An unusual diphosphatase from the PhnP family cleaves reactive FAD photoproducts.

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Beaudoin, Guillaume A W; Li, Qiang; Bruner, Steven D; Hanson, Andrew D

2018-01-11

Flavins are notoriously photolabile, but while the photoproducts derived from the iso -alloxazine ring are well known the other photoproducts are not. In the case of FAD, typically the main cellular flavin, the other photoproducts are predicted to include four- and five-carbon sugars linked to ADP. These FAD photoproducts were shown to be potent glycating agents, more so than ADP-ribose. Such toxic compounds would require disposal via an ADP-sugar diphosphatase or other route. Comparative analysis of bacterial genomes uncovered a candidate disposal gene that is chromosomally clustered with genes for FAD synthesis or transport and is predicted to encode a protein of the PhnP cyclic phosphodiesterase family. The representative PhnP family enzyme from Koribacter versatilis (here named Fpd, F AD p hotoproduct d iphosphatase) was found to have high, Mn 2+ -dependent diphosphatase activity against FAD photoproducts, FAD, and ADP-ribose, but almost no phosphodiesterase activity against riboflavin 4',5'-cyclic phosphate, a chemical breakdown product of FAD. To provide a structural basis of the unique Fpd activity, the crystal structure of K. versatilis Fpd was determined. The results place Fpd in the broad metallo-β-lactamase-like family of hydrolases, a diverse family commonly using two metals for hydrolytic catalysis. The active site of Fpd contains two Mn 2+ ions and a bound phosphate, consistent with a diphosphatase mechanism. Our results characterize the first PhnP family member that is a diphosphatase rather than a cyclic phosphodiesterase and suggest its involvement in a cellular damage-control system that efficiently hydrolyzes the reactive, ADP-ribose-like products of FAD photodegradation. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

Bacterial Production, Characterization and Protein Modeling of a Novel Monofuctional Isoform of FAD Synthase in Humans: An Emergency Protein?

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Piero Leone

2018-01-01

Full Text Available FAD synthase (FADS, EC 2.7.7.2 is the last essential enzyme involved in the pathway of biosynthesis of Flavin cofactors starting from Riboflavin (Rf. Alternative splicing of the human FLAD1 gene generates different isoforms of the enzyme FAD synthase. Besides the well characterized isoform 1 and 2, other FADS isoforms with different catalytic domains have been detected, which are splice variants. We report the characterization of one of these novel isoforms, a 320 amino acid protein, consisting of the sole C-terminal 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphosulfate (PAPS reductase domain (named FADS6. This isoform has been previously detected in Riboflavin-Responsive (RR-MADD and Non-responsive Multiple Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency (MADD patients with frameshift mutations of FLAD1 gene. To functionally characterize the hFADS6, it has been over-expressed in Escherichia coli and purified with a yield of 25 mg·L−1 of cell culture. The protein has a monomeric form, it binds FAD and is able to catalyze FAD synthesis (kcat about 2.8 min−1, as well as FAD pyrophosphorolysis in a strictly Mg2+-dependent manner. The synthesis of FAD is inhibited by HgCl2. The enzyme lacks the ability to hydrolyze FAD. It behaves similarly to PAPS. Combining threading and ab-initio strategy a 3D structural model for such isoform has been built. The relevance to human physio-pathology of this FADS isoform is discussed.

Knowledge management: another management fad?

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Leonard J. Ponzi

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Knowledge management is a subject of a growth body of literature. While capturing the interest of practitioners and scholars in the mid-1990s, knowledge management remains a broadly defined concept with faddish characteristics. Based on annual counts of article retrieved from Science Citation Index, Social Science Citation Index, and ABI Inform referring to three previous recognized management fad, this paper introduces empirical evidence that proposes that a typical management movement generally reveals itself as a fad in approximately five years. In applying this approach and assumption to the case of knowledge management, the findings suggest that knowledge management is at least living longer than typical fads and perhaps is in the process of establishing itself as a new aspect of management. To further the understanding of knowledge management's development, its interdisciplinary activity and breadth are reported and briefly discussed.

Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) among German students—A longitudinal approach

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Margraf, Jürgen

2017-01-01

The present study aimed to investigate Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) in a German student sample over a period of one year. While mean FAD level did not increase during the investigation period, a significant increase was shown in the number of participants reaching the critical cutoff score. FAD was significantly positively related to the personality trait narcissism and to negative mental health variables (depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms). Furthermore, FAD fully mediated the significant positive relationship between narcissism and stress symptoms, which demonstrates that narcissistic people can be specifically at risk to develop FAD. Present results give a first overview of FAD in Germany. Practical applications for future studies and limitations of present results are discussed. PMID:29240823

Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD among German students-A longitudinal approach.

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Julia Brailovskaia

Full Text Available The present study aimed to investigate Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD in a German student sample over a period of one year. While mean FAD level did not increase during the investigation period, a significant increase was shown in the number of participants reaching the critical cutoff score. FAD was significantly positively related to the personality trait narcissism and to negative mental health variables (depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Furthermore, FAD fully mediated the significant positive relationship between narcissism and stress symptoms, which demonstrates that narcissistic people can be specifically at risk to develop FAD. Present results give a first overview of FAD in Germany. Practical applications for future studies and limitations of present results are discussed.

Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) among German students-A longitudinal approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Brailovskaia, Julia; Margraf, Jürgen

2017-01-01

The present study aimed to investigate Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) in a German student sample over a period of one year. While mean FAD level did not increase during the investigation period, a significant increase was shown in the number of participants reaching the critical cutoff score. FAD was significantly positively related to the personality trait narcissism and to negative mental health variables (depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms). Furthermore, FAD fully mediated the significant positive relationship between narcissism and stress symptoms, which demonstrates that narcissistic people can be specifically at risk to develop FAD. Present results give a first overview of FAD in Germany. Practical applications for future studies and limitations of present results are discussed.

Inverse Flush Air Data System (FADS) for Real Time Simulations

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Madhavanpillai, Jayakumar; Dhoaya, Jayanta; Balakrishnan, Vidya Saraswathi; Narayanan, Remesh; Chacko, Finitha Kallely; Narayanan, Shyam Mohan

2017-12-01

Flush Air Data Sensing System (FADS) forms a mission critical sub system in future reentry vehicles. FADS makes use of surface pressure measurements from the nose cap of the vehicle for deriving the air data parameters of the vehicle such as angle of attack, angle of sideslip, Mach number, etc. These parameters find use in the flight control and guidance systems, and also assist in the overall mission management. The FADS under consideration in this paper makes use of nine pressure ports located in the nose cap of a technology demonstrator vehicle. In flight, the air data parameters are obtained from the FADS estimation algorithm using the pressure data at the nine pressure ports. But, these pressure data will not be available, for testing the FADS package during ground simulation. So, an inverse software to FADS which estimates the pressure data at the pressure ports for a given flight condition is developed. These pressure data at the nine ports will go as input to the FADS package during ground simulation. The software is run to generate the pressure data for the descent phase trajectory of the technology demonstrator. This data is used again to generate the air data parameters from FADS algorithm. The computed results from FADS algorithm match well with the trajectory data.

Serial postural and motor assessment of Fetal Akinesia Deformation Sequence (FADS)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Donker, M.E.; Eijckelhof, B.H.; Tan, G.M.; de Vries, J.I.

2009-01-01

Background: Fetal Akinesia Deformation Sequence (FADS) is a rare, in most cases autosomal recessive, disorder. Its heterogeneous origin results in variable onset and expression of motor and postural anomalies. DNA-diagnostic possibilities are limited, thus prenatal diagnosis is chiefly dependent on

Setting the Record Straight. The Truth About Fad Diets.

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Wheat Foods Council, Parker, CO.

The Setting the Record Straight information packet presents facts to set the record straight about nutrition and debunk fad diets. The kit features materials designed to communicate the importance of balanced eating. Materials include: a time line of fad diets; four reproducible fad diet book review handouts that show the misleading claims rampant…

Sequence variations in the FAD2 gene in seeded pumpkins.

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Ge, Y; Chang, Y; Xu, W L; Cui, C S; Qu, S P

2015-12-21

Seeded pumpkins are important economic crops; the seeds contain various unsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid and linoleic acid, which are crucial for human and animal nutrition. The fatty acid desaturase-2 (FAD2) gene encodes delta-12 desaturase, which converts oleic acid to linoleic acid. However, little is known about sequence variations in FAD2 in seeded pumpkins. Twenty-seven FAD2 clones from 27 accessions of Cucurbita moschata, Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita pepo, and Cucurbita ficifolia were obtained (totally 1152 bp; a single gene without introns). More than 90% nucleotide identities were detected among the 27 FAD2 clones. Nucleotide substitution, rather than nucleotide insertion and deletion, led to sequence polymorphism in the 27 FAD2 clones. Furthermore, the 27 FAD2 selected clones all encoded the FAD2 enzyme (delta-12 desaturase) with amino acid sequence identities from 91.7 to 100% for 384 amino acids. The same main-function domain between 47 and 329 amino acids was identified. The four species clustered separately based on differences in the sequences that were identified using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean. Geographic origin and species were found to be closely related to sequence variation in FAD2.

Erythrocyte polyunsaturated fatty acid composition is associated with depression and FADS genotype in Caucasians.

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Cribb, Lachlan; Murphy, Jenifer; Froud, Amy; Oliver, Georgina; Bousman, Chad A; Ng, Chee H; Sarris, Jerome

2017-05-29

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) play an important role in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD), related, in part, to their role in inflammatory systems. The enzymes δ-5 and δ-6 desaturase are the rate-limiting steps in the metabolism of PUFAs and are encoded in the genes fatty acid desaturase (FADS) 1 and 2, respectively. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes within the FADS gene cluster have been shown to influence PUFA composition. The objective of this study was to determine whether key omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids may be associated with depression, and to explore the role of FADS genotype in PUFA variation. Four erythrocyte long chain (LC) fatty acids (linoleic acid [LA], α-linolenic acid [ALA], arachidonic acid [AA] and Eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA]), as well as six SNPs (rs174537, rs174547, rs174570, rs174575, rs498793 and rs3834458) within the FADS gene cluster were measured in a sample of 207 participants (154 with MDD versus 53 non-depressed controls). The precursor LC-PUFAs LA and ALA appeared to be negatively associated with depression (P depression (P Precursor LC-PUFAs, LA and ALA, appear to be associated with MDD and potentially modulated by genetic variation in the FADS gene cluster. These results provide support for the consideration of PUFA composition, diet and FADS genetic variation in the pathophysiology of MDD.

Application of the FADS system on the Re-entry Module

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Zhen, Huang

2016-07-01

The aerodynamic model for Flush Air Data Sensing System (FADS) is built based on the surface pressure distribution obtained through the pressure orifices laid on specific positions of the surface,and the flight parameters,such as angle of attack,angle of side-slip,Mach number,free-stream static pressure and dynamic pressure are inferred from the aerodynamic model.The flush air data sensing system (FADS) has been used on several flight tests of aircraft and re-entry vehicle,such as,X-15,space shuttle,F-14,X-33,X-43A and so on. This paper discusses the application of the FADS on the re-entry module with blunt body to obtain high-precision aerodynamic parameters.First of all,a basic theory and operating principle of the FADS is shown.Then,the applications of the FADS on typical aircrafts and re-entry vehicles are described.Thirdly,the application mode on the re-entry module with blunt body is discussed in detail,including aerodynamic simulation,pressure distribution,trajectory reconstruction and the hardware shoule be used,such as flush air data sensing system(FADS),inertial navigation system (INS),data acquisition system,data storage system.Finally,ablunt module re-entry flight test from low earth orbit (LEO) is planned to obtain aerodynamic parameters and amend the aerodynamic model with this FADS system data.The results show that FADS system can be applied widely in re-entry module with blunt bodies.

Early Detection of Aβ Deposition in the 5xFAD Mouse by Amyloid PET

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Se Jong Oh

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. 18F-FC119S is a positron emission tomography (PET tracer for imaging β-amyloid (Aβ plaques in Alzheimer’s disease (AD. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of 18F-FC119S in quantitating Aβ deposition in a mouse model of early amyloid deposition (5xFAD by PET. Method. Dynamic 18F-FC119S PET images were obtained in 5xFAD (n=5 and wild-type (WT mice (n=7. The brain PET images were spatially normalized to the M. Mirrione T2-weighted mouse brain MR template, and the volumes of interest were then automatically drawn on the cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, and cerebellum. The specific binding of 18F-FC119S to Aβ was quantified as the distribution volume ratio using Logan graphical analysis with the cerebellum as a reference tissue. The Aβ levels in the brain were also confirmed by immunohistochemical analysis. Result. For the 5xFAD group, radioactivity levels in the cortex, the hippocampus, and the thalamus were higher than those for the WT group. In these regions, specific binding was approximately 1.2-fold higher in 5xFAD mice than in WT. Immunohistochemistry supported these findings; the 5xFAD showed severe Aβ deposition in the cortex and hippocampus in contrast to the WT group. Conclusion. These results demonstrated that 18F-FC119S PET can successfully distinguish Aβ depositions in 5xFAD mice from WT.

Characterization and tissue-differential expression of fad2 genes in brassica napus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhuang, Li.; Cong, Y. S.; Hao, L.; Ze, L. Y.; Cheng, W. Y.; Xing, G. S.; Lili, L.

2017-01-01

In this study, genome DNA and RNA of fad2 genes from three types of oleic acid content from B. napus were isolated by PCR amplification, respectively, the results showed that not only had nucleotides sequences little differences from three types of oleic acid content B. napus, but also that of genome DNA and cDNA had still little differences from B. napus as far as specific one type of rape. Different genotypes fad2-I and fad2-II could be easily distinguished by sequence analysis of the cDNAs in G type and CK type except in D type. By analysis on cDNAs, specific differences could be found in three types of rape when compared with the sequence from Genebank. Conserved domains prediction and phylogenetic analysis showed that both six transmembrane domains and three H boxes could be found in FAD2 protein from three types of oleic acid content B. napus, respectively. BnFAD2-I and BnFAD2-II belonged to different classes and class I could be divided into two kinds. By QPCR, expression pattern of fad2 gene in different tissues showed that simple division of fad2-I and fad2-II was not apply to all oleic acid content B. napus. By southern blot, there were differences in copy numbers of fad2 genes on different oleic acid content B. napus. (author)

Production of recombinant cholesterol oxidase containing covalently bound FAD in Escherichia coli

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Molla Gianluca

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Cholesterol oxidase is an alcohol dehydrogenase/oxidase flavoprotein that catalyzes the dehydrogenation of C(3-OH of cholesterol. It has two major biotechnological applications, i.e. in the determination of serum (and food cholesterol levels and as biocatalyst providing valuable intermediates for industrial steroid drug production. Cholesterol oxidases of type I are those containing the FAD cofactor tightly but not covalently bound to the protein moiety, whereas type II members contain covalently bound FAD. This is the first report on the over-expression in Escherichia coli of type II cholesterol oxidase from Brevibacterium sterolicum (BCO. Results Design of the plasmid construct encoding the mature BCO, optimization of medium composition and identification of the best cultivation/induction conditions for growing and expressing the active protein in recombinant E. coli cells, concurred to achieve a valuable improvement: BCO volumetric productivity was increased from ~500 up to ~25000 U/L and its crude extract specific activity from 0.5 up to 7.0 U/mg protein. Interestingly, under optimal expression conditions, nearly 55% of the soluble recombinant BCO is produced as covalently FAD bound form, whereas the protein containing non-covalently bound FAD is preferentially accumulated in insoluble inclusion bodies. Conclusions Comparison of our results with those published on non-covalent (type I COs expressed in recombinant form (either in E. coli or Streptomyces spp., shows that the fully active type II BCO can be produced in E. coli at valuable expression levels. The improved over-production of the FAD-bound cholesterol oxidase will support its development as a novel biotool to be exploited in biotechnological applications.

Ser/Thr Phosphorylation Regulates the Fatty Acyl-AMP Ligase Activity of FadD32, an Essential Enzyme in Mycolic Acid Biosynthesis*

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Le, Nguyen-Hung; Molle, Virginie; Eynard, Nathalie; Miras, Mathieu; Stella, Alexandre; Bardou, Fabienne; Galandrin, Ségolène; Guillet, Valérie; André-Leroux, Gwenaëlle; Bellinzoni, Marco; Alzari, Pedro; Mourey, Lionel; Burlet-Schiltz, Odile; Daffé, Mamadou; Marrakchi, Hedia

2016-01-01

Mycolic acids are essential components of the mycobacterial cell envelope, and their biosynthetic pathway is a well known source of antituberculous drug targets. Among the promising new targets in the pathway, FadD32 is an essential enzyme required for the activation of the long meromycolic chain of mycolic acids and is essential for mycobacterial growth. Following the in-depth biochemical, biophysical, and structural characterization of FadD32, we investigated its putative regulation via post-translational modifications. Comparison of the fatty acyl-AMP ligase activity between phosphorylated and dephosphorylated FadD32 isoforms showed that the native protein is phosphorylated by serine/threonine protein kinases and that this phosphorylation induced a significant loss of activity. Mass spectrometry analysis of the native protein confirmed the post-translational modifications and identified Thr-552 as the phosphosite. Phosphoablative and phosphomimetic FadD32 mutant proteins confirmed both the position and the importance of the modification and its correlation with the negative regulation of FadD32 activity. Investigation of the mycolic acid condensation reaction catalyzed by Pks13, involving FadD32 as a partner, showed that FadD32 phosphorylation also impacts the condensation activity. Altogether, our results bring to light FadD32 phosphorylation by serine/threonine protein kinases and its correlation with the enzyme-negative regulation, thus shedding a new horizon on the mycolic acid biosynthesis modulation and possible inhibition strategies for this promising drug target. PMID:27590338

Molecular cloning and functional analysis of two FAD2 genes from American grape (Vitis labrusca L.).

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Lee, Kyeong-Ryeol; Kim, Sun Hee; Go, Young-Sam; Jung, Sung Min; Roh, Kyung Hee; Kim, Jong-Bum; Suh, Mi-Chung; Lee, Sukchan; Kim, Hyun Uk

2012-11-10

The synthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), the most abundant fatty acids in plants, begins with a reaction catalyzed by fatty acid desaturase 2 (FAD2; EC 1.3.1.35), also called microsomal oleate Δ12-desaturase. Since the FAD2 gene was first identified in Arabidopsis thaliana, FAD2 research has gained wide interest as the essential enzyme for synthesizing PUFA. Grapes are one of the most frequently cultivated fruits in the world, with most commercial growers cultivating Vitis vinifera and V. labrusca. Grapeseed oil contains a high proportion, 60-70% of linoleic acid (18:2). We cloned two putative FAD2 genes from V. labrusca cv. Campbell Early based on V. vinifera genome sequences. Deduced amino acid sequences of two putative genes showed that VlFAD2s show high similarity to Arabidopsis FAD2 and commonly contain six transmembrane domain, three histidine boxes and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retrieval motif representing the characteristics of fatty acid desaturase. Phylogenetic analyses of various plant FAD2s showed that VlFAD2-1 and VlFAD2-2 are separately grouped with constitutive and seed-type FAD2s, respectively. Southern blot showed that one or two bands are found in each lane. Because Campbell Early is a hybrid cultivar, FAD2-1 and FAD2-2 genes may exist as one copy in V. labrusca. Expression analysis in different tissues indicated that VlFAD2-1 is a constitutive gene but VlFAD2-2 is a seed-type gene. Complementation experiments of fad2-1 mutant Arabidopsis with VlFAD2-1 or VlFAD2-2 demonstrated that VlFAD2-1 and VlFAD2-2 can restore low PUFA proportion of fad2 to normal PUFA proportion. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Molecular and functional characterization of a fads2 orthologue in the Amazonian teleost, Arapaima gigas.

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Lopes-Marques, Mónica; Ozório, Rodrigo; Amaral, Ricardo; Tocher, Douglas R; Monroig, Óscar; Castro, L Filipe C

2017-01-01

The Brazilian teleost Arapaima gigas is an iconic species of the Amazon. In recent years a significant effort has been put into the farming of arapaima to mitigate overfishing threats. However, little is known regarding the nutritional requirements of A. gigas in particular those for essential fatty acids including the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The ability to biosynthesize LC-PUFA is dependent upon the gene repertoire of fatty acyl desaturases (Fads) and elongases (Elovl), as well as their fatty acid specificities. In the present study we characterized both molecularly and functionally an orthologue of the desaturase fatty acid desaturase 2 (fads2) from A. gigas. The isolated sequence displayed the typical desaturase features, a cytochrome b 5 -domain with the heme-binding motif, two transmembrane domains and three histidine-rich regions. Functional characterization of A. gigas fads2 showed that, similar to other teleosts, the A. gigas fads2 exhibited a predominant Δ6 activity complemented with some capacity for Δ8 desaturation. Given that A. gigas belongs to one of the oldest teleostei lineages, the Osteoglossomorpha, these findings offer a significant insight into the evolution LC-PUFA biosynthesis in teleosts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mutant alleles of FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B combine to produce soybeans with the high oleic acid seed oil trait

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Pham Anh-Tung

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The alteration of fatty acid profiles in soybean [Glycine max (L. Merr.] to improve soybean oil quality is an important and evolving theme in soybean research to meet nutritional needs and industrial criteria in the modern market. Soybean oil with elevated oleic acid is desirable because this monounsaturated fatty acid improves the nutrition and oxidative stability of the oil. Commodity soybean oil typically contains 20% oleic acid and the target for high oleic acid soybean oil is approximately 80% of the oil; previous conventional plant breeding research to raise the oleic acid level to just 50-60% of the oil was hindered by the genetic complexity and environmental instability of the trait. The objective of this work was to create the high oleic acid trait in soybeans by identifying and combining mutations in two delta-twelve fatty acid desaturase genes, FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B. Results Three polymorphisms found in the FAD2-1B alleles of two soybean lines resulted in missense mutations. For each of the two soybean lines, there was one unique amino acid change within a highly conserved region of the protein. The mutant FAD2-1B alleles were associated with an increase in oleic acid levels, although the FAD2-1B mutant alleles alone were not capable of producing a high oleic acid phenotype. When existing FAD2-1A mutations were combined with the novel mutant FAD2-1B alleles, a high oleic acid phenotype was recovered only for those lines which were homozygous for both of the mutant alleles. Conclusions We were able to produce conventional soybean lines with 80% oleic acid in the oil in two different ways, each requiring the contribution of only two genes. The high oleic acid soybean germplasm developed contained a desirable fatty acid profile, and it was stable in two production environments. The presumed causative sequence polymorphisms in the FAD2-1B alleles were developed into highly efficient molecular markers for tracking the

Mutant alleles of FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B combine to produce soybeans with the high oleic acid seed oil trait.

Science.gov (United States)

Pham, Anh-Tung; Lee, Jeong-Dong; Shannon, J Grover; Bilyeu, Kristin D

2010-09-09

The alteration of fatty acid profiles in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] to improve soybean oil quality is an important and evolving theme in soybean research to meet nutritional needs and industrial criteria in the modern market. Soybean oil with elevated oleic acid is desirable because this monounsaturated fatty acid improves the nutrition and oxidative stability of the oil. Commodity soybean oil typically contains 20% oleic acid and the target for high oleic acid soybean oil is approximately 80% of the oil; previous conventional plant breeding research to raise the oleic acid level to just 50-60% of the oil was hindered by the genetic complexity and environmental instability of the trait. The objective of this work was to create the high oleic acid trait in soybeans by identifying and combining mutations in two delta-twelve fatty acid desaturase genes, FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B. Three polymorphisms found in the FAD2-1B alleles of two soybean lines resulted in missense mutations. For each of the two soybean lines, there was one unique amino acid change within a highly conserved region of the protein. The mutant FAD2-1B alleles were associated with an increase in oleic acid levels, although the FAD2-1B mutant alleles alone were not capable of producing a high oleic acid phenotype. When existing FAD2-1A mutations were combined with the novel mutant FAD2-1B alleles, a high oleic acid phenotype was recovered only for those lines which were homozygous for both of the mutant alleles. We were able to produce conventional soybean lines with 80% oleic acid in the oil in two different ways, each requiring the contribution of only two genes. The high oleic acid soybean germplasm developed contained a desirable fatty acid profile, and it was stable in two production environments. The presumed causative sequence polymorphisms in the FAD2-1B alleles were developed into highly efficient molecular markers for tracking the mutant alleles. The resources described here for the creation

Modular core component support for nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finch, L.M.; Anthony, A.J.

1975-01-01

The core of a nuclear reactor is made up of a plurality of support modules for containing components such as fuel elements, reflectors and control rods. Each module includes a component support portion located above a grid plate in a low-pressure coolant zone and a coolant inlet portion disposed within a module receptacle which depends from the grid plate into a zone of high-pressure coolant. Coolant enters the module through aligned openings within the receptacle and module inlet portion and flows upward into contact with the core components. The modules are hydraulically balanced within the receptacles to prevent expulsion by the upward coolant forces. (U.S.)

Fad diets, miracle diets, diet cult… but no results.

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Ignacio Jáuregui-Lobera

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Fad diets, miracle diets (in sum, diet cult are diets that make promises of weight loss or other health advantages (e.g. longer life without backing by solid science, and usually they are characterized by highly restrictive or unusual food choices. These diets are often supported by celebrities and some health “professionals”, and they result attractive among people who want to lose weight quickly. By means of pseudoscientific arguments, designers of fad, miracle or magic diets usually describe them as healthy diets with unusual properties but always with undoubted benefits. After revising the history of these diets and exploring the scientific evidence, it must be noted that there is not a diet better than eating less, moving more and eating lots of fruits and vegetables. In addition, it is necessary to be aware of our general daily habits, remembering that eating is important but it is not everything. Getting active is also very relevant to improve (or recover our health. Summarizing, eating healthy and taking care of yourself are a duty but not a miracle.

Gene expression of desaturase (FADS1 and FADS2) and Elongase (ELOVL5) enzymes in peripheral blood: association with polyunsaturated fatty acid levels and atopic eczema in 4-year-old children.

Science.gov (United States)

Chisaguano, Aida Maribel; Montes, Rosa; Pérez-Berezo, Teresa; Castellote, Ana Isabel; Guerendiain, Marcela; Bustamante, Mariona; Morales, Eva; García-Esteban, Raquel; Sunyer, Jordi; Franch, Angels; López-Sabater, M Carmen

2013-01-01

It is unknown if changes in the gene expression of the desaturase and elongase enzymes are associated with abnormal n-6 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) levels in children with atopic eczema (AE). We analyzed whether mRNA-expression of genes encoding key enzymes of LC-PUFA synthesis (FADS1, FADS2 and ELOVL5) is associated with circulating LC-PUFA levels and risk of AE in 4-year-old children. AE (n=20) and non-AE (n=104) children participating in the Sabadell cohort within the INfancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA) Project were included in the present study. RT-PCR with TaqMan Low-Density Array cards was used to measure the mRNA-expression of FADS1, FADS2 and ELOVL5. LC-PUFA levels were measured by fast gas chromatography in plasma phospholipids. The relationship of gene expression with LC-PUFA levels and enzyme activities was evaluated by Pearson's rank correlation coefficient, and logistic regression models were used to study its association with risk of developing AE. Children with AE had lower levels of several n-6 PUFA members, dihomo-γ-linolenic (DGLA) and arachidonic (AA) acids. mRNA-expression levels of FADS1 and 2 strongly correlated with DGLA levels and with D6D activity. FADS2 and ELOVL5 mRNA-expression levels were significantly lower in AE than in non-AE children (-40.30% and -20.36%; respectively), but no differences were found for FADS1. Changes in the mRNA-expression levels of FADS1 and 2 directly affect blood DGLA levels and D6D activity. This study suggests that lower mRNA-expressions of FADS2 and ELOVL5 are associated with higher risk of atopic eczema in young children.

Gene Expression of Desaturase (FADS1 and FADS2) and Elongase (ELOVL5) Enzymes in Peripheral Blood: Association with Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Levels and Atopic Eczema in 4-Year-Old Children

Science.gov (United States)

Chisaguano, Aida Maribel; Montes, Rosa; Pérez-Berezo, Teresa; Castellote, Ana Isabel; Guerendiain, Marcela; Bustamante, Mariona; Morales, Eva; García-Esteban, Raquel; Sunyer, Jordi; Franch, Àngels; López-Sabater, M. Carmen

2013-01-01

Abstract Background It is unknown if changes in the gene expression of the desaturase and elongase enzymes are associated with abnormal n-6 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) levels in children with atopic eczema (AE). We analyzed whether mRNA-expression of genes encoding key enzymes of LC-PUFA synthesis (FADS1, FADS2 and ELOVL5) is associated with circulating LC-PUFA levels and risk of AE in 4-year-old children. Methods AE (n=20) and non-AE (n=104) children participating in the Sabadell cohort within the INfancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA) Project were included in the present study. RT-PCR with TaqMan Low-Density Array cards was used to measure the mRNA-expression of FADS1, FADS2 and ELOVL5. LC-PUFA levels were measured by fast gas chromatography in plasma phospholipids. The relationship of gene expression with LC-PUFA levels and enzyme activities was evaluated by Pearson’s rank correlation coefficient, and logistic regression models were used to study its association with risk of developing AE. Results Children with AE had lower levels of several n-6 PUFA members, dihomo-γ-linolenic (DGLA) and arachidonic (AA) acids. mRNA-expression levels of FADS1 and 2 strongly correlated with DGLA levels and with D6D activity. FADS2 and ELOVL5 mRNA-expression levels were significantly lower in AE than in non-AE children (-40.30% and -20.36%; respectively), but no differences were found for FADS1. Conclusions and Significance Changes in the mRNA-expression levels of FADS1 and 2 directly affect blood DGLA levels and D6D activity. This study suggests that lower mRNA-expressions of FADS2 and ELOVL5 are associated with higher risk of atopic eczema in young children. PMID:24167612

Defect assessments of pipelines based on the FAD approach incorporating constraint effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruggieri, Claudio; Cravero, Sebastian [Sao Paulo Univ., SP (Brazil)

2005-07-01

This work presents a framework for including constraint effects in the failure assessment diagram (FAD) approach. The procedure builds upon the constraint-based Q methodology to correct measured toughness values using low constraint fracture specimens which modifies the shape of the FAD curve. The approach is applied to predict the failure (burst pressure) of high pressure pipelines with planar defects having different geometries (i.e., crack depth and crack length). The FAD curves are corrected for effects of constraint based on the L{sub r}-Q trajectories for pin-loaded SE(T) specimens. The article shows that inclusion of constraint effects in the FAD approach provides better agreement between experimentally measured burst pressure and predicted values for high pressure pipelines with planar defects. (author)

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of FAD synthetase from Corynebacterium ammoniagenes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herguedas, Beatriz; Martínez-Júlvez, Marta; Frago, Susana; Medina, Milagros; Hermoso, Juan A.

2009-01-01

Native and selenomethionine-labelled FAD synthetase from C. ammoniagenes have been crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. A MAD data set for SeMet-labelled FAD synthetase was collected to 2.42 Å resolution, while data sets were collected to 1.95 Å resolution for the native crystals. FAD synthetase from Corynebacterium ammoniagenes (CaFADS), a prokaryotic bifunctional enzyme that catalyses the phosphorylation of riboflavin as well as the adenylylation of FMN, has been crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method at 277 K. Diffraction-quality cubic crystals of native and selenomethionine-labelled (SeMet-CaFADS) protein belonged to the cubic space group P2 1 3, with unit-cell parameters a = b = c = 133.47 Å and a = b = c = 133.40 Å, respectively. Data sets for native and SeMet-containing crystals were collected to 1.95 and 2.42 Å resolution, respectively

Residues at a Single Site Differentiate Animal Cryptochromes from Cyclobutane Pyrimidine Dimer Photolyases by Affecting the Proteins' Preferences for Reduced FAD.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Lei; Wen, Bin; Wang, Yuan; Tian, Changqing; Wu, Mingcai; Zhu, Guoping

2017-06-19

Cryptochromes (CRYs) and photolyases belong to the cryptochrome/photolyase family (CPF). Reduced FAD is essential for photolyases to photorepair UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) or 6-4 photoproducts in DNA. In Drosophila CRY (dCRY, a type I animal CRY), FAD is converted to the anionic radical but not to the reduced state upon illumination, which might induce a conformational change in the protein to relay the light signal downstream. To explore the foundation of these differences, multiple sequence alignment of 650 CPF protein sequences was performed. We identified a site facing FAD (Ala377 in Escherichia coli CPD photolyase and Val415 in dCRY), hereafter referred to as "site 377", that was distinctly conserved across these sequences: CPD photolyases often had Ala, Ser, or Asn at this site, whereas animal CRYs had Ile, Leu, or Val. The binding affinity for reduced FAD, but not the photorepair activity of E. coli photolyase, was dramatically impaired when replacing Ala377 with any of the three CRY residues. Conversely, in V415S and V415N mutants of dCRY, FAD was photoreduced to its fully reduced state after prolonged illumination, and light-dependent conformational changes of these mutants were severely inhibited. We speculate that the residues at site 377 play a key role in the different preferences of CPF proteins for reduced FAD, which differentiate animal CRYs from CPD photolyases. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Mutagenesis of FAD2 genes in peanut with CRISPR/Cas9

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The CRISPR/Cas9 system is known for its precise and efficient gene-editing of a targeted region in a variety of organisms including plants. We targeted FAD2 gene region to perform CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing in peanut. The FAD2 gene encodes fatty acid desaturase which catalyzes the conversion of oleic ...

Pancreatic Beta-Cell Purification by Altering FAD and NAD(PH Metabolism

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P. de Vos

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Isolation of primary beta cells from other cells within in the pancreatic islets is of importance for many fields of islet research. However, up to now, no satisfactory method has been developed that gained high numbers of viable beta cells, without considerable alpha-cell contamination. In this study, we investigated whether rat beta cells can be isolated from nonbeta endocrine cells by manipulating the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD and nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD(PH autofluorescence. Beta cells were isolated from dispersed islets by flow cytometry, based on their high FAD and NAD(PH fluorescence. To improve beta cell yield and purity, the cellular FAD and NAD(PH contents were altered by preincubation in culture media containing varying amounts of D-glucose and amino acids. Manipulation of the cellular FAD and NAD(PH fluorescence improves beta cell yield and purity after sorting. This method is also a fast and reliable method to measure beta cell functional viability. A conceivable application is assessing beta cell viability before transplantation.

Over-expression in Escherichia coli and characterization of two recombinant isoforms of human FAD synthetase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brizio, Carmen; Galluccio, Michele; Wait, Robin; Torchetti, Enza Maria; Bafunno, Valeria; Accardi, Rosita; Gianazza, Elisabetta; Indiveri, Cesare; Barile, Maria

2006-01-01

FAD synthetase (FADS) (EC 2.7.7.2) is a key enzyme in the metabolic pathway that converts riboflavin into the redox cofactor FAD. Two hypothetical human FADSs, which are the products of FLAD1 gene, were over-expressed in Escherichia coli and identified by ESI-MS/MS. Isoform 1 was over-expressed as a T7-tagged protein which had a molecular mass of 63 kDa on SDS-PAGE. Isoform 2 was over-expressed as a 6-His-tagged fusion protein, carrying an extra 84 amino acids at the N-terminal with an apparent molecular mass of 60 kDa on SDS-PAGE. It was purified near to homogeneity from the soluble cell fraction by one-step affinity chromatography. Both isoforms possessed FADS activity and had a strict requirement for MgCl 2 , as demonstrated using both spectrophotometric and chromatographic methods. The purified recombinant isoform 2 showed a specific activity of 6.8 ± 1.3 nmol of FAD synthesized/min/mg protein and exhibited a K M value for FMN of 1.5 ± 0.3 μM. This is First report on characterization of human FADS, and First cloning and over-expression of FADS from an organism higher than yeast

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray data of the FadA adhesin from Fusobacterium nucleatum

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nithianantham, Stanley [Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106-4935 (United States); Xu, Minghua [Department of Biological Sciences, School of Dentistry, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106-4905 (United States); Wu, Nan [Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106-4935 (United States); Han, Yiping W., E-mail: ywh2@case.edu [Department of Biological Sciences, School of Dentistry, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106-4905 (United States); Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106 (United States); Shoham, Menachem, E-mail: ywh2@case.edu [Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106-4935 (United States)

2006-12-01

The FadA adhesin from F. nucleatum, which is involved in bacterial attachment and invasion of human oral epithelial cells, has been crystallized in space group P6{sub 1} or P6{sub 5}, and X-ray data have been collected to 1.9 Å resolution. Fusobacterium nucleatum is a Gram-negative anaerobe prevalent in the oral cavity that is associated with periodontal disease, preterm birth and infections in other parts of the human body. The bacteria attach to and invade epithelial and endothelial cells in the gum tissue and elsewhere via a 13.7 kDa adhesin protein FadA (Fusobacterium adhesin A). FadA exists in two forms: the intact form (pre-FadA), consisting of 129 amino acids, and the mature form (mFadA), which lacks an 18-residue signal sequence. Both forms have been expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. mFadA has been crystallized. The crystals belong to the hexagonal space group P6{sub 1} or P6{sub 5}, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 59.3, c = 125.7 Å and one molecule per asymmetric unit. The crystals exhibit an unusually high solvent content of 74%. Synchrotron X-ray data have been collected to 1.9 Å. The crystals are suitable for X-ray structure determination. The crystal structure of FadA may provide a basis for the development of therapeutic agents to combat periodontal disease and other infections associated with F. nucleatum.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray data of the FadA adhesin from Fusobacterium nucleatum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nithianantham, Stanley; Xu, Minghua; Wu, Nan; Han, Yiping W.; Shoham, Menachem

2006-01-01

The FadA adhesin from F. nucleatum, which is involved in bacterial attachment and invasion of human oral epithelial cells, has been crystallized in space group P6 1 or P6 5 , and X-ray data have been collected to 1.9 Å resolution. Fusobacterium nucleatum is a Gram-negative anaerobe prevalent in the oral cavity that is associated with periodontal disease, preterm birth and infections in other parts of the human body. The bacteria attach to and invade epithelial and endothelial cells in the gum tissue and elsewhere via a 13.7 kDa adhesin protein FadA (Fusobacterium adhesin A). FadA exists in two forms: the intact form (pre-FadA), consisting of 129 amino acids, and the mature form (mFadA), which lacks an 18-residue signal sequence. Both forms have been expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. mFadA has been crystallized. The crystals belong to the hexagonal space group P6 1 or P6 5 , with unit-cell parameters a = b = 59.3, c = 125.7 Å and one molecule per asymmetric unit. The crystals exhibit an unusually high solvent content of 74%. Synchrotron X-ray data have been collected to 1.9 Å. The crystals are suitable for X-ray structure determination. The crystal structure of FadA may provide a basis for the development of therapeutic agents to combat periodontal disease and other infections associated with F. nucleatum

Disruption of the novel gene fad104 causes rapid postnatal death and attenuation of cell proliferation, adhesion, spreading and migration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishizuka, Makoto; Kishimoto, Keishi; Kato, Ayumi; Ikawa, Masahito; Okabe, Masaru; Sato, Ryuichiro; Niida, Hiroyuki; Nakanishi, Makoto; Osada, Shigehiro; Imagawa, Masayoshi

2009-01-01

The molecular mechanisms at the beginning of adipogenesis remain unknown. Previously, we identified a novel gene, fad104 (factor for adipocyte differentiation 104), transiently expressed at the early stage of adipocyte differentiation. Since the knockdown of the expression of fad104 dramatically repressed adipogenesis, it is clear that fad104 plays important roles in adipocyte differentiation. However, the physiological roles of fad104 are still unknown. In this study, we generated fad104-deficient mice by gene targeting. Although the mice were born in the expected Mendelian ratios, all died within 1 day of birth, suggesting fad104 to be crucial for survival after birth. Furthermore, analyses of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) prepared from fad104-deficient mice provided new insights into the functions of fad104. Disruption of fad104 inhibited adipocyte differentiation and cell proliferation. In addition, cell adhesion and wound healing assays using fad104-deficient MEFs revealed that loss of fad104 expression caused a reduction in stress fiber formation, and notably delayed cell adhesion, spreading and migration. These results indicate that fad104 is essential for the survival of newborns just after birth and important for cell proliferation, adhesion, spreading and migration

Fads in management and their potential to lead managers on false trails

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Lăcrămioara Rodica HURLOIU

2011-06-01

Full Text Available The increasing globalization, the explosion of the information age and all the changes on economic, financial and social level has affected the business environment. As a consequence, the organizations are trying to keep up with the competitive requests of the market, while the field of management is going through a revolution. The objective of this paper is to analyze the concept of fad, by underlying their potential negative effects when it comes to the performance of a business. The first section will present the role of managers in organizations and their attraction for fads. The second part will focus on the persons who spread these fads and the impact that unfounded beliefs about how to manage have upon a company. The last part of the paper presents the conclusions, by providing at the same time some solutions, so that managers do not feel in the trap of fads and their promoters.

Dietary adaptation of FADS genes in Europe varied across time and geography.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Kaixiong; Gao, Feng; Wang, David; Bar-Yosef, Ofer; Keinan, Alon

2017-05-26

Fatty acid desaturase (FADS) genes encode rate-limiting enzymes for the biosynthesis of omega-6 and omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs). This biosynthesis is essential for individuals subsisting on LCPUFA-poor diets (for example, plant-based). Positive selection on FADS genes has been reported in multiple populations, but its cause and pattern in Europeans remain unknown. Here we demonstrate, using ancient and modern DNA, that positive selection acted on the same FADS variants both before and after the advent of farming in Europe, but on opposite (that is, alternative) alleles. Recent selection in farmers also varied geographically, with the strongest signal in southern Europe. These varying selection patterns concur with anthropological evidence of varying diets, and with the association of farming-adaptive alleles with higher FADS1 expression and thus enhanced LCPUFA biosynthesis. Genome-wide association studies reveal that farming-adaptive alleles not only increase LCPUFAs, but also affect other lipid levels and protect against several inflammatory diseases.

Flavin-Dependent Enzymes in Cancer Prevention

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Danuta Wojcieszyńska

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Statistical studies have demonstrated that various agents may reduce the risk of cancer’s development. One of them is activity of flavin-dependent enzymes such as flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMOGS-OX1, FAD-dependent 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and flavin-dependent monoamine oxidase. In the last decade, many papers concerning their structure, reaction mechanism and role in the cancer prevention were published. In our work, we provide a more in-depth analysis of flavin-dependent enzymes and their contribution to the cancer prevention. We present the actual knowledge about the glucosinolate synthesized by flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMOGS-OX1 and its role in cancer prevention, discuss the influence of mutations in FAD-dependent 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase on the cancer risk, and describe FAD as an important cofactor for the demethylation of histons. We also present our views on the role of riboflavin supplements in the prevention against cancer.

FAD C(4a)-hydroxide stabilized in a naturally fused styrene monooxygenase

Science.gov (United States)

Schlömann, Michael; van Berkel, Willem J.H.; Gassner, George T.

2013-01-01

StyA2B represents a new class of styrene monooxygenases that integrates flavin-reductase and styrene-epoxidase activities into a single polypeptide. This naturally-occurring fusion protein offers new avenues for studying and engineering biotechnologically relevant enantioselective biochemical epoxidation reactions. Stopped-flow kinetic studies of StyA2B reported here identify reaction intermediates similar to those reported for the separate reductase and epoxidase components of related two-component systems. Our studies identify substrate epoxidation and elimination of water from the FAD C(4a)-hydroxide as rate-limiting steps in the styrene epoxidation reaction. Efforts directed at accelerating these reaction steps are expected to greatly increase catalytic efficiency and the value of StyA2B as biocatalyst. PMID:24157359

Distributed Leadership as Fashion or Fad

Science.gov (United States)

Lumby, Jacky

2016-01-01

Despite frequently expressed reservations concerning its fundamental theoretical weakness, distributed leadership (DL) has grown to become the preferred leadership concept and has acquired taken-for-granted status. This article suggests that the dominance of DL can best be understood as a fashion or fad rather than as a rational choice. It…

Fad Bulimia: A Serious and Separate Counseling Issue.

Science.gov (United States)

Cesari, Joan P.

1986-01-01

Differences between fad bulimia and clinical bulimia are presented using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) criteria, personality assessment measures, and responses to counseling. (Author)

Isolation and Functional Characterisation of a fads2 in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss with Δ5 Desaturase Activity.

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Noor Khalidah Abdul Hamid

Full Text Available Rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, are intensively cultured globally. Understanding their requirement for long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA and the biochemistry of the enzymes and biosynthetic pathways required for fatty acid synthesis is important and highly relevant in current aquaculture. Most gnathostome vertebrates have two fatty acid desaturase (fads genes with known functions in LC-PUFA biosynthesis and termed fads1 and fads2. However, teleost fish have exclusively fads2 genes. In rainbow trout, a fads2 cDNA had been previously cloned and found to encode an enzyme with Δ6 desaturase activity. In the present study, a second fads2 cDNA was cloned from the liver of rainbow trout and termed fads2b. The full-length mRNA contained 1578 nucleotides with an open reading frame of 1365 nucleotides that encoded a 454 amino acid protein with a predicted molecular weight of 52.48 kDa. The predicted Fads2b protein had the characteristic traits of the microsomal Fads family, including an N-terminal cytochrome b5 domain containing the heme-binding motif (HPPG, histidine boxes (HDXGH, HFQHH and QIEHH and three transmembrane regions. The fads2b was expressed predominantly in the brain, liver, intestine and pyloric caeca. Expression of the fasd2b in yeast generated a protein that was found to specifically convert eicosatetraenoic acid (20:4n-3 to eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3, and therefore functioned as a Δ5 desaturase. Therefore, rainbow trout have two fads2 genes that encode proteins with Δ5 and Δ6 desaturase activities, respectively, which enable this species to perform all the desaturation steps required for the biosynthesis of LC-PUFA from C18 precursors.

Isolation and Functional Characterisation of a fads2 in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with Δ5 Desaturase Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Abdul Hamid, Noor Khalidah; Carmona-Antoñanzas, Greta; Monroig, Óscar; Tocher, Douglas R.; Turchini, Giovanni M.; Donald, John A.

2016-01-01

Rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, are intensively cultured globally. Understanding their requirement for long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) and the biochemistry of the enzymes and biosynthetic pathways required for fatty acid synthesis is important and highly relevant in current aquaculture. Most gnathostome vertebrates have two fatty acid desaturase (fads) genes with known functions in LC-PUFA biosynthesis and termed fads1 and fads2. However, teleost fish have exclusively fads2 genes. In rainbow trout, a fads2 cDNA had been previously cloned and found to encode an enzyme with Δ6 desaturase activity. In the present study, a second fads2 cDNA was cloned from the liver of rainbow trout and termed fads2b. The full-length mRNA contained 1578 nucleotides with an open reading frame of 1365 nucleotides that encoded a 454 amino acid protein with a predicted molecular weight of 52.48 kDa. The predicted Fads2b protein had the characteristic traits of the microsomal Fads family, including an N-terminal cytochrome b5 domain containing the heme-binding motif (HPPG), histidine boxes (HDXGH, HFQHH and QIEHH) and three transmembrane regions. The fads2b was expressed predominantly in the brain, liver, intestine and pyloric caeca. Expression of the fasd2b in yeast generated a protein that was found to specifically convert eicosatetraenoic acid (20:4n-3) to eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3), and therefore functioned as a Δ5 desaturase. Therefore, rainbow trout have two fads2 genes that encode proteins with Δ5 and Δ6 desaturase activities, respectively, which enable this species to perform all the desaturation steps required for the biosynthesis of LC-PUFA from C18 precursors. PMID:26943160

Functional analysis and tissue-differential expression of four FAD2 genes in amphidiploid Brassica napus derived from Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kyeong-Ryeol; In Sohn, Soo; Jung, Jin Hee; Kim, Sun Hee; Roh, Kyung Hee; Kim, Jong-Bum; Suh, Mi Chung; Kim, Hyun Uk

2013-12-01

Fatty acid desaturase 2 (FAD2), which resides in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), plays a crucial role in producing linoleic acid (18:2) through catalyzing the desaturation of oleic acid (18:1) by double bond formation at the delta 12 position. FAD2 catalyzes the first step needed for the production of polyunsaturated fatty acids found in the glycerolipids of cell membranes and the triacylglycerols in seeds. In this study, four FAD2 genes from amphidiploid Brassica napus genome were isolated by PCR amplification, with their enzymatic functions predicted by sequence analysis of the cDNAs. Fatty acid analysis of budding yeast transformed with each of the FAD2 genes showed that whereas BnFAD2-1, BnFAD2-2, and BnFAD2-4 are functional enzymes, and BnFAD2-3 is nonfunctional. The four FAD2 genes of B. napus originated from synthetic hybridization of its diploid progenitors Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea, each of which has two FAD2 genes identical to those of B. napus. The BnFAD2-3 gene of B. napus, a nonfunctional pseudogene mutated by multiple nucleotide deletions and insertions, was inherited from B. rapa. All BnFAD2 isozymes except BnFAD2-3 localized to the ER. Nonfunctional BnFAD2-3 localized to the nucleus and chloroplasts. Four BnFAD2 genes can be classified on the basis of their expression patterns. © 2013.

Characterization of a new GmFAD3A allele in Brazilian CS303TNKCA soybean cultivar.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Luiz Claudio Costa; Bueno, Rafael Delmond; da Matta, Loreta Buuda; Pereira, Pedro Henrique Scarpelli; Mayrink, Danyelle Barbosa; Piovesan, Newton Deniz; Sediyama, Carlos Sigueyuki; Fontes, Elizabeth Pacheco Batista; Cardinal, Andrea J; Dal-Bianco, Maximiller

2018-05-01

We molecularly characterized a new mutation in the GmFAD3A gene associated with low linolenic content in the Brazilian soybean cultivar CS303TNKCA and developed a molecular marker to select this mutation. Soybean is one of the most important crops cultivated worldwide. Soybean oil has 13% palmitic acid, 4% stearic acid, 20% oleic acid, 55% linoleic acid and 8% linolenic acid. Breeding programs are developing varieties with high oleic and low polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic) to improve the oil oxidative stability and make the varieties more attractive for the soy industry. The main goal of this study was to characterize the low linoleic acid trait in CS303TNKCA cultivar. We sequenced CS303TNKCA GmFAD3A, GmFAD3B and GmFAD3C genes and identified an adenine point deletion in the GmFAD3A exon 5 (delA). This alteration creates a premature stop codon, leading to a truncated protein with just 207 residues that result in a non-functional enzyme. Analysis of enzymatic activity by heterologous expression in yeast support delA as the cause of low linolenic acid content in CS303TNKCA. Thus, we developed a TaqMan genotyping assay to associate delA with low linolenic acid content in segregating populations. Lines homozygous for delA had a linolenic acid content of 3.3 to 4.4%, and the variation at this locus accounted for 50.83 to 73.70% of the phenotypic variation. This molecular marker is a new tool to introgress the low linolenic acid trait into elite soybean cultivars and can be used to combine with high oleic trait markers to produce soybean with enhanced economic value. The advantage of using CS303TNKCA compared to other lines available in the literature is that this cultivar has good agronomic characteristics and is adapted to Brazilian conditions.

Genetic and epigenetic transgenerational implications related to omega-3 fatty acids. Part II: maternal FADS2 rs174575 genotype and DNA methylation predict toddler cognitive performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheatham, Carol L; Lupu, Daniel S; Niculescu, Mihai D

2015-11-01

Maternal transfer of fatty acids is important to fetal brain development. The prenatal environment may differentially affect the substrates supporting declarative memory abilities, as the level of fatty acids transferred across the placenta may be affected by the maternal fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2) rs174575 single nucleotide polymorphism. In this study, we hypothesized that toddler and maternal rs174575 genotype and FADS2 promoter methylation would be related to the toddlers' declarative memory performance. Seventy-one 16-month-old toddlers participated in an imitation paradigm designed to test immediate and long-term declarative memory abilities. FADS2 rs174575 genotype was determined and FADS2 promoter methylation was quantified from blood by bisulfite pyrosequencing for the toddlers and their natural mothers. Toddlers of GG mothers at the FADS2 rs174575 single nucleotide polymorphism did not perform as well on memory assessments as toddlers of CC or CG mothers when controlling for plasma α-linolenic acid and child genotype. Toddler methylation status was related to immediate memory performance, whereas maternal methylation status was related to delayed memory performance. Thus, prenatal experience and maternal FADS2 status have a pervasive, long-lasting influence on the brain development of the offspring, but as the postnatal environment becomes more primary, the offsprings' own biology begins to have an effect. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Structural integrity assessments of steam generator tubes using the FAD methodology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bergant, Marcos A., E-mail: marcos.bergant@cab.cnea.gov.ar [Gerencia CAREM, Centro Atómico Bariloche (CNEA), Av. Bustillo 9500, San Carlos de Bariloche 8400 (Argentina); Yawny, Alejandro A., E-mail: yawny@cab.cnea.gov.ar [División Física de Metales, Centro Atómico Bariloche (CNEA)/CONICET, Av. Bustillo 9500, San Carlos de Bariloche 8400 (Argentina); Perez Ipiña, Juan E., E-mail: juan.perezipina@fain.uncoma.edu.ar [Grupo Mecánica de Fractura, Universidad Nacional del Comahue/CONICET, Buenos Aires 1400, Neuquén 8300 (Argentina)

2015-12-15

Highlights: • The Failure Assessment Diagram (FAD) is used to assess cracked steam generator tubes. • Typical loading conditions and reported tensile and fracture properties are used. • The FAD is capable to predict the failure mode for different cracks and loads. • The FAD can be used to reduce the conservatism of the current plugging criteria. • Appropriate tensile and fracture properties at operating conditions are required. - Abstract: Steam generator tubes (SGTs) represents up to 60% of the total primary pressure retaining boundary area of a nuclear power plant. They have been found susceptible to diverse degradation mechanisms during service. Due to the significance of a SGT failure on the plant safe operation, nuclear regulatory authorities have established tube plugging or repairing criteria which are based on the defect depth. The widespreadly used “40% criterion” proposed in the 70s is an example whose use is still recommended in the last editions of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. In the present work, an alternative, more realistic and less conservative methodology for SGT integrity evaluation is proposed. It is based on the Failure Assessment Diagram (FAD) and takes advantage of the recent developments in non-destructive techniques which allow a more comprehensive characterization of tube defects, i.e., depth, length, orientation and type. The proposed approach has been applied to: the study of the influence of primary and secondary stresses on tube integrity; the prediction of failure mode (i.e., ductile fracture or plastic collapse) of defective SGTs for varied crack geometries and loading conditions; the analysis of the sensibility of tensile and fracture properties with temperature. The potentiality of the FAD as a comprehensive methodology for predicting the failure loads and failure modes of flawed SGTs is highlighted.

Structural integrity assessments of steam generator tubes using the FAD methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergant, Marcos A.; Yawny, Alejandro A.; Perez Ipiña, Juan E.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The Failure Assessment Diagram (FAD) is used to assess cracked steam generator tubes. • Typical loading conditions and reported tensile and fracture properties are used. • The FAD is capable to predict the failure mode for different cracks and loads. • The FAD can be used to reduce the conservatism of the current plugging criteria. • Appropriate tensile and fracture properties at operating conditions are required. - Abstract: Steam generator tubes (SGTs) represents up to 60% of the total primary pressure retaining boundary area of a nuclear power plant. They have been found susceptible to diverse degradation mechanisms during service. Due to the significance of a SGT failure on the plant safe operation, nuclear regulatory authorities have established tube plugging or repairing criteria which are based on the defect depth. The widespreadly used “40% criterion” proposed in the 70s is an example whose use is still recommended in the last editions of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. In the present work, an alternative, more realistic and less conservative methodology for SGT integrity evaluation is proposed. It is based on the Failure Assessment Diagram (FAD) and takes advantage of the recent developments in non-destructive techniques which allow a more comprehensive characterization of tube defects, i.e., depth, length, orientation and type. The proposed approach has been applied to: the study of the influence of primary and secondary stresses on tube integrity; the prediction of failure mode (i.e., ductile fracture or plastic collapse) of defective SGTs for varied crack geometries and loading conditions; the analysis of the sensibility of tensile and fracture properties with temperature. The potentiality of the FAD as a comprehensive methodology for predicting the failure loads and failure modes of flawed SGTs is highlighted.

Association of maternal weight with FADS and ELOVL genetic variants and fatty acid levels- The PREOBE follow-up

Science.gov (United States)

de la Garza Puentes, Andrea; Montes Goyanes, Rosa; Chisaguano Tonato, Aida Maribel; Torres-Espínola, Francisco José; Arias García, Miriam; de Almeida, Leonor; Bonilla Aguirre, María; Guerendiain, Marcela; Castellote Bargalló, Ana Isabel; Segura Moreno, Maite; García-Valdés, Luz; Campoy, Cristina; Lopez-Sabater, M. Carmen

2017-01-01

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes encoding the fatty acid desaturase (FADS) and elongase (ELOVL) enzymes affect long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) production. We aimed to determine if these SNPs are associated with body mass index (BMI) or affect fatty acids (FAs) in pregnant women. Participants (n = 180) from the PREOBE cohort were grouped according to pre-pregnancy BMI: normal-weight (BMI = 18.5–24.9, n = 88) and overweight/obese (BMI≥25, n = 92). Plasma samples were analyzed at 24 weeks of gestation to measure FA levels in the phospholipid fraction. Selected SNPs were genotyped (7 in FADS1, 5 in FADS2, 3 in ELOVL2 and 2 in ELOVL5). Minor allele carriers of rs174545, rs174546, rs174548 and rs174553 (FADS1), and rs1535 and rs174583 (FADS2) were nominally associated with an increased risk of having a BMI≥25. Only for the normal-weight group, minor allele carriers of rs174537, rs174545, rs174546, and rs174553 (FADS1) were negatively associated with AA:DGLA index. Normal-weight women who were minor allele carriers of FADS SNPs had lower levels of AA, AA:DGLA and AA:LA indexes, and higher levels of DGLA, compared to major homozygotes. Among minor allele carriers of FADS2 and ELOVL2 SNPs, overweight/obese women showed higher DHA:EPA index than the normal-weight group; however, they did not present higher DHA concentrations than the normal-weight women. In conclusion, minor allele carriers of FADS SNPs have an increased risk of obesity. Maternal weight changes the effect of genotype on FA levels. Only in the normal-weight group, minor allele carriers of FADS SNPs displayed reduced enzymatic activity and FA levels. This suggests that women with a BMI≥25 are less affected by FADS genetic variants in this regard. In the presence of FADS2 and ELOVL2 SNPs, overweight/obese women showed higher n-3 LC-PUFA production indexes than women with normal weight, but this was not enough to obtain a higher n-3 LC-PUFA concentration. PMID:28598979

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation in pregnancy differentially modulates arachidonic acid and DHA status across FADS genotypes in pregnancy.

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Scholtz, S A; Kerling, E H; Shaddy, D J; Li, S; Thodosoff, J M; Colombo, J; Carlson, S E

2015-03-01

Some FADS alleles are associated with lower DHA and ARA status assessed by the relative amount of arachidonic acid (ARA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in plasma and red blood cell (RBC) phospholipids (PL). We determined two FADS single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a cohort of pregnant women and examined the relationship of FADS1rs174533 and FADS2rs174575 to DHA and ARA status before and after supplementation with 600mg per day of DHA. The 205 pregnant women studied were randomly assigned to placebo (mixed soy and corn oil) (n=96) or 600mg algal DHA (n=109) in 3 capsules per day for the last two trimesters of pregnancy. Women homozygous for the minor allele of FADS1rs174533 (but not FADS2rs174575) had lower DHA and ARA status at baseline. At delivery, minor allele homozygotes of FADS1rs174533 in the placebo group had lower RBC-DHA compared to major-allele carriers (P=0.031), while in the DHA-supplemented group, all genotypes had higher DHA status compared to baseline (P=0.001) and status did not differ by genotype (P=0.941). Surprisingly, DHA but not the placebo decreased ARA status of minor allele homozygotes of both FADS SNPs but not major allele homozygotes at delivery. Any physiological effects of changing the DHA to ARA ratio by increasing DHA intake appears to be greater in minor allele homozygotes of some FADS SNPs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

FAD: Filtering, Analyzing, and Diagnosing Reading Difficulties

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Mokhtari, Kouider; Niederhauser, Dale S.; Beschorner, Elizabeth A.; Edwards, Patricia A.

2011-01-01

In this article, the authors introduce a data analysis procedure, abbreviated as FAD, to help literacy professionals who work with children in clinical or classroom settings identify and interpret patterns of assessment data with the goal of determining children's literacy strengths and needs. The procedure uses data from multiple literacy…

Heterologous overexpression of Glomerella cingulata FAD-dependent glucose dehydrogenase in Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris.

Science.gov (United States)

Sygmund, Christoph; Staudigl, Petra; Klausberger, Miriam; Pinotsis, Nikos; Djinović-Carugo, Kristina; Gorton, Lo; Haltrich, Dietmar; Ludwig, Roland

2011-12-12

FAD dependent glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) currently raises enormous interest in the field of glucose biosensors. Due to its superior properties such as high turnover rate, substrate specificity and oxygen independence, GDH makes its way into glucose biosensing. The recently discovered GDH from the ascomycete Glomerella cingulata is a novel candidate for such an electrochemical application, but also of interest to study the plant-pathogen interaction of a family of wide-spread, crop destroying fungi. Heterologous expression is a necessity to facilitate the production of GDH for biotechnological applications and to study its physiological role in the outbreak of anthracnose caused by Glomerella (anamorph Colletotrichum) spp. Heterologous expression of active G. cingulata GDH has been achieved in both Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris, however, the expressed volumetric activity was about 4800-fold higher in P. pastoris. Expression in E. coli resulted mainly in the formation of inclusion bodies and only after co-expression with molecular chaperones enzymatic activity was detected. The fed-batch cultivation of a P. pastoris transformant resulted in an expression of 48,000 U L⁻¹ of GDH activity (57 mg L⁻¹). Recombinant GDH was purified by a two-step purification procedure with a yield of 71%. Comparative characterization of molecular and catalytic properties shows identical features for the GDH expressed in P. pastoris and the wild-type enzyme from its natural fungal source. The heterologous expression of active GDH was greatly favoured in the eukaryotic host. The efficient expression in P. pastoris facilitates the production of genetically engineered GDH variants for electrochemical-, physiological- and structural studies.

