment reflect these changes in polysome levels. It was not possible to compare the number of α 1-AGP synthesizing polysomes in livers of normal, fasted, and refed rats because the levels detected were only slightly higher than those seen in rat and rat kidney polysome controls. This background activity must be eliminated before the technique can be applied to quantitating mRNA for proteins synthesized in very small quantities. This technique offers several advantages over other procedures commonly used to quantitate mRNA. (ERB)« less

  1. Sympathetic- and Parasympathetic-linked Cardiac Function and Prediction of Externalizing Behavior, Emotion Regulation, and Prosocial Behavior among Preschoolers Treated for ADHD

    PubMed Central

    Beauchaine, Theodore P.; Gatzke-Kopp, Lisa; Neuhaus, Emily; Chipman, Jane; Reid, M. Jamila; Webster-Stratton, Carolyn

    2014-01-01

    Objective To evaluate measures of cardiac activity and reactivity as prospective biomarkers of treatment response to an empirically-supported behavioral intervention for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Method Cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP), an index of sympathetic-linked cardiac activity, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and index of parasympathetic-linked cardiac activity, were assessed among 99 preschool children (ages 4–6 years) with ADHD both at rest and in response to behavioral challenge, before participants and their parents completed one of two versions of the Incredible Years parent and child interventions. Results Main effects of PEP activity and reactivity, and of RSA activity and reactivity were found. Although sample-wide improvements in behavior were observed at post treatment, those who exhibited lengthened cardiac PEP at rest and reduced PEP reactivity to incentives scored higher on measures of conduct problems and aggression both before and after treatment. In contrast, children who exhibited lower baseline RSA and greater RSA withdrawal scored lower on prosocial behavior before and after treatment. Finally, children who exhibited greater RSA withdrawal scored lower on emotion regulation before and after treatment. Conclusions We discuss these findings in terms of (a) individual differences in underlying neurobiological systems subserving appetitive (i.e., approach) motivation, emotion regulation, and social affiliation, and (b) the need to develop more intensive interventions targeting neurobiologically vulnerable children. PMID:23544677

  2. Sympathetic- and parasympathetic-linked cardiac function and prediction of externalizing behavior, emotion regulation, and prosocial behavior among preschoolers treated for ADHD.

    PubMed

    Beauchaine, Theodore P; Gatzke-Kopp, Lisa; Neuhaus, Emily; Chipman, Jane; Reid, M Jamila; Webster-Stratton, Carolyn

    2013-06-01

    To evaluate measures of cardiac activity and reactivity as prospective biomarkers of treatment response to an empirically supported behavioral intervention for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Cardiac preejection period (PEP), an index of sympathetic-linked cardiac activity, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), an index of parasympathetic-linked cardiac activity, were assessed among 99 preschool children (ages 4-6 years) with ADHD both at rest and in response to behavioral challenge, before participants and their parents completed 1 of 2 versions of the Incredible Years parent and child interventions. Main effects of PEP activity and reactivity and of RSA activity and reactivity were found. Although samplewide improvements in behavior were observed at posttreatment, those who exhibited lengthened cardiac PEP at rest and reduced PEP reactivity to incentives scored higher on measures of conduct problems and aggression both before and after treatment. In contrast, children who exhibited lower baseline RSA and greater RSA withdrawal scored lower on prosocial behavior before and after treatment. Finally, children who exhibited greater RSA withdrawal scored lower on emotion regulation before and after treatment. We discuss these findings in terms of (a) individual differences in underlying neurobiological systems subserving appetitive (i.e., approach) motivation, emotion regulation, and social affiliation and (b) the need to develop more intensive interventions targeting neurobiologically vulnerable children.

  3. Repeated sprint ability in soccer players: associations with physiological and neuromuscular factors.

    PubMed

    Baldi, Marcelo; DA Silva, Juliano F; Buzzachera, Cosme F; Castagna, Carlo; Guglielmo, Luiz G

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between repeated sprint ability (RSA, 6×40 m [20+20 m] with 20-s recovery) and neuromuscular and aerobic fitness variables in male collegiate soccer players. Twenty-six players (age 22.5±3.6 years) were tested on separate days for countermovement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SJ), and standing long jump (LJ), and for maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O2max), velocity at onset of blood lactate accumulation (vOBLA), maximal aerobic speed (vV̇O2max), and peak blood lactate concentration (peak [La]). They were also tested for best and mean times on a repeated shuttle sprint ability test. RSA best time (r=-0.73 and r=-0.54) and RSA mean sprint time (r=-0.69 and r=-0.62) were significantly (P<0.01) correlated with LJ and CMJ, respectively. Significant correlations (P<0.05) were also found between RSA mean sprint time and sprint decrement with vOBLA (r=-0.44) and peak [La] (r=0.47), respectively. This study showed that RSA performance had a large to very large association with the individual level of jump performance and to a smaller extent to aerobic fitness variables in male collegiate soccer players. Given this finding, lower limbs' explosive-strength performance should be regarded as a relevant factor for male soccer.

  4. The -2549 insertion/deletion polymorphism in the promoter region of VEGF is associated with the risk of recurrent spontaneous abortion.

    PubMed

    Hashemi, Mohammad; Danesh, Hiva; Bizhani, Fatemeh; Mokhtari, Mojgan; Bahari, Gholamreza; Tabasi, Farhad; Taheri, Mohsen

    2018-03-01

    Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is a common health problem affecting women of reproductive age. Altered expression of vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF ) has been associated with spontaneous abortion. The present case-control study aimed to evaluate the impact of the 18-bp insertion/deletion (ins/del) polymorphism (rs35569394) in the promoter region of the VEGF gene on idiopathic RSA. Genomic DNA from 93 patients with RSA and 93 healthy fertile women of southeastern Iran was isolated using the salting-out method. Genotyping of the rs35569394 variant was performed by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The findings indicated that the VEGF 18-bp ins/del variant significantly increased the risk of RSA under codominant (ins/ins vs. del/del; OR=2.85, 95% CI=1.31-6.22, P=0.019), dominant (del/ins+ins/ins vs. del/del; OR=2.19, 95% CI=1.20-4.01, P=0.015) and allelic (ins vs. del; OR=1.90, 95% CI=1.25-2.88, P=0.003) inheritance models. In summary, the findings propose a significant association between the VEGF 18-bp ins/del polymorphism and risk of RSA in a sample of the southeast Iranian population. Further studies on larger sample sizes and different ethnicities are required to validate the present findings.

  5. Dyadic Concordance in Mother and Preschooler Resting Cardiovascular Function Varies by Risk Status

    PubMed Central

    Skowron, Elizabeth A.; Hughes, Brian M.; Howard, Siobhán; Loken, Eric

    2014-01-01

    This study examined concordance in heart rate (HR) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in a sample of 104 child-maltreating (CM) and nonCM mother–preschooler dyads (208 individuals). In a laboratory setting, mother and child cardiac physiology was simultaneously monitored via ECG in a 5-min resting period. Mothers ranged in age from 20 to 49 years; children ranged in age from 3 to 5 years. Significant within-dyad (WD) and between-dyad (BD) associations were observed for mother HR and both child HR and RSA, and the associations were moderated by CM status. Only CM dyads exhibited BD associations: Higher average maternal HR was associated with higher child HR and lower child RSA. By contrast, when the time interval was divided into 30 s epochs, nonCM dyads exhibited positive WD (dynamic) associations in mother and child HR, and both CM and nonCM dyads showed negative WD associations in mother HR and child RSA. Further, mothers’ mean HR levels moderated the extent of epoch-by-epoch WD concordance observed in mother and child, such that elevated average maternal HR was associated with lower levels of WD (dynamic) concordance. No BD or WD concordance in maternal and child RSA was observed. The findings suggest that measures of intraindividual variation provide useful, alternate perspectives in the study of dyadic processes in at-risk families. PMID:24022469

  6. Regulating sadness and fear from outside and within: mothers' emotion socialization and adolescents' parasympathetic regulation predict the development of internalizing difficulties.

    PubMed

    Hastings, Paul D; Klimes-Dougan, Bonnie; Kendziora, Kimberly T; Brand, Ann; Zahn-Waxler, Carolyn

    2014-11-01

    Multilevel models of developmental psychopathology implicate both characteristics of the individual and their rearing environment in the etiology of internalizing problems and disorders. Maladaptive regulation of fear and sadness, the core of anxiety and depression, arises from the conjoint influences of ineffective parasympathetic regulation of emotion and ineffective emotion socialization experiences. In 171 youths (84 female, M = 13.69 years, SD = 1.84), we measured changes of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in response to sadness- and fear-inducing film clips and maternal supportive and punitive responses to youths' internalizing emotions. Youths and mothers reported on youths' internalizing problems and anxiety and depression symptoms concurrently and 2 years later at Time 2. Maternal supportive emotion socialization predicted fewer, and punitive socialization predicted more, mother-reported internalizing problems at Time 2 only for youths who showed RSA suppression to fear-inducing films. More RSA suppression to sadness-inducing films predicted more youth-reported internalizing problems at Time 2 in girls only. In addition, less supportive emotion socialization predicted more youth-reported depression symptoms at Time 2 only for girls who showed more RSA suppression to sadness. RSA suppression to sadness versus fear might reflect different patterns of atypical parasympathetic regulation of emotional arousal, both of which increase the risk for internalizing difficulties in youths, and especially girls, who lack maternal support for regulating emotions.

  7. Peripheral natural killer cytotoxicity and CD56(pos)CD16(pos) cells increase during early pregnancy in women with a history of recurrent spontaneous abortion.

    PubMed

    Emmer, P M; Nelen, W L; Steegers, E A; Hendriks, J C; Veerhoek, M; Joosten, I

    2000-05-01

    For diagnostic purposes we assessed peripheral natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity and NK and T cell numbers to assess their putative predictive value in recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). A total of 43 women with subsequent pregnancy, 37 healthy controls and 39 women successfully partaking in an in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure, were included in the study. We show that before pregnancy, levels of NK cytotoxicity and numbers of both single CD56(pos) and double CD56(pos)CD16(pos) cells were similar between RSA women and controls. But notably, within the RSA group, NK cell numbers of <12% were strongly associated with a subsequent pregnancy carried to term. Supplementation of folic acid led to an increase of single CD56(pos) cells, but cytotoxic function appeared unaffected. The expression pattern of killer inhibitory receptors on CD56(pos) cells was not different between patients and controls. A longitudinal study revealed that, compared with controls, in RSA women higher numbers of double CD56(pos)CD16(pos) cells were present during early pregnancy, paralleled by an increase in cytotoxic NK cell reactivity. The single CD56(pos) population decreased in number. In conclusion, the analysis of peripheral NK cell characteristics appears a suitable diagnostic tool in RSA. Immunomodulation aimed at NK cell function appears a promising therapeutic measure.

  8. Vagal Reactivity and Affective Adjustment in Infants during Interaction Challenges.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bazhenova, Olga V.; Plonskaia, Oxana; Porges, Stephen W.

    2001-01-01

    Evaluated respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and heart period in 5-month-olds during interaction challenges. Found that during object-mediated challenge, RSA increases were uniquely related to positive engagement. During person-mediated challenge, subjects showed more complex integration of autonomic and behavioral responses such that only infants…

  9. Contributions of Child's Physiology and Maternal Behavior to Children's Trajectories of Temperamental Reactivity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blandon, Alysia Y.; Calkins, Susan D.; Keane, Susan P.; O'brien, Marion

    2010-01-01

    Trajectories of children's temperamental reactivity (negative affectivity and surgency) were examined in a community sample of 370 children across the ages of 4 to 7 with hierarchical linear modeling. Children's physiological reactivity (respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]), physiological regulation ([delta]RSA), and maternal parenting behavior…

  10. Research Perspectives on Education. Occasional Paper No. 41.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Human Sciences Research Council, Pretoria (South Africa). Inst. for Educational Research.

    Perspectives on educational research are presented, and articles are included that reflect research projects that were undertaken at the Institute for Educational Research (IER) of the Human Services Research Council of the Republic of South Africa (RSA). Articles in this collection include: (1) "Educational Research in the RSA: Trends and…

  11. Protein structure based prediction of catalytic residues.

    PubMed

    Fajardo, J Eduardo; Fiser, Andras

    2013-02-22

    Worldwide structural genomics projects continue to release new protein structures at an unprecedented pace, so far nearly 6000, but only about 60% of these proteins have any sort of functional annotation. We explored a range of features that can be used for the prediction of functional residues given a known three-dimensional structure. These features include various centrality measures of nodes in graphs of interacting residues: closeness, betweenness and page-rank centrality. We also analyzed the distance of functional amino acids to the general center of mass (GCM) of the structure, relative solvent accessibility (RSA), and the use of relative entropy as a measure of sequence conservation. From the selected features, neural networks were trained to identify catalytic residues. We found that using distance to the GCM together with amino acid type provide a good discriminant function, when combined independently with sequence conservation. Using an independent test set of 29 annotated protein structures, the method returned 411 of the initial 9262 residues as the most likely to be involved in function. The output 411 residues contain 70 of the annotated 111 catalytic residues. This represents an approximately 14-fold enrichment of catalytic residues on the entire input set (corresponding to a sensitivity of 63% and a precision of 17%), a performance competitive with that of other state-of-the-art methods. We found that several of the graph based measures utilize the same underlying feature of protein structures, which can be simply and more effectively captured with the distance to GCM definition. This also has the added the advantage of simplicity and easy implementation. Meanwhile sequence conservation remains by far the most influential feature in identifying functional residues. We also found that due the rapid changes in size and composition of sequence databases, conservation calculations must be recalibrated for specific reference databases.

  12. A comprehensive computational study on pathogenic mis-sense mutations spanning the RING2 and REP domains of Parkin protein.

    PubMed

    Biswas, Ria; Bagchi, Angshuman

    2017-04-30

    Various mutations in PARK2 gene, which encodes the protein parkin, are significantly associated with the onset of autosomal recessive juvenile Parkinson (ARJP) in neuronal cells. Parkin is a multi domain protein, the N-terminal part contains the Ubl and the C-terminal part consists of four zinc coordinating domains, viz., RING0, RING1, in between ring (IBR) and RING2. Disease mutations are spread over all the domains of Parkin, although mutations in some regions may affect the functionality of Parkin more adversely. The mutations in the RING2 domain are seen to abolish the neuroprotective E3 ligase activity of Parkin. In this current work, we carried out detailed in silico analysis to study the extent of pathogenicity of mutations spanning the Parkin RING2 domain and the adjoining REP region by SIFT, Mutation Accessor, PolyPhen2, SNPs and GO, GV/GD and I-mutant. To study the structural and functional implications of these mutations on RING2-REP domain of Parkin, we studied the solvent accessibility (SASA/RSA), hydrophobicity, intra-molecular hydrogen bonding profile and domain analysis by various computational tools. Finally, we analysed the interaction energy profiles of the mutants and compared them to the wild type protein using Discovery studio 2.5. By comparing the various analyses it could be safely concluded that except P437L and A379V mutations, all other mutations were potentially deleterious affecting various structural aspects of RING2 domain architecture. This study is based purely on computational approach which has the potential to identify disease mutations and the information could further be used in treatment of diseases and prognosis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. In Search of Functional Advantages of Knots in Proteins.

    PubMed

    Dabrowski-Tumanski, Pawel; Stasiak, Andrzej; Sulkowska, Joanna I

    2016-01-01

    We analysed the structure of deeply knotted proteins representing three unrelated families of knotted proteins. We looked at the correlation between positions of knotted cores in these proteins and such local structural characteristics as the number of intra-chain contacts, structural stability and solvent accessibility. We observed that the knotted cores and especially their borders showed strong enrichment in the number of contacts. These regions showed also increased thermal stability, whereas their solvent accessibility was decreased. Interestingly, the active sites within these knotted proteins preferentially located in the regions with increased number of contacts that also have increased thermal stability and decreased solvent accessibility. Our results suggest that knotting of polypeptide chains provides a favourable environment for the active sites observed in knotted proteins. Some knotted proteins have homologues without a knot. Interestingly, these unknotted homologues form local entanglements that retain structural characteristics of the knotted cores.

  14. Cardiac Vagal Regulation and Early Peer Status

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Graziano, Paulo A.; Keane, Susan P.; Calkins, Susan D.

    2007-01-01

    A sample of 341 5 1/2-year-old children participating in an ongoing longitudinal study was the focus of a study on the relation between cardiac vagal regulation and peer status. To assess cardiac vagal regulation, resting measures of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and RSA change (suppression) to 3 cognitively and emotionally challenging tasks…

  15. Efficacy of reducing sugar and phenol-sulfuric acid assays for analysis of soluble carbohydrates in feedstuffs

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Reducing sugar (RSA) and phenol–sulfuric acid (PSA) assays are commonly used to analyze water-soluble carbohydrates. However, questions have arisen as to their accuracy for measurement of feedstuffs with diverse carbohydrate profiles. This study evaluated the efficacy of RSA and PSA as they would co...

  16. Evaluation in the Older Blind Independent Living Program: Advantages of a Structural Equation Modeling Approach. Research Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Giesen, Martin J.; Cavenaugh, Brenda S.

    2006-01-01

    Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) requires that independent living programs annually report demographic information on consumers receiving services and the numbers receiving specific types of services. Although some states collect information on consumer outcomes (for example, improvement in daily living skills), RSA does not request…

  17. Reverse shoulder arthroplasty in young patient with achondroplasia - Ten year follow up: Case report.

    PubMed

    van den Broek, M; Verborgt, O; Declercq, G

    2017-11-01

    Skeletal dysplasia in achondroplasia can affect all body joints - including the glenohumeral joint - and is prone to develop to degenerative osteoarthritis (OA). This may cause pain and mobility problems at young age. Surgical treatment is challenging due to the dysplastic anatomy of the shoulder joint - with a dysplastic deformed short humerus, a small, hypoplastic medialized glenoid and lateralized acromion - and the long life expectancy of these patients. The indications for reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) evolved during years with rotator cuff tears and rotator cuff arthropathy in combination with or without glenohumeral OA as the main indicator, with good short to mid-term results. Long term results of RSA are rarely found in literature, especially in young patients. The use of a RSA in glenohumeral OA with an intact rotator cuff has rarely been reported. In this case report we present the ten-year clinical and radiographic results of a RSA for the treatment of degenerative OA with glenohumeral dysplasia in a young patient with achondroplasia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  18. Application Mail Tracking Using RSA Algorithm As Security Data and HOT-Fit a Model for Evaluation System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Permadi, Ginanjar Setyo; Adi, Kusworo; Gernowo, Rahmad

    2018-02-01

    RSA algorithm give security in the process of the sending of messages or data by using 2 key, namely private key and public key .In this research to ensure and assess directly systems are made have meet goals or desire using a comprehensive evaluation methods HOT-Fit system .The purpose of this research is to build a information system sending mail by applying methods of security RSA algorithm and to evaluate in uses the method HOT-Fit to produce a system corresponding in the faculty physics. Security RSA algorithm located at the difficulty of factoring number of large coiled factors prima, the results of the prime factors has to be done to obtain private key. HOT-Fit has three aspects assessment, in the aspect of technology judging from the system status, the quality of system and quality of service. In the aspect of human judging from the use of systems and satisfaction users while in the aspect of organization judging from the structure and environment. The results of give a tracking system sending message based on the evaluation acquired.

  19. Mother-infant dyadic reparation and individual differences in vagal tone affect 4-month-old infants' social stress regulation.

    PubMed

    Provenzi, Livio; Casini, Erica; de Simone, Paola; Reni, Gianluigi; Borgatti, Renato; Montirosso, Rosario

    2015-12-01

    Infants' social stress regulation (i.e., reactivity and recovery) might be affected by mother-infant dyadic functioning and infants' vagal tone (i.e., respiratory sinus arrhythmia, RSA). This study investigated the role of a specific dyadic functioning feature (i.e., dyadic reparation) and individual differences in vagal tone regulation (i.e., RSA suppression vs. non-suppression) in relation to social stress regulation in 4-month-old infants. A total of 65 mother-infant dyads participated in the face-to-face still-face paradigm. Social stress reactivity and recovery were measured as negative emotionality during Still-Face and Reunion episodes, respectively. RSA was measured during Play, Still-Face, and Reunion episodes. Suppressors had higher dyadic reparation during Play and higher recovery from social stress compared with non-suppressors. Higher reparation during Play was associated with lower reactivity and higher recovery only for suppressors. Findings suggest a joint role of infants' RSA individual differences and dyadic reparation in affecting infants' social stress regulation at 4 months of age. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. VLSI design of an RSA encryption/decryption chip using systolic array based architecture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Chi-Chia; Lin, Bor-Shing; Jan, Gene Eu; Lin, Jheng-Yi

    2016-09-01

    This article presents the VLSI design of a configurable RSA public key cryptosystem supporting the 512-bit, 1024-bit and 2048-bit based on Montgomery algorithm achieving comparable clock cycles of current relevant works but with smaller die size. We use binary method for the modular exponentiation and adopt Montgomery algorithm for the modular multiplication to simplify computational complexity, which, together with the systolic array concept for electric circuit designs effectively, lower the die size. The main architecture of the chip consists of four functional blocks, namely input/output modules, registers module, arithmetic module and control module. We applied the concept of systolic array to design the RSA encryption/decryption chip by using VHDL hardware language and verified using the TSMC/CIC 0.35 m 1P4 M technology. The die area of the 2048-bit RSA chip without the DFT is 3.9 × 3.9 mm2 (4.58 × 4.58 mm2 with DFT). Its average baud rate can reach 10.84 kbps under a 100 MHz clock.

  1. Testing the limits of Rodent Sperm Analysis: azoospermia in an otherwise healthy wild rodent population.

    PubMed

    Tannenbaum, Lawrence V; Thran, Brandolyn H; Willams, Keith J

    2009-01-01

    By comparing the sperm parameters of small rodents trapped at contaminated terrestrial sites and nearby habitat-matched noncontaminated locations, the patent-pending Rodent Sperm Analysis (RSA) method provides a direct health status appraisal for the maximally chemical-exposed mammalian ecological receptor in the wild. RSA outcomes have consistently allowed for as definitive determinations of receptor health as are possible at the present time, thereby streamlining the ecological risk assessment (ERA) process. Here, we describe the unanticipated discovery, at a contaminated US EPA Superfund National Priorities List site, of a population of Hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus), with a high percentage of adult males lacking sperm entirely (azoospermia). In light of the RSA method's role in streamlining ERAs and in bringing contaminated Superfund-type site investigations to closure, we consider the consequences of the discovery. The two matters specifically discussed are (1) the computation of a population's average sperm count where azoospermia is present and (2) the merits of the RSA method and its sperm parameter thresholds-for-effect when azoospermia is masked in an otherwise apparently healthy rodent population.

  2. Hearts and minds: Coordination of neurocognitive and cardiovascular regulation in children and adolescents.

    PubMed

    Chapman, H A; Woltering, S; Lamm, C; Lewis, M D

    2010-05-01

    Emotional reactions involve changes in both cognitive and bodily processes. Therefore, effective emotion regulation may also involve modulation of responses in both of these systems. The present study investigated the relationship between regulation of cognition and regulation of the heart in children and adolescents, using a go/nogo task in combination with the induction of negative emotions. Behavioral, temperamental and event-related brain potential (ERP) indicators of inhibitory cognitive control were collected, as was a measure of parasympathetic control of the heart (respiratory sinus arrhythmia, RSA). Independently of age, RSA was correlated with nogo N2 magnitudes during the emotion-induction procedure. RSA during the task was also correlated with N2 latencies and with behavioral accuracy before, during and after the emotion induction. Resting RSA was correlated with individual differences in the capacity for effortful cognitive control, as measured by questionnaire. These results suggest that emotional responses in seemingly distinct neurophysiological systems may be regulated in an integrated fashion throughout the developmental span tested. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. The Relation between Maternal Emotional Support and Child Physiological Regulation across the Preschool Years

    PubMed Central

    Perry, Nicole B.; Nelson, Jackie A.; Swingler, Margaret M.; Leerkes, Esther M.; Calkins, Susan D.; Marcovitch, Stuart; O’Brien, Marion

    2017-01-01

    Trajectories of baseline RSA (respiratory sinus arrhythmia), an index of reactivity, and vagal withdrawal, an index of regulation, across the preschool period were examined. In addition, maternal emotional support was investigated as a potential time-varying predictor of these trajectories. Physiological measures were obtained during frustration tasks, and a maternal emotional support measure was assessed via maternal report and direct observation. Children’s baseline RSA and vagal withdrawal scores were moderately stable across the preschool period. Growth models indicated that children’s baseline RSA scores changed linearly over the preschool years, and there was significant variability in withdrawal trajectories. Greater maternal emotional support predicted higher initial withdrawal levels and lower emotional support was associated with the greatest increase in withdrawal over time. This suggests that children of higher emotionally supportive mothers reached higher levels of physiological regulation earlier in development and therefore did not show the same increase across preschool as children of less supportive mothers. Maternal emotional support was not significantly related to trajectories of baseline RSA. PMID:22573287

  4. Least loaded and route fragmentation aware RSA strategies for elastic optical networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Batham, Deepak; Yadav, Dharmendra Singh; Prakash, Shashi

    2017-12-01

    Elastic optical networks (EONs) provide flexibility to assign wide range of spectral resources to the connection requests. In this manuscript, we address two issues related to spectrum assignment in EONs: the non uniform spectrum assignment along different links of the route and the spectrum fragmentation in the network. To address these issues, two routing and spectrum assignment (RSA) strategies have been proposed: Least Loaded RSA (LLRSA) and Route Fragmentation Aware RSA (RFARSA). The LLRSA allocates spectrum homogeneously along different links in the network, where as RFARSA accords priority to the routes which are less fragmented. To highlight the salient features of the two strategies, two new metrics, route fragmentation index (RFI) and standard deviation (SD) are introduced. RFI is defined as the ratio of non-contiguous FSs to the total available free FSs on the route, and SD relates to the measure of non-uniformity in the allocation of resources on the links in the network. A simulation program has been developed to evaluate the performance of the proposed (LLRSA and RFARSA) strategies, and the existing strategies of shortest path RSA (SPRSA) and spectrum compactness based defragmentation (SCD) strategies, on the metric of RFI, bandwidth blocking probability (BBP), network capacity utilized, and SD. The variation in the metrics on the basis of number of requests and the bandwidth (number of FSs) requested has been studied. It has been conclusively established that the proposed strategies (LLRSA and RFARSA) outperform the existing strategies in terms of all the metrics.

  5. Resident and proprietor perspectives on a recovery orientation in community-based housing.

    PubMed

    Piat, Myra; Boyer, Richard; Fleury, Marie-Josée; Lesage, Alain; O'Connell, Maria; Sabetti, Judith

    2015-03-01

    Stable housing is a fundamental human right, and an important element for both mental health recovery and social inclusion among people with serious mental illness. This article reports findings from a study on the recovery orientation of structured congregate community housing services using the Recovery Self-Assessment Questionnaire (RSA) adapted for housing (O'Connell, Tondora, Croog, Evans, & Davidson, 2005). The RSA questionnaires were administered to 118 residents and housing providers from 112 congregate housing units located in Montreal, Canada. Residents rated their homes as significantly less recovery-oriented than did proprietors, which is contrary to previous studies of clinical services or Assertive Community Treatment where RSA scores for service users were significantly higher than service provider scores. Findings for both groups suggest the need for improvement on 5 of 6 RSA factors. While proprietors favored recovery training and education, and valued resident opinion and experience, vestiges of a traditional medical model governing this housing emerged in other findings, as in agreement between the 2 groups that residents have little choice in case management, or in the belief among proprietors that residents are unable to manage their symptoms. This study demonstrates that the RSA adapted for housing is a useful tool for creating recovery profiles of housing services. The findings provide practical guidance on how to promote a recovery orientation in structured community housing, as well as a novel approach for reaching a common understanding of what this entails among stakeholders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  6. Resident and Proprietor Perspectives of a Recovery Orientation in Community-Based Housing

    PubMed Central

    Piat, Myra; Boyer, Richard; Fleury, Marie-Josée; Lesage, Alain; O’Connell, Maria; Sabetti, Judith

    2016-01-01

    Objective Stable housing is a fundamental human right, and an important element for both mental health recovery and social inclusion among people with serious mental illness. This article reports findings from a study on the recovery orientation of structured congregate community housing services using the Recovery Self-Assessment Questionnaire (RSA) adapted for housing (O’Connell, Tondora, Croog, Evans, & Davidson, 2005). Methods The RSA questionnaires were administered to 118 residents and housing providers from 112 congregate housing units located in Montreal, Canada. Results Residents rated their homes as significantly less recovery-oriented than did proprietors, which is contrary to previous studies of clinical services or Assertive Community Treatment where RSA scores for service users were significantly higher than service provider scores. Findings for both groups suggest the need for improvement on 5 of 6 RSA factors. While proprietors favored recovery training and education, and valued resident opinion and experience, vestiges of a traditional medical model governing this housing emerged in other findings, as in agreement between the 2 groups that residents have little choice in case management, or in the belief among proprietors that residents are unable to manage their symptoms. Conclusions and Implications for Practice This study demonstrates that the RSA adapted for housing is a useful tool for creating recovery profiles of housing services. The findings provide practical guidance on how to promote a recovery orientation in structured community housing, as well as a novel approach for reaching a common understanding of what this entails among stakeholders. PMID:25559078

  7. Increase of CD69, CD161 and CD94 on NK cells in women with recurrent spontaneous abortion and in vitro fertilization failure.

