Mathematical Modelling of Liner Piston Maintenance Activity using Field Data to Minimize Overhauling Time and Human Energy Consumption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belkhode, Pramod Namdeorao

2017-06-01

Field data based model is proposed to reduce the overhauling time and human energy consumed in liner piston maintenance activity so as to increase the productivity of liner piston maintenance activity. The independent variables affecting the phenomenon such as anthropometric parameters of workers (Eastman Kodak Co. Ltd in Section VIA Appendix-A: Anthropometric Data. Ergonomic Design for People at Work, Van Nostrans Reinhold, New York, 1), workers parameters, specification of liner piston data, specification of tools used in liner piston maintenance activity, specification of solvents, axial clearance of big end bearing and bolt elongation, workstation data (Eastman Kodak Co. Ltd in Work Place Ergonomic Design for People at Work, Van Nostrans Reinhold, New York, 2) and extraneous variables, namely, temperature, humidity at workplace, illumination at workplace and noise at workplace (Eastman Kodak Co. Ltd in Chapter V Environment Ergonomic Design for People at Work, Van Nostrans Reinhold, New York, 3) are taken into account. The model is formulated for dependent variables of liner piston maintenance activity to minimize the overhauling time and human energy consumption so as to improve the productivity of liner piston maintenance activity. The developed model can predict the performance of liner piston maintenance activity which involves man and machine system (Schenck in Theories of Engineering Experimentation, Mc-Graw Hill, New York 4). The model is then optimized by optimization technique and the sensitivity analysis of the model has also been estimated.

In-situ determination of residual specific activity in activated concrete walls of a PET-cyclotron room

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumura, H.; Toyoda, A.; Masumoto, K.; Yoshida, G.; Yagishita, T.; Nakabayashi, T.; Sasaki, H.; Matsumura, K.; Yamaya, Y.; Miyazaki, Y.

2018-06-01

In the decommissioning work for concrete walls of PET-cyclotron rooms, an in-situ measurement is expected to be useful for obtaining a contour map of the specific activity on the walls without destroying the structure. In this study, specific activities of γ-ray-emitting radionuclides in concrete walls were determined by using an in-situ measurement method employing a portable Ge semiconductor detector, and compared with the specific activity obtained using the sampling measurement method, at the Medical and Pharmacological Research Center Foundation in Hakui, Ishikawa, Japan. Accordingly, the specific activity could be determined by the in-situ determination method. Since there is a clear correlation between the total specific activity of γ-ray-emitting radionuclides and contact dose rate, the specific activity can be determined approximately by contact dose-rate measurement using a NaI scintillation survey meter. The specific activity of each γ-ray-emitting radionuclide can also be estimated from the contact dose rate using a NaI scintillation survey meter. The in-situ measurement method is a powerful tool for the decommissioning of the PET cyclotron room.

Skim, Scan, and Run

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCaughey, Kevin

2018-01-01

Teachers often think of reading activities as silent, individual tasks in which seated students process every word in a copy of a text that the whole class is working with. Instead, in this activity, students will work in groups to practice skimming (identifying general ideas) and scanning (finding specific information) while reading several short…

Balanced Cortical Microcircuitry for Spatial Working Memory Based on Corrective Feedback Control

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

A hallmark of working memory is the ability to maintain graded representations of both the spatial location and amplitude of a memorized stimulus. Previous work has identified a neural correlate of spatial working memory in the persistent maintenance of spatially specific patterns of neural activity. How such activity is maintained by neocortical circuits remains unknown. Traditional models of working memory maintain analog representations of either the spatial location or the amplitude of a stimulus, but not both. Furthermore, although most previous models require local excitation and lateral inhibition to maintain spatially localized persistent activity stably, the substrate for lateral inhibitory feedback pathways is unclear. Here, we suggest an alternative model for spatial working memory that is capable of maintaining analog representations of both the spatial location and amplitude of a stimulus, and that does not rely on long-range feedback inhibition. The model consists of a functionally columnar network of recurrently connected excitatory and inhibitory neural populations. When excitation and inhibition are balanced in strength but offset in time, drifts in activity trigger spatially specific negative feedback that corrects memory decay. The resulting networks can temporally integrate inputs at any spatial location, are robust against many commonly considered perturbations in network parameters, and, when implemented in a spiking model, generate irregular neural firing characteristic of that observed experimentally during persistent activity. This work suggests balanced excitatory–inhibitory memory circuits implementing corrective negative feedback as a substrate for spatial working memory. PMID:24828633

Gender-specific activity demands experienced during semiprofessional basketball game play.

PubMed

Scanlan, Aaron T; Dascombe, Ben J; Kidcaff, Andrew P; Peucker, Jessica L; Dalbo, Vincent J

2015-07-01

To compare game activity demands between female and male semiprofessional basketball players. Female (n=12) and male (n=12) semiprofessional basketball players were monitored across 3 competitive games. Time-motion-analysis procedures quantified player activity into predefined movement categories across backcourt (BC) and frontcourt (FC) positions. Activity frequencies, durations, and distances were calculated relative to live playing time (min). Work:rest ratios were also calculated using the video data. Game activity was compared between genders for each playing position and all players. Female players performed at greater running work-rates than male players (45.7±1.4 vs. 42.1±1.7 m/min, P=.05), while male players performed more dribbling than female players (2.5±0.3 vs. 3.0±0.2 s/min; 8.4±0.3 vs. 9.7±0.7 m/min, P=.05). Positional analyses revealed that female BC players performed more low-intensity shuffling (P=.04) and jumping (P=.05), as well as longer (P=.04) jogging durations, than male BC players. Female FC players executed more upper-body activity (P=.03) and larger work:rest ratios (P<.001) than male FC players. No significant gender differences were observed in the overall intermittent demands, distance traveled, high-intensity shuffling activity, and sprinting requirements during game play. These findings indicate that gender-specific running and dribbling differences might exist in semiprofessional basketball. Furthermore, position-specific variations between female and male basketball players should be considered. These data may prove useful in the development of gender-specific conditioning plans relative to playing position in basketball.

Cholinergic blockade under working memory demands encountered by increased rehearsal strategies: evidence from fMRI in healthy subjects.

PubMed

Voss, Bianca; Thienel, Renate; Reske, Martina; Kellermann, Thilo; Sheldrick, Abigail J; Halfter, Sarah; Radenbach, Katrin; Shah, Nadim J; Habel, Ute; Kircher, Tilo T J

2012-06-01

The connection between cholinergic transmission and cognitive performance has been established in behavioural studies. The specific contribution of the muscarinic receptor system on cognitive performance and brain activation, however, has not been evaluated satisfyingly. To investigate the specific contribution of the muscarinic transmission on neural correlates of working memory, we examined the effects of scopolamine, an antagonist of the muscarinic receptors, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Fifteen healthy male, non-smoking subjects performed a fMRI scanning session following the application of scopolamine (0.4 mg, i.v.) or saline in a placebo-controlled, repeated measure, pseudo-randomized, single-blind design. Working memory was probed using an n-back task. Compared to placebo, challenging the cholinergic transmission with scopolamine resulted in hypoactivations in parietal, occipital and cerebellar areas and hyperactivations in frontal and prefrontal areas. These alterations are interpreted as compensatory strategies used to account for downregulation due to muscarinic acetylcholine blockade in parietal and cerebral storage systems by increased activation in frontal and prefrontal areas related to working memory rehearsal. Our results further underline the importance of cholinergic transmission to working memory performance and determine the specific contribution of muscarinic transmission on cerebral activation associated with executive functioning.

Site Safety Plan for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory CERCLA investigations

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

Bainer, R.; Duarte, J.

1993-07-01

The safety policy of LLNL is to take every reasonable precaution in the performance of work to protect the environment and the health and safety of employees and the public, and to prevent property damage. With respect to hazardous agents, this protection is provided by limiting human exposures, releases to the environment, and contamination of property to levels that are as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA). It is the intent of this Plan to supply the broad outline for completing environmental investigations within ALARA guidelines. It may not be possible to determine actual working conditions in advance of the work;more » therefore, planning must allow the opportunity to provide a range of protection based upon actual working conditions. Requirements will be the least restrictive possible for a given set of circumstances, such that work can be completed in an efficient and timely fashion. Due to the relatively large size of the LLNL Site and the different types of activities underway, site-specific Operational Safety Procedures (OSPs) will be prepared to supplement activities not covered by this Plan. These site-specific OSPs provide the detailed information for each specific activity and act as an addendum to this Plan, which provides the general plan for LLNL Main Site operation.« less

2006 Gender Relations of Active-Duty Members

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

sexual harassment (e.g., behaviors that might lead to a hostile work environment, or represent quid pro quo harassment ). Hostile work environments...attempts to establish a sexual relationship), and sexual coercion (classic quid pro quo instances of specific treatment or favoritism conditioned on... sexual relationship. Sexual coercion includes classic quid pro quo , instances of specific treatment or

Heat Stable Enzymes from Thermophiles

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-02-01

final product and is somewhat messy to work with. Therefore, alternatives were tested. However, no combination of corn syrup , alternative sugars and...INTRODUCTION 9 CLONING OF ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE GENE AND PRODUCTION OF HIGH SPECIFIC ACTIVITY ENZYME 9 Cloning into E. coil and expression of high activity...JKR209, into an alternative, better producing organism. CLONING OF ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE GENE AND PRODUCTION OF HIGH SPECIFIC ACTIVITY ENZYME Cloning into

The association of context-specific sitting time and physical activity intensity to working memory capacity and academic achievement in young adults.

PubMed

Felez-Nobrega, Mireia; Hillman, Charles H; Cirera, Eva; Puig-Ribera, Anna

2017-08-01

To examine combined associations between self-reported context-specific sitting time (ST) and physical activity (PA) with working memory capacity (WMC) and academic achievement in a sample of Spanish adults. Undergraduate students (n = 371; 21 years ± 3 years, 44% female) were recruited from University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia. Participants completed a 54-item survey that assessed socio-demographic variables (e.g. age, gender, academic year), min/week of light (LPA), moderate (MPA) and vigorous (VPA) intensity PA (International Physical Activity Questionnaire), min/day of domain-specific ST (Last 7 days sedentary behavior questionnaire) and academic performance (grade point average). WMC was assessed through a multiple complex span task that included: Operation Span, Symmetry Span and Rotation Span. These tasks interleave a processing task with a short list of to-be-remembered items. General linear models-adjusted by PA, ST and gender-assessed combined associations between ST and PA with WMC and academic achievement. Performing more than 3 h/week of MPA was related to increases in WMC (P < 0.001). However, PA was not associated with academic performance. More than 3 h seated on a weekend day while performing non-screen leisure activities were related to reduced WMC after adjusting for PA (P = 0.012). Similarly, >3 h/weekday spent seated in these sedentary activities or in leisure-forms of screen time were inversely associated with academic performance regardless of PA (P = 0.033; P = 0.048). MPA may benefit working memory; however, specific domains of leisure-time sedentary behavior may have an unfavorable influence on working memory and academic performance regardless of time spent in PA. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Left TPJ activity in verbal working memory: implications for storage- and sensory-specific models of short term memory.

PubMed

Ravizza, Susan M; Hazeltine, Eliot; Ruiz, Sandra; Zhu, David C

2011-04-15

Patients with damage to the left temporoparietal junction (TPJ) have a low verbal span without concomitant deficits in speech perception. This pattern of cognitive impairment is taken as evidence for a dedicated phonological buffer that plays little role in perception (storage-specific account). In contrast, other research suggests that items are maintained and perceived in the same regions (sensory-specific account). In an fMRI study, we demonstrate that the left TPJ does not respond in a way predicted of a phonological buffer; that is, activity in this region is not sustained during encoding or maintenance. Instead, a region in the superior temporal gyrus that has been associated with both speech perception and production demonstrated the expected profile of a store: it was more active in the verbal condition than the object condition and was active during both encoding and maintenance. These results support the sensory-specific account of short term memory rather than the storage-specific account. Based on the pattern of activity in the left TPJ, we suggest that the impairment of verbal working memory observed in patients with TPJ damage may be due to diminished attentional processes rather than reduced storage capacity. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Education for Liberation: Exploring Mahatma Phule's Work in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Venkatesh, Karthik

2016-01-01

This article attempts to dwell on four aspects specific to Mahatma Phule's work in education: (i) Mahatma Phule's own social and educational background which undoubtedly had a fair degree of influence on his subsequent social activism. (ii) The article will also attempt to explore Phule's educational activism in terms of his founding and…

Children's Perspectives on Their Economic Activity as a Pathway to Resilience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liborio, Renata Maria Coimbra; Ungar, Michael

2010-01-01

When viewed in the context of children's physical, social, and economic ecologies, children's work has both contextually specific benefits and consequences. This paper examines children's experiences of their economic activity using a theory of resilience as a contextually and culturally embedded phenomenon [British Journal of Social Work, 38…

76 FR 21936 - Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee-New Task

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-19

... ARAC activity and solicits membership for the new Rulemaking Prioritization Working Group. FOR FURTHER... Rulemaking Prioritization Working Group will specifically address, in part, Recommendation 22: ``The... available * * *.'' The objective of the Rulemaking Prioritization Working Group is to provide advice and...

Functional measures developed for clinical populations identified impairment among active workers with upper extremity disorders

PubMed Central

Gardner, Bethany T.; Dale, Ann Marie; Buckner-Petty, Skye; Rachford, Robert; Strickland, Jaime; Kaskutas, Vicki; Evanoff, Bradley

2017-01-01

Purpose Few studies have explored measures of function across a range of health outcomes in a general working population. Using four upper extremity (UE) case definitions from the scientific literature, we described the performance of functional measures of work, activities of daily living, and overall health. Methods A sample of 573 workers completed several functional measures: modified recall versions of the QuickDASH, Levine Functional Status Scale (FSS), DASH Work module (DASH-W), and standard SF-8 physical component score. We determined case status based on four UE case definitions: 1) UE symptoms, 2) UE musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), 3) carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and 4) work limitations due to UE symptoms. We calculated effect sizes for each case definition to show the magnitude of the differences that were detected between cases and non-cases for each case definition on each functional measure. Sensitivity and specificity analyses showed how well each measure identified functional impairments across the UE case definitions. Results All measures discriminated between cases and non-cases for each case definition with the largest effect sizes for CTS and work limitations, particularly for the modified FSS and DASH-W measures. Specificity was high and sensitivity was low for outcomes of UE symptoms and UE MSD in all measures. Sensitivity was high for CTS and work limitations. Conclusions Functional measures developed specifically for use in clinical, treatment-seeking populations may identify mild levels of impairment in relatively healthy, active working populations, but measures performed better among workers with CTS or those reporting limitations at work. PMID:26091980

Self-reported sitting time and physical activity: interactive associations with mental well-being and productivity in office employees.

PubMed

Puig-Ribera, Anna; Martínez-Lemos, Iván; Giné-Garriga, Maria; González-Suárez, Ángel Manuel; Bort-Roig, Judit; Fortuño, Jesús; Muñoz-Ortiz, Laura; McKenna, Jim; Gilson, Nicholas D

2015-01-31

Little is known about how sitting time, alone or in combination with markers of physical activity (PA), influences mental well-being and work productivity. Given the need to develop workplace PA interventions that target employees' health related efficiency outcomes; this study examined the associations between self-reported sitting time, PA, mental well-being and work productivity in office employees. Descriptive cross-sectional study. Spanish university office employees (n = 557) completed a survey measuring socio-demographics, total and domain specific (work and travel) self-reported sitting time, PA (International Physical Activity Questionnaire short version), mental well-being (Warwick-Edinburg Mental Well-Being Scale) and work productivity (Work Limitations Questionnaire). Multivariate linear regression analyses determined associations between the main variables adjusted for gender, age, body mass index and occupation. PA levels (low, moderate and high) were introduced into the model to examine interactive associations. Higher volumes of PA were related to higher mental well-being, work productivity and spending less time sitting at work, throughout the working day and travelling during the week, including the weekends (p < 0.05). Greater levels of sitting during weekends was associated with lower mental well-being (p < 0.05). Similarly, more sitting while travelling at weekends was linked to lower work productivity (p < 0.05). In highly active employees, higher sitting times on work days and occupational sitting were associated with decreased mental well-being (p < 0.05). Higher sitting times while travelling on weekend days was also linked to lower work productivity in the highly active (p < 0.05). No significant associations were observed in low active employees. Employees' PA levels exerts different influences on the associations between sitting time, mental well-being and work productivity. The specific associations and the broad sweep of evidence in the current study suggest that workplace PA strategies to improve the mental well-being and productivity of all employees should focus on reducing sitting time alongside efforts to increase PA.

[An experimental study of effects of active-heating-system for extravehicular spacesuit gloves on working performance].

PubMed

Ding, Li; Han, Long-zhu; Yang, Chun-xin; Yang, Feng; Yuan, Xiu-gan

2005-02-01

To observe the effects of active heating system for spacesuit gloves on extravehicular working performance. After analyzing the factors with gloves influence on the working performance, the effects of active heating system for gloves were studied experimentally with aspects to fatigue, hand strength, dexterity and tactile sensing. 1) Heating-system had not influence to grip; 2) Heating-system had 17% influence to fatigue except specific person; 3) Nut assembly and nipping pin showed that heating-system had little influence to dexterity; 4) Apperceiving shape of object and two-point distance showed heating-system had little influence to tactility. The active heating method is rational and has little influence on working performance.

Gender differences in working memory networks: A BrainMap meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Hill, Ashley C.; Laird, Angela R.; Robinson, Jennifer L.

2014-01-01

Gender differences in psychological processes have been of great interest in a variety of fields. While the majority of research in this area has focused on specific differences in relation to test performance, this study sought to determine the underlying neurofunctional differences observed during working memory, a pivotal cognitive process shown to be predictive of academic achievement and intelligence. Using the BrainMap database, we performed a meta-analysis and applied activation likelihood estimation to our search set. Our results demonstrate consistent working memory networks across genders, but also provide evidence for gender-specific networks whereby females consistently activate more limbic (e.g., amygdala and hippocampus) and prefrontal structures (e.g., right inferior frontal gyrus), and males activate a distributed network inclusive of more parietal regions. These data provide a framework for future investigation using functional or effective connectivity methods to elucidate the underpinnings of gender differences in neural network recruitment during working memory tasks. PMID:25042764

Mapping interference resolution across task domains: A shared control process in left inferior frontal gyrus

PubMed Central

Nelson, James K.; Reuter-Lorenz, Patricia A.; Persson, Jonas; Sylvester, Ching-Yune C.; Jonides, John

2009-01-01

Work in functional neuroimaging has mapped interference resolution processing onto left inferior frontal regions for both verbal working memory and a variety of semantic processing tasks. The proximity of the identified regions from these different tasks suggests the existence of a common, domain-general interference resolution mechanism. The current research specifically tests this idea in a within-subject design using fMRI to assess the activation associated with variable selection requirements in a semantic retrieval task (verb generation) and a verbal working memory task with a trial-specific proactive interference manipulation (recent-probes). High interference trials on both tasks were associated with activity in the midventrolateral region of the left inferior frontal gyrus, and the regions activated in each task strongly overlapped. The results indicate that an elemental component of executive control associated with interference resolution during retrieval from working memory and from semantic memory can be mapped to a common portion of the left inferior frontal gyrus. PMID:19111526

Gender differences in working memory networks: a BrainMap meta-analysis.

PubMed

Hill, Ashley C; Laird, Angela R; Robinson, Jennifer L

2014-10-01

Gender differences in psychological processes have been of great interest in a variety of fields. While the majority of research in this area has focused on specific differences in relation to test performance, this study sought to determine the underlying neurofunctional differences observed during working memory, a pivotal cognitive process shown to be predictive of academic achievement and intelligence. Using the BrainMap database, we performed a meta-analysis and applied activation likelihood estimation to our search set. Our results demonstrate consistent working memory networks across genders, but also provide evidence for gender-specific networks whereby females consistently activate more limbic (e.g., amygdala and hippocampus) and prefrontal structures (e.g., right inferior frontal gyrus), and males activate a distributed network inclusive of more parietal regions. These data provide a framework for future investigations using functional or effective connectivity methods to elucidate the underpinnings of gender differences in neural network recruitment during working memory tasks. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Balanced cortical microcircuitry for spatial working memory based on corrective feedback control.

PubMed

Lim, Sukbin; Goldman, Mark S

2014-05-14

A hallmark of working memory is the ability to maintain graded representations of both the spatial location and amplitude of a memorized stimulus. Previous work has identified a neural correlate of spatial working memory in the persistent maintenance of spatially specific patterns of neural activity. How such activity is maintained by neocortical circuits remains unknown. Traditional models of working memory maintain analog representations of either the spatial location or the amplitude of a stimulus, but not both. Furthermore, although most previous models require local excitation and lateral inhibition to maintain spatially localized persistent activity stably, the substrate for lateral inhibitory feedback pathways is unclear. Here, we suggest an alternative model for spatial working memory that is capable of maintaining analog representations of both the spatial location and amplitude of a stimulus, and that does not rely on long-range feedback inhibition. The model consists of a functionally columnar network of recurrently connected excitatory and inhibitory neural populations. When excitation and inhibition are balanced in strength but offset in time, drifts in activity trigger spatially specific negative feedback that corrects memory decay. The resulting networks can temporally integrate inputs at any spatial location, are robust against many commonly considered perturbations in network parameters, and, when implemented in a spiking model, generate irregular neural firing characteristic of that observed experimentally during persistent activity. This work suggests balanced excitatory-inhibitory memory circuits implementing corrective negative feedback as a substrate for spatial working memory. Copyright © 2014 the authors 0270-6474/14/346790-17$15.00/0.

Teaching Engineering with Autonomous Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Otero, Beatriz; Rodríguez, Eva; Royo, Pablo

2015-01-01

This paper proposes several activities that encourage self-learning in engineering courses. For each activity, the context and the pedagogical issues addressed are described emphasizing strengths and weaknesses. Specifically, this work describes and implements five activities, which are: questionnaires, conceptual maps, videos, jigsaw and…

Blockbuster Ideas: Activities for Breaking Up Block Periods.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bohince, Judy

1996-01-01

Describes how to approach block scheduling of science classes. Discusses the planning process, specific activities that work well in longer science classes, and techniques for motivating students. (DDR)

Active Citizenship & Adult Learning In Inner London. Research Paper in Continuing Education Number 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Payne, John

The impact of the abolition of the Inner London Educational Authority (ILEA) on adult education in London (England) was explored. Specifically, the impact of abolition, that might support the concept and practice of active citizenship, was studied on three areas of adult education: environmental education, antiracist work, and work with voluntary…

Motivation, working memory, and decision making: a cognitive-motivational theory of personality vulnerability to alcoholism.

PubMed

Finn, Peter R

2002-09-01

This article presents a cognitive-motivational theory (CMT) of the mechanisms associated with three basic dimensions of personality vulnerability to alcoholism, impulsivity/novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and excitement seeking. CMT describes the interrelationships between activity in basic motivational systems and attentional, decision-making and working memory processes as the mechanisms associated with variation in each personality trait. Impulsivity/novelty seeking reflects activity in both appetitive and inhibitory motivational systems, greater attention to reward cues, and increased emotional reactivity to reward and frustration. Harm avoidance reflects individual differences in fearfulness and activity in specific inhibitory systems. Excitement seeking reflects the need to engage in appetitive behaviors in less predictable environments to experience positive affect. CMT also describes the impact of working memory and the specific motivational processes underlying each trait dimension on the dynamics of decision making from the perspective of decision field theory.

Specific and Nonspecific Neural Activity during Selective Processing of Visual Representations in Working Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oh, Hwamee; Leung, Hoi-Chung

2010-01-01

In this fMRI study, we investigated prefrontal cortex (PFC) and visual association regions during selective information processing. We recorded behavioral responses and neural activity during a delayed recognition task with a cue presented during the delay period. A specific cue ("Face" or "Scene") was used to indicate which one of the two…

Sequential bilateral cochlear implantation improves working performance, quality of life, and quality of hearing.

PubMed

Härkönen, Kati; Kivekäs, Ilkka; Rautiainen, Markus; Kotti, Voitto; Sivonen, Ville; Vasama, Juha-Pekka

2015-05-01

This prospective study shows that working performance, quality of life (QoL), and quality of hearing (QoH) are better with two compared with a single cochlear implant (CI). The impact of the second CI on the patient's QoL is as significant as the impact of the first CI. To evaluate the benefits of sequential bilateral cochlear implantation in working, QoL, and QoH. We studied working performance, work-related stress, QoL, and QoH with specific questionnaires in 15 patients with unilateral CI scheduled for sequential CI of another ear. Sound localization performance and speech perception in noise were measured with specific tests. All questionnaires and tests were performed before the second CI surgery and 6 and 12 months after its activation. Bilateral CIs increased patients' working performance and their work-related stress and fatigue decreased. Communication with co-workers was easier and patients were more active in their working environment. Sequential bilateral cochlear implantation improved QoL, QoH, sound localization, and speech perception in noise statistically significantly.

Breadth of Scientific Activities and Network Station Specifications in the IGS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, A. W.; Springer, T. A.; Reigber, Ch.

1999-01-01

This presentation provides a brief overview of the scientific activities of the International GPS Service (IGS). This was an approved activity of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) with official start of service on 1 Jan 1994. The mission of the IGS is "To provide a service to support geodetic and geophysical research activities, through GPS data and data products." The presentation explains the concept of the IGS working group, and pilot projects, and reviews the current working groups and pilot projects.

Working alliance and empathy as mediators of brief telephone counseling for cigarette smokers who are not ready to quit

PubMed Central

Klemperer, Elias M.; Hughes, John R.; Callas, Peter W.; Solomon, Laura J.

2016-01-01

Working alliance and empathy are believed to be important components of counseling, though few studies have empirically tested this. We recently conducted a randomized controlled trial in which brief motivational and reduction counseling failed to increase the number of participants who made a quit attempt (QA) in comparison to usual care (i.e., brief advice to quit). Our negative findings could have been due to non-specific factors. This secondary analysis used a subset of participants (n=347) to test a) whether, in comparison to usual care, brief telephone-based motivational or reduction counseling predicted greater working alliance or empathy, b) whether changes in these non-specific factors predicted an increased probability of a QA at a 6-month follow-up, and c) whether counseling affected the probability of a QA via working alliance or empathy (i.e., mediation). Findings were similar for both active counseling conditions (motivational and reduction) vs usual care. In comparison to usual care, active counseling predicted greater working alliance (p<.001) and empathy (p<.05). Greater working alliance predicted a greater probability of a QA (p<.001) but, surprisingly, greater empathy predicted a decreased probability of a QA (p<.05) at the 6-month follow-up. Both working alliance (p<.001) and empathy (p<.05) mediated the active counseling's effects on the probability of a QA. One explanation for our motivational and reduction interventions' failure to influence QAs in comparison to usual care is that working alliance and empathy had opposing effects on quitting. Our analyses illustrate how testing non-specific factors as mediators can help explain why a treatment failed. PMID:28165273

Work, heat, and oxygen cost

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webb, P.

1973-01-01

Human energy is discussed in terms of the whole man. The physical work a man does, the heat he produces, and the quantity of oxygen he takes from the air to combine with food, the fuel source of his energy, are described. The daily energy exchange, work and heat dissipation, oxygen costs of specific activities, anaerobic work, and working in space suits are summarized.

Factors influencing work disability in psoriatic arthritis: first results from a large UK multicentre study.

PubMed

Tillett, William; Shaddick, Gavin; Askari, Ayman; Cooper, Annie; Creamer, Paul; Clunie, Gavin; Helliwell, Philip S; Kay, Lesley; Korendowych, Eleanor; Lane, Suzanne; Packham, Jonathan; Shaban, Ragai; Williamson, Lyn; McHugh, Neil

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which structural damage, clinical disease activity, demographic and social factors are associated with work disability (WD) in PsA. Four hundred patients fulfilling CASPAR (Classification Criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis) criteria for PsA were recruited from 23 hospitals across the UK. Demographic, socio-economic, work, clinical and radiographic data were collected. WD was assessed with the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Specific Health Problem (WPAI-SHP) questionnaire reporting WD as a percentage of absenteeism (work time missed), presenteeism (impairment at work/reduced effectiveness) and work productivity loss (overall work impairment/absenteeism plus presenteeism). Logistic and linear regressions were conducted to investigate associations with WD. Two hundred and thirty-six participants of any age were in work. Absenteeism, presenteeism and productivity loss rates were 14% (s.d. 29.0), 39% (s.d. 27.2) and 46% (s.d. 30.4), respectively. Ninety-two (26%) participants of working age were unemployed. Greater age, disease duration of 2-5 years and worse physical function were associated with unemployment. Patients reported that employer awareness and helpfulness exerted a strongly positive influence on remaining in employment. Higher levels of global and joint-specific disease activity and worse physical function were associated with greater levels of presenteeism and productivity loss among those who remained in work. Reduced effectiveness at work was associated with measures of disease activity, whereas unemployment, considered the endpoint of WD, was associated with employer factors, age and disease duration. A longitudinal study is under way to determine whether treatment to reduce disease activity ameliorates WD in the real-world setting. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Out of School Activities during Primary School and KS2 Attainment. Centre for Longitudinal Studies Working Paper 2016/1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chanfreau, Jenny; Tanner, Emily; Callanan, Meg; Laing, Karen; Skipp, Amy; Todd, Liz

2016-01-01

The aims of this working paper were to investigate whether taking part in out of school activities during primary school is linked with end of primary school attainment and social, emotional and behavioural outcomes, for all children and specifically for children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The analysis is based on the Millennium…

Recreating the Arsenal of Venice: Using Experiential Activities to Teach the History of Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stovall, Steven Austin

2010-01-01

In works by Van Fleet and Wren and by Smith, a strong case is made for including a greater emphasis on the historical aspects of management in undergraduate introductory-level management courses. This article builds on these two works by providing specific experiential activities to assist instructors who wish to offer more depth to their…

Re-Thinking the "Thing" Sociomaterial Approaches to Understanding and Researching Learning in Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fenwick, Tara

2010-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to compare theoretical conceptions that reclaim and re-think material practice--"the thing" in the social and personal mix--specifically in terms of work activity and what is construed to be learning in that activity. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is theory-based. Three perspectives have been selected…

Dementia-Related Work Activities of Home Care Nurses and Aides: Frequency, Perceived Competence, and Continuing Education Priorities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Debra G.; Kosteniuk, Julie G.; O'Connell, Megan E.; Dal Bello-Haas, Vanina; Stewart, Norma J.; Karunanayake, Chandima

2016-01-01

An understanding of the specific dementia learning needs of home care staff is needed to plan relevant continuing education (CE) programs and supports. The study's objective was to examine frequency and perceived competence in performing 20 dementia-related work activities, and identify CE priorities among home care staff. A cross-sectional survey…

Persistent recruitment of somatosensory cortex during active maintenance of hand images in working memory.

PubMed

Galvez-Pol, A; Calvo-Merino, B; Capilla, A; Forster, B

2018-07-01

Working memory (WM) supports temporary maintenance of task-relevant information. This process is associated with persistent activity in the sensory cortex processing the information (e.g., visual stimuli activate visual cortex). However, we argue here that more multifaceted stimuli moderate this sensory-locked activity and recruit distinctive cortices. Specifically, perception of bodies recruits somatosensory cortex (SCx) beyond early visual areas (suggesting embodiment processes). Here we explore persistent activation in processing areas beyond the sensory cortex initially relevant to the modality of the stimuli. Using visual and somatosensory evoked-potentials in a visual WM task, we isolated different levels of visual and somatosensory involvement during encoding of body and non-body-related images. Persistent activity increased in SCx only when maintaining body images in WM, whereas visual/posterior regions' activity increased significantly when maintaining non-body images. Our results bridge WM and embodiment frameworks, supporting a dynamic WM process where the nature of the information summons specific processing resources. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exoskeletons for industrial application and their potential effects on physical work load.

PubMed

de Looze, Michiel P; Bosch, Tim; Krause, Frank; Stadler, Konrad S; O'Sullivan, Leonard W

2016-05-01

The aim of this review was to provide an overview of assistive exoskeletons that have specifically been developed for industrial purposes and to assess the potential effect of these exoskeletons on reduction of physical loading on the body. The search resulted in 40 papers describing 26 different industrial exoskeletons, of which 19 were active (actuated) and 7 were passive (non-actuated). For 13 exoskeletons, the effect on physical loading has been evaluated, mainly in terms of muscle activity. All passive exoskeletons retrieved were aimed to support the low back. Ten-forty per cent reductions in back muscle activity during dynamic lifting and static holding have been reported. Both lower body, trunk and upper body regions could benefit from active exoskeletons. Muscle activity reductions up to 80% have been reported as an effect of active exoskeletons. Exoskeletons have the potential to considerably reduce the underlying factors associated with work-related musculoskeletal injury. Practitioner Summary: Worldwide, a significant interest in industrial exoskeletons does exist, but a lack of specific safety standards and several technical issues hinder mainstay practical use of exoskeletons in industry. Specific issues include discomfort (for passive and active exoskeletons), weight of device, alignment with human anatomy and kinematics, and detection of human intention to enable smooth movement (for active exoskeletons).

Risk mitigation strategies for operations and maintenance activities.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-04-01

The objective of this research was to investigate the application of integrated risk modeling to operations and maintenance activities, specifically moving operations, such as pavement testing, pavement marking, painting, snow removal, shoulder work,...

Differentiated Instruction, Professional Development, and Teacher Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dixon, Felicia A.; Yssel, Nina; McConnell, John M.; Hardin, Travis

2014-01-01

Teachers often struggle to provide all students access to specific learning activities that work best for them--and what works best for some students will not work for others. Differentiating instruction makes sense because it offers different paths to understanding content, process, and products, considering what is appropriate given a child's…

[Evaluation of residual osteomuscular function using computerised movement analysis for building sector workers: specificity and technical problem].

PubMed

D'Orso, M I; Centemeri, R; Latocca, R; Riva, M; Cesana, G

2012-01-01

Occupational Health Doctors active in building sector firms frequently have to evaluate residual workers' osteomuscular function in patients coming back to work after an accident happened during work time or free time. Definition of their specific individual work suitability is usually carried out utilizing semeiotic tests in which subjective evaluation of every single Medical Doctor is real important in definition of final results and this fact can cause legal controversies. In our research we describe the application of computerised movement analysis on 10 workers of building sector. In every patient examined this technical method has been able to study objectively the tridimensional ranges of motion of most important osteomuscular districts. The possibility to have an objective evaluation of residual osteomuscular function has a relevant importance both in definition of workers' work suitability at the moment in which they start again their activities and in possible future legal conflicts.

A systematic review of job-specific workers' health surveillance activities for fire-fighting, ambulance, police and military personnel.

PubMed

Plat, M J; Frings-Dresen, M H W; Sluiter, J K

2011-12-01

Some occupations have tasks and activities that require monitoring safety and health aspects of the job; examples of such occupations are emergency services personnel and military personnel. The two objectives of this systematic review were to describe (1) the existing job-specific workers' health surveillance (WHS) activities and (2) the effectiveness of job-specific WHS interventions with respect to work functioning, for selected jobs. The search strategy systematically searched the PubMed, PsycINFO and OSH-update databases. The search strategy consisted of several synonyms of the job titles of interest, combined with synonyms for workers' health surveillance. The methodological quality was checked. At least one study was found for each of the following occupations fire fighters, ambulance personnel, police personnel and military personnel. For the first objective, 24 studies described several job-specific WHS activities aimed at aspects of psychological, 'physical' (energetic, biomechanical and balance), sense-related, environmental exposure or cardiovascular requirements. The seven studies found for the second objective measured different outcomes related to work functioning. The methodological quality of the interventions varied, but with the exception of one study, all scored over 55% of the maximum score. Six studies showed effectiveness on at least some of the defined outcomes. The studies described several job-specific interventions: a trauma resilience training, healthy lifestyle promotion, physical readiness training, respiratory muscle training, endurance and resistance training, a physical exercise programme and comparing vaccines. Several examples of job-specific WHS activities were found for the four occupations. Compared to studies focusing on physical tasks, a few studies were found that focus on psychological tasks. Effectiveness studies for job-specific WHS interventions were scarce, although their results were promising. We recommend studying job-specific WHS in effectiveness studies.

Auditing the socio-environmental determinants of motivation towards physical activity or sedentariness in work-aged adults: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Keegan, Richard; Middleton, Geoff; Henderson, Hannah; Girling, Mica

2016-05-26

There is a lack of understanding of work aged adults' (30-60 years old) perspectives on the motivation of physical activity versus sedentariness. This study aims to: (1) identify which socio-environmental factors motivate physical activity and/or sedentary behavior, in adults aged 30-60 years; and (2) explore how these motivators interact and combine. Fifteen work-aged adults who, were able to engage in physical activity (Mean age = 43.9 years; SD 9.6, range 31-59), participated in semi-structured interviews. Inductive content analysis was used to generate an inventory of socio-environmental factors and their specific influences on motivation towards physical activity or sedentariness. Key socio-environmental agents found to influence motivation included: Spouse/partner, parents, children, siblings, whole family, grandchildren, friends, work-mates, neighbors, strangers, team-mates and class-mates, instructors, health care professionals, employers, gyms and health companies, governments, media and social media, cultural norms, and the physical environment. Mechanisms fell into five broad themes of socio-environmental motivation for both physical activity and sedentariness: (1) competence and progress; (2) informational influences, (3) emotional influences, (4) pragmatics and logistics, and (5) relationships. Similar socio-environmental factors were frequently reported as able to motivate both activity and sedentariness. Likewise, individual categories of influence could also motivate both behaviors, depending on context. The findings of this paper 'unpack' theoretical concepts into specific and targeted behavioral recommendations. The data suggested no simple solutions for promoting physical activity or reducing sedentariness, but rather complex and interacting systems surrounding work-aged adults. Findings also suggest that health professionals should be encouraged to support adults' health by examining the socio-environmental motivational influences, or 'motivational atmosphere'.

Neural efficiency as a function of task demands☆

PubMed Central

Dunst, Beate; Benedek, Mathias; Jauk, Emanuel; Bergner, Sabine; Koschutnig, Karl; Sommer, Markus; Ischebeck, Anja; Spinath, Birgit; Arendasy, Martin; Bühner, Markus; Freudenthaler, Heribert; Neubauer, Aljoscha C.

2014-01-01

The neural efficiency hypothesis describes the phenomenon that brighter individuals show lower brain activation than less bright individuals when working on the same cognitive tasks. The present study investigated whether the brain activation–intelligence relationship still applies when more versus less intelligent individuals perform tasks with a comparable person-specific task difficulty. In an fMRI-study, 58 persons with lower (n = 28) or respectively higher (n = 30) intelligence worked on simple and difficult inductive reasoning tasks having the same person-specific task difficulty. Consequently, less bright individuals received sample-based easy and medium tasks, whereas bright subjects received sample-based medium and difficult tasks. This design also allowed a comparison of lower versus higher intelligent individuals when working on the same tasks (i.e. sample-based medium task difficulty). In line with expectations, differences in task performance and in brain activation were only found for the subset of tasks with the same sample-based task difficulty, but not when comparing tasks with the same person-specific task difficulty. These results suggest that neural efficiency reflects an (ability-dependent) adaption of brain activation to the respective task demands. PMID:24489416

Work-related activities associated with injury in occupational and physical therapists.

PubMed

Darragh, Amy R; Campo, Marc; King, Phyllis

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine work activities associated with work-related injury (WRI) in occupational and physical therapy. 1,158 occupational and physical therapists in Wisconsin responded to a mailed survey, from a total of 3,297 OTs and PTs randomly selected from the State licensure list. The study used a cross-sectional, survey design. Participants reported information about WRI they sustained between 2004 and 2006, including the activities they were performing when injured. Investigators analyzed 248 injury incidents using qualitative and quantitative analysis. Data were examined across OT and PT practice in general, and also by practice area. Manual therapy and transfers/lifts were associated with 54% of all injuries. Other activities associated with injury were distinct to practice area, for example: floor work in pediatrics; functional activities in acute care; patient falls in skilled nursing facilities; and motor vehicle activities in home care. Injury prevention activities must address transfers and manual therapy, but also must examine setting-specific activities influenced by environment and patient population.

Factors affecting recovery from work-related, low back disorders in autoworkers.

PubMed

Oleske, Denise M; Neelakantan, Janani; Andersson, Gunnar B; Hinrichs, Bradley G; Lavender, Steven A; Morrissey, Mary J; Zold-Kilbourn, Phyllis; Taylor, Emily

2004-08-01

To simultaneously evaluate personal, medical, and job factors that could affect recovery from work-related, low back disorders, specifically focusing on an active working sample. Observational, longitudinal study. Two US automotive plants. Employees (N=352; 289 men, 63 women; mean age +/- standard deviation, 45.1+/-7.5 y) who were active hourly autoworkers, diagnosed with work-related, low back disorder by the plant's medical department. Not applicable. Oswestry Disability Questionnaire for back pain was used to evaluate recovery. Factors associated with better recovery were lower stress levels (P<.001) and exercise or physical activity outside work (P<.001); factors associated with higher disability levels over time were current cigarette smoking (P<.01) and bedrest (P<.001). Personal modifiable factors are major influences in the recovery from work-related, low back disorders, even in active working populations. Interventions aimed at increasing exercise and decreasing stress should also be considered as a part of rehabilitation in employed persons with low levels of disability.

[Variation of the judgment of the fitness to specific work in a cohort study in construction industry].

PubMed

Riva, M M; Pavesi, G; Papageorgiou, C; Mosconi, G

2005-01-01

This work shows the results of a study about variation of the judgement of the fitness to specific work in the construction industry in a year. In the 8.6% of the cases, after a year from the previous examination, it was necessary to express new limitations to the job activity mainly because of the presence of illness of the musculoskeletal or cardiovascular system. Considering only workers aged over 35 years, the percentage of variation after a year grows to 12.3%.

[Work activity of medical graduates at the University of Chile: Analysis per campus and graduation year].

PubMed

Vargas, Patricia; López, Nancy; Urrutia, Leonardo; Acevedo, Jhonny; Sandoval, Daniela; Cortés, Belén

2015-10-01

The University promotes practices and values that influence their students in the pursuit of their occupational interests. To determine working activity features of medical graduates from the University of Chile and their relationship with undergraduate characteristics. Medical graduates of the University of Chile were invited to complete a survey using a virtual server. The survey collected demographic, socioeconomic, work and guild characteristics. Undergraduate data, as campus and graduation years were obtained. The survey was completed by 333 physicians (167 men) aged 29 ± 2 years, graduated from 2007 to 2010. Ninety four percent had a paid work, 59% were employed in public hospitals and 28% in primary care health centers. The predominant type of work activity was performed in the public health service (55%), while 17% worked in private health services. Activity in public health services or primary care were significantly associated with the pursuit of undergraduate clinical activities in specific campuses of the University. The employment rate of medical graduates was high. Differences observed by graduation campus and type of work may be due to the modeling that students receive from teachers.

Work stressors, Chinese coping strategies, and job performance in Greater China.

PubMed

Lu, Luo; Kao, Shu-Fang; Siu, Oi-Ling; Lu, Chang-Qin

2010-08-01

The aim of this research was to jointly test effects of work stressors and coping strategies on job performance among employees in the Greater China region. A self-administered survey was conducted to collect data from three major cities in the region, namely Beijing, Hong Kong, and Taipei (N = 380). Four important work stressors were assessed: heavy workload, organizational constraints, lack of work autonomy, and interpersonal conflict. We used a four-factor model of Chinese coping strategies composed of hobbies/relaxation, active action, seeking social support, and passive adaptation. Job performance was indicated by both task performance (quantity of work, quality of work, job knowledge) and contextual performance (attendance, getting along with others). We found that: (1) work stressors were related to job performance. Specifically, workload had a positive relation with quantity of work, whereas organizational constraints had negative relations with quantity of work and attendance. In addition, interpersonal conflict had a negative relation with getting along with others. (2) Chinese positive coping strategies were positively related to job performance. Specifically, seeking social support had positive relations with quantity of work and getting along with others, whereas active action had positive relations with attendance and job knowledge. (3) Chinese passive adaptation coping behaviors were negatively related to job performance. Specifically, passive adaptation had negative relations with quantity of work, quality of work, and getting along with others. The present study thus found joint effects of work stressors and coping behaviors among Chinese employees in the Greater China region, encompassing three sub-societies of mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Differential effects of Chinese positive and passive coping strategies were also noted. Most importantly, all these effects were demonstrated on multiple indicators of job performance, a rarely studied but important strain variable from the organizational point of view.

A functional MRI study of working memory task in euthymic bipolar disorder: evidence for task-specific dysfunction.

PubMed

Monks, Paul J; Thompson, Jill M; Bullmore, Edward T; Suckling, John; Brammer, Michael J; Williams, Steve C R; Simmons, Andrew; Giles, Nicola; Lloyd, Adrian J; Harrison, C Louise; Seal, Marc; Murray, Robin M; Ferrier, I Nicol; Young, Allan H; Curtis, Vivienne A

2004-12-01

Even when euthymic bipolar disorder patients can have persistent deficits in working memory, but the neural basis of this deficit remains unclear. We undertook an functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation of euthymic bipolar disorder patients performing two working memory paradigms; the two-back and Sternberg tasks, selected to examine the central executive and the phonological loop respectively. We hypothesized that neuronal dysfunction would be specific to the network underlying the executive rather than the phonological loop component of working memory. Twelve right-handed euthymic bipolar I males receiving lithium carbonate monotherapy were matched with 12 controls. The two-back task comprised a single working memory load contrasted with baseline vigilance condition. The Sternberg paradigm used a parametric design incorporating variable working memory load with fixed delay between presentation of an array of items to be remembered and a target item. Functional activation data were acquired during performance of the tasks and were analysed to produce brain activation maps representing significant group differences in activation (ANOVA). Load-response curves were derived from the Sternberg task data set. There were no significant between-group differences (t-test) in performance of the two-back task, or in 2 x 5 group by memory load ANOVA for the performance data from Sternberg task. In the two-back task, compared with controls bipolar disorder patients showed reductions in bilateral frontal, temporal and parietal activation, and increased activations with the left precentral, right medial frontal and left supramarginal gyri. No between-group differences were observed in the Sternberg task at any working memory load. Our findings support the notion that, in euthymic bipolar disorder, failure to engage fronto-executive function underpins the core neuropsychological deficits. Blackwell Munksgaard, 2004

The Roles of Working Memory and Cognitive Load in Geoscience Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaeger, Allison J.; Shipley, Thomas F.; Reynolds, Stephen J.

2017-01-01

Working memory is a cognitive system that allows for the simultaneous storage and processing of active information. While working memory has been implicated as an important element for success in many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, its specific role in geoscience learning is not fully understood. The major goal of…

Ergonomics principles to design clothing work for electrical workers in Colombia.

PubMed

Castillo, Juan; Cubillos, A

2012-01-01

The recent development of the Colombian legislation, have been identified the need to develop protective clothing to work according to specifications from the work done and in compliance with international standards. These involve the development and design of new strategies and measures for work clothing design. In this study we analyzes the activities of the workers in the electrical sector, the method analyzes the risks activity data in various activities, that activities include power generation plants, local facilities, industrial facilities and maintenance of urban and rural networks. The analyses method is focused on ergonomic approach, risk analysis is done, we evaluate the role of security expert and we use a design algorithm developed for this purpose. The result of this study is the identification of constraints and variables that contribute to the development of a model of analysis that leads to the development the work protective clothes.

[Work-related musculoskeletal diseases: experience of INAIL of the Apulia region 1998-2001].

PubMed

Allamprese, P; Attimonelli, R; Gigante, M R; Soleo, L

2005-01-01

The insurance recognition of Work related Muscolo Skeletal Disorders (WMSDs) has been introduced in Italy by the sentences of Constitutional Court n. 179/1988 and 208/1988. Afterwards the National Insurance Institute against work injuries (INAIL) tried to make homogeneous, in the different INAIL regional Departments, the diagnostic protocol of the work related illness associated with repetitive manual activities. Since 1998, indeed, a clinical diagnostic protocol has been used in the different departments. This report describes the Work related Muscolo Skeletal Disorders submitted to the Apulian INAIL Regional Direction in the period 1998-2001. Among 84 cases of disease reported to the Regional Direction, 21 were recognised as professional illness, the most part of which in workers employed in services sector and mining activities. The most represented disease was carpal tunnel syndrome and it was more recurrent in men than in women, in which the first symptoms were earlier than in men. The most represented risk factor, both in reported and in recognised cases, was the presence of repetitive working movements of the upper extremities, or the combination of the previous one with other risk factors such as high frequency of working activities, postural risk, strength demand, vibrations, climatic conditions. The development of specific diagnostic criteria, the detailed job analysis and the use of specific questionnaires seem to be the main elements for the WMSDs diagnosis and for the recognition of their professional etiology.

Dams and water developments

Treesearch

Robert H. Schueneman

1979-01-01

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is involved in the construction and regulation of many activities relating to water resource development. Such activities include dams and reservoirs, channelization and erosion control on rivers and tributaries, and coastal works. These activities can result in an array of visual effects depending on the specific activity type and...

The contribution of walking to work to adult physical activity levels: a cross sectional study.

PubMed

Audrey, Suzanne; Procter, Sunita; Cooper, Ashley R

2014-03-11

To objectively examine the contribution to adult physical activity levels of walking to work. Employees (n = 103; 36.3 ± 11.7 years) at 17 workplaces in south-west England, who lived within 2 miles (3.2 km) of their workplace, wore Actigraph accelerometers for seven days during waking hours and carried GPS receivers during the commute to and from work. Physical activity volume (accelerometer counts per minute (cpm)) and intensity (minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA)) were computed overall and during the walk to work. Total weekday physical activity was 45% higher in participants who walked to work compared to those travelling by car (524.6. ± 170.4 vs 364.6 ± 138.4 cpm) and MVPA almost 60% higher (78.1 ± 24.9 vs 49.8 ± 25.2 minutes per day). No differences were seen in weekend physical activity, and sedentary time did not differ between the groups. Combined accelerometer and GPS data showed that walking to work contributed 47.3% of total weekday MVPA. Walking to work was associated with overall higher levels of physical activity in young and middle-aged adults. These data provide preliminary evidence to underpin the need for interventions to increase active commuting, specifically walking, in adults.

The Research Base in Languages for Specific Purposes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grosse, Christine Uber

More than 200 publications regarding Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) from the past 25 years, excluding work on English for Specific Purposes, are compiled in this literature review. In introductory comments that precede the bibliography, it is noted that most of the activity in this field has occurred in the last decade, with eight…

Psychosocial Risks Generated By Assets Specific Design Software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Remus, Furtună; Angela, Domnariu; Petru, Lazăr

2015-07-01

The human activity concerning an occupation is resultant from the interaction between the psycho-biological, socio-cultural and organizational-occupational factors. Tehnological development, automation and computerization that are to be found in all the branches of activity, the level of speed in which things develop, as well as reaching their complexity, require less and less physical aptitudes and more cognitive qualifications. The person included in the work process is bound in most of the cases to come in line with the organizational-occupational situations that are specific to the demands of the job. The role of the programmer is essencial in the process of execution of ordered softwares, thus the truly brilliant ideas can only come from well-rested minds, concentrated on their tasks. The actual requirements of the jobs, besides the high number of benefits and opportunities, also create a series of psycho-social risks, which can increase the level of stress during work activity, especially for those who work under pressure.

Levels of processing and language modality specificity in working memory.

PubMed

Rudner, Mary; Karlsson, Thomas; Gunnarsson, Johan; Rönnberg, Jerker

2013-03-01

Neural networks underpinning working memory demonstrate sign language specific components possibly related to differences in temporary storage mechanisms. A processing approach to memory systems suggests that the organisation of memory storage is related to type of memory processing as well. In the present study, we investigated for the first time semantic, phonological and orthographic processing in working memory for sign- and speech-based language. During fMRI we administered a picture-based 2-back working memory task with Semantic, Phonological, Orthographic and Baseline conditions to 11 deaf signers and 20 hearing non-signers. Behavioural data showed poorer and slower performance for both groups in Phonological and Orthographic conditions than in the Semantic condition, in line with depth-of-processing theory. An exclusive masking procedure revealed distinct sign-specific neural networks supporting working memory components at all three levels of processing. The overall pattern of sign-specific activations may reflect a relative intermodality difference in the relationship between phonology and semantics influencing working memory storage and processing. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Survey of Enzymatic Activity in Commercially Available Pool and Spa Products

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Many pool water treatment products currently available commercially claim that they work effectively by possessing enzyme activity (specifically lipase) that degrades common oil (lipid) contaminants found in pool water. Currently, there is no standard in measuring the enzymatic activity of these enz...

Why Women Sit: Determinants of Leisure Sitting Time for Working Women.

PubMed

Walsh, Shana M; Umstattd Meyer, M Renée; Stamatis, Andreas; Morgan, Grant B

2015-01-01

Sedentary behavior is associated with negative health consequences independent of physical activity levels. Evidence suggests the work environment promotes sedentary behavior regardless of sector, and that employees with occupations requiring longer sitting times differ only marginally in leisure sitting time from those with more active occupations. Because physical activity opportunities may be limited across many work settings, leisure sedentary time may be more easily replaced with physical activity. Understanding correlates of leisure sedentary behaviors could inform interventions, specifically for women who are among the least active in America. Female employees at two universities completed online surveys (n = 156; mean age, 45.12 [SD = 12.5]; mean BMI, 26.7 kg/m(2) [SD = 5.9]; mean work hours/week, 43.7 [SD = 9.4]). Bivariate correlations and two hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine personal and behavioral correlates of weekday and weekend leisure sitting time. Final regression models revealed that greater weekday leisure sitting time (R(2) = 0.307) was related with being older (p = .006), having fewer children (p = .001), self-reporting poorer health (p = .006), and greater weekend sitting time (p < .001). Greater weekend leisure sitting time (R(2) = 0.261) was related with greater work-related sitting time (p = .020) and greater weekday leisure sitting time (p < .001). Physical activity was not related with weekday or weekend leisure sitting time. The most prominent correlates of leisure sitting time were other types of sedentary behaviors. This suggests that sedentary time in one segment of life predicts time spent sitting in other areas of life. Future interventions should target decreasing sedentary behaviors during leisure time specifically, in addition to increasing physical activity behavior. Copyright © 2015 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Work-related to musculoskeletal disorder amongst Malaysian construction trade workers: Bricklayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lop, Nor Suzila; Kamar, Izatul Farrita Mohd; Aziz, Mohd Nasiruddin Abdul; Abdullah, Lizawati; Akhir, Norizan Mt

2017-10-01

Construction sector is one of the highest risk industries contributing to the development of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. In general construction activities involve the composition of various construction trades, such as painting, plastering, concreting, paving and bricklaying. Different construction trades workers are exposed to risk factors depending their job and task. There are risk factors associated with the construction trade workers activities such as concrete work, brickwork, piling work excavation works and etc. Thus, the aim of this research is to document the critical activities that affect the musculoskeletal disorders amongst Malaysian construction trade workers, in particular to the bricklayers. The objective of this research is to identify the critical activities that affect to the musculoskeletal disorder among the bricklayers. The data for this research was collected via observation to the construction workers for the specific trades which are bricklayers in Perak. Finding of this research is by identifying the critical activities involved that affect the musculoskeletal disorder suffering among bricklayers.

Developmental changes in category-specific brain responses to numbers and letters in a working memory task

PubMed Central

Libertus, Melissa E.; Brannon, Elizabeth M.; Pelphrey, Kevin A.

2009-01-01

Neuroimaging studies have identified a common network of brain regions involving the prefrontal and parietal cortices across a variety of working memory (WM) tasks. However, previous studies have also reported category-specific dissociations of activation within this network. In this study, we investigated the development of category-specific activation in a WM task with digits, letters, and faces. Eight-year-old children and adults performed a 2-back WM task while their brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Overall, children were significantly slower and less accurate than adults on all three WM conditions (digits, letters, and faces); however, within each age group, behavioral performance across the three conditions was very similar. FMRI results revealed category-specific activation in adults but not children in the intraparietal sulcus for the digit condition. Likewise, during the letter condition, category-specific activation was observed in adults but not children in the left occipital–temporal cortex. In contrast, children and adults showed highly similar brain-activity patterns in the lateral fusiform gyri when solving the 2-back WM task with face stimuli. Our results suggest that 8-year-old children do not yet engage the typical brain regions that have been associated with abstract or semantic processing of numerical symbols and letters when these processes are task-irrelevant and the primary task is demanding. Nevertheless, brain activity in letter-responsive areas predicted children’s spelling performance underscoring the relationship between abstract processing of letters and linguistic abilities. Lastly, behavioral performance on the WM task was predictive of math and language abilities highlighting the connection between WM and other cognitive abilities in development. PMID:19027079

The neural correlates of age effects on verbal-spatial binding in working memory.

PubMed

Meier, Timothy B; Nair, Veena A; Meyerand, Mary E; Birn, Rasmus M; Prabhakaran, Vivek

2014-06-01

In this study, we investigated the neural correlates of age-related differences in the binding of verbal and spatial information utilizing event-related working memory tasks. Twenty-one right handed younger adults and twenty-one right handed older adults performed two versions of a dual task of verbal and spatial working memory. In the unbound dual task version letters and locations were presented simultaneously in separate locations, while in the bound dual task version each letter was paired with a specific location. In order to identify binding-specific differences, mixed-effects ANOVAs were run with the interaction of age and task as the effect of interest. Although older adults performed worse in the bound task than younger adults, there was no significant interaction between task and age on working memory performance. However, interactions of age and task were observed in brain activity analyses. Older adults did not display the greater unbound than bound task activity that younger adults did at the encoding phase in bilateral inferior parietal lobule, right putamen, and globus pallidus as well as at the maintenance phase in the cerebellum. We conclude that the binding of letters and locations in working memory is not as efficient in older adults as it is in younger adults, possibly due to the decline of cognitive control processes that are specific to working memory binding. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Coal gasification systems engineering and analysis. Appendix H: Work breakdown structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

A work breakdown structure (WBS) is presented which encompasses the multiple facets (hardware, software, services, and other tasks) of the coal gasification program. The WBS is shown to provide the basis for the following: management and control; cost estimating; budgeting and reporting; scheduling activities; organizational structuring; specification tree generation; weight allocation and control; procurement and contracting activities; and serves as a tool for program evaluation.

NREL: International Activities - Working with Us

Science.gov Websites

opportunities to develop technology partnerships and researcher-driven collaboration. Technology Partnerships expertise, including our energy analysis capabilities. Researcher-Driven Collaboration NREL scientists formal means, such as collaboration on specific technical topics. NREL researchers also actively

Army Working Capital Fund: Army Industrial Operations Could Improve Budgeting and Management of Carryover

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

typically operation and maintenance or procurement appropriations) to finance orders placed with Industrial Operations. When an Industrial Operations...organizations. Working capital fund activities finance inventories of common supplies and provide working capital for industrial and commercial...year and the outlay rate of the customers’ appropriations financing the work.9 For example, customer orders financed with a specific appropriation

Technology, normalisation and male sex work.

PubMed

MacPhail, Catherine; Scott, John; Minichiello, Victor

2015-01-01

Technological change, particularly the growth of the Internet and smart phones, has increased the visibility of male escorts, expanded their client base and diversified the range of venues in which male sex work can take place. Specifically, the Internet has relocated some forms of male sex work away from the street and thereby increased market reach, visibility and access and the scope of sex work advertising. Using the online profiles of 257 male sex workers drawn from six of the largest websites advertising male sexual services in Australia, the role of the Internet in facilitating the normalisation of male sex work is discussed. Specifically we examine how engagement with the sex industry has been reconstituted in term of better informed consumer-seller decisions for both clients and sex workers. Rather than being seen as a 'deviant' activity, understood in terms of pathology or criminal activity, male sex work is increasingly presented as an everyday commodity in the market place. In this context, the management of risks associated with sex work has shifted from formalised social control to more informal practices conducted among online communities of clients and sex workers. We discuss the implications for health, legal and welfare responses within an empowerment paradigm.

Dopaminergic contributions to working memory-related brain activation in postmenopausal women.

PubMed

Dumas, Julie A; Filippi, Christopher G; Newhouse, Paul A; Naylor, Magdalena R

2017-02-01

The current study examined the effects of pharmacologic dopaminergic manipulations on working memory-related brain activation in postmenopausal women to further understand the neurochemistry underlying cognition after menopause. Eighteen healthy postmenopausal women, mean age 55.21 years, completed three study days with dopaminergic drug challenges during which they performed a functional magnetic resonance imaging visual verbal N-back test of working memory. Acute stimulation with 1.25 mg oral D2 agonist bromocriptine, acute blockade with 1.5 mg oral haloperidol, and matching placebo were administered randomly and blindly on three study days. We found that dopaminergic stimulation increased activation primarily in the posterior regions of the working memory network compared with dopaminergic blockade using a whole brain cluster-level corrected analysis. The dopaminergic medications did not affect working memory performance. Patterns of increased blood-oxygen-level dependent signal activation after dopaminergic stimulation were found in this study in posterior brain regions with no effect on working memory performance. Further studies should examine specific dopaminergic contributions to brain functioning in healthy postmenopausal women to determine the effects of the increased brain activation on cognition and behavior.

