A Web-Based Education Program for Colorectal Lesion Diagnosis with Narrow Band Imaging Classification.

PubMed

Aihara, Hiroyuki; Kumar, Nitin; Thompson, Christopher C

2018-04-19

An education system for narrow band imaging (NBI) interpretation requires sufficient exposure to key features. However, access to didactic lectures by experienced teachers is limited in the United States. To develop and assess the effectiveness of a colorectal lesion identification tutorial. In the image analysis pretest, subjects including 9 experts and 8 trainees interpreted 50 white light (WL) and 50 NBI images of colorectal lesions. Results were not reviewed with subjects. Trainees then participated in an online tutorial emphasizing NBI interpretation in colorectal lesion analysis. A post-test was administered and diagnostic yields were compared to pre-education diagnostic yields. Under the NBI mode, experts showed higher diagnostic yields (sensitivity 91.5% [87.3-94.4], specificity 90.6% [85.1-94.2], and accuracy 91.1% [88.5-93.7] with substantial interobserver agreement [κ value 0.71]) compared to trainees (sensitivity 89.6% [84.8-93.0], specificity 80.6% [73.5-86.3], and accuracy 86.0% [82.6-89.2], with substantial interobserver agreement [κ value 0.69]). The online tutorial improved the diagnostic yields of trainees to the equivalent level of experts (sensitivity 94.1% [90.0-96.6], specificity 89.0% [83.0-93.2], and accuracy 92.0% [89.3-94.7], p < 0.001 with substantial interobserver agreement [κ value 0.78]). This short, online tutorial improved diagnostic performance and interobserver agreement. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Estimation of the notch sensitivity of a nitrided steel by acoustic emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogachev, S. O.; Nikulin, S. A.; Khatkevich, V. M.; Ozherelkov, D. Yu.; Molyarov, A. V.

2017-10-01

The notch sensitivity of sheet corrosion-resistant 08Kh17T steel is estimated in the states before and after high-temperature (1000-1100°C) internal nitriding during tensile tests accompanied by the measurement of acoustic emission signals. A crack in the steel is shown to propagate according to a ductile mechanism is all states. As the nitrogen content increases from 0.60 to 0.85%, the ultimate tensile strength of the steel decreases by 15% in the presence of a stress concentrator and remains substantially higher than the yield strength of the sheet steel without a stress concentrator.

Increased alignment sensitivity improves the usage of genome alignments for comparative gene annotation.

PubMed

Sharma, Virag; Hiller, Michael

2017-08-21

Genome alignments provide a powerful basis to transfer gene annotations from a well-annotated reference genome to many other aligned genomes. The completeness of these annotations crucially depends on the sensitivity of the underlying genome alignment. Here, we investigated the impact of the genome alignment parameters and found that parameters with a higher sensitivity allow the detection of thousands of novel alignments between orthologous exons that have been missed before. In particular, comparisons between species separated by an evolutionary distance of >0.75 substitutions per neutral site, like human and other non-placental vertebrates, benefit from increased sensitivity. To systematically test if increased sensitivity improves comparative gene annotations, we built a multiple alignment of 144 vertebrate genomes and used this alignment to map human genes to the other 143 vertebrates with CESAR. We found that higher alignment sensitivity substantially improves the completeness of comparative gene annotations by adding on average 2382 and 7440 novel exons and 117 and 317 novel genes for mammalian and non-mammalian species, respectively. Our results suggest a more sensitive alignment strategy that should generally be used for genome alignments between distantly-related species. Our 144-vertebrate genome alignment and the comparative gene annotations (https://bds.mpi-cbg.de/hillerlab/144VertebrateAlignment_CESAR/) are a valuable resource for comparative genomics. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Higher Throughput Calorimetry: Opportunities, Approaches and Challenges

PubMed Central

Recht, Michael I.; Coyle, Joseph E.; Bruce, Richard H.

2010-01-01

Higher throughput thermodynamic measurements can provide value in structure-based drug discovery during fragment screening, hit validation, and lead optimization. Enthalpy can be used to detect and characterize ligand binding, and changes that affect the interaction of protein and ligand can sometimes be detected more readily from changes in the enthalpy of binding than from the corresponding free-energy changes or from protein-ligand structures. Newer, higher throughput calorimeters are being incorporated into the drug discovery process. Improvements in titration calorimeters come from extensions of a mature technology and face limitations in scaling. Conversely, array calorimetry, an emerging technology, shows promise for substantial improvements in throughput and material utilization, but improved sensitivity is needed. PMID:20888754

Anisotropic path modeling to assess pedestrian-evacuation potential from Cascadia-related tsunamis in the US Pacific Northwest

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wood, Nathan J.; Schmidtlein, Mathew C.

2012-01-01

Recent disasters highlight the threat that tsunamis pose to coastal communities. When developing tsunami-education efforts and vertical-evacuation strategies, emergency managers need to understand how much time it could take for a coastal population to reach higher ground before tsunami waves arrive. To improve efforts to model pedestrian evacuations from tsunamis, we examine the sensitivity of least-cost-distance models to variations in modeling approaches, data resolutions, and travel-rate assumptions. We base our observations on the assumption that an anisotropic approach that uses path-distance algorithms and accounts for variations in land cover and directionality in slope is the most realistic of an actual evacuation landscape. We focus our efforts on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington (USA), where a substantial residential and tourist population is threatened by near-field tsunamis related to a potential Cascadia subduction zone earthquake. Results indicate thousands of people are located in areas where evacuations to higher ground will be difficult before arrival of the first tsunami wave. Deviations from anisotropic modeling assumptions substantially influence the amount of time likely needed to reach higher ground. Across the entire study, changes in resolution of elevation data has a greater impact on calculated travel times than changes in land-cover resolution. In particular areas, land-cover resolution had a substantial impact when travel-inhibiting waterways were not reflected in small-scale data. Changes in travel-speed parameters had a substantial impact also, suggesting the importance of public-health campaigns as a tsunami risk-reduction strategy.

Glucose Metabolism After Renal Transplantation

PubMed Central

Hecking, Manfred; Kainz, Alexander; Werzowa, Johannes; Haidinger, Michael; Döller, Dominik; Tura, Andrea; Karaboyas, Angelo; Hörl, Walter H.; Wolzt, Michael; Sharif, Adnan; Roden, Michael; Moro, Ermanno; Pacini, Giovanni; Port, Friedrich K.; Säemann, Marcus D.

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE We determined prevalence, risk factors, phenotype, and pathophysiological mechanism of new-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) to generate strategies for optimal pharmacological management of hyperglycemia in NODAT patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Retrospective cohort study comparing demographics, laboratory data, and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)-derived metabolic parameters from kidney transplant recipients versus subjects not receiving transplants. RESULTS Among 1,064 stable kidney transplant recipients (≥6 months posttransplantation), 113 (11%) had a history of NODAT and 132 (12%) had pretransplant diabetes. In the remaining patients, randomly assigned OGTTs showed a high prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism (11% diabetes; 32% impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, or both), predominantly in older patients who received tacrolimus as the primary immunosuppressant. Compared with 1,357 nontransplant subjects, stable kidney transplant recipients had lower basal glucose, higher glycated hemoglobin, lower insulin secretion, and greater insulin sensitivity in each of the three subgroups, defined by OGTT 2-h glucose (<140, 140–199, ≥200 mg/dL). These findings were reinforced in linear spline interpolation models of insulin secretion and sensitivity (all P < 0.001) and in another regression model in which the estimated oral glucose insulin sensitivity index was substantially higher (by 79–112 mL/min m2) for transplant versus nontransplant subjects despite adjustments for age, sex, and BMI (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Glucose metabolism differs substantially between kidney transplant recipients and nontransplant controls. Because impaired insulin secretion appears to be the predominant pathophysiological feature after renal transplantation, early therapeutic interventions that preserve, maintain, or improve β-cell function are potentially beneficial in this population. PMID:23656979

Payments, promotion, and the purple pill.

PubMed

Ridley, David B

2015-01-01

Understanding competition in the US drug market requires knowing how sensitive demand is to prices. The relevant prices for insured consumers are copayments. There are many studies of copayment elasticity in the health literature, but they are of limited applicability for studies of competition. Because of a paucity of data, such studies typically control for neither competitor copayment nor advertising. Whereas previous studies examined copayment sensitivity when copayments for branded drugs move in unison, this study examines copayment sensitivity when copayments diverge. This study uses unique panel data of insurance copayments and utilization for 77 insurance groups, as well as data on advertising. The results indicate that demand can be much more sensitive to copayment than previously recognized. Manufacturers selling drugs with higher copayments than branded competitors can lose substantial market share. Manufacturers can offset the loss of demand by increasing advertising to physicians, but it is costly. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Lyman Break Galaxy in the Epoch of Reionization from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Grism Spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rhoads, James E.; Malhotra, Sangeeta; Stern, Daniel K.; Gardner, Jonathan P.; Dickinson, Mark; Pirzkal, Norbert; Spinrad, Hyron; Reddy, Naveen; Dey, Arjun; Hathi, Nimish;

Flower-shaped ZnO nanocrystallite aggregates synthesized through a template-free aqueous solution method for dye-sensitized solar cells

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

Chang, Wei-Chen, E-mail: changpeter@iner.gov.tw; Institute of Nuclear Energy Research, Atomic Energy Council, Executive Yuan, 1000 Wenhua Rd., Chiaan Village, Lungtan, Taoyuan 325, Taiwan; Chen, Hung-Shuo

Hierarchically structured flower-shaped aggregates composed of ZnO nanocrystals were synthesized through a template-free aqueous solution method. The synthesized nanocrystallite aggregates were demonstrated to be promising photoanode materials for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Compared with commercially available ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONPs), the flower-like aggregates (ZnONFs), each having an overall dimension of 400–600 nm, exhibited similar dye loading but higher light-scattering ability, which led to a substantial increase in the light-harvesting efficiency of resulting cells. The unique morphology of ZnONFs also boosted the absorbed photon-to-electric current generation efficiency. Consequently, DSSCs constructed from ZnONFs showed significantly improved photocurrent and achieved an overall conversion efficiency ofmore » 4.42%, which was 47% higher than that attained by ZnONP-based cells.« less

Beyond gains and losses: the effect of need on risky choice in framed decisions.

PubMed

Mishra, Sandeep; Fiddick, Laurence

2012-06-01

Substantial evidence suggests people are risk-averse when making decisions described in terms of gains and risk-prone when making decisions described in terms of losses, a phenomenon known as the framing effect. Little research, however, has examined whether framing effects are a product of normative risk-sensitive cognitive processes. In 5 experiments, it is demonstrated that framing effects in the Asian disease problem can be explained by risk-sensitivity theory, which predicts that decision makers adjust risk acceptance on the basis of minimal acceptable thresholds, or need. Both explicit and self-determined need requirements eliminated framing effects and affected risk acceptance consistent with risk-sensitivity theory. Furthermore, negative language choice in loss frames conferred the perception of high need and led to the construction of higher minimal acceptable thresholds. The results of this study suggest that risk-sensitivity theory provides a normative rationale for framing effects based on sensitivity to minimal acceptable thresholds, or needs. 2012 APA, all rights reserved

Synthesis, antimalarial activity and molecular docking of hybrid 4-aminoquinoline-1,3,5-triazine derivatives.

PubMed

Bhat, Hans Raj; Singh, Udaya Pratap; Thakur, Anjali; Kumar Ghosh, Surajit; Gogoi, Kabita; Prakash, Anil; Singh, Ramendra K

2015-10-01

A series of novel hybrid 4-aminoquinoline 1,3,5-triazine derivatives was synthesized in a five-steps reaction and evaluated for their in vitro antimalarial activity against chloroquine-sensitive (3D7) and chloroquine-resistant (RKL-2) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Entire synthetic derivatives showed higher antimalarial activity on the sensitive strain while two compounds, viz., 9a and 9c displayed good activity against both the strains of P. falciparum. The observed activity was further substantiated by docking study on both wild and qradruple mutant type P. falciparum dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (pf-DHFR-TS). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Per-Capita Medicare Expenditures, Primary Care Access, Mortality Rates, and the Least Healthy Cities in America.

PubMed

Weeks, William B; Weinstein, James N

2017-01-01

To determine whether several measures of health care expenditures, access, and outcomes for the 25 recently identified "least healthy cities in America" differed from those in the rest of America. For 2004 and 2013, we obtained publicly available price-, age-, sex-, and race-adjusted hospital service area per-capita Medicare expenditures; age-, sex-, and race-adjusted Medicare mortality rates; and 2 indicators of primary care access: the proportion of enrollees having at least one ambulatory visit to a primary care clinician and the per-capita discharge rate for ambulatory care sensitive conditions. Using population weighting, we used Student t test for expenditure data and the chi-squared test for access and outcomes data to compare results of the 25 least healthy cities in aggregate to the rest of America. In both years examined, the 25 least healthy cities had substantially (about $500 per capita per year) and statistically significantly higher total per-capita Medicare Part A and Part B expenditures than the rest of America: about 4/5 of this difference was due to higher hospital and skilled nursing facility expenditures; physician expenditures were modestly lower in the 25 least healthy cities. While a greater proportion of Medicare beneficiaries in the least healthy cities had a primary care clinician both years, mortality and ambulatory care sensitive condition admission rates were substantially higher in the least healthy cities. Policymakers and health system executives should work together to determine the best asset allocation across determinants of health that maximizes value creation from a community health perspective. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Natural Language Processing Rules-based and Machine-learning Systems to Identify Lumbar Spine Imaging Findings Related to Low Back Pain.

PubMed

Tan, W Katherine; Hassanpour, Saeed; Heagerty, Patrick J; Rundell, Sean D; Suri, Pradeep; Huhdanpaa, Hannu T; James, Kathryn; Carrell, David S; Langlotz, Curtis P; Organ, Nancy L; Meier, Eric N; Sherman, Karen J; Kallmes, David F; Luetmer, Patrick H; Griffith, Brent; Nerenz, David R; Jarvik, Jeffrey G

2018-03-28

To evaluate a natural language processing (NLP) system built with open-source tools for identification of lumbar spine imaging findings related to low back pain on magnetic resonance and x-ray radiology reports from four health systems. We used a limited data set (de-identified except for dates) sampled from lumbar spine imaging reports of a prospectively assembled cohort of adults. From N = 178,333 reports, we randomly selected N = 871 to form a reference-standard dataset, consisting of N = 413 x-ray reports and N = 458 MR reports. Using standardized criteria, four spine experts annotated the presence of 26 findings, where 71 reports were annotated by all four experts and 800 were each annotated by two experts. We calculated inter-rater agreement and finding prevalence from annotated data. We randomly split the annotated data into development (80%) and testing (20%) sets. We developed an NLP system from both rule-based and machine-learned models. We validated the system using accuracy metrics such as sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The multirater annotated dataset achieved inter-rater agreement of Cohen's kappa > 0.60 (substantial agreement) for 25 of 26 findings, with finding prevalence ranging from 3% to 89%. In the testing sample, rule-based and machine-learned predictions both had comparable average specificity (0.97 and 0.95, respectively). The machine-learned approach had a higher average sensitivity (0.94, compared to 0.83 for rules-based), and a higher overall AUC (0.98, compared to 0.90 for rules-based). Our NLP system performed well in identifying the 26 lumbar spine findings, as benchmarked by reference-standard annotation by medical experts. Machine-learned models provided substantial gains in model sensitivity with slight loss of specificity, and overall higher AUC. Copyright © 2018 The Association of University Radiologists. All rights reserved.

Broadband plasmonic-enhanced forward and backward multiplex coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Baoshan; Jiang, Lan; Hua, Yanhong; Li, Xin; Cui, Tianhong; Lu, Yongfeng

2018-03-01

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy is an attractive technique for label-free biochemical-specific characterization of biological specimens. However, it has very low sensitivity in monitoring and imaging molecules present in extremely low concentrations or at fast speeds. To improve this sensitivity, especially for multiplex CARS, the intensity of the pump beam and broadband Stokes beam should be enhanced simultaneously. Therefore, the gold shell particle and gold surface are demonstrated to enhance the forward and backward CARS, respectively. Results show that a signal enhancement factor of ˜25,000 can be achieved for the gold surface and an even higher enhancement factor can be achieved for the gold shell particles. Thus, we can obtain an enhanced CARS signal in a broad spectral range, which will substantially improve the detection sensitivity of hyperspectral CARS spectroscopy and imaging.

Climate change amplifies the interactions between wind and bark beetle disturbances in forest landscapes.

PubMed

Seidl, Rupert; Rammer, Werner

2017-07-01

Growing evidence suggests that climate change could substantially alter forest disturbances. Interactions between individual disturbance agents are a major component of disturbance regimes, yet how interactions contribute to their climate sensitivity remains largely unknown. Here, our aim was to assess the climate sensitivity of disturbance interactions, focusing on wind and bark beetle disturbances. We developed a process-based model of bark beetle disturbance, integrated into the dynamic forest landscape model iLand (already including a detailed model of wind disturbance). We evaluated the integrated model against observations from three wind events and a subsequent bark beetle outbreak, affecting 530.2 ha (3.8 %) of a mountain forest landscape in Austria between 2007 and 2014. Subsequently, we conducted a factorial experiment determining the effect of changes in climate variables on the area disturbed by wind and bark beetles separately and in combination. iLand was well able to reproduce observations with regard to area, temporal sequence, and spatial pattern of disturbance. The observed disturbance dynamics was strongly driven by interactions, with 64.3 % of the area disturbed attributed to interaction effects. A +4 °C warming increased the disturbed area by +264.7 % and the area-weighted mean patch size by +1794.3 %. Interactions were found to have a ten times higher sensitivity to temperature changes than main effects, considerably amplifying the climate sensitivity of the disturbance regime. Disturbance interactions are a key component of the forest disturbance regime. Neglecting interaction effects can lead to a substantial underestimation of the climate change sensitivity of disturbance regimes.

Cd, Fe, and Light Sensitivity: Interrelationships in Cd-Treated Populus

PubMed Central

Gáspár, László; Vági, Pál; Záray, Gyula; Fodor, Ferenc; Sárvári, Éva

2011-01-01

Abstract Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal causing iron deficiency in the shoot and light sensitivity of photosynthetic tissues that leads to decreased photosynthetic performance and biomass production. Light intensity had strong impact on both photosynthetic activity and metal accumulation of cadmium-treated plants. At elevated irradiation, cadmium accumulation increased due to the higher dry mass of plants, but its allocation hardly changed. A considerable amount of iron accumulated in the roots, and iron concentration was higher in leaves developed at moderate rather than low irradiation. At the same time, the higher the irradiation the lower the maximal photochemical quantum efficiency. The decreased photochemical efficiency, however, started to recover after a week of Cd treatment at moderate light without substantial change in metal concentrations but following the accumulation of green fluorescent compounds. Both cadmium treatment and higher light caused the accumulation of flavonoids in leaf mesophyll vacuoles/chloroplasts, but accumulation of flavonols, fluorescing at 510 nm, was characteristic to cadmium stress. Therefore, flavonoids, which may act by scavenging reactive radicals, chelating Cd, and shielding against excess irradiation, play an important part in Cd stress tolerance of Populus, and may have special impact on its phytoremediation capacity. PMID:22011338

Comparison between esophagography and chest computed tomography for evaluation of leaks after esophagectomy and gastric pull-through.

PubMed

Lantos, Joshua E; Levine, Marc S; Rubesin, Stephen E; Lau, Charles T; Torigian, Drew A

2013-03-01

To assess the diagnostic performance of esophagography and chest computed tomography (CT) for detecting leaks after esophagectomy and gastric pull-through. Our database revealed 29 patients who had undergone esophagography and chest CT after esophagectomy. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for postoperative leaks were determined for esophagography and CT, separately and combined, on the basis of a retrospective image review. Patients were also stratified for esophagograms with water-soluble contrast alone versus water-soluble contrast and high-density barium and for CT with and without oral contrast. Our findings were retrospectively compared with those reported at initial image interpretation. Clinically relevant leaks were present in 14 (48%) of 29 patients after esophagectomy. Esophagography had a sensitivity of 79%, specificity of 73%, PPV of 73%, and NPV of 79% for detecting leaks, whereas CT had a sensitivity of 86%, specificity of 33%, PPV of 55%, and NPV of 71% and esophagography and CT combined had a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 27%, PPV of 56%, and NPV of 100%. The sensitivity of esophagography increased with high-density barium, whereas the sensitivity of CT was the same with and without oral contrast agent. Finally, esophagography and CT were seen to have a higher sensitivity and lower specificity on retrospective review compared with the results reported at initial image interpretation. Esophagography had a slightly lower sensitivity and substantially higher specificity compared with CT for detecting leaks after esophagectomy, whereas esophagography and CT combined had a sensitivity of 100% for detecting leaks. Therefore, postoperative leaks can be excluded with confidence after esophagectomy when both tests are negative.

An improved protocol for optical projection tomography imaging reveals lobular heterogeneities in pancreatic islet and β-cell mass distribution

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Optical projection tomography (OPT) imaging is a powerful tool for three-dimensional imaging of gene and protein distribution patterns in biomedical specimens. We have previously demonstrated the possibility, by this technique, to extract information of the spatial and quantitative distribution of the islets of Langerhans in the intact mouse pancreas. In order to further increase the sensitivity of OPT imaging for this type of assessment, we have developed a protocol implementing a computational statistical approach: contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE). We demonstrate that this protocol significantly increases the sensitivity of OPT imaging for islet detection, helps preserve islet morphology and diminish subjectivity in thresholding for tomographic reconstruction. When applied to studies of the pancreas from healthy C57BL/6 mice, our data reveal that, at least in this strain, the pancreas harbors substantially more islets than has previously been reported. Further, we provide evidence that the gastric, duodenal and splenic lobes of the pancreas display dramatic differences in total and relative islet and β-cell mass distribution. This includes a 75% higher islet density in the gastric lobe as compared to the splenic lobe and a higher relative volume of insulin producing cells in the duodenal lobe as compared to the other lobes. Altogether, our data show that CLAHE substantially improves OPT based assessments of the islets of Langerhans and that lobular origin must be taken into careful consideration in quantitative and spatial assessments of the pancreas. PMID:21633198

Male circumcision decreases penile sensitivity as measured in a large cohort.

PubMed

Bronselaer, Guy A; Schober, Justine M; Meyer-Bahlburg, Heino F L; T'Sjoen, Guy; Vlietinck, Robert; Hoebeke, Piet B

2013-05-01

WHAT'S KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT? AND WHAT DOES THE STUDY ADD?: The sensitivity of the foreskin and its importance in erogenous sensitivity is widely debated and controversial. This is part of the actual public debate on circumcision for non-medical reason. Today some studies on the effect of circumcision on sexual function are available. However they vary widely in outcome. The present study shows in a large cohort of men, based on self-assessment, that the foreskin has erogenous sensitivity. It is shown that the foreskin is more sensitive than the uncircumcised glans mucosa, which means that after circumcision genital sensitivity is lost. In the debate on clitoral surgery the proven loss of sensitivity has been the strongest argument to change medical practice. In the present study there is strong evidence on the erogenous sensitivity of the foreskin. This knowledge hopefully can help doctors and patients in their decision on circumcision for non-medical reason. To test the hypothesis that sensitivity of the foreskin is a substantial part of male penile sensitivity. To determine the effects of male circumcision on penile sensitivity in a large sample. The study aimed at a sample size of ≈1000 men. Given the intimate nature of the questions and the intended large sample size, the authors decided to create an online survey. Respondents were recruited by means of leaflets and advertising. The analysis sample consisted of 1059 uncircumcised and 310 circumcised men. For the glans penis, circumcised men reported decreased sexual pleasure and lower orgasm intensity. They also stated more effort was required to achieve orgasm, and a higher percentage of them experienced unusual sensations (burning, prickling, itching, or tingling and numbness of the glans penis). For the penile shaft a higher percentage of circumcised men described discomfort and pain, numbness and unusual sensations. In comparison to men circumcised before puberty, men circumcised during adolescence or later indicated less sexual pleasure at the glans penis, and a higher percentage of them reported discomfort or pain and unusual sensations at the penile shaft. This study confirms the importance of the foreskin for penile sensitivity, overall sexual satisfaction, and penile functioning. Furthermore, this study shows that a higher percentage of circumcised men experience discomfort or pain and unusual sensations as compared with the uncircumcised population. Before circumcision without medical indication, adult men, and parents considering circumcision of their sons, should be informed of the importance of the foreskin in male sexuality. © 2013 BJU International.

Comparative Influence of Ocean Conditions on Yellowfin and Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Catch from Longlines in the Gulf of Mexico

PubMed Central

Teo, Steven L. H.; Block, Barbara A.

2010-01-01

Directed fishing effort for Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), their primary spawning grounds in the western Atlantic, has been prohibited since the 1980s due to a precipitous decline of the spawning stock biomass. However, pelagic longlines targeted at other species, primarily yellowfin tuna and swordfish, continue to catch Atlantic bluefin tuna in the GOM as bycatch. Spatial and temporal management measures minimizing bluefin tuna bycatch in the GOM will likely become important in rebuilding the western Atlantic bluefin stock. In order to help inform management policy and understand the relative distribution of target and bycatch species in the GOM, we compared the spatiotemporal variability and environmental influences on the catch per unit effort (CPUE) of yellowfin (target) and bluefin tuna (bycatch). Catch and effort data from pelagic longline fisheries observers (1993–2005) and scientific tagging cruises (1998–2002) were coupled with environmental and biological data. Negative binomial models were used to fit the data for both species and Akaike's Information Criterion (corrected for small sample size) was used to determine the best model. Our results indicate that bluefin CPUE had higher spatiotemporal variability as compared to yellowfin CPUE. Bluefin CPUE increased substantially during the breeding months (March-June) and peaked in April and May, while yellowfin CPUE remained relatively high throughout the year. In addition, bluefin CPUE was significantly higher in areas with negative sea surface height anomalies and cooler sea surface temperatures, which are characteristic of mesoscale cyclonic eddies. In contrast, yellowfin CPUE was less sensitive to environmental variability. These differences in seasonal variability and sensitivity to environmental influences suggest that bluefin tuna bycatch in the GOM can be reduced substantially by managing the spatial and temporal distribution of the pelagic longline effort without substantially impacting yellowfin tuna catches. PMID:20526356

Neighborhood-Level Social Processes and Substantiated Cases of Child Maltreatment

PubMed Central

Molnar, Beth E.; Goerge, Robert M.; Gilsanz, Paola; Hill, Andrea; Subramanian, SV; Holton, John K.; Duncan, Dustin T.; Beatriz, Elizabeth D.; Beardslee, William R.

2015-01-01

Child maltreatment is a preventable public health problem. Research has demonstrated that neighborhood structural factors (e.g. poverty, crime) can influence the proportion of a neighborhood’s children who are victims of maltreatment. A newer strategy is the identification of potentially modifiable social processes at the neighborhood level that can also influence maltreatment. Toward this end, this study examines neighborhood-level data (maltreatment cases substantiated by Illinois’ child protection agency, 1995–2005, social processes measured by the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, U.S. Census data, proportions of neighborhoods on public assistance, and crime data) that were linked across clusters of contiguous, relatively homogenous Chicago, IL census tracts with respect to racial/ethnic and socioeconomic composition. Our analysis—an ecological-level, repeated cross-sectional design utilizing random-intercept logit models— with a sensitivity analysis using spatial models to control for spatial autocorrelation – revealed consistent associations between neighborhood social processes and maltreatment. Neighborhoods higher in collective efficacy, intergenerational closure, and social networks, and lower in disorder had lower proportions of neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse substantiated cases, controlling for differences in structural factors. Higher collective efficacy and social network size also predicted a lower proportion of substance-exposed infants. This research indicates that strategies to mobilize neighborhood-level protective factors may decrease child maltreatment more effectively than individual and family-focused efforts alone. PMID:26684963

Neighborhood-level social processes and substantiated cases of child maltreatment.

PubMed

Molnar, Beth E; Goerge, Robert M; Gilsanz, Paola; Hill, Andrea; Subramanian, S V; Holton, John K; Duncan, Dustin T; Beatriz, Elizabeth D; Beardslee, William R

2016-01-01

Child maltreatment is a preventable public health problem. Research has demonstrated that neighborhood structural factors (e.g. poverty, crime) can influence the proportion of a neighborhood's children who are victims of maltreatment. A newer strategy is the identification of potentially modifiable social processes at the neighborhood level that can also influence maltreatment. Toward this end, this study examines neighborhood-level data (maltreatment cases substantiated by Illinois' child protection agency, 1995-2005, social processes measured by the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, U.S. Census data, proportions of neighborhoods on public assistance, and crime data) that were linked across clusters of contiguous, relatively homogenous Chicago, IL census tracts with respect to racial/ethnic and socioeconomic composition. Our analysis-an ecological-level, repeated cross-sectional design utilizing random-intercept logit models-with a sensitivity analysis using spatial models to control for spatial autocorrelation-revealed consistent associations between neighborhood social processes and maltreatment. Neighborhoods higher in collective efficacy, intergenerational closure, and social networks, and lower in disorder had lower proportions of neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse substantiated cases, controlling for differences in structural factors. Higher collective efficacy and social network size also predicted a lower proportion of substance-exposed infants. This research indicates that strategies to mobilize neighborhood-level protective factors may decrease child maltreatment more effectively than individual and family-focused efforts alone. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Corn-Based Ethanol Production and Environmental Quality: A Case of Iowa and the Conservation Reserve Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Secchi, Silvia; Gassman, Philip W.; Williams, Jimmy R.; Babcock, Bruce A.

2009-10-01

Growing demand for corn due to the expansion of ethanol has increased concerns that environmentally sensitive lands retired from agricultural production and enrolled into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) will be cropped again. Iowa produces more ethanol than any other state in the United States, and it also produces the most corn. Thus, an examination of the impacts of higher crop prices on CRP land in Iowa can give insight into what we might expect nationally in the years ahead if crop prices remain high. We construct CRP land supply curves for various corn prices and then estimate the environmental impacts of cropping CRP land through the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model. EPIC provides edge-of-field estimates of soil erosion, nutrient loss, and carbon sequestration. We find that incremental impacts increase dramatically as higher corn prices bring into production more and more environmentally fragile land. Maintaining current levels of environmental quality will require substantially higher spending levels. Even allowing for the cost savings that would accrue as CRP land leaves the program, a change in targeting strategies will likely be required to ensure that the most sensitive land does not leave the program.

Sensitivity of endoscopic ultrasound, multidetector computed tomography, and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography in the diagnosis of pancreas divisum: a tertiary center experience.

PubMed

Kushnir, Vladimir M; Wani, Sachin B; Fowler, Kathryn; Menias, Christine; Varma, Rakesh; Narra, Vamsi; Hovis, Christine; Murad, Faris M; Mullady, Daniel K; Jonnalagadda, Sreenivasa S; Early, Dayna S; Edmundowicz, Steven A; Azar, Riad R

2013-04-01

There are limited data comparing imaging modalities in the diagnosis of pancreas divisum. We aimed to: (1) evaluate the sensitivity of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) for pancreas divisum; and (2) assess interobserver agreement (IOA) among expert radiologists for detecting pancreas divisum on MDCT and MRCP. For this retrospective cohort study, we identified 45 consecutive patients with pancreaticobiliary symptoms and pancreas divisum established by endoscopic retrograde pancreatography who underwent EUS and cross-sectional imaging. The control group was composed of patients without pancreas divisum who underwent endoscopic retrograde pancreatography and cross-sectional imaging. The sensitivity of EUS for pancreas divisum was 86.7%, significantly higher than the sensitivity reported in the medical records for MDCT (15.5%) or MRCP (60%) (P < 0.001 for each). On review by expert radiologists, the sensitivity of MDCT increased to 83.3% in cases where the pancreatic duct was visualized, with fair IOA (κ = 0.34). Expert review of MRCPs did not identify any additional cases of pancreas divisum; IOA was moderate (κ = 0.43). Endoscopic ultrasound is a sensitive test for diagnosing pancreas divisum and is superior to MDCT and MRCP. Review of MDCT studies by expert radiologists substantially raises its sensitivity for pancreas divisum.

Immobilization of TiO2 Nanoparticles on Chlorella pyrenoidosa Cells for Enhanced Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalysis

PubMed Central

Cai, Aijun; Guo, Aiying; Ma, Zichuan

2017-01-01

TiO2 nanoparticles are immobilized on chlorella cells using the hydrothermal method. The morphology, structure, and the visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity of the prepared chlorella/TiO2 composite are investigated by various methods. The chlorella/TiO2 composite is found to exhibit larger average sizes and higher visible-light intensities. The sensitization of the photosynthesis pigment originating from chlorella cells provides the anatase TiO2 with higher photocatalytic activities under the visible-light irradiation. The latter is linked to the highly efficient charge separation of the electron/hole pairs. The results also suggest that the photocatalytic activity of the composite remains substantial after four cycles, suggesting a good stability. PMID:28772899

Technological advances in cosmogenic neutron detectors for measuring soil water content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zreda, M. G.; Schrön, M.; Köhli, M.

2017-12-01

The cosmic-ray neutron probe is used for measuring area-average soil water content at the hectometer scale. Early work showed a simple exponential decrease with distance of the instrument's sensitivity and a footprint 300 m in radius. Recent research suggested a much higher sensitivity to local neutrons and reduced footprint. We show results confirming the high sensitivity to local neutrons, describe two ways to reduce local and increase far-field effects, and propose ways of measuring neutrons at different spatial scales. Measurements with moderated detectors across a 10-m-wide creek and a 2-m-wide water tank show a decrease by 30% and 20%, respectively, of neutron intensity over water compared to that over land nearby. These results mean that the detector is sensitive to meter-scale heterogeneities of water content. This sensitivity can be reduced by rising the detector or by shielding it from local neutrons. The effect of local water distributions on the measured neutron intensity decreases with height. In the water tank experiment it disappeared almost completely at the height of 2 m, leading to the conjecture that the height roughly equal to the horizontal scale of heterogeneity would eliminate the sensitivity. This may or may not be practical. Shielding the detector below by a hydrogenous material removes a substantial fraction of the local neutrons. The shielded detector has a reduced count rate, reduced sensitivity to local neutrons and increased sensitivity to neutrons farther afield, and a larger footprint. Such a detector could be preferable to the current cosmogenic-neutron probe under heterogeneous soil water conditions. The shielding experiments also inspired the development of a local-area neutron detector. It has hydrogenous neutron shields on all sides except the bottom, substantially blocking the neutrons coming from afar, while allowing the neutrons coming directly from below. Its footprint is equal to its physical dimension when the detector is placed on the surface. Once this detector is calibrated, it can be useful in calibrating the wide-area detector, for example over stony soils that are difficult to sample physically for water content determination, and in high-resolution mapping of neutron intensity and soil moisture.

Dandelions, tulips and orchids: evidence for the existence of low-sensitive, medium-sensitive and high-sensitive individuals.

PubMed

Lionetti, Francesca; Aron, Arthur; Aron, Elaine N; Burns, G Leonard; Jagiellowicz, Jadzia; Pluess, Michael

2018-01-22

According to empirical studies and recent theories, people differ substantially in their reactivity or sensitivity to environmental influences with some being generally more affected than others. More sensitive individuals have been described as orchids and less-sensitive ones as dandelions. Applying a data-driven approach, we explored the existence of sensitivity groups in a sample of 906 adults who completed the highly sensitive person (HSP) scale. According to factor analyses, the HSP scale reflects a bifactor model with a general sensitivity factor. In contrast to prevailing theories, latent class analyses consistently suggested the existence of three rather than two groups. While we were able to identify a highly sensitive (orchids, 31%) and a low-sensitive group (dandelions, 29%), we also detected a third group (40%) characterised by medium sensitivity, which we refer to as tulips in keeping with the flower metaphor. Preliminary cut-off scores for all three groups are provided. In order to characterise the different sensitivity groups, we investigated group differences regarding the Big Five personality traits, as well as experimentally assessed emotional reactivity in an additional independent sample. According to these follow-up analyses, the three groups differed in neuroticism, extraversion and emotional reactivity to positive mood induction with orchids scoring significantly higher in neuroticism and emotional reactivity and lower in extraversion than the other two groups (dandelions also differed significantly from tulips). Findings suggest that environmental sensitivity is a continuous and normally distributed trait but that people fall into three distinct sensitive groups along a sensitivity continuum.

Population viability analysis of Lower Missouri River shovelnose sturgeon with initial application to the pallid sturgeon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bajer, P.G.; Wildhaber, M.L.

2007-01-01

Demographic models for the shovelnose (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) and pallid (S. albus) sturgeons in the Lower Missouri River were developed to conduct sensitivity analyses for both populations. Potential effects of increased fishing mortality on the shovelnose sturgeon were also evaluated. Populations of shovelnose and pallid sturgeon were most sensitive to age-0 mortality rates as well as mortality rates of juveniles and young adults. Overall, fecundity was a less sensitive parameter. However, increased fecundity effectively balanced higher mortality among sensitive age classes in both populations. Management that increases population-level fecundity and improves survival of age-0, juveniles, and young adults should most effectively benefit both populations. Evaluation of reproductive values indicated that populations of pallid sturgeon dominated by ages ≥35 could rapidly lose their potential for growth, particularly if recruitment remains low. Under the initial parameter values portraying current conditions the population of shovelnose sturgeon was predicted to decline by 1.65% annually, causing the commercial yield to also decline. Modeling indicated that the commercial yield could increase substantially if exploitation of females in ages ≤12 was highly restricted.

Direction sensitive neutron detector

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

Ahlen, Steven; Fisher, Peter; Dujmic, Denis

2017-01-31

A neutron detector includes a pressure vessel, an electrically conductive field cage assembly within the pressure vessel and an imaging subsystem. A pressurized gas mixture of CF.sub.4, .sup.3He and .sup.4He at respective partial pressures is used. The field cage establishes a relatively large drift region of low field strength, in which ionization electrons generated by neutron-He interactions are directed toward a substantially smaller amplification region of substantially higher field strength in which the ionization electrons undergo avalanche multiplication resulting in scintillation of the CF.sub.4 along scintillation tracks. The imaging system generates two-dimensional images of the scintillation patterns and employs track-findingmore » to identify tracks and deduce the rate and direction of incident neutrons. One or more photo-multiplier tubes record the time-profile of the scintillation tracks permitting the determination of the third coordinate.« less

A cross-ocean comparison of responses to settlement cues in reef-building corals

PubMed Central

Meyer, Eli; Guermond, Sarah M.; Matz, Mikhail V.

2014-01-01

Caribbean coral reefs have deteriorated substantially over the past 30 years, which is broadly attributable to the effects of global climate change. In the same time, Indo-Pacific reefs maintain higher coral cover and typically recover rapidly after disturbances. This difference in reef resilience is largely due to much higher coral recruitment rates in the Pacific. We hypothesized that the lack of Caribbean recruitment might be explained by diminishing quality of settlement cues and/or impaired sensitivity of Caribbean coral larvae to those cues, relative to the Pacific. To evaluate this hypothesis, we assembled a collection of bulk samples of reef encrusting communities, mostly consisting of crustose coralline algae (CCA), from various reefs around the world and tested them as settlement cues for several coral species originating from different ocean provinces. Cue samples were meta-barcoded to evaluate their taxonomic diversity. We observed no systematic differences either in cue potency or in strength of larval responses depending on the ocean province, and no preference of coral larvae towards cues from the same ocean. Instead, we detected significant differences in cue preferences among coral species, even for corals originating from the same reef. We conclude that the region-wide disruption of the settlement process is unlikely to be the major cause of Caribbean reef loss. However, due to their high sensitivity to the effects of climate change, shifts in the composition of CCA-associated communities, combined with pronounced differences in cue preferences among coral species, could substantially influence future coral community structure. PMID:24765568

Emissions pathways, climate change, and impacts on California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hayhoe, K.; Cayan, D.; Field, C.B.; Frumhoff, P.C.; Maurer, E.P.; Miller, N.L.; Moser, S.C.; Schneider, S.H.; Cahill, K.N.; Cleland, E.E.; Dale, L.; Drapek, R.; Hanemann, R.M.; Kalkstein, L.S.; Lenihan, J.; Lunch, C.K.; Neilson, R.P.; Sheridan, S.C.; Verville, J.H.

2004-01-01

The magnitude of future climate change depends substantially on the greenhouse gas emission pathways we choose. Here we explore the implications of the highest and lowest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emissions pathways for climate change and associated impacts in California. Based on climate projections from two state-of-the-art climate models with low and medium sensitivity (Parallel Climate Model and Hadley Centre Climate Model, version 3, respectively), we find that annual temperature increases nearly double from the lower B1 to the higher A1fi emissions scenario before 2100. Three of four simulations also show greater increases in summer temperatures as compared with winter. Extreme heat and the associated impacts on a range of temperature-sensitive sectors are substantially greater under the higher emissions scenario, with some interscenario differences apparent before midcentury. By the end of the century under the B1 scenario, heatwaves and extreme heat in Los Angeles quadruple in frequency while heat-related mortality increases two to three times; alpine/subalpine forests are reduced by 50-75%; and Sierra snowpack is reduced 30-70%. Under A1fi, heatwaves in Los Angeles are six to eight times more frequent, with heat-related excess mortality increasing five to seven times; alpine/subalpine forests are reduced by 75-90%; and snowpack declines 73-90%, with cascading impacts on runoff and streamflow that, combined with projected modest declines in winter precipitation, could fundamentally disrupt California's water rights system. Although interscenario differences in climate impacts and costs of adaptation emerge mainly in the second half of the century, they are strongly dependent on emissions from preceding decades.

Local Populations of Arabidopsis thaliana Show Clear Relationship between Photoperiodic Sensitivity of Flowering Time and Altitude

PubMed Central

Lewandowska-Sabat, Anna M.; Fjellheim, Siri; Olsen, Jorunn E.; Rognli, Odd A.

2017-01-01

Adaptation of plants to local conditions that vary substantially within their geographic range is essential for seasonal timing of flowering, a major determinant of plant reproductive success. This study investigates photoperiodic responses in natural populations of Arabidopsis thaliana from high northern latitudes and their significance for local adaptation. Thirty lineages from ten local A. thaliana populations, representing different locations across an altitudinal gradient (2–850 m a.s.l.) in Norway, were grown under uniform controlled conditions, and used to screen for responses to five different photoperiods. We studied relationships between variation in photoperiodic sensitivity of flowering time, altitude, and climatic factors associated with the sites of origin. We found that variation in response to photoperiod is significantly correlated with altitude and climatic variables associated with the sites of origin of the populations. Populations originating from lower altitudes showed stronger photoperiodic sensitivity than populations from higher altitudes. Our results indicate that the altitudinal climatic gradient generates clinal variation in adaptive traits in A. thaliana. PMID:28659966

Observed and predicted sensitivities of extreme surface ozone to meteorological drivers in three US cities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fix, Miranda J.; Cooley, Daniel; Hodzic, Alma; Gilleland, Eric; Russell, Brook T.; Porter, William C.; Pfister, Gabriele G.

2018-03-01

We conduct a case study of observed and simulated maximum daily 8-h average (MDA8) ozone (O3) in three US cities for summers during 1996-2005. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ability of a high resolution atmospheric chemistry model to reproduce observed relationships between meteorology and high or extreme O3. We employ regional coupled chemistry-transport model simulations to make three types of comparisons between simulated and observational data, comparing (1) tails of the O3 response variable, (2) distributions of meteorological predictor variables, and (3) sensitivities of high and extreme O3 to meteorological predictors. This last comparison is made using two methods: quantile regression, for the 0.95 quantile of O3, and tail dependence optimization, which is used to investigate even higher O3 extremes. Across all three locations, we find substantial differences between simulations and observational data in both meteorology and meteorological sensitivities of high and extreme O3.

Abscisic Acid Down-Regulates Hydraulic Conductance of Grapevine Leaves in Isohydric Genotypes Only1[OPEN

PubMed Central

Masclef, Diane; Lebon, Eric; Christophe, Angélique

2017-01-01

Plants evolved different strategies to cope with water stress. While isohydric species maintain their midday leaf water potential (ΨM) under soil water deficit by closing their stomata, anisohydric species maintain higher stomatal aperture and exhibit substantial reductions in ΨM. It was hypothesized that isohydry is related to a locally higher sensitivity of stomata to the drought-hormone abscisic acid (ABA). Interestingly, recent lines of evidence in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) suggested that stomatal responsiveness is also controlled by an ABA action on leaf water supply upstream from stomata. Here, we tested the possibility in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) that different genotypes ranging from near isohydric to more anisohydric may have different sensitivities in these ABA responses. Measurements on whole plants in drought conditions were combined with assays on detached leaves fed with ABA. Two different methods consistently showed that leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf) was down-regulated by exogenous ABA, with strong variations depending on the genotype. Importantly, variation between isohydry and anisohydry correlated with Kleaf sensitivity to ABA, with Kleaf in the most anisohydric genotypes being unresponsive to the hormone. We propose that the observed response of Kleaf to ABA may be part of the overall ABA regulation of leaf water status. PMID:28899961

Examining Equity Sensitivity: An Investigation Using the Big Five and HEXACO Models of Personality.

PubMed

Woodley, Hayden J R; Bourdage, Joshua S; Ogunfowora, Babatunde; Nguyen, Brenda

2015-01-01

The construct of equity sensitivity describes an individual's preference about his/her desired input to outcome ratio. Individuals high on equity sensitivity tend to be more input oriented, and are often called "Benevolents." Individuals low on equity sensitivity are more outcome oriented, and are described as "Entitleds." Given that equity sensitivity has often been described as a trait, the purpose of the present study was to examine major personality correlates of equity sensitivity, so as to inform both the nature of equity sensitivity, and the potential processes through which certain broad personality traits may relate to outcomes. We examined the personality correlates of equity sensitivity across three studies (total N = 1170), two personality models (i.e., the Big Five and HEXACO), the two most common measures of equity sensitivity (i.e., the Equity Preference Questionnaire and Equity Sensitivity Inventory), and using both self and peer reports of personality (in Study 3). Although results varied somewhat across samples, the personality variables of Conscientiousness and Honesty-Humility, followed by Agreeableness, were the most robust predictors of equity sensitivity. Individuals higher on these traits were more likely to be Benevolents, whereas those lower on these traits were more likely to be Entitleds. Although some associations between Extraversion, Openness, and Neuroticism and equity sensitivity were observed, these were generally not robust. Overall, it appears that there are several prominent personality variables underlying equity sensitivity, and that the addition of the HEXACO model's dimension of Honesty-Humility substantially contributes to our understanding of equity sensitivity.

Examining Equity Sensitivity: An Investigation Using the Big Five and HEXACO Models of Personality

PubMed Central

Woodley, Hayden J. R.; Bourdage, Joshua S.; Ogunfowora, Babatunde; Nguyen, Brenda

2016-01-01

The construct of equity sensitivity describes an individual's preference about his/her desired input to outcome ratio. Individuals high on equity sensitivity tend to be more input oriented, and are often called “Benevolents.” Individuals low on equity sensitivity are more outcome oriented, and are described as “Entitleds.” Given that equity sensitivity has often been described as a trait, the purpose of the present study was to examine major personality correlates of equity sensitivity, so as to inform both the nature of equity sensitivity, and the potential processes through which certain broad personality traits may relate to outcomes. We examined the personality correlates of equity sensitivity across three studies (total N = 1170), two personality models (i.e., the Big Five and HEXACO), the two most common measures of equity sensitivity (i.e., the Equity Preference Questionnaire and Equity Sensitivity Inventory), and using both self and peer reports of personality (in Study 3). Although results varied somewhat across samples, the personality variables of Conscientiousness and Honesty-Humility, followed by Agreeableness, were the most robust predictors of equity sensitivity. Individuals higher on these traits were more likely to be Benevolents, whereas those lower on these traits were more likely to be Entitleds. Although some associations between Extraversion, Openness, and Neuroticism and equity sensitivity were observed, these were generally not robust. Overall, it appears that there are several prominent personality variables underlying equity sensitivity, and that the addition of the HEXACO model's dimension of Honesty-Humility substantially contributes to our understanding of equity sensitivity. PMID:26779102

Prevalence of gluten-free diet adherence among individuals without celiac disease in the USA: results from the Continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2010.

PubMed

DiGiacomo, Daniel V; Tennyson, Christina A; Green, Peter H; Demmer, Ryan T

2013-08-01

Clinical inference suggests the prevalence of non-celiac gluten sensitivity is substantially higher than that of celiac disease in the USA. Unfortunately, there are currently no data supporting these claims. The authors analyzed nationally representative data to estimate the prevalence of adherence to a gluten-free diet among participants without celiac disease and also to characterize the demographics and general health status of these participants. The Continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009-2010 enrolled 7762 individuals representing the civilian, non-institutionalized, US population free of celiac disease. Participants responded to interviewer administered questionnaires regarding current adherence to a gluten-free diet. Prevalence estimates were computed using SAS survey procedures. There were 49 individuals who reported current adherence to a gluten-free diet reflecting a weighted prevalence of 0.548% (95% CI 0.206-0.889). The prevalence of a gluten-free diet was higher in females (0.58%) than males (0.37%), although this was not statistically significant (p = 0.34). Participants reporting a gluten-free diet were older (46.6 vs. 40.5 years, p = 0.005), had higher high-density lipoprotein, lower iron and lower body mass index. The estimated national prevalence of non-celiac gluten sensitivity is 0.548%, approximately half that of celiac disease. Future studies are merited in order to better understand the population burden of non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

How Nutrition Sensitive Are the Nutrition Policies of New Zealand Food Manufacturers? A Benchmarking Study.

PubMed

Doonan, Rebecca; Field, Penny

2017-12-19

Nutrition sensitive policy addresses the underlying determinants of nutrition-related disease and is a powerful tool in reducing the incidence of non-communicable disease. Some members of the food industry have long standing commitments to health-oriented nutrition policies. The aim of this study was to develop and apply a balanced scorecard of nutrition sensitive indicators to the policies of influential New Zealand food and beverage manufacturers and explore factors affecting policy processes. The average nutrition sensitivity score of the twenty influential manufacturers policies was 42 against a benchmark of 75. Some manufacturers performed well whilst others had substantial scope for improvement, the largest variation was in policy development and implementation, whereas nutrition quality was relatively consistent. Manufacturers with written policy ( n = 11) scored on average three times higher than their counterparts with verbal policy. The value a manufacturer placed on nutrition influenced whether formal nutrition policies were developed. The reputational risk of failing to deliver on publicly declared nutrition commitments acted as an informal accountability mechanism. We conclude the balanced scorecard offers a useful tool for assessing the nutrition sensitivity of influential food and beverage manufacturers' policies. Our results provide a baseline for repeat assessments of the nutrition sensitivity of food manufacturers' policies.

Sensitivity to binaural timing in bilateral cochlear implant users.

PubMed

van Hoesel, Richard J M

2007-04-01

Various measures of binaural timing sensitivity were made in three bilateral cochlear implant users, who had demonstrated moderate-to-good interaural time delay (ITD) sensitivity at 100 pulses-per-second (pps). Overall, ITD thresholds increased at higher pulse rates, lower levels, and shorter durations, although intersubject differences were evident. Monaural rate-discrimination thresholds, using the same stimulation parameters, showed more substantial elevation than ITDs with increased rate. ITD sensitivity with 6000 pps stimuli, amplitude-modulated at 100 Hz, was similar to that with unmodulated pulse trains at 100 pps, but at 200 and 300 Hz performance was poorer than with unmodulated signals. Measures of sensitivity to binaural beats with unmodulated pulse-trains showed that all three subjects could use time-varying ITD cues at 100 pps, but not 300 pps, even though static ITD sensitivity was relatively unaffected over that range. The difference between static and dynamic ITD thresholds is discussed in terms of relative contributions from initial and later arriving cues, which was further examined in an experiment using two-pulse stimuli as a function of interpulse separation. In agreement with the binaural-beat data, findings from that experiment showed poor discrimination of ITDs on the second pulse when the interval between pulses was reduced to a few milliseconds.

How Nutrition Sensitive Are the Nutrition Policies of New Zealand Food Manufacturers? A Benchmarking Study

PubMed Central

Doonan, Rebecca

2017-01-01

Nutrition sensitive policy addresses the underlying determinants of nutrition-related disease and is a powerful tool in reducing the incidence of non-communicable disease. Some members of the food industry have long standing commitments to health-oriented nutrition policies. The aim of this study was to develop and apply a balanced scorecard of nutrition sensitive indicators to the policies of influential New Zealand food and beverage manufacturers and explore factors affecting policy processes. Results: The average nutrition sensitivity score of the twenty influential manufacturers policies was 42 against a benchmark of 75. Some manufacturers performed well whilst others had substantial scope for improvement, the largest variation was in policy development and implementation, whereas nutrition quality was relatively consistent. Manufacturers with written policy (n = 11) scored on average three times higher than their counterparts with verbal policy. The value a manufacturer placed on nutrition influenced whether formal nutrition policies were developed. The reputational risk of failing to deliver on publicly declared nutrition commitments acted as an informal accountability mechanism. We conclude the balanced scorecard offers a useful tool for assessing the nutrition sensitivity of influential food and beverage manufacturers’ policies. Our results provide a baseline for repeat assessments of the nutrition sensitivity of food manufacturers’ policies. PMID:29257049

Body fat distribution modulates insulin sensitivity in post-menopausal overweight and obese women: a MONET study.

PubMed

Tousignant, B; Faraj, M; Conus, F; Garrel, D; Brochu, M; Rabasa-Lhoret, R; Coderre, L

2008-11-01

Central fat mass (CFM) correlates with insulin resistance and increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular complications. On the other hand, increased peripheral fat mass (PFM) is associated with higher insulin sensitivity. Thus, we examined the contribution of adipose tissue distribution, as assessed by the PFM/CFM ratio, to insulin sensitivity in overweight and obese postmenopausal women. A total of 124 nondiabetic overweight and obese postmenopausal women underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and a hyperinsulinemic/euglycemic (HI) clamp. Body composition was determined using computed tomography for visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and dual X-ray absorptiometry for fat mass, lean body mass and their respective proportions. Participants were divided by tertiles of the PFM/CFM ratio. Participants with preferential CFM (group 1) had higher fasting insulin levels and insulin area under the curve (AUC) during OGTT, as well as lower glucose infusion rates during the HI clamp, whether it was expressed per kg of body weight (M) or per kg of fat-free mass (Mm), compared with the other two groups. The PFM/CFM ratio also correlated significantly with fasting insulin (r=-0.32, P<0.001), the insulin AUC (r=-0.42 P<0.001), M (r=0.39 P<0.001) and Mm (r=0.37 P<0.001). Using hierarchical regression, we demonstrated that the PFM/CFM ratio was an independent predictor of insulin AUC, M and Mm and that its sequential addition to CFM and VAT improved significantly the predictive value of the model for insulin sensitivity for all variables except fasting insulin. The PFM/CFM ratio, which integrates the antagonistic effects of both central and peripheral depots on insulin sensitivity, added substantially to the prediction of insulin sensitivity over VAT and CFM alone.

Changes in color vision and contrast sensitivity after descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty for fuchs endothelial dystrophy.

PubMed

Cabrerizo, Javier; Livny, Eitan; Musa, Fayyaz U; Leeuwenburgh, Paulien; van Dijk, Korine; Melles, Gerrit R J

2014-10-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate contrast sensitivity, color vision, and subjective patient satisfaction after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) in patients with bilateral Fuchs endothelial dystrophy (FED). From a group of 500 DMEK surgeries performed in our center, patients with a history of bilateral FED and unilateral DMEK were identified. A total of 29 patients were included in the study and divided into 2 groups: phakic (n = 12) and pseudophakic unilateral DMEK (n = 17) and their contralateral, untreated FED-affected eye. In addition, a control group of 10 healthy eyes of 10 patients was included. Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity and Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue color vision tests were performed. Subjective optical quality was graded with a questionnaire. Compared with untreated FED-affected eyes, best spectacle-corrected visual acuity was higher after DMEK in phakic and pseudophakic eyes (P = 0.030 and P < 0.001, respectively); a similar result was obtained for contrast sensitivity (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). Color vision did not differ between untreated FED-affected and DMEK-operated eyes in the phakic group (P = 0.802) and the pseudophakic group (P = 0.227). Subjective optical quality was better in DMEK-operated eyes than in untreated FED-affected eyes in the phakic group (P < 0.001) and in the pseudophakic group (P < 0.001). In FED, DMEK may not only be effective for obtaining a higher visual acuity but particularly improving the contrast sensitivity may also lead to better subjective optical performance. Although frequently mentioned spontaneously by patients, an objective change in color vision could not be substantiated. Hence, quantifying contrast sensitivity before surgery may aid in the decision for surgery, and in the evaluation of surgical outcome.

Substantial replacement of lactose with fat in a high-lactose milk replacer diet increases liver fat accumulation but does not affect insulin sensitivity in veal calves.

PubMed

Pantophlet, A J; Gerrits, W J J; Vonk, R J; van den Borne, J J G C

2016-12-01

In veal calves, the major portion of digestible energy intake originates from milk replacer (MR), with lactose and fat contributing approximately 45 and 35%, respectively. In veal calves older than 4 mo, prolonged high intakes of MR may lead to problems with glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity, ultimately resulting in sustained insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, and impaired animal performance. The contribution of each of the dietary energy sources (lactose and fat) to deteriorated glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance is currently unknown. Therefore, an experiment was designed to compare the effects of a high-lactose and a high-fat MR on glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity in veal calves. Sixteen male Holstein-Friesian calves (120±2.8kg of BW) were assigned to either a high-lactose (HL) or a high-fat (HF) MR for 13 consecutive weeks. After at least 7 wk of adaptation, whole-body insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion were assessed by euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic and hyperglycemic clamps, respectively. Postprandial blood samples were collected to assess glucose, insulin, and triglyceride responses to feeding, and 24-h urine was collected to quantify urinary glucose excretion. At the end of the trial, liver and muscle biopsies were taken to assess triglyceride contents in these tissues. Long-term exposure of calves to HF or HL MR did not affect whole-body insulin sensitivity (averaging 4.2±0.5×10 -2 [(mg/kg∙min)/(μU/mL)]) and insulin secretion. Responses to feeding were greater for plasma glucose and tended to be greater for plasma insulin in HL calves than in HF calves. Urinary glucose excretion was substantially higher in HL calves (75±13g/d) than in HF calves (21±6g/d). Muscle triglyceride content was not affected by treatment and averaged 4.5±0.6g/kg, but liver triglyceride content was higher in HF calves (16.4±0.9g/kg) than in HL calves (11.2±0.7g/kg), indicating increased hepatic fat accumulation. We conclude that increasing the contribution of fat to the digestible energy intake from the MR from 20 to 50%, at the expense of lactose does not affect whole-body insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion in calves. However, a high-lactose MR increases postprandial glucose and insulin responses, whereas a high-fat MR increases fat accumulation in liver but not muscle. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Method for detecting trace impurities in gases

DOEpatents

Freund, Samuel M.; Maier, II, William B.; Holland, Redus F.; Beattie, Willard H.

1981-01-01

A technique for considerably improving the sensitivity and specificity of infrared spectrometry as applied to quantitative determination of trace impurities in various carrier or solvent gases is presented. A gas to be examined for impurities is liquefied and infrared absorption spectra of the liquid are obtained. Spectral simplification and number densities of impurities in the optical path are substantially higher than are obtainable in similar gas-phase analyses. Carbon dioxide impurity (.about.2 ppm) present in commercial Xe and ppm levels of Freon 12 and vinyl chloride added to liquefied air are used to illustrate the method.

Method for detecting trace impurities in gases

DOEpatents

Freund, S.M.; Maier, W.B. II; Holland, R.F.; Beattie, W.H.

A technique for considerably improving the sensitivity and specificity of infrared spectrometry as applied to quantitative determination of trace impurities in various carrier or solvent gases is presented. A gas to be examined for impurities is liquefied and infrared absorption spectra of the liquid are obtained. Spectral simplification and number densities of impurities in the optical path are substantially higher than are obtainable in similar gas-phase analyses. Carbon dioxide impurity (approx. 2 ppM) present in commercial Xe and ppM levels of Freon 12 and vinyl chloride added to liquefied air are used to illustrate the method.

Geriatric dizziness: evolving diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for the emergency department.

PubMed

Lo, Alexander X; Harada, Caroline N

2013-02-01

Dizziness affects one in five people over the age of 65 years and is associated with substantial healthcare costs. Serious causes of dizziness are found in 20% of patients over 50 years. The approach to the patient with dizziness is challenging as physical exam and diagnostic tests have suboptimal sensitivities. The risk of vascular events is higher in the first 30 days than after, suggesting some missed diagnoses. Medications and vestibular rehabilitation may serve as treatment options for dizziness, but data on their efficacy in older patients is lacking. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of temperature on biochemical reactions and drug resistance of virulent and avirulent Aeromonas salmonicida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hahnel, G.B.; Gould, R.W.

1982-01-01

Incubation temperatures of 11°, 18° and 28° did not substantially affect biochemical reactions of either virulent or avirulent forms of Aeromonas salmonicida subspecies salmonicida. The only change observed, amygdalin fermentation, was positive at 11° and 18° but negative at 28°C. Several isolates utilized sucrose, a characteristic not normally recognized for A. salmonicida subspecies salmonicida.Antimicrobial susceptibility screening indicated resistance to novobiocin increased at the higher incubation temperatures. Standardized drug sensitivity testing procedures and precise zone diameter interpretive standards for bacterial fish pathogens are needed.

Field validation of food outlet databases: the Latino food environment in North Carolina, USA.

PubMed

Rummo, Pasquale E; Albrecht, Sandra S; Gordon-Larsen, Penny

2015-04-01

Obtaining valid, reliable measures of food environments that serve Latino communities is important for understanding barriers to healthy eating in this at-risk population. The primary aim of the study was to examine agreement between retail food outlet data from two commercial databases, Nielsen TDLinx (TDLinx) for food stores and Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) for food stores and restaurants, relative to field observations of food stores and restaurants in thirty-one census tracts in Durham County, NC, USA. We also examined differences by proportion of Hispanic population (

SENSITIVITY OF ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND, MULTIDETECTOR COMPUTER TOMOGRAPHY AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE CHOLANGIOPANCREATOGRAPHY IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF PANCREAS DIVISUM: A TERTIARY CENTER EXPERIENCE

PubMed Central

Kushnir, Vladimir M.; Wani, Sachin B.; Fowler, Kathryn; Menias, Christine; Varma, Rakesh; Narra, Vamsi; Hovis, Christine; Murad, Faris; Mullady, Daniel; Jonnalagadda, Sreenivasa S.; Early, Dayna S.; Edmundowicz, Steven A.; Azar, Riad R.

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVES There are limited data comparing imaging modalities in the diagnosis of pancreas divisum. We aimed to: 1. Evaluate the sensitivity of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) for pancreas divisum. 2. Assess interobserver agreement (IOA) among expert radiologists for detecting pancreas divisum on MDCT and MRCP. METHODS For this retrospective cohort study, we identified 45 consecutive patients with pancreaticobiliary symptoms and pancreas divisum established by endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERP) who underwent EUS and cross-sectional imaging. The control group was composed of patients without pancreas divisum who underwent ERP and cross-sectional imaging. RESULTS The sensitivity of EUS for pancreas divisum was 86.7%, significantly higher than sensitivity reported in the medical records for MDCT (15.5%) or MRCP (60%) [p<0.001 for each]. On review by expert radiologists the sensitivity of MDCT increased to 83.3% in cases where the pancreatic duct was visualized, with fair IOA (қ=0.34). Expert review of MRCPs did not identify any additional cases of pancreas divisum; IOA was moderate (қ=0.43). CONCLUSIONS EUS is a sensitive test for diagnosing pancreas divisum and is superior to MDCT and MRCP. Review of MDCT studies by expert radiologists substantially raises its sensitivity for pancreas divisum. PMID:23211370

A ferrocenecarboxylate-functionalized titanium-oxo-cluster: the ferrocene wheel as a sensitizer for photocurrent response.

PubMed

Fan, Yang; Cui, Ying; Zou, Guo-Dong; Duan, Rui-Huan; Zhang, Xu; Dong, Yu-Xiang; Lv, Hai-Ting; Cao, Jun-Tao; Jing, Qiang-Shan

2017-06-27

Sensitized titanium-oxo clusters (TOCs) have attracted growing interest. However, reports on TOCs incorporated with a metal complex as photosensitizers are still very rare. In the present work, the organometallic complex ferrocene was used as a sensitizer for a titanium-oxo cluster. A ferrocenecarboxylate-substituted titanium-oxo cluster [Ti 6 (μ 3 -O) 6 (OiPr) 6 (O 2 CFc) 6 ] (Fc = ferrocenyl) was synthesized and structurally characterized, in which the ferrocene wheel performs as a sensitizer for photocurrent response. For comparison, naphthalene-sensitized titanium-oxo clusters [Ti 6 (μ 3 -O) 6 (OiPr) 6 (NA) 6 ] (NA = 1-naphthoate) and [Ti 6 (μ 3 -O) 6 (OiPr) 6 (NAA) 6 ] (NAA = 1-naphthylacetate) with the same {Ti 6 } core structure were also synthesized. The structures, optical behaviors, electronic states and photoelectrochemical properties of these sensitized {Ti 6 } clusters were investigated. It is demonstrated that the introduction of ferrocene groups into the titanium-oxo cluster significantly reduces the band gap and enhances the photocurrent response in comparison with the naphthalene-sensitized clusters. The substantially reduced band gap of the ferrocene-sensitized cluster was attributed to the introduction of Fe(ii) d-d transitions and the possible contribution from the Fc → {Ti 6 } charge transfer. For the naphthalene-sensitized clusters, the better electronic coupling between the dye and the {Ti 6 } core in the 1-naphthoate (NA) substituted cluster results in higher photoelectrochemical activity.

Measurement invariance versus selection invariance: is fair selection possible?

PubMed

Borsboom, Denny; Romeijn, Jan-Willem; Wicherts, Jelte M

2008-06-01

This article shows that measurement invariance (defined in terms of an invariant measurement model in different groups) is generally inconsistent with selection invariance (defined in terms of equal sensitivity and specificity across groups). In particular, when a unidimensional measurement instrument is used and group differences are present in the location but not in the variance of the latent distribution, sensitivity and positive predictive value will be higher in the group at the higher end of the latent dimension, whereas specificity and negative predictive value will be higher in the group at the lower end of the latent dimension. When latent variances are unequal, the differences in these quantities depend on the size of group differences in variances relative to the size of group differences in means. The effect originates as a special case of Simpson's paradox, which arises because the observed score distribution is collapsed into an accept-reject dichotomy. Simulations show the effect can be substantial in realistic situations. It is suggested that the effect may be partly responsible for overprediction in minority groups as typically found in empirical studies on differential academic performance. A methodological solution to the problem is suggested, and social policy implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved).

Deletion of interleukin 1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (Irak1) improves glucose tolerance primarily by increasing insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle.

PubMed

Sun, Xiao-Jian; Kim, Soohyun Park; Zhang, Dongming; Sun, Helen; Cao, Qi; Lu, Xin; Ying, Zhekang; Li, Liwu; Henry, Robert R; Ciaraldi, Theodore P; Taylor, Simeon I; Quon, Michael J

2017-07-21

Chronic inflammation may contribute to insulin resistance via molecular cross-talk between pathways for pro-inflammatory and insulin signaling. Interleukin 1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (IRAK-1) mediates pro-inflammatory signaling via IL-1 receptor/Toll-like receptors, which may contribute to insulin resistance, but this hypothesis is untested. Here, we used male Irak1 null (k/o) mice to investigate the metabolic role of IRAK-1. C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) and k/o mice had comparable body weights on low-fat and high-fat diets (LFD and HFD, respectively). After 12 weeks on LFD (but not HFD), k/o mice ( versus WT) had substantially improved glucose tolerance (assessed by the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT)). As assessed with the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic glucose clamp technique, insulin sensitivity was 30% higher in the Irak1 k/o mice on chow diet, but the Irak1 deletion did not affect IPGTT outcomes in mice on HFD, suggesting that the deletion did not overcome the impact of obesity on glucose tolerance. Moreover, insulin-stimulated glucose-disposal rates were higher in the k/o mice, but we detected no significant difference in hepatic glucose production rates (± insulin infusion). Positron emission/computed tomography scans indicated higher insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in muscle, but not liver, in Irak1 k/o mice in vivo Moreover, insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of Akt was higher in muscle, but not in liver, from Irak1 k/o mice ex vivo In conclusion, Irak1 deletion improved muscle insulin sensitivity, with the effect being most apparent in LFD mice. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Emissions pathways, climate change, and impacts on California

PubMed Central

Hayhoe, Katharine; Cayan, Daniel; Field, Christopher B.; Frumhoff, Peter C.; Maurer, Edwin P.; Miller, Norman L.; Moser, Susanne C.; Schneider, Stephen H.; Cahill, Kimberly Nicholas; Cleland, Elsa E.; Dale, Larry; Drapek, Ray; Hanemann, R. Michael; Kalkstein, Laurence S.; Lenihan, James; Lunch, Claire K.; Neilson, Ronald P.; Sheridan, Scott C.; Verville, Julia H.

2004-01-01

The magnitude of future climate change depends substantially on the greenhouse gas emission pathways we choose. Here we explore the implications of the highest and lowest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emissions pathways for climate change and associated impacts in California. Based on climate projections from two state-of-the-art climate models with low and medium sensitivity (Parallel Climate Model and Hadley Centre Climate Model, version 3, respectively), we find that annual temperature increases nearly double from the lower B1 to the higher A1fi emissions scenario before 2100. Three of four simulations also show greater increases in summer temperatures as compared with winter. Extreme heat and the associated impacts on a range of temperature-sensitive sectors are substantially greater under the higher emissions scenario, with some interscenario differences apparent before midcentury. By the end of the century under the B1 scenario, heatwaves and extreme heat in Los Angeles quadruple in frequency while heat-related mortality increases two to three times; alpine/subalpine forests are reduced by 50–75%; and Sierra snowpack is reduced 30–70%. Under A1fi, heatwaves in Los Angeles are six to eight times more frequent, with heat-related excess mortality increasing five to seven times; alpine/subalpine forests are reduced by 75–90%; and snowpack declines 73–90%, with cascading impacts on runoff and streamflow that, combined with projected modest declines in winter precipitation, could fundamentally disrupt California's water rights system. Although interscenario differences in climate impacts and costs of adaptation emerge mainly in the second half of the century, they are strongly dependent on emissions from preceding decades. PMID:15314227

Simplified correction of B1 inhomogeneity for chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI measurement with surface transceiver coil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Phillip Z.; Zhou, Iris Y.; Igarashi, Takahiro; Guo, Yingkun; Xiao, Gang; Wu, Renhua

2015-03-01

Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI is sensitive to dilute exchangeable protons and local properties such as pH and temperate, yet its susceptibility to field inhomogeneity limits its in vivo applications. Particularly, CEST measurement varies with RF irradiation power, the dependence of which is complex due to concomitant direct RF saturation (RF spillover) effect. Because the volume transmitters provide relatively homogeneous RF field, they have been conventionally used for CEST imaging despite of their elevated specific absorption rate (SAR) and relatively low sensitivity than surface coils. To address this limitation, we developed an efficient B1 inhomogeneity correction algorithm that enables CEST MRI using surface transceiver coils. This is built on recent work that showed the inverse CEST asymmetry analysis (CESTRind) is not susceptible to confounding RF spillover effect. We here postulated that the linear relationship between RF power level and CESTRind can be extended for correcting B1 inhomogeneity induced CEST MRI artifacts. Briefly, we prepared a tissue-like Creatine gel pH phantom and collected multiparametric MRI including relaxation, field map and CEST MRI under multiple RF power levels, using a conventional surface transceiver coil. The raw CEST images showed substantial heterogeneity due to B1 inhomogeneity, with pH contrast to noise ratio (CNR) being 8.8. In comparison, pH MRI CNR of the fieldinhomogeneity corrected CEST MRI was found to be 17.2, substantially higher than that without correction. To summarize, our study validated an efficient field inhomogeneity correction that enables sensitive CEST MRI with surface transceiver, promising for in vivo translation.

The duckweed Wolffia globosa as an indicator of heavy metal pollution: Sensitivity to Cr and Cd.

PubMed

Grag, P; Chandra, P

1994-01-01

The potential of Wolffia globosa, a profusely occurring rootless duckweed, was evaluated as an indicator of metal pollution in the water bodies. Plants of W. globosa were cultured in 3% Hoagland's nutrient medium which was supplemented with 0.05, 0.1, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/L of Cr and Cd. Plants showed substantial accumulation of both the metals at lowest concentrations. For example, at 0.05 ppm, the concentration factor (Cf) value for Cr was significantly higher (5616) than for Cd (1018). A high level of tolerance was shown by the plants to both Cr and Cd. The results show that the plants are sensitive to the variations in metal concentration and are capable of high metal enrichment at very low ambient concentration of the metals. This information may be useful for detecting metals in the water.

Warping Armchair Graphene Nanoribbon Curvature Effect on Sensing Properties: A Computational Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakina, S. H.; Johari, Zaharah; Auzar, Zuriana; Alias, N. Ezaila; Mohamad, Azam; Zakaria, N. Aini

2018-02-01

The aim of this paper is to investigate the interaction between gas molecules and warped armchair graphene nanoribbons (AGNRs) using Extended-Huckel Theory. There are two types of warping known as inward and upward. The sensing properties including binding energy, charge transfer and sensitivity were examined for both warped AGNR cases for 3m+1 configuration and were compared with previous work. Through simulation, it was found that a substantial increase in binding energy by more than 50% was achieved when warped at a higher angle. It is also showed that there was a significant difference in sensitivity for both warping cases when reacting with O2 and NH3 molecules. Interestingly, the ability of the inward warped in sensing O2 and NH3 considerably increases upon warping angle. By applying back gate bias, this shows that current conductivity of the inward warped is twice as high as the upward warped AGNR.

Consumer Choice of E85 Denatured Ethanol Fuel Blend: Price Sensitivity and Cost of Limited Fuel Availability

DOE PAGES

Liu, Changzheng; Greene, David

2014-12-01

The promotion of greater use of E85, a fuel blend of 85% denatured ethanol, by flex-fuel vehicle owners is an important means of complying with the Renewable Fuel Standard 2. A good understanding of factors affecting E85 demand is necessary for effective policies that promote E85 and for developing models that forecast E85 sales in the United States. In this paper, the sensitivity of aggregate E85 demand to E85 and gasoline prices is estimated, as is the relative availability of E85 versus gasoline. The econometric analysis uses recent data from Minnesota, North Dakota, and Iowa. The more recent data allowmore » a better estimate of nonfleet demand and indicate that the market price elasticity of E85 choice is substantially higher than previously estimated.« less

Sub-wavelength efficient polarization filter (SWEP filter)

DOEpatents

Simpson, Marcus L.; Simpson, John T.

2003-12-09

A polarization sensitive filter includes a first sub-wavelength resonant grating structure (SWS) for receiving incident light, and a second SWS. The SWS are disposed relative to one another such that incident light which is transmitted by the first SWS passes through the second SWS. The filter has a polarization sensitive resonance, the polarization sensitive resonance substantially reflecting a first polarization component of incident light while substantially transmitting a second polarization component of the incident light, the polarization components being orthogonal to one another. A method for forming polarization filters includes the steps of forming first and second SWS, the first and second SWS disposed relative to one another such that a portion of incident light applied to the first SWS passes through the second SWS. A method for separating polarizations of light, includes the steps of providing a filter formed from a first and second SWS, shining incident light having orthogonal polarization components on the first SWS, and substantially reflecting one of the orthogonal polarization components while substantially transmitting the other orthogonal polarization component. A high Q narrowband filter includes a first and second SWS, the first and second SWS are spaced apart a distance being at least one half an optical wavelength.

The contribution of Ca2+ signaling and Ca2+ sensitivity to the regulation of airway smooth muscle contraction is different in rats and mice.

PubMed

Bai, Yan; Sanderson, Michael J

2009-06-01

To determine the relative contributions of Ca(2+) signaling and Ca(2+) sensitivity to the contractility of airway smooth muscle cells (SMCs), we compared the contractile responses of mouse and rat airways with the lung slice technique. Airway contraction was measured by monitoring changes in airway lumen area with phase-contrast microscopy, whereas changes in intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) of the SMCs were recorded with laser scanning microscopy. In mice and rats, methacholine (MCh) or serotonin induced concentration-dependent airway contraction and Ca(2+) oscillations in the SMCs. However, rat airways demonstrated greater contraction compared with mice, in response to agonist-induced Ca(2+) oscillations of a similar frequency. Because this indicates that rat airway SMCs have a higher Ca(2+) sensitivity compared with mice, we examined Ca(2+) sensitivity with Ca(2+)-permeabilized airway SMCs in which the [Ca(2+)](i) was experimentally controlled. In the absence of agonists, high [Ca(2+)](i) induced a sustained contraction in rat airways but only a transient contraction in mouse airways. This sustained contraction of rat airways was relaxed by Y-23672, a Rho kinase inhibitor, but not affected by GF-109203X, a PKC inhibitor. The subsequent exposure of Ca(2+)-permeabilized airway SMCs, with high [Ca(2+)](i), to MCh elicited a further contraction of rat airways and initiated a sustained contraction of mouse airways, without changing the [Ca(2+)](i) of the SMCs. Collectively, these results indicate that airway SMCs of rats have a substantially higher innate Ca(2+) sensitivity than mice and that this strongly influences the transduction of the frequency of Ca(2+) oscillations into the contractility of airway SMCs.

Real versus Artificial Variation in the Thermal Sensitivity of Biological Traits.

PubMed

Pawar, Samraat; Dell, Anthony I; Savage, Van M; Knies, Jennifer L

2016-02-01

Whether the thermal sensitivity of an organism's traits follows the simple Boltzmann-Arrhenius model remains a contentious issue that centers around consideration of its operational temperature range and whether the sensitivity corresponds to one or a few underlying rate-limiting enzymes. Resolving this issue is crucial, because mechanistic models for temperature dependence of traits are required to predict the biological effects of climate change. Here, by combining theory with data on 1,085 thermal responses from a wide range of traits and organisms, we show that substantial variation in thermal sensitivity (activation energy) estimates can arise simply because of variation in the range of measured temperatures. Furthermore, when thermal responses deviate systematically from the Boltzmann-Arrhenius model, variation in measured temperature ranges across studies can bias estimated activation energy distributions toward higher mean, median, variance, and skewness. Remarkably, this bias alone can yield activation energies that encompass the range expected from biochemical reactions (from ~0.2 to 1.2 eV), making it difficult to establish whether a single activation energy appropriately captures thermal sensitivity. We provide guidelines and a simple equation for partially correcting for such artifacts. Our results have important implications for understanding the mechanistic basis of thermal responses of biological traits and for accurately modeling effects of variation in thermal sensitivity on responses of individuals, populations, and ecological communities to changing climatic temperatures.

Sensitivity and specificity of real-time PCR and bacteriological culture for francisellosis in farm-raised Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.).