    PubMed

    Ghafourian, Mehri; Karami, Najmeh; Khodadadi, Ali; Nikbakht, Roshan

    2014-06-01

    Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) failure with unknown causes are the controversial issues that are probably related to the immune system. To compare circulating NK cells expressing activation and inhibition surface markers between patients with RSA and IVF failure with those of healthy multiparous and successful IVF control women, respectively. In this case-control study peripheral blood samples were collected from 43 patients who included 23 women with RSA and 20 with IVF failure, plus 43 healthy control women comprising of 36 normal multiparous women and seven women with successful IVF. The expression of CD69, CD94 and CD161 surface markers on CD56+NK cells were assessed using specific monoclonal antibodies by flowcytometry. The percentage of NK cells increased significantly in patients with RSA and in women with IVF failure in comparison to healthy multiparous and successful IVF control groups (p<0.001). The overall expression of CD69, CD94, CD161 were also increased significantly on NK cells in both patient groups compared to control groups (p<0.001). Elevated expression of CD69 and CD161 on NK cells can be considered as immunological risk markers in RSA and IVF failure. However, it is not clear if high expression of CD94 on peripheral blood NK cells is related to abnormal activity of endometrial NK cells.

  8. Evaluation of the adenosine deaminase (ADA) G22A gene polymorphism with recurrent spontaneous abortion among Egyptian patients.

    PubMed

    Farhan, Hanan Mohamed; Abu-Gabal, Khadiga; Katta, Maha; Ibrahim, Raghda

    2017-01-01

    Adenosine and deoxyadenosine metabolism is influenced by adenosine deaminase (ADA) enzyme. ADA increases in different diseases and is considered as one of the markers for cell-mediated immunity. Pregnancy is associated with depressed cell-mediated immunity. The level of ADA expression, which seems to play a key role in maintaining pregnancy, is influenced by adenosine deaminase G22A gene polymorphism. We aimed in our study to evaluate the association of ADA G22A gene polymorphism with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) in Egyptian women. Adenosine deaminase G22A gene polymorphism was genotyped in 40 patients (age range 22-39 years) with a history of RSA, selected from those attending the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Clinic of Beni-Suef University Hospital, and 20 age-matched healthy women as a control group, using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. In our study, no statistically significant difference was found between RSA patients and control group as regards ADA G22A genotypes (p = 0.653) and alleles (p = 0.697). A comparison of the frequencies of ADA alleles in RSA patients as regards the below-35-years-old age group revealed that ADA 2(A) allele was associated with a low risk for RSA in patients aged 35 years old or younger (p = 0.008). In conclusion, our study revealed an age-dependent protective value of ADA 2(A) allele in recurrent spontaneous abortions among the Egyptian population.

  9. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia and auditory processing in autism: modifiable deficits of an integrated social engagement system?

    PubMed

    Porges, Stephen W; Macellaio, Matthew; Stanfill, Shannon D; McCue, Kimberly; Lewis, Gregory F; Harden, Emily R; Handelman, Mika; Denver, John; Bazhenova, Olga V; Heilman, Keri J

    2013-06-01

    The current study evaluated processes underlying two common symptoms (i.e., state regulation problems and deficits in auditory processing) associated with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. Although these symptoms have been treated in the literature as unrelated, when informed by the Polyvagal Theory, these symptoms may be viewed as the predictable consequences of depressed neural regulation of an integrated social engagement system, in which there is down regulation of neural influences to the heart (i.e., via the vagus) and to the middle ear muscles (i.e., via the facial and trigeminal cranial nerves). Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and heart period were monitored to evaluate state regulation during a baseline and two auditory processing tasks (i.e., the SCAN tests for Filtered Words and Competing Words), which were used to evaluate auditory processing performance. Children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were contrasted with aged matched typically developing children. The current study identified three features that distinguished the ASD group from a group of typically developing children: 1) baseline RSA, 2) direction of RSA reactivity, and 3) auditory processing performance. In the ASD group, the pattern of change in RSA during the attention demanding SCAN tests moderated the relation between performance on the Competing Words test and IQ. In addition, in a subset of ASD participants, auditory processing performance improved and RSA increased following an intervention designed to improve auditory processing. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. PubMed Central

    Stefanski, Ana-Luisa; Specker, Christoph; Fischer-Betz, Rebecca; Henrich, Wolfgang; Schleussner, Ekkehard; Dörner, Thomas

    2018-01-01

    Background Recurrent miscarriage, also referred to as recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), affects 1 – 5% of couples and has a multifactorial genesis. Acquired and congenital thrombophilia have been discussed as hemostatic risk factors in the pathogenesis of RSA. Method This review article was based on a selective search of the literature in PubMed. There was a special focus on the current body of evidence studying the association between RSA and antiphospholipid syndrome and hereditary thrombophilia disorders. Results Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an acquired autoimmune thrombophilia and recurrent miscarriage is one of its clinical classification criteria. The presence of lupus anticoagulant has been shown to be the most important serologic risk factor for developing complications of pregnancy. A combination of low-dose acetylsalicylic acid and heparin has shown significant benefits with regard to pregnancy outcomes and APS-related miscarriage. Some congenital thrombophilic disorders also have an increased associated risk of developing RSA, although the risk is lower than for APS. The current analysis does not sufficiently support the analogous administration of heparin as prophylaxis against miscarriage in women with congenital thrombophilia in the same way as it is used in antiphospholipid syndrome. The data on rare, combined or homozygous thrombophilias and their impact on RSA are still insufficient. Conclusion In contrast to antiphospholipid syndrome, the current data from studies on recurrent spontaneous abortion do not support the prophylactic administration of heparin to treat women with maternal hereditary thrombophilia in subsequent pregnancies. Nevertheless, the maternal risk of thromboembolic events must determine the indication for thrombosis prophylaxis in pregnancy. PMID:29576632

  11. Evaluation of RSA set-up from a clinical biplane fluoroscopy system for 3D joint kinematic analysis.

    PubMed

    Bonanzinga, Tommaso; Signorelli, Cecilia; Bontempi, Marco; Russo, Alessandro; Zaffagnini, Stefano; Marcacci, Maurilio; Bragonzoni, Laura

    2016-01-01

    dinamic roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA), a technique currently based only on customized radiographic equipment, has been shown to be a very accurate method for detecting three-dimensional (3D) joint motion. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the applicability of an innovative RSA set-up for in vivo knee kinematic analysis, using a biplane fluoroscopic image system. To this end, the Authors describe the set-up as well as a possible protocol for clinical knee joint evaluation. The accuracy of the kinematic measurements is assessed. the Authors evaluated the accuracy of 3D kinematic analysis of the knee in a new RSA set-up, based on a commercial biplane fluoroscopy system integrated into the clinical environment. The study was organized in three main phases: an in vitro test under static conditions, an in vitro test under dynamic conditions reproducing a flexion-extension range of motion (ROM), and an in vivo analysis of the flexion-extension ROM. For each test, the following were calculated, as an indication of the tracking accuracy: mean, minimum, maximum values and standard deviation of the error of rigid body fitting. in terms of rigid body fitting, in vivo test errors were found to be 0.10±0.05 mm. Phantom tests in static and kinematic conditions showed precision levels, for translations and rotations, of below 0.1 mm/0.2° and below 0.5 mm/0.3° respectively for all directions. the results of this study suggest that kinematic RSA can be successfully performed using a standard clinical biplane fluoroscopy system for the acquisition of slow movements of the lower limb. a kinematic RSA set-up using a clinical biplane fluoroscopy system is potentially applicable and provides a useful method for obtaining better characterization of joint biomechanics.

  12. Lack of soluble TNF-receptors in women with recurrent spontaneous abortion and possibility for its correction.

    PubMed

    Chernyshov, Victor P; Vodyanik, Maxim A; Pisareva, Svetlana P

    2005-11-01

    Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and soluble TNF receptors (sTNF-Rs) system related with Th1 and Th2 and activity of NF-kappaB/IkappaB regulatory system. This study was designed to compare sTNF-R1 and sTNF-R2 production (shedding) and levels of late activated CD8+ T-lymphocytes in non-pregnant (n = 30) and pregnant (n = 20) normal women and non-pregnant (n = 20) and pregnant (n = 30) RSA women. Effects of progesterone (natural structure) injections in RSA women were studied. Levels of sTNF-R1, sTNF-R2, TNF in peripheral blood serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Lymphocyte subsets were estimated by multicolor flow cytometry. NK cell cytotoxic activity of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in whole blood against K562 targets was determined using Europium-release cytotoxicity assay. Mitogen-induced proliferative response of PBL to PHA-P, Con A and PWM were determined by standard 3H-thymidine incorporation assay. Levels of soluble TNF-R1 and TNF-R2 in normal pregnancy were elevated when compared with non-pregnant normal women and pregnant RSA women. Levels of late activated CD8+ T-lymphocytes in normal pregnancy were decreased but no changes were detected in RSA women. After progesterone therapy (i.m. injections of 2.5% oil solution) in RSA women elevation of sTNF-R1 and sTNF-R2 to normal pregnancy ranges was observed. No changes in levels of late activated CD8+ T-lymphocytes after progesterone treatment were detected. Elevation of levels of sTNF-R1, sTNF-R2 and decrease of late activated cytotoxic T-lymphocytes are pronounce markers of normal human pregnancy. In RSA women there are no elevation of sTNF-R1 and sTNF-R2 levels during pregnancy. This deficiency may be restored by progesterone treatment.

  13. Evaluation of HLA-G 14-bp ins/del and +3142G>C polymorphisms with susceptibility to recurrent spontaneous abortion.

    PubMed

    Hashemi, Mohammad; Mokhtari, Mojgan; Khazaeian, Safura; Bahari, Gholamreza; Rezaei, Maryam; Nakhaee, Alireza; Taheri, Mohsen

    2017-06-01

    HLA-G is critically important for successful implantation during pregnancy. Increasing evidence supposed that HLA-G plays a key role in tolerance of the semi-allogeneic graft in pregnancy by inhibiting the cytotoxic functions of T and NK cells. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of HLA-G rs1063320 (+3142G>C) and 14-bp insertion (ins)/deletion (del) polymorphisms on recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). Genomic DNA from 93 RSA patients and 93 normal fertile women was isolated using the salting out method. Genotyping of HLA-G +3142G>C and 14-bp ins/del variants was done by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFP) and PCR method, respectively. The HLA-G +3142G>C polymorphism increased the risk of RSA in codominant (OR = 2.39, 95%CI = 1.27-4.49, p = 0.010, GC vs GG; OR = 3.28, 95%CI = 1.16-9.72, p = 0.040, CC vs GG) and dominant (OR = 2.52, 95%CI = 1.37-4.64, p = 0.004, GC + CC vs GG) tested inheritance models. HLA-G rs1063320 C allele was associated with increased risk of RSA (OR = 1.84, 95%CI = 1.20-2.83, p = 0.007). The del/del genotype as well as del allele of 14-bp ins/del variant increased that risk of RSA (OR = 3.02, 95%CI = 1.23-7.41, p = 0.025 and OR = 1.65, 95%CI = 1.09-2.50, p = 0.022, respectively). In summary, our results showed that HLA-G gene polymorphisms significantly increased the risk of RSA in a sample of the Iranian population. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  14. Association between p53 polymorphism at codon 72 and recurrent spontaneous abortion.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Ying; Wu, Yuan-Yuan; Qiao, Fu-Yuan; Zeng, Wan-Jiang

    2016-06-01

    p53 gene plays an important role in apoptosis, which is necessary for successful invasion of trophoblast cells. The change from an arginine (Arg) to a proline (Pro) at codon 72 can influence the biological activity of p53, which predisposes to an increased risk of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). In order to investigate the association between p53 polymorphism at codon 72 and RSA, we conducted this meta-analysis. Pubmed, Embase and Web of science were used to identify the eligible studies. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to evaluate the strength of the association. Six studies containing 937 cases of RSA and 830 controls were included, and there was one study deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). There was a significant association between p53 polymorphism at codon 72 and RSA in recessive model (Pro/Pro vs. Pro/Arg+Arg/Arg; OR=1.60, 95% CI: 1.14-2.24) and co-dominant model (Pro/Pro vs. Arg/Arg; OR=1.47, 95% CI: 1.02-2.12) whether the study that was deviated from HWE was eliminated or not. A significant association was observed in allelic model (Pro vs. Arg; OR=1.28, 95% CI: 1.04-1.57) after exclusion of the study that was deviated from HWE. No association was noted in recessive model (Pro/Pro+Pro/Arg vs. Arg/Arg; OR=1.05, 95% CI: 0.86-1.30) and co-dominant model (Pro/Arg vs. Arg/Arg; OR=0.96, 95% CI: 0.77-1.19). Subgroup analysis by ethnicity also indicated a significant association between p53 polymorphism at codon 72 and RSA in Caucasian group. No heterogeneity and publication bias were found. Our meta-analysis implied that p53 polymorphism at codon 72 carries high maternal risk of RSA.

  15. Multi Directional Repeated Sprint Is a Valid and Reliable Test for Assessment of Junior Handball Players

    PubMed Central

    Daneshfar, Amin; Gahreman, Daniel E.; Koozehchian, Majid S.; Amani Shalamzari, Sadegh; Hassanzadeh Sablouei, Mozhgan; Rosemann, Thomas; Knechtle, Beat; Nikolaidis, Pantelis T.

    2018-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to examine the validity and reliability of a 10 × (6 × 5 m) multi-directional repeated sprint ability test (RSM) in elite young team handball (TH) players. Participants were members of the Iranian national team (n = 20, age 16.4 ± 0.7 years, weight 82.5 ± 5.5 kg, height 184.8 ± 4.6 cm, body fat 15.4 ± 4.3%). The validity of RSM was tested against a 10 × (15 + 15 m) repeated sprint ability test (RSA), Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery test Level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1), squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ). To test the reliability of RSM, the participants repeated the testing sessions of RSM and RSA 1 week later. Both RSA and RSM tests showed good to excellent reliability of the total time (TT), best time (BT), and weakest time (WT). The results of the correlation analysis showed significant inverse correlations between maximum aerobic capacity and TT in RSA (r = −0.57, p ≤ 0.05) and RSM (r = −0.76, p ≤ 0.01). There was also a significant inverse correlation between maximum aerobic capacity with fatigue index (FI) in RSA test (r = −0.64, p ≤ 0.01) and in RSM test (r = −0.53, p ≤ 0.05). BT, WT, and TT of RSA was largely-to-very largely correlated with BT (r = 0.58, p ≤ 0.01), WT (r = 0.62, p ≤ 0.01), and TT (r = 0.65, p ≤ 0.01) of RSM. BT in RSM was also correlated with FI in RSM (r = 0.88, p ≤ 0.01). In conclusion, based on the findings of the current study, the recently developed RSM test is a valid and reliable test and should be utilized for assessment of repeated sprint ability in handball players. PMID:29670536

  16. Synchrony of physiological activity during mother-child interaction: moderation by maternal history of major depressive disorder.

    PubMed

    Woody, Mary L; Feurer, Cope; Sosoo, Effua E; Hastings, Paul D; Gibb, Brandon E

    2016-07-01

    Family environment plays an important role in the intergenerational transmission of major depressive disorder (MDD), but less is known about how day-to-day mother-child interactions may be disrupted in families with a history of MDD. Disruptions in mother-child synchrony, the dynamic and convergent exchange of physiological and behavioral cues during interactions, may be one important risk factor. Although maternal MDD is associated with a lack of mother-child synchrony at the behavioral level, no studies have examined the impact of maternal MDD on physiological synchrony. Therefore, this study examined whether maternal history of MDD moderates mother-child physiological synchrony [measured via respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)] during positive and negative discussions. Children aged 7-11 years and mothers with either a history of MDD during the child's lifetime (n = 44) or no lifetime diagnosis of any mood disorder (n = 50) completed positive and negative discussion tasks while RSA was continuously recorded for both child and mother. Results indicated significant between-dyad and within-dyad group differences in physiological synchrony during positive and negative discussions. Between-dyad analyses revealed evidence of synchrony only among never depressed dyads, among whom higher average mother RSA during both discussions was associated with higher average child RSA. Within-dyad analyses revealed that never depressed dyads displayed positive synchrony (RSA concordance), whereas dyads with a history of maternal MDD displayed negative synchrony (RSA discordance) during the negative discussion and that the degree of negative synchrony exhibited during the negative discussion was associated with mothers' and children's levels of sadness. These results provide preliminary evidence that physiological synchrony is disrupted in families with a history of maternal MDD and may be a potential risk factor for the intergenerational transmission of depression. © 2016 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

  17. Multi Directional Repeated Sprint Is a Valid and Reliable Test for Assessment of Junior Handball Players.

    PubMed

    Daneshfar, Amin; Gahreman, Daniel E; Koozehchian, Majid S; Amani Shalamzari, Sadegh; Hassanzadeh Sablouei, Mozhgan; Rosemann, Thomas; Knechtle, Beat; Nikolaidis, Pantelis T

    2018-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to examine the validity and reliability of a 10 × (6 × 5 m) multi-directional repeated sprint ability test (RSM) in elite young team handball (TH) players. Participants were members of the Iranian national team ( n = 20, age 16.4 ± 0.7 years, weight 82.5 ± 5.5 kg, height 184.8 ± 4.6 cm, body fat 15.4 ± 4.3%). The validity of RSM was tested against a 10 × (15 + 15 m) repeated sprint ability test (RSA), Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery test Level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1), squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ). To test the reliability of RSM, the participants repeated the testing sessions of RSM and RSA 1 week later. Both RSA and RSM tests showed good to excellent reliability of the total time (TT), best time (BT), and weakest time (WT). The results of the correlation analysis showed significant inverse correlations between maximum aerobic capacity and TT in RSA ( r = -0.57, p ≤ 0.05) and RSM ( r = -0.76, p ≤ 0.01). There was also a significant inverse correlation between maximum aerobic capacity with fatigue index (FI) in RSA test ( r = -0.64, p ≤ 0.01) and in RSM test ( r = -0.53, p ≤ 0.05). BT, WT, and TT of RSA was largely-to-very largely correlated with BT ( r = 0.58, p ≤ 0.01), WT ( r = 0.62, p ≤ 0.01), and TT ( r = 0 .65, p ≤ 0.01) of RSM. BT in RSM was also correlated with FI in RSM ( r = 0.88, p ≤ 0.01). In conclusion, based on the findings of the current study, the recently developed RSM test is a valid and reliable test and should be utilized for assessment of repeated sprint ability in handball players.

  18. Subscapularis- and deltoid-sparing vs traditional deltopectoral approach in reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a prospective case-control study.

    PubMed

    Lädermann, Alexandre; Denard, Patrick Joel; Tirefort, Jérome; Collin, Philippe; Nowak, Alexandra; Schwitzguebel, Adrien Jean-Pierre

    2017-07-14

    With the growth of reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA), it is becoming increasingly necessary to establish the most cost-effective methods for the procedure. The surgical approach is one factor that may influence the cost and outcome of RSA. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical results of a subscapularis- and deltoid-sparing (SSCS) approach to a traditional deltopectoral (TDP) approach for RSA. The hypothesis was that the SSCS approach would be associated with decreased length of stay (LOS), equal complication rate, and better short-term outcomes compared to the TDP approach. A prospective evaluation was performed on patients undergoing RSA over a 2-year period. A deltopectoral incision was used followed by either an SSCS approach or a traditional tenotomy of the subscapularis (TDP). LOS, adverse events, physical therapy utilization, and patient satisfaction were collected in the 12 months following RSA. LOS was shorter with the SSCS approach compared to the TDP approach (from 8.2 ± 6.4 days to 15.2 ± 11.9 days; P = 0.04). At 3 months postoperative, the single assessment numeric evaluation score (80 ± 11% vs 70 ± 6%; P = 0.04) and active elevation (130 ± 22° vs 109 ± 24°; P = 0.01) were higher in the SSCS group. The SSCS approach resulted in a net cost savings of $5900 per patient. Postoperative physical therapy, pain levels, and patient satisfaction were comparable in both groups. No immediate intraoperative complications were noted. Using a SSCS approach is an option for patients requiring RSA. Overall LOS is minimized compared to a TDP approach with subscapularis tenotomy. The SSCS approach may provide substantial healthcare cost savings, without increasing complication rate or decreasing patient satisfaction.

  19. Assessment of ventilatory thresholds during graded and maximal exercise test using time varying analysis of respiratory sinus arrhythmia

    PubMed Central

    Blain, G; Meste, O; Bouchard, T; Bermon, S; Segura, R.

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To test whether ventilatory thresholds, measured during an exercise test, could be assessed using time varying analysis of respiratory sinus arrhythmia frequency (fRSA). Methods: Fourteen sedentary subjects and 12 endurance athletes performed a graded and maximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer: initial load 75 W (sedentary subjects) and 150 W (athletes), increments 37.5 W/2 min. fRSA was extracted from heart period series using an evolutive model. First (TV1) and second (TV2) ventilatory thresholds were determined from the time course curves of ventilation and ventilatory equivalents for O2 and CO2. Results: fRSA was accurately extracted from all recordings and positively correlated to respiratory frequency (r = 0.96 (0.03), p<0.01). In 21 of the 26 subjects, two successive non-linear increases were determined in fRSA, defining the first (TRSA1) and second (TRSA2) fRSA thresholds. When expressed as a function of power, TRSA1 and TRSA2 were not significantly different from and closely linked to TV1 (r = 0.99, p<0.001) and TV2 (r = 0.99, p<0.001), respectively. In the five remaining subjects, only one non-linear increase was observed close to TV2. Significant differences (p<0.04) were found between athlete and sedentary groups when TRSA1 and TRSA2 were expressed in terms of absolute and relative power and percentage of maximal aerobic power. In the sedentary group, TRSA1 and TRSA2 were 150.3 (18.7) W and 198.3 (28.8) W, respectively, whereas in the athlete group TRSA1 and TRSA2 were 247.3 (32.8) W and 316.0 (28.8) W, respectively. Conclusions: Dynamic analysis of fRSA provides a useful tool for identifying ventilatory thresholds during graded and maximal exercise test in sedentary subjects and athletes. PMID:15976169

  20. Nationwide survey of nutritional management in an Asian upper-middle income developing country government hospitals: Combination of quantitative survey and focus group discussion.

    PubMed

    Chittawatanarat, K; Tosanguan, K; Chaikledkaew, U; Tejavanija, S; Teerawattananon, Y

    2016-08-01

    The objective of this study was to identify the differences in pattern, process, and management of nutrition care in government hospitals in Thailand (an Asian upper-middle income developing country). This is a combination of a quantitative nationwide questionnaire survey and focus group discussions. A total of 2300 questionnaires were sent to government hospitals across Thailand. The responders were divided by routine-nutrition screening/assessment unit vs. non-routine-nutrition screening/assessment unit (RSA vs. NRSA). The comparison between the groups was reported as percentage and cross-sectional odds ratio (CS-OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). The significant difference was defined as p < 0.05. A total of 814 questionnaires (35.4%) were returned. The three most common tools of RSA were 42% Bhumibol Nutrition Triage (BNT), 21.2% Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) and 20.2% Nutrition Alert Form (NAF). The RSA was significantly higher in proportion for the role of the nurses (RSA vs. NRSA; CS-OR [95% CI]: 68.3% vs. 11.9%; 15.8 [11.1 to 22.7]; p < 0.01), the multidisciplinary team (90.1% vs. 0.4%; 2266 [558 to 1909]; p < 0.01), the nutrition management guidelines (60.6% vs. 2.8%; 53.6 [29.6 to 102.8]; p < 0.01), the nurse-driven enteral feeding protocols (31.7% vs. 17.5%; 2.2 [1.5 to 3.1]; p < 0.01) and preference for hospital formula enteral nutrition (91.4% vs.69.7%; 4.6 [2.9 to 7.4]; p < 0.01). For focus group discussions, the main barrier of RSA implementation was that there was no national recommendation of a screening/assessment tool, inconsistency of policy and reimbursement, and professional and acceptable workload. Nutrition screening/assessment tools were found to be varied in Thailand. RSA affected the nutrition management working process and the types of nutrition support. The main barriers of RSA implementation were inconsistency of policy and reimbursement, acceptable workload, and national guidance as regards - screening/assessment tools. Copyright © 2016 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Identification of protein–protein interfaces by decreased amide proton solvent accessibility

    PubMed Central

    Mandell, Jeffrey G.; Falick, Arnold M.; Komives, Elizabeth A.

    1998-01-01

    Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to identify peptic fragments from protein complexes that retained deuterium under hydrogen exchange conditions due to decreased solvent accessibility at the interface of the complex. Short deuteration times allowed preferential labeling of rapidly exchanging surface amides so that primarily solvent accessibility changes and not conformational changes were detected. A single mass spectrum of the peptic digest mixture was analyzed to determine the deuterium content of all proteolytic fragments of the protein. The protein–protein interface was reliably indicated by those peptides that retained more deuterons in the complex compared with control experiments in which only one protein was present. The method was used to identify the kinase inhibitor [PKI(5–24)] and ATP-binding sites in the cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase. Three overlapping peptides identified the ATP-binding site, three overlapping peptides identified the glycine-rich loop, and two peptides identified the PKI(5–24)-binding site. A complex of unknown structure also was analyzed, human α-thrombin bound to an 83-aa fragment of human thrombomodulin [TMEGF(4–5)]. Five peptides from thrombin showed significantly decreased solvent accessibility in the complex. Three peptides identified the anion-binding exosite I, confirming ligand competition experiments. Two peptides identified a new region of thrombin near the active site providing a potential mechanism of how thrombomodulin alters thrombin substrate specificity. PMID:9843953

  2. 78 FR 14516 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-06

    ... Program/Cost Report (RSA 2) collects data on the vocational rehabilitation (VR) and supported employment... (Rehabilitation Act). The RSA-2 captures: administrative expenditures for the VR and SE programs; VR program... for the VR program by number of individuals served; the costs of types of services provided; and a...

  3. Rural and Urban Differences in Vocational Rehabilitation Case Mix, Delivery Practices, and Employment Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ipsen, Catherine; Swicegood, Grant

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To examine rural and urban differences in Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) case mix, delivery practices, and employment outcomes. Methods: Rehabilitation Services Administration 911 (RSA-911) case data do not include location indicators that allow for rural analyses. We compiled RSA-911 data with county and ZIP code information from 47 VR…

  4. Physiological Regulation and Fearfulness as Predictors of Young Children's Empathy-Related Reactions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liew, Jeffrey; Eisenberg, Nancy; Spinrad, Tracy L.; Eggum, Natalie D.; Haugen, R. G.; Kupfer, Anne; Reiser, Mark R.; Smith, Cynthia L.; Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn; Baham, Melinda E.

    2011-01-01

    Indices of physiological regulation (i.e., resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA] and RSA suppression) and observed fearfulness were tested as predictors of empathy-related reactions to an unfamiliar person's simulated distress within and across 18 (T1, N = 247) and 30 (T2, N = 216) months of age. Controlling for T1 helping, high RSA…

  5. Privacy-Preserving RFID Authentication Using Public Exponent Three RSA Algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Yoonjeong; Ohm, Seongyong; Yi, Kang

    In this letter, we propose a privacy-preserving authentication protocol with RSA cryptosystem in an RFID environment. For both overcoming the resource restriction and strengthening security, our protocol uses only modular exponentiation with exponent three at RFID tag side, with the padded random message whose length is greater than one-sixth of the whole message length.