Gender-specific changes in physical activity pattern in Iran: national surveillance of risk factors of non-communicable diseases (2007-2011).

PubMed

Koohpayehzadeh, Jalil; Etemad, Koorosh; Abbasi, Mehrshad; Meysamie, Alipasha; Sheikhbahaei, Sara; Asgari, Fereshteh; Noshad, Sina; Hafezi-Nejad, Nima; Rafei, Ali; Mousavizadeh, Mostafa; Khajeh, Elias; Ebadi, Maryam; Nakhjavani, Manouchehr; Esteghamati, Alireza

2014-04-01

This study describes the gender-specific pattern of physical activity (PA) in Iran 2011. The 4-year changes in PA levels (domains) are also determined according to the Iran's national surveys conducted on 2007 and 2011. Physical activity assessed based on the global physical activity questionnaire. In all, 4,121 (2007), and 7,436 (2011) adults were analyzed. Based on 2011 survey, 56.4 %, 39.2 %, and 74.4 % of participants were physically inactive at work, commuting and recreation, respectively. In all domains of PA, males showed a higher degree of activity (min/day) than females (P value <0.001). The overall prevalence of physical inactivity was increased from 15 % (2007) to 21.5 % (2011) (P value <0.001). Over the 4 years, a significant decline in total physical activity (MET × min/week) and the duration of commuting activity were noted in both genders. Work-related activity was dramatically decreased in females. However, the time spent in recreational activity remained relatively constant. This report indicating that the Iranian population, particularly females, have become less active during the survey period. Physical inactivity should receive more attention as a public health issue.

Teacher Education as Academic Work: The Affordances of a Materialist Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nuttall, Joce; Brennan, Marie

2016-01-01

In this paper we make an argument for paying close attention to the materiality of practice in understanding the work of teacher educators; specifically, the meanings of artefacts used by teacher educators in the course of their daily work. We locate this analysis within a dialectical materialist understanding of the development of human activity,…

Organization of Individual Work of Students under Competence-Oriented Approach to Education in Higher School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ualiyeva, Nazym T.; Murzalinova, Alma Z.

2016-01-01

The main objective of this research is to identify the essence, content and specifics of organization of individual work of higher school students under competence-oriented approach. The research methodology is related to the choice of competence-oriented approach to ensure transformation of individual work into individual activity in…

Dissecting contributions of prefrontal cortex and fusiform face area to face working memory.

PubMed

Druzgal, T Jason; D'Esposito, Mark

2003-08-15

Interactions between prefrontal cortex (PFC) and stimulus-specific visual cortical association areas are hypothesized to mediate visual working memory in behaving monkeys. To clarify the roles for homologous regions in humans, event-related fMRI was used to assess neural activity in PFC and fusiform face area (FFA) of subjects performing a delay-recognition task for faces. In both PFC and FFA, activity increased parametrically with memory load during encoding and maintenance of face stimuli, despite quantitative differences in the magnitude of activation. Moreover, timing differences in PFC and FFA activation during memory encoding and retrieval implied a context dependence in the flow of neural information. These results support existing neurophysiological models of visual working memory developed in the nonhuman primate.

Relationship between self-reported mental stressors at the workplace and salivary cortisol.

PubMed

Maina, Giovanni; Palmas, Antonio; Filon, Francesca Larese

2008-02-01

To investigate the association between work stress measures and salivary cortisol excretion in working and weekend days. In a sample of 68 healthy young call-centre operators dimensions of job stress from the demand-control model were related to repeated measures of salivary cortisol on seven samples (at awakening, +30 min, +60 min, + 3 h, +6 h, +9 h, and +12 h after awakening) at two working days and a weekend day. The cortisol excretion on work days was higher than during weekend day with gender-specific differences as women only showed higher significant values for area under the curve (AUC(G)) and Diurnal cycle (chi(2) (2) = 8.10, P < 0.05; chi(2) (2) = 15.75, P < 0.05, respectively). There were no associations between job demand, job control and cortisol excretion, while the sociodemographic characteristics of the call-centre operators showed linear relation with the diurnal pattern of cortisol secretory activity. The hypothalamic-pituitary adrenocortical axis activation was higher in working day than in weekend day. This activation measured by salivary cortisol was not related to self-reported mental stressors assessed with job strain model. The availability of more specific psychometric scales would be useful to explore the relationship between salivary cortisol levels and measures of mental stress at workplace.

Examining the neural correlates of active and passive forms of verbal-spatial binding in working memory.

PubMed

Grot, Stéphanie; Leclerc, Marie-Eve; Luck, David

2018-05-23

We designed an fMRI study to pinpoint the neural correlates of active and passive binding in working memory. Participants were instructed to memorize three words and three spatial locations. In the passive binding condition, words and spatial locations were directly presented as bound. Conversely, in the active binding condition, words and spatial locations were presented as separated, and participants were directed to intentionally create associations between them. Our results showed that participants performed better on passive binding relative to active binding. FMRI analysis revealed that both binding conditions induced greater activity within the hippocampus. Additionally, our analyses divulged regions specifically engaged in passive and active binding. Altogether, these data allow us to propose the hippocampus as a central candidate for working memory binding. When needed, a frontal-parietal network can contribute to the rearrangement of information. These findings may inform theories of working memory binding. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Demonstration of Enantiomer Specificity of Proteins and Drugs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Gretchen L.; Page, Shallee T.

2004-01-01

Classroom demonstrations and activities are used to illustrate the properties of enantiomer. During this activity, in a relatively short time students develop a working knowledge of the importance of stereochemistry in biochemistry and its effect on drug design and metabolism.

Associations among workplace environment, self-regulation, and domain-specific physical activities among white-collar workers: a multilevel longitudinal study.

PubMed

Watanabe, Kazuhiro; Kawakami, Norito; Otsuka, Yasumasa; Inoue, Shigeru

2018-05-31

Psychological and environmental determinants have been discussed for promoting physical activity among workers. However, few studies have investigated effects of both workplace environment and psychological determinants on physical activity. It is also unknown which domains of physical activities are promoted by these determinants. This study aimed to investigate main and interaction effects of workplace environment and individual self-regulation for physical activity on domain-specific physical activities among white-collar workers. A multi-site longitudinal study was conducted at baseline and about 5-month follow-up. A total of 49 worksites and employees within the worksites were recruited. Inclusion criteria for the worksites (a) were located in the Kanto area, Japan and (b) employed two or more employees. Employee inclusion criteria were (a) employed by the worksites, (b) aged 18 years or older, and (c) white-collar workers. For outcomes, three domain-specific physical activities (occupational, transport-related, and leisure-time) at baseline and follow-up were measured. For independent variables, self-regulation for physical activity, workplace environments (parking/bike, signs/bulletin boards/advertisements, stairs/elevators, physical activity/fitness facilities, work rules, written policies, and health promotion programs), and covariates at baseline were measured. Hierarchical Linear Modeling was conducted to investigate multilevel associations. Of the recruited worksites, 23 worksites and 562 employees, and 22 worksites and 459 employees completed the baseline and the follow-up surveys. As results of Hierarchical Linear Modeling, stairs/elevator (γ=3.80 [SE=1.80], p<0.05), physical activity/fitness facilities (γ=4.98 [SE=1.09], p<0.01), and written policies (γ=2.10 [SE=1.02], p<0.05) were significantly and positively associated with occupational physical activity. Self-regulation for physical activity was associated significantly with leisure-time physical activity (γ=0.09 [SE=0.04], p<0.05) but insignificantly with occupational and transport-related physical activity (γ=0.11 [SE=0.16] and γ=-0.00 [SE=0.06]). Significant interaction effects of workplace environments (physical activity/fitness facilities, work rules, and written policies) and self-regulation were observed on transport-related and leisure-time physical activity. Workplace environments such as physical activity/fitness facilities, written policies, work rules, and signs for stair use at stairs and elevators; self-regulation for physical activity; and their interactions may be effective to promote three domain-specific physical activities. This study has practical implications for designing multi-component interventions that include both environmental and psychological approaches to increase effect sizes to promote overall physical activity.

Work-Related Activities Associated with Injury in Occupational and Physical Therapists

PubMed Central

Campo, Marc; King, Phyllis

2013-01-01

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine work activities associated with work-related injury (WRI) in occupational and physical therapy. Participants 1,158 occupational and physical therapists in Wisconsin responded to a mailed survey, from a total of 3,297 OTs and PTs randomly selected from the State licensure list. Methods The study used a cross-sectional, survey design. Participants reported information about WRI they sustained between 2004 and 2006, including the activities they were performing when injured. Investigators analyzed 248 injury incidents using qualitative and quantitative analysis. Results Data were examined across OT and PT practice in general, and also by practice area. Manual therapy and transfers/lifts were associated with 54% of all injuries. Other activities associated with injury were distinct to practice area, for example: floor work in pediatrics; functional activities in acute care; patient falls in skilled nursing facilities; and motor vehicle activities in home care. Conclusions Injury prevention activities must address transfers and manual therapy, but also must examine setting-specific activities influenced by environment and patient population. PMID:22523031

The Influence of Pre-stimulus EEG Activity on Reaction Time During a Verbal Sternberg Task is Related to Musical Expertise.

PubMed

Klein, Carina; Diaz Hernandez, Laura; Koenig, Thomas; Kottlow, Mara; Elmer, Stefan; Jäncke, Lutz

2016-01-01

Previous work highlighted the possibility that musical training has an influence on cognitive functioning. The suggested reason for this influence is the strong recruitment of attention, planning, and working memory functions during playing a musical instrument. The purpose of the present work was twofold, namely to evaluate the general relationship between pre-stimulus electrophysiological activity and cognition, and more specifically the influence of musical expertise on working memory functions. With this purpose in mind, we used covariance mapping analyses to evaluate whether pre-stimulus electroencephalographic activity is predictive for reaction time during a visual working memory task (Sternberg paradigm) in musicians and non-musicians. In line with our hypothesis, we replicated previous findings pointing to a general predictive value of pre-stimulus activity for working memory performance. Most importantly, we also provide first evidence for an influence of musical expertise on working memory performance that could distinctively be predicted by pre-stimulus spectral power. Our results open novel perspectives for better comprehending the vast influences of musical expertise on cognition.

Content-specific evidence accumulation in inferior temporal cortex during perceptual decision-making

PubMed Central

Tremel, Joshua J.; Wheeler, Mark E.

2015-01-01

During a perceptual decision, neuronal activity can change as a function of time-integrated evidence. Such neurons may serve as decision variables, signaling a choice when activity reaches a boundary. Because the signals occur on a millisecond timescale, translating to human decision-making using functional neuroimaging has been challenging. Previous neuroimaging work in humans has identified patterns of neural activity consistent with an accumulation account. However, the degree to which the accumulating neuroimaging signals reflect specific sources of perceptual evidence is unknown. Using an extended face/house discrimination task in conjunction with cognitive modeling, we tested whether accumulation signals, as measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), are stimulus-specific. Accumulation signals were defined as a change in the slope of the rising edge of activation corresponding with response time (RT), with higher slopes associated with faster RTs. Consistent with an accumulation account, fMRI activity in face- and house-selective regions in the inferior temporal cortex increased at a rate proportional to decision time in favor of the preferred stimulus. This finding indicates that stimulus-specific regions perform an evidence integrative function during goal-directed behavior and that different sources of evidence accumulate separately. We also assessed the decision-related function of other regions throughout the brain and found that several regions were consistent with classifications from prior work, suggesting a degree of domain generality in decision processing. Taken together, these results provide support for an integration-to-boundary decision mechanism and highlight possible roles of both domain-specific and domain-general regions in decision evidence evaluation. PMID:25562821

[Employment, a declining value].

PubMed

Deberdt, Jean-Patrick

2002-03-23

Because of increase in unemployment, and the consequent lack of job security and exclusion it leads to, the positive bond associated with work has, globally, been broken. Success both in professional and private life has become a competing aspiration, with a decreasing tendency to sacrifice one's private life for one's work. Physicians are also affected by this tendency and a major link has been broken in the attachment of the medical corps to their work. The fact that work is considered as a declining value, also in the health sector, corresponds to specific economic and societal phenomena. The repositioning of health in the economic activity, the re-definition of the medical professions with their specific competence, are presently under discussion.

Build a Bird House. Grades 3-5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rushton, Erik; Ryan, Emily; Swift, Charles

In this activity, students construct bird nests and birdhouses. Students research a bird of their choice in order to design a house that will meet that bird's specific needs. The activity works well in conjunction with a high school level woodshop class where students would partner up. This activity requires an 80-minute time period for…

Total and domain-specific sitting time among employees in desk-based work settings in Australia.

PubMed

Bennie, Jason A; Pedisic, Zeljko; Timperio, Anna; Crawford, David; Dunstan, David; Bauman, Adrian; van Uffelen, Jannique; Salmon, Jo

2015-06-01

To describe the total and domain-specific daily sitting time among a sample of Australian office-based employees. In April 2010, paper-based surveys were provided to desk-based employees (n=801) in Victoria, Australia. Total daily and domain-specific (work, leisure-time and transport-related) sitting time (minutes/day) were assessed by validated questionnaires. Differences in sitting time were examined across socio-demographic (age, sex, occupational status) and lifestyle characteristics (physical activity levels, body mass index [BMI]) using multiple linear regression analyses. The median (95% confidence interval [CI]) of total daily sitting time was 540 (531-557) minutes/day. Insufficiently active adults (median=578 minutes/day, [95%CI: 564-602]), younger adults aged 18-29 years (median=561 minutes/day, [95%CI: 540-577]) reported the highest total daily sitting times. Occupational sitting time accounted for almost 60% of total daily sitting time. In multivariate analyses, total daily sitting time was negatively associated with age (unstandardised regression coefficient [B]=-1.58, p<0.001) and overall physical activity (minutes/week) (B=-0.03, p<0.001) and positively associated with BMI (B=1.53, p=0.038). Desk-based employees reported that more than half of their total daily sitting time was accrued in the work setting. Given the high contribution of occupational sitting to total daily sitting time among desk-based employees, interventions should focus on the work setting. © 2014 Public Health Association of Australia.

Framing the Future: People, Places, Projects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knapsey, Kath

This publication describes six Framing the Future (FTF) staff development projects that use work-based learning with different project teams and learning activities varying from general awareness to specific skills development in Australia. "The Center for Human Services--Working for Its People" describes a project that introduced a…

Content-specific activational effects of estrogen on working memory performance.

PubMed

Vranić, Andrea; Hromatko, Ivana

2008-07-01

The authors explored the influence of task content and the menstrual cycle phase on working memory (WM) performance. They addressed the content specificity of WM in the framework of evolutionary psychology, proposing a hormone-mediated adaptive design governing face perception. The authors tested 2 groups of healthy young women (n = 66 women with regular menstrual cycle, n = 27 oral contraceptive users) on a WM task with adult male or infant face photographs. Analyses of variance showed significant interaction between task content and estrogen level. Women were more efficient in solving the male faces task during high-estrogen phase of the cycle than during low-estrogen phase. No differences were found in the efficacy of solving the infant faces task between different phases of the cycle. Results suggest content-specific activational effects of estrogen on the WM performance and are consistent with the notion of a hormonal mechanism underlying adaptive shifts in cognition related to mating motivation.

Technical support for geopressured-geothermal activities in Louisiana. Final geological report, 1 November 1981-31 October 1982

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

Pilger, R.H.

1984-06-25

This report contains the component Site-Specific Studies-Geophysics, Diagenesis, Geochemistry. Work for Site-Specific Studies is finished, and the results presented in this report are final. Individual studies have been entered separately into the data base. (ACR)

Individual, Social, and Environmental Correlates of Active Transportation Patterns in French Women.

PubMed

Perchoux, Camille; Enaux, Christophe; Oppert, Jean-Michel; Menai, Mehdi; Charreire, Hélène; Salze, Paul; Weber, Christiane; Hercberg, Serge; Feuillet, Thierry; Hess, Franck; Roda, Célina; Simon, Chantal; Nazare, Julie-Anne

2017-01-01

The objectives were (1) to define physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors (SB) patterns in daily life contexts (work, leisure, and transportation) in French working women from NutriNet-Santé web-cohort and (2) to identify pattern(s) of active transportation and their individual, social, and environmental correlates. 23,432 participants completed two questionnaires to evaluate PA and SB in daily life contexts and individual representations of residential neighborhood and transportation modes. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed which identified 6 distinct movement behavior patterns: (i) active occupation, high sedentary leisure, (ii) sedentary occupation, low leisure, (iii) sedentary transportation, (iv) sedentary occupation and leisure, (v) active transportation, and (vi) active leisure. Multinomial logistic regressions were performed to identify correlates of the "active transportation" cluster. The perceived environmental characteristics positively associated with "active transportation" included "high availability of destinations around home," "presence of bicycle paths," and "low traffic." A "positive image of walking/cycling," the "individual feeling of being physically active," and a "high use of active transport modes by relatives/friends" were positively related to "active transportation," identified as a unique pattern regarding individual and environmental correlates. Identification of PA and SB context-specific patterns will help to understand movement behaviors' complexity and to design interventions to promote active transportation in specific subgroups.

Coming Out in Class: Challenges and Benefits of Active Learning in a Biology Classroom for LGBTQIA Students

PubMed Central

Cooper, Katelyn M.; Brownell, Sara E.

2016-01-01

As we transition our undergraduate biology classrooms from traditional lectures to active learning, the dynamics among students become more important. These dynamics can be influenced by student social identities. One social identity that has been unexamined in the context of undergraduate biology is the spectrum of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) identities. In this exploratory interview study, we probed the experiences and perceptions of seven students who identify as part of the LGBTQIA community. We found that students do not always experience the undergraduate biology classroom to be a welcoming or accepting place for their identities. In contrast to traditional lectures, active-learning classes increase the relevance of their LGBTQIA identities due to the increased interactions among students during group work. Finally, working with other students in active-learning classrooms can present challenges and opportunities for students considering their LGBTQIA identity. These findings indicate that these students’ LGBTQIA identities are affecting their experience in the classroom and that there may be specific instructional practices that can mitigate some of the possible obstacles. We hope that this work can stimulate discussions about how to broadly make our active-learning biology classes more inclusive of this specific population of students. PMID:27543636

The Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Val66Met Polymorphism Moderates an Effect of Physical Activity on Working Memory Performance

PubMed Central

Erickson, Kirk I.; Banducci, Sarah E.; Weinstein, Andrea M.; MacDonald, Angus W.; Ferrell, Robert E.; Halder, Indrani; Flory, Janine D.; Manuck, Stephen B.

2014-01-01

Physical activity enhances cognitive performance, yet individual variability in its effectiveness limits its widespread therapeutic application. Genetic differences might be one source of this variation. For example, carriers of the methionine-specifying (Met) allele of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism have reduced secretion of BDNF and poorer memory, yet physical activity increases BDNF levels. To determine whether the BDNF polymorphism moderated an association of physical activity with cognitive functioning among 1,032 midlife volunteers (mean age = 44.59 years), we evaluated participants’ performance on a battery of tests assessing memory, learning, and executive processes, and evaluated their physical activity with the Paffenbarger Physical Activity Questionnaire. BDNF genotype interacted robustly with physical activity to affect working memory, but not other areas of cognitive functioning. In particular, greater levels of physical activity offset a deleterious effect of the Met allele on working memory performance. These findings suggest that physical activity can modulate domain-specific genetic (BDNF) effects on cognition. PMID:23907543

Combining statistics from two national complex surveys to estimate injury rates per hour exposed and variance by activity in the USA.

PubMed

Lin, Tin-Chi; Marucci-Wellman, Helen R; Willetts, Joanna L; Brennan, Melanye J; Verma, Santosh K

2016-12-01

A common issue in descriptive injury epidemiology is that in order to calculate injury rates that account for the time spent in an activity, both injury cases and exposure time of specific activities need to be collected. In reality, few national surveys have this capacity. To address this issue, we combined statistics from two different national complex surveys as inputs for the numerator and denominator to estimate injury rate, accounting for the time spent in specific activities and included a procedure to estimate variance using the combined surveys. The 2010 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) was used to quantify injuries, and the 2010 American Time Use Survey (ATUS) was used to quantify time of exposure to specific activities. The injury rate was estimated by dividing the average number of injuries (from NHIS) by average exposure hours (from ATUS), both measured for specific activities. The variance was calculated using the 'delta method', a general method for variance estimation with complex surveys. Among the five types of injuries examined, 'sport and exercise' had the highest rate (12.64 injuries per 100 000 h), followed by 'working around house/yard' (6.14), driving/riding a motor vehicle (2.98), working (1.45) and sleeping/resting/eating/drinking (0.23). The results show a ranking of injury rate by activity quite different from estimates using population as the denominator. Our approach produces an estimate of injury risk which includes activity exposure time and may more reliably reflect the underlying injury risks, offering an alternative method for injury surveillance and research. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Accounting for Every Kilowatt

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

accountability of individual load con- sumption, forewarning of maintenance problems, and aware- ness of human activity based on electrical activity...accountability and maintenance examples were identified from our desks at MIT. Tech support can be anywhere and do the same. Human Activity DepNILM...provides awareness of human activity within a net- work. Each device has an electrical fingerprint, and specific de- vices imply associated human actions

Biologically-inspired robust and adaptive multi-sensor fusion and active control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khosla, Deepak; Dow, Paul A.; Huber, David J.

2009-04-01

In this paper, we describe a method and system for robust and efficient goal-oriented active control of a machine (e.g., robot) based on processing, hierarchical spatial understanding, representation and memory of multimodal sensory inputs. This work assumes that a high-level plan or goal is known a priori or is provided by an operator interface, which translates into an overall perceptual processing strategy for the machine. Its analogy to the human brain is the download of plans and decisions from the pre-frontal cortex into various perceptual working memories as a perceptual plan that then guides the sensory data collection and processing. For example, a goal might be to look for specific colored objects in a scene while also looking for specific sound sources. This paper combines three key ideas and methods into a single closed-loop active control system. (1) Use high-level plan or goal to determine and prioritize spatial locations or waypoints (targets) in multimodal sensory space; (2) collect/store information about these spatial locations at the appropriate hierarchy and representation in a spatial working memory. This includes invariant learning of these spatial representations and how to convert between them; and (3) execute actions based on ordered retrieval of these spatial locations from hierarchical spatial working memory and using the "right" level of representation that can efficiently translate into motor actions. In its most specific form, the active control is described for a vision system (such as a pantilt- zoom camera system mounted on a robotic head and neck unit) which finds and then fixates on high saliency visual objects. We also describe the approach where the goal is to turn towards and sequentially foveate on salient multimodal cues that include both visual and auditory inputs.

Increased work and social engagement is associated with increased stroke specific quality of life in stroke survivors at 3 months and 12 months post-stroke: a longitudinal study of an Australian stroke cohort.

PubMed

Tse, Tamara; Binte Yusoff, Siti Zubaidah; Churilov, Leonid; Ma, Henry; Davis, Stephen; Donnan, Geoffrey Alan; Carey, Leeanne M

2017-09-01

There is a relative lack of longitudinal studies investigating stroke-specific outcomes and quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to identify which factors (level of disability, cognitive functioning, depressive symptoms, physical activity, and work and social engagement) were independently associated with each stroke-specific domain of QOL, adjusting for age and gender, at 3 months and 12 months post-stroke in an Australian cohort. Survivors of ischemic stroke were recruited from 18 sites of the STroke imAging pRevention and Treatment (START) longitudinal cohort study. Survivors were assessed at 3 months (n = 185) and 12 months (n = 170) post-stroke using the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS), modified Rankin Scale (mRS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity, and Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS). WSAS was independently associated with the SIS domains of: Physical Composite function; Participation; and Perceived Recovery at 3 months and 12 months and SIS domain of Emotion at 12 months post-stroke. The presence of depressive symptoms was independently associated with the SIS domains of: Memory and Thinking; and Emotion at 3 months. At 12 months post-stroke, mRS was independently associated with SIS domain of Physical Composite function and MoCA with SIS domain of Communication. Engaging in work and social activities is an important factor associated with stroke-specific domains of QOL over time. It is recommended that services focus on improving work and social engagement given their importance related to QOL in the first year of recovery post-stroke. Identifying and treating those with depressive symptoms may enhance QOL in the early months post-stroke. START-PrePARE Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials, www.anzctr.org.au , Registry number: ACTRN12610000987066. EXTEND ClinicalTrial.gov identifier: NCT00887328.

Improving the use of health data for health system strengthening.

PubMed

Nutley, Tara; Reynolds, Heidi W

2013-02-13

Good quality and timely data from health information systems are the foundation of all health systems. However, too often data sit in reports, on shelves or in databases and are not sufficiently utilised in policy and program development, improvement, strategic planning and advocacy. Without specific interventions aimed at improving the use of data produced by information systems, health systems will never fully be able to meet the needs of the populations they serve. To employ a logic model to describe a pathway of how specific activities and interventions can strengthen the use of health data in decision making to ultimately strengthen the health system. A logic model was developed to provide a practical strategy for developing, monitoring and evaluating interventions to strengthen the use of data in decision making. The model draws on the collective strengths and similarities of previous work and adds to those previous works by making specific recommendations about interventions and activities that are most proximate to affect the use of data in decision making. The model provides an organizing framework for how interventions and activities work to strengthen the systematic demand, synthesis, review, and use of data. The logic model and guidance are presented to facilitate its widespread use and to enable improved data-informed decision making in program review and planning, advocacy, policy development. Real world examples from the literature support the feasible application of the activities outlined in the model. The logic model provides specific and comprehensive guidance to improve data demand and use. It can be used to design, monitor and evaluate interventions, and to improve demand for, and use of, data in decision making. As more interventions are implemented to improve use of health data, those efforts need to be evaluated.

Examination of arthritis-related work place activity limitations and intermittent disability over four-and-a-half years and its relationship to job modifications and outcomes.

PubMed

Gignac, Monique A M; Cao, Xingshan; Tang, Kenneth; Beaton, Dorcas E

2011-07-01

To examine the type, degree, and episodic nature of arthritis-related work place activity limitations and the consistency of the relationship of activity limitations to job modifications and work place outcomes. Using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire, individuals with osteoarthritis (OA) or inflammatory arthritis (IA) were interviewed at 4 time points, 18 months apart. At baseline, all participants (n = 490; 381 women, 109 men) were employed. Respondents were recruited using community advertising and from rheumatology and rehabilitation clinics. The Workplace Activity Limitations Scale (WALS) assessed arthritis-related disability with job tasks. Job modifications/accommodations (e.g., scheduling changes), work place outcomes (e.g., absenteeism), demographics, illness, and work context were also measured. Repeated cross-sectional logistic regressions examined levels of WALS disability with job modifications and outcomes at each time point. Similar levels of activity limitations were found comparing OA and IA with fewer difficulties with global aspects of work (e.g., scheduling) than with specific tasks (e.g., working with hands). Three-quarters of the participants had episodic or intermittent WALS difficulty over time. Medium and high levels of work place activity limitations were significantly associated with job modifications, and high WALS difficulty was consistently related to negative work outcomes. Many individuals with arthritis report some difficulty with work place activities. However, these difficulties are often intermittent and may not result in changes to work productivity until they are consistently high. This is important for designing work place interventions and for employers, insurers, and the government to understand to avoid viewing individuals with arthritis as a permanent drain on work place and health resources. Copyright © 2011 by the American College of Rheumatology.

76 FR 35454 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-17

..., selective and targeted prevention activities and services; and (4) to collect performance and outcome data... other Federal partners to use in working with States and Territories to improve their behavioral health... seventeen goals were population specific (pregnant [[Page 35456

More than Solutions: Empowering Students to Think Strategically and Tactically

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Del Gandio, Jason

2017-01-01

Courses: Communication Activism; Public Advocacy; Social Movements; Public Speaking; Persuasion; Argumentation; Public Sphere. Objectives: This semester-long activity helps students implement a solutions--strategies--tactics framework into their advocacy work. More specifically, students learn to (1) designate, research, and assess the causes of…

InstanceCollage: A Tool for the Particularization of Collaborative IMS-LD Scripts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villasclaras-Fernandez, Eloy D.; Hernandez-Gonzalo, Julio A.; Hernandez-Leo, Davinia; Asensio-Perez, Juan I.; Dimitriadis, Yannis; Martinez-Mones, Alejandra

2009-01-01

Current research work in e-learning and more specifically in the field of CSCL (Computer Supported Collaborative Learning) deals with design of collaborative activities, according to computer-interpretable specifications, such as IMS Learning Design, and their posterior enactment using LMSs (Learning Management Systems). A script that describes…

Between the Dark and the Daylight.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morneau, Robert F.

1998-01-01

Asserts that, unless we balance work and contemplation, we lose control of our lives and ourselves. Offers three ideas to return equilibrium to our lives for consideration: specificity, accountability, and expectations. Suggests specific activities, such as committing to a time-management program, as processes for reaching a harmony of action and…

Integrating psychological research on girls with feminist activism: a model for building a liberation psychology in the United States.

PubMed

Grant, Kathryn E; Finkelstein, Jo-Ann S; Lyons, Aoife L

2003-03-01

A liberation psychology is needed to bridge the gap between psychology's focus on individual distress and broad social forces that foster such distress. We offer a model for bridging this gap by focusing on a specific area of psychology (psychological research on girls) and a specific social movement (feminist activism). Psychological research on girls and feminist activism share the common goal of improving the lives of girls and women. However, both have fallen short of this goal. This is due, in part, to the weaknesses associated with each endeavor and to the fact that the complementary strengths of each have remained isolated from the other. In this paper, we propose a common language and shared framework to integrate psychological research with feminist activism. First, we review the basic strengths and weaknesses associated with psychological research and feminist activism, with a particular focus on how they are distinct from one another. Second, we provide a taxonomic framework for integrating these two areas on the basis of the stress paradigm, with specific examples provided from our recent reviews of the literature and our own empirical work with adolescent girls. Finally, we conclude with recommendations for future work needed to integrate psychological research on girls with feminist activism toward the goal of building a liberation psychology in the United States.

Overview of the NASA/RECON educational, research, and development activities of the Computer Science Departments of the University of Southwestern Louisiana and Southern University

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dominick, Wayne D. (Editor)

1984-01-01

This document presents a brief overview of the scope of activities undertaken by the Computer Science Departments of the University of Southern Louisiana (USL) and Southern University (SU) pursuant to a contract with NASA. Presented are only basic identification data concerning the contract activities since subsequent entries within the Working Paper Series will be oriented specifically toward a detailed development and presentation of plans, methodologies, and results of each contract activity. Also included is a table of contents of the entire USL/DBMS NASA/RECON Working Paper Series.

No Escaping the Rat Race: Simulated Night Shift Work Alters the Time-of-Day Variation in BMAL1 Translational Activity in the Prefrontal Cortex.

PubMed

Marti, Andrea R; Patil, Sudarshan; Mrdalj, Jelena; Meerlo, Peter; Skrede, Silje; Pallesen, Ståle; Pedersen, Torhild T; Bramham, Clive R; Grønli, Janne

2017-01-01

Millions of people worldwide work during the night, resulting in disturbed circadian rhythms and sleep loss. This may cause deficits in cognitive functions, impaired alertness and increased risk of errors and accidents. Disturbed circadian rhythmicity resulting from night shift work could impair brain function and cognition through disrupted synthesis of proteins involved in synaptic plasticity and neuronal function. Recently, the circadian transcription factor brain-and-muscle arnt-like protein 1 (BMAL1) has been identified as a promoter of mRNA translation initiation, the most highly regulated step in protein synthesis, through binding to the mRNA "cap". In this study we investigated the effects of simulated shift work on protein synthesis markers. Male rats ( n = 40) were exposed to forced activity, either in their rest phase (simulated night shift work) or in their active phase (simulated day shift work) for 3 days. Following the third work shift, experimental animals and time-matched undisturbed controls were euthanized (rest work at ZT12; active work at ZT0). Tissue lysates from two brain regions (prefrontal cortex, PFC and hippocampus) implicated in cognition and sleep loss, were analyzed with m 7 GTP (cap) pull-down to examine time-of-day variation and effects of simulated shift work on cap-bound protein translation. The results show time-of-day variation of protein synthesis markers in PFC, with increased protein synthesis at ZT12. In the hippocampus there was little difference between ZT0 and ZT12. Active phase work did not induce statistically significant changes in protein synthesis markers at ZT0 compared to time-matched undisturbed controls. Rest work, however, resulted in distinct brain-region specific changes of protein synthesis markers compared to time-matched controls at ZT12. While no changes were observed in the hippocampus, phosphorylation of cap-bound BMAL1 and its regulator S6 kinase beta-1 (S6K1) was significantly reduced in the PFC, together with significant reduction in the synaptic plasticity associated protein activity-regulatedcytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc). Our results indicate considerable time-of-day and brain-region specific variation in cap-dependent translation initiation. We concludethat simulated night shift work in rats disrupts the pathways regulating the circadian component of the translation of mRNA in the PFC, and that this may partly explain impaired waking function during night shift work.

Dopaminergic contributions to working memory-related brain activation in postmenopausal women

PubMed Central

Dumas, Julie A.; Filippi, Christopher G.; Newhouse, Paul A.; Naylor, Magdalena R.

2016-01-01

Objective The current study examined the effects of pharmacologic dopaminergic manipulations on working memory-related brain activation in postmenopausal women to further understand the neurochemistry underlying cognition after menopause. Method Eighteen healthy postmenopausal women, mean age 55.21 years, completed three study days with dopaminergic drug challenges during which they performed an fMRI visual verbal N-back test of working memory. Acute stimulation with 1.25 mg oral D2 agonist bromocriptine, acute blockade with 1.5 mg oral haloperidol, and matching placebo were administered randomly and blindly on three study days. Results We found that dopaminergic stimulation increased activation primarily in the posterior regions of the working memory network compared to dopaminergic blockade using a whole brain cluster-level corrected analysis. The dopaminergic medications did not affect working memory performance. Conclusions Patterns of increased BOLD signal activation after dopaminergic stimulation were found in this study in posterior brain regions with no effect on working memory performance. Further studies should examine specific dopaminergic contributions to brain functioning in healthy postmenopausal women in order to determine the effects of the increased brain activation on cognition and behavior. PMID:27676634

Loss of Work Productivity and Quality of Life in Patients With Autoimmune Bullous Dermatoses.

PubMed

Heelan, K; Hitzig, S L; Knowles, S; Drucker, A M; Mittmann, N; Walsh, S; Shear, N H

2015-01-01

Little is known about quality of life and work productivity in autoimmune bullous dermatoses (AIBDs). To determine the impact of AIBDs on quality of life and work productivity. An observational cross-sectional study took place between February and May 2013 at an AIBD tertiary referral centre. Ninety-four patients were included. All participants completed the Dermatology Life Quality Index and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment-Specific Health Problem questionnaires. Responders to treatment had less impairment (P<.001) than nonresponders. Patients with severe AIBD had significantly more impairment that those with mild (P<.001) and moderate (P=.002) AIBD. Greater impairment was associated with higher percentage of work missed. Those with a higher Dermatology Life Quality Index score had greater work impairment and overall activity impairment (P=.041, P=.024). Nonresponders had increased impairment while working (P<.001), overall work impairment (P<.001), and activity impairment (P<.001). Severely affected patients had worse impairment in all Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire domains. AIBD has the potential to be a large burden on ability to work and quality of life. Larger studies are needed to clarify how these domains change over time and whether or not they improve with treatment. © The Author(s) 2015.

Results of the pilot proof of the inquiry activities conducted in the science center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kireš, Marián; BilišÅanská, Mária

2017-01-01

The science center SteelPARK Košice offers more than 60 interactive exhibits focused on presenting scientific principles and technical solutions connected to the production and manufacture of steel, research of its properties and its various industrial uses. We are trying to enhance the attractivity of the modern style of the exhibitions and its potential to engage students of ground and middle schools in acquiring new knowledge and capabilities, by means of the inquiry science center. Two laboratory measurements, for 5 three-person teams are provided once a month. During the introductory discussion on the activity, they are asked to answer a series of conceptual questions, which help determine their level of understanding at the beginning of the exercise. The measurements are based in guided inquiry, where the work progress is given a forehand, but the desired result is not. Every activity is focused on developing specific research capabilities. This is being monitored through a self-evaluation card, which every participants is required to fill out immediately after completing the activity. The work is tutored by a lecturer from the students of didactics. During two years and running 15 different activities, we have been able to gather information from more than 6000 students of ground and middle schools. Specific physics measurements, their respective conceptual questions, worksheets and final reports are being presented in this article. We evaluate the present level of conceptual understanding based on the acquired data and give recommendation to teachers on ways to improve the student's capabilities. The teacher, by way of observing the activity, the work of the lecturer and the students, is able to form an understanding of the inquiry activity for their own school practice, for which he/she can use all available methodical and work materials.

Aeronautics Research and Technology Program and specific objectives, fiscal year 1982

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olstad, W. B.

1981-01-01

The Aeronautics Research and Technology program is broken down into two program areas (research and technology base, and systems technology programs) which are further broken down into succeedingly more detailed activities to form a work breakdown structure for the aeronautics program: program area, program/discipline objective, specific objective, and research and technology objective and plan (RTOP). A detailed view of this work breakdown structure down to the specific objective level is provided, and goals or objectives at each of these levels are set forth. What is to be accomplished and why are addressed, but not how. The letter falls within the domain of the RTOP.

A South-East Asian perspective.

PubMed

Koh, D; Chia, S E; Jeyaratnam, J

2000-01-01

In order to discuss the subject of occupational medicine in the next century, changes in the present demographic profile and work activity must be considered first. Only then can the challenges be identified, and appropriate strategies be formulated to respond to them. In the diverse countries of South-East Asia, improved health and work conditions, the advent of new technology, a redistribution of work activity, and an ageing workforce can be expected. Two other factors that have specific impact in the region are the recent financial crisis and the occurrence of an international environmental haze from forest fires. The various countries in South-East Asia, which are in different stages of development, and have different problems and priorities, will respond differently to the demands for occupational health. It is likely that there will be a shift in the focus of current health care activities towards specific work sectors, the recognition of new hazards at work, the identification of newly emerging work related diseases, and an increase in health promotion in the workplace. Hopefully, there will be improved training of health professionals to ensure that there are adequate numbers and that they are well prepared to face these changes. Responsive, appropriate and well enforced labour legislation to protect the health of all workers, and international cooperation in occupational and environmental health are also required. As global and regional economic conditions continue to remain unstable and the impact of the crisis further takes its course, the final effect on occupational health in South-East Asia remains to be seen.

Impact of overactive bladder on work productivity.

PubMed

Coyne, Karin S; Sexton, Chris C; Thompson, Christine L; Clemens, J Quentin; Chen, Chieh I; Bavendam, Tamara; Dmochowski, Roger

2012-07-01

To evaluate the impact of overactive bladder (OAB) on work productivity in a large, population-based study in the United States, with an overrepresentation of minorities. This cross-sectional, Internet-based survey was conducted among men and women aged 18-70. The lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) tool was used to assess symptoms over past 4 weeks. OAB was defined by urinary urgency of at least "sometimes" and/or urgency urinary incontinence (UUI). Outcomes included work status, Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire--General Health (WPAI-GH) and Specific Health (WPAI-SH), and questions about the impact of urinary symptoms on work. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate group differences (no/minimal symptoms [NMS] vs OAB). Logistic regressions evaluated predictors of unemployment status controlling for comorbid conditions, risk factors, and demographic variables. The response rate was 57%. A total of 5795 men and women were included in the analysis (OAB, 2323; NMS, 3472). OAB cases were significantly more likely to be unemployed (men, 44%; women, 54%) compared to those with NMS (men, 24%; women, 41%). Mean work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI) percent impairment while working was as follows: 19% and 21% among men and women with OAB; NMS, 4% and 7%. Significant differences were found for all urinary-specific WPAI-SHP items and other condition-specific outcomes. Men with OAB were 1.5 times more likely to be unemployed as compared to those with NMS when covariates were controlled for, whereas the association between OAB and unemployment in multivariate analysis was nonsignificant among women. Comparison with other outcomes suggests that OAB impairs work at levels comparable to other serious chronic conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Eccentric activation and muscle damage: biomechanical and physiological considerations during downhill running.

PubMed Central

Eston, R G; Mickleborough, J; Baltzopoulos, V

1995-01-01

An eccentric muscle activation is the controlled lengthening of the muscle under tension. Functionally, most leg muscles work eccentrically for some part of a normal gait cycle, to support the weight of the body against gravity and to absorb shock. During downhill running the role of eccentric work of the 'anti-gravity' muscles--knee extensors, muscles of the anterior and posterior tibial compartments and hip extensors--is accentuated. The purpose of this paper is to review the relationship between eccentric muscle activation and muscle damage, particularly as it relates to running, and specifically, downhill running. PMID:7551767

Defining the action spectrum of potential PGC-1α activators on a mitochondrial and cellular level in vivo.

PubMed

Hofer, Annette; Noe, Natalie; Tischner, Christin; Kladt, Nikolay; Lellek, Veronika; Schauß, Astrid; Wenz, Tina

2014-05-01

Previous studies have demonstrated a therapeutic benefit of pharmaceutical PGC-1α activation in cellular and murine model of disorders linked to mitochondrial dysfunction. While in some cases, this effect seems to be clearly associated with boosting of mitochondrial function, additional alterations as well as tissue- and cell-type-specific effects might play an important role. We initiated a comprehensive analysis of the effects of potential PGC-1α-activating drugs and pharmaceutically targeted the PPAR (bezafibrate, rosiglitazone), AMPK (AICAR, metformin) and Sirt1 (resveratrol) pathways in HeLa cells, neuronal cells and PGC-1α-deficient MEFs to get insight into cell type specificity and PGC-1α dependence of their working action. We used bezafibrate as a model drug to assess the effect on a tissue-specific level in a murine model. Not all analyzed drugs activate the PGC pathway or alter mitochondrial protein levels. However, they all affect supramolecular assembly of OXPHOS complexes and OXPHOS protein stability. In addition, a clear drug- and cell-type-specific influence on several cellular stress pathways as well as on post-translational modifications could be demonstrated, which might be relevant to fully understand the action of the analyzed drugs in the disease state. Importantly, the effect on the activation of mitochondrial biogenesis and stress response program upon drug treatment is PGC-1α dependent in MEFs demonstrating not only the pleiotropic effects of this molecule but points also to the working mechanism of the analyzed drugs. The definition of the action spectrum of the different drugs forms the basis for a defect-specific compensation strategy and a future personalized therapeutic approach.

Modality specificity in the cerebro-cerebellar neurocircuitry during working memory.

PubMed

Ng, H B Tommy; Kao, K-L Cathy; Chan, Y C; Chew, Effie; Chuang, K H; Chen, S H Annabel

2016-05-15

Previous studies have suggested cerebro-cerebellar circuitry in working memory. The present fMRI study aims to distinguish differential cerebro-cerebellar activation patterns in verbal and visual working memory, and employs a quantitative analysis to deterimine lateralization of the activation patterns observed. Consistent with Chen and Desmond (2005a,b) predictions, verbal working memory activated a cerebro-cerebellar circuitry that comprised left-lateralized language-related brain regions including the inferior frontal and posterior parietal areas, and subcortically, right-lateralized superior (lobule VI) and inferior cerebellar (lobule VIIIA/VIIB) areas. In contrast, a distributed network of bilateral inferior frontal and inferior temporal areas, and bilateral superior (lobule VI) and inferior (lobule VIIB) cerebellar areas, was recruited during visual working memory. Results of the study verified that a distinct cross cerebro-cerebellar circuitry underlies verbal working memory. However, a neural circuitry involving specialized brain areas in bilateral neocortical and bilateral cerebellar hemispheres subserving visual working memory is observed. Findings are discussed in the light of current models of working memory and data from related neuroimaging studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Work happiness among teachers: a day reconstruction study on the role of self-concordance.

PubMed

Tadić, Maja; Bakker, Arnold B; Oerlemans, Wido G M

2013-12-01

Self-concordant work motivation arises from one's authentic choices, personal values, and interests. In the present study, we investigated whether self-concordant motivation may fluctuate from one work-related task to the next. On the basis of self-determination theory, we hypothesized that momentary self-concordance buffers the negative impact of momentary work demands on momentary happiness. We developed a modified version of the day reconstruction method to investigate self-concordance, work demands, and happiness during specific work-related tasks on a within-person and within-day level. In total, 132 teachers completed a daily diary on three consecutive work days as well as a background questionnaire. The daily diary resulted in 792 reported work activities and activity-related work demands, self-concordance, and happiness scores. Multilevel analysis showed that-for most work activities-state self-concordant motivation buffered the negative association of work demands with happiness. These findings add to the literature on motivation and well-being by showing that the levels of self-concordance and happiness experienced by employees vary significantly on a within-day level and show a predictable pattern. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of the findings to increase employees' well-being. © 2013.

Small Change Makes a Big Splash: The Role of Working Self-Concept in the Effects of Stereotype Threat on Memory.

PubMed

Liu, Pei; Zhao, Fengqing; Zhang, Baoshan; Dang, Qingxiu

2017-10-03

Assuming that the principle of an active-self account holds true in real life, priming certain constructs could selectively activate a working self-concept, which in turn guides behavior. The current study involved two experiments that examined the relationships between stereotypic identity, working self-concept, and memory performance in older adults. Specifically, Study 1 tested whether a stereotype threat can affect older adults' working self-concept and memory performance. A modified Stroop color naming task and a separate recognition task showed that a stereotype threat prime altered the activation of the working self-concept and deteriorated the older adults' memory performance. Additionally, the working self-concept mediated the effect of stereotype threat on memory performance. Accordingly, we designed Study 2 to assess whether priming different identities can alter the working self-concept of the elderly and buffer the stereotype threat effect on memory performance. The results not only were the same as Study 1 but also revealed that activating multiple identities could mitigate the stereotype threat. These results support an active-self account and the efficacy of stereotype threat intervention. This intervention strategy may be able to be used in real situations to help the elderly alleviate stereotype threats and memory impairment.

Impact of psoriasis flare and remission on quality of life and work productivity: a real-world study in the USA.

PubMed

Korman, N J; Zhao, Y; Roberts, J; Pike, J; Sullivan, E; Tsang, Y; Karagiannis, T

2016-07-15

Although psoriasis patients often report a negative impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and work productivity, less is known about how disease burden varies between periods of flare and remission. The aim of this study was tocompare HRQoL and work productivity by disease activity level. Data were extracted from Adelphi 2011/2013 Disease Specific Programmes, two real world surveys of US dermatologists and psoriasis patients. HRQoL was measured using the EuroQOL 5-Dimension Health Questionnaire (EQ-5D) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Work productivity was measured using the Work Productivity Activity index (WPAI). Three levels of disease activity were constructed based on physician reports: remission, active not flaring, active, and flaring. Multivariable regression analyses explored the relationship between disease activity, HRQoL and work productivity, controlling for differences in demographics and comorbidities. Out of 681 psoriasis patients 24% were in remission, 62% had active disease without flaring, and 15% experienced active disease and were currently flaring. Greater disease activity was associated with worse HRQoL. EQ-5D scores decreased with more active disease (remission vs. active not flaring vs. active and flaring: 0.93 vs. 0.90 vs. 0.82; p<0.05), while DLQI scores increased (remission vs. active not flaring vs. active and flaring: 2.0 vs. 5.00 vs. 8.7; p<0.05). WPAI scores increased with disease activity indicating increased productivity loss (remission vs. active not flaring vs. active and flaring: 5.9 vs. 14.8 vs. 26.9; p<0.05). The same trends were confirmed by multivariable regression analyses.

Validation Methods Research for Fault-Tolerant Avionics and Control Systems: Working Group Meeting, 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gault, J. W. (Editor); Trivedi, K. S. (Editor); Clary, J. B. (Editor)

1980-01-01

The validation process comprises the activities required to insure the agreement of system realization with system specification. A preliminary validation methodology for fault tolerant systems documented. A general framework for a validation methodology is presented along with a set of specific tasks intended for the validation of two specimen system, SIFT and FTMP. Two major areas of research are identified. First, are those activities required to support the ongoing development of the validation process itself, and second, are those activities required to support the design, development, and understanding of fault tolerant systems.

Online and Social Media Data As an Imperfect Continuous Panel Survey

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

There is a large body of research on utilizing online activity as a survey of political opinion to predict real world election outcomes. There is considerably less work, however, on using this data to understand topic-specific interest and opinion amongst the general population and specific demographic subgroups, as currently measured by relatively expensive surveys. Here we investigate this possibility by studying a full census of all Twitter activity during the 2012 election cycle along with the comprehensive search history of a large panel of Internet users during the same period, highlighting the challenges in interpreting online and social media activity as the results of a survey. As noted in existing work, the online population is a non-representative sample of the offline world (e.g., the U.S. voting population). We extend this work to show how demographic skew and user participation is non-stationary and difficult to predict over time. In addition, the nature of user contributions varies substantially around important events. Furthermore, we note subtle problems in mapping what people are sharing or consuming online to specific sentiment or opinion measures around a particular topic. We provide a framework, built around considering this data as an imperfect continuous panel survey, for addressing these issues so that meaningful insight about public interest and opinion can be reliably extracted from online and social media data. PMID:26730933

Online and Social Media Data As an Imperfect Continuous Panel Survey.

PubMed

Diaz, Fernando; Gamon, Michael; Hofman, Jake M; Kıcıman, Emre; Rothschild, David

2016-01-01

There is a large body of research on utilizing online activity as a survey of political opinion to predict real world election outcomes. There is considerably less work, however, on using this data to understand topic-specific interest and opinion amongst the general population and specific demographic subgroups, as currently measured by relatively expensive surveys. Here we investigate this possibility by studying a full census of all Twitter activity during the 2012 election cycle along with the comprehensive search history of a large panel of Internet users during the same period, highlighting the challenges in interpreting online and social media activity as the results of a survey. As noted in existing work, the online population is a non-representative sample of the offline world (e.g., the U.S. voting population). We extend this work to show how demographic skew and user participation is non-stationary and difficult to predict over time. In addition, the nature of user contributions varies substantially around important events. Furthermore, we note subtle problems in mapping what people are sharing or consuming online to specific sentiment or opinion measures around a particular topic. We provide a framework, built around considering this data as an imperfect continuous panel survey, for addressing these issues so that meaningful insight about public interest and opinion can be reliably extracted from online and social media data.

Serial recall of visuospatial and verbal information with and without material-specific interference: implications for contemporary models of working memory.

PubMed

Davis, Lynne C; Rane, Shruti; Hiscock, Merrill

2013-01-01

A longstanding question in working memory (WM) research concerns the fractionation of verbal and nonverbal processing. Although some contemporary models include both domain-specific and general-purpose mechanisms, the necessity to postulate differential processing of verbal and nonverbal material remains unclear. In the present two-experiment series we revisit the order reconstruction paradigm that Jones, Farrand, Stuart, and Morris (1995) used to support a unitary model of WM. Goals were to assess (1) whether serial position curves for dot positions differ from curves for letter names; and (2) whether selective interference can be demonstrated. Although we replicated Jones et al.'s finding of similar serial position curves for the two tasks, this similarity could reflect the demands of the order reconstruction paradigm rather than undifferentiated processing of verbal and nonverbal stimuli. Both generalised and material-specific interference was found, which can be attributed to competition between primary and secondary tasks for attentional resources. As performance levels for the combined primary and secondary tasks exceed active WM capacity limits, primary task items apparently are removed from active memory during processing of the secondary list and held temporarily in maintenance storage. We conclude that active WM is multimodal but maintenance stores may be domain specific.

Caenorhabditis elegans Male Copulation Circuitry Incorporates Sex-Shared Defecation Components To Promote Intromission and Sperm Transfer

PubMed Central

LeBoeuf, Brigitte; Garcia, L. Rene

2016-01-01

Sexual dimorphism can be achieved using a variety of mechanisms, including sex-specific circuits and sex-specific function of shared circuits, though how these work together to produce sexually dimorphic behaviors requires further investigation. Here, we explore how components of the sex-shared defecation circuitry are incorporated into the sex-specific male mating circuitry in Caenorhabditis elegans to produce successful copulation. Using behavioral studies, calcium imaging, and genetic manipulation, we show that aspects of the defecation system are coopted by the male copulatory circuitry to facilitate intromission and ejaculation. Similar to hermaphrodites, male defecation is initiated by an intestinal calcium wave, but circuit activity is coordinated differently during mating. In hermaphrodites, the tail neuron DVB promotes expulsion of gut contents through the release of the neurotransmitter GABA onto the anal depressor muscle. However, in the male, both neuron and muscle take on modified functions to promote successful copulation. Males require calcium-dependent activator protein for secretion (CAPS)/unc-31, a dense core vesicle exocytosis activator protein, in the DVB to regulate copulatory spicule insertion, while the anal depressor is remodeled to promote release of sperm into the hermaphrodite. This work shows how sex-shared circuitry is modified in multiple ways to contribute to sex-specific mating. PMID:28031243

Processing of two latent membrane protein 1 MHC class I epitopes requires tripeptidyl peptidase II involvement.

PubMed

Diekmann, Jan; Adamopoulou, Eleni; Beck, Olaf; Rauser, Georg; Lurati, Sarah; Tenzer, Stefan; Einsele, Hermann; Rammensee, Hans-Georg; Schild, Hansjörg; Topp, Max S

2009-08-01

The EBV Ag latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) has been described as a potential target for T cell immunotherapy in EBV-related malignancies. However, only a few CD8(+) T cell epitopes are known, and the benefit of LMP1-specific T cell immunotherapy has not yet been proven. In this work, we studied the processing of the two LMP1 HLA-A02-restricted epitopes, YLLEMLRWL and YLQQNWWTL. We found that target cells endogenously expressing the native LMP1 are not recognized by CTLs specific for these epitopes because the N-terminal part of LMP1 limits the efficiency of epitope generation. We further observed that the proteasome is not required for the generation of both epitopes and that the YLLEMLRWL epitope seems to be destroyed by the proteasome, because blocking of proteasomal activities enhanced specific CTL activation. Activation of LMP1-specific CTLs could be significantly reduced after inhibition of the tripeptidyl peptidase II, suggesting a role for this peptidase in the processing of both epitopes. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the MHC class I-restricted LMP1 epitopes studied in this work are two of very few epitopes known to date to be processed proteasome independently by tripeptidyl peptidase II.

Working Double Time.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fickes, Michael

2000-01-01

Discusses how school roofs can provide additional space for student activities and also help teach. Topics explore rooftop recreation, such as using roof-specific technology (solar paneling) as a teaching opportunity. (GR)

Impairment of working memory maintenance and response in schizophrenia: functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence.

PubMed

Driesen, Naomi R; Leung, Hoi-Chung; Calhoun, Vincent D; Constable, R Todd; Gueorguieva, Ralitza; Hoffman, Ralph; Skudlarski, Pawel; Goldman-Rakic, Patricia S; Krystal, John H

2008-12-15

Comparing prefrontal cortical activity during particular phases of working memory in healthy subjects and individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia might help to define the phase-specific deficits in cortical function that contribute to cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia. This study featured a spatial working memory task, similar to that used in nonhuman primates, that was designed to facilitate separating brain activation into encoding, maintenance, and response phases. Fourteen patients with schizophrenia (4 medication-free) and 12 healthy comparison participants completed functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a spatial working memory task with two levels of memory load. Task accuracy was similar in patients and healthy participants. However, patients showed reductions in brain activation during maintenance and response phases but not during the encoding phase. The reduced prefrontal activity during the maintenance phase of working memory was attributed to a greater rate of decay of prefrontal activity over time in patients. Cortical deficits in patients did not appear to be related to antipsychotic treatment. In patients and in healthy subjects, the time-dependent reduction in prefrontal activity during working memory maintenance correlated with poorer performance on the memory task. Overall, these data highlight that basic research insights into the distinct neurobiologies of the maintenance and response phases of working memory are of potential importance for understanding the neurobiology of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia and advancing its treatment.

[Age-specific dynamics of mental working capacity in different regimens of locomotor activity].

PubMed

Miakotnykh, V V; Khodasevich, L S

2012-01-01

The present study included a total of 392 practically healthy men aged between 40 and 79 years differing in the character of routine locomotor activity and the training status (from masters of sport of international grade to the subjects who had never been engaged in sporting activities). They were divided into 4 groups each comprised of subjects ranged by age with a ten-year interval. Their mental working capacity was estimated from the results of the correction test. The study demonstrated that the subjects characterized by a high level of day-to-day locomotor activity have higher indices of attention intensity and information processing speed compared with the age-matched ones leading a relatively sedentary lifestyle. Moreover, they have better chances to retain the mental working capacity up to the age of 70 years.

Working Vacations: Jobs in Tourism and Leisure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torpey, Elka Maria

2011-01-01

Vacation jobs often mix work and play. For some, the job is their ticket to career happiness. The article's first section describes four jobs specific to entertainment and leisure: (1) cruise ship musician; (2) destination marketing manager; (3) resort activities director; and (4) river rafting guide. The second section helps a person decide if a…

Do Financial Education Programs Work? Working Paper 08-03

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hathaway, Ian; Khatiwada, Sameer

2008-01-01

In this paper we provide a comprehensive critical analysis of research that has investigated the impact of financial education programs on consumer financial behavior. In light of the evidence, we recommend that future programs be highly targeted towards a specific audience and area of financial activity (e.g. home-ownership or credit card…

The Past, Present, and Future of the Consortium and Foreign Language Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paine, Ruth

The proportion of active foreign language teachers working in cooperative or collaborative efforts is very small. Foreign languages have lagged behind other disciplines in this area. Consortia, or groups of postsecondary institutions agreeing to work together toward specific, long-range goals, date back to medieval times, but few have emerged over…

Classroom Management, Social Participation Structures and Required Social Competence in Kindergarten.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verhaeghe, Jean Pierre; Vanobbergen, Bruno

Noting that becoming familiar with the work system of the kindergarten classroom (a functional system with its own rules and procedures for activities and transition) is important for students' development and well-being, this study examined the work systems in two kindergarten classrooms and children's associated context-specific social…

Improving Comprehension through Repetition...Repetition...Repetition. Working Paper No. 276.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Sandra; Witte, Pauline

Because teachers are asking for specific suggestions to help students apply comprehension skills and read content material, a mechanism that assists students in acquiring and applying specific comprehension skills as they read content texts is being investigated. The mechanism is called marginal gloss because learning activities are placed in the…

OER Approach for Specific Student Groups in Hardware-Based Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ackovska, Nevena; Ristov, Sasko

2014-01-01

Hardware-based courses in computer science studies require much effort from both students and teachers. The most important part of students' learning is attending in person and actively working on laboratory exercises on hardware equipment. This paper deals with a specific group of students, those who are marginalized by not being able to…

Discussing Active Learning from the Practitioner's Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bamba, Priscilla

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of how active learning took place in a class containing specific readings,cooperative and collaborative group work, and a writing assignment for college students at a Northern Virginia Community College campus (NVCC). Requisite knowledge, skills, learner characteristics, brain-based learning, and…

Geo Events (March 12-13, 2002).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turturice, Michael W.; Rothkopf, Stephen

In this teaching activity, students track and present information about specific regions in the world on a bi-weekly basis. Emphasis is placed on the five themes of geography to develop a working knowledge of assigned regions. Students use Microsoft Publisher and PowerPoint to create presentations. The activity packet contains several documents…

Space platform expendables resupply concept definition study. Volume 3: Work breakdown structure and work breakdown structure dictionary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

The work breakdown structure (WBS) for the Space Platform Expendables Resupply Concept Definition Study is described. The WBS consists of a list of WBS elements, a dictionary of element definitions, and an element logic diagram. The list and logic diagram identify the interrelationships of the elements. The dictionary defines the types of work that may be represented by or be classified under each specific element. The Space Platform Expendable Resupply WBS was selected mainly to support the program planning, scheduling, and costing performed in the programmatics task (task 3). The WBS is neither a statement-of-work nor a work authorization document. Rather, it is a framework around which to define requirements, plan effort, assign responsibilities, allocate and control resources, and report progress, expenditures, technical performance, and schedule performance. The WBS element definitions are independent of make-or-buy decisions, organizational structure, and activity locations unless exceptions are specifically stated.

