Facial Contrast Is a Cross-Cultural Cue for Perceiving Age

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Aurélie Porcheron

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Age is a fundamental social dimension and a youthful appearance is of importance for many individuals, perhaps because it is a relevant predictor of aspects of health, facial attractiveness and general well-being. We recently showed that facial contrast—the color and luminance difference between facial features and the surrounding skin—is age-related and a cue to age perception of Caucasian women. Specifically, aspects of facial contrast decrease with age in Caucasian women, and Caucasian female faces with higher contrast look younger (Porcheron et al., 2013. Here we investigated faces of other ethnic groups and raters of other cultures to see whether facial contrast is a cross-cultural youth-related attribute. Using large sets of full face color photographs of Chinese, Latin American and black South African women aged 20–80, we measured the luminance and color contrast between the facial features (the eyes, the lips, and the brows and the surrounding skin. Most aspects of facial contrast that were previously found to decrease with age in Caucasian women were also found to decrease with age in the other ethnic groups. Though the overall pattern of changes with age was common to all women, there were also some differences between the groups. In a separate study, individual faces of the 4 ethnic groups were perceived younger by French and Chinese participants when the aspects of facial contrast that vary with age in the majority of faces were artificially increased, but older when they were artificially decreased. Altogether these findings indicate that facial contrast is a cross-cultural cue to youthfulness. Because cosmetics were shown to enhance facial contrast, this work provides some support for the notion that a universal function of cosmetics is to make female faces look younger.

Dependence of extinction cross-section on incident polarization state and particle orientation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Ping; Wendisch, Manfred; Bi Lei; Kattawar, George; Mishchenko, Michael; Hu, Yongxiang

2011-01-01

This note reports on the effects of the polarization state of an incident quasi-monochromatic parallel beam of radiation and the orientation of a hexagonal ice particle with respect to the incident direction on the extinction process. When the incident beam is aligned with the six-fold rotational symmetry axis, the extinction is independent of the polarization state of the incident light. For other orientations, the extinction cross-section for linearly polarized light can be either larger or smaller than its counterpart for an unpolarized incident beam. Therefore, the attenuation of a quasi-monochromatic radiation beam by an ice cloud depends on the polarization state of the beam if ice crystals within the cloud are not randomly oriented. Furthermore, a case study of the extinction of light by a quartz particle is also presented to illustrate the dependence of the extinction cross-section on the polarization state of the incident light.

Cultural Orientations Framework (COF) Assessment Questionnaire in Cross-Cultural Coaching: A Cross-Validation with Wave Focus Styles

OpenAIRE

Rojon, C; McDowall, A

2010-01-01

This paper outlines a cross-validation of the Cultural Orientations Framework assessment questionnaire\\ud (COF, Rosinski, 2007; a new tool designed for cross-cultural coaching) with the Saville Consulting\\ud Wave Focus Styles questionnaire (Saville Consulting, 2006; an existing validated measure of\\ud occupational personality), using data from UK and German participants (N = 222). The convergent and\\ud divergent validity of the questionnaire was adequate. Contrary to previous findings which u...

Neural signal for counteracting pre-action bias in the centromedian thalamic nucleus

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Takafumi eMinamimoto

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Most of our daily actions are selected and executed involuntarily under familiar situations by the guidance of internal drives, such as motivation. The behavioral tendency or biasing towards one over others reflects the action-selection process in advance of action execution (i.e., pre-action bias. Facing unexpected situations, however, pre-action bias should be withdrawn and replaced by an alternative that is suitable for the situation (i.e., counteracting bias. To understand the neural mechanism for the counteracting process, we studied the neural activity of the thalamic centromedian (CM nucleus in monkeys performing GO-NOGO task with asymmetrical or symmetrical reward conditions. The monkeys reacted to GO signal faster in large-reward condition, indicating behavioral bias toward large reward. In contrast, they responded slowly in small-reward condition, suggesting a conflict between internal drive and external demand. We found that neurons in the CM nucleus exhibited phasic burst discharges after GO and NOGO instructions especially when they were associated with small reward. The small-reward preference was positively correlated with the strength of behavioral bias toward large reward. The small-reward preference disappeared when only NOGO action was requested. The timing of activation predicted the timing of action opposed to bias. These results suggest that CM signals the discrepancy between internal pre-action bias and external demand, and mediates the counteracting process — resetting behavioral bias and leading to execution of opposing action.

Tamoxifen counteracts estradiol induced effects on striatal and hypophyseal dopamine receptors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferretti, C.; Blengio, M.; Ghi, P.; Racca, S.; Genazzani, E.; Portaleone, P.

1988-01-01

We investigated the ability of Tamoxifen (TAM), an antiestrogen drug, to counteract the modification induced by estrogens on dopamine (DA) receptors on striatum and on adenohypophysis of ovex female rats. Subacute treatment with 17β-estradiol (E 2 ) at both low (0.1 μg/kg) and high (20 μg/kg) doses confirmed its ability to increase the number of striatal 3 H-Spiperone ( 3 H-SPI) binding sites in a dose dependent manner. By contrast in the pituitary, only high doses of estrogen were effective in reducing the number of DA receptors. We treated ovex female rats for 15 days with TAM alone or associated with E 2 , to see if these estrogenic effects could be suppressed by an antiestrogenic drug. TAM did not affect the number of striatal DA receptors, but significantly increased the adenohypophy-seal DA binding sites, without varying their affinity. No changes were observed in pituitary and striatal DA receptor density, even when TAM was injected in association with estradiol. In conclusions: TAM is able to counteract the effects estrogens have on DA receptors. However there is some evidence that it could influence the pituitary DA systems independently of it antiestrogenic activity

Cross-linkable liposomes stabilize a magnetic resonance contrast-enhancing polymeric fastener.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Cartney E; Kong, Hyunjoon

2014-04-08

Liposomes are commonly used to deliver drugs and contrast agents to their target site in a controlled manner. One of the greatest obstacles in the performance of such delivery vehicles is their stability in the presence of serum. Here, we demonstrate a method to stabilize a class of liposomes that load gadolinium, a magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agent, as a model cargo on their surfaces. We hypothesized that the sequential adsorption of a gadolinium-binding chitosan fastener on the liposome surface followed by covalent cross-linking of the lipid bilayer would provide enhanced stability and improved MR signal in the presence of human serum. To investigate this hypothesis, liposomes composed of diyne-containing lipids were assembled and functionalized via chitosan conjugated with a hydrophobic anchor and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA). This postadsorption cross-linking strategy served to stabilize the thermodynamically favorable association between liposome and polymeric fastener. Furthermore, the chitosan-coated, cross-linked liposomes proved more effective as delivery vehicles of gadolinium than uncross-linked liposomes due to the reduced liposome degradation and chitosan desorption. Overall, this study demonstrates a useful method to stabilize a broad class of particles used for systemic delivery of various molecular payloads.

Exploring the cross-level impact of market orientation on nursing innovation in hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Weng, Rhay-Hung; Huang, Ching-Yuan; Lin, Tzu-En

2013-01-01

Recently, many hospitals have been enthusiastically encouraging nurses to pursue nursing innovation to improve health care quality and increase nursing productivity by proposing innovative training methods, products, services, care skills, and care methods. This study tried to explore the cross-level impact of market orientation on nursing innovation. In our study, 3 to 7 nurses and 1 manager were selected from each nursing team to act as respondents. The questionnaire survey began after the managers of each nursing team and the nurses had been anonymously coded and paired up in Taiwan in 2009-2010. A total of 808 valid questionnaires were collected, including 172 valid teams. Hierarchical linear modeling was used for the analysis. Nursing innovation is the sum of knowledge creation, innovation behavior, and innovation diffusion displayed by the nurses during nursing care. The level of knowledge creation, as perceived by the nurses, was the highest, whereas the level of innovation diffusion was the lowest. Results of hierarchical linear modeling showed that only competitor orientation yielded a significant positive influence on knowledge creation, innovation behavior, or innovation diffusion. The r values were 0.53, 0.49, and 0.61, respectively. Customer orientation and interfunctional coordination did not have significant effects on nursing innovation. Hospital nurses exhibited better performance in knowledge creation than in innovation behavior and diffusion. Only competitor orientation had a significantly positive and cross-level influence on nursing innovation. However, competitor orientation was observed to be the lowest dimension of market orientation, which indicates that this factor should be the focus when improving nursing innovations in the future. Therefore, managers should continually understand the strategies, advantages, and methods of their competitors.

Adaptation of BAp crystal orientation to stress distribution in rat mandible during bone growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakano, T; Fujitani, W; Ishimoto, T [Division of Materials and Manufacturing Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1, Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Umakoshi, Y [National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1, Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaragi, 305-0471 (Japan)], E-mail: nakano@mat.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp

2009-05-01

Biological apatite (BAp) c-axis orientation strongly depends on stress distribution in vivo and tends to align along the principal stress direction in bones. Dentulous mandible is subjected to a complicated stress condition in vivo during chewing but few studies have been carried out on the BAp c-axis orientation; so the adaptation of BAp crystal orientation to stress distribution was examined in rat dentulous mandible during bone growth and mastication. Female SD rats 4 to 14 weeks old were prepared, and the bone mineral density (BMD) and BAp crystal orientation were analyzed in a cross-section of mandible across the first molar focusing on two positions: separated from and just under the tooth root on the same cross-section perpendicular to the mesiodistal axis. The degree of BAp orientation was analyzed by a microbeam X-ray diffractometer using Cu-K{alpha} radiation equipped with a detector of curved one-dimensional PSPC and two-dimensional PSPC in the reflection and transmission optics, respectively. BMD quickly increased during bone growth up to 14 weeks, although it was independent of the position from the tooth root. In contrast, BAp crystal orientation strongly depended on the age and the position from the tooth root, even in the same cross-section and direction, especially along the mesiodistal and the biting axes. With increased biting stress during bone growth, the degree of BAp orientation increased along the mesiodistal axis in a position separated from the tooth root more than that near the tooth root. In contrast, BAp preferential alignment clearly appeared along the biting axis near the tooth root. We conclude that BAp orientation rather than BMD sensitively adapts to local stress distribution, especially from the chewing stress in vivo in the mandible.

Tamoxifen counteracts estradiol induced effects on striatal and hypophyseal dopamine receptors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferretti, C.; Blengio, M.; Ghi, P.; Racca, S.; Genazzani, E.; Portaleone, P.

1988-01-01

We investigated the ability of Tamoxifen (TAM), an antiestrogen drug, to counteract the modification induced by estrogens on dopamine (DA) receptors on striatum and on adenohypophysis of ovex female rats. Subacute treatment with 17..beta..-estradiol (E/sub 2/) at both low (0.1 ..mu..g/kg) and high (20 ..mu..g/kg) doses confirmed its ability to increase the number of striatal /sup 3/H-Spiperone (/sup 3/H-SPI) binding sites in a dose dependent manner. By contrast in the pituitary, only high doses of estrogen were effective in reducing the number of DA receptors. We treated ovex female rats for 15 days with TAM alone or associated with E/sub 2/, to see if these estrogenic effects could be suppressed by an antiestrogenic drug. TAM did not affect the number of striatal DA receptors, but significantly increased the adenohypophy-seal DA binding sites, without varying their affinity. No changes were observed in pituitary and striatal DA receptor density, even when TAM was injected in association with estradiol. In conclusions: TAM is able to counteract the effects estrogens have on DA receptors. However there is some evidence that it could influence the pituitary DA systems independently of it antiestrogenic activity.

Caffeine counteracts impairments in task-oriented psychomotor performance induced by chlorpheniramine: a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sung-Wan; Bae, Kyung-Yeol; Shin, Hee-Young; Kim, Jae-Min; Shin, Il-Seon; Kim, Jong-Keun; Kang, Gaeun; Yoon, Jin-Sang

2013-01-01

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of chlorpheniramine on psychomotor performance and the counteracting effects of caffeine on those sedative antihistamine actions. Sixteen healthy young men participated in this study. Using a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design, each subject was administered one of the following conditions in a random order with a one-week interval: 'placebo-placebo', '4 mg of chlorpheniramine-placebo', 'placebo-200 mg of caffeine' or '4 mg of chlorpheniramine-200 mg of caffeine'. Before and after the treatments, psychomotor functions were assessed using a battery of tests. Additionally, subjective responses were assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Psychomotor performance changed over time in different ways according to the combination of study medications. In the 'chlorpheniramine-placebo' condition, reaction times of the compensatory tracking task were significantly impaired compared with the other three conditions. In addition, the number of omission errors of the continuous performance test were significantly greater compared with the 'placebo-caffeine' condition. However, the response pattern of the 'chlorpheniramine-caffeine' condition was not significantly different from that of the 'placebo-placebo' condition. Changes of VAS for sleepiness were significantly greater in the 'chlorpheniramine-placebo' condition compared with the other three conditions. In conclusion, chlorpheniramine significantly increases subjective sleepiness and objectively impairs psychomotor performance. However, caffeine counteracts these sedative effects and psychomotor impairments.

3D variations in human crown dentin tubule orientation: a phase-contrast microtomography study.

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Zaslansky, Paul; Zabler, Simon; Fratzl, Peter

2010-01-01

Tubules dominate the microstructure of dentin, and in crowns of human teeth they are surrounded by thick mineralized peritubular cuffs of high stiffness. Here we examine the three-dimensional (3D) arrangement of tubules in relation to enamel on the buccal and lingual aspects of intact premolars and molars. Specifically we investigate the angular orientation of tubules relative to the plane of the junction of dentin with enamel (DEJ) by means of wet, non-destructive and high-resolution phase-contrast (coherent) tomography. Enamel capped dentin samples (n=16), cut from the buccal and lingual surfaces of upper and lower premolar and molar teeth, were imaged in water by high-resolution synchrotron-based phase-contrast X-ray radiography. Reconstructed 3D virtual images were co-aligned with respect to the DEJ plane. The average tubule orientation was determined at increasing distances from the DEJ, based on integrated projections onto orthogonal virtual planes. The angle and curl of the tubules were determined every 100 microm to a depth of 1.4mm beneath the DEJ. Most tubules do not extend at right angles from the DEJ. Even when they do, tubules always change their orientations substantially within the first half-millimeter zone beneath the DEJ, both on the buccal and lingual aspects of premolar and molar teeth. Tubules also tend to curl and twist within this zone. Student t-tests indicate that lower teeth seem to have greater tilts in the tubule orientations relative to the DEJ normal with an average angle of 42 degrees (+/-2.0 degrees), whereas upper teeth exhibit a smaller change of orientation, with an average of 32 degrees (+/-2.1 degrees). Tubules are a central characteristic of dentin, with important implications on how it is arranged and what the properties are. Knowing about the path that tubules follow is important for various reasons, ranging form improving control over restorative procedures to understanding or simulating the mechanical properties of teeth

Experimental observations on the optimal layout of orientation blocks for safe road crossing by the visually impaired

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Tomoyuki Inagaki

2017-07-01

For this paper, in order to examine in greater detail the desirable position of orientation blocks relative to TWSI, the authors conducted an experiment using totally blind subjects to evaluate conditions on a 10 m walk that simulated an actual crossing. The results, based on observations of the trajectories walked by participants in the experiment and interviews eliciting their subjective evaluations, showed that separating orientation blocks and blister tactile blocks by about 8–12 cm is effective in constraining lateral deviation at a point 5 m from the start of crossing and that an 8 cm separation was desirable in order to maintain an effective reduction of mental stress while crossing.

Cross-Sector Partnerships and the Co-creation of Dynamic Capabilities for Stakeholder Orientation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dentoni, D.; Bitzer, V.C.; Pascucci, S.

2016-01-01

This paper explores the relationship between business experience in cross-sector partnerships (CSPs) and the co-creation of what we refer to as ‘dynamic capabilities for stakeholder orientation,’ consisting of the four dimensions of (1) sensing, (2) interacting with, (3) learning from and (4)

Sexual orientation identity and tobacco and hazardous alcohol use: findings from a cross-sectional English population survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Shahab, Lion; Brown, Jamie; Hagger-Johnson, Gareth; Michie, Susan; Semlyen, Joanna; West, Robert; Meads, Catherine

2017-10-25

To assess the association between tobacco and hazardous alcohol use and sexual orientation and whether such an association could be explained by other sociodemographic characteristics. Cross-sectional household survey conducted in 2014-2016. England, UK. Representative English population sample (pooled n=43 866). Sexual orientation identity (lesbian/gay, bisexual, heterosexual, prefer-not-to-say); current tobacco and hazardous alcohol use (defined as Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Score ≥8). All outcomes were self-reported. Due to interactions between sexual orientation and gender for substance use, analyses were stratified by gender. Tobacco use prevalence was significantly higher among lesbian/gay (women: 24.9%, 95% CI 19.2% to 32.6%; men: 25.9%, 95% CI 21.3% to 31.0%) and bisexual participants (women: 32.4%, 95% CI 25.9% to 39.6%; men: 30.7%, 95% CI 23.7% to 30.7%) and significantly lower for prefer-not-to-say participants in women (15.5%, 95% CI 13.5% to 17.8%) but not men (22.7%, 95% CI 20.3% to 25.3%) compared with heterosexual participants (women: 17.5%, 95% CI 17.0% to 18.0%; men: 20.4%, 95% CI 19.9% to 21.0%; psexual orientation groups among both women and men. By contrast, sexual orientation differences in hazardous alcohol use remained even after adjustment among women but not for bisexual and gay men. In England, higher rates of tobacco use among sexual minority men and women appear to be attributable to other sociodemographic factors. Higher rates of hazardous alcohol use among sexual minority men may also be attributable to these factors, whereas this is not the case for sexual minority women. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Cross-Cultural Validation of the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM): Motivation Orientations of Navajo and Anglo Students.