Dietary Fads and Gut Mysteries Versus Nutrition with a Grain of Common Sense

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Barry Mishkin

1997-01-01

Full Text Available Although nutritional self-help literature is directed at the general public, which usually allows the authors to evade critical review by the medical and scientific community, both doctors and lay people need to read with discernment and educated scepticism when major health claims are made. Many published claims are based on misconceptions and questionable logic, and it is important to be aware of the inconsistencies and wrong conclusions commonly found in dietary fads. Patients' questions and dietary practices over the past few years have helped the present authors become familiar with certain food fads and nutrition 'self-help' books, and develop responses to popular gut topics such as food allergies, food combinations and commercial food supplements. The authors also discuss whether fads can deliver on their promises and what to tell patients.

Insights into the Indian peanut genotypes for ahFAD2 gene polymorphism regulating its oleic and linoleic acid fluxes

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Bhagwat Nawade

2016-08-01

Full Text Available In peanut (Arachis hypogaea L., the customization of fatty acid profile is an evolving area to fulfil the nutritional needs in the modern market. A total of 174 peanut genotypes, including 167 Indian cultivars, 6 advanced breeding lines and ‘SunOleic’‒ a double mutant line, were investigated using AS-PCRs, CAPS and gene sequencing for the ahFAD2 allele polymorphism, along with its fatty acid compositions. Of these, 80 genotypes were found having substitution (448G>A mutation only in ahFAD2A gene, while none recorded 1-bp insertion (441_442insA mutation in ahFAD2B gene. Moreover, 22 wild peanut accessions found lacking both the mutations. Among botanical types, the ahFAD2A mutation was more frequent in ssp. hypogaea (89% than in ssp. fastigiata (17%. This single allele mutation, found affecting not only oleic to linoleic acid fluxes, but also the composition of other fatty acids in the genotypes studied. Repeated use of a few selected genotypes in the Indian varietal development programs were also eminently reflected in its ahFAD2 allele polymorphism. Absence of known mutations in the wild-relatives indicated the possible origin of these mutations, after the allotetraploidization of cultivated peanut. The SNP analysis of both ahFAD2A and ahFAD2B genes, revealed haplotype diversity of 1.05% and 0.95%, while Ka/Ks ratio of 0.36 and 0.39 respectively, indicating strong purifying selection pressure on these genes. Cluster analysis, using ahFAD2 gene SNPs, showed presence of both mutant and non-mutant genotypes in the same cluster, which might be due the presence of ahFAD2 gene families. This investigation provided insights into the large number of Indian peanut genotypes, covering various aspects related to O/L flux regulation and ahFAD2 gene polymorphism.

Study on preventive effects of i.v. administration of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) before irradiation on radiation stomatitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagai, Masao; Houzawa, Jiro; Hakamada, Masaru

1984-01-01

In order to compare the preventive effect on radiation stomatitis, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) or vitamin C was administered intravenously until the blood level reached the maximum at the time of irradiation. Thirtyfive patients with cranial or cervical tumors were allocated into the group with FAD (15), the group with vitamin C (10), and the group with irradiation alone (10). The incidence of stomititis was significantly lower and the number of patients in whom the drug was withdrawn due to stomatitis was extremely smaller in the group with FAD than in the other groups. FAD administered before irradiation was considered very useful in preventing radiation stomatitis. (Namekawa, K.)

Heterologous overexpression of Glomerella cingulata FAD-dependent glucose dehydrogenase in Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris

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Sygmund Christoph

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background FAD dependent glucose dehydrogenase (GDH currently raises enormous interest in the field of glucose biosensors. Due to its superior properties such as high turnover rate, substrate specificity and oxygen independence, GDH makes its way into glucose biosensing. The recently discovered GDH from the ascomycete Glomerella cingulata is a novel candidate for such an electrochemical application, but also of interest to study the plant-pathogen interaction of a family of wide-spread, crop destroying fungi. Heterologous expression is a necessity to facilitate the production of GDH for biotechnological applications and to study its physiological role in the outbreak of anthracnose caused by Glomerella (anamorph Colletotrichum spp. Results Heterologous expression of active G. cingulata GDH has been achieved in both Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris, however, the expressed volumetric activity was about 4800-fold higher in P. pastoris. Expression in E. coli resulted mainly in the formation of inclusion bodies and only after co-expression with molecular chaperones enzymatic activity was detected. The fed-batch cultivation of a P. pastoris transformant resulted in an expression of 48,000 U L-1 of GDH activity (57 mg L-1. Recombinant GDH was purified by a two-step purification procedure with a yield of 71%. Comparative characterization of molecular and catalytic properties shows identical features for the GDH expressed in P. pastoris and the wild-type enzyme from its natural fungal source. Conclusions The heterologous expression of active GDH was greatly favoured in the eukaryotic host. The efficient expression in P. pastoris facilitates the production of genetically engineered GDH variants for electrochemical-, physiological- and structural studies.

A model of the FAD redox cycle describes the dynamics of the effect of the geomagnetic field on the human visual system.

Science.gov (United States)

Thoss, Franz; Bartsch, Bengt

2017-12-01

In experimental studies, we could show that the visual threshold of man is influenced by the geomagnetic field. One of the results was that the threshold shows periodic fluctuations when the vertical component of the field is reversed periodically. The maximum of these oscillations occurred at a period duration of 110 s. To explain this phenomenon, we chose the process that likely underlies the navigation of birds in the geomagnetic field: the light reaction of the FAD component of cryptochrome in the retina. The human retina contains cryptpochrome like the bird retina. Based on the investigations of Müller and Ahmad (J Biol Chem 286:21033-21040, 2011) and Solov'yov and Schulten (J Phys Chem B 116:1089-1099, 2012), we designed a model of the light-induced reduction and subsequent reoxidation of FAD. This model contains a radical pair, whose interconversion dynamics are affected by the geomagnetic field. The parameters of the model were partly calculated from the data of our experimental investigation and partly taken from the results of other authors. These parameters were then optimized by adjusting the model behaviour to the experimental results. The simulation of the finished model shows that the concentrations of all substances included show really oscillations with the frequency of the modelled magnetic field. After optimization of the parameters, the oscillations of FAD and FADH* show maximal amplitude at a period duration of 110 s, as was observed in the experiment. This makes it most likely that the signal, which influences the visual system, originates from FADH* (signalling state).

Identification and characterization of preferred DNA-binding sites for the Thermus thermophilus transcriptional regulator FadR.

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Minwoo Lee

Full Text Available One of the primary transcriptional regulators of fatty acid homeostasis in many prokaryotes is the protein FadR. To better understand its biological function in the extreme thermophile Thermus thermophilus HB8, we sought to first determine its preferred DNA-binding sequences in vitro using the combinatorial selection method Restriction Endonuclease Protection, Selection, and Amplification (REPSA and then use this information to bioinformatically identify potential regulated genes. REPSA determined a consensus FadR-binding sequence 5´-TTRNACYNRGTNYAA-3´, which was further characterized using quantitative electrophoretic mobility shift assays. With this information, a search of the T. thermophilus HB8 genome found multiple operons potentially regulated by FadR. Several of these were identified as encoding proteins involved in fatty acid biosynthesis and degradation; however, others were novel and not previously identified as targets of FadR. The role of FadR in regulating these genes was validated by physical and functional methods, as well as comparative genomic approaches to further characterize regulons in related organisms. Taken together, our study demonstrates that a systematic approach involving REPSA, biophysical characterization of protein-DNA binding, and bioinformatics can be used to postulate biological roles for potential transcriptional regulators.

Flavoured Wine – Fad, Fashion or Trend?

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Wilson Damien

2016-01-01

With this divergence between publicity and market behaviour being echoing across the globe, wine producers need to be able to determine whether a new category represents an opportunity to consider a strategic change in business direction. Although publicity has been shown to effect a change in wine consumer behaviour, the conditions surrounding a new wine category's growth from fad, trend and fashion are analysed for the purpose of strategic management. This study extends findings from historical narratives through the use of empirical evidence from both European and New World wine markets. The evidence is contrasted with a contemporary phenomenological experience expressed by influencers within both of those markets, as a means to illustrate the disparity between the contemporary appeal of popular publicity, and the challenges faced by wine producers having to respond to the market reality. This study illustrates that implementing strategic decisions on whether to engage in a new trend, depends on the innovative category being consistent with existing strategy and able to impact the market without reliance on external publicity.

Characterization of different FAD-dependent glucose dehydrogenases for possible use in glucose-based biosensors and biofuel cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Zafar, Muhammad Nadeem; Beden, Najat; Leech, Dónal; Sygmund, Christoph; Ludwig, Roland; Gorton, Lo

2012-02-01

In this study, different flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent glucose dehydrogenases (FADGDHs) were characterized electrochemically after "wiring" them with an osmium redox polymer [Os(4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine)(2)(PVI)(10)Cl](+) on graphite electrodes. One tested FADGDH was that recently discovered in Glomerella cingulata (GcGDH), another was the recombinant form expressed in Pichia pastoris (rGcGDH), and the third was a commercially available glycosylated enzyme from Aspergillus sp. (AspGDH). The performance of the Os-polymer "wired" GDHs on graphite electrodes was tested with glucose as the substrate. Optimal operational conditions and analytical characteristics like sensitivity, linear ranges and current density of the different FADGDHs were determined. The performance of all three types of FADGDHs was studied at physiological conditions (pH 7.4). The current densities measured at a 20 mM glucose concentration were 494 ± 17, 370 ± 24, and 389 ± 19 μA cm(-2) for GcGDH, rGcGDH, and AspGDH, respectively. The sensitivities towards glucose were 2.16, 1.90, and 1.42 μA mM(-1) for GcGDH, rGcGDH, and AspGDH, respectively. Additionally, deglycosylated rGcGDH (dgrGcGDH) was investigated to see whether the reduced glycosylation would have an effect, e.g., a higher current density, which was indeed found. GcGDH/Os-polymer modified electrodes were also used and investigated for their selectivity for a number of different sugars.

FADS2 Genetic Variance in Combination with Fatty Acid Intake Might Alter Composition of the Fatty Acids in Brain.

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Thais S Rizzi

Full Text Available Multiple lines of evidence suggest that fatty acids (FA play an important role in cognitive function. However, little is known about the functional genetic pathways involved in cognition. The main goals of this study were to replicate previously reported interaction effects between breast feeding (BF and FA desaturase (FADS genetic variation on IQ and to investigate the possible mechanisms by which these variants might moderate BF effect, focusing on brain expression. Using a sample of 534 twins, we observed a trend in the moderation of BF effects on IQ by FADS2 variation. In addition, we made use of publicly available gene expression databases from both humans (193 and mice (93 and showed that FADS2 variants also correlate with FADS1 brain expression (P-value<1.1E-03. Our results provide novel clues for the understanding of the genetic mechanisms regulating FA brain expression and improve the current knowledge of the FADS moderation effect on cognition.

Cambrian Evolutionary Radiation: Context, correlation, and chronostratigraphy—Overcoming deficiencies of the first appearance datum (FAD) concept

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Landing, Ed; Geyer, Gerd; Brasier, Martin D.; Bowring, Samuel A.

2013-08-01

Use of the first appearance datum (FAD) of a fossil to define a global chronostratigraphic unit's base can lead to intractable correlation and stability problems. FADs are diachronous—they reflect species' evolutionary history, dispersal, biofacies, preservation, collection, and taxonomy. The Cambrian Evolutionary Radiation is characterised by diachronous FADs, biofacies controls, and provincialism of taxa and ecological communities that confound a stable Lower Cambrian chronostratigraphy. Cambrian series and stage definitions require greater attention to assemblage zone successions and non-biostratigraphic, particularly carbon isotope, correlation techniques such as those that define the Ediacaran System base. A redefined, basal Cambrian Trichophycus pedum Assemblage Zone lies above the highest Ediacaran-type biotas (vendobionts, putative metazoans, and calcareous problematica such as Cloudina) and the basal Asteridium tornatum-Comasphaeridium velvetum Zone (acritarchs). This definition and the likely close correspondence of evolutionary origin and local FAD of T. pedum preserves the Fortune Head, Newfoundland, GSSP of the Cambrian base and allows the presence of sub-Cambrian, branched ichnofossils. The sub-Tommotian-equivalent base of Stage 2 (a suggested "Laolinian Stage") should be defined by the I'/L4/ZHUCE δ13C positive peak, bracketed by the lower ranges of Watsonella crosbyi and Aldanella attleborensis (molluscs) and the Skiagia ornata-Fimbrioglomerella membranacea Zone (acritarchs). The W. crosbyi and A. attleborensis FADs cannot define a Stage 2 base as they are diachronous even in the Newfoundland "type" W. crosbyi Zone. The Series 2 base cannot be based on a species' FAD owing to the provincialism of skeletalised metazoans in the Terreneuvian-Series 2 boundary interval and global heterochrony of the oldest trilobites. A Series 2 and Stage 3 (a suggested "Lenaldanian Series" and "Zhurinskyan Stage," new) GSSP base is proposed at the Siberian lower

On the structure and function of the phytoene desaturase CRTI from Pantoea ananatis, a membrane-peripheral and FAD-dependent oxidase/isomerase.

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Patrick Schaub

Full Text Available CRTI-type phytoene desaturases prevailing in bacteria and fungi can form lycopene directly from phytoene while plants employ two distinct desaturases and two cis-tans isomerases for the same purpose. This property renders CRTI a valuable gene to engineer provitamin A-formation to help combat vitamin A malnutrition, such as with Golden Rice. To understand the biochemical processes involved, recombinant CRTI was produced and obtained in homogeneous form that shows high enzymatic activity with the lipophilic substrate phytoene contained in phosphatidyl-choline (PC liposome membranes. The first crystal structure of apo-CRTI reveals that CRTI belongs to the flavoprotein superfamily comprising protoporphyrinogen IX oxidoreductase and monoamine oxidase. CRTI is a membrane-peripheral oxidoreductase which utilizes FAD as the sole redox-active cofactor. Oxygen, replaceable by quinones in its absence, is needed as the terminal electron acceptor. FAD, besides its catalytic role also displays a structural function by enabling the formation of enzymatically active CRTI membrane associates. Under anaerobic conditions the enzyme can act as a carotene cis-trans isomerase. In silico-docking experiments yielded information on substrate binding sites, potential catalytic residues and is in favor of single half-site recognition of the symmetrical C(40 hydrocarbon substrate.

Detection of fusobacterium nucleatum and fadA adhesin gene in patients with orthodontic gingivitis and non-orthodontic periodontal inflammation.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ping; Liu, Yi; Wang, Jianning; Guo, Yang; Zhang, Yujie; Xiao, Shuiqing

2014-01-01

Fusobacterium nucleatum is one of the most abundant gram-negative bacilli colonizing the subgingival plaque and closely associated with periodontal disease. However it is unclear whether F. nucleatum is involved in gingival inflammation under orthodontic appliance. A novel adhesin, FadA, which is unique to oral Fusobacteria, is required for F. nucleatum binding and invasion to epithelial cells and thus may play an important role in colonization of Fusobacterium in the host. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of F. nucleatum and its virulence factor FadA adhesion gene (fadA) in 169 subgingival biofilm samples from 55 cases of gingivitis patients with orthodontic appliances, 49 cases of gingivitis patients without orthodontic treatment, 35 cases of periodontitis patients and 30 cases of periodontally healthy people via PCR. The correlations between the F. nucleatum/fadA and gingivitis index(GI)was also analyzed. The detection rate of F. nucleatum/fadA in periodontitis group and non-orthodontic gingivitis group was higher than the other two groups (pgingivitis group than in health people (pgingivitis and periodontal disease compared with orthodontic gingivitis.

Characterization of different FAD-dependent glucose dehydrogenases for possible use in glucose-based biosensors and biofuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zafar, Muhammad Nadeem; Beden, Najat; Gorton, Lo [Lund University, Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Lund (Sweden); Leech, Donal [National University of Ireland Galway, School of Chemistry, Galway (Ireland); Sygmund, Christoph; Ludwig, Roland [BOKU-University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Food Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Food Sciences and Technology, Wien (Austria)

2012-02-15

In this study, different flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent glucose dehydrogenases (FADGDHs) were characterized electrochemically after ''wiring'' them with an osmium redox polymer [Os(4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine){sub 2}(PVI){sub 10}Cl]{sup +} on graphite electrodes. One tested FADGDH was that recently discovered in Glomerella cingulata (GcGDH), another was the recombinant form expressed in Pichia pastoris (rGcGDH), and the third was a commercially available glycosylated enzyme from Aspergillus sp. (AspGDH). The performance of the Os-polymer ''wired'' GDHs on graphite electrodes was tested with glucose as the substrate. Optimal operational conditions and analytical characteristics like sensitivity, linear ranges and current density of the different FADGDHs were determined. The performance of all three types of FADGDHs was studied at physiological conditions (pH 7.4). The current densities measured at a 20 mM glucose concentration were 494 {+-} 17, 370 {+-} 24, and 389 {+-} 19 {mu}A cm{sup -2} for GcGDH, rGcGDH, and AspGDH, respectively. The sensitivities towards glucose were 2.16, 1.90, and 1.42 {mu}A mM{sup -1} for GcGDH, rGcGDH, and AspGDH, respectively. Additionally, deglycosylated rGcGDH (dgrGcGDH) was investigated to see whether the reduced glycosylation would have an effect, e.g., a higher current density, which was indeed found. GcGDH/Os-polymer modified electrodes were also used and investigated for their selectivity for a number of different sugars. (orig.)

FAD: A full-acceptance detector for physics at the SSC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bjorken, J.D.

1993-01-01

The FAD represents a rather new detector concept which requires bottoms-up thinking in almost all its aspects. The next year should be filled with thinking more about fundamentals of detector design and various novel physics topics, and less about money and politics

A novel FAD2-1 A allele in a soybean plant introduction offers an alternate means to produce soybean seed oil with 85% oleic acid content.

Science.gov (United States)

Pham, Anh-Tung; Lee, Jeong-Dong; Shannon, J Grover; Bilyeu, Kristin D

2011-09-01

The alteration of fatty acid profiles in soybean to improve soybean oil quality has been a long-time goal of soybean researchers. Soybean oil with elevated oleic acid is desirable because this monounsaturated fatty acid improves the nutrition and oxidative stability of soybean oil compared to other oils. In the lipid biosynthetic pathway, the enzyme fatty acid desaturase 2 (FAD2) is responsible for the conversion of oleic acid precursors to linoleic acid precursors in developing soybean seeds. Two genes encoding FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B were identified to be expressed specifically in seeds during embryogenesis and have been considered to hold an important role in controlling the seed oleic acid content. A total of 22 soybean plant introduction (PI) lines identified to have an elevated oleic acid content were characterized for sequence mutations in the FAD 2-1A and FAD2-1B genes. PI 603452 was found to contain a deletion of a nucleotide in the second exon of FAD2-1A. These important SNPs were used in developing molecular marker genotyping assays. The assays appear to be a reliable and accurate tool to identify the FAD 2-1A and FAD2-1B genotype of wild-type and mutant plants. PI 603452 was subsequently crossed with PI 283327, a soybean line that has a mutation in FAD2-1B. Interestingly, soybean lines carrying both homozygous insertion/deletion mutation (indel) FAD2-1A alleles and mutant FAD2-1B alleles have an average of 82-86% oleic acid content, compared to 20% in conventional soybean, and low levels of linoleic and linolenic acids. The newly identified indel mutation in the FAD2-1A gene offers a simple method for the development of high oleic acid commercial soybean varieties.

FADS1 rs174549 Polymorphism May Predict a Favorable Response to Chemoradiotherapy in Oral Cancer Patients.

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Chen, Fa; He, Baochang; Yan, Lingjun; Qiu, Yu; Lin, Lisong; Cai, Lin

2017-01-01

The fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1) gene variant is a novel susceptibility marker for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma identified by a recent genome-wide association study, but it is still unclear whether this genetic variant continues to influence oral cancer recurrence or death. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of FADS1 rs174549 polymorphism and its interaction with postoperative chemoradiotherapy in the prognosis of oral cancer. A prospective cohort study involving 304 oral cancer patients with surgical resection was conducted in Fujian, China. Demographic and clinical data (adjuvant therapy types, histologic types, clinical stage, etc.) were extracted from medical records, and follow-up data were obtained by telephone interviews. We collected 5 to 8 mL of venous blood from all patients for DNA extraction, and rs174549 genotypes were determined by TaqMan assays (Life Technologies, Carlsbad, CA). A Cox proportional hazards model and Kaplan-Meier curve were used to assess the association between FADS1 rs174549 polymorphism and progression-free survival (PFS), as well as overall survival, in oral cancer. Carrying the AA genotype was significantly associated with a decreased risk of PFS: The hazard ratio was 0.52 (95% confidence interval, 0.29 to 0.93) for the codominant model and 0.54 (95% confidence interval, 0.31 to 0.94) for the recessive model. Moreover, better PFS was particularly obvious in patients who had received chemoradiotherapy. A positive multiplicative interaction between FADS1 rs174549 polymorphism and chemoradiotherapy was observed for PFS (P = .036). No significant association was found between FADS1 rs174549 polymorphism and overall survival. Our study suggests, for the first time, that FADS1 rs174549 polymorphism is a potentially independent and favorable factor in predicting oral cancer PFS especially for patients who undergo chemoradiotherapy, and it may serve as a potential target for individualized treatment in the future

Genetic variation in FADS genes and plasma cholesterol levels in 2-year-old infants: KOALA Birth Cohort Study.

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Carolina Moltó-Puigmartí

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in genes involved in fatty acid metabolism (FADS1 FADS2 gene cluster are associated with plasma lipid levels. We aimed to investigate whether these associations are already present early in life and compare the relative contribution of FADS SNPs vs traditional (non-genetic factors as determinants of plasma lipid levels. METHODS: Information on infants' plasma total cholesterol levels, genotypes of five FADS SNPs (rs174545, rs174546, rs174556, rs174561, and rs3834458, anthropometric data, maternal characteristics, and breastfeeding history was available for 521 2-year-old children from the KOALA Birth Cohort Study. For 295 of these 521 children, plasma HDLc and non-HDLc levels were also known. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to study the associations of genetic and non-genetic determinants with cholesterol levels. RESULTS: All FADS SNPs were significantly associated with total cholesterol levels. Heterozygous and homozygous for the minor allele children had about 4% and 8% lower total cholesterol levels than major allele homozygotes. In addition, homozygous for the minor allele children had about 7% lower HDLc levels. This difference reached significance for the SNPs rs174546 and rs3834458. The associations went in the same direction for non-HDLc, but statistical significance was not reached. The percentage of total variance of total cholesterol levels explained by FADS SNPs was relatively low (lower than 3% but of the same order as that explained by gender and the non-genetic determinants together. CONCLUSIONS: FADS SNPs are associated with plasma total cholesterol and HDLc levels in preschool children. This brings a new piece of evidence to explain how blood lipid levels may track from childhood to adulthood. Moreover, the finding that these SNPs explain a similar amount of variance in total cholesterol levels as the non-genetic determinants studied reveals the potential

Local ecological knowledge (LEK) on fish behavior around anchored FADs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Macusi, Edison D.; Abreo, Neil A.S.; Babaran, Ricardo P.

2017-01-01

The Fishing Industry in the Philippines plays an important role in the food and employment need of Filipino fishers. By using anchored Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs or payao), the Philippine tuna fisheries was transformed into a million-dollar industry. Minimal studies on exploitation rates and

Computational analysis of a novel mutation in ETFDH gene highlights its long-range effects on the FAD-binding motif

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Chang Jan-Gowth

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Multiple acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD is an autosomal recessive disease caused by the defects in the mitochondrial electron transfer system and the metabolism of fatty acids. Recently, mutations in electron transfer flavoprotein dehydrogenase (ETFDH gene, encoding electron transfer flavoprotein:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (ETF:QO have been reported to be the major causes of riboflavin-responsive MADD. To date, no studies have been performed to explore the functional impact of these mutations or their mechanism of disrupting enzyme activity. Results High resolution melting (HRM analysis and sequencing of the entire ETFDH gene revealed a novel mutation (p.Phe128Ser and the hotspot mutation (p.Ala84Thr from a patient with MADD. According to the predicted 3D structure of ETF:QO, the two mutations are located within the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD binding domain; however, the two residues do not have direct interactions with the FAD ligand. Using molecular dynamics (MD simulations and normal mode analysis (NMA, we found that the p.Ala84Thr and p.Phe128Ser mutations are most likely to alter the protein structure near the FAD binding site as well as disrupt the stability of the FAD binding required for the activation of ETF:QO. Intriguingly, NMA revealed that several reported disease-causing mutations in the ETF:QO protein show highly correlated motions with the FAD-binding site. Conclusions Based on the present findings, we conclude that the changes made to the amino acids in ETF:QO are likely to influence the FAD-binding stability.

Component framework support for developing device drivers

OpenAIRE

Michiels, Sam; Kenens, Peter; Matthijs, Frank; Walravens, Dirk; Berbers, Yolande; Verbaeten, Pierre

2000-01-01

In this paper, we advocate the use of component framework technology for developing state-of-the-art system software. Relevant contributions of DiPS (Distrinet Protocol Stack), a component framework, include its anonymous interaction model, connectors for handling non-functional issues such as the concurrency model, and builder support. DiPS has effectively been used in industrial protocol stacks. This paper shows how we are using the DiPS component framework to build and support flexib...

Reduced acoustic startle response and peripheral hearing loss in the 5xFAD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Leary, T P; Shin, S; Fertan, E; Dingle, R N; Almuklass, A; Gunn, R K; Yu, Z; Wang, J; Brown, R E

2017-06-01

Hearing dysfunction has been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in humans, but there is little data on the auditory function of mouse models of AD. Furthermore, characterization of hearing ability in mouse models is needed to ensure that tests of cognition that use auditory stimuli are not confounded by hearing dysfunction. Therefore, we assessed acoustic startle response and pre-pulse inhibition in the double transgenic 5xFAD mouse model of AD from 3-4 to 16 months of age. The 5xFAD mice showed an age-related decline in acoustic startle as early as 3-4 months of age. We subsequently tested auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds at 4 and 13-14 months of age using tone bursts at frequencies of 2-32 kHz. The 5xFAD mice showed increased ABR thresholds for tone bursts between 8 and 32 kHz at 13-14 months of age. Finally, cochleae were extracted and basilar membranes were dissected to count hair cell loss across the cochlea. The 5xFAD mice showed significantly greater loss of both inner and outer hair cells at the apical and basal ends of the basilar membrane than wild-type mice at 15-16 months of age. These results indicate that the 5xFAD mouse model of AD shows age-related decreases in acoustic startle responses, which are at least partially due to age-related peripheral hearing loss. Therefore, we caution against the use of cognitive tests that rely on audition in 5xFAD mice over 3-4 months of age, without first confirming that performance is not confounded by hearing dysfunction. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.

Immobilization of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) onto carbon cloth and its application as working electrode in an electroenzymatic bioreactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Jayabalan, R; Sathishkumar, M; Jeong, E S; Mun, S P; Yun, S E

2012-11-01

A high porosity carbon cloth with immobilized FAD was employed as working electrode in electrochemical NADH-regeneration procedure. Carbon cloth was oxidized with hot acids to create surface carboxyl group and then coupled by adenine amino group of FAD with carbodiimide in the presence of N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide. The bioelectrocatalytic NADH-regeneration was coupled to the conversion of achiral substrate pyruvate into chiral product l-lactate by l-lactate dehydrogenase (l-LDH) within the same reactor. The conversion was completed at 96h in bioreactor with FAD-modified carbon cloth, resulting in about 6mM of l-lactate from 10mM of pyruvate. While with bare carbon cloth, the yield at 120h was around 5mM. Immobilized FAD on the surface of carbon cloth electrode facilitated it to carry electrons from electrode to electron transfer enzymes; thereby NADH-regeneration was accelerated to drive the enzymatic reaction efficiently. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prediction of FAD binding sites in electron transport proteins according to efficient radial basis function networks and significant amino acid pairs.

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Nguyen-Quoc-Khanh; Ou, Yu-Yen

2016-07-30

Cellular respiration is a catabolic pathway for producing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and is the most efficient process through which cells harvest energy from consumed food. When cells undergo cellular respiration, they require a pathway to keep and transfer electrons (i.e., the electron transport chain). Due to oxidation-reduction reactions, the electron transport chain produces a transmembrane proton electrochemical gradient. In case protons flow back through this membrane, this mechanical energy is converted into chemical energy by ATP synthase. The convert process is involved in producing ATP which provides energy in a lot of cellular processes. In the electron transport chain process, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is one of the most vital molecules for carrying and transferring electrons. Therefore, predicting FAD binding sites in the electron transport chain is vital for helping biologists understand the electron transport chain process and energy production in cells. We used an independent data set to evaluate the performance of the proposed method, which had an accuracy of 69.84 %. We compared the performance of the proposed method in analyzing two newly discovered electron transport protein sequences with that of the general FAD binding predictor presented by Mishra and Raghava and determined that the accuracy of the proposed method improved by 9-45 % and its Matthew's correlation coefficient was 0.14-0.5. Furthermore, the proposed method enabled reducing the number of false positives significantly and can provide useful information for biologists. We developed a method that is based on PSSM profiles and SAAPs for identifying FAD binding sites in newly discovered electron transport protein sequences. This approach achieved a significant improvement after we added SAAPs to PSSM features to analyze FAD binding proteins in the electron transport chain. The proposed method can serve as an effective tool for predicting FAD binding sites in electron

Pedagogical Support Components of Students' Social Adaptation

Science.gov (United States)

Vlasova, Vera K.; Simonova, Galina I.; Soleymani, Nassim

2016-01-01

The urgency of the problem stated in the article is caused by the need of pedagogical support of students' social adaptation on the basis of systematicity, which is achieved if we correctly define the components of the process. The aim of the article is to determine the pedagogical support components of students' social adaptation. The leading…

Urban Agriculture: Passing Fad or New Prospects for Agriculture and Cities?

OpenAIRE

Moschitz, Heidrun; Kueffer, Christoph

2016-01-01

While urban agriculture might be considered a passing fad, we argue that it is a vehicle to deal with many urgent topics of societal transformation towards a sustainable future. We discuss the potential of urban agriculture to change agriculture and urban life.

Reconstitution of apoglucose oxidase with FAD conjugates for biosensoring of progesterone

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Posthuma-Trumpie, G.A.; Berg, van den W.A.M.; Wiel, van de D.F.M.; Schaaper, W.M.M.; Korf, J.; Berkel, van W.J.H.

2007-01-01

The reconstitution of Aspergillus niger apoglucose oxidase (apoGOx) with FAD conjugates for biosensoring of progesterone was investigated. ApoGOx prepared by partial unfolding of the protein under acidic conditions consisted of reconstitutable monomers (50 ± 10%), reconstitutable dimers (20 ± 10%)

A Method for Measuring Fishing Effort by Small-Scale Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) Fishers from the Commonwealth of Dominica

Science.gov (United States)

Alvard, Michael; McGaffey, Ethan; Carlson, David

2015-01-01

We used global positioning system (GPS) technology and tracking analysis to measure fishing effort by marine, small-scale, fish aggregating device (FAD) fishers of the Commonwealth of Dominica. FADs are human-made structures designed to float on the surface of the water and attract fish. They are also prone to common pool resource problems. To…

Cellular characterization of cells from the Fanconi anemia complementation group, FA-D1/BRCA2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Godthelp, Barbara C. [Department of Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Building 2, Postzone S-6-P, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden (Netherlands); Buul, Paul P.W. van [Department of Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Building 2, Postzone S-6-P, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden (Netherlands); Jaspers, Nicolaas G.J. [Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Erasmus University, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam (Netherlands); Elghalbzouri-Maghrani, Elhaam [Department of Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Building 2, Postzone S-6-P, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden (Netherlands); Duijn-Goedhart, Annemarie van [Department of Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Building 2, Postzone S-6-P, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden (Netherlands); Arwert, Fre [Department of Clinical Genetics and Human Genetics, Free University Medical Center, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Joenje, Hans [Department of Clinical Genetics and Human Genetics, Free University Medical Center, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Zdzienicka, Malgorzata Z. [Department of Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Building 2, Postzone S-6-P, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden (Netherlands) and Department of Molecular Cell Genetics, Collegium Medicum, N.Copernicus University, Bydgoszcz (Poland)]. E-mail: M.Z.Zdzienicka@LUMC.nl

2006-10-10

Fanconi anemia (FA) is an inherited cancer-susceptibility disorder, characterized by genomic instability and hypersensitivity to DNA cross-linking agents. The discovery of biallelic BRCA2 mutations in the FA-D1 complementation group allows for the first time to study the characteristics of primary BRCA2-deficient human cells. FANCD1/BRCA2-deficient fibroblasts appeared hypersensitive to mitomycin C (MMC), slightly sensitive to methyl methane sulfonate (MMS), and like cells derived from other FA complementation groups, not sensitive to X-ray irradiation. However, unlike other FA cells, FA-D1 cells were slightly sensitive to UV irradiation. Despite the observed lack of X-ray sensitivity in cell survival, significant radioresistant DNA synthesis (RDS) was observed in the BRCA2-deficient fibroblasts but also in the FANCA-deficient fibroblasts, suggesting an impaired S-phase checkpoint. FA-D1/BRCA2 cells displayed greatly enhanced levels of spontaneous as well as MMC-induced chromosomal aberrations (Canada), similar to cells deficient in homologous recombination (HR) and non-D1 FA cells. In contrast to Brca2-deficient rodent cells, FA-D1/BRCA2 cells showed normal sister chromatid exchange (SCE) levels, both spontaneous as well as after MMC treatment. Hence, these data indicate that human cells with biallelic BRCA2 mutations display typical features of both FA- and HR-deficient cells, which suggests that FANCD1/BRCA2 is part of the integrated FA/BRCA DNA damage response pathway but also controls other functions outside the FA pathway.

Cellular characterization of cells from the Fanconi anemia complementation group, FA-D1/BRCA2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Godthelp, Barbara C.; Buul, Paul P.W. van; Jaspers, Nicolaas G.J.; Elghalbzouri-Maghrani, Elhaam; Duijn-Goedhart, Annemarie van; Arwert, Fre; Joenje, Hans; Zdzienicka, Malgorzata Z.

2006-01-01

Fanconi anemia (FA) is an inherited cancer-susceptibility disorder, characterized by genomic instability and hypersensitivity to DNA cross-linking agents. The discovery of biallelic BRCA2 mutations in the FA-D1 complementation group allows for the first time to study the characteristics of primary BRCA2-deficient human cells. FANCD1/BRCA2-deficient fibroblasts appeared hypersensitive to mitomycin C (MMC), slightly sensitive to methyl methane sulfonate (MMS), and like cells derived from other FA complementation groups, not sensitive to X-ray irradiation. However, unlike other FA cells, FA-D1 cells were slightly sensitive to UV irradiation. Despite the observed lack of X-ray sensitivity in cell survival, significant radioresistant DNA synthesis (RDS) was observed in the BRCA2-deficient fibroblasts but also in the FANCA-deficient fibroblasts, suggesting an impaired S-phase checkpoint. FA-D1/BRCA2 cells displayed greatly enhanced levels of spontaneous as well as MMC-induced chromosomal aberrations (Canada), similar to cells deficient in homologous recombination (HR) and non-D1 FA cells. In contrast to Brca2-deficient rodent cells, FA-D1/BRCA2 cells showed normal sister chromatid exchange (SCE) levels, both spontaneous as well as after MMC treatment. Hence, these data indicate that human cells with biallelic BRCA2 mutations display typical features of both FA- and HR-deficient cells, which suggests that FANCD1/BRCA2 is part of the integrated FA/BRCA DNA damage response pathway but also controls other functions outside the FA pathway

Age and haplotype variations within FADS1 interact and associate with alterations in fatty acid composition in human male cortical brain tissue.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erika Freemantle

Full Text Available Fatty acids (FA play an integral role in brain function and alterations have been implicated in a variety of complex neurological disorders. Several recent genomic studies have highlighted genetic variability in the fatty acid desaturase (FADS1/2/3 gene cluster as an important contributor to FA alterations in serum lipids as well as measures of FA desaturase index estimated by ratios of relevant FAs. The contribution to alterations of FAs within the brain by local synthesis is still a matter of debate. Thus, the impact of genetic variants in FADS genes on gene expression and brain FA levels is an important avenue to investigate.Analyses were performed on brain tissue from prefrontal cortex Brodmann area 47 (BA47 of 61 male subjects of French Canadian ancestry ranging in age from young adulthood to middle age (18-58 years old, with the exception of one teenager (15 years old. Haplotype tagging SNPs were selected using the publicly available HapMap genotyping dataset in conjunction with Haploview. DNA sequencing was performed by the Sanger method and gene expression was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. FAs in brain tissue were analysed by gas chromatography. Variants in the FADS1 gene region were sequenced and analyzed for their influence on both FADS gene expression and FAs in brain tissue.Our results suggest an association of the minor haplotype with alteration in estimated fatty acid desaturase activity. Analysis of the impact of DNA variants on expression and alternative transcripts of FADS1 and FADS2, however, showed no differences. Furthermore, there was a significant interaction between haplotype and age on certain brain FA levels.This study suggests that genetic variability in the FADS genes cluster, previously shown to be implicated in alterations in peripheral FA levels, may also affect FA composition in brain tissue, but not likely by local synthesis.

Structures of the Apo and FAD-bound forms of 2-hydroxybiphenyl 3-monooxygenase (HbpA) locate activity hotspots identified by using directed evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Chantel N; Mielke, Tamara; Farrugia, Joseph E; Frank, Annika; Man, Henry; Hart, Sam; Turkenburg, Johan P; Grogan, Gideon

2015-04-13

The FAD-dependent monooxygenase HbpA from Pseudomonas azelaica HBP1 catalyses the hydroxylation of 2-hydroxybiphenyl (2HBP) to 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl (23DHBP). HbpA has been used extensively as a model for studying flavoprotein hydroxylases under process conditions, and has also been subjected to directed-evolution experiments that altered its catalytic properties. The structure of HbpA has been determined in its apo and FAD-complex forms to resolutions of 2.76 and 2.03 Å, respectively. Comparisons of the HbpA structure with those of homologues, in conjunction with a model of the reaction product in the active site, reveal His48 as the most likely acid/base residue to be involved in the hydroxylation mechanism. Mutation of His48 to Ala resulted in an inactive enzyme. The structures of HbpA also provide evidence that mutants achieved by directed evolution that altered activity are comparatively remote from the substrate-binding site. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fad diets and their effect on urinary stone formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nouvenne, Antonio; Ticinesi, Andrea; Morelli, Ilaria; Guida, Loredana; Borghi, Loris; Meschi, Tiziana

2014-09-01

The influence of unhealthy dietary habits on urinary stone formation has been widely recognized in literature. Dietary advice is indeed the cornerstone prescription for prevention of nephrolithiasis as well. However, only a small amount of medical literature has addressed the influence of popular or fad diets, often self-prescribed for the management of obesity and overweight or for cultural beliefs, on the risk of kidney stones. Thereby in this paper we analyze the current knowledge on the effects of some popular diets on overall lithogenic risk. High-protein diets, like Dukan diet, raise some concerns, since animal proteins are able to increase urinary calcium and to decrease urinary citrate excretion, thus leading to a high overall lithogenic risk. Low-carbohydrate diets, like Atkins diet or zone diet, may have a protective role against kidney stone formation, but there are also evidences stating that this dietary approach may rise calciuria and decrease citraturia, since it is generally associated to a relatively high intake of animal proteins. Vegan diet can be harmful for urinary stone disease, especially for the risk of hyperuricemia and micronutrient deficiencies, even if only few studies have addressed this specific matter. On the other side, the benefits of a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet on kidney stone prevention have been largely emphasized, provided that the intake of calcium and oxalate is balanced. Traditional Mediterranean diet should exert a protective effect on nephrolithiasis as well, even if specific studies have not been carried out yet. High phytate and antioxidant content of this diet have however demonstrated to be beneficial in preventing the formation of new or recurrent calculi. Anyway, at the current state of knowledge, the most effective dietary approach to prevent kidney stone disease is a mild animal protein restriction, a balanced intake of carbohydrates and fats and a high intake of fruit and vegetables. Other fundamental aspects

Fad diets and their effect on urinary stone formation

Science.gov (United States)

Nouvenne, Antonio; Ticinesi, Andrea; Morelli, Ilaria; Guida, Loredana; Meschi, Tiziana

2014-01-01

The influence of unhealthy dietary habits on urinary stone formation has been widely recognized in literature. Dietary advice is indeed the cornerstone prescription for prevention of nephrolithiasis as well. However, only a small amount of medical literature has addressed the influence of popular or fad diets, often self-prescribed for the management of obesity and overweight or for cultural beliefs, on the risk of kidney stones. Thereby in this paper we analyze the current knowledge on the effects of some popular diets on overall lithogenic risk. High-protein diets, like Dukan diet, raise some concerns, since animal proteins are able to increase urinary calcium and to decrease urinary citrate excretion, thus leading to a high overall lithogenic risk. Low-carbohydrate diets, like Atkins diet or zone diet, may have a protective role against kidney stone formation, but there are also evidences stating that this dietary approach may rise calciuria and decrease citraturia, since it is generally associated to a relatively high intake of animal proteins. Vegan diet can be harmful for urinary stone disease, especially for the risk of hyperuricemia and micronutrient deficiencies, even if only few studies have addressed this specific matter. On the other side, the benefits of a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet on kidney stone prevention have been largely emphasized, provided that the intake of calcium and oxalate is balanced. Traditional Mediterranean diet should exert a protective effect on nephrolithiasis as well, even if specific studies have not been carried out yet. High phytate and antioxidant content of this diet have however demonstrated to be beneficial in preventing the formation of new or recurrent calculi. Anyway, at the current state of knowledge, the most effective dietary approach to prevent kidney stone disease is a mild animal protein restriction, a balanced intake of carbohydrates and fats and a high intake of fruit and vegetables. Other fundamental aspects

Fad diets and obesity--Part IV: Low-carbohydrate vs. low-fat diets.

Science.gov (United States)

Moyad, Mark A

2005-02-01

The first three parts of this series of articles covered the basics of some of the more popular low-carbohydrate diets, and the theories behind them. In the fourth and final part of this series, some of the more popular low-fat and low-calorie diets, such as the Ornish diet and Weight Watchers, are covered briefly. Recently, several clinical trials of longer duration that compared low-carbohydrate versus low-fat diets have been published. These studies demonstrate that some of the low-carbohydrate diets result in reduced weight in the short-term, but their ability to reduce weight long-term any better than low-fat or other diets has been questioned. Most popular or fad diets have some positive messages contained within them and some preliminary positive short-term results, but overall the compliance rates with any fad diet are very poor over the long-term. The decision to go on any diet should be made with a health professional who can monitor the patient closely.

Effects of tung oilseed FAD2 and DGAT2 genes on unsaturated fatty acid accumulation in Rhodotorula glutinis and Arabidopsis thaliana.

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Chen, Yicun; Cui, Qinqin; Xu, Yongjie; Yang, Susu; Gao, Ming; Wang, Yangdong

2015-08-01

Genetic engineering to produce valuable lipids containing unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) holds great promise for food and industrial applications. Efforts to genetically modify plants to produce desirable UFAs with single enzymes, however, have had modest success. The key enzymes fatty acid desaturase (FAD) and diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) are responsible for UFA biosynthesis (a push process) and assembling fatty acids into lipids (a pull process) in plants, respectively. To examine their roles in UFA accumulation, VfFAD2 and VfDGAT2 genes cloned from Vernicia fordii (tung tree) oilseeds were conjugated and transformed into Rhodotorula glutinis and Arabidopsis thaliana via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Real-time quantitative PCR revealed variable gene expression levels in the transformants, with a much higher level of VfDGAT2 than VfFAD2. The relationship between VfFAD2 expression and linoleic acid (C18:2) increases in R. glutinis (R (2) = 0.98) and A. thaliana (R (2) = 0.857) transformants was statistically linear. The VfDGAT2 expression level was statistically correlated with increased total fatty acid content in R. glutinis (R (2) = 0.962) and A. thaliana (R (2) = 0.8157) transformants. With a similar expression level between single- and two-gene transformants, VfFAD2-VfDGAT2 co-transformants showed a higher linolenic acid (C18:3) yield in R. glutinis (174.36 % increase) and A. thaliana (14.61 % increase), and eicosatrienoic acid (C20:3) was enriched (17.10 % increase) in A. thaliana. Our data suggest that VfFAD2-VfDGAT2 had a synergistic effect on UFA metabolism in R. glutinis, and to a lesser extent, A. thaliana. These results show promise for further genetic engineering of plant lipids to produce desirable UFAs.

Time-dependent density functional theory for multi-component systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiecheng Li; Peiqing Tong

1985-10-01

The Runge-Gross version of Hohenberg-Kohn-Sham's density functional theory is generalized to multi-component systems, both for arbitrary time-dependent pure states and for arbitrary time-dependent ensembles. (author)

Energy dependence of critical state of single-component systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volchenkova, R.A.

1985-01-01

Equations of critical states of the single-component systems: Psub(cr)(/Psub(o)=(Tsub(cr)/Tsub(o))x0.73, Tsub(cr)=K(Tsub(boil))sup(1.116) and Hsub(cr)(/Hsub(B)=Tsub(sr)/Tsub(B))sup(1.48) where Tsub(B)=1K, Hsub(B)-2 kcal/g-at, K-dimension factor are presented. It is shown that the revealed dependence Hsub(cr)=H(Tsub(cr)) is an energy boundary of a liquid-vapour phase state of the single-component systems beyond limits of which difference between liquid and vapour phases vanishes in increasing the system energy content. The given equations of state are true for all the single-component systems and permit to consider physicomechanical properties of substances in dynamic state depending on external conditions. Critical temperatures and dependences for elements from the most fusible He to infusible W and Re have been calculated

Specific-pathogen-free chickens vaccinated with a live FAdV-4 vaccine are fully protected against a severe challenge even in the absence of neutralizing antibodies.

Science.gov (United States)

Schonewille, Esther; Jaspers, Ron; Paul, Guntram; Hess, Michael

2010-06-01

By adapting a very virulent fowl adenovirus serotype 4 (FAdV-4) to a fibroblast cell line (QT35) instead of growing the virus in chicken embryo liver cells or chicken kidney cells, it was possible to attenuate the virus. Birds infected with the attenuated virus (FAdV-4/QT35) on the first day of life expressed no adverse clinical signs and no mortality. Intramuscular challenge with the virulent virus grown on chicken embryo liver cells (FAdV-4/CEL) at 21 days of life induced high mortality in previously nonvaccinated birds, whereas none of the birds vaccinated at 1 day old with FAdV-4/QT35 died due to this challenge. Applying enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and virus neutralization assay, only a weak antibody response could be detected in some birds following vaccination, a response that increased directly after challenge. Nonvaccinated birds displayed a delayed development of antibodies after challenge as compared to previously vaccinated birds. Even birds that did not develop a measurable neutralizing antibody titer prior to challenge were protected from the adverse effects of the virulent FAdV-4/CEL, a phenomenon not described so far for FAdVs. Altogether, the present investigation underlines that neutralizing antibodies are not needed to protect chickens against a severe infection with a virulent fowl adenovirus.

Objective selection of EEG late potentials through residual dependence estimation of independent components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milanesi, M; James, C J; Martini, N; Menicucci, D; Gemignani, A; Ghelarducci, B; Landini, L

2009-01-01

This paper presents a novel method to objectively select electroencephalographic (EEG) cortical sources estimated by independent component analysis (ICA) in event-related potential (ERP) studies. A proximity measure based on mutual information is employed to estimate residual dependences of the components that are then hierarchically clustered based on these residual dependences. Next, the properties of each group of components are evaluated at each level of the hierarchical tree by two indices that aim to assess both cluster tightness and physiological reliability through a template matching process. These two indices are combined in three different approaches to bring to light the hierarchical structure of the cluster organizations. Our method is tested on a set of experiments with the purpose of enhancing late positive ERPs elicited by emotional picture stimuli. Results suggest that the best way to look for physiologically plausible late positive potential (LPP) sources is to explore in depth the tightness of those clusters that, taken together, best resemble the template. According to our results, after brain sources clustering, LPPs are always identified more accurately than from ensemble-averaged raw data. Since the late components of an ERP involve the same associative areas, regardless of the modality of stimulation or specific tasks administered, the proposed method can be simply adapted to other ERP studies, and extended from psychophysiological studies to pathological or sport training evaluation support

Reliability Analysis of 6-Component Star Markov Repairable System with Spatial Dependence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liying Wang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Star repairable systems with spatial dependence consist of a center component and several peripheral components. The peripheral components are arranged around the center component, and the performance of each component depends on its spatial “neighbors.” Vector-Markov process is adapted to describe the performance of the system. The state space and transition rate matrix corresponding to the 6-component star Markov repairable system with spatial dependence are presented via probability analysis method. Several reliability indices, such as the availability, the probabilities of visiting the safety, the degradation, the alert, and the failed state sets, are obtained by Laplace transform method and a numerical example is provided to illustrate the results.

Emotional intelligence components in alcohol dependent and mentally healthy individuals.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohagheghi, Arash; Amiri, Shahrokh; Mousavi Rizi, Seyedreza; Safikhanlou, Salman

2015-01-01

Emotional intelligence might play an important role in the onset and persistence of different psychopathologies. This study investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence and alcohol dependence. In this case-control study, participants included alcohol dependent individuals and mentally healthy inpatients. Each group consisted of 40 individuals (male/female: 1). The diagnosis was based on the criteria of the DSM-IV-TR using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-IV). All the participants completed Bar-On emotional intelligence test. 20 males and 20 females were included in each group. Mean age of alcohol dependent participants and controls was 31.28±7.82 and 34.93±9.83 years in that order. The analyses showed that the alcohol dependent individuals had a significant difference compared with the control group and received lower scores in empathy, responsibility, impulse control, self-esteem, optimism, emotional consciousness, stress tolerance, autonomy, problem-solving, and total score of emotional intelligence components. Patients with alcohol dependence have deficits in components of emotional intelligence. Identifying and targeted training of the individuals with lower scores in components of emotional intelligence may be effective in prevention of alcohol dependence.

Prediction of Quality of Life of Non–Insulin-Dependent Diabetic Patients Based on Perceived Social Support

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hossein Shareh

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Background: The objective of this study was to predic quality of life based on perceived social support components in non–insulin-dependent diabetic patients.Materials and Method: Fifty patients with non–insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus from Al-Zahra diabetic center in Shiraz participated in a cross-sectional study via survey instrument. All subjects completed multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS and world health organization quality of life- brief (WHOQOL-BREF questionnaires. Results: On the basis of stepwise multiple regression analysis friends and family dimensions of perceived social support were the best predictors of the quality of life and its dimensions (p<0.01.Conclusion: Friends and family dimensions of perceived social support have significant contributions in predicting quality of life of patients with non–insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Polymorphisms in Fatty Acid Desaturase (FADS) Gene Cluster: Effects on Glycemic Controls Following an Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA) Supplementation

Science.gov (United States)

Cormier, Hubert; Rudkowska, Iwona; Thifault, Elisabeth; Lemieux, Simone; Couture, Patrick; Vohl, Marie-Claude

2013-01-01

Changes in desaturase activity are associated with insulin sensitivity and may be associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the fatty acid desaturase (FADS) gene cluster have been associated with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin sensitivity (HOMA-IS) and serum fatty acid composition. Objective: To investigate whether common genetic variations in the FADS gene cluster influence fasting glucose (FG) and fasting insulin (FI) responses following a 6-week n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) supplementation. Methods: 210 subjects completed a 2-week run-in period followed by a 6-week supplementation with 5 g/d of fish oil (providing 1.9 g–2.2 g of EPA + 1.1 g of DHA). Genotyping of 18 SNPs of the FADS gene cluster covering 90% of all common genetic variations (minor allele frequency ≥ 0.03) was performed. Results: Carriers of the minor allele for rs482548 (FADS2) had increased plasma FG levels after the n-3 PUFA supplementation in a model adjusted for FG levels at baseline, age, sex, and BMI. A significant genotype*supplementation interaction effect on FG levels was observed for rs482548 (p = 0.008). For FI levels, a genotype effect was observed with one SNP (rs174456). For HOMA-IS, several genotype*supplementation interaction effects were observed for rs7394871, rs174602, rs174570, rs7482316 and rs482548 (p = 0.03, p = 0.01, p = 0.03, p = 0.05 and p = 0.07; respectively). Conclusion: Results suggest that SNPs in the FADS gene cluster may modulate plasma FG, FI and HOMA-IS levels in response to n-3 PUFA supplementation. PMID:24705214

Polymorphisms in Fatty Acid Desaturase (FADS Gene Cluster: Effects on Glycemic Controls Following an Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA Supplementation

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Patrick Couture

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Changes in desaturase activity are associated with insulin sensitivity and may be associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM. Polymorphisms (SNPs in the fatty acid desaturase (FADS gene cluster have been associated with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin sensitivity (HOMA-IS and serum fatty acid composition. Objective: To investigate whether common genetic variations in the FADS gene cluster influence fasting glucose (FG and fasting insulin (FI responses following a 6-week n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA supplementation. Methods: 210 subjects completed a 2-week run-in period followed by a 6-week supplementation with 5 g/d of fish oil (providing 1.9 g–2.2 g of EPA + 1.1 g of DHA. Genotyping of 18 SNPs of the FADS gene cluster covering 90% of all common genetic variations (minor allele frequency ≥ 0.03 was performed. Results: Carriers of the minor allele for rs482548 (FADS2 had increased plasma FG levels after the n-3 PUFA supplementation in a model adjusted for FG levels at baseline, age, sex, and BMI. A significant genotype*supplementation interaction effect on FG levels was observed for rs482548 (p = 0.008. For FI levels, a genotype effect was observed with one SNP (rs174456. For HOMA-IS, several genotype*supplementation interaction effects were observed for rs7394871, rs174602, rs174570, rs7482316 and rs482548 (p = 0.03, p = 0.01, p = 0.03, p = 0.05 and p = 0.07; respectively. Conclusion: Results suggest that SNPs in the FADS gene cluster may modulate plasma FG, FI and HOMA-IS levels in response to n-3 PUFA supplementation.

Emotional Intelligence Components in Alcohol Dependent and Mentally Healthy Individuals

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Arash Mohagheghi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. Emotional intelligence might play an important role in the onset and persistence of different psychopathologies. This study investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence and alcohol dependence. Methods. In this case-control study, participants included alcohol dependent individuals and mentally healthy inpatients. Each group consisted of 40 individuals (male/female: 1. The diagnosis was based on the criteria of the DSM-IV-TR using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-IV. All the participants completed Bar-On emotional intelligence test. Results. 20 males and 20 females were included in each group. Mean age of alcohol dependent participants and controls was 31.28 ± 7.82 and 34.93 ± 9.83 years in that order. The analyses showed that the alcohol dependent individuals had a significant difference compared with the control group and received lower scores in empathy, responsibility, impulse control, self-esteem, optimism, emotional consciousness, stress tolerance, autonomy, problem-solving, and total score of emotional intelligence components. Conclusion. Patients with alcohol dependence have deficits in components of emotional intelligence. Identifying and targeted training of the individuals with lower scores in components of emotional intelligence may be effective in prevention of alcohol dependence.

Biodiversity and Habitat Characteristics of the Bycatch Assemblages in Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs and School Sets in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

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Nerea Lezama-Ochoa

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This study examined diversity and habitat characteristics for bycatch assemblages in two different types of fishing (drifting fish aggregating devices sets and sets made on school of tunas in the eastern Pacific Ocean (20°S–30°N and 70°–150°W between 2005 and 2011 using biodiversity metrics and Generalized Additive Models. Bycatch information was based on data collected by onboard observers covering more than 80% of the purse seine fishing trips. Our results suggest that diversity and habitat characteristics of the bycatch assemblages differ depending of the fishing mode. Thus, diversity was mostly explained by area and set type; being higher in fish aggregating devices (FAD sets than School sets. Concretely, diversity seems to be directly related with the equatorial upwelling and the front system in FAD sets and with the Costa Rica Dome and the coastal upwelling of Panama induced by wind jets in School sets. Among environmental variables, temperature and chlorophyll were the most important predictors to describe the diversity of the bycatch assemblages. This work has investigated multiple indicators related to the bycatch assemblages and their habitat, which could be helpful for the development of an Ecosystem Approach to Fishery Management (EAFM.

Umbilical cord PUFA are determined by maternal and child fatty acid desaturase (FADS) genetic variants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)

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Lattka, Eva; Koletzko, Berthold; Zeilinger, Sonja; Hibbeln, Joseph R.; Klopp, Norman; Ring, Susan M.; Steer, Colin D.

2012-01-01

Fetal supply with long-chain PUFA (LC-PUFA) during pregnancy is important for brain growth and visual and cognitive development and is provided by materno–fetal placental transfer. We recently showed that maternal fatty acid desaturase (FADS) genotypes modulate the amounts of LC-PUFA in maternal blood. Whether FADS genotypes influence the amounts of umbilical cord fatty acids has not been investigated until now. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of maternal and child FADS genotypes on the amounts of LC-PUFA in umbilical cord venous plasma as an indicator of fetal fatty acid supply during pregnancy. A total of eleven cord plasma n-6 and n-3 fatty acids were analysed for association with seventeen FADS gene cluster SNP in over 2000 mothers and children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. In a multivariable analysis, the maternal genotype effect was adjusted for the child genotype and vice versa to estimate which of the two has the stronger influence on cord plasma fatty acids. Both maternal and child FADS genotypes and haplotypes influenced amounts of cord plasma LC-PUFA and fatty acid ratios. Specifically, most analysed maternal SNP were associated with cord plasma levels of the precursor n-6 PUFA, whereas the child genotypes were mainly associated with more highly desaturated n-6 LC-PUFA. This first study on FADS genotypes and cord fatty acids suggests that fetal LC-PUFA status is determined to some extent by fetal fatty acid conversion. Associations of particular haplotypes suggest specific effects of SNP rs498793 and rs968567 on fatty acid metabolism. PMID:22877655

Transcriptional regulation of N-acetylaspartate metabolism in the 5xFAD model of Alzheimer's disease: evidence for neuron-glia communication during energetic crisis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaroff, Samantha; Leone, Paola; Markov, Vladimir; Francis, Jeremy S

2015-03-01

N-acetylaspartate (NAA) provides a non-invasive clinical index of neuronal metabolic integrity across the entire neurodegenerative spectrum. While NAA function is not comprehensively defined, reductions in the brain are associated with compromised mitochondrial metabolism and are tightly linked to ATP. We have undertaken an analysis of abnormalities in NAA during early stage pathology in the 5xFAD mouse model of familial Alzheimer's disease and show here that dysregulated expression of the gene encoding for the rate-limiting NAA synthetic enzyme (Nat8L) is associated with deficits in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in this model system. Downreguation of Nat8L is particularly pronounced in the 5xFAD hippocampus, and is preceded by a significant upregulation of oligodendrocytic aspartoacylase (aspa), which encodes for the sole known NAA-catabolizing enzyme in the brain. Reductions in 5xFAD NAA and Nat8L cannot be accounted for by discrepancies in either neuron content or activity of the substrate-providing malate-aspartate shuttle, thereby implicating transcriptional regulation in a coordinated response to pathological energetic crisis. A central role for ASPA in this response is supported by a parallel developmental analysis showing highly significant increases in Nat8L expression in an ASPA-null mouse model during a period of early postnatal development normally punctuated by the transcriptional upregulation of aspa. These results provide preliminary evidence of a signaling mechanism in Alzheimer's disease that involves cross talk between neurons and oligodendrocytes, and suggest that ASPA acts to negatively regulate Nat8L expression. This mechanism is proposed to be a fundamental means by which the brain conserves available substrate during energy crises. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

TALEN-mediated targeted mutagenesis of fatty acid desaturase 2 (FAD2) in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) promotes the accumulation of oleic acid.

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Wen, Shijie; Liu, Hao; Li, Xingyu; Chen, Xiaoping; Hong, Yanbin; Li, Haifen; Lu, Qing; Liang, Xuanqiang

2018-05-01

A first creation of high oleic acid peanut varieties by using transcription activator-like effecter nucleases (TALENs) mediated targeted mutagenesis of Fatty Acid Desaturase 2 (FAD2). Transcription activator like effector nucleases (TALENs), which allow the precise editing of DNA, have already been developed and applied for genome engineering in diverse organisms. However, they are scarcely used in higher plant study and crop improvement, especially in allopolyploid plants. In the present study, we aimed to create targeted mutagenesis by TALENs in peanut. Targeted mutations in the conserved coding sequence of Arachis hypogaea fatty acid desaturase 2 (AhFAD2) were created by TALENs. Genetic stability of AhFAD2 mutations was identified by DNA sequencing in up to 9.52 and 4.11% of the regeneration plants at two different targeted sites, respectively. Mutation frequencies among AhFAD2 mutant lines were significantly correlated to oleic acid accumulation. Genetically, stable individuals of positive mutant lines displayed a 0.5-2 fold increase in the oleic acid content compared with non-transgenic controls. This finding suggested that TALEN-mediated targeted mutagenesis could increase the oleic acid content in edible peanut oil. Furthermore, this was the first report on peanut genome editing event, and the obtained high oleic mutants could serve for peanut breeding project.

