accumulating evidence points: Topics by WorldWideScience.org

Sample records for accumulating evidence points

Evidence accumulator or decision threshold - which cortical mechanism are we observing?

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Patrick eSimen

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Most psychological models of perceptual decision making are of the accumulation-to-threshold variety. The neural basis of accumulation in parietal and prefrontal cortex is therefore a topic of great interest in neuroscience. In contrast, threshold mechanisms have received less attention, and their neural basis has usually been sought in subcortical structures. Here I analyze a model of a decision threshold that can be implemented in the same cortical areas as evidence accumulators, and whose behavior bears on two open questions in decision neuroscience: 1 When ramping activity is observed in a brain region during decision making, does it reflect evidence accumulation? 2 Are changes in speed-accuracy tradeoffs and response biases more likely to be achieved by changes in thresholds, or in accumulation rates and starting points? The analysis suggests that task-modulated ramping activity, by itself, is weak evidence that a brain area mediates evidence accumulation as opposed to threshold readout; and that signs of modulated accumulation are as likely to indicate threshold adaptation as adaptation of starting points and accumulation rates. These conclusions imply that how thresholds are modeled can dramatically impact accumulator-based interpretations of this data.
An evidence accumulation model for conflict detection performance in a simulated air traffic control task.

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Neal, Andrew; Kwantes, Peter J

2009-04-01

The aim of this article is to develop a formal model of conflict detection performance. Our model assumes that participants iteratively sample evidence regarding the state of the world and accumulate it over time. A decision is made when the evidence reaches a threshold that changes over time in response to the increasing urgency of the task. Two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of conflict geometry and timing on response proportions and response time. The model is able to predict the observed pattern of response times, including a nonmonotonic relationship between distance at point of closest approach and response time, as well as effects of angle of approach and relative velocity. The results demonstrate that evidence accumulation models provide a good account of performance on a conflict detection task. Evidence accumulation models are a form of dynamic signal detection theory, allowing for the analysis of response times as well as response proportions, and can be used for simulating human performance on dynamic decision tasks.
Is There Neural Evidence for an Evidence Accumulation Process in Memory Decisions?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Vugt, Marieke K; Beulen, Marijke A; Taatgen, Niels A

2016-01-01

Models of evidence accumulation have been very successful at describing human decision making behavior. Recent years have also seen the first reports of neural correlates of this accumulation process. However, these studies have mostly focused on perceptual decision making tasks, ignoring the role
Discriminating evidence accumulation from urgency signals in speeded decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawkins, Guy E; Wagenmakers, Eric-Jan; Ratcliff, Roger; Brown, Scott D

2015-07-01

The dominant theoretical paradigm in explaining decision making throughout both neuroscience and cognitive science is known as “evidence accumulation”--The core idea being that decisions are reached by a gradual accumulation of noisy information. Although this notion has been supported by hundreds of experiments over decades of study, a recent theory proposes that the fundamental assumption of evidence accumulation requires revision. The "urgency gating" model assumes decisions are made without accumulating evidence, using only moment-by-moment information. Under this assumption, the successful history of evidence accumulation models is explained by asserting that the two models are mathematically identical in standard experimental procedures. We demonstrate that this proof of equivalence is incorrect, and that the models are not identical, even when both models are augmented with realistic extra assumptions. We also demonstrate that the two models can be perfectly distinguished in realistic simulated experimental designs, and in two real data sets; the evidence accumulation model provided the best account for one data set, and the urgency gating model for the other. A positive outcome is that the opposing modeling approaches can be fruitfully investigated without wholesale change to the standard experimental paradigms. We conclude that future research must establish whether the urgency gating model enjoys the same empirical support in the standard experimental paradigms that evidence accumulation models have gathered over decades of study. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.
Evidence accumulation as a model for lexical selection.

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Anders, R; Riès, S; van Maanen, L; Alario, F X

2015-11-01

We propose and demonstrate evidence accumulation as a plausible theoretical and/or empirical model for the lexical selection process of lexical retrieval. A number of current psycholinguistic theories consider lexical selection as a process related to selecting a lexical target from a number of alternatives, which each have varying activations (or signal supports), that are largely resultant of an initial stimulus recognition. We thoroughly present a case for how such a process may be theoretically explained by the evidence accumulation paradigm, and we demonstrate how this paradigm can be directly related or combined with conventional psycholinguistic theory and their simulatory instantiations (generally, neural network models). Then with a demonstrative application on a large new real data set, we establish how the empirical evidence accumulation approach is able to provide parameter results that are informative to leading psycholinguistic theory, and that motivate future theoretical development. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Accumulation of evidence during sequential decision making: the importance of top-down factors.

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de Lange, Floris P; Jensen, Ole; Dehaene, Stanislas

2010-01-13

In the last decade, great progress has been made in characterizing the accumulation of neural information during simple unitary perceptual decisions. However, much less is known about how sequentially presented evidence is integrated over time for successful decision making. The aim of this study was to study the mechanisms of sequential decision making in humans. In a magnetoencephalography (MEG) study, we presented healthy volunteers with sequences of centrally presented arrows. Sequence length varied between one and five arrows, and the accumulated directions of the arrows informed the subject about which hand to use for a button press at the end of the sequence (e.g., LRLRR should result in a right-hand press). Mathematical modeling suggested that nonlinear accumulation was the rational strategy for performing this task in the presence of no or little noise, whereas quasilinear accumulation was optimal in the presence of substantial noise. MEG recordings showed a correlate of evidence integration over parietal and central cortex that was inversely related to the amount of accumulated evidence (i.e., when more evidence was accumulated, neural activity for new stimuli was attenuated). This modulation of activity likely reflects a top-down influence on sensory processing, effectively constraining the influence of sensory information on the decision variable over time. The results indicate that, when making decisions on the basis of sequential information, the human nervous system integrates evidence in a nonlinear manner, using the amount of previously accumulated information to constrain the accumulation of additional evidence.
Evidence Accumulation and Choice Maintenance Are Dissociated in Human Perceptual Decision Making.

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Mads Lund Pedersen

Full Text Available Perceptual decision making in monkeys relies on decision neurons, which accumulate evidence and maintain choices until a response is given. In humans, several brain regions have been proposed to accumulate evidence, but it is unknown if these regions also maintain choices. To test if accumulator regions in humans also maintain decisions we compared delayed and self-paced responses during a face/house discrimination decision making task. Computational modeling and fMRI results revealed dissociated processes of evidence accumulation and decision maintenance, with potential accumulator activations found in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, right inferior frontal gyrus and bilateral insula. Potential maintenance activation spanned the frontal pole, temporal gyri, precuneus and the lateral occipital and frontal orbital cortices. Results of a quantitative reverse inference meta-analysis performed to differentiate the functions associated with the identified regions did not narrow down potential accumulation regions, but suggested that response-maintenance might rely on a verbalization of the response.
Evidence Accumulation and Change Rate Inference in Dynamic Environments.

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Radillo, Adrian E; Veliz-Cuba, Alan; Josić, Krešimir; Kilpatrick, Zachary P

2017-06-01

In a constantly changing world, animals must account for environmental volatility when making decisions. To appropriately discount older, irrelevant information, they need to learn the rate at which the environment changes. We develop an ideal observer model capable of inferring the present state of the environment along with its rate of change. Key to this computation is an update of the posterior probability of all possible change point counts. This computation can be challenging, as the number of possibilities grows rapidly with time. However, we show how the computations can be simplified in the continuum limit by a moment closure approximation. The resulting low-dimensional system can be used to infer the environmental state and change rate with accuracy comparable to the ideal observer. The approximate computations can be performed by a neural network model via a rate-correlation-based plasticity rule. We thus show how optimal observers accumulate evidence in changing environments and map this computation to reduced models that perform inference using plausible neural mechanisms.
Auditory Streaming as an Online Classification Process with Evidence Accumulation

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Barniv, Dana; Nelken, Israel

2015-01-01

When human subjects hear a sequence of two alternating pure tones, they often perceive it in one of two ways: as one integrated sequence (a single "stream" consisting of the two tones), or as two segregated sequences, one sequence of low tones perceived separately from another sequence of high tones (two "streams"). Perception of this stimulus is thus bistable. Moreover, subjects report on-going switching between the two percepts: unless the frequency separation is large, initial perception tends to be of integration, followed by toggling between integration and segregation phases. The process of stream formation is loosely named “auditory streaming”. Auditory streaming is believed to be a manifestation of human ability to analyze an auditory scene, i.e. to attribute portions of the incoming sound sequence to distinct sound generating entities. Previous studies suggested that the durations of the successive integration and segregation phases are statistically independent. This independence plays an important role in current models of bistability. Contrary to this, we show here, by analyzing a large set of data, that subsequent phase durations are positively correlated. To account together for bistability and positive correlation between subsequent durations, we suggest that streaming is a consequence of an evidence accumulation process. Evidence for segregation is accumulated during the integration phase and vice versa; a switch to the opposite percept occurs stochastically based on this evidence. During a long phase, a large amount of evidence for the opposite percept is accumulated, resulting in a long subsequent phase. In contrast, a short phase is followed by another short phase. We implement these concepts using a probabilistic model that shows both bistability and correlations similar to those observed experimentally. PMID:26671774
Simulation of the accumulation kinetics for radiation point defects in a metals with impurity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iskakov, B.M.; Nurova, A.B.

2001-01-01

In the work a kinetics of vacancies (V) and interstitial atoms (IA) accumulation for cases when the V and IA are recombining with each other, absorbing by drain and capturing by impurity atoms has been simulated. The differential equations system numerical solution was carried out by the Runge-Kutta method. The dynamical equilibrium time achievement for the point radiation defects accumulation process in the metal with impurity is considered
Mitochondrial accumulation of APP and Abeta

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pavlov, Pavel F; Petersen, Anna Camilla Hansson; Glaser, Elzbieta

2009-01-01

Accumulating evidence suggest that alterations in energy metabolism are among the earliest events that occur in the Alzheimer disease (AD) affected brain. Energy consumption is drastically decreased in the AD-affected regions of cerebral cortex and hippocampus pointing towards compromised mitocho...
Discriminating evidence accumulation from urgency signals in speeded decision making

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hawkins, G.E.; Wagenmakers, E.-J.; Ratcliff, R.; Brown, S.D.

2015-01-01

The dominant theoretical paradigm in explaining decision making throughout both neuroscience and cognitive science is known as “evidence accumulation”—the core idea being that decisions are reached by a gradual accumulation of noisy information. Although this notion has been supported by hundreds of
Infant feeding and analgesia in labour: the evidence is accumulating

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Jordan Sue

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract The interesting and important paper by Torvaldsen and colleagues provides further circumstantial evidence of a positive association between intrapartum analgesia and feeding infant formula. Not all research supports this association. Before 'failure to breastfeed' can be adjudged an adverse effect of intrapartum analgesia, the research evidence needs to be considered in detail. Examination of the existing evidence against the Bradford-Hill criteria indicates that the evidence is not yet conclusive. However, the difficulties of obtaining funding and undertaking large trials to explore putative adverse drug reactions in pregnant women may mean that we shall never have conclusive evidence of harm. Therefore, reports of large cohort studies with regression models, as in the paper published today, assume a greater importance than in other areas of investigation. Meanwhile, women and their clinicians may feel that sufficient evidence has accumulated to justify offering extra support to establish breastfeeding if women have received high doses of analgesics in labour.
Evidence accumulation detected in BOLD signal using slow perceptual decision making

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Krueger, Paul M.; van Vugt, Marieke K.; Simen, Patrick; Nystrom, Leigh; Holmes, Philip; Cohen, Jonathan D.

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: We assessed whether evidence accumulation could be observed in the BOLD signal during perceptual decision making. This presents a challenge since the hemodynamic response is slow, while perceptual decisions are typically fast. NEW METHOD: Guided by theoretical predictions of the drift
Carrier accumulation and depletion in point-contact capacitance-voltage measurements

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Naitou, Yuichi

2017-11-01

Scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) is a variation of atomic force microscopy in which a conductive probe tip detects the bias modulated capacitance for the purpose of measuring the nanoscale semiconductor carrier concentration. SCM can be regarded as a point-contact capacitance-voltage system, and its capacitance-voltage properties are different from those of a conventional parallel-plate capacitor. In this study, the charge accumulation and depletion behavior of a semiconductor sample were closely investigated by SCM. By analyzing the tip-sample approach curve, the effective probe tip area and charge depletion depth could be quantitatively determined.
Evidence accumulation in the magnitude system.

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Anna Lambrechts

Full Text Available Perceptual interferences in the estimation of quantities (time, space and numbers have been interpreted as evidence for a common magnitude system. However, if duration estimation has appears sensitive to spatial and numerical interferences, space and number estimation tend to be resilient to temporal manipulations. These observations question the relative contribution of each quantity in the elaboration of a representation in a common mental metric. Here, we elaborated a task in which perceptual evidence accumulated over time for all tested quantities (space, time and number in order to match the natural requirement for building a duration percept. For this, we used a bisection task. Experimental trials consisted of dynamic dots of different sizes appearing progressively on the screen. Participants were asked to judge the duration, the cumulative surface or the number of dots in the display while the two non-target dimensions varied independently. In a prospective experiment, participants were informed before the trial which dimension was the target; in a retrospective experiment, participants had to attend to all dimensions and were informed only after a given trial which dimension was the target. Surprisingly, we found that duration was resilient to spatial and numerical interferences whereas space and number estimation were affected by time. Specifically, and counter-intuitively, results revealed that longer durations lead to smaller number and space estimates whether participants knew before (prospectively or after (retrospectively a given trial which quantity they had to estimate. Altogether, our results support a magnitude system in which perceptual evidence for time, space and numbers integrate following Bayesian cue-combination rules.
Current algebras, measures quasi-invariant under diffeomorphism groups, and infinite quantum systems with accumulation points

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Sakuraba, Takao

The approach to quantum physics via current algebra and unitary representations of the diffeomorphism group is established. This thesis studies possible infinite Bose gas systems using this approach. Systems of locally finite configurations and systems of configurations with accumulation points are considered, with the main emphasis on the latter. In Chapter 2, canonical quantization, quantization via current algebra and unitary representations of the diffeomorphism group are reviewed. In Chapter 3, a new definition of the space of configurations is proposed and an axiom for general configuration spaces is abstracted. Various subsets of the configuration space, including those specifying the number of points in a Borel set and those specifying the number of accumulation points in a Borel set are proved to be measurable using this axiom. In Chapter 4, known results on the space of locally finite configurations and Poisson measure are reviewed in the light of the approach developed in Chapter 3, including the approach to current algebra in the Poisson space by Albeverio, Kondratiev, and Rockner. Goldin and Moschella considered unitary representations of the group of diffeomorphisms of the line based on self-similar random processes, which may describe infinite quantum gas systems with clusters. In Chapter 5, the Goldin-Moschella theory is developed further. Their construction of measures quasi-invariant under diffeomorphisms is reviewed, and a rigorous proof of their conjectures is given. It is proved that their measures with distinct correlation parameters are mutually singular. A quasi-invariant measure constructed by Ismagilov on the space of configurations with accumulation points on the circle is proved to be singular with respect to the Goldin-Moschella measures. Finally a generalization of the Goldin-Moschella measures to the higher-dimensional case is studied, where the notion of covariance matrix and the notion of condition number play important roles. A
Comparison of poliovirus recombinants: accumulation of point mutations provides further advantages.

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Savolainen-Kopra, Carita; Samoilovich, Elena; Kahelin, Heidi; Hiekka, Anna-Kaisa; Hovi, Tapani; Roivainen, Merja

2009-08-01

The roles of recombination and accumulation of point mutations in the origin of new poliovirus (PV) characteristics have been hypothesized, but it is not known which are essential to evolution. We studied phenotypic differences between recombinant PV strains isolated from successive stool specimens of an oral PV vaccine recipient. The studied strains included three PV2/PV1 recombinants with increasing numbers of mutations in the VP1 gene, two of the three with an amino acid change I-->T in the DE-loop of VP1, their putative PV1 parent and strains Sabin 1 and 2. Growth of these viruses was examined in three cell lines: colorectal adenocarcinoma, neuroblastoma and HeLa. The main observation was a higher growth rate between 4 and 6 h post-infection of the two recombinants with the I-->T substitution. All recombinants grew at a higher rate than parental strains in the exponential phase of the replication cycle. In a temperature sensitivity test, the I-->T-substituted recombinants replicated equally well at an elevated temperature. Complete genome sequencing of the three recombinants revealed 12 (3), 19 (3) and 27 (3) nucleotide (amino acid) differences from Sabin. Mutations were located in regions defining attenuation, temperature sensitivity, antigenicity and the cis-acting replicating element. The recombination site was in the 5' end of 3D. In a competition assay, the most mutated recombinant beat parental Sabin in all three cell lines, strongly suggesting that this virus has an advantage. Two independent intertypic recombinants, PV3/PV1 and PV3/PV2, also showed similar growth advantages, but they also contained several point mutations. Thus, our data defend the hypothesis that accumulation of certain advantageous mutations plays a key role in gaining increased fitness.
How Effective Are Non-monetary Instruments for Safe Driving? Panel Data Evidence on the Effect of the Demerit Point System in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abay, Kibrom Araya

2017-01-01

to each demerit point assigned to their driving license. We also find that drivers’ effort, and hence response, increases with the number of demerit points accumulated. Depending on the number of demerit points accumulated, drivers with one or more demerit points reduced their frequency of traffic...
Definition of MV Load Diagrams via Weighted Evidence Accumulation Clustering using Subsampling

OpenAIRE

Duarte, Jorge; Fred, Ana; Rodrigues, Fátima; Duarte, João; Ramos, Sérgio; Vale, Zita

2007-01-01

A definition of medium voltage (MV) load diagrams was made, based on the data base knowledge discovery process. Clustering techniques were used as support for the agents of the electric power retail markets to obtain specific knowledge of their customers’ consumption habits. Each customer class resulting from the clustering operation is represented by its load diagram. The Two-step clustering algorithm and the WEACS approach based on evidence accumulation (EAC) were applied to an electricity ...

The contribution of international trade to economic growth through human capital accumulation: Evidence from nine Asian countries

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Mirajul Haq

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This study is an attempt to test the hypothesis “international trade contributes to economic growth through its effects on human capital accumulation.” To assess the hypothesis empirically, we employed the extended Neo-Classical growth model that reflects some features of the endogenous growth models. We thus ended up with a model in which the change in human capital is sensitive to change in trade policies. Unlike conventional approaches, the model serves to assess and determine the impact of international trade on the accumulation of human capital. The empirical analysis estimates dynamic panel growth equations by using a data-set of nine Asian countries, over the period 1972–2012. The overall evidence substantiates the fact that in countries under consideration, international trade enhances the accumulation of human capital and contributes to economic growth positively through human capital accumulation.
Accumulator and random-walk models of psychophysical discrimination: a counter-evaluation.

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Vickers, D; Smith, P

1985-01-01

In a recent assessment of models of psychophysical discrimination, Heath criticises the accumulator model for its reliance on computer simulation and qualitative evidence, and contrasts it unfavourably with a modified random-walk model, which yields exact predictions, is susceptible to critical test, and is provided with simple parameter-estimation techniques. A counter-evaluation is presented, in which the approximations employed in the modified random-walk analysis are demonstrated to be seriously inaccurate, the resulting parameter estimates to be artefactually determined, and the proposed test not critical. It is pointed out that Heath's specific application of the model is not legitimate, his data treatment inappropriate, and his hypothesis concerning confidence inconsistent with experimental results. Evidence from adaptive performance changes is presented which shows that the necessary assumptions for quantitative analysis in terms of the modified random-walk model are not satisfied, and that the model can be reconciled with data at the qualitative level only by making it virtually indistinguishable from an accumulator process. A procedure for deriving exact predictions for an accumulator process is outlined.
Economic Evidence and Point-of-Care Testing

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St John, Andrew; Price, Christopher P

2013-01-01

Health economics has been an established feature of the research, policymaking, practice and management in the delivery of healthcare. However its role is increasing as the cost of healthcare begins to drive changes in most healthcare systems. Thus the output from cost effectiveness studies is now being taken into account when making reimbursement decisions, e.g. in Australia and the United Kingdom. Against this background it is also recognised that the health economic tools employed in healthcare, and particularly the output from the use of these tools however, are not always employed in the routine delivery of services. One of the notable consequences of this situation is the poor record of innovation in healthcare with respect to the adoption of new technologies, and the realisation of their benefits. The evidence base for the effectiveness of diagnostic services is well known to be limited, and one consequence of this has been a very limited literature on cost effectiveness. One reason for this situation is undoubtedly the reimbursement strategies employed in laboratory medicine for many years, simplistically based on the complexity of the test procedure, and the delivery as a cost-per-test service. This has proved a disincentive to generate the required evidence, and little effort to generate an integrated investment and disinvestment business case, associated with care pathway changes. Point-of-care testing creates a particularly challenging scenario because, on the one hand, the unit cost-per-test is larger through the loss of the economy of scale offered by automation, whilst it offers the potential of substantial savings through enabling rapid delivery of results, and reduction of facility costs. This is important when many health systems are planning for complete system redesign. We review the literature on economic assessment of point-of-care testing in the context of these developments. PMID:24151342
Ultrastructural and clinical evidence of subretinal debris accumulation in type 2 macular telangiectasia.

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Cherepanoff, Svetlana; Killingsworth, Murray C; Zhu, Meidong; Nolan, Timothy; Hunyor, Alex P; Young, Stephanie H; Hageman, Gregory S; Gillies, Mark C

2012-11-01

To describe subretinal debris found on ultrastructural examination in an eye with macular telangiectasia (MacTel) type 2 and on optical coherence tomography (OCT) in a subset of patients with MacTel type 2. Blocks from the mid-periphery and temporal perifovea of an eye with clinically documented MacTel type 2 were examined with electron microscopy (EM). Cases came from the Sydney centre of the MacTel project and the practices of the authors. On EM examination, subretinal debris was found in the perifovea with accumulation of degenerate photoreceptor elements in the subretinal space. Despite the substantial subretinal debris, there was minimal retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) reaction. Focal defects were seen in the inner limiting membrane in the perifovea. Of the 65 Sydney MacTel project participants, three (5%) had prominent yellow material at the fovea. OCT revealed smooth mounds between the RPE and the ellipsoid region. The material was hyperautofluorescent. This study suggests that subretinal accumulation of photoreceptor debris may be a feature of MacTel type 2. Ultrastructural and OCT evidence of disease beyond the vasculature, involving photoreceptors and Muller cells, is presented.
Hinkley Point 'C' power station public inquiry: proof of evidence on comparison of non-fossil options to Hinkley Point 'C'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goddard, S.C.

1988-09-01

A public inquiry has been set up to examine the planning application made by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) for the construction of a 1200 MW Pressurized Water Reactor power station at Hinkley Point (Hinkley Point ''C'') in the United Kingdom. This evidence to the Inquiry sets out and explains the non-fossil fuel options, with particular reference to renewable energy sources and other PWR locations; gives feasibility, capital cost, performance and total resource estimates for the renewable sources; and shows that no other non-fossil fuel source is to be preferred to Hinkley Point ''C''. (author)
MO-C-17A-11: A Segmentation and Point Matching Enhanced Deformable Image Registration Method for Dose Accumulation Between HDR CT Images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhen, X; Chen, H; Zhou, L; Yan, H; Jiang, S; Jia, X; Gu, X; Mell, L; Yashar, C; Cervino, L

2014-01-01

Purpose: To propose and validate a novel and accurate deformable image registration (DIR) scheme to facilitate dose accumulation among treatment fractions of high-dose-rate (HDR) gynecological brachytherapy. Method: We have developed a method to adapt DIR algorithms to gynecologic anatomies with HDR applicators by incorporating a segmentation step and a point-matching step into an existing DIR framework. In the segmentation step, random walks algorithm is used to accurately segment and remove the applicator region (AR) in the HDR CT image. A semi-automatic seed point generation approach is developed to obtain the incremented foreground and background point sets to feed the random walks algorithm. In the subsequent point-matching step, a feature-based thin-plate spline-robust point matching (TPS-RPM) algorithm is employed for AR surface point matching. With the resulting mapping, a DVF characteristic of the deformation between the two AR surfaces is generated by B-spline approximation, which serves as the initial DVF for the following Demons DIR between the two AR-free HDR CT images. Finally, the calculated DVF via Demons combined with the initial one serve as the final DVF to map doses between HDR fractions. Results: The segmentation and registration accuracy are quantitatively assessed by nine clinical HDR cases from three gynecological cancer patients. The quantitative results as well as the visual inspection of the DIR indicate that our proposed method can suppress the interference of the applicator with the DIR algorithm, and accurately register HDR CT images as well as deform and add interfractional HDR doses. Conclusions: We have developed a novel and robust DIR scheme that can perform registration between HDR gynecological CT images and yield accurate registration results. This new DIR scheme has potential for accurate interfractional HDR dose accumulation. This work is supported in part by the National Natural ScienceFoundation of China (no 30970866 and no
A segmentation and point-matching enhanced efficient deformable image registration method for dose accumulation between HDR CT images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhen, Xin; Chen, Haibin; Zhou, Linghong; Yan, Hao; Jiang, Steve; Jia, Xun; Gu, Xuejun; Mell, Loren K; Yashar, Catheryn M; Cervino, Laura

2015-01-01

Deformable image registration (DIR) of fractional high-dose-rate (HDR) CT images is challenging due to the presence of applicators in the brachytherapy image. Point-to-point correspondence fails because of the undesired deformation vector fields (DVF) propagated from the applicator region (AR) to the surrounding tissues, which can potentially introduce significant DIR errors in dose mapping. This paper proposes a novel segmentation and point-matching enhanced efficient DIR (named SPEED) scheme to facilitate dose accumulation among HDR treatment fractions. In SPEED, a semi-automatic seed point generation approach is developed to obtain the incremented fore/background point sets to feed the random walks algorithm, which is used to segment and remove the AR, leaving empty AR cavities in the HDR CT images. A feature-based ‘thin-plate-spline robust point matching’ algorithm is then employed for AR cavity surface points matching. With the resulting mapping, a DVF defining on each voxel is estimated by B-spline approximation, which serves as the initial DVF for the subsequent Demons-based DIR between the AR-free HDR CT images. The calculated DVF via Demons combined with the initial one serve as the final DVF to map doses between HDR fractions. The segmentation and registration accuracy are quantitatively assessed by nine clinical HDR cases from three gynecological cancer patients. The quantitative analysis and visual inspection of the DIR results indicate that SPEED can suppress the impact of applicator on DIR, and accurately register HDR CT images as well as deform and add interfractional HDR doses. (paper)
A segmentation and point-matching enhanced efficient deformable image registration method for dose accumulation between HDR CT images

Science.gov (United States)

Zhen, Xin; Chen, Haibin; Yan, Hao; Zhou, Linghong; Mell, Loren K.; Yashar, Catheryn M.; Jiang, Steve; Jia, Xun; Gu, Xuejun; Cervino, Laura

2015-04-01

Deformable image registration (DIR) of fractional high-dose-rate (HDR) CT images is challenging due to the presence of applicators in the brachytherapy image. Point-to-point correspondence fails because of the undesired deformation vector fields (DVF) propagated from the applicator region (AR) to the surrounding tissues, which can potentially introduce significant DIR errors in dose mapping. This paper proposes a novel segmentation and point-matching enhanced efficient DIR (named SPEED) scheme to facilitate dose accumulation among HDR treatment fractions. In SPEED, a semi-automatic seed point generation approach is developed to obtain the incremented fore/background point sets to feed the random walks algorithm, which is used to segment and remove the AR, leaving empty AR cavities in the HDR CT images. A feature-based ‘thin-plate-spline robust point matching’ algorithm is then employed for AR cavity surface points matching. With the resulting mapping, a DVF defining on each voxel is estimated by B-spline approximation, which serves as the initial DVF for the subsequent Demons-based DIR between the AR-free HDR CT images. The calculated DVF via Demons combined with the initial one serve as the final DVF to map doses between HDR fractions. The segmentation and registration accuracy are quantitatively assessed by nine clinical HDR cases from three gynecological cancer patients. The quantitative analysis and visual inspection of the DIR results indicate that SPEED can suppress the impact of applicator on DIR, and accurately register HDR CT images as well as deform and add interfractional HDR doses.
Phanerozoic trends in shell accumulations: A comparison of Ordovician-Silurian and Tertiary records

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kidwell, S.M. (Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States). Dept. of Geophysical Sciences); Brenchley, P.J. (Univ. of Liverpool (United Kingdom). Dept. of Earth Sciences)

1993-04-01

Evolutionary changes in the diversity and bathymetric deployment of major benthic invertebrate groups, both those that produce and those that modify bioclasts, suggest that the nature of shell accumulations is likely to have also changed through the Phanerozoic. Specifically, it has been suggested that, excepting crinoidal deposits, the Paleozoic-Triassic record is dominated by thin shell concentrations (< few 10s cm) whereas the Cretaceous-Cenozoic record includes much thicker accumulations (> 1 m). To test this, the authors focused on siliciclastic records in two end-point periods. Using the literature on North America and Europe combined with extensive field-checking, they found that brachiopod-, trilobite-, and bryozoan-dominated accumulations in the Ord-Sil are typically thin but that there are important exceptions. In the Tertiary, thick concentrations are composed of a much larger variety of groups, occur in a wider range of environments, and exhibit a greater diversity of biostratinomic features and inferred accumulation histories. Information on the paleobathymetry, paleolatitude and tectonic setting was evaluated for all data points, and so the contrasting patterns of shell accumulation can clearly be related to differences in geologic age rather than to environmental biases in data collection. Even the analysis of only a few shell-bed features, therefore, provides strong evidence for long-term changes in the nature of the bioclastic fossil record. Work still in progress suggests that there are also long-term changes in the distribution and nature of bioclastic deposits through stratigraphic (3rd-order) sequences, particularly in the character of skeletal material associated with key surfaces.
High-Value Consults: A Curriculum to Promote Point-of-Care, Evidence-Based Recommendations.

Science.gov (United States)

Nandiwada, Deepa Rani; Kohli, Amar; McNamara, Megan; Smith, Kenneth J; Zimmer, Shanta; McNeil, Melissa; Spagnoletti, Carla; Rubio, Doris; Berlacher, Kathryn

2017-10-01

In an era when value-based care is paramount, teaching trainees to explicitly communicate the evidence behind recommendations fosters high-value care (HVC) in the consultation process. To implement an HVC consult curriculum highlighting the need for clear consult questions, evidence-based recommendations to improve consult teaching, clinical decision-making, and the educational value of consults. A pilot curriculum was implemented for residents on cardiology consult electives utilizing faculty and fellows as evidence-based medicine (EBM) coaches. The curriculum included an online module, an EBM teaching point template, EBM presentations on rounds, and "coach" feedback on notes. A total of 15 residents and 4 fellows on cardiology consults participated, and 87% (13 of 15) of residents on consults felt the curriculum was educationally valuable. A total of 80% (72 of 90) of residents on general medicine rotations responded to the survey, and 25 of 72 residents (35%) had a consult with the EBM template. General medicine teams felt the EBM teaching points affected clinical decision-making (48%, 12 of 25) and favored dissemination of the curriculum (90%, 72 of 80). Checklist-guided chart review showed a 22% improvement in evidence-based summaries behind recommendations (7 of 36 precurriculum to 70 of 146 charts postcurriculum, P = .015). The HVC consult curriculum during a cardiology elective was perceived by residents to influence clinical decision-making and evidence-based recommendations, and was found to be educationally valuable on both parties in the consult process.
Hinkley Point 'C' power station public inquiry: proof of evidence on potential off-site effects of radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Western, D.J.

1988-09-01

A public inquiry has been set up to examine the planning application made by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) for the construction of a 1200 MW Pressurized Water Reactor power station at Hinkley Point (Hinkley Point ''C'') in the United Kingdom. This evidence to the Inquiry is concerned with the potential of the proposed Hinkely Point ''C'' PWR to increase the exposure of members of the public offsite to radiation. The policy is to replicate the design of the Sizewell ''B'' reactor. The evidence examined in great detail at the Sizewell ''B'' Public Inquiry where the Inspector concluded that the risk would be very small. The purpose of this evidence is to provide an explicit account of the potential off-site effects of radiation at the Hinkley Point site, so that it can be seen that there is nothing specific to this location that could lead to a different conclusion. (author)
Everything should be as simple as possible, but no simpler: towards a protocol for accumulating evidence regarding the active content of health behaviour change interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Gjalt-Jorn Ygram; de Bruin, Marijn; Crutzen, Rik

2015-01-01

There is a need to consolidate the evidence base underlying our toolbox of methods of behaviour change. Recent efforts to this effect have conducted meta-regressions on evaluations of behaviour change interventions, deriving each method's effectiveness from its association to intervention effect size. However, there are a range of issues that raise concern about whether this approach is actually furthering or instead obstructing the advancement of health psychology theories and the quality of health behaviour change interventions. Using examples from theory, the literature and data from previous meta-analyses, these concerns and their implications are explained and illustrated. An iterative protocol for evidence base accumulation is proposed that integrates evidence derived from both experimental and applied behaviour change research, and combines theory development in experimental settings with theory testing in applied real-life settings. As evidence gathered in this manner accumulates, a cumulative science of behaviour change can develop.
Local financial development and capital accumulations: Evidence from Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eryiğit Sibel Balı

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Despite the unquestionable importance of financial markets in the economy, the factors promoting financial development have just recently begun to be researched intensively. In this context, the aim of the study is to explain the reasons for the financial development gaps among provinces in Turkey on the basis of capital accumulations. According to the results of the spatial panel data model estimates based on indices of 81 provinces in Turkey for the period 2005-2009, it was found that the level of social capital best explained the level of financial development, followed by physical capital and human capital. Additionally, it was found that capital accumulations contributed above average not only to the financial development of that province, but also to that of the surrounding provinces.
The "Lung": a software-controlled air accumulator for quasi-continuous multi-point measurement of agricultural greenhouse gases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. J. Martin

2011-10-01

Full Text Available We describe the design and testing of a flexible bag ("Lung" accumulator attached to a gas chromatographic (GC analyzer capable of measuring surface-atmosphere greenhouse gas exchange fluxes in a wide range of environmental/agricultural settings. In the design presented here, the Lung can collect up to three gas samples concurrently, each accumulated into a Tedlar bag over a period of 20 min or longer. Toggling collection between 2 sets of 3 bags enables quasi-continuous collection with sequential analysis and discarding of sample residues. The Lung thus provides a flexible "front end" collection system for interfacing to a GC or alternative analyzer and has been used in 2 main types of application. Firstly, it has been applied to micrometeorological assessment of paddock-scale N₂O fluxes, discussed here. Secondly, it has been used for the automation of concurrent emission assessment from three sheep housed in metabolic crates with gas tracer addition and sampling multiplexed to a single GC.

The Lung allows the same GC equipment used in laboratory discrete sample analysis to be deployed for continuous field measurement. Continuity of measurement enables spatially-averaged N₂O fluxes in particular to be determined with greater accuracy, given the highly heterogeneous and episodic nature of N₂O emissions. We present a detailed evaluation of the micrometeorological flux estimation alongside an independent tuneable diode laser system, reporting excellent agreement between flux estimates based on downwind vertical concentration differences. Whilst the current design is based around triplet bag sets, the basic design could be scaled up to a larger number of inlets or bags and less frequent analysis (longer accumulation times where a greater number of sampling points are required.
Utility-driven evidence for healthy cities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de Leeuw, Evelyne; Skovgaard, Thomas

2005-01-01

The question whether the WHO Healthy Cities project 'works' has been asked ever since a number of novel ideas and actions related to community health, health promotion and healthy public policy in the mid 1980s came together in the Healthy Cities Movement initiated by the World Health Organization....... The question, however, has become more urgent since we have entered an era in which the drive for 'evidence' seems all-pervasive. The article explores the nature of evidence, review available evidence on Healthy Cities accomplishments, and discusses whether enough evidence has been accumulated on different...... performances within the realm of Healthy Cities. A main point of reference is the European Healthy Cities Project (E-HCP). Building on the information gathered through documentary research on the topic, it is concluded that there is fair evidence that Healthy Cities works. However, the future holds great...
Optical studies of MBE-grown InN nanocolumns: Evidence of surface electron accumulation

Science.gov (United States)

Segura-Ruiz, J.; Garro, N.; Cantarero, A.; Denker, C.; Malindretos, J.; Rizzi, A.

2009-03-01

Vertically self-aligned InN nanocolumns have been investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy, Raman scattering, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Different nanocolumn morphologies corresponding to different molecular beam epitaxy growth conditions have been studied. Raman spectra revealed strain-free nanocolumns with high crystalline quality for the full set of samples studied. Longitudinal optical modes both uncoupled and coupled to an electron plasma coexist in the Raman spectra pointing to the existence of two distinctive regions in the nanocolumn: a surface layer of degenerated electrons and a nondegenerated inner core. The characteristics of the low-temperature photoluminescence and its dependence on temperature and excitation power can be explained by a model considering localized holes recombining with degenerated electrons close to the nonpolar surface. The differences observed in the optical response of different samples showing similar crystalline quality have been attributed to the variation in the electron accumulation layer with the growth conditions.
Evidence accumulation in decision making: unifying the "take the best" and the "rational" models.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Michael D; Cummins, Tarrant D R

2004-04-01

An evidence accumulation model of forced-choice decision making is proposed to unify the fast and frugal take the best (TTB) model and the alternative rational (RAT) model with which it is usually contrasted. The basic idea is to treat the TTB model as a sequential-sampling process that terminates as soon as any evidence in favor of a decision is found and the rational approach as a sequential-sampling process that terminates only when all available information has been assessed. The unified TTB and RAT models were tested in an experiment in which participants learned to make correct judgments for a set of real-world stimuli on the basis of feedback, and were then asked to make additional judgments without feedback for cases in which the TTB and the rational models made different predictions. The results show that, in both experiments, there was strong intraparticipant consistency in the use of either the TTB or the rational model but large interparticipant differences in which model was used. The unified model is shown to be able to capture the differences in decision making across participants in an interpretable way and is preferred by the minimum description length model selection criterion.
Uptake, accumulation, and biotransformation of metal oxide nanoparticles by a marine suspension-feeder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Montes, Milka O. [University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); University of Texas of the Permian Basin, 4901 E. University, Odessa, TX 79762 (United States); Hanna, Shannon K.; Lenihan, Hunter S. [University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Keller, Arturo A., E-mail: keller@bren.ucsb.edu [University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States)

2012-07-30

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Suspension-feeding by mussels can greatly alter mobility and fate of metal oxide nanoparticles. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Bioprocessing of metal oxide nanoparticles by mussels removes large fraction from water column. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mussels repackage metal oxide nanoparticles in highly concentrated pseudofeces. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Novel biological pathway between major compartments in marine systems. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Very different outcome for ZnO and CeO{sub 2} nanoparticles based on their solubility. - Abstract: A growing body of evidence indicates that some engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are toxic to organisms that perform important ecosystem services in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. However, toxicity can be influenced by the biotransformation of contaminants, including ENPs, as it may alter the fate and transport of these substances. In turn, fate and transport can influence their bioavailability. To understand how biotransformation influences the fate and transport of ENPs in marine ecosystems, we exposed suspension-feeding mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis, to two common nano-metal oxides, CeO{sub 2} and ZnO, over a range of concentrations from 1 mg L{sup -1} to 10 mg L{sup -1}, in a laboratory experiment. Mussels exposed to 10 mg L{sup -1} accumulated 62 {mu}g g{sup -1} of Ce and 880 {mu}g g{sup -1} of Zn on a dry tissue basis but rejected 21,000 {mu}g g{sup -1} for Ce and 63,000 {mu}g g{sup -1} for Zn in pseudofeces. Scanning electron microscope evidence indicates CeO{sub 2} remained as ENPs but ZnO did not after being rejected by the mussels. Mussels filtered most of the CeO{sub 2} from the aqueous media, while a significant fraction of Zn remained in solution. Differences in ENP solubility affect ENP uptake, excretion, and accumulation in mussels. Our study highlights the potential role of marine suspension feeders in biotransformation of ENPs.
Hinkley Point 'C' power station public inquiry: proof of evidence on agriculture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Worthington, T.R.

1988-09-01

A public inquiry has been set up to examine the planning application made by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) for the construction of a 1200 MW Pressurized Water Reactor power station at Hinkley Point (Hinkley Point ''C'') in the United Kingdom. Agricultural land will need to be acquired for the proposed construction both on a temporary and permanent basis. The CEGB evidence to the Inquiry identifies the land which will be permanently lost for agricultural purposes and that which could eventually be returned to agriculture. All the land required is on a single holding but should leave a viable area to be farmed. The farming business would be compensated for loss of profits. (UK)
Accumulation, translocation and impact of TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles in wheat (Triticum aestivum spp.): Influence of diameter and crystal phase

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larue, Camille, E-mail: camille.larue@cea.fr [UMR3299 CEA-CNRS, Service Interdisciplinaire des Systemes Moleculaires et Materiaux, Laboratoire Structure et Dynamique par Resonance Magnetique (LSDRM), CEA Saclay, 91191 Gif sur Yvette (France); Laurette, Julien, E-mail: julien.laurette@cea.fr [UMR3299 CEA-CNRS, Service Interdisciplinaire des Systemes Moleculaires et Materiaux, Laboratoire Structure et Dynamique par Resonance Magnetique (LSDRM), CEA Saclay, 91191 Gif sur Yvette (France); Herlin-Boime, Nathalie, E-mail: nathalie.herlin@cea.fr [URA2453 CEA-CNRS, Service des Photons, Atomes et Molecules, Laboratoire Francis Perrin (LFP), CEA Saclay, 91191 Gif sur Yvette (France); Khodja, Hicham, E-mail: hicham.khodja@cea.fr [UMR3299 CEA-CNRS, Service Interdisciplinaire des Systemes Moleculaires et Materiaux, Laboratoire d' Etude des Elements Legers (LEEL), CEA Saclay, 91191 Gif sur Yvette (France); Fayard, Barbara, E-mail: fayard@lps.u-psud.fr [UMR8502 CNRS-Universite Paris Sud, Laboratoire de Physique des solides (LPS), Universite Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay (France); European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), ID21 beamline, B.P. 220, 38043 Grenoble (France); Flank, Anne-Marie, E-mail: anne-marie.flank@synchrotron-soleil.fr [SOLEIL, Saint Aubin, B.P. 48, 91192 Gif sur Yvette (France); and others

2012-08-01

Intensive production of TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles (TiO{sub 2}-NPs) would lead to their release in the environment. Their ecotoxicological impact is still poorly documented, while their use in commercial goods is constantly increasing. In this study we compare root accumulation and root-to-shoot translocation in wheat of anatase and rutile TiO{sub 2}-NPs with diameters ranging from 14 nm to 655 nm, prepared in water. NP distribution in plant tissues was mapped by synchrotron-radiation micro-X-ray fluorescence, observed by transmission electron microscopy and quantified in the different compartments of plant roots by micro-particle-induced X-ray emission. Our results provide evidence that the smallest TiO{sub 2}-NPs accumulate in roots and distribute through whole plant tissues without dissolution or crystal phase modification. We suggest a threshold diameter, 140 nm, above which NPs are no longer accumulated in wheat roots, as well as a threshold diameter, 36 nm, above which NPs are accumulated in wheat root parenchyma but do not reach the stele and consequently do not translocate to the shoot. This accumulation does not impact wheat seed germination, biomass and transpiration. It does not induce any modification of photosynthesis nor induce oxidative stress. However exposure of wheat plantlets to the smallest NPs during the first stages of development causes an increase of root elongation. Collectively, these data suggest that only the smallest TiO{sub 2}-NPs may be accumulated in wheat plants, although in limited amounts and that their impact is moderate. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer TiO{sub 2}-NP diameter, but not crystallinity, influences their transfer in plant tissues. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Wheat roots accumulate TiO{sub 2}-NPs with diameter up to 36 nm but not 140 nm TiO{sub 2}-NPs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer TiO{sub 2}-NPs with diameter lower than 36 nm are translocated from wheat root to shoot. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A 100 mg

Dew point vs bubble point : a misunderstood constraint on gravity drainage processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nenninger, J. [N-Solv Corp., Calgary, AB (Canada); Gunnewiek, L. [Hatch Ltd., Mississauga, ON (Canada)

2009-07-01

This study demonstrated that gravity drainage processes that use blended fluids such as solvents have an inherently unstable material balance due to differences between dew point and bubble point compositions. The instability can lead to the accumulation of volatile components within the chamber, and impair mass and heat transfer processes. Case studies were used to demonstrate the large temperature gradients within the vapour chamber caused by temperature differences between the bubble point and dew point for blended fluids. A review of published data showed that many experiments on in-situ processes do not account for unstable material balances caused by a lack of steam trap control. A study of temperature profiles during steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) studies showed significant temperature depressions caused by methane accumulations at the outside perimeter of the steam chamber. It was demonstrated that the condensation of large volumes of purified solvents provided an efficient mechanism for the removal of methane from the chamber. It was concluded that gravity drainage processes can be optimized by using pure propane during the injection process. 22 refs., 1 tab., 18 figs.
Antagonistic effects of cadmium on lead accumulation in pregnant and non-pregnant mice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, Euan, E-mail: euan.smith@unisa.edu.au [Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095 (Australia); Gancarz, Dorota; Rofe, Allan [Veterinary Services Division, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Gilles Plains, SA 5086 (Australia); Kempson, Ivan M. [Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Road, Section 2, Nankang, Taipei 11529, Taiwan (China); Weber, John; Juhasz, Albert L. [Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095 (Australia)

2012-01-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We investigate the exposure of pregnant and non-pregnant mice to cadmium (Cd) on lead (Pb) contaminated soil. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We examine the changes in lead accumulation in mice due to the presence of cadmium in soil. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Lead accumulation is higher in pregnant compared to non-pregnant mice. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cadmium decreases lead accumulation in all mice irrespective of status. - Abstract: People are frequently exposed to combinations of contaminants but there is a paucity of data on the effects of mixed contaminants at low doses. This study investigated the influence of cadmium (Cd) on lead (Pb) accumulation in pregnant and non-pregnant mice following exposure to contaminated soil. Exposure to Pb from contaminated soils increased Pb accumulation in both pregnant and non-pregnant mice compared to unexposed control animals (pregnant and non-pregnant). Lead accumulation in the liver and kidneys of exposure pregnant mice (40 {+-} 15 mg Pb kg{sup -1}) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than concentrations detected in control pregnant mice (<1 mg Pb kg{sup -1}). The presence of Cd in contaminated soil had a major effect on the Pb and Fe accumulation in the kidneys and liver, respectively. This study shows that Pb uptake is mediated by the presence of Cd in the co-contaminated soil and demonstrates that further research is required to investigate the influence of co-contaminants on human exposure at sub-chronic concentrations.
The impact of football point systems on the competitive balance: evidence from some european football leagues

OpenAIRE

Ferda Halicioglu

2006-01-01

Introduction - 1 Outcome of uncertainty and competitive balance in professional team sports - 2 Measurement of competitive balance in professional team sports - 3 Football point systems and competitive balance: empirical evidence - 4. Concluding remarks
Hinkley Point 'C' power station public inquiry: proof of evidence on emergency planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Western, D.J.

1988-09-01

A public inquiry has been set up to examine the planning application made by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) for the construction of a 1200 MW Pressurized Water Reactor power station at Hinkley Point (Hinkley Point ''C'') in the United Kingdom, adjacent to an existing nuclear power station incorporating Magnox and Advanced Gas Cooled reactors. The CEGB evidence to the Inquiry presented here introduces the concept of the Reference Accident as the basis for emergency arrangements. The description which follows of the emergency arrangements at the Hinkley Point site include: the respective responsibilities and their co-ordination of bodies such as the CEGB, external emergency services and government departments; the site emergency organization; practical aspects of the emergency arrangements; and consideration of the extension of the arrangements to a PWR on the same site. Recent developments in emergency planning, such as those arising out of post Chernobyl reviews and the Sizewell ''B'' PWR Inquiry, are taken into account. The conclusion is reached that soundly based emergency arrangements already exist at Hinkley Point which would require relatively minor changes should the proposed PWR be constructed. (UK)
Credit Constraints, Political Instability, and Capital Accumulation

OpenAIRE

Risto Herrala; Rima Turk-Ariss

2013-01-01

We investigate the complex interactions between credit constraints, political instability, and capital accumulation using a novel approach based on Kiyotaki and Moore’s (1997) theoretical framework. Drawing on a unique firm-level data set from Middle-East and North Africa (MENA), empirical findings point to a large and significant effect of credit conditions on capital accumulation and suggest that continued political unrest worsens credit constraints. The results support the view that financ...
Hinkley Point 'C' power station public inquiry: proof of evidence on the need for Hinkley Point 'C' to help meet capacity requirement and the non-fossil-fuel proportion economically

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jenkin, F.P.

1988-09-01

A public inquiry has been set up to examine the planning application made by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) for the construction of a 1200 MW Pressurized Water Reactor power station at Hinkley Point (Hinkley Point ''C'') in the United Kingdom. The purpose of this evidence to the Inquiry is to show why there is a need now to go ahead with the construction of Hinkley Point ''C'' generating station to help meet the non-fossil-fuel proportion of generation economically and also to help meet future generating capacity requirement. The CEGB submits that it is appropriate to compare Hinkley Point ''C'' with other non-fossil-fuel alternatives under various bases. Those dealt with by this proof of evidence are as follows: i) ability to contribute to capacity need and in assisting the distribution companies to meet their duty to supply electricity; ii) ability to contribute to the non-fossil-fuel proportion; iii) relative economic merit. (author)
Imaging study on acupuncture points

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, X. H.; Zhang, X. Y.; Liu, C. L.; Dang, R. S.; Ando, M.; Sugiyama, H.; Chen, H. S.; Ding, G. H.

2009-09-01

The topographic structures of acupuncture points were investigated by using the synchrotron radiation based Dark Field Image (DFI) method. Four following acupuncture points were studied: Sanyinjiao, Neiguan, Zusanli and Tianshu. We have found that at acupuncture point regions there exists the accumulation of micro-vessels. The images taken in the surrounding tissue out of the acupuncture points do not show such kind of structure. It is the first time to reveal directly the specific structure of acupuncture points by X-ray imaging.
Imaging study on acupuncture points

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, X H; Zhang, X Y; Liu, C L; Dang, R S; Ando, M; Sugiyama, H; Chen, H S; Ding, G H

2009-01-01

The topographic structures of acupuncture points were investigated by using the synchrotron radiation based Dark Field Image (DFI) method. Four following acupuncture points were studied: Sanyinjiao, Neiguan, Zusanli and Tianshu. We have found that at acupuncture point regions there exists the accumulation of micro-vessels. The images taken in the surrounding tissue out of the acupuncture points do not show such kind of structure. It is the first time to reveal directly the specific structure of acupuncture points by X-ray imaging.
Action Planning and the Timescale of Evidence Accumulation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konstantinos Tsetsos

Full Text Available Perceptual decisions are based on the temporal integration of sensory evidence for different states of the outside world. The timescale of this integration process varies widely across behavioral contexts and individuals, and it is diagnostic for the underlying neural mechanisms. In many situations, the decision-maker knows the required mapping between perceptual evidence and motor response (henceforth termed "sensory-motor contingency" before decision formation. Here, the integrated evidence can be directly translated into a motor plan and, indeed, neural signatures of the integration process are evident as build-up activity in premotor brain regions. In other situations, however, the sensory-motor contingencies are unknown at the time of decision formation. We used behavioral psychophysics and computational modeling to test if knowledge about sensory-motor contingencies affects the timescale of perceptual evidence integration. We asked human observers to perform the same motion discrimination task, with or without trial-to-trial variations of the mapping between perceptual choice and motor response. When the mapping varied, it was either instructed before or after the stimulus presentation. We quantified the timescale of evidence integration under these different sensory-motor mapping conditions by means of two approaches. First, we analyzed subjects' discrimination threshold as a function of stimulus duration. Second, we fitted a dynamical decision-making model to subjects' choice behavior. The results from both approaches indicated that observers (i integrated motion information for several hundred ms, (ii used a shorter than optimal integration timescale, and (iii used the same integration timescale under all sensory-motor mappings. We conclude that the mechanisms limiting the timescale of perceptual decisions are largely independent from long-term learning (under fixed mapping or rapid acquisition (under variable mapping of sensory
The impacts of football point systems on the competitive balance: evidence from some European footbal leagues

OpenAIRE

HALICIOGLU, Ferda

2006-01-01

Introduction. – 1. Outcome of uncertainty and competitive balance in professional team sports. – 2. Measurement of competitive balance in professional team sports. – 3. Football point systems and competitive balance: empirical evidence . – 4. Some concluding remarks.
Sediment accumulation on the Southern California Bight continental margin during the twentieth century

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, C.R.; Lee, H.J.

2009-01-01

Sediment discharged into the portion of the Southern California Bight extending from Santa Barbara to Dana Point enters a complex system of semi-isolated coastal cells, narrow continental shelves, submarine canyons, and offshore basins. On both the Santa Monica and San Pedro margins, 210Pb accumulation rates decrease in an offshore direction (from ??0.5 g cm-2yr-1 to 0.02 g cm-2yr -1), in concert with a fining in sediment grain size (from 4.5?? to 8.5??), suggesting that offshore transport of wave-resuspended material occurs as relatively dilute nepheloid layers and that hemiplegic sedimentation dominates the supply of sediment to the outer shelf, slope, and basins. Together, these areas are effectively sequestering up to 100% of the annual fluvial input. In contrast to the Santa Monica margin, which does not display evidence of mass wasting as an important process of sediment delivery and redistribution, the San Pedro margin does provide numerous examples of failures and mass wasting, suggesting that intraslope sediment redistribution may play a more important role there. Basin deposits in both areas exhibit evidence of turbidites tentatively associated with both major floods and earthquakes, sourced from either the Redondo Canyon (San Pedro Basin) or Dume Canyon (Santa Monica Basin). On the Palos Verdes shelf, sediment-accumulation rates decrease along and across the shelf away from the White's Point outfall, which has been a major source of contaminants to the shelf deposits. Accumulation rates prior to the construction of the outfall were ??0.2 g cm-2yr-1 and increased 1.5-3.7 times during peak discharges from the outfall in 1971. The distal rate of accumulation has decreased by ??50%, from 0.63 g cm -2yr-1 during the period 1971-1992 to 0.29 g cm -2yr-1 during the period 1992-2003. The proximal rate of accumulation, however, has only decreased ??10%, from 0.83 g cm -2yr-1 during the period 1971-1992 to 0.73 g cm -2yr-1 during the period 1992-2003. Effluent
Hinkley Point 'C' power station public inquiry: proof of evidence on system considerations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eunson, E.M.

1988-09-01

A public inquiry has been set up to examine the planning application made by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) for the construction of a 1200 MW Pressurized Water Reactor power station at Hinkley Point (Hinkley Point ''C'') in the United Kingdom. This evidence to the Inquiry describes the CEGB system and the concepts of economy, security and quality of supply which underlie it. Attention is drawn to the present geographical imbalance between generation and demand on the CEGB system which leads to high power transfers at times of peak demand and for long periods at off-peak times. When there is a need to install new generating plant in the mid-1990s, system benefits can be achieved by siting plant in the South rather than in the North. The system benefits which would arise from the siting of a new PWR nuclear power station at Hinkley Point ''C'' rather than elsewhere are identified. The system benefits of other PWR sites and non-fossil options, such as a further link with France, interconnection with Iceland and the Severn Tidal Barrage, are reviewed. System benefits in terms of security and economics would accrue from locating a PWR station at Hinkley Point without the need for new transmission lines. (author)
Hinkley Point 'C' power station public inquiry: proof of evidence on landscape and architecture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lisney, A.; Owen, I.D.

1988-09-01

A public inquiry has been set up to examine the planning application made by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) for the construction of a 1200 MW Pressurized Water Reactor power station at Hinkley Point (Hinkley Point ''C'') in the United Kingdom, adjacent to an existing nuclear power station. The CEGB evidence to the Inquiry includes an assessment of the effect, in visual terms, that the additional power station will have on the surrounding landscape and landscaping proposals for the proposed construction, including reinstatement of land used for temporary works. In addition, the architectural objectives for the new buildings are presented, primarily aiming at the best possible appearance from relatively short distances and medium and long range. (UK)
Hinkley Point 'C' power station public inquiry: proof of evidence on safety criteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, R.H.

1988-09-01

A public inquiry has been set up to examine the planning application made by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) for the construction of a 1200 MW Pressurized Water Reactor power station at Hinkley Point (Hinkley Point ''C'') in the United Kingdom. The policy is to replicate the Sizewell ''B'' PWR design which was accepted as safe by an earlier enquiry. In this evidence to the Inquiry, subsequent developments are examined with a view to determining whether these would reverse the Sizewell decision. They are: the possible revision of radiation risk estimates upwards; whether cases of leukaemia occur with greater frequency around nuclear sites than elsewhere; publication of the Health and Safety Executive's consultative document ''The Tolerability of Risk from Nuclear Power Stations''. The overall conclusion is that these developments do not undermine the findings of the Sizewell ''B'' inquiry or the validity of the CEGB's safety criteria. (author)
Refining Game Addiction Questionnairs: Evidence for a natural cut-off point?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Rune Kristian

2013-01-01

This paper presents data from a pilot study, which was designed to illuminate critical flaws in the currently used instruments used to measure the prevalence of ‘computer game addiction’. The study found that the prevalence rate could be set anywhere between 23% and 0,6% depending on how the data...... is unique in the field of prevalence studies of computer game addiction both in its design and its findings. The findings and conclusions need to be addressed by future research in the area.......’ from ‘addicted gamers’ by making implicit assumptions about negative effects explicit will cause prevalence rates to drop even further. Unexpectedly, the data from this modified questionnaire provides preliminary evidence for a natural cut-off point that clearly separates addicted play from normal play...
Inference and interrogation of a coregulatory network in the context of lipid accumulation in Yarrowia lipolytica.

Science.gov (United States)

Trébulle, Pauline; Nicaud, Jean-Marc; Leplat, Christophe; Elati, Mohamed

2017-01-01

Complex phenotypes, such as lipid accumulation, result from cooperativity between regulators and the integration of multiscale information. However, the elucidation of such regulatory programs by experimental approaches may be challenging, particularly in context-specific conditions. In particular, we know very little about the regulators of lipid accumulation in the oleaginous yeast of industrial interest Yarrowia lipolytica . This lack of knowledge limits the development of this yeast as an industrial platform, due to the time-consuming and costly laboratory efforts required to design strains with the desired phenotypes. In this study, we aimed to identify context-specific regulators and mechanisms, to guide explorations of the regulation of lipid accumulation in Y. lipolytica . Using gene regulatory network inference, and considering the expression of 6539 genes over 26 time points from GSE35447 for biolipid production and a list of 151 transcription factors, we reconstructed a gene regulatory network comprising 111 transcription factors, 4451 target genes and 17048 regulatory interactions (YL-GRN-1) supported by evidence of protein-protein interactions. This study, based on network interrogation and wet laboratory validation (a) highlights the relevance of our proposed measure, the transcription factors influence, for identifying phases corresponding to changes in physiological state without prior knowledge (b) suggests new potential regulators and drivers of lipid accumulation and (c) experimentally validates the impact of six of the nine regulators identified on lipid accumulation, with variations in lipid content from +43.2% to -31.2% on glucose or glycerol.
WEALTH TAXATION AND WEALTH ACCUMULATION

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Katrine Marie Tofthøj; Jakobsen, Kristian Thor; Kleven, Henrik

Using administrative wealth records from Denmark, we study the effects of wealth taxes on wealth accumulation. Denmark used to impose one of the world's highest marginal tax rates on wealth, but this tax was drastically reduced and ultimately abolished between 1989 and 1997. Due to the specific d...... on wealth accumulation. Our simulations show that the long-run elasticity of wealth with respect to the net-of-tax return is sizeable at the top of distribution. Our paper provides the type of evidence needed to assess optimal capital taxation.......Using administrative wealth records from Denmark, we study the effects of wealth taxes on wealth accumulation. Denmark used to impose one of the world's highest marginal tax rates on wealth, but this tax was drastically reduced and ultimately abolished between 1989 and 1997. Due to the specific...... design of the wealth tax, these changes provide a compelling quasi-experiment for understanding behavioral responses among the wealthiest segments of the population. We find clear reduced-form effects of wealth taxes in the short and medium run, with larger effects on the very wealthy than...
[Lorenz was right, or does aggressive energy accumulate?].

Science.gov (United States)

Kudriavtseva, N N

2004-06-01

Evidence supporting the fact that inherited mechanisms of regulation of aggressive behavior as a result of a repeated experience of aggression ending in victories are transformed into pathological mechanisms based on accumulation of neurochemical shifts in the brain, enhancing aggressiveness, and forming aggressive motivation in aggressive winners. This confirms the concept by Lorenz on the existence of a mechanism (but not instinct) of a spontaneous accumulation of aggressive energy that needs a discharge and formation of permanent attraction to manifestation of aggression.
Hinkley Point 'C' power station public inquiry: proof of evidence on local site related issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gammon, K.M.

1988-09-01

A public inquiry has been set up to examine the planning application made by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) for the construction of a 1200 MW Pressurized Water Reactor power station at Hinkley Point (Hinkley Point ''C'') in the United Kingdom, adjacent to an existing nuclear power station. The CEGB evidence to the Inquiry on local site related issues begins by setting the proposed development within the context of local authority planning policies for the area. The implications of the development in terms of overall land needs, construction, access, buildings and works both temporary and permanent, are described. Environmental impacts, aesthetic and socio-economic factors are considered including possible effects on agriculture, nature conservation, water supply, transport and employment. (UK)
Numerical solution of kinetics equation for point defects accumulation in metals under irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aldzhambekova, G.T.; Iskakov, B.M.

1999-01-01

In the report the mathematical model, describing processes of generation and accumulation of defects in solids under irradiation is considered. The equations of this model take into account the velocity of Frenkel pairs generation, the mutual recombination of vacancies and the interstitials, as well as velocity of defects absorption by discharge channeling of vacancies and interstitials. By Runge-Kutta method the numerical solution of the model was carried out

Hinkley Point 'C' power station public inquiry: proof of evidence on plant parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, B.V.

1988-09-01

A public inquiry has been set up to examine the planning application made by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) for the construction of a 1200 MW Pressurized Water Reactor power station at Hinkley Point (Hinkley Point ''C'') in the United Kingdom. The overall economics of a nuclear power station depends on many factors which are determined by the design; the effectiveness with which the station is constructed; and the performance of the plant. In this respect the most significant factors are: construction time; capital cost; availability of the plant to produce electricity, taking account of those outages due to either planned or unplanned shutdowns; net electrical power output; and the working life of the plant. In this evidence to the Inquiry, the basis for the values chosen as ''targets'' for these parameters in the design of the plant and the control of the project is set out. The adjustment of the parameters to make them suitable for economic appraisal is explained. The design and project management arrangements are described. (author)
Ordinary differential equation for local accumulation time.

Science.gov (United States)

Berezhkovskii, Alexander M

2011-08-21

Cell differentiation in a developing tissue is controlled by the concentration fields of signaling molecules called morphogens. Formation of these concentration fields can be described by the reaction-diffusion mechanism in which locally produced molecules diffuse through the patterned tissue and are degraded. The formation kinetics at a given point of the patterned tissue can be characterized by the local accumulation time, defined in terms of the local relaxation function. Here, we show that this time satisfies an ordinary differential equation. Using this equation one can straightforwardly determine the local accumulation time, i.e., without preliminary calculation of the relaxation function by solving the partial differential equation, as was done in previous studies. We derive this ordinary differential equation together with the accompanying boundary conditions and demonstrate that the earlier obtained results for the local accumulation time can be recovered by solving this equation. © 2011 American Institute of Physics
Deleterious effects of neuronal accumulation of glycogen in flies and mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Duran, Jordi; Tevy, María Florencia; Garcia-Rocha, Mar; Calbó, Joaquim; Milán, Marco; Guinovart, Joan J

2012-08-01

Under physiological conditions, most neurons keep glycogen synthase (GS) in an inactive form and do not show detectable levels of glycogen. Nevertheless, aberrant glycogen accumulation in neurons is a hallmark of patients suffering from Lafora disease or other polyglucosan disorders. Although these diseases are associated with mutations in genes involved in glycogen metabolism, the role of glycogen accumulation remains elusive. Here, we generated mouse and fly models expressing an active form of GS to force neuronal accumulation of glycogen. We present evidence that the progressive accumulation of glycogen in mouse and Drosophila neurons leads to neuronal loss, locomotion defects and reduced lifespan. Our results highlight glycogen accumulation in neurons as a direct cause of neurodegeneration. Copyright © 2012 EMBO Molecular Medicine.
Peculiarities of the point radiation defects accumulation in the fine- and ultra-disperse metallic media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aliev, B.A.; Zajkin, Yu.A.; Potapov, A.S.

2004-01-01

Fine-dispersive powders are a samples of solid systems. In which under irradiation the particle surface layers defect structure changes and has mostly an effect on structural transformations. Theoretical calculations and experimental data show, that the increased interstitials atoms concentration near particles surface during irradiation by either electrons or gamma quanta with energy about 1 MeV give rise to intensive pores healing. At the same time as the dense surface layer formation the pores healing leads to the brachiate borders system formation. The borders serve as pathways for accelerated diffusion. Sintering process and a metal recrystallization are stimulating as well. Both processes lead to the ordered super-structure formation which contributes the additional contribution in an improvement of the mechanical properties of a metal. A liner sizes of the ordered net depend on both the powder sizes and the irradiation conditions. The especial interest present a conditions for such superstructure formation (when the particle sizes are becoming so small (∼1 μm), that effect has being resulted on a defect-formation in the whole volume of a powder particle). In the considered case the point radiation defects accumulation kinetics in the metallic particle is analyzed on the ground of the equation system for atomic concentrations both interstitial atoms and vacancies. The numerical solution of this equation system shows, that particles sizes decline leads to considerable micro-pores healing increase and improvement of conditions for net strengthening. In dependence on irradiation conditions (temperature, dose and dose rate) the forming super-structure could have micro- and nano-sizes
Plume residence and toxic material accumulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spigarelli, S.A.; Holpuch, R.

1975-01-01

Increased growth rates and 137 Cs concentrations in plume resident trout are thought to be the result of increased metabolism, food consumption, and activity caused by exposure to increased water temperature and flow in thermal discharges. These exposure conditions could contribute to increased accumulation of biologically active, toxic substances by primary forage and predator fish species in the Great Lakes. Uptake and retention of various toxic substances by predators depend on concentrations in forage species (trophic transfer), ambient water, and point source effluents (direct uptake). Contaminants of immediate concern in Great Lakes systems (e.g., chlorinated hydrocarbons) accumulate in adipose tissue, and body concentrations have been correlated with total lipid content in fish. In addition to direct toxic effects on fish, many lipophilic contaminants are known to cause severe human health problems when ingested at concentrations commonly found in Lake Michigan salmonids. Although power plants may or may not be the direct source of a toxic substance, the thermal discharge environment may contribute to the accumulation of toxic substances in fish and the transfer of these materials to man
Recurrent hamstring muscle injury: applying the limited evidence in the professional football setting with a seven-point programme

Science.gov (United States)

Brukner, Peter; Nealon, Andrew; Morgan, Christopher; Burgess, Darren; Dunn, Andrew

2014-01-01

Recurrent hamstring injuries are a major problem in sports such as football. The aim of this paper was to use a clinical example to describe a treatment strategy for the management of recurrent hamstring injuries and examine the evidence for each intervention. A professional footballer sustained five hamstring injuries in a relatively short period of time. The injury was managed successfully with a seven-point programme—biomechanical assessment and correction, neurodynamics, core stability, eccentric strengthening, an overload running programme, injection therapies and stretching/relaxation. The evidence for each of these treatment options is reviewed. It is impossible to be definite about which aspects of the programme contributed to a successful outcome. Only limited evidence is available in most cases; therefore, decisions regarding the use of different treatment modalities must be made by using a combination of clinical experience and research evidence. PMID:23322894
Recurrent hamstring muscle injury: applying the limited evidence in the professional football setting with a seven-point programme.

Science.gov (United States)

Brukner, Peter; Nealon, Andrew; Morgan, Christopher; Burgess, Darren; Dunn, Andrew

2014-06-01

Recurrent hamstring injuries are a major problem in sports such as football. The aim of this paper was to use a clinical example to describe a treatment strategy for the management of recurrent hamstring injuries and examine the evidence for each intervention. A professional footballer sustained five hamstring injuries in a relatively short period of time. The injury was managed successfully with a seven-point programme-biomechanical assessment and correction, neurodynamics, core stability, eccentric strengthening, an overload running programme, injection therapies and stretching/relaxation. The evidence for each of these treatment options is reviewed. It is impossible to be definite about which aspects of the programme contributed to a successful outcome. Only limited evidence is available in most cases; therefore, decisions regarding the use of different treatment modalities must be made by using a combination of clinical experience and research evidence.
Hinkley Point 'C' power station public inquiry: proof of evidence on on-site radioactive waste management and decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Passant, F.H.