Science.gov (United States)

McInerney, Dennis M.; Yeung, Alexander Seeshing; McInerney, Valentina

2001-01-01

Validated the Motivation Orientation scales of the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM) (M. Maher, 1984) across Navajo (n=760) and Anglo (n=1,012) students. Findings show that even though the ISM motivation orientation scales are applicable to students of different cultural backgrounds, meaningful cross-cultural comparisons should use the 30 items…

Temporal-frequency tuning of cross-orientation suppression in the cat striate cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Allison, J D; Smith, K R; Bonds, A B

2001-01-01

A sinusoidal mask grating oriented orthogonally to and superimposed onto an optimally oriented base grating reduces a cortical neuron's response amplitude. The spatial selectivity of cross-orientation suppression (XOR) has been described, so for this paper we investigated the temporal properties of XOR. We recorded from single striate cortical neurons (n = 72) in anesthetized and paralyzed cats. After quantifying the spatial and temporal characteristics of each cell's excitatory response to a base grating, we measured the temporal-frequency tuning of XOR by systematically varying the temporal frequency of a mask grating placed at a null orientation outside of the cell's excitatory orientation domain. The average preferred temporal frequency of the excitatory response of the neurons in our sample was 3.8 (+/- 1.5 S.D.) Hz. The average cutoff frequency for the sample was 16.3 (+/- 1.7) Hz. The average preferred temporal frequency (7.0 +/- 2.6 Hz) and cutoff frequency (20.4 +/- 6.9 Hz) of the XOR were significantly higher. The differences averaged 1.1 (+/- 0.6) octaves for the peaks and 0.3 (+/- 0.4) octaves for the cutoffs. The XOR mechanism's preference for high temporal frequencies suggests a possible extrastriate origin for the effect and could help explain the low-pass temporal-frequency response profile displayed by most striate cortical neurons.

A cross-stacked plasmonic nanowire network for high-contrast femtosecond optical switching.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yuanhai; Zhang, Xinping; Fang, Xiaohui; Liang, Shuyan

2016-01-21

We report an ultrafast optical switching device constructed by stacking two layers of gold nanowires into a perpendicularly crossed network, which works at a speed faster than 280 fs with an on/off modulation depth of about 22.4%. The two stacks play different roles in enhancing consistently the optical switching performance due to their different dependence on the polarization of optical electric fields. The cross-plasmon resonance based on the interaction between the perpendicularly stacked gold nanowires and its Fano-coupling with Rayleigh anomaly is the dominant mechanism for such a high-contrast optical switching device.

Cross – altar – orientation of the offered prayer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jarosław A. Superson

2012-09-01

Full Text Available This article presents a brief history of the orientation of the altar in the liturgical space, the cross with the image of the Crucified on it and the direction of the liturgical prayers from the altar. In the Church’s history the altar was usually placed in the apse or among the congregation. For hundreds of years there was a rule that the celebrant standing at the altar and the faithful participating in the Mass offered prayers to eastern direction. In the first millennium at the Roman Catholic Church only consecration gifts were being placed on the altar, and only at the beginning of the second millennium first the candelabra, than the crucifix were put on. After accepting the Dialogue Mass and the versus populum celebration by the Second Vatican Council, the cross was placed near the altar usually as the processional cross with the image of Jesus Christ facing the faithful. Since 2007, during the celebration of the Eucharist presided by Pope Benedict XVI the cross stands in the center of the altar with the image of the Crucified directed towards the principal celebrant.

Quantitative hard x-ray phase contrast imaging of micropipes in SiC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kohn, V. G.; Argunova, T. S.; Je, J. H.

2013-01-01

Peculiarities of quantitative hard x-ray phase contrast imaging of micropipes in SiC are discussed. The micropipe is assumed as a hollow cylinder with an elliptical cross section. The major and minor diameters can be restored using the least square fitting procedure by comparing the experimental data, i.e. the profile across the micropipe axis, with those calculated based on phase contrast theory. It is shown that one projection image gives an information which does not allow a complete determination of the elliptical cross section, if an orientation of micropipe is not known. Another problem is a weak accuracy in estimating the diameters, partly because of using pink synchrotron radiation, which is necessary because a monochromatic beam intensity is not sufficient to reveal the weak contrast from a very small object. The general problems of accuracy in estimating the two diameters using the least square procedure are discussed. Two experimental examples are considered to demonstrate small as well as modest accuracies in estimating the diameters

Help to perpetuate traditional gender roles: Benevolent sexism increases engagement in dependency-oriented cross-gender helping.

Science.gov (United States)

Shnabel, Nurit; Bar-Anan, Yoav; Kende, Anna; Bareket, Orly; Lazar, Yael

2016-01-01

Based on theorizing that helping relations may serve as a subtle mechanism to reinforce intergroup inequality, the present research (N = 1,315) examined the relation between benevolent sexism (i.e., a chivalrous yet subtly oppressive view of women) and helping. In cross-gender interactions, the endorsement of (Studies 1, 3, and 4) or exposure to (Study 2) benevolent sexism predicted (a) men's preference to provide women with dependency-oriented help (i.e., direct assistance) rather than tools for autonomous coping, and (b) women's preference to seek dependency-oriented help rather than tools for autonomous coping. Benevolent sexism did not predict men's and women's engagement in dependency-oriented helping relations in same-gender interactions. Studies 1 and 2 examined behavioral intentions in response to a series of hypothetical scenarios; Studies 3 and 4 examined actual behavior in tests of mathematical and logical ability, and pointed to assumed partner's expectations as a potential mediator. The converging evidence supports the hypothesis that benevolent sexism encourages engagement in cross-gender helping relations that perpetuate traditional gender roles. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Developmental Mechanisms Underlying Improved Contrast Thresholds for Discriminations of Orientation Signals Embedded in Noise

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Seong Taek eJeon

2014-09-01

Full Text Available We combined an external noise paradigm with an efficient procedure for obtaining contrast thresholds (Lesmes et al., 2006 in order to model developmental changes during childhood. Specifically, we measured the contrast thresholds of 5-, 7-, 9-year-olds and adults (n = 20/age in a two alternative forced-choice orientation discrimination task over a wide range of external noise levels and at three levels of accuracy. Overall, as age increased, contrast thresholds decreased over the entire range of external noise levels tested. The decrease was greatest between 5 and 7 years of age. The reduction in threshold after age 5 was greater in the high than the low external noise region, a pattern implying greater tolerance to the irrelevant background noise as children became older. To model the mechanisms underlying these developmental changes in terms of internal noise components, we adapted the original perceptual template model (Lu and Dosher, 1998 and normalized the magnitude of performance changes against the performance of 5-year-olds. The resulting model provided an excellent fit (r2 = 0.985 to the contrast thresholds at multiple levels of accuracy (60, 75, and 90% across a wide range of external noise levels. The improvements in contrast thresholds with age were best modelled by a combination of reductions in internal additive noise, reductions in internal multiplicative noise, and improvements in excluding external noise by template retuning. In line with the data, the improvement was greatest between 5 and 7 years of age, accompanied by a 39% reduction in additive noise, 71% reduction in multiplicative noise, and 45% improvement in external noise exclusion. The modelled improvements likely reflect developmental changes at the cortical level, rather than changes in front-end structural properties (Kiorpes et al., 2003.

Counteraction of urea-induced protein denaturation by trimethylamine N-oxide: a chemical chaperone at atomic resolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennion, Brian J; Daggett, Valerie

2004-04-27

Proteins are very sensitive to their solvent environments. Urea is a common chemical denaturant of proteins, yet some animals contain high concentrations of urea. These animals have evolved an interesting mechanism to counteract the effects of urea by using trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). The molecular basis for the ability of TMAO to act as a chemical chaperone remains unknown. Here, we describe molecular dynamics simulations of a small globular protein, chymotrypsin inhibitor 2, in 8 M urea and 4 M TMAO/8 M urea solutions, in addition to other control simulations, to investigate this effect at the atomic level. In 8 M urea, the protein unfolds, and urea acts in both a direct and indirect manner to achieve this effect. In contrast, introduction of 4 M TMAO counteracts the effect of urea and the protein remains well structured. TMAO makes few direct interactions with the protein. Instead, it prevents unfolding of the protein by structuring the solvent. In particular, TMAO orders the solvent and discourages it from competing with intraprotein H bonds and breaking up the hydrophobic core of the protein.

Diffusion of ionic and non-ionic contrast agents in articular cartilage with increased cross-linking--contribution of steric and electrostatic effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Kulmala, K A M; Karjalainen, H M; Kokkonen, H T; Tiitu, V; Kovanen, V; Lammi, M J; Jurvelin, J S; Korhonen, R K; Töyräs, J

2013-10-01

To investigate the effect of threose-induced collagen cross-linking on diffusion of ionic and non-ionic contrast agents in articular cartilage. Osteochondral plugs (Ø=6mm) were prepared from bovine patellae and divided into two groups according to the contrast agent to be used in contrast enhanced computed tomography (CECT) imaging: (I) anionic ioxaglate and (II) non-ionic iodixanol. The groups I and II contained 7 and 6 sample pairs, respectively. One of the paired samples served as a reference while the other was treated with threose to induce collagen cross-linking. The equilibrium partitioning of the contrast agents was imaged after 24h of immersion. Fixed charge density (FCD), water content, contents of proteoglycans, total collagen, hydroxylysyl pyridinoline (HP), lysyl pyridinoline (LP) and pentosidine (Pent) cross-links were determined as a reference. The equilibrium partitioning of ioxaglate (group I) was significantly (p=0.018) lower (-23.4%) in threose-treated than control samples while the equilibrium partitioning of iodixanol (group II) was unaffected by the threose-treatment. FCD in the middle and deep zones of the cartilage (pionic iodixanol showed no changes in partition after cross-linking, in contrast to anionic ioxaglate, we conclude that the cross-linking induced changes in charge distribution have greater effect on diffusion compared to the cross-linking induced changes in steric hindrance. Copyright © 2013 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Active voltage contrast imaging of cross-sectional surface of multilayer ceramic capacitor using helium ion microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakai, C., E-mail: SAKAI.Chikako@nims.go.jp; Ishida, N.; Masuda, H.; Nagano, S.; Kitahara, M.; Fujita, D. [National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047 (Japan); Ogata, Y. [TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD., Takasaki-shi, Gunma 370-3347 (Japan)

2016-08-01

We studied active voltage contrast (AVC) imaging using helium ion microscopy (HIM). We observed secondary electron (SE) images of the cross-sectional surface of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) with and without a voltage applied to the internal electrodes. When no voltage was applied, we obtained an image reflecting the material contrast between the Ni internal electrode region and the BaTiO{sub 3} dielectric region of the cross-sectional surface of the MLCC. When a voltage was applied, the electrical potential difference between the grounded and the positively biased internal electrodes affected the contrast (voltage contrast). Moreover, attenuation of the SE intensity from the grounded to the positively biased internal electrodes was observed in the dielectric region. Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) measurements of the contact potential difference (CPD) were performed on the same sample. By using the AVC image from the HIM observation and the CPD image from the KPFM measurement, we could quantitatively evaluate the electrical potential. We think that the results of this study will lead to an expansion in the number of applications of HIM.

Relationship between Future Time Orientation and Item Nonresponse on Subjective Probability Questions: A Cross-Cultural Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sunghee; Liu, Mingnan; Hu, Mengyao

2017-06-01

Time orientation is an unconscious yet fundamental cognitive process that provides a framework for organizing personal experiences in temporal categories of past, present and future, reflecting the relative emphasis given to these categories. Culture lies central to individuals' time orientation, leading to cultural variations in time orientation. For example, people from future-oriented cultures tend to emphasize the future and store information relevant for the future more than those from present- or past-oriented cultures. For survey questions that ask respondents to report expected probabilities of future events, this may translate into culture-specific question difficulties, manifested through systematically varying "I don't know" item nonresponse rates. This study drew on the time orientation theory and examined culture-specific nonresponse patterns on subjective probability questions using methodologically comparable population-based surveys from multiple countries. The results supported our hypothesis. Item nonresponse rates on these questions varied significantly in the way that future-orientation at the group as well as individual level was associated with lower nonresponse rates. This pattern did not apply to non-probability questions. Our study also suggested potential nonresponse bias. Examining culture-specific constructs, such as time orientation, as a framework for measurement mechanisms may contribute to improving cross-cultural research.

The Influence of Cross-Sectional Shape and Orientation of Micropillar Surface on Microdroplet Formation by a Dewetting Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bambang Arip Dwiyantoro

2013-07-01

Full Text Available In this study the dewetting process on micropillars of three different cross-sectional shapes, i.e. circular, square and triangular, was numerically investigated. The influence of the orientation of the triangular and square micropillars on the dewetting behavior was also studied. The numerical simulations showed that the cross-sectional shapes of the micropillars and their orientation play an important role in determining the flow pattern of the dewetting process, especially the evolution and movement of the meniscus across the micropillar before a microdroplet is formed. The diameter of the microdroplets is mainly determined by the capillary effect, viscous drag and fluid inertia contributed by the peeling rate and the thickness of the water layer above the micropillar. The numerical results also indicate that the hydraulic diameter of the micropillars (Dp is one of the parameters governing the size of the microdroplets formed on the top surface of the micropillars after the dewetting process, while the microdroplet diameter is almost insensitive to the cross-sectional shape and orientation of the micropillars. The dimensionless diameter of the microdroplets (d can then be expressed as a function of a dimensionless group, i.e. the Ohnesorge number (Oh, the capillary number (Ca, the dimensionless liquid thickness (H, and the contact angle (q.

Sialyltransferase activity probably counteracts that of sialidase as ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Sialyltransferase activity probably counteracts that of sialidase as one of the possible mechanisms of natural recovery or stabilization of erythrocyte mass in trypanosome-infected animals - A perspective.

Orientation-Cue Invariant Population Responses to Contrast-Modulated and Phase-Reversed Contour Stimuli in Macaque V1 and V2

Science.gov (United States)

An, Xu; Gong, Hongliang; Yin, Jiapeng; Wang, Xiaochun; Pan, Yanxia; Zhang, Xian; Lu, Yiliang; Yang, Yupeng; Toth, Zoltan; Schiessl, Ingo; McLoughlin, Niall; Wang, Wei

2014-01-01

Visual scenes can be readily decomposed into a variety of oriented components, the processing of which is vital for object segregation and recognition. In primate V1 and V2, most neurons have small spatio-temporal receptive fields responding selectively to oriented luminance contours (first order), while only a subgroup of neurons signal non-luminance defined contours (second order). So how is the orientation of second-order contours represented at the population level in macaque V1 and V2? Here we compared the population responses in macaque V1 and V2 to two types of second-order contour stimuli generated either by modulation of contrast or phase reversal with those to first-order contour stimuli. Using intrinsic signal optical imaging, we found that the orientation of second-order contour stimuli was represented invariantly in the orientation columns of both macaque V1 and V2. A physiologically constrained spatio-temporal energy model of V1 and V2 neuronal populations could reproduce all the recorded population responses. These findings suggest that, at the population level, the primate early visual system processes the orientation of second-order contours initially through a linear spatio-temporal filter mechanism. Our results of population responses to different second-order contour stimuli support the idea that the orientation maps in primate V1 and V2 can be described as a spatial-temporal energy map. PMID:25188576

Ubiquitin-specific Protease 11 (USP11) Deubiquitinates Hybrid Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO)-Ubiquitin Chains to Counteract RING Finger Protein 4 (RNF4)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hendriks, Ivo A; Schimmel, Joost; Eifler, Karolin

2015-01-01

of RNF4 as a counterbalancing factor. In response to DNA damage induced by methyl methanesulfonate, USP11 could counteract RNF4 to inhibit the dissolution of nuclear bodies. Thus, we provide novel insight into cross-talk between ubiquitin and SUMO and uncover USP11 and RNF4 as a balanced SUMO...

Shape dependency of the extinction and absorption cross sections of dust aerosols modeled as randomly oriented spheroids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Wagner

2011-09-01

Full Text Available We present computational results on the shape dependency of the extinction and absorption cross sections of dustlike aerosol particles that were modeled as randomly oriented spheroids. Shape dependent variations in the extinction cross sections are largest in the size regime that is governed by the interference structure. Elongated spheroids best fitted measured extinction spectra of re-dispersed Saharan dust samples. For dust particles smaller than 1.5 μm in diameter and low absorption potential, shape effects on the absorption cross sections are very small.

Hip2Norm: an object-oriented cross-platform program for 3D analysis of hip joint morphology using 2D pelvic radiographs.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, G; Tannast, M; Anderegg, C; Siebenrock, K A; Langlotz, F

2007-07-01

We developed an object-oriented cross-platform program to perform three-dimensional (3D) analysis of hip joint morphology using two-dimensional (2D) anteroposterior (AP) pelvic radiographs. Landmarks extracted from 2D AP pelvic radiographs and optionally an additional lateral pelvic X-ray were combined with a cone beam projection model to reconstruct 3D hip joints. Since individual pelvic orientation can vary considerably, a method for standardizing pelvic orientation was implemented to determine the absolute tilt/rotation. The evaluation of anatomically morphologic differences was achieved by reconstructing the projected acetabular rim and the measured hip parameters as if obtained in a standardized neutral orientation. The program had been successfully used to interactively objectify acetabular version in hips with femoro-acetabular impingement or developmental dysplasia. Hip(2)Norm is written in object-oriented programming language C++ using cross-platform software Qt (TrollTech, Oslo, Norway) for graphical user interface (GUI) and is transportable to any platform.