PubMed

Assis, G B N; de Oliveira, T F; Gardner, I A; Figueiredo, H C P; Leal, C A G

2017-06-01

Despite the worldwide occurrence of Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis (Fno) infection in farmed tilapia, sensitivity and specificity estimates of commonly used diagnostic tests have not been reported. This study aimed to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of bacteriological culture and qPCR to detect Fno infection. We tested 559 fish, sampled from four farms with different epidemiological scenarios: (i) healthy fish in a hatchery free of Fno; (ii) targeted sampling of diseased fish with suggestive external clinical signs of francisellosis during an outbreak; (iii) convenience sampling of diseased and clinically healthy fish during an outbreak; and (iv) sampling of healthy fish in a cage farm without a history of outbreaks, but with francisellosis reported in other farms in the same reservoir. The qPCR had higher median sensitivity (range, 48.8-99.5%) than culture (range, 1.6-74.4%). Culture had a substantially lower median sensitivity (1.6%) than qPCR (48.8%) to detect Fno in carrier tilapia (farm 4). Median specificity estimates for both tests were >99.2%. The qPCR is the superior test for use in surveillance and monitoring programmes for francisellosis in farmed Nile tilapia, but both tests have high sensitivity and specificity which make them fit for use in the diagnosis of Fno outbreaks. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Para hydrogen equilibration in the atmospheres of the outer planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Conrath, Barney J.

1986-01-01

The thermodynamic behavior of the atmospheres of the Jovian planets is strongly dependent on the extent to which local thermal equilibration of the ortho and para states of molecular hydrogen is achieved. Voyager IRIS data from Jupiter imply substantial departures of the para hydrogen fraction from equilibrium in the upper troposphere at low latitudes, but with values approaching equilibrium at higher latitudes. Data from Saturn are less sensitive to the orth-para ratio, but suggest para hydrogen fractions near the equilibrium value. Above approximately the 200 K temperature level, para hydrogen conversion can enhance the efficiency of convection, resulting in a substantial increase in overturning times on all of the outer planets. Currently available data cannot definitively establish the ortho-para ratios in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune, but suggest values closer to local equilibrium than to the 3.1 normal ratio. Modeling of sub-millimeter wavelength measurements of these planets suggest thermal structures with frozen equilibrium lapse rates in their convective regions.

Polymers imprinted with PAH mixtures--comparing fluorescence and QCM sensors.

PubMed

Lieberzeit, Peter A; Halikias, Konstantin; Afzal, Adeel; Dickert, Franz L

2008-12-01

Molecular imprinting with binary mixtures of different polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) is a tool for design of chemically highly sensitive layers for detection of these analytes. Sensor responses increase by one order of magnitude compared with layers imprinted with one type of template. Detection limits, e.g. for pyrene, reach down to 30 ng L(-1) in water, as could be observed with a naphthalene and pyrene-imprinted polyurethane. Comparing sensor characteristics obtained by QCM and fluorescence reveals different saturation behaviours indicating that, first, single PAH molecules occupy the interaction centres followed by gradual excimer incorporation at higher concentrations finally leading to substantial quenching, when all accessible cavities are occupied. The plateau in the mass-sensitive measurements suggests that up to 80% of the cavities generated in the MIP are re-occupied. Displacement measurements between chrysene and pyrene revealed that for imprinted layers with very high pyrene sensitivities the signals of both PAH are additive, whereas in materials with lower pyrene uptake the two analytes replace each other in the interaction sites of the polymer.

Noninvasive authentication of pharmaceutical products through packaging using spatially offset Raman spectroscopy.

PubMed

Eliasson, Charlotte; Matousek, Pavel

2007-02-15

We demonstrate the use of spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) in the identification of counterfeit pharmaceutical tablets and capsules through different types of packaging. The technique offers a substantially higher sensitivity than that available from conventional backscattering Raman spectroscopy. The approach is particularly beneficial in situations where the conventional Raman backscattering method is hampered or fails because of excessive surface Raman or fluorescence signals emanating from the packaging, capsule shell, or tablet coating contaminating the much weaker subsurface Raman signals of the active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients held in the product. It is demonstrated that such interfering signals can be effectively suppressed by SORS.

New strategy for the survey of Toxoplasma gondii in meat for human consumption.

PubMed

Villena, Isabelle; Durand, Benoit; Aubert, Dominique; Blaga, Radu; Geers, Régine; Thomas, Myriam; Perret, Catherine; Alliot, Annie; Escotte-Binet, Sandie; Thébault, Anne; Boireau, Pascal; Halos, Lénaïg

2012-02-10

Monitoring of Toxoplasma infection in animals destined for human consumption is a great challenge for human toxoplasmosis prevention. This study aimed to compare results obtained from a naturally infected population of sheep using different tests and targeting an original matrix: meat samples and muscle fluids collected at the slaughterhouse. A commercial ELISA test was performed on diaphragm fluids from 419 ovine carcasses collected at the slaughterhouse. A MAT (modified agglutination test) was performed on heart fluids obtained from the same animals. In addition, all hearts were bioassayed in mice. Serological test agreement, the relative sensitivity of ELISA MAT and mouse bioassay as well as a correlation between titres and parasite isolation probability were statistically evaluated. The overall agreement (kappa coefficient=0.64) of ELISA on diaphragm fluids and MAT on heart fluids is substantial and subsequently both tests can be used for epidemiological studies. Relative sensitivity was higher for MAT performed on cardiac fluids (90%) than ELISA on diaphragm fluid (61%). For both serological tests, relative sensitivity is lower in lambs younger than 12 months. Relative sensitivity of mouse inoculation was 42%. A significant correlation was obtained between increasing MAT titres and probability to isolate live parasite from the heart. When the fluid titre was higher than 1:16, parasites were isolated in 65% of cases. When it was lower, isolation failed in 95% of the cases. According to our results, cardiac fluids appear to be a relevant matrix for toxoplasmosis survey in meat. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reward and punishment sensitivity and alcohol use: the moderating role of executive control.

PubMed

Jonker, Nienke C; Ostafin, Brian D; Glashouwer, Klaske A; van Hemel-Ruiter, Madelon E; de Jong, Peter J

2014-05-01

Reward sensitivity and to a lesser extent punishment sensitivity have been found to explain individual differences in alcohol use. Furthermore, many studies showed that addictive behaviors are characterized by impaired self-regulatory processes, and that individual differences related to alcohol use are moderated by executive control. This is the first study that explores the potential moderating role of executive control in the relation between reward and punishment sensitivity and alcohol use. Participants were 76 university students, selected on earlier given information about their alcohol use. Half of the participants indicated to drink little alcohol and half indicated to drink substantial amounts of alcohol. As expected, correlational analyses showed a positive relationship between reward sensitivity and alcohol use and a negative relation between punishment sensitivity and alcohol use. Regression analysis confirmed that reward sensitivity was a significant independent predictor of alcohol use. Executive control moderated the relation between punishment sensitivity and alcohol use, but not the relation between reward sensitivity and alcohol use. Only in individuals with weak executive control punishment sensitivity and alcohol use were negatively related. The results suggest that for individuals with weak executive control, punishment sensitivity might be a protective factor working against substantial alcohol use. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Light-sensitive brain pathways and aging.

PubMed

Daneault, V; Dumont, M; Massé, É; Vandewalle, G; Carrier, J

2016-03-15

Notwithstanding its effects on the classical visual system allowing image formation, light acts upon several non-image-forming (NIF) functions including body temperature, hormonal secretions, sleep-wake cycle, alertness, and cognitive performance. Studies have shown that NIF functions are maximally sensitive to blue wavelengths (460-480 nm), in comparison to longer light wavelengths. Higher blue light sensitivity has been reported for melatonin suppression, pupillary constriction, vigilance, and performance improvement but also for modulation of cognitive brain functions. Studies investigating acute stimulating effects of light on brain activity during the execution of cognitive tasks have suggested that brain activations progress from subcortical regions involved in alertness, such as the thalamus, the hypothalamus, and the brainstem, before reaching cortical regions associated with the ongoing task. In the course of aging, lower blue light sensitivity of some NIF functions has been reported. Here, we first describe neural pathways underlying effects of light on NIF functions and we discuss eye and cerebral mechanisms associated with aging which may affect NIF light sensitivity. Thereafter, we report results of investigations on pupillary constriction and cognitive brain sensitivity to light in the course of aging. Whereas the impact of light on cognitive brain responses appears to decrease substantially, pupillary constriction seems to remain more intact over the lifespan. Altogether, these results demonstrate that aging research should take into account the diversity of the pathways underlying the effects of light on specific NIF functions which may explain their differences in light sensitivity.

A prepared speech in front of a pre-recorded audience: subjective, physiological, and neuroendocrine responses to the Leiden Public Speaking Task.

PubMed

Westenberg, P Michiel; Bokhorst, Caroline L; Miers, Anne C; Sumter, Sindy R; Kallen, Victor L; van Pelt, Johannes; Blöte, Anke W

2009-10-01

This study describes a new public speaking protocol for youth. The main question asked whether a speech prepared at home and given in front of a pre-recorded audience creates a condition of social-evaluative threat. Findings showed that, on average, this task elicits a moderate stress response in a community sample of 83 12- to 15-year-old adolescents. During the speech, participants reported feeling more nervous and having higher heart rate and sweatiness of the hands than at baseline or recovery. Likewise, physiological (heart rate and skin conductance) and neuroendocrine (cortisol) activity were higher during the speech than at baseline or recovery. Additionally, an anticipation effect was observed: baseline levels were higher than recovery levels for most variables. Taking the anticipation and speech response together, a substantial cortisol response was observed for 55% of participants. The findings indicate that the Leiden Public Speaking Task might be particularly suited to investigate individual differences in sensitivity to social-evaluative situations.

Sensitivity analyses of factors influencing CMAQ performance for fine particulate nitrate.

PubMed

Shimadera, Hikari; Hayami, Hiroshi; Chatani, Satoru; Morino, Yu; Mori, Yasuaki; Morikawa, Tazuko; Yamaji, Kazuyo; Ohara, Toshimasa

2014-04-01

Improvement of air quality models is required so that they can be utilized to design effective control strategies for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system was applied to the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan in winter 2010 and summer 2011. The model results were compared with observed concentrations of PM2.5 sulfate (SO4(2-)), nitrate (NO3(-)) and ammonium, and gaseous nitric acid (HNO3) and ammonia (NH3). The model approximately reproduced PM2.5 SO4(2-) concentration, but clearly overestimated PM2.5 NO3(-) concentration, which was attributed to overestimation of production of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3). This study conducted sensitivity analyses of factors associated with the model performance for PM2.5 NO3(-) concentration, including temperature and relative humidity, emission of nitrogen oxides, seasonal variation of NH3 emission, HNO3 and NH3 dry deposition velocities, and heterogeneous reaction probability of dinitrogen pentoxide. Change in NH3 emission directly affected NH3 concentration, and substantially affected NH4NO3 concentration. Higher dry deposition velocities of HNO3 and NH3 led to substantial reductions of concentrations of the gaseous species and NH4NO3. Because uncertainties in NH3 emission and dry deposition processes are probably large, these processes may be key factors for improvement of the model performance for PM2.5 NO3(-). The Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system clearly overestimated the concentration of fine particulate nitrate in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan, which was attributed to overestimation of production of ammonium nitrate. Sensitivity analyses were conducted for factors associated with the model performance for nitrate. Ammonia emission and dry deposition of nitric acid and ammonia may be key factors for improvement of the model performance.

Clinical evaluation of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for rapid detection of Neisseria meningitidis in cerebrospinal fluid.

PubMed

Lee, DoKyung; Kim, Eun Jin; Kilgore, Paul E; Kim, Soon Ae; Takahashi, Hideyuki; Ohnishi, Makoto; Anh, Dang Duc; Dong, Bai Qing; Kim, Jung Soo; Tomono, Jun; Miyamoto, Shigehiko; Notomi, Tsugunori; Kim, Dong Wook; Seki, Mitsuko

2015-01-01

Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) is a leading causative agent of bacterial meningitis in humans. Traditionally, meningococcal meningitis has been diagnosed by bacterial culture. However, isolation of bacteria from patients' cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is time consuming and sometimes yields negative results. Recently, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostic methods of detecting Nm have been considered the gold standard because of their superior sensitivity and specificity compared with culture. In this study, we developed a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method and evaluated its ability to detect Nm in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). We developed a meningococcal LAMP assay (Nm LAMP) that targets the ctrA gene. The primer specificity was validated using 16 strains of N. meningitidis (serogroup A, B, C, D, 29-E, W-135, X, Y, and Z) and 19 non-N. meningitidis species. Within 60 min, the Nm LAMP detected down to ten copies per reaction with sensitivity 1000-fold more than that of conventional PCR. The LAMP assays were evaluated using a set of 1574 randomly selected CSF specimens from children with suspected meningitis collected between 1998 and 2002 in Vietnam, China, and Korea. The LAMP method was shown to be more sensitive than PCR methods for CSF samples (31 CSF samples were positive by LAMP vs. 25 by PCR). The detection rate of the LAMP method was substantially higher than that of the PCR method. In a comparative analysis of the PCR and LAMP assays, the clinical sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the LAMP assay were 100%, 99.6%, 80.6%, and 100%, respectively. Compared to PCR, LAMP detected Nm with higher analytical and clinical sensitivity. This sensitive and specific LAMP method offers significant advantages for screening patients on a population basis and for diagnosis in clinical settings.

A genomic biomarker signature can predict skin sensitizers using a cell-based in vitro alternative to animal tests

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Allergic contact dermatitis is an inflammatory skin disease that affects a significant proportion of the population. This disease is caused by an adverse immune response towards chemical haptens, and leads to a substantial economic burden for society. Current test of sensitizing chemicals rely on animal experimentation. New legislations on the registration and use of chemicals within pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries have stimulated significant research efforts to develop alternative, human cell-based assays for the prediction of sensitization. The aim is to replace animal experiments with in vitro tests displaying a higher predictive power. Results We have developed a novel cell-based assay for the prediction of sensitizing chemicals. By analyzing the transcriptome of the human cell line MUTZ-3 after 24 h stimulation, using 20 different sensitizing chemicals, 20 non-sensitizing chemicals and vehicle controls, we have identified a biomarker signature of 200 genes with potent discriminatory ability. Using a Support Vector Machine for supervised classification, the prediction performance of the assay revealed an area under the ROC curve of 0.98. In addition, categorizing the chemicals according to the LLNA assay, this gene signature could also predict sensitizing potency. The identified markers are involved in biological pathways with immunological relevant functions, which can shed light on the process of human sensitization. Conclusions A gene signature predicting sensitization, using a human cell line in vitro, has been identified. This simple and robust cell-based assay has the potential to completely replace or drastically reduce the utilization of test systems based on experimental animals. Being based on human biology, the assay is proposed to be more accurate for predicting sensitization in humans, than the traditional animal-based tests. PMID:21824406

Preserved insulin sensitivity predicts metabolically healthy obese phenotype in children and adolescents.

PubMed

Vukovic, Rade; Milenkovic, Tatjana; Mitrovic, Katarina; Todorovic, Sladjana; Plavsic, Ljiljana; Vukovic, Ana; Zdravkovic, Dragan

2015-12-01

Available data on metabolically healthy obese (MHO) phenotype in children suggest that gender, puberty, waist circumference, insulin sensitivity, and other laboratory predictors have a role in distinguishing these children from metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO) youth. The goal of this study was to identify predictors of MHO phenotype and to analyze glucose and insulin metabolism during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in MHO children. OGTT was performed in 244 obese children and adolescents aged 4.6-18.9 years. Subjects were classified as MHO in case of no fulfilled criterion of metabolic syndrome except anthropometry or as MUO (≥2 fulfilled criteria). Among the subjects, 21.7 % had MHO phenotype, and they were more likely to be female, younger, and in earlier stages of pubertal development, with lower degree of abdominal obesity. Insulin resistance was the only independent laboratory predictor of MUO phenotype (OR 1.59, CI 1.13-2.25), with 82 % sensitivity and 60 % specificity for diagnosing MUO using HOMA-IR cutoff point of ≥2.85. Although no significant differences were observed in glucose regulation, MUO children had higher insulin demand throughout OGTT, with 1.53 times higher total insulin secretion. Further research is needed to investigate the possibility of targeted treatment of insulin resistance to minimize pubertal cross-over to MUO in obese children. • Substantial proportion of the obese youth (21-68 %) displays a metabolically healthy (MHO) phenotype. • Gender, puberty, waist circumference, insulin sensitivity, and lower levels of uric acid and transaminases have a possible role in distinguishing MHO from metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO) children. • Insulin resistance was found to be the only significant laboratory predictor of MUO when adjusted for gender, puberty, and the degree of abdominal obesity. • Besides basal insulin resistance, MUO children were found to have a significantly higher insulin secretion throughout OGTT in order to maintain glucose homeostasis.

Protection of microelectronic devices during packaging

DOEpatents

Peterson, Kenneth A.; Conley, William R.

2002-01-01

The present invention relates to a method of protecting a microelectronic device during device packaging, including the steps of applying a water-insoluble, protective coating to a sensitive area on the device; performing at least one packaging step; and then substantially removing the protective coating, preferably by dry plasma etching. The sensitive area can include a released MEMS element. The microelectronic device can be disposed on a wafer. The protective coating can be a vacuum vapor-deposited parylene polymer, silicon nitride, metal (e.g. aluminum or tungsten), a vapor deposited organic material, cynoacrylate, a carbon film, a self-assembled monolayered material, perfluoropolyether, hexamethyldisilazane, or perfluorodecanoic carboxylic acid, silicon dioxide, silicate glass, or combinations thereof. The present invention also relates to a method of packaging a microelectronic device, including: providing a microelectronic device having a sensitive area; applying a water-insoluble, protective coating to the sensitive area; providing a package; attaching the device to the package; electrically interconnecting the device to the package; and substantially removing the protective coating from the sensitive area.

Temporary coatings for protection of microelectronic devices during packaging

DOEpatents

Peterson, Kenneth A.; Conley, William R.

2005-01-18

The present invention relates to a method of protecting a microelectronic device during device packaging, including the steps of applying a water-insoluble, temporary protective coating to a sensitive area on the device; performing at least one packaging step; and then substantially removing the protective coating, preferably by dry plasma etching. The sensitive area can include a released MEMS element. The microelectronic device can be disposed on a wafer. The protective coating can be a vacuum vapor-deposited parylene polymer, silicon nitride, metal (e.g. aluminum or tungsten), a vapor deposited organic material, cynoacrylate, a carbon film, a self-assembled monolayered material, perfluoropolyether, hexamethyldisilazane, or perfluorodecanoic carboxylic acid, silicon dioxide, silicate glass, or combinations thereof. The present invention also relates to a method of packaging a microelectronic device, including: providing a microelectronic device having a sensitive area; applying a water-insoluble, protective coating to the sensitive area; providing a package; attaching the device to the package; electrically interconnecting the device to the package; and substantially removing the protective coating from the sensitive area.

Tradeoffs of Using Administrative Claims and Medical Records to Identify the Use of Personalized Medicine for Patients with Breast Cancer

PubMed Central

Liang, Su-Ying; Phillips, Kathryn A.; Wang, Grace; Keohane, Carol; Armstrong, Joanne; Morris, William M.; Haas, Jennifer S.

2012-01-01

Background Administrative claims and medical records are important data sources to examine healthcare utilization and outcomes. Little is known about identifying personalized medicine technologies in these sources. Objectives To describe agreement, sensitivity, and specificity of administrative claims compared to medical records for two pairs of targeted tests and treatments for breast cancer. Research Design Retrospective analysis of medical records linked to administrative claims from a large health plan. We examined whether agreement varied by factors that facilitate tracking in claims (coding and cost) and that enhance medical record completeness (records from multiple providers). Subjects Women (35 – 65 years) with incident breast cancer diagnosed in 2006–2007 (n=775). Measures Use of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and gene expression profiling (GEP) testing, trastuzumab and adjuvant chemotherapy in claims and medical records. Results Agreement between claims and records was substantial for GEP, trastuzumab, and chemotherapy, and lowest for HER2 tests. GEP, an expensive test with unique billing codes, had higher agreement (91.6% vs. 75.2%), sensitivity (94.9% vs. 76.7%), and specificity (90.1% vs. 29.2%) than HER2, a test without unique billing codes. Trastuzumab, a treatment with unique billing codes, had slightly higher agreement (95.1% vs. 90%) and sensitivity (98.1% vs. 87.9%) than adjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusions Higher agreement and specificity were associated with services that had unique billing codes and high cost. Administrative claims may be sufficient for examining services with unique billing codes. Medical records provide better data for identifying tests lacking specific codes and for research requiring detailed clinical information. PMID:21422962

Test-retest reliability of infant event related potentials evoked by faces.

PubMed

Munsters, N M; van Ravenswaaij, H; van den Boomen, C; Kemner, C

2017-04-05

Reliable measures are required to draw meaningful conclusions regarding developmental changes in longitudinal studies. Little is known, however, about the test-retest reliability of face-sensitive event related potentials (ERPs), a frequently used neural measure in infants. The aim of the current study is to investigate the test-retest reliability of ERPs typically evoked by faces in 9-10 month-old infants. The infants (N=31) were presented with neutral, fearful and happy faces that contained only the lower or higher spatial frequency information. They were tested twice within two weeks. The present results show that the test-retest reliability of the face-sensitive ERP components is moderate (P400 and Nc) to substantial (N290). However, there is low test-retest reliability for the effects of the specific experimental manipulations (i.e. emotion and spatial frequency) on the face-sensitive ERPs. To conclude, in infants the face-sensitive ERP components (i.e. N290, P400 and Nc) show adequate test-retest reliability, but not the effects of emotion and spatial frequency on these ERP components. We propose that further research focuses on investigating elements that might increase the test-retest reliability, as adequate test-retest reliability is necessary to draw meaningful conclusions on individual developmental trajectories of the face-sensitive ERPs in infants. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Epidemiologic Features of Four Successive Annual Outbreaks of Bubonic Plague in Mahajanga, Madagascar

PubMed Central

Rahalison, Lila; Rasolomaharo, Monique; Ratsitorahina, Maherisoa; Mahafaly, Mahafaly; Razafimahefa, Maminirana; Duplantier, Jean-Marc; Ratsifasoamanana, Lala; Chanteau, Suzanne

2002-01-01

From 1995 to 1998, outbreaks of bubonic plague occurred annually in the coastal city of Mahajanga, Madagascar. A total of 1,702 clinically suspected cases of bubonic plague were reported, including 515 laboratory confirmed by Yersinia pestis isolation (297), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, or both. Incidence was higher in males and young persons. Most buboes were inguinal, but children had a higher frequency of cervical or axillary buboes. Among laboratory-confirmed hospitalized patients, the case-fatality rate was 7.9%, although all Y. pestis isolates were sensitive to streptomycin, the recommended antibiotic. In this tropical city, plague outbreaks occur during the dry and cool season. Most cases are concentrated in the same crowded and insanitary districts, a result of close contact among humans, rats, and shrews. Plague remains an important public health problem in Madagascar, and the potential is substantial for spread to other coastal cities and abroad. PMID:11927030

The potential of low-power laser for reducing dental sensitivity after in-office bleaching: a case report.

PubMed

Mayer-Santos, Eric; Anhesini, Brunna Haddad; Shimokawa, Carlos Alberto Kenji; Aranha, Ana Cecília Corrêa; Eduardo, Carlos Paula; de Freitas, Patricia Moreira

2017-01-01

Postoperative sensitivity is one of the most common side effects of in-office bleaching with hydrogen peroxide. Laser phototherapy (LPT) has been suggested as an adjunctive treatment to prevent or minimize tooth sensitivity. This case report aimed to verify the efficacy of LPT in the reduction of sensitivity after in-office bleaching. Tooth bleaching was performed with 35% hydrogen peroxide activated with a hybrid LED-laser device. Immediately after the bleaching treatment, the patient reported dental sensitivity, as measured with a visual analog scale (VAS). To reduce sensitivity, LPT was applied with a 780-nm laser using the following parameters: 70 mW, exposure time of 10 seconds per point of irradiation (middle region of the buccal surfaces of each compromised tooth) in contact mode, energy of 1 J per point. Immediately after LPT, the patient reported a substantially lower level of pain on the VAS. Twenty-four hours after bleaching, the score on the VAS indicated that sensitivity levels had rebounded, and the patient received additional LPT. After 48 hours, the patient reported no dental sensitivity. The results in this patient indicated that irradiation with an infrared low-power laser substantially reduced dental pain generated by bleaching, suggesting that LPT should be considered as an auxiliary method to reduce postbleaching tooth sensitivity.

To what degree does the missing-data technique influence the estimated growth in learning strategies over time? A tutorial example of sensitivity analysis for longitudinal data.

PubMed

Coertjens, Liesje; Donche, Vincent; De Maeyer, Sven; Vanthournout, Gert; Van Petegem, Peter

2017-01-01

Longitudinal data is almost always burdened with missing data. However, in educational and psychological research, there is a large discrepancy between methodological suggestions and research practice. The former suggests applying sensitivity analysis in order to the robustness of the results in terms of varying assumptions regarding the mechanism generating the missing data. However, in research practice, participants with missing data are usually discarded by relying on listwise deletion. To help bridge the gap between methodological recommendations and applied research in the educational and psychological domain, this study provides a tutorial example of sensitivity analysis for latent growth analysis. The example data concern students' changes in learning strategies during higher education. One cohort of students in a Belgian university college was asked to complete the Inventory of Learning Styles-Short Version, in three measurement waves. A substantial number of students did not participate on each occasion. Change over time in student learning strategies was assessed using eight missing data techniques, which assume different mechanisms for missingness. The results indicated that, for some learning strategy subscales, growth estimates differed between the models. Guidelines in terms of reporting the results from sensitivity analysis are synthesised and applied to the results from the tutorial example.

Retinal image contrast obtained by a model eye with combined correction of chromatic and spherical aberrations

PubMed Central

Ohnuma, Kazuhiko; Kayanuma, Hiroyuki; Lawu, Tjundewo; Negishi, Kazuno; Yamaguchi, Takefumi; Noda, Toru

2011-01-01

Correcting spherical and chromatic aberrations in vitro in human eyes provides substantial visual acuity and contrast sensitivity improvements. We found the same improvement in the retinal images using a model eye with/without correction of longitudinal chromatic aberrations (LCAs) and spherical aberrations (SAs). The model eye included an intraocular lens (IOL) and artificial cornea with human ocular LCAs and average human SAs. The optotypes were illuminated using a D65 light source, and the images were obtained using two-dimensional luminance colorimeter. The contrast improvement from the SA correction was higher than the LCA correction, indicating the benefit of an aspheric achromatic IOL. PMID:21698008

High fat diet-fed obese rats are highly sensitive to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity

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

Mitra, Mayurranjan S.; Donthamsetty, Shashikiran; White, Brent

Often, chemotherapy by doxorubicin (Adriamycin) is limited due to life threatening cardiotoxicity in patients during and posttherapy. Recently, we have shown that moderate diet restriction remarkably protects against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. This cardioprotection is accompanied by decreased cardiac oxidative stress and triglycerides and increased cardiac fatty-acid oxidation, ATP synthesis, and upregulated JAK/STAT3 pathway. In the current study, we investigated whether a physiological intervention by feeding 40% high fat diet (HFD), which induces obesity in male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-275 g), sensitizes to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. A LD{sub 10} dose (8 mg doxorubicin/kg, ip) administered on day 43 of the HFD feeding regimen ledmore » to higher cardiotoxicity, cardiac dysfunction, lipid peroxidation, and 80% mortality in the obese (OB) rats in the absence of any significant renal or hepatic toxicity. Doxorubicin toxicokinetics studies revealed no change in accumulation of doxorubicin and doxorubicinol (toxic metabolite) in the normal diet-fed (ND) and OB hearts. Mechanistic studies revealed that OB rats are sensitized due to: (1) higher oxyradical stress leading to upregulation of uncoupling proteins 2 and 3, (2) downregulation of cardiac peroxisome proliferators activated receptor-{alpha}, (3) decreased plasma adiponectin levels, (4) decreased cardiac fatty-acid oxidation (666.9 {+-} 14.0 nmol/min/g heart in ND versus 400.2 {+-} 11.8 nmol/min/g heart in OB), (5) decreased mitochondrial AMP-{alpha}2 protein kinase, and (6) 86% drop in cardiac ATP levels accompanied by decreased ATP/ADP ratio after doxorubicin administration. Decreased cardiac erythropoietin and increased SOCS3 further downregulated the cardioprotective JAK/STAT3 pathway. In conclusion, HFD-induced obese rats are highly sensitized to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by substantially downregulating cardiac mitochondrial ATP generation, increasing oxidative stress and downregulating the JAK/STAT3 pathway.« less

Three-dimensional waveform sensitivity kernels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marquering, Henk; Nolet, Guust; Dahlen, F. A.

1998-03-01

The sensitivity of intermediate-period (~10-100s) seismic waveforms to the lateral heterogeneity of the Earth is computed using an efficient technique based upon surface-wave mode coupling. This formulation yields a general, fully fledged 3-D relationship between data and model without imposing smoothness constraints on the lateral heterogeneity. The calculations are based upon the Born approximation, which yields a linear relation between data and model. The linear relation ensures fast forward calculations and makes the formulation suitable for inversion schemes; however, higher-order effects such as wave-front healing are neglected. By including up to 20 surface-wave modes, we obtain Fréchet, or sensitivity, kernels for waveforms in the time frame that starts at the S arrival and which includes direct and surface-reflected body waves. These 3-D sensitivity kernels provide new insights into seismic-wave propagation, and suggest that there may be stringent limitations on the validity of ray-theoretical interpretations. Even recently developed 2-D formulations, which ignore structure out of the source-receiver plane, differ substantially from our 3-D treatment. We infer that smoothness constraints on heterogeneity, required to justify the use of ray techniques, are unlikely to hold in realistic earth models. This puts the use of ray-theoretical techniques into question for the interpretation of intermediate-period seismic data. The computed 3-D sensitivity kernels display a number of phenomena that are counter-intuitive from a ray-geometrical point of view: (1) body waves exhibit significant sensitivity to structure up to 500km away from the source-receiver minor arc; (2) significant near-surface sensitivity above the two turning points of the SS wave is observed; (3) the later part of the SS wave packet is most sensitive to structure away from the source-receiver path; (4) the sensitivity of the higher-frequency part of the fundamental surface-wave mode is wider than for its faster, lower-frequency part; (5) delayed body waves may considerably influence fundamental Rayleigh and Love waveforms. The strong sensitivity of waveforms to crustal structure due to fundamental-mode-to-body-wave scattering precludes the use of phase-velocity filters to model body-wave arrivals. Results from the 3-D formulation suggest that the use of 2-D and 1-D techniques for the interpretation of intermediate-period waveforms should seriously be reconsidered.

School attributes, household characteristics, and demand for schooling: A case study of rural Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilon, Lynn; Moock, Peter

1991-12-01

Educational expansion, long a goal of many LDCs, has become a difficult policy to pursue. Growing populations, shrinking national incomes and higher marginal costs of schooling as schooling reaches more rural dwellers have caused policy makers to take a hard look at factors which influence educational demand and expansion. This paper examines the case of Peru where rural areas have yet to attain the nearly universal enrollment of urban areas. The study examines 2500 rural households to explore reasons why children do not attend school, drop out of school, and begin school at later ages. The study finds that the monetary costs of schools (fees and other costs) have a substantial influence on parental decisions regarding school attendance and continuation. Sensitivity analysis reveals that mother's education has a bearing on their children's educational participation, particularly in low-income households. Sensitivity analysis also reveals that school attendance of low income and female children are most strongly affected by simulated changes in school fees.

Defect-Mediated Molecular Interaction and Charge Transfer in Graphene Mesh-Glucose Sensors.

PubMed

Kwon, Sun Sang; Shin, Jae Hyeok; Choi, Jonghyun; Nam, SungWoo; Park, Won Il

2017-04-26

We report the role of defects in enzymatic graphene field-effect transistor sensors by introducing engineered defects in graphene channels. Compared with conventional graphene sensors (Gr sensors), graphene mesh sensors (GM sensors), with an array of circular holes, initially exhibited a higher irreversible response to glucose, involving strong chemisorption to edge defects. However, after immobilization of glucose oxidase, the irreversibility of the responses was substantially diminished, without any reduction in the sensitivity of the GM sensors (i.e., -0.53 mV/mM for the GM sensor vs -0.37 mV/mM for Gr sensor). Furthermore, multiple cycle operation led to rapid sensing and improved the reversibility of GM sensors. In addition, control tests with sensors containing a linker showed that sensitivity was increased in Gr sensors but decreased in GM sensors. Our findings indicate that edge defects can be used to replace linkers for immobilization of glucose oxidase and improve charge transfer across glucose oxidase-graphene interfaces.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) based strain sensors for a wearable monitoring and biofeedback system for pressure ulcer prevention and rehabilitation.

PubMed

Boissy, Patrick; Genest, Jonathan; Patenaude, Johanne; Poirier, Marie-Sol; Chenel, Vanessa; Béland, Jean-Pierre; Legault, Georges-Auguste; Bernier, Louise; Tapin, Danielle; Beauvais, Jacques

2011-01-01

This paper presents an overview of the functioning principles of CNTs and their electrical and mechanical properties when used as strain sensors and describes a system embodiment for a wearable monitoring and biofeedback platform for use in pressure ulcer prevention and rehabilitation. Two type of CNTs films (multi-layered CNTs film vs purified film) were characterized electrically and mechanically for potential use as source material. The loosely woven CNTs film (multi-layered) showed substantial less sensitivity than the purified CNTs film but had an almost linear response to stress and better mechanical properties. CNTs have the potential to achieve a much higher sensitivity to strain than other piezoresistors based on regular of conductive particles such as commercially available resistive inks and could become an innovative source material for wearable strain sensors. We are currently continuing the characterization of CNTs based strain sensors and exploring their use in a design for 3-axis strain sensors.

Evidence of health benefits of canola oil

PubMed Central

Lin, Lin; Allemekinders, Hanja; Dansby, Angela; Campbell, Lisa; Durance-Tod, Shaunda; Berger, Alvin; Jones, Peter JH

2013-01-01

Canola oil-based diets have been shown to reduce plasma cholesterol levels in comparison with diets containing higher levels of saturated fatty acids. Consumption of canola oil also influences biological functions that affect various other biomarkers of disease risk. Previous reviews have focused on the health effects of individual components of canola oil. Here, the objective is to address the health effects of intact canola oil, as this has immediate practical implications for consumers, nutritionists, and others deciding which oil to consume or recommend. A literature search was conducted to examine the effects of canola oil consumption on coronary heart disease, insulin sensitivity, lipid peroxidation, inflammation, energy metabolism, and cancer cell growth. Data reveal substantial reductions in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, as well as other positive actions, including increased tocopherol levels and improved insulin sensitivity, compared with consumption of other dietary fat sources. In summary, growing scientific evidence supports the use of canola oil, beyond its beneficial actions on circulating lipid levels, as a health-promoting component of the diet. PMID:23731447

Refinement of a Brief Anxiety Sensitivity Reduction Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keough, Meghan E.; Schmidt, Norman B.

2012-01-01

Objective: Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in the United States and result in substantial burden to the individual and society. Although effective treatments for anxiety disorders have been developed, there has been substantially less focus on interventions aimed at the amelioration of anxiety-related risk and…

Sensitivity of climate and atmospheric CO2 to deep-ocean and shallow-ocean carbonate burial

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Volk, Tyler

1989-01-01

A model of the carbonate-silicate geochemical cycle is presented that distinguishes carbonate masses produced by shallow-ocean and deep-ocean carbonate burial and shows that reasonable increases in deep-ocean burial could produce substantial warmings over a few hundred million years. The model includes exchanges between crust and mantle; transients from burial shifts are found to be sensitive to the fraction of nondegassed carbonates subducted into the mantle. Without the habitation of the open ocean by plankton such as foraminifera and coccolithophores, today's climate would be substantially colder.

Effect of Solution Annealing on Susceptibility to Intercrystalline Corrosion of Stainless Steel with 20% Cr and 8% Ni

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taiwade, R. V.; Patil, A. P.; Patre, S. J.; Dayal, R. K.

2013-06-01

In general, as-received (AR) austenitic stainless steels (ASSs) contain complex carbide precipitates due to manufacturing operations, subsequent annealing treatment, or due to the fabrication processes such as welding. The presence of pre-existing carbides leads to cumulative sensitization and make the steel susceptible to intercrystalline corrosion (ICC)/intergranular corrosion (IGC) which causes premature failure during service. Solution annealing (SA) is one of the ways to deal with such situations. In this present investigation, the AR (hot rolled and mill annealed) chromium-nickel (Cr-Ni) ASS is compared with SA Cr-Ni ASS. The extent of ICC/IGC was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively by various electrochemical tests including ASTM standard A-262 Practice A and Practice E, double loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The degree of sensitization for hot rolled mill annealed AR condition is found to be substantially higher (51.55%) than that of SA condition (26.9%) for thermally aged samples (at 700 °C). The chemical composition across the grain boundary was measured using electron probe micro-analyzer for both (AR and SA) conditions and confirms that the pre-sensitization effect was completely removed after SA treatment.

How Important is Parental Education for Child Nutrition?

PubMed

Alderman, Harold; Headey, Derek D

2017-06-01

Existing evidence on the impacts of parental education on child nutrition is plagued by both internal and external validity concerns. In this paper we try to address these concerns through a novel econometric analysis of 376,992 preschool children from 56 developing countries. We compare a naïve least square model to specifications that include cluster fixed effects and cohort-based educational rankings to reduce biases from omitted variables before gauging sensitivity to sub-samples and exploring potential explanations of education-nutrition linkages. We find that the estimated nutritional returns to parental education are: (a) substantially reduced in models that include fixed effects and cohort rankings; (b) larger for mothers than for fathers; (c) generally increasing, and minimal for primary education; (d) increasing with household wealth; (e) larger in countries/regions with higher burdens of undernutrition; (f) larger in countries/regions with higher schooling quality; and (g) highly variable across country sub-samples. These results imply substantial uncertainty and variability in the returns to education, but results from the more stringent models imply that even the achievement of very ambitious education targets would only lead to modest reductions in stunting rates in high-burden countries. We speculate that education might have more impact on the nutritional status of the next generation if school curricula focused on directly improving health and nutritional knowledge of future parents.

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of pulmonary lesions: description of a technique aiming clinical practice.

PubMed

Koenigkam-Santos, Marcel; Optazaite, Elzbieta; Sommer, Gregor; Safi, Seyer; Heussel, Claus Peter; Kauczor, Hans-Ulrich; Puderbach, Michael

2015-01-01

To propose a technique for evaluation of pulmonary lesions using contrast-enhanced MRI; to assess morphological patterns of enhancement and correlate quantitative analysis with histopathology. Thirty-six patients were prospectively studied. Volumetric-interpolated T1W images were obtained during consecutive breath holds after bolus triggered contrast injection. Volume coverage of first three acquisitions was limited (higher temporal resolution) and last acquisition obtained at 4th min. Two radiologists individually evaluated the patterns of enhancement. Region-of-interest-based signal intensity (SI)-time curves were created to assess quantitative parameters. Readers agreed moderately to substantially concerning lesions' enhancement pattern. SI-time curves could be created for all lesions. In comparison to benign, malignant lesions showed higher values of maximum enhancement, early peak, slope and 4th min enhancement. Early peak >15% showed 100% sensitivity to detect malignancy, maximum enhancement >40% showed 100% specificity. The proposed technique is robust, simple to perform and can be applied in clinical scenario. It allows visual evaluation of enhancement pattern/progression together with creation of SI-time curves and assessment of derived quantitative parameters. Perfusion analysis was highly sensitive to detect malignancy, in accordance to what is recommended by most recent guidelines on imaging evaluation of pulmonary lesions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nonlinear vibrational microscopy

DOEpatents

Holtom, Gary R.; Xie, Xiaoliang Sunney; Zumbusch, Andreas

2000-01-01

The present invention is a method and apparatus for microscopic vibrational imaging using coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering or Sum Frequency Generation. Microscopic imaging with a vibrational spectroscopic contrast is achieved by generating signals in a nonlinear optical process and spatially resolved detection of the signals. The spatial resolution is attained by minimizing the spot size of the optical interrogation beams on the sample. Minimizing the spot size relies upon a. directing at least two substantially co-axial laser beams (interrogation beams) through a microscope objective providing a focal spot on the sample; b. collecting a signal beam together with a residual beam from the at least two co-axial laser beams after passing through the sample; c. removing the residual beam; and d. detecting the signal beam thereby creating said pixel. The method has significantly higher spatial resolution then IR microscopy and higher sensitivity than spontaneous Raman microscopy with much lower average excitation powers. CARS and SFG microscopy does not rely on the presence of fluorophores, but retains the resolution and three-dimensional sectioning capability of confocal and two-photon fluorescence microscopy. Complementary to these techniques, CARS and SFG microscopy provides a contrast mechanism based on vibrational spectroscopy. This vibrational contrast mechanism, combined with an unprecedented high sensitivity at a tolerable laser power level, provides a new approach for microscopic investigations of chemical and biological samples.

The procrastinators want it now: Behavioral and event-related potential evidence of the procrastination of intertemporal choices.

PubMed

Wu, Haiyan; Gui, Danyang; Lin, Wenzheng; Gu, Ruolei; Zhu, Xiangru; Liu, Xun

2016-08-01

Much past research has focused on the correlation between procrastination and personality traits (e.g., impulsivity). According to the temporal motivation theory, procrastinators are impulsive and sensitive to delays in time. However, there is still a lack of direct evidence of the tendency of procrastinators to prefer immediate over future rewards. To investigate this question, we recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) in the brain while participants performed an intertemporal choice task involving both time delay and reward processing. The participants were assigned to a high procrastination group and a low procrastination group according to their scores on self-report measures. We found that high procrastination participants preferred immediate rewards compared to future ones whereas low procrastination participants did not. High procrastinators also exhibited a larger and delayed P2 component, indicating delay time processing and abnormal reward processing. No significant effect associated with procrastination was found on the P300 component. Taken together, these findings suggest that high procrastinators are more impulsive and encode the information of delay time more slowly but with a higher level of motivation-driven attention. The current study substantiates higher impulsivity in procrastination and verifies that a difference exists in the sensitivity to time delay between high and low procrastinators. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Virologic versus cytologic triage of women with equivocal Pap smears: a meta-analysis of the accuracy to detect high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia.

PubMed

Arbyn, Marc; Buntinx, Frank; Van Ranst, Marc; Paraskevaidis, Evangelos; Martin-Hirsch, Pierre; Dillner, Joakim

2004-02-18

The appropriate management of women with minor cytologic lesions in their cervix is unclear. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the accuracy of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing as an alternative to repeat cytology in women who had equivocal results on a previous Pap smear. Data were extracted from articles published between 1992 and 2002 that contained results of virologic and cytologic testing followed by colposcopically directed biopsy in women with an index smear showing atypical cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS). Fifteen studies were identified in which HPV triage and the histologic outcome (presence or absence of a cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of grade II or worse [CIN2+]) was documented. Nine, seven, and two studies also documented the accuracy of repeat cytology when the cutoff for abnormal cytology was set at a threshold of ASCUS or worse, low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) or worse, or high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) or worse, respectively. Random-effects models were used for pooling of accuracy parameters in case of interstudy heterogeneity. Differences in accuracy were assessed by pooling the ratio of the sensitivity (or specificity) of HPV testing to that of repeat cytology. The sensitivity and specificity were 84.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 77.6% to 91.1%) and 72.9% (95% CI = 62.5% to 83.3%), respectively, for HPV testing overall and 94.8% (95% CI = 92.7% to 96.9%) and 67.3% (95% CI = 58.2% to 76.4%), respectively, for HPV testing in the eight studies that used the Hybrid Capture II assay. Sensitivity and specificity of repeat cytology at a threshold for abnormal cytology of ASCUS or worse was 81.8% (95% CI = 73.5% to 84.3%) and 57.6% (95% CI = 49.5% to 65.7%), respectively. Repeat cytology that used higher cytologic thresholds yielded substantially lower sensitivity but higher specificity than triage with the Hybrid Capture II assay. The ratio of the sensitivity of the Hybrid Capture II assay to that of repeat cytology at a threshold of ASCUS or worse pooled from the four studies that used both triage tests was 1.16 (95% CI = 1.04 to 1.29). The specificity ratio was not statistically different from unity. The published literature indicates that the Hybrid Capture II assay has improved accuracy (higher sensitivity, similar specificity) than the repeat Pap smear using the threshold of ASCUS for an outcome of CIN2+ among women with equivocal cytologic results. The sensitivity of triage at higher cytologic cutoffs is poor.

Divergent climate response on hydraulic-related xylem anatomical traits of Picea abies along a 900-m altitudinal gradient.

PubMed

Castagneri, Daniele; Petit, Giai; Carrer, Marco

2015-12-01

Climate change can induce substantial modifications in xylem structure and water transport capacity of trees exposed to environmental constraints. To elucidate mechanisms of xylem plasticity in response to climate, we retrospectively analysed different cell anatomical parameters over tree-ring series in Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.). We sampled 24 trees along an altitudinal gradient (1200, 1600 and 2100 m above sea level, a.s.l.) and processed 2335 ± 1809 cells per ring. Time series for median cell lumen area (MCA), cell number (CN), tree-ring width (RW) and tree-ring-specific hydraulic conductivity (Kr) were crossed with daily temperature and precipitation records (1926-2011) to identify climate influence on xylem anatomical traits. Higher Kr at the low elevation site was due to higher MCA and CN. These variables were related to different aspects of intra-seasonal climatic variability under different environmental conditions, with MCA being more sensitive to summer precipitation. Winter precipitation (snow) benefited most parameters in all the sites. Descending the gradient, sensitivity of xylem features to summer climate shifted mostly from temperature to precipitation. In the context of climate change, our results indicate that higher summer temperatures at high elevations will benefit cell production and xylem hydraulic efficiency, whereas reduced water availability at lower elevations could negatively affect tracheids enlargement and thus stem capacity to transport water. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

VARIABILITY OF VISUAL FIELD MEASUREMENTS IS CORRELATED WITH THE GRADIENT OF VISUAL SENSITIVITY

PubMed Central

Wyatt, Harry J.; Dul, Mitchell W.; Swanson, William H.

2007-01-01

Conventional static automated perimetry provides important clinical information, but its utility is limited by considerable test-retest variability. Fixational eye movements during testing could contribute to variability. To assess this possibility, it is important to know how much sensitivity change would be caused by a given eye movement. To investigate this, we have evaluated the gradient, the rate at which sensitivity changes with location. We tested one eye each, twice within 3 weeks, of 29 patients with glaucoma, 17 young normal subjects and 13 older normal subjects. The 10-2 test pattern with the SITA Standard algorithm was used to assess sensitivity at locations with 2° spacing. Variability and gradient were calculated at individual test locations. Matrix correlations were determined between variability and gradient, and were substantial for the patients with glaucoma. The results were consistent with a substantial contribution to test-retest variability from small fixational eye movements interacting with visual field gradient. Successful characterization of the gradient of sensitivity appears to require sampling at relatively close spacing, as in the 10-2 test pattern. PMID:17320924

Variability of visual field measurements is correlated with the gradient of visual sensitivity.

PubMed

Wyatt, Harry J; Dul, Mitchell W; Swanson, William H

2007-03-01

Conventional static automated perimetry provides important clinical information, but its utility is limited by considerable test-retest variability. Fixational eye movements during testing could contribute to variability. To assess this possibility, it is important to know how much sensitivity change would be caused by a given eye movement. To investigate this, we have evaluated the gradient, the rate at which sensitivity changes with location. We tested one eye each, twice within 3 weeks, of 29 patients with glaucoma, 17 young normal subjects and 13 older normal subjects. The 10-2 test pattern with the SITA Standard algorithm was used to assess sensitivity at locations with 2 degrees spacing. Variability and gradient were calculated at individual test locations. Matrix correlations were determined between variability and gradient, and were substantial for the patients with glaucoma. The results were consistent with a substantial contribution to test-retest variability from small fixational eye movements interacting with visual field gradient. Successful characterization of the gradient of sensitivity appears to require sampling at relatively close spacing, as in the 10-2 test pattern.

Integrated multi-ISE arrays with improved sensitivity, accuracy and precision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chunling; Yuan, Hongyan; Duan, Zhijuan; Xiao, Dan

2017-03-01

Increasing use of ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) in the biological and environmental fields has generated demand for high-sensitivity ISEs. However, improving the sensitivities of ISEs remains a challenge because of the limit of the Nernstian slope (59.2/n mV). Here, we present a universal ion detection method using an electronic integrated multi-electrode system (EIMES) that bypasses the Nernstian slope limit of 59.2/n mV, thereby enabling substantial enhancement of the sensitivity of ISEs. The results reveal that the response slope is greatly increased from 57.2 to 1711.3 mV, 57.3 to 564.7 mV and 57.7 to 576.2 mV by electronic integrated 30 Cl- electrodes, 10 F- electrodes and 10 glass pH electrodes, respectively. Thus, a tiny change in the ion concentration can be monitored, and correspondingly, the accuracy and precision are substantially improved. The EIMES is suited for all types of potentiometric sensors and may pave the way for monitoring of various ions with high accuracy and precision because of its high sensitivity.

Evaluation and construction of diagnostic criteria for inclusion body myositis

PubMed Central

Mammen, Andrew L.; Amato, Anthony A.; Weiss, Michael D.; Needham, Merrilee

2014-01-01

Objective: To use patient data to evaluate and construct diagnostic criteria for inclusion body myositis (IBM), a progressive disease of skeletal muscle. Methods: The literature was reviewed to identify all previously proposed IBM diagnostic criteria. These criteria were applied through medical records review to 200 patients diagnosed as having IBM and 171 patients diagnosed as having a muscle disease other than IBM by neuromuscular specialists at 2 institutions, and to a validating set of 66 additional patients with IBM from 2 other institutions. Machine learning techniques were used for unbiased construction of diagnostic criteria. Results: Twenty-four previously proposed IBM diagnostic categories were identified. Twelve categories all performed with high (≥97%) specificity but varied substantially in their sensitivities (11%–84%). The best performing category was European Neuromuscular Centre 2013 probable (sensitivity of 84%). Specialized pathologic features and newly introduced strength criteria (comparative knee extension/hip flexion strength) performed poorly. Unbiased data-directed analysis of 20 features in 371 patients resulted in construction of higher-performing data-derived diagnostic criteria (90% sensitivity and 96% specificity). Conclusions: Published expert consensus–derived IBM diagnostic categories have uniformly high specificity but wide-ranging sensitivities. High-performing IBM diagnostic category criteria can be developed directly from principled unbiased analysis of patient data. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class II evidence that published expert consensus–derived IBM diagnostic categories accurately distinguish IBM from other muscle disease with high specificity but wide-ranging sensitivities. PMID:24975859

Comparing sensitivity and specificity of screening mammography in the United States and Denmark

PubMed Central

Jacobsen, Katja Kemp; O'Meara, Ellen S.; Key, Dustin; Buist, Diana SM; Kerlikowske, Karla; Vejborg, Ilse; Sprague, Brian L.; Lynge, Elsebeth; von Euler-Chelpin, My

2015-01-01

Delivery of screening mammography differs substantially between the United States (US) and Denmark. We evaluate whether there are differences in screening sensitivity and specificity. We included screens from women screened at age 50-69 years during 1996-2008/2009 in the US Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC) (n=2,872,791), and from two population-based mammography screening programs in Denmark (Copenhagen, n=148,156 and Funen, n=275,553). Women were followed for one year. For initial screens, recall rate was significantly higher in BCSC (17.6%) than in Copenhagen (4.3%) and Funen (3.1%). Sensitivity was fairly similar in BCSC (91.8%) and Copenhagen (90.5%) and Funen (92.5%). At subsequent screens, recall rates were 8.8%, 1.8% and 1.4% in BCSC, Copenhagen and Funen, respectively. The BCSC sensitivity (82.3%) was lower compared to Copenhagen (88.9%) and Funen (86.9%), but when stratified by time since last screen, the sensitivity was similar. For both initial and subsequent screening, the specificity of screening in BCSC (83.2 and 91.6%) was significantly lower than in Copenhagen (96.6 and 98.8%) and Funen. (97.9 and 99.2%). Taking time since last screen into account, American and Danish women had the same probability of having their asymptomatic cancers detected at screening. However, the majority of women free of asymptomatic cancers experienced more harms in terms of false-positive findings in the US than in Denmark. PMID:25944711

A perceptual space of local image statistics.

PubMed

Victor, Jonathan D; Thengone, Daniel J; Rizvi, Syed M; Conte, Mary M

2015-12-01

Local image statistics are important for visual analysis of textures, surfaces, and form. There are many kinds of local statistics, including those that capture luminance distributions, spatial contrast, oriented segments, and corners. While sensitivity to each of these kinds of statistics have been well-studied, much less is known about visual processing when multiple kinds of statistics are relevant, in large part because the dimensionality of the problem is high and different kinds of statistics interact. To approach this problem, we focused on binary images on a square lattice - a reduced set of stimuli which nevertheless taps many kinds of local statistics. In this 10-parameter space, we determined psychophysical thresholds to each kind of statistic (16 observers) and all of their pairwise combinations (4 observers). Sensitivities and isodiscrimination contours were consistent across observers. Isodiscrimination contours were elliptical, implying a quadratic interaction rule, which in turn determined ellipsoidal isodiscrimination surfaces in the full 10-dimensional space, and made predictions for sensitivities to complex combinations of statistics. These predictions, including the prediction of a combination of statistics that was metameric to random, were verified experimentally. Finally, check size had only a mild effect on sensitivities over the range from 2.8 to 14min, but sensitivities to second- and higher-order statistics was substantially lower at 1.4min. In sum, local image statistics form a perceptual space that is highly stereotyped across observers, in which different kinds of statistics interact according to simple rules. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A perceptual space of local image statistics

PubMed Central

Victor, Jonathan D.; Thengone, Daniel J.; Rizvi, Syed M.; Conte, Mary M.

2015-01-01

Local image statistics are important for visual analysis of textures, surfaces, and form. There are many kinds of local statistics, including those that capture luminance distributions, spatial contrast, oriented segments, and corners. While sensitivity to each of these kinds of statistics have been well-studied, much less is known about visual processing when multiple kinds of statistics are relevant, in large part because the dimensionality of the problem is high and different kinds of statistics interact. To approach this problem, we focused on binary images on a square lattice – a reduced set of stimuli which nevertheless taps many kinds of local statistics. In this 10-parameter space, we determined psychophysical thresholds to each kind of statistic (16 observers) and all of their pairwise combinations (4 observers). Sensitivities and isodiscrimination contours were consistent across observers. Isodiscrimination contours were elliptical, implying a quadratic interaction rule, which in turn determined ellipsoidal isodiscrimination surfaces in the full 10-dimensional space, and made predictions for sensitivities to complex combinations of statistics. These predictions, including the prediction of a combination of statistics that was metameric to random, were verified experimentally. Finally, check size had only a mild effect on sensitivities over the range from 2.8 to 14 min, but sensitivities to second- and higher-order statistics was substantially lower at 1.4 min. In sum, local image statistics forms a perceptual space that is highly stereotyped across observers, in which different kinds of statistics interact according to simple rules. PMID:26130606

FANSe2: a robust and cost-efficient alignment tool for quantitative next-generation sequencing applications.

PubMed

Xiao, Chuan-Le; Mai, Zhi-Biao; Lian, Xin-Lei; Zhong, Jia-Yong; Jin, Jing-Jie; He, Qing-Yu; Zhang, Gong

2014-01-01

Correct and bias-free interpretation of the deep sequencing data is inevitably dependent on the complete mapping of all mappable reads to the reference sequence, especially for quantitative RNA-seq applications. Seed-based algorithms are generally slow but robust, while Burrows-Wheeler Transform (BWT) based algorithms are fast but less robust. To have both advantages, we developed an algorithm FANSe2 with iterative mapping strategy based on the statistics of real-world sequencing error distribution to substantially accelerate the mapping without compromising the accuracy. Its sensitivity and accuracy are higher than the BWT-based algorithms in the tests using both prokaryotic and eukaryotic sequencing datasets. The gene identification results of FANSe2 is experimentally validated, while the previous algorithms have false positives and false negatives. FANSe2 showed remarkably better consistency to the microarray than most other algorithms in terms of gene expression quantifications. We implemented a scalable and almost maintenance-free parallelization method that can utilize the computational power of multiple office computers, a novel feature not present in any other mainstream algorithm. With three normal office computers, we demonstrated that FANSe2 mapped an RNA-seq dataset generated from an entire Illunima HiSeq 2000 flowcell (8 lanes, 608 M reads) to masked human genome within 4.1 hours with higher sensitivity than Bowtie/Bowtie2. FANSe2 thus provides robust accuracy, full indel sensitivity, fast speed, versatile compatibility and economical computational utilization, making it a useful and practical tool for deep sequencing applications. FANSe2 is freely available at http://bioinformatics.jnu.edu.cn/software/fanse2/.

Patient-centered and visual quality outcomes of premium cataract surgery: a systematic review.

PubMed

Wang, Sophia Y; Stem, Maxwell S; Oren, Gale; Shtein, Roni; Lichter, Paul R

2017-06-26

Over 8 million cataract surgeries are performed in the United States and the European Union annually, with many patients choosing to pay out of pocket for premium options including premium intraocular lens implants (IOLs) or laser-assisted cataract surgery (LACS). This report provides a systematic review evaluating patient-centered and visual quality outcomes comparing standard monofocal IOLs to premium cataract surgery options. PubMed and EMBASE were searched for publications published between January 1, 1980, and September 18, 2016, on multifocal, accommodative, and toric IOLs, monovision, and LACS, which reported on 1) dysphotopsias, 2) contrast sensitivity, 3) spectacle independence, 4) vision-related quality of life or patient satisfaction, and 5) IOL exchange. Multifocal lenses achieved higher rates of spectacle independence compared to monofocal lenses but also had higher reported frequency of dysphotopsia and worse contrast sensitivity, especially with low light or glare. Accommodative lenses were not associated with reduced contrast sensitivity or more dysphotopsia but had only modest improvements in spectacle independence compared to monofocal lenses. Studies of monovision did not target a sufficiently myopic outcome in the near-vision eye to achieve the full potential for spectacle independence. Patients reported high levels of overall satisfaction regardless of implanted IOL. No studies correlated patient-reported outcomes with patient expectations. Studies are needed to thoroughly compare patient-reported outcomes with concomitant patient expectations. In light of the substantial patient costs for premium options, patients and their surgeons will benefit from a better understanding of which surgical options best meet patients' expectations and how those expectations can be impacted by premium versus monofocal-including monovision-options.

Repeated Solid-state Dewetting of Thin Gold Films for Nanogap-rich Plasmonic Nanoislands.

PubMed

Kang, Minhee; Park, Sang-Gil; Jeong, Ki-Hun

2015-10-15

This work reports a facile wafer-level fabrication for nanogap-rich gold nanoislands for highly sensitive surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) by repeating solid-state thermal dewetting of thin gold film. The method provides enlarged gold nanoislands with small gap spacing, which increase the number of electromagnetic hotspots and thus enhance the extinction intensity as well as the tunability for plasmon resonance wavelength. The plasmonic nanoislands from repeated dewetting substantially increase SERS enhancement factor over one order-of-magnitude higher than those from a single-step dewetting process and they allow ultrasensitive SERS detection of a neurotransmitter with extremely low Raman activity. This simple method provides many opportunities for engineering plasmonics for ultrasensitive detection and highly efficient photon collection.

Repeated Solid-state Dewetting of Thin Gold Films for Nanogap-rich Plasmonic Nanoislands

PubMed Central

Kang, Minhee; Park, Sang-Gil; Jeong, Ki-Hun

2015-01-01

This work reports a facile wafer-level fabrication for nanogap-rich gold nanoislands for highly sensitive surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) by repeating solid-state thermal dewetting of thin gold film. The method provides enlarged gold nanoislands with small gap spacing, which increase the number of electromagnetic hotspots and thus enhance the extinction intensity as well as the tunability for plasmon resonance wavelength. The plasmonic nanoislands from repeated dewetting substantially increase SERS enhancement factor over one order-of-magnitude higher than those from a single-step dewetting process and they allow ultrasensitive SERS detection of a neurotransmitter with extremely low Raman activity. This simple method provides many opportunities for engineering plasmonics for ultrasensitive detection and highly efficient photon collection. PMID:26469768

Focal Plane Detectors for the Advanced Gamma-Ray Imaging System (AGIS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, R. G.; Byrum, K.; Drake, G.; Funk, S.; Otte, N.; Smith, A.; Tajima, H.; Williams, D.

2009-05-01

The Advanced Gamma-Ray Imaging System (AGIS) is a concept for the next generation observatory in ground-based very high energy gamma-ray astronomy. It is being designed to achieve a significant improvement in sensitivity compared to current Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescope (IACT) Arrays. One of the main requirements in order that AGIS fulfills this goal will be to achieve higher angular resolution than current IACTs. Simulations show that a substantial improvement in angular resolution may be achieved if the pixel size is reduced to 0.05 deg, i.e. two to three times smaller than for current IACT cameras. Here we present results from testing of alternatives being considered for AGIS, including both silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) and multi-anode photomultipliers (MAPMTs).

Characterization of an intraluminal differential frequency-domain photoacoustics system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lashkari, Bahman; Son, Jungik; Liang, Simon; Castelino, Robin; Foster, F. Stuart; Courtney, Brian; Mandelis, Andreas

2016-03-01

Cardiovascular related diseases are ranked as the second highest cause of death in Canada. Among the most important cardiovascular diseases is atherosclerosis. Current methods of diagnosis of atherosclerosis consist of angiography, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). None of these methods possesses adequate sensitivity, as the ideal technique should be capable of both depth profiling, as well as functional imaging. An alternative technique is photoacoustics (PA) which can perform deep imaging and spectroscopy. The presented study explores the application of wavelength-modulated differential photoacoustic radar (WM-DPAR) for characterizing arterial vessels. The wavelength-modulated differential photoacoustic technique was shown to be able to substantially increase the dynamic range and sensitivity of hemoglobin oxygenation level detection. In this work the differential PA technique was used with a very high frequency modulation range. To perform spectroscopic PA imaging, at least two wavelengths are required. The selected wavelengths for this work are 1210 nm and 980 nm. 1210 nm corresponds to the maximum optical absorption coefficient of cholesterol and cholesteryl esters which are the main constituents of plaques. Since water, elastin and collagen also have high absorption coefficients at 1210 nm, this wavelength alone cannot provide very high sensitivity and specificity. The additional wavelength, 980 nm corresponds to high absorption coefficient of those constituents of healthy artery tissue. The simultaneous application of the abovementioned wavelengths can provide higher sensitivity and improved specificity in detecting lipids in the arterial vessels.

Transcript analysis in two alfalfa salt tolerance selected breeding populations relative to a non-tolerant population.

PubMed

Gruber, M Y; Xia, J; Yu, M; Steppuhn, H; Wall, K; Messer, D; Sharpe, A G; Acharya, S N; Wishart, D S; Johnson, D; Miller, D R; Taheri, A

2017-02-01

With the growing limitations on arable land, alfalfa (a widely cultivated, low-input forage) is now being selected to extend cultivation into saline lands for low-cost biofeedstock purposes. Here, minerals and transcriptome profiles were compared between two new salinity-tolerant North American alfalfa breeding populations and a more salinity-sensitive western Canadian alfalfa population grown under hydroponic saline conditions. All three populations accumulated two-fold higher sodium in roots than shoots as a function of increased electrical conductivity. At least 50% of differentially expressed genes (p < 0.05) were down-regulated in the salt-sensitive population growing under high salinity, while expression remained unchanged in the saline-tolerant populations. In particular, most reduction in transcript levels in the salt-sensitive population was observed in genes specifying cell wall structural components, lipids, secondary metabolism, auxin and ethylene hormones, development, transport, signalling, heat shock, proteolysis, pathogenesis-response, abiotic stress, RNA processing, and protein metabolism. Transcript diversity for transcription factors, protein modification, and protein degradation genes was also more strongly affected in salt-tolerant CW064027 than in salt-tolerant Bridgeview and salt-sensitive Rangelander, while both saline-tolerant populations showed more substantial up-regulation in redox-related genes and B-ZIP transcripts. The report highlights the first use of bulked genotypes as replicated samples to compare the transcriptomes of obligate out-cross breeding populations in alfalfa.

Patients with chronic tension-type headache demonstrate increased mechano-sensitivity of the supra-orbital nerve.

PubMed

Fernández-de-Las-Peñas, César; Coppieters, Michel W; Cuadrado, María Luz; Pareja, Juan A

2008-04-01

This study aimed to establish whether increased sensitivity to mechanical stimuli is present in neural tissues in chronic tension-type headache (CTTH). Muscle hyperalgesia is a common finding in CTTH. No previous studies have investigated the sensitivity of peripheral nerves in patients with CTTH. A blinded controlled study. Pressure pain thresholds (PPT) and pain intensity following palpation of the supra-orbital nerve (V1) were compared between 20 patients with CTTH and 20 healthy matched subjects. A pressure algometer and numerical pain rate scale were used to quantify PPT and pain to palpation. A headache diary was kept for 4 weeks to substantiate the diagnosis and record the pain history. The analysis of variance demonstrated significantly lower PPT for patients (0.86+/-0.13 kg/cm2) than controls (1.50+/-0.19 kg/cm2) (P<.001). Pain to palpation was also higher for patients (2.73+/-1.58) than controls (0.15+/-0.28) (P<.001). Within the CTTH group, intensity, frequency, and duration of the headaches were negatively correlated with PPT (rsor=0.72; P<.001). These findings reveal that mechanical hypersensitivity is not limited to muscles but also occurs in cranial nerves, and that the level of sensitization, either due to peripheral or central processes, is related to the severity of the primary headache.

Enhanced Sensitivity to Hyperpolarizing Inhibition in Mesoaccumbal Relative to Nigrostriatal Dopamine Neuron Subpopulations

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Midbrain dopamine neurons recorded in vivo pause their firing in response to reward omission and aversive stimuli. While the initiation of pauses typically involves synaptic or modulatory input, intrinsic membrane properties may also enhance or limit hyperpolarization, raising the question of how intrinsic conductances shape pauses in dopamine neurons. Using retrograde labeling and electrophysiological techniques combined with computational modeling, we examined the intrinsic conductances that shape pauses evoked by current injections and synaptic stimulation in subpopulations of dopamine neurons grouped according to their axonal projections to the nucleus accumbens or dorsal striatum in mice. Testing across a range of conditions and pulse durations, we found that mesoaccumbal and nigrostriatal neurons differ substantially in rebound properties with mesoaccumbal neurons displaying significantly longer delays to spiking following hyperpolarization. The underlying mechanism involves an inactivating potassium (IA) current with decay time constants of up to 225 ms, and small-amplitude hyperpolarization-activated currents (IH), characteristics that were most often observed in mesoaccumbal neurons. Pharmacological block of IA completely abolished rebound delays and, importantly, shortened synaptically evoked inhibitory pauses, thereby demonstrating the involvement of A-type potassium channels in prolonging pauses evoked by GABAergic inhibition. Therefore, these results show that mesoaccumbal and nigrostriatal neurons display differential responses to hyperpolarizing inhibitory stimuli that favors a higher sensitivity to inhibition in mesoaccumbal neurons. These findings may explain, in part, observations from in vivo experiments that ventral tegmental area neurons tend to exhibit longer aversive pauses relative to SNc neurons. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our study examines rebound, postburst, and synaptically evoked inhibitory pauses in subpopulations of midbrain dopamine neurons. We show that pauses in dopamine neuron firing, evoked by either stimulation of GABAergic inputs or hyperpolarizing current injections, are enhanced by a subclass of potassium conductances that are recruited at voltages below spike threshold. Importantly, A-type potassium currents recorded in mesoaccumbal neurons displayed substantially slower inactivation kinetics, which, combined with weaker expression of hyperpolarization-activated currents, lengthened hyperpolarization-induced delays in spiking relative to nigrostriatal neurons. These results suggest that input integration differs among dopamine neurons favoring higher sensitivity to inhibition in mesoaccumbal neurons and may partially explain in vivo observations that ventral tegmental area neurons exhibit longer aversive pauses relative to SNc neurons. PMID:28219982

Even subtle cultural differences affect face tuning.

PubMed

Pavlova, Marina A; Heiz, Julie; Sokolov, Alexander N; Fallgatter, Andreas J; Barisnikov, Koviljka

2018-01-01

Culture shapes social cognition in many ways. Yet cultural impact on face tuning remains largely unclear. Here typically developing females and males from the French-speaking part of Switzerland were presented with a set of Arcimboldo-like Face-n-Food images composed of food ingredients and in different degree resembling a face. The outcome had been compared with previous findings obtained in young adults of the South-West Germany. In that study, males exhibit higher thresholds for face tuning on the Face-n-Food task than females. In Swiss participants, no gender differences exist in face tuning. Strikingly, males from the French-speaking part of Switzerland possess higher sensitivity to faces than their German peers, whereas no difference in face tuning occurs between females. The outcome indicates that even relatively subtle cultural differences as well as culture by gender interaction can modulate social cognition. Clarification of the nature of cultural impact on face tuning as well as social cognition at large is of substantial value for understanding a wide range of neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions.

Estimating the changes in energy flux that characterize the rise in obesity prevalence

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The daily energy imbalance gap associated with the current population weight gain in the obesity epidemic is relatively small. However, the substantially higher body weights of populations that have accumulated over several years are associated with a substantially higher total energy expenditure (T...

[Improvement of effectivity of photo disinfection of water from bacterial contaminants in the presence of heterogeneous sensitizers based on phthalocyanines grafted to aminopropyl silicagel].

PubMed

Maksimkina, T N; Artemova, T Z; Kuznetsova, N A; Sinitsyna, O O; Gipp, E K; Zagaĭnova, A V; Butorina, N N; Iuzhakova, O A; Krasniak, A V

2012-01-01

The possibility of using 12 heterogeneous sensitizers (HS) based on phthalocyanines covalently grafted to aminopropyl silicagel for disinfection of water from bacteria has been studied. For reliable water quality control the technique of performing bacteriological analysis in the presence of HS beads in the sample has been elaborated. The conditions increasing the efficiency of photo disinfection in the presence of HS were studied. Algorithm for estimation of photo disinfectant effect of HS against bacteria was substantiated. Obtained data confirm the perspective of further studies on the substantiation of the possibility of the application of HS for water disinfection.

Application of a novel severity grading system for surgical complications after colorectal resection.

PubMed

Mazeh, Haggi; Samet, Yacov; Abu-Wasel, Bassam; Beglaibter, Nahum; Grinbaum, Ronit; Cohen, Tzeela; Pinto, Meir; Hamburger, Tamar; Freund, Herbert R; Nissan, Aviram

2009-03-01

Uniform and accurate reporting of surgical complications is the basis for quality control. We developed a computerized system for reporting and grading surgical complications in colorectal surgery. This study was conducted to evaluate this computerized reporting system. A retrospective chart review was conducted of all surgical complications in patients who underwent resection of the colon or rectum at our institution between the years 1999 and 2004 (n = 408). All complications were recorded using the computerized reporting system and compared with complications reported in the literature. Elective operations were performed in 75.7% of patients, and 24.3% required emergency operations. Of the 408 patients in the study, 239 (58.6%) had an uneventful recovery without complications. At least 1 complication was recorded in 169 (41.4%) patients. Grades 1 and 2 complications were recorded in 83 (20.3%) and 105 (25.7%) patients, respectively, requiring observation or medical treatment only, and 59 patients (14.5%) had grades 3 to 5 complications. The three leading complications were surgical site infection, intraabdominal abscess, and hemorrhage requiring blood transfusion. The grades 3 to 5 complication rate was within the range described in the literature, and the rate of grades 1 and 2 complications was substantially higher. These grades 1 and 2 complications were associated with a substantially longer hospital stay. This novel complication reporting system was found feasible and proved to have a higher sensitivity for recording minor but meaningful complications that tend to prolong hospital stay.

Interobserver variability of sonography for prediction of placenta accreta.

PubMed

Bowman, Zachary S; Eller, Alexandra G; Kennedy, Anne M; Richards, Douglas S; Winter, Thomas C; Woodward, Paula J; Silver, Robert M

2014-12-01

The sensitivity of sonography to predict accreta has been reported as higher than 90%. However, most studies are from single expert investigators. Our objective was to analyze interobserver variability of sonography for prediction of placenta accreta. Patients with previa with and without accreta were ascertained, and images with placental views were collected, deidentified, and placed in random sequence. Three radiologists and 3 maternal-fetal medicine specialists interpreted each study for the presence of accreta and specific findings reported to be associated with its diagnosis. Investigator-specific sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were calculated. κ statistics were used to assess variability between individuals and types of investigators. A total of 229 sonographic studies from 55 patients with accreta and 56 control patients were examined. Accuracy ranged from 55.9% to 76.4%. Of imaging studies yielding diagnoses, sensitivity ranged from 53.4% to 74.4%, and specificity ranged from 70.8% to 94.8%. Overall interobserver agreement was moderate (mean κ ± SD = 0.47 ± 0.12). κ values between pairs of investigators ranged from 0.32 (fair agreement) to 0.73 (substantial agreement). Average individual agreement ranged from fair (κ = 0.35) to moderate (κ = 0.53). Blinded from clinical data, sonography has significant interobserver variability for the diagnosis of placenta accreta. © 2013 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

[Allergic responses to date palm and pecan pollen in Israel].

PubMed

Waisel, Y; Keynan, N; Gil, T; Tayar, D; Bezerano, A; Goldberg, A; Geller-Bernstein, C; Dolev, Z; Tamir, R; Levy, I

1994-03-15

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) and pecan (Carya illinoensis) trees are commonly planted in Israel for fruit, for shade, or as ornamental plants. Pollen grains of both species are allergenic; however, the extent of exposure to such pollen and the incidence of allergic response have not been studied here. We therefore investigated skin-test responses to pollen extracts of 12 varieties of palm and 9 of pecan in 705 allergic patients living in 3 cities and 19 rural settlements. Sensitivity to the pollen extracts of both species was much higher among residents of rural than of urban communities. Moreover, there was a definite relationship between the abundance of these trees in a region and the incidence of skin responders to their pollen. Sensitivity was frequent in settlements rich in these 2 species, such as those with nearby commercial date or pecan plantations. In general, sensitivity to date pollen extracts was lower than to pecan. However, differences in skin responses to pollen extracts of various clones were substantiated. Air sampling revealed that pollen pollution decreased considerably with distance from the trees. At approximately 100 m from a source concentrations of airborne pollen were low. Since planting of male palm and pecan trees in population centers would increase pollen pollution, it should be avoided.

Dark-field imaging in coronary atherosclerosis.

PubMed

Hetterich, Holger; Webber, Nicole; Willner, Marian; Herzen, Julia; Birnbacher, Lorenz; Auweter, Sigrid; Schüller, Ulrich; Bamberg, Fabian; Notohamiprodjo, Susan; Bartsch, Harald; Wolf, Johannes; Marschner, Mathias; Pfeiffer, Franz; Reiser, Maximilian; Saam, Tobias

2017-09-01

Dark-field imaging based on small angle X-ray scattering has been shown to be highly sensitive for microcalcifications, e.g. in breast tissue. We hypothesized (i) that high signal areas in dark-field imaging of atherosclerotic plaque are associated with microcalcifications and (ii) that dark-field imaging is more sensitive for microcalcifications than attenuation-based imaging. Fifteen coronary artery specimens were examined at an experimental set-up consisting of X-ray tube (40kV), grating-interferometer and detector. Tomographic dark-field-, attenuation-, and phase-contrast data were simultaneously acquired. Histopathology served as standard of reference. To explore the potential of dark field imaging in a full-body CT system, simulations were carried out with spherical calcifications of different sizes to simulate small and intermediate microcalcifications. Microcalcifications were present in 10/10 (100%) cross-sections with high dark-field signal and without evidence of calcifications in attenuation- or phase contrast. In positive controls with high signal areas in all three modalities, 10/10 (100%) cross-sections showed macrocalcifications. In negative controls without high signal areas, no calcifications were detected. Simulations showed that the microcalcifications generate substantially higher dark-field than attenuation signal. Dark-field imaging is highly sensitive for microcalcifications in coronary atherosclerotic plaque and might provide complementary information in the assessment of plaque instability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Salt acclimation process: a comparison between a sensitive and a tolerant Olea europaea cultivar.

PubMed

Pandolfi, Camilla; Bazihizina, Nadia; Giordano, Cristiana; Mancuso, Stefano; Azzarello, Elisa

2017-03-01

Saline soils are highly heterogeneous in time and space, and this is a critical factor influencing plant physiology and productivity. Temporal changes in soil salinity can alter plant responses to salinity, and pre-treating plants with low NaCl concentrations has been found to substantially increase salt tolerance in different species in a process called acclimation. However, it still remains unclear whether this process is common to all plants or is only expressed in certain genotypes. We addressed this question by assessing the physiological changes to 100 mM NaCl in two contrasting olive cultivars (the salt-sensitive Leccino and the salt-tolerant Frantoio), following a 1-month acclimation period with 5 or 25 mM NaCl. The acclimation improved salt tolerance in both cultivars, but activated substantially different physiological adjustments in the tolerant and the sensitive cultivars. In the tolerant Frantoio the acclimation with 5 mM NaCl was more effective in increasing plant salt tolerance, with a 47% increase in total plant dry mass compared with non-acclimated saline plants. This enhanced biomass accumulation was associated with a 50% increase in K+ retention ability in roots. On the other hand, in the sensitive Leccino, although the acclimation process did not improve performance in terms of plant growth, pre-treatment with 5 and 25 mM NaCl substantially decreased salt-induced leaf cell ultrastructural changes, with leaf cell relatively similar to those of control plants. Taken together these results suggest that in the tolerant cultivar the acclimation took place primarily in the root tissues, while in the sensitive they occurred mainly at the shoot level. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Cell-intrinsic determinants of ibrutinib-induced apoptosis in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

PubMed Central

Amin, Nisar A.; Balasubramanian, Sriram; Saiya-Cork, Kamlai; Shedden, Kerby; Hu, Nan; Malek, Sami N.

2016-01-01

Purpose Ibrutinib, a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, is approved for the treatment of relapsed CLL and CLL with del17p. Mechanistically, ibrutinib interferes with BCR signaling as well as multiple CLL cell to microenvironment interactions. Given the importance of ibrutinib in the management of CLL, a deeper understanding of factors governing sensitivity and resistance is warranted. Experimental Design We studied 48 longitudinally sampled paired CLL samples, 42 of which were procured before and after standard CLL chemotherapies, and characterized them for well-studied CLL molecular traits as well as by whole exome sequencing and SNP 6.0 array profiling. We exposed these samples to 0.25 μM – 5 μM of ibrutinib ex vivo and measured apoptosis fractions as well as BCR signaling by immunoblotting. We disrupted TP53 in HG3, PGA1 and PG-EBV cell lines and measured BCR signaling and ibrutinib responses. Results CLL samples demonstrated a surprisingly wide range of ex vivo sensitivities to ibrutinib with IC50 values ranging from 0.4 μM – 9.7 μM. Unmutated IGVH status, elevated ZAP70 expression and trisomy 12 were associated with heightened sensitivity to ibrutinib treatment. Five CLL samples were substantially more resistant to ibrutinib following relapse from chemotherapy; of these, three had acquired a del17p/TP53 mutated status. A validation sample of 15 CLL carrying TP53 mutations, of which 13 carried both del17p and a TP53 mutation confirmed substantially less sensitivity to ibrutinib-induced apoptosis. Conclusions This study identifies that CLL harboring del17p/TP53 mutated cells are substantially less sensitive to ibrutinib-induced apoptosis than del17p/TP53 wild type cells. PMID:27535981

The effect of short-term cardiac rehabilitation after acute myocardial infarction on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.