1988-09-01

A public inquiry has been set up to examine the planning application made by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) for the construction of a 1200 MW Pressurized Water Reactor power station at Hinkley Point (Hinkley Point ''C'') in the United Kingdom. The CEGB evidence to the Inquiry presented here provides information on the on-site management of solid, liquid and gaseous radioactive wastes both during station operation and during decommissioning. Estimates are given of current and projected future discharges of liquid and gaseous wastes from the site and packaging and transport arrangements for solid radioactive wastes are described. The framework of waste management policy, disposal strategy and legislation in the United Kingdom which will determine procedure at Hinkley Point ''C'' is given. (UK)
How awareness changes the relative weights of evidence during human decision-making.

Science.gov (United States)

de Lange, Floris P; van Gaal, Simon; Lamme, Victor A F; Dehaene, Stanislas

2011-11-01

Human decisions are based on accumulating evidence over time for different options. Here we ask a simple question: How is the accumulation of evidence affected by the level of awareness of the information? We examined the influence of awareness on decision-making using combined behavioral methods and magneto-encephalography (MEG). Participants were required to make decisions by accumulating evidence over a series of visually presented arrow stimuli whose visibility was modulated by masking. Behavioral results showed that participants could accumulate evidence under both high and low visibility. However, a top-down strategic modulation of the flow of incoming evidence was only present for stimuli with high visibility: once enough evidence had been accrued, participants strategically reduced the impact of new incoming stimuli. Also, decision-making speed and confidence were strongly modulated by the strength of the evidence for high-visible but not low-visible evidence, even though direct priming effects were identical for both types of stimuli. Neural recordings revealed that, while initial perceptual processing was independent of visibility, there was stronger top-down amplification for stimuli with high visibility than low visibility. Furthermore, neural markers of evidence accumulation over occipito-parietal cortex showed a strategic bias only for highly visible sensory information, speeding up processing and reducing neural computations related to the decision process. Our results indicate that the level of awareness of information changes decision-making: while accumulation of evidence already exists under low visibility conditions, high visibility allows evidence to be accumulated up to a higher level, leading to important strategical top-down changes in decision-making. Our results therefore suggest a potential role of awareness in deploying flexible strategies for biasing information acquisition in line with one's expectations and goals.
How awareness changes the relative weights of evidence during human decision-making.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Floris P de Lange

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Human decisions are based on accumulating evidence over time for different options. Here we ask a simple question: How is the accumulation of evidence affected by the level of awareness of the information? We examined the influence of awareness on decision-making using combined behavioral methods and magneto-encephalography (MEG. Participants were required to make decisions by accumulating evidence over a series of visually presented arrow stimuli whose visibility was modulated by masking. Behavioral results showed that participants could accumulate evidence under both high and low visibility. However, a top-down strategic modulation of the flow of incoming evidence was only present for stimuli with high visibility: once enough evidence had been accrued, participants strategically reduced the impact of new incoming stimuli. Also, decision-making speed and confidence were strongly modulated by the strength of the evidence for high-visible but not low-visible evidence, even though direct priming effects were identical for both types of stimuli. Neural recordings revealed that, while initial perceptual processing was independent of visibility, there was stronger top-down amplification for stimuli with high visibility than low visibility. Furthermore, neural markers of evidence accumulation over occipito-parietal cortex showed a strategic bias only for highly visible sensory information, speeding up processing and reducing neural computations related to the decision process. Our results indicate that the level of awareness of information changes decision-making: while accumulation of evidence already exists under low visibility conditions, high visibility allows evidence to be accumulated up to a higher level, leading to important strategical top-down changes in decision-making. Our results therefore suggest a potential role of awareness in deploying flexible strategies for biasing information acquisition in line with one's expectations and goals.
Corporate taxation and capital accumulation

OpenAIRE

Stephen Bond; Jing Xing

2010-01-01

We present new empirical evidence that aggregate capital accumulation is strongly influenced by the user cost of capital and, in particular, by corporate tax incentives summarised in the tax-adjusted user cost. We use sectoral panel data for the USA, Japan, Australia and ten EU countries over the period 1982-2007. Our panel combines data on capital stocks, value-added and relative prices from the EU KLEMS database with measures of effective corporate tax rates from the Oxford University Centr...
The clinical relevance of assessing advanced glycation endproducts accumulation in diabetes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hillebrands Jan-Luuk

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes. There is increasing evidence that advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs play a pivotal role in atherosclerosis, in particular in diabetes. AGE accumulation is a measure of cumulative metabolic and oxidative stress, and may so represent the "metabolic memory". Furthermore, increased AGE accumulation is closely related to the development of cardiovascular complications in diabetes. This review article will focus on the clinical relevance of measuring AGE accumulation in diabetic patients by focusing on AGE formation, AGEs as predictors of long-term complications, and interventions against AGEs.
Reliability of accumulators systems for Angra-I: a reavaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira, L.F.S. de; Fleming, P.V.; Frutuoso e Melo, P.F.F.; Tayt-Sohn, L.C.

1983-01-01

A new evaluation of reliability analysis for accumulators systems of Angra-1, based on a study done in 1979/80 is done the methodology used is the same (WASH-1400). An additional point, a computer program was used to obtain the minimum cuts. (author) [pt
Extraosseous accumulation of sup(99m)Tc-methylene diphosphonate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ota, A; Mayumi, K; Shinozuka, A; Sunada, E; Takahashi, Y [Showa Univ., Tokyo (Japan). School of Medicine

1980-10-01

The sup(99m)Tc-phosphates have been used as bone scanning agents. Abnormal extraosseous accumulation of sup(99m)Tc-phosphates was noted in 10 cases. The lesions associated with extraosseous accumulation are as follows; 1 breast cancer, 2 neuroblastomas, 1 Wilms' tumor, 1 Hodgkin's disease, 1 rectum carcinoma, 1 pulmonary fibrosis, 1 abdominal wall metastasis of gastric cancer, 1 operation scar and 1 hepatoblastoma. In other several author's reports of abnormal extraosseous accumulation in malignant tumor, it is suggested that sup(99m)Tc-phosphate is concentrated in the region where Ca-P metabolism is accelerated. However, it is known as a fact that positive or negative findings are pointed out even in pathologically same diseases. For interpretation of this mechanism, several opinions have been suggested, but it remains as an unsolved problem.
Hinkley Point 'C' power station public inquiry: proof of evidence on CEGB policy with privatisation in prospect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, D.A.

1988-09-01

A public inquiry has been set up to examine the planning application made by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) for the construction of a 1200 MW Pressurized Water Reactor power station at Hinkley Point (Hinkley Point ''C'') in the United Kingdom. Part of the evidence submitted to the Inquiry is set out in this report. It concerns the implications for the CEGB's initial case of subsequent government proposals for electricity supply privatization. That case rested on the need for diversity of primary fuel source. Present Government policy endorses the CEGB policy in this regard in the intention to make legislative provision for a quota of electricity generation from non-fossil-fueled sources in a privatized supply industry. (UK)
Intrinsic point-defect balance in self-ion-implanted ZnO.

Science.gov (United States)

Neuvonen, Pekka T; Vines, Lasse; Svensson, Bengt G; Kuznetsov, Andrej Yu

2013-01-04

The role of excess intrinsic atoms for residual point defect balance has been discriminated by implanting Zn or O ions into Li-containing ZnO and monitoring Li redistribution and electrical resistivity after postimplant anneals. Strongly Li-depleted regions were detected in the Zn-implanted samples at depths beyond the projected range (R(p)) upon annealing ≥ 600 °C, correlating with a resistivity decrease. In contrast, similar anneals of the O-implanted samples resulted in Li accumulation at R(p) and an increased resistivity. Control samples implanted with Ar or Ne ions, yielding similar defect production as for the Zn or O implants but with no surplus of intrinsic atoms, revealed no Li depletion. Thus, the depletion of Li shows evidence of excess Zn interstitials (Zn(I)) being released during annealing of the Zn-implanted samples. These Zn(I)'s convert substitutional Li atoms (Li(Zn)) into highly mobile interstitial ones leading to the strongly Li-depleted regions. In the O-implanted samples, the high resistivity provides evidence of stable O(I)-related acceptors.
Mercury accumulation and attenuation at a rapidly forming delta with a point source of mining waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, Bryce E., E-mail: bjohnson@ce.berkeley.edu [Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Esser, Bradley K. [Chemical Sciences Division, 7000 East Avenue, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore CA 94550 (United States); Whyte, Dyan C.; Ganguli, Priya M.; Austin, Carrie M. [California Regional Water Quality Control Board, 1515 Clay St., Suite 1400, Oakland, CA 94612 (United States); Hunt, James R. [Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)

2009-09-01

The Walker Creek intertidal delta of Tomales Bay, California is impacted by a former mercury mine within the watershed. Eleven short sediment cores (10 cm length) collected from the delta found monomethylmercury (MMHg) concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 11.4 ng/g (dry wt.), with lower concentrations occurring at the vegetated marsh and upstream channel locations. Algal mats common to the delta's sediment surface had MMHg concentrations ranging from 7.5 to 31.5 ng/g, and the top 1 cm of sediment directly under the mats had two times greater MMHg concentrations compared to adjacent locations without algal covering. Spatial trends in resident biota reflect enhanced MMHg uptake at the delta compared to other bay locations. Eighteen sediment cores, 1 to 2 m deep, collected from the 1.2 km{sup 2} delta provide an estimate of a total mercury (Hg) inventory of 2500 {+-} 500 kg. Sediment Hg concentrations ranged from pre-mining background conditions of approximately 0.1 {mu}g/g to a post-mining maximum of 5 {mu}g/g. Sediment accumulation rates were determined from three sediment cores using measured differences of {sup 137}Cs activity. We estimate a pre-mining Hg accumulation of less than 20 kg/yr, and a period of maximum Hg accumulation in the 1970s and 1980s with loading rates greater than 50 kg/yr, corresponding to the failure of a tailings dam at the mine site. At the time of sampling (2003) over 40 kg/yr of Hg was still accumulating at the delta, indicating limited recovery. We attribute observed spatial evolution of elevated Hg levels to ongoing inputs and sediment re-working, and estimate the inventory of the anthropogenic fraction of total Hg to be at least 1500 {+-} 300 kg. We suggest ongoing sediment inputs and methylation at the deltaic surface support enhanced mercury levels for resident biota and transfer to higher trophic levels throughout the Bay.
Exchange rate misalignment, capital accumulation and income distribution: Theory and evidence from the case of Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oreiro José Luis

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This article analyzes the relationship between economic growth, income distribution and real exchange rate within the neo-Kaleckian literature, through the construction of a nonlinear macrodynamic model for an open economy in which investment in fixed capital is assumed to be a quadratic function of the real exchange rate. The model demonstrates that the prevailing regime of accumulation in a given economy depends on the type of currency misalignment, so if the real exchange rate is overvalued, then the regime of accumulation will be profit-led, but if the exchange rate is undervalued, then the accumulation regime is wage-led. Subsequently, the adherence of the theoretical model to data is tested for Brazil in the period 1994/Q3-2008/Q4. The econometric results are consistent with the theoretical non-linear specification of the investment function used in the model, so that we can define the existence of a real exchange rate that maximizes the rate of capital accumulation for the Brazilian economy. From the estimate of this optimal rate we show that the real exchange rate is overvalued in 1994/Q3- 2001/Q1 and 2005/Q4-2008/Q4 and undervalued in the period 2001/Q2-2005/Q3. As a direct corollary of this result, it follows that the prevailing regime of accumulation in the Brazilian economy after the last quarter of 2005 is profit-led.
Transitions in cognitive test scores over 5 and 10 years in elderly people: Evidence for a model of age-related deficit accumulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rockwood Kenneth

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background On average, health worsens with age, but many people have periods of improvement. A stochastic model provides an excellent description of how such changes occur. Given that cognition also changes with age, we wondered whether the same model might also describe the accumulation of errors in cognitive test scores in community-dwelling older adults. Methods In this prospective cohort study, 8954 older people (aged 65+ at baseline from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging were followed for 10 years. Cognitive status was defined by the number of errors on the 100-point Modified Min-Mental State Examination. The error count was chosen to parallel the deficit count in the general model of aging, which is based on deficit accumulation. As with the deficit count, a Markov chain transition model was employed, with 4 parameters. Results On average, the chance of making errors increased linearly with the number of errors present at each time interval. Changes in cognitive states were described with high accuracy (R2 = 0.96 by a modified Poisson distribution, using four parameters: the background chance of accumulating additional errors, the chance of incurring more or fewer errors, given the existing number, and the corresponding background and incremental chances of dying. Conclusion The change in the number of errors in a cognitive test corresponded to a general model that also summarizes age-related changes in deficits. The model accounts for both improvement and deterioration and appears to represent a clinically relevant means of quantifying how various aspects of health status change with age.
[Job crisis and transformations in the new model of accumulation].

Science.gov (United States)

Zerda-Sarmiento, Alvaro

2012-06-01

The general and structural crisis capitalism is going through is the token of the difficulties accumulation model has been dealing with since 70's in developed countries. This model has been trying to settle down again on the basis of neoliberal principle and a new technical-economical paradigm. The new accumulation pattern has had a effect in employment sphere which have been made evident at all the elements that constitute work relationships. In Colombia, this model implementation has been partial and segmented. However, its consequences (and the long-term current crisis) have been evident in unemployment, precarious work, segmentation, informal work and restricted and private health insurance. Besides, financial accumulation makes labour profits flow at different levels. The economic model current government has aimed to implement leads to strengthening exports, so making population life conditions more difficult. In order to overcome the current state of affairs, the work sphere needs to become more creative. This creative approach should look for new schemes for expression and mobilization of work sphere's claims. This is supposed to be done by establishing a different economic model aimed to build a more inclusive future, with social justice.

Application of ultrasonic testing technique to detect gas accumulation in important pipings for pressurized water reactors safety

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fushimi, Yasuyuki [Inst. of Nuclear Safety System Inc., Mihama, Fukui (Japan)

2002-09-01

Since 1988, the USNRC has pointed out that gas-binding events might occur at high head safety injection (HHSI) pumps of pressurized water reactors (PWRs). In Japanese PWR plants, corrective actions were taken in response to gas-binding events that occurred on HHSI pumps in the USA, so no gas accumulation event has been reported so far. However, when venting frequency is prolonged with operating cycle extension, the probability of gas accumulation in pipings may increase as in the USA. The purpose of this study was to establish a technique to identify gas accumulation and to measure the gas volume accurately. Taking dominant causes of the gas-binding events in the USA into consideration, we pointed out the following sections in the Japanese PWRs where gas srtipping and/or gas accumulation might occur: residual heat removal system pipings and charging/safety injection pump minimum flow line. Then an ultrasonic testing technique, adopted to identify gas accumulation in the USA, was applied to those sections of the typical Japanese PWR. Consequently, no gas accumulation was found in those pipings. (author)
Ultrastructural evidence for the accumulation of insulin in nuclei of intact 3T3-L1 adipocytes by an insulin-receptor mediated process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, R.M.; Jarett, L.

1987-01-01

Monomeric ferritin-labeled insulin (F/sub m/-Ins), a biologically active, electron-dense marker of occupied insulin receptors, was used to characterize the internalization of insulin in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. F/sub m/-Ins bound specifically to insulin receptors and was internalized in a time- and temperature-dependent manner. In the nucleus, several F/sub m/-Ins particles usually were found in the same general location-near nuclear pores, associated with the periphery of the condensed chromatin. Addition of a 250-fold excess of unlabeled insulin or incubation at 15 0 C reduced the number of F/sub m/-Ins particles found in nuclei after 90 min by 99% or 92%, respectively. Nuclear accumulation of unlabeled ferritin was only 2% of that found with F/sub m/-Ins after 90 min at 37 0 C. Biochemical experiments utilizing 125 I-labeled insulin and subcellular fractionation indicated that intact 3T3-L1 adipocytes internalized insulin rapidly and that ≅ 3% of the internalized ligand accumulated in nuclei after 1 hr. These data provide biochemical and high-resolution ultrastructural evidence that 3T3-L1 adipocytes accumulate potentially significant amounts of insulin in nuclei by an insulin receptor-mediated process. The transport of insulin or the insulin-receptor complex to nuclei in this cell or in others may be directly involved in the long-term biological effects of insulin - in particular, in the control of DNA and RNA synthesis
Role of brain iron accumulation in cognitive dysfunction: evidence from animal models and human studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Schröder, Nadja; Figueiredo, Luciana Silva; de Lima, Maria Noêmia Martins

2013-01-01

Over the last decades, studies from our laboratory and other groups using animal models have shown that iron overload, resulting in iron accumulation in the brain, produces significant cognitive deficits. Iron accumulation in the hippocampus and the basal ganglia has been related to impairments in spatial memory, aversive memory, and recognition memory in rodents. These results are corroborated by studies showing that the administration of iron chelators attenuates cognitive deficits in a variety of animal models of cognitive dysfunction, including aging and Alzheimer's disease models. Remarkably, recent human studies using magnetic resonance image techniques have also shown a consistent correlation between cognitive dysfunction and iron deposition, mostly in the hippocampus, cortical areas, and basal ganglia. These findings may have relevant implications in the light of the knowledge that iron accumulates in brain regions of patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. A better understanding of the functional consequences of iron dysregulation in aging and neurological diseases may help to identify novel targets for treating memory problems that afflict a growing aging population.
Keeping agricultural soil out of rivers: evidence of sediment and nutrient accumulation within field wetlands in the UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Ockenden, Mary C; Deasy, Clare; Quinton, John N; Surridge, Ben; Stoate, Chris

2014-03-15

Intensification of agriculture has resulted in increased soil degradation and erosion, with associated pollution of surface waters. Small field wetlands, constructed along runoff pathways, offer one option for slowing down and storing runoff in order to allow more time for sedimentation and for nutrients to be taken up by plants or micro-organisms. This paper describes research to provide quantitative evidence for the effectiveness of small field wetlands in the UK landscape. Ten wetlands were built on four farms in Cumbria and Leicestershire, UK. Annual surveys of sediment and nutrient accumulation in 2010, 2011 and 2012 indicated that most sediment was trapped at a sandy site (70 tonnes over 3 years), compared to a silty site (40 tonnes over 3 years) and a clay site (2 tonnes over 3 years). The timing of rainfall was more important than total annual rainfall for sediment accumulation, with most sediment transported in a few intense rainfall events, especially when these coincided with bare soil or poor crop cover. Nutrient concentration within sediments was inversely related to median particle size, but the total mass of nutrients trapped was dependent on the total mass of sediment trapped. Ratios of nutrient elements in the wetland sediments were consistent between sites, despite different catchment characteristics across the individual wetlands. The nutrient value of sediment collected from the wetlands was similar to that of soil in the surrounding fields; dredged sediment was considered to have value as soil replacement but not as fertiliser. Overall, small field wetlands can make a valuable contribution to keeping soil out of rivers. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Clinical significance of /sup 99m/technetium sulfur colloid accumulation in renal transplant patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Y.C.; Massari, P.U.; Brown, M.L.; Thrall, J.H.; Chang, B.; Keyes, J.W. Jr.

1977-01-01

The accumulation of /sup 99m/technetium sulfur colloid (/sup 99m/TcSC) was evaluated in 47 studies performed on 19 renal transplant patients by comparing its transplant activity to its bone marrow accumulation. There was a diagnosis of rejection in 21 of 22 studies (96.5 percent) in which marked transplant accumulation was noted. In 11 studies of patients with a clinical diagnosis of post-transplant acute tubular necrosis (ATN), the transplant activity varied from none to moderate. Rejection developed in 5 of 6 studies with minimal to moderate accumulation. Normally functioning renal transplant patients, or those with ATN and no superimposed rejection, do not show evidence of /sup 99m/TcSC accumulation
Accumulation of Major Life Events in Childhood and Adult Life and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jolene Masters Pedersen

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to estimate the effect of the accumulation of major life events (MLE in childhood and adulthood, in both the private and working domains, on risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM. Furthermore, we aimed to test the possible interaction between childhood and adult MLE and to investigate modification of these associations by educational attainment.The study was based on 4,761 participants from the Copenhagen City Heart Study free of diabetes at baseline and followed for 10 years. MLE were categorized as 0, 1, 2, 3 or more events. Multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, education and family history of diabetes were used to estimate the association between MLE and T2DM.In childhood, experiencing 3 or more MLE was associated with a 69% higher risk of developing T2DM (Odds Ratio (OR 1.69; 95% Confidence Interval (CI 1.60, 3.27. The accumulation of MLE in adult private (p-trend = 0.016 and work life (p-trend = 0.049 was associated with risk of T2DM in a dose response manner. There was no evidence that experiencing MLE in both childhood and adult life was more strongly associated with T2DM than experiencing events at only one time point. There was some evidence that being simultaneously exposed to childhood MLE and short education (OR 2.28; 95% C.I. 1.45, 3.59 and work MLE and short education (OR 2.86; 95% C.I. 1.62, 5.03 was associated with higher risk of T2DM, as the joint effects were greater than the sum of their individual effects.Findings from this study suggest that the accumulation of MLE in childhood, private adult life and work life, respectively, are risk factors for developing T2DM.
Accumulation of Radiocesium in Eleutherococcus sciadophylloides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sugiura, Y.; Takenaka, C.; Kanasashi, T. [Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, 464-8601, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture (Japan); Deguchi, S. [School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, 464-8601 (Japan); Matsuda, Y. [Graduate School of Bioresources, Mie University, Tsu City, Mie Prefecture, 514-0102 (Japan); Ozawa, H. [Fukushima Prefectural Forestry Research Centre, Koriyama City Fukushima Prefecture, 963-0112 (Japan)

2014-07-01

1. Introduction: After Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, radiocesium ({sup 137}Cs) had deposited on forests in Fukushima Prefecture. In order to comprehend radiocesium circulation in forest ecosystem, it is important to understand about properties of {sup 137}Cs accumulation of each plant species. In addition, {sup 137}Cs accumulator plants would be candidates of phyto-remediation, which is a remediation method using plants to remove pollutants from environment. We aimed to find {sup 137}Cs accumulator plants and to clarify the accumulate mechanisms. 2. Materials and Methods: We collected soil and plant samples at 22 points in Fukushima Prefecture more than once a year from May 2011 to October 2013. Surface (0-5 cm) soils were collected at the same site as the plant sampling. The soil samples were air-dried for 2-3 weeks and then passed through a 2 mm sieve. Foliar samples were washed with tap water to remove soil particles and rinsed with deionized water for {sup 137}Cs and other elements analysis. The samples were dried at 80 deg. C for 48 hr and ground with a mill mixer. {sup 137}Cs activities in soil and plant samples were determined by means of high-purity Ge detector (HPGe). The elements concentrations of the plant samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after wet digestion with HNO{sub 3}. 3. Results and Discussion: As a whole trend, evergreen tree species such as Camellia japonica and Cryptomeria japonica contained {sup 137}Cs at high concentration due to the deposited {sup 137}Cs on old leaves and foliar absorption. The activities in leaves of deciduous tree species were lower than those in evergreen trees. However, we confirmed that a deciduous tree species, Eleutherococcus sciadophylloides, collected in 2012 and 2013 accumulated {sup 137}Cs, whereas that collected in 2011 did not accumulate {sup 137}Cs. The {sup 137}Cs concentration of E. sciadophylloides in 2012 and 2013 were higher than those of
The use of diagnostic imaging for identifying abnormal gas accumulations in cetaceans and pinnipeds.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sophie eDennison

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Recent dogma suggested that marine mammals are not at risk of decompression sickness (DCS due to a number of evolutionary adaptations. Several proposed adaptations exist. Lung compression and alveolar collapse that terminate gas exchange before a depth is reached where supersaturation is significant and bradycardia with peripheral vasoconstriction affecting the distribution, and dynamics of blood and tissue nitrogen levels. Published accounts of gas and fat emboli and dysbaric osteonecrosis in marine mammals and theoretical modeling have challenged this view-point, suggesting that decompression-like symptoms may occur under certain circumstances, contrary to common belief. Diagnostic imaging modalities are invaluable tools for the non-invasive examination of animals for evidence of gas and have been used to demonstrate the presence of incidental decompression-related renal gas accumulations in some stranded cetaceans. Diagnostic imaging has also contributed to the recognition of clinically significant gas accumulations in live and dead cetaceans and pinnipeds. Understanding the appropriate application and limitations of the available imaging modalities is important for accurate interpretation of results. The presence of gas may be incidental and must be interpreted cautiously alongside all other available data including clinical examination, clinical laboratory testing, gas analysis, necropsy examination and histology results.
Repeated mass strandings of Miocene marine mammals from Atacama Region of Chile point to sudden death at sea.

Science.gov (United States)

Pyenson, Nicholas D; Gutstein, Carolina S; Parham, James F; Le Roux, Jacobus P; Chavarría, Catalina Carreño; Little, Holly; Metallo, Adam; Rossi, Vincent; Valenzuela-Toro, Ana M; Velez-Juarbe, Jorge; Santelli, Cara M; Rogers, David Rubilar; Cozzuol, Mario A; Suárez, Mario E

2014-04-22

Marine mammal mass strandings have occurred for millions of years, but their origins defy singular explanations. Beyond human causes, mass strandings have been attributed to herding behaviour, large-scale oceanographic fronts and harmful algal blooms (HABs). Because algal toxins cause organ failure in marine mammals, HABs are the most common mass stranding agent with broad geographical and widespread taxonomic impact. Toxin-mediated mortalities in marine food webs have the potential to occur over geological timescales, but direct evidence for their antiquity has been lacking. Here, we describe an unusually dense accumulation of fossil marine vertebrates from Cerro Ballena, a Late Miocene locality in Atacama Region of Chile, preserving over 40 skeletons of rorqual whales, sperm whales, seals, aquatic sloths, walrus-whales and predatory bony fish. Marine mammal skeletons are distributed in four discrete horizons at the site, representing a recurring accumulation mechanism. Taphonomic analysis points to strong spatial focusing with a rapid death mechanism at sea, before being buried on a barrier-protected supratidal flat. In modern settings, HABs are the only known natural cause for such repeated, multispecies accumulations. This proposed agent suggests that upwelling zones elsewhere in the world should preserve fossil marine vertebrate accumulations in similar modes and densities.
Repeated mass strandings of Miocene marine mammals from Atacama Region of Chile point to sudden death at sea

Science.gov (United States)

Pyenson, Nicholas D.; Gutstein, Carolina S.; Parham, James F.; Le Roux, Jacobus P.; Chavarría, Catalina Carreño; Little, Holly; Metallo, Adam; Rossi, Vincent; Valenzuela-Toro, Ana M.; Velez-Juarbe, Jorge; Santelli, Cara M.; Rogers, David Rubilar; Cozzuol, Mario A.; Suárez, Mario E.

2014-01-01

Marine mammal mass strandings have occurred for millions of years, but their origins defy singular explanations. Beyond human causes, mass strandings have been attributed to herding behaviour, large-scale oceanographic fronts and harmful algal blooms (HABs). Because algal toxins cause organ failure in marine mammals, HABs are the most common mass stranding agent with broad geographical and widespread taxonomic impact. Toxin-mediated mortalities in marine food webs have the potential to occur over geological timescales, but direct evidence for their antiquity has been lacking. Here, we describe an unusually dense accumulation of fossil marine vertebrates from Cerro Ballena, a Late Miocene locality in Atacama Region of Chile, preserving over 40 skeletons of rorqual whales, sperm whales, seals, aquatic sloths, walrus-whales and predatory bony fish. Marine mammal skeletons are distributed in four discrete horizons at the site, representing a recurring accumulation mechanism. Taphonomic analysis points to strong spatial focusing with a rapid death mechanism at sea, before being buried on a barrier-protected supratidal flat. In modern settings, HABs are the only known natural cause for such repeated, multispecies accumulations. This proposed agent suggests that upwelling zones elsewhere in the world should preserve fossil marine vertebrate accumulations in similar modes and densities. PMID:24573855
How Knowledge Accumulation changed the Competitive Advantage of Strategy Consulting Firms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

F.A.J. van den Bosch (Frans); M.G. Baaij (Marc); H.W. Volberda (Henk)

2005-01-01

textabstractResearch evidence confirms that the accumulation of knowledge contributes to the competitive advantage of firms. In the strategy consulting industry, one of the most knowledge-intensive professional services industries, however, established firms that exploited their knowledge
Space charge and magnet error simulations for the SNS accumulator ring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beebe-Wang, J.; Fedotov, A.V.; Wei, J.; Machida, S.

2000-01-01

The effects of space charge forces and magnet errors in the beam of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) accumulator ring are investigated. In this paper, the focus is on the emittance growth and halo/tail formation in the beam due to space charge with and without magnet errors. The beam properties of different particle distributions resulting from various injection painting schemes are investigated. Different working points in the design of SNS accumulator ring lattice are compared. The simulations in close-to-resonance condition in the presence of space charge and magnet errors are presented. (author)
Structure and dynamics of particle-accumulation in thermocapillary liquid bridges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuhlmann, Hendrik C; Mukin, Roman V; Sano, Tomoaki; Ueno, Ichiro

2014-01-01

The accumulation of small mono-disperse heavy particles in thermocapillary liquid bridges is investigated experimentally and numerically. We consider particle accumulation near the center of the toroidal vortex, the so-called toroidal core of particles (COP), and the particle-depletion zone near the axis of the liquid bridge. Based on the acceleration and deceleration of the tangential flow along the thermocapillary free surface it is argued that the interaction of the particles with the free surface is of key importance for the fast particle accumulation within a few characteristic momentum diffusion times. The experimentally determined particle-accumulation times are compared with time-scale estimates for accumulation due to either particle free-surface interaction or due to inertia of particles which are heavier than the liquid. We show that the experimental accumulation times are compatible with the accumulation times predicted by the particle–free-surface interaction (PSI) while the time-scale estimates based on the inertia of the particles are too large to explain the fast de-mixing observed in experiments. The shape of the COP resembles certain KAM tori of the incompressible flow of a hydrothermal wave. Two scenarios are proposed to explain the structure and the dynamics of the COP depending on the existence or non-existence of suitable KAM structures. The shape of the experimental particle-depletion zone agrees well with the release surface which is defined by the particle–free-surface interaction process. The favorable comparison of the dynamics and structure of experimental and numerical accumulation patterns provides strong evidence for the existence and relevance of the PSI as the most rapid physical accumulation mechanism. (paper)
The clinical relevance of assessing advanced glycation endproducts accumulation in diabetes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meerwaldt, Robbert; Links, Thera; Zeebregts, Clark; Tio, Rene; Hillebrands, Jan-Luuk; Smit, Andries

2008-01-01

Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes. There is increasing evidence that advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) play a pivotal role in atherosclerosis, in particular in diabetes. AGE accumulation is a measure of cumulative metabolic and
The evaluation of the bone marrow accumulation of Ga-67 citrate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ohnishi, Takashi; Jinnouchi, Seishi; Hoshi, Hiroaki; Yoshimura, Hiroshi; Nagamachi, Shigeki; Watanabe, Katsushi (Miyazaki Medical Coll., Kiyotake (Japan))

1989-11-01

The bone marrow distribution of Ga-67 citrate may be influenced by various elements in serum. In order to make these points clear, 1,955 whole body images were reviewed on the relationship between the accumulation of bone marrow and laboratory examination data of each patients. Increasing accumulation in the bone marrow was determined as positive when the bones of lower extremities were deposited on the images, because these bones was not visualized in normal gallium image. Laboratory data of 20 patients without having bone marrow accumulation was used as control. The positive findings of bone marrow accumulation was observed in 38 patients (2%) including 23 malignancies and 15 benign disease. The malignant tumor infiltration to the bone marrow was demonstrated by bone marrow aspiration biopsy in 2 out of 7 patients with bone marrow accumulation of Ga-67. Seven out of 15 patients with benign disease were collagen disease such as aortitis syndrome or SLE. The values of hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum iron and creatinine clearance were significantly lower in the patients with positive findings in comparison with control. These results suggest that the lower level of serum iron and anemia may cause increasing bone marrow accumulation of Ga-67 citrate. (author).
The evaluation of the bone marrow accumulation of Ga-67 citrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohnishi, Takashi; Jinnouchi, Seishi; Hoshi, Hiroaki; Yoshimura, Hiroshi; Nagamachi, Shigeki; Watanabe, Katsushi

1989-01-01

The bone marrow distribution of Ga-67 citrate may be influenced by various elements in serum. In order to make these points clear, 1,955 whole body images were reviewed on the relationship between the accumulation of bone marrow and laboratory examination data of each patients. Increasing accumulation in the bone marrow was determined as positive when the bones of lower extremities were deposited on the images, because these bones was not visualized in normal gallium image. Laboratory data of 20 patients without having bone marrow accumulation was used as control. The positive findings of bone marrow accumulation was observed in 38 patients (2%) including 23 malignancies and 15 benign disease. The malignant tumor infiltration to the bone marrow was demonstrated by bone marrow aspiration biopsy in 2 out of 7 patients with bone marrow accumulation of Ga-67. Seven out of 15 patients with benign disease were collagen disease such as aortitis syndrome or SLE. The values of hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum iron and creatinine clearance were significantly lower in the patients with positive findings in comparison with control. These results suggest that the lower level of serum iron and anemia may cause increasing bone marrow accumulation of Ga-67 citrate. (author)
Synchrotron radiation phase-contrast X-ray CT imaging of acupuncture points

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Dongming; Yan, Xiaohui; Zhang, Xinyi [Fudan University, Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Shanghai (China); Liu, Chenglin [Physics Department of Yancheng Teachers' College, Yancheng (China); Dang, Ruishan [The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai (China); Xiao, Tiqiao [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Shanghai (China); Zhu, Peiping [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Beijing (China)

2011-08-15

Three-dimensional (3D) topographic structures of acupuncture points were investigated by using synchrotron radiation in-line X-ray phase contrast computerized tomography. Two acupuncture points, named Zhongji (RN3) and Zusanli (ST36), were studied. We found an accumulation of microvessels at each acupuncture point region. Images of the tissues surrounding the acupuncture points do not show such kinds of structure. This is the first time that 3D images have revealed the specific structures of acupuncture points. (orig.)
Synchrotron radiation phase-contrast X-ray CT imaging of acupuncture points

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Dongming; Yan, Xiaohui; Zhang, Xinyi; Liu, Chenglin; Dang, Ruishan; Xiao, Tiqiao; Zhu, Peiping

2011-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) topographic structures of acupuncture points were investigated by using synchrotron radiation in-line X-ray phase contrast computerized tomography. Two acupuncture points, named Zhongji (RN3) and Zusanli (ST36), were studied. We found an accumulation of microvessels at each acupuncture point region. Images of the tissues surrounding the acupuncture points do not show such kinds of structure. This is the first time that 3D images have revealed the specific structures of acupuncture points. (orig.)
How awareness changes the relative weights of evidence during human decision-making

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Lange, F.P.; van Gaal, S.; Lamme, V.A.F.; Dehaene, S.

2011-01-01

Human decisions are based on accumulating evidence over time for different options. Here we ask a simple question: How is the accumulation of evidence affected by the level of awareness of the information? We examined the influence of awareness on decision-making using combined behavioral methods
Peculiarities of 137Cs accumulation by macromycetes in dry bors of Ukrainian Polessye

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orlov, O.O.; Kurbet, T.B.; Kalyish, O.B.; Prishchepa, O.L.

2001-01-01

The main ecological peculiarities of dry bor in Ukrainian Polessye were given. Research were carried out in Central Polessie of Ukraine during 1997 - 1999. Results were obtained due to spectrometric measurement of specific activity of 137 Cs in fruit bodies of mushrooms and in the soil. Species composition of macromycetes was divided on homogeneous groups on intensity of 13 7Cs accumulation. Amanita porphyria, A. muscaria and Tricholoma portentosum belong to the group of weak 137 Cs accumulation from the soil (TF = 15 - 20); Amanita pantherina, A. phalloides, Cantharellus cibarius, Boletus edulis, Tricholoma flavovirens and Laccaria laccata - to the group of moderate radionuclide accumulation (TF = 30 - 55). The group of strong 137 Cs accumulation (TF = 100 - 180) consists of Suillus variegates, S. bovines and Hydnum imbricatum; and group of very strong accumulation (TF 200 - 280) - of Xerocomus badius, Lactarius rufus, Russula xerampelina, Cortinarius varius and Paxillus involutus. Cortinarius sanguineus (with TF 400) is an accumulator of 137 Cs. Comparative evaluation of dry bor was given from the point of view of purchase of edible macromycetes in it

Age dependent accumulation of N-acyl-ethanolamine phospholipids in ischemic rat brain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moesgaard, B.; Petersen, G.; Hansen, Harald S.

2000-01-01

N-acyl-ethanolamine phospholipids (NAPE) can be formed as a stress response during neuronal injury, and they are precursors for N-acyl- ethanolamines (NAE), some of which are endocannabinoids. The levels of NAPE accumulated during post-decapitative ischemia (6 h at 37°C) were studied in rat brains...... of various age (1, 6, 12, 19, 30, and ~70 days) by the use of P NMR spectroscopy of lipid extracts. This ability to accumulate NAPE was compared with the activity of N-acyltransferase and of NAPE-hydrolyzing phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD) in brain microsomes. These two enzymes are involved in the formation...... brains NAPE accumulation could not be detected (detection limit 0.09 %)]; and 2) this age pattern of accumulation can be explained by a combination of the decreased activity of N- acyltransferase and the increased activity of NAPE-PLD during development. These results point out that it would...
Annual accumulation over the Greenland ice sheet interpolated from historical and newly compiled observation data

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Dayong; Liu, Yuling; Huang, Shengli

2012-01-01

The estimation of ice/snow accumulation is of great significance in quantifying the mass balance of ice sheets and variation in water resources. Improving the accuracy and reducing uncertainty has been a challenge for the estimation of annual accumulation over the Greenland ice sheet. In this study, we kriged and analyzed the spatial pattern of accumulation based on an observation data series including 315 points used in a recent research, plus 101 ice cores and snow pits and newly compiled 23 coastal weather station data. The estimated annual accumulation over the Greenland ice sheet is 31.2 g cm−2 yr−1, with a standard error of 0.9 g cm−2 yr−1. The main differences between the improved map developed in this study and the recently published accumulation maps are in the coastal areas, especially southeast and southwest regions. The analysis of accumulations versus elevation reveals the distribution patterns of accumulation over the Greenland ice sheet.
Cadmium tolerance and accumulation characteristics of mature flax, cv. Hermes: Contribution of the basal stem compared to the root

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Douchiche, Olfa, E-mail: olfa.douchiche@hotmail.fr [Laboratory Glyco-MEV EA 4358, IFRMP 23, University of Rouen, 76821 Mont Saint Aignan Cedex (France); Laboratory Biologie et Physiologie Cellulaires Vegetales, Department of Biology, University of Tunis, 1060 Tunis (Tunisia); Chaiebi, Wided [Laboratory Biologie et Physiologie Cellulaires Vegetales, Department of Biology, University of Tunis, 1060 Tunis (Tunisia); Morvan, Claudine, E-mail: claudine.morvan@univ-rouen.fr [Laboratory PBS-UMR 6270 CNRS, FR 3038, University of Rouen, 76821 Mont Saint Aignan Cedex (France)

2012-10-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cd accumulated in stem bottom part exceeded the defined hyperaccumulator threshold. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer No toxic symptoms occurred and TI of all growth parameters ranged between 0.7 and 1. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The high level of Zn, Mn and Cu may contribute to the absence of chlorosis in stem. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cd/Ca synergistic effect observed in the stem may alleviate Cd toxicity. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Hermes variety accumulated more Cd than the other flax varieties ever described. - Abstract: The potential of mature flax plants (cv. Hermes) to tolerate and accumulate cadmium (Cd) was studied to determine which part of the plant would be the key organ for phytoremediation purposes. After 4 month-growth on sand substrate containing 0.1 mM Cd in a greenhouse, the roots and stems were separated and the stems were divided into three parts. The effects of Cd were studied on growth parameters, histology and mineral nutrition. No visible toxic symptoms were observed. Tolerance-index values calculated from growth parameters and nutrients remained relatively high, allowing the development of the plant until maturity and formation of seeds. The roots and bottom stem accumulated the highest quantity of Cd (750 and 360 mg/kg dry matter), values which largely exceeded the threshold defined for hyperaccumulators. On the other hand, basal stem had a high bioconcentration factor (BCF = 32) and translocation factor TF Prime (2.5) but a low TF (0.5), indicating that this basal part would play a major role in phytoremediation (phytostabilization rather than phytorextraction). Therefore, the high tolerance to Cd and accumulation capacity make possible to grow Hermes flax on Cd-polluted soils.
Rapid charging of nickel-cadmium accumulators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruck, F

1972-01-01

Four types of charging of gas-tight Ni-Cd accumulators (a) normal; (b) accelerated; (c) rapid; and (d) ultra-rapid are described. For rapid charging, a built-in temperature sensor cuts off charging current at a prescribed point. In ultra-rapid charging, 50% charge can be attained in 3.5 min. and 25% charge within 50 sec. In the second phase of ultra-rapid charging, a surplus of oxygen is released at the positive electrode and a safety valve is provided for pressure reduction. Characteristic curves are given for various rates of charging and some data on discharge rates is also given.
A Large Accumulation of Avian Eggs from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia (Argentina) Reveals a Novel Nesting Strategy in Mesozoic Birds

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández, Mariela S.; García, Rodolfo A.; Fiorelli, Lucas; Scolaro, Alejandro; Salvador, Rodrigo B.; Cotaro, Carlos N.; Kaiser, Gary W.; Dyke, Gareth J.

2013-01-01

We report the first evidence for a nesting colony of Mesozoic birds on Gondwana: a fossil accumulation in Late Cretaceous rocks mapped and collected from within the campus of the National University of Comahue, Neuquén City, Patagonia (Argentina). Here, Cretaceous ornithothoracine birds, almost certainly Enanthiornithes, nested in an arid, shallow basinal environment among sand dunes close to an ephemeral water-course. We mapped and collected 65 complete, near-complete, and broken eggs across an area of more than 55 m2. These eggs were laid either singly, or occasionally in pairs, onto a sandy substrate. All eggs were found apparently in, or close to, their original nest site; they all occur within the same bedding plane and may represent the product of a single nesting season or a short series of nesting attempts. Although there is no evidence for nesting structures, all but one of the Comahue eggs were half-buried upright in the sand with their pointed end downwards, a position that would have exposed the pole containing the air cell and precluded egg turning. This egg position is not seen in living birds, with the exception of the basal galliform megapodes who place their eggs within mounds of vegetation or burrows. This accumulation reveals a novel nesting behaviour in Mesozoic Aves that was perhaps shared with the non-avian and phylogenetically more basal troodontid theropods. PMID:23613776
A large accumulation of avian eggs from the late cretaceous of patagonia (Argentina) reveals a novel nesting strategy in mesozoic birds.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández, Mariela S; García, Rodolfo A; Fiorelli, Lucas; Scolaro, Alejandro; Salvador, Rodrigo B; Cotaro, Carlos N; Kaiser, Gary W; Dyke, Gareth J

2013-01-01

We report the first evidence for a nesting colony of mesozoic birds on Gondwana: a fossil accumulation in Late Cretaceous rocks mapped and collected from within the campus of the National University of Comahue, Neuquén City, Patagonia (Argentina). Here, Cretaceous ornithothoracine birds, almost certainly Enanthiornithes, nested in an arid, shallow basinal environment among sand dunes close to an ephemeral water-course. We mapped and collected 65 complete, near-complete, and broken eggs across an area of more than 55 m(2). These eggs were laid either singly, or occasionally in pairs, onto a sandy substrate. All eggs were found apparently in, or close to, their original nest site; they all occur within the same bedding plane and may represent the product of a single nesting season or a short series of nesting attempts. Although there is no evidence for nesting structures, all but one of the Comahue eggs were half-buried upright in the sand with their pointed end downwards, a position that would have exposed the pole containing the air cell and precluded egg turning. This egg position is not seen in living birds, with the exception of the basal galliform megapodes who place their eggs within mounds of vegetation or burrows. This accumulation reveals a novel nesting behaviour in Mesozoic Aves that was perhaps shared with the non-avian and phylogenetically more basal troodontid theropods.
Gibberellic acid alleviates cadmium toxicity by reducing nitric oxide accumulation and expression of IRT1 in Arabidopsis thaliana

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, Xiao Fang [State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Jiang, Tao [Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Wang, Zhi Wei [State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Lei, Gui Jie [Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Shi, Yuan Zhi [The Key Laboratory of Tea Chemical Engineering, Ministry of Agriculture, Yunqi Road 1, Hangzhou 310008 (China); Li, Gui Xin, E-mail: guixinli@zju.edu.cn [College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Zheng, Shao Jian [State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China)

2012-11-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cd reduces endogenous GA levels in Arabidopsis. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer GA exogenous applied decreases Cd accumulation in plant. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer GA suppresses the Cd-induced accumulation of NO. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Decreased NO level downregulates the expression of IRT1. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Suppressed IRT1 expression reduces Cd transport across plasma membrane. - Abstract: Gibberellic acid (GA) is involved in not only plant growth and development but also plant responses to abiotic stresses. Here it was found that treating the plants with GA concentrations from 0.1 to 5 {mu}M for 24 h had no obvious effect on root elongation in the absence of cadmium (Cd), whereas in the presence of Cd{sup 2+}, GA at 5 {mu}M improved root growth, reduced Cd content and lipid peroxidation in the roots, indicating that GA can partially alleviate Cd toxicity. Cd{sup 2+} increased nitric oxide (NO) accumulation in the roots, but GA remarkably reduced it, and suppressed the up-regulation of the expression of IRT1. In contrary, the beneficial effect of GA on alleviating Cd toxicity was not observed in an IRT1 knock-out mutant irt1, suggesting the involvement of IRT1 in Cd{sup 2+} absorption. Furthermore, the GA-induced reduction of NO and Cd content can also be partially reversed by the application of a NO donor (S-nitrosoglutathione [GSNO]). Taken all these together, the results showed that GA-alleviated Cd toxicity is mediated through the reduction of the Cd-dependent NO accumulation and expression of Cd{sup 2+} uptake related gene-IRT1 in Arabidopsis.
Activity in inferior parietal and medial prefrontal cortex signals the accumulation of evidence in a probability learning task.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathieu d'Acremont

Full Text Available In an uncertain environment, probabilities are key to predicting future events and making adaptive choices. However, little is known about how humans learn such probabilities and where and how they are encoded in the brain, especially when they concern more than two outcomes. During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI, young adults learned the probabilities of uncertain stimuli through repetitive sampling. Stimuli represented payoffs and participants had to predict their occurrence to maximize their earnings. Choices indicated loss and risk aversion but unbiased estimation of probabilities. BOLD response in medial prefrontal cortex and angular gyri increased linearly with the probability of the currently observed stimulus, untainted by its value. Connectivity analyses during rest and task revealed that these regions belonged to the default mode network. The activation of past outcomes in memory is evoked as a possible mechanism to explain the engagement of the default mode network in probability learning. A BOLD response relating to value was detected only at decision time, mainly in striatum. It is concluded that activity in inferior parietal and medial prefrontal cortex reflects the amount of evidence accumulated in favor of competing and uncertain outcomes.
Marine debris accumulation in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands: an examination of rates and processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Dameron, Oliver J; Parke, Michael; Albins, Mark A; Brainard, Russell

2007-04-01

Large amounts of derelict fishing gear accumulate and cause damage to shallow coral reefs of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). To facilitate maintenance of reefs cleaned during 1996-2005 removal efforts, we identify likely high-density debris areas by assessing reef characteristics (depth, benthic habitat type, and energy regime) that influence sub-regional debris accumulation. Previously cleaned backreef and lagoonal reefs at two NWHI locations were resurveyed for accumulated debris using two survey methods. Accumulated debris densities and weights were found to be greater in lagoonal reef areas. Sample weight-based debris densities are extrapolated to similar habitats throughout the NWHI using a spatial 'net habitat' dataset created by generalizing IKONOS satellite derivatives for depth and habitat classification. Prediction accuracy for this dataset is tested using historical debris point data. Annual NWHI debris accumulation is estimated to be 52.0 metric tonnes. For planning purposes, individual NWHI atolls/reefs are allotted a proportion of this total.
Desferrioxamine, an iron chelator, enhances HIF-1α accumulation via cyclooxygenase-2 signaling pathway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woo, Kyung Jin; Lee, Tae-Jin; Park, Jong-Wook; Kwon, Taeg Kyu

2006-01-01

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an important inducible enzyme in inflammation and is overexpressed in a variety of cancers. Evidence is rapidly accumulating that chronic inflammation may contribute to carcinogenesis through increase of cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis in a number of neoplasms, including colorectal carcinoma. In the present study, we investigated some mechanistic aspects of DFX-induced hypoxia-driven COX-2 expression. Desferrioxamine (DFX), an iron chelator, is known to upregulate inflammatory mediators. DFX induced the expression of COX-2 and accumulation of HIF-1α protein in dose-dependent manners, but hypoxia mimetic agent cobalt chloride (CoCl 2 ) induced accumulation of HIF-1α protein but not increase of COX-2 expression. DFX-induced increase of COX-2 expression and HIF-1α protein level was attenuated by addition of ferric citrate. This result suggested that the iron chelating function of DFX was important to induce the increase of COX-2 and HIF-1α protein. PD98059 significantly inhibited the induction of COX-2 protein and accumulation of HIF-1α, suggesting that DFX-induced increase of HIF-1α and COX-2 protein was mediated, at least in part, through the ERK signaling pathway. In addition, pretreatment with NS-398 to inhibit COX-2 activity also effectively suppressed DFX-induced HIF-1α accumulation in human colon cancer cells, providing the evidence that COX-2 plays as a regulator of HIF-1α accumulation in DFX-treated colon cancer cells. Together, our findings suggest that iron metabolism may regulate stabilization of HIF-1α protein by modulating cyclooxygenase-2 signaling pathway
Betacyanin accumulation and guaiacol peroxidase activity in Beta vulgaris L. leaves following copper stress

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Janet M. León Morales

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The effect of copper stress on betacyanin accumulation and guaiacol peroxidase (GPOD activity in leaves of different age was evaluated in red beet (Beta vulgaris L. var. Crosby Egyptian plants. In hydroponic culture, plants were treated with 0.3 μM (control, 50 μM, 100 μM, and 250 μM of CuSO4 for 6 days. Copper was taken up and accumulated in old roots but was not translocated to leaves. However in young leaves, the increase of lipid peroxidation and reduction of growth were evident from day 3 of copper exposure; whereas in old leaves, the lipid peroxidation and growth were the same from either copper-treated or control plants. In response to copper exposure, the betacyanin accumulation was evident in young leaves by day 3, and continued to increase until day 6. Betacyanin only were accumulated in old leaves until day 6, but the contents were from 4 to 5 times lower than those observed in young leaves at the same copper concentrations. GPOD activity increased 3.3- and 1.4-fold in young and old leaves from day 3 of copper treatment respectively, but only in the young leaves was sustained at the same level until day 6. Old roots shown betacyanin in the control plants, but the betacyanin level and growth were reduced with the copper exposure. In contrast, young roots emerged by copper effect also accumulated copper and showed the highest betacyanin content of all plant parts assayed. These results indicate that betacyanin accumulation and GPOD activity are defense responses to copper stress in actively growing organs.
Advanced accumulator for PWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ichimura, Taiki; Chikahata, Hideyuki

1997-01-01

Advanced accumulators have been incorporated into the APWR design in order to simplify the safety system configuration and to improve reliability. The advanced accumulators refill the reactor vessel with a large discharge flow rate in a large LOCA, then switch to a small flow rate to continue safety injection for core reflooding. The functions of the conventional accumulator and the low head safety injection pump are integrated into this advanced accumulator. Injection performance tests simulating LOCA conditions and visualization tests for new designs have been carried out. This paper describes the APWR ECCS configuration, the advanced accumulator design and some of the injection performance and visualization test results. It was verified that the flow resistance of the advanced accumulator is independent of the model scale. The similarity law and performance data of the advanced accumulator for applying APWR was established. (author)
Renewable Resources, Capital Accumulation, and Economic Growth

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Wei-Bin Zhang

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a dynamic economic model with physical capital and renewable resources. Different from most of the neoclassical growth models with renewable resources which are based on microeconomic foundation and neglect physical capital accumulation, this study proposes a growth model with dynamics of renewable resources and physical capital accumulation. The model is a synthesis of the neoclassical growth theory and the traditional dynamic models of renewable resources with an alternative approach to household behavior. The model describes a dynamic interdependence among physical accumulation, resource change, and division of labor under perfect competition. Because of its refined economic structure, our study enables some interactions among economic variables which are not found in the existing literature on economic growth with renewable resources. We simulate the model to demonstrate the existence of equilibrium points and motion of the dynamic system. Our comparative dynamic analysis shows, for instance, that a rise in the propensity to consume the renewable resource increases the interest rate and reduces the national and production sector’s capital stocks, wage rate and level of the consumption good. Moreover, it initially reduces and then increases the capital stocks of the resource sector and the consumption and price of the renewable resource. The stock of the renewable resource is initially increased and then reduced. Finally, labor is redistributed from the production to the resource sector.
Dose rate effects during damage accumulation in silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caturla, M.J.; Diaz de la Rubia, T.

1997-01-01

We combine molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations to study damage accumulation and dose rate effects during irradiation of Silicon. We obtain the initial stage of the damage produced by heavy and light ions using classical molecular dynamics simulations. While heavy ions like As or Pt induce amorphization by single ion impact, light ions like B only produce point defects or small clusters of defects. The amorphous pockets generated by heavy ions are stable below room temperature and recrystallize at temperatures below the threshold for recrystallization of a planar amorphous-crystalline interface. The damage accumulation during light ion irradiation is simulated using a Monte Carlo model for defect diffusion. In this approach, we study the damage in the lattice as a function of dose and dose rate. A strong reduction in the total number of defects left in the lattice is observed for lower dose rates.
Dose rate effects during damage accumulation in silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caturla, M.J.; Diaz de la Rubia, T.

1997-01-01

The authors combine molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations to study damage accumulation and dose rate effects during irradiation of silicon. They obtain the initial stage of the damage produced by heavy and light ions using classical molecular dynamics simulations. While heavy ions like As or Pt induce amorphization by single ion impact, light ions like B only produce point defects or small clusters of defects. The amorphous pockets generated by heavy ions are stable below room temperature and recrystallize at temperatures below the threshold for recrystallization of a planar amorphous-crystalline interface. The damage accumulation during light ion irradiation is simulated using a Monte Carlo model for defect diffusion. In this approach, the authors study the damage in the lattice as a function of dose and dose rate. A strong reduction in the total number of defects left in the lattice is observed for lower dose rates
Radionuclide accumulations in Clinch River fish

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oakes, T.W.; Easterly, C.E.; Shank, K.E.

1976-01-01

Fish samples were collected from several locations above Melton Hill Dam, which is upstream from the liquid effluent release point of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The sampling locations were chosen to determine the accumulation of natural and man-made radionuclides in fish from areas in the Clinch River not influenced by the Laboratory's liquid effluents. Bass, carp, crappie, shad, bluegill, and other sunfish were collected; ten fish per species were composited to form a single sample for each location. The gamma-emitting radionuclide concentrations were determined by gamma-ray spectroscopy. Estimates of radiological dose to man subsequent to ingestion of these fish are made
Spin accumulation in disordered topological insulator ultrathin films

Science.gov (United States)

Siu, Zhuo Bin; Ho, Cong Son; Tan, Seng Ghee; Jalil, Mansoor B. A.

2017-08-01

Topological insulator (TI) ultrathin films differ from the more commonly studied semi-infinite bulk TIs in that the former possess both top and bottom surfaces where the surface states localized at different surfaces can couple to one another across the finite thickness of the film. In the presence of an in-plane magnetization, the TI thin films display two distinct phases depending on which of the inter-surface coupling or the magnetization is stronger. In this work, we consider a Bi2Se3 TI thin film system with an in-plane magnetization and numerically calculate the resulting spin accumulation on both surfaces of the film due to an in-plane electric field to linear order. We describe a numerical scheme for performing the Kubo formula calculation in which we include impurity scattering and vertex corrections. We find that the sums of the spin accumulation over the two surfaces in the in-plane direction perpendicular to the magnetization and in the out of plane direction are antisymmetric in Fermi energy around the charge neutrality point and are non-vanishing only when the symmetry between the top and bottom TI surfaces is broken. The impurity scattering, in general, diminishes the magnitude of the spin accumulation.
Geochemical evidence of water-soluble gas accumulation in the Weiyuan gas field, Sichuan Basin

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Shengfei Qin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available At present, there are several different opinions on the formation process of the Weiyuan gas field in the Sichuan Basin and the source of its natural gas. In view of the fact that the methane carbon isotope of the natural gas in the Weiyuan gas field is abnormally heavy, the geologic characteristics of gas reservoirs and the geochemical characteristics of natural gas were first analyzed. In the Weiyuan gas field, the principal gas reservoirs belong to Sinian Dengying Fm. The natural gas is mainly composed of methane, with slight ethane and trace propane. The gas reservoirs are higher in water saturation, with well preserved primary water. Then, it was discriminated from the relationship of H2S content vs. methane carbon isotope that the heavier methane carbon isotope of natural gas in this area is not caused by thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR. Based on the comparison of methane carbon isotope in this area with that in adjacent areas, and combined with the tectonic evolution background, it is regarded that the natural gas in the Weiyuan gas field is mainly derived from water-soluble gas rather than be migrated laterally from adjacent areas. Some conclusions are made. First, since methane released from water is carbon isotopically heavier, the water-soluble gas accumulation after degasification results in the heavy methane carbon isotope of the gas produced from Weiyuan gas field. Second, along with Himalayan movement, great uplift occurred in the Weiyuan area and structural traps were formed. Under high temperature and high pressure, the gas dissolved in water experienced decompression precipitation, and the released natural gas accumulated in traps, consequently leading to the formation of Weiyuan gas field. Third, based on calculation, the amount of natural gas released from water which is entrapped in the Weiyuan gas field after the tectonic uplift is basically equal to the proved reserves of this field, confirming the opinion of water
Heart failure and socioeconomic status: accumulating evidence of inequality.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawkins, Nathaniel M; Jhund, Pardeep S; McMurray, John J V; Capewell, Simon

2012-02-01

Socioeconomic status (SES) is a powerful predictor of incident coronary disease and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Understanding the impact of SES on heart failure (HF) development and subsequent outcomes may help to develop effective and equitable prevention, detection, and treatment strategies A systematic literature review of electronic databases including PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library, restricted to human subjects, was carried out. The principal outcomes were incidence, prevalence, hospitalizations, mortality, and treatment of HF. Socioeconomic measures included education, occupation, employment relations, social class, income, housing characteristics, and composite and area level indicators. Additional studies were identified from bibliographies of relevant articles and reviews. Twenty-eight studies were identified. Lower SES was associated with increased incidence of HF, either in the community or presenting to hospital. The adjusted risk of developing HF was increased by ∼30-50% in most reports. Readmission rates following hospitalization were likewise greater in more deprived patients. Although fewer studies examined mortality, lower SES was associated with poorer survival. Evidence defining the equity of medical treatment of patients with HF was scarce and conflicting. Socioeconomic deprivation is a powerful independent predictor of HF development and adverse outcomes. However, the precise mechanisms accounting for this risk remain elusive. Heart failure represents the endpoint of numerous different pathophysiological processes and 'chains of events', each modifiable throughout the disease trajectories. The interaction between SES and HF is accordingly complex. Disentangling the many and varied life course processes is challenging. A better understanding of these issues may help attenuate the health inequalities so clearly evident among patients with HF.
A Model for Evidence Accumulation in the Lexical Decision Task

Science.gov (United States)

Wagenmakers, Eric-Jan; Steyvers, Mark; Raaijmakers, Jeroen G. W.; Shiffrin, Richard M.; van Rijn, Hedderik; Zeelenberg, Rene

2004-01-01

We present a new model for lexical decision, REM-LD, that is based on REM theory (e.g., Shiffrin & Steyvers, 1997). REM-LD uses a principled (i.e., Bayes' rule) decision process that simultaneously considers the diagnosticity of the evidence for the 'WORD' response and the 'NONWORD' response. The model calculates the odds ratio that the presented…

Simulation of advanced accumulator and its application in CPR1000 LBLOCA analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Hongwei; Shan, Jianqiang; Gou, Junli; Cao, Jianhua; Shen, Yonggang; Fu, Xiangang

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The analysis model was developed for advanced accumulator. • The sensitivity analysis of each key parameter was performed. • The LBLOCA was analyzed for the CPR1000 with advanced accumulator. • The analysis shows that advanced accumulator can improve CPR1000 safety performance. - Abstract: The advanced accumulator is designed to improve the safety and reliability of CPR1000 by providing a small injection flow to keep the reactor core in flooded condition. Thus, the core still stays in a cooling state without the intervention of low pressure safety injection and the startup grace time of the low pressure safety injection pump can be greatly extended. A new model for the advanced accumulator, which is based on the basic conservation equations, is developed and incorporated into RELAP5/MOD 3.3. The simulation of the advanced accumulator can be carried out and results show that the behavior of the advanced accumulator satisfied its primary design target. There is a large flow in the advanced accumulator at the initial stage. When the accumulator water level is lower than the stand pipe, a vortex appears in the damper, which results in a large pressure drop and a small flow. And then the sensitivity analysis is performed and the major factors which affected the flow rate of the advanced accumulator were obtained, including the damper diameter, the initial volume ratio of the water and the nitrogen and the diameter ratio of the standpipe and the small pipe. Additionally, the primary coolant loop cold leg double-ended guillotine break LBLOCA in CPR1000 with advanced accumulator is analyzed. The results show that the criterion for maximum cladding temperature limit (1477 K) (NRC, 1992) can be met ever with 200 s after the startup of the low pressure safety injection. From this point of view, passive advanced accumulator can strive a longer grace time for LPSI. Thus the reliability, safety and economy of the reactor system can be improved
Diffusion of dust particles from a point-source above ground level

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hassan, M.H.A.; Eltayeb, I.A.

1998-10-01

A pollutant of small particles is emitted by a point source at a height h above ground level in an atmosphere in which a uni-directional wind speed, U, is prevailing. The pollutant is subjected to diffusion in all directions in the presence of advection and settling due to gravity. The equation governing the concentration of the pollutant is studied with the wind speed and the different components of diffusion tensor are proportional to the distance above ground level and the source has a uniform strength. Adopting a Cartesian system of coordinates in which the x-axis lies along the direction of the wind velocity, the z-axis is vertically upwards and the y-axis completes the right-hand triad, the solution for the concentration c(x,y,z) is obtained in closed form. The relative importance of the components of diffusion along the three axes is discussed. It is found that for any plane y=constant (=A), c(x,y,z) is concentrated along a curve of ''extensive pollution''. In the plane A=0, the concentration decreases along the line of extensive pollution as we move away from the source. However, for planes A≅0, the line of extensive pollution possesses a point of accumulation, which lies at a nonzero value of x. As we move away from the plane A=0, the point of accumulation moves laterally away from the plane x=0 and towards the plane z=0. The presence of the point of accumulation is entirely due to the presence of lateral diffusion. (author)
Analytical evidence of heterogeneous lead accumulation in the hypothalamic defence area and nucleus tractus solitarius.

Science.gov (United States)

Guimarães, D; Santos, J P; Carvalho, M L; Diniz, M S; House, B; Miller, V M

2014-09-01

Lead is a potent toxicant associated with adverse cardiovascular effects and hypertension in children. Yet, few studies have determined if autonomic dysfunction associated with lead exposure involves brain regions which regulate autonomic responses. Central autonomic nuclei such as the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and hypothalamic defence area (HDA) may be particularly sensitive to lead infiltration because they are adjacent to ventricles and areas with semi-permeable blood-brain-barriers. To understand if autonomic nuclei are sensitive to lead accumulation Wistar rats were exposed to lead from the gestational period and lead levels were quantified in brain regions that regulate arterial pressure: the NTS and the HDA. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) was used to quantify total brain lead levels and revealed no differences between exposed and control tissues; measured values were close to the detection limit (2μg/g). Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) was also used, which has a greater sensitivity, to quantify lead. There was ∼2.1μg/g lead in the NTS and ∼3.1μg/g lead in the HDA of exposed rats, and no lead in the control rats. There were greater lead levels in the HDA (∼50%) as compared with the NTS. Pathology studies revealed more prominent lead granules in the HDA as compared with the NTS. Increased microglia and astrocyte activation was also noted in the NTS of lead exposed rats as compared with the HDA. Regional differences in neuro-inflammatory responses likely contribute to heterogeneous lead accumulation, with enhanced clearance of lead in the NTS. Future studies will resolve the mechanisms underpinning tissue-specific lead accumulation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Cadmium accumulation and strategies to avoid its toxicity in roots of the citrus rootstock Citrumelo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Podazza, Griselda [Instituto de Ecologia, Fundacion Miguel Lillo, Miguel Lillo 251, CP 4000, Tucuman (Argentina); Arias, Marta [Catedra de Anatomia Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e IML, Miguel Lillo 205, CP 4000, Tucuman (Argentina); Prado, Fernando E., E-mail: prad@arnet.com.ar [Catedra de Fisiologia Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e IML, Miguel Lillo 205, CP 4000, Tucuman (Argentina)

2012-05-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cd induces oxidative stress, increasing the H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and O{sub 2}{center_dot}{sup -} generation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer SOD, G-POD, CAT activities are enhanced by Cd. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer G-POD activity participates in Cd-induced lignin synthesis. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cd mainly accumulates in exodermis and vascular cylinder. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cd is mostly immobilized in roots, limiting its transport to aerial parts. - Abstract: In order to assess implications of Cd-induced oxidative stress in roots of the citrus rootstock Citrumelo, seedlings were hydroponically exposed to two relatively realistic Cd concentrations during 7 days. Our results showed that increasing Cd concentrations in external solution were associated with higher Cd accumulations in roots. At 5 {mu}M Cd the accumulation of Cd in roots was over 70-f higher than in aerial part (stem + leaves). Malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide radical (O{sub 2}{center_dot}{sup -}), hydrogen peroxide (H{sub 2}O{sub 2}) and lipoxygenase activity (LOX) increased in Cd-exposed roots, suggesting a metal-induced oxidative stress. The Cd treatment enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and guaiacol-type peroxidase (G-POD), as well as the content of secondary metabolites i.e. soluble phenolics (SPs) and lignin. Histochemical analyses of roots showed that Cd, H{sub 2}O{sub 2}, (O{sub 2}{center_dot}{sup -}), lignin and G-POD displayed a similar location pattern. Almost all analyzed parameters showed a similar dynamic tendency with increases under 5 {mu}M Cd followed by decreases under 10 {mu}M Cd, suggesting that a complex coordinated Cd-defensive mechanism is operating in Citrumelo roots exposed to environmental realistic Cd concentrations.
Vegetative cover and PAHs accumulation in soils of urban green space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng Chi; Ouyang Zhiyun; Wang Meie; Chen Weiping; Jiao Wentao

2012-01-01

We investigated how urban land uses influence soil accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the urban green spaces composed of different vegetative cover. How did soil properties, urbanization history, and population density affect the outcomes were also considered. Soils examined were obtained at 97 green spaces inside the Beijing metropolis. PAH contents of the soils were influenced most significantly by their proximity to point source of industries such as the coal combustion installations. Beyond the influence circle of industrial emissions, land use classifications had no significant effect on the extent of PAH accumulation in soils. Instead, the nature of vegetative covers affected PAH contents of the soils. Tree–shrub–herb and woodland settings trapped more airborne PAH and soils under these vegetative patterns accumulated more PAHs than those of the grassland. Urbanization history, population density and soil properties had no apparent impact on PAHs accumulations in soils of urban green space. - Highlights: ► Land use did not affect PAHs in soils except for areas adjacent to industrial sources. ► Tree–shrub–herb and woodland cover amass more PAHs in soils than grassland cover. ► Urban development and soil property factors had little effect on PAHs in soils. - Industrial emissions aside, vegetative cover is the dominant factor controlling accumulation of PAHs in urban green space soils.
Evidence of lipofuscin accumulation in the deep-water red shrimp Aristaeomorpha foliacea (Risso, 1827

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V. MEZZASALMA

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Lipofuscin, a non-degradable, degenerative fluorescent pigment which accumulates in post-mitotic cells, represents a promising method for ageing marine crustaceans. The presence and accumulation of lipofuscin has been studied in the deep-water red shrimp Aristaeomorpha foliacea (Risso, 1827 to assess its use as a tool for ageing larger (i.e., older specimens and thus improve knowledge of the growth and longevity of this species. Specimens, gathered during experimental trawl surveys carried out in the Strait of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea, were stored directly on-board in 10% buffered formaldehyde solution; their brain was thereafter removed, prepared with various current histological techniques and examined with a binocular microscope. Thin sections of the olfactory lobe cell mass were also analyzed using fluorescence microscopy, and the lipofuscin concentration was measured through image analysis. Various indices were computed for each individual by pooling data from many images: number and coverage of the lipofuscin granules per unit area, and mean individual area of the granules. Lipofuscin was detected in all specimens investigated with characteristics (grain typology and dimension strictly resembling those already described in other crustacean species. The present preliminary results encourage further studies to develop and validate a methodology based on the use of lipofuscin for improving the relative ageing of large A. foliacea shrimps.
Intracellular accumulation of amyloid-beta - a predictor for synaptic dysfunction and neuron loss in Alzheimer's disease

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Thomas A Bayer

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Despite of long-standing evidence that beta-amyloid (Aβ peptides have detrimental effects on synaptic function, the relationship between Aβ, synaptic and neuron loss is largely unclear. During the last years there is growing evidence that early intraneuronal accumulation of Aβ peptides is one of the key events leading to synaptic and neuronal dysfunction. Many studies have been carried out using transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD which have been proven to be valuable model system in modern AD research. The present review discusses the impact of intraneuronal Aβ accumulation on synaptic impairment and neuron loss and provides an overview of currently available AD mouse models showing these pathological alterations.
Re-accumulation of Asteroids to Equilibrium Figures

Science.gov (United States)

Hestroffer, D.; Tanga, P.; Richardson, D. C.; Berthier, J.; Cellino, A.; Durech, J.; Michel, P.