  6. Individual Differences in Trajectories of Emotion Regulation Processes: The Effects of Maternal Depressive Symptomatology and Children's Physiological Regulation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blandon, Alysia Y.; Calkins, Susan D.; Keane, Susan P.; O'Brien, Marion

    2008-01-01

    Trajectories of emotion regulation processes were examined in a community sample of 269 children across the ages of 4 to 7 using hierarchical linear modeling. Maternal depressive symptomatology (Symptom Checklist-90) and children's physiological reactivity (respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]) and vagal regulation ([delta]RSA) were explored as…

  7. Resting RSA Is Associated with Natural and Self-Regulated Responses to Negative Emotional Stimuli

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Demaree, Heath A.; Robinson, Jennifer L.; Everhart, D. Erik; Schmeichel, Brandon J.

    2004-01-01

    Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was assessed among 111 adult participants. These individuals were then asked to watch a positive or negative affective film in either a natural manner or while exaggerating their facial response. Facial reactions to the film were video-recorded and subsequently rated in terms of facial affect.…

  8. 75 FR 19938 - Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-16

    ... provisions of the Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program, would grant exemptions from the monkfish days-at... following methods: Email: [email protected] . Include in the subject line ``Comments on Monkfish RSA Harvest... Maine Research Institute on February 16, 2010, for a project selected under the New England and Mid...

  9. STS-102 (Expedition II) crew members in SSPF

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    STS-102 Mission Specialists James Voss, Susan Helms and Yuri Usachev, with the Russian Space Agency (RSA), pose in front of the U.S. Lab module, named Destiny, in the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF). STS-102 is a resupply mission to the International Space Station, transporting the Leonardo Multi- Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) with equipment to assist in outfitting the U.S. Lab, which will already be in place. The mission is also transporting Helms, Voss and Usachev as the second resident crew (designated Expedition crew 2) to the station. In exchange, the mission will return to Earth the first expedition crew on ISS: William Shepherd, Sergei Krikalev (RSA) and Yuri Gidzenko (RSA). STS-102 is scheduled to launch no earlier than Oct. 19, 2000.

  10. STS-102 (Expedition II) crew members in SSPF

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    Inside the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF), a technician (right) explains use of the equipment in front of (left) STS-102 Mission Specialists James Voss, Susan Helms and Yuri Usachev, with the Russian Space Agency (RSA). STS-102 is a resupply mission to the International Space Station, transporting the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) with equipment to assist in outfitting the U.S. Lab, which will already be in place. The mission is also transporting Helms, Voss and Usachev as the second resident crew (designated Expedition crew 2) to the station. In exchange, the mission will return to Earth the first expedition crew on ISS: William Shepherd, Sergei Krikalev (RSA) and Yuri Gidzenko (RSA). STS-102 is scheduled to launch no earlier than Oct. 19, 2000.

  11. Statistical strategies to quantify respiratory sinus arrhythmia: Are commonly used metrics equivalent?

    PubMed Central

    Lewis, Gregory F.; Furman, Senta A.; McCool, Martha F.; Porges, Stephen W.

    2011-01-01

    Three frequently used RSA metrics are investigated to document violations of assumptions for parametric analyses, moderation by respiration, influences of nonstationarity, and sensitivity to vagal blockade. Although all metrics are highly correlated, new findings illustrate that the metrics are noticeably different on the above dimensions. Only one method conforms to the assumptions for parametric analyses, is not moderated by respiration, is not influenced by nonstationarity, and reliably generates stronger effect sizes. Moreover, this method is also the most sensitive to vagal blockade. Specific features of this method may provide insights into improving the statistical characteristics of other commonly used RSA metrics. These data provide the evidence to question, based on statistical grounds, published reports using particular metrics of RSA. PMID:22138367

  12. STS-102 (Expedition II) crew members at SPACEHAB

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    At SPACEHAB, in Titusville, Fla., STS-102 Mission Specialist Yuri Usachev, who is with the Russian Space Agency (RSA), looks at part of the cargo on the Integrated Cargo Carrier. STS-102 is a resupply mission to the International Space Station, transporting the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) with equipment to assist in outfitting the U.S. Lab, which will already be in place. It is also transporting Usachev, and Mission Specialists James Voss and Susan Helms as the second resident crew (designated Expedition crew 2) to the station. The mission will also return to Earth the first expedition crew on ISS: William Shepherd, Sergei Krikalev (RSA) and Yuri Gidzenko (RSA). STS-102 is scheduled to launch no earlier than Oct. 19, 2000.

  13. Distributed Factorization Computation on Multiple Volunteered Mobile Resource to Break RSA Key

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jaya, I.; Hardi, S. M.; Tarigan, J. T.; Zamzami, E. M.; Sihombing, P.

    2017-01-01

    Similar to common asymmeric encryption, RSA can be cracked by usmg a series mathematical calculation. The private key used to decrypt the massage can be computed using the public key. However, finding the private key may require a massive amount of calculation. In this paper, we propose a method to perform a distributed computing to calculate RSA’s private key. The proposed method uses multiple volunteered mobile devices to contribute during the calculation process. Our objective is to demonstrate how the use of volunteered computing on mobile devices may be a feasible option to reduce the time required to break a weak RSA encryption and observe the behavior and running time of the application on mobile devices.

  14. Gastric myoelectrical and autonomic cardiac reactivity to laboratory stressors

    PubMed Central

    GIANAROS, PETER J.; QUIGLEY, KAREN S.; MORDKOFF, J. TOBY; STERN, ROBERT M.

    2010-01-01

    We evaluated the effects of two laboratory stressors (speech preparation and isometric handgrip) on gastric myoelectrical and autonomic cardiac activity, and the extent to which autonomic responses to these stressors and somatization predict reports of motion sickness during exposure to a rotating optokinetic drum. Both stressors prompted a decrease in preejection period (PEP) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and an increase in a dysrhythmic pattern of gastric myoelectrical activity, termed gastric tachyarrhythmia. Stressor-induced decreases in RSA and higher somatization scores predicted increased reports of motion sickness during drum rotation. These results demonstrate that laboratory stressors concurrently affect gastric myoelectrical activity and autonomic control of the heart, and that stressor-induced decreases in RSA and higher levels of somatization predict motion sickness susceptibility. PMID:11446577

  15. CYP2E1 Rsa I/Pst I polymorphism contributes to oral cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Niu, Yuming; Hu, Yuanyuan; Wu, Mingyue; Jiang, Fei; Shen, Ming; Tang, Chunbo; Chen, Ning

    2012-01-01

    Previous data on association between CYP2E1 Rsa I/Pst I polymorphism and oral cancer risk were controversial. To investigate the association between CYP2E1 Rsa I/Pst I polymorphism and oral cancer risk. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the relationship between oral cancer and genotype with English language until June 2010. Twelve published case-control studies of 1259 patients with oral cancer and 2262 controls were acquired. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of the association in codominant and dominant models. Overall, the pooled ORs indicated a significant association between CYP2E1 Rsa I/Pst I polymorphism and oral cancer risk (for c1/c2 vs. c1/c1: OR=1.30, 95% CI=1.04-1.62, Pheterogeneity=0.57; for (c1/c2+c2/c2) vs. c1/c1: OR=1.32, 95% CI=1.07-1.64, Pheterogeneity=0.57, respectively). In subgroup analysis by race, the same significant risks were found among Asian (for c1/c2 vs. c1/c1: OR=1.41, 95% CI=1.05-1.91, Pheterogeneity=0.92; for (c1/c2+c2/c2) vs. c1/c1: OR=1.43, 95% CI=1.08-1.88, Pheterogeneity=0.97, respectively). In conclusion, this meta-analysis demonstrates that CYP2E1 Rsa I/Pst I c2 allele may be a biomarker for oral cancer, especially among Asian populations.

  16. GiA Roots: software for the high throughput analysis of plant root system architecture.

    PubMed

    Galkovskyi, Taras; Mileyko, Yuriy; Bucksch, Alexander; Moore, Brad; Symonova, Olga; Price, Charles A; Topp, Christopher N; Iyer-Pascuzzi, Anjali S; Zurek, Paul R; Fang, Suqin; Harer, John; Benfey, Philip N; Weitz, Joshua S

    2012-07-26

    Characterizing root system architecture (RSA) is essential to understanding the development and function of vascular plants. Identifying RSA-associated genes also represents an underexplored opportunity for crop improvement. Software tools are needed to accelerate the pace at which quantitative traits of RSA are estimated from images of root networks. We have developed GiA Roots (General Image Analysis of Roots), a semi-automated software tool designed specifically for the high-throughput analysis of root system images. GiA Roots includes user-assisted algorithms to distinguish root from background and a fully automated pipeline that extracts dozens of root system phenotypes. Quantitative information on each phenotype, along with intermediate steps for full reproducibility, is returned to the end-user for downstream analysis. GiA Roots has a GUI front end and a command-line interface for interweaving the software into large-scale workflows. GiA Roots can also be extended to estimate novel phenotypes specified by the end-user. We demonstrate the use of GiA Roots on a set of 2393 images of rice roots representing 12 genotypes from the species Oryza sativa. We validate trait measurements against prior analyses of this image set that demonstrated that RSA traits are likely heritable and associated with genotypic differences. Moreover, we demonstrate that GiA Roots is extensible and an end-user can add functionality so that GiA Roots can estimate novel RSA traits. In summary, we show that the software can function as an efficient tool as part of a workflow to move from large numbers of root images to downstream analysis.

  17. Relationships and Predictive Capabilities of Jump Assessments to Soccer-Specific Field Test Performance in Division I Collegiate Players.

    PubMed

    Lockie, Robert G; Stage, Alyssa A; Stokes, John J; Orjalo, Ashley J; Davis, DeShaun L; Giuliano, Dominic V; Moreno, Matthew R; Risso, Fabrice G; Lazar, Adrina; Birmingham-Babauta, Samantha A; Tomita, Tricia M

    2016-12-03

    Leg power is an important characteristic for soccer, and jump tests can measure this capacity. Limited research has analyzed relationships between jumping and soccer-specific field test performance in collegiate male players. Nineteen Division I players completed tests of: leg power (vertical jump (VJ), standing broad jump (SBJ), left- and right-leg triple hop (TH)); linear (30 m sprint; 0⁻5 m, 5⁻10 m, 0⁻10, 0⁻30 m intervals) and change-of-direction (505) speed; soccer-specific fitness (Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 2); and 7 × 30-m sprints to measure repeated-sprint ability (RSA; total time (TT), performance decrement (PD)). Pearson's correlations ( r ) determined jump and field test relationships; stepwise regression ascertained jump predictors of the tests ( p < 0.05). All jumps correlated with the 0⁻5, 0⁻10, and 0⁻30 m sprint intervals ( r = -0.65⁻-0.90). VJ, SBJ, and left- and right-leg TH correlated with RSA TT ( r = -0.51⁻-0.59). Right-leg TH predicted the 0⁻5 and 0⁻10 m intervals (R² = 0.55⁻0.81); the VJ predicted the 0⁻30 m interval and RSA TT (R² = 0.41⁻0.84). Between-leg TH asymmetry correlated with and predicted left-leg 505 and RSA PD ( r = -0.68⁻0.62; R² = 0.39⁻0.46). Improvements in jumping ability could contribute to faster speed and RSA performance in collegiate soccer players.

  18. Repeated Sprint Ability in Young Basketball Players (Part 2): The Chronic Effects of Multidirection and of One Change of Direction Are Comparable in Terms of Physiological and Performance Responses

    PubMed Central

    Attene, Giuseppe; Nikolaidis, Pantelis T.; Bragazzi, Nicola L.; Dello Iacono, Antonio; Pizzolato, Fabio; Zagatto, Alessandro M.; Dal Pupo, Juliano; Oggianu, Marcello; Migliaccio, Gian M.; Mannucci Pacini, Elena; Padulo, Johnny

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a 5-week training program, consisting of repeated 30-m sprints, on two repeated sprint ability (RSA) test formats: one with one change of direction (RSA) and the other with multiple changes of direction (RSM). Thirty-six young male and female basketball players (age 16.1 ± 0.9 years), divided into two experimental groups, were tested for RSA, RSM, squat jump, counter-movement jump, and the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery-Level-1 (Yo-Yo IR1) test, before and after a 4-week training program and 1 week of tapering. One group performed 30-m sprints with one change of direction (RSA group, RSAG), whereas the other group performed multidirectional 30-m sprints (RSM group, RSMG). Both groups improved in all scores in the post-intervention measurements (P < 0.05), except for the fatigue index in the RSM test. However, when comparing the two groups, similar effects were found for almost all parameters of the tests applied, except for RPE in the RSA test, which had a greater decrease in the RSAG (from 8.7 to 5.9) than in the RSMG (from 8.5 to 6.6, P = 0.021). We can conclude that repeated 30-m sprints, either with one change of direction or multidirectional, induce similar physiological and performance responses in young basketball players, but have a different psycho-physiological impact. PMID:27445852

  19. Evaluation of the adenosine deaminase (ADA) G22A gene polymorphism with recurrent spontaneous abortion among Egyptian patients

    PubMed Central

    Abu-Gabal, Khadiga; Katta, Maha; Ibrahim, Raghda

    2017-01-01

    Introduction Adenosine and deoxyadenosine metabolism is influenced by adenosine deaminase (ADA) enzyme. ADA increases in different diseases and is considered as one of the markers for cell-mediated immunity. Pregnancy is associated with depressed cell-mediated immunity. The level of ADA expression, which seems to play a key role in maintaining pregnancy, is influenced by adenosine deaminase G22A gene polymorphism. We aimed in our study to evaluate the association of ADA G22A gene polymorphism with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) in Egyptian women. Material and methods Adenosine deaminase G22A gene polymorphism was genotyped in 40 patients (age range 22-39 years) with a history of RSA, selected from those attending the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Clinic of Beni-Suef University Hospital, and 20 age-matched healthy women as a control group, using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. Results In our study, no statistically significant difference was found between RSA patients and control group as regards ADA G22A genotypes (p = 0.653) and alleles (p = 0.697). A comparison of the frequencies of ADA alleles in RSA patients as regards the below-35-years-old age group revealed that ADA 2(A) allele was associated with a low risk for RSA in patients aged 35 years old or younger (p = 0.008). Conclusions In conclusion, our study revealed an age-dependent protective value of ADA 2(A) allele in recurrent spontaneous abortions among the Egyptian population. PMID:29204093

  20. Reverse shoulder arthroplasty for massive irreparable rotator cuff tears and cuff tear arthropathy: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Petrillo, S; Longo, U G; Papalia, R; Denaro, V

    2017-08-01

    To report the outcomes and complications of reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) in massive irreparable rotator cuff tears (MIRCT) and cuff tear arthropathy (CTA). A systematic review of the literature contained in Medline, Cochrane, EMBASE, Google Scholar and Ovid databases was conducted on May 1, 2016, according to PRISMA guidelines. The key words "reverse total shoulder arthroplasty" or "reverse total shoulder prostheses" with "rotator cuff tears"; "failed rotator cuff surgery"; "massive rotator cuff tears"; "irreparable rotator cuff tears"; "cuff tear arthropathy"; "outcomes"; "complications" were matched. All articles reporting outcomes and complications of RSA for the management of MIRCT or CTA were included. The comparison between preoperative and postoperative clinical scores, as well as range of motion (ROM), was performed using the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. P values lower than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Seven articles were included in our qualitative synthesis. A statistically significant improvement in all clinical scores and ROM was found comparing the preoperative value with the postoperative value. The degrees of retroversion of the humeral stem of the RSA do not influence the functional outcomes in a statistically significant fashion. There were 17.4% of complications. The most frequent was heterotopic ossification, occurring in 6.6% of patients. Revision surgery was necessary in 7.3% of patients. RSA restores pain-free ROM and improves function of the shoulder in patients with MIRCT or CTA. However, complications occur in a high percentage of patients. The lack of level I studies limits the real understanding of the potentials and limitations of RSA for the management of MIRCT and CTA.

  1. Predicting 3D pose in partially overlapped X-ray images of knee prostheses using model-based Roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA).

    PubMed

    Hsu, Chi-Pin; Lin, Shang-Chih; Shih, Kao-Shang; Huang, Chang-Hung; Lee, Chian-Her

    2014-12-01

    After total knee replacement, the model-based Roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA) technique has been used to monitor the status of prosthetic wear, misalignment, and even failure. However, the overlap of the prosthetic outlines inevitably increases errors in the estimation of prosthetic poses due to the limited amount of available outlines. In the literature, quite a few studies have investigated the problems induced by the overlapped outlines, and manual adjustment is still the mainstream. This study proposes two methods to automate the image processing of overlapped outlines prior to the pose registration of prosthetic models. The outline-separated method defines the intersected points and segments the overlapped outlines. The feature-recognized method uses the point and line features of the remaining outlines to initiate registration. Overlap percentage is defined as the ratio of overlapped to non-overlapped outlines. The simulated images with five overlapping percentages are used to evaluate the robustness and accuracy of the proposed methods. Compared with non-overlapped images, overlapped images reduce the number of outlines available for model-based RSA calculation. The maximum and root mean square errors for a prosthetic outline are 0.35 and 0.04 mm, respectively. The mean translation and rotation errors are 0.11 mm and 0.18°, respectively. The errors of the model-based RSA results are increased when the overlap percentage is beyond about 9%. In conclusion, both outline-separated and feature-recognized methods can be seamlessly integrated to automate the calculation of rough registration. This can significantly increase the clinical practicability of the model-based RSA technique.

  2. Hybrid information privacy system: integration of chaotic neural network and RSA coding

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hsu, Ming-Kai; Willey, Jeff; Lee, Ting N.; Szu, Harold H.

    2005-03-01

    Electronic mails are adopted worldwide; most are easily hacked by hackers. In this paper, we purposed a free, fast and convenient hybrid privacy system to protect email communication. The privacy system is implemented by combining private security RSA algorithm with specific chaos neural network encryption process. The receiver can decrypt received email as long as it can reproduce the specified chaos neural network series, so called spatial-temporal keys. The chaotic typing and initial seed value of chaos neural network series, encrypted by the RSA algorithm, can reproduce spatial-temporal keys. The encrypted chaotic typing and initial seed value are hidden in watermark mixed nonlinearly with message media, wrapped with convolution error correction codes for wireless 3rd generation cellular phones. The message media can be an arbitrary image. The pattern noise has to be considered during transmission and it could affect/change the spatial-temporal keys. Since any change/modification on chaotic typing or initial seed value of chaos neural network series is not acceptable, the RSA codec system must be robust and fault-tolerant via wireless channel. The robust and fault-tolerant properties of chaos neural networks (CNN) were proved by a field theory of Associative Memory by Szu in 1997. The 1-D chaos generating nodes from the logistic map having arbitrarily negative slope a = p/q generating the N-shaped sigmoid was given first by Szu in 1992. In this paper, we simulated the robust and fault-tolerance properties of CNN under additive noise and pattern noise. We also implement a private version of RSA coding and chaos encryption process on messages.

  3. High temperature adhesive silicone foam composition, foam generating system and method of generating foam. [For access denial

    DOEpatents

    Mead, J.W.; Montoya, O.J.; Rand, P.B.; Willan, V.O.

    1983-12-21

    Access to a space is impeded by generation of a sticky foam from a silicone polymer and a low boiling solvent such as a halogenated hydrocarbon. In a preferred aspect, the formulation is polydimethylsiloxane gel mixed with F502 Freon as a solvent and blowing agent, and pressurized with CO/sub 2/ in a vessel to about 250 PSI, whereby when the vessel is opened, a sticky and solvent resistant foam is deployed. The foam is deployable, over a wide range of temperatures, adhering to wet surfaces as well as dry, is stable over long periods of time and does not propagate flame or lose adhesive properties during an externally supported burn.

  4. Whole-Genome Sequence of Coxiella burnetii Nine Mile RSA439 (Phase II, Clone 4), a Laboratory Workhorse Strain

    PubMed Central

    Beare, Paul A.; Moses, Abraham S.; Martens, Craig A.; Heinzen, Robert A.

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Here, we report the whole-genome sequence of Coxiella burnetii Nine Mile RSA439 (phase II, clone 4), a laboratory strain used extensively to investigate the biology of this intracellular bacterial pathogen. The genome consists of a 1.97-Mb chromosome and a 37.32-kb plasmid. PMID:28596399

  5. Whole-Genome Sequence of Coxiella burnetii Nine Mile RSA439 (Phase II, Clone 4), a Laboratory Workhorse Strain.

    PubMed

    Millar, Jess A; Beare, Paul A; Moses, Abraham S; Martens, Craig A; Heinzen, Robert A; Raghavan, Rahul

    2017-06-08

    Here, we report the whole-genome sequence of Coxiella burnetii Nine Mile RSA439 (phase II, clone 4), a laboratory strain used extensively to investigate the biology of this intracellular bacterial pathogen. The genome consists of a 1.97-Mb chromosome and a 37.32-kb plasmid. Copyright © 2017 Millar et al.

  6. Fast Modular Exponentiation and Elliptic Curve Group Operation in Maple

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yan, S. Y.; James, G.

    2006-01-01

    The modular exponentiation, y[equivalent to]x[superscript k](mod n) with x,y,k,n integers and n [greater than] 1; is the most fundamental operation in RSA and ElGamal public-key cryptographic systems. Thus the efficiency of RSA and ElGamal depends entirely on the efficiency of the modular exponentiation. The same situation arises also in elliptic…

  7. 50 CFR 648.22 - Closure of the fishery.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... specified for a period of up to 3 years; (2) ACL; ACT including RSA, DAH, DAP; bycatch level of the TALFF... review, may be specified for a period of up to 3 years; (3) ACL; commercial ACT, including RSA, DAH, DAP... less than or equal to the OFL. (ii) ACL. The ACL or Domestic ABC is calculated using the formula ACL...

  8. 78 FR 32375 - Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-30

    ... 02543-1026, or online at: www.nefsc.noaa.gov/nefsc/publications/ . The revised EFP would exempt vessels.... Category F vessels would be charged monkfish RSA DAS at a higher pro- rated rate of 2.909:1 RSA DAS for... tail-to-whole-weight conversion factor from 3.32 to 2.91, which essentially reduced the whole weight...

  9. Preparation and characterization of glycoprotein-resistant starch complex as a coating material for oral bioadhesive microparticles for colon-targeted polypeptide delivery.

    PubMed

    Situ, Wenbei; Li, Xiaoxi; Liu, Jia; Chen, Ling

    2015-04-29

    For effective oral delivery of polypeptide or protein and enhancement their oral bioavailability, a new resistant starch-glycoprotein complex bioadhesive carrier and an oral colon-targeted bioadhesive delivery microparticle system were developed. A glycoprotein, concanavalin A (Con A), was successfully conjugated to the molecules of resistant starch acetate (RSA), leading to the formation of resistant starch-glycoprotein complex. This Con A-conjugated RSA film as a coating material showed an excellent controlled-release property. In streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type II diabetic rats, the insulin-loaded microparticles coated with this Con A-conjugated RSA film exhibited good hypoglycemic response for keeping the plasma glucose level within the normal range for totally 44-52 h after oral administration with different insulin dosages. Oral glucose tolerance tests indicated that successive oral administration of these colon-targeted bioadhesive microparticles with insulin at a level of 50 IU/kg could achieve a hypoglycemic effect similar to that by injection of insulin at 35 IU/kg. Therefore, the potential of this new Con A-conjugated RSA film-coated microparticle system has been demonstrated to be capable of improving the oral bioavailability of bioactive proteins and peptides.

  10. [Recovery Self Assessment: Translation and cultural adaption of a recovery oriented assessment instrument].

    PubMed

    Zuaboni, Gianfranco; Degano Kieser, Luciana; Kozel, Bernd; Glavanovits, Katharina; Utschakowski, Jörg; Behrens, Johann

    2015-08-01

    The recovery approach is becoming increasingly important in mental health services and research. In English-speaking countries, its practical implementation as well as the scientific discussion is far more advanced. To support the approach, assessment instruments are required. A widespread and recognised tool is the Recovery Self Assessment Scale {RSA}. This includes four versions of a questionnaire, which cover the perspectives of users, providers, family members and management. In this article, the development of the instrument and the system atictranslation process are presented. Two independent research groups applied different translation. The Swiss research group {AGS} used the ISOPR principles, the German research group (AGN} the Guidelines of the European Social Survey Programme for survey translations TRAPD. The methods differ in the fact,that TRAPD uses focus groups. The results of both groups were combined by means of a consensus process. Within the translation and cultural adjustment of the RSA-D, the the oretical framework of the RSA as well as the transferability into the German speaking context has been ensured. Before the RSA-D c~n beused in practice and research, further studies towards psychometric testing should be conducted.

  11. Transcobalamin II (TCN2 67A>G and TCN2 776C>G) and transcobalamin II receptor (TCblR 1104C>T) polymorphisms in Korean patients with idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion.

    PubMed

    Kim, Hyun Seok; Lee, Bo Eun; Jeon, Young Joo; Rah, HyungChul; Lee, Woo Sik; Shin, Ji Eun; Choi, Dong Hee; Kim, Nam Keun

    2014-09-01

    The transcobalamin II (TCN2) 776C>G polymorphism has been reported to be a genetic risk factor for idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). However, the sample size in previous studies was small, and other TCN2 polymorphisms have not been studied. Moreover, the TCN2 67A>G and 776C>G polymorphisms, and the transcobalamin II receptor (TCblR/CD320) 1104C>T polymorphism, have demonstrated associations with immune responses. Three hundred and seventy-eight RSA patients who had at least two consecutive spontaneous abortions were enrolled. Two hundred and seven control subjects were collected from a convenience sample. Polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis were performed to identify the TCN2 67A>G and 776C>G polymorphisms, and the TCblR 1104C>T polymorphism. RSA patients showed significantly different frequencies of the TCN2 67AG+GG genotypes compared with control subjects. The TCN2 67G allele is a possible risk factor for idiopathic RSA. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. Relationship between the structures of flavonoids and oxygen radical absorbance capacity values: a quantum chemical analysis.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Di; Liu, Yixiang; Chu, Le; Wei, Ying; Wang, Dan; Cai, Shengbao; Zhou, Feng; Ji, Baoping

    2013-02-28

    Various radical-scavenging activities (RSA) assessment assays are based on discrete mechanisms and on using different radical sources. Few studies have analyzed the structural significance of flavonoids in their peroxyl radical activities in the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. In this study, the RSA of 13 flavonoids in two ORAC assays with different probes (fluorescein and pyrogallol red) were investigated. Neither O-H bond dissociation enthalpy nor ionization potential values of flavonoids correlated with ORAC values. The proton affinity (PA) and electron transfer enthalpy (ETE) values, which were obtained via the sequential proton-loss electron-transfer mechanism, were significantly associated with the ORAC(pyrogallol Red) and ORAC(fluorescein) assays, respectively. Thus, PA represented the kinetic aspect of RSA, whereas ETE reflected the RSA extent. The PA values and the most acidic sites of flavonoids were affected by intramolecular electronic interactions, H-bonding, 3-hydroxyl group in the C ring, and conjugation systems. The stability of the deprotonated flavonoid determined the ETE value. Apart from the PA and ETE values in the first oxidation step of flavonoids, the PA and ETE values in the second oxidation step also affected the ORAC values of flavonoids.

  13. Correlation between explosive strength, aerobic power and repeated sprint ability in elite basketball players.

    PubMed

    Stojanovic, M D; Ostojic, S M; Calleja-González, J; Milosevic, Z; Mikic, M

    2012-08-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between explosive strength and aerobic power with basketball-specific repeated sprint ability in elite male basketball players. Twenty-four elite basketball players (age 22.2±3.4 years, height 197.1±6.2 cm, weight 95.7±8.8 kg; training experience 11.0±3.1 years; mean±SD), participated in the study. Subjects performed countermovement jump (CMJ) test and incremental pseudo-ramp test protocol with measured CMJ height and VO2max, respectively. Specific repeated sprint ability (RSA) test was conducted, with total sprinting time (summation of 10 sprint times - RSAtot) and sprint decrement (fatigue index - RSAFI) calculated. Significant decrements in sprint performance from the eight 30-m sprint (P<0.05) were observed. Strong inverse correlation was found between CMJ and RSAtot (r=-0.74, P<0.01). No significant correlation was found between VO2max and RSA outcomes neither between CMJ and RSAFI. CMJ is a predictor of RSA in elite basketball players. It seems that coaches and strength and conditioning professionals should devote additional time for explosive strength development in elite basketball players during preparatory period to enhance RSA performance.