PubMed

Mlakar, Polona; Salobir, Barbara; Cobo, Nusret; Jug, Borut; Terčelj, Marjeta; Sabovič, Mišo

2014-03-01

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is an important biomarker of risk for coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality. We investigated the influence of short-term cardiac rehabilitation (CR) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) on values of hsCRP and classical risk factors, including metabolic syndrome. hsCRP and classical risk factors were measured before and after completed 2-week CR program in 30 men after AMI. The comparison group comprised 30 age-balanced healthy men, with no risk factors for coronary heart disease. As expected, in comparison to healthy individuals, patients had higher values of hsCRP; furthermore, smokers had significantly higher hsCRP values than nonsmokers. Patients had more expressed markers of metabolic syndrome and due to pharmacological therapy lower blood pressure, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). After CR was completed, a significant drop in hsCRP (P=0.006) and improvement of metabolic syndrome parameters (lower body mass index, blood pressure, LDL-C, triglycerides) was observed in nonsmokers, whereas no such changes occurred in smokers. Our study revealed that hsCRP and metabolic syndrome parameters can be substantially reduced by a 2-week CR program; however, this effect is present only in nonsmokers. Thus, all patients entering the CR program after AMI should be advised to quit smoking before entering the program to achieve optimal benefits.

Mechanisms of salt tolerance in habanero pepper plants (Capsicum chinense Jacq.): Proline accumulation, ions dynamics and sodium root-shoot partition and compartmentation

PubMed Central

Bojórquez-Quintal, Emanuel; Velarde-Buendía, Ana; Ku-González, Ángela; Carillo-Pech, Mildred; Ortega-Camacho, Daniela; Echevarría-Machado, Ileana; Pottosin, Igor; Martínez-Estévez, Manuel

2014-01-01

Despite its economic relevance, little is known about salt tolerance mechanisms in pepper plants. To address this question, we compared differences in responses to NaCl in two Capsicum chinense varieties: Rex (tolerant) and Chichen-Itza (sensitive). Under salt stress (150 mM NaCl over 7 days) roots of Rex variety accumulated 50 times more compatible solutes such as proline compared to Chichen-Itza. Mineral analysis indicated that Na+ is restricted to roots by preventing its transport to leaves. Fluorescence analysis suggested an efficient Na+ compartmentalization in vacuole-like structures and in small intracellular compartments in roots of Rex variety. At the same time, Na+ in Chichen-Itza plants was compartmentalized in the apoplast, suggesting substantial Na+ extrusion. Rex variety was found to retain more K+ in its roots under salt stress according to a mineral analysis and microelectrode ion flux estimation (MIFE). Vanadate-sensitive H+ efflux was higher in Chichen-Itza variety plants, suggesting a higher activity of the plasma membrane H+-ATPase, which fuels the extrusion of Na+, and, possibly, also the re-uptake of K+. Our results suggest a combination of stress tolerance mechanisms, in order to alleviate the salt-induced injury. Furthermore, Na+ extrusion to apoplast does not appear to be an efficient strategy for salt tolerance in pepper plants. PMID:25429292

Mechanisms of salt tolerance in habanero pepper plants (Capsicum chinense Jacq.): Proline accumulation, ions dynamics and sodium root-shoot partition and compartmentation.

PubMed

Bojórquez-Quintal, Emanuel; Velarde-Buendía, Ana; Ku-González, Angela; Carillo-Pech, Mildred; Ortega-Camacho, Daniela; Echevarría-Machado, Ileana; Pottosin, Igor; Martínez-Estévez, Manuel

2014-01-01

Despite its economic relevance, little is known about salt tolerance mechanisms in pepper plants. To address this question, we compared differences in responses to NaCl in two Capsicum chinense varieties: Rex (tolerant) and Chichen-Itza (sensitive). Under salt stress (150 mM NaCl over 7 days) roots of Rex variety accumulated 50 times more compatible solutes such as proline compared to Chichen-Itza. Mineral analysis indicated that Na(+) is restricted to roots by preventing its transport to leaves. Fluorescence analysis suggested an efficient Na(+) compartmentalization in vacuole-like structures and in small intracellular compartments in roots of Rex variety. At the same time, Na(+) in Chichen-Itza plants was compartmentalized in the apoplast, suggesting substantial Na(+) extrusion. Rex variety was found to retain more K(+) in its roots under salt stress according to a mineral analysis and microelectrode ion flux estimation (MIFE). Vanadate-sensitive H(+) efflux was higher in Chichen-Itza variety plants, suggesting a higher activity of the plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase, which fuels the extrusion of Na(+), and, possibly, also the re-uptake of K(+). Our results suggest a combination of stress tolerance mechanisms, in order to alleviate the salt-induced injury. Furthermore, Na(+) extrusion to apoplast does not appear to be an efficient strategy for salt tolerance in pepper plants.

Surveillance of vector-borne pathogens under imperfect detection: lessons from Chagas disease risk (mis)measurement.

PubMed

Minuzzi-Souza, Thaís Tâmara Castro; Nitz, Nadjar; Cuba, César Augusto Cuba; Hagström, Luciana; Hecht, Mariana Machado; Santana, Camila; Ribeiro, Marcelle; Vital, Tamires Emanuele; Santalucia, Marcelo; Knox, Monique; Obara, Marcos Takashi; Abad-Franch, Fernando; Gurgel-Gonçalves, Rodrigo

2018-01-09

Vector-borne pathogens threaten human health worldwide. Despite their critical role in disease prevention, routine surveillance systems often rely on low-complexity pathogen detection tests of uncertain accuracy. In Chagas disease surveillance, optical microscopy (OM) is routinely used for detecting Trypanosoma cruzi in its vectors. Here, we use replicate T. cruzi detection data and hierarchical site-occupancy models to assess the reliability of OM-based T. cruzi surveillance while explicitly accounting for false-negative and false-positive results. We investigated 841 triatomines with OM slides (1194 fresh, 1192 Giemsa-stained) plus conventional (cPCR, 841 assays) and quantitative PCR (qPCR, 1682 assays). Detections were considered unambiguous only when parasitologists unmistakably identified T. cruzi in Giemsa-stained slides. qPCR was >99% sensitive and specific, whereas cPCR was ~100% specific but only ~55% sensitive. In routine surveillance, examination of a single OM slide per vector missed ~50-75% of infections and wrongly scored as infected ~7% of the bugs. qPCR-based and model-based infection frequency estimates were nearly three times higher, on average, than OM-based indices. We conclude that the risk of vector-borne Chagas disease may be substantially higher than routine surveillance data suggest. The hierarchical modelling approach we illustrate can help enhance vector-borne disease surveillance systems when pathogen detection is imperfect.

Efficacy of knee joint aspiration in patients with acute ACL injury in the emergency department.

PubMed

Wang, Joon Ho; Lee, Jin Hyuck; Cho, Youngsuk; Shin, Jung Min; Lee, Byung Hoon

2016-08-01

To evaluate the influence of joint aspiration on the sensitivity of physical examination for diagnosing acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) lesion in the second outpatient-department (OPD) follow-up referred from emergency department (ED). This retrospective study included sixty patients underwent ACL reconstruction with initial visit at ED. They were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of joint aspiration at ED. All participants were referred to second OPD follow-up within 7-14days after the injury. Clinical manifestation (including visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, range of motion (ROM), and severity of knee effusion) and physical examination (Lachman test and pivot shift test) were checked in ED and the second OPD follow-up. The group of patients with joint aspiration (G1) showed substantial decreases in mean values of VAS for pain (p=0.005), ROM (p=0.001), and effusion level (p<0.001), even higher VAS and effusion level and lower ROM at the initial visit of ED than the other group (G2). The sensitivity of positive Lachman and pivot shift test was significantly (p<0.05) increased following knee joint aspiration. Positive Lachman test was recorded at 76.5% in the second follow-up in G1, which was significantly (p=0.047) higher than that (47.6%) in G2. The percentage of positive pivot shift test was recorded at 76.5% in the second follow-up in G1, which as significantly (p<0.001) higher than that (31.0%) in G2. Knee joint aspiration in acute ACL injury with suspected hemarthrosis could be considered as a diagnostic procedure. Joint aspiration in early medical attendance might be able to lower pain scores or raise the sensitivity of physical examination for diagnosing acute ACL injury at follow up visit in orthopedic outpatient department. Retrospective cohort study III. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Area-level variations in cancer care and outcomes.

PubMed

Keating, Nancy L; Landrum, Mary Beth; Lamont, Elizabeth B; Bozeman, Samuel R; McNeil, Barbara J

2012-05-01

: Substantial regional variations in health-care spending exist across the United States; yet, care and outcomes are not better in higher-spending areas. Most studies have focused on care in fee-for-service Medicare; whether spillover effects exist in settings without financial incentives for more care is unknown. : We studied care for cancer patients in fee-for-service Medicare and the Veterans Health Administration (VA) to understand whether processes and outcomes of care vary with area-level Medicare spending. : An observational study using logistic regression to assess care by area-level measures of Medicare spending. : Patients with lung, colorectal, or prostate cancers diagnosed during 2001-2004 in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) areas or the VA. The SEER cohort included fee-for-service Medicare patients aged older than 65 years. : Recommended and preference-sensitive cancer care and mortality. : In fee-for-service Medicare, higher-spending areas had higher rates of recommended care (curative surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer and chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer) and preference-sensitive care (chemotherapy for stage IV lung and colon cancer and primary treatment of local/regional prostate cancer) and had lower lung cancer mortality. In the VA, we observed minimal variation in care by area-level Medicare spending. : Our findings suggest that intensity of care for Medicare beneficiaries is not driving variations in VA care, despite some overlap in physician networks. Although the Dartmouth Atlas work has been of unprecedented importance in demonstrating variations in Medicare spending, new measures may be needed to better understand variations in other populations.

The relevance of using 3D cell cultures, in addition to 2D monolayer cultures, when evaluating breast cancer drug sensitivity and resistance

PubMed Central

Breslin, Susan; O'Driscoll, Lorraine

2016-01-01

Solid tumours naturally grow in 3D wherein the spatial arrangement of cells affects how they interact with each other. This suggests that 3D cell culture may mimic the natural in vivo setting better than traditional monolayer (2D) cell culture, where cells are grown attached to plastic. Here, using HER2-positive breast cancer cell lines as models (BT474, HCC1954, EFM192A), the effects of culturing cells in 3D using the poly-HEMA method compared to 2D cultures were assessed in terms of cellular viability, response/resistance to anti-cancer drugs, protein expression and enzyme activity. Scanning electron microscopy showed the morphology of cells in 3D to be substantially different to those cultured in 2D. Cell viability in 3D cells was substantially lower than that of cells in 2D cultures, while 3D cultures were more resistant to the effects of HER-targeted (neratinib) and classical chemotherapy (docetaxel) drugs. Expression of proteins involved in cell survival, transporters associated with drug resistance and drug targets were increased in 3D cultures. Finally, activity of drug metabolising enzyme CYP3A4 was substantially increased in 3D compared to 2D cultures. Together this data indicates that the biological information represented by 3D and 2D cell cultures is substantially different i.e. 3D cell cultures demonstrate higher innate resistance to anti-cancer drugs compared to 2D cultures, which may be facilitated by the altered receptor proteins, drug transporters and metabolising enzyme activity. This highlights the importance of considering 3D in addition to 2D culture methods in pre-clinical studies of both newer targeted and more traditional anti-cancer drugs. PMID:27304190

Flow sensing by pinniped whiskers

PubMed Central

Miersch, L.; Hanke, W.; Wieskotten, S.; Hanke, F. D.; Oeffner, J.; Leder, A.; Brede, M.; Witte, M.; Dehnhardt, G.

2011-01-01

Beside their haptic function, vibrissae of harbour seals (Phocidae) and California sea lions (Otariidae) both represent highly sensitive hydrodynamic receptor systems, although their vibrissal hair shafts differ considerably in structure. To quantify the sensory performance of both hair types, isolated single whiskers were used to measure vortex shedding frequencies produced in the wake of a cylinder immersed in a rotational flow tank. These measurements revealed that both whisker types were able to detect the vortex shedding frequency but differed considerably with respect to the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). While the signal detected by sea lion whiskers was substantially corrupted by noise, harbour seal whiskers showed a higher SNR with largely reduced noise. However, further analysis revealed that in sea lion whiskers, each noise signal contained a dominant frequency suggested to function as a characteristic carrier signal. While in harbour seal whiskers the unique surface structure explains its high sensitivity, this more or less steady fundamental frequency might represent the mechanism underlying hydrodynamic reception in the fast swimming sea lion by being modulated in response to hydrodynamic stimuli impinging on the hair. PMID:21969689

Cosmic reionization on computers. Mean and fluctuating redshifted 21 CM signal

DOE PAGES

Kaurov, Alexander A.; Gnedin, Nickolay Y.

2016-06-20

We explore the mean and fluctuating redshifted 21 cm signal in numerical simulations from the Cosmic Reionization On Computers project. We find that the mean signal varies between about ±25 mK. Most significantly, we find that the negative pre-reionization dip at z ~ 10–15 only extends tomore » $$\\langle {\\rm{\\Delta }}{T}_{B}\\rangle \\sim -25\\,{\\rm{mK}}$$, requiring substantially higher sensitivity from global signal experiments that operate in this redshift range (EDGES-II, LEDA, SCI-HI, and DARE) than has often been assumed previously. We also explore the role of dense substructure (filaments and embedded galaxies) in the formation of the 21 cm power spectrum. We find that by neglecting the semi-neutral substructure inside ionized bubbles, the power spectrum can be misestimated by 25%–50% at scales k ~ 0.1–1h Mpc –1. Furthermore, this scale range is of particular interest, because the upcoming 21 cm experiments (Murchison Widefield Array, Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization, Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array) are expected to be most sensitive within it.« less

Cosmic Reionization On Computers. Mean and Fluctuating Redshifted 21 cm Signal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaurov, Alexander A.; Gnedin, Nickolay Y.

2016-06-01

We explore the mean and fluctuating redshifted 21 cm signal in numerical simulations from the Cosmic Reionization On Computers project. We find that the mean signal varies between about ±25 mK. Most significantly, we find that the negative pre-reionization dip at z ˜ 10-15 only extends to < {{Δ }}{T}B> ˜ -25 {{mK}}, requiring substantially higher sensitivity from global signal experiments that operate in this redshift range (EDGES-II, LEDA, SCI-HI, and DARE) than has often been assumed previously. We also explore the role of dense substructure (filaments and embedded galaxies) in the formation of the 21 cm power spectrum. We find that by neglecting the semi-neutral substructure inside ionized bubbles, the power spectrum can be misestimated by 25%-50% at scales k ˜ 0.1-1h Mpc-1. This scale range is of particular interest, because the upcoming 21 cm experiments (Murchison Widefield Array, Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization, Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array) are expected to be most sensitive within it.

Cosmic reionization on computers. Mean and fluctuating redshifted 21 CM signal

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

Kaurov, Alexander A.; Gnedin, Nickolay Y.

We explore the mean and fluctuating redshifted 21 cm signal in numerical simulations from the Cosmic Reionization On Computers project. We find that the mean signal varies between about ±25 mK. Most significantly, we find that the negative pre-reionization dip at z ~ 10–15 only extends tomore » $$\\langle {\\rm{\\Delta }}{T}_{B}\\rangle \\sim -25\\,{\\rm{mK}}$$, requiring substantially higher sensitivity from global signal experiments that operate in this redshift range (EDGES-II, LEDA, SCI-HI, and DARE) than has often been assumed previously. We also explore the role of dense substructure (filaments and embedded galaxies) in the formation of the 21 cm power spectrum. We find that by neglecting the semi-neutral substructure inside ionized bubbles, the power spectrum can be misestimated by 25%–50% at scales k ~ 0.1–1h Mpc –1. Furthermore, this scale range is of particular interest, because the upcoming 21 cm experiments (Murchison Widefield Array, Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization, Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array) are expected to be most sensitive within it.« less

Energetic materials and methods of tailoring electrostatic discharge sensitivity of energetic materials

DOEpatents

Daniels, Michael A.; Heaps, Ronald J.; Wallace, Ronald S.; Pantoya, Michelle L.; Collins, Eric S.

2016-11-01

An energetic material comprising an elemental fuel, an oxidizer or other element, and a carbon nanofiller or carbon fiber rods, where the carbon nanofiller or carbon fiber rods are substantially homogeneously dispersed in the energetic material. Methods of tailoring the electrostatic discharge sensitivity of an energetic material are also disclosed.

Sensitivity of summer stream temperatures to climate variability in the Pacific Northwest

Treesearch

Charles Luce; Brian Staab; Marc Kramer; Seth Wenger; Dan Isaak; Callie McConnell

2014-01-01

Estimating the thermal response of streams to a warming climate is important for prioritizing native fish conservation efforts. While there are plentiful estimates of air temperature responses to climate change, the sensitivity of streams, particularly small headwater streams, to warming temperatures is less well understood. A substantial body of literature correlates...

When does mass screening for open neural tube defects in low-risk pregnancies result in cost savings?

PubMed Central

Tosi, L L; Detsky, A S; Roye, D P; Morden, M L

1987-01-01

Using a decision analysis model, we estimated the savings that might be derived from a mass prenatal screening program aimed at detecting open neural tube defects (NTDs) in low-risk pregnancies. Our baseline analysis showed that screening v. no screening could be expected to save approximately $8 per pregnancy given a cost of $7.50 for the maternal serum alpha-feto-protein (MSAFP) test and a cost of $42,507 for hospital and rehabilitation services for the first 10 years of life for a child with spina bifida. When a more liberal estimate of the costs of caring for such a child was used, the savings with the screening program were more substantial. We performed extensive sensitivity analyses, which showed that the savings were somewhat sensitive to the cost of the MSAFP test and highly sensitive to the specificity (but not the sensitivity) of the test. A screening program for NTDs in low-risk pregnancies may result in substantial savings in direct health care costs if the screening protocol is followed rigorously and efficiently. PMID:2433011

Computerized Detection of Lung Nodules by Means of “Virtual Dual-Energy” Radiography

PubMed Central

Chen, Sheng; Suzuki, Kenji

2014-01-01

Major challenges in current computer-aided detection (CADe) schemes for nodule detection in chest radiographs (CXRs) are to detect nodules that overlap with ribs and/or clavicles and to reduce the frequent false positives (FPs) caused by ribs. Detection of such nodules by a CADe scheme is very important, because radiologists are likely to miss such subtle nodules. Our purpose in this study was to develop a CADe scheme with improved sensitivity and specificity by use of “virtual dual-energy” (VDE) CXRs where ribs and clavicles are suppressed with massive-training artificial neural networks (MTANNs). To reduce rib-induced FPs and detect nodules overlapping with ribs, we incorporated the VDE technology in our CADe scheme. The VDE technology suppressed rib and clavicle opacities in CXRs while maintaining soft-tissue opacity by use of the MTANN technique that had been trained with real dual-energy imaging. Our scheme detected nodule candidates on VDE images by use of a morphologic filtering technique. Sixty morphologic and gray-level-based features were extracted from each candidate from both original and VDE CXRs. A nonlinear support vector classifier was employed for classification of the nodule candidates. A publicly available database containing 140 nodules in 140 CXRs and 93 normal CXRs was used for testing our CADe scheme. All nodules were confirmed by computed tomography examinations, and the average size of the nodules was 17.8 mm. Thirty percent (42/140) of the nodules were rated “extremely subtle” or “very subtle” by a radiologist. The original scheme without VDE technology achieved a sensitivity of 78.6% (110/140) with 5 (1165/233) FPs per image. By use of the VDE technology, more nodules overlapping with ribs or clavicles were detected and the sensitivity was improved substantially to 85.0% (119/140) at the same FP rate in a leave-one-out cross-validation test, whereas the FP rate was reduced to 2.5 (583/233) per image at the same sensitivity level as the original CADe scheme obtained (Difference between the specificities of the original and the VDE-based CADe schemes was statistically significant). In particular, the sensitivity of our VDE-based CADe scheme for subtle nodules (66.7% = 28/42) was statistically significantly higher than that of the original CADe scheme (57.1% = 24/42). Therefore, by use of VDE technology, the sensitivity and specificity of our CADe scheme for detection of nodules, especially subtle nodules, in CXRs were improved substantially. PMID:23193306

Computerized detection of lung nodules by means of "virtual dual-energy" radiography.

PubMed

Chen, Sheng; Suzuki, Kenji

2013-02-01

Major challenges in current computer-aided detection (CADe) schemes for nodule detection in chest radiographs (CXRs) are to detect nodules that overlap with ribs and/or clavicles and to reduce the frequent false positives (FPs) caused by ribs. Detection of such nodules by a CADe scheme is very important, because radiologists are likely to miss such subtle nodules. Our purpose in this study was to develop a CADe scheme with improved sensitivity and specificity by use of "virtual dual-energy" (VDE) CXRs where ribs and clavicles are suppressed with massive-training artificial neural networks (MTANNs). To reduce rib-induced FPs and detect nodules overlapping with ribs, we incorporated the VDE technology in our CADe scheme. The VDE technology suppressed rib and clavicle opacities in CXRs while maintaining soft-tissue opacity by use of the MTANN technique that had been trained with real dual-energy imaging. Our scheme detected nodule candidates on VDE images by use of a morphologic filtering technique. Sixty morphologic and gray-level-based features were extracted from each candidate from both original and VDE CXRs. A nonlinear support vector classifier was employed for classification of the nodule candidates. A publicly available database containing 140 nodules in 140 CXRs and 93 normal CXRs was used for testing our CADe scheme. All nodules were confirmed by computed tomography examinations, and the average size of the nodules was 17.8 mm. Thirty percent (42/140) of the nodules were rated "extremely subtle" or "very subtle" by a radiologist. The original scheme without VDE technology achieved a sensitivity of 78.6% (110/140) with 5 (1165/233) FPs per image. By use of the VDE technology, more nodules overlapping with ribs or clavicles were detected and the sensitivity was improved substantially to 85.0% (119/140) at the same FP rate in a leave-one-out cross-validation test, whereas the FP rate was reduced to 2.5 (583/233) per image at the same sensitivity level as the original CADe scheme obtained (Difference between the specificities of the original and the VDE-based CADe schemes was statistically significant). In particular, the sensitivity of our VDE-based CADe scheme for subtle nodules (66.7% = 28/42) was statistically significantly higher than that of the original CADe scheme (57.1% = 24/42). Therefore, by use of VDE technology, the sensitivity and specificity of our CADe scheme for detection of nodules, especially subtle nodules, in CXRs were improved substantially.

Wavelet method for CT colonography computer-aided polyp detection.

PubMed

Li, Jiang; Van Uitert, Robert; Yao, Jianhua; Petrick, Nicholas; Franaszek, Marek; Huang, Adam; Summers, Ronald M

2008-08-01

Computed tomographic colonography (CTC) computer aided detection (CAD) is a new method to detect colon polyps. Colonic polyps are abnormal growths that may become cancerous. Detection and removal of colonic polyps, particularly larger ones, has been shown to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer. While high sensitivities and low false positive rates are consistently achieved for the detection of polyps sized 1 cm or larger, lower sensitivities and higher false positive rates occur when the goal of CAD is to identify "medium"-sized polyps, 6-9 mm in diameter. Such medium-sized polyps may be important for clinical patient management. We have developed a wavelet-based postprocessor to reduce false positives for this polyp size range. We applied the wavelet-based postprocessor to CTC CAD findings from 44 patients in whom 45 polyps with sizes of 6-9 mm were found at segmentally unblinded optical colonoscopy and visible on retrospective review of the CT colonography images. Prior to the application of the wavelet-based postprocessor, the CTC CAD system detected 33 of the polyps (sensitivity 73.33%) with 12.4 false positives per patient, a sensitivity comparable to that of expert radiologists. Fourfold cross validation with 5000 bootstraps showed that the wavelet-based postprocessor could reduce the false positives by 56.61% (p <0.001), to 5.38 per patient (95% confidence interval [4.41, 6.34]), without significant sensitivity degradation (32/45, 71.11%, 95% confidence interval [66.39%, 75.74%], p=0.1713). We conclude that this wavelet-based postprocessor can substantially reduce the false positive rate of our CTC CAD for this important polyp size range.

Damages of surface ozone: evidence from agricultural sector in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Fujin; McCarl, Bruce A.; Zhou, Xun; Jiang, Fei

2018-03-01

This study measures the damages that surface ozone pollution causes within the Chinese agricultural sector under 2014 conditions. It also analyzes the agricultural benefits of ozone reductions. The analysis is done using a partial equilibrium model of China’s agricultural sector. Results indicate that there are substantial, spatially differentiated damages that are greatest in ozone-sensitive crop growing areas with higher ozone concentrations. The estimated damage to China’s agricultural sector range is between CNY 1.6 trillion and 2.2 trillion, which for comparison is about one fifth of 2014 agricultural revenue. When considering concentration reduction we find a 30% ozone reduction yields CNY 678 billion in sectoral benefits. These benefits largely fall to consumers with producers losing as the production gains lead to lower prices.

Not simply more of the same: distinguishing between patient heterogeneity and parameter uncertainty.

PubMed

Vemer, Pepijn; Goossens, Lucas M A; Rutten-van Mölken, Maureen P M H

2014-11-01

In cost-effectiveness (CE) Markov models, heterogeneity in the patient population is not automatically taken into account. We aimed to compare methods of dealing with heterogeneity on estimates of CE, using a case study in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We first present a probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) in which we sampled only from distributions representing parameter uncertainty. This ignores any heterogeneity. Next, we explored heterogeneity by presenting results for subgroups, using a method that samples parameter uncertainty simultaneously with heterogeneity in a single-loop PSA. Finally, we distinguished parameter uncertainty from heterogeneity in a double-loop PSA by performing a nested simulation within each PSA iteration. Point estimates and uncertainty differed substantially between methods. The incremental CE ratio (ICER) ranged from € 4900 to € 13,800. The single-loop PSA led to a substantially different shape of the CE plane and an overestimation of the uncertainty compared with the other 3 methods. The CE plane for the double-loop PSA showed substantially less uncertainty and a stronger negative correlation between the difference in costs and the difference in effects compared with the other methods. This came at the cost of higher calculation times. Not accounting for heterogeneity, subgroup analysis and the double-loop PSA can be viable options, depending on the decision makers' information needs. The single-loop PSA should not be used in CE research. It disregards the fundamental differences between heterogeneity and sampling uncertainty and overestimates uncertainty as a result. © The Author(s) 2014.

A Possible Link between Supra-Second Open-Ended Timing Sensitivity and Obsessive-Compulsive Tendencies

PubMed Central

Gilaie-Dotan, Sharon; Ashkenazi, Hamutal; Dar, Reuven

2016-01-01

One of the main characteristics of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is the persistent feeling of uncertainty, affecting many domains of actions and feelings. It was recently hypothesized that OCD uncertainty is related to attenuated access to internal states. As supra-second timing is associated with bodily and interoceptive awareness, we examined whether supra-second timing would be associated with OC tendencies. We measured supra-second (~9 s) and sub-second (~450 ms) timing along with control non-temporal perceptual tasks in a group of 60 university students. Supra-second timing was measured either with fixed criterion tasks requiring to temporally discriminate between two predefined fixed interval durations (9 vs. 9.9 s), or with an open-ended task requiring to discriminate between 9 s and longer intervals which were of varying durations that were not a priori known to the participants. The open-ended task employed an adaptive Bayesian procedure that efficiently estimated the duration difference required to discriminate 9 s from longer intervals. We also assessed symptoms of OCD, depression, and anxiety. Open-ended supra-second temporal sensitivity was correlated with OC tendencies, as predicted (even after controlling for depression and anxiety), whereas the other tasks were not. Higher OC tendencies were associated with lower timing sensitivity to 9 s intervals such that participants with higher OC tendency scores required longer interval differences to discriminate 9 s from longer intervals. While these results need to be substantiated in future research, they suggest that open-ended timing tasks, as those encountered in real-life (e.g., estimating how long it would take to complete a task), might be adversely affected in OCD. PMID:27445725

Estimating Rain Rates from Tipping-Bucket Rain Gauge Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Jianxin; Fisher, Brad L.; Wolff, David B.

2007-01-01

This paper describes the cubic spline based operational system for the generation of the TRMM one-minute rain rate product 2A-56 from Tipping Bucket (TB) gauge measurements. Methodological issues associated with applying the cubic spline to the TB gauge rain rate estimation are closely examined. A simulated TB gauge from a Joss-Waldvogel (JW) disdrometer is employed to evaluate effects of time scales and rain event definitions on errors of the rain rate estimation. The comparison between rain rates measured from the JW disdrometer and those estimated from the simulated TB gauge shows good overall agreement; however, the TB gauge suffers sampling problems, resulting in errors in the rain rate estimation. These errors are very sensitive to the time scale of rain rates. One-minute rain rates suffer substantial errors, especially at low rain rates. When one minute rain rates are averaged to 4-7 minute or longer time scales, the errors dramatically reduce. The rain event duration is very sensitive to the event definition but the event rain total is rather insensitive, provided that the events with less than 1 millimeter rain totals are excluded. Estimated lower rain rates are sensitive to the event definition whereas the higher rates are not. The median relative absolute errors are about 22% and 32% for 1-minute TB rain rates higher and lower than 3 mm per hour, respectively. These errors decrease to 5% and 14% when TB rain rates are used at 7-minute scale. The radar reflectivity-rainrate (Ze-R) distributions drawn from large amount of 7-minute TB rain rates and radar reflectivity data are mostly insensitive to the event definition.

Predicting falls using two instruments (the Hendrich Fall Risk Model and the Morse Fall Scale) in an acute care setting in Lebanon.

PubMed

Nassar, Nada; Helou, Nancy; Madi, Chantal

2014-06-01

To assess the predictive value of two instruments (the Morse Fall Scale (MFS) and the Heindrich II Fall Risk Model (HFRM)] in a Middle Eastern country (Lebanon) and to evaluate the factors that are related to falls. A prospective observational cross-sectional design was used. Falls and fall-related injuries in the acute care settings contribute a substantial health and economic burden on patients and organisations. Preventing falls is a priority for most healthcare organisations. While the risk of falling cannot be eliminated, it can be significantly reduced through accurate assessment of patients' risk of falling. Data from 1815 inpatients at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) in Lebanon were evaluated using two instruments to predict falls: the MFS and the HFRM. The incidence of falls was 2·7% in one year. The results indicate that while the instruments were significantly correlated, the HFRM was more sensitive in predicting falls than the MFS. The internal consistency of both scales was moderate, but inter-rater reliability was high. Patients using antiepileptic drugs and assistance devises had higher odds of falling. Although both instruments were easy to use in a Middle Eastern country, the HFRM rather than the MFS is recommended for inpatients in an acute care setting as it had higher sensitivity and specificity. It is recommended that while the HFRM had adequate sensitivity, it is not seamless, and as such, nurses should not rely entirely on it. Rather, nurses should use their expert clinical judgement, their ethical obligations and cultural considerations to implement a safer environment of care for the patient. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Marketing cigarettes when all else is unavailable: evidence of discounting in price-sensitive neighbourhoods.

PubMed

Burton, Suzan; Williams, Kelly; Fry, Rae; Chapman, Kathy; Soulos, Greg; Tang, Anita; Walsberger, Scott; Egger, Sam

2014-05-01

Since price is both a key determinant of smoking and one of the few remaining marketing strategies available in countries without point-of-sale tobacco display, this study examines cigarette price variations in the Australian market and assesses whether those variations are consistent with price being used to increase or maintain smoking among price-sensitive groups. An audit of 1739 tobacco retailers was used to collect variations in the price of the best-selling Australian cigarette brand, as well as record retailer compliance with tobacco retailing legislation. We examined variation in pricing across outlet type, demographic variations (socioeconomic level, % in the area under 18 and % born in Australia), remoteness and retailer compliance with tobacco retailing legislation. Multipacks were offered by 27.8% of retailers, with the average pack price in a twin pack $1.32 (or 7.3%) cheaper than a single pack. Prices were significantly lower in some outlet types, in lower socioeconomic postcodes and in those with a higher percentage of people under 18. In contrast with other consumer goods, prices were lower (although not significantly so) outside major cities. The provision of substantial multi-pack discounts and lower prices in postcodes with a higher proportion of price-sensitive smokers (young people and those from lower socioeconomic groups) is consistent with targeted discounts being used as a tobacco marketing strategy. The results support policy interventions to counter selective discounts and to require disclosure of trade-based discounts. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Instability of different adolescent metabolic syndrome definitions tracked into early adulthood metabolic syndrome: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS).

PubMed

Asghari, Golaleh; Eftekharzadeh, Anita; Hosseinpanah, Farhad; Ghareh, Sahar; Mirmiran, Parvin; Azizi, Fereidoun

2017-02-01

There are substantial controversies about the clinical utility of adolescent metabolic syndrome (MetS). The current study examined the stability of adolescent MetS by assessing the agreement and discriminative abilities of four different definitions of adolescent MetS and the adult MetS definition during a 10.4-yr follow up. For this study, 1424 adolescents (55.2% female), who participated in the framework of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study were included. Kappa was calculated for agreement between adolescent MetS definitions [Cook, de Ferranti, pediatric National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) and pediatric International Diabetes Federation (IDF)] and the adulthood MetS definition defined by the joint interim statement (JIS) criteria. MetS persistence, instability, and incidence were assessed, and for each of the four adolescent definitions, sensitivity, specificity, and area under receiver operating curve (AUC) for the counting of categorical adulthood MetS components was evaluated. The agreement between the four adolescent MetS definitions and JIS was poor (κ = 0.094-0.255). All definitions showed low sensitivity and high specificity, except for de Ferranti's, which contrary to other definitions, had higher sensitivity and lower specificity. All four adolescent definitions revealed generally low AUCs (0.601-0.647). Compared with the pubertal group (11-14 yr), the predictive power was slightly higher in the late-pubertal group (15-18 yr). Cook's and de Ferranti's definitions showed fairly better predictive powers (0.647 and 0.644, respectively). Across all definitions, instability ranged between 5.4 and 19.6%. The adolescent definitions show considerable amount of instability defined as poor agreement and low discriminative abilities tracked into early adulthood. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reference intervals for plasma free metanephrines with an age adjustment for normetanephrine for optimized laboratory testing of phaeochromocytoma.

PubMed

Eisenhofer, Graeme; Lattke, Peter; Herberg, Maria; Siegert, Gabriele; Qin, Nan; Därr, Roland; Hoyer, Jana; Villringer, Arno; Prejbisz, Aleksander; Januszewicz, Andrzej; Remaley, Alan; Martucci, Victoria; Pacak, Karel; Ross, H Alec; Sweep, Fred C G J; Lenders, Jacques W M

2013-01-01

Measurements of plasma normetanephrine and metanephrine provide a useful diagnostic test for phaeochromocytoma, but this depends on appropriate reference intervals. Upper cut-offs set too high compromise diagnostic sensitivity, whereas set too low, false-positives are a problem. This study aimed to establish optimal reference intervals for plasma normetanephrine and metanephrine. Blood samples were collected in the supine position from 1226 subjects, aged 5-84 y, including 116 children, 575 normotensive and hypertensive adults and 535 patients in whom phaeochromocytoma was ruled out. Reference intervals were examined according to age and gender. Various models were examined to optimize upper cut-offs according to estimates of diagnostic sensitivity and specificity in a separate validation group of 3888 patients tested for phaeochromocytoma, including 558 with confirmed disease. Plasma metanephrine, but not normetanephrine, was higher (P < 0.001) in men than in women, but reference intervals did not differ. Age showed a positive relationship (P < 0.0001) with plasma normetanephrine and a weaker relationship (P = 0.021) with metanephrine. Upper cut-offs of reference intervals for normetanephrine increased from 0.47 nmol/L in children to 1.05 nmol/L in subjects over 60 y. A curvilinear model for age-adjusted compared with fixed upper cut-offs for normetanephrine, together with a higher cut-off for metanephrine (0.45 versus 0.32 nmol/L), resulted in a substantial gain in diagnostic specificity from 88.3% to 96.0% with minimal loss in diagnostic sensitivity from 93.9% to 93.6%. These data establish age-adjusted cut-offs of reference intervals for plasma normetanephrine and optimized cut-offs for metanephrine useful for minimizing false-positive results.

Reference intervals for plasma free metanephrines with an age adjustment for normetanephrine for optimized laboratory testing of phaeochromocytoma

PubMed Central

Eisenhofer, Graeme; Lattke, Peter; Herberg, Maria; Siegert, Gabriele; Qin, Nan; Därr, Roland; Hoyer, Jana; Villringer, Arno; Prejbisz, Aleksander; Januszewicz, Andrzej; Remaley, Alan; Martucci, Victoria; Pacak, Karel; Ross, H Alec; Sweep, Fred C G J; Lenders, Jacques W M

2016-01-01

Background Measurements of plasma normetanephrine and metanephrine provide a useful diagnostic test for phaeochromocytoma, but this depends on appropriate reference intervals. Upper cut-offs set too high compromise diagnostic sensitivity, whereas set too low, false-positives are a problem. This study aimed to establish optimal reference intervals for plasma normetanephrine and metanephrine. Methods Blood samples were collected in the supine position from 1226 subjects, aged 5–84 y, including 116 children, 575 normotensive and hypertensive adults and 535 patients in whom phaeochromocytoma was ruled out. Reference intervals were examined according to age and gender. Various models were examined to optimize upper cut-offs according to estimates of diagnostic sensitivity and specificity in a separate validation group of 3888 patients tested for phaeochromocytoma, including 558 with confirmed disease. Results Plasma metanephrine, but not normetanephrine, was higher (P < 0.001) in men than in women, but reference intervals did not differ. Age showed a positive relationship (P < 0.0001) with plasma normetanephrine and a weaker relationship (P = 0.021) with metanephrine. Upper cut-offs of reference intervals for normetanephrine increased from 0.47 nmol/L in children to 1.05 nmol/L in subjects over 60 y. A curvilinear model for age-adjusted compared with fixed upper cut-offs for normetanephrine, together with a higher cut-off for metanephrine (0.45 versus 0.32 nmol/L), resulted in a substantial gain in diagnostic specificity from 88.3% to 96.0% with minimal loss in diagnostic sensitivity from 93.9% to 93.6%. Conclusions These data establish age-adjusted cut-offs of reference intervals for plasma normetanephrine and optimized cut-offs for metanephrine useful for minimizing false-positive results. PMID:23065528

Physical activity and hippocampal volume in middle-aged patients with type 1 diabetes.

PubMed

Nunley, Karen A; Leckie, Regina L; Orchard, Trevor J; Costacou, Tina; Aizenstein, Howard J; Jennings, J Richard; Erickson, Kirk I; Rosano, Caterina

2017-04-18

To examine the cross-sectional association between physical activity (PA) and hippocampal volume in middle-aged adults with childhood-onset type 1 diabetes (T1D), and whether hyperglycemia and insulin sensitivity contribute to this relationship. We analyzed neuroimaging and self-reported PA data from 79 adults with T1D from the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications Study (mean age 50 years, mean duration 41 years) and 122 similarly aged adults without T1D (mean age 48 years). Linear regression models, controlling for intracranial volume, sex, education, and age, tested associations between PA and gray matter volumes of hippocampi and total brain in the 2 groups. For the T1D group, models further controlled for hyperglycemia and glucose disposal rate, a measure of insulin sensitivity. PA was significantly lower in the T1D than in the non-T1D group (median [interquartile range] 952 kcal [420-2,044] vs 1,614 kcal [588-3,091], respectively). Higher PA was significantly associated with larger hippocampi for T1D, but not for non-T1D (standardized β [ p values] from regression models adjusted for intracranial volume, sex, age, and education: 0.270 [ p < 0.001] and 0.098 [ p = 0.12], respectively). Neither hyperglycemia nor glucose disposal rate substantially modified this association. Relationships between PA and total brain gray matter volume were similar. A cross-sectional association between higher PA and larger hippocampi is already detectable by middle age for these patients with T1D, and it appears robust to chronic hyperglycemia and insulin sensitivity. Proof-of-concept studies should investigate whether increasing PA preserves hippocampal volume and the mechanisms underlying the effects of PA on hippocampal volume. © 2017 American Academy of Neurology.

Is MRA an unnecessary expense in the management of a clinically unstable shoulder? A comparison of MRA and arthroscopic findings in 90 patients.

PubMed

Jonas, Sam C; Walton, Michael J; Sarangi, Partha P

2012-06-01

In detection of glenoid labrum pathology, MR arthrography (MRA) has shown sensitivities of 88-100% and specificities of 89-93%. However, our practice suggested that there may be a higher frequency of falsely negative reports. We assessed the accuracy of this costly modality in practice. We retrospectively reviewed MRA reports of 90 consecutive patients with clinical shoulder instability who had undergone shoulder arthroscopy. All had a history of traumatic anterior shoulder dislocation and had positive anterior apprehension tests. All underwent arthroscopy and stabilization during the same procedure. We compared the findings, using arthroscopic findings as the gold standard in the identification of glenoid labrum pathology. 83 of the 90 patients had glenoid labrum tears at arthroscopy. Only 54 were correctly identified at MRA. All normal glenoid labra were identified at MRA. This gave a sensitivity of 65% and a specificity of 100% in identification of all types of glenoid labrum tear. 74 patients had anterior glenoid labral tears that were detected at an even lower rate of sensitivity (58%). The sensitivity of MRA in this series was substantially lower than previously published, suggesting that MRA may not be as reliable a diagnostic imaging modality in glenohumeral instability as previously thought. Our findings highlight the importance of an accurate history and clinical examination in the management of glenohumeral instability. The need for MRA may not be as high as is currently believed.

Bovine Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Are More Sensitive to Deoxynivalenol Than Those Derived from Poultry and Swine

PubMed Central

Novak, Barbara; Vatzia, Eleni; Springler, Alexandra; Pierron, Alix; Reisinger, Nicole; Hessenberger, Sabine; Mayer, Elisabeth

2018-01-01

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most prevalent mycotoxins, contaminating cereals and cereal-derived products. Its derivative deepoxy-deoxynivalenol (DOM-1) is produced by certain bacteria, which either occur naturally or are supplemented in feed additive. DON-induced impairments in protein synthesis are particularly problematic for highly proliferating immune cells. This study provides the first comparison of the effects of DON and DOM-1 on the concanavalin A-induced proliferation of porcine, chicken, and bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Therefore, isolated PBMCs were treated with DON (0.01–3.37 µM) and DOM-1 (1.39–357 µM) separately, and proliferation was measured using a bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) assay. Although pigs are considered highly sensitive to DON, the present study revealed a substantially higher sensitivity of bovine (IC50 = 0.314 µM) PBMCs compared to chicken (IC50 = 0.691 µM) and porcine (IC50 = 0.693 µM) PBMCs. Analyses on the proliferation of bovine T-cell subsets showed that all major subsets, namely, CD4+, CD8β+, and γδ T cells, were affected to a similar extent. In contrast, DOM-1 did not affect bovine PBMCs, but reduced the proliferation of chicken and porcine PBMCs at the highest tested concentration (357 µM). Results confirm the necessity of feed additives containing DON-to-DOM-1-transforming bacteria and highlights species-specific differences in the DON sensitivity of immune cells. PMID:29641442

Comparative utility of LC3, p62 and TDP-43 immunohistochemistry in differentiation of inclusion body myositis from polymyositis and related inflammatory myopathies.

PubMed

Hiniker, Annie; Daniels, Brianne H; Lee, Han S; Margeta, Marta

2013-07-01

Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is a slowly progressive inflammatory myopathy of the elderly that does not show significant clinical improvement in response to steroid therapy. Distinguishing IBM from polymyositis (PM) is clinically important since PM is steroid-responsive; however, the two conditions can show substantial histologic overlap. We performed quantitative immunohistochemistry for (1) autophagic markers LC3 and p62 and (2) protein aggregation marker TDP-43 in 53 subjects with pathologically diagnosed PM, IBM, and two intermediate T cell-mediated inflammatory myopathies (polymyositis with COX-negative fibers and possible IBM). The percentage of stained fibers was significantly higher in IBM than PM for all three immunostains, but the markers varied in sensitivity and specificity. In particular, both LC3 and p62 were sensitive markers of IBM, but the tradeoff between sensitivity and specificity was smaller (and diagnostic utility thus greater) for LC3 than for p62. In contrast, TDP-43 immunopositivity was highly specific for IBM, but the sensitivity of this test was low, with definitive staining present in just 67% of IBM cases. To differentiate IBM from PM, we thus recommend using a panel of LC3 and TDP-43 antibodies: the finding of <14% LC3-positive fibers helps exclude IBM, while >7% of TDP-43-positive fibers strongly supports a diagnosis of IBM. These data provide support for the hypothesis that disruption of autophagy and protein aggregation contribute to IBM pathogenesis.

Highly sensitive and adaptable fluorescence-quenched pair discloses the substrate specificity profiles in diverse protease families

PubMed Central

Poreba, Marcin; Szalek, Aleksandra; Rut, Wioletta; Kasperkiewicz, Paulina; Rutkowska-Wlodarczyk, Izabela; Snipas, Scott J.; Itoh, Yoshifumi; Turk, Dusan; Turk, Boris; Overall, Christopher M.; Kaczmarek, Leszek; Salvesen, Guy S.; Drag, Marcin

2017-01-01

Internally quenched fluorescent (IQF) peptide substrates originating from FRET (Förster Resonance Energy Transfer) are powerful tool for examining the activity and specificity of proteases, and a variety of donor/acceptor pairs are extensively used to design individual substrates and combinatorial libraries. We developed a highly sensitive and adaptable donor/acceptor pair that can be used to investigate the substrate specificity of cysteine proteases, serine proteases and metalloproteinases. This novel pair comprises 7-amino-4-carbamoylmethylcoumarin (ACC) as the fluorophore and 2,4-dinitrophenyl-lysine (Lys(DNP)) as the quencher. Using caspase-3, caspase-7, caspase-8, neutrophil elastase, legumain, and two matrix metalloproteinases (MMP2 and MMP9), we demonstrated that substrates containing ACC/Lys(DNP) exhibit 7 to 10 times higher sensitivity than conventional 7-methoxy-coumarin-4-yl acetic acid (MCA)/Lys(DNP) substrates; thus, substantially lower amounts of substrate and enzyme can be used for each assay. We therefore propose that the ACC/Lys(DNP) pair can be considered a novel and sensitive scaffold for designing substrates for any group of endopeptidases. We further demonstrate that IQF substrates containing unnatural amino acids can be used to investigate protease activities/specificities for peptides containing post-translationally modified amino acids. Finally, we used IQF substrates to re-investigate the P1-Asp characteristic of caspases, thus demonstrating that some human caspases can also hydrolyze substrates after glutamic acid. PMID:28230157

A fast and high-sensitive dual-wavelength diffuse optical tomography system using digital lock-in photon-counting technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Weiting; Yi, Xi; Zhao, Huijuan; Gao, Feng

2014-09-01

We presented a novel dual-wavelength diffuse optical imaging system which can perform 2-D or 3-D imaging fast and high-sensitively for monitoring the dynamic change of optical parameters. A newly proposed lock-in photon-counting detection method was adopted for week optical signal collection, which brought in excellent property as well as simplified geometry. Fundamental principles of the lock-in photon-counting detection were elaborately demonstrated, and the feasibility was strictly verified by the linearity experiment. Systemic performance of the prototype set up was experimentally accessed, including stray light rejection and inherent interference. Results showed that the system possessed superior anti-interference capability (under 0.58% in darkroom) compared with traditional photon-counting detection, and the crosstalk between two wavelengths was lower than 2.28%. For comprehensive assessment, 2-D phantom experiments towards relatively large dimension model (diameter of 4cm) were conducted. Different absorption targets were imaged to investigate detection sensitivity. Reconstruction image under all conditions was exciting, with a desirable SNR. Study on image quality v.s. integration time put forward a new method for accessing higher SNR with the sacrifice of measuring speed. In summary, the newly developed system showed great potential in promoting detection sensitivity as well as measuring speed. This will make substantial progress in dynamically tracking the blood concentration distribution in many clinical areas, such as small animal disease modeling, human brain activity research and thick tissues (for example, breast) diagnosis.

Prostate cancer localization with multispectral MRI using cost-sensitive support vector machines and conditional random fields.

PubMed

Artan, Yusuf; Haider, Masoom A; Langer, Deanna L; van der Kwast, Theodorus H; Evans, Andrew J; Yang, Yongyi; Wernick, Miles N; Trachtenberg, John; Yetik, Imam Samil

2010-09-01

Prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer death for men in the United States. Fortunately, the survival rate for early diagnosed patients is relatively high. Therefore, in vivo imaging plays an important role for the detection and treatment of the disease. Accurate prostate cancer localization with noninvasive imaging can be used to guide biopsy, radiotherapy, and surgery as well as to monitor disease progression. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed with an endorectal coil provides higher prostate cancer localization accuracy, when compared to transrectal ultrasound (TRUS). However, in general, a single type of MRI is not sufficient for reliable tumor localization. As an alternative, multispectral MRI, i.e., the use of multiple MRI-derived datasets, has emerged as a promising noninvasive imaging technique for the localization of prostate cancer; however almost all studies are with human readers. There is a significant inter and intraobserver variability for human readers, and it is substantially difficult for humans to analyze the large dataset of multispectral MRI. To solve these problems, this study presents an automated localization method using cost-sensitive support vector machines (SVMs) and shows that this method results in improved localization accuracy than classical SVM. Additionally, we develop a new segmentation method by combining conditional random fields (CRF) with a cost-sensitive framework and show that our method further improves cost-sensitive SVM results by incorporating spatial information. We test SVM, cost-sensitive SVM, and the proposed cost-sensitive CRF on multispectral MRI datasets acquired from 21 biopsy-confirmed cancer patients. Our results show that multispectral MRI helps to increase the accuracy of prostate cancer localization when compared to single MR images; and that using advanced methods such as cost-sensitive SVM as well as the proposed cost-sensitive CRF can boost the performance significantly when compared to SVM.

Meta-Analysis of the Relations of Anxiety Sensitivity to the Depressive and Anxiety Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naragon-Gainey, Kristin

2010-01-01

There is a substantial literature relating the personality trait "anxiety sensitivity" (AS; tendency to fear anxiety-related sensations) and its lower order dimensions to the mood and anxiety (i.e., internalizing) disorders. However, particularly given the disorders' high comorbidity rates, it remains unclear whether AS is broadly related to these…

Comparing continuous and dichotomous scoring of the balanced inventory of desirable responding.

PubMed

Stöber, Joachim; Dette, Dorothea E; Musch, Jochen

2002-04-01

The Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR; Paulhus, 1994) is a widely used instrument to measure the 2 components of social desirability: self-deceptive enhancement and impression management. With respect to scoring of the BIDR, Paulhus (1994) authorized 2 methods, namely continuous scoring (all answers on the continuous answer scale are counted) and dichotomous scoring (only extreme answers are counted). In this article, we report 3 studies with student samples, and continuous and dichotomous scoring of BIDR subscales are compared with respect to reliability, convergent validity, sensitivity to instructional variations, and correlations with personality. Across studies, the scores from continuous scoring (continuous scores) showed higher Cronbach's alphas than those from dichotomous scoring (dichotomous scores). Moreover, continuous scores showed higher convergent correlations with other measures of social desirability and more consistent effects with self-presentation instructions (fake-good vs. fake-bad instructions). Finally, continuous self-deceptive enhancement scores showed higher correlations with those traits of the Five-factor model for which substantial correlations were expected (i.e., Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness). Consequently, these findings indicate that continuous scoring may be preferable to dichotomous scoring when assessing socially desirable responding with the BIDR.

Interactions between environmental variables determine immunity in the Indian meal moth Plodia interpunctella.

PubMed

Triggs, Alison; Knell, Robert J

2012-03-01

1. Animals raised in good environmental conditions are expected to have more resources to invest in immunity than those raised in poor conditions. Variation in immune activity and parasite resistance in response to changes in environmental temperature, population density and food quality have been shown in many invertebrate species. 2. Almost all studies to date have examined the effects of individual variables in isolation. The aim of this study was to address whether environmental factors interact to produce synergistic effects on phenoloxidase (PO) activity and haemocyte count, both indicators of immune system activity. Temperature, food quality and density were varied in a fully factorial design for a total of eight treatment combinations. 3. Strong interactions between the three environmental variables led to the magnitude and in some cases the direction of the effect of most variables changing as the other environmental factors were altered. Overall, food quality had the most important and consistent influence, larvae raised on a good-quality diet having substantially higher PO activity in every case and substantially higher haemocyte counts in all treatments except unheated/low density. 4. When food quality was good, the larvae showed 'density-dependent prophylaxis': raising their investment in immunity when population density is high. When food quality was poor and the temperature low, however, those larvae raised at high densities invested less in immunity. 5. Increased temperature is often thought to lead to increased immune reactivity in ectotherms, but we found that the effect of temperature was strongly dependent on the values of other environmental variables. PO activity increased with temperature when larvae were raised on good food or when density was high, but when food was poor and density low, a higher temperature led to reduced PO activity. A higher temperature led to higher haemocyte counts when density was high and food quality was poor, but in all other cases, the effect of increased temperature was either close to zero or somewhat negative. 6. Although PO activity and haemocyte count were weakly correlated across the whole data set, there were a number of treatments where the two measures responded in different ways to environmental change. Overall, effect sizes for PO activity were substantially higher than those for haemocyte count, indicating that the different components of the immune system vary in their sensitivity to environmental change. 7. Predictions of the effect of environmental or population change on immunity and disease dynamics based on laboratory experiments that only investigate the effects of single variable are likely to be inaccurate or even entirely wrong. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2011 British Ecological Society.

Sensitivity of self-reported opioid use in case-control studies: Healthy individuals versus hospitalized patients.

PubMed

Rashidian, Hamideh; Hadji, Maryam; Marzban, Maryam; Gholipour, Mahin; Rahimi-Movaghar, Afarin; Kamangar, Farin; Malekzadeh, Reza; Weiderpass, Elisabete; Rezaianzadeh, Abbas; Moradi, Abdolvahab; Babhadi-Ashar, Nima; Ghiasvand, Reza; Khavari-Daneshvar, Hossein; Haghdoost, Ali Akbar; Zendehdel, Kazem

2017-01-01

Several case-control studies have shown associations between the risk of different cancers and self-reported opium use. Inquiring into relatively sensitive issues, such as the history of drug use, is usually prone to information bias. However, in order to justify the findings of these types of studies, we have to quantify the level of such a negative bias. In current study, we aimed to evaluate sensitivity of self-reported opioid use and suggest suitable types of control groups for case-control studies on opioid use and the risk of cancer. In order to compare the validity of the self-reported opioid use, we cross-validated the response of two groups of subjects 1) 178 hospitalized patients and 2) 186 healthy individuals with the results of their tests using urine rapid drug screen (URDS) and thin layer chromatography (TLC). The questioners were asked by trained interviewers to maximize the validity of responses; healthy individuals were selected from the companions of patients in hospitals. Self-reported regular opioid use was 36.5% in hospitalized patients 19.3% in healthy individuals (p-value> 0.001).The reported frequencies of opioid use in the past 72 hours were 21.4% and 11.8% in hospitalized patients and healthy individuals respectively. Comparing their responses with the results of urine tests showed a sensitivity of 77% and 69% among hospitalized patients and healthy individuals for self-reports (p-value = 0.4). Having corrected based on the mentioned sensitivities; the frequency of opioid regular use was 47% and 28% in hospitalized patients and healthy individuals, respectively. Regular opioid use among hospitalized patients was significantly higher than in healthy individuals (p-value> 0.001). Our findings showed that the level of opioid use under-reporting in hospitalized patients and healthy individuals was considerable but comparable. In addition, the frequency of regular opioid use among hospitalized patients was significantly higher than that in the general population. Altogether, it seems that, without corrections for these differences and biases, the results of many studies including case-control studies on opioid use might distort findings substantially.

Sensitivity of self-reported opioid use in case-control studies: Healthy individuals versus hospitalized patients

PubMed Central

Rashidian, Hamideh; Hadji, Maryam; Marzban, Maryam; Gholipour, Mahin; Rahimi-Movaghar, Afarin; Kamangar, Farin; Malekzadeh, Reza; Weiderpass, Elisabete; Rezaianzadeh, Abbas; Moradi, Abdolvahab; Babhadi-Ashar, Nima; Ghiasvand, Reza; Khavari-Daneshvar, Hossein; Haghdoost, Ali Akbar; Zendehdel, Kazem

2017-01-01

Background Several case-control studies have shown associations between the risk of different cancers and self-reported opium use. Inquiring into relatively sensitive issues, such as the history of drug use, is usually prone to information bias. However, in order to justify the findings of these types of studies, we have to quantify the level of such a negative bias. In current study, we aimed to evaluate sensitivity of self-reported opioid use and suggest suitable types of control groups for case-control studies on opioid use and the risk of cancer. Methods In order to compare the validity of the self-reported opioid use, we cross-validated the response of two groups of subjects 1) 178 hospitalized patients and 2) 186 healthy individuals with the results of their tests using urine rapid drug screen (URDS) and thin layer chromatography (TLC). The questioners were asked by trained interviewers to maximize the validity of responses; healthy individuals were selected from the companions of patients in hospitals. Results Self-reported regular opioid use was 36.5% in hospitalized patients 19.3% in healthy individuals (p-value> 0.001).The reported frequencies of opioid use in the past 72 hours were 21.4% and 11.8% in hospitalized patients and healthy individuals respectively. Comparing their responses with the results of urine tests showed a sensitivity of 77% and 69% among hospitalized patients and healthy individuals for self-reports (p-value = 0.4). Having corrected based on the mentioned sensitivities; the frequency of opioid regular use was 47% and 28% in hospitalized patients and healthy individuals, respectively. Regular opioid use among hospitalized patients was significantly higher than in healthy individuals (p-value> 0.001). Conclusion Our findings showed that the level of opioid use under-reporting in hospitalized patients and healthy individuals was considerable but comparable. In addition, the frequency of regular opioid use among hospitalized patients was significantly higher than that in the general population. Altogether, it seems that, without corrections for these differences and biases, the results of many studies including case-control studies on opioid use might distort findings substantially. PMID:28854228

Evaluation of pH-sensitive fusogenic polymer-modified liposomes co-loaded with antigen and α-galactosylceramide as an anti-tumor vaccine

PubMed Central

OKAZAKI, Seiji; IWASAKI, Tadashi; YUBA, Eiji; WATARAI, Shinobu

2017-01-01

pH-Sensitive fusogenic polymer-modified (pH-sensitive) liposomes co-loaded with tumor model antigen, ovalbumin (OVA), and adjuvant, α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) were fabricated and administered subcutaneously into mice. The ability of pH-sensitive liposomes containing OVA and α-GalCer to stimulate cellular and humoral immune responses in vivo was compared with OVA-encapsulating pH-sensitive liposomes as well as with OVA alone. After immunization, significant OVA-specific antibodies were detected in the serum. When sera were analyzed for isotype distribution, antigen-specific IgG1 antibody responses were noted in mice immunized with OVA alone, whereas immunization with OVA-containing pH-sensitive liposomes and with pH-sensitive liposomes containing OVA and α-GalCer resulted in the induction of OVA-specific IgG1 and IgG2b antibody responses. Moreover, more substantial production of IFN-γ and IL-4 was demonstrated in spleen cells from mice immunized with pH-sensitive liposomes having OVA and α-GalCer than OVA-containing pH-sensitive liposomes in vitro. Spleen cells from the immunized mice showed strong cytotoxic activity against E.G7-OVA tumor cells. In addition, prophylactic vaccination efficacy against tumor formation was evaluated. In all mice immunized with pH-sensitive liposomes having OVA and α-GalCer, immunization provided substantial protection from tumor formation. The therapeutic efficacy of pH-sensitive liposomes containing OVA and α-GalCer against already established E.G7-OVA tumors was also investigated. Tumor growth was reduced significantly in all mice treated with pH-sensitive liposomes having OVA and α-GalCer. The provided evidence on the advantage of antigen and α-GalCer co-encapsulation into pH-sensitive liposomes should be considered in the design of future cancer vaccines for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes. PMID:29311431

Evaluation of pH-sensitive fusogenic polymer-modified liposomes co-loaded with antigen and α-galactosylceramide as an anti-tumor vaccine.

PubMed

Okazaki, Seiji; Iwasaki, Tadashi; Yuba, Eiji; Watarai, Shinobu

2018-02-09

pH-Sensitive fusogenic polymer-modified (pH-sensitive) liposomes co-loaded with tumor model antigen, ovalbumin (OVA), and adjuvant, α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) were fabricated and administered subcutaneously into mice. The ability of pH-sensitive liposomes containing OVA and α-GalCer to stimulate cellular and humoral immune responses in vivo was compared with OVA-encapsulating pH-sensitive liposomes as well as with OVA alone. After immunization, significant OVA-specific antibodies were detected in the serum. When sera were analyzed for isotype distribution, antigen-specific IgG1 antibody responses were noted in mice immunized with OVA alone, whereas immunization with OVA-containing pH-sensitive liposomes and with pH-sensitive liposomes containing OVA and α-GalCer resulted in the induction of OVA-specific IgG1 and IgG2b antibody responses. Moreover, more substantial production of IFN-γ and IL-4 was demonstrated in spleen cells from mice immunized with pH-sensitive liposomes having OVA and α-GalCer than OVA-containing pH-sensitive liposomes in vitro. Spleen cells from the immunized mice showed strong cytotoxic activity against E.G7-OVA tumor cells. In addition, prophylactic vaccination efficacy against tumor formation was evaluated. In all mice immunized with pH-sensitive liposomes having OVA and α-GalCer, immunization provided substantial protection from tumor formation. The therapeutic efficacy of pH-sensitive liposomes containing OVA and α-GalCer against already established E.G7-OVA tumors was also investigated. Tumor growth was reduced significantly in all mice treated with pH-sensitive liposomes having OVA and α-GalCer. The provided evidence on the advantage of antigen and α-GalCer co-encapsulation into pH-sensitive liposomes should be considered in the design of future cancer vaccines for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes.

Apparatus for measuring high frequency currents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hagmann, Mark J. (Inventor); Sutton, John F. (Inventor)

2003-01-01

An apparatus for measuring high frequency currents includes a non-ferrous core current probe that is coupled to a wide-band transimpedance amplifier. The current probe has a secondary winding with a winding resistance that is substantially smaller than the reactance of the winding. The sensitivity of the current probe is substantially flat over a wide band of frequencies. The apparatus is particularly useful for measuring exposure of humans to radio frequency currents.

The Role of PP2A Methylation in Susceptibility and Resistance to TBI and AD-Induced Neurodegeneration

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

will exert similar effects on shockwave- induced impairments. This effort has required a substantial investment in developing equipment and testing...substantial investment to identify suitable shockwave exposure conditions, confirm biomechanical parameters, and to assess the biochemical...consequences. One of the previously unforeseen benefits of this investment may be the identification of PME-1 over expressing mice as a sensitized background

Diagnostic Performance of CT for Diagnosis of Fat-Poor Angiomyolipoma in Patients With Renal Masses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Woo, Sungmin; Suh, Chong Hyun; Cho, Jeong Yeon; Kim, Sang Youn; Kim, Seung Hyup

2017-11-01

The purpose of this article is to systematically review and perform a meta-analysis of the diagnostic performance of CT for diagnosis of fat-poor angiomyolipoma (AML) in patients with renal masses. MEDLINE and EMBASE were systematically searched up to February 2, 2017. We included diagnostic accuracy studies that used CT for diagnosis of fat-poor AML in patients with renal masses, using pathologic examination as the reference standard. Two independent reviewers assessed the methodologic quality using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. Sensitivity and specificity of included studies were calculated and were pooled and plotted in a hierarchic summary ROC plot. Sensitivity analyses using several clinically relevant covariates were performed to explore heterogeneity. Fifteen studies (2258 patients) were included. Pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.67 (95% CI, 0.48-0.81) and 0.97 (95% CI, 0.89-0.99), respectively. Substantial and considerable heterogeneity was present with regard to sensitivity and specificity (I 2 = 91.21% and 78.53%, respectively). At sensitivity analyses, the specificity estimates were comparable and consistently high across all subgroups (0.93-1.00), but sensitivity estimates showed significant variation (0.14-0.82). Studies using pixel distribution analysis (n = 3) showed substantially lower sensitivity estimates (0.14; 95% CI, 0.04-0.40) compared with the remaining 12 studies (0.81; 95% CI, 0.76-0.85). CT shows moderate sensitivity and excellent specificity for diagnosis of fat-poor AML in patients with renal masses. When methods other than pixel distribution analysis are used, better sensitivity can be achieved.

Modelling predicts that tolerance to drought during reproductive development will be required for high yield potential and stability of wheat in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semenov, Mikhail A.; Stratonovitch, Pierre; Paul, Matthew J.

2017-04-01

Short periods of extreme weather, such as a spell of high temperature or drought during a sensitive stage of development, could result in substantial yield losses due to reduction in grain number and grain size. In a modelling study (Stratonovitch & Semenov 2015), heat tolerance around flowering in wheat was identified as a key trait for increased yield potential in Europe under climate change. Ji et all (Ji et al. 2010) demonstrated cultivar specific responses of yield to drought stress around flowering in wheat. They hypothesised that carbohydrate supply to anthers may be the key in maintaining pollen fertility and grain number in wheat. It was shown in (Nuccio et al. 2015) that genetically modified varieties of maize that increase the concentration of sucrose in ear spikelets, performed better under non-drought and drought conditions in field experiments. The objective of this modelling study was to assess potential benefits of tolerance to drought during reproductive development for wheat yield potential and yield stability across Europe. We used the Sirius wheat model to optimise wheat ideotypes for 2050 (HadGEM2, RCP8.5) climate scenarios at selected European sites. Eight cultivar parameters were optimised to maximise mean yields, including parameters controlling phenology, canopy growth and water limitation. At those sites where water could be limited, ideotypes sensitive to drought produced substantially lower mean yields and higher yield variability compare with tolerant ideotypes. Therefore, tolerance to drought during reproductive development is likely to be required for wheat cultivars optimised for the future climate in Europe in order to achieve high yield potential and yield stability.

Neuronal hyperexcitability in the ventral posterior thalamus of neuropathic rats: modality selective effects of pregabalin

PubMed Central

Dickenson, Anthony H.

2016-01-01

Neuropathic pain represents a substantial clinical challenge; understanding the underlying neural mechanisms and back-translation of therapeutics could aid targeting of treatments more effectively. The ventral posterior thalamus (VP) is the major termination site for the spinothalamic tract and relays nociceptive activity to the somatosensory cortex; however, under neuropathic conditions, it is unclear how hyperexcitability of spinal neurons converges onto thalamic relays. This study aimed to identify neural substrates of hypersensitivity and the influence of pregabalin on central processing. In vivo electrophysiology was performed to record from VP wide dynamic range (WDR) and nociceptive-specific (NS) neurons in anesthetized spinal nerve-ligated (SNL), sham-operated, and naive rats. In neuropathic rats, WDR neurons had elevated evoked responses to low- and high-intensity punctate mechanical stimuli, dynamic brushing, and innocuous and noxious cooling, but less so to heat stimulation, of the receptive field. NS neurons in SNL rats also displayed increased responses to noxious punctate mechanical stimulation, dynamic brushing, noxious cooling, and noxious heat. Additionally, WDR, but not NS, neurons in SNL rats exhibited substantially higher rates of spontaneous firing, which may correlate with ongoing pain. The ratio of WDR-to-NS neurons was comparable between SNL and naive/sham groups, suggesting relatively few NS neurons gain sensitivity to low-intensity stimuli leading to a “WDR phenotype.” After neuropathy was induced, the proportion of cold-sensitive WDR and NS neurons increased, supporting the suggestion that changes in frequency-dependent firing and population coding underlie cold hypersensitivity. In SNL rats, pregabalin inhibited mechanical and heat responses but not cold-evoked or elevated spontaneous activity. PMID:27098028

Neuronal hyperexcitability in the ventral posterior thalamus of neuropathic rats: modality selective effects of pregabalin.

PubMed

Patel, Ryan; Dickenson, Anthony H

2016-07-01

Neuropathic pain represents a substantial clinical challenge; understanding the underlying neural mechanisms and back-translation of therapeutics could aid targeting of treatments more effectively. The ventral posterior thalamus (VP) is the major termination site for the spinothalamic tract and relays nociceptive activity to the somatosensory cortex; however, under neuropathic conditions, it is unclear how hyperexcitability of spinal neurons converges onto thalamic relays. This study aimed to identify neural substrates of hypersensitivity and the influence of pregabalin on central processing. In vivo electrophysiology was performed to record from VP wide dynamic range (WDR) and nociceptive-specific (NS) neurons in anesthetized spinal nerve-ligated (SNL), sham-operated, and naive rats. In neuropathic rats, WDR neurons had elevated evoked responses to low- and high-intensity punctate mechanical stimuli, dynamic brushing, and innocuous and noxious cooling, but less so to heat stimulation, of the receptive field. NS neurons in SNL rats also displayed increased responses to noxious punctate mechanical stimulation, dynamic brushing, noxious cooling, and noxious heat. Additionally, WDR, but not NS, neurons in SNL rats exhibited substantially higher rates of spontaneous firing, which may correlate with ongoing pain. The ratio of WDR-to-NS neurons was comparable between SNL and naive/sham groups, suggesting relatively few NS neurons gain sensitivity to low-intensity stimuli leading to a "WDR phenotype." After neuropathy was induced, the proportion of cold-sensitive WDR and NS neurons increased, supporting the suggestion that changes in frequency-dependent firing and population coding underlie cold hypersensitivity. In SNL rats, pregabalin inhibited mechanical and heat responses but not cold-evoked or elevated spontaneous activity. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Pharmacogenomic agreement between two cancer cell line data sets.

PubMed

2015-12-03

Large cancer cell line collections broadly capture the genomic diversity of human cancers and provide valuable insight into anti-cancer drug response. Here we show substantial agreement and biological consilience between drug sensitivity measurements and their associated genomic predictors from two publicly available large-scale pharmacogenomics resources: The Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia and the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer databases.

The Sensitivity of Orographic Precipitation to Flow Direction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mass, C.; Picard, L.

2015-12-01

An area of substantial interest is the sensitivity of orographic precipitation to the characteristics of the incoming flow and to the surrounding environment. Some studies have suggested substantial sensitivity of precipitation within individual river drainages for relatively small directional or stability variations of incoming flow. A characterization of such flow sensitivity would be of great value for hydrometeorological prediction, the determination of Probable Maximum Precipitation statistics, and for quantifying the uncertainty in precipitation and hydrological forecasts. To gain insight into this problem, an idealized version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) modeling system was created in which simulations are driven by a single vertical sounding, with the assumption of thermal wind balance. The actual terrain is used and the full physics complement of the modeling system. The presentation will show how precipitation over the Olympic Mountains of Washington State varies as flow direction changes. This analysis will include both the aggregate precipitation over the barrier and the precipitation within individual drainages or areas. The role of surrounding terrain and the nearby coastline are also examined by removing these features from simulations. Finally, the impact of varying flow stability and speed on the precipitation over this orographic feature will be described.

Boundary formulations for sensitivity analysis without matrix derivatives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kane, J. H.; Guru Prasad, K.

1993-01-01

A new hybrid approach to continuum structural shape sensitivity analysis employing boundary element analysis (BEA) is presented. The approach uses iterative reanalysis to obviate the need to factor perturbed matrices in the determination of surface displacement and traction sensitivities via a univariate perturbation/finite difference (UPFD) step. The UPFD approach makes it possible to immediately reuse existing subroutines for computation of BEA matrix coefficients in the design sensitivity analysis process. The reanalysis technique computes economical response of univariately perturbed models without factoring perturbed matrices. The approach provides substantial computational economy without the burden of a large-scale reprogramming effort.

The significance of discharge in the replenishment of sand bar deposits along the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiele, S.; Hazel, J.; Schmidt, J. C.; Melis, T.

2002-12-01

Topographic sandbar surveys, recovered scour chains, analysis of aerial photos, and modeling of sand deposition demonstrate that releases from Glen Canyon Dam greater than power-plant capacity (PPC; about 900 cubic meters per second) are significantly more effective than PPC-limited releases at redistributing sand from the channel bed to higher elevations along the channel margin. A release of 1,270 m3/s (1.4 times the PPC) for 7 days in 1996 tested the effectiveness with which sandbars could be restored by the manipulation of dam releases aimed at redistributing a limited sand supply. This high flow generally resulted in substantial increases in bar size, although some sandbars close to the dam eroded. Since 1996, releases for bar building and habitat maintenance (a 2-day release in 1997 and two 4-day releases in 2000) have been limited to PPC. Field measurements indicate that the 1996 release of 1,270 m3/s significantly increased the area and volume of sand deposits at elevations greater than the stage reached during typical post-dam flows. Minor aggradation occurred during the PPC flows. In 1996, the relative extent of erosion and deposition changed longitudinally downstream as evidenced by the area of substantial deposition exceeding that of erosion at sites further downstream. The number of bars that were substantially reworked, as measured by the number of bars that significantly increased or decreased in area at the elevation range of normal dam operations, was much greater at 1,270 m3/s than at 900 m3/s. Deposition from the 1,270 m3/s release persisted at many sites on a multi-year scale whereas deposition resulting from the PPC flows only lasted a few months. Minor deposition during PPC flows in 1997, however, was greatest in upstream reaches where bar erosion during normal flows had been more extensive. These observations show that deposition is sensitive to flow magnitude and depth of inundation as well as sand supply. Flow, sand transport, and bed evolution were modeled for conditions that occurred during PPC flows and at higher discharges, such as those that occurred in 1996. Modeling results show that discharges greater than PPC form larger, higher-elevation deposits than are possible at discharges less than PPC. A key requirement for substantial deposition of new sand along the sides of this narrow, deeply incised river is the availability of depositional sites. PPC flows fail to increase stage sufficiently to create space to accommodate new deposits. The inefficiency of PPC releases at building substantial sandbars is compounded by the efficiency with which channel-bed sand is exported during PPC flows, as shown by sand-transport data collected from 1997-2000. Results to date indicate that restoration and maintenance of sand bars will likely require releases greater than PPC more frequently and of shorter duration than anticipated in the past.

Meta-analysis of diagnostic test data: a bivariate Bayesian modeling approach.

PubMed

Verde, Pablo E

2010-12-30

In the last decades, the amount of published results on clinical diagnostic tests has expanded very rapidly. The counterpart to this development has been the formal evaluation and synthesis of diagnostic results. However, published results present substantial heterogeneity and they can be regarded as so far removed from the classical domain of meta-analysis, that they can provide a rather severe test of classical statistical methods. Recently, bivariate random effects meta-analytic methods, which model the pairs of sensitivities and specificities, have been presented from the classical point of view. In this work a bivariate Bayesian modeling approach is presented. This approach substantially extends the scope of classical bivariate methods by allowing the structural distribution of the random effects to depend on multiple sources of variability. Meta-analysis is summarized by the predictive posterior distributions for sensitivity and specificity. This new approach allows, also, to perform substantial model checking, model diagnostic and model selection. Statistical computations are implemented in the public domain statistical software (WinBUGS and R) and illustrated with real data examples. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Breast and prostate cancer productivity costs: a comparison of the human capital approach and the friction cost approach.

PubMed

Hanly, Paul; Timmons, Aileen; Walsh, Paul M; Sharp, Linda

2012-05-01

Productivity costs constitute a substantial proportion of the total societal costs associated with cancer. We compared the results of applying two different analytical methods--the traditional human capital approach (HCA) and the emerging friction cost approach (FCA)--to estimate breast and prostate cancer productivity costs in Ireland in 2008. Data from a survey of breast and prostate cancer patients were combined with population-level survival estimates and a national wage data set to calculate costs of temporary disability (cancer-related work absence), permanent disability (workforce departure, reduced working hours), and premature mortality. For breast cancer, productivity costs per person using the HCA were € 193,425 and those per person using the FCA were € 8,103; for prostate cancer, the comparable estimates were € 109,154 and € 8,205, respectively. The HCA generated higher costs for younger patients (breast cancer) because of greater lifetime earning potential. In contrast, the FCA resulted in higher productivity costs for older male patients (prostate cancer) commensurate with higher earning capacity over a shorter time period. Reduced working hours postcancer was a key driver of total HCA productivity costs. HCA costs were sensitive to assumptions about discount and growth rates. FCA costs were sensitive to assumptions about the friction period. The magnitude of the estimates obtained in this study illustrates the importance of including productivity costs when considering the economic impact of illness. Vastly different results emerge from the application of the HCA and the FCA, and this finding emphasizes the importance of choosing the study perspective carefully and being explicit about assumptions that underpin the methods. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rates of admission for ambulatory care sensitive conditions in France in 2009-2010: trends, geographic variation, costs, and an international comparison.

PubMed

Weeks, William B; Ventelou, Bruno; Paraponaris, Alain

2016-05-01

Admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) are considered preventable and indicators of poor access to primary care. We wondered whether per-capita rates of admission for ACSCs in France demonstrated geographic variation, were changing, were related to other independent variables, or were comparable to those in other countries; further, we wanted to quantify the resources such admissions consume. We calculated per-capita rates of admission for five categories (chronic, acute, vaccination preventable, alcohol-related, and other) of ACSCs in 94 departments in mainland France in 2009 and 2010, examined measures and causes of geographic variation in those rates, computed the costs of those admissions, and compared rates of admission for ACSCs in France to those in several other countries. The highest ACSC admission rates generally occurred in the young and the old, but rates varied across French regions. Over the 2-year period, rates of most categories of ACSCs increased; higher ACSC admission rates were associated with lower incomes and a higher supply of hospital beds. We found that the local supply of general practitioners was inversely associated with rates of chronic and total ACSC admission rates, but that this relationship disappeared if we accounted for patients' use of general practitioners in neighboring departments. ACSC admissions cost 4.755 billion euros in 2009 and 5.066 billion euros in 2010; they consumed 7.86 and 8.74 million bed days of care, respectively. France had higher rates of ACSC admissions than most other countries examined. Because admissions for ACSCs are generally considered a failure of outpatient care, cost French taxpayers substantial monetary and hospital resources, and appear to occur more frequently in France than in other countries, policymakers should prioritize targeted efforts to reduce them.

Overexpression of a partial fragment of the salt-responsive gene OsNUC1 enhances salt adaptation in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana and rice (Oryza sativa L.) during salt stress.

PubMed

Sripinyowanich, Siriporn; Chamnanmanoontham, Nontalee; Udomchalothorn, Thanikarn; Maneeprasopsuk, Somporn; Santawee, Panudda; Buaboocha, Teerapong; Qu, Li-Jia; Gu, Hongya; Chadchawan, Supachitra

2013-12-01

The rice (Oryza sativa L.) nucleolin gene, OsNUC1, transcripts were expressed in rice leaves, flowers, seeds and roots but differentially expressed within and between two pairs of salt-sensitive and salt-resistant rice lines when subjected to salt stress. Salt-resistant lines exhibited higher OsNUC1 transcript expression levels than salt-sensitive lines during 0.5% (w/v) NaCl salt stress for 6d. Two sizes of OsNUC1 full-length cDNA were found in the rice genome database and northern blot analysis confirmed their existence in rice tissues. The longer transcript (OsNUC1-L) putatively encodes for a protein with a serine rich N-terminal, RNA recognition motifs in the central domain and a glycine- and arginine-rich repeat in the C-terminal domain, while the shorter one (OsNUC1-S) putatively encodes for the similar protein without the N-terminus. Without salt stress, OsNUC1-L expressing Arabidopsis thaliana Atnuc1-L1 plants displayed a substantial but incomplete revertant phenotype, whereas OsNUC1-S expression only induced a weak effect. However, under 0.5% (w/v) NaCl salt stress they displayed a higher relative growth rate, longer root length and a lower H2O2 level than the wild type plants, suggesting a higher salt resistance. Moreover, they displayed elevated AtSOS1 and AtP5CS1 transcript levels. We propose that OsNUC1-S plays an important role in salt resistance during salt stress, a new role for nucleolin in plants. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Low-background performance of a monolithic InSb CCD array

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bregman, J. D.; Goebel, J. H.; Mccreight, C. R.; Matsumoto, T.