Cyber terrorism prevention and counteraction workshop review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pastukhov, O.M.

2011-01-01

A NATO Advanced Training Course (ATC ) on Cyber Terrorism Prevention and Counteraction workshop, held in Kiev on September 27-29, 2010, allowed the participants to share their experiences with experts from Ukraine, a Partnership for Peace country. The participants exchanged their ideas on the ways

Gender differences in positive life orientation among the nursing home elders in China: A cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Cheng; Zheng, Zhibo; Xian, Wei; Bai, Ming; Jin, Liying; Li, Yuting; Yang, Xiufei; Sheng, Yang; Ai, Wensi; Liu, Hongbo

2017-09-01

Life orientation among the nursing home elders would differ from those of community-dwelling elders due to the different living environment, but may have greater differences in gender. This study was designed to investigate the positive life orientation and explore the potential risk factors including gender disparities among nursing home elders in China. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Northeast China. Two steps cluster sampling procedure were chosen. Basic activities of daily living (BADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) systems were used to estimate the functional status. Positive life orientation was measured using the six-question life orientation scale (LOS). 2512 nursing home elders were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the participants was 73.14±6.746years. Of the 1308 men and 1204 women, 14.9% had a positive life orientation in women and 16.1% in men. Higher level of education, independent in BADL and IADL were related to positive life orientation both in men and women. Age and BMI were also found to be significantly associated with positive life orientation in men (OR=0.587, 1.132, respectively). For women, the influence of income and vision on positive life orientation was also significant (OR=1.967, 1.926, respectively). The positive life orientation was higher in men than women. The gender-specific differences contribute to take more effective measures to improve the positive life orientation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alanine Counteracts the Destabilizing Effect that Urea has on RNase-A.

Science.gov (United States)

Chowhan, Rimpy K; Ali, Fasil; Bhat, Mohd Y; Rahman, Safikur; Singh, Laishram R; Ahmad, Faizan; Dar, Tanveer A

2016-01-01

It is generally believed that organisms use and accumulate methylamine osmolytes to prevent urea's damaging effect on protein stability and activity. However, urea-rich cells not only accumulate methylamines but also many other methylated and non-methylated compounds as well. But, so far it is not known whether osmolytes that are not accumulated in urea-rich cells could also confer urea-counteracting properties. We investigated the behavior of a non-methylamine osmolyte, alanine for its counteracting effect against urea denaturation of a model protein, ribonuclease A (RNase-A). We have measured structure and thermodynamic parameters (Tm, ΔHm, and ΔGD°) of RNase-A in the presence of alanine, urea and their combination. The results were also compared with the ability of glycine (osmolyte lacking one methyl group when compared with alanine) to counter urea's effect on protein stability. We observed that alanine but not glycine counteracts urea's harmful effect on RNase-A stability. The results indicated that alanine (in addition to methylamine osmolytes) may serve as an alternate urea-counteractant. Since glycine fails to protect RNase-A from urea's destabilizing effect, it seems that methylation to glycine might have some evolutionary significance to protect proteins against harmful effects of urea.

Counteracting 16-QAM Optical Fiber Transmission Impairments With Iterative Turbo Equalization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arlunno, Valeria; Caballero Jambrina, Antonio; Borkowski, Robert

2013-01-01

A turbo equalization (TE) scheme based on convolutional code and normalized least mean square equalizer for coherent optical communication links is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The proposed iterative TE technique is proved effective for counteracting polarization-division-multiplexin......A turbo equalization (TE) scheme based on convolutional code and normalized least mean square equalizer for coherent optical communication links is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The proposed iterative TE technique is proved effective for counteracting polarization...

Broader visual orientation tuning in patients with schizophrenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ariel eRokem

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Reduced gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA levels in cerebral cortex are thought to contribute to information processing deficits in patients with schizophrenia (SZ, and we have previously reported lower in vivo GABA levels in the visual cortex of patients with SZ. GABA-mediated inhibition plays a role in sharpening orientation tuning of visual cortical neurons. Therefore, we predicted that tuning for visual stimulus orientation would be wider in SZ. We measured orientation tuning with a psychophysical procedure in which subjects performed a target detection task of a low-contrast oriented grating, following adaptation to a high-contrast grating. Contrast detection thresholds were determined for a range of adapter-target orientation offsets. For both SZ and healthy controls, contrast thresholds decreased as orientation offset increased, suggesting that this tuning curve reflects the selectivity of visual cortical neurons for stimulus orientation. After accounting for generalized deficits in task performance in SZ, there was no difference between patients and controls for detection of target stimuli having either the same orientation as the adapter or orientations far from the adapter. However, patients’ thresholds were significantly higher for intermediate adapter-target offsets. In addition, the mean width parameter of a Gaussian fit to the psychophysical orientation tuning curves was significantly larger for the patient group. We also present preliminary data relating visual cortical GABA levels, as measured with magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and orientation tuning width. These results suggest that our finding of broader orientation tuning in SZ may be due to diminished visual cortical GABA levels.

Generalized phase contrast:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Glückstad, Jesper; Palima, Darwin

Generalized Phase Contrast elevates the phase contrast technique not only to improve phase imaging but also to cross over and interface with diverse and seemingly disparate fields of contemporary optics and photonics. This book presents a comprehensive introduction to the Generalized Phase Contrast...

Orientational cross correlations between entangled branch polymers in primitive chain network simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Masubuchi, Yuichi; Pandey, Ankita; Amamoto, Yoshifumi; Uneyama, Takashi

2017-11-01

Although it has not been frequently discussed, contributions of the orientational cross-correlation (OCC) between entangled polymers are not negligible in the relaxation modulus. In the present study, OCC contributions were investigated for 4- and 6-arm star-branched and H-branched polymers by means of multi-chain slip-link simulations. Owing to the molecular-level description of the simulation, the segment orientation was traced separately for each molecule as well as each subchain composing the molecules. Then, the OCC was calculated between different molecules and different subchains. The results revealed that the amount of OCC between different molecules is virtually identical to that of linear polymers regardless of the branching structure. The OCC between constituent subchains of the same molecule is significantly smaller than the OCC between different molecules, although its intensity and time-dependent behavior depend on the branching structure as well as the molecular weight. These results lend support to the single-chain models given that the OCC effects are embedded into the stress-optical coefficient, which is independent of the branching structure.

Cross-modal decoupling in temporal attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Mühlberg, Stefanie; Oriolo, Giovanni; Soto-Faraco, Salvador

2014-06-01

Prior studies have repeatedly reported behavioural benefits to events occurring at attended, compared to unattended, points in time. It has been suggested that, as for spatial orienting, temporal orienting of attention spreads across sensory modalities in a synergistic fashion. However, the consequences of cross-modal temporal orienting of attention remain poorly understood. One challenge is that the passage of time leads to an increase in event predictability throughout a trial, thus making it difficult to interpret possible effects (or lack thereof). Here we used a design that avoids complete temporal predictability to investigate whether attending to a sensory modality (vision or touch) at a point in time confers beneficial access to events in the other, non-attended, sensory modality (touch or vision, respectively). In contrast to previous studies and to what happens with spatial attention, we found that events in one (unattended) modality do not automatically benefit from happening at the time point when another modality is expected. Instead, it seems that attention can be deployed in time with relative independence for different sensory modalities. Based on these findings, we argue that temporal orienting of attention can be cross-modally decoupled in order to flexibly react according to the environmental demands, and that the efficiency of this selective decoupling unfolds in time. © 2014 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Counteracting Age Stereotypes: A Self-Awareness Manipulation

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yiwei; Pethtel, Olivia; Ma, Xiaodong

2010-01-01

The major goals of the present study were to (a) examine age differences in susceptibility to age stereotypes and (b) test a self-awareness manipulation in counteracting age stereotypes. Young and older adults read two sets of descriptors that only differed in the to-be-ignored age-related information. In the high self-awareness condition,…

Featural Guidance in Conjunction Search: The Contrast between Orientation and Color

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Giles M.; Heinke, Dietmar; Humphreys, Glyn W.

2010-01-01

Four experiments examined the effects of precues on visual search for targets defined by a color-orientation conjunction. Experiment 1 showed that cueing the identity of targets enhanced the efficiency of search. Cueing effects were stronger with color than with orientation cues, but this advantage was additive across array size. Experiment 2…

Gender role, sexual orientation and suicide risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzpatrick, Kathleen Kara; Euton, Stephanie J; Jones, Jamie N; Schmidt, Norman B

2005-07-01

There has been interest in the relationship between homosexuality, gender role and suicide risk. Though homosexuals are more likely to identify as cross-gender, research has not simultaneously examined sexual orientation and gender role in assessing suicide risk. In the current study, the unique and interactive effects of sexual orientation and gender role were assessed in regard to suicidal ideation, related psychopathology and measures of coping. 77 participants were recruited from an undergraduate psychology subject pool (n=47) or from gay, lesbian and transgender student organizations (n=30) and assessed on measures of gender role, homosexuality, and psychopathology. Consistent with expectations, cross-gender role (i.e., personality traits associated with the opposite sex) is a unique predictor of suicidal symptoms. Moreover, gender role accounted for more of the overall variance in suicidal symptoms, positive problem orientation, peer acceptance and support, than sexual orientation. After accounting for gender role, sexual orientation contributed little to the variance in suicidal symptoms, associated pathology and problem-solving deficits. There was no support for gender role by sexual orientation interaction effects. The cross-sectional nature of the data limits statements regarding causality. Cross-gendered individuals, regardless of sexual orientation, appear to have higher risk for suicidal symptoms. Researchers and clinicians should assess gender role in evaluations of youth samples.

[Action-oriented versus state-oriented reactions to experimenter-induced failures].

Science.gov (United States)

Brunstein, J C

1989-01-01

The present study assessed different effects of action-oriented versus state-oriented styles of coping with failure on achievement-related performance and cognition. In a learned helplessness experiment, students were exposed to an academic failure situation and were then tested on a series of problem-solving tasks, either immediately after the pretreatment or after a delay of 24 hours. Performance and cognitive concomitants were measured during both experimental periods. Results demonstrated that action orientation was associated with self-immunizing cognitions during helplessness training. Action-oriented participants improved their performance level even after repeated failure feedbacks. Moreover, action-oriented students assigned to the delayed test condition responded with increased striving for success and showed performance increments, even in comparison with control subjects. In contrast, state-oriented participants developed symptoms of helplessness and showed impaired performance during failure inductions. In later tests on problem-solving tasks, state-oriented groups responded with increased fear of failure. Independent of immediate or delayed test conditions, they soon lapsed into new performance decrements.

Counteracting venous stasis during acute lower leg immobilization.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poelkens, F.; Thijssen, D.H.J.; Kersten, B.T.P.; Scheurwater, H.; Laarhoven, E.W. van; Hopman, M.T.E.

2006-01-01

AIM: During lower limb immobilization, patients are at risk to develop deep venous thrombosis. Recently, a water-pad was developed that should counteract venous stasis. The water-pad, located under the plaster, mobilizes water from the foot to the calf during weight bearing and, thereby, imitates

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Vif N-Terminal Residues Selectively Counteract Feline APOBEC3s.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Qinyong; Zhang, Zeli; Cano Ortiz, Lucía; Franco, Ana Cláudia; Häussinger, Dieter; Münk, Carsten

2016-12-01

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) Vif protein counteracts feline APOBEC3s (FcaA3s) restriction factors by inducing their proteasomal degradation. The functional domains in FIV Vif for interaction with FcaA3s are poorly understood. Here, we have identified several motifs in FIV Vif that are important for selective degradation of different FcaA3s. Cats (Felis catus) express three types of A3s: single-domain A3Z2, single-domain A3Z3, and double-domain A3Z2Z3. We proposed that FIV Vif would selectively interact with the Z2 and the Z3 A3s. Indeed, we identified two N-terminal Vif motifs (12LF13 and 18GG19) that specifically interacted with the FcaA3Z2 protein but not with A3Z3. In contrast, the exclusive degradation of FcaA3Z3 was regulated by a region of three residues (M24, L25, and I27). Only a FIV Vif carrying a combination of mutations from both interaction sites lost the capacity to degrade and counteract FcaA3Z2Z3. However, alterations in the specific A3s interaction sites did not affect the cellular localization of the FIV Vif protein and binding to feline A3s. Pulldown experiments demonstrated that the A3 binding region localized to FIV Vif residues 50 to 80, outside the specific A3 interaction domain. Finally, we found that the Vif sites specific to individual A3s are conserved in several FIV lineages of domestic cat and nondomestic cats, while being absent in the FIV Vif of pumas. Our data support a complex model of multiple Vif-A3 interactions in which the specific region for selective A3 counteraction is discrete from a general A3 binding domain. Both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) Vif proteins counteract their host's APOBEC3 restriction factors. However, these two Vif proteins have limited sequence homology. The molecular interaction between FIV Vif and feline APOBEC3s are not well understood. Here, we identified N-terminal FIV Vif sites that regulate the selective interaction of Vif with either feline APOBEC3Z

Place and Culture-Based Professional Development: Cross-Hybrid Learning and the Construction of Ecological Mindfulness

Science.gov (United States)

Chinn, Pauline W. U.

2015-01-01

This paper approaches mindfulness, an awareness of internal and external realities, as a culturally-shaped habit of mind. Findings of a cross-cultural study and popular sayings that reflect America's cultural orientation to consumption and competition are contrasted with findings from Hawaiian language newspapers, traditional cultural practices,…

Cross-Linguistic Influence in Third Language Perception: L2 and L3 Perception of Japanese Contrasts

Science.gov (United States)

Onishi, Hiromi

2013-01-01

This dissertation examines the possible influence of language learners' second language (L2) on their perception of phonological contrasts in their third language (L3). Previous studies on Third Language Acquisition (TLA) suggest various factors as possible sources of cross-linguistic influence in the acquisition of an L3. This dissertation…

Contrast Gain Control Model Fits Masking Data

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Andrew B.; Solomon, Joshua A.; Null, Cynthia H. (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

We studied the fit of a contrast gain control model to data of Foley (JOSA 1994), consisting of thresholds for a Gabor patch masked by gratings of various orientations, or by compounds of two orientations. Our general model includes models of Foley and Teo & Heeger (IEEE 1994). Our specific model used a bank of Gabor filters with octave bandwidths at 8 orientations. Excitatory and inhibitory nonlinearities were power functions with exponents of 2.4 and 2. Inhibitory pooling was broad in orientation, but narrow in spatial frequency and space. Minkowski pooling used an exponent of 4. All of the data for observer KMF were well fit by the model. We have developed a contrast gain control model that fits masking data. Unlike Foley's, our model accepts images as inputs. Unlike Teo & Heeger's, our model did not require multiple channels for different dynamic ranges.

Towards "Bildung"-Oriented Chemistry Education

Science.gov (United States)

Sjöström, Jesper

2013-01-01

This paper concerns "Bildung"-oriented chemistry education, based on a reflective and critical discourse of chemistry. It is contrasted with the dominant type of chemistry education, based on the mainstream discourse of chemistry. "Bildung"-oriented chemistry education includes not only content knowledge in chemistry, but also…

Comparative analysis of successful practices of corruption counteraction in the sphere of school education in foreign countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Objective to analyze the practice of corruption counteraction in the sphere of school education in foreign countries. Methods comparativelegal method polling content analysis of documents expert evaluation testing of experts with an international technique Questionnaire Profile of Demand. Results the need for the corruption counteraction program is stated in Art. 13.3 of the Federal Law ldquoOn corruption counteractionrdquoand Methodological recommendations of the Russian Ministry of Labor on corruption risks evaluation when implementing functions but no definite measures for corruption counteraction in educational organizations have been formulated. Nevertheless the controlling bodies inquire for information on such measures. As an example wecitean inquiry of Krasnoyarsk Oktyabrskiy region Prosecutorrsquos Office to educational organizations of October 21 2014 no. 86012014 ldquoOn measures for corruption counteraction in the sphere of educationrdquo. Scientific novelty summarizing the experience of corruption counteraction in the sphere of education in foreign countries and the expertsrsquo opinion of the specialist of international organizations allowed to formulate a number of recommendations for the Russian educational establishments. Practical value the experience of corruption counteraction in foreign countries will allow the head of an educational establishment to choose those of the proposed measures which will be efficient in corruption prevention and to elaborate an efficient program for corruption prevention. nbsp

Testing can counteract proactive interference by integrating competing information

Science.gov (United States)

Wahlheim, Christopher N.