Identification of FadAB Complexes Involved in Fatty Acid β-Oxidation in Streptomyces coelicolor and Construction of a Triacylglycerol Overproducing strain

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Simón Menendez-Bravo

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Oleaginous microorganisms represent possible platforms for the sustainable production of oleochemicals and biofuels due to their metabolic robustness and the possibility to be engineered. Streptomyces coelicolor is among the narrow group of prokaryotes capable of accumulating triacylglycerol (TAG as carbon and energy reserve. Although the pathways for TAG biosynthesis in this organism have been widely addressed, the set of genes required for their breakdown have remained elusive so far. Here, we identified and characterized three gene clusters involved in the β-oxidation of fatty acids (FA. The role of each of the three different S. coelicolor FadAB proteins in FA catabolism was confirmed by complementation of an Escherichia coliΔfadBA mutant strain deficient in β-oxidation. In S. coelicolor, the expression profile of the three gene clusters showed variation related with the stage of growth and the presence of FA in media. Flux balance analyses using a corrected version of the current S. coelicolor metabolic model containing detailed TAG biosynthesis reactions suggested the relevance of the identified fadAB genes in the accumulation of TAG. Thus, through the construction and analysis of fadAB knockout mutant strains, we obtained an S. coelicolor mutant that showed a 4.3-fold increase in the TAG content compared to the wild type strain grown under the same culture conditions.

Large-Scale Examination of Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (dFADs) from Tropical Tuna Fisheries of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.

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Maufroy, Alexandra; Chassot, Emmanuel; Joo, Rocío; Kaplan, David Michael

2015-01-01

Since the 1990s, massive use of drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (dFADs) to aggregate tropical tunas has strongly modified global purse-seine fisheries. For the first time, a large data set of GPS positions from buoys deployed by French purse-seiners to monitor dFADs is analysed to provide information on spatio-temporal patterns of dFAD use in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans during 2007-2011. First, we select among four classification methods the model that best separates "at sea" from "on board" buoy positions. A random forest model had the best performance, both in terms of the rate of false "at sea" predictions and the amount of over-segmentation of "at sea" trajectories (i.e., artificial division of trajectories into multiple, shorter pieces due to misclassification). Performance is improved via post-processing removing unrealistically short "at sea" trajectories. Results derived from the selected model enable us to identify the main areas and seasons of dFAD deployment and the spatial extent of their drift. We find that dFADs drift at sea on average for 39.5 days, with time at sea being shorter and distance travelled longer in the Indian than in the Atlantic Ocean. 9.9% of all trajectories end with a beaching event, suggesting that 1,500-2,000 may be lost onshore each year, potentially impacting sensitive habitat areas, such as the coral reefs of the Maldives, the Chagos Archipelago, and the Seychelles.

Large-Scale Examination of Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (dFADs from Tropical Tuna Fisheries of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.

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Alexandra Maufroy

Full Text Available Since the 1990s, massive use of drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (dFADs to aggregate tropical tunas has strongly modified global purse-seine fisheries. For the first time, a large data set of GPS positions from buoys deployed by French purse-seiners to monitor dFADs is analysed to provide information on spatio-temporal patterns of dFAD use in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans during 2007-2011. First, we select among four classification methods the model that best separates "at sea" from "on board" buoy positions. A random forest model had the best performance, both in terms of the rate of false "at sea" predictions and the amount of over-segmentation of "at sea" trajectories (i.e., artificial division of trajectories into multiple, shorter pieces due to misclassification. Performance is improved via post-processing removing unrealistically short "at sea" trajectories. Results derived from the selected model enable us to identify the main areas and seasons of dFAD deployment and the spatial extent of their drift. We find that dFADs drift at sea on average for 39.5 days, with time at sea being shorter and distance travelled longer in the Indian than in the Atlantic Ocean. 9.9% of all trajectories end with a beaching event, suggesting that 1,500-2,000 may be lost onshore each year, potentially impacting sensitive habitat areas, such as the coral reefs of the Maldives, the Chagos Archipelago, and the Seychelles.

Changes of seed weight, fatty acid composition, oil and protein contents from different peanut FAD2 genotypes at different seed developmental and maturation stages

Science.gov (United States)

The level of oleic acid in peanut seed is one of the most important factors in determining seed quality and is controlled by two pairs of homeologous genes Fatty Acid Desaturase 2A and 2B (FAD2A and FAD2B). The genotypes of eight F8 breeding lines were determined as AABB, aaBB, AAbb, and aabb by rea...

Can polymorphisms in the fatty acid desaturase (FADS) gene cluster alter the effects of fish oil supplementation on plasma and erythrocyte fatty acid profiles? An exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Meldrum, Suzanne J; Li, Yuchun; Zhang, Guicheng; Heaton, Alexandra E M; D'Vaz, Nina; Manz, Judith; Reischl, Eva; Koletzko, Berthold V; Prescott, Susan L; Simmer, Karen

2017-09-19

The enzymes encoded by fatty acid desaturases (FADS) genes determine the desaturation of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA). We investigated if haplotype and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FADS gene cluster can influence LCPUFA status in infants who received either fish oil or placebo supplementation. Children enrolled in the Infant Fish Oil Supplementation Study (IFOS) were randomly allocated to receive either fish oil or placebo from birth to 6 months of age. Blood was collected at 6 months of age for the measurement of fatty acids and for DNA extraction. A total of 276 participant DNA samples underwent genotyping, and 126 erythrocyte and 133 plasma fatty acid measurements were available for analysis. Twenty-two FADS SNPs were selected on the basis of literature and linkage disequilibrium patterns identified from the HapMap data. Haplotype construction was completed using PHASE. For participants allocated to the fish oil group who had two copies of the FADS1 haplotype consisting of SNP minor alleles, DHA levels were significantly higher compared to other haplotypes. This finding was not observed for the placebo group. Furthermore, for members of the fish oil group only, the minor homozygous carriers of all the FADS1 SNPs investigated had significantly higher DHA than other genotypes (rs174545, rs174546, rs174548, rs174553, rs174556, rs174537, rs174448, and rs174455). Overall results of this preliminary study suggest that supplementation with fish oil may only significantly increase DHA in minor allele carriers of FADS1 SNPs. Further research is required to confirm this novel finding.

Radio/FADS/IMU integrated navigation for Mars entry

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Xiuqiang; Li, Shuang; Huang, Xiangyu

2018-03-01

Supposing future orbiting and landing collaborative exploration mission as the potential project background, this paper addresses the issue of Mars entry integrated navigation using radio beacon, flush air data sensing system (FADS), and inertial measurement unit (IMU). The range and Doppler information sensed from an orbiting radio beacon, the dynamic pressure and heating data sensed from flush air data sensing system, and acceleration and attitude angular rate outputs from an inertial measurement unit are integrated in an unscented Kalman filter to perform state estimation and suppress the system and measurement noise. Computer simulations show that the proposed integrated navigation scheme can enhance the navigation accuracy, which enables precise entry guidance for the given Mars orbiting and landing collaborative exploration mission.

Aromatase Expression in the Hippocampus of AD Patients and 5xFAD Mice

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Janine Prange-Kiel

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Numerous studies show that 17β-estradiol (E2 protects against Alzheimer’s disease (AD induced neurodegeneration. The E2-synthesizing enzyme aromatase is expressed in healthy hippocampi, but although the hippocampus is severely affected in AD, little is known about the expression of hippocampal aromatase in AD. To better understand the role of hippocampal aromatase in AD, we studied its expression in postmortem material from patients with AD and in a mouse model for AD (5xFAD mice. In human hippocampi, aromatase-immunoreactivity was observed in the vast majority of principal neurons and signal quantification revealed higher expression of aromatase protein in AD patients compared to age- and sex-matched controls. The tissue-specific first exons of aromatase I.f, PII, I.3, and I.6 were detected in hippocampi of controls and AD patients by RT-PCR. In contrast, 3-month-old, female 5xFAD mice showed lower expression of aromatase mRNA and protein (measured by qRT-PCR and semiquantitative immunohistochemistry than WT controls; no such differences were observed in male mice. Our findings stress the importance of hippocampal aromatase expression in neurodegenerative diseases.

Altered Gut Microbiome Composition and Tryptic Activity of the 5xFAD Alzheimer's Mouse Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Brandscheid, Carolin; Schuck, Florian; Reinhardt, Sven; Schäfer, Karl-Herbert; Pietrzik, Claus U; Grimm, Marcus; Hartmann, Tobias; Schwiertz, Andreas; Endres, Kristina

2017-01-01

The regulation of physiological gut functions such as peristalsis or secretion of digestive enzymes by the central nervous system via the Nervus vagus is well known. Recent investigations highlight that pathological conditions of neurological or psychiatric disorders might directly interfere with the autonomous neuronal network of the gut - the enteric nervous system, or even derive from there. By using a murine Alzheimer's disease model, we investigated a potential influence of disease-associated changes on gastrointestinal properties. 5xFAD mice at three different ages were compared to wild type littermates in regard to metabolic parameters and enzymes of the gut by fluorimetric enzyme assay and western blotting. Overexpression of human amyloid-β protein precursor (AβPP) within the gut was assessed by qPCR and IHC; fecal microbiome analysis was conducted by 16SrRNA quantitation of selected phyla and species. While general composition of fecal samples, locomotion, and food consumption of male 5xFAD animals were not changed, we observed a reduced body weight occurring at early pathological stages. Human AβPP was not only expressed within the brain of these mice but also in gut tissue. Analysis of fecal proteins revealed a reduced trypsin amount in the 5xFAD model mice as compared to the wild type. In addition, we observed changes in fecal microbiota composition along with age. We therefore suggest that the presence of the mutated transgenes (AβPP and PS1), which are per se the basis for the genetic form of Alzheimer's disease in humans, directly interferes with gut function as shown here for the disease model mice.

Affect of Presenilin Mutations on APP Cleavage; Insights into the Pathogenesis of FAD

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Nuomin eLi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Alzheimer disease (AD is characterized by progressive memory loss, reduction in cognitive functions, and damage to the brain. The β-amyloid precursor protein can be sequentially cleaved by β- secretase and γ-secretase. Mutations in the presenilin1（PS1） are the most common cause of Familial Alzheimer’s disease ( FAD. PS1 mutations can alter the activity of γ-secretase on the cleavage of the β-amyloid precursor protein, causing increased Aβ production. Previous studies show that the βAPP-C-terminal fragment is first cleaved by β-scretase, primarily generating long fragments of Aβ48 and Aβ49, followed by the stepwise cleavage of every three amino acid residues at the C terminus, resulting in Aβ48-, 45-, 42 line and Aβ49-, 46-, 43-, 40 line. Here, we used LC-MS/MS to analyze unique peptides IAT, VVIA, ITL，TVI，IVI through sequential cleavage, combined with ELISA to test the level of Aβ42 and Aβ40 for validation. The results show that most FAD mutant PS1 can alter the level of Aβ42 and Aβ40 monitored by the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio. Among them, 6 mutants (I143T, H163P, S170F, Q223R, M233V and G384A affect the Aβ42/40 ratio through both Aβ49-40 and Aβ48-38 lines; L166P through decreasing the Aβ49-40 line, 6 mutants (I143V, M146V, G217A, E280A, L381V and L392V through increasing the Aβ48-42 line. More importantly, we found some mutations can affect the γ-secretase cleavage preference of α-CTF and β-CTF. In conclusion, we found that the FAD PS1 mutations mainly increase the generation of Aβ42 by decreasing the cleavage of Aβ42-Aβ38 and Aβ43-Aβ40.

OeFAD8, OeLIP and OeOSM expression and activity in cold-acclimation of Olea europaea, a perennial dicot without winter-dormancy.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Angeli, Simone; Matteucci, Maya; Fattorini, Laura; Gismondi, Angelo; Ludovici, Matteo; Canini, Antonella; Altamura, Maria Maddalena

2016-05-01

Cold-acclimation genes in woody dicots without winter-dormancy, e.g., olive-tree, need investigation. Positive relationships between OeFAD8, OeOSM , and OeLIP19 and olive-tree cold-acclimation exist, and couple with increased lipid unsaturation and cutinisation. Olive-tree is a woody species with no winter-dormancy and low frost-tolerance. However, cold-tolerant genotypes were empirically selected, highlighting that cold-acclimation might be acquired. Proteins needed for olive-tree cold-acclimation are unknown, even if roles for osmotin (OeOSM) as leaf cryoprotectant, and seed lipid-transfer protein for endosperm cutinisation under cold, were demonstrated. In other species, FAD8, coding a desaturase producing α-linolenic acid, is activated by temperature-lowering, concomitantly with bZIP-LIP19 genes. The research was focussed on finding OeLIP19 gene(s) in olive-tree genome, and analyze it/their expression, and that of OeFAD8 and OeOSM, in drupes and leaves under different cold-conditions/developmental stages/genotypes, in comparison with changes in unsaturated lipids and cell wall cutinisation. Cold-induced cytosolic calcium transients always occurred in leaves/drupes of some genotypes, e.g., Moraiolo, but ceased in others, e.g., Canino, at specific drupe stages/cold-treatments, suggesting cold-acclimation acquisition only in the latter genotypes. Canino and Moraiolo were selected for further analyses. Cold-acclimation in Canino was confirmed by an electrolyte leakage from leaf/drupe membranes highly reduced in comparison with Moraiolo. Strong increases in fruit-epicarp/leaf-epidermis cutinisation characterized cold-acclimated Canino, and positively coupled with OeOSM expression, and immunolocalization of the coded protein. OeFAD8 expression increased with cold-acclimation, as the production of α-linolenic acid, and related compounds. An OeLIP19 gene was isolated. Its levels changed with a trend similar to OeFAD8. All together, results sustain a positive

FAD: A full-acceptance detector for physics at the SSC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bjorken, J.D.

1992-09-01

For high energy pp collisions, the concepts ''4π'' and ''full acceptance'' are distinct. At the SSC, the appropriate variables for describing phase space are the lego variables: pseudorapidity η and azimuthal angle φ. While most of 4π is covered by pseudorapidities less than 3 or 4 in magnitude, at the SSC there is very interesting physics out to η's of 9 to 12. For over a year I have been attempting to encourage an initiative at the SSC to provide a detector which could cover the missing acceptance of the two big detectors, which in particular have no appreciable charged particle tracking with good momentum resolution beyond rapidities of 2.5 or so. The nonnegotiable criteria for an FAD are for me the following: 1. All charged particles are seen and their momenta measured well, provided pt is not too large. 2. All photons are seen and their momenta are measured well. 3. The physics of rapidity-gaps is not compromised. This means angular coverage from 90 degrees down to tens of microradians. The above criteria cannot be met on day one of SSC commissioning with the amount of funds available. But I believe a staged approach is feasible, with a lot of interesting physics available along the way. The basic philosophy underlying the FAD idea is that it should first and most be a survey instrument, sensitive to almost everything, but optimized for almost nothing. Its strength is in the perception of complex patterns individual events, used as a signature of new and/or interesting physics. Examples of such patterns will be given later

Developing a Toolset Supporting the Construction of Reusable Components for Embedded Control Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guan, Wei; Sierszecki, Krzysztof; Angelov, Christo K.

2010-01-01

Reusing software components for embedded control applications enhances product quality and reduces time to market when appropriate (formal) methodologies and supporting toolsets are available. That is why industrial companies are interested in developing trusted, in-house reusable components for ...... on open-source technology, in accordance with industrial requirements, as well as the approach used to engineer a toolset supporting component development for embedded control applications.......Reusing software components for embedded control applications enhances product quality and reduces time to market when appropriate (formal) methodologies and supporting toolsets are available. That is why industrial companies are interested in developing trusted, in-house reusable components...

Optimal condition-based maintenance decisions for systems with dependent stochastic degradation of components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, H.P.; Zhou, W.; Zhang, S.; Ye, W.

2014-01-01

Components in engineered systems are subjected to stochastic deterioration due to the operating environmental conditions, and the uncertainty in material properties. The components need to be inspected and possibly replaced based on preventive or failure replacement criteria to provide the intended and safe operation of the system. In the present study, we investigate the influence of dependent stochastic degradation of multiple components on the optimal maintenance decisions. We use copula to model the dependent stochastic degradation of components, and formulate the optimal decision problem based on the minimum expected cost rule and the stochastic dominance rules. The latter is used to cope with decision maker's risk attitude. We illustrate the developed probabilistic analysis approach and the influence of the dependency of the stochastic degradation on the preferred decisions through numerical examples

Hubungan Facebook Addiction Disorder (Fad) dengan Perilaku Asertif Remaja di SMA Kristen 1 Tomohon

OpenAIRE

Polii, Gloria Gratia; Bidjuni, Hendro; Wowiling, Ferdinand

2014-01-01

: Facebook addiction berarti menghabiskan jumlah waktu yang berlebihan di facebook. Facebook merupakan situs jejaring sosial yang mudah digunakan, dan yang paling penting adalah mempunyai efek mencandu. Secara psikologis, dampak negatif kecanduan facebook dapat dibagi atas: Pribadi yang anti sosial dan Dualisme kepribadian. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui hubungan Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) dengan Perilaku Asertif Remaja di SMA Kristen 1 Tomohon. Desain penelitian ini dilaksanak...

Signal-dependent independent component analysis by tunable mother wavelets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seo, Kyung Ho

2006-02-01

The objective of this study is to improve the standard independent component analysis when applied to real-world signals. Independent component analysis starts from the assumption that signals from different physical sources are statistically independent. But real-world signals such as EEG, ECG, MEG, and fMRI signals are not statistically independent perfectly. By definition, standard independent component analysis algorithms are not able to estimate statistically dependent sources, that is, when the assumption of independence does not hold. Therefore before independent component analysis, some preprocessing stage is needed. This paper started from simple intuition that wavelet transformed source signals by 'well-tuned' mother wavelet will be simplified sufficiently, and then the source separation will show better results. By the correlation coefficient method, the tuning process between source signal and tunable mother wavelet was executed. Gamma component of raw EEG signal was set to target signal, and wavelet transform was executed by tuned mother wavelet and standard mother wavelets. Simulation results by these wavelets was shown

Effect of Presenilin Mutations on APP Cleavage; Insights into the Pathogenesis of FAD

OpenAIRE

Li, Nuomin; Liu, Kefu; Qiu, Yunjie; Ren, Zehui; Dai, Rongji; Deng, Yulin; Qing, Hong

2016-01-01

Alzheimer disease (AD) is characterized by progressive memory loss, reduction in cognitive functions, and damage to the brain. The β-amyloid precursor protein can be sequentially cleaved by β- secretase and γ-secretase. Mutations in the presenilin1(PS1) are the most common cause of Familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD). PS1 mutations can alter the activity of γ-secretase on the cleavage of the β-amyloid precursor protein, causing increased Aβ production. Previous studies show that the βAPP-C-ter...

The role of Val-265 for flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) binding in pyruvate oxidase: FTIR, kinetic, and crystallographic studies on the enzyme variant V265A.

Science.gov (United States)

Wille, Georg; Ritter, Michaela; Weiss, Manfred S; König, Stephan; Mäntele, Werner; Hübner, Gerhard

2005-04-05

In pyruvate oxidase (POX) from Lactobacillus plantarum, valine 265 participates in binding the cofactor FAD and is responsible for the strained conformation of its isoalloxazine moiety that is visible in the crystal structure of POX. The contrasting effects of the conservative amino acid exchange V265A on the enzyme's catalytic properties, cofactor affinity, and protein structure were investigated. The most prominent effect of the exchange was observed in the 2.2 A crystal structure of the mutant POX. While the overall structures of the wild-type and the variant are similar, flavin binding in particular is clearly different. Local disorder at the isoalloxazine binding site prevents modeling of the complete FAD cofactor and two protein loops of the binding site. Only the ADP moiety shows well-defined electron density, indicating an "anchor" function for this part of the molecule. This notion is corroborated by competition experiments where ADP was used to displace FAD from the variant enzyme. Despite the fact that the affinity of FAD binding in the variant is reduced, the catalytic properties are very similar to the wild-type, and the redox potential of the bound flavin is the same for both proteins. The rate of electron transfer toward the flavin during turnover is reduced to one-third compared to the wild-type, but k(cat) remains unchanged. Redox-triggered FTIR difference spectroscopy of free FAD shows the nu(C(10a)=N(1)) band at 1548 cm(-)(1). In POX-V265A, this band is found at 1538 cm(-)(1) and thus shifted less strongly than in wild-type POX where it is found at 1534 cm(-)(1). Taking these observations together, the conservative exchange V265A in POX has a surprisingly small effect on the catalytic properties of the enzyme, whereas the effect on the three-dimensional structure is rather big.

The loss of function of PhaC1 is a survival mechanism that counteracts the stress caused by the overproduction of poly-3-hydroxyalkanoates in Pseudomonas putidaΔfadBA.

Science.gov (United States)

Obeso, José I; Maestro, Beatriz; Sanz, Jesús M; Olivera, Elías R; Luengo, José M

2015-09-01

The poly-3-hydroxylkanoate (PHA)-overproducing mutant Pseudomonas putida U ΔfadBA (PpΔfadBA) lacks the genes encoding the main β-oxidation pathway (FadBA). This strain accumulates enormous amounts of bioplastics when cultured in chemically defined media containing PHA precursors (different n-alkanoic or n-aryl-alkanoic acids) and an additional carbon source. In medium containing glucose or 4-hydroxy-phenylacetate, the mutant does not accumulate PHAs and grows just as the wild type (P. putida U). However, when the carbon source is octanoate, growth is severely impaired, suggesting that in PpΔfadBA, the metabolic imbalance resulting from a lower rate of β-oxidation, together with the accumulation of bioplastics, causes severe physiological stress. Here, we show that PpΔfadBA efficiently counteracts this latter effect via a survival mechanism involving the introduction of spontaneous mutations that block PHA accumulation. Surprisingly, genetic analyses of the whole pha cluster revealed that these mutations occurred only in the gene encoding one of the polymerases (phaC1) and that the loss of PhaC1 function was enough to prevent PHA synthesis. The influence of these mutations on the structure of PhaC1 and the existence of a protein-protein (PhaC1-PhaC2) interaction that explains the functionality of the polymerization system are discussed herein. © 2015 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effects of self-esteem on state and trait components of interpersonal dependency and depression in the workplace.

Science.gov (United States)

Takagishi, Yukihiro; Sakata, Masatsugu; Kitamura, Toshinori

2011-09-01

This longitudinal study was undertaken to clarify the relationships among self-esteem, interpersonal dependency, and depression, focusing on a trait and state component of interpersonal dependency and depression. In a sample of 466 working people, self-esteem, interpersonal dependency, job stressor, and depression were assessed at 2 points of time. A structural equation model (SEM) was created to differentiate the trait component of interpersonal dependency, depression and the state component of interpersonal dependency, depression. The model revealed that self-esteem influenced trait interpersonal dependency and trait depression but not state interpersonal dependency or depression. Setting a latent variable as a trait component to differentiate trait and state in interpersonal dependency and depression in SEM was found to be effective both statistically and clinically. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A component analysis of positive behaviour support plans.

Science.gov (United States)

McClean, Brian; Grey, Ian

2012-09-01

Positive behaviour support (PBS) emphasises multi-component interventions by natural intervention agents to help people overcome challenging behaviours. This paper investigates which components are most effective and which factors might mediate effectiveness. Sixty-one staff working with individuals with intellectual disability and challenging behaviours completed longitudinal competency-based training in PBS. Each staff participant conducted a functional assessment and developed and implemented a PBS plan for one prioritised individual. A total of 1,272 interventions were available for analysis. Measures of challenging behaviour were taken at baseline, after 6 months, and at an average of 26 months follow-up. There was a significant reduction in the frequency, management difficulty, and episodic severity of challenging behaviour over the duration of the study. Escape was identified by staff as the most common function, accounting for 77% of challenging behaviours. The most commonly implemented components of intervention were setting event changes and quality-of-life-based interventions. Only treatment acceptability was found to be related to decreases in behavioural frequency. No single intervention component was found to have a greater association with reductions in challenging behaviour.

Fatty acid desaturase (FADS gene polymorphisms and insulin resistance in association with serum phospholipid polyunsaturated fatty acid composition in healthy Korean men: cross-sectional study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Long In

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background We investigated the relationship between fatty acid desaturase (FADS gene polymorphisms and insulin resistance (IR in association with serum phospholipid polyunsaturated fatty acid (FA composition in healthy Korean men. Methods Healthy men (n = 576, 30 ~ 79 years old were genotyped for rs174537 near FADS1 (FEN1-10154G>T, FADS2 (rs174575C>G, rs2727270C>T, and FADS3 (rs1000778C>T SNPs. Dietary intake, serum phospholipid FA composition and HOMA-IR were measured. Results Fasting insulin and HOMA-IR were significantly higher in the rs174575G allele carriers than the CC homozygotes, but lower in the rs2727270T allele carriers than the CC homozygotes. The proportion of linoleic acid (18:2ω-6, LA was higher in the minor allele carriers of FEN1-10154G>T, rs174575C>G and rs2727270C>T than the major homozygotes, respectively. On the other hand, the proportions of dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (20:3ω-6, DGLA and arachidonic acid (20:4ω-6, AA in serum phospholipids were significantly lower in the minor allele carriers of FEN1-10154 G>T carriers and rs2727270C>T than the major homozygotes respectively. AA was also significantly lower in the rs1000778T allele carriers than the CC homozygotes. HOMA-IR positively correlated with LA and DGLA and negatively with AA/DGLA in total subjects. Interestingly, rs174575G allele carriers showed remarkably higher HOMA-IR than the CC homozygotes when subjects had higher proportions of DLGA (≥1.412% in total serum phospholipid FA composition (P for interaction = 0.009 or of AA (≥4.573% (P for interaction = 0.047. Conclusion HOMA-IR is associated with FADS gene cluster as well as with FA composition in serum phospholipids. Additionally, HOMA-IR may be modulated by the interaction between rs174575C>G and the proportion of DGLA or AA in serum phospholipids.

Images and Spectra of Time Dependent Two Component Advective Flow in Presence of Outflows

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterjee, Arka; Chakrabarti, Sandip K.; Ghosh, Himadri; Garain, Sudip K.

2018-05-01

Two Component Advective Flow (TCAF) successfully explains the spectral and temporal properties of outbursting or persistent sources. Images of static TCAF with Compton cloud or CENtrifugal pressure supported Boundary Layer (CENBOL) due to gravitational bending of photons have been studied before. In this paper, we study time dependent images of advective flows around a Schwarzschild black hole which include cooling effects due to Comptonization of soft photons from a Keplerian disks well as the self-consistently produced jets and outflows. We show the overall image of the disk-jet system after convolving with a typical beamwidth. A long exposure image with time dependent system need not show the black hole horizon conspicuously, unless one is looking at a soft state with no jet or the system along the jet axis. Assuming these disk-jet configurations are relevant to radio emitting systems also, our results would be useful to look for event horizons in high accretion rate Supermassive Black Holes in Seyfert galaxies, RL Quasars.

A prospective study of the effects of breastfeeding and FADS2 polymorphisms on cognition and hyperactivity/attention problems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groen-Blokhuis, Maria M.; Franić, S.; van Beijsterveldt, Catharina E. M.; de Geus, Eco; Bartels, Meike; Davies, Gareth E.; Ehli, Erik A.; Xiao, Xiangjun; Scheet, Paul A.; Althoff, Robert; Hudziak, James J.; Middeldorp, Christel M.; Boomsma, Dorret I.

2013-01-01

Breastfeeding has been associated with improved cognitive functioning. There is a beneficial effect on IQ, and possibly on associated phenotypes such as attention problems. It has been suggested that the effect on IQ is moderated by polymorphisms in the FADS2 gene, which is involved in fatty acid

RNAi trigger fragment truncation attenuates soybean FAD2-1 transcript suppression and yields intermediate oil phenotypes.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Nicholas; Mroczka, Andrew; Roberts, Peter D; Schreckengost, William; Voelker, Toni

2011-09-01

Suppression of the microsomal ω6 oleate desaturase during the seed development of soybean (Glycine max) with the 420-bp soybean FAD2-1A intron as RNAi trigger shifts the conventional fatty acid composition of soybean oil from 20% oleic and 60% polyunsaturates to one containing greater than 80% oleic acid and less than 10% polyunsaturates. To determine whether RNAi could be attenuated by reducing the trigger fragment length, transgenic plants were generated to express successively shorter 5' or 3' deletion derivatives of the FAD2-1A intron. We observed a gradual reduction in transcript suppression with shorter trigger fragments. Fatty acid composition was less affected with shorter triggers, and triggers less than 60 bp had no phenotypic effect. No trigger sequences conferring significantly higher or lower suppression efficiencies were found, and the primary determinant of suppression effect was sequence length. The observed relationship of transcript suppression with the induced fatty acid phenotype indicates that RNAi is a saturation process and not a step change between suppressed and nonsuppressed states and intermediate suppression states can be achieved. © 2010 Monsanto. Plant Biotechnology Journal © 2010 Society for Experimental Biology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Effect modification of FADS2 polymorphisms on the association between breastfeeding and intelligence: protocol for a collaborative meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartwig, Fernando Pires; Davies, Neil Martin; Horta, Bernardo Lessa; Victora, Cesar Gomes; Davey Smith, George

2016-06-15

Evidence from observational studies and randomised controlled trials suggests that breastfeeding is positively associated with IQ, possibly because breast milk is a source of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Different studies have detected gene-breastfeeding interactions involving FADS2 variants and intelligence. However, findings are inconsistent regarding the direction of such effect modification. To clarify how FADS2 and breastfeeding interact in their association with IQ, we are conducting a consortium-based meta-analysis of independent studies. Results produced by each individual study using standardised analysis scripts and harmonised data will be used. breastfeeding, IQ and either rs174575 or rs1535 polymorphisms available; and being of European ancestry. twin studies; only poorly imputed genetic data available; or unavailability of proper ethics approval. Studies will be invited based on being known to have at least some of the required data, or suggested by participating studies as potentially eligible. This inclusive approach will favour achieving a larger sample size and be less prone to publication bias. Improving current understanding of FADS2-breastfeeding interaction may provide important biological insights regarding the importance of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids for the breastfeeding-IQ association. This meta-analysis will help to improve such knowledge by replicating earlier studies, conducting additional analysis and evaluating different sources of heterogeneity. Publishing this protocol will minimise the possibility of bias due to post hoc changes to the analysis protocol. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Generalization of risk concept in case risk components depend on time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volkov, Yu.V.

2006-01-01

Ratios of risk assessments vs. nuclear technologies objects have been obtained for cases when that kind of risk components as accident probability and the consequent damage depend on time. Such generalization of risk concept ensures new possibilities for performing the probabilistic safety analysis which have been demonstrated with simple models in the present paper. As an example safety of radioactive storage with one-component activity has been analyzed with a very simple model [ru

A review of multi-component maintenance models with economic dependence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R. Dekker (Rommert); R.E. Wildeman (Ralph); F.A. van der Duyn Schouten (Frank)

1997-01-01

textabstractIn this paper we review the literature on multi-component maintenance models with economic dependence. The emphasis is on papers that appeared after 1991, but there is an overlap with Section 2 of the most recent review paper by Cho and Parlar (1991). We distinguish between stationary

Risk of dependence associated with health, social support, and lifestyle.

Science.gov (United States)

Alcañiz, Manuela; Brugulat, Pilar; Guillén, Montserrat; Medina-Bustos, Antonia; Mompart-Penina, Anna; Solé-Auró, Aïda

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE To analyze the prevalence of individuals at risk of dependence and its associated factors. METHODS The study was based on data from the Catalan Health Survey, Spain conducted in 2010 and 2011. Logistic regression models from a random sample of 3,842 individuals aged ≥ 15 years were used to classify individuals according to the state of their personal autonomy. Predictive models were proposed to identify indicators that helped distinguish dependent individuals from those at risk of dependence. Variables on health status, social support, and lifestyles were considered. RESULTS We found that 18.6% of the population presented a risk of dependence, especially after age 65. Compared with this group, individuals who reported dependence (11.0%) had difficulties performing activities of daily living and had to receive support to perform them. Habits such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and being sedentary were associated with a higher probability of dependence, particularly for women. CONCLUSIONS Difficulties in carrying out activities of daily living precede the onset of dependence. Preserving personal autonomy and function without receiving support appear to be a preventive factor. Adopting an active and healthy lifestyle helps reduce the risk of dependence.

A condition-based maintenance policy for multi-component systems with Lévy copulas dependence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Heping; Deloux, Estelle; Dieulle, Laurence

2016-01-01

In this paper, we propose a new condition-based maintenance policy for multi-component systems taking into account stochastic and economic dependences. The stochastic dependence between components due to common environment is modelled by Lévy copulas. Its influence on the maintenance optimization is investigated with different dependence degrees. On the issue of economic dependence providing opportunities to group maintenance activities, a new maintenance decision rule is proposed which permits maintenance grouping. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed maintenance policy, we compare it to the classical maintenance policies. - Highlights: • A new adaptive maintenance policy for grouping maintenance actions is proposed. • The impacts of both economic and stochastic dependences are investigated. • The performance of the proposed maintenance policy is evaluated under different system configurations. • The stochastic dependence is modelled by Lévy copulas. • The proposed maintenance decision rule can take full advantage of economic and stochastic dependences.

Prereplicative complexes assembled in vitro support origin-dependent and independent DNA replication

Science.gov (United States)

On, Kin Fan; Beuron, Fabienne; Frith, David; Snijders, Ambrosius P; Morris, Edward P; Diffley, John F X

2014-01-01

Eukaryotic DNA replication initiates from multiple replication origins. To ensure each origin fires just once per cell cycle, initiation is divided into two biochemically discrete steps: the Mcm2-7 helicase is first loaded into prereplicative complexes (pre-RCs) as an inactive double hexamer by the origin recognition complex (ORC), Cdt1 and Cdc6; the helicase is then activated by a set of “firing factors.” Here, we show that plasmids containing pre-RCs assembled with purified proteins support complete and semi-conservative replication in extracts from budding yeast cells overexpressing firing factors. Replication requires cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) and Dbf4-dependent kinase (DDK). DDK phosphorylation of Mcm2-7 does not by itself promote separation of the double hexamer, but is required for the recruitment of firing factors and replisome components in the extract. Plasmid replication does not require a functional replication origin; however, in the presence of competitor DNA and limiting ORC concentrations, replication becomes origin-dependent in this system. These experiments indicate that Mcm2-7 double hexamers can be precursors of replication and provide insight into the nature of eukaryotic DNA replication origins. PMID:24566989

A study of associations between early DHA status and fatty acid desaturase (FADS) SNP and developmental outcomes in children of obese mothers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Karina R; Harsløf, Laurine B S; Schnurr, Theresia M

2017-01-01

DHA from diet or endogenous synthesis has been proposed to affect infant development, however, results are inconclusive. In this study, we aim to verify previously observed fatty acid desaturase gene cluster (FADS) SNP-specific associations with erythrocyte DHA status in 9-month-old children...... and sex-specific association with developmental outcomes. The study was performed in 166 children (55 % boys) of obese mothers. Erythrocyte fatty acid composition was analysed in blood-samples obtained at 9 months of age, and developmental outcomes assessed by the Ages and Stages Questionnaire at 3 years......-increasing FADS SNP and erythrocyte DHA status were consistently associated with improved personal-social skills in this small cohort of children of obese mothers irrespective of sex, but the sample was too small to verify potential sex-specific effects....

Mobile Phone Dependence, Social Support and Impulsivity in Chinese University Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Mei, Songli; Chai, Jingxin; Wang, Shi-Bin; Ng, Chee H; Ungvari, Gabor S; Xiang, Yu-Tao

2018-03-13

This study examined the frequency of mobile phone dependence in Chinese university students and explored its association with social support and impulsivity. Altogether, 909 university students were consecutively recruited from a large university in China. Mobile phone use, mobile phone dependence, impulsivity, and social support were measured with standardized instruments. The frequency of possible mobile phone use and mobile phone dependence was 78.3% and 7.4%, respectively. Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that compared with no mobile phone dependence, possible mobile phone dependence was significantly associated with being male ( p = 0.04, OR = 0.7, 95% CI: 0.4-0.98), excessive mobile phone use ( p phone dependence was associated with length of weekly phone use ( p = 0.01, OR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.2-5.0), excessive mobile phone use ( p phone dependence and mobile phone dependence was high in this sample of Chinese university students. A significant positive association with impulsivity was found, but not with social support.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the FADS Gene Cluster but not the ELOVL2 Gene are Associated with Serum Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Composition and Development of Allergy (in a Swedish Birth Cohort

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Malin Barman

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Exposure to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA influences immune function and may affect the risk of allergy development. Long chain PUFAs are produced from dietary precursors catalyzed by desaturases and elongases encoded by FADS and ELOVL genes. In 211 subjects, we investigated whether polymorphisms in the FADS gene cluster and the ELOVL2 gene were associated with allergy or PUFA composition in serum phospholipids in a Swedish birth-cohort sampled at birth and at 13 years of age; allergy was diagnosed at 13 years of age. Minor allele carriers of rs102275 and rs174448 (FADS gene cluster had decreased proportions of 20:4 n-6 in cord and adolescent serum and increased proportions of 20:3 n-6 in cord serum as well as a nominally reduced risk of developing atopic eczema, but not respiratory allergy, at 13 years of age. Minor allele carriers of rs17606561 in the ELOVL2 gene had nominally decreased proportions of 20:4 n-6 in cord serum but ELOVL polymorphisms (rs2236212 and rs17606561 were not associated with allergy development. Thus, reduced capacity to desaturase n-6 PUFAs due to FADS polymorphisms was nominally associated with reduced risk for eczema development, which could indicate a pathogenic role for long-chain PUFAs in allergy development.

Crying in Context: Understanding Associations With Interpersonal Dependency and Social Support

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine L. Fiori

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This study examines the associations among interpersonal dependency, social support, and crying proneness, since crying is a behavior that is particularly relevant to the affiliative interpersonal goals characterizing maladaptive forms of dependency (Keltner & Kring, 1998. Data were collected from 305 first-year university students (M age = 18 years. A series of hierarchical linear regressions, controlling for gender, commuting status, romantic relationship status, stress, loneliness, and depressive symptoms, partially supported our hypotheses. That is, we found that a measure of maladaptive dependency (destructive overdependence, or DO and crying proneness were positively correlated, and that DO moderated the associations between social support and crying proneness. Specifically, we found that social support and crying were more closely positively associated among individuals high on DO compared to individuals low on DO. Our findings imply that interpersonal dependency may be an important factor in understanding individual differences in crying, and in determining whether crying is a successful elicitor of social support.

Association of polymorphisms in FADS gene with age-related changes in serum phospholipid polyunsaturated fatty acids and oxidative stress markers in middle-aged nonobese men

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong SH

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Seul Hee Hong,1,* Jung Hyun Kwak,2,* Jean Kyung Paik,3 Jey Sook Chae,2 Jong Ho Lee1,21National Research Laboratory for Clinical Nutrigenetics/Nutrigenomics, 2Research Institute of Science for Aging, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea; 3Department of Food and Nutrition, Eulji University, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea *These authors contributed equally to this workBackground: To investigate the association of FADS gene polymorphisms with age-related changes in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs in serum phospholipids and oxidative stress markers.Methods: We genotyped 122 nonobese men aged 35–59 years without any known diseases at baseline for rs174537 near FADS1 (FEN1 rs174537G > T, FADS2 (rs174575, rs2727270, and FADS3 (rs1000778, and followed them for 3 years.Results: Among the four single-nucleotide polymorphisms, the minor variants of rs174537 and rs2727270 were significantly associated with lower concentrations of long-chain PUFAs. However, rs174537G > T showed stronger association. At baseline, men with the rs174537T allele had lower arachidonic acid (AA and AA/linoleic acid (LA, and higher interleukin (IL-6 levels than rs174537GG counterparts. After 3 years, rs174537GG men had significantly increased AA (P = 0.022, AA/dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA (P = 0.007, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, low-density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol, and oxidized LDL (ox-LDL, but decreased eicosatrienoic acid. The rs174537T group showed significantly increased γ-linolenic acid and ox-LDL, and decreased eicosadienoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA/α-linolenic acid (ALA, and IL-6. After 3 years, the rs174537T group had lower AA (P < 0.001, AA/DGLA (P = 0.019, EPA, DPA, EPA/ALA, and urinary 8-epi-prostaglandin F2α (8-epi-PGF2α (P = 0.011 than rs174537GG. Changes in AA (P = 0.001, AA/DGLA (P = 0.017, EPA, DPA, EPA/ALA, and urinary 8-epi-PGF2α (P < 0.001 were significantly different between the groups after adjusting for baseline values. Overall, changes in AA

Mobile Phone Dependence, Social Support and Impulsivity in Chinese University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Mei, Songli; Chai, Jingxin; Wang, Shi-Bin; Ng, Chee H.; Ungvari, Gabor S.; Xiang, Yu-Tao

2018-01-01

This study examined the frequency of mobile phone dependence in Chinese university students and explored its association with social support and impulsivity. Altogether, 909 university students were consecutively recruited from a large university in China. Mobile phone use, mobile phone dependence, impulsivity, and social support were measured with standardized instruments. The frequency of possible mobile phone use and mobile phone dependence was 78.3% and 7.4%, respectively. Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that compared with no mobile phone dependence, possible mobile phone dependence was significantly associated with being male (p = 0.04, OR = 0.7, 95% CI: 0.4–0.98), excessive mobile phone use (p mobile phone dependence was associated with length of weekly phone use (p = 0.01, OR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.2–5.0), excessive mobile phone use (p mobile phone dependence and mobile phone dependence was high in this sample of Chinese university students. A significant positive association with impulsivity was found, but not with social support. PMID:29533986

Effect of dietary lipid on the growth, fatty acid composition and Δ5 Fads expression of abalone ( Haliotis discus hannai Ino) hepatopancreas

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mingzhu; Mai, Kangsen; Ai, Qinghui; He, Gen; Xu, Wei; Zhang, Wenbing; Zhang, Yanjiao; Zhou, Huihui; Liufu, Zhiguo

2015-04-01

This study investigated the effect of dietary lipid on the growth, fatty acid composition and Δ5 fatty acyl desaturase genes ( Fads) expression of juvenile abalone ( Haliotis discus hannai Ino) hepatopancreas. Six purified diets were formulated to contain tripalmitin (TP), olive oil (OO, 72.87% 18:1n-9), grape seed oil (GO, 68.67% 18:2n-6), linseed oil (LO, 70.48% 18:3n-3), ARA oil (AO, 41.81% ARA) or EPA oil (EO, 44.09% EPA and 23.67% DAH). No significant difference in survival rate was observed among abalone fed with different diets. Weight gain rate ( WGR) and daily growth rate of shell length ( DGR SL) were significantly increased in abalone fed with diets containing OO, AO and EO, but decreased in abalone fed with LO diet ( P abalone fed with GO than those fed with TP, OO, LO and EO ( P abalone fed with LO was significantly higher than those in abalone fed with TP, OO, GO and AO ( P abalone fed with OO. The expression of Δ5 Fads in hepatopancreas of abalone was enhanced by high concentration of 18:3n-3 and suppressed by dietary LC-PUFAs; however it was not affected by dietary high concentration of 18:1n-9 or 18:2n-6. These results provided valuable information for understanding the synthesis of LC-PUFAs and nutritional regulation of Δ5 Fads expression in abalone.

Perceived stigma and social support in treatment for pharmaceutical opioid dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Sasha; Campbell, Gabrielle; Larance, Briony; Murnion, Bridin; Nielsen, Suzanne

2018-02-01

The dramatic increase in pharmaceutical opioid (PO) use in high-income countries is a growing public health concern. Stigma and social support are important as they may influence treatment uptake and outcomes, yet few studies exist regarding perceived stigma and social support among people with PO dependence. The aims of the study are to: (i) compare characteristics of those with PO dependence from iatrogenic and non-iatrogenic causes; (ii) document perceived stigma and its correlates in people in treatment for PO dependence; and (iii) examine correlates of social support in people in treatment for PO dependence. This prospective cohort study included (n = 108) PO-dependent people referred from treatment services. Telephone interviews were conducted at baseline, 3, 12 and 24 months. Multivariate linear regression was used to examine correlations. Mean age was 41 (SD = 10.5). Half (n = 56, 52%) were female. Two in five met the criteria for iatrogenic dependence (n = 41, 38%), with iatrogenic dependence associated with chronic pain, and no history of injection or heroin use. One quarter of study subjects reported past month unsanctioned opioid use (n = 25, 23%). Being married/de facto or female was associated with higher levels of perceived stigma. Unsanctioned opioid use, iatrogenic dependence and mental health conditions were associated with lower social support. Stigma affects all people in treatment. Those who are married/de facto and female may benefit from interventions to address stigma. The association of low social support with poorer mental health and ongoing substance use indicate that treatment could focus more on this area. © 2017 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

A Sociotechnical Negotiation Mechanism to Support Component Markets in Software Ecosystems

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Rodrigo Santos

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Organizations have opened up their software platforms and reusable assets to others, including partners and third-party developers around the world, creating software ecosystems (SECOs. This perspective can contribute to minimize nontechnical barriers of software reuse in industry because it explores potential benefits from the relations among companies and stakeholders. An inhibitor is the complexity in defining value for reusable assets in a scenario where producers try to meet customers’ expectations, and vice-versa. In this paper, we present a value-based mechanism to support component negotiation and socialization processes in a reuse repository in the SECO context as an extension of the Brechó-EcoSys environment. Social resources were integrated into the mechanism in order to aid component negotiation. An evaluation of the negotiation mechanism was initially performed based on an analysis of its elements and functions against critical factors in the negotiation within a SECO, identified in a previous systematic literature review. In addition, an analysis of the social resources supporting the negotiation mechanism was performed against popular sociotechnical elements for SECOs, identified in a previous survey with experts in the field. Finally, the negotiation process and the potential support provided by sociotechnical resources were investigated through an observational study where participants were engaged in some tasks playing as consumer and producers using the sociotechnical negotiation mechanism at Brechó-EcoSys environment. We concluded that sociotechnical resources (e.g., forum and tag cloud support component producers and consumers with useful information from the SECO community.

Long-chain acyl-CoA-dependent regulation of gene expression in bacteria, yeast and mammals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Black, P N; Færgeman, Nils J.; DiRusso, C C

2000-01-01

). Both repression and activation are dependent upon the function of either of the acyl-CoA synthetases Faa1p or Faa4p. In mammals, purified hepatocyte nuclear transcription factor 4alpha (HNF-4alpha) like E. coli FadR, binds long chain acyl-CoA directly. Coexpression of HNF-4alpha and acyl-CoA synthetase...

Frequency dependence of the active impedance component of silicon thin-film resistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belogurov, S.V.; Gostilo, V.V.; Yurov, A.S.

1987-01-01

A high-resistant resistor on the silicon thin-film substrate considerably superior in noise and frequency performance than commercial resistors is described. The frequency dependence of the active impedance component is tested for determining noise and frequency dependences of silicon thin-film resistors. The obtained results permit to calculate the energy equivalent of resistor noise in nuclear radiation detection units at any temperature according to its frequency characteristic at room temperature

Myosin-cross-reactive antigen (MCRA) protein from Bifidobacterium breve is a FAD-dependent fatty acid hydratase which has a function in stress protection

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Rosberg-Cody, Eva

2011-02-17

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to determine the catalytic activity and physiological role of myosin-cross-reactive antigen (MCRA) from Bifidobacterium breve NCIMB 702258. MCRA from B. breve NCIMB 702258 was cloned, sequenced and expressed in heterologous hosts (Lactococcus and Corynebacterium) and the recombinant proteins assessed for enzymatic activity against fatty acid substrates. Results MCRA catalysed the conversion of palmitoleic, oleic and linoleic acids to the corresponding 10-hydroxy fatty acids, but shorter chain fatty acids were not used as substrates, while the presence of trans-double bonds and double bonds beyond the position C12 abolished hydratase activity. The hydroxy fatty acids produced were not metabolised further. We also found that heterologous Lactococcus and Corynebacterium expressing MCRA accumulated increasing amounts of 10-HOA and 10-HOE in the culture medium. Furthermore, the heterologous cultures exhibited less sensitivity to heat and solvent stresses compared to corresponding controls. Conclusions MCRA protein in B. breve can be classified as a FAD-containing double bond hydratase, within the carbon-oxygen lyase family, which may be catalysing the first step in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) production, and this protein has an additional function in bacterial stress protection.

Myosin-cross-reactive antigen (MCRA protein from Bifidobacterium breve is a FAD-dependent fatty acid hydratase which has a function in stress protection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ross R

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The aim of this study was to determine the catalytic activity and physiological role of myosin-cross-reactive antigen (MCRA from Bifidobacterium breve NCIMB 702258. MCRA from B. breve NCIMB 702258 was cloned, sequenced and expressed in heterologous hosts (Lactococcus and Corynebacterium and the recombinant proteins assessed for enzymatic activity against fatty acid substrates. Results MCRA catalysed the conversion of palmitoleic, oleic and linoleic acids to the corresponding 10-hydroxy fatty acids, but shorter chain fatty acids were not used as substrates, while the presence of trans-double bonds and double bonds beyond the position C12 abolished hydratase activity. The hydroxy fatty acids produced were not metabolised further. We also found that heterologous Lactococcus and Corynebacterium expressing MCRA accumulated increasing amounts of 10-HOA and 10-HOE in the culture medium. Furthermore, the heterologous cultures exhibited less sensitivity to heat and solvent stresses compared to corresponding controls. Conclusions MCRA protein in B. breve can be classified as a FAD-containing double bond hydratase, within the carbon-oxygen lyase family, which may be catalysing the first step in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA production, and this protein has an additional function in bacterial stress protection.

Myosin-cross-reactive antigen (MCRA) protein from Bifidobacterium breve is a FAD-dependent fatty acid hydratase which has a function in stress protection.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosberg-Cody, Eva; Liavonchanka, Alena; Göbel, Cornelia; Ross, R Paul; O'Sullivan, Orla; Fitzgerald, Gerald F; Feussner, Ivo; Stanton, Catherine

2011-02-17

The aim of this study was to determine the catalytic activity and physiological role of myosin-cross-reactive antigen (MCRA) from Bifidobacterium breve NCIMB 702258. MCRA from B. breve NCIMB 702258 was cloned, sequenced and expressed in heterologous hosts (Lactococcus and Corynebacterium) and the recombinant proteins assessed for enzymatic activity against fatty acid substrates. MCRA catalysed the conversion of palmitoleic, oleic and linoleic acids to the corresponding 10-hydroxy fatty acids, but shorter chain fatty acids were not used as substrates, while the presence of trans-double bonds and double bonds beyond the position C12 abolished hydratase activity. The hydroxy fatty acids produced were not metabolised further. We also found that heterologous Lactococcus and Corynebacterium expressing MCRA accumulated increasing amounts of 10-HOA and 10-HOE in the culture medium. Furthermore, the heterologous cultures exhibited less sensitivity to heat and solvent stresses compared to corresponding controls. MCRA protein in B. breve can be classified as a FAD-containing double bond hydratase, within the carbon-oxygen lyase family, which may be catalysing the first step in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) production, and this protein has an additional function in bacterial stress protection.

Earthquake analysis with nonlinear soil-structure interaction and nonlinear supports of components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansson, V.

1990-01-01

For the determination of the seismic response of a structure the soil-structure interaction in most cases is modelled by a mass-spring-damper-system. Normally design concepts for components and piping are based on linear calculations and stress limitations. A concept for a reactor building for the HTR 100 consisted of a relatively high structure compared with the dimensions of the foundation. The structure was comparatively deep embedded in the soil, so here the embedment influences significantly the soil-structure interaction. The assembly of reactor vessel, heat exchanger and circulators has a height of about 37 m. Supports are arranged at different levels. Due to temperature deformations of the vessel and of the support constructions small gaps at the supports may only be avoided by complicated constructions of the supports. Nonlinear analyses were performed for soil, building and component with all supports. The finite element analyses used time histories. In order to describe the radiation damping the hysteresis of the soil with 1 percent material damping was considered. Nonlinearities in the interface of soil and foundation and due to gaps and friction at the supports were taken into account. The stiffness of the support constructions influences reactions and accelerations to a high extent. Properly chosen stiffnesses of the support constructions lead to a behaviour similar to linear elastic behaviour. 13 figs

Interoperability and Security Support for Heterogeneous COTS/GOTS/Legacy Component-Based Architecture

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Tran, Tam

2000-01-01

.... This thesis researches existing open standards solutions to the distributed component integration problem and proposes an application framework that supports application wrappers and a uniform...

Sex-dependent components of the analgesia produced by athletic competition.

Science.gov (United States)

Sternberg, W F; Bokat, C; Kass, L; Alboyadjian, A; Gracely, R H

2001-02-01

Competing in various athletic events (track meet, basketball game, or fencing match) can produce analgesia to cold pressor stimuli in male and female college athletes compared with baseline assessments. This competition-induced analgesia has been attributed to the stress associated with competition, which has components related to both physical exercise and the cognitive aspects of competing. This study evaluated the analgesic effect of exercise-related stress, and that caused by the cognitively stressful components of competing independent of exercise. Cold pressor pain ratings were assessed after competition in a track meet and after treadmill exercise or sedentary video game competition in both athletes and nonathletes. As expected, competing in athletics resulted in a decrease in cold pressor ratings in both male and female athletes. Independent of athletic status, treadmill running induced analgesia in women, but not in males, whereas sedentary video game competition produced analgesia in men, but not in women. These findings suggest that different components of the competitive athletic experience might be responsible for the analgesic effects in a sex-dependent manner.

Quantitative fluorescence kinetic analysis of NADH and FAD in human plasma using three- and four-way calibration methods capable of providing the second-order advantage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Chao [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025 (China); Wu, Hai-Long, E-mail: hlwu@hnu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Zhou, Chang; Xiang, Shou-Xia; Zhang, Xiao-Hua; Yu, Yong-Jie; Yu, Ru-Qin [State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China)

2016-03-03

The metabolic coenzymes reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) are the primary electron donor and acceptor respectively, participate in almost all biological metabolic pathways. This study develops a novel method for the quantitative kinetic analysis of the degradation reaction of NADH and the formation reaction of FAD in human plasma containing an uncalibrated interferent, by using three-way calibration based on multi-way fluorescence technique. In the three-way analysis, by using the calibration set in a static manner, we directly predicted the concentrations of both analytes in the mixture at any time after the start of their reactions, even in the presence of an uncalibrated spectral interferent and a varying background interferent. The satisfactory quantitative results indicate that the proposed method allows one to directly monitor the concentration of each analyte in the mixture as the function of time in real-time and nondestructively, instead of determining the concentration after the analytical separation. Thereafter, we fitted the first-order rate law to their concentration data throughout their reactions. Additionally, a four-way calibration procedure is developed as an alternative for highly collinear systems. The results of the four-way analysis confirmed the results of the three-way analysis and revealed that both the degradation reaction of NADH and the formation reaction of FAD in human plasma fit the first-order rate law. The proposed methods could be expected to provide promising tools for simultaneous kinetic analysis of multiple reactions in complex systems in real-time and nondestructively. - Highlights: • A novel three-way calibration method for the quantitative kinetic analysis of NADH and FAD in human plasma is proposed. • The method can directly monitor the concentration of each analyte in the reaction in real-time and nondestructively. • The method has the second-order advantage. • A

Quantitative fluorescence kinetic analysis of NADH and FAD in human plasma using three- and four-way calibration methods capable of providing the second-order advantage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Chao; Wu, Hai-Long; Zhou, Chang; Xiang, Shou-Xia; Zhang, Xiao-Hua; Yu, Yong-Jie; Yu, Ru-Qin

2016-01-01

The metabolic coenzymes reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) are the primary electron donor and acceptor respectively, participate in almost all biological metabolic pathways. This study develops a novel method for the quantitative kinetic analysis of the degradation reaction of NADH and the formation reaction of FAD in human plasma containing an uncalibrated interferent, by using three-way calibration based on multi-way fluorescence technique. In the three-way analysis, by using the calibration set in a static manner, we directly predicted the concentrations of both analytes in the mixture at any time after the start of their reactions, even in the presence of an uncalibrated spectral interferent and a varying background interferent. The satisfactory quantitative results indicate that the proposed method allows one to directly monitor the concentration of each analyte in the mixture as the function of time in real-time and nondestructively, instead of determining the concentration after the analytical separation. Thereafter, we fitted the first-order rate law to their concentration data throughout their reactions. Additionally, a four-way calibration procedure is developed as an alternative for highly collinear systems. The results of the four-way analysis confirmed the results of the three-way analysis and revealed that both the degradation reaction of NADH and the formation reaction of FAD in human plasma fit the first-order rate law. The proposed methods could be expected to provide promising tools for simultaneous kinetic analysis of multiple reactions in complex systems in real-time and nondestructively. - Highlights: • A novel three-way calibration method for the quantitative kinetic analysis of NADH and FAD in human plasma is proposed. • The method can directly monitor the concentration of each analyte in the reaction in real-time and nondestructively. • The method has the second-order advantage. • A

Predicting fatty acid profiles in blood based on food intake and the FADS1 rs174546 SNP.

Science.gov (United States)

Hallmann, Jacqueline; Kolossa, Silvia; Gedrich, Kurt; Celis-Morales, Carlos; Forster, Hannah; O'Donovan, Clare B; Woolhead, Clara; Macready, Anna L; Fallaize, Rosalind; Marsaux, Cyril F M; Lambrinou, Christina-Paulina; Mavrogianni, Christina; Moschonis, George; Navas-Carretero, Santiago; San-Cristobal, Rodrigo; Godlewska, Magdalena; Surwiłło, Agnieszka; Mathers, John C; Gibney, Eileen R; Brennan, Lorraine; Walsh, Marianne C; Lovegrove, Julie A; Saris, Wim H M; Manios, Yannis; Martinez, Jose Alfredo; Traczyk, Iwona; Gibney, Michael J; Daniel, Hannelore

2015-12-01

A high intake of n-3 PUFA provides health benefits via changes in the n-6/n-3 ratio in blood. In addition to such dietary PUFAs, variants in the fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1) gene are also associated with altered PUFA profiles. We used mathematical modeling to predict levels of PUFA in whole blood, based on multiple hypothesis testing and bootstrapped LASSO selected food items, anthropometric and lifestyle factors, and the rs174546 genotypes in FADS1 from 1607 participants (Food4Me Study). The models were developed using data from the first reported time point (training set) and their predictive power was evaluated using data from the last reported time point (test set). Among other food items, fish, pizza, chicken, and cereals were identified as being associated with the PUFA profiles. Using these food items and the rs174546 genotypes as predictors, models explained 26-43% of the variability in PUFA concentrations in the training set and 22-33% in the test set. Selecting food items using multiple hypothesis testing is a valuable contribution to determine predictors, as our models' predictive power is higher compared to analogue studies. As unique feature, we additionally confirmed our models' power based on a test set. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effect of transplantation of muscle tissue in rats from the same litter on total number of flavins and FAD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. N. Kobylnik

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Riboflavin is a member of redox enzymes involved in fatty acid oxidation and energy generation. Important role of this vitamin is in reproductive function. Exchange of transformation of riboflavin in animal tissues and cells of microorganisms include reactions that lead to synthesis and subsequent collapse of FMN and FAD. It is involved in enhancing antitumor activity of many anticancer drugs, as well as activation of the immune system to kill tumor cells. Issues of transport of riboflavin and its derivatives in animals have been studied enough. Investigations of changes of the balance of riboflavin and its metabolites in muscular tissues before transplantation in rats from one litter and at operation without replanting were conducted, based on the Udenfriend method of flavin determination. Transplantation in the experiment was carried out on white non-linear male rats weighing 180–300 g. Animals were taken out of the experiment by passing electric current through the medulla. Belly muscular tissue was taken from donor rats of the same litter, and that tissue was sewn to homological muscular tissue of the recipient. The same procedure was carried out with femoral muscular tissue. In the course of operation without replanting the same manipulations have been made except for transplantation stage (for determination of the effect of surgical intervention. Tissue not subject to any surgical intervention served as a control. Parameters of the study were measured on the first, third and seventh days after transplantation. Transplantation of muscular tissue caused no changes in total flavin amount. Content of RF + FMN after transplantation of muscular tissue in rats of the same litter decreased in femoral muscular tissue of the recipient. Transplantation of muscular tissues in rats from the same litter lead to increase in FAD amount in femoral muscular tissue of the donor and recipient on the third day of the experiment. Transplantation of femoral

Temperature dependence of relaxation times in proton components of fatty acids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuroda, Kagayaki; Iwabuchi, Taku; Saito, Kensuke; Obara, Makoto; Honda, Masatoshi; Imai, Yutaka

2011-01-01

We examined the temperature dependence of relaxation times in proton components of fatty acids in various samples in vitro at 11 tesla as a standard calibration data for quantitative temperature imaging of fat. The spin-lattice relaxation time, T 1 , of both the methylene (CH 2 ) chain and terminal methyl (CH 3 ) was linearly related to temperature (r>0.98, P 2 signal for calibration and observed the signal with 18% of CH 3 to estimate temperature. These findings suggested that separating the fatty acid components would significantly improve accuracy in quantitative thermometry for fat. Use of the T 1 of CH 2 seems promising in terms of reliability and reproducibility in measuring temperature of fat. (author)

INTERNET DEPENDENCE IN CHINESE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: RELATIONSHIP WITH SEX, SELF-ESTEEM, AND SOCIAL SUPPORT.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ruiping

2015-08-01

This cross-sectional study investigated the relationships among self-esteem, social support, and Internet dependence. A sample of young people aged between 15 and 18 years old (M age = 16.3 yr., SD = 0.7; 470 boys, 441 girls) completed measures of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Perceived Social Support Scale, and the Internet Dependence Test. According to the cognitive-behavioral model of problematic Internet use, social support should mediate the relationship between self-esteem and Internet dependence. Furthermore, based on previous research it was predicted that boys would score higher on Internet dependence than women. Support for this model was obtained. Internet dependent students were more likely to be boys. Self-esteem and social support were negatively correlated with Internet dependence. The relationship between self-esteem and Internet dependence was mediated by social support. Although the effect sizes were small, the findings of the present study are of significance in investigating adolescents' Internet dependence.