1982-01-01

A 20 element monolithic InSb charge coupled device (CCD) detector array was measured under low background conditions to assess its potential for orbital astronomical applications. At a temperature of 64 K, previous results for charge transfer efficiency (CTE) were reproduced, and a sensitivity of about 2 x 10 to the minus 15th power joules was measured. At 27 and 6 K, extended integration times were achieved, but CTE was substantially degraded. The noise was approximately 6000 charges, which was in excess of the level where statistical fluctuations from the illumination could be detected. A telescope demonstration was performed showing that the array sensitivity and difficulty of operation were not substantially different from laboratory levels. Ways in which the device could be improved for astronomical applications were discussed.

A multi-model assessment of pollution transport to the Arctic

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

Shindell, D T; Chin, M; Dentener, F

2008-03-13

We examine the response of Arctic gas and aerosol concentrations to perturbations in pollutant emissions from Europe, East and South Asia, and North America using results from a coordinated model intercomparison. These sensitivities to regional emissions (mixing ratio change per unit emission) vary widely across models and species. Intermodel differences are systematic, however, so that the relative importance of different regions is robust. North America contributes the most to Arctic ozone pollution. For aerosols and CO, European emissions dominate at the Arctic surface but East Asian emissions become progressively more important with altitude, and are dominant in the upper troposphere.more » Sensitivities show strong seasonality: surface sensitivities typically maximize during boreal winter for European and during spring for East Asian and North American emissions. Mid-tropospheric sensitivities, however, nearly always maximize during spring or summer for all regions. Deposition of black carbon (BC) onto Greenland is most sensitive to North American emissions. North America and Europe each contribute {approx}40% of total BC deposition to Greenland, with {approx}20% from East Asia. Elsewhere in the Arctic, both sensitivity and total BC deposition are dominated by European emissions. Model diversity for aerosols is especially large, resulting primarily from differences in aerosol physical and chemical processing (including removal). Comparison of modeled aerosol concentrations with observations indicates problems in the models, and perhaps, interpretation of the measurements. For gas phase pollutants such as CO and O{sub 3}, which are relatively well-simulated, the processes contributing most to uncertainties depend on the source region and altitude examined. Uncertainties in the Arctic surface CO response to emissions perturbations are dominated by emissions for East Asian sources, while uncertainties in transport, emissions, and oxidation are comparable for European and North American sources. At higher levels, model-to-model variations in transport and oxidation are most important. Differences in photochemistry appear to play the largest role in the intermodel variations in Arctic ozone sensitivity, though transport also contributes substantially in the mid-troposphere.« less

Noradrenaline and acetylcholine responsiveness of glucose-monitoring and glucose-insensitive neurons in the mediodorsal prefrontal cortex.

PubMed

Nagy, Bernadett; Szabó, István; Csetényi, Bettina; Hormay, Edina; Papp, Szilárd; Keresztes, Dóra; Karádi, Zoltán

2014-01-16

The mediodorsal prefrontal cortex (mdPFC), as part of the forebrain glucose-monitoring (GM) system, plays important role in several regulatory processes to control the internal state of the organism and to initiate behavioral outputs accordingly. Little is known, however, about the neurochemical sensitivity of neurons located in this area. Substantial evidence indicates that the locus ceruleus - noradrenaline (NA) projection system and the nucleus basalis magnocellularis - cholinergic projection system regulate behavioral state and state dependent processing of sensory information, various cognitive functions already associated with the mdPFC. The main goal of the present study was to examine noradrenergic and cholinergic responsiveness of glucose-monitoring and glucose-insensitive (GIS) neurons in the mediodorsal prefrontal cortex. One fifth of the neurons tested changed in firing rate to microelectrophoretically applied NA. Responsiveness of the GM cells to this catecholamine proved to be significantly higher than that of the GIS units. Microiontophoretic application of acetylcholine (Ach) resulted in activity changes (predominantly facilitation) of more than 40% of the mdPFC neurons. Proportion of Ach sensitive units among the GM and the GIS neurons was found to be similar. The glucose-monitoring neurons of the mdPFC and their distinct NA and remarkable Ach sensitivity are suggested to be of particular significance in prefrontal control of adaptive behaviors. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Sensitivity of southern hemisphere westerly wind to boundary conditions for the last glacial maximum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jun, S. Y.; Kim, S. J.; Kim, B. M.

2017-12-01

To examine the change in SH westerly wind in the LGM, we performed LGM simulation with sensitivity experiments by specifying the LGM sea ice in the Southern Ocean (SO), ice sheet over Antarctica, and tropical pacific sea surface temperature to CAM5 atmosphere general circulation model (GCM). The SH westerly response to LGM boundary conditions in the CAM5 was compared with those from CMIP5 LGM simulations. In the CAM5 LGM simulation, the SH westerly wind substantially increases between 40°S and 65°S, while the zonal-mean zonal wind decreases at latitudes higher than 65°S. The position of the SH maximum westerly wind moves poleward by about 8° in the LGM simulation. Sensitivity experiments suggest that the increase in SH westerly winds is mainly due to the increase in sea ice in the SO that accounts for 60% of total wind change. In the CMIP5-PMIP3 LGM experiments, most of the models show the slight increase and poleward shift of the SH westerly wind as in the CAM5 experiment. The increased and poleward shifted westerly wind in the LGM obtained in the current model result is consistent with previous model results and some lines of proxy evidence, though opposite model responses and proxy evidence exist for the SH westerly wind change.

Differential Effects of Elevated Ozone on Two Hybrid Aspen Genotypes Predisposed to Chronic Ozone Fumigation. Role of Ethylene and Salicylic Acid1

PubMed Central

Vahala, Jorma; Keinänen, Markku; Schützendübel, Andres; Polle, Andrea; Kangasjärvi, Jaakko

2003-01-01

The role of ethylene (ET) signaling in the responses of two hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. × P. tremuloides Michx.) clones to chronic ozone (O3; 75 nL L−1) was investigated. The hormonal responses differed between the clones; the O3-sensitive clone 51 had higher ET evolution than the tolerant clone 200 during the exposure, whereas the free salicylic acid concentration in clone 200 was higher than in clone 51. The cellular redox status, measured as glutathione redox balance, did not differ between the clones suggesting that the O3 lesions were not a result of deficient antioxidative capacity. The buildup of salicylic acid during chronic O3 exposure might have prevented the up-regulation of ET biosynthesis in clone 200. Blocking of ET perception with 1-methylcyclopropene protected both clones from the decrease in net photosynthesis during chronic exposure to O3. After a pretreatment with low O3 for 9 d, an acute 1.5-fold O3 elevation caused necrosis in the O3-sensitive clone 51, which increased substantially when ET perception was blocked. The results suggest that in hybrid aspen, ET signaling had a dual role depending on the severity of the stress. ET accelerated leaf senescence under low O3, but under acute O3 elevation, ET signaling seemed to be required for protection from necrotic cell death. PMID:12746525

Variability in modeled cloud feedback tied to differences in the climatological spatial pattern of clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siler, Nicholas; Po-Chedley, Stephen; Bretherton, Christopher S.

2018-02-01

Despite the increasing sophistication of climate models, the amount of surface warming expected from a doubling of atmospheric CO_2 (equilibrium climate sensitivity) remains stubbornly uncertain, in part because of differences in how models simulate the change in global albedo due to clouds (the shortwave cloud feedback). Here, model differences in the shortwave cloud feedback are found to be closely related to the spatial pattern of the cloud contribution to albedo (α) in simulations of the current climate: high-feedback models exhibit lower (higher) α in regions of warm (cool) sea-surface temperatures, and therefore predict a larger reduction in global-mean α as temperatures rise and warm regions expand. The spatial pattern of α is found to be strongly predictive (r=0.84) of a model's global cloud feedback, with satellite observations indicating a most-likely value of 0.58± 0.31 Wm^{-2} K^{-1} (90% confidence). This estimate is higher than the model-average cloud feedback of 0.43 Wm^{-2} K^{-1}, with half the range of uncertainty. The observational constraint on climate sensitivity is weaker but still significant, suggesting a likely value of 3.68 ± 1.30 K (90% confidence), which also favors the upper range of model estimates. These results suggest that uncertainty in model estimates of the global cloud feedback may be substantially reduced by ensuring a realistic distribution of clouds between regions of warm and cool SSTs in simulations of the current climate.

Probabilistic vs. deterministic fiber tracking and the influence of different seed regions to delineate cerebellar-thalamic fibers in deep brain stimulation.

PubMed

Schlaier, Juergen R; Beer, Anton L; Faltermeier, Rupert; Fellner, Claudia; Steib, Kathrin; Lange, Max; Greenlee, Mark W; Brawanski, Alexander T; Anthofer, Judith M

2017-06-01

This study compared tractography approaches for identifying cerebellar-thalamic fiber bundles relevant to planning target sites for deep brain stimulation (DBS). In particular, probabilistic and deterministic tracking of the dentate-rubro-thalamic tract (DRTT) and differences between the spatial courses of the DRTT and the cerebello-thalamo-cortical (CTC) tract were compared. Six patients with movement disorders were examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including two sets of diffusion-weighted images (12 and 64 directions). Probabilistic and deterministic tractography was applied on each diffusion-weighted dataset to delineate the DRTT. Results were compared with regard to their sensitivity in revealing the DRTT and additional fiber tracts and processing time. Two sets of regions-of-interests (ROIs) guided deterministic tractography of the DRTT or the CTC, respectively. Tract distances to an atlas-based reference target were compared. Probabilistic fiber tracking with 64 orientations detected the DRTT in all twelve hemispheres. Deterministic tracking detected the DRTT in nine (12 directions) and in only two (64 directions) hemispheres. Probabilistic tracking was more sensitive in detecting additional fibers (e.g. ansa lenticularis and medial forebrain bundle) than deterministic tracking. Probabilistic tracking lasted substantially longer than deterministic. Deterministic tracking was more sensitive in detecting the CTC than the DRTT. CTC tracts were located adjacent but consistently more posterior to DRTT tracts. These results suggest that probabilistic tracking is more sensitive and robust in detecting the DRTT but harder to implement than deterministic approaches. Although sensitivity of deterministic tracking is higher for the CTC than the DRTT, targets for DBS based on these tracts likely differ. © 2017 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cross-validation of the Dot Counting Test in a large sample of credible and non-credible patients referred for neuropsychological testing.

PubMed

McCaul, Courtney; Boone, Kyle B; Ermshar, Annette; Cottingham, Maria; Victor, Tara L; Ziegler, Elizabeth; Zeller, Michelle A; Wright, Matthew

2018-01-18

To cross-validate the Dot Counting Test in a large neuropsychological sample. Dot Counting Test scores were compared in credible (n = 142) and non-credible (n = 335) neuropsychology referrals. Non-credible patients scored significantly higher than credible patients on all Dot Counting Test scores. While the original E-score cut-off of ≥17 achieved excellent specificity (96.5%), it was associated with mediocre sensitivity (52.8%). However, the cut-off could be substantially lowered to ≥13.80, while still maintaining adequate specificity (≥90%), and raising sensitivity to 70.0%. Examination of non-credible subgroups revealed that Dot Counting Test sensitivity in feigned mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) was 55.8%, whereas sensitivity was 90.6% in patients with non-credible cognitive dysfunction in the context of claimed psychosis, and 81.0% in patients with non-credible cognitive performance in depression or severe TBI. Thus, the Dot Counting Test may have a particular role in detection of non-credible cognitive symptoms in claimed psychiatric disorders. Alternative to use of the E-score, failure on ≥1 cut-offs applied to individual Dot Counting Test scores (≥6.0″ for mean grouped dot counting time, ≥10.0″ for mean ungrouped dot counting time, and ≥4 errors), occurred in 11.3% of the credible sample, while nearly two-thirds (63.6%) of the non-credible sample failed one of more of these cut-offs. An E-score cut-off of 13.80, or failure on ≥1 individual score cut-offs, resulted in few false positive identifications in credible patients, and achieved high sensitivity (64.0-70.0%), and therefore appear appropriate for use in identifying neurocognitive performance invalidity.

Global sensitivity analysis for urban water quality modelling: Terminology, convergence and comparison of different methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanrolleghem, Peter A.; Mannina, Giorgio; Cosenza, Alida; Neumann, Marc B.

2015-03-01

Sensitivity analysis represents an important step in improving the understanding and use of environmental models. Indeed, by means of global sensitivity analysis (GSA), modellers may identify both important (factor prioritisation) and non-influential (factor fixing) model factors. No general rule has yet been defined for verifying the convergence of the GSA methods. In order to fill this gap this paper presents a convergence analysis of three widely used GSA methods (SRC, Extended FAST and Morris screening) for an urban drainage stormwater quality-quantity model. After the convergence was achieved the results of each method were compared. In particular, a discussion on peculiarities, applicability, and reliability of the three methods is presented. Moreover, a graphical Venn diagram based classification scheme and a precise terminology for better identifying important, interacting and non-influential factors for each method is proposed. In terms of convergence, it was shown that sensitivity indices related to factors of the quantity model achieve convergence faster. Results for the Morris screening method deviated considerably from the other methods. Factors related to the quality model require a much higher number of simulations than the number suggested in literature for achieving convergence with this method. In fact, the results have shown that the term "screening" is improperly used as the method may exclude important factors from further analysis. Moreover, for the presented application the convergence analysis shows more stable sensitivity coefficients for the Extended-FAST method compared to SRC and Morris screening. Substantial agreement in terms of factor fixing was found between the Morris screening and Extended FAST methods. In general, the water quality related factors exhibited more important interactions than factors related to water quantity. Furthermore, in contrast to water quantity model outputs, water quality model outputs were found to be characterised by high non-linearity.

Higher Education: Information on Incentive Compensation Violations Substantiated by the U.S. Department of Education. GAO-10-370R

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iritani, Katherine M.

2010-01-01

The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) mandated that GAO conduct a study on Education's enforcement of the incentive compensation ban in light of the safe harbors and report on the number of violations substantiated by the Secretary of Education since 1998, the nature of these violations, and the names of the institutions involved. This…

Comparison of DNA fragmentation and color thresholding for objective quantitation of apoptotic cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plymale, D. R.; Ng Tang, D. S.; Fermin, C. D.; Lewis, D. E.; Martin, D. S.; Garry, R. F.

1995-01-01

Apoptosis is a process of cell death characterized by distinctive morphological changes and fragmentation of cellular DNA. Using video imaging and color thresholding techniques, we objectively quantitated the number of cultured CD4+ T-lymphoblastoid cells (HUT78 cells, RH9 subclone) displaying morphological signs of apoptosis before and after exposure to gamma-irradiation. The numbers of apoptotic cells measured by objective video imaging techniques were compared to numbers of apoptotic cells measured in the same samples by sensitive apoptotic assays that quantitate DNA fragmentation. DNA fragmentation assays gave consistently higher values compared with the video imaging assays that measured morphological changes associated with apoptosis. These results suggest that substantial DNA fragmentation can precede or occur in the absence of the morphological changes which are associated with apoptosis in gamma-irradiated RH9 cells.

EFFECT OF ε-AMINOCAPROIC ACID ON FIBRINOLYSIS IN PLASMA OF ASIAN ELEPHANTS (ELEPHAS MAXIMUS).

PubMed

Kaye, Sarrah; Abou-Madi, Noha; Fletcher, Daniel J

2016-06-01

ε-Aminocaproic acid (EACA) is a lysine analogue antifibrinolytic drug used to treat bleeding disorders in humans and domestic animals. Use in zoological medicine is rare and dose recommendations are anecdotal, but EACA may be a valuable therapeutic option for bleeding disorders in exotic species, including Asian elephants ( Elephas maximus ). This study used an in vitro model of hyperfibrinolysis and a thromboelastograph-based assay to estimate the therapeutic plasma concentration of EACA in Asian elephants (61.5 μg/ml, 95% CI = 34.6-88.5 μg/ml). Substantial but incomplete inhibition of lysis was seen at relatively low concentrations of EACA (40 μg/ml). Asian elephants appear sensitive to EACA-mediated inhibition of hyperfibrinolysis. Doses published for domestic animals, targeting higher plasma concentrations, may be inappropriate in this species.

Novel high-performance scattering materials for use in energy-saving light fittings and skylights based on polymer pigmented with polymer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Geoffrey B.; Earp, Alan; Franklin, Jim B.; McCredie, Geoffrey

2001-11-01

Simple quantitative performance criteria are developed for translucent materials in terms of hemispherical visible transmittance, and angular spread of transmitted luminance using a half angle. Criteria are linked to applications in luminaires and skylights with emphasis on maximising visible throughput while minimising glare. These basic criteria are also extended to angle of incidence changes which are substantial. Example data is provided showing that acrylic pigmented with spherical polymer particles can have total hemispherical transmittance with weak thickness dependence, which is better than clear sheet, while the spread of transmitted light is quite thickness-sensitive and occurs over wider angles than inorganic pigments. This combination means significantly fewer lamps can achieve specified lux levels with low glare, and smaller skylights can provide higher, more uniform daylight illuminance.

The Advanced Gamma-ray Imaging System (AGIS): Focal Plane Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, Reshmi; Byrum, K.; Drake, G.; Falcone, A.; Funk, S.; Horan, D.; Tajima, H.; Wagner, B.; Williams, D.

2008-04-01

Report of the Focal Plane Instrumentation Working Group, AGIS collaboration: The Advanced Gamma-ray Imaging System (AGIS) is a concept for the next generation instrument in ground-based very high energy gamma-ray astronomy. It has the goal of achieving significant improvement in sensitivity over current experiments. One of the main requirements for AGIS will be to achieve higher angular resolution than current imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs). Simulations show that a substantial improvement in angular resolution may be achieved if the pixel size is reduced to 0.05 deg, below that of current IACTs. Reducing the cost per channel and improving reliability and modularity are other important considerations. Here we present several alternatives being considered for AGIS, including both silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) and multi-anode photomultipliers (MAPMTs) and summarize results from feasibility testing by various AGIS photodetector group members.

PROPELLER EPI: An MRI Technique Suitable for Diffusion Tensor Imaging at High Field Strength With Reduced Geometric Distortions

PubMed Central

Wang, Fu-Nien; Huang, Teng-Yi; Lin, Fa-Hsuan; Chuang, Tzu-Chao; Chen, Nan-Kuei; Chung, Hsiao-Wen; Chen, Cheng-Yu; Kwong, Kenneth K.

2013-01-01

A technique suitable for diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) at high field strengths is presented in this work. The method is based on a periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER) k-space trajectory using EPI as the signal readout module, and hence is dubbed PROPELLER EPI. The implementation of PROPELLER EPI included a series of correction schemes to reduce possible errors associated with the intrinsically higher sensitivity of EPI to off-resonance effects. Experimental results on a 3.0 Tesla MR system showed that the PROPELLER EPI images exhibit substantially reduced geometric distortions compared with single-shot EPI, at a much lower RF specific absorption rate (SAR) than the original version of the PROPELLER fast spin-echo (FSE) technique. For DTI, the self-navigated phase-correction capability of the PROPELLER EPI sequence was shown to be effective for in vivo imaging. A higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) compared to single-shot EPI at an identical total scan time was achieved, which is advantageous for routine DTI applications in clinical practice. PMID:16206142

PROPELLER EPI: an MRI technique suitable for diffusion tensor imaging at high field strength with reduced geometric distortions.

PubMed

Wang, Fu-Nien; Huang, Teng-Yi; Lin, Fa-Hsuan; Chuang, Tzu-Chao; Chen, Nan-Kuei; Chung, Hsiao-Wen; Chen, Cheng-Yu; Kwong, Kenneth K

2005-11-01

A technique suitable for diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) at high field strengths is presented in this work. The method is based on a periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER) k-space trajectory using EPI as the signal readout module, and hence is dubbed PROPELLER EPI. The implementation of PROPELLER EPI included a series of correction schemes to reduce possible errors associated with the intrinsically higher sensitivity of EPI to off-resonance effects. Experimental results on a 3.0 Tesla MR system showed that the PROPELLER EPI images exhibit substantially reduced geometric distortions compared with single-shot EPI, at a much lower RF specific absorption rate (SAR) than the original version of the PROPELLER fast spin-echo (FSE) technique. For DTI, the self-navigated phase-correction capability of the PROPELLER EPI sequence was shown to be effective for in vivo imaging. A higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) compared to single-shot EPI at an identical total scan time was achieved, which is advantageous for routine DTI applications in clinical practice. (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Lung disease in indigenous children.

PubMed

Chang, A B; Brown, N; Toombs, M; Marsh, R L; Redding, G J

2014-12-01

Children in indigenous populations have substantially higher respiratory morbidity than non-indigenous children. Indigenous children have more frequent respiratory infections that are, more severe and, associated with long-term sequelae. Post-infectious sequelae such as chronic suppurative lung disease and bronchiectasis are especially prevalent among indigenous groups and have lifelong impact on lung function. Also, although estimates of asthma prevalence among indigenous children are similar to non-indigenous groups the morbidity of asthma is higher in indigenous children. To reduce the morbidity of respiratory illness, best-practice medicine is essential in addition to improving socio-economic factors, (eg household crowding), tobacco smoke exposure, and access to health care and illness prevention programs that likely contribute to these issues. Although each indigenous group may have unique health beliefs and interfaces with modern health care, a culturally sensitive and community-based comprehensive care system of preventive and long term care can improve outcomes for all these conditions. This article focuses on common respiratory conditions encountered by indigenous children living in affluent countries where data is available. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Focal Plane Detectors for the Advanced Gamma-Ray Imaging System (AGIS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otte, A. N.; Byrum, K.; Drake, G.; Falcone, A.; Funk, S.; Horan, D.; Mukherjee, R.; Smith, A.; Tajima, H.; Wagner, R. G.; Williams, D. A.

2008-12-01

The Advanced Gamma-Ray Imaging System (AGIS) is a concept for the next generation observatory in ground-based very high energy gamma-ray astronomy. Design goals are ten times better sensitivity, higher angular resolution, and a lower energy threshold than existing Cherenkov telescopes. Simulations show that a substantial improvement in angular resolution may be achieved if the pixel diameter is reduced to the order of 0.05 deg, i.e. two to three times smaller than the pixel diameter of current Cherenkov telescope cameras. At these dimensions, photon detectors with smaller physical dimensions can be attractive alternatives to the classical photomultiplier tube (PMT). Furthermore, the operation of an experiment with the size of AGIS requires photon detectors that are among other things more reliable, more durable, and possibly higher efficiency photon detectors. Alternative photon detectors we are considering for AGIS include both silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) and multi-anode photomultipliers (MAPMTs). Here we present results from laboratory testing of MAPMTs and SiPMs along with results from the first incorporation of these devices into cameras on test bed Cherenkov telescopes.

Hospital Utilization, Costs, and Mortality for Adults With Multiple Chronic Conditions, Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 2009

PubMed Central

Friedman, Bernard

2013-01-01

Objective Our objective was to provide a national estimate across all payers of the distribution and cost of selected chronic conditions for hospitalized adults in 2009, stratified by demographic characteristics. Analysis We analyzed the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), the largest all-payer inpatient database in the United States. Use, cost, and mortality estimates across payer, age, sex, and race/ethnicity are produced for grouped or multiple chronic conditions (MCC). The 5 most common dyads and triads were determined. Results In 2009, there were approximately 28 million adult discharges from US hospitals other than those related to pregnancy and maternity; 39% had 2 to 3 MCC, and 33% had 4 or more. A higher number of MCC was associated with higher mortality, use of services, and average cost. The percentages of Medicaid, privately insured patients, and ethnic/racial groups with 4 or more MCC were highly sensitive to age. Summary This descriptive analysis of multipayer inpatient data provides a robust national view of the substantial use and costs among adults hospitalized with MCC. PMID:23618542

Cell-Intrinsic Determinants of Ibrutinib-Induced Apoptosis in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

PubMed

Amin, Nisar A; Balasubramanian, Sriram; Saiya-Cork, Kamlai; Shedden, Kerby; Hu, Nan; Malek, Sami N

2017-02-15

Purpose: Ibrutinib, a Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, is approved for the treatment of relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and CLL with del17p. Mechanistically, ibrutinib interferes with B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling as well as multiple CLL cell-to-microenvironment interactions. Given the importance of ibrutinib in the management of CLL, a deeper understanding of factors governing sensitivity and resistance is warranted. Experimental Design: We studied 48 longitudinally sampled paired CLL samples, 42 of which were procured before and after standard CLL chemotherapies, and characterized them for well-studied CLL molecular traits as well as by whole-exome sequencing and SNP 6.0 array profiling. We exposed these samples to 0.25 to 5 μmol/L of ibrutinib ex vivo and measured apoptosis fractions as well as BCR signaling by immunoblotting. We disrupted TP53 in HG3, PGA1, and PG-EBV cell lines and measured BCR signaling and ibrutinib responses. Results: CLL samples demonstrated a surprisingly wide range of ex vivo sensitivities to ibrutinib, with IC 50 values ranging from 0.4 to 9.7 μmol/L. Unmutated IGVH status, elevated ZAP70 expression, and trisomy 12 were associated with heightened sensitivity to ibrutinib treatment. Five CLL samples were substantially more resistant to ibrutinib following relapse from chemotherapy; of these, three had acquired a del17p/ TP53 -mutated status. A validation sample of 15 CLL carrying TP53 mutations, of which 13 carried both del17p and a TP53 mutation, confirmed substantially less sensitivity to ibrutinib-induced apoptosis. Conclusions: This study identifies that CLL harboring del17p/ TP53 -mutated cells are substantially less sensitive to ibrutinib-induced apoptosis than del17p/ TP53 wild-type cells. Clin Cancer Res; 23(4); 1049-59. ©2016 AACR . ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

Sensitive skin and stratum corneum reactivity to household cleaning products.

PubMed

Goffin, V; Piérard-Franchimont, C; Piérard, G E

1996-02-01

Products intended for individuals with sensitive skin are being increasingly developed by formulators of household cleaning products. However, there is currently no consensus about the definition and recognition of the biological basis of sensitive skin. We sought to determine the relation between the nature of environmental threat perceived as aggressive by panelists, and the stratum corneum reactivity to household cleaning products as measured by the corneosurfametry test. Results indicate substantial differences in irritancy potential between proprietary products. Corneosurfametry data show significant differences in stratum corneum reactivity between, on the one hand, individuals with either non-sensitive skin or skin sensitive to climate/fabrics, and, on the other hand, individuals with detergent-sensitive skin. It is concluded that sensitive skin is not one single condition. Sound information in rating detergent-sensitive skin may be gained by corneosurfametry.

Implications of changes in households and living arrangements for future home-based care needs and costs for disabled elders in China.

PubMed

Zeng, Yi; Chen, Huashuai; Wang, Zhenglian; Land, Kenneth C

2015-04-01

To better understand future home-based care needs and costs for disabled elders in China. To further develop and apply the ProFamy extended cohort-component method and the most recent census and survey data. (a) Chinese disabled elders and the annual growth rate of the percentage of national gross domestic product (GDP) devoted to home-based care costs for disabled elders will increase much more rapidly than the growth of total elderly population; (b) home-based care needs and costs for disabled oldest-old aged 80+ will increase much faster than that for disabled young-old aged 65-79 after 2030; (c) disabled unmarried elders living alone and their home-based care costs increase substantially faster than those disabled unmarried elders living with children; (d) percent of rural disabled oldest-old will be substantially higher than that of rural population after 2030; (e) sensitivity analyses show that possible changes in mortality and elderly disability status are the major direct factors affecting home-based care needs and costs; (f) caregivers resources under the universal two-child policy will be substantially better than that under the rigorous fertility policy unchanged. We discuss policy recommendations concerning pathways to healthy aging with relatively reduced care costs, including reductions of the prevalence of disability, gender equality, the universal two-child policy and resources of caregivers, encouragements of rural-to-urban family migration and elder's residential proximity to their adult children, and remarriages of not-married elders. © The Author(s) 2014.

Measures and predictors of community-based employment and earnings of persons with schizophrenia in a multisite study.

PubMed

Salkever, David S; Karakus, Mustafa C; Slade, Eric P; Harding, Courtenay M; Hough, Richard L; Rosenheck, Robert A; Swartz, Marvin S; Barrio, Concepcion; Yamada, Anne Marie

2007-03-01

Data from a national study of persons with schizophrenia-related disorders were examined to determine clinical factors and labor-market conditions related to employment outcomes. Data were obtained from the U.S. Schizophrenia Care and Assessment Program, a naturalistic study of more than 2,300 persons from organized care systems in six U.S. regions. Data were collected via surveys and from medical records and clinical assessments at baseline and for three years. Outcome measures included any community-based (nonsheltered) employment, 40 or more hours of work in the past month, employment at or above the federal minimum wage, days and hours of work, and earnings. Bivariate and multiple regression analyses of data from more than 7,000 assessments tested relationships between outcomes and sociodemographic, clinical, and local labor market characteristics. The employment rate was 17.2%; only 57.1% of participants who worked reported 40 or more hours of past-month employment. The mean hourly wage was $7.05, and mean monthly earnings were $494.20. Employment rates and number of hours worked were substantially below those found in household surveys or in baseline data from trials of employment programs but substantially higher than those found in a recent large clinical trial. Strong positive relationships were found between clinical factors and work outcomes, but evidence of a relationship between local unemployment rates and outcomes was weak. Work attachment and earnings were substantially lower than in previous survey data, not very sensitive to labor market conditions, and strongly related to clinical status.

77 FR 15757 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-16

... require sellers of consumer commodities to keep records that substantiate ``cents off,'' ``introductory... competitively sensitive information such as costs, sales statistics, inventories, formulas, patterns devices...

Poole-frenkel piezoconductive element and sensor

DOEpatents

Habermehl, Scott D.

2004-08-03

A new class of highly sensitive piezoconductive strain sensor elements and sensors has been invented. The new elements function under conditions such that electrical conductivity is dominated by Poole-Frenkel transport. A substantial piezoconductive effect appears in this regime, allowing the new sensors to exhibit sensitivity to applied strain as much as two orders of magnitude in excess of prior art sensors based on doped silicon.

Cocaine sensitization increases subthreshold activity in dopamine neurons from the ventral tegmental area.

PubMed

Arencibia-Albite, Francisco; Vázquez-Torres, Rafael; Jiménez-Rivera, Carlos A

2017-02-01

The progressive escalation of psychomotor responses that results from repeated cocaine administration is termed sensitization. This phenomenon alters the intrinsic properties of dopamine (DA) neurons from the ventral tegmental area (VTA), leading to enhanced dopaminergic transmission in the mesocorticolimbic network. The mechanisms underlying this augmented excitation are nonetheless poorly understood. DA neurons display the hyperpolarization-activated, nonselective cation current, dubbed I h We recently demonstrated that I h and membrane capacitance are substantially reduced in VTA DA cells from cocaine-sensitized rats. The present study shows that 7 days of cocaine withdrawal did not normalize I h and capacitance. In cells from cocaine-sensitized animals, the amplitude of excitatory synaptic potentials, at -70 mV, was ∼39% larger in contrast to controls. Raise and decay phases of the synaptic signal were faster under cocaine, a result associated with a reduced membrane time constant. Synaptic summation was paradoxically elevated by cocaine exposure, as it consisted of a significantly reduced summation indexed but a considerably increased depolarization. These effects are at least a consequence of the reduced capacitance. I h attenuation is unlikely to explain such observations, since at -70 mV, no statistical differences exist in I h or input resistance. The neuronal shrinkage associated with a diminished capacitance may help to understand two fundamental elements of drug addiction: incentive sensitization and negative emotional states. A reduced cell size may lead to substantial enhancement of cue-triggered bursting, which underlies drug craving and reward anticipation, whereas it could also result in DA depletion, as smaller neurons might express low levels of tyrosine hydroxylase. This work uses a new approach that directly extracts important biophysical parameters from alpha function-evoked synaptic potentials. Two of these parameters are the cell membrane capacitance (C m ) and rate at any time point of the synaptic waveform. The use of such methodology shows that cocaine sensitization reduces C m and increases the speed of synaptic signaling. Paradoxically, although synaptic potentials show a faster decay under cocaine their temporal summation is substantially elevated. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Quantification of atmospheric methane oxidation in glacier forefields: Initial survey results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nauer, Philipp A.; Schroth, Martin H.; Pinto, Eric A.; Zeyer, Josef

2010-05-01

The oxidation of CH4 by methanotrophic bacteria is the only known terrestrial sink for atmospheric CH4. Aerobic methanotrophs are active in soils and sediments under various environmental conditions. However, little is known about the activity and abundance of methanotrophs in pioneering ecosystems and their role in succession. In alpine environments, receding glaciers pose a unique opportunity to investigate soil development and ecosystem succession. In an initial survey during summer and autumn 2009 we probed several locations in the forefields of four glaciers in the Swiss Alps to quantify the turnover of atmospheric methane in recently exposed soils. Three glacier forefields (the Stein, Steinlimi and Tiefen) are situated on siliceous bedrock, while one (the Griessen) is situated on calcareous bedrock. We sampled soil air from different depths to generate CH4 concentration profiles for qualitative analysis. At selected locations we applied surface Gas Push-Pull Tests (GPPT) to estimate first-order rate coefficients of CH4 oxidation. The test consists of a controlled injection of the reactants CH4 and O2 and the tracer Ar into and out of the soil at the same location. A top-closed steel cylinder previously emplaced in the soil encloses the injected gas mixture to ensure sufficient reaction times. Rate coefficients can be derived from differences of reactant and tracer breakthrough curves. In one GPPT we employed 13C-CH4 and measured the evolution of δ13C of extracted CO2. To confirm rate coefficients obtained by GPPTs we estimated effective soil diffusivity from soil core samples and fitted a diffusion-consumption model to our profile data. A qualitative analysis of the concentration profiles showed little activity in the forefields on siliceous bedrock, with only one out of fifteen locations exhibiting substantially lower CH4 concentrations in the soil compared to the atmosphere. The surface GPPTs with conventional CH4 at the active location were not sensitive enough to derive meaningful first-order rate coefficients of CH4 oxidation. The more sensitive GPPT with 13C-CH4 resulted in a coefficient of 0.025 h-1, close to the value of 0.011 h-1 estimated from the corresponding concentration profile. Activities in the forefield on calcareous bedrock were substantially higher, with decreased CH4 concentrations in the soil at three out of five locations. Estimated first-order rate coefficients from GPPT and profile at one selected location were 0.6 h-1 and 1.3 h-1, respectively, one to two orders of magnitude higher than values from the siliceous forefield. Additional analysis by quantitative PCR revealed substantially lower numbers of pmoA gene copies per g soil at the active location in the siliceous forefield compared to the selected location in the calcareous forefield. Reasons for these differences in activity and abundance are still unknown and will be subject of further investigations in an upcoming field campaign. The GPPT in combination with δ13C analysis of extracted CO2 appeared to be a functioning approach to sensitively quantify low CH4 turnover.

Review of recent advances in analytical techniques for the determination of neurotransmitters

PubMed Central

Perry, Maura; Li, Qiang; Kennedy, Robert T.

2009-01-01

Methods and advances for monitoring neurotransmitters in vivo or for tissue analysis of neurotransmitters over the last five years are reviewed. The review is organized primarily by neurotransmitter type. Transmitter and related compounds may be monitored by either in vivo sampling coupled to analytical methods or implanted sensors. Sampling is primarily performed using microdialysis, but low-flow push-pull perfusion may offer advantages of spatial resolution while minimizing the tissue disruption associated with higher flow rates. Analytical techniques coupled to these sampling methods include liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, enzyme assays, sensors, and mass spectrometry. Methods for the detection of amino acid, monoamine, neuropeptide, acetylcholine, nucleoside, and soluable gas neurotransmitters have been developed and improved upon. Advances in the speed and sensitivity of these methods have enabled improvements in temporal resolution and increased the number of compounds detectable. Similar advances have enabled improved detection at tissue samples, with a substantial emphasis on single cell and other small samples. Sensors provide excellent temporal and spatial resolution for in vivo monitoring. Advances in application to catecholamines, indoleamines, and amino acids have been prominent. Improvements in stability, sensitivity, and selectivity of the sensors have been of paramount interest. PMID:19800472

Climatic vulnerability of the world’s freshwater and marine fishes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Comte, Lise; Olden, Julian D.

2017-10-01

Climate change is a mounting threat to biological diversity, compromising ecosystem structure and function, and undermining the delivery of essential services worldwide. As the magnitude and speed of climate change accelerates, greater understanding of the taxonomy and geography of climatic vulnerability is critical to guide effective conservation action. However, many uncertainties remain regarding the degree and variability of climatic risk within entire clades and across vast ecosystem boundaries. Here we integrate physiological estimates of thermal sensitivity for 2,960 ray-finned fishes with future climatic exposure, and demonstrate that global patterns of vulnerability differ substantially between freshwater and marine realms. Our results suggest that climatic vulnerability for freshwater faunas will be predominantly determined by elevated levels of climatic exposure predicted for the Northern Hemisphere, whereas marine faunas in the tropics will be the most at risk, reflecting their higher intrinsic sensitivity. Spatial overlap between areas of high physiological risk and high human impacts, together with evidence of low past rates of evolution in upper thermal tolerance, highlights the urgency of global conservation actions and policy initiatives if harmful climate effects on the world’s fishes are to be mitigated in the future.

Response of corn markets to climate volatility under alternative energy futures.

PubMed

Diffenbaugh, Noah S; Hertel, Thomas W; Scherer, Martin; Verma, Monika

2012-07-01

Recent price spikes(1,2) have raised concern that climate change could increase food insecurity by reducing grain yields in the coming decades(3,4). However, commodity price volatility is also influenced by other factors(5,6), which may either exacerbate or buffer the effects of climate change. Here we show that US corn price volatility exhibits higher sensitivity to near-term climate change than to energy policy influences or agriculture-energy market integration, and that the presence of a biofuels mandate enhances the sensitivity to climate change by more than 50%. The climate change impact is driven primarily by intensification of severe hot conditions in the primary corn-growing region of the US, which causes US corn price volatility to increase sharply in response to global warming projected over the next three decades. Closer integration of agriculture and energy markets moderates the effects of climate change, unless the biofuels mandate becomes binding, in which case corn price volatility is instead exacerbated. However, in spite of the substantial impact on US corn price volatility, we find relatively small impact on food prices. Our findings highlight the critical importance of interactions between energy policies, energy-agriculture linkages, and climate change.

Climate impacts on agricultural land use in the USA: the role of socio-economic scenarios

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mu, Jianhong E.; Sleeter, Benjamin M.; Abatzoglou, John T.; Antle, John M.

2017-01-01

We examine the impacts of climate on net returns from crop and livestock production and the resulting impact on land-use change across the contiguous USA. We first estimate an econometric model to project effects of weather fluctuations on crop and livestock net returns and then use a semi-reduced form land-use share model to study agricultural land-use changes under future climate and socio-economic scenarios. Estimation results show that crop net returns are more sensitive to thermal and less sensitive to moisture variability than livestock net returns; other agricultural land uses substitute cropland use when 30-year averaged degree-days or precipitation are not beneficial for crop production. Under future climate and socio-economic scenarios, we project that crop and livestock net returns are both increasing, but with crop net returns increasing at a higher rate; cropland increases with declines of marginal and pastureland by the end of the twenty-first century. Projections also show that impacts of future climate on agricultural land uses are substantially different and a larger variation of land-use change is evident when socio-economic scenarios are incorporated into the climate impact analysis.

Climate change and infectious diseases in the Arctic: establishment of a circumpolar working group

PubMed Central

Parkinson, Alan J.; Evengard, Birgitta; Semenza, Jan C.; Ogden, Nicholas; Børresen, Malene L.; Berner, Jim; Brubaker, Michael; Sjöstedt, Anders; Evander, Magnus; Hondula, David M.; Menne, Bettina; Pshenichnaya, Natalia; Gounder, Prabhu; Larose, Tricia; Revich, Boris; Hueffer, Karsten; Albihn, Ann

2014-01-01

The Arctic, even more so than other parts of the world, has warmed substantially over the past few decades. Temperature and humidity influence the rate of development, survival and reproduction of pathogens and thus the incidence and prevalence of many infectious diseases. Higher temperatures may also allow infected host species to survive winters in larger numbers, increase the population size and expand their habitat range. The impact of these changes on human disease in the Arctic has not been fully evaluated. There is concern that climate change may shift the geographic and temporal distribution of a range of infectious diseases. Many infectious diseases are climate sensitive, where their emergence in a region is dependent on climate-related ecological changes. Most are zoonotic diseases, and can be spread between humans and animals by arthropod vectors, water, soil, wild or domestic animals. Potentially climate-sensitive zoonotic pathogens of circumpolar concern include Brucella spp., Toxoplasma gondii, Trichinella spp., Clostridium botulinum, Francisella tularensis, Borrelia burgdorferi, Bacillus anthracis, Echinococcus spp., Leptospira spp., Giardia spp., Cryptosporida spp., Coxiella burnetti, rabies virus, West Nile virus, Hantaviruses, and tick-borne encephalitis viruses. PMID:25317383

Impact of Antarctic mixed-phase clouds on climate.

PubMed

Lawson, R Paul; Gettelman, Andrew

2014-12-23

Precious little is known about the composition of low-level clouds over the Antarctic Plateau and their effect on climate. In situ measurements at the South Pole using a unique tethered balloon system and ground-based lidar reveal a much higher than anticipated incidence of low-level, mixed-phase clouds (i.e., consisting of supercooled liquid water drops and ice crystals). The high incidence of mixed-phase clouds is currently poorly represented in global climate models (GCMs). As a result, the effects that mixed-phase clouds have on climate predictions are highly uncertain. We modify the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Earth System Model (CESM) GCM to align with the new observations and evaluate the radiative effects on a continental scale. The net cloud radiative effects (CREs) over Antarctica are increased by +7.4 Wm(-2), and although this is a significant change, a much larger effect occurs when the modified model physics are extended beyond the Antarctic continent. The simulations show significant net CRE over the Southern Ocean storm tracks, where recent measurements also indicate substantial regions of supercooled liquid. These sensitivity tests confirm that Southern Ocean CREs are strongly sensitive to mixed-phase clouds colder than -20 °C.

Temporal Variability of Daily Personal Magnetic Field Exposure Metrics in Pregnant Women

PubMed Central

Lewis, Ryan C.; Evenson, Kelly R.; Savitz, David A.; Meeker, John D.

2015-01-01

Recent epidemiology studies of power-frequency magnetic fields and reproductive health have characterized exposures using data collected from personal exposure monitors over a single day, possibly resulting in exposure misclassification due to temporal variability in daily personal magnetic field exposure metrics, but relevant data in adults are limited. We assessed the temporal variability of daily central tendency (time-weighted average, median) and peak (upper percentiles, maximum) personal magnetic field exposure metrics over seven consecutive days in 100 pregnant women. When exposure was modeled as a continuous variable, central tendency metrics had substantial reliability, whereas peak metrics had fair (maximum) to moderate (upper percentiles) reliability. The predictive ability of a single day metric to accurately classify participants into exposure categories based on a weeklong metric depended on the selected exposure threshold, with sensitivity decreasing with increasing exposure threshold. Consistent with the continuous measures analysis, sensitivity was higher for central tendency metrics than for peak metrics. If there is interest in peak metrics, more than one day of measurement is needed over the window of disease susceptibility to minimize measurement error, but one day may be sufficient for central tendency metrics. PMID:24691007

Underwater psychophysical audiogram of a young male California sea lion (Zalophus californianus).

PubMed

Mulsow, Jason; Houser, Dorian S; Finneran, James J

2012-05-01

Auditory evoked potential (AEP) data are commonly obtained in air while sea lions are under gas anesthesia; a procedure that precludes the measurement of underwater hearing sensitivity. This is a substantial limitation considering the importance of underwater hearing data in designing criteria aimed at mitigating the effects of anthropogenic noise exposure. To determine if some aspects of underwater hearing sensitivity can be predicted using rapid aerial AEP methods, this study measured underwater psychophysical thresholds for a young male California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) for which previously published aerial AEP thresholds exist. Underwater thresholds were measured in an aboveground pool at frequencies between 1 and 38 kHz. The underwater audiogram was very similar to those previously published for California sea lions, suggesting that the current and previously obtained psychophysical data are representative for this species. The psychophysical and previously measured AEP audiograms were most similar in terms of high-frequency hearing limit (HFHL), although the underwater HFHL was sharper and occurred at a higher frequency. Aerial AEP methods are useful for predicting reductions in the HFHL that are potentially independent of the testing medium, such as those due to age-related sensorineural hearing loss.

Response of corn markets to climate volatility under alternative energy futures

PubMed Central

Diffenbaugh, Noah S.; Hertel, Thomas W.; Scherer, Martin; Verma, Monika

2012-01-01

Recent price spikes1,2 have raised concern that climate change could increase food insecurity by reducing grain yields in the coming decades3,4. However, commodity price volatility is also influenced by other factors5,6, which may either exacerbate or buffer the effects of climate change. Here we show that US corn price volatility exhibits higher sensitivity to near-term climate change than to energy policy influences or agriculture-energy market integration, and that the presence of a biofuels mandate enhances the sensitivity to climate change by more than 50%. The climate change impact is driven primarily by intensification of severe hot conditions in the primary corn-growing region of the US, which causes US corn price volatility to increase sharply in response to global warming projected over the next three decades. Closer integration of agriculture and energy markets moderates the effects of climate change, unless the biofuels mandate becomes binding, in which case corn price volatility is instead exacerbated. However, in spite of the substantial impact on US corn price volatility, we find relatively small impact on food prices. Our findings highlight the critical importance of interactions between energy policies, energy-agriculture linkages, and climate change. PMID:23243468

Serotonergic Function, Two-Mode Models of Self-Regulation, and Vulnerability to Depression: What Depression Has in Common With Impulsive Aggression

PubMed Central

Carver, Charles S.; Johnson, Sheri L.; Joormann, Jutta

2010-01-01

Evidence from diverse literatures supports the viewpoint that two modes of self-regulation exist, a lower-order system that responds quickly to associative cues of the moment and a higher-order system that responds more reflectively and planfully; that low serotonergic function is linked to relative dominance of the lower-order system; that how dominance of the lower-order system is manifested depends on additional variables; and that low serotonergic function therefore can promote behavioral patterns as divergent as impulsive aggression and lethargic depression. Literatures reviewed include work on two-mode models; studies of brain function supporting the biological plausibility of the two-mode view and the involvement of serotonergic pathways in functions pertaining to it; and studies relating low serotonergic function to impulsiveness, aggression (including extreme violence), aspects of personality, and depression vulnerability. Substantial differences between depression and other phenomena reviewed are interpreted by proposing that depression reflects both low serotonergic function and low reward sensitivity. The article closes with brief consideration of the idea that low serotonergic function relates to even more diverse phenomena, whose natures depend in part on sensitivities of other systems. PMID:18954161

Obesity classification in military personnel: a comparison of body fat, waist circumference, and body mass index measurements.

PubMed

Heinrich, Katie M; Jitnarin, Nattinee; Suminski, Richard R; Berkel, LaVerne; Hunter, Christine M; Alvarez, Lisa; Brundige, Antionette R; Peterson, Alan L; Foreyt, John P; Haddock, C Keith; Poston, Walker S C

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate obesity classifications from body fat percentage (BF%), body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC). A total of 451 overweight/obese active duty military personnel completed all three assessments. Most were obese (men, 81%; women, 98%) using National Institutes of Health (NIH) BF% standards (men, >25%; women, >30%). Using the higher World Health Organization (WHO) BF >35% standard, 86% of women were obese. BMI (55.5% and 51.4%) and WC (21.4% and 31.9%) obesity rates were substantially lower for men and women, respectively (p < 0.05). BMI/WC were accurate discriminators for BF% obesity (theta for all comparisons >0.75, p < 0.001). Optimal cutoff points were lower than NIH/WHO standards; WC = 100 cm and BMI = 29 maximized sensitivity and specificity for men, and WC = 79 cm and BMI = 25.5 (NIH) or WC = 83 cm and BMI = 26 (WHO) maximized sensitivity and specificity for women. Both WC and BMI measures had high rates of false negatives compared to BF%. However, at a population level, WC/BMI are useful obesity measures, demonstrating fair-to-high discriminatory power.

Ferroelectric BiFeO3 as an Oxide Dye in Highly Tunable Mesoporous All-Oxide Photovoltaic Heterojunctions.

PubMed

Wang, Lingfei; Ma, He; Chang, Lei; Ma, Chun; Yuan, Guoliang; Wang, Junling; Wu, Tom

2017-01-01

As potential photovoltaic materials, transition-metal oxides such as BiFeO 3 (BFO) are capable of absorbing a substantial portion of solar light and incorporating ferroic orders into solar cells with enhanced performance. But the photovoltaic application of BFO has been hindered by low energy-conversion efficiency due to poor carrier transport and collection. In this work, a new approach of utilizing BFO as a light-absorbing sensitizer is developed to interface with charge-transporting TiO 2 nanoparticles. This mesoporous all-oxide architecture, similar to that of dye-sensitized solar cells, can effectively facilitate the extraction of photocarriers. Under the standard AM1.5 (100 mW cm -2 ) irradiation, the optimized cell shows an open-circuit voltage of 0.67 V, which can be enhanced to 1.0 V by tailoring the bias history. A fill factor of 55% is achieved, which is much higher than those in previous reports on BFO-based photovoltaic devices. The results provide here a new viable approach toward developing highly tunable and stable photovoltaic devices based on ferroelectric transition-metal oxides. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Impact of Antarctic mixed-phase clouds on climate

PubMed Central

Lawson, R. Paul; Gettelman, Andrew

2014-01-01

Precious little is known about the composition of low-level clouds over the Antarctic Plateau and their effect on climate. In situ measurements at the South Pole using a unique tethered balloon system and ground-based lidar reveal a much higher than anticipated incidence of low-level, mixed-phase clouds (i.e., consisting of supercooled liquid water drops and ice crystals). The high incidence of mixed-phase clouds is currently poorly represented in global climate models (GCMs). As a result, the effects that mixed-phase clouds have on climate predictions are highly uncertain. We modify the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Earth System Model (CESM) GCM to align with the new observations and evaluate the radiative effects on a continental scale. The net cloud radiative effects (CREs) over Antarctica are increased by +7.4 Wm−2, and although this is a significant change, a much larger effect occurs when the modified model physics are extended beyond the Antarctic continent. The simulations show significant net CRE over the Southern Ocean storm tracks, where recent measurements also indicate substantial regions of supercooled liquid. These sensitivity tests confirm that Southern Ocean CREs are strongly sensitive to mixed-phase clouds colder than −20 °C. PMID:25489069

Nanomechanical membrane-type surface stress sensor.

PubMed

Yoshikawa, Genki; Akiyama, Terunobu; Gautsch, Sebastian; Vettiger, Peter; Rohrer, Heinrich

2011-03-09

Nanomechanical cantilever sensors have been emerging as a key device for real-time and label-free detection of various analytes ranging from gaseous to biological molecules. The major sensing principle is based on the analyte-induced surface stress, which makes a cantilever bend. In this letter, we present a membrane-type surface stress sensor (MSS), which is based on the piezoresistive read-out integrated in the sensor chip. The MSS is not a simple "cantilever," rather it consists of an "adsorbate membrane" suspended by four piezoresistive "sensing beams," composing a full Wheatstone bridge. The whole analyte-induced isotropic surface stress on the membrane is efficiently transduced to the piezoresistive beams as an amplified uniaxial stress. Evaluation of a prototype MSS used in the present experiments demonstrates a high sensitivity which is comparable with that of optical methods and a factor of more than 20 higher than that obtained with a standard piezoresistive cantilever. The finite element analyses indicate that changing dimensions of the membrane and beams can substantially increase the sensitivity further. Given the various conveniences and advantages of the integrated piezoresistive read-out, this platform is expected to open a new era of surface stress-based sensing.

Determination of Structural Topology of a Membrane Protein in Lipid -Bilayers using Polarization Optimized Experiments (POE) for Static and MAS Solid State NMR Spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Mote, Kaustubh R.; Gopinath, T.; Veglia, Gianluigi

2013-01-01

The low sensitivity inherent to both the static and magic angle spinning techniques of solid-state NMR (ssNMR) spectroscopy has thus far limited the routine application of multidimensional experiments to determine the structure of membrane proteins in lipid bilayers. Here, we demonstrate the advantage of using a recently developed class of experiments, polarization optimized experiments (POE), for both static and MAS spectroscopy to achieve higher sensitivity and substantial time-savings for 2D and 3D experiments. We used sarcolipin, a single pass membrane protein, reconstituted in oriented bicelles (for oriented ssNMR) and multilamellar vesicles (for MAS ssNMR) as a benchmark. The restraints derived by these experiments are then combined into a hybrid energy function to allow simultaneous determination of structure and topology. The resulting structural ensemble converged to a helical conformation with a backbone RMSD ∼ 0.44 Å, a tilt angle of 24° ± 1°, and an azimuthal angle of 55° ± 6°. This work represents a crucial first step toward obtaining high-resolution structures of large membrane proteins using combined multidimensional O-ssNMR and MAS-ssNMR. PMID:23963722

Light scattering on PHA granules protects bacterial cells against the harmful effects of UV radiation.

PubMed

Slaninova, Eva; Sedlacek, Petr; Mravec, Filip; Mullerova, Lucie; Samek, Ota; Koller, Martin; Hesko, Ondrej; Kucera, Dan; Marova, Ivana; Obruca, Stanislav

2018-02-01

Numerous prokaryotes accumulate polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) in the form of intracellular granules. The primary function of PHA is the storage of carbon and energy. Nevertheless, there are numerous reports that the presence of PHA granules in microbial cells enhances their stress resistance and fitness when exposed to various stress factors. In this work, we studied the protective mechanism of PHA granules against UV irradiation employing Cupriavidus necator as a model bacterial strain. The PHA-accumulating wild type strain showed substantially higher UV radiation resistance than the PHA non-accumulating mutant. Furthermore, the differences in UV-Vis radiation interactions with both cell types were studied using various spectroscopic approaches (turbidimetry, absorption spectroscopy, and nephelometry). Our results clearly demonstrate that intracellular PHA granules efficiently scatter UV radiation, which provides a substantial UV-protective effect for bacterial cells and, moreover, decreases the intracellular level of reactive oxygen species in UV-challenged cells. The protective properties of the PHA granules are enhanced by the fact that granules specifically bind to DNA, which in turn provides shield-like protection of DNA as the most UV-sensitive molecule. To conclude, the UV-protective action of PHA granules adds considerable value to their primary storage function, which can be beneficial in numerous environments.

Volatile sulfur compounds produced by probiotic bacteria in the presence of cysteine or methionine.

PubMed

Sreekumar, R; Al-Attabi, Z; Deeth, H C; Turner, M S

2009-06-01

To investigate the abilities of various probiotic bacteria to produce volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) relevant to food flavour and aroma. Probiotic strains (Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, Lactobacillus plantarum 299v, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC55730 and L. reuteri BR11), Lactobacillus delbrueckii ATCC4797, L. plantarum ATCC14917 and Lactococcus lactis MG1363 were incubated with either cysteine or methionine. Volatile compounds were captured, identified and quantified using a sensitive solid-phase microextraction (SPME) technique combined with gas chromatography coupled to a pulsed flame photometric detector (SPME/GC/PFPD). Several VSCs were identified including H(2)S, methanethiol, dimethyldisulfide and dimethyltrisulfide. The VSC profiles varied substantially for different strains of L. plantarum and L. reuteri and it was found that L. reuteri ATCC55730 and L. lactis MG1363 produced the lowest levels of VSCs (P < 0.05). Levels of VSCs generated by bacteria were found to be equivalent to, or higher than, that found in commercial cheeses. Several probiotic strains are able to generate considerable levels of VSCs and substantial variations in VSC generating potential exists between different strains from the same species. This study demonstrates that probiotic bacteria are able to efficiently generate important flavour and aroma compounds and therefore has implications for the development of probiotic containing foods.

Comparative utility of LC3, p62 and TDP-43 immunohistochemistry in differentiation of inclusion body myositis from polymyositis and related inflammatory myopathies

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is a slowly progressive inflammatory myopathy of the elderly that does not show significant clinical improvement in response to steroid therapy. Distinguishing IBM from polymyositis (PM) is clinically important since PM is steroid-responsive; however, the two conditions can show substantial histologic overlap. Results We performed quantitative immunohistochemistry for (1) autophagic markers LC3 and p62 and (2) protein aggregation marker TDP-43 in 53 subjects with pathologically diagnosed PM, IBM, and two intermediate T cell-mediated inflammatory myopathies (polymyositis with COX-negative fibers and possible IBM). The percentage of stained fibers was significantly higher in IBM than PM for all three immunostains, but the markers varied in sensitivity and specificity. In particular, both LC3 and p62 were sensitive markers of IBM, but the tradeoff between sensitivity and specificity was smaller (and diagnostic utility thus greater) for LC3 than for p62. In contrast, TDP-43 immunopositivity was highly specific for IBM, but the sensitivity of this test was low, with definitive staining present in just 67% of IBM cases. Conclusions To differentiate IBM from PM, we thus recommend using a panel of LC3 and TDP-43 antibodies: the finding of <14% LC3-positive fibers helps exclude IBM, while >7% of TDP-43-positive fibers strongly supports a diagnosis of IBM. These data provide support for the hypothesis that disruption of autophagy and protein aggregation contribute to IBM pathogenesis. PMID:24252466

Sensitivity and specificity of CT- and MRI-scanning in evaluation of occult fracture of the proximal femur.

PubMed

Haubro, M; Stougaard, C; Torfing, T; Overgaard, S

2015-08-01

To estimate sensitivity and specificity of CT and MRI examinations in patients with fractures of the proximal femur. To determine the interobserver agreement of the modalities among a senior consulting radiologist, a resident in radiology and a resident in orthopaedics surgery. 67 patients (27 males, 40 females, mean age 80.5) seen in the emergency room with hip pain after fall, inability to stand and a primary X-ray without fracture were evaluated with both CT and MRI. The images were analysed by a senior consulting musculoskeletal radiologist, a resident in radiology and a resident in orthopaedic surgery. Sensitivity and specificity were estimated with MRI as the golden standard. Kappa value was used to assess level of agreement in both MRI and CT finding. 15 fractures of the proximal femur were found (7 intertrochanteric-, 3 femoral neck and 5 fractures of the greater trochanter). Two fractures were not identified by CT and four changed fracture location. Among those, three patients underwent surgery. Sensitivity of CT was 0.87; 95% CI [0.60; 0.98]. Kappa for interobserver agreement for CT were 0.46; 95% CI [0.23; 0.76] and 0.67; 95% CI [0.42; 0.90]. For MRI 0.67; 95% CI [0.43; 0.91] and 0.69; 95% CI [0.45; 0.92]. MRI was observed to have a higher diagnostic accuracy than CT in detecting occult fractures of the hip. Interobserver analysis showed high kappa values corresponding substantial agreement in both CT and MRI. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differential antioxidative responses to dehydration-induced oxidative stress in core set of foxtail millet cultivars [Setaria italica (L.)].

PubMed

Lata, Charu; Jha, Sarita; Dixit, Vivek; Sreenivasulu, Nese; Prasad, Manoj

2011-10-01

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) known as a relatively drought-tolerant crop across the world is grown in arid and semi-arid regions. To the best of our knowledge, no systematic study on drought tolerance screening of foxtail millet germplasm being a drought-tolerant crop has been reported so far. To explore genetic diversity of drought-induced oxidative stress tolerance in foxtail millet, we employed lipid peroxidation measure to assess membrane integrity under stress as biochemical marker to screen 107 cultivars and classified the genotypes as highly tolerant, tolerant, sensitive, and highly sensitive. From this comprehensive screening, four cultivars showing differential response to dehydration tolerance were selected to understand the physiological and biochemical basis of tolerance mechanisms. The dehydration-tolerant cultivars (IC-403579 and Prasad) showed considerably lower levels of lipid peroxidation and electrolyte leakage as compared with dehydration-sensitive cultivars (IC-480117 and Lepakshi), indicating better cell membrane integrity in tolerant cultivars. Correspondingly, tolerant genotypes maintained higher activity of catalase (EC 1.11.1.6), ascorbate peroxidase (APX; EC 1.11.1.11), and glutathione reductase (GR; EC 1.6.4.2) across different time-course period of polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatments in comparison to sensitive ones. The above biochemical results were further validated through quantitative real-time PCR analysis of APX and GR, whose transcripts were substantially induced by PEG treatments in tolerant cultivars. These results suggest that tolerant cultivars possess wider array of antioxidant machinery with efficient ascorbate-glutathione pathway to cope with drought-induced oxidative stress.

Relationship between obesity, metabolic syndrome, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in the elderly agricultural and fishing population of Taiwan.

PubMed

Shen, Hsi-Che; Zhao, Zi-Hao; Hu, Yi-Chun; Chen, Yu-Fen; Tung, Tao-Hsin

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between obesity, the metabolic syndrome, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the elderly agricultural and fishing population of Taipei, Taiwan. The study participants comprised 6,511 (3,971 male and 2,540 female) healthy elderly subjects voluntarily attending a teaching hospital for a physical check-up in 2010. Blood samples and real-time ultrasound-proven fatty liver sonography results were collected. The prevalence of NAFLD in this elderly population was 27.2%, including mild NAFLD (16.0%), moderate NAFLD (10.3%), and severe NAFLD (0.9%). The prevalence of moderate or severe NAFLD for metabolic syndrome proved to be substantially greater (P<0.0001, χ(2) test) for one or two metabolic factors. Using multinomial logistic regression analysis, age, sex, metabolic syndrome, and higher body mass index had a statistically significant association with mild NAFLD. Age, sex, metabolic syndrome, higher body mass index, and higher alanine aminotransferase were significantly related to moderate NAFLD. In addition, higher body mass index, higher uric acid, and higher alanine aminotransferase levels were significantly related to severe NAFLD. The sensitivity and specificity of body mass index and waist circumference as markers of NAFLD were estimated to be 81% and 84%, respectively, and 77% and 69%, respectively. The prevalence of mild or moderate NAFLD was related to obesity and metabolic syndrome. Higher body mass index was also related to severe NAFLD but not to metabolic syndrome. Targeting this population for control of obesity and improved metabolic function is important.

Validity and usefulness of the Line Drill test for adolescent basketball players: a Bayesian multilevel analysis.

PubMed

Carvalho, Humberto M; Gonçalves, Carlos E; Grosgeorge, Bernard; Paes, Roberto R

2017-01-01

The study examined the validity of the Line Drill test (LD) in male adolescent basketball players (10-15 years). Sensitiveness of the LD to changes in performance across a training and competition season (4 months) was also considered. Age, maturation, body size and LD were measured (n = 57). Sensitiveness of the LD was examined pre- and post-competitive season in a sub-sample (n = 44). The time at each of the four shuttle sprints of the LD (i.e. four stages) was modelled with Bayesian multilevel models. We observed very large correlation of performance at stage 4 (full LD protocol) with stage 3, but lower correlations with the early LD stages. Players' performance by somatic maturity differed substantially only when considering full LD protocol performance. Substantial improvements in all stages of the protocol were observed across the 4-month competitive season. The LD protocol should be shortened by the last full court shuttle sprint, remaining sensitive to training exposure, and independent of maturity status and body size.

Gender Differentials in Self-Rated Health and Self-Reported Disability among Adults in India

PubMed Central

Bora, Jayanta Kumar; Saikia, Nandita

2015-01-01

Background The extant literature on gender differentials in health in developed countries suggests that women outlive men at all ages, but women report poorer health than men. It is well established that Indian women live longer than men, but few studies have been conducted to understand the gender dimension in self-rated health and self-reported disability. The present study investigates gender differentials in self-rated health (SRH) and self-reported disability (SRD) among adults in India, using a nationally representative data. Methods Using data on 10,736 respondents aged 18 and older in the 2007 WHO Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health in India, prevalence estimates of SRH are calculated separately for men and women by socio-economic and demographic characteristics. The association of SRH with gender is tested using a multinomial logistic regression method. SRD is assessed using 20 activities of daily living (ADL). Further, gender differences in total life expectancy (TLE), disability life expectancy (DLE) and the proportion of life spent with a disability at various adult ages are measured. Results The relative risk of reporting poor health by women was significantly higher than men (relative risk ratio: 1.660; 95% confidence Interval (CI): 1.430–1.927) after adjusting for socio-economic and demographic characteristics. Women reported higher prevalence of severe and extreme disability than men in 14 measures out of a total20 ADL measures. Women aged less than 60 years reported two times more than men in SRD ≥ 5 ADLs. Finally, both DLE and proportion of life spent with a disability were substantially higher for women irrespective of their ages. Conclusion Indian women live longer but report poorer health than men. A substantial gender differential is found in self-reported disability. This makes for an urgent call to health researchers and policy makers for gender-sensitive programs. PMID:26536133

Validation of the AUDIT-C in adults seeking help with their drinking online.

PubMed

Khadjesari, Zarnie; White, Ian R; McCambridge, Jim; Marston, Louise; Wallace, Paul; Godfrey, Christine; Murray, Elizabeth

2017-01-04

The abbreviated Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test for Consumption (AUDIT-C) is rapidly becoming the alcohol screening tool of choice for busy practitioners in clinical settings and by researchers keen to limit assessment burden and reactivity. Cut-off scores for detecting drinking above recommended limits vary by population, setting, country and potentially format. This validation study aimed to determine AUDIT-C thresholds that indicated risky drinking among a population of people seeking help over the Internet. The data in this study were collected in the pilot phase of the Down Your Drink trial, which recruited people seeking help over the Internet and randomised them to a web-based intervention or an information-only website. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios were calculated for AUDIT-C scores, relative to weekly consumption that indicated drinking above limits and higher risk drinking. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were created to assess the performance of different cut-off scores on the AUDIT-C for men and women. Past week alcohol consumption was used as the reference-standard and was collected via the TOT-AL, a validated online measure of past week drinking. AUDIT-C scores were obtained from 3720 adults (2053 female and 1667 male) searching the internet for help with drinking, mostly from the UK. The area under the ROC curve for risky drinking was 0.84 (95% CI 0.80, 0.87) (female) and 0.80 (95% CI 0.76, 0.84) (male). AUDIT-C cut-off scores for detecting risky drinking that maximise the sum of sensitivity and specificity were ≥8 for women and ≥8 for men; whereas those identifying the highest proportion of correctly classified individuals were ≥4 for women and ≥5 for men. AUDIT-C cut-off scores for detecting higher risk drinking were also calculated. AUDIT-C cut-off scores for identifying alcohol consumption above weekly limits in this largely UK based study population were substantially higher than those reported in other validation studies. Researchers and practitioners should select AUDIT-C cut-off scores according to the purpose of identifying risky drinkers and hence the relative importance of sensitivity and/or specificity.

Detection of a substantial number of sub-microscopic Plasmodium falciparum infections by polymerase chain reaction: a potential threat to malaria control and diagnosis in Ethiopia

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Prompt and effective malaria diagnosis not only alleviates individual suffering, but also decreases malaria transmission at the community level. The commonly used diagnostic methods, microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests, are usually insensitive at very low-density parasitaemia. Molecular techniques, on the other hand, allow the detection of low-level, sub-microscopic parasitaemia. This study aimed to explore the presence of sub-microscopic Plasmodium falciparum infections using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR-based parasite prevalence was compared against microscopy and rapid diagnostic test (RDT). Methods This study used 1,453 blood samples collected from clinical patients and sub-clinical subjects to determine the prevalence of sub-microscopic P. falciparum carriages. Subsets of RDT and microscopy negative blood samples were tested by PCR while all RDT and microscopically confirmed P. falciparum-infected samples were subjected to PCR. Finger-prick blood samples spotted on filter paper were used for parasite genomic DNA extraction. Results The prevalence of sub-microscopic P. falciparum carriage was 19.2% (77/400) (95% CI = 15. 4–23.1). Microscopy-based prevalence of P. falciparum infection was 3.7% (54/1,453) while the prevalence was 6.9% (100/1,453) using RDT alone. Using microscopy and PCR, the estimated parasite prevalence was 20.6% if PCR were performed in 1,453 blood samples. The prevalence was estimated to be 22.7% if RDT and PCR were used. Of 54 microscopically confirmed P. falciparum-infected subjects, PCR detected 90.7% (49/54). Out of 100 RDT-confirmed P. falciparum infections; PCR detected 80.0% (80/100). The sensitivity of PCR relative to microscopy and RDT was, therefore, 90.7% and 80%, respectively. The sensitivity of microscopy and RDT relative to PCR was 16.5 (49/299) and 24.2% (80/330), respectively. The overall PCR-based prevalence of P. falciparum infection was 5.6- and 3.3 fold higher than that determined by microscopy and RDT, respectively. None of the sub-microscopic subjects had severe anaemia, though 29.4% had mild anaemia (10–11.9 g/dl). Conclusions Asymptomatic, low-density malaria infection was common in the study area and PCR may be a better tool for measuring Plasmodium prevalence than microscopy and RDT. The inadequate sensitivity of the diagnostic methods to detect substantial number of sub-microscopic parasitaemia would undoubtedly affect malaria control efforts, making reduction of transmission more difficult. RDT and microscopy-based prevalence studies and subsequent reports of reduction in malaria incidence underestimate the true pictures of P. falciparum infections in the community. PCR, on the other hand, seems to have reasonable sensitivity to detect a higher number of infected subjects with low and sub-microscopic parasite densities than RDTs or microscopy. PMID:24090230

Radiation Safety Issues in High Altitude Commercial Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, John W.; Cucinotta, Francis A.; Shinn, Judy L.

1995-01-01

The development of a global economy makes the outlook for high speed commercial intercontinental flight feasible, and the development of various configurations operating from 20 to 30 km have been proposed. In addition to the still unresolved issues relating to current commercial operations (12-16 km), the higher dose rates associated with the higher operating altitudes makes il imperative that the uncertainties in the atmospheric radiation environment and the associated health risks be re-examined. Atmospheric radiation associated with the galactic cosmic rays forms a background level which may, under some circumstances, exceed newly recommended allowable exposure limits proposed on the basis of recent evaluations of the A -bomb survivor data (due to increased risk coefficients). These larger risk coefficients, within the context of the methodology for estimating exposure limits, are resulting in exceedingly low estimated allowable exposure limits which may impact even present day flight operations and was the reason for the CEC workshop in Luxembourg (1990). At higher operating altitudes, solar particles events can produce exposures many orders of magnitude above background levels and pose significant health risks to the most sensitive individuals (such as during pregnancy). In this case the appropriate quality factors are undefined, and some evidence exists which indicates that the quality factor for stochastic effects is a substantial underestimate.

Preliminary data suggest rates of male military sexual trauma may be higher than previously reported.

PubMed

Sheppard, Sean C; Hickling, Edward J; Earleywine, Mitch; Hoyt, Tim; Russo, Amanda R; Donati, Matthew R; Kip, Kevin E

2015-11-01

Stigma associated with disclosing military sexual trauma (MST) makes estimating an accurate base rate difficult. Anonymous assessment may help alleviate stigma. Although anonymous research has found higher rates of male MST, no study has evaluated whether providing anonymity sufficiently mitigates the impact of stigma on accurate reporting. This study used the unmatched count technique (UCT), a form of randomized response techniques, to gain information about the accuracy of base rate estimates of male MST derived via anonymous assessment of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) combat veterans. A cross-sectional convenience sample of 180 OEF/OIF male combat veterans, recruited via online websites for military populations, provided data about history of MST via traditional anonymous self-report and the UCT. The UCT revealed a rate of male MST more than 15 times higher than the rate derived via traditional anonymous assessment (1.1% vs. 17.2%). These data suggest that anonymity does not adequately mitigate the impact of stigma on disclosure of male MST. Results, though preliminary, suggest that published rates of male MST may substantially underestimate the true rate of this problem. The UCT has significant potential to improve base rate estimation of sensitive behaviors in the military. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

A sensitivity analysis of "Forests on the Edge: Housing Development on America's Private Forests."

Treesearch

Eric M. White; Ralph J. Alig; Lisa G. Mahal; David M. Theobald

2009-01-01

The original Forests on the Edge report (FOTE 1) indicated that 44.2 million acres of private forest land was projected to experience substantial increases in residential development in the coming decades. In this study, we examined the sensitivity of the FOTE 1 results to four factors: (1) use of updated private land and forest cover spatial data and a revised model...

Test-retest of self-reported exposure to artificial tanning devices, self-tanning creams, and sun sensitivity showed consistency.

PubMed

Beane Freeman, Laura E; Dennis, Leslie K; Lynch, Charles F; Lowe, John B; Clarke, William R

2005-04-01

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation has consistently been linked to an increased risk of melanoma. Epidemiologic studies are susceptible to measurement error, which can distort the magnitude of observed effects. Although the reliability of self-report of many sun exposure factors has been previously described in several studies, self-report of use of artificial tanning devices and self-tanning creams has been less well characterized. A mailed survey was re-administered 2-4 weeks after completion of the initial survey to 76 randomly selected participants in a case-control study of melanoma. Cases and controls were individuals diagnosed in 1999 and 2000 who were ascertained from the Iowa Cancer Registry in 2002. We assessed the consistency of self-reported use of sunlamps and self-tanning creams, sun sensitivity, and history of sunburns. There was substantial reliability in reporting the use of sunlamps or self-tanning creams (cases: Kappa (kappa)=1.0 for both exposures; controls: kappa=0.71 and 0.87, respectively). kappa estimates of 0.62-0.78 were found for overall reliability of several sun sensitivity factors. Overall, the survey instrument demonstrated substantial reproducibility for factors related to the use of sunlamps or tanning beds, self-tanning creams, and sun sensitivity factors.

Classifying elementary cellular automata using compressibility, diversity and sensitivity measures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ninagawa, Shigeru; Adamatzky, Andrew

2014-10-01

An elementary cellular automaton (ECA) is a one-dimensional, synchronous, binary automaton, where each cell update depends on its own state and states of its two closest neighbors. We attempt to uncover correlations between the following measures of ECA behavior: compressibility, sensitivity and diversity. The compressibility of ECA configurations is calculated using the Lempel-Ziv (LZ) compression algorithm LZ78. The sensitivity of ECA rules to initial conditions and perturbations is evaluated using Derrida coefficients. The generative morphological diversity shows how many different neighborhood states are produced from a single nonquiescent cell. We found no significant correlation between sensitivity and compressibility. There is a substantial correlation between generative diversity and compressibility. Using sensitivity, compressibility and diversity, we uncover and characterize novel groupings of rules.

A highly Ca2+-sensitive pool of granules is regulated by glucose and protein kinases in insulin-secreting INS-1 cells.

PubMed

Yang, Yan; Gillis, Kevin D

2004-12-01

We have used membrane capacitance measurements and carbon-fiber amperometry to assay exocytosis triggered by photorelease of caged Ca(2+) to directly measure the Ca(2+) sensitivity of exocytosis from the INS-1 insulin-secreting cell line. We find heterogeneity of the Ca(2+) sensitivity of release in that a small proportion of granules makes up a highly Ca(2+)-sensitive pool (HCSP), whereas the bulk of granules have a lower sensitivity to Ca(2+). A substantial HCSP remains after brief membrane depolarization, suggesting that the majority of granules with high sensitivity to Ca(2+) are not located close to Ca(2+) channels. The HCSP is enhanced in size by glucose, cAMP, and a phorbol ester, whereas the Ca(2+)-sensitive rate constant of exocytosis from the HCSP is unaffected by cAMP and phorbol ester. The effects of cAMP and phorbol ester on the HCSP are mediated by PKA and PKC, respectively, because they can be blocked with specific protein kinase inhibitors. The size of the HCSP can be enhanced by glucose even in the presence of high concentrations of phorbol ester or cAMP, suggesting that glucose can increase granule pool sizes independently of activation of PKA or PKC. The effects of PKA and PKC on the size of the HCSP are not additive, suggesting they converge on a common mechanism. Carbon-fiber amperometry was used to assay quantal exocytosis of serotonin (5-HT) from insulin-containing granules following preincubation of INS-1 cells with 5-HT and a precursor. The amount or kinetics of release of 5-HT from each granule is not significantly different between granules with higher or lower sensitivity to Ca(2+), suggesting that granules in these two pools do not differ in morphology or fusion kinetics. We conclude that glucose and second messengers can modulate insulin release triggered by a high-affinity Ca(2+) sensor that is poised to respond to modest, global elevations of [Ca(2+)](i).

Electron driven processes in sulphur containing compounds CH3SCH3 and CH3SSCH3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kopyra, Janina; Władziński, Jakub

2015-06-01

Dissociative electron attachment to gas phase dimethyl sulphide (CH3SCH3) and dimethyl disulphide (CH3SSCH3) has been studied by means of a crossed beams apparatus. Cleavage of the C-S bond within CH3SCH3 and the S-S bond within CH3SSCH3 is observed within a resonance in the energy range below 2 eV and visible preferentially via the appearance of the fragment CH2S-. The striking finding is that the intensity of CH2S- generated from CH3SSCH3 is more than two orders of magnitude higher than the intensity of the respective anionic fragment generated from CH3SCH3. Our results clearly demonstrate that the CH3SSCH3 molecule, which contains disulphide bridge is substantially more sensitive towards electron attachment resulting mainly in dissociation along the S-S bridge.

Soda Taxes, Soft Drink Consumption, And Children’s Body Mass Index

PubMed Central

Sturm, Roland; Powell, Lisa M.; Chriqui, Jamie F.; Chaloupka, Frank J.

2010-01-01

Taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages have been proposed to combat obesity. Using data on state sales taxes for soda and individual-level data on children, we examine whether small taxes are likely to change consumption and weight gain or whether larger tax increases would be needed. We find that existing taxes on soda, which are typically not much higher than 4 percent in grocery stores, do not substantially affect overall levels of soda consumption or obesity rates. We do find, however, that subgroups of at-risk children—children who are already overweight, come from low-income families, or are African American—may be more sensitive than others to soda taxes, especially when soda is available at school. A greater impact of these small taxes could come from the dedication of the revenues they generate to other obesity prevention efforts rather than through their direct effect on consumption. PMID:20360173

Dark chocolate: consumption for pleasure or therapy?

PubMed

Lippi, Giuseppe; Franchini, Massimo; Montagnana, Martina; Favaloro, Emmanuel J; Guidi, Gian Cesare; Targher, Giovanni

2009-11-01

Traditional chocolate is derived from the cocoa bean, which is one of the most concentrated sources of flavanols, a subgroup of the natural antioxidant plant compounds called flavonoids. Accumulating evidence from the past 10 years demonstrates that moderate consumption of chocolate, especially dark chocolate, may exert protective effects against the development of cardiovascular disease. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain this positive influence, including metabolic, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, and anti-thrombotic effects, as well as effects on insulin sensitivity and vascular endothelial function. Should these results be confirmed in randomised, controlled, cross-over, multi-dose trials, then the pleasure associated with chocolate consumption might also be justified from health and psychological perspectives. However, since dark chocolate has substantially higher levels of flavonoids than milk chocolate, and milk proteins may inhibit absorption of flavonoids, it might be preferable to consume dark chocolate than the white (milk) variety.