  14. Affective and physiological responses to the suffering of others: compassion and vagal activity.

    PubMed

    Stellar, Jennifer E; Cohen, Adam; Oveis, Christopher; Keltner, Dacher

    2015-04-01

    Compassion is an affective response to another's suffering and a catalyst of prosocial behavior. In the present studies, we explore the peripheral physiological changes associated with the experience of compassion. Guided by long-standing theoretical claims, we propose that compassion is associated with activation in the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system through the vagus nerve. Across 4 studies, participants witnessed others suffer while we recorded physiological measures, including heart rate, respiration, skin conductance, and a measure of vagal activity called respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Participants exhibited greater RSA during the compassion induction compared with a neutral control (Study 1), another positive emotion (Study 2), and a prosocial emotion lacking appraisals of another person's suffering (Study 3). Greater RSA during the experience of compassion compared with the neutral or control emotion was often accompanied by lower heart rate and respiration but no difference in skin conductance. In Study 4, increases in RSA during compassion positively predicted an established composite of compassion-related words, continuous self-reports of compassion, and nonverbal displays of compassion. Compassion, a core affective component of empathy and prosociality, is associated with heightened parasympathetic activity. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  15. Solvent friction effects propagate over the entire protein molecule through low-frequency collective modes.

    PubMed

    Moritsugu, Kei; Kidera, Akinori; Smith, Jeremy C

    2014-07-24

    Protein solvation dynamics has been investigated using atom-dependent Langevin friction coefficients derived directly from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. To determine the effect of solvation on the atomic friction coefficients, solution and vacuum MD simulations were performed for lysozyme and staphylococcal nuclease and analyzed by Langevin mode analysis. The coefficients thus derived are roughly correlated with the atomic solvent-accessible surface area (ASA), as expected from the fact that friction occurs as the result of collisions with solvent molecules. However, a considerable number of atoms with higher friction coefficients are found inside the core region. Hence, the influence of solvent friction propagates into the protein core. The internal coefficients have large contributions from the low-frequency modes, yielding a simple picture of the surface-to-core long-range damping via solvation governed by collective low-frequency modes. To make use of these findings in implicit-solvent modeling, we compare the all-atom friction results with those obtained using Langevin dynamics (LD) with two empirical representations: the constant-friction and the ASA-dependent (Pastor-Karplus) friction models. The constant-friction model overestimates the core and underestimates the surface damping whereas the ASA-dependent friction model, which damps protein atoms only on the solvent-accessible surface, reproduces well the friction coefficients for both the surface and core regions observed in the explicit-solvent MD simulations. Therefore, in LD simulation, the solvent friction coefficients should be imposed only on the protein surface.

  16. Solvent friction effects propagate over the entire protein molecule through low-frequency collective modes

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

    Moritsugu, Kei; Kidera, Akinori; Smith, Jeremy C.

    2014-06-25

    Protein solvation dynamics has been investigated using atom-dependent Langevin friction coefficients derived directly from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. To determine the effect of solvation on the atomic friction coefficients, solution and vacuum MD simulations were performed for lysozyme and staphylococcal nuclease and analyzed by Langevin mode analysis. The coefficients thus derived are roughly correlated with the atomic solvent-accessible surface area (ASA), as expected from the fact that friction occurs as the result of collisions with solvent molecules. However, a considerable number of atoms with higher friction coefficients are found inside the core region. Hence, the influence of solvent friction propagatesmore » into the protein core. The internal coefficients have large contributions from the low-frequency modes, yielding a simple picture of the surface-to-core long-range damping via solvation governed by collective low-frequency modes. To make use of these findings in implicit-solvent modeling, we compare the all-atom friction results with those obtained using Langevin dynamics (LD) with two empirical representations: the constant-friction and the ASA-dependent (Pastor Karplus) friction models. The constant-friction model overestimates the core and underestimates the surface damping whereas the ASA-dependent friction model, which damps protein atoms only on the solvent-accessible surface, reproduces well the friction coefficients for both the surface and core regions observed in the explicit-solvent MD simulations. Furthermore, in LD simulation, the solvent friction coefficients should be imposed only on the protein surface.« less

  17. STS-102 (Expedition II) crew members at SPACEHAB

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    At SPACEHAB, in Titusville, Fla., members of the STS-102 crew look at part of the cargo for their mission. From left are Mission Specialists James Voss, Susan Helms and Yuri Usachev, with the Russian Space Agency (RSA). STS-102 is a resupply mission to the International Space Station, transporting the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) with equipment to assist in outfitting the U.S. Lab, which will already be in place. The mission is also transporting Helms, Voss and Usachev as the second resident crew (designated Expedition crew 2) to the station. In exchange, the mission will return to Earth the first expedition crew on ISS: William Shepherd, Sergei Krikalev (RSA) and Yuri Gidzenko (RSA). STS-102 is scheduled to launch no earlier than Oct. 19, 2000.

  18. STS-102 (Expedition II) crew members in SSPF

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    STS-102 crew members at left are briefed by workers (right) in the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) on equipment for their mission. From left are Mission Specialists James Voss, Susan Helms and Yuri Usachev, with the Russian Space Agency (RSA). STS-102 is a resupply mission to the International Space Station, transporting the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) with equipment to assist in outfitting the U.S. Lab, which will already be in place. The mission is also transporting Helms, Voss and Usachev as the second resident crew (designated Expedition crew 2) to the station. In exchange, the mission will return to Earth the first expedition crew on ISS: William Shepherd, Sergei Krikalev (RSA) and Yuri Gidzenko (RSA). STS-102 is scheduled to launch no earlier than Oct. 19, 2000.

  19. Variations au cours de la journée de l'incorporation in vivo de la leucine tritiée dans les protéines du cervelet et du cerveau du jeune rat normal et hypothyroïdien. Daily variations of the in vivo [3H] leucine incorporation into the cerebellar and cerebral proteins of the normal and hypothyroid young rat [(author's transl)].

    PubMed

    Dainat, J; Rebière, A

    1978-02-15

    In the normal and hypothyroid 6-day-old rat, the specific radioactivity (RSA) and the relative RSA (ratio of the RSA to the [3H] lecine concentration of the acido soluble phase) of the cerebral and cerebellar proteins, changes during the day synchronally. They show a maximum at 15.00 h and a minimum at 0.300 h. At all stages studied, these values are significantly lower in the hyothyroid animals than in normal ones.

  20. Deception Based Intrusion Detection & Prevention for SCADA Environments -

    Science.gov Websites

    the case of the Ukraine incident, the substations. So here's the idea. Number one, understand from idea is that one of the quotes that he made in that book, it's actually a famous quote, is that all security products. Case in point, I'll be at RSA in February. There's over 2,600 vendors at RSA all solving

  1. Guide de mise en oeuvre de la gestion scolaire francophone. Revise (Guide for the Implementation of French-Language Education. Revised).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alberta Learning, Edmonton. Direction de l'education francaise.

    This guide, aimed primarily at school administrators and school counselors, is a reference manual to be used in conjunction with the corresponding sections of the School Act, RSA 2000 and the Local Authorities Election Act RSA, and any other related legislation. The document provides historical background on the right to choose the language of…

  2. Gene-Environment Contributions to the Development of Infant Vagal Reactivity: The Interaction of Dopamine and Maternal Sensitivity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Propper, Cathi; Moore, Ginger A.; Mills-Koonce, W. Roger; Halpern, Carolyn Tucker; Hill-Soderlund, Ashley L.; Calkins, Susan D.; Carbone, Mary Anna; Cox, Martha

    2008-01-01

    This study investigated dopamine receptor genes ("DRD2" and "DRD4") and maternal sensitivity as predictors of infant respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and RSA reactivity, purported indices of vagal tone and vagal regulation, in a challenge task at 3, 6, and 12 months in 173 infant-mother dyads. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) revealed that at…

  3. Dual mobility hip arthroplasty wear measurement: Experimental accuracy assessment using radiostereometric analysis (RSA).

    PubMed

    Pineau, V; Lebel, B; Gouzy, S; Dutheil, J-J; Vielpeau, C

    2010-10-01

    The use of dual mobility cups is an effective method to prevent dislocations. However, the specific design of these implants can raise the suspicion of increased wear and subsequent periprosthetic osteolysis. Using radiostereometric analysis (RSA), migration of the femoral head inside the cup of a dual mobility implant can be defined to apprehend polyethylene wear rate. The study aimed to establish the precision of RSA measurement of femoral head migration in the cup of a dual mobility implant, and its intra- and interobserver variability. A total hip prosthesis phantom was implanted and placed under weight loading conditions in a simulator. Model-based RSA measurement of implant penetration involved specially machined polyethylene liners with increasing concentric wear (no wear, then 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75mm). Three examiners, blinded to the level of wear, analyzed (10 times) the radiostereometric films of the four liners. There was one experienced, one trained, and one inexperienced examiner. Statistical analysis measured the accuracy, precision, and intra- and interobserver variability by calculating Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC), Intra Class correlation Coefficient (ICC), and Bland-Altman plots. Our protocol, that used a simple geometric model rather than the manufacturer's CAD files, showed precision of 0.072mm and accuracy of 0.034mm, comparable with machining tolerances with low variability. Correlation between wear measurement and true value was excellent with a CCC of 0.9772. Intraobserver reproducibility was very good with an ICC of 0.9856, 0.9883 and 0.9842, respectively for examiners 1, 2 and 3. Interobserver reproducibility was excellent with a CCC of 0.9818 between examiners 2 and 1, and 0.9713 between examiners 3 and 1. Quantification of wear is indispensable for the surveillance of dual mobility implants. This in vitro study validates our measurement method. Our results, and comparison with other studies using different measurement technologies (RSA, standard radiographs, Martell method) make model-based RSA the reference method for measuring the wear of total hip prostheses in vivo. Level 3. Prospective diagnostic study. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  4. Markers for Routine Assessment of Fatigue and Recovery in Male and Female Team Sport Athletes during High-Intensity Interval Training.

    PubMed

    Wiewelhove, Thimo; Raeder, Christian; Meyer, Tim; Kellmann, Michael; Pfeiffer, Mark; Ferrauti, Alexander

    2015-01-01

    Our study aimed to investigate changes of different markers for routine assessment of fatigue and recovery in response to high-intensity interval training (HIIT). 22 well-trained male and female team sport athletes (age, 23.0 ± 2.7 years; V̇O2 max, 57.6 ± 8.6 mL · min · kg(-1)) participated in a six-day running-based HIIT-microcycle with a total of eleven HIIT sessions. Repeated sprint ability (RSA; criterion measure of fatigue and recovery), countermovement jump (CMJ) height, jump efficiency in a multiple rebound jump test (MRJ), 20-m sprint performance, muscle contractile properties, serum concentrations of creatinkinase (CK), c-reactive protein (CRP) and urea as well as perceived muscle soreness (DOMS) were measured pre and post the training program as well as after 72 h of recovery. Following the microcycle significant changes (p < 0.05) in RSA as well as in CMJ and MRJ performance could be observed, showing a decline (%Δ ± 90% confidence limits, ES = effect size; RSA: -3.8 ± 1.0, ES = -1.51; CMJ: 8.4 ± 2.9, ES = -1.35; MRJ: 17.4 ± 4.5, ES = -1.60) and a return to baseline level (RSA: 2.8 ± 2.6, ES = 0.53; CMJ: 4.1 ± 2.9, ES = 0.68; MRJ: 6.5 ± 4.5, ES = 0.63) after 72 h of recovery. Athletes also demonstrated significant changes (p < 0.05) in muscle contractile properties, CK, and DOMS following the training program and after the recovery period. In contrast, CRP and urea remained unchanged throughout the study. Further analysis revealed that the accuracy of markers for assessment of fatigue and recovery in comparison to RSA derived from a contingency table was insufficient. Multiple regression analysis also showed no correlations between changes in RSA and any of the markers. Mean changes in measures of neuromuscular function, CK and DOMS are related to HIIT induced fatigue and subsequent recovery. However, low accuracy of a single or combined use of these markers requires the verification of their applicability on an individual basis.

  5. Markers for Routine Assessment of Fatigue and Recovery in Male and Female Team Sport Athletes during High-Intensity Interval Training

    PubMed Central

    Wiewelhove, Thimo; Raeder, Christian; Meyer, Tim; Kellmann, Michael; Pfeiffer, Mark; Ferrauti, Alexander

    2015-01-01

    Aim Our study aimed to investigate changes of different markers for routine assessment of fatigue and recovery in response to high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Methods 22 well-trained male and female team sport athletes (age, 23.0 ± 2.7 years; V̇O2max, 57.6 ± 8.6 mL·min·kg−1) participated in a six-day running-based HIIT-microcycle with a total of eleven HIIT sessions. Repeated sprint ability (RSA; criterion measure of fatigue and recovery), countermovement jump (CMJ) height, jump efficiency in a multiple rebound jump test (MRJ), 20-m sprint performance, muscle contractile properties, serum concentrations of creatinkinase (CK), c-reactive protein (CRP) and urea as well as perceived muscle soreness (DOMS) were measured pre and post the training program as well as after 72 h of recovery. Results Following the microcycle significant changes (p < 0.05) in RSA as well as in CMJ and MRJ performance could be observed, showing a decline (%Δ ± 90% confidence limits, ES = effect size; RSA: -3.8 ± 1.0, ES = -1.51; CMJ: 8.4 ± 2.9, ES = -1.35; MRJ: 17.4 ± 4.5, ES = -1.60) and a return to baseline level (RSA: 2.8 ± 2.6, ES = 0.53; CMJ: 4.1 ± 2.9, ES = 0.68; MRJ: 6.5 ± 4.5, ES = 0.63) after 72 h of recovery. Athletes also demonstrated significant changes (p < 0.05) in muscle contractile properties, CK, and DOMS following the training program and after the recovery period. In contrast, CRP and urea remained unchanged throughout the study. Further analysis revealed that the accuracy of markers for assessment of fatigue and recovery in comparison to RSA derived from a contingency table was insufficient. Multiple regression analysis also showed no correlations between changes in RSA and any of the markers. Conclusions Mean changes in measures of neuromuscular function, CK and DOMS are related to HIIT induced fatigue and subsequent recovery. However, low accuracy of a single or combined use of these markers requires the verification of their applicability on an individual basis. PMID:26444557

  6. Investigation of the effect of mutations of rat albumin on the binding affinity to the alpha(4)beta(1) integrin antagonist, 4-[1-[3-chloro-4-[N'-(2-methylphenyl)ureido]phenylacetyl]-(4S)-fluoro-(2S)-pyrrolidine-2-yl]methoxybenzoic acid (D01-4582), using recombinant rat albumins.

    PubMed

    Ito, Takashi; Takahashi, Masayuki; Okazaki, Osamu; Sugiyama, Yuichi

    2010-08-02

    The authors reported previously rat strain differences in plasma protein binding to alpha(4)beta(1) antagonist D01-4582, resulting in a great strain difference in its pharmacokinetics (19-fold differences in the AUC). The previous study suggested that amino acid changes of V238L and/or T293I in albumin reduced the binding affinity. In order to elucidate the relative significance of these mutations, an expression system was developed to obtain recombinant rat albumins (rRSA) using Pichia pastoris, followed by a binding analysis of four rRSAs by the ultracentrifugation method. The equilibrium dissociation constant (K(d)) of wild-type rRSA was 210 nM, while K(d) of rRSA that carried both V238L and T293I mutations was 974 nM. K(d) of artificial rRSA that carried only V238L was 426 nM, and K(d) of artificial rRSA that carried only T293I was 191 nM. These results suggested that V238L would be more important in the alteration of K(d). However, since none of the single mutations were sufficient to explain the reduction of affinity, the possibility was also suggested that T293I interacted cooperatively to reduce the binding affinity of rat albumin to D01-4582. Further investigation is required to elucidate the mechanism of the possible cooperative interaction.

  7. The robustness and accuracy of in vivo linear wear measurements for knee prostheses based on model-based RSA.

    PubMed

    van Ijsseldijk, E A; Valstar, E R; Stoel, B C; Nelissen, R G H H; Reiber, J H C; Kaptein, B L

    2011-10-13

    Accurate in vivo measurements methods of wear in total knee arthroplasty are required for a timely detection of excessive wear and to assess new implant designs. Component separation measurements based on model-based Roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA), in which 3-dimensional reconstruction methods are used, have shown promising results, yet the robustness of these measurements is unknown. In this study, the accuracy and robustness of this measurement for clinical usage was assessed. The validation experiments were conducted in an RSA setup with a phantom setup of a knee in a vertical orientation. 72 RSA images were created using different variables for knee orientations, two prosthesis types (fixed-bearing Duracon knee and fixed-bearing Triathlon knee) and accuracies of the reconstruction models. The measurement error was determined for absolute and relative measurements and the effect of knee positioning and true seperation distance was determined. The measurement method overestimated the separation distance with 0.1mm on average. The precision of the method was 0.10mm (2*SD) for the Duracon prosthesis and 0.20mm for the Triathlon prosthesis. A slight difference in error was found between the measurements with 0° and 10° anterior tilt. (difference=0.08mm, p=0.04). The accuracy of 0.1mm and precision of 0.2mm can be achieved for linear wear measurements based on model-based RSA, which is more than adequate for clinical applications. The measurement is robust in clinical settings. Although anterior tilt seems to influence the measurement, the size of this influence is low and clinically irrelevant. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. The effect of tourniquet use on fixation quality in cemented total knee arthroplasty a prospective randomized clinical controlled RSA trial.

    PubMed

    Molt, Mats; Harsten, Andreas; Toksvig-Larsen, Sören

    2014-03-01

    A concern that arises with any change in technique is whether it affects the long-term implant stability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the early migration, measured by radiostereometric analysis (RSA), and the functional outcome of the Triathlon™ cemented knee prosthesis, operated on with or without a tourniquet. During the last decades RSA has emerged as a way to assess prosthetic fixation and long time prognosis. The method has been used extensively in both hip and knee arthroplasty. This was a single centre prospective study including 60 patients randomized into two groups operated on either with or without tourniquet. RSA investigation was done within 2-3 days postoperatively after full weight bearing, and then at 3 months, 1 year and 2 years postoperatively. There were no differences between the groups regarding the translation along or rotation around the three coordinal axes, or in maximum total point motion (MTPM). At 2 years the mean MTPM (SD) was 0.71 mm (0.64) for the tourniquet-group and 0.53 mm (0.21) for the non-tourniquet-group. The tibial tray of the Triathlon™ cemented knee prosthesis showed similar early stability whether operated on with or without tourniquet. Level I. Article focus: A safety study for total knee replacement operated on with or without perioperative tourniquet regarding the prosthetic fixation. Strengths and limitations: Strength of this study is that it is a randomized prospective trial using an objective measuring tool. The sample size of 25-30 patients is reportedly sufficient for the screening of implants using RSA (1-3). Clinical trials NCT01604382, Ethics Committee approval D-nr: 144/20085. © 2013.

  9. Dynamic RSA for the evaluation of inducible micromotion of Oxford UKA during step-up and step-down motion.

    PubMed

    Horsager, Kristian; Kaptein, Bart L; Rømer, Lone; Jørgensen, Peter B; Stilling, Maiken

    2017-06-01

    Background and purpose - Implant inducible micromotions have been suggested to reflect the quality of the fixation interface. We investigated the usability of dynamic RSA for evaluation of inducible micromotions of the Oxford Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty (UKA) tibial component, and evaluated factors that have been suggested to compromise the fixation, such as fixation method, component alignment, and radiolucent lines (RLLs). Patients and methods - 15 patients (12 men) with a mean age of 69 (55-86) years, with an Oxford UKA (7 cemented), were studied after a mean time in situ of 4.4 (3.6-5.1) years. 4 had tibial RLLs. Each patient was recorded with dynamic RSA (10 frames/second) during a step-up/step-down motion. Inducible micromotions were calculated for the tibial component with respect to the tibia bone. Postoperative component alignment was measured with model-based RSA and RLLs were measured on screened radiographs. Results - All tibial components showed inducible micromotions as a function of the step-cycle motion with a mean subsidence of up to -0.06 mm (95% CI: -0.10 to -0.03). Tibial component inducible micromotions were similar for cemented fixation and cementless fixation. Patients with tibial RLLs had 0.5° (95% CI: 0.18-0.81) greater inducible medio-lateral tilt of the tibial component. There was a correlation between postoperative posterior slope of the tibial plateau and inducible anterior-posterior tilt. Interpretation - All patients had inducible micromotions of the tibial component during step-cycle motion. RLLs and a high posterior slope increased the magnitude of inducible micromotions. This suggests that dynamic RSA is a valuable clinical tool for the evaluation of functional implant fixation.

  10. Association of polymorphisms in estrogen receptors (ESR1 and ESR2) with male infertility: a meta-analysis and systematic review.

    PubMed

    Ge, Yu-Zheng; Xu, Lu-Wei; Jia, Rui-Peng; Xu, Zheng; Li, Wen-Cheng; Wu, Ran; Liao, Sheng; Gao, Fei; Tan, Si-Jia; Song, Qun; Xin, Hui

    2014-05-01

    Estrogens play an important role in male reproduction via interacting with estrogen receptors (ERs), whose expression can be regulated by the polymorphisms in different regions of ESR1 and ESR2 genes. However, results from published studies on the association between four well-characterized polymorphisms (PvuII, XbaI, RsaI, and AluI) in the gene of ERs (ESR1 and ESR2) and male infertility risk are inconclusive. To investigate the strength of relationship of PvuII and XbaI in ESR1 and RsaI and AluI in ESR2 with male infertility, we conducted a meta-analysis of 12 eligible studies with odds ratio (OR) and its corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI). Overall, ESR1 PvuII and ESR2 RsaI polymorphisms were significantly associated with male infertility risk. The subgroup analyses by ethnicities demonstrated that in Asians, ESR1 PvuII, XbaI and ESR2 RsaI polymorphisms were significantly associated with a decreased infertility risk, while in Caucasians both ESR1 PvuII and ESR2 RsaI polymorphisms increased the susceptibility to male infertility. As for ESR2 AluI polymorphism, no significant association was detected in either overall analysis or subgroup analyses by ethnicities/genotyping methods. This meta-analysis suggested that polymorphisms in the genes of ERs (ESR1 and ESR2) may have differential roles in the predisposition to male infertility according to the different ethnic backgrounds. Further well-designed and unbiased studies with larger sample size and diverse ethnic backgrounds should be conducted to verify our findings.

  11. Classification of instability after reverse shoulder arthroplasty guides surgical management and outcomes.

    PubMed

    Abdelfattah, Adham; Otto, Randall J; Simon, Peter; Christmas, Kaitlyn N; Tanner, Gregory; LaMartina, Joey; Levy, Jonathan C; Cuff, Derek J; Mighell, Mark A; Frankle, Mark A

    2018-04-01

    Revision of unstable reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) remains a significant challenge. The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of a new treatment-guiding classification for instability after RSA, to describe the clinical outcomes of patients stabilized operatively, and to identify those with higher risk of recurrence. All patients undergoing revision for instability after RSA were identified at our institution. Demographic, clinical, radiographic, and intraoperative data were collected. A classification was developed using all identified causes of instability after RSA and allocating them to 1 of 3 defined treatment-guiding categories. Eight surgeons reviewed all data and applied the classification scheme to each case. Interobserver and intraobserver reliability was used to evaluate the classification scheme. Preoperative clinical outcomes were compared with final follow-up in stabilized shoulders. Forty-three revision cases in 34 patients met the inclusion for study. Five patients remained unstable after revision. Persistent instability most commonly occurred in persistent deltoid dysfunction and postoperative acromial fractures but also in 1 case of soft tissue impingement. Twenty-one patients remained stable at minimum 2 years of follow-up and had significant improvement of clinical outcome scores and range of motion. Reliability of the classification scheme showed substantial and almost perfect interobserver and intraobserver agreement among all the participants (κ = 0.699 and κ = 0.851, respectively). Instability after RSA can be successfully treated with revision surgery using the reliable treatment-guiding classification scheme presented herein. However, more understanding is needed for patients with greater risk of recurrent instability after revision surgery. Copyright © 2017 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Emotion dysregulation and autonomic responses to film, rumination, and body awareness: Extending psychophysiological research to a naturalistic clinical setting and a chemically dependent female sample.

    PubMed

    Crowell, Sheila E; Price, Cynthia J; Puzia, Megan E; Yaptangco, Mona; Cheng, Sunny Chieh

    2017-05-01

    Substance use is a complex clinical problem characterized by emotion dysregulation and daily challenges that can interfere with laboratory research. Thus, few psychophysiological studies examine autonomic and self-report measures of emotion dysregulation with multidiagnostic, chemically dependent samples or extend this work into naturalistic settings. In this study, we used a within-subject design to examine changes in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), electrodermal activity (EDA), and self-reported affect across three tasks designed to elicit distinct psychophysiological and emotional response patterns. We also examined emotion dysregulation as a moderator of psychophysiological responses. Participants include 116 women with multiple comorbid mental health conditions enrolled in substance use treatment, many of whom also reported high emotion dysregulation. Participants were assessed in the treatment setting and completed three tasks: watching a sad movie clip, rumination on a stressful event, and a mindful interoceptive awareness meditation. Multilevel models were used to examine changes from resting baselines to the tasks. During the film, results indicate a significant decrease in RSA and an increase in EDA. For the rumination task, participants showed a decrease in RSA but no EDA response. For the body awareness task, there was an increase in RSA and a decrease in EDA. Emotion dysregulation was associated with differences in baseline RSA but not with EDA or with the slope of response patterns across tasks. Self-reported affect was largely consistent with autonomic patterns. Findings add to the literature on emotion dysregulation, substance use, and the translation of psychophysiological measurements into clinical settings with complex samples. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  13. Genetic polymorphisms of cytochrome p4502E1 and susceptibility to alcoholic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma in a white population: a study and literature review, including meta-analysis

    PubMed Central

    Wong, N A C S; Rae, F; Simpson, K J; Murray, G D; Harrison, D J

    2000-01-01

    Aims—To investigate the associations between the Rsa I, Dra I, and Taq I genetic polymorphisms of cytochrome p4502E1 and susceptibility to alcoholic liver disease or to hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods—DNA samples isolated from 61 patients with alcoholic liver disease, 46 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, and 375 healthy controls were subjected to polymerase chain reaction amplification followed by digestion with the endonucleases Rsa I, Dra I, or Taq I. Meta-analysis was performed using data from previous studies of Rsa I polymorphism and the risk of alcoholic liver disease. Results—No association was found between any of the three polymorphisms and susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma. The distributions of Rsa I and Dra I alleles among the patients with alcoholic liver disease were not significantly different from those among the control group. Meta-analysis of this data and previous data concerning Rsa I polymorphism and alcoholic liver disease risk failed to demonstrate any significant association between the two. However, the alcoholic liver disease group in this study showed a significantly lower frequency of the less common Taq I allele compared with the healthy control group (odds ratio, 0.33; 95% confidence interval, 0.12 to 0.78). Conclusions—Possession of the less common Taq I cytochrome p4502E1 allele is associated with reduced susceptibility to alcoholic liver disease. There is no existing evidence that the Taq I polymorphism is directly associated with altered alcohol metabolism, but it might be in linkage disequilibrium with as yet unidentified protective factors. PMID:10889908

  14. A novel Brassica-rhizotron system to unravel the dynamic changes in root system architecture of oilseed rape under phosphorus deficiency.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Pan; Ding, Guang-Da; Cai, Hong-Mei; Jin, Ke-Mo; Broadley, Martin Roger; Xu, Fang-Sen; Shi, Lei

    2016-08-01

    An important adaptation of plants to phosphorus (P) deficiency is to alter root system architecture (RSA) to increase P acquisition from the soil, but soil-based observations of RSA are technically challenging, especially in mature plants. The aim of this study was to investigate the root development and RSA of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) under low and high soil P conditions during an entire growth cycle. A new large Brassica-rhizotron system (approx. 118-litre volume) was developed to study the RSA dynamics of B. napus 'Zhongshuang11' in soils, using top-soils supplemented with low P (LP) or high P (HP) for a full plant growth period. Total root length (TRL), root tip number (RTN), root length density (RLD), biomass and seed yield traits were measured. TRL and RTN increased more rapidly in HP than LP plants from seedling to flowering stages. Both traits declined from flowering to silique stages, and then increased slightly in HP plants; in contrast, root senescence was observed in LP plants. RSA parameters measured from the polycarbonate plates were empirically consistent with analyses of excavated roots. Seed yield and shoot dry weights were closely associated positively with root dry weights, TRL, RLD and RTN at both HP and LP. The Brassica-rhizotron system is an effective method for soil-based root phenotyping across an entire growth cycle. Given that root senescence is likely to occur earlier under low P conditions, crop P deficiency is likely to affect late water and nitrogen uptake, which is critical for efficient resource use and optimal crop yields. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  15. Sonographic assessment of the subscapularis after reverse shoulder arthroplasty: impact of tendon integrity on shoulder function.