Damage Evaluation of Critical Components of Tilted Support Spring Nonlinear System under a Rectangular Pulse

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ningning Duan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Dimensionless nonlinear dynamical equations of a tilted support spring nonlinear packaging system with critical components were obtained under a rectangular pulse. To evaluate the damage characteristics of shocks to packaged products with critical components, a concept of the damage boundary surface was presented and applied to a titled support spring system, with the dimensionless critical acceleration of the system, the dimensionless critical velocity, and the frequency parameter ratio of the system taken as the three basic parameters. Based on the numerical results, the effects of the frequency parameter ratio, the mass ratio, the dimensionless peak pulse acceleration, the angle of the system, and the damping ratio on the damage boundary surface of critical components were discussed. It was demonstrated that with the increase of the frequency parameter ratio, the decrease of the angle, and/or the increase of the mass ratio, the safety zone of critical components can be broadened, and increasing the dimensionless peak pulse acceleration or the damping ratio may lead to a decrease of the damage zone for critical components. The results may lead to a thorough understanding of the design principles for the tilted support spring nonlinear system.

Meterwavelength Single-pulse Polarimetric Emission Survey. IV. The Period Dependence of Component Widths of Pulsars

Science.gov (United States)

Skrzypczak, Anna; Basu, Rahul; Mitra, Dipanjan; Melikidze, George I.; Maciesiak, Krzysztof; Koralewska, Olga; Filothodoros, Alexandros

2018-02-01

The core component width in normal pulsars, with periods (P) > 0.1 s, measured at the half-power point at 1 GHz, has a lower boundary line (LBL) that closely follows the P ‑0.5 scaling relation. This result is of fundamental importance for understanding the emission process and requires extended studies over a wider frequency range. In this paper we have carried out a detailed study of the profile component widths of 123 normal pulsars observed in the Meterwavelength Single-pulse Polarimetric Emission Survey at 333 and 618 MHz. The components in the pulse profile were separated into core and conal classes. We found that at both frequencies, the core, as well as the conal component widths versus period, had a LBL that followed the P ‑0.5 relation with a similar lower boundary. The radio emission in normal pulsars has been observationally shown to arise from a narrow range of heights around a few hundred kilometers above the stellar surface. In the past the P ‑0.5 relation has been considered as evidence for emission arising from last open dipolar magnetic field lines. We show that the P ‑0.5 dependence only holds if the trailing and leading half-power points of the component are associated with the last open field line. In such a scenario we do not find any physical motivation that can explain the P ‑0.5 dependence for both core and conal components as evidence for dipolar geometry in normal pulsars. We believe the period dependence is a result of a currently unexplained physical phenomenon.

Maintenance Management Support Systems for component aging estimation at nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, Shunichi; Ando, Yasumasa; Morioka, Toshihiko; Okuzumi, Naoaki

1991-01-01

Maintenance Management Support Systems (MMSSs) for nuclear power plants have been developed using component aging estimation methods and decision tree analysis for maintenance planning. The former evaluates actual component reliability through statistical analysis on field maintenance data. The latter provides preventive maintenance (PM) planning guidance using heuristic expert knowledge and estimated reliability parameters. The following aspects have been investigated: (1) A systematic and effective method of managing components/parts design information and field maintenance data (2) A method for estimating component aging based on a statistical analysis of field maintenance data (3) A method for providing PM planning guidance using estimated component reliability/performance parameters and decision tree analysis. Based on these investigations, two MMSSs were developed. One deals with 'general maintenance data', which are common to all component types and are amenable to common data handling. The other system deals with 'specific maintenance data', which are specific to an individual component type. Both systems provide PM planning guidance for PM cycles propriety and the PM work priority. The function of these systems were verified using simulated maintenance data. (author)

An analysis of the procedural components of supported employment programs associated with employment outcomes.

OpenAIRE

McDonnell, J; Nofs, D; Hardman, M; Chambless, C

1989-01-01

This study examined the relation between the procedural components of supported employment programs and employment outcomes for 120 individuals with disabilities. These individuals were involved in supported employment programs established through the Utah Supported Employment Project. The results suggest that successful implementation of supported employment services led to ongoing employment of study participants in community work sites, increased wages, and ongoing opportunities for worker...

Supporting Space Systems Design via Systems Dependency Analysis Methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Guariniello, Cesare

assess the behavior of each system based on its internal status and on the topology of its dependencies on systems connected to it. Designers and decision makers can therefore quickly analyze and explore the behavior of complex systems and evaluate different architectures under various working conditions. The methods support educated decision making both in the design and in the update process of systems architecture, reducing the need to execute extensive simulations. In particular, in the phase of concept generation and selection, the information given by the methods can be used to identify promising architectures to be further tested and improved, while discarding architectures that do not show the required level of global features. The methods, when used in conjunction with appropriate metrics, also allow for improved reliability and risk analysis, as well as for automatic scheduling and re-scheduling based on the features of the dependencies and on the accepted level of risk. This dissertation illustrates the use of the two methods in sample aerospace applications, both in the operational and in the developmental domain. The applications show how to use the developed methodology to evaluate the impact of failures, assess the criticality of systems, quantify metrics of interest, quantify the impact of delays, support informed decision making when scheduling the development of systems and evaluate the achievement of partial capabilities. A larger, well-framed case study illustrates how the Systems Operational Dependency Analysis method and the Systems Developmental Dependency Analysis method can support analysis and decision making, at the mid and high level, in the design process of architectures for the exploration of Mars. The case study also shows how the methods do not replace the classical systems engineering methodologies, but support and improve them.

Predictive based monitoring of nuclear plant component degradation using support vector regression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agarwal, Vivek; Alamaniotis, Miltiadis; Tsoukalas, Lefteri H.

2015-01-01

Nuclear power plants (NPPs) are large installations comprised of many active and passive assets. Degradation monitoring of all these assets is expensive (labor cost) and highly demanding task. In this paper a framework based on Support Vector Regression (SVR) for online surveillance of critical parameter degradation of NPP components is proposed. In this case, on time replacement or maintenance of components will prevent potential plant malfunctions, and reduce the overall operational cost. In the current work, we apply SVR equipped with a Gaussian kernel function to monitor components. Monitoring includes the one-step-ahead prediction of the component's respective operational quantity using the SVR model, while the SVR model is trained using a set of previous recorded degradation histories of similar components. Predictive capability of the model is evaluated upon arrival of a sensor measurement, which is compared to the component failure threshold. A maintenance decision is based on a fuzzy inference system that utilizes three parameters: (i) prediction evaluation in the previous steps, (ii) predicted value of the current step, (iii) and difference of current predicted value with components failure thresholds. The proposed framework will be tested on turbine blade degradation data.

A novel twist on molecular interactions between thioredoxin and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-dependent thioredoxin reductase

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kirkensgaard, Kristine Groth; Hägglund, Per; Shahpiri, Azar

2013-01-01

The ubiquitous disulfide reductase thioredoxin (Trx) regulates several important biological processes such as seed germination in plants. Oxidized cytosolic Trx is regenerated by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-dependent thioredoxin reductase (NTR) in a multistep transfer...... dinucleotide (FAD)-binding domain of HvNTR2 to strongly affect the interaction with Trx. In particular, Trp42 and Met43 play key roles for recognition of the endogenous HvTrxh2. Trx from Arabidopsis thaliana is also efficiently recycled by HvNTR2 but turnover in this case appears to be less dependent...

Systematic review: Effective home support in dementia care, components and impacts - Stage 2, effectiveness of home support interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Clarkson, Paul; Hughes, Jane; Roe, Brenda; Giebel, Clarissa M; Jolley, David; Poland, Fiona; Abendstern, Michele; Chester, Helen; Challis, David

2018-03-01

The aim of this study was to explicate the outcomes of home support interventions for older people with dementia and/or their carers to inform clinical practice, policy and research. Most people with dementia receive support at home. However, components and effectiveness of home support interventions have been little explored. Systematic review with narrative summary. Electronic searches of published studies in English using PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsychINFO, CINAHL, Applied Social Science Index and CSA Social Services Abstracts. Databases and sources were searched from inception to April 2014 with no date restrictions to locate studies. The PRISMA statement was followed and established systematic review methods used. Using 14 components of care for people with dementia and their carers, identified previously, data across studies were synthesized. Interventions were grouped and described and effectiveness ratings applied. Qualitative studies were synthesized using key themes. Seventy studies (four qualitative) were included. Most were directed to carers and of high quality. Seven interventions for carers and two for people with dementia were identified, covering 81% of studies. Those relating to daily living, cognitive training and physical activity for people with dementia were absent. Measures of effectiveness were influenced mainly by the intensity (duration and frequency) of interventions. Those containing education, social support and behaviour management appeared most effective. These interventions reflect emergent patterns of home support. Research is required to identify effective interventions linked to the stage of dementia, which can be applied as part of routine clinical care. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Learning Algorithms for Audio and Video Processing: Independent Component Analysis and Support Vector Machine Based Approaches

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Qi, Yuan

2000-01-01

In this thesis, we propose two new machine learning schemes, a subband-based Independent Component Analysis scheme and a hybrid Independent Component Analysis/Support Vector Machine scheme, and apply...

Studying the Adhesion Force and Glass Transition of Thin Polystyrene Films by Atomic Force Microscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kang, Hua; Qian, Xiaoqin; Guan, Li

2018-01-01

microscopy (AFM)-based forcedistance curve to study the relaxation dynamics and the film thickness dependence of glass transition temperature (T-g) for normal thin polystyrene (PS) films supported on silicon substrate. The adhesion force (F-ad) between AFM tip and normal thin PS film surfaces...

Family Function and Self-esteem among Chinese University Students with and without Grandparenting Experience: Moderating Effect of Social Support

OpenAIRE

Jingyu Shi; Lu Wang; Yuhong Yao; Na Su; Xudong Zhao; Xudong Zhao; Xudong Zhao; Chenyu Zhan

2017-01-01

This study examines the association between family function and self-esteem of Chinese university students with grandparenting experience, and explores the moderating effects of social support in this link. Two thousand five hundred thirty university students (1372 males and 1158 females) from a Chinese university completed the Perceived Social Support Scale, the Rosenberg’s Self-esteem Scale, and the Family Assessment Device (FAD). Six hundred and forty-five (25.69%) students reported grandp...

Conformational changes of the NADPH-dependent cytochrome P450 reductase in the course of electron transfer to cytochromes P450

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laursen, Tomas; Jensen, Kenneth; Møller, Birger Lindberg

2011-01-01

The NADPH-dependent cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) is a key electron donor to eucaryotic cytochromes P450 (CYPs). CPR shuttles electrons from NADPH through the FAD and FMN-coenzymes into the iron of the prosthetic heme-group of the CYP. In the course of these electron transfer reactions, CPR und...... to serve as an effective electron transferring "nano-machine"....

Gradient composite metal-ceramic foam as supportive component for planar SOFCs and MIEC membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smorygo, Oleg; Mikutski, Vitali; Marukovich, Alexander; Sadykov, Vladislav; Usoltsev, Vladimir; Mezentseva, Natalia; Borodinecs, Anatolijs; Bobrenok, Oleg

2011-01-01

A novel approach to the design of planar gradient porous supports for the thin-film SOFCs and MIEC membranes is described. The support's thermal expansion is controlled by the creation of a two-component composite metal-ceramic foam structure. Thin MIEC membranes and SOFCs were prepared on the composite supports by the layerwise deposition of composite functional layers including complex fluorites and perovskites. Lab-scale studies demonstrated promising performance of both MIEC membrane and SOFC.

Gradient composite metal-ceramic foam as supportive component for planar SOFCs and MIEC membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Smorygo, Oleg; Mikutski, Vitali; Marukovich, Alexander; Sadykov, Vladislav; Usoltsev, Vladimir; Mezentseva, Natalia; Borodinecs, Anatolijs; Bobrenok, Oleg

2011-06-01

A novel approach to the design of planar gradient porous supports for the thin-film SOFCs and MIEC membranes is described. The support's thermal expansion is controlled by the creation of a two-component composite metal-ceramic foam structure. Thin MIEC membranes and SOFCs were prepared on the composite supports by the layerwise deposition of composite functional layers including complex fluorites and perovskites. Lab-scale studies demonstrated promising performance of both MIEC membrane and SOFC.

A study of associations between early DHA status and fatty acid desaturase (FADS) SNP and developmental outcomes in children of obese mothers.

Science.gov (United States)

Andersen, Karina R; Harsløf, Laurine B S; Schnurr, Theresia M; Hansen, Torben; Hellgren, Lars I; Michaelsen, Kim F; Lauritzen, Lotte

2017-01-01

DHA from diet or endogenous synthesis has been proposed to affect infant development, however, results are inconclusive. In this study, we aim to verify previously observed fatty acid desaturase gene cluster (FADS) SNP-specific associations with erythrocyte DHA status in 9-month-old children and sex-specific association with developmental outcomes. The study was performed in 166 children (55 % boys) of obese mothers. Erythrocyte fatty acid composition was analysed in blood-samples obtained at 9 months of age, and developmental outcomes assessed by the Ages and Stages Questionnaire at 3 years. Erythrocyte DHA level ranged from 4·4 to 9·9 % of fatty acids, but did not show any association with FADS SNP or other potential determinants. Regression analysis showed associations between erythrocyte DHA and scores for personal-social skills (β 1·8 (95 % CI 0·3, 3·3), P=0·019) and problem solving (β 3·4 (95 % CI 1·2, 5·6), P=0·003). A tendency was observed for an association in opposite direction between minor alleles (G-variant) of rs1535 and rs174575 and personal-social skills (P=0·062 and 0·068, respectively), which became significant when the SNP were combined based on their previously observed effect on erythrocyte DHA at 9 months of age (β 2·6 (95 % CI 0·01, 5·1), P=0·011). Sex-SNP interaction was indicated for rs174575 genotype on fine motor scores (P=0·016), due to higher scores among minor allele carrying girls (P=0·043), whereas no effect was seen among boys. In conclusion, DHA-increasing FADS SNP and erythrocyte DHA status were consistently associated with improved personal-social skills in this small cohort of children of obese mothers irrespective of sex, but the sample was too small to verify potential sex-specific effects.

The effects of pressure sensor acoustics on airdata derived from a High-angle-of-attack Flush Airdata Sensing (HI-FADS) system

Science.gov (United States)

Whitmore, Stephen A.; Moes, Timothy R.

1991-01-01

The accuracy of a nonintrusive high angle-of-attack flush airdata sensing (HI-FADS) system was verified for quasi-steady flight conditions up to 55 deg angle of attack during the F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) Program. The system is a matrix of nine pressure ports arranged in annular rings on the aircraft nose. The complete airdata set is estimated using nonlinear regression. Satisfactory frequency response was verified to the system Nyquist frequency (12.5 Hz). The effects of acoustical distortions within the individual pressure sensors of the nonintrusive pressure matrix on overall system performance are addressed. To quantify these effects, a frequency-response model describing the dynamics of acoustical distortion is developed and simple design criteria are derived. The model adjusts measured HI-FADS pressure data for the acoustical distortion and quantifies the effects of internal sensor geometries on system performance. Analysis results indicate that sensor frequency response characteristics very greatly with altitude, thus it is difficult to select satisfactory sensor geometry for all altitudes. The solution used presample filtering to eliminate resonance effects, and short pneumatic tubing sections to reduce lag effects. Without presample signal conditioning the system designer must use the pneumatic transmission line to attenuate the resonances and accept the resulting altitude variability.

Experiences of mothers with substance dependence: Informing the development of parenting support.

Science.gov (United States)

Fowler, Cathrine; Reid, Sharon; Minnis, Jeannie; Day, Carolyn

2014-10-01

To understand the experiences of women with a history of substance dependence when they attempted to gain parenting support. Becoming a mother provides a window of opportunity to support women with a substance dependence make changes to their lives and the way they will parent their infants and young children. Yet there are many barriers and a constant fear of the removal of their children from their care. Focus groups were conducted using a qualitative interpretive descriptive approach to enable exploration of the women's experiences as mothers with infants and young children. A series of three focus groups were facilitated with three to six women per group. Thirteen women who were substance dependent participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews guided the collection of data. Thematic content analysis was used to work with the data. Four themes were identified: (1) feelings of guilt, (2) judged by others, (3) normalising and (4) support and learning to be a mother. The mothers expressed alienation from mainstream health services. Providing parenting and child health services, which avoid mothers feeling judged by the staff and other mothers, is an important step to enabling these women to appropriately and sensitively care for their infants and young children. Midwives and nurses working with mothers and their infants and young children are well positioned to support women who are or have experienced substance dependence. Working with this group of mothers requires the development of a therapeutic relationship to provide optimum support, education and, if necessary, intervention. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluating Changes in Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake after Receiving Personal FADS1 Genetic Information: A Randomized Nutrigenetic Intervention

Science.gov (United States)

Roke, Kaitlin; Walton, Kathryn; Klingel, Shannon L.; Harnett, Amber; Subedi, Sanjeena; Haines, Jess; Mutch, David M.

2017-01-01

Nutrigenetics research is anticipated to lay the foundation for personalized dietary recommendations; however, it remains unclear if providing individuals with their personal genetic information changes dietary behaviors. Our objective was to evaluate if providing information for a common variant in the fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1) gene changed omega-3 fatty acid (FA) intake and blood levels in young female adults (18–25 years). Participants were randomized into Genetic (intervention) and Non-Genetic (control) groups, with measurements taken at Baseline and Final (12 weeks). Dietary intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was assessed using an omega-3 food frequency questionnaire. Red blood cell (RBC) FA content was quantified by gas chromatography. Implications of participation in a nutrigenetics study and awareness of omega-3 FAs were assessed with online questionnaires. Upon completion of the study, EPA and DHA intake increased significantly (p = 1.0 × 10−4) in all participants. This change was reflected by small increases in RBC %EPA. Participants in the Genetic group showed increased awareness of omega-3 terminology by the end of the study, reported that the dietary recommendations were more useful, and rated cost as a barrier to omega-3 consumption less often than those in the Non-Genetic group. Providing participants FADS1 genetic information did not appear to influence omega-3 intake during the 12 weeks, but did change perceptions and behaviors related to omega-3 FAs in this timeframe. PMID:28272299

Evaluating Changes in Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake after Receiving Personal FADS1 Genetic Information: A Randomized Nutrigenetic Intervention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaitlin Roke

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Nutrigenetics research is anticipated to lay the foundation for personalized dietary recommendations; however, it remains unclear if providing individuals with their personal genetic information changes dietary behaviors. Our objective was to evaluate if providing information for a common variant in the fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1 gene changed omega-3 fatty acid (FA intake and blood levels in young female adults (18–25 years. Participants were randomized into Genetic (intervention and Non-Genetic (control groups, with measurements taken at Baseline and Final (12 weeks. Dietary intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA was assessed using an omega-3 food frequency questionnaire. Red blood cell (RBC FA content was quantified by gas chromatography. Implications of participation in a nutrigenetics study and awareness of omega-3 FAs were assessed with online questionnaires. Upon completion of the study, EPA and DHA intake increased significantly (p = 1.0 × 10−4 in all participants. This change was reflected by small increases in RBC %EPA. Participants in the Genetic group showed increased awareness of omega-3 terminology by the end of the study, reported that the dietary recommendations were more useful, and rated cost as a barrier to omega-3 consumption less often than those in the Non-Genetic group. Providing participants FADS1 genetic information did not appear to influence omega-3 intake during the 12 weeks, but did change perceptions and behaviors related to omega-3 FAs in this timeframe.

Relationships between the emotional and cognitive components of alexithymia and dependency in alcoholics.

Science.gov (United States)

Loas, G; Otmani, O; Lecercle, C; Jouvent, R

2000-09-25

Several authors have shown that alexithymia, emotional and perceptual dependency characterize patients suffering from substance abuse. The aim of the study is to test the hypothesis that the emotional and cognitive components of alexithymia are associated with dependency in alcoholics. Three groups were investigated: 60 inpatients meeting the DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence, 57 healthy subjects, 144 university students. All subjects completed the following rating scales: The 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Interpersonal Dependency Inventory (IDI), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Embedded Figures Test (EFT). Partial correlations, using the BDI score as constant, were calculated. In normal subjects, the 'Emotion' subscale of the TAS-20 correlated with the 'Lack of social self-confidence' subscale of the IDI and the 'Cognitive' subscale of the TAS-20 did not correlate with the EFT score. In alcoholics, the 'Cognitive' subscale of the TAS-20 correlated with the 'Lack of social self-confidence' subscale, with the EFT score and with the 'Affirmation of autonomy' subscale. A particular cognitive style characterized by externally oriented thinking, affirmation of autonomy as denial of emotional dependency and field dependence could characterize alcoholics.

Family Function and Self-esteem among Chinese University Students with and without Grandparenting Experience: Moderating Effect of Social Support

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingyu Shi

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This study examines the association between family function and self-esteem of Chinese university students with grandparenting experience, and explores the moderating effects of social support in this link. Two thousand five hundred thirty university students (1372 males and 1158 females from a Chinese university completed the Perceived Social Support Scale, the Rosenberg’s Self-esteem Scale, and the Family Assessment Device (FAD. Six hundred and forty-five (25.69% students reported grandparenting experience and they reported lower scores on self-esteem and social support than the students raised only by their parents. The grandparenting group scored higher on such dimensions of family functioning as Communication, Role, Affective Involvement, Affective Responsiveness, and General Family Function (GF than their counterpart group. For both groups, self-esteem scores were positively correlated with social support scores, while negatively correlated with FAD all sub-scale scores. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that for the students with grandparenting experience the social support moderated the relationship between GF and self-esteem. When students reported a high level of social support, those with low GF score reported higher scores in self-esteem than those with low self-esteem. However, in case of low social support, there were no differences in self-esteem between groups with high and low GF scores. These findings suggest that social support plays a positive role to relieve the adverse impact of poor family function on self-esteem of the adolescents with grandparenting experience. In addition, the significance and limitations of the results will be discussed.

Family Function and Self-esteem among Chinese University Students with and without Grandparenting Experience: Moderating Effect of Social Support.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Jingyu; Wang, Lu; Yao, Yuhong; Su, Na; Zhao, Xudong; Zhan, Chenyu

2017-01-01

This study examines the association between family function and self-esteem of Chinese university students with grandparenting experience, and explores the moderating effects of social support in this link. Two thousand five hundred thirty university students (1372 males and 1158 females) from a Chinese university completed the Perceived Social Support Scale, the Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale, and the Family Assessment Device (FAD). Six hundred and forty-five (25.69%) students reported grandparenting experience and they reported lower scores on self-esteem and social support than the students raised only by their parents. The grandparenting group scored higher on such dimensions of family functioning as Communication, Role, Affective Involvement, Affective Responsiveness, and General Family Function (GF) than their counterpart group. For both groups, self-esteem scores were positively correlated with social support scores, while negatively correlated with FAD all sub-scale scores. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that for the students with grandparenting experience the social support moderated the relationship between GF and self-esteem. When students reported a high level of social support, those with low GF score reported higher scores in self-esteem than those with low self-esteem. However, in case of low social support, there were no differences in self-esteem between groups with high and low GF scores. These findings suggest that social support plays a positive role to relieve the adverse impact of poor family function on self-esteem of the adolescents with grandparenting experience. In addition, the significance and limitations of the results will be discussed.

Family Function and Self-esteem among Chinese University Students with and without Grandparenting Experience: Moderating Effect of Social Support

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Jingyu; Wang, Lu; Yao, Yuhong; Su, Na; Zhao, Xudong; Zhan, Chenyu

2017-01-01

This study examines the association between family function and self-esteem of Chinese university students with grandparenting experience, and explores the moderating effects of social support in this link. Two thousand five hundred thirty university students (1372 males and 1158 females) from a Chinese university completed the Perceived Social Support Scale, the Rosenberg’s Self-esteem Scale, and the Family Assessment Device (FAD). Six hundred and forty-five (25.69%) students reported grandparenting experience and they reported lower scores on self-esteem and social support than the students raised only by their parents. The grandparenting group scored higher on such dimensions of family functioning as Communication, Role, Affective Involvement, Affective Responsiveness, and General Family Function (GF) than their counterpart group. For both groups, self-esteem scores were positively correlated with social support scores, while negatively correlated with FAD all sub-scale scores. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that for the students with grandparenting experience the social support moderated the relationship between GF and self-esteem. When students reported a high level of social support, those with low GF score reported higher scores in self-esteem than those with low self-esteem. However, in case of low social support, there were no differences in self-esteem between groups with high and low GF scores. These findings suggest that social support plays a positive role to relieve the adverse impact of poor family function on self-esteem of the adolescents with grandparenting experience. In addition, the significance and limitations of the results will be discussed. PMID:28611720

The role of a FADS1 polymorphism in the association of fatty acid blood levels, BMI and blood pressure in young children-Analyses based on path models.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maike Wolters

systolic BP via BMI. Results for diastolic BP were in general similar but effect estimates were lower compared to systolic BP.Genetic variation in FADS1 influences BP via ARA and BMI indicating a favorable effect of the minor allele in SNP rs174546. Thus, polymorphisms with an impact on the D5D activity may play a role for the BP level mediated through PUFA and BMI. Therefore, health effects of dietary n-6 and n-3 PUFA may vary depending on genetic FADS1 variants.

Novel fungal FAD glucose dehydrogenase derived from Aspergillus niger for glucose enzyme sensor strips.

Science.gov (United States)

Sode, Koji; Loew, Noya; Ohnishi, Yosuke; Tsuruta, Hayato; Mori, Kazushige; Kojima, Katsuhiro; Tsugawa, Wakako; LaBelle, Jeffrey T; Klonoff, David C

2017-01-15

In this study, a novel fungus FAD dependent glucose dehydrogenase, derived from Aspergillus niger (AnGDH), was characterized. This enzyme's potential for the use as the enzyme for blood glucose monitor enzyme sensor strips was evaluated, especially by investigating the effect of the presence of xylose during glucose measurements. The substrate specificity of AnGDH towards glucose was investigated, and only xylose was found as a competing substrate. The specific catalytic efficiency for xylose compared to glucose was 1.8%. The specific activity of AnGDH for xylose at 5mM concentration compared to glucose was 3.5%. No other sugars were used as substrate by this enzyme. The superior substrate specificity of AnGDH was also demonstrated in the performance of enzyme sensor strips. The impact of spiking xylose in a sample with physiological glucose concentrations on the sensor signals was investigated, and it was found that enzyme sensor strips using AnGDH were not affected at all by 5mM (75mg/dL) xylose. This is the first report of an enzyme sensor strip using a fungus derived FADGDH, which did not show any positive bias at a therapeutic level xylose concentration on the signal for a glucose sample. This clearly indicates the superiority of AnGDH over other conventionally used fungi derived FADGDHs in the application for SMBG sensor strips. The negligible activity of AnGDH towards xylose was also explained on the basis of a 3D structural model, which was compared to the 3D structures of A. flavus derived FADGDH and of two glucose oxidases. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Time-independent and time-dependent contributions to the unavailability of standby safety system components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lofgren, E.V.; Uryasev, S.; Samanta, P.

1997-01-01

The unavailability of standby safety system components due to failures in nuclear power plants is considered to involve a time-independent and a time-dependent part. The former relates to the component's unavailability from demand stresses due to usage, and the latter represents the component's unavailability due to standby-time stresses related to the environment. In this paper, data from the nuclear plant reliability data system (NPRDS) were used to partition the component's unavailability into the contributions from standby-time stress (i.e., due to environmental factors) and demand stress (i.e., due to usage). Analyses are presented of motor-operated valves (MOVs), motor-driven pumps (MDPs), and turbine-driven pumps (TDPs). MOVs fail predominantly (approx. 78 %) from environmental factors (standby-time stress failures). MDPs fail slightly more frequently from demand stresses (approx. 63 %) than standby-time stresses, while TDPs fail predominantly from standby-time stresses (approx. 78 %). Such partitions of component unavailability have many uses in risk-informed and performance-based regulation relating to modifications to Technical Specification, in-service testing, precise determination of dominant accident sequences, and implementation of maintenance rules

Exercise dependence, social physique anxiety, and social support in experienced and inexperienced bodybuilders and weightlifters

Science.gov (United States)

Hurst, R.; Hale, B.; Smith, D.; Collins, D.

2000-01-01

Objectives—To investigate psychological correlates of exercise dependence in experienced and inexperienced bodybuilders and weightlifters. Secondary objectives included measuring social physique anxiety, bodybuilding identity, and social support among bodybuilders and weightlifters. Methods—Thirty five experienced bodybuilders, 31 inexperienced bodybuilders, and 23 weightlifters completed the bodybuilding dependence scale, a bodybuilding version of the athletic identity measurement scale, the social physique anxiety scale, and an adapted version of the social support survey-clinical form. Results—A between subjects multivariate analysis of variance was calculated on the scores of the three groups of lifters for the four questionnaires. Univariate F tests and follow up tests indicated that experienced bodybuilders scored significantly higher than inexperienced bodybuilders and weightlifters on bodybuilding dependence (pbodybuilding identity (pbodybuilders exhibit more exercise dependence, show greater social support behaviour, and experience less social physique anxiety than inexperienced bodybuilders and weightlifters. Key Words: bodybuilding; exercise dependence; social physical anxiety; social support; athletic identity PMID:11131230

Electric field-induced reorganization of two-component supported bilayer membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Groves, J T; Boxer, S G; McConnell, H M

1997-12-09

Application of electric fields tangent to the plane of a confined patch of fluid bilayer membrane can create lateral concentration gradients of the lipids. A thermodynamic model of this steady-state behavior is developed for binary systems and tested with experiments in supported lipid bilayers. The model uses Flory's approximation for the entropy of mixing and allows for effects arising when the components have different molecular areas. In the special case of equal area molecules the concentration gradient reduces to a Fermi-Dirac distribution. The theory is extended to include effects from charged molecules in the membrane. Calculations show that surface charge on the supporting substrate substantially screens electrostatic interactions within the membrane. It also is shown that concentration profiles can be affected by other intermolecular interactions such as clustering. Qualitative agreement with this prediction is provided by comparing phosphatidylserine- and cardiolipin-containing membranes.

DEPONTO: A Reusable Dependability Domain Ontology

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Teodora Sanislav

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a dependability reusable ontology for knowledge representation. The fundamental knowledge related to dependability follows its taxonomy. Thus, this paper gives an analysis of what is the dependability domain ontology andof its components.The dependability domain ontology plays an important role in ensuring the dependability of information systems by providing support for their diagnosis in case of faults, errors and failures.The proposed ontology is used as a dependability framework in two case study Cyber-Physical Systemswhich demonstrate its reusability within this category of systems.

SpaceWire: IP, Components, Development Support and Test Equipment

Science.gov (United States)

Parkes, S.; McClements, C.; Mills, S.; Martin, I.

SpaceWire is a communications network for use onboard spacecraft. It is designed to connect high data-rate sensors, large solid-state memories, processing units and the downlink telemetry subsystem providing an integrated data-handling network. SpaceWire links are serial, high-speed (2 Mbits/sec to 400 Mbits/sec), bi-directional, full-duplex, pointto- point data links which connect together SpaceWire equipment. Application information is sent along a SpaceWire link in discrete packets. Control and time information can also be sent along SpaceWire links. SpaceWire is defined in the ECSS-E50-12A standard [1]. With the adoption of SpaceWire on many space missions the ready availability of intellectual property (IP) cores, components, software drivers, development support, and test equipment becomes a major issue for those developing satellites and their electronic subsystems. This paper describes the work being done at the University of Dundee and STAR-Dundee Ltd with ESA, BNSC and internal funding to make these essential items available. STAR-Dundee is a spin-out company of the University of Dundee set up specifically to support users of SpaceWire.

Dependence between fusion temperatures and chemical components of a certain type of coal using classical, non-parametric and bootstrap techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gonzalez-Manteiga, W.; Prada-Sanchez, J.M.; Fiestras-Janeiro, M.G.; Garcia-Jurado, I. (Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela (Spain). Dept. de Estadistica e Investigacion Operativa)

1990-11-01

A statistical study of the dependence between various critical fusion temperatures of a certain kind of coal and its chemical components is carried out. As well as using classical dependence techniques (multiple, stepwise and PLS regression, principal components, canonical correlation, etc.) together with the corresponding inference on the parameters of interest, non-parametric regression and bootstrap inference are also performed. 11 refs., 3 figs., 8 tabs.

CRISP. Dependable ICT Support of Power Grid Operations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gustavsson, R.; Mellstrand, P.; Tornqvist, B. [Blekinge Institute of Technology BTH, Karlskrona (Sweden); Akkermans, H. [EnerSearch, Malmoe (Sweden)

2005-03-15

This deliverable D2.4 Dependable ICT support 0f Power Grid Operations is a link between deliverable D1.6 Information security models and their economics and planned activities in WP III, that is, Implementation, Experiments and Tests. Background CRISP material includes deliverables of D2.2 Design document and multi-agent simulation tool for distributed demand-supply matching and D2.3 Design document and simulation tool for diagnostics of high-DG power networks. Furthermore there are links between this document and the deliverable D1.7 Report on distributed network architectures and D1.8 Reports on case study simulations and results. In short, this document specifies and extends the general background on security models and dependability models of deliverable D1.6 with CRISP specific material of D2.2 and D2.4 towards the experiments and tests of WP III. The focus of this deliverable is on dependable ICT support of power grid operation. By recasting the three CRISP experiments into three Scenarios in Chapter 2 we claim that we have a good description of benefits and challenges related to future virtual utilities. Among the challenges are securing trustworthy operation from a technical operation side (avoid disturbances such as blackouts) as wee as from a user-centric business point of view (value added power related services). Our investigation on proper means to safeguard operations of future virtual utilities begins with an assessment of lessons learned from recent (2003) big blackouts worldwide in Chapter 3. We propose an accident diagnosis and repair model (STAMP in Section 3.2) suitable for the complex socio-technical system we envisage for future cell-based virtual utilities. From this analysis and the background material from deliverable D1.6 Information security models and their economics, we then reassess the dependability concerns related to the CRISP related scenarios of Chapter 2. The deliverable provides some novel ideas and models that we claim are

CRISP. Dependable ICT Support of Power Grid Operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gustavsson, R.; Mellstrand, P.; Tornqvist, B.; Akkermans, H.

2005-03-01

This deliverable D2.4 Dependable ICT support 0f Power Grid Operations is a link between deliverable D1.6 Information security models and their economics and planned activities in WP III, that is, Implementation, Experiments and Tests. Background CRISP material includes deliverables of D2.2 Design document and multi-agent simulation tool for distributed demand-supply matching and D2.3 Design document and simulation tool for diagnostics of high-DG power networks. Furthermore there are links between this document and the deliverable D1.7 Report on distributed network architectures and D1.8 Reports on case study simulations and results. In short, this document specifies and extends the general background on security models and dependability models of deliverable D1.6 with CRISP specific material of D2.2 and D2.4 towards the experiments and tests of WP III. The focus of this deliverable is on dependable ICT support of power grid operation. By recasting the three CRISP experiments into three Scenarios in Chapter 2 we claim that we have a good description of benefits and challenges related to future virtual utilities. Among the challenges are securing trustworthy operation from a technical operation side (avoid disturbances such as blackouts) as wee as from a user-centric business point of view (value added power related services). Our investigation on proper means to safeguard operations of future virtual utilities begins with an assessment of lessons learned from recent (2003) big blackouts worldwide in Chapter 3. We propose an accident diagnosis and repair model (STAMP in Section 3.2) suitable for the complex socio-technical system we envisage for future cell-based virtual utilities. From this analysis and the background material from deliverable D1.6 Information security models and their economics, we then reassess the dependability concerns related to the CRISP related scenarios of Chapter 2. The deliverable provides some novel ideas and models that we claim are

Marinobacterium sp. strain DMS-S1 uses dimethyl sulphide as a sulphur source after light-dependent transformation by excreted flavins.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirano, Hiroyuki; Yoshida, Takako; Fuse, Hiroyuki; Endo, Takayuki; Habe, Hiroshi; Nojiri, Hideaki; Omori, Toshio

2003-06-01

Marinobacterium sp. strain DMS-S1 is a unique marine bacterium that can use dimethyl sulphide (DMS) as a sulphur source only in the presence of light. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses of the culture supernatant revealed that excreted factors, which could transform DMS to dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) under light, are FAD and riboflavin. In addition, FAD appeared to catalyse the photolysis of DMS to not only DMSO but also methanesulphonate (MSA), formate, formaldehyde and sulphate. As strain DMS-S1 can use sulphate and MSA as a sole sulphur source independently of light, the excretion of flavins appeared to support the growth on DMS under light. Furthermore, three out of 12 marine bacteria from IAM culture collection were found to be able to grow on DMS with the aid of photolysis by the flavins excreted. This is the first report that bacteria can use light to assimilate oceanic organic sulphur compounds outside the cells by excreting flavins as photosensitizers.

Transcript profiling and gene characterization of three fatty acid desaturase genes in high, moderate, and low linolenic acid genotypes of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) and their role in linolenic acid accumulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Banik, Mitali; Duguid, Scott; Cloutier, Sylvie

2011-06-01

Three genes encoding fatty acid desaturase 3 (fad3a, fad3b, and a novel fad3c) were cloned from four flax genotypes varying in linolenic acid content. Real-time PCR was used to quantify expression levels of the three fad3 genes during seed development. High amounts of both fad3a and fad3b transcripts were observed and reached their peak levels at 20 days after anthesis, except for fad3a from SP2047 where only low level expression was observed throughout seed development. Transcript accumulation of the novel fad3c gene was at similar background levels. The fatty acid composition was analysed for all genotypes and stages of development and compared with the fad3 gene expression patterns. α-Linolenic acid gradually accumulated during seed development, while linoleic acid was transient and decreased in M5791, UGG5-5, and AC McDuff. In contrast, the linolenic acid present in the early stages of development nearly completely disappeared in SP2047, while linoleic acid steadily accumulated. fad3a of the low linolenic acid line SP2047 encoded a truncated protein caused by a premature stop codon resulting from a single point mutation, and the low level of transcript accumulation in this genotype is likely due to nonsense-mediated mRNA decay caused by the premature termination of translation as a result of this early stop codon. Although substantial amounts of transcript accumulation occurred with fad3b of SP2047 genotype, cloning of the gene revealed a mutation in the first histidine box causing an amino acid change. Heterologous expression in yeast of the SP2047 and UGG5-5 fad3b genes showed that the mutation in the histidine box in SP2047 caused the enzyme inactivity. Taken together, these results showed that fad3a and fad3b are responsible for linolenic acid accumulation in flax seeds but did not support a major role for the novel fad3c. These observations were further supported by phenotypic and genotypic assessment of a doubled haploid population. Expression patterns

Dependent, but not Perfectionistic, Dysfunctional Attitudes Predict Worsened Mood and Appraisals after Emotional Support from a Romantic Partner

Science.gov (United States)

Felix, Steven A. M.; Hooker, Christine I.

2016-01-01

Background: Receiving emotional support from a romantic partner often leads to emotional costs via negative appraisals about the self and one's relationship, but it is unclear whether certain individuals are more susceptible to these costs. We evaluate whether the presence of perfectionistic and dependent dysfunctional attitudes leads to more negative effects of receiving emotional support from a romantic partner. Methods: Twenty-nine couples (27 men, 31 women; mean age 24.5) completed the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale and then a daily online questionnaire by recording their mood, appraisals, and received emotional support. Mixed-effects regressions were used to evaluate whether perfectionistic and dependent dysfunctional attitudes moderated the relationship between emotional support receipt and subsequent mood and appraisals. Results: Perfectionism did not interact with emotional support but exerted a main effect of increasing negative moods and appraisals. Dependency interacted with emotional support such that those with more dependent attitudes reported greater negative next-day moods and appraisals as a function of emotional support. Conclusions: Individuals with dependent, but not perfectionistic, dysfunctional attitudes are more likely to experience emotional and cognitive costs after receiving emotional support. These costs may stem from activation or exacerbation of the attitudes specific to dependency, including need for acceptance, support, and approval of others. PMID:27790161

Regulatory Guide 1.122: Development of floor design response spectra for seismic design of floor-supported equipment or components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

''Reactor Site Criteria,'' requires, in part, that safety-related structures, systems, and components remain functional in the event of a Safe Shutdown Earthquake (SSE). It specifies the use of a suitable dynamic analysis as one method of ensuring that the structures, systems, and components can withstand the seismic loads. Similarly, paragraph (a)(2) of Section VI of the same appendix requires, in part, that the structures, systems, and components necessary for continued operation without undue risk to the health and safety of the public remain functional in the event of an Operating Basis Earthquake (OBE). Again, the use of suitable dynamic analysis is specified as one method of ensuring that the structures, systems, and components can withstand the seismic loads. This guide describes methods acceptable to the NRC staff for developing two horizontal and one vertical floor design response spectra at various floors or other equipment-support locations of interest from the time-history motions resulting from the dynamic analysis of the supporting structure. These floor design response spectra are needed for the dynamic analysis of the systems or equipment supported at various locations of the supporting structure

Design and Construction Rules for Mechanical components of FBR nuclear islands: RCC-MR. Tome 1, Volume H: Supports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-06-01

The present book is the fifth one of a whole set of 12 which constitute the present edition of the RCC-MR. The volume H applies to supports of equipments when these equipments are concerned by the RCC-MR rules in application of the chapter RA 4000 of the Tome 1, Vol A. One defines the field of application of this volume and the classification rules of supports in two levels. One defines the different types of supports and fasteners, as also the classification of the support elements in primary or resistance (or structure) elements and secondary (stability) elements. One defines the documents to be established for the components and their constitutive elements, the modalities of identification of pieces and welded joints, the rules to choose the materials of the support elements, the rules to follow for the support conception, the rules to follow for fabrication and tests, as also other rules than those given in the chapters RH 2000 to RH 4000, to homologate a standard support or a component of a standard support [fr

Study on practical of eddy current testing of core and core support graphite components in HTTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishihara, Masahiro; Iyoku, Tatsuo; Ooka, Norikazu; Shindo, Yoshihisa; Kawae, Hidetoshi; Hayashi, Motomitsu; Kambe, Mamoru; Takahashi, Masaaki; Ide, Akira.

1994-01-01

Core and core support graphite components in the HTTR (High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor) are mainly made of nuclear-grade IG-110 and PGX graphites. Nondestructive inspection with Eddy Current Testing (ECT) is planned to be applied to these components. The method of ECT has been already established for metallic components, however, cannot be applied directly to the graphite ones, because the characteristics of graphite are quite different in micro-structure from those of metals. Therefore, ECT method and condition were studied for the application of the ECT to the graphite components. This paper describes the study on practical method and conditions of ECT for above mentioned graphite structures. (author)

Intervention to improve social and family support for caregivers of dependent patients: ICIAS study protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosell-Murphy, Magdalena; Bonet-Simó, Josep M; Baena, Esther; Prieto, Gemma; Bellerino, Eva; Solé, Francesc; Rubio, Montserrat; Krier, Ilona; Torres, Pascuala; Mimoso, Sonia

2014-03-25

Despite the existence of formal professional support services, informal support (mainly family members) continues to be the main source of eldercare, especially for those who are dependent or disabled. Professionals on the primary health care are the ideal choice to educate, provide psychological support, and help to mobilize social resources available to the informal caregiver.Controversy remains concerning the efficiency of multiple interventions, taking a holistic approach to both the patient and caregiver, and optimum utilization of the available community resources. .For this reason our goal is to assess whether an intervention designed to improve the social support for caregivers effectively decreases caregivers burden and improves their quality of life. CONTROLled, multicentre, community intervention trial, with patients and their caregivers randomized to the intervention or control group according to their assigned Primary Health Care Team (PHCT). Primary Health Care network (9 PHCTs). Primary informal caregivers of patients receiving home health care from participating PHCTs. Required sample size is 282 caregivers (141 from PHCTs randomized to the intervention group and 141 from PHCTs randomized to the control group. a) PHCT professionals: standardized training to implement caregivers intervention. b) Caregivers: 1 individualized counselling session, 1 family session, and 4 educational group sessions conducted by participating PHCT professionals; in addition to usual home health care visits, periodic telephone follow-up contact and unlimited telephone support. Caregivers and dependent patients: usual home health care, consisting of bimonthly scheduled visits, follow-up as needed, and additional attention upon request.Data analysisDependent variables: Caregiver burden (short-form Zarit test), caregivers' social support (Medical Outcomes Study), and caregivers' reported quality of life (SF-12)INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: a) Caregiver: sociodemographic data

Preloading of bolted connections in nuclear reactor component supports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yahr, G.T.

1984-10-01

A number of failures of threaded fasteners in nuclear reactor component supports have been reported. Many of those failures were attributed to stress corrosion cracking. This report discusses how stress corrosion cracking can be avoided in bolting by controlling the maximum bolt preloads so that the sustained stresses in the bolts are below the level required to cause stress corrosion cracking. This is a basic departure from ordinary bolted joint design where the only limits on preload are on the minimum preload. Emphasis is placed on the importance of detailed analysis to determine the acceptable range of preload and the selection of a method for measuring the preload that is sufficiently accurate to ensure that the preload is actually within the acceptable range. Procedures for determining acceptable preload range are given, and the accuracy of various methods of measuring preload is discussed

Preloading of bolted connections in nuclear reactor component supports

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yahr, G T

1984-10-01

A number of failures of threaded fasteners in nuclear reactor component supports have been reported. Many of those failures were attributed to stress corrosion cracking. This report discusses how stress corrosion cracking can be avoided in bolting by controlling the maximum bolt preloads so that the sustained stresses in the bolts are below the level required to cause stress corrosion cracking. This is a basic departure from ordinary bolted joint design where the only limits on preload are on the minimum preload. Emphasis is placed on the importance of detailed analysis to determine the acceptable range of preload and the selection of a method for measuring the preload that is sufficiently accurate to ensure that the preload is actually within the acceptable range. Procedures for determining acceptable preload range are given, and the accuracy of various methods of measuring preload is discussed.

Time-dependent extraction kinetics of infused components of different Indian black tea types using UV spectroscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asir Gani

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Time-dependent aqueous extraction of six tea types was carried out with leaf–water–ratio of 0.5 g/100 ml, temperature of extraction 90°C and time of extraction ranging from 1 to 10 min. UV–vis spectroscopic analysis in the range varying from 220 to 900 nm of the aqueous tea extracts showed a prominent peak at 273 nm in the ultraviolet region which can be associated with n → π* electronic transition of caffeine molecules. Parabolic diffusion, Power law, hyperbolic, Weibull’s and Elovich’s models were fitted to represent the aqueous soluble component extraction behaviour for time-dependent extraction of aqueous extractables. Parabolic diffusion model, Power law and Elovich’s model were a close fit to the experimental data for all the selected tea types with correlation coefficients (R2 ranging 0.8029–0.9953, whereas hyperbolic and Weibull’s models showed poor fitness to represent the extraction behaviour of fanning and AO leaf, LD, fanning and dust, respectively, with R2 < 0.8, for time-dependent aqueous soluble component extraction.

A Bayesian least-squares support vector machine method for predicting the remaining useful life of a microwave component

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fuqiang Sun

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Rapid and accurate lifetime prediction of critical components in a system is important to maintaining the system’s reliable operation. To this end, many lifetime prediction methods have been developed to handle various failure-related data collected in different situations. Among these methods, machine learning and Bayesian updating are the most popular ones. In this article, a Bayesian least-squares support vector machine method that combines least-squares support vector machine with Bayesian inference is developed for predicting the remaining useful life of a microwave component. A degradation model describing the change in the component’s power gain over time is developed, and the point and interval remaining useful life estimates are obtained considering a predefined failure threshold. In our case study, the radial basis function neural network approach is also implemented for comparison purposes. The results indicate that the Bayesian least-squares support vector machine method is more precise and stable in predicting the remaining useful life of this type of components.

Operational readiness of filtered air discharge monitoring systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lafortune, J.F.; Jamieson, T.J.

1993-08-01

An assessment of the operational readiness of the Filtered Air Discharge (FAD) Stack Monitoring systems, installed in Canadian CANDU nuclear power plants, was performed in this project. Relevant Canadian and foreign standards and regulatory requirements have been reviewed and documentation on FAD stack monitoring system design, operation, testing and maintenance have been assessed to identify likely causes and potential failures of FAD stack monitoring systems and their components under both standby and accident conditions. Recommendations have also been provided in this report for design and performance review guidelines for CANDU stations. A case study of the FAD stack monitoring system at Pickering NGS is also documented in this report

Age-dependent risk-based methodology and its application to prioritization of nuclear power plant components and to maintenance for managing aging using PRAs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levy, I.S.; Vesely, W.E.

1990-01-01

This paper is based on a study to demonstrate several important ways that the age-dependent risk-based methodology developed by the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program may be applied to resolving important issues related to the aging of nuclear power plant systems, structures, and components (SSCs). The study was sponsored by the NPAR Program of the Division of Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Initiated on the basis of a Users Need Request, the age-dependent risk-based methodology has been under development by the NPAR Program for several years. In this methodology, the time-dependent change in a component's risk contribution is the product of two factors: (1) the risk importance of the component (e.g., the change in its risk contribution when it is assumed to be totally unavailable to perform its intended safety function) and (2) the change in its unavailability with time. This change in the component's unavailability with time is a function of the component's aging rate and plant inspection and maintenance practices. The methodology permits evaluations of the age-dependent risk contributions from both single- and multiple-components. Principal results and conclusions generated by the methodology demonstrations are discussed

[Functional characteristics of flexible supporting structures for heart valve bioprosthesis].

Science.gov (United States)

Dobrova, N B; Agafonov, A V; Barbarash, L S; Zavalishin, N N; Neniukov, A K

1984-01-01

Hydraulic characteristics of heart valve bioprostheses mounted on supporting structures of various rigidity have been studied under physiologic conditions. An actual mobility of the supporting structures made of different polymers is determined. Static and dynamic components of the support displacements have been shown to develop as the bioprosthesis is under the load, the dynamic component being strongly dependent upon the rigidity of fastening the bioprosthesis on the axis. It is noted that considerable improvements in hydraulic characteristics of bioprostheses are achieved through the use of flexible supporting structures.

Older adults' preferences for formal social support of autonomy and dependence in pain: development and validation of a scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernardes, Sónia F; Matos, Marta; Goubert, Liesbet

2017-09-01

Chronic pain among older adults is common and often disabling. Pain-related formal social support (e.g., provided by staff at day-care centers, nursing homes), and the extent to which it promotes functional autonomy or dependence, plays a significant role in the promotion of older adults' ability to engage in their daily activities. Assessing older adults' preferences for pain-related social support for functional autonomy or dependence could contribute to increase formal social support responsiveness to individuals' needs. Therefore, this study aimed at developing and validating the preferences for formal social support of autonomy and dependence in pain inventory (PFSSADI). One hundred and sixty-five older adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain ( M age  = 79.1, 67.3% women), attending day-care centers, completed the PFSSADI, the revised formal social support for autonomy and dependence in pain inventory, and a measure of desire for (in)dependence; the PFSSADI was filled out again 6 weeks later. Confirmatory factor analyses showed a structure of two correlated factors ( r  = .56): (a) preferences for autonomy support ( α  = .99) and (b) preferences for dependence support ( α  = .98). The scale showed good test-retest reliability, sensitivity and discriminant and concurrent validity; the higher the preferences for dependence support, the higher the desire for dependence ( r  = .33) and the lower the desire for independence ( r  = -.41). The PFSSADI is an innovative tool, which may contribute to explore the role of pain-related social support responsiveness on the promotion of older adults' functional autonomy when in pain.

Protection against RAGE-mediated neuronal cell death by sRAGE-secreting human mesenchymal stem cells in 5xFAD transgenic mouse model.

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Myeongjoo; Oh, Seyeon; Park, Hyunjin; Ahn, Hyosang; Choi, Junwon; Kim, Hyungho; Lee, Hye Sun; Lee, Sojung; Park, Hye-Jeong; Kim, Seung U; Lee, Bonghee; Byun, Kyunghee

2017-11-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is the most commonly encountered neurodegenerative disease, causes synaptic dysfunction and neuronal loss due to various pathological processes that include tau abnormality and amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulation. Aβ stimulates the secretion and the synthesis of Receptor for Advanced Glycation End products (RAGE) ligand by activating microglial cells, and has been reported to cause neuronal cell death in Aβ 1-42 treated rats and in mice with neurotoxin-induced Parkinson's disease. The soluble form of RAGE (sRAGE) is known to reduce inflammation, and to decrease microglial cell activation and Aβ deposition, and thus, it protects from neuronal cell death in AD. However, sRAGE protein has too a short half-life for therapeutic purposes. We developed sRAGE-secreting umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells (sRAGE-MSCs) to enhance the inhibitory effects of sRAGE on Aβ deposition and to reduce the secretion and synthesis of RAGE ligands in 5xFAD mice. In addition, these cells improved the viability of injected MSCs, and enhanced the protective effects of sRAGE by inhibiting the binding of RAGE and RAGE ligands in 5xFAD mice. These findings suggest sRAGE protein from sRAGE-MSCs has better protection against neuronal cell death than sRAGE protein or single MSC treatment by inhibiting the RAGE cell death cascade and RAGE-induce inflammation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements for class 1C, 2C, and 3C pressure-retaining components and supports in CANDU nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

This Standard applies to pressure-retaining components of CANDU nuclear power plants that have a code classification of Class 1C, 2C or 3C. These are pressure-retaining components where, because of the design concept, the rules of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code do not exist, are not applicable, or are not sufficient. The Standard provides rules for the design, fabrication, installation, examination and inspection of these components and supports. It provides rules intended to ensure the pressure-retaining integrity of components, not the operability. It also provides rules for the support of fueling machines. The Standard applies only to new construction prior to the plant being declared in service

Photoluminescence of acupoint 'Waiqiu' in human superficial fascia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yuan; Yan Xiaohui; Liu Chenglin; Dang Ruishan; Zhang Xinyi

2006-01-01

The spectral characters of an acupuncture point named 'Waiqiu' in superficial fascia tissue have been studied by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy under the excitation of 457.9 nm. The PL around 'Waiqiu' acupuncture point consists of two sub-bands resulting from the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and phospholipids, and the porphyrins (including purine, isoxanthopterin and tryptophan), respectively. More emission due to FAD and phospholipids is found inside the acupuncture effect area of 'Waiqiu' than its marginal or outside acupuncture regions. The ratio of emission intensity of FAD and phospholipids to one of porphyrins gradually decreases along the direction away from the center of the acupuncture point. It implies that the component proportion changes between FAD, phospholipids and porphyrins around the 'Waiqiu' acupuncture point. We suggest that there might be a certain relationship between redox function of FAD and 'Waiqiu' acupuncture effect

Reversing Size-Dependent Trends in the Oxidation of Copper Clusters through Support Effects: Reversing Size-Dependent Trends in the Oxidation of Copper Clusters through Support Effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mammen, Nisha [Theoretical Sciences Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, -560064 Bangalore India; Spanu, Leonardo [Shell Technology Center, Shell India Markets Private Limited, -560048 Bangalore India; Tyo, Eric C. [Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 60439 Argonne IL USA; Yang, Bing [Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 60439 Argonne IL USA; Halder, Avik [Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 60439 Argonne IL USA; Seifert, Sönke [X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 60439 Argonne IL USA; Pellin, Michael J. [Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 60439 Argonne IL USA; Vajda, Stefan [Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 60439 Argonne IL USA; Institute for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, 60637 Chicago IL USA; Narasimhan, Shobhana [Theoretical Sciences Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, -560064 Bangalore India

2017-12-22

Having the ability to tune the oxidation state of Cu nanoparticles is essential for their utility as catalysts. The degree of oxidation that maximizes product yield and selectivity is known to vary, depending on the particular reaction. Using first principles calculations and XANES measurements, we show that for subnanometer sizes in the gas phase, smaller Cu clusters are more resistant to oxidation. However, this trend is reversed upon deposition on an alumina support. We are able to explain this result in terms of strong cluster-support interactions, which differ significantly for the oxidized and elemental clusters. The stable cluster phases also feature novel oxygen stoichiometries. Our results suggest that one can tune the degree of oxidation of Cu catalysts by optimizing not just their size, but also the support they are deposited on.

32 CFR 733.3 - Information and policy on support of dependents.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... adequate and continuous support for their lawful dependents and comply with the terms of separation... the child if physical control is obtained. (6) Adopted children. The natural parents of an adopted... parents. A Navy or Marine Corps member who contemplates the adoption of a child should be aware of the...

Implementation of condition-dependent probabilistic risk assessment using surveillance data on passive components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewandowski, Radoslaw; Denning, Richard; Aldemir, Tunc; Zhang, Jinsuo

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Condition-dependent probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). • Time-dependent characterization of plant-specific risk. • Containment bypass involving in secondary system piping and SCC in SG tubes. - Abstract: A great deal of surveillance data are collected for a nuclear power plant that reflect the changing condition of the plant as it ages. Although surveillance data are used to determine failure probabilities of active components for the plant’s probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) and to indicate the need for maintenance activities, they are not used in a structured manner to characterize the evolving risk of the plant. The present study explores the feasibility of using a condition-dependent PRA framework that takes a first principles approach to modeling the progression of degradation mechanisms to characterize evolving risk, periodically adapting the model to account for surveillance results. A case study is described involving a potential containment bypass accident sequence due to the progression of flow-accelerated corrosion in secondary system piping and stress corrosion cracking of steam generator tubes. In this sequence, a steam line break accompanied by failure to close of a main steam isolation valve results in depressurization of the steam generator and induces the rupture of one or more faulted steam generator tubes. The case study indicates that a condition-dependent PRA framework might be capable of providing early identification of degradation mechanisms important to plant risk.

Constitutive NADPH-dependent electron transferase activity of the Nox4 dehydrogenase domain.

Science.gov (United States)

Nisimoto, Yukio; Jackson, Heather M; Ogawa, Hisamitsu; Kawahara, Tsukasa; Lambeth, J David

2010-03-23

NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) is constitutively active, while Nox2 requires the cytosolic regulatory subunits p47(phox) and p67(phox) and activated Rac with activation by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). This study was undertaken to identify the domain on Nox4 that confers constitutive activity. Lysates from Nox4-expressing cells exhibited constitutive NADPH- but not NADH-dependent hydrogen peroxide production with a K(m) for NADPH of 55 +/- 10 microM. The concentration of Nox4 in cell lysates was estimated using Western blotting and allowed calculation of a turnover of approximately 200 mol of H(2)O(2) min(-1) (mol of Nox4)(-1). A chimeric protein (Nox2/4) consisting of the Nox2 transmembrane (TM) domain and the Nox4 dehydrogenase (DH) domain showed H(2)O(2) production in the absence of cytosolic regulatory subunits. In contrast, chimera Nox4/2, consisting of the Nox4 TM and Nox2 DH domains, exhibited PMA-dependent activation that required coexpression of regulatory subunits. Nox DH domains from several Nox isoforms were purified and evaluated for their electron transferase activities. Nox1 DH, Nox2 DH, and Nox5 DH domains exhibited barely detectable activities toward artificial electron acceptors, while the Nox4 DH domain exhibited significant rates of reduction of cytochrome c (160 min(-1), largely superoxide dismutase-independent), ferricyanide (470 min(-1)), and other electron acceptors (artificial dyes and cytochrome b(5)). Rates were similar to those observed for H(2)O(2) production by the Nox4 holoenzyme in cell lysates. The activity required added FAD and was seen with NADPH but not NADH. These results indicate that the Nox4 DH domain exists in an intrinsically activated state and that electron transfer from NADPH to FAD is likely to be rate-limiting in the NADPH-dependent reduction of oxygen by holo-Nox4.

Chloramphenicol Biosynthesis: The Structure of CmlS, a Flavin-Dependent Halogenase Shwing a Covalent Flavin-Aspartate Bond

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Podzelinska, K.; Latimer, R.; Bhattacharya, A.; Vining, L.; Zechel, D.; Jia, Z.

2010-01-01

Chloramphenicol is a halogenated natural product bearing an unusual dichloroacetyl moiety that is critical for its antibiotic activity. The operon for chloramphenicol biosynthesis in Streptomyces venezuelae encodes the chloramphenicol halogenase CmlS, which belongs to the large and diverse family of flavin-dependent halogenases (FDH's). CmlS was previously shown to be essential for the formation of the dichloroacetyl group. Here we report the X-ray crystal structure of CmlS determined at 2.2 (angstrom) resolution, revealing a flavin monooxygenase domain shared by all FDHs, but also a unique 'winged-helix' C-terminal domain that creates a T-shaped tunnel leading to the halogenation active site. Intriguingly, the C-terminal tail of this domain blocks access to the halogenation active site, suggesting a structurally dynamic role during catalysis. The halogenation active site is notably nonpolar and shares nearly identical residues with Chondromyces crocatus tyrosyl halogenase (CndH), including the conserved Lys (K71) that forms the reactive chloramine intermediate. The exception is Y350, which could be used to stabilize enolate formation during substrate halogenation. The strictly conserved residue E44, located near the isoalloxazine ring of the bound flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor, is optimally positioned to function as a remote general acid, through a water-mediated proton relay, which could accelerate the reaction of the chloramine intermediate during substrate halogenation, or the oxidation of chloride by the FAD(C4α)-OOH intermediate. Strikingly, the 8α carbon of the FAD cofactor is observed to be covalently attached to D277 of CmlS, a residue that is highly conserved in the FDH family. In addition to representing a new type of flavin modification, this has intriguing implications for the mechanism of FDHs. Based on the crystal structure and in analogy to known halogenases, we propose a reaction mechanism for CmlS.

Prediction of the time-dependent failure rate for normally operating components taking into account the operational history

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vrbanic, I.; Simic, Z.; Sljivac, D.