A new quadrature annular resonator for 3 T MRI based on artificial-dielectrics.

PubMed

Mikhailovskaya, Anna A; Shchelokova, Alena V; Dobrykh, Dmitry A; Sushkov, Ivan V; Slobozhanyuk, Alexey P; Webb, Andrew

2018-06-01

Dielectric resonators have previously been constructed for ultra-high frequency magnetic resonance imaging and microscopy. However, it is challenging to design these dielectric resonators at clinical field strengths due to their intrinsically large dimensions, especially when using materials with moderate permittivity. Here we propose and characterize a novel approach using artificial-dielectrics which reduces substantially the required outer diameter of the resonator. For a resonator designed to operate in a 3 Tesla scanner using water as the dielectric, a reduction in outer diameter of 37% was achieved. When used in an inductively-coupled wireless mode, the sensitivity of the artificial-dielectric resonator was measured to be slightly higher than that of a standard dielectric resonator operating in its degenerate circularly-polarized hybrid electromagnetic modes (HEM 11 ). This study demonstrates the first application of an artificial-dielectric approach to MR volume coil design. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling technical change in climate analysis: evidence from agricultural crop damages.

PubMed

Ahmed, Adeel; Devadason, Evelyn S; Al-Amin, Abul Quasem

2017-05-01

This study accounts for the Hicks neutral technical change in a calibrated model of climate analysis, to identify the optimum level of technical change for addressing climate changes. It demonstrates the reduction to crop damages, the costs to technical change, and the net gains for the adoption of technical change for a climate-sensitive Pakistan economy. The calibrated model assesses the net gains of technical change for the overall economy and at the agriculture-specific level. The study finds that the gains of technical change are overwhelmingly higher than the costs across the agriculture subsectors. The gains and costs following technical change differ substantially for different crops. More importantly, the study finds a cost-effective optimal level of technical change that potentially reduces crop damages to a minimum possible level. The study therefore contends that the climate policy for Pakistan should consider the role of technical change in addressing climate impacts on the agriculture sector.

A new quadrature annular resonator for 3 T MRI based on artificial-dielectrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikhailovskaya, Anna A.; Shchelokova, Alena V.; Dobrykh, Dmitry A.; Sushkov, Ivan V.; Slobozhanyuk, Alexey P.; Webb, Andrew

2018-06-01

Dielectric resonators have previously been constructed for ultra-high frequency magnetic resonance imaging and microscopy. However, it is challenging to design these dielectric resonators at clinical field strengths due to their intrinsically large dimensions, especially when using materials with moderate permittivity. Here we propose and characterize a novel approach using artificial-dielectrics which reduces substantially the required outer diameter of the resonator. For a resonator designed to operate in a 3 Tesla scanner using water as the dielectric, a reduction in outer diameter of 37% was achieved. When used in an inductively-coupled wireless mode, the sensitivity of the artificial-dielectric resonator was measured to be slightly higher than that of a standard dielectric resonator operating in its degenerate circularly-polarized hybrid electromagnetic modes (HEM11). This study demonstrates the first application of an artificial-dielectric approach to MR volume coil design.

Iron and manganese removal: Recent advances in modelling treatment efficiency by rapid sand filtration.

PubMed

Vries, D; Bertelkamp, C; Schoonenberg Kegel, F; Hofs, B; Dusseldorp, J; Bruins, J H; de Vet, W; van den Akker, B

2017-02-01

A model has been developed that takes into account the main characteristics of (submerged) rapid filtration: the water quality parameters of the influent water, notably pH, iron(II) and manganese(II) concentrations, homogeneous oxidation in the supernatant layer, surface sorption and heterogeneous oxidation kinetics in the filter, and filter media adsorption characteristics. Simplifying assumptions are made to enable validation in practice, while maintaining the main mechanisms involved in iron(II) and manganese(II) removal. Adsorption isotherm data collected from different Dutch treatment sites show that Fe(II)/Mn(II) adsorption may vary substantially between them, but generally increases with higher pH. The model is sensitive to (experimentally) determined adsorption parameters and the heterogeneous oxidation rate. Model results coincide with experimental values when the heterogeneous rate constants are calibrated. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soda taxes, soft drink consumption, and children's body mass index.

PubMed

Sturm, Roland; Powell, Lisa M; Chriqui, Jamie F; Chaloupka, Frank J

2010-05-01

Taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages have been proposed to combat obesity. Using data on state sales taxes for soda and individual-level data on children, we examine whether small taxes are likely to change consumption and weight gain or whether larger tax increases would be needed. We find that existing taxes on soda, which are typically not much higher than 4 percent in grocery stores, do not substantially affect overall levels of soda consumption or obesity rates. We do find, however, that subgroups of at-risk children--children who are already overweight, come from low-income families, or are African American--may be more sensitive than others to soda taxes, especially when soda is available at school. A greater impact of these small taxes could come from the dedication of the revenues they generate to other obesity prevention efforts rather than through their direct effect on consumption.

Using High Resolution Remote Sensing Images to Investigate Hydrologic Connectivity and Degradation Thresholds along a Precipitation Gradient in Semiarid Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azadi, S.; Saco, P. M.; Moreno-de las Heras, M.; Willgoose, G. R.

2016-12-01

Arid and semiarid landscapes are particularly sensitive to climatic and anthropogenic disturbances. Previous work has identified that these landscapes are prone to undergo critical degradation thresholds above which rehabilitation is difficult to achieve. This threshold behaviour is tightly linked to the overland flow redistribution and an increase in hydrologic connectivity associated with the climatic or anthropogenic disturbances. In fact, disturbances (such as wildfire, overgrazing or harvesting activities) can disrupt the spatial structure of vegetation, increase landscape hydrologic connectivity, trigger erosion and produce a substantial loss of water. All these effects can eventually affect ecosystem functionality (e.g. Rainfall Use Efficiency). In this study, we explore the impact of degradation processes induced by vegetation disturbances (mostly due to grazing pressure) on ecosystem functionality and connectivity along a precipitation gradient (250 mm to 490 mm annual average rainfall) using a combination of remote sensing observations and Digital Elevation Model data. The sites were carefully selected in the Mulga landscapes bioregion (New South Wales, Queensland) and in sites of the Northern Territory in Australia, which display similar vegetation characteristics and good quality rainfall information. Vegetation patterns and the percent of fractional cover were obtained from high resolution remote sensing images (IKONOS, QuickBird and Pleiades). We computed rainfall use efficiency and precipitation marginal response using local precipitation data and MODIS vegetation indices. We estimated mean Flowlength as an indicator of structural hydrologic connectivity using vegetation binary maps and digital elevation models. We compared the trends for several sites along the precipitation gradient, and found that disturbances substantially increase hydrologic connectivity following a threshold behaviour that affects landscape functionality. Though this threshold behaviour is found in all sites, the plots in higher rainfall landscapes show evidence of higher resilience.

Microstructural and rheological evolution of calcite mylonites during shear zone thinning: Constraints from the Mount Irene shear zone, Fiordland, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Negrini, Marianne; Smith, Steven A. F.; Scott, James M.; Tarling, Matthew S.

2018-01-01

Layers of calc-mylonite in the Mount Irene shear zone, Fiordland, New Zealand, show substantial variations in thickness due to deflection of the shear zone boundaries around wall rock asperities. In relatively thick parts (c. 2.6 m) of the shear zone, calcite porphyroclasts are internally strained, contain abundant subgrain boundaries and have a strong shape preferred orientation (SPO) and crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO), suggesting that deformation occurred mainly by dislocation creep involving subgrain-rotation recrystallization. In relatively thin parts (c. 1.5 m) of the shear zone, aggregates of fine-grained recrystallized calcite surrounding flattened porphyroclasts have a weak SPO and CPO, and contain polygonal calcite grains with low degrees of internal misorientation. The recrystallized aggregates also contain microstructures (e.g. grain quadruple junctions, randomized misorientation axes) similar to those reported for neighbor-switching processes during grain-boundary sliding. Comparison of subgrain sizes in the porphyroclasts to published grain-size differential-stress relationships indicates that stresses and strain rates were substantially higher in relatively thin parts of the shear zone. The primary microstructural response to higher stresses and strain rates was an increase in the amount of recrystallization to produce aggregates that deformed by grain-boundary sliding. However, even after the development of interconnected networks of recrystallized grains, dislocation creep by subgrain-rotation recrystallization continued to occur within porphyroclasts. This behavior suggests that the bulk rheology of shear zones undergoing thinning and thickening can be controlled by concomitant grain-size insensitive and grain-size sensitive mechanisms. Overall, our observations show that shear zone thickness variations at constant P-T can result in highly variable stresses and strain rates, which in turn modifies microstructure, deformation mechanism and shear zone rheology.

Hydrogen peroxide production is affected by oxygen levels in mammalian cell culture.

PubMed

Maddalena, Lucas A; Selim, Shehab M; Fonseca, Joao; Messner, Holt; McGowan, Shannon; Stuart, Jeffrey A

2017-11-04

Although oxygen levels in the extracellular space of most mammalian tissues are just a few percent, under standard cell culture conditions they are not regulated and are often substantially higher. Some cellular sources of reactive oxygen species, like NADPH oxidase 4, are sensitive to oxygen levels in the range between 'normal' physiological (typically 1-5%) and standard cell culture (up to 18%). Hydrogen peroxide in particular participates in signal transduction pathways via protein redox modifications, so the potential increase in its production under standard cell culture conditions is important to understand. We measured the rates of cellular hydrogen peroxide production in some common cell lines, including C2C12, PC-3, HeLa, SH-SY5Y, MCF-7, and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) maintained at 18% or 5% oxygen. In all instances the rate of hydrogen peroxide production by these cells was significantly greater at 18% oxygen than at 5%. The increase in hydrogen peroxide production at higher oxygen levels was either abolished or substantially reduced by treatment with GKT 137831, a selective inhibitor of NADPH oxidase subunits 1 and 4. These data indicate that oxygen levels experienced by cells in culture influence hydrogen peroxide production via NADPH oxidase 1/4, highlighting the importance of regulating oxygen levels in culture near physiological values. However, we measured pericellular oxygen levels adjacent to cell monolayers under a variety of conditions and with different cell lines and found that, particularly when growing at 5% incubator oxygen levels, pericellular oxygen was often lower and variable. Together, these observations indicate the importance, and difficulty, of regulating oxygen levels experienced by cells in culture. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Global Emissions of Terpenoid VOCs from Terrestrial Vegetation in the Last Millennium

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

Acosta Navarro, J. C.; Smolander, S.; Struthers, H.

2014-06-16

We investigated the millennial variability of global BVOC emissions by using two independent numerical models: The Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN), for isoprene, monoterpene and sesquiterpene and Lund-Potsdam-Jena General Ecosystem Simulator (LPJ8 GUESS), for isoprene and monoterpenes. We found the millennial trends of global isoprene emissions to be mostly affected by land cover and atmospheric carbon dioxide changes, whereas monoterpene and sesquiterpene emission were dominated by temperature change. Isoprene emissions declined substantially in regions with large and rapid land cover change. In addition, isoprene emission sensitivity to drought proved to have signicant short term globalmore » effects. By the end of the past millennium MEGAN isoprene emissions were 634 TgC yr-1 (13% and 19% less than during during 1750-1850 and 1000- 15 1200, respectively) and LPJ-GUESS emissions were 323 TgC yr-1 (15% and 20% less than during 1750-1850 and 1000-1200, respectively). Monoterpene emissions were 89 TgC yr-1 (10% and 6% higher than during 1750-1850 and 1000-1200, respectively) in MEGAN, and 24 TgC yr-1 (2% higher and 5% 19 20 less than during 1750-1850 and 1000-1200, respectively) in LPJ-GUESS. MEGAN sesquiterpene emissions were 36 TgC yr-1 (10% and 4% higher than during1750-1850 and 1000-1200, respectively). Although both models capture similar We investigated the millennial variability of global BVOC emissions by using two independent numerical models: The Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN), for isoprene, monoterpene and sesquiterpene and Lund-Potsdam-Jena General Ecosystem Simulator (LPJ8GUESS), for isoprene and monoterpenes. We found the millennial trends ofglobal isoprene emissions to be mostly a*ected by land cover and atmospheric carbon dioxide changes, whereas monoterpene and sesquiterpene emission were dominated by temperature change. Isoprene emissions declined substantially in regions with large and rapid land cover change. In addition, isoprene emission sensitivity to drought proved to have signifcant short term global effects. By the end of the past millennium MEGAN isoprene emissions were 634 TgC yr-1 (13% and 19% less than during during 1750-1850 and 1000- 1200, respectively) and LPJ-GUESS emissions were 323 TgC yr-1 (15% and 16 17 20% less than during 1750-1850 and 1000-1200, respectively). Monoterpene emissions were 89 TgC yr-1 (10% and 6% higher than during 1750-1850 and 18 1000-1200, respectively) in MEGAN, and 24 TgC yr-1 (2% higher and 5% less than during 1750-1850 and 1000-1200, respectively) in LPJ-GUESS. MEGAN sesquiterpene emissions were 36 TgC yr-1 (10% and 4% higher than during1750-1850 and 1000-1200, respectively). Although both models capture similar emission trends, the magnitude of the emissions are different. This highlights the importance of building better constraints on VOC emissions from terrestrial vegetation.emission trends, the magnitude of the emissions are different. This highlights the importance of building better constraints on VOC emissions from terrestrial vegetation.« less

Screening for delirium with the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC): Symptom profile and utility of individual items in the identification of delirium dependent on the level of sedation.

PubMed

Boettger, Soenke; Meyer, Rafael; Richter, André; Fernandez, Susana Franco; Rudiger, Alain; Schubert, Maria; Jenewein, Josef; Nuñez, David Garcia

2018-05-24

The importance of the proper identification of delirium, with its high incidence and adversities in the intensive care setting, has been widely recognized. One common screening instrument is the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC); however, the symptom profile and key features of delirium dependent on the level of sedation have not yet been evaluated. In this prospective cohort study, the ICDSC was evaluated versus the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th edition, text revision, diagnosis of delirium set as standard with respect to the symptom profile, and correct identification of delirium. The aim of this study was to identify key features of delirium in the intensive care setting dependent on the Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale levels of sedation: drowsiness versus alert and calmness.ResultThe 88 delirious patients of 225 were older, had more severe disease, and prolonged hospitalization. Irrespective of the level of sedation, delirium was correctly classified by items related to inattention, disorientation, psychomotor alterations, inappropriate speech or mood, and symptom fluctuation. In the drowsy patients, inattention reached substantial sensitivity and specificity, whereas psychomotor alterations and sleep-wake cycle disturbances were sensitive lacked specificity. The positive prediction was substantial across items, whereas the negative prediction was only moderate. In the alert and calm patient, the sensitivities were substantial for psychomotor alterations, sleep-wake cycle disturbances, and symptom fluctuations; however, these fluctuations were not specific. The positive prediction was moderate and the negative prediction substantial. Between the nondelirious drowsy and alert, the symptom profile was similar; however, drowsiness was associated with alterations in consciousness.Significance of resultsIn the clinical routine, irrespective of the level of sedation, delirium was characterized by the ICDSC items for inattention, disorientation, psychomotor alterations, inappropriate speech or mood and symptom fluctuation. Further, drowsiness caused altered levels of consciousness.

Initial locomotor sensitivity to cocaine varies widely among inbred mouse strains.

PubMed

Wiltshire, T; Ervin, R B; Duan, H; Bogue, M A; Zamboni, W C; Cook, S; Chung, W; Zou, F; Tarantino, L M

2015-03-01

Initial sensitivity to psychostimulants can predict subsequent use and abuse in humans. Acute locomotor activation in response to psychostimulants is commonly used as an animal model of initial drug sensitivity and has been shown to have a substantial genetic component. Identifying the specific genetic differences that lead to phenotypic differences in initial drug sensitivity can advance our understanding of the processes that lead to addiction. Phenotyping inbred mouse strain panels are frequently used as a first step for studying the genetic architecture of complex traits. We assessed locomotor activation following a single, acute 20 mg/kg dose of cocaine (COC) in males from 45 inbred mouse strains and observed significant phenotypic variation across strains indicating a substantial genetic component. We also measured levels of COC, the active metabolite, norcocaine and the major inactive metabolite, benzoylecgonine, in plasma and brain in the same set of inbred strains. Pharmacokinetic (PK) and behavioral data were significantly correlated, but at a level that indicates that PK alone does not account for the behavioral differences observed across strains. Phenotypic data from this reference population of inbred strains can be utilized in studies aimed at examining the role of psychostimulant-induced locomotor activation on drug reward and reinforcement and to test theories about addiction processes. Moreover, these data serve as a starting point for identifying genes that alter sensitivity to the locomotor stimulatory effects of COC. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.

Substance abuse associated with elder abuse in the United States.

PubMed

Jogerst, Gerald J; Daly, Jeanette M; Galloway, Lara J; Zheng, Shimin; Xu, Yinghui

2012-01-01

Substance abuse by either victim or perpetrator has long been associated with violence and abuse. Sparse research is available regarding elder abuse and its association with substance abuse. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of state-reported domestic elder abuse with regional levels of substance abuse. Census demographic and elder abuse data were sorted into substate regions to align with the substance use treatment-planning regions for 2269 US counties. From the 2269 US counties there were 229 substate regions in which there were 213,444 investigations of abuse. For the other Ns (reports and substantiations) there were fewer counties and regions. See first sentence of data analyses and first sentence of results. Elder abuse report rates ranged from .03 to .41% (80 regions), investigation rates .001 to .34% (229 regions), and substantiation rates 0 to .22% (184 regions). Elder abuse investigations and substantiations were associated with various forms of substance abuse. Higher investigation rates were significantly associated with a higher rate of any illicit drug use in the past month, a lower median household income, lower proportion of the population graduated high school, and higher population of Hispanics. Higher substantiation rates were significantly associated with higher rate of illicit drug use in the past month and higher population of Hispanics. It may be worthwhile for administrators of violence programs to pay particular attention to substance abuse among their clients and in their community's environment, especially if older persons are involved. Measures of documented elder abuse at the county level are minimal. To be able to associate substance abuse with elder abuse is a significant finding, realizing that the substance abuse can be by the victim or the perpetrator of elder abuse.

Sensitivity ranking for freshwater invertebrates towards hydrocarbon contaminants.

PubMed

Gerner, Nadine V; Cailleaud, Kevin; Bassères, Anne; Liess, Matthias; Beketov, Mikhail A

2017-11-01

Hydrocarbons have an utmost economical importance but may also cause substantial ecological impacts due to accidents or inadequate transportation and use. Currently, freshwater biomonitoring methods lack an indicator that can unequivocally reflect the impacts caused by hydrocarbons while being independent from effects of other stressors. The aim of the present study was to develop a sensitivity ranking for freshwater invertebrates towards hydrocarbon contaminants, which can be used in hydrocarbon-specific bioindicators. We employed the Relative Sensitivity method and developed the sensitivity ranking S hydrocarbons based on literature ecotoxicological data supplemented with rapid and mesocosm test results. A first validation of the sensitivity ranking based on an earlier field study has been conducted and revealed the S hydrocarbons ranking to be promising for application in sensitivity based indicators. Thus, the first results indicate that the ranking can serve as the core component of future hydrocarbon-specific and sensitivity trait based bioindicators.

Variational Methods in Design Optimization and Sensitivity Analysis for Two-Dimensional Euler Equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ibrahim, A. H.; Tiwari, S. N.; Smith, R. E.

1997-01-01

Variational methods (VM) sensitivity analysis employed to derive the costate (adjoint) equations, the transversality conditions, and the functional sensitivity derivatives. In the derivation of the sensitivity equations, the variational methods use the generalized calculus of variations, in which the variable boundary is considered as the design function. The converged solution of the state equations together with the converged solution of the costate equations are integrated along the domain boundary to uniquely determine the functional sensitivity derivatives with respect to the design function. The application of the variational methods to aerodynamic shape optimization problems is demonstrated for internal flow problems at supersonic Mach number range. The study shows, that while maintaining the accuracy of the functional sensitivity derivatives within the reasonable range for engineering prediction purposes, the variational methods show a substantial gain in computational efficiency, i.e., computer time and memory, when compared with the finite difference sensitivity analysis.

Characteristics of atmospheric transport into the Antarctic troposphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stohl, A.; Sodemann, H.

2010-01-01

We have developed a 5.5 year climatology of atmospheric transport into the Antarctic troposphere, which uses the same data set and methods as described in a recent study for the Arctic. This allows direct comparisons of transport properties for the two polar regions. The climatology is based on a simulation with the Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART, where the model atmosphere was globally filled with particles. Transport characteristics as well as emission sensitivities were derived from 6 hourly particle positions. We found that the probability for near-surface air to originate from the stratosphere on a time scale of 10 days is an order of magnitude higher near the South Pole than near the North Pole, a result of higher topography and descent that partly compensates for the flow of air down the Antarctic Plateau with the katabatic winds. The stratospheric influence is largest in fall, which is opposite to the seasonality in the Arctic. Stratospheric influence is much smaller over the shelf ice regions and in a band around Antarctica. The average time for which air near the surface has been exposed to continuous darkness in July (continuous light in January) is longest over the Ronne Ice Shelf and Ross Ice Shelf at ˜11 days (20 days). We calculated how sensitive Antarctic air masses are to emission input up to 30 days before arriving in Antarctica if removal processes are ignored. The emission sensitivity shows strong meridional gradients and, as a result, is generally low over South America, Africa, and Australia. For a 10 day time scale, the largest emission sensitivities over these continents are 1-2 orders of magnitude smaller than over Eurasia for transport to the Arctic, showing that foreign continents have a much smaller potential to pollute the Antarctic than the Arctic troposphere. Emission sensitivities and derived black carbon (BC) source contributions over South America, Africa, and Australia are substantially (a factor 10 for Africa) larger in winter than in summer. In winter, biomass burning contributes more BC than anthropogenic sources. For typical aerosol lifetimes of 5-10 days, ship emissions south of 60°S account for half of the total BC concentrations in the lowest 1000 m of the atmosphere south of 70°S in December. The increasing number of tourists visiting Antarctica and fishing vessels operating close to Antarctica are, therefore, a matter of concern.

Application of design sensitivity analysis for greater improvement on machine structural dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yoshimura, Masataka

1987-01-01

Methodologies are presented for greatly improving machine structural dynamics by using design sensitivity analyses and evaluative parameters. First, design sensitivity coefficients and evaluative parameters of structural dynamics are described. Next, the relations between the design sensitivity coefficients and the evaluative parameters are clarified. Then, design improvement procedures of structural dynamics are proposed for the following three cases: (1) addition of elastic structural members, (2) addition of mass elements, and (3) substantial charges of joint design variables. Cases (1) and (2) correspond to the changes of the initial framework or configuration, and (3) corresponds to the alteration of poor initial design variables. Finally, numerical examples are given for demonstrating the availability of the methods proposed.

Impact of and correction for instrument sensitivity drift on nanoparticle size measurements by single-particle ICP-MS

PubMed Central

El Hadri, Hind; Petersen, Elijah J.; Winchester, Michael R.

2016-01-01

The effect of ICP-MS instrument sensitivity drift on the accuracy of NP size measurements using single particle (sp)ICP-MS is investigated. Theoretical modeling and experimental measurements of the impact of instrument sensitivity drift are in agreement and indicate that drift can impact the measured size of spherical NPs by up to 25 %. Given this substantial bias in the measured size, a method was developed using an internal standard to correct for the impact of drift and was shown to accurately correct for a decrease in instrument sensitivity of up to 50 % for 30 nm and 60 nm gold nanoparticles. PMID:26894759

Gas magnetometer

DOEpatents

Walker, Thad Gilbert; Lancor, Brian Robert; Wyllie, Robert

2016-05-03

Measurement of a precessional rate of a gas, such as an alkali gas, in a magnetic field is made by promoting a non-uniform precession of the gas in which substantially no net magnetic field affects the gas during a majority of the precession cycle. This allows sensitive gases that would be subject to spin-exchange collision de-phasing to be effectively used for extremely sensitive measurements in the presence of an environmental magnetic field such as the Earth's magnetic field.

Sensitivity of a model projection of near-surface permafrost degradation to soil column depth and representation of soil organic matter.

Treesearch

David M. Lawrence; Andrew G. Slater; Vladimir E. Romanovsky; Dmitry J. Nicolsky

2008-01-01

The sensitivity of a global land-surface model projection of near-surface permafrost degradation is assessed with respect to explicit accounting of the thermal and hydrologic properties of soil organic matter and to a deepening of the soil column from 3.5 to 50 or more m. Together these modifications result in substantial improvements in the simulation of near-surface...

Assessment of saltwater intrusion in southern coastal Broward County, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Merritt, M.L.

1996-01-01

Of the counties in southeastern Florida, Broward County has experienced some of the most severe effects of saltwater intrusion into the surficial Biscayne aquifer because, before 1950, most public water-supply well fields in the county were constructed near the principal early population centers located less than 5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The construction of major regional drainage canals in the early 20th century caused a lowering of the water table and a gradual inland movement of the saltwater front toward the well fields. The U.S. Geological Survey began field investigations of saltwater intrusion in the Biscayne aquifer of southeastern Broward County in 1939. As part of the present study, the positions of the saltwater front in 1945, 1969, and 1993 were estimated using chloride concentrations of water samples collected between 1939 and 1994 from various monitoring and exploratory wells. The data indicate that, between 1945 and 1993, the saltwater front has moved as much as 0.5 mile inland in parts of the study area. The position and movement of the saltwater front were simulated numerically to help determine which of the various hydrologic factors and water-management features characterizing the coastal subsurface environment and its alteration by man are of significance in increasing or decreasing the degree of saltwater intrusion. Two representational methods were applied by the selection and use of appropriate model codes. The SHARP code simulates the position of the saltwater front as a sharp interface, which implies that no transition zone (a zone in which a gradational change between freshwater and saltwater occurs) separates freshwater and saltwater. The Subsurface Waste Injection Program (SWIP) code simulates a two-fluid, variable-density system using a convective-diffusion approach that includes a representation of the transition zone that occurs between the freshwater and saltwater bodies. The models were applied to: (1) approximately replicate predevelopment and current positions of the interface in the study area; and (2) study the relative importance of various factors affecting the interface position. The model analyses assumed a conceptual model of uniform easterly flow in the aquifer toward points of offshore discharge to tidewater. Measurements of water-table altitude and the depth to the interface in the study area exhibit an interrelation that differes substantially from the classical Ghyben-Herzberg relation. However, both model codes simulated water-table altitudes and interface positions that were generally consistent with the Ghyben-Herzberg relation but differed substantially from observed data. The simulate interface positions were inland of the known positions, and simulate water-table altitudes were higher than measured ones. The SHARP and SWIP simulations were in general agreement with each other when a low value of longitudinal dispersivity was specified in the SWIP simulation and also for higher values of longitudinal dispersivity when modified dispersion algorithms were used in SWIP that greatly reduced the simulated degree of vertical dispersion. Sensitivity analyses performed using the SHARP code indicated simulation results to be relatively insensitive to a substantial change in the specified slope of the base of the aquifer and moderately sensitive to a 150-percent change in net atmospheric recharge to the aquifer (rainfall minus evapotranspiration). Representing well-field pumping by the City of hallandale had only a minor, localized influence on the simulated regional interface position. Using various cross-sectional grid designs in applications of the SWIP code, near convergence of all lines of equal concentrations in the transition zone was achieved within a simulation time of 10 years. The simulated equilibrium interface location was sensitive to substantial spatial variations in the specified hydraulic conductivity values, but was relatively insensitive to seasonal varying

Reproductive Toxicology: From Science to Public Policy

EPA Science Inventory

Male reproductive toxicology research substantially influences policies that protect men's health. US policy directs regulatory agencies to ensure environmental protection for vulnerable groups, including boys and men where factors like age- and sex-specific sensitivities are app...

Controlled release in transdermal pressure sensitive adhesives using organosilicate nanocomposites.

PubMed

Shaikh, Sohel; Birdi, Anil; Qutubuddin, Syed; Lakatosh, Eric; Baskaran, Harihara

2007-12-01

Polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) based pressure sensitive adhesives (PSA) incorporating organo-clays at different loadings were fabricated via solution casting. Partially exfoliated nanocomposites were obtained for the hydroxyl terminated PDMS in ethyl acetate solvent as determined by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. Drug release studies showed that the initial burst release was substantially reduced and the drug release could be controlled by the addition of organo-clay. Shear strength and shear adhesion failure temperature (SAFT) measurements indicated substantial improvement in adhesive properties of the PSA nanocomposite adhesives. Shear strength showed more than 200% improvement at the lower clay loadings and the SAFT increased by about 21% due to the reinforcement provided by the nano-dispersed clay platelets. It was found that by optimizing the level of the organosilicate additive to the polymer matrix, superior control over drug release kinetics and simultaneous improvements in adhesive properties could be attained for a transdermal PSA formulation.

TASK channel deletion reduces sensitivity to local anesthetic-induced seizures

PubMed Central

Du, Guizhi; Chen, Xiangdong; Todorovic, Marko S.; Shu, Shaofang; Kapur, Jaideep; Bayliss, Douglas A.

2011-01-01

Background Local anesthetics (LAs) are typically used for regional anesthesia but can be given systemically to mitigate postoperative pain, supplement general anesthesia or prevent cardiac arrhythmias. However, systemic application or inadvertent intravenous injection can be associated with substantial toxicity, including seizure induction. The molecular basis for this toxic action remains unclear. Methods We characterized effects of different LAs on homomeric and heteromeric K+ channels containing TASK-1 (K2P3.1, KCNK3) and TASK-3 (K2P9.1, KCNK9) subunits in a mammalian expression system. In addition, we used TASK-1/TASK-3 knockout mice to test the possibility that TASK channels contribute to LA-evoked seizures. Results LAs inhibited homomeric and heteromeric TASK channels in a range relevant for seizure induction; channels containing TASK-1 subunits were most sensitive and IC50 values indicated a rank order potency of bupivacaine > ropivacaine ⟫ lidocaine. LAs induced tonic-clonic seizures in mice with the same rank order potency, but higher LA doses were required to evoke seizures in TASK knockout mice. For bupivacaine, which produced the longest seizure times, seizure duration was significantly shorter in TASK knockout mice; bupivacaine-induced seizures were associated with an increase in electroencephalogram power at frequencies <5 Hz in both wild type and TASK knockout mice. Conclusions These data suggest that increased neuronal excitability associated with TASK channel inhibition by LAs contributes to seizure induction. Since all LAs were capable of evoking seizures in TASK channel deleted mice, albeit at higher doses, the results imply that other molecular targets must also be involved in this toxic action. PMID:21946151

Assessing the Sensitivity of Treatment Effect Estimates to Differential Follow-Up Rates: Implications for Translational Research

PubMed Central

McCaffrey, Daniel; Ramchand, Rajeev; Hunter, Sarah B.; Suttorp, Marika

2012-01-01

We develop a new tool for assessing the sensitivity of findings on treatment effectiveness to differential follow-up rates in the two treatment conditions being compared. The method censors the group with the higher response rate to create a synthetic respondent group that is then compared with the observed cases in the other condition to estimate a treatment effect. Censoring is done under various assumptions about the strength of the relationship between follow-up and outcomes to determine how informative differential dropout can alter inferences relative to estimates from models that assume the data are missing at random. The method provides an intuitive measure for understanding the strength of the association between outcomes and dropout that would be required to alter inferences about treatment effects. Our approach is motivated by translational research in which treatments found to be effective under experimental conditions are tested in standard treatment conditions. In such applications, follow-up rates in the experimental setting are likely to be substantially higher than in the standard setting, especially when observational data are used in the evaluation. We test the method on a case study evaluation of the effectiveness of an evidence-supported adolescent substance abuse treatment program (Motivational Enhancement Therapy/Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-5 [MET/CBT-5]) delivered by community-based treatment providers relative to its performance in a controlled research trial. In this case study, follow-up rates in the community based settings were extremely low (54%) compared to the experimental setting (95%) giving raise to concerns about non-ignorable drop-out. PMID:22956890

Long Non-Coding RNA (lncRNA) Urothelial Carcinoma-Associated 1 (UCA1) Enhances Tamoxifen Resistance in Breast Cancer Cells via Inhibiting mTOR Signaling Pathway.

PubMed

Wu, Chihua; Luo, Jing

2016-10-21

BACKGROUND Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) UCA1 is an oncogene in breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of UCA1 in tamoxifen resistance of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells. MATERIAL AND METHODS Tamoxifen sensitive MCF-7 cells were transfected for UCA1 overexpression, while tamoxifen resistant LCC2 and LCC9 cells were transfected with UCA siRNA for UCA1 knockdown. qRT-PCR was performed to analyze UCA1 expression. CCK-8 assay, immunofluorescence staining of cleaved caspase-9, and flow cytometric analysis of Annexin V/PI staining were used to assess tamoxifen sensitivity. Western blot analysis was performed to detect p-AKT and p-mTOR expression. RESULTS LncRNA UCA1 was significantly upregulated in tamoxifen resistant breast cancer cells compared to tamoxifen sensitive cells. LCC2 and LCC9 cells transfected with UCA1 siRNA had significantly higher ratio of apoptosis after tamoxifen treatment. UCA1 siRNA significantly decreased the protein levels of p-AKT and p-mTOR in LCC2 and LCC9 cells. Enforced UCA1 expression substantially reduced tamoxifen induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells, while rapamycin treatment abrogated the protective effect of UCA1. CONCLUSIONS UCA1 upregulation was associated with tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer. Mechanistically, UCA1 confers tamoxifen resistance to breast cancer cells partly via activating the mTOR signaling pathway.

Improving sensitivity and specificity of capturing and detecting targeted cancer cells with anti-biofouling polymer coated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.

PubMed

Lin, Run; Li, Yuancheng; MacDonald, Tobey; Wu, Hui; Provenzale, James; Peng, Xingui; Huang, Jing; Wang, Liya; Wang, Andrew Y; Yang, Jianyong; Mao, Hui

2017-02-01

Detecting circulating tumor cells (CTCs) with high sensitivity and specificity is critical to management of metastatic cancers. Although immuno-magnetic technology for in vitro detection of CTCs has shown promising potential for clinical applications, the biofouling effect, i.e., non-specific adhesion of biomolecules and non-cancerous cells in complex biological samples to the surface of a device/probe, can reduce the sensitivity and specificity of cell detection. Reported herein is the application of anti-biofouling polyethylene glycol-block-allyl glycidyl ether copolymer (PEG-b-AGE) coated iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) to improve the separation of targeted tumor cells from aqueous phase in an external magnetic field. PEG-b-AGE coated IONPs conjugated with transferrin (Tf) exhibited significant anti-biofouling properties against non-specific protein adsorption and off-target cell uptake, thus substantially enhancing the ability to target and separate transferrin receptor (TfR) over-expressed D556 medulloblastoma cells. Tf conjugated PEG-b-AGE coated IONPs exhibited a high capture rate of targeted tumor cells (D556 medulloblastoma cell) in cell media (58.7±6.4%) when separating 100 targeted tumor cells from 1×10 5 non-targeted cells and 41 targeted tumor cells from 100 D556 medulloblastoma cells spiked into 1mL blood. It is demonstrated that developed nanoparticle has higher efficiency in capturing targeted cells than widely used micron-sized particles (i.e., Dynabeads ® ). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cytochrome P450-mediated warfarin metabolic ability is not a critical determinant of warfarin sensitivity in avian species: In vitro assays in several birds and in vivo assays in chicken.

PubMed

Watanabe, Kensuke P; Kawata, Minami; Ikenaka, Yoshinori; Nakayama, Shouta M M; Ishii, Chihiro; Darwish, Wageh Sobhi; Saengtienchai, Aksorn; Mizukawa, Hazuki; Ishizuka, Mayumi

2015-10-01

Coumarin-derivative anticoagulant rodenticides used for rodent control are posing a serious risk to wild bird populations. For warfarin, a classic coumarin derivative, chickens have a high median lethal dose (LD50), whereas mammalian species generally have much lower LD50. Large interspecies differences in sensitivity to warfarin are to be expected. The authors previously reported substantial differences in warfarin metabolism among avian species; however, the actual in vivo pharmacokinetics have yet to be elucidated, even in the chicken. In the present study, the authors sought to provide an in-depth characterization of warfarin metabolism in birds using in vivo and in vitro approaches. A kinetic analysis of warfarin metabolism was performed using liver microsomes of 4 avian species, and the metabolic abilities of the chicken and crow were much higher in comparison with those of the mallard and ostrich. Analysis of in vivo metabolites from chickens showed that excretions predominantly consisted of 4'-hydroxywarfarin, which was consistent with the in vitro results. Pharmacokinetic analysis suggested that chickens have an unexpectedly long half-life despite showing high metabolic ability in vitro. The results suggest that the half-life of warfarin in other bird species could be longer than that in the chicken and that warfarin metabolism may not be a critical determinant of species differences with respect to warfarin sensitivity. © 2015 SETAC.

Observing phthalate leaching from plasticized polymer films at the molecular level.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaoxian; Chen, Zhan

2014-05-06

Phthalates, the most widely used plasticizers in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), have been extensively studied. In this paper, a highly sensitive, easy, and effective method was developed to examine short-term phthalate leaching from PVC/phthalate films at the molecular level using sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG). Combining SFG and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), surface and bulk molecular structures of PVC/phthalate films were also comprehensively evaluated during the phthalate leaching process under various environments. The leaching processes of two phthalates, diethyl phthalate (DEP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), from the PVC/phthalate films with various weight ratios were studied. Oxygen plasma was applied to treat the PVC/phthalate film surfaces to verify its efficacy on preventing/reducing phthalate leaching from PVC. Our results show that DBP is more stable than DEP in PVC/phthalate films. Even so, DBP molecules were still found to very slowly leach to the environment from PVC at 30 °C, at a rate much slower than DEP. Also, the bulk DBP content substantially influences the DBP leaching. Higher DBP bulk concentration yields less stable DBP molecules in the PVC matrix, allowing molecules to leach from the polymer film more easily. Additionally, DBP leaching is very sensitive to temperature changes; higher temperature can strongly enhance the leaching process. For most cases, the oxygen plasma treatment can effectively prevent phthalate leaching from PVC films (e.g., for samples with low bulk concentrations of DBP-5 and 30 wt %). It is also capable of reducing phthalate leaching from high DBP bulk concentration PVC samples (e.g., 70 wt % DBP in PVC/DBP mixture). This research develops a highly sensitive method to detect chemicals at the molecular level as well as provides surface and bulk molecular structural changes. The method developed here is general and can be applied to detect small amounts of chemical/biological environmental contaminants.

Designing a compact high performance brain PET scanner—simulation study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Kuang; Majewski, Stan; Kinahan, Paul E.; Harrison, Robert L.; Elston, Brian F.; Manjeshwar, Ravindra; Dolinsky, Sergei; Stolin, Alexander V.; Brefczynski-Lewis, Julie A.; Qi, Jinyi

2016-05-01

The desire to understand normal and disordered human brain function of upright, moving persons in natural environments motivates the development of the ambulatory micro-dose brain PET imager (AMPET). An ideal system would be light weight but with high sensitivity and spatial resolution, although these requirements are often in conflict with each other. One potential approach to meet the design goals is a compact brain-only imaging device with a head-sized aperture. However, a compact geometry increases parallax error in peripheral lines of response, which increases bias and variance in region of interest (ROI) quantification. Therefore, we performed simulation studies to search for the optimal system configuration and to evaluate the potential improvement in quantification performance over existing scanners. We used the Cramér-Rao variance bound to compare the performance for ROI quantification using different scanner geometries. The results show that while a smaller ring diameter can increase photon detection sensitivity and hence reduce the variance at the center of the field of view, it can also result in higher variance in peripheral regions when the length of detector crystal is 15 mm or more. This variance can be substantially reduced by adding depth-of-interaction (DOI) measurement capability to the detector modules. Our simulation study also shows that the relative performance depends on the size of the ROI, and a large ROI favors a compact geometry even without DOI information. Based on these results, we propose a compact ‘helmet’ design using detectors with DOI capability. Monte Carlo simulations show the helmet design can achieve four-fold higher sensitivity and resolve smaller features than existing cylindrical brain PET scanners. The simulations also suggest that improving TOF timing resolution from 400 ps to 200 ps also results in noticeable improvement in image quality, indicating better timing resolution is desirable for brain imaging.

Designing a compact high performance brain PET scanner—simulation study

PubMed Central

Gong, Kuang; Majewski, Stan; Kinahan, Paul E; Harrison, Robert L; Elston, Brian F; Manjeshwar, Ravindra; Dolinsky, Sergei; Stolin, Alexander V; Brefczynski-Lewis, Julie A; Qi, Jinyi

2016-01-01

The desire to understand normal and disordered human brain function of upright, moving persons in natural environments motivates the development of the ambulatory micro-dose brain PET imager (AMPET). An ideal system would be light weight but with high sensitivity and spatial resolution, although these requirements are often in conflict with each other. One potential approach to meet the design goals is a compact brain-only imaging device with a head-sized aperture. However, a compact geometry increases parallax error in peripheral lines of response, which increases bias and variance in region of interest (ROI) quantification. Therefore, we performed simulation studies to search for the optimal system configuration and to evaluate the potential improvement in quantification performance over existing scanners. We used the Cramér–Rao variance bound to compare the performance for ROI quantification using different scanner geometries. The results show that while a smaller ring diameter can increase photon detection sensitivity and hence reduce the variance at the center of the field of view, it can also result in higher variance in peripheral regions when the length of detector crystal is 15 mm or more. This variance can be substantially reduced by adding depth-of- interaction (DOI) measurement capability to the detector modules. Our simulation study also shows that the relative performance depends on the size of the ROI, and a large ROI favors a compact geometry even without DOI information. Based on these results, we propose a compact ‘helmet’ design using detectors with DOI capability. Monte Carlo simulations show the helmet design can achieve four-fold higher sensitivity and resolve smaller features than existing cylindrical brain PET scanners. The simulations also suggest that improving TOF timing resolution from 400 ps to 200 ps also results in noticeable improvement in image quality, indicating better timing resolution is desirable for brain imaging. PMID:27081753

Impact of seawater carbonate chemistry on the calcification of marine bivalves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomsen, J.; Haynert, K.; Wegner, K. M.; Melzner, F.

2015-07-01

Bivalve calcification, particularly of the early larval stages, is highly sensitive to the change in ocean carbonate chemistry resulting from atmospheric CO2 uptake. Earlier studies suggested that declining seawater [CO32-] and thereby lowered carbonate saturation affect shell production. However, disturbances of physiological processes such as acid-base regulation by adverse seawater pCO2 and pH can affect calcification in a secondary fashion. In order to determine the exact carbonate system component by which growth and calcification are affected it is necessary to utilize more complex carbonate chemistry manipulations. As single factors, pCO2 had no effects and [HCO3-] and pH had only limited effects on shell growth, while lowered [CO32-] strongly impacted calcification. Dissolved inorganic carbon (CT) limiting conditions led to strong reductions in calcification, despite high [CO32-], indicating that [HCO3-] rather than [CO32-] is the inorganic carbon source utilized for calcification by mytilid mussels. However, as the ratio [HCO3-] / [H+] is linearly correlated with [CO32-] it is not possible to differentiate between these under natural seawater conditions. An equivalent of about 80 μmol kg-1 [CO32-] is required to saturate inorganic carbon supply for calcification in bivalves. Below this threshold biomineralization rates rapidly decline. A comparison of literature data available for larvae and juvenile mussels and oysters originating from habitats differing substantially with respect to prevailing carbonate chemistry conditions revealed similar response curves. This suggests that the mechanisms which determine sensitivity of calcification in this group are highly conserved. The higher sensitivity of larval calcification seems to primarily result from the much higher relative calcification rates in early life stages. In order to reveal and understand the mechanisms that limit or facilitate adaptation to future ocean acidification, it is necessary to better understand the physiological processes and their underlying genetics that govern inorganic carbon assimilation for calcification.

Impact of seawater carbonate chemistry on the calcification of marine bivalves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomsen, J.; Haynert, K.; Wegner, K. M.; Melzner, F.

2015-01-01

Bivalve calcification, particular of the early larval stages is highly sensitive to the change of ocean carbonate chemistry resulting from atmospheric CO2 uptake. Earlier studies suggested that declining seawater [CO32-] and thereby lowered carbonate saturation affect shell production. However, disturbances of physiological processes such as acid-base regulation by adverse seawater pCO2 and pH can affect calcification in a secondary fashion. In order to determine the exact carbonate system component by which growth and calcification are affected it is necessary to utilize more complex carbonate chemistry manipulations. As single factors, pCO2 had no and [HCO3-] and pH only limited effects on shell growth, while lowered [CO32-] strongly impacted calcification. Dissolved inorganic carbon (CT) limiting conditions led to strong reductions in calcification, despite high [CO32-], indicating that [HCO3-] rather than [CO32-] is the inorganic carbon source utilized for calcification by mytilid mussels. However, as the ratio [HCO3-] / [H+] is linearly correlated with [CO32-] it is not possible to differentiate between these under natural seawater conditions. Therefore, the availability of [HCO3-] combined with favorable environmental pH determines calcification rate and an equivalent of about 80 μmol kg-1 [CO32-] is required to saturate inorganic carbon supply for calcification in bivalves. Below this threshold biomineralization rates rapidly decline. A comparison of literature data available for larvae and juvenile mussels and oysters originating from habitats differing substantially with respect to prevailing carbonate chemistry conditions revealed similar response curves. This suggests that the mechanisms which determine sensitivity of calcification in this group are highly conserved. The higher sensitivity of larval calcification seems to primarily result from the much higher relative calcification rates in early life stages. In order to reveal and understand the mechanisms that limit or facilitate adaptation to future ocean acidification, it is necessary to better understand the physiological processes and their underlying genetics that govern inorganic carbon assimilation for calcification.

Soil macrofauna webmasters of ecosystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frouz, Jan

2015-04-01

The role of plant roots and microflora in shaping many ecosystem processes is generally appreciated in the contrary rho role of soil mcrofauna in this context is assumed to be negligible and rather anecdotic. But more than half of the litter fall is consumed by soil fauna and soil fauna can also consume and or translocation substantial amount of soil. Here we demonstrate on example of post mining chronosequences how site colonization by soil fauna affect composition of whole soil biota community, plant succession and soil formation. Filed and laboratory experiments show that decomposition of fauna feces may be sped up compare to litter at the very beginning but in long term fauna feces decompose slower than litter. This is also supported by micro morphological observation which shows that fauna feces form substantial part of soil. Fauna feces also induce lover or even negative priming effect when introduced in soil in comparison with litter that triggers positive priming effect. Laboratory experiment show that fauna effect is context sensitive and is more pronounced in systems already affected by soil fauna. Soil mixing by soil fauna consequently affect environmental conditions in soils such as water holding capacity or nutrient availability, it also affect composition of decomposer food web including microbial community (fungal bacterial ratio) which feed back in alternation of plant community composition during succession This fauna activity is not constant everywhere the higher effect of fauna activity on litter layer was observed in temperate soils of deciduous forests and with litter having CN between 20-30. In conclusion soil fauna use directly only small proportion of energy in the litter but can substantially affect soil carbon turnover, soil formation, decomposer food web and plant community.

Parental overprotection increases interpersonal sensitivity in healthy subjects.

PubMed

Otani, Koichi; Suzuki, Akihito; Matsumoto, Yoshihiko; Kamata, Mitsuhiro

2009-01-01

The effect of parental rearing on interpersonal sensitivity was studied in 469 Japanese volunteers. Perceived parental rearing was assessed by the Parental Bonding Instrument, which consists of the factors of care and protection, and interpersonal sensitivity was measured by the Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure (IPSM). In male subjects, higher IPSM scores were related to higher scores of paternal protection (P < .01) and maternal protection (P < .05). In female subjects, higher IPSM scores were related to higher scores of maternal protection (P < .001). The present study suggests that in both males and females, interpersonal sensitivity is increased by high protection of the same-sex parents and that in males there is an additional effect of high maternal protection.

Ultra-long high-sensitivity Φ-OTDR for high spatial resolution intrusion detection of pipelines.

PubMed

Peng, Fei; Wu, Han; Jia, Xin-Hong; Rao, Yun-Jiang; Wang, Zi-Nan; Peng, Zheng-Pu

2014-06-02

An ultra-long phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometry (Φ-OTDR) that can achieve high-sensitivity intrusion detection over 131.5km fiber with high spatial resolution of 8m is presented, which is the longest Φ-OTDR reported to date, to the best of our knowledge. It is found that the combination of distributed Raman amplification with heterodyne detection can extend the sensing distance and enhances the sensitivity substantially, leading to the realization of ultra-long Φ-OTDR with high sensitivity and spatial resolution. Furthermore, the feasibility of applying such an ultra-long Φ-OTDR to pipeline security monitoring is demonstrated and the features of intrusion signal can be extracted with improved SNR by using the wavelet detrending/denoising method proposed.

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

Yang, Yi; Dec, John E.; Sjoberg, Magnus

Modern spark-ignition (SI) engine technologies have considerably changed in-cylinder conditions under which fuel autoignition and engine knock take place. In this paper, fundamental HCCI engine experiments are proposed as a means for characterizing the impact of these technologies on the knock propensity of different fuels. In particular, the impacts of turbocharging, direct injection (DI), and downspeeding on operation with ethanol and gasoline are investigated to demonstrate this approach. Results reported earlier for ethanol and gasoline on HCCI combustion are revisited with the new perspective of how their autoignition characteristics fit into the anti-knock requirement in modern SI engines. For example,more » the weak sensitivity to pressure boost demonstrated by ethanol in HCCI autoignition can be used to explain the strong knock resistance of ethanol fuels for turbocharged SI engines. Further, ethanol's high sensitivity to charge temperature makes charge cooling, which can be produced by fuel vaporization via direct injection or by piston expansion via spark-timing retard, very effective for inhibiting knock. On the other hand, gasoline autoignition shows a higher sensitivity to pressure, so only very low pressure boost can be applied before knock occurs. Gasoline also demonstrates low temperature sensitivity, so it is unable to make as effective use of the charge cooling produced by fuel vaporization or spark retard. These arguments comprehensively explain literature results on ethanol's substantially better anti-knock performance over gasoline in modern turbocharged DISI engines. Fundamental HCCI experiments such as these can thus be used as a diagnostic and predictive tool for knock-limited SI engine performance for various fuels. As a result, examples are presented where HCCI experiments are used to identify biofuel compounds with good potential for modern SI-engine applications.« less

Understanding fuel anti-knock performances in modern SI engines using fundamental HCCI experiments

DOE PAGES

Yang, Yi; Dec, John E.; Sjoberg, Magnus; ...

2015-08-19

Modern spark-ignition (SI) engine technologies have considerably changed in-cylinder conditions under which fuel autoignition and engine knock take place. In this paper, fundamental HCCI engine experiments are proposed as a means for characterizing the impact of these technologies on the knock propensity of different fuels. In particular, the impacts of turbocharging, direct injection (DI), and downspeeding on operation with ethanol and gasoline are investigated to demonstrate this approach. Results reported earlier for ethanol and gasoline on HCCI combustion are revisited with the new perspective of how their autoignition characteristics fit into the anti-knock requirement in modern SI engines. For example,more » the weak sensitivity to pressure boost demonstrated by ethanol in HCCI autoignition can be used to explain the strong knock resistance of ethanol fuels for turbocharged SI engines. Further, ethanol's high sensitivity to charge temperature makes charge cooling, which can be produced by fuel vaporization via direct injection or by piston expansion via spark-timing retard, very effective for inhibiting knock. On the other hand, gasoline autoignition shows a higher sensitivity to pressure, so only very low pressure boost can be applied before knock occurs. Gasoline also demonstrates low temperature sensitivity, so it is unable to make as effective use of the charge cooling produced by fuel vaporization or spark retard. These arguments comprehensively explain literature results on ethanol's substantially better anti-knock performance over gasoline in modern turbocharged DISI engines. Fundamental HCCI experiments such as these can thus be used as a diagnostic and predictive tool for knock-limited SI engine performance for various fuels. As a result, examples are presented where HCCI experiments are used to identify biofuel compounds with good potential for modern SI-engine applications.« less

Accuracy of a Mouse Bioassay for the Diagnosis of Botulism in Horses.

PubMed

Johnson, A L; McAdams-Gallagher, S C; Aceto, H

2016-07-01

The laboratory diagnosis of botulism in horses traditionally has relied upon the mouse bioassay (MBA). The accuracy of this test for the diagnosis of botulism in horses is unknown. Our goal was to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the MBA on laboratory-processed fecal and gastrointestinal samples for foals and adult horses. Cases included all horses with a final clinical diagnosis of botulism that were admitted between 1986 and 2011 and had MBA testing performed. Controls included horses without botulism that were admitted during the same time period and had MBA testing performed. Retrospective study. Horses suspected of having botulism had fecal or (less commonly) gastrointestinal content samples tested using MBA. For every hospitalized botulism suspect, control samples were obtained from ≥1 additional hospitalized horses not suspected to have botulism. One hundred and twenty-nine adult horses and 253 adult controls were identified. Overall sensitivity of the MBA was only 32% but specificity was 97%. Forty-three foal cases and 21 foal controls were evaluated; sensitivity of the MBA was 53% and specificity was 100%. Positive predictive value was substantially higher (100% for foals and 89% for adults) than negative predictive value (51% for foals and 67% for adults). Mouse bioassay has low sensitivity but high specificity for the diagnosis of botulism in horses. Positive results are highly suggestive of botulism but negative results do not exclude the diagnosis. Unaffected horses and foals rarely shed C. botulinum in their feces. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

The resolution sensitivity of the South Asian monsoon and Indo-Pacific in a global 0.35° AGCM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Stephanie J.; Levine, Richard C.; Turner, Andrew G.; Martin, Gill M.; Woolnough, Steven J.; Schiemann, Reinhard; Mizielinski, Matthew S.; Roberts, Malcolm J.; Vidale, Pier Luigi; Demory, Marie-Estelle; Strachan, Jane

2016-02-01

The South Asian monsoon is one of the most significant manifestations of the seasonal cycle. It directly impacts nearly one third of the world's population and also has substantial global influence. Using 27-year integrations of a high-resolution atmospheric general circulation model (Met Office Unified Model), we study changes in South Asian monsoon precipitation and circulation when horizontal resolution is increased from approximately 200-40 km at the equator (N96-N512, 1.9°-0.35°). The high resolution, integration length and ensemble size of the dataset make this the most extensive dataset used to evaluate the resolution sensitivity of the South Asian monsoon to date. We find a consistent pattern of JJAS precipitation and circulation changes as resolution increases, which include a slight increase in precipitation over peninsular India, changes in Indian and Indochinese orographic rain bands, increasing wind speeds in the Somali Jet, increasing precipitation over the Maritime Continent islands and decreasing precipitation over the northern Maritime Continent seas. To diagnose which resolution-related processes cause these changes, we compare them to published sensitivity experiments that change regional orography and coastlines. Our analysis indicates that improved resolution of the East African Highlands results in the improved representation of the Somali Jet and further suggests that improved resolution of orography over Indochina and the Maritime Continent results in more precipitation over the Maritime Continent islands at the expense of reduced precipitation further north. We also evaluate the resolution sensitivity of monsoon depressions and lows, which contribute more precipitation over northeast India at higher resolution. We conclude that while increasing resolution at these scales does not solve the many monsoon biases that exist in GCMs, it has a number of small, beneficial impacts.

A High-Sensitivity Current Sensor Utilizing CrNi Wire and Microfiber Coils

PubMed Central

Xie, Xiaodong; Li, Jie; Sun, Li-Peng; Shen, Xiang; Jin, Long; Guan, Bai-ou

2014-01-01

We obtain an extremely high current sensitivity by wrapping a section of microfiber on a thin-diameter chromium-nickel wire. Our detected current sensitivity is as high as 220.65 nm/A2 for a structure length of only 35 μm. Such sensitivity is two orders of magnitude higher than the counterparts reported in the literature. Analysis shows that a higher resistivity or/and a thinner diameter of the metal wire may produce higher sensitivity. The effects of varying the structure parameters on sensitivity are discussed. The presented structure has potential for low-current sensing or highly electrically-tunable filtering applications. PMID:24824372

A high-sensitivity current sensor utilizing CrNi wire and microfiber coils.

PubMed

Xie, Xiaodong; Li, Jie; Sun, Li-Peng; Shen, Xiang; Jin, Long; Guan, Bai-ou

2014-05-12

We obtain an extremely high current sensitivity by wrapping a section of microfiber on a thin-diameter chromium-nickel wire. Our detected current sensitivity is as high as 220.65 nm/A2 for a structure length of only 35 μm. Such sensitivity is two orders of magnitude higher than the counterparts reported in the literature. Analysis shows that a higher resistivity or/and a thinner diameter of the metal wire may produce higher sensitivity. The effects of varying the structure parameters on sensitivity are discussed. The presented structure has potential for low-current sensing or highly electrically-tunable filtering applications.

Agricultural Polymers as Corrosion Inhibitors

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agricultural polymers were composed of extra-cellular polysaccharides secreted by Leuconostoc mesenteroides have been shown to inhibit corrosion on corrosion-sensitive metals. The substantially pure exopolysaccharide has a general structure consisting of alpha(1-6)-linked D-glucose backbone and appr...

Impact of Ferrous Iron on Microbial Community of the Biofilm in Microbial Fuel Cells.

PubMed

Liu, Qian; Liu, Bingfeng; Li, Wei; Zhao, Xin; Zuo, Wenjing; Xing, Defeng

2017-01-01

The performance of microbial electrochemical cells depends upon microbial community structure and metabolic activity of the electrode biofilms. Iron as a signal affects biofilm development and enrichment of exoelectrogenic bacteria. In this study, the effect of ferrous iron on microbial communities of the electrode biofilms in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was investigated. Voltage production showed that ferrous iron of 100 μM facilitated MFC start-up compared to 150 μM, 200 μM, and without supplement of ferrous iron. However, higher concentration of ferrous iron had an inhibitive influence on current generation after 30 days of operation. Illumina Hiseq sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons indicated that ferrous iron substantially changed microbial community structures of both anode and cathode biofilms. Principal component analysis showed that the response of microbial communities of the anode biofilms to higher concentration of ferrous iron was more sensitive. The majority of predominant populations of the anode biofilms in MFCs belonged to Geobacter , which was different from the populations of the cathode biofilms. An obvious shift of community structures of the cathode biofilms occurred after ferrous iron addition. This study implied that ferrous iron influenced the power output and microbial community of MFCs.

BBMerge – Accurate paired shotgun read merging via overlap

DOE PAGES

Bushnell, Brian; Rood, Jonathan; Singer, Esther

2017-10-26

Merging paired-end shotgun reads generated on high-throughput sequencing platforms can substantially improve various subsequent bioinformatics processes, including genome assembly, binning, mapping, annotation, and clustering for taxonomic analysis. With the inexorable growth of sequence data volume and CPU core counts, the speed and scalability of read-processing tools becomes ever-more important. The accuracy of shotgun read merging is crucial as well, as errors introduced by incorrect merging percolate through to reduce the quality of downstream analysis. Thus, we designed a new tool to maximize accuracy and minimize processing time, allowing the use of read merging on larger datasets, and in analyses highlymore » sensitive to errors. We present BBMerge, a new merging tool for paired-end shotgun sequence data. We benchmark BBMerge by comparison with eight other widely used merging tools, assessing speed, accuracy and scalability. Evaluations of both synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrate that BBMerge produces merged shotgun reads with greater accuracy and at higher speed than any existing merging tool examined. BBMerge also provides the ability to merge non-overlapping shotgun read pairs by using k-mer frequency information to assemble the unsequenced gap between reads, achieving a significantly higher merge rate while maintaining or increasing accuracy.« less

First results on label-free detection of DNA and protein molecules using a novel integrated sensor technology based on gravimetric detection principles.

PubMed

Gabl, R; Feucht, H-D; Zeininger, H; Eckstein, G; Schreiter, M; Primig, R; Pitzer, D; Wersing, W

2004-01-15

A novel integrated bio-sensor technology based on thin-film bulk acoustic wave resonators on silicon is presented and the feasibility of detecting DNA and protein molecules proofed. The detection principle of these sensors is label-free and relies on a resonance frequency shift caused by mass loading of an acoustic resonator, a principle very well known from quartz crystal micro balances. Integrated ZnO bulk acoustic wave resonators with resonance frequencies around 2 GHz have been fabricated, employing an acoustic mirror for isolation from the silicon substrate. DNA oligos have been thiol-coupled to the gold electrode by on-wafer dispensing. In a further step, samples have either been hybridised or alternatively a protein has been coupled to the receptor. The measurement results show the new bio-sensor being capable of both, detecting proteins as well as the DNA hybridisation without using a label. Due to the substantially higher oscillation frequency, these sensors already show much higher sensitivity and resolution comparable to quartz crystal micro balances. The potential for these sensors and sensors arrays as well as technological challenges will be discussed in detail.

BBMerge – Accurate paired shotgun read merging via overlap

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

Bushnell, Brian; Rood, Jonathan; Singer, Esther

Merging paired-end shotgun reads generated on high-throughput sequencing platforms can substantially improve various subsequent bioinformatics processes, including genome assembly, binning, mapping, annotation, and clustering for taxonomic analysis. With the inexorable growth of sequence data volume and CPU core counts, the speed and scalability of read-processing tools becomes ever-more important. The accuracy of shotgun read merging is crucial as well, as errors introduced by incorrect merging percolate through to reduce the quality of downstream analysis. Thus, we designed a new tool to maximize accuracy and minimize processing time, allowing the use of read merging on larger datasets, and in analyses highlymore » sensitive to errors. We present BBMerge, a new merging tool for paired-end shotgun sequence data. We benchmark BBMerge by comparison with eight other widely used merging tools, assessing speed, accuracy and scalability. Evaluations of both synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrate that BBMerge produces merged shotgun reads with greater accuracy and at higher speed than any existing merging tool examined. BBMerge also provides the ability to merge non-overlapping shotgun read pairs by using k-mer frequency information to assemble the unsequenced gap between reads, achieving a significantly higher merge rate while maintaining or increasing accuracy.« less

Processing Deficits of Motion of Contrast-Modulated Gratings in Anisometropic Amblyopia

PubMed Central

Liu, Zhongjian; Hu, Xiaopeng; Yu, Yong-Qiang; Zhou, Yifeng

2014-01-01

Several studies have indicated substantial processing deficits for static second-order stimuli in amblyopia. However, less is known about the perception of second-order moving gratings. To investigate this issue, we measured the contrast sensitivity for second-order (contrast-modulated) moving gratings in seven anisometropic amblyopes and ten normal controls. The measurements were performed with non-equated carriers and a series of equated carriers. For comparison, the sensitivity for first-order motion and static second-order stimuli was also measured. Most of the amblyopic eyes (AEs) showed reduced sensitivity for second-order moving gratings relative to their non-amblyopic eyes (NAEs) and the dominant eyes (CEs) of normal control subjects, even when the detectability of the noise carriers was carefully controlled, suggesting substantial processing deficits of motion of contrast-modulated gratings in anisometropic amblyopia. In contrast, the non-amblyopic eyes of the anisometropic amblyopes were relatively spared. As a group, NAEs showed statistically comparable performance to CEs. We also found that contrast sensitivity for static second-order stimuli was strongly impaired in AEs and part of the NAEs of anisometropic amblyopes, consistent with previous studies. In addition, some amblyopes showed impaired performance in perception of static second-order stimuli but not in that of second-order moving gratings. These results may suggest a dissociation between the processing of static and moving second-order gratings in anisometropic amblyopia. PMID:25409477

Relating Neuronal to Behavioral Performance: Variability of Optomotor Responses in the Blowfly

PubMed Central

Rosner, Ronny; Warzecha, Anne-Kathrin

2011-01-01

Behavioral responses of an animal vary even when they are elicited by the same stimulus. This variability is due to stochastic processes within the nervous system and to the changing internal states of the animal. To what extent does the variability of neuronal responses account for the overall variability at the behavioral level? To address this question we evaluate the neuronal variability at the output stage of the blowfly's (Calliphora vicina) visual system by recording from motion-sensitive interneurons mediating head optomotor responses. By means of a simple modelling approach representing the sensory-motor transformation, we predict head movements on the basis of the recorded responses of motion-sensitive neurons and compare the variability of the predicted head movements with that of the observed ones. Large gain changes of optomotor head movements have previously been shown to go along with changes in the animals' activity state. Our modelling approach substantiates that these gain changes are imposed downstream of the motion-sensitive neurons of the visual system. Moreover, since predicted head movements are clearly more reliable than those actually observed, we conclude that substantial variability is introduced downstream of the visual system. PMID:22066014

Asymmetry of Reinforcement and Punishment in Human Choice

PubMed Central

Rasmussen, Erin B; Newland, M Christopher

2008-01-01

The hypothesis that a penny lost is valued more highly than a penny earned was tested in human choice. Five participants clicked a computer mouse under concurrent variable-interval schedules of monetary reinforcement. In the no-punishment condition, the schedules arranged monetary gain. In the punishment conditions, a schedule of monetary loss was superimposed on one response alternative. Deviations from generalized matching using the free parameters c (sensitivity to reinforcement) and log k (bias) were compared in the no-punishment and punishment conditions. The no-punishment conditions yielded values of log k that approximated zero for all participants, indicating no bias. In the punishment condition, values of log k deviated substantially from zero, revealing a 3-fold bias toward the unpunished alternative. Moreover, the c parameters were substantially smaller in punished conditions. The values for bias and sensitivity under punishment did not change significantly when the measure of net reinforcers (gains minus losses) was applied to the analysis. These results mean that punishment reduced the sensitivity of behavior to reinforcement and biased performance toward the unpunished alternative. We concluded that a single punisher subtracted more value than a single reinforcer added, indicating an asymmetry in the law of effect. PMID:18422016

Bright monomeric photoactivatable red fluorescent protein for two-color super-resolution sptPALM of live cells.

PubMed

Subach, Fedor V; Patterson, George H; Renz, Malte; Lippincott-Schwartz, Jennifer; Verkhusha, Vladislav V

2010-05-12

Rapidly emerging techniques of super-resolution single-molecule microscopy of living cells rely on the continued development of genetically encoded photoactivatable fluorescent proteins. On the basis of monomeric TagRFP, we have developed a photoactivatable TagRFP protein that is initially dark but becomes red fluorescent after violet light irradiation. Compared to other monomeric dark-to-red photoactivatable proteins including PAmCherry, PATagRFP has substantially higher molecular brightness, better pH stability, substantially less sensitivity to blue light, and better photostability in both ensemble and single-molecule modes. Spectroscopic analysis suggests that PATagRFP photoactivation is a two-step photochemical process involving sequential one-photon absorbance by two distinct chromophore forms. True monomeric behavior, absence of green fluorescence, and single-molecule performance in live cells make PATagRFP an excellent protein tag for two-color imaging techniques, including conventional diffraction-limited photoactivation microscopy, super-resolution photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM), and single particle tracking PALM (sptPALM) of living cells. Two-color sptPALM imaging was demonstrated using several PATagRFP tagged transmembrane proteins together with PAGFP-tagged clathrin light chain. Analysis of the resulting sptPALM images revealed that single-molecule transmembrane proteins, which are internalized into a cell via endocytosis, colocalize in space and time with plasma membrane domains enriched in clathrin light-chain molecules.

Skeletal Muscle Triglycerides, Diacylglycerols, and Ceramides in Insulin Resistance

PubMed Central

Amati, Francesca; Dubé, John J.; Alvarez-Carnero, Elvis; Edreira, Martin M.; Chomentowski, Peter; Coen, Paul M.; Switzer, Galen E.; Bickel, Perry E.; Stefanovic-Racic, Maja; Toledo, Frederico G.S.; Goodpaster, Bret H.

2011-01-01

OBJECTIVE Chronic exercise and obesity both increase intramyocellular triglycerides (IMTGs) despite having opposing effects on insulin sensitivity. We hypothesized that chronically exercise-trained muscle would be characterized by lower skeletal muscle diacylglycerols (DAGs) and ceramides despite higher IMTGs and would account for its higher insulin sensitivity. We also hypothesized that the expression of key skeletal muscle proteins involved in lipid droplet hydrolysis, DAG formation, and fatty-acid partitioning and oxidation would be associated with the lipotoxic phenotype. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 14 normal-weight, endurance-trained athletes (NWA group) and 7 normal-weight sedentary (NWS group) and 21 obese sedentary (OBS group) volunteers were studied. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by glucose clamps. IMTGs, DAGs, ceramides, and protein expression were measured in muscle biopsies. RESULTS DAG content in the NWA group was approximately twofold higher than in the OBS group and ~50% higher than in the NWS group, corresponding to higher insulin sensitivity. While certain DAG moieties clearly were associated with better insulin sensitivity, other species were not. Ceramide content was higher in insulin-resistant obese muscle. The expression of OXPAT/perilipin-5, adipose triglyceride lipase, and stearoyl-CoA desaturase protein was higher in the NWA group, corresponding to a higher mitochondrial content, proportion of type 1 myocytes, IMTGs, DAGs, and insulin sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS Total myocellular DAGs were markedly higher in highly trained athletes, corresponding with higher insulin sensitivity, and suggest a more complex role for DAGs in insulin action. Our data also provide additional evidence in humans linking ceramides to insulin resistance. Finally, this study provides novel evidence supporting a role for specific skeletal muscle proteins involved in intramyocellular lipids, mitochondrial oxidative capacity, and insulin resistance. PMID:21873552

Spiral Imaging in fMRI

PubMed Central

Glover, Gary H.

2011-01-01

T2*-weighted Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) requires efficient acquisition methods in order to fully sample the brain in a several second time period. The most widely used approach is Echo Planar Imaging (EPI), which utilizes a Cartesian trajectory to cover k-space. This trajectory is subject to ghosts from off-resonance and gradient imperfections and is intrinsically sensitive to cardiac-induced pulsatile motion from substantial first- and higher order moments of the gradient waveform near the k-space origin. In addition, only the readout direction gradient contributes significant energy to the trajectory. By contrast, the Spiral method samples k-space with an Archimedean or similar trajectory that begins at the k-space center and spirals to the edge (Spiral-out), or its reverse, ending at the origin (Spiral-in). Spiral methods have reduced sensitivity to motion, shorter readout times, improved signal recovery in most frontal and parietal brain regions, and exhibit blurring artifacts instead of ghosts or geometric distortion. Methods combining Spiral-in and Spiral-out trajectories have further advantages in terms of diminished susceptibility-induced signal dropout and increased BOLD signal. In measurements of temporal signal to noise ratio measured in 8 subjects, Spiral-in/out exhibited significant increases over EPI in voxel volumes recovered in frontal and whole brain regions (18% and 10%, respectively). PMID:22036995

The temporal characteristics of the early and late stages of the L- and M-cone pathways that signal color

PubMed Central

Petrova, Daniela; Henning, G. Bruce; Stockman, Andrew

2013-01-01

Flickering long-wavelength light appears more yellow than steady light of the same average intensity. The hue change is consistent with distortion of the visual signal at some nonlinear site (or sites) that produces temporal components not present in the original stimulus (known as distortion products). We extracted the temporal attenuation characteristics of the early (prenonlinearity) and late (post-nonlinearity) filter stages in the L- and M-cone chromatic pathway by varying the input stimulus to manipulate the distortion products and the measuring of the observers' sensitivity to them. The early, linear, filter stage acts like a band-pass filter peaking at 10–15 Hz with substantial sensitivity losses at both lower and higher frequencies. Its characteristics are consistent with nonlinearity being early in the visual pathway but following surround inhibition. The late stage, in contrast, acts like a low-pass filter with a cutoff frequency around 3 Hz. The response of the early stage speeds up with radiance, but the late stage does not. A plausible site for the nonlinearity, which modelling suggests may be smoothly compressive but with a hard limit at high input levels, is after surround inhibition from the horizontal cells. PMID:23457358

Spectral analysis of light emitted during the oxidation of lipids and proteins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turrens, Julio F.; Robinson, Eric; Freeman, Scott; George, Benedict F., III

2003-05-01

Oxidative stress is associated with a variety of pathological processes of clinical relevance. Some of the intermediates generated during the chain reactions associated with oxidation of lipids and proteins are electronically excited and decay emitting photons, which may be detected with the help of sensitive photomultipliers. This technique has been used to monitor oxidative stress in a variety of scenarios including intact organs in vivo or in vitro, and simple models such as proteins and lipids exposed to oxidants. The main drawback of this technique is that the emission of light is extremely weak and it is subjected to substantial interference from spurious sources. In addition, the quantum efficiency of photomultipliers varies with wavelength making it even more difficult to collect reliable data using photomultipliers sensitive to relatively broad spectral ranges. In order to identify the peak emission wavelengths in the visible region, we exposed model systems (proteins, lipids and amino acids) to peroxynitrite and sources of hydroxyl and alcoxyl radicals, analyzing the emission of light with interference filters. The results indicate that the peak emission for most biological models occurs between 450 and 700 nm. The emission at higher wavelengths (lower energy levels) was observed mostly in the presence of less powerful oxidants such as tert-butyl hydroperoxide.

Impact of Antarctic mixed-phase clouds on climate

DOE PAGES

Lawson, R. Paul; Gettelman, Andrew

2014-12-08

Precious little is known about the composition of low-level clouds over the Antarctic Plateau and their effect on climate. In situ measurements at the South Pole using a unique tethered balloon system and ground-based lidar reveal a much higher than anticipated incidence of low-level, mixed-phase clouds (i.e., consisting of supercooled liquid water drops and ice crystals). The high incidence of mixed-phase clouds is currently poorly represented in global climate models (GCMs). As a result, the effects that mixed-phase clouds have on climate predictions are highly uncertain. In this paper, we modify the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Earthmore » System Model (CESM) GCM to align with the new observations and evaluate the radiative effects on a continental scale. The net cloud radiative effects (CREs) over Antarctica are increased by +7.4 Wm –2, and although this is a significant change, a much larger effect occurs when the modified model physics are extended beyond the Antarctic continent. The simulations show significant net CRE over the Southern Ocean storm tracks, where recent measurements also indicate substantial regions of supercooled liquid. Finally, these sensitivity tests confirm that Southern Ocean CREs are strongly sensitive to mixed-phase clouds colder than –20 °C.« less

Emotions and stress increase respiratory resistance in asthma.

PubMed

Ritz, T; Steptoe, A; DeWilde, S; Costa, M

2000-01-01

Clinical reports suggest that various emotions and types of stress can precipitate asthmatic symptoms, but there is little experimental evidence to substantiate this claim. We studied the impact of different emotional states and stress on respiratory resistance in asthmatic and nonasthmatic individuals. Participants (24 asthmatic and 24 nonasthmatic patients) viewed short film sequences selected to induce anxiety, anger, depression, elation, happiness, contentment, or a neutral affective state and completed two stressful tasks, mental arithmetic to induce active coping efforts and viewing of medical slides to induce passive coping efforts. Oscillatory resistance, heart rate, blood pressure, baroreflex sensitivity, skin conductance level, respiration rate and volume, and self-reported affective state were measured throughout the session. Uniform increases in oscillatory resistance were found in all emotional states compared with the neutral state and during mental arithmetic in both groups. Asthmatic patients showed stronger reactions to the medical slides than healthy control subjects, with significant increases in oscillatory resistance, blood pressure, skin conductance level, and minute volume, as well as higher levels of self-reported depression, arousal, and shortness of breath. Changes in oscillatory resistance were inconsistently correlated with other physiological indices. Various emotional states and stress increase oscillatory resistance largely independently of concurrent increases in autonomic or ventilatory activity. The particular sensitivity of asthmatics to passive coping demand requires additional research.

The smallest natural high-active luciferase: cloning and characterization of novel 16.5-kDa luciferase from copepod Metridia longa.

PubMed

Markova, Svetlana V; Larionova, Marina D; Burakova, Ludmila P; Vysotski, Eugene S

2015-01-30

Coelenterazine-dependent copepod luciferases containing natural signal peptide for secretion are a very convenient analytical tool as they enable monitoring of intracellular events with high sensitivity, without destroying cells or tissues. This property is well suited for application in biomedical research and development of cell-based assays for high throughput screening. We report the cloning of cDNA gene encoding a novel secreted non-allelic 16.5-kDa isoform (MLuc7) of Metridia longa luciferase, which, in fact, is the smallest natural luciferase of known for today. Despite the small size, isoform contains 10 conservative Cys residues suggesting the presence of up to 5 SS bonds. This hampers the efficient production of functionally active recombinant luciferase in bacterial expression systems. With the use of the baculovirus expression system, we produced substantial amounts of the proper folded MLuc7 luciferase with a yield of ∼3 mg/L of a high purity protein. We demonstrate that MLuc7 produced in insect cells is highly active and extremely thermostable, and is well suited as a secreted reporter when expressed in mammalian cells ensuring higher sensitivity of detection as compared to another Metridia luciferase isoform (MLuc164) which is widely employed in real-time imaging. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Heterogeneity in Trajectories of Child Maltreatment Severity: A Two-Part Growth Mixture Model

PubMed Central

Yampolskaya, Svetlana; Greenbaum, Paul E.; Brown, C. Hendricks; Armstrong, Mary I.

2016-01-01

This study examined the trajectories of maltreatment severity and substantiation over a 24-month period among children (N = 82,396) with repeated maltreatment reports. Findings revealed two different longitudinal patterns. The first pattern, Elevated Severity, showed a higher level of maltreatment during the initial incident and increased maltreatment severity during subsequent incidents but the substantiation rates for this class decreased over time. The second pattern, Lowered Severity, showed a much lower level of severity, but the likelihood of substantiation increased over time. The Elevated Severity class was comprised of children with an elevated risk profile due to both individual and contextual risk factors including older age, female gender, caregivers’ substance use problems, and a higher number of previous maltreatment reports. Implications of the findings are discussed. PMID:26300381

Assessing climate change impacts, benefits of mitigation, and uncertainties on major global forest regions under multiple socioeconomic and emissions scenarios

DOE PAGES

Kim, John B.; Monier, Erwan; Sohngen, Brent; ...