2008-09-01

Since their formation, asteroids since their formation have experienced little physical, geological or thermal evolution. Like comets they are thought to be among the most pristine remnants of the early solar system. One physical process, however, has played a major role since the ancient times: collisions. Dynamical families were produced by catastrophic collisions involving large enough energy to break the parent body. Other lines of evidence suggest that catastrophic collisions can also produce rubble-piles, i.e., loosely bound of post-collisional aggregates that re-accumulate to form a single body, and are kept together by gravity. The main objective of this work is to understand if—and under what conditions—Jacobi ellipsoids or other equilibrium figures can be obtained naturally by this way. This is done by performing numerical experiments simulating the re-accumulation process, and by performing high-angular resolution observations in order to better constrain the shape and density of the targets. It is shown that the outcomes of reaccumulation events tend to produce a rather narrow variety of possible shapes, and in some cases also binary systems.
[Secondary metabolites accumulating and geoherbs formation under enviromental stress].

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Lu-Qi; Guo, Lan-Ping

2007-02-01

This paper analyzed how habitat affected the formation of geoherbs after summarizing the influences of environmental stress on plants growth, especially on theirs secondary metabolites accumulating, and introducing 4 kinds hypothesis about environmental stress affects plants. It was then pointed out that environmental stress may have advantage on the formation of geoherbs. The stress effect hypothesis on forming geoherbs was brought forward, and the ways and methods on study the geoherbs under environmental stress was discussed.
Articulating the history and major departure points evident in post-apartheid South African national water policy and law

Science.gov (United States)

Chikozho, C.; Danga, L.; Saruchera, D.

2017-08-01

Governance of the water sector in South Africa has reflected the political changes taking place in society. For instance, due to apartheid policies of segregation, inequality of access to water resources marks South Africa's history in a very profound way and redistribution of rights to water to redress the results of past discrimination became an explicit purpose of the post-apartheid water governance policy and legislative regime. In this paper, we articulate the history and major departure points evident in post-apartheid South African national water policy and law. This includes documenting and reflecting on most of the available information that shows how the new water policy and law were developed. Findings from the study show that the key players active in the water law review process deliberately took into account the political goals and dynamics of power asymmetry within which the law was being articulated. Therefore, the water law as it stands today and in the past must be understood within the context of the socio-economic and political landscape that has prevailed in South Africa at different historical junctures. We contend that a detailed examination and articulation of the history and major departure points evident in post-apartheid South African national water policy and law enables practitioners and scholars to better understand the main motivations behind the water sector reforms and the then prevailing thinking behind the policy and legislation eventually promulgated. The present water law must be understood in the context of these reforms and the objectives they sought to achieve.
Outstanding accumulation of Sphagnum palustre in central-southern Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Casella, Laura; Zaccone, Claudio

2017-04-01

Lake Fibreno is a site where some outstanding anomalies for the flora and vegetation of the wetlands of peninsular Italy are concentrated. Here one the southernmost European population of Sphagnum palustre occurs, and is restricted on the surface of a free-floating island, i.e., a round-shaped portion of fen (with a core of Sphagnum), erratically floating on the surface of a submerged sinkhole. Geological evidences point out the existence in the area of a large lacustrine basin since Late Pleistocene. The progressive filling of the lake, caused by changing in climatic conditions and neotectonic events, resulted in the formation of peat deposits in the area, following different depositional cycles in a swampy environment. So that, the studied free-floating island, probably originated around lake margins in the waterlogged area, was somehow isolated from the bank and started to float. Once the separation occurred, sedge peat stopped to accumulate, thus enhancing the role of S. palustre as the main peat-forming plant. The vegetation occurring at the moment of the isolation of the island was a coverage of Salix cinerea/Populus tremula stands below which cushions of moss and, in a lower extent, Thelypteris palustris/Equisetum palustre accumulated resulting in the formation of 2-3 meters of peat dominated by reeds and sedges. This vegetation has been partially degraded by grazing until 1970s, while in 1980s the lake became a nature reserve. Since then, the succession could resume in a spontaneous and natural way and it was possible for the vegetation to recover to natural dynamics and growing rate. The Sphagnum tussocks were measured in an empirical way at a distance of about 60 years after the last signaling and the result was a measurement of an accretion open to about 70 cm thick. Moreover, in a recent study, a 4-m deep peat core was collected from the centre of the island and results were surprising. In fact, 14C age dating, confirmed using 210Pb and 137Cs, showed
Accumulation of fission fragment 147Pm in subcellular level studied by electron microscopic autoradiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Shoupeng; Wang Yuanchang

1990-11-01

The subcellular localization of fission fragment 147 Pm in tissue cells by electron microscopic autoradiography was investigated. The early harm of internal contaminated accumulation of 147 Pm appeared in blood cells and endothelium cells, obviously in erythrocytes. Then 147 Pm was selectively deposited in ultrastructure of liver cells. Autoradiographic study demonstrated that dense tracks appeared in mitochondria and lysosome of podal cells within renal corpuscle. In nucleus as well as in mitochondria and microbodies of epicyte of kidney near-convoluted tubule, there are numerous radioactive 149 Pm accumulated. With the prolongation of observing time, 149 Pm was selectively and steadily deposited in subcellular level of organic component bone. The radionuclides could be accumulated in nucleus of osteoclasts and osteoblasts. In organelles, the radionuclides was mainly accumulated in rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. Autoradiographic tracks of 149 Pm was obviously found to be localized in combined point between Golgi complex and transitive vesicle of rough endoplasmic reticulum
Sheath-accumulating Propagation of Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takahashi, Takuya; Shibata, Kazunari, E-mail: takahasi@kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Kwasan and Hida Observatories, Kyoto University, Yamashina, Kyoto 607–8471 (Japan)

2017-03-10

Fast interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are the drivers of strong space weather storms such as solar energetic particle events and geomagnetic storms. The connection between the space-weather-impacting solar wind disturbances associated with fast ICMEs at Earth and the characteristics of causative energetic CMEs observed near the Sun is a key question in the study of space weather storms, as well as in the development of practical space weather prediction. Such shock-driving fast ICMEs usually expand at supersonic speeds during the propagation, resulting in the continuous accumulation of shocked sheath plasma ahead. In this paper, we propose a “sheath-accumulating propagation” (SAP) model that describes the coevolution of the interplanetary sheath and decelerating ICME ejecta by taking into account the process of upstream solar wind plasma accumulation within the sheath region. Based on the SAP model, we discuss (1) ICME deceleration characteristics; (2) the fundamental condition for fast ICMEs at Earth; (3) the thickness of interplanetary sheaths; (4) arrival time prediction; and (5) the super-intense geomagnetic storms associated with huge solar flares. We quantitatively show that not only the speed but also the mass of the CME are crucial for discussing the above five points. The similarities and differences between the SAP model, the drag-based model, and the“snow-plow” model proposed by Tappin are also discussed.
Sheath-accumulating Propagation of Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Takuya; Shibata, Kazunari

2017-01-01

Fast interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are the drivers of strong space weather storms such as solar energetic particle events and geomagnetic storms. The connection between the space-weather-impacting solar wind disturbances associated with fast ICMEs at Earth and the characteristics of causative energetic CMEs observed near the Sun is a key question in the study of space weather storms, as well as in the development of practical space weather prediction. Such shock-driving fast ICMEs usually expand at supersonic speeds during the propagation, resulting in the continuous accumulation of shocked sheath plasma ahead. In this paper, we propose a “sheath-accumulating propagation” (SAP) model that describes the coevolution of the interplanetary sheath and decelerating ICME ejecta by taking into account the process of upstream solar wind plasma accumulation within the sheath region. Based on the SAP model, we discuss (1) ICME deceleration characteristics; (2) the fundamental condition for fast ICMEs at Earth; (3) the thickness of interplanetary sheaths; (4) arrival time prediction; and (5) the super-intense geomagnetic storms associated with huge solar flares. We quantitatively show that not only the speed but also the mass of the CME are crucial for discussing the above five points. The similarities and differences between the SAP model, the drag-based model, and the“snow-plow” model proposed by Tappin are also discussed.
MARRIAGE AND MEN’S WEALTH ACCUMULATION IN THE UNITED STATES, 1860-1870

Science.gov (United States)

HONG, SOK CHUL

2013-01-01

This paper explores how changes in marital status affected men’s wealth accumulation in mid-nineteenth-century America, using a longitudinal sample of Union Army veterans linked to the 1860 and 1870 census manuscript schedules. Controlling for the endogeneity of wealth and marital selection, this paper provides strong evidence that marriage had positive effects on men’s wealth accumulation, whereas ending a marriage had negative effects. The estimated wealth premium on married men is about 60 percent per marital year. This substantial wealth premium is closely related to wives’ specializing in household production, and farmers and craftsmen economically benefited from the unpaid labor of their wives. PMID:24058226
Evidence of fractional transport in point vortex flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leoncini, Xavier; Kuznetsov, Leonid; Zaslavsky, George M.

2004-01-01

Advection properties of passive particles in flows generated by point vortices are considered. Transport properties are anomalous with characteristic transport exponent μ∼1.5. This behavior is linked back to the presence of coherent fractal structures within the flow. A fractional kinetic analysis allows to link the characteristic transport exponent μ to the trapping time exponent γ=1+μ. The quantitative agreement is found for different systems of vortices investigated and a clear signature is obtained of the fractional nature of transport in these flows
Primitive Accumulation and Temporalities of Capitalism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joanna Bednarek

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The main thesis of the article is the statement that capitalism is composed of many different, incoherent temporalities, as well as that apprehension of capitalism from the angle of primitive accumulation enables the more accurate grasp of the modes of its functioning, including the complexity created by the interactions of the temporalities mentionned. The problem of primitive accumulation is, as Sandro Mezzadra proves, a good starting point for analysing this issue. It allows us to pose two questions: first, the question of the relation between the historical dimension and the structural logic of capitalism; second, the question of hierarchical relation between the center and the periphery of the capitalist system.Dipesh Chakrabarty’s project of ‘provincializing Europe’ proves helpful here, as it’s goal is deconstruction of the categories of progress, modernization and the capital with its abstract structure. The aim is not to negate the fact that capitalist abstraction is a real force, but to show that this force develops by means of constant assimiliation of the other – redefined as ‘backward’ or archaic. The linear scheme is in force, because it is the main mechanism of imposing the power of capital; as such, it is not politically neutral.
Lifespan mercury accumulation pattern in Liza aurata : Evidence from two southern European estuaries

Science.gov (United States)

Tavares, S.; Oliveira, H.; Coelho, J. P.; Pereira, M. E.; Duarte, A. C.; Pardal, M. A.

2011-10-01

Mercury accumulation throughout the lifespan of Liza aurata (Risso, 1810) was analysed in four tissues (muscle, gills, liver and brain) in two southern European coastal ecosystems with distinct mercury contamination. Specimens from four to five age classes were captured in two sampling sites in the Ria de Aveiro (Laranjo bay and Mira), a system historically contaminated by industrial mercury, and in one site in the Mondego estuary, assumed as a mercury-free ecosystem. Mercury concentration in all tissues was found to be significantly higher in the Ria de Aveiro (Laranjo bay) compared to the Mondego, in accordance with the environmental contamination (water, sediments and suspended particulate matter). Significant differences inside the Ria de Aveiro (between the Mira and Laranjo bay) were only detected in the liver. This tissue registered the highest levels of mercury (ranging from 0.11 to 4.2 μg g -1 ) in all sampling sites, followed by muscle, brain, and gills. In all sampling sites and tissues was denoted a mercury dilution pattern along the lifecycle (except in liver at the Mondego, the reference area where the concentrations are always very low). An exponential trend was found in the metal age variation patterns in Laranjo (the most contaminated area) and a linear trend in the Mira and the Mondego (the least contaminated areas). Organic mercury concentration in muscle generally accounted for over 95% of total mercury concentration, and followed the same accumulation pattern of total mercury. This fish species is of lesser importance in mercury transfer to adjacent coastal areas and although the consumption of fish from Laranjo may present some risk for the humans, this risk decreases with fish age/size.
Features of accumulation of radiation defects in metal with impurity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iskakov, B.M.

2002-01-01

The processes of accumulation and annealing of radiation defects in solids are being studied for the last fifty years quite intensively. Many regularities of these processes are fixed, but there are more unsolved problems. The computer simulation is one of the effective tools in finding the mechanisms of accumulation and annealing of radiation defects in solids. The numerical solution of the system of the differential equations by means of computers describing kinetics of accumulation of radiation point defects in metals with impurity, has allowed to receive a number of new outcomes. It was revealed, that a determinative factor influential in concentration of point defects (vacancies and interstitial atoms), formed during an exposure of metal, is the correlation a speed of Frenkel twins recombination, the capture of defects by impurity atoms and absorption of defects by other drainage, for example by dislocations. If the speed of capture of interstitial atoms by impurity atoms for two - three order is lower than the recombination speed of Frenkel twins and on two - three order exceeds the speed of capture of vacancies by impurity atoms, the concentration of interstitial atoms within the first seconds of an exposure passes through a maximum, then quickly decreases in some times and after that starts slowly to grow. The change of concentration of interstitial atoms in an initial period of an exposure does not influence on the change of a vacancy concentration. Within the whole period of an exposure, during which the concentration of interstitial atoms achieves a maximum and then is reduced, the vacancy concentration is steadily enlarged. However subsequent sluggish rise of concentration of interstitial atoms during an exposure is followed by the decrease of the vacancy concentration. The most remarkable feature of the kinetics of accumulation of interstitial atoms in metals with impurity is the presence of two extremum on curve dependence of interstitial atoms on a
Response of the common cutworm Spodoptera litura to zinc stress: Zn accumulation, metallothionein and cell ultrastructure of the midgut

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shu, Yinghua [Key Laboratory of Agro-Environments in Tropics, Ministry of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642 (China); Key Laboratory of Agroecology and Rural Environment of Guangdong Regular Higher Education Institutions, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642 (China); Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Ecology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642 (China); State Key Laboratory of Biological Control and Institute of Entomology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Zhang, Guren [State Key Laboratory of Biological Control and Institute of Entomology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Wang, Jianwu, E-mail: wangjw@scau.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Agro-Environments in Tropics, Ministry of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642 (China); Key Laboratory of Agroecology and Rural Environment of Guangdong Regular Higher Education Institutions, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642 (China); Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Ecology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642 (China)

2012-11-01

Zn could be accumulated in larval midgut, which significantly led to the increase of metallothionein (MT) content, the induction of MT gene expression, and the presence of numerous granules with different types (Type A (black arrow), B granule (white arrow)). Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A dose-response was observed between Zn accumulations in S. litura larvae midgut and Zn concentrations in diet. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Metallothionein in midgut of S. litura larvae was positively correlated with Zn accumulations in the midgut. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Numerous electron-dense granules and vacuoles appeared in cytoplasm of the midgut from Zn stress treatments. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer MT induction and EDGs are the effective detoxification mechanisms for S. litura larvae to protect against heavy metals.

RCRA Facilities Assessment (RFA), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, container storage accumulation areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) remedial action strategy is based on a memorandum from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Department of Energy (DOE) in which EPA elected to enforce regulatory requirements for ORNL through its amended Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) authority. This report, which completes the requirements of II.A.1 of the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) permit, identifies areas near the point of waste generation in which wastes are accumulated before they are transferred into the permitted waste storage facilities. In includes background information on each area and an assessment of the need for further remedial attention. The waste accumulation areas described in this addendum bear identification numbers indicative of the WAGs of which they are a part. Waste accumulation areas that are located inside a building and in which there is no potential for releases to the environment are not included in this report
Histochemical evidence for the relationship between peel damage and the accumulation of phenolic compounds in gamma-irradiated citrus fruit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riov, J.

1975-01-01

The first symptoms of radiation damage to citrus fruit were noted 24 to 48 hr after irradiation with 240 krad of gamma rays. At about the same time, radiation-damaged cells were observed in peel cross sections in the flavedo, the outer colored peel layers. The damaged cells were deformed and their protoplasts stained much darker with haematoxylin-safranin than protoplasts of intact cells. The cytoplasm in damaged cells either thickened at one side of the cell, sometimes filling up most of the cell space, or contracted into a small mass. Using several histochemical reagents, a considerable accumulation of phenolic compounds was found to occur in the damaged cells shortly after irradiation. No accumulation of phenolic compounds was observed in intact cells of irradiated fruit. It is suggested that the phenolic compounds which accumulate in flavedo cells following irradiation cause cell death and consequent peel necrosis (pitting). (author)
Batteries and accumulators in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-12-01

The present report gives an overview of the batteries and accumulators market in France in 2011 based on the data reported through ADEME's Register of Batteries and accumulators. In 2001, the French Environmental Agency, known as ADEME, implemented a follow-up of the batteries and accumulators market, creating the Observatory of batteries and accumulators (B and A). In 2010, ADEME created the National Register of producers of Batteries and Accumulators in the context of the implementation of the order issued on November 18, 2009. This is one of the four enforcement orders for the decree 2009-1139 issued on September 22, 2009, concerning batteries and accumulators put on the market and the disposal of waste batteries and accumulators, and which transposes the EU-Directive 2006/66/CE into French law. This Register follows the former Observatory for batteries and accumulators. This Register aims to record the producers on French territory and to collect the B and A producers and recycling companies' annual reporting: the regulation indeed requires that all B and A producers and recycling companies report annually on the Register the quantities of batteries and accumulators they put on the market, collect and treat. Based on this data analysis, ADEME issues an annual report allowing both the follow-up of the batteries and accumulators market in France and communication regarding the achievement of the collection and recovery objectives set by EU regulation. This booklet presents the situation in France in 2011
Mineral transformation and biomass accumulation associated with uranium bioremediation at Rifle, Colorado.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Li; Steefel, Carl I; Williams, Kenneth H; Wilkins, Michael J; Hubbard, Susan S

2009-07-15

Injection of organic carbon into the subsurface as an electron donor for bioremediation of redox-sensitive contaminants like uranium often leads to mineral transformation and biomass accumulation, both of which can alter the flow field and potentially bioremediation efficacy. This work combines reactive transport modeling with a column experiment and field measurements to understand the biogeochemical processes and to quantify the biomass and mineral transformation/accumulation during a bioremediation experiment at a uranium contaminated site near Rifle, Colorado. We use the reactive transport model CrunchFlow to explicitly simulate microbial community dynamics of iron and sulfate reducers, and their impacts on reaction rates. The column experiment shows clear evidence of mineral precipitation, primarily in the form of calcite and iron monosulfide. At the field scale, reactive transport simulations suggest that the biogeochemical reactions occur mostly close to the injection wells where acetate concentrations are highest, with mineral precipitate and biomass accumulation reaching as high as 1.5% of the pore space. This work shows that reactive transport modeling coupled with field data can bean effective tool for quantitative estimation of mineral transformation and biomass accumulation, thus improving the design of bioremediation strategies.
New design of an RSFQ parallel multiply-accumulate unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kataeva, Irina; Engseth, Henrik; Kidiyarova-Shevchenko, Anna

2006-01-01

The multiply-accumulate unit (MAC) is a central component of a successive interference canceller, an advanced receiver for W-CDMA base stations. A 4 x 4 two's complement fixed point RSFQ MAC with rounding to 5 bits has been simulated using VHDL, and maximum performance is equal to 24 GMACS (giga-multiply-accumulates per second). The clock distribution network has been re-designed from a linear ripple to a binary tree network in order to eliminate the data dependence of the clock propagation speed and reduce the number of Josephson junctions in clock lines. The 4 x 4 bit MAC has been designed for the HYPRES 4.5 kA cm -2 process and its components have been experimentally tested at low frequency: the 5-bit combiner, using an exhaustive test pattern, had margins on DC bias voltage of ± 18%, and the 4 x 4 parallel multiplier had margins equal to ± 2%
Four-hour quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction-based comprehensive chromosome screening and accumulating evidence of accuracy, safety, predictive value, and clinical efficacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Treff, Nathan R; Scott, Richard T

2013-03-15

Embryonic comprehensive chromosomal euploidy may represent a powerful biomarker to improve the success of IVF. However, there are a number of aneuploidy screening strategies to consider, including different technologic platforms with which to interrogate the embryonic DNA, and different embryonic developmental stages from which DNA can be analyzed. Although there are advantages and disadvantages associated with each strategy, a series of experiments producing evidence of accuracy, safety, clinical predictive value, and clinical efficacy indicate that trophectoderm biopsy and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based comprehensive chromosome screening (CCS) may represent a useful strategy to improve the success of IVF. This Biomarkers in Reproductive Medicine special issue review summarizes the accumulated experience with the development and clinical application of a 4-hour blastocyst qPCR-based CCS technology. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Black-Box Accumulation: Collecting Incentives in a Privacy-Preserving Way

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jager Tibor

2016-07-01

Full Text Available We formalize and construct black-box accumulation (BBA, a useful building block for numerous important user-centric protocols including loyalty systems, refund systems, and incentive systems (as, e.g., employed in participatory sensing and vehicle-to-grid scenarios. A core requirement all these systems share is a mechanism to let users collect and sum up values (call it incentives, bonus points, reputation points, etc. issued by some other parties in a privacy-preserving way such that curious operators may not be able to link the different transactions of a user. At the same time, a group of malicious users may not be able to cheat the system by pretending to have collected a higher amount than what was actually issued to them.
Heat-accumulator increases the comfort in the passenger-compartment and the driving-safety. Latentwaermespeicher erhoeht den Fahrkomfort und die Fahrsicherheit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blueher, P.

1991-10-01

The integration of a heat-accumulator into the coolant system can significantly increase the comfort in the passenger-compartment and contribute to an improvement of the driving-safety. The newly developed heat-accumulator provides the required amount of energy to allow for a rapid heating-up of the passenger-compartment after an engine-coldstart and to prevent misting of the windows, especially the windscreen. In developing the heat accumulator focus was especially pointed on the environmental protection by systematically using harmless and recycable materials. (orig.).
[Evidence-based management of medical disposable materials].

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hai

2009-03-01

Evidence-based management of medical disposable materials pays attention to collect evidence comprehensively and systematically, accumulate and create evidence through its own work and also evaluate evidence strictly. This can be used as a function to guide out job. Medical disposable materials evidence system contains product register qualification, product quality certification, supplier's behavior, internal and external communication evidence. Managers can find different ways in creating and using evidence referring to specific inside and outside condition. Evidence-based management can help accelerating the development of management of medical disposable materials from traditional experience pattern to a systematic and scientific pattern. It also has the very important meaning to improve medical quality, control the unreasonable growth of medical expense and make purchase and supply chain be more efficient.
Relative proportions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons differ between accumulation bioassays and chemical methods to predict bioavailability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gomez-Eyles, Jose L., E-mail: j.l.gomezeyles@reading.ac.u [University of Reading, School of Human and Environmental Sciences, Department of Soil Science, Reading RG6 6DW, Berkshire (United Kingdom); Collins, Chris D.; Hodson, Mark E. [University of Reading, School of Human and Environmental Sciences, Department of Soil Science, Reading RG6 6DW, Berkshire (United Kingdom)

2010-01-15

Chemical methods to predict the bioavailable fraction of organic contaminants are usually validated in the literature by comparison with established bioassays. A soil spiked with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was aged over six months and subjected to butanol, cyclodextrin and tenax extractions as well as an exhaustive extraction to determine total PAH concentrations at several time points. Earthworm (Eisenia fetida) and rye grass root (Lolium multiflorum) accumulation bioassays were conducted in parallel. Butanol extractions gave the best relationship with earthworm accumulation (r{sup 2} <= 0.54, p <= 0.01); cyclodextrin, butanol and acetone-hexane extractions all gave good predictions of accumulation in rye grass roots (r{sup 2} <= 0.86, p <= 0.01). However, the profile of the PAHs extracted by the different chemical methods was significantly different (p < 0.01) to that accumulated in the organisms. Biota accumulated a higher proportion of the heavier 4-ringed PAHs. It is concluded that bioaccumulation is a complex process that cannot be predicted by measuring the bioavailable fraction alone. - The ability of chemical methods to predict PAH accumulation in Eisenia fetida and Lolium multiflorum was hindered by the varied metabolic fate of the different PAHs within the organisms.
Metal accumulation in wild-caught opossum.

Science.gov (United States)

Lockhart, J Mitchell; Siddiqui, Samreen; Loughry, W J; Bielmyer-Fraser, Gretchen K

2016-06-01

The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is widespread in the USA, ranging south through Latin America. The ecology of opossums is such that they are in frequent contact with soils, suggesting that they may function as a valuable bioindicator for chemical contamination in terrestrial environments. Surprisingly, there have been virtually no toxicology studies on opossums. Here, we provide the first analysis of metal contaminants in opossum liver tissues. Liver samples were obtained from 471 opossums, collected from 2003 to 2006, at four sites in North Florida and South Georgia, USA, and concentrations of copper, lead, nickel, selenium, and zinc were measured. We found little evidence of age differences in the concentration of any of the metals. However, there were at least some significant differences between years, males and females, and between sites for each metal, although the pattern of these differences was not always consistent across metals. Concentrations of metals in liver tissue were positively correlated with one another, primarily of each metal (except Pb) with zinc. Reference levels of metal contaminants are not available for opossums, but concentrations of Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in our samples were for the most part significantly higher than those reported from liver tissues of nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) collected at the same sites and in the same years. Data from other small mammals studied elsewhere further indicate that metal concentrations in opossums were high, but at this time, it is not possible to determine if these elevated levels generated toxicity. The substantial temporal and spatial variation we found in metal concentrations suggests that determination of baseline levels for opossums may not be straightforward. Nonetheless, this is the first study quantifying metal accumulation in the livers of Didelphis virginiana and, as such, provides an important starting point for future research.
Defect accumulation under cascade damage conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trinkaus, H.; Singh, B.N.; Woo, C.H.

1994-01-01

in terms of this reaction kinetics taking into account cluster production, dissociation, migration and annihilation at extended sinks. Microstructural features which are characteristic of cascade damage and cannot be explained in terms of the conventional single defect reaction kinetics are emphasized......There is now ample evidence from both experimental and computer simulation studies that in displacement cascades not only intense recombination takes place but also efficient clustering of both self-interstitial atoms (SIAs) and vacancies. The size distributions of the two types of defects produced...... reactions kinetics associated with the specific features of cascade damage is described, with emphasis on asymmetries between SIA and vacancy type defects concerning their production, stability, mobility and interactions with other defects. Defect accumulation under cascade damage conditions is discussed...
Ecological strategies of Al-accumulating and non-accumulating functional groups from the cerrado sensu stricto

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcelo C. de Souza

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The cerrado's flora comprises aluminum-(Al accumulating and non-accumulating plants, which coexist on acidic and Al-rich soils with low fertility. Despite their existence, the ecological importance or biological strategies of these functional groups have been little explored. We evaluated the leaf flushing patterns of both groups throughout a year; leaf concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Al, total flavonoids and polyphenols; as well as the specific leaf area (SLA on young and mature leaves within and between the groups. In Al-accumulating plants, leaf flushed throughout the year, mainly in May and September; for non-accumulating plants, leaf flushing peaked at the dry-wet seasons transition. However, these behaviors could not be associated with strategies for building up concentrations of defense compounds in leaves of any functional groups. Al-accumulating plants showed low leaf nutrient concentrations, while non-accumulating plants accumulated more macronutrients and produced leaves with high SLA since the juvenile leaf phase. This demonstrates that the increase in SLA is slower in Al-accumulating plants that are likely to achieve SLA values comparable to the rest of the plant community only in the wet season, when sunlight capture is important for the growth of new branches.
Ecological strategies of Al-accumulating and non-accumulating functional groups from the cerrado sensu stricto.

Science.gov (United States)

Souza, Marcelo C de; Bueno, Paula C P; Morellato, Leonor P C; Habermann, Gustavo

2015-01-01

The cerrado's flora comprises aluminum-(Al) accumulating and non-accumulating plants, which coexist on acidic and Al-rich soils with low fertility. Despite their existence, the ecological importance or biological strategies of these functional groups have been little explored. We evaluated the leaf flushing patterns of both groups throughout a year; leaf concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Al, total flavonoids and polyphenols; as well as the specific leaf area (SLA) on young and mature leaves within and between the groups. In Al-accumulating plants, leaf flushed throughout the year, mainly in May and September; for non-accumulating plants, leaf flushing peaked at the dry-wet seasons transition. However, these behaviors could not be associated with strategies for building up concentrations of defense compounds in leaves of any functional groups. Al-accumulating plants showed low leaf nutrient concentrations, while non-accumulating plants accumulated more macronutrients and produced leaves with high SLA since the juvenile leaf phase. This demonstrates that the increase in SLA is slower in Al-accumulating plants that are likely to achieve SLA values comparable to the rest of the plant community only in the wet season, when sunlight capture is important for the growth of new branches.
Patterns of low temperature induced accumulation of dehydrins in Rosaceae crops-Evidence for post-translational modification in apple.

Science.gov (United States)

Haimi, Perttu; Vinskienė, Jurgita; Stepulaitienė, Inga; Baniulis, Danas; Stanienė, Gražina; Šikšnianienė, Jūratė Bronė; Rugienius, Rytis

2017-11-01

Important crop plants of Rosaceae family are often damaged during winter due to the lack of acclimation and cold hardiness. One of the cellular responses of plants to cold stress is the accumulation of dehydrin proteins. We studied the expression of dehydrins in several Rosaceae species during low temperature treatment in vitro. Microshoots of Pyrus communis, Malus×domestica, Fragaria vesca, Fragaria×ananassa, Prunus cerasus and Prunus avium cultivars were grown in low temperature conditions. Genotype -specific accumulation of dehydrins was detected by immunoblot analysis of the extracted proteins. Untargeted difference gel electrophoresis of Malus x domestica microshoots revealed an extensive accumulation of three dehydrins. In a protein phosphatase assay, MdDHN2 and MdDHN4, but not MdDHN6 proteins were found to be extensively phosphorylated. In terms of the amount of protein synthesized, dehydrins are a major protein-level adaptation mechanism to low temperature in M. x domestica. In addition to dehydrins, the induction of proteins involved in the response for oxidative stress were observed. Additionally, a Xero2 -like dehydrin of F. vesca was detected by difference gel electrophoresis and identified by nano LC-MS/MS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Dispossessing Urbanization: Urban Marxism in the Face of the Problem of Primitive Accumulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piotr Juskowiak

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The article is a complex attempt to present the achievements of the broadly understood urban Marxism in the field of reinterpretation of the classic concept from the cards of Capital – “primitive accumulation”. Drawing on theories of such scholars as David Harvey (“accumulation by dispossession” or Saskia Sassen (“expulsions”, the author points to the possible ways to operationalize the concept of “dispossessing urbanization”. Inspired by the theorizations of autonomist Marxists (Antonio Negri, Sandro Mezzadra, Massimo De Angelis, he proposes to see it as a relatively new and increasingly important dispostif that allows not only to improve traditional methods of enclosures and construct entirely new ones, but also to instrumentalize urban cultures which seems unlikely for the historical versions of primitive accumulation. This theoretical inspiration leads him also to highlight another gap in the accumulation by dispossession theory, namely the lack of sufficient reflection on the production of subjectivity processes which seem constitutive for the broad set of dispossessing practices.
Coulomb Stress Accumulation along the San Andreas Fault System

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Bridget; Sandwell, David

2003-01-01

Stress accumulation rates along the primary segments of the San Andreas Fault system are computed using a three-dimensional (3-D) elastic half-space model with realistic fault geometry. The model is developed in the Fourier domain by solving for the response of an elastic half-space due to a point vector body force and analytically integrating the force from a locking depth to infinite depth. This approach is then applied to the San Andreas Fault system using published slip rates along 18 major fault strands of the fault zone. GPS-derived horizontal velocity measurements spanning the entire 1700 x 200 km region are then used to solve for apparent locking depth along each primary fault segment. This simple model fits remarkably well (2.43 mm/yr RMS misfit), although some discrepancies occur in the Eastern California Shear Zone. The model also predicts vertical uplift and subsidence rates that are in agreement with independent geologic and geodetic estimates. In addition, shear and normal stresses along the major fault strands are used to compute Coulomb stress accumulation rate. As a result, we find earthquake recurrence intervals along the San Andreas Fault system to be inversely proportional to Coulomb stress accumulation rate, in agreement with typical coseismic stress drops of 1 - 10 MPa. This 3-D deformation model can ultimately be extended to include both time-dependent forcing and viscoelastic response.
Experimental evidence of zone-center optical phonon softening by accumulating holes in thin Ge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shoichi Kabuyanagi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We discuss the impact of free carriers on the zone-center optical phonon frequency in germanium (Ge. By taking advantage of the Ge-on-insulator structure, we measured the Raman spectroscopy by applying back-gate bias. Phonon softening by accumulating holes in Ge film was clearly observed. This fact strongly suggests that the phonon softening in heavily-doped Ge is mainly attributed to the free carrier effect rather than the dopant atom counterpart. Furthermore, we propose that the free carrier effect on phonon softening is simply understandable from the viewpoint of covalent bonding modification by free carriers.
Incorporation of radiometric tracers in peat and implications for estimating accumulation rates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansson, Sophia V., E-mail: sophia.hansson@emg.umu.se [Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå (Sweden); Kaste, James M. [Geology Department, The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23187 (United States); Olid, Carolina; Bindler, Richard [Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå (Sweden)

2014-09-15

Accurate dating of peat accumulation is essential for quantitatively reconstructing past changes in atmospheric metal deposition and carbon burial. By analyzing fallout radionuclides {sup 210}Pb, {sup 137}Cs, {sup 241}Am, and {sup 7}Be, and total Pb and Hg in 5 cores from two Swedish peatlands we addressed the consequence of estimating accumulation rates due to downwashing of atmospherically supplied elements within peat. The detection of {sup 7}Be down to 18–20 cm for some cores, and the broad vertical distribution of {sup 241}Am without a well-defined peak, suggest some downward transport by percolating rainwater and smearing of atmospherically deposited elements in the uppermost peat layers. Application of the CRS age–depth model leads to unrealistic peat mass accumulation rates (400–600 g m{sup −2} yr{sup −1}), and inaccurate estimates of past Pb and Hg deposition rates and trends, based on comparisons to deposition monitoring data (forest moss biomonitoring and wet deposition). After applying a newly proposed IP-CRS model that assumes a potential downward transport of {sup 210}Pb through the uppermost peat layers, recent peat accumulation rates (200–300 g m{sup −2} yr{sup −1}) comparable to published values were obtained. Furthermore, the rates and temporal trends in Pb and Hg accumulation correspond more closely to monitoring data, although some off-set is still evident. We suggest that downwashing can be successfully traced using {sup 7}Be, and if this information is incorporated into age–depth models, better calibration of peat records with monitoring data and better quantitative estimates of peat accumulation and past deposition are possible, although more work is needed to characterize how downwashing may vary between seasons or years. - Highlights: • {sup 210}Pb, {sup 137}Cs, {sup 241}Am and {sup 7}Be, and tot-Pb and tot Hg were measured in 5 peat cores. • Two age–depth models were applied resulting in different accumulation rates
Characteristics of the Yala Glacier from theview point of tritium content

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamiyama, K.; Kitaoka, K.; Watanabe, O.

1986-01-01

The vertical distributions of tritium content in glacier ice were determined at two different heights of the Yala Glacier in the Langtang Region, Nepal Himalayas. In the vertical profile of tritium content at the upper point (about 5,400 m high) there exists a clear peak, which shows the injection of artificial tritium due to nuclear weapon test series. The average accumulation rate from 1963 to 1982 at this point is estimated to be 0.85 m of water equivalent per year. At the lower point (about 5,200 m high) the tritium content is relatively low throughout the ice core, decreasing with depth. Precipitation nourishes the glacier in the accumulation area and, after a long time, it appears in the ablation area with the movement of the ice body, resulting in the different profiles of the tritium content between the two points. From the viewpoint of tritium content, the precipitation in the Yala Glacier is more similar to that in New Delhi, India, than that in Karizimir, Afghanistan. Generally speaking, the tritium content in the pricipitation is lower in the coastal area than in the continental area. The precipitation in the Yala Glacier belongs to the coastal type. There possibly exists a great difference in tritium content between the glaciers nourished by water vapor coming directly from the sea and by that coming over the continent

Nonadditive protein accumulation patterns in Maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids during embryo development.

Science.gov (United States)

Marcon, Caroline; Schützenmeister, André; Schütz, Wolfgang; Madlung, Johannes; Piepho, Hans-Peter; Hochholdinger, Frank

2010-12-03

Heterosis describes the superior performance of heterozygous F(1)-hybrid plants compared to their homozygous parental inbred lines. In the present study, heterosis was detected for length, weight, and the time point of seminal root primordia initiation in maize (Zea mays L.) embryos of the reciprocal F(1)-hybrids UH005xUH250 and UH250xUH005. A two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) proteome survey of the most abundant proteins of the reciprocal hybrids and their parental inbred lines 25 and 35 days after pollination revealed that 141 of 597 detected proteins (24%) exhibited nonadditive accumulation in at least one hybrid. Approximately 44% of all nonadditively accumulated proteins displayed an expression pattern that was not distinguishable from the low parent value. Electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) analyses and subsequent functional classification of the 141 proteins revealed that development, protein metabolism, redox-regulation, glycolysis, and amino acid metabolism were the most prominent functional classes among nonadditively accumulated proteins. In 35-day-old embryos of the hybrid UH250xUH005, a significant up-regulation of enzymes related to glucose metabolism which often exceeded the best parent values was observed. A comparison of nonadditive protein accumulation between rice and maize embryo data sets revealed a significant overlap of nonadditively accumulated proteins suggesting conserved organ- or tissue-specific regulatory mechanisms in monocots related to heterosis.
Genotypic variations in the accumulation of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn exhibited by six commonly grown vegetables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexander, P.D.; Alloway, B.J.; Dourado, A.M.

2006-01-01

Metal contaminants in garden and allotment soils could possibly affect human health through a variety of pathways. This study focused on the potential pathway of consumption of vegetables grown on contaminated soil. Five cultivars each of six common vegetables were grown in a control and in a soil spiked with Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn. Highly significant differences in metal content were evident between cultivars of a number of vegetables for several of the contaminants. Carrot and pea cultivars exhibited significant differences in accumulated concentrations of Cd and Cu with carrot cultivars also exhibiting significant differences in Zn. Distinctive differences were also identified when comparing one vegetable to another, legumes (Leguminosae) tending to be low accumulators, root vegetables (Umbelliferae and Liliaceae) tending to be moderate accumulators and leafy vegetables (Compositae and Chenopodiaceae) being high accumulators. - Genotypic differences between cultivars of vegetable species can be important in determining the extent of accumulation of metals from contaminated soil
The importance of the radioiodine accumulation curve of the thyroid in diagnostics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Policzer, M.

1979-01-01

The 131 I-based examination has been carried out since 1956. The first communication on the basis of 500 cases appeared in 1957, reporting mainly on technical details and on the normal curve obtained in the region of Budapest. Between 1968 and 1975 15500 examinations were performed, among which 1157 Basedow diseases and 157 cases of autonomous adenoma were discovered. The shape of the accumulation curve is analyzed in cases of different clinical types of hyperthyroidism. In the case of the Basedow disease the iodine metabolism pointed to hyperthyroidism in 42.9% of the cases, to vegetative dystony in 48.8% and to euthyroid functions in 6.4%. An increase of the iodine uptake was observed in 88.9%, that of iodine storing in 66.6%, while faster iodine release occurred only in 44.9% of the cases. In cases of autonomous adenoma the frequency of euthyroid-type accumulation curve was higher. Thus, it is recommended to determine iodine accumulation 1, 2, 6, 24 and 48 hours after the administration of the isotope. (L.E.)
Evaluation of short-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate accumulation in Bacillus aryabhattai

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aneesh Balakrishna Pillai

Full Text Available Abstract This study was focused on the polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB accumulation property of Bacillus aryabhattai isolated from environment. Twenty-four polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA producers were screened out from sixty-two environmental bacterial isolates based on Sudan Black B colony staining. Based on their PHA accumulation property, six promising isolates were further screened out. The most productive isolate PHB10 was identified as B. aryabhattai PHB10. The polymer production maxima were 3.264 g/L, 2.181 g/L, 1.47 g/L, 1.742 g/L and 1.786 g/L in glucose, fructose, maltose, starch and glycerol respectively. The bacterial culture reached its stationary and declining phases at 18 h and 21 h respectively and indicated growth-associated PHB production. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR spectra confirmed the material as PHB. The material has thermal stability between 30 and 140 °C, melting point at 170 °C and maximum thermal degradation at 287 °C. The molecular weight and poly dispersion index of the polymer were found as 199.7 kDa and 2.67 respectively. The bacterium B. aryabhattai accumulating PHB up to 75% of cell dry mass utilizing various carbon sources is a potential candidate for large scale production of bacterial polyhydroxybutyrate.
Fossil evidence of the zygomycetous fungi

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Krings, M.; Taylor, T.N.; Dotzler, N.

2013-01-01

Molecular clock data indicate that the first zygomycetous fungi occurred on Earth during the Precambrian, however, fossil evidence of these organisms has been slow to accumulate. In this paper, the fossil record of the zygomycetous fungi is compiled, with a focus on structurally preserved
Accumulation of 210Po by benthic marine algae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gouvea, R.C.; Branco, M.E.C.; Santos, P.L.

1988-01-01

The accumulation of polonium 210 Po by various species of benthic marine seaweeds collected from 4 different points on the coast of Rio de Janeiro, showed variations by species and algal groups. The highest value found was in red alga, Plocamium brasiliensis followed by other organisms of the same group. In the group of the brown alga, the specie Sargassum stenophylum was outstanding. The Chlorophyta presented the lowest content of 210 Po. The algae collected in open sea, revealed greater concentration factors of 210 Po than the same species living in bays. The siliceous residue remaining after mineralization of the algae did not interfere with the detection of polonium. (author)
Molecular dynamics simulations of radon accumulation in water and oil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pafong, Elvira; Drossel, Barbara [Institut fuer Festkoerperphysik, Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)

2016-07-01

Radon is a radioactive gas that can enter the human body from air or from ground water. Radon can accumulate to levels that considerably rise the risk of lung cancer while it is also known as a a treatment of various ailments, most notably rheumatoid arthritis. The accumulation of radon differs between tissues, with particularly high concentrations in fatty cells. In order to understand the mechanisms responsible for the different solubility of radon in water and fat, we perform molecular dynamics simulations of radon gas at ambient conditions in contact with a bulk material consisting either of water or oil. We evaluate the diffusion coefficient of radon in both media as well as the equilibrium concentration. The crucial point here is to understand the hydrophobic interaction between water and radon as compared to the dispersive interaction between radon and oil. Therefore, we artificially vary the water charges (i.e., the hydrophobicity) as well as the parameters of the van-der-Waals interaction.
Microbial accumulation of uranium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Wei; Dong Faqin; Dai Qunwei

2005-01-01

The mechanism of microbial accumulation of uranium and the effects of some factors (including pH, initial uranium concentration, pretreatment of bacteria, and so on) on microbial accumulation of uranium are discussed briefly. The research direction and application prospect are presented. (authors)
Spatiotemporal patterns of mercury accumulation in lake sediments of western North America

Science.gov (United States)

Drevnick, Paul; Cooke, Colin A.; Barraza, Daniella; Blais, Jules M.; Coale, Kenneth; Cumming, Brian F.; Curtis, Chris; Das, Biplob; Donahue, William F.; Eagles-Smith, Collin A.; Engstrom, Daniel R.; Fitzgerald, William F.; Furl, Chad V.; Gray, John R.; Hall, Roland I.; Jackson, Togwell A.; Laird, Kathleen R.; Lockhart, W. Lyle; Macdonald, Robie W.; Mast, M. Alisa; Mathieu, Callie; Muir, Derek C.G.; Outridge, Peter; Reinemann, Scott; Rothenberg, Sarah E.; Ruiz-Fernandex, Ana Carolina; St. Louis, V.L.; Sanders, Rhea; Sanei, Hamed; Skierszkan, Elliott; Van Metre, Peter C.; Veverica, Timothy; Wiklund, Johan A.; Wolfe, Brent B.

2016-01-01

For the Western North America Mercury Synthesis, we compiled mercury records from 165 dated sediment cores from 138 natural lakes across western North America. Lake sediments are accepted as faithful recorders of historical mercury accumulation rates, and regional and sub-regional temporal and spatial trends were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Mercury accumulation rates in sediments have increased, on average, four times (4×) from 1850 to 2000 and continue to increase by approximately 0.2 μg/m2 per year. Lakes with the greatest increases were influenced by the Flin Flon smelter, followed by lakes directly affected by mining and wastewater discharges. Of lakes not directly affected by point sources, there is a clear separation in mercury accumulation rates between lakes with no/little watershed development and lakes with extensive watershed development for agricultural and/or residential purposes. Lakes in the latter group exhibited a sharp increase in mercury accumulation rates with human settlement, stabilizing after 1950 at five times (5×) 1850 rates. Mercury accumulation rates in lakes with no/little watershed development were controlled primarily by relative watershed size prior to 1850, and since have exhibited modest increases (in absolute terms and compared to that described above) associated with (regional and global) industrialization. A sub-regional analysis highlighted that in the ecoregion Northwestern Forest Mountains, mercury deposited to watersheds is delivered to lakes. Research is warranted to understand whether mountainous watersheds act as permanent sinks for mercury or if export of “legacy” mercury (deposited in years past) will delay recovery when/if emissions reductions are achieved.
Management of chronic recurrent osteitis pubis/pubic bone stress in a Premier League footballer: Evaluating the evidence base and application of a nine-point management strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

McAleer, Stephen S; Gille, Justus; Bark, Stefan; Riepenhof, Helge

2015-08-01

The aim of this paper was to use a clinical example to describe a treatment strategy for the management of recurrent chronic groin pain and evaluate the evidence of the interventions. A professional footballer presented with chronic recurrent OP/PBS. The injury was managed successfully with a nine-point programme - 1. Acute pharmacological management. 2. Tone reduction of over-active structures. 3. Improved ROM at hips, pelvis and thorax. 4. Adductor strength. 5. Functional movement assessment. 6. Core stability. 7. Lumbo-pelvic control. 8. Gym-based strengthening. 9. Field-based conditioning/rehabilitation. The evidence for these interventions is reviewed. The player returned to full training and match play within 41 and 50 days, respectively, and experienced no recurrence of his symptoms in follow up at 13 months. This case report displays a nine-point conservative management strategy for OP/PBS, with non-time dependent clinical objective markers as the progression criteria in a Premier League football player. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A patient with type I CD36 deficiency whose myocardium accumulated 123I-BMIPP after 4 years.

Science.gov (United States)

Ito, K; Sugihara, H; Tanabe, T; Zen, K; Hikosaka, T; Adachi, Y; Katoh, S; Azuma, A; Nakagawa, M

2001-06-01

A 73-year-old man with aortic regurgitation was examined by 123I-alpha-methyl-p-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) myocardial single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in 1995. Myocardial accumulation was not evident on either the early or the delayed image obtained 15 minutes and 3 hours, respectively, after injecting 123I-BMIPP. Flow cytometric analysis of CD36 expression in monocytes and platelets identified a type I CD36 deficiency. The patient was hospitalized for severe heart failure in 1999. Upon admission, the cardiothoracic ratio on chest X-rays was 73%, and the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter on echocardiograms was enlarged to 77 mm. On the second day, we performed 123I-BMIPP myocardial SPECT. Myocardial accumulation was evident in the delayed, but not in the early image. We repeated 123I-BMIPP myocardial SPECT on the 10th day after admission. Myocardial accumulation was evident on both early and delayed images. 99mTc-tetrofosmin myocardial SPECT was immediately performed after 123I-BMIPP myocardial SPECT to distinguish myocardial from pooling images in the left ventricle, but, because the images from both 99Tc-tetrofosmin and 123I-BMIPP myocardial SPECT were idential, we considered that the 123I-BMIPP myocardial SPECT images reflected the actual myocardial condition. The CD36 molecule transports long-chain fatty acid (LCFA) on the myocardial membrane, but 123I-BMIPP scintigraphy does not show any myocardial accumulation in patients with type I CD36 deficiency, indicating that myocardial LCFA uptake occurs through CD36 on the human myocardial membrane. Even though our patient had type I CD36 deficiency, BMIPP was uptaken by the myocardium during heart failure, suggesting a variant pathway on the human myocardial membrane for LCFA uptake.
Soil and biomass carbon re-accumulation after landslide disturbances

Science.gov (United States)

Schomakers, Jasmin; Jien, Shih-Hao; Lee, Tsung-Yu; Huang-Chuan, Jr.; Hseu, Zeng-Yei; Lin, Zan Liang; Lee, Li-Chin; Hein, Thomas; Mentler, Axel; Zehetner, Franz

2017-07-01

In high-standing islands of the Western Pacific, typhoon-triggered landslides occasionally strip parts of the landscape of its vegetative cover and soil layer and export large amounts of biomass and soil organic carbon (OC) from land to the ocean. After such disturbances, new vegetation colonizes the landslide scars and OC starts to re-accumulate. In the subtropical mountains of Taiwan and in other parts of the world, bamboo (Bambusoideae) species may invade at a certain point in the succession of recovering landslide scars. Bamboo has a high potential for carbon sequestration because of its fast growth and dense rooting system. However, it is still largely unknown how these properties translate into soil OC re-accumulation rates after landslide disturbance. In this study, a chronosequence was established on four former landslide scars in the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan, ranging in age from 6 to 41 years post disturbance as determined by landslide mapping from remote sensing. The younger landslide scars were colonized by Miscanthus floridulus, while after approx. 15 to 20 years of succession, bamboo species (Phyllostachys) were dominating. Biomass and soil OC stocks were measured on the recovering landslide scars and compared to an undisturbed Cryptomeria japonica forest stand in the area. After initially slow re-vegetation, biomass carbon accumulated in Miscanthus stands with mean annual accretion rates of 2 ± 0.5 Mg C ha- 1 yr- 1. Biomass carbon continued to increase after bamboo invasion and reached 40% of that in the reference forest site after 41 years of landslide recovery. Soil OC accumulation rates were 2.0 Mg C ha- 1 yr- 1, 6 to 41 years post disturbance reaching 64% of the level in the reference forest. Our results from this in-situ study suggest that recovering landslide scars are strong carbon sinks once an initial lag period of vegetation re-establishment is overcome.
CYLD, a deubiquitinase specific for lysine63-linked polyubiquitins, accumulates at the postsynaptic density in an activity-dependent manner

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dosemeci, Ayse, E-mail: dosemeca@mail.nih.gov [Laboratory of Neurobiology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States); Thein, Soe; Yang, Yijung; Reese, Thomas S. [Laboratory of Neurobiology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States); Tao-Cheng, Jung-Hwa [EM Facility, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States)

2013-01-04

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CYLD is a deubiquitinase specific for lysine63-linked polyubiquitins. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Presence of CYLD in PSDs is established by biochemistry and immunoEM. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CYLD accumulates on PSDs upon depolarization of neurons. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Accumulation of CYLD at PSDs may regulate trafficking/degradation of synaptic proteins. -- Abstract: Polyubiquitin chains on proteins flag them for distinct fates depending on the type of polyubiquitin linkage. While lysine48-linked polyubiquitination directs proteins to proteasomal degradation, lysine63-linked polyubiquitination promotes different protein trafficking and is involved in autophagy. Here we show that postsynaptic density (PSD) fractions from adult rat brain contain deubiquitinase activity that targets both lysine48 and lysine63-linked polyubiquitins. Comparison of PSD fractions with parent subcellular fractions by Western immunoblotting reveals that CYLD, a deubiquitinase specific for lysine63-linked polyubiquitins, is highly enriched in the PSD fraction. Electron microscopic examination of hippocampal neurons in culture under basal conditions shows immunogold label for CYLD at the PSD complex in approximately one in four synapses. Following depolarization by exposure to high K+, the proportion of CYLD-labeled PSDs as well as the labeling intensity of CYLD at the PSD increased by more than eighty percent, indicating that neuronal activity promotes accumulation of CYLD at the PSD. An increase in postsynaptic CYLD following activity would promote removal of lysine63-polyubiquitins from PSD proteins and thus could regulate their trafficking and prevent their autophagic degradation.
Cytokine accumulation in osteitis fibrosa of renal osteodystrophy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Duarte M.E.L.

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Bone marrow fibrosis occurs in association with a number of pathological states. Despite the extensive fibrosis that sometimes characterizes renal osteodystrophy, little is known about the factors that contribute to marrow accumulation of fibrous tissue. Because circulating cytokines are elevated in uremia, possibly in response to elevated parathyroid hormone levels, we have examined bone biopsies from 21 patients with end-stage renal disease and secondary hyperparathyroidism. Bone sections were stained with antibodies to human interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha, IL-6, IL-11, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha and transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß using an undecalcified plastic embedding method. Intense staining for IL-1alpha, IL-6, TNF-alpha and TGF-ß was evident within the fibrotic tissue of the bone marrow while minimal IL-11 was detected. The extent of cytokine deposition corresponded to the severity of fibrosis, suggesting their possible involvement in the local regulation of the fibrotic response. Because immunoreactive TGF-ß and IL-6 were also detected in osteoblasts and osteocytes, we conclude that selective cytokine accumulation may have a role in modulating bone and marrow cell function in parathyroid-mediated uremic bone disease.
Significance of Nuclear Accumulation of Foxo3a in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, M.-F.; Fang, F.-M.; Lu, C.-H.; Lu, M.-S.; Chen, W.-C.; Lee, K.-D.; Lin, P.-Y.

2008-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the value of Foxo3a in predicting the response to neoadjuvant treatment of, and prognosis for, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods and Materials: Immunohistochemical staining was performed in a retrospective series of 60 biopsied esophageal squamous cell carcinomas, and the correlation between nuclear accumulation of Foxo3a and clinicopathologic features was analyzed, including patient survival. In addition, in vitro biologic changes, radiosensitivity, and in vivo tumorigenicity of esophageal carcinoma cells after experimental manipulation of Foxo3a expression levels were determined. Results: Clinical findings point to a significant correlation between the nuclear accumulation of Foxo3a and the survival rate of esophageal cancer patients. In addition, Foxo3a is a significant predictor for the response to neoadjuvant therapy. In cell culture, irradiation and oxidative stress seemed to result in nuclear accumulation of Foxo3a. Down-regulation of Foxo3a significantly decreased radiosensitivity but had no obvious effect on tumor growth, as measured by a clonogenic assay in vitro and growth delay in vivo. Conclusions: Nuclear accumulation of Foxo3a in tumor cells was correlated with increased radiosensitivity and with improved patient survival. Thus, it is suggested that Foxo3a may be a potential marker for esophageal cancer
Relationship between Protein Accumulation Regulation and Yield Formation in Soybean

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

CHEN Lihua; LI Jie; LIU Lijun; ZU Wei

2006-01-01

Three different genotypes soybeans were adopted in this experiment under three fertilizer levels.The object of this study was to investigate protein accumulation regulation of soybean cultivars under the condition of different nutrient levels, and their effects on soybean yield and quality, and to provide theoretical evidence for breed, cultivation and agricultural production, also man-powered controllable locations. The concentration of N in the leaves declined after seedling stage, then increased again at stage of early flowering, and started to decrease up to leaf senescence, declined rapidly from seed-filling season to stage of yellow ripeness. The concentration of N in the stems and pod walls declined with growth stage. High seed protein genotypes exhibited higher N assimilating and partitioning during whole growth stages. Pod walls were media of N partitioning. Protein was accumulated mainly during the later period of reproductive growth stage up to harvest, so plant growth after stage of yellow ripeness could not be neglected.
On the use of 10-minute point counts and 10-species lists for surveying birds in lowland Atlantic Forests in southeastern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vagner Cavarzere

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Due to rapid and continuous deforestation, recent bird surveys in the Atlantic Forest are following rapid assessment programs to accumulate significant amounts of data during short periods of time. During this study, two surveying methods were used to evaluate which technique rapidly accumulated most species (> 90% of the estimated empirical value at lowland Atlantic Forests in the state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Birds were counted during the 2008-2010 breeding seasons using 10-minute point counts and 10-species lists. Overall, point counting detected as many species as lists (79 vs. 83, respectively, and 88 points (14.7 h detected 90% of the estimated species richness. Forty-one lists were insufficient to detect 90% of all species. However, lists accumulated species faster in a shorter time period, probably due to the nature of the point count method in which species detected while moving between points are not considered. Rapid assessment programs in these forests will rapidly detect more species using 10-species lists. Both methods shared 63% of all forest species, but this may be due to spatial and temporal mismatch between samplings of each method.
HIV populations are large and accumulate high genetic diversity in a nonlinear fashion.

Science.gov (United States)

Maldarelli, Frank; Kearney, Mary; Palmer, Sarah; Stephens, Robert; Mican, JoAnn; Polis, Michael A; Davey, Richard T; Kovacs, Joseph; Shao, Wei; Rock-Kress, Diane; Metcalf, Julia A; Rehm, Catherine; Greer, Sarah E; Lucey, Daniel L; Danley, Kristen; Alter, Harvey; Mellors, John W; Coffin, John M

2013-09-01

HIV infection is characterized by rapid and error-prone viral replication resulting in genetically diverse virus populations. The rate of accumulation of diversity and the mechanisms involved are under intense study to provide useful information to understand immune evasion and the development of drug resistance. To characterize the development of viral diversity after infection, we carried out an in-depth analysis of single genome sequences of HIV pro-pol to assess diversity and divergence and to estimate replicating population sizes in a group of treatment-naive HIV-infected individuals sampled at single (n = 22) or multiple, longitudinal (n = 11) time points. Analysis of single genome sequences revealed nonlinear accumulation of sequence diversity during the course of infection. Diversity accumulated in recently infected individuals at rates 30-fold higher than in patients with chronic infection. Accumulation of synonymous changes accounted for most of the diversity during chronic infection. Accumulation of diversity resulted in population shifts, but the rates of change were low relative to estimated replication cycle times, consistent with relatively large population sizes. Analysis of changes in allele frequencies revealed effective population sizes that are substantially higher than previous estimates of approximately 1,000 infectious particles/infected individual. Taken together, these observations indicate that HIV populations are large, diverse, and slow to change in chronic infection and that the emergence of new mutations, including drug resistance mutations, is governed by both selection forces and drift.
Heavy metal accumulation by three species of mosses in Shillong, Northeastern India

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gupta, A. [St. Edmund`s College, Shillong (India). Dept. of Zoology

1995-06-01

Comparisons were made of the accumulation of cadmium, copper, manganese, lead, and zinc in Plagiothecium denticulatum, Bryum argenteum and Sphagnum sp. in Shillong, Meghalaya State, Northeastern India. Samples of P. denticulatum and B. argenteum were collected inside Shillong city (urban) and its immediately adjacent outskirts (suburban), while Sphagnum sp. was collected from a suburban site only. Lead and copper levels were higher in P. denticulatum, while Sphagnum sp. accumulated higher amounts of zinc, manganese, and cadmium. An urban-suburban gradient was evident for lead and zinc in P. denticulatum, and for cadmium in B. argenteum, while a reverse trend could be discerned for manganese in P. denticulatum. Besides vehicles and minor industries, quarry dust was likely to be an important source of manganese, copper and zinc. 13 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.
Adipocyte differentiation-related protein promotes lipid accumulation in goat mammary epithelial cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, H B; Yu, K; Luo, J; Li, J; Tian, H B; Zhu, J J; Sun, Y T; Yao, D W; Xu, H F; Shi, H P; Loor, J J

2015-10-01

Milk fat originates from the secretion of cytosolic lipid droplets (CLD) synthesized within mammary epithelial cells. Adipocyte differentiation-related protein (ADRP; gene symbol PLIN2) is a CLD-binding protein that is crucial for synthesis of mature CLD. Our hypothesis was that ADRP regulates CLD production and metabolism in goat mammary epithelial cells (GMEC) and thus plays a role in determining milk fat content. To understand the role of ADRP in ruminant milk fat metabolism, ADRP (PLIN2) was overexpressed or knocked down in GMEC using an adenovirus system. Immunocytochemical staining revealed that ADRP localized to the surface of CLD. Supplementation with oleic acid (OA) enhanced its colocalization with CLD surface and enhanced lipid accumulation. Overexpression of ADRP increased lipid accumulation and the concentration of triacylglycerol in GMEC. In contrast, morphological examination revealed that knockdown of ADRP decreased lipid accumulation even when OA was supplemented. This response was confirmed by the reduction in mass of cellular TG when ADRP was knocked down. The fact that knockdown of ADRP did not completely eliminate lipid accumulation at a morphological level in GMEC without OA suggests that some other compensatory factors may also aid in the process of CLD formation. The ADRP reversed the decrease of CLD accumulation induced by adipose triglyceride lipase. This is highly suggestive of ADRP promoting triacylglycerol stability within CLD by preventing access to adipose triglyceride lipase. Collectively, these data provide direct in vitro evidence that ADRP plays a key role in CLD formation and stability in GMEC. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cadmium uptake and speciation changes in the rhizosphere of cadmium accumulator and non-accumulator oilseed rape varieties

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

SU Dechun; XING Jianping; JIAO Weiping; WONG Woonchung

2009-01-01

Characteristics of cadmium (Cd) uptake kinetics and distribution of Cd speciation in the rhizosphere for Cd accumulator and non-accumulator oilseed rape varieties were investigated under nutrient solution and rhizobox soil culture conditions.The results showed that the maximal influx (Vmax) for Cd2+ and Km were significantly different for the two oilseed rape varieties.The value of Vmax for Cd accumulator oilseed rape Zhucang Huazi was two-fold greater than that for oilseed rape Chuangyou II-93.The exchangeable Cd concentration in the rhizosphere was significantly lower than in non-rhizospheric soils supplemented with Cd as CdSO4 for both the varieties.Carbonate-bound Cd in the rhizosphere of Cd accumulator oilseed rape was significantly higher than that in the rhizosphere of non-accumulator oilseed rape and non-rhizospheric soil.Cd accumulator oilseed rape had a higher Cd2+ affinity and more ability to uptake insoluble Cd in the soil than the non-accumulator oilseed rape.
LSAH: a fast and efficient local surface feature for point cloud registration

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Rongrong; Zhu, Feng; Wu, Qingxiao; Kong, Yanzi

2018-04-01

Point cloud registration is a fundamental task in high level three dimensional applications. Noise, uneven point density and varying point cloud resolutions are the three main challenges for point cloud registration. In this paper, we design a robust and compact local surface descriptor called Local Surface Angles Histogram (LSAH) and propose an effectively coarse to fine algorithm for point cloud registration. The LSAH descriptor is formed by concatenating five normalized sub-histograms into one histogram. The five sub-histograms are created by accumulating a different type of angle from a local surface patch respectively. The experimental results show that our LSAH is more robust to uneven point density and point cloud resolutions than four state-of-the-art local descriptors in terms of feature matching. Moreover, we tested our LSAH based coarse to fine algorithm for point cloud registration. The experimental results demonstrate that our algorithm is robust and efficient as well.
Soil Organic Matter Accumulation and Carbon Fractions along a Moisture Gradient of Forest Soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ewa Błońska

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to present effects of soil properties, especially moisture, on the quantity and quality of soil organic matter. The investigation was performed in the Czarna Rózga Reserve in Central Poland. Forty circular test areas were located in a regular grid of points (100 × 300 m. Each plot was represented by one soil profile located at the plot’s center. Sample plots were located in the area with Gleysols, Cambisols and Podzols with the water table from 0 to 100 cm. In each soil sample, particle size, total carbon and nitrogen content, acidity, base cations content and fractions of soil organic matter were determined. The organic carbon stock (SOCs was calculated based on its total content at particular genetic soil horizons. A Carbon Distribution Index (CDI was calculated from the ratio of the carbon accumulation in organic horizons and the amount of organic carbon accumulation in the mineral horizons, up to 60 cm. In the soils under study, in the temperate zone, moisture is an important factor in the accumulation of organic carbon in the soil. The highest accumulation of carbon was observed in soils of swampy variant, while the lowest was in the soils of moist variant. Large accumulation of C in the soils with water table 80–100 cm results from the thick organic horizons that are characterized by lower organic matter decomposition and higher acidity. The proportion of carbon accumulation in the organic horizons to the total accumulation in the mineral horizons expresses the distribution of carbon accumulated in the soil profile, and is a measure of quality of the organic matter accumulated. Studies have confirmed the importance of moisture content in the formation of the fractional organic matter. With greater soil moisture, the ratio of humic to fulvic acids (HA/FA decreases, which may suggest an increase in carbon mobility in soils.
Monitoring of the aquatic environment by species accumulator of pollutants: a review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oscar RAVERA

2001-09-01

Full Text Available This paper is a short review on the biomonitoring of aquatic environments by animal and plant species accumulators of toxic pollutants ("scavengers". This monitoring is based on the relationship between the pollutant concentration in the organism and that in its environment, and not on alterations produced by pollution on the biota. The latter is the basis of other types of biomonitoring, such as those based on the biotic and diversity indices and saprobic scale. The various aspects of monitoring by pollutant accumulators are illustrated; for example, the uptake and loss of pollutants, the "critical organs" and "tissues", the detoxification mechanisms and the most common factors (C.F., BAF, BSAF for establishing a connection between the pollutant concentration in the organism and that in its environment. Several examples of this monitoring on heavy metals, radioisotopes and organic micropollutants are reported. The advantages of this monitoring, the characteristics of the species to be used as bioaccumulators and some practical suggestions are listed. A close collaboration between the scientific teams working on the biomonitoring based on accumulator organisms and on the chemical monitoring is recommended from the scientific and economic point of view.
Free cholesterol accumulation impairs antioxidant activities and aggravates apoptotic cell death in menadione-induced oxidative injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Waisin; Xu, Mingjing; Li, Yue; Gu, Yong; Chen, Jianping; Wong, Derek; Fung, Peter C W; Shen, Jiangang

2011-10-01

Although the relationship between hypercholesterolemia and oxidative stress has been extensively investigated, direct evidence regarding to the roles of cholesterol accumulation in the generations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptotic cell death under oxidative stress is lack. In this study, we investigated productions of superoxide anions (O(2)(-)) and nitric oxide (NO), and apoptotic cell death in wild type Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and cholesterol accumulated CHO cells genetically and chemically. Oxidative stress was induced by menadione challenge. The results revealed that abundance of free cholesterol (FC) promoted menadione-induced O(2)(-) and NO productions. FC accumulation down-regulated eNOS expression but up-regulated NADPH oxidases, and inhibited the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase. Treatment of menadione increased the expressions of iNOS and qp91 phox, enhanced the activities of SOD and catalase in the wild-type CHO cells but inhibited the activity of glutathione peroxidase in the cholesterol accumulated CHO cells. Moreover, FC abundance promoted apoptotic cell death in these cells. Taken together, those results suggest that free cholesterol accumulation aggravates menadione-induced oxidative stress and exacerbates apoptotic cell death. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The assembly of metals chelation by thiols and vacuolar compartmentalization conferred increased tolerance to and accumulation of cadmium and arsenic in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Jiangbo [Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093 (China); Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Biomass-Energy Conversion, The Institute of Bioengineering and Technology, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou 040100 (China); Xu, Wenzhong [Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093 (China); Ma, Mi, E-mail: mami@ibcas.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093 (China)

2012-01-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Simultaneous transformation of AsPCS1 and ScYCF1 into Arabidopsis thaliana which is sensitive to heavy metals, leads to transgenic plants tolerant to Arsenic and cadmium. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Dual-gene transgenic Arabidopsis showed higher accumulation of Arsenic and cadmium than single and non-transgenic plants. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Our results proved that improved thiol peptides synthesis and vacuolar compartmentation in plant dramatically boosted the survival rates of plants when exposed to heavy metals. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A new strategy for efficient phytoremediation of heavy metals by stacking genes transformation in plants was developed in this article. - Abstract: Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana were developed to increase tolerance for and accumulation of heavy metals and metalloids by simultaneous overexpression of AsPCS1 and YCF1 (derived from garlic and baker's yeast) based on the fact that chelation of metals and vacuolar compartmentalization are the main strategies for heavy metals/metalloids detoxification and tolerance in plants. Dual-gene transgenic lines had the longest roots and the highest accumulation of Cd and As than single-gene transgenic lines and wildtype. When grown on cadmium or arsenic (arsenite/arsenate), Dual-gene transgenic lines accumulated over 2-10 folds cadmium/arsenite and 2-3 folds arsenate than wild type or plants expressing AsPCS1 or YCF1 alone. Such stacking modified genes involved in chelation of toxic metals and vacuolar compartmentalization represents a highly promising new tool for use in phytoremediation efforts.
Guidelines for Waste Accumulation Areas (WAAs)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-07-01

The purpose of this document is to set conditions for establishing and maintaining areas for the accumulation of hazardous waste at LBL. Areas designed for accumulation of these wastes in quantities greater than 100 kg (220 lb) per month of solid waste or 55 gallons per month of liquid waste are called Waste Accumulation Areas (WAAs). Areas designed for accumulation of wastes in smaller amounts are called Satellite Accumulation Areas (SAAs). This document provides guidelines for employee and organizational responsibilities for WAAs; constructing a WAA; storing waste in a WAA; operating and maintaining a WAA, and responding to spills in a WAA. 4 figs
Biota-Sediment Accumulation Factor Data

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — The Biota-Sediment Accumulation Factor contains approximately 20,000 biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs) from 20 locations (mostly Superfund sites) for...
47 CFR 32.3100 - Accumulated depreciation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Accumulated depreciation. 32.3100 Section 32... Accumulated depreciation. (a) This account shall include the accumulated depreciation associated with the... with depreciation amounts concurrently charged to Account 6561, Depreciation expense—telecommunications...
Differential accumulation of heavy metals in the sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima as a function of symbiotic state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitchelmore, Carys L.; Alan Verde, E.; Ringwood, Amy H.; Weis, Virginia M.