2015-01-01

Testing initially learned information before presenting new information has been shown to counteract the deleterious effects of proactive interference by segregating competing sources of information. The present experiments were conducted to demonstrate that testing can also have its effects in part by integrating competing information. Variations of classic A–B, A–D paired-associate learning paradigms were employed that included two lists of word pairs and a cued-recall test. Repeated pairs appeared in both lists (A–B, A–B), control pairs appeared in List 2 only (A–B, C–D), and changed pairs appeared with the same cue in both lists but with different responses (A–B, A–D). The critical manipulation was whether pairs were tested or restudied in an interpolated phase that occurred between Lists 1 and 2. On a final cued-recall test, participants recalled List 2 responses and then indicated when they recollected that responses had earlier changed between lists. The change recollection measure indexed the extent to which competing responses were integrated during List 2. Change was recollected more often for tested than for restudied pairs. Proactive facilitation was obtained in cued recall when change was recollected, whereas proactive interference was obtained when change was not recollected. These results provide evidence that testing counteracted proactive interference in part by making List 1 responses more accessible during List 2, thus promoting integration and increasing later recollection of change. These results have theoretical implications because they show that testing can counteract proactive interference by integrating or segregating competing information. PMID:25120241

Testing can counteract proactive interference by integrating competing information.

Science.gov (United States)

Wahlheim, Christopher N

2015-01-01

Testing initially learned information before presenting new information has been shown to counteract the deleterious effects of proactive interference by segregating competing sources of information. The present experiments were conducted to demonstrate that testing can also have its effects in part by integrating competing information. Variations of classic A-B, A-D paired-associate learning paradigms were employed that included two lists of word pairs and a cued-recall test. Repeated pairs appeared in both lists (A-B, A-B), control pairs appeared in List 2 only (A-B, C-D), and changed pairs appeared with the same cue in both lists but with different responses (A-B, A-D). The critical manipulation was whether pairs were tested or restudied in an interpolated phase that occurred between Lists 1 and 2. On a final cued-recall test, participants recalled List 2 responses and then indicated when they recollected that responses had earlier changed between lists. The change recollection measure indexed the extent to which competing responses were integrated during List 2. Change was recollected more often for tested than for restudied pairs. Proactive facilitation was obtained in cued recall when change was recollected, whereas proactive interference was obtained when change was not recollected. These results provide evidence that testing counteracted proactive interference in part by making List 1 responses more accessible during List 2, thus promoting integration and increasing later recollection of change. These results have theoretical implications because they show that testing can counteract proactive interference by integrating or segregating competing information.

Nature gives us strength: exposure to nature counteracts ego-depletion.

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, Jason T; Lau, Shun

2015-01-01

Previous research rarely investigated the role of physical environment in counteracting ego-depletion. In the present research, we hypothesized that exposure to natural environment counteracts ego-depletion. Three experiments were conducted to test this hypothesis. In Experiment 1, initially depleted participants who viewed pictures of nature scenes showed greater persistence on a subsequent anagram task than those who were given a rest period. Experiment 2 expanded upon this finding by showing that natural environment enhanced logical reasoning performance after ego-depleting task. Experiment 3 adopted a two- (depletion vs. no-depletion) -by-two (nature exposure vs. urban exposure) factorial design. We found that nature exposure moderated the effect of depletion on anagram task performance. Taken together, the present studies offer a viable and novel strategy to mitigate the negative impacts of ego-depletion.

Evidence That the Microbiota Counteracts Male Outbreeding Strategy by Inhibiting Sexual Signaling in Females

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chloe Heys

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The microbiota is increasingly being recognized as having important impacts on many host biological processes. However, evidence of its effects on animal communication and breeding strategy is lacking. In this three-factorial study, we show that females were more willing to mate with related males, with relatedness likely being assessed through the microbiota. By contrast, male mating investment is concurrently determined by both the relatedness and microbiota status of the female. When the microbiota in female Drosophila melanogaster is altered by an antibiotic, male investment in sperm number increased when mating with unrelated females compared to related ones. Contrastingly, the presence of an intact microbiota in females canceled this male outbreeding strategy. As a consequence, the microbiota, when intact, decreased the fitness of the mating couple. Furthermore, we showed that female sexual signaling (cuticular hydrocarbons, with regards to kin recognition, significantly interacts with microbiota. Interestingly, the interaction is significant for hydrocarbons expressed by both sexes, but not for female-specific compounds. Taken together, our results suggest that microbiota can influence kin recognition by disfavoring male outbreeding strategies, likely by inhibiting key olfactory sexual signaling. This represents the first evidence of a host outbreeding strategy counteracted by their microbiota.

COUNTERACTING AGE STEREOTYPES: A SELF-AWARENESS MANIPULATION

OpenAIRE

Chen, Yiwei; Pethtel, Olivia; Ma, Xiaodong

2010-01-01

The major goals of the present study were to (a) examine age differences in susceptibility to age stereotypes and (b) test a self-awareness manipulation in counteracting age stereotypes. Young and older adults read two sets of descriptors that only differed in the to-be-ignored age-related information. In the high self-awareness condition, participants saw themselves via a computer video camera. In the low self-awareness condition, they saw prerecorded images of a stranger. Overall, older adu...

HipMatch: an object-oriented cross-platform program for accurate determination of cup orientation using 2D-3D registration of single standard X-ray radiograph and a CT volume.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Guoyan; Zhang, Xuan; Steppacher, Simon D; Murphy, Stephen B; Siebenrock, Klaus A; Tannast, Moritz

2009-09-01

The widely used procedure of evaluation of cup orientation following total hip arthroplasty using single standard anteroposterior (AP) radiograph is known inaccurate, largely due to the wide variability in individual pelvic orientation relative to X-ray plate. 2D-3D image registration methods have been introduced for an accurate determination of the post-operative cup alignment with respect to an anatomical reference extracted from the CT data. Although encouraging results have been reported, their extensive usage in clinical routine is still limited. This may be explained by their requirement of a CAD model of the prosthesis, which is often difficult to be organized from the manufacturer due to the proprietary issue, and by their requirement of either multiple radiographs or a radiograph-specific calibration, both of which are not available for most retrospective studies. To address these issues, we developed and validated an object-oriented cross-platform program called "HipMatch" where a hybrid 2D-3D registration scheme combining an iterative landmark-to-ray registration with a 2D-3D intensity-based registration was implemented to estimate a rigid transformation between a pre-operative CT volume and the post-operative X-ray radiograph for a precise estimation of cup alignment. No CAD model of the prosthesis is required. Quantitative and qualitative results evaluated on cadaveric and clinical datasets are given, which indicate the robustness and the accuracy of the program. HipMatch is written in object-oriented programming language C++ using cross-platform software Qt (TrollTech, Oslo, Norway), VTK, and Coin3D and is transportable to any platform.

Customizable Time-Oriented Visualizations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kuhail, Mohammad Amin; Pantazos, Kostas; Lauesen, Søren

2012-01-01

Most commercial visualization tools support an easy and quick creation of conventional time-oriented visualizations such as line charts, but customization is limited. In contrast, some academic visualization tools and programming languages support the creation of some customizable time......-oriented visualizations but it is time consuming and hard. To combine efficiency, the effort required to develop a visualization, and customizability, the ability to tailor a visualization, we developed time-oriented building blocks that address the specifics of time (e.g. linear vs. cyclic or point-based vs. interval......-based) and consist of inner customizable parts (e.g. ticks). A combination of the time-oriented and other primitive graphical building blocks allowed the creation of several customizable advanced time-oriented visualizations. The appearance and behavior of the blocks are specified using spreadsheet-like formulas. We...

The individual-oriented and social-oriented Chinese bicultural self: testing the theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Luo

2008-06-01

The author proposes a bicultural self theory for contemporary Chinese individuals, encompassing 2 main components: the individual-oriented self and the social-oriented self. The social orientation is rooted in traditional Chinese conceptualization of the self, whereas the individual orientation has evolved and developed under Western influences along with recent societal modernization. The author conducted a series of 5 studies to test the theory and relate the model to important issues in current personality and social psychological research, such as cultural individualism-collectivism, self-construals, motivation, cognition, emotion, and well-being. A total of 977 university students in Taiwan participated. The author found that contrasting self-aspects were differentially associated with the aforementioned constructs, as theoretically predicted. This evidence thus generally supported the bicultural self model.

Measuring the implementation of ecodesign management practices: a review and consolidation of process-oriented performance indicators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rodrigues, Vinicius Picanco; Pigosso, Daniela Cristina Antelmi; McAloone, Tim C.

2017-01-01

Ecodesign plays an important role in manufacturing companies’ quest for improved sustainability performance. However, many ecodesign efforts are geared towards tackling single-issue discrete improvements, in contrast to operationalizing, measuring and acting upon the consistent improvement...... towards enhanced sustainability performance. In face of this challenge, this paper aims at providing organizations with a set of process-oriented indicators to supporting and enhancing ecodesign implementation and management. This research was grounded on a 2-phase approach to (i) cross...

Topical legal aspects of corruption counteraction in public procurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandr Igorevich Zemlin

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Objective to analyze the current developments in the Russian legislation on corruption counteraction and the legislation on public procurement system on this basis to study legal conflicts and gaps and to develop proposals under the provisions of the National AntiCorruption Plan for 2014ndash2015. Methods historical formallegal logical and systemicfunctional structural and contextual approach to the study of law and theoretical propositions concerning the definition nature and characteristics of legal relations arising in the process of and relating to the corruption counteraction in the public procurement system. Results аn aggregate of theoretical conclusions and proposals aimed at perfection of anticorruption legislation and legislation on the contractual public procurement system is presented. Scientific novelty the results of the author39s interpretation of changes in the Russian anticorruption legislation and legislation on the contractual public procurement system existing legal conflicts and gaps. Practical significance developing proposals for improving the standards of anticorruption legislation and legislation on public procurement system under the provisions of the National AntiCorruption Plan for 2014ndash2015. nbsp

Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Enterography and Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography in Crohn's Disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wilkens, Rune; Peters, David A; Nielsen, Agnete Hedemann

2017-01-01

Purpose e Cross-sectional imaging methods are important for objective evaluationof small intestinal inflammationinCrohn'sdisease(CD).The primary aim was to compare relative parameters of intestinal perfusion between contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic...

Double ionization of the hydrogen sulfide molecule by electron impact: Influence of the target orientation on multiple differential cross sections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Imadouchene, N. [Laboratoire de Mécanique, Structures et Energétique Université Mouloud Mammeri de Tizi-Ouzou, B.P. 17, Tizi-Ouzou 15000 (Algeria); Aouchiche, H., E-mail: h_aouchiche@yahoo.fr [Laboratoire de Mécanique, Structures et Energétique Université Mouloud Mammeri de Tizi-Ouzou, B.P. 17, Tizi-Ouzou 15000 (Algeria); Champion, C. [Centre d’Etudes Nucléaires de Bordeaux Gradignan, Université Bordeaux, CNRS/IN2P3, Boîte Postale 120, Gradignan 33175 (France)

2016-07-15

Highlights: • The double ionization of the H{sub 2}S molecule is here theoretically studied. • The orientation dependence of the differential cross sections is scrutinized. • The specific double ionizing mechanisms are clearly identified. - Abstract: Multiple differential cross sections of double ionization of hydrogen sulfide molecule impacted by electrons are here investigated within the first Born approximation. In the initial state, the incident electron is represented by a plane wave function whereas the target is described by means of a single-center molecular wave function. In the final state, the two ejected electrons are described by Coulomb wave functions coupled by the Gamow factor, whereas the scattered electron is described by a plane wave. In this work, we analyze the role played by the molecular target orientation in the double ionization of the four outermost orbitals, namely 2b{sub 1}, 5a{sub 1}, 2b{sub 2} and 4a{sub 1} in considering the particular case of two electrons ejected from the same orbital. The contribution of each final state to the double ionization process is studied in terms of shape and magnitude for specific molecular orientations and for each molecular orbital we identified the mechanisms involved in the double ionization process, namely, the Shake-Off and the Two-Step 1.

Bi-directional x-ray phase-contrast mammography.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kai Scherer

Full Text Available Phase-contrast x-ray imaging is a promising improvement of conventional absorption-based mammography for early tumor detection. This potential has been demonstrated recently, utilizing structured gratings to obtain differential phase and dark-field scattering images. However, the inherently anisotropic imaging sensitivity of the proposed mono-directional approach yields only insufficient diagnostic information, and has low diagnostic sensitivity to highly oriented structures. To overcome these limitations, we present a two-directional x-ray phase-contrast mammography approach and demonstrate its advantages by applying it to a freshly dissected, cancerous mastectomy breast specimen. We illustrate that the two-directional scanning procedure overcomes the insufficient diagnostic value of a single scan, and reliably detects tumor structures, independently from their orientation within the breast. Our results indicate the indispensable diagnostic necessity and benefit of a multi-directional approach for x-ray phase-contrast mammography.

Measuring the preference towards patient-centred communication with the Chinese-revised Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale: A cross-sectional study among physicians and patients in clinical settings in Shanghai, China

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, J. (Jie); Zou, R. (Runyu); Fu, H. (Hua); Qian, H. (Haihong); Yan, Y. (Yueren); Wang, F. (Fan)

2017-01-01

textabstractObjectives To adapt the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS), to a Chinese context, and explore the preference towards patient-centred communication among physicians and patients with the Chinese-revised Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (CR-PPOS). Design A cross-sectional

Fission cross section and fission fragment angular distribution for oriented nucleus fission by intermediate energy neutrons (epsilon < or approximately 1 Mev)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barabanov, A.L.; Grechukhin, D.P.

1985-01-01

General analysis is conducted, and formulae for fission cross section and angular distribution of fission fragments of oriented nuclei by fast neutrons are presented. Geometrical coefficients making up the formulae permitting to carry out calculations for target nuclei with spins I=3/2, 5/2, 7/2 at interaction energies epsilon < or approximately 1 MeV are tabulated. Results of demonstrative calculation of fission fragment angular distribution of oriented sup(235)U nuclei by 0.1 <= epsilon <= 1.0 MeV neutrons reveal that angular distribution weakly depends on the set of permeability factors of neutron waves applied in the calculations

Why competitors matter for market orientation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Hans Eibe

2009-01-01

  Purpose - This paper investigates whether it is meaningful to decompose market orientation into customer orientation and competitor orientation and what possible implications this decomposition may have for researchers and business practitioners.   Design - Through a review of existing market...... orientation research, two of its salient dimensions, customer orientation and competitor orientation, are theoretically investigated. Then, two symmetric component measures are developed and tested on 308 manufacturing firms in a cross-sectional questionnaire survey, supplemented with census data.   Findings...... - Empirical evidence reveals that, while competitor orientation is positively related to a firm's market share, a customer orientation is detrimental to a firm's return on assets for firms in less competitive environments.   Research implications and limitations - The study advocates moving beyond ‘global...

Associative Interactions in Crowded Solutions of Biopolymers Counteract Depletion Effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Groen, Joost; Foschepoth, David; te Brinke, Esra; Boersma, Arnold J; Imamura, Hiromi; Rivas, Germán; Heus, Hans A; Huck, Wilhelm T S

2015-10-14

The cytosol of Escherichia coli is an extremely crowded environment, containing high concentrations of biopolymers which occupy 20-30% of the available volume. Such conditions are expected to yield depletion forces, which strongly promote macromolecular complexation. However, crowded macromolecule solutions, like the cytosol, are very prone to nonspecific associative interactions that can potentially counteract depletion. It remains unclear how the cytosol balances these opposing interactions. We used a FRET-based probe to systematically study depletion in vitro in different crowded environments, including a cytosolic mimic, E. coli lysate. We also studied bundle formation of FtsZ protofilaments under identical crowded conditions as a probe for depletion interactions at much larger overlap volumes of the probe molecule. The FRET probe showed a more compact conformation in synthetic crowding agents, suggesting strong depletion interactions. However, depletion was completely negated in cell lysate and other protein crowding agents, where the FRET probe even occupied slightly more volume. In contrast, bundle formation of FtsZ protofilaments proceeded as readily in E. coli lysate and other protein solutions as in synthetic crowding agents. Our experimental results and model suggest that, in crowded biopolymer solutions, associative interactions counterbalance depletion forces for small macromolecules. Furthermore, the net effects of macromolecular crowding will be dependent on both the size of the macromolecule and its associative interactions with the crowded background.

Designing Cross-Cultural Orientation Programs for Business.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogden, John D.

A 1-day orientation workshop for business clients from other cultures is described. Factors in program design that relate to the specific cultural group addressed are discussed, and include such considerations as culture-specific versus culture-general content, professional focus, and the learning style to which the participants are accustomed.…

Postdictive modulation of visual orientation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawabe, Takahiro

2012-01-01

The present study investigated how visual orientation is modulated by subsequent orientation inputs. Observers were presented a near-vertical Gabor patch as a target, followed by a left- or right-tilted second Gabor patch as a distracter in the spatial vicinity of the target. The task of the observers was to judge whether the target was right- or left-tilted (Experiment 1) or whether the target was vertical or not (Supplementary experiment). The judgment was biased toward the orientation of the distracter (the postdictive modulation of visual orientation). The judgment bias peaked when the target and distracter were temporally separated by 100 ms, indicating a specific temporal mechanism for this phenomenon. However, when the visibility of the distracter was reduced via backward masking, the judgment bias disappeared. On the other hand, the low-visibility distracter could still cause a simultaneous orientation contrast, indicating that the distracter orientation is still processed in the visual system (Experiment 2). Our results suggest that the postdictive modulation of visual orientation stems from spatiotemporal integration of visual orientation on the basis of a slow feature matching process.

Early 20th Century Education in the United States: The Role of the Brothers of Holy Cross

Science.gov (United States)

Armstrong, Philip C.