2017-03-28

We analyze a set of simulations to assess the impact of climate change on global forests where MC2 dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM) was run with climate simulations from the MIT Integrated Global System Model-Community Atmosphere Model (IGSM-CAM) modeling framework. The core study relies on an ensemble of climate simulations under two emissions scenarios: a business-as-usual reference scenario (REF) analogous to the IPCC RCP8.5 scenario, and a greenhouse gas mitigation scenario, called POL3.7, which is in between the IPCC RCP2.6 and RCP4.5 scenarios, and is consistent with a 2 °C global mean warming from pre-industrial by 2100. Evaluating the outcomesmore » of both climate change scenarios in the MC2 model shows that the carbon stocks of most forests around the world increased, with the greatest gains in tropical forest regions. Temperate forest regions are projected to see strong increases in productivity offset by carbon loss to fire. The greatest cost of mitigation in terms of effects on forest carbon stocks are projected to be borne by regions in the southern hemisphere. We compare three sources of uncertainty in climate change impacts on the world’s forests: emissions scenarios, the global system climate response (i.e. climate sensitivity), and natural variability. The role of natural variability on changes in forest carbon and net primary productivity (NPP) is small, but it is substantial for impacts of wildfire. Forest productivity under the REF scenario benefits substantially from the CO 2 fertilization effect and that higher warming alone does not necessarily increase global forest carbon levels. Finally, our analysis underlines why using an ensemble of climate simulations is necessary to derive robust estimates of the benefits of greenhouse gas mitigation. It also demonstrates that constraining estimates of climate sensitivity and advancing our understanding of CO 2 fertilization effects may considerably reduce the range of projections.« less

Assessing climate change impacts, benefits of mitigation, and uncertainties on major global forest regions under multiple socioeconomic and emissions scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, John B.; Monier, Erwan; Sohngen, Brent; Pitts, G. Stephen; Drapek, Ray; McFarland, James; Ohrel, Sara; Cole, Jefferson

2017-04-01

We analyze a set of simulations to assess the impact of climate change on global forests where MC2 dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM) was run with climate simulations from the MIT Integrated Global System Model-Community Atmosphere Model (IGSM-CAM) modeling framework. The core study relies on an ensemble of climate simulations under two emissions scenarios: a business-as-usual reference scenario (REF) analogous to the IPCC RCP8.5 scenario, and a greenhouse gas mitigation scenario, called POL3.7, which is in between the IPCC RCP2.6 and RCP4.5 scenarios, and is consistent with a 2 °C global mean warming from pre-industrial by 2100. Evaluating the outcomes of both climate change scenarios in the MC2 model shows that the carbon stocks of most forests around the world increased, with the greatest gains in tropical forest regions. Temperate forest regions are projected to see strong increases in productivity offset by carbon loss to fire. The greatest cost of mitigation in terms of effects on forest carbon stocks are projected to be borne by regions in the southern hemisphere. We compare three sources of uncertainty in climate change impacts on the world’s forests: emissions scenarios, the global system climate response (i.e. climate sensitivity), and natural variability. The role of natural variability on changes in forest carbon and net primary productivity (NPP) is small, but it is substantial for impacts of wildfire. Forest productivity under the REF scenario benefits substantially from the CO2 fertilization effect and that higher warming alone does not necessarily increase global forest carbon levels. Our analysis underlines why using an ensemble of climate simulations is necessary to derive robust estimates of the benefits of greenhouse gas mitigation. It also demonstrates that constraining estimates of climate sensitivity and advancing our understanding of CO2 fertilization effects may considerably reduce the range of projections.

Treating childhood pneumonia in hard-to-reach areas: a model-based comparison of mobile clinics and community-based care.

PubMed

Pitt, Catherine; Roberts, Bayard; Checchi, Francesco

2012-01-10

Where hard-to-access populations (such as those living in insecure areas) lack access to basic health services, relief agencies, donors, and ministries of health face a dilemma in selecting the most effective intervention strategy. This paper uses a decision mathematical model to estimate the relative effectiveness of two alternative strategies, mobile clinics and fixed community-based health services, for antibiotic treatment of childhood pneumonia, the world's leading cause of child mortality. A "Markov cycle tree" cohort model was developed in Excel with Visual Basic to compare the number of deaths from pneumonia in children aged 1 to 59 months expected under three scenarios: 1) No curative services available, 2) Curative services provided by a highly-skilled but intermittent mobile clinic, and 3) Curative services provided by a low-skilled community health post. Parameter values were informed by literature and expert interviews. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted for several plausible scenarios. We estimated median pneumonia-specific under-5 mortality rates of 0.51 (95% credible interval: 0.49 to 0.541) deaths per 10,000 child-days without treatment, 0.45 (95% CI: 0.43 to 0.48) with weekly mobile clinics, and 0.31 (95% CI: 0.29 to 0.32) with CHWs in fixed health posts. Sensitivity analyses found the fixed strategy superior, except when mobile clinics visited communities daily, where rates of care-seeking were substantially higher at mobile clinics than fixed posts, or where several variables simultaneously differed substantially from our baseline assumptions. Current evidence does not support the hypothesis that mobile clinics are more effective than CHWs. A CHW strategy therefore warrants consideration in high-mortality, hard-to-access areas. Uncertainty remains, and parameter values may vary across contexts, but the model allows preliminary findings to be updated as new or context-specific evidence becomes available. Decision analytic modelling can guide needed field-based research efforts in hard-to-access areas and offer evidence-based insights for decision-makers.

Assessing climate change impacts, benefits of mitigation, and uncertainties on major global forest regions under multiple socioeconomic and emissions scenarios

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

Kim, John B.; Monier, Erwan; Sohngen, Brent

We analyze a set of simulations to assess the impact of climate change on global forests where MC2 dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM) was run with climate simulations from the MIT Integrated Global System Model-Community Atmosphere Model (IGSM-CAM) modeling framework. The core study relies on an ensemble of climate simulations under two emissions scenarios: a business-as-usual reference scenario (REF) analogous to the IPCC RCP8.5 scenario, and a greenhouse gas mitigation scenario, called POL3.7, which is in between the IPCC RCP2.6 and RCP4.5 scenarios, and is consistent with a 2 °C global mean warming from pre-industrial by 2100. Evaluating the outcomesmore » of both climate change scenarios in the MC2 model shows that the carbon stocks of most forests around the world increased, with the greatest gains in tropical forest regions. Temperate forest regions are projected to see strong increases in productivity offset by carbon loss to fire. The greatest cost of mitigation in terms of effects on forest carbon stocks are projected to be borne by regions in the southern hemisphere. We compare three sources of uncertainty in climate change impacts on the world’s forests: emissions scenarios, the global system climate response (i.e. climate sensitivity), and natural variability. The role of natural variability on changes in forest carbon and net primary productivity (NPP) is small, but it is substantial for impacts of wildfire. Forest productivity under the REF scenario benefits substantially from the CO 2 fertilization effect and that higher warming alone does not necessarily increase global forest carbon levels. Finally, our analysis underlines why using an ensemble of climate simulations is necessary to derive robust estimates of the benefits of greenhouse gas mitigation. It also demonstrates that constraining estimates of climate sensitivity and advancing our understanding of CO 2 fertilization effects may considerably reduce the range of projections.« less

Estimating rotavirus gastroenteritis hospitalisations by using hospital episode statistics before and after the introduction of rotavirus vaccine in Australia.

PubMed

Jayasinghe, Sanjay; Macartney, Kristine

2013-01-30

Hospital discharge records and laboratory data have shown a substantial early impact from the rotavirus vaccination program that commenced in 2007 in Australia. However, these assessments are affected by the validity and reliability of hospital discharge coding and stool testing to measure the true incidence of hospitalised disease. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of these data sources for disease estimation, both before and after, vaccine introduction. All hospitalisations at a major paediatric centre in children aged <5 years from 2000 to 2009 containing acute gastroenteritis (AGE) ICD 10 AM diagnosis codes were linked to hospital laboratory stool testing data. The validity of the rotavirus-specific diagnosis code (A08.0) and the incidence of hospitalisations attributable to rotavirus by both direct estimation and with adjustments for non-testing and miscoding were calculated for pre- and post-vaccination periods. A laboratory record of stool testing was available for 36% of all AGE hospitalisations (n=4948) the rotavirus code had high specificity (98.4%; 95% CI, 97.5-99.1%) and positive predictive value (96.8%; 94.8-98.3%), and modest sensitivity (61.6%; 58-65.1%). Of all rotavirus test positive hospitalisations only a third had a rotavirus code. The estimated annual average number of rotavirus hospitalisations, following adjustment for non-testing and miscoding was 5- and 6-fold higher than identified, respectively, from testing and coding alone. Direct and adjusted estimates yielded similar percentage reductions in annual average rotavirus hospitalisations of over 65%. Due to the limited use of stool testing and poor sensitivity of the rotavirus-specific diagnosis code routine hospital discharge and laboratory data substantially underestimate the true incidence of rotavirus hospitalisations and absolute vaccine impact. However, this data can still be used to monitor vaccine impact as the effects of miscoding and under-testing appear to be comparable between pre and post vaccination periods. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving Publication: Advice for Busy Higher Education Academics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibbs, Anita

2016-01-01

A major challenge for higher education academics is to research and publish when faced with substantial teaching responsibilities, higher student numbers, and higher output expectations. The focus of this piece is to encourage publication more generally by educators, and to build publication capacity, which academic developers can facilitate. The…

Gender Barriers in Higher Education: The Case of Taiwan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Ru-jer

2001-01-01

Used data from a variety of sources to examine gender barriers to higher education in Taiwan. Findings show that barriers remain, that women still suffer disadvantages in access to higher education, even though the expansion of higher education in Taiwan has substantially benefitted females over the past few decades. (SLD)

Evidence that two alkyl ester quaternary ammonium compounds lack substantial human skin-sensitizing potential.

PubMed

Jowsey, Ian R; Kligman, Albert M; White, Ian R; Goossens, An; Basketter, David A

2007-03-01

Alkyl ester quaternary ammonium compounds (ester quats) are used extensively in fabric rinse conditioners. It is important to document in the literature the outcome of historical studies that were performed to assess the risk of adverse skin effects associated with their use. (1) To document the outcomes of historical studies performed to evaluate the skin sensitizing potential of two ester quats (the di-[hardened tallow fatty acid] ester of 2,3-dihydroxypropyl-trimethyl ammonium chloride [HEQ] and the dialkyl ester of triethanol ammonium methyl sulfate [TEA-Quat]) and (2) to demonstrate that these ester quats lack marked skin-sensitizing potential in humans, such that they do not present a risk of contact allergy for consumers who use fabric rinse conditioners. Each material was assessed in the human maximization test in a panel of 25 volunteers. Diagnostic patch testing was also performed with each material in a population of 239 patients undergoing routine patch testing for suspected allergic contact dermatitis. These data are also considered in the context of an exposure-based quantitative risk assessment. Neither HEQ nor TEA-Quat was found to cause skin sensitization under the conditions of the human maximization test. No evidence of contact allergy to the materials was found among the relatively small population assessed by diagnostic patch testing. This study provides evidence that HEQ and TEA-Quat lack substantial skin-sensitizing potential in humans. Taken together with similar data for other ester quats, it suggests that compounds in this class are unlikely to be significant human contact allergens.

Variation in hearing within a wild population of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas).

PubMed

Mooney, T Aran; Castellote, Manuel; Quakenbush, Lori; Hobbs, Roderick; Gaglione, Eric; Goertz, Caroline

2018-05-08

Documenting hearing abilities is vital to understanding a species' acoustic ecology and for predicting the impacts of increasing anthropogenic noise. Cetaceans use sound for essential biological functions such as foraging, navigation and communication; hearing is considered to be their primary sensory modality. Yet, we know little regarding the hearing of most, if not all, cetacean populations, which limits our understanding of their sensory ecology, population level variability and the potential impacts of increasing anthropogenic noise. We obtained audiograms (5.6-150 kHz) of 26 wild beluga whales to measure hearing thresholds during capture-release events in Bristol Bay, AK, USA, using auditory evoked potential methods. The goal was to establish the baseline population audiogram, incidences of hearing loss and general variability in wild beluga whales. In general, belugas showed sensitive hearing with low thresholds (<80 dB) from 16 to 100 kHz, and most individuals (76%) responded to at least 120 kHz. Despite belugas often showing sensitive hearing, thresholds were usually above or approached the low ambient noise levels measured in the area, suggesting that a quiet environment may be associated with hearing sensitivity and that hearing thresholds in the most sensitive animals may have been masked. Although this is just one wild population, the success of the method suggests that it should be applied to other populations and species to better assess potential differences. Bristol Bay beluga audiograms showed substantial (30-70 dB) variation among individuals; this variation increased at higher frequencies. Differences among individual belugas reflect that testing multiple individuals of a population is necessary to best describe maximum sensitivity and population variance. The results of this study quadruple the number of individual beluga whales for which audiograms have been conducted and provide the first auditory data for a population of healthy wild odontocetes. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Impact of production strategies and animal performance on economic values of dairy sheep traits.

PubMed

Krupová, Z; Wolfová, M; Krupa, E; Oravcová, M; Daňo, J; Huba, J; Polák, P

2012-03-01

The objective of this study was to carry out a sensitivity analysis on the impact of various production strategies and performance levels on the relative economic values (REVs) of traits in dairy sheep. A bio-economic model implemented in the program package ECOWEIGHT was used to simulate the profit function for a semi-extensive production system with the Slovak multi-purpose breed Improved Valachian and to calculate the REV of 14 production and functional traits. The following production strategies were analysed: differing proportions of milk processed to cheese, customary weaning and early weaning of lambs with immediate sale or sale after artificial rearing, seasonal lambing in winter and aseasonal lambing in autumn. Results of the sensitivity analysis are presented in detail for the four economically most important traits: 150 days milk yield, conception rate of ewes, litter size and ewe productive lifetime. Impacts of the differences in the mean value of each of these four traits on REVs of all other traits were also examined. Simulated changes in the production circumstances had a higher impact on the REV for milk yield than on REVs of the other traits investigated. The proportion of milk processed to cheese, weaning management strategy for lambs and level of milk yield were the main factors influencing the REV of milk yield. The REVs for conception rate of ewes were highly sensitive to the current mean level of the trait. The REV of ewe productive lifetime was most sensitive to variation in ewe conception rate, and the REV of litter size was most affected by weaning strategy for lambs. On the basis of the results of sensitivity analyses, it is recommended that economic values of traits for the overall breeding objective for dairy sheep be calculated as the weighted average of the economic values obtained for the most common production strategies of Slovak dairy sheep farms and that economic values be adjusted after substantial changes in performance levels of the traits.

Gravity as a probe for understanding pattern specification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malacinski, George M.; Neff, Anton W.

1993-01-01

Amphibian eggs from Xenopus laevis were employed as a model system. Xenopus embryos were demonstrated to be sensitive to novel force fields. Under clinostat-simulated weightlessness the location of the third cleavage furrow was shifted towards the equator; the dorsal lip was shifted closer to the vegetal pole; and head and eye dimensions of hatching tadpoles were enlarged. Effects of centrifuge-simulated hypergravity were the opposite of those of simulated weightlessness. Those morphological alterations had their own force-sensitive period, and a substantial spawning-to-spawning variation in sensitivity was observed. Despite those dramatic differences in embryogenesis, tadpoles at the feeding stage were largely indistinguishable from controls.

Exploring the potential of short-baseline physics at Fermilab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miranda, O. G.; Pasquini, Pedro; Tórtola, M.; Valle, J. W. F.

2018-05-01

We study the capabilities of the short-baseline neutrino program at Fermilab to probe the unitarity of the lepton mixing matrix. We find the sensitivity to be slightly better than the current one. Motivated by the future DUNE experiment, we have also analyzed the potential of an extra liquid Argon near detector in the LBNF beamline. Adding such a near detector to the DUNE setup will substantially improve the current sensitivity on nonunitarity. This would help to remove C P degeneracies due to the new complex phase present in the neutrino mixing matrix. We also study the sensitivity of our proposed setup to light sterile neutrinos for various configurations.

Gravity as a probe for understanding pattern specification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malacinski, George M.; Neff, Anton W.

1993-08-01

Amphibian eggs from Xenopus laevis were employed as a model system. Xenopus embryos were demonstrated to be sensitive to novel force fields. Under clinostat-simulated weightlessness the location of the third cleavage furrow was shifted towards the equator; the dorsal lip was shifted closer to the vegetal pole; and head and eye dimensions of hatching tadpoles were enlarged. Effects of centrifuge-simulated hypergravity were the opposite of those of simulated weightlessness. Those morphological alterations had their own force-sensitive period, and a substantial spawning-to-spawning variation in sensitivity was observed. Despite those dramatic differences in embryogenesis, tadpoles at the feeding stage were largely indistinguishable from controls.

Differential Response to Soil Salinity in Endangered Key Tree Cactus: Implications for Survival in a Changing Climate

PubMed Central

Goodman, Joie; Maschinski, Joyce; Hughes, Phillip; McAuliffe, Joe; Roncal, Julissa; Powell, Devon; Sternberg, Leonel O'reilly

2012-01-01

Understanding reasons for biodiversity loss is essential for developing conservation and management strategies and is becoming increasingly urgent with climate change. Growing at elevations <1.4 m in the Florida Keys, USA, the endangered Key tree cactus (Pilosocereus robinii) experienced 84 percent loss of total stems from 1994 to 2007. The most severe losses of 99 and 88 percent stems occurred in the largest populations in the Lower Keys, where nine storms with high wind velocities and storm surges, occurred during this period. In contrast, three populations had substantial stem proliferation. To evaluate possible mortality factors related to changes in climate or forest structure, we examined habitat variables: soil salinity, elevation, canopy cover, and habitat structure near 16 dying or dead and 18 living plants growing in the Lower Keys. Soil salinity and elevation were the preliminary factors that discriminated live and dead plants. Soil salinity was 1.5 times greater, but elevation was 12 cm higher near dead plants than near live plants. However, distribution-wide stem loss was not significantly related to salinity or elevation. Controlled salinity trials indicated that salt tolerance to levels above 40 mM NaCl was related to maternal origin. Salt sensitive plants from the Lower Keys had less stem growth, lower root:shoot ratios, lower potassium: sodium ratios and lower recovery rate, but higher δ 13C than a salt tolerant lineage of unknown origin. Unraveling the genetic structure of salt tolerant and salt sensitive lineages in the Florida Keys will require further genetic tests. Worldwide rare species restricted to fragmented, low-elevation island habitats, with little or no connection to higher ground will face challenges from climate change-related factors. These great conservation challenges will require traditional conservation actions and possibly managed relocation that must be informed by studies such as these. PMID:22403670

Higher Magnesium Intake Reduces Risk of Impaired Glucose and Insulin Metabolism and Progression From Prediabetes to Diabetes in Middle-Aged Americans

PubMed Central

Hruby, Adela; Meigs, James B.; O’Donnell, Christopher J.; Jacques, Paul F.; McKeown, Nicola M.

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE To assess 7-year associations between magnesium intake and incident prediabetes and/or insulin resistance (IR), and progression from these states to type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In 2,582 community-dwelling participants 26–81 years old at baseline, magnesium intake and risk of incident “metabolic impairment,” defined as impaired fasting glucose (FG) (≥5.6 to <7.0 mmol/L), impaired glucose tolerance (2-h postload glucose ≥7.8 to <11.1 mmol/L), IR, or hyperinsulinemia (≥90th percentile of homeostasis model assessment of IR or fasting insulin, respectively), was estimated among those with normal baseline status, and risk of incident diabetes was estimated among those with baseline metabolic impairment. In participants without incident diabetes, we examined magnesium intake in relation to 7-year changes in fasting and postload glucose and insulin, IR, and insulin sensitivity. RESULTS After adjusting for age, sex, and energy intake, compared with those with the lowest magnesium intake, those with the highest intake had 37% lower risk of incident metabolic impairment (P trend = 0.02), and in those with baseline metabolic impairment, higher intake was associated with 32% lower risk of incident diabetes (P trend = 0.05). In the combined population, the risk in those with the highest intake was 53% (P trend = 0.0004) of those with the lowest intake. Adjusting for risk factors and dietary fiber attenuated associations in the baseline normal population but did not substantially affect associations in the metabolically impaired. Higher magnesium intake tended to associate with lower follow-up FG and IR, but not fasting insulin, postload values, or insulin sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS Magnesium intake may be particularly beneficial in offsetting risk of developing diabetes among those at high risk. Magnesium’s long-term associations with non–steady-state (dynamic) measures deserve further research. PMID:24089547

Serum Cystatin C– Versus Creatinine-Based Definitions of Acute Kidney Injury Following Cardiac Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Spahillari, Aferdita; Parikh, Chirag R.; Sint, Kyaw; Koyner, Jay L.; Patel, Uptal D.; Edelstein, Charles L.; Passik, Cary S.; Thiessen-Philbrook, Heather; Swaminathan, Madhav; Shlipak, Michael G.

2012-01-01

Background The primary aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity and rapidity of AKI detection by cystatin C relative to creatinine following cardiac surgery. Study Design Prospective cohort study Settings and Participants 1,150 high-risk, adult cardiac surgery patients in the TRIBE-AKI (Translational Research Investigating Biomarker Endpoints for Acute Kidney Injury) Consortium. Predictor Changes in serum creatinine and cystatin C Outcome Post-surgical incidence of AKI Measurements Serum creatinine and cystatin C were measured at the preoperative visit and daily on postoperative days 1–5. To allow comparisons between changes in creatinine and cystatin C, AKI endpoints were defined by the relative increases in each marker from baseline (25, 50 and 100%) and the incidence of AKI was compared based upon each marker. Secondary aims were to compare clinical outcomes among patients defined as having AKI by cystatin C and/or creatinine. Results Overall, serum creatinine detected more cases of AKI than cystatin C: 35% developed a ≥25% increase in serum creatinine, whereas only 23% had ≥25% increase in cystatin C (p < 0.001). Creatinine also had higher proportions meeting the 50% (14% and 8%, p<0.001) and 100% (4% and 2%, p=0.005) thresholds for AKI diagnosis. Clinical outcomes were generally not statistically different for AKI cases detected by creatinine or cystatin C. However, for each AKI threshold, patients with AKI confirmed by both markers had significantly higher risk of the combined mortality/dialysis outcome compared with patients with AKI detected by creatinine alone (p=0.002). Limitations There were few adverse clinical outcomes, limiting our ability to detect differences in outcomes between subgroups of patients based upon their definitions of AKI. Conclusion In this large multicenter study, we found that cystatin C was less sensitive for AKI detection compared with creatinine. However, confirmation by cystatin C appeared to identify a subset of AKI patients with substantially higher risk of adverse outcomes. PMID:22809763

Differential response to soil salinity in endangered key tree cactus: implications for survival in a changing climate.

PubMed

Goodman, Joie; Maschinski, Joyce; Hughes, Phillip; McAuliffe, Joe; Roncal, Julissa; Powell, Devon; Sternberg, Leonel O'reilly

2012-01-01

Understanding reasons for biodiversity loss is essential for developing conservation and management strategies and is becoming increasingly urgent with climate change. Growing at elevations <1.4 m in the Florida Keys, USA, the endangered Key tree cactus (Pilosocereus robinii) experienced 84 percent loss of total stems from 1994 to 2007. The most severe losses of 99 and 88 percent stems occurred in the largest populations in the Lower Keys, where nine storms with high wind velocities and storm surges, occurred during this period. In contrast, three populations had substantial stem proliferation. To evaluate possible mortality factors related to changes in climate or forest structure, we examined habitat variables: soil salinity, elevation, canopy cover, and habitat structure near 16 dying or dead and 18 living plants growing in the Lower Keys. Soil salinity and elevation were the preliminary factors that discriminated live and dead plants. Soil salinity was 1.5 times greater, but elevation was 12 cm higher near dead plants than near live plants. However, distribution-wide stem loss was not significantly related to salinity or elevation. Controlled salinity trials indicated that salt tolerance to levels above 40 mM NaCl was related to maternal origin. Salt sensitive plants from the Lower Keys had less stem growth, lower root:shoot ratios, lower potassium: sodium ratios and lower recovery rate, but higher δ (13)C than a salt tolerant lineage of unknown origin. Unraveling the genetic structure of salt tolerant and salt sensitive lineages in the Florida Keys will require further genetic tests. Worldwide rare species restricted to fragmented, low-elevation island habitats, with little or no connection to higher ground will face challenges from climate change-related factors. These great conservation challenges will require traditional conservation actions and possibly managed relocation that must be informed by studies such as these.

Climate change, wine, and conservation.

PubMed

Hannah, Lee; Roehrdanz, Patrick R; Ikegami, Makihiko; Shepard, Anderson V; Shaw, M Rebecca; Tabor, Gary; Zhi, Lu; Marquet, Pablo A; Hijmans, Robert J

2013-04-23

Climate change is expected to impact ecosystems directly, such as through shifting climatic controls on species ranges, and indirectly, for example through changes in human land use that may result in habitat loss. Shifting patterns of agricultural production in response to climate change have received little attention as a potential impact pathway for ecosystems. Wine grape production provides a good test case for measuring indirect impacts mediated by changes in agriculture, because viticulture is sensitive to climate and is concentrated in Mediterranean climate regions that are global biodiversity hotspots. Here we demonstrate that, on a global scale, the impacts of climate change on viticultural suitability are substantial, leading to possible conservation conflicts in land use and freshwater ecosystems. Area suitable for viticulture decreases 25% to 73% in major wine producing regions by 2050 in the higher RCP 8.5 concentration pathway and 19% to 62% in the lower RCP 4.5. Climate change may cause establishment of vineyards at higher elevations that will increase impacts on upland ecosystems and may lead to conversion of natural vegetation as production shifts to higher latitudes in areas such as western North America. Attempts to maintain wine grape productivity and quality in the face of warming may be associated with increased water use for irrigation and to cool grapes through misting or sprinkling, creating potential for freshwater conservation impacts. Agricultural adaptation and conservation efforts are needed that anticipate these multiple possible indirect effects.

Climate change, wine, and conservation

PubMed Central

Hannah, Lee; Roehrdanz, Patrick R.; Ikegami, Makihiko; Shepard, Anderson V.; Shaw, M. Rebecca; Tabor, Gary; Zhi, Lu; Marquet, Pablo A.; Hijmans, Robert J.

2013-01-01

Climate change is expected to impact ecosystems directly, such as through shifting climatic controls on species ranges, and indirectly, for example through changes in human land use that may result in habitat loss. Shifting patterns of agricultural production in response to climate change have received little attention as a potential impact pathway for ecosystems. Wine grape production provides a good test case for measuring indirect impacts mediated by changes in agriculture, because viticulture is sensitive to climate and is concentrated in Mediterranean climate regions that are global biodiversity hotspots. Here we demonstrate that, on a global scale, the impacts of climate change on viticultural suitability are substantial, leading to possible conservation conflicts in land use and freshwater ecosystems. Area suitable for viticulture decreases 25% to 73% in major wine producing regions by 2050 in the higher RCP 8.5 concentration pathway and 19% to 62% in the lower RCP 4.5. Climate change may cause establishment of vineyards at higher elevations that will increase impacts on upland ecosystems and may lead to conversion of natural vegetation as production shifts to higher latitudes in areas such as western North America. Attempts to maintain wine grape productivity and quality in the face of warming may be associated with increased water use for irrigation and to cool grapes through misting or sprinkling, creating potential for freshwater conservation impacts. Agricultural adaptation and conservation efforts are needed that anticipate these multiple possible indirect effects. PMID:23569231

European Higher Education and the Process of Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ríos, Cristina

2011-01-01

European higher education has experienced substantial changes as a result of the ongoing implementation of the "Bologna Process." Twenty nine (29) European countries signed the "Bologna Declaration" in 1999 committing themselves to transform, through cooperation, an archaic and separated assortment of higher education…

Snowpack sensitivity to perturbed climate changes in alpine catchements

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

There is great interest in ascertaining the degree of climate change necessary to induce substantial changes in snow accumulation and ablation processes in mountain headwater catchments. Therefore, the response of mountain snow hydrology to changes in air temperature and precipitation was examined ...

Selective Intercultural Sensitivity to Different Sources of Cultural Identity: Study of Intercultural Sensitivity of Students at Teacher Education Programs of Georgia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tabatadze, Shalva; Gorgadze, Natia

2018-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the intercultural sensitivity of students in teacher educational programs at higher education institutes (HEIs) in Georgia. Design/methodology/approach: This research explored the intercultural sensitivity among 355 randomly selected students in teacher education programs at higher education…

Sensitivity to volcanic field boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Runge, Melody; Bebbington, Mark; Cronin, Shane; Lindsay, Jan; Rashad Moufti, Mohammed

2016-04-01

Volcanic hazard analyses are desirable where there is potential for future volcanic activity to affect a proximal population. This is frequently the case for volcanic fields (regions of distributed volcanism) where low eruption rates, fertile soil, and attractive landscapes draw populations to live close by. Forecasting future activity in volcanic fields almost invariably uses spatial or spatio-temporal point processes with model selection and development based on exploratory analyses of previous eruption data. For identifiability reasons, spatio-temporal processes, and practically also spatial processes, the definition of a spatial region is required to which volcanism is confined. However, due to the complex and predominantly unknown sub-surface processes driving volcanic eruptions, definition of a region based solely on geological information is currently impossible. Thus, the current approach is to fit a shape to the known previous eruption sites. The class of boundary shape is an unavoidable subjective decision taken by the forecaster that is often overlooked during subsequent analysis of results. This study shows the substantial effect that this choice may have on even the simplest exploratory methods for hazard forecasting, illustrated using four commonly used exploratory statistical methods and two very different regions: the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand, and Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For Harrat Rahat, sensitivity of results to boundary definition is substantial. For the Auckland Volcanic Field, the range of options resulted in similar shapes, nevertheless, some of the statistical tests still showed substantial variation in results. This work highlights the fact that when carrying out any hazard analysis on volcanic fields, it is vital to specify how the volcanic field boundary has been defined, assess the sensitivity of boundary choice, and to carry these assumptions and related uncertainties through to estimates of future activity and hazard analyses.

A Critical Analysis of the INQAAHE Guidelines of Good Practice for Higher Education Quality Assurance Agencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackmur, Douglas

2008-01-01

The International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education's Guidelines of Good Practice by higher education quality assurance agencies need substantial revision before they can be considered adequate by stakeholders in any national higher education system. Various revisions are proposed in this article. But the International…

Approaches to Analyzing the Outcomes of International Scholarship Programs for Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mawer, Matt

2017-01-01

International scholarship programs for higher education attract a substantial body of funding each year from national governments, supranational bodies, large charitable foundations, higher education institutions, and many smaller organizations. With aims variously shaped by international development and public diplomacy considerations,…

7 CFR 3405.15 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... substantial impact upon and advance the quality of food and agricultural sciences higher education by... strengthening the quality of higher education in the food and agricultural sciences? If successful, is the... agricultural sciences higher education? Are the products likely to be of high quality? Will the project...

7 CFR 3405.15 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... substantial impact upon and advance the quality of food and agricultural sciences higher education by... strengthening the quality of higher education in the food and agricultural sciences? If successful, is the... agricultural sciences higher education? Are the products likely to be of high quality? Will the project...

7 CFR 3405.15 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... substantial impact upon and advance the quality of food and agricultural sciences higher education by... strengthening the quality of higher education in the food and agricultural sciences? If successful, is the... agricultural sciences higher education? Are the products likely to be of high quality? Will the project...

7 CFR 3405.15 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... substantial impact upon and advance the quality of food and agricultural sciences higher education by... strengthening the quality of higher education in the food and agricultural sciences? If successful, is the... agricultural sciences higher education? Are the products likely to be of high quality? Will the project...

Predictors of conversion to dementia of probable Alzheimer type in patients with mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Modrego, Pedro J

2006-04-01

Mild Cognitive Impairment is a common condition defined as transitional state between normality and dementia of Alzheimer type. Clinically is characterized by subjective and objective memory loss beyond the expected for age and educational level, although a broad range of cognitive inefficiencies may appear, with preservation of daily living activities. Approximately half the patients convert to dementia within 3 years. Since no all patients convert to dementia it is essential to find reliable predictors so as to start the appropriate treatment as soon as possible. Extensive Medline-based search for articles dealing with predictors of conversion to dementia in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). There is a substantial body of literature dealing with predictors of dementia in patients with MCI. These predictors range from a simple delayed recall task on Mini-Mental to sophisticated radiological techniques and CSF biomarkers. Comprehensive neuropsychological tests rarely surpass 70% sensitivity and specificity. The presence of the APOE epsilon 4 allele has been associated with increased risk of conversion but the sensitivity is quite low. CSF biochemical markers are being developed with encouraging results. beta-amyloid 42 protein is usually lower in converters than in people with stable cognitive status and tau protein is higher. The sensitivity is substantial but specificity is so far low. An epitope of tau protein (P231) looks more specific of Alzheimer's disease and therefore a promising biomarker. In the blood, high beta-amyloid protein levels indicate risk of conversion but only a few studies have been published. Hippocampal or entorhinal atrophy on MRI is one of the most used radiological markers of conversion but quantification of atrophy is not simple as it is subject to artifacts and anatomic variations. Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) are emerging as the most promising predictive tools. The highest degree of accuracy (>90%) has been achieved by means of PET plus either memory performance or APOE4 genotype. However, the samples of the published studies are mostly small, and these instruments are not widely available. There is no enough evidence to recommend specific techniques for predictions. Until an accurate marker is developed, a combined use of cognitive tests, APOE genotype, and a neuroradiological technique is probably the best option for prediction purposes depending on availability and experience.

An integrated evaluation of the persistence and effects of 4-nonylphenol in an experimental littoral ecosystem

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

Liber, K.; Knuth, M.L.; Stay, F.S.

1999-03-01

A comprehensive littoral enclosure study was conducted to assess the persistence and distribution of 4-nonylphenol (NP) in a littoral ecosystem, and to evaluate the compound`s effects on resident aquatic biota. Enclosures with a mean ({+-} SD) surface area and volume of 31.4 {+-} 3.3 m{sup 2} and 32.0 {+-} 6.4 m{sup 3}, respectively, received eleven applications at 48-h intervals with one of four different rates of NP. This created a 20-d application period which was followed by a three to fourteen month observation period, depending on the endpoint measured. Mean {+-} SD NP concentrations in the water column measured 2more » h after each application averaged 5 {+-} 4, 23 {+-} 11, 76 {+-} 21, and 243 {+-} 41 {micro}g/L at nominal treatments of 3, 30, 100, and 300 {micro}g/L, respectively. Persistence in the water column was relatively short, with a dissipation half-life estimated at {le} 1.2 d. Persistence of NP in sediment and on macrophytes was substantially longer, with estimated half-lives of 28 to 104 d and 8 to 13 d, respectively. Zooplankton was the most sensitive group of organisms evaluated, with significant reductions in population abundances of some copepod taxa observed at the 23 {+-} 11-{micro}g/L treatment. Fish survival was affected at 243 {+-} 41 {micro}g/L. The most sensitive benthic macroinvertebrate taxon, Pisidium (Bivalvia) was affected at 76 {+-} 21 {micro}g/L, but most taxa were only affected at the 243 {+-} 41-{micro}g/L treatment. None of the assessed populations were affected at the 5 {+-} 4-{micro}g/L treatment. Macrophytes and periphyton were not adversely affected by any of the treatments. Overall community composition, assessed at the family level or higher, was not affected at or below the 23 {+-} 11-{micro}g/L treatment, but did exhibit substantial changes at the 243 {+-} 41-{micro}g/L treatment. Some minor changes were observed at the 76 {+-} 21-{micro}g/L treatment. The maximum acceptable toxicant concentration in the water column, based on protection of the most sensitive taxa in the test system, was estimated at {approximately} 10 {micro}g/L. Details on NP persistence and distribution within the enclosures, and detailed effects on zooplankton, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish are described in four separate papers immediately following this overview.« less

pH Optimum of Hemagglutinin-Mediated Membrane Fusion Determines Sensitivity of Influenza A Viruses to the Interferon-Induced Antiviral State and IFITMs.

PubMed

Gerlach, Thomas; Hensen, Luca; Matrosovich, Tatyana; Bergmann, Janina; Winkler, Michael; Peteranderl, Christin; Klenk, Hans-Dieter; Weber, Friedemann; Herold, Susanne; Pöhlmann, Stefan; Matrosovich, Mikhail

2017-06-01

The replication and pathogenicity of influenza A viruses (IAVs) critically depend on their ability to tolerate the antiviral interferon (IFN) response. To determine a potential role for the IAV hemagglutinin (HA) in viral sensitivity to IFN, we studied the restriction of IAV infection in IFN-β-treated human epithelial cells by using 2:6 recombinant IAVs that shared six gene segments of A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 virus (PR8) and contained HAs and neuraminidases of representative avian, human, and zoonotic H5N1 and H7N9 viruses. In A549 and Calu-3 cells, viruses displaying a higher pH optimum of HA-mediated membrane fusion, H5N1-PR8 and H7N9-PR8, were less sensitive to the IFN-induced antiviral state than their counterparts with HAs from duck and human viruses, which fused at a lower pH. The association between a high pH optimum of fusion and reduced IFN sensitivity was confirmed by using HA point mutants of A/Hong Kong/1/1968-PR8 that differed solely by their fusion properties. Furthermore, similar effects of the viral fusion pH on IFN sensitivity were observed in experiments with (i) primary human type II alveolar epithelial cells and differentiated cultures of human airway epithelial cells, (ii) nonrecombinant zoonotic and pandemic IAVs, and (iii) preparations of IFN-α and IFN-λ1. A higher pH of membrane fusion and reduced sensitivity to IFN correlated with lower restriction of the viruses in MDCK cells stably expressing the IFN-inducible transmembrane proteins IFITM2 and IFITM3, which are known to inhibit viral fusion. Our results reveal that the pH optimum of HA-driven membrane fusion of IAVs is a determinant of their sensitivity to IFN and IFITM proteins. IMPORTANCE The IFN system constitutes an important innate defense against viral infection. Substantial information is available on how IAVs avoid detection by sensors of the IFN system and disable IFN signaling pathways. Much less is known about the ability of IAVs to tolerate the antiviral activity of IFN-induced cellular proteins. The IFN-induced proteins of the IFITM family block IAV entry into target cells and can restrict viral spread and pathogenicity. Here we show for the first time that the sensitivity of IAVs to the IFN-induced antiviral state and IFITM2 and IFITM3 proteins depends on the pH value at which the viral HA undergoes a conformational transition and mediates membrane fusion. Our data imply that the high pH optimum of membrane fusion typical of zoonotic IAVs of gallinaceous poultry, such as H5N1 and H7N9, may contribute to their enhanced virulence in humans. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

pH Optimum of Hemagglutinin-Mediated Membrane Fusion Determines Sensitivity of Influenza A Viruses to the Interferon-Induced Antiviral State and IFITMs

PubMed Central

Gerlach, Thomas; Hensen, Luca; Matrosovich, Tatyana; Bergmann, Janina; Winkler, Michael; Peteranderl, Christin; Klenk, Hans-Dieter; Herold, Susanne

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The replication and pathogenicity of influenza A viruses (IAVs) critically depend on their ability to tolerate the antiviral interferon (IFN) response. To determine a potential role for the IAV hemagglutinin (HA) in viral sensitivity to IFN, we studied the restriction of IAV infection in IFN-β-treated human epithelial cells by using 2:6 recombinant IAVs that shared six gene segments of A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 virus (PR8) and contained HAs and neuraminidases of representative avian, human, and zoonotic H5N1 and H7N9 viruses. In A549 and Calu-3 cells, viruses displaying a higher pH optimum of HA-mediated membrane fusion, H5N1-PR8 and H7N9-PR8, were less sensitive to the IFN-induced antiviral state than their counterparts with HAs from duck and human viruses, which fused at a lower pH. The association between a high pH optimum of fusion and reduced IFN sensitivity was confirmed by using HA point mutants of A/Hong Kong/1/1968-PR8 that differed solely by their fusion properties. Furthermore, similar effects of the viral fusion pH on IFN sensitivity were observed in experiments with (i) primary human type II alveolar epithelial cells and differentiated cultures of human airway epithelial cells, (ii) nonrecombinant zoonotic and pandemic IAVs, and (iii) preparations of IFN-α and IFN-λ1. A higher pH of membrane fusion and reduced sensitivity to IFN correlated with lower restriction of the viruses in MDCK cells stably expressing the IFN-inducible transmembrane proteins IFITM2 and IFITM3, which are known to inhibit viral fusion. Our results reveal that the pH optimum of HA-driven membrane fusion of IAVs is a determinant of their sensitivity to IFN and IFITM proteins. IMPORTANCE The IFN system constitutes an important innate defense against viral infection. Substantial information is available on how IAVs avoid detection by sensors of the IFN system and disable IFN signaling pathways. Much less is known about the ability of IAVs to tolerate the antiviral activity of IFN-induced cellular proteins. The IFN-induced proteins of the IFITM family block IAV entry into target cells and can restrict viral spread and pathogenicity. Here we show for the first time that the sensitivity of IAVs to the IFN-induced antiviral state and IFITM2 and IFITM3 proteins depends on the pH value at which the viral HA undergoes a conformational transition and mediates membrane fusion. Our data imply that the high pH optimum of membrane fusion typical of zoonotic IAVs of gallinaceous poultry, such as H5N1 and H7N9, may contribute to their enhanced virulence in humans. PMID:28356532

Hepatic lipase gene variant -514C>T is associated with lipoprotein and insulin sensitivity response to regular exercise: the HERITAGE Family Study.

PubMed

Teran-Garcia, Margarita; Santoro, Nicola; Rankinen, Tuomo; Bergeron, Jean; Rice, Treva; Leon, Arthur S; Rao, D C; Skinner, James S; Bergman, Richard N; Després, Jean-Pierre; Bouchard, Claude

2005-07-01

We investigated the associations between the hepatic lipase gene (LIPC) -514C>T polymorphism and lipases, lipoproteins, and insulin sensitivity (Si) responses to exercise training. Hepatic lipase and lipoprotein lipase activities, plasma lipoprotein levels, and Si were measured in the sedentary state and post-exercise training in the Health, Risk Factors, Exercise Training, and Genetics (HERITAGE) Family Study (n=662). The LIPC -514C allele frequency was 0.516 (blacks) and 0.796 (whites). Baseline and post-exercise training hepatic lipase activities were 40% higher in CC homozygotes (P < 0.0001) in both races. Black CC homozygotes had lower baseline lipoprotein lipase activity, HDL cholesterol, HDL3, and apolipoprotein (apo)A-1 concentrations. White CC homozygotes had lower baseline HDL cholesterol, apoA-1, LDL cholesterol, and apoB levels that remained low post-exercise training. Baseline Si was not associated with the LIPC genotypes. However, training-induced improvements in Si both in blacks and whites were greater in CC homozygotes (+1.25 +/- 0.2 and +0.22 +/- 0.2 microU.min(-1).ml(-1)) than in the TT genotype (+0.27 +/- 0.3 and -0.97 +/- 0.3 microU.min(-1).ml(-1)) (P = 0.008 and P = 0.002, respectively). The LIPC -514C allele was associated with higher hepatic lipase activity in sedentary and physically active states and better Si responses to regular exercise both in black and white individuals. The benefits from an exercise program on Si are likely to be substantial in the general population given the high frequency of the LIPC -514C allele, particularly in whites.

Validation of assessment of intraoral digital photography for evaluation of dental restorations in clinical research.

PubMed

Signori, Cácia; Collares, Kauê; Cumerlato, Catarina B F; Correa, Marcos B; Opdam, Niek J M; Cenci, Maximiliano S

2018-04-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the validity of assessment of intraoral digital photography in the evaluation of dental restorations. Intraoral photographs of anterior and posterior restorations were classified based on FDI criteria according to the need for intervention: no intervention, repair and replacement. Evaluations were performed by an experienced expert in restorative dentistry (gold standard evaluator) and 3 trained dentists (consensus). The clinical inspection was the reference standard method. The prevalence of failures was explored. Cohen's kappa statistic was used. Validity was accessed by sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio and predictives values. Higher prevalence of failed restorations intervention was identified by the intraoral photography (17.7%) in comparison to the clinical evaluation (14.1%). Moderate agreement in the diagnosis of total failures was shown between the methods for the gold standard evaluator (kappa = 0.51) and consensus of evaluators (kappa = 0.53). Gold standard evaluator and consensus showed substantial and moderate agreement for posterior restorations (kappa = 0.61; 0.59), and fair and moderate agreement for anterior restorations (kappa = 0.36; 0.43), respectively. The accuracy was 84.8% in the assessment by intraoral photographs. Sensitivity and specificity values of 87.5% and 89.3% were found. Under the limits of this study, the assessment of digital photography performed by intraoral camera is an indirect diagnostic method valid for the evaluation of dental restorations, mainly in posterior teeth. This method should be employed taking into account the higher detection of defects provided by the images, which are not always clinically relevant. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pooling of Immunomagnetic Separation Beads Does Not Affect Detection Sensitivity of Six Major Serogroups of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Cattle Feces.

PubMed

Noll, Lance W; Baumgartner, William C; Shridhar, Pragathi B; Cull, Charley A; Dewsbury, Diana M; Shi, Xiaorong; Cernicchiaro, Natalia; Renter, David G; Nagaraja, T G

2016-01-01

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) of the serogroups O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145, often called non-O157 STEC, are foodborne pathogens. Cattle are asymptomatic reservoirs for STEC; the organisms reside in the hindgut and are shed in the feces, which serve as the source of food product contaminations. Culture-based detection of non-O157 STEC involves an immunomagnetic separation (IMS) step to capture the specific serogroups in complex matrices, such as feces. The IMS procedure is time consuming and labor intensive because of the need to subject each fecal sample to six individual beads. Therefore, our objective was to evaluate whether pooling of IMS beads affects sensitivity of non-O157 STEC detection compared with using individual IMS beads. The evaluation was done by comparing detection of serogroups in feces spiked with pure cultures (experiments 1 and 2) and from feces (n = 384) of naturally shedding cattle (experiment 3). In spiked fecal samples, detection with pools of three, four, six, or seven beads was similar to, or at times higher than, detection with individual IMS beads. In experiment 3, the proportions of fecal samples that tested positive for the six serogroups as detected by individual or pooled beads were similar. Based on noninferiority tests, detection with pooled beads was not substantially inferior to detection with individual beads (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the pooling of IMS beads is a better option for detection of STEC serogroups in fecal samples compared with individual beads because the procedure saves time and labor and has the prospect of a higher throughput.

Mastitis diagnosis in dairy cows using PathoProof real-time polymerase chain reaction assay in comparison with conventional bacterial culture in a Northern German field study.

PubMed

Spittel, Susanne; Hoedemaker, Martina

2012-01-01

In the following field study, the commercial PathoProof Mastitis PCR Assay, a real-time PCR for identifying eleven mastitis pathogens and the staphylococcal beta-lactamase gene, was compared with conventional bacterial culture. For this purpose, 681 udder quarter samples from 173 clinically healthy cows with varying somatic cell count from four dairy herds in the region of Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, Germany, were collected between July 2010 and February 2011 and subjected to PCR and bacterial culture. The frequency of positive pathogen signals was markedly higher with PCR compared with culture (70.6% vs. 32.2%). This was accompanied by a substantial higher percentage of multiple pathogen identifications and a lower percentage of single identifications in the PCR compared with bacterial culture. Using bacterial culture as gold standard, moderate to high sensitivities (76.9-100%) and specificities (63.3-98.7%) were calculated for six out of seven pathogens with sufficient detection numbers. For Enterococcus spp, the sensitivity was only 9.1%. When the PCR results of pooled udder quarter samples of the 173 cows were compared with the single udder quarter samples, in 72% of the cases, major pathogen DNA was either not found in both types of samples, or in the case of a positive pool sample, the respective pathogens were found in at least one udder quarter sample. With both methods, the most frequently detected mastitis pathogens were coryneform bacteria (PCR: Corynebacterium bovis), coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) and Staphylococcus (S.) aureus, followed by Arcanobacterium pyogenes/Peptoniphilus indolicus with PCR, and then with both methods, Streptococcus uberis. The staphylococcal beta-lactamase gene was found in 27.7% of the S. aureus and in 37.0% of the CNS identifications.

Bioavailability of insulin detemir and human insulin at the level of peripheral interstitial fluid in humans, assessed by open-flow microperfusion.

PubMed

Bodenlenz, M; Ellmerer, M; Schaupp, L; Jacobsen, L V; Plank, J; Brunner, G A; Wutte, A; Aigner, B; Mautner, S I; Pieber, T R

2015-12-01

To find an explanation for the lower potency of insulin detemir observed in humans compared with unmodified human insulin by investigating insulin detemir and human insulin concentrations directly at the level of peripheral insulin-sensitive tissues in humans in vivo. Euglycaemic-hyperinsulinaemic clamp experiments were performed in healthy volunteers. Human insulin was administered i.v. at 6 pmol/kg/min and insulin detemir at 60 pmol/kg/min, achieving a comparable steady-state pharmacodynamic action. In addition, insulin detemir was doubled to 120 pmol/kg/min. Minimally invasive open-flow microperfusion (OFM) sampling methodology was combined with inulin calibration to quantify human insulin and insulin detemir in the interstitial fluid (ISF) of subcutaneous adipose and skeletal muscle tissue. The human insulin concentration in the ISF was ∼115 pmol/l or ∼30% of the serum concentration, whereas the insulin detemir concentration in the ISF was ∼680 pmol/l or ∼2% of the serum concentration. The molar insulin detemir interstitial concentration was five to six times higher than the human insulin interstitial concentration and metabolic clearance of insulin detemir from serum was substantially reduced compared with human insulin. OFM proved useful for target tissue measurements of human insulin and the analogue insulin detemir. Our tissue data confirm a highly effective retention of insulin detemir in the vascular compartment. The higher insulin detemir relative to human insulin tissue concentrations at comparable pharmacodynamics, however, indicate that the lower potency of insulin detemir in humans is attributable to a reduced effect in peripheral insulin-sensitive tissues and is consistent with the reduced in vitro receptor affinity. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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

Daleu, C. L.; Plant, R. S.; Woolnough, S. J.

Here, as part of an international intercomparison project, a set of single-column models (SCMs) and cloud-resolving models (CRMs) are run under the weak-temperature gradient (WTG) method and the damped gravity wave (DGW) method. For each model, the implementation of the WTG or DGW method involves a simulated column which is coupled to a reference state defined with profiles obtained from the same model in radiative-convective equilibrium. The simulated column has the same surface conditions as the reference state and is initialized with profiles from the reference state. We performed systematic comparison of the behavior of different models under a consistentmore » implementation of the WTG method and the DGW method and systematic comparison of the WTG and DGW methods in models with different physics and numerics. CRMs and SCMs produce a variety of behaviors under both WTG and DGW methods. Some of the models reproduce the reference state while others sustain a large-scale circulation which results in either substantially lower or higher precipitation compared to the value of the reference state. CRMs show a fairly linear relationship between precipitation and circulation strength. SCMs display a wider range of behaviors than CRMs. Some SCMs under the WTG method produce zero precipitation. Within an individual SCM, a DGW simulation and a corresponding WTG simulation can produce different signed circulation. When initialized with a dry troposphere, DGW simulations always result in a precipitating equilibrium state. The greatest sensitivities to the initial moisture conditions occur for multiple stable equilibria in some WTG simulations, corresponding to either a dry equilibrium state when initialized as dry or a precipitating equilibrium state when initialized as moist. Multiple equilibria are seen in more WTG simulations for higher SST. In some models, the existence of multiple equilibria is sensitive to some parameters in the WTG calculations.« less

Comparison of media for enumeration of coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli in non-disinfected water.

PubMed

Pitkänen, Tarja; Paakkari, Piia; Miettinen, Ilkka T; Heinonen-Tanski, Helvi; Paulin, Lars; Hänninen, Marja-Liisa

2007-03-01

In this work alternative media for detection and enumeration of E. coli and coliform bacteria were compared to the reference method ISO 9308-1 (LTTC) using non-disinfected water samples with background flora. The alternative media included LES Endo agar medium (LES Endo), Colilert-18 with 51-well Quanti-tray (Colilert), Chromocult Coliform agar (CC), Harlequin E. coli/Coliform medium (HECM) and Chromogenic Escherichia coli/Coliform medium (CECM). A total of 110 samples of groundwater, bathing water and spiked water was used. Our results revealed that confirmation of coliform bacteria counts is necessary, not only on lactose-based LTTC and LES Endo media, but also on the chromogenic agar media tested, due to the growth of oxidase positive colonies. LTTC and CC media also allowed the growth of some morphologically typical coliform colonies containing gram-positive bacteria. The recovery of coliform bacteria was lower on LES Endo than on LTTC. In most cases Colilert, CC, HECM and CECM gave higher coliform counts than LTTC. The use of the LTTC medium led to higher E. coli counts than obtained with any of the alternative mediums. There are three explanations for this: (1) high sensitivity of LTTC, (2) false positives on LTTC or (3) false negatives especially with Colilert, but also with chromogenic agar media. Although LTTC was found to be a very sensitive medium, the high degree of background growth of non-disinfected waters disturbed substantially the use of it. In conclusion, our results suggest that Colilert, CC and CECM are potential alternative media for detection of coliform bacteria and E. coli from non-disinfected water.

Inorganic aerosols responses to emission changes in Yangtze River Delta, China.

PubMed

Dong, Xinyi; Li, Juan; Fu, Joshua S; Gao, Yang; Huang, Kan; Zhuang, Guoshun

2014-05-15

The new Chinese National Ambient Air Quality standards (CH-NAAQS) published on Feb. 29th, 2012 listed PM2.5 as criteria pollutant for the very first time. In order to probe into PM2.5 pollution over Yangtze River Delta, the integrated MM5/CMAQ modeling system is applied for a full year simulation to examine the PM2.5 concentration and seasonality, and also the inorganic aerosols responses to precursor emission changes. Total PM2.5 concentration over YRD was found to have strong seasonal variation with higher values in winter months (up to 89.9 μg/m(3) in January) and lower values in summer months (down to 28.8 μg/m(3) in July). Inorganic aerosols were found to have substantial contribution to PM2.5 over YRD, ranging from 37.1% in November to 52.8% in May. Nocturnal production of nitrate (NO3(-)) through heterogeneous hydrolysis of N2O5 was found significantly contribute to high NO3(-) concentration throughout the year. In winter, NO3(-) was found to increase under nitrogen oxides (NOx) emission reduction due to higher production of N2O5 from the excessive ozone (O3) introduced by attenuated titration, which further lead to increase of ammonium (NH4(+)) and sulfate (SO4(2-)), while other seasons showed decrease response of NO3(-). Sensitivity responses of NO3(-) under anthropogenic VOC emission reduction was examined and demonstrated that in urban areas over YRD, NO3(-) formation was actually more sensitive to VOC than NOx due to the O3-involved nighttime chemistry of N2O5, while a reduction of NOx emission may have counter-intuitive effect by increasing concentrations of inorganic aerosols. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of Minimum Important Difference and Substantial Clinical Benefit with the Vascular Quality of Life Questionnaire-6 when Evaluating Revascularisation Procedures in Peripheral Arterial Disease.

PubMed

Nordanstig, J; Pettersson, M; Morgan, M; Falkenberg, M; Kumlien, C

2017-09-01

Patient reported outcomes are increasingly used to assess outcomes after peripheral arterial disease (PAD) interventions. VascuQoL-6 (VQ-6) is a PAD specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument for routine clinical practice and clinical research. This study assessed the minimum important difference for the VQ-6 and determined thresholds for the minimum important difference and substantial clinical benefit following PAD revascularisation. This was a population-based observational cohort study. VQ-6 data from the Swedvasc Registry (January 2014 to September 2016) was analysed for revascularised PAD patients. The minimum important difference was determined using a combination of a distribution based and an anchor-based method, while receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (ROC) was used to determine optimal thresholds for a substantial clinical benefit following revascularisation. A total of 3194 revascularised PAD patients with complete VQ-6 baseline recordings (intermittent claudication (IC) n = 1622 and critical limb ischaemia (CLI) n = 1572) were studied, of which 2996 had complete VQ-6 recordings 30 days and 1092 a year after the vascular intervention. The minimum important difference 1 year after revascularisation for IC patients ranged from 1.7 to 2.2 scale steps, depending on the method of analysis. Among CLI patients, the minimum important difference after 1 year was 1.9 scale steps. ROC analyses demonstrated that the VQ-6 discriminative properties for a substantial clinical benefit was excellent for IC patients (area under curve (AUC) 0.87, sensitivity 0.81, specificity 0.76) and acceptable in CLI (AUC 0.736, sensitivity 0.63, specificity 0.72). An optimal VQ-6 threshold for a substantial clinical benefit was determined at 3.5 scale steps among IC patients and 4.5 in CLI patients. The suggested thresholds for minimum important difference and substantial clinical benefit could be used when evaluating VQ-6 outcomes following different interventions in PAD and in the design of clinical trials. Copyright © 2017 European Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Simplified Apparatus for Ebullioscopic Measurements of Air/Moisture Sensitive Compounds.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bulkin, Bernard J.; Tergis, Paul

1979-01-01

An ebullioscopic apparatus is described in which only the difference between the boiling point of the solution and that of the pure solvent is measured. This substantially reduces the cost of the apparatus and simplifies the operation, while maintaining precision. (BB)

Sensitivity Enhancement in Si Nanophotonic Waveguides Used for Refractive Index Sensing

PubMed Central

Shi, Yaocheng; Ma, Ke; Dai, Daoxin

2016-01-01

A comparative study is given for the sensitivity of several typical Si nanophotonic waveguides, including SOI (silicon-on-insulator) nanowires, nanoslot waveguides, suspended Si nanowires, and nanofibers. The cases for gas sensing (ncl ~ 1.0) and liquid sensing (ncl ~ 1.33) are considered. When using SOI nanowires (with a SiO2 buffer layer), the sensitivity for liquid sensing (S ~ 0.55) is higher than that for gas sensing (S ~ 0.35) due to lower asymmetry in the vertical direction. By using SOI nanoslot waveguides, suspended Si nanowires, and Si nanofibers, one could achieve a higher sensitivity compared to sensing with a free-space beam (S = 1.0). The sensitivity for gas sensing is higher than that for liquid sensing due to the higher index-contrast. The waveguide sensitivity of an optimized suspended Si nanowire for gas sensing is as high as 1.5, which is much higher than that of a SOI nanoslot waveguide. Furthermore, the optimal design has very large tolerance to the core width variation due to the fabrication error (∆w ~ ±50 nm). In contrast, a Si nanofiber could also give a very high sensitivity (e.g., ~1.43) while the fabrication tolerance is very small (i.e., ∆w < ±5 nm). The comparative study shows that suspended Si nanowire is a good choice to achieve ultra-high waveguide sensitivity. PMID:26950132

Sensitivity Enhancement in Si Nanophotonic Waveguides Used for Refractive Index Sensing.

PubMed

Shi, Yaocheng; Ma, Ke; Dai, Daoxin

2016-03-03

A comparative study is given for the sensitivity of several typical Si nanophotonic waveguides, including SOI (silicon-on-insulator) nanowires, nanoslot waveguides, suspended Si nanowires, and nanofibers. The cases for gas sensing (ncl ~ 1.0) and liquid sensing (ncl ~ 1.33) are considered. When using SOI nanowires (with a SiO₂ buffer layer), the sensitivity for liquid sensing (S ~ 0.55) is higher than that for gas sensing (S ~ 0.35) due to lower asymmetry in the vertical direction. By using SOI nanoslot waveguides, suspended Si nanowires, and Si nanofibers, one could achieve a higher sensitivity compared to sensing with a free-space beam (S = 1.0). The sensitivity for gas sensing is higher than that for liquid sensing due to the higher index-contrast. The waveguide sensitivity of an optimized suspended Si nanowire for gas sensing is as high as 1.5, which is much higher than that of a SOI nanoslot waveguide. Furthermore, the optimal design has very large tolerance to the core width variation due to the fabrication error (∆w ~ ±50 nm). In contrast, a Si nanofiber could also give a very high sensitivity (e.g., ~1.43) while the fabrication tolerance is very small (i.e., ∆w < ±5 nm). The comparative study shows that suspended Si nanowire is a good choice to achieve ultra-high waveguide sensitivity.

Effects of ultraviolet-B radiation on fungal disease development in Cucumis sativus

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

Orth, A.B.; Teramura, A.H.; Sisler, H.D.

1990-09-01

Stratospheric ozone depletion due to increased atmospheric pollutants has received considerable attention because of the potential increase in ultraviolet-B (UV-B, 280-320 nm) radiation that will reach the earth's surface. Three cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cultivars were exposed to a daily dose of 11.6 kJ m{sup {minus}2} biologically effective ultraviolet-B (UV-B{sub BE}) radiation in an unshaded greenhouse before and/or after injection by Colletotrichum lagenarium (Pass.) Ell. and Halst. or Cladosporium cucumerinum Ell. and Arth. and analyzed for disease development. Two of these cultivars, Poinsette and Calypso Hybrid, were disease resistant, while the third cultivar, Straight-8, was disease susceptible. Preinfectional treatment ofmore » 1 to 7 days with UV-B{sub BE} in Straight-8 led to greater severity of both diseases. Postinfectional UV treatment did not lead to increased disease severity caused by C. lagenarium, while preinfectional UV treatment in both Straight-8 and Poinsette substantially increased disease severity. Although resistant cultivars Poinsette and Calypso Hybrid showed increased anthracnose disease severity when exposed to UV-B, this effect was apparent only on the cotyledons. Both higher spore concentration and exposure to UV-B radiation resulted in greater disease severity. Of the cucumber cultivars tested for UV-B sensitivity, growth in Poinsette was most sensitive and Calypso Hybrid was least sensitive. These preliminary results indicate that the effects of UV-B radiation on disease development in cucumber vary depending on cultivar, timing and duration of UV-B exposure, inoculation level, and plant age.« less

Constraints on High Northern Photosynthesis Increase Using Earth System Models and a Set of Independent Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winkler, A. J.; Brovkin, V.; Myneni, R.; Alexandrov, G.

2017-12-01

Plant growth in the northern high latitudes benefits from increasing temperature (radiative effect) and CO2 fertilization as a consequence of rising atmospheric CO2 concentration. This enhanced gross primary production (GPP) is evident in large scale increase in summer time greening over the 36-year record of satellite observations. In this time period also various global ecosystem models simulate a greening trend in terms of increasing leaf area index (LAI). We also found a persistent greening trend analyzing historical simulations of Earth system models (ESM) participating in Phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). However, these models span a large range in strength of the LAI trend, expressed as sensitivity to both key environmental factors, temperature and CO2 concentration. There is also a wide spread in magnitude of the associated increase of terrestrial GPP among the ESMs, which contributes to pronounced uncertainties in projections of future climate change. Here we demonstrate that there is a linear relationship across the CMIP5 model ensemble between projected GPP changes and historical LAI sensitivity, which allows using the observed LAI sensitivity as an "emerging constraint" on GPP estimation at future CO2 concentration. This constrained estimate of future GPP is substantially higher than the traditional multi-model mean suggesting that the majority of current ESMs may be significantly underestimating carbon fixation by vegetation in NHL. We provide three independent lines of evidence in analyzing observed and simulated CO2 amplitude as well as atmospheric CO2 inversion products to arrive at the same conclusion.

Thiazolides inhibit growth and induce glutathione-S-transferase Pi (GSTP1)-dependent cell death in human colon cancer cells.

PubMed

Müller, Joachim; Sidler, Daniel; Nachbur, Ueli; Wastling, Jonathan; Brunner, Thomas; Hemphill, Andrew

2008-10-15

Thiazolides are a novel class of broad-spectrum anti-infective drugs with promising in vitro and in vivo activities against intracellular and extracellular protozoan parasites. The nitrothiazole-analogue nitazoxanide (NTZ; 2-acetolyloxy-N-(5-nitro 2-thiazolyl) benzamide) represents the thiazolide parent compound, and a number of bromo- and carboxy-derivatives with differing activities have been synthesized. Here we report that NTZ and the bromo-thiazolide RM4819, but not the carboxy-thiazolide RM4825, inhibited proliferation of the colon cancer cell line Caco2 and nontransformed human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF) at or below concentrations the compounds normally exhibit anti-parasitic activity. Thiazolides induced typical signs of apoptosis, such as nuclear condensation, DNA fragmentation and phosphatidylserine exposure. Interestingly, the apoptosis-inducing effect of thiazolides appeared to be cell cycle-dependent and induction of cell cycle arrest substantially inhibited the cell death-inducing activity of these compounds. Using affinity chromatography and mass spectrometry glutathione-S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) from the GST class Pi was identified as a major thiazolide-binding protein. GSTP1 expression was more than 10 times higher in the thiazolide-sensitive Caco2 cells than in the less sensitive HFF cells. The enzymatic activity of recombinant GSTP1 was strongly inhibited by thiazolides. Silencing of GSTP1 using siRNA rendered cells insensitive to RM4819, while overexpression of GSTP1 increased sensitivity to RM4819-induced cell death. Thiazolides may thus represent an interesting novel class of future cancer therapeutics.

Antarctic ice sheet sensitivity to atmospheric CO2 variations in the early to mid-Miocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levy, Richard; Harwood, David; Florindo, Fabio; Sangiorgi, Francesca; Tripati, Robert; von Eynatten, Hilmar; Gasson, Edward; Kuhn, Gerhard; Tripati, Aradhna; DeConto, Robert; Fielding, Christopher; Field, Brad; Golledge, Nicholas; McKay, Robert; Naish, Timothy; Olney, Matthew; Pollard, David; Schouten, Stefan; Talarico, Franco; Warny, Sophie; Willmott, Veronica; Acton, Gary; Panter, Kurt; Paulsen, Timothy; Taviani, Marco; SMS Science Team; Acton, Gary; Askin, Rosemary; Atkins, Clifford; Bassett, Kari; Beu, Alan; Blackstone, Brian; Browne, Gregory; Ceregato, Alessandro; Cody, Rosemary; Cornamusini, Gianluca; Corrado, Sveva; DeConto, Robert; Del Carlo, Paola; Di Vincenzo, Gianfranco; Dunbar, Gavin; Falk, Candice; Field, Brad; Fielding, Christopher; Florindo, Fabio; Frank, Tracy; Giorgetti, Giovanna; Grelle, Thomas; Gui, Zi; Handwerger, David; Hannah, Michael; Harwood, David M.; Hauptvogel, Dan; Hayden, Travis; Henrys, Stuart; Hoffmann, Stefan; Iacoviello, Francesco; Ishman, Scott; Jarrard, Richard; Johnson, Katherine; Jovane, Luigi; Judge, Shelley; Kominz, Michelle; Konfirst, Matthew; Krissek, Lawrence; Kuhn, Gerhard; Lacy, Laura; Levy, Richard; Maffioli, Paola; Magens, Diana; Marcano, Maria C.; Millan, Cristina; Mohr, Barbara; Montone, Paola; Mukasa, Samuel; Naish, Timothy; Niessen, Frank; Ohneiser, Christian; Olney, Mathew; Panter, Kurt; Passchier, Sandra; Patterson, Molly; Paulsen, Timothy; Pekar, Stephen; Pierdominici, Simona; Pollard, David; Raine, Ian; Reed, Joshua; Reichelt, Lucia; Riesselman, Christina; Rocchi, Sergio; Sagnotti, Leonardo; Sandroni, Sonia; Sangiorgi, Francesca; Schmitt, Douglas; Speece, Marvin; Storey, Bryan; Strada, Eleonora; Talarico, Franco; Taviani, Marco; Tuzzi, Eva; Verosub, Kenneth; von Eynatten, Hilmar; Warny, Sophie; Wilson, Gary; Wilson, Terry; Wonik, Thomas; Zattin, Massimiliano

2016-03-01

Geological records from the Antarctic margin offer direct evidence of environmental variability at high southern latitudes and provide insight regarding ice sheet sensitivity to past climate change. The early to mid-Miocene (23-14 Mya) is a compelling interval to study as global temperatures and atmospheric CO2 concentrations were similar to those projected for coming centuries. Importantly, this time interval includes the Miocene Climatic Optimum, a period of global warmth during which average surface temperatures were 3-4 °C higher than today. Miocene sediments in the ANDRILL-2A drill core from the Western Ross Sea, Antarctica, indicate that the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) was highly variable through this key time interval. A multiproxy dataset derived from the core identifies four distinct environmental motifs based on changes in sedimentary facies, fossil assemblages, geochemistry, and paleotemperature. Four major disconformities in the drill core coincide with regional seismic discontinuities and reflect transient expansion of grounded ice across the Ross Sea. They correlate with major positive shifts in benthic oxygen isotope records and generally coincide with intervals when atmospheric CO2 concentrations were at or below preindustrial levels (˜280 ppm). Five intervals reflect ice sheet minima and air temperatures warm enough for substantial ice mass loss during episodes of high (˜500 ppm) atmospheric CO2. These new drill core data and associated ice sheet modeling experiments indicate that polar climate and the AIS were highly sensitive to relatively small changes in atmospheric CO2 during the early to mid-Miocene.

Efficient statistical tests to compare Youden index: accounting for contingency correlation.

PubMed

Chen, Fangyao; Xue, Yuqiang; Tan, Ming T; Chen, Pingyan

2015-04-30

Youden index is widely utilized in studies evaluating accuracy of diagnostic tests and performance of predictive, prognostic, or risk models. However, both one and two independent sample tests on Youden index have been derived ignoring the dependence (association) between sensitivity and specificity, resulting in potentially misleading findings. Besides, paired sample test on Youden index is currently unavailable. This article develops efficient statistical inference procedures for one sample, independent, and paired sample tests on Youden index by accounting for contingency correlation, namely associations between sensitivity and specificity and paired samples typically represented in contingency tables. For one and two independent sample tests, the variances are estimated by Delta method, and the statistical inference is based on the central limit theory, which are then verified by bootstrap estimates. For paired samples test, we show that the estimated covariance of the two sensitivities and specificities can be represented as a function of kappa statistic so the test can be readily carried out. We then show the remarkable accuracy of the estimated variance using a constrained optimization approach. Simulation is performed to evaluate the statistical properties of the derived tests. The proposed approaches yield more stable type I errors at the nominal level and substantially higher power (efficiency) than does the original Youden's approach. Therefore, the simple explicit large sample solution performs very well. Because we can readily implement the asymptotic and exact bootstrap computation with common software like R, the method is broadly applicable to the evaluation of diagnostic tests and model performance. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance arthrography and computed tomography for the detection of chondral lesions of the knee.

PubMed

Smith, Toby O; Drew, Benjamin T; Toms, Andoni P; Donell, Simon T; Hing, Caroline B

2012-12-01

To assess the diagnostic test accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance arthrography (MRA) and computed tomography arthrography (CTA) for the detection of chondral lesions of the patellofemoral and tibiofemoral joints. A review of published and unpublished literature sources was conducted on 22nd September 2011. All studies assessing the diagnostic test accuracy (sensitivity/specificity) of MRI or MRA or CTA for the assessment of adults with chondral (cartilage) lesions of the knee (tibiofemoral/patellofemoral joints) with surgical comparison (arthroscopic or open) as the reference test were included. Data were analysed through meta-analysis. Twenty-seven studies assessing 2,592 knees from 2,509 patients were included. The findings indicated that whilst presenting a high specificity (0.95-0.99), the sensitivity of MRA, MRI and CTA ranged from 0.70 to 0.80. MRA was superior to MRI and CTA for the detection of patellofemoral joint chondral lesions and that higher field-strength MRI scanner and grade four lesions were more accurately detected compared with lower field-strength and grade one lesions. There appeared no substantial difference in diagnostic accuracy between the interpretation from musculoskeletal and general radiologists when undertaking an MRI review of tibiofemoral and patellofemoral chondral lesions. Specialist radiological imaging is specific for cartilage disease in the knee but has poorer sensitivity to determine the therapeutic options in this population. Due to this limitation, there remains little indication to replace the 'gold-standard' arthroscopic investigation with MRI, MRA or CTA for the assessment of adults with chondral lesions of the knee. II.

Antarctic ice sheet sensitivity to atmospheric CO2 variations in the early to mid-Miocene

PubMed Central

Levy, Richard; Harwood, David; Florindo, Fabio; Sangiorgi, Francesca; Tripati, Robert; von Eynatten, Hilmar; Tripati, Aradhna; DeConto, Robert; Fielding, Christopher; Field, Brad; Golledge, Nicholas; McKay, Robert; Naish, Timothy; Olney, Matthew; Pollard, David; Schouten, Stefan; Talarico, Franco; Warny, Sophie; Willmott, Veronica; Acton, Gary; Panter, Kurt; Paulsen, Timothy; Taviani, Marco

2016-01-01

Geological records from the Antarctic margin offer direct evidence of environmental variability at high southern latitudes and provide insight regarding ice sheet sensitivity to past climate change. The early to mid-Miocene (23–14 Mya) is a compelling interval to study as global temperatures and atmospheric CO2 concentrations were similar to those projected for coming centuries. Importantly, this time interval includes the Miocene Climatic Optimum, a period of global warmth during which average surface temperatures were 3–4 °C higher than today. Miocene sediments in the ANDRILL-2A drill core from the Western Ross Sea, Antarctica, indicate that the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) was highly variable through this key time interval. A multiproxy dataset derived from the core identifies four distinct environmental motifs based on changes in sedimentary facies, fossil assemblages, geochemistry, and paleotemperature. Four major disconformities in the drill core coincide with regional seismic discontinuities and reflect transient expansion of grounded ice across the Ross Sea. They correlate with major positive shifts in benthic oxygen isotope records and generally coincide with intervals when atmospheric CO2 concentrations were at or below preindustrial levels (∼280 ppm). Five intervals reflect ice sheet minima and air temperatures warm enough for substantial ice mass loss during episodes of high (∼500 ppm) atmospheric CO2. These new drill core data and associated ice sheet modeling experiments indicate that polar climate and the AIS were highly sensitive to relatively small changes in atmospheric CO2 during the early to mid-Miocene. PMID:26903644

Antarctic ice sheet sensitivity to atmospheric CO2 variations in the early to mid-Miocene.

PubMed

Levy, Richard; Harwood, David; Florindo, Fabio; Sangiorgi, Francesca; Tripati, Robert; von Eynatten, Hilmar; Gasson, Edward; Kuhn, Gerhard; Tripati, Aradhna; DeConto, Robert; Fielding, Christopher; Field, Brad; Golledge, Nicholas; McKay, Robert; Naish, Timothy; Olney, Matthew; Pollard, David; Schouten, Stefan; Talarico, Franco; Warny, Sophie; Willmott, Veronica; Acton, Gary; Panter, Kurt; Paulsen, Timothy; Taviani, Marco

2016-03-29

Geological records from the Antarctic margin offer direct evidence of environmental variability at high southern latitudes and provide insight regarding ice sheet sensitivity to past climate change. The early to mid-Miocene (23-14 Mya) is a compelling interval to study as global temperatures and atmospheric CO2 concentrations were similar to those projected for coming centuries. Importantly, this time interval includes the Miocene Climatic Optimum, a period of global warmth during which average surface temperatures were 3-4 °C higher than today. Miocene sediments in the ANDRILL-2A drill core from the Western Ross Sea, Antarctica, indicate that the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) was highly variable through this key time interval. A multiproxy dataset derived from the core identifies four distinct environmental motifs based on changes in sedimentary facies, fossil assemblages, geochemistry, and paleotemperature. Four major disconformities in the drill core coincide with regional seismic discontinuities and reflect transient expansion of grounded ice across the Ross Sea. They correlate with major positive shifts in benthic oxygen isotope records and generally coincide with intervals when atmospheric CO2 concentrations were at or below preindustrial levels (∼280 ppm). Five intervals reflect ice sheet minima and air temperatures warm enough for substantial ice mass loss during episodes of high (∼500 ppm) atmospheric CO2 These new drill core data and associated ice sheet modeling experiments indicate that polar climate and the AIS were highly sensitive to relatively small changes in atmospheric CO2 during the early to mid-Miocene.

Controlled Release in Transdermal Pressure Sensitive Adhesives using Organosilicate Nanocomposites

PubMed Central

Shaikh, Sohel; Birdi, Anil; Qutubuddin, Syed; Lakatosh, Eric; Baskaran, Harihara

2010-01-01

Polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) based pressure sensitive adhesives (PSA) incorporating organo-clays at different loadings were fabricated via solution casting. Partially exfoliated nanocomposites were obtained for the hydroxyl terminated PDMS in ethyl acetate solvent as determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Drug release studies showed that the initial burst release was substantially reduced and the drug release could be controlled by the addition of organo-clay. Shear strength and shear adhesion failure temperature (SAFT) measurements indicated substantial improvement in adhesive properties of the PSA nanocomposite adhesives. Shear strength showed more than 200 % improvement at the lower clay loadings and the SAFT increased by about 21% due to the reinforcement provided by the nano-dispersed clay platelets. It was found that by optimizing the level of the organosilicate additive to the polymer matrix, superior control over drug release kinetics and simultaneous improvements in adhesive properties could be attained for a transdermal PSA formulation. PMID:17786555

Sensitivity of climate mitigation strategies to natural disturbances

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

Le Page, Yannick LB; Hurtt, George; Thomson, Allison M.

2013-02-19

The present and future concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide depends on both anthropogenic and natural sources and sinks of carbon. Most proposed climate mitigation strategies rely on a progressive transition to carbon12 efficient technologies to reduce industrial emissions, substantially supported by policies to maintain or enhance the terrestrial carbon stock in forests and other ecosystems. This strategy may be challenged if terrestrial sequestration capacity is affected by future climate feedbacks, but how and to what extent is little understood. Here, we show that climate mitigation strategies are highly sensitive to future natural disturbance rates (e.g. fires, hurricanes, droughts), because ofmore » potential effect of disturbances on the terrestrial carbon balance. Generally, altered disturbance rates affect the pace of societal and technological transitions required to achieve the mitigation target, with substantial consequences on the energy sector and on the global economy. Understanding the future dynamics and consequences of natural disturbances on terrestrial carbon balance is thus essential for developing robust climate mitigation strategies and policies« less

Breakthrough Capability for UVOIR Space Astronomy: Reaching the Darkest Sky

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenhouse, Matthew A.; Benson, Scott W.; Englander, Jacob; Falck, Robert D.; Fixsen, Dale J.; Gardner, Jonathan P.; Kruk, Jeffery W.; Oleson, Steven R.; Thronson, Harley A.

2015-01-01

We describe how availability of new solar electric propulsion (SEP) technology can substantially increase the science capability of space astronomy missions working within the near-UV to far-infrared (UVOIR) spectrum by making dark sky orbits accessible for the first time. We present two case studies in which SEP is used to enable a 700 kg Explorer-class and 7000 kg flagship-class observatory payload to reach an orbit beyond where the zodiacal dust limits observatory sensitivity. The resulting scientific performance advantage relative to a Sun-Earth L2 point (SEL2) orbit is presented and discussed. We find that making SEP available to astrophysics Explorers can enable this small payload program to rival the science performance of much larger long development-time systems. Similarly, we find that astrophysics utilization of high power SEP being developed for the Asteroid Redirect Robotics Mission (ARRM) can have a substantial impact on the sensitivity performance of heavier flagship-class astrophysics payloads such as the UVOIR successor to the James Webb Space Telescope.

Relationship between Trends in Land Precipitation and Tropical SST Gradient

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chung, Chul Eddy; Ramanathan, V.

2007-01-01

In this study, we examined global zonal/annual mean precipitation trends. Land precipitation trend from 1951 to 2002 shows widespread drying between 10 S to 20 N but the trend from 1977 to 2002 shows partial recovery. Based on general circulation model sensitivity studies, we suggested that these features are driven largely by the meridional SST gradient trend in the tropics. Our idealized CCM3 experiments substantiated that land precipitation is more sensitive to meridional SST gradient than to an overall tropical warming. Various simulations produced for the IPCC 4th assessment report demonstrate that increasing CO2 increases SST in the entire tropics non-uniformly and increases land precipitation only in certain latitude belts, again pointing to the importance of SST gradient change. Temporally varying aerosols in the IPCC simulations alter meridional SST gradient and land precipitation substantially. Anthropogenic aerosol direct solar forcing without its effects on SST is shown by the CCM3 to have weak but non-negligible influence on land precipitation.

Long-circulating, pH-sensitive liposomes versus long-circulating, non-pH-sensitive liposomes as a delivery system for tumor identification.