    PubMed

    Dedy, Nicolas J; Gouk, Conor J; Taylor, Fraser J; Thomas, Michael; Tan, S L Ezekiel

    2018-06-01

    The deltopectoral approach for reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) requires subscapularis tenotomy or lesser tuberosity osteotomy. Whether the subscapularis should be repaired at the conclusion of the procedure remains controversial. The present study sonographically assessed the subscapularis after RSA and evaluated the effect of tendon integrity on functional outcome. All patients who had undergone RSA in the Gold Coast University Hospital between 2005 and 2016 were included. Sonography was performed by a blinded examiner. Function was assessed using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand, the Constant-Murley, and Oxford Shoulder scores. Internal rotation ability was recorded on a 6-point scale. The study included 43 patients (48 shoulders). Median length of follow-up was 19 months (range, 4-132 months). On sonography, the subscapularis was graded intact in 6 shoulders (13%), intact with mild attenuation in 16 (33%), severely attenuated in 15 (31%), and not intact or absent in 11 (23%). Differences in Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand, Constant-Murley, or Oxford Shoulder scores between intact and attenuated or absent subscapularis shoulders were not significant. Internal rotation scores were significantly higher in the intact and mildly attenuated tendon group than in the absent tendon group (U = 1.0, P = .001 and U = 28.5, P = .007, respectively). The present work is the first long-term outcome study of RSA using sonography to assess the subscapularis. Subscapularis integrity did not appear to have a measurable effect on patient outcome as measured by standard scores but was important for internal rotation ability after RSA. Copyright © 2017 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. All rights reserved.

  16. Suppressor mutations identify amino acids in PAA-1/PR65 that facilitate regulatory RSA-1/B″ subunit targeting of PP2A to centrosomes in C. elegans

    PubMed Central

    Lange, Karen I.; Heinrichs, Jeffrey; Cheung, Karen; Srayko, Martin

    2013-01-01

    Summary Protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation is a key mechanism for the spatial and temporal regulation of many essential developmental processes and is especially prominent during mitosis. The multi-subunit protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) enzyme plays an important, yet poorly characterized role in dephosphorylating proteins during mitosis. PP2As are heterotrimeric complexes comprising a catalytic, structural, and regulatory subunit. Regulatory subunits are mutually exclusive and determine subcellular localization and substrate specificity of PP2A. At least 3 different classes of regulatory subunits exist (termed B, B′, B″) but there is no obvious similarity in primary sequence between these classes. Therefore, it is not known how these diverse regulatory subunits interact with the same holoenzyme to facilitate specific PP2A functions in vivo. The B″ family of regulatory subunits is the least understood because these proteins lack conserved structural domains. RSA-1 (regulator of spindle assembly) is a regulatory B″ subunit required for mitotic spindle assembly in Caenorhabditis elegans. In order to address how B″ subunits interact with the PP2A core enzyme, we focused on a conditional allele, rsa-1(or598ts), and determined that this mutation specifically disrupts the protein interaction between RSA-1 and the PP2A structural subunit, PAA-1. Through genetic screening, we identified a putative interface on the PAA-1 structural subunit that interacts with a defined region of RSA-1/B″. In the context of previously published results, these data propose a mechanism of how different PP2A B-regulatory subunit families can bind the same holoenzyme in a mutually exclusive manner, to perform specific tasks in vivo. PMID:23336080

  17. Suppressor mutations identify amino acids in PAA-1/PR65 that facilitate regulatory RSA-1/B″ subunit targeting of PP2A to centrosomes in C. elegans.

    PubMed

    Lange, Karen I; Heinrichs, Jeffrey; Cheung, Karen; Srayko, Martin

    2013-01-15

    Protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation is a key mechanism for the spatial and temporal regulation of many essential developmental processes and is especially prominent during mitosis. The multi-subunit protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) enzyme plays an important, yet poorly characterized role in dephosphorylating proteins during mitosis. PP2As are heterotrimeric complexes comprising a catalytic, structural, and regulatory subunit. Regulatory subunits are mutually exclusive and determine subcellular localization and substrate specificity of PP2A. At least 3 different classes of regulatory subunits exist (termed B, B', B″) but there is no obvious similarity in primary sequence between these classes. Therefore, it is not known how these diverse regulatory subunits interact with the same holoenzyme to facilitate specific PP2A functions in vivo. The B″ family of regulatory subunits is the least understood because these proteins lack conserved structural domains. RSA-1 (regulator of spindle assembly) is a regulatory B″ subunit required for mitotic spindle assembly in Caenorhabditis elegans. In order to address how B″ subunits interact with the PP2A core enzyme, we focused on a conditional allele, rsa-1(or598ts), and determined that this mutation specifically disrupts the protein interaction between RSA-1 and the PP2A structural subunit, PAA-1. Through genetic screening, we identified a putative interface on the PAA-1 structural subunit that interacts with a defined region of RSA-1/B″. In the context of previously published results, these data propose a mechanism of how different PP2A B-regulatory subunit families can bind the same holoenzyme in a mutually exclusive manner, to perform specific tasks in vivo.

  18. Association between G1733A (rs6152) polymorphism in androgen receptor gene and recurrent spontaneous abortions in Mexican population.

    PubMed

    Porras-Dorantes, Ángela; Brambila-Tapia, Aniel Jessica Leticia; Lazcano-Castellanos, Alma Benita; Da Silva-José, Thiago Donizete; Juárez-Osuna, Jesús Alejandro; García-Ortiz, José Elías

    2017-10-01

    Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is a multifactorial condition that occurs with a frequency of 0.2-5% in women of reproductive age. Among genetic factors, the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) G1733A in the androgen receptor (AR) gene has been associated with its presence in Greek and Iranian populations. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine its possible association with RSA in this population. A total of 156 Mexican RSA (with at least 2 consecutive abortions) unrelated patients and 152 unrelated healthy women were included, the presence of karyotype anomalies in the parents as well as uterine anomalies as well as antiphospholipid antibodies was excluded in patients; while all the controls presented at least two healthy pregnancies and no abortion. In all the included women, the presence of the SNP G1733A was determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) technique. No significant differences were observed in age between groups. The genotype GG, GA, and AA had a frequency of 0.70, 0.27, and 0.03 in controls and of 0.89, 0.10, and 0.01 in patients (p < 0.001); while the A allele frequency was of 0.06 and 0.16 in controls and patients, respectively (p < 0.0001). The difference in allele frequency increased 10-15% when patients with primary RSA (with no live births) and with at least three abortions were included. The SNP G1733A of the AR gene is significantly associated with RSA in Mexican patients. These results coincide with previous reports in other populations.

  19. Comparison of muscle buffer capacity and repeated-sprint ability of untrained, endurance-trained and team-sport athletes.

    PubMed

    Edg E, Johann; Bishop, David; Hill-Haas, Stephen; Dawson, Brian; Goodman, Carmel

    2006-02-01

    We measured the muscle buffer capacity (betam) and repeated-sprint ability (RSA) of young females, who were either team-sport athletes (n = 7), endurance trained (n = 6) or untrained but physically active (n = 8). All subjects performed a graded exercise test to determine VO(2peak) followed 2 days later by a cycle test of RSA (5 x 6 s, every 30 s). Resting muscle samples (Vastus lateralis) were taken to determine betam. The team-sport group had a significantly higher betam than either the endurance-trained or the untrained groups (181+/- 27 vs. 148 +/- 11 vs. 122 +/- 32 micromol H(+) g dm(-1) pH(-1) respectively; P < 0.05). The team-sport group also completed significantly more relative total work (299 +/- 27 vs. 263 +/- 31 vs. 223 +/- 21 J kg(-1), respectively; P < 0.05) and absolute total work (18.2 +/- 1.6 vs. 14.6 +/- 2.4 vs. 13.0 +/- 1.9 kJ, respectively; P < 0.05) than the endurance-trained or untrained groups during the RSA test. The team-sport group also had a greater post-exercise blood lactate concentration, but not blood pH. There was a significant correlation between betam and RSA (r = 0.67; P < 0.05). Our findings show that young females competing in team sports have a larger betam than either endurance-trained or untrained females. This may be the result of the intermittent, high-intensity activity during training and the match play of team-sport athletes. The team-sport athletes also had a greater RSA than either the endurance-trained or untrained subjects. The greater total work by team-sport athletes was predominantly due to a better performance during the early sprints of the repeated-sprint bout.

  20. Precision measurements of the RSA method using a phantom model of hip prosthesis.

    PubMed

    Mäkinen, Tatu J; Koort, Jyri K; Mattila, Kimmo T; Aro, Hannu T

    2004-04-01

    Radiostereometric analysis (RSA) has become one of the recommended techniques for pre-market evaluation of new joint implant designs. In this study we evaluated the effect of repositioning of X-ray tubes and phantom model on the precision of the RSA method. In precision measurements, we utilized mean error of rigid body fitting (ME) values as an internal control for examinations. ME value characterizes relative motion among the markers within each rigid body and is conventionally used to detect loosening of a bone marker. Three experiments, each consisting of 10 double examinations, were performed. In the first experiment, the X-ray tubes and the phantom model were not repositioned between one double examination. In experiments two and three, the X-ray tubes were repositioned between one double examination. In addition, the position of the phantom model was changed in experiment three. Results showed that significant differences could be found in 2 of 12 comparisons when evaluating the translation and rotation of the prosthetic components. Repositioning procedures increased ME values mimicking deformation of rigid body segments. Thus, ME value seemed to be a more sensitive parameter than migration values in this study design. These results confirmed the importance of standardized radiographic technique and accurate patient positioning for RSA measurements. Standardization and calibration procedures should be performed with phantom models in order to avoid unnecessary radiation dose of the patients. The present model gives the means to establish and to follow the intra-laboratory precision of the RSA method. The model is easily applicable in any research unit and allows the comparison of the precision values in different laboratories of multi-center trials.

  1. Relationships and Predictive Capabilities of Jump Assessments to Soccer-Specific Field Test Performance in Division I Collegiate Players

    PubMed Central

    Lockie, Robert G.; Stage, Alyssa A.; Stokes, John J.; Orjalo, Ashley J.; Davis, DeShaun L.; Giuliano, Dominic V.; Moreno, Matthew R.; Risso, Fabrice G.; Lazar, Adrina; Birmingham-Babauta, Samantha A.; Tomita, Tricia M.

    2016-01-01

    Leg power is an important characteristic for soccer, and jump tests can measure this capacity. Limited research has analyzed relationships between jumping and soccer-specific field test performance in collegiate male players. Nineteen Division I players completed tests of: leg power (vertical jump (VJ), standing broad jump (SBJ), left- and right-leg triple hop (TH)); linear (30 m sprint; 0–5 m, 5–10 m, 0–10, 0–30 m intervals) and change-of-direction (505) speed; soccer-specific fitness (Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 2); and 7 × 30-m sprints to measure repeated-sprint ability (RSA; total time (TT), performance decrement (PD)). Pearson’s correlations (r) determined jump and field test relationships; stepwise regression ascertained jump predictors of the tests (p < 0.05). All jumps correlated with the 0–5, 0–10, and 0–30 m sprint intervals (r = −0.65–−0.90). VJ, SBJ, and left- and right-leg TH correlated with RSA TT (r = −0.51–−0.59). Right-leg TH predicted the 0–5 and 0–10 m intervals (R2 = 0.55–0.81); the VJ predicted the 0–30 m interval and RSA TT (R2 = 0.41–0.84). Between-leg TH asymmetry correlated with and predicted left-leg 505 and RSA PD (r = −0.68–0.62; R2 = 0.39–0.46). Improvements in jumping ability could contribute to faster speed and RSA performance in collegiate soccer players. PMID:29910304

  2. The association between depressive disorder and cardiac autonomic control in adults 60 years and older.

    PubMed

    Licht, Carmilla M M; Naarding, Paul; Penninx, Brenda W J H; van der Mast, Roos C; de Geus, Eco J C; Comijs, Hannie

    2015-04-01

    Altered cardiac autonomic control has often been reported in depressed persons and might play an important role in the increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). A negative association between cardiac autonomic control and depression might become specifically clinically relevant in persons 60 years or older as CVD risk increases with age. This study included data of 321 persons with a depressive disorder and 115 controls participating in the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older Persons (mean age = 70.3 years, 65.7% female). Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), heart rate (HR), and preejection period (PEP) were measured and compared between depressed persons and controls. In addition, the role of antidepressants and clinical characteristics (e.g., age of depression onset and comorbid anxiety) was examined. Compared with controls, depressed persons had lower RSA (mean [standard error of the mean] = 23.5 [1.2] milliseconds versus 18.6 [0.7] milliseconds, p = .001, d = 0.373) and marginally higher HR (73.1 [1.1] beats/min versus 75.6 [0.6] beats/min, p = .065, d = 0.212), but comparable PEP (113.9 [2.1] milliseconds versus 112.0 [1.2] milliseconds, p = .45, d = 0.087), fully adjusted. Antidepressants strongly attenuated the associations between depression and HR and RSA. Antidepressant-naïve depressed persons had similar HR and RSA to controls, whereas users of antidepressants showed significantly lower RSA. In addition, tricyclic antidepressant users had higher HR (p < .001, d = 0.768) and shorter PEP (p = .014, d = 0.395) than did controls. Depression was not associated with cardiac autonomic control, but antidepressants were in this sample. All antidepressants were associated with low cardiac parasympathetic control and specifically tricyclic antidepressants with high cardiac sympathetic control.

  3. RsaM: a transcriptional regulator of Burkholderia spp. with novel fold

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

    Michalska, Karolina; Chhor, Gekleng; Clancy, Shonda

    2014-07-04

    Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) is a set of closely related bacterial species that are notorious pathogens of cystic fibrosis patients, responsible for life-threatening lung infections. Expression of several virulence factors of Bcc is controlled by a mechanism known as quorum sensing (QS). QS is a means of bacterial communication used to coordinate gene expression in a cell-density-dependent manner. The system involves the production of diffusible signaling molecules (N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones, AHLs), that bind to cognate transcriptional regulators and influence their ability to regulate gene expression. One such system that is highly conserved in Bcc consists of CepI and CepR. CepI ismore » AHL synthase, while CepR is an AHL-dependent transcription factor. In most members of the Bcc group, the cepI and cepR genes are divergently transcribed and separated by additional genes. One of them, bcam1869, encodes the BcRsaM protein, which was recently postulated to modulate the abundance or activity of CepI or CepR. Here we show the crystal structure of BcRsaM from B. cenocepacia J2315. It is a single-domain protein with unique topology and presents a novel fold. The protein is a dimer in the crystal and in solution. This regulator has no known DNA binding motifs and direct binding of BcRsaM to the cepI promoter could not be detected in in vitro assays. Therefore, we propose that the modulatory action of RsaM might result from interactions with other components of the QS machinery rather than from direct association with the DNA promoter.« less

  4. Respiratory-phase domain analysis of heart rate variability can accurately estimate cardiac vagal activity during a mental arithmetic task.

    PubMed

    Kotani, Kiyoshi; Takamasu, Kiyoshi; Tachibana, Makoto

    2007-01-01

    The objectives of this paper were to present a method to extract the amplitude of RSA in the respiratory-phase domain, to compare that with subjective or objective indices of the MWL (mental workload), and to compare that with a conventional frequency analysis in terms of its accuracy during a mental arithmetic task. HRV (heart rate variability), ILV (instantaneous lung volume), and motion of the throat were measured under a mental arithmetic experiment and subjective and objective indices were also obtained. The amplitude of RSA was extracted in the respiratory-phase domain, and its correlation with the load level was compared with the results of the frequency domain analysis, which is the standard analysis of the HRV. The subjective and objective indices decreased as the load level increased, showing that the experimental protocol was appropriate. Then, the amplitude of RSA in the respiratory-phase domain also decreased with the increase in the load level. The results of the correlation analysis showed that the respiratory-phase domain analysis has higher negative correlations, -0.84 and -0.82, with the load level as determined by simple correlation and rank correlation, respectively, than does frequency analysis, for which the correlations were found to be -0.54 and -0.63, respectively. In addition, it was demonstrated that the proposed method could be applied to the short-term extraction of RSA amplitude. We proposed a simple and effective method to extract the amplitude of the respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in the respiratory-phase domain and the results show that this method can estimate cardiac vagal activity more accurately than frequency analysis.

  5. Molecular Physiology of Root System Architecture in Model Grasses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hixson, K.; Ahkami, A. H.; Anderton, C.; Veličković, D.; Myers, G. L.; Chrisler, W.; Lindenmaier, R.; Fang, Y.; Yabusaki, S.; Rosnow, J. J.; Farris, Y.; Khan, N. E.; Bernstein, H. C.; Jansson, C.

    2017-12-01

    Unraveling the molecular and physiological mechanisms involved in responses of Root System Architecture (RSA) to abiotic stresses and shifts in microbiome structure is critical to understand and engineer plant-microbe-soil interactions in the rhizosphere. In this study, accessions of Brachypodium distachyon Bd21 (C3 model grass) and Setaria viridis A10.1 (C4 model grass) were grown in phytotron chambers under current and elevated CO2 levels. Detailed growth stage-based phenotypic analysis revealed different above- and below-ground morphological and physiological responses in C3 and C4 grasses to enhanced CO2 levels. Based on our preliminary results and by screening values of total biomass, water use efficiency, root to shoot ratio, RSA parameters and net assimilation rates, we postulated a three-phase physiological mechanism, i.e. RootPlus, BiomassPlus and YieldPlus phases, for grass growth under elevated CO2 conditions. Moreover, this comprehensive set of morphological and process-based observations are currently in use to develop, test, and calibrate biophysical whole-plant models and in particular to simulate leaf-level photosynthesis at various developmental stages of C3 and C4 using the model BioCro. To further link the observed phenotypic traits at the organismal level to tissue and molecular levels, and to spatially resolve the origin and fate of key metabolites involved in primary carbohydrate metabolism in different root sections, we complement root phenotypic observations with spatial metabolomics data using mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) methods. Focusing on plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere, six bacterial strains with plant growth promoting features are currently in use in both gel-based and soil systems to screen root growth and development in Brachypodium. Using confocal microscopy, GFP-tagged bacterial systems are utilized to study the initiation of different root types of RSA, including primary root (PR), coleoptile node axile root (CNR) and leaf node axile root (LNR) during developmental stages of root formation. The root exudates also will be quantified and preliminary data will be used to engineer our microbial consortium to improve plant growth.

  6. Secure anonymity-preserving password-based user authentication and session key agreement scheme for telecare medicine information systems.

    PubMed

    Sutrala, Anil Kumar; Das, Ashok Kumar; Odelu, Vanga; Wazid, Mohammad; Kumari, Saru

    2016-10-01

    Information and communication and technology (ICT) has changed the entire paradigm of society. ICT facilitates people to use medical services over the Internet, thereby reducing the travel cost, hospitalization cost and time to a greater extent. Recent advancements in Telecare Medicine Information System (TMIS) facilitate users/patients to access medical services over the Internet by gaining health monitoring facilities at home. Amin and Biswas recently proposed a RSA-based user authentication and session key agreement protocol usable for TMIS, which is an improvement over Giri et al.'s RSA-based user authentication scheme for TMIS. In this paper, we show that though Amin-Biswas's scheme considerably improves the security drawbacks of Giri et al.'s scheme, their scheme has security weaknesses as it suffers from attacks such as privileged insider attack, user impersonation attack, replay attack and also offline password guessing attack. A new RSA-based user authentication scheme for TMIS is proposed, which overcomes the security pitfalls of Amin-Biswas's scheme and also preserves user anonymity property. The careful formal security analysis using the two widely accepted Burrows-Abadi-Needham (BAN) logic and the random oracle models is done. Moreover, the informal security analysis of the scheme is also done. These security analyses show the robustness of our new scheme against the various known attacks as well as attacks found in Amin-Biswas's scheme. The simulation of the proposed scheme using the widely accepted Automated Validation of Internet Security Protocols and Applications (AVISPA) tool is also done. We present a new user authentication and session key agreement scheme for TMIS, which fixes the mentioned security pitfalls found in Amin-Biswas's scheme, and we also show that the proposed scheme provides better security than other existing schemes through the rigorous security analysis and verification tool. Furthermore, we present the formal security verification of our scheme using the widely accepted AVISPA tool. High security and extra functionality features allow our proposed scheme to be applicable for telecare medicine information systems which is used for e-health care medical applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. STS-102 (Expedition II) crew members at SPACEHAB

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    At SPACEHAB, in Titusville, Fla., members of the STS-102 crew look over the Integrated Cargo Carrier and the Russian crane Strela as part of familiarization activities. Starting second to left are Mission Specialists Susan Helms, cosmonaut Yuri Usachev, who is with the Russian Space Agency (RSA), and James Voss. STS- 102 is a resupply mission to the International Space Station, transporting the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) with equipment to assist in outfitting the U.S. Lab, which will already be in place. It is also transporting Voss, Helms and Usachev as the second resident crew (designated Expedition crew 2) to the station. The mission will also return to Earth the first expedition crew on ISS: William Shepherd, Sergei Krikalev (RSA) and Yuri Gidzenko (RSA). STS-102 is scheduled to launch no earlier than Oct. 19, 2000.

  8. STS-102 (Expedition II) crew members at SPACEHAB

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    At SPACEHAB, in Titusville, Fla., members of the STS-102 crew look at part of the equipment on the Integrated Cargo Carrier that will be on their mission. From left are Mission Specialists Susan Helms, James Voss and Yuri Usachev, who is with the Russian Space Agency (RSA). STS-102 is a resupply mission to the International Space Station, transporting the Leonardo Multi- Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) with equipment to assist in outfitting the U.S. Lab, which will already be in place. The mission is also transporting Helms, Voss and Usachev as the second resident crew (designated Expedition crew 2) to the station. In exchange, the mission will return to Earth the first expedition crew on ISS: William Shepherd, Sergei Krikalev (RSA) and Yuri Gidzenko (RSA). STS-102 is scheduled to launch no earlier than Oct. 19, 2000.

  9. A high dose of intravenous immunoglobulin increases CD94 expression on natural killer cells in women with recurrent spontaneous abortion.

    PubMed

    Shimada, Shigeki; Takeda, Masamitsu; Nishihira, Jun; Kaneuchi, Masanori; Sakuragi, Noriaki; Minakami, Hisanori; Yamada, Hideto

    2009-11-01

    A high dose of intravenous immunoglobulin (HIVIg) therapy is effective in various diseases such as autoimmune diseases, and also is expected to have efficacy in recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). The aim of this study was to understand immunological mechanisms of this therapy. By flowcytometric analyses, we examined phenotypic changes of a variety of immunological cells including natural killer (NK) cells, cytotoxic T cells, regulatory T cells and macrophages in peripheral blood of RSA women with HIVIg therapy (n = 8). Expression percentages of inhibitory CD94 on NK cells significantly (P = 0.01) increased after the therapy (58.8 +/- 21.4% versus 71.0 +/- 17.6%). Mechanisms of possible efficacy of HIVIg therapy for RSA may include enhancement of CD94 expression and subsequent suppression of NK cell cytotoxicity.

  10. RSA cryptosystem with fuzzy set theory for encryption and decryption

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abdullah, Kamilah; Bakar, Sumarni Abu; Kamis, Nor Hanimah; Aliamis, Hardi

    2017-11-01

    In the communication area, user is more focus on communication instead of security of the data communication. Many cryptosystems have been improvised to achieved the effectiveness in communication. RSA cryptosystem is one of well-known cryptosystem used to secure the information and protect the communication by providing a difficulty to the attackers specifically in encryption and decryption. As need arises for guarantee the security of the cryptosystem while the communication must be ensured, we propose a new RSA cryptosystem which is based on fuzzy set theory whereby the plaintext and the ciphertext are in terms of Triangular Fuzzy Number (TFN). Decryption result shows that the message obtained is the same as the original plaintext. This study reveals that the fuzzy set theory is suitable to be used as an alternative tool in securing other cryptosystem.

  11. 10-year results of a new low-monomer cement: follow-up of a randomized RSA study.

    PubMed

    Söderlund, Per; Dahl, Jon; Röhrl, Stephan; Nivbrant, Bo; Nilsson, Kjell G

    2012-12-01

    The properties and performance of a new low-monomer cement were examined in this prospective randomized, controlled RSA study. 5-year data have already been published, showing no statistically significant differences compared to controls. In the present paper we present the 10-year results. 44 patients were originally randomized to receive total hip replacement with a Lubinus SPII titanium-aluminum-vanadium stem cemented either with the new Cemex Rx bone cement or with control bone cement, Palacos R. Patients were examined using RSA, Harris hip score, and conventional radiographs. At 10 years, 33 hips could be evaluated clinically and 30 hips could be evaluated with RSA (16 Cemex and 14 Palacos). 9 patients had died and 4 patients were too old or infirm to be investigated. Except for 1 hip that was revised for infection after less than 5 years, no further hips were revised before the 10-year follow-up. There were no statistically significant clinical differences between the groups. The Cemex cement had magnitudes of migration similar to or sometimes lower than those of Palacos cement. In both groups, most hips showed extensive radiolucent lines, probably due to the use of titanium alloy stems. At 10 years, the Cemex bone cement tested performed just as well as the control (Palacos bone cement).

  12. Small and similar amounts of micromotion in an anatomical stem and a customized cementless femoral stem in regular-shaped femurs. A 5-year follow-up randomized RSA study.

    PubMed

    Nysted, Mona; Foss, Olav A; Klaksvik, Jomar; Benum, Pål; Haugan, Kristin; Husby, Otto Schnell; Aamodt, Arild

    2014-04-01

    High primary stability is important for long-term survival of uncemented femoral stems. Different stem designs are currently in use. The ABG-I is a well-documented anatomical stem with a press-fit design. The Unique stem is designed for a tight customized fit to the cortical bone of the upper femur. This implant was initially developed for patients with abnormal anatomy, but the concept can also be used in patients with normal femoral anatomy. We present 5-year radiostereometric analysis (RSA) results from a randomized study comparing the ABG-I anatomical stem with the Unique femoral stem. 100 hips with regular upper femur anatomy were randomized to either the ABG-I stem or the Unique femoral stem. RSA measurements were performed postoperatively and after 3, 6, 12, 24, and 60 months. RSA measurements from 80 hips were available for analysis at the 5-year follow-up. Small amounts of movement were observed for both stems, with no statistically significant differences between the 2 types. No improvement in long-term stability was found from using a customized stem design. However, no patients with abnormal geometry of the upper femur were included in this study.

  13. Microgravity alters respiratory sinus arrhythmia and short-term heart rate variability in humans

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Migeotte, P-F; Prisk, G. Kim; Paiva, M.; West, J. B. (Principal Investigator)

    2003-01-01

    We studied heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in four male subjects before, during, and after 16 days of spaceflight. The electrocardiogram and respiration were recorded during two periods of 4 min controlled breathing at 7.5 and 15 breaths/min in standing and supine postures on the ground and in microgravity. Low (LF)- and high (HF)-frequency components of the short-term HRV (< or =3 min) were computed through Fourier spectral analysis of the R-R intervals. Early in microgravity, HR was decreased compared with both standing and supine positions and had returned to the supine value by the end of the flight. In microgravity, overall variability, the LF-to-HF ratio, and RSA amplitude and phase were similar to preflight supine values. Immediately postflight, HR increased by approximately 15% and remained elevated 15 days after landing. LF/HF was increased, suggesting an increased sympathetic control of HR standing. The overall variability and RSA amplitude in supine decreased postflight, suggesting that vagal tone decreased, which coupled with the decrease in RSA phase shift suggests that this was the result of an adaptation of autonomic control of HR to microgravity. In addition, these alterations persisted for at least 15 days after return to normal gravity (1G).

  14. Suicide ideation among high-risk adolescent females: Examining the interplay between parasympathetic regulation and friendship support

    PubMed Central

    GILETTA, MATTEO; HASTINGS, PAUL D.; RUDOLPH, KAREN D.; BAUER, DANIEL J.; NOCK, MATTHEW K.; PRINSTEIN, MITCHELL J.