2007-01-01

The French Revolution bears an ironic responsibility for generating works of charity. To counteract the devastating social effects of that late 18th century uprising, numerous religious communities were founded in France, among them the Congregation of Holy Cross. The Congregation of Holy Cross, the founding religious community behind the…

Sustainability and Counteracting Factors to Profit Rate Decline

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ougaard, Morten

2014-01-01

This paper discusses sustainability implications of barriers to growth as specified in the theory of the long-term falling rate of profit but focusing on the counteracting factors (CFs) specified by Marx. These depend much on political processes and are important in state theory for understanding...... policies of national and international institutions. Fourteen partly overlapping factors are identified and grouped in five categories: increased pressure on labor, geographical expansion, resource efficiency, technological progress, and destruction or devaluation of capital. It is suggested...

Towards an organisation-wide process-oriented organisation of care: A literature review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Groenewegen Peter P

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Many hospitals have taken actions to make care delivery for specific patient groups more process-oriented, but struggle with the question how to deal with process orientation at hospital level. The aim of this study is to report and discuss the experiences of hospitals with implementing process-oriented organisation designs in order to derive lessons for future transitions and research. Methods A literature review of English language articles on organisation-wide process-oriented redesigns, published between January 1998 and May 2009, was performed. Results Of 329 abstracts identified, 10 articles were included in the study. These articles described process-oriented redesigns of five hospitals. Four hospitals tried to become process-oriented by the implementation of coordination measures, and one by organisational restructuring. The adoption of the coordination mechanism approach was particularly constrained by the functional structure of hospitals. Other factors that hampered the redesigns in general were the limited applicability of and unfamiliarity with process improvement techniques. Conclusions Due to the limitations of the evidence, it is not known which approach, implementation of coordination measures or organisational restructuring (with additional coordination measures, produces the best results in which situation. Therefore, more research is needed. For this research, the use of qualitative methods in addition to quantitative measures is recommended to contribute to a better understanding of preconditions and contingencies for an effective application of approaches to become process-oriented. Hospitals are advised to take the factors for failure described into account and to take suitable actions to counteract these obstacles on their way to become process-oriented organisations.

Neurosteroid 3α-androstanediol efficiently counteracts paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy and painful symptoms.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurence Meyer

Full Text Available Painful peripheral neuropathy belongs to major side-effects limiting cancer chemotherapy. Paclitaxel, widely used to treat several cancers, induces neurological symptoms including burning pain, allodynia, hyperalgesia and numbness. Therefore, identification of drugs that may effectively counteract paclitaxel-induced neuropathic symptoms is crucial. Here, we combined histopathological, neurochemical, behavioral and electrophysiological methods to investigate the natural neurosteroid 3α-androstanediol (3α-DIOL ability to counteract paclitaxel-evoked peripheral nerve tissue damages and neurological symptoms. Prophylactic or corrective 3α-DIOL treatment (4 mg/kg/2 days prevented or suppressed PAC-evoked heat-thermal hyperalgesia, cold-allodynia and mechanical allodynia/hyperalgesia, by reversing to normal, decreased thermal and mechanical pain thresholds of PAC-treated rats. Electrophysiological studies demonstrated that 3α-DIOL restored control values of nerve conduction velocity and action potential peak amplitude significantly altered by PAC-treatment. 3α-DIOL also repaired PAC-induced nerve damages by restoring normal neurofilament-200 level in peripheral axons and control amount of 2',3'-cyclic-nucleotide-3'-phosphodiesterase in myelin sheaths. Decreased density of intraepidermal nerve fibers evoked by PAC-therapy was also counteracted by 3α-DIOL treatment. More importantly, 3α-DIOL beneficial effects were not sedation-dependent but resulted from its neuroprotective ability, nerve tissue repairing capacity and long-term analgesic action. Altogether, our results showing that 3α-DIOL efficiently counteracted PAC-evoked painful symptoms, also offer interesting possibilities to develop neurosteroid-based strategies against chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. This article shows that the prophylactic or corrective treatment with 3α-androstanediol prevents or suppresses PAC-evoked painful symptoms and peripheral nerve dysfunctions in

The orientation distribution of tunneling-related quantities

Science.gov (United States)

Seif, W. M.; Refaie, A. I.; Botros, M. M.

2018-03-01

In the nuclear tunneling processes involving deformed nuclei, most of the tunneling-related quantities depend on the relative orientations of the participating nuclei. In the presence of different multipole deformations, we study the variation of a few relevant quantities for the α-decay and the sub-barrier fusion processes, in an orientation degree of freedom. The knocking frequency and the penetration probability are evaluated within the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin approximation. The interaction potential is calculated with Skyrme-type nucleon-nucleon interaction. We found that the width of the potential pocket, the Coulomb barrier radius, the penetration probability, the α-decay width, and the fusion cross-section follow consistently the orientation-angle variation of the radius of the deformed nucleus. The orientation distribution patterns of the pocket width, the barrier radius, the logarithms of the penetrability, the decay width, and the fusion cross-section are found to be highly analogous to pattern of the deformed-nucleus radius. The curve patterns of the orientation angle distributions of the internal pocket depth, the Coulomb barrier height and width, as well as the knocking frequency simulate inversely the variation of the deformed nucleus radius. The predicted orientation behaviors will be of a special interest in predicting the optimum orientations for the tunneling processes.

Postdictive modulation of visual orientation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takahiro Kawabe

Full Text Available The present study investigated how visual orientation is modulated by subsequent orientation inputs. Observers were presented a near-vertical Gabor patch as a target, followed by a left- or right-tilted second Gabor patch as a distracter in the spatial vicinity of the target. The task of the observers was to judge whether the target was right- or left-tilted (Experiment 1 or whether the target was vertical or not (Supplementary experiment. The judgment was biased toward the orientation of the distracter (the postdictive modulation of visual orientation. The judgment bias peaked when the target and distracter were temporally separated by 100 ms, indicating a specific temporal mechanism for this phenomenon. However, when the visibility of the distracter was reduced via backward masking, the judgment bias disappeared. On the other hand, the low-visibility distracter could still cause a simultaneous orientation contrast, indicating that the distracter orientation is still processed in the visual system (Experiment 2. Our results suggest that the postdictive modulation of visual orientation stems from spatiotemporal integration of visual orientation on the basis of a slow feature matching process.

Optical Flow for Flight and Wind Tunnel Background Oriented Schlieren Imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Nathanial T.; Heineck, James T.; Schairer, Edward T.

2017-01-01

Background oriented Schlieren images have historically been generated by calculating the observed pixel displacement between a wind-on and wind-o image pair using normalized cross-correlation. This work uses optical flow to solve the displacement fields which generate the Schlieren images. A well established method used in the computer vision community, optical flow is the apparent motion in an image sequence due to brightness changes. The regularization method of Horn and Schunck is used to create Schlieren images using two data sets: a supersonic jet plume shock interaction from the NASA Ames Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, and a transonic flight test of a T-38 aircraft using a naturally occurring background, performed in conjunction with NASA Ames and Armstrong Research Centers. Results are presented and contrasted with those using normalized cross-correlation. The optical flow Schlieren images are found to provided significantly more detail. We apply the method to historical data sets to demonstrate the broad applicability and limitations of the technique.

Counteracting the Influence of Peer Smoking on YouTube

OpenAIRE

Romer, Daniel; Jamieson, Patrick E.; Jamieson, Kathleen Hall; Jones, Christopher; Sherr, Susan

2017-01-01

YouTube, a popular online site for user-generated content, is emerging as a powerful source of peer modeling of smoking. Previous research suggests that in counteracting such influence, health messages may inadvertently increase the perceived prevalence of drug use (a descriptive norm) without reducing its acceptability (injunctive norm). This research tested the ability of health messages to reduce the social acceptability of peer smoking on YouTube despite enhancing its perceived prevalence...

Disclosure of sexual orientation to health professionals in China: results from an online cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Weiming; Mao, Jessica; Tang, Songyuan; Liu, Chuncheng; Mollan, Katie; Cao, Bolin; Wong, Terrence; Zhang, Ye; Hudgens, Michael; Qin, Yilu; Han, Larry; Ma, Baoli; Yang, Bin; Ma, Wei; Wei, Chongyi; Tucker, Joseph D

2017-02-06

Many men who have sex with men (MSM) in China are "in the closet." The low rate of disclosure may impact sexual behaviours, testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and diseases transmission. This study examines factors associated with overall sexual orientation disclosure and disclosure to healthcare professionals. A nationwide cross-sectional online survey was conducted from September 2014 to October 2014 in China. Participants completed questions covering socio-demographic information, sexual behaviours, HIV/STI testing history, and self-reported HIV status. We defined healthcare professional disclosure as disclosing to a doctor or other medical provider. A total of 1819 men started the survey and 1424 (78.3%) completed it. Among the 1424 participants, 62.2% (886/1424) reported overall disclosure, and 16.3% (232/1424) disclosed to healthcare professionals. In multivariate analyses, the odds of sexual orientation disclosure were 56% higher among MSM who used smartphone-based, sex-seeking applications [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.25-2.95], but were lower among MSM reporting sex while drunk or recreational drug use. The odds of disclosure to a healthcare professional were greater among MSM who had ever tested for HIV or STIs (aOR = 3.36, 95% CI: 2.50-4.51 for HIV, and aOR = 4.92, 95% CI: 3.47-6.96 for STIs, respectively) or self-reported as living with HIV (aOR = 1.59, 95% CI: 0.93-2.72). Over 80% of MSM had not disclosed their sexual orientation to health professionals. This low level of disclosure likely represents a major obstacle to serving the unique needs of MSM in clinical settings. Further research and interventions to facilitate MSM sexual orientation disclosure, especially to health professionals, are urgently needed.

Counteracting loneliness: on the restorative function of nostalgia.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xinyue; Sedikides, Constantine; Wildschut, Tim; Gao, Ding-Guo

2008-10-01

Four studies tested whether nostalgia can counteract reductions in perceived social support caused by loneliness. Loneliness reduced perceptions of social support but increased nostalgia. Nostalgia, in turn, increased perceptions of social support. Thus, loneliness affected perceived social support in two distinct ways. Whereas the direct effect of loneliness was to reduce perceived social support, the indirect effect of loneliness was to increase perceived social support via nostalgia. This restorative function of nostalgia was particularly apparent among resilient persons. Nostalgia is a psychological resource that protects and fosters mental health.

Interspecific competition counteracts negative effects of dispersal on adaptation of an arthropod herbivore to a new host.

Science.gov (United States)

Alzate, A; Bisschop, K; Etienne, R S; Bonte, D

2017-11-01

Dispersal and competition have both been suggested to drive variation in adaptability to a new environment, either positively or negatively. A simultaneous experimental test of both mechanisms is however lacking. Here, we experimentally investigate how population dynamics and local adaptation to a new host plant in a model species, the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae), are affected by dispersal from a stock population (no-adapted) and competition with an already adapted spider mite species (Tetranychus evansi). For the population dynamics, we find that competition generally reduces population size and increases the risk of population extinction. However, these negative effects are counteracted by dispersal. For local adaptation, the roles of competition and dispersal are reversed. Without competition, dispersal exerts a negative effect on adaptation (measured as fecundity) to a novel host and females receiving the highest number of immigrants performed similarly to the stock population females. By contrast, with competition, adding more immigrants did not result in a lower fecundity. Females from populations with competition receiving the highest number of immigrants had a significantly higher fecundity than females from populations without competition (same dispersal treatment) and than the stock population females. We suggest that by exerting a stronger selection on the adapting populations, competition can counteract the migration load effect of dispersal. Interestingly, adaptation to the new host does not significantly reduce performance on the ancestral host, regardless of dispersal rate or competition. Our results highlight that assessments of how species can adapt to changing conditions need to jointly consider connectivity and the community context. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons ltd on Behalf of European Society for Evolutionary Biology.

Physical activity counteracts tumor cell growth in colon carcinoma C26-injected muscles: an interim report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charlotte Hiroux

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Skeletal muscle tissue is a rare site of tumor metastasis but is the main target of the degenerative processes occurring in cancer-associated cachexia syndrome. Beneficial effects of physical activity in counteracting cancer-related muscle wasting have been described in the last decades. Recently it has been shown that, in tumor xeno-transplanted mouse models, physical activity is able to directly affect tumor growth by modulating inflammatory responses in the tumor mass microenvironment. Here, we investigated the effect of physical activity on tumor cell growth in colon carcinoma C26 cells injected tibialis anterior muscles of BALB/c mice. Histological analyses revealed that 4 days of voluntary wheel running significantly counteracts tumor cell growth in C26-injected muscles compared to the non-injected sedentary controls. Since striated skeletal muscle tissue is the site of voluntary contraction, our results confirm that physical activity can also directly counteract tumor cell growth in a metabolically active tissue that is usually not a target for metastasis.

Human Neural Stem Cell Aging Is Counteracted by α-Glycerylphosphorylethanolamine.

Science.gov (United States)

Daniele, Simona; Da Pozzo, Eleonora; Iofrida, Caterina; Martini, Claudia

2016-07-20

Neural stem cells (NSCs) represent a subpopulation of cells, located in specific regions of the adult mammalian brain, with the ability of self-renewing and generating neurons and glia. In aged NSCs, modifications in the amount and composition of membrane proteins/lipids, which lead to a reduction in membrane fluidity and cholinergic activities, have been reported. In this respect, molecules that are effective at normalizing the membrane composition and cholinergic signaling could counteract stem cell aging. α-Glycerylphosphorylethanolamine (GPE), a nootropic drug, plays a role in phospholipid biosynthesis and acetylcholine release. Herein, GPE was assayed on human NSC cultures and on hydroxyurea-aged cells. Using cell counting, colorimetric, and fluorimetric analyses, immunoenzymatic assays, and real time PCR experiments, NSC culture proliferation, senescence, reactive oxygen species, and ADP/ATP levels were assessed. Aged NSCs exhibited cellular senescence, decreased proliferation, and an impairment in mitochondrial metabolism. These changes included a substantial induction in the nuclear factor NF-κB, a key inflammatory mediator. GPE cell treatment significantly protected the redox state and functional integrity of mitochondria, and counteracted senescence and NF-κB activation. In conclusion, our data show the beneficial properties of GPE in this model of stem cell aging.

Orientations scientifiques des filles en France : un bilan contrasté Girls choosing science in France: contrasted results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Biljana Stevanovic

2011-12-01

Full Text Available En s’appuyant sur les enquêtes de l’Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (INSEE et de la Direction de l’évaluation, de la prospective et de la performance (DEPP, cet article étudie l’évolution de l’orientation scientifique des filles dans l’enseignement secondaire et supérieur en France sur une période de vingt ans, de 1985 à 2008. L’objectif est d’étudier les permanences et les changements des choix des filles dans l’enseignement scientifique. Les résultats montrent que les choix d’orientation des filles vers les filières scientifiques sur la période considérée sont en nette évolution. Cette évolution est positive au niveau du secondaire mais en revanche plus ambiguë au niveau du supérieur. Le rôle joué par les politiques éducatives sur l’orientation scientifique des filles, les représentations des métiers (Mosconi & Stevanovic, 2007, le sentiment de compétence (Bandura, 1977 ; Betz & Hackett, 1981, les stéréotypes et perceptions (Armstrong & Crombi, 2000 et l’influence parentale, sont étudiés pour expliquer les liens possibles entre les représentations des sujets individuels selon leur sexe et leur décision d’une orientation scientifique.Based on surveys carried out by the INSEE (Institut National de la Statistique et des études Economiques and the DEPP (Direction de l’Evaluation de la Prospective et de la Performance, this article examines how the rate of girls choosing to study science in secondary and higher education in France evolved over a period of twenty years, from 1985 to 2008. The aim is to study continuity and change in girls’ choices into science. The findings of this study show that girls’ choices into science over the period clearly changed. There was a positive evolution at the secondary level but rather less obvious at higher education. The role of educational policies on girls’ scientific career choices, adolescents’ representations

Cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy of antiphase boundaries in epitaxially grown GaP layers on Si(001)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prohl, Christopher; Lenz, Andrea, E-mail: alenz@physik.tu-berlin.de [Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Festkörperphysik, 10623 Berlin (Germany); Döscher, Henning; Kleinschmidt, Peter; Hannappel, Thomas [Helmholtz Center Berlin for Materials and Energy, 14109 Berlin (Germany)

2016-05-15

In a fundamental cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy investigation on epitaxially grown GaP layers on a Si(001) substrate, differently oriented antiphase boundaries are studied. They can be identified by a specific contrast and by surface step edges starting/ending at the position of an antiphase boundary. Moreover, a change in the atomic position of P and Ga atoms along the direction of growth is observed in agreement with the structure model of antiphase boundaries in the GaP lattice. This investigation opens the perspective to reveal the orientation and position of the antiphase boundaries at the atomic scale due to the excellent surface sensitivity of this method.

Generalized Phase Contrast

CERN Document Server

Glückstad, Jesper

2009-01-01

Generalized Phase Contrast elevates the phase contrast technique not only to improve phase imaging but also to cross over and interface with diverse and seemingly disparate fields of contemporary optics and photonics. This book presents a comprehensive introduction to the Generalized Phase Contrast (GPC) method including an overview of the range of current and potential applications of GPC in wavefront sensing and phase imaging, structured laser illumination and image projection, optical trapping and manipulation, and optical encryption and decryption. The GPC method goes further than the restrictive assumptions of conventional Zernike phase contrast analysis and achieves an expanded range of validity beyond weak phase perturbations. The generalized analysis yields design criteria for tuning experimental parameters to achieve optimal performance in terms of accuracy, fidelity and light efficiency. Optimization can address practical issues, such as finding an optimal spatial filter for the chosen application, ...