PubMed

de Barros, André Luís Branco; Mota, Luciene das Graças; Soares, Daniel Crístian Ferreira; de Souza, Cristina Maria; Cassali, Geovanni Dantas; Oliveira, Mônica Cristina; Cardoso, Valbert Nascimento

2013-09-01

Bombesin (BBN) is a tetradecapeptide that binds specifically to gastrin-releasing peptide receptors in humans. Several forms of cancer, including lung, prostate, breast, and colon over-express receptors for bombesin-like peptides. Therefore, radiolabeled bombesin analogs might be useful for tumor identification. Nevertheless, it is well known that higher tumor uptake can yield images in higher quality. Hence, drug delivery systems, such as liposomes, can be used to achieve a higher concentration of radiotracer in tumor site, and also improve the radiotracer stability, since peptides can suffer easily degradation in vivo by natural plasma and tissue peptides. In this paper, we prepared long-circulating, pH-sensitive liposomes and long-circulation, non-pH sensitive liposomes. Both formulations were able to encapsulate the radiolabeled bombesin derivative (99mTc-BBN(7_14)), and also showing high in vitro stability. Biodistribution studies were performed in Ehrlich tumor bearing-mice to compare the ability of pH-sensitive and non-pH sensitive liposomes to deliver 99mTc-BBN(7_14) to tumor site. Results showed higher tumor uptake (2-fold) when pH-sensitive liposomes were used, suggesting that these vesicles can facilitate the access to the tumor by releasing the diagnostic agent into the ideal area. As a result, tumor-to-muscle ratio achieved with pH-sensitive liposomes was higher than that obtained with non-pH-sensitive formulation. In addition, scintigraphic images for pH-sensitive liposomes showed evident tumor uptake, corroborating with biodistribution data. Therefore, the results presented in this paper suggest that pH-sensitive liposomes are able to deliver more efficiently the radiolabeled bombesin analog. This finding poses a new possibility to improve images quality, since the tumor-to-muscle ratio was strongly enhanced.

Obese children experience higher plantar pressure and lower foot sensitivity than non-obese.

PubMed

da Rocha, Emmanuel Souza; Bratz, Denise Tiane Klein; Gubert, Larissa Colaço; de David, Ana; Carpes, Felipe P

2014-08-01

Children obesity is a risk factor for several dysfunctions and diseases, with negative effects on the morphology of the locomotor system, plantar pressure and body stability. A relationship between postural control and sensorimotor information has been assumed. However, there is few data on the effects of children obesity on the availability of sensorial information from the foot during standing. Twenty obese and twenty non-obese children were evaluated for foot sensitivity and plantar pressure during unipedal and bipedal stance. Data were compared between obese and non-obese participants, between foot regions and between legs. Obese children experiences higher plantar pressure and have lower foot sensitivity than non-obese. Additionally, obese children had similar sensitivity for different foot regions, as compared to the non-obese. Children obesity negatively influences foot sensitivity. Bipedal stance seemed more sensitive to differentiate between obese and non-obese. Higher plantar pressure and lower foot sensitivity in obese children may affect performance of weight bearing activities, contribute to higher risk of foot injuries and have potential implication for children footwear design and clinical physical examination. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Characteristic of sample banks isolated from EDTA-blood by sedimentation method].

PubMed

Chen, Zhi-bin; Lin, Qin; Ma, Chang-hua; Liu, Kai-ning; Meng, Huan-xin

2014-02-18

To assess the characteristics of establishing the different sample banks of plasma, leukocytes and DNA by sedimentation method of isolating from ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid(EDTA)-blood and to clarify the sedimentation method of leukocyte isolation and plasma volume by comparative data and recommended procedures for applicability. In the study, 29 EDTA-bloods were obtained, the total amounts of leukocytes and the percentage of neutrophile granulocytes, and lymphocytes in the EDTA-blood detected as a control group and then assigned equally into 4 EP tubes with 1 mL EDTA-blood per tube as 4 test groups, then the 4 tubes were placed with the EDTA-blood at room temperature and the plasma layers were isolated at 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 h, receptively. The total amount of leukocytes and the percentage of neutrophile granulocytes, and lymphocytes were detected by automated hematology analyzer at the clinical laboratory. The volume of the plasma was also measured at the same time. The plasma volume at 0.5 h [(241.72 ± 101.52)μL] was substantially lower than those at 1 h[(317.24 ± 97.50)μL], at 2 h[(371.03 ± 91.66)μL], and at 3 h [(408.97 ± 97.43)μL] , P < 0.05. The plasma volume at 1 h was substantially lower than those at 2 h and 3 h (P < 0.05). The total amount of leukocytes in the plasma layer at 0.5 h (2.50 × 10(6) ± 1.48 × 10(6)) group was substantially higher than the amount of 2 or 3 h groups respectively (1.47 × 10(6) ± 7.19 × 105,1.21 × 10(6) ± 7.41 × 105), P < 0.05. Significant difference was not found between 0.5 h group and 1 h group (2.29 × 10(6)± 1.17 × 10(6)), P > 0.05. The total amount of leukocytes in the plasma layer in 1 h group was substantially higher than that in 2 h and 3 h groups (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between 3 h group and 2 h group (P > 0.05). The total amount of leukocytes in the plasma layer of the 4 test groups was substantially lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The percentage of neutrophile granulocytes (54.14% ± 11.65%) in the plasma layer in 0.5 h group was substantially higher than those in 1 h, 2 h and 3 h groups (46.66% ± 12.70%,39.17% ± 12.33%,43.25% ± 14.54%), P < 0.05, respectively, which was the substantially lower than that in the control group (60.53% ± 8.46%), P < 0.05. The average value of the percentage of neutrophile granulocytes in the plasma layer in 1 h group was substantially higher than that in 2 h group (P < 0.05). There was no significant different between 3 h group and both 1 h, 2 h groups (P > 0.05). The mean percentage of lymphocytes in the plasma layer in 0.5 h group (35.09% ± 10.84%) was substantially lower than those in the plasma layer in 1 h, 2 h and 3 h groups, respectively ( 41.48% ± 12.20%, 47.96% ± 12.27%, 45.50% ± 13.71%), which was significant higher than that in the control group(30.98% ± 7.33%), P < 0.05. The average value of the percentage of lymphocytes in the plasma layer in 1 h group was substantially higher than those in the control group and 0.5 h group, but was substantially lower than those in 2 h and 3 h groups (P < 0.05). The average value of percentage of lymphocytes in the plasma layer in 2 h group was substantially higher than those in the control group, 0.5 h and 1 h groups (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between 2 h and 3 h groups (P > 0.05). The best period of time in obtaining leukocytes is 0.5-1 h sedimentation of EDTA-blood. Both the plasma layer and leukocytes can be separated and obtained at the same time from the same sample by the sedimentation method of EDTA-blood. The sedimentation of EDTA-blood has the least interference of both chemical and physical factors, as well as a ready operation, which can establish the plasma, leukocytes and DNA sample banks for various aspects of research.

The sensitivity of past and near-future lunar radio experiments to ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and neutrinos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bray, J. D.

2016-04-01

Various experiments have been conducted to search for the radio emission from ultra-high-energy (UHE) particles interacting in the lunar regolith. Although they have not yielded any detections, they have been successful in establishing upper limits on the flux of these particles. I present a review of these experiments in which I re-evaluate their sensitivity to radio pulses, accounting for effects which were neglected in the original reports, and compare them with prospective near-future experiments. In several cases, I find that past experiments were substantially less sensitive than previously believed. I apply existing analytic models to determine the resulting limits on the fluxes of UHE neutrinos and cosmic rays (CRs). In the latter case, I amend the model to accurately reflect the fraction of the primary particle energy which manifests in the resulting particle cascade, resulting in a substantial improvement in the estimated sensitivity to CRs. Although these models are in need of further refinement, in particular to incorporate the effects of small-scale lunar surface roughness, their application here indicates that a proposed experiment with the LOFAR telescope would test predictions of the neutrino flux from exotic-physics models, and an experiment with a phased-array feed on a large single-dish telescope such as the Parkes radio telescope would allow the first detection of CRs with this technique, with an expected rate of one detection per 140 h.

Temperature sensitivity of soil respiration rates enhanced by microbial community response.

PubMed

Karhu, Kristiina; Auffret, Marc D; Dungait, Jennifer A J; Hopkins, David W; Prosser, James I; Singh, Brajesh K; Subke, Jens-Arne; Wookey, Philip A; Agren, Göran I; Sebastià, Maria-Teresa; Gouriveau, Fabrice; Bergkvist, Göran; Meir, Patrick; Nottingham, Andrew T; Salinas, Norma; Hartley, Iain P

2014-09-04

Soils store about four times as much carbon as plant biomass, and soil microbial respiration releases about 60 petagrams of carbon per year to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Short-term experiments have shown that soil microbial respiration increases exponentially with temperature. This information has been incorporated into soil carbon and Earth-system models, which suggest that warming-induced increases in carbon dioxide release from soils represent an important positive feedback loop that could influence twenty-first-century climate change. The magnitude of this feedback remains uncertain, however, not least because the response of soil microbial communities to changing temperatures has the potential to either decrease or increase warming-induced carbon losses substantially. Here we collect soils from different ecosystems along a climate gradient from the Arctic to the Amazon and investigate how microbial community-level responses control the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration. We find that the microbial community-level response more often enhances than reduces the mid- to long-term (90 days) temperature sensitivity of respiration. Furthermore, the strongest enhancing responses were observed in soils with high carbon-to-nitrogen ratios and in soils from cold climatic regions. After 90 days, microbial community responses increased the temperature sensitivity of respiration in high-latitude soils by a factor of 1.4 compared to the instantaneous temperature response. This suggests that the substantial carbon stores in Arctic and boreal soils could be more vulnerable to climate warming than currently predicted.

Grating angle magnification enhanced angular sensor and scanner

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sun, Ke-Xun (Inventor); Byer, Robert L. (Inventor)

2009-01-01

An angular magnification effect of diffraction is exploited to provide improved sensing and scanning. This effect is most pronounced for a normal or near-normal incidence angle in combination with a grazing diffraction angle, so such configurations are preferred. Angular sensitivity can be further enhanced because the width of the diffracted beam can be substantially less than the width of the incident beam. Normal incidence configurations with two symmetric diffracted beams are preferred, since rotation and vertical displacement can be readily distinguished. Increased sensitivity to vertical displacement can be provided by incorporating an interferometer into the measurement system. Quad cell detectors can be employed to provide sensitivity to rotation about the grating surface normal. A 2-D grating can be employed to provide sensitivity to angular displacements in two different planes (e.g., pitch and yaw). Combined systems can provide sensitivity to vertical displacement and to all three angular degrees of freedom.

Does Disparity in the Way Disabled Older Adults Are Treated Imply Ageism?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kane, Robert L.; Priester, Reinhard; Neumann, Dean

2007-01-01

Although the nearly one in seven Americans who have disabilities share many characteristics, the attitudes toward and the programs, care models, expenditures, and goals for people with disabilities differ substantially across age groups in ways that suggest ageism. Expenditures per recipient are substantially higher for younger individuals with…

Theoretical-and-Methodological Substantiation of Multilingual Model Activity in Kazakhstan Higher School Education System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ospanova, Bikesh Revovna; Azimbayeva, Zhanat Amantayevna; Timokhina, Tatyana Vladimirovna; Seydakhmetova, Zergul Koblandiyevna

2016-01-01

The need of implementing the model of professional development in training an expert in the conditions of multilingualism is considered. The possibility of using the multilingual approach in the context of present day education with the use of innovative technologies of training is substantiated, the definition of "multilingual…

Competition Unleashed: Horizontal Differentiation in German Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erhardt, Dominik; von Kotzebue, Alexander

2016-01-01

Unlike in the US and other western countries, the higher education market in Germany has been sheltered from competition. This changed recently, when a governmental "excellence initiative" began to allocate substantial supplementary funds dependent on higher education institutions' performance, in 2005. This study is aimed at assessing…

Wisconsin Law Review.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin Univ., Madison. Law School.

A substantial portion of this issue of the Wisconsin Law Review is devoted to collective negotiations in higher education. Articles included are: "The Status and Trends of Collective Negotiations for Faculty in Higher Education," by Donald H. Wollett; "The Scope of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education," by Michael H. Moskow; "Collective…

Sensitizers in EUV chemically amplified resist: mechanism of sensitivity improvement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vesters, Yannick; Jiang, Jing; Yamamoto, Hiroki; De Simone, Danilo; Kozawa, Takahiro; De Gendt, Stefan; Vandenberghe, Geert

2018-03-01

EUV lithography utilizes photons with 91.6 eV energy to ionize resists, generate secondary electrons, and enable electron driven reactions that produce acid in chemically amplified photoresist. Efficiently using the available photons is of key importance. Unlike DUV lithography, where photons are selectively utilized by photoactive compounds, photons at 13.5nm wavelength ionize almost all materials. Nevertheless, specific elements have a significantly higher atomic photon-absorption cross section at 91.6 eV. To increase photon absorption, sensitizer molecules, containing highly absorbing elements, can be added to photoresist formulations. These sensitizers have gained growing attention in recent years, showing significant sensitivity improvement. But there are few experimental evidences that the sensitivity improvement is due to the higher absorption only, as adding metals salts into the resist formulation can induce other mechanisms, like modification of the dissolution rate, potentially affecting patterning performance. In this work, we used different sensitizers in chemically amplified resist. We measured experimentally the absorption of EUV light, the acid yield, the dissolution rate and the patterning performance of the resists. Surprisingly, the absorption of EUV resist was decreased with addition of metal salt sensitizers. Nevertheless, the resist with sensitizer showed a higher acid yield. Sensitizer helps achieving higher PAG conversion to acid, notably due to an increase of the secondary electron generation. Patterning data confirm a significant sensitivity improvement, but at the cost of roughness degradation at high sensitizer loading. This can be explained by the chemical distribution of the sensitizer in the resist combined with a modification of the dissolution contrast, as observed by Dissolution Rate Monitor.

Prevalence of beryllium sensitization among Department of Defense conventional munitions workers at low risk for exposure.

PubMed

Mikulski, Marek A; Sanderson, Wayne T; Leonard, Stephanie A; Lourens, Spencer; Field, R William; Sprince, Nancy L; Fuortes, Laurence J

2011-03-01

To estimate the prevalence of beryllium sensitization among former and current Department of Defense workers from a conventional munitions facility. Participants were screened by using Beryllium Lymphocyte Proliferation Test. Those sensitized were offered clinical evaluation for chronic beryllium disease. Eight (1.5%) of 524 screened workers were found sensitized to beryllium. Although the confidence interval was wide, the results suggested a possibly higher risk of sensitization among workers exposed to beryllium by occasional resurfacing of copper-2% beryllium alloy tools compared with workers with the lowest potential exposure (odds ratio = 2.6; 95% confidence interval, 0.23-29.9). The findings from this study suggest that Department of Defense workers with low overall exposure to beryllium had a low prevalence of beryllium sensitization. Sensitization rates might be higher where higher beryllium exposures presumably occurred, although this study lacked sufficient power to confirm this.

Measuring Terrestrial Ozone from Historic Astronomical Spectra

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffin, Elizabeth

2009-01-01

"Ozone" is a sensitive topic that arouses interest everywhere. Its presence in the stratosphere affects us all, and its threatened reduction would have such dire consequences that it energizes international campaigns, influences the thinking of governments, and activates substantial alterations in the accustomed habits of millions throughout the…

GABAergic miniature postsynaptic currents in septal neurons show differential allosteric sensitivity after binge-like ethanol exposure.

PubMed

DuBois, Dustin W; Trzeciakowski, Jerome P; Parrish, Alan R; Frye, Gerald D

2006-05-17

Binge-like ethanol treatment of septal neurons blunts GABAAR-mediated miniature postsynaptic currents (mPSCs), suggesting it arrests synaptic development. Ethanol may disrupt postsynaptic maturation by blunting feedback signaling through immature GABAARs. Here, the impact of ethanol on the sensitivity of mPSCs to zolpidem, zinc and 3alpha-hydroxy-5alpha-pregnan-20-one (3alpha-OH-DHP) was tested. The decay phase of mPSCs showed concentration-dependent potentiation by zolpidem (0.03-100 microM), which was substantially blunted after ethanol exposure. Since zolpidem potentiation exhibited a substantial age-dependent increase in untreated neurons, this finding supported the idea that ethanol arrests synaptic development. GABAAR alpha1 subunit protein also increased with age in untreated neurons, paralleling enhanced sensitivity to zolpidem. Surprisingly, alpha1 levels were not reduced by binge ethanol even though mPSCs were relatively zolpidem-insensitive. Zinc (3-30 microM) decreased mPSC parameters in a concentration- and age-related manner with older untreated cells showing less inhibition. However, there was no increase in mPSC zinc sensitivity after binge ethanol as would be expected if a general arrest of synaptic maturation had occurred. 3alpha-OH-DHP (3-1000 nM) induced concentration-dependent potentiation of mPSC decay. Although potentiation was age-independent, binge ethanol treatment exaggerated sensitivity to this neurosteroid. Finally, chronic picrotoxin pretreatment (100 microM) intended to mimic GABAAR inhibition from ethanol pretreatment did not significantly change mPSC modulation by zolpidem, zinc or 3alpha-OH-DHP. These results suggest that binge ethanol treatment selectively arrests a subset of processes important for maturation of postsynaptic GABAA Rs. However, it is unlikely that ethanol causes a broad arrest of postsynaptic development through a direct inhibition of GABAAR signaling.

Photodamage of the cells in culture sensitized with bilirubin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozlenkova, O. A.; Plavskaya, L. G.; Mikulich, A. V.; Leusenko, I. A.; Tretyakova, A. I.; Plavskii, V. Yu

2016-08-01

It has been shown that exposure to radiation of LED sources of light with an emission band maximum at about 465 and 520 nm having substantially identical damaging effects on animal cells in culture, that are in a logarithmic growth phase and preincubated with pigment. Photobiological effect is caused by photodynamic processes involving singlet oxygen generated by triplet excited sensitizer. Mono-exponential type dependence of cell survival on the energy dose indicates that it is bilirubin that acts as a sensitizer but not its photoproducts. The inclusion of bilirubin in the cells, where it is primarily localized in the mitochondria cells, it is accompanied by multiple amplification photochemical stability compared to pigment molecules bound with albumin

First Dark Matter Constraints from SuperCDMS Single-Charge Sensitive Detectors

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

Agnese, R.; et al.

We present the first limits on inelastic electron-scattering dark matter and dark photon absorption using a prototype SuperCDMS detector having a charge resolution of 0.1 electron-hole pairs (CDMS HVeV, a 0.93 gram CDMS HV device). These electron-recoil limits significantly improve experimental constraints on dark matter particles with masses as low as 1 MeV/more » $$\\mathrm{c^2}$$. We demonstrate a sensitivity to dark photons competitive with other leading approaches but using substantially less exposure (0.49 gram days). These results demonstrate the scientific potential of phonon-mediated semiconductor detectors that are sensitive to single electronic excitations.« less

In the Red? Debt Levels at Higher Education Institutions in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Daguang; Yu, Kai

2011-01-01

Borrowing from banks has become a common practice among Chinese higher education institutions (HEIs), and operating with a heavy debt load has become a characteristic of Chinese higher educational development. Substantial financial commitments acquired by HEIs during their rapid expansion since 1998 are now having serious consequences: numerous…

Phenological sensitivity to climate across taxa and trophic levels.

PubMed

Thackeray, Stephen J; Henrys, Peter A; Hemming, Deborah; Bell, James R; Botham, Marc S; Burthe, Sarah; Helaouet, Pierre; Johns, David G; Jones, Ian D; Leech, David I; Mackay, Eleanor B; Massimino, Dario; Atkinson, Sian; Bacon, Philip J; Brereton, Tom M; Carvalho, Laurence; Clutton-Brock, Tim H; Duck, Callan; Edwards, Martin; Elliott, J Malcolm; Hall, Stephen J G; Harrington, Richard; Pearce-Higgins, James W; Høye, Toke T; Kruuk, Loeske E B; Pemberton, Josephine M; Sparks, Tim H; Thompson, Paul M; White, Ian; Winfield, Ian J; Wanless, Sarah

2016-07-14

Differences in phenological responses to climate change among species can desynchronise ecological interactions and thereby threaten ecosystem function. To assess these threats, we must quantify the relative impact of climate change on species at different trophic levels. Here, we apply a Climate Sensitivity Profile approach to 10,003 terrestrial and aquatic phenological data sets, spatially matched to temperature and precipitation data, to quantify variation in climate sensitivity. The direction, magnitude and timing of climate sensitivity varied markedly among organisms within taxonomic and trophic groups. Despite this variability, we detected systematic variation in the direction and magnitude of phenological climate sensitivity. Secondary consumers showed consistently lower climate sensitivity than other groups. We used mid-century climate change projections to estimate that the timing of phenological events could change more for primary consumers than for species in other trophic levels (6.2 versus 2.5-2.9 days earlier on average), with substantial taxonomic variation (1.1-14.8 days earlier on average).

Rising synchrony controls western North American ecosystems.

PubMed

Black, Bryan A; van der Sleen, Peter; Di Lorenzo, Emanuele; Griffin, Daniel; Sydeman, William J; Dunham, Jason B; Rykaczewski, Ryan R; García-Reyes, Marisol; Safeeq, Mohammad; Arismendi, Ivan; Bograd, Steven J

2018-06-01

Along the western margin of North America, the winter expression of the North Pacific High (NPH) strongly influences interannual variability in coastal upwelling, storm track position, precipitation, and river discharge. Coherence among these factors induces covariance among physical and biological processes across adjacent marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we show that over the past century the degree and spatial extent of this covariance (synchrony) has substantially increased, and is coincident with rising variance in the winter NPH. Furthermore, centuries-long blue oak (Quercus douglasii) growth chronologies sensitive to the winter NPH provide robust evidence that modern levels of synchrony are among the highest observed in the context of the last 250 years. These trends may ultimately be linked to changing impacts of the El Niño Southern Oscillation on midlatitude ecosystems of North America. Such a rise in synchrony may destabilize ecosystems, expose populations to higher risks of extinction, and is thus a concern given the broad biological relevance of winter climate to biological systems. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Rising synchrony controls western North American ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Black, Bryan A.; van der Sleen, Peter; Di Lorenzo, Emanuele; Griffin, Daniel; Sydeman, William J.; Dunham, Jason B.; Rykaczewski, Ryan R.; Garcia-Reyes, Marisol; Safeeq, Mohammad; Arismendi, Ivan; Bograd, Steven J.

2018-01-01

Along the western margin of North America, the winter expression of the North Pacific High (NPH) strongly influences interannual variability in coastal upwelling, storm track position, precipitation, and river discharge. Coherence among these factors induces covariance among physical and biological processes across adjacent marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we show that over the past century the degree and spatial extent of this covariance (synchrony) has substantially increased, and is coincident with rising variance in the winter NPH. Furthermore, centuries‐long blue oak (Quercus douglasii) growth chronologies sensitive to the winter NPH provide robust evidence that modern levels of synchrony are among the highest observed in the context of the last 250 years. These trends may ultimately be linked to changing impacts of the El Niño Southern Oscillation on mid‐latitude ecosystems of North America. Such a rise in synchrony may destabilize ecosystems, expose populations to higher risks of extinction, and is thus a concern given the broad biological relevance of winter climate to biological systems.

Gender differences in substance use treatment utilization in the year prior to deployment in Army service members☆

PubMed Central

Wooten, Nikki R.; Mohr, Beth A.; Lundgren, Lena M.; Adams, Rachel Sayko; Merrick, Elizabeth L.; Williams, Thomas V.; Larson, Mary Jo

2013-01-01

Although military men have heavier drinking patterns, military women experience equal or higher rates of dependence symptoms and similar rates of alcohol-related problems as men at lower levels of consumption. Thus, gender may be important for understanding substance use treatment (SUT) utilization before deployment. Military health system data were analyzed to examine gender differences in both substance use diagnosis (SUDX) and SUT in 152,447 Army service members returning from deployments in FY2010. Propensity score analysis of probability of SUDX indicated that women had lower odds (AOR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.86–0.96) of military lifetime SUDX. After adjusting for lifetime SUDX using propensity score analysis, multivariate regression found women had substantially lower odds (AOR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.54–0.70) of using SUT the year prior to deployment. Findings suggest gender disparities in military-provided SUT and a need to consider whether military substance use assessment protocols are sensitive to gender differences. PMID:23726826

Inkjet-Printed Graphene/PEDOT:PSS Temperature Sensors on a Skin-Conformable Polyurethane Substrate.

PubMed

Vuorinen, Tiina; Niittynen, Juha; Kankkunen, Timo; Kraft, Thomas M; Mäntysalo, Matti

2016-10-18

Epidermal electronic systems (EESs) are skin-like electronic systems, which can be used to measure several physiological parameters from the skin. This paper presents materials and a simple, straightforward fabrication process for skin-conformable inkjet-printed temperature sensors. Epidermal temperature sensors are already presented in some studies, but they are mainly fabricated using traditional photolithography processes. These traditional fabrication routes have several processing steps and they create a substantial amount of material waste. Hence utilizing printing processes, the EES may become attractive for disposable systems by decreasing the manufacturing costs and reducing the wasted materials. In this study, the sensors are fabricated with inkjet-printed graphene/PEDOT:PSS ink and the printing is done on top of a skin-conformable polyurethane plaster (adhesive bandage). Sensor characterization was conducted both in inert and ambient atmosphere and the graphene/PEDOT:PSS temperature sensors (thermistors) were able reach higher than 0.06% per degree Celsius sensitivity in an optimal environment exhibiting negative temperature dependence.

Perceived importance of employees' traits in the service industry.

PubMed

Lange, Rense; Houran, James

2009-04-01

Selection assessments are common practice to help reduce employee turnover in the service industry, but as too little is known about employees' characteristics, which are valued most highly by human resources professionals, a sample of 108 managers and human resources professionals rated the perceived importance of 31 performance traits for Line, Middle, and Senior employees. Rasch scaling analyses indicated strong consensus among the respondents. Nonsocial skills, abilities, and traits such as Ethical Awareness, Self-motivation, Writing Skills, Verbal Ability, Creativity, and Problem Solving were rated as more important for higher level employees. By contrast, traits which directly affect the interaction with customers and coworkers (Service Orientation, Communication Style, Agreeableness, Sense of Humor, Sensitivity to Diversity, Group Process, and Team Building) were rated as more important for lower level employees. Respondents' age and sex did not substantially alter these findings. Results are discussed in terms of improving industry professionals' perceived ecological and external validities of generic and customized assessments of employee.

Dark adaptation of toad rod photoreceptors following small bleaches.

PubMed

Leibrock, C S; Reuter, T; Lamb, T D

1994-11-01

The recovery of toad rod photoreceptors, following exposure to intense lights that bleached 0.02-3% of the rhodopsin, has been investigated using the suction pipette technique. The post-bleach period was accompanied by reduced flash sensitivity, accelerated kinetics, and spontaneous fluctuations (noise). The power spectrum of the fluctuations had substantially the form expected for the random occurrence of single-photon events, and the noise could therefore be expressed as a "photon-noise equivalent intensity". From the level of desensitization at any time, the after-effect of the bleach could also be expressed in terms of a "desensitization-equivalent intensity", and this was found to be at least a factor of 20 times higher than the noise-equivalent intensity at the corresponding time. Our results indicate that a bleach induces two closely-related phenomena: (a) a process indistinguishable from the effect of real light, and (b) another process which desensitizes and accelerates the response in the same way that light does, but without causing photon-like noise. We propose a mechanism underlying these processes.

Eating at restaurants, at work or at home. Is there a difference? A study among adults of 11 European countries in the context of the HECTOR* project.

PubMed

Orfanos, P; Naska, A; Rodrigues, S; Lopes, C; Freisling, H; Rohrmann, S; Sieri, S; Elmadfa, I; Lachat, C; Gedrich, K; Boeing, H; Katzke, V; Turrini, A; Tumino, R; Ricceri, F; Mattiello, A; Palli, D; Ocké, M; Engeset, D; Oltarzewski, M; Nilsson, L M; Key, T; Trichopoulou, A

2017-03-01

To compare macronutrient intakes out of home-by location-to those at home and to investigate differences in total daily intakes between individuals consuming more than half of their daily energy out of home and those eating only at home. Data collected through 24-h recalls or diaries among 23 766 European adults. Participants were grouped as 'non-substantial', 'intermediate' and 'very substantial out-of-home' eaters based on energy intake out of home. Mean macronutrient intakes were estimated at home and out of home (overall, at restaurants, at work). Study/cohort-specific mean differences in total intakes between the 'very substantial out-of-home' and the 'at-home' eaters were estimated through linear regression and pooled estimates were derived. At restaurants, men consumed 29% of their energy as fat, 15% as protein, 45% as carbohydrates and 11% as alcohol. Among women, fat contributed 33% of energy intake at restaurants, protein 16%, carbohydrates 45% and alcohol 6%. When eating at work, both sexes reported 30% of energy from fat and 55% from carbohydrates. Intakes at home were higher in fat and lower in carbohydrates and alcohol. Total daily intakes of the 'very substantial out-of-home' eaters were generally similar to those of individuals eating only at home, apart from lower carbohydrate and higher alcohol intakes among individuals eating at restaurants. In a large population of adults from 11 European countries, eating at work was generally similar to eating at home. Alcoholic drinks were the primary contributors of higher daily energy intakes among individuals eating substantially at restaurants.

Meaningful improvement in gait speed in hip fracture recovery.

PubMed

Alley, Dawn E; Hicks, Gregory E; Shardell, Michelle; Hawkes, William; Miller, Ram; Craik, Rebecca L; Mangione, Kathleen K; Orwig, Denise; Hochberg, Marc; Resnick, Barbara; Magaziner, Jay

2011-09-01

To estimate meaningful improvements in gait speed observed during recovery from hip fracture and to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of gait speed changes in detecting change in self-reported mobility. Secondary longitudinal data analysis from two randomized controlled trials Twelve hospitals in the Baltimore, Maryland, area. Two hundred seventeen women admitted with hip fracture. Usual gait speed and self-reported mobility (ability to walk 1 block and climb 1 flight of stairs) measured 2 and 12 months after fracture. Effect size-based estimates of meaningful differences were 0.03 for small differences and 0.09 for substantial differences. Depending on the anchor (stairs vs walking) and method (mean difference vs regression), anchor-based estimates ranged from 0.10 to 0.17 m/s for small meaningful improvements and 0.17 to 0.26 m/s for substantial meaningful improvement. Optimal gait speed cutpoints yielded low sensitivity (0.39-0.62) and specificity (0.57-0.76) for improvements in self-reported mobility. Results from this sample of women recovering from hip fracture provide only limited support for the 0.10-m/s cut point for substantial meaningful change previously identified in community-dwelling older adults experiencing declines in walking abilities. Anchor-based estimates and cut points derived from receiver operating characteristic curve analysis suggest that greater improvements in gait speed may be required for substantial perceived mobility improvement in female hip fracture patients. Furthermore, gait speed change performed poorly in discriminating change in self-reported mobility. Estimates of meaningful change in gait speed may differ based on the direction of change (improvement vs decline) or between patient populations. © 2011, Copyright the Authors. Journal compilation © 2011, The American Geriatrics Society.

Meaningful Improvement in Gait Speed in Hip Fracture Recovery

PubMed Central

Alley, Dawn E.; Hicks, Gregory E.; Shardell, Michelle; Hawkes, William; Miller, Ram; Craik, Rebecca L.; Mangione, Kathleen K.; Orwig, Denise; Hochberg, Marc; Resnick, Barbara; Magaziner, Jay

2011-01-01

OBJECTIVES To estimate meaningful improvements in gait speed observed during recovery from hip fracture and to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of gait speed changes in detecting change in self-reported mobility. DESIGN Secondary longitudinal data analysis from two randomized controlled trials SETTING Twelve hospitals in the Baltimore, Maryland, area. PARTICIPANTS Two hundred seventeen women admitted with hip fracture. MEASUREMENTS Usual gait speed and self-reported mobility (ability to walk 1 block and climb 1 flight of stairs) measured 2 and 12 months after fracture. RESULTS Effect size–based estimates of meaningful differences were 0.03 for small differences and 0.09 for substantial differences. Depending on the anchor (stairs vs walking) and method (mean difference vs regression), anchor-based estimates ranged from 0.10 to 0.17 m/s for small meaningful improvements and 0.17 to 0.26 m/s for substantial meaningful improvement. Optimal gait speed cut-points yielded low sensitivity (0.39–0.62) and specificity (0.57–0.76) for improvements in self-reported mobility. CONCLUSION Results from this sample of women recovering from hip fracture provide only limited support for the 0.10-m/s cut point for substantial meaningful change previously identified in community-dwelling older adults experiencing declines in walking abilities. Anchor-based estimates and cut points derived from receiver operating characteristic curve analysis suggest that greater improvements in gait speed may be required for substantial perceived mobility improvement in female hip fracture patients. Furthermore, gait speed change performed poorly in discriminating change in self-reported mobility. Estimates of meaningful change in gait speed may differ based on the direction of change (improvement vs decline) or between patient populations. PMID:21883109

Good Agreement Between Transabdominal and Endoscopic Ultrasound of the Pancreas in Chronic Pancreatitis.

PubMed

Engjom, Trond; Pham, Khahn Do-Chong; Erchinger, Friedemann; Haldorsen, Ingfrid Salvesen; Gilja, Odd Helge; Dimcevski, Georg; Havre, Roald Flesland

2018-03-26

 We aimed to evaluate the agreement of single criteria and dedicated scores from transabdominal ultrasound of the pancreas (US) compared to standards by endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and computed tomography (CT).  In this observational cohort study performed in a tertiary care center, US and EUS were performed in 110 patients referred for suspected CP. Based on the Mayo score, 52 patients were diagnosed with CP. The sonographic findings obtained by both methods were registered. The number of criteria was counted and scored according to the Rosemont score.  Agreement between the number of detected US and EUS criteria was substantial (ICC = 0.74 [0.61 - 0.83]. Adding Rosemont weighting improved the agreement (ICC = 0.88 [0.81 - 0.92]). Regarding individual criteria, the agreement was substantial for the detection of calcifications (κ = 0.86) and moderate for cysts and irregular or dilated pancreatic duct (κ = 0.42 - 0.58). Agreement for the other criteria was poorer (κ≤ 0.40). The diagnostic performance indices [95 % CI] of US for diagnosing CP (using Mayo score as reference standard) were for the unweighted score: Sensitivity: 0.65 [0.51 - 0.78], specificity: 0.97 [0.87 - 1.00]; and for Rosemont score: Sensitivity: 0.75 [0.61 - 0.86], specificity: 0.95 [0.83 - 0.99].  The agreement between US and EUS for the unweighted and weighted scores was substantial. For the features calcifications, cysts and main pancreatic duct (MPD) changes, agreement was moderate to substantial. For the other detected US criteria, the agreement with EUS was too poor to be clinically relevant. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

A 3-lever discrimination procedure reveals differences in the subjective effects of low and high doses of MDMA.

PubMed

Harper, David N; Langen, Anna-Lena; Schenk, Susan

2014-01-01

Drug discrimination studies have suggested that the subjective effects of low doses of (±)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) are readily differentiated from those of d-amphetamine (AMPH) and that the discriminative stimulus properties are mediated by serotonergic and dopaminergic mechanisms, respectively. Previous studies, however, have primarily examined responses to doses that do not produce substantial increases in extracellular dopamine. The present study determined whether doses of MDMA that produce increases in synaptic dopamine would also produce subjective effects that were more like AMPH and were sensitive to pharmacological manipulation of D1-like receptors. A three-lever drug discrimination paradigm was used. Rats were trained to respond on different levers following saline, AMPH (0.5mg/kg, IP) or MDMA (1.5mg/kg, IP) injections. Generalization curves were generated for a range of different doses of both drugs and the effect of the D1-like antagonist, SCH23390 on the discriminative stimulus effects of different doses of MDMA was determined. Rats accurately discriminated MDMA, AMPH and saline. Low doses of MDMA produced almost exclusive responding on the MDMA lever but at doses of 3.0mg/kg MDMA or higher, responding shifted to the AMPH lever. The AMPH response produced by higher doses of MDMA was attenuated by pretreatment with SCH23390. The data suggest that low doses and higher doses of MDMA produce distinct discriminative stimuli. The shift to AMPH-like responding following administration of higher doses of MDMA, and the decrease in this response following administration of SCH23390 suggests a dopaminergic component to the subjective experience of MDMA at higher doses. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sensitivity of Forecast Skill to Different Objective Analysis Schemes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, W. E.

1979-01-01

Numerical weather forecasts are characterized by rapidly declining skill in the first 48 to 72 h. Recent estimates of the sources of forecast error indicate that the inaccurate specification of the initial conditions contributes substantially to this error. The sensitivity of the forecast skill to the initial conditions is examined by comparing a set of real-data experiments whose initial data were obtained with two different analysis schemes. Results are presented to emphasize the importance of the objective analysis techniques used in the assimilation of observational data.

The design of the MEG II experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baldini, A. M.; Baracchini, E.; Bemporad, C.; Berg, F.; Biasotti, M.; Boca, G.; Cattaneo, P. W.; Cavoto, G.; Cei, F.; Chiappini, M.; Chiarello, G.; Chiri, C.; Cocciolo, G.; Corvaglia, A.; de Bari, A.; De Gerone, M.; D'Onofrio, A.; Francesconi, M.; Fujii, Y.; Galli, L.; Gatti, F.; Grancagnolo, F.; Grassi, M.; Grigoriev, D. N.; Hildebrandt, M.; Hodge, Z.; Ieki, K.; Ignatov, F.; Iwai, R.; Iwamoto, T.; Kaneko, D.; Kasami, K.; Kettle, P.-R.; Khazin, B. I.; Khomutov, N.; Korenchenko, A.; Kravchuk, N.; Libeiro, T.; Maki, M.; Matsuzawa, N.; Mihara, S.; Milgie, M.; Molzon, W.; Mori, Toshinori; Morsani, F.; Mtchedilishvili, A.; Nakao, M.; Nakaura, S.; Nicolò, D.; Nishiguchi, H.; Nishimura, M.; Ogawa, S.; Ootani, W.; Panareo, M.; Papa, A.; Pepino, A.; Piredda, G.; Popov, A.; Raffaelli, F.; Renga, F.; Ripiccini, E.; Ritt, S.; Rossella, M.; Rutar, G.; Sawada, R.; Signorelli, G.; Simonetta, M.; Tassielli, G. F.; Uchiyama, Y.; Usami, M.; Venturini, M.; Voena, C.; Yoshida, K.; Yudin, Yu. V.; Zhang, Y.

2018-05-01

The MEG experiment, designed to search for the {μ ^+ → e^+ γ } decay, completed data-taking in 2013 reaching a sensitivity level of {5.3× 10^{-13}} for the branching ratio. In order to increase the sensitivity reach of the experiment by an order of magnitude to the level of 6× 10^{-14}, a total upgrade, involving substantial changes to the experiment, has been undertaken, known as MEG II. We present both the motivation for the upgrade and a detailed overview of the design of the experiment and of the expected detector performance.

Resolution experiments using the white light speckle method.

PubMed

Conley, E; Cloud, G

1991-03-01

Noncoherent light speckle methods have been successfully applied to gauge the motion of glaciers and buildings. Resolution of the optical method was limited by the aberrating turbulent atmosphere through which the images were collected. Sensitivity limitations regarding this particular application of speckle interferometry are discussed and analyzed. Resolution limit experiments that were incidental to glacier flow studies are related to the basic theory of astronomical imaging. Optical resolution of the ice flow measurement technique is shown to be in substantial agreement with the sensitivity predictions of astronomy theory.

Sensitive liquid refractive index sensors using tapered optical fiber tips.

PubMed

Tai, Yi-Hsin; Wei, Pei-Kuen

2010-04-01

An optical fiber sensor based on the change of optical confinement in a subwavelength tip is presented. The optical spot is substantially increased when the environmental refractive index (RI) increases from 1.3 to 1.4. By measuring the intensity of low angular spectral components, an intensity sensitivity up to 8000% per RI unit is achieved. The fiber tip sensors take advantage of the small detection volume and real-time responses. We demonstrate the application of the nanofiber sensors for measuring concentrations of acids and evaporation rates of aqueous mixtures.

Long-Term Associations of Justice Sensitivity, Rejection Sensitivity, and Depressive Symptoms in Children and Adolescents

PubMed Central

Bondü, Rebecca; Sahyazici-Knaak, Fidan; Esser, Günter

2017-01-01

Depressive symptoms have been related to anxious rejection sensitivity, but little is known about relations with angry rejection sensitivity and justice sensitivity. We measured rejection sensitivity, justice sensitivity, and depressive symptoms in 1,665 9-to-21-year olds at two points of measurement. Participants with high T1 levels of depressive symptoms reported higher anxious and angry rejection sensitivity and higher justice sensitivity than controls at T1 and T2. T1 rejection, but not justice sensitivity predicted T2 depressive symptoms; high victim justice sensitivity, however, added to the stabilization of depressive symptoms. T1 depressive symptoms positively predicted T2 anxious and angry rejection and victim justice sensitivity. Hence, sensitivity toward negative social cues may be cause and consequence of depressive symptoms and requires consideration in cognitive-behavioral treatment of depression. PMID:28955257

78 FR 13460 - Chartering and Field of Membership Manual for Federal Credit Unions

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-28

... dispersed.\\9\\ As a result, a higher potential population is required to ensure the economic viability of... prepare an analysis of any significant economic impact a regulation may have on a substantial number of... economic impact on a substantial number of small credit unions. \\10\\ 5 U.S.C. 603(a). Paperwork Reduction...

23 CFR 774.15 - Constructive use determinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... projected noise level increase attributable to the project substantially interferes with the use and enjoyment of a noise-sensitive facility of a property protected by Section 4(f), such as: (i) Hearing the... significance; (iv) Enjoyment of an urban park where serenity and quiet are significant attributes; or (v...

23 CFR 774.15 - Constructive use determinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... projected noise level increase attributable to the project substantially interferes with the use and enjoyment of a noise-sensitive facility of a property protected by Section 4(f), such as: (i) Hearing the... significance; (iv) Enjoyment of an urban park where serenity and quiet are significant attributes; or (v...

23 CFR 774.15 - Constructive use determinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... projected noise level increase attributable to the project substantially interferes with the use and enjoyment of a noise-sensitive facility of a property protected by Section 4(f), such as: (i) Hearing the... significance; (iv) Enjoyment of an urban park where serenity and quiet are significant attributes; or (v...

SNP-based differentiation of Phytophthora infestans clonal lineages using locked nucleic acid probes and high resolution melt analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Phytophthora infestans, the cause of the devastating late blight disease of potato and tomato, exhibits a clonal reproductive lifestyle in North America. Phenotypes such as fungicide sensitivity and host preference are conserved among individuals within clonal lineages, while substantial phenotypic ...

Glyphosate Control of Orange and Brown Rusts in Glyphosate-Sensitive Sugarcane Cultivars

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Technical Abstract: Brown and orange rust diseases cause substantial yield reductions on sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) in Florida and other regions where sugarcane is grown. Brown rust caused by Puccinia melanocephala Syd. & P. Syd has been present in Florida since 1978 and orange rust caused by Pucci...

School Violence: Getting the Records.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stiff, Carol Wilcox

When violence involving students erupts at school, journalists generally are faced with obtaining important records to substantiate their stories. To do that, they must cope with privacy laws that protect student records from abuse, state laws that prohibit the release of information about juveniles involved in crime, and the sensitive nature of…

75 FR 8925 - Pressure Sensitive Plastic Tape from Italy: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Changed...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-26

... changes in customers, the company's business operations had not been substantially affected by the change... Determination In making a successor-in-interest determination, the Department typically examines several factors...) customer base. See, e.g., Notice of Final Results of Changed Circumstances Review: Polychloroprene Rubber...

Interaction between head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells and fibroblasts in the biosynthesis of PGE2

PubMed Central

Alcolea, Sonia; Antón, Rosa; Camacho, Mercedes; Soler, Marta; Alfranca, Arantzazu; Avilés-Jurado, Francesc-Xavier; Redondo, Juan-Miguel; Quer, Miquel; León, Xavier; Vila, Luis

2012-01-01

Prostaglandin (PG)E2 is relevant in tumor biology, and interactions between tumor and stroma cells dramatically influence tumor progression. We tested the hypothesis that cross-talk between head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells and fibroblasts could substantially enhance PGE2 biosynthesis. We observed an enhanced production of PGE2 in cocultures of HNSCC cell lines and fibroblasts, which was consistent with an upregulation of COX-2 and microsomal PGE-synthase-1 (mPGES-1) in fibroblasts. In cultured endothelial cells, medium from fibroblasts treated with tumor cell-conditioned medium induced in vitro angiogenesis, and in tumor cell induced migration and proliferation, these effects were sensitive to PGs inhibition. Proteomic analysis shows that tumor cells released IL-1, and tumor cell-induced COX-2 and mPGES-1 were suppressed by the IL-1-receptor antagonist. IL-1α levels were higher than those of IL-1β in the tumor cell-conditioning medium and in the secretion from samples obtained from 20 patients with HNSCC. Fractionation of tumor cell-conditioning media indicated that tumor cells secreted mature and unprocessed forms of IL-1. Our results support the concept that tumor-associated fibroblasts are a relevant source of PGE2 in the tumor mass. Because mPGES-1 seems to be essential for a substantial biosynthesis of PGE2, these findings also strengthen the concept that mPGES-1 may be \\a target for therapeutic intervention in patients with HNSCC. PMID:22308510

Assessing Impacts of Disturbances and Climate Change on Carbon Stocks in Mexican Semidry Forests of the Yucatan Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Z.; Birdsey, R.; Johnson, K.; Dupuy, J. M.; Hernandez-Stefanoni, J. L.; Richardson, K.

2014-12-01

The spatially explicit biogeochemical model Forest-DNDC was used to estimate carbon dynamics with disturbances and climate change in secondary semidry forests in Yucatan Peninsula. The model was validated using observations from 276 field plots in a 350 km2 region of semi-deciduous forest surrounding the intensive monitoring site at Kaxil Kiuic, and it performed well with high performance efficiency (E=0.79, R2=0.83). The simulation results showed substantial spatial differences in biomass in the forests due to historical disturbance patterns and heterogeneous forest environments. The simulated impacts of the disturbances that occurred from 1998-2010 revealed an estimated loss of total biomass carbon storage of 154.7 Gg due mainly to about 12 km2 of forestland loss. The results from disturbance scenarios indicate that disastrous storms, which are not uncommon in the Yucatan Peninsula, can substantially impact carbon storage in a short time. However, warming can produce a long-term impact on carbon sequestration, due principally to the decrease in biomass carbon at a mean rate of over 100 kg ha-1yr-1 with an increase in temperature by 1 degree Celsius. The forests in this area are highly sensitive to warming due to a semidry climate where the evapotranspiration is higher than precipitation. Even if each degree of warming increase is accompanied by an increase in precipitation of 10%, the significant impact of warming cannot be dismissed.

New Materials for EMI Shielding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaier, James R.

1999-01-01

Graphite fibers intercalated with bromine or similar mixed halogen compounds have substantially lower resistivity than their pristine counterparts, and thus should exhibit higher shielding effectiveness against electromagnetic interference. The mechanical and thermal properties are nearly unaffected, and the shielding of high energy x-rays and gamma rays is substantially increased. Characterization of the resistivity of the composite materials is subtle, but it is clear that the composite resistivity is substantially lowered. Shielding effectiveness calculations utilizing a simple rule of mixtures model yields results that are consistent with available data on these materials.

Low cost automated whole smear microscopy screening system for detection of acid fast bacilli.

PubMed

Law, Yan Nei; Jian, Hanbin; Lo, Norman W S; Ip, Margaret; Chan, Mia Mei Yuk; Kam, Kai Man; Wu, Xiaohua

2018-01-01

In countries with high tuberculosis (TB) burden, there is urgent need for rapid, large-scale screening to detect smear-positive patients. We developed a computer-aided whole smear screening system that focuses in real-time, captures images and provides diagnostic grading, for both bright-field and fluorescence microscopy for detection of acid-fast-bacilli (AFB) from respiratory specimens. To evaluate the performance of dual-mode screening system in AFB diagnostic algorithms on concentrated smears with auramine O (AO) staining, as well as direct smears with AO and Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining, using mycobacterial culture results as gold standard. Adult patient sputum samples requesting for M. tuberculosis cultures were divided into three batches for staining: direct AO-stained, direct ZN-stained and concentrated smears AO-stained. All slides were graded by an experienced microscopist, in parallel with the automated whole smear screening system. Sensitivity and specificity of a TB diagnostic algorithm in using the screening system alone, and in combination with a microscopist, were evaluated. Of 488 direct AO-stained smears, 228 were culture positive. These yielded a sensitivity of 81.6% and specificity of 74.2%. Of 334 direct smears with ZN staining, 142 were culture positive, which gave a sensitivity of 70.4% and specificity of 76.6%. Of 505 concentrated smears with AO staining, 250 were culture positive, giving a sensitivity of 86.4% and specificity of 71.0%. To further improve performance, machine grading was confirmed by manual smear grading when the number of AFBs detected fell within an uncertainty range. These combined results gave significant improvement in specificity (AO-direct:85.4%; ZN-direct:85.4%; AO-concentrated:92.5%) and slight improvement in sensitivity while requiring only limited manual workload. Our system achieved high sensitivity without substantially compromising specificity when compared to culture results. Significant improvement in specificity was obtained when uncertain results were confirmed by manual smear grading. This approach had potential to substantially reduce workload of microscopists in high burden countries.

Comparison between surrogate indexes of insulin sensitivity/resistance and hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp estimates in rats

PubMed Central

Muniyappa, Ranganath; Chen, Hui; Muzumdar, Radhika H.; Einstein, Francine H.; Yan, Xu; Yue, Lilly Q.; Barzilai, Nir

2009-01-01

Assessing insulin resistance in rodent models gives insight into mechanisms that cause type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. The hyperinsulinemic euglycemic glucose clamp, the reference standard for measuring insulin sensitivity in humans and animals, is labor intensive and technically demanding. A number of simple surrogate indexes of insulin sensitivity/resistance have been developed and validated primarily for use in large human studies. These same surrogates are also frequently used in rodent studies. However, in general, these indexes have not been rigorously evaluated in animals. In a recent validation study in mice, we demonstrated that surrogates have a weaker correlation with glucose clamp estimates of insulin sensitivity/resistance than in humans. This may be due to increased technical difficulties in mice and/or intrinsic differences between human and rodent physiology. To help distinguish among these possibilities, in the present study, using data from rats substantially larger than mice, we compared the clamp glucose infusion rate (GIR) with surrogate indexes, including QUICKI, HOMA, 1/HOMA, log (HOMA), and 1/fasting insulin. All surrogates were modestly correlated with GIR (r = 0.34–0.40). Calibration analyses of surrogates adjusted for body weight demonstrated similar predictive accuracy for GIR among all surrogates. We conclude that linear correlations of surrogate indexes with clamp estimates and predictive accuracy of surrogate indexes in rats are similar to those in mice (but not as substantial as in humans). This additional rat study (taken with the previous mouse study) suggests that application of surrogate insulin sensitivity indexes developed for humans may not be appropriate for determining primary outcomes in rodent studies due to intrinsic differences in metabolic physiology. However, use of surrogates may be appropriate in rodents, where feasibility of clamps is an obstacle and measurement of insulin sensitivity is a secondary outcome. PMID:19706785

Behavior sensitivities for control augmented structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manning, R. A.; Lust, R. V.; Schmit, L. A.

1987-01-01

During the past few years it has been recognized that combining passive structural design methods with active control techniques offers the prospect of being able to find substantially improved designs. These developments have stimulated interest in augmenting structural synthesis by adding active control system design variables to those usually considered in structural optimization. An essential step in extending the approximation concepts approach to control augmented structural synthesis is the development of a behavior sensitivity analysis capability for determining rates of change of dynamic response quantities with respect to changes in structural and control system design variables. Behavior sensitivity information is also useful for man-machine interactive design as well as in the context of system identification studies. Behavior sensitivity formulations for both steady state and transient response are presented and the quality of the resulting derivative information is evaluated.

Upper trapezius muscle activity in healthy office workers: reliability and sensitivity of occupational exposure measures to differences in sex and hand dominance.

PubMed

Marker, Ryan J; Balter, Jaclyn E; Nofsinger, Micaela L; Anton, Dan; Fethke, Nathan B; Maluf, Katrina S

2016-09-01

Patterns of cervical muscle activity may contribute to overuse injuries in office workers. The purpose of this investigation was to characterise patterns of upper trapezius muscle activity in pain-free office workers using traditional occupational exposure measures and a modified Active Amplitude Probability Distribution Function (APDF), which considers only periods of active muscle contraction. Bilateral trapezius muscle activity was recorded in 77 pain-free office workers for 1-2 full days in their natural work environment. Mean amplitude, gap frequency, muscular rest and Traditional and Active APDF amplitudes were calculated. All measures demonstrated fair to substantial reliability. Dominant muscles demonstrated higher amplitudes of activity and less muscular rest compared to non-dominant, and women demonstrated less muscular rest with no significant difference in amplitude assessed by Active APDF compared to men. These findings provide normative data to identify atypical motor patterns that may contribute to persistence or recurrence of neck pain in office workers. Practitioner Summary: Upper trapezius muscle activity was characterised in a large cohort of pain-free workers using electromyographic recordings from office environments. Dominant muscles demonstrated higher activity and less rest than non-dominant, and women demonstrated less rest than men. Results may be used to identify atypical trapezius muscle activity in office workers.

The effect of land-use on the diversity and mass-abundance relationships of understory avian insectivores in Sri Lanka and southern India.

PubMed

Sreekar, Rachakonda; Srinivasan, Umesh; Mammides, Christos; Chen, Jin; Manage Goodale, Uromi; Kotagama, Sarath Wimalabandara; Sidhu, Swati; Goodale, Eben

2015-06-25

Understory avian insectivores are especially sensitive to deforestation, although regional differences in how these species respond to human disturbance may be linked to varying land-use histories. South Asia experienced widespread conversion of forest to agriculture in the nineteenth century, providing a comparison to tropical areas deforested more recently. In Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats of India, we compared understory insectivores to other guilds, and to insectivores with different vertical strata preferences, both inside mixed-species flocks and for the whole bird community. Overall species richness did not change across the land-use gradient, although there was substantial turnover in species composition between land-use types. We found that the proportion of species represented by insectivores was ~1.14 times higher in forest compared to agriculture, and the proportion of insectivores represented by understory species was ~1.32 times higher in forests. Mass-abundance relationships were very different when analyzed on mixed-species flocks compared to the total community, perhaps indicating reduced competition in these mutualisms. We show that South Asia fits the worldwide pattern of understory insectivores declining with increased land-use intensity, and conclude that these species can be used globally as indicator and/or umbrella species for conservation across different disturbance time scales.

The effect of land-use on the diversity and mass-abundance relationships of understory avian insectivores in Sri Lanka and southern India

PubMed Central

Sreekar, Rachakonda; Srinivasan, Umesh; Mammides, Christos; Chen, Jin; Manage Goodale, Uromi; Wimalabandara Kotagama, Sarath; Sidhu, Swati; Goodale, Eben

2015-01-01

Understory avian insectivores are especially sensitive to deforestation, although regional differences in how these species respond to human disturbance may be linked to varying land-use histories. South Asia experienced widespread conversion of forest to agriculture in the nineteenth century, providing a comparison to tropical areas deforested more recently. In Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats of India, we compared understory insectivores to other guilds, and to insectivores with different vertical strata preferences, both inside mixed-species flocks and for the whole bird community. Overall species richness did not change across the land-use gradient, although there was substantial turnover in species composition between land-use types. We found that the proportion of species represented by insectivores was ~1.14 times higher in forest compared to agriculture, and the proportion of insectivores represented by understory species was ~1.32 times higher in forests. Mass-abundance relationships were very different when analyzed on mixed-species flocks compared to the total community, perhaps indicating reduced competition in these mutualisms. We show that South Asia fits the worldwide pattern of understory insectivores declining with increased land-use intensity, and conclude that these species can be used globally as indicator and/or umbrella species for conservation across different disturbance time scales. PMID:26108368

Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: Sex Differences in Insulin Action and Secretion.

PubMed

Basu, Ananda; Dube, Simmi; Basu, Rita

2017-01-01

Sex difference plays a substantial role in the regulation of glucose metabolism in healthy glucose-tolerant humans. The factors which may contribute to the sex-related differences in glucose metabolism include differences in lifestyle (diet and exercise), sex hormones, and body composition. Several epidemiological and observational studies have noted that impaired glucose tolerance is more common in women than men. Some of these studies have attributed this to differences in body composition, while others have attributed impaired insulin sensitivity as a cause of impaired glucose tolerance in women. We studied postprandial glucose metabolism in 120 men and 90 women after ingestion of a mixed meal. Rates of meal glucose appearance, endogenous glucose production, and glucose disappearance were calculated using a novel triple-tracer isotope dilution method. Insulin action and secretion were calculated using validated physiological models. While rate of meal glucose appearance was higher in women than men, rates of glucose disappearance were higher in elderly women than elderly men while young women had lower rates of glucose disappearance than young men. Hence, sex has an impact on postprandial glucose metabolism, and sex differences in carbohydrate metabolism may have important implications for approaches to prevent and manage diabetes in an individual.

Host thiopurine methyltransferase status affects mercaptopurine antileukemic effectiveness in a murine model.

PubMed

Ramsey, Laura B; Janke, Laura J; Edick, Mathew J; Cheng, Cheng; Williams, Richard T; Sherr, Charles J; Evans, William E; Relling, Mary V

2014-05-01

Thiopurines are used for many cancers, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Patients with an inherited host defect in thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) are at high risk for life-threatening toxicity if treated with conventional dosages, but the impact on antileukemic efficacy is less clear. We treated thiopurine-sensitive BCR-ABL+Arf-null Tpmt+/+ ALL in Tpmt+/+, +/-, or -/- recipient mice to test the impact of the host polymorphism on antileukemic efficacy. Median survival was similar in untreated mice of different Tpmt genotypes (16-18 days). However, in mice treated with low-dose mercaptopurine (such as tolerated by TPMT-/- patients), the difference in 30-day leukemia-free survival by Tpmt genotype was profound: 5% (±9%) for Tpmt+/+ mice, 47% (±26%) for Tpmt+/- mice, and 85% (±14%) for Tpmt-/- mice (P=5×10), indicating a substantial impact of host Tpmt status on thiopurine effectiveness. Among Tpmt+/+ recipient mice, leukemia-free survival improved with higher doses of mercaptopurine (similar to doses tolerated by wild-type patients) compared with lower doses, and at higher doses was comparable (P=0.6) to the survival of Tpmt-/- mice treated with the lower dose. These findings support the notion that germline polymorphisms in Tpmt affect not only host tissue toxicity but also antitumor effectiveness.

Time-of-Travel Methods for Measuring Optical Flow on Board a Micro Flying Robot

PubMed Central

Vanhoutte, Erik; Mafrica, Stefano; Ruffier, Franck; Bootsma, Reinoud J.; Serres, Julien

2017-01-01

For use in autonomous micro air vehicles, visual sensors must not only be small, lightweight and insensitive to light variations; on-board autopilots also require fast and accurate optical flow measurements over a wide range of speeds. Using an auto-adaptive bio-inspired Michaelis–Menten Auto-adaptive Pixel (M2APix) analog silicon retina, in this article, we present comparative tests of two optical flow calculation algorithms operating under lighting conditions from 6×10−7 to 1.6×10−2 W·cm−2 (i.e., from 0.2 to 12,000 lux for human vision). Contrast “time of travel” between two adjacent light-sensitive pixels was determined by thresholding and by cross-correlating the two pixels’ signals, with measurement frequency up to 5 kHz for the 10 local motion sensors of the M2APix sensor. While both algorithms adequately measured optical flow between 25 ∘/s and 1000 ∘/s, thresholding gave rise to a lower precision, especially due to a larger number of outliers at higher speeds. Compared to thresholding, cross-correlation also allowed for a higher rate of optical flow output (99 Hz and 1195 Hz, respectively) but required substantially more computational resources. PMID:28287484

Method for rapid isolation of sensitive mutants

DOEpatents

Freyer, James P.

1997-01-01

Sensitive mammalian cell mutants are rapidly isolated using flow cytometry. A first population of clonal spheroids is established to contain both normal and mutant cells. The population may be naturally occurring or may arise from mutagenized cells. The first population is then flow sorted by size to obtain a second population of clonal spheroids of a first uniform size. The second population is then exposed to a DNA-damaging agent that is being investigated. The exposed second population is placed in a growth medium to form a third population of clonal spheroids comprising spheroids of increased size from the mammalian cells that are resistant to the DNA-damaging agent and spheroids of substantially the first uniform size formed from the mammalian cells that are sensitive to the DNA-damaging agent. The third population is not flow sorted to differentiate the spheroids formed from resistant mammalian cells from spheroids formed from sensitive mammalian cells. The spheroids formed from sensitive mammalian cells are now treated to recover viable sensitive cells from which a sensitive cell line can be cloned.

Method for rapid isolation of sensitive mutants

DOEpatents

Freyer, J.P.

1997-07-29

Sensitive mammalian cell mutants are rapidly isolated using flow cytometry. A first population of clonal spheroids is established to contain both normal and mutant cells. The population may be naturally occurring or may arise from mutagenized cells. The first population is then flow sorted by size to obtain a second population of clonal spheroids of a first uniform size. The second population is then exposed to a DNA-damaging agent that is being investigated. The exposed second population is placed in a growth medium to form a third population of clonal spheroids comprising spheroids of increased size from the mammalian cells that are resistant to the DNA-damaging agent and spheroids of substantially the first uniform size formed from the mammalian cells that are sensitive to the DNA-damaging agent. The third population is not flow sorted to differentiate the spheroids formed from resistant mammalian cells from spheroids formed from sensitive mammalian cells. The spheroids formed from sensitive mammalian cells are now treated to recover viable sensitive cells from which a sensitive cell line can be cloned. 15 figs.

Sensitive Detection of the Natural Killer Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity of Anti-CD20 Antibodies and Its Impairment by B-Cell Receptor Pathway Inhibitors

PubMed Central

Knödgen, Eva; Göckeritz, Elisa; Vondey, Verena; Neumann, Lars; Herter, Sylvia; Klein, Christian; Hallek, Michael

2018-01-01

The antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) rituximab and obinutuzumab against the cell line Raji and isolated CLL cells and its potential impairment by kinase inhibitors (KI) was determined via lactate dehydrogenase release or calcein retention, respectively, using genetically modified NK92 cells expressing CD16-176V as effector cells. Compared to peripheral blood mononuclear cells, recombinant effector cell lines showed substantial alloreactivity-related cytotoxicity without addition of mAbs but afforded determination of ADCC with reduced interassay variability. The cytotoxicity owing to alloreactivity was less susceptible to interference by KI than the ADCC of anti-CD20 mAbs, which was markedly diminished by ibrutinib, but not by idelalisib. Compared to rituximab, the ADCC of obinutuzumab against primary CLL cells showed approximately 30% higher efficacy and less interference with KI. Irreversible BTK inhibitors at a clinically relevant concentration of 1 μM only weakly impaired the ADCC of anti-CD20 mAbs, with less influence in combinations with obinutuzumab than with rituximab and by acalabrutinib than by ibrutinib or tirabrutinib. In summary, NK cell line-based assays permitted the sensitive detection of ADCC of therapeutic anti-CD20 mAbs against CLL cells and of the interference of KI with this important killing mechanism. PMID:29750146

Primary human polarized small intestinal epithelial barriers respond differently to a hazardous and an innocuous protein.

PubMed

Eaton, A D; Zimmermann, C; Delaney, B; Hurley, B P

2017-08-01

An experimental platform employing human derived intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) line monolayers grown on permeable Transwell ® filters was previously investigated to differentiate between hazardous and innocuous proteins. This approach was effective at distinguishing these types of proteins and perturbation of monolayer integrity, particularly transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), was the most sensitive indicator. In the current report, in vitro indicators of monolayer integrity, cytotoxicity, and inflammation were evaluated using primary (non-transformed) human polarized small intestinal epithelial barriers cultured on Transwell ® filters to compare effects of a hazardous protein (Clostridium difficile Toxin A [ToxA]) and an innocuous protein (bovine serum albumin [BSA]). ToxA exerted a reproducible decrease on barrier integrity at doses comparable to those producing effects observed from cell line-derived IEC monolayers, with TEER being the most sensitive indicator. In contrast, BSA, tested at concentrations substantially higher than ToxA, did not cause changes in any of the tested variables. These results demonstrate a similarity in response to certain proteins between cell line-derived polarized IEC models and a primary human polarized small intestinal epithelial barrier model, thereby reinforcing the potential usefulness of cell line-derived polarized IECs as a valid experimental platform to differentiate between hazardous and non-hazardous proteins. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Genomic basis for coral resilience to climate change.

PubMed

Barshis, Daniel J; Ladner, Jason T; Oliver, Thomas A; Seneca, François O; Traylor-Knowles, Nikki; Palumbi, Stephen R

2013-01-22

Recent advances in DNA-sequencing technologies now allow for in-depth characterization of the genomic stress responses of many organisms beyond model taxa. They are especially appropriate for organisms such as reef-building corals, for which dramatic declines in abundance are expected to worsen as anthropogenic climate change intensifies. Different corals differ substantially in physiological resilience to environmental stress, but the molecular mechanisms behind enhanced coral resilience remain unclear. Here, we compare transcriptome-wide gene expression (via RNA-Seq using Illumina sequencing) among conspecific thermally sensitive and thermally resilient corals to identify the molecular pathways contributing to coral resilience. Under simulated bleaching stress, sensitive and resilient corals change expression of hundreds of genes, but the resilient corals had higher expression under control conditions across 60 of these genes. These "frontloaded" transcripts were less up-regulated in resilient corals during heat stress and included thermal tolerance genes such as heat shock proteins and antioxidant enzymes, as well as a broad array of genes involved in apoptosis regulation, tumor suppression, innate immune response, and cell adhesion. We propose that constitutive frontloading enables an individual to maintain physiological resilience during frequently encountered environmental stress, an idea that has strong parallels in model systems such as yeast. Our study provides broad insight into the fundamental cellular processes responsible for enhanced stress tolerances that may enable some organisms to better persist into the future in an era of global climate change.

Placental Abruption and Perinatal Mortality With Preterm Delivery as a Mediator: Disentangling Direct and Indirect Effects

PubMed Central

Ananth, Cande V.; VanderWeele, Tyler J.

2011-01-01

The authors use recent methodology in causal inference to disentangle the direct and indirect effects that operate through a mediator in an exposure-response association paradigm. They demonstrate how total effects can be partitioned into direct and indirect effects even when the exposure and mediator interact. The impact of bias due to unmeasured confounding on the exposure-response association is assessed through a series of sensitivity analyses. These methods are applied to a problem in perinatal epidemiology to examine the extent to which the effect of abruption on perinatal mortality is mediated through preterm delivery. Data on over 26 million US singleton births (1995–2002) were utilized. Risks of mortality among abruption and nonabruption births were 102.7 and 6.2 per 1,000 births, respectively. Risk ratios of the natural direct and indirect (preterm delivery-mediated) effects of abruption on mortality were 10.18 (95% confidence interval: 9.80, 10.58) and 1.35 (95% confidence interval: 1.33, 1.38), respectively. The proportion of increased mortality risk mediated through preterm delivery was 28.1%, with even higher proportions associated with deliveries at earlier gestational ages. Sensitivity analyses underscore that the qualitative conclusions of some mediated effects and substantial direct effects are reasonably robust to unmeasured confounding of a fairly considerable magnitude. PMID:21430195

Maternal cfDNA screening for Down syndrome--a cost sensitivity analysis.

PubMed

Cuckle, Howard; Benn, Peter; Pergament, Eugene

2013-07-01

This study aimed to determine the principal factors contributing to the cost of avoiding a birth with Down syndrome by using cell-free DNA (cfDNA) to replace conventional screening. A range of unit costs were assigned to each item in the screening process. Detection rates were estimated by meta-analysis and modeling. The marginal cost associated with the detection of additional cases using cfDNA was estimated from the difference in average costs divided by the difference in detection. The main factor was the unit cost of cfDNA testing. For example, replacing a combined test costing $150 with 3% false-positive rate and invasive testing at $1000, by cfDNA tests at $2000, $1500, $1000, and $500, the marginal cost is $8.0, $5.8, $3.6, and $1.4m, respectively. Costs were lower when replacing a quadruple test and higher for a 5% false-positive rate, but the relative importance of cfDNA unit cost was unchanged. A contingent policy whereby 10% to 20% women were selected for cfDNA testing by conventional screening was considerably more cost-efficient. Costs were sensitive to cfDNA uptake. Universal cfDNA screening for Down syndrome will only become affordable by public health purchasers if costs fall substantially. Until this happens, the contingent use of cfDNA is recommended. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Amphibians at risk? Susceptibility of terrestrial amphibian life stages to pesticides.

PubMed

Brühl, Carsten A; Pieper, Silvia; Weber, Brigitte

2011-11-01

Current pesticide risk assessment does not specifically consider amphibians. Amphibians in the aquatic environment (aquatic life stages or postmetamorphic aquatic amphibians) and terrestrial living juvenile or adult amphibians are assumed to be covered by the risk assessment for aquatic invertebrates and fish, or mammals and birds, respectively. This procedure has been evaluated as being sufficiently protective regarding the acute risk posed by a number of pesticides to aquatic amphibian life stages (eggs, larvae). However, it is unknown whether the exposure and sensitivity of terrestrial living amphibians are comparable to mammalian and avian exposure and sensitivity. We reviewed the literature on dermal pesticide absorption and toxicity studies for terrestrial life stages of amphibians, focusing on the dermal exposure pathway, that is, through treated soil or direct overspray. In vitro studies demonstrated that cutaneous absorption of chemicals is significant and that chemical percutaneous passage, P (cm/h), is higher in amphibians than in mammals. In vivo, the rapid and substantial uptake of the herbicide atrazine from treated soil by toads (Bufo americanus) has been described. Severe toxic effects on various amphibian species have been reported for field-relevant application rates of different pesticides. In general, exposure and toxicity studies for terrestrial amphibian life stages are scarce, and the reported data indicate the need for further research, especially in light of the global amphibian decline. Copyright © 2011 SETAC.

Developing a smoking cessation program for Turkish-speaking migrants in Switzerland: novel findings and promising effects.

PubMed

Schnoz, Domenic; Schaub, Michael; Schwappach, David L; Salis Gross, Corina

2011-02-01

Recent studies show that smoking prevalence in the Turkish-speaking migrant population in Switzerland is substantially higher than in the general population. A specific group treatment for Turkish-speaking migrants was developed and tested in order to provide the migrant population with equal access to smoking cessation programs and to improve the migration-sensitive quality of such programs by sociocultural targeting. The evaluation of the program included quantitative (questionnaires t1 and t2 and follow-up by telephone) and qualitative methods (participant observation and semi-structured interviews). The results showed that 37.7% of the 61 participants were smoke free at the 12-month follow-up. The factors of being in a partnership and using nicotine replacement products during the program were positively associated with successful cessation. We also demonstrated the importance of "strong ties" (strong relationships between participants) and the sensitivity of the program to sociocultural (e.g., social aspects of smoking in Turkish culture, which were addressed in relapse prevention), socioeconomic (e.g., low financial resources, which were addressed by providing the course for free), and migration-specific (e.g., underdeveloped access to smoking cessation programs, which was addressed using outreach strategy for recruiting) issues. Overall, the smoking cessation program was successfully tested and is now becoming implemented as a regular service of the Swiss Public Health Program for Tobacco Prevention (by the Swiss Association for Smoking Prevention).

Probabilistic parameter estimation of activated sludge processes using Markov Chain Monte Carlo.

PubMed

Sharifi, Soroosh; Murthy, Sudhir; Takács, Imre; Massoudieh, Arash

2014-03-01

One of the most important challenges in making activated sludge models (ASMs) applicable to design problems is identifying the values of its many stoichiometric and kinetic parameters. When wastewater characteristics data from full-scale biological treatment systems are used for parameter estimation, several sources of uncertainty, including uncertainty in measured data, external forcing (e.g. influent characteristics), and model structural errors influence the value of the estimated parameters. This paper presents a Bayesian hierarchical modeling framework for the probabilistic estimation of activated sludge process parameters. The method provides the joint probability density functions (JPDFs) of stoichiometric and kinetic parameters by updating prior information regarding the parameters obtained from expert knowledge and literature. The method also provides the posterior correlations between the parameters, as well as a measure of sensitivity of the different constituents with respect to the parameters. This information can be used to design experiments to provide higher information content regarding certain parameters. The method is illustrated using the ASM1 model to describe synthetically generated data from a hypothetical biological treatment system. The results indicate that data from full-scale systems can narrow down the ranges of some parameters substantially whereas the amount of information they provide regarding other parameters is small, due to either large correlations between some of the parameters or a lack of sensitivity with respect to the parameters. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PINGU: A vision for neutrino and particle physics at the South Pole

DOE PAGES

Aartsen, M. G.; Abraham, K.; Ackermann, M.; ...

2017-04-07

The Precision IceCube Next Generation Upgrade (PINGU) is a proposed low-energy in-fill extension to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. With detection technology modeled closely on the successful IceCube example, PINGU will provide a 6 Mton effective mass for neutrino detection with an energy threshold of a few GeV. Also, with an unprecedented sample of over 60 000 atmospheric neutrinos per year in this energy range, PINGU will make highly competitive measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters in an energy range over an order of magnitude higher than long-baseline neutrino beam experiments. PINGU will measure the mixing parameters Θ 23 and Δmmore » $$2\\atop{32}$$ , including the octant of Θ 23 for a wide range of values, and determine the neutrino mass ordering at 3σ median significance within five years of operation. PINGU's high precision measurement of the rate of v T appearance will provide essential tests of the unitarity of the 3 ×3 PMNS neutrino mixing matrix. PINGU will also improve the sensitivity of searches for low mass dark matter in the Sun, use neutrino tomography to directly probe the composition of the Earth's core, and improve IceCube's sensitivity to neutrinos from Galactic supernovae. Finally, reoptimization of the PINGU design has permitted substantial reduction in both cost and logistical requirements while delivering performance nearly identical to configurations previously studied.« less

PINGU: A vision for neutrino and particle physics at the South Pole

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

Aartsen, M. G.; Abraham, K.; Ackermann, M.

The Precision IceCube Next Generation Upgrade (PINGU) is a proposed low-energy in-fill extension to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. With detection technology modeled closely on the successful IceCube example, PINGU will provide a 6 Mton effective mass for neutrino detection with an energy threshold of a few GeV. Also, with an unprecedented sample of over 60 000 atmospheric neutrinos per year in this energy range, PINGU will make highly competitive measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters in an energy range over an order of magnitude higher than long-baseline neutrino beam experiments. PINGU will measure the mixing parameters Θ 23 and Δmmore » $$2\\atop{32}$$ , including the octant of Θ 23 for a wide range of values, and determine the neutrino mass ordering at 3σ median significance within five years of operation. PINGU's high precision measurement of the rate of v T appearance will provide essential tests of the unitarity of the 3 ×3 PMNS neutrino mixing matrix. PINGU will also improve the sensitivity of searches for low mass dark matter in the Sun, use neutrino tomography to directly probe the composition of the Earth's core, and improve IceCube's sensitivity to neutrinos from Galactic supernovae. Finally, reoptimization of the PINGU design has permitted substantial reduction in both cost and logistical requirements while delivering performance nearly identical to configurations previously studied.« less

PINGU: a vision for neutrino and particle physics at the South Pole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aartsen, M. G.; Abraham, K.; Ackermann, M.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Ahrens, M.; Altmann, D.; Andeen, K.; Anderson, T.; Ansseau, I.; Anton, G.; Archinger, M.; Arguelles, C.; Arlen, T. C.; Auffenberg, J.; Axani, S.; Bai, X.; Bartos, I.; Barwick, S. W.; Baum, V.; Bay, R.; Beatty, J. J.; Becker Tjus, J.; Becker, K.-H.; BenZvi, S.; Berghaus, P.; Berley, D.; Bernardini, E.; Bernhard, A.; Besson, D. Z.; Binder, G.; Bindig, D.; Bissok, M.; Blaufuss, E.; Blot, S.; Boersma, D. J.; Bohm, C.; Börner, M.; Bos, F.; Bose, D.; Böser, S.; Botner, O.; Braun, J.; Brayeur, L.; Bretz, H.-P.; Burgman, A.; Carver, T.; Casier, M.; Cheung, E.; Chirkin, D.; Christov, A.; Clark, K.; Classen, L.; Coenders, S.; Collin, G. H.; Conrad, J. M.; Cowen, D. F.; Cross, R.; Day, M.; de André, J. P. A. M.; De Clercq, C.; Pino del Rosendo, E.; Dembinski, H.; De Ridder, S.; Desiati, P.; de Vries, K. D.; de Wasseige, G.; de With, M.; DeYoung, T.; Díaz-Vélez, J. C.; di Lorenzo, V.; Dujmovic, H.; Dumm, J. P.; Dunkman, M.; Eberhardt, B.; Ehrhardt, T.; Eichmann, B.; Eller, P.; Euler, S.; Evans, J. J.; Evenson, P. A.; Fahey, S.; Fazely, A. R.; Feintzeig, J.; Felde, J.; Filimonov, K.; Finley, C.; Flis, S.; Fösig, C.-C.; Franckowiak, A.; Friedman, E.; Fuchs, T.; Gaisser, T. K.; Gallagher, J.; Gerhardt, L.; Ghorbani, K.; Giang, W.; Gladstone, L.; Glagla, M.; Glüsenkamp, T.; Goldschmidt, A.; Golup, G.; Gonzalez, J. G.; Grant, D.; Griffith, Z.; Haack, C.; Haj Ismail, A.; Hallgren, A.; Halzen, F.; Hansen, E.; Hansmann, B.; Hansmann, T.; Hanson, K.; Haugen, J.; Hebecker, D.; Heereman, D.; Helbing, K.; Hellauer, R.; Hickford, S.; Hignight, J.; Hill, G. C.; Hoffman, K. D.; Hoffmann, R.; Holzapfel, K.; Hoshina, K.; Huang, F.; Huber, M.; Hultqvist, K.; In, S.; Ishihara, A.; Jacobi, E.; Japaridze, G. S.; Jeong, M.; Jero, K.; Jones, B. J. P.; Jurkovic, M.; Kalekin, O.; Kappes, A.; Karagiorgi, G.; Karg, T.; Karle, A.; Katori, T.; Katz, U.; Kauer, M.; Keivani, A.; Kelley, J. L.; Kemp, J.; Kheirandish, A.; Kim, M.; Kintscher, T.; Kiryluk, J.; Kittler, T.; Klein, S. R.; Kohnen, G.; Koirala, R.; Kolanoski, H.; Konietz, R.; Köpke, L.; Kopper, C.; Kopper, S.; Koskinen, D. J.; Kowalski, M.; Krauss, C. B.; Krings, K.; Kroll, M.; Krückl, G.; Krüger, C.; Kunnen, J.; Kunwar, S.; Kurahashi, N.; Kuwabara, T.; Labare, M.; Lanfranchi, J. L.; Larson, M. J.; Lauber, F.; Lennarz, D.; Lesiak-Bzdak, M.; Leuermann, M.; Leuner, J.; LoSecco, J.; Lu, L.; Lünemann, J.; Madsen, J.; Maggi, G.; Mahn, K. B. M.; Mancina, S.; Mandalia, S.; Mandelartz, M.; Marka, S.; Marka, Z.; Maruyama, R.; Mase, K.; Maunu, R.; McNally, F.; Meagher, K.; Medici, M.; Meier, M.; Meli, A.; Menne, T.; Merino, G.; Meures, T.; Miarecki, S.; Mohrmann, L.; Montaruli, T.; Moore, R. W.; Moulai, M.; Nahnhauer, R.; Naumann, U.; Neer, G.; Niederhausen, H.; Nowicki, S. C.; Nygren, D. R.; Obertacke Pollmann, A.; Olivas, A.; O'Murchadha, A.; Palazzo, A.; Palczewski, T.; Pandya, H.; Pankova, D. V.; Penek, Ö.; Pepper, J. A.; Pérez de los Heros, C.; Petersen, T. C.; Pieloth, D.; Pinat, E.; Pinfold, J. L.; Price, P. B.; Przybylski, G. T.; Quinnan, M.; Raab, C.; Rädel, L.; Rameez, M.; Rawlins, K.; Reimann, R.; Relethford, B.; Relich, M.; Resconi, E.; Rhode, W.; Richman, M.; Riedel, B.; Robertson, S.; Rongen, M.; Rott, C.; Ruhe, T.; Ryckbosch, D.; Rysewyk, D.; Sabbatini, L.; E Sanchez Herrera, S.; Sandrock, A.; Sandroos, J.; Sandstrom, P.; Sarkar, S.; Satalecka, K.; Schimp, M.; Schlunder, P.; Schmidt, T.; Schoenen, S.; Schöneberg, S.; Schumacher, L.; Seckel, D.; Seunarine, S.; Shaevitz, M. H.; Soldin, D.; Söldner-Rembold, S.; Song, M.; Spiczak, G. M.; Spiering, C.; Stahlberg, M.; Stanev, T.; Stasik, A.; Steuer, A.; Stezelberger, T.; Stokstad, R. G.; Stößl, A.; Ström, R.; Strotjohann, N. L.; Sullivan, G. W.; Sutherland, M.; Taavola, H.; Taboada, I.; Taketa, A.; Tanaka, H. K. M.; Tatar, J.; Tenholt, F.; Ter-Antonyan, S.; Terliuk, A.; Tešić, G.; Tilav, S.; Toale, P. A.; Tobin, M. N.; Toscano, S.; Tosi, D.; Tselengidou, M.; Turcati, A.; Unger, E.; Usner, M.; Vandenbroucke, J.; van Eijndhoven, N.; Vanheule, S.; van Rossem, M.; van Santen, J.; Veenkamp, J.; Vehring, M.; Voge, M.; Vraeghe, M.; Walck, C.; Wallace, A.; Wallraff, M.; Wandkowsky, N.; Weaver, Ch; Weiss, M. J.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Whelan, B. J.; Wickmann, S.; Wiebe, K.; Wiebusch, C. H.; Wille, L.; Williams, D. R.; Wills, L.; Wolf, M.; Wood, T. R.; Woolsey, E.; Woschnagg, K.; Wren, S.; Xu, D. L.; Xu, X. W.; Xu, Y.; Yanez, J. P.; Yodh, G.; Yoshida, S.; Zoll, M.