2008-01-01

The prediction of the time-dependent failure rate has been studied, taking into account the operational history of a component used in applications such as system modeling in a probabilistic safety analysis in order to evaluate the impact of equipment aging and maintenance strategies on the risk measures considered. We have selected a time-dependent model for the failure rate which is based on the Weibull distribution and the principles of proportional age reduction by equipment overhauls. Estimation of the parameters that determine the failure rate is considered, including the definition of the operational history model and likelihood function for the Bayesian analysis of parameters for normally operating repairable components. The operational history is provided as a time axis with defined times of overhauls and failures. An example for demonstration is described with prediction of the future behavior for seven different operational histories. (orig.)

Proposal of reference stress for a surface flaw on a cylindrical component from a review-with-comparison of the local metal loss assessment rule between API 579-1 and the p-M diagram method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oyamada, Kenji; Konosu, Shinji; Ohno, Takashi

2011-01-01

The Remaining Strength Factor (RSF) approach in Part 5 of API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 is an assessment method for a cylindrical component with a local metal loss based on surface correction factors. Also, reference stress solutions that are applied in the Failure Assessment Diagram (FAD) method for a cylindrical component with a crack-like flaw are provided in Annex D using surface correction factors. In the recently-developed p-M diagram method, the reference stress solution for local metal loss evaluation in a cylindrical component is derived using bulging factors, which are similar but not identical to the surface correction factors used in API 579-1/ASME FFS-1. This paper describes the results of a comparative study among the RSF approach, reference stress solutions for the FAD method, and the p-M diagram method, in terms of plastic collapse evaluation of a cylindrical component. These results were compared with the FEA and experimental results to confirm how these estimated stresses could be validated. This study also involves recommended reference stress solutions for a cylindrical component with a crack-like flaw or a local metal loss, which should be adopted as fitness-for-service rules, and a discussion on the influence of the design margin of the construction code on allowable flaw depth. - Highlights: → We compared local metal loss assessment rule between API 579-1 and the p-M method. → Experiments and FEA verified the p-M estimate stress state around a flaw accurate. → API 579-1 for local metal loss may underestimate stress state for certain conditions. → Existing reference stresses for crack-like flaws may underestimate stress state too. → We propose the reference stress for a surface flaw subjected to pressure and moment.

Origins of mass-dependent and mass-independent Ca isotope variations in meteoritic components and meteorites

Science.gov (United States)

Bermingham, K. R.; Gussone, N.; Mezger, K.; Krause, J.

2018-04-01

The Ca isotope composition of meteorites and their components may vary due to mass-dependent and/or -independent isotope effects. In order to evaluate the origin of these effects, five amoeboid olivine aggregates (AOAs), three calcium aluminum inclusions (CAIs), five chondrules (C), a dark inclusion from Allende (CV3), two dark fragments from North West Africa 753 (NWA 753; R3.9), and a whole rock sample of Orgueil (CI1) were analyzed. This is the first coupled mass-dependent and -independent Ca isotope dataset to include AOAs, a dark inclusion, and dark fragments. Where sample masses permit, Ca isotope data are reported with corresponding petrographic analyses and rare earth element (REE) relative abundance patterns. The CAIs and AOAs are enriched in light Ca isotopes (δ44/40Ca -5.32 to +0.72, where δ44/40Ca is reported relative to SRM 915a). Samples CAI 5 and AOA 1 have anomalous Group II REE patterns. These REE and δ44/40Ca data suggest that the CAI 5 and AOA 1 compositions were set via kinetic isotope fractionation during condensation and evaporation. The remaining samples show mass-dependent Ca isotope variations which cluster between δ44/40Ca +0.53 and +1.59, some of which are coupled with unfractionated REE abundance patterns. These meteoritic components likely formed through the coaccretion of the evaporative residue and condensate following Group II CAI formation or their chemical and isotopic signatures were decoupled (e.g., via nebular or parent-body alteration). The whole rock sample of Orgueil has a δ44/40Ca +0.67 ± 0.18 which is in agreement with most published data. Parent-body alteration, terrestrial alteration, and variable sampling of Ca-rich meteoritic components can have an effect on δ44/40Ca compositions in whole rock meteorites. Samples AOA 1, CAI 5, C 2, and C 4 display mass-independent 48/44Ca anomalies (ε48/44Ca +6 to +12) which are resolved from the standard composition. Other samples measured for these effects (AOA 5, CAI 1, CAI 2

Photoluminescence of acupoint 'Waiqiu' in human superficial fascia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang Yuan [Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Department of Physics, Surface Physics Laboratory (State Key Laboratory) of Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Yan Xiaohui [Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Department of Physics, Surface Physics Laboratory (State Key Laboratory) of Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Liu Chenglin [Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Department of Physics, Surface Physics Laboratory (State Key Laboratory) of Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Dang Ruishan [Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Zhang Xinyi [Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Department of Physics, Surface Physics Laboratory (State Key Laboratory) of Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China) and Shanghai Research Center of Acupuncture and Meridian, Pudong, Shanghai 201203 (China)]. E-mail: xy-zhang@fudan.edu.cn

2006-07-15

The spectral characters of an acupuncture point named 'Waiqiu' in superficial fascia tissue have been studied by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy under the excitation of 457.9 nm. The PL around 'Waiqiu' acupuncture point consists of two sub-bands resulting from the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and phospholipids, and the porphyrins (including purine, isoxanthopterin and tryptophan), respectively. More emission due to FAD and phospholipids is found inside the acupuncture effect area of 'Waiqiu' than its marginal or outside acupuncture regions. The ratio of emission intensity of FAD and phospholipids to one of porphyrins gradually decreases along the direction away from the center of the acupuncture point. It implies that the component proportion changes between FAD, phospholipids and porphyrins around the 'Waiqiu' acupuncture point. We suggest that there might be a certain relationship between redox function of FAD and 'Waiqiu' acupuncture effect.

Web-Based Group Decision Support System: an Economic Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion ISTUDOR

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Decision Support Systems (DSS form a specific class of computerized information systems that support business and managerial decision-making activities. Making the right decision in business primarily depends on the quality of data. It also depends on the ability to analyze the data with a view to identifying trends that can suggest solutions and strategies. A “cooperative” decision support system means the data are collected, analyzed and then provided to a human agent who can help the system to revise or refine the data. It means that both a human component and computer component work together to come up with the best solution. This paper describes the usage of a software product (Vanguard System to a specific economic application (evaluating the financial risk assuming that the rate of the economic profitability can be under the value of the interest rate.

Robust classification using mixtures of dependency networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gámez, José A.; Mateo, Juan L.; Nielsen, Thomas Dyhre

2008-01-01

Dependency networks have previously been proposed as alternatives to e.g. Bayesian networks by supporting fast algorithms for automatic learning. Recently dependency networks have also been proposed as classification models, but as with e.g. general probabilistic inference, the reported speed......-ups are often obtained at the expense of accuracy. In this paper we try to address this issue through the use of mixtures of dependency networks. To reduce learning time and improve robustness when dealing with data sparse classes, we outline methods for reusing calculations across mixture components. Finally...

Effect of linear and non-linear components in the temperature dependences of thermoelectric properties on the energy conversion efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamashita, Osamu

2009-01-01

The new thermal rate equations were built up by taking the linear and non-linear components in the temperature dependences of the Seebeck coefficient α, the electrical resistivity ρ and thermal conductivity κ of a thermoelectric (TE) material into the thermal rate equations on the assumption that their temperature dependences are expressed by a quadratic function of temperature T. The energy conversion efficiency η for a single TE element was formulated using the new thermal rate ones proposed here. By applying it to the high-performance half-Heusler compound, the non-linear component in the temperature dependence of α among those of the TE properties has the greatest effect on η, so that η/η 0 was increased by 11% under the condition of T = 510 K and ΔT = 440 K, where η 0 is a well-known conventional energy conversion efficiency. It was thus found that the temperature dependences of TE properties have a significant influence on η. When one evaluates the accurate achievement rate of η exp obtained experimentally for a TE generator, therefore, η exp should be compared with η the estimated from the theoretical expression proposed here, not with η 0 , particularly when there is a strong non-linearity in the temperature dependence of TE properties.

Experiment planning using high-level component models at W7-X

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewerentz, Marc; Spring, Anett; Bluhm, Torsten; Heimann, Peter; Hennig, Christine; Kühner, Georg; Kroiss, Hugo; Krom, Johannes G.; Laqua, Heike; Maier, Josef; Riemann, Heike; Schacht, Jörg; Werner, Andreas; Zilker, Manfred

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Introduction of models for an abstract description of fusion experiments. ► Component models support creating feasible experiment programs at planning time. ► Component models contain knowledge about physical and technical constraints. ► Generated views on models allow to present crucial information. - Abstract: The superconducting stellarator Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) is a fusion device, which is capable of steady state operation. Furthermore W7-X is a very complex technical system. To cope with these requirements a modular and strongly hierarchical component-based control and data acquisition system has been designed. The behavior of W7-X is characterized by thousands of technical parameters of the participating components. The intended sequential change of those parameters during an experiment is defined in an experiment program. Planning such an experiment program is a crucial and complex task. To reduce the complexity an abstract, more physics-oriented high-level layer has been introduced earlier. The so-called high-level (physics) parameters are used to encapsulate technical details. This contribution will focus on the extension of this layer to a high-level component model. It completely describes the behavior of a component for a certain period of time. It allows not only defining simple value ranges but also complex dependencies between physics parameters. This can be: dependencies within components, dependencies between components or temporal dependencies. Component models can now be analyzed to generate various views of an experiment. A first implementation of such an analyze process is already finished. A graphical preview of a planned discharge can be generated from a chronological sequence of component models. This allows physicists to survey complex planned experiment programs at a glance.

Differential Contribution of Endoplasmic Reticulum and Chloroplast ω-3 Fatty Acid Desaturase Genes to the Linolenic Acid Content of Olive (Olea europaea) Fruit.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández, M Luisa; Sicardo, M Dolores; Martínez-Rivas, José M

2016-01-01

Linolenic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid present in plant lipids, which plays key roles in plant metabolism as a structural component of storage and membrane lipids, and as a precursor of signaling molecules. The synthesis of linolenic acid is catalyzed by two different ω-3 fatty acid desaturases, which correspond to microsomal- (FAD3) and chloroplast- (FAD7 and FAD8) localized enzymes. We have investigated the specific contribution of each enzyme to the linolenic acid content in olive fruit. With that aim, we isolated two different cDNA clones encoding two ω-3 fatty acid desaturases from olive (Olea europaea cv. Picual). Sequence analysis indicates that they code for microsomal (OepFAD3B) and chloroplast (OepFAD7-2) ω-3 fatty acid desaturase enzymes, different from the previously characterized OekFAD3A and OekFAD7-1 genes. Functional expression in yeast of the corresponding OepFAD3A and OepFAD3B cDNAs confirmed that they encode microsomal ω-3 fatty acid desaturases. The linolenic acid content and transcript levels of olive FAD3 and FAD7 genes were measured in different tissues of Picual and Arbequina cultivars, including mesocarp and seed during development and ripening of olive fruit. Gene expression and lipid analysis indicate that FAD3A is the gene mainly responsible for the linolenic acid present in the seed, while FAD7-1 and FAD7-2 contribute mostly to the linolenic acid present in the mesocarp and, therefore, in the olive oil. These results also indicate the relevance of lipid trafficking between the endoplasmic reticulum and chloroplast in determining the linolenic acid content of membrane and storage lipids in oil-accumulating photosynthetic tissues. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Inertial confinement fusion target component fabrication and technology development support: Annual report, October 1, 1997--September 30, 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gibson, J. [ed.

1998-12-01

During this period, General Atomics (GA) and their partner Schafer Corporation were assigned 17 formal tasks in support of the Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) program and its five laboratories. A portion of the effort on these tasks included providing direct ``On-site Support`` at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Sandia National Laboratory Albuquerque (SNLA). They fabricated and delivered over 1,200 hohlraum mandrels and numerous other micromachined components to LLNL, LANL, and SNLA. They produced more than 1,300 glass and plastic target capsules for LLNL, LANL, SNLA, and the University of Rochester/Laboratory for Laser Energetics (UR/LLE). They also delivered nearly 2,000 various target foils and films for Naval Research Lab (NRL) and UR/LLE in FY98. This report describes these target fabrication activities and the target fabrication and characterization development activities that made the deliveries possible. During FY98, great progress was made by the GA/Schafer-UR/LLE-LANL team in the design, procurement, installation, and testing of the OMEGA Cryogenic Target System (OCTS) that will field cryogenic targets on OMEGA. The design phase was concluded for all components of the OCTS and all major components were procured and nearly all were fabricated. Many of the components were assembled and tested, and some have been shipped to UR/LLE. The ICF program is anticipating experiments at the OMEGA laser and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) which will require targets containing cryogenic layered D{sub 2} or deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel. They are part of the National Cryogenic Target Program and support experiments at LLNL and LANL to generate and characterize cryogenic layers for these targets. They also contributed cryogenic support and developed concepts for NIF cryogenic targets. This report summarizes and documents the technical progress made on these tasks.

Inertial confinement fusion target component fabrication and technology development support: Annual report, October 1, 1997 - September 30, 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gibson, J.

1998-12-01

During this period, General Atomics (GA) and their partner Schafer Corporation were assigned 17 formal tasks in support of the Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) program and its five laboratories. A portion of the effort on these tasks included providing direct ''On-site Support'' at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Sandia National Laboratory Albuquerque (SNLA). They fabricated and delivered over 1,200 hohlraum mandrels and numerous other micromachined components to LLNL, LANL, and SNLA. They produced more than 1,300 glass and plastic target capsules for LLNL, LANL, SNLA, and the University of Rochester/Laboratory for Laser Energetics (UR/LLE). They also delivered nearly 2,000 various target foils and films for Naval Research Lab (NRL) and UR/LLE in FY98. This report describes these target fabrication activities and the target fabrication and characterization development activities that made the deliveries possible. During FY98, great progress was made by the GA/Schafer-UR/LLE-LANL team in the design, procurement, installation, and testing of the OMEGA Cryogenic Target System (OCTS) that will field cryogenic targets on OMEGA. The design phase was concluded for all components of the OCTS and all major components were procured and nearly all were fabricated. Many of the components were assembled and tested, and some have been shipped to UR/LLE. The ICF program is anticipating experiments at the OMEGA laser and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) which will require targets containing cryogenic layered D 2 or deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel. They are part of the National Cryogenic Target Program and support experiments at LLNL and LANL to generate and characterize cryogenic layers for these targets. They also contributed cryogenic support and developed concepts for NIF cryogenic targets. This report summarizes and documents the technical progress made on these tasks

Temperature-controlled structure and kinetics of ripple phases in one- and two-component supported lipid bilayers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaasgaard, Thomas; Leidy, Chad; Crowe, J.H.

2003-01-01

Temperature-controlled atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to visualize and study the structure and kinetics of ripple phases in one-component dipalmitoylphosphaticlylcholine (DPPC) and two-component dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine-distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC-DSPC) lipid bilayers....... The lipid bilayers are mica-supported double bilayers in which ripple-phase formation occurs in the top bilayer. In one-component DPPC lipid bilayers, the stable and metastable ripple phases were observed. In addition, a third ripple structure with approximately twice the wavelength of the metastable...... ripples was seen. From height profiles of the AFM images, estimates of the amplitudes of the different ripple phases are reported. To elucidate the processes of ripple formation and disappearance, a ripple-phase DPPC lipid bilayer was taken through the pretransition in the cooling and the heating...

Extracellular matrix components supporting human islet function in alginate-based immunoprotective microcapsules for treatment of diabetes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Llacua Carrasco, Luis; de Haan, Bart J; Smink, Sandra A; de Vos, Paul

In the pancreas, extracellular matrix (ECM) components play an import role in providing mechanical and physiological support, and also contribute to the function of islets. These ECM-connections are damaged during islet-isolation from the pancreas and are not fully recovered after encapsulation and

The hydroxynitrile lyase from almond: crystal structure and mechanistical studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dreveny, Ingrid

2001-09-01

Cyanogenesis is a defense process of several thousand plant species. Hydroxynitrile lyase (HNL), a key enzyme of this process, cleaves a cyanohydrin precursor into hydrocyanic acid and the corresponding aldehyde or ketone. The reverse reaction constitutes an important tool in industrial biocatalysis. Different classes of hydroxynitrile lyases have convergently evolved from FAD-dependent oxidoreductases, α/β hydrolases and alcohol dehydrogenases. The FAD-dependent hydroxynitrile lyases (FAD-HNLs) carry a flavin cofactor whose redox properties appear to be unimportant for catalysis. The high resolution crystal structure of the hydroxynitrile lyase from almond (Prunus amygdalus), PaHNL1, has been determined and constitutes the first 3D structure of an FAD-HNL. The overall fold and the architecture of the active site region showed that PaHNL1 belongs to the glucose-methanol-choline-oxidoreductase family, with closest structural similarity to glucose oxidase. There is strong evidence from the sequence and the reaction product that FAD-dependent hydroxynitrile lyases have evolved from an aryl alcohol oxidizing precursor. Structures of PaHNL1 in complex with its natural substrate mandelonitrile and the competitive inhibitor benzyl alcohol provided insight into the residues involved in catalysis and a mechanism without participation of the cofactor could be suggested. Although the catalytic residues differ between the α/β-hydrolase-type HNLs and PaHNL1, common general features relevant for hydroxynitrile lyase activity could be proposed. (author)

Time-dependent tritium inventories and flow rates in fuel cycle components of a tokamak fusion reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuan, W.

1995-01-01

Time-dependent inventories and flow rates for several components of the fuel cycle are modeled and studied through the use of a new modular-type model for the dynamic simulation of the fuel cycle in a fusion reactor. The complex dynamic behavior in the modeled subsystems is analyzed using this new model. Preliminary results using fuel cycle design configurations similar to ITER are presented and analyzed. The inventories and flow rates inside the primary vacuum pumping, fuel cleanup unit and isotope separation system are studied. Ways to minimize the tritium inventory are also assessed. This was performed by looking at various design options that could be used to minimize tritium inventory for specific components. (orig.)

The RAGE Game Software Components Repository for Supporting Applied Game Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krassen Stefanov

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the architecture of the RAGE repository, which is a unique and dedicated infrastructure that provides access to a wide variety of advanced technology components for applied game development. The RAGE project, which is the principal Horizon2020 research and innovation project on applied gaming, develops up to three dozens of software components (RAGE software assets that are reusable across a wide diversity of game engines, game platforms and programming languages. The RAGE repository provides storage space for assets and their artefacts and is designed as an asset life-cycle management system for defining, publishing, updating, searching and packaging for distribution of these assets. It will be embedded in a social platform for asset developers and other users. A dedicated Asset Repository Manager provides the main functionality of the repository and its integration with other systems. Tools supporting the Asset Manager are presented and discussed. When the RAGE repository is in full operation, applied game developers will be able to easily enhance the quality of their games by including selected advanced game software assets. Making available the RAGE repository system and its variety of software assets aims to enhance the coherence and decisiveness of the applied game industry.

Fabricating off-diagonal components of frequency-dependent linear and nonlinear polarizabilities of doped quantum dots by Gaussian white noise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saha, Surajit; Ganguly, Jayanta; Ghosh, Manas

2015-01-01

We make a rigorous exploration of the profiles of off-diagonal components of frequency-dependent linear (α xy , α yx ), first nonlinear (β xyy , β yxx ), and second nonlinear (γ xxyy , γ yyxx ) polarizabilities of quantum dots driven by Gaussian white noise. The quantum dot is doped with repulsive Gaussian impurity. Noise has been applied additively and multiplicatively to the system. An external oscillatory electric field has also been applied to the system. Gradual variations of external frequency, dopant location, and noise strength give rise to interesting features of polarizability components. The observations reveal intricate interplay between noise strength and dopant location which designs the polarizability profiles. Moreover, the mode of application of noise also modulates the polarizability components. Interestingly, in case of additive noise the noise strength has no role on polarizabilities whereas multiplicative noise invites greater delicacy in them. The said interplay provides a rather involved framework to attain stable, enhanced, and often maximized output of linear and nonlinear polarizabilities. - Highlights: • Linear and nonlinear polarizabilities of quantum dot are studied. • The polarizability components are off-diagonal and frequency-dependent. • Quantum dot is doped with a repulsive impurity. • Doped system is subject to Gaussian white noise. • Mode of noise application affects polarizabilities

Nonlinear dynamics of contact interaction of a size-dependent plate supported by a size-dependent beam

Science.gov (United States)

Awrejcewicz, J.; Krysko, V. A.; Yakovleva, T. V.; Pavlov, S. P.; Krysko, V. A.

2018-05-01

A mathematical model of complex vibrations exhibited by contact dynamics of size-dependent beam-plate constructions was derived by taking the account of constraints between these structural members. The governing equations were yielded by variational principles based on the moment theory of elasticity. The centre of the investigated plate was supported by a beam. The plate and the beam satisfied the Kirchhoff/Euler-Bernoulli hypotheses. The derived partial differential equations (PDEs) were reduced to the Cauchy problems by the Faedo-Galerkin method in higher approximations, whereas the Cauchy problem was solved using a few Runge-Kutta methods. Reliability of results was validated by comparing the solutions obtained by qualitatively different methods. Complex vibrations were investigated with the help of methods of nonlinear dynamics such as vibration signals, phase portraits, Fourier power spectra, wavelet analysis, and estimation of the largest Lyapunov exponents based on the Rosenstein, Kantz, and Wolf methods. The effect of size-dependent parameters of the beam and plate on their contact interaction was investigated. It was detected and illustrated that the first contact between the size-dependent structural members implies chaotic vibrations. In addition, problems of chaotic synchronization between a nanoplate and a nanobeam were addressed.

EVALUATION OF TRAINING AND‐METHODOLOGICAL SUPPORT OF UNIVERSITY COURSES (in Russian

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalia BELKINA

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Quality of teaching at a Higher Education Institution certainly depends on the integrity and quality of its training and methodological support. However, in order to improve this quality it is necessary to have a sound methodology for evaluation of such support. This article contains a list of recommended university teaching course materials, criteria of their separate components evaluation and an approach to calculating the quality levels of separate components and teaching course materials as a whole.

Quality circles--new wave or fad?

Science.gov (United States)

Herkimer, A G

1984-07-01

The American healthcare industry must avoid the dangers of commitment to bureaucratic organizational thinking and be willing to experiment with Theory Z and quality circles. Productivity depends on trust, subtlety and intimacy. The industry must acknowledge that management style and organizational form are nothing more than facets of the larger organization of society. The ultimate goal should be to understand how the structure of society and the management of healthcare organizations can be coordinated. The common thread in Japanese life is intimacy. The caring, support, and disciplined unselfishness which makes life possible come through close social relationships. Accordingly, there is (or at least, there should be) a common thread in this nation's healthcare industry--the desire to render quality health care in an effective and efficient manner. The underlying messages are many, but they are not overwhelming. Perhaps the first message to healthcare managers is that a healthcare delivery system can realize the full potential of its employees only if it invests in their training and then shares with them the power to influence decisions. Without training, the invitation to participate in decision making will lead only to frustration and conflict. Without a sharing of decision-making power, an investment in training will be both frustrating and wasteful.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A confirmative clinimetric analysis of the 36-item Family Assessment Device.

Science.gov (United States)

Timmerby, Nina; Cosci, Fiammetta; Watson, Maggie; Csillag, Claudio; Schmitt, Florence; Steck, Barbara; Bech, Per; Thastum, Mikael

2018-02-07

The Family Assessment Device (FAD) is a 60-item questionnaire widely used to evaluate self-reported family functioning. However, the factor structure as well as the number of items has been questioned. A shorter and more user-friendly version of the original FAD-scale, the 36-item FAD, has therefore previously been proposed, based on findings in a nonclinical population of adults. We aimed in this study to evaluate the brief 36-item version of the FAD in a clinical population. Data from a European multinational study, examining factors associated with levels of family functioning in adult cancer patients' families, were used. Both healthy and ill parents completed the 60-item version FAD. The psychometric analyses conducted were Principal Component Analysis and Mokken-analysis. A total of 564 participants were included. Based on the psychometric analysis we confirmed that the 36-item version of the FAD has robust psychometric properties and can be used in clinical populations. The present analysis confirmed that the 36-item version of the FAD (18 items assessing 'well-being' and 18 items assessing 'dysfunctional' family function) is a brief scale where the summed total score is a valid measure of the dimensions of family functioning. This shorter version of the FAD is, in accordance with the concept of 'measurement-based care', an easy to use scale that could be considered when the aim is to evaluate self-reported family functioning.

Developing services to support parents caring for a technology-dependent child at home.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirk, S; Glendinning, C

2004-05-01

A group of children with complex health care needs have emerged as a result of medical advances and government policies emphasizing the community as the arena for care. Some of these children remain dependent on the medical technology that enabled them to survive and require care of a complex and intensive nature to be carried out by their parents at home. To explore the experiences of families caring at home for a technology-dependent child; to examine their needs for practical and other support; and to examine how far services are currently meeting these needs. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with the parents of 24 technology-dependent children and with 44 health, social care and other professionals. Services in the community were not sufficiently developed to support this group of families. Major problems were identified in the purchasing and provision of both short-term care/home support services and specialist equipment/therapies in the community. Service provision could be poorly planned and co-ordinated at an operational level and few families had a designated key worker. Parents felt that professionals did not always recognize either the emotional costs entailed in providing care of this nature or their expertise in caregiving. Information-giving to parents was often described as poor and participants reported that hospital professionals failed to negotiate the transfer of caregiving responsibility to parents. Services need to work in partnership with families and with each other at both strategic and operational levels, to develop integrated and co-ordinated services that can meet the needs of this group of families.

Reliability for systems of degrading components with distinct component shock sets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Sanling; Coit, David W.; Feng, Qianmei

2014-01-01

This paper studies reliability for multi-component systems subject to dependent competing risks of degradation wear and random shocks, with distinct shock sets. In practice, many systems are exposed to distinct and different types of shocks that can be categorized according to their sizes, function, affected components, etc. Previous research primarily focuses on simple systems with independent failure processes, systems with independent component time-to-failure, or components that share the same shock set or type of shocks. In our new model, we classify random shocks into different sets based on their sizes or function. Shocks with specific sizes or function can selectively affect one or more components in the system but not necessarily all components. Additionally the shocks from the different shock sets can arrive at different rates and have different relative magnitudes. Preventive maintenance (PM) optimization is conducted for the system with different component shock sets. Decision variables for two different maintenance scheduling problems, the PM replacement time interval, and the PM inspection time interval, are determined by minimizing a defined system cost rate. Sensitivity analysis is performed to provide insight into the behavior of the proposed maintenance policies. These models can be applied directly or customized for many complex systems that experience dependent competing failure processes with different component shock sets. A MEMS (Micro-electro mechanical systems) oscillator is a typical system subject to dependent and competing failure processes, and it is used as a numerical example to illustrate our new reliability and maintenance models

Outer membrane targeting of Pseudomonas aeruginosa proteins shows variable dependence on the components of Bam and Lol machineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoang, Hanh H; Nickerson, Nicholas N; Lee, Vincent T; Kazimirova, Anastasia; Chami, Mohamed; Pugsley, Anthony P; Lory, Stephen

2011-01-01

, but the severity (and therefore, Lol and Bam dependence), varies with individual proteins. XcpQ, the secretin component of the type II secretion apparatus, is translocated into the OM without the assistance of Bam or Lol machineries. The hypothesis that XcpQ, after secretion across the cytoplasmic membrane, does not utilize the OM targeting machineries was supported by demonstrating that in vitro-synthesized XcpQ (but not the other P. aeruginosa secretins) can spontaneously incorporate into lipid vesicles. Therefore, the requirement for ancillary factors appears to be, in certain instances, dictated by the intrinsic properties of individual OM proteins, conceivably reflecting their propensities to misfold during periplasmic transit.

Distinct molecular components for thalamic- and cortical-dependent plasticity in the lateral amygdala.

Science.gov (United States)

Mirante, Osvaldo; Brandalise, Federico; Bohacek, Johannes; Mansuy, Isabelle M

2014-01-01

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-dependent long-term depression (LTD) in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA) is a form of synaptic plasticity thought to be a cellular substrate for the extinction of fear memory. The LA receives converging inputs from the sensory thalamus and neocortex that are weakened following fear extinction. Combining field and patch-clamp electrophysiological recordings in mice, we show that paired-pulse low-frequency stimulation can induce a robust LTD at thalamic and cortical inputs to LA, and we identify different underlying molecular components at these pathways. We show that while LTD depends on NMDARs and activation of the protein phosphatases PP2B and PP1 at both pathways, it requires NR2B-containing NMDARs at the thalamic pathway, but NR2C/D-containing NMDARs at the cortical pathway. LTD appears to be induced post-synaptically at the thalamic input but presynaptically at the cortical input, since post-synaptic calcium chelation and NMDAR blockade prevent thalamic but not cortical LTD. These results highlight distinct molecular features of LTD in LA that may be relevant for traumatic memory and its erasure, and for pathologies such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Brain activations during bimodal dual tasks depend on the nature and combination of component tasks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emma eSalo

2015-02-01

Full Text Available We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate brain activations during nine different dual tasks in which the participants were required to simultaneously attend to concurrent streams of spoken syllables and written letters. They performed a phonological, spatial or simple (speaker-gender or font-shade discrimination task within each modality. We expected to find activations associated specifically with dual tasking especially in the frontal and parietal cortices. However, no brain areas showed systematic dual task enhancements common for all dual tasks. Further analysis revealed that dual tasks including component tasks that were according to Baddeley’s model modality atypical, that is, the auditory spatial task or the visual phonological task, were not associated with enhanced frontal activity. In contrast, for other dual tasks, activity specifically associated with dual tasking was found in the left or bilateral frontal cortices. Enhanced activation in parietal areas, however, appeared not to be specifically associated with dual tasking per se, but rather with intermodal attention switching. We also expected effects of dual tasking in left frontal supramodal phonological processing areas when both component tasks required phonological processing and in right parietal supramodal spatial processing areas when both tasks required spatial processing. However, no such effects were found during these dual tasks compared with their component tasks performed separately. Taken together, the current results indicate that activations during dual tasks depend in a complex manner on specific demands of component tasks.

Presence of Ca2+-dependent K+ channels in chemosensory cilia support a role in odor transduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Delgado, Ricardo; Saavedra, M Veronica; Schmachtenberg, Oliver; Sierralta, Jimena; Bacigalupo, Juan

2003-09-01

Olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) respond to odorants with changes in the action potential firing rate. Excitatory responses, consisting of firing increases, are mediated by a cyclic AMP cascade that leads to the activation of cationic nonselective cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels and Ca2+-dependent Cl- (ClCa) channels. This process takes place in the olfactory cilia, where all protein components of this cascade are confined. ORNs from various vertebrate species have also been shown to generate inhibitory odor responses, expressed as decreases in action potential discharges. Odor inhibition appears to rely on Ca2+-dependent K+ (KCa) channels, but the underlying transduction mechanism remains unknown. If these channels are involved in odor transduction, they are expected to be present in the olfactory cilia. We found that a specific antibody against a large conductance KCa recognized a protein of approximately 116 kDa in Western blots of purified rat olfactory ciliary membranes. Moreover, the antibody labeled ORN cilia in isolated ORNs from rat and toad (Caudiverbera caudiverbera). In addition, single-channel recordings from inside-out membrane patches excised from toad chemosensory cilia showed the presence of 4 different types of KCa channels, with unitary conductances of 210, 60, 12, and 29 and 60 pS, high K+-selectivity, and Ca2+ sensitivities in the low micromolar range. Our work demonstrates the presence of K+ channels in the ORN cilia and supports their participation in odor transduction.

[The theory of dependent-care--a conceptual framework for assessing, supporting, and promoting parental competencies].

Science.gov (United States)

Holoch, Elisabeth

2010-02-01

Parental competencies have influence on the professional health care needs of a child and its caregivers. One reason for this is the influence of parental competencies on the healthy development of the child. This applies especially to infants and young children. In order to develop their inborn abilities to regulate themselves and their behaviour, infants and young children are dependent on the perception of and appropriate response to their behaviour by the persons they are most closely attached to. The differentiation of self-regulating abilities is a precondition for a healthy development. The current rise of sleeping and feeding disorders, as well as interaction problems among infants and young children, indicates that parents are increasingly dependent on support in the perception and development of their parental competencies. Paediatric nurses can make an important contribution to this, where a concept of parental competencies, defined by nursing professionals, is available. The Theory of Dependent-Care and especially the concept of Dependent-Care Agency will be presented in this paper. It will be examined how they can provide a theoretical framework for the systematic assessment, support, and promotion of parental competencies by paediatric nurses. To conclude, issues for further investigation of parental Dependent-Care Agency and the necessity for a more detailed conceptualisation of the Theory of Dependent-Care will be demonstrated.

Phosphorescence lifetimes of organic light-emitting diodes from two-component time-dependent density functional theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kühn, Michael [Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Kaiserstraße 12, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Weigend, Florian, E-mail: florian.weigend@kit.edu [Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Kaiserstraße 12, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Institut für Nanotechnologie, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Postfach 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany)

2014-12-14

“Spin-forbidden” transitions are calculated for an eight-membered set of iridium-containing candidate molecules for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) using two-component time-dependent density functional theory. Phosphorescence lifetimes (obtained from averaging over relevant excitations) are compared to experimental data. Assessment of parameters like non-distorted and distorted geometric structures, density functionals, relativistic Hamiltonians, and basis sets was done by a thorough study for Ir(ppy){sub 3} focussing not only on averaged phosphorescence lifetimes, but also on the agreement of the triplet substate structure with experimental data. The most favorable methods were applied to an eight-membered test set of OLED candidate molecules; Boltzmann-averaged phosphorescence lifetimes were investigated concerning the convergence with the number of excited states and the changes when including solvent effects. Finally, a simple model for sorting out molecules with long averaged phosphorescence lifetimes is developed by visual inspection of computationally easily achievable one-component frontier orbitals.

Feline leukemia virus infection requires a post-receptor binding envelope-dependent cellular component.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussain, Naveen; Thickett, Kelly R; Na, Hong; Leung, Cherry; Tailor, Chetankumar S

2011-12-01

Gammaretrovirus receptors have been suggested to contain the necessary determinants to mediate virus binding and entry. Here, we show that murine NIH 3T3 and baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells overexpressing receptors for subgroup A, B, and C feline leukemia viruses (FeLVs) are weakly susceptible (10(1) to 10(2) CFU/ml) to FeLV pseudotype viruses containing murine leukemia virus (MLV) core (Gag-Pol) proteins, whereas FeLV receptor-expressing murine Mus dunni tail fibroblast (MDTF) cells are highly susceptible (10(4) to 10(6) CFU/ml). However, NIH 3T3 cells expressing the FeLV subgroup B receptor PiT1 are highly susceptible to gibbon ape leukemia virus pseudotype virus, which differs from the FeLV pseudotype viruses only in the envelope protein. FeLV resistance is not caused by a defect in envelope binding, low receptor expression levels, or N-linked glycosylation. Resistance is not alleviated by substitution of the MLV core in the FeLV pseudotype virus with FeLV core proteins. Interestingly, FeLV resistance is alleviated by fusion of receptor-expressing NIH 3T3 and BHK cells with MDTF or human TE671 cells, suggesting the absence of an additional cellular component in NIH 3T3 and BHK cells that is required for FeLV infection. The putative FeLV-specific cellular component is not a secreted factor, as MDTF conditioned medium does not alleviate the block to FeLV infection. Together, our findings suggest that FeLV infection requires an additional envelope-dependent cellular component that is absent in NIH 3T3 and BHK cells but that is present in MDTF and TE671 cells.

MILITARY PERSONNEL: Reserve Components Need Guidance to Accurately and Consistently Account for Volunteers on Active Duty for Operational Support

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Stewart, Derek B

2006-01-01

The reserve components have not consistently or accurately identified the number of reservists serving in an operational support capacity since this monthly reporting requirement was adopted in fiscal year 2005...

Blind source separation dependent component analysis

CERN Document Server

Xiang, Yong; Yang, Zuyuan

2015-01-01

This book provides readers a complete and self-contained set of knowledge about dependent source separation, including the latest development in this field. The book gives an overview on blind source separation where three promising blind separation techniques that can tackle mutually correlated sources are presented. The book further focuses on the non-negativity based methods, the time-frequency analysis based methods, and the pre-coding based methods, respectively.

Noise removal using factor analysis of dynamic structures: application to cardiac gated studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruyant, P P; Sau, J; Mallet, J J

1999-10-01

Factor analysis of dynamic structures (FADS) facilitates the extraction of relevant data, usually with physiologic meaning, from a dynamic set of images. The result of this process is a set of factor images and curves plus some residual activity. The set of factor images and curves can be used to retrieve the original data with reduced noise using an inverse factor analysis process (iFADS). This improvement in image quality is expected because the inverse process does not use the residual activity, assumed to be made of noise. The goal of this work is to quantitate and assess the efficiency of this method on gated cardiac images. A computer simulation of a planar cardiac gated study was performed. The simulated images were added with noise and processed by the FADS-iFADS program. The signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) were compared between original and processed data. Planar gated cardiac studies from 10 patients were tested. The data processed by FADS-iFADS were subtracted to the original data. The result of the substraction was studied to evaluate its noisy nature. The SNR is about five times greater after the FADS-iFADS process. The difference between original and processed data is noise only, i.e., processed data equals original data minus some white noise. The FADS-iFADS process is successful in the removal of an important part of the noise and therefore is a tool to improve the image quality of cardiac images. This tool does not decrease the spatial resolution (compared with smoothing filters) and does not lose details (compared with frequential filters). Once the number of factors is chosen, this method is not operator dependent.

Analysis of Two-Level Support Systems with Time-Dependent Overflow - A Banking Application

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barth, Wolfgang; Manitz, Michael; Stolletz, Raik

2010-01-01

In this paper, we analyze the performance of call centers of financial service providers with two levels of support and a time-dependent overflow mechanism. Waiting calls from the front-office queue flow over to the back office if a waiting-time limit is reached and at least one back-office agent...

Quantitative in vivo analyses reveal calcium-dependent phosphorylation sites and identifies a novel component of the Toxoplasma invasion motor complex.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Nebl

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Apicomplexan parasites depend on the invasion of host cells for survival and proliferation. Calcium-dependent signaling pathways appear to be essential for micronemal release and gliding motility, yet the target of activated kinases remains largely unknown. We have characterized calcium-dependent phosphorylation events during Toxoplasma host cell invasion. Stimulation of live tachyzoites with Ca²⁺-mobilizing drugs leads to phosphorylation of numerous parasite proteins, as shown by differential 2-DE display of ³²[P]-labeled protein extracts. Multi-dimensional Protein Identification Technology (MudPIT identified ∼546 phosphorylation sites on over 300 Toxoplasma proteins, including 10 sites on the actomyosin invasion motor. Using a Stable Isotope of Amino Acids in Culture (SILAC-based quantitative LC-MS/MS analyses we monitored changes in the abundance and phosphorylation of the invasion motor complex and defined Ca²⁺-dependent phosphorylation patterns on three of its components--GAP45, MLC1 and MyoA. Furthermore, calcium-dependent phosphorylation of six residues across GAP45, MLC1 and MyoA is correlated with invasion motor activity. By analyzing proteins that appear to associate more strongly with the invasion motor upon calcium stimulation we have also identified a novel 15-kDa Calmodulin-like protein that likely represents the MyoA Essential Light Chain of the Toxoplasma invasion motor. This suggests that invasion motor activity could be regulated not only by phosphorylation but also by the direct binding of calcium ions to this new component.

Structure and Mechanism of Styrene Monooxygenase Reductase: New Insight into the FAD–Transfer Reaction†

Science.gov (United States)

Morrison, Eliot; Kantz, Auric; Gassner, George T.; Sazinsky, Matthew H.

2013-01-01

The two–component flavoprotein styrene monooxygenase (SMO) from Pseudomonas putida S12 catalyzes the NADH– and FAD–dependent epoxidation of styrene to styrene oxide. In this study we investigate the mechanism of flavin reduction and transfer from the reductase (SMOB) to epoxidase (NSMOA) component and report our findings in light of the 2.2–Å crystal structure of SMOB. Upon rapidly mixing with NADH, SMOB forms an NADH→FADox charge–transfer intermediate and catalyzes a hydride–transfer reaction from NADH to FAD, with a rate constant of 49.1 ± 1.4 s−1, in a step that is coupled to the rapid dissociation of NAD+. Electrochemical and equilibrium–binding studies indicate that NSMOA binds FADhq ~13–times more tightly than SMOB, which supports a vectoral transfer of FADhq from the reductase to the epoxidase. After binding to NSMOA, FADhq rapidly reacts with molecular oxygen to form a stable C(4a)–hydroperoxide intermediate. The half–life of apoSMOB generated in the FAD–transfer reaction is increased ~21–fold, supporting the model of a protein–protein interaction between apoSMOB and NSMOA with the peroxide intermediate. The mechanisms of FAD–dissociation and transport from SMOB to NSMOA were probed by monitoring the competitive reduction of cytochrome c in the presence and absence of pyridine nucleotides. Based on these studies, we propose a model in which reduced FAD binds to SMOB in equilibrium between an unreactive, sequestered state (S–state) and more reactive, transfer state (T–state). Dissociation of NAD+ after the hydride transfer–reaction transiently populates the T–state, promoting the transfer of FADhq to NSMOA. The binding of pyridine nucleotides to SMOB–FADhq shifts the FADhq–binding equilibrium from the T–state to the S–state. Additionally, the 2.2–Å crystal structure of SMOB–FADox reported in this work is discussed in light of the pyridine nucleotide–gated flavin–transfer and electron�

Distinct molecular components for thalamic- and cortical-dependent plasticity in the lateral amygdala

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Osvaldo eMirante

2014-07-01

Full Text Available N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR-dependent long-term depression (LTD in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA is a form of synaptic plasticity thought to be a cellular substrate for the extinction of fear memory. The LA receives converging inputs from the sensory thalamus and neocortex that are weakened following fear extinction. Combining field and patch-clamp electrophysiological recordings in mice, we show that a paired-pulse low-frequency stimulation can induce a robust LTD at thalamic and cortical inputs to LA, and we identify different underlying molecular components at these pathways. We show that while LTD depends on NMDARs and activation of the protein phosphatases PP2B and PP1 at both pathways, it requires NR2B-containing NMDARs at the thalamic pathway, but NR2C/D-containing NMDARs at the cortical pathway. LTD appears to be induced postsynaptically at the thalamic input but presynaptically at the cortical input, since postsynaptic calcium chelation and NMDAR blockade prevent thalamic but not cortical LTD. These results highlight distinct molecular features of LTD in LA that may be relevant for traumatic memory and its erasure, and for pathologies such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD.

Composition-Based Prediction of Temperature-Dependent Thermophysical Food Properties: Reevaluating Component Groups and Prediction Models.

Science.gov (United States)

Phinney, David Martin; Frelka, John C; Heldman, Dennis Ray

2017-01-01

Prediction of temperature-dependent thermophysical properties (thermal conductivity, density, specific heat, and thermal diffusivity) is an important component of process design for food manufacturing. Current models for prediction of thermophysical properties of foods are based on the composition, specifically, fat, carbohydrate, protein, fiber, water, and ash contents, all of which change with temperature. The objectives of this investigation were to reevaluate and improve the prediction expressions for thermophysical properties. Previously published data were analyzed over the temperature range from 10 to 150 °C. These data were analyzed to create a series of relationships between the thermophysical properties and temperature for each food component, as well as to identify the dependence of the thermophysical properties on more specific structural properties of the fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Results from this investigation revealed that the relationships between the thermophysical properties of the major constituents of foods and temperature can be statistically described by linear expressions, in contrast to the current polynomial models. Links between variability in thermophysical properties and structural properties were observed. Relationships for several thermophysical properties based on more specific constituents have been identified. Distinctions between simple sugars (fructose, glucose, and lactose) and complex carbohydrates (starch, pectin, and cellulose) have been proposed. The relationships between the thermophysical properties and proteins revealed a potential correlation with the molecular weight of the protein. The significance of relating variability in constituent thermophysical properties with structural properties--such as molecular mass--could significantly improve composition-based prediction models and, consequently, the effectiveness of process design. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Support time-dependent transformations for surveying and GIS : current status and upcoming challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Mahmoudabadi, H.; Lercier, D.; Vielliard, S.; Mein, N.; Briggs, G.

2016-12-01

The support of time-dependent transformations for surveying and GIS is becoming a critical issue. We need to convert positions from the realizations of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame to any national reference frame. This problem is easy to solve when all of the required information is available. But it becomes really complicated in a worldwide context. We propose an overview of the current ITRF-aligned reference frames and we describe a global solution to support time-dependent transformations between them and the International Terrestrial Reference Frame. We focus on the uncertainties of station velocities used. In a first approximation, we use a global tectonic plate model to calculate point velocities. We show the impact of the velocity model on the coordinate accuracies. Several countries, particularly in active regions, are developing semi-dynamic reference frames. These frames include local displacement models updated regularly and/or after major events (such as earthquakes). Their integration into surveying or GIS applications is an upcoming challenge. We want to encourage the geodetic community to develop and use standard formats.

A comparison of response spectrum and direct integration analysis methods as applied to a nuclear component support structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bryan, B.J.; Flanders, H.E. Jr.

1992-01-01

Seismic qualification of Class I nuclear components is accomplished using a variety of analytical methods. This paper compares the results of time history dynamic analyses of a heat exchanger support structure using response spectrum and time history direct integration analysis methods. Dynamic analysis is performed on the detailed component models using the two methods. A nonlinear elastic model is used for both the response spectrum and direct integration methods. A nonlinear model which includes friction and nonlinear springs, is analyzed using time history input by direct integration. The loads from the three cases are compared

Crystal structure of the flavoenzyme PA4991 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jacewicz, Agata; Schnell, Robert; Lindqvist, Ylva; Schneider, Gunter, E-mail: gunter.schneider@ki.se [Karolinska Institutet, S-171 77 Stockholm (Sweden)

2016-01-22

PA4991 is a FAD-dependent oxidoreductase from the pathogen P. aeruginosa that is essential for virulence and survival in the infected host. The structure of this enzyme, determined to 2.4 Å resolution, reveals that PA4991 belongs to the GR{sub 2} family of flavoenzymes. The locus PA4991 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes an open reading frame that has been identified as essential for the virulence and/or survival of this pathogenic organism in the infected host. Here, it is shown that this gene encodes a monomeric FAD-binding protein of molecular mass 42.2 kDa. The structure of PA4991 was determined by a combination of molecular replacement using a search model generated with Rosetta and phase improvement by a low-occupancy heavy-metal derivative. PA4991 belongs to the GR{sub 2} family of FAD-dependent oxidoreductases, comprising an FAD-binding domain typical of the glutathione reductase family and a second domain dominated by an eight-stranded mixed β-sheet. Most of the protein–FAD interactions are via the FAD-binding domain, but the isoalloxazine ring is located at the domain interface and interacts with residues from both domains. A comparison with the structurally related glycine oxidase and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase shows that in spite of very low amino-acid sequence identity (<18%) several active-site residues involved in substrate binding in these enzymes are conserved in PA4991. However, enzymatic assays show that PA4991 does not display amino-acid oxidase or glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activities, suggesting that it requires different substrates for activity.

Crystal structure of the flavoenzyme PA4991 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacewicz, Agata; Schnell, Robert; Lindqvist, Ylva; Schneider, Gunter

2016-01-01

PA4991 is a FAD-dependent oxidoreductase from the pathogen P. aeruginosa that is essential for virulence and survival in the infected host. The structure of this enzyme, determined to 2.4 Å resolution, reveals that PA4991 belongs to the GR 2 family of flavoenzymes. The locus PA4991 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes an open reading frame that has been identified as essential for the virulence and/or survival of this pathogenic organism in the infected host. Here, it is shown that this gene encodes a monomeric FAD-binding protein of molecular mass 42.2 kDa. The structure of PA4991 was determined by a combination of molecular replacement using a search model generated with Rosetta and phase improvement by a low-occupancy heavy-metal derivative. PA4991 belongs to the GR 2 family of FAD-dependent oxidoreductases, comprising an FAD-binding domain typical of the glutathione reductase family and a second domain dominated by an eight-stranded mixed β-sheet. Most of the protein–FAD interactions are via the FAD-binding domain, but the isoalloxazine ring is located at the domain interface and interacts with residues from both domains. A comparison with the structurally related glycine oxidase and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase shows that in spite of very low amino-acid sequence identity (<18%) several active-site residues involved in substrate binding in these enzymes are conserved in PA4991. However, enzymatic assays show that PA4991 does not display amino-acid oxidase or glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activities, suggesting that it requires different substrates for activity

Phase-dependent noise in Josephson junctions

Science.gov (United States)

Sheldon, Forrest; Peotta, Sebastiano; Di Ventra, Massimiliano

2018-03-01

In addition to the usual superconducting current, Josephson junctions (JJs) support a phase-dependent conductance related to the retardation effect of tunneling quasi-particles. This introduces a dissipative current with a memory-resistive (memristive) character that should also affect the current noise. By means of the microscopic theory of tunnel junctions we compute the complete current autocorrelation function of a Josephson tunnel junction and show that this memristive component gives rise to both a previously noted phase-dependent thermal noise, and an undescribed non-stationary, phase-dependent dynamic noise. As experiments are approaching ranges in which these effects may be observed, we examine the form and magnitude of these processes. Their phase dependence can be realized experimentally as a hysteresis effect and may be used to probe defects present in JJ based qubits and in other superconducting electronics applications.

Applicability analysis of hexahedral hollow profiles as component elements of supporting systems for gondola cars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. V. Fomin

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The purpose of work is presentation of features and results of the conducted works on determination of introduction expedience of hexahedral hollow profiles as the component elements of the modern supporting systems of railway freight gondola cars. Methodology. During the research an introduction methodology of different types of profiles as alternative to the existent supporting elements of the body module for freight car was used. This methodology had been developed by the author before. It is oriented to the reduction in material consumption and providing of strength requirements and operating reliability of the car design under study. The developed methodology includes the procedures of admissible values calculation of the resistance moments of the section of the hexahedral hollow profile, which is being introduced. It also includes the determination of optimum (i.e. characterized by the minimum material consumption when meeting the durability requirements values of height and minimum thickness of profile in the conditions of construction limitations. At the same time the admissible resistance moments are calculated as such, which are equal to the value of existent implementation of supporting element or as such that are determined taking into account the surplus design reserve. The first direction is applied in this work. Findings. As a result of the conducted research the introduction expedience of hexahedral hollow profiles as vertical rods of the lateral and latitude belts of the walls of the butt-end freight gondola cars is grounded and the optimum parameters of such replacements are determined. Originality. The problem of the use expedience of hexahedral hollow profiles as the supporting elements of the freight gondola cars bodies was first considered in the article. To solve this problem the mathematical models describing the dependence of basic strength and mass indexes of the proper profiles on varying the geometrical

Assessment Of Mold-Design Dependent Textures In CIM-Components By Polarized Light Optical Texture Analysis (PLOTA)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kern, Frank; Rauch, Johannes; Gadow, Rainer

2007-01-01

By thermoplastic ceramic injection moulding (CIM) ceramic components of high complexity can be produced in a large number of items at low dimensional tolerances. The cost advantage by the high degree of automation leads to an economical mass-production. The structure of injection-moulded components is determined by the form filling behaviour and viscosity of the feedstock, the machine parameters, the design of the mold and the gate design. With an adapted mold- and gate-design CIM-components without textures are possible. The ''Polarized Light Optical Texture analysis'' (PLOTA) makes it possible to inspect the components and detect and quantify the textures produced by a new mold. Based on the work of R. Fischer (2004) the PLOTA procedure was improved by including the possibility to measure the inclination angle and thus describe the orientation of the grains in three dimensions. Sampled thin sections of ceramic components are analysed under the polarization microscope and are brought in diagonal position. Pictures are taken with a digital camera. The pictures are converted in the L*a*b*- colour space and the crystals color values a* and b* in the picture are measured. The color values are compared with the values of a quartz wedge, which serves as universal standard. From the received values the inclination angle can be calculated relative to the microscope axis. It is possible to use the received data quantitatively e.g. for the FEM supported simulation of texture-conditioned divergences of mechanical values. Thus the injection molding parameters can be optimized to obtain improved mechanical properties

A Multi-mission Event-Driven Component-Based System for Support of Flight Software Development, ATLO, and Operations first used by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Project

Science.gov (United States)

Dehghani, Navid; Tankenson, Michael

2006-01-01

This paper details an architectural description of the Mission Data Processing and Control System (MPCS), an event-driven, multi-mission ground data processing components providing uplink, downlink, and data management capabilities which will support the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) project as its first target mission. MPCS is developed based on a set of small reusable components, implemented in Java, each designed with a specific function and well-defined interfaces. An industry standard messaging bus is used to transfer information among system components. Components generate standard messages which are used to capture system information, as well as triggers to support the event-driven architecture of the system. Event-driven systems are highly desirable for processing high-rate telemetry (science and engineering) data, and for supporting automation for many mission operations processes.

EPICS: operating system independent device/driver support

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kraimer, M.R.

2003-01-01

Originally EPICS input/output controllers (IOCs) were only supported on VME-based systems running the vxWorks operating system. Now IOCs are supported on many systems: vxWorks, RTEMS, Solaris, HPUX, Linux, WIN32, and Darwin. A challenge is to provide operating-system-independent device and driver support. This paper presents some techniques for providing such support. EPICS (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System) is a set of software tools, libraries, and applications developed collaboratively and used worldwide to create distributed, real-time control systems for scientific instruments such as particle accelerators, telescopes, and other large scientific experiments. An important component of all EPICS-based control systems is a collection of input/output controllers (IOCs). An IOC has three primary components: (1) a real-time database; (2) channel access, which provides network access to the database; and (3) device/driver support for interfacing to equipment. This paper describes some projects related to providing device/driver support on non-vxWorks systems. In order to support IOCs on platforms other than vxWorks, operating-system-independent (OSI) application program interfaces (APIs) were defined for threads, semaphores, timers, etc. Providing support for a new platform consists of providing an operating-system-dependent implementation of the OSI APIs.

Repurposing learning object components

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verbert, K.; Jovanovic, J.; Gasevic, D.; Duval, E.; Meersman, R.

2005-01-01

This paper presents an ontology-based framework for repurposing learning object components. Unlike the usual practice where learning object components are assembled manually, the proposed framework enables on-the-fly access and repurposing of learning object components. The framework supports two

Primary caregivers of in-home oxygen-dependent children: predictors of stress based on characteristics, needs and social support.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Kai-Wei K; Lin, Hung-Ching; Lee, Chin-Ting; Lee, Kuo-Sheng

2016-07-01

To identify the predictors of primary caregivers' stress in caring for in-home oxygen-dependent children by examining the association between their levels of stress, caregiver needs and social support. Increasing numbers of primary caregivers of oxygen-dependent children experience caregiving stress that warrants investigation. The study used a cross-sectional design with three psychometric scales - Modified-Parenting Stress Index, Caregiver Needs Scale and Social Support Index. The data collected during 2010-2011 were from participants who were responsible for their child's care that included oxygen therapy for ≧6 hours/day; the children's ages ranged from 3 months-16 years. Descriptive statistics and multivariable linear regression were used. A total of 104 participants (M = 34, F = 70) were recruited, with an average age of 39·7 years. The average age of the oxygen-dependent children was 6·68 years and their daily use of oxygen averaged 11·39 hours. The caregivers' overall levels of stress were scored as high and information needs were scored as the highest. The most available support from family and friends was emotional support. Informational support was mostly received from health professionals, but both instrumental and emotional support were important. Levels of stress and caregiver needs were significantly correlated. Multivariable linear regression analyses identified three risk factors predicting stress, namely, the caregiver's poor health status, the child's male gender and the caregiver's greater financial need. To support these caregivers, health professionals can maintain their health status and provide instrumental, emotional, informational and financial support. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Mechanisms of AD neurodegeneration may be independent of Aβ and its derivatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Robakis, Nikolaos K

2011-03-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the aged population. Most cases are sporadic although a small percent are familial (FAD) linked to genetic mutations. AD is caused by severe neurodegeneration in the hippocampus and neocortical regions of the brain but the cause of this neuronal loss is unclear. A widely discussed theory posits that amyloid depositions of Aβ peptides or their soluble forms are the causative agents of AD. Extensive research in the last 20 years however, failed to produce convincing evidence that brain amyloid is the main cause of AD neurodegeneration. Moreover, a number of observations, including absence of correlations between amyloid deposits and cognition, detection in normal individuals of amyloid loads similar to AD, and animal models with behavioral abnormalities independent of amyloid, are inconsistent with this theory. Other theories propose soluble Aβ peptides or their oligomers as agents that promote AD. These peptides, however, are normal components of human CSF and serum and there is little evidence of disease-associated increases in soluble Aβ and oligomers. That mutants of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilin (PS) promote FAD suggests these proteins play crucial roles in neuronal function and survival. Accordingly, PS regulates production of signaling peptides and cell survival pathways while APP functions in cell death and may promote endosomal abnormalities. Evidence that FAD mutations inhibit the biological functions of PS combined with absence of haploinsufficiency mutants, support a model of allelic interference where inactive FAD mutant alleles promote autosomal dominant neurodegeneration by also inhibiting the functions of wild type alleles. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lipase catalyzed synthesis of neutral glycerides rich in micronutrients from rice bran oil fatty acid distillate.

Science.gov (United States)

Nandi, Sumit; Gangopadhyay, Sarbani; Ghosh, Santinath

2008-01-01

Neutral glycerides with micronutrients like sterols, tocopherols and squalene may be prepared from cheap raw material like rice bran oil fatty acid distillate (RBO FAD). RBO FAD is an important byproduct of vegetable oil refining industries in the physical refining process. Glycerides like triacylglycerols (TAG), diacylglycerols (DAG) and monoacylglycerols (MAG) containing significant amounts of unsaponifiable matter like sterols, tocopherols and hydrocarbons (mainly squalene) may certainly be considered as novel functional food ingredients. Fatty acids present in RBO FAD were esterified with glycerol of varying amount (1:0.33, 1:0.5, 1:1 and 1:1.5 of FAD : glycerol ratio) for 8 h using non-specific enzyme NS 40013 (Candida antartica). After esterification the product mixture containing mono, di- and triglycerides was purified by molecular distillation to remove excess free fatty acids and also other volatile undesirable components. The purified product containing sterols, tocopherols and squalene can be utilized in various food formulations.

Response-reinforcer dependency and resistance to change.

Science.gov (United States)

Cançado, Carlos R X; Abreu-Rodrigues, Josele; Aló, Raquel Moreira; Hauck, Flávia; Doughty, Adam H

2018-01-01

The effects of the response-reinforcer dependency on resistance to change were studied in three experiments with rats. In Experiment 1, lever pressing produced reinforcers at similar rates after variable interreinforcer intervals in each component of a two-component multiple schedule. Across conditions, in the fixed component, all reinforcers were response-dependent; in the alternative component, the percentage of response-dependent reinforcers was 100, 50 (i.e., 50% response-dependent and 50% response-independent) or 10% (i.e., 10% response-dependent and 90% response-independent). Resistance to extinction was greater in the alternative than in the fixed component when the dependency in the former was 10%, but was similar between components when this dependency was 100 or 50%. In Experiment 2, a three-component multiple schedule was used. The dependency was 100% in one component and 10% in the other two. The 10% components differed on how reinforcers were programmed. In one component, as in Experiment 1, a reinforcer had to be collected before the scheduling of other response-dependent or independent reinforcers. In the other component, response-dependent and -independent reinforcers were programmed by superimposing a variable-time schedule on an independent variable-interval schedule. Regardless of the procedure used to program the dependency, resistance to extinction was greater in the 10% components than in the 100% component. These results were replicated in Experiment 3 in which, instead of extinction, VT schedules replaced the baseline schedules in each multiple-schedule component during the test. We argue that the relative change in dependency from Baseline to Test, which is greater when baseline dependencies are high rather than low, could account for the differential resistance to change in the present experiments. The inconsistencies in results across the present and previous experiments suggest that the effects of dependency on resistance to change are

La mitocondria como fábrica de cofactores: biosíntesis de grupo hemo, centros Fe-S y nucleótidos de flavina (FMN/FAD)

OpenAIRE

Alexa Villavicencio-Queijeiro

2012-01-01

Los cofactores hemo, centros Fe-S y los nucleótidos de flavina (FMN y FAD) son esenciales para muchos organismos, existen un gran número de proteínas que dependen de ellos para llevar a cabo sus funciones biológicas. Estos cofactores han sido reconocidos como esenciales para las reacciones de óxido-reducción, pero también están involucrados en otros procesos celulares como la catálisis química, la regulación, la señalización y la detección de señales intra y extra celulares. Diversos grupos d...

Relationships between components of emotional intelligence and physical pain in alcohol-dependent patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Kopera, Maciej; Brower, Kirk J; Suszek, Hubert; Jakubczyk, Andrzej; Fudalej, Sylwia; Krasowska, Aleksandra; Klimkiewicz, Anna; Wojnar, Marcin

2017-01-01

Chronic pain is a significant comorbidity in individuals with alcohol dependence (AD). Emotional processing deficits are a substantial component of both AD and chronic pain. The aim of this study was to analyze the interrelations between components of emotional intelligence and self-reported pain severity in AD patients. A sample of 103 participants was recruited from an alcohol treatment center in Warsaw, Poland. Information concerning pain level in the last 4 weeks, demographics, severity of current anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as neuroticism was obtained. The study sample was divided into "mild or no pain" and "moderate or greater pain" groups. In the logistic regression model, across a set of sociodemographic, psychological, and clinical factors, higher emotion regulation and higher education predicted lower severity, whereas increased levels of anxiety predicted higher severity of self-reported pain during the previous 4 weeks. When the mediation models looking at the association between current severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms and pain severity with the mediating role of emotion regulation were tested, emotion regulation appeared to fully mediate the relationship between depression severity and pain, and partially the relationship between anxiety severity and pain. The current findings extend previous results indicating that emotion regulation deficits are related to self-reported pain in AD subjects. Comprehensive strategies focusing on the improvement of mood regulation skills might be effective in the treatment of AD patients with comorbid pain symptoms.