2003-01-01

The accumulation of metals by the North American Pacific Coast temperate sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima, and its dinoflagellate-algal symbiont Symbiodinium muscatinei was examined following laboratory metal exposures. Both, naturally occurring symbiotic and symbiont-free (aposymbiotic) anemones were used in this study to investigate differences in metal uptake due to the symbiotic state of the animal. The effects of metal exposures on the anemone-algal symbiosis were determined using measures of algal cell density and mitotic index (MI). Anemones were exposed to either cadmium, copper, nickel or zinc chloride (0, 10, 100 μg l -1 for Cd, Cu and Ni; 0, 100, 1000 μg l -1 for Zn) for 42 days followed by a 42-day recovery period in ambient seawater. Anemones were analyzed for metal content using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) at various time points during the study. Symbiotic anemones accumulated Cd, Ni and Zn to a greater extent than aposymbiotic anemones. A dramatically different pattern of Cu accumulation was observed, with aposymbiotic anemones accumulating higher levels than symbiotic anemones. Following recovery in ambient seawater, all tissue metal levels were reduced to near pre-exposure control levels in most cases. No changes in algal cell density or MI were observed in symbiotic anemone tentacle clips at any dose or time point in the Cd and Cu exposures. However, significant reductions in algal cell densities were observed in the Ni-exposed and some Zn-exposed animals, although levels returned to control values following recovery. There were no changes in mitotic index (MI) following Ni or Zn exposures. These results demonstrate that the extent of heavy metal accumulation depends upon cnidarian symbiotic state and the heavy metal in question
Radiocaesium accumulation by different plant species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filiptsova, G.G.

2000-01-01

Using the model object influence of mineral nutritions level on radiocaesium accumulation by different plant species has been studied. It was shown the wheat roots accumulation the minimal value on radiocaesium on normal potassium level, the rye roots accumulation maximal level radiocaesium. (authors)
Trace elements in land plants: concentration ranges and accumulators of rare earths, Ba, Ra, Mn, Fe, Co and heavy halogens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koyama, M.; Shirakawa, M.; Takada, J.; Katayama, Y.; Matsubara, T.

1987-01-01

More than 2000 samples of land plant leaves, mostly of tree, were analyzed by neutron activation analysis in order to find out macroscopic relations between distributions of chemical elements in plants and soil characteristics. The distributions of the elements in plants were also examined from the view point of botanical taxonomy or phylogeny. New species which accumulate Co, rare earths, Ba, Ra, heavy halogens and some other elements were found. Capability or potentiality for accumulating elements could be related to higher ranks of taxonomy, that is, genus or family. The nature of soil is also found to have profound effects on the extent of accumulation of elements in plants. (author)
Accumulation of organic compounds leached from plastic materials used in biopharmaceutical process containers.

Science.gov (United States)

Jenke, Dennis R; Zietlow, David; Garber, Mary Jo; Sadain, Salma; Reiber, Duane; Terbush, William

2007-01-01

Plastic materials are widely used in medical items, such as solution containers, transfusion sets, transfer tubing, and devices. An emerging trend in the biotechnology industry is the utilization of plastic containers to prepare, transport, and store an assortment of solutions including buffers, media, and in-process and finished product. The direct contact of such containers with the product at one or more points in its lifetime raises the possibility that container leachables may accumulate in the finished product. The interaction between several commercially available container materials and numerous model test solutions (representative of buffers and media used in biopharmaceutical applications) was investigated. This paper summarizes the identification of leachables associated with the container materials and documents the levels to which targeted leachables accumulate in the test solutions under defined storage conditions.
Firing patterns and synchronization in nonsynaptic epileptiform activity: the effect of gap junctions modulated by potassium accumulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, D O C; Dickman, R; Rodrigues, A M; De Almeida, A C G

2009-01-01

Several lines of evidence point to the modification of firing patterns and of synchronization due to gap junctions (GJs) as having a role in the establishment of epileptiform activity (EA). However, previous studies consider GJs as ohmic resistors, ignoring the effects of intense variations in ionic concentration known to occur during seizures. In addition to GJs, extracellular potassium is regarded as a further important factor involved in seizure initiation and sustainment. To analyze how these two mechanisms act together to shape firing and synchronization, we use a detailed computational model for in vitro high-K + and low-Ca 2+ nonsynaptic EA. The model permits us to explore the modulation of electrotonic interactions under ionic concentration changes caused by electrodiffusion in the extracellular space, altered by tortuosity. In addition, we investigate the special case of null GJ current. Increased electrotonic interaction alters bursts and action potential frequencies, favoring synchronization. The particularities of pattern changes depend on the tortuosity and array size. Extracellular potassium accumulation alone modifies firing and synchronization when the GJ coupling is null
Bladder-type hydropneumatic accumulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anigas, F.

1985-01-01

Hydropneumatic pressure accumulators allow liquids to be stored under pressure, their operating principle being based on the inherent compressibility of elements in a liquid and gaseous state. A wide range of fluids can be covered by means of the appropriate choice of the material for the body and bladder. Their main applications are: energy accumulation, safety reserve, suspension. (author)
Acupuncture-Point Stimulation for Postoperative Pain Control: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xian-Liang Liu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Acupuncture-point stimulation (APS in postoperative pain control compared with sham/placebo acupuncture or standard treatments (usual care or no treatment. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs were included. Meta-analysis results indicated that APS interventions improved VAS scores significantly and also reduced total morphine consumption. No serious APS-related adverse effects (AEs were reported. There is Level I evidence for the effectiveness of body points plaster therapy and Level II evidence for body points electroacupuncture (EA, body points acupressure, body points APS for abdominal surgery patients, auricular points seed embedding, manual auricular acupuncture, and auricular EA. We obtained Level III evidence for body points APS in patients who underwent cardiac surgery and cesarean section and for auricular-point stimulation in patients who underwent abdominal surgery. There is insufficient evidence to conclude that APS is an effective postoperative pain therapy in surgical patients, although the evidence does support the conclusion that APS can reduce analgesic requirements without AEs. The best level of evidence was not adequate in most subgroups. Some limitations of this study may have affected the results, possibly leading to an overestimation of APS effects.
Effects of Gamma Irradiation and Dose Accumulation on the Histology of Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.) Male Testes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sallam, H.A.; El-Naggar, S.E.M.; Shibel, M.M.; El-Dossouki, S.A.

2000-01-01

Full-grown male pupae of the cotton leaf worm Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.) were gamma irradiated with low doses of 25, 50, 75 or 100 Gy. The effects of accumulating doses applied to these pupae through three consequent filial generations and the retarded influence on their F 1 , F 2 and F 3 generations progeny were examined. The histological observations showed that the damage in the testes was correlated with increasing the dose applied to the male parents and was the highest among the adults of F 1 . Also, the damage at any acute dose was less than the damage occurred in the same accumulated dose. The deteriorations on the testes were more evident in case of F 1 males resulting from parental males irradiated through two or three successive generations or three accumulated doses of 25 or 50 Gy
Breast cancer risk accumulation starts early: prevention must also.

Science.gov (United States)

Colditz, Graham A; Bohlke, Kari; Berkey, Catherine S

2014-06-01

Nearly one in four breast cancers is diagnosed before the age of 50, and many early-stage premalignant lesions are present but not yet diagnosed. Therefore, we review evidence to support the strategy that breast cancer prevention efforts must begin early in life. This study follows the literature review methods and format. Exposures during childhood and adolescence affect a woman's long-term risk of breast cancer, but have received far less research attention than exposures that occur later in life. Breast tissue undergoes rapid cellular proliferation between menarche and first full-term pregnancy, and risk accumulates rapidly until the terminal differentiation that accompanies first pregnancy. Evidence on childhood diet and growth in height, and adolescent alcohol intake, among other adolescent factors is related to breast cancer risk and risk of premalignant proliferative benign lesions. Breast cancer prevention efforts will have the greatest effect when initiated at an early age and continued over a lifetime. Gaps in knowledge are identified and deserve increase attention to inform prevention.
Expanded Study on the accumulation effect of tourism under the constraint of structure

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qiang; Yang, Zhenzhi; Huang, Lu

2017-05-01

There is a mutual influence between departmental structure and accumulation and growth. Therefore, the accumulation and growth of the tourism industry will be subject to certain restrictions on the industrial structure, and, conversely, it will have an impact on the existing industrial structure. Li Jingyi reported special research in the paper called "Research on tourism growth based on structural constraints" about the relationship between the growth of tourism and the existing industrial structure. It pointed out the specific interdependence between tourism and other economic sectors in terms of accumulation and growth. However, the research of Li Jingyi is based on the trichotomy of social product value. It is too abstract, while the study is understandable in theory. In practice, it is difficult to use the model of the paper to deal with specific problems. Therefore, how to improve the industry association model in the paper of Li and make it more in line with the actual situation becomes our concern. In this paper, the author hopes to improve the model of Li's paper by simplifying the decomposition of social product value. At the same time, it makes a further study on accumulation elasticity and growth elasticity. On this basis, some suggestions are put forward to guide the development of other industries based on the tourism industry.
Expanded Study on the accumulation effect of tourism under the constraint of structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Qiang

2017-05-01

Full Text Available There is a mutual influence between departmental structure and accumulation and growth. Therefore, the accumulation and growth of the tourism industry will be subject to certain restrictions on the industrial structure, and, conversely, it will have an impact on the existing industrial structure. Li Jingyi reported special research in the paper called “Research on tourism growth based on structural constraints” about the relationship between the growth of tourism and the existing industrial structure. It pointed out the specific interdependence between tourism and other economic sectors in terms of accumulation and growth. However, the research of Li Jingyi is based on the trichotomy of social product value. It is too abstract, while the study is understandable in theory. In practice, it is difficult to use the model of the paper to deal with specific problems. Therefore, how to improve the industry association model in the paper of Li and make it more in line with the actual situation becomes our concern. In this paper, the author hopes to improve the model of Li’s paper by simplifying the decomposition of social product value. At the same time, it makes a further study on accumulation elasticity and growth elasticity. On this basis, some suggestions are put forward to guide the development of other industries based on the tourism industry.

The Hinkley point 'B' instrumented stringer data logger

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beynon, A.J.

1975-10-01

A computer based data logging system has been installed at Hinkley Point 'B'to accumulate and interpret data from instrumented stringers in Reactor 4. The logger has 90 thermocouple and 10 pressure transducer inputs, and is backed up by a manually operated system. Details of the logger and instructions in its use for anyone unfamiliar with it are given. Self-contained descriptions of each computer program, covering routine data acquisition and special purpose programs for measuring transient behaviour are then presented. (author)
The impact of routine open nonsuction drainage on fluid accumulation after thyroid surgery: a prospective randomised clinical trial.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Neary, Peter M

2012-01-01

Thyroid drains following thyroid surgery are routinely used despite minimal supportive evidence. Our aim in this study is to determine the impact of routine open drainage of the thyroid bed postoperatively on ultrasound-determined fluid accumulation at 24 hours.
Accumulation of Pesticides in Anaerobic Clayey Till-Controls and Implications for Groundwater

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jorgensen, Peter R.; Spliid, Niels H.

2016-01-01

of the phenoxy acids and triazines was much closer in sand-filled fractures and thin sand layers/lamina in the clay, suggesting that the migration of the same compounds along these textural preferential flow paths into the underlying aquifer was less different. Despite that a greater mass had originally been......Pesticide residuals after point-source pesticide spills in clay-rich aquitards may potentially affect underlying groundwater for many decades due to slow release of accumulated pollution in the clayey matrix material of the aquitard. In this study, we evaluated factors behind different degrees...... by diffusion and flow for the phenoxy acids (R = 1 to 2) than for the triazines (R = 9 to 16) in the clayey matrix material of the aquitard. This indicated that more rapid and greater accumulation could occur for the phenoxy acids in the clayey matrix than for the triazines. In contrast, the relative mobility...
Strain accumulation in quasicrystalline solids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nori, F.; Ronchetti, M.; Elser, V.

1988-01-01

We study the relaxation of 2D quasicrystalline elastic networks when their constituent bonds are perturbed homogeneously. Whereas ideal, quasiperiodic networks are stable against such perturbations, we find significant accumulations of strain in a class of disordered networks generated by a growth process. The grown networks are characterized by root mean square phason fluctuations which grow linearly with system size. The strain accumulation we observe in these networks also grows linearly with system size. Finally, we find a dependence of strain accumulation on cooling rate
Carotenoid accumulation in orange-pigmented Capsicum annuum fruit, regulated at multiple levels

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez-Uribe, Laura; Guzman, Ivette; Rajapakse, Wathsala; Richins, Richard D.; O’Connell, Mary A.

2012-01-01

The pericarp of Capsicum fruit is a rich dietary source of carotenoids. Accumulation of these compounds may be controlled, in part, by gene transcription of biosynthetic enzymes. The carotenoid composition in a number of orange-coloured C. annuum cultivars was determined using HPLC and compared with transcript abundances for four carotenogenic enzymes, Psy, LcyB, CrtZ-2, and Ccs determined by qRT-PCR. There were unique carotenoid profiles as well as distinct patterns of transcription of carotenogenic enzymes within the seven orange-coloured cultivars. In one cultivar, ‘Fogo’, carrying the mutant ccs-3 allele, transcripts were detected for this gene, but no CCS protein accumulated. The premature stop termination in ccs-3 prevented expression of the biosynthetic activity to synthesize the capsanthin and capsorubin forms of carotenoids. In two other orange-coloured cultivars, ‘Orange Grande’ and ‘Oriole’, both with wild-type versions of all four carotenogenic enzymes, no transcripts for Ccs were detected and no red pigments accumulated. Finally, in a third case, the orange-coloured cultivar, Canary, transcripts for all four of the wild-type carotenogenic enzymes were readily detected yet no CCS protein appeared to accumulate and no red carotenoids were synthesized. In the past, mutations in Psy and Ccs have been identified as the loci controlling colour in the fruit. Now there is evidence that a non-structural gene may control colour development in Capsicum. PMID:21948863
Massive accumulation of luminal protease-deficient axonal lysosomes at Alzheimer's disease amyloid plaques.

Science.gov (United States)

Gowrishankar, Swetha; Yuan, Peng; Wu, Yumei; Schrag, Matthew; Paradise, Summer; Grutzendler, Jaime; De Camilli, Pietro; Ferguson, Shawn M

2015-07-14

Through a comprehensive analysis of organellar markers in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease, we document a massive accumulation of lysosome-like organelles at amyloid plaques and establish that the majority of these organelles reside within swollen axons that contact the amyloid deposits. This close spatial relationship between axonal lysosome accumulation and extracellular amyloid aggregates was observed from the earliest stages of β-amyloid deposition. Notably, we discovered that lysosomes that accumulate in such axons are lacking in multiple soluble luminal proteases and thus are predicted to be unable to efficiently degrade proteinaceous cargos. Of relevance to Alzheimer's disease, β-secretase (BACE1), the protein that initiates amyloidogenic processing of the amyloid precursor protein and which is a substrate for these proteases, builds up at these sites. Furthermore, through a comparison between the axonal lysosome accumulations at amyloid plaques and neuronal lysosomes of the wild-type brain, we identified a similar, naturally occurring population of lysosome-like organelles in neuronal processes that is also defined by its low luminal protease content. In conjunction with emerging evidence that the lysosomal maturation of endosomes and autophagosomes is coupled to their retrograde transport, our results suggest that extracellular β-amyloid deposits cause a local impairment in the retrograde axonal transport of lysosome precursors, leading to their accumulation and a blockade in their further maturation. This study both advances understanding of Alzheimer's disease brain pathology and provides new insights into the subcellular organization of neuronal lysosomes that may have broader relevance to other neurodegenerative diseases with a lysosomal component to their pathology.
Tissue accumulation of microplastics in mice and biomarker responses suggest widespread health risks of exposure

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Yongfeng; Zhang, Yan; Lemos, Bernardo; Ren, Hongqiang

2017-04-01

Microplastics (MPs) are a significant environmental health issue and increasingly greater source of concern. MPs have been detected in oceans, rivers, sediments, sewages, soil and even table salts. MPs exposure on marine organisms and humans has been documented, but information about the toxicity of MPs in mammal is limited. Here we used fluorescent and pristine polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) particles with two diameters (5 μm and 20 μm) to investigate the tissue distribution, accumulation, and tissue-specific health risk of MPs in mice. Results indicated that MPs accumulated in liver, kidney and gut, with a tissue-accumulation kinetics and distribution pattern that was strongly depended on the MPs particle size. In addition, analyses of multiple biochemical biomarkers and metabolomic profiles suggested that MPs exposure induced disturbance of energy and lipid metabolism as well as oxidative stress. Interestingly, blood biomarkers of neurotoxicity were also altered. Our results uncovered the distribution and accumulation of MPs across mice tissues and revealed significant alteration in several biomarkers that indicate potential toxicity from MPs exposure. Collectively, our data provided new evidence for the adverse consequences of MPs.
Choice Rules and Accumulator Networks

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

This article presents a preference accumulation model that can be used to implement a number of different multi-attribute heuristic choice rules, including the lexicographic rule, the majority of confirming dimensions (tallying) rule and the equal weights rule. The proposed model differs from existing accumulators in terms of attribute representation: Leakage and competition, typically applied only to preference accumulation, are also assumed to be involved in processing attribute values. This allows the model to perform a range of sophisticated attribute-wise comparisons, including comparisons that compute relative rank. The ability of a preference accumulation model composed of leaky competitive networks to mimic symbolic models of heuristic choice suggests that these 2 approaches are not incompatible, and that a unitary cognitive model of preferential choice, based on insights from both these approaches, may be feasible. PMID:28670592
When should we recommend use of dual time-point and delayed time-point imaging techniques in FDG PET?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheng, Gang [Philadelphia VA Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Radiology, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Torigian, Drew A.; Alavi, Abass [Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Radiology, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Zhuang, Hongming [Children' s Hospital of Philadelphia, Department of Radiology, Philadelphia, PA (United States)

2013-05-15

FDG PET and PET/CT are now widely used in oncological imaging for tumor characterization, staging, restaging, and response evaluation. However, numerous benign etiologies may cause increased FDG uptake indistinguishable from that of malignancy. Multiple studies have shown that dual time-point imaging (DTPI) of FDG PET may be helpful in differentiating malignancy from benign processes. However, exceptions exist, and some studies have demonstrated significant overlap of FDG uptake patterns between benign and malignant lesions on delayed time-point images. In this review, we summarize our experience and opinions on the value of DTPI and delayed time-point imaging in oncology, with a review of the relevant literature. We believe that the major value of DTPI and delayed time-point imaging is the increased sensitivity due to continued clearance of background activity and continued FDG accumulation in malignant lesions, if the same diagnostic criteria (as in the initial standard single time-point imaging) are used. The specificity of DTPI and delayed time-point imaging depends on multiple factors, including the prevalence of malignancies, the patient population, and the cut-off values (either SUV or retention index) used to define a malignancy. Thus, DTPI and delayed time-point imaging would be more useful if performed for evaluation of lesions in regions with significant background activity clearance over time (such as the liver, the spleen, the mediastinum), and if used in the evaluation of the extent of tumor involvement rather than in the characterization of the nature of any specific lesion. Acute infectious and non-infectious inflammatory lesions remain as the major culprit for diminished diagnostic performance of these approaches (especially in tuberculosis-endemic regions). Tumor heterogeneity may also contribute to inconsistent performance of DTPI. The authors believe that selective use of DTPI and delayed time-point imaging will improve diagnostic accuracy and
Understanding reduced inorganic mercury accumulation in rice following selenium application: Selenium application routes, speciation and doses.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Wenli; Dang, Fei; Evans, Douglas; Zhong, Huan; Xiao, Lin

2017-02-01

Selenium (Se) has recently been demonstrated to reduce inorganic mercury (IHg) accumulation in rice plants, while its mechanism is far from clear. Here, we aimed at exploring the potential effects of Se application routes (soil or foliar application with Se), speciation (selenite and selenate), and doses on IHg-Se antagonistic interactions in soil-rice systems. Results of our pot experiments indicated that soil application but not foliar application could evidently reduce tissue IHg concentrations (root: 0-48%, straw: 15-58%, and brown rice: 26-74%), although both application routes resulted in comparable Se accumulation in aboveground tissues. Meanwhile, IHg distribution in root generally increased with amended Se doses in soil, suggesting antagonistic interactions between IHg and Se in root. These results provided initial evidence that IHg-Se interactions in the rhizosphere (i.e., soil or rice root), instead of those in the aboveground tissues, could probably be more responsible for the reduced IHg bioaccumulation following Se application. Furthermore, Se dose rather than Se speciation was found to be more important in controlling IHg accumulation in rice. Our findings regarding the importance of IHg-Se interactions in the rhizosphere, together with the systematic investigation of key factors affecting IHg-Se antagonism and IHg bioaccumulation, advance our understanding of Hg dynamics in soil-rice systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Modeling snow accumulation and ablation processes in forested environments

Science.gov (United States)

Andreadis, Konstantinos M.; Storck, Pascal; Lettenmaier, Dennis P.

2009-05-01

The effects of forest canopies on snow accumulation and ablation processes can be very important for the hydrology of midlatitude and high-latitude areas. A mass and energy balance model for snow accumulation and ablation processes in forested environments was developed utilizing extensive measurements of snow interception and release in a maritime mountainous site in Oregon. The model was evaluated using 2 years of weighing lysimeter data and was able to reproduce the snow water equivalent (SWE) evolution throughout winters both beneath the canopy and in the nearby clearing, with correlations to observations ranging from 0.81 to 0.99. Additionally, the model was evaluated using measurements from a Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) field site in Canada to test the robustness of the canopy snow interception algorithm in a much different climate. Simulated SWE was relatively close to the observations for the forested sites, with discrepancies evident in some cases. Although the model formulation appeared robust for both types of climates, sensitivity to parameters such as snow roughness length and maximum interception capacity suggested the magnitude of improvements of SWE simulations that might be achieved by calibration.
Accumulation of senescent cells in mitotic tissue of aging primates.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeyapalan, Jessie C; Ferreira, Mark; Sedivy, John M; Herbig, Utz

2007-01-01

Cellular senescence, a stress induced growth arrest of somatic cells, was first documented in cell cultures over 40 years ago, however its physiological significance has only recently been demonstrated. Using novel biomarkers of cellular senescence we examined whether senescent cells accumulate in tissues from baboons of ages encompassing the entire lifespan of this species. We show that dermal fibroblasts, displaying markers of senescence such as telomere damage, active checkpoint kinase ATM, high levels of heterochromatin proteins and elevated levels of p16, accumulate in skin biopsies from baboons with advancing age. The number of dermal fibroblasts containing damaged telomeres reaches a value of over 15% of total fibroblasts, whereas 80% of cells contain high levels of the heterochromatin protein HIRA. In skeletal muscle, a postmitotic tissue, only a small percentage of myonuclei containing damaged telomeres were detected regardless of animal age. The presence of senescent cells in mitotic tissues might therefore be a contributing factor to aging and age related pathology and provides further evidence that cellular senescence is a physiological event.
Validation of non-rigid point-set registration methods using a porcine bladder pelvic phantom

Science.gov (United States)

Zakariaee, Roja; Hamarneh, Ghassan; Brown, Colin J.; Spadinger, Ingrid

2016-01-01

The problem of accurate dose accumulation in fractionated radiotherapy treatment for highly deformable organs, such as bladder, has garnered increasing interest over the past few years. However, more research is required in order to find a robust and efficient solution and to increase the accuracy over the current methods. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of utilizing non-rigid (affine or deformable) point-set registration in accumulating dose in bladder of different sizes and shapes. A pelvic phantom was built to house an ex vivo porcine bladder with fiducial landmarks adhered onto its surface. Four different volume fillings of the bladder were used (90, 180, 360 and 480 cc). The performance of MATLAB implementations of five different methods were compared, in aligning the bladder contour point-sets. The approaches evaluated were coherent point drift (CPD), gaussian mixture model, shape context, thin-plate spline robust point matching (TPS-RPM) and finite iterative closest point (ICP-finite). The evaluation metrics included registration runtime, target registration error (TRE), root-mean-square error (RMS) and Hausdorff distance (HD). The reference (source) dataset was alternated through all four points-sets, in order to study the effect of reference volume on the registration outcomes. While all deformable algorithms provided reasonable registration results, CPD provided the best TRE values (6.4 mm), and TPS-RPM yielded the best mean RMS and HD values (1.4 and 6.8 mm, respectively). ICP-finite was the fastest technique and TPS-RPM, the slowest.
Validation of non-rigid point-set registration methods using a porcine bladder pelvic phantom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zakariaee, Roja; Hamarneh, Ghassan; Brown, Colin J; Spadinger, Ingrid

2016-01-01

The problem of accurate dose accumulation in fractionated radiotherapy treatment for highly deformable organs, such as bladder, has garnered increasing interest over the past few years. However, more research is required in order to find a robust and efficient solution and to increase the accuracy over the current methods. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of utilizing non-rigid (affine or deformable) point-set registration in accumulating dose in bladder of different sizes and shapes. A pelvic phantom was built to house an ex vivo porcine bladder with fiducial landmarks adhered onto its surface. Four different volume fillings of the bladder were used (90, 180, 360 and 480 cc). The performance of MATLAB implementations of five different methods were compared, in aligning the bladder contour point-sets. The approaches evaluated were coherent point drift (CPD), gaussian mixture model, shape context, thin-plate spline robust point matching (TPS-RPM) and finite iterative closest point (ICP-finite). The evaluation metrics included registration runtime, target registration error (TRE), root-mean-square error (RMS) and Hausdorff distance (HD). The reference (source) dataset was alternated through all four points-sets, in order to study the effect of reference volume on the registration outcomes. While all deformable algorithms provided reasonable registration results, CPD provided the best TRE values (6.4 mm), and TPS-RPM yielded the best mean RMS and HD values (1.4 and 6.8 mm, respectively). ICP-finite was the fastest technique and TPS-RPM, the slowest. (paper)
Polymer-Coated Urea Delays Growth and Accumulation of Key Nutrients in Aerobic Rice but Does Not Affect Grain Mineral Concentrations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terry J. Rose

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Enhanced efficiency nitrogen (N fertilizers (EEFs may improve crop recovery of fertilizer-N, but there is evidence that some EEFs cause a lag in crop growth compared to growth with standard urea. Biomass and mineral nutrient accumulation was investigated in rice fertilized with urea, urea-3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP and polymer-coated urea (PCU to determine whether any delays in biomass production alter the accumulation patterns, and subsequent grain concentrations, of key mineral nutrients. Plant growth and mineral accumulation and partitioning to grains did not differ significantly between plants fertilized with urea or urea-DMPP. In contrast, biomass accumulation and the accumulation of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc and manganese were delayed during the early growth phase of plants fertilized with PCU. However, plants in the PCU treatment ultimately compensated for this by increasing growth and nutrient uptake during the latter vegetative stages so that no differences in biomass or nutrient accumulation generally existed among N fertilizer treatments at anthesis. Delayed biomass accumulation in rice fertilized with PCU does not appear to reduce the total accumulation of mineral nutrients, nor to have any impact on grain mineral nutrition when biomass and grain yields are equal to those of rice grown with urea or urea-DMPP.
East-West Cultural Differences in Context-Sensitivity are Evident in Early Childhood

Science.gov (United States)

Imada, Toshie; Carlson, Stephanie M.; Itakura, Shoji

2013-01-01

Accumulating evidence suggests that North Americans tend to focus on central objects whereas East Asians tend to pay more attention to contextual information in a visual scene. Although it is generally believed that such culturally divergent attention tendencies develop through socialization, existing evidence largely depends on adult samples.…
Nickel-accumulating plant from Western Australia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Severne, B C; Brooks, R R

1972-01-01

A small shrub Hybanthus floribundus (Lindl.) F. Muell. Violaceae growing in Western Australia accumulates nickel and cobalt to a very high degree. Values of up to 23% nickel in leaf ash may represent the highest relative accumulation of a metal on record. The high accumulation of nickel poses interesting problems in plant physiology and plant biochemistry. 9 references, 2 figures, 1 table.
Evidence Supporting Broader Access To Safe Legal Abortion

OpenAIRE

Faundes; Anibal; Shah; Iqbal H.

2016-01-01

Unsafe abortion continues to be a major cause of maternal death; it accounts for 14.5% of all maternal deaths globally and almost all of these deaths occur in countries with restrictive abortion laws. A strong body of accumulated evidence shows that the simple means to drastically reduce unsafe abortion-related maternal deaths and morbidity is to make abortion legal and institutional termination of pregnancy broadly accessible. Despite this evidence, abortion is denied even when the legal con...
Environmental niche conservatism explains the accumulation of species richness in Mediterranean-hotspot plant genera.

Science.gov (United States)

Skeels, Alexander; Cardillo, Marcel

2017-03-01

The causes of exceptionally high plant diversity in Mediterranean-climate biodiversity hotspots are not fully understood. We asked whether a mechanism similar to the tropical niche conservatism hypothesis could explain the diversity of four large genera (Protea, Moraea, Banksia, and Hakea) with distributions within and adjacent to the Greater Cape Floristic Region (South Africa) or the Southwest Floristic Region (Australia). Using phylogenetic and spatial data we estimated the environmental niche of each species, and reconstructed the mode and dynamics of niche evolution, and the geographic history, of each genus. For three genera, there were strong positive relationships between the diversity of clades within a region and their inferred length of occupation of that region. Within genera, there was evidence for strong evolutionary constraint on niche axes associated with climatic seasonality and aridity, with different niche optima for hotspot and nonhotspot clades. Evolutionary transitions away from hotspots were associated with increases in niche breadth and elevated rates of niche evolution. Our results point to a process of "hotspot niche conservatism" whereby the accumulation of plant diversity in Mediterranean-type ecosystems results from longer time for speciation, with dispersal away from hotspots limited by narrow and phylogenetically conserved environmental niches. © 2017 The Author(s). Evolution © 2017 The Society for the Study of Evolution.
Difference in initial dental biofilm accumulation between night and day.

Science.gov (United States)

Dige, Irene; Schlafer, Sebastian; Nyvad, Bente

2012-12-01

The study of initial microbial colonization on dental surfaces is a field of intensive research because of the aetiological role of biofilms in oral diseases. Most previous studies of de novo accumulation and composition of dental biofilms in vivo do not differentiate between biofilms formed during day and night. This study hypothesized that there is a diurnal variation in the rate of accumulation of bacteria on solid surfaces in the oral cavity. In situ biofilm from healthy individuals was collected for 12 h during day and night, respectively, subjected to fluorescent in situ hybridization and visualized using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Analysis of the biofilms using stereological methods and digital image analysis revealed a consistent statistically significant difference between both the total number of bacteria and the biovolume in the two 12-h groups (p = 0.012), with the highest accumulation of bacteria during daytime (a factor of 8.8 and 6.1 higher, respectively). Hybridization with probes specific for streptococci and Actinomyces naeslundii indicated a higher proportion of streptococci in biofilms grown during daytime as compared to night-time. No differences could be observed for A. naeslundii. The degree of microbial coverage and the bacterial composition varied considerably between different individuals. The data provide firm evidence that initial biofilm formation decreases during the night, which may reflect differences in the availability of salivary nutrients. This finding is of significant importance when studying population dynamics during experimental dental biofilm formation.

Detection of the Cyanotoxins L-BMAA Uptake and Accumulation in Primary Neurons and Astrocytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Vanessa X; Mazzocco, Claire; Varney, Bianca; Bodet, Dominique; Guillemin, Tristan A; Bessede, Alban; Guillemin, Gilles J

2018-01-01

We show for the first time that a newly developed polyclonal antibody (pAb) can specifically target the cyanotoxin β-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) and can be used to enable direct visualization of BMAA entry and accumulation in primary brain cells. We used this pAb to investigate the effect of acute and chronic accumulation, and toxicity of both BMAA and its natural isomer 2,4-diaminobutyric acid (DAB), separately or in combination, on primary cultures of rat neurons. We further present evidence that co-treatment with BMAA and DAB increased neuronal death, as measured by MAP2 fluorescence level, and appeared to reduce BMAA accumulation. DAB is likely to be acting synergistically with BMAA resulting in higher level of cellular toxicity. We also found that glial cells such as microglia and astrocytes are also able to directly uptake BMAA indicating that additional brain cell types are affected by BMAA-induced toxicity. Therefore, BMAA clearly acts at multiple cellular levels to possibly increase the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases, including neuro- and gliotoxicity and synergetic exacerbation with other cyanotoxins.
Accumulation of satellites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Safronov, V.S.; Ruskol, E.L.

1977-01-01

Formation and evolution of circumplanetary satellite swarms are investigated. Characteristic times of various processes are estimated. The characteristic time for the accumulation of the bodies in the swarm was several orders of magnitude shorter than that of the planet, i.e. than the time of the replenishment of the material by the swarm (10 8 yr). The model of the accumulation of the swarm is constructed taking into account the increase of its mass due to trapping of heliocentrically moving particles and its decrease due to outfall of the inner part of the swarm onto the growing planet. The accumulation of circumplanetary bodies is also considered. The main features of the evolution of the swarm essentially depend on the size distribution of bodies in the swarm and in the zone of the planet and also on the degree of the concentration of the swarm mass toward the planet. If the sum of the exponents of the inverse power laws of these distributions is less than 7, the model of the transparent swarm developed in this paper should be preferred. When this sum is greater than 7, the model of opaque swarm suggested by A. Harris and W.M. Kaula is better. There is predominant trapping of small particles into the swarm due to their more frequent collisions. Optical thickness of the protoplanetary cloud in radial direction is estimated. It is shown that at the final stage of the planetary accumulation, the cloud was semitransparent in the region of terrestrial planets and volatile substances evaporated at collisions could be swept out from the outer parts of the satellite swarm by the solar wind
Radiation-induced effects on the mechanical properties of natural ZrSiO4: double cascade-overlap damage accumulation

Science.gov (United States)

Beirau, Tobias; Nix, William D.; Pöllmann, Herbert; Ewing, Rodney C.

2017-11-01

Several different models are known to describe the structure-dependent radiation-induced damage accumulation process in materials (e.g. Gibbons Proc IEEE 60:1062-1096, 1972; Weber Nuc Instr Met Phys Res B 166-167:98-106, 2000). In the literature, two different models of damage accumulation due to α-decay events in natural ZrSiO4 (zircon) have been described. The direct impact damage accumulation model is based on amorphization occurring directly within the collision cascade. However, the double cascade-overlap damage accumulation model predicts that amorphization will only occur due to the overlap of disordered domains within the cascade. By analyzing the dose-dependent evolution of mechanical properties (i.e., Poisson's ratios, compliance constants, elastic modulus, and hardness) as a measure of the increasing amorphization, we provide support for the double cascade-overlap damage accumulation model. We found no evidence to support the direct impact damage accumulation model. Additionally, the amount of radiation damage could be related to an anisotropic-to-isotropic transition of the Poisson's ratio for stress along and perpendicular to the four-fold c-axis and of the related compliance constants of natural U- and Th-bearing zircon. The isotropification occurs in the dose range between 3.1 × and 6.3 × 1018 α-decays/g.
Radiation-induced effects on the mechanical properties of natural ZrSiO4: double cascade-overlap damage accumulation

Science.gov (United States)

Beirau, Tobias; Nix, William D.; Pöllmann, Herbert; Ewing, Rodney C.

2018-05-01

Several different models are known to describe the structure-dependent radiation-induced damage accumulation process in materials (e.g. Gibbons Proc IEEE 60:1062-1096, 1972; Weber Nuc Instr Met Phys Res B 166-167:98-106, 2000). In the literature, two different models of damage accumulation due to α-decay events in natural ZrSiO4 (zircon) have been described. The direct impact damage accumulation model is based on amorphization occurring directly within the collision cascade. However, the double cascade-overlap damage accumulation model predicts that amorphization will only occur due to the overlap of disordered domains within the cascade. By analyzing the dose-dependent evolution of mechanical properties (i.e., Poisson's ratios, compliance constants, elastic modulus, and hardness) as a measure of the increasing amorphization, we provide support for the double cascade-overlap damage accumulation model. We found no evidence to support the direct impact damage accumulation model. Additionally, the amount of radiation damage could be related to an anisotropic-to-isotropic transition of the Poisson's ratio for stress along and perpendicular to the four-fold c-axis and of the related compliance constants of natural U- and Th-bearing zircon. The isotropification occurs in the dose range between 3.1 × and 6.3 × 1018 α-decays/g.
Accumulation of radionuclides by lichen symbionts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nifontova, M G; Kulikov, N V [AN SSSR, Sverdlovsk. Inst. Ehkologii Rastenij i Zhivotnykh

1983-01-01

The aim of investigation is the quantitative estimation of ability and role of separate symbionts in the accumulation of radionuclides. As investigation volumes, durably cultivated green lichen alga Trebouxia erici and lichen fungi extracted from Cladonia rangiferina, Parmelia caperata and Acarospora fuscata are used. The accumulation of radioactive isotopes with fungi and seaweeds is estimated according to accumulation coefficients (AC) which are the ratio of radiation concentration in plants and agarized medium. Radionuclide content (/sup 90/Sr and /sup 137/Cs) is determined radiometrically. A special series of experiments is done to investigate radionuclide accumulation dependences with lichen seaweed and fungi on light conditions. It is shown that both symbionts of lichen-seaweed and fungus take part in the accumulation of radionuclide from outer medium (atmospheric fall-out and soil). However fungus component constituting the base of structural organization of thallus provides the greater part of radionuclides accumulated by the plant. Along with this the violation of viability of seaweed symbionts particularly in the case of light deficiency brings about the reduction of /sup 137/Cs sorption by seaweeds and tells on the total content of radiocesium in plant thallus.
Induced Plant Accumulation of Lithium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurence Kavanagh

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Lithium’s (Li value has grown exponentially since the development of Li-ion batteries. It is usually accessed in one of two ways: hard rock mineral mining or extraction from mineral-rich brines. Both methods are expensive and require a rich source of Li. This paper examines the potential of agro-mining as an environmentally friendly, economically viable process for extracting Li from low grade ore. Agro-mining exploits an ability found in few plant species, to accumulate substantial amounts of metals in the above ground parts of the plant. Phyto-mined metals are then retrieved from the incinerated plants. Although the actual amount of metal collected from a crop may be low, the process has been shown to be profitable. We have investigated the suitability of several plant species including: Brassica napus and Helianthus annuus, as Li-accumulators under controlled conditions. Large plant trials were carried out with/without chelating agents to encourage Li accumulation. The question we sought to answer was, can any of the plant species investigated accumulate Li at levels high enough to justify using them to agro-mine Li. Results show maximum accumulated levels of >4000 mg/kg Li in some species. Our data suggests that agro-mining of Li is a potentially viable process.
Diatom. A potential bio-accumulator of gold

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakraborty, N.; Pal, R.; Ramaswami, A.; Nayak, D.; Lahiri, S.

2006-01-01

The bioaccumulation of gold in trace concentration by Nitzschia obtusa and Navicula minima, two members of bacillariophyceae, has been studied. It has been observed that Nitzschia obtusa showed better accumulation of gold in acidic pH in comparison to neutral and basic pH. Maximum accumulation was observed with 1 mg x kg -1 or less gold concentration. However, the accumulation by the living cells was reduced when the matrix concentration was higher. Navicula minima, on the other hand, found to be a better accumulator of gold in wide ranges of pH and substrate concentration of the media. It was also inferred that the gold accumulation by diatom was mainly due to adsorption by biosilica (siliceous frustules of dead diatom cells). Accumulated gold was recovered with conc. HNO 3 . (author)
Technological capability accumulation in the 'maquila industry' in Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriela Dutrénit

Full Text Available From the mid-1960s, 'maquila' plants were established in the Mexican Northern border. The Mexican model was based on foreign firms establishing their own assembly plants. Even though this model was less successful than that of East and South East Asian in terms of several techno-economic indicators, it has largely contributed to employment generation. However, as a result of internal learning process and changes in the global firms strategies, several 'maquilas' operating in Mexico have undergone important qualitative changes. During the 1990s there was a change in the nature of their productive and technological activities towards more complex products and more innovative technological activities. In contrast, other dimensions have evolved slowly, such as the engagement of Mexican suppliers in global supply chains. The aim of this paper is to discuss an analytical framework to help study the technological capability accumulation in the 'maquila' industry in Mexico. Based on that the paper seeks to examine levels of technological capability accumulation of three maquilas, and to bring to light some stylized facts of the accumulation process in this industry. The analytical framework proposed draws on the taxonomy of technological capabilities proposed by Bell & Pavitt (1995 for the manufacturing industry in developing countries and its further adaptations and applications carried in Figueiredo (2001 and Ariffin & Figueiredo (2003, 2004. This paper adapts it to the particularities of the 'maquila' industry in Mexico. The new taxonomy includes technical functions that are relevant to this industry and redefines activities that correspond to various levels of accumulation. This paper is based on a case study methodology. The cases are the business lines of three maquilas in Ciudad Juarez: Thomson Multimedia, Philips Corp. and Delphi Corp. Two business lines correspond to the consumer electronics industry and the third is specialized on electronic
The Longitudinal Relation Between Accumulation of Adverse Life Events and Body Mass Index From Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Elsenburg, Leonie K.; Smidt, Nynke; Liefbroer, Aart C.

Objective: Stressors, such as adverse life events, can cause weight changes through behavioral and biological mechanisms. Whether the accumulation of adverse life events is related to body mass index (BMI) across multiple time points from early adolescence to young adulthood has not been
The longitudinal relation between accumulation of adverse life events and body mass index from early adolescence to young adulthood

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Elsenburg, Leonie K.; Smidt, Nynke; Liefbroer, Aart C.

2017-01-01

Objective: Stressors, such as adverse life events, can cause weight changes through behavioral and biological mechanisms. Whether the accumulation of adverse life events is related to body mass index (BMI) across multiple time points from early adolescence to young adulthood has not been
The Longitudinal Relation Between Accumulation of Adverse Life Events and Body Mass Index From Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Elsenburg, L.; Smidt, N.; Liefbroer, A.C.

2017-01-01

Objective: Stressors, such as adverse life events, can cause weight changes through behavioral and biological mechanisms. Whether the accumulation of adverse life events is related to body mass index (BMI) across multiple time points from early adolescence to young adulthood has not been
Fermion-induced quantum critical points.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zi-Xiang; Jiang, Yi-Fan; Jian, Shao-Kai; Yao, Hong

2017-08-22

A unified theory of quantum critical points beyond the conventional Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson paradigm remains unknown. According to Landau cubic criterion, phase transitions should be first-order when cubic terms of order parameters are allowed by symmetry in the Landau-Ginzburg free energy. Here, from renormalization group analysis, we show that second-order quantum phase transitions can occur at such putatively first-order transitions in interacting two-dimensional Dirac semimetals. As such type of Landau-forbidden quantum critical points are induced by gapless fermions, we call them fermion-induced quantum critical points. We further introduce a microscopic model of SU(N) fermions on the honeycomb lattice featuring a transition between Dirac semimetals and Kekule valence bond solids. Remarkably, our large-scale sign-problem-free Majorana quantum Monte Carlo simulations show convincing evidences of a fermion-induced quantum critical points for N = 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, consistent with the renormalization group analysis. We finally discuss possible experimental realizations of the fermion-induced quantum critical points in graphene and graphene-like materials.Quantum phase transitions are governed by Landau-Ginzburg theory and the exceptions are rare. Here, Li et al. propose a type of Landau-forbidden quantum critical points induced by gapless fermions in two-dimensional Dirac semimetals.
Understanding Accumulation: The Relevance of Marx’s Theory of Primitive Accumulation in Media and Communication Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mattias Ekman

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to discuss and use Marx’s theory on primitive accumulation, outlined in the first volume of Capital, in relation to media and communication research. In order to develop Marx’s argument the discussion is revitalized through Harvey’s concept of accumulation by dispossession. The article focuses on two different fields within media and communication research where the concept of accumulation by dispossession is applicable. First, the role of news media content, news flows and news media systems are discussed in relation to social mobilization against capitalism, privatizations, and the financial sector. Second, Marx’s theory is used to examine how communication in Web 2.0 and the development of ICTs could advance the processes of capital accumulation by appropriating the work performed by users of Web 2.0 and by increasing the corporate surveillance of Internet users. In conclusion, by analyzing how primitive accumulation is intertwined with contemporary expanded reproduction of capital, the article shows that Marx’s theory can contribute to critical media and communication research in several ways.
Hermeneutics, evidence ad judgment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michele Taruffo

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The text analyzes several topics of the judicial process from the point of view of the important contributions offered by the hermeneutical philosophy. It deals mainly with the construction of factual narratives, the presentation of evidence and the discovery of truth made by the judge in his final judgment based upon the evidence.
Dispossessing Urbanization: Urban Marxism in the Face of the Problem of Primitive Accumulation

OpenAIRE

Piotr Juskowiak

2015-01-01

The article is a complex attempt to present the achievements of the broadly understood urban Marxism in the field of reinterpretation of the classic concept from the cards of Capital – “primitive accumulation”. Drawing on theories of such scholars as David Harvey (“accumulation by dispossession”) or Saskia Sassen (“expulsions”), the author points to the possible ways to operationalize the concept of “dispossessing urbanization”. Inspired by the theorizations of autonomist Marxists (Antonio Ne...
Irreversible thermodynamics models and constitutive equations of the irradiation induced deformation and damage accumulating processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wassilew, C.

1989-11-01

This report gives an overall evaluation of several in-reactor deformation and creep-rupture experiments performed in BR-2, FFTF, and Rapsodie on pressurised tubes of the stabilized austenitic stainless steels 1.4970, 1.4981, 1.4988, and the nickel base alloy Hastelloy-X. The irradiation induced deformation processes observed in the components operating in a neutron environment can be divided into two main groups: 1. volume conserving creep and 2. volumetric swelling. Since the observed deformation as well as damage accumulating phenomena are caused by the same constrained generated and free disposable point defects and helium atoms, it is obvious and advisable to analyze, and to model simultaneously the ensemble of the elementary mechanisms and processes effective at the same time. Phenomenological models based on the thermodynamics of irreversible processes have been developed, with the aim of: 1. grasping the partial relationships between the external variables and the response functions (creep, swelling, creep driven swelling, and time to rupture), 2. fathoming the rate-controlling mechanisms, 3. providing insight into the structural details and changes occurring during the deformation and the damage accumulating processes, 4. integrating the damage accumulating processes comprehensively, and 5. formulating the constitutive equations required to describe the elementary processes that generate plastic deformations as well as damage accumulation. (orig./MM)
A Cross-Cultural Study of Reference Point Adaptation: Evidence from China, Korea, and the US

Science.gov (United States)

Arkes, Hal R.; Hirshleifer, David; Jiang, Danling; Lim, Sonya S.

2010-01-01

We examined reference point adaptation following gains or losses in security trading using participants from China, Korea, and the US. In both questionnaire studies and trading experiments with real money incentives, reference point adaptation was larger for Asians than for Americans. Subjects in all countries adapted their reference points more…
Small and Exposed: Debt Accumulation in Canada’s Small Provinces

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Ronald D. Kneebone

2015-05-01

the last three years of our period of analysis, policy-induced deficits have the province sliding in the wrong direction, adding 2.6 percentage points of GDP to its accumulated operating account deficit. Notably, there appears to be little difference between NDP and PC governments when it comes to policy-induced debt accumulation. The one distinction appears to be that the PCs have tended to begin governing by adding debt, and reducing it later, while the NDP has followed the opposite pattern. The record of P.E.I.’s policy decisions, meanwhile, has been the reverse of Manitoba’s: After managing to keep its debt in check for 20 years, the government since 1999 has added 11 percentage points of GDP to its accumulated operating account deficit almost entirely as the result of policy choices. Particularly worrisome is the recent rapid accumulation of debt between 2009 and 2014. In the meantime, Nova Scotia continues working to undo the risky policies of the “lost decade” from 1984 to 1994, where PC governments increased the debt ratio by nearly a third. In all four provinces the ability to keep debt ratios under control will depend heavily on constraining the growth in health-care spending. Health spending has soared in all provinces since 1999–2000, the most extreme case being in New Brunswick where the share of revenue spent on health has leaped from 25.4 to 35.9 per cent. Even if these provinces cannot change the fact that they are small and exposed, and are stuck with the specific economic risks that entails, they do have the ability to make policy choices that mitigate the length and severity of the effects of exogenous shocks. With three of the provinces (save P.E.I. expected to enjoy faster growth in 2015, the work in better preparing their economies for shocks should begin right away.
Cesium accumulation by bacterium Thermus sp.TibetanG7: hints for biomineralization of cesiumbearing geyserite in hot springs in Tibet, China

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2007-01-01

The bacterium Thermus sp. TibetanG7, isolated from hot springs in Tibet, China, was examined for the ability to accumulate cesium from solutions. Environmental conditions were simulated and the effects of pH, K+, Na+ and K+-regimes were then studied to determine the possible role of the bacterium in the formation of cesium-bearing geyserite around these hot springs. In despite of the inhibition of K+ and Na+, the bacterium Thermus sp. TibetanG7 revealed noticeable accumulation of cesium from solutions, with maximum accumulations of 53.49 and 40.41 μmol Cesium/g cell dry weight in Na+ and K+ inhibition experiments, respectively. The accumulation of cesium by this microorganism is rapid, with 40%―50% accumulated within the first 5 min. K+-deficient cells showed a much higher capacity of cesium accumulation compared with K+-sufficient cells. It is evident that the bacteria within the genus thermus play a significant role in the cesium assembly. The formation of cesium-bearing geyserite is also considered.
Pointing Gestures as a Cognitive Tool in Young Children: Experimental Evidence

Science.gov (United States)

Delgado, Begona; Gomez, Juan Carlos; Sarria, Encarnacion

2011-01-01

This article explores the possible cognitive function associated with pointing gestures from a Vygotskian perspective. In Study 1, 39 children who were 2-4 years of age were observed in a solitary condition while solving a mnemonic task with or without an explicit memory demand. A discriminant analysis showed that children used noncommunicative…

Distribution of lead in lead-accumulating pteridophyte Blechnum niponicum, measured by synchrotron radiation micro X-ray fluorescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kodera, Hirofumi; Nishioka, Hiroshi; Muramatsu, Yasuji; Terada, Yasuko

2008-01-01

The distribution of lead (Pb) accumulated in the pteridophyte Blechnum niponicum, a Pb-hyperaccumulator, was measured using synchrotron-radiation micro X-ray fluorescence (SR-μ-XRF) at BL37XU of SPring-8. From two dimensional (2D) imagings of Pb at the root, petiole, leaf vein, pinna epidermis and sorus in the Blechnum niponicum, the mechanism for the transportation and accumulation of Pb can be suggested to be as follows: Lead is accumulated in conductive tissues. Most of the Pb solubilized in the rhizosphere is fixed in the conductive tissue, with the remainder being transported with the transpiration stream to the above-ground parts of the plant. Lead transported to the upper parts of the plant ultimately remains at the terminal points of the transpiration stream, including the stomatal apparatus and water pores; it was shown that these sections contain high concentrations of Pb. (author)
Radionuclide accumulation peculiarities demonstrated by vegetable varieties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruk, A.V.; Goncharenko, G.G.; Kilchevsky, A.V.

2004-01-01

This study focused on ecological and genetic aspects of radionuclide accumulation demonstrated by a number of vegetable varieties. The researches resulted in determining the cabbage varieties which were characterised by the minimal level of radionuclide accumulation. It was shown that the above varieties manifested the relation between radionuclide accumulation and morphobiological characteristics such as vegetation period duration and yield criteria. The study specified the genotypes with high ecological stability as regards to radionuclide accumulation: 'Beloruskaya 85' cabbage and 'Dokhodny' tomato showed the best response to Cs 137, while 'Beloruskaya 85', 'Rusinovka', 'Amager 611' cabbage varieties and 'Sprint' tomato showed the minimal level of Sr 90 accumulation. (authors)
Effects of Point Mutations in the Major Capsid Protein of Beet Western Yellows Virus on Capsid Formation, Virus Accumulation, and Aphid Transmission

Science.gov (United States)

Brault, V.; Bergdoll, M.; Mutterer, J.; Prasad, V.; Pfeffer, S.; Erdinger, M.; Richards, K. E.; Ziegler-Graff, V.

2003-01-01

Point mutations were introduced into the major capsid protein (P3) of cloned infectious cDNA of the polerovirus beet western yellows virus (BWYV) by manipulation of cloned infectious cDNA. Seven mutations targeted sites on the S domain predicted to lie on the capsid surface. An eighth mutation eliminated two arginine residues in the R domain, which is thought to extend into the capsid interior. The effects of the mutations on virus capsid formation, virus accumulation in protoplasts and plants, and aphid transmission were tested. All of the mutants replicated in protoplasts. The S-domain mutant W166R failed to protect viral RNA from RNase attack, suggesting that this particular mutation interfered with stable capsid formation. The R-domain mutant R7A/R8A protected ∼90% of the viral RNA strand from RNase, suggesting that lower positive-charge density in the mutant capsid interior interfered with stable packaging of the complete strand into virions. Neither of these mutants systemically infected plants. The six remaining mutants properly packaged viral RNA and could invade Nicotiana clevelandii systemically following agroinfection. Mutant Q121E/N122D was poorly transmitted by aphids, implicating one or both targeted residues in virus-vector interactions. Successful transmission of mutant D172N was accompanied either by reversion to the wild type or by appearance of a second-site mutation, N137D. This finding indicates that D172 is also important for transmission but that the D172N transmission defect can be compensated for by a “reverse” substitution at another site. The results have been used to evaluate possible structural models for the BWYV capsid. PMID:12584348
Effect of additional minor elements on accumulation behavior of point defects under electron irradiation in austenitic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekio, Yoshihiro; Yamashita, Shinichiro; Takahashi, Heishichiro; Sakaguchi, Norihito

2014-01-01

Addition of minor elements to a base alloy is often applied with the aim of mitigating void swelling by decreasing the vacancy diffusivity and flux which influence vacancy accumulation behavior. However, the comparative evaluations of parameters, such as the diffusivity and flux, between a base alloy and modified alloys with specific additives have not been studied in detail. In this study, type 316 austenitic stainless steel as a base alloy and type 316 austenitic stainless steels modified with vanadium (V) or zirconium (Zr) additions were used to perform evaluations from the changes of widths of the void denuded zone (VDZ) formed near a random grain boundary during electron irradiation because these widths depend on vacancy diffusivity and flux. The formations of VDZs were observed in in-situ observations during electron irradiation at 723 K and the formed VDZ widths were measured from the transmission electron microscopic images after electron irradiation. As a result, the VDZs were formed in both steels without and with V, and respective widths were ∼119 and ∼100 nm. On the other hand, the VDZ formation was not observed clearly in the steel with Zr. From the measured VDZ widths in the steels without and with V addition, the estimated ratio of the vacancy diffusivity in the steel with V to that in the steel without V was about 0.50 and the estimated ratio of the vacancy flux in the steel with V to that in the steel without V was about 0.71. This result suggests that the effect of additional minor elements on vacancy accumulation behaviors under electron irradiation could be estimated from evaluations of the VDZ width changes among steels with and without minor elements. Especially, because void swelling is closely related with the vacancy diffusion process, the VDZ width changes would also be reflected on void swelling behavior. (author)
Describing Quadratic Cremer Point Polynomials by Parabolic Perturbations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Dan Erik Krarup

1996-01-01

We describe two infinite order parabolic perturbation proceduresyielding quadratic polynomials having a Cremer fixed point. The main ideais to obtain the polynomial as the limit of repeated parabolic perturbations.The basic tool at each step is to control the behaviour of certain externalrays.......Polynomials of the Cremer type correspond to parameters at the boundary of ahyperbolic component of the Mandelbrot set. In this paper we concentrate onthe main cardioid component. We investigate the differences between two-sided(i.e. alternating) and one-sided parabolic perturbations.In the two-sided case, we prove...... the existence of polynomials having an explicitlygiven external ray accumulating both at the Cremer point and at its non-periodicpreimage. We think of the Julia set as containing a "topologists double comb".In the one-sided case we prove a weaker result: the existence of polynomials havingan explicitly given...
47 CFR 32.3300 - Accumulated depreciation-nonoperating.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Accumulated depreciation-nonoperating. 32.3300....3300 Accumulated depreciation—nonoperating. (a) This account shall include the accumulated amortization and depreciation associated with the investment contained in Account 2006, Nonoperating Plant. (b...
Gypsum accumulation on carbonate stone

Science.gov (United States)

McGee, E.S.; Mossotti, V.G.

1992-01-01

The accumulation of gypsum on carbonate stone has been investigated through exposure of fresh samples of limestone and marble at monitored sites, through examination of alteration crusts from old buildings and through laboratory experiments. Several factors contribute to gypsum accumulation on carbonate stone. Marble or limestone that is sheltered from direct washing by rain in an urban environment with elevated pollution levels is likely to accumulate a gypsum crust. Crust development may be enhanced if the stone is porous or has an irregular surface area. Gypsum crusts are a surficial alteration feature; gypsum crystals form at the pore opening-air interface, where evaporation is greatest.
Trace elements in land plants: concentration ranges and accumulators of rare earths, Ba, Ra, Mn, Fe, Co, and heavy halogens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koyama, Mutsuo; Shirakawa, Masahiro; Takada, Jitsuya; Katayama, Yukio; Matsubara, Takashi

1986-01-01

More than 2000 samples of land plant leaves, mostly of tree, have been analysed by neutron activation analysis in order to find out macroscopic relations between distributions of chemical elements in plants and soil characteristics. The distributions of the elements in plants were also examined from the view point of botanical taxonomy or phylogeny. New species which accumulate Co, rare earths, Ba, Ra, heavy halogens and other elements have been found. Capability or potentiality for accumulating elements could be related to primarily to species. In several cases, however, it is related to higher ranks of taxonomy, that is, genus or family. The nature of soil is also found to have profound effects on the extent of accumulation of elements in plants. (author)
Rate of ice accumulation during ice storms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feknous, N. [SNC-Lavalin, Montreal, PQ (Canada); Chouinard, L. [McGill Univ., Montreal, PQ (Canada); Sabourin, G. [Hydro-Quebec, Montreal, PQ (Canada)

2005-07-01

The rate of glaze ice accumulation is the result of a complex process dependent on numerous meteorological and physical factors. The aim of this paper was to estimate the distribution rate of glaze ice accumulation on conductors in southern Quebec for use in the design of mechanical and electrical de-icing devices. The analysis was based on direct observations of ice accumulation collected on passive ice meters. The historical database of Hydro-Quebec, which contains observations at over 140 stations over period of 25 years, was used to compute accumulation rates. Data was processed so that each glaze ice event was numbered in a chronological sequence. Each event consisted of the time series of ice accumulations on each of the 8 cylinders of the ice meters, as well as on 5 of its surfaces. Observed rates were converted to represent the average ice on a 30 mm diameter conductor at 30 m above ground with a span of 300 m. Observations were corrected to account for the water content of the glaze ice as evidenced by the presence of icicles. Results indicated that despite significant spatial variations in the expected severity of ice storms as a function of location, the distribution function for rates of accumulation were fairly similar and could be assumed to be independent of location. It was concluded that the observations from several sites could be combined in order to obtain better estimates of the distribution of hourly rates of ice accumulation. However, the rates were highly variable. For de-icing strategies, it was suggested that average accumulation rates over 12 hour periods were preferable, and that analyses should be performed for other time intervals to account for the variability in ice accumulation rates over time. In addition, accumulation rates did not appear to be highly correlated with average wind speed for maximum hourly accumulation rates. 3 refs., 2 tabs., 10 figs.
Breast cancer risk accumulation starts early – Prevention must also

Science.gov (United States)

Colditz, Graham A; Bohlke, Kari; Berkey, Catherine S.

2014-01-01

Purpose Nearly 1 in 4 breast cancers is diagnosed before the age of 50, and many early-stage premalignant lesions are present but not yet diagnosed. Therefore, we review evidence to support the strategy that breast cancer prevention efforts must begin early in life. Methods Literature review Results Exposures during childhood and adolescence affect a woman’s long-term risk of breast cancer, but have received far less research attention than exposures that occur later in life. Breast tissue undergoes rapid cellular proliferation between menarche and first full-term pregnancy, and risk accumulates rapidly until the terminal differentiation that accompanies first pregnancy. Evidence on childhood diet and growth in height, and adolescent alcohol intake, among other adolescent factors are related to breast cancer risk and risk of premalignant proliferative benign lesions. Conclusion Breast cancer prevention efforts will have the greatest effect when initiated at an early age and continued over a lifetime. Gaps in knowledge are identified and deserve increase attention to inform prevention. PMID:24820413
Massive accumulation of luminal protease-deficient axonal lysosomes at Alzheimer’s disease amyloid plaques

Science.gov (United States)

Gowrishankar, Swetha; Yuan, Peng; Wu, Yumei; Schrag, Matthew; Paradise, Summer; Grutzendler, Jaime; De Camilli, Pietro; Ferguson, Shawn M.

2015-01-01

Through a comprehensive analysis of organellar markers in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, we document a massive accumulation of lysosome-like organelles at amyloid plaques and establish that the majority of these organelles reside within swollen axons that contact the amyloid deposits. This close spatial relationship between axonal lysosome accumulation and extracellular amyloid aggregates was observed from the earliest stages of β-amyloid deposition. Notably, we discovered that lysosomes that accumulate in such axons are lacking in multiple soluble luminal proteases and thus are predicted to be unable to efficiently degrade proteinaceous cargos. Of relevance to Alzheimer’s disease, β-secretase (BACE1), the protein that initiates amyloidogenic processing of the amyloid precursor protein and which is a substrate for these proteases, builds up at these sites. Furthermore, through a comparison between the axonal lysosome accumulations at amyloid plaques and neuronal lysosomes of the wild-type brain, we identified a similar, naturally occurring population of lysosome-like organelles in neuronal processes that is also defined by its low luminal protease content. In conjunction with emerging evidence that the lysosomal maturation of endosomes and autophagosomes is coupled to their retrograde transport, our results suggest that extracellular β-amyloid deposits cause a local impairment in the retrograde axonal transport of lysosome precursors, leading to their accumulation and a blockade in their further maturation. This study both advances understanding of Alzheimer’s disease brain pathology and provides new insights into the subcellular organization of neuronal lysosomes that may have broader relevance to other neurodegenerative diseases with a lysosomal component to their pathology. PMID:26124111
Nutrient accumulation at the initial growth of pitaya plants according to phosphorus fertilization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo Amato Moreira

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The knowledge about the amount of nutrient uptake in pitaya plants helps the balanced fertilizer recommendation for the crop, providing adequate nutrition and contributing to the maximum expression of this species potential. This research was carried out in order to evaluate the growth, nutrient accumulation and efficiency of absorption, transportation and use of P by pitaya according to phosphorus fertilization. A randomized blocks design was used, with five doses of P (0 mg dm-3, 20 mg dm-3, 40 mg dm-3, 80 mg dm-3 and 160 mg dm-3 incorporated into the soil, with four replications, three pots per plot and one cutting per pot. Differences in the nutrient accumulation of all doses were evident in the pitaya shoots and roots, as well as in the efficiency of absorption, transport and use of P, according to phosphorus fertilization. The nutrient accumulation in the pitaya roots was ranked in the following order: N > K > Ca > S > P > Mg > Fe > Mn > Zn > B ≥ Cu. For the shoots, the order was: K > N > Ca > S > Mg > P > Mn > Fe > Zn > B ≥ Cu. The initial growth of pitaya plants was maximum with 81 mg dm-3 of P, in a Red-Yellow Dystrophic Latosol. The application of 44-67 mg dm3 of P to the soil promoted the highest accumulation of macro and micronutrients in the pitaya.
Charge accumulation in lossy dielectrics: a review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Jørgen Knøster; McAllister, Iain Wilson; Crichton, George C

1999-01-01

At present, the phenomenon of charge accumulation in solid dielectrics is under intense experimental study. Using a field theoretical approach, we review the basis for charge accumulation in lossy dielectrics. Thereafter, this macroscopic approach is applied to planar geometries such that the mat......At present, the phenomenon of charge accumulation in solid dielectrics is under intense experimental study. Using a field theoretical approach, we review the basis for charge accumulation in lossy dielectrics. Thereafter, this macroscopic approach is applied to planar geometries...
Assessment of saddle-point-mass predictions for astrophysical applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kelic, A.; Schmidt, K.H.

2005-07-01

Using available experimental data on fission barriers and ground-state masses, a detailed study on the predictions of different models concerning the isospin dependence of saddle-point masses is performed. Evidence is found that several macroscopic models yield unrealistic saddle-point masses for very neutron-rich nuclei, which are relevant for the r-process nucleosynthesis. (orig.)
ACCUMULATION AND CONSUMPTION IN MICROECONOMIC SYSTEM

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Serghey A. Amelkin

2004-12-01

Full Text Available Two main processes are common for an economic system. They are consumption and accumulation. The first one is described by utility function, either cardinal or ordinal one. The mathematical model for accumulation process can be constructed using wealth function introduced within the frame of irreversible microeconomics. Characteristics of utility and wealth functions are compared and a problem of extreme performance of resources exchange process is solved for a case when both the consumption and accumulation exist.
Correlation of neural activity with behavioral kinematics reveals distinct sensory encoding and evidence accumulation processes during active tactile sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Delis, Ioannis; Dmochowski, Jacek P; Sajda, Paul; Wang, Qi

2018-03-23

Many real-world decisions rely on active sensing, a dynamic process for directing our sensors (e.g. eyes or fingers) across a stimulus to maximize information gain. Though ecologically pervasive, limited work has focused on identifying neural correlates of the active sensing process. In tactile perception, we often make decisions about an object/surface by actively exploring its shape/texture. Here we investigate the neural correlates of active tactile decision-making by simultaneously measuring electroencephalography (EEG) and finger kinematics while subjects interrogated a haptic surface to make perceptual judgments. Since sensorimotor behavior underlies decision formation in active sensing tasks, we hypothesized that the neural correlates of decision-related processes would be detectable by relating active sensing to neural activity. Novel brain-behavior correlation analysis revealed that three distinct EEG components, localizing to right-lateralized occipital cortex (LOC), middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and supplementary motor area (SMA), respectively, were coupled with active sensing as their activity significantly correlated with finger kinematics. To probe the functional role of these components, we fit their single-trial-couplings to decision-making performance using a hierarchical-drift-diffusion-model (HDDM), revealing that the LOC modulated the encoding of the tactile stimulus whereas the MFG predicted the rate of information integration towards a choice. Interestingly, the MFG disappeared from components uncovered from control subjects performing active sensing but not required to make perceptual decisions. By uncovering the neural correlates of distinct stimulus encoding and evidence accumulation processes, this study delineated, for the first time, the functional role of cortical areas in active tactile decision-making. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The Feasibility of 3d Point Cloud Generation from Smartphones

Science.gov (United States)

Alsubaie, N.; El-Sheimy, N.

2016-06-01

This paper proposes a new technique for increasing the accuracy of direct geo-referenced image-based 3D point cloud generated from low-cost sensors in smartphones. The smartphone's motion sensors are used to directly acquire the Exterior Orientation Parameters (EOPs) of the captured images. These EOPs, along with the Interior Orientation Parameters (IOPs) of the camera/ phone, are used to reconstruct the image-based 3D point cloud. However, because smartphone motion sensors suffer from poor GPS accuracy, accumulated drift and high signal noise, inaccurate 3D mapping solutions often result. Therefore, horizontal and vertical linear features, visible in each image, are extracted and used as constraints in the bundle adjustment procedure. These constraints correct the relative position and orientation of the 3D mapping solution. Once the enhanced EOPs are estimated, the semi-global matching algorithm (SGM) is used to generate the image-based dense 3D point cloud. Statistical analysis and assessment are implemented herein, in order to demonstrate the feasibility of 3D point cloud generation from the consumer-grade sensors in smartphones.
Hinkley Point 'C' power station public inquiry: proof of evidence on design and safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, B.V.