Individual, Social, and Environmental Correlates of Active Transportation Patterns in French Women

PubMed Central

Perchoux, Camille; Enaux, Christophe; Oppert, Jean-Michel; Menai, Mehdi; Charreire, Hélène; Salze, Paul; Weber, Christiane; Hercberg, Serge; Feuillet, Thierry; Hess, Franck; Roda, Célina; Simon, Chantal

2017-01-01

The objectives were (1) to define physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors (SB) patterns in daily life contexts (work, leisure, and transportation) in French working women from NutriNet-Santé web-cohort and (2) to identify pattern(s) of active transportation and their individual, social, and environmental correlates. 23,432 participants completed two questionnaires to evaluate PA and SB in daily life contexts and individual representations of residential neighborhood and transportation modes. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed which identified 6 distinct movement behavior patterns: (i) active occupation, high sedentary leisure, (ii) sedentary occupation, low leisure, (iii) sedentary transportation, (iv) sedentary occupation and leisure, (v) active transportation, and (vi) active leisure. Multinomial logistic regressions were performed to identify correlates of the “active transportation” cluster. The perceived environmental characteristics positively associated with “active transportation” included “high availability of destinations around home,” “presence of bicycle paths,” and “low traffic.” A “positive image of walking/cycling,” the “individual feeling of being physically active,” and a “high use of active transport modes by relatives/friends” were positively related to “active transportation,” identified as a unique pattern regarding individual and environmental correlates. Identification of PA and SB context-specific patterns will help to understand movement behaviors' complexity and to design interventions to promote active transportation in specific subgroups. PMID:28717653

[Psychosocial risks and the job activity of banking sector employees].

PubMed

Stańczak, Aleksander; Mościcka-Teske, Agnieszka; Merecz-Kot, Dorota

2014-01-01

Psychosocial risks, via stress mechanism, may negatively influence employees' health and work activity. Both the scale and the type of these risks depend on job specificity in particular occupation or sector. The aim of the study was to characterize the categories of stressors occurring in the banking sector and their effects on employees' performance. The studied subjects were 484 employees tested with the questionnaire method. The Scale of Psychosocial Risk was used as a research tool. The more the employees are exposed to threats connected with work content, work context, pathologies and specific factor, the less satisfied they are and the more frequently they declare turnover intention. However, rarely does it change their engagement or absence. The subjects felt the effects of risks, regardless of their stressfulness. It turns out that individual's well-being is rather related to work context, e.g. relations with co-workers or salary, than to the character of tasks. It was observed, that with age, employees are less resistant to work context related to threats, which results in frequent absence. Most of the results comply with the literature data. The work environment diagnosis may be based only on the occurrence of psychosocial risks, regardless of the subjectively experienced stress. The conclusions can be used by both employers and specialists in occupational stress prevention.

Optimal healthcare delivery to care homes in the UK: a realist evaluation of what supports effective working to improve healthcare outcomes

PubMed Central

Goodman, Claire; Davies, Sue L; Dening, Tom; Gage, Heather; Meyer, Julienne; Schneider, Justine; Bell, Brian; Jordan, Jake; Martin, Finbarr C; Iliffe, Steve; Bowman, Clive; Gladman, John R F; Victor, Christina; Mayrhofer, Andrea; Handley, Melanie; Zubair, Maria

2018-01-01

Abstract Introduction care home residents have high healthcare needs not fully met by prevailing healthcare models. This study explored how healthcare configuration influences resource use. Methods a realist evaluation using qualitative and quantitative data from case studies of three UK health and social care economies selected for differing patterns of healthcare delivery to care homes. Four homes per area (12 in total) were recruited. A total of 239 residents were followed for 12 months to record resource-use. Overall, 181 participants completed 116 interviews and 13 focus groups including residents, relatives, care home staff, community nurses, allied health professionals and General Practitioners. Results context-mechanism-outcome configurations were identified explaining what supported effective working between healthcare services and care home staff: (i) investment in care home-specific work that legitimises and values work with care homes; (ii) relational working which over time builds trust between practitioners; (iii) care which ‘wraps around’ care homes; and (iv) access to specialist care for older people with dementia. Resource use was similar between sites despite differing approaches to healthcare. There was greater utilisation of GP resource where this was specifically commissioned but no difference in costs between sites. Conclusion activities generating opportunities and an interest in healthcare and care home staff working together are integral to optimal healthcare provision in care homes. Outcomes are likely to be better where: focus and activities legitimise ongoing contact between healthcare staff and care homes at an institutional level; link with a wider system of healthcare; and provide access to dementia-specific expertise. PMID:29315370

Neural activity reveals perceptual grouping in working memory.

PubMed

Rabbitt, Laura R; Roberts, Daniel M; McDonald, Craig G; Peterson, Matthew S

2017-03-01

There is extensive evidence that the contralateral delay activity (CDA), a scalp recorded event-related brain potential, provides a reliable index of the number of objects held in visual working memory. Here we present evidence that the CDA not only indexes visual object working memory, but also the number of locations held in spatial working memory. In addition, we demonstrate that the CDA can be predictably modulated by the type of encoding strategy employed. When individual locations were held in working memory, the pattern of CDA modulation mimicked previous findings for visual object working memory. Specifically, CDA amplitude increased monotonically until working memory capacity was reached. However, when participants were instructed to group individual locations to form a constellation, the CDA was prolonged and reached an asymptote at two locations. This result provides neural evidence for the formation of a unitary representation of multiple spatial locations. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Improved clinical, functional and work outcomes in spondyloarthritides during real-life adalimumab treatment in central-eastern Europe.

PubMed

Szántó, Sándor; Poór, Gyula; Opris, Daniela; Iaremenko, Oleg; Procházková, Leona; Kuuse, Reet; Nagy, Orsolya; Chernyshov, Valentyn; Géher, Pál

2016-08-01

Adalimumab effectiveness on clinical, functional and work-related outcomes was evaluated in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis or psoriatic arthritis treated in routine clinical practice in central-eastern Europe. Patients (n = 555) were followed for 12 months. Primary end point was percentage of patients with a treatment response (≥50% decrease from baseline in Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index or ≥1.2 point decrease from baseline in Disease Activity Index-28 joint for axial or peripheral symptoms, respectively). Functional status was evaluated by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index and Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index. Working ability was evaluated by the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire - Specific Health Problem. 76.1% of patients with axial symptoms and 83.5% with peripheral symptoms achieved a treatment response. Frequency of extra-articular manifestations decreased. Improvements were observed in functional status and workability. No new safety signals were observed. Adalimumab was effective and well tolerated during real-world use in central-eastern Europe.

Work hard, play hard?: A comparison of male and female lawyers' time in paid and unpaid work and participation in leisure activities.

PubMed

Wallace, Jean E; Young, Marisa C

2010-02-01

There has been a considerable amount of research that documents how women and men spend their time in different work and home tasks. We examine how much time professional women and men spend in paid and unpaid work and how this relates to their participation in different leisure activities. We also explore whether time in paid and unpaid work has gender-specific effects on leisure participation. In examining these issues, we rely on data from lawyers working in different legal settings. Our results show that, as hypothesized, men report more time in paid work and leisure whereas women devote more time to housework and childcare. An unexpected finding is that the time men spend in housework or childcare is either unrelated or positively related to their leisure participation. These results suggest that men's greater overall opportunities for leisure compared with women's appear to stem from the unanticipated relationships between men's involvement in housework and childcare and their leisure activities. We raise several possible explanations for these findings.

Parp inhibition prevents ten-eleven translocase enzyme activation and hyperglycemia-induced DNA demethylation.

PubMed

Dhliwayo, Nyembezi; Sarras, Michael P; Luczkowski, Ernest; Mason, Samantha M; Intine, Robert V

2014-09-01

Studies from human cells, rats, and zebrafish have documented that hyperglycemia (HG) induces the demethylation of specific cytosines throughout the genome. We previously documented that a subset of these changes become permanent and may provide, in part, a mechanism for the persistence of complications referred to as the metabolic memory phenomenon. In this report, we present studies aimed at elucidating the molecular machinery that is responsible for the HG-induced DNA demethylation observed. To this end, RNA expression and enzymatic activity assays indicate that the ten-eleven translocation (Tet) family of enzymes are activated by HG. Furthermore, through the detection of intermediates generated via conversion of 5-methyl-cytosine back to the unmethylated form, the data were consistent with the use of the Tet-dependent iterative oxidation pathway. In addition, evidence is provided that the activity of the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (Parp) enzyme is required for activation of Tet activity because the use of a Parp inhibitor prevented demethylation of specific loci and the accumulation of Tet-induced intermediates. Remarkably, this inhibition was accompanied by a complete restoration of the tissue regeneration deficit that is also induced by HG. The ultimate goal of this work is to provide potential new avenues for therapeutic discovery. © 2014 by the American Diabetes Association. Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered.

Relationship of work disability between the disease activity, depression and quality of life in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

PubMed

Sağ, Sinem; Nas, Kemal; Sağ, Mustafa Serdar; Tekeoğlu, İbrahim; Kamanlı, Ayhan

2018-02-02

In this study, our objective was to determine the work productivity and work disability of the patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and to investigate the relation of these parameters with disease activity, anxiety, depression and quality of life. Fifty patients with the diagnosis of AS and 30 healthy control were included in the study. In patients with AS, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) was used to evaluate the disease activity; Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI) was used to evaluate the spinal mobility and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) was used to determine the functional status. In addition, the Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL) questionnaire and The Short Form (SF-36) Health Survey was used to evaluate the health status, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used for the evaluation of depression and anxiety and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: Specific Health Problem v2.0 (WPAI:SHP) was used to evaluate the work productivity. In AS patients duration of disease at the diagnosis was 7.24 ± 6.23 years. The time lost at work due to the disease, decrease in the work productivity and impairment in the time off daily activities were worse in the patient group compared with the control group (p< 0.05). The impairment in the work productivity was correlated with BASDAI and depression; difficulty in time-off activities was correlated with BASFI and anxiety and depression was correlated with BASDAI (p< 0.05). While the impairment in work productivity was correlated with the subparameter vitality in SF-36, difficulty in time off activities was correlated with general health status, social functions, vitality and mental health (p< 0.05). In this study, we determined that AS had a significant influence on the working conditions and the factors related to the disease had a significant correlation with work productivity. Factors related to the psychology and the disease were also correlated with the working conditions.

Assessment of sedentary behaviors and transport-related activities by questionnaire: a validation study.

PubMed

Mensah, Keitly; Maire, Aurélia; Oppert, Jean-Michel; Dugas, Julien; Charreire, Hélène; Weber, Christiane; Simon, Chantal; Nazare, Julie-Anne

2016-08-09

Comprehensive assessment of sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA), including transport-related activities (TRA), is required to design innovative PA promotion strategies. There are few validated instruments that simultaneously assess the different components of human movement according to their context of practice (e.g. work, transport, leisure). We examined test-retest reliability and validity of the Sedentary, Transportation and Activity Questionnaire (STAQ), a newly developed questionnaire dedicated to assessing context-specific SB, TRA and PA. Ninety six subjects (51 women) kept a contextualized activity-logbook and wore a hip accelerometer (Actigraph GT3X + (TM)) for a 7-day or 14-day period, at the end of which they completed the STAQ. Activity-energy expenditure was measured in a subgroup of 45 subjects using the double labeled water (DLW) method. Test-retest reliability was assessed using intra-class-coefficients (ICC) in a subgroup of 32 subjects who filled the questionnaire twice one month apart. Accelerometry was annotated using the logbook to obtain total and context-specific objective estimates of SB. Spearman correlations, Bland-Altman plots and ICC were used to analyze validity with logbook, accelerometry and DLW data validity criteria. Test-retest reliability was fair for total sitting time (ICC = 0.52), good to excellent for work sitting time (ICC = 0.71), transport-related walking (ICC = 0.61) and car use (ICC = 0.67), and leisure screen-related SB (ICC = 0.64-0.79), but poor for total sitting time during leisure and transport-related contexts. For validity, compared to accelerometry, significant correlations were found for STAQ estimates of total (r = 0.54) and context-specific sitting times with stronger correlations for work sitting time (r = 0.88), and screen times (TV/DVD viewing: r = 0.46; other screens: r = 0.42) than for transport (r = 0.35) or leisure-related sitting-times (r = 0.19). Compared to contextualized logbook, STAQ estimates of TRA was higher for car (r = 0.65) than for active transport (r = 0.41). The questionnaire generally overestimated work- and leisure-related SB and sitting times, while it underestimated total and transport-related sitting times. The STAQ showed acceptable reliability and a good ranking validity for assessment of context-specific SB and TRA. This instrument appears as a useful tool to study SB, TRA and PA in context in adults.

Characterisation of MR reactor pond in nNRC 'Kurchatov institute' before dismantling work

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

Stepanov, Alexey; Simirsky, Yury; Semin, Ilya

2013-07-01

In this work complex α-, β-, γ-spectrometric research of water, bottom slimes and deposits on walls of the reactor pond and the storage pond of the MR reactor was made. Identify, that the main dose forming radionuclide, during dismantling work on the reactor MR, is Cs-137. It is shown, that specific activity of radionuclides in bottom slimes considerably exceed specific activity of radionuclides in water from ponds, and near to high level radioactive waste. It is detected that decreasing the water level in reactor ponds on 1 m, increase the exposure dose rate at a distance 1 m from themore » pond in 2 times. The observed increase in exposure dose rate can be explained by contribution on dose rate the cesium-137 deposed on walls of the storage pond. Effectiveness of cleaning of walls of the pool of storage from deposits by a water jet of high pressure is investigated. (authors)« less

Specific and nonspecific neural activity during selective processing of visual representations in working memory.

PubMed

Oh, Hwamee; Leung, Hoi-Chung

2010-02-01

In this fMRI study, we investigated prefrontal cortex (PFC) and visual association regions during selective information processing. We recorded behavioral responses and neural activity during a delayed recognition task with a cue presented during the delay period. A specific cue ("Face" or "Scene") was used to indicate which one of the two initially viewed pictures of a face and a scene would be tested at the end of a trial, whereas a nonspecific cue ("Both") was used as control. As expected, the specific cues facilitated behavioral performance (faster response times) compared to the nonspecific cue. A postexperiment memory test showed that the items cued to remember were better recognized than those not cued. The fMRI results showed largely overlapped activations across the three cue conditions in dorsolateral and ventrolateral PFC, dorsomedial PFC, posterior parietal cortex, ventral occipito-temporal cortex, dorsal striatum, and pulvinar nucleus. Among those regions, dorsomedial PFC and inferior occipital gyrus remained active during the entire postcue delay period. Differential activity was mainly found in the association cortices. In particular, the parahippocampal area and posterior superior parietal lobe showed significantly enhanced activity during the postcue period of the scene condition relative to the Face and Both conditions. No regions showed differentially greater responses to the face cue. Our findings suggest that a better representation of visual information in working memory may depend on enhancing the more specialized visual association areas or their interaction with PFC.

A study on pore-opening behaviors of graphite nanofibers by a chemical activation process.

PubMed

Kim, Byung-Joo; Lee, Young-Seak; Park, Soo-Jin

2007-02-15

In this work, porous graphite nanofibers (GNFs) were prepared by a KOH activation method in order to manufacture porous carbon nanofibers. The process was conducted in the activation temperature range of 900-1100 degrees C, and the KOH:GNFs ratio was fixed at 3.5:1. The textural properties of the porous carbons were analyzed using N2 adsorption isotherms at 77 K. The BET, D-R, and BJH equations were used to observe the specific surface areas and the micro- and mesopore structures, respectively. From the results, it was found that the textural properties, including the specific surface area and the pore volumes, were proportionally enhanced with increasing activation temperatures. However, the activation mechanisms showed quite significant differences between the samples activated at low and high temperatures.

Receptor Signaling Directs Global Recruitment of Pre-existing Transcription Factors to Inducible Elements.

PubMed

Cockerill, Peter N

2016-12-01

Gene expression programs are largely regulated by the tissue-specific expression of lineage-defining transcription factors or by the inducible expression of transcription factors in response to specific stimuli. Here I will review our own work over the last 20 years to show how specific activation signals also lead to the wide-spread re-distribution of pre-existing constitutive transcription factors to sites undergoing chromatin reorganization. I will summarize studies showing that activation of kinase signaling pathways creates open chromatin regions that recruit pre-existing factors which were previously unable to bind to closed chromatin. As models I will draw upon genes activated or primed by receptor signaling in memory T cells, and genes activated by cytokine receptor mutations in acute myeloid leukemia. I also summarize a hit-and-run model of stable epigenetic reprograming in memory T cells, mediated by transient Activator Protein 1 (AP-1) binding, which enables the accelerated activation of inducible enhancers.

USL/DBMS NASA/RECON working paper series. Standards

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dominick, Wayne D. (Editor); Chum, Frank Y.

1984-01-01

The USL/DBMS NASA/RECON Working Paper Series contains a collection of reports representing results of activities being conducted by the Computer Science Department of the University of Southwestern Louisiana pursuant to the specifications of NASA Contract number NASw-3846. The work on this portion of the contract is being performed jointly by the University of Southwestern Louisiana and Southern University. This report contains the full set of standards for the development, formatting, reviewing, and issuance of entries within the USL/DBMS NASA/RECON Working Paper Series.

Development of Rasch-based item banks for the assessment of work performance in patients with musculoskeletal diseases.

PubMed

Mueller, Evelyn A; Bengel, Juergen; Wirtz, Markus A

2013-12-01

This study aimed to develop a self-description assessment instrument to measure work performance in patients with musculoskeletal diseases. In terms of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), work performance is defined as the degree of meeting the work demands (activities) at the actual workplace (environment). To account for the fact that work performance depends on the work demands of the job, we strived to develop item banks that allow a flexible use of item subgroups depending on the specific work demands of the patients' jobs. Item development included the collection of work tasks from literature and content validation through expert surveys and patient interviews. The resulting 122 items were answered by 621 patients with musculoskeletal diseases. Exploratory factor analysis to ascertain dimensionality and Rasch analysis (partial credit model) for each of the resulting dimensions were performed. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in four dimensions, and subsequent Rasch analysis led to the following item banks: 'impaired productivity' (15 items), 'impaired cognitive performance' (18), 'impaired coping with stress' (13) and 'impaired physical performance' (low physical workload 20 items, high physical workload 10 items). The item banks exhibited person separation indices (reliability) between 0.89 and 0.96. The assessment of work performance adds the activities component to the more commonly employed participation component of the ICF-model. The four item banks can be adapted to specific jobs where necessary without losing comparability of person measures, as the item banks are based on Rasch analysis.

Human active X-specific DNA methylation events showing stability across time and tissues

PubMed Central

Joo, Jihoon Eric; Novakovic, Boris; Cruickshank, Mark; Doyle, Lex W; Craig, Jeffrey M; Saffery, Richard

2014-01-01

The phenomenon of X chromosome inactivation in female mammals is well characterised and remains the archetypal example of dosage compensation via monoallelic expression. The temporal series of events that culminates in inactive X-specific gene silencing by DNA methylation has revealed a ‘patchwork' of gene inactivation along the chromosome, with approximately 15% of genes escaping. Such genes are therefore potentially subject to sex-specific imbalance between males and females. Aside from XIST, the non-coding RNA on the X chromosome destined to be inactivated, very little is known about the extent of loci that may be selectively silenced on the active X chromosome (Xa). Using longitudinal array-based DNA methylation profiling of two human tissues, we have identified specific and widespread active X-specific DNA methylation showing stability over time and across tissues of disparate origin. Our panel of X-chromosome loci subject to methylation on Xa reflects a potentially novel mechanism for controlling female-specific X inactivation and sex-specific dimorphisms in humans. Further work is needed to investigate these phenomena. PMID:24713664

Nurses Improve Their Communities' Health Where They Live, Learn, Work, and Play.

PubMed

McCollum, Meriel; Kovner, Christine T; Ojemeni, Melissa T; Brewer, Carol; Cohen, Sally

2017-02-01

Nurses are often recognized for their volunteer efforts following disasters and international humanitarian crises. However, little attention is paid to the activities of nurses who promote a culture of health in their communities through local volunteer work. In this article, we describe nurses' perceptions of how they promote health in their communities through formal and informal volunteer work. Using 315 written responses to an open-ended question included in a 2016 survey of the career patterns of nurses in the U.S., we utilized conventional content analysis methods to code and thematically synthesize responses. Two broad categories of nurse involvement in volunteer activities arose from the participants' responses to the open-ended question, "Please tell us what you have done in the past year to improve the health of your community": 17% identified job-related activities, and 74% identified non-job-related activities. 9% of respondents indicated they do not participate in volunteer work. Job-related activities included patient education, educating colleagues, and "other" job-related activities. Non-job-related activities included health-related community volunteering, volunteering related to a specific population or disease, family-related volunteering, church activities, health fairs, raising or donating money, and travelling abroad for volunteer work. Nurses are committed to promoting a culture of health in their communities both at work and in their daily lives. Leveraging nurses' interest in volunteer work could improve the way nurses engage with their communities, expand the role of nurses as public health professionals, and foster the social desirability of healthful living.

Observing the work of the Clinical Nurse Specialist: a pilot study.

PubMed

Darmody, Julie V

2005-01-01

The Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) is an advanced practice nurse (APN) with graduate preparation as a clinical expert within a specialty area of nursing practice. There is a need for information about the work of the CNS in order to link CNS activities to outcomes and costs of care. To describe the work of the CNS in the acute care setting using the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) model as an organizing framework. Descriptive pilot study of the work of the CNS in acute care. A 500-bed academic medical center located in the Midwestern United States. Five masters-prepared APNs in a unit-based CNS role. Direct observation and time study were used to record activities and time for 4 hours with each CNS (n = 5) for a total of 20 hours of observation. CNS activity and time within each practice domain included patient/client (30%), nursing (44%), organization/system (10%), and other activities (16%). Specific activities observed were linked to possible outcomes in the NACNS framework. The NACNS model provided a useful framework for developing a data collection tool that can be used in a larger study that analyzes the work of the acute care CNS. Describing the work of the CNS is an important preliminary step to measuring outcomes and costs of care.

Eye Injuries at Work

MedlinePlus

... This is particularly true of workers involved in welding, which poses a high risk of on-the- ... the types of filter lenses required for specific welding and cutting activities (PDF 181 KB), and cautions ...

Getting past first base: Going all the way with Cognitive Work Analysis.

PubMed

McIlroy, Rich C; Stanton, Neville A

2011-01-01

This paper reports the application of Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) to the problem of communications planning in military aviation. Applications of CWA rarely get beyond the first one or two phases; this paper presents an analysis in which all five phases have been completed. The method offers a formative description of the system, defining the set of boundaries and constraints that shape system activity in terms of work domain, recurring activities, decision making, social organisation and worker competency requirements. It is an analysis that is well suited to environments in which the occurrence of unanticipated events can have serious implications for both safety and productivity. Communications planning in military aviation is such an environment. The outputs of the analysis provided an extensive and exhaustive description of the system, highlighting the uneven spread of activity, across actors involved in communications planning and across the situations in which planning can occur. In addition, a new method for informing worker competency requirements based on abstract functions rather than specific decision steps is proposed and discussed in terms of job design, interface design, and person specification. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

[Best practice in risk management of Neisseria meningitidis bacterial meningitis at nurseries].

PubMed

Santoro, A; Vinci, M R; Menichella, A; Montaldi, V; Camisa, V; Di Felice, C; Musolino, A M C; Zaffina, S

2012-01-01

In many contexts is often underestimated the biological risk and schools can be an example. Proof of this is the exclusion of work in the school from the example of the work activities of biohazard included in Annex XLIV of Legislative Decree 81/08. Our work proposes a protocol for risk management meningitis contagious in the specific environment of the nursery taking a cue from the specific experience gained by the Service of Prevention and Protection Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital following the course accreditation Joint Commision. This is primary prevention measures (training and information) and secondary (vaccination, reporting of suspected cases, chemoprophylaxis of contacts, contact tracing, counseling) to be applied consistently even and especially in the absence of sick people, at which time the shares are aimed exclusively to control its spread to be taken and monitored, with the cooperation of all subject involved in various capacities in the protection of the health of workers, within these specific working environments.

Australian doctors' non-clinical activities: results from the Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) survey of doctors.

PubMed

Joyce, Catherine; Eyre, Harris; Wang, Wei Chun; Laurence, Caroline

2015-11-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate non-clinical work conducted by Australian doctors. This study was an exploratory descriptive study using data from Wave 5 of the Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) longitudinal survey, collected in 2012 from Australian medical practitioners (2200 general practitioners (GPs), 3455 specialists, 1270 specialists in training and 1656 hospital non-specialists). The main outcome measure was the number of hours worked per week in non-clinical work. Regression analysis was used to determine associations between non-clinical activities (i.e. education-related, management and administration and other) and personal and professional characteristics, including age, gender, job and life satisfaction, total clinical working hours, sector of practice (public or private) and doctor type. Australian doctors spend an average of just under 7 h per week, or 16% of their working time, on non-clinical activities. Doctors who worked more hours on non-clinical activities overall, and in education-related and management and administration specifically, were male, younger, had lower life satisfaction and generally spent fewer hours on clinical work. Lower job satisfaction was associated with longer management and administration hours, but not with time spent in education-related activities. Specialists were more likely to work long non-clinical hours, whereas GPs were more likely to report none. Hospital non-specialists reported relatively high management and administration hours. Further work is required to better understand the full range of non-clinical activities doctors are involved in and how this may impact future workforce projections.

Differences of Teachers', Field Instructors', and Students' Views on Job Analysis of Social Work Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherer, Moshe; Peleg-Oren, Neta

2005-01-01

This study compares the assessment of 30 teachers, 120 field instructors, and 287 students with regard to what students of social work do during their fieldwork practice and the importance they attach to these activities. The study used a Job Analysis Questionnaire developed specifically for this study. Results indicated differences among the…

SGML and Related Standards: New Directions as the Second Decade Begins.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mason, James David

1997-01-01

ISO--International Organization for Standards highlights the activities of WG8 (Working Group 8 of ISO) in the alignment of standards for a common tree model and common query languages. Examines the how Document Style Semantics and Specification Language (DSSSL) and HyTime make documents easier to work with and more powerful in their ability to…

Best from the Best: Distinguished Principals Offer Nine Instructional Leadership Practices That Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Principal, 2012

2012-01-01

The term "best practice" is commonly used to describe "what works" in a specific situation or environment. When principals face a thorny challenge, they turn to their colleagues in the principalship for ideas about which strategies, activities, and approaches have proved to be effective and efficient in addressing the issue.…

Children's Work and Schooling: Does Gender Matter? Evidence from the Peru LSMS Panel Data. Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ilahi, Nadeem

Using panel data from Peru, this paper investigates the determinants of the allocation of boys' and girls' time to schooling, housework, and income-generating activities. Specifically, it explores whether sickness, employment of adult women, infrastructure, and female headship have different impacts on the time use of boys and girls. Girls mostly…

Graduate Teaching Assistants' Perceptions of Teaching Competencies Required for Work in Undergraduate Science Labs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deacon, Christopher; Hajek, Allyson; Schulz, Henry

2017-01-01

Many post-secondary institutions provide training and resources to help GTAs fulfil their teaching roles. However, few programmes focus specifically on the teaching competencies required by GTAs who work with undergraduate students in laboratory settings where learning tends to be more active and inquiry based than in classroom settings. From a…

The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corso, Rob

2003-01-01

Describes the work and organization of the Center, which focuses on strengthening the capacity of child care and Head Start programs to improve social and emotional outcomes for young children. Specifically examines two main activities: creation of a series of What Works Briefs and development of a set of comprehensive training modules. (SD)

The Career and Work Adaptability Questionnaire (CWAQ): A First Contribution to Its Validation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nota, Laura; Ginevra, Maria Cristina; Soresi, Salvatore

2012-01-01

Over the last decade, occupational changes have the rapidly changing job market has begun to demand that people more actively construct their professional lives and acquire career adaptability. The aim of the present study was to develop a specific, new instrument, "Career and Work Adaptability", to assess degree of adaptability in…

Working Memory Capacity and the Antisaccade Task: A Microanalytic-Macroanalytic Investigation of Individual Differences in Goal Activation and Maintenance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meier, Matt E.; Smeekens, Bridget A.; Silvia, Paul J.; Kwapil, Thomas R.; Kane, Michael J.

2018-01-01

The association between working memory capacity (WMC) and the antisaccade task, which requires subjects to move their eyes and attention away from a strong visual cue, supports the claim that WMC is partially an attentional construct (Kane, Bleckley, Conway, & Engle, 2001; Unsworth, Schrock, & Engle, 2004). Specifically, the…

The contribution of former work-related activity levels to predict physical activity and sedentary time during early retirement: moderating role of educational level and physical functioning.

PubMed

Van Dyck, Delfien; Cardon, Greet; Deforche, Benedicte; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse

2015-01-01

The transition to retirement introduces a decline in total physical activity and an increase in TV viewing time. Nonetheless, as more time becomes available, early retirement is an ideal stage to implement health interventions. Therefore, knowledge on specific determinants of physical activity and sedentary time is needed. Former work-related physical activity has been proposed as a potential determinant, but concrete evidence is lacking. The aim of this study was to examine if former work-related sitting, standing, walking or vigorous activities predict physical activity and sedentary time during early retirement. Additionally, moderating effects of educational level and physical functioning were examined. In total, 392 recently retired Belgian adults (>6 months, <5 years) completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the SF-36 Health Survey and a questionnaire on sociodemographics and former work-related activities. Generalized linear regression analyses were conducted in R. Moderating effects were examined by adding cross-products to the models. More former work-related sitting was predictive of more screen time during retirement. Lower levels of former work-related vigorous activities and higher levels of former work-related walking were associated with respectively more cycling for transport and more walking for transport during retirement. None of the predictors significantly explained passive transportation, cycling and walking for recreation, and leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during retirement. Several moderating effects were found, but the direction of the interactions was not univocal. Former-work related behaviors are of limited importance to explain physical activity during early retirement, so future studies should focus on other individual, social and environmental determinants. Nonetheless, adults who previously had a sedentary job had higher levels of screen time during retirement, so this is an important subgroup to focus on during interventions. Because of the inconsistent moderating effects of educational level and physical functioning, no clear recommendations can be formulated.

The Contribution of Former Work-Related Activity Levels to Predict Physical Activity and Sedentary Time during Early Retirement: Moderating Role of Educational Level and Physical Functioning

PubMed Central

Van Dyck, Delfien; Cardon, Greet; Deforche, Benedicte; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse

2015-01-01

Background The transition to retirement introduces a decline in total physical activity and an increase in TV viewing time. Nonetheless, as more time becomes available, early retirement is an ideal stage to implement health interventions. Therefore, knowledge on specific determinants of physical activity and sedentary time is needed. Former work-related physical activity has been proposed as a potential determinant, but concrete evidence is lacking. The aim of this study was to examine if former work-related sitting, standing, walking or vigorous activities predict physical activity and sedentary time during early retirement. Additionally, moderating effects of educational level and physical functioning were examined. Methods In total, 392 recently retired Belgian adults (>6 months, <5 years) completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the SF-36 Health Survey and a questionnaire on sociodemographics and former work-related activities. Generalized linear regression analyses were conducted in R. Moderating effects were examined by adding cross-products to the models. Results More former work-related sitting was predictive of more screen time during retirement. Lower levels of former work-related vigorous activities and higher levels of former work-related walking were associated with respectively more cycling for transport and more walking for transport during retirement. None of the predictors significantly explained passive transportation, cycling and walking for recreation, and leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during retirement. Several moderating effects were found, but the direction of the interactions was not univocal. Conclusions Former-work related behaviors are of limited importance to explain physical activity during early retirement, so future studies should focus on other individual, social and environmental determinants. Nonetheless, adults who previously had a sedentary job had higher levels of screen time during retirement, so this is an important subgroup to focus on during interventions. Because of the inconsistent moderating effects of educational level and physical functioning, no clear recommendations can be formulated. PMID:25826218

Design and Implementation of Integrated Software Research and Community Service at State Polytechnic of Manado

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saroinsong, T.; A. S Kondoj, M.; Kandiyoh, G.; Pontoh, G.

2018-01-01

The State Polytechnic of Manado (Polimdo) is one of the reliable institutions in North Sulawesi that first implemented ISO 9001. But the accreditation of the institution has not been satisfactory, it means there is still much to be prepared to achieve the expected target. One of the criteria of assessment of institutional accreditation is related to research activities and social work in accordance with the standard seven. Data documentation systems related to research activities and social work are not well integrated and well documented in all existing work units. This causes the process of gathering information related to the activities and the results of research and social work in order to support the accreditation activities of the institution is still not efficient. This study aims to build an integrated software in all work units in Polimdo to obtain documentation and data synchronization in support of activities or reporting of documents accreditation institution in accordance with standard seven specifically in terms of submission of research proposal and dedication. The software will be developed using RUP method with analysis using data flow diagram and ERM so that the result of this research is documentation and synchronization of data and information of research activity and community service which can be used in preparing documents report for accreditation institution.

Research and Teaching: A Comparison of Long-Term Knowledge Retention between Two Teaching Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lysne, Steven J.; Miller, Brant G.

2017-01-01

Active instructional approaches have been demonstrated to result in greater student achievement, prompting institutions to transition to more active learning environments. However, little work has been conducted to specifically measure the retention of knowledge gained. The purpose of the research presented here was to test assumptions regarding…

Promoting Readiness to Practice: Which Learning Activities Promote Competence and Professional Identity for Student Social Workers during Practice Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roulston, Audrey; Cleak, Helen; Vreugdenhil, Anthea

2018-01-01

Practice learning is integral to the curriculum for qualifying social work students. Accreditation standards require regular student supervision and exposure to specific learning activities. Most agencies offer high-quality placements, but organizational cutbacks may affect supervision and restrict the development of competence and professional…

Drawing the Line with Google Earth: The Place of Digital Mapping outside of Geography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mercier, O. Ripeka; Rata, Arama

2017-01-01

The "Te Kawa a Maui Atlas" project explores how mapping activities support undergraduate student engagement and learning in Maori studies. This article describes two specific assignments, which used online mapping allowing students to engage with the work of their peers. By analysing student evaluations of these activities, we identify…

Non-Formal Education in Free Time: Leisure- or Work-Orientated Activity?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thoidis, Ioannis; Pnevmatikos, Dimitrios

2014-01-01

This article deals with the relationship between adults' free time and further education. More specifically, the paper addresses the question of whether there are similarities and analogies between the leisure time that adults dedicate to non-formal educational activities and free time per se. A structured questionnaire was used to examine the…

Early and late components of EEG delay activity correlate differently with scene working memory performance

PubMed Central

Ng, Kenneth; Reichert, Chelsea P.

2017-01-01

Sustained and elevated activity during the working memory delay period has long been considered the primary neural correlate for maintaining information over short time intervals. This idea has recently been reinterpreted in light of findings generated from multiple neural recording modalities and levels of analysis. To further investigate the sustained or transient nature of activity, the temporal-spectral evolution (TSE) of delay period activity was examined in humans with high density EEG during performance of a Sternberg working memory paradigm with a relatively long six second delay and with novel scenes as stimuli. Multiple analyses were conducted using different trial window durations and different baseline periods for TSE computation. Sensor level analyses revealed transient rather than sustained activity during delay periods. Specifically, the consistent finding among the analyses was that high amplitude activity encompassing the theta range was found early in the first three seconds of the delay period. These increases in activity early in the delay period correlated positively with subsequent ability to distinguish new from old probe scenes. Source level signal estimation implicated a right parietal region of transient early delay activity that correlated positively with working memory ability. This pattern of results adds to recent evidence that transient rather than sustained delay period activity supports visual working memory performance. The findings are discussed in relation to synchronous and desynchronous intra- and inter-regional neural transmission, and choosing an optimal baseline for expressing temporal-spectral delay activity change. PMID:29016657

Technology and equipment based on induction melters with ``cold'' crucible for reprocessing active metal waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pastushkov, V. G.; Molchanov, A. V.; Serebryakov, V. P.; Smelova, T. V.; Shestoperov, I. N.

2000-07-01

The paper discusses specific features of technology, equipment and control of a single stage RAMW decontamination and melting process in an induction furnace equipped with a "cold" crucible. The calculated and experimental data are given on melting high activity level stainless steel and Zr simulating high activity level metal waste. The work is under way in SSC RF VNIINM.

Protein A-like activity and streptococcal cross-reactions.

PubMed Central

Kingston, D

1981-01-01

Recognition of the protein A-like activity of some strains of group A streptococci has thrown doubt on much previous work suggesting antigenic cross-reactions between these streptococci and mammalian tissues. The strains used in our previous studies have now been examined by the mixed reverse passive antiglobulin reaction (MRPAH) for the 'non-specific' absorption of purified Fc portion of human IgG. They were found to have only traces of activity. The strain of Staphylococcus aureus used to control 'non-specific' absorption by bacterial cell walls was strongly positive. Protein A-like material as detected in this way was not therefore responsible for our earlier results. PMID:7039880

Perceived functional ability assessed with the spinal function sort: is it valid for European rehabilitation settings in patients with non-specific non-acute low back pain?

PubMed Central

Hilfiker, R.; Kool, J. P.; Bachmann, S.; Hagen, K. B.

2010-01-01

The aim of this study involving 170 patients suffering from non-specific low back pain was to test the validity of the spinal function sort (SFS) in a European rehabilitation setting. The SFS, a picture-based questionnaire, assesses perceived functional ability of work tasks involving the spine. All measurements were taken by a blinded research assistant; work status was assessed with questionnaires. Our study demonstrated a high internal consistency shown by a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.98, reasonable evidence for unidimensionality, spearman correlations of >0.6 with work activities, and discriminating power for work status at 3 and 12 months by ROC curve analysis (area under curve = 0.760 (95% CI 0.689–0.822), respectively, 0.801 (95% CI 0.731–0.859). The standardised response mean within the two treatment groups was 0.18 and −0.31. As a result, we conclude that the perceived functional ability for work tasks can be validly assessed with the SFS in a European rehabilitation setting in patients with non-specific low back pain, and is predictive for future work status. PMID:20490874

Introducing a new semi-active engine mount using force controlled variable stiffness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azadi, Mojtaba; Behzadipour, Saeed; Faulkner, Gary

2013-05-01

This work introduces a new concept in designing semi-active engine mounts. Engine mounts are under continuous development to provide better and more cost-effective engine vibration control. Passive engine mounts do not provide satisfactory solution. Available semi-active and active mounts provide better solutions but they are more complex and expensive. The variable stiffness engine mount (VSEM) is a semi-active engine mount with a simple ON-OFF control strategy. However, unlike available semi-active engine mounts that work based on damping change, the VSEM works based on the static stiffness change by using a new fast response force controlled variable spring. The VSEM is an improved version of the vibration mount introduced by the authors in their previous work. The results showed significant performance improvements over a passive rubber mount. The VSEM also provides better vibration control than a hydromount at idle speed. Low hysteresis and the ability to be modelled by a linear model in low-frequency are the advantages of the VSEM over the vibration isolator introduced earlier and available hydromounts. These specifications facilitate the use of VSEM in the automotive industry, however, further evaluation and developments are needed for this purpose.

Physical Activity, Physical Exertion, and Miscarriage Risk in Women Textile Workers in Shanghai, China

PubMed Central

Wong, EY; Ray, R; Gao, DL; Wernli, KJ; Li, W; Fitzgibbons, ED; Camp, JE; Heagerty, PJ; De Roos, AJ; Holt, VL; Thomas, DB; Checkoway, H

2010-01-01

Background Strenuous occupational physical activity and physical demands may be risk factors for adverse reproductive outcomes. Methods A retrospective study in the Shanghai, China textile industry study collected women’s self-reported reproductive history. Occupational physical activity assessment linked complete work history data to an industry-specific job-exposure matrix. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated by multivariate logistic regression for the first pregnancy outcome and utilized generalized estimating equations to consider all pregnancies per woman. Results Compared with women employed in sedentary jobs, a reduced risk of miscarriage was found for women working in jobs with either light (OR 0.18, 95%CI: 0.07, 0.50) or medium (OR 0.24, 95%CI: 0.08, 0.66) physical activity during the first pregnancy and over all pregnancies (light OR 0.32, 95%CI: 0.17, 0.61; medium OR 0.43, 95%CI: 0.23, 0.80). Frequent crouching was associated with elevated risk (OR 1.82, 95%CI: 1.14, 2.93; all pregnancies per woman). Conclusions Light/medium occupational physical activity may have reduced miscarriage risk, while specific occupational characteristics such as crouching may have increased risk in this cohort. PMID:20340112

Effect of anti-TNF and conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug treatment on work disability and clinical outcome in a multicentre observational cohort study of psoriatic arthritis.

PubMed

Tillett, William; Shaddick, Gavin; Jobling, Amelia; Askari, Ayman; Cooper, Annie; Creamer, Paul; Clunie, Gavin; Helliwell, Philip S; James, Jana; Kay, Lesley; Korendowych, Eleanor; Lane, Suzanne; Packham, Jonathon; Shaban, Ragai; Thomas, Matthew L; Williamson, Lyn; McHugh, Neil

2017-04-01

To determine the effect of medical treatment on work disability in patients with active PsA in a real-world setting. Four hundred patients with active PsA commencing or switching to anti-TNF or conventional synthetic DMARD (csDMARD) were recruited to a multicentre UK prospective observational cohort study. Work disability was measured using the work productivity and activity-specific health problem instrument and peripheral joint activity was measured with the disease activity in PsA composite measure. Four hundred patients were recruited, of whom 229 (57.25%) were working (of any age). Sixty-two patients of working age (24%) were unemployed. At 6 months there was a 10% improvement in presenteeism ( P = 0.007) and a 15% improvement in work productivity ( P = 0.001) among working patients commenced on csDMARDs ( n = 164) vs a larger and more rapid 30% improvement in presenteeism ( P < 0.001) and 40% improvement in work productivity ( P < 0.001) among those commenced on anti-TNF therapy ( n = 65). Clinical response was poor among patients commenced on a csDMARD ( n = 272), with an 8.4 point improvement in disease activity in PsA ( P < 0.001) vs those commenced on anti-TNF therapy ( n = 121), who had a 36.8 point improvement ( P < 0.001). We report significant and clinically meaningful improvements in both work disability and clinical outcomes after commencement of anti-TNF therapy in a real-world setting. Improvements in all outcomes among those commencing csDMARDs were slower and of a smaller magnitude. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

40 CFR 721.5310 - Neononanoic acid, ethenyl ester.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... end of each work shift.), (a)(2)(ii) (With the exception of laboratory activities, full body chemical... weighted by the proportion of each substance present in the total daily amount released. (b) Specific...

40 CFR 721.4215 - Hexanedioic acid, diethenyl ester.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... of each work shift.), (a)(2)(ii) (With the exception of laboratory activities, full body chemical... weighted by the proportion of each substance present in the total daily amount released. (b) Specific...

40 CFR 721.4215 - Hexanedioic acid, diethenyl ester.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... of each work shift.), (a)(2)(ii) (With the exception of laboratory activities, full body chemical... weighted by the proportion of each substance present in the total daily amount released. (b) Specific...

40 CFR 721.5310 - Neononanoic acid, ethenyl ester.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... end of each work shift.), (a)(2)(ii) (With the exception of laboratory activities, full body chemical... weighted by the proportion of each substance present in the total daily amount released. (b) Specific...

40 CFR 721.4215 - Hexanedioic acid, diethenyl ester.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... of each work shift.), (a)(2)(ii) (With the exception of laboratory activities, full body chemical... weighted by the proportion of each substance present in the total daily amount released. (b) Specific...

40 CFR 721.5310 - Neononanoic acid, ethenyl ester.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... end of each work shift.), (a)(2)(ii) (With the exception of laboratory activities, full body chemical... weighted by the proportion of each substance present in the total daily amount released. (b) Specific...

5 CFR 339.104 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... the condition, specifically as a result of the normal aging process, or in response to the work... Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy, or a physician who is serving on active duty in the uniformed...

Working together. An interdisciplinary approach to dying patients in a palliative care unit.

PubMed

Minetti, Aurora

2011-12-01

Multiprofessional teams have become in recent years one of the distinguishing features of services, where professionals with different competences work together. The core of our interest is addressed to the équipe of a palliative care ward; in particular, to that series of working activities that consists of communicative acts, as équipe meetings, for instance. Our research focuses on the analysis of the process by which the development of knowledge in multiprofessional practice is built to establish more information on recurrent patterns in the interaction and connect them to the specific context that these are shaped by. In this sense we will underline how components of knowing are shared among team members in constructing medical prognosis and we will analyse the connection among language processes, cognitive activities and social structures. More specifically, we will study the role of language and the context in the definition of linguistic acts in cognitive activities and in hierarchies involved in decision-making processes by exploring and pointing out how it is organised and structured. In particular through the study of talk-in-interaction where interchange of information is realised, we will emphasise how, in the multiprofessional équipe meeting, the realisation of practices and the knowledge useful to collaborative management of ward working life are established. To reach this aim, we adopted an ethnographic approach connected to the analysis of the situated interaction.

What is healthy work for women and men? - A case-control study of gender- and sector-specific effects of psycho-social working conditions on long-term sickness absence.

PubMed

Lidwall, Ulrik; Marklund, Staffan

2006-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the relevance of the demand-control model and social support in predicting long-term sickness absence (LTSA). Identifying gender- and sector- (private vs. public) specific patterns was in focus. The study uses a cross-sectional design with a case and a control group. The cases are a sample of 2 327 long-term sick listed (>60 days) and the controls are a Swedish population-based sample of 2 063. Data on sickness absence were retrieved from the Swedish national social insurance registers. Data on health, working and living conditions were gathered through a self-administered questionnaire. The results show that employed women have a notably higher risk for LTSA than employed men. High-strain jobs increase the odds for LTSA among both women and men. Active jobs were also associated with LTSA among women. The study confirms the demand-control model (job strain hypothesis) and social support and their associations with LTSA. However, the job strain hypothesis is more evident in the private sector. Active jobs with high psychological demands and high decision latitude seem to be problematic for many women, especially in the private sector. Thus, the active learning hypothesis receives no support for women in the Swedish working population in general.

Physical activity and sedentary time: male perceptions in a university work environment.

PubMed

George, Emma S; Kolt, Gregory S; Rosenkranz, Richard R; Guagliano, Justin M

2014-03-01

Promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary time in males can be challenging, and interventions tailored specifically for males are limited. Understanding male perceptions of physical activity and sedentary behavior is important to inform development of relevant interventions, especially for males working in an office setting. As part of a larger intervention study to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary time, male university employees aged 35 to 64 years were invited to partake in focus groups to discuss benefits, motivators, and barriers related to physical activity and sedentary time. Five semistructured focus group sessions, ranging from 50 to 70 minutes in duration, were conducted on two campuses at an Australian university. A total of 15 participants (9 academic/faculty staff and 6 professional staff), with a mean (± SD) age of 46.1 (±8.0) years took part in the study. Health and family were commonly discussed motivators for physical activity, whereas time constraints and work commitments were major barriers to physical activity participation. Sedentary time was a perceived "by-product" of participants' university employment, as a substantial proportion of their days were spent sitting, primarily at a computer. Participants believed that physical activity should be recognized as a legitimate activity at work, embedded within the university culture and endorsed using a top-down approach. It is important to encourage breaks in sedentary time and recognize physical activity as a legitimate health-promoting activity that is supported and encouraged during working hours. These findings can be used as a platform from which to develop targeted strategies to promote physical activity in male university employees.

Psychosocial work environment and the risk of coronary heart disease.

PubMed

Peter, R; Siegrist, J

2000-06-01

Remarkable changes in the working situation have led to the increasing importance of psychomentally and socio-emotionally demanding conditions at work. With the help of theoretical models, those highly prevalent psychosocial work environments were conceptualized which influence the risk of coronary heart disease by enhanced activation of the autonomic nervous system. One of the most prominent theoretical approaches, the job strain model, and a more recent approach, the effort-reward imbalance model, are discussed in the paper. Findings from prospective and cross-sectional studies indicate that job strain and effort-reward imbalance at work define specific conditions of chronic work stress that are associated with an elevated risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Respective multivariate odds-ratios range from 1.2 to 5.0 with respect to job strain, and from 1.5 to 6.1 with respect to effort-reward imbalance. These associations are explained neither by established behavioral or biomedical risk factors nor by physical and chemical hazards at work, rather they define independent, new work-related risk conditions. There is additional evidence that effort-reward imbalance may mediate the association of some traditional occupational exposures, such as shift work, with cardiovascular risk: in a cross-sectional study, prevalence odds ratios of hypertension and atherogenic lipids attributable to effort-reward imbalance were relatively highest among shiftworkers as compared to daytime workers. Preliminary results from intervention programs based on the theoretical models document favorable effects on health. Information derived from theoretical models on psychosocial work environment may help to better identify populations at risk and to develop and apply specific, theory-guided preventive activities in the future.

Pharmacy in transition: A work sampling study of community pharmacists using smartphone technology.

PubMed

van de Pol, Jeroen M; Geljon, Jurjen G; Belitser, Svetlana V; Frederix, Geert W J; Hövels, Anke M; Bouvy, Marcel L

2018-03-09

The nature of community pharmacy is changing, shifting from the preparation and distribution of medicines to the provision of cognitive pharmaceutical services (CPS); however, often the provision of traditional services leaves little time for innovative services. This study investigated the time community pharmacists spend on the tasks and activities of daily practice and to what extent they are able to implement CPS-related services in daily practice. Self-reporting work sampling was used to register the activities of community pharmacists. A smartphone application, designed specifically for this purpose, alerted participants to register their current activity five times per working day for 6 weeks. Participants also completed an online survey about baseline characteristics. Ninety-one Dutch community pharmacists provided work-sampling data (7848 registered activities). Overall, 51.5% of their time was spent on professional activities, 35.4% on semi-professional activities, and 13.1% on non-professional activities. The proportion of time devoted to CPS decreased during the workweek, whereas the time spent on traditional task increased. This study shows it is feasible to collect work-sampling data using smartphone technology. Community pharmacists spent almost half of their time on semi-professional and non-professional activities, activities that could be delegated to other staff members. In practice, the transition to CPS is hampered by competing traditional tasks, which prevents community pharmacists from profiling themselves as pharmaceutical experts in daily practice. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Kinetic studies of adsorption in the bioethanol dehydration using polyvinyl alcohol, zeolite and activated carbon as adsorbent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laksmono, J. A.; Pratiwi, I. M.; Sudibandriyo, M.; Haryono, A.; Saputra, A. H.

2017-11-01

Bioethanol is considered as the most promising alternative fuel in the future due to its abundant renewable sources. However, the result of bioethanol production process using fermentation contains 70% v/v, and it still needs simultaneous purification process. One of the most energy-efficient purification methods is adsorption. Specifically, the rate of adsorption is an important factor for evaluating adsorption performance. In this work, we have conducted an adsorption using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), zeolite and activated carbon as promising adsorbents in the bioethanol dehydration. This research aims to prove that PVA, zeolite, activated carbon is suitable to be used as adsorbent in bioethanol dehydration process through kinetics study and water adsorption selectivity performance. According to the results, PVA, zeolite and activated carbon are the potential materials as adsorbents in the bioethanol dehydration process. The kinetics study shows that 30°C temperature gave the optimum adsorption kinetics rate for PVA, zeolite, and activated carbon adsorbents which were 0.4911 min-1; 0.5 min-1; and 1.1272 min-1 respectively. In addition, it also shows that the activated carbon performed as a more potential adsorbent due to its higher pore volume and specific surface area properties. Based on the Arrhenius equation, the PVA works in the chemisorption mechanism, meanwhile zeolite and activated carbon work in the physisorption system as shown in the value of the activation energy which are 51.43 kJ/mole; 8.16 kJ/mole; and 20.30 kJ/mole. Whereas the water to ethanol selectivity study, we discover that zeolite is an impressive adsorbent compared to the others due to the molecular sieving characteristic of the material.

Discontinuities-free complete-active-space state–specific multi–reference coupled cluster theory for describing bond stretching and dissociation

DOE PAGES

Zaporozhets, Irina A.; Ivanov, Vladimir V.; Lyakh, Dmitry I.; ...

2015-07-13

The earlier proposed multi-reference state-specific coupled-cluster theory with the complete active space reference suffered from a problem of energy discontinuities when the formal reference state was changing in the calculation of the potential energy curve (PEC). A simple remedy to the discontinuity problem is found and is presented in this work. It involves using natural complete active space self-consistent field active orbitals in the complete active space coupled-cluster calculations. As a result, the approach gives smooth PECs for different types of dissociation problems, as illustrated in the calculations of the dissociation of the single bond in the hydrogen fluorine moleculemore » and of the symmetric double-bond dissociation in the water molecule.« less

A model to assess lactic acid bacteria aminopeptidase activities in Parmigiano Reggiano cheese during ripening.

PubMed

Gatti, M; De Dea Lindner, J; Gardini, F; Mucchetti, G; Bevacqua, D; Fornasari, M E; Neviani, E

2008-11-01

The aim of this work was to investigate in which phases of ripening of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese lactic acid bacteria aminopeptidases present in cheese extract could be involved in release of free amino acids and to better understand the behavior of these enzymes in physical-chemical conditions that are far from their optimum. In particular, we evaluated 6 different substrates to reproduce broad-specificity aminopeptidase N, broad-specificity aminopeptidase C, glutamyl aminopeptidase A, peptidase with high specificity for leucine and alanine, proline iminopeptidase, and X-prolyl dipeptidyl aminopeptidase activities releasing different N-terminal amino acids. The effects of pH, NaCl concentration, and temperature on the enzyme activities of amino acid beta-naphthylamide (betaNA)-substrates were determined by modulating the variables in 19 different runs of an experimental design, which allowed the building of mathematical models able to assess the effect on aminopeptidases activities over a range of values, obtained with bibliographic data, covering different environmental conditions in different zones of the cheese wheel at different aging times. The aminopeptidases tested in this work were present in cell-free Parmigiano Reggiano cheese extract after a 17-mo ripening and were active when tested in model system. The modeling approach shows that to highlight the individual and interactive effects of chemical-physical variables on enzyme activities, it is helpful to determine the true potential of an amino-peptidase in cheese. Our results evidenced that the 6 different lactic acid bacteria peptidases participate in cheese proteolysis and are induced or inhibited by the cheese production parameters that, in turn, depend on the cheese dimension. Generally, temperature and pH exerted the more relevant effects on the enzymatic activities, and in many cases, a relevant interactive effect of these variables was observed. Increasing salt concentration slowed down broad-specificity amino-peptidase C, glutamyl aminopeptidase A, proline iminopeptidase, and peptidase with high specificity for leucine and alanine. Interestingly, this variable did not affect broad-specificity aminopeptidase N and positively affected X-prolyl dipeptidyl aminopeptidase. The models elaborated varying pH, temperatures, and salt concentration and were a useful, low cost, and fast tool to understand the role of the main peptidases in the different phases of cheese ripening in relation to the major environmental factors influencing enzyme activity.

Production of activated carbon from rice husk Vietnam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korobochkin, V. V.; Tu, N. V.; Hieu, N. M.

2016-09-01

This work is dedicated to the production of activated carbon from rice husk from Delta of the Red River in Viet Nam. At the first stage, carbonization of a rice husk was carried out to obtain material containing 43.1% carbon and 25 % silica with a specific surface area of 51.5 m2/g. After separating of silica (the second stage), the specific surface area of the product increased to 204 m2/g and the silica content decreased to 1.23% by weight as well. The most important stage in the formation of the porous structure of the material is the activation. The products with the high specific surface area in the range of 800-1345 m2/g were obtained by activation of carbonized product with water vapour or carbon dioxide at temperatures of 700 °C and 850 °C, with varying the flow rate of the activating agent and activation time. The best results were achieved by activation of carbon material with water vapour at the flow rate of 0.08 dm3/min per 500 g of material and the temperature of 850 °C.

Optimal healthcare delivery to care homes in the UK: a realist evaluation of what supports effective working to improve healthcare outcomes.

PubMed

Gordon, Adam L; Goodman, Claire; Davies, Sue L; Dening, Tom; Gage, Heather; Meyer, Julienne; Schneider, Justine; Bell, Brian; Jordan, Jake; Martin, Finbarr C; Iliffe, Steve; Bowman, Clive; Gladman, John R F; Victor, Christina; Mayrhofer, Andrea; Handley, Melanie; Zubair, Maria

2018-01-05

care home residents have high healthcare needs not fully met by prevailing healthcare models. This study explored how healthcare configuration influences resource use. a realist evaluation using qualitative and quantitative data from case studies of three UK health and social care economies selected for differing patterns of healthcare delivery to care homes. Four homes per area (12 in total) were recruited. A total of 239 residents were followed for 12 months to record resource-use. Overall, 181 participants completed 116 interviews and 13 focus groups including residents, relatives, care home staff, community nurses, allied health professionals and General Practitioners. context-mechanism-outcome configurations were identified explaining what supported effective working between healthcare services and care home staff: (i) investment in care home-specific work that legitimises and values work with care homes; (ii) relational working which over time builds trust between practitioners; (iii) care which 'wraps around' care homes; and (iv) access to specialist care for older people with dementia. Resource use was similar between sites despite differing approaches to healthcare. There was greater utilisation of GP resource where this was specifically commissioned but no difference in costs between sites. activities generating opportunities and an interest in healthcare and care home staff working together are integral to optimal healthcare provision in care homes. Outcomes are likely to be better where: focus and activities legitimise ongoing contact between healthcare staff and care homes at an institutional level; link with a wider system of healthcare; and provide access to dementia-specific expertise. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.

Why a Paradigm Shift of "More than Human Ontologies" Is Needed: Putting to Work Poststructural and Posthuman Theories in Writers' Studio

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuby, Candace R.

2017-01-01

This manuscript puts to work "more than human ontologies" drawing on poststructural (rhizomatic) and posthumanist (intra-active) theories by plugging-in concepts with data produced in a second grade Writers' Studio to illustrate why a paradigm shift of "more than human ontologies" is needed. Specifically, how ways of…

Entrepreneurial Strategies for Advancing Arts-Based Public Engagement as a Form of University-Sanctioned Professional Activity in the New Creative Economy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delacruz, Elizabeth Manley

2011-01-01

Written in the first person and drawing from an autoethnographic methodological framework, this essay shares aspirations, experiences, and reflections on a faculty member's professional work in a large U.S. public research-oriented university, focusing specifically on her attempts to reconcile her service-oriented civic engagement work with her…

A comparison of work-related physical activity levels between inpatient and outpatient physical therapists: an observational cohort trial.

PubMed

Brewer, Wayne; Ogbazi, Raluchukwu; Ohl, Devan; Daniels, Jeffry; Ortiz, Alexis

2016-06-16

Physical therapists (PTs) work in a variety of healthcare settings with varied levels of physical activity demands placed on them. The purpose of this study is to compare the physical activity (PA) levels between PTs in inpatient versus outpatient environments for one work week using a cross-sectional design. Sixty-one PTs (30 inpatient, 31 outpatient) wore a tri-axial accelerometer and inclinometer for one work-week. The number steps-per-day, PA intensities, energy expenditures and postural positions adopted during the work day were recorded. Significantly longer amounts of time spent sitting was found for inpatient PTs regardless of the significantly higher number of steps-per-day. Outpatient PTs had a higher number of breaks from sedentary activity with those breaks being longer than the inpatient PTs. The percentage of time spent performing moderate-vigorous PA approached significance implying more time was spent performing these types of activities for outpatient PTs. The energy expenditures between the two groups of PTs were not different. This study compared the differences in physical activity levels between physical therapists who worked at inpatient versus outpatient environment as little is known about their activity levels. Inpatient physical therapists took more steps per day than outpatient physical therapists but the outpatient physical therapists were less sedentary and took more frequent and longer breaks from sedentary activities. The energy expenditures were similar between both types of therapists and this may be reflective of the gender and bodyweight differences between the groups that equalizes the energy expenditures. The findings of this study suggests that there are differences in the physical activity demands between inpatient and outpatient physical therapists. The results of this study may serve dual purposes: (1) employers may be able to more accurately describe the expected physical activity demands to future employees; (2) individuals tasked with preparing PTs to physically manage their work environment can outline training programs that are diverse based on the specific work environment of PTs.

A personality trait-based interactionist model of job performance.

PubMed

Tett, Robert P; Burnett, Dawn D

2003-06-01

Evidence for situational specificity of personality-job performance relations calls for better understanding of how personality is expressed as valued work behavior. On the basis of an interactionist principle of trait activation (R. P. Tett & H. A. Guterman, 2000), a model is proposed that distinguishes among 5 situational features relevant to trait expression (job demands, distracters, constraints, releasers, and facilitators), operating at task, social, and organizational levels. Trait-expressive work behavior is distinguished from (valued) job performance in clarifying the conditions favoring personality use in selection efforts. The model frames linkages between situational taxonomies (e.g., J. L. Holland's [1985] RIASEC model) and the Big Five and promotes useful discussion of critical issues, including situational specificity, personality-oriented job analysis, team building, and work motivation.