COPII-Dependent ER Export: A Critical Component of Insulin Biogenesis and β-Cell ER Homeostasis.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Jingye; Liu, Ming; Zhang, Xuebao; Sakamoto, Takeshi; Taatjes, Douglas J; Jena, Bhanu P; Sun, Fei; Woods, James; Bryson, Tim; Kowluru, Anjaneyulu; Zhang, Kezhong; Chen, Xuequn

2015-08-01

Pancreatic β-cells possess a highly active protein synthetic and export machinery in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to accommodate the massive production of proinsulin. ER homeostasis is vital for β-cell functions and is maintained by the delicate balance between protein synthesis, folding, export, and degradation. Disruption of ER homeostasis by diabetes-causing factors leads to β-cell death. Among the 4 components to maintain ER homeostasis in β-cells, the role of ER export in insulin biogenesis is the least understood. To address this knowledge gap, the present study investigated the molecular mechanism of proinsulin ER export in MIN6 cells and primary islets. Two inhibitory mutants of the secretion-associated RAS-related protein (Sar)1 small GTPase, known to specifically block coat protein complex II (COPII)-dependent ER export, were overexpressed in β-cells using recombinant adenoviruses. Results from this approach, as well as small interfering RNA-mediated Sar1 knockdown, demonstrated that defective Sar1 function blocked proinsulin ER export and abolished its conversion to mature insulin in MIN6 cells, isolated mouse, and human islets. It is further revealed, using an in vitro vesicle formation assay, that proinsulin was packaged into COPII vesicles in a GTP- and Sar1-dependent manner. Blockage of COPII-dependent ER exit by Sar1 mutants strongly induced ER morphology change, ER stress response, and β-cell apoptosis. These responses were mediated by the PKR (double-stranded RNA-dependent kinase)-like ER kinase (PERK)/eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (p-eIF2α) and inositol-requiring protein 1 (IRE1)/x-box binding protein 1 (Xbp1) pathways but not via activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6). Collectively, results from the study demonstrate that COPII-dependent ER export plays a vital role in insulin biogenesis, ER homeostasis, and β-cell survival.

Structure of Hordeum vulgare NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase 2. Unwinding the reaction mechanism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirkensgaard, Kristine G.; Hägglund, Per; Finnie, Christine; Svensson, Birte; Henriksen, Anette

2009-01-01

The first crystal structure of a cereal NTR, a protein involved in seed development and germination, has been determined. The structure is in a conformation that excludes NADPH binding and indicates that a domain reorientation facilitated by Trx binding precedes NADPH binding in the reaction mechanism. Thioredoxins (Trxs) are protein disulfide reductases that regulate the intracellular redox environment and are important for seed germination in plants. Trxs are in turn regulated by NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductases (NTRs), which provide reducing equivalents to Trx using NADPH to recycle Trxs to the active form. Here, the first crystal structure of a cereal NTR, HvNTR2 from Hordeum vulgare (barley), is presented, which is also the first structure of a monocot plant NTR. The structure was determined at 2.6 Å resolution and refined to an R cryst of 19.0% and an R free of 23.8%. The dimeric protein is structurally similar to the structures of AtNTR-B from Arabidopsis thaliana and other known low-molecular-weight NTRs. However, the relative position of the two NTR cofactor-binding domains, the FAD and the NADPH domains, is not the same. The NADPH domain is rotated by 25° and bent by a 38% closure relative to the FAD domain in comparison with AtNTR-B. The structure may represent an intermediate between the two conformations described previously: the flavin-oxidizing (FO) and the flavin-reducing (FR) conformations. Here, analysis of interdomain contacts as well as phylogenetic studies lead to the proposal of a new reaction scheme in which NTR–Trx interactions mediate the FO to FR transformation

Structure of Hordeum vulgare NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase 2. Unwinding the reaction mechanism

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kirkensgaard, Kristine G. [Carlsberg Laboratory (Denmark); Enzyme and Protein Chemistry, Department of Systems BioIogy, Technical University of Denmark (Denmark); Hägglund, Per; Finnie, Christine; Svensson, Birte [Enzyme and Protein Chemistry, Department of Systems BioIogy, Technical University of Denmark (Denmark); Henriksen, Anette, E-mail: anette@crc.dk [Carlsberg Laboratory (Denmark)

2009-09-01

The first crystal structure of a cereal NTR, a protein involved in seed development and germination, has been determined. The structure is in a conformation that excludes NADPH binding and indicates that a domain reorientation facilitated by Trx binding precedes NADPH binding in the reaction mechanism. Thioredoxins (Trxs) are protein disulfide reductases that regulate the intracellular redox environment and are important for seed germination in plants. Trxs are in turn regulated by NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductases (NTRs), which provide reducing equivalents to Trx using NADPH to recycle Trxs to the active form. Here, the first crystal structure of a cereal NTR, HvNTR2 from Hordeum vulgare (barley), is presented, which is also the first structure of a monocot plant NTR. The structure was determined at 2.6 Å resolution and refined to an R{sub cryst} of 19.0% and an R{sub free} of 23.8%. The dimeric protein is structurally similar to the structures of AtNTR-B from Arabidopsis thaliana and other known low-molecular-weight NTRs. However, the relative position of the two NTR cofactor-binding domains, the FAD and the NADPH domains, is not the same. The NADPH domain is rotated by 25° and bent by a 38% closure relative to the FAD domain in comparison with AtNTR-B. The structure may represent an intermediate between the two conformations described previously: the flavin-oxidizing (FO) and the flavin-reducing (FR) conformations. Here, analysis of interdomain contacts as well as phylogenetic studies lead to the proposal of a new reaction scheme in which NTR–Trx interactions mediate the FO to FR transformation.

A three-site Langmuir adsorption model to elucidate the temperature, pressure, and support dependence of the hydrogen coverage on supported Pt particles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ji, Y.; Koot, V.; van der Eerden, A.M.J.; Weckhuysen, B.M.; Koningsberger, D.C.; Ramaker, D.E.

2007-01-01

The three-site adsorption model, previously developed to describe H adsorption on small Pt particles, was used to gain insight into dependence of hydrogen coverage on temperature, pressure, and support ionicity. The three sites, in order of decreasing PtH bond strength, involve H in an atop, a

4EBP-Dependent Signaling Supports West Nile Virus Growth and Protein Expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Shives, Katherine D; Massey, Aaron R; May, Nicholas A; Morrison, Thomas E; Beckham, J David

2016-10-18

West Nile virus (WNV) is a (+) sense, single-stranded RNA virus in the Flavivirus genus. WNV RNA possesses an m7 GpppN m 5' cap with 2'- O -methylation that mimics host mRNAs preventing innate immune detection and allowing the virus to translate its RNA genome through the utilization of cap-dependent translation initiation effectors in a wide variety of host species. Our prior work established the requirement of the host mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) for optimal WNV growth and protein expression; yet, the roles of the downstream effectors of mTORC1 in WNV translation are unknown. In this study, we utilize gene deletion mutants in the ribosomal protein kinase called S6 kinase (S6K) and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein (4EBP) pathways downstream of mTORC1 to define the role of mTOR-dependent translation initiation signals in WNV gene expression and growth. We now show that WNV growth and protein expression are dependent on mTORC1 mediated-regulation of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein/eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein (4EBP/eIF4E) interaction and eukaryotic initiation factor 4F (eIF4F) complex formation to support viral growth and viral protein expression. We also show that the canonical signals of mTORC1 activation including ribosomal protein s6 (rpS6) and S6K phosphorylation are not required for WNV growth in these same conditions. Our data suggest that the mTORC1/4EBP/eIF4E signaling axis is activated to support the translation of the WNV genome.

4EBP-Dependent Signaling Supports West Nile Virus Growth and Protein Expression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine D. Shives

2016-10-01

Full Text Available West Nile virus (WNV is a (+ sense, single-stranded RNA virus in the Flavivirus genus. WNV RNA possesses an m7GpppNm 5′ cap with 2′-O-methylation that mimics host mRNAs preventing innate immune detection and allowing the virus to translate its RNA genome through the utilization of cap-dependent translation initiation effectors in a wide variety of host species. Our prior work established the requirement of the host mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1 for optimal WNV growth and protein expression; yet, the roles of the downstream effectors of mTORC1 in WNV translation are unknown. In this study, we utilize gene deletion mutants in the ribosomal protein kinase called S6 kinase (S6K and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein (4EBP pathways downstream of mTORC1 to define the role of mTOR-dependent translation initiation signals in WNV gene expression and growth. We now show that WNV growth and protein expression are dependent on mTORC1 mediated-regulation of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein/eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein (4EBP/eIF4E interaction and eukaryotic initiation factor 4F (eIF4F complex formation to support viral growth and viral protein expression. We also show that the canonical signals of mTORC1 activation including ribosomal protein s6 (rpS6 and S6K phosphorylation are not required for WNV growth in these same conditions. Our data suggest that the mTORC1/4EBP/eIF4E signaling axis is activated to support the translation of the WNV genome.

Bayesian component separation: The Planck experience

Science.gov (United States)

Wehus, Ingunn Kathrine; Eriksen, Hans Kristian

2018-05-01

Bayesian component separation techniques have played a central role in the data reduction process of Planck. The most important strength of this approach is its global nature, in which a parametric and physical model is fitted to the data. Such physical modeling allows the user to constrain very general data models, and jointly probe cosmological, astrophysical and instrumental parameters. This approach also supports statistically robust goodness-of-fit tests in terms of data-minus-model residual maps, which are essential for identifying residual systematic effects in the data. The main challenges are high code complexity and computational cost. Whether or not these costs are justified for a given experiment depends on its final uncertainty budget. We therefore predict that the importance of Bayesian component separation techniques is likely to increase with time for intensity mapping experiments, similar to what has happened in the CMB field, as observational techniques mature, and their overall sensitivity improves.

Decision Support System and Customer Relationship Management as Components of the Cybernetic System Enterprise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruxandra MISDOLEA

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This study analyzes the role played by the information system and its component, the software system, in a larger system - the Enterprise. In this context, the paper focuses on the structure of Decision Support System and Customer Relationship Management and their benefits in the functioning of the global system, by examining the conditions of implementation of these tools in the organization. We will show that used independently these tools offer reduced services, but when interconnected, they become a very powerful tool for command and control. Viability, evolution and autonomy requested by users for their information system are obtained more easily by a systemic-cybernetic approach to the Enterprise.

Developing Reliable Life Support for Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Harry W.

2017-01-01

A human mission to Mars will require highly reliable life support systems. Mars life support systems may recycle water and oxygen using systems similar to those on the International Space Station (ISS). However, achieving sufficient reliability is less difficult for ISS than it will be for Mars. If an ISS system has a serious failure, it is possible to provide spare parts, or directly supply water or oxygen, or if necessary bring the crew back to Earth. Life support for Mars must be designed, tested, and improved as needed to achieve high demonstrated reliability. A quantitative reliability goal should be established and used to guide development t. The designers should select reliable components and minimize interface and integration problems. In theory a system can achieve the component-limited reliability, but testing often reveal unexpected failures due to design mistakes or flawed components. Testing should extend long enough to detect any unexpected failure modes and to verify the expected reliability. Iterated redesign and retest may be required to achieve the reliability goal. If the reliability is less than required, it may be improved by providing spare components or redundant systems. The number of spares required to achieve a given reliability goal depends on the component failure rate. If the failure rate is under estimated, the number of spares will be insufficient and the system may fail. If the design is likely to have undiscovered design or component problems, it is advisable to use dissimilar redundancy, even though this multiplies the design and development cost. In the ideal case, a human tended closed system operational test should be conducted to gain confidence in operations, maintenance, and repair. The difficulty in achieving high reliability in unproven complex systems may require the use of simpler, more mature, intrinsically higher reliability systems. The limitations of budget, schedule, and technology may suggest accepting lower and

Semiclassical pair production rate for time-dependent electrical fields with more than one component: WKB-approach and world-line instantons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Strobel, Eckhard, E-mail: eckhard.strobel@irap-phd.eu [ICRANet, Piazzale della Repubblica 10, 65122 Pescara (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome (Italy); Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis, 28 Avenue de Valrose, 06103 Nice Cedex 2 (France); Xue, She-Sheng, E-mail: xue@icra.it [ICRANet, Piazzale della Repubblica 10, 65122 Pescara (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome (Italy)

2014-09-15

We present an analytic calculation of the semiclassical electron–positron pair creation rate by time-dependent electrical fields. We use two methods, first the imaginary time method in the WKB-approximation and second the world-line instanton approach. The analytic tools for both methods are generalized to time-dependent electric fields with more than one component. For the WKB method an expansion of the momentum spectrum of produced pairs around the canonical momentum P{sup →}=0 is presented which simplifies the computation of the pair creation rate. We argue that the world-line instanton method of [1] implicitly performs this expansion of the momentum spectrum around P{sup →}=0. Accordingly, the generalization to more than one component is shown to agree with the WKB result obtained via this expansion. However the expansion is only a good approximation for the cases where the momentum spectrum is peaked around P{sup →}=0. Thus the expanded WKB result and the world-line instanton method of [1] as well as the generalized method presented here are only applicable in these cases. We study the two-component case of a rotating electric field and find a new analytic closed form for the momentum spectrum using the generalized WKB method. The momentum spectrum for this field is not peaked around P{sup →}=0.

Oxygen control of nif gene expression in Klebsiella pneumoniae depends on NifL reduction at the cytoplasmic membrane by electrons derived from the reduced quinone pool.

Science.gov (United States)

Grabbe, Roman; Schmitz, Ruth A

2003-04-01

In Klebsiella pneumoniae, the flavoprotein, NifL regulates NifA mediated transcriptional activation of the N2-fixation (nif) genes in response to molecular O2 and ammonium. We investigated the influence of membrane-bound oxidoreductases on nif-regulation by biochemical analysis of purified NifL and by monitoring NifA-mediated expression of nifH'-'lacZ reporter fusions in different mutant backgrounds. NifL-bound FAD-cofactor was reduced by NADH only in the presence of a redox-mediator or inside-out vesicles derived from anaerobically grown K. pneumoniae cells, indicating that in vivo NifL is reduced by electrons derived from membrane-bound oxidoreductases of the anaerobic respiratory chain. This mechanism is further supported by three lines of evidence: First, K. pneumoniae strains carrying null mutations of fdnG or nuoCD showed significantly reduced nif-induction under derepressing conditions, indicating that NifL inhibition of NifA was not relieved in the absence of formate dehydrogenase-N or NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase. The same effect was observed in a heterologous Escherichia coli system carrying a ndh null allele (coding for NADH dehydrogenaseII). Second, studying nif-induction in K. pneumoniae revealed that during anaerobic growth in glycerol, under nitrogen-limitation, the presence of the terminal electron acceptor nitrate resulted in a significant decrease of nif-induction. The final line of evidence is that reduced quinone derivatives, dimethylnaphthoquinol and menadiol, are able to transfer electrons to the FAD-moiety of purified NifL. On the basis of these data, we postulate that under anaerobic and nitrogen-limited conditions, NifL inhibition of NifA activity is relieved by reduction of the FAD-cofactor by electrons derived from the reduced quinone pool, generated by anaerobic respiration, that favours membrane association of NifL. We further hypothesize that the quinol/quinone ratio is important for providing the signal to NifL.

Supporting Families to Support Students

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, John; Rossen, Eric; Cowan, Katherine C.

2018-01-01

Collaboration between students' families and the school is an essential component to promoting student mental and behavioral health. Many schools structure their mental health services using a Multi-Tiered System of Supports that offers three different tiers of support from universal supports to personalized help for students with serious…

Inertial confinement fusion target component fabrication and technology development support. Annual report 10/1/98 through 9/30/99

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gibson, Jane

1999-01-01

General Atomics (GA) has served as the Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Target Component Fabrication and Technology Development Support contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy since December 30, 1990. This report documents the technical activities of the period October 1, 1998 through September 30, 1999. During this period, GA and our partner Schafer Corporation were assigned 17 formal tasks in support of the ICF program and its five laboratories. A portion of the effort on these tasks included providing direct ''Onsite Support'' at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Sandia National Laboratory (SNL). We fabricated and delivered over 1790 hohlraum mandrels and numerous other micromachined components to LLNL, LANL, and SNL. We produced more than 1380 glass and plastic target capsules over a wide range of sizes and designs (plus over 300 near target-quality capsules) for LLNL, LANL, SNL, and University of Rochester/Laboratory for Laser Energetic (UR/LLE). We also delivered various target foils and films for Naval Research Lab (NRL) and UWLLE in FY99. We fabricated a device to polish NIF-sized beryllium shells and prepared a laboratory for the safe operation of beryllium polishing activities. This report describes these target fabrication activities and the target fabrication and characterization development activities that made the deliveries possible. During FY99, the GA/Schafer portion of the GA/Schafer-UR/LLE-LANL team effort for design, procurement, installation, and testing of the OMEGA Cryogenic Target System (OCTS) that will field cryogenic targets on OMEGA was completed. All components of the OCTS were procured, fabricated, assembled, tested, and shipped to UR/LLE. Only minor documentation tasks remain to be done in FY00. The ICF program is anticipating experiments at the OMEGA laser and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) which will require targets containing cryogenic layered D2 or deuterium

[Return of the sick at home: importance of the level of dependency and family support].

Science.gov (United States)

Monteiro, Pinto Elsa Maria Esteves; Martins, Rosa Maria Lopes

2013-01-01

Although aging is not synonymous with illness and dependency, the process enhances the progressive limitation of the capabilities of the individual to meet daily living activities with autonomy, leading to greater need for informal and / or formal support. To identify the functional independence of the participants and their relation to the socio demographic, clinical, housing and social support variables;to assess the difficulties of informal caregivers in care when returning home. We opted for a triangulated methodology (quantitative and qualitative) following a descriptive-correlational path, using for this purpose a non-probabilistic sample of convenience consisting of 50 patients admitted in the Centro Hospitalar Tondela - Viseu, EPE, and their informal caregivers. The measuring instruments used were the Barthel Index and a semi-structured interview. The participants are mostly male, with an average age of 73.7 years, married, residing in rural areas. Their qualifications are the 1st cycle of basic education (four years of Primary School) and have a predominance of cerebrovascular diseases. They show moderate dependence at discharge, preferably returning to their own home. Functional independence is significantly influenced by age, educational attainment, place of residence after admission, housing adaptation and formal support. The informal caregiveris mainly the female spouse and daughters, presenting as main difficulties, employment, lack of support andtechnical assistance, the existence of architectural barriers and caregiver overload. The inexistent of the caregiver's profile, their absence or inability to care was predictive of institutionalization.

Self-Similar Nonlinear Dynamical Solutions for One-Component Nonneutral Plasma in a Time-Dependent Linear Focusing Field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin, Hong; Davidson, Ronald C.

2011-01-01

In a linear trap confining a one-component nonneutral plasma, the external focusing force is a linear function of the configuration coordinates and/or the velocity coordinates. Linear traps include the classical Paul trap and the Penning trap, as well as the newly proposed rotating-radio- frequency traps and the Mobius accelerator. This paper describes a class of self-similar nonlinear solutions of nonneutral plasma in general time-dependent linear focusing devices, with self-consistent electrostatic field. This class of nonlinear solutions includes many known solutions as special cases.

13: Data dependencies in a three-dimensional treatment planning system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kijewski, P.

1987-01-01

The design of a three-dimensional treatment planning system demands very careful attention to the problem of data dependencies among the very large and complex data sets on which such systems operate. Assurance of data consistency and data currency among dependent data requires specialized database support. For the implementation presented, an object-oriented data management system is used. Data dependencies are explicitly processed by including links between output data and source data (antecedents), links between source data and output data (descendents), and historical records of updates (versions). Using these components, a system for assuring data consistency and data currency is constructed. 4 refs.; 4 figs

VpStyA1/VpStyA2B of Variovorax paradoxus EPS: An Aryl Alkyl Sulfoxidase Rather than a Styrene Epoxidizing Monooxygenase

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dirk Tischler

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Herein we describe the first representative of an E2-type two-component styrene monooxygenase of proteobacteria. It comprises a single epoxidase protein (VpStyA1 and a two domain protein (VpStyA2B harboring an epoxidase (A2 and a FAD-reductase (B domain. It was annotated as VpStyA1/VpStyA2B of Variovorax paradoxus EPS. VpStyA2B serves mainly as NADH:FAD-oxidoreductase. A Km of 33.6 ± 4.0 µM for FAD and a kcat of 22.3 ± 1.1 s−1 were determined and resulted in a catalytic efficiency (kcat Km−1 of 0.64 s−1 μM−1. To investigate its NADH:FAD-oxidoreductase function the linker between A2- and B-domain (AREAV was mutated. One mutant (AAAAA showed 18.7-fold higher affinity for FAD (kcat Km−1 of 5.21 s−1 μM−1 while keeping wildtype NADH-affinity and -oxidation activity. Both components, VpStyA2B and VpStyA1, showed monooxygenase activity on styrene of 0.14 U mg−1 and 0.46 U mg−1, as well as on benzyl methyl sulfide of 1.62 U mg−1 and 3.11 U mg−1, respectively. The high sulfoxidase activity was the reason to test several thioanisole-like substrates in biotransformations. VpStyA1 showed high substrate conversions (up to 95% in 2 h and produced dominantly (S-enantiomeric sulfoxides of all tested substrates. The AAAAA-mutant showed a 1.6-fold increased monooxygenase activity. In comparison, the GQWCSQY-mutant did neither show monooxygenase nor efficient FAD-reductase activity. Hence, the linker between the two domains of VpStyA2B has effects on the reductase as well as on the monooxygenase performance. Overall, this monooxygenase represents a promising candidate for biocatalyst development and studying natural fusion proteins.

Single-component supported lipid bilayers probed using broadband nonlinear optics.

Science.gov (United States)

Olenick, Laura L; Chase, Hilary M; Fu, Li; Zhang, Yun; McGeachy, Alicia C; Dogangun, Merve; Walter, Stephanie R; Wang, Hong-Fei; Geiger, Franz M

2018-01-31

Broadband SFG spectroscopy is shown to offer considerable advantages over scanning systems in terms of signal-to-noise ratios when probing well-formed single-component supported lipid bilayers formed from zwitterionic lipids with PC headgroups. The SFG spectra obtained from bilayers formed from DOPC, POPC, DLPC, DMPC, DPPC and DSPC show a common peak at ∼2980 cm -1 , which is subject to interference between the C-H and the O-H stretches from the aqueous phase, while membranes having transition temperatures above the laboratory temperature produce SFG spectra with at least two additional peaks, one at ∼2920 cm -1 and another at ∼2880 cm -1 . The results validate spectroscopic and structural data from SFG experiments utilizing asymmetric bilayers in which one leaflet differs from the other in the extent of deuteration. Differences in H 2 O-D 2 O exchange experiments reveal that the lineshapes of the broadband SFG spectra are significantly influenced by interference from OH oscillators in the aqueous phase, even when those oscillators are not probed by the incident infrared light in our broadband setup. In the absence of spectral interference from the OH stretches of the solvent, the alkyl chain terminal methyl group of the bilayer is found to be tilted at an angle of 15° to 35° from the surface normal.

Dependent failure analysis of NPP data bases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, S.E.; Lofgren, E.V.; Samanta, P.K.; Wong Seemeng

1993-01-01

A technical approach for analyzing plant-specific data bases for vulnerabilities to dependent failures has been developed and applied. Since the focus of this work is to aid in the formulation of defenses to dependent failures, rather than to quantify dependent failure probabilities, the approach of this analysis is critically different. For instance, the determination of component failure dependencies has been based upon identical failure mechanisms related to component piecepart failures, rather than failure modes. Also, component failures involving all types of component function loss (e.g., catastrophic, degraded, incipient) are equally important to the predictive purposes of dependent failure defense development. Consequently, dependent component failures are identified with a different dependent failure definition which uses a component failure mechanism categorization scheme in this study. In this context, clusters of component failures which satisfy the revised dependent failure definition are termed common failure mechanism (CFM) events. Motor-operated valves (MOVs) in two nuclear power plant data bases have been analyzed with this approach. The analysis results include seven different failure mechanism categories; identified potential CFM events; an assessment of the risk-significance of the potential CFM events using existing probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs); and postulated defenses to the identified potential CFM events. (orig.)

Support vector machine and principal component analysis for microarray data classification

Science.gov (United States)

Astuti, Widi; Adiwijaya

2018-03-01

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide although a significant proportion of it can be cured if it is detected early. In recent decades, technology called microarray takes an important role in the diagnosis of cancer. By using data mining technique, microarray data classification can be performed to improve the accuracy of cancer diagnosis compared to traditional techniques. The characteristic of microarray data is small sample but it has huge dimension. Since that, there is a challenge for researcher to provide solutions for microarray data classification with high performance in both accuracy and running time. This research proposed the usage of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) as a dimension reduction method along with Support Vector Method (SVM) optimized by kernel functions as a classifier for microarray data classification. The proposed scheme was applied on seven data sets using 5-fold cross validation and then evaluation and analysis conducted on term of both accuracy and running time. The result showed that the scheme can obtained 100% accuracy for Ovarian and Lung Cancer data when Linear and Cubic kernel functions are used. In term of running time, PCA greatly reduced the running time for every data sets.

Architecture-dependent surface chemistry for Pt monolayers on carbon-supported Au.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Shuang; Rettew, Robert E; Sauerbrey, Marc; Alamgir, Faisal M

2011-10-01

Pt monolayers were grown by surface-limited redox replacement (SLRR) on two types of Au nanostructures. The Au nanostructures were fabricated electrochemically on carbon fiber paper (CFP) by either potentiostatic deposition (PSD) or potential square wave deposition (PSWD). The morphology of the Au/CFP heterostructures, examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), was found to depend on the type of Au growth method employed. The properties of the Pt deposit, as studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and cyclic voltammetry (CV), were found to depend strongly on the morphology of the support. Specifically, it was found that smaller Au morphologies led to a higher degree of cationicity in the resulting Pt deposit, with Pt(4+) and Pt(2+) species being identified using XPS and XAS. For fuel-cell catalysts, the resistance of ultrathin catalyst deposits to surface area loss through dissolution, poisoning, and agglomeration is critical. This study shows that an equivalent of two monolayers (ML) is the low-loading limit of Pt on Au. At 1 ML or below, the Pt film decreases in activity and durability very rapidly due to presence of cationic Pt. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Software component quality evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Clough, A. J.

1991-01-01

The paper describes a software inspection process that can be used to evaluate the quality of software components. Quality criteria, process application, independent testing of the process and proposed associated tool support are covered. Early results indicate that this technique is well suited for assessing software component quality in a standardized fashion. With automated machine assistance to facilitate both the evaluation and selection of software components, such a technique should promote effective reuse of software components.

From dysfunction to adaptation: an interactionist model of dependency.

Science.gov (United States)

Bornstein, Robert F

2012-01-01

Contrary to clinical lore, a dependent personality style is associated with active as well as passive behavior and may be adaptive in certain contexts (e.g., in fostering compliance with medical and psychotherapeutic treatment regimens). The cognitive/interactionist model conceptualizes dependency-related responding in terms of four components: (a) motivational (a marked need for guidance, support, and approval from others); (b) cognitive (a perception of oneself as powerless and ineffectual); (c) affective (a tendency to become anxious when required to function autonomously); and (d) behavioral (use of diverse self-presentation strategies to strengthen ties to potential caregivers). Clinicians' understanding of the etiology and dynamics of dependency has improved substantially in recent years; current challenges include delineating useful subtypes of dependency, developing valid symptom criteria for Dependent Personality Disorder in DSM-5 and beyond, and working effectively with dependent patients in the age of managed care.

Bright solitons in coupled defocusing NLS equation supported by coupling: Application to Bose-Einstein condensation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adhikari, Sadhan K.

2005-01-01

We demonstrate the formation of bright solitons in coupled self-defocusing nonlinear Schroedinger (NLS) equation supported by attractive coupling. As an application we use a time-dependent dynamical mean-field model to study the formation of stable bright solitons in two-component repulsive Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) supported by interspecies attraction in a quasi one-dimensional geometry. When all interactions are repulsive, there cannot be bright solitons. However, bright solitons can be formed in two-component repulsive BECs for a sufficiently attractive interspecies interaction, which induces an attractive effective interaction among bosons of same type

Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAIs) in Mobile Health: Key Components and Design Principles for Ongoing Health Behavior Support.

Science.gov (United States)

Nahum-Shani, Inbal; Smith, Shawna N; Spring, Bonnie J; Collins, Linda M; Witkiewitz, Katie; Tewari, Ambuj; Murphy, Susan A

2018-05-18

The just-in-time adaptive intervention (JITAI) is an intervention design aiming to provide the right type/amount of support, at the right time, by adapting to an individual's changing internal and contextual state. The availability of increasingly powerful mobile and sensing technologies underpins the use of JITAIs to support health behavior, as in such a setting an individual's state can change rapidly, unexpectedly, and in his/her natural environment. Despite the increasing use and appeal of JITAIs, a major gap exists between the growing technological capabilities for delivering JITAIs and research on the development and evaluation of these interventions. Many JITAIs have been developed with minimal use of empirical evidence, theory, or accepted treatment guidelines. Here, we take an essential first step towards bridging this gap. Building on health behavior theories and the extant literature on JITAIs, we clarify the scientific motivation for JITAIs, define their fundamental components, and highlight design principles related to these components. Examples of JITAIs from various domains of health behavior research are used for illustration. As we enter a new era of technological capacity for delivering JITAIs, it is critical that researchers develop sophisticated and nuanced health behavior theories capable of guiding the construction of such interventions. Particular attention has to be given to better understanding the implications of providing timely and ecologically sound support for intervention adherence and retention.

GSK3 beta forms a tetrameric complex with endogenous PS1-CTF/NTF and beta-catenin. Effects of the D257/D385A and FAD-linked mutations.

Science.gov (United States)

Tesco, G; Tanzi, R E

2000-01-01

We have previously shown that the endogenous C-terminal fragment of presenilin 1 co-immunoprecipitates with endogenous beta-catenin. Since PS1 has been suggested to be involved in beta-catenin stabilization, we further investigated whether GSK3 beta, responsible for beta-catenin phosphorylation and degradation, is part of the PS1/beta-catenin complex. In naïve H4 and CHO cells, PS1 co-immunoprecipitated with both endogenous beta-catenin and GSK3 beta. In addition, GSK3 beta endogenously binds to the PS1-CTF/NTF complex and beta-catenin in naïve CHO cells. GSK3 beta also co-immunoprecipitated with PS1 full length in CHO cell lines overexpressing PS1 wild type. Given that it has been recently shown that PS1 mutations of aspartate 257 or 385 result in prevention of PS1 endoproteolysis and inhibition of gamma-secretase activity, we also tested whether PS1 endoproteolysis is required for beta-catenin/GSK3 beta/PS1 binding and whether PS1 FAD-linked mutations affect GSK3 beta recruitment in the PS1/beta-catenin complex. GSK3 beta was detected in PS1 immunoprecipitates from H4 cell lines overexpressing PS1 wild type, delta E10, A286E, L246V and in CHO cell lines overexpressing aspartate or M146L mutations. The latter data show that the absence of PS1 endoproteolysis (D257A/D385A and delta E10) or the presence of PS1-FAD mutations does not interfere with beta-catenin/GSK3 beta/PS1 complex formation.

[Learning about the social support provided to the family caregiver assisting a family dependent].

Science.gov (United States)

Nardi, Edileuza de Fátima Rosina; de Oliveira, Magda Lúcia Félix

2008-03-01

The elderly suffering disability caused by diseases need a network of support in order to continue feeling socially active. This study aims at characterizing the social support provided to the family caregiver who looks after an elderly dependent, in Brazil. A descriptive study with qualitative approach was conducted at the municipality of Jandaia do Sul, Paraná, Brazil. Data collection was performed through semi-structured interviews with 19 primary family caregivers. Data analysis was based on Thematic Analysis. The results show that when it comes to informal sources, the reference to grown up children was mostly used, while as formal ones Unidade Básica de Saúde, the Brazilian Basic Health Unit, and the team from Programa Saúde da Familia, Brazilian Pro-Family Health Program, were referred to. However, the image of Community Health Agent was the most mentioned. Thus, it is necessary to create support nets to integrate both formal and informal systems.

Methodological exemplar of integrating quantitative and qualitative evidence - supportive care for men with prostate cancer:what are the most important components?

OpenAIRE

Huntley, Alyson; King, Anna J L; Moore, Theresa H M; Paterson, Charlotte; Persad, Raj; Sharp, Debbie J; Evans, Maggie A

2017-01-01

AIMS: To present a methodological exemplar of integrating findings from a quantitative and qualitative review on the same topic to provide insight into components of care that contribute to supportive care that is acceptable to men with prostate cancer.BACKGROUND: Men with prostate cancer are likely to live a long time with the disease, experience side effects from treatment and therefore have ongoing supportive care needs. Quantitative and qualitative reviews have been published but the find...

The Portuguese formal social support for autonomy and dependence in pain inventory (FSSADI_PAIN): a preliminary validation study.

Science.gov (United States)

Matos, Marta; Bernardes, Sónia F

2013-09-01

Development and preliminary validation of a Portuguese measure of perceived Formal Social Support for Autonomy and Dependence in Pain (FSSADI_PAIN). One hundred and fifty-one older adults (88.1% women), between 56 and 94 years of age (M = 75.41; SD = 9.11), who attended one of the following institutions--day care centre (33.1%), nursing home (36.4%) and senior university (30.5%)--were recruited for this study. Along with the FSSADI_PAIN, participants filled out the Portuguese versions of the Brief Pain Inventory (Azevedo et al., 2007, Dor, 15, 6) and the Social Support Scale of Medical Outcomes Survey (Pais-Ribeiro & Ponte, 2009, Psicologia, Saúde & Doença, 10, 163). The factorial structure reflected the functions of perceived promotion of (1) dependence and (2) autonomy, showing good internal consistency (α > .70) and sensitivity indices. The FSSADI_PAIN showed good content, discriminant and criterion validity; it differentiated the perceptions of promotion of dependence/autonomy according to individual's pain severity and disability, as well as the type of institution. These preliminary findings suggest that the FSSADI_PAIN is an innovative and promising measure of perceived formal social support adapted to pain-related contexts. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

Developing a Model Component

Science.gov (United States)

Fields, Christina M.

2013-01-01

The Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) Simulation Computer Software Configuration Item (CSCI) is responsible for providing simulations to support test and verification of SCCS hardware and software. The Universal Coolant Transporter System (UCTS) was a Space Shuttle Orbiter support piece of the Ground Servicing Equipment (GSE). The initial purpose of the UCTS was to provide two support services to the Space Shuttle Orbiter immediately after landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The UCTS is designed with the capability of servicing future space vehicles; including all Space Station Requirements necessary for the MPLM Modules. The Simulation uses GSE Models to stand in for the actual systems to support testing of SCCS systems during their development. As an intern at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), my assignment was to develop a model component for the UCTS. I was given a fluid component (dryer) to model in Simulink. I completed training for UNIX and Simulink. The dryer is a Catch All replaceable core type filter-dryer. The filter-dryer provides maximum protection for the thermostatic expansion valve and solenoid valve from dirt that may be in the system. The filter-dryer also protects the valves from freezing up. I researched fluid dynamics to understand the function of my component. The filter-dryer was modeled by determining affects it has on the pressure and velocity of the system. I used Bernoulli's Equation to calculate the pressure and velocity differential through the dryer. I created my filter-dryer model in Simulink and wrote the test script to test the component. I completed component testing and captured test data. The finalized model was sent for peer review for any improvements. I participated in Simulation meetings and was involved in the subsystem design process and team collaborations. I gained valuable work experience and insight into a career path as an engineer.

On fault propagation in deterioration of multi-component systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liang, Zhenglin; Parlikad, Ajith Kumar; Srinivasan, Rengarajan; Rasmekomen, Nipat

2017-01-01

In extant literature, deterioration dependence among components can be modelled as inherent dependence and induced dependence. We find that the two types of dependence may co-exist and interact with each other in one multi-component system. We refer to this phenomenon as fault propagation. In practice, a fault induced by the malfunction of a non-critical component may further propagate through the dependence amongst critical components. Such fault propagation scenario happens in industrial assets or systems (bridge deck, and heat exchanging system). In this paper, a multi-layered vector-valued continuous-time Markov chain is developed to capture the characteristics of fault propagation. To obtain the mathematical tractability, we derive a partitioning rule to aggregate states with the same characteristics while keeping the overall aging behaviour of the multi-component system. Although the detailed information of components is masked by aggregated states, lumpability is attainable with the partitioning rule. It means that the aggregated process is stochastically equivalent to the original one and retains the Markov property. We apply this model on a heat exchanging system in oil refinery company. The results show that fault propagation has a more significant impact on the system's lifetime comparing with inherent dependence and induced dependence. - Highlights: • We develop a vector value continuous-time Markov chain to model the meta-dependent characteristic of fault propagation. • A partitioning rule is derived to reduce the state space and attain lumpability. • The model is applied on analysing the impact of fault propagation in a heat exchanging system.

Online Support Vector Regression with Varying Parameters for Time-Dependent Data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Omitaomu, Olufemi A.; Jeong, Myong K.; Badiru, Adedeji B.

2011-01-01

Support vector regression (SVR) is a machine learning technique that continues to receive interest in several domains including manufacturing, engineering, and medicine. In order to extend its application to problems in which datasets arrive constantly and in which batch processing of the datasets is infeasible or expensive, an accurate online support vector regression (AOSVR) technique was proposed. The AOSVR technique efficiently updates a trained SVR function whenever a sample is added to or removed from the training set without retraining the entire training data. However, the AOSVR technique assumes that the new samples and the training samples are of the same characteristics; hence, the same value of SVR parameters is used for training and prediction. This assumption is not applicable to data samples that are inherently noisy and non-stationary such as sensor data. As a result, we propose Accurate On-line Support Vector Regression with Varying Parameters (AOSVR-VP) that uses varying SVR parameters rather than fixed SVR parameters, and hence accounts for the variability that may exist in the samples. To accomplish this objective, we also propose a generalized weight function to automatically update the weights of SVR parameters in on-line monitoring applications. The proposed function allows for lower and upper bounds for SVR parameters. We tested our proposed approach and compared results with the conventional AOSVR approach using two benchmark time series data and sensor data from nuclear power plant. The results show that using varying SVR parameters is more applicable to time dependent data.

Na+/K+-ATPase inhibition partially mimics the ethanol-induced increase of the Golgi cell-dependent component of the tonic GABAergic current in rat cerebellar granule cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marvin R Diaz

Full Text Available Cerebellar granule cells (CGNs are one of many neurons that express phasic and tonic GABAergic conductances. Although it is well established that Golgi cells (GoCs mediate phasic GABAergic currents in CGNs, their role in mediating tonic currents in CGNs (CGN-I(tonic is controversial. Earlier studies suggested that GoCs mediate a component of CGN-I(tonic that is present only in preparations from immature rodents. However, more recent studies have detected a GoC-dependent component of CGN-I(tonic in preparations of mature rodents. In addition, acute exposure to ethanol was shown to potentiate the GoC component of CGN-I(tonic and to induce a parallel increase in spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic current frequency at CGNs. Here, we tested the hypothesis that these effects of ethanol on GABAergic transmission in CGNs are mediated by inhibition of the Na(+/K(+-ATPase. We used whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology techniques in cerebellar slices of male rats (postnatal day 23-30. Under these conditions, we reliably detected a GoC-dependent component of CGN-I(tonic that could be blocked with tetrodotoxin. Further analysis revealed a positive correlation between basal sIPSC frequency and the magnitude of the GoC-dependent component of CGN-I(tonic. Inhibition of the Na(+/K(+-ATPase with a submaximal concentration of ouabain partially mimicked the ethanol-induced potentiation of both phasic and tonic GABAergic currents in CGNs. Modeling studies suggest that selective inhibition of the Na(+/K(+-ATPase in GoCs can, in part, explain these effects of ethanol. These findings establish a novel mechanism of action of ethanol on GABAergic transmission in the central nervous system.

Web components and the semantic web

OpenAIRE

Casey, Maire; Pahl, Claus

2003-01-01

Component-based software engineering on the Web differs from traditional component and software engineering. We investigate Web component engineering activites that are crucial for the development,com position, and deployment of components on the Web. The current Web Services and Semantic Web initiatives strongly influence our work. Focussing on Web component composition we develop description and reasoning techniques that support a component developer in the composition activities,fo cussing...

The completeness of fault tree analysis in the presence of dependencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hughes, R.P.

1989-02-01

Existing standard fault tree assessments of systems do not include an assessment of the effects of dependencies in an integrated fashion, but simply add on a ''common cause cut-off''. To support the values used for this cut-off, cut-sets involving certain groups of components susceptible to dependent failure can be assessed using the Distributed Failure Probability method. These rank one contributions do not cover all the possibilities, however, so there is an outstanding need for an integrated procedure for dependent failure assessment of systems which allows for all ranks of cut-set. The purpose of this note is to provide such a procedure which builds upon the standard approach to fault tree analysis. In this standard approach, only a limited number of cut-sets is found, and they are evaluated assuming independence of their components. So, some cut-sets are neglected which could be important contributors to the system failure probability if their components are not independent of each other. The procedure developed therefore deals with this truncation problem and with dependency together. The result is a practical and efficient method for bounding system failure probabilities. The method is a progressive one, whereby this bound is reduced as necessary by a more refined analysis. A simple example is used to illustrate the procedure. (author)

[Self-esteem, coping, perceived social support and substance use in young adults with a cannabis dependence disorder].

Science.gov (United States)

Dorard, G; Bungener, C; Corcos, M; Berthoz, S

2014-06-01

Self-esteem, coping strategies and perceived social support play a role in the adaptive functioning of the human being: they allow the adjustment of the subject to his/her environment. These dimensions could be protective factors regarding multiple risks associated with adolescent development, and particularly substance use. Thus our objective was twofold: to evaluate self-esteem, coping strategies and perceived social support in adolescents and young adults with a cannabis dependence in comparison with subjects from the general population; to establish the correspondence between these psychological dimensions and the patients' substance use pattern. Data from 43 young patients (36 males; mean age=19.6±3), consulting for their cannabis dependence, and 50 young adults from the general population (39 males; mean age=19.7±3.4) were included. Participants completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory, the Social Self-Esteem Inventory of Lawson, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situation of Endler & Parker, and the Perceived Social Support Questionnaire of Sarason. The MINI was administered to evaluate cannabis abuse or dependence; a semi-structured clinical interview was given to determine psychoactive substance use. Between-group comparisons (two independent sample t-tests) showed that the patients had significantly lower scores on global (P=0.002) and social (P=0.035) self-esteem, task-oriented coping (Pself-esteem scores (P=0.028). Moreover, polysubstance misuse is associated with low distraction-avoidant coping scores. No association was found between clinical scores and tobacco and alcohol uses variables. These results suggest that cannabis dependent patients may present a lack in individual and interpersonal resources. This clinical study underscores the potential contribution of maladaptive coping to the development or maintenance of substance use in young adulthood. Copyright © 2013 L’Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights

The effect of winding and core support material on the thermal gain dependence of a fluxgate magnetometer sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Miles, David M.; Mann, Ian R.; Kale, Andy; Milling, David K.; Narod, Barry B.; Bennest, John R.; Barona, David; Unsworth, Martyn J.

2017-10-01

Fluxgate magnetometers are an important tool in geophysics and space physics but are typically sensitive to variations in sensor temperature. Changes in instrumental gain with temperature, thermal gain dependence, are thought to be predominantly due to changes in the geometry of the wire coils that sense the magnetic field and/or provide magnetic feedback. Scientific fluxgate magnetometers typically employ some form of temperature compensation and support and constrain wire sense coils with bobbins constructed from materials such as MACOR machinable ceramic (Corning Inc.) which are selected for their ultra-low thermal deformation rather than for robustness, cost, or ease of manufacturing. We present laboratory results comparing the performance of six geometrically and electrically matched fluxgate sensors in which the material used to support the windings and for the base of the sensor is varied. We use a novel, low-cost thermal calibration procedure based on a controlled sinusoidal magnetic source and quantitative spectral analysis to measure the thermal gain dependence of fluxgate magnetometer sensors at the ppm°C-1 level in a typical magnetically noisy university laboratory environment. We compare the thermal gain dependence of sensors built from MACOR, polyetheretherketone (PEEK) engineering plastic (virgin, 30 % glass filled and 30 % carbon filled), and acetal to examine the trade between the thermal properties of the material, the impact on the thermal gain dependence of the fluxgate, and the cost and ease of manufacture. We find that thermal gain dependence of the sensor varies as one half of the material properties of the bobbin supporting the wire sense coils rather than being directly related as has been historically thought. An experimental sensor constructed from 30 % glass-filled PEEK (21.6 ppm°C-1) had a thermal gain dependence within 5 ppm°C-1 of a traditional sensor constructed from MACOR ceramic (8.1 ppm°C-1). If a modest increase in thermal

Pricing end-of-life components

Science.gov (United States)

Vadde, Srikanth; Kamarthi, Sagar V.; Gupta, Surendra M.

2005-11-01

The main objective of a product recovery facility (PRF) is to disassemble end-of-life (EOL) products and sell the reclaimed components for reuse and recovered materials in second-hand markets. Variability in the inflow of EOL products and fluctuation in demand for reusable components contribute to the volatility in inventory levels. To stay profitable the PRFs ought to manage their inventory by regulating the price appropriately to minimize holding costs. This work presents two deterministic pricing models for a PRF bounded by environmental regulations. In the first model, the demand is price dependent and in the second, the demand is both price and time dependent. The models are valid for single component with no inventory replenishment sale during the selling horizon . Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the models.

How can EPR spectroscopy help to unravel molecular mechanisms of flavin-dependent photoreceptors?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel eNohr

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR spectroscopy is a well-established spectroscopic method for the examination of paramagnetic molecules. Proteins can contain paramagnetic moieties in form of stable cofactors, transiently formed intermediates, or spin labels artificially introduced to cysteine sites. The focus of this review is to evaluate potential scopes of application of EPR to the emerging field of optogenetics. The main objective for EPR spectroscopy in this context is to unravel the complex mechanisms of light-active proteins, from their primary photoreaction to downstream signal transduction. An overview of recent results from the family of flavin-containing, blue-light dependent photoreceptors is given. In detail, mechanistic similarities and differences are condensed from the three classes of flavoproteins, the cryptochromes, LOV (Light-oxygen-voltage, and BLUF (blue-light using FAD domains. Additionally, a concept that includes spin-labeled proteins and examination using modern pulsed EPR is introduced, which allows for a precise mapping of light-induced conformational changes.

How can EPR spectroscopy help to unravel molecular mechanisms of flavin-dependent photoreceptors?

Science.gov (United States)

Nohr, Daniel; Rodriguez, Ryan; Weber, Stefan; Schleicher, Erik

2015-01-01

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is a well-established spectroscopic method for the examination of paramagnetic molecules. Proteins can contain paramagnetic moieties in form of stable cofactors, transiently formed intermediates, or spin labels artificially introduced to cysteine sites. The focus of this review is to evaluate potential scopes of application of EPR to the emerging field of optogenetics. The main objective for EPR spectroscopy in this context is to unravel the complex mechanisms of light-active proteins, from their primary photoreaction to downstream signal transduction. An overview of recent results from the family of flavin-containing, blue-light dependent photoreceptors is given. In detail, mechanistic similarities and differences are condensed from the three classes of flavoproteins, the cryptochromes, LOV (Light-oxygen-voltage), and BLUF (blue-light using FAD) domains. Additionally, a concept that includes spin-labeled proteins and examination using modern pulsed EPR is introduced, which allows for a precise mapping of light-induced conformational changes.

Aging of systems: theoretical investigations on system and components time behaviour

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eid, M.; Coudray, R.

1995-01-01

Being a direct indicator of aging, the systems time-dependent failure rates need to be evaluated using qualified methodologies and starting from basic components time-dependent failure data. Basic component time-dependent failure data are not often available. Components failure data used in the paper are issued from some theoretical considerations rather than from field statistical observations. Four academic cases are presented and their results are discussed. Evaluations result in, very often, systems time-dependent failure rates that require understanding and careful interpretation. Kinetic trends of systems and of components may sometimes be different. (authors). 4 figs., 3 tabs., 3 refs., 1 appendix

SOME SIMPLE APPROACHES TO PLANNING THE INVENTORY OF SPARE COMPONENTS OF AN INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alenka Brezavšek

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Two variants of a simple stochastic model for planning the inventory of spare components supporting maintenance of an industrial system are developed. In both variants, the aim is to determine how many spare components are needed at the beginning of a planning interval to fulfil demand for corrective replacements during this interval. Under the first variant, the acceptable probability of spare shortage during the planning interval is chosen as a decision variable while in the second variant, the adequate spare inventory level is assessed taking into account the expected number of component failures within the planning interval. Calculation of the number of spare components needed depends on the form of the probability density function of component failure times. Different statistical density functions that are useful to describe this function are presented. Advantages and disadvantages of using a particular density function in our model are discussed. The applicability of the model is given through illustrative numerical examples.

Tweaking the Four-Component Model

Science.gov (United States)

Curzer, Howard J.

2014-01-01

By maintaining that moral functioning depends upon four components (sensitivity, judgment, motivation, and character), the Neo-Kohlbergian account of moral functioning allows for uneven moral development within individuals. However, I argue that the four-component model does not go far enough. I offer a more accurate account of moral functioning…

Analysis of long-chain fatty acid binding activity in vesicles of the outer membrane generated from Escherchia coli

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, P.N.

1987-01-01

Escherichia coli transports long-chain fatty acids across the dual membrane by a high affinity, saturable, energy-dependent process. The fadL gene codes for an outer membrane protein which appears to act specifically as a long-chain fatty acid binding protein when fatty acid utilization is blocked by mutation. In an effort to understand the function of the fadL gene product, FLP, membranes have been isolated from fadL + and fadL - strains following osmotic lysis. Following isolation, total membranes were separated into inner and outer membrane fractions and assayed for long-chain fatty acid binding activity. Outer membrane vesicles were incubated 2-5 min at 37 0 C with 3 H oleate (C/sub 18:1/), cooled to 0 0 C, and centrifuged through a Lipidex 100 column for 3 min to remove the unbound fatty acid. The level of fatty acid binding was quantitated by scintillation counting of the eluate. Outer membrane vesicles generated from a fadL + strain bind 325 pmol fatty acid/mg protein whereas vesicles generated for a mutant strain bind 175 pmol fatty acid/mg protein. These data suggest that FLP acts at least as a long-chain fatty acid binding protein on the surface of the cell

Crystal Structure and Catalytic Mechanism of 7-Hydroxymethyl Chlorophyll a Reductase*

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiao; Liu, Lin

2016-01-01

7-Hydroxymethyl chlorophyll a reductase (HCAR) catalyzes the second half-reaction in chlorophyll b to chlorophyll a conversion. HCAR is required for the degradation of light-harvesting complexes and is necessary for efficient photosynthesis by balancing the chlorophyll a/b ratio. Reduction of the hydroxymethyl group uses redox cofactors [4Fe-4S] cluster and FAD to transfer electrons and is difficult because of the strong carbon-oxygen bond. Here, we report the crystal structure of Arabidopsis HCAR at 2.7-Å resolution and reveal that two [4Fe-4S]clusters and one FAD within a very short distance form a consecutive electron pathway to the substrate pocket. In vitro kinetic analysis confirms the ferredoxin-dependent electron transport chain, thus supporting a proton-activated electron transfer mechanism. HCAR resembles a partial reconstruction of an archaeal F420-reducing [NiFe] hydrogenase, which suggests a common mode of efficient proton-coupled electron transfer through conserved cofactor arrangements. Furthermore, the trimeric form of HCAR provides a biological clue of its interaction with light-harvesting complex II. PMID:27072131

On-line compensation for perturbations of a reaching movement is cerebellar dependent: support for the task dependency hypothesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimansky, Yury; Wang, Jian-Jun; Bauer, Richard A; Bracha, Vlastislav; Bloedel, James R

2004-03-01

Although the cerebellum has been shown to be critical for the acquisition and retention of adaptive modifications in certain reflex behaviors, this structure's role in the learning of motor skills required to execute complex voluntary goal-directed movements still is unclear. This study explores this issue by analyzing the effects of inactivating the interposed and dentate cerebellar nuclei on the adaptation required to compensate for an external elastic load applied during a reaching movement. We show that cats with these nuclei inactivated can adapt to predictable perturbations of the forelimb during a goal-directed reach by including a compensatory component in the motor plan prior to movement initiation. In contrast, when comparable compensatory modifications must be triggered on-line because the perturbations are applied in randomized trials (i.e., unpredictably), such adaptive responses cannot be executed or reacquired after the interposed and dentate nuclei are inactivated. These findings provide the first demonstration of the condition-dependent nature of the cerebellum's contribution to the learning of a specific volitional task.

Reliability optimization of a redundant system with failure dependencies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu Haiyang [Institute Charles Delaunay (ICD, FRE CNRS 2848), Troyes University of Technology, Rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes (France)]. E-mail: Haiyang.YU@utt.fr; Chu Chengbin [Institute Charles Delaunay (ICD, FRE CNRS 2848), Troyes University of Technology, Rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes (France); Management School, Hefei University of Technology, 193 Tunxi Road, Hefei (China); Chatelet, Eric [Institute Charles Delaunay (ICD, FRE CNRS 2848), Troyes University of Technology, Rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes (France); Yalaoui, Farouk [Institute Charles Delaunay (ICD, FRE CNRS 2848), Troyes University of Technology, Rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes (France)

2007-12-15

In a multi-component system, the failure of one component can reduce the system reliability in two aspects: loss of the reliability contribution of this failed component, and the reconfiguration of the system, e.g., the redistribution of the system loading. The system reconfiguration can be triggered by the component failures as well as by adding redundancies. Hence, dependency is essential for the design of a multi-component system. In this paper, we study the design of a redundant system with the consideration of a specific kind of failure dependency, i.e., the redundant dependency. The dependence function is introduced to quantify the redundant dependency. With the dependence function, the redundant dependencies are further classified as independence, weak, linear, and strong dependencies. In addition, this classification is useful in that it facilitates the optimization resolution of the system design. Finally, an example is presented to illustrate the concept of redundant dependency and its application in system design. This paper thus conveys the significance of failure dependencies in the reliability optimization of systems.

Reliability optimization of a redundant system with failure dependencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Haiyang; Chu Chengbin; Chatelet, Eric; Yalaoui, Farouk

2007-01-01

In a multi-component system, the failure of one component can reduce the system reliability in two aspects: loss of the reliability contribution of this failed component, and the reconfiguration of the system, e.g., the redistribution of the system loading. The system reconfiguration can be triggered by the component failures as well as by adding redundancies. Hence, dependency is essential for the design of a multi-component system. In this paper, we study the design of a redundant system with the consideration of a specific kind of failure dependency, i.e., the redundant dependency. The dependence function is introduced to quantify the redundant dependency. With the dependence function, the redundant dependencies are further classified as independence, weak, linear, and strong dependencies. In addition, this classification is useful in that it facilitates the optimization resolution of the system design. Finally, an example is presented to illustrate the concept of redundant dependency and its application in system design. This paper thus conveys the significance of failure dependencies in the reliability optimization of systems

Aspects for Run-time Component Integration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Truyen, Eddy; Jørgensen, Bo Nørregaard; Joosen, Wouter

2000-01-01

Component framework technology has become the cornerstone of building a family of systems and applications. A component framework defines a generic architecture into which specialized components can be plugged. As such, the component framework leverages the glue that connects the different inserted...... to dynamically integrate into the architecture of middleware systems new services that support non-functional aspects such as security, transactions, real-time....

Relative response of TL and component-resolved OSL to alpha and beta radiations in annealed sedimentary quartz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polymeris, George S.; Afouxenidis, Dimitrios; Raptis, Spyridoula; Liritzis, Ioannis; Tsirliganis, Nestor C.; Kitis, George

2011-01-01

Knowledge of the relative luminescence response to alpha and beta radiation is very important in TL and OSL dating. In the present study the relative alpha to beta response is studied in a sedimentary quartz sample, previously fired at 900 deg. C for 1 h, in the dose region between 1 and 128 Gy, for both thermoluminescence (TL) and linearly modulated optically stimulated luminescence (LM - OSL). The LM - OSL measurements were performed at room temperature and at 125 deg. C. All OSL signals were deconvolved into their individual components. Comparison of OSL curves after alpha and beta irradiation strongly supports that quartz OSL components follow first order kinetics in both cases. In the case of TL, the relative alpha to beta response is found to be very different for each TL glow-peak, but it does not depend strongly on irradiation dose. In the case of LM - OSL measurements, it is found that the relative behaviour of the alpha to beta response is different for three distinct regions, namely the fast OSL component, the region of medium OSL component originating from the TL glow-peak at 110 deg. C when stimulation takes place at room temperature and finally the region of slow OSL component. Following stimulation at ambient temperature, the relative alpha to beta response of all components was not observed to depend significantly on dose, with the value of ratio being 0.03 and a tendency to decrease with increasing dose. However, in the case of measurements performed at 125 deg. C, the relative response of the fast components is much enhanced, and for the remaining components it increases with increasing dose. Special care must be taken to examine the relative alpha to beta response of the fast component at 125 deg. C which contrasts the relative response of the TL peak at ca. 325 deg. C. The implications for the dating of annealed quartz are also briefly discussed. - Highlights: → Relative alpha to beta response for TL and LM-OSL is studied in annealed

Failure characteristic analysis of a component on standby state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Sungmin; Kang, Hyungook

2013-01-01

Periodic operations for a specific type of component, however, can accelerate aging effects which increase component unavailability. For the other type of components, the aging effect caused by operation can be ignored. Therefore frequent operations can decrease component unavailability. Thus, to get optimum unavailability proper operation period and method should be studied considering the failure characteristics of each component. The information of component failure is given according to the main causes of failure depending on time flow. However, to get the optimal unavailability, proper interval of operation for inspection should be decided considering the time dependent and independent causes together. According to this study, gradually shorter operation interval for inspection is better to get the optimal component unavailability than that of specific period

Buffer or amplifier? Longitudinal effects of social support for functional autonomy/dependence on older adults' chronic pain experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Matos, Marta; Bernardes, Sónia F; Goubert, Liesbet; Beyers, Wim

2017-12-01

This longitudinal study aimed to investigate (a) the moderating role of formal social support for functional autonomy versus dependence on the relationship between pain intensity and pain-related disability among older adults with chronic pain and (b) the mediating role of pain-related self-efficacy and pain-related fear in this moderation. One hundred and seventy older adults (Mage = 78.0; SD = 8.7) with chronic musculoskeletal pain participated in a 3-month prospective study, with 3 measurement moments. Participants filled out the Formal Social Support for Autonomy and Dependence in Pain Inventory, the Portuguese versions of the Brief Pain Inventory, the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, and the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia. Using structural equation modeling, it was found that perceived promotion of autonomy, at Time 1, moderated the relationship between pain intensity (T1) and pain-related disability (T2); this moderation was fully mediated by pain-related self-efficacy (T2). Perceived promotion of dependence was not a significant moderator. These findings highlight the importance of social support for functional autonomy in buffering the impact of pain intensity on older adults' pain-related disability. Also, they clarify the role of pain-related self-efficacy in this effect. Implications for the development of intervention programs, with formal caregivers, to reduce the impact of chronic pain on older adults' healthy ageing process, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Relationships between components of emotional intelligence and physical pain in alcohol-dependent patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kopera M

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Maciej Kopera,1 Kirk J Brower,2 Hubert Suszek,3 Andrzej Jakubczyk,1 Sylwia Fudalej,1 Aleksandra Krasowska,1 Anna Klimkiewicz,1 Marcin Wojnar1,2 1Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland; 2Department of Psychiatry, Addiction Research Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; 3Department of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland Purpose: Chronic pain is a significant comorbidity in individuals with alcohol dependence (AD. Emotional processing deficits are a substantial component of both AD and chronic pain. The aim of this study was to analyze the interrelations between components of emotional intelligence and self-reported pain severity in AD patients. Patients and methods: A sample of 103 participants was recruited from an alcohol treatment center in Warsaw, Poland. Information concerning pain level in the last 4 weeks, demographics, severity of current anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as neuroticism was obtained. The study sample was divided into “mild or no pain” and “moderate or greater pain” groups. Results: In the logistic regression model, across a set of sociodemographic, psychological, and clinical factors, higher emotion regulation and higher education predicted lower severity, whereas increased levels of anxiety predicted higher severity of self-reported pain during the previous 4 weeks. When the mediation models looking at the association between current severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms and pain severity with the mediating role of emotion regulation were tested, emotion regulation appeared to fully mediate the relationship between depression severity and pain, and partially the relationship between anxiety severity and pain. Conclusion: The current findings extend previous results indicating that emotion regulation deficits are related to self-reported pain in AD subjects. Comprehensive strategies focusing on the improvement of mood regulation skills might be

Supporting Risk Assessment: Accounting for Indirect Risk to Ecosystem Components.