1988-09-01

A public inquiry has been set up to examine the planning application made by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) for the construction of a 1200 MW Pressurized Water Reactor power station at Hinkley Point (Hinkley Point ''C'') in the United Kingdom. The policy is to replicate the Sizewell ''B'' PWR design. The Hinkley Point ''C'' design is described indicating where changes in the Sizewell ''B'' design have been made to accommodate site differences. These are associated with the civil engineering construction and some of the electrical systems and do not affect the safety case. External hazards differ from site to site and the effect on the safety case of those specific to Hinkley Point are examined. The Chernobyl accident and the assessment of the United Kingdom PWR which was carried out subsequently are reviewed. The assessment indicated that no changes in the Sizewell ''B'' design and safety case were called for as a result of this accident; accident management developments are also reviewed, however. The CEGB's approach to minimizing occupational radiation doses is described. (UK)
The positron accumulator ring for the APS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crosbie, E.A.

1989-01-01

The Positron Accumulator Ring (PAR) is designed to accumulate and damp positrons from the 450-MeV linac during the 0.5-s cycle time of the injector synchrotron for the APS 7-GeV storage ring. During 0.4 s of each synchrotron cycle, up to 24 linac pulses are injected into the horizontal phase space of the PAR at a 60-Hz rate. Each injected pulse occupies about 1.3 of the circumference of the accumulator ring. After 0.1 s for longitudinal damping, the single accumulated bunch is transferred to one of the 353-MHz buckets of the injector synchrotron RF system. The bunch is accelerated to 7 GeV and transferred to the storage ring, while the PAR accumulates the next bunch of positrons. 2 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs
The positron accumulator ring for the APS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crosbie, E.A.

1989-01-01

The Positron Accumulator Ring (PAR) is designed to accumulate and damp positrons from the 450-MeV linac during the 0.5-s cycle time of the injector synchrotron for the APS 7-GeV storage ring. During 0.4 s of each synchrotron cycle, up to 24 linac pulses are injected into the horizontal phase space of the PAR at a 60-Hz rate. Each injected pulse occupies about 1/3 of the circumference of the accumulator ring. After 0.1 s for longitudinal damping, the single accumulated bunch is transferred to one of the 353-MHz buckets of the injector synchrotron RF system. The bunch is accelerated to 7 GeV and transferred to the storage ring, while the PAR accumulates the next bunch of positrons. 2 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs

IL-1β-Induced Accumulation of Amyloid: Macroautophagy in Skeletal Muscle Depends on ERK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karsten Schmidt

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The pathology of inclusion body myositis (IBM involves an inflammatory response and β-amyloid deposits in muscle fibres. It is believed that MAP kinases such as the ERK signalling pathway mediate the inflammatory signalling in cells. Further, there is evidence that autophagic activity plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of IBM. Using a well established in vitro model of IBM, the autophagic pathway, MAP kinases, and accumulation of β-amyloid were examined. We demonstrate that stimulation of muscle cells with IL-1β and IFN-γ led to an increased phosphorylation of ERK. The ERK inhibitor PD98059 diminished the expression of proinflammatory markers as well as the accumulation of β-amyloid. In addition, IL-1β and IFN-γ led to an increase of autophagic activity, upregulation of APP, and subsequent accumulation of β-sheet aggregates. Taken together, the data demonstrate that the ERK pathway contributes to formation of β-amyloid and regulation of autophagic activity in muscle cells exposed to proinflammatory cell stress. This suggests that ERK serves as an important mediator between inflammatory mechanisms and protein deposition in skeletal muscle and is a crucial element of the pathology of IBM.
Possible negative consequences of the secondary air contamination on the quality of accumulated drinking water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rihova Ambrozova, J.; Hubackova, J.; Cihakova, I.

2008-01-01

At the present time when requirements on quality of drinking water are increased, it is necessary not only to put stress on technological processes used in its preparation, but also there is a need to secure that water is distributed even to the consumer in that quality as it leaves a water station. Through a systematic surveillance of water-supply companies within the framework of biological audits it has been found out that the important points in a distribution network where the quality of water is deteriorated are the water reservoirs. Deterioration in quality of accumulated water is jointly caused by elements of technological, constructional and biological nature. The secondary air contamination has a substantial influence on the creation of bio-films on walls and the presence of microorganisms in accumulated drinking water. To this end, a water twin-compartment reservoir has been systematically evaluated during operation, cleaning meantime and before cleaning. The results of hydro-biological and microbiological analysis have confirmed the input of particles and microorganisms through air, their presence in surface level of accumulated water as well as scrapings from accumulation walls. The surveillance considered also the situation without a fixed filter unit, without door lining etc. On fixing a tested filter system into ventilation duct the risk of air contamination was lowered to minimum. (authors)
How to get fat: nutritional mechanisms of seasonal fat accumulation in migratory songbirds

Science.gov (United States)

Bairlein, Franz

2002-01-01

Many migratory birds accumulate large amounts of lipids as the prime energy source for their long-distance flights. This fat accumulation is mostly under endogenous control, reflecting genetically programmed temporal shifts of the body mass set point. It is accompanied by an increase in daily food intake and food utilisation efficiency and by a seasonal shift in food selection. In particular, seasonal frugivory appears to play a key role in many migrants. Fruits have a high content of fatty acids indispensable for building up the specific depot lipids. In addition, plant secondary compounds seem to play some kind of supportive role, but the mechanisms are not yet known. The effect of being fat on the metabolic situation in migrant birds appears to be similar to the metabolic syndrome in obese humans. The fat migratory bird provides a model through which to study nutritional factors as well as the biochemical and endocrine regulation of food intake, body mass and obesity.
Vanillylacetone up-regulates anthocyanin accumulation and expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes by inducing endogenous abscisic acid in grapevine tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Enoki, Shinichi; Hattori, Tomoki; Ishiai, Shiho; Tanaka, Sayumi; Mikami, Masachika; Arita, Kayo; Nagasaka, Shu; Suzuki, Shunji

2017-12-01

We investigated the effect of vanillylacetone (VA) on anthocyanin accumulation with aim of improving grape berry coloration. Spraying Vitis vinifera cv. Muscat Bailey A berries with VA at veraison increased sugar/acid ratio, an indicator of maturation and total anthocyanin accumulation. To elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the effect of VA on anthocyanin accumulation, in vitro VA treatment of a grapevine cell culture was carried out. Endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) content was higher in the VA-treated cell cultures than in control at 3h after treatment. Consistent with this, the relative expression levels of anthocyanin-synthesis-related genes, including DFR, LDOX, MybA1 and UFGT, in VA-treated cell cultures were much higher than those in control, and high total anthocyanin accumulation was noted in the VA-treated cell cultures as well. These results suggest that VA up-regulates the expression of genes leading to anthocyanin accumulation by inducing endogenous ABA. In addition, VA increased total anthocyanin content in a dose-dependent manner. Although VA treatment in combination with exogenous ABA did not exhibit any synergistic effect, treatment with VA alone showed an equivalent effect to that with exogenous ABA alone on total anthocyanin accumulation. These findings point to the possibility of using VA for improving grape berry coloration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Accumulation of nickel in transgenic tobacco

Science.gov (United States)

Sidik, Nik Marzuki; Othman, Noor Farhan

2013-11-01

The accumulation of heavy metal Ni in the roots and leaves of four T1 transgenic lines of tobacco (T(1)20E, T(1)24C, T(1)18B1 and T(1)20B) expressing eiMT1 from E.indica was assessed. The aim of the study was to investigate the level of Ni accumulation in the leaves and roots of each transgenic lines and to evaluate the eligibility of the plants to be classified as a phytoremediation agent. All of the transgenic lines showed different ability in accumulating different metals and has translocation factor (TF) less than 1 (TFtransgenic lines, transgenic line T(1)24C showed the highest accumulation of Ni (251.9 ± 0.014 mg/kg) and the lowest TF value (TFT(1)24C=0.0875) at 60 ppm Ni.
Geochemistry Model Validation Report: External Accumulation Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zarrabi, K.

2001-01-01

The purpose of this Analysis and Modeling Report (AMR) is to validate the External Accumulation Model that predicts accumulation of fissile materials in fractures and lithophysae in the rock beneath a degrading waste package (WP) in the potential monitored geologic repository at Yucca Mountain. (Lithophysae are voids in the rock having concentric shells of finely crystalline alkali feldspar, quartz, and other materials that were formed due to entrapped gas that later escaped, DOE 1998, p. A-25.) The intended use of this model is to estimate the quantities of external accumulation of fissile material for use in external criticality risk assessments for different types of degrading WPs: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) codisposed with High Level Waste (HLW) glass, commercial SNF, and Immobilized Plutonium Ceramic (Pu-ceramic) codisposed with HLW glass. The scope of the model validation is to (1) describe the model and the parameters used to develop the model, (2) provide rationale for selection of the parameters by comparisons with measured values, and (3) demonstrate that the parameters chosen are the most conservative selection for external criticality risk calculations. To demonstrate the applicability of the model, a Pu-ceramic WP is used as an example. The model begins with a source term from separately documented EQ6 calculations; where the source term is defined as the composition versus time of the water flowing out of a breached waste package (WP). Next, PHREEQC, is used to simulate the transport and interaction of the source term with the resident water and fractured tuff below the repository. In these simulations the primary mechanism for accumulation is mixing of the high pH, actinide-laden source term with resident water; thus lowering the pH values sufficiently for fissile minerals to become insoluble and precipitate. In the final section of the model, the outputs from PHREEQC, are processed to produce mass of accumulation
Studies on the distribution of 210Po and 210Pb in the ecosystem of Point Calimere Coast (Palk Strait), India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suriyanarayanan, S.; Brahmanandhan, G.M.; Malathi, J.; Ravi Kumar, S.; Masilamani, V.; Shahul Hameed, P.; Selvasekarapandian, S.

2008-01-01

A systematic study on the natural radionuclides such as 210 Po and 210 Pb in the environmental matrices of Point Calimere ecosystem has been undertaken to establish a baseline data on the radiation profile of Point Calimere environment. The environmental samples such as water, sediment and biota (seaweeds, crustaceans, molluscs and fish) have been subjected to analyses. It has been observed that the concentration of 210 Po and 210 Pb in the water samples of Point Calimere to be 0.5 mBq/l and 1.3 mBq/l, respectively. The soft tissues of the organisms accumulated higher 210 Po content while shells and bones contained more 210 Pb. The bivalve molluscs Meretrix casta have been identified to accumulate higher concentration of 210 Po suggesting that they could serve as bio-indicator of radionuclides like 210 Po in the Point Calimere ecosystem. The concentration factor of 210 Po for the biotic components ranged from ∼10 3 to 10 6 while for 210 Pb it ranged from ∼10 3 to 10 5
Uptake and intra-inclusion accumulation of exogenous immunoglobulin by Chlamydia-infected cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Croteau Nancy L

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Obligate intracellular pathogens belonging to the Chlamydiaceae family possess a number of mechanisms by which to manipulate the host cell and surrounding environment. Such capabilities include the inhibition of apoptosis, down-regulation of major histocompatability complex (MHC and CD1/d gene expression, and the acquisition of host-synthesized nutrients. It is also documented that a limited number of host-derived macromolecules such as β-catenin and sphingomyelin accumulate within the inclusion. Results This report provides evidence that immunoglobulin, inherently present in the extracellular environment in vivo and in vitro, enters infected cells and accumulates within the chlamydial inclusion. Using epi-fluorescent and confocal microscopy, this selective uptake of Ig is shown to occur among human leukocytes in vivo as well as cells cultured in vitro. These findings were confirmed by detection of IgG in the lysate of infected cells by western blot hybridization. Sequestered antibodies appear to be present during the entire course of the chlamydial developmental cycle and are distributed throughout this compartment. IgG pre-labeled with fluorescein, when added to the supernatant of infected cell cultures, was also imported and readily visualized. Accumulation of these molecules within the inclusion and the failure of bovine serum albumin or F(ab'2 fragments to accumulate in a similar manner suggests the process of entry is specific for intact IgG molecules and not a result of pinocytosis, diffusion, or any other mass endocytic event. Conclusion Sequestration of a host cell-derived protein within the chlamydial inclusion, although unexpected, is not an unprecedented occurrence. However, selective accumulation of an exogenous host protein, such as extracellular IgG, has not been previously reported in connection with chlamydial infections. The selectivity of this process may indicate that this uptake plays an important role
Single cell analysis of G1 check points-the relationship between the restriction point and phosphorylation of pRb

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinsson, Hanna-Stina; Starborg, Maria; Erlandsson, Fredrik; Zetterberg, Anders

2005-01-01

Single cell analysis allows high resolution investigation of temporal relationships between transition events in G 1 . It has been suggested that phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (pRb) is the molecular mechanism behind passage through the restriction point (R). We performed a detailed single cell study of the temporal relationship between R and pRb phosphorylation in human fibroblasts using time lapse video-microscopy combined with immunocytochemistry. Four principally different criteria for pRb phosphorylation were used, namely (i) phosphorylation of residues Ser 795 and Ser 780 (ii) degree of pRb-association with the nuclear structure, a property that is closely related with pRb phosphorylation status, (iii) release of the transcription factor E2F-1 from pRb, and (iv) accumulation of cyclin E, which is dependent on phosphorylation of pRb. The analyses of individual cells revealed that passage through R preceded phosphorylation of pRb, which occurs in a gradually increasing proportion of cells in late G 1 . Our data clearly suggest that pRb phosphorylation is not the molecular mechanism behind the passage through R. The restriction point and phosphorylation of pRb thus seem to represent two separate check point in G 1
Rock bed heat accumulators. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Riaz, M.

1977-12-01

The principal objectives of the research program on rock bed heat accumulators (or RBHA) are: (1) to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of storing large amounts of thermal energy (in the tens of MWt range) at high temperature (up to 500/sup 0/C) over extended periods of time (up to 6 months) using native earth or rock materials; (2) to conduct studies to establish the performance characteristics of large rock bed heat accumulators at various power and temperature levels compatible with thermal conversion systems; and (3) to assess the materials and environmental problems associated with the operation of such large heat accumulators. Results of the study indicate that rock bed heat accumulators for seasonal storage are both technically and economically feasible, and hence could be exploited in various applications in which storage plays an essential role such as solar power and total energy systems, district and cogeneration heating systems.
Barriers to and Facilitators of Evidence-Based Decision Making at the Point of Care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ann S. O’Malley MD, MPH

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Physicians vary widely in how they treat some health conditions, despite strong evidence favoring certain treatments over others. We examined physicians’ perspectives on factors that support or hinder evidence-based decisions and the implications for delivery systems, payers, and policymakers. Methods: We used Choosing Wisely ® recommendations to create four clinical vignettes for common types of decisions. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 36 specialists to identify factors that support or hinder evidence-based decisions. We examined these factors using a conceptual framework that includes six levels: patients, physicians, practice sites, organizations, networks and hospital affiliations, and the local market. In this model, population characteristics and payer and regulatory factors interact to influence decisions. Results: Patient openness to behavior modification and expectations, facilitated and hindered physicians in making evidence-based recommendations. Physicians’ communication skills were the most commonly mentioned facilitator. Practice site, organization, and hospital system barriers included measures of emergency department throughput, the order in which test options are listed in electronic health records (EHR, lack of relevant decision support in EHRs, and payment incentives that maximize billing and encourage procedures rather than medical management or counseling patients on behavior change. Factors from different levels interacted to undermine evidence-based care. Most physicians received billing feedback, but quality metrics on evidence-based service use were nonexistent for the four decisions in this study. Conclusions and Implications: Additional research and quality improvement may help to modify delivery systems to overcome barriers at multiple levels. Enhancing provider communication skills, improving decision support in EHRs, modifying workflows, and refining the design and interpretation of
Testing the validity of a Cd soil quality standard in representative Mediterranean agricultural soils under an accumulator crop

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Recatala, L.; Sanchez, J.; Arbelo, C.; Sacristan, D.

2010-01-01

The validity of a quality standard for cadmium (Cd) in representative agricultural Mediterranean soils under an accumulator crop (Lactuca sativa L.) is evaluated in this work considering both its effect on the crop growth (biomass production) and the metal accumulation in the edible part of the plant. Four soils with different properties relevant to regulate the behaviour of heavy metals were selected from the Valencian Region, a representative area of the European Mediterranean Region. For all soils, the effective concentration of added Cd causing 50% inhibition (EC 50 ) on the biomass production was much higher than the minimum legal concentration used to declare soils as contaminated by cadmium, i.e. 100 times the baseline value for Cd, in Spain (Spanish Royal Decree 9/2005). As expected, Cd toxicity in the crop was higher in the soils having less carbonate content. On the other hand, for all soils, from the second dose on, which represents 10-times the baseline value for Cd, the metal content in crops exceeded the maximum level established for leaf crops by the European legislation (Regulation EC no. 466/2001). Soil salinity and coarse textures make the accumulation of Cd in the edible part of the plant easier. Therefore, the legal baseline soil cadmium content established by the Spanish legislation seems not valid neither from the point of view of the effect on the crop growth nor from the point of view of the metal accumulation in the edible part of the plant. In order to realistically declare contaminated soils by heavy metals, soil quality standards should be proposed taking into account the soil properties. Further research in other agricultural areas of the region would improve the basis for proposing adequate soil quality standards for heavy metals as highlighted by the European Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection.
Testing the validity of a Cd soil quality standard in representative Mediterranean agricultural soils under an accumulator crop

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Recatala, L., E-mail: luis.recatala@uv.es [Departamento de Planificacion Territorial, Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificacion-CIDE (CSIC-Universitat de Valencia-Generalitat Valenciana), Cami de la Marjal S/N, 46470 Albal (Valencia) (Spain); Sanchez, J. [Departamento de Planificacion Territorial, Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificacion-CIDE (CSIC-Universitat de Valencia-Generalitat Valenciana), Cami de la Marjal S/N, 46470 Albal (Valencia) (Spain); Arbelo, C. [Departamento de Edafologia y Geologia, Facultad de Biologia, Universidad de La Laguna, 38206 La Laguna (Tenerife), Islas Canarias (Spain); Sacristan, D. [Departamento de Planificacion Territorial, Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificacion-CIDE (CSIC-Universitat de Valencia-Generalitat Valenciana), Cami de la Marjal S/N, 46470 Albal (Valencia) (Spain)

2010-12-01

The validity of a quality standard for cadmium (Cd) in representative agricultural Mediterranean soils under an accumulator crop (Lactuca sativa L.) is evaluated in this work considering both its effect on the crop growth (biomass production) and the metal accumulation in the edible part of the plant. Four soils with different properties relevant to regulate the behaviour of heavy metals were selected from the Valencian Region, a representative area of the European Mediterranean Region. For all soils, the effective concentration of added Cd causing 50% inhibition (EC{sub 50}) on the biomass production was much higher than the minimum legal concentration used to declare soils as contaminated by cadmium, i.e. 100 times the baseline value for Cd, in Spain (Spanish Royal Decree 9/2005). As expected, Cd toxicity in the crop was higher in the soils having less carbonate content. On the other hand, for all soils, from the second dose on, which represents 10-times the baseline value for Cd, the metal content in crops exceeded the maximum level established for leaf crops by the European legislation (Regulation EC no. 466/2001). Soil salinity and coarse textures make the accumulation of Cd in the edible part of the plant easier. Therefore, the legal baseline soil cadmium content established by the Spanish legislation seems not valid neither from the point of view of the effect on the crop growth nor from the point of view of the metal accumulation in the edible part of the plant. In order to realistically declare contaminated soils by heavy metals, soil quality standards should be proposed taking into account the soil properties. Further research in other agricultural areas of the region would improve the basis for proposing adequate soil quality standards for heavy metals as highlighted by the European Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection.
Aflatoxin Accumulation in a Maize Diallel Cross

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Paul Williams

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Aflatoxins, produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus, occur naturally in maize. Contamination of maize grain with aflatoxin is a major food and feed safety problem and greatly reduces the value of the grain. Plant resistance is generally considered a highly desirable approach to reduction or elimination of aflatoxin in maize grain. In this investigation, a diallel cross was produced by crossing 10 inbred lines with varying degrees of resistance to aflatoxin accumulation in all possible combinations. Three lines that previously developed and released as sources of resistance to aflatoxin accumulation were included as parents. The 10 parental inbred lines and the 45 single crosses making up the diallel cross were evaluated for aflatoxin accumulation in field tests conducted in 2013 and 2014. Plants were inoculated with an A. flavus spore suspension seven days after silk emergence. Ears were harvested approximately 60 days later and concentration of aflatoxin in the grain determined. Parental inbred lines Mp717, Mp313E, and Mp719 exhibited low levels (3–12 ng/g of aflatoxin accumulation. In the diallel analysis, both general and specific combining ability were significant sources of variation in the inheritance of resistance to aflatoxin accumulation. General combining ability effects for reduced aflatoxin accumulation were greatest for Mp494, Mp719, and Mp717. These lines should be especially useful in breeding for resistance to aflatoxin accumulation. Breeding strategies, such as reciprocal recurrent selection, would be appropriate.
Progress and results in Zero-Point Energy research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, M.B.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that the vacuum polarization of atomic nuclei may trigger a coherence in the zero-point energy (ZPE) whenever a large number of nuclei undergo abrupt, synchronous motion. Experimental evidence arises from the energy anomalies observed in heavy-ion collisions, ion-acoustic plasma oscillations, sonoluminescence, fractoemission, large charge density plasmoids, abrupt electric discharges, and light water cold fusion experiments. Further evidence arises from inventions that utilize coherent ion-acoustic activity to output anomalously excessive power
Effects of garcinia cambogia (Hydroxycitric Acid on visceral fat accumulation: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kohsuke Hayamizu, MS

2003-09-01

Full Text Available Background: (--Hydroxycitric acid (HCA is an active ingredient extracted from the rind of the Indian fruit Garcinia cambogia. It inhibits adenosine triphosphate citrate lyase and has been used in the treatment of obesity. Objective: The primary end point of this study was the effects of 12 weeks of G cambogia extract administration on visceral fat accumulation. The secondary end points were body indices (including height, body weight, body mass index [BMI], waist and hip circumference, and waist–hip ratio and laboratory values (including total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and free fatty acid. Methods: This study was performed according to a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group design. Subjects aged 20 to 65 years with a visceral fat area >90 cm2 were enrolled. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive treatment for 12 weeks with G cambogia (containing 1000 mg of HCA per day or placebo. At the end of the treatment period, both groups were administered placebo for 4 weeks to assess any rebound effect. Each subject underwent a computed tomography scan at the umbilical level at −2, 0, 12, and 16 weeks. Results: Forty-four subjects were randomized at baseline, and 39 completed the study (G cambogia group, n=18; placebo group, n=21. At 16 weeks, the G cambogia group had significantly reduced visceral, subcutaneous, and total fat areas compared with the placebo group (all indices P<0.001. No severe adverse effect was observed at any time in the test period. There were no significant differences in BMI or body weight at week 12, but there were slight numeric decreases in body weight and BMI in men. There were no signs of a rebound effect from week 12 to week 16. Conclusion: G cambogia reduced abdominal fat accumulation in subjects, regardless of sex, who had the visceral fat accumulation type of obesity. No rebound effect was observed. It is therefore expected that G cambogia may be useful for the prevention and reduction
Mudanças em regimes industriais e acumulação de capacidades tecnológicas: evidências de empresas de celulose e papel no Brasil Changes in industrial regimes and accumulation of technological capabilities: evidence from pulp and paper firms in Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia Teresa Carvajal García

2009-12-01

Full Text Available A despeito da profusão de estudos sobre capacidade tecnológica em nível de empresas ao longo dos últimos 30 anos, há escassez de estudos sobre similaridades e diferenças entre empresas do mesmo setor industrial, em termos de acumulação de capacidades tecnológicas e suas implicações para o aprimoramento de indicadores de performance técnico-econômica ao longo de diferentes regimes industriais, especialmente no contexto de países de industrialização recente, como é o caso do Brasil. Baseando-se em evidências de primeira mão colhidas à base de extensivos trabalhos de campo, este artigo examina essas questões em três grandes empresas de celulose e papel no Brasil (1970-2004. O estudo encontrou: (1 Diferenças inter e intraempresariais em termos da maneira e velocidade de acumulação de capacidades para funções tecnológicas específicas ao longo dos diferentes períodos; (2 Tais diferenças refletiram-se, com diferentes graus de intensidade, no aprimoramento dos indicadores de performance técnico-econômica; (3 As empresas responderam positivamente às mudanças para uma economia aberta partir dos anos 1990; (4 Porém, os aprimoramentos em seus indicadores de performance técnico-econômica não derivaram das mudanças do regime industrial per se, mas, principalmente, dos seus esforços internos para acumulação tecnológica.Despite the profusion of studies of firm-level technological capabilities studies, over the past 30 years, there is a scarcity of analyses on similarities and differences across firms, of the same industrial sector, in terms of types and levels, direction and rate of accumulation of technological capabilities and their implications for the improvement of techno-economic performance across different industrial regimes, especially in the context of late-industrializing countries, as it is the case of Brazil. Based on first-hand qualitative and quantitative empirical evidence, collected on the basis of
The Accumulating Data to Optimally Predict Obesity Treatment (ADOPT) Core Measures Project: Rationale and Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

MacLean, Paul S; Rothman, Alexander J; Nicastro, Holly L; Czajkowski, Susan M; Agurs-Collins, Tanya; Rice, Elise L; Courcoulas, Anita P; Ryan, Donna H; Bessesen, Daniel H; Loria, Catherine M

2018-04-01

Individual variability in response to multiple modalities of obesity treatment is well documented, yet our understanding of why some individuals respond while others do not is limited. The etiology of this variability is multifactorial; however, at present, we lack a comprehensive evidence base to identify which factors or combination of factors influence treatment response. This paper provides an overview and rationale of the Accumulating Data to Optimally Predict obesity Treatment (ADOPT) Core Measures Project, which aims to advance the understanding of individual variability in response to adult obesity treatment. This project provides an integrated model for how factors in the behavioral, biological, environmental, and psychosocial domains may influence obesity treatment responses and identify a core set of measures to be used consistently across adult weight-loss trials. This paper provides the foundation for four companion papers that describe the core measures in detail. The accumulation of data on factors across the four ADOPT domains can inform the design and delivery of effective, tailored obesity treatments. ADOPT provides a framework for how obesity researchers can collectively generate this evidence base and is a first step in an ongoing process that can be refined as the science advances. © 2018 The Obesity Society.
Factors influencing the cardiac MIBG accumulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takatsu, Hisato; Fujiwara, Hisayoshi

1997-01-01

Following factors possibly influencing the cardiac MIBG accumulation were examined mainly in mice. 1. The specific activity of the MIBG (meta-iodo-benzyl guanidine) on the neuronal and non-neuronal fractions. 2. Motor restriction stress on MIBG accumulation and washout. 3. Loading and restriction of sodium chloride on the accumulation and effect of suppression of renin-angiotensin system. 4. Examinations in Dahl rats. 125I- or 131I-MIBG was intravenously administered to mice at 74 kBq. At 30 min or 4 hr after administration, mice were sacrificed and their left ventricles were dissected out for measurement of radioactivity in a liquid scintillation counter. Salt-sensitive and -resistant Dahl rats were given with 37 MBq of 123I-MIBG and cardiac radioactivity was measured externally for calculation of washout. Factors examined were found highly correlated with the accumulation of MIBG and measurement of its washout was considered useful for evaluating sympathetic activity. (K.H.)
Process for structural geologic analysis of topography and point data

Science.gov (United States)

Eliason, Jay R.; Eliason, Valerie L. C.

1987-01-01

A quantitative method of geologic structural analysis of digital terrain data is described for implementation on a computer. Assuming selected valley segments are controlled by the underlying geologic structure, topographic lows in the terrain data, defining valley bottoms, are detected, filtered and accumulated into a series line segments defining contiguous valleys. The line segments are then vectorized to produce vector segments, defining valley segments, which may be indicative of the underlying geologic structure. Coplanar analysis is performed on vector segment pairs to determine which vectors produce planes which represent underlying geologic structure. Point data such as fracture phenomena which can be related to fracture planes in 3-dimensional space can be analyzed to define common plane orientation and locations. The vectors, points, and planes are displayed in various formats for interpretation.

Gait as evidence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lynnerup, Niels; Larsen, Peter Kastmand

2014-01-01

This study examines what in Denmark may constitute evidence based on forensic anthropological gait analyses, in the sense of pointing to a match (or not) between a perpetrator and a suspect, based on video and photographic imagery. Gait and anthropometric measures can be used when direct facial...
Lead-210 analyses of sediment accumulation rates in five Southern Illinois surface mine lakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brugam, R.B.; Carlson, M.A.

1981-01-01

210 Pb is a naturally occurring radionuclide with a short half-life (22 yrs) which can be used to determine sedimentation rates in lakes. The technique was applied in 5 Southern Illinois surface mine lakes where it revealed past sedimentation rates to have been extremely variable. In some of the lakes there was evidence for extensive slumping immediately after mining ceased followed by a more regular sedimentary regime that continued until the present. In others there have been one or more changes in sediment accumulation rates since lacustrine sedimentation began. These results suggest that simply measuring the amount of sediment that has accumulated in a surface mine lake since mining ceased is inadequate to determine filling rates. Sedimentation rates in the 5 lakes varied from .60 +- .19 to 1.46 +- .19 cm/y. These rates are similar to natural lakes with moderately disturbed watersheds
Selenium accumulation by plants.

Science.gov (United States)

White, Philip J

2016-02-01

Selenium (Se) is an essential mineral element for animals and humans, which they acquire largely from plants. The Se concentration in edible plants is determined by the Se phytoavailability in soils. Selenium is not an essential element for plants, but excessive Se can be toxic. Thus, soil Se phytoavailability determines the ecology of plants. Most plants cannot grow on seleniferous soils. Most plants that grow on seleniferous soils accumulate plant species have evolved tolerance to Se, and commonly accumulate tissue Se concentrations >100 mg Se kg(-1) dry matter. These plants are considered to be Se accumulators. Some species can even accumulate Se concentrations of 1000-15 000 mg Se kg(-1 )dry matter and are called Se hyperaccumulators. This article provides an overview of Se uptake, translocation and metabolism in plants and highlights the possible genetic basis of differences in these between and within plant species. The review focuses initially on adaptations allowing plants to tolerate large Se concentrations in their tissues and the evolutionary origin of species that hyperaccumulate Se. It then describes the variation in tissue Se concentrations between and within angiosperm species and identifies genes encoding enzymes limiting the rates of incorporation of Se into organic compounds and chromosomal loci that might enable the development of crops with greater Se concentrations in their edible portions. Finally, it discusses transgenic approaches enabling plants to tolerate greater Se concentrations in the rhizosphere and in their tissues. The trait of Se hyperaccumulation has evolved several times in separate angiosperm clades. The ability to tolerate large tissue Se concentrations is primarily related to the ability to divert Se away from the accumulation of selenocysteine and selenomethionine, which might be incorporated into non-functional proteins, through the synthesis of less toxic Se metabilites. There is potential to breed or select crops
HORMONAL REGULATION OF SELENIUM ACCUMULATION BY PLANTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. A. Golubkina

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Hormonal regulation is considered to be a unique mechanism controlling growth and development of living organism. The review discusses the correlations between pant hormonal status of non-accumulators and hyper-accumulators of Se with the accumulation levels of this microelement. The phenomenon of stimulation and redistribution of selenium as a result of phytohormone treatment, the peculiarities of phytohormones effect among different species and cultivars, and influence of plant sexualization on selenium accumulation are described in article. Data of hormonal regulation of selenium level for spinach, garlic, perennial onion, Brassica chinenesis and Valeriana officialis are presented in the review.
Uncertainty on Fatigue Damage Accumulation for Composite Materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Toft, Henrik Stensgaard; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2009-01-01

In the present paper stochastic models for fatigue damage accumulation for composite materials are presented based on public available constant and variable amplitude fatigue tests. The methods used for estimating the SN-curve and accumulated fatigue damage are presented.......In the present paper stochastic models for fatigue damage accumulation for composite materials are presented based on public available constant and variable amplitude fatigue tests. The methods used for estimating the SN-curve and accumulated fatigue damage are presented....
Accumulation by Conservation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Büscher, Bram; Fletcher, Robert

2015-01-01

Following the financial crisis and its aftermath, it is clear that the inherent contradictions of capitalist accumulation have become even more intense and plunged the global economy into unprecedented turmoil and urgency. Governments, business leaders and other elite agents are frantically
Accumulation by Conservation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Büscher, Bram; Fletcher, Robert

2014-01-01

Following the financial crisis and its aftermath, it is clear that the inherent contradictions of capitalist accumulation have become even more intense and plunged the global economy into unprecedented turmoil and urgency. Governments, business leaders and other elite agents are frantically
Enhanced insight into the autoimmune component of glaucoma: IgG autoantibody accumulation and pro-inflammatory conditions in human glaucomatous retina.

Science.gov (United States)

Gramlich, Oliver W; Beck, Sabine; von Thun Und Hohenstein-Blaul, Nadine; Boehm, Nils; Ziegler, Anika; Vetter, Jan M; Pfeiffer, Norbert; Grus, Franz H

2013-01-01

There is accumulating evidence that autoimmune components, such as autoantibodies and autoantibody depositions, play a role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimeŕs disease or Multiple Sclerosis. Due to alterations of autoantibody patterns in sera and aqueous humor, an autoimmune component is also assumed in the pathogenesis of glaucoma, a common reason for irreversible blindness worldwide. So far there has been no convincing evidence that autoantibodies are accumulated in the retina of glaucoma patients and that the local immune homeostasis might be affected. Six human glaucomatous donor eyes and nine samples from donors with no recorded ocular disease were included. Antibody microarrays were used to examine the patterns of pro-inflammatory proteins and complement proteins. Analysis of TNF-α and interleukin levels revealed a slight up-regulation exclusively in the glaucomatous group, while complement protein levels were not altered. IgG autoantibody accumulations and/or cellular components were determined by immunohistology (n = 4 per group). A significantly reduced number of retinal ganglion cells was found in the glaucomatous group (healthy: 104±7 nuclei/mm, glaucoma: 67±9 nuclei/mm; p = 0.0007). Cell loss was accompanied by strong retinal IgG autoantibody accumulations, which were at least twice as high as in healthy subjects (healthy: 5.0±0.5 IgG deposits/100 cells, glaucoma: 9.4±1.9 IgG deposits/100 cells; p = 0.004). CD27(+) cells and CD27(+)/IgG(+) plasma cells were observed in all glaucomatous subjects, but not in controls. This work provides serious evidence for the occurrence of IgG antibody deposition and plasma cells in human glaucomatous retina. Moreover, the results suggest that these IgG deposits occurred in a pro-inflammatory environment which seems to be maintained locally by immune-competent cells like microglia. Thereby, glaucoma features an immunological involvement comparable to other
Triana Safehold: A New Gyroless, Sun-Pointing Attitude Controller

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, J.; Morgenstern, Wendy; Garrick, Joseph

2001-01-01

Triana is a single-string spacecraft to be placed in a halo orbit about the sun-earth Ll Lagrangian point. The Attitude Control Subsystem (ACS) hardware includes four reaction wheels, ten thrusters, six coarse sun sensors, a star tracker, and a three-axis Inertial Measuring Unit (IMU). The ACS Safehold design features a gyroless sun-pointing control scheme using only sun sensors and wheels. With this minimum hardware approach, Safehold increases mission reliability in the event of a gyroscope anomaly. In place of the gyroscope rate measurements, Triana Safehold uses wheel tachometers to help provide a scaled estimation of the spacecraft body rate about the sun vector. Since Triana nominally performs momentum management every three months, its accumulated system momentum can reach a significant fraction of the wheel capacity. It is therefore a requirement for Safehold to maintain a sun-pointing attitude even when the spacecraft system momentum is reasonably large. The tachometer sun-line rate estimation enables the controller to bring the spacecraft close to its desired sun-pointing attitude even with reasonably high system momentum and wheel drags. This paper presents the design rationale behind this gyroless controller, stability analysis, and some time-domain simulation results showing performances with various initial conditions. Finally, suggestions for future improvements are briefly discussed.
BetterPoints: Motivating behaviour change using technology-driven incentivisation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne Lancaster

2015-10-01

The BetterPoints system is unique in it’s flexibility and ability to draw on multiple behaviour change models to create high quality interventions. Early findings from existing programmes being implemented for Local Authorities in the UK suggest that BetterPoints can demonstrate real-world behaviour change. We would like to work with academic partners to further investigate these real-world changes in behaviour and establish a robust evidence base.
Heavy metal accumulation by carrageenan and agar producing algae

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burdin, K.S. [Moscow State Univ. (Russian Federation). Faculty of Biology; Bird, K.T. [North Carolina Univ., Wilmington, NC (United States). Center for Marine Science Research

1994-09-01

The accumulation of six heavy metals Cu, Cd, Ni, Zn, Mn and Pb was measured in living and lzophilized algal thalli. The agar producing algae were Gracilaria tikvahiae and Gelidium pusillum. The carrageenan producing macroalgae were Agardhiella subulata and the gametophyte and tetrasporophyte phases of Chondrus crispus. These produce primarily iota, kappa and lambda carrageenans, respectively. At heavy metal concentrations of 0.5 mg L{sup -1}, living thalli of Gracilaria tikvahiae generally showed the greatest amount of accumulation of the 6 heavy metals tested. The accumulation of Pb was greater in the living thalli of all four species than in the lyophilized thalli. Except for Agardhiella subulata, lyophilized thalli showed greater accumulation of Ni, Cu and Zn. There was no difference in heavy metal accumulation between living and lyophilized thalli in the accumulation of Cd. Manganese showed no accumulation at the tested concentration. There did not appear to be a relationship between algal hydrocolloid characteristics and the amounts of heavy metals accumulated. (orig.)
Refining Game Addiction Questionnairs: Evidence for a natural cut-off point?

OpenAIRE

Nielsen, Rune Kristian

2013-01-01

This paper presents data from a pilot study, which was designed to illuminate critical flaws in the currently used instruments used to measure the prevalence of ‘computer game addiction’. The study found that the prevalence rate could be set anywhere between 23% and 0,6% depending on how the data set is scored. Thus demonstrating how an arbitrarily set of cut-off point in prevalence studies can yield wildly varying prevalence rates. The data further show that making implicit assumptions about...
Plastids and Carotenoid Accumulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Li; Yuan, Hui; Zeng, Yunliu; Xu, Qiang

Plastids are ubiquitously present in plants and are the organelles for carotenoid biosynthesis and storage. Based on their morphology and function, plastids are classified into various types, i.e. proplastids, etioplasts, chloroplasts, amyloplasts, and chromoplasts. All plastids, except proplastids, can synthesize carotenoids. However, plastid types have a profound effect on carotenoid accumulation and stability. In this chapter, we discuss carotenoid biosynthesis and regulation in various plastids with a focus on carotenoids in chromoplasts. Plastid transition related to carotenoid biosynthesis and the different capacity of various plastids to sequester carotenoids and the associated effect on carotenoid stability are described in light of carotenoid accumulation in plants.
Potential factors affecting accumulation of unsupported 210Pb in soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mihailović, Aleksandra; Vučinić Vasić, Milica; Todorović, Nataša; Hansman, Jan; Vasin, Jovica; Krmar, Miodrag

2014-01-01

Airborne 210 Pb, daughter of 222 Rn, is frequently used as a tracer in different studies concerning atmospheric transport, sedimentation, soil erosion, dating, etc. Concentration of 210 Pb was measured in 40 soil samples collected in urban and industrial areas in order to get evidence of possible influence of some factors on accumulation of airborne 210 Pb in soil. Different soil properties such as the content of organic matter, free CaCO 3 , and available phosphorus (P 2 O 5 ) were measured to explore their possible correlation with the amount of 210 Pb. Special attention was given to the correlation between 210 Pb and stable lead accumulated in the soil. Several samples were taken near a battery manufacturer to check if extremely high concentrations of lead can affect the uptake of the airborne 210 Pb in soil. Soil samples were also taken at different depths to investigate the penetration of lead through the soil. - Highlights: • 210 Pb and 137 Cs were measured in samples of urban soil. • Organic matter, free CaCO 3 content, available phosphorus, and lead were measured in soil samples. • There is no statistically significant correlation between 210 Pb and lead, CaCO 3 and phosphorus. • A strong positive correlation between 210 Pb and organic matter was observed
Factors affecting polyhydroxybutyrate accumulation in mesophyll cells of sugarcane and switchgrass

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Polyhydroxyalkanoates are linear biodegradable polyesters produced by bacteria as a carbon store and used to produce a range of bioplastics. Widespread polyhydroxyalkanoate production in C4 crops would decrease petroleum dependency by producing a renewable supply of biodegradable plastics along with residual biomass that could be converted into biofuels or energy. Increasing yields to commercial levels in biomass crops however remains a challenge. Previously, lower accumulation levels of the short side chain polyhydroxyalkanoate, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), were observed in the chloroplasts of mesophyll (M) cells compared to bundle sheath (BS) cells in transgenic maize (Zea mays), sugarcane (Saccharum sp.), and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) leading to a significant decrease in the theoretical yield potential. Here we explore various factors which might affect polymer accumulation in mesophyll cells, including targeting of the PHB pathway enzymes to the mesophyll plastid and their access to substrate. Results The small subunit of Rubisco from pea effectively targeted the PHB biosynthesis enzymes to both M and BS chloroplasts of sugarcane and switchgrass. PHB enzyme activity was retained following targeting to M plastids and was equivalent to that found in the BS plastids. Leaf total fatty acid content was not affected by PHB production. However, when fatty acid synthesis was chemically inhibited, polymer accumulated in M cells. Conclusions In this study, we provide evidence that access to substrate and neither poor targeting nor insufficient activity of the PHB biosynthetic enzymes may be the limiting factor for polymer production in mesophyll chloroplasts of C4 plants. PMID:25209261
Heat and cold accumulators in vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kauranen, P.; Wikstroem, L. (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Advanced Materials, Tampere (Finland)); Heikkinen, J. (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Building Services and Indoor Environment, Espoo (Finland)); Laurikko, J.; Elonen, T. (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Emission Control, Espoo (Finland)); Seppaelae, A. (Helsinki Univ. of Technology, Applied Thermodynamics, Espoo (Finland)). Email: ari.seppala@tkk.fi

2009-07-01

Phase Change Material (PCM) based heat and cold accumulators have been tailored for transport applications including a mail delivery van as well as the cold chains of foodstuff and blood products. The PCMs can store relative large amount of thermal energy in a narrow temperature interval as latent heat of fusion of their melting and crystallization processes. Compact heat and cold accumulators can be designed using PCMs. The aim of the project has been to reduce the exhaust gas and noise emissions and improve the fuel economy of the transport systems and to improve the reliability of the cold chains studied by storing thermal energy in PCM accumulators. (orig.)
Genotypic variation in the sulfur assimilation and metabolism of onion (Allium cepa L.) I. Plant composition and transcript accumulation

KAUST Repository

McCallum, John A.

2011-06-01

Organosulfur compounds are major sinks for assimilated sulfate in onion (Allium cepa L.) and accumulation varies widely due to plant genotype and sulfur nutrition. In order to better characterise sulfur metabolism phenotypes and identify potential control points we compared plant composition and transcript accumulation of the primary sulfur assimilation pathway in the high pungency genotype \\'W202A\\' and the low pungency genotype \\'Texas Grano 438\\' grown hydroponically under S deficient (S-) and S-sufficient (S+) conditions. Accumulation of total S and alk(en)yl cysteine sulfoxide flavour precursors was significantly higher under S+ conditions and in \\'W202A\\' in agreement with previous studies. Leaf sulfate and cysteine levels were significantly higher in \\'W202A\\' and under S+. Glutathione levels were reduced by S- treatment but were not affected by genotype, suggesting that thiol pool sizes are regulated differently in mild and pungent onions. The only significant treatment effect observed on transcript accumulation in leaves was an elevated accumulation of O-acetyl serine thiol-lyase under S-. By contrast, transcript accumulation of all genes in roots was influenced by one or more treatments. APS reductase transcript level was not affected by genotype but was strongly increased by S-. Significant genotype × S treatment effects were observed in a root high affinity-sulfur transporter and ferredoxin-sulfite reductase. ATP sulfurylase transcript levels were significantly higher under S+ and in \\'W202A\\'. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Transcriptomic signature of Leishmania infected mice macrophages: a metabolic point of view.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Imen Rabhi

Full Text Available We analyzed the transcriptional signatures of mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages at different times after infection with promastigotes of the protozoan parasite Leishmania major. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis revealed that the macrophage metabolic pathways including carbohydrate and lipid metabolisms were among the most altered pathways at later time points of infection. Indeed, L. major promastiogtes induced increased mRNA levels of the glucose transporter and almost all of the genes associated with glycolysis and lactate dehydrogenase, suggesting a shift to anaerobic glycolysis. On the other hand, L. major promastigotes enhanced the expression of scavenger receptors involved in the uptake of Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL, inhibited the expression of genes coding for proteins regulating cholesterol efflux, and induced the synthesis of triacylglycerides. These data suggested that Leishmania infection disturbs cholesterol and triglycerides homeostasis and may lead to cholesterol accumulation and foam cell formation. Using Filipin and Bodipy staining, we showed cholesterol and triglycerides accumulation in infected macrophages. Moreover, Bodipy-positive lipid droplets accumulated in close proximity to parasitophorous vacuoles, suggesting that intracellular L. major may take advantage of these organelles as high-energy substrate sources. While the effect of infection on cholesterol accumulation and lipid droplet formation was independent on parasite development, our data indicate that anaerobic glycolysis is actively induced by L. major during the establishment of infection.
Hydrocarbon accumulation in deep fluid modified carbonate rock in the Tarim Basin

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2007-01-01

The activities of deep fluid are regionalized in the Tarim Basin. By analyzing the REE in core samples and crude oil, carbon isotope of carbon dioxide and inclusion temperature measurement in the west of the Tazhong Uplift in the western Tarim Basin, all the evidence confirms the existence of deep fluid. The deep fluid below the basin floor moved up into the basin through discordogenic fauit and volcanicity to cause corrosion and metaaomatosis of carbonate rock by exchange of matter and energy. The pore structure and permeability of the carbonate reservoirs were improved, making the carbonate reservoirs an excellent type of deeply buried modification. The fluorite ore belts discovered along the large fault and the volcanic area in the west of the Tazhong Uplift are the outcome of deep fluid action. Such carbonate reservoirs are the main type of reservoirs in the Tazhong 45 oilfield. The carbonate reservoirs in well YM 7 are improved obviously by thermal fluid dolomitization. The origin and territory of deep fluid are associated with the discordogenic fault and volcanicity in the basin. The discordogenic fault and volcanic area may be the pointer of looking for the deep fluid modified reservoirs. The primary characteristics of hydrocarbon accumulation in deep fluid reconstructed carbonate rock are summarized as accumulation near the large fault and volcano passage, late-period hydrocarbon accumulation after volcanic activity, and subtle trap reservoirs controlled by lithology.
Investigation of the gallium-67 citrate hilar accumulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suto, Yuji

1987-01-01

To study the 67 Ga hilar accumulation, author quantitatively analyzed 67 Ga scintigrams of patients having no chest disease and normal chest roentgenograms. Relationship between hilar accumulation and smoking was quantitatively and experimentally studied. The conclusions were as follows: 1. There was significant relationship between smoking and 67 Ga hilar accumulation but there was no significant relationship between aging and the hilar accumulation. 2. The 67 Ga uptake of the hilar lymph node of smoked rat was higher than that of control group on microautoradiogram. The histological finding of the hilar lymph node of smoked rat was sinus histiocytosis. 3. Activated histiocytosis of hilar lymphatic sinus by some factors including smoking seemed to be responsible for 67 Ga hilar accumulation, of which mechanism was unknown. (author)

Dynamically accumulated dose and 4D accumulated dose for moving tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Heng; Li Yupeng; Zhang Xiaodong; Li Xiaoqiang; Liu Wei; Gillin, Michael T.; Zhu, X. Ronald

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to investigate the relationship between dynamically accumulated dose (dynamic dose) and 4D accumulated dose (4D dose) for irradiation of moving tumors, and to quantify the dose uncertainty induced by tumor motion. Methods: The authors established that regardless of treatment modality and delivery properties, the dynamic dose will converge to the 4D dose, instead of the 3D static dose, after multiple deliveries. The bounds of dynamic dose, or the maximum estimation error using 4D or static dose, were established for the 4D and static doses, respectively. Numerical simulations were performed (1) to prove the principle that for each phase, after multiple deliveries, the average number of deliveries for any given time converges to the total number of fractions (K) over the number of phases (N); (2) to investigate the dose difference between the 4D and dynamic doses as a function of the number of deliveries for deliveries of a “pulsed beam”; and (3) to investigate the dose difference between 4D dose and dynamic doses as a function of delivery time for deliveries of a “continuous beam.” A Poisson model was developed to estimate the mean dose error as a function of number of deliveries or delivered time for both pulsed beam and continuous beam. Results: The numerical simulations confirmed that the number of deliveries for each phase converges to K/N, assuming a random starting phase. Simulations for the pulsed beam and continuous beam also suggested that the dose error is a strong function of the number of deliveries and/or total deliver time and could be a function of the breathing cycle, depending on the mode of delivery. The Poisson model agrees well with the simulation. Conclusions: Dynamically accumulated dose will converge to the 4D accumulated dose after multiple deliveries, regardless of treatment modality. Bounds of the dynamic dose could be determined using quantities derived from 4D doses, and the mean dose
Accumulation of Content Validation Evidence for the Critical Thinking Self-Assessment Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, Girija Gopinathan; Hellsten, Laurie-Ann M; Stamler, Lynnette Leeseberg

2017-04-01

Critical thinking skills (CTS) are essential for nurses; assessing students' acquisition of these skills is a mandate of nursing curricula. This study aimed to develop a self-assessment instrument of critical thinking skills (Critical Thinking Self-Assessment Scale [CTSAS]) for students' self-monitoring. An initial pool of 196 items across 6 core cognitive skills and 16 subskills were generated using the American Philosophical Association definition of CTS. Experts' content review of the items and their ratings provided evidence of content relevance using the item-level content validity index (I-CVI) and Aiken's content validity coefficient (VIk). 115 items were retained (range of I-CVI values = .70 to .94 and range of VIk values = .69-.95; significant at pself-assessment purposes.
Plastic accumulation in the Mediterranean sea.

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Andrés Cózar

Full Text Available Concentrations of floating plastic were measured throughout the Mediterranean Sea to assess whether this basin can be regarded as a great accumulation region of plastic debris. We found that the average density of plastic (1 item per 4 m2, as well as its frequency of occurrence (100% of the sites sampled, are comparable to the accumulation zones described for the five subtropical ocean gyres. Plastic debris in the Mediterranean surface waters was dominated by millimeter-sized fragments, but showed a higher proportion of large plastic objects than that present in oceanic gyres, reflecting the closer connection with pollution sources. The accumulation of floating plastic in the Mediterranean Sea (between 1,000 and 3,000 tons is likely related to the high human pressure together with the hydrodynamics of this semi-enclosed basin, with outflow mainly occurring through a deep water layer. Given the biological richness and concentration of economic activities in the Mediterranean Sea, the affects of plastic pollution on marine and human life are expected to be particularly frequent in this plastic accumulation region.
Plastic Accumulation in the Mediterranean Sea

KAUST Repository

Có zar, André s; Sanz-Martí n, Marina; Martí , Elisa; Gonzá lez-Gordillo, J. Ignacio; Ubeda, Bá rbara; Gá lvez, José Á .; Irigoien, Xabier; Duarte, Carlos M.

2015-01-01

Concentrations of floating plastic were measured throughout the Mediterranean Sea to assess whether this basin can be regarded as a great accumulation region of plastic debris. We found that the average density of plastic (1 item per 4 m2), as well as its frequency of occurrence (100% of the sites sampled), are comparable to the accumulation zones described for the five subtropical ocean gyres. Plastic debris in the Mediterranean surface waters was dominated by millimeter-sized fragments, but showed a higher proportion of large plastic objects than that present in oceanic gyres, reflecting the closer connection with pollution sources. The accumulation of floating plastic in the Mediterranean Sea (between 1,000 and 3,000 tons) is likely related to the high human pressure together with the hydrodynamics of this semi-enclosed basin, with outflow mainly occurring through a deep water layer. Given the biological richness and concentration of economic activities in the Mediterranean Sea, the affects of plastic pollution on marine and human life are expected to be particularly frequent in this plastic accumulation region.
Plastic Accumulation in the Mediterranean Sea

KAUST Repository

Cózar, Andrés

2015-04-01

Concentrations of floating plastic were measured throughout the Mediterranean Sea to assess whether this basin can be regarded as a great accumulation region of plastic debris. We found that the average density of plastic (1 item per 4 m2), as well as its frequency of occurrence (100% of the sites sampled), are comparable to the accumulation zones described for the five subtropical ocean gyres. Plastic debris in the Mediterranean surface waters was dominated by millimeter-sized fragments, but showed a higher proportion of large plastic objects than that present in oceanic gyres, reflecting the closer connection with pollution sources. The accumulation of floating plastic in the Mediterranean Sea (between 1,000 and 3,000 tons) is likely related to the high human pressure together with the hydrodynamics of this semi-enclosed basin, with outflow mainly occurring through a deep water layer. Given the biological richness and concentration of economic activities in the Mediterranean Sea, the affects of plastic pollution on marine and human life are expected to be particularly frequent in this plastic accumulation region.
Plastic accumulation in the Mediterranean sea.

Science.gov (United States)

Cózar, Andrés; Sanz-Martín, Marina; Martí, Elisa; González-Gordillo, J Ignacio; Ubeda, Bárbara; Gálvez, José Á; Irigoien, Xabier; Duarte, Carlos M

2015-01-01

Concentrations of floating plastic were measured throughout the Mediterranean Sea to assess whether this basin can be regarded as a great accumulation region of plastic debris. We found that the average density of plastic (1 item per 4 m2), as well as its frequency of occurrence (100% of the sites sampled), are comparable to the accumulation zones described for the five subtropical ocean gyres. Plastic debris in the Mediterranean surface waters was dominated by millimeter-sized fragments, but showed a higher proportion of large plastic objects than that present in oceanic gyres, reflecting the closer connection with pollution sources. The accumulation of floating plastic in the Mediterranean Sea (between 1,000 and 3,000 tons) is likely related to the high human pressure together with the hydrodynamics of this semi-enclosed basin, with outflow mainly occurring through a deep water layer. Given the biological richness and concentration of economic activities in the Mediterranean Sea, the affects of plastic pollution on marine and human life are expected to be particularly frequent in this plastic accumulation region.
Plastic Accumulation in the Mediterranean Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Cózar, Andrés; Sanz-Martín, Marina; Martí, Elisa; González-Gordillo, J. Ignacio; Ubeda, Bárbara; Gálvez, José Á.; Irigoien, Xabier; Duarte, Carlos M.

2015-01-01

Concentrations of floating plastic were measured throughout the Mediterranean Sea to assess whether this basin can be regarded as a great accumulation region of plastic debris. We found that the average density of plastic (1 item per 4 m2), as well as its frequency of occurrence (100% of the sites sampled), are comparable to the accumulation zones described for the five subtropical ocean gyres. Plastic debris in the Mediterranean surface waters was dominated by millimeter-sized fragments, but showed a higher proportion of large plastic objects than that present in oceanic gyres, reflecting the closer connection with pollution sources. The accumulation of floating plastic in the Mediterranean Sea (between 1,000 and 3,000 tons) is likely related to the high human pressure together with the hydrodynamics of this semi-enclosed basin, with outflow mainly occurring through a deep water layer. Given the biological richness and concentration of economic activities in the Mediterranean Sea, the affects of plastic pollution on marine and human life are expected to be particularly frequent in this plastic accumulation region. PMID:25831129
Evidence of anthropogenic tipping points in fluvial dynamics in Europe

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Notebaert, Bastiaan; Broothaerts, Nils; Verstraeten, Gert

2018-05-01

In this study the occurrence of thresholds in fluvial style changes during the Holocene are discussed for three different catchments: the Dijle and Amblève catchments (Belgium) and the Valdaine Region (France). We consider tipping points to be a specific type of threshold, defined as relatively rapid and irreversible changes in the system. Field data demonstrate that fluvial style has varied in all three catchments over time, and that different tipping points can be identified. An increase in sediment load as a result of human induced soil erosion lead to a permanent change in the Dijle floodplains from a forested peaty marsh towards open landscape with clastic deposition and a well-defined river channel. In the Valdaine catchment, an increase in coarse sediment load, caused by increased erosion in the mountainous upper catchment, altered the floodplains from a meandering pattern to a braided pattern. Other changes in fluvial style appeared to be reversible. Rivers in the Valdaine were prone to different aggradation and incision phases due to changes in peak water discharge and sediment delivery, but the impact was too low for these changes to be irreversible. Likewise the Dijle River has recently be prone to an incision phase due to a clear water effect, and also this change is expected to be reversible. Finally, the Amblève River did not undergo major changes in style during the last 2000 to 5000 years, even though floodplain sedimentation rates increased tenfold during the last 600 years. Overall, these examples demonstrate how changes in fluvial style depend on the crossing of thresholds in sediment supply and water discharge. Although changes in these controlling parameters are caused by anthropogenic land use changes, the link between those land use changes and changes in fluvial style is not linear. This is due to the temporal variability in landscape connectivity and sediment transport and the non-linear relationship between land use intensity and soil
Salinity-dependent nickel accumulation and oxidative stress responses in the euryhaline killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus).

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Blewett, Tamzin A; Wood, Chris M

2015-02-01

The mechanisms of nickel (Ni) toxicity in marine fish remain unclear, although evidence from freshwater (FW) fish suggests that Ni can act as a pro-oxidant. This study investigated the oxidative stress effects of Ni on the euryhaline killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) as a function of salinity. Killifish were exposed to sublethal levels (5, 10, and 20 mg L(-1)) of waterborne Ni for 96 h in FW (0 ppt) and 100 % saltwater (SW) (35 ppt). In general, SW was protective against both Ni accumulation and indicators of oxidative stress [protein carbonyl formation and catalase (CAT) activity]. This effect was most pronounced at the highest Ni exposure level. For example, FW intestine showed increased Ni accumulation relative to SW intestine at 20 mg Ni L(-1), and this was accompanied by significantly greater protein carbonylation and CAT activity in this tissue. There were exceptions, however, in that although liver of FW killifish at the highest exposure concentration showed greater Ni accumulation relative to SW liver, levels of CAT activity were greatly decreased. This may relate to tissue- and salinity-specific differences in oxidative stress responses. The results of the present study suggest (1) that there was Ni-induced oxidative stress in killifish, (2) that the effects of salinity depend on differences in the physiology of the fish in FW versus SW, and (3) that increased levels of cations (sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and anions (SO4 and Cl) in SW are likely protective against Ni accumulation in tissues exposed to the aquatic environment.
Carbonate-silicate cycle models of the long-term carbon cycle, carbonate accumulation in the oceans, and climate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caldeira, K.G.

1991-01-01

Several models of the long-term carbon cycle, incorporating models of the carbonate-silicate cycle, were developed and utilized to investigate issues relating to global climate and the causes and consequences of changes in calcium carbonate accumulation in the oceans. Model results indicate that the marked mid-Cretaceous (120 Ma) global warming could be explained by increased rates of release of carbon dioxide from subduction-zone metamorphism and mid-ocean-ridges, in conjunction with paleogeographic factors. Since the mid-Cretaceous, the primary setting for calcium carbonate accumulation in the oceans has shifted from shallow-water to deep-water environments. Model results suggest that this shift could have major consequences for the carbonate-silicate cycle and climate, and lead to significant increases in the flux of metamorphic carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Increases in pelagic carbonate productivity, and decreases in tropical shallow-water area available for neritic carbonate accumulation, have both been proposed as the primary cause of this shift. Two lines of evidence developed here (one involving a statistical analysis of Tertiary carbonate-accumulation and oxygen-isotope data, and another based on modeling the carbonate-silicate cycle and ocean chemistry) suggest that a decrease in tropical shallow-water area was more important than increased pelagic productivity in explaining this shift. Model investigations of changes in ocean chemistry at the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary (66 Ma) indicate that variations in deep-water carbonate productivity may affect shallow-water carbonate accumulation rates through a mechanism involving surface-water carbonate-ion concentration. In the aftermath of the K/T boundary event, deep-water carbonate production and accumulation were significantly reduced as a result of the extinction of calcareous plankton
Characteristic of nitrous oxide production in partial denitrification process with high nitrite accumulation.

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Du, Rui; Peng, Yongzhen; Cao, Shenbin; Wang, Shuying; Niu, Meng

2016-03-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O) production during the partial denitrification process with nitrate (NO3(-)-N) to nitrite (NO2(-)-N) transformation ratio of 80% was investigated in this study. Results showed that N2O was seldom observed before complete depletion of NO3(-)-N, but it was closely related to the reduction of NO2(-)-N rather than NO3(-)-N. High COD/NO3(-)-N was in favor of N2O production in partial denitrification with high NO2(-)-N accumulation. It was seriously enhanced at constant acidic pH due to the free nitrous acid (FNA) inhibition. However, the N2O production was much lower at initial pH of 5.5 and 6.5 due to the pH increase during denitrification process. Significantly, the pH turning point could be chosen as a controlled parameter to denote the end of NO3(-)-N reduction, which could not only achieve high NO2(-)-N accumulation but also decrease the N2O production significantly for practical application. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Accumulation Characteristics of Pb by Zea Mays of Different Genotyoes

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QIN Rong-lin

2016-05-01

Full Text Available To determine the characteristics of lead(Pb accumulation by different maize genotypes, two low accumulation genotypes(Quchen 11, Quchen 3 and two high accumulation maize genotypes(Jingfeng 8, Xuyu 1446 were used in a field experiment under Pb stress(2 000 mg·kg-1. The following parameters were measured including the change of plant biomass , Pb contents in different plant parts, total Pb uptake,Pb accumulation and translocation of different maize varieties,soil pH value and available Pb contents in soils. The results showed that: (1Compared with the control, the Pb stress caused a decrease at differnet levels on the biomass of roots, stems, leaves and grains of the four maize genotypes. The plant biomass decreased by 9.65%~20.46%. And the decrease level on the plant biomass of the low accumulation maize genotypes was less than the high accumulation maize genotypes. (2The Pb contents were found highest in the roots(95.39~121.02 mg·kg-1, followed by the leaves(25.56~43.21 mg·kg-1 and stems(14.06~25.41 mg·kg-1, and lest in the grains(2.52~5.38 mg·kg-1. Moreover, the Pb contents in roots were higher of low accumulation maize genotypes than high accumulation maize genotypes. In contrast, the Pb contents in the stems, leaves and grains were less of the low accumulation maize genotypes than the high accumulation maize genotypes. The total Pb accumulation of maize was 4.46~7.94 mg per plant, and which was significant less of the low accumulation maize genotypes than the high accumulation maize genotypes. (3For the four maize genotypes, both the accumulation factor and translocation factor of Pb were less than 1, and were smaller of the low accumulation maize genotypes than the high accumulation maize genotypes. (4The pH values in soils were 6.60~6.82, which were significant higher of the low accumulation maize genotypes than the high accumulation maize genotypes, the available Pb contents in soils were 969.86~1 116.15 mg·kg-1。
The natural history of early versus late disability accumulation in primary progressive MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Koch, Marcus W; Greenfield, Jamie; Javizian, Omid; Deighton, Stephanie; Wall, Winona; Metz, Luanne M

2015-06-01

Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) is the least common MS disease course and carries the worst prognosis. In relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) disability accumulation occurs in two distinct phases, but it is unclear whether this is also true for PPMS. Here we investigate factors associated with early and late disability accumulation in PPMS. We used Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and Cox regression to investigate the influence of sex, age at disease onset and onset symptoms on time to, and age at, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 4 and 6, as well as the time from EDSS 4 to 6 in patients with PPMS. We identified 500 patients with PPMS. The analyses on time to EDSS 4 included 358 patients, and those on time to EDSS 6 included 392 patients. The median times to EDSS 4 and EDSS 6 were 5 and 9 years. The analyses on age at EDSS 4 included 360 patients, and those on age at EDSS 6 included 402 patients. The median ages at EDSS 4 and EDSS 6 were 51 and 55 years. Older age at onset and bilateral motor onset symptoms were independently associated with a shorter time to both EDSS 4 and EDSS 6. Sex and other onset symptoms were not associated with time to, or age at, landmark disability. Only age at onset was significantly associated with the time from EDSS 4 to EDSS 6. Age at disease onset is the most important predictor of disability accumulation in PPMS. Bilateral motor onset symptoms were associated with quicker disease progression. In contrast to RRMS, we found no evidence for distinct phases of disability accumulation in PPMS. Disability accumulation in PPMS appears to be affected by the same factors throughout its course. 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.
Creation / accumulation city

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Doevendans, C.H.; Schram, A.L.

2005-01-01

A distinction between basic archetypes of urban form was made by Bruno Fortier: the accumulation city as opposed to the creation city. These archetypes derive from archaeology - being based on the Roman and the Egyptian city - but are interpreted as morphological paradigms, as a set of assumptions
Design and control of a point absorber wave energy converter with an open loop hydraulic transmission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, YaJun; Mu, AnLe; Ma, Tao

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Point absorber wave energy converter is presented. • Piston pump module captures and converts wave energy. • Hydraulic accumulator stores/releases the surplus energy. • Fuzzy controller adjusts the displacement of hydraulic motor. • Generator outputs meet the electricity demand precisely. - Abstract: In this paper, a point absorber wave energy converter combined with offshore wind turbine is proposed. In the system, the wave energy is captured and converted into hydraulic energy by a piston pump module, which is combined with a wind turbine floating platform, and then the hydraulic energy is converted into electricity energy by a variable displacement hydraulic motor and induction generator. In order to smooth and stabilize the captured wave energy, a hydraulic accumulator is applied to store and release the excess energy. In order to meet the demand power a fuzzy controller is designed to adjust the displacement of hydraulic motor and controlled the output power. Simulation under irregular wave condition has been carried out to verify the validity of the mathematical model and the effectiveness of the controller strategy. The results show that the wave energy converter system could deliver the required electricity power precisely as the motor output torque is controlled. The accumulator could damp out all the fluctuations in output power, so the wave energy would become a dispatchable power source.
Study of the role of biotic and abiotic factors in modifying metal accumulation by Chironomus (Diptera: Chironomidae)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krantzberg, G.B.

1987-01-01

The author examined the variability in metal bioaccumulation by chironomids collected from sites that differed in the extent of metal and acid loadings. Bioaccumulation by Chironomus was related to both biotic and abiotic factors. Metal accumulation was age and weight dependent. Aluminum, Ca, and Fe concentrations increased with age, Cd and Ni decreased, and Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn remained constant with age. Calcium, Fe, and Ni concentration increased with weight, Cd decrease, and Cu, Mn, and Zn remained constant with weight. Age and weight effects on metal accumulation were identified as a potential source of spacial and temporal variability in tissue concentrations. Metal regulation differed between populations of Chironomus. Lead and Cd were not regulated, Zn was regulated, and larvae from a Cu and Ni contaminated system appeared to regulate Cu and Ni. X-ray probe microanalysis provided further support that metal metabolism differed between population, and results from laboratory experiments suggested that populations differed in relation to metal tolerance. There was evidence that pH modified metal accumulation.
Mutation of a Rice Gene Encoding a Phenylalanine Biosynthetic Enzyme Results in Accumulation of Phenylalanine and Tryptophan[W

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, Tetsuya; Matsuda, Fumio; Kasai, Koji; Fukuoka, Shuichi; Kitamura, Keisuke; Tozawa, Yuzuru; Miyagawa, Hisashi; Wakasa, Kyo

2008-01-01

Two distinct biosynthetic pathways for Phe in plants have been proposed: conversion of prephenate to Phe via phenylpyruvate or arogenate. The reactions catalyzed by prephenate dehydratase (PDT) and arogenate dehydratase (ADT) contribute to these respective pathways. The Mtr1 mutant of rice (Oryza sativa) manifests accumulation of Phe, Trp, and several phenylpropanoids, suggesting a link between the synthesis of Phe and Trp. Here, we show that the Mtr1 mutant gene (mtr1-D) encodes a form of rice PDT with a point mutation in the putative allosteric regulatory region of the protein. Transformed callus lines expressing mtr1-D exhibited all the characteristics of Mtr1 callus tissue. Biochemical analysis revealed that rice PDT possesses both PDT and ADT activities, with a preference for arogenate as substrate, suggesting that it functions primarily as an ADT. The wild-type enzyme is feedback regulated by Phe, whereas the mutant enzyme showed a reduced feedback sensitivity, resulting in Phe accumulation. In addition, these observations indicate that rice PDT is critical for regulating the size of the Phe pool in plant cells. Feeding external Phe to wild-type callus tissue and seedlings resulted in Trp accumulation, demonstrating a connection between Phe accumulation and Trp pool size. PMID:18487352
Mechanisms of thallium-201 accumulation to thyroid gland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kishida, Toshihiro

1987-01-01

In this study 91 patients with goiter were scintigraphed for the duration of 84 minutes after intravenous administration of thallium-201 by digital γ camera lined to computer data system. Regions of interest (ROIs) were assigned for thyroid tumor, normal thyroid and back ground, and time-activity curves (TACs) were generated from these ROIs. Na + , K + -ATPase activity of microsome fraction from thyroid tumor and the normal thyroid glands was determined. The first 15 minutes accumulation of each ROI was determined as the early accumulation of thallium-201 for tumor and the normal thyroid glands. Papillary and follicular carcinomas, showing the high accumulation of thallium-201, had high activity of Na + , K + -ATPase. Microfollicular adenomas had high activity of Na + , K + -ATPase and demonstrated intense accumulation of thallium-201. However, colloid adenoma had a similar level of Na + , K + -ATPase activity to that of the normal thyroid glands and did not demonstrate radionuclide accumulation. Consequently, radionuclide accumulation in thallium-201 thyroid scintigraphy was closely correlated to Na + , K + -ATPase activity of thyroid tumor. Thyroid blood flow was measured by hydrogen gas clearance method. Thyroid blood flow of papillary carcinoma was smaller, as compared with normal thyroid blood flow. TAC of papillary carcinoma showed flattening. Thallium-201 accumulation in early image was also found to correspond to thyroid blood flow. From this study we can conclude that mechanisms of thallium-201 accumulation in a thyroid tumor depends on Na + , K + -ATPase activity and thyroid blood flow. Washout of TAC in thallium-201 scintigraphy appears dependent on blood flow of a thyroid nodule. (author)
CRITICAL CONTROL POINTS ON THE TECHNOLOGICAL FLOW OF PANIFICATION

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Gigel PARASCHIV

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Bread and panification products are intended for direct human consumption and underlying nutritional pyramid, it can affect the consumers health in case of biological, chemical or physical contamination, immediate or delayed, by noxious accumulation in the human organism. Only by rigorous compliance of the production rules throughout the technological process can ensure the quality and food safety of these products. If the risk can be prevented, eliminated or reduce to an acceptable level, as a result of a control actions made at that stage, it is considered a Critical Control Point (CCP. There can be checkpoints where it can exert a control action. Thus, the checkpoint is represented by any stage in which the risk factors, biological, chemical or physical, can be controlled in order to prevent, disrupt or reduce them to an acceptable level. This paper is referring to the control points on the technological flow of the bread fabrication, in all phases of this technological flow, laying stress on that points (or phases which can affect security and food safety, through the influence of parameters of any kind on the quality of finished products.
A Process-Based Model of TCA Cycle Functioning to Analyze Citrate Accumulation in Pre- and Post-Harvest Fruits.