Brain Oscillatory Correlates of Altered Executive Functioning in Positive and Negative Symptomatic Schizophrenia Patients and Healthy Controls.

PubMed

Berger, Barbara; Minarik, Tamas; Griesmayr, Birgit; Stelzig-Schoeler, Renate; Aichhorn, Wolfgang; Sauseng, Paul

2016-01-01

Working Memory and executive functioning deficits are core characteristics of patients suffering from schizophrenia. Electrophysiological research indicates that altered patterns of neural oscillatory mechanisms underpinning executive functioning are associated with the psychiatric disorder. Such brain oscillatory changes have been found in local amplitude differences at gamma and theta frequencies in task-specific cortical areas. Moreover, interregional interactions are also disrupted as signified by decreased phase coherence of fronto-posterior theta activity in schizophrenia patients. However, schizophrenia is not a one-dimensional psychiatric disorder but has various forms and expressions. A common distinction is between positive and negative symptomatology but most patients have both negative and positive symptoms to some extent. Here, we examined three groups-healthy controls, predominantly negative, and predominantly positive symptomatic schizophrenia patients-when performing a working memory task with increasing cognitive demand and increasing need for executive control. We analyzed brain oscillatory activity in the three groups separately and investigated how predominant symptomatology might explain differences in brain oscillatory patterns. Our results indicate that differences in task specific fronto-posterior network activity (i.e., executive control network) expressed by interregional phase synchronization are able to account for working memory dysfunctions between groups. Local changes in the theta and gamma frequency range also show differences between patients and healthy controls, and more importantly, between the two patient groups. We conclude that differences in oscillatory brain activation patterns related to executive processing can be an indicator for positive and negative symptomatology in schizophrenia. Furthermore, changes in cognitive and especially executive functioning in patients are expressed by alterations in a task-specific fronto-posterior connectivity even in the absence of behavioral impairment.

Volcanic hazards in Central America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rose, William I.; Bluth, Gregg J.S.; Carr, Michael J.; Ewert, John W.; Patino, Lina C.; Vallance, James W.

2006-01-01

This volume is a sampling of current scientific work about volcanoes in Central America with specific application to hazards. The papers reflect a variety of international and interdisciplinary collaborations and employ new methods. The book will be of interest to a broad cross section of scientists, especially volcanologists. The volume also will interest students who aspire to work in the field of volcano hazards mitigation or who may want to work in one of Earth’s most volcanically active areas.

Specific labeling of zinc finger proteins using noncanonical amino acids and copper-free click chemistry.

PubMed

Kim, Younghoon; Kim, Sung Hoon; Ferracane, Dean; Katzenellenbogen, John A; Schroeder, Charles M

2012-09-19

Zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) play a key role in transcriptional regulation and serve as invaluable tools for gene modification and genetic engineering. Development of efficient strategies for labeling metalloproteins such as ZFPs is essential for understanding and controlling biological processes. In this work, we engineered ZFPs containing cysteine-histidine (Cys2-His2) motifs by metabolic incorporation of the unnatural amino acid azidohomoalanine (AHA), followed by specific protein labeling via click chemistry. We show that cyclooctyne promoted [3 + 2] dipolar cycloaddition with azides, known as copper-free click chemistry, provides rapid and specific labeling of ZFPs at high yields as determined by mass spectrometry analysis. We observe that the DNA-binding activity of ZFPs labeled by conventional copper-mediated click chemistry was completely abolished, whereas ZFPs labeled by copper-free click chemistry retain their sequence-specific DNA-binding activity under native conditions, as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assays, protein microarrays, and kinetic binding assays based on Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). Our work provides a general framework to label metalloproteins such as ZFPs by metabolic incorporation of unnatural amino acids followed by copper-free click chemistry.

Specific Labeling of Zinc Finger Proteins using Non-canonical Amino Acids and Copper-free Click Chemistry

PubMed Central

Kim, Younghoon; Kim, Sung Hoon; Ferracane, Dean; Katzenellenbogen, John A.

2012-01-01

Zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) play a key role in transcriptional regulation and serve as invaluable tools for gene modification and genetic engineering. Development of efficient strategies for labeling metalloproteins such as ZFPs is essential for understanding and controlling biological processes. In this work, we engineered ZFPs containing cysteine-histidine (Cys2-His2) motifs by metabolic incorporation of the unnatural amino acid azidohomoalanine (AHA), followed by specific protein labeling via click chemistry. We show that cyclooctyne promoted [3 + 2] dipolar cycloaddition with azides, known as copper-free click chemistry, provides rapid and specific labeling of ZFPs at high yields as determined by mass spectrometry analysis. We observe that the DNA-binding activity of ZFPs labeled by conventional copper-mediated click chemistry was completely abolished, whereas ZFPs labeled by copper-free click chemistry retain their sequence-specific DNA-binding activity under native conditions, as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assays, protein microarrays and kinetic binding assays based on Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). Our work provides a general framework to label metalloproteins such as ZFPs by metabolic incorporation of unnatural amino acids followed by copper-free click chemistry. PMID:22871171

Cognition in school-aged children with "active" epilepsy: A population-based study.

PubMed

Reilly, Colin; Atkinson, Patricia; Das, Krishna B; Chin, Richard F M; Aylett, Sarah E; Burch, Victoria; Gillberg, Christopher; Scott, Rod C; Neville, Brian G R

2015-01-01

There is a lack of population-based data on specific cognitive profiles in childhood epilepsy. This study sought to determine the frequency of impairments in global cognition and aspects of working memory and processing speed in a population-based sample of children with "active" epilepsy (on antiepileptic Drugs (AEDs), and/or had a seizure in the last year). Factors significantly associated with global and specific difficulties in cognition were also identified. A total of 85 (74% of eligible population) school-aged children (5-15 years) with "active" epilepsy underwent comprehensive psychological assessment including assessment of global cognition, working memory, and processing speed. Scores on cognitive subtests were compared via paired-samples t tests. The factors associated with cognitive difficulties were analyzed via linear regression. A total of 24% of children were functioning below IQ 50, and 40% had IQ scores below 70. Scores on the Processing Speed Index were significantly lower than scores on the Verbal or Performance indexes on Wechsler instruments. The Coding subtest was a significant weakness compared with the other Wechsler subtests. A total of 58% of children displayed "memory underachievement" (memory score 1 SD below assessed IQ) on at least one of the four administered working memory subtests. Factors significantly associated with globally impaired cognition included being on polytherapy (β = -13.0; 95% CI [-19.3, -6.6], p = .000) and having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; β = -11.1, 95% CI [-3.0, -19.3], p = .008). Being on polytherapy was also associated with lower scores on the working memory and processing speed composite scores. Having developmental coordination disorder (DCD) was associated with a lower score on the processing speed composite. There is a high rate of global and specific cognitive difficulties in childhood epilepsy. Difficulties are most pronounced in aspects of working memory and processing speed. Predictors of cognitive impairment in childhood epilepsy include epilepsy-related and behavioral factors, which may differ depending on the domain of cognition assessed.

Space and Missile Systems Center Standard: Parts, Materials, and Processes Control Program for Space Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-12

statement of work. This document may be tailored by the acquisition activity for the specific application or program prior to contract award. 1.3...5 3. Definitions and Acronyms 3.1 Definitions The following definitions describe terms used throughout this document. Acquisition Activity The...acquisition activity is the Government, contractor, or subcontractor acquiring the equipment, system, subsystem, part, or material for which this

[What can be done and by who in Public Health? Professional competencies as a base for the design of University degrees curricula in the European Space for Higher Education].

PubMed

Davó, Mari Carmen; Gil-González, Diana; Vives-Cases, Carmen; Alvarez-Dardet, Carlos; Ronda, Elena; Ortiz-Moncada, Rocío; Ruiz-Cantero, María Teresa

2009-01-01

To conform a frame of reference for the organization of the public health teaching in university degrees in Spain, in agreement with the directives of the European Space for Higher Education. Specific professional competencies in public health have been extracted from the Libros blancos published by the ANECA (National Agency of Quality Evaluation) for the degrees on medicine, pharmacy, nursing, human nutrition and dietetics, optics and optometry, veterinary, social work, occupational relations, teacher training, and environmental sciences. Following the framework proposed by the Working Group on professional competencies in public health in Spain, we have selected those competences that enable future professionals to participate in the development of the public health from their field of activity. We have also identified and correlated the specific competences of each degree with the corresponding activities and functions. All the studied degrees have competences in public health functions. The majority has also defined activities in community health analysis, design and implementation of health interventions and programmes, promotion of social participation and citizen's control of their own health. There is academic space for the multidisciplinary development of the public health in Spain beyond the health professions. The identification of the specific competencies of each degree related with activities on public health reveal what are the contents to be in included in each syllabus.

40 CFR 721.4250 - Hexanoic acid, 2-ethyl-, ethenyl ester.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... end of each work shift.), (a)(2)(ii) (With the exception of laboratory activities, full body chemical... by the proportion of each substance present in the total daily amount released. (b) Specific...

40 CFR 721.4250 - Hexanoic acid, 2-ethyl-, ethenyl ester.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... end of each work shift.), (a)(2)(ii) (With the exception of laboratory activities, full body chemical... by the proportion of each substance present in the total daily amount released. (b) Specific...

40 CFR 721.4250 - Hexanoic acid, 2-ethyl-, ethenyl ester.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... end of each work shift.), (a)(2)(ii) (With the exception of laboratory activities, full body chemical... by the proportion of each substance present in the total daily amount released. (b) Specific...

Electrophysiological Measures of Resting State Functional Connectivity and Their Relationship with Working Memory Capacity in Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, Jessica J.; Woolrich, Mark W.; Baker, Kate; Colclough, Giles L.; Astle, Duncan E.

2016-01-01

Functional connectivity is the statistical association of neuronal activity time courses across distinct brain regions, supporting specific cognitive processes. This coordination of activity is likely to be highly important for complex aspects of cognition, such as the communication of fluctuating task goals from higher-order control regions to…

78 FR 16567 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments for a New Information Collection

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-15

... U.S. DOT's intermodal effort to promote the entry of women, persons with disabilities, and members... actively support the STIPDG by working closely with FHWA's Office of Human Resources, specifically the... necessary for the FHWA's performance; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burdens; (3) ways for the FHWA to...

Does One-to-One Technology Really Work: An Evaluation through the Lens of Activity Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holen, Jodi Bergland; Hung, Woei; Gourneau, Bonni

2017-01-01

This program evaluation study examines an implementation of a one-to-one laptop initiative in a rural high school. Specifically, the researchers adopted a holistic view in evaluating the process and outcomes of this implementation by examining the interrelationships among the key participants using activity theory as a conceptual framework.…

Towards the Verification of Human-Robot Teams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, Michael; Pearce, Edward; Wooldridge, Mike; Sierhuis, Maarten; Visser, Willem; Bordini, Rafael H.

2005-01-01

Human-Agent collaboration is increasingly important. Not only do high-profile activities such as NASA missions to Mars intend to employ such teams, but our everyday activities involving interaction with computational devices falls into this category. In many of these scenarios, we are expected to trust that the agents will do what we expect and that the agents and humans will work together as expected. But how can we be sure? In this paper, we bring together previous work on the verification of multi-agent systems with work on the modelling of human-agent teamwork. Specifically, we target human-robot teamwork. This paper provides an outline of the way we are using formal verification techniques in order to analyse such collaborative activities. A particular application is the analysis of human-robot teams intended for use in future space exploration.

Assessment of human natural killer and lymphokine-activated killer cell cytotoxicity against Toxoplasma gondii trophozoites and brain cysts

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

Dannemann, B.R.; Morris, V.A.; Araujo, F.G.

1989-10-15

Because previous work has suggested that NK cells may be important in host resistance against the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii we examined whether human NK cells and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells have activity against trophozoites and cysts of this organism in vitro. A method to radiolabel Toxoplasma trophozoites with 51Cr was developed and direct cytotoxic activity was determined by using modifications of the standard 51Cr release assay. Viability of 51Cr-labeled trophozoites assessed by both methylene blue staining and trypan blue exclusion was greater than 90%. Significantly more 51Cr was released by anti-Toxoplasma antibody and C than by antibody in themore » absence of C. Incubation of trophozoites with freshly isolated human NK cells or NK cells activated with either rIL-2 or rIFN-alpha did not result in significant release of 51Cr (specific lysis was 0 to 2.3%). In contrast, the average specific lysis of radiolabeled trophozoites by LAK cells was significant. In a series of separate experiments, preincubation of radiolabeled trophozoites with heat-inactivated normal or Toxoplasma antibody-positive human serum increased the cytotoxicity of LAK cells from a mean specific lysis of 15% +/- 4.5 to 39% +/- 8.5, respectively, as assessed by 51Cr release. Because previous work has shown that radioisotope release from parasites may be nonspecific, separate experiments were performed to determine the cytotoxicity of LAK cells against antibody-coated trophozoites by using ethidium bromide-acridine orange staining to assess effector cell damage. LAK cells had a mean specific lysis of 51% against antibody-coated trophozoites by ethidium bromide-acridine orange staining. Preincubation with heat-inactivated Toxoplasma-antibody positive human serum did not increase activity of rIL-2-activated NK cells against 51CR-labeled trophozoites.« less

Development of the European Health Interview Survey - Physical Activity Questionnaire (EHIS-PAQ) to monitor physical activity in the European Union.

PubMed

Finger, Jonas D; Tafforeau, Jean; Gisle, Lydia; Oja, Leila; Ziese, Thomas; Thelen, Juergen; Mensink, Gert B M; Lange, Cornelia

2015-01-01

A domain-specific physical activity questionnaire (EHIS-PAQ) was developed in the framework of the second wave of the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS). This article presents the EHIS-PAQ and describes its development and evaluation processes. Research institutes from Belgium, Estonia and Germany participated in the Improvement of the EHIS (ImpEHIS) Grant project issued by Eurostat. The instrument development process comprised a non-systematic literature review and a systematic HIS/HES database search for physical activity survey questions. The developed EHIS-PAQ proposal was reviewed by survey experts. Cognitive testing of the EHIS-PAQ was conducted in Estonia and Germany. The EHIS-PAQ was further tested in a pilot survey in Belgium, Estonia and Germany in different modes of data collection, face-to-face paper and pencil interview (PAPI) and computer assisted telephone interview (CATI). The EHIS-PAQ is a rather pragmatic tool aiming to evaluate how far the population is physically active in specific public health relevant settings. It assesses work-related, transport-related and leisure-time physical activity in a typical week. Cognitive testing revealed that the EHIS-PAQ worked as intended. The pilot testing showed the feasibility of using the EHIS-PAQ in an international health interview survey setting in Europe. It will be implemented in all 28 European Union Member States via European Union implementing regulation in the period between 2013 and 2015. This will be a first opportunity to get comparable data on domain-specific physical activity in all 28 EU MS and to publish indicators at the EU level. The EHIS-PAQ is a short, domain-specific PA questionnaire based on PA questions which have been used in large-scale health interview surveys before. It was designed by considering the respondents' perspective in answering PA questions.

Psychosocial Pain Management Moderation: The Limit, Activate, and Enhance Model.

PubMed

Day, Melissa A; Ehde, Dawn M; Jensen, Mark P

2015-10-01

There is a growing emphasis in the pain literature on understanding the following second-order research questions: Why do psychosocial pain treatments work? For whom do various treatments work? This critical review summarizes research that addresses the latter question and proposes a moderation model to help guide future research. A theoretical moderation framework for matching individuals to specific psychosocial pain interventions has been lacking. However, several such frameworks have been proposed in the broad psychotherapy and implementation science literature. Drawing on these theories and adapting them specifically for psychosocial pain treatment, here we propose a Limit, Activate, and Enhance model of pain treatment moderation. This model is unique in that it includes algorithms not only for matching treatments on the basis of patient weaknesses but also for directing patients to interventions that build on their strengths. Critically, this model provides a basis for specific a priori hypothesis generation, and a selection of the possible hypotheses drawn from the model are proposed and discussed. Future research considerations are presented that could refine and expand the model based on theoretically driven empirical evidence. The Limit, Activate, and Enhance model presented here is a theoretically derived framework that provides an a priori basis for hypothesis generation regarding psychosocial pain treatment moderators. The model will advance moderation research via its unique focus on matching patients to specific treatments that (1) limit maladaptive responses, (2) activate adaptive responses, and (3) enhance treatment outcomes based on patient strengths and resources. Copyright © 2015 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rational approaches for engineering novel functionalities in carbon-carbon bond forming enzymes

PubMed Central

Baker, Perrin; Seah, Stephen Y. K.

2012-01-01

Enzymes that catalyze carbon-carbon bond formation can be exploited as biocatalyst for synthetic organic chemistry. However, natural enzymes frequently do not possess the required properties or specificities to catalyze industrially useful transformations. This mini-review describes recent work using knowledge-guided site-specific mutagenesis of key active site residues to alter substrate specificity, stereospecificity and reaction specificity of these enzymes. In addition, examples of de novo designed enzymes that catalyze C-C bond reactions not found in nature will be discussed. PMID:24688644

Margin of manoeuvre indicators in the workplace during the rehabilitation process: a qualitative analysis.

PubMed

Durand, M J; Vézina, N; Baril, R; Loisel, P; Richard, M C; Ngomo, S

2009-06-01

The task of evaluating workers' capacity to return to their pre-injury employment or other jobs continues to pose a daily challenge for clinicians. In this study, a concept frequently used in the field of ergonomics, the margin of manoeuvre (MM), was applied during the rehabilitation process. The study identified the indicators of the MM taken into account during the return to work of workers with musculoskeletal disorders. This study used a multiple-case design. A case was defined as a dyad comprising a worker admitted to a work rehabilitation program and the clinician who was managing the return-to-work process. The results were then validated with investigators and expert ergonomists, through group interviews. Content analyses were performed using the conceptual framework for the work activity model adapted from Vézina and the procedures recommended by Miles and Huberman. A total of 11 workers, five clinicians, two experts and two investigators participated in this study. The interview analysis process resulted in a more detailed definition of the MM and the identification of 50 indicators. The indicators were classified according to six dimensions: (1) work context; (2) employer's requirements and expectations; (3) means and tools; (4) worker's personal parameters; (5) work activity; and (6) impacts of the work situation. The more specific indicators identified in this study will allow for more systematic observation of the MM. Subsequent studies will seek to link each indicator described in the model with a specific method of observation.

Development and use of culture systems to modulate specific cell responses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Yves

Culture surfaces that induce specific localized cell responses are required to achieve tissue-like cell growth in three-dimensional (3D) environments, as well as to develop more efficient cell-based diagnostic techniques, noticeably when working with fragile cells such as stem cells or platelets. As such, Chapter 1 of this thesis work is devoted to the review of 3D cell-material interactions in vitro and the corresponding existing culture systems available to achieve in vivo-like cell responses. More adequate 3D culture systems will need to be developed to mimic several characteristics of in vivo environments, including lowered non-specific cell-material interactions and localized biochemical signaling. The experimental work in this thesis is based on the hypothesis that well-studied and optimized surface treatments will be able to lower non-specific cell-material interactions and allow local chemical modification in order to achieve specific localized cell-material interactions for different applications. As such, in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 of this thesis, surface treatments were developed using plasma polymerization and covalent immobilization of a low-fouling polymer (i.e., poly(ethylene glycol)) and characterized and optimized using a large number of techniques including atomic force microscopy, quartz crystal microbalance, surface plasmon resonance, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and fluorescence-based techniques. The main plasma polymerization parameter important for surface chemical content, specifically nitrogen to carbon content, was identified as being glow discharge power, while reaction time and power determined plasma film thickness. Moreover, plasma films were shown to be stable in aqueous environments. Covalently-bound poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) layers physicochemical and mechanical properties are dependent on fabrication methods. Polymer concentration in solution is an important indicator of final layer properties, and use of a theta solvent induces complex aggregation phenomena in solution yielding layers with widely different properties. Chemically available primary amine groups are also shown to be present, paving the way for the immobilization of bio-active molecules. An application of low-fouling locally modified surfaces is given in Chapter 4 by the development of a novel diagnostic surface to evaluate platelet activation which is until now very difficult as platelets are readily activated by in vitro manipulations. Significant results from volunteer donors indicate that this diagnostic instrument has the potential to allow the rapid estimation of platelet activation levels in whole blood.

Hippocampal place cell and inhibitory neuron activity in disrupted-in-schizophrenia-1 mutant mice: implications for working memory deficits

PubMed Central

Mesbah-Oskui, Lia; Georgiou, John; Roder, John C

2015-01-01

Background: Despite the prevalence of working memory deficits in schizophrenia, the neuronal mechanisms mediating these deficits are not fully understood. Importantly, deficits in spatial working memory are identified in numerous mouse models that exhibit schizophrenia-like endophenotypes. The hippocampus is one of the major brain regions that actively encodes spatial location, possessing pyramidal neurons, commonly referred to as ‘place cells’, that fire in a location-specific manner. This study tests the hypothesis that mice with a schizophrenia-like endophenotype exhibit impaired encoding of spatial location in the hippocampus. Aims: To characterize hippocampal place cell activity in mice that exhibit a schizophrenia-like endophenotype. Methods: We recorded CA1 place cell activity in six control mice and six mice that carry a point mutation in the disrupted-in-schizophrenia-1 gene (Disc1-L100P) and have previously been shown to exhibit deficits in spatial working memory. Results: The spatial specificity and stability of Disc1-L100P place cells were similar to wild-type place cells. Importantly, however, Disc1-L100P place cells exhibited a higher propensity to increase their firing rate in a single, large location of the environment, rather than multiple smaller locations, indicating a generalization in their spatial selectivity. Alterations in the signaling and numbers of CA1 putative inhibitory interneurons and decreased hippocampal theta (5–12 Hz) power were also identified in the Disc1-L100P mice. Conclusions: The generalized spatial selectivity of Disc1-L100P place cells suggests a simplification of the ensemble place codes that encode individual locations and subserve spatial working memory. Moreover, these results suggest that deficient working memory in schizophrenia results from an impaired ability to uniquely code the individual components of a memory sequence. PMID:27280123

Mechanical effort predicts the selection of ankle over hip strategies in nonstepping postural responses

PubMed Central

Jonkers, Ilse; De Schutter, Joris; De Groote, Friedl

2016-01-01

Experimental studies have shown that a continuum of ankle and hip strategies is used to restore posture following an external perturbation. Postural responses can be modeled by feedback control with feedback gains that optimize a specific objective. On the one hand, feedback gains that minimize effort have been used to predict muscle activity during perturbed standing. On the other hand, hip and ankle strategies have been predicted by minimizing postural instability and deviation from upright posture. It remains unclear, however, whether and how effort minimization influences the selection of a specific postural response. We hypothesize that the relative importance of minimizing mechanical work vs. postural instability influences the strategy used to restore upright posture. This hypothesis was investigated based on experiments and predictive simulations of the postural response following a backward support surface translation. Peak hip flexion angle was significantly correlated with three experimentally determined measures of effort, i.e., mechanical work, mean muscle activity and metabolic energy. Furthermore, a continuum of ankle and hip strategies was predicted in simulation when changing the relative importance of minimizing mechanical work and postural instability, with increased weighting of mechanical work resulting in an ankle strategy. In conclusion, the combination of experimental measurements and predictive simulations of the postural response to a backward support surface translation showed that the trade-off between effort and postural instability minimization can explain the selection of a specific postural response in the continuum of potential ankle and hip strategies. PMID:27489362

Patterns and correlates of physical activity among middle-aged employees: a population-based, cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Jurakic, Danijel; Golubić, Antonija; Pedisic, Zeljko; Pori, Maja

2014-06-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the level, pattern and correlates (socio-demographic, lifestyle and work-related) of physical activity among middle-aged employees in Croatia. In this cross-sectional study the data were collected using a household interview on a random sample of 766 middle-aged employees (52% female) living in Croatia. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-long) was used to assess physical activity. An additional questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic, lifestyle and work-related correlates. The median (95% CI) total physical activity for the whole sample was 78.7 (69.1-88.3) MET-hours/week. Most physical activity was accumulated in the domain of work (26.4 (20.3-32.5) MET-hours/week) or in domestic activities (19.2(17.8-20.7) MET-hours/week), whilst a significantly lower physical activity was found in the transport (3.3 (2.9-3.7) MET-hours/week) and leisure-time domains (6.5 (5.7-7.3) MET-hours/week). The multiple regression analysis showed an inverse relationship between educational level and the size of settlements with the domestic-related and total physical activity (β range: -0.11 to -0.22; p < 0.01). Among lifestyle correlates, only alcohol consumption was positively related to the total physical activity (β = 0.12; p < 0.01), while the perceived level of stress outside work was the only one, which was inversely associated with the work-related (β = -0.09; p < 0.01) and leisure-time physical activity (β = -0.10; p < 0.01). Middle-aged employees in Croatia accumulate most of their daily physical activity in the work and domestic domains. Analysis of the relationship between physical activity and potential socio-demographic, lifestyle, and work-related correlates indicated that physical activity promotional activities should be primarily focused on males, employees living in smaller settlements and those with higher educational levels. The correlates of physical activity among middle-aged employees seem to be domain-specific. Therefore, future studies in this area should consider assessing physical activity in each domain separately.

Acute Injuries in Student Circus Artists with Regard to Gender Specific Differences

PubMed Central

Wanke, Eileen M.; McCormack, Moira; Koch, Franziska; Wanke, Alice; Groneberg, David A.

2012-01-01

Purpose Student circus artists train as both artists and athletes with their bodies holding the key to professional success. The daily training load of student circus artists is often associated with maximum physical and psychological stress with injuries posing a threat to a potential professional career. The purpose of this study is the differentiated analysis and evaluation of work accidents in order to initiate the development of injury preventive programs. Methods The 17 years of data were obtained from standardized anonymous work accident records of the Berlin State Accident Insurance (UKB) as well as a State Artist Educational School (n = 169, Male: 70; Female: 99) from student artists. Evaluation and descriptive statistics were conducted with Excel 2007 and PASW Statistics 18. Results The injury risk seems to be relatively low (0.3 injuries/1000h). There are gender specific differences as to the location of injuries. Only 7% of the accidents demand a break of more than 3 days. Injury patterns vary depending on the activity and the employment of props/equipment. 75.2% of work accidents have multifactorial and 24.8% exogenous causes. Conclusions Because physical fitness is all important in the circus arts there are numerous options for injury prevention programs that should be realized subject to gender-specific differences. Follow-ups on chronic complaints and a more individual approach are indispensable due to the very specific activities in the circus arts. PMID:23012634

Student perception of group dynamics predicts individual performance: Comfort and equity matter

PubMed Central

Theobald, Elli J.; Eddy, Sarah L.; Grunspan, Daniel Z.; Wiggins, Benjamin L.

2017-01-01

Active learning in college classes and participation in the workforce frequently hinge on small group work. However, group dynamics vary, ranging from equitable collaboration to dysfunctional groups dominated by one individual. To explore how group dynamics impact student learning, we asked students in a large-enrollment university biology class to self-report their experience during in-class group work. Specifically, we asked students whether there was a friend in their group, whether they were comfortable in their group, and whether someone dominated their group. Surveys were administered after students participated in two different types of intentionally constructed group activities: 1) a loosely-structured activity wherein students worked together for an entire class period (termed the ‘single-group’ activity), or 2) a highly-structured ‘jigsaw’ activity wherein students first independently mastered different subtopics, then formed new groups to peer-teach their respective subtopics. We measured content mastery by the change in score on identical pre-/post-tests. We then investigated whether activity type or student demographics predicted the likelihood of reporting working with a dominator, being comfortable in their group, or working with a friend. We found that students who more strongly agreed that they worked with a dominator were 17.8% less likely to answer an additional question correct on the 8-question post-test. Similarly, when students were comfortable in their group, content mastery increased by 27.5%. Working with a friend was the single biggest predictor of student comfort, although working with a friend did not impact performance. Finally, we found that students were 67% less likely to agree that someone dominated their group during the jigsaw activities than during the single group activities. We conclude that group activities that rely on positive interdependence, and include turn-taking and have explicit prompts for students to explain their reasoning, such as our jigsaw, can help reduce the negative impact of inequitable groups. PMID:28727749

44 CFR 354.5 - Description of site-specific, plume pathway EPZ biennial exercise-related component services and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Control Program Directors, and the Nuclear Energy Institute. (21) Implement and coordinate REP Program... from our REP Program Strategic Review implementation and oversight working group activities. (24) Costs...

44 CFR 354.5 - Description of site-specific, plume pathway EPZ biennial exercise-related component services and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Control Program Directors, and the Nuclear Energy Institute. (21) Implement and coordinate REP Program... from our REP Program Strategic Review implementation and oversight working group activities. (24) Costs...

44 CFR 354.5 - Description of site-specific, plume pathway EPZ biennial exercise-related component services and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Control Program Directors, and the Nuclear Energy Institute. (21) Implement and coordinate REP Program... from our REP Program Strategic Review implementation and oversight working group activities. (24) Costs...

44 CFR 354.5 - Description of site-specific, plume pathway EPZ biennial exercise-related component services and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Control Program Directors, and the Nuclear Energy Institute. (21) Implement and coordinate REP Program... from our REP Program Strategic Review implementation and oversight working group activities. (24) Costs...

Porous carbon derived from aniline-modified fungus for symmetrical supercapacitor electrodes

DOE PAGES

Wang, Keliang; Xu, Ming; Wang, Xiaomin; ...

2017-01-23

N incorporated carbon materials are proven to be efficient EDLCs electrode materials. In this work, aniline modified fungus served as a raw material, and N-doped porous activated carbon is prepared via an efficient KOH activation method. A porous network with a high specific surface area of 2339 m 2g -1 is displayed by the prepared carbon material, resulting in a high accessible surface area and low ion diffusion resistance which is desirable for EDLC electrode materials. In assembled EDLCs, the N–AC based electrode exhibits a specific capacitance of 218 F g -1 at a current density of 0.1 A gmore » -1. Besides, excellent stability is displayed after 5000 continuous cycles at different current densities ranging from 0.1 to 10 A g -1. Thus, the present work reveals a promising candidate for electrode materials of EDLCs.« less

[LOW BACK PAIN AT NEW WORKING AMBIENT IN ERA OF NEW ECONOMY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW ABOUT OCCUPATIONAL RISK FACTORS].

PubMed

Pranjić, Nurka; Maleš-Bilić, Ljiljana

2015-03-01

Low back pain is the second most common symptom-related reason for physician visits and the first reason of working disability. Low back pain is a ubiquitous complaint, with particularly high prevalence among people in their working years (67%). For many individuals, episodes of back pain are self-limited and resolve without specific therapy. For others, however, back pain is recurrent or chronic, causing significant pain that interferes with employment and quality of life. Many occupations have been anecdotally linked to certain low back pain syndrome. However, the relationship between the work environment and the patient's symptoms, though clearly perceived by the patient to be causative, may be less certain. The injury model of an occupational disorder proposes that specific work activities are the cause of the patient's pain. The injury model for low back pain; implicating a causal connection with specific work activities, is complex and controversial. Determining whether a patient's low back pain is a consequence of his or her occupational activity, and how best to treat symptoms to maximize functionality and potential for a return to full employment capacity, can be challenging. In this systematic review which included patients/employees with low back pain, the following databases were searched: Pub Med, Embase, Medline and Web of science. The role of occupational mechanical exposure e.g. lifting as a risk factors for low back surgery has been debated for several decades. Diagnostic uncertainty exists even for those with back symptoms and well-described findings on scan, as these findings are common even in subjects without back pain, and may be unrelated to the symptoms. As an example, herniated disks can be identified in significant numbers of CT or MRI low back studies in subjects with no back pain. In further analysis, lifestyle factors and occupational psychosocial exposures will be addressed. Many physicians, including those practicing in primary care settings where back pain is most often seen, lack training and confidence in addressing workplace issues. Occupational factors that have a significant influence on the development of low back pain disorders are not only mechanical and postural order but also organisational, social and psychological. Organisational changes and physical and psychological job demands should not be overestimated as causal factors. In the early phase of a work disability more emphasis should be laid however on appropriate information and medication and, in case of persistant impairment, active treatment (after 3 weeks or relapse). There is some evidence that catastrophizing as a stress coping strategy might lead to delayed recovery. Long-term work (sick) absence can be estimated through evaluation and observation of LBP risks and characteristics of the each individual case. An early return at workplace and to activities of daily life is urgent. To reduce LBS and its consequences, employers need to adopt a multifaced approach: concentrate on improving physical conditions as well as the psychosocial and environmental aspects of working environment. In cases at risk for chronification and/or with obstacles to reintegration at work an interdisciplinary work-oriented rehabilitation and occupational rehabilitation interventions (occupational reintegration) should be provided.

Proximity-activated nanoparticles: in vitro performance of specific structural modification by enzymatic cleavage

PubMed Central

Adam Smith, R; Sewell, Sarah L; Giorgio, Todd D

2008-01-01

The development and in vitro performance of a modular nanoscale system capable of specific structural modification by enzymatic activity is described in this work. Due to its small physical size and adaptable characteristics, this system has the potential for utilization in targeted delivery systems and biosensing. Nanoparticle probes were synthesized containing two distinct fluorescent species including a quantum dot base particle and fluorescently labeled cleavable peptide substrate. Activity of these probes was monitored by gel electrophoresis with quantitative cleavage measurements made by fluorometric analysis. The model proximity-activated nanoparticles studied here exhibit significant susceptibility to cleavage by matrix metalloprotease-7 (MMP-7) at physiologically relevant concentrations, with nearly complete cleavage of available substrate molecules after 24 hours. This response is specific to MMP-7 enzyme activity, as cleavage is completely inhibited with the addition of EDTA. Utilization of enzyme-specific modification is a sensitive approach with broad applications for targeted therapeutics and biosensing. The versatility of this nanoparticle system is highlighted in its modular design, as it has the capability to integrate characteristics for detection, biosensing, targeting, and payload delivery into a single, multifunctional nanoparticle structure. PMID:18488420

Psychoanalysis of maturescence (definition, metapsychology, and clinical practice).

PubMed

Montero, Mag Guillermo Julio

2015-12-01

This article offers an entirely new way of addressing middle age or mid-life. It uses the neologism maturescence to denote this process's metapsychological feature, and it proposes a meta-psychology of maturescence in order to allow a 'direct understanding of maturescence' instead of the 'indirect understanding of maturescence', which psychoanalytic literature generally alludes to. The paper examines somatic processes specific to male and female climacterics and is focused on to the tension between the soma and the body. It examines the drive increase that Freud posed in climacterics and the somatic climacteric imbalance that begets specific drive activity demanding psychic work, with very different pathways depending on the individual's specific working-through activity. It discusses what happens to the individual when he/she is no longer able to procreate and begins to age; why this process is equivalent for individuals who had children and for others who could not or did not. This somatic event provides a universal constant from which it is possible to understand any individual variable. Copyright © 2015 Institute of Psychoanalysis.

Does muscle creatine phosphokinase have access to the total pool of phosphocreatine plus creatine?

PubMed

Hochachka, P W; Mossey, M K

1998-03-01

Two fundamental assumptions underlie currently accepted dogma on creatine phosphokinase (CPK) function in phosphagen-containing cells: 1) CPK always operates near equilibrium and 2) CPK has access to, and reacts with, the entire pool of phosphocreatine (PCr) and creatine (Cr). We tested the latter assumption in fish fast-twitch or white muscle (WM) by introducing [14C]Cr into the WM pool in vivo. To avoid complications arising from working with muscles formed from a mixture of fast and slow fibers, it was advantageous to work with fish WM because it is uniformly fast twitch and is anatomically separated from other fiber types. According to current theory, at steady state after [14C]Cr administration, the specific activities of PCr and Cr should be the same under essentially all conditions. In contrast, we found that, in various metabolic states between rest and recovery from exercise, the specific activity of PCr greatly exceeds that of Cr. The data imply that a significant fraction of Cr is not free to rapidly exchange with exogenously added [14C]Cr. Releasing of this unlabeled or "cold" Cr on acid extraction accounts for lowered specific activities. This unexpected and provocative result is not consistent with traditional models of phosphagen function.

Isolating the effect of pore size distribution on electrochemical double-layer capacitance using activated fluid coke

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuliani, Jocelyn E.; Tong, Shitang; Kirk, Donald W.; Jia, Charles Q.

2015-12-01

Electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) use physical ion adsorption in the capacitive electrical double layer of high specific surface area (SSA) materials to store electrical energy. Previous work shows that the SSA-normalized capacitance increases when pore diameters are less than 1 nm. However, there still remains uncertainty about the charge storage mechanism since the enhanced SSA-normalized capacitance is not observed in all microporous materials. In previous studies, the total specific surface area and the chemical composition of the electrode materials were not controlled. The current work is the first reported study that systematically compares the performance of activated carbon prepared from the same raw material, with similar chemical composition and specific surface area, but different pore size distributions. Preparing samples with similar SSAs, but different pores sizes is not straightforward since increasing pore diameters results in decreasing the SSA. This study observes that the microporous activated carbon has a higher SSA-normalized capacitance, 14.1 μF cm-2, compared to the mesoporous material, 12.4 μF cm-2. However, this enhanced SSA-normalized capacitance is only observed above a threshold operating voltage. Therefore, it can be concluded that a minimum applied voltage is required to induce ion adsorption in these sub-nanometer micropores, which increases the capacitance.

Comparison of four specific dynamic office chairs with a conventional office chair: impact upon muscle activation, physical activity and posture.

PubMed

Ellegast, Rolf P; Kraft, Kathrin; Groenesteijn, Liesbeth; Krause, Frank; Berger, Helmut; Vink, Peter

2012-03-01

Prolonged and static sitting postures provoke physical inactivity at VDU workplaces and are therefore discussed as risk factors for the musculoskeletal system. Manufacturers have designed specific dynamic office chairs featuring structural elements which promote dynamic sitting and therefore physical activity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of four specific dynamic chairs on erector spinae and trapezius EMG, postures/joint angles and physical activity intensity (PAI) compared to those of a conventional standard office chair. All chairs were fitted with sensors for measurement of the chair parameters (backrest inclination, forward and sideward seat pan inclination), and tested in the laboratory by 10 subjects performing 7 standardized office tasks and by another 12 subjects in the field during their normal office work. Muscle activation revealed no significant differences between the specific dynamic chairs and the reference chair. Analysis of postures/joint angles and PAI revealed only a few differences between the chairs, whereas the tasks performed strongly affected the measured muscle activation, postures and kinematics. The characteristic dynamic elements of each specific chair yielded significant differences in the measured chair parameters, but these characteristics did not appear to affect the sitting dynamics of the subjects performing their office tasks. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Critical Amino Acids in the Active Site of Meprin Metalloproteinases for Substrate and Peptide Bond Specificity*

PubMed Central

Villa, James P.; Bertenshaw, Greg P.; Bond, Judith S.

2008-01-01

SUMMARY The protease domains of the evolutionarily-related α and ß subunits of meprin metalloproteases are approximately 55% identical at the amino acid level, however, their substrate and peptide bond specificities differ markedly. The meprin ß subunit favors acidic residues proximal to the scissile bond, while the α subunit prefers small or aromatic amino acids flanking the scissile bond. Thus gastrin, a peptide that contains a string of five Glu residues, is an excellent substrate for meprin ß while it is not hydrolyzed by meprin α. Work herein aimed to identify critical amino acids in the meprin active sites that determine the substrate specificity differences. Sequence alignments and homology models, based on the crystal structure of the crayfish astacin, showed electrostatic differences within the meprin active sites. Site-directed mutagenesis of active site residues demonstrated that replacement of a hydrophobic residue by a basic amino acid enabled the meprin α protease to cleave gastrin. The meprin αY199K mutant was most effective; the corresponding mutation of meprin ßK185Y resulted in decreased activity toward gastrin. Peptide cleavage site determinations and kinetic analyses using a variety of peptides extended evidence that meprin αTyr199/ßLys185 are substrate specificity determinants in meprin active sites. These studies shed light on the molecular basis for the substrate specificity differences of astacin metalloproteinases. PMID:12888571

Effects of the Indianapolis Vocational Intervention Program (IVIP) on Defeatist Beliefs, Work Motivation, and Work Outcomes in Serious Mental Illness

PubMed Central

Mervis, Joshua E.; Fiszdon, Joanna M.; Lysaker, Paul H.; Nienow, Tasha M.; Mathews, Laura; Wardwell, Patricia; Petrik, Tammy; Thime, Warren; Choi, Jimmy

2016-01-01

Defeatist beliefs and amotivation are prominent obstacles in vocational rehabilitation for people with serious mental illnesses (SMI). The CBT-based Indianapolis Vocational Intervention Program (IVIP) was specifically designed to reduce defeatist beliefs related to work functioning. In the current study, we examined the impact of IVIP on defeatist beliefs and motivation for work, hypothesizing that IVIP would be associated with a reduction in defeatist beliefs and greater motivation for work. We also examined the effects of IVIP on these variables as well as work outcomes during a 12-month follow-up. Participants with SMI (n=64) enrolled in a four-month work therapy program were randomized to IVIP or a support therapy group (SG). Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-treatment (4 months), and follow-up (1 year). Compared to those in SG condition, individuals randomized to IVIP condition reported greater reductions in defeatist beliefs and greater motivation for work at follow-up, along with greater supported employment retention rates. Specifically treating and targeting negative expectations for work therapy improves outcomes, even once active supports of the IVIP program and work therapy are withdrawn. PMID:27802910

Effects of the Indianapolis Vocational Intervention Program (IVIP) on defeatist beliefs, work motivation, and work outcomes in serious mental illness.

PubMed

Mervis, Joshua E; Fiszdon, Joanna M; Lysaker, Paul H; Nienow, Tasha M; Mathews, Laura; Wardwell, Patricia; Petrik, Tammy; Thime, Warren; Choi, Jimmy

2017-04-01

Defeatist beliefs and amotivation are prominent obstacles in vocational rehabilitation for people with serious mental illnesses (SMI). The CBT-based Indianapolis Vocational Intervention Program (IVIP) was specifically designed to reduce defeatist beliefs related to work functioning. In the current study, we examined the impact of IVIP on defeatist beliefs and motivation for work, hypothesizing that IVIP would be associated with a reduction in defeatist beliefs and greater motivation for work. We also examined the effects of IVIP on these variables as well as work outcomes during a 12-month follow-up. Participants with SMI (n=64) enrolled in a four-month work therapy program were randomized to IVIP or a support therapy group (SG). Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-treatment (4months), and follow-up (1year). Compared to those in SG condition, individuals randomized to IVIP condition reported greater reductions in defeatist beliefs and greater motivation for work at follow-up, along with greater supported employment retention rates. Specifically treating and targeting negative expectations for work therapy improves outcomes, even once active supports of the IVIP program and work therapy are withdrawn. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

U.S. Support Organizations Raising Money for South African Causes: An Introduction and a Directory: South African Information Exchange Working Paper #6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Micou, Ann McKinstry; McLean, Sheila Arvin

This working paper provides information on 29 U.S. support organizations raising money for South African causes. Usually provided for each organization are a mission statement; a description of program areas and specific activities; and names of directors, trustees, and contacts. The organizations listed are: the Africa Fund; the African Arts…

Activated graphene as a cathode material for Li-ion hybrid supercapacitors.

PubMed

Stoller, Meryl D; Murali, Shanthi; Quarles, Neil; Zhu, Yanwu; Potts, Jeffrey R; Zhu, Xianjun; Ha, Hyung-Wook; Ruoff, Rodney S

2012-03-14

Chemically activated graphene ('activated microwave expanded graphite oxide', a-MEGO) was used as a cathode material for Li-ion hybrid supercapacitors. The performance of a-MEGO was first verified with Li-ion electrolyte in a symmetrical supercapacitor cell. Hybrid supercapacitors were then constructed with a-MEGO as the cathode and with either graphite or Li(4)Ti(5)O(12) (LTO) for the anode materials. The results show that the activated graphene material works well in a symmetrical cell with the Li-ion electrolyte with specific capacitances as high as 182 F g(-1). In a full a-MEGO/graphite hybrid cell, specific capacitances as high as 266 F g(-1) for the active materials at operating potentials of 4 V yielded gravimetric energy densities for a packaged cell of 53.2 W h kg(-1).

Work activity in food service: The significance of customer relations, tipping practices and gender for preventing musculoskeletal disorders.

PubMed

Laperrière, Ève; Messing, Karen; Bourbonnais, Renée

2017-01-01

Some evidence shows that food servers are exposed to an elevated risk of musculoskeletal disorders and injuries, and that their work activity varies by gender. Interviews of servers and observations of food service in Québec, Canada, were carried out in three restaurants and a questionnaire was administered to 64 workers from 44 other restaurants. The relationship with the customer has specific effects on work activity and transforms the physical, emotional and cognitive work. Strategies intended to speed service or otherwise related to the customer relationship can involve health risks. Women reported more direct food service (p < 0.01), a tendency to do more "housekeeping" tasks (p < 0.07) and fewer hours of work per week (p < 0.01). Women workers reported experiencing more sites of pain (p < 0.003). This exploratory study suggests that managing the server-customer relationship could be important in preventing musculoskeletal disorders in this population and that women are at particular risk. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The PILI@Work Program: a translation of the diabetes prevention program to Native Hawaiian-serving worksites in Hawai'i.

PubMed

Townsend, Claire K M; Miyamoto, Robin E S; Antonio, Mapuana; Zhang, Guangxing; Paloma, Diane; Basques, DeAnna; Braun, Kathryn L; Kaholokula, Joseph Keawe'aimoku

2016-06-01

A previously translated Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Intervention (DPP-LI) was adapted for delivery as a worksite-based intervention, called PILI@Work, to address obesity disparities in Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders. This study examined the effectiveness of PILI@Work and factors associated with weight loss at post-intervention. Overweight/obese employees of 15 Native Hawaiian-serving organizations received the 3-month component of PILI@Work. Assessments included weight, systolic/diastolic blood pressure, physical activity and functioning, fat intake, locus of weight control, social support, and self-efficacy. Weight, systolic/diastolic blood pressure, physical functioning, physical activity frequency, fat intake, family support, and eating self-efficacy improved from pre- to post-intervention. Regression analysis indicated that worksite type, decreased diastolic blood pressure, increased physical activity, and more internalized locus of weight control were significantly associated with 3-month weight loss. PILI@Work initiated weight loss in Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders. DPP-LI translated to worksite settings and tailored for specific populations can be effective for addressing obesity.

Application of the Augmented Operator Function Model for Developing Cognitive Metrics in Persistent Surveillance

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-26

vehicle-lengths between frames. The low specificity of object detectors in WAMI means all vehicle detections are treated equally. Motion clutter...timing of the anomaly . If an anomaly was detected , recent activity would have a priority over older activity. This is due to the reasoning that if the...this could be a potential anomaly detected . Other baseline activities include normal work hours, religious observance times and interactions between

Spatial-Sequential Working Memory in Younger and Older Adults: Age Predicts Backward Recall Performance within Both Age Groups

PubMed Central

Brown, Louise A.

2016-01-01

Working memory is vulnerable to age-related decline, but there is debate regarding the age-sensitivity of different forms of spatial-sequential working memory task, depending on their passive or active nature. The functional architecture of spatial working memory was therefore explored in younger (18–40 years) and older (64–85 years) adults, using passive and active recall tasks. Spatial working memory was assessed using a modified version of the Spatial Span subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale – Third Edition (WMS-III; Wechsler, 1998). Across both age groups, the effects of interference (control, visual, or spatial), and recall type (forward and backward), were investigated. There was a clear effect of age group, with younger adults demonstrating a larger spatial working memory capacity than the older adults overall. There was also a specific effect of interference, with the spatial interference task (spatial tapping) reliably reducing performance relative to both the control and visual interference (dynamic visual noise) conditions in both age groups and both recall types. This suggests that younger and older adults have similar dependence upon active spatial rehearsal, and that both forward and backward recall require this processing capacity. Linear regression analyses were then carried out within each age group, to assess the predictors of performance in each recall format (forward and backward). Specifically the backward recall task was significantly predicted by age, within both the younger and older adult groups. This finding supports previous literature showing lifespan linear declines in spatial-sequential working memory, and in working memory tasks from other domains, but contrasts with previous evidence that backward spatial span is no more sensitive to aging than forward span. The study suggests that backward spatial span is indeed more processing-intensive than forward span, even when both tasks include a retention period, and that age predicts backward spatial span performance across the adult lifespan, within both younger and older adulthood. PMID:27757096

Spatial-Sequential Working Memory in Younger and Older Adults: Age Predicts Backward Recall Performance within Both Age Groups.

PubMed

Brown, Louise A

2016-01-01

Working memory is vulnerable to age-related decline, but there is debate regarding the age-sensitivity of different forms of spatial-sequential working memory task, depending on their passive or active nature. The functional architecture of spatial working memory was therefore explored in younger (18-40 years) and older (64-85 years) adults, using passive and active recall tasks. Spatial working memory was assessed using a modified version of the Spatial Span subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale - Third Edition (WMS-III; Wechsler, 1998). Across both age groups, the effects of interference (control, visual, or spatial), and recall type (forward and backward), were investigated. There was a clear effect of age group, with younger adults demonstrating a larger spatial working memory capacity than the older adults overall. There was also a specific effect of interference, with the spatial interference task (spatial tapping) reliably reducing performance relative to both the control and visual interference (dynamic visual noise) conditions in both age groups and both recall types. This suggests that younger and older adults have similar dependence upon active spatial rehearsal, and that both forward and backward recall require this processing capacity. Linear regression analyses were then carried out within each age group, to assess the predictors of performance in each recall format (forward and backward). Specifically the backward recall task was significantly predicted by age, within both the younger and older adult groups. This finding supports previous literature showing lifespan linear declines in spatial-sequential working memory, and in working memory tasks from other domains, but contrasts with previous evidence that backward spatial span is no more sensitive to aging than forward span. The study suggests that backward spatial span is indeed more processing-intensive than forward span, even when both tasks include a retention period, and that age predicts backward spatial span performance across the adult lifespan, within both younger and older adulthood.

Abnormal prefrontal and parietal activity linked to deficient active binding in working memory in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Grot, Stéphanie; Légaré, Virginie Petel; Lipp, Olivier; Soulières, Isabelle; Dolcos, Florin; Luck, David

2017-10-01

Working memory deficits have been widely reported in schizophrenia, and may result from inefficient binding processes. These processes, and their neural correlates, remain understudied in schizophrenia. Thus, we designed an FMRI study aimed at investigating the neural correlates of both passive and active binding in working memory in schizophrenia. Nineteen patients with schizophrenia and 23 matched controls were recruited to perform a working memory binding task, in which they were instructed to memorize three letters and three spatial locations. In the passive binding condition, letters and spatial locations were directly presented as bound. Conversely, in the active binding condition, words and spatial locations were presented as separated, and participants were instructed to intentionally create associations between them. Patients exhibited a similar performance to the controls for the passive binding condition, but a significantly lower performance for the active binding. FMRI analyses revealed that this active binding deficit was related to aberrant activity in the posterior parietal cortex and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. This study provides initial evidence of a specific deficit for actively binding information in schizophrenia, which is linked to dysfunctions in the neural networks underlying attention, manipulation of information, and encoding strategies. Together, our results suggest that all these dysfunctions may be targets for neuromodulation interventions known to improve cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The contribution of general and cancer-related variables in explaining physical activity in a breast cancer population 3 weeks to 6 months post-treatment.

PubMed

Charlier, Caroline; Van Hoof, Elke; Pauwels, Evelyn; Lechner, Lilian; Spittaels, Heleen; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse

2013-01-01

Physical activity determinants are subject to change when confronted with the diagnosis of 'cancer' and new cancer-related determinants appear. The aim of the present study is to compare the contribution of cancer-related determinants with more general ones in explaining physical activity 3 weeks to 6 months post-treatment. A theory-based and validated questionnaire was used to identify physical activity levels (total and domain-specific) and associated determinants among 464 breast cancer survivors (aged 18 to 65 years) 3 weeks to 6 months post-treatment. Descriptive analyses showed higher scores for general determinants in comparison with cancer-related determinants. Nevertheless, regression analyses showed that both general and cancer-related determinants explained total and domain-specific physical activity. Self-efficacy, enjoyment, social support, lack of time and lack of company were important general determinants. The perception of returning to normal life, cancer-related barriers (fatigue, lack of energy and physical side effects) and self-efficacy in overcoming these barriers were important cancer-related determinants. Although results differed according to the women's working status and the physical activity domain, general self-efficacy explained most physical activity types in both groups. Comparable with the general population, enhancing breast cancer survivors' self-efficacy in being sufficiently physically active seems to be important in physical activity interventions post-treatment. However, interventions should be tailored to the experienced symptoms and working status of the women. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

WHO Expert Committee on Specifications for Pharmaceutical Preparations.

PubMed

2009-01-01

The Expert Committee on Specifications for Pharmaceutical Preparations works towards clear, independent and practical standards and guidelines for the quality assurance of medicines. Standards are developed by the Committee through worldwide consultation and an international consensus-building process. The following new standards and guidelines were adopted and recommended for use: the current list of available International Chemical Reference Substances and International Infrared Reference Spectra; guidelines on stability testing of active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished pharmaceutical products; procedure for prequalification of pharmaceutical products; and the procedure for assessing the acceptability, in principle, of active pharmaceutical ingredients for use in pharmaceutical products.

Improved composite targets for small scale 64Cu production comparing Au- and Pt-foils as 64Ni backing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walther, M.; Preusche, S.; Fuechtner, F.; Pietzsch, H. J.; Steinbach, J.

2012-12-01

Advantages of a stacked assembly of target support components for 64Cu production via 64Ni(p,n)64Cu reaction were reported recently. The present work shows the applicability of these composite targets for beam currents up to 22 μA. Gold and platinum foils were evaluated as 64Ni backing. The effective specific activity (ESA) and specific activity (SA) were determined by TETA titration at room temperature and at 80 °C and compared with additional copper quantification results via ICP-MS and stripping voltammetric trace analysis (VA).

Exploiting bacterial drug resistance: a single construct for the diagnosis and treatment of drug resistant infections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sallum, Ulysses W.; Zheng, Xiang; Verma, Sarika; Hasan, Tayyaba

2009-06-01

β-lactamase enzyme-activated photosensitizer (β-LEAP). We aim to exploit drug resistance mechanisms to selectively release photosensitizers (PSs) for a specific photodynamic antimicrobial effect and reduced host tissue damage. Consequently, the fluorescence emission intensity of the PSs increases and allows for the detection of enzyme activity. In this work we sought to evaluate β-LEAP for use as a sensitive molecular probe. We have reported the enzyme specific antibacterial action of β-LEAP. Here we report the use of β-LEAP for the rapid functional definition of a β-lactamase.

Specific features of the recent accumulation of 137Cs in tree roots of forest ecosystems within the zone of radioactive contamination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shcheglov, Alexey; Tsvetnova, Ol'ga; Klyashtorin, Alexey; Popova, Evgenia

2015-04-01

Despite numerous studies of the accumulation of technogenic radionuclides in the root systems, no clear regularities of this process have been established. The tendencies found in the works of Russian and foreign researchers are rather discrepant. Some authors argue that the accumulation of radionuclides in the roots is more pronounced than that in the aboveground parts of the plants (Skovorodnikova, 2005; Romantseva, 2012; Sennerby et al., 1994; Mamikhin, 2002; Fircks et al., 2002}. Other works attest to a higher accumulation of radionuclides in the aboveground pars (Juznic et al., 1990; Chibowski, 2000; Zhianski et al., 2005), which is also typical of the stable isotopes of these elements, including 133Cs (Dong Jin Kang, YongJin Seo, Tsukasa Saito et al,2012). It is also stated that the accumulation of radionuclides in the aboveground and underground parts of plants may differ in dependence on the soil-ecological conditions and other factors (Kozhakhanov et al., 2011; Grabovskyi et al., 2013). The aim of our study was to evaluate the accumulation of 137Cs in the root systems of arboreal plants in forest ecosystems within the near zone of the Chernobyl fallout on the plots with similar soil and phytocenotic features. Pine and birch stands were studied within the 30-km-wide exclusion zone of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine in 1992-1993, when the density of the radioactive contamination of the upper (0-20 cm) layer with 137Cs reached 2153.8 kBq/m2), and in Bryansk oblast of Russia in 2013-2014, when the density of contamination varied from 1458.4 kBq/m2 (pine stand) to 2578.3 kBq/m2 (birch stand). The tree layer in these ecosystems was dominated by Pinus sylvestris (L.) and Betula pendula (Roth.), respectively. Quercus robur (L.), Picea abies (L.), and Sorbus aucuparia (L.) were also present. The specific activity of 137Cs was measured in the samples from the aboveground parts of model trees and their roots differentiated by size (0-3, 3-10, 10-20, and > 20 mm), and 10-cm-deep soil horizons down to the depth of 70 cm. At the initial stage of our studies (in 1992-1993), we found that the mean weighted values of the specific activity of 137Cs in the roots was 1.5-2.0 times higher than that in the aboveground parts of the trees and also exceeded the specific activity in the adjacent soil mass. These differences increased with the depth: the activity of the roots was two times higher in the upper 10 cm and up to 100 times higher in the layer of 30-70 cm (Shcheglov, 1999; Rafferty, Kliashtorin, Kuchma, Ruehm, Shcheglov, 1996; Shcheglov, Tsvetnova, Kliashtorin, 2001). The studies performed in 2013-2014 the stage of active uptake by the roots is characterized by somewhat different regularities of the distribution of radionuclides, In conifers, including pine, the specific activity of fine roots (<3 mm) was close to the specific activity of small branches, and the specific activity of coarse roots (3-10 mm) was close to the activity of large branches. For broadleaved species, such as birch, the activity of fine roots exceeded the activity in all the aboveground organs, and the specific activity of coarse roots was close to that in small branches. More detailed studies were performed for oak and mountain ash trees. They showed that the specific activity of fine roots (<3 mm) is close to that of the small branches. The ratios of the specific activities of the coarse roots to the specific activities in different aboveground organs may differ in dependence on the species composition of tree stands. In oak and birch trees, the specific activity of coarse roots is close to the specific activity of small branches; in mountain ash, it is closer to the specific activity of small branches.

The effect of a Lean quality improvement implementation program on surgical pathology specimen accessioning and gross preparation error frequency.

PubMed

Smith, Maxwell L; Wilkerson, Trent; Grzybicki, Dana M; Raab, Stephen S

2012-09-01

Few reports have documented the effectiveness of Lean quality improvement in changing anatomic pathology patient safety. We used Lean methods of education; hoshin kanri goal setting and culture change; kaizen events; observation of work activities, hand-offs, and pathways; A3-problem solving, metric development, and measurement; and frontline work redesign in the accessioning and gross examination areas of an anatomic pathology laboratory. We compared the pre- and post-Lean implementation proportion of near-miss events and changes made in specific work processes. In the implementation phase, we documented 29 individual A3-root cause analyses. The pre- and postimplementation proportions of process- and operator-dependent near-miss events were 5.5 and 1.8 (P < .002) and 0.6 and 0.6, respectively. We conclude that through culture change and implementation of specific work process changes, Lean implementation may improve pathology patient safety.

Russian Language Testing and Integrated Examination for Foreign Citizens in Russia: Legislation Background and Legal Regulation Specific Features

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dolzhikova, Anzhela

2015-01-01

The Russian Federation faces active law-making and legislative activities aimed at providing legal grounds for qualifying educational level of foreign nationals entering the country with the purpose to work and apply for citizenship. The article deals with the current legislation and regulations in their relationship with each other, their impact…

Feminist Scholar-Activism Goes Global: Experiences of "Sociologists for Women in Society" at the UN

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jauk, Daniela

2017-01-01

This article focuses on the experiences and strategies of members of Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) who strive to bridge the worlds of social activism and academia. It concerns the International Committee's work at the United Nations (UN), specifically at the annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meeting. It builds on…

Effects of Active Learning Classrooms on Student Learning: A Two-Year Empirical Investigation on Student Perceptions and Academic Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiu, Pit Ho Patrio; Cheng, Shuk Han

2017-01-01

Recent studies on active learning classrooms (ACLs) have demonstrated their positive influence on student learning. However, most of the research evidence is derived from a few subject-specific courses or limited student enrolment. Empirical studies on this topic involving large student populations are rare. The present work involved a large-scale…

Jump into the Void? Factors Related to a Preferred Retirement Age: Gender, Social Interests, and Leisure Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicolaisen, Magnhild; Thorsen, Kirsten; Eriksen, Sissel H.