Discharge dynamics of self-oriented microplasma coupling between cross adjacent cavities in micro-structure device driven by a bipolar pulse waveform

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yaogong; Zhang, Xiaoning; Liu, Lingguang; Zhou, Xuan; Liu, Chunliang; Zhang, Qiaogen

2018-04-01

The excitation dynamics and self-oriented plasma coupling of a micro-structure plasma device with a rectangular cross-section are investigated. The device consists of 7 × 7 microcavity arrays, which are blended into a unity by a 50 μm-thick bulk area above them. The device is operated in argon with a pressure of 200 Torr, driven by a bipolar pulse waveform of 20 kHz. The discharge evolution is characterized by means of electrical measurements and optical emission profiles. It has been found that different emission patterns are observed within microcavities. The formation of these patterns induced by the combined action between the applied electric field and surface deactivation is discussed. The microplasma distribution in some specific regions along the diagonal direction of cavities in the bulk area is observed, and self-oriented microplasma coupling is explored, while the plasma interaction occurred between cross adjacent cavities, contributed by the ionization wave propagation. The velocity of ionization wave propagation is measured to be 1.2 km/s to 3.5 km/s. The exploration of this plasma interaction in the bulk area is of value to applications in electromagnetics and signal processing.

Perceived Cross-Orientation Infidelity: Heterosexual Perceptions of Same-Sex Cheating in Exclusive Relationships.

Science.gov (United States)

Compton, Benjamin L; Bowman, Jonathan M

2017-01-01

For individuals in exclusive romantic relationships, the dynamics of sexual experimentation are nuanced. Extradyadic behavior outside of a relationship may be perceived as cheating or infidelity, with much of those perceptions driven by the biological sex of the perceiver. This study significantly reframes seminal research on perceptions of cheating with third-party friends by Kruger et al. (2013), to further nuance an evolutionary threat-based model. In doing so, this furthers our understanding of the associated perceptions of individuals in heterosexual relationships when confronted by partners' cheating with their same-sex cross-orientation friends. Results indicate that perceptions of same-sex infidelity vary widely depending on the nature of the behaviors, with decreasing attribution given to sexual and erotic behaviors, close relational behaviors, and casual social interaction behaviors, respectively. Implications are discussed for a variety of sexual communities, as well as the impact of gender and relational status on perceptions of infidelity.

Transgender transitioning and change of self-reported sexual orientation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthias K Auer

Full Text Available Sexual orientation is usually considered to be determined in early life and stable in the course of adulthood. In contrast, some transgender individuals report a change in sexual orientation. A common reason for this phenomenon is not known.We included 115 transsexual persons (70 male-to-female "MtF" and 45 female-to-male "FtM" patients from our endocrine outpatient clinic, who completed a questionnaire, retrospectively evaluating the history of their gender transition phase. The questionnaire focused on sexual orientation and recalled time points of changes in sexual orientation in the context of transition. Participants were further asked to provide a personal concept for a potential change in sexual orientation.In total, 32.9% (n = 23 MtF reported a change in sexual orientation in contrast to 22.2% (n = 10 FtM transsexual persons (p = 0.132. Out of these patients, 39.1% (MtF and 60% (FtM reported a change in sexual orientation before having undergone any sex reassignment surgery. FtM that had initially been sexually oriented towards males ( = androphilic, were significantly more likely to report on a change in sexual orientation than gynephilic, analloerotic or bisexual FtM (p = 0.012. Similarly, gynephilic MtF reported a change in sexual orientation more frequently than androphilic, analloerotic or bisexual MtF transsexual persons (p =0.05.In line with earlier reports, we reveal that a change in self-reported sexual orientation is frequent and does not solely occur in the context of particular transition events. Transsexual persons that are attracted by individuals of the opposite biological sex are more likely to change sexual orientation. Qualitative reports suggest that the individual's biography, autogynephilic and autoandrophilic sexual arousal, confusion before and after transitioning, social and self-acceptance, as well as concept of sexual orientation itself may explain this phenomenon.

Transgender transitioning and change of self-reported sexual orientation.

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Auer, Matthias K; Fuss, Johannes; Höhne, Nina; Stalla, Günter K; Sievers, Caroline

2014-01-01

Sexual orientation is usually considered to be determined in early life and stable in the course of adulthood. In contrast, some transgender individuals report a change in sexual orientation. A common reason for this phenomenon is not known. We included 115 transsexual persons (70 male-to-female "MtF" and 45 female-to-male "FtM") patients from our endocrine outpatient clinic, who completed a questionnaire, retrospectively evaluating the history of their gender transition phase. The questionnaire focused on sexual orientation and recalled time points of changes in sexual orientation in the context of transition. Participants were further asked to provide a personal concept for a potential change in sexual orientation. In total, 32.9% (n = 23) MtF reported a change in sexual orientation in contrast to 22.2% (n = 10) FtM transsexual persons (p = 0.132). Out of these patients, 39.1% (MtF) and 60% (FtM) reported a change in sexual orientation before having undergone any sex reassignment surgery. FtM that had initially been sexually oriented towards males ( = androphilic), were significantly more likely to report on a change in sexual orientation than gynephilic, analloerotic or bisexual FtM (p = 0.012). Similarly, gynephilic MtF reported a change in sexual orientation more frequently than androphilic, analloerotic or bisexual MtF transsexual persons (p =0.05). In line with earlier reports, we reveal that a change in self-reported sexual orientation is frequent and does not solely occur in the context of particular transition events. Transsexual persons that are attracted by individuals of the opposite biological sex are more likely to change sexual orientation. Qualitative reports suggest that the individual's biography, autogynephilic and autoandrophilic sexual arousal, confusion before and after transitioning, social and self-acceptance, as well as concept of sexual orientation itself may explain this phenomenon.

The art of the possible. On the necessary conditions for cross-sector cooperation in a New Public Management oriented health service

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Høgsgaard, Ditte Merete

2017-01-01

Despite the current mantra that cross-sector teamwork and communication are the decisive factors in any attempt at creating an integrated and holistically oriented health service, the current institutional structures and conditions seem to actively stymie such cooperation. A high powered debate...... on the necessity of properly functioning cross-sector cooperation in the health service proceeds in its own isolated context and is also challenged at its very roots by the New Public Management (NPM) creed that has informed health service management in recent decades. The aim here is to investigate how tension...... and paradoxes in that cross-sector teamwork impact upon the ability of healthcare professionals across the relevant sectors to work together effectively towards the discharge of a patient. All this with a view to creating an integrated and holistic process for that patient....

Penetration Depth and Defect Image Contrast Formation in Grazing-Incidence X-ray Topography of 4H-SiC Wafers

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Yang, Yu; Guo, Jianqiu; Goue, Ouloide Yannick; Kim, Jun Gyu; Raghothamachar, Balaji; Dudley, Michael; Chung, Gill; Sanchez, Edward; Manning, Ian

2018-02-01

Synchrotron x-ray topography in grazing-incidence geometry is useful for discerning defects at different depths below the crystal surface, particularly for 4H-SiC epitaxial wafers. However, the penetration depths measured from x-ray topographs are much larger than theoretical values. To interpret this discrepancy, we have simulated the topographic contrast of dislocations based on two of the most basic contrast formation mechanisms, viz. orientation and kinematical contrast. Orientation contrast considers merely displacement fields associated with dislocations, while kinematical contrast considers also diffraction volume, defined as the effective misorientation around dislocations and the rocking curve width for given diffraction vector. Ray-tracing simulation was carried out to visualize dislocation contrast for both models, taking into account photoelectric absorption of the x-ray beam inside the crystal. The results show that orientation contrast plays the key role in determining both the contrast and x-ray penetration depth for different types of dislocation.

Crossover of the preferred growth orientation of AlN/Si(001) films during off-axis radio frequency sputter growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jang, H.W.; Kang, H.C.; Noh, D.Y.; Yi, M.S.

2003-01-01

We found that the crystallographic orientation of AlN/Si(001) thin films crosses over from the substrate normal towards the direction of incident flux during off-axis radio frequency magnetron sputter growth. At high growth temperatures, the crystalline c-axis orientation is maintained along the substrate normal direction initially, but jumps discontinuously towards the direction of incident flux. In contrast, at low growth temperatures, the c-axis direction shifts continuously towards the incident flux direction and saturates in the middle agreeing with the tangential rule of oblique deposition, i.e., tan β=1/2 tan α, where α and β denote the angles of incident flux and column incline, respectively. Selected area transmission electron diffraction patterns are consistent with the crossover measured by in situ x-ray scattering experiments

Phase-contrast X-ray CT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Momose, Atsushi [Hitachi Ltd., Saitama (Japan). Advanced Research Laboratory; Takeda, Tohoru; Itai, Yuji

1995-12-01

Phase-contrast X-ray computed tomography (CT) enabling the observation of biological soft tissues without contrast enhancement has been developed. The X-ray phase shift caused by an object is measured and input to a standard CT reconstruction algorithm. A thousand times increase in the image sensitivity to soft tissues is achieved compared with the conventional CT using absorption contrast. This is because the X-ray phase shift cross section of light elements is about a thousand times larger than the absorption cross section. The phase shift is detected using an X-ray interferometer and computer analyses of interference patterns. Experiments were performed using a synchrotron X-ray source. Excellent image sensitivity is demonstrated in the observation of cancerous rabbit liver. The CT images distinguish cancer lesion from normal liver tissue and, moreover, visualize the pathological condition in the lesion. Although the X-ray energy employed and the present observation area size are not suitable for medical applications as they are, phase-contrast X-ray CT is promising for investigating the internal structure of soft tissue which is almost transparent for X-rays. The high sensitivity also provides the advantage of reducing X-ray doses. (author).

Dialogue and Exchange of Information about Grade Inflation Can Counteract Its Effects

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Barriga, Alvaro Q.; Cooper, Eric K.; Gawelek, Mary Ann; Butela, Kristin; Johnson, Elizabeth

2008-01-01

This investigation documents an intervention that successfully counteracted a grade inflation trend at a small, Catholic, liberal arts university in the eastern United States. The intervention produced a significant drop in grades awarded by full-time faculty, but not by adjunct faculty who were not yet included in the intervention. Institutional…

The effects of paradigmatic orientations of education research and discourse

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Smithson, John Lawrence

This essay presents an examination of contemporary disputes over methodological and epistemological foundations underlying inquiry within the field of education research; investigating the obstacles to communication and understanding found in scholarly exchanges occurring across competing paradigmatic orientations. Terminological challenges to cross-paradigmatic communication are examined, identifying three specific terminological difficulties, referred to as homonym, contextual, and onti-stemic problems. Nicholas Burbules' model of dialogue, based upon characteristics of convergence, divergence, inclusive and critical traits, is adopted and applied to a sample of cross-paradigmatic exchanges found in recent educational research journals. Examination of those exchanges reveals certain strategies associated with cross-paradigmatic communication. These strategies, labeled as trivialization, caricaturization, and re-direction, are shown to be detrimental to the mutual understanding of the interlocutors. The model is then extended to address examples of paradigmatic orientations within methodological and epistemological contexts in order to consider the relationship between the various orientations represented in the literature of interest. Methodological and epistemological orientations are shown to be loosely coupled, with unexpected shifts in paradigmatic values found among researchers' methodological and epistemological commitments. Finally, the nature of the relationship between competing paradigmatic orientations is examined, with particular attention given to four types of incommensurability (ontological, linguistic, epistemological, and values incommensurability). I conclude that, though difficult, cross-paradigmatic communication is necessary in order to provide a multi-paradigmatic perspective that takes us beyond the fractured picture of educational phenomena available from current research approaches.

Sexual stigma and symbolic violence experienced, enacted, and counteracted in young Africans' writing about same-sex attraction.

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Winskell, Kate; Sabben, Gaëlle

2016-07-01

There is growing recognition of the health disparities faced by sexual minority populations and the critical role played by sexual stigma in increasing their vulnerability. Experienced, anticipated, and internalized, stigma based on sexual orientation reduces access to HIV/STI prevention and treatment services among African men who have sex with men and has been linked to compromised mental health, risk-taking, and HIV status. It is likely that similar processes undermine the health of sexual minority African women and transgender and non-binary people. There is a need for increased understanding of both the contextual factors and the cultural meanings, or symbolic violence, that inform sexual stigma and harmful stigma management strategies in contexts that are culturally and socio-politically oppressive for sexual and gender minorities. Using thematic data analysis and narrative-based methodologies, we analyzed narratives and essays on same-sex attraction contributed by young people aged 13-24 from ten African countries to a Spring 2013 scriptwriting competition on HIV, sexuality, and related themes. Submitted by 27 male and 29 female authors, the texts were written in response to a prompt inviting participants to "Tell a story about someone who is attracted to people of the same sex". We analyzed the ways in which sexual stigma and its effects are described, enacted, and counteracted in the texts. The data provide insights into the social and symbolic processes that create and sustain sexual stigma in the context of broader transnational discourses. The data shed light on psychosocial challenges faced by sexual minority youth and identify both rhetoric, stereotypes, and discourse that devalue them and representations that counteract this symbolic violence. We share our findings in the hope they may inform education and communication programming as part of multi-level efforts to improve the health and human rights of sexual minority populations in sub

Webinar Presentation: Vitamins, Minerals and Metals: Do Healthy Diets Counteract Health Effects of Toxicants?

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This presentation, Vitamins, Minerals and Metals: Do Healthy Diets Counteract Health Effects of Toxicants?, was given at the NIEHS/EPA Children's Centers 2015 Webinar Series: Food and Children's Health held on Dec. 9, 2015.

Discourse on corruption counteraction in network trade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonid A. Zhigun

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Objective to determine the specific forms of corruption and promising methods to counteract corruption in network trade. Methods the combination of inductive observations comparisons generalizations facts and trends of corruption in network trade with a logical analytical deduction of economic theories and the corruption concept are the basis of the study and provide an opportunity on the one hand to assess the level of compliance of theoretical concepts of corruption with the practice and on the other handnbsp to determine their applicability to organize opposition and create conditions to prevent its occurrence to summarize the features of corruption in the form of a kickback the discourse method was applied in this work. Results on the basis of theoretical provisions and facts of corruption in trade it is proved that it has typical characteristics of corruption in commercial and nonprofit organizations. The key reasons are identified why corruption occurs in trade. Among them supply of poor quality goods at inflated prices leading to bribery in the form of laquopersonal bonusraquo to administrator of the trading organization when selling goods by an unscrupulous supplier and also supply goods to the trade organizations which will not buy without kickback. Most of these corrupt deals are carried out by natural monopolies in the form of state and municipal procurement. In some cases the kickback is the argument stimulating the decision to introduce new and advanced technologies. The factors that lead to corruption in trade are listed and reasonable methods to counteract it are grounded allowing to create conditions for its eradication in other branches of business as well. Scientific novelty for the first time a generalization has been made about the deficit as the driving force in the mechanism when the bribegivers and bribetakers change places. Practical significance the main provisions and conclusions of the article can be used in the

High-contrast MacNeille-PBS-based LCOS projection systems

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Chen, Jianmin; Robinson, Michael G.; Sharp, Gary D.

2005-04-01

Contrast limits are investigated for MacNeille PBS based LCOS projection systems that use retarder stack filters (RSF). The two contributing factors are considered separately; namely the color management system and the panel port. To enhance performance of the former, skew ray compensated RSFs are introduced. For the latter, a general methodology is presented to optimize contrast by compensating the LCOS panel. It is shown that the orientation of the LCOS panel and compensator, relative to the MacNeille PBS, is critical. The significant impact of AR coating performance on system contrast is also revealed. A high contrast architecture will be presented by way of example.

Interpreting the three-dimensional orientation of vascular canals and cross-sectional geometry of cortical bone in birds and bats.

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Pratt, Isaac V; Johnston, James D; Walker, Ernie; Cooper, David M L

2018-06-01

Cortical bone porosity and specifically the orientation of vascular canals is an area of growing interest in biomedical research and comparative/paleontological anatomy. The potential to explain microstructural adaptation is of great interest. However, the determinants of the development of canal orientation remain unclear. Previous studies of birds have shown higher proportions of circumferential canals (called laminarity) in flight bones than in hindlimb bones, and interpreted this as a sign that circumferential canals are a feature for resistance to the torsional loading created by flight. We defined the laminarity index as the percentage of circumferential canal length out of the total canal length. In this study we examined the vascular canal network in the humerus and femur of a sample of 31 bird and 24 bat species using synchrotron micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) to look for a connection between canal orientation and functional loading. The use of micro-CT provides a full three-dimensional (3D) map of the vascular canal network and provides measurements of the 3D orientation of each canal in the whole cross-section of the bone cortex. We measured several cross-sectional geometric parameters and strength indices including principal and polar area moments of inertia, principal and polar section moduli, circularity, buckling ratio, and a weighted cortical thickness index. We found that bat cortices are relatively thicker and poorly vascularized, whereas those of birds are thinner and more highly vascularized, and that according to our cross-sectional geometric parameters, bird bones have a greater resistance to torsional stress than the bats; in particular, the humerus in birds is more adapted to resist torsional stresses than the femur. Our results show that birds have a significantly (P = 0.031) higher laminarity index than bats, with birds having a mean laminarity index of 0.183 in the humerus and 0.232 in the femur, and bats having a mean laminarity

Gradient pre-emphasis to counteract first-order concomitant fields on asymmetric MRI gradient systems.