    2018-01-01

    Poor physiological self-regulation has been proposed as a potential biological vulnerability for adolescent suicidality. This study tested this hypothesis by examining the effect of parasympathetic stress responses on future suicide ideation. In addition, drawing from multilevel developmental psychopathology theories, the interplay between parasympathetic regulation and friendship support, conceptualized as an external source of regulation, was examined. At baseline, 132 adolescent females (M age = 14.59, SD = 1.39) with a history of mental health concerns participated in an in vivo interpersonal stressor (a laboratory speech task) and completed self-report measures of depressive symptoms and perceived support within a close same-age female friendship. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was measured before and during the speech task. Suicide ideation was assessed at baseline and at 3, 6, and 9 months follow-up. The results revealed that females with greater relative RSA decreases to the laboratory stressor were at higher risk for reporting suicide ideation over the subsequent 9 months. Moreover, parasympathetic responses moderated the effect of friendship support on suicide ideation; among females with mild changes or higher relative increases in RSA, but not more pronounced RSA decreases, friendship support reduced risk for future suicide ideation. Findings highlight the crucial role of physiological and external regulation sources as protective factors for youth suicidality. PMID:28031059

  15. Mechanisms of contextual risk for adolescent self-injury: invalidation and conflict escalation in mother-child interactions.

    PubMed

    Crowell, Sheila E; Baucom, Brian R; McCauley, Elizabeth; Potapova, Natalia V; Fitelson, Martha; Barth, Heather; Smith, Cindy J; Beauchaine, Theodore P

    2013-01-01

    According to developmental theories of self-injury, both child characteristics and environmental contexts shape and maintain problematic behaviors. Although progress has been made toward identifying biological vulnerabilities to self-injury, mechanisms underlying psychosocial risk have received less attention. In the present study, we compared self-injuring adolescents (n = 17) with typical controls (n = 20) during a mother-child conflict discussion. Dyadic interactions were coded using both global and microanalytic systems, allowing for a highly detailed characterization of mother-child interactions. We also assessed resting state psychophysiological regulation, as indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Global coding revealed that maternal invalidation was associated with adolescent anger. Furthermore, maternal invalidation and coerciveness were both related to adolescent opposition/defiance. Results from the microanalytic system indicated that self-injuring dyads were more likely to escalate conflict, suggesting a potential mechanism through which emotion dysregulation is shaped and maintained over time. Finally, mother and teen aversiveness interacted to predict adolescent resting RSA. Low-aversive teens with highly aversive mothers had the highest RSA, whereas teens in high-high dyads showed the lowest RSA. These findings are consistent with theories that emotion invalidation and conflict escalation are possible contextual risk factors for self-injury.

  16. Suicide ideation among high-risk adolescent females: Examining the interplay between parasympathetic regulation and friendship support.

    PubMed

    Giletta, Matteo; Hastings, Paul D; Rudolph, Karen D; Bauer, Daniel J; Nock, Matthew K; Prinstein, Mitchell J

    2017-10-01

    Poor physiological self-regulation has been proposed as a potential biological vulnerability for adolescent suicidality. This study tested this hypothesis by examining the effect of parasympathetic stress responses on future suicide ideation. In addition, drawing from multilevel developmental psychopathology theories, the interplay between parasympathetic regulation and friendship support, conceptualized as an external source of regulation, was examined. At baseline, 132 adolescent females (M age = 14.59, SD = 1.39) with a history of mental health concerns participated in an in vivo interpersonal stressor (a laboratory speech task) and completed self-report measures of depressive symptoms and perceived support within a close same-age female friendship. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was measured before and during the speech task. Suicide ideation was assessed at baseline and at 3, 6, and 9 months follow-up. The results revealed that females with greater relative RSA decreases to the laboratory stressor were at higher risk for reporting suicide ideation over the subsequent 9 months. Moreover, parasympathetic responses moderated the effect of friendship support on suicide ideation; among females with mild changes or higher relative increases in RSA, but not more pronounced RSA decreases, friendship support reduced risk for future suicide ideation. Findings highlight the crucial role of physiological and external regulation sources as protective factors for youth suicidality.

  17. Mechanisms of Contextual Risk for Adolescent Self-Injury: Invalidation and Conflict Escalation in Mother-Child Interactions

    PubMed Central

    Crowell, Sheila E.; Baucom, Brian R.; McCauley, Elizabeth; Potapova, Natalia V.; Fitelson, Martha; Barth, Heather; Smith, Cindy J.; Beauchaine, Theodore P.

    2013-01-01

    OBJECTIVE According to developmental theories of self-injury, both child characteristics and environmental contexts shape and maintain problematic behaviors. Although progress has been made toward identifying biological vulnerabilities to self-injury, mechanisms underlying psychosocial risk have received less attention. METHOD In the present study, we compared self-injuring adolescents (n=17) with typical controls (n=20) during a mother-child conflict discussion. Dyadic interactions were coded using both global and microanalytic systems, allowing for a highly detailed characterization of mother-child interactions. We also assessed resting state psychophysiological regulation, as indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). RESULTS Global coding revealed that maternal invalidation was associated with adolescent anger. Furthermore, maternal invalidation and coerciveness were both related to adolescent opposition/defiance. Results from the microanalytic system indicated that self-injuring dyads were more likely to escalate conflict, suggesting a potential mechanism through which emotion dysregulation is shaped and maintained over time. Finally, mother and teen aversiveness interacted to predict adolescent resting RSA. Low-aversive teens with highly aversive mothers had the highest RSA, whereas teens in high-high dyads showed the lowest RSA. CONCLUSIONS These findings are consistent with theories that emotion invalidation and conflict escalation are possible contextual risk factors for self-injury. PMID:23581508

  18. Root architecture simulation improves the inference from seedling root phenotyping towards mature root systems

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Jiangsan; Rewald, Boris; Leitner, Daniel; Nagel, Kerstin A.; Nakhforoosh, Alireza

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Root phenotyping provides trait information for plant breeding. A shortcoming of high-throughput root phenotyping is the limitation to seedling plants and failure to make inferences on mature root systems. We suggest root system architecture (RSA) models to predict mature root traits and overcome the inference problem. Sixteen pea genotypes were phenotyped in (i) seedling (Petri dishes) and (ii) mature (sand-filled columns) root phenotyping platforms. The RSA model RootBox was parameterized with seedling traits to simulate the fully developed root systems. Measured and modelled root length, first-order lateral number, and root distribution were compared to determine key traits for model-based prediction. No direct relationship in root traits (tap, lateral length, interbranch distance) was evident between phenotyping systems. RootBox significantly improved the inference over phenotyping platforms. Seedling plant tap and lateral root elongation rates and interbranch distance were sufficient model parameters to predict genotype ranking in total root length with an RSpearman of 0.83. Parameterization including uneven lateral spacing via a scaling function substantially improved the prediction of architectures underlying the differently sized root systems. We conclude that RSA models can solve the inference problem of seedling root phenotyping. RSA models should be included in the phenotyping pipeline to provide reliable information on mature root systems to breeding research. PMID:28168270

  19. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia: opposite effects on systolic and mean arterial pressure in supine humans

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Elstad, M.; Toska, K.; Chon, K. H.; Raeder, E. A.; Cohen, R. J.

    2001-01-01

    1. Are arterial blood pressure fluctuations buffered or reinforced by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)? There is still considerable debate about this simple question. Different results have been obtained, triggering a discussion as to whether or not the baroreflexes are responsible for RSA. We suspected that the measurements of different aspects of arterial pressure (mean arterial pressure (MAP) and systolic pressure (SP)) can explain the conflicting results. 2. Simultaneous recordings of beat-to-beat MAP, SP, left cardiac stroke volume (SV, pulsed ultrasound Doppler), heart rate (HR) and respiration (RE) were obtained in 10 healthy young adults during spontaneous respiration. In order to eliminate HR variations at respiratory frequency we used propranolol and atropine administration in the supine and tilted positions. Respiration-synchronous variation in the recorded variables was quantified by spectral analysis of the recordings of each of these variables, and the phase relations between them were determined by cross-spectral analysis. 3. MAP fluctuations increased after removing heart rate variations in both supine and tilted position, whereas SP fluctuations decreased in the supine position and increased in the head-up tilted position. 4. RSA buffers respiration-synchronous fluctuations in MAP in both positions. However, fluctuations in SP were reinforced by RSA in the supine and buffered in the tilted position.

  20. Aspects of ultra-high-precision diamond machining of RSA 443 optical aluminium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mkoko, Z.; Abou-El-Hossein, K.

    2015-08-01

    Optical aluminium alloys such as 6061-T6 are traditionally used in ultra-high precision manufacturing for making optical mirrors for aerospace and other applications. However, the optics industry has recently witnessed the development of more advanced optical aluminium grades that are capable of addressing some of the issues encountered when turning with single-point natural monocrystalline diamond cutters. The advent of rapidly solidified aluminium (RSA) grades has generally opened up new possibilities for ultra-high precision manufacturing of optical components. In this study, experiments were conducted with single-point diamond cutters on rapidly solidified aluminium RSA 443 material. The objective of this study is to observe the effects of depth of cut and feed rate at a fixed rotational speed on the tool wear rate and resulting surface roughness of diamond turned specimens. This is done to gain further understanding of the rate of wear on the diamond cutters versus the surface texture generated on the RSA 443 material. The diamond machining experiments yielded machined surfaces which are less reflective but with consistent surface roughness values. Cutting tools were observed for wear through scanning microscopy; relatively low wear pattern was evident on the diamond tool edge. The highest tool wear were obtained at higher depth of cut and increased feed rate.

  1. Antioxidative and antigenotoxic activity of extracts from cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) flowers.

    PubMed

    Jang, In-Cheol; Park, Jae-Hee; Park, Eunju; Park, Hae-Ryong; Lee, Seung-Cheol

    2008-12-01

    The Cosmos bipinnatus has been used in a traditional herbal remedy for various diseases such as jaundice, intermittent fever, and splenomegaly. The present study describes the preliminary evaluation of antioxidant activities and antigenotoxic effect of Cosmos bipinnatus flowers according to four different colors (white, pink, orange, and violet). The antioxidants properties were evaluated by determining TPC, DPPH RSA, ABTS RSA, and RP. The highest TPC of methanolic CFE (at concentration of 1 mg/ml) showed in violet colored CF (1,013 microM), and IC(50) of DPPH RSA, ABTS RSA, and RP were also the lowest in violet colored CFE with values of 0.61, 1.48, and 0.82 mg/ml, respectively. The antigenotoxic effect of the CFE on DNA damage induced by H(2)O(2) in human leukocytes was evaluated by Comet assay. Pretreatments with CFE produced significant reductions in oxidative DNA damage at the concentration of 500 microg/ml, except for violet colored CFE. The ED(50) value of white colored CFE has shown the highest inhibition (0.40 mg/ml) on H(2)O(2) induced DNA damage, followed by orange > pink > violet color. These results suggested that Cosmos bipinnatus has significant antioxidant activity and protective effect against oxidative DNA damage.

  2. STS-102 (Expedition II) crew members at SPACEHAB

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    At SPACEHAB, in Titusville, Fla., members of the STS-102 crew pose for a photograph with SPACEHAB workers in front of the International Cargo Carrier, which will carry cargo to the International Space Station (ISS). The crew are, left to right, Mission Specialists James Voss, Yuri Usachev, who is with the Russian Space Agency (RSA), and Susan Helms. STS-102 is a resupply mission to the International Space Station, transporting the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) with equipment to assist in outfitting the U.S. Lab, which will already be in place. The mission is also transporting Helms, Voss and Usachev as the second resident crew (designated Expedition crew 2) to the station. In exchange, the mission will return to Earth the first expedition crew on ISS: William Shepherd, Sergei Krikalev (RSA) and Yuri Gidzenko (RSA). STS-102 is scheduled to launch no earlier than Oct. 19, 2000.

  3. Absence of a Tourniquet Does Not Affect Fixation of Cemented TKA: A Randomized RSA Study of 70 Patients.

    PubMed

    Ejaz, Ashir; Laursen, Anders C; Jakobsen, Thomas; Rasmussen, Sten; Nielsen, Poul Torben; Laursen, Mogens B

    2015-12-01

    We aimed to determine whether not using a tourniquet in cemented TKA would affect migration of the tibial component measured by radiosterometric analysis (RSA). Seventy patients were randomized into a tourniquet group and a non-tourniquet group and using model-based RSA, the migration of the tibial component was analyzed. Primary and secondary outcome measures were maximum total point motion (MTPM) and translations and rotations. Follow-up period was 2 years. The tibial component was well fixated in both groups and no significant difference in migration between the two groups was detected (P=0.632). Mean MTPM (SD) was 0.47 mm (0.16) in the tourniquet group and 0.45 mm (0.21) in the non-tourniquet group. Absence of tourniquet indicates that stable fixation of the tibial component can be achieved in cemented TKA. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. STS-102 (Expedition II) crew members at SPACEHAB

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    Workers at SPACEHAB, in Titusville, Fla., help members of the STS-102 crew become familiar with the Integrated Cargo Carrier and elements of its cargo for their mission. Starting second from left are Mission Specialists James Voss and Susan Helms and, fourth from left, cosmonaut Yuri Usachev, who is with the Russian Space Agency (RSA). STS-102 is a resupply mission to the International Space Station, transporting the Leonardo Multi- Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) with equipment to assist in outfitting the U.S. Lab, which will already be in place. It is also transporting Voss, Helms and Usachev as the second resident crew (designated Expedition crew 2) to the station. The mission will also return to Earth the first expedition crew on ISS: William Shepherd, Sergei Krikalev (RSA) and Yuri Gidzenko (RSA). STS-102 is scheduled to launch no earlier than Oct. 19, 2000.

  5. Broad band nonlinear optical absorption measurements of the laser dye IR26 using white light continuum Z-scan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dey, Soumyodeep; Bongu, Sudhakara Reddy; Bisht, Prem Ballabh

    2017-03-01

    We study the nonlinear optical response of a standard dye IR26 using the Z-scan technique, but with the white light continuum. The continuum source of wavelength from 450 nm to 1650 nm has been generated from the photonic crystal fiber on pumping with 772 nm of Ti:Sapphire oscillator. The use of broadband incident pulse enables us to probe saturable absorption (SA) and reverse saturable absorption (RSA) over the large spectral range with a single Z-scan measurement. The system shows SA in the resonant region while it turns to RSA in the non-resonant regions. The low saturation intensity of the dye can be explained based on the simultaneous excitation from ground states to various higher energy levels with the help of composite energy level diagram. The cumulative effects of excited state absorption and thermal induced nonlinear optical effects are responsible for the observed RSA.

  6. Image encryption using fingerprint as key based on phase retrieval algorithm and public key cryptography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Tieyu; Ran, Qiwen; Yuan, Lin; Chi, Yingying; Ma, Jing

    2015-09-01

    In this paper, a novel image encryption system with fingerprint used as a secret key is proposed based on the phase retrieval algorithm and RSA public key algorithm. In the system, the encryption keys include the fingerprint and the public key of RSA algorithm, while the decryption keys are the fingerprint and the private key of RSA algorithm. If the users share the fingerprint, then the system will meet the basic agreement of asymmetric cryptography. The system is also applicable for the information authentication. The fingerprint as secret key is used in both the encryption and decryption processes so that the receiver can identify the authenticity of the ciphertext by using the fingerprint in decryption process. Finally, the simulation results show the validity of the encryption scheme and the high robustness against attacks based on the phase retrieval technique.

  7. Evidence-Based Intervention for Young Children Born Premature: Preliminary Evidence for Associated Changes in Physiological Regulation

    PubMed Central

    Graziano, Paulo A.; Bagner, Daniel M.; Sheinkopf, Stephen J.; Vohr, Betty R.; Lester, Barry M.

    2012-01-01

    The current study examined whether changes in maternal behaviors following an evidence-based treatment—Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)—was associated with improvements in cardiac vagal regulation in young children born premature. Participants included 28 young children (mean age = 37.79 months) that were born premature and presented with elevated externalizing behavior problems. To assess cardiac vagal regulation, resting measures of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and RSA change (withdrawal or suppression) to a clean-up task were derived pre and post-treatment. Results indicated that an increase in behaviors mothers are taught to use during treatment (i.e., do skills—praise, reflection, and behavioral descriptions) were associated with an improvement in children’s post-treatment RSA suppression levels. The current study illustrates the important role of caregiver behavior in promoting physiological regulation in children born premature. PMID:22721742

  8. Psychological Distress Following Marital Separation Interacts with a Polymorphism in the Serotonin Transporter Gene to Predict Cardiac Vagal Control in the Laboratory

    PubMed Central

    Hasselmo, Karen; Sbarra, David A.; O'Connor, Mary-Frances; Moreno, Francisco A.

    2015-01-01

    Marital separation is linked to negative mental and physical health; however, the strength of this link may vary across people. This study examined changes in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), used to assess cardiac vagal control, in recently separated adults (N = 79; M time since separation = 3.5 months). When reflecting over the separation, self-reported psychological distress following the separation interacted with a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and a relevant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs25531, to predict RSA. Among people reporting emotional difficulties after the separation, those who were homozygous for the short allele had lower RSA levels while reflecting on their relationship than other genotypes. The findings, although limited by the relatively small sample size, are discussed in terms of how higher-sensitivity genotypes may interact with psychological responses to stress to alter physiology. PMID:25630596

  9. Expansion of access tunnels and active-site cavities influence activity of haloalkane dehalogenases in organic cosolvents.

    PubMed

    Stepankova, Veronika; Khabiri, Morteza; Brezovsky, Jan; Pavelka, Antonin; Sykora, Jan; Amaro, Mariana; Minofar, Babak; Prokop, Zbynek; Hof, Martin; Ettrich, Rudiger; Chaloupkova, Radka; Damborsky, Jiri

    2013-05-10

    The use of enzymes for biocatalysis can be significantly enhanced by using organic cosolvents in the reaction mixtures. Selection of the cosolvent type and concentration range for an enzymatic reaction is challenging and requires extensive empirical testing. An understanding of protein-solvent interaction could provide a theoretical framework for rationalising the selection process. Here, the behaviour of three model enzymes (haloalkane dehalogenases) was investigated in the presence of three representative organic cosolvents (acetone, formamide, and isopropanol). Steady-state kinetics assays, molecular dynamics simulations, and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy were used to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of enzyme-solvent interactions. Cosolvent molecules entered the enzymes' access tunnels and active sites, enlarged their volumes with no change in overall protein structure, but surprisingly did not act as competitive inhibitors. At low concentrations, the cosolvents either enhanced catalysis by lowering K(0.5) and increasing k(cat), or caused enzyme inactivation by promoting substrate inhibition and decreasing k(cat). The induced activation and inhibition of the enzymes correlated with expansion of the active-site pockets and their occupancy by cosolvent molecules. The study demonstrates that quantitative analysis of the proportions of the access tunnels and active-sites occupied by organic solvent molecules provides the valuable information for rational selection of appropriate protein-solvent pair and effective cosolvent concentration. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Comparative Genome-Wide-Association Mapping Identifies Common Loci Controlling Root System Architecture and Resistance to Aphanomyces euteiches in Pea.

    PubMed

    Desgroux, Aurore; Baudais, Valentin N; Aubert, Véronique; Le Roy, Gwenola; de Larambergue, Henri; Miteul, Henri; Aubert, Grégoire; Boutet, Gilles; Duc, Gérard; Baranger, Alain; Burstin, Judith; Manzanares-Dauleux, Maria; Pilet-Nayel, Marie-Laure; Bourion, Virginie

    2017-01-01

    Combining plant genetic resistance with architectural traits that are unfavorable to disease development is a promising strategy for reducing epidemics. However, few studies have identified root system architecture (RSA) traits with the potential to limit root disease development. Pea is a major cultivated legume worldwide and has a wide level of natural genetic variability for plant architecture. The root pathogen Aphanomyces euteiches is a major limiting factor of pea crop yield. This study aimed to increase the knowledge on the diversity of loci and candidate genes controlling RSA traits in pea and identify RSA genetic loci associated with resistance to A. euteiches which could be combined with resistance QTL in breeding. A comparative genome wide association (GWA) study of plant architecture and resistance to A. euteiches was conducted at the young plant stage in a collection of 266 pea lines contrasted for both traits. The collection was genotyped using 14,157 SNP markers from recent pea genomic resources. It was phenotyped for ten root, shoot and overall plant architecture traits, as well as three disease resistance traits in controlled conditions, using image analysis. We identified a total of 75 short-size genomic intervals significantly associated with plant architecture and overlapping with 46 previously detected QTL. The major consistent intervals included plant shoot architecture or flowering genes ( PsLE, PsTFL1 ) with putative pleiotropic effects on root architecture. A total of 11 genomic intervals were significantly associated with resistance to A. euteiches confirming several consistent previously identified major QTL. One significant SNP, mapped to the major QTL Ae-Ps7.6 , was associated with both resistance and RSA traits. At this marker, the resistance-enhancing allele was associated with an increased total root projected area, in accordance with the correlation observed between resistance and larger root systems in the collection. Seven additional intervals associated with plant architecture overlapped with GWA intervals previously identified for resistance to A. euteiches . This study provides innovative results about genetic interdependency of root disease resistance and RSA inheritance. It identifies pea lines, QTL, closely-linked markers and candidate genes for marker-assisted-selection of RSA loci to reduce Aphanomyces root rot severity in future pea varieties.

  11. Comparative Genome-Wide-Association Mapping Identifies Common Loci Controlling Root System Architecture and Resistance to Aphanomyces euteiches in Pea

    PubMed Central

    Desgroux, Aurore; Baudais, Valentin N.; Aubert, Véronique; Le Roy, Gwenola; de Larambergue, Henri; Miteul, Henri; Aubert, Grégoire; Boutet, Gilles; Duc, Gérard; Baranger, Alain; Burstin, Judith; Manzanares-Dauleux, Maria; Pilet-Nayel, Marie-Laure; Bourion, Virginie

    2018-01-01

    Combining plant genetic resistance with architectural traits that are unfavorable to disease development is a promising strategy for reducing epidemics. However, few studies have identified root system architecture (RSA) traits with the potential to limit root disease development. Pea is a major cultivated legume worldwide and has a wide level of natural genetic variability for plant architecture. The root pathogen Aphanomyces euteiches is a major limiting factor of pea crop yield. This study aimed to increase the knowledge on the diversity of loci and candidate genes controlling RSA traits in pea and identify RSA genetic loci associated with resistance to A. euteiches which could be combined with resistance QTL in breeding. A comparative genome wide association (GWA) study of plant architecture and resistance to A. euteiches was conducted at the young plant stage in a collection of 266 pea lines contrasted for both traits. The collection was genotyped using 14,157 SNP markers from recent pea genomic resources. It was phenotyped for ten root, shoot and overall plant architecture traits, as well as three disease resistance traits in controlled conditions, using image analysis. We identified a total of 75 short-size genomic intervals significantly associated with plant architecture and overlapping with 46 previously detected QTL. The major consistent intervals included plant shoot architecture or flowering genes (PsLE, PsTFL1) with putative pleiotropic effects on root architecture. A total of 11 genomic intervals were significantly associated with resistance to A. euteiches confirming several consistent previously identified major QTL. One significant SNP, mapped to the major QTL Ae-Ps7.6, was associated with both resistance and RSA traits. At this marker, the resistance-enhancing allele was associated with an increased total root projected area, in accordance with the correlation observed between resistance and larger root systems in the collection. Seven additional intervals associated with plant architecture overlapped with GWA intervals previously identified for resistance to A. euteiches. This study provides innovative results about genetic interdependency of root disease resistance and RSA inheritance. It identifies pea lines, QTL, closely-linked markers and candidate genes for marker-assisted-selection of RSA loci to reduce Aphanomyces root rot severity in future pea varieties. PMID:29354146

  12. Models of the solvent-accessible surface of biopolymers

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

    Smith, R.E.

    1996-09-01

    Many biopolymers such as proteins, DNA, and RNA have been studied because they have important biomedical roles and may be good targets for therapeutic action in treating diseases. This report describes how plastic models of the solvent-accessible surface of biopolymers were made. Computer files containing sets of triangles were calculated, then used on a stereolithography machine to make the models. Small (2 in.) models were made to test whether the computer calculations were done correctly. Also, files of the type (.stl) required by any ISO 9001 rapid prototyping machine were written onto a CD-ROM for distribution to American companies.

  13. Oxidative Gelation of Solvent-Accessible Arabinoxylans is the Predominant Consequence of Extensive Chlorination of Soft Wheat Flour

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Solvent retention capacity (SRC) and Bostwick flow were used to explore the effects of milling yield, extent of chlorination, and flour particle size on cake flour functionality and batter viscosity. The effects of the extent of chlorination were dramatic, but milling yield and additional milling t...

  14. Root architecture simulation improves the inference from seedling root phenotyping towards mature root systems.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Jiangsan; Bodner, Gernot; Rewald, Boris; Leitner, Daniel; Nagel, Kerstin A; Nakhforoosh, Alireza

    2017-02-01

    Root phenotyping provides trait information for plant breeding. A shortcoming of high-throughput root phenotyping is the limitation to seedling plants and failure to make inferences on mature root systems. We suggest root system architecture (RSA) models to predict mature root traits and overcome the inference problem. Sixteen pea genotypes were phenotyped in (i) seedling (Petri dishes) and (ii) mature (sand-filled columns) root phenotyping platforms. The RSA model RootBox was parameterized with seedling traits to simulate the fully developed root systems. Measured and modelled root length, first-order lateral number, and root distribution were compared to determine key traits for model-based prediction. No direct relationship in root traits (tap, lateral length, interbranch distance) was evident between phenotyping systems. RootBox significantly improved the inference over phenotyping platforms. Seedling plant tap and lateral root elongation rates and interbranch distance were sufficient model parameters to predict genotype ranking in total root length with an RSpearman of 0.83. Parameterization including uneven lateral spacing via a scaling function substantially improved the prediction of architectures underlying the differently sized root systems. We conclude that RSA models can solve the inference problem of seedling root phenotyping. RSA models should be included in the phenotyping pipeline to provide reliable information on mature root systems to breeding research. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

  15. Children's parasympathetic reactivity to specific emotions moderates response to intervention for early-onset aggression.

    PubMed

    Gatzke-Kopp, Lisa M; Greenberg, Mark; Bierman, Karen

    2015-01-01

    Following theories that individual differences in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) denote differential sensitivity to environmental influences, this study examines whether differences in RSA reactivity to specific emotional challenges predict differential response to intervention. We present data from a randomized clinical trial of a targeted intervention for early onset aggression. In collaboration with a high-risk urban school district, 207 kindergarten children (73% African American, 66% male), identified by their teachers as having high levels of aggressive and disruptive behavior, were recruited. All children received a universal social-emotional curriculum. One hundred children were randomly assigned to an additional intervention consisting of weekly peer-based social skills training. Complete RSA data were available for 139 of the children. Teacher-reported externalizing symptoms and emotion regulation in 1st grade (post intervention) were examined controlling for baseline levels. First-grade peer nominations of aggressive behavior, controlling for baseline nominations, were also examined as outcomes. No effect of resting RSA was found. However, greater reactivity to anger was associated with higher externalizing symptoms and lower emotion regulation skills in 1st grade relative to low reactive children. Lower reactivity to fear was associated with greater improvement over time, an effect that was enhanced in the targeted intervention condition. Results suggest that measures of affective reactivity may provide insight into children's capacity to benefit from different types of interventions.

  16. A Comprehensive Examination of Delayed Emotional Recovery in Borderline Personality Disorder

    PubMed Central

    Fitzpatrick, Skye; Kuo, Janice R.

    2014-01-01

    Background and Objectives Despite growing attention to emotion processes in borderline personality disorder (BPD), little research has examined delayed emotional recovery (i.e., long-lasting emotions after the termination of an emotionally evocative stimulus) in this population. The extant data on delayed emotional recovery in BPD are limited by a lack of assessment across a range of indices and emotions. The present study addresses these gaps by comparing emotional recovery between individuals with BPD, social anxiety disorder (SAD), and healthy controls (HCs) using a multi-modal assessment approach. Methods Participants underwent fear, anger, and sadness inductions followed by a 5-minute “washout” phase wherein emotional recovery was assessed via self-report, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and skin conductance responses (SCR). Results After controlling for state dissociation, the BPD and SAD group exhibited decreases in RSA, while the HC group showed no changes in RSA after the anger induction only. Groups did not differ in rate of emotional recovery across self-report, RSA, or SCR after fear and sadness inductions. Limitations The present study is limited by a solely female and small sample, and the short time frame in which emotional recovery was assessed. Conclusions Findings indicate that individuals with BPD generally do not exhibit delayed emotional recovery, but may show decreases in parasympathetic activity during the recovery period after experiencing anger. However, this pattern may not be specific to this disorder. PMID:25482953

  17. Dual-Layer Video Encryption using RSA Algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chadha, Aman; Mallik, Sushmit; Chadha, Ankit; Johar, Ravdeep; Mani Roja, M.