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Cathryn Clarke Murray

Full Text Available The multi-scalar complexity of social-ecological systems makes it challenging to quantify impacts from human activities on ecosystems, inspiring risk-based approaches to assessments of potential effects of human activities on valued ecosystem components. Risk assessments do not commonly include the risk from indirect effects as mediated via habitat and prey. In this case study from British Columbia, Canada, we illustrate how such "indirect risks" can be incorporated into risk assessments for seventeen ecosystem components. We ask whether (i the addition of indirect risk changes the at-risk ranking of the seventeen ecosystem components and if (ii risk scores correlate with trophic prey and habitat linkages in the food web. Even with conservative assumptions about the transfer of impacts or risks from prey species and habitats, the addition of indirect risks in the cumulative risk score changes the ranking of priorities for management. In particular, resident orca, Steller sea lion, and Pacific herring all increase in relative risk, more closely aligning these species with their "at-risk status" designations. Risk assessments are not a replacement for impact assessments, but-by considering the potential for indirect risks as we demonstrate here-they offer a crucial complementary perspective for the management of ecosystems and the organisms within.

Supporting Risk Assessment: Accounting for Indirect Risk to Ecosystem Components

Science.gov (United States)

Mach, Megan E.; Martone, Rebecca G.; Singh, Gerald G.; O, Miriam; Chan, Kai M. A.

2016-01-01

The multi-scalar complexity of social-ecological systems makes it challenging to quantify impacts from human activities on ecosystems, inspiring risk-based approaches to assessments of potential effects of human activities on valued ecosystem components. Risk assessments do not commonly include the risk from indirect effects as mediated via habitat and prey. In this case study from British Columbia, Canada, we illustrate how such “indirect risks” can be incorporated into risk assessments for seventeen ecosystem components. We ask whether (i) the addition of indirect risk changes the at-risk ranking of the seventeen ecosystem components and if (ii) risk scores correlate with trophic prey and habitat linkages in the food web. Even with conservative assumptions about the transfer of impacts or risks from prey species and habitats, the addition of indirect risks in the cumulative risk score changes the ranking of priorities for management. In particular, resident orca, Steller sea lion, and Pacific herring all increase in relative risk, more closely aligning these species with their “at-risk status” designations. Risk assessments are not a replacement for impact assessments, but—by considering the potential for indirect risks as we demonstrate here—they offer a crucial complementary perspective for the management of ecosystems and the organisms within. PMID:27632287

The effect of winding and core support material on the thermal gain dependence of a fluxgate magnetometer sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. M. Miles

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Fluxgate magnetometers are an important tool in geophysics and space physics but are typically sensitive to variations in sensor temperature. Changes in instrumental gain with temperature, thermal gain dependence, are thought to be predominantly due to changes in the geometry of the wire coils that sense the magnetic field and/or provide magnetic feedback. Scientific fluxgate magnetometers typically employ some form of temperature compensation and support and constrain wire sense coils with bobbins constructed from materials such as MACOR machinable ceramic (Corning Inc. which are selected for their ultra-low thermal deformation rather than for robustness, cost, or ease of manufacturing. We present laboratory results comparing the performance of six geometrically and electrically matched fluxgate sensors in which the material used to support the windings and for the base of the sensor is varied. We use a novel, low-cost thermal calibration procedure based on a controlled sinusoidal magnetic source and quantitative spectral analysis to measure the thermal gain dependence of fluxgate magnetometer sensors at the ppm°C−1 level in a typical magnetically noisy university laboratory environment. We compare the thermal gain dependence of sensors built from MACOR, polyetheretherketone (PEEK engineering plastic (virgin, 30 % glass filled and 30 % carbon filled, and acetal to examine the trade between the thermal properties of the material, the impact on the thermal gain dependence of the fluxgate, and the cost and ease of manufacture. We find that thermal gain dependence of the sensor varies as one half of the material properties of the bobbin supporting the wire sense coils rather than being directly related as has been historically thought. An experimental sensor constructed from 30 % glass-filled PEEK (21.6 ppm°C−1 had a thermal gain dependence within 5 ppm°C−1 of a traditional sensor constructed from MACOR ceramic (8.1�

Fetal source extraction from magnetocardiographic recordings by dependent component analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Araujo, Draulio B de [Department of Physics and Mathematics, FFCLRP, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP (Brazil); Barros, Allan Kardec [Department of Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Maranhao, Sao Luis, Maranhao (Brazil); Estombelo-Montesco, Carlos [Department of Physics and Mathematics, FFCLRP, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP (Brazil); Zhao, Hui [Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Filho, A C Roque da Silva [Department of Physics and Mathematics, FFCLRP, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP (Brazil); Baffa, Oswaldo [Department of Physics and Mathematics, FFCLRP, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP (Brazil); Wakai, Ronald [Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Ohnishi, Noboru [Department of Information Engineering, Nagoya University (Japan)

2005-10-07

Fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG) has been extensively reported in the literature as a non-invasive, prenatal technique that can be used to monitor various functions of the fetal heart. However, fMCG signals often have low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and are contaminated by strong interference from the mother's magnetocardiogram signal. A promising, efficient tool for extracting signals, even under low SNR conditions, is blind source separation (BSS), or independent component analysis (ICA). Herein we propose an algorithm based on a variation of ICA, where the signal of interest is extracted using a time delay obtained from an autocorrelation analysis. We model the system using autoregression, and identify the signal component of interest from the poles of the autocorrelation function. We show that the method is effective in removing the maternal signal, and is computationally efficient. We also compare our results to more established ICA methods, such as FastICA.

Metacognitive components in smart learning environment

Science.gov (United States)

Sumadyo, M.; Santoso, H. B.; Sensuse, D. I.

2018-03-01

Metacognitive ability in digital-based learning process helps students in achieving learning goals. So that digital-based learning environment should make the metacognitive component as a facility that must be equipped. Smart Learning Environment is the concept of a learning environment that certainly has more advanced components than just a digital learning environment. This study examines the metacognitive component of the smart learning environment to support the learning process. A review of the metacognitive literature was conducted to examine the components involved in metacognitive learning strategies. Review is also conducted on the results of study smart learning environment, ranging from design to context in building smart learning. Metacognitive learning strategies certainly require the support of adaptable, responsive and personalize learning environments in accordance with the principles of smart learning. The current study proposed the role of metacognitive component in smart learning environment, which is useful as the basis of research in building environment in smart learning.

Failure assessment diagrams for circular hollow section X- and K-joints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qian, Xudong

2013-01-01

This paper reports the failure assessment curves for semi-elliptical surface cracks located at hot-spot positions in the circular hollow section X- and K-joints. The failure assessment curves derive from the square root of the ratio between the linear–elastic and the elastic–plastic energy release rates, computed from the domain-integral approach. This study examines both the material and geometric dependence of the failure assessment curves. The area reduction factor, used in defining the strength of the cracked joints, imposes a significant effect on the computed failure assessment curve. The failure assessment curves indicate negligible variations with respect to the crack-front locations and the material yield strength. The crack depth ratio exerts a stronger effect on the computed failure assessment curve than does the crack aspect ratio. This study proposes a parametric expression for the failure assessment curves based on the geometric parameters for surface cracks in circular hollow section X- and K-joints. -- Highlights: ► This study proposes geometric dependent expressions of FADs for tubular joints. ► We examine the geometric and material dependence of the FADs for X- and K-joints. ► The proposed FAD is independent of yield strength and is a lower-bound for typical hardening

Neuronal pentraxin 1: A synaptic-derived plasma biomarker in Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Qiu-Lan; Teng, Edmond; Zuo, Xiaohong; Jones, Mychica; Teter, Bruce; Zhao, Evan Y; Zhu, Cansheng; Bilousova, Tina; Gylys, Karen H; Apostolova, Liana G; LaDu, Mary Jo; Hossain, Mir Ahamed; Frautschy, Sally A; Cole, Gregory M

2018-06-01

Synaptic neurodegeneration is thought to be an early event initiated by soluble β-amyloid (Aβ) aggregates that closely correlates with cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease (AD). Apolipoprotein ε4 (APOE4) is the most common genetic risk factor for both familial AD (FAD) and sporadic AD; it accelerates Aβ aggregation and selectively impairs glutamate receptor function and synaptic plasticity. However, its molecular mechanisms remain elusive and these synaptic deficits are difficult to monitor. AD- and APOE4-dependent plasma biomarkers have been proposed, but synapse-related plasma biomarkers are lacking. We evaluated neuronal pentraxin 1 (NP1), a potential CNS-derived plasma biomarker of excitatory synaptic pathology. NP1 is preferentially expressed in brain and involved in glutamate receptor internalization. NP1 is secreted presynaptically induced by Aβ oligomers, and implicated in excitatory synaptic and mitochondrial deficits. Levels of NP1 and its fragments were increased in a correlated fashion in both brain and plasma of 7-8 month-old E4FAD mice relative to E3FAD mice. NP1 was also found in exosome preparations and reduced by dietary DHA supplementation. Plasma NP1 was higher in E4FAD+ (APOE4 +/+ /FAD +/- ) relative to E4FAD- (non-carrier; APOE4 +/+ /FAD -/- ) mice, suggesting NP1 is modulated by Aβ expression. Finally, relative to normal elderly, plasma NP1 was also elevated in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and elevated further in the subset who progressed to early-stage AD. In those patients, there was a trend towards increased NP1 levels in APOE4 carriers relative to non-carriers. These findings indicate that NP1 may represent a potential synapse-derived plasma biomarker relevant to early alterations in excitatory synapses in MCI and early-stage AD. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Component Control System for a Vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Fraser-Chanpong, Nathan (Inventor); Spain, Ivan (Inventor); Dawson, Andrew D. (Inventor); Bluethmann, William J. (Inventor); Lee, Chunhao J. (Inventor); Vitale, Robert L. (Inventor); Guo, Raymond (Inventor); Waligora, Thomas M. (Inventor); Akinyode, Akinjide Akinniyi (Inventor); Reed, Ryan M. (Inventor)

2016-01-01

A vehicle includes a chassis, a modular component, and a central operating system. The modular component is supported by the chassis. The central operating system includes a component control system, a primary master controller, and a secondary master controller. The component control system is configured for controlling the modular component. The primary and secondary master controllers are in operative communication with the component control system. The primary and secondary master controllers are configured to simultaneously transmit commands to the component control system. The component control system is configured to accept commands from the secondary master controller only when a fault occurs in the primary master controller.

Exploring the Role of In-Person Components for Online Health Behavior Change Interventions: Can a Digital Person-to-Person Component Suffice?

Science.gov (United States)

Santarossa, Sara; Kane, Deborah; Senn, Charlene Y; Woodruff, Sarah J

2018-04-11

The growth of the digital environment provides tremendous opportunities to revolutionize health behavior change efforts. This paper explores the use of Web-based, mobile, and social media health behavior change interventions and determines whether there is a need for a face-to-face or an in-person component. It is further argued that that although in-person components can be beneficial for online interventions, a digital person-to-person component can foster similar results while dealing with challenges faced by traditional intervention approaches. Using a digital person-to-person component is rooted in social and behavioral theories such as the theory of reasoned action, and the social cognitive theory, and further justified by the human support constructs of the model of supportive accountability. Overall, face-to-face and online behavior change interventions have their respective advantages and disadvantages and functions, yet both serve important roles. It appears that it is in fact human support that is the most important component in the effectiveness and adherence of both face-to-face and online behavior change interventions, and thoughtfully introducing a digital person-to-person component, to replace face-to-face interactions, can provide the needed human support while diminishing the barriers of in-person meetings. The digital person-to-person component must create accountability, generate opportunities for tailored feedback, and create social support to successfully create health behavior change. As the popularity of the online world grows, and the interest in using the digital environment for health behavior change interventions continues to be embraced, further research into not only the use of online interventions, but the use of a digital person-to-person component, must be explored. ©Sara Santarossa, Deborah Kane, Charlene Y Senn, Sarah J Woodruff. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 11.04.2018.

Safety aspects of nuclear power plant component aging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conte, M.; Deletre, G.; Henry, J.Y.

1988-01-01

The safety of nuclear plants depends on the capacity of the systems they are composed to perform the functions they were designed for. The identification and understanding of phenomena liable to degrade this operational capacity thus constitute one of the safety problems for which allowance must be made at the earliest stage of a project. Aging, a natural and hence unavoidable process affecting all the components of an installation, was identified at a very early stage as being one of these phenomena. The investigation and implementation of solutions to the safety problems associated to aging make it necessary to: defining the domain in which the consequences of aging are to be evaluated, identifying the parameters involved, identifying the components sensitive to these parameters, understanding the mechanisms which govern its evolution. The results of qualification tests, and of tests and checks carried out at different stages of construction and operation, as well as allowance for operating experience, constitute the necessary basis for establishing or improving the regulatory requirements. The procedures for validating components and systems of the installation are also drawn up on the basis of these tests. Finally, the actions initiated within the scope of research and development programmes supply the additional data necessary for such validation, and provide the indispensable support for knowledge improvement

From supramolecular polymers to multi-component biomaterials.

Science.gov (United States)

Goor, Olga J G M; Hendrikse, Simone I S; Dankers, Patricia Y W; Meijer, E W

2017-10-30

The most striking and general property of the biological fibrous architectures in the extracellular matrix (ECM) is the strong and directional interaction between biologically active protein subunits. These fibers display rich dynamic behavior without losing their architectural integrity. The complexity of the ECM taking care of many essential properties has inspired synthetic chemists to mimic these properties in artificial one-dimensional fibrous structures with the aim to arrive at multi-component biomaterials. Due to the dynamic character required for interaction with natural tissue, supramolecular biomaterials are promising candidates for regenerative medicine. Depending on the application area, and thereby the design criteria of these multi-component fibrous biomaterials, they are used as elastomeric materials or hydrogel systems. Elastomeric materials are designed to have load bearing properties whereas hydrogels are proposed to support in vitro cell culture. Although the chemical structures and systems designed and studied today are rather simple compared to the complexity of the ECM, the first examples of these functional supramolecular biomaterials reaching the clinic have been reported. The basic concept of many of these supramolecular biomaterials is based on their ability to adapt to cell behavior as a result of dynamic non-covalent interactions. In this review, we show the translation of one-dimensional supramolecular polymers into multi-component functional biomaterials for regenerative medicine applications.

Construction of the HTTR in-core components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maruyama, S.; Saikusa, A.; Shiozawa, S.; Tsuji, N.; Jinza, K.; Miki, T.

1996-01-01

The reactor internals of HTTR consist of graphite and metallic core support structures and shielding blocks and are designed to support core elements and to shield neutron fluence. They also have functions to restrict by-pass flow for ensuring the core cooling performance and to maintain the temperature of metallic core support structures within their design limits. The detailed design of the HTTR core support structure was approved by the government through safety review, 1990-1991. Machining of all graphite components, which consist of about 150 large blocks, was finished in September 1994 successfully. Machining and fabricating of the metallic components were also finished in September. Prior to their installation in the reactor pressure vessel (RPV), the assembly test of actual reactor internals was performed at the works to confirm above mentioned functions. The assembly test was conducted by examining fabricating precision of each component and alignment of piled-up structures, measuring circumferential coolant velocity profile in the passage between the RPV and reactor internals as well as under the core support plates with respect to structural integrity, and measuring by-pass flow rate through gaps between graphite components which may degrade core performance. The another purpose of the assembly test was to confirm the installation procedure of those components. All components were assembled at the works according to the planned procedure, and the tests were executed while assembling. As a result of the tests, measured level difference and gap width between reactor internals were negligible from core thermal and hydraulic performance point of view. Coolant flows uniformly in circumferential direction at any axial level in the RPV. By-pass flow rate was found to be suppressed sufficiently and far less than the design limit. (J.P.N.)

Root cause analysis in support of reliability enhancement of engineering components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Sachin; Mishra, Vivek; Joshi, N.S.; Varde, P.V.

2014-01-01

Reliability based methods have been widely used for the safety assessment of plant system, structures and components. These methods provide a quantitative estimation of system reliability but do not give insight into the failure mechanism. Understanding the failure mechanism is a must to avoid the recurrence of the events and enhancement of the system reliability. Root cause analysis provides a tool for gaining detailed insights into the causes of failure of component with particular attention to the identification of fault in component design, operation, surveillance, maintenance, training, procedures and policies which must be improved to prevent repetition of incidents. Root cause analysis also helps in developing Probabilistic Safety Analysis models. A probabilistic precursor study provides a complement to the root cause analysis approach in event analysis by focusing on how an event might have developed adversely. This paper discusses the root cause analysis methodologies and their application in the specific case studies for enhancement of system reliability. (author)

Support structures for optical components in the Laser Demonstration Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finucane, R.G.

1985-01-01

The laser system in the Laser Demonstration Facility is mounted on an array of 108 support columns. This milestone report describes the design, analyses, testing, fabrication, installation, and performance characteristics of these supports

Dependence of columnar aerosol size distribution, optical properties, and chemical components on regional transport in Beijing

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shuo; Zhao, Weixiong; Xu, Xuezhe; Fang, Bo; Zhang, Qilei; Qian, Xiaodong; Zhang, Weijun; Chen, Weidong; Pu, Wei; Wang, Xin

2017-11-01

Seasonal dependence of the columnar aerosol optical and chemical properties on regional transport in Beijing over 10 years (from January 2005 to December 2014) were analyzed by using the ground-based remote sensing combined with backward trajectory analysis. Daily air mass backward trajectories terminated in Beijing were computed with HYSPLIT-4 model and were categorized into five clusters. The columnar mass concentrations of black carbon (BC), brown carbon (BrC), dust (DU), aerosol water content (AW), and ammonium sulfate like aerosol (AS) of each cluster were retrieved from the optical data obtained from the Aerosol Robotic NETwork (AERONET) with five-component model. It was found that the columnar aerosol properties in different seasons were changed, and they were related to the air mass origins. In spring, aerosol was dominated by coarse particles. Summer was characterized by higher single scattering albedo (SSA), lower real part of complex refractive index (n), and obvious hygroscopic growth due to humid air from the south. During autumn and winter, there was an observable increase in absorption aerosol optical thickness (AAOT) and the imaginary part of complex refraction (k), with high levels of retrieved BC and BrC. However, concentrations of BC showed less dependence on the clusters during the two seasons owing to the widely spread coal heating in north China.

Analysis of surface dark current dependent upon surface passivation in APD based on GaAs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Hong Joo; Roh, Cheong Hyun; Lee, Jun Ho; Choi, Hong Goo; Hahn, Cheol-Koo; Kim, Dong Ho; Park, Jung Ho

2009-01-01

In this paper, we investigated the dependence of reverse dark current on two types of surface passivation, one of which is polyimide and the other is SiN x , for InAs quantum dots/GaAs separate absorption, charge, multiplication avalanche photodiode (SACM APD). From the experimental results, we found that dark current was dominated by surface current, and not bulk current. It was also noted that SiN x passivation has a surface current that is lower by three to nine times in magnitude than that in polyimide passivation in the whole range of bias. To analyze the difference in dark current due to the passivation types, we propose the theoretical current components. This shows that the dark current of both passivation types is mainly composed of generation–recombination (G–R) and tunneling components, originating from the surface. However, each component has a different magnitude for passivation types, which can be explained by carrier concentration and trap density. The dependence of dark current on temperature shows the different behaviors between passivation types and supports a theoretical description of current components

Central and peripheral components of short latency vestibular responses in the chicken

Science.gov (United States)

Nazareth, A. M.; Jones, T. A.

1998-01-01

Far-field recordings of short latency vestibular responses to pulsed cranial translation are composed of a series of positive and negative peaks occurring within 10 ms following stimulus onset. In the bird, these vestibular evoked potentials (VsEPs) can be recorded noninvasively and have been shown in the chicken and quail to depend strictly upon the activation of the vestibular component of the eighth nerve. The utility of the VsEP in the study of vestibular systems is dependent upon a clear understanding of the neural sources of response components. The primary aim of the current research in the chicken was to critically test the hypotheses that 1) responses are generated by both peripheral and central neurons and 2) peaks P1 and N1 originate from first order vestibular neurons, whereas later waves primarily depend on activity in higher order neurons. The principal strategy used here was to surgically isolate the eighth nerve as it enters the brainstem. Interruption of primary afferents of the eighth nerve in the brainstem substantially reduced or eliminated peaks beyond P2, whereas P1 and N1 were generally spared. Surgical sections that spared vestibular pathways had little effect on responses. The degree of change in response components beyond N1 was correlated with the extent of damage to central vestibular relays. These findings support the conclusion that responses are produced by both peripheral and central elements of the vestibular system. Further, response peaks later than N1 appear to be dependent upon central relays, whereas P1 and N1 reflect activity of the peripheral nerve. These findings clarify the roles of peripheral and central neurons in the generation of vestibular evoked potentials and provide the basis for a more useful and detailed interpretation of data from vestibular response testing.

F4E studies for the electromagnetic analysis of ITER components

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Testoni, P., E-mail: pietro.testoni@f4e.europa.eu [Fusion for Energy, Torres Diagonal Litoral B3, c/ Josep Plá n.2, Barcelona (Spain); Cau, F.; Portone, A. [Fusion for Energy, Torres Diagonal Litoral B3, c/ Josep Plá n.2, Barcelona (Spain); Albanese, R. [Associazione EURATOM/ENEA/CREATE, DIETI, Università Federico II di Napoli, Napoli (Italy); Juirao, J. [Numerical Analysis TEChnologies S.L. (NATEC), c/ Marqués de San Esteban, 52 Entlo D Gijón (Spain)

2014-10-15

Highlights: • Several ITER components have been analyzed from the electromagnetic point of view. • Categorization of DINA load cases is described. • VDEs, MDs and MFD have been studied. • Integral values of forces and moments components versus time have been computed for all the ITER components under study. - Abstract: Fusion for Energy (F4E) is involved in a relevant number of activities in the area of electromagnetic analysis in support of ITER general design and EU in-kind procurement. In particular several ITER components (vacuum vessel, blanket shield modules and first wall panels, test blanket modules, ICRH antenna) are being analyzed from the electromagnetic point of view. In this paper we give an updated description of our main activities, highlighting the main assumptions, objectives, results and conclusions. The plasma instabilities we consider, typically disruptions and VDEs, can be both toroidally symmetric and asymmetric. This implies that, depending on the specific component and loading conditions, FE models we use span from a sector of 10 up to 360° of the ITER machine. The techniques for simulating the electromagnetic phenomena involved in a disruption and the postprocessing of the results to obtain the loads acting on the structures are described. Finally we summarize the typical loads applied to different components and give a critical view of the results.

Targeted Local Support Vector Machine for Age-Dependent Classification.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Tianle; Wang, Yuanjia; Chen, Huaihou; Marder, Karen; Zeng, Donglin

2014-09-01

We develop methods to accurately predict whether pre-symptomatic individuals are at risk of a disease based on their various marker profiles, which offers an opportunity for early intervention well before definitive clinical diagnosis. For many diseases, existing clinical literature may suggest the risk of disease varies with some markers of biological and etiological importance, for example age. To identify effective prediction rules using nonparametric decision functions, standard statistical learning approaches treat markers with clear biological importance (e.g., age) and other markers without prior knowledge on disease etiology interchangeably as input variables. Therefore, these approaches may be inadequate in singling out and preserving the effects from the biologically important variables, especially in the presence of potential noise markers. Using age as an example of a salient marker to receive special care in the analysis, we propose a local smoothing large margin classifier implemented with support vector machine (SVM) to construct effective age-dependent classification rules. The method adaptively adjusts age effect and separately tunes age and other markers to achieve optimal performance. We derive the asymptotic risk bound of the local smoothing SVM, and perform extensive simulation studies to compare with standard approaches. We apply the proposed method to two studies of premanifest Huntington's disease (HD) subjects and controls to construct age-sensitive predictive scores for the risk of HD and risk of receiving HD diagnosis during the study period.

Endothelial MMP14 is required for endothelial-dependent growth support of human airway basal cells

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Bi-Sen; Gomi, Kazunori; Rafii, Shahin; Crystal, Ronald G.; Walters, Matthew S.

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT Human airway basal cells are the stem (or progenitor) population of the airway epithelium, and play a central role in anchoring the epithelium to the basement membrane. The anatomic position of basal cells allows for potential paracrine signaling between them and the underlying non-epithelial stromal cells. In support of this, we have previously demonstrated that endothelial cells support growth of basal cells during co-culture through vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA)-mediated signaling. Building on these findings, we found, by RNA sequencing analysis, that basal cells expressed multiple fibroblast growth factor (FGF) ligands (FGF2, FGF5, FGF11 and FGF13) and that only FGF2 and FGF5 were capable of functioning in a paracrine manner to activate classical FGF receptor (FGFR) signaling. Antibody-mediated blocking of FGFR1 during basal-cell–endothelial-cell co-culture significantly reduced the endothelial-cell-dependent basal cell growth. Stimulation of endothelial cells with basal-cell-derived growth factors induced endothelial cell expression of matrix metallopeptidase 14 (MMP14), and short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated knockdown of endothelial cell MMP14 significantly reduced the endothelial-cell-dependent growth of basal cells. Overall, these data characterize a new growth-factor-mediated reciprocal ‘crosstalk’ between human airway basal cells and endothelial cells that regulates proliferation of basal cells. PMID:26116571

Time dependent unavailability analysis of nuclear safety systems considering periodically tested components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goes, Alexandre Gromann de Araujo

1988-01-01

It is of utmost importance to have a computer code in order to analyze how different parameters (like test duration time) affect the unavailability of safety systems of nuclear. In this context, a study was performed in order to evaluate the model employed by the FRANTIC computer code, which performs detailed calculations on the contribution to the system unavailability originated by hardware failures, component tests and repairs, aiming at considering the influence of different test schemes on the system unavailability. It was shown, by means of the results attained that the numerical model used by the FRANTIC code and the analytical model proposed by APOSTOLAKIS and CHU (4) give unavailability values much similar when the component tests are supposed to be perfect. When a test is supposed to be imperfect (that is, when it may induce a test is supposed to be imperfect (that is, when it may induce a failure on the component being tested), the analytical model presents more conservative results. (author)

Model-Based Dependability Analysis of Physical Systems with Modelica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Tundis

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Modelica is an innovative, equation-based, and acausal language that allows modeling complex physical systems, which are made of mechanical, electrical, and electrotechnical components, and evaluates their design through simulation techniques. Unfortunately, the increasing complexity and accuracy of such physical systems require new, more powerful, and flexible tools and techniques for evaluating important system properties and, in particular, the dependability ones such as reliability, safety, and maintainability. In this context, the paper describes some extensions of the Modelica language to support the modeling of system requirements and their relationships. Such extensions enable the requirement verification analysis through native constructs in the Modelica language. Furthermore, they allow exporting a Modelica-based system design as a Bayesian Network in order to analyze its dependability by employing a probabilistic approach. The proposal is exemplified through a case study concerning the dependability analysis of a Tank System.

Formation of conjugated delta8,delta10-double bonds by delta12-oleic-acid desaturase-related enzymes: biosynthetic origin of calendic acid.

Science.gov (United States)

Cahoon, E B; Ripp, K G; Hall, S E; Kinney, A J

2001-01-26

Divergent forms of the plant Delta(12)-oleic-acid desaturase (FAD2) have previously been shown to catalyze the formation of acetylenic bonds, epoxy groups, and conjugated Delta(11),Delta(13)-double bonds by modification of an existing Delta(12)-double bond in C(18) fatty acids. Here, we report a class of FAD2-related enzymes that modifies a Delta(9)-double bond to produce the conjugated trans-Delta(8),trans-Delta(10)-double bonds found in calendic acid (18:3Delta(8trans,10trans,12cis)), the major component of the seed oil of Calendula officinalis. Using an expressed sequence tag approach, cDNAs for two closely related FAD2-like enzymes, designated CoFADX-1 and CoFADX-2, were identified from a C. officinalis developing seed cDNA library. The deduced amino acid sequences of these polypeptides share 40-50% identity with those of other FAD2 and FAD2-related enzymes. Expression of either CoFADX-1 or CoFADX-2 in somatic soybean embryos resulted in the production of calendic acid. In embryos expressing CoFADX-2, calendic acid accumulated to as high as 22% (w/w) of the total fatty acids. In addition, expression of CoFADX-1 and CoFADX-2 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was accompanied by calendic acid accumulation when induced cells were supplied exogenous linoleic acid (18:2Delta(9cis,12cis)). These results are thus consistent with a route of calendic acid synthesis involving modification of the Delta(9)-double bond of linoleic acid. Regiospecificity for Delta(9)-double bonds is unprecedented among FAD2-related enzymes and further expands the functional diversity found in this family of enzymes.

Effects of the Crack Tip Constraint on the Fracture Assessment of an Al 5083-O Weldment for Low Temperature Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dong Hyun Moon

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The constraint effect is the key issue in structural integrity assessments based on two parameter fracture mechanics (TPFM to make a precise prediction of the load-bearing capacity of cracked structural components. In this study, a constraint-based failure assessment diagram (FAD was used to assess the fracture behavior of an Al 5083-O weldment with various flaws at cryogenic temperature. The results were compared with those of BS 7910 Option 1 FAD, in terms of the maximum allowable stress. A series of fracture toughness tests were conducted with compact tension (CT specimens at room and cryogenic temperatures. The Q parameter for the Al 5083-O weldment was evaluated to quantify the constraint level, which is the difference between the actual stress, and the Hutchinson-Rice-Rosengren (HRR stress field near the crack tip. Nonlinear 3D finite element analysis was carried out to calculate the Q parameter at cryogenic temperature. Based on the experimental and numerical results, the influence of the constraint level correction on the allowable applied stress was investigated using a FAD methodology. The results showed that the constraint-based FAD procedure is essential to avoid an overly conservative allowable stress prediction in an Al 5083-O weldment with flaws.

Sentiment and art prices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Penasse, J.N.G.; Renneboog, L.D.R.; Spaenjers, C.

We hypothesize the existence of a slow-moving fad component in art prices. Using unique panel survey data on art market participants’ confidence levels in the outlook for a set of artists, we find that sentiment indeed predicts short-term returns.

Fault tree analysis with multistate components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caldarola, L.

1979-02-01

A general analytical theory has been developed which allows one to calculate the occurence probability of the top event of a fault tree with multistate (more than states) components. It is shown that, in order to correctly describe a system with multistate components, a special type of Boolean algebra is required. This is called 'Boolean algebra with restrictions on varibales' and its basic rules are the same as those of the traditional Boolean algebra with some additional restrictions on the variables. These restrictions are extensively discussed in the paper. Important features of the method are the identification of the complete base and of the smallest irredundant base of a Boolean function which does not necessarily need to be coherent. It is shown that the identification of the complete base of a Boolean function requires the application of some algorithms which are not used in today's computer programmes for fault tree analysis. The problem of statistical dependence among primary components is discussed. The paper includes a small demonstrative example to illustrate the method. The example includes also statistical dependent components. (orig.) [de

Adaptation of Black-Box Software Components

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rolf Andreas Rasenack

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The globalization of the software market leads to crucial problems for software companies. More competition between software companies arises and leads to the force on companies to develop ever newer software products in ever shortened time interval. Therefore the time to market for software systems is shortened and obviously the product life cycle is shortened too. Thus software companies shortened the time interval for research and development. Due to the fact of competition between software companies software products have to develop low-priced and this leads to a smaller return on investment. A big challenge for software companies is the use of an effective research and development process to have these problems under control. A way to control these problems can be the reuse of existing software components and adapt those software components to new functionality or accommodate mismatched interfaces. Complete redevelopment of software products is more expensive and time consuming than to develop software components. The approach introduced here presents novel technique together with a supportive environment that enables developers to cope with the adaptability of black-box software components. A supportive environment will be designed that checks the compatibility of black-box software components with the assistance of their specifications. Generated adapter software components can take over the part of adaptation and advance the functionality. Besides, a pool of software components can be used to compose an application to satisfy customer needs. Certainly this pool of software components consists of black-box software components and adapter software components which can be connected on demand.

Radiation effects in optical components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friebele, E.J.

1987-01-01

This report discusses components of high performance optical devices may be exposed to high energy radiation environments during their lifetime. The effect of these adverse environments depends upon a large number of parameters associated with the radiation (nature, energy, dose, dose rate, etc.) or the system (temperature, optical performance requirements, optical wavelength, optical power, path length, etc.), as well as the intrinsic susceptibility of the optical component itself to degradation

Qualitative changes in human γ-secretase underlie familial Alzheimer’s disease

Science.gov (United States)

Szaruga, Maria; Veugelen, Sarah; Benurwar, Manasi; Lismont, Sam; Sepulveda-Falla, Diego; Lleo, Alberto; Ryan, Natalie S.; Lashley, Tammaryn; Fox, Nick C.; Murayama, Shigeo; Gijsen, Harrie

2015-01-01

Presenilin (PSEN) pathogenic mutations cause familial Alzheimer’s disease (AD [FAD]) in an autosomal-dominant manner. The extent to which the healthy and diseased alleles influence each other to cause neurodegeneration remains unclear. In this study, we assessed γ-secretase activity in brain samples from 15 nondemented subjects, 22 FAD patients harboring nine different mutations in PSEN1, and 11 sporadic AD (SAD) patients. FAD and control brain samples had similar overall γ-secretase activity levels, and therefore, loss of overall (endopeptidase) γ-secretase function cannot be an essential part of the pathogenic mechanism. In contrast, impaired carboxypeptidase-like activity (γ-secretase dysfunction) is a constant feature in all FAD brains. Significantly, we demonstrate that pharmacological activation of the carboxypeptidase-like γ-secretase activity with γ-secretase modulators alleviates the mutant PSEN pathogenic effects. Most SAD cases display normal endo- and carboxypeptidase-like γ-secretase activities. However and interestingly, a few SAD patient samples display γ-secretase dysfunction, suggesting that γ-secretase may play a role in some SAD cases. In conclusion, our study highlights qualitative shifts in amyloid-β (Aβ) profiles as the common denominator in FAD and supports a model in which the healthy allele contributes with normal Aβ products and the diseased allele generates longer aggregation-prone peptides that act as seeds inducing toxic amyloid conformations. PMID:26481686

Computational Support for the Selection of Energy Saving Building Components

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Wilde, P.J.C.J.

2004-01-01

Buildings use energy for heating, cooling and lighting, contributing to the problems of exhaustion of fossil fuel supplies and environmental pollution. In order to make buildings more energy-efficient an extensive set of âenergy saving building componentsâ has been developed that contributes to

Toward the Modularization of Decision Support Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Raskin, R. G.

2009-12-01

Decision support systems are typically developed entirely from scratch without the use of modular components. This “stovepiped” approach is inefficient and costly because it prevents a developer from leveraging the data, models, tools, and services of other developers. Even when a decision support component is made available, it is difficult to know what problem it solves, how it relates to other components, or even that the component exists, The Spatial Decision Support (SDS) Consortium was formed in 2008 to organize the body of knowledge in SDS within a common portal. The portal identifies the canonical steps in the decision process and enables decision support components to be registered, categorized, and searched. This presentation describes how a decision support system can be assembled from modular models, data, tools and services, based on the needs of the Earth science application.

Support motions for mechanical components during earthquakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hadjian, A.H.

1979-01-01

The functioning of mechanical and other equipment during and after earthquakes may not only be necessary to avoid catastrophic consequences, such as in nuclear facilities, but also to guarantee the adequate functioning of emergency facilities (hospitals and fire stations, for example) that are necessary to cope with the aftermath of an earthquake. The state-of-the-art methods used for prescribing support motions to equipment in structures is reviewed from the elementary to the more complex. Also reviewed are the justifications for the uncoupling of the equipment from the structure for purposes of analysis, and the impacts that uncertainties in the total process may have on equipment design. (author)

ECONOMIC ESSENCE AND COMPONENTS OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volodymyr Matskiv

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the paper is scientific grounding of theoretical and methodological approaches to the fundamental principles of the functioning of the existing system of financial support of the agrarian sector in Ukraine and its potential areas of its improvement through the construction of new effective financing mechanisms. Methodology. In the study the following methods are used: a comparative and morphological methods – to reveal the content and development of scientific thoughts about the interpretation of the concept of «financial support»; methods of systematization and generalization – to determine the functionality of the agricultural sector and the need of its financial support and to reveal the features of its functioning; systemic method – to construct a model of the implementation of agricultural sector financial support; logical method – for a consistent generalization of theoretical and practical scientific research statements. Results. Investigation of formation and development of the doctrine of financial support and systematization of scientific thoughts about its essence gives the opportunity to consider the content of the studied category in terms of the functional approach. Interpretation of the term “financial support” comes down to the statement that the formation of the theoretical foundations of the essence and the economic nature of financial support is a result of the achievements of several generations of scientists, each of whom invested a significant contribution to the development of the theory of the studied concept. This allowed us to analyze the term «financial providing» and to summarize the existing approaches in the light of the activities of the agricultural sector. In terms of functionality we found that financial support as a phenomenon can be seen in the context of its unique significance in the development of the economy. Practical implications. It was determined that the problems of

Basal metabolic state governs AIF-dependent growth support in pancreatic cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, Andrew J.; Wilkinson, Amanda S.; Wilkinson, John C.

2016-01-01

Apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), named for its involvement in cell death pathways, is a mitochondrial protein that regulates metabolic homeostasis. In addition to supporting the survival of healthy cells, AIF also plays a contributory role to the development of cancer through its enzymatic activity, and we have previously shown that AIF preferentially supports advanced-stage prostate cancer cells. Here we further evaluated the role of AIF in tumorigenesis by exploring its function in pancreatic cancer, a disease setting that most often presents at an advanced stage by the time of diagnosis. A bioinformatics approach was first employed to investigate AIF mRNA transcript levels in pancreatic tumor specimens vs. normal tissues. AIF-deficient pancreatic cancer cell lines were then established via lentiviral infection. Immunoblot analysis was used to determine relative protein quantities within cells. Cell viability was measured by flow cytometry; in vitro and Matrigel™ growth/survival using Coulter™ counting and phase contrast microscopy; and glucose consumption in the absence and presence of Matrigel™ using spectrophotometric methods. Archival gene expression data revealed a modest elevation of AIF transcript levels in subsets of pancreatic tumor specimens, suggesting a possible role in disease progression. AIF expression was then suppressed in a panel of five pancreatic cancer cell lines that display diverse metabolic phenotypes. AIF ablation selectively crippled the growth of cells in vitro in a manner that directly correlated with the loss of mitochondrial respiratory chain subunits and altered glucose metabolism, and these effects were exacerbated in the presence of Matrigel™ substrate. This suggests a critical metabolic role for AIF to pancreatic tumorigenesis, while the spectrum of sensitivities to AIF ablation depends on basal cellular metabolic phenotypes. Altogether these data indicate that AIF supports the growth and survival of metabolically defined

A neuronal lactate uptake inhibitor slows recovery of extracellular ion concentration changes in the hippocampal CA3 region by affecting energy metabolism.

Science.gov (United States)

Angamo, Eskedar Ayele; Rösner, Joerg; Liotta, Agustin; Kovács, Richard; Heinemann, Uwe

2016-11-01

Astrocyte-derived lactate supports pathologically enhanced neuronal metabolism, but its role under physiological conditions is still a matter of debate. Here, we determined the contribution of astrocytic neuronal lactate shuttle for maintenance of ion homeostasis and energy metabolism. We tested for the effects of α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (4-CIN), which could interfere with energy metabolism by blocking monocarboxylate-transporter 2 (MCT2)-mediated neuronal lactate uptake, on evoked potentials, stimulus-induced changes in K + , Na + , Ca 2+ , and oxygen concentrations as well as on changes in flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) autofluorescence in the hippocampal area CA3. MCT2 blockade by 4-CIN reduced synaptically evoked but not antidromic population spikes. This effect was dependent on the activation of K ATP channels indicating reduced neuronal ATP synthesis. By contrast, lactate receptor activation by 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (3,5-DHBA) resulted in increased antidromic and orthodromic population spikes suggesting that 4-CIN effects are not mediated by lactate accumulation and subsequent activation of lactate receptors. Recovery kinetics of all ion transients were prolonged and baseline K + concentration became elevated by blockade of lactate uptake. Lactate contributed to oxidative metabolism as both baseline respiration and stimulus-induced changes in Po 2 were decreased, while FAD fluorescence increased likely due to a reduced conversion of FAD into FADH 2 These data suggest that lactate shuttle contributes to regulation of ion homeostatsis and synaptic signaling even in the presence of ample glucose. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Structural basis for human NADPH-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase deficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xia, Chuanwu; Panda, Satya P.; Marohnic, Christopher C.; Martásek, Pavel; Masters, Bettie Sue; Kim, Jung-Ja P. (MCW); (Charles U); (UTSMC)

2012-03-15

NADPH-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (CYPOR) is essential for electron donation to microsomal cytochrome P450-mediated monooxygenation in such diverse physiological processes as drug metabolism (approximately 85-90% of therapeutic drugs), steroid biosynthesis, and bioactive metabolite production (vitamin D and retinoic acid metabolites). Expressed by a single gene, CYPOR's role with these multiple redox partners renders it a model for understanding protein-protein interactions at the structural level. Polymorphisms in human CYPOR have been shown to lead to defects in bone development and steroidogenesis, resulting in sexual dimorphisms, the severity of which differs significantly depending on the degree of CYPOR impairment. The atomic structure of human CYPOR is presented, with structures of two naturally occurring missense mutations, V492E and R457H. The overall structures of these CYPOR variants are similar to wild type. However, in both variants, local disruption of H bonding and salt bridging, involving the FAD pyrophosphate moiety, leads to weaker FAD binding, unstable protein, and loss of catalytic activity, which can be rescued by cofactor addition. The modes of polypeptide unfolding in these two variants differ significantly, as revealed by limited trypsin digestion: V492E is less stable but unfolds locally and gradually, whereas R457H is more stable but unfolds globally. FAD addition to either variant prevents trypsin digestion, supporting the role of the cofactor in conferring stability to CYPOR structure. Thus, CYPOR dysfunction in patients harboring these particular mutations may possibly be prevented by riboflavin therapy in utero, if predicted prenatally, or rescued postnatally in less severe cases.

Analysis of emergency helpline support for home ventilator dependent patients: risk management and workload

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Chatwin

2008-04-01

Full Text Available From a total of 1211 adult & paediatric patients receiving home ventilation (HV supervised by Royal Brompton Hospital between 1/1/06 and 30/6/06 the respiratory support team received an average of 528 daytime calls/month and 14/month out of hours calls to a telephone helpline. Diagnoses included: neuromuscular disease, chest wall disease, COPD, obesity hypoventilation and non-COPD lung disease. 99% received non-invasive ventilation, 1% tracheostomy ventilation. 149 required 2 ventilators for near 24 hour ventilator dependency, the remainder were classified as 1 (17% 2 (33% & 3 (50% night dependency as were able to breathe spontaneously for this period. 50% used bilevel positive pressure ventilators, 48% inspiratory pressure ventilators and 2% volume ventilators. In 188 calls a home visit was carried out because of ventilator or associated equipment-related problems. Despite regular equipment servicing programme, in 188 patients there was a technical problem with the equipment which was solved in the patient's home in 64% or required replacement / parts in 22%. Of the 25 calls in which no fault was found, 13 patients were unwell at home or required hospital admission, 2 patients died within 1 month of identification of no fault. No patient was admitted as a result of technical failure of equipment. Conclusion: There is a significant workload associated with supporting HV patients. Patients / carers all received standard competency training before discharge but other calls may be reduced by a more flexible problem-solving approach. Importantly, reports in which no technical fault is found may indicate deteriorating health in the patient and require close follow-up.

Cost accounting in health care: fad or fundamental?

Science.gov (United States)

Kaskiw, E A; Hanlon, P; Wulf, P

1987-11-01

The drastic changes in the environment affecting hospitals have caused management to look toward capturing and reporting cost information to make decisions. These decisions will, in part, shape the way hospitals continue to do business. This article focuses on the data requirements necessary to support product and operational management decisions facing today's hospitals. In addition, the difference in data needed to support product and operational management is explored.

A New Model to Study the Role of Arachidonic Acid in Colon Cancer Pathophysiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Yang-Yi; Callaway, Evelyn; M Monk, Jennifer; S Goldsby, Jennifer; Yang, Peiying; Vincent, Logan; S Chapkin, Robert

2016-09-01

A significant increase in cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) gene expression has been shown to promote cylcooxygenase-dependent colon cancer development. Controversy associated with the role of COX2 inhibitors indicates that additional work is needed to elucidate the effects of arachidonic acid (AA)-derived (cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase) eicosanoids in cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis. We have recently developed a novel Fads1 knockout mouse model that allows for the investigation of AA-dependent eicosanoid deficiency without the complication of essential fatty acid deficiency. Interestingly, the survival rate of Fads1-null mice is severely compromised after 2 months on a semi-purified AA-free diet, which precludes long-term chemoprevention studies. Therefore, in this study, dietary AA levels were titrated to determine the minimal level required for survival, while maintaining a distinct AA-deficient phenotype. Null mice supplemented with AA (0.1%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 2.0%, w/w) in the diet exhibited a dose-dependent increase (P sibling littermate control mice. These data indicate that (i) basal/minimal dietary AA supplementation (0.6%) expands the utility of the Fads1-null mouse model for long-term cancer prevention studies and (ii) that AA content in the colonic epithelium modulates colon cancer risk. Cancer Prev Res; 9(9); 750-7. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

Impact test of components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borsoi, L.; Buland, P.; Labbe, P.

1987-01-01

Stops with gaps are currently used to support components and piping: it is simple, low cost, efficient and permits free thermal expansion. In order to keep the nonlinear nature of stops, such design is often modeled by beam elements (for the component) and nonlinear springs (for the stops). This paper deals with the validity and the limits of these models through the comparison of computational and experimental results. The experimental results come from impact laboratory tests on a simplified mockup. (orig.)

Functional and structural analysis of yeast trx system reveals structural elements of substrate specificity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira, Marcos Antonio; Discola, Karen Fulan; Alves, Simone Vidigal; Netto, Luis Eduardo Soares; Amorim, Gisele Cardoso; Pinheiro, Anderson Sa; Valente, Ana Paula; Almeida, Fabio Ceneviva Lacerda; Medrano, Francisco Javier; Guimaraes, Beatriz Gomes

2006-01-01

Thioredoxin reductases (Trr) are members of the nucleotide pyridine disulfide oxide reductase family, which includes glutathione reductase (Gr), alkyl hydroperoxide reductase F (AhpF) and lipoamide dehydrogenase (Lpd). Constituents of this family are homodimeric flavoproteins containing one redoxactive disulfide and one tightly bound flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) per subunit. Trr catalyzes the disulfide reduction of oxidized Thioredoxin (Trx) using nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) via a FAD molecule and a redox-active cysteine motif. In this context, FAD transfers the reducing equivalents from NADPH molecule to the reactive cysteines and then to the Trx. Trx, Trr and NADPH comprise the Trx system. Trx are low molecular weight proteins (∼12 KDa) which are involved in several thiol-dependent cellular reactions such as synthesis of deoxyribonucleotides, sulphur metabolism, regulation of the gene expression and oxidative stress defenses. Remarkably, Trr - Trx interactions presents high species and organelle specificities. (author)

The Social Support Inventory (SSI) : A brief scale to assess perceived adequacy of social support

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Timmerman, IGH; Emanuels-Zuurveen, ES; Emmelkamp, PMG

The development of a brief measure to assess satisfaction with obtained social support using Simultaneous Components Analysis (SCA) is described. In the first study the component structure of the Social Support Questionnaire (Van Sonderen, 1991) was determined in a sample of men (n = 401) and women

Guideline on dependability management for the power industry: detailed description of international power plant equipment dependability indicators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Procaccia, H.; Silberberg, S.

1997-01-01

Dependability Management involves the management of reliability, availability maintainability and maintenance support, and in the power industry is necessary to ensure that plant meets the Reliability, Availability and Maintainability (RAM) targets set by the Utilities. In 1993, a joint Standard on Dependability Programme Management - Part 1: Dependability Programme Management), ISO 9000-': 1993 (Quality Management and Quality Assurance Standards - Part 4: Guide to Dependability Programme Management). UNIPEDE established a group of experts (Nulethermaint) to produce guidelines on its implementation specifically for use in the power industry. The present document comprises Part 2 OF THE UNIPEDE plant performance indicators and can be applied to both nuclear and fossil plant. There are five different equipment dependability indicators, all relating to equipment maintenance activities and the impact that these activities have on the loss of both system function and unit capability. Per year, each of the indicators can be applied separately to both preventive maintenance and corrective maintenance, giving rise to as many as ten indicator values for each item of equipment. Used in this way, the indicators provide a comprehensive picture of the maintenance strategy employed for key pieces of equipment, and its effectiveness. They are, therefore, a valuable managerial tool for improving maintenance activities at the unit level within a utility. This document provides guidance on the division of both nuclear and fossil power plant into their component parts and in each case the types of equipment having the most dominant effect on dependability are identified. These are the items which merit the greatest attention with regard to the equipment dependability indicators. (authors)

Fluorescence lifetime imaging of endogenous molecules in live mouse cancer models (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Svindrych, Zdenek; Wang, Tianxiong; Hu, Song; Periasamy, Ammasi

2017-02-01

NADH and FAD are important endogenous fluorescent coenzymes participating in key enzymatic reactions of cellular metabolism. While fluorescence intensities of NADH and FAD have been used to determine the redox state of cells and tissues, this simple approach breaks down in the case of deep-tissue intravital imaging due to depth- and wavelength-dependent light absorption and scattering. To circumvent this limitation, our research focuses on fluorescence lifetimes of two-photon excited NADH and FAD emission to study the metabolic state of live tissues. In our custom-built scanning microscope we combine tunable femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser (operating at 740 nm for NADH excitation and 890 nm for FAD excitation), two GaAsP hybrid detectors for registering individual fluorescence photons and two Becker and Hickl time correlator boards for high precision lifetime measurements. Together with our rigorous FLIM analysis approach (including image segmentation, multi-exponential decay fitting and detailed statistical analysis) we are able to detect metabolic changes in cancer xenografts (human pancreatic cancer MPanc96 cells injected subcutaneously into the ear of an immunodeficient nude mouse), relative to surrounding healthy tissue. Advantageously, with the same instrumentation we can also take high-resolution and high-contrast images of second harmonic signal (SHG) originating from collagen fibers of both the healthy skin and the growing tumor. The combination of metabolic measurements (NADH and FAD lifetime) and morphological information (collagen SHG) allows us to follow the tumor growth in live mouse model and the changes in tumor microenvironment.

Selective maintenance of multi-state systems with structural dependence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dao, Cuong D.; Zuo, Ming J.

2017-01-01

This paper studies the selective maintenance problem for multi-state systems with structural dependence. Each component can be in one of multiple working levels and several maintenance actions are possible to a component in a maintenance break. The components structurally form multiple hierarchical levels and dependence groups. A directed graph is used to represent the precedence relations of components in the system. A selective maintenance optimization model is developed to maximize the system reliability in the next mission under time and cost constraints. A backward search algorithm is used to determine the assembly sequence for a selective maintenance scenario. The maintenance model helps maintenance managers in determining the best combination of maintenance activities to maximize the probability of successfully completing the next mission. Examples showing the use of the proposed method are presented. - Highlights: • A selective maintenance model for multi-state systems is proposed considering both economic and structural dependence. • Structural dependence is modeled as precedence relationship when disassembling components for maintenance. • Resources for disassembly and maintenance are evaluated using a backward search algorithm. • Maintenance strategies with and without structural dependence are analyzed. • Ignoring structural dependence may lead to over-estimation of system reliability.

Large-component handling equipment and its use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krieg, S.A.; Swannack, D.L.

1983-01-01

The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) reactor systems have special requirements for component replacements during maintenance servicing. Replacement operations must address handling of equipment within shielded metal containers while maintaining an inert atmosphere to prevent reaction of sodium with air. Plant identification of a failed component results in selecting and assembling the maintenance cask and equipment transport system for transfer from the storage facility to the Reactor Containment Building (RCB). This includes a proper diameter and length cask, inert atmosphere control consoles, component lift fixture and support structure for interface with the facility area surrounding the component. This equipment is staged in modular groups in the Reactor Service Building for transfer through the equipment airlock to the containment interior. The failed component is generally prepared for replacement by installation of the special lifting fixture attachment. Assembly of the cask support structure is performed over the component position on the containment building operating floor. The cask and shroud from the reactor interface are inerted after all manual service connections and handling attachments are completed. The component is lifted from the reactor and into the cask interior through a floor valve which is then closed to isolate the component reactor port. The cask with sodium wetted component is transferred to a service/repair location, either within containment or outside, to the Maintenance Facility cleaning and repair area. The complete equipment and handling operations for replacement of a large reactor component are described

Omega-3 fatty acid desaturase gene family from two ω-3 sources, Salvia hispanica and Perilla frutescens: Cloning, characterization and expression.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yufei Xue

Full Text Available Omega-3 fatty acid desaturase (ω-3 FAD, D15D is a key enzyme for α-linolenic acid (ALA biosynthesis. Both chia (Salvia hispanica and perilla (Perilla frutescens contain high levels of ALA in seeds. In this study, the ω-3 FAD gene family was systematically and comparatively cloned from chia and perilla. Perilla FAD3, FAD7, FAD8 and chia FAD7 are encoded by single-copy (but heterozygous genes, while chia FAD3 is encoded by 2 distinct genes. Only 1 chia FAD8 sequence was isolated. In these genes, there are 1 to 6 transcription start sites, 1 to 8 poly(A tailing sites, and 7 introns. The 5'UTRs of PfFAD8a/b contain 1 to 2 purine-stretches and 2 pyrimidine-stretches. An alternative splice variant of ShFAD7a/b comprises a 5'UTR intron. Their encoded proteins harbor an FA_desaturase conserved domain together with 4 trans-membrane helices and 3 histidine boxes. Phylogenetic analysis validated their identity of dicot microsomal or plastidial ω-3 FAD proteins, and revealed some important evolutionary features of plant ω-3 FAD genes such as convergent evolution across different phylums, single-copy status in algae, and duplication events in certain taxa. The qRT-PCR assay showed that the ω-3 FAD genes of two species were expressed at different levels in various organs, and they also responded to multiple stress treatments. The functionality of the ShFAD3 and PfFAD3 enzymes was confirmed by yeast expression. The systemic molecular and functional features of the ω-3 FAD gene family from chia and perilla revealed in this study will facilitate their use in future studies on genetic improvement of ALA traits in oilseed crops.

Omega-3 fatty acid desaturase gene family from two ω-3 sources, Salvia hispanica and Perilla frutescens: Cloning, characterization and expression

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Yufei; Chen, Baojun; Win, Aung Naing; Fu, Chun; Lian, Jianping; Liu, Xue; Wang, Rui; Zhang, Xingcui

2018-01-01

Omega-3 fatty acid desaturase (ω-3 FAD, D15D) is a key enzyme for α-linolenic acid (ALA) biosynthesis. Both chia (Salvia hispanica) and perilla (Perilla frutescens) contain high levels of ALA in seeds. In this study, the ω-3 FAD gene family was systematically and comparatively cloned from chia and perilla. Perilla FAD3, FAD7, FAD8 and chia FAD7 are encoded by single-copy (but heterozygous) genes, while chia FAD3 is encoded by 2 distinct genes. Only 1 chia FAD8 sequence was isolated. In these genes, there are 1 to 6 transcription start sites, 1 to 8 poly(A) tailing sites, and 7 introns. The 5’UTRs of PfFAD8a/b contain 1 to 2 purine-stretches and 2 pyrimidine-stretches. An alternative splice variant of ShFAD7a/b comprises a 5’UTR intron. Their encoded proteins harbor an FA_desaturase conserved domain together with 4 trans-membrane helices and 3 histidine boxes. Phylogenetic analysis validated their identity of dicot microsomal or plastidial ω-3 FAD proteins, and revealed some important evolutionary features of plant ω-3 FAD genes such as convergent evolution across different phylums, single-copy status in algae, and duplication events in certain taxa. The qRT-PCR assay showed that the ω-3 FAD genes of two species were expressed at different levels in various organs, and they also responded to multiple stress treatments. The functionality of the ShFAD3 and PfFAD3 enzymes was confirmed by yeast expression. The systemic molecular and functional features of the ω-3 FAD gene family from chia and perilla revealed in this study will facilitate their use in future studies on genetic improvement of ALA traits in oilseed crops. PMID:29351555

Direct stacking of sequence-specific nuclease-induced mutations to produce high oleic and low linolenic soybean oil.

Science.gov (United States)

Demorest, Zachary L; Coffman, Andrew; Baltes, Nicholas J; Stoddard, Thomas J; Clasen, Benjamin M; Luo, Song; Retterath, Adam; Yabandith, Ann; Gamo, Maria Elena; Bissen, Jeff; Mathis, Luc; Voytas, Daniel F; Zhang, Feng

2016-10-13

The ability to modulate levels of individual fatty acids within soybean oil has potential to increase shelf-life and frying stability and to improve nutritional characteristics. Commodity soybean oil contains high levels of polyunsaturated linoleic and linolenic acid, which contribute to oxidative instability - a problem that has been addressed through partial hydrogenation. However, partial hydrogenation increases levels of trans-fatty acids, which have been associated with cardiovascular disease. Previously, we generated soybean lines with knockout mutations within fatty acid desaturase 2-1A (FAD2-1A) and FAD2-1B genes, resulting in oil with increased levels of monounsaturated oleic acid (18:1) and decreased levels of linoleic (18:2) and linolenic acid (18:3). Here, we stack mutations within FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B with mutations in fatty acid desaturase 3A (FAD3A) to further decrease levels of linolenic acid. Mutations were introduced into FAD3A by directly delivering TALENs into fad2-1a fad2-1b soybean plants. Oil from fad2-1a fad2-1b fad3a plants had significantly lower levels of linolenic acid (2.5 %), as compared to fad2-1a fad2-1b plants (4.7 %). Furthermore, oil had significantly lower levels of linoleic acid (2.7 % compared to 5.1 %) and significantly higher levels of oleic acid (82.2 % compared to 77.5 %). Transgene-free fad2-1a fad2-1b fad3a soybean lines were identified. The methods presented here provide an efficient means for using sequence-specific nucleases to stack quality traits in soybean. The resulting product comprised oleic acid levels above 80 % and linoleic and linolenic acid levels below 3 %.

R and D of the key components for ITER magnet supports

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, P.Y., E-mail: lipy@swip.ac.cn [Department of Material and Fusion Engineering, Southwestern Institute of Physics (SWIP), P.O. Box 432, Chengdu 610041 (China); Hou, B.L.; Pan, C.J. [Department of Material and Fusion Engineering, Southwestern Institute of Physics (SWIP), P.O. Box 432, Chengdu 610041 (China); Cheng, Z.Q.; Huai, K.W. [Stainless Steel Institute, Baoshan Iron and Steel Co., Ltd, 580 Changjiang Road, Baoshan District, Shanghai 200431 (China); Savary, F.; Fu, Y.K.; Gallix, R. [Tokamak Department, ITER Organization, Cadarache, 13108 St. Paul-Lez-Durance (France)

2010-12-15

In this article, we report the recent progress of the R and D work for ITER magnet supports, including 316LN raw material development, designing and manufacturing, development of gravity supports (GS) and poloidal field (PF) supports. 316LN stainless steel has been developed successfully with nitrogen content up to 0.188 mass%. These materials show very good mechanical properties at both room temperature and low temperature. The GS conceptual design using welded connections is replaced with pre-stressed bolted connections in order to reduce the risk of defects and manufacturing cost. The finite element model (FEM) analysis for this design shows that neither terrible stress concentrations nor large deformations would occur during either normal or abnormal operation. Attaching the thermal anchor to the flexible plate is made possible by a brazing connection and is carried out in the GS manufacturing. For PF supports, the wear resistance of the strut dowel of PF3-4 support improved after ion implantation.

R and D of the key components for ITER magnet supports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, P.Y.; Hou, B.L.; Pan, C.J.; Cheng, Z.Q.; Huai, K.W.; Savary, F.; Fu, Y.K.; Gallix, R.

2010-01-01

In this article, we report the recent progress of the R and D work for ITER magnet supports, including 316LN raw material development, designing and manufacturing, development of gravity supports (GS) and poloidal field (PF) supports. 316LN stainless steel has been developed successfully with nitrogen content up to 0.188 mass%. These materials show very good mechanical properties at both room temperature and low temperature. The GS conceptual design using welded connections is replaced with pre-stressed bolted connections in order to reduce the risk of defects and manufacturing cost. The finite element model (FEM) analysis for this design shows that neither terrible stress concentrations nor large deformations would occur during either normal or abnormal operation. Attaching the thermal anchor to the flexible plate is made possible by a brazing connection and is carried out in the GS manufacturing. For PF supports, the wear resistance of the strut dowel of PF3-4 support improved after ion implantation.

Just a fad? Gamification in health and fitness apps.

Science.gov (United States)

Lister, Cameron; West, Joshua H; Cannon, Ben; Sax, Tyler; Brodegard, David

2014-08-04

Gamification has been a predominant focus of the health app industry in recent years. However, to our knowledge, there has yet to be a review of gamification elements in relation to health behavior constructs, or insight into the true proliferation of gamification in health apps. The objective of this study was to identify the extent to which gamification is used in health apps, and analyze gamification of health and fitness apps as a potential component of influence on a consumer's health behavior. An analysis of health and fitness apps related to physical activity and diet was conducted among apps in the Apple App Store in the winter of 2014. This analysis reviewed a sample of 132 apps for the 10 effective game elements, the 6 core components of health gamification, and 13 core health behavior constructs. A regression analysis was conducted in order to measure the correlation between health behavior constructs, gamification components, and effective game elements. This review of the most popular apps showed widespread use of gamification principles, but low adherence to any professional guidelines or industry standard. Regression analysis showed that game elements were associated with gamification (Pgamification (Pgamification was only associated with composite motivational behavior scores (Pgamification use in health and fitness apps, and the potential to impact health behavior. The results show that use of gamification in health and fitness apps has become immensely popular, as evidenced by the number of apps found in the Apple App Store containing at least some components of gamification. This shows a lack of integrating important elements of behavioral theory from the app industry, which can potentially impact the efficacy of gamification apps to change behavior. Apps represent a very promising, burgeoning market and landscape in which to disseminate health behavior change interventions. Initial results show an abundant use of gamification in health and

The artifacts of component-based development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rizwan, M.; Qureshi, J.; Hayat, S.A.