2012-01-01

Using the frameworks of the life course perspective and continuity theory, this study focuses on the association among working people between gender and specific leisure activities, social interests and individuals' preferred retirement age. The study is based on the first wave of the Norwegian Life Course, Aging and Generation (NorLAG) study,…

[Public relations in institutions and establishments of the health administration system].

PubMed

Martynenko, A V

2002-01-01

The article is dedicated to development of directions and specific functions of the health system bodies/institutions public relations (PR) activities. Priorities are set forth depending on the form of property thereof. A complex use of approaches toward carrying out of PR activities permits optimizing work both within the system itself and relations with the society as a whole.

Electrospinning Fabrication of SrTiO3 Nanofibers and Their Photocatalytic Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Lei; Zhao, Yiping; Wang, Wei; Liu, Hao; Wang, Rui

2018-06-01

SrTiO3 nanofibers were fabricated by an electrospinning process. The phase, microstructure and photocatalytic activity of the obtained SrTiO3 nanofibers were investigated. The XRD patterns and the SEM images suggest that SrTiO3 nanofibers with perovskite phase and rough surface have been fabricated in the current work. The SrTiO3 nanofibers show a high efficiency decomposition of RhB under ultraviolet light irradiation. The high photocatalytic activity of SrTiO3 nanofibers results from the large specific surface area. The large specific surface area provides more surface active sits and makes an easier charge carrier transport. On the basis of the photocatalytic performance of SrTiO3 nanofibers, the possible photocatalysis mechanism was proposed.

Microbial biodiversity of Sardinian oleic ecosystems.

PubMed

Santona, Mario; Sanna, Maria Lina; Multineddu, Chiara; Fancello, Francesco; de la Fuente, Sara Audije; Dettori, Sandro; Zara, Severino

2018-04-01

The olives are rich in microorganisms that, during the extraction process may persist in the oils and can influence their physicochemical and sensory characteristics. In this work, and for the first time, we isolated and identified microbial species, yeast and bacteria, present during the production process in four Sardinian (Italy) oleic ecosystems. Among these varieties, we found that Nera di Gonnos was associated to the highest microbial biodiversity, which was followed by Bosana, Nocellara del Belice and Semidana. Among the different microbial species isolated, some are specific of olive ecological niches, such as Cryptococcus spp and Serratia spp; and others to olive oils such as Candida spp and Saccharomyces. Some other species identified in this work were not found before in oleic ecosystems. The enzymatic analyses of yeast and bacteria showed that they have good β-glucosidase activity and yeast also showed good β-glucanase activity. The majority of bacteria presented lipolytic and catalase activities while in yeast were species-specific. Interestingly, yeast and bacteria isolates presented a high resistance to bile acid, and about 65% of the yeast were able to resist at pH 2.5 for 2 h. Finally, bacteria showed no biofilm activity compared to yeast. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An assessment of schoolyard features and behavior patterns in children's utilization and physical activity.

PubMed

Anthamatten, Peter; Brink, Lois; Kingston, Beverly; Kutchman, Eve; Lampe, Sarah; Nigg, Claudio

2014-03-01

Careful research that elucidates how behavior relates to design in the context of elementary school grounds can serve to guide cost-efficient design with the goal of encouraging physical activity (PA). This work explores patterns in children's PA behavior within playground spaces with the specific goal of guiding healthy playground design. Data on children's utilization and PA behavior in 6 playgrounds divided into 106 observation zones were collected in 2005 and 2006 at Denver elementary school playgrounds using the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth. Analyses of variance and t tests determined whether there were differences in utilization and behavior patterns across observations zones and between genders. This study provides evidence that children prefer to use certain types of playground zones and that they are more likely to practice moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in some zones. The authors observed statistically significant differences between genders. Boys were more likely to engage in MVPA in zones without equipment, girls were more likely to use zones with equipment. This work suggests that the inclusion or omission of specific playground features may have an impact on the way that children use the spaces.

In perfect harmony: synchronizing the self to activated social categories.

PubMed

Kawakami, Kerry; Phills, Curtis E; Greenwald, Anthony G; Simard, Daniel; Pontiero, Jeannette; Brnjas, Amy; Khan, Beenish; Mills, Jennifer; Dovidio, John F

2012-03-01

The self-concept is one of the main organizing constructs in the behavioral sciences because it influences how people interpret their environment, the choices they make, whether and how they initiate action, and the pursuit of specific goals. Because belonging to social groups and feeling interconnected is critical to human survival, the authors propose that people spontaneously change their working self-concept so that they are more similar to salient social categories. Specifically, 4 studies investigated whether activating a variety of social categories (i.e., jocks, hippies, the overweight, Blacks, and Asians) increased associations between the self and the target category. Whereas Studies 1 and 2 focused on associations between stereotypic traits and the self, Studies 3 and 4 examined self-perceptions and self-categorizations, respectively. The results provide consistent evidence that following social category priming, people synchronized the self to the activated category. Furthermore, the findings indicate that factors that influence category activation, such as social goals, and factors that induce a focus on the interconnectedness of the self, such as an interdependent vs. independent self-construal, can impact this process. The implications of changes to the working self-concept for intergroup relations are discussed.

How children with special health care needs affect the employment decisions of low-income parents.

PubMed

Loprest, Pamela; Davidoff, Amy

2004-09-01

To better understand the impact of having a child with special health care needs (CSHCN), on low-income parents' employment decisions. Using data from the 1999 and 2000 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), we estimate multivariate statistical regressions (logit and tobit models) to estimate the relationship between having a CSHCN and the likelihood of employment and hours of employment for a sample-of low-income single parents. Controlling for differences in demographic and family characteristics, we find no significant association between having a CSHCN and the probability of work or the number of hours worked among low-income single-parent families. Separate analysis of different dimensions of special health care needs shows that parents of children with activity limitations are significantly less likely to work and work fewer hours. This result does not hold true for the group of children defined based on elevated or special service use, or for the group of children with specific chronic conditions. These results indicate that only a specific subset of children with special needs present difficulties for low-income parents' work. This suggests that policies to help low-income single parents of children with disabilities move into work should target this specific subset of children with special health care needs.

Sedentary behavior and residual-specific mortality

PubMed Central

Loprinzi, Paul D.; Edwards, Meghan K.; Sng, Eveleen; Addoh, Ovuokerie

2016-01-01

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the association of accelerometer-assessed sedentary behavior and residual-specific mortality. Methods: Data from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used (N = 5536), with follow-up through 2011. Sedentary behavior was objectively measured over 7 days via accelerometry. Results: When expressing sedentary behavior as a 60 min/day increase, the hazard ratio across the models ranged from 1.07-1.40 (P < 0.05). There was evidence of an interaction effect between sedentary behavior and total physical activity on residual-specific mortality (Hazard ratiointeraction [HR] = 0.9989; 95% CI: 0.9982-0.9997; P = 0.008). Conclusion: Sedentary behavior was independently associated with residual-specific mortality. However, there was evidence to suggest that residual-specific mortality risk was a function of sedentary behavior and total physical activity. These findings highlight the need for future work to not only examine the association between sedentary behavior and health independent of total physical activity, but evaluate whether there is a joint effect of these two parameters on health. PMID:27766237

The role of the left anterior temporal lobe in semantic composition vs. semantic memory.

PubMed

Westerlund, Masha; Pylkkänen, Liina

2014-05-01

The left anterior temporal lobe (LATL) is robustly implicated in semantic processing by a growing body of literature. However, these results have emerged from two distinct bodies of work, addressing two different processing levels. On the one hand, the LATL has been characterized as a 'semantic hub׳ that binds features of concepts across a distributed network, based on results from semantic dementia and hemodynamic findings on the categorization of specific compared to basic exemplars. On the other, the LATL has been implicated in combinatorial operations in language, as shown by increased activity in this region associated with the processing of sentences and of basic phrases. The present work aimed to reconcile these two literatures by independently manipulating combination and concept specificity within a minimal MEG paradigm. Participants viewed simple nouns that denoted either low specificity (fish) or high specificity categories (trout) presented in either combinatorial (spotted fish/trout) or non-combinatorial contexts (xhsl fish/trout). By combining these paradigms from the two literatures, we directly compared the engagement of the LATL in semantic memory vs. semantic composition. Our results indicate that although noun specificity subtly modulates the LATL activity elicited by single nouns, it most robustly affects the size of the composition effect when these nouns are adjectivally modified, with low specificity nouns eliciting a much larger effect. We conclude that these findings are compatible with an account in which the specificity and composition effects arise from a shared mechanism of meaning specification. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Episodic specificity induction impacts activity in a core brain network during construction of imagined future experiences

PubMed Central

Madore, Kevin P.; Szpunar, Karl K.; Addis, Donna Rose; Schacter, Daniel L.

2016-01-01

Recent behavioral work suggests that an episodic specificity induction—brief training in recollecting the details of a past experience—enhances performance on subsequent tasks that rely on episodic retrieval, including imagining future experiences, solving open-ended problems, and thinking creatively. Despite these far-reaching behavioral effects, nothing is known about the neural processes impacted by an episodic specificity induction. Related neuroimaging work has linked episodic retrieval with a core network of brain regions that supports imagining future experiences. We tested the hypothesis that key structures in this network are influenced by the specificity induction. Participants received the specificity induction or one of two control inductions and then generated future events and semantic object comparisons during fMRI scanning. After receiving the specificity induction compared with the control, participants exhibited significantly more activity in several core network regions during the construction of imagined events over object comparisons, including the left anterior hippocampus, right inferior parietal lobule, right posterior cingulate cortex, and right ventral precuneus. Induction-related differences in the episodic detail of imagined events significantly modulated induction-related differences in the construction of imagined events in the left anterior hippocampus and right inferior parietal lobule. Resting-state functional connectivity analyses with hippocampal and inferior parietal lobule seed regions and the rest of the brain also revealed significantly stronger core network coupling following the specificity induction compared with the control. These findings provide evidence that an episodic specificity induction selectively targets episodic processes that are commonly linked to key core network regions, including the hippocampus. PMID:27601666

Antibiotic exposure and bacterial resistance in human and veterinary medicine: a problem-based learning topic for Master's students.

PubMed

Eveillard, Matthieu; Pouliquen, Hervé; Ruvoen, Nathalie; Couvreur, Sébastien; Krempf, Michel; Magras, Catherine; Lepelletier, Didier

2017-03-01

This report describes a problem-based learning activity concerning antibiotic exposure and bacterial resistance in human and veterinary medicine. In addition, learning outcomes and satisfaction of students were recorded by the supervisors of the activity. The students all participated actively in the group work and considered that the small size of the group facilitated interpersonal communication. They believed that working in an interdisciplinary group helped them learn better than if they were following specific courses. They also reported that their mid-term meeting with one of the supervisors was a catalyst for the initiation of a real work group. Concerning the evaluation of the activity itself, the supervisors considered that the group provided a relevant analysis of the issue. These characteristics should encourage teachers to test this method of learning certain aspects of microbiology and infectious diseases with their students. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

[Socioeconomic differences in physical activity in the middle-aged working population: The role of education, occupation, and income].

PubMed

Hoebel, Jens; Finger, Jonas D; Kuntz, Benjamin; Lampert, Thomas

2016-02-01

Regular physical activity has positive effects on health at all ages. This study aims to investigate how far physical activity and regular sports engagement, as a more specific type of physical activity, are associated with socioeconomic factors in the middle-aged working population. Data were obtained from 21,699 working men and women aged between 30 and 64 years who participated in the 2009 and 2010 population-based national German Health Update (GEDA) surveys conducted by the Robert Koch Institute. Besides a multi-dimensional index of socioeconomic status (SES), three single dimensions of SES (education, occupation, and income) were used to analyse socioeconomic differences in total physical activity and regular sports engagement. While the prevalence of total physical activity increased with lower SES, the proportion of people with regular sports engagement decreased with lower SES. These associations remained after adjusting for age in men and women. After mutual adjustment of the three single socioeconomic dimensions, physical activity was independently associated with lower education and lower occupational status. Regular sports engagement was observed to be independently associated with higher education, higher occupational status, as well as higher income after mutual adjustment. This study demonstrates significant socioeconomic differences in physical and sports activity in the middle-aged working population. Education, occupation, and income show varying independent associations with physical activity behaviour. Such differences need to be considered when identifying target groups for health-enhancing physical activity interventions.

Distinct Effects of Trial-Driven and Task Set-Related Control in Primary Visual Cortex

PubMed Central

Vaden, Ryan J.; Visscher, Kristina M.

2015-01-01

Task sets are task-specific configurations of cognitive processes that facilitate task-appropriate reactions to stimuli. While it is established that the trial-by-trial deployment of visual attention to expected stimuli influences neural responses in primary visual cortex (V1) in a retinotopically specific manner, it is not clear whether the mechanisms that help maintain a task set over many trials also operate with similar retinotopic specificity. Here, we address this question by using BOLD fMRI to characterize how portions of V1 that are specialized for different eccentricities respond during distinct components of an attention-demanding discrimination task: cue-driven preparation for a trial, trial-driven processing, task-initiation at the beginning of a block of trials, and task-maintenance throughout a block of trials. Tasks required either unimodal attention to an auditory or a visual stimulus or selective intermodal attention to the visual or auditory component of simultaneously presented visual and auditory stimuli. We found that while the retinotopic patterns of trial-driven and cue-driven activity depended on the attended stimulus, the retinotopic patterns of task-initiation and task-maintenance activity did not. Further, only the retinotopic patterns of trial-driven activity were found to depend on the presence of intermodal distraction. Participants who performed well on the intermodal selective attention tasks showed strong task-specific modulations of both trial-driven and task-maintenance activity. Importantly, task-related modulations of trial-driven and task-maintenance activity were in opposite directions. Together, these results confirm that there are (at least) two different processes for top-down control of V1: One, working trial-by-trial, differently modulates activity across different eccentricity sectors—portions of V1 corresponding to different visual eccentricities. The second process works across longer epochs of task performance, and does not differ among eccentricity sectors. These results are discussed in the context of previous literature examining top-down control of visual cortical areas. PMID:26163806

Controlling Mast Cell Activation and Homeostasis: Work Influenced by Bill Paul That Continues Today.

PubMed

Caslin, Heather L; Kiwanuka, Kasalina N; Haque, Tamara T; Taruselli, Marcela T; MacKnight, H Patrick; Paranjape, Anuya; Ryan, John J

2018-01-01

Mast cells are tissue resident, innate immune cells with heterogenous phenotypes tuned by cytokines and other microenvironmental stimuli. Playing a protective role in parasitic, bacterial, and viral infections, mast cells are also known for their role in the pathogenesis of allergy, asthma, and autoimmune diseases. Here, we review factors controlling mast cell activation, with a focus on receptor signaling and potential therapies for allergic disease. Specifically, we will discuss our work with FcεRI and FγR signaling, IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-β1 treatment, and Stat5. We conclude with potential therapeutics for allergic disease. Much of these efforts have been influenced by the work of Bill Paul. With many mechanistic targets for mast cell activation and different classes of therapeutics being studied, there is reason to be hopeful for continued clinical progress in this area.

Transfer of innovation, knowledge and competencies on the care service for people with acquired disabilities: the European Project "Care for Work".

PubMed

Barchitta, M; Fragapane, S; Consoli, M T; Pennisi, C; Agodi, A

2012-01-01

The growing needs of people with disabilities require to integrate this issue into public health in order to improve political feasibility and to ensure that disability will not be left off from any strategic table. The main aim of the "Care for Work" project was to provide training contents to help workers and unemployed people to adapt their knowledge, skills and competencies to the care services sector in order to facilitate their insertion in a new employment source. The partners participating in the project are Organizations from 5 European countries. The project has been divided into seven Work Packages (WPs): three transversal WPs and four specific WPs, each addressing specific activities necessary to achieve the final objectives of the project. The "Care for Work" learning environment contains specific information and training on the techniques for caring people with acquired physical disabilities, as text documents and short training films. The project combines e-learning (Web 2.0) and mobile learning providing a flexible training platform for workers of care services sector. The "Care for Work" project offers specific training addressed to meet the new existing needs of workers of the care services sector and/or unemployed people. All the information and results of the project are available on the web page: www.careforwork.eu, and the present article is part of the WP "Valorization".

Effects of CO{sub 2} activation on electrochemical performance of microporous carbons derived from poly(vinylidene fluoride)

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

Lee, Seul-Yi; Park, Soo-Jin, E-mail: sjpark@inha.ac.kr

In this work, we have prepared microporous carbons (MPCs) derived from poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), and the physical activation of MPCs using CO{sub 2} gas is subsequently carried out with various activation temperatures to investigate the electrochemical performance. PVDF is successfully converted into MPCs with a high specific surface area and well-developed micropores. After CO{sub 2} activation, the specific surface areas of MPCs (CA-MPCs) are enhanced by 12% compared with non-activated MPCs. With increasing activation temperature, the micropore size distributions of A-MPCs also become narrower and shift to larger pore size. It is also confirmed that the CO{sub 2} activation hadmore » developed the micropores and introduced the oxygen-containing groups to MPCs′ surfaces. From the results, the specific capacitances of the electrodes in electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs) based on CA-MPCs are distinctly improved through CO{sub 2} activation. The highest specific capacitance of the A-MPCs activated at 700 °C is about 125 F/g, an enhancement of 74% in comparison with NA-MPCs, at a discharge current of 2 A/g in a 6 M KOH electrolyte solution. We also found that micropore size of 0.67 nm has a specific impact on the capacitance behaviors, besides the specific surface area of the electrode samples. - Graphical abstract: The A-MPC samples with high specific surface area (ranging from 1030 to 1082 m{sup 2}/g), corresponding to micropore sizes of 0.67 and 0.72 nm, and with the amount of oxygen-containing groups ranging from 3.2% to 4.4% have been evaluated as electrodes for EDLC applications. . Display Omitted - Highlights: • Microporous carbons (MPCs) were synthesized without activation process. • Next, we carried out the CO{sub 2} activation of MPCs with activation temperatures. • It had developed the micropores and introduced the O-functional groups to MPCs. • The highest specific capacitance: 125 F/g, an increase of 74% compared to MPCs.« less

Plaster, Portraits and Pots.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schimsky, Marc

1982-01-01

Describes an art activity in which junior high school students make portrait pots using plaster casts and clay. Each student created a reflection of his or her personality in clay. Specific teaching methods and ways of working with materials are discussed. (AM)

Memory-Augmented Active Deep Learning for Identifying Relations Between Distant Medical Concepts in Electroencephalography Reports.

PubMed

Maldonado, Ramon; Goodwin, Travis R; Harabagiu, Sanda M

2018-01-01

The automatic identification of relations between medical concepts in a large corpus of Electroencephalography (EEG) reports is an important step in the development of an EEG-specific patient cohort retrieval system as well as in the acquisition of EEG-specific knowledge from this corpus. EEG-specific relations involve medical concepts that are not typically mentioned in the same sentence or even the same section of a report, thus requiring extraction techniques that can handle such long-distance dependencies. To address this challenge, we present a novel frame work which combines the advantages of a deep learning framework employing Dynamic Relational Memory (DRM) with active learning. While DRM enables the prediction of long-distance relations, active learning provides a mechanism for accurately identifying relations with minimal training data, obtaining an 5-fold cross validationF1 score of 0.7475 on a set of 140 EEG reports selected with active learning. The results obtained with our novel framework show great promise.

A Novel Collection of snRNA-Like Promoters with Tissue-Specific Transcription Properties

PubMed Central

Garritano, Sonia; Gigoni, Arianna; Costa, Delfina; Malatesta, Paolo; Florio, Tullio; Cancedda, Ranieri; Pagano, Aldo

2012-01-01

We recently identified a novel dataset of snRNA-like trascriptional units in the human genome. The investigation of a subset of these elements showed that they play relevant roles in physiology and/or pathology. In this work we expand our collection of small RNAs taking advantage of a newly developed algorithm able to identify genome sequence stretches with RNA polymerase (pol) III type 3 promoter features thus constituting putative pol III binding sites. The bioinformatic analysis of a subset of these elements that map in introns of protein-coding genes in antisense configuration suggest their association with alternative splicing, similarly to other recently characterized small RNAs. Interestingly, the analysis of the transcriptional activity of these novel promoters shows that they are active in a cell-type specific manner, in accordance with the emerging body of evidence of a tissue/cell-specific activity of pol III. PMID:23109855

A novel collection of snRNA-like promoters with tissue-specific transcription properties.

PubMed

Garritano, Sonia; Gigoni, Arianna; Costa, Delfina; Malatesta, Paolo; Florio, Tullio; Cancedda, Ranieri; Pagano, Aldo

2012-01-01

We recently identified a novel dataset of snRNA-like trascriptional units in the human genome. The investigation of a subset of these elements showed that they play relevant roles in physiology and/or pathology. In this work we expand our collection of small RNAs taking advantage of a newly developed algorithm able to identify genome sequence stretches with RNA polymerase (pol) III type 3 promoter features thus constituting putative pol III binding sites. The bioinformatic analysis of a subset of these elements that map in introns of protein-coding genes in antisense configuration suggest their association with alternative splicing, similarly to other recently characterized small RNAs. Interestingly, the analysis of the transcriptional activity of these novel promoters shows that they are active in a cell-type specific manner, in accordance with the emerging body of evidence of a tissue/cell-specific activity of pol III.

Work hours affect spouse's cortisol secretion--for better and for worse.

PubMed

Klumb, Petra; Hoppmann, Christiane; Staats, Melanie

2006-01-01

In a sample of 52 German dual-earner couples with at least one child under age 5, we examined the bodily costs and benefits of the amount of time each spouse spent on productive activities. Diary reports of time allocated to formal and informal work activities were analyzed according to the Actor-Partner Interdependence model. Hierarchical linear models showed that each hour an individual allocated to market, as well as household work, increased his or her total cortisol concentration (by 192 and 134 nmol/l, respectively). Unexpectedly, the time the spouse allocated to paid work also raised an individual's total cortisol concentration (by 64 nmol/l). In line with our expectations, there was a tendency for the time the spouse allocated to household work to decrease the individual's cortisol concentration (by 81 nmol/l). This study contributes to the body of evidence on the complex nature of social relationships and complements the literature on specific working conditions and couples' well-being.

[The MMPI-2 test in the evaluation of the mobbing syndrome].

PubMed

Pappone, P; Santalucia, L; Del Castello, E; De Maino, V; Garofalo, E; Cappelluccio, R; Feola, D; Ruberto, M; Liotti, F

2007-01-01

MMPI-2 test is widely used in psychodiagnostic evaluation as well as in the evaluation of psychic pathologies related to psychosocial adversative events in working activities. A more efficacious use of MMPI-2 test in the working context can be achieved by the individuation of indexes able to facilitate the evaluation of mobbing syndrome. This work is based on the analysis of 150 cases (39.7% women and 60.7% men, 30 to 60 years of age), evaluated through an accurate examination of working history and a series of clinic conversations, followed by psychodiagnostic evaluation. The average of T-scores on the clinical scale, the content scale, the PK addition scale and the validation scale were calculated from tests. Pathologic high T-scores on the scales Hs, D. Hy e Pa were found in subjects having positive mobbing anamnesis. These results strongly indicate the presence of clinical specificities in workers exposed to working harassments, and that these specificities can be efficaciously evidenced by the MMPI-2 test.

Health, Environment and Social Management in Enterprises programme in the Republic of Macedonia.

PubMed

Karadzinska-Bislimovska, Jovanka; Baranski, Boguslaw; Risteska-Kuc, Snezana

2004-01-01

Macedonia is the first country in the region to launch implementation of the WHO Health, Environment and Social Management in Enterprises (HESME) Programme, following the WHO Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health held in London in 1999. The aim of this paper is to describe the efforts made to implement this programme. Methods are based on integrated management with joint involvement of crucial partners at all levels of activities suggested by the WHO. Commitment to inter-sectorial and interagency collaboration at national level, adoption of a final version of a National HESME Plan, with basic principles, criteria and concrete activities, establishment of a National coordination center for the HESME Project, development of training curricula and specific educational tools for occupational health personnel, preparation of questionnaires and procedures for a national survey to detect high occupational risks, specific occupational hazards and health promotion needs of the working population, and finally setting up quantitative and qualitative indicators for national or provincial workplace health profiles. Building up the concept of cooperation, partnership and common work in HESME activities is a challenge for the new public health view in Europe.

The Importance of Context in Screening in Occupational Health Interventions in Organizations: A Mixed Methods Study.

PubMed

Vignoli, Michela; Nielsen, Karina; Guglielmi, Dina; Tabanelli, Maria C; Violante, Francesco S

2017-01-01

In occupational health interventions, there is a debate as to whether standardized or tailored measures should be used to identify which aspects of the psychosocial work environment should be targeted in order to improve employees' well-being. Using the Job Demands-Resources model, the main aim of the present study is to demonstrate how a mixed methods approach to conducting screening enables the identification of potential context-dependent demands and resources in the workplace, which should to be targeted by the intervention. Specifically, we used a mixed methods exploratory sequential research design. First, we conducted four focus groups ( N = 37) in a sample of employees working in grocery stores in Italy. The qualitative results allowed to identify one possible context-specific job demand: the use of a work scheduling IT software, whose implementation resulted in a high rotation between different market's departments. From the qualitative results, this context-specific demand seemed to be related to workers' well-being. Thus, in a subsequent questionnaire survey ( N = 288), we included this demand together with generic measures of social support and psychological well-being. Results confirmed that this context-specific job demand was related to emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, it was found that social support moderated the relationship between this specific job demand and emotional exhaustion showing among employees whose activities depended on the IT software, employees that perceived higher levels of social support from colleagues experienced lower levels of emotional exhaustion with respect to their colleagues who perceived lower levels of social support. The present study confirms that mixed methods approach is useful in occupational health intervention research and offers a way forward on helping organizations prioritize their intervention activities.

The Importance of Context in Screening in Occupational Health Interventions in Organizations: A Mixed Methods Study

PubMed Central

Vignoli, Michela; Nielsen, Karina; Guglielmi, Dina; Tabanelli, Maria C.; Violante, Francesco S.

2017-01-01

In occupational health interventions, there is a debate as to whether standardized or tailored measures should be used to identify which aspects of the psychosocial work environment should be targeted in order to improve employees’ well-being. Using the Job Demands-Resources model, the main aim of the present study is to demonstrate how a mixed methods approach to conducting screening enables the identification of potential context-dependent demands and resources in the workplace, which should to be targeted by the intervention. Specifically, we used a mixed methods exploratory sequential research design. First, we conducted four focus groups (N = 37) in a sample of employees working in grocery stores in Italy. The qualitative results allowed to identify one possible context-specific job demand: the use of a work scheduling IT software, whose implementation resulted in a high rotation between different market’s departments. From the qualitative results, this context-specific demand seemed to be related to workers’ well-being. Thus, in a subsequent questionnaire survey (N = 288), we included this demand together with generic measures of social support and psychological well-being. Results confirmed that this context-specific job demand was related to emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, it was found that social support moderated the relationship between this specific job demand and emotional exhaustion showing among employees whose activities depended on the IT software, employees that perceived higher levels of social support from colleagues experienced lower levels of emotional exhaustion with respect to their colleagues who perceived lower levels of social support. The present study confirms that mixed methods approach is useful in occupational health intervention research and offers a way forward on helping organizations prioritize their intervention activities. PMID:28848468

Applying the Social Ecological Model and Theory of Self-Efficacy in the Worksite Heart Health Improvement Project-PLUS.

PubMed

Doran, Kelly; Resnick, Barbara; Kim, Natalie; Lynn, Donna; McCormick, Tyrell

2017-02-01

Long-term care (LTC) employees are at high risk for cardiovascular disease. Despite the documented benefits of worksite health promotion (WHP) programs for employees and employers and the potential benefits to residents in LTC facilities, LTC employees are rarely offered WHP programs. The purpose of the intervention described in this article is to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors among LTC workers using a physical activity, nutrition, and stress management WHP implemented during paid work time with 98 LTC staff members. This article describes a 9-month physical activity, nutrition, and stress management WHP intervention delivered during paid work time to reduce the cardiovascular disease risk of employees working in LTC. The intervention is rooted in the social ecological model and social cognitive theory. The intervention is based on formative research and evidence-based practice recommendations and is specifically designed to reduce barriers to intervention participation (e.g., inconsistent break times and unpredictable resident care needs) and enhance motivators to program participation (e.g., enhanced social support). The intervention is ongoing, but measures are described. As more employers offer WHP programs, it is important that programs are tailored to meet specific employee groups and work environments. This article operationalizes a WHP research protocol with LTC employees that can be applied to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in LTC employees or similar employee groups in similar work environments.

[The movement computerized analysis as instrumental support for occupational doctors in evaluation of upper limb pathologies in engineering workers].

PubMed

D'Orso, M I; Centemeri, R; Oggionni, P; Latocca, R; Crippa, M; Vercellino, R; Riva, M; Cesana, G

2011-01-01

The movement computerized analysis of upper limb is a valid support in the definition of residual functional capability and of specific work suitability in complex cases. This methodology of evaluation is able to correctly and objectively define the tridimensional ranges of motion of every patient's upper limb. This fact can be particularly useful for workers coming back to work after a work-related or a not work-related accident of for handicapped workers at the beginning of a new work activity. We report a research carried out using computerized analysis of motion of upper limbs in 20 engineering workers.

Profiling and functional classification of esterases in olive (Olea europaea) pollen during germination.

PubMed

Rejón, Juan D; Zienkiewicz, Agnieszka; Rodríguez-García, María Isabel; Castro, Antonio J

2012-10-01

A pollen grain contains a number of esterases, many of which are released upon contact with the stigma surface. However, the identity and function of most of these esterases remain unknown. In this work, esterases from olive pollen during its germination were identifided and functionally characterized. The esterolytic capacity of olive (Olea europaea) pollen was examined using in vitro and in-gel enzymatic assays with different enzyme substrates. The functional analysis of pollen esterases was achieved by inhibition assays by using specific inhibitors. The cellular localization of esterase activities was performed using histochemical methods. Olive pollen showed high levels of non-specific esterase activity, which remained steady after hydration and germination. Up to 20 esterolytic bands were identified on polyacrylamide gels. All the inhibitors decreased pollen germinability, but only diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DIFP) hampered pollen tube growth. Non-specific esterase activity is localized on the surface of oil bodies (OBs) and small vesicles, in the pollen intine and in the callose layer of the pollen tube wall. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was mostly observed in the apertures, exine and pollen coat, and attached to the pollen tube wall surface and to small cytoplasmic vesicles. In this work, for the first time a systematic functional characterization of esterase enzymes in pollen from a plant species with wet stigma has been carried out. Olive pollen esterases belong to four different functional groups: carboxylesterases, acetylesterases, AChEs and lipases. The cellular localization of esterase activity indicates that the intine is a putative storage site for esterolytic enzymes in olive pollen. Based on inhibition assays and cellular localization of enzymatic activities, it can be concluded that these enzymes are likely to be involved in pollen germination, and pollen tube growth and penetration of the stigma.

Beclomethasone Dipropionate Nasal Aerosol in Patients with Perennial Allergic Rhinitis (BALANCE) study: 6-month results.

PubMed

Bukstein, Donald; Parikh, Ruchir; Eid, Sherrine; Ferro, Thomas; Morello, Jean-Pierre

2016-01-01

Perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) exerts significant quality-of-life and economic burdens on society. Beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) nasal aerosol is the first nonaqueous, hydrofluoroalkane-propelled intranasal corticosteroid approved for patients in the United States to treat PAR and seasonal allergic rhinitis. To evaluate real-world effectiveness of BDP nasal aerosol from the patient's perspective by using a postmarketing observational registry. Patients (N = 824) from 43 U.S. study sites completed monthly patient-reported outcome instruments, including the Rhinitis Control Assessment Test (primary outcome variable), Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication, Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire plus Classroom Impairment Questions: Allergy-Specific, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Mini Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire for 6 months. The primary outcome assessment (Rhinitis Control Assessment Test score) (N = 527) indicated significant symptomatic improvement over baseline beginning at month 1 (p < 0.001), with >78.8% of respondents who achieved clinically meaningful improvement over 6 months. Secondary outcome measures Mini Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (p < 0.001), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (p < 0.001), and Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication-9 scales of effectiveness (p < 0.001), global satisfaction (p = 0.001), and patient-rated convenience (p = 0.03), significantly increased from baseline to month 6. Five of seven measurements of the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire plus Classroom Impairment Questions: Allergy-Specific, with the exception of work time missed and class time missed, were significantly (p < 0.001) improved in patients treated with BDP compared with baseline. Treatment with nonaqueous BDP nasal aerosol in a real-world setting significantly improved PAR symptoms and measures of quality of life, work, and school-related activities, and is associated with high patient satisfaction, reduced productivity loss and activity impairment, and improvement in sleep quality.

Unraveling the Nature of Active Sites in Ethanol Electro-oxidation by Site-Specific Marking of a Pt Catalyst with Isotope-Labeled 13CO.

PubMed

Farias, Manuel J S; Cheuquepán, William; Tanaka, Auro A; Feliu, Juan M

2018-03-15

This works deals with the identification of preferential site-specific activation at a model Pt surface during a multiproduct reaction. The (110)-type steps of a Pt(332) surface were selectively marked by attaching isotope-labeled 13 CO molecules to them, and ethanol oxidation was probed by in situ Foureir transfrom infrared spectroscopy in order to precisely determine the specific sites at which CO 2 , acetic acid, and acetaldehyde were preferentially formed. The (110) steps were active for splitting the C-C bond, but unexpectedly, we provide evidence that the pathway of CO 2 formation was preferentially activated at (111) terraces, rather than at (110) steps. Acetaldehyde was formed at (111) terraces at potentials comparable to those for CO 2 formation also at (111) terraces, while the acetic acid formation pathway became active only when the (110) steps were released by the oxidation of adsorbed 13 CO, at potentials higher than for the formation of CO 2 at (111) terraces of the stepped surface.

Obesity Impairs Skeletal Muscle Regeneration Through Inhibition of AMPK.

PubMed

Fu, Xing; Zhu, Meijun; Zhang, Shuming; Foretz, Marc; Viollet, Benoit; Du, Min

2016-01-01

Obesity is increasing rapidly worldwide and is accompanied by many complications, including impaired muscle regeneration. The obese condition is known to inhibit AMPK activity in multiple tissues. We hypothesized that the loss of AMPK activity is a major reason for hampered muscle regeneration in obese subjects. We found that obesity inhibits AMPK activity in regenerating muscle, which was associated with impeded satellite cell activation and impaired muscle regeneration. To test the mediatory role of AMPKα1, we knocked out AMPKα1 and found that both proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells are reduced after injury and that muscle regeneration is severely impeded, reminiscent of hampered muscle regeneration seen in obese subjects. Transplanted satellite cells with AMPKα1 deficiency had severely impaired myogenic capacity in regenerating muscle fibers. We also found that attenuated muscle regeneration in obese mice is rescued by AICAR, a drug that specifically activates AMPK, but AICAR treatment failed to improve muscle regeneration in obese mice with satellite cell-specific AMPKα1 knockout, demonstrating the importance of AMPKα1 in satellite cell activation and muscle regeneration. In summary, AMPKα1 is a key mediator linking obesity and impaired muscle regeneration, providing a convenient drug target to facilitate muscle regeneration in obese populations. © 2016 by the American Diabetes Association. Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered.

Built environment interventions aimed at improving physical activity levels in rural Ontario health units: a descriptive qualitative study.

PubMed

Coghill, Cara-Lee; Valaitis, Ruta K; Eyles, John D

2015-05-03

Few studies to date have explored the relationship between the built environment and physical activity specifically in rural settings. The Ontario Public Health Standards policies mandate that health units in Ontario address the built environment; however, it is unclear how public health practitioners are integrating the built environment into public health interventions aimed at improving physical activity in chronic disease prevention programs. This descriptive qualitative study explored interventions that have or are being implemented which address the built environment specifically related to physical activity in rural Ontario health units, and the impact of these interventions. Data were collected through twelve in-depth semi-structured interviews with rural public health practitioners and managers representing 12 of 13 health units serving rural communities. Key themes were identified using qualitative content analysis. Themes that emerged regarding the types of interventions that health units are employing included: Engagement with policy work at a municipal level; building and working with community partners, committees and coalitions; gathering and providing evidence; developing and implementing programs; and social marketing and awareness raising. Evaluation of interventions to date has been limited. Public health interventions, and their evaluations, are complex. Health units who serve large rural populations in Ontario are engaging in numerous activities to address physical activity levels. There is a need to further evaluate the impact of these interventions on population health.

Assessing research activity and capacity of community-based organizations: development and pilot testing of an instrument.

PubMed

Humphries, Debbie L; Carroll-Scott, Amy; Mitchell, Leif; Tian, Terry; Choudhury, Shonali; Fiellin, David A

2014-01-01

Although awareness of the importance of the research capacity of community-based organizations (CBOs) is growing, a uniform framework of the research capacity domains within CBOs has not yet been developed. To develop a framework and instrument (the Community REsearch Activity assessment Tool [CREAT]) for assessing the research activity and capacity of CBOs that incorporates awareness of the different data collection and analysis priorities of CBOs. We conducted a review of existing tools for assessing research capacity to identify key capacity domains. Instrument items were developed through an iterative process with CBO representatives and community researchers. The CREAT was then pilot tested with 30 CBOs. The four primary domains of the CREAT framework include 1) organizational support for research, 2) generalizable experiences, 3) research specific experiences, and 4) funding. Organizations reported a high prevalence of activities in the research-specific experiences domain, including conducting literature reviews (70%), use of research terminology (83%), and primary data collection (100%). Respondents see research findings as important to improve program and service delivery, and to seek funds for new programs and services. Funders, board members, and policymakers are the most important dissemination audiences. The work reported herein advances the field of CBO research capacity by developing a systematic framework for assessing research activity and capacity relevant to the work of CBOs, and by developing and piloting an instrument to assess activity in these domains.

Work plan for the identification of techniques for in-situ sensing of layering/interfaces of Hanford high level waste tank

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

Vargo, G.F. Jr.

1995-06-16

The purpose of this work scope is to identify a specific potential technology/device/instrument/ideas that would provide the tank waste data. A method is needed for identifying layering and physical state within the large waste tanks at the Hanford site in Washington State. These interfaces and state changes can adversely impact sampling and characterization activities.

Toward an Evaluation Framework for Doctoral Education in Social Work: A 10-Year Retrospective of One PhD Program's Assessment Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bentley, Kia J.

2013-01-01

This article presents a framework for evaluation in social work doctoral education and details 10 years of successes and challenges in one PhD program's use of the framework, including planning and implementing specific assessment activities around student learning outcomes and larger program goals. The article argues that a range of…

Navy Public Works Administration.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-01

Real Property by Lease or Space Controlled or to be Leased by the GSA SECNAVINST 11011.18. Subj: Leasing of Department of the Navy Non -Excess Real... equivalent of the specific job order. It is normally initiated by the Control Section Inspector/Estimator or other specifically authorized personnel...49 U.S.C. 1431 An Act to establish a means for effective coordination of Federal research and activities in noise control , to authorize the

From filaments to function: The role of the plant actin cytoskeleton in pathogen perception, signaling and immunity.

PubMed

Porter, Katie; Day, Brad

2016-04-01

The eukaryotic actin cytoskeleton is required for numerous cellular processes, including cell shape, development and movement, gene expression and signal transduction, and response to biotic and abiotic stress. In recent years, research in both plants and animal systems have described a function for actin as the ideal surveillance platform, linking the function and activity of primary physiological processes to the immune system. In this review, we will highlight recent advances that have defined the regulation and breadth of function of the actin cytoskeleton as a network required for defense signaling following pathogen infection. Coupled with an overview of recent work demonstrating specific targeting of the plant actin cytoskeleton by a diversity of pathogens, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, we will highlight the importance of actin as a key signaling hub in plants, one that mediates surveillance of cellular homeostasis and the activation of specific signaling responses following pathogen perception. Based on the studies highlighted herein, we propose a working model that posits changes in actin filament organization is in and of itself a highly specific signal, which induces, regulates and physically directs stimulus-specific signaling processes, most importantly, those associated with response to pathogens. © 2015 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Preparatory neural activity predicts performance on a conflict task.

PubMed

Stern, Emily R; Wager, Tor D; Egner, Tobias; Hirsch, Joy; Mangels, Jennifer A

2007-10-24

Advance preparation has been shown to improve the efficiency of conflict resolution. Yet, with little empirical work directly linking preparatory neural activity to the performance benefits of advance cueing, it is not clear whether this relationship results from preparatory activation of task-specific networks, or from activity associated with general alerting processes. Here, fMRI data were acquired during a spatial Stroop task in which advance cues either informed subjects of the upcoming relevant feature of conflict stimuli (spatial or semantic) or were neutral. Informative cues decreased reaction time (RT) relative to neutral cues, and cues indicating that spatial information would be task-relevant elicited greater activity than neutral cues in multiple areas, including right anterior prefrontal and bilateral parietal cortex. Additionally, preparatory activation in bilateral parietal cortex and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex predicted faster RT when subjects responded to spatial location. No regions were found to be specific to semantic cues at conventional thresholds, and lowering the threshold further revealed little overlap between activity associated with spatial and semantic cueing effects, thereby demonstrating a single dissociation between activations related to preparing a spatial versus semantic task-set. This relationship between preparatory activation of spatial processing networks and efficient conflict resolution suggests that advance information can benefit performance by leading to domain-specific biasing of task-relevant information.

Back injuries among union carpenters in Washington State, 1989-2003.

PubMed

Lipscomb, Hester J; Cameron, Wilfrid; Silverstein, Barbara

2008-06-01

There is limited information on occupational back pain specific to carpenters despite their known exposures to recognized occupational risk factors and limited opportunities for modified work due to the predominantly heavy nature of their work. By combining union records with worker's compensation claims, we describe work-related back injuries, including associated medical diagnoses, among a well-defined cohort of union carpenters between 1989 and 2003. High risk subgroups were explored based on age, gender, union tenure, and predominant type of work. Paid lost time claims were contrasted to less serious events, and injuries sustained from overexertion activities were contrasted with those sustained through more acute trauma. Back injuries occurred at an overall rate of 6.2/200,000 hours worked. Most injuries were coded in the compensation records as sprains, but there was little agreement between these nature of injury codes and ICD9 diagnosis codes. Injury rates declined most significantly over time for injuries secondary to overexertion. In multivariate analyses, we observed similar patterns of risk for the types of claims evaluated despite disparate mechanisms and severity. Those who worked predominantly in residential carpentry or drywall installation were consistently at greatest risk. Overexertion injuries from manual materials handling activities are responsible for the largest burden of back injuries among these carpenters, but a growing proportion of injuries result from acute traumatic events. Interventions are called for which specifically address risk among residential carpenters and drywall installers. These data provide additional evidence that Bureau of Labor Statistics data underestimate work-related injuries. Copyright 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A systematic plan for the continued study of dimensional stability of metallic alloys considered for the fabrication of cryogenic wind tunnel models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wigley, D. A.

1985-01-01

Interrelated research and development activities, phased development of stepped specimen program are documented and a sequence for a specific program of machining, validation and heat treatment cycles for one material are described. Proposed work for the next phase of dimensional stability research is presented and further technology development activities are proposed.

Understanding the Role Curriculum and Supports for Its Implementation Play in How Test-Only Beginning Special Education Teachers Learn about and Enact Reading Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamman, Margaret Lane

2009-01-01

Working under an activity theory framework, the present study was designed to determine how the activity settings, individual and contextual, contributed to the instructional practices and understandings of test-only beginning special education teachers. Specifically, the focus of this study was to examine how teachers with no formal teacher…

Versatile illumination platform and fast optical switch to give standard observation camera gated active imaging capacity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grasser, R.; Peyronneaudi, Benjamin; Yon, Kevin; Aubry, Marie

2015-10-01

CILAS, subsidiary of Airbus Defense and Space, develops, manufactures and sales laser-based optronics equipment for defense and homeland security applications. Part of its activity is related to active systems for threat detection, recognition and identification. Active surveillance and active imaging systems are often required to achieve identification capacity in case for long range observation in adverse conditions. In order to ease the deployment of active imaging systems often complex and expensive, CILAS suggests a new concept. It consists on the association of two apparatus working together. On one side, a patented versatile laser platform enables high peak power laser illumination for long range observation. On the other side, a small camera add-on works as a fast optical switch to select photons with specific time of flight only. The association of the versatile illumination platform and the fast optical switch presents itself as an independent body, so called "flash module", giving to virtually any passive observation systems gated active imaging capacity in NIR and SWIR.

Individual preferences for physical exercise as secondary prevention for non-specific low back pain: A discrete choice experiment

PubMed Central

Hagberg, Jan; Axén, Iben; Kwak, Lydia; Lohela-Karlsson, Malin; Skillgate, Eva; Dahlgren, Gunilla; Jensen, Irene

2017-01-01

Background Exercise is effective in improving non-specific low back pain (LBP). Certain components of physical exercise, such as the type, intensity and frequency of exercise, are likely to influence participation among working adults with non-specific LBP, but the value and relative importance of these components remain unknown. The study’s aim was to examine such specific components and their influence on individual preferences for exercise for secondary prevention of non-specific LBP among working adults. Methods In a discrete choice experiment, working individuals with non-specific LBP answered a web-based questionnaire. Each respondent was given ten pairs of hypothetical exercise programs and asked to choose one option from each pair. The choices comprised six attributes of exercise (i.e., type of training, design, intensity, frequency, proximity and incentives), each with either three or four levels. A conditional logit regression that reflected the random utility model was used to analyze the responses. Results The final study population consisted of 112 participants. The participants’ preferred exercise option was aerobic (i.e., cardiovascular) rather than strength training, group exercise with trainer supervision, rather than individual or unsupervised exercise. They also preferred high intensity exercise performed at least once or twice per week. The most popular types of incentive were exercise during working hours and a wellness allowance rather than coupons for sports goods. The results show that the relative value of some attribute levels differed between young adults (age ≤ 44 years) and older adults (age ≥ 45 years) in terms of the level of trainer supervision required, exercise intensity, travel time to exercise location and financial incentives. For active study participants, exercise frequency (i.e., twice per week, 1.15; CI: 0.25; 2.06) influenced choice of exercise. For individuals with more than one child, travel time (i.e., 20 minutes, -0.55; CI: 0.65; 3.26) was also an influential attribute for choice of exercise, showing that people with children at home preferred to exercise close to home. Conclusions This study adds to our knowledge about what types of exercise working adults with back pain are most likely to participate in. The exercise should be a cardiovascular type of training carried out in a group with trainer supervision. It should also be of high intensity and preferably performed twice per week during working hours. Coupons for sports goods do not appear to motivate physical activity among workers with LBP. The findings of the study could have a substantial impact on the planning and development of exercise provision and promotion strategies to improve non-specific LBP. Providers and employers may be able to improve participation in exercise programs for adults with non-specific LBP by focusing on the exercise components which are the most attractive. This in turn would improve satisfaction and adherence to exercise interventions aimed at preventing recurrent non-specific LBP. PMID:29244841

Individual preferences for physical exercise as secondary prevention for non-specific low back pain: A discrete choice experiment.

PubMed

Aboagye, Emmanuel; Hagberg, Jan; Axén, Iben; Kwak, Lydia; Lohela-Karlsson, Malin; Skillgate, Eva; Dahlgren, Gunilla; Jensen, Irene

2017-01-01

Exercise is effective in improving non-specific low back pain (LBP). Certain components of physical exercise, such as the type, intensity and frequency of exercise, are likely to influence participation among working adults with non-specific LBP, but the value and relative importance of these components remain unknown. The study's aim was to examine such specific components and their influence on individual preferences for exercise for secondary prevention of non-specific LBP among working adults. In a discrete choice experiment, working individuals with non-specific LBP answered a web-based questionnaire. Each respondent was given ten pairs of hypothetical exercise programs and asked to choose one option from each pair. The choices comprised six attributes of exercise (i.e., type of training, design, intensity, frequency, proximity and incentives), each with either three or four levels. A conditional logit regression that reflected the random utility model was used to analyze the responses. The final study population consisted of 112 participants. The participants' preferred exercise option was aerobic (i.e., cardiovascular) rather than strength training, group exercise with trainer supervision, rather than individual or unsupervised exercise. They also preferred high intensity exercise performed at least once or twice per week. The most popular types of incentive were exercise during working hours and a wellness allowance rather than coupons for sports goods. The results show that the relative value of some attribute levels differed between young adults (age ≤ 44 years) and older adults (age ≥ 45 years) in terms of the level of trainer supervision required, exercise intensity, travel time to exercise location and financial incentives. For active study participants, exercise frequency (i.e., twice per week, 1.15; CI: 0.25; 2.06) influenced choice of exercise. For individuals with more than one child, travel time (i.e., 20 minutes, -0.55; CI: 0.65; 3.26) was also an influential attribute for choice of exercise, showing that people with children at home preferred to exercise close to home. This study adds to our knowledge about what types of exercise working adults with back pain are most likely to participate in. The exercise should be a cardiovascular type of training carried out in a group with trainer supervision. It should also be of high intensity and preferably performed twice per week during working hours. Coupons for sports goods do not appear to motivate physical activity among workers with LBP. The findings of the study could have a substantial impact on the planning and development of exercise provision and promotion strategies to improve non-specific LBP. Providers and employers may be able to improve participation in exercise programs for adults with non-specific LBP by focusing on the exercise components which are the most attractive. This in turn would improve satisfaction and adherence to exercise interventions aimed at preventing recurrent non-specific LBP.

A continuous time-resolved measure decoded from EEG oscillatory activity predicts working memory task performance.

PubMed

Astrand, Elaine

2018-06-01

Working memory (WM), crucial for successful behavioral performance in most of our everyday activities, holds a central role in goal-directed behavior. As task demands increase, inducing higher WM load, maintaining successful behavioral performance requires the brain to work at the higher end of its capacity. Because it is depending on both external and internal factors, individual WM load likely varies in a continuous fashion. The feasibility to extract such a continuous measure in time that correlates to behavioral performance during a working memory task remains unsolved. Multivariate pattern decoding was used to test whether a decoder constructed from two discrete levels of WM load can generalize to produce a continuous measure that predicts task performance. Specifically, a linear regression with L2-regularization was chosen with input features from EEG oscillatory activity recorded from healthy participants while performing the n-back task, [Formula: see text]. The feasibility to extract a continuous time-resolved measure that correlates positively to trial-by-trial working memory task performance is demonstrated (r  =  0.47, p  <  0.05). It is furthermore shown that this measure allows to predict task performance before action (r  =  0.49, p  <  0.05). We show that the extracted continuous measure enables to study the temporal dynamics of the complex activation pattern of WM encoding during the n-back task. Specifically, temporally precise contributions of different spectral features are observed which extends previous findings of traditional univariate approaches. These results constitute an important contribution towards a wide range of applications in the field of cognitive brain-machine interfaces. Monitoring mental processes related to attention and WM load to reduce the risk of committing errors in high-risk environments could potentially prevent many devastating consequences or using the continuous measure as neurofeedback opens up new possibilities to develop novel rehabilitation techniques for individuals with degraded WM capacity.

A continuous time-resolved measure decoded from EEG oscillatory activity predicts working memory task performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Astrand, Elaine

2018-06-01

Objective. Working memory (WM), crucial for successful behavioral performance in most of our everyday activities, holds a central role in goal-directed behavior. As task demands increase, inducing higher WM load, maintaining successful behavioral performance requires the brain to work at the higher end of its capacity. Because it is depending on both external and internal factors, individual WM load likely varies in a continuous fashion. The feasibility to extract such a continuous measure in time that correlates to behavioral performance during a working memory task remains unsolved. Approach. Multivariate pattern decoding was used to test whether a decoder constructed from two discrete levels of WM load can generalize to produce a continuous measure that predicts task performance. Specifically, a linear regression with L2-regularization was chosen with input features from EEG oscillatory activity recorded from healthy participants while performing the n-back task, n\\in [1,2] . Main results. The feasibility to extract a continuous time-resolved measure that correlates positively to trial-by-trial working memory task performance is demonstrated (r  =  0.47, p  <  0.05). It is furthermore shown that this measure allows to predict task performance before action (r  =  0.49, p  <  0.05). We show that the extracted continuous measure enables to study the temporal dynamics of the complex activation pattern of WM encoding during the n-back task. Specifically, temporally precise contributions of different spectral features are observed which extends previous findings of traditional univariate approaches. Significance. These results constitute an important contribution towards a wide range of applications in the field of cognitive brain–machine interfaces. Monitoring mental processes related to attention and WM load to reduce the risk of committing errors in high-risk environments could potentially prevent many devastating consequences or using the continuous measure as neurofeedback opens up new possibilities to develop novel rehabilitation techniques for individuals with degraded WM capacity.

Intra-individual variability in day-to-day and month-to-month measurements of physical activity and sedentary behaviour at work and in leisure-time among Danish adults.

PubMed

Pedersen, E S L; Danquah, I H; Petersen, C B; Tolstrup, J S

2016-12-03

Accelerometers can obtain precise measurements of movements during the day. However, the individual activity pattern varies from day-to-day and there is limited evidence on measurement days needed to obtain sufficient reliability. The aim of this study was to examine variability in accelerometer derived data on sedentary behaviour and physical activity at work and in leisure-time during week days among Danish office employees. We included control participants (n = 135) from the Take a Stand! Intervention; a cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in 19 offices. Sitting time and physical activity were measured using an ActiGraph GT3X+ fixed on the thigh and data were processed using Acti4 software. Variability was examined for sitting time, standing time, steps and time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day by multilevel mixed linear regression modelling. Results of this study showed that the number of days needed to obtain a reliability of 80% when measuring sitting time was 4.7 days for work and 5.5 days for leisure time. For physical activity at work, 4.0 days and 4.2 days were required to measure steps and MVPA, respectively. During leisure time, more monitoring time was needed to reliably estimate physical activity (6.8 days for steps and 5.8 days for MVPA). The number of measurement days needed to reliably estimate activity patterns was greater for leisure time than for work time. The domain specific variability is of great importance to researchers and health promotion workers planning to use objective measures of sedentary behaviour and physical activity. Clinical trials NCT01996176 .

Domain-specific physical activity and health-related quality of life in university students.

PubMed

Pedišić, Zeljko; Rakovac, Marija; Titze, Sylvia; Jurakić, Danijel; Oja, Pekka

2014-01-01

Information on the relationship between domain-specific physical activity (PA) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the general population and specific groups is still scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between PA in work, transport, domestic and leisure-time domains and HRQoL among university students. PA and HRQoL were assessed in a random stratified sample of 1750 university students using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - long form and 12-item Short Form Health Survey, respectively. The Spearman's rank correlations, adjusted for age, community size, personal monthly budget, body mass index, smoking habits and alcohol intake ranged from -0.11 to 0.18 in female students and -0.29 to 0.19 in male students. Leisure-time, domestic, transport-related PA and total PA were positively related to HRQoL. Inverse correlations with HRQoL were only found for work-related PA in male students. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that only leisure-time PA was related to the Physical Summary Component score (β = 0.08 for females and β = 0.10 for males, P < 0.05). Domain-specific PA levels were not significantly related to the Mental Component Summary score. To get a more comprehensive insight in the relationship between PA and HRQoL, future studies should not only analyse total PA levels but also domain-specific PA levels. The evidence on the positive relationship of leisure-time, transport and domestic PA with HRQoL can potentially be used to support evidence-based promotion of PA in a university setting, and as a hypothesis for future longitudinal studies on such potential causal relationships.

Behavior-Specific Influences for Physical Activity Among African American Women.

PubMed

Jackson, Hope; Yates, Bernice C; Blanchard, Shirley; Zimmerman, Lani M; Hudson, Diane; Pozehl, Bunny

2016-08-01

The purpose of this study was to describe physical activity (PA) behaviors and physical functioning of prehypertensive and Stage I hypertensive African American Women (AAW) and to examine the relationships between PA behavior, physical functioning, personal factors, and behavior-specific influences. Pender's Health Promotion Model was the conceptual framework for the study. A cross-sectional design and convenience sample were used. The PA domain where the greatest amount of time was spent was in work-related activity, followed by household, leisure time, and transportation activity. Personal factors most strongly correlated to lower PA were greater body mass index and waist circumference. AAW perceived moderate barriers to PA and minimal family and friend social support for PA. Future interventions need to focus on removing barriers to and improving social support for PA among AAW. © The Author(s) 2016.

Investigation of bypass fluid flow in an active magnetic regenerative liquefier

DOE PAGES

Holladay, Jamelyn; Teyber, Reed; Meinhardt, Kerry; ...

2018-05-19

Active magnetic regenerators (AMR) with second order magnetocaloric materials operating below the Curie temperature have a unique property where the magnetized specific heat is lower than the demagnetized specific heat. The associated thermal mass imbalance allows a fraction of heat transfer fluid in the cold heat exchanger to bypass the magnetized regenerator. This cold bypassed fluid can precool a process stream as it returns to the hot side, thereby increasing the efficiency of liquefaction and reducing the cost of liquid cryogens. In the present work, the net cooling power of an active magnetic regenerative liquefier is investigated as a functionmore » of the bypass flow fraction. In conclusion, experiments are performed at a fixed temperature span yielding a 30% improvement in net cooling power, affirming the potential of bypass flow in active magnetic regenerative liquefiers.« less

Investigation of bypass fluid flow in an active magnetic regenerative liquefier

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

Holladay, Jamelyn; Teyber, Reed; Meinhardt, Kerry

Active magnetic regenerators (AMR) with second order magnetocaloric materials operating below the Curie temperature have a unique property where the magnetized specific heat is lower than the demagnetized specific heat. The associated thermal mass imbalance allows a fraction of heat transfer fluid in the cold heat exchanger to bypass the magnetized regenerator. This cold bypassed fluid can precool a process stream as it returns to the hot side, thereby increasing the efficiency of liquefaction and reducing the cost of liquid cryogens. In the present work, the net cooling power of an active magnetic regenerative liquefier is investigated as a functionmore » of the bypass flow fraction. Experiments are performed at a fixed temperature span yielding a 30% improvement in net cooling power, affirming the potential of bypass flow in active magnetic regenerative liquefiers.« less

Investigation of bypass fluid flow in an active magnetic regenerative liquefier

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

Holladay, Jamelyn; Teyber, Reed; Meinhardt, Kerry

Active magnetic regenerators (AMR) with second order magnetocaloric materials operating below the Curie temperature have a unique property where the magnetized specific heat is lower than the demagnetized specific heat. The associated thermal mass imbalance allows a fraction of heat transfer fluid in the cold heat exchanger to bypass the magnetized regenerator. This cold bypassed fluid can precool a process stream as it returns to the hot side, thereby increasing the efficiency of liquefaction and reducing the cost of liquid cryogens. In the present work, the net cooling power of an active magnetic regenerative liquefier is investigated as a functionmore » of the bypass flow fraction. In conclusion, experiments are performed at a fixed temperature span yielding a 30% improvement in net cooling power, affirming the potential of bypass flow in active magnetic regenerative liquefiers.« less

Modulation of selective attention by polarity-specific tDCS effects.

PubMed

Pecchinenda, Anna; Ferlazzo, Fabio; Lavidor, Michal

2015-02-01

Selective attention relies on working memory to maintain an attention set of task priorities. Consequently, selective attention is more efficient when working memory resources are not depleted. However, there is some evidence that distractors are processed even when working memory load is low. We used tDCS to assess whether boosting the activity of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC), involved in selective attention and working memory, would reduce interference from emotional distractors. Findings showed that anodal tDCS over the DLPFC was not sufficient to reduce interference from angry distractors. In contrast, cathodal tDCS over the DLPFC reduced interference from happy distractors. These findings show that altering the DLPFC activity is not sufficient to establish top-down control and increase selective attention efficiency. Although, when the neural signal in the DLPFC is altered by cathodal tDCS, interference from emotional distractors is reduced, leading to an improved performance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Factors Associated With Success in an Occupational Rehabilitation Program for Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders

PubMed Central

Hardison, Mark E.

2017-01-01

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are a significant burden; however, no consensus has been reached on how to maximize occupational rehabilitation programs for people with these disorders, and the impact of simulating work tasks as a mode of intervention has not been well examined. In this retrospective cohort study, the authors used logistic regression to identify client and program factors predicting success for 95 clients in a general occupational rehabilitation program and 71 clients in a comprehensive occupational rehabilitation program. The final predictive model for general rehabilitation included gender, number of sessions completed, and performance of work simulation activities. Maximum hours per session was the only significant predictor of success in the comprehensive rehabilitation program. This study identifies new factors associated with success in occupational rehabilitation, specifically highlighting the importance of intensity (i.e., session length and number of sessions) of therapy and occupation-based activities for this population. PMID:28027046

Endogenous-cue prospective memory involving incremental updating of working memory: an fMRI study.