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Tao, Shengzhen; Weavers, Paul T; Trzasko, Joshua D; Shu, Yunhong; Huston, John; Lee, Seung-Kyun; Frigo, Louis M; Bernstein, Matt A

2017-06-01

To develop a gradient pre-emphasis scheme that prospectively counteracts the effects of the first-order concomitant fields for any arbitrary gradient waveform played on asymmetric gradient systems, and to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach using a real-time implementation on a compact gradient system. After reviewing the first-order concomitant fields that are present on asymmetric gradients, we developed a generalized gradient pre-emphasis model assuming arbitrary gradient waveforms to counteract their effects. A numerically straightforward, easily implemented approximate solution to this pre-emphasis problem was derived that was compatible with the current hardware infrastructure of conventional MRI scanners for eddy current compensation. The proposed method was implemented on the gradient driver subsystem, and its real-time use was tested using a series of phantom and in vivo data acquired from two-dimensional Cartesian phase-difference, echo-planar imaging, and spiral acquisitions. The phantom and in vivo results demonstrated that unless accounted for, first-order concomitant fields introduce considerable phase estimation error into the measured data and result in images with spatially dependent blurring/distortion. The resulting artifacts were effectively prevented using the proposed gradient pre-emphasis. We have developed an efficient and effective gradient pre-emphasis framework to counteract the effects of first-order concomitant fields of asymmetric gradient systems. Magn Reson Med 77:2250-2262, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Molecular bond formation in Na* + N2 energy transfer: Crossed beam study of atomic alignment and orientation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiland, W.; Jamieson, G.; Tittes, U.; Hertel, I.V.

1982-01-01

We report the first full analysis of collisionally induced atomic alignment and orientation for a molecular collision process. In an experiment with crossed supersonic beams of N 2 and laser excited Na(3 2 Psub(3/2)) we have studied the dependence of angular and energy resolved differential quenching cross sections as a function of the linear and circular polarization of the exciting laser light. The ansisotropies observed in the linear polarization data range up to 2:1 when corrected for electron and nuclear spin relaxation. The maximum effect is found at small scattering angles and intermediate energy transfer where the cross section is also largest. The atomic alignment angle most favourable for quenching relates to the scattering angle and can be understood in a model picture in such a way that the (NaN 2 )* molecular system is formed at internuclear distances as low as R = 10a 0 . The circular asymmetry is small but with significant structure and is attributed to interaction on different potential surfaces at R > 10a 0 . Full analysis of the four measurable parameter is given in terms of the density matrix in a frame with z-axis perpendicular to collision plane which allows a clear understanding of the properties of atomic reflection symmetry and coherence of the scattering process. (orig.)

Cross-Lagged Relationships between Career Aspirations and Goal Orientation in Early Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Creed, Peter; Tilbury, Clare; Buys, Nick; Crawford, Meegan

2011-01-01

We surveyed 217 students (145 girls; average age = 14.6 years) on two occasions, twelve months apart, on measures of career aspirations (job aspirations, job expectations, educational aspirations) and goal orientation (learning, performance-prove, performance-avoid), and tested the causal relationship between goal orientation and aspirations. We…

Counteracting age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bechshøft, Rasmus; Reitelseder, Søren; Højfeldt, Grith

2016-01-01

Background Aging is associated with decreased muscle mass and functional capacity, which in turn decrease quality of life. The number of citizens over the age of 65 years in the Western world will increase by 50 % over the next four decades, and this demographic shift brings forth new challenges...... at both societal and individual levels. Only a few longitudinal studies have been reported, but whey protein supplementation seems to improve muscle mass and function, and its combination with heavy strength training appears even more effective. However, heavy resistance training may reduce adherence...... Intervention Study will generate scientific evidence and recommendations to counteract age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass in elderly individuals....

Role of inhibition in the specification of orientation selectivity of cells in the cat striate cortex.

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Bonds, A B

1989-01-01

Mechanisms supporting orientation selectivity of cat striate cortical cells were studied by stimulation with two superimposed sine-wave gratings of different orientations. One grating (base) generated a discharge of known amplitude which could be modified by the second grating (mask). Masks presented at nonoptimal orientations usually reduced the base-generated response, but the degree of reduction varied widely between cells. Cells with narrow orientation tuning tended to be more susceptible to mask presence than broadly tuned cells; similarly, simple cells generally showed more response reduction than did complex cells. The base and mask stimuli were drifted at different temporal frequencies which, in simple cells, permitted the identification of individual response components from each stimulus. This revealed that the reduction of the base response by the mask usually did not vary regularly with mask orientation, although response facilitation from the mask was orientation selective. In some sharply tuned simple cells, response reduction had clear local maxima near the limits of the cell's orientation-tuning function. Response reduction resulted from a nearly pure rightward shift of the response versus log contrast function. The lowest mask contrast yielding reduction was within 0.1-0.3 log unit of the lowest contrast effective for excitation. The temporal-frequency bandpass of the response-reduction mechanism resembled that of most cortical cells. The spatial-frequency bandpass was much broader than is typical for single cortical cells, spanning essentially the entire visual range of the cat. These findings are compatible with a model in which weak intrinsic orientation-selective excitation is enhanced in two stages: (1) control of threshold by nonorientation-selective inhibition that is continuously dependent on stimulus contrast; and (2) in the more narrowly tuned cells, orientation-selective inhibition that has local maxima serving to increase the slope of

Microstructure-grain orientation relationship in coarse grain nickel cold-rolled to large strain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, H.S.; Godfrey, A.; Hansen, N.; Xie, J.X.; Liu, Q.

2008-01-01

The relationship between crystallographic orientation and the deformation microstructure formed during cold-rolling to high strains (up to ε vM = 4.5) has been investigated. The starting material was Ni (99.96% purity) with a coarse initial average grain size (approximately 500 μm). Microstructural characterization was carried out using a combination of electron channeling contrast imaging and electron back-scatter diffraction orientation mapping. An orientation dependence of the deformation microstructure was observed even at the highest strain examined. A large increase in the average boundary misorientation is found at strains above ε vM = 1.8 for regions with the {1 1 2} and {1 2 3} orientations. This increase accompanies the structural transition from a medium strain microstructure to a high strain lamellar microstructure. In contrast, the average misorientation in regions of {1 1 0} orientation increases only slowly even up to the highest strain examined

Counteracting fatigue in multiple sclerosis with right parietal anodal transcranial direct current stimulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katrin Hanken

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS patients appears to correlate with vigilance decrement as reflected in an increase in reaction time and errors with prolonged time-on-task. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS over the right parietal or frontal cortex counteracts fatigue-associated vigilance decrement and subjective fatigue. Methods: In study I, a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, anodal tDCS (1,5mA was delivered to the right parietal cortex or the right frontal cortex of 52 healthy participants during the first 20min of a 40min lasting visual vigilance task. Study II, also a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, investigated the effect of anodal tDCS (1.5mA over the right parietal cortex in 46 MS patients experiencing cognitive fatigue. TDCS was delivered for 20min before patients performed a 20min lasting visual vigilance task.Results: Study I showed that right parietal stimulation, but not right frontal stimulation, counteracts the increase in reaction time associated with vigilance decrement. Hence, only right parietal stimulation was applied to the MS patients in study II. Stimulation had a significant effect on vigilance decrement in mildly to moderately cognitively fatigued MS patients. Vigilance testing significantly increased the feeling of fatigue independent of stimulation.Conclusions: Anodal tDCS over the right parietal cortex can counteract the increase in reaction times during vigilance performance but not the increase in subjective fatigue. This finding is compatible with our model of fatigue in MS, suggesting a dissociation between the feeling and the behavioral characteristics of fatigue.

Counteracting Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis with Right Parietal Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanken, Katrin; Bosse, Mona; Möhrke, Kim; Eling, Paul; Kastrup, Andreas; Antal, Andrea; Hildebrandt, Helmut

2016-01-01

Fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients appears to correlate with vigilance decrement as reflected in an increase in reaction time (RT) and errors with prolonged time-on-task. The aim of this study was to investigate whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right parietal or frontal cortex counteracts fatigue-associated vigilance decrement and subjective fatigue. In study I, a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, anodal tDCS (1.5 mA) was delivered to the right parietal cortex or the right frontal cortex of 52 healthy participants during the first 20 min of a 40-min lasting visual vigilance task. Study II, also a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, investigated the effect of anodal tDCS (1.5 mA) over the right parietal cortex in 46 MS patients experiencing cognitive fatigue. tDCS was delivered for 20 min before patients performed a 20-min lasting visual vigilance task. Study I showed that right parietal stimulation, but not right frontal stimulation, counteracts the increase in RT associated with vigilance decrement. Hence, only right parietal stimulation was applied to the MS patients in study II. Stimulation had a significant effect on vigilance decrement in mildly to moderately cognitively fatigued MS patients. Vigilance testing significantly increased the feeling of fatigue independent of stimulation. Anodal tDCS over the right parietal cortex can counteract the increase in RTs during vigilance performance, but not the increase in subjective fatigue. This finding is compatible with our model of fatigue in MS, suggesting a dissociation between the feeling and the behavioral characteristics of fatigue.

Orientation-Selective Retinal Circuits in Vertebrates.

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Antinucci, Paride; Hindges, Robert

2018-01-01

Visual information is already processed in the retina before it is transmitted to higher visual centers in the brain. This includes the extraction of salient features from visual scenes, such as motion directionality or contrast, through neurons belonging to distinct neural circuits. Some retinal neurons are tuned to the orientation of elongated visual stimuli. Such 'orientation-selective' neurons are present in the retinae of most, if not all, vertebrate species analyzed to date, with species-specific differences in frequency and degree of tuning. In some cases, orientation-selective neurons have very stereotyped functional and morphological properties suggesting that they represent distinct cell types. In this review, we describe the retinal cell types underlying orientation selectivity found in various vertebrate species, and highlight their commonalities and differences. In addition, we discuss recent studies that revealed the cellular, synaptic and circuit mechanisms at the basis of retinal orientation selectivity. Finally, we outline the significance of these findings in shaping our current understanding of how this fundamental neural computation is implemented in the visual systems of vertebrates.

Differential Effect of Contrast Polarity Reversals in Closed Squares and open L-Junctions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark M Schira

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Scene segmentation depends on interaction between geometrical and photometric factors. It has been shown that reversals in contrast polarity at points of highest orientation discontinuity along closed contours significantly impair shape discrimination performance, while changes in contrast polarity at straight(er contour segments do not have such deleterious effects (Spehar 2002. Here we employ (semi high resolution fMRI (1.5x1.5x1.5mm to investigate the neuronal substrate underlying these perception effects. Stimuli consisted of simple elements a squares with contrast reversals along straight segments; b squares with contrast reversals in the corner (highest orientation discontinuity; c L-Junctions with contrast reversals along the straight ends; d L-Junctions with contrast reversals in the corner. Element with contrast polarity reversals are easy to distinguish though appear geometrically equivalent. For squares with contrast polarity reversals only along straight lines we find significantly lower BOLD modulation compared to any of the control conditions, which show similar responses to each other. In the light of previous psychophysical work (Spehar 2002, Elder and Zucker, 1993 we speculate that this effect is due to closure perception. We observe this across a wide range of areas on occipital cortex.

Study on microstructure of transition zone and its strong contrast of single T700 carbon fibers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Xinshuang; Zhang, Kexiang [Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Fan, Zhen; Feng, Zhihai [National Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Composite Materials, Aerospace Research Institute of Materials and Processing Technology, Beijing 100076 (China); He, LianLong, E-mail: llhe@imr.ac.cn [Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016 (China)

2017-06-01

Highlights: • The transition zone of T700 carbon fiber was first identified with higher density in addition to higher orientation. • The higher sample density still existed while the higher orientation disappeared after heat treatment at 2800 °C. • The strong contrast of the transition zone mainly results from its higher density. • The transition zone with higher density and orientation may exist not only in the T700 but other PAN-based carbon fibers. - Abstract: The transition zone (TZ) between the skin and core of Toray T700 carbon fiber was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The higher basal-plane orientation was identified in the TZ compared with the skin and core, but it disappeared after heat treatment at 2800 °C. Plasmon peak energy in the TZ was higher than that in the skin and core about 0.7–0.8 eV, indicating the TZ with higher density. No element concentration existed in the TZ. The TZ with strong contrast manifests itself before and after heat treatment, and formation mechanism of its strong contrast was proposed.

Figures mythiques et histoire. Réinterprétations et contrastes entre Orient et Occident

OpenAIRE

Aigle, Denise

2009-01-01

L'histoire de l'Orient musulman est jalonnée de grands personnages qui servent de modèles de référence et d'ancêtres fondateurs, certains hérités de l'islam, d'autres de l'Antiquité et de la Bible. Leur figure s'est transformée en Orient musulman à partir du Xe siècle, largement sous l'influence du Shâh-nâma, quand se sont multipliées les dynasties indépendantes, puis à la suite de l'irruption des Turcs, des Croisés et des Mongols. Les exemples de Saladin et de Gengis Khan illustrent le renou...

ISG15 counteracts Listeria monocytogenes infection

Science.gov (United States)

Radoshevich, Lilliana; Impens, Francis; Ribet, David; Quereda, Juan J; Nam Tham, To; Nahori, Marie-Anne; Bierne, Hélène; Dussurget, Olivier; Pizarro-Cerdá, Javier; Knobeloch, Klaus-Peter; Cossart, Pascale

2015-01-01

ISG15 is an interferon-stimulated, linear di-ubiquitin-like protein, with anti-viral activity. The role of ISG15 during bacterial infection remains elusive. We show that ISG15 expression in nonphagocytic cells is dramatically induced upon Listeria infection. Surprisingly this induction can be type I interferon independent and depends on the cytosolic surveillance pathway, which senses bacterial DNA and signals through STING, TBK1, IRF3 and IRF7. Most importantly, we observed that ISG15 expression restricts Listeria infection in vitro and in vivo. We made use of stable isotope labeling in tissue culture (SILAC) to identify ISGylated proteins that could be responsible for the protective effect. Strikingly, infection or overexpression of ISG15 leads to ISGylation of ER and Golgi proteins, which correlates with increased secretion of cytokines known to counteract infection. Together, our data reveal a previously uncharacterized ISG15-dependent restriction of Listeria infection, reinforcing the view that ISG15 is a key component of the innate immune response. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.06848.001 PMID:26259872

Comparison of excretory urographic contrast effects of dimeric and monomeric non-ionic iodinated contrast media in dogs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kishimoto, M.; Yamada, K.; Watanabe, A.; Miyamoto, K.; Iwasaki, T.; Miyake, Y.

2007-01-01

In excretory urography, the osmolarity of contrast media has rarely been treated as important in veterinary medicine. In this study, the contrast effect of two contrast media (monomeric iohexol and dimeric iodixanol) in the renal cortex and aorta were compared using computed tomography (CT). Five beagle dogs were used and the study employed a cross-over method for each contrast media. The results showed that there was no difference between the media in the aorta, but iodixanol showed higher CT value and a longer contrast effect than iohexol in the renal cortex, in spite of having the same iodine dosage. It is believed that iodixanol, with its low osmolarity, is diluted less by osmotic diuresis than monomeric iohexol. It is important to consider the osmolarity of the contrast media when evaluating the contrast effect, and it is essential to use the same contrast media for each examination, or the renal excretory speed will be under/overestimated

Impacts of fiber orientation and milling on observed crystallinity in jack pine

Science.gov (United States)

Umesh P. Agarwal; Sally A. Ralph; Richard S. Reiner; Roderquita K. Moore; Carlos Baez

2014-01-01

Influences of fiber orientation and milling on wood cellulose crystallinity were studied using jack pine wood. The fiber orientation effects were measured by sampling rectangular wood blocks in radial, tangential, and cross-sectional orientations. The influence of milling was studied by analyzing the unsieved and sieved milled wood fractions (all

Fluorescent modification and orientation of myosin sulfhydryl 2 in skeletal muscle fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ajtai, K.; Burghardt, T.P.