2007-01-01

Component based development idea was floated in a conference name Mass Produced Software Components in 1968 (1). Since then engineering and scientific libraries are developed to reuse the previously developed functions. This concept is now widely used in SW development as component based development (CBD). Component-based software engineering (CBSE) is used to develop/ assemble software from existing components (2). Software developed using components is called component where (3). This paper presents different architectures of CBD such as Active X, common object request broker architecture (CORBA), remote method invocation (RMI) and simple object access protocol (SOAP). The overall objective of this paper is to support the practice of CBD by comparing its advantages and disadvantages. This paper also evaluates object oriented process model to adapt it for CBD. (author)

Life-time management for mechanical components; Lebensdauermanagement mechanischer Komponenten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roos, E. [Stuttgart Univ. (DE). Materialpruefungsanstalt (MPA)

2006-07-01

The safety and economic efficiency of industrial systems depend on the quality of components and systems. In the field of power generation, power plants should be safe and have high availability and minimum specific generation cost. Life management is essential for this. Depending on the safety relevance of systems, structures and components (SSC), this includes proofs of integrity, time-oriented or condition-oriented preventive maintenance, or just failure-oriented maintenance. (orig.)

Linear response at the 4-component relativistic density-functional level: application to the frequency-dependent dipole polarizability of Hg, AuH and PtH2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salek, Pawel; Helgaker, Trygve; Saue, Trond

2005-01-01

We report the implementation and application of linear response density-functional theory (DFT) based on the 4-component relativistic Dirac-Coulomb Hamiltonian. The theory is cast in the language of second quantization and is based on the quasienergy formalism (Floquet theory), replacing the initial state dependence of the Runge-Gross theorem by periodic boundary conditions. Contradictions in causality and symmetry of the time arguments are thereby avoided and the exchange-correlation potential and kernel can be expressed as functional derivatives of the quasienergy. We critically review the derivation of the quasienergy analogues of the Hohenberg-Kohn theorem and the Kohn-Sham formalism and discuss the nature of the quasienergy exchange-correlation functional. Structure is imposed on the response equations in terms of Hermiticity and time-reversal symmetry. It is observed that functionals of spin and current densities, corresponding to time-antisymmetric operators, contribute to frequency-dependent and not static electric properties. Physically, this follows from the fact that only a time-dependent electric field creates a magnetic field. It is furthermore observed that hybrid functionals enhance spin polarization since only exact exchange contributes to anti-Hermitian trial vectors. We apply 4-component relativistic linear response DFT to the calculation of the frequency-dependent polarizability of the isoelectronic series Hg, AuH and PtH 2 . Unlike for the molecules, the effect of electron correlation on the polarizability of the mercury atom is very large, about 25%. We observe a remarkable performance of the local-density approximation (LDA) functional in reproducing the experimental frequency-dependent polarizability of this atom, clearly superior to that of the BLYP and B3LYP functionals. This allows us to extract Cauchy moments (S(-4) = 382.82 and S(-6) = 6090.89 a.u.) that we believe are superior to experiment since we go to higher order in the Cauchy

A dynamic predictive maintenance policy for complex multi-component systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Horenbeek, Adriaan; Pintelon, Liliane

2013-01-01

The use of prognostic methods in maintenance in order to predict remaining useful life is receiving more attention over the past years. The use of these techniques in maintenance decision making and optimization in multi-component systems is however a still underexplored area. The objective of this paper is to optimally plan maintenance for a multi-component system based on prognostic/predictive information while considering different component dependencies (i.e. economic, structural and stochastic dependence). Consequently, this paper presents a dynamic predictive maintenance policy for multi-component systems that minimizes the long-term mean maintenance cost per unit time. The proposed maintenance policy is a dynamic method as the maintenance schedule is updated when new information on the degradation and remaining useful life of components becomes available. The performance, regarding the objective of minimal long-term mean cost per unit time, of the developed dynamic predictive maintenance policy is compared to five other conventional maintenance policies, these are: block-based maintenance, age-based maintenance, age-based maintenance with grouping, inspection condition-based maintenance and continuous condition-based maintenance. The ability of the predictive maintenance policy to react to changing component deterioration and dependencies within a multi-component system is quantified and the results show significant cost savings

The Utilization of Urine Processing for the Advancement of Life Support Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Grossi-Soyster, Elysse; Hogan, John; Flynn, Michael

2014-01-01

The success of long-duration missions will depend on resource recovery and the self-sustainability of life support technologies. Current technologies used on the International Space Station (ISS) utilize chemical and mechanical processes, such as filtration, to recover potable water from urine produced by crewmembers. Such technologies have significantly reduced the need for water resupply through closed-loop resource recovery and recycling. Harvesting the important components of urine requires selectivity, whether through the use of membranes or other physical barriers, or by chemical or biological processes. Given the chemical composition of urine, the downstream benefits of urine processing for resource recovery will be critical for many aspects of life support, such as food production and the synthesis of biofuels. This paper discusses the beneficial components of urine and their potential applications, and the challenges associated with using urine for nutrient recycling for space application.

Plant diversity to support humans in a CELSS ground based demonstrator

Science.gov (United States)

Howe, J. M.; Hoff, J. E.

1981-01-01

A controlled ecological life support system (CELSS) for human habitation in preparation for future long duration space flights is considered. The success of such a system depends upon the feasibility of revitalization of food resources and the human nutritional needs which are to be met by these food resources. Edible higher plants are prime candidates for the photoautotrophic components of this system if nutritionally adequate diets can be derived from these plant sources to support humans. Human nutritional requirements information based on current knowledge are developed for inhabitants envisioned in the CELSS ground based demonstrator. Groups of plant products that can provide the nutrients are identified.

Latitudinal Dependence of the Radial IMF Component: Coronal Imprint

Science.gov (United States)

Suess, S. T.; Smith, E. J.

1996-01-01

Measurements by Ulysses have confirmed that there is no significant gradient with respect to heliomagnetic latitude in the radial component, B(sub r,) of the interplanetary magnetic field. In the corona, the plasma, beta is much less than 1, except directly above streamers, so longitudinal and latitudinal gradients in field strength will relax due to the transverse magnetic pressure gradient force as the solar wind carries magnetic flux away from the Sun. This happens quickly enough so that the field is essentially uniform by 5 - 10 solar radius, apparently remaining so as it is carried to beyond 1 AU. Here, we illustrate the coronal relaxation with a qualitative physical argument and by reference to a detailed Magneto HydroDynamics (MHD) simulation.

A Multi-mission Event-Driven Component-Based System for Support of Flight Software Development, ATLO, and Operations first used by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Project

Science.gov (United States)

Dehghani, Navid; Tankenson, Michael

2006-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the architectural description of the Mission Data Processing and Control System (MPCS). MPCS is an event-driven, multi-mission ground data processing components providing uplink, downlink, and data management capabilities which will support the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) project as its first target mission. MPCS is designed with these factors (1) Enabling plug and play architecture (2) MPCS has strong inheritance from GDS components that have been developed for other Flight Projects (MER, MRO, DAWN, MSAP), and are currently being used in operations and ATLO, and (3) MPCS components are Java-based, platform independent, and are designed to consume and produce XML-formatted data

EU R and D on divertor components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merola, M.; Daenner, W.; Pick, M.

2005-01-01

Since the last SOFT conference held in Helsinki in 2002, substantial progress has been made in the EU R and D on the divertor components. A number of activities have been completed and new ones have been launched. The present paper gives an update of the works carried out by the EU Participating Team in support of the development of the divertor, which is one of the most challenging components of the next-step ITER machine. The following topics are covered: (1) the further development and consolidation of suitable technologies for the production of high heat-flux components, which culminated with the successful manufacturing and testing of a full-scale vertical target prototype; (2) the completion of the post-irradiation testing of divertor mock-ups and samples; (3) the preparation for the hydraulic and assembly tests of a complete set of full-scale divertor components; (4) the on-going R and D on the definition of workable acceptance criteria for the procurement of ITER high heat-flux components; (5) the activities in support of the divertor design

Size-dependent effects in supported highly dispersed Fe2O3 catalysts, doped with Pt and Pd

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cherkezova-Zheleva, Zara; Shopska, Maya; Mitov, Ivan; Kadinov, Georgi

2010-01-01

Series of Fe and Fe–Me (Me = Pt or Pd) catalyst supported on γ-Al 2 O 3 , TiO 2 (anatase) or diatomite were prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation method. The metal loading was 8 wt.% Fe and 0.7 wt.% noble metal. The preparation and pretreatment conditions of all studied samples were kept to be the same. X-ray diffraction, Moessbauer spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and temperature-programmed reduction are used for characterization of the supports and the samples at different steps during their treatment and catalytic tests. The catalytic activity of the samples was tested in the reaction of total benzene oxidation. The physicochemical and catalytic properties of the obtained materials are compared with respect of the different chemical composition, dispersion of used carriers and of the supported phases. Samples with the same composition prepared by mechanical mixing are studied as catalysts for comparison and for clearing up the presence of size-dependent effect, also.

Teacher Burnout: Stylish Fad or Profound Problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Cunningham, William G.

1982-01-01

Evidence suggests that teacher burnout has significant impact on the quality of education and on teacher job satisfaction. Its causes include job stress and organizational structures or professional relationships. Reduction of burnout may come from such strategies as increased teacher role differentiation, greater teacher support, and improved…

Speed-dependent body weight supported sit-to-stand training in chronic stroke: a case series.

Science.gov (United States)

Boyne, Pierce; Israel, Susan; Dunning, Kari

2011-12-01

Body weight support (BWS) and speed-dependent training protocols have each been used for poststroke gait training, but neither approach has been tested in the context of sit-to-stand (STS) training. This study evaluated the feasibility and outcomes of speed-dependent BWS STS training for 2 persons with chronic stroke. Two individuals 68 and 75 years old, and 2.3 and 8.7 years post-ischemic stroke, respectively, participated. Both exhibited right hemiparesis, required moderate (25%-50%) assistance for STS, and ambulated household distances with assistive devices. Participants performed speed-dependent BWS STS training 3 days/week for 45 to 60 minutes until able to perform STS independently. Gait parameters, the Stroke Impact Scale Mobility Domain (SIS-mobility), and the 3-Repetition STS test (3RSTS) were assessed before and after intervention. Each participant completed more than 750 STS repetitions over the course of the intervention, achieving independence in 8 to 11 sessions. Aside from muscle soreness, no adverse effects occurred. Participants also exhibited increased gait velocity (0.17-0.24 m/s and 0.25-0.42 m/s), SIS-mobility score (78-88 and 63-66), and decreased 3RSTS time (18-8 seconds and 40-21 seconds). Speed-dependent BWS STS training appears to be a feasible and promising method to increase STS independence and speed for persons with chronic stroke. In this small case series, a potential transfer effect to gait parameters was also observed. Future randomized controlled study is warranted to evaluate efficacy and long-term effects.

Detailed molecular analyses of the hexon loop-1 and fibers of fowl aviadenoviruses reveal new insights into the antigenic relationship and confirm that specific genotypes are involved in field outbreaks of inclusion body hepatitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Schachner, Anna; Marek, Ana; Grafl, Beatrice; Hess, Michael

2016-04-15

Forty-eight fowl aviadenoviruses (FAdVs) isolated from recent IBH outbreaks across Europe were investigated, by utilizing for the first time the two major adenoviral antigenic domains, hexon loop-1 and fiber, for compound molecular characterization of IBH-associated FAdVs. Successful target gene amplification, following virus isolation in cell culture or from FTA-card samples, demonstrated presence of FAdVs in all cases indicative for IBH. Based on hexon loop-1 analysis, 31 European field isolates exhibited highest nucleotide identity (>97.2%) to reference strains FAdV-2 or -11 representing FAdV-D, while 16 and one European isolates shared >96.0% nucleotide identity with FAdV-8a and -8b, or FAdV-7, the prototype strains representing FAdV-E. These results extend recognition of specific FAdV-D and FAdV-E affiliate genotypes as causative agents of IBH to the European continent. In all isolates, species specificity determined by fiber gene analysis correlated with hexon-based typing. A threshold of 72.0% intraspecies nucleotide identity between fibers from investigated prototype and field strains corresponded with demarcation criteria proposed for hexon, suggesting fiber-based analysis as a complementary tool for molecular FAdV typing. A limited number of strains exhibited inconsistencies between hexon and fiber subclustering, indicating potential constraints for single-gene based typing of those FAdVs. Within FAdV-D, field isolate fibers shared a high degree of nucleotide (>96.7%) and aa (>95.8%) identity, while FAdV-E field isolate fibers displayed greater nucleotide divergence of up to 22.6%, resulting in lower aa identities of >81.7%. Furthermore, comparison with FAdVs from IBH outbreaks outside Europe revealed close genetic relationship in the fiber, independent of the strains' geographic origin. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inertial confinement fusion target component fabrication and technology development support. Annual report, October 1, 1994--September 30, 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoppe, M.

1996-05-01

On December 30, 1990, the US Department of Energy entered into a contract with General Atomics (GA) to be the Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Target Component Fabrication and Technology Development Support contractor. This report documents the technical activities of the period October 1, 1994 through September 30, 1995. During this period, GA was assigned 15 tasks in support of the Inertial Confinement Fusion program and its laboratories. A portion of the effort on these tasks included providing direct ''Onsite Support'' at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Sandia National Laboratory Albuquerque (SNLA). The ICF program is anticipating experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and the OMEGA Upgrade. Both facilities will require capsules containing layered D 2 or deuterium-tritium (D-T) fuel. The authors are part of the National Cryogenic Target Program to create and demonstrate viable ways to generate and characterize cryogenic layers. Progress has been made on ways to both create viable layers and to characterize them. They continued engineering, assembly and testing of equipment for a cryogenic target handling system for University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics (UR/LLE) that will fill, transport, layer, and characterize targets filled with cryogenic fuel, and insert these cryogenic targets into the OMEGA Upgrade target chamber for laser implosion experiments. This report summarizes and documents the technical progress made on these tasks

Inertial confinement fusion target component fabrication and technology development support. Annual report, October 1, 1994--September 30, 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoppe, M. [ed.

1996-05-01

On December 30, 1990, the US Department of Energy entered into a contract with General Atomics (GA) to be the Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Target Component Fabrication and Technology Development Support contractor. This report documents the technical activities of the period October 1, 1994 through September 30, 1995. During this period, GA was assigned 15 tasks in support of the Inertial Confinement Fusion program and its laboratories. A portion of the effort on these tasks included providing direct ``Onsite Support`` at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Sandia National Laboratory Albuquerque (SNLA). The ICF program is anticipating experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and the OMEGA Upgrade. Both facilities will require capsules containing layered D{sub 2} or deuterium-tritium (D-T) fuel. The authors are part of the National Cryogenic Target Program to create and demonstrate viable ways to generate and characterize cryogenic layers. Progress has been made on ways to both create viable layers and to characterize them. They continued engineering, assembly and testing of equipment for a cryogenic target handling system for University of Rochester`s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (UR/LLE) that will fill, transport, layer, and characterize targets filled with cryogenic fuel, and insert these cryogenic targets into the OMEGA Upgrade target chamber for laser implosion experiments. This report summarizes and documents the technical progress made on these tasks.

Automated processing of first-pass radionuclide angiocardiography by factor analysis of dynamic structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Cavailloles, F; Bazin, J P; Capderou, A; Valette, H; Herbert, J L; Di Paola, R

1987-05-01

structure (underlying physiological components), and the associated factor images are estimates of the spatial distribution of each factor. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of FADS in first pass RNA and compare the results to those obtained by the ROI method which is generally considered as the routine procedure.

Just a Fad? Gamification in Health and Fitness Apps

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Gamification has been a predominant focus of the health app industry in recent years. However, to our knowledge, there has yet to be a review of gamification elements in relation to health behavior constructs, or insight into the true proliferation of gamification in health apps. Objective The objective of this study was to identify the extent to which gamification is used in health apps, and analyze gamification of health and fitness apps as a potential component of influence on a consumer’s health behavior. Methods An analysis of health and fitness apps related to physical activity and diet was conducted among apps in the Apple App Store in the winter of 2014. This analysis reviewed a sample of 132 apps for the 10 effective game elements, the 6 core components of health gamification, and 13 core health behavior constructs. A regression analysis was conducted in order to measure the correlation between health behavior constructs, gamification components, and effective game elements. Results This review of the most popular apps showed widespread use of gamification principles, but low adherence to any professional guidelines or industry standard. Regression analysis showed that game elements were associated with gamification (P<.001). Behavioral theory was associated with gamification (P<.05), but not game elements, and upon further analysis gamification was only associated with composite motivational behavior scores (P<.001), and not capacity or opportunity/trigger. Conclusions This research, to our knowledge, represents the first comprehensive review of gamification use in health and fitness apps, and the potential to impact health behavior. The results show that use of gamification in health and fitness apps has become immensely popular, as evidenced by the number of apps found in the Apple App Store containing at least some components of gamification. This shows a lack of integrating important elements of behavioral theory from the app industry

The conserved baculovirus protein p33 (Ac92) is a flavin adenine dinucleotide-linked sulfhydryl oxidase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Long, C.M.; Rohrmann, G.F.; Merrill, G.F.

2009-01-01

Open reading frame 92 of the Autographa californica baculovirus (Ac92) is one of about 30 core genes present in all sequenced baculovirus genomes. Computer analyses predicted that the Ac92 encoded protein (called p33) and several of its baculovirus orthologs were related to a family of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-linked sulfhydryl oxidases. Alignment of these proteins indicated that, although they were highly diverse, a number of amino acids in common with the Erv1p/Alrp family of sulfhydryl oxidases are present. Some of these conserved amino acids are predicted to stack against the isoalloxazine and adenine components of FAD, whereas others are involved in electron transfer. To investigate this relationship, Ac92 was expressed in bacteria as a His-tagged fusion protein, purified, and characterized both spectrophotometrically and for its enzymatic activity. The purified protein was found to have the color (yellow) and absorption spectrum consistent with it being a FAD-containing protein. Furthermore, it was demonstrated to have sulfhydryl oxidase activity using dithiothreitol and thioredoxin as substrates.

Discrimination of gender-, speed-, and shoe-dependent movement patterns in runners using full-body kinematics.

Science.gov (United States)

Maurer, Christian; Federolf, Peter; von Tscharner, Vinzenz; Stirling, Lisa; Nigg, Benno M

2012-05-01

Changes in gait kinematics have often been analyzed using pattern recognition methods such as principal component analysis (PCA). It is usually just the first few principal components that are analyzed, because they describe the main variability within a dataset and thus represent the main movement patterns. However, while subtle changes in gait pattern (for instance, due to different footwear) may not change main movement patterns, they may affect movements represented by higher principal components. This study was designed to test two hypotheses: (1) speed and gender differences can be observed in the first principal components, and (2) small interventions such as changing footwear change the gait characteristics of higher principal components. Kinematic changes due to different running conditions (speed - 3.1m/s and 4.9 m/s, gender, and footwear - control shoe and adidas MicroBounce shoe) were investigated by applying PCA and support vector machine (SVM) to a full-body reflective marker setup. Differences in speed changed the basic movement pattern, as was reflected by a change in the time-dependent coefficient derived from the first principal. Gender was differentiated by using the time-dependent coefficient derived from intermediate principal components. (Intermediate principal components are characterized by limb rotations of the thigh and shank.) Different shoe conditions were identified in higher principal components. This study showed that different interventions can be analyzed using a full-body kinematic approach. Within the well-defined vector space spanned by the data of all subjects, higher principal components should also be considered because these components show the differences that result from small interventions such as footwear changes. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Discrimination of varieties of borneol using terahertz spectra based on principal component analysis and support vector machine].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Wu; Hu, Bing; Wang, Ming-wei

2014-12-01

In the present paper, the terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) identification model of borneol based on principal component analysis (PCA) and support vector machine (SVM) was established. As one Chinese common agent, borneol needs a rapid, simple and accurate detection and identification method for its different source and being easily confused in the pharmaceutical and trade links. In order to assure the quality of borneol product and guard the consumer's right, quickly, efficiently and correctly identifying borneol has significant meaning to the production and transaction of borneol. Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy is a new spectroscopy approach to characterize material using terahertz pulse. The absorption terahertz spectra of blumea camphor, borneol camphor and synthetic borneol were measured in the range of 0.2 to 2 THz with the transmission THz-TDS. The PCA scores of 2D plots (PC1 X PC2) and 3D plots (PC1 X PC2 X PC3) of three kinds of borneol samples were obtained through PCA analysis, and both of them have good clustering effect on the 3 different kinds of borneol. The value matrix of the first 10 principal components (PCs) was used to replace the original spectrum data, and the 60 samples of the three kinds of borneol were trained and then the unknown 60 samples were identified. Four kinds of support vector machine model of different kernel functions were set up in this way. Results show that the accuracy of identification and classification of SVM RBF kernel function for three kinds of borneol is 100%, and we selected the SVM with the radial basis kernel function to establish the borneol identification model, in addition, in the noisy case, the classification accuracy rates of four SVM kernel function are above 85%, and this indicates that SVM has strong generalization ability. This study shows that PCA with SVM method of borneol terahertz spectroscopy has good classification and identification effects, and provides a new method for species

Lysosome and calcium dysregulation in Alzheimer's disease: partners in crime.

Science.gov (United States)

McBrayer, MaryKate; Nixon, Ralph A

2013-12-01

Early-onset FAD (familial Alzheimer's disease) is caused by mutations of PS1 (presenilin 1), PS2 (presenilin 2) and APP (amyloid precursor protein). Beyond the effects of PS1 mutations on proteolytic functions of the γ-secretase complex, mutant or deficient PS1 disrupts lysosomal function and Ca2+ homoeostasis, both of which are considered strong pathogenic factors in FAD. Loss of PS1 function compromises assembly and proton-pumping activity of the vacuolar-ATPase on lysosomes, leading to defective lysosomal acidification and marked impairment of autophagy. Additional dysregulation of cellular Ca2+ by mutant PS1 in FAD has been ascribed to altered ion channels in the endoplasmic reticulum; however, rich stores of Ca2+ in lysosomes are also abnormally released in PS1-deficient cells secondary to the lysosomal acidification defect. The resultant rise in cytosolic Ca2+ activates Ca2+-dependent enzymes, contributing substantially to calpain overactivation that is a final common pathway leading to neurofibrillary degeneration in all forms of AD (Alzheimer's disease). In the present review, we discuss the close inter-relationships among deficits of lysosomal function, autophagy and Ca2+ homoeostasis as a pathogenic process in PS1-related FAD and their relevance to sporadic AD.

Principal components based support vector regression model for on-line instrument calibration monitoring in NPPs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seo, In Yong; Ha, Bok Nam; Lee, Sung Woo; Shin, Chang Hoon; Kim, Seong Jun

2010-01-01

In nuclear power plants (NPPs), periodic sensor calibrations are required to assure that sensors are operating correctly. By checking the sensor's operating status at every fuel outage, faulty sensors may remain undetected for periods of up to 24 months. Moreover, typically, only a few faulty sensors are found to be calibrated. For the safe operation of NPP and the reduction of unnecessary calibration, on-line instrument calibration monitoring is needed. In this study, principal component based auto-associative support vector regression (PCSVR) using response surface methodology (RSM) is proposed for the sensor signal validation of NPPs. This paper describes the design of a PCSVR-based sensor validation system for a power generation system. RSM is employed to determine the optimal values of SVR hyperparameters and is compared to the genetic algorithm (GA). The proposed PCSVR model is confirmed with the actual plant data of Kori Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 and is compared with the Auto-Associative support vector regression (AASVR) and the auto-associative neural network (AANN) model. The auto-sensitivity of AASVR is improved by around six times by using a PCA, resulting in good detection of sensor drift. Compared to AANN, accuracy and cross-sensitivity are better while the auto-sensitivity is almost the same. Meanwhile, the proposed RSM for the optimization of the PCSVR algorithm performs even better in terms of accuracy, auto-sensitivity, and averaged maximum error, except in averaged RMS error, and this method is much more time efficient compared to the conventional GA method

Absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic characterisation of the circadian blue-light photoreceptor cryptochrome from Drosophila melanogaster (dCry)

Science.gov (United States)

Shirdel, J.; Zirak, P.; Penzkofer, A.; Breitkreuz, H.; Wolf, E.

2008-09-01

The absorption and fluorescence behaviour of the circadian blue-light photoreceptor cryptochrome from Drosophila melanogaster (dCry) in a pH 8 aqueous buffer solution is studied. The flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor of dCry is identified to be present in its oxidized form (FAD ox), and the 5,10-methenyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF) cofactor is found to be hydrolyzed and oxidized to 10-formyldihydrofolate (10-FDHF). The absorption and the fluorescence behaviour of dCry is investigated in the dark-adapted (receptor) state, the light-adapted (signalling) state, and under long-time violet light exposure. Photo-excitation of FAD ox in dCry causes a reductive electron transfer to the formation of anionic FAD semiquinone (FAD rad - ), and photo-excitation of the generated FAD rad - causes an oxidative electron transfer to the back formation of FAD ox. In light adapted dCry a photo-induced equilibrium between FAD ox and FAD rad - exists. The photo-cycle dynamics of signalling state formation and recovery is discussed. Quantum yields of photo-induced signalling state formation of about 0.2 and of photo-induced back-conversion of about 0.2 are determined. A recovery of FAD rad - to FAD ox in the dark with a time constant of 1.6 min at room temperature is found.

Building Strength or Lending an Ear in Legal Conflicts: Dependence and Conflict Asymmetry as Distinct Predictors of Needs for Support

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Dijk, Maria Anna Jozefa; Giebels, Ellen; Zebel, Sven

2016-01-01

Being aware of psychological aspects of legal conflicts can benefit the efficiency of legal aid. We propose that needs for support may be particularly dependent upon the experience of asymmetry between conflict parties. We distinguish between two types of asymmetry and examine how they relate to

A new model to study the role of arachidonic acid in colon cancer pathophysiology

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Yang-Yi; Callaway, Evelyn; Monk, Jennifer M.; Goldsby, Jennifer S.; Yang, Peiying; Vincent, Logan; Chapkin, Robert S.

2016-01-01

A significant increase in cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) gene expression has been shown to promote cylcooxygenase-dependent colon cancer development. Controversy associated with the role of COX2 inhibitors indicates that additional work is needed to elucidate the effects of arachidonic acid (AA) derived (cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase) eicosanoids in cancer initiation, progression and metastasis. We have recently developed a novel Fads1 knockout mouse model, which allows for the investigation of AA-dependent eicosanoid deficiency without the complication of essential fatty acid deficiency. Interestingly, the survival rate of Fads1 null mice is severely compromised after 2 months on a semi-purified AA-free diet, which precludes long-term chemoprevention studies. Therefore, in this study, dietary AA levels were titrated to determine the minimal level required for survival, while maintaining a distinct AA-deficient phenotype. Null mice supplemented with AA (0.1, 0.4, 0.6, 2.0%, w/w) in the diet exhibited a dose-dependent increase (P diet were injected with a colon-specific carcinogen (azoxymethane) in order to assess cancer susceptibility. Null mice exhibited significantly (P < 0.05) reduced levels/multiplicity of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) as compared to wild type sibling littermate control mice. These data indicate that (i) basal/minimal dietary AA supplementation (0.6%) expands the utility of the Fads1 Null mouse model for long-term cancer prevention studies, and (ii) that AA content in the colonic epithelium modulates colon cancer risk. PMID:27339171

Asset prices and priceless assets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Penasse, J.N.G.

2014-01-01

The doctoral thesis studies several aspects of asset returns dynamics. The first three chapters focus on returns in the fine art market. The first chapter provides evidence for the existence of a slow-moving fad component in art prices that induces short-term return predictability. The article has

Data near processing support for climate data analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Kindermann, Stephan; Ehbrecht, Carsten; Hempelmann, Nils

2016-04-01

Climate data repositories grow in size exponentially. Scalable data near processing capabilities are required to meet future data analysis requirements and to replace current "data download and process at home" workflows and approaches. On one hand side, these processing capabilities should be accessible via standardized interfaces (e.g. OGC WPS), on the other side a large variety of processing tools, toolboxes and deployment alternatives have to be supported and maintained at the data/processing center. We present a community approach of a modular and flexible system supporting the development, deployment and maintenace of OGC-WPS based web processing services. This approach is organized in an open source github project (called "bird-house") supporting individual processing services ("birds", e.g. climate index calculations, model data ensemble calculations), which rely on basic common infrastructural components (e.g. installation and deployment recipes, analysis code dependencies management). To support easy deployment at data centers as well as home institutes (e.g. for testing and development) the system supports the management of the often very complex package dependency chain of climate data analysis packages as well as docker based packaging and installation. We present a concrete deployment scenario at the German Climate Computing Center (DKRZ). The DKRZ one hand side hosts a multi-petabyte climate archive which is integrated e.g. into the european ENES and worldwide ESGF data infrastructure, and on the other hand hosts an HPC center supporting (model) data production and data analysis. The deployment scenario also includes openstack based data cloud services to support data import and data distribution for bird-house based WPS web processing services. Current challenges for inter-institutionnal deployments of web processing services supporting the european and international climate modeling community as well as the climate impact community are highlighted

Alumina support prodn. with active component by sol-gel method - and use esp. for regenerative absorption of sulphur dioxide, oxygen or hydrogen sulphide

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frens, G.

1991-01-01

Prodn. of a support contg. Al2O3 with an active component and/or precursor for this is carried out by the sol/gel technique by (a) producing a sol from AlCl3 or material forming Al2O3, (b) supplying the sol to the top of a column filled with a water-immiscible solvent (I) in the upper pt. and an

Replication of genome wide association studies of alcohol dependence: support for association with variation in ADH1C.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joanna M Biernacka

Full Text Available Genome-wide association studies (GWAS have revealed many single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs associated with complex traits. Although these studies frequently fail to identify statistically significant associations, the top association signals from GWAS may be enriched for true associations. We therefore investigated the association of alcohol dependence with 43 SNPs selected from association signals in the first two published GWAS of alcoholism. Our analysis of 808 alcohol-dependent cases and 1,248 controls provided evidence of association of alcohol dependence with SNP rs1614972 in the ADH1C gene (unadjusted p = 0.0017. Because the GWAS study that originally reported association of alcohol dependence with this SNP [1] included only men, we also performed analyses in sex-specific strata. The results suggest that this SNP has a similar effect in both sexes (men: OR (95%CI = 0.80 (0.66, 0.95; women: OR (95%CI = 0.83 (0.66, 1.03. We also observed marginal evidence of association of the rs1614972 minor allele with lower alcohol consumption in the non-alcoholic controls (p = 0.081, and independently in the alcohol-dependent cases (p = 0.046. Despite a number of potential differences between the samples investigated by the prior GWAS and the current study, data presented here provide additional support for the association of SNP rs1614972 in ADH1C with alcohol dependence and extend this finding by demonstrating association with consumption levels in both non-alcoholic and alcohol-dependent populations. Further studies should investigate the association of other polymorphisms in this gene with alcohol dependence and related alcohol-use phenotypes.

Components selection for ageing management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mingiuc, C.; Vidican, D.

2002-01-01

Full text: The paper presents a synthesis of methods and activities realized for the selection of critical components to assure plant safety and availability (as electricity supplier). There are presented main criteria for selection, screening process. For the resulted categories of components shall be applied different category of maintenance (condition oriented, scheduled or corrective), function of the importance and financial effort necessary to fulfil the task. 1. Systems and components screening for plant safety assurance For the systems selection, from Safety point of view, was necessary first, to define systems which are dangerous in case of failure (mainly by rupture/ release of radioactivity) and the safety systems which have to mitigate the effects. This is realized based on accident analysis (from Safety Report). Also where taken in to account the 4 basic Safety Principles: 'Reactor shut down; Residual heat removal; Radioactivity products confinement; NPP status monitoring in normal and accident conditions'. Following step is to establish safety support systems, which have to action to assure main safety systems operation. This could be realized based on engineering judgement, or on PSA Level I analysis. Finally shall be realized chains of the support systems, which have to work, till primary systems. For the critical components selection, was realized a Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), considering the components effects of failures, on system safety function. 2. Systems and components screening for plant availability assurance The work was realized in two steps: Systems screening; Components screening The systems screening, included: General, analyze of the plant systems list and the definition of those which clearly have to run continue to assure the nominal power; Realization of a complex diagram to define interdependence between the systems (e.g. PHT and auxiliaries, moderator and auxiliaries, plant electrical diagram); Fill of special

Multi-level predictive maintenance for multi-component systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Kim-Anh; Do, Phuc; Grall, Antoine

2015-01-01

In this paper, a novel predictive maintenance policy with multi-level decision-making is proposed for multi-component system with complex structure. The main idea is to propose a decision-making process considered on two levels: system level and component one. The goal of the decision rules at the system level is to address if preventive maintenance actions are needed regarding the predictive reliability of the system. At component level the decision rules aim at identifying optimally a group of several components to be preventively maintained when preventive maintenance is trigged due to the system level decision. Selecting optimal components is based on a cost-based group improvement factor taking into account the predictive reliability of the components, the economic dependencies as well as the location of the components in the system. Moreover, a cost model is developed to find the optimal maintenance decision variables. A 14-component system is finally introduced to illustrate the use and the performance of the proposed predictive maintenance policy. Different sensitivity analysis are also investigated and discussed. Indeed, the proposed policy provides more flexibility in maintenance decision-making for complex structure systems, hence leading to significant profits in terms of maintenance cost when compared with existing policies. - Highlights: • A predictive maintenance policy for complex structure systems is proposed. • Multi-level decision process based on prognostic results is proposed. • A cost-based group importance measure is introduced for decision-making. • Both positive and negative dependencies between components are investigated. • A cost model and Monte Carlo simulation are developed for optimization process.

Polymorphism in the fatty acid desaturase genes and diet are important determinants of infant n-3 fatty acid status

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harsløf, L.B.S.; Larsen, L.H.; Ritz, C.

and polymorphism in the genes that encodes the fatty acid desaturases (FADS) has little effect on DHA-status in adults. It is however unclear to what extent endogenous DHA-synthesis contributes to infant DHA-status. Aim: To investigate the role of diet and FADS polymorphism on DHA-status at 9 months and 3 years...... breastfeeding was obtained by questionnaires and fish intake was assessed by 7-day pre-coded food diaries. Results: FADS-genotype, breastfeeding, and fish intake were found to explain 25% of the variation in infant RBC DHA-status (mean±SD: 6.6±1.9% of the fatty acids (FA%)). Breastfeeding was the most important......Background and objectives: Tissue docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) accretion in early infancy has been shown to be supported by the DHA-content of breast-milk and thus may decrease once complementary feeding takes over. Endogenous synthesis of DHA from alpha-linolenic acid has been shown to be very low...

Three Treatments for Reducing the Worry and Emotionality Components of Test Anxiety with Undergraduate and Graduate College Students: Cognitive-Behavioral Hypnosis, Relaxation Therapy, and Supportive Counseling.

Science.gov (United States)

Sapp, Marty

1996-01-01

Examines the effects of 3 different types of therapy in reducing the worry and emotional components associated with test anxiety among undergraduate (n=45) and graduate (n=45) students. Relaxation therapy was more effective with graduate students, while undergraduates responded more to supportive counseling. (JPS)

RAGE Architecture for Reusable Serious Gaming Technology Components

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wim van der Vegt

2016-01-01

Full Text Available For seizing the potential of serious games, the RAGE project—funded by the Horizon-2020 Programme of the European Commission—will make available an interoperable set of advanced technology components (software assets that support game studios at serious game development. This paper describes the overall software architecture and design conditions that are needed for the easy integration and reuse of such software assets in existing game platforms. Based on the component-based software engineering paradigm the RAGE architecture takes into account the portability of assets to different operating systems, different programming languages, and different game engines. It avoids dependencies on external software frameworks and minimises code that may hinder integration with game engine code. Furthermore it relies on a limited set of standard software patterns and well-established coding practices. The RAGE architecture has been successfully validated by implementing and testing basic software assets in four major programming languages (C#, C++, Java, and TypeScript/JavaScript, resp.. Demonstrator implementation of asset integration with an existing game engine was created and validated. The presented RAGE architecture paves the way for large scale development and application of cross-engine reusable software assets for enhancing the quality and diversity of serious gaming.

Components of working memory and visual selective attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Burnham, Bryan R; Sabia, Matthew; Langan, Catherine

2014-02-01

Load theory (Lavie, N., Hirst, A., De Fockert, J. W., & Viding, E. [2004]. Load theory of selective attention and cognitive control. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 133, 339-354.) proposes that control of attention depends on the amount and type of load that is imposed by current processing. Specifically, perceptual load should lead to efficient distractor rejection, whereas working memory load (dual-task coordination) should hinder distractor rejection. Studies support load theory's prediction that working memory load will lead to larger distractor effects; however, these studies used secondary tasks that required only verbal working memory and the central executive. The present study examined which other working memory components (visual, spatial, and phonological) influence visual selective attention. Subjects completed an attentional capture task alone (single-task) or while engaged in a working memory task (dual-task). Results showed that along with the central executive, visual and spatial working memory influenced selective attention, but phonological working memory did not. Specifically, attentional capture was larger when visual or spatial working memory was loaded, but phonological working memory load did not affect attentional capture. The results are consistent with load theory and suggest specific components of working memory influence visual selective attention. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

The family assessment device: an update.

Science.gov (United States)

Mansfield, Abigail K; Keitner, Gabor I; Dealy, Jennifer

2015-03-01

The current study set out to describe family functioning scores of a contemporary community sample, using the Family Assessment Device (FAD), and to compare this to a currently help-seeking sample. The community sample consisted of 151 families who completed the FAD. The help-seeking sample consisted of 46 families who completed the FAD at their first family therapy appointment as part of their standard care at an outpatient family therapy clinic at an urban hospital. Findings suggest that FAD means from the contemporary community sample indicate satisfaction with family functioning, while FAD scores from the help-seeking sample indicate dissatisfaction with family functioning. In addition, the General Functioning scale of the FAD continues to correlate highly with all other FAD scales, except Behavior Control. The cut-off scores for the FAD indicating satisfaction or dissatisfaction by family members with their family functioning continue to be relevant and the FAD continues to be a useful tool to assess family functioning in both clinical and research contexts. © 2014 Family Process Institute.

The Impact of Social Support and Attachment Style on Quality of Life and Readiness to Change in a Sample of Individuals Receiving Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Cavaiola, Alan A; Fulmer, Barbara A; Stout, David

2015-01-01

A basic principle within the addictions treatment field is that social support is a vital ingredient in the recovery process. This study examines the nature of social support in a sample of opioid-dependent men and women who are currently being treated in a medication-assisted treatment program (methadone). This research examines the types of social support behaviors that the opioid-dependent individuals consider helpful and explores whether attachment style (i.e., secure, ambivalent, or anxious attachment) was a determining factor in whether social support was perceived as helpful. The dependent variables included readiness to change addictive behaviors and abstinence from other mood-altering drugs. Participants (N = 159) completed a demographic questionnaire, the Significant Others Scale, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support Assessment, the Readiness to Change Scale, and an Attachment Style Questionnaire. The demographic questionnaire included subjective ratings of self-improvement. Social support predicted perceived improvement in all of the areas examined (e.g., health, family/social relationships) and abstinence; however, attachment style did not predict improvement or with readiness to change. Social support is an important factor in one's recovery from substance use disorders. Yet attachment style (i.e., anxious, avoidant, or secure) did not predict abstinence or overall improvement in functioning.

La mitocondria como fábrica de cofactores: biosíntesis de grupo hemo, centros Fe-S y nucleótidos de flavina (FMN/FAD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexa Villavicencio-Queijeiro

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Los cofactores hemo, centros Fe-S y los nucleótidos de flavina (FMN y FAD son esenciales para muchos organismos, existen un gran número de proteínas que dependen de ellos para llevar a cabo sus funciones biológicas. Estos cofactores han sido reconocidos como esenciales para las reacciones de óxido-reducción, pero también están involucrados en otros procesos celulares como la catálisis química, la regulación, la señalización y la detección de señales intra y extra celulares. Diversos grupos de investigación han contribuido al establecimiento de las rutas bioquímicas por las que se sintetizan estos cofactores, así como a la forma en que se transportan y regulan en los diferentes organismos. Todo este conocimiento ha permitido asociar algunas enfermedades con defectos metabólicos en estas rutas de biosíntesis, así como plantear nuevas estrategias terapéuticas y algunas aplicaciones biotecnológicas.

Radioprotection on nucleated and anucleated erythrocytes by oxide-reduction coenzymes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandez, M.; Tomicic, I.; Rojo, I.

1981-01-01

The protective effects of NAD, FAD and quinone and mixtures of these compounds were studied on gamma irradiated rabbit and chicken erythrocytes. The dose relative factor (DRF 37) was evaluated by visible absorbancy measurements of liberated hemoglobin. The DRF 37 obtained on rabbit erythrocytes were: NAD+FAD+quinone mixture: 11,1; NAD+ quinone mixture: 6,1; FAD+quinone mixture: 6,1; NAD: 1,6; FAD: 5,5; quinone: 5,1. The DRF 37 obtained with the mixture NAD+FAD+quinone on chicken erythrocytes was 3,9. The high efficiency of the radioprotective mixture NAD+FAD+ quinone is discussed. (author)

Suicide Fads: Frequency and Characteristics of Hydrogen Sulfide Suicides in the United States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reedy, Sarah Jane

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Objective: To assess the frequency of hydrogen sulfide (H2S suicides and describe the characteristics of victims in the United States (U.S. since the technique became common in Japan in 2007.Methods: To ascertain the frequency of intentional H2S related deaths in the U.S. prior to the start of the Japanese trend in 2007, we searched the multiple-cause-of-death data from the National Vital Statistics System. To collect as much information about the victims as possible, we sent an email to the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME listserv asking for their cooperation in identifying cases of H2S suicide. To identify cases that were not voluntarily reported by medical examiners but were reported by the media, we conducted Google searches using the search terms: “hydrogen sulfide suicide,” “H2S suicide,” “detergent suicide,” “chemical suicide,” and “suicide fad.” We obtained all available autopsy reports and abstracted information, including the site of the incident, the presence of a note warning others about the toxic gas and the demographic characteristics of the victims. We contacted medical examiners who potentially had custody of the cases that were identified through media reports and requested autopsies of these victims. When unable to obtain the autopsies, we gathered information from the media reports.Results: Forty-five deaths from H2S exposure occurred in the U.S. from 1999 to 2007, all unintentional. Responses from the NAME listserv yielded autopsy reports for 11 victims, and Google searches revealed an additional 19 H2S suicides in the U.S. since 2008. Overall (n=30, two cases were identified during 2008, 10 in 2009, and 18 in 2010. The majority of victims were white males, less than 30-years-old, left a warning note, and were found in cars. There were five reports of injuries to first responders, but no secondary fatalities.Conclusion: H2S suicides are increasing in the U.S., and their incidence is

New England Foot and Mouth Disease Tabletop Exercise

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hullinger, P

2008-09-30

The Multiscale Epidemiologic/Economic Simulation and Analysis (MESA) Decision Support System (DSS) is the product of investments that began in FY05 by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate and continue today with joint funding by both DHS and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The DSS consists of a coupled epidemiologic/economic model, a standalone graphical user interface (GUI) that supports both model setup and post-analysis, and a Scenario Bank archive to store all content related to foreign animal disease (FAD) studies (Figure 1). The MESA epi model is an object-oriented, agent-based, stochastic, spatio-temporal simulator that parametrically models FAD outbreaks and response strategies from initial disease introduction to conclusion over local, regional, and national scales. Through its output database, the epi model couples to an economic model that calculates farm-level impacts from animal infections, responsive control strategies and loss of trade. The MESA architecture contains a variety of internal models that implement the major components of the epi simulation, including disease introduction, intra-herd spread, inter-herd spread (direct and indirect), detection, and various control strategies (movement restrictions, culling, vaccination) in a highly configurable and extensible fashion. MESA will produce both overall and daily summary statistics for the outbreak, epidemic curves, and costs associated with the outbreak. This information can be used to reconstruct and analyze the course of the outbreak. Geographical information produced by MESA can be used to produce maps and movies as visual aids to understand the distribution characteristics of a simulated outbreak.

Gap and impact of LMR [Liquid Metal Reactor] piping systems and reactor components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, D.C.; Gvildys, J.; Chang, Y.W.

1987-01-01

Because of high operation temperature, the LMR (Liquid Metal Reactor) plant is characterized by the thin-walled piping and components. Gaps are often present to allow free thermal expansion during normal plant operation. Under dynamic loadings, such as seismic excitation, if the relative displacement between the components exceeds the gap distance, impacts will occur. Since the components and piping become brittle over their design lifetime, impact is of important concern for it may lead to fractures of components and other serious effects. This paper deals with gap and impact problems in the LMR reactor components and piping systems. Emphasis is on the impacts due to seismic motion. Eight sections are contained in this paper. The gap and impact problems in LMR piping systems are described and a parametric study is performed on the effects of gap-induced support nonlinearity on the dynamics characteristics of the LMR piping systems. Gap and impact problems in the LMR reactor components are identified and their mathematical models are illustrated, and the gap and impact problems in the seismic reactor scram are discussed. The mathematical treatments of various impact models are also described. The uncertainties in the current seismic impact analyses of LMR components and structures are presented. An impact test on a 1/10-scale LMR thermal liner is described. The test results indicated that several clusters of natural modes can be excited by the impact force. The frequency content of the excited modes depends on the duration of the impact force; the shorter the duration, the higher the frequency content

Multilayer electronic component systems and methods of manufacture

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Dane (Inventor); Wang, Guoan (Inventor); Kingsley, Nickolas D. (Inventor); Papapolymerou, Ioannis (Inventor); Tentzeris, Emmanouil M. (Inventor); Bairavasubramanian, Ramanan (Inventor); DeJean, Gerald (Inventor); Li, RongLin (Inventor)

2010-01-01

Multilayer electronic component systems and methods of manufacture are provided. In this regard, an exemplary system comprises a first layer of liquid crystal polymer (LCP), first electronic components supported by the first layer, and a second layer of LCP. The first layer is attached to the second layer by thermal bonds. Additionally, at least a portion of the first electronic components are located between the first layer and the second layer.

Basic performance tests on vibration of support structure with flexible plates for ITER tokamak device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeda, Nobukazu; Kakudate, Satoshi; Shibanuma, Kiyoshi

2005-01-01

The vibration experiments of the support structures with flexible plates for the ITER major components such as toroidal field coil (TF coil) and vacuum vessel (VV) were performed using small-sized flexible plates aiming to obtain its basic mechanical characteristics such as dependence of the stiffness on the loading angle. The experimental results obtained by the hammering and frequency sweep tests were agreed each other, so that the experimental method is found to be reliable. In addition, the experimental results were compared with the analytical ones in order to estimate an adequate analytical model for ITER support structure with flexible plates. As a result, the bolt connection of the flexible plates on the base plate strongly affected on the stiffness of the flexible plates. After studies of modeling the bolts, it is found that the analytical results modeling the bolts with finite stiffness only in the axial direction and infinite stiffness in the other directions agree well with the experimental ones. Using this adequate model, the stiffness of the support structure with flexible plates for the ITER major components can be calculated precisely in order to estimate the dynamic behaviors such as eigen modes and amplitude of deformation of the major components of the ITER tokamak device. (author)

Proteomic Changes in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Presymptomatic and Affected Persons Carrying Familial Alzheimer Disease Mutations

Science.gov (United States)

Ringman, John M.; Schulman, Howard; Becker, Chris; Jones, Ted; Bai, Yuchen; Immermann, Fred; Cole, Gregory; Sokolow, Sophie; Gylys, Karen; Geschwind, Daniel H.; Cummings, Jeffrey L.; Wan, Hong I.

2013-01-01

Objective To identify cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein changes in persons who will develop familial Alzheimer disease (FAD) due to PSEN1 and APP mutations, using unbiased proteomics. Design We compared proteomic profiles of CSF from individuals with FAD who were mutation carriers (MCs) and related noncarriers (NCs). Abundant proteins were depleted and samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography– electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry on a high-resolution time-of-flight instrument. Tryptic peptides were identified by tandem mass spectrometry. Proteins differing in concentration between the MCs and NCs were identified. Setting A tertiary dementia referral center and a proteomic biomarker discovery laboratory. Participants Fourteen FAD MCs (mean age, 34.2 years; 10 are asymptomatic, 12 have presenilin-1 [PSEN1] gene mutations, and 2 have amyloid precursor protein [APP] gene mutations) and 5 related NCs (mean age, 37.6 years). Results Fifty-six proteins were identified, represented by multiple tryptic peptides showing significant differences between MCs and NCs (46 upregulated and 10 downregulated); 40 of these proteins differed when the analysis was restricted to asymptomatic individuals. Fourteen proteins have been reported in prior proteomic studies in late-onset AD, including amyloid precursor protein, transferrin, α1β-glycoprotein, complement components, afamin precursor, spondin 1, plasminogen, hemopexin, and neuronal pentraxin receptor. Many other proteins were unique to our study, including calsyntenin 3, AMPA (α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid) 4 glutamate receptor, CD99 antigen, di-N-acetyl-chitobiase, and secreted phosphoprotein 1. Conclusions We found much overlap in CSF protein changes between individuals with presymptomatic and symptomatic FAD and those with late-onset AD. Our results are consistent with inflammation and synaptic loss early in FAD and suggest new presymptomatic biomarkers of potential usefulness in drug

Physical mapping of the major early-onset familial Alzheimer`s disease locus on chromosome 14 and analysis of candidate gene sequences

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanzi, R.E.; Romano, D.M.; Crowley, A.C. [Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA (United States)] [and others

1994-09-01

Genetic studies of kindreds displaying evidence for familial AD (FAD) have led to the localization of gene defects responsible for this disorder on chromosomes 14, 19, and 21. A minor early-onset FAD gene on chromosome 21 has been identified to enode the amyloid precursor protein (APP), and the late-onset FAD susceptibility locus on chromosome 19 has been shown to be in linkage disequilibrium with the E4 allele of the APOE gene. Meanwhile, the locus responsible for the major form of early-onset FAD on chromosome 14q24 has not yet been identified. By recombinational analysis, we have refined the minimal candidate region containing the gene defect to approximately 3 megabases in 14q24. We will describe our laboratory`s progress on attempts to finely localize this locus, as well as test known candidate genes from this region for either inclusion in the minimal candidate region or the presence of pathogenic mutations. Candidate genes that have been tested so far include cFOS, heat shock protein 70 member (HSF2A), transforming growth factor beta (TGFB3), the trifunctional protein C1-THF synthase (MTHFD), bradykinin receptor (BR), and the E2k component of a-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. HSP2A, E2k, MTHFD, and BR do not map to the current defined minimal candidate region; however, sequence analysis must be performed to confirm exclusion of these genes as true candidates. Meanwhile, no pathogenic mutations have yet been found in cFOS or TGFB3. We have also isolated a large number of novel transcribed sequences from the minimal candidate region in the form of {open_quotes}trapped exons{close_quotes} from cosmids identified by hybridization to select YAC clones; we are currently in the process of searching for pathogenic mutations in these exons in affected individuals from FAD families.

Dependency distance distribution - from the perspective of genre variation. Comment on "Dependency distance: a new perspective on syntactic patterns in natural languages" by Haitao Liu et al.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yaqin

2017-07-01

Language can be regarded as a system where different components fit together, according to Saussure [1]. Likewise, the central axiom of synergetic linguistic is that language is a self-organized and self-adapting system. One of its main concerns is to view language as ;a psycho-social phenomenon and a biological-cognitive one at the same time; [2, 760]. Based on this assumption, Liu, Xu and Liang propose a novel approach, i.e., dependency distance, to study the general tendency hidden beneath diverse human languages [3]. As the authors describe in sections 1-3, variations within and between human languages all show the similar tendency towards dependency distance minimization (DDM). In sections 4-5, they introduce certain syntactic patterns related to both short and long dependency distances. However, the effect of genre seems to be given less sufficient attention by the authors. A study suggests that different distributions of closeness and degree centralities across genres can broaden the understanding of dependency distance distribution [4]. Another one shows that different genres have different parameters in terms of modeling dependency distance distribution [5]. Further research on the genre variation, therefore, can provide additional support for this issue.

Modification of glassy carbon electrode with a polymer/mediator composite and its application for the electrochemical detection of iodate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Ta-Jen; Lin, Chia-Yu; Balamurugan, A.; Kung, Chung-Wei; Wang, Jen-Yuan; Hu, Chih-Wei; Wang, Chun-Chieh; Chen, Po-Yen; Vittal, R.; Ho, Kuo-Chuan

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► FAD and PEDOT are combined to modify the glassy carbon electrode for IO 3 − sensing. ► The doping of FAD into PEDOT matrix can almost be viewed as an irreversible process. ► The optimal cycle number for preparing the GCE/PEDOT/FAD electrode is found to be 9. ► The detection limit of the GCE/PEDOT/FAD electrode for IO 3 − is found to be 0.16 μM. ► The GCE/PEDOT/FAD electrode possesses enough selectivity toward IO 3 − . - Abstract: A modified glassy carbon electrode was prepared by depositing a composite of polymer and mediator on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The mediator, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and the polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) were electrochemically deposited as a composite on the GCE by applying cyclic voltammetry (CV). This modified electrode is hereafter designated as GCE/PEDOT/FAD. FAD was found to significantly enhance the growth of PEDOT. Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) analysis was performed to study the mass changes in the electrode during the electrodeposition of PEDOT, with and without the addition of FAD. The optimal cycle number for preparing the modified electrode was determined to be 9, and the corresponding surface coverage of FAD (Γ FAD ) was ca. 5.11 × 10 −10 mol cm −2 . The amperometric detection of iodate was performed in a 100 mM buffer solution (pH 1.5). The GCE/PEDOT/FAD showed a sensitivity of 0.78 μA μM −1 cm −2 , a linear range of 4–140 μM, and a limit of detection of 0.16 μM for iodate. The interference effects of 250-fold Na + , Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , Zn 2+ , Fe 2+ , Cl − , NO 3 − , I − , SO 4 2− and SO 3 2− , with reference to the concentration of iodate were negligible. The long-term stability of GCE/PEDOT/FAD was also investigated. The GCE/PEDOT/FAD electrode retained 82% of its initial amperometric response to iodate after 7 days. The GCE/PEDOT/FAD was also applied to determine iodate in a commercial salt.

Remaining challenges in cellular flavin cofactor homeostasis and flavoprotein biogenesis

Science.gov (United States)

Giancaspero, Teresa Anna; Colella, Matilde; Brizio, Carmen; Difonzo, Graziana; Fiorino, Giuseppina Maria; Leone, Piero; Brandsch, Roderich; Bonomi, Francesco; Iametti, Stefania; Barile, Maria

2015-04-01

The primary role of the water-soluble vitamin B2 (riboflavin) in cell biology is connected with its conversion into FMN and FAD, the cofactors of a large number of dehydrogenases, oxidases and reductases involved in energetic metabolism, epigenetics, protein folding, as well as in a number of diverse regulatory processes. The problem of localisation of flavin cofactor synthesis events and in particular of the FAD synthase (EC 2.7.7.2) in HepG2 cells is addressed here by confocal microscopy in the frame of its relationships with kinetics of FAD synthesis and delivery to client apo-flavoproteins. FAD synthesis catalysed by recombinant isoform 2 of FADS occurs via an ordered bi-bi mechanism in which ATP binds prior to FMN, and pyrophosphate is released before FAD. Spectrophotometric continuous assays of the reconstitution rate of apo-D-aminoacid oxidase with its cofactor, allowed us to propose that besides its FAD synthesising activity, hFADS is able to operate as a FAD "chaperone". The physical interaction between FAD forming enzyme and its clients was further confirmed by dot blot and immunoprecipitation experiments carried out testing as a client either a nuclear or a mitochondrial enzyme that is lysine specific demethylase 1 (LSD1, EC 1.-.-.-) and dimethylglycine dehydrogenase (Me2GlyDH, EC 1.5.8.4), respectively which carry out similar reactions of oxidative demethylation, assisted by tetrahydrofolate used to form 5,10-methylene-tetrahydrofolate. A direct transfer of the cofactor from hFADS2 to apo-dimethyl glycine dehydrogenase was also demonstrated. Thus, FAD synthesis and delivery to these enzymes are crucial processes for bioenergetics and nutri-epigenetics of liver cells.

Breast cancer arising within fibroadenoma: collective analysis of case reports in the literature and hints on treatment policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yu-Ting; Chen, Shou-Tung; Chen, Chih-Jung; Kuo, Yao-Lung; Tseng, Ling-Ming; Chen, Dar-Ren; Kuo, Shou-Jen; Lai, Hung-Wen

2014-11-10

Breast cancer arising within a fibroadenoma (BcaFad) is rare; the rate varies from 0.002% to 0.125% in fibroadenoma specimens. Owing to its rarity, the clinicopathologic feature and treatment principle of BcaFad is still not clear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform a collective analysis of case reports in the literature to identify the characteristics and optimal treatment for BcaFad. We analyzed an aggregated sample of 30 patients with BcaFad from case reports in the literature (n=24 cases) and our present study (n=6 cases). We collected and analyzed the clinicopathologic features and prognoses of patients with BcaFad, as well as treatments they received. The patients' mean age at diagnosis was 46.9 years. Twenty BcaFad patients (66.7%) received breast-conserving surgery (BCS), and nine other patients (30.0%) were treated with mastectomy. The rate of lymph node metastasis in BcaFad patients was 23.8%. The breakdown of the histological types of BcaFad was invasive ductal carcinoma (53.3%), followed by ductal carcinoma in situ (23.3%), lobular carcinoma in situ (16.7%) and invasive lobular carcinoma (13.3%). More than half of patients with positive hormone receptor status received hormone therapy. Most BcaFad patients with lymph node metastases received chemotherapy, and 20.0% of BcaFad patients treated with BCS received further radiotherapy. Only one patient had recurrence after surgery, and another had lung metastasis when diagnosed with BcaFad. Most BcaFad patients could be managed by BCS. Adjuvant radiotherapy could be performed, but was not mandatory. Chemotherapy should be considered as a treatment option in the presence of lymph node metastasis.

Inertial confinement fusion target component fabrication and technology development support. Annual report, October 1, 1996--September 30, 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gibson, J. [ed.

1998-03-01

This report documents the technical activities of the period October 1, 1996 through September 30, 1997. During this period, GA and their partner Schafer Corporation were assigned 13 formal tasks in support of the ICF program and its five laboratories. A portion of the effort on these tasks included providing direct {open_quotes}Onsite Support{close_quotes} at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Sandia National Laboratory Albuquerque (SNLA). Over 700 gold-plated hohlraum mandrels were fabricated and delivered to LLNL, LANL and SNLA. More than 1600 glass and plastic target capsules were produced for LLNL, LANL, SNLA and University of Rochester/Laboratory for Laser Energetics (UR/LLE). Nearly 2000 various target foils and films were delivered for Naval Research Lab (NRL) and UR/LLE in FY97. This report describes these target fabrication activities and the target fabrication and characterization development activities that made the deliveries possible. The ICF program is anticipating experiments at the OMEGA laser and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) which will require targets containing cryogenic layered D{sub 2} or deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel. This project is part of the National Cryogenic Target Program and support experiments at LLNL and LANL to generate and characterize cryogenic layers for these targets. During FY97, significant progress was made in the design and component testing of the OMEGA Cryogenic Target System that will field cryogenic targets on OMEGA. This included major design changes, reduction in equipment, and process simplifications. This report summarizes and documents the technical progress made on these tasks.

Optical CDMA components requirements

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, James K.

1998-08-01

Optical CDMA is a complementary multiple access technology to WDMA. Optical CDMA potentially provides a large number of virtual optical channels for IXC, LEC and CLEC or supports a large number of high-speed users in LAN. In a network, it provides asynchronous, multi-rate, multi-user communication with network scalability, re-configurability (bandwidth on demand), and network security (provided by inherent CDMA coding). However, optical CDMA technology is less mature in comparison to WDMA. The components requirements are also different from WDMA. We have demonstrated a video transport/switching system over a distance of 40 Km using discrete optical components in our laboratory. We are currently pursuing PIC implementation. In this paper, we will describe the optical CDMA concept/features, the demonstration system, and the requirements of some critical optical components such as broadband optical source, broadband optical amplifier, spectral spreading/de- spreading, and fixed/programmable mask.

Spatial, temporal, and density-dependent components of habitat quality for a desert owl.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aaron D Flesch

Full Text Available Spatial variation in resources is a fundamental driver of habitat quality but the realized value of resources at any point in space may depend on the effects of conspecifics and stochastic factors, such as weather, which vary through time. We evaluated the relative and combined effects of habitat resources, weather, and conspecifics on habitat quality for ferruginous pygmy-owls (Glaucidium brasilianum in the Sonoran Desert of northwest Mexico by monitoring reproductive output and conspecific abundance over 10 years in and around 107 territory patches. Variation in reproductive output was much greater across space than time, and although habitat resources explained a much greater proportion of that variation (0.70 than weather (0.17 or conspecifics (0.13, evidence for interactions among each of these components of the environment was strong. Relative to habitat that was persistently low in quality, high-quality habitat buffered the negative effects of conspecifics and amplified the benefits of favorable weather, but did not buffer the disadvantages of harsh weather. Moreover, the positive effects of favorable weather at low conspecific densities were offset by intraspecific competition at high densities. Although realized habitat quality declined with increasing conspecific density suggesting interference mechanisms associated with an Ideal Free Distribution, broad spatial heterogeneity in habitat quality persisted. Factors linked to food resources had positive effects on reproductive output but only where nest cavities were sufficiently abundant to mitigate the negative effects of heterospecific enemies. Annual precipitation and brooding-season temperature had strong multiplicative effects on reproductive output, which declined at increasing rates as drought and temperature increased, reflecting conditions predicted to become more frequent with climate change. Because the collective environment influences habitat quality in complex ways

APS beamline standard components handbook