PubMed

Halahalli, Harsha N; John, John P; Lukose, Ammu; Jain, Sanjeev; Kutty, Bindu M

2015-11-01

Prospective memory paradigms are conventionally classified on the basis of event-, time-, or activity-based intention retrieval. In the vast majority of such paradigms, intention retrieval is provoked by some kind of external event. However, prospective memory retrieval cues that prompt intention retrieval in everyday life are commonly endogenous, i.e., linked to a specific imagined retrieval context. We describe herein a novel prospective memory paradigm wherein the endogenous cue is generated by incremental updating of working memory, and investigated the hemodynamic correlates of this task. Eighteen healthy adult volunteers underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while they performed a prospective memory task where the delayed intention was triggered by an endogenous cue generated by incremental updating of working memory. Working memory and ongoing task control conditions were also administered. The 'endogenous-cue prospective memory condition' with incremental working memory updating was associated with maximum activations in the right rostral prefrontal cortex, and additional activations in the brain regions that constitute the bilateral fronto-parietal network, central and dorsal salience networks as well as cerebellum. In the working memory control condition, maximal activations were noted in the left dorsal anterior insula. Activation of the bilateral dorsal anterior insula, a component of the central salience network, was found to be unique to this 'endogenous-cue prospective memory task' in comparison to previously reported exogenous- and endogenous-cue prospective memory tasks without incremental working memory updating. Thus, the findings of the present study highlight the important role played by the dorsal anterior insula in incremental working memory updating that is integral to our endogenous-cue prospective memory task.

Training, age and technological change: difficulties associated with age, the design of tools, and the organization of work.

PubMed

Cau-Bareille, Dominique; Gaudart, Corinne; Delgoulet, Catherine

2012-01-01

This article presents two ergonomic studies carried out when two French administrative bodies modernized their work tools. Our objective was to identify and define the vocational learning of experienced technicians who were required to adopt new working methods to cope with these technological changes. We observed the work activity of technicians of different ages and length of service both before and during training, and also after their return to their work unit during the appropriation phase. These two studies revealed some difficulties that were common to all the technicians and others that were more specific to the older employees. In terms of the design of the training course, we were able to point out some mistaken assumptions about the technicians' original command of the work activity and the computers, which made it difficult for them to adopt new work procedures. The difficulties encountered by the older employees were ultimately found to be more an indication of organizational problems to do with the management of change rather than training problems due to age.

Stochastic Dynamics Underlying Cognitive Stability and Flexibility

PubMed Central

Ueltzhöffer, Kai; Armbruster-Genç, Diana J. N.; Fiebach, Christian J.

2015-01-01

Cognitive stability and flexibility are core functions in the successful pursuit of behavioral goals. While there is evidence for a common frontoparietal network underlying both functions and for a key role of dopamine in the modulation of flexible versus stable behavior, the exact neurocomputational mechanisms underlying those executive functions and their adaptation to environmental demands are still unclear. In this work we study the neurocomputational mechanisms underlying cue based task switching (flexibility) and distractor inhibition (stability) in a paradigm specifically designed to probe both functions. We develop a physiologically plausible, explicit model of neural networks that maintain the currently active task rule in working memory and implement the decision process. We simplify the four-choice decision network to a nonlinear drift-diffusion process that we canonically derive from a generic winner-take-all network model. By fitting our model to the behavioral data of individual subjects, we can reproduce their full behavior in terms of decisions and reaction time distributions in baseline as well as distractor inhibition and switch conditions. Furthermore, we predict the individual hemodynamic response timecourse of the rule-representing network and localize it to a frontoparietal network including the inferior frontal junction area and the intraparietal sulcus, using functional magnetic resonance imaging. This refines the understanding of task-switch-related frontoparietal brain activity as reflecting attractor-like working memory representations of task rules. Finally, we estimate the subject-specific stability of the rule-representing attractor states in terms of the minimal action associated with a transition between different rule states in the phase-space of the fitted models. This stability measure correlates with switching-specific thalamocorticostriatal activation, i.e., with a system associated with flexible working memory updating and dopaminergic modulation of cognitive flexibility. These results show that stochastic dynamical systems can implement the basic computations underlying cognitive stability and flexibility and explain neurobiological bases of individual differences. PMID:26068119

Bringing Earth Magnetism Research into the High School Physics Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smirnov, A. V.; Bluth, G.; Engel, E.; Kurpier, K.; Foucher, M. S.; Anderson, K. L.

2015-12-01

We present our work in progress from an NSF CAREER project that aims to integrate paleomagnetic research and secondary school physics education. The research project is aimed at quantifying the strength and geometry of the Precambrian geomagnetic field. Investigation of the geomagnetic field behavior is crucial for understanding the mechanisms of field generation, and the development of the Earth's atmosphere and biosphere, and can serve as a focus for connecting high-level Earth science research with a standard physics curriculum. High school science teachers have participated in each summer field and research component of the project, gaining field and laboratory research experience, sets of rock and mineral samples, and classroom-tested laboratory magnetism activities for secondary school physics and earth science courses. We report on three field seasons of teacher field experiences and two years of classroom testing of paleomagnetic research materials merged into physics instruction on magnetism. Students were surveyed before and after dedicated instruction for both perceptions and attitude towards earth science in general, then more specifically on earth history and earth magnetism. Students were also surveyed before and after instruction on major earth system and magnetic concepts and processes, particularly as they relate to paleomagnetic research. Most students surveyed had a strongly positive viewpoint towards the study of Earth history and the importance of studying Earth Sciences in general, but were significantly less drawn towards more specific topics such as mineralogy and magnetism. Students demonstrated understanding of Earth model and the basics of magnetism, as well as the general timing of life, atmospheric development, and magnetic field development. However, detailed knowledge such as the magnetic dynamo, how the magnetic field has changed over time, and connections between earth magnetism and the development of an atmosphere remained largely misunderstood even after specific instruction, laboratory activities, and research examples. Ongoing work is examining the effectiveness of specific classroom and laboratory activities on student perceptions and misconceptions - which models work best to develop deeper understanding and appreciation of paleomagnetic research.

An innovative exercise method to simulate orbital EVA work - Applications to PLSS automatic controls

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lantz, Renee; Vykukal, H.; Webbon, Bruce

1987-01-01

An exercise method has been proposed which may satisfy the current need for a laboratory simulation representative of muscular, cardiovascular, respiratory, and thermoregulatory responses to work during orbital extravehicular activity (EVA). The simulation incorporates arm crank ergometry with a unique body support mechanism that allows all body position stabilization forces to be reacted at the feet. By instituting this exercise method in laboratory experimentation, an advanced portable life support system (PLSS) thermoregulatory control system can be designed to more accurately reflect the specific work requirements of orbital EVA.

Adolescent binge drinking linked to abnormal spatial working memory brain activation: differential gender effects.

PubMed

Squeglia, Lindsay M; Schweinsburg, Alecia Dager; Pulido, Carmen; Tapert, Susan F

2011-10-01

Binge drinking is prevalent during adolescence, and its effect on neurocognitive development is of concern. In adult and adolescent populations, heavy substance use has been associated with decrements in cognitive functioning, particularly on tasks of spatial working memory (SWM). Characterizing the gender-specific influences of heavy episodic drinking on SWM may help elucidate the early functional consequences of drinking on adolescent brain functioning. Forty binge drinkers (13 females, 27 males) and 55 controls (24 females, 31 males), aged 16 to 19 years, completed neuropsychological testing, substance use interviews, and an SWM task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Significant binge drinking status × gender interactions were found (p < 0.05) in 8 brain regions spanning bilateral frontal, anterior cingulate, temporal, and cerebellar cortices. In all regions, female binge drinkers showed less SWM activation than female controls, while male bingers exhibited greater SWM response than male controls. For female binge drinkers, less activation was associated with poorer sustained attention and working memory performances (p < 0.025). For male binge drinkers, greater activation was linked to better spatial performance (p < 0.025). Binge drinking during adolescence is associated with gender-specific differences in frontal, temporal, and cerebellar brain activation during an SWM task, which in turn relate to cognitive performance. Activation correlates with neuropsychological performance, strengthening the argument that blood oxygen level-dependent activation is affected by alcohol use and is an important indicator of behavioral functioning. Females may be more vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of heavy alcohol use during adolescence, while males may be more resilient to the deleterious effects of binge drinking. Future longitudinal research will examine the significance of SWM brain activation as an early neurocognitive marker of alcohol impact to the brain on future behaviors, such as driving safety, academic performance, and neuropsychological performance. Copyright © 2011 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

[Work-related musculoskeletal disorders in dentistry professionals. 2. Prevention, ergonomic strategies and therapeutic programs].

PubMed

Sartorio, F; Franchignoni, F; Ferriero, G; Vercelli, S; Odescalchi, L; Augusti, D; Migliario, M

2005-01-01

In dental professionals the risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) can be minimized through a combination of prevention, ergonomic strategies, and specific therapeutic programs. Prevention includes early identification of symptoms, analysis of working posture and activity, and the evaluation of equipment (such as dental instruments, position of the dental unit, patient and operator chairs, and lighting). The ergonomic strategies are based on identifying the best daily timetable (including periodic pauses) and most efficient team organization, as well as establishing the correct position that should be held at the patient chair. Finally specific therapeutic programs are very important in preventing or treating WMSD. In fact, fitness exercises such as mobilization, stretching or muscular and cardiovascular training are recognized as fundamental for dental professionals, and when WMSD occurs physiatric care and physical therapy are recommended.

45 CFR 84.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... specific learning disabilities. (ii) Major life activities means functions such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working. (iii) Has a...) of an age during which nonhandicapped persons are provided such services, (ii) of any age during...

45 CFR 84.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... specific learning disabilities. (ii) Major life activities means functions such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working. (iii) Has a...) of an age during which nonhandicapped persons are provided such services, (ii) of any age during...

Reclaiming an Endangered Species: The Male Responsibility Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cross, Michael; Foley, Ron

1993-01-01

Reviews number of social difficulties facing black families (delinquency, addiction, welfare dependence, family dissolution, unwed parents, school failure) and problems specific to black males. Describes activities undertaken by Male Responsibility Program (MRP) of Detroit (Michigan) Urban League, which works to develop culturally specific…

Mechanisms of activation of mouse and human enteroendocrine cells by nutrients

PubMed Central

Symonds, Erin L; Peiris, Madusha; Page, Amanda J; Chia, Bridgette; Dogra, Harween; Masding, Abigail; Galanakis, Vasileios; Atiba, Michael; Bulmer, David; Young, Richard L; Blackshaw, L Ashley

2015-01-01

Objective Inhibition of food intake and glucose homeostasis are both promoted when nutrients stimulate enteroendocrine cells (EEC) to release gut hormones. Several specific nutrient receptors may be located on EEC that respond to dietary sugars, amino acids and fatty acids. Bypass surgery for obesity and type II diabetes works by shunting nutrients to the distal gut, where it increases activation of nutrient receptors and mediator release, but cellular mechanisms of activation are largely unknown. We determined which nutrient receptors are expressed in which gut regions and in which cells in mouse and human, how they are associated with different types of EEC, how they are activated leading to hormone and 5-HT release. Design and results mRNA expression of 17 nutrient receptors and EEC mediators was assessed by quantitative PCR and found throughout mouse and human gut epithelium. Many species similarities emerged, in particular the dense expression of several receptors in the distal gut. Immunolabelling showed specific colocalisation of receptors with EEC mediators PYY and GLP-1 (L-cells) or 5-HT (enterochromaffin cells). We exposed isolated proximal colonic mucosa to specific nutrients, which recruited signalling pathways within specific EEC extracellular receptor-regulated kinase (p-ERK) and calmodulin kinase II (pCAMKII), as shown by subsequent immunolabelling, and activated release of these mediators. Aromatic amino acids activated both pathways in mouse, but in humans they induced only pCAMKII, which was colocalised mainly with 5-HT expression. Activation was pertussis toxin-sensitive. Fatty acid (C12) potently activated p-ERK in human in all EEC types and evoked potent release of all three mediators. Conclusions Specific nutrient receptors associate with distinct activation pathways within EEC. These may provide discrete, complementary pharmacological targets for intervention in obesity and type II diabetes. PMID:25015642

The Centromere: Chromatin Foundation for the Kinetochore Machinery

PubMed Central

Fukagawa, Tatsuo; Earnshaw, William C.

2014-01-01

Since discovery of the centromere-specific histone H3 variant CENP-A, centromeres have come to be defined as chromatin structures that establish the assembly site for the complex kinetochore machinery. In most organisms, centromere activity is defined epigenetically, rather than by specific DNA sequences. In this review, we describe selected classic work and recent progress in studies of centromeric chromatin with a focus on vertebrates. We consider possible roles for repetitive DNA sequences found at most centromeres, chromatin factors and modifications that assemble and activate CENP-A chromatin for kinetochore assembly, plus the use of artificial chromosomes and kinetochores to study centromere function. PMID:25203206

User-centric design of a personal assistance robot (FRASIER) for active aging.

PubMed

Padir, Taşkin; Skorinko, Jeanine; Dimitrov, Velin

2015-01-01

We present our preliminary results from the design process for developing the Worcester Polytechnic Institute's personal assistance robot, FRASIER, as an intelligent service robot for enabling active aging. The robot capabilities include vision-based object detection, tracking the user and help with carrying heavy items such as grocery bags or cafeteria trays. This work-in-progress report outlines our motivation and approach to developing the next generation of service robots for the elderly. Our main contribution in this paper is the development of a set of specifications based on the adopted user-centered design process, and realization of the prototype system designed to meet these specifications.

Real-time fMRI training-induced changes in regional connectivity mediating verbal working memory behavioral performance.

PubMed

Shen, J; Zhang, G; Yao, L; Zhao, X

2015-03-19

Working memory refers to the ability to temporarily store and manipulate information that is necessary for complex cognition activities. Previous studies have demonstrated that working memory capacity can be improved by behavioral training, and brain activities in the frontal and parietal cortices and the connections between these regions are also altered by training. Our recent neurofeedback training has proven that the regulation of the left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activity using real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rtfMRI) can improve working memory performance. However, how working memory training promotes interaction between brain regions and whether this promotion correlates with performance improvement remain unclear. In this study, we employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to calculate the interactions between the regions within the working memory network during neurofeedback training. The results revealed that the direct effect of the frontoparietal connection in the left hemisphere was enhanced by the rtfMRI training. Specifically, the increase in the path from the left DLPFC to the left inferior parietal lobule (IPL) was positively correlated with improved performance in verbal working memory. These findings demonstrate the important role of the frontoparietal connection in working memory training and suggest that increases in frontoparietal connectivity might be a key factor associated with behavioral improvement. Copyright © 2015 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Choosing where to work at work - towards a theoretical model of benefits and risks of activity-based flexible offices.

PubMed

Wohlers, Christina; Hertel, Guido

2017-04-01

Although there is a trend in today's organisations to implement activity-based flexible offices (A-FOs), only a few studies examine consequences of this new office type. Moreover, the underlying mechanisms why A-FOs might lead to different consequences as compared to cellular and open-plan offices are still unclear. This paper introduces a theoretical framework explaining benefits and risks of A-FOs based on theories from work and organisational psychology. After deriving working conditions specific for A-FOs (territoriality, autonomy, privacy, proximity and visibility), differences in working conditions between A-FOs and alternative office types are proposed. Further, we suggest how these differences in working conditions might affect work-related consequences such as well-being, satisfaction, motivation and performance on the individual, the team and the organisational level. Finally, we consider task-related (e.g. task variety), person-related (e.g. personality) and organisational (e.g. leadership) moderators. Based on this model, future research directions as well as practical implications are discussed. Practitioner Summary: Activity-based flexible offices (A-FOs) are popular in today's organisations. This article presents a theoretical model explaining why and when working in an A-FO evokes benefits and risks for individuals, teams and organisations. According to the model, A-FOs are beneficial when management encourages employees to use the environment appropriately and supports teams.

The KNOXI Transcription Factor SHOOT MERISTEMLESS Regulates Floral Fate in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Roth, Ohad; Alvarez, John; Levy, Matan; Bowman, John L; Ori, Naomi; Shani, Eilon

2018-05-09

Plants have evolved a unique and conserved developmental program that enables the conversion of leaves into floral organs. Elegant genetic and molecular work has identified key regulators of flower meristem identity. However, further understanding of flower meristem specification has been hampered by redundancy and by pleiotropic effects. The KNOXI transcription factor SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM) is a well-characterized regulator of shoot apical meristem maintenance. Arabidopsis thaliana stm loss-of-function mutants arrest shortly after germination, and therefore the knowledge on later roles of STM in later processes, including flower development, is limited. Here, we uncover a role for STM in the specification of flower meristem identity. Silencing STM in the APETALA1 (AP1) expression domain in the ap1-4 mutant background resulted in a leafy-flower phenotype, and an intermediate stm-2 allele enhanced the flower meristem identity phenotype of ap1-4. Transcriptional profiling of STM perturbation suggested that STM activity affects multiple floral fate genes, among them the F-Box protein-encoding gene UNUSUAL FLORAL ORGANS (UFO). In agreement with this notion, stm-2 enhanced the ufo-2 floral fate phenotype, and ectopic UFO expression rescued the leafy flowers in genetic backgrounds with compromised AP1 and STM activities. This work suggests a genetic mechanism that underlies the activity of STM in the specification of flower meristem identity. © 2018 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

Differential associations between impulsivity and risk-taking and brain activations underlying working memory in adolescents.

PubMed

Panwar, Karni; Rutherford, Helena J V; Mencl, W Einar; Lacadie, Cheryl M; Potenza, Marc N; Mayes, Linda C

2014-11-01

Increased impulsivity and risk-taking are common during adolescence and relate importantly to addictive behaviors. However, the extent to which impulsivity and risk-taking relate to brain activations that mediate cognitive processing is not well understood. Here we examined the relationships between impulsivity and risk-taking and the neural correlates of working memory. Neural activity was measured in 18 adolescents (13-18 years) while they engaged in a working memory task that included verbal and visuospatial components that each involved encoding, rehearsal and recognition stages. Risk-taking and impulsivity were assessed using the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) and the adolescent version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11A), respectively. We found overlapping as well as distinct regions subserving the different stages of verbal and visuospatial working memory. In terms of risk-taking, we found a positive correlation between BART scores and activity in subcortical regions (e.g., thalamus, dorsal striatum) recruited during verbal rehearsal, and an inverse correlation between BART scores and cortical regions (e.g., parietal and temporal regions) recruited during visuospatial rehearsal. The BIS-11A evidenced that motor impulsivity was associated with activity in regions recruited during all stages of working memory, while attention and non-planning impulsivity was only associated with activity in regions recruited during recognition. In considering working memory, impulsivity and risk-taking together, both impulsivity and risk-taking were associated with activity in regions recruited during rehearsal; however, during verbal rehearsal, differential correlations were found. Specifically, positive correlations were found between: (1) risk-taking and activity in subcortical regions, including the thalamus and dorsal striatum; and, (2) motor impulsivity and activity in the left inferior frontal gyrus, insula, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Therefore these findings suggest that while there may be some overlap in the neural correlates of working memory and their relationship to impulsivity and risk-taking, there are also important differences in these constructs and their relationship to the stages of working memory during adolescence. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differential associations between impulsivity and risk-taking and brain activations underlying working memory in adolescents

PubMed Central

Panwar, Karni; Rutherford, Helena J.V.; Mencl, W. Einar; Lacadie, Cheryl M.; Potenza, Marc N.; Mayes, Linda C.

2014-01-01

Increased impulsivity and risk-taking are common during adolescence and relate importantly to addictive behaviors. However, the extent to which impulsivity and risk-taking relate to brain activations that mediate cognitive processing is not well understood. Here we examined the relationships between impulsivity and risk-taking and the neural correlates of working memory. Neural activity was measured in 18 adolescents (13–18 years) while they engaged in a working memory task that included verbal and visuospatial components that each involved encoding, rehearsal and recognition stages. Risk-taking and impulsivity were assessed using the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) and the adolescent version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale -11 (BIS-11A), respectively. We found overlapping as well as distinct regions subserving the different stages of verbal and visuospatial working memory. In terms of risk-taking, we found a positive correlation between BART scores and activity in subcortical regions (e.g., thalamus, dorsal striatum) recruited during verbal rehearsal, and an inverse correlation between BART scores and cortical regions (e.g., parietal and temporal regions) recruited during visuospatial rehearsal. The BIS-11A evidenced that motor impulsivity was associated with activity in regions recruited during all stages of working memory, while attention and non-planning impulsivity was only associated with activity in regions recruited during recognition. In considering working memory, impulsivity and risk-taking together, both impulsivity and risk-taking were associated with activity in regions recruited during rehearsal; however, during verbal rehearsal, differential correlations were found. Specifically, positive correlations were found between: (1) risk-taking and activity in subcortical regions, including the thalamus and dorsal striatum; and, (2) motor impulsivity and activity in the left inferior frontal gyrus, insula, dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. Therefore these findings suggest that while there may be some overlap in the neural correlates of working memory and their relationship to impulsivity and risk-taking, there are also important differences in these constructs and their relationship to the stages of working memory during adolescence. PMID:24582821

Engineering Isoprene Synthase Expression and Activity in Cyanobacteria.

PubMed

Chaves, Julie E; Rueda-Romero, Paloma; Kirst, Henning; Melis, Anastasios

2017-12-15

Efforts to heterologously produce quantities of isoprene hydrocarbons (C 5 H 8 ) renewably from CO 2 and H 2 O through the photosynthesis of cyanobacteria face barriers, including low levels of recombinant enzyme accumulation compounded by their slow innate catalytic activity. The present work sought to alleviate the "expression level" barrier upon placing the isoprene synthase (IspS) enzyme in different fusion configurations with the cpcB protein, the highly expressed β-subunit of phycocyanin. Different cpcB*IspS fusion constructs were made, distinguished by the absence or presence of linker amino acids between the two proteins. Composition of linker amino acids was variable with lengths of 7, 10, 16, and 65 amino acids designed to test for optimal activity of the IspS through spatial positioning between the cpcB and IspS. Results showed that fusion constructs with the highly expressed cpcB gene, as the leader sequence, improved transgene expression in the range of 61 to 275-fold over what was measured with the unfused IspS control. However, the specific activity of the IspS enzyme was attenuated in all fusion transformants, possibly because of allosteric effects exerted by the leader cpcB fusion protein. This inhibition varied depending on the nature of the linker amino acids between the cpcB and IspS proteins. In terms of isoprene production, the results further showed a trade-off between specific activity and transgenic enzyme accumulation. For example, the cpcB*L7*IspS strain showed only about 10% the isoprene synthase specific-activity of the unfused cpcB-IspS control, but it accumulated 254-fold more IspS enzyme. The latter more than countered the slower specific activity and made the cpcB*L7*IspS transformant the best isoprene producing strain in this work. Isoprene to biomass yield ratios improved from 0.2 mg g -1 in the unfused cpcB-IspS control to 5.4 mg g -1 in the cpcB*L7*IspS strain, a 27-fold improvement.

Who Gets Promoted? Gender Differences in Science and Engineering Academia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olson, Kristen

Using a nationally representative sample of doctoral academic scientists and engineers, this study examines gender differences in the likelihood of having tenure and senior faculty ranks after controlling for academic age, field, doctoral origins, employing educational institution, productivity, postdoctoral positions, work activities, and family characteristics. Logistic regressions show that many of these controls are significant; that biology and employment at comprehensive universities have a gender-specific advantage for women; and that postdoctoral positions, teaching instead of doing administrative work, and having children have a gender-specific disadvantage. Although the statistical methods employed here do not reveal the exact nature of how gender inequities in science and engineering careers arise, the author suggests that they exist.

Cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase production by new Bacillus sp. strains isolated from brazilian soil

PubMed Central

Menocci, Vivian; Goulart, Antonio José; Adalberto, Paulo Roberto; Tavano, Olga Luisa; Marques, Daniela Parreira; Contiero, Jonas; Monti, Rubens

2008-01-01

Three strains of Bacillus sp. (BACRP, BACNC-1 and BACAR) were isolated from soil adhered to cassava husk. CGTase specific activity for the three isolated strains was higher when cultivated at 40°C. Potato starch, cassava starch, maltodextrin and glucose were used as carbon source and growth temperatures varied from 25 to 55°C. The three isolates presented higher CGTase specific activity when cultivated with potato starch at 40°C. Isolated BACRP and BACAR presented specific activity of 4.0×10–3 and 2.2×10–3 U/mg prot at pH 7.0, respectively, when cultivated in mediums added with NaCl 2%; at pH 10,0 their activities were of 3.4×10–3 and 3.0×10–3 U/mg prot, respectively, in the same concentration of NaCl. On the other hand, the isolated BACNC-1 presented activity specific of 2.4×10–3 U/mg prot when cultivated at pH 7.0 added of NaCl 1%, and at pH 10.0 the specific activity was of 3.4×10–3 U/mg prot without NaCl addition. This work also showed the presence of cyclodextrins formed during fermentation process and that precipitation with acetone or lyophilization followed by dialysis was efficient at removing CDs (cyclodextrins), thus, eliminating interference in the activity assays. The enzyme produced by the BACAR strain was partially purified and β-CD was liberated as a reaction product. PMID:24031289

NASA LWS Institute GIC Working Group: GIC science, engineering and applications readiness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pulkkinen, A. A.; Thomson, A. W. P.; Bernabeu, E.

2016-12-01

In recognition of the rapidly growing interest on the topic, this paper is based on the findings of the very first NASA Living With a Star (LWS) Institute Working Group that was specifically targeting the GIC issue. The new LWS Institutes program element was launched 2014 and the concept is built around small working group style meetings that focus on well defined problems that demand intense, direct interactions between colleagues in neighboring disciplines to facilitate the development of a deeper understanding of the variety of processes that link the solar activity to Earth's environment. The LWS Institute Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GIC) Working Group (WG) led by A. Pulkkinen (NASA GSFC) and co-led by E. Bernabeu (PJM) and A. Thomson (BGS) was selected competitively as the pilot activity for the new LWS element. The GIC WG was tasked to 1) identify, advance, and address the open scientific and engineering questions pertaining to GIC, 2) advance predictive modeling of GIC, 3) advocate and act as a catalyst to identify resources for addressing the multidisciplinary topic of GIC. In this paper, we target the goal 1) of the GIC WG. More specifically, the goal of this paper is to review the current status and future challenges pertaining to science, engineering and applications of the GIC problem. Science is understood here as the basic space and Earth sciences research that allow improved understanding and physics-based modeling of physical processes behind GIC. Engineering in turn is understood here as the "impact" aspect of GIC. The impact includes any physical effects GIC may have on the performance of the manmade infrastructure. Applications is understood as the models, tools and activities that can provide actionable information to entities such as power systems operators for mitigating the effects of GIC and government for managing any potential consequences from GIC impact to critical infrastructure. In this sense, applications can be considered as the ultimate goal of our GIC work and thus in assessing the status of the field, we specifically will quantify the readiness of various applications in the GIC effects mitigation context.

An Investigation Into the Navy Public Works Centers Specific Work Service Processing Problems.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-12-01

demonstrated. These computations are from Navy Area Audit Service reports or PWC and NAVFACENGCOM reports. Number One-time Annual Personnel 3,553...study, all of the endorsements, and a Navy Audit Service audit of the cost analysis, the CNO makes the final consolidation decision. With a decision to...organizations to which local activities turn for environmental issue assistance such as noise, water and air polution , airfield encroachment, local

A Snowball's Chance? Communities and Families Working To Prevent Youth Crime = Effet de boule de neige? Les communautes et les familles collaborent a la prevention de la criminalite chez les jeunes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Theilheimer, Ish, Ed.; Eisner, Kathy, Ed.

1996-01-01

This issue of the Canadian quarterly "Transitions," in French and English language versions, examines the prevention of youth crime, with a specific focus on activities, trends, and research dealing with Canadian families. Major articles in this issue are: (1) "A Snowball's Chance? Communities and Families Working to Prevent Youth…

Mappability of drug-like space: towards a polypharmacologically competent map of drug-relevant compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sidorov, Pavel; Gaspar, Helena; Marcou, Gilles; Varnek, Alexandre; Horvath, Dragos

2015-12-01

Intuitive, visual rendering—mapping—of high-dimensional chemical spaces (CS), is an important topic in chemoinformatics. Such maps were so far dedicated to specific compound collections—either limited series of known activities, or large, even exhaustive enumerations of molecules, but without associated property data. Typically, they were challenged to answer some classification problem with respect to those same molecules, admired for their aesthetical virtues and then forgotten—because they were set-specific constructs. This work wishes to address the question whether a general, compound set-independent map can be generated, and the claim of "universality" quantitatively justified, with respect to all the structure-activity information available so far—or, more realistically, an exploitable but significant fraction thereof. The "universal" CS map is expected to project molecules from the initial CS into a lower-dimensional space that is neighborhood behavior-compliant with respect to a large panel of ligand properties. Such map should be able to discriminate actives from inactives, or even support quantitative neighborhood-based, parameter-free property prediction (regression) models, for a wide panel of targets and target families. It should be polypharmacologically competent, without requiring any target-specific parameter fitting. This work describes an evolutionary growth procedure of such maps, based on generative topographic mapping, followed by the validation of their polypharmacological competence. Validation was achieved with respect to a maximum of exploitable structure-activity information, covering all of Homo sapiens proteins of the ChEMBL database, antiparasitic and antiviral data, etc. Five evolved maps satisfactorily solved hundreds of activity-based ligand classification challenges for targets, and even in vivo properties independent from training data. They also stood chemogenomics-related challenges, as cumulated responsibility vectors obtained by mapping of target-specific ligand collections were shown to represent validated target descriptors, complying with currently accepted target classification in biology. Therefore, they represent, in our opinion, a robust and well documented answer to the key question "What is a good CS map?"

Mappability of drug-like space: towards a polypharmacologically competent map of drug-relevant compounds.

PubMed

Sidorov, Pavel; Gaspar, Helena; Marcou, Gilles; Varnek, Alexandre; Horvath, Dragos

2015-12-01

Intuitive, visual rendering--mapping--of high-dimensional chemical spaces (CS), is an important topic in chemoinformatics. Such maps were so far dedicated to specific compound collections--either limited series of known activities, or large, even exhaustive enumerations of molecules, but without associated property data. Typically, they were challenged to answer some classification problem with respect to those same molecules, admired for their aesthetical virtues and then forgotten--because they were set-specific constructs. This work wishes to address the question whether a general, compound set-independent map can be generated, and the claim of "universality" quantitatively justified, with respect to all the structure-activity information available so far--or, more realistically, an exploitable but significant fraction thereof. The "universal" CS map is expected to project molecules from the initial CS into a lower-dimensional space that is neighborhood behavior-compliant with respect to a large panel of ligand properties. Such map should be able to discriminate actives from inactives, or even support quantitative neighborhood-based, parameter-free property prediction (regression) models, for a wide panel of targets and target families. It should be polypharmacologically competent, without requiring any target-specific parameter fitting. This work describes an evolutionary growth procedure of such maps, based on generative topographic mapping, followed by the validation of their polypharmacological competence. Validation was achieved with respect to a maximum of exploitable structure-activity information, covering all of Homo sapiens proteins of the ChEMBL database, antiparasitic and antiviral data, etc. Five evolved maps satisfactorily solved hundreds of activity-based ligand classification challenges for targets, and even in vivo properties independent from training data. They also stood chemogenomics-related challenges, as cumulated responsibility vectors obtained by mapping of target-specific ligand collections were shown to represent validated target descriptors, complying with currently accepted target classification in biology. Therefore, they represent, in our opinion, a robust and well documented answer to the key question "What is a good CS map?"

Cost and Schedule Analytical Techniques Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

This Final Report summarizes the activities performed by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) under contract NAS 8-40431 "Cost and Schedule Analytical Techniques Development Contract" (CSATD) during Option Year 3 (December 1, 1997 through November 30, 1998). This Final Report is in compliance with Paragraph 5 of Section F of the contract. This CSATD contract provides technical products and deliverables in the form of parametric models, databases, methodologies, studies, and analyses to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Engineering Cost Office (PP03) and the Program Plans and Requirements Office (PP02) and other user organizations. Detailed Monthly Reports were submitted to MSFC in accordance with the contract's Statement of Work, Section IV "Reporting and Documentation". These reports spelled out each month's specific work performed, deliverables submitted, major meetings conducted, and other pertinent information. Therefore, this Final Report will summarize these activities at a higher level. During this contract Option Year, SAIC expended 25,745 hours in the performance of tasks called out in the Statement of Work. This represents approximately 14 full-time EPs. Included are the Huntsville-based team, plus SAIC specialists in San Diego, Ames Research Center, Tampa, and Colorado Springs performing specific tasks for which they are uniquely qualified.

Cost and Schedule Analytical Techniques Development: Option 2 Year

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This Final Report summarizes the activities performed by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) for the Option 2 Year from December 1, 1996 through November 30, 1997. The Final Report is in compliance with Paragraph 5 of Section F of the contract. This CSATD contract provides products and deliverable in the form of models, data bases, methodologies, studies and analyses for the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Engineering Cost Office (PPO3) the Program Plans and Requirements Officer (PP02), and other user organizations. Detailed Monthly Progress reports were submitted to MSFC in accordance with the contract's Statement of Work, Section TV "Reporting and Documentation". These reports spelled out each month's specific work accomplishments, deliverables submitted, major meetings held, and other pertinent information. This Final Report will summarize these activities at higher level. During this contract Option Year, SAIC expended 29,830 man-hours in tile performance of tasks called out in the Statement of Work and reported oil in this yearly Final Report. This represents approximately 16 full-time EPs. Included are the basis Huntsville-based team, plus SAIC specialists in San Diego, Ames Research Center, Chicago, and Colorado Springs performing specific tasks for which they are uniquely qualified.

Physical Activity Throughout the Adult Life Span and Domain-Specific Cognitive Function in Old Age: A Systematic Review of Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Data.

PubMed

Engeroff, Tobias; Ingmann, Tobias; Banzer, Winfried

2018-06-01

A growing body of literature suggests that physical activity might alleviate the age-related neurodegeneration and decline of cognitive function. However, most of this evidence is based on data investigating the association of exercise interventions or current physical activity behavior with cognitive function in elderly subjects. We performed a systematic review and hypothesize that physical activity during the adult life span is connected with maintained domain-specific cognitive functions during late adulthood defined as age 60+ years. We performed a systematic literature search up to November 2017 in PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar without language limitations for studies analyzing the association of leisure physical activity during the adult life span (age 18+ years) and domain-specific cognitive functions in older adults (age 60+ years). The literature review yielded 14,294 articles and after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, nine cross-sectional and 14 longitudinal studies were included. Moderate- and vigorous-intensity leisure physical activity was associated with global cognitive function and specific cognitive domains including executive functions and memory but not attention or working memory. Most studies assessed mid- to late-adulthood physical activity, thus information concerning the influence of young adult life-span physical activity is currently lacking. Observational evidence that moderate- and vigorous-intensity leisure physical activity is beneficially associated with maintained cognitive functions during old age is accumulating. Further studies are necessary to confirm a causal link by assessing objective physical activity data and the decline of cognitive functions at multiple time points during old age.

Very Early Brain Damage Leads to Remodeling of the Working Memory System in Adulthood: A Combined fMRI/Tractography Study

PubMed Central

Karolis, Vyacheslav; Caldinelli, Chiara; Brittain, Philip J.; Kroll, Jasmin; Rodríguez-Toscano, Elisa; Tesse, Marcello; Colquhoun, Matthew; Howes, Oliver; Dell'Acqua, Flavio; Thiebaut de Schotten, Michel; Murray, Robin M.; Williams, Steven C.R.; Nosarti, Chiara

2015-01-01

The human brain can adapt to overcome injury even years after an initial insult. One hypothesis states that early brain injury survivors, by taking advantage of critical periods of high plasticity during childhood, should recover more successfully than those who suffer injury later in life. This hypothesis has been challenged by recent studies showing worse cognitive outcome in individuals with early brain injury, compared with individuals with later brain injury, with working memory particularly affected. We invited individuals who suffered perinatal brain injury (PBI) for an fMRI/diffusion MRI tractography study of working memory and hypothesized that, 30 years after the initial injury, working memory deficits in the PBI group would remain, despite compensatory activation in areas outside the typical working memory network. Furthermore we hypothesized that the amount of functional reorganization would be related to the level of injury to the dorsal cingulum tract, which connects medial frontal and parietal working memory structures. We found that adults who suffered PBI did not significantly differ from controls in working memory performance. They exhibited less activation in classic frontoparietal working memory areas and a relative overactivation of bilateral perisylvian cortex compared with controls. Structurally, the dorsal cingulum volume and hindrance-modulated orientational anisotropy was significantly reduced in the PBI group. Furthermore there was uniquely in the PBI group a significant negative correlation between the volume of this tract and activation in the bilateral perisylvian cortex and a positive correlation between this activation and task performance. This provides the first evidence of compensatory plasticity of the working memory network following PBI. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Here we used the example of perinatal brain injury (PBI) associated with very preterm birth to study the brain's ability to adapt to injury sustained early in life. In adulthood, individuals with PBI did not show significant deficits in working memory, but exhibited less activation in typical frontoparietal working memory areas. They also showed a relative overactivation of nontask-specific brain areas (perisylvian cortex) compared with controls, and such activation was negatively correlated with the size of white matter pathways involved in working memory (dorsal cingulum). Furthermore, this “extra” activation was associated with better working memory performance and could represent a novel compensatory mechanism following PBI. Such information could inform the development of neuroscience-based cognitive interventions following PBI. PMID:26631462

Thalamic Activation in the Kleine-Levin Syndrome

PubMed Central

Engström, Maria; Karlsson, Thomas; Landtblom, Anne-Marie

2014-01-01

Study Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate if combined measures of activation in the thalamus and working memory capacity could guide the diagnosis of Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS). A second objective was to obtain more insight into the neurobiological causes of KLS. Design: Matched group and consecutive recruitment. Setting: University hospital neurology department and imaging center. Patients or Participants: Eighteen patients with KLS diagnosed according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders and 26 healthy controls were included. Interventions: N/A. Measurements and Results: Working memory capacity was assessed by the listening span task. A version of this task (reading span) was presented to the participants during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Activation in the thalamus was measured in a region of interest analysis. A combination of the working memory capacity and the thalamic activation measures resulted in 80% prediction accuracy, 81% sensitivity, and 78% specificity regarding the ability to separate KLS patients from healthy controls. The controls had an inverse relation between working memory capacity and thalamic activation; higher performing participants had lower thalamic activation (r = -0.41). KLS patients showed the opposite relationship; higher performing participants had a tendency to higher thalamic activation (r = -0.35). Conclusions: This study shows that functional neuroimaging of the thalamus combined with neuropsychological assessment of working memory function provides a means to guide diagnosis of Kleine-Levin Syndrome. Results in this study also indicate that imaging of brain function and evaluation of cognitive capacity can give insights into the neurobiological mechanisms of Kleine-Levin Syndrome. Citation: Engström M; Karlsson T; Landtblom AM. Thalamic activation in the Kleine-Levin Syndrome. SLEEP 2014;37(2):379-386. PMID:24497666

Introducing a checking technician allows pharmacists to spend more time on patient-focused activities.

PubMed

Napier, Patti; Norris, Pauline; Braund, Rhiannon

2018-04-01

Internationally there is an increasing focus on the clinical and cognitive services that pharmacists can provide. Lack of time has been identified as a barrier to pharmacists increasing their clinical activities. Within the pharmacy workplace there are many tasks that can only be performed by a pharmacist. The final accuracy check of a dispensed prescription is currently the sole responsibility of pharmacists in New Zealand. This takes up a significant amount of time during a pharmacist's work day. The introduction of a checking technician role has been suggested to allow pharmacists more time to do more patient focused work. To investigate the amount of time pharmacy staff spend on specific activities and to establish whether the introduction of a checking technician into twelve pilot sites increased the amount of time that the pharmacists could spend on patient focused activities. This study utilised a self-reported work sampling technique in twelve pilot sites, selected from both the hospital and community settings. Work sampling using an electronic device was conducted at two time-points (before the implementation of a Pharmacy Accuracy Checking Technician (PACT) role and when the PACT was in place). Data was collected at 10 min intervals for the period of five days, a working week. Tasks were grouped into patient focused, dispensing and personal activities. The introduction of the PACT into the pilot sites saw a mean increase of 19% in pharmacists' patient focused activities and a mean 20% decrease in dispensing activities. The introduction of a checking technician role into New Zealand pharmacies demonstrated the potential to provide pharmacists with more time to spend on patient focused activities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Monitoring gross alpha and beta activity in liquids by using ZnS(Ag) scintillation detectors

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

Stevanato, L.; Cester, D.; Filippi, D.

In this work the possibility of monitoring gross alpha and beta activity in liquids using EJ-444 was investigated. Specific tests were carried out to determine the change of the detector properties in water tests. Possible protecting coating is also proposed and tested. Alpha/beta real-time monitoring in liquids is a goal of the EU project TAWARA{sub R}TM. (authors)

Mechanistic Models of Light-limited and Light-saturated Rates of Photosynthesis

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-09-30

concentrations of the rate-limiting enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase ( Rubisco ) that catalyzes carbon fixation. This work is supported by...saturated photosynthesis as a function of the activity of the key photosynthetic enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase ( Rubisco ) for a Report...concentration and its specific rate. The Rubisco activities were determined at the same temperature as the photosynthetic measurements, and hence did not

Extravehicular activities limitations study. Volume 1: Physiological limitations to extravehicular activity in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Furr, Paul A.; Monson, Conrad B.; Santoro, Robert L.; Sears, William J.; Peterson, Donald H.; Smith, Malcolm

1988-01-01

This report contains the results of a comprehensive literature search on physiological aspects of EVA. Specifically, the topics covered are: (1) Oxygen levels; (2) Optimum EVA work; (3) Food and Water; (4) Carbon dioxide levels; (5) Repetitive decompressions; (6) Thermal, and (7) Urine collection. The literature was assessed on each of these topics, followed by statements on conclusions and recommended future research needs.

The Great Balancing Act. Nutrition Comes Alive. Level 4. Nutrition Educator's Guide and Work Sheets, Information Sheets, Story, Letters to Parents. Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waldron, Laurie

This guide offers a nutrition education program for students in Kindergarten through Grade 6. Activities span all grades as well as activities for the specific level. Nutrition education objectives are stated for each grade level: (1) grade four--students will explore how to balance food intake and energy output for overall health and physical…

A Time to Celebrate and Reflect: International Year of the Family 1994 = Une bonne occasion de celebrer et de reflechir: L'Annee internationale de la famille 1994.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Theilheimer, Ish, Ed.

1993-01-01

This quarterly newsletter issue discusses the upcoming United Nations-sponsored International Year of the Family (IYF), with a specific focus on activities, trends, and research dealing with Canada. Four feature articles examine: (1) the work of the Canada Committee for the IYF, including activities and publications sponsored by the committee and…

Hip Hop Dance Experience Linked to Sociocognitive Ability.

PubMed

Bonny, Justin W; Lindberg, Jenna C; Pacampara, Marc C

2017-01-01

Expertise within gaming (e.g., chess, video games) and kinesthetic (e.g., sports, classical dance) activities has been found to be linked with specific cognitive skills. Some of these skills, working memory, mental rotation, problem solving, are linked to higher performance in science, technology, math, and engineering (STEM) disciplines. In the present study, we examined whether experience in a different activity, hip hop dance, is also linked to cognitive abilities connected with STEM skills as well as social cognition ability. Dancers who varied in hip hop and other dance style experience were presented with a set of computerized tasks that assessed working memory capacity, mental rotation speed, problem solving efficiency, and theory of mind. We found that, when controlling for demographic factors and other dance style experience, those with greater hip hop dance experience were faster at mentally rotating images of hands at greater angle disparities and there was a trend for greater accuracy at identifying positive emotions displayed by cropped images of human faces. We suggest that hip hop dance, similar to other more technical activities such as video gameplay, tap some specific cognitive abilities that underlie STEM skills. Furthermore, we suggest that hip hop dance experience can be used to reach populations who may not otherwise be interested in other kinesthetic or gaming activities and potentially enhance select sociocognitive skills.

Purification, characterization, and substrate specificity of a glucoamylase with steroidal saponin-rhamnosidase activity from Curvularia lunata.

PubMed

Feng, Bing; Hu, Wei; Ma, Bai-ping; Wang, Yong-ze; Huang, Hong-ze; Wang, Sheng-qi; Qian, Xiao-hong

2007-10-01

It has been previously reported that a glucoamylase from Curvularia lunata is able to hydrolyze the terminal 1,2-linked rhamnosyl residues of sugar chains at C-3 position of steroidal saponins. In this work, the enzyme was isolated and identified after isolation and purification by column chromatography including gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. Analysis of protein fragments by MALDI-TOF/TOF proteomics Analyzer indicated the enzyme to be 1,4-alpha-D-glucan glucohydrolase EC 3.2.1.3, GA and had considerable homology with the glucoamylase from Aspergillus oryzae. We first found that the glucoamylase was produced from C. lunata and was able to hydrolyze the terminal rhamnosyl of steroidal saponins. The enzyme had the general character of glucoamylase, which hydrolyze starch. It had a molecular mass of 66 kDa and was optimally active at 50 degrees C, pH 4, and specific activity of 12.34 U mg of total protein(-1) under the conditions, using diosgenin-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1-->4)-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1-->2)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside (compound II) as the substrate. Furthermore, four kinds of commercial glucoamylases from Aspergillus niger were investigated in this work, and they had the similar activity in hydrolyzing terminal rhamnosyl residues of steroidal saponin.

Foxi2 Is an Animally Localized Maternal mRNA in Xenopus, and an Activator of the Zygotic Ectoderm Activator Foxi1e

PubMed Central

Cha, Sang-Wook; McAdams, Meredith; Kormish, Jay; Wylie, Christopher; Kofron, Matthew

2012-01-01

Foxi1e is a zygotic transcription factor that is essential for the expression of early ectodermal genes. It is expressed in a highly specific pattern, only in the deep cell layers of the animal hemisphere, and in a mosaic pattern in which expressing cells are interspersed with non-expressing cells. Previous work has shown that several signals in the blastula control this expression pattern, including nodals, the TGFβ family member Vg1, and Notch. However, these are all inhibitory, which raises the question of what activates Foxi1e. In this work, we show that a related Forkhead family protein, Foxi2, is a maternal activator of Foxi1e. Foxi2 mRNA is maternally encoded, and highly enriched in animal hemisphere cells of the blastula. ChIP assays show that it acts directly on upstream regulatory elements of Foxi1e. Its effect is specific, since animal cells depleted of Foxi2 are able to respond normally to mesoderm inducing signals from vegetal cells. Foxi2 thus acts as a link between the oocyte and the early pathway to ectoderm, in a similar fashion to the vegetally localized VegT acts to initiate endoderm and mesoderm formation. PMID:22848601

The contribution of working memory to divided attention.

PubMed

Santangelo, Valerio; Macaluso, Emiliano

2013-01-01

Previous studies have indicated that increasing working memory (WM) load can affect the attentional selection of signals originating from one object/location. Here we assessed whether WM load affects also the selection of multiple objects/locations (divided attention). Participants monitored either two object-categories (vs. one category; object-based divided attention) or two locations (vs. one location; space-based divided attention) while maintaining in WM either a variable number of objects (object-based WM load) or locations (space-based WM load). Behavioural results showed that WM load affected attentional performance irrespective of divided or focused attention. However, fMRI results showed that the activity associated with object-based divided attention increased linearly with increasing object-based WM load in the left and right intraparietal sulcus (IPS); while, in the same areas, activity associated with space-based divided attention was not affected by any type of WM load. These findings support the hypothesis that WM contributes to the maintenance of resource-demanding attentional sets in a domain-specific manner. Moreover, the dissociable impact of WM load on performance and brain activity suggests that increased IPS activation reflects a recruitment of additional, domain-specific processing resources that enable dual-task performance under conditions of high WM load and high attentional demand. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cost-driven materials selection criteria for redox flow battery electrolytes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dmello, Rylan; Milshtein, Jarrod D.; Brushett, Fikile R.; Smith, Kyle C.

2016-10-01

Redox flow batteries show promise for grid-scale energy storage applications but are presently too expensive for widespread adoption. Electrolyte material costs constitute a sizeable fraction of the redox flow battery price. As such, this work develops a techno-economic model for redox flow batteries that accounts for redox-active material, salt, and solvent contributions to the electrolyte cost. Benchmark values for electrolyte constituent costs guide identification of design constraints. Nonaqueous battery design is sensitive to all electrolyte component costs, cell voltage, and area-specific resistance. Design challenges for nonaqueous batteries include minimizing salt content and dropping redox-active species concentration requirements. Aqueous battery design is sensitive to only redox-active material cost and cell voltage, due to low area-specific resistance and supporting electrolyte costs. Increasing cell voltage and decreasing redox-active material cost present major materials selection challenges for aqueous batteries. This work minimizes cost-constraining variables by mapping the battery design space with the techno-economic model, through which we highlight pathways towards low price and moderate concentration. Furthermore, the techno-economic model calculates quantitative iterations of battery designs to achieve the Department of Energy battery price target of 100 per kWh and highlights cost cutting strategies to drive battery prices down further.

A Polygenic Risk Score of glutamatergic SNPs associated with schizophrenia predicts attentional behavior and related brain activity in healthy humans.

PubMed

Rampino, Antonio; Taurisano, Paolo; Fanelli, Giuseppe; Attrotto, Mariateresa; Torretta, Silvia; Antonucci, Linda Antonella; Miccolis, Grazia; Pergola, Giulio; Ursini, Gianluca; Maddalena, Giancarlo; Romano, Raffaella; Masellis, Rita; Di Carlo, Pasquale; Pignataro, Patrizia; Blasi, Giuseppe; Bertolino, Alessandro

2017-09-01

Multiple genetic variations impact on risk for schizophrenia. Recent analyses by the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC2) identified 128 SNPs genome-wide associated with the disorder. Furthermore, attention and working memory deficits are core features of schizophrenia, are heritable and have been associated with variation in glutamatergic neurotransmission. Based on this evidence, in a sample of healthy volunteers, we used SNPs associated with schizophrenia in PGC2 to construct a Polygenic-Risk-Score (PRS) reflecting the cumulative risk for schizophrenia, along with a Polygenic-Risk-Score including only SNPs related to genes implicated in glutamatergic signaling (Glu-PRS). We performed Factor Analysis for dimension reduction of indices of cognitive performance. Furthermore, both PRS and Glu-PRS were used as predictors of cognitive functioning in the domains of Attention, Speed of Processing and Working Memory. The association of the Glu-PRS on brain activity during the Variable Attention Control (VAC) task was also explored. Finally, in a second independent sample of healthy volunteers we sought to confirm the association between the Glu-PRS and both performance in the domain of Attention and brain activity during the VAC.We found that performance in Speed of Processing and Working Memory was not associated with any of the Polygenic-Risk-Scores. The Glu-PRS, but not the PRS was associated with Attention and brain activity during the VAC. The specific effects of Glu-PRS on Attention and brain activity during the VAC were also confirmed in the replication sample.Our results suggest a pathway specificity in the relationship between genetic risk for schizophrenia, the associated cognitive dysfunction and related brain processing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Coming Out in Class: Challenges and Benefits of Active Learning in a Biology Classroom for LGBTQIA Students.

PubMed

Cooper, Katelyn M; Brownell, Sara E

As we transition our undergraduate biology classrooms from traditional lectures to active learning, the dynamics among students become more important. These dynamics can be influenced by student social identities. One social identity that has been unexamined in the context of undergraduate biology is the spectrum of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) identities. In this exploratory interview study, we probed the experiences and perceptions of seven students who identify as part of the LGBTQIA community. We found that students do not always experience the undergraduate biology classroom to be a welcoming or accepting place for their identities. In contrast to traditional lectures, active-learning classes increase the relevance of their LGBTQIA identities due to the increased interactions among students during group work. Finally, working with other students in active-learning classrooms can present challenges and opportunities for students considering their LGBTQIA identity. These findings indicate that these students' LGBTQIA identities are affecting their experience in the classroom and that there may be specific instructional practices that can mitigate some of the possible obstacles. We hope that this work can stimulate discussions about how to broadly make our active-learning biology classes more inclusive of this specific population of students. © 2016 K. M. Cooper and S. E. Brownell. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Yoga in School Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanec, Amanda D. Stewart; Forneris, Tanya; Theuerkauf, Bethany

2010-01-01

Research has shown that engaging in different forms of physical activity is positively correlated with mental health and psychological well-being, but negatively correlated with anxiety, depression and stress. Literature on stress in the work place is plentiful, as is research that specifically investigates teachers' stress. Physical educators are…

Fostering Rural/Corporate Partnerships.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vermillion, Mark

1986-01-01

Discusses how rural groups might approach corporations to forge partnerships for a variety of educational and community programs and activities. Makes specific suggestions for selecting corporations, writing the first requests for information, evaluating responses, and following up leads. Includes a section on the workings of Apple Computer's…

Who Publishes in SoTL Journals?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wasburn-Moses, L.; Wasburn, M. H.; Cole J. E.

2011-01-01

In academia, scholarship has long been privileged over teaching and service, which traditionally have been considered "women's work." In 1990, Boyer envisioned "the scholarship of teaching" as a way to legitimize teaching as a scholarly activity. The authors investigated whether Boyer's vision has been realized--specifically,…

External and Turbomachinery Flow Control Working Group

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ahmadi, G.; Alstrom, B.; Colonius, T.; Dannenhoffer, J.; Glauser, M.; Helenbrook, B.; Higuchi, H.; Hodson, H.; Jha, R.; Kabiri, P.;

24 CFR 570.202 - Eligible rehabilitation and preservation activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... replacement of heating and cooling equipment, including the use of solar energy equipment; (5) Improvements to... objectives; (4) Improvements to increase the efficient use of energy in structures through such means as... counseling, energy auditing, preparation of work specifications, loan processing, inspections, and other...

24 CFR 570.202 - Eligible rehabilitation and preservation activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... replacement of heating and cooling equipment, including the use of solar energy equipment; (5) Improvements to... objectives; (4) Improvements to increase the efficient use of energy in structures through such means as... counseling, energy auditing, preparation of work specifications, loan processing, inspections, and other...

24 CFR 570.202 - Eligible rehabilitation and preservation activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... replacement of heating and cooling equipment, including the use of solar energy equipment; (5) Improvements to... objectives; (4) Improvements to increase the efficient use of energy in structures through such means as... counseling, energy auditing, preparation of work specifications, loan processing, inspections, and other...

24 CFR 570.202 - Eligible rehabilitation and preservation activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... replacement of heating and cooling equipment, including the use of solar energy equipment; (5) Improvements to... objectives; (4) Improvements to increase the efficient use of energy in structures through such means as... counseling, energy auditing, preparation of work specifications, loan processing, inspections, and other...

Catching a glimpse of working memory: top-down capture as a tool for measuring the content of the mind.

PubMed

Lange, Nicholas D; Thomas, Rick P; Buttaccio, Daniel R; Davelaar, Eddy J

2012-11-01

This article outlines a methodology for probing working memory (WM) content in high-level cognitive tasks (e.g., decision making, problem solving, and memory retrieval) by capitalizing on attentional and oculomotor biases evidenced in top-down capture paradigms. This method would be of great use, as it could measure the information resident in WM at any point in a task and, hence, track information use over time as tasks dynamically evolve. Above and beyond providing a measure of information occupancy in WM, such a method would benefit from sensitivity to the specific activation levels of individual items in WM. This article additionally forwards a novel fusion of standard free recall and visual search paradigms in an effort to assess the sensitivity of eye movements in top-down capture, on which this new measurement technique relies, to item-specific memory activation (ISMA). The results demonstrate eye movement sensitivity to ISMA in some, but not all, cases.

The biophysical basis of Benveniste experiments: Entropy, structure, and information in water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widom, Allan; Srivastava, Yogendra; Valenzi, Vincenzo

Benveniste had observed that highly dilute (and even in the absence of physical molecules) biological agents still triggered relevant biological systems. Some of these experiments were reproduced in three other laboratories who cosigned the article, (Davenas et al., Nature 1988, 333, 816). Further works, [(Medical Hypotheses 2000, 54, 33), (Rivista di Biologia/Biology Forum 97, 2004, 169)], showed that molecular activity in more than 50 biochemical systems and even in bacteria could be induced by electromagnetic signals transferred through water solutes. The sources of the electromagnetic signals were recordings of specific biological activities. These results suggest that electromagnetic transmission of biochemical information can be stored in the electric dipole moments of water in close analogy to the manner in which magnetic moments store information on a computer disk. The electromagnetic transmission would enable in vivo transmissions of the specific molecular information between two functional biomolecules. In the present work, the physical nature of such biological information storage and retrieval in ordered quantum electromagnetic domains of water will be discussed.

Active Vaccines for Alzheimer Disease Treatment.

PubMed

Sterner, Rosalie M; Takahashi, Paul Y; Yu Ballard, Aimee C

2016-09-01

Vaccination against peptides specific to Alzheimer disease may generate an immune response that could help inhibit disease and symptom progression. PubMed and Scopus were searched for clinical trial articles, review articles, and preclinical studies relevant to the field of active Alzheimer disease vaccines and raw searches yielded articles ranging from 2016 to 1973. ClinicalTrials.gov was searched for active Alzheimer disease vaccine trials. Manual research and cross-referencing from reviews and original articles was performed. First generation Aβ42 phase 2a trial in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease resulted in cases of meningoencephalitis in 6% of patients, so next generation vaccines are working to target more specific epitopes to induce a more controlled immune response. Difficulty in developing these vaccines resides in striking a balance between providing a vaccine that induces enough of an immune response to actually clear protein sustainably but not so much of a response that results in excess immune activation and possibly adverse effects such as meningoencephalitis. Although much work still needs to be done in the field to make this a practical possibility, the enticing allure of being able to treat or even prevent the extraordinarily impactful disease that is Alzheimer disease makes the idea of active vaccination for Alzheimer disease very appealing and something worth striving toward. Copyright © 2016 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Verification and accreditation schemes for climate change activities: A review of requirements for verification of greenhouse gas reductions and accreditation of verifiers—Implications for long-term carbon sequestration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roed-Larsen, Trygve; Flach, Todd

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a review of existing national and international requirements for verification of greenhouse gas reductions and associated accreditation of independent verifiers. The credibility of results claimed to reduce or remove anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) is of utmost importance for the success of emerging schemes to reduce such emissions. Requirements include transparency, accuracy, consistency, and completeness of the GHG data. The many independent verification processes that have developed recently now make up a quite elaborate tool kit for best practices. The UN Framework Convention for Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol specifications for project mechanisms initiated this work, but other national and international actors also work intensely with these issues. One initiative gaining wide application is that taken by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development with the World Resources Institute to develop a "GHG Protocol" to assist companies in arranging for auditable monitoring and reporting processes of their GHG activities. A set of new international standards developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) provides specifications for the quantification, monitoring, and reporting of company entity and project-based activities. The ISO is also developing specifications for recognizing independent GHG verifiers. This chapter covers this background with intent of providing a common understanding of all efforts undertaken in different parts of the world to secure the reliability of GHG emission reduction and removal activities. These verification schemes may provide valuable input to current efforts of securing a comprehensive, trustworthy, and robust framework for verification activities of CO2 capture, transport, and storage.

Ergonomic design intervention strategy for work tools development for women agro based workers in Northeast India.

PubMed

Chakrabarti, Debkumar; Bhattachheriya, Nandita

2012-01-01

Strategy for finding the appropriate strategy for work tool development has become a crucial issue in occupational wellness of varied nature of women workforce of Northeast India. This paper deals with ergonomics intervention through sustainable work tool design development process. Workers who frequently shift to different activities quite often in unorganised small-scale fruit processing units where productivity is directly related to the harvesting season require different work tools relevant to specific tasks and mostly workers themselves manage work tools of their own with available local resources. Whereas in contrast the tea-leaf pluckers are engaged in a single task throughout the year, and the work schedule and work equipment is decided and supplied to them based on the corporate decision where the workers do not have any individual control. Observations confirm the need for organising participatory workshops specific to trade based occupational well-being and different work tools for different tasks in mostly private owned unorganised sector. Implementation of single variety work tool development that supports a crucial component in tea-leaf plucking for which they are engaged in full time employment; and through a corporate decision a single design with its number of users makes a good effect.

[Individual typological peculiarities of system blood flow, physical capacity for work and cardiac activity regulation in patients with different resistance to periodontal diseases].