Science.gov (United States)

Etienne, Audrey; Génard, Michel; Bugaud, Christophe

2015-01-01

Citrate is one of the most important organic acids in many fruits and its concentration plays a critical role in organoleptic properties. The regulation of citrate accumulation throughout fruit development, and the origins of the phenotypic variability of the citrate concentration within fruit species remain to be clarified. In the present study, we developed a process-based model of citrate accumulation based on a simplified representation of the TCA cycle to predict citrate concentration in fruit pulp during the pre- and post-harvest stages. Banana fruit was taken as a reference because it has the particularity of having post-harvest ripening, during which citrate concentration undergoes substantial changes. The model was calibrated and validated on the two stages, using data sets from three contrasting cultivars in terms of citrate accumulation, and incorporated different fruit load, potassium supply, and harvest dates. The model predicted the pre and post-harvest dynamics of citrate concentration with fairly good accuracy for the three cultivars. The model suggested major differences in TCA cycle functioning among cultivars during post-harvest ripening of banana, and pointed to a potential role for NAD-malic enzyme and mitochondrial malate carriers in the genotypic variability of citrate concentration. The sensitivity of citrate accumulation to growth parameters and temperature differed among cultivars during post-harvest ripening. Finally, the model can be used as a conceptual basis to study citrate accumulation in fleshy fruits and may be a powerful tool to improve our understanding of fruit acidity.

Mineral accumulation in vegetative and reproductive tissues during seed development in Medicago truncatula

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Christina B. Garcia

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Enhancing nutrient density in legume seeds is one of several strategies being explored to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply. In order to develop crop varieties with increased seed mineral concentration, a more detailed understanding of mineral translocation within the plant is required. By studying mineral accumulation in different organs within genetically diverse members of the same species, it may be possible to identify variable traits that modulate seed mineral concentration. We utilized two ecotypes (A17 and DZA315.16 of the model legume, Medicago truncatula, to study dry mass and mineral accumulation in the leaves, pod walls, and seeds during reproductive development. The pod wall dry mass was significantly different between the two ecotypes beginning at 12 days after pollination, whereas there was no significant difference in the average dry mass of individual seeds between the two ecotypes at any time point. There were also no significant differences in leaf dry mass between ecotypes; however, we observed expansion of A17 leaves during the first 21 days of pod development, while DZA315.16 leaves did not display a significant increase in leaf area. Mineral profiling of the leaves, pod walls, and seeds highlighted differences in accumulation patterns among minerals within each tissue as well as genotypic differences with respect to individual minerals. Because there were differences in the average seed number per pod, the total seed mineral content per pod was generally higher in A17 than DZA315.16. In addition, mineral partitioning to the seeds tended to be higher in A17 pods. These data revealed that mineral retention within leaves and/or pod walls might attenuate mineral accumulation within the seeds. As a result, strategies to increase seed mineral content should include approaches that will enhance export from these tissues.
Exploring the reference point in prospect theory: gambles for length of life.

Science.gov (United States)

van Osch, Sylvie M C; van den Hout, Wilbert B; Stiggelbout, Anne M

2006-01-01

Attitude toward risk is an important factor determining patient preferences. Risk behavior has been shown to be strongly dependent on the perception of the outcome as either a gain or a loss. According to prospect theory, the reference point determines how an outcome is perceived. However, no theory on the location of the reference point exists, and for the health domain, there is no direct evidence for the location of the reference point. This article combines qualitative with quantitative data to provide evidence of the reference point in life-year certainty equivalent (CE) gambles and to explore the psychology behind the reference point. The authors argue that goals (aspirations) in life influence the reference point. While thinking aloud, 45 healthy respondents gave certainty equivalents for life-year CE gambles with long and short durations of survival. Contrary to suggestions from the literature, qualitative data argued that the offered certainty equivalent most frequently served as the reference point. Thus, respondents perceived life-year CE gambles as mixed. Framing of the question and goals set in life appeared to be important factors behind the psychology of the reference point. On the basis of the authors' quantitative and qualitative data, they argue that goals alter the perception of outcomes as described by prospect theory by influencing the reference point. This relationship is more apparent for the near future as opposed to the remote future, as goals are mostly set for the near future.
Carotenogenic gene expression and carotenoid accumulation in three varieties of Cucurbita pepo during fruit development.

Science.gov (United States)

Obrero, Ángeles; González-Verdejo, Clara I; Die, Jose V; Gómez, Pedro; Del Río-Celestino, Mercedes; Román, Belén

2013-07-03

The control of gene expression is a crucial regulatory mechanism in carotenoid accumulation of fruits and flowers. We investigated the role of transcriptional regulation of nine genes involved in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway in three varieties of Cucurbita pepo with evident differences in fruit color. The transcriptional levels of the key genes involved in the carotenoid biosynthesis were higher in flower-, leaf-, and fruit skin tissues than flesh tissues. This correlated with higher concentration of carotenoid content in these tissues. The differential expression among the colored and white cultivars detected for some genes, such as LCYe, in combination with other regulatory mechanisms, could explain the large differences found in terms of carotenoid content among the three varieties. These results are a first step to elucidate carotenogenesis in C. pepo and demonstrate that, in general, regulation of the pathway genes is a critical factor that determines the accumulation of these compounds.
The fixed point structure of lattice field theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baier, R.; Reusch, H.J.; Lang, C.B.

1989-01-01

Monte-Carlo renormalization group methods allow to analyze lattice regularized quantum field theories. The properties of the quantized field theory in the continuum may be recovered at a critical point of the lattice model. This requires a study of the phase diagram and the renormalization flow structure of the coupling constants. As an example the authors discuss the results of a recent MCRG investigation of the SU(2) adjoint Higgs model, where they find evidence for the existence of a tricritical point at finite values of the inverse gauge coupling β
Microbial accumulation of uranium, radium, and cesium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strandberg, G.W.; Shumate, S.E. II; Parrott, J.R. Jr.; North, S.E.

1981-05-01

Diverse microbial species varied considerably in their ability to accumulate uranium, cesium, and radium. Mechanistic differences in uranium uptake by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were indicated. S. serevisiae exhibited a slow (hours) surface accumulation of uranium which was subject to environmental factors, while P. aeruginosa accumulated uranium rapidly (minutes) as dense intracellular deposits and did not appear to be affected by environmental parameters. Metabolism was not required for uranium uptake by either organism. Cesium and radium were concentrated to a considerably lesser extent than uranium by the several species tested
Lipid droplets accumulation and other biochemical changes induced in the fungal pathogen Ustilago maydis under nitrogen-starvation.

Science.gov (United States)

Aguilar, Lucero Romero; Pardo, Juan Pablo; Lomelí, Mónica Montero; Bocardo, Oscar Ivan Luqueño; Juárez Oropeza, Marco A; Guerra Sánchez, Guadalupe

2017-10-01

In many organisms, the growth under nitrogen-deprivation or a poor nitrogen source impacts on the carbon flow distribution and causes accumulation of neutral lipids, which are stored as lipid droplets (LDs). Efforts are in progress to find the mechanism of LDs synthesis and degradation, and new organisms capable of accumulating large amounts of lipids for biotechnological applications. In this context, when Ustilago maydis was cultured in the absence of a nitrogen source, there was a large accumulation of lipid bodies containing mainly triacylglycerols. The most abundant fatty acids in lipid bodies at the stationary phase were palmitic, linoleic, and oleic acids, and they were synthesized de novo by the fatty-acid synthase. In regard to the production of NADPH for the synthesis of fatty acids, the cytosolic NADP + -dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase and the glucose-6-phosphate and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenases couple showed the highest specific activities, with a lower activity of the malic enzyme. The ATP-citrate lyase activity was not detected in any of the culture conditions, which points to a different mechanism for the transfer of acetyl-CoA into the cytosol. Protein and RNA contents decreased when U. maydis was grown without a nitrogen source. Due to the significant accumulation of triacylglycerols and the particular composition of fatty acids, U. maydis can be considered an alternative model for biotechnological applications.
Momentum accumulation due to solar radiation torque, and reaction wheel sizing, with configuration optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Hablani, Hari B.

1993-01-01

This paper has a two-fold objective: determination of yearly momentum accumulation due to solar radiation pressure, and optimum reaction wheel sizing. The first objective is confronted while determining propellant consumption by the attitude control system over a spacecraft's lifetime. This, however, cannot be obtained from the daily momentum accumulation and treating that constant throughout the year, because the orientation of the solar arrays relative to the spacecraft changes over a wide range in a year, particularly if the spacecraft has two arrays, one normal and the other off-normal to different extent at different times to the sun rays. The paper first develops commands for the arrays for tracking the sun, the arrays articulated to earth-pointing spacecraft with two rotational degrees of freedom, and spacecraft in an arbitrary circular orbit. After developing expressions for solar radiation torque due to one or both arrays, arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically relative to the spacecraft bus, momentum accumulation over an orbit and then over a year are determined. The remainder of the paper is concerned with designing reaction wheel configurations. Four-, six-, and three-wheel configurations are considered, and for given torque and momentum requirements, their cant angles with the roll/yaw plane are optimized for minimum power consumption. Finally, their momentum and torque capacities are determined for one-wheel failure scenario, and six configurations are compared and contrasted.
Evaluation of two models for predicting elemental accumulation by arthropods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Webster, J.R.; Crossley, D.A. Jr.

1978-01-01

Two different models have been proposed for predicting elemental accumulation by arthropods. Parameters of both models can be quantified from radioisotope elimination experiments. Our analysis of the 2 models shows that both predict identical elemental accumulation for a whole organism, though differing in the accumulation in body and gut. We quantified both models with experimental data from 134 Cs and 85 Sr elimination by crickets. Computer simulations of radioisotope accumulation were then compared with actual accumulation experiments. Neither model showed exact fit to the experimental data, though both showed the general pattern of elemental accumulation
Mechanism of liver lipid accumulation in X-irradiated rat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aiyar, A.S.; De, A.K.

1978-01-01

The incorporation, both in vivo and in vitro, of 14 C-acetate into hepatic lipids, notably the triglyceride and free fatty acid fractions, is greatly reduced following whole-body irradiation and is indicative of significantly reduced lipogenesis. Irradiation results in a several-fold increase in fatty acid oxidation, by the liver in vitro as well as in the whole animal, during the phase of active hepatic lipid accumulation. Small increases in lipoprotein lipase activity of adipose, immediately following irradiation and up to 24 hours, and the attendant marked fall in adipose lipids are suggestive of increased mobilization of peripheral lipids during the early period. However, in view of the fact that maximum lipid accumulations occurs very much later, inflow of extra-hepatic lipid into liver does not appear to be of major etiological significance. There is three-fold experimental evidence in support of an impairment of trigylceride transport from liver being primarily responsible for the build-up of liver lipids: (I) Triton WR-1339 induced hypertriglyceridemia is totally absent in the irradiated rat during the period when liver lipids increase significantly; (II) the rate of disappearance of radioactivity from pre-labeled hepatic lipids is considerably lower in the irradiated rats; and (III) the irradiated rats show decrease in lipoproteins of liver cell-sap and of serum, the latter being more marked and a lowered synthesis of the lipoproteins, as assessed by labeling of the protein moiety. (orig.) [de
Mechanism of liver lipid accumulation in X-irradiated rat

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aiyar, A S; De, A K [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay (India). Biochemistry and Food Technology Div.

1978-03-01

The incorporation, both in vivo and in vitro, of /sup 14/C-acetate into hepatic lipids, notably the triglyceride and free fatty acid fractions, is greatly reduced following whole-body irradiation and is indicative of significantly reduced lipogenesis. Irradiation results in a several-fold increase in fatty acid oxidation, by the liver in vitro as well as in the whole animal, during the phase of active hepatic lipid accumulation. Small increases in lipoprotein lipase activity of adipose, immediately following irradiation and up to 24 hours, and the attendant marked fall in adipose lipids are suggestive of increased mobilization of peripheral lipids during the early period. However, in view of the fact that maximum lipid accumulations occurs very much later, inflow of extra-hepatic lipid into liver does not appear to be of major etiological significance. There is three-fold experimental evidence in support of an impairment of trigylceride transport from liver being primarily responsible for the build-up of liver lipids: (I) Triton WR-1339 induced hypertriglyceridemia is totally absent in the irradiated rat during the period when liver lipids increase significantly; (II) the rate of disappearance of radioactivity from pre-labeled hepatic lipids is considerably lower in the irradiated rats; and (III) the irradiated rats show decrease in lipoproteins of liver cell-sap and of serum, the latter being more marked and a lowered synthesis of the lipoproteins, as assessed by labeling of the protein moiety.
The State in the accumulation process through disposession in the municipality of Chalco, state of Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Alberto Salinas Arreortua

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Enlightened by the debate on the restructuration of the world economy and accepting the existence of a post-fordist transition, this paper analyzes the socio-territorial impacts produced by the implementation of neoliberal policies, particularly the constitutional article 27 in 1992, which has made possible the incorporation of land of social property into the real-state market in Mexico. Given these circumstances, the concept of accumulation through dispossession is used to evidence the current situation, in which economic neoliberalism characterizes urban expansion. Such is the case of the municipality of Chalco, where the social and economic problems of the local people are worsening everyday. This work proposes an approach wich binds recent transformations with the process of capitalist accumulation through dispossession, a process that is evidenced by the growing development of housing complexes.
The critical point of quantum chromodynamics through lattice and ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The Padé approximants are the rational functions. PL. M (z) = .... Deviations from a smooth behaviour near the critical point are visible in these extrap- ... see that there is evidence, albeit statistically not very significant, that the kurtosis changes.
Study on accumulation mechanism for heavy metal in hyper-accumulating plants by synchrotron radiation x-ray analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hokura, Akiko; Kitajima, Nobuyuki; Terada, Yasuko; Nakai, Izumi

2010-01-01

Some plants accumulate heavy metal elements such as As, Cd, and Pb, etc., and these plants have been focused on from the perspective of their application to phytoremediation. In order to understand the accumulation mechanism, the distribution and the chemical form of heavy metal should be revealed at cellular level. Here, we have introduced the recent works regarding arsenic hyperaccumulating fern (Pteris vittata L.) and cadmium hyperaccumulating plant (Arabidopsis halleri ssp. gemmifera). A combination of μ-XRF and μ-XANES techniques excited by high-energy X-ray microbeam with 1 μm resolution has proved to be an indispensable tool for the study of Cd accumulation in biological samples on a cellular scale. The sample-preparation techniques were also summarized. (author)
In Vivo Inhibition of Lipid Accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans

Science.gov (United States)

Sulistiyani; Purwakusumah, E. P.; Andrianto, D.

2017-03-01

This is a preliminary research report on the use of Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to establish anti-obesity screening assay of the natural plant resources. Nematode C. elegans has been used as experimental animal model for understanding lipid accumulation. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of selected plant extracts on lipid accumulation in C. elegans. Currently no report could be found regarding lipid accumulation in C.elegans treated with ethanolic leaf extracts of jabon merah (Anthocephalus macrophyllus), jati belanda (Guazuma ulmifolia), and Mindi (Melia Azedarach) plants. Lipid accumulation was determined qualitatively using lipid staining method and quantitatively by colorimetry using sulpho-phospho-vanillin reagent. Data showed that lipid accumulation was inhibited up to 72% by extract of M. azedarach, about 35% by both of A. macrophyllus and G. ulmifolia extracts, and up to 25% by orlistat (a synthetic slimming drug). Ethanolic extract of A. macrophyllus, G. ulmifolia, and M. azedarach leaves were shown to inhibit lipid accumulation in C. elegans and M. azedarach leaves extracts was the most effective inhibitor. C.elegans were shown to be an effective model for in vivo lipid accumulation mechanism and potential to be used as a rapid screening assay for bioactive compounds with lipid accumulation inhibitory activity.
Apparently normal accumulation in the patellae on bone scintigraphy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Katsuhiko; Ikeda, Mitsuru; Tadokoro, Masanori; Yoshida, Kiyo; Kobayashi, Hidetoshi; Ishigaki, Takeo

1997-01-01

In the present study, we examined the influences of gender and ages on accumulation in the patellae on scintigram. The subjects were 828 patients who underwent bone scintigraphy during the past one and half years at the Department of Radiology, Nagoya University Hospital. Patients younger than 20 years old and those with abnormality of the patellae were excluded. The degree of accumulation in the patellae was evaluated using the A-P whole body scintigraphy in comparison with accumulation at the diaphysis of the femur and classified to two categories, ''Positive'' (higher accumulation than that of the diaphysis of the femur) and ''Negative'' (equal or lower than that of the diaphysis of the femur). In general, the degree of accumulation was higher in females than in males. In both males and females, the degree of accumulation increased with age. A difference between the two sides in the degree of accumulation in the patellae was observed in 32% of subjects. The results of this study may serve as basic data for the interpretation of bone scintigrams. (author)
Carbon accumulation in pristine and drained mires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maekilae, M.

2011-07-01

The carbon accumulation of 73 peat columns from 48 pristine and drained mires was investigated using a total of 367 dates and age-depth models derived from bulk density measurements. Peat columns were collected from mires of varying depth, age, degree of natural state and nutrient conditions in aapa mire and raised bog regions and coastal mires from southern and central Finland and Russian Karelia. Particular attention was paid to the accumulation of carbon over the last 300 years, as this period encompasses the best estimates of the oxic layer (acrotelm) age across the range of sites investigated. In general, drained mires are initially more nutrient-rich than pristine mires. Organic matter decomposes more rapidly at drained sites than at pristine sites, resulting in thinner peat layers and carbon accumulation but a higher dry bulk density and carbon content. The average carbon accumulation was calculated as 24.0 g m-2 yr-1 at pristine sites and 19.4 g m-2 yr-1 at drained sites, while for peat layers younger than 300 years the respective figures were 45.3 and 34.5 g m-2 yr-1 at pristine and drained sites. For the <300-year-old peat layers studied here, the average thickness was 19 cm less and the carbon accumulation rate 10.8 g m-2 yr-1 lower in drained areas than in pristine areas. The amount carbon accumulation of surface peat layers depends upon the mire site type, vegetation and natural state; variations reflect differences in plant communities as well as factors that affect biomass production and decay rates. The highest accumulation rates and thus carbon binding for layers younger than 300 years were measured in the ombrotrophic mire site types (Sphagnum fuscum bog and Sphagnum fuscum pine bog), and the second highest rates in wet, treeless oligotrophic and minerotrophic mire site types. The lowest values of carbon accumulation over the last 300 years were obtained for the most transformed, sparsely forested and forested mire site types, where the water
Patterns of lipofuscin accumulation in ganglionic nerve cells of superior cervical ganglion in humans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Živković Vladimir

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Background/Aim. Considering available literature lipofuscin is a classical age pigment of postmitotic cells, and a consistently recognized phenomenon in humans and animals. Lipofuscin accumulation is characteristic for nerve cells that are postmitotic. This research was focused on lipofuscin accumulation in ganglionic cells (GC (postganglionic sympathetic cell bodies of superior cervical ganglion in humans during ageing. Methods. We analysed 30 ganglions from cadavers ranging from 20 to over 80 years of age. As material the tissue samples were used from the middle portion of the ganglion, which was separated from the surrounding tissue by the method of macrodissection. The tissue samples were routinely fixed in 10% neutral formalin and embedded in paraffin for classical histological analysis, then three consecutive (successive sections 5 μm thick were made and stained with hematoxylin and eosin method (HE, silver impregnation technique by Masson Fontana and trichrome stain by Florantin. Results. Immersion microscopy was used to analyse patterns of lipofuscin accumulation during ageing making possible to distinguish diffuse type (lipofuscin granules were irregularly distributed and non-confluent, unipolar type (lipofuscin granules were grouped at the end of the cell, bipolar type (lipofuscin granules were concentrated at the two opposite ends of a cell with the nucleus in between at the center of a cell, annular type (lipofuscin granules were in the shape of a complete or incomplete ring around the nucleus and a cell completely filled with lipofuscin (two subtypes distinguishing, one with visible a nucleus, and the other with invisible one. Even at the age of 20 there were cells with lipofuscin granules accumulated in diffuse way, but in smaller numbers; the GC without lipofuscin were dominant. Growing older, especially above 60 years, all of the above mentioned patterns of lipofuscin accumulation were present with the evident increase in cells
Distinctive accumulation patterns of heavy metals in Sardinella aurita (Clupeidae) and Mugil cephalus (Mugilidae) tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Annabi, Ali; El Mouadeb, Rahma; Herrel, Anthony

2018-01-01

The present study assessed the impact of metal pollution on two widely consumed types of wild fish Sardinella aurita and Mugil cephalus captured from the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia) which is currently experiencing acute environmental problems. A study of the Cd, Cu, Zn, and Pb levels present in the studied site and vital in fish tissues (gills, liver, gonad, and muscle) was undertaken. As expected, muscle, liver, and gonad tissues contained the highest concentrations of all metals except for Zn. The metal levels showed a significant variation of accumulation between species with overall effects of the tested tissues. In addition, the results address the significant effects of the species/tissue interaction. Liver sections showed structural alterations consisting mainly of a significant desquamation of the tissue, a fibroblast proliferation, and a lipid droplet accumulation in both species. Additionally, the presence of skeletal abnormalities affecting the vertebral column was observed in the M. cephalus specimens. As a whole, our data provide the first evidence of distinctive metal accumulation patterns in vital fish tissues as well as the interspecific difference that can be correlated with the biological habits of the two selected models, S. aurita and M. cephalus, known respectively as pelagic and benthopelagic species.
Evidence of leopard predation on bonobos (Pan paniscus).

Science.gov (United States)

D'Amour, Danielle E; Hohmann, Gottfried; Fruth, Barbara

2006-01-01

Current models of social organization assume that predation is one of the major forces that promotes group living in diurnal primates. As large body size renders some protection against predators, gregariousness of great apes and other large primate species is usually related to other parameters. The low frequency of observed cases of nonhuman predation on great apes seems to support this assumption. However, recent efforts to study potential predator species have increasingly accumulated direct and indirect evidence of predation by leopards (Panthera pardus) on chimpanzees and gorillas. The following report provides the first evidence of predation by a leopard on bonobos (Pan paniscus). Copyright 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.
Accumulation patterns of proper point defects in thermo-regulating coatings based on ZnO for space vehicles under electron irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mikhajlov, M.M.; Sharafutdinova, V.V.

1998-01-01

The expansion of the band of the induced absorption of zinc oxide powders and thermo-regulating coatings based on ZnO for space vehicles is carried out after the 30 keV electron irradiation. Singularities of the growth of the intensity of individual components as a function of the accelerated electron flow are studied. It is found that power and exponential dependences with one or two components are characteristic for different color centers and different thermo-regulating coatings. The kinetics of the accumulation of free electrons is characterized by the maximum value of the electron flows at which the generation of color centers on pre-radiation defects is realized by the radiolysis of the pigment lattice

Evaluation of thermal physical properties for fast reactor fuels. Melting point and thermal conductivities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Masato; Morimoto, Kyoichi; Komeno, Akira; Nakamichi, Shinya; Kashimura, Motoaki; Abe, Tomoyuki; Uno, Hiroki; Ogasawara, Masahiro; Tamura, Tetsuya; Sugata, Hirotada; Sunaoshi, Takeo; Shibata, Kazuya

2006-10-01

Japan Atomic Energy Agency has developed a fast breeder reactor (FBR), and plutonium and uranium mixed oxide (MOX) having low density and 20-30%Pu content has used as a fuel of the FBR, Monju. In plutonium, Americium has been accumulated during long-term storage, and Am content will be increasing up to 2-3% in the MOX. It is essential to evaluate the influence of Am content on physical properties of MOX on the development of FBR in the future. In this study melting points and thermal conductivities which are important data on the fuel design were measured systematically in wide range of composition, and the effects of Am accumulated were evaluated. The solidus temperatures of MOX were measured as a function of Pu content, oxygen to metal ratio (O/M) and Am content using thermal arrest technique. The sample was sealed in a tungsten capsule in vacuum for measuring solidus temperature. In the measurements of MOX with Pu content of more than 30%, a rhenium inner capsule was used to prevent the reaction between MOX and tungsten. In the results, it was confirmed that the melting points of MOX decrease with as an increase of Pu content and increase slightly with a decrease of O/M ratio. The effect of Am content on the fuel design was negligible small in the range of Am content up to 3%. Thermal conductivities of MOX were evaluated from thermal diffusivity measured by laser flash method and heat capacity calculated by Neumann- Kopp's law. The thermal conductivity of MOX decreased slightly in the temperature of less than 1173K with increasing Am content. The effect of Am accumulated in long-term storage fuel was evaluated from melting points and thermal conductivities measured in this study. It is concluded that the increase of Am in the fuel barely affect the fuel design in the range of less than 3%Am content. (author)
Evaluation of urban environment pollution based on the accumulation of macro- and trace elements in epiphytic lichens.

Science.gov (United States)

Parzych, Agnieszka; Astel, Aleksander; Zduńczyk, Anna; Surowiec, Tomasz

2016-01-01

Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc, nickel, copper, manganese, iron and lead accumulation properties of three epiphytic lichen species (Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl., Parmelia sulcata Taylor and Xanthoria parietina (L.) Th. Fr.) were compared. An assessment of pollution of the municipal environment in Słupsk (Poland) according to macro- and trace elements was also done. Lichen samples were taken in Autumn 2013 from Betula pendula, Fraxinus excelsior, Acer platanoides, A. pseudoplatanus and Populus sp. trees. Sampling stations comprised of house development areas, green urban parks, vicinity of streets with heavy traffic and industrial enterprises. It was found that lichens represent diverse accumulation properties to pollutants according to the species. X. parietina indicated the highest bioaccumulation in relation to N, K, Mg, Zn and Fe, the thalli of H. physodes accumulated the largest amounts of Ni and Pb, while P. sulcata P and Cu. Manganese was accumulated in similar quantities by all species. Evidences acquired by the use of factor analysis proved that pollution in Słupsk municipal environment is a serious issue with three major sources domination: street dust, marine factor and residual oil combustion. The high-risk areas were detected and visualized using surface maps based on Kriging algorithm. It was seen that the highest pollution occurs in the town centre, while the smallest happened on its outskirts and in urban parks.
Uranium accumulation by aquatic macrophyte, Pistia stratiotes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhainsa, K.C.; D'Souza, S.F.

2012-01-01

Uranium accumulation by aquatic macrophyte, Pistia stratiotes from aqueous solution was investigated in laboratory condition. The objective was to evaluate the uranium accumulation potential and adopt the plant in uranium containing medium to improve its uptake capacity. The plant was found to tolerate and grow in the pH range of 3-7. Accumulation of uranium improved with increasing pH and the plant could remove 70% uranium from the medium (20 mg/L) within 24 hours of incubation at pH 5-6. Uptake of uranium on either side of this pH range decreased
Selenium accumulation by plants

Science.gov (United States)

White, Philip J.

2016-01-01

Background Selenium (Se) is an essential mineral element for animals and humans, which they acquire largely from plants. The Se concentration in edible plants is determined by the Se phytoavailability in soils. Selenium is not an essential element for plants, but excessive Se can be toxic. Thus, soil Se phytoavailability determines the ecology of plants. Most plants cannot grow on seleniferous soils. Most plants that grow on seleniferous soils accumulate 100 mg Se kg–1 dry matter. These plants are considered to be Se accumulators. Some species can even accumulate Se concentrations of 1000–15 000 mg Se kg–1 dry matter and are called Se hyperaccumulators. Scope This article provides an overview of Se uptake, translocation and metabolism in plants and highlights the possible genetic basis of differences in these between and within plant species. The review focuses initially on adaptations allowing plants to tolerate large Se concentrations in their tissues and the evolutionary origin of species that hyperaccumulate Se. It then describes the variation in tissue Se concentrations between and within angiosperm species and identifies genes encoding enzymes limiting the rates of incorporation of Se into organic compounds and chromosomal loci that might enable the development of crops with greater Se concentrations in their edible portions. Finally, it discusses transgenic approaches enabling plants to tolerate greater Se concentrations in the rhizosphere and in their tissues. Conclusions The trait of Se hyperaccumulation has evolved several times in separate angiosperm clades. The ability to tolerate large tissue Se concentrations is primarily related to the ability to divert Se away from the accumulation of selenocysteine and selenomethionine, which might be incorporated into non-functional proteins, through the synthesis of less toxic Se metabilites. There is potential to breed or select crops with greater Se concentrations in their edible tissues, which
Molecular mechanism by which AMP-activated protein kinase activation promotes glycogen accumulation in muscle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hunter, Roger W; Treebak, Jonas Thue; Wojtaszewski, Jørgen

2011-01-01

AND METHODS We recently generated knock-in mice in which wild-type muscle GS was replaced by a mutant (Arg582Ala) that could not be activated by glucose-6-phosphate (G6P), but possessed full catalytic activity and could still be activated normally by dephosphorylation. Muscles from GS knock-in or transgenic......-insensitive GS knock-in mice, although AICAR-stimulated AMPK activation, glucose transport, and total glucose utilization were normal. CONCLUSIONS We provide genetic evidence that AMPK activation promotes muscle glycogen accumulation by allosteric activation of GS through an increase in glucose uptake...
Noncondensable gas accumulation phenomena in nuclear power plant piping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Yasushi; Aoki, Kazuyoshi; Sato, Teruaki; Shida, Akira; Ichikawa, Nagayoshi; Nishikawa, Akira; Inagaki, Tetsuhiko

2011-01-01

In the case of the boiling water reactor, hydrogen and oxygen slightly exist in the main steam, because these noncondensable gases are generated by the radiolytic decomposition of the reactor water. BWR plants have taken measures to prevent noncondensable gas accumulation. However, in 2001, the detonation of noncondensable gases occurred at Hamaoka-1 and Brunsbuttel, resulting in ruptured piping. The accumulation phenomena of noncondensable gases in BWR closed piping must be investigated and understood in order to prevent similar events from occurring in the future. Therefore, an experimental study on noncondensable gas accumulation was carried out. The piping geometries for testing were classified and modeled after the piping of actual BWR plants. The test results showed that 1) noncondensable gases accumulate in vertical piping, 2) it is hard for noncondensable gases to accumulate in horizontal piping, and 3) noncondensable gases accumulate under low-pressure conditions. A simple accumulation analysis method was proposed. To evaluate noncondensable gas accumulation phenomena, the three component gases were treated as a mixture. It was assumed that the condensation amount of the vapor is small, because the piping is certainly wrapped with heat insulation material. Moreover, local thermal equilibrium was assumed. This analysis method was verified using the noncondensable gas accumulation test data on branch piping with a closed top. Moreover, an experimental study on drain trap piping was carried out. The test results showed that the noncondensable gases dissolved in the drain water were discharged from the drain trap, and Henry's law could be applied to evaluate the amount of dissolved noncondensable gases in the drain water. (author)
Deleted in Breast Cancer 1 Limits Adipose Tissue Fat Accumulation and Plays a Key Role in the Development of Metabolic Syndrome Phenotype

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Escande, Carlos; Nin, Veronica; Pirtskhalava, Tamar; Chini, Claudia C. S.; Tchkonia, Tamar; Kirkland, James L.; Chini, Eduardo N.

Obesity is often regarded as the primary cause of metabolic syndrome. However, many lines of evidence suggest that obesity may develop as a protective mechanism against tissue damage during caloric surplus and that it is only when the maximum fat accumulation capacity is reached and fatty acid
Coordinate alignment of combined measurement systems using a modified common points method

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, G.; Zhang, P.; Xiao, W.

2018-03-01

The co-ordinate metrology has been extensively researched for its outstanding advantages in measurement range and accuracy. The alignment of different measurement systems is usually achieved by integrating local coordinates via common points before measurement. The alignment errors would accumulate and significantly reduce the global accuracy, thus need to be minimized. In this thesis, a modified common points method (MCPM) is proposed to combine different traceable system errors of the cooperating machines, and optimize the global accuracy by introducing mutual geometric constraints. The geometric constraints, obtained by measuring the common points in individual local coordinate systems, provide the possibility to reduce the local measuring uncertainty whereby enhance the global measuring certainty. A simulation system is developed in Matlab to analyze the feature of MCPM using the Monto-Carlo method. An exemplary setup is constructed to verify the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed method associated with laser tracker and indoor iGPS systems. Experimental results show that MCPM could significantly improve the alignment accuracy.
Direct evidence for microbial-derived soil organic matter formation and its ecophysiological controls

Science.gov (United States)

Kallenbach, Cynthia M.; Frey, Serita D.; Grandy, A. Stuart

2016-11-01

Soil organic matter (SOM) and the carbon and nutrients therein drive fundamental submicron- to global-scale biogeochemical processes and influence carbon-climate feedbacks. Consensus is emerging that microbial materials are an important constituent of stable SOM, and new conceptual and quantitative SOM models are rapidly incorporating this view. However, direct evidence demonstrating that microbial residues account for the chemistry, stability and abundance of SOM is still lacking. Further, emerging models emphasize the stabilization of microbial-derived SOM by abiotic mechanisms, while the effects of microbial physiology on microbial residue production remain unclear. Here we provide the first direct evidence that soil microbes produce chemically diverse, stable SOM. We show that SOM accumulation is driven by distinct microbial communities more so than clay mineralogy, where microbial-derived SOM accumulation is greatest in soils with higher fungal abundances and more efficient microbial biomass production.
Disparities and menthol marketing: additional evidence in support of point of sale policies.

Science.gov (United States)

Moreland-Russell, Sarah; Harris, Jenine; Snider, Doneisha; Walsh, Heidi; Cyr, Julianne; Barnoya, Joaquin

2013-09-25

This study examined factors associated with point-of-sale tobacco marketing in St. Louis, an urban city in the United States. Using spatial analysis, descriptive statistics, and multilevel modeling, we examined point-of-sale data and the proportion of mentholated cigarette and total cigarette marketing from 342 individual tobacco retail stores within St. Louis census tracts characterized by the percent of black adults and children. Menthol and total tobacco product marketing was highest in areas with the highest percentages of black residents. When examining menthol marketing to children, we did not find as strong of a relationship, however results of multilevel modeling indicate that as the proportion of black children in a census tract increased, the proportion of menthol marketing near candy also increased. These results indicate the need for communities globally to counter this targeted marketing by taking policy action specifically through the enactment of marketing restrictions provided by the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act and the Framework Convention of Tobacco Control.
Enhanced insight into the autoimmune component of glaucoma: IgG autoantibody accumulation and pro-inflammatory conditions in human glaucomatous retina.

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Oliver W Gramlich

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: There is accumulating evidence that autoimmune components, such as autoantibodies and autoantibody depositions, play a role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimeŕs disease or Multiple Sclerosis. Due to alterations of autoantibody patterns in sera and aqueous humor, an autoimmune component is also assumed in the pathogenesis of glaucoma, a common reason for irreversible blindness worldwide. So far there has been no convincing evidence that autoantibodies are accumulated in the retina of glaucoma patients and that the local immune homeostasis might be affected. METHODS AND RESULTS: Six human glaucomatous donor eyes and nine samples from donors with no recorded ocular disease were included. Antibody microarrays were used to examine the patterns of pro-inflammatory proteins and complement proteins. Analysis of TNF-α and interleukin levels revealed a slight up-regulation exclusively in the glaucomatous group, while complement protein levels were not altered. IgG autoantibody accumulations and/or cellular components were determined by immunohistology (n = 4 per group. A significantly reduced number of retinal ganglion cells was found in the glaucomatous group (healthy: 104±7 nuclei/mm, glaucoma: 67±9 nuclei/mm; p = 0.0007. Cell loss was accompanied by strong retinal IgG autoantibody accumulations, which were at least twice as high as in healthy subjects (healthy: 5.0±0.5 IgG deposits/100 cells, glaucoma: 9.4±1.9 IgG deposits/100 cells; p = 0.004. CD27(+ cells and CD27(+/IgG(+ plasma cells were observed in all glaucomatous subjects, but not in controls. CONCLUSION: This work provides serious evidence for the occurrence of IgG antibody deposition and plasma cells in human glaucomatous retina. Moreover, the results suggest that these IgG deposits occurred in a pro-inflammatory environment which seems to be maintained locally by immune-competent cells like microglia. Thereby, glaucoma features an
Fire effects on the Point Reyes Mountain Beaver at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

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Fellers, Gary M.; Pratt, David; Griffin, Jennifer L.

2004-01-01

In October 1995, a wildlands fire burned 5,000 ha on the Point Reyes peninsula, California, USA. In most of the nonforested areas, the fire effectively cleared the ground of litter and vegetation and revealed thousands of Point Reyes mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa phaea) burrow openings. In the first 6 months after the fire, we surveyed burned coastal scrub and riparian habitat to (1) count the number of burrow openings that existed at the time of the fire, and (2) evaluate whether signs of post-fire mountain beaver activity were evident. We estimated that only 0.4–1.7% of mountain beavers within the burn area survived the fire and immediate post-fire period. We monitored mountain beaver activity for 5 years at 8 sites where mountain beavers survived, and found little or no recovery. We estimate that the mountain beaver population will take 15–20 years post-fire to recover.
The gender gap in accrued pension rights - an indicator of women's accumulated disadvantage over the course of working life. The Hordaland Health Study (HUSK).

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Skogen, Jens Christoffer; Hensing, Gunnel; Øverland, Simon; Knudsen, Ann Kristin; Sivertsen, Børge; Vahtera, Jussi; Tell, Grethe S; Haukenes, Inger

2018-05-01

Economic gender equality is one of the goals of the Nordic Welfare states. Despite this, there is a considerable gender gap in pensionable income in the European Union, and an unmet need for measures that absorb more of the complexity associated with accumulated (dis)advantages across gender and population groups. The aims of the present study were to examine the gender difference in association between average earned pension points and 1) education and 2) current occupational prestige, and to discuss pension points as a possible indicator of accumulated disadvantages. We linked a community-based survey, the Hordaland Health study (HUSK), to the national register of insurance benefits (FD-trygd). This made it possible to trace gendered patterns of economic (dis)advantages associated with educational level, career development and gainful work over the life course for 17,275 individuals. We found profound differences in earned accrued pension rights between men and women across socioeconomic strata, and a significant interaction between pension rights and gender in the association with education and occupational prestige. Our findings indicate that men, as a group, may have lower educational attainment and occupational prestige than women, and still earn more pension points throughout their career. These differences place women at risk for future economic strain and deprivation over and above their similarly educated and positioned male counterparts. We suggest that accrued pension rights may be a relevant measure of accumulated (dis)advantages over the course of working life, and a useful indicator when gender equality is measured and discussed.
Use of dual-point fluorodeoxyglucose imaging to enhance sensitivity and specificity.

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Schillaci, Orazio

2012-07-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) are widely used as a powerful evaluation modality in oncological nuclear medicine not only for detecting tumors but also for staging and for therapy monitoring. Nevertheless, there are numerous causes of FDG uptake in benign processes seen on PET images. In fact, the degree of FDG uptake is related to the cellular metabolic rate and the number of glucose transporters. FDG accumulation in tumors is due, in part, to an increased number of glucose transporters in malignant cells. However, FDG is not specific for neoplasms: a similar situation exists in inflammation; activated inflammatory cells demonstrate increased expression of glucose transporters. Therefore, there is growing interest in improving the specificity of FDG-PET in patients with cancer. Preliminary studies showed that in several neoplasms, the uptake of FDG continues to increase for hours after radiopharmaceutical injection, and this difference in the time course of FDG uptake could be useful to improve the accuracy of PET to distinguish benign lesions from malignant ones. Also in experimental cultures, dual-point acquisition (early at 40-60 minutes postinjection and delayed at 90-270 minutes) demonstrated that it is able to differentiate inflammatory from neoplastic tissue. In general, inflammatory tissue is expected to reduce FDG uptake as the time goes by, whereas the uptake in the neoplastic lesions is supposed to be increasing. There is evidence in the recent literature of the clinical usefulness of dual-time-point FDG-PET imaging in a wide variety of malignancies, including those of head and neck, lung, breast, gallbladder, cervix, liver, and in brain tumors. A lesion is likely to be malignant if the standard uptake value increases over time, whereas it is likely to be benign if the standard uptake value is stable or decreases. It is worth noting that in many of these
A Process-Based Model of TCA Cycle Functioning to Analyze Citrate Accumulation in Pre- and Post-Harvest Fruits.

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Audrey Etienne

Full Text Available Citrate is one of the most important organic acids in many fruits and its concentration plays a critical role in organoleptic properties. The regulation of citrate accumulation throughout fruit development, and the origins of the phenotypic variability of the citrate concentration within fruit species remain to be clarified. In the present study, we developed a process-based model of citrate accumulation based on a simplified representation of the TCA cycle to predict citrate concentration in fruit pulp during the pre- and post-harvest stages. Banana fruit was taken as a reference because it has the particularity of having post-harvest ripening, during which citrate concentration undergoes substantial changes. The model was calibrated and validated on the two stages, using data sets from three contrasting cultivars in terms of citrate accumulation, and incorporated different fruit load, potassium supply, and harvest dates. The model predicted the pre and post-harvest dynamics of citrate concentration with fairly good accuracy for the three cultivars. The model suggested major differences in TCA cycle functioning among cultivars during post-harvest ripening of banana, and pointed to a potential role for NAD-malic enzyme and mitochondrial malate carriers in the genotypic variability of citrate concentration. The sensitivity of citrate accumulation to growth parameters and temperature differed among cultivars during post-harvest ripening. Finally, the model can be used as a conceptual basis to study citrate accumulation in fleshy fruits and may be a powerful tool to improve our understanding of fruit acidity.
26 CFR 1.1368-2 - Accumulated adjustments account (AAA).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 11 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Accumulated adjustments account (AAA). 1.1368-2... adjustments account (AAA). (a) Accumulated adjustments account—(1) In general. The accumulated adjustments account is an account of the S corporation and is not apportioned among shareholders. The AAA is relevant...
Performance Comparisons of Improved Regular Repeat Accumulate (RA and Irregular Repeat Accumulate (IRA Turbo Decoding

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Ahmed Abdulkadhim Hamad

2017-08-01

Full Text Available In this paper, different techniques are used to improve the turbo decoding of regular repeat accumulate (RA and irregular repeat accumulate (IRA codes. The adaptive scaling of a-posteriori information produced by Soft-output Viterbi decoder (SOVA is proposed. The encoded pilots are another scheme that applied for short length RA codes. This work also suggests a simple and a fast method to generate a random interleaver having a free 4 cycle Tanner graph. Progressive edge growth algorithm (PEG is also studied and simulated to create the Tanner graphs which have a great girth.
Manganese accumulation in the brain: MR imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uchino, A.; Nomiyama, K.; Takase, Y.; Nakazono, T.; Nojiri, J.; Kudo, S. [Saga Medical School, Department of Radiology, Saga (Japan); Noguchi, T. [Kyushu University, Department of Clinical Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Fukuoka (Japan)

2007-09-15

Manganese (Mn) accumulation in the brain is detected as symmetrical high signal intensity in the globus pallidi on T1-weighted MR images without an abnormal signal on T2-weighted images. In this review, we present several cases of Mn accumulation in the brain due to acquired or congenital diseases of the abdomen including hepatic cirrhosis with a portosystemic shunt, congenital biliary atresia, primary biliary cirrhosis, congenital intrahepatic portosystemic shunt without liver dysfunction, Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome with a diffuse intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, and patent ductus venosus. Other causes of Mn accumulation in the brain are Mn overload from total parenteral nutrition and welding-related Mn intoxication. (orig.)
Evaluating Insects as Bioindicators of Heavy Metal Contamination and Accumulation near Industrial Area of Gujrat, Pakistan

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Iqra Azam

2015-01-01

Full Text Available To study the accumulation and contamination of heavy metals (i.e., Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn in soil, air, and water, few insect species were assayed as ecological indicators. Study area comes under industrial zone of district Gujrat of Punjab, Pakistan. Insects used as bioindicators included a libellulid dragonfly (Crocothemis servilia, an acridid grasshopper (Oxya hyla hyla, and a nymphalid butterfly (Danaus chrysippus near industrial zone of Gujrat. Accumulation of Cd was highest in insect species followed by Cu, Cr, Zn, and Ni at p<0.05. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HACA was carried out to study metal accumulation level in all insects. Correlation and regression analysis confirmed HACA observations and declared concentration of heavy metals above permissible limits. Metal concentrations in insects were significantly higher near industries and nallahs in Gujrat and relatively higher concentrations of metals were found in Orthoptera than Odonata and Lepidoptera. The total metal concentrations in insects were pointed significantly higher at sites S3 (Mid of HalsiNala, S9 (End of HalsiNala, and S1 (Start of HalsiNala, whereas lowest value was detected at site S6 (Kalra Khasa located far from industrial area. HACA indicates that these insect groups are potential indicators of metal contamination and can be used in biomonitoring.
Accumulative behavior of radioactive cesium during the incineration of municipal solid waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mizuhara, Shinji; Kawamoto, Katsuya; Maeseto, Tomoharu; Kuramochi, Hidetoshi; Osako, Masahiro

2015-01-01

Understanding the long-term accumulation behavior of radioactive cesium (r- Cs) in municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration plants is important for safety management of them. In this study, first, not only air dose rate but also r-Cs activity in wall adhesion dust at different point in the inside of a MSW incineration plant were measured. The results showed that higher amounts of the Cs were observed in the surface layer of refractory and that higher air dose ratios were obtained in the upstream region in incineration process. However, the Cs content of adhered dust onto the surface material of incineration equipment was higher in downstream than upstream because of the decrease of flue gas temperature. (author)

Simulation and experiemntal study on damper by accumulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xiaobin; Zhou Yong; Chen Wuxing; Hu Junhua

2010-01-01

In order to prevent stressing penstocks broken by earthquake or other shock waves, dampers are used widely in nuclear power plant or pipelines transporting radioactive material. A new-style damper by accumulator is introduced. Inside the damper an accumulator is installed, the outward corrugated tubes are added outside the piston rod. So it has advantages of small volume, no oil leakage. The simulation and experimental research show that if the clearance between the piston and cylinder, the spring stiffness of accumulator or the throttle valve size is varied, the dynamic performance of the impact displacement, resistance in low velocity and lock-up velocity of dampe would be influenced. The support of nuclear classified pipelines can be satisfied by using this new-style accumulator damper. (authors)
Comparative enzymology of the adenosine triphosphate sulfurylases from leaf tissue of selenium-accumulator and non-accumulator plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaw, W H; Anderson, J W

1974-01-01

ATP sulfurylases were partially purified (20-40-fold) from leaf tissue of Astragalus bisulcatus, Astragalus racemosus (selenium-accumulator species) and Astragalus hamosus and Astragalus sinicus (non-accumulator species). Activity was measured by sulfate-dependent PP/sub 1/-ATP exchange. The enzymes were separated from pyrophosphatase and adenosine triphosphatase activities. The properties of the Astragalus ATP sulfurylases were similar to the spinach enzyme. The ATP sulfurylases from both selenium-accumulator and non-accumulator species catalyzed selenate-dependent PP/sub 1/-ATP exchange; selenate competed with sulfate. The ratio of V(selenate)/V(sulfate) and K/sub m/ (selenate)/K/sub m/(sulfate) was approximately the same for the enzyme from each species. Sulfate-dependent PP/sub 1/-ATP exchange was inhibited by ADP, chlorate and nitrate. The kinetics of the inhibition for each enzyme were consistent with an ordered reaction mechanisms, in which ATP is the first substrate to react with the enzyme and PP/sub 1/ is the first product released. Synthesis of adenosine 5'-(/sup 35/S)sulfatophosphate from (/sup 35/S)sulfate was demonstrated by coupling the Astrgalus ATP sulfurylases with Mg/sup 2 +/-dependent pyrophosphatase; the reaction was inhibited by selenate. An analogous reaction using (/sup 75/Se)selenate as substrate could not be demonstrated.
Stability of the accumulation pattern around Dome C over the last glacial cycle

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Cavitte, Marie; Parrenin, Frédéric; Ritz, Catherine; Blankenship, Donald; Young, Duncan; Frezzotti, Massimo; Roberts, Jason; van Ommen, Tas

2017-04-01

between each pair of isochrones by fitting the isochrone geometries exactly. Each "layer" therefore provides a map of the paleo-accumulation rate pattern for the time interval represented by the layer. We observe that the large-scale pattern of paleo-accumulation through the last 127 kyr has been consistent with today's: higher rates of accumulation to the NW of Dome C (i.e. nearer the coast) and lower rates with distance from the coast towards the SE. On smaller scales, we observe local accumulation highs, which correlate with local ice surface slope anomalies (usually reduced slopes) and remain stationary through time. We suggest that the stationary character of the paleo accumulation patterns, both regionally and locally, point to a relative stability of the ice sheet's surface geometry all the way back to the penultimate interglacial. This would imply a stable dome position throughout, and perhaps a balanced grounding line influence from the Byrd and Totten catchments.
Mechanisms of intrahepatic triglyceride accumulation

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Ress, Claudia; Kaser, Susanne

2016-01-01

Hepatic steatosis defined as lipid accumulation in hepatocytes is very frequently found in adults and obese adolescents in the Western World. Etiologically, obesity and associated insulin resistance or excess alcohol intake are the most frequent causes of hepatic steatosis. However, steatosis also often occurs with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and is also found in rare but potentially life-threatening liver diseases of pregnancy. Clinical significance and outcome of hepatic triglyceride accumulation are highly dependent on etiology and histological pattern of steatosis. This review summarizes current concepts of pathophysiology of common causes of hepatic steatosis, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), alcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic HCV infections, drug-induced forms of hepatic steatosis, and acute fatty liver of pregnancy. Regarding the pathophysiology of NAFLD, this work focuses on the close correlation between insulin resistance and hepatic triglyceride accumulation, highlighting the potential harmful effects of systemic insulin resistance on hepatic metabolism of fatty acids on the one side and the role of lipid intermediates on insulin signalling on the other side. Current studies on lipid droplet morphogenesis have identified novel candidate proteins and enzymes in NAFLD. PMID:26819531
Studies on bio-accumulation of 51Cr by Piper Nigrum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, Kalpita; Nayak, Dalia; Lahiri, Susanta

2007-01-01

The present study is performed to accumulate 51 Cr(III) and 51 Cr(VI) using the alkaloid piperine, derived from the fruits of Piper nigrum (Family Piperaceae) as well as by the fruit commonly known as black pepper by radiometric technique. The pH dependence and the effect of concentration of chromium on the accumulation have also been examined. The maximum accumulation (52%) of Cr(III) is found by black pepper at pH 4 whereas piperine shows slight accumulation at this condition. Accumulation of Cr(VI) by black pepper is negligible. (author)
Endogenous adenosine produced during hypoxia attenuates neutrophil accumulation: coordination by extracellular nucleotide metabolism.

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Eltzschig, Holger K; Thompson, Linda F; Karhausen, Jorn; Cotta, Richard J; Ibla, Juan C; Robson, Simon C; Colgan, Sean P

2004-12-15

Hypoxia is a well-documented inflammatory stimulus and results in tissue polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) accumulation. Likewise, increased tissue adenosine levels are commonly associated with hypoxia, and given the anti-inflammatory properties of adenosine, we hypothesized that adenosine production via adenine nucleotide metabolism at the vascular surface triggers an endogenous anti-inflammatory response during hypoxia. Initial in vitro studies indicated that endogenously generated adenosine, through activation of PMN adenosine A(2A) and A(2B) receptors, functions as an antiadhesive signal for PMN binding to microvascular endothelia. Intravascular nucleotides released by inflammatory cells undergo phosphohydrolysis via hypoxia-induced CD39 ectoapyrase (CD39 converts adenosine triphosphate/adenosine diphosphate [ATP/ADP] to adenosine monophosphate [AMP]) and CD73 ecto-5'-nucleotidase (CD73 converts AMP to adenosine). Extensions of our in vitro findings using cd39- and cd73-null animals revealed that extracellular adenosine produced through adenine nucleotide metabolism during hypoxia is a potent anti-inflammatory signal for PMNs in vivo. These findings identify CD39 and CD73 as critical control points for endogenous adenosine generation and implicate this pathway as an innate mechanism to attenuate excessive tissue PMN accumulation.
Flavonoid accumulation patterns of transparent testa mutants of arabidopsis

Science.gov (United States)

Peer, W. A.; Brown, D. E.; Tague, B. W.; Muday, G. K.; Taiz, L.; Murphy, A. S.

2001-01-01

Flavonoids have been implicated in the regulation of auxin movements in Arabidopsis. To understand when and where flavonoids may be acting to control auxin movement, the flavonoid accumulation pattern was examined in young seedlings and mature tissues of wild-type Arabidopsis. Using a variety of biochemical and visualization techniques, flavonoid accumulation in mature plants was localized in cauline leaves, pollen, stigmata, and floral primordia, and in the stems of young, actively growing inflorescences. In young Landsberg erecta seedlings, aglycone flavonols accumulated developmentally in three regions, the cotyledonary node, the hypocotyl-root transition zone, and the root tip. Aglycone flavonols accumulated at the hypocotyl-root transition zone in a developmental and tissue-specific manner with kaempferol in the epidermis and quercetin in the cortex. Quercetin localized subcellularly in the nuclear region, plasma membrane, and endomembrane system, whereas kaempferol localized in the nuclear region and plasma membrane. The flavonoid accumulation pattern was also examined in transparent testa mutants blocked at different steps in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. The transparent testa mutants were shown to have precursor accumulation patterns similar to those of end product flavonoids in wild-type Landsberg erecta, suggesting that synthesis and end product accumulation occur in the same cells.
Unknown and abnormal accumulation in the chest in bone scintigraphy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maruyama, Toshiaki; Takeuchi, Masashi; Tokunaga, Koji; Maeda, Yoichi; Hasegawa, Kazuhiko.

1979-01-01

In scintigraphies of forty patients with hemiplegia following appoplexia, focal abnormal accumulations in the chest region were seen in bone scintigraphies of four patients. These hot accumulations could be neither rib fracture, rib metastases, nor abnormal calcium accumulation. A mechanism of these accumulation remains to undicided. We believe that this phenomena is related to abnormal bone metabolism in hemiplegial condition. (author)
The Role of Interest in Physical Education: A Review of Research Evidence

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Chen, Ang; Wang, Yubing

2017-01-01

This article focuses on the research on interest, especially situational interest, in physical education. Interest has been considered a powerful motivator for children and adolescents. Based on a conceptualization of individual and situational interest, a reasonable size of evidence has been accumulated showing that situational interest motivates…
The interplay between iron accumulation, mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation during the execution step of neurodegenerative disorders

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Pamela J. Urrutia

2014-03-01

Full Text Available A growing set of observations points to mitochondrial dysfunction, iron accumulation, oxidative damage and chronic inflammation as common pathognomonic signs of a number of neurodegenerative diseases that includes Alzheimer's disease, Huntington disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Friedrich’s ataxia and Parkinson’s disease. Particularly relevant for neurodegenerative processes is the relationship between mitochondria and iron. The mitochondrion upholds the synthesis of iron-sulfur clusters and heme, the most abundant iron-containing prosthetic groups in a large variety of proteins, so a fraction of incoming iron must go through this organelle before reaching its final destination. In turn, the mitochondrial respiratory chain is the source of reactive oxygen species (ROS derived from leaks in the electron transport chain. The co-existence of both iron and ROS in the secluded space of the mitochondrion makes this organelle particularly prone to hydroxyl radical-mediated damage. In addition, a connection between the loss of iron homeostasis and inflammation is starting to emerge; thus, inflammatory cytokines like TNF-alpha and IL-6 induce the synthesis of the divalent metal transporter 1 and promote iron accumulation in neurons and microglia. Here, we review the recent literature on mitochondrial iron homeostasis and the role of inflammation on mitochondria dysfunction and iron accumulation on the neurodegenerative process that lead to cell death in Parkinson’s disease. We also put forward the hypothesis that mitochondrial dysfunction, iron accumulation and inflammation are part of a synergistic self-feeding cycle that ends in apoptotic cell death, once the antioxidant cellular defense systems are finally overwhelmed.
Disparities and Menthol Marketing: Additional Evidence in Support of Point of Sale Policies

Science.gov (United States)

Moreland-Russell, Sarah; Harris, Jenine; Snider, Doneisha; Walsh, Heidi; Cyr, Julianne; Barnoya, Joaquin

2013-01-01

This study examined factors associated with point-of-sale tobacco marketing in St. Louis, an urban city in the United States. Using spatial analysis, descriptive statistics, and multilevel modeling, we examined point-of-sale data and the proportion of mentholated cigarette and total cigarette marketing from 342 individual tobacco retail stores within St. Louis census tracts characterized by the percent of black adults and children. Menthol and total tobacco product marketing was highest in areas with the highest percentages of black residents. When examining menthol marketing to children, we did not find as strong of a relationship, however results of multilevel modeling indicate that as the proportion of black children in a census tract increased, the proportion of menthol marketing near candy also increased. These results indicate the need for communities globally to counter this targeted marketing by taking policy action specifically through the enactment of marketing restrictions provided by the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act and the Framework Convention of Tobacco Control. PMID:24071922
Disparities and Menthol Marketing: Additional Evidence in Support of Point of Sale Policies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joaquin Barnoya

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This study examined factors associated with point-of-sale tobacco marketing in St. Louis, an urban city in the United States. Using spatial analysis, descriptive statistics, and multilevel modeling, we examined point-of-sale data and the proportion of mentholated cigarette and total cigarette marketing from 342 individual tobacco retail stores within St. Louis census tracts characterized by the percent of black adults and children. Menthol and total tobacco product marketing was highest in areas with the highest percentages of black residents. When examining menthol marketing to children, we did not find as strong of a relationship, however results of multilevel modeling indicate that as the proportion of black children in a census tract increased, the proportion of menthol marketing near candy also increased. These results indicate the need for communities globally to counter this targeted marketing by taking policy action specifically through the enactment of marketing restrictions provided by the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act and the Framework Convention of Tobacco Control.
Evaluating Insects as Bioindicators of Heavy Metal Contamination and Accumulation near Industrial Area of Gujrat, Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Azam, Iqra; Afsheen, Sumera; Zia, Ahmed; Javed, Muqaddas; Saeed, Rashid; Sarwar, Muhammad Kaleem; Munir, Bushra

2015-01-01

To study the accumulation and contamination of heavy metals (i.e., Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn) in soil, air, and water, few insect species were assayed as ecological indicators. Study area comes under industrial zone of district Gujrat of Punjab, Pakistan. Insects used as bioindicators included a libellulid dragonfly (Crocothemis servilia), an acridid grasshopper (Oxya hyla hyla), and a nymphalid butterfly (Danaus chrysippus) near industrial zone of Gujrat. Accumulation of Cd was highest in insect species followed by Cu, Cr, Zn, and Ni at p Lepidoptera. The total metal concentrations in insects were pointed significantly higher at sites S3 (Mid of HalsiNala), S9 (End of HalsiNala), and S1 (Start of HalsiNala), whereas lowest value was detected at site S6 (Kalra Khasa) located far from industrial area. HACA indicates that these insect groups are potential indicators of metal contamination and can be used in biomonitoring.
Organic carbon accumulation in Brazilian mangal sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Christian J.; Smoak, Joseph M.; Sanders, Luciana M.; Sathy Naidu, A.; Patchineelam, Sambasiva R.

2010-12-01

This study reviews the organic carbon (OC) accumulation rates in mangrove forests, margins and intertidal mudflats in geographically distinct areas along the Brazilian coastline (Northeastern to Southern). Our initial results indicate that the mangrove forests in the Northeastern region of Brazil are accumulating more OC (353 g/m 2/y) than in the Southeastern areas (192 g/m 2/y) being that the sediment accumulation rates, 2.8 and 2.5 mm/y, and OC content ˜7.1% and ˜5.8% (dry sediment weight) were contributing factors to the discrepancies between the forests. The intertidal mudflats on the other hand showed substantially greater OC accumulation rates, sedimentation rates and content 1129 g/m 2/y and 234 g/m 2/y; 7.3 and 3.4 mm/y; 10.3% and ˜2.7% (OC of dry sediment weight content), respectively, in the Northeastern compared to the Southeastern region. Mangrove forests in the South-Southeastern regions of Brazil may be more susceptible to the rising sea level, as they are geographically constricted by the vast mountain ranges along the coastline.
A newly found cadmium accumulator-Taraxacum mongolicum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Shuhe; Zhou Qixing; Mathews, Shiny

2008-01-01

Identification of hyperaccumulator and accumulator is still key step of phytoextracting-contaminated soils by heavy metals. In a former published experiment, Taraxacum mongolicum showed basic characteristics of hyperaccumulators. In order to confirm if this plant was a Cd-hyperaccumulator, concentration gradient experiment and sample-analyzing experiments were designed and performed. The results showed that Cd enrichment factor and Cd transformation factor of T. mongolicum were all higher than 1 in concentration gradient experiment. The shoot biomasses did not reduced significantly (p -1 Cd spiked into soil. However, Cd concentration in shoot of T. mongolicum was not higher than 100 mg kg -1 the minimum a Cd-hyperaccumulator should have under the conditions of any concentration level of Cd spiked. Thus, T. mongolicum should be a Cd-accumulator. In the sample-analyzing experiments settled in a Pb-Zn mine area and Shenyang wastewater irrigation region, T. mongolicum also showed that Cd-accumulator characteristics. Based on these results, T. mongolicum could be identified as a Cd-accumulator, which may have important implication in plant physiology and gene engineering
Heat shock-induced accumulation of translation elongation and termination factors precedes assembly of stress granules in S. cerevisiae.

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Tomas Grousl

Full Text Available In response to severe environmental stresses eukaryotic cells shut down translation and accumulate components of the translational machinery in stress granules (SGs. Since they contain mainly mRNA, translation initiation factors and 40S ribosomal subunits, they have been referred to as dominant accumulations of stalled translation preinitiation complexes. Here we present evidence that the robust heat shock-induced SGs of S. cerevisiae also contain translation elongation factors eEF3 (Yef3p and eEF1Bγ2 (Tef4p as well as translation termination factors eRF1 (Sup45p and eRF3 (Sup35p. Despite the presence of the yeast prion protein Sup35 in heat shock-induced SGs, we found out that its prion-like domain is not involved in the SGs assembly. Factors eEF3, eEF1Bγ2 and eRF1 were accumulated and co-localized with Dcp2 foci even upon a milder heat shock at 42°C independently of P-bodies scaffolding proteins. We also show that eEF3 accumulations at 42°C determine sites of the genuine SGs assembly at 46°C. We suggest that identification of translation elongation and termination factors in SGs might help to understand the mechanism of the eIF2α factor phosphorylation-independent repression of translation and SGs assembly.
Good practice in the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: clinical guidelines. An evidence-based review with good practice points. EALSC Working Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Andersen, Peter Munch; Borasio, Gian Domenico; Dengler, Reinhard; Hardiman, Orla; Kollewe, Katja; Leigh, Peter Nigel; Pradat, Pierre-Francois; Silani, Vincenzo; Tomik, Barbara

2007-08-01

The evidence base for diagnosis and management of ALS is still weak, and curative therapy is lacking. Nonetheless, early diagnosis and symptomatic therapy can profoundly influence care and quality of life of the patient and relatives, and may increase survival time. This review addresses the current optimal clinical approach to ALS. The literature search is complete to December 2006. Where there was lack of evidence but consensus was clear we have stated our opinion as good practice points. We conclude that a diagnosis of ALS can be achieved by early examination by an experienced neurologist. The patient should be informed of the diagnosis by the consultant. Following diagnosis, a multi-diciplinary care team should support the patient and relatives. Medication with riluzole should be initiated as early as possible. PEG is associated with improved nutrition and should be inserted early. The operation is hazardous in patients with VC <50%: RIG may be a better alternative. Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation improves survival and quality of life but is underused in Europe. Maintaining the patient's ability to communicate is essential. During the course of the disease, every effort should be made to maintain patient autonomy. Advance directives for palliative end of life care are important and should be discussed early with the patient and relatives if they so wish.
Testing multi-alternative decision models with non-stationary evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsetsos, Konstantinos; Usher, Marius; McClelland, James L

2011-01-01

Recent research has investigated the process of integrating perceptual evidence toward a decision, converging on a number of sequential sampling choice models, such as variants of race and diffusion models and the non-linear leaky competing accumulator (LCA) model. Here we study extensions of these models to multi-alternative choice, considering how well they can account for data from a psychophysical experiment in which the evidence supporting each of the alternatives changes dynamically during the trial, in a way that creates temporal correlations. We find that participants exhibit a tendency to choose an alternative whose evidence profile is temporally anti-correlated with (or dissimilar from) that of other alternatives. This advantage of the anti-correlated alternative is well accounted for in the LCA, and provides constraints that challenge several other models of multi-alternative choice.
Plastic Accumulation in the Mediterranean Sea

OpenAIRE

C?zar, Andr?s; Sanz-Mart?n, Marina; Mart?, Elisa; Gonz?lez-Gordillo, J. Ignacio; Ubeda, B?rbara; G?lvez, Jos? ?.; Irigoien, Xabier; Duarte, Carlos M.

2015-01-01

Copyright: © 2015 Cózar et al. Concentrations of floating plastic were measured throughout the Mediterranean Sea to assess whether this basin can be regarded as a great accumulation region of plastic debris. We found that the average density of plastic (1 item per 4 m2), as well as its frequency of occurrence (100% of the sites sampled), are comparable to the accumulation zones described for the five subtropical ocean gyres. Plastic debris in the Mediterranean surface waters was dominated by ...
Accumulation and interaction of hypericin in low-density lipoprotein--a photophysical study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukherjee, Prasun; Adhikary, Ramkrishna; Halder, Mintu; Petrich, Jacob W; Miskovsky, Pavol

2008-01-01

The accumulation and interaction of hypericin with the biologically important macromolecule, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), is investigated using various steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements. It is concluded that multiple hypericins can penetrate considerably deeply into the LDL molecule. Up to approximately 20 nonaggregated hypericin molecules can enter LDL; but upon increasing the hypericin concentration, the fluorescence lifetime of hypericin decreases drastically, suggesting most likely the self-quenching of aggregated hypericin. There is also evidence of energy transfer from tryptophans of the constituent protein, apoB-100, to hypericin in LDL. The results demonstrate the ability of LDL to solubilize hypericin (a known photosensitizer) in nonaggregated form, which has implications for the construction of drug delivery systems.

SEMANTIC LABELLING OF ULTRA DENSE MLS POINT CLOUDS IN URBAN ROAD CORRIDORS BASED ON FUSING CRF WITH SHAPE PRIORS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Yao

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a labelling method for the semantic analysis of ultra-high point density MLS data (up to 4000 points/m2 in urban road corridors is developed based on combining a conditional random field (CRF for the context-based classification of 3D point clouds with shape priors. The CRF uses a Random Forest (RF for generating the unary potentials of nodes and a variant of the contrastsensitive Potts model for the pair-wise potentials of node edges. The foundations of the classification are various geometric features derived by means of co-variance matrices and local accumulation map of spatial coordinates based on local neighbourhoods. Meanwhile, in order to cope with the ultra-high point density, a plane-based region growing method combined with a rule-based classifier is applied to first fix semantic labels for man-made objects. Once such kind of points that usually account for majority of entire data amount are pre-labeled; the CRF classifier can be solved by optimizing the discriminative probability for nodes within a subgraph structure excluded from pre-labeled nodes. The process can be viewed as an evidence fusion step inferring a degree of belief for point labelling from different sources. The MLS data used for this study were acquired by vehicle-borne Z+F phase-based laser scanner measurement, which permits the generation of a point cloud with an ultra-high sampling rate and accuracy. The test sites are parts of Munich City which is assumed to consist of seven object classes including impervious surfaces, tree, building roof/facade, low vegetation, vehicle and pole. The competitive classification performance can be explained by the diverse factors: e.g. the above ground height highlights the vertical dimension of houses, trees even cars, but also attributed to decision-level fusion of graph-based contextual classification approach with shape priors. The use of context-based classification methods mainly contributed to smoothing of
Semantic Labelling of Ultra Dense Mls Point Clouds in Urban Road Corridors Based on Fusing Crf with Shape Priors

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, W.; Polewski, P.; Krzystek, P.