    2015-04-01

    This paper proposes a video encryption algorithm using RSA and Pseudo Noise (PN) sequence, aimed at applications requiring sensitive video information transfers. The system is primarily designed to work with files encoded using the Audio Video Interleaved (AVI) codec, although it can be easily ported for use with Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) encoded files. The audio and video components of the source separately undergo two layers of encryption to ensure a reasonable level of security. Encryption of the video component involves applying the RSA algorithm followed by the PN-based encryption. Similarly, the audio component is first encrypted using PN and further subjected to encryption using the Discrete Cosine Transform. Combining these techniques, an efficient system, invulnerable to security breaches and attacks with favorable values of parameters such as encryption/decryption speed, encryption/decryption ratio and visual degradation; has been put forth. For applications requiring encryption of sensitive data wherein stringent security requirements are of prime concern, the system is found to yield negligible similarities in visual perception between the original and the encrypted video sequence. For applications wherein visual similarity is not of major concern, we limit the encryption task to a single level of encryption which is accomplished by using RSA, thereby quickening the encryption process. Although some similarity between the original and encrypted video is observed in this case, it is not enough to comprehend the happenings in the video.

  18. Investigation of the Annexin A5 M2 haplotype in 500 white European couples who have experienced recurrent spontaneous abortion.

    PubMed

    Demetriou, Charalambos; Abu-Amero, Sayeda; White, Shawnelle; Peskett, Emma; Markoff, Arseni; Stanier, Philip; Moore, Gudrun E; Regan, Lesley

    2015-11-01

    Annexin A5 is a placental anti-coagulant protein that contains four nucleotide substitutions (M2 haplotype) in its promoter. This haplotype is a risk factor for recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). The influence of the M2 haplotype in the gestational timing of spontaneous abortions, paternal risk and relationships with known risk factors were investigated. European couples (n = 500) who had experienced three or more consecutive spontaneous abortions, and two fertile control groups, were selected for this study. The allele frequency of M2 was significantly higher among patients who had experienced early RSA than among controls (P = 0.002). No difference was found between controls and patients who had undergone late spontaneous abortions. No difference was found between patients who had experienced RSA who had a live birth or no live births, or between patients who were positive or negative for known risk factors. Male and female partners in each group had similar allele frequencies of M2. The M2 haplotype is a risk factor for early spontaneous abortions, before the 12th week of gestation, and confers about the same relative risk to carriers of both sexes. Having one or more M2 allele(s) in combination with other risk factors further increases the RSA risk. Copyright © 2015 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. History of biochemical pregnancy was associated with the subsequent reproductive failure among women with recurrent spontaneous abortion.

    PubMed

    Maesawa, Yoko; Yamada, Hideto; Deguchi, Masashi; Ebina, Yasuhiko

    2015-04-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the presence of history of biochemical pregnancy (BP) was associated with clinical characteristics and the subsequent pregnancy outcome among women with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). One-hundred and seventy-five RSA women with two or more clinical pregnancy losses were enrolled. The clinical characteristics were compared between 164 women with history of 0-1 BP (Group A) and 11 women with two or more BP (Group B). The frequency of previous pregnancy loss and history of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer in Group B was higher than that in Group A; while frequency of secondary RSA in Group B was lower than Group A. The subsequent pregnancy outcome was assessed prospectively; and live-birth rate in Group A (72.9%) was higher (p < 0.05) than that in Group B (41.7%). The incidence of reproductive failure (58.3%, p < 0.05) and spontaneous abortion with normal chromosome (25.0%, p = 0.050) in Group B was higher than those (27.1 and 5.9%, respectively) in Group A. RSA women with two or more BP had higher risk of reproductive failure and spontaneous abortion with normal chromosome together with lower chance of live-birth. The results of the present study involve important information and are helpful for clinical practitioners.

  20. 1alpha,25-dihydroxy-vitamin-D3 as new immunotherapy in treatment of recurrent spontaneous abortion.

    PubMed

    Bubanovic, I

    2004-01-01

    Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is serious health problem affecting 2-5% of reproducing couples worldwide. It has long been suspected that nearly 80% of the unexplained RSAs are due to immunologic causes. Although the major tissue confronting the mother's immune system is the placental villous trophoblast, the immunological risk to the developing embryo is not great until the time of implantation. In addition, trophoblast is not sensible to lysis by NK cells, TNF-alpha or macrophages, but may be killed by lymphokine activated NK cells (LAK) and may undergo apoptosis in response to TNF-alpha and/or IFN-gamma in vitro. The two most commonly used treatments for RSA are intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and alloimmunization with partner's leukocytes (LIT). We promote vitamin D3 as new immunomodulatory agent in treatment of RSA. Different mechanisms have been proposed to account for the immunosuppressive effect of 1alpha, 25-dihydroxy-vitamin-D3 (VD3). Portion of the VD3 activity involves the downregulation of IL-2, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha genes transcription. Because immunomodulatory effects of VD3 are very similar to IL-10 effects, acting of VD3 in immunotherapy of RSA syndrome, preeclamptic and eclamptic pregnancy, as well as PIH syndrome, is very reasonable. We propose using of VD3 as immunotherapy or adjuvant therapy in combination with classic immunotherapies of endangered pregnancies.

  1. Intensity-dependent resonant transmission of x-rays in solid-density aluminum plasma

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cho, M. S.; Chung, H.-K.; Cho, B. I.

    2018-05-01

    X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) provide unique opportunities to generate and investigate dense plasmas. The absorption and transmission properties of x-ray photons in dense plasmas are important in characterizing the state of the plasmas. Experimental evidence shows that the transmission of x-ray photons through dense plasmas depends greatly on the incident XFEL intensity. Here, we present a detailed analysis of intensity-dependent x-ray transmission in solid-density aluminum using collisional-radiative population kinetics calculations. Reverse saturable absorption (RSA), i.e., an increase in x-ray absorption with intensity has been observed for photon energies below the K-absorption edge and in the intensity range of 1016-1017 W/cm2 for XFEL photons with 1487 eV. At higher intensities, a transition from RSA to saturable absorption (SA) is predicted; thus, the x-ray absorption decreases with intensity above a threshold value. For XFEL photon energies of 1501 eV and 1515 eV, the transition from RSA to SA occurs at XFEL intensities between 1017-1018 W/cm2. Electron temperatures are predicted to be in the range of 30-50 eV for the given experimental conditions. Detailed population kinetics of the charge states explains the intensity-dependent absorption of x-ray photons and the fast modulation of XFEL pulses for both RSA and SA.

  2. An investigation of vago-regulatory and health-behavior accounts for increased inflammation in posttraumatic stress disorder.

    PubMed

    Dennis, Paul A; Weinberg, J Brice; Calhoun, Patrick S; Watkins, Lana L; Sherwood, Andrew; Dennis, Michelle F; Beckham, Jean C

    2016-04-01

    Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been linked to chronic inflammation, a condition that poses a risk for cardiovascular disease. Attenuated vagal activity has been proposed as a potential mediator of PTSD and inflammation, although associated behavioral health risks-namely cigarette smoking and alcohol dependence-might also account for that link. Inflammation was quantified by fasting serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-10, and thymus- and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC)/CCL17 collected from 85 participants with PTSD and 82 without PTSD. Latent variable modeling was used to assess the relationship between PTSD symptom severity and inflammation along with potential mediators vagal activity (respiratory sinus arrhythmia; RSA), smoking status, and lifetime alcohol dependence. PTSD symptom severity was associated with increased inflammation (β=.18, p=.02). However, this association was reduced in models that adjusted for RSA, smoking status, and lifetime alcohol dependence. Independent mediation effects were deemed significant via bootstrapping analyses. Together, RSA, smoking status, and lifetime alcohol dependence accounted for 95% of the effect of PTSD symptom severity on inflammation. Although RSA accounted for a modest proportion of the association between posttraumatic stress and pro-inflammatory responses, behavioral factors-specifically cigarette smoking and alcohol dependence-proved to be larger mediators. The benefits of PTSD treatment may be enhanced by additional interventions aimed at modifying these health behaviors. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  3. Organic solvent desorption from two tegafur polymorphs.

    PubMed

    Bobrovs, Raitis; Actiņš, Andris

    2013-11-30

    Desorption behavior of 8 different solvents from α and β tegafur (5-fluoro-1-(tetrahydro-2-furyl)uracil) has been studied in this work. Solvent desorption from samples stored at 95% and 50% relative solvent vapor pressure was studied in isothermal conditions at 30 °C. The results of this study demonstrated that: solvent desorption rate did not differ significantly for both phases; solvent desorption in all cases occurred faster from samples with the largest particle size; and solvent desorption in most cases occurred in two steps. Structure differences and their surface properties were not of great importance on the solvent desorption rates because the main factor affecting desorption rate was sample particle size and sample morphology. Inspection of the structure packing showed that solvent desorption rate and amount of solvent adsorbed were mainly affected by surface molecule arrangement and ability to form short contacts between solvent molecule electron donor groups and freely accessible tegafur tetrahydrofuran group hydrogens, as well as between solvents molecule proton donor groups and fluorouracil ring carbonyl and fluoro groups. Solvent desorption rates of acetone, acetonitrile, ethyl acetate and tetrahydrofuran multilayers from α and β tegafur were approximately 30 times higher than those of solvent monolayers. Scanning electron micrographs showed that sample storage in solvent vapor atmosphere promotes small tegafur particles recrystallization to larger particles. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. A Comparison of Wind Speed Data from Mechanical and Ultrasonic Anemometers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Short, D.; Wells, L.; Merceret, F.; Roeder, W. P.

    2006-01-01

    This study compared the performance of mechanical and ultrasonic anemometers at the Eastern Range (ER; Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Florida's Atlantic coast) and the Western Range (WR; Vandenberg Air Force Base on California's Pacific coast). Launch Weather Officers, forecasters, and Range Safety analysts need to understand the performance of wind sensors at the ER and WR for weather warnings, watches, advisories, special ground processing operations, launch pad exposure forecasts, user Launch Commit Criteria (LCC) forecasts and evaluations, and toxic dispersion support. The current ER and WR weather tower wind instruments are being changed from the current propeller-and-vane (ER) and cup-and-vane (WR) sensors to ultrasonic sensors through the Range Standardization and Automation (RSA) program. The differences between mechanical and ultrasonic techniques have been found to cause differences in the statistics of peak wind speed in previous studies. The 45th Weather Squadron (45 WS) and the 30th Weather Squadron (30 WS) requested the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) to compare data between RSA and current sensors to determine if there are significant differences. Approximately 3 weeks of Legacy and RSA wind data from each range were used in the study, archived during May and June 2005. The ER data spanned the full diurnal cycle, while the WR data was confined to 1000-1600 local time. The sample of 1-minute data from numerous levels on 5 different towers on each range totaled more than 500,000 minutes of data (482,979 minutes of data after quality control). The 10 towers were instrumented at several levels, ranging from 12 ft to 492 ft above ground level. The RSA sensors were collocated at the same vertical levels as the present sensors and typically within 15 ft horizontally of each another. Data from a total of 53 RSA ultrasonic sensors, collocated with present sensors were compared. The 1-minute average wind speed/direction and the 1-second peak wind speed/direction were compared.

  5. Three-dimensional distribution of cortical synapses: a replicated point pattern-based analysis

    PubMed Central

    Anton-Sanchez, Laura; Bielza, Concha; Merchán-Pérez, Angel; Rodríguez, José-Rodrigo; DeFelipe, Javier; Larrañaga, Pedro

    2014-01-01

    The biggest problem when analyzing the brain is that its synaptic connections are extremely complex. Generally, the billions of neurons making up the brain exchange information through two types of highly specialized structures: chemical synapses (the vast majority) and so-called gap junctions (a substrate of one class of electrical synapse). Here we are interested in exploring the three-dimensional spatial distribution of chemical synapses in the cerebral cortex. Recent research has showed that the three-dimensional spatial distribution of synapses in layer III of the neocortex can be modeled by a random sequential adsorption (RSA) point process, i.e., synapses are distributed in space almost randomly, with the only constraint that they cannot overlap. In this study we hypothesize that RSA processes can also explain the distribution of synapses in all cortical layers. We also investigate whether there are differences in both the synaptic density and spatial distribution of synapses between layers. Using combined focused ion beam milling and scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM), we obtained three-dimensional samples from the six layers of the rat somatosensory cortex and identified and reconstructed the synaptic junctions. A total volume of tissue of approximately 4500μm3 and around 4000 synapses from three different animals were analyzed. Different samples, layers and/or animals were aggregated and compared using RSA replicated spatial point processes. The results showed no significant differences in the synaptic distribution across the different rats used in the study. We found that RSA processes described the spatial distribution of synapses in all samples of each layer. We also found that the synaptic distribution in layers II to VI conforms to a common underlying RSA process with different densities per layer. Interestingly, the results showed that synapses in layer I had a slightly different spatial distribution from the other layers. PMID:25206325

  6. Altering Work to Rest Ratios Differentially Influences Fatigue Indices During Repeated Sprint Ability Testing.

    PubMed

    La Monica, Michael B; Fukuda, David H; Beyer, Kyle S; Hoffman, Mattan W; Miramonti, Amelia A; Riffe, Josh J; Baker, Kayla M; Fragala, Maren S; Hoffman, Jay R; Stout, Jeffrey R

    2016-02-01

    This study examined the influence of recovery time on fatigue indices, performance (total work [TW], peak power [PP], and mean power [MP]), and oxygen consumption during repeated sprint ability (RSA) on a cycle ergometer. Eight recreationally-trained men performed 3 RSA protocols consisting of 10 × 6 s sprints with 12 s, 18 s, and 24 s rest intervals between each sprint. Fatigue indices were determined as percent decrement (%Dec) and rate of decline using either a log transform method or standard slope approach for TW, PP, and MP during respective RSA protocols. The maximal VO2 value in response to given sprint intervals and the minimal VO2 value in response to given rest periods (VO2 work and VO2 rest, respectively) were recorded. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used to analyze all variables. Average VO2 work was not different among rest interval trials. Average VO2 rest with 12 s rest was greater than 18 s and 24 s (2.16 ± 0.17 L · min(-1), 1.91 ± 0.18 L · min(-1), 1.72 ± 0.15 L · min(-1), respectively), while 18 s was greater than 24 s. Average TW and MP were greater with 24 s rest than 12 s (4,604.44 ± 915.98 J vs. 4,305.46 ± 727.17 J, respectively), with no differences between RSA protocols for PP. No differences in %Dec were observed. Both methods of calculating rates of decline per sprint for PP and TW were greater during 12 s than 18 s or 24 s. Since changes were only noted between the 12 s and 24 s protocols, a 6 s differential in rest intervals may not be enough to elicit alterations in TW, PP, MP, or %Dec in RSA performance. Rate of decline may be a more sensitive measure of fatigue than %Dec.

  7. BMAL1 facilitates trophoblast migration and invasion via SP1-DNMT1/DAB2IP pathway in recurrent spontaneous abortion

    PubMed Central

    Li, Shang; Zhai, Junyu; Liu, Jiansheng; Hong, Yan; Zhao, Weixiu; Zhao, Aimin; Sun, Kang; Du, Yanzhi; Chen, Zi-Jiang

    2017-01-01

    The underlying mechanism about rhythms and epigenetics leading to aberrant trophoblast migration and invasion in recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) remains unknown. Brain and muscle ARNT-like protein 1 (BMAL1) is considered as a crucial role in fertility, and polymorphism of BMAL1 gene has been reported to be associated with risk of miscarriage. However, the functional role of BMAL1 in RSA is not fully understood. Previous study shows the descended expression of DNA 5′-cytosine-methyltransferases 1 (DNMT1) in the villous of early pregnancy loss. Thus, understanding of the regulation of DNMT1 expression may be of significance for the elucidation of the process of RSA. Using HTR-8/SVneo and JEG-3 cell lines, we certified the induction of specificity protein 1 (SP1) to DNMT1 and DAB2 interaction protein (DAB2IP), respectively, both of which further activated matrix metallo-proteinase 2/9 (MMP2/9), bringing out changes in trophoblast migration and invasion. Notably, BMAL1 functioned as a positive upstream factor of SP1 only in HTR-8/SVneo cells but not in JEG-3 cells, inducing SP1-DNMT1/DAB2IP pathway and facilitating migration and invasion of trophoblasts. In addition, progesterone might restore the down-regulation of BMAL1 and downstream pathway in a dose-dependent manner. Last but not least, the decreased abundance of BMAL1 was correlated positively with that of SP1, DNMT1, DAB2IP, MMP2 and MMP9 in human villous specimens of RSA. Our results demonstrate that the induction of BMAL1 to SP1 contributes to the expression of DNMT1 and DAB2IP, respectively, activating trophoblast migration and invasion. The deregulation of the BMAL1-mediated pathway in RSA can be rescued by progesterone. PMID:29163762

  8. Three-dimensional distribution of cortical synapses: a replicated point pattern-based analysis.

    PubMed

    Anton-Sanchez, Laura; Bielza, Concha; Merchán-Pérez, Angel; Rodríguez, José-Rodrigo; DeFelipe, Javier; Larrañaga, Pedro

    2014-01-01

    The biggest problem when analyzing the brain is that its synaptic connections are extremely complex. Generally, the billions of neurons making up the brain exchange information through two types of highly specialized structures: chemical synapses (the vast majority) and so-called gap junctions (a substrate of one class of electrical synapse). Here we are interested in exploring the three-dimensional spatial distribution of chemical synapses in the cerebral cortex. Recent research has showed that the three-dimensional spatial distribution of synapses in layer III of the neocortex can be modeled by a random sequential adsorption (RSA) point process, i.e., synapses are distributed in space almost randomly, with the only constraint that they cannot overlap. In this study we hypothesize that RSA processes can also explain the distribution of synapses in all cortical layers. We also investigate whether there are differences in both the synaptic density and spatial distribution of synapses between layers. Using combined focused ion beam milling and scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM), we obtained three-dimensional samples from the six layers of the rat somatosensory cortex and identified and reconstructed the synaptic junctions. A total volume of tissue of approximately 4500μm(3) and around 4000 synapses from three different animals were analyzed. Different samples, layers and/or animals were aggregated and compared using RSA replicated spatial point processes. The results showed no significant differences in the synaptic distribution across the different rats used in the study. We found that RSA processes described the spatial distribution of synapses in all samples of each layer. We also found that the synaptic distribution in layers II to VI conforms to a common underlying RSA process with different densities per layer. Interestingly, the results showed that synapses in layer I had a slightly different spatial distribution from the other layers.

  9. Effects of Different Post-Activation Potentiation Warm-Ups on Repeated Sprint Ability in Soccer Players from Different Competitive Levels.

    PubMed

    Sanchez-Sanchez, Javier; Rodriguez, Alejandro; Petisco, Cristina; Ramirez-Campillo, Rodrigo; Martínez, Cristian; Nakamura, Fábio Y

    2018-03-01

    This study aimed to compare the effects of a traditional warm-up with two post-activation potentiation (PAP) warm-up strategies on the repeated sprint ability (RSA) of soccer players from national (NL) and regional (RL) competitive levels. Sixteen young players (NL, n = 8, age = 20.7 ± 1.4 y, body mass = 68.5 ± 7.0 kg, body height = 177.4 ± 5.2 cm; RL, n = 8, age = 20.8 ± 1.0 y, body mass = 68.7 ± 4.0 kg, body height = 176.6 ± 5.6 cm) were recruited to complete a traditional warm-up (CONTROL), a PAP warm-up incorporating squats with a load (~60% 1RM) that allowed a high speed (1 m/s) of movement and a high number of repetitions (PAP-1), and a PAP warm-up with a load (~90% 1RM) that allowed a moderate speed (0.5 m/s) of movement and a reduced number of repetitions (PAP-0.5). A RSA test (six 20-m sprints with 20 s of recovery) was performed 5 min after the PAP warm-up to assess the effects of the different protocols on the fastest sprint (RSAb) and the mean time of all sprints (RSAm). A meaningful improvement of RSA performance was observed with PAP-0.5, attaining a large effect on NL (RSAb, ES = -1.5; RSAm, ES = -1.3) and only a small effect on RL athletes (RSAb and RSAm, ES = -0.2). Moreover, when each RSA sprint performance was compared between NL and RL players, after PAP-0.5 greater performance for all sprints was observed in the NL players. Therefore, adding a heavy strength-based conditioning exercise during the warm-up prior to a RSA test may induce significant performance improvements in NL, but only small effects in RL players.

  10. Effects of Different Post-Activation Potentiation Warm-Ups on Repeated Sprint Ability in Soccer Players from Different Competitive Levels

    PubMed Central

    Sanchez-Sanchez, Javier; Rodriguez, Alejandro; Petisco, Cristina; Ramirez-Campillo, Rodrigo; Martínez, Cristian; Nakamura, Fábio Y.

    2018-01-01

    Abstract This study aimed to compare the effects of a traditional warm-up with two post-activation potentiation (PAP) warm-up strategies on the repeated sprint ability (RSA) of soccer players from national (NL) and regional (RL) competitive levels. Sixteen young players (NL, n = 8, age = 20.7 ± 1.4 y, body mass = 68.5 ± 7.0 kg, body height = 177.4 ± 5.2 cm; RL, n = 8, age = 20.8 ± 1.0 y, body mass = 68.7 ± 4.0 kg, body height = 176.6 ± 5.6 cm) were recruited to complete a traditional warm-up (CONTROL), a PAP warm-up incorporating squats with a load (~60% 1RM) that allowed a high speed (1 m/s) of movement and a high number of repetitions (PAP-1), and a PAP warm-up with a load (~90% 1RM) that allowed a moderate speed (0.5 m/s) of movement and a reduced number of repetitions (PAP-0.5). A RSA test (six 20-m sprints with 20 s of recovery) was performed 5 min after the PAP warm-up to assess the effects of the different protocols on the fastest sprint (RSAb) and the mean time of all sprints (RSAm). A meaningful improvement of RSA performance was observed with PAP-0.5, attaining a large effect on NL (RSAb, ES = -1.5; RSAm, ES = -1.3) and only a small effect on RL athletes (RSAb and RSAm, ES = -0.2). Moreover, when each RSA sprint performance was compared between NL and RL players, after PAP-0.5 greater performance for all sprints was observed in the NL players. Therefore, adding a heavy strength-based conditioning exercise during the warm-up prior to a RSA test may induce significant performance improvements in NL, but only small effects in RL players. PMID:29599871

  11. Jammed systems of oriented needles always percolate on square lattices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kondrat, Grzegorz; Koza, Zbigniew; Brzeski, Piotr

    2017-08-01

    Random sequential adsorption (RSA) is a standard method of modeling adsorption of large molecules at the liquid-solid interface. Several studies have recently conjectured that in the RSA of rectangular needles, or k -mers, on a square lattice, percolation is impossible if the needles are sufficiently long (k of order of several thousand). We refute these claims and present rigorous proof that in any jammed configuration of nonoverlapping, fixed-length, horizontal, or vertical needles on a square lattice, all clusters are percolating clusters.

  12. Proof Checking the RSA (Rivest, Shamir and Adleman) Public Key Encryption Algorithm.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-09-01

    Pt- R136 626 PROOF CHECKING THE RSA (RIVEST SNAMIR AND ADLENRN) 1/i PUBLIC KEY ENCRYPTION.. (U) TEXAS UNIV AT AUSTIN INST FOR COMPUTING SCIENCE AND...Austin, Texas 78712 Ir t1 CONTROLLING OFFICE NAME AND ADDRESS 12. REPORT DATE - Software Systems Science Office of Naval Research September. 1982...properties are proved in [11. The third property is not proved; instead the authors of [li) argue that "all the obvious approaches to breaking our system are

  13. Rocketdyne Safety Algorithm: Space Shuttle Main Engine Fault Detection

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Norman, Arnold M., Jr.

    1994-01-01

    The Rocketdyne Safety Algorithm (RSA) has been developed to the point of use on the TTBE at MSFC on Task 4 of LeRC contract NAS3-25884. This document contains a description of the work performed, the results of the nominal test of the major anomaly test cases and a table of the resulting cutoff times, a plot of the RSA value vs. time for each anomaly case, a logic flow description of the algorithm, the algorithm code, and a development plan for future efforts.

  14. Internet Protocol Security (IPSEC): Testing and Implications on IPv4 and IPv6 Networks

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-08-27

    Message Authentication Code-Message Digest 5-96). Due to the processing power consumption and slowness of public key authentication methods, RSA ...MODP) group with a 768 -bit modulus 2. a MODP group with a 1024-bit modulus 3. an Elliptic Curve Group over GF[ 2n ] (EC2N) group with a 155-bit...nonces, digital signatures using the Digital Signature Algorithm, and the Rivest-Shamir- Adelman ( RSA ) algorithm. For more information about the

  15. Domestic & International Air Cargo Activity: National and Selected Hub Forecasts.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1979-11-01

    111371 1991 1887811 2?. 768 :297968 Forecast utilizes 1972 dollar GNP from Wharton’s annual model, December 6, 1978, Post-Meeting Control Solution...mile based on 1973 revenue ton-miles reported in the DOT/CAB, Air Carrier Traffic Statistics. South America - RSA - simple average of American (Latin...9518 F (2/11) = 129.347 DW = 1.41 (b) South America (ESA) 4 = 11.8926 + 18.2908* (GDPSA.C) - 8.94307* ( RSA ) 4 (0.14) (6.08) (-0.46) R2 .8717 F (2/11

  16. Lid opening and conformational stability of T1 Lipase is mediated by increasing chain length polar solvents

    PubMed Central

    Mohamad Ali, Mohd Shukuri; Salleh, Abu Bakar; Rahman, Raja Noor Zaliha Raja Abd; Normi, Yahaya M.; Mohd Shariff, Fairolniza

    2017-01-01

    The dynamics and conformational landscape of proteins in organic solvents are events of potential interest in nonaqueous process catalysis. Conformational changes, folding transitions, and stability often correspond to structural rearrangements that alter contacts between solvent molecules and amino acid residues. However, in nonaqueous enzymology, organic solvents limit stability and further application of proteins. In the present study, molecular dynamics (MD) of a thermostable Geobacillus zalihae T1 lipase was performed in different chain length polar organic solvents (methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, and pentanol) and water mixture systems to a concentration of 50%. On the basis of the MD results, the structural deviations of the backbone atoms elucidated the dynamic effects of water/organic solvent mixtures on the equilibrium state of the protein simulations in decreasing solvent polarity. The results show that the solvent mixture gives rise to deviations in enzyme structure from the native one simulated in water. The drop in the flexibility in H2O, MtOH, EtOH and PrOH simulation mixtures shows that greater motions of residues were influenced in BtOH and PtOH simulation mixtures. Comparing the root mean square fluctuations value with the accessible solvent area (SASA) for every residue showed an almost correspondingly high SASA value of residues to high flexibility and low SASA value to low flexibility. The study further revealed that the organic solvents influenced the formation of more hydrogen bonds in MtOH, EtOH and PrOH and thus, it is assumed that increased intraprotein hydrogen bonding is ultimately correlated to the stability of the protein. However, the solvent accessibility analysis showed that in all solvent systems, hydrophobic residues were exposed and polar residues tended to be buried away from the solvent. Distance variation of the tetrahedral intermediate packing of the active pocket was not conserved in organic solvent systems, which could lead to weaknesses in the catalytic H-bond network and most likely a drop in catalytic activity. The conformational variation of the lid domain caused by the solvent molecules influenced its gradual opening. Formation of additional hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions indicates that the contribution of the cooperative network of interactions could retain the stability of the protein in some solvent systems. Time-correlated atomic motions were used to characterize the correlations between the motions of the atoms from atomic coordinates. The resulting cross-correlation map revealed that the organic solvent mixtures performed functional, concerted, correlated motions in regions of residues of the lid domain to other residues. These observations suggest that varying lengths of polar organic solvents play a significant role in introducing dynamic conformational diversity in proteins in a decreasing order of polarity. PMID:28533982

  17. Solvent Reaction Field Potential inside an Uncharged Globular Protein: A Bridge between Implicit and Explicit Solvent Models?