PubMed

Bragin, A V

2008-01-01

From position of typological variability of physiological individuality concept-functional constitution types - the principle of organism integrity was substantiated for stomatological pathology. There were isolated typical and specific reactions of cardiac-vessel system in patients with different resistance to periodontal diseases. Each functional type - patients with different levels of usual motion activity - had their own physiological peculiarities of parameters of system blood flow, physical capacity for work and cardiac activity regulation, that determined individual typological organism reaction in cases of maxillo-facial system pathology. The received data gives the objective base for physiological approach to single out the extreme variants of norm for forming risk contingent and groups of resistant people to periodontal diseases.

A novel sulfate-reducing bacteria detection method based on inhibition of cysteine protease activity.

PubMed

Qi, Peng; Zhang, Dun; Wan, Yi

2014-11-01

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) have been extensively studied in corrosion and environmental science. However, fast enumeration of SRB population is still a difficult task. This work presents a novel specific SRB detection method based on inhibition of cysteine protease activity. The hydrolytic activity of cysteine protease was inhibited by taking advantage of sulfide, the characteristic metabolic product of SRB, to attack active cysteine thiol group in cysteine protease catalytic sites. The active thiol S-sulfhydration process could be used for SRB detection, since the amount of sulfide accumulated in culture medium was highly related with initial bacterial concentration. The working conditions of cysteine protease have been optimized to obtain better detection capability, and the SRB detection performances have been evaluated in this work. The proposed SRB detection method based on inhibition of cysteine protease activity avoided the use of biological recognition elements. In addition, compared with the widely used most probable number (MPN) method which would take up to at least 15days to accomplish whole detection process, the method based on inhibition of papain activity could detect SRB in 2 days, with a detection limit of 5.21×10(2) cfu mL(-1). The detection time for SRB population quantitative analysis was greatly shortened. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Consolidated fuel reprocessing program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1985-02-01

Improved processes and components for the Breeder Reprocessing Engineering Test (BRET) were identified and developed as well as the design, procurement and development of prototypic equipment. The integrated testing of process equipment and flowsheets prototypical of a pilot scale full reprocessing plant, and also for testing prototypical remote features of specific complex components in the system are provided. Information to guide the long range activities of the Consolidated Fuel Reprocessing Program (CERP), a focal point for foreign exchange activities, and support in specialized technical areas are described. Research and development activities in HTGR fuel treatment technology are being conducted. Head-end process and laboratory scale development efforts, as well as studies specific to HTGR fuel, are reported. The development of off-gas treatment processes has generic application to fuel reprocessing, progress in this work is also reported.

Modelling neural correlates of working memory: A coordinate-based meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Rottschy, C.; Langner, R.; Dogan, I.; Reetz, K.; Laird, A.R.; Schulz, J.B.; Fox, P.T.; Eickhoff, S.B.

2011-01-01

Working memory subsumes the capability to memorize, retrieve and utilize information for a limited period of time which is essential to many human behaviours. Moreover, impairments of working memory functions may be found in nearly all neurological and psychiatric diseases. To examine what brain regions are commonly and differently active during various working memory tasks, we performed a coordinate-based meta-analysis over 189 fMRI experiments on healthy subjects. The main effect yielded a widespread bilateral fronto-parietal network. Further meta-analyses revealed that several regions were sensitive to specific task components, e.g. Broca’s region was selectively active during verbal tasks or ventral and dorsal premotor cortex were preferentially involved in memory for object identity and location, respectively. Moreover, the lateral prefrontal cortex showed a division in a rostral and a caudal part based on differential involvement in task-set and load effects. Nevertheless, a consistent but more restricted “core” network emerged from conjunctions across analyses of specific task designs and contrasts. This “core” network appears to comprise the quintessence of regions, which are necessary during working memory tasks. It may be argued that the core regions form a distributed executive network with potentially generalized functions for focusing on competing representations in the brain. The present study demonstrates that meta-analyses are a powerful tool to integrate the data of functional imaging studies on a (broader) psychological construct, probing the consistency across various paradigms as well as the differential effects of different experimental implementations. PMID:22178808

Transfer after Dual n-Back Training Depends on Striatal Activation Change.

PubMed

Salminen, Tiina; Kühn, Simone; Frensch, Peter A; Schubert, Torsten

2016-09-28

The dual n-back working memory (WM) training paradigm (comprising auditory and visual stimuli) has gained much attention since studies have shown widespread transfer effects. By including a multimodal dual-task component, the task is demanding to the human cognitive system. We investigated whether dual n-back training improves general cognitive resources or a task-specific WM updating process in participants. We expected: (1) widespread transfer effects and the recruitment of a common neuronal network by the training and the transfer tasks and (2) narrower transfer results and that a common activation network alone would not produce transfer, but instead an activation focus on the striatum, which is associated with WM updating processes. The training group showed transfer to an untrained dual-modality WM updating task, but not to single-task versions of the training or the transfer task. They also showed diminished neuronal overlap between the training and the transfer task from pretest to posttest and an increase in striatal activation in both tasks. Furthermore, we found an association between the striatal activation increase and behavioral improvement. The control groups showed no transfer and no change in the amount of activation overlap or in striatal activation from pretest to posttest. We conclude that, instead of improving general cognitive resources (which would have required a transfer effect to all transfer tasks and that a frontal activation overlap between the tasks produced transfer), dual n-back training improved a task-specific process: WM updating of stimuli from two modalities. The current study allows for a better understanding of the cognitive and neural effects of working memory (WM) training and transfer. It shows that dual n-back training mainly improves specific processes of WM updating, and this improvement leads to narrow transfer effects to tasks involving the same processes. On a neuronal level this is accompanied by increased neural activation in the striatum that is related to WM updating. The current findings challenge the view that dual n-back training provokes a general boosting of the WM system and of its neural underpinnings located in frontoparietal brain regions. Instead, the findings imply the relevance of task-specific brain regions which are involved in important cognitive processes during training and transfer tasks. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/3610198-16$15.00/0.

The EM SSAB Annual Work Plan Process: Focusing Board Efforts and Resources - 13667

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

Young, Ralph

One of the most daunting tasks for any new member of a local board of the Environmental Management Site Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB) is to try to understand the scope of the clean-up activities going on at the site. In most cases, there are at least two or three major cleanup activities in progress as well as monitoring of past projects. When planning for future projects is added to the mix, the list of projects can be long. With the clean-up activities involving all major environmental media - air, water, soils, and groundwater, new EM SSAB members can findmore » themselves totally overwhelmed and ineffective. Helping new members get over this initial hurdle is a major objective of EM and all local boards of the EM SSAB. Even as members start to understand the size and scope of the projects at a site, they can still be frustrated at the length of time it takes to see results and get projects completed. Many project and clean-up timelines for most of the sites go beyond 10 years, so it's not unusual for an EM SSAB member to see the completion of only 1 or 2 projects over the course of their 6-year term on the board. This paper explores the annual work planning process of the EM SSAB local boards, one tool that can be used to educate EM SSAB members into seeing the broader picture for the site. EM SSAB local work plans divide the site into projects focused on a specific environmental issue or media such as groundwater and/or waste disposal options. Projects are further broken down into smaller segments by highlighting major milestones. Using these metrics, local boards of the EM SSAB can start to quantify the effectiveness of the project in achieving the ultimate goal of site clean-up. These metrics can also trigger board advice and recommendations for EM. At the beginning of each fiscal year, the EM SSAB work plan provides a road map with quantifiable checkpoints for activities throughout the year. When the work plans are integrated with site-specific, enforceable regulatory milestones, they can provide a comprehensive work plan for not only the board, but also regulators, site contractors, and DOE. Because the work plans are reviewed and approved by DOE, they carry some weight in holding local boards of the EM SSAB accountable. This structure provides the basis for local boards to achieve their primary function, to provide DOE with information, advice, and recommendations concerning issues affecting the EM program at the site. (authors)« less

Working memory and the design of health materials: a cognitive factors perspective.

PubMed

Wilson, Elizabeth A H; Wolf, Michael S

2009-03-01

Working memory and other supportive cognitive processes involved in learning are reviewed in the context of developing patient education materials. We specifically focus on the impact of certain design factors such as text format and syntax, the inclusion of images, and the choice of modality on individuals' ability to understand and remember health information. A selective review of relevant cognitive and learning theories is discussed with regard to their potential impact on the optimal design of health materials. Working memory is measured as an individual's capacity to hold and manipulate information in active consciousness. It is limited by necessity, and well-designed health materials can effectively minimize extraneous cognitive demands placed on individuals, making working memory resources more available to better process content-related information. Further research is needed to evaluate specific design principles and identify ideal uses of print versus video-based forms of communication for conveying information. The process of developing health materials should account for the cognitive demands that extrinsic factors such as modality place on patients.

Work and Health among Latina Mothers in Farmworker Families

PubMed Central

Arcury, Thomas A.; Trejo, Grisel; Suerken, Cynthia K.; Grzywacz, Joseph G.; Ip, Edward H.; Quandt, Sara A.

2014-01-01

Background Work organization is important for the health of vulnerable workers, particularly women. This analysis describes work organization for Latinas in farmworker families and delineates the associations of work organization with health indicators. Methods 220 Latino women in farmworker families completed interviews from October 2012 - July 2013. Interviews addressed job structure, job demand, job control, and job support. Health measures included stress, depressive symptoms, physical activity, family conflict, and family economic security. Results Three-fifths of the women were employed. Several work organization dimensions, including shift, psychological demand, work safety climate, and benefits, were associated with participant health as expected, based on the work organization and job demands-control-support models. Conclusions Research should address women's health and specific work responsibilities. Occupational safety policy must consider the importance of work organization in the health of vulnerable workers. PMID:25742536

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

Not Available

This Remedial Investigation (RI) Work Plan has been developed as part of the US Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) investigation of the Groundwater Operable Unit (GWOU) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) located near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The first iteration of the GWOU RI Work Plan is intended to serve as a strategy document to guide the ORNL GWOU RI. The Work Plan provides a rationale and organization for groundwater data acquisition, monitoring, and remedial actions to be performed during implementation of environmental restoration activities associated with the ORNL GWOU. It Is important to note that the RI Work Plan formore » the ORNL GWOU is not a prototypical work plan. The RI will be conducted using annual work plans to manage the work activities, and task reports will be used to document the results of the investigations. Sampling and analysis results will be compiled and reported annually with a review of data relative to risk (screening level risk assessment review) for groundwater. This Work Plan outlines the overall strategy for the RI and defines tasks which are to be conducted during the initial phase of investigation. This plan is presented with the understanding that more specific addenda to the plan will follow.« less

On the role of passion for work in burnout: a process model.

PubMed

Vallerand, Robert J; Paquet, Yvan; Philippe, Frederick L; Charest, Julie

2010-02-01

The purpose of the present research was to test a model on the role of passion for work in professional burnout. This model posits that obsessive passion produces conflict between work and other life activities because the person cannot let go of the work activity. Conversely, harmonious passion is expected to prevent conflict while positively contributing to work satisfaction. Finally, conflict is expected to contribute to burnout, whereas work satisfaction should prevent its occurrence. This model was tested in 2 studies with nurses in 2 cultures. Using a cross-sectional design, Study 1 (n=97) provided support for the model with nurses from France. In Study 2 (n=258), a prospective design was used to further test the model with nurses from the Province of Quebec over a 6-month period. Results provided support for the model. Specifically, harmonious passion predicted an increase in work satisfaction and a decrease in conflict. Conversely, obsessive passion predicted an increase of conflict. In turn, work satisfaction and conflict predicted decreases and increases in burnout changes that took place over time. The results have important implications for theory and research on passion as well as burnout.

The effect of autoimmune blistering diseases on work productivity.

PubMed

Wang, E Q; Radjenovic, M; Castrillón, M A; Feng, G H Y; Murrell, D F

2018-05-06

Autoimmune blistering diseases (AIBD) are known to negatively impact upon quality of life (QoL); however, there is a paucity of research on the effect of AIBD on work productivity. AIBD can be quite disfiguring in terms of a patient's appearance due to their blistering nature. To determine the impact of AIBD on work productivity and to determine whether patients are stigmatized at work due to their appearance. Sixty-one patients with AIBD completed the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire-Specific Health Problem (WPAIQ-SHP), the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), the Autoimmune Bullous Disease Quality of Life (ABQOL) and the Treatment of Autoimmune Bullous Disease Quality of Life questionnaires (TABQOL). Non-responders to treatment had more work and activity impairment compared to responders. Worse WPAIQ-SHP scores were correlated with higher ABQOL, TABQOL and DLQI scores. Approximately 14.8% of subjects experienced stigmatization at work due to their appearance. The most common body areas stigmatized were easily visible sites, particularly the hands, arms and feet, with the majority of occurrences related to co-workers; for some patients, this stigmatization occurred on a daily basis. Loss of productivity at work was statistically much higher in those with higher disease severity, ABQOL & TABQOL scores and in non-responders to treatment. Autoimmune blistering diseases negatively impacts upon work productivity and activity. Stigmatization was common in the workplace which leads to increased stress, itself a stimulator of pemphigus. © 2018 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

The work patterns of lactating women in Madura.

PubMed

Launer, L J

1993-08-01

Little is known about the work patterns of mildly malnourished lactating women: are they modified to accommodate the demands of lactation? What factors influence their pattern of work during this period of nutritional stress? These questions were addressed using quantitative and qualitative data collected from 36 randomly selected women living in a poor community in Madura, Indonesia. Work patterns of the lactating women and their family members were documented for the first 12 months post-partum. Changes in work activity were analysed within four time periods corresponding to Madurese views on development during infancy: the vulnerable neonatal (birth-40 days), early (6-12 wk) and mid (13-31 wk) stages and the independent late (32-54 wk) stage. Quantitative data suggest that women did adjust work patterns to accommodate the demands of lactation and that these adjustments went beyond the neonatal stage. Mothers curtailed their participation in high- and low-energy income-generating activities, modified their conditions of work to promote maternal-infant proximity and conserved energy while performing specific activities. These patterns were most common through the mid infancy stage. Data are presented that describe how cultural values supporting maternal-infant proximity, intra- and inter-familial work exchanges, season and resources played a role in the type of accommodations mothers were able to make to breast-feed. These data suggest that even in relatively poor environments alterations in work patterns that may be favourable to lactation are possible, particularly when cultural concepts of infancy support such a trade-off.

Calcium and Magnesium Ions Are Membrane-Active against Stationary-Phase Staphylococcus aureus with High Specificity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Yuntao; Yang, Lihua

2016-02-01

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is notorious for its ability to acquire antibiotic-resistance, and antibiotic-resistant S. aureus has become a wide-spread cause of high mortality rate. Novel antimicrobials capable of eradicating S. aureus cells including antibiotic-resistant ones are thus highly desired. Membrane-active bactericides and species-specific antimicrobials are two promising sources of novel anti-infective agents for fighting against bacterial antibiotic-resistance. We herein show that Ca2+ and Mg2+, two alkaline-earth-metal ions physiologically essential for diverse living organisms, both disrupt model S. aureus membranes and kill stationary-phase S. aureus cells, indicative of membrane-activity. In contrast to S. aureus, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis exhibit unaffected survival after similar treatment with these two cations, indicative of species-specific activity against S. aureus. Moreover, neither Ca2+ nor Mg2+ lyses mouse red blood cells, indicative of hemo-compatibility. This works suggests that Ca2+ and Mg2+ may have implications in targeted eradication of S. aureus pathogen including the antibiotic-resistant ones.

Neural mechanisms of interference control in working memory capacity.

PubMed

Bomyea, Jessica; Taylor, Charles T; Spadoni, Andrea D; Simmons, Alan N

2018-02-01

The extent to which one can use cognitive resources to keep information in working memory is known to rely on (1) active maintenance of target representations and (2) downregulation of interference from irrelevant representations. Neurobiologically, the global capacity of working memory is thought to depend on the prefrontal and parietal cortices; however, the neural mechanisms involved in controlling interference specifically in working memory capacity tasks remain understudied. In this study, 22 healthy participants completed a modified complex working memory capacity task (Reading Span) with trials of varying levels of interference control demands while undergoing functional MRI. Neural activity associated with interference control demands was examined separately during encoding and recall phases of the task. Results suggested a widespread network of regions in the prefrontal, parietal, and occipital cortices, and the cingulate and cerebellum associated with encoding, and parietal and occipital regions associated with recall. Results align with prior findings emphasizing the importance of frontoparietal circuits for working memory performance, including the role of the inferior frontal gyrus, cingulate, occipital cortex, and cerebellum in regulation of interference demands. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation Project, 2008 Annual Report.

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

Soults, Scott

The Albeni Falls Interagency Work Group (AFIWG) was actively involved in implementing wildlife mitigation activities in late 2007, but due to internal conflicts, the AFIWG members has fractionated into a smaller group. Implementation of the monitoring and evaluation program continued across protected lands. As of 2008, The Albeni Falls Interagency Work Group (Work Group) is a coalition comprised of wildlife managers from three tribal entities (Kalispel Tribe, Kootenai Tribe, Coeur d Alene Tribe) and the US Army Corps of Engineers. The Work Group directs where wildlife mitigation implementation occurs in the Kootenai, Pend Oreille and Coeur d Alene subbasins. Themore » Work Group is unique in the Columbia Basin. The Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority (CBFWA) wildlife managers in 1995, approved what was one of the first two project proposals to implement mitigation on a programmatic basis. The maintenance of this kind of approach through time has allowed the Work Group to implement an effective and responsive habitat protection program by reducing administrative costs associated with site-specific project proposals. The core mitigation entities maintain approximately 9,335 acres of wetland/riparian habitats in 2008.« less

Task positive and default mode networks during a working memory in children with primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis and healthy controls.

PubMed

Zhang, Kaihua; Ma, Jun; Lei, Du; Wang, Mengxing; Zhang, Jilei; Du, Xiaoxia

2015-10-01

Nocturnal enuresis is a common developmental disorder in children, and primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PMNE) is the dominant subtype. This study investigated brain functional abnormalities that are specifically related to working memory in children with PMNE using function magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in combination with an n-back task. Twenty children with PMNE and 20 healthy children, group-matched for age and sex, participated in this experiment. Several brain regions exhibited reduced activation during the n-back task in children with PMNE, including the right precentral gyrus and the right inferior parietal lobule extending to the postcentral gyrus. Children with PMNE exhibited decreased cerebral activation in the task-positive network, increased task-related cerebral deactivation during a working memory task, and longer response times. Patients exhibited different brain response patterns to different levels of working memory and tended to compensate by greater default mode network deactivation to sustain normal working memory function. Our results suggest that children with PMNE have potential working memory dysfunction.

Quality of life benefits of paid work activity in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Bryson, Gary; Lysaker, Paul; Bell, Morris

2002-01-01

In a study of work rehabilitation, 97 participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were randomized into either a Pay or a No Pay condition to determine the impact of work activity and pay on rehabilitation outcomes. This report specifically investigates the relationship between work rehabilitation and quality of life (QOL) measures for people with schizophrenia. Previous reports have described improvements in symptoms and work outcomes for participants in the Pay condition. Results in this report reveal that randomization to the Pay condition improved ratings on the Heinrichs Quality of Life Scale (QLS). The improvements are found both in overall QLS and in the domain of Intrapsychic Foundations (motivation, sense of purpose, anhedonia, and empathy). For a larger sample (n = 114) we assessed the relationship between amount of participation and QLS improvement. Degree of participation was related to improvement on the QLS total and Intrapsychic Foundations domain. Finally, improvement in the Interpersonal Relations scale was associated with weeks of participation for the most consistent participants. How participation in work rehabilitation and its interaction with pay improves motivation, interpersonal relatedness, and overall quality of life is discussed.

Temporal patterns of charcoal burning suicides among the working age population in Hong Kong SAR: the influence of economic activity status and sex

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Charcoal burning in a sealed room has recently emerged as the second most common suicide means in Hong Kong, causing approximately 200 deaths each year. As charcoal burning suicide victims have a unique sociodemographic profile (i.e., predominantly economically active men), they may commit suicide at specific times. However, little is known about the temporal patterns of charcoal burning suicides. Methods Suicide data from 2001 to 2008 on victims of usual working age (20–59) were obtained from the registered death files of the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong. A total of 1649 cases of charcoal burning suicide were analyzed using a two-step procedure, which first examined the temporal asymmetries in the incidence of suicide, and second investigated whether these asymmetries were influenced by sex and/or economic activity status. Poisson regression analyses were employed to model the monthly and daily patterns of suicide by economic activity status and sex. Results Our findings revealed pronounced monthly and daily temporal variations in the pattern of charcoal burning suicides in Hong Kong. Consistent with previous findings on overall suicide deaths, there was an overall spring peak in April, and Monday was the common high risk day for all groups. Although sex determined the pattern of variation in charcoal burning suicides, the magnitude of the variation was influenced by the economic activity status of the victims. Conclusion The traditional classification of suicide methods as either violent or nonviolent tends to elide the temporal variations of specific methods. The interaction between sex and economic activity status observed in the present study indicates that sex should be taken into consideration when investigating the influence of economic activity status on temporal variations of suicide. This finding also suggests that suicide prevention efforts should be both time- and subgroup-specific. PMID:22770504

Temporal patterns of charcoal burning suicides among the working age population in Hong Kong SAR: the influence of economic activity status and sex.

PubMed

Law, Chi-kin; Leung, Candi M C

2012-07-06

Charcoal burning in a sealed room has recently emerged as the second most common suicide means in Hong Kong, causing approximately 200 deaths each year. As charcoal burning suicide victims have a unique sociodemographic profile (i.e., predominantly economically active men), they may commit suicide at specific times. However, little is known about the temporal patterns of charcoal burning suicides. Suicide data from 2001 to 2008 on victims of usual working age (20-59) were obtained from the registered death files of the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong. A total of 1649 cases of charcoal burning suicide were analyzed using a two-step procedure, which first examined the temporal asymmetries in the incidence of suicide, and second investigated whether these asymmetries were influenced by sex and/or economic activity status. Poisson regression analyses were employed to model the monthly and daily patterns of suicide by economic activity status and sex. Our findings revealed pronounced monthly and daily temporal variations in the pattern of charcoal burning suicides in Hong Kong. Consistent with previous findings on overall suicide deaths, there was an overall spring peak in April, and Monday was the common high risk day for all groups. Although sex determined the pattern of variation in charcoal burning suicides, the magnitude of the variation was influenced by the economic activity status of the victims. The traditional classification of suicide methods as either violent or nonviolent tends to elide the temporal variations of specific methods. The interaction between sex and economic activity status observed in the present study indicates that sex should be taken into consideration when investigating the influence of economic activity status on temporal variations of suicide. This finding also suggests that suicide prevention efforts should be both time- and subgroup-specific.

Hospital clinical pharmacy services in Vietnam.

PubMed

Trinh, Hieu T; Nguyen, Huong T L; Pham, Van T T; Ba, Hai L; Dong, Phuong T X; Cao, Thao T B; Nguyen, Hanh T H; Brien, Jo-Anne

2018-04-07

Background Clinical pharmacy is key to the quality use of medicines. While there are different approaches in different countries, international perspectives may inform health service development. The Vietnamese Ministry of Health introduced a legal regulation of clinical pharmacy services in December 2012. Objective To describe the services, and to explore reported barriers and facilitators in implementing clinical pharmacy activities in Vietnamese hospitals after the introduction of Vietnamese Ministry of Health legal regulation. Setting Thirty-nine hospitals in Hanoi, Vietnam, including 22 provincial and 17 district hospitals. Method A mixed methods study was utilized. An online questionnaire was sent to the hospitals. In-depth interviews were conducted with pairs of nominated pharmacists at ten of these hospitals. The questionnaire focused on four areas: facilities, workforce, policies and clinical pharmacy activities. Main outcome measure Proportion of clinical pharmacy activities in hospitals. Themes in clinical pharmacy practice. Results 34/39 (87%) hospitals had established clinical pharmacy teams. Most activities were non-patient-specific (87%) while the preliminary patient-specific clinical pharmacy services were available in only 8/39 hospitals (21%). The most common non-patient-specific activities were providing medicines information (97%), reporting adverse drug reactions (97%), monitoring medication usage (97%). The patient specific activities varied widely between hospitals and were ad hoc. The main challenges reported were: lack of workforce and qualified clinical pharmacists. Conclusion While most hospitals had hospital-based pharmacy activities, the direct patient care was limited. Training, education and an expanded work forces are needed to improve clinical pharmacy services.

Saccades to a remembered location elicit spatially-specific activation in human retinotopic visual cortex

PubMed Central

Geng, Joy J.; Ruff, Christian C.; Driver, Jon

2008-01-01

The possible impact upon human visual cortex from saccades to remembered target locations was investigated using fMRI. A specific location in the upper-right or upper-left visual quadrant served as the saccadic target. After a delay of 2400 msecs, an auditory signal indicated whether to execute a saccade to that location (go trial) or to cancel the saccade and remain centrally fixated (no-go). Group fMRI analysis revealed activation specific to the remembered target location for executed saccades, in contralateral lingual gyrus. No-go trials produced similar, albeit significantly reduced effects. Individual retinotopic mapping confirmed that on go trials, quadrant-specific activations arose in those parts of ventral V1, V2, and V3 that coded the target location for the saccade, whereas on no-go trials only the corresponding parts of V2 and V3 were significantly activated. These results indicate that a spatial-motor saccadic task (i.e. making an eye-movement to a remembered location) is sufficient to activate retinotopic visual cortex spatially corresponding to the target location, and that this activation is also present (though reduced) when no saccade is executed. We discuss the implications of finding that saccades to remembered locations can affect early visual cortex, not just those structures conventionally associated with eye-movements, in relation to recent ideas about attention, spatial working memory, and the notion that recently activated representations can be ‘refreshed’ when needed. PMID:18510442

Impact of total laryngectomy on return to work.

PubMed

Costa, Jose Miguel; López, Montserrat; García, Jacinto; León, Xavier; Quer, Miquel

Total laryngectomy is one of the most mutilating oncological operations. There are no specific studies evaluating return to work after this surgery. A cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of 116 laryngectomized patients who were disease- free and had a minimum follow-up of 2 years from total laryngectomy. A survey was conducted to find out their employment situation before and after surgery. At the time of surgery, 62 (53%) were working, 40 (35%) were retired and 14 (12%) were in a disability situation. 60% had professions with low qualification requirements, the largest group being construction workers. Of the 62 patients active at the time of total laryngectomy, 29 became inactive and 33 (53%) maintained their work activity. The most important factors in maintaining work activity were the level of professional qualification and the method of vocal rehabilitation. Eighty percent of the patients with high-intermediate qualification maintained their jobs, compared to 35% of those with low professional qualifications (P<.001). Seventy percent of the patients with voice prostheses maintained their work activity, compared to 31% of the patients rehabilitated with oesophageal voice (P=.004). Logistic regression confirmed these as independent variables for continuing to work. This is the first study that analyzes the impact of total laryngectomy on the work situation. The most important factors for a return to work were having a high-intermediate skilled job and the use of voice prosthesis as a method of vocal rehabilitation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Otorrinolaringología y Cirugía de Cabeza y Cuello. All rights reserved.

Participatory video-assisted evaluation of truck drivers' work outside cab: deliveries in two types of transport.

PubMed

Reiman, Arto; Pekkala, Janne; Väyrynen, Seppo; Putkonen, Ari; Forsman, Mikael

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to identify risks and ergonomics discomfort during work of local and short haul delivery truck drivers outside a cab. The study used a video- and computer-based method (VIDAR). VIDAR is a participatory method identifying demanding work situations and their potential risks. The drivers' work was videoed and analysed by subjects and ergonomists. Delivery truck drivers should not be perceived as one group with equal risks because there were significant differences between the 2 types of transportation and specific types of risks. VIDAR produces visual material for risk management processes. VIDAR as a participatory approach stimulates active discussion about work-related risks and discomfort, and about possibilities for improvement. VIDAR may be also applied to work which comprises different working environments.

Rehabilitation of acute and subacute low back and neck pain in the work-injured patient.

PubMed

Hartigan, C; Miller, L; Liewehr, S C

1996-10-01

In spite of the favorable natural history and the nonserious nature of the problem of much work-related low back and neck pain, conventional rehabilitation methods have failed to reduce work disability. Recently, rehabilitation goals have shifted from exclusively reducing or eradicating pain to improving patients' work and activity tolerance, avoiding illness behaviors, and preventing deconditioning and chronicity. Rehabilitation programs must incorporate strategies that have been proved to improve outcome in randomized, controlled trials. Treatment should be based on duration of symptoms, severity of impairment, and patient response. Consideration must be given to physical and psychological therapeutic milieu. Acute patients should be educated that pain is a normal part of recovery, and that activity maintenance improves outcome. Therapy should focus on restoring or maintaining flexibility, strength, and level of fitness while maintaining maximum productivity. Some acute patients may wish to change health habits and may undergo several sessions of general and low back conditioning training with the development of a health-club or home maintenance regimen. Patients failing to respond favorably to acute treatment and other subacute patients should participate in quota-based graded exercise regimens, with behavioral management. Quantification of function for flexibility, trunk strength, lifting capacity, and cardiovascular fitness is recommended to document progress and guide treatment. "Wellness" is stressed. Incorporating direct return-to-work advice into the treatment plan is important, as is direct communication with the employer throughout treatment. Patients should be cleared for full-duty return to work at treatment end in most circumstances. Successfully managed patients will feel confident about abilities for work and general activities. Intensive management of subacute patients may require 4 to 6 weeks and 12 to 18 comprehensive rehabilitation sessions. Once such comprehensive treatment has been provided, patients may be deemed at a medical endpoint, and further "chronic" rehabilitation treatment should not be necessary. The rehabilitation principles discussed here for work-injured low back and neck pain patients may be used to treat other industrial injuries as long as medical clearance is given for applying the treatment model. Specific time frames for recovery and expected performance for specific diagnoses need to be developed.

The physician as disability advisor for patients with musculoskeletal complaints.

PubMed

Rainville, James; Pransky, Glenn; Indahl, Aage; Mayer, Eric K

2005-11-15

Literature review. To review the literature about the performance of physicians as mediators of temporary and permanent disability for patients with chronic musculoskeletal complaints. To assess specifically the nature and variance of recommendations from physicians, factors influencing physician performance, and efforts to influence physician behavior in this area. While caring for patients with musculoskeletal injuries, physicians are often asked to recommend appropriate levels of activity and work. These recommendations have significant consequences for patients' general health, employment, and financial well-being. Medical literature search. Physician recommendations limiting activity and work after injury are highly variable, often reflecting their own pain attitudes and beliefs. Patients' desires strongly predict disability recommendations (i.e., physicians often acquiesce to patients' requests). Other influences include jurisdiction, employer, insurer, and medical system factors. The most successful efforts to influence physician recommendations have used mass communication to influence public attitudes, while reinforcing the current standard of practice for physicians. Physician recommendations for work and activity have important health and financial implications. Systemic, multidimensional approaches are necessary to improve performance.

SIG Galileo final converter. Technical summary report

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

Hinderman, J.D.

1979-05-01

The report summarizes significant events, activities and achievements on the SIG/Galileo Converter Program at 3M Company during the period June 1, 1978 through May 15, 1979. A stop work order was received from DOE on January 29, 1979 and all subsequent work and close out activities targeted for completion by May 15, 1979. Section A describes, in detail, the component configurations developed and proposed for the SN-1 converter. This converter was the Flight Design with the possible exception of N-leg improvements and a cold frame-housing interface processing change. Included at the end of the converter description is the status ofmore » the design at the time of the stop work order. In Section B, the activities performed to accomplish the design goals are described as they occurred. Section C lists all pertinent documentation which was developed and issued relating to the design of the converter. This includes drawings, specifications, procedures and analysis. Operating requirements for the SN-1 converter are given.« less

MAX 1991. The active sun: A plan for pursuing the study of the active sun at the time of the next maximum in solar activity, January 1985

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acton, L.

1989-01-01

The results of the discusions of a working group for the definition of a program for the forthcoming crest of solar activity, 1990 to 1993 are presented. The MAX '91 program described are intended to achieve important scientific goals within the context of the natural solar variability. The heart of the MAX '91 program is a series of campaigns oriented towards specific scientific problems, and taking place in the solar maximum period 1990 to 1993. These campaigns will take advantage of the load-carrying capability of the Space Shuttle to fly instruments with observational capabilities very different from those of the Solar Maximum Mission. Various combinations of instruments appropriate to the specific scientific problem of a given campaign would be flown on a Shuttle sortie mission.

Synaptic augmentation in a cortical circuit model reproduces serial dependence in visual working memory

PubMed Central

D’Esposito, Mark

2017-01-01

Recent work has established that visual working memory is subject to serial dependence: current information in memory blends with that from the recent past as a function of their similarity. This tuned temporal smoothing likely promotes the stability of memory in the face of noise and occlusion. Serial dependence accumulates over several seconds in memory and deteriorates with increased separation between trials. While this phenomenon has been extensively characterized in behavior, its neural mechanism is unknown. In the present study, we investigate the circuit-level origins of serial dependence in a biophysical model of cortex. We explore two distinct kinds of mechanisms: stable persistent activity during the memory delay period and dynamic “activity-silent” synaptic plasticity. We find that networks endowed with both strong reverberation to support persistent activity and dynamic synapses can closely reproduce behavioral serial dependence. Specifically, elevated activity drives synaptic augmentation, which biases activity on the subsequent trial, giving rise to a spatiotemporally tuned shift in the population response. Our hybrid neural model is a theoretical advance beyond abstract mathematical characterizations, offers testable hypotheses for physiological research, and demonstrates the power of biological insights to provide a quantitative explanation of human behavior. PMID:29244810

Comparison of Two Different Modes of Active Recovery on Muscles Performance after Fatiguing Exercise in Mountain Canoeist and Football Players.

PubMed

Mika, Anna; Oleksy, Łukasz; Kielnar, Renata; Wodka-Natkaniec, Ewa; Twardowska, Magdalena; Kamiński, Kamil; Małek, Zbigniew

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess if the application of different methods of active recovery (working the same or different muscle groups from those which were active during fatiguing exercise) results in significant differences in muscle performance and if the efficiency of the active recovery method is dependent upon the specific sport activity (training loads). A parallel group non-blinded trial with repeated measurements. Thirteen mountain canoeists and twelve football players participated in this study. Measurements of the bioelectrical activity, torque, work and power of the vastus lateralis oblique, vastus medialis oblique, and rectus femoris muscles were performed during isokinetic tests at a velocity of 90°/s. Active legs recovery in both groups was effective in reducing fatigue from evaluated muscles, where a significant decrease in fatigue index was observed. The muscles peak torque, work and power parameters did not change significantly after both modes of active recovery, but in both groups significant decrease was seen after passive recovery. We suggest that 20 minutes of post-exercise active recovery involving the same muscles that were active during the fatiguing exercise is more effective in fatigue recovery than active exercise using the muscles that were not involved in the exercise. Active arm exercises were less effective in both groups which indicates a lack of a relationship between the different training regimens and the part of the body which is principally used during training.

Comparison of Two Different Modes of Active Recovery on Muscles Performance after Fatiguing Exercise in Mountain Canoeist and Football Players

PubMed Central

Mika, Anna; Oleksy, Łukasz; Kielnar, Renata; Wodka-Natkaniec, Ewa; Twardowska, Magdalena; Kamiński, Kamil; Małek, Zbigniew

2016-01-01

Background The aim of this study is to assess if the application of different methods of active recovery (working the same or different muscle groups from those which were active during fatiguing exercise) results in significant differences in muscle performance and if the efficiency of the active recovery method is dependent upon the specific sport activity (training loads). Design A parallel group non-blinded trial with repeated measurements. Methods Thirteen mountain canoeists and twelve football players participated in this study. Measurements of the bioelectrical activity, torque, work and power of the vastus lateralis oblique, vastus medialis oblique, and rectus femoris muscles were performed during isokinetic tests at a velocity of 90°/s. Results Active legs recovery in both groups was effective in reducing fatigue from evaluated muscles, where a significant decrease in fatigue index was observed. The muscles peak torque, work and power parameters did not change significantly after both modes of active recovery, but in both groups significant decrease was seen after passive recovery. Conclusions We suggest that 20 minutes of post-exercise active recovery involving the same muscles that were active during the fatiguing exercise is more effective in fatigue recovery than active exercise using the muscles that were not involved in the exercise. Active arm exercises were less effective in both groups which indicates a lack of a relationship between the different training regimens and the part of the body which is principally used during training. PMID:27706260

Integrating interprofessional education in community-based learning activities: case study.

PubMed

Hosny, Somaya; Kamel, Mohamed H; El-Wazir, Yasser; Gilbert, John

2013-01-01

Faculty of Medicine/Suez Canal University (FOM/SCU) students are exposed to clinical practice in primary care settings within the community, in which they encounter patients and begin to work within interprofessional health teams. However, there is no planned curricular interaction with learners from other professions at the learning sites. As in other schools, FOM/SCU faces major challenges with the coordination of community-based education (CBE) program, which include the complexity of the design required for Interprofessional Education (IPE) as well as the attitudinal barriers between professions. The aim of the present review is to: (i) describe how far CBE activities match the requirements of IPE, (ii) explore opinions of graduates about the effectiveness of IPE activities, and (iii) present recommendations for improvement. Graduates find the overall outcome of their IPE satisfactory and believe that it produces physicians who are familiar with the roles of other professions and can work in synergy for the sake of better patient care. However, either a specific IPE complete module needs to be developed or more IPE specific objectives need to be added to current modules. Moreover, coordination with stakeholders from other health profession education institutes needs to be maximized to achieve more effective IPE.

Research Thinking Development by Teaching Archaeoastronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muglova, P. V.; Stoev, A. D.

2006-08-01

A model of research thinking development by teaching archaeoastronomy in specialized three-year extra-curriculum Astronomy programme and creation of favourable socio-educational surroundings is suggested. It is shown as a didactic system of conditions, influences and possibilities of answering specific hierarchic complex of personal needs in the 14 - 18 year age interval. Transformation of these needs in worldly values secures an active position of the students in the educational process and determines their personality development. It is also shown that the Archaeoastronomy School, as an educational environment, executes specific work of students' teaching, upbringing and progress as well as their inclusion in the real process of scientific research. Thus, they have the possibility of generating scientific ideas and obtaining results in the science archaeoastronomy. In consequence of this, their activity acquires social significance. Usages of this model of scientific school in the extra-curriculum Astronomy education reproduces norms and traditions of the real scientific research and directly relay subject content, cultural norms and values of archaeoastronomy in the educative process. Students' participation in archaeoastronomical expeditions, their competent work during the research of concrete archaeoastronomical objects create an investigation style of thinking and steady habits of scientific activity.

The inverse electroencephalography pipeline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinstein, David Michael

The inverse electroencephalography (EEG) problem is defined as determining which regions of the brain are active based on remote measurements recorded with scalp EEG electrodes. An accurate solution to this problem would benefit both fundamental neuroscience research and clinical neuroscience applications. However, constructing accurate patient-specific inverse EEG solutions requires complex modeling, simulation, and visualization algorithms, and to date only a few systems have been developed that provide such capabilities. In this dissertation, a computational system for generating and investigating patient-specific inverse EEG solutions is introduced, and the requirements for each stage of this Inverse EEG Pipeline are defined and discussed. While the requirements of many of the stages are satisfied with existing algorithms, others have motivated research into novel modeling and simulation methods. The principal technical results of this work include novel surface-based volume modeling techniques, an efficient construction for the EEG lead field, and the Open Source release of the Inverse EEG Pipeline software for use by the bioelectric field research community. In this work, the Inverse EEG Pipeline is applied to three research problems in neurology: comparing focal and distributed source imaging algorithms; separating measurements into independent activation components for multifocal epilepsy; and localizing the cortical activity that produces the P300 effect in schizophrenia.

Effects of microwave heating on porous structure of regenerated powdered activated carbon used in xylose.

PubMed

Li, Wei; Wang, Xinying; Peng, Jinhui

2014-01-01

The regeneration of spent powdered activated carbons used in xylose decolourization by microwave heating was investigated. Effects of microwave power and microwave heating time on the adsorption capacity of regenerated activated carbons were evaluated. The optimum conditions obtained are as follows: microwave power 800W; microwave heating time 30min. Regenerated activated carbon in this work has high adsorption capacities for the amount of methylene blue of 16 cm3/0.1 g and the iodine number of 1000.06mg/g. The specific surface areas of fresh commercial activated carbon, spent carbon and regenerated activated carbon were calculated according to the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller method, and the pore-size distributions of these carbons were characterized by non-local density functional theory (NLDFT). The results show that the specific surface area and the total pore volume of regenerated activated carbon are 1064 m2/g and 1.181 mL/g, respectively, indicating the feasibility of regeneration of spent powdered activated carbon used in xylose decolourization by microwave heating. The results of surface fractal dimensions also confirm the results of isotherms and NLDFT.

Long-term physical activity and risk of age-related cataract: a population-based prospective study of male and female cohorts.

PubMed

Zheng Selin, Jinjin; Orsini, Nicola; Ejdervik Lindblad, Birgitta; Wolk, Alicja

2015-02-01

To examine the association of total and specific types of physical activity, including walking or bicycling, exercising, work or occupational activity, home or housework, and leisure time inactivity with the risk of age-related cataract in women and men. Population-based prospective cohort study. A total of 52 660 participants (23 853 women and 28 807 men) 45 to 83 years of age from the Swedish Mammography Cohort and the Cohort of Swedish Men. Physical activity was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire at baseline. Cataract diagnosis and extraction were identified through linkage to registers. Incident age-related cataract diagnosis and cataract extraction. During a mean 12.1 years of follow-up (between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2011; 634 631 person-years), 11 580 incident age-related cataract cases were identified. After adjusting for potential confounders, the highest quartile of total physical activity was statistically significantly associated with 13% decreased risk of cataract compared with the lowest (hazard ratio [HR], 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.82-0.92). Walking or bicycling (>60 minutes/day vs. hardly ever; HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.82-0.95) and work or occupational activity (heavy manual labor vs. mostly sitting; HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.78-0.91) also were associated with decreased risk of cataract. Exercise training and home or housework were not associated with cataract risk. Leisure time inactivity was associated with increased risk of cataract (>6 vs. <1 hours/day; HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.07-1.50). The HR for high long-term total physical activity compared with low levels both at 30 years of age and at baseline was 0.76 (95% CI, 0.69-0.85). Our findings indicate that high total physical activity, especially in the long term, and such specific types of physical activity as walking or bicycling and work or occupational activity, may be associated with decreased risk of age-related cataract. Conversely, high inactivity levels may be associated with increased risk of cataract. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multiple Award, Multiple Order Contracts - The Future of Navy Surface Maintenance Procurement

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

example, in October 2004, Australia’s North West Shelf Shipping signed a long-term maintenance and upgrade contract for its fleet of liquefied natural ...fuel tank during shipyard corrosion control activities (e.g., grinding and/or sanding) and there was already a work item in the contract for crack...is not related to items in the original contract. An example of new work is adding fuel tank repair to a combat systems equipment-specific

Observations on the Relations Between Education and Work in the People's Republic of China: Report of a Study Group, April 25 to May 15, 1978. Extended Version.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerr, Clark; And Others

This is a report of the observations and activities of a group of Americans who visited China to study the Chinese attempt to integrate education with work. As well as general observations by the 22 group members, accounts are included of visits made to specific schools and workplaces. In addition, the report contains a background paper on…

A gene-specific non-enhancer sequence is critical for expression from the promoter of the small heat shock protein gene αB-crystallin

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Deciphering of the information content of eukaryotic promoters has remained confined to universal landmarks and conserved sequence elements such as enhancers and transcription factor binding motifs, which are considered sufficient for gene activation and regulation. Gene-specific sequences, interspersed between the canonical transacting factor binding sites or adjoining them within a promoter, are generally taken to be devoid of any regulatory information and have therefore been largely ignored. An unanswered question therefore is, do gene-specific sequences within a eukaryotic promoter have a role in gene activation? Here, we present an exhaustive experimental analysis of a gene-specific sequence adjoining the heat shock element (HSE) in the proximal promoter of the small heat shock protein gene, αB-crystallin (cryab). These sequences are highly conserved between the rodents and the humans. Results Using human retinal pigment epithelial cells in culture as the host, we have identified a 10-bp gene-specific promoter sequence (GPS), which, unlike an enhancer, controls expression from the promoter of this gene, only when in appropriate position and orientation. Notably, the data suggests that GPS in comparison with the HSE works in a context-independent fashion. Additionally, when moved upstream, about a nucleosome length of DNA (−154 bp) from the transcription start site (TSS), the activity of the promoter is markedly inhibited, suggesting its involvement in local promoter access. Importantly, we demonstrate that deletion of the GPS results in complete loss of cryab promoter activity in transgenic mice. Conclusions These data suggest that gene-specific sequences such as the GPS, identified here, may have critical roles in regulating gene-specific activity from eukaryotic promoters. PMID:24589182

The International Scientific Working Group on Tick-Borne Encephalitis (ISW TBE): Review of 17 years of activity and commitment.

PubMed

Kunze, Ursula

2016-04-01

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) has been a growing public health problem in Europe and other parts of the world for the past 20 years. In 1999, in order to encourage the control of TBE, international experts created a new body: The International Scientific Working Group on Tick-Borne Encephalitis (ISW-TBE). This Working Group has been composed of internationally recognized scientific experts from tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEv)-endemic and non-endemic regions with extensive personal expertise in the field and a high level of commitment to improve the knowledge of TBE and to increase the public awareness of TBE. Since the foundation of the Working Group, ISW-TBE members meet annually. Every meeting is dedicated to a specific topic, and since 2004 a yearly conference report has been published to inform the scientific community about the latest developments. Among the specific issues that have been extensively discussed over the years were the following: clinical aspects of the disease, TBE in children and golden agers, epidemiology, possible causes for the increase in TBE incidence in Europe, TBE and awareness, TBE and travel, (low) vaccination rates, and the cooperation with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). This paper gives an overview of the most important activities and achievements of the ISW-TBE over the past 17 years. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

WAVE2 forms a complex with PKA and is involved in PKA enhancement of membrane protrusions.

PubMed

Yamashita, Hiroshi; Ueda, Kazumitsu; Kioka, Noriyuki

2011-02-04

PKA contributes to many physiological processes, including glucose homeostasis and cell migration. The substrate specificity of PKA is low compared with other kinases; thus, complex formation with A-kinase-anchoring proteins is important for the localization of PKA in specific subcellular regions and the phosphorylation of specific substrates. Here, we show that PKA forms a complex with WAVE2 (Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein family verprolin-homologous protein 2) in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and mouse brain extracts. Two separate regions of WAVE2 are involved in WAVE2-PKA complex formation. This complex localizes to the leading edge of MDA-MB-231 cells. PKA activation results in enlargement of the membrane protrusion. WAVE2 depletion impairs PKA localization at membrane protrusions and the enlargement of membrane protrusion induced by PKA activation. Together, these results suggest that WAVE2 works as an A-kinase-anchoring protein that recruits PKA at membrane protrusions and plays a role in the enlargement of membrane protrusions induced by PKA activation.

Understanding Our Environment: People.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tweed, Ann

Part of the Understanding Our Environment project that is designed to engage students in investigating specific environmental problems through concrete activities and direct experience, students work individually and in groups to plan a future community in order to gain an understanding of how greatly increased human populations impact resources,…

Teach Life Science Concepts--with Picture Books.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas Child Care, 2001

2001-01-01

Asserts that young children need help translating scientific theory into experiences that involve their senses. Provides age-appropriate, literature-based activities for exploring concepts and vocabulary in the areas of plant life cycles, animal life cycles, ocean ecology, and human growth development. Suggests specific works of children's…

Pre-K Mathematics. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2007

2007-01-01

"Pre-K Mathematics" is a supplemental curriculum designed to develop informal mathematical knowledge and skills in preschool children. Mathematical content is organized into seven units. Specific mathematical concepts and skills from each unit are taught in the classroom through teacher-guided, small-group activities with concrete…

20 CFR 632.78 - Training activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... determined by representatives of the Indian and Native American communities and groups served (sec. 401(a... the technical skills and information required to perform a specific job or group of jobs. It may be... world of work; (2) Counseling. This includes employment and training related counseling and testing; (3...

The Influence of Working Memory Load on Semantic Priming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heyman, Tom; Van Rensbergen, Bram; Storms, Gert; Hutchison, Keith A.; De Deyne, Simon

2015-01-01

The present research examines the nature of the different processes that have been proposed to underlie semantic priming. Specifically, it has been argued that priming arises as a result of "automatic target activation" and/or the use of strategies like prospective "expectancy generation" and "retrospective semantic…

Vocabulary Instruction: Research to Practice. Second Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kame'enui, Edward J., Ed.; Baumann, James F., Ed.

2012-01-01

This highly regarded work brings together prominent authorities on vocabulary teaching and learning to provide a comprehensive yet concise guide to effective instruction. The book showcases practical ways to teach specific vocabulary words and word-learning strategies and create engaging, word-rich classrooms. Instructional activities and games…

Digestive proteolysis in the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata: Activity-based profiling and imaging of a multipeptidase network.

PubMed

Srp, Jaroslav; Nussbaumerová, Martina; Horn, Martin; Mareš, Michael

2016-11-01

The Colorado potato beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata, is a major pest of potato plants, and its digestive system is a promising target for development of pest control strategies. This work focuses on functional proteomic analysis of the digestive proteolytic enzymes expressed in the CPB gut. We identified a set of peptidases using imaging with specific activity-based probes and activity profiling with selective substrates and inhibitors. The secreted luminal peptidases were classified as: (i) endopeptidases of cathepsin D, cathepsin L, and trypsin types and (ii) exopeptidases with aminopeptidase (cathepsin H), carboxypeptidase (serine carboxypeptidase, prolyl carboxypeptidase), and carboxydipeptidase (cathepsin B) activities. The proteolytic arsenal also includes non-luminal peptidases with prolyl oligopeptidase and metalloaminopeptidase activities. Our results indicate that the CPB gut employs a multienzyme network of peptidases with complementary specificities to efficiently degrade ingested proteins. This proteolytic system functions in both CPB larvae and adults and is controlled mainly by cysteine and aspartic peptidases and supported by serine and metallopeptidases. The component enzymes identified here are potential targets for inhibitors with tailored specificities that could be engineered into potato plants to confer resistance to CPB. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Status of Low Thrust Work at JSC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Condon, Gerald L.

2004-01-01

High performance low thrust (solar electric, nuclear electric, variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket) propulsion offers a significant benefit to NASA missions beyond low Earth orbit. As NASA (e.g., Prometheus Project) endeavors to develop these propulsion systems and associated power supplies, it becomes necessary to develop a refined trajectory design capability that will allow engineers to develop future robotic and human mission designs that take advantage of this new technology. This ongoing work addresses development of a trajectory design and optimization tool for assessing low thrust (and other types) trajectories. This work targets to advance the state of the art, enable future NASA missions, enable science drivers, and enhance education. This presentation provides a summary of the low thrust-related JSC activities under the ISP program and specifically, provides a look at a new release of a multi-gravity, multispacecraft trajectory optimization tool (Copernicus) along with analysis performed using this tool over the past year.

Key performance indicators for Australian mental health court liaison services.

PubMed

Davidson, Fiona; Heffernan, Ed; Greenberg, David; Butler, Tony; Burgess, Philip

2017-12-01

The aim of this paper is to describe the development and technical specifications of a framework and national key performance indicators (KPIs) for Australian mental health Court Liaison Services (CLSs) by the National Mental Health Court Liaison Performance Working Group (Working Group). Representatives from each Australian State and Territory were invited to form a Working Group. Through a series of national workshops and meetings, a framework and set of performance indicators were developed using a review of literature and expert opinion. A total of six KPIs for CLSs have been identified and a set of technical specifications have been formed. This paper describes the process and outcomes of a national collaboration to develop a framework and KPIs. The measures have been developed to support future benchmarking activities and to assist services to identify best practice in this area of mental health service delivery.

Sofia Science Working Group

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zmuidzinas, J.

1997-01-01

The purpose of this grant was to enable the Principal Investigator (P.I.) to travel to and participate in the meetings and activities of the NASA SOFIA Science Working Group (SSWG), and to spend time working on some of the associated technical issues relating to the SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) project. The SOFIA Science Working Group was established to help develop the plans and specifications for the next-generation airborne observatory ("SOFIA"), which is now under development. The P.I. was asked to serve on the SSWG due to his experience in airborne astronomy: he has developed several astronomical instruments for the Kuiper Airborne Observatory NASA's previous airborne astronomy platform (which was decommissioned in 1995 in preparation for SOFIA). SOFIA, which will be a 747 SP aircraft carrying a 2.7 meter diameter telescope, is a joint project sponsored by NASA and DLR (the German space agency), and is now under development by a consortium including Universities Space Research Association (USRA), Raytheon, Sterling Software, and United Airlines. Further details on the SOFIA project can be found on the internet at http: //sofia. arc. nasa. gov. Rather than develop the SOFIA observatory in-house, NASA decided to privatize the project by issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP). The respondents to this RFP were consortia of private organizations which together had the required facilities and expertise to be able to carry out the project; the winner was the group led by USRA. One of the main roles of the SSWG was to help develop the technical specifications for the SOFIA observatory. In particular, the SSWG provided advice to NASA on the specifications that were written into the RFP, particularly those which had an important impact on the scientific productivity of the observatory. These specifications were discussed at the meetings of the SSWG, which were held primarily at NASA/Ames (in California) and at NASA Headquarters (in Washington DC). Apart from these meetings, members of the SSWG were expected to perform more detailed analyses of the impact of certain parameters and specifications on the performance of astronomical instruments. The SSWG ended its activities with the selection of the USRA team in January 1997.

Superparamagnetic nano-immunobeads toward food safety insurance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xuefeng; Zhang, Lei; Zeng, Jing; Gao, Yan; Tang, Zhiyong

2013-07-01

In this work, superparamagnetic nano-immunobeads (SPM-NIBs) based on conjugation of superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles with specific antibodies have been developed toward food safety insurance. The resultant SPM-NIBs exhibits excellent colloidal stability and reversible magnetic response. Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which is a main foodborne pathogenes from contaminated seafood, can be separated specifically and efficiently by the resultant SPM-NIBs. The results of bacteria separation demonstrate that the SPM-NIBs have a higher specific activity and sensitivity toward V. parahaemolyticus. About 80 % of V. parahaemolyticus cells can be captured when the concentration of the broth reaches 103 CFU/mL. Thus, the SPM-NIBs can effectively enhance the efficiency for target bacteria inspections by shortening the period of culture time. This work holds the promise of development of general technique to prepare effective SPM-NIBs toward food safety inspections and other bio-related applications for target analyte separation and collection.

Human Temporal Cortical Single Neuron Activity During Working Memory Maintenance

PubMed Central

Zamora, Leona; Corina, David; Ojemann, George

2016-01-01

The Working Memory model of human memory, first introduced by Baddeley and Hitch (1974), has been one of the most influential psychological constructs in cognitive psychology and human neuroscience. However the neuronal correlates of core components of this model have yet to be fully elucidated. Here we present data from two studies where human temporal cortical single neuron activity was recorded during tasks differentially affecting the maintenance component of verbal working memory. In Study One we vary the presence or absence of distracting items for the entire period of memory storage. In Study Two we vary the duration of storage so that distractors filled all, or only one-third of the time the memory was stored. Extracellular single neuron recordings were obtained from 36 subjects undergoing awake temporal lobe resections for epilepsy, 25 in Study one, 11 in Study two. Recordings were obtained from a total of 166 lateral temporal cortex neurons during performance of one of these two tasks, 86 study one, 80 study two. Significant changes in activity with distractor manipulation were present in 74 of these neurons (45%), 38 Study one, 36 Study two. In 48 (65%) of those there was increased activity during the period when distracting items were absent, 26 Study One, 22 Study Two. The magnitude of this increase was greater for Study One, 47.6%, than Study Two, 8.1%, paralleling the reduction in memory errors in the absence of distracters, for Study One of 70.3%, Study Two 26.3% These findings establish that human lateral temporal cortex is part of the neural system for working memory, with activity during maintenance of that memory that parallels performance, suggesting it represents active rehearsal. In 31 of these neurons (65%) this activity was an extension of that during working memory encoding that differed significantly from the neural processes recorded during overt and silent language tasks without a recent memory component, 17 Study one, 14 Study two. Contrary to the Baddeley model, that activity during verbal working memory maintenance often represented activity specific to working memory rather than speech or language. PMID:27059210

Specification Section 01065S ES&H for Service Contracts

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

Kirsch, Greg C.

2014-07-01

Section Includes: Requirements and guidelines in performance of work concerning protection of environment and property, and the safety and health of Contractors, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and Department of Energy (DOE) employees, visitors to SNL, and members of the public. This Section is applicable only to Service Contracts that do not involve construction or construction-like activities. Construction and construction-like activities are covered by Section 01065, Environment, Safety and Health (ES&H) for Construction Contracts. The entire ES&H program shall focus on safe-by-design intent, understanding the technical basis for the work, identifying and controlling energy sources, unacceptable consequences, risk assessments, and positivemore » verification.« less

Working Memory for Serial Order Is Dysfunctional in Adults With a History of Developmental Dyscalculia: Evidence From Behavioral and Neuroimaging Data.

PubMed

Attout, Lucie; Salmon, Eric; Majerus, Steve

2015-01-01

Recent studies suggest that order working memory (WM) may be specifically associated with numerical abilities. This study explored behavioral performance and neural networks associated with verbal WM in adults with a history of developmental dyscalculia (DD). The DD group performed significantly poorer but with the same precision than the control group in order WM tasks and showed a lower activation of the right middle frontal gyrus during the order WM and the alphabetical order judgment tasks. This study suggests a persistent impairment in order WM in adults with DD, characterized by more general difficulties in controlled activation of order information.

Cost and Schedule Analytical Techniques Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

This Final Report summarizes the activities performed by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) for the base contract year from December 1, 1994 through November 30, 1995. The Final Report is in compliance with Paragraph 5 of Section F of the contract. This CSATD contract provides technical services and products to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Engineering Cost Office (PP03) and the Program Plans and Requirements Office (PP02). Detailed Monthly Progress Reports were submitted to MSFC in accordance with the contract's Statement of Work Section IV "Reporting and Documentation". These reports spelled out each month's specific work accomplishments, deliverables submitted, major meetings held, and other pertinent information. This Final Report will summarize these activities at a higher level.

Hardware demonstration of flexible beam control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schaechter, D. B.

1980-01-01

An experiment employing a pinned-free flexible beam has been constructed to demonstrate and verify several facets of the control of flexible structures. The desired features of the experiment are to demonstrate active shape control, active dynamic control, adaptive control, various control law design approaches, and associated hardware requirements and mechanization difficulties. This paper contains the analytical work performed in support of the facility development, the final design specifications, control law synthesis, and some preliminary results.

Return to normal activities and work after living donor laparoscopic nephrectomy.

PubMed

Larson, Dawn B; Jacobs, Cheryl; Berglund, Danielle; Wiseman, Jennifer; Garvey, Catherine; Gillingham, Kristen; Ibrahim, Hassan N; Matas, Arthur J

2017-01-01

Transplant programs inform potential donors that they should be able to return to normal activities within ~2 weeks and to work by 6 weeks after laparoscopic nephrectomy. We studied actual time. Between 10/2004 and 9/2014, 911 donors having laparoscopic nephrectomy were surveyed 6 months post-donation. Surveys asked questions specific to their recovery experience, including time to return to normal activities and work and a description of their recovery time relative to pre-donation expectations. Of the 911, 646 (71%) responded: mean age at donation was 43.5±10.6 years; 65% were female, 95% were white, 51% were biologically related to their recipient, and 83% reported education beyond high school. Of the 646 respondents, a total of 35% returned to normal activities by 2 weeks post-donation; 79% by 4 weeks post-donation; 94% by 5-6 weeks; however, 6% took >6 weeks. Of the 646, 551 (85%) were working for pay; of these, mean time to return to work was 5.3±2.8 weeks; median, 5 weeks. Of the 551, a total of 14% returned to work in 1-2 weeks, 46% by 3-4 weeks, and 76% by 5-6 weeks. Importantly, 24% required >6 weeks before returning to work with the highest rates for donors in manual labor or a skilled trade. Significantly longer return to work was reported by females (vs males; P=.01), those without (vs those with) post-high school education (P=.010, those with longer hospital stay (P=.01), and those with a postoperative complication (P=.02). Of respondents, 37% described their recovery time as longer than expected. During the donor informed consent process, additional emphasis on realistic expectations around recovery to baseline activities and return to work is warranted. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Hydrogels based on polysaccharide-calcium phosphate with antibacterial / antitumor activity for 3D printing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teterina, A. Yu; Fedotov, A. Yu; Zobkov, Yu V.; Sergeeva, N. S.; Sviridova, I. K.; Kirsanova, V. A.; Karalkin, P. A.; Komlev, V. S.