2017-05-01

The Precision IceCube Next Generation Upgrade (PINGU) is a proposed low-energy in-fill extension to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. With detection technology modeled closely on the successful IceCube example, PINGU will provide a 6 Mton effective mass for neutrino detection with an energy threshold of a few GeV. With an unprecedented sample of over 60 000 atmospheric neutrinos per year in this energy range, PINGU will make highly competitive measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters in an energy range over an order of magnitude higher than long-baseline neutrino beam experiments. PINGU will measure the mixing parameters {θ }23 and {{Δ }}{m}322, including the octant of {θ }23 for a wide range of values, and determine the neutrino mass ordering at 3σ median significance within five years of operation. PINGU’s high precision measurement of the rate of {ν }τ appearance will provide essential tests of the unitarity of the 3 × 3 PMNS neutrino mixing matrix. PINGU will also improve the sensitivity of searches for low mass dark matter in the Sun, use neutrino tomography to directly probe the composition of the Earth’s core, and improve IceCube’s sensitivity to neutrinos from Galactic supernovae. Reoptimization of the PINGU design has permitted substantial reduction in both cost and logistical requirements while delivering performance nearly identical to configurations previously studied.

Higher Education Students Registered with Disability Services and Practice Educators: Issues and Concerns for Professional Placements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nolan, Clodagh; Gleeson, Claire; Treanor, Declan; Madigan, Susan

2015-01-01

Introduction: The number of students with disabilities accessing Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), including professional courses, has increased substantially within the Republic of Ireland over the past 10 years [AHEAD (Association of Higher Education, Access, and Disability) 2012. "Survey on the Participation Rates of Students with…

Higher Education Tuition and Fees in China: Implications and Impacts on Affordability and Educational Equity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dong, Haiying; Wan, Xuehong

2012-01-01

Students in China are being shouldered with more financial responsibility for their higher education. This shift impacts individuals across the economic spectrum in different ways. This paper assesses recent trends in China's higher education tuition and fees, and the implications on educational equity. Results document substantial increases in…

Financing Higher Education in the United States. OECD Economics Department Working Papers, No. 584

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tulip, Peter

2007-01-01

America's higher education system is among the best in the world. Nevertheless, there is scope for improvement. In particular, there appear to be substantial financial barriers to higher education despite large government expenditures aimed at promoting access. Policy makers have proposed addressing these barriers by increasing student grants.…

Higher Education Research Community in Taiwan: An Emerging Field

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Sheng-Ju; Chan, Ying

2015-01-01

This paper aims to explore the evolution and characteristics of the higher education research community in Taiwan. In echoing the development of the East Asian region, Taiwan has made substantial progress during the past two decades. The massification of higher education itself has played a major role in promoting the academic differentiation or…

Comparison of novel and standard diagnostic tools for the detection of Schistosoma mekongi infection in Lao People's Democratic Republic and Cambodia.

PubMed

Vonghachack, Youthanavanh; Sayasone, Somphou; Khieu, Virak; Bergquist, Robert; van Dam, Govert J; Hoekstra, Pytsje T; Corstjens, Paul L A M; Nickel, Beatrice; Marti, Hanspeter; Utzinger, Jürg; Muth, Sinuon; Odermatt, Peter

2017-08-10

Given the restricted distribution of Schistosoma mekongi in one province in Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and two provinces in Cambodia, together with progress of the national control programmes aimed at reducing morbidity and infection prevalence, the elimination of schistosomiasis mekongi seems feasible. However, sensitive diagnostic tools will be required to determine whether elimination has been achieved. We compared several standard and novel diagnostic tools in S. mekongi-endemic areas. The prevalence and infection intensity of S. mekongi were evaluated in 377 study participants from four villages in the endemic areas in Lao PDR and Cambodia using Kato-Katz stool examination, antibody detection based on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and schistosome circulating antigen detection by lateral-flow tests. Two highly sensitive test systems for the detection of cathodic and anodic circulating antigens (CCA, CAA) in urine and serum were utilized. Stool microscopy revealed an overall prevalence of S. mekongi of 6.4% (one case in Cambodia and 23 cases in Lao PDR), while that of Opisthorchis viverrini, hookworm, Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides and Taenia spp. were 50.4%, 28.1%, 3.5%, 0.3% and 1.9%, respectively. In the urine samples, the tests for CCA and CAA detected S. mekongi infections in 21.0% and 38.7% of the study participants, respectively. In the serum samples, the CAA assay revealed a prevalence of 32.4%, while a combination of the CAA assay in serum and in urine revealed a prevalence of 43.2%. There was a difference between the two study locations with a higher prevalence reached in the samples from Lao PDR. The CCA, CAA and ELISA results showed substantially higher prevalence estimates for S. mekongi compared to Kato-Katz thick smears. Active schistosomiasis mekongi in Lao PDR and Cambodia might thus have been considerably underestimated previously. Hence, sustained control efforts are still needed to break transmission of S. mekongi. The pivotal role of highly sensitive diagnostic assays in areas targeting elimination cannot be overemphasised.

Searching for the full symphony of black hole binary mergers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harry, Ian; Bustillo, Juan Calderón; Nitz, Alex

2018-01-01

Current searches for the gravitational-wave signature of compact binary mergers rely on matched-filtering data from interferometric observatories with sets of modeled gravitational waveforms. These searches currently use model waveforms that do not include the higher-order mode content of the gravitational-wave signal. Higher-order modes are important for many compact binary mergers and their omission reduces the sensitivity to such sources. In this work we explore the sensitivity loss incurred from omitting higher-order modes. We present a new method for searching for compact binary mergers using waveforms that include higher-order mode effects, and evaluate the sensitivity increase that using our new method would allow. We find that, when evaluating sensitivity at a constant rate-of-false alarm, and when including the fact that signal-consistency tests can reject some signals that include higher-order mode content, we observe a sensitivity increase of up to a factor of 2 in volume for high mass ratio, high total-mass systems. For systems with equal mass, or with total mass ˜50 M⊙, we see more modest sensitivity increases, <10 %, which indicates that the existing search is already performing well. Our new search method is also directly applicable in searches for generic compact binaries.

Two-axis magnetic field sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Carl H. (Inventor); Nordman, Catherine A. (Inventor); Jander, Albrecht (Inventor); Qian, Zhenghong (Inventor)

2006-01-01

A ferromagnetic thin-film based magnetic field sensor with first and second sensitive direction sensing structures each having a nonmagnetic intermediate layer with two major surfaces on opposite sides thereof having a magnetization reference layer on one and an anisotropic ferromagnetic material sensing layer on the other having a length in a selected length direction and a smaller width perpendicular thereto and parallel to the relatively fixed magnetization direction. The relatively fixed magnetization direction of said magnetization reference layer in each is oriented in substantially parallel to the substrate but substantially perpendicular to that of the other. An annealing process is used to form the desired magnetization directions.

Suppression of new particle formation from monoterpene oxidation by NOx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wildt, J.; Mentel, T. F.; Kiendler-Scharr, A.; Hoffmann, T.; Andres, S.; Ehn, M.; Kleist, E.; Müsgen, P.; Rohrer, F.; Rudich, Y.; Springer, M.; Tillmann, R.; Wahner, A.

2014-03-01

The impact of nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) on new particle formation (NPF) and on photochemical ozone production from real plant volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions was studied in a laboratory setup. At high NOx conditions ([BVOC] / [NOx] < 7, [NOx] > 23 ppb) new particle formation was suppressed. Instead, photochemical ozone formation was observed resulting in higher hydroxyl radical (OH) and lower nitrogen monoxide (NO) concentrations. When [NO] was reduced back to levels below 1 ppb by OH reactions, NPF was observed. Adding high amounts of NOx caused NPF to be slowed by orders of magnitude compared to analogous experiments at low NOx conditions ([NOx] ~300 ppt), although OH concentrations were higher. Varying NO2 photolysis enabled showing that NO was responsible for suppression of NPF. This suggests that peroxy radicals are involved in NPF. The rates of NPF and photochemical ozone production were related by power law dependence with an exponent approaching -2. This exponent indicated that the overall peroxy radical concentration must have been similar when NPF occurred. Thus, permutation reactions of first-generation peroxy radicals cannot be the rate limiting step in NPF from monoterpene oxidation. It was concluded that permutation reactions of higher generation peroxy-radical-like intermediates limit the rate of new particle formation. In contrast to the strong effects on the particle numbers, the formation of particle mass was substantially less sensitive to NOx concentrations. If at all, yields were reduced by about an order of magnitude only at very high NOx concentrations.

Inherent variations in CO-H2S-mediated carotid body O2 sensing mediate hypertension and pulmonary edema

PubMed Central

Peng, Ying-Jie; Makarenko, Vladislav V.; Nanduri, Jayasri; Vasavda, Chirag; Raghuraman, Gayatri; Yuan, Guoxiang; Gadalla, Moataz M.; Kumar, Ganesh K.; Snyder, Solomon H.; Prabhakar, Nanduri R.

2014-01-01

Oxygen (O2) sensing by the carotid body and its chemosensory reflex is critical for homeostatic regulation of breathing and blood pressure. Humans and animals exhibit substantial interindividual variation in this chemosensory reflex response, with profound effects on cardiorespiratory functions. However, the underlying mechanisms are not known. Here, we report that inherent variations in carotid body O2 sensing by carbon monoxide (CO)-sensitive hydrogen sulfide (H2S) signaling contribute to reflex variation in three genetically distinct rat strains. Compared with Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, Brown-Norway (BN) rats exhibit impaired carotid body O2 sensing and develop pulmonary edema as a consequence of poor ventilatory adaptation to hypobaric hypoxia. Spontaneous Hypertensive (SH) rat carotid bodies display inherent hypersensitivity to hypoxia and develop hypertension. BN rat carotid bodies have naturally higher CO and lower H2S levels than SD rat, whereas SH carotid bodies have reduced CO and greater H2S generation. Higher CO levels in BN rats were associated with higher substrate affinity of the enzyme heme oxygenase 2, whereas SH rats present lower substrate affinity and, thus, reduced CO generation. Reducing CO levels in BN rat carotid bodies increased H2S generation, restoring O2 sensing and preventing hypoxia-induced pulmonary edema. Increasing CO levels in SH carotid bodies reduced H2S generation, preventing hypersensitivity to hypoxia and controlling hypertension in SH rats. PMID:24395806

Relationship between interpersonal sensitivity and leukocyte telomere length.

PubMed

Suzuki, Akihito; Matsumoto, Yoshihiko; Enokido, Masanori; Shirata, Toshinori; Goto, Kaoru; Otani, Koichi

2017-10-10

Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences located at the ends of chromosomes, and telomere length represents a biological marker for cellular aging. Interpersonal sensitivity, excessive sensitivity to the behavior and feelings of others, is one of the vulnerable factors to depression. In the present study, we examined the effect of interpersonal sensitivity on telomere length in healthy subjects. The subjects were 159 unrelated healthy Japanese volunteers. Mean age ± SD (range) of the subjects was 42.3 ± 7.8 (30-61) years. Interpersonal sensitivity was assessed by the Japanese version of the Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure (IPSM). Leukocyte telomere length was determined by a quantitative real-time PCR method. Higher scores of the total IPSM were significantly (β = -0.163, p = 0.038) related to shorter telomere length. In the sub-scale analysis, higher scores of timidity were significantly (β = -0.220, p = 0.044) associated with shorter telomere length. The present study suggests that subjects with higher interpersonal sensitivity have shorter leukocyte telomere length, implying that interpersonal sensitivity has an impact on cellular aging.

Prevalence of sensitization to 'improver' enzymes in UK supermarket bakers.

PubMed

Jones, M; Welch, J; Turvey, J; Cannon, J; Clark, P; Szram, J; Cullinan, P

2016-07-01

Supermarket bakers are exposed not only to flour and alpha-amylase but also to other 'improver' enzymes, the nature of which is usually shrouded by commercial sensitivity. We aimed to determine the prevalence of sensitization to 'improver' enzymes in UK supermarket bakers. We examined the prevalence of sensitization to enzymes in 300 bakers, employed by one of two large supermarket bakeries, who had declared work-related respiratory symptoms during routine health surveillance. Sensitization was determined using radioallergosorbent assay to eight individual enzymes contained in the specific 'improver' mix used by each supermarket. The prevalence of sensitization to 'improver' enzymes ranged from 5% to 15%. Sensitization was far more likely if the baker was sensitized also to either flour or alpha-amylase. The prevalence of sensitization to an 'improver' enzyme did not appear to be related to the concentration of that enzyme in the mix. We report substantial rates of sensitization to enzymes other than alpha-amylase in UK supermarket bakers; in only a small proportion of bakers was there evidence of sensitization to 'improver mix' enzymes without sensitization to either alpha-amylase or flour. The clinical significance of these findings needs further investigation, but our findings indicate that specific sensitization in symptomatic bakers may not be identified without consideration of a wide range of workplace antigens. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Plant diversity and invasives in blue oak savannas of the southern Sierra Nevada

Treesearch

Jon E. Keeley

2002-01-01

Blue oak savannas were found to be substantially more diverse at all scales from localized point diversity to the community scale, than higher elevation shrubland and coniferous forests in the southern Sierra Nevada. Also, alien plants were more diverse and represented a substantial fraction of the understory flora in these blue oak savannas, comprising three-fourths...

Perception and Control of Simulated Self Motion. Final Report for the Period April 1983-March 1987.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owen, Dean H.; And Others

This report includes three experiment sections. The first experiment tested sensitivity to loss in altitude and demonstrated that: (1) preview effects led to adaptation; (2) sensitivity decreased with higher flow rates; and (3) sensitivity increased with higher optical texture densities and fractional loss. The second and third experiments…

Effectiveness of family group conferencing in preventing repeat referrals to child protective services and out-of-home placements.

PubMed

Hollinshead, Dana M; Corwin, Tyler W; Maher, Erin J; Merkel-Holguin, Lisa; Allan, Heather; Fluke, John D

2017-07-01

Rigorous research on the efficacy of family group conferencing is rare. This randomized control trial study used an intent-to-treat approach to examine whether a referral to a family group conference (FGC) was associated with re-referrals, substantiated re-referrals, or out-of-home placements among child welfare-involved families receiving in-home services. We found no significant associations between treatment and control group assignment and the three outcomes for the sample as a whole. However, families with more children had higher odds of a re-referral and a substantiated re-referral, families with more than one parent had higher odds of re-referral, and families where a substance abuse services referral was noted had higher odds of out-of-home placement. In interaction models with race, we found that families with African American mothers who were referred for an FGC were more likely to be re-referred compared to other families, but no differences were identified with respect to their rates of substantiated re-referrals or out-of-home placements. Implications are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

13 CFR 300.1 - Introduction and mission.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Investments in infrastructure development, capacity building and business development in order to attract private capital investments and higher-skill, higher-wage jobs to Regions experiencing substantial and... installations, changing trade patterns and the depletion of natural resources. EDA Investments generally take...

Tapered GRIN fiber microsensor.

PubMed

Beltrán-Mejía, Felipe; Biazoli, Claudecir R; Cordeiro, Cristiano M B

2014-12-15

The sensitivity of an optical fiber microsensor based on inter-modal interference can be considerably improved by tapering a short extension of the multimode fiber. In the case of Graded Index fibers with a parabolic refractive index profile, a meridional ray exhibits a sinusoidal path. When these fibers are tapered, the period of the propagated beam decrease down-taper and increase up-taper. We take advantage of this modulation -along with the enhanced overlap between the evanescent field and the external medium- to substantially increase the sensitivity of these devices by tuning the sensor's maximum sensitivity wavelength. Moreover, the extension of this device is reduced by one order of magnitude, making it more propitious for reduced space applications. Numerical and experimental results demonstrate the success and feasibility of this approach.

Disgust sensitivity and the 'non-rational' aspects of a career choice in surgery.

PubMed

Consedine, Nathan S; Yu, Tzu-Chieh; Hill, Andrew G; Windsor, John A

2013-03-15

Fitting trainee physicians to career paths remains an ongoing challenge in a highly fluid health workforce environment. Studies attempting to explain low interest in surgical careers have typically examined the relative impact of career and lifestyle values. The current work argues that emotional proclivities are potentially more important and that disgust sensitivity may help explain both low surgical interest as well as the tendency for female students to avoid surgical careers. 216 medical students attending a required course in human behaviour completed measures of career intention, traditional predictors of career intention and dispositional disgust sensitivity. As predicted, logistic regression showed that greater disgust sensitivity predicted lower surgical career intention even when controlling for traditional career values (OR=0.45, 95%CI=0.21-0.95). Additionally, the gender effect indexing low female interest in surgical careers was no longer significant once disgust sensitivity was added to the model. The impact of disgust sensitivity on surgical interest was substantial and on par with established predictors of career intention. Disgust sensitivity may represent a potentially modifiable factor impacting surgical career choice, particularly among female students who are typically more disgust sensitive.

Effect of salt intake on beat-to-beat blood pressure nonlinear dynamics and entropy in salt-sensitive versus salt-protected rats.

PubMed

Fares, Souha A; Habib, Joseph R; Engoren, Milo C; Badr, Kamal F; Habib, Robert H

2016-06-01

Blood pressure exhibits substantial short- and long-term variability (BPV). We assessed the hypothesis that the complexity of beat-to-beat BPV will be differentially altered in salt-sensitive hypertensive Dahl rats (SS) versus rats protected from salt-induced hypertension (SSBN13) maintained on high-salt versus low-salt diet. Beat-to-beat systolic and diastolic BP series from nine SS and six SSBN13 rats (http://www.physionet.org) were analyzed following 9 weeks on low salt and repeated after 2 weeks on high salt. BP complexity was quantified by detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), short- and long-range scaling exponents (αS and αL), sample entropy (SampEn), and traditional standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV(%)). Mean systolic and diastolic BP increased on high-salt diet (P < 0.01) particularly for SS rats. SD and CV(%) were similar across groups irrespective of diet. Salt-sensitive and -protected rats exhibited similar complexity indices on low-salt diet. On high salt, (1) SS rats showed increased scaling exponents or smoother, systolic (P = 0.007 [αL]) and diastolic (P = 0.008 [αL]) BP series; (2) salt-protected rats showed lower SampEn (less complex) systolic and diastolic BP (P = 0.046); and (3) compared to protected SSBN13 rats, SS showed higher αL for systolic (P = 0.01) and diastolic (P = 0.005) BP Hypertensive SS rats are more susceptible to high salt with a greater rise in mean BP and reduced complexity. Comparable mean pressures in sensitive and protective rats when on low-salt diet coupled with similar BPV dynamics suggest a protective role of low-salt intake in hypertensive rats. This effect likely reflects better coupling of biologic oscillators. © 2016 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American Physiological Society and The Physiological Society.

Microenvironmental Effect of 2'-O-(1-Pyrenylmethyl)uridine Modified Fluorescent Oligonucleotide Probes on Sensitive and Selective Detection of Target RNA.

PubMed

Imincan, Gülnur; Pei, Fen; Yu, Lijia; Jin, Hongwei; Zhang, Liangren; Yang, Xiaoda; Zhang, Lihe; Tang, XinJing

2016-04-19

2'-O-(1-Pyrenylmethyl)uridine modified oligoribonucleotides provide highly sensitive pyrene fluorescent probes for detecting specific nucleotide mutation of RNA targets. To develop more stable and cost-effective oligonucleotide probes, we investigated the local microenvironmental effects of nearby nucleobases on pyrene fluorescence in duplexes of RNAs and 2'-O-(1-pyrenylmethyl)uridine modified oligonucleotides. By incorporation of deoxyribonucleotides, ribonucleotides, 2'-MeO-nucleotides and 2'-F-nucleotides at both sides of 2'-O-(1-pyrenylmethyl)uridine (U(p)) in oligodeoxynucleotide probes, we synthesized a series of pyrene modified oligonucleotide probes. Their pyrene fluorescence emission spectra indicated that only two proximal nucleotides have a substantial effect on the pyrene fluorescence properties of these oligonucleotide probes hybridized with target RNA with an order of fluorescence sensitivity of 2'-F-nucleotides > 2'-MeO-nucleotides > ribonucleotides ≫ deoxyribonucleotides. While based on circular dichroism spectra, overall helix conformations (either A- or B-form) of the duplexes have marginal effects on the sensitivity of the probes. Instead, the local substitution reflected the propensity of the nucleotide sugar ring to adopt North type conformation and, accordingly, shifted their helix geometry toward a more A-type like conformation in local microenvironments. Thus, higher enhancement of pyrene fluorescence emission favored local A-type helix structures and more polar and hydrophobic environments (F > MeO > OH at 2' substitution) of duplex minor grooves of probes with the target RNA. Further dynamic simulation revealed that local microenvironmental effect of 2'-F-nucleotides or ribonucleotides was enough for pyrene moiety to move out of nucleobases to the minor groove of duplexes; in addition, 2'-F-nucleotide had less effect on π-stack of pyrene-modified uridine with upstream and downstream nucleobases. The present oligonucleotide probes successfully distinguished target RNA from single-mutated RNA analyte during an in vitro assay of RNA synthesis.

Quantitative estimates of the impact of sensitivity and specificity in mammographic screening in Germany.

PubMed Central

Warmerdam, P G; de Koning, H J; Boer, R; Beemsterboer, P M; Dierks, M L; Swart, E; Robra, B P

1997-01-01

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To estimate quantitatively the impact of the quality of mammographic screening (in terms of sensitivity and specificity) on the effects and costs of nationwide breast cancer screening. DESIGN: Three plausible "quality" scenarios for a biennial breast cancer screening programme for women aged 50-69 in Germany were analysed in terms of costs and effects using the Microsimulation Screening Analysis model on breast cancer screening and the natural history of breast cancer. Firstly, sensitivity and specificity in the expected situation (or "baseline" scenario) were estimated from a model based analysis of empirical data from 35,000 screening examinations in two German pilot projects. In the second "high quality" scenario, these properties were based on the more favourable diagnostic results from breast cancer screening projects and the nationwide programme in The Netherlands. Thirdly, a worst case, "low quality" hypothetical scenario with a 25% lower sensitivity than that experienced in The Netherlands was analysed. SETTING: The epidemiological and social situation in Germany in relation to mass screening for breast cancer. RESULTS: In the "baseline" scenario, an 11% reduction in breast cancer mortality was expected in the total German female population, ie 2100 breast cancer deaths would be prevented per year. It was estimated that the "high quality" scenario, based on Dutch experience, would lead to the prevention of an additional 200 deaths per year and would also cut the number of false positive biopsy results by half. The cost per life year gained varied from Deutsche mark (DM) 15,000 on the "high quality" scenario to DM 21,000 in the "low quality" setting. CONCLUSIONS: Up to 20% of the total costs of a screening programme can be spent on quality improvement in order to achieve a substantially higher reduction in mortality and reduce undesirable side effects while retaining the same cost effectiveness ratio as that estimated from the German data. PMID:9196649

Comparison of electron microscopy, ELISA, real time RT-PCR and insulated isothermal RT-PCR for the detection of Rotavirus group A (RVA) in feces of different animal species.

PubMed

Soltan, Mohamed A; Tsai, Yun-Long; Lee, Pei-Yu A; Tsai, Chuan-Fu; Chang, Hsiao-Fen G; Wang, Hwa-Tang T; Wilkes, Rebecca P

2016-09-01

There is no gold standard for detection of Rotavirus Group A (RVA), one of the main causes of diarrhea in neonatal animals. Sensitive and specific real-time RT-PCR (rtRT-PCR) assays are available for RVA but require submission of the clinical samples to diagnostic laboratories. Patient-side immunoassays for RVA protein detection have shown variable results, particularly with samples from unintended species. A sensitive and specific test for detection of RVA on the farm would facilitate rapid management decisions. The insulated isothermal RT-PCR (RT-iiPCR) assay works in a portable machine to allow sensitive and specific on-site testing. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate a commercially available RT-iiPCR assay for RVA detection in feces from different animal species. This assay was compared to an in-house rtRT-PCR assay and a commercially available rtRT-PCR kit, as well as an ELISA and EM for RVA detection. All three PCR assays targeted the well-conserved NSP5 gene. Clinical fecal samples from 108 diarrheic animals (mainly cattle and horses) were tested. The percentage of positive samples by ELISA, EM, in-house rtRT-PCR, commercial rtRT-PCR, and RT-iiPCR was 29.4%, 31%, 36.7%, 51.4%, 56.9%, respectively. The agreement between different assays was high (81.3-100%) in samples containing high viral loads. The sensitivity of the RT-iiPCR assay appeared to be higher than the commercially available rtRT-PCR assay, with a limit of detection (95% confidence index) of 3-4 copies of in vitro transcribed dsRNA. In conclusion, the user-friendly, field-deployable RT-iiPCR system holds substantial promise for on-site detection of RVA. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Utility of 99mTc-Hynic-TOC in 131I Whole-Body Scan Negative Thyroid Cancer Patients with Elevated Serum Thyroglobulin Levels

PubMed Central

Shinto, Ajit S.; Kamaleshwaran, K. K.; Mallia, Madhav; Korde, Aruna; Samuel, Grace; Banerjee, Sharmila; Velayutham, Pavanasam; Damodharan, Suresh; Sairam, Madhu

2015-01-01

Several studies have reported on the expression of somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the imaging abilities of a recently developed Technetium-99m labeled somatostatin analog, 99mTc-Hynic-TOC, in terms of precise localization of the disease. The study population consisted of 28 patients (16 men, 12 women; age range: 39-72 years) with histologically confirmed DTC, who presented with recurrent or persistent disease as indicated by elevated serum thyroglobulin (Tg) levels after initial treatment (serum Tg > 10 ng/ml off T4 suppression for 4-6 weeks). All patients were negative on the Iodine-131 posttherapy whole-body scans. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) was performed in all patients. SSTR scintigraphy was true positive in 23 cases (82.1%), true negative in two cases (7.1%) and false negative in three cases (10.7%) which resulted in a sensitivity of 88.46%, specificity of 100% and an accuracy of 89.2%. Sensitivity of 99mTc-Hynic-TOC scan was higher (93.7%) for patients with advanced stages, that is stages III and IV. 18F-FDG showed a sensitivity of 93.7%, a specificity of 50% and an accuracy of 89.3%. 18F-FDG PET was found to be more sensitive, with lower specificity due to false positive results in 2 patients. Analysis on a lesion basis demonstrated substantial agreement between the two imaging techniques with a Cohen's kappa of 0.66. Scintigraphy with 99mTc-Hynic-TOC might be a promising tool for treatment planning; it is easy to perform and showed sufficient accuracy for localization diagnostics in thyroid cancer patients with recurrent or metastatic disease. PMID:26097420

Utility of (99m)Tc-Hynic-TOC in 131I Whole-Body Scan Negative Thyroid Cancer Patients with Elevated Serum Thyroglobulin Levels.

PubMed

Shinto, Ajit S; Kamaleshwaran, K K; Mallia, Madhav; Korde, Aruna; Samuel, Grace; Banerjee, Sharmila; Velayutham, Pavanasam; Damodharan, Suresh; Sairam, Madhu

2015-01-01

Several studies have reported on the expression of somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the imaging abilities of a recently developed Technetium-99m labeled somatostatin analog, (99m)Tc-Hynic-TOC, in terms of precise localization of the disease. The study population consisted of 28 patients (16 men, 12 women; age range: 39-72 years) with histologically confirmed DTC, who presented with recurrent or persistent disease as indicated by elevated serum thyroglobulin (Tg) levels after initial treatment (serum Tg > 10 ng/ml off T4 suppression for 4-6 weeks). All patients were negative on the Iodine-131 posttherapy whole-body scans. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ((18)F-FDG PET) was performed in all patients. SSTR scintigraphy was true positive in 23 cases (82.1%), true negative in two cases (7.1%) and false negative in three cases (10.7%) which resulted in a sensitivity of 88.46%, specificity of 100% and an accuracy of 89.2%. Sensitivity of (99m)Tc-Hynic-TOC scan was higher (93.7%) for patients with advanced stages, that is stages III and IV. (18)F-FDG showed a sensitivity of 93.7%, a specificity of 50% and an accuracy of 89.3%. (18)F-FDG PET was found to be more sensitive, with lower specificity due to false positive results in 2 patients. Analysis on a lesion basis demonstrated substantial agreement between the two imaging techniques with a Cohen's kappa of 0.66. Scintigraphy with (99m)Tc-Hynic-TOC might be a promising tool for treatment planning; it is easy to perform and showed sufficient accuracy for localization diagnostics in thyroid cancer patients with recurrent or metastatic disease.

Identifying Moderators of the Link Between Parent and Child Anxiety Sensitivity: The Roles of Gender, Positive Parenting, and Corporal Punishment.

PubMed

Graham, Rebecca A; Weems, Carl F

2015-07-01

A substantial body of literature suggests that anxiety sensitivity is a risk factor for the development of anxiety problems and research has now begun to examine the links between parenting, parent anxiety sensitivity and their child's anxiety sensitivity. However, the extant literature has provided mixed findings as to whether parent anxiety sensitivity is associated with child anxiety sensitivity, with some evidence suggesting that other factors may influence the association. Theoretically, specific parenting behaviors may be important to the development of child anxiety sensitivity and also in understanding the association between parent and child anxiety sensitivity. In this study, 191 families (n = 255 children and adolescents aged 6-17 and their parents) completed measures of child anxiety sensitivity (CASI) and parenting (APQ-C), and parents completed measures of their own anxiety sensitivity (ASI) and their parenting (APQ-P). Corporal punishment was associated with child anxiety sensitivity and the child's report of their parent's positive parenting behaviors moderated the association between parent and child anxiety sensitivity. The child's gender was also found to moderate the association between parent and child anxiety sensitivity, such that there was a positive association between girls' and their parents anxiety sensitivity and a negative association in boys. The findings advance the understanding of child anxiety sensitivity by establishing a link with corporal punishment and by showing that the association between parent and child anxiety sensitivity may depend upon the parenting context and child's gender.

The regulation of patient-reported outcome claims: need for a flexible standard.

PubMed

Morris, Louis A; Miller, David W

2002-01-01

We review the FDA's policies for the regulation of patient-reported outcome (PRO) claims such as quality of life, productivity, satisfaction and symptom reports and suggest alternative standards for substantiation. We base our review on FDA regulatory activities and public statements in the field of advertising substantiation. We compare these activities to the FDA's label substantiation policies and policies for health-economic (HE) claim substantiation. There is an overt inconsistency between the FDA's policies for substantiation of PRO claims in product labels and substantiation for such claims in advertising materials. This results in a higher standard for PRO claims in promotional vehicles than in product labels. Rather than relying on a "substantial evidence" standard, the FDA should consider a more flexible standard, such as the one currently applied to information included in the Clinical Trials section of product labels, or adopting a "competent and reliable scientific evidence" standard as set forth in Section 114 of the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act (FDAMA) for HE data. We conclude that there needs to be greater consistency for substantiation in product labels and promotional materials. Furthermore, reconceptualizing most PRO claims as benefit extrapolations as opposed to efficacy information suggests a less rigorous standard is necessary.

Spin-Label CW Microwave Power Saturation and Rapid Passage with Triangular Non-Adiabatic Rapid Sweep (NARS) and Adiabatic Rapid Passage (ARP) EPR Spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Kittell, Aaron W.; Hyde, James S.

2015-01-01

Non-adiabatic rapid passage (NARS) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was introduced by Kittell, A.W., Camenisch, T.G., Ratke, J.J. Sidabras, J.W., Hyde, J.S., 2011 as a general purpose technique to collect the pure absorption response. The technique has been used to improve sensitivity relative to sinusoidal magnetic field modulation, increase the range of inter-spin distances that can be measured under near physiological conditions, and enhance spectral resolution in copper (II) spectra. In the present work, the method is extended to CW microwave power saturation of spin-labeled T4 Lysozyme (T4L). As in the cited papers, rapid triangular sweep of the polarizing magnetic field was superimposed on slow sweep across the spectrum. Adiabatic rapid passage (ARP) effects were encountered in samples undergoing very slow rotational diffusion as the triangular magnetic field sweep rate was increased. The paper reports results of variation of experimental parameters at the interface of adiabatic and non-adiabatic rapid sweep conditions. Comparison of the forward (up) and reverse (down) triangular sweeps is shown to be a good indicator of the presence of rapid passage effects. Spectral turning points can be distinguished from spectral regions between turning points in two ways: differential microwave power saturation and differential passage effects. Oxygen accessibility data are shown under NARS conditions that appear similar to conventional field modulation data. However, the sensitivity is much higher, permitting, in principle, experiments at substantially lower protein concentrations. Spectral displays were obtained that appear sensitive to rotational diffusion in the range of rotational correlation times of 10−3 to 10−7 s in a manner that is analogous to saturation transfer spectroscopy. PMID:25917132

Absolute quantification of prion protein (90-231) using stable isotope-labeled chymotryptic peptide standards in a LC-MRM AQUA workflow.

PubMed

Sturm, Robert; Sheynkman, Gloria; Booth, Clarissa; Smith, Lloyd M; Pedersen, Joel A; Li, Lingjun

2012-09-01

Substantial evidence indicates that the disease-associated conformer of the prion protein (PrP(TSE)) constitutes the etiologic agent in prion diseases. These diseases affect multiple mammalian species. PrP(TSE) has the ability to convert the conformation of the normal prion protein (PrP(C)) into a β-sheet rich form resistant to proteinase K digestion. Common immunological techniques lack the sensitivity to detect PrP(TSE) at subfemtomole levels, whereas animal bioassays, cell culture, and in vitro conversion assays offer higher sensitivity but lack the high-throughput the immunological assays offer. Mass spectrometry is an attractive alternative to the above assays as it offers high-throughput, direct measurement of a protein's signature peptide, often with subfemtomole sensitivities. Although a liquid chromatography-multiple reaction monitoring (LC-MRM) method has been reported for PrP(TSE), the chemical composition and lack of amino acid sequence conservation of the signature peptide may compromise its accuracy and make it difficult to apply to multiple species. Here, we demonstrate that an alternative protease (chymotrypsin) can produce signature peptides suitable for a LC-MRM absolute quantification (AQUA) experiment. The new method offers several advantages, including: (1) a chymotryptic signature peptide lacking chemically active residues (Cys, Met) that can confound assay accuracy; (2) low attomole limits of detection and quantitation (LOD and LOQ); and (3) a signature peptide retaining the same amino acid sequence across most mammals naturally susceptible to prion infection as well as important laboratory models. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report on the use of a non-tryptic peptide in a LC-MRM AQUA workflow.

Absolute Quantification of Prion Protein (90-231) Using Stable Isotope-Labeled Chymotryptic Peptide Standards in a LC-MRM AQUA Workflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sturm, Robert; Sheynkman, Gloria; Booth, Clarissa; Smith, Lloyd M.; Pedersen, Joel A.; Li, Lingjun

2012-09-01

Substantial evidence indicates that the disease-associated conformer of the prion protein (PrPTSE) constitutes the etiologic agent in prion diseases. These diseases affect multiple mammalian species. PrPTSE has the ability to convert the conformation of the normal prion protein (PrPC) into a β-sheet rich form resistant to proteinase K digestion. Common immunological techniques lack the sensitivity to detect PrPTSE at subfemtomole levels, whereas animal bioassays, cell culture, and in vitro conversion assays offer higher sensitivity but lack the high-throughput the immunological assays offer. Mass spectrometry is an attractive alternative to the above assays as it offers high-throughput, direct measurement of a protein's signature peptide, often with subfemtomole sensitivities. Although a liquid chromatography-multiple reaction monitoring (LC-MRM) method has been reported for PrPTSE, the chemical composition and lack of amino acid sequence conservation of the signature peptide may compromise its accuracy and make it difficult to apply to multiple species. Here, we demonstrate that an alternative protease (chymotrypsin) can produce signature peptides suitable for a LC-MRM absolute quantification (AQUA) experiment. The new method offers several advantages, including: (1) a chymotryptic signature peptide lacking chemically active residues (Cys, Met) that can confound assay accuracy; (2) low attomole limits of detection and quantitation (LOD and LOQ); and (3) a signature peptide retaining the same amino acid sequence across most mammals naturally susceptible to prion infection as well as important laboratory models. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report on the use of a non-tryptic peptide in a LC-MRM AQUA workflow.

Comparison of Hepatic 2D Sandwich Cultures and 3D Spheroids for Long-term Toxicity Applications: A Multicenter Study

PubMed Central

Bell, Catherine C; Dankers, Anita C A; Sison-Young, Rowena; Jenkins, Roz; Rowe, Cliff; Goldring, Chris E; Park, Kevin; Regan, Sophie L; Walker, Tracy; Schofield, Chris; Baze, Audrey; Foster, Alison J; Williams, Dominic P; van de Ven, Amy W M; Jacobs, Frank; van Houdt, Jos; Lähteenmäki, Tuula; Snoeys, Jan; Juhila, Satu; Richert, Lysiane; Ingelman-Sundberg, Magnus

2018-01-01

Abstract Primary human hepatocytes (PHHs) are commonly used for in vitro studies of drug-induced liver injury. However, when cultured as 2D monolayers, PHH lose crucial hepatic functions within hours. This dedifferentiation can be ameliorated when PHHs are cultured in sandwich configuration (2Dsw), particularly when cultures are regularly re-overlaid with extracellular matrix, or as 3D spheroids. In this study, the 6 participating laboratories evaluated the robustness of these 2 model systems made from cryopreserved PHH from the same donors considering both inter-donor and inter-laboratory variability and compared their suitability for use in repeated-dose toxicity studies using 5 different hepatotoxins with different toxicity mechanisms. We found that expression levels of proteins involved in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion, as well as catalytic activities of 5 different CYPs, were significantly higher in 3D spheroid cultures, potentially affecting the exposure of the cells to drugs and their metabolites. Furthermore, global proteomic analyses revealed that PHH in 3D spheroid configuration were temporally stable whereas proteomes from the same donors in 2Dsw cultures showed substantial alterations in protein expression patterns over the 14 days in culture. Overall, spheroid cultures were more sensitive to the hepatotoxic compounds investigated, particularly upon long-term exposures, across testing sites with little inter-laboratory or inter-donor variability. The data presented here suggest that repeated-dosing regimens improve the predictivity of in vitro toxicity assays, and that PHH spheroids provide a sensitive and robust system for long-term mechanistic studies of drug-induced hepatotoxicity, whereas the 2Dsw system has a more dedifferentiated phenotype and lower sensitivity to detect hepatotoxicity. PMID:29329425

TAT peptide-based micelle system for potential active targeting of anti-cancer agents to acidic solid tumors.

PubMed

Sethuraman, Vijay A; Bae, You Han

2007-04-02

A novel drug targeting system for acidic solid tumors has been developed based on ultra pH-sensitive polymer and cell penetrating TAT. The delivery system consisted of two components: 1) A polymeric micelle that has a hydrophobic core made of poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) and a hydrophilic shell consisting of polyethylene glycol (PEG) conjugated to TAT (TAT micelle), 2) an ultra pH-sensitive diblock copolymer of poly(methacryloyl sulfadimethoxine) (PSD) and PEG (PSD-b-PEG). The anionic PSD is complexed with cationic TAT of the micelles to achieve the final carrier, which could systemically shield the micelles and expose them at slightly acidic tumor pH. TAT micelles had particle sizes between 20 and 45 nm and their critical micelle concentrations were 3.5 mg/l to 5.5 mg/l. The TAT micelles, upon mixing with pH-sensitive PSD-b-PEG, showed a slight increase in particle size between pH 8.0 and 6.8 (60-90 nm), indicating complexation. As the pH was decreased (pH 6.6 to 6.0) two populations were observed, one that of normal TAT micelles (45 nm) and the other of aggregated hydrophobic PSD-b-PEG. Zeta potential measurements showed similar trend substantiating the shielding/deshielding process. Flow cytometry and confocal microscopy showed significantly higher uptake of TAT micelles at pH 6.6 compared to pH 7.4 indicating shielding at normal pH and deshielding at tumor pH. The confocal microscopy indicated that the TAT not only translocates into the cells but is also seen on the surface of the nucleus. These results strongly indicate that the above micelles would be able to target any hydrophobic drug near the nucleus.

Doping test results dependent on genotype of uridine diphospho-glucuronosyl transferase 2B17, the major enzyme for testosterone glucuronidation.

PubMed

Schulze, Jenny Jakobsson; Lundmark, Jonas; Garle, Mats; Skilving, Ilona; Ekström, Lena; Rane, Anders

2008-07-01

Testosterone abuse is conventionally assessed by the urinary testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio, levels above 4.0 being considered suspicious. The large variation in testosterone glucuronide (TG) excretion and its strong association with a deletion polymorphism in the uridine diphospho-glucuronosyl transferase (UGT) 2B17 gene challenge the accuracy of the T/E ratio test. Our objective was to investigate whether genotype-based cutoff values will improve the sensitivity and specificity of the test. This was an open three-armed comparative study. A total of 55 healthy male volunteers with either two, one, or no allele [insertion/insertion, insertion/deletion, or deletion/deletion (del/del)] of the UGT2B17 gene was included in the study. A single im dose of 500 mg testosterone enanthate was administered. Urinary excretion of TG after dose and the T/E ratio during 15 d were calculated. The degree and rate of increase in the TG excretion rate were highly dependent on the UGT2B17 genotype with a 20-fold higher average maximum increase in the insertion/insertion group compared with the del/del group. Of the del/del subjects, 40% never reached the T/E ratio of 4.0 on any of the 15 d after the dose. When differentiated cutoff levels for the del/del (1.0) and the other genotypes (6.0) were applied, the sensitivity increased substantially for the del/del group, and false positives in the other genotypes were eliminated. Consideration of the genetic variation in disposition of androgens will improve the sensitivity and specificity of the testosterone doping test. This is of interest not only for combating androgen doping in sports, but also for detecting and preventing androgen abuse in society.

C-reactive protein as a screening test for HIV-associated pulmonary tuberculosis prior to antiretroviral therapy in South Africa.

PubMed

Shapiro, Adrienne E; Hong, Ting; Govere, Sabina; Thulare, Hilary; Moosa, Mahomed-Yunus; Dorasamy, Afton; Wallis, Carole L; Celum, Connie L; Grosset, Jacques; Drain, Paul K

2018-05-28

There is an urgent need for more accurate screening tests for tuberculosis(TB). We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of C-reactive protein (CRP) as a screening test for active TB in HIV-infected ambulatory adults. CRP levels were measured in blood collected at the time of HIV testing.Diagnostic accuracy of CRP for pulmonary TB was calculated (reference standard: TB culture), compared to the WHO 4-symptom screen, consisting of cough, fever, night sweats, and weight loss. Diagnostic accuracy was also calculated for CRP in a larger cohort of HIV-infected adults with a positive symptom screen (reference standard: clinical or microbiological TB). Among 425 HIV-infected outpatients systematically tested for pulmonary TB, TB culture was positive in 42 (10%), 279 (66%) had at least one TB-related symptom and 197 (46%) had a CRP >5 mg/L. The sensitivity of CRP and the TB symptom screen to detect TB was the same (90.5%; 95%CI 77.4-97.3) but specificity of CRP was higher than for the TB symptom screen (58.5% vs. 37.1%, p<0.001). Of persons with no symptoms and normal CRP, 99 (98%) had no TB. In another cohort of 749 patients presenting with at least one TB-related symptom and clinically evaluated, CRP had a sensitivity of 98.7% and specificity of 48.3%. In HIV-infected outpatients, CRP was as sensitive but substantially more specific than TB symptom screening. Use of CRP as a screening tool to exclude active TB could identify the same number of HIV-associated TB cases, but reduce the use of diagnostic sputum testing in TB-endemic regions.

The combination of pH monitoring in the most distal esophagus and symptom association analysis markedly improves the clinical value of esophageal pH tests.

PubMed

Hall, Mats Guerrero Garcia; Wenner, Jörgen; Öberg, Stefan

2016-01-01

The poor sensitivity of esophageal pH monitoring substantially limits the clinical value of the test. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of esophageal pH monitoring and symptom association analysis performed at the conventional level with that obtained in the most distal esophagus. Eighty-two patients with typical reflux symptoms and 49 asymptomatic subjects underwent dual 48-h pH monitoring with the electrodes positioned immediately above, and 6 cm above the squamo-columnar junction (SCJ). The degree of esophageal acid exposure and the temporal relationship between reflux events and symptoms were evaluated. The sensitivity of pH recording and the diagnostic yield of Symptom Association Probability (SAP) were significantly higher for pH monitoring performed at the distal compared with the conventional level (82% versus 65%, p<0.001 and 74% versus 62%, p<0.001, respectively). The greatest improvement was observed in patients with non-erosive disease. In this group, the sensitivity increased from 46% at the standard level to 66% immediately above the SCJ, and with the combination of a positive SAP as a marker for a positive pH test, the diagnostic yield further increased to 94%. The diagnostic accuracy of esophageal pH monitoring in the most distal esophagus is superior to that performed at the conventional level and it is further improved with the combination of symptom association analysis. PH monitoring with the pH electrode positioned immediately above the SCJ should be introduced in clinical practice and always combined with symptom association analysis.

Effects of railway track design on the expected degradation: Parametric study on energy dissipation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadri, Mehran; Steenbergen, Michaël

2018-04-01

This paper studies the effect of railway track design parameters on the expected long-term degradation of track geometry. The study assumes a geometrically perfect and straight track along with spatial invariability, except for the presence of discrete sleepers. A frequency-domain two-layer model is used of a discretely supported rail coupled with a moving unsprung mass. The susceptibility of the track to degradation is objectively quantified by calculating the mechanical energy dissipated in the substructure under a moving train axle for variations of different track parameters. Results show that, apart from the operational train speed, the ballast/substructure stiffness is the most significant parameter influencing energy dissipation. Generally, the degradation increases with the train speed and with softer substructures. However, stiff subgrades appear more sensitive to particular train velocities, in a regime which is mostly relevant for conventional trains (100-200 km/h) and less for high-speed operation, where a stiff subgrade is always favorable and can reduce the sensitivity to degradation substantially, with roughly a factor up to 7. Also railpad stiffness, sleeper distance and rail cross-sectional properties are found to have considerable effect, with higher expected degradation rates for increasing railpad stiffness, increasing sleeper distance and decreasing rail profile bending stiffness. Unsprung vehicle mass and sleeper mass have no significant influence, however, only against the background of the assumption of an idealized (invariant and straight) track. Apart from dissipated mechanical energy, the suitability of the dynamic track stiffness is explored as an engineering parameter to assess the sensitivity to degradation. It is found that this quantity is inappropriate to assess the design of an idealized track.

TAT peptide-based micelle system for potential active targeting of anti-cancer agents to acidic solid tumors

PubMed Central

Sethuraman, Vijay A; Bae, You Han

2007-01-01

A novel drug targeting system for acidic solid tumors has been developed based on ultra pH sensitive polymer and cell penetrating TAT. The delivery system consisted of two components: 1) A polymeric micelle that has a hydrophobic core made of Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and a hydrophilic shell consisting of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) conjugated to TAT (TATmicelle), 2) An ultra pH sensitive diblock copolymer of poly(methacryloyl sulfadimethoxine) (PSD) and PEG (PSD-b-PEG). The anionic PSD is complexed with cationic TAT of the micelles to achieve the final carrier, which could systemically shield the micelles and expose them at slightly acidic tumor pH. TATmicelles had particle sizes between 20 to 45 nm and their critical micelle concentrations were 3.5 mg/L to 5.5 mg/L. The TATmicelles, upon mixing with pH sensitive PSD-b-PEG, showed slight increase in particle size between pH 8.0 and 6.8 (60–90 nm), indicating complexation. As the pH was decreased (pH 6.6 to 6.0) two populations were observed, one that of normal TAT micelles (45 nm) and the other of aggregated hydrophobic PSD-b-PEG. Zeta potential measurements showed similar trend substantiating the shielding/deshielding process. Flowcytometry and confocal microscopy showed significantly higher uptake of TAT micelles at pH 6.6 compared to pH 7.4 indicating shielding at normal pH and deshielding at tumor pH. The flowcytometry indicated that the TAT not only translocates into the cells but is also seen on the surface of the nucleus. These results strongly indicate that the above drug loaded micelles would be able to target any hydrophobic drug near the nucleus. PMID:17239466

Assessing operating characteristics of CAD algorithms in the absence of a gold standard

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

Roy Choudhury, Kingshuk; Paik, David S.; Yi, Chin A.

2010-04-15

Purpose: The authors examine potential bias when using a reference reader panel as ''gold standard'' for estimating operating characteristics of CAD algorithms for detecting lesions. As an alternative, the authors propose latent class analysis (LCA), which does not require an external gold standard to evaluate diagnostic accuracy. Methods: A binomial model for multiple reader detections using different diagnostic protocols was constructed, assuming conditional independence of readings given true lesion status. Operating characteristics of all protocols were estimated by maximum likelihood LCA. Reader panel and LCA based estimates were compared using data simulated from the binomial model for a range ofmore » operating characteristics. LCA was applied to 36 thin section thoracic computed tomography data sets from the Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC): Free search markings of four radiologists were compared to markings from four different CAD assisted radiologists. For real data, bootstrap-based resampling methods, which accommodate dependence in reader detections, are proposed to test of hypotheses of differences between detection protocols. Results: In simulation studies, reader panel based sensitivity estimates had an average relative bias (ARB) of -23% to -27%, significantly higher (p-value <0.0001) than LCA (ARB -2% to -6%). Specificity was well estimated by both reader panel (ARB -0.6% to -0.5%) and LCA (ARB 1.4%-0.5%). Among 1145 lesion candidates LIDC considered, LCA estimated sensitivity of reference readers (55%) was significantly lower (p-value 0.006) than CAD assisted readers' (68%). Average false positives per patient for reference readers (0.95) was not significantly lower (p-value 0.28) than CAD assisted readers' (1.27). Conclusions: Whereas a gold standard based on a consensus of readers may substantially bias sensitivity estimates, LCA may be a significantly more accurate and consistent means for evaluating diagnostic accuracy.« less

Accelerated dynamic cardiac MRI exploiting sparse-Kalman-smoother self-calibration and reconstruction (k  -  t SPARKS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Suhyung; Park, Jaeseok

2015-05-01

Accelerated dynamic MRI, which exploits spatiotemporal redundancies in k  -  t space and coil dimension, has been widely used to reduce the number of signal encoding and thus increase imaging efficiency with minimal loss of image quality. Nonetheless, particularly in cardiac MRI it still suffers from artifacts and amplified noise in the presence of time-drifting coil sensitivity due to relative motion between coil and subject (e.g. free breathing). Furthermore, a substantial number of additional calibrating signals is to be acquired to warrant accurate calibration of coil sensitivity. In this work, we propose a novel, accelerated dynamic cardiac MRI with sparse-Kalman-smoother self-calibration and reconstruction (k  -  t SPARKS), which is robust to time-varying coil sensitivity even with a small number of calibrating signals. The proposed k  -  t SPARKS incorporates Kalman-smoother self-calibration in k  -  t space and sparse signal recovery in x  -   f space into a single optimization problem, leading to iterative, joint estimation of time-varying convolution kernels and missing signals in k  -  t space. In the Kalman-smoother calibration, motion-induced uncertainties over the entire time frames were included in modeling state transition while a coil-dependent noise statistic in describing measurement process. The sparse signal recovery iteratively alternates with the self-calibration to tackle the ill-conditioning problem potentially resulting from insufficient calibrating signals. Simulations and experiments were performed using both the proposed and conventional methods for comparison, revealing that the proposed k  -  t SPARKS yields higher signal-to-error ratio and superior temporal fidelity in both breath-hold and free-breathing cardiac applications over all reduction factors.

Contrasting responses of photosynthesis to salt stress in the glycophyte Arabidopsis and the halophyte thellungiella: role of the plastid terminal oxidase as an alternative electron sink.

PubMed

Stepien, Piotr; Johnson, Giles N

2009-02-01

The effects of short-term salt stress on gas exchange and the regulation of photosynthetic electron transport were examined in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and its salt-tolerant close relative Thellungiella (Thellungiella halophila). Plants cultivated on soil were challenged for 2 weeks with NaCl. Arabidopsis showed a much higher sensitivity to salt than Thellungiella; while Arabidopsis plants were unable to survive exposure to greater than 150 mM salt, Thellugiella could tolerate concentrations as high as 500 mM with only minimal effects on gas exchange. Exposure of Arabidopsis to sublethal salt concentrations resulted in stomatal closure and inhibition of CO2 fixation. This lead to an inhibition of electron transport though photosystem II (PSII), an increase in cyclic electron flow involving only PSI, and increased nonphotochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence. In contrast, in Thellungiella, although gas exchange was marginally inhibited by high salt and PSI was unaffected, there was a large increase in electron flow involving PSII. This additional electron transport activity is oxygen dependent and sensitive to the alternative oxidase inhibitor n-propyl gallate. PSII electron transport in Thellungiella showed a reduced sensitivity to 2'-iodo-6-isopropyl-3-methyl-2',4,4'-trinitrodiphenylether, an inhibitor of the cytochrome b6f complex. At the same time, we observed a substantial up-regulation of a protein reacting with antibodies raised against the plastid terminal oxidase. No such up-regulation was seen in Arabidopsis. We conclude that in salt-stressed Thellungiella, plastid terminal oxidase acts as an alternative electron sink, accounting for up to 30% of total PSII electron flow.

Accelerated dynamic cardiac MRI exploiting sparse-Kalman-smoother self-calibration and reconstruction (k  -  t SPARKS).

PubMed

Park, Suhyung; Park, Jaeseok

2015-05-07

Accelerated dynamic MRI, which exploits spatiotemporal redundancies in k  -  t space and coil dimension, has been widely used to reduce the number of signal encoding and thus increase imaging efficiency with minimal loss of image quality. Nonetheless, particularly in cardiac MRI it still suffers from artifacts and amplified noise in the presence of time-drifting coil sensitivity due to relative motion between coil and subject (e.g. free breathing). Furthermore, a substantial number of additional calibrating signals is to be acquired to warrant accurate calibration of coil sensitivity. In this work, we propose a novel, accelerated dynamic cardiac MRI with sparse-Kalman-smoother self-calibration and reconstruction (k  -  t SPARKS), which is robust to time-varying coil sensitivity even with a small number of calibrating signals. The proposed k  -  t SPARKS incorporates Kalman-smoother self-calibration in k  -  t space and sparse signal recovery in x  -   f space into a single optimization problem, leading to iterative, joint estimation of time-varying convolution kernels and missing signals in k  -  t space. In the Kalman-smoother calibration, motion-induced uncertainties over the entire time frames were included in modeling state transition while a coil-dependent noise statistic in describing measurement process. The sparse signal recovery iteratively alternates with the self-calibration to tackle the ill-conditioning problem potentially resulting from insufficient calibrating signals. Simulations and experiments were performed using both the proposed and conventional methods for comparison, revealing that the proposed k  -  t SPARKS yields higher signal-to-error ratio and superior temporal fidelity in both breath-hold and free-breathing cardiac applications over all reduction factors.

Under-reporting of pertussis in Ontario: A Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN) study using capture-recapture

PubMed Central

Crowcroft, Natasha S.; Johnson, Caitlin; Chen, Cynthia; Li, Ye; Marchand-Austin, Alex; Bolotin, Shelly; Schwartz, Kevin; Deeks, Shelley L.; Jamieson, Frances; Drews, Steven; Russell, Margaret L.; Svenson, Lawrence W.; Simmonds, Kimberley; Mahmud, Salaheddin M.; Kwong, Jeffrey C.

2018-01-01

Introduction Under-reporting of pertussis cases is a longstanding challenge. We estimated the true number of pertussis cases in Ontario using multiple data sources, and evaluated the completeness of each source. Methods We linked data from multiple sources for the period 2009 to 2015: public health reportable disease surveillance data, public health laboratory data, and health administrative data (hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and physician office visits). To estimate the total number of pertussis cases in Ontario, we used a three-source capture-recapture analysis stratified by age (infants, or aged one year and older) and adjusting for dependency between sources. We used the Bayesian Information Criterion to compare models. Results Using probable and confirmed reported cases, laboratory data, and combined hospitalizations/emergency department visits, the estimated total number of cases during the six-year period amongst infants was 924, compared with 545 unique observed cases from all sources. Using the same sources, the estimated total for those aged 1 year and older was 12,883, compared with 3,304 observed cases from all sources. Only 37% of infants and 11% for those aged 1 year and over admitted to hospital or seen in an emergency department for pertussis were reported to public health. Public health reporting sensitivity varied from 2% to 68% depending on age group and the combination of data sources included. Sensitivity of combined hospitalizations and emergency department visits varied from 37% to 49% and of laboratory data from 1% to 50%. Conclusions All data sources contribute cases and are complementary, suggesting that the incidence of pertussis is substantially higher than suggested by routine reports. The sensitivity of different data sources varies. Better case identification is required to improve pertussis control in Ontario. PMID:29718945

GAS5 modulated autophagy is a mechanism modulating cisplatin sensitivity in NSCLC cells.

PubMed

Zhang, N; Yang, G-Q; Shao, X-M; Wei, L

2016-06-01

In this study, we investigated the association between lncRNA GAS5 and cisplatin (DDP) resistance in NSCLC and further studied the regulative effect of GAS5 on autophagy and DDP resistance. GAS5 expression in cancerous and adjacent normal tissues from 15 NSCLC patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the following surgery were measured using qRT-PCR analysis. GAS5 gain-and-loss study was performed using A549 and A549/DDP cells as an in-vitro model to investigate the effect of GAS5 on autophagy and cisplatin sensitivity. NSCLC tissues had a substantially lower expression of GAS5 than adjacent normal tissues. The NSCLC tissues from patients with progressive disease (PD) had even lower GAS5 expression. GAS5 knockdown increased DDP IC50 of A549 cells, while GAS5 overexpression decreased DDP IC50 of A549/DDP cells. A549/DDP cells had significantly higher basal autophagy than A549 cells. GAS5 knockdown resulted in decreased autophagy in A549 cells, while GAS5 overexpression led to increased autophagy in A549/DDP cells. Treatment with 3-MA, an autophagy inhibitor, significantly decreased DDP IC50 and promoted DDP-induced cell apoptosis in A549 cells. In addition, 3-MA also partly reversed the effect of GAS5 knockdown. In A549/DDP cells, GAS5 showed the similar effect as 3-MA in reducing DPP IC50 and promoting DDP-induced apoptosis and also presented synergic effect with 3-MA. GAS5 downregulation is associated with cisplatin resistance in NSCLC. GAS5 can inhibit autophagy and therefore enhance cisplatin sensitivity in NSCLC cells.

Predawn respiration rates during flowering are highly predictive of yield response in Gossypium hirsutum when yield variability is water-induced

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Respiratory carbon evolution by leaves under abiotic stress is implicated as a major limitation to crop productivity; however, respiration rates of fully expanded leaves are positively associated with plant growth rates. Given the substantial sensitivity of plant growth to drought, it was hypothesiz...

Maternal Attachment State of Mind Moderates the Impact of Postnatal Depression on Infant Attachment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMahon, Catherine A.; Barnett, Byranne; Kowalenko, Nicholas M.; Tennant, Christopher C.

2006-01-01

Background: Empirical studies have revealed a significant, but modest association between maternal depression and insecure mother-child attachment. Across studies, however, a substantial number of mothers with depression are able to provide a sensitive caretaking environment for their children. This paper aimed to explore whether a mother's own…

Characterizing the isotopic composition of atmospheric ammonia emission sources using passive samplers and a combined oxidation-bacterial denitrifier approach

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ammonia (NH3) emissions are a substantial source of nitrogen pollution to sensitive terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems. Dependable quantification of NH3 sources is of growing importance due to recently observed increases in ammonium (NH4+) deposition rates that are directly proportional to ...

Breakthrough Capability for UVOIR Space Astronomy: Reaching the Darkest Sky

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenhouse, Matthew A.; Benson, Scott W.; Englander, Jacob; Falck, Robert D.; Fixsen, Dale J.; Gardner, Jonathan P.; Kruk, Jeffrey W.; Oleson, Steven R.; Thronson, Harley A.

2014-01-01

We describe how availability of new solar electric propulsion (SEP) technology can substantially increase the science capability of space astronomy missions working within the near-UV to far-infrared (UVOIR) spectrum by making dark sky orbits accessible for the first time. We present a proof of concept case study in which SEP is used to enable a 700 kg Explorer-class observatory payload to reach an orbit beyond where the zodiacal dust limits observatory sensitivity. The resulting scientific performance advantage relative to a Sun-Earth L2 point orbit is presented and discussed. We find that making SEP available to astrophysics Explorers can enable this small payload program to rival the science performance of much larger long development-time systems. We also present flight dynamics analysis which illustrates that this concept can be extended beyond Explorers to substantially improve the sensitivity performance of heavier (7000 kg) flagship-class astrophysics payloads such as the UVOIR successor to the James Webb Space Telescope by using high power SEP that is being developed for the Asteroid Redirect Robotics Mission.

Broadband thermal optical limiter for the protection of eyes and sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Justus, Brian L.; Huston, Alan L.; Campillo, Anthony J.

1994-05-01

A broadband thermal optical limiter for protecting a light sensitive object from intense laser beams at all near ultraviolet, visible and near infrared wavelengths is disclosed. The broadband thermal optical limiter comprises: a sample cell containing a solution of broadband absorber material dissolved in a thermal solvent; and a first optical device for converging an incident laser beam into the sample cell. The sample cell is responsive to a converged incident laser beam below a predetermined intensity level for passing therethrough the converged incident laser beam below the predetermined intensity level. The sample cell is also responsive to a converged incident laser beam at or above a predetermined intensity level for thermally defocusing substantially all of the converged incident laser beam in different directions and passing therethrough only a remaining small portion of the converged incident laser beam at or above the predetermined intensity level. The broadband thermal optical limiter further includes a second optical device for focusing substantially all of the laser beam passing through the sample cell into the light sensitive object to be protected.

Examining the contribution of the observed global warming trend to the California droughts of 2012/13 and 2013/14

USGS Publications Warehouse

Funk, Christopher C.; Hoell, Andrew; Daithi Stone,

2014-01-01

While the SST trend mode has resulted in large SST increases that appear associated with an equatorial precipitation dipole response contrasting increases over the western Pacific and decreases over the central Pacific, the location of most of this warming is to the west of the key sensitivity areas identified in our CMIP5 composite. Removing this warming did not increase the CAM5 precipitation over California in a statistically significant manner, thus there appears to be little evidence that this long term warming trend contributed substantially to the 2013 and 2014 drought events. This result appears consistent with the lack of a long term downward trend in California precipitation. California precipitation does appear to be sensitive to north Pacific SST, and climate change models indicate substantial warming. If SST events like the unprecedented 2014 north Pacific SST anomaly become more common, California could also experience more frequent droughts. In addition, given the strong thermal control on evaporation, snowmelt, and water resources in California, the long-term warming is continuing to exert a growing stress on water availability.

Scientific Considerations for Future Spectroscopic Measurements from Space of Activity on the Sun

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holman, Gordon D.

2016-01-01

High-resolution UV and X-ray spectroscopy are important to understanding the origin and evolution of magnetic energy release in the solar atmosphere, as well as the subsequent evolution of heated plasma and accelerated particles. Electromagnetic radiation is observed from plasma heated to temperatures ranging from about 10 k K to above 10 MK, from accelerated electrons emitting photons primarily at X-ray energies, and from ions emitting in gamma rays. These observations require space-based instruments sensitive to emissions at wavelengths shorter than the near UV. This article reviews some recent observations with emphasis on solar eruptive events, the models that describe them, and the measurements they indicate are needed for substantial progress in the future. Specific examples are discussed demonstrating that imaging spectroscopy with a cadence of seconds or better is needed to follow, understand, and predict the evolution of solar activity. Critical to substantial progress is the combination of a judicious choice of UV, EUV, and soft X-ray imaging spectroscopy sensitive to the evolution of this thermal plasma combined with hard X-ray imaging spectroscopy sensitive to suprathermal electrons. The major challenge will be to conceive instruments that, within the bounds of possible technologies and funding, have the flexibility and field of view to obtain spectroscopic observations where and when events occur while providing an optimum balance of dynamic range, spectral resolution and range, and spatial resolution.

Visibility of trabecular meshwork by standard and polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yasuno, Yoshiaki; Yamanari, Masahiro; Kawana, Keisuke; Miura, Masahiro; Fukuda, Shinichi; Makita, Shuichi; Sakai, Shingo; Oshika, Tetsuro

2010-11-01

Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) is known to be advantageous because of its additional tissue-specific contrast of the anterior eye. So far, this advantage has been shown only qualitatively. We evaluate the improved visibility afforded by 3-D PS corneal and anterior eye segment OCT (PS-CAS-OCT) in visualizing the trabecular meshwork (TM) based on statistical evidences. A total of 31 normal subjects participated in this study. The anterior eye segments of both the eyes of the subjects are scanned using a custom-made PS-CAS-OCT and the standard-scattering OCT (S-OCT) and polarization-sensitive phase-retardation OCT (P-OCT) images are obtained. Three graders grade the visibility of the TM using a four-leveled grading system. The intergrader agreement, intermodality differences, and interquadrant dependence of visibility are statistically examined. All three of three combinations of graders show substantial agreement in visibility with P-OCT (ρ = 0.74, 0.70, and 0.68, Spearman's correlation), while only one of three shows substantial agreement with S-OCT (ρ = 0.72). Significant dependence of the visibility on the modality (S-OCT versus P-OCT) and quadrants are found by the analysis of variance. A subsequent Wilcoxon signed-rank test reveals significantly improved visibility. PS-CAS-OCT may become a useful tool for screening angle-closure glaucoma.

A large deformation viscoelastic model for double-network hydrogels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Yunwei; Lin, Shaoting; Zhao, Xuanhe; Anand, Lallit

2017-03-01

We present a large deformation viscoelasticity model for recently synthesized double network hydrogels which consist of a covalently-crosslinked polyacrylamide network with long chains, and an ionically-crosslinked alginate network with short chains. Such double-network gels are highly stretchable and at the same time tough, because when stretched the crosslinks in the ionically-crosslinked alginate network rupture which results in distributed internal microdamage which dissipates a substantial amount of energy, while the configurational entropy of the covalently-crosslinked polyacrylamide network allows the gel to return to its original configuration after deformation. In addition to the large hysteresis during loading and unloading, these double network hydrogels also exhibit a substantial rate-sensitive response during loading, but exhibit almost no rate-sensitivity during unloading. These features of large hysteresis and asymmetric rate-sensitivity are quite different from the response of conventional hydrogels. We limit our attention to modeling the complex viscoelastic response of such hydrogels under isothermal conditions. Our model is restricted in the sense that we have limited our attention to conditions under which one might neglect any diffusion of the water in the hydrogel - as might occur when the gel has a uniform initial value of the concentration of water, and the mobility of the water molecules in the gel is low relative to the time scale of the mechanical deformation. We also do not attempt to model the final fracture of such double-network hydrogels.

Regional Inequality of Higher Education in China and the Role of Unequal Economic Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bickenbach, Frank; Liu, Wan-Hsin

2013-01-01

Over the past decade the scale of higher education in China has expanded substantially. Regional development policies have attempted to make use of scale expansion as a tool to reduce inequality of higher education among regions with different development levels by providing poor regions with preferential treatment and support. This paper analyzes…

Report on Higher Education Finance in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowen, Howard R.

This report on higher education finance in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is divided into six sections. Section one deals with state support for higher education, and whether the state should give greater attention to the private sector than it has in the past. The question of whether the state could support substantial additional costs of…

Exploring Both Positive and Negative Experiences Associated with Engaging in Teaching Awards in a Higher Education Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitzpatrick, Mary; Moore, Sarah

2015-01-01

A coordinated, evidence-based approach to teaching awards in higher education at institutional level has developed over the past decade in Ireland. Some research has suggested that teaching awards create substantial benefits in higher education by motivating and recognising excellent teachers. However, not all of the literature favours the…

The Value of a College Degree for Foster Care Alumni: Comparisons with General Population Samples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salazar, Amy M.

2013-01-01

Higher education is associated with substantial adult life benefits, including higher income and improved quality of life, among others. The current study compared adult outcomes of 250 foster care alumni college graduates with two samples of general population graduates to explore the role higher education plays in these young adults' lives.…

The Innovation Blaze-Method of Development Professional Thinking Designers in the Modern Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alekseeva, Irina V.; Barsukova, Natalia I.; Pallotta, Valentina I.; Skovorodnikova, Nadia A.

2017-01-01

This article proved the urgency of the problem of development of professional thinking of students studying design in modern conditions of higher education. The authors substantiate for the need of an innovative Blaise-method development of professional design thinking of students in higher education. "Blaise-method" named by us in…

Exclusion Factors in Latin American Higher Education: A Preliminary Analyze From University Governing Board Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castro, Diego; Rodríguez-Gómez, David; Gairín, Joaquín

2017-01-01

Access to higher education has increased substantially in Latin America, but inequalities in access to and completion of higher education still remain. In this regard, identifying vulnerable groups and exclusion factors is a priority in Latin America's university systems. The aim of this article is to understand in depth governing board…

Sensitivity of chemical vapor deposition diamonds to DD and DT neutrons at OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabadi, N. V.; Sio, H.; Glebov, V.; Gatu Johnson, M.; MacPhee, A.; Frenje, J. A.; Li, C. K.; Seguin, F.; Petrasso, R.; Forrest, C.; Knauer, J.; Rinderknecht, H. G.

2016-11-01

The particle-time-of-flight (pTOF) detector at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is used routinely to measure nuclear bang-times in inertial confinement fusion implosions. The active detector medium in pTOF is a chemical vapor deposition diamond. Calibration of the detectors sensitivity to neutrons and protons would allow measurement of nuclear bang times and hot spot areal density (ρR) on a single diagnostic. This study utilizes data collected at both NIF and Omega in an attempt to determine pTOF's absolute sensitivity to neutrons. At Omega pTOF's sensitivity to DT-n is found to be stable to within 8% at different bias voltages. At the NIF pTOF's sensitivity to DD-n varies by up to 59%. This variability must be decreased substantially for pTOF to function as a neutron yield detector at the NIF. Some possible causes of this variability are ruled out.

Enhanced leptin sensitivity and improved glucose homeostasis in mice lacking suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 in POMC-expressing cells.

PubMed

Kievit, Paul; Howard, Jane K; Badman, Michael K; Balthasar, Nina; Coppari, Roberto; Mori, Hiroyuki; Lee, Charlotte E; Elmquist, Joel K; Yoshimura, Akihiko; Flier, Jeffrey S

2006-08-01

Suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (Socs-3) negatively regulates the action of various cytokines, as well as the metabolic hormones leptin and insulin. Mice with haploinsufficiency of Socs-3, or those with neuronal deletion of Socs-3, are lean and more leptin and insulin sensitive. To examine the role of Socs-3 within specific neurons critical to energy balance, we created mice with selective deletion of Socs-3 within pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC)-expressing cells. These mice had enhanced leptin sensitivity, measured by weight loss and food intake after leptin infusion. On chow diet, glucose homeostasis was improved despite normal weight gain. On a high-fat diet, the rate of weight gain was reduced, due to increased energy expenditure rather than decreased food intake; glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity were substantially improved. These studies demonstrate that Socs-3 within POMC neurons regulates leptin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis, and plays a key role in linking high-fat diet to disordered metabolism.

Sensitivity of chemical vapor deposition diamonds to DD and DT neutrons at OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Kabadi, N. V.; Sio, H.; Glebov, V.; ...

2016-08-09

The particle-time-of-flight (pTOF) detector at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is used routinely to measure nuclear bang-times in inertial confinement fusion implosions. The active detector medium in pTOF is a chemical vapor deposition diamond. Calibration of the detectors sensitivity to neutrons and protons would allow measurement of nuclear bang times and hot spot areal density (ρR) on a single diagnostic. This study utilizes data collected at both NIF and Omega in an attempt to determine pTOF’s absolute sensitivity to neutrons. At Omega pTOF’s sensitivity to DT-n is found to be stable to within 8% at different bias voltages. At themore » NIF pTOF’s sensitivity to DD-n varies by up to 59%. This variability must be decreased substantially for pTOF to function as a neutron yield detector at the NIF. As a result, some possible causes of this variability are ruled out.« less

Sensitivity of chemical vapor deposition diamonds to DD and DT neutrons at OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility

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

Kabadi, N. V.; Sio, H.; Glebov, V.

The particle-time-of-flight (pTOF) detector at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is used routinely to measure nuclear bang-times in inertial confinement fusion implosions. The active detector medium in pTOF is a chemical vapor deposition diamond. Calibration of the detectors sensitivity to neutrons and protons would allow measurement of nuclear bang times and hot spot areal density (ρR) on a single diagnostic. This study utilizes data collected at both NIF and Omega in an attempt to determine pTOF’s absolute sensitivity to neutrons. At Omega pTOF’s sensitivity to DT-n is found to be stable to within 8% at different bias voltages. At themore » NIF pTOF’s sensitivity to DD-n varies by up to 59%. This variability must be decreased substantially for pTOF to function as a neutron yield detector at the NIF. As a result, some possible causes of this variability are ruled out.« less

Sensitivity of chemical vapor deposition diamonds to DD and DT neutrons at OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

Kabadi, N V; Sio, H; Glebov, V; Gatu Johnson, M; MacPhee, A; Frenje, J A; Li, C K; Seguin, F; Petrasso, R; Forrest, C; Knauer, J; Rinderknecht, H G

2016-11-01

The particle-time-of-flight (pTOF) detector at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is used routinely to measure nuclear bang-times in inertial confinement fusion implosions. The active detector medium in pTOF is a chemical vapor deposition diamond. Calibration of the detectors sensitivity to neutrons and protons would allow measurement of nuclear bang times and hot spot areal density (ρR) on a single diagnostic. This study utilizes data collected at both NIF and Omega in an attempt to determine pTOF's absolute sensitivity to neutrons. At Omega pTOF's sensitivity to DT-n is found to be stable to within 8% at different bias voltages. At the NIF pTOF's sensitivity to DD-n varies by up to 59%. This variability must be decreased substantially for pTOF to function as a neutron yield detector at the NIF. Some possible causes of this variability are ruled out.

Structural Sensitivity of a Prokaryotic Pentameric Ligand-gated Ion Channel to Its Membrane Environment*

PubMed Central

Labriola, Jonathan M.; Pandhare, Akash; Jansen, Michaela; Blanton, Michael P.; Corringer, Pierre-Jean; Baenziger, John E.

2013-01-01

Although the activity of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is exquisitely sensitive to its membrane environment, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly defined. The homologous prokaryotic pentameric ligand-gated ion channel, Gloebacter ligand-gated ion channel (GLIC), represents an excellent model for probing the molecular basis of nAChR sensitivity because of its high structural homology, relative ease of expression, and amenability to crystallographic analysis. We show here that membrane-reconstituted GLIC exhibits structural and biophysical properties similar to those of the membrane-reconstituted nAChR, although GLIC is substantially more thermally stable. GLIC, however, does not possess the same exquisite lipid sensitivity. In particular, GLIC does not exhibit the same propensity to adopt an uncoupled conformation where agonist binding is uncoupled from channel gating. Structural comparisons provide insight into the chemical features that may predispose the nAChR to the formation of an uncoupled state. PMID:23463505

The Sensitivity of U.S. Surface Ozone Formation to NOx, and VOCs as Viewed from Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duncan, Bryan N.; Yoshida, Yasuko; Sillman, Sanford; Retscher, Christian; Pickering, Kenneth E.; Martin, Randall V.; Celarier, Edward A.

2009-01-01

We investigated variations in the sensitivity of surface ozone formation in summer to precursor species concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) as inferred from the ratio of tropospheric columns of formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). The data indicate that ozone formation became: 1. more sensitive to NO(x) over most of the U.S, from 2005 to 2007 because of substantial decreases in NO(x) emissions primarily from stationary sources, and 2. more sensitive to NO(x) with increasing temperature, in part because emissions of highly reactive, biogenic isoprene increase with temperature, thus increasing the total VOC reactivity. Based on our interpretation of the data, current strategies implemented to reduce unhealthy levels of surface ozone should focus more on reducing NO(x) emissions, except in some downtown areas which have historically benefited from reductions in VOC emissions.