2017-09-01

In this paper, a labelling method for the semantic analysis of ultra-high point density MLS data (up to 4000 points/m2) in urban road corridors is developed based on combining a conditional random field (CRF) for the context-based classification of 3D point clouds with shape priors. The CRF uses a Random Forest (RF) for generating the unary potentials of nodes and a variant of the contrastsensitive Potts model for the pair-wise potentials of node edges. The foundations of the classification are various geometric features derived by means of co-variance matrices and local accumulation map of spatial coordinates based on local neighbourhoods. Meanwhile, in order to cope with the ultra-high point density, a plane-based region growing method combined with a rule-based classifier is applied to first fix semantic labels for man-made objects. Once such kind of points that usually account for majority of entire data amount are pre-labeled; the CRF classifier can be solved by optimizing the discriminative probability for nodes within a subgraph structure excluded from pre-labeled nodes. The process can be viewed as an evidence fusion step inferring a degree of belief for point labelling from different sources. The MLS data used for this study were acquired by vehicle-borne Z+F phase-based laser scanner measurement, which permits the generation of a point cloud with an ultra-high sampling rate and accuracy. The test sites are parts of Munich City which is assumed to consist of seven object classes including impervious surfaces, tree, building roof/facade, low vegetation, vehicle and pole. The competitive classification performance can be explained by the diverse factors: e.g. the above ground height highlights the vertical dimension of houses, trees even cars, but also attributed to decision-level fusion of graph-based contextual classification approach with shape priors. The use of context-based classification methods mainly contributed to smoothing of labelling by removing
Morrowan stratigraphy, depositional systems, and hydrocarbon accumulation, Sorrento field, Cheyenne County, Colorado

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orchard, D.M.; Kidwell, M.R.

1983-08-01

The Sorrento field, located on the western flank of the present-day Las Animas arch in western Cheyenne County, Colorado, has approximately 29 million bbl of oil and 12 bcf of gas in place in sandstones of the Lower Pennsylvanian Morrow units. The sandstones were deposited in a fluvially dominated deltaic system, and the trap for the hydrocarbon accumulation is formed by pinch-out of this deltaic system onto regional dip. The primary reservoirs are point-bar deposits. At the Sorrento field, the basal Keyes limestone member of the Morrow formation rests unconformably on the Mississippian St. Louis Formation. Above the Keyes limestone, the Morrow shale is 180 to 214 ft (55 to 65 m) thick, and locally contains reservoir sands. Gas/oil and oil/water contacts are not uniform through the field owing to discontinuities between separate point bars. One such discontinuity is formed by an apparent mud plug of an abandoned channel separating two point bars on the southeastern end of the field. In a well 7000 ft (2100 m) from the edge of the meander belt, the regressive sequence is represented by a shoreline siltstone unit 8 ft (2 m) thick with flaser bedding, graded bedding, load structures, and rare wave-ripple cross-bedding overlain by 3 ft (1 m) of flood-plain mudstone and coal with no indication of proximity to a nearby sand system.
Critical point dewetting: competition between the gravity and the dispersion force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohmasa, Y; Takahashi, S; Fujii, K; Yao, M

2008-01-01

Near the critical temperature of an immiscible binary liquid system, a solid substrate is usually covered completely by one of the liquid phases. This phenomenon is called the 'critical point wetting , which is predicted by Cahn in 1977, and have been confirmed for many fluid systems experimentally. However, we found that liquid Se-Tl system on a quartz substrate does not show the critical point wetting near the liquid-liquid critical point. On a contrary, when the temperature goes down from the critical point, a Se-rich wetting film intrudes between the Tl-rich bulk liquid and the quartz wall. This result is a clear evidence of the 'critical point dewetting' phenomenon. It is suggested from a theoretical consideration that the critical point dewetting takes place as a result of the competition between the long-range dispersion force and the gravity
Nickel accumulation and storage in bradyrhizobium japonicum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maier, R.J.; Pihl, T.D.; Stults, L.; Sray, W.

1990-01-01

Hydrogenase-depressed (chemolithotrophic growth conditions) and heterotrophically grown cultures of Bradyrhizobium japonicum accumulated nickel about equally over a 3-h period. Both types of cultures accumulated nickel primarily in a form that was not exchangeable with NiCl 2 , and they accumulated much more Ni than would be needed for the Ni-containing hydrogenase. The nickel accumulated by heterotrophically incubated cultures could later be mobilized to allow active hydrogenase synthesis during derepression in the absence of nickel, while cells both grown with Ni and the derepressed without nickel had low hydrogenase activities. The level of activity in cells grown with Ni and then derepressed without nickel was about the same as that in cultures derepressed in the presence of nickel. The Ni accumulated by heterotrophically grown cultures was associated principally with soluble proteins rather than particulate material, and this Ni was not lost upon dialyzing an extract containing the soluble proteins against either Ni-containing or EDTA-containing buffer. However, this Ni was lost upon pronase or low pH treatments. The soluble Ni-binding proteins were partially purified by gel filtration and DEAE chromatography. They were not antigenically related to hydrogenase peptides. Much of the 63 Ni eluted as a single peak of 48 kilodaltons. Experiments involving immunuprecipitation of 63 Ni-containing hydrogenase suggested that the stored source of Ni in heterotrophic cultures that could later be mobilized into hydrogenase resided in the nonexchangeable Ni-containing fraction rather than in loosely bound or ionic forms
Accumulation of Inertial Sensory Information in the Perception of Whole Body Yaw Rotation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nesti, Alessandro; de Winkel, Ksander; Bülthoff, Heinrich H

2017-01-01

While moving through the environment, our central nervous system accumulates sensory information over time to provide an estimate of our self-motion, allowing for completing crucial tasks such as maintaining balance. However, little is known on how the duration of the motion stimuli influences our performances in a self-motion discrimination task. Here we study the human ability to discriminate intensities of sinusoidal (0.5 Hz) self-rotations around the vertical axis (yaw) for four different stimulus durations (1, 2, 3 and 5 s) in darkness. In a typical trial, participants experienced two consecutive rotations of equal duration and different peak amplitude, and reported the one perceived as stronger. For each stimulus duration, we determined the smallest detectable change in stimulus intensity (differential threshold) for a reference velocity of 15 deg/s. Results indicate that differential thresholds decrease with stimulus duration and asymptotically converge to a constant, positive value. This suggests that the central nervous system accumulates sensory information on self-motion over time, resulting in improved discrimination performances. Observed trends in differential thresholds are consistent with predictions based on a drift diffusion model with leaky integration of sensory evidence.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells Enhance Liver Regeneration via Improving Lipid Accumulation and Hippo Signaling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Liu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The liver has the potential to regenerate after injury. It is a challenge to improve liver regeneration (LR after liver resection in clinical practice. Bone morrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs have shown to have a role in various liver diseases. To explore the effects of MSCs on LR, we established a model of 70% partial hepatectomy (PHx. Results revealed that infusion of MSCs could improve LR through enhancing cell proliferation and cell growth during the first 2 days after PHx, and MSCs could also restore liver synthesis function. Infusion of MSCs also improved liver lipid accumulation partly via mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR signaling and enhanced lipid β-oxidation support energy for LR. Rapamycin-induced inhibition of mTOR decreased liver lipid accumulation at 24 h after PHx, leading to impaired LR. And after infusion of MSCs, a proinflammatory environment formed in the liver, evidenced by increased expression of IL-6 and IL-1β, and thus the STAT3 and Hippo-YAP pathways were activated to improve cell proliferation. Our results demonstrated the function of MSCs on LR after PHx and provided new evidence for stem cell therapy of liver diseases.
Does a presentation's medium affect its message? PowerPoint, Prezi, and oral presentations.

Science.gov (United States)

Moulton, Samuel T; Türkay, Selen; Kosslyn, Stephen M

2017-01-01

Despite the prevalence of PowerPoint in professional and educational presentations, surprisingly little is known about how effective such presentations are. All else being equal, are PowerPoint presentations better than purely oral presentations or those that use alternative software tools? To address this question we recreated a real-world business scenario in which individuals presented to a corporate board. Participants (playing the role of the presenter) were randomly assigned to create PowerPoint, Prezi, or oral presentations, and then actually delivered the presentation live to other participants (playing the role of corporate executives). Across two experiments and on a variety of dimensions, participants evaluated PowerPoint presentations comparably to oral presentations, but evaluated Prezi presentations more favorably than both PowerPoint and oral presentations. There was some evidence that participants who viewed different types of presentations came to different conclusions about the business scenario, but no evidence that they remembered or comprehended the scenario differently. We conclude that the observed effects of presentation format are not merely the result of novelty, bias, experimenter-, or software-specific characteristics, but instead reveal a communication preference for using the panning-and-zooming animations that characterize Prezi presentations.
Rabbit blastocysts accumulate [3H]prostaglandins in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, M.A.; Harper, M.J.

1984-01-01

Rabbit blastocysts obtained on days 5, 6, and 6.8 of pregnancy were incubated in vitro in Tyrode's buffer with 3 H-labeled prostaglandins (PGs). Accumulation of PGs was studied, using Whatman GF/F filters to separate bound and free ligands. The uptake and efflux of [ 3 H]PGs were studied as a function of PG type, incubation time, temperature, and effect of metabolic inhibitors as well as age and number of blastocysts. Blastocysts of the same age accumulated approximately the same amount of [ 3 H]PGE2 and [ 3 H]PGF2 alpha from their environment; however, there was no apparent saturation over a PG concentration range of 1-1000 nM. Both the uptake and efflux of PG were age dependent, with older blastocysts accumulating more PGs. Approximately 90% of the [ 3 H]PGs appear to be transported into the blastocoelic fluid, with little PG remaining in the blastomeres. PG accumulation was relatively insensitive to azide, ouabain, cyanide, or bromcresol green, but was affected by incubation at 0 C or the addition of indomethacin (10 micrograms/ml). No catabolism of the accumulated PGs was observed. The release of PGE2 in general did not differ from that of PGF2 alpha, except on day 6.8 of pregnancy when PGE2 was released more rapidly than on day 6. The authors conclude that rabbit blastocysts can accumulate PGs from their environment, which may imply a storage potential in the blastocyst and release before implantation
Microfluidic cartridges for automated, point-of-care blood cell counting

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Smith, Suzanne

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Disposable, low-cost microfluidic cartridges for automated blood cell counting applications are presented in this article. The need for point-of-care medical diagnostic tools is evident, particularly in low-resource and rural settings, and a full...
Sucrose accumulation in watermelon fruits: genetic variation and biochemical analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yativ, Merav; Harary, Idan; Wolf, Shmuel

2010-05-15

Sugar accumulation, the key process determining fruit quality, is controlled by both the translocation of sugars and their metabolism in developing fruits. Sugar composition in watermelon, as in all cucurbit fruits, includes sucrose, fructose and glucose. The proportions of these three sugars are determined primarily by three enzyme families: invertases, sucrose synthases (SuSys) and sucrose phosphate synthases (SPSs). The goal of the present research was to explore the process of sugar metabolism in watermelon fruits. Crosses between the domestic watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and three wild species provided a wide germplasm to explore genetic variability in sugar composition and metabolism. This survey demonstrated great genetic variability in sugar content and in the proportions of sucrose, glucose and fructose in mature fruits. Genotypes accumulating high and low percentage of sucrose provided an experimental system to study sugar metabolism in developing fruits. Insoluble invertase activity was high and constant throughout fruit development in control lines and in genotypes accumulating low levels of sucrose, while in genotypes accumulating high levels of sucrose, activity declined sharply 4 weeks after pollination. Soluble acid invertase activity was significantly lower in genotypes accumulating high levels of sucrose than in low-sucrose-accumulating genotypes. Conversely, activities of SuSy and SPS were higher in the high-sucrose-accumulating genotypes. The present results establish that, within the genus Citrullus, there are genotypes that accumulate a high percentage of sucrose in the fruit, while others accumulate high percentages of glucose and fructose. The significant negative correlation between insoluble invertase activity and fruit sucrose level suggests that sucrose accumulation is affected by both phloem unloading and sugar metabolism. (c) 2009 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Selenium accumulation in plants--phytotechnological applications and ecological implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Valdez Barillas, José Rodolfo; Quinn, Colin F; Pilon-Smits, Elizabeth A H

2011-01-01

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for many organisms including humans, yet toxic at higher levels. Both Se deficiency and toxicity are problems worldwide. Since plants readily accumulate and volatilize Se, they may be used both as a source of dietary Se and for removing excess Se from the environment. Plant species differ in their capacity to metabolize and accumulate Se, from non-Se accumulators ( 1,000 mg Se/kg DW). Here we review plant mechanisms of Se metabolism in these various plant types. We also summarize results from genetic engineering that have led to enhanced plant Se accumulation, volatilization, and/or tolerance, including field studies. Before using Se-accumulating plants at a large scale we need to evaluate the ecological implications. Research so far indicates that plant Se accumulation significantly affects the plant's ecological interactions below and above ground. Selenium canprotect plants from fungal pathogens and from a variety of invertebrate and vertebrate herbivores, due to both deterrence and toxicity. However, specialist (Se-tolerant herbivores), detritivores and endophytes appear to utilize Se hyperaccumulator plants as a resource. These findings are relevant for managing phytoremediation of Se and similar elements.
Implications of metal accumulation mechanisms to phytoremediation.

Science.gov (United States)

Memon, Abdul R; Schröder, Peter

2009-03-01

Trace elements (heavy metals and metalloids) are important environmental pollutants, and many of them are toxic even at very low concentrations. Pollution of the biosphere with trace elements has accelerated dramatically since the Industrial Revolution. Primary sources are the burning of fossil fuels, mining and smelting of metalliferous ores, municipal wastes, agrochemicals, and sewage. In addition, natural mineral deposits containing particularly large quantities of heavy metals are found in many regions. These areas often support characteristic plant species thriving in metal-enriched environments. Whereas many species avoid the uptake of heavy metals from these soils, some of them can accumulate significantly high concentrations of toxic metals, to levels which by far exceed the soil levels. The natural phenomenon of heavy metal tolerance has enhanced the interest of plant ecologists, plant physiologists, and plant biologists to investigate the physiology and genetics of metal tolerance in specialized hyperaccumulator plants such as Arabidopsis halleri and Thlaspi caerulescens. In this review, we describe recent advances in understanding the genetic and molecular basis of metal tolerance in plants with special reference to transcriptomics of heavy metal accumulator plants and the identification of functional genes implied in tolerance and detoxification. Plants are susceptible to heavy metal toxicity and respond to avoid detrimental effects in a variety of different ways. The toxic dose depends on the type of ion, ion concentration, plant species, and stage of plant growth. Tolerance to metals is based on multiple mechanisms such as cell wall binding, active transport of ions into the vacuole, and formation of complexes with organic acids or peptides. One of the most important mechanisms for metal detoxification in plants appears to be chelation of metals by low-molecular-weight proteins such as metallothioneins and peptide ligands, the phytochelatins. For
Bicarbonate trigger for inducing lipid accumulation in algal systems

Science.gov (United States)

Gardner, Robert; Peyton, Brent; Cooksey, Keith E.

2015-08-04

The present invention provides bicarbonate containing and/or bicarbonate-producing compositions and methods to induce lipid accumulation in an algae growth system, wherein the algae growth system is under light-dark cycling condition. By adding said compositions at a specific growth stage, said methods lead to much higher lipid accumulation and/or significantly reduced total time required for accumulating lipid in the algae growth system.
Application of fixed point theory to chaotic attractors of forced oscillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stewart, H.B.

1990-11-01

A review of the structure of chaotic attractors of periodically forced second order nonlinear oscillators suggests that the theory of fixed points of transformations gives information about the fundamental topological structure of attractors. First a simple extension of the Levinson index formula is proved. Then numerical evidence is used to formulate plausible conjectures about absorbing regions containing chaotic attractors in forced oscillators. Applying the Levinson formula suggests a fundamental relation between the number of fixed points or periodic points in a section of the chaotic attractor on the one hand, and a topological invariant of an absorbing region on the other hand. (author)
Experimental measurement and modeling of snow accumulation and snowmelt in a mountain microcatchment

Science.gov (United States)

Danko, Michal; Krajčí, Pavel; Hlavčo, Jozef; Kostka, Zdeněk; Holko, Ladislav

2016-04-01

Fieldwork is a very useful source of data in all geosciences. This naturally applies also to the snow hydrology. Snow accumulation and snowmelt are spatially very heterogeneous especially in non-forested, mountain environments. Direct field measurements provide the most accurate information about it. Quantification and understanding of processes, that cause these spatial differences are crucial in prediction and modelling of runoff volumes in spring snowmelt period. This study presents possibilities of detailed measurement and modeling of snow cover characteristics in a mountain experimental microcatchment located in northern part of Slovakia in Western Tatra mountains. Catchment area is 0.059 km2 and mean altitude is 1500 m a.s.l. Measurement network consists of 27 snow poles, 3 small snow lysimeters, discharge measurement device and standard automatic weather station. Snow depth and snow water equivalent (SWE) were measured twice a month near the snow poles. These measurements were used to estimate spatial differences in accumulation of SWE. Snowmelt outflow was measured by small snow lysimeters. Measurements were performed in winter 2014/2015. Snow water equivalent variability was very high in such a small area. Differences between particular measuring points reached 600 mm in time of maximum SWE. The results indicated good performance of a snow lysimeter in case of snowmelt timing identification. Increase of snowmelt measured by the snow lysimeter had the same timing as increase in discharge at catchment's outlet and the same timing as the increase in air temperature above the freezing point. Measured data were afterwards used in distributed rainfall-runoff model MIKE-SHE. Several methods were used for spatial distribution of precipitation and snow water equivalent. The model was able to simulate snow water equivalent and snowmelt timing in daily step reasonably well. Simulated discharges were slightly overestimated in later spring.
NUTRIENTS ACCUMULATION IN FRUITS OF BERRY SPECIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sava Parascovia

2015-12-01

Full Text Available As a result of observations and biochemical analysis of the berries made during the years 2013-2014 in Republic of Moldova, it was found that bacciferous species included in the study had a wide spectrum of colors, from white, orange, red to blue and black. The possibility to extend the consumption of fresh berries is because these species ripen in series starting with honeysuckle in May, then one by one until September: strawberry, raspberry, currant, gooseberry, barberry, jostaberry, blueberry, sea buckthorn, blackberry, chokeberry, guilder rose. Chokeberries accumulated the highest average amount of soluble solids - 18.02%, jostaberries highlighted with the highest average amount of accumulated sugars - 9.56%. Red currant highlighted with the highest acidity - 5.22%, while blueberries with low acidity - 1.43%. Rosehip has accumulated the highest average amount of tannins and coloring substances - 546.65 mg%. Rosehip berries accumulated the highest amount of vitamin C average - 292.38 mg%, the black currant - 179.69 mg%, jostaberry - 112.86 mg%, and sea buckthorn - 96.7 mg%. The highest average values of the coefficient sugar / acid certifying good qualities were found in: blueberries - 4.39, guelder rose - 3.93, gooseberry - 3.55.
Characterization of accumulated precipitates during subsurface iron removal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halem, Doris van; Vet, Weren de; Verberk, Jasper; Amy, Gary; Dijk, Hans van

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Accumulated iron was not found to clog the well or aquifer after 12 years of subsurface iron removal. → 56-100% of accumulated iron hydroxides were found to be crystalline. → Subsurface iron removal favoured certain soil layers, either due to hydraulics or mineralogy. → Other groundwater constituents, such as manganese and arsenic were found to co-accumulate with iron. - Abstract: The principle of subsurface iron removal for drinking water supply is that aerated water is periodically injected into the aquifer through a tube well. On its way into the aquifer, the injected O 2 -rich water oxidizes adsorbed Fe 2+ , creating a subsurface oxidation zone. When groundwater abstraction is resumed, the soluble Fe 2+ is adsorbed and water with reduced Fe concentrations is abstracted for multiple volumes of the injection water. In this article, Fe accumulation deposits in the aquifer near subsurface treatment wells were identified and characterized to assess the sustainability of subsurface iron removal regarding clogging of the aquifer and the potential co-accumulation of other groundwater constituents, such as As. Chemical extraction of soil samples, with Acid-Oxalate and HNO 3 , showed that Fe had accumulated at specific depths near subsurface iron removal wells after 12 years of operation. Whether it was due to preferred flow paths or geochemical mineralogy conditions; subsurface iron removal clearly favoured certain soil layers. The total Fe content increased between 11.5 and 390.8 mmol/kg ds in the affected soil layers, and the accumulated Fe was found to be 56-100% crystalline. These results suggest that precipitated amorphous Fe hydroxides have transformed to Fe hydroxides of higher crystallinity. These crystalline, compact Fe hydroxides have not noticeably clogged the investigated well and/or aquifer between 1996 and 2008. The subsurface iron removal wells even need less frequent rehabilitation, as drawdown increases more slowly than in
Asynchronous accumulation of lettuce infectious yellows virus RNAs 1 and 2 and identification of an RNA 1 trans enhancer of RNA 2 accumulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, H H; Tian, T; Rubio, L; Crawford, B; Falk, B W

2000-07-01

Time course and mutational analyses were used to examine the accumulation in protoplasts of progeny RNAs of the bipartite Crinivirus, Lettuce infectious yellow virus (LIYV; family Closteroviridae). Hybridization analyses showed that simultaneous inoculation of LIYV RNAs 1 and 2 resulted in asynchronous accumulation of progeny LIYV RNAs. LIYV RNA 1 progeny genomic and subgenomic RNAs could be detected in protoplasts as early as 12 h postinoculation (p.i.) and accumulated to high levels by 24 h p.i. The LIYV RNA 1 open reading frame 2 (ORF 2) subgenomic RNA was the most abundant of all LIYV RNAs detected. In contrast, RNA 2 progeny were not readily detected until ca. 36 h p.i. Mutational analyses showed that in-frame stop codons introduced into five of seven RNA 2 ORFs did not affect accumulation of progeny LIYV RNA 1 or RNA 2, confirming that RNA 2 does not encode proteins necessary for LIYV RNA replication. Mutational analyses also supported that LIYV RNA 1 encodes proteins necessary for replication of LIYV RNAs 1 and 2. A mutation introduced into the LIYV RNA 1 region encoding the overlapping ORF 1B and ORF 2 was lethal. However, mutations introduced into only LIYV RNA 1 ORF 2 resulted in accumulation of progeny RNA 1 near or equal to wild-type RNA 1. In contrast, the RNA 1 ORF 2 mutants did not efficiently support the trans accumulation of LIYV RNA 2. Three distinct RNA 1 ORF 2 mutants were analyzed and all exhibited a similar phenotype for progeny LIYV RNA accumulation. These data suggest that the LIYV RNA 1 ORF 2 encodes a trans enhancer for RNA 2 accumulation.
Thermal energy accumulators. A bibliographical study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charlety, Paul

1971-01-01

Energy storage is a challenge, notably for spacecraft, submarines and non-polluting automotive vehicles. After a comparison of mass energies of different principles of energy accumulation (magnetic, electrostatic, solid elasticity, kinetic energy, gaseous elasticity, electro-chemistry, sensitive heat, freezing heat, fuels, radioactivity, nuclear fission or fusion, mass energy), the author discusses the choice of thermal storage, presents the main bodies used for thermal energy accumulation (molten salts such as lithium hydride or lithium salt eutectics, or other compounds such as alumina, paraffins), and gives an overview of the main theoretical problems [fr

Guidelines for Waste Accumulation Areas (WAAs) at LBL. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The purpose of this document is to set conditions for establishing and containing areas for the accumulation of hazardous waste at LBL. Areas designed for accumulation of these wastes for up to 90 days in quantities greater than 55 gallons (208 liters) of hazardous waste, one quart (0.946 liter) of extremely hazardous waste, or one quart (0.946 liter) of acutely hazardous waste are called Waste Accumulation Areas (WAAs). Areas designed for accumulation of wastes in smaller amounts are called Satellite Accumulation Areas (SAAs). This document provides guidelines for employee and organizational responsibilities for WAAs, constructing a WAA, storing waste in a WAA, operating and maintaining a WAA, and responding to spills in a WAA
Annual Greenland Accumulation Rates (2009-2012) from Airborne Snow Radar

Science.gov (United States)

Koenig, Lora S.; Ivanoff, Alvaro; Alexander, Patrick M.; MacGregor, Joseph A.; Fettweis, Xavier; Panzer, Ben; Paden, John D.; Forster, Richard R.; Das, Indrani; McConnell, Joseph R.;

2016-01-01

Contemporary climate warming over the Arctic is accelerating mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet through increasing surface melt, emphasizing the need to closely monitor its surface mass balance in order to improve sea-level rise predictions. Snow accumulation is the largest component of the ice sheet's surface mass balance, but in situ observations thereof are inherently sparse and models are difficult to evaluate at large scales. Here, we quantify recent Greenland accumulation rates using ultra-wideband (2-6.5 gigahertz) airborne snow radar data collected as part of NASA's Operation IceBridge between 2009 and 2012. We use a semi-automated method to trace the observed radiostratigraphy and then derive annual net accumulation rates for 2009-2012. The uncertainty in these radar-derived accumulation rates is on average 14 percent. A comparison of the radarderived accumulation rates and contemporaneous ice cores shows that snow radar captures both the annual and longterm mean accumulation rate accurately. A comparison with outputs from a regional climate model (MAR - Modele Atmospherique Regional for Greenland and vicinity) shows that this model matches radar-derived accumulation rates in the ice sheet interior but produces higher values over southeastern Greenland. Our results demonstrate that snow radar can efficiently and accurately map patterns of snow accumulation across an ice sheet and that it is valuable for evaluating the accuracy of surface mass balance models.

Metal accumulation rates in northwest Atlantic pelagic sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomson, J.; Carpenter, M.S.N.; Colley, S.; Wilson, T.R.S.; Elderfield, H.; Kennedy, H.

1984-01-01

Measurements of 230 Th, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and twenty-four metals were made on cores from the Nares Abyssal Plain. The sediment is characterized by slowly-accumulating pelagic red clays and rapidly deposited grey clays transported by turbidity currents. Despite their colour differences and the enrichment of certain elements in the red clays, Sr isotope evidence demonstrates that the clays have the same terrigenous origin. The excesses of metals in the red clays have been attributed to metal removal from the water column and a comparison with the grey clays has enabled the authigenic fluxes of metals to be estimated. The results are given for the elements Mn, Fe, Cu, Co, Ni, Zn, V, Sr, Ce, La, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Er and Yb. Authigenic fluxes of Y, Nb, Cr, Zr, Rb, U and Th were not resolvable. Fluxes appear to be near constant on the Plain but comparison with other areas shows that they are quite variable both between and within ocean basins. The chief factor controlling authigenic fluxes is discussed. (author)
MODELING OF TEMPERATURE FIELDS IN A SOLID HEAT ACCUMULLATORS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. S. Belimenko

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Purpose. Currently, one of the priorities of energy conservation is a cost savings for heating in commercial and residential buildings by the stored thermal energy during the night and its return in the daytime. Economic effect is achieved due to the difference in tariffs for the cost of electricity in the daytime and at night. One of the most common types of devices that allow accumulating and giving the resulting heat are solid heat accumulators. The main purpose of the work: 1 software development for the calculation of the temperature field of a flat solid heat accumulator, working due to the heat energy accumulation in the volume of thermal storage material without phase transition; 2 determination the temperature distribution in its volumes at convective heat transfer. Methodology. To achieve the study objectives a heat transfer theory and Laplace integral transform were used. On its base the problems of determining the temperature fields in the channels of heat accumulators, having different cross-sectional shapes were solved. Findings. Authors have developed the method of calculation and obtained solutions for the determination of temperature fields in channels of the solid heat accumulator in conditions of convective heat transfer. Temperature fields over length and thickness of channels were investigated. Experimental studies on physical models and industrial equipment were conducted. Originality. For the first time the technique of calculating the temperature field in the channels of different cross-section for the solid heat accumulator in the charging and discharging modes was proposed. The calculation results are confirmed by experimental research. Practical value. The proposed technique is used in the design of solid heat accumulators of different power as well as full-scale production of them was organized.
Evidence of quantum phase transition in real-space vacuum entanglement of higher derivative scalar quantum field theories.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, S Santhosh; Shankaranarayanan, S

2017-11-17

In a bipartite set-up, the vacuum state of a free Bosonic scalar field is entangled in real space and satisfies the area-law- entanglement entropy scales linearly with area of the boundary between the two partitions. In this work, we show that the area law is violated in two spatial dimensional model Hamiltonian having dynamical critical exponent z = 3. The model physically corresponds to next-to-next-to-next nearest neighbour coupling terms on a lattice. The result reported here is the first of its kind of violation of area law in Bosonic systems in higher dimensions and signals the evidence of a quantum phase transition. We provide evidence for quantum phase transition both numerically and analytically using quantum Information tools like entanglement spectra, quantum fidelity, and gap in the energy spectra. We identify the cause for this transition due to the accumulation of large number of angular zero modes around the critical point which catalyses the change in the ground state wave function due to the next-to-next-to-next nearest neighbor coupling. Lastly, using Hubbard-Stratanovich transformation, we show that the effective Bosonic Hamiltonian can be obtained from an interacting fermionic theory and provide possible implications for condensed matter systems.
47 CFR 36.503 - Accumulated depreciation-Account 3100.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Accumulated depreciation-Account 3100. 36.503 Section 36.503 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES... Accumulated depreciation—Account 3100. (a) Amounts recorded in this account shall be separated on the basis of...
Microbial accumulation of uranium from nuclear liquid waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahmood, A.H.

1986-01-01

This investigation includes the isolation, identification and the fluctuations of the population densities of microorganisms in the nuclear liquid waste released by some laboratories of Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission. The efficiency of uranium accumulation on isolates (22 bacterial strains, 24 fungal strains and 6 yeast strains) was assessed in aqueous solution using fluorometric techniques. Two of the isolated microoganisms namely Bacillus sp. -15B and Mucor sp.16F showed exceptionally high attitude towards uranium accumulation. Optimal conditions required for efficient accumulation and recovery of uranium was then studied using the two selected isolates. 10 figs.; 162 refs.; 16 tabs
Accumulation of thorium and uranium by microbes. The effect of pH, concentration of metals, and time course on the accumulation of both elements using streptomyces levoris

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuruta, Takehiko

2006-01-01

The accumulation of thorium and uranium by various microorganisms from a solution containing both metals at pH 3.5 was examined. Among the tested species, a high accumulation ability for thorium was exhibited by strains of gram-positive bacteria, such as Arthrobacter nicotianae, Bacillus megaterium, B. subtilis, Micrococcus luteus, Rhodococcus erythropolis, and Streptomyces levoris. Though uranium was accumulated in small amounts by most of microorganisms. A. nicotianae, S. flavoviridis, and S. levoris had relatively high uranium accumulation abilities. In these high performance thorium- and uranium-accumulating microorganisms, S. levoris, which accumulated the largest amount of uranium from the solution containing only uranium at pH 3.5, accumulated about 300 μmol thorium and 133 μmol uranium per gram dry weight of microbial cells from a solution containing both thorium and uranium at pH 3.5. The amount and time course of the thorium accumulation were almost unaffected by the co-existing uranium, while those of uranium were strongly affected by the co-existing thorium. The effects of pH, the thorium and uranium concentrations, and time course on both metal accumulations were also evaluated by numerical formulas. (author)
Dynamics of radionuclide accumulation at amphibians and reptiles in the Poles'e state radioecological reserve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novitskij, R.V.

1998-01-01

It was studied the peculiarity of the radionuclide intake to organism of amphibians and reptiles in the Poles'e radioecological reserve in 1997. The radioactive contamination level of investigated area was from 15 to 40 Ci/km 2 . It was measured 38 samples (26 for amphibians and 12 for reptiles) from points with background gamma-irradiation from 35 to 800 micro R/h. For the last eleven years of investigation it was revealed the total tendency to reduction of level of gamma-radioactive accumulation in 18,8-42,6 times for amphibians and in 2,8-52,5 times for reptiles
Accumulation of BSA in Packed-bed Microfluidics

Science.gov (United States)

Summers, Samantha; Hu, Chuntian; Hartman, Ryan

2012-11-01

Alzheimers and Parkinsons are two diseases that are associated with protein deposition in the brain, causing loss of either cognitive or muscle functioning. Protein deposition diseases are considered progressive diseases since the continual aggregation of protein causes the patient's symptoms to slowly worsen over time. There are currently no known means of treatment for protein deposition diseases. Our goal is to understand the potential for packed-bed microfluidics to study protein accumulation. Measurement of the resistance to flow through micro-scale packed-beds is critical to understanding the process of protein accumulation. Aggregation in bulk is fundamentally different from accumulation on surfaces. Our study attempts to distinguish between either mechanism. The results from our experiments involving protein injection through a microfluidic system will be presented and discussed. Funding received by NSF REU Grant 1062611.
Ultrasound Fracture Diagnosis in Space

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This ground-based proposal accumulated high-level clinical evidence on the sensitivity and specificity of point of care ultrasound performed by expert and novice...
HdhQ111 Mice Exhibit Tissue Specific Metabolite Profiles that Include Striatal Lipid Accumulation

Science.gov (United States)

Carroll, Jeffrey B.; Deik, Amy; Fossale, Elisa; Weston, Rory M.; Guide, Jolene R.; Arjomand, Jamshid; Kwak, Seung; Clish, Clary B.; MacDonald, Marcy E.

2015-01-01

The HTT CAG expansion mutation causes Huntington’s Disease and is associated with a wide range of cellular consequences, including altered metabolism. The mutant allele is expressed widely, in all tissues, but the striatum and cortex are especially vulnerable to its effects. To more fully understand this tissue-specificity, early in the disease process, we asked whether the metabolic impact of the mutant CAG expanded allele in heterozygous B6.HdhQ111/+ mice would be common across tissues, or whether tissues would have tissue-specific responses and whether such changes may be affected by diet. Specifically, we cross-sectionally examined steady state metabolite concentrations from a range of tissues (plasma, brown adipose tissue, cerebellum, striatum, liver, white adipose tissue), using an established liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry pipeline, from cohorts of 8 month old mutant and wild-type littermate mice that were fed one of two different high-fat diets. The differential response to diet highlighted a proportion of metabolites in all tissues, ranging from 3% (7/219) in the striatum to 12% (25/212) in white adipose tissue. By contrast, the mutant CAG-expanded allele primarily affected brain metabolites, with 14% (30/219) of metabolites significantly altered, compared to wild-type, in striatum and 11% (25/224) in the cerebellum. In general, diet and the CAG-expanded allele both elicited metabolite changes that were predominantly tissue-specific and non-overlapping, with evidence for mutation-by-diet interaction in peripheral tissues most affected by diet. Machine-learning approaches highlighted the accumulation of diverse lipid species as the most genotype-predictive metabolite changes in the striatum. Validation experiments in cell culture demonstrated that lipid accumulation was also a defining feature of mutant HdhQ111 striatal progenitor cells. Thus, metabolite-level responses to the CAG expansion mutation in vivo were tissue specific and most evident
HdhQ111 Mice Exhibit Tissue Specific Metabolite Profiles that Include Striatal Lipid Accumulation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey B Carroll

Full Text Available The HTT CAG expansion mutation causes Huntington's Disease and is associated with a wide range of cellular consequences, including altered metabolism. The mutant allele is expressed widely, in all tissues, but the striatum and cortex are especially vulnerable to its effects. To more fully understand this tissue-specificity, early in the disease process, we asked whether the metabolic impact of the mutant CAG expanded allele in heterozygous B6.HdhQ111/+ mice would be common across tissues, or whether tissues would have tissue-specific responses and whether such changes may be affected by diet. Specifically, we cross-sectionally examined steady state metabolite concentrations from a range of tissues (plasma, brown adipose tissue, cerebellum, striatum, liver, white adipose tissue, using an established liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry pipeline, from cohorts of 8 month old mutant and wild-type littermate mice that were fed one of two different high-fat diets. The differential response to diet highlighted a proportion of metabolites in all tissues, ranging from 3% (7/219 in the striatum to 12% (25/212 in white adipose tissue. By contrast, the mutant CAG-expanded allele primarily affected brain metabolites, with 14% (30/219 of metabolites significantly altered, compared to wild-type, in striatum and 11% (25/224 in the cerebellum. In general, diet and the CAG-expanded allele both elicited metabolite changes that were predominantly tissue-specific and non-overlapping, with evidence for mutation-by-diet interaction in peripheral tissues most affected by diet. Machine-learning approaches highlighted the accumulation of diverse lipid species as the most genotype-predictive metabolite changes in the striatum. Validation experiments in cell culture demonstrated that lipid accumulation was also a defining feature of mutant HdhQ111 striatal progenitor cells. Thus, metabolite-level responses to the CAG expansion mutation in vivo were tissue specific and
Tapping the zero-point energy as an energy source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, M.B.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that the hypothesis for tapping the zero-point energy (ZPE) arises by combining the theories of the ZPE with the theories of system self-organization. The vacuum polarization of atomic nuclei might allow their synchronous motion to activate a ZPE coherence. Experimentally observed plasma ion-acoustic anomalies as well as inventions utilizing cycloid ion motions may offer supporting evidence. The suggested experiment of rapidly circulating a charged plasma in a vortex ring might induce a sufficient zero-point energy interaction to manifest a gravitational anomaly. An invention utilizing abrupt E field rotation to create virtual charge exhibits excessive energy output
Study on accumulation mechanism of lead and copper in metal-hypertolerant fern, Athyrium yokoscense, by micro-XRF analysis utilizing synchrotron radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitsuo, Sakiko; Kashiwabara, Teruhiko; Hokura, Akiko; Nakai, Izumi; Kitajima, Nobuyuki; Goto, Fumiyuki; Yoshihara, Toshihiro; Abe, Tomoko

2009-01-01

Athyrium yokoscense is a plant which accumulates high level of heavy metals such as Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd, and is expected to be used for phytoremediation. This paper reports the distribution and the chemical forms of Pb and Cu in underground parts (root and old leaf stalks) of the metal-hypertolerant fern, A. yokoscense, by synchrotron radiation micro-XRF imaging and micro-XANES analyses. The old and new tissues of root and leaf stalks were prepared for micro-XRF analysis. The XRF imaging of the young root revealed that K, Cu and Zn were distributed in whole area of cross-section, whereas Pb was found in a certain part of the epidermal tissue. For the old root, Pb and Cu were mainly distributed in the cell wall of the whole tissue. The distribution of heavy metal in old tissue is different from those of new tissue, and consequently it was assumed that the root at different age have different heavy metal accumulation mechanism. Alternatively, for the old leaf stalks, Cu and Pb were highly accumulated in a specific part located around the vascular tissue. Cu K-edge micro-XANES analysis indicated that the chemical form of Cu at the Cu accumulating point was Cu (II). (author)
Ammonium and hydroxylamine uptake and accumulation in Nitrosomonas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schmidt, I.; Look, C.; Bock, E.; Jetten, M.S.M.

2004-01-01

Starved cells of Nitrosomonas europaea and further ammonia oxidizers were able to rapidly accumulate ammonium and hydroxylamine to an internal concentration of about 1 and 0.8 M, respectively. In kinetic studies, the uptake/accumulation rates for ammonium [3.1 mmol (g protein)(-1) min(-1)] and
Dynamical spin accumulation in large-spin magnetic molecules

Science.gov (United States)

Płomińska, Anna; Weymann, Ireneusz; Misiorny, Maciej

2018-01-01

The frequency-dependent transport through a nanodevice containing a large-spin magnetic molecule is studied theoretically in the Kondo regime. Specifically, the effect of magnetic anisotropy on dynamical spin accumulation is of primary interest. Such accumulation arises due to finite components of frequency-dependent conductance that are off diagonal in spin. Here, employing the Kubo formalism and the numerical renormalization group method, we demonstrate that the dynamical transport properties strongly depend on the relative orientation of spin moments in electrodes of the device, as well as on intrinsic parameters of the molecule. In particular, the effect of dynamical spin accumulation is found to be greatly affected by the type of magnetic anisotropy exhibited by the molecule, and it develops for frequencies corresponding to the Kondo temperature. For the parallel magnetic configuration of the device, the presence of dynamical spin accumulation is conditioned by the interplay of ferromagnetic-lead-induced exchange field and the Kondo correlations.
Arsenic accumulation and speciation in plants from different habitats

OpenAIRE

Bergqvist, Claes; Greger, Maria

2012-01-01

This is the postprint version of the article. The published version of the article can be located here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0883292711004914 Understanding As accumulation in plants is necessary in order to alleviate problems with As in the environment and to improve sustainable As phytotechnologies. To find suitable candidates for phytoremediation purposes and to investigate specific accumulation patterns due to growth habitat and plant groups, As accumulation...
Accumulation of platinum group elements by the marine gastropod Littorina littorea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mulholland, Rachel [School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA (United Kingdom); Turner, Andrew, E-mail: aturner@plymouth.ac.uk [School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA (United Kingdom)

2011-04-15

The accumulation and trophic transfer of the platinum group elements (PGE): Rh, Pd and Pt; have been studied in short-term (5 day) exposures conducted in aquaria containing the marine macroalga, Ulva lactuca, and/or the grazing mollusc, Littorina littorea. Metals added to sea water (to concentrations of 20 {mu}g L{sup -1}) were taken up by U. lactuca in the order Rh, Pt > Pd and by L. littorea in the order Pd {>=} Pt {>=} Rh, with greatest metal accumulation in the latter generally occurring in the visceral complex and kidney. When fed contaminated alga, accumulation of Rh and Pd by L. littorea, relative to total available metal, increased by an order of magnitude, while accumulation of Pt was not readily detected. We conclude that the diet is the most important vector for accumulation of Rh and Pd, while accumulation of Pt appears to proceed mainly from the aqueous phase. - Research highlights: > Platinum group elements are accumulated by, Littorina littorea. > The aqueous phase and diet are important vehicles for Rh and Pd accumulation by the snail. > Grazing molluscs may serve as biomonitors of coastal PGE contamination. - Platinum group elements are accumulated by the marine snail, Littorina littorea, from both the aqueous phase and the diet.
Antiproton Accumulator (AA)

CERN Multimedia

Photographic Service

1980-01-01

The AA in its final stage of construction, before it disappeared from view under concrete shielding. Antiprotons were first injected, stochastically cooled and accumulated in July 1980. From 1981 on, the AA provided antiprotons for collisions with protons, first in the ISR, then in the SPS Collider. From 1983 on, it also sent antiprotons, via the PS, to the Low-Energy Antiproton Ring (LEAR). The AA was dismantled in 1997 and shipped to Japan.

Renewable Resources, Capital Accumulation, and Economic Growth

OpenAIRE

Wei-Bin Zhang

2011-01-01

This paper proposes a dynamic economic model with physical capital and renewable resources. Different from most of the neoclassical growth models with renewable resources which are based on microeconomic foundation and neglect physical capital accumulation, this study proposes a growth model with dynamics of renewable resources and physical capital accumulation. The model is a synthesis of the neoclassical growth theory and the traditional dynamic models of renewable resources with an alterna...
The Rubber Tail Illusion as Evidence of Body Ownership in Mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Wada, Makoto; Takano, Kouji; Ora, Hiroki; Ide, Masakazu; Kansaku, Kenji

2016-10-26

The ownership of one's body parts represents a fundamental aspect of self-consciousness. Accumulating empirical evidence supports the existence of this concept in humans and nonhuman primates, but it is unclear whether nonprimate mammals experience similar feelings. Therefore, the present study used rubber tails to investigate body ownership in rodents. When the real tails and rubber tails were synchronously stroked, the mice responded as if their own tails were touched when the rubber tails were grasped. In contrast, when the stimuli were delivered asynchronously, there was a significantly lower mean response rate when the rubber tail was grasped. These findings suggest that mice may experience body ownership of their tails, suggestive of the rubber hand illusion in humans. To explore the manner in which the ownership of body parts is experienced, this study specifically used the rubber hand illusion (RHI), in which self-consciousness can be extended out of one's own body. Accumulating empirical evidence supports the existence of this concept in humans and nonhuman primates, but it remains unclear whether nonprimate mammals experience similar feelings. This study demonstrated for the first time that mice may experience body ownership of their tails, which is suggestive of the RHI in humans and provides evidence that may highlight how humans experience the ownership of body parts. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/3611133-05$15.00/0.
Accumulation of DNA Double-Strand Breaks in Normal Tissues After Fractionated Irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruebe, Claudia E.; Fricke, Andreas; Wendorf, Juliane; Stuetzel, Annika; Kuehne, Martin; Ong, Mei Fang; Lipp, Peter; Ruebe, Christian

2010-01-01

Purpose: There is increasing evidence that genetic factors regulating the recognition and/or repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are responsible for differences in radiosensitivity among patients. Genetically defined DSB repair capacities are supposed to determine patients' individual susceptibility to develop adverse normal tissue reactions after radiotherapy. In a preclinical murine model, we analyzed the impact of different DSB repair capacities on the cumulative DNA damage in normal tissues during the course of fractionated irradiation. Material and Methods: Different strains of mice with defined genetic backgrounds (SCID -/- homozygous, ATM -/- homozygous, ATM +/- heterozygous, and ATM +/+ wild-type mice) were subjected to single (2 Gy) or fractionated irradiation (5 x 2 Gy). By enumerating γH2AX foci, the formation and rejoining of DSBs were analyzed in organs representative of both early-responding (small intestine) and late-responding tissues (lung, kidney, and heart). Results: In repair-deficient SCID -/- and ATM -/- homozygous mice, large proportions of radiation-induced DSBs remained unrepaired after each fraction, leading to the pronounced accumulation of residual DNA damage after fractionated irradiation, similarly visible in early- and late-responding tissues. The slight DSB repair impairment of ATM +/- heterozygous mice was not detectable after single-dose irradiation but resulted in a significant increase in unrepaired DSBs during the fractionated irradiation scheme. Conclusions: Radiation-induced DSBs accumulate similarly in acute- and late-responding tissues during fractionated irradiation, whereas the whole extent of residual DNA damage depends decisively on the underlying genetically defined DSB repair capacity. Moreover, our data indicate that even minor impairments in DSB repair lead to exceeding DNA damage accumulation during fractionated irradiation and thus may have a significant impact on normal tissue responses in clinical
46 CFR 109.575 - Accumulation of liquids on helicopter decks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Accumulation of liquids on helicopter decks. 109.575... DRILLING UNITS OPERATIONS Miscellaneous § 109.575 Accumulation of liquids on helicopter decks. The master or person in charge shall ensure that no liquids are allowed to accumulate on the helicopter decks. ...
Uptake, accumulation, and biotransformation of metal oxide nanoparticles by a marine suspension-feeder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montes, Milka O.; Hanna, Shannon K.; Lenihan, Hunter S.; Keller, Arturo A.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Suspension-feeding by mussels can greatly alter mobility and fate of metal oxide nanoparticles. ► Bioprocessing of metal oxide nanoparticles by mussels removes large fraction from water column. ► Mussels repackage metal oxide nanoparticles in highly concentrated pseudofeces. ► Novel biological pathway between major compartments in marine systems. ► Very different outcome for ZnO and CeO 2 nanoparticles based on their solubility. - Abstract: A growing body of evidence indicates that some engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are toxic to organisms that perform important ecosystem services in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. However, toxicity can be influenced by the biotransformation of contaminants, including ENPs, as it may alter the fate and transport of these substances. In turn, fate and transport can influence their bioavailability. To understand how biotransformation influences the fate and transport of ENPs in marine ecosystems, we exposed suspension-feeding mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis, to two common nano-metal oxides, CeO 2 and ZnO, over a range of concentrations from 1 mg L −1 to 10 mg L −1 , in a laboratory experiment. Mussels exposed to 10 mg L −1 accumulated 62 μg g −1 of Ce and 880 μg g −1 of Zn on a dry tissue basis but rejected 21,000 μg g −1 for Ce and 63,000 μg g −1 for Zn in pseudofeces. Scanning electron microscope evidence indicates CeO 2 remained as ENPs but ZnO did not after being rejected by the mussels. Mussels filtered most of the CeO 2 from the aqueous media, while a significant fraction of Zn remained in solution. Differences in ENP solubility affect ENP uptake, excretion, and accumulation in mussels. Our study highlights the potential role of marine suspension feeders in biotransformation of ENPs.
Experimental evidence; satisfying the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen criterion for physical reality, for Einstein's Einweg point of view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umakantha, N.

2009-01-01

A real Young's double-slit experiment which can, without destroying the fringe pattern, establish unequivocally whether a photon passes like a wave along both the paths or passes like a particle along one or the other path only, is presented. The main feature of this experiment is that the point at which the incident wave is to be regarded as being split into two parts to go along the two paths is distinct from the point at which successive incident particles are to be regarded as having random choice to go along one or the other path. Our experimental results support Einstein's Einweg (one-path) point of view.
Dating the last Neanderthals in Central Iberia - New evidence from Abrigo del Molino, Segovia, Spain

Science.gov (United States)

Kehl, Martin; Álvarez-Alonso, David; de Andrés-Herrero, María; Díez-Herrero, Andrés; Klasen, Nicole; Rojo-Hernández, Julio; Weniger, Gerd-Christian

2017-04-01

The timing of Neanderthal disappearance in the Iberian Peninsula is a hotly debated subject in Palaeolithic archaeology. Several studies suggested a late survival in South and Central Iberia until about 32,000 year ago (ka), but were probably subject to significant age underestimation due to contamination of dating samples and/or lack of stratigraphic integrity. More recently, Late Neanderthal presence was dated to no later than 38 ka. In Central Iberia, few archaeological sites contain Mousterian levels attesting occupation by Neanderthals. The newly discovered rock shelter of Abrigo del Molino contains chronologically well-constraint Mousterian levels, which, according to radiocarbon dating on bone, place the latest Neanderthal occupation to around 42-44 ka and within Greenland interstadial 11. Accumulation of these levels took place after deposition of fluvial and slope sediments, dated to around 46 ± 3.5 ka using luminescence techniques, and probably correlating with Greenland stadial 13 including Heinrich event 5. Micromorphological evidence of banded sediment fabrics suggests frost dynamics pointing to cold climate conditions during that time in Central Spain. Abrigo del Molino thus provides a detailed and chronologically well-constrained record on Late Neanderthal presence and morphodynamic change in Central Iberia during times of millennial-scale climate changes. The site gives further evidence for an early rather than late disappearance of Neanderthals in Iberia.
INADMISSIBLE EVIDENCE IN CIVIL PROCEDURE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihajlo Dika

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the exclusion of specific means of evidence as instruments for determining the object of evidence, as well as the taking of evidence in the framework of the Croatian civil procedure law. The introduction lays the grounds for classifying and qualifying exclusion of evidence (general, special; absolute, relative; removable, irremovable; direct, indirect, after which greater attention is paid to the so called absolute and relative type; exclusionary evidence of the direct relative type pertaining to the establishing of facts, and evidence dismissals. With regard to the indirect relative type, the paper examines exclusionary evidence concerning the object of evidence. The remainder of the paper focuses on illegally obtained evidence, while outlining the constitutional, statutory, judicature and doctrinaire premises of bearing for such evidence. Subsequently, the question of evidence obtained in violation of the Constitutional guarantee of respect and legal protection of private and family life, dignity, reputation and honour, as well as evidence obtained by breach of the Constitutional guarantee of freedom and secrecy of correspondence and all other forms of communication, and in violation of the right to safety and privacy of personal data, are discussed too. In addition, the paper analyses the institutions of preclusion of evidence and the so called informative evidence. Concluding, the author points to a lacking regulation of inadmissible evidence within the Croatian civil procedure law, underlining the need to determine de lege ferenda legal requirements with a view to operationalizing inadmissible evidence within the Croatian civil procedure law.
Drug accumulation in the presence of the multidrug resistance pump

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ayesh, S; Litman, Thomas; Stein, W D

1997-01-01

We studied the interaction between the multidrug transporter, P-glycoprotein, and two compounds that interact with it: vinblastine, a classical substrate of the pump, and verapamil, a classical reverser. Steady-state levels of accumulation of these two drugs were determined in a multidrug resistant...... P388 leukemia cell line, P388/ADR. The time course of accumulation of these drugs, and the effect of energy starvation and the presence of chloroquine on the level of their steady-state accumulation were quite disparate. Vinblastine inhibited the accumulation of verapamil whereas it enhanced...
Burnout and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: Evidence, Possible Causal Paths, and Promising Research Directions

Science.gov (United States)

Melamed, Samuel; Shirom, Arie; Toker, Sharon; Berliner, Shlomo; Shapira, Itzhak

2006-01-01

Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, physical fatigue, and cognitive weariness, resulting from prolonged exposure to work-related stress. The authors review the accumulated evidence suggesting that burnout and the related concept of vital exhaustion are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and…
5 CFR 630.304 - Accumulation limitation for part-time employees.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Accumulation limitation for part-time... REGULATIONS ABSENCE AND LEAVE Annual Leave § 630.304 Accumulation limitation for part-time employees. A part-time employee may accumulate not more than 240 or 360 hours' annual leave on the same basis that a full...
Refeeding-induced brown adipose tissue glycogen hyper-accumulation in mice is mediated by insulin and catecholamines.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher M Carmean

Full Text Available Brown adipose tissue (BAT generates heat during adaptive thermogenesis through a combination of oxidative metabolism and uncoupling protein 1-mediated electron transport chain uncoupling, using both free-fatty acids and glucose as substrate. Previous rat-based work in 1942 showed that prolonged partial fasting followed by refeeding led to a dramatic, transient increase in glycogen stores in multiple fat depots. In the present study, the protocol was replicated in male CD1 mice, resulting in a 2000-fold increase in interscapular BAT (IBAT glycogen levels within 4-12 hours (hr of refeeding, with IBAT glycogen stores reaching levels comparable to fed liver glycogen. Lesser effects occurred in white adipose tissues (WAT. Over the next 36 hr, glycogen levels dissipated and histological analysis revealed an over-accumulation of lipid droplets, suggesting a potential metabolic connection between glycogenolysis and lipid synthesis. 24 hr of total starvation followed by refeeding induced a robust and consistent glycogen over-accumulation similar in magnitude and time course to the prolonged partial fast. Experimentation demonstrated that hyperglycemia was not sufficient to drive glycogen accumulation in IBAT, but that elevated circulating insulin was sufficient. Additionally, pharmacological inhibition of catecholamine production reduced refeeding-induced IBAT glycogen storage, providing evidence of a contribution from the central nervous system. These findings highlight IBAT as a tissue that integrates both canonically-anabolic and catabolic stimulation for the promotion of glycogen storage during recovery from caloric deficit. The preservation of this robust response through many generations of animals not subjected to food deprivation suggests that the over-accumulation phenomenon plays a critical role in IBAT physiology.
Refeeding-Induced Brown Adipose Tissue Glycogen Hyper-Accumulation in Mice Is Mediated by Insulin and Catecholamines

Science.gov (United States)

Carmean, Christopher M.; Bobe, Alexandria M.; Yu, Justin C.; Volden, Paul A.; Brady, Matthew J.

2013-01-01

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) generates heat during adaptive thermogenesis through a combination of oxidative metabolism and uncoupling protein 1-mediated electron transport chain uncoupling, using both free-fatty acids and glucose as substrate. Previous rat-based work in 1942 showed that prolonged partial fasting followed by refeeding led to a dramatic, transient increase in glycogen stores in multiple fat depots. In the present study, the protocol was replicated in male CD1 mice, resulting in a 2000-fold increase in interscapular BAT (IBAT) glycogen levels within 4–12 hours (hr) of refeeding, with IBAT glycogen stores reaching levels comparable to fed liver glycogen. Lesser effects occurred in white adipose tissues (WAT). Over the next 36 hr, glycogen levels dissipated and histological analysis revealed an over-accumulation of lipid droplets, suggesting a potential metabolic connection between glycogenolysis and lipid synthesis. 24 hr of total starvation followed by refeeding induced a robust and consistent glycogen over-accumulation similar in magnitude and time course to the prolonged partial fast. Experimentation demonstrated that hyperglycemia was not sufficient to drive glycogen accumulation in IBAT, but that elevated circulating insulin was sufficient. Additionally, pharmacological inhibition of catecholamine production reduced refeeding-induced IBAT glycogen storage, providing evidence of a contribution from the central nervous system. These findings highlight IBAT as a tissue that integrates both canonically-anabolic and catabolic stimulation for the promotion of glycogen storage during recovery from caloric deficit. The preservation of this robust response through many generations of animals not subjected to food deprivation suggests that the over-accumulation phenomenon plays a critical role in IBAT physiology. PMID:23861810
Salt stress induced ion accumulation, ion homeostasis, membrane ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Salt stress induced ion accumulation, ion homeostasis, membrane injury and sugar contents in salt-sensitive rice ( Oryza sativa L. spp. indica ) roots under isoosmotic conditions. ... The accumulation of sugars in PT1 roots may be a primary salt-defense mechanism and may function as an osmotic control. Key words: ...
Evidence supporting broader access to safe legal abortion.

Science.gov (United States)

Faúndes, Anibal; Shah, Iqbal H

2015-10-01

Unsafe abortion continues to be a major cause of maternal death; it accounts for 14.5% of all maternal deaths globally and almost all of these deaths occur in countries with restrictive abortion laws. A strong body of accumulated evidence shows that the simple means to drastically reduce unsafe abortion-related maternal deaths and morbidity is to make abortion legal and institutional termination of pregnancy broadly accessible. Despite this evidence, abortion is denied even when the legal condition for abortion is met. The present article aims to contribute to a better understanding that one can be in favor of greater access to safe abortion services, while at the same time not be "in favor of abortion," by reviewing the evidence that indicates that criminalization of abortion only increases mortality and morbidity without decreasing the incidence of induced abortion, and that decriminalization rapidly reduces abortion-related mortality and does not increase abortion rates. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
Lentivirus-ABCG1 instillation reduces lipid accumulation and improves lung compliance in GM-CSF knock-out mice

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Malur, Anagha; Huizar, Isham [Program in Lung Cell Biology and Translational Research, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC (United States); Wells, Greg [Department of Microbiology and Immunology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC (United States); Barna, Barbara P. [Program in Lung Cell Biology and Translational Research, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC (United States); Malur, Achut G. [Department of Microbiology and Immunology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC (United States); Thomassen, Mary Jane, E-mail: thomassenm@ecu.edu [Program in Lung Cell Biology and Translational Research, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC (United States); Department of Microbiology and Immunology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC (United States)

2011-11-18

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Lentivirus-ABCG1 reduces lipid accumulation in lungs of GM-CSF knock-out mice. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Up-regulation of ABCG1 improves lung function. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Upregulation of ABCG1 improves surfactant metabolism. -- Abstract: We have shown decreased expression of the nuclear transcription factor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR{gamma}) and the PPAR{gamma}-regulated ATP-binding cassette transporter G1 (ABCG1) in alveolar macrophages from patients with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP). PAP patients also exhibit neutralizing antibodies to granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), an upregulator of PPAR{gamma}. In association with functional GM-CSF deficiency, PAP lung is characterized by surfactant-filled alveolar spaces and lipid-filled alveolar macrophages. Similar pathology characterizes GM-CSF knock-out (KO) mice. We reported previously that intratracheal instillation of a lentivirus (lenti)-PPAR{gamma} plasmid into GM-CSF KO animals elevated ABCG1 and reduced alveolar macrophage lipid accumulation. Here, we hypothesized that instillation of lenti-ABCG1 might be sufficient to decrease lipid accumulation and improve pulmonary function in GM-CSF KO mice. Animals received intratracheal instillation of lenti-ABCG1 or control lenti-enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (eGFP) plasmids and alveolar macrophages were harvested 10 days later. Alveolar macrophage transduction efficiency was 79% as shown by lenti-eGFP fluorescence. Quantitative PCR analyses indicated a threefold (p = 0.0005) increase in ABCG1 expression with no change of PPAR{gamma} or ABCA1 in alveolar macrophages of lenti-ABCG1 treated mice. ABCG1 was unchanged in control lenti-eGFP and PBS-instilled groups. Oil Red O staining detected reduced intracellular neutral lipid in alveolar macrophages from lenti-ABCG1 treated mice. Extracellular cholesterol and phospholipids were also decreased as shown by
Effects of Aluminium Sulfate on Cadmium Accumulation in Rice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khamvarn, Vararas; Boontanon, Narin; Prapagdee, Benjaphorn; Kumsopa, Acharaporn; Boonsirichai, Kanokporn

2011-06-01

Full text: Cadmium accumulation in Pathum Thani 1 and Suphan Buri 60 rice cultivars was investigated upon treatment with aluminium sulfate as a precipitant. Rice was grown hydroponically in a medium containing 4 ppm cadmium nitrate with or without 4 ppm aluminium sulfate. Root, stem with leaves and grain samples were collected and analyzed for cadmium content using atomic absorption spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Without the addition of aluminium sulfate, Pathum Thani 1 and Suphan Buri 60 accumulated 24.71∫ 3.14 ppm and 34.43 ∫ 4.51 ppm (dry weight of whole plant) of cadmium, respectively. With aluminium sulfate, cadmium accumulation increased to 40.66 ∫ 2.47 ppm and 62.94 ∫ 10.69 ppm, respectively. The addition of aluminium sulfate to the planting medium did not reduce cadmium accumulation but caused the rice to accumulate more cadmium especially in the shoots and grains. This observation might serve as the basis for future research on the management of agricultural areas that are contaminated with cadmium and aluminium
Evaluation of Maize Germplasm for Resistance to Aflatoxin Accumulation

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Michael H. Blanco

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Aflatoxin contamination of maize grain threatens human food and animal feed safety. Breeding for reduced grain aflatoxin accumulation is one of the best strategies presently available to lower grain aflatoxin accumulation. Previously identified sources of germplasm with reduced grain aflatoxin accumulation are excessively tall and late maturing. The objective of this research was to screen germplasm and identify potential sources of aflatoxin resistance. KO679Y and CUBA117:S15-101-001-B-B-B-B inbreds were evaluated for aflatoxin accumulation alongside resistant and susceptible checks with both performing well. These two lines were also evaluated in various crosses. KO679Y performed especially well in crosses with Mp494 and Mp717, resulting in low ear rot and very low aflatoxin levels, but not well in other crosses. A breeding cross including CUBA117:S15-101-001-B-B-B-B as a parent accumulated low levels of aflatoxin both years it was evaluated. Lines resulting from these crosses are being advanced for further evaluation and improvement. KO679Y and CUBA117:S15-101-001-B-B-B-B may prove useful for breeders seeking germplasm sources for ear rot and mycotoxin reduction, especially KO679Y which matures a week earlier and is approximately 25% shorter than current lines resistant to grain aflatoxin accumulation.
Test sensitivity is important for detecting variability in pointing comprehension in canines.

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Pongrácz, Péter; Gácsi, Márta; Hegedüs, Dorottya; Péter, András; Miklósi, Adám

2013-09-01

Several articles have been recently published on dogs' (Canis familiaris) performance in two-way object choice experiments in which subjects had to find hidden food by utilizing human pointing. The interpretation of results has led to a vivid theoretical debate about the cognitive background of human gestural signal understanding in dogs, despite the fact that many important details of the testing method have not yet been standardized. We report three experiments that aim to reveal how some procedural differences influence adult companion dogs' performance in these tests. Utilizing a large sample in Experiment 1, we provide evidence that neither the keeping conditions (garden/house) nor the location of the testing (outdoor/indoor) affect a dogs' performance. In Experiment 2, we compare dogs' performance using three different types of pointing gestures. Dogs' performance varied between momentary distal and momentary cross-pointing but "low" and "high" performer dogs chose uniformly better than chance level if they responded to sustained pointing gestures with reinforcement (food reward and a clicking sound; "clicker pointing"). In Experiment 3, we show that single features of the aforementioned "clicker pointing" method can slightly improve dogs' success rate if they were added one by one to the momentary distal pointing method. These results provide evidence that although companion dogs show a robust performance at different testing locations regardless of their keeping conditions, the exact execution of the human gesture and additional reinforcement techniques have substantial effect on the outcomes. Consequently, researchers should standardize their methodology before engaging in debates on the comparative aspects of socio-cognitive skills because the procedures they utilize may differ in sensitivity for detecting differences.
Physiology and biochemistry of source-regulated protein accumulation in the wheat grain.

Science.gov (United States)

Barneix, Atilio J

2007-05-01

Wheat is unique among cereals for the baking qualities of its flour, which are dependent upon the type and concentration of its proteins. As a consequence, the grain protein concentration (GPC) is one of the main determinants of wheat international market price. More than 50-70% of the final grain N is accumulated before flowering and later remobilized to the grain, N fertilization being the common practice used to produce high GPC. However, after incremental additions of N fertilizer, GPC reaches a maximum and then remains constant, without any increase in N uptake or remobilization by the crop, thus decreasing the efficiency of N fertilizer. Although, the genetic and molecular mechanisms that regulate N uptake by the roots are being clarified quickly, the regulation and physiology of N transport from the leaves to the grain remains less clear. In this review, the possible regulatory points involved in N transport to the grain and the difficulties for increasing GPC are discussed. It has been demonstrated that protein synthesis in the grain is source-limited, and that the grain can accumulate protein limited only by the amino acids provided by the phloem. It has also been shown that there is no limitation in the amino acid/sugar ratios that can be exported to the phloem. On the other hand, NO(3)(-) uptake transporters are depressed when the plant concentration of some amino acids, such as glutamine, is high. It has also been shown that a high N supply increases cytokinins concentration, preventing leaf senescence and proteolysis. Based on this information, it is postulated that there are two main regulatory points during grain filling when plant N status is ample. On the one hand, the N uptake transporters in the roots are depressed due to the high amino acids concentration in the tissues, and N uptake is low. On the other, a high amino acids concentration keeps the cytokinins level high, repressing leaf protein degradation and decreasing amino acid export to the

Bladder accumulated dose in image-guided high-dose-rate brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer and its relation to urinary toxicity

Science.gov (United States)

Zakariaee, Roja; Hamarneh, Ghassan; Brown, Colin J.; Gaudet, Marc; Aquino-Parsons, Christina; Spadinger, Ingrid

2016-12-01

The purpose of this study was to estimate locally accumulated dose to the bladder in multi-fraction high-dose-date (HDR) image-guided intracavitary brachytherapy (IG-ICBT) for cervical cancer, and study the locally-accumulated dose parameters as predictors of late urinary toxicity. A retrospective study of 60 cervical cancer patients who received five HDR IG-ICBT sessions was performed. The bladder outer and inner surfaces were segmented for all sessions and a bladder-wall contour point-set was created in MATLAB. The bladder-wall point-sets for each patient were registered using a deformable point-set registration toolbox called coherent point drift (CPD), and the fraction doses were accumulated. Various dosimetric and volumetric parameters were calculated using the registered doses, including r{{\\text{D}}n \\text{c{{\\text{m}}\\text{3}}}} (minimum dose to the most exposed n-cm3 volume of bladder wall), r V n Gy (wall volume receiving at least m Gy), and r\\text{EQD}{{2}n \\text{c{{\\text{m}}\\text{3}}}} (minimum equivalent biologically weighted dose to the most exposed n-cm3 of bladder wall), where n = 1/2/5/10 and m = 3/5/10. Minimum dose to contiguous 1 and 2 cm3 hot-spot volumes was also calculated. The unregistered dose volume histogram (DVH)-summed equivalent of r{{\\text{D}}n \\text{c{{\\text{m}}3}}} and r\\text{EQD}{{2}n \\text{c{{\\text{m}}3}}} parameters (i.e. s{{\\text{D}}n \\text{c{{\\text{m}}\\text{3}}}} and s\\text{EQD}{{2}n \\text{c{{\\text{m}}3}}} ) were determined for comparison. Late urinary toxicity was assessed using the LENT-SOMA scale, with toxicity Grade 0-1 categorized as Controls and Grade 2-4 as Cases. A two-sample t-test was used to identify the differences between the means of Control and Case groups for all parameters. A binomial logistic regression was also performed between the registered dose parameters and toxicity grouping. Seventeen patients were in the Case and 43 patients in the Control group. Contiguous
Effect of minerals on accumulation of Cs by fungus Saccaromyces cerevisiae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohnuki, Toshihiko; Sakamoto, Fuminori; Yamasaki, Shinya; Kozai, Naofumi; Shiotsu, Hiroyuki; Utsunomiya, Satoshi; Watanabe, Naoko; Kozaki, Tamotsu

2015-01-01

The accumulation of Cs by unicellular fungus of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the presence of minerals has been studied to elucidate the role of microorganisms in the migration of radioactive Cs in the environment. Two different types of experiments were employed: experiments using stable Cs to examine the effect of a carbon source on the accumulation of Cs, and accumulation experiments of radioactive Cs from agar medium containing 137 Cs and zeolite, vermiculite, phlogopite, smectite, mica, or illite as mineral supplements. In the former type of experiments, the Cs-accumulated cells were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDS). In the latter type, the radioactivity in the yeast cells was measured by an autoradiography technique. When a carbon source was present, higher amounts of Cs accumulated in the cells than in the resting condition without a carbon source. Analyses with SEM-EDS showed that no mineral formed on the cell surface. These results indicate that the yeast cells accumulate Cs by adsorption on the cell surface and intracellular accumulation. In the presence of minerals in the agar medium, the radioactivity in the yeast cells was in the order of mica > smectite, illite >> vermiculite, phlogopite, zeolite. This order is inversely correlated to the ratio of the concentration of radioactive Cs between the minerals and the medium solution. These results strongly suggest that the yeast accumulates radioactive Cs competitively with minerals. - Graphical abstract: Autoradiography analysis showed that presence of larger amounts of mineral of vermiculite collected in South Africa induced less accumulation of radioactive Cs in yeast cells from the medium. - Highlights: • Effect of minerals on the accumulation of radioactive Cs by yeast was studied. • Presence of minerals reduced accumulation of radioactive Cs by yeast. • The order of reduction is mica>smectite, illite>>vermiculite, phlogopite
Sales effects of product health information at points of purchase: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

van 't Riet, Jonathan

2013-03-01

Information about healthy and unhealthy nutrients is increasingly conveyed at the point of purchase. Many studies have investigated the effects of product health information on attitudes and intentions, but the empirical evidence becomes sketchier when the focus of research is actual purchase behaviour. The present paper provides an overview of empirical evidence on the effectiveness of product health information for food products at the point of purchase. A systematic literature review was conducted. Only studies were included that assessed the effect of product health information at the point of purchase on actual purchase behaviour, using data provided by stores' sales records or obtained by investigating customer receipts as the primary outcome measure. The included studies' target group comprised supermarket clientele. Several studies found no significant effects of product health information on actual purchase behaviour. Interventions were more likely to be effective when they lasted for a longer time, when they included additional intervention components, and when they targeted the absence of unhealthy nutrients instead of or in addition to the presence of healthy nutrients. No strong evidence for the effectiveness of product health information was found. The effect of intervention duration, additional promotional activities and targeting of healthy v. unhealthy nutrients should be closely examined in future studies.
Expert opinion on laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer parallels evidence from a cumulative meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

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Guillaume Martel

Full Text Available This study sought to synthesize survival outcomes from trials of laparoscopic and open colorectal cancer surgery, and to determine whether expert acceptance of this technology in the literature has parallel cumulative survival evidence.A systematic review of randomized trials was conducted. The primary outcome was survival, and meta-analysis of time-to-event data was conducted. Expert opinion in the literature (published reviews, guidelines, and textbook chapters on the acceptability of laparoscopic colorectal cancer was graded using a 7-point scale. Pooled survival data were correlated in time with accumulating expert opinion scores.A total of 5,800 citations were screened. Of these, 39 publications pertaining to 23 individual trials were retained. As well, 414 reviews were included (28 guidelines, 30 textbook chapters, 20 systematic reviews, 336 narrative reviews. In total, 5,782 patients were randomized to laparoscopic (n = 3,031 and open (n = 2,751 colorectal surgery. Survival data were presented in 16 publications. Laparoscopic surgery was not inferior to open surgery in terms of overall survival (HR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.80, 1.09. Expert opinion in the literature pertaining to the oncologic acceptability of laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer correlated most closely with the publication of large RCTs in 2002-2004. Although increasingly accepted since 2006, laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer remained controversial.Laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer is non-inferior to open surgery in terms of overall survival, and has been so since 2004. The majority expert opinion in the literature has considered these two techniques to be equivalent since 2002-2004. Laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer has been increasingly accepted since 2006, but remains controversial. Knowledge translation efforts in this field appear to have paralleled the accumulation of clinical trial evidence.
Intercellular K⁺ accumulation depolarizes Type I vestibular hair cells and their associated afferent nerve calyx.