    PubMed Central

    Baker, Nathan A.; McCammon, J. Andrew

    2008-01-01

    The solvent reaction field potential of an uncharged protein immersed in Simple Point Charge/Extended (SPC/E) explicit solvent was computed over a series of molecular dynamics trajectories, intotal 1560 ns of simulation time. A finite, positive potential of 13 to 24 kbTec−1 (where T = 300K), dependent on the geometry of the solvent-accessible surface, was observed inside the biomolecule. The primary contribution to this potential arose from a layer of positive charge density 1.0 Å from the solute surface, on average 0.008 ec/Å3, which we found to be the product of a highly ordered first solvation shell. Significant second solvation shell effects, including additional layers of charge density and a slight decrease in the short-range solvent-solvent interaction strength, were also observed. The impact of these findings on implicit solvent models was assessed by running similar explicit-solvent simulations on the fully charged protein system. When the energy due to the solvent reaction field in the uncharged system is accounted for, correlation between per-atom electrostatic energies for the explicit solvent model and a simple implicit (Poisson) calculation is 0.97, and correlation between per-atom energies for the explicit solvent model and a previously published, optimized Poisson model is 0.99. PMID:17949217

  18. Solvent reaction field potential inside an uncharged globular protein: A bridge between implicit and explicit solvent models?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cerutti, David S.; Baker, Nathan A.; McCammon, J. Andrew

    2007-10-01

    The solvent reaction field potential of an uncharged protein immersed in simple point charge/extended explicit solvent was computed over a series of molecular dynamics trajectories, in total 1560ns of simulation time. A finite, positive potential of 13-24 kbTec-1 (where T =300K), dependent on the geometry of the solvent-accessible surface, was observed inside the biomolecule. The primary contribution to this potential arose from a layer of positive charge density 1.0Å from the solute surface, on average 0.008ec/Å3, which we found to be the product of a highly ordered first solvation shell. Significant second solvation shell effects, including additional layers of charge density and a slight decrease in the short-range solvent-solvent interaction strength, were also observed. The impact of these findings on implicit solvent models was assessed by running similar explicit solvent simulations on the fully charged protein system. When the energy due to the solvent reaction field in the uncharged system is accounted for, correlation between per-atom electrostatic energies for the explicit solvent model and a simple implicit (Poisson) calculation is 0.97, and correlation between per-atom energies for the explicit solvent model and a previously published, optimized Poisson model is 0.99.

  19. Protein structure based prediction of catalytic residues

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Worldwide structural genomics projects continue to release new protein structures at an unprecedented pace, so far nearly 6000, but only about 60% of these proteins have any sort of functional annotation. Results We explored a range of features that can be used for the prediction of functional residues given a known three-dimensional structure. These features include various centrality measures of nodes in graphs of interacting residues: closeness, betweenness and page-rank centrality. We also analyzed the distance of functional amino acids to the general center of mass (GCM) of the structure, relative solvent accessibility (RSA), and the use of relative entropy as a measure of sequence conservation. From the selected features, neural networks were trained to identify catalytic residues. We found that using distance to the GCM together with amino acid type provide a good discriminant function, when combined independently with sequence conservation. Using an independent test set of 29 annotated protein structures, the method returned 411 of the initial 9262 residues as the most likely to be involved in function. The output 411 residues contain 70 of the annotated 111 catalytic residues. This represents an approximately 14-fold enrichment of catalytic residues on the entire input set (corresponding to a sensitivity of 63% and a precision of 17%), a performance competitive with that of other state-of-the-art methods. Conclusions We found that several of the graph based measures utilize the same underlying feature of protein structures, which can be simply and more effectively captured with the distance to GCM definition. This also has the added the advantage of simplicity and easy implementation. Meanwhile sequence conservation remains by far the most influential feature in identifying functional residues. We also found that due the rapid changes in size and composition of sequence databases, conservation calculations must be recalibrated for specific reference databases. PMID:23433045

  20. Open-Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy: RCT 2 Years RSA Follow-Up.

    PubMed

    Lind-Hansen, Thomas Bruno; Lind, Martin Carøe; Nielsen, Poul Torben; Laursen, Mogens Berg

    2016-11-01

    We investigated the influence of three different bone grafting materials on stability and clinical outcome of the healing open-wedge high tibial osteotomy (OW-HTO) with immediate partial weight bearing. A total of 45 (3 × 15) patients were randomized to injectable calcium phosphate cement (Calcibon; Biomet-Merck Biomaterials GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany), local bone autograft, or iliac crest autograft. Stability of the bony healing was evaluated with radiostereometric analysis (RSA) up to 24 months postoperatively. Clinical outcome was evaluated with the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS). RSA revealed translations and rotations close to zero regardless of bone grafting material, with no statistically significant differences between the groups. Clinically, the Calcibon group had lower quality of life KOOS subscore at 2 years follow-up. We conclude that with a stable implant and 6 weeks of partial weight bearing, local autografting is sufficient to achieve solid bone consolidation following OW-HTO. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

  1. Preschoolers’ Psychophysiological Responses to Mood Induction Tasks Moderate the Intergenerational Transmission of Internalizing Problems

    PubMed Central

    Davis, Molly; Suveg, Cynthia; Whitehead, Monica; Jones, Anna; Shaffer, Anne

    2016-01-01

    To identify factors that can both exacerbate risk for, and protect against, internalizing problems during early childhood, the present study examined whether children’s respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) suppression in response to emotionally-laden film clips would moderate the association between maternal and child anxious/depressive symptoms in a cross-sectional sample of 108 mothers (M age = 30.68 years, SD = 6.06) and their preschool-age children (M age = 3.50 years, SD = .52, 61.00% male). Results indicated that RSA suppression in response to the fear clip moderated the positive association between maternal and child anxious/depressive symptoms, such that higher suppression served a protective-stabilizing function while lower suppression exacerbated children’s risk for internalizing symptoms in the context of higher maternal symptoms. Moderation findings involving RSA suppression in response to a happiness-inducing clip were consistent with biological sensitivity to context; the association between maternal and child symptoms was strongest for children higher in suppression. PMID:27045275

  2. Three Year RSA Evaluation of Vitamin E Diffused Highly Cross-linked Polyethylene Liners and Cup Stability.

    PubMed

    Sillesen, Nanna H; Greene, Meridith E; Nebergall, Audrey K; Nielsen, Poul T; Laursen, Mogens B; Troelsen, Anders; Malchau, Henrik

    2015-07-01

    Vitamin E diffusion into highly cross-linked polyethylene (E-XLPE) is a method for enhancing oxidative stability of acetabular liners. The purpose of this study was to evaluate in vivo penetration of E-XLPE using radiostereometric analysis (RSA). Eighty-four hips were recruited into a prospective 10-year RSA. This is the first evaluation of the multicenter cohort after 3-years. All patients received E-XLPE liners (E1, Biomet) and porous-titanium coated cups (Regenerex, Biomet). There was no difference (P=0.450) in median femoral head penetration into the E-XLPE liners at 3-years comparing cobalt-chrome heads (-0.028mm; inter-quartile range (IQR) - 0.065 to 0.047) with ceramic heads (-0.043mm, IQR - 0.143to0.042). The 3-year follow-up indicates minimal E-XLPE liner penetration regardless of head material and minimal early cup movement. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Cardiac vagal control as a prospective predictor of anxiety in women diagnosed with breast cancer.

    PubMed

    Kogan, Anya V; Allen, John J B; Weihs, Karen L

    2012-04-01

    Low cardiac vagal control (CVC) has been associated with state and trait anxiety and anxiety spectrum disorders. Studies indicate that diagnosis and treatments for breast cancer may be associated with anxiety. The current study examined whether CVC prospectively predicted a trajectory of change in anxiety following breast cancer diagnosis. Forty-three women diagnosed with non-metastatic breast cancer completed the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale, and a 5-min resting electrocardiographic (ECG) segment was recorded. Self-report measures were completed approximately every 3 months for a year. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) significantly predicted the trajectory of change in anxiety over the follow-up period: participants with higher baseline RSA evidenced decreasing anxiety, whereas those with lower baseline RSA had increasing anxiety. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that CVC facilitates the modulation of anxiety in women coping with significant stressors of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Security of Color Image Data Designed by Public-Key Cryptosystem Associated with 2D-DWT

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mishra, D. C.; Sharma, R. K.; Kumar, Manish; Kumar, Kuldeep

    2014-08-01

    In present times the security of image data is a major issue. So, we have proposed a novel technique for security of color image data by public-key cryptosystem or asymmetric cryptosystem. In this technique, we have developed security of color image data using RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) cryptosystem with two-dimensional discrete wavelet transform (2D-DWT). Earlier proposed schemes for security of color images designed on the basis of keys, but this approach provides security of color images with the help of keys and correct arrangement of RSA parameters. If the attacker knows about exact keys, but has no information of exact arrangement of RSA parameters, then the original information cannot be recovered from the encrypted data. Computer simulation based on standard example is critically examining the behavior of the proposed technique. Security analysis and a detailed comparison between earlier developed schemes for security of color images and proposed technique are also mentioned for the robustness of the cryptosystem.

  5. A High-Speed Design of Montgomery Multiplier

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fan, Yibo; Ikenaga, Takeshi; Goto, Satoshi

    With the increase of key length used in public cryptographic algorithms such as RSA and ECC, the speed of Montgomery multiplication becomes a bottleneck. This paper proposes a high speed design of Montgomery multiplier. Firstly, a modified scalable high-radix Montgomery algorithm is proposed to reduce critical path. Secondly, a high-radix clock-saving dataflow is proposed to support high-radix operation and one clock cycle delay in dataflow. Finally, a hardware-reused architecture is proposed to reduce the hardware cost and a parallel radix-16 design of data path is proposed to accelerate the speed. By using HHNEC 0.25μm standard cell library, the implementation results show that the total cost of Montgomery multiplier is 130 KGates, the clock frequency is 180MHz and the throughput of 1024-bit RSA encryption is 352kbps. This design is suitable to be used in high speed RSA or ECC encryption/decryption. As a scalable design, it supports any key-length encryption/decryption up to the size of on-chip memory.

  6. Clinical observation of lymphocyte active immunotherapy in 380 patients with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jian-Ling; Yang, Jian-Ming; Huang, Ya-Zhe; Li, Ying

    2016-11-01

    This study aims to investigate the clinical curative effect of lymphocyte active immunotherapy (LAI) on unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). A total of 749 RSA patients who received medical service in our hospital from October 2009 to June 2013 were enrolled into this study. These patients were randomly divided into two groups: LAI group (treatment group) and routine progesterone for maintenance tocolysis group (control group). A comparative analysis on the pregnancy outcomes in these two groups was conducted. Abortion rate was significantly lower in the LAI group than in the control group (P<0.05). Furthermore, pregnancy success rates were 89.7% and 32.2% in patients who received LAI and routine progesterone for maintenance tocolysis, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Our analysis suggested that LAI can treat RSA effectively and has an excellent clinical effect. Furthermore, the detection of blocking antibodies showed a positive prediction on pregnancy outcome. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Helping yourself helps others: Linking children's emotion regulation to prosocial behavior through sympathy and trust.

    PubMed

    Song, Ju-Hyun; Colasante, Tyler; Malti, Tina

    2018-06-01

    Although emotionally well-regulated children are more likely to behave prosocially, the psychological processes that connect their emotion regulation abilities and prosocial behavior are less clear. We tested if other-oriented sympathy and trust mediated the links between emotion regulation capacities (i.e., resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA], negative emotional intensity, and sadness regulation) and prosocial behavior in an ethnically diverse sample of 4- and 8-year-olds (N = 131; 49% girls). Resting RSA was calculated from children's electrocardiogram data in response to a nondescript video. Sympathy was child and caregiver reported, whereas negative emotional intensity, sadness regulation, trust, and prosocial behavior were caregiver reported. Regardless of age, higher resting RSA was linked to higher sympathy, which was associated with higher prosocial behavior. The positive link between sadness regulation and prosocial behavior was mediated by higher sympathy and trust. Children's other-oriented psychological processes may play important roles in translating certain emotion regulation capacities into prosocial behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  8. Cardiac vagal regulation in infancy predicts executive function and social competence in preschool: Indirect effects through language.

    PubMed

    Whedon, Margaret; Perry, Nicole B; Calkins, Susan D; Bell, Martha Ann

    2018-05-21

    Parasympathetic nervous system functioning in infancy may serve a foundational role in the development of cognitive and socioemotional skills (Calkins, 2007). In this study (N = 297), we investigated the potential indirect effects of cardiac vagal regulation in infancy on children's executive functioning and social competence in preschool via expressive and receptive language in toddlerhood. Vagal regulation was assessed at 10 months during two attention conditions (social, nonsocial) via task-related changes in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). A path analysis revealed that decreased RSA from baseline in the nonsocial condition and increased RSA in the social condition were related to larger vocabularies in toddlerhood. Additionally, children's vocabulary sizes were positively related to their executive function and social competence in preschool. Indirect effects from vagal regulation in both contexts to both 4-year outcomes were significant, suggesting that early advances in language may represent a mechanism through which biological functioning in infancy impacts social and cognitive functioning in childhood. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Psychological distress following marital separation interacts with a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene to predict cardiac vagal control in the laboratory.

    PubMed

    Hasselmo, Karen; Sbarra, David A; O'Connor, Mary-Frances; Moreno, Francisco A

    2015-06-01

    Marital separation is linked to negative mental and physical health; however, the strength of this link may vary across people. This study examined changes in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), used to assess cardiac vagal control, in recently separated adults (N = 79; M time since separation = 3.5 months). When reflecting on the separation, self-reported psychological distress following the separation interacted with a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and a relevant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs25531, to predict RSA. Among people reporting emotional difficulties after the separation, those who were homozygous for the short allele had lower RSA levels while reflecting on their relationship than other genotypes. The findings, although limited by the relatively small sample size, are discussed in terms of how higher-sensitivity genotypes may interact with psychological responses to stress to alter physiology. © 2015 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  10. The Making of Cosmic Africa: The Research Behind the Film

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rogers, A.

    2007-07-01

    The multi-award winning, documentary film "Cosmic Africa" was released in 2003. It tells the remarkable personal odyssey of South African astronomer, Dr Thebe Medupe, who journeys into remote corners of the ancient continent to explore and shed new light on Africa's rich astronomical knowledge and sacred traditions. His quest begins to fill in the gap in historical African astronomy and also helps to bridge the future with the past and to make astronomy accessible and relevant to both Africa and the world. The film is a co-production of Cosmos Studios (USA), Aland Pictures (RSA) and Anne Rogers, the concept originator and key researcher. This paper explores the research methods used in the film and also highlights some of the subject material that was omitted from the documentary.

  11. Autonomic nervous system activity of preschool-age children who stutter

    PubMed Central

    Jones, Robin M.; Buhr, Anthony P.; Conture, Edward G.; Tumanova, Victoria; Walden, Tedra A.; Porges, Stephen W.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate potential differences in autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity to emotional stimuli between preschool-age children who do (CWS) and do not stutter (CWNS). Methods Participants were 20 preschool-age CWS (15 male) and 21 preschool-age CWNS (11 male). Participants were exposed to two emotion-inducing video clips (negative and positive) with neutral clips used to establish pre-and post-arousal baselines, and followed by age-appropriate speaking tasks. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) – often used as an index of parasympathetic activity – and skin conductance level (SCL) – often used as an index of sympathetic activity – were measured while participants listened to/watched the audio-video clip presentation and performed a speaking task. Results CWS, compared to CWNS, displayed lower amplitude RSA at baseline and higher SCL during a speaking task following the positive, compared to the negative, condition. During speaking, only CWS had a significant positive relation between RSA and SCL. Conclusion Present findings suggest that preschool-age CWS, when compared to their normally fluent peers, have a physiological state that is characterized by a greater vulnerability to emotional reactivity (i.e., lower RSA indexing less parasympathetic tone) and a greater mobilization of resources in support of emotional reactivity (i.e., higher SCL indexing more sympathetic activity) during positive conditions. Thus, while reducing stuttering to a pure physiological process is unwarranted, the present findings suggest that parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system activity is involved. PMID:25087166

  12. Measuring polyethylene wear in total knee arthroplasty by RSA: differences between weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing positioning.

    PubMed

    van Ijsseldijk, Emiel A; Valstar, Edward R; Stoel, Berend C; de Ridder, Ruud; Nelissen, Rob G H H; Kaptein, Bart L

    2014-04-01

    Measuring the minimum-joint-space-width (mJSW) in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in Roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA) provides valuable information on polyethylene wear, a leading cause for TKA failure. Most existing studies use non-weight-bearing (NWB) patient positioning. The latter may compromise mJSW measurements due to knee laxity with subsequent non-contact between the TKA components. We investigated the difference in mJSW between weight-bearing (WB) and NWB images and the association with mediolateral (ML) knee stability. At one-year follow-up, 23 TKAs were included from an ongoing RSA study, and ML stability was evaluated. For each examination, the mJSW and femoral-tibial contact locations were measured. A linear regression model was used to analyze the association between the mJSW difference (NWB-WB) with the ML stability and contact locations. The mean mJSW difference was 0.28 mm medially and 0.20 mm laterally. Four TKAs had medium (5-9°) and 19 TKAs had high (<5°) ML stability. A higher mJSW difference was found for TKAs with medium stability (0.36 mm, P = 0.01). In conclusion, mJSW measurements in existing (NWB) RSA studies are influenced by knee laxity, but may still provide information on wear progression based on TKA with high ML stability. A direct comparison of mJSW measurements from WB and NWB data is not possible. © 2014 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Design modifications of the uncemented Furlong hip stem result in minor early subsidence but do not affect further stability: a randomized controlled RSA study with 5-year follow-up.

    PubMed

    Weber, Erik; Sundberg, Martin; Flivik, Gunnar

    2014-12-01

    Even small design modifications of uncemented hip stems may alter the postoperative 3-D migration pattern. The Furlong Active is an uncemented femoral stem which, in terms of design, is based on its precursor-the well-proven Furlong HAC-but has undergone several design changes. The collar has been removed on the Active stem along with the lateral fin; it is shorter and has more rounded edges in the proximal part. We compared the migration patterns of the uncemented Furlong HAC stem and the modified Furlong Active stem in a randomized, controlled trial over 5 years using radiostereometry (RSA). 50 patients with primary osteoarthritis were randomized to receive either the HAC stem or the Active stem. The patients underwent repeated RSA examinations (postoperatively, at 3 months, and after 1, 2, and 5 years) and conventional radiography, and they also filled out hip-specific questionnaires. During the first 3 months, the collarless Active stem subsided to a greater extent than the collar-fitted HAC stem (0.99 mm vs. 0.31 mm, p=0.05). There were, however, no other differences in movement measured by RSA or in clinical outcome between the 2 stems. After 3 months, both stem types had stabilized and almost no further migration was seen. The Active stem showed no signs of unfavorable migration. Our results suggest that the osseointegration is not compromised by the new design features.

  14. Effect of leukocyte therapy on tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma production in patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion.

    PubMed

    Gharesi-Fard, Behrouz; Zolghadri, Jaleh; Kamali-Sarvestani, Eskandar

    2008-03-01

    Considering the deleterious role of T helper1 (Th1) cells in pregnancy outcome, a successful treatment for recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) should be able to make a significant shift away from Th1 responses. Although paternal leukocyte immunization has been used for treatment of RSA for years, because of methodological differences there is no consensus on the mechanism of action and effectiveness of this method. Twenty-five Iranian non-pregnant women with RSA and 16 non-pregnant control women with at least two successful pregnancies were included in this study. All cases were followed up after leukocyte therapy for pregnancy outcome. Mononuclear cells from women were co-cultured with the husband's mononuclear cells before and after immunotherapy. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were checked on culture supernatant by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The mean concentration of TNF-alpha was significantly higher in patients compared with that in normal controls (P=0.0001). After immunotherapy, the TNF-alpha level was only significantly decreased in women with successful outcome (P=0.0001). Immunotherapy also induced a significant reduction in the IFN-gamma level (P=0.009). The results of this investigation confirm the role of TNF-alpha in RSA and propose the assessment of TNF-alpha production as a valuable prognostic parameter for the prediction of abortion after leukocyte therapy.

  15. Plasticity of the Arabidopsis Root System under Nutrient Deficiencies1[C][W][OPEN

    PubMed Central

    Gruber, Benjamin D.; Giehl, Ricardo F.H.; Friedel, Swetlana; von Wirén, Nicolaus

    2013-01-01

    Plant roots show a particularly high variation in their morphological response to different nutrient deficiencies. Although such changes often determine the nutrient efficiency or stress tolerance of plants, it is surprising that a comprehensive and comparative analysis of root morphological responses to different nutrient deficiencies has not yet been conducted. Since one reason for this is an inherent difficulty in obtaining nutrient-deficient conditions in agar culture, we first identified conditions appropriate for producing nutrient-deficient plants on agar plates. Based on a careful selection of agar specifically for each nutrient being considered, we grew Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants at four levels of deficiency for 12 nutrients and quantified seven root traits. In combination with measurements of biomass and elemental concentrations, we observed that the nutritional status and type of nutrient determined the extent and type of changes in root system architecture (RSA). The independent regulation of individual root traits further pointed to a differential sensitivity of root tissues to nutrient limitations. To capture the variation in RSA under different nutrient supplies, we used principal component analysis and developed a root plasticity chart representing the overall modulations in RSA under a given treatment. This systematic comparison of RSA responses to nutrient deficiencies provides a comprehensive view of the overall changes in root plasticity induced by the deficiency of single nutrients and provides a solid basis for the identification of nutrient-sensitive steps in the root developmental program. PMID:23852440

  16. Supercompensation Kinetics of Physical Qualities During a Taper in Team-Sport Athletes.

    PubMed

    Marrier, Bruno; Robineau, Julien; Piscione, Julien; Lacome, Mathieu; Peeters, Alexis; Hausswirth, Christophe; Morin, Jean-Benoît; Le Meur, Yann

    2017-10-01

    Peaking for major competition is considered critical for maximizing team-sport performance. However, there is little scientific information available to guide coaches in prescribing efficient tapering strategies for team-sport players. To monitor the changes in physical performance in elite team-sport players during a 3-wk taper after a preseason training camp. Ten male international rugby sevens players were tested before (Pre) and after (Post) a 4-wk preseason training camp focusing on high-intensity training and strength training with moderate loads and once each week during a subsequent 3-wk taper. During each testing session, midthigh-pull maximal strength, sprint-acceleration mechanical outputs, and performance, as well as repeated-sprint ability (RSA), were assessed. At Post, no single peak performance was observed for maximal lower-limb force output and sprint performance, while RSA peaked for only 1 athlete. During the taper, 30-m-sprint time decreased almost certainly (-3.1% ± 0.9%, large), while maximal lower-limb strength and RSA, respectively, improved very likely (+7.7% ± 5.3%, small) and almost certainly (+9.0% ± 2.6%, moderate). Of the peak performances, 70%, 80%, and 80% occurred within the first 2 wk of taper for RSA, maximal force output, and sprint performance, respectively. These results show the sensitivity of physical qualities to tapering in rugby sevens players and suggest that an ~1- to 2-wk tapering time frame appears optimal to maximize the overall physical-performance response.

  17. Greener and rapid access to bio-active heterocycles: one-pot solvent-free synthesis of 1,3,4-oxadiazoles and 1,3,4-thiadiazoles

    EPA Science Inventory

    A novel one-pot solvent free synthesis of 1,3,4-oxadiazoles and 1,3,4-thiadiazoles by condensation of acid hydrazide and triethyl orthoalkanates under microwave irradiations is reported. This green protocol was catalyzed efficiently by solid supported Nafion®NR50 and phosphorus p...

  18. Kappa-casein polymorphisms among cattle breeds and bison herds

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Cronin, M.A.; Cockett, N.

    1993-01-01

    We identified the HindIII restriction site polymorphism Of kappa-casein in cattle reported by Pinder et al. (Animal Genetics 22, 11, 1991) and found an additonal polymorphism (RsaI) in cattle and bison. The Hin dIII and Rsa I restriction sites were mapped and three haplotypes (alleles) were identified. Preliminary screening of 39 cattle and 71 bison revealed one allele restricted to cattle, one restricted to bison, and one shared by the species. No fixed allelic differences were observed among cattle breeds or among bison herds or subspecies.

  19. Analogue based design of MMP-13 (Collagenase-3) inhibitors.

    PubMed

    Sarma, J A R P; Rambabu, G; Srikanth, K; Raveendra, D; Vithal, M

    2002-10-07

    3D-QSAR studies using MFA and RSA methods were performed on a series of 39MMP-13 inhibitors. Model developed by MFA method has a r(2)(cv) (cross-validated) of 0.616 while its r(2) (conventional) value is 0.822. For the RSA model r(2)(cv) and r(2) are 0.681 and 0.847, respectively. Both the models indicate good internal as well as external predictive abilities. These models provide crucial information about the field descriptors for the design of potential inhibitors of MMP-13.

  20. Revision to Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty Restores Stability for Patients With Unstable Shoulder Prostheses.

    PubMed

    Hernandez, Nicholas M; Chalmers, Brian P; Wagner, Eric R; Sperling, John W; Cofield, Robert H; Sanchez-Sotelo, Joaquin

    2017-11-01

    Instability after shoulder arthroplasty remains a complication with limited salvage options. Reoperation for instability with anatomic designs has led to high rates of persistent instability, therefore we aimed to evaluate the use of RSA for treatment of prosthetic instability. (1) After revision shoulder arthroplasty to a reverse prosthesis (RSA), what is the survivorship free from dislocations at 2 and 5 years? (2) What factors are associated with dislocations? (3) What is the survivorship free from revision after revision to RSA? (4) From preoperation to postrevision to RSA, what are the clinical outcomes-the proportion of patients with moderate to severe pain, shoulder elevation and external rotation ROM, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores, and Simple Shoulder Test scores? All shoulder arthroplasties revised for prosthetic instability using RSA components between January 2004 and July 2014 were retrospectively studied. During the period in question, we performed 82 revisions for instability of an anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) (n = 62), hemiarthroplasty (n = 13), or reverse TSA (n = 7). We typically used a reverse TSA to treat this problem, but we identified 12 treated in other ways, including revision of a TSA to hemiarthroplasty (n = 3), revision of a reverse TSA to hemiarthroplasty (n = 2), revision of hemiarthroplasty to a hemiarthroplasty (n = 1), and revision of an anatomic TSA to another anatomic TSA (n = 6). This left 70 patients for evaluation; of those, 65 (93%) were available for analysis at a mean of 3 years (range, 2-10 years). A total of seven patients died. Eight of the 65 shoulders were not evaluated during the last 5 years, including three in patients who died earlier. The mean age of the patients at the time of revision RSA was 65 years (range, 40-89 years). Data were obtained from a longitudinally maintained institutional joint registry. Instability was defined as severe subluxation confirmed on clinical and radiographic examinations. We evaluated pain and ROM, and Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate survivorship. The survivorship free from dislocation at 2 and 5 years was 87% (95% CI, 80%-94%) and 79% (95% CI, 67%-91%) respectively, with 10 of 65 (15%) patients having an episode of dislocation after revision surgery. Persistent instability was more common in those with a BMI greater than 35 kg/m 2 (hazard ratio [HR], 5; 95% CI, 2-16; p = 0.008) and prior hemiarthroplasty (HR, 5; 95% CI, 2-16; p = 0.005), whereas patients who had undergone a previous TSA were less likely to have persistent instability (HR, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.0-0.30; p < 0.001) The survival free from rerevision for any indication at 2 and 5 years was 85% (95% CI, 76%-94%) and 78% (95% CI, 66%-90%) respectively; with the numbers available, we were not able to find associated factors. Fewer patients had moderate or severe pain after revision to RSA (preoperative: 48 of 65 [74%]; postoperative: nine of 65 [14%]; p < 0.001). After surgery, patients showed improvement in shoulder elevation (preoperative: 42° [± 30°], postoperative: 112° [42°]; mean difference, 70° [95% CI, - 83 o to 57°]; p < 0.001) and external rotation (preoperative: 20° [± 22°], postoperative: 42° [± 23°]; mean difference, 22° [95% CI, - 30° to - 14°]; p < 0.001). American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores improved (preoperative: 21 [± 10], postoperative: 68 [± 14], mean difference, 46 [95% CI, - 58 to - 35]; p < 0.001); where a higher score is better. Simple Shoulder Test scores also improved (preoperative: 2/12 [± 2], postoperative: 7/12 [± 3]; mean difference, 5 [95% CI, - 7 to - 2.17]; p < 0.001); where a higher score is better. Revision RSA for prosthetic instability after shoulder arthroplasty is associated with reasonable implant survival and few complications. Approximately one in seven patients will have a recurrent dislocation. In patients with persistent instability or with risk factors for instability, consideration should be given for use of larger glenospheres and increasing the lateral offset at the time of RSA. Level IV, therapeutic study.

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