2018-04-01

The purpose of this study was to develop hydrogels for 3D printing of sodium alginate/gelatin/octacalcium phosphate-based constructs with antibacterial and antitumor activity intended for bone defects replacement in patients with malignant diseases. In this work, we evaluated the drug release kinetic and physico-chemical characteristics of constructs, as well as their specific activity, biocompatibility and osteoplastic properties by means of in vitro and in vivo tests. The principal possibility of creating the biocompatible bone substitutes with antibacterial/antitumor activity and osteoconductive-retaining properties of 3D printing method was demonstrated.

Hierarchical porous carbon materials derived from petroleum pitch for high-performance supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abudu, Patiman; Wang, Luxiang; Xu, Mengjiao; Jia, Dianzeng; Wang, Xingchao; Jia, Lixia

2018-06-01

In this work, a honeycomb-like carbon material derived from petroleum pitch was synthesized by a simple one-step carbonization/activation method using silica nanospheres as the hard templates. The obtained hierarchical porous carbon materials (HPCs) with a large specific surface area and uniform macropore distribution provide abundant active sites and sufficient ion migration channels. When used as an electrode material for supercapacitors, the HPCs exhibit a high specific capacitance of 341.0 F g-1 at 1 A g-1, excellent rate capability with a capacitance retention of 55.6% at 50 A g-1 (189.5 F g-1), and outstanding cycling performance in the three-electrode system.

An Organizational Perspective to the Creation of the Research Field.

PubMed

Talamo, Alessandra; Mellini, Barbara; Camilli, Marco; Ventura, Stefano; Di Lucchio, Loredana

2016-09-01

The aim of the paper is to contribute to the definition and analysis of the "access to the field" (Feldman et al. 2003) through an inter-organizational perspective. The paper discusses a case study on the access of a researcher to a hospital department where both organizations and actors are shown as actively constructing the research site. Both researcher and participants are described in terms of work organizations originally engaged in parallel systems of activity. Dynamics of negotiation "tied" the different actors' activities in a new activity system where researcher and participants concur to the effectiveness of both organizations (i.e., the research and the hospital ward). An Activity Theory perspective (Leont'ev 1978) is used with the aim of focusing the analysis on the activities in charge to the different actors. The approach adopted introduces the idea that, from the outset, research is made possible by a process of co-construction that works through the development of a completely new and shared work space arising around the encounter between researchers and participants. It is the balance between improvised actions and the co-creation of "boundary objects" (Star and Griesemer 1989), which makes interlacement possible between the two activity systems. The concept of "knotworking" (Engeström 2007a) is adopted to interpret specific actions by both organizations and actors intended to build a knot of activities whereby the new research system takes place.

Sentinel-1 data exploitation for geohazard activity map generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barra, Anna; Solari, Lorenzo; Béjar-Pizarro, Marta; Monserrat, Oriol; Herrera, Gerardo; Bianchini, Silvia; Crosetto, Michele; María Mateos, Rosa; Sarro, Roberto; Moretti, Sandro

2017-04-01

This work is focused on geohazard mapping and monitoring by exploiting Sentinel-1 (A and B) data and the DInSAR (Differential interferometric SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar)) techniques. Sometimes the interpretation of the DInSAR derived product (like the velocity map) can be complex, mostly for a final user who do not usually works with radar. The aim of this work is to generate, in a rapid way, a clear product to be easily exploited by the authorities in the geohazard management: intervention planning and prevention activities. Specifically, the presented methodology has been developed in the framework of the European project SAFETY, which is aimed at providing Civil Protection Authorities (CPA) with the capability of periodically evaluating and assessing the potential impact of geohazards (volcanic activity, earthquakes, landslides and subsidence) on urban areas. The methodology has three phases, the interferograms generation, the activity map generation, in terms of velocity and accumulated deformation (with time-series), and the Active Deformation Area (ADA) map generation. The last one is the final product, derived from the original activity map by analyzing the data in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment, which isolate only the true deformation areas over the noise. This product can be more easily read by the authorities than the original activity map, i.e. can be better exploited to integrate other information and analysis. This product also permit an easy monitoring of the active areas.

Brain activation for reading and listening comprehension: An fMRI study of modality effects and individual differences in language comprehension

PubMed Central

Buchweitz, Augusto; Mason, Robert A.; Tomitch, Lêda M. B.; Just, Marcel Adam

2010-01-01

The study compared the brain activation patterns associated with the comprehension of written and spoken Portuguese sentences. An fMRI study measured brain activity while participants read and listened to sentences about general world knowledge. Participants had to decide if the sentences were true or false. To mirror the transient nature of spoken sentences, visual input was presented in rapid serial visual presentation format. The results showed a common core of amodal left inferior frontal and middle temporal gyri activation, as well as modality specific brain activation associated with listening and reading comprehension. Reading comprehension was associated with more left-lateralized activation and with left inferior occipital cortex (including fusiform gyrus) activation. Listening comprehension was associated with extensive bilateral temporal cortex activation and more overall activation of the whole cortex. Results also showed individual differences in brain activation for reading comprehension. Readers with lower working memory capacity showed more activation of right-hemisphere areas (spillover of activation) and more activation in the prefrontal cortex, potentially associated with more demand placed on executive control processes. Readers with higher working memory capacity showed more activation in a frontal-posterior network of areas (left angular and precentral gyri, and right inferior frontal gyrus). The activation of this network may be associated with phonological rehearsal of linguistic information when reading text presented in rapid serial visual format. The study demonstrates the modality fingerprints for language comprehension and indicates how low- and high working memory capacity readers deal with reading text presented in serial format. PMID:21526132

[Ecological and economic approaches to removing radioactively dangerous objects from service].

PubMed

Korenkov, I P; Lashchenova, T N; Neveĭkin, P P; Shandala, N K; Veselov, E I; Maksimova, O A

2011-01-01

The paper considers major ecological and economic problems when removing radiation dangerous objects from service and rehabilitating the areas, which require their solution: the absence of specific guidelines for ranking the contaminated lands exposed to radioactive and chemical pollution from the potential risk to the population and environment; no clear criteria for ceasing area rehabilitation works; radiation exposure levels for the population living in the areas after rehabilitation; allowable levels of residual specific activity, and levels of heavy metals in soil, surface and underground water and bed sediment. The cost such works is the most important and decisive problem. A decision-making algorithm consisting of three main blocks: organizational-technical, engineering, geological and medicoecological measures is proposed to solve managerial, economic, and scientific problems.

New type of standalone gas sensors based on dye, thin films, and subwavelength structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnieper, Marc; Davoine, Laurent; Holgado, Miguel; Casquel del Campo, Rafael; Barranco, Angel

2009-02-01

A new gas sensor was developed to enable visual indication of a contamination by specific gases like NO2, SO2, UV, etc. The sensor works with a combination of subwavelength structures and specific active dye thin film layers. The objective is to use the optical changes of the dye thin films after exposure and a custom designed subwavelength structure, a suited combination of both will produce a strong color change. The indication should be visible for the human eye. To enhance this visual aspect, we used a reference sensor sealed into a non-contaminated atmosphere. This work was realized within the PHODYE STREP Project, a collaboration of the 6th Framework Program Priority Information Society Technologies.

[Detection of respiratory tract diseases among rural population during the team-work mass screening].

PubMed

Abramson, E Z; Galkin, V B; Stepanova, G Ia

1990-01-01

A screening complex for the examination of the rural population has been worked out to detect bronchopulmonary pathology and form groups of risk for respiratory diseases. The complex of methods included compulsory questionnaires and ++fluoro-functional examination, spirometry if indicated and bacterial tests. Out of 1, 131 persons examined, 328 were found to have respiratory diseases. Chronic non-specific respiratory diseases were detected in 103 subjects, including 62 of them having obstructive bronchitis. A risk group developing chronic non-specific respiratory diseases, including 202 persons with disturbed ventilation activity of the lungs, post-tuberculous inadequate changes and other pathology. Pulmonary tuberculosis was registered in 7 subjects. The given data indicate the necessity of a complex examination of the population.

SPHERES: Synchronized, Position, Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites: SPHERES/Astrobee Working Group (SAWG)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benavides, Jose

2017-01-01

SPHERES/Astrobee Working Group (SAWG) Quarterly meeting. Membership includes MIT, FIT, AFS, DARPA, CASIS, SJSU, and NASA (HQ, KSC, JSC, MSFC, and ARC)Face-to-Face, twice a year Purpose: Information sharing across the SPHERES community Program office shares National Lab Facility availability Status of resources (batteries, CO2 tanks, etc.), Overall Calendar (scheduled Test Sessions, up mass return), and Updates on new PD, Investigations, and ISS infrastructure. Provide the SPHERES community (PD, investigators, etc.) with up-to-date information to determine opportunities to use the NL Facility Discuss proposed changes updates to SPHERES Nat Lab which may be required to support a specific activity or research. Discuss specific support requests made to the ISS Office.

Overview of the creative genome: effects of genome structure and sequence on the generation of variation and evolution.

PubMed

Caporale, Lynn Helena

2012-09-01

This overview of a special issue of Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences discusses uneven distribution of distinct types of variation across the genome, the dependence of specific types of variation upon distinct classes of DNA sequences and/or the induction of specific proteins, the circumstances in which distinct variation-generating systems are activated, and the implications of this work for our understanding of evolution and of cancer. Also discussed is the value of non text-based computational methods for analyzing information carried by DNA, early insights into organizational frameworks that affect genome behavior, and implications of this work for comparative genomics. © 2012 New York Academy of Sciences.

Cdk1 activity acts as a quantitative platform for coordinating cell cycle progression with periodic transcription

PubMed Central

Banyai, Gabor; Baïdi, Feriel; Coudreuse, Damien; Szilagyi, Zsolt

2016-01-01

Cell proliferation is regulated by cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) and requires the periodic expression of particular gene clusters in different cell cycle phases. However, the interplay between the networks that generate these transcriptional oscillations and the core cell cycle machinery remains largely unexplored. In this work, we use a synthetic regulable Cdk1 module to demonstrate that periodic expression is governed by quantitative changes in Cdk1 activity, with different clusters directly responding to specific activity levels. We further establish that cell cycle events neither participate in nor interfere with the Cdk1-driven transcriptional program, provided that cells are exposed to the appropriate Cdk1 activities. These findings contrast with current models that propose self-sustained and Cdk1-independent transcriptional oscillations. Our work therefore supports a model in which Cdk1 activity serves as a quantitative platform for coordinating cell cycle transitions with the expression of critical genes to bring about proper cell cycle progression. PMID:27045731

Work hours and incidence of hypertension among Spanish university graduates: the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra prospective cohort.

PubMed

Pimenta, Adriano M; Beunza, Juan J; Bes-Rastrollo, Maira; Alonso, Alvaro; López, Celeste N; Velásquez-Meléndez, Gustavo; Martínez-González, Miguel A

2009-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the association between work hours and incidence of hypertension in 8779 participants of a Spanish dynamic prospective cohort of university graduates. The baseline questionnaire included information about the weekly number of hours the participants devoted to work and to home chores. The work hours were grouped into four categories: 39 or less, 40-49, 50-59, and at least 60 for men; 29 or less, 30-39, 40-49, and at least 50 for women. We added up the number of hours working and spent in home chores in what we called 'total activity hours' that was categorized in quartiles, specific by sex. A participant was classified as an incident case of hypertension if he/she was initially free of hypertension at baseline and reported a physician-made diagnosis of hypertension in at least one of the follow-up questionnaires. The associations between work hours or 'total activity hours' and incidence of hypertension were estimated by calculating the multivariable-adjusted odds ratio and its 95% confidence interval, using logistic regression models. The cumulative incidence of hypertension during 4.2 years median follow-up was 5.8%. No association was found between work hours or 'total activity hours' and incidence of hypertension in either sex. The results of our study do not support any association between work hours and incidence of hypertension. Further longitudinal studies in the general population should be conducted to test this relationship.

Prediction of active sites of enzymes by maximum relevance minimum redundancy (mRMR) feature selection.

PubMed

Gao, Yu-Fei; Li, Bi-Qing; Cai, Yu-Dong; Feng, Kai-Yan; Li, Zhan-Dong; Jiang, Yang

2013-01-27

Identification of catalytic residues plays a key role in understanding how enzymes work. Although numerous computational methods have been developed to predict catalytic residues and active sites, the prediction accuracy remains relatively low with high false positives. In this work, we developed a novel predictor based on the Random Forest algorithm (RF) aided by the maximum relevance minimum redundancy (mRMR) method and incremental feature selection (IFS). We incorporated features of physicochemical/biochemical properties, sequence conservation, residual disorder, secondary structure and solvent accessibility to predict active sites of enzymes and achieved an overall accuracy of 0.885687 and MCC of 0.689226 on an independent test dataset. Feature analysis showed that every category of the features except disorder contributed to the identification of active sites. It was also shown via the site-specific feature analysis that the features derived from the active site itself contributed most to the active site determination. Our prediction method may become a useful tool for identifying the active sites and the key features identified by the paper may provide valuable insights into the mechanism of catalysis.

The Chess and Mathematics Connection: More than Just a Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berkman, Robert M.

2004-01-01

This article describes connections between chess and mathematics, including examples of activities that connect chess with set theory, patterns, algebra, geometry, combinatorics, and Pascal's triangle. The author observes that competitive games play a dual purpose in advancing the work of mathematics educators: to reinforce a specific skill and to…

Simulating Issue Networks in Small Classes using the World Wide Web.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Josefson, Jim; Casey, Kelly

2000-01-01

Provides background information on simulations and active learning. Discusses the use of simulations in political science courses. Describes a simulation exercise where students performed specific institutional role playing, simulating the workings of a single congressional issue network, based on the reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act.…

Raymond Carver in the Classroom: "A Small, Good Thing"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubenstein, Susanne

2005-01-01

Featuring biographical information, detailed discussion of specific short stories and poems, critical analysis, and innovative activities for teaching literature and writing, this book takes the reader into the world and work of Raymond Carver, the "father of minimalism." Carver's writing presents an honest and moving portrayal of modern American…

Richer Connections to Robotics through Project Personalization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veltman, Melanie; Davidson, Valerie; Deyell, Bethany

2012-01-01

In this work, we describe youth outreach activities carried out under the Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for Ontario (CWSE-ON) program. Specifically, we outline our design and implementation of robotics workshops to introduce and engage middle and secondary school students in engineering and computer science. Toward the goal of…

The LUVOIR Mission Concept: Update and Technology Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolcar, Matthew R.

2016-01-01

We present an overview of the Large Ultra Violet Optical Infrared (LUVOIR) decadal mission concept study. We provide updates from recent activities of the Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) and the Technology Working Group (TWG). We review the technology prioritization and discuss specific technology needs to enable the LUVOIR mission.

Undergraduate Introductory Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory Course: Interdisciplinary Group Projects in Phytoremediation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Engelen, Debra L.; Suljak, Steven W.; Hall, J. Patrick; Holmes, Bert E.

2007-01-01

The laboratory course around the phytoremediation is designed to develop both individual skills and promote cooperative learning while starting students work on projects in a specific area of environmental chemistry and analysis. Many research-active undergraduate institutions have developed courses, which are interdisciplinary in nature that…

The Potato Association of America: Working for you since 1913

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The history and contributions of the Potato Association of America (PAA) to the advancement of the potato industry will be given with specific examples of how the industry has benefitted from the research and extension activities of the PAA. The primary purpose of the poster being to further familia...

Teaching Spelling: Which Strategies Work Best.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angelisi, Mary Ann

In a third-grade classroom, a 3-week-long study was conducted on the pros, cons, and effects of three particular spelling strategies and activities. By focusing on two specific spelling strategies--phonemic awareness and word identification--the study hoped to indicate that conventional rote learning, drilling, and memorization do not help…

Improving Attachments of Non-Invasive (Type III) Electronic Data Loggers to Cetaceans

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-30

the assessment tag impact on animal health and well-being. Specifically, we are working to develop methods that will enable the accurate estimates...currently not available for any marine mammal, about animal health and activity has the potential to revolutionize how animals are cared for in these

NREL: International Activities - Global Partnerships

Science.gov Websites

specific examples of technical assistance provided by NREL, see entries on the Bilateral Partnerships page Integration Study NREL is supporting collaborative work across the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the conducting a regional grid integration study for South Asian countries. UN Environment NREL partners with UN

Nuclear Physics Research Activity Today in the World and in Brazil

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

Lepine-Szily, Alinka

2009-06-03

The international effort in Nuclear Physics is described, including informations on working force, its evolution, budgets, existing, new and projected facilities. The main goals of this research and its recent achievements are also presented. The specific informations on Brazil are also highlighted in the presentation.

What the Study of Scope Can Tell Us about Second Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Grady, William; Lee, Miseon; Kwak, Hye-Young

2009-01-01

This paper, designed specifically for language teachers, focuses on a phenomenon in second language learning that is largely independent of instructional effects, curricular materials, and classroom activities. Experimental work suggests that scope, the relationship between two or more logical operators (such as quantifiers or negatives), is…

75 FR 9590 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Idaho National Laboratory

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-03

... current agenda): Progress to Cleanup. InSitu Grouting--Work Plan Follow-up Discussion. Experimental... meeting be announced in the Federal Register. DATES: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Opportunities... in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and related activities. Tentative Topics...

Factors that Influence Informal Learning in the Workplace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berg, Shelley A.; Chyung, Seung Youn

2008-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate factors that influence informal learning in the workplace and the types of informal learning activities people engage in at work. More specifically, the research examined: the relationship between informal learning engagement and the presence of learning organization characteristics; and…

Disability Risks of Chronic Illnesses and Impairments. Disability Statistics Report 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaPlante, Mitchell P.

This report provides results from an investigation of comparative disability risks of specific chronic physical and mental illnesses, diseases, and impairments. National estimates are presented of the risks of chronic health conditions causing disability--including activity limitation, work disability, and need for assistance in basic life…

Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation : Annual Report 2002.

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

Terra-Berns, Mary

The Albeni Falls Interagency Work Group continued to actively engage in implementing wildlife mitigation actions in 2002. Regular Work Group meetings were held to discuss budget concerns affecting the Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation Program, to present potential acquisition projects, and to discuss and evaluate other issues affecting the Work Group and Project. Work Group members protected 1,386.29 acres of wildlife habitat in 2002. To date, the Albeni Falls project has protected approximately 5,914.31 acres of wildlife habitat. About 21% of the total wildlife habitat lost has been mitigated. Administrative activities have increased as more properties are purchased and continue tomore » center on restoration, operation and maintenance, and monitoring. In 2001, Work Group members focused on development of a monitoring and evaluation program as well as completion of site-specific management plans. This year the Work Group began implementation of the monitoring and evaluation program performing population and plant surveys, data evaluation and storage, and map development as well as developing management plans. Assuming that the current BPA budget restrictions will be lifted in the near future, the Work Group expects to increase mitigation properties this coming year with several potential projects.« less

Inference of cancer-specific gene regulatory networks using soft computing rules.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaosheng; Gotoh, Osamu

2010-03-24

Perturbations of gene regulatory networks are essentially responsible for oncogenesis. Therefore, inferring the gene regulatory networks is a key step to overcoming cancer. In this work, we propose a method for inferring directed gene regulatory networks based on soft computing rules, which can identify important cause-effect regulatory relations of gene expression. First, we identify important genes associated with a specific cancer (colon cancer) using a supervised learning approach. Next, we reconstruct the gene regulatory networks by inferring the regulatory relations among the identified genes, and their regulated relations by other genes within the genome. We obtain two meaningful findings. One is that upregulated genes are regulated by more genes than downregulated ones, while downregulated genes regulate more genes than upregulated ones. The other one is that tumor suppressors suppress tumor activators and activate other tumor suppressors strongly, while tumor activators activate other tumor activators and suppress tumor suppressors weakly, indicating the robustness of biological systems. These findings provide valuable insights into the pathogenesis of cancer.

Electrochemically Active Polyaniline (PANi) Coated Carbon Nanopipes and PANi Nanofibers Containing Composite.

PubMed

Ramana, G Venkata; Kumar, P Sampath; Srikanth, Vadali V S S; Padya, Balaji; Jain, P K

2015-02-01

A composite constituted by carbon nanopipes (CNPs) and polyaniline nanofibers (PANi NFs) is synthesized using in-situ chemical oxidative polymerization. Owing to its electrochemical activity the composite is found to be suitable as a working electrode material in hybrid type supercapacitors. Microstructural and phase analyses of the composite showed that (i) CNP surfaces are coated with PANi and (ii) PANi coated CNPs are distributed among PANi NFs. The composite shows an excellent electrochemical activity and a high specific capacitance of ~224.39 F/g. The electro-chemical activity of the composite is explicated in correlation with crystallinity, intrinsic oxidation state, and doping degree of PANi in the composite. The electro-chemical activity of the composite is also explicated in correlation with BET surface area and ordered meso-porosity pertaining to the composite. Charge/discharge curves indicate that the specific capacitance of the composite is a result of electric double-layer capacitance offered by CNPs and Faradaic pseudo capacitance offered by PANi NFs.

Platform-dependent optimization considerations for mHealth applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaghyan, Sahak; Akopian, David; Sarukhanyan, Hakob

2015-03-01

Modern mobile devices contain integrated sensors that enable multitude of applications in such fields as mobile health (mHealth), entertainment, sports, etc. Human physical activity monitoring is one of such the emerging applications. There exists a range of challenges that relate to activity monitoring tasks, and, particularly, exploiting optimal solutions and architectures for respective mobile software application development. This work addresses mobile computations related to integrated inertial sensors for activity monitoring, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, integrated global positioning system (GPS) and WLAN-based positioning, that can be used for activity monitoring. Some of the aspects will be discussed in this paper. Each of the sensing data sources has its own characteristics such as specific data formats, data rates, signal acquisition durations etc., and these specifications affect energy consumption. Energy consumption significantly varies as sensor data acquisition is followed by data analysis including various transformations and signal processing algorithms. This paper will address several aspects of more optimal activity monitoring implementations exploiting state-of-the-art capabilities of modern platforms.

Cell-Selective Biological Activity of Rhodium Metalloinsertors Correlates with Subcellular Localization

PubMed Central

Komor, Alexis C.; Schneider, Curtis J.; Weidmann, Alyson G.; Barton, Jacqueline K.

2013-01-01

Deficiencies in the mismatch repair (MMR) pathway are associated with several types of cancers, as well as resistance to commonly used chemotherapeutics. Rhodium metalloinsertors have been found to bind DNA mismatches with high affinity and specificity in vitro, and also exhibit cell-selective cytotoxicity, targeting MMR-deficient cells over MMR-proficient cells. Ten distinct metalloinsertors with varying lipophilicities have been synthesized and their mismatch binding affinities and biological activities determined. Although DNA photocleavage experiments demonstrate that their binding affinities are quite similar, their cell-selective antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities vary significantly. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) experiments have uncovered a relationship between the subcellular distribution of these metalloinsertors and their biological activities. Specifically, we find that all of our metalloinsertors localize in the nucleus at sufficient concentrations for binding to DNA mismatches. However, the metalloinsertors with high rhodium localization in the mitochondria show toxicity that is not selective for MMR-deficient cells, whereas metalloinsertors with less mitochondrial rhodium show activity that is highly selective for MMR-deficient versus proficient cells. This work supports the notion that specific targeting of the metalloinsertors to nuclear DNA gives rise to their cell-selective cytotoxic and antiproliferative activities. The selectivity in cellular targeting depends upon binding to mismatches in genomic DNA. PMID:23137296

Protective antitumor activity through dendritic cell immunization is mediated by NK cell as well as CTL activation.

PubMed

Kim, K D; Kim, J K; Kim, S J; Choe, I S; Chung, T H; Choe, Y K; Lim, J S

1999-08-01

Dendritic cells (DCs) are potent professional antigen-presenting cells (APC) capable of inducing the primary T cell response to antigen. Although tumor cells express target antigens, they are incapable of stimulating a tumor-specific immune response due to a defect in the costimulatory signal that is required for optimal activation of T cells. In this work, we describe a new approach using tumor-DC coculture to improve the antigen presenting capacity of tumor cells, which does not require a source of tumor-associated antigen. Immunization of a weakly immunogenic and progressive tumor cocultured with bone marrow-derived DCs generated an effective tumor vaccine. Immunization with the cocultured DCs was able to induce complete protective immunity against tumor challenges and was effective for the induction of tumor-specific CTL (cytotoxic T lymphocyte) activity. Furthermore, high NK cell activity was observed in mice in which tumors were rejected. In addition, immunization with tumor-pulsed DCs induced delayed tumor growth, but not tumor eradication in tumor-bearing mice. Our results demonstrate that coculture of DCs with tumors generated antitumor immunity due to the NK cell activation as well as tumor-specific T cell. This approach would be useful for designing tumor vaccines using DCs when the information about tumor antigens is limited.

Load-dependent brain activation assessed by time-domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy during a working memory task with graded levels of difficulty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molteni, Erika; Contini, Davide; Caffini, Matteo; Baselli, Giuseppe; Spinelli, Lorenzo; Cubeddu, Rinaldo; Cerutti, Sergio; Bianchi, Anna Maria; Torricelli, Alessandro

2012-05-01

We evaluated frontal brain activation during a mixed attentional/working memory task with graded levels of difficulty in a group of 19 healthy subjects, by means of time-domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Brain activation was assessed, and load-related oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin changes were studied. Generalized linear model (GLM) was applied to the data to explore the metabolic processes occurring during the mental effort and, possibly, their involvement in short-term memorization. GLM was applied to the data twice: for modeling the task as a whole and for specifically investigating brain activation at each cognitive load. This twofold employment of GLM allowed (1) the extraction and isolation of different information from the same signals, obtained through the modeling of different cognitive categories (sustained attention and working memory), and (2) the evaluation of model fitness, by inspection and comparison of residuals (i.e., unmodeled part of the signal) obtained in the two different cases. Results attest to the presence of a persistent attentional-related metabolic activity, superimposed to a task-related mnemonic contribution. Some hemispherical differences have also been highlighted frontally: deoxy-hemoglobin changes manifested a strong right lateralization, whereas modifications in oxy- and total hemoglobin showed a medial localization. The present work successfully explored the capability of fNIRS to detect the two neurophysiological categories under investigation and distinguish their activation patterns.

Role of clinical tutors in volunteering work camps.

PubMed

Alloni, Rossana; D'Elia, Annunziata; Navajas, Francisca; De Gara, Laura

2014-04-01

The Università Campus Bio-Medico (Italy) promotes a summer volunteering work camp (Workcamp Perù) as a social activity for medical and non-medical students. Some junior doctors participate as 'clinical tutors', together with tutors from other professions; all clinical tutors have some teaching experience in our teaching hospital. The campsite is located in the South of Peru in the Cañete Valley, an area characterised by extreme poverty and a severe lack of infrastructure. During the five Workcamp Perù trips that have been organised so far, health science students have carried out many activities for disease prevention and health education, and bio-medical engineering students have organised sessions on the safety of electrical installations, for accident prevention. We observed that in this setting tutorial activity is fundamental, because it not only offers students an opportunity to learn but also encourages them to react in a more personal and reflective manner to various stressful situations, which often occur in the work camp. The professional competence of the tutor plays an important role before the work camp, in defining the learning objectives for the students and involving them in training sessions held prior to the work camp. Also, during the camp, tutors work with students and also direct the daily briefing and debriefing sessions that are the most important learning activity. For medical tutors involved in the work camp the volunteering experience is a challenge for developing their specific professional and teaching skills, but it also provides an enriching experience in both professional and personal terms. We consider these work camps to be a useful experience in the training of our clinical tutors. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Application of Microsoft's ActiveX and DirectX technologies to the visulization of physical system dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mann, Christopher; Narasimhamurthi, Natarajan

1998-08-01

This paper discusses a specific implementation of a web and complement based simulation systems. The overall simulation container is implemented within a web page viewed with Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4.0 web browser. Microsoft's ActiveX/Distributed Component Object Model object interfaces are used in conjunction with the Microsoft DirectX graphics APIs to provide visualization functionality for the simulation. The MathWorks' Matlab computer aided control system design program is used as an ActiveX automation server to provide the compute engine for the simulations.

Activity promotion for community-dwelling older people: a survey of the contribution of primary care nurses.

PubMed

Goodman, Claire; Davies, Susan L; Dinan, Susie; See Tai, Sharon; Iliffe, Steve

2011-01-01

To discover the current level of nurse-led involvement in activity promotion for older people in primary care and to explore the knowledge and attitudes of primary care nurses about health benefits of activity promotion for older people. The importance of improving and maintaining activity levels in later life is well established. However, intervention studies show that the uptake of and adherence to physical activity programmes by older people are highly variable. The optimal approach to activity promotion for older people is not well understood. Although many activity promotion schemes and evaluations assume that specialist exercise trainers are needed, it remains unclear who is best placed to facilitate activity promotion for older people, and if this is something in which existing primary care practitioners (specifically nurses) could and should take a leading role. This study surveyed all nurses and health visitors working in five primary care organizations in an inner city area. A semi-structured postal questionnaire asked about their knowledge and attitudes to the benefits of exercise in later life, their current levels of involvement in promoting physical activity with older people, and their personal activity levels. The overall response rate was 54% (n=521). The responses of 391 district nurses and practice nurses are presented here. Nurses had the commitment and (depending on the focus of their work) different opportunities to promote physical activity with older patients. There were organizational and individual constraints on their ability to be involved in this aspect of health promotion work themselves, or to refer older people to local activity promotion schemes. Nurses did not have a structured approach when promoting physical activity with older people and had only a partial awareness of the limitations of their knowledge or skills when promoting activity with older people. For promotion of physical activity by older people to be meaningfully incorporated into primary care nursing work there is a need to develop a more strategic approach that can optimize the opportunities and interest of primary care nurses and develop the knowledge and skills of the workforce in this area of nursing work.

The place of physical activity in the WHO Global Strategy on Diet and Physical Activity.

PubMed

Bauman, Adrian; Craig, Cora L

2005-08-24

In an effort to reduce the global burden of non-communicable disease, the World Health Organization released a Global Strategy for Diet and Physical Activity in May 2004. This commentary reports on the development of the strategy and its importance specifically for physical activity-related work of NGOs and researchers interested in increasing global physical activity participation. Sparked by its work on global efforts to target non-communicable disease prevention in 2000, the World Health Organization commissioned a global strategy on diet and physical activity. The physical activity interest followed efforts that had led to the initial global "Move for Health Day" in 2002. WHO assembled a reference group for the global strategy, and a regional consultation process with countries was undertaken. Underpinning the responses was the need for more physical activity advocacy; partnerships outside of health including urban planning; development of national activity guidelines; and monitoring of the implementation of the strategy. The consultation process was an important mechanism to confirm the importance and elevate the profile of physical activity within the global strategy. It is suggested that separate implementation strategies for diet and physical activity may be needed to work with partner agencies in disparate sectors (e.g. urban planning for physical activity, agriculture for diet). International professional societies are well situated to make an important contribution to global public health by advocating for the importance of physical activity among risk factors; developing international measures of physical activity and global impacts of inactivity; and developing a global research and intervention agenda.

Self-Reported Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Distal Upper Extremities and the Neck in German Veterinarians: A Cross-Sectional Study

PubMed Central

Kozak, Agnessa; Schedlbauer, Grita; Peters, Claudia; Nienhaus, Albert

2014-01-01

Background Veterinary work is a physically demanding profession and entails the risk of injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system, particularly in the upper body. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), the consequences and work-related accidents in German veterinarians were investigated. Work-related and individual factors associated with MSD of upper extremities and the neck were analyzed. Methods In 2011, a self-reporting Standardized Nordic Questionnaire was mailed to registered veterinarians in seven federal medical associations in Germany. A total of 3174 (38.4%) veterinarians responded. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between risk factors and MSD-related impairment of daily activities. Results MSD in the neck (66.6%) and shoulder (60.5%) were more prevalent than in the hand (34.5%) or elbow (24.5%). Normal activities were affected in 28.7% (neck), 29.5% (shoulder), 19.4% (hand) and 14% (elbow) of the respondents. MSD in the upper body occurred significantly more often in large animal practitioners. Accidents that resulted in MSD were most frequently reported in the hand/wrist (14.3%) or in the shoulder (10.8%). The majority of all accidents in the distal upper extremities were caused by animals than by other factors (19% vs. 9.2%). For each area of the body, a specific set of individual and work-related factors contributed significantly to severe MSD: Older age, gender, previous injuries, BMI, practice type, veterinary procedures such as dentistry, rectal procedures and obstetric procedures as well as high demands and personal burnout. Conclusion From the perspective of occupational health and safety, it seems to be necessary to improve accident prevention and to optimize the ergonomics of specific tasks. Our data suggest the need for target group-specific preventive measures that also focus on the psychological factors at work. PMID:24586718

Guide to active vaccine safety surveillance: Report of CIOMS working group on vaccine safety - executive summary.

PubMed

Heininger, U; Holm, K; Caplanusi, I; Bailey, S R

2017-07-13

In 2013, the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) created a Working Group on Vaccine Safety (WG) to address unmet needs in the area of vaccine pharmacovigilance. Generating reliable data about specific vaccine safety concerns is becoming a priority due to recent progress in the development and deployment of new vaccines of global importance, as well as novel vaccines targeting diseases specifically endemic to many resource-limited countries (RLCs), e.g. malaria, dengue. The WG created a Guide to Active Vaccine Safety Surveillance (AVSS) to assist national regulatory authorities and national immunization program officers in RLCs in determining the best course of action with regards to non-routine pharmacovigilance activities, when confronted with a launch of a new vaccine or a vaccine that is new to their country. Here we summarize the results of the WG, further detailed in the Guide, which for the first time provides a structured approach to identifying and analyzing specific vaccines safety knowledge gaps, while considering all available sources of information, in order to determine whether AVSS is an appropriate solution. If AVSS is confirmed as being the appropriate tool, the Guide provides additional essential information on AVSS, a detailed overview of common types of AVSS and practical implementation considerations. It also provides a framework for a well-constructed and informative AVSS when needed, thus aiming to ensure the best possible safety of immunization in this new landscape. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interaction studies reveal specific recognition of an anti-inflammatory polyphosphorhydrazone dendrimer by human monocytes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ledall, Jérémy; Fruchon, Séverine; Garzoni, Matteo; Pavan, Giovanni M.; Caminade, Anne-Marie; Turrin, Cédric-Olivier; Blanzat, Muriel; Poupot, Rémy

2015-10-01

Dendrimers are nano-materials with perfectly defined structure and size, and multivalency properties that confer substantial advantages for biomedical applications. Previous work has shown that phosphorus-based polyphosphorhydrazone (PPH) dendrimers capped with azabisphosphonate (ABP) end groups have immuno-modulatory and anti-inflammatory properties leading to efficient therapeutic control of inflammatory diseases in animal models. These properties are mainly prompted through activation of monocytes. Here, we disclose new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory activation of human monocytes by ABP-capped PPH dendrimers. Following an interdisciplinary approach, we have characterized the physicochemical and biological behavior of the lead ABP dendrimer with model and cell membranes, and compared this experimental set of data to predictive computational modelling studies. The behavior of the ABP dendrimer was compared to the one of an isosteric analog dendrimer capped with twelve azabiscarboxylate (ABC) end groups instead of twelve ABP end groups. The ABC dendrimer displayed no biological activity on human monocytes, therefore it was considered as a negative control. In detail, we show that the ABP dendrimer can bind both non-specifically and specifically to the membrane of human monocytes. The specific binding leads to the internalization of the ABP dendrimer by human monocytes. On the contrary, the ABC dendrimer only interacts non-specifically with human monocytes and is not internalized. These data indicate that the bioactive ABP dendrimer is recognized by specific receptor(s) at the surface of human monocytes.Dendrimers are nano-materials with perfectly defined structure and size, and multivalency properties that confer substantial advantages for biomedical applications. Previous work has shown that phosphorus-based polyphosphorhydrazone (PPH) dendrimers capped with azabisphosphonate (ABP) end groups have immuno-modulatory and anti-inflammatory properties leading to efficient therapeutic control of inflammatory diseases in animal models. These properties are mainly prompted through activation of monocytes. Here, we disclose new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory activation of human monocytes by ABP-capped PPH dendrimers. Following an interdisciplinary approach, we have characterized the physicochemical and biological behavior of the lead ABP dendrimer with model and cell membranes, and compared this experimental set of data to predictive computational modelling studies. The behavior of the ABP dendrimer was compared to the one of an isosteric analog dendrimer capped with twelve azabiscarboxylate (ABC) end groups instead of twelve ABP end groups. The ABC dendrimer displayed no biological activity on human monocytes, therefore it was considered as a negative control. In detail, we show that the ABP dendrimer can bind both non-specifically and specifically to the membrane of human monocytes. The specific binding leads to the internalization of the ABP dendrimer by human monocytes. On the contrary, the ABC dendrimer only interacts non-specifically with human monocytes and is not internalized. These data indicate that the bioactive ABP dendrimer is recognized by specific receptor(s) at the surface of human monocytes. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr03884g

Socio-demographic, behavioural and cognitive correlates of work-related sitting time in German men and women.

PubMed

Wallmann-Sperlich, Birgit; Bucksch, Jens; Schneider, Sven; Froboese, Ingo

2014-12-11

Sitting time is ubiquitous for most adults in developed countries and is most prevalent in three domains: in the workplace, during transport and during leisure time. The correlates of prolonged sitting time in workplace settings are not well understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the gender-specific associations between the socio-demographic, behavioural and cognitive correlates of work-related sitting time. A cross-sectional sample of working German adults (n = 1515; 747 men; 43.5 ± 11.0 years) completed questionnaires regarding domain-specific sitting times and physical activity (PA) and answered statements concerning beliefs about sitting. To identify gender-specific correlates of work-related sitting time, we used a series of linear regressions. The overall median was 2 hours of work-related sitting time/day. Regression analyses showed for men (β = -.43) and for women (β = -.32) that work-related PA was negatively associated with work-related sitting time, but leisure-related PA was not a significant correlate. For women only, transport-related PA (β = -.07) was a negative correlate of work-related sitting time, suggesting increased sitting times during work with decreased PA in transport. Education and income levels were positively associated, and in women only, age (β = -.14) had a negative correlation with work-related sitting time. For both genders, TV-related sitting time was negatively associated with work-related sitting time. The only association with cognitive correlates was found in men for the belief 'Sitting for long periods does not matter to me' (β = .10) expressing a more positive attitude towards sitting with increasing sitting durations. The present findings show that in particular, higher educated men and women as well as young women are high-risk groups to target for reducing prolonged work-related sitting time. In addition, our findings propose considering increasing transport-related PA, especially in women, as well as promoting recreation-related PA in conjunction with efforts to reduce long work-related sitting times.

Association between domains of physical activity and all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality.

PubMed

Autenrieth, Christine S; Baumert, Jens; Baumeister, Sebastian E; Fischer, Beate; Peters, Annette; Döring, Angela; Thorand, Barbara

2011-02-01

Few studies have investigated the independent effects of domain-specific physical activity on mortality. We sought to investigate the association of physical activity performed in different domains of daily living on all-cause, cardiovascular (CVD) and cancer mortality. Using a prospective cohort design, 4,672 men and women, aged 25-74 years, who participated in the baseline examination of the MONICA/KORA Augsburg Survey 1989/1990 were classified according to their activity level (no, light, moderate, vigorous). Domains of self-reported physical activity (work, transportation, household, leisure time) and total activity were assessed by the validated MOSPA (MONICA Optional Study on Physical Activity) questionnaire. After a median follow-up of 17.8 years, a total of 995 deaths occurred, with 452 from CVD and 326 from cancer. For all-cause mortality, hazard ratios and 95% confidence interval (HR, 95% CI) of the highly active versus the inactive reference group were 0.69 (0.48-1.00) for work, 0.48 (0.36-0.65) for leisure time, and 0.73 (0.59-0.90) for total activity after multivariable adjustments. Reduced risks of CVD mortality were observed for high levels of work (0.54, 0.31-0.93), household (0.80, 0.54-1.19), leisure time (0.50, 0.31-0.79) and total activity (0.75, 0.55-1.03). Leisure time (0.36, 0.23-0.59) and total activity (0.62, 0.43-0.88) were associated with reduced risks of cancer mortality. Light household activity was related to lower all-cause (0.82, 0.71-0.95) and CVD (0.72, 0.58-0.89) mortality. No clear effects were found for transportation activities. Our findings suggest that work, household, leisure time and total physical activity, but not transportation activity, may protect from premature mortality.

New horizons in chemical propulsion. [processes using free radicals, atomic hydrogen, excited species, etc

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, W.

1973-01-01

After a review of the work of the late-Fifties on free radicals for propulsion, it is concluded that atomic hydrogen would provide a potentially large increase in specific impulse. Work conducted to find an approach for isolating atomic hydrogen is considered. Other possibilities for obtaining propellants of greatly increased capability might be connected with the technology for the generation of activated states of gases, metallic hydrogen, fuels obtained from other planets, and laser transfer of energy.

The space shuttle payload planning working groups. Volume 6: Communications and navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The findings of the Communications and Navigation working group of the space shuttle payload planning activity are presented. The basic goals to be accomplished are to increase the use of space systems and to develop new space capabilities for providing communication and navigation services to the user community in the 1980 time period. Specific experiments to be conducted for improving space communication and navigation capabilities are defined. The characteristics of the experimental equipment required to accomplish the mission are discussed.

Profiling and functional classification of esterases in olive (Olea europaea) pollen during germination

PubMed Central

Rejón, Juan D.; Zienkiewicz, Agnieszka; Rodríguez-García, María Isabel; Castro, Antonio J.

2012-01-01

Background and Aims A pollen grain contains a number of esterases, many of which are released upon contact with the stigma surface. However, the identity and function of most of these esterases remain unknown. In this work, esterases from olive pollen during its germination were identifided and functionally characterized. Methods The esterolytic capacity of olive (Olea europaea) pollen was examined using in vitro and in-gel enzymatic assays with different enzyme substrates. The functional analysis of pollen esterases was achieved by inhibition assays by using specific inhibitors. The cellular localization of esterase activities was performed using histochemical methods. Key Results Olive pollen showed high levels of non-specific esterase activity, which remained steady after hydration and germination. Up to 20 esterolytic bands were identified on polyacrylamide gels. All the inhibitors decreased pollen germinability, but only diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DIFP) hampered pollen tube growth. Non-specific esterase activity is localized on the surface of oil bodies (OBs) and small vesicles, in the pollen intine and in the callose layer of the pollen tube wall. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was mostly observed in the apertures, exine and pollen coat, and attached to the pollen tube wall surface and to small cytoplasmic vesicles. Conclusions In this work, for the first time a systematic functional characterization of esterase enzymes in pollen from a plant species with wet stigma has been carried out. Olive pollen esterases belong to four different functional groups: carboxylesterases, acetylesterases, AChEs and lipases. The cellular localization of esterase activity indicates that the intine is a putative storage site for esterolytic enzymes in olive pollen. Based on inhibition assays and cellular localization of enzymatic activities, it can be concluded that these enzymes are likely to be involved in pollen germination, and pollen tube growth and penetration of the stigma. PMID:22922586

Working conditions at hospital food service and the development of venous disease of lower limbs.

PubMed

da Luz, Clarissa Medeiros; da Costa Proença, Rossana Pacheco; de Salazar, Begoña Rodriguez Ortiz; do Nascimento Galego, Gilberto

2013-12-01

The present study assesses some factors that may influence the development of lower limb venous disease in workers of a hospital food service unit. An Ergonomic analysis of work was carried out at a hospital located in the south of Brazil. As for data collection, the following were used: interviews and body mass index assessment; specific clinical examination to diagnose venous disease, water displacement volumetry of the lower limbs. The activities performed at the workplace were followed by direct observation with image registration, use of pedometers, stopwatches, decibel meter, and digital thermo-hygrometer. It was observed different degrees of venous disease in 78% of the cases investigated. The volumetric variation of the lower limbs was 5.13%, showing the presence of edema. Working in hospital food service is associated with circulatory disorders of lower limbs, such as edema and venous disease. The following risk factors were identified: standing activities at work during a long period of time, high temperature, and humidity and carrying heavy weights.

[The role of "competent physician" for prevention of accidents at work].

PubMed

Ramistella, E; Bergamaschi, A; Mosconi, G; Rossi, O; Sallese, D

2008-01-01

Using at best the professional and legal tools at his/her disposal, the "competent physician" can have a relevant role in reducing accidents in the workplace. In assessing the worker's suitability to specific tasks, the competent physician checks the presence of pathologies or functional impairments of organs or apparatuses that can be an additional risk for the occurrence of accidents at work. The activity aimed to preventing accidents at work translates also in taking part in the planning and implementation of information activities and workers' training within the company. The various risk factors inherent in the workplace and so-called "human factors" can interact in a negative way to the point of becoming a cause of accidents. The human variables of accident risk at the industrial, occupational and even individual level, may be numerous. In this paper we shall review these important aspects and attempt to clarify the role that can be played by the competent physician in the prevention of accidents at work.

Breadth of Scientific Activities and Network Station Specifications in the International GPS Service (IGS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, A. W.; Neilan, R. E.; Springer, T. A.; Reigber, Ch.

2000-01-01

A strong multipurpose aspect of the International GPS Service (IGS) is revealed by a glance at the titles of current projects and working groups within the IGS: IGS/BIPM Time Transfer Project; Ionosphere Working Group; Troposphere Working Group; International GLONASS Experiment; Working Group on Low-Earth Orbiter Missions; and Tide Gauges, CGPS, and the IGS. The IGS network infrastructure, in large part originally commissioned for geodynamical investigations, has proved to be a valuable asset in developing application-oriented subnetworks whose requirements overlap the characteristics of existing IGS stations and future station upgrades. Issues encountered thus far in the development of multipurpose or multitechnique IGS projects as well as future possibilities will be reviewed.

A Smartphone App to Promote an Active Lifestyle in Lower-Educated Working Young Adults: Development, Usability, Acceptability, and Feasibility Study

PubMed Central

De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Clarys, Peter; De Cocker, Katrien; Vandelanotte, Corneel; Deforche, Benedicte

2018-01-01

Background Physical activity (PA) levels are problematic in lower-educated working young adults (18-26 years). To promote PA, smartphone apps have great potential, but there is no evidence for their effectiveness in this population. To increase the likelihood that a newly developed app will be effective, formative research and user testing are required. Objective The aim of this study was to describe the development, usability, acceptability, and feasibility of a new theory- and evidence-based smartphone app to promote an active lifestyle in lower-educated working young adults. Methods The new app was developed by applying 4 steps. First, determinants important to promote an active lifestyle in this population were selected. Second, evidence-based behavior change techniques were selected to convert the determinants into practical applications. Third, a new smartphone app was developed. Fourth, volunteers (n=11, both lower and higher educated) tested the app on usability, and lower-educated working young adults (n=16) tested its acceptability and feasibility via (think aloud) interviews, a questionnaire, and Google Analytics. The app was accordingly adapted for the final version. Results A new Android app, Active Coach, was developed that focused on knowledge, attitude, social support, and self-efficacy (based on outcomes from step 1), and that applied self-regulation techniques (based on outcomes from step 2). The app consists of a 9-week program with personal goals, practical tips, and scientific facts to encourage an active lifestyle. To ensure all-day and automatic self-monitoring of the activity behavior, the Active Coach app works in combination with a wearable activity tracker, the Fitbit Charge. Issues detected by the usability test (eg, text errors, wrong messages) were all fixed. The acceptability and feasibility test showed that participants found the app clear, understandable, and motivating, although some aspects needed to be more personal. Conclusions By applying a stepwise, user-centered approach that regularly consulted the target group, the new app is adapted to their specific needs and preferences. The Active Coach app was overall positively evaluated by the lower-educated working young adults at the end of the development process. PMID:29463491

Shiftwork, work-family conflict among Italian nurses, and prevention efficacy.

PubMed

Camerino, Donatella; Sandri, Marco; Sartori, Samantha; Conway, Paul Maurice; Campanini, Paolo; Costa, Giovanni

2010-07-01

Shiftwork may be a demanding situation because it raises problems for reconciling work and nonwork activities; as such, this conflict may be mitigated by designing and implementing effective preventative actions at the workplace. There is a paucity of research directly examining the impact of work schedules and preventative measures at work on work-family conflict. Hence, the authors posed the following questions in their study: What is the impact of different work schedules on work-family conflict? Is a preventative culture associated with less work-family conflict? Is work-family conflict associated with specific health and well-being indicators and if so, how does work-family conflict affect well-being as compared with other potential determinants? A subset of 750 nurses ( approximately 10% of total workforce) were randomly selected from a larger sample. Nurses completed the Italian version of the NEXT questionnaire plus newly developed items to create an index on occupational safety and health prevention at work. Data were explored using two data mining techniques, Random Forests and Bayesian Networks, and modeled using hierarchical linear regression models. In all, 664 (88.5% of sample) nurses answered the questionnaire. The authors found that different work schedules had a differential impact on work-family conflict. In addition, effective risk communication between workers and people in charge of safety and health, and participation in preventative activities, quantitative workload, performing tasks not belonging to the nursing profession, and the number of weekends/month spent at work were all strongly associated with work-family conflict. The variable "time schedules" also acted as an effect modifier in the relationship between effective communication and participation in preventative activities and work-family conflict. In addition, quantitative demands played a role as a mediator (30% of total effect) in the relationship between effective communication and participation in preventative activities and work-family conflict. Work-family conflict was significantly associated with burnout, sleep, and presenteeism; its association with burnout was higher than other precursors. Shift schedules that involved night work implied different workload demands, less effective communication, and participation in preventative activities than the other work schedules considered. The presence of a preventative culture directly reduced work-family conflict and indirectly via reduction of work demands. The authors conclude that the development of a preventative culture among irregular and night shiftworkers can be effective in reducing work-family conflict, while positively increasing well-being and job performance.

Pre-shift fluid intake: effect on physiology, work and drinking during emergency wildfire fighting.

PubMed

Raines, Jenni; Snow, Rodney; Petersen, Aaron; Harvey, Jack; Nichols, David; Aisbett, Brad

2012-05-01

Wildfire fighters are known to report to work in a hypohydrated state, which may compromise their work performance and health. To evaluate whether ingesting a bolus of fluid before the shift had any effect on firefighters' fluid consumption, core temperature, or the time they spent in high heart rate and work activity zones when fighting emergency wildfires. Thirty-two firefighters were divided into non-bolus (AD) and pre-shift drinking bolus (PS, 500 ml water) groups. Firefighters began work hypohydrated as indicated by urine colour, specific gravity and plasma osmolality (P(osm)) results. Post-shift, firefighters were classified as euhydrated according to P(osm) and hypohydrated by urinary markers. No significant differences existed between the drinking groups in pre- or post-shift hydration status, total fluid intake, activity, heart rate or core temperature. Consuming a bolus of fluid, pre-shift provided no benefit over non-consumption as both groups had consumed equivalent ad libitum volumes of fluid, 2.5 h into the shift. No benefits of bolus consumption were observed in firefighter activity, heart rate response or core temperature response across the shift in the mild weather conditions experienced. Ad libitum drinking was adequate to facilitate rehydration in firefighters upon completion of their emergency firefighting work shift. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Body side-specific control of motor activity during turning in a walking animal

PubMed Central

Gruhn, Matthias; Rosenbaum, Philipp; Bockemühl, Till; Büschges, Ansgar

2016-01-01

Animals and humans need to move deftly and flexibly to adapt to environmental demands. Despite a large body of work on the neural control of walking in invertebrates and vertebrates alike, the mechanisms underlying the motor flexibility that is needed to adjust the motor behavior remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated optomotor-induced turning and the neuronal mechanisms underlying the differences between the leg movements of the two body sides in the stick insect Carausius morosus. We present data to show that the generation of turning kinematics in an insect are the combined result of descending unilateral commands that change the leg motor output via task-specific modifications in the processing of local sensory feedback as well as modification of the activity of local central pattern generating networks in a body-side-specific way. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the specificity of such modifications in a defined motor task. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13799.001 PMID:27130731

Privileged Electrophile Sensors: A Resource for Covalent Drug Development.

PubMed

Long, Marcus John Curtis; Aye, Yimon

2017-07-20

This Perspective delineates how redox signaling affects the activity of specific enzyme isoforms and how this property may be harnessed for rational drug design. Covalent drugs have resurged in recent years and several reports have extolled the general virtues of developing irreversible inhibitors. Indeed, many modern pharmaceuticals contain electrophilic appendages. Several invoke a warhead that hijacks active-site nucleophiles whereas others take advantage of spectator nucleophilic side chains that do not participate in enzymatic chemistry, but are poised to bind/react with electrophiles. The latest data suggest that innate electrophile sensing-which enables rapid reaction with an endogenous signaling electrophile-is a quintessential resource for the development of covalent drugs. For instance, based on recent work documenting isoform-specific electrophile sensing, isozyme non-specific drugs may be converted to isozyme-specific analogs by hijacking privileged first-responder electrophile-sensing cysteines. Because this approach targets functionally relevant cysteines, we can simultaneously harness previously untapped moonlighting roles of enzymes linked to redox sensing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

All in a day's work: an observational study to quantify how and with whom doctors on hospital wards spend their time.

PubMed

Westbrook, Johanna I; Ampt, Amanda; Kearney, Leanne; Rob, Marilyn I

2008-05-05

To quantify time doctors in hospital wards spend on specific work tasks, and with health professionals and patients. Observational time and motion study. 400-bed teaching hospital in Sydney. 19 doctors (seven registrars, five residents, seven interns) in four wards were observed between 08:30 and 19:00 for a total of 151 hours between July and December 2006. Proportions of time in categories of work; proportions of tasks performed with health professionals and patients; proportions of tasks using specific information tools; rates of multitasking and interruptions. The greatest proportions of doctors' time were in professional communication (33%; 95% CI, 29%-38%); social activities, such as non-work communication and meal breaks (17%; 95% CI, 13%-21%), and indirect care, such as planning care (17%; 95% CI, 15%-19%). Multitasking involved 20% of time, and on average, doctors were interrupted every 21 minutes. Most tasks were completed with another doctor (56%; 95% CI, 55%-57%), while 24% (95% CI, 23%-25%) were undertaken alone and 15% (95% CI, 15%-16%) with a patient. Interns spent more time completing documentation and administrative tasks, and less time in direct care than residents and registrars. The time interns spent documenting (22%) was almost double the time they were engaged in direct patient care. Two-thirds of doctors' time was consumed by three work categories: professional communication, social activities and indirect care. Doctors on wards are interrupted at considerably lower rates than those in emergency and intensive care units. The results confirm interns' previously reported dissatisfaction with their level of administrative work and documentation.

Cognitive control in context: working memory capacity and proactive control.

PubMed

Redick, Thomas S

2014-01-01

Working memory is important for maintaining critical information in an active state to guide future behavior. The executive-attention theory of working memory capacity (WMC; Engle & Kane, 2004) argues that goal maintenance is important for response selection when stimuli are associated with competing responses. Braver, Burgess, and Gray (2007) have labeled this type of preparatory activity proactive control. Previous WMC studies have not allowed individuals to use goal information to prepare a specific response in advance of the stimulus. The current experiment used different versions of a cue-probe task to examine the relationship between individual differences in WMC and proactive control. Across three versions of the AX version of the Continuous Performance Test, the proportion of targets was manipulated to affect both the predictive validity of the A cue and the prepotency of the target response to X probes. The results indicated that the high-WMC individuals used the cue information to prepare responses in advance only when a specific probe was likely to occur. In contrast, the performance of the low-WMC individuals was less dependent upon the cue and more contingent upon overall response frequencies. The results indicate that individual differences in WMC are related to proactive control and anticipation, and important for translating cognition into action. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Specialization of the Right Intraparietal Sulcus for Processing Mathematics During Development.

PubMed

Schel, Margot A; Klingberg, Torkel

2017-09-01

Mathematical ability, especially perception of numbers and performance of arithmetics, is known to rely on the activation of intraparietal sulcus (IPS). However, reasoning ability and working memory, 2 highly associated abilities also activate partly overlapping regions. Most studies aimed at localizing mathematical function have used group averages, where individual variability is averaged out, thus confounding the anatomical specificity when localizing cognitive functions. Here, we analyze the functional anatomy of the intraparietal cortex by using individual analysis of subregions of IPS based on how they are structurally connected to frontal, parietal, and occipital cortex. Analysis of cortical thickness showed that the right anterior IPS, defined by its connections to the frontal lobe, was associated with both visuospatial working memory, and mathematics in 6-year-old children. This region specialized during development to be specifically related to mathematics, but not visuospatial working memory in adolescents and adults. This could be an example of interactive specialization, where interacting with the environment in combination with interactions between cortical regions leads from a more general role of right anterior IPS in spatial processing, to a specialization of this region for mathematics. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Residues in the alternative reading frame tumor suppressor that influence its stability and p53-independent activities

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

Tommaso, Anne di; Hagen, Jussara; Tompkins, Van

2009-04-15

The Alternative Reading Frame (ARF) protein suppresses tumorigenesis through p53-dependent and p53-independent pathways. Most of ARF's anti-proliferative activity is conferred by sequences in its first exon. Previous work showed specific amino acid changes occurred in that region during primate evolution, so we programmed those changes into human p14ARF to assay their functional impact. Two human p14ARF residues (Ala{sup 14} and Thr{sup 31}) were found to destabilize the protein while two others (Val{sup 24} and Ala{sup 41}) promoted more efficient p53 stabilization and activation. Despite those effects, all modified p14ARF forms displayed robust p53-dependent anti-proliferative activity demonstrating there are no significantmore » biological differences in p53-mediated growth suppression associated with simian versus human p14ARF residues. In contrast, p53-independent p14ARF function was considerably altered by several residue changes. Val{sup 24} was required for p53-independent growth suppression whereas multiple residues (Val{sup 24}, Thr{sup 31}, Ala{sup 41} and His{sup 60}) enabled p14ARF to block or reverse the inherent chromosomal instability of p53-null MEFs. Together, these data pinpoint specific residues outside of established p14ARF functional domains that influence its expression and signaling activities. Most intriguingly, this work reveals a novel and direct role for p14ARF in the p53-independent maintenance of genomic stability.« less

Mechanotransduction through Integrins

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ingber, Donald

2004-01-01

The goal of this project was to characterize the molecular mechanism by which cells recognize and respond to physical forces in their local environment. The project was based on the working hypothesis that cells sense mechanical stresses through cell surface integrin receptors and through their interconnections with the underlying cytoskeleton. Work completed and published in past funding period had provided direct support for this hypothesis. In particular, we demonstrated that application of mechanical stresses to activated integrin receptors (but not inactive integrins or other control transmembrane receptors) resulted in stress-dependent activation of the CAMP signaling pathway leading to gene transcription. We also showed that this form of mechanotransduction requires activation of heterotrimeric G proteins. In this grant, our specific aims included: 1) to characterize the signal processing capabilities of different integrins and other cell surface receptors, 2) to identify heterotrimeric G proteins that mediate CAMP signaling by stresses applied to integrins, 3) to identify molecules that mediate transmembrane mechanochemical coupling between integrins and G proteins, and 4) to use genome-wide gene expression profiling techniques to identify other genes and signaling pathways that are activated by mechanical forces transmitted over specific cell surface receptors. Elucidation of the mechanism by which cells sense mechanical stresses through integrins and translate them into a biochemical response should help us to understand the molecular basis of the cellular response to gravity as well as many other forms of mechanosensation and tissue regulation.

Hip Hop Dance Experience Linked to Sociocognitive Ability

PubMed Central

Bonny, Justin W.; Lindberg, Jenna C.; Pacampara, Marc C.

2017-01-01

Expertise within gaming (e.g., chess, video games) and kinesthetic (e.g., sports, classical dance) activities has been found to be linked with specific cognitive skills. Some of these skills, working memory, mental rotation, problem solving, are linked to higher performance in science, technology, math, and engineering (STEM) disciplines. In the present study, we examined whether experience in a different activity, hip hop dance, is also linked to cognitive abilities connected with STEM skills as well as social cognition ability. Dancers who varied in hip hop and other dance style experience were presented with a set of computerized tasks that assessed working memory capacity, mental rotation speed, problem solving efficiency, and theory of mind. We found that, when controlling for demographic factors and other dance style experience, those with greater hip hop dance experience were faster at mentally rotating images of hands at greater angle disparities and there was a trend for greater accuracy at identifying positive emotions displayed by cropped images of human faces. We suggest that hip hop dance, similar to other more technical activities such as video gameplay, tap some specific cognitive abilities that underlie STEM skills. Furthermore, we suggest that hip hop dance experience can be used to reach populations who may not otherwise be interested in other kinesthetic or gaming activities and potentially enhance select sociocognitive skills. PMID:28146562