Science.gov (United States)

Contini, D; Zampini, V; Tavazzani, E; Magistretti, J; Russo, G; Prigioni, I; Masetto, S

2012-12-27

Mammalian vestibular organs contain two types of sensory receptors, named Type I and Type II hair cells. While Type II hair cells are contacted by several small afferent nerve terminals, the basolateral surface of Type I hair cells is almost entirely enveloped by a single large afferent nerve terminal, called calyx. Moreover Type I, but not Type II hair cells, express a low-voltage-activated outward K(+) current, I(K,L), which is responsible for their much lower input resistance (Rm) at rest as compared to Type II hair cells. The functional meaning of I(K,L) and associated calyx is still enigmatic. By combining the patch-clamp whole-cell technique with the mouse whole crista preparation, we have recorded the current- and voltage responses of in situ hair cells. Outward K(+) current activation resulted in K(+) accumulation around Type I hair cells, since it induced a rightward shift of the K(+) reversal potential the magnitude of which depended on the amplitude and duration of K(+) current flow. Since this phenomenon was never observed for Type II hair cells, we ascribed it to the presence of a residual calyx limiting K(+) efflux from the synaptic cleft. Intercellular K(+) accumulation added a slow (τ>100ms) depolarizing component to the cell voltage response. In a few cases we were able to record from the calyx and found evidence for intercellular K(+) accumulation as well. The resulting depolarization could trigger a discharge of action potentials in the afferent nerve fiber. Present results support a model where pre- and postsynaptic depolarization produced by intercellular K(+) accumulation cooperates with neurotransmitter exocytosis in sustaining afferent transmission arising from Type I hair cells. While vesicular transmission together with the low Rm of Type I hair cells appears best suited for signaling fast head movements, depolarization produced by intercellular K(+) accumulation could enhance signal transmission during slow head movements. Copyright �
Accumulating Data to Optimally Predict Obesity Treatment (ADOPT): Recommendations from the Biological Domain.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenbaum, Michael; Agurs-Collins, Tanya; Bray, Molly S; Hall, Kevin D; Hopkins, Mark; Laughlin, Maren; MacLean, Paul S; Maruvada, Padma; Savage, Cary R; Small, Dana M; Stoeckel, Luke

2018-04-01

The responses to behavioral, pharmacological, or surgical obesity treatments are highly individualized. The Accumulating Data to Optimally Predict obesity Treatment (ADOPT) project provides a framework for how obesity researchers, working collectively, can generate the evidence base needed to guide the development of tailored, and potentially more effective, strategies for obesity treatment. The objective of the ADOPT biological domain subgroup is to create a list of high-priority biological measures for weight-loss studies that will advance the understanding of individual variability in response to adult obesity treatments. This list includes measures of body composition, energy homeostasis (energy intake and output), brain structure and function, and biomarkers, as well as biobanking procedures, which could feasibly be included in most, if not all, studies of obesity treatment. The recommended high-priority measures are selected to balance needs for sensitivity, specificity, and/or comprehensiveness with feasibility to achieve a commonality of usage and increase the breadth and impact of obesity research. The accumulation of data on key biological factors, along with behavioral, psychosocial, and environmental factors, can generate a more precise description of the interplay and synergy among them and their impact on treatment responses, which can ultimately inform the design and delivery of effective, tailored obesity treatments. © 2018 The Obesity Society.
Infrared fixed point of SU(2) gauge theory with six flavors

Science.gov (United States)

Leino, Viljami; Rummukainen, Kari; Suorsa, Joni; Tuominen, Kimmo; Tähtinen, Sara

2018-06-01

We compute the running of the coupling in SU(2) gauge theory with six fermions in the fundamental representation of the gauge group. We find strong evidence that this theory has an infrared stable fixed point at strong coupling and measure also the anomalous dimension of the fermion mass operator at the fixed point. This theory therefore likely lies close to the boundary of the conformal window and will display novel infrared dynamics if coupled with the electroweak sector of the Standard Model.
Sediment accumulation and mixing in the Penobscot River and estuary, Maine.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeager, K M; Schwehr, K A; Schindler, K J; Santschi, P H

2018-04-16

Mercury (Hg) was discharged in the late 1960s into the Penobscot River by the Holtra-Chem chlor-alkali production facility, which was in operation from 1967 to 2000. To assess the transport and distribution of total Hg, and recovery of the river and estuary system from Hg pollution, physical and radiochemical data were assembled from sediment cores collected from 58 of 72 coring stations sampled in 2009. These stations were located throughout the lower Penobscot River, and included four principal study regions, the Penobscot River (PBR), Mendall Marsh (MM), the Orland River (OR), and the Penobscot estuary (ES). To provide the geochronology required to evaluate sedimentary total Hg profiles, 58 of 72 sediment cores were dated using the atmospheric radionuclide tracers 137 Cs, 210 Pb, and 239,240 Pu. Sediment cores were assessed for depths of mixing, and for the determination of sediment accumulation rates using both geochemical (total Hg) and radiochemical data. At most stations, evidence for significant vertical mixing, derived from profiles of 7 Be (where possible) and porosity, was restricted to the upper ~1-3cm. Thus, historic profiles of both total Hg and radionuclides were only minimally distorted, allowing a reconstruction of their depositional history. The pulse input tracers 137 Cs and 239,240 Pu used to assess sediment accumulation rates agreed well, while the steady state tracer 210 Pb exhibited weaker agreement, likely due to irregular lateral sediment inputs. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Accumulation of carbon in northern mire ecosystems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tolonen, K; Turunen, J; Alm, J [Joensuu Univ. (Finland). Dept. of Biology; Korhola, A [Helsinki Univ. (Finland). Lab. of Physical Geography; Jungner, H [Helsinki Univ. (Finland). Dating Lab.; Vasander, H [Helsinki Univ. (Finland). Dept. of Forest Ecology

1997-12-31

The basic feature in the functional ecology of any mire ecosystem is retardation of the effective decay of organic material resulting in a conspicuous accumulation of plant debris as peat overtime. The carbon accumulation process is slow, and climatic change may have an impact on the carbon cycle of peatlands, therefore, it has been of interest to study the rate of carbon accumulation by geological methods from dated peat strata. The approach is hampered by several facts. First, the mires vary enormously as to their vegetation and hydrology and hence their production and decay properties. It follows that a great number of study sites are needed. Second, the peat in mires expands both vertically and laterally, and this requires a spatial reconstruction of carbon accumulation within a mire basin. Third, simple geological methods cannot account for the actual rate of carbon accumulation in peat, and finally, an additional carbon sink in the mire ecosystems can be the mineral subsoil beneath peat. The proposed warming will perhaps shift northwards the existing climatic mire regimes and, thus, the northern aapa fens will change to Sphagnum bogs that are more effective in sequestering carbon, but distinctly less effective in their CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}O emanation. The role of mire fires in more remote northern areas may then become another important factor. The answer to the important question of future total sequestration of carbon to peatlands depends on the precipitation and its seasonal distribution pattern. Most climatic scenarios predict a decrease in the evaporation surplus during the summer at northern regions. Presumably, the consequent lowering of the water table would improve growth of forest on mires and simultaneously decrease the methane fluxes from peat. The combined net effect could be a clear restraining of the radiative forcing
Accumulation of carbon in northern mire ecosystems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tolonen, K.; Turunen, J.; Alm, J. [Joensuu Univ. (Finland). Dept. of Biology; Korhola, A. [Helsinki Univ. (Finland). Lab. of Physical Geography; Jungner, H. [Helsinki Univ. (Finland). Dating Lab.; Vasander, H. [Helsinki Univ. (Finland). Dept. of Forest Ecology

1996-12-31

The basic feature in the functional ecology of any mire ecosystem is retardation of the effective decay of organic material resulting in a conspicuous accumulation of plant debris as peat overtime. The carbon accumulation process is slow, and climatic change may have an impact on the carbon cycle of peatlands, therefore, it has been of interest to study the rate of carbon accumulation by geological methods from dated peat strata. The approach is hampered by several facts. First, the mires vary enormously as to their vegetation and hydrology and hence their production and decay properties. It follows that a great number of study sites are needed. Second, the peat in mires expands both vertically and laterally, and this requires a spatial reconstruction of carbon accumulation within a mire basin. Third, simple geological methods cannot account for the actual rate of carbon accumulation in peat, and finally, an additional carbon sink in the mire ecosystems can be the mineral subsoil beneath peat. The proposed warming will perhaps shift northwards the existing climatic mire regimes and, thus, the northern aapa fens will change to Sphagnum bogs that are more effective in sequestering carbon, but distinctly less effective in their CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}O emanation. The role of mire fires in more remote northern areas may then become another important factor. The answer to the important question of future total sequestration of carbon to peatlands depends on the precipitation and its seasonal distribution pattern. Most climatic scenarios predict a decrease in the evaporation surplus during the summer at northern regions. Presumably, the consequent lowering of the water table would improve growth of forest on mires and simultaneously decrease the methane fluxes from peat. The combined net effect could be a clear restraining of the radiative forcing
The distribution and phylogeny of aluminium accumulating plants in the Ericales

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jansen, S.; Watanabe, T.; Caris, P.; Geuten, K.; Lens, F.; Pyck, N.; Smets, E.

2004-01-01

The distribution of aluminium (Al) accumulation in the Ericales is surveyed, based on semi-quantitative tests of 114 species and literature data. Al accumulation mainly characterises the families Diapensiaceae, Pentaphylacaceae, Symplocaceae, Ternstroemiaceae, and Theaceae. Al accumulation is
The accumulation of metals in lichens

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Smaranda Mâșu

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The capacity to accumulate metal in the lichen communities has been used to identify the level of air pollution due road traffic. Several analyses have been conducted in the study, on tissue from lichens collected from six areas: the park of a town, various sites on the town’s freeway and on a county road segment with moderate traffic. The analyzed lichens were from the Parmelia spp. species which grow naturally on trees found in borderline lanes of motorways. Based on the degree of heavy metal accumulation such as Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe Mn, Pb, Ni and Zn in the Parmelia spp. lichens, a correlation has been made, with the road traffic. According to the metal bioaccumulation degree in lichens tissue, it has been established that the sources such as traffic from the outskirts of cities, from the perimeter of gas stations and of county roads continuously spread products which contain these elements, into the atmosphere. The fast information regarding the quality of the air in the environment allows the use of lichens as organism which can indicate environmental conditions and their modification by accumulating substances.
A Dextral Primary Progressive Aphasia Patient with Right Dominant Hypometabolism and Tau Accumulation and Left Dominant Amyloid Accumulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Young Kyoung Jang

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Primary progressive aphasia (PPA is a degenerative disease that presents as progressive decline of language ability with preservation of other cognitive functions in the early stages. Three subtypes of PPA are known: progressive nonfluent aphasia, semantic dementia, and logopenic aphasia (LPA. Patients and Methods: We report the case of a 77-year-old patient with PPA whose clinical findings did not correspond to the three subtypes but mainly fit LPA. Unlike other LPA patients, however, this patient showed a right hemisphere predominant glucose hypometabolism and tau accumulation and a left hemisphere predominant amyloid deposition. The right-handed patient presented with comprehension difficulty followed by problems naming familiar objects. This isolated language problem had deteriorated rapidly for 2 years, followed by memory difficulties and impairment of daily activities. Using a Korean version of the Western Aphasia Battery, aphasia was consistent with a severe form of Wernicke's aphasia. According to the brain magnetic resonance imaging and 18F-fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography results, right hemisphere atrophy and hypometabolism, more predominant on the right hemisphere than the left, were apparent despite the fact that Edinburgh Handedness Questionnaire scores indicated strong right-handedness. On Pittsburgh compound B-PET, amyloid accumulation was asymmetrical with the left hemisphere being more predominant than the right, whereas 18F-T807-PET showed a right dominant tau accumulation. Conclusions: This is the first report of atypical PPA, in which the patient exhibited crossed aphasia and asymmetrical amyloid accumulation.
Effect of transpiration on plant accumulation and translocation of PPCP/EDCs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dodgen, Laurel K.; Ueda, Aiko; Wu, Xiaoqin; Parker, David R.; Gan, Jay

2015-01-01

The reuse of treated wastewater for agricultural irrigation in arid and hot climates where plant transpiration is high may affect plant accumulation of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). In this study, carrot, lettuce, and tomato plants were grown in solution containing 16 PPCP/EDCs in either a cool-humid or a warm-dry environment. Leaf bioconcentration factors (BCF) were positively correlated with transpiration for chemical groups of different ionized states (p < 0.05). However, root BCFs were correlated with transpiration only for neutral PPCP/EDCs (p < 0.05). Neutral and cationic PPCP/EDCs showed similar accumulation, while anionic PPCP/EDCs had significantly higher accumulation in roots and significantly lower accumulation in leaves (p < 0.05). Results show that plant transpiration may play a significant role in the uptake and translocation of PPCP/EDCs, which may have a pronounced effect in arid and hot climates where irrigation with treated wastewater is common. - Highlights: • Leaf accumulation of PPCP/EDCs is related on plant transpiration. • Cationic and neutral PPCP/EDCs have similar leaf and root accumulation. • Anionic PPCP/EDCs have greater root accumulation and lesser leaf accumulation. • PPCP/EDCs are extensively metabolized in plant tissue and hydroponic solution. - High plant transpiration in arid and hot areas may lead to increased foliar accumulation of PPCP/EDCs from treated wastewater irrigation
Global warming precipitation accumulation increases above the current-climate cutoff scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Neelin, J David; Sahany, Sandeep; Stechmann, Samuel N; Bernstein, Diana N

2017-02-07

Precipitation accumulations, integrated over rainfall events, can be affected by both intensity and duration of the storm event. Thus, although precipitation intensity is widely projected to increase under global warming, a clear framework for predicting accumulation changes has been lacking, despite the importance of accumulations for societal impacts. Theory for changes in the probability density function (pdf) of precipitation accumulations is presented with an evaluation of these changes in global climate model simulations. We show that a simple set of conditions implies roughly exponential increases in the frequency of the very largest accumulations above a physical cutoff scale, increasing with event size. The pdf exhibits an approximately power-law range where probability density drops slowly with each order of magnitude size increase, up to a cutoff at large accumulations that limits the largest events experienced in current climate. The theory predicts that the cutoff scale, controlled by the interplay of moisture convergence variance and precipitation loss, tends to increase under global warming. Thus, precisely the large accumulations above the cutoff that are currently rare will exhibit increases in the warmer climate as this cutoff is extended. This indeed occurs in the full climate model, with a 3 °C end-of-century global-average warming yielding regional increases of hundreds of percent to >1,000% in the probability density of the largest accumulations that have historical precedents. The probabilities of unprecedented accumulations are also consistent with the extension of the cutoff.
Global warming precipitation accumulation increases above the current-climate cutoff scale

Science.gov (United States)

Sahany, Sandeep; Stechmann, Samuel N.; Bernstein, Diana N.

2017-01-01

Precipitation accumulations, integrated over rainfall events, can be affected by both intensity and duration of the storm event. Thus, although precipitation intensity is widely projected to increase under global warming, a clear framework for predicting accumulation changes has been lacking, despite the importance of accumulations for societal impacts. Theory for changes in the probability density function (pdf) of precipitation accumulations is presented with an evaluation of these changes in global climate model simulations. We show that a simple set of conditions implies roughly exponential increases in the frequency of the very largest accumulations above a physical cutoff scale, increasing with event size. The pdf exhibits an approximately power-law range where probability density drops slowly with each order of magnitude size increase, up to a cutoff at large accumulations that limits the largest events experienced in current climate. The theory predicts that the cutoff scale, controlled by the interplay of moisture convergence variance and precipitation loss, tends to increase under global warming. Thus, precisely the large accumulations above the cutoff that are currently rare will exhibit increases in the warmer climate as this cutoff is extended. This indeed occurs in the full climate model, with a 3 °C end-of-century global-average warming yielding regional increases of hundreds of percent to >1,000% in the probability density of the largest accumulations that have historical precedents. The probabilities of unprecedented accumulations are also consistent with the extension of the cutoff. PMID:28115693
The Distribution of Crystalline Hematite on Mars from the Thermal Emission Spectrometer: Evidence for Liquid Water

Science.gov (United States)

Christensen, P. R.; Malin, M.; Morris, D.; Bandfield, J.; Lane, M.; Edgett, K.

2000-01-01

Crystalline hematite on Mars has been mapped using the MGS TES. Two major, and several minor areas of significant accumulation are identified. We favor precipitation models involving Fe-rich water, providing direct mineralogic evidence for large-scale water interactions.
The synthesis and accumulation of resveratrol are associated with veraison and abscisic acid concentration in Beihong (Vitis vinifera × Vitis amurensis berry skin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junfang Wang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Resveratrols are polyphenolic secondary metabolites that can benefit human health, and only occur in a few plant families including Vitaceae. It has been reported that abscisic acid (ABA can induce veraison (the onset of grape berry ripening and may induce the accumulation of resveratrol in berry skin. However, the relationships between ABA, veraison, the accumulation of anthocyanins and the accumulation of resveratrol in the berry are poorly understood. This study attempted to answer this question through an investigation of the effect of applied ABA and fluridone (a synthetic inhibitor of ABA on the biosynthesis and accumulation of ABA, anthocyanin and resveratrol in Beihong (Vitis vinifera × Vitis amurensis berry skin. Under natural conditions, resveratrol concentration was very low before 91 DAA (days after anthesis, i.e. 2 weeks after veraison, however, it increased sharply from this point to 126 DAA (maturity. Exogenous ABA applications all resulted in an increase in berry skin ABA and anthocyanin concentration, irrespective of the developmental stage at which the treatment occurred (20 and 10 d pre-veraison，veraison or 7 d post-veraison, thereby advancing veraison. In contrast, resveratrol concentration increased only when ABA was applied at 10 d pre-veraison or at veraison. As a result, the accumulation of resveratrol was associated with veraison in grape berry skin and this accumulation, together with that of anthocyanins, was associated with ABA concentration. The response of resveratrol biosynthesis in the berry skin to manipulation of ABA varied during berry development and was less sensitive to ABA than the response of anthocyanin biosynthesis.
The Synthesis and Accumulation of Resveratrol Are Associated with Veraison and Abscisic Acid Concentration in Beihong (Vitis vinifera × Vitis amurensis) Berry Skin

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Junfang; Wang, Shuqin; Liu, Guotian; Edwards, Everard J.; Duan, Wei; Li, Shaohua; Wang, Lijun

2016-01-01

Resveratrols are polyphenolic secondary metabolites that can benefit human health, and only occur in a few plant families including Vitaceae. It has been reported that abscisic acid (ABA) can induce veraison (the onset of grape berry ripening) and may induce the accumulation of resveratrol in berry skin. However, the relationships between ABA, veraison, the accumulation of anthocyanins and the accumulation of resveratrol in the berry are poorly understood. This study attempted to answer this question through an investigation of the effect of applied ABA and fluridone (a synthetic inhibitor of ABA) on the biosynthesis and accumulation of ABA, anthocyanin, and resveratrol in Beihong (Vitis vinifera × Vitis amurensis) berry skin. Under natural conditions, resveratrol concentration was very low before 91 DAA (days after anthesis), i.e., 2 weeks after veraison, however, it increased sharply from this point to 126 DAA (maturity). Exogenous ABA applications all resulted in an increase in berry skin ABA and anthocyanin concentration, irrespective of the developmental stage at which the treatment occurred (20 and 10 days pre-veraison, veraison or 7 days post-veraison), thereby advancing veraison. In contrast, resveratrol concentration increased only when ABA was applied at 10 days pre-veraison or at veraison. As a result, the accumulation of resveratrol was associated with veraison in grape berry skin and this accumulation, together with that of anthocyanins, was associated with ABA concentration. The response of resveratrol biosynthesis in the berry skin to manipulation of ABA varied during berry development and was less sensitive to ABA than the response of anthocyanin biosynthesis. PMID:27857716
2014 Cardiovascular Risks SRP Evidence Review Final Report. [Evidence Review For: The Risk of Orthostatic Intolerance During Re-Exposure to Gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Steinberg, Susan; Ziegler, Michael; Carter, Jason; Claydon, Victoria; Krummen, David; Thomas, Gail

2015-01-01

The 2014 Cardiovascular Risks Standing Review Panel (from here on referred to as the SRP) met for a site visit in Houston, TX on December 17-18, 2014. The SRP reviewed the updated evidence report for The Risk of Orthostatic Intolerance During re-Exposure to Gravity (OI Risk). The SRP found the 2014 OI Evidence Report to be a well written, comprehensive overview of the OI risk; that clearly documents the key scientific evidence relevant for both mechanistic understanding and countermeasure development. The 2014 OI Evidence Report could be further strengthened by addressing the points discussed below.

Carbon accumulation in peatlands of West Siberia over the last 2000 years

Science.gov (United States)

Beilman, David W.; MacDonald, Glen M.; Smith, Laurence C.; Reimer, Paula J.

2009-03-01

We use a network of cores from 77 peatland sites to determine controls on peat C content and peat C accumulation over the last 2000 years (since 2 ka) across Russia's West Siberian Lowland (WSL), the world's largest wetland region. Our results show a significant influence of fossil plant composition on peat C content, with peats dominated by Sphagnum having a lower C content. Radiocarbon-derived C accumulation since 2 ka at 23 sites is highly variable from site to site, but displays a significant N-S trend of decreasing accumulation at higher latitudes. Northern WSL peatlands show relatively small C accumulation of 7 to 35 kg C m-2 since 2 ka. In contrast, peatlands south of 60°N show larger accumulation of 42 to 88 kg C m-2. Carbon accumulation since 2 ka varies significantly with modern mean annual air temperature, with maximum C accumulation found between -1 and 0°C. Rates of apparent C accumulation since 2 ka show no significant relationship to long-term Holocene averages based on total C accumulation. A GIS-based extrapolation of our site data suggests that a substantial amount (˜40%) of total WSL peat C has accumulated since 2 ka, with much of this accumulation south of 60°N. The large peatlands in the southern WSL may be an important component of the Eurasian terrestrial C sink, and future warming could result in a shift northward in long-term WSL C sequestration.
Effect of salt stress on growth, Na+ accumulation and proline metabolism in potato (Solanum tuberosum cultivars.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rinse Jaarsma

Full Text Available Potato (Solanum tuberosum is a major crop world-wide and the productivity of currently used cultivars is strongly reduced at high soil salt levels. We compared the response of six potato cultivars to increased root NaCl concentrations. Cuttings were grown hydroponically and treated with 0 mM, 60 mM and 180 mM NaCl for one week. Growth reduction on salt was strongest for the cultivars Mozart and Mona Lisa with a severe senescence response at 180 mM NaCl and Mozart barely survived the treatment. The cultivars Desiree and Russett Burbank were more tolerant showing no senescence after salt treatment. A clear difference in Na(+ homeostasis was observed between sensitive and tolerant cultivars. The salt sensitive cultivar Mozart combined low Na(+ levels in root and stem with the highest leaf Na(+ concentration of all cultivars, resulting in a high Na(+ shoot distribution index (SDI for Mozart as compared to Desiree. Overall, a positive correlation between salt tolerance and stem Na(+ accumulation was found and the SDI for Na(+ points to a role of stem Na(+ accumulation in tolerance. In stem tissue, Mozart accumulated more H2O2 and less proline compared to the tolerant cultivars. Analysis of the expression of proline biosynthesis genes in Mozart and Desiree showed a clear reduction in proline dehydrogenase (PDH expression in both cultivars and an increase in pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase 1 (P5CS1 gene expression in Desiree, but not in Mozart. Taken together, current day commercial cultivars show promising differences in salt tolerance and the results suggest that mechanisms of tolerance reside in the capacity of Na(+ accumulation in stem tissue, resulting in reduced Na(+ transport to the leaves.
Effect of Salt Stress on Growth, Na+ Accumulation and Proline Metabolism in Potato (Solanum tuberosum) Cultivars

Science.gov (United States)

Jaarsma, Rinse; de Vries, Rozemarijn S. M.; de Boer, Albertus H.

2013-01-01

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a major crop world-wide and the productivity of currently used cultivars is strongly reduced at high soil salt levels. We compared the response of six potato cultivars to increased root NaCl concentrations. Cuttings were grown hydroponically and treated with 0 mM, 60 mM and 180 mM NaCl for one week. Growth reduction on salt was strongest for the cultivars Mozart and Mona Lisa with a severe senescence response at 180 mM NaCl and Mozart barely survived the treatment. The cultivars Desiree and Russett Burbank were more tolerant showing no senescence after salt treatment. A clear difference in Na+ homeostasis was observed between sensitive and tolerant cultivars. The salt sensitive cultivar Mozart combined low Na+ levels in root and stem with the highest leaf Na+ concentration of all cultivars, resulting in a high Na+ shoot distribution index (SDI) for Mozart as compared to Desiree. Overall, a positive correlation between salt tolerance and stem Na+ accumulation was found and the SDI for Na+ points to a role of stem Na+ accumulation in tolerance. In stem tissue, Mozart accumulated more H2O2 and less proline compared to the tolerant cultivars. Analysis of the expression of proline biosynthesis genes in Mozart and Desiree showed a clear reduction in proline dehydrogenase (PDH) expression in both cultivars and an increase in pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase 1 (P5CS1) gene expression in Desiree, but not in Mozart. Taken together, current day commercial cultivars show promising differences in salt tolerance and the results suggest that mechanisms of tolerance reside in the capacity of Na+ accumulation in stem tissue, resulting in reduced Na+ transport to the leaves. PMID:23533673
Shifts in Summertime Precipitation Accumulation Distributions over the US

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez-Villalobos, C.; Neelin, J. D.

2017-12-01

Precipitation accumulations, i.e., the amount of precipitation integrated over the course of an event, is a variable with both important physical and societal implications. Previous observational studies show that accumulation distributions have a characteristic shape, with an approximately power law decrease at first, followed by a sharp decrease at a characteristic large event cutoff scale. This cutoff scale is important as it limits the biggest accumulation events. Stochastic prototypes show that the resulting distributions, and importantly the large event cutoff scale, can be understood as a result of the interplay between moisture loss by precipitation and changes in moisture sinks/sources due to fluctuations in moisture divergence over the course of a precipitation event. The strength of this fluctuating moisture sink/source term is expected to increase under global warming, with both theory and climate model simulations predicting a concomitant increase in the large event cutoff scale. This cutoff scale increase has important consequences as it implies an approximately exponential increase for the largest accumulation events. Given its importance, in this study we characterize and track changes in the distribution of precipitation events accumulations over the contiguous US. Accumulation distributions are calculated using hourly precipitation data from 1700 stations, covering the 1974-2013 period over May-October. The resulting distributions largely follow the aforementioned shape, with individual cutoff scales depending on the local climate. An increase in the large event cutoff scale over this period is observed over several regions over the US, most notably over the eastern third of the US. In agreement with the increase in the cutoff, almost exponential increases in the highest accumulation percentiles occur over these regions, with increases in the 99.9 percentile in the Northeast of 70% for example. The relationship to changes in daily precipitation
Phytomass production and nutrient accumulation by green manure species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Carlos Soares Mangaravite

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Green manuring is recognized as a viable alternative to improve nutrient cycling in soils. The aim of this study was to evaluate the phytomass production and nutrient accumulation in shoots of the summer green manures jack bean [Canavalia ensiformis (L. DC.], dwarf pigeon pea (Cajanus cajanvar var. Flavus DC., dwarf mucuna [Mucuna deeringiana (Bort Merr] and sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L., under nitrogen fertilization and/or inoculation with N-fixing bacteria. A split plot design was arranged with the four Fabaceae species as main plots and nitrogen fertilization (with and without and inoculation with diazotrophic bacteria (with and without as the subplots, in a 2² factorial. The experiment was arranged as a randomized complete block design with four replications. In the conditions of this trial, the sunn hemp had the highest production of shoot phytomass (12.4 Mg ha-1 and nutrient accumulation, while the dwarf mucuna had the lowest production of shoot phytomass (3.9 Mg ha-1 and nutrient accumulation. The results showed no effect of nitrogen fertilization or inoculation with N-fixing bacteria on the production of shoot phytomass and nutrient accumulation, except for inoculation without nitrogen fertilization, resulting in greater P accumulation (p <0.05 in the sunn hemp and greater Zn and Mn accumulation in the dwarf mucuna. These findings indicate that N fertilization or inoculation with N2-fixing bacteria for Fabaceae are low efficiency practices in the edaphoclimatic conditions of this study.
Recent peat accumulation rates in minerotrophic peatlands of the Bay James region, Eastern Canada, inferred by 210Pb and 137Cs radiometric techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, Adam A.; Ghaleb, Bassam; Garneau, Michelle; Asnong, Hans; Loisel, Julie

2008-01-01

210 Pb and 137 Cs dating techniques are used to characterise recent peat accumulation rates of two minerotrophic peatlands located in the La Grande Riviere hydrological watershed, in the James Bay region (Canada). Several cores were collected during the summer 2005 in different parts of the two selected peatlands. These minerotrophic patterned peatlands are presently affected by erosion processes, expressed by progressive mechanical destruction of their pools borders. This erosion process is related to a water table rise induced by a regional increase of humidity since the last century. The main objective of the present paper is to (1) evaluate if 210 Pb and 137 Cs dating techniques can be applied to build accurate chronologies in these environments and (2) detect changes in the peat accumulation rates in regard to this amplification of humidity. In both sites, unsupported 210 Pb shows an exponential decreasing according to the depth. Chronologies inferred from 210 Pb allow to reconstruct peat accumulation rates since ca. 1855 AD. The 137 Cs data displayed evident mobility and diffusion, preventing the establishment of any sustained chronology based on these measurements. In the two sites, peat accumulation rates inferred from 210 Pb chronologies fluctuate between 0.005 and 0.038 g cm -2 yr -1 . As a result, the rise of the water table during the last decade has not yet affected peat accumulation rates
Skeletal muscle apolipoprotein B expression reduces muscular triglyceride accumulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bartels, Emil D; Ploug, Thorkil; Størling, Joachim

2014-01-01

Abstract Background. Lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle is associated with impaired insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes. In cardiac myocytes, lipoprotein secretion controlled by apolipoproteinB (apoB) and microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) affects lipid homeostasis. Design. In t...... accumulation and attenuates peripheral insulin resistance in obese mice........ In this study, we investigated whether expression of a human apoB transgene affects triglyceride accumulation and insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle in fat fed obese mice. Results. Expression of apoB and MTP mRNA and the human apoB transgene was seen in skeletal muscle of the transgene mice. Human apo......Abstract Background. Lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle is associated with impaired insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes. In cardiac myocytes, lipoprotein secretion controlled by apolipoproteinB (apoB) and microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) affects lipid homeostasis. Design...
Nursing Reference Center: a point-of-care resource.

Science.gov (United States)

Vardell, Emily; Paulaitis, Gediminas Geddy

2012-01-01

Nursing Reference Center is a point-of-care resource designed for the practicing nurse, as well as nursing administrators, nursing faculty, and librarians. Users can search across multiple resources, including topical Quick Lessons, evidence-based care sheets, patient education materials, practice guidelines, and more. Additional features include continuing education modules, e-books, and a new iPhone application. A sample search and comparison with similar databases were conducted.
Point-of-Purchase Food Marketing and Policy Solutions

OpenAIRE

Soo, Jackie

2016-01-01

Background: Food marketing has been implicated as a driver of obesity. However, few studies have examined point-of-purchase marketing in supermarkets and restaurants, or marketing in lower-income countries. Furthermore, policy solutions to counteract marketing and provide consumers with objective nutritional information require evidence of efficacy. Paper 1. We documented child-oriented marketing practices, product claims, and health-evoking images on 106 cereals sold in Guatemala City, Gu...
Accumulation of fluoride by plants and vegetables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Njenga, L.W.; Kariuki, D.N.

1994-01-01

Fluoride in plant and vegetable samples has been determined using ion selective electrode. The analysis was carried out after ashing the sample on an open flame, adding perchloric acid and allowing the hydrogen fluoride to diffuse into sodium hydroxide layer.The results obtained show that kale and pumpkins can accumulate more than ten times their normal values of fluoride while plants were found to accumulate upto 100μg/g fluoride when exposed to highlevels of fluoride in water or soil. (author)
Accumulation of sunscreen in human skin after daily applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bodekær, Mette; Akerström, Ulf; Wulf, Hans Christian

2012-01-01

Sunscreen applied to the skin provides a considerable sun protection factor (SPF) even after 8 h. Sunscreen use for consecutive days may therefore result in an accumulation of the product. This study investigated the consequences of accumulation for SPF....
47 CFR 32.3200 - Accumulated depreciation-held for future telecommunications use.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Accumulated depreciation-held for future... Balance Sheet Accounts § 32.3200 Accumulated depreciation—held for future telecommunications use. (a) This account shall include the accumulated depreciation associated with the investment contained in Account...
A point-to-point simple telehealth application for cardiovascular prevention: the ESINO LARIO experience. Cardiovascular prevention at point of care.

Science.gov (United States)

Malacarne, Mara; Gobbi, Giorgio; Pizzinelli, Paolo; Lesma, Alessandro; Castelli, Alberto; Lucini, Daniela; Pagani, Massimo

2009-01-01

Recent epidemiological evidence indicates that chronic degenerative diseases, notably cardiovascular, represent the major toll in terms of death and of impaired quality of life. Recent estimates indicate that a small increase in financial resources in a number of clinical cases may be sufficient to minimize the consequences of elevated cardiovascular risk per individual. The observation that lifestyle choices, and in particular increased physical exercise, might strongly impact cardiovascular risk, suggests a redesign of preventive strategies, based on the combination of pharmacological and behavioral interventions. Following our recent experience with the INteractive teleConsultation network for worldwide healthcAre Services (INCAS) system, we designed a simpler point-to-point telehealth infrastructure, to be employed in cardiovascular risk reduction programs, predicting a high level of acceptance from the population, at the cost of very limited investment. This model was tested on 181 subjects (ages 18-80 years) in the Italian mountain village of Esino Lario. These subjects underwent a screening test to evaluate arrhythmia and cardiometabolic risks (arrhythmias were found in 14% of subjects, systolic arterial pressure was observed in 43% of subjects above 140 mm Hg, diastolic arterial pressure in 31% above 90 mm Hg). This study demonstrates the feasibility of a scaled-down telehealth application particularly suited to cardiovascular prevention in remote areas, such as in mountain villages.
Theoretical-probability evaluation of the fire hazard of coal accumulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sikora, F F

1978-01-01

An evaluation is suggested for the fire hazard of coal accumulations, based on determining the probability of an endogenic fire. This probability is computed by using the statistical characteristics of the temperature distribution of spontaneous heating in large accumulations, and the criteria of Gluzberg's fire hazard that is determined by the coal's physico-chemical properties, oxygen concentration, and the size of the accumulations. 4 references.
The Influence of Nutrition Labeling and Point-of-Purchase Information on Food Behaviours.

Science.gov (United States)

Volkova, Ekaterina; Ni Mhurchu, Cliona

2015-03-01

Point-of-purchase information on packaged food has been a highly debated topic. Various types of nutrition labels and point-of-purchase information have been studied to determine their ability to attract consumers' attention, be well understood and promote healthy food choices. Country-specific regulatory and monitoring frameworks have been implemented to ensure reliability and accuracy of such information. However, the impact of such information on consumers' behaviour remains contentious. This review summarizes recent evidence on the real-world effectiveness of nutrition labels and point-of-purchase information.
Selenium accumulation in the cockle Anadara trapezia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jolley, Dianne F.; Maher, William A.; Kyd, Jennelle

2004-01-01

An extensive study on Se accumulation in a population of Anadara trapezia from a marine lake is reported. The effects of organism mass, gender, reproductive cycle, and season on Se accumulation and tissue distribution were investigated. Analyses showed that gender and reproductive cycle had no significant effect on Se accumulation. A. trapezia showed a strong positive correlation between Se burden and tissue mass. Constant Se concentrations were observed within individual populations but varied spatially with sediment Se concentrations. Se concentrations in tissues decreased from gills > gonad/intestine > mantle > muscle > foot, which remained constant over 12 months, however, significantly lower concentrations were observed in the summer compared to winter. A. trapezia is a good biomonitor for Se, as gender and size do not effect concentration, however, season of collection must be reported if changes in Se bioavailability are to be identified in short term studies, or during intersite comparisons. - Capsule: The marine bivalve Anadara trapezia is a good bioindicator for marine selenium contamination
A cardy formula for three-point coefficients or how the black hole got its spots

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kraus, Per [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California,Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Maloney, Alexander [Physics Department, McGill University,Montréal, QC H3A 2T8 (Canada)

2017-05-31

Modular covariance of torus one-point functions constrains the three point function coefficients of a two dimensional CFT. This leads to an asymptotic formula for the average value of light-heavy-heavy three point coefficients, generalizing Cardy’s formula for the high energy density of states. The derivation uses certain asymptotic properties of one-point conformal blocks on the torus. Our asymptotic formula matches a dual AdS{sub 3} computation of one point functions in a black hole background. This is evidence that the BTZ black hole geometry emerges upon course-graining over a suitable family of heavy microstates.
Potential role of multiple carbon fixation pathways during lipid accumulation in Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valenzuela Jacob

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Phaeodactylum tricornutum is a unicellular diatom in the class Bacillariophyceae. The full genome has been sequenced (P. tricornutum gene expression profiles during nutrient-deprivation and lipid-accumulation, cell cultures were grown with a nitrate to phosphate ratio of 20:1 (N:P and whole-genome transcripts were monitored over time via RNA-sequence determination. Results The specific Nile Red (NR fluorescence (NR fluorescence per cell increased over time; however, the increase in NR fluorescence was initiated before external nitrate was completely exhausted. Exogenous phosphate was depleted before nitrate, and these results indicated that the depletion of exogenous phosphate might be an early trigger for lipid accumulation that is magnified upon nitrate depletion. As expected, many of the genes associated with nitrate and phosphate utilization were up-expressed. The diatom-specific cyclins cyc7 and cyc10 were down-expressed during the nutrient-deplete state, and cyclin B1 was up-expressed during lipid-accumulation after growth cessation. While many of the genes associated with the C3 pathway for photosynthetic carbon reduction were not significantly altered, genes involved in a putative C4 pathway for photosynthetic carbon assimilation were up-expressed as the cells depleted nitrate, phosphate, and exogenous dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC levels. P. tricornutum has multiple, putative carbonic anhydrases, but only two were significantly up-expressed (2-fold and 4-fold at the last time point when exogenous DIC levels had increased after the cessation of growth. Alternative pathways that could utilize HCO3- were also suggested by the gene expression profiles (e.g., putative propionyl-CoA and methylmalonyl-CoA decarboxylases. Conclusions The results indicate that P. tricornutum continued carbon dioxide reduction when population growth was arrested and different carbon-concentrating mechanisms were used dependent upon exogenous
Ethambutol neutralizes lysosomes and causes lysosomal zinc accumulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, Daisuke; Saiki, Shinji; Furuya, Norihiko; Ishikawa, Kei-Ichi; Imamichi, Yoko; Kambe, Taiho; Fujimura, Tsutomu; Ueno, Takashi; Koike, Masato; Sumiyoshi, Katsuhiko; Hattori, Nobutaka

2016-02-26

Ethambutol is a common medicine used for the treatment of tuberculosis, which can have serious side effects, such as retinal and liver dysfunction. Although ethambutol has been reported to impair autophagic flux in rat retinal cells, the precise molecular mechanism remains unclear. Using various mammalian cell lines, we showed that ethambutol accumulated in autophagosomes and vacuolated lysosomes, with marked Zn(2+) accumulation. The enlarged lysosomes were neutralized and were infiltrated with Zn(2+) accumulations in the lysosomes, with simultaneous loss of acidification. These results suggest that EB neutralizes lysosomes leading to insufficient autophagy, implying that some of the adverse effects associated with EB in various organs may be of this mechanism. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Accumulation and loss of technetium by macrophytic algae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benco, C.; Cannarsa, S.; Ceppodomo, I.; Zattera, A.

1986-01-01

Preliminary results are presented of a study of the accumulation of Tc by four species of brown algae (Sargassum vulgare, Cystoseira complexa, Dictyopteris membranacea, Dictyota dichotama implexa) and one species of green algae (Chlorophyta, Ulva rigida). With the exception of Cystoseira complexa, the accumulation was very rapid, and concentration factors decreased from Sargassum vulgare to Ulva rigida. Young stipes of Cystoseira complexa concentrated twice as much more Tc than cylindrical main axes. Attempts were made to understand the mechanism of Tc accumulation by brown seaweed. Fucoidan, a pool of high molecular weight polysaccharides extracted from Fucus sp. was put with sup(95m)Tc in seawater for 48 h and then dialysed, but no activity was retained by Fucoidan. (UK)

Biochar amendment reduced methylmercury accumulation in rice plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shu, Rui; Wang, Yongjie [School of Environment, Nanjing University, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China (China); Zhong, Huan, E-mail: zhonghuan@nju.edu.cn [School of Environment, Nanjing University, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China (China); Environmental and Life Sciences Program (EnLS), Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario (Canada)

2016-08-05

Highlights: • Biochar amendment could evidently reduce methylmercury (MeHg) levels in rice grain. • Biochar could enhance microbial production of MeHg, probably by providing sulfate. • Biochar could immobilize MeHg in soil, and reduce MeHg availability to rice plants. • Biochar amendment increased grain biomass, leading to biodilution of MeHg in grain. - Abstract: There is growing concern about methylmercury (MeHg) accumulation in rice grains and thus enhanced dietary exposure to MeHg in Asian countries. Here, we explored the possibility of reducing grain MeHg levels by biochar amendment, and the underlying mechanisms. Pot (i.e., rice cultivation in biochar amended soils) and batch experiments (i.e., incubation of amended soils under laboratory conditions) were carried out, to investigate MeHg dynamics (i.e., MeHg production, partitioning and phytoavailability in paddy soils, and MeHg uptake by rice) under biochar amendment (1–4% of soil mass). We demonstrate for the first time that biochar amendment could evidently reduce grain MeHg levels (49–92%). The declines could be attributed to the combined effects of: (1) increased soil MeHg concentrations, probably explained by the release of sulfate from biochar and thus enhanced microbial production of MeHg (e.g., by sulfate-reducing bacteria), (2) MeHg immobilization in soils, facilitated by the large surface areas and high organosulfur content of biochar, and (3) biodilution of MeHg in rice grains, due to the increased grain biomass under biochar amendment (35–79%). These observations together with mechanistic explanations improve understanding of MeHg dynamics in soil-rice systems, and support the possibility of reducing MeHg phytoaccumulation under biochar amendment.
Biochar amendment reduced methylmercury accumulation in rice plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shu, Rui; Wang, Yongjie; Zhong, Huan

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Biochar amendment could evidently reduce methylmercury (MeHg) levels in rice grain. • Biochar could enhance microbial production of MeHg, probably by providing sulfate. • Biochar could immobilize MeHg in soil, and reduce MeHg availability to rice plants. • Biochar amendment increased grain biomass, leading to biodilution of MeHg in grain. - Abstract: There is growing concern about methylmercury (MeHg) accumulation in rice grains and thus enhanced dietary exposure to MeHg in Asian countries. Here, we explored the possibility of reducing grain MeHg levels by biochar amendment, and the underlying mechanisms. Pot (i.e., rice cultivation in biochar amended soils) and batch experiments (i.e., incubation of amended soils under laboratory conditions) were carried out, to investigate MeHg dynamics (i.e., MeHg production, partitioning and phytoavailability in paddy soils, and MeHg uptake by rice) under biochar amendment (1–4% of soil mass). We demonstrate for the first time that biochar amendment could evidently reduce grain MeHg levels (49–92%). The declines could be attributed to the combined effects of: (1) increased soil MeHg concentrations, probably explained by the release of sulfate from biochar and thus enhanced microbial production of MeHg (e.g., by sulfate-reducing bacteria), (2) MeHg immobilization in soils, facilitated by the large surface areas and high organosulfur content of biochar, and (3) biodilution of MeHg in rice grains, due to the increased grain biomass under biochar amendment (35–79%). These observations together with mechanistic explanations improve understanding of MeHg dynamics in soil-rice systems, and support the possibility of reducing MeHg phytoaccumulation under biochar amendment.
40 CFR 86.000-26 - Mileage and service accumulation; emission measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... accumulated the mileage the manufacturer chose to accumulate on the test vehicle. Fuel economy data generated... determines. Unless the Administrator approves a manufacturer's request to develop specific deterioration... accumulation method is developed by the manufacturer to be consistent with good engineering practice and to...
Evidence for current diagnostic criteria of diabetes mellitus

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Ritesh; Kumar[1; Lakshmana; Perumal; Nandhini[1; Sadishkumar; Kamalanathan[1; Jayaprakash; Sahoo[1; Muthupillai; Vivekanadan[1

2016-01-01

Diabetes mellitus is a non-communicable metabolic derangement afflicting several millions of individuals globally. It is associated with several micro and macrovascular complications and is also a leading cause of mortality. The unresolved issue is that of definition of the diagnostic threshold for diabetes. The World Health Organization and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) have laid down several diagnostic criteria for diagnosing diabetes and prediabetes based on the accumulating body of evidence.This review has attempted to analyse the scientific evidence supporting the justification of these differing criteria. The evidence for diagnosing diabetes is strong, and there is a concordance between the two professional bodies.The controversy arises when describing the normal lower limit of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) with little evidence favouring the reduction of the FPG by the ADA. Several studies have also shown the development of complications specific for diabetes in patients with prediabetes as defined by the current criteria though there is a significant overlap of such prevalence in individuals with normoglycemia. Large multinational longitudinal prospective studies involving subjects without diabetes and retinopathy at baseline will ideally help identify the threshold of glycemic measurements for future development of diabetes and its complications.
Accumulation of catechins in tea in relation to accumulation of mRNA from genes involved in catechin biosynthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Eungwanichayapant, P D; Popluechai, S

2009-02-01

Catechins are a group of polyphenols found in tea (Camellia sinensis var. sinensis) at high levels. They are beneficial for health. From the study on accumulation of catechins in shoots and mature leaves of a tea cultivar, Oolong No. 17, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), it was found that the amounts of most catechins in the shoots were higher than those in the mature leaves, with an exception of catechins gallate (CG) that was found in trace amounts in both the shoots and mature leaves. mRNA accumulation of genes involved in catechin synthesis was studied using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The results showed that the mRNA accumulation of the genes were higher in the shoots than in the mature leaves. These genes included genes of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase 1 (PAL1; EC 4.3.1.5), chalcone synthase (CHS; EC 2.3.1.74), dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR; EC 1.1.1.219), leucoanthocyanidin reductase (LCR; EC 1.17.1.3), and flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H; EC 1.14.11.9).
Arsenic accumulation by edible aquatic macrophytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Falinski, K A; Yost, R S; Sampaga, E; Peard, J

2014-01-01

Edible aquatic macrophytes grown in arsenic (As)-contaminated soil and sediment were investigated to determine the extent of As accumulation and potential risk to humans when consumed. Nasturtium officinale (watercress) and Diplazium esculentum (warabi) are two aquatic macrophytes grown and consumed in Hawaii. Neither has been assessed for potential to accumulate As when grown in As-contaminated soil. Some former sugarcane plantation soils in eastern Hawaii have been shown to have concentrations of total As over 500 mg kg(-1). It was hypothesized that both species will accumulate more As in contaminated soils than in non-contaminated soils. N. officinale and D. esculentum were collected in areas with and without As-contaminated soil and sediment. High soil As concentrations averaged 356 mg kg(-1), while low soil As concentrations were 0.75 mg kg(-1). Average N. officinale and D. esculentum total As concentrations were 0.572 mg kg(-1) and 0.075 mg kg(-1), respectively, corresponding to hazard indices of 0.12 and 0.03 for adults. Unlike previous studies where watercress was grown in As-contaminated water, N. officinale did not show properties of a hyperaccumulator, yet plant concentrations in high As areas were more than double those in low As areas. There was a slight correlation between high total As in sediment and soil and total As concentrations in watercress leaves and stems, resulting in a plant uptake factor of 0.010, an order of magnitude higher than previous studies. D. esculentum did not show signs of accumulating As in the edible fiddleheads. Hawaii is unique in having volcanic ash soils with extremely high sorption characteristics of As and P that limit release into groundwater. This study presents a case where soils and sediments were significantly enriched in total As concentration, but the water As concentration was below detection limits. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Multiple anatomy optimization of accumulated dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watkins, W. Tyler; Siebers, Jeffrey V.; Moore, Joseph A.; Gordon, James; Hugo, Geoffrey D.

2014-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the potential advantages of multiple anatomy optimization (MAO) for lung cancer radiation therapy compared to the internal target volume (ITV) approach. Methods: MAO aims to optimize a single fluence to be delivered under free-breathing conditions such that the accumulated dose meets the plan objectives, where accumulated dose is defined as the sum of deformably mapped doses computed on each phase of a single four dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) dataset. Phantom and patient simulation studies were carried out to investigate potential advantages of MAO compared to ITV planning. Through simulated delivery of the ITV- and MAO-plans, target dose variations were also investigated. Results: By optimizing the accumulated dose, MAO shows the potential to ensure dose to the moving target meets plan objectives while simultaneously reducing dose to organs at risk (OARs) compared with ITV planning. While consistently superior to the ITV approach, MAO resulted in equivalent OAR dosimetry at planning objective dose levels to within 2% volume in 14/30 plans and to within 3% volume in 19/30 plans for each lung V20, esophagus V25, and heart V30. Despite large variations in per-fraction respiratory phase weights in simulated deliveries at high dose rates (e.g., treating 4/10 phases during single fraction beams) the cumulative clinical target volume (CTV) dose after 30 fractions and per-fraction dose were constant independent of planning technique. In one case considered, however, per-phase CTV dose varied from 74% to 117% of prescription implying the level of ITV-dose heterogeneity may not be appropriate with conventional, free-breathing delivery. Conclusions: MAO incorporates 4DCT information in an optimized dose distribution and can achieve a superior plan in terms of accumulated dose to the moving target and OAR sparing compared to ITV-plans. An appropriate level of dose heterogeneity in MAO plans must be further investigated
Multiple anatomy optimization of accumulated dose

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Watkins, W. Tyler, E-mail: watkinswt@virginia.edu; Siebers, Jeffrey V. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908 and Department of Radiation Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298 (United States); Moore, Joseph A. [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21231 and Department of Radiation Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298 (United States); Gordon, James [Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Michigan 48202 and Department of Radiation Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298 (United States); Hugo, Geoffrey D. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298 (United States)

2014-11-01

Purpose: To investigate the potential advantages of multiple anatomy optimization (MAO) for lung cancer radiation therapy compared to the internal target volume (ITV) approach. Methods: MAO aims to optimize a single fluence to be delivered under free-breathing conditions such that the accumulated dose meets the plan objectives, where accumulated dose is defined as the sum of deformably mapped doses computed on each phase of a single four dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) dataset. Phantom and patient simulation studies were carried out to investigate potential advantages of MAO compared to ITV planning. Through simulated delivery of the ITV- and MAO-plans, target dose variations were also investigated. Results: By optimizing the accumulated dose, MAO shows the potential to ensure dose to the moving target meets plan objectives while simultaneously reducing dose to organs at risk (OARs) compared with ITV planning. While consistently superior to the ITV approach, MAO resulted in equivalent OAR dosimetry at planning objective dose levels to within 2% volume in 14/30 plans and to within 3% volume in 19/30 plans for each lung V20, esophagus V25, and heart V30. Despite large variations in per-fraction respiratory phase weights in simulated deliveries at high dose rates (e.g., treating 4/10 phases during single fraction beams) the cumulative clinical target volume (CTV) dose after 30 fractions and per-fraction dose were constant independent of planning technique. In one case considered, however, per-phase CTV dose varied from 74% to 117% of prescription implying the level of ITV-dose heterogeneity may not be appropriate with conventional, free-breathing delivery. Conclusions: MAO incorporates 4DCT information in an optimized dose distribution and can achieve a superior plan in terms of accumulated dose to the moving target and OAR sparing compared to ITV-plans. An appropriate level of dose heterogeneity in MAO plans must be further investigated.
Multiple anatomy optimization of accumulated dose.

Science.gov (United States)

Watkins, W Tyler; Moore, Joseph A; Gordon, James; Hugo, Geoffrey D; Siebers, Jeffrey V

2014-11-01

To investigate the potential advantages of multiple anatomy optimization (MAO) for lung cancer radiation therapy compared to the internal target volume (ITV) approach. MAO aims to optimize a single fluence to be delivered under free-breathing conditions such that the accumulated dose meets the plan objectives, where accumulated dose is defined as the sum of deformably mapped doses computed on each phase of a single four dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) dataset. Phantom and patient simulation studies were carried out to investigate potential advantages of MAO compared to ITV planning. Through simulated delivery of the ITV- and MAO-plans, target dose variations were also investigated. By optimizing the accumulated dose, MAO shows the potential to ensure dose to the moving target meets plan objectives while simultaneously reducing dose to organs at risk (OARs) compared with ITV planning. While consistently superior to the ITV approach, MAO resulted in equivalent OAR dosimetry at planning objective dose levels to within 2% volume in 14/30 plans and to within 3% volume in 19/30 plans for each lung V20, esophagus V25, and heart V30. Despite large variations in per-fraction respiratory phase weights in simulated deliveries at high dose rates (e.g., treating 4/10 phases during single fraction beams) the cumulative clinical target volume (CTV) dose after 30 fractions and per-fraction dose were constant independent of planning technique. In one case considered, however, per-phase CTV dose varied from 74% to 117% of prescription implying the level of ITV-dose heterogeneity may not be appropriate with conventional, free-breathing delivery. MAO incorporates 4DCT information in an optimized dose distribution and can achieve a superior plan in terms of accumulated dose to the moving target and OAR sparing compared to ITV-plans. An appropriate level of dose heterogeneity in MAO plans must be further investigated.
Chronology of p53 protein accumulation in gastric carcinogenesis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Craanen, M. E.; Blok, P.; Dekker, W.; Offerhaus, G. J.; Tytgat, G. N.

1995-01-01

p53 Protein accumulation in early gastric carcinoma was studied in relation to the histological type (Lauren classification) and the type of growth pattern, including the chronology of p53 protein accumulation during carcinogenesis. Forty five, paraffin embedded gastrectomy specimens from early
Influence of land use on phytomass accumulation in Highland ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Transformation of indigenous vegetation for production purposes impacts negatively on biodiversity but does this necessarily equate with a decrease in phytomass accumulation, which may influence carbon sequestration? Phytomass accumulation was studied for common land covers of beef ranching or dairy farming ...
Caco-2 accumulation of lutein is greater from human milk than from infant formula despite similar bioaccessibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Lipkie, Tristan E; Banavara, Dattatreya; Shah, Bhavini; Morrow, Ardythe L; McMahon, Robert J; Jouni, Zeina E; Ferruzzi, Mario G

2014-10-01

Clinical evidence suggests that the bioavailability of lutein is lower from infant formula than from human milk. The purpose of this study was to assess characteristics of human milk and lutein-fortified infant formula that may impact carotenoid delivery. Carotenoid bioaccessibility and intestinal absorption were modeled by in vitro digestion coupled with Caco-2 human intestinal cell culture. Twelve human milk samples were assessed from 1-6 months postpartum, and 10 lutein-fortified infant formula samples from three lutein sources in both ready-to-use and reconstituted powder forms. The relative bioaccessibility of lutein was not different (p > 0.05) between human milk (29 ± 2%) and infant formula (36 ± 4%). However, lutein delivery was 4.5 times greater from human milk than infant formula when including Caco-2 accumulation efficiency. Caco-2 accumulation of lutein was increasingly efficient with decreasing concentration of lutein from milk. Carotenoid bioaccessibility and Caco-2 accumulation were not affected by lactation stage, total lipid content, lutein source, or form of infant formula (powder vs. liquid). These data suggest that the bioavailability of carotenoids is greater from human milk than infant formula primarily due to intestinal absorptive processes, and that absorption of lutein is potentiated by factors from human milk especially at low lutein concentration. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Flow field induced particle accumulation inside droplets in rectangular channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Hein, Michael; Moskopp, Michael; Seemann, Ralf

2015-07-07

Particle concentration is a basic operation needed to perform washing steps or to improve subsequent analysis in many (bio)-chemical assays. In this article we present field free, hydrodynamic accumulation of particles and cells in droplets flowing within rectangular micro-channels. Depending on droplet velocity, particles either accumulate at the rear of the droplet or are dispersed over the entire droplet cross-section. We show that the observed particle accumulation behavior can be understood by a coupling of particle sedimentation to the internal flow field of the droplet. The changing accumulation patterns are explained by a qualitative change of the internal flow field. The topological change of the internal flow field, however, is explained by the evolution of the droplet shape with increasing droplet velocity altering the friction with the channel walls. In addition, we demonstrate that accumulated particles can be concentrated, removing excess dispersed phase by splitting the droplet at a simple channel junction.
A Transformational Approach to Parametric Accumulated-Cost Static Profiling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haemmerlé, Rémy; López García, Pedro; Liqat, Umer

2016-01-01

Traditional static resource analyses estimate the total resource usage of a program, without executing it. In this paper we present a novel resource analysis whose aim is instead the static profiling of accumulated cost, i.e., to discover, for selected parts of the program, an estimate or bound...... of the resource usage accumulated in each of those parts. Traditional resource analyses are parametric in the sense that the results can be functions on input data sizes. Our static profiling is also parametric, i.e., our accumulated cost estimates are also parameterized by input data sizes. Our proposal is based...... on the concept of cost centers and a program transformation that allows the static inference of functions that return bounds on these accumulated costs depending on input data sizes, for each cost center of interest. Such information is much more useful to the software developer than the traditional resource...
Cultivar variation in silicon accumulation and distribution in Petunia ×hybrida

Science.gov (United States)

Silicon (Si) is a plant-beneficial element that can alleviate the effects of abiotic and biotic stress. Plants are typically classified as Si accumulators or non-accumulators based on foliar Si concentrations (= 1% Si on a dry weight basis for accumulators). Based on this definition, most greenhou...
The Jasmonate-ZIM-domain proteins interact with the WD-Repeat/bHLH/MYB complexes to regulate Jasmonate-mediated anthocyanin accumulation and trichome initiation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Tiancong; Song, Susheng; Ren, Qingcuo; Wu, Dewei; Huang, Huang; Chen, Yan; Fan, Meng; Peng, Wen; Ren, Chunmei; Xie, Daoxin

2011-05-01

Jasmonates (JAs) mediate plant responses to insect attack, wounding, pathogen infection, stress, and UV damage and regulate plant fertility, anthocyanin accumulation, trichome formation, and many other plant developmental processes. Arabidopsis thaliana Jasmonate ZIM-domain (JAZ) proteins, substrates of the CORONATINE INSENSITIVE1 (COI1)-based SCF(COI1) complex, negatively regulate these plant responses. Little is known about the molecular mechanism for JA regulation of anthocyanin accumulation and trichome initiation. In this study, we revealed that JAZ proteins interact with bHLH (Transparent Testa8, Glabra3 [GL3], and Enhancer of Glabra3 [EGL3]) and R2R3 MYB transcription factors (MYB75 and Glabra1), essential components of WD-repeat/bHLH/MYB transcriptional complexes, to repress JA-regulated anthocyanin accumulation and trichome initiation. Genetic and physiological evidence showed that JA regulates WD-repeat/bHLH/MYB complex-mediated anthocyanin accumulation and trichome initiation in a COI1-dependent manner. Overexpression of the MYB transcription factor MYB75 and bHLH factors (GL3 and EGL3) restored anthocyanin accumulation and trichome initiation in the coi1 mutant, respectively. We speculate that the JA-induced degradation of JAZ proteins abolishes the interactions of JAZ proteins with bHLH and MYB factors, allowing the transcriptional function of WD-repeat/bHLH/MYB complexes, which subsequently activate respective downstream signal cascades to modulate anthocyanin accumulation and trichome initiation.
Accumulation of 65Zn by octopus Octopus vulgaris

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ueda, Taiji; Nakahara, Motokazu; Nakamura, Ryoichi; Suzuki, Yuzuru; Shimizu, Chiaki.

1985-01-01

In order to aim the prevention of the radiation hazard to human beings through sea food, the accumulation and excretion of 65 Zn by octopus Octopus vulgaris was examined by the radioisotope tracer experiment. The concentration factor of 65 Zn for whole body of the octopus that take up the nuclide from sea water and food was estimated as 9,900, by assuming that the octopus feeds on clams alone. In that case the contribution of food was about twenty times greater than that of sea water on the accumulation of the nuclide. The biological half-life of 65 Zn accumulated through sea water was 74 days. High accumulation of 65 Zn in the branchial heart of the octopus, as in the case of Co, was not observed. In the liver, 65 Zn combined with three constituents which have a molecular weight of more than 80,000, 7,000 - 8,000 and less than 5,000. In the kidney, 65 Zn combined with three constituents of a molecular weight of more than 80,000, 10,000 - 20,000 and less than 5,000. (author)
Accumulation of metal ions by pectinates

Science.gov (United States)

Deiana, S.; Deiana, L.; Palma, A.; Premoli, A.; Senette, C.

2009-04-01

(II). Surprisingly, simultaneous sorption tests and SEM analyses indicate that a different mechanism regulates the sorption of Cu(II) and Pb(II) by PGAE1. In fact, the amount of Pb(II) sorbed (0.92 moles mg-1of PGAE1) by PGAE1 was nearly independent by the presence of Cu(II) ions, at least at the three different concentrations tested, that indicates a higher affinity of Pb(II). Such an aspect was further confirmed by exchange experiments. Samples of PGAE1 saturated with 1.96 moles mg-1of Cu(II) or 2.01 moles mg-1of Pb(II) were put in contact with 100 mL of solutions containing 97.3 moles of Pb(II) or 99.4 moles Cu(II), respectively. The exchange kinetics show that about 80% of Cu(II) was stochiometrically exchanged by Pb(II). In contrast, only about 10% of Pb(II) complexed by PGAE1 was exchanged by Cu(II). The kinetics of simultaneous sorption of all the metal ions tested indicate that Pb(II) is selectively sorbed by the PGAE1 gels. Cd(II) and Zn(II) show a similar affinity towards PGAE1. Thus, in the simultaneous presence of these ions, their selectivity towards this matrix follows the order: Pb > Cu > Cd ? Zn. Sorption of Cr(III) in the presence of the ions considered was not possible to carry out due to interference phenomena. The sorption of the same ions by 50 mg of PGAE2 evidences that the amount of Cu(II), Pb(II), and Cr(III) sorbed is markedly lower than that found for PGAE1. By considering that two carboxylic groups are involved in the complexation of a metal ion, the data show that such a stoichiometry is respected only for Pb(II). The amount of Cu(II) sorbed is about 50% lower than that of Pb(II) at all the pH values tested whereas those of Zn(II) and Cd(II) are negligible whereas that of Cr(III) is the highest. The different behaviour of Cu(II) compared to Pb(II) can be explained taking into account for both hydrophobic and steric effects of the methyl groups as well as to their different charge density. Thus, it can be concluded that the accumulation of metals at the
The future of the antiproton accumulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Autin, B.

1983-01-01

When the Antiproton Accumulator was designed in 1977, it was considered as an element of the high energy proton-antiproton collision experiments in the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron. Since that time, antiproton physics has become more and more popular: a second experimental area was built in the SPS, the Intersecting Storage Rings started a special antiproton programme and a considerable interest has bloomed in the energy range of nuclear physics with the LEAR machine. Moreover, any projection on hadron physics in the coming years shows an insatiable appetite of experimentalists for more antiprotons. Therefore, basic studies have been pursued since the beginning of last year to transform the accumulator into an abundant source of antiprotons
Looking for Off-Fault Deformation and Measuring Strain Accumulation During the Past 70 years on a Portion of the Locked San Andreas Fault

Science.gov (United States)

Vadman, M.; Bemis, S. P.

2017-12-01

Even at high tectonic rates, detection of possible off-fault plastic/aseismic deformation and variability in far-field strain accumulation requires high spatial resolution data and likely decades of measurements. Due to the influence that variability in interseismic deformation could have on the timing, size, and location of future earthquakes and the calculation of modern geodetic estimates of strain, we attempt to use historical aerial photographs to constrain deformation through time across a locked fault. Modern photo-based 3D reconstruction techniques facilitate the creation of dense point clouds from historical aerial photograph collections. We use these tools to generate a time series of high-resolution point clouds that span 10-20 km across the Carrizo Plain segment of the San Andreas fault. We chose this location due to the high tectonic rates along the San Andreas fault and lack of vegetation, which may obscure tectonic signals. We use ground control points collected with differential GPS to establish scale and georeference the aerial photograph-derived point clouds. With a locked fault assumption, point clouds can be co-registered (to one another and/or the 1.7 km wide B4 airborne lidar dataset) along the fault trace to calculate relative displacements away from the fault. We use CloudCompare to compute 3D surface displacements, which reflect the interseismic strain accumulation that occurred in the time interval between photo collections. As expected, we do not observe clear surface displacements along the primary fault trace in our comparisons of the B4 lidar data against the aerial photograph-derived point clouds. However, there may be small scale variations within the lidar swath area that represent near-fault plastic deformation. With large-scale historical photographs available for the Carrizo Plain extending back to at least the 1940s, we can potentially sample nearly half the interseismic period since the last major earthquake on this portion of

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