1989-01-01

The authors describe a protocol for the selective covalent labeling of the sulfhydryl 2 (SH2) on the myosin cross-bridge in glycerinated muscle fibers using the sulfhydryl-selective label 4-[N-[(iodoacetoxy)ethyl]-N-methylamino]-7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (IANBD). The protocol promotes the specificity of IANBD by using the ability to protect sulfhydryl 1 (SH1) from modification by binding the cross-bridge to the actin filament and using cross-bridge-bound MgADP to promote the accessibility of SH2. They determined the specificity of the probe using fluorescence gel scanning of fiber-extracted proteins to isolate the probe on myosin subfragment 1 (S1), limited proteolysis of the purified S1 to isolate the probe on the 20-kilodalton fragment of S1, and titration of the free SH1's on purified S1 using the radiolabeled SH1-specific reagent [ 14 C]iodoacetamide or enzymatic activity measurements. They characterized the angular distribution of the IANBD on cross-bridges in fibers when the fibers are in rigor, in relaxation, in the presence of MgADP, and in isometric contraction using wavelength-dependent fluorescence polarization. They find that the SH2 probe distinguishes the different states of the fiber such that rigor and MgADP are ordered and maintain a similar orientation throughout the excitation wavelength domain. The relaxed cross-bridge is ordered and has an orientation that is distinct from the orientation of the cross-bridge in rigor and MgADP over the entire wavelength domain. The active isometric cross-bridge is also oriented differently from the other states, suggesting the presence of a predominant actin-bound cross-bridge state that precedes the power stroke during muscle contraction

Multi-shelled q-ball imaging. Moment-based orientation distribution function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umezawa, Eizou; Yamaguchi, Kojiro; Yoshikawa, Mayo; Ohno, Kana; Yoshikawa, Emi

2010-01-01

q-ball imaging (QBI) reconstructs the orientation distribution function (ODF) that describes the probability for a spin to diffuse in a given direction, and it is capable of identifying intravoxel multiple fiber orientations. The local maxima of ODF are assumed to indicate fiber orientations, but there is a mismatch between the orientation of a fiber crossing and the local maxima. We propose a novel method, multi-shelled QBI (MS-QBI), that gives a new ODF based on the moment of the probability density function of diffusion displacement. We test the accuracy of the fiber orientation indicated by the new ODF and test fiber tracking using the new ODF. We performed tests using numerical simulation. To test the accuracy of fiber orientation, we assumed that 2 fibers cross and evaluated the deviation of the measured crossing angle from the actual angle. To test the fiber tracking, we used a numerical phantom of the cerebral hemisphere containing the corpus callosum, projection fibers, and superior longitudinal fasciculus. In the tests, we compared the results between MS-QBI and conventional QBI under the condition of approximately equal total numbers of diffusion signal samplings between the 2 methods and chose the interpolation parameter such that the stabilities of the results of the angular deviation for the 2 methods were the same. The absolute value of the mean angular deviation was smaller in MS-QBI than in conventional QBI. Using the moment-based ODF improved the accuracy of fiber pathways in fiber tracking but maintained the stability of the results. MS-QBI can more accurately identify intravoxel multiple fiber orientations than can QBI, without increasing sampling number. The high accuracy of MS-QBI will contribute to the improved tractography. (author)

Structure-independent cross-validation between residual dipolar couplings originating from internal and external orienting media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbieri, Renato; Bertini, Ivano; Lee, Yong-Min; Luchinat, Claudio; Velders, Aldrik H.

2002-01-01

Lanthanide-substituted calcium binding proteins are known to partially orient in high magnetic fields. Orientation provides residual dipolar couplings (rdc's). Two of these systems, Tm 3+ - and Dy 3+ -substituted calbindin D 9k , dissolved in an external orienting medium (nonionic liquid crystalline phase) provide rdc values which are the sum of those induced by the lanthanides and by the liquid crystalline phase on the native calcium binding protein. This structure-independent check shows the innocence of the orienting medium with respect to the structure of the protein in solution. Furthermore, the simultaneous use of lanthanide substitution and external orienting media provides a further effective tool to control and tune the orientation tensor

Interocular suppression in amblyopia for global orientation processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jiawei; Huang, Pi-Chun; Hess, Robert F

2013-04-22

We developed a dichoptic global orientation coherence paradigm to quantify interocular suppression in amblyopia. This task is biased towards ventral processing and allows comparison with two other techniques-global motion processing, which is more dorsally biased, and binocular phase combination, which most likely reflects striate function. We found a similar pattern for the relationship between coherence threshold and interocular contrast curves (thresholds vs. interocular contrast ratios or TvRs) in our new paradigm compared with those of the previous dichoptic global motion coherence paradigm. The effective contrast ratios at balance point (where the signals from the two eyes have equal weighting) in our new paradigm were larger than those of the dichoptic global motion coherence paradigm but less than those of the binocular phase combination paradigm. The measured effective contrast ratios in the three paradigms were also positively correlated with each other, with the two global coherence paradigms having the highest correlation. We concluded that: (a) The dichoptic global orientation coherence paradigm is effective in quantifying interocular suppression in amblyopia; and (b) Interocular suppression, while sharing a common suppression mechanism at the early stage in the pathway (e.g., striate cortex), may have additional extra-striate contributions that affect both dorsal and ventral streams differentially.

Retrograde Signaling from Progranulin to Sort1 Counteracts Synapse Elimination in the Developing Cerebellum.

Science.gov (United States)

Uesaka, Naofumi; Abe, Manabu; Konno, Kohtarou; Yamazaki, Maya; Sakoori, Kazuto; Watanabe, Takaki; Kao, Tzu-Huei; Mikuni, Takayasu; Watanabe, Masahiko; Sakimura, Kenji; Kano, Masanobu

2018-02-21

Elimination of redundant synapses formed early in development and strengthening of necessary connections are crucial for shaping functional neural circuits. Purkinje cells (PCs) in the neonatal cerebellum are innervated by multiple climbing fibers (CFs) with similar strengths. A single CF is strengthened whereas the other CFs are eliminated in each PC during postnatal development. The underlying mechanisms, particularly for the strengthening of single CFs, are poorly understood. Here we report that progranulin, a multi-functional growth factor implicated in the pathogenesis of frontotemporal dementia, strengthens developing CF synaptic inputs and counteracts their elimination from postnatal day 11 to 16. Progranulin derived from PCs acts retrogradely onto its putative receptor Sort1 on CFs. This effect is independent of semaphorin 3A, another retrograde signaling molecule that counteracts CF synapse elimination. We propose that progranulin-Sort1 signaling strengthens and maintains developing CF inputs, and may contribute to selection of single "winner" CFs that survive synapse elimination. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Does Promotion Orientation Help Explain Why Future-Orientated People Exercise and Eat Healthy?

Science.gov (United States)

Milfont, Taciano L; Vilar, Roosevelt; Araujo, Rafaella C R; Stanley, Robert

2017-01-01

A study with United States undergraduate students showed individuals high in concern with future consequences engage in exercise and healthy eating because they adopt a promotion orientation, which represents the extent to which individuals are inclined to pursue positive gains. The present article reports a cross-cultural replication of the mediation findings with undergraduate samples from Brazil and New Zealand. Promotion orientation mediated the association between concern with future consequences and exercise attitudes in both countries, but the associations for healthy eating were not replicated-which could be explained by distinct obesity prevalence and eating habits in these socio-cultural contexts. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of the findings for promoting health behavior.

Does Promotion Orientation Help Explain Why Future-Orientated People Exercise and Eat Healthy?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taciano L. Milfont

2017-07-01

Full Text Available A study with United States undergraduate students showed individuals high in concern with future consequences engage in exercise and healthy eating because they adopt a promotion orientation, which represents the extent to which individuals are inclined to pursue positive gains. The present article reports a cross-cultural replication of the mediation findings with undergraduate samples from Brazil and New Zealand. Promotion orientation mediated the association between concern with future consequences and exercise attitudes in both countries, but the associations for healthy eating were not replicated—which could be explained by distinct obesity prevalence and eating habits in these socio-cultural contexts. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of the findings for promoting health behavior.

Sexual Orientation, Controversy, and Science.

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, J Michael; Vasey, Paul L; Diamond, Lisa M; Breedlove, S Marc; Vilain, Eric; Epprecht, Marc

2016-09-01

SummaryOngoing political controversies around the world exemplify a long-standing and widespread preoccupation with the acceptability of homosexuality. Nonheterosexual people have seen dramatic surges both in their rights and in positive public opinion in many Western countries. In contrast, in much of Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Oceania, and parts of Asia, homosexual behavior remains illegal and severely punishable, with some countries retaining the death penalty for it. Political controversies about sexual orientation have often overlapped with scientific controversies. That is, participants on both sides of the sociopolitical debates have tended to believe that scientific findings-and scientific truths-about sexual orientation matter a great deal in making political decisions. The most contentious scientific issues have concerned the causes of sexual orientation-that is, why are some people heterosexual, others bisexual, and others homosexual? The actual relevance of these issues to social, political, and ethical decisions is often poorly justified, however. © The Author(s) 2016.

Motion contrast using optical coherence tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Fingler, Jeffrey Paul

Diagnosis of ophthalmic diseases like age-related macular degeneration is very important for treatment of the disease as well as the development of future treatments. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an optical interference technique which can measure the three-dimensional structural information of the reflecting layers within a sample. In retinal imaging, OCT is used as the primary diagnostic tool for structural abnormalities such as retinal holes and detachments. The contrast within the images of this technique is based upon reflectivity changes from different regions of the retina. This thesis demonstrates the developments of methods used to produce additional contrast to the structural OCT images based on the tiny fluctuations of motion experienced by the mobile scatterers within a sample. Motion contrast was observed for motions smaller than 50 nm in images of a variety of samples. Initial contrast method demonstrations used Brownian motion differences to separate regions of a mobile Intralipid solution from a static agarose gel, chosen in concentration to minimize reflectivity contrast. Zebrafish embryos in the range of 3-4 days post fertilization were imaged using several motion contrast methods to determine the capabilities of identifying regions of vascular flow. Vasculature identification was demonstrated in zebrafish for blood vessels of all orientations as small as 10 microns in diameter. Mouse retinal imaging utilized the same motion contrast methods to determine the contrast capabilities for motions associated with vasculature within the retina. Improved contrast imaging techniques demonstrated comparable images to fluorescein angiography, the gold standard of retinal vascular imaging. Future studies can improve the demonstrated contrast analysis techniques and apply them towards human retinal motion contrast imaging for ophthalmic diagnostic purposes.

A Voyage of Christian Medieval Astronomy: Symbolic, Ritual and Political Orientation of Churches

Science.gov (United States)

González-García, A. César

2015-05-01

According to the words of the early Christian writers, churches should be oriented, i.e., the priest should be facing east (oriens) while praying. However, this prescription offers a wide diversity of interpretations. This review aims at summarizing the work done so far regarding Church orientation with special emphasis on the work carried out in the last decades. A general eastern orientation appears common to all areas and epochs although it is far from clear what 'oriens' was intended. Some possibilities are explored. In contrast to the common picture of eastern orientations possible regional variations appear. It is discussed if these variations are due to local interpretations of the general rule or if they stem from the different methodological approaches carried out by the researchers. In those cases where a regional variation could be identified possible symbolic, ritual or political aspects are explored and contrasted.

The Social Desirability of Social Value Orientations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bekkers, René

2001-01-01

To what degree are social value orientations as measured by decomposed games vulnerable to social desirability concerns? In contrast to prior research (Platow, 1994), this study, using a large scale survey in The Netherlands (n=450), shows that respondents classified as ‘prosocial’ agree more often

Does comorbid anxiety counteract emotion recognition deficits in conduct disorder?

Science.gov (United States)

Short, Roxanna M L; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J S; Adams, Wendy J; Fairchild, Graeme

2016-08-01

Previous research has reported altered emotion recognition in both conduct disorder (CD) and anxiety disorders (ADs) - but these effects appear to be of different kinds. Adolescents with CD often show a generalised pattern of deficits, while those with ADs show hypersensitivity to specific negative emotions. Although these conditions often cooccur, little is known regarding emotion recognition performance in comorbid CD+ADs. Here, we test the hypothesis that in the comorbid case, anxiety-related emotion hypersensitivity counteracts the emotion recognition deficits typically observed in CD. We compared facial emotion recognition across four groups of adolescents aged 12-18 years: those with CD alone (n = 28), ADs alone (n = 23), cooccurring CD+ADs (n = 20) and typically developing controls (n = 28). The emotion recognition task we used systematically manipulated the emotional intensity of facial expressions as well as fixation location (eye, nose or mouth region). Conduct disorder was associated with a generalised impairment in emotion recognition; however, this may have been modulated by group differences in IQ. AD was associated with increased sensitivity to low-intensity happiness, disgust and sadness. In general, the comorbid CD+ADs group performed similarly to typically developing controls. Although CD alone was associated with emotion recognition impairments, ADs and comorbid CD+ADs were associated with normal or enhanced emotion recognition performance. The presence of comorbid ADs appeared to counteract the effects of CD, suggesting a potentially protective role, although future research should examine the contribution of IQ and gender to these effects. © 2016 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Backscattered electron imaging at low emerging angles: A physical approach to contrast in LVSEM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cazaux, J., E-mail: jacques.cazaux@univ-reims.fr [LISM, EA 4695 Faculty of Sciences, BP 1039, 51687 Reims Cedex 2 (France); Kuwano, N. [Malaysia–Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Jalan Semarak, 54100 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Sato, K. [Steel Research Laboratory, JFE Steel Corporation, 1 Kawasaki-cho, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-0835 (Japan)

2013-12-15

Due to the influence of refraction effects on the escape probability of the Back-Scattered Electrons (BSE), an expression of the fraction of these BSE is given as a function of the beam energy, E°, and emission angle (with respect to the normal) α. It has been shown that these effects are very sensitive to a local change of the work function in particular for low emerging angles. This sensitivity suggests a new type of contrast in Low Voltage Scanning Electron Microscopy (LVSEM for E°<2 keV): the work function contrast. Involving the change of ϕ with crystalline orientation, this possibility is supported by a new interpretation of a few published images. Some other correlated contrasts are also suggested. These are topographical contrasts or contrasts due to subsurface particles and cracks. Practical considerations of the detection system and its optimization are indicated. - Highlights: • Refraction effects experienced by Back-Scattered Electrons at sample/vacuum interfaces are evaluated as a function of energy and angles. • Sensitive to local work function changes with crystalline orientation these effects concern mainly keV-electrons at low emerging angles. • A new type of contrast in SEM is thus deduced and illustrated. • Some other correlated contrasts, topographical contrasts or contrasts due to subsurface particles and cracks are also suggested.

Considering rational self-interest as a disposition: organizational implications of other orientation.

Science.gov (United States)

Meglino, Bruce M; Korsgaard, Audrey

2004-12-01

In contrast with major theories of attitudes and behavior, the authors propose that individuals are not equally motivated to pursue their self-interests. The authors show that differences in other orientation affect the extent to which actions and attitudes reflect self-interested calculation (instrumental rationality) and the extent to which beliefs represent their external environment (epistemic rationality). These differences have consequences for processes underlying a wide range of attitudes and behavior typically assumed to be rationally self-interested. Thus, the authors' model exposes a common explanation for diverse organizational phenomena. It also clarifies inconsistencies surrounding the validity of certain attitudinal and motivational models, the relationship between job attitudes and actions, cross-cultural differences in attitudes and behavior, escalation of commitment, and the relationship between chief executive officer characteristics and organizational performance. 2004 APA, all rights reserved

Gemcitabine-induced CXCL8 expression counteracts its actions by inducing tumor neovascularization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Yao; Baba, Tomohisa; Li, Ying-Yi; Furukawa, Kaoru; Tanabe, Yamato; Matsugo, Seiichi; Sasaki, Soichiro; Mukaida, Naofumi

2015-01-01

Patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are frequently complicated with metastatic disease or locally advanced tumors, and consequently need chemotherapy. Gemcitabine is commonly used for PDAC treatment, but with limited efficacy. The capacity of gemcitabine to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in human pancreatic cancer cells, prompted us to examine its effects on the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. We observed that gemcitabine enhanced selectively the expression of CXCL8 in human pancreatic cancer cells through ROS generation and NF-κB activation. In vitro blocking of CXCL8 failed to modulate gemcitabine-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation in human pancreatic cancer cells. Gemcitabine also enhanced CXCL8 expression in pancreatic cancer cells in xenografted tumor tissues. Moreover, anti-CXCL8 antibody treatment in vivo attenuated tumor formation as well as intra-tumoral vascularity in nude mice, which were transplanted with Miapaca-2 cells and treated with gemcitabine. Thus, gemcitabine-induced CXCL8 may counteract the drug through inducing neovascularization. - Highlights: • Gemcitabine induced CXCL8 expression in human pancreatic cancer cells. • CXCL8 expression required ROS generation and NF-κB activation. • CXCL8 did not affect in vitro proliferation of human pancreatic cancer cells. • CXCL8 in vivo counteracted gemcitabine by inducing neovascularization

Gemcitabine-induced CXCL8 expression counteracts its actions by inducing tumor neovascularization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Yao; Baba, Tomohisa [Division of Molecular Bioregulation, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192 (Japan); Li, Ying-Yi [Cancer Research Institute, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai (China); Furukawa, Kaoru; Tanabe, Yamato [Division of Molecular Bioregulation, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192 (Japan); School of Natural System Bioengineering Course, College of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa (Japan); Matsugo, Seiichi [School of Natural System Bioengineering Course, College of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa (Japan); Sasaki, Soichiro [Division of Molecular Bioregulation, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192 (Japan); Mukaida, Naofumi, E-mail: mukaida@staff.kanazawa-u.ac.jp [Division of Molecular Bioregulation, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192 (Japan)

2015-03-06

Patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are frequently complicated with metastatic disease or locally advanced tumors, and consequently need chemotherapy. Gemcitabine is commonly used for PDAC treatment, but with limited efficacy. The capacity of gemcitabine to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in human pancreatic cancer cells, prompted us to examine its effects on the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. We observed that gemcitabine enhanced selectively the expression of CXCL8 in human pancreatic cancer cells through ROS generation and NF-κB activation. In vitro blocking of CXCL8 failed to modulate gemcitabine-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation in human pancreatic cancer cells. Gemcitabine also enhanced CXCL8 expression in pancreatic cancer cells in xenografted tumor tissues. Moreover, anti-CXCL8 antibody treatment in vivo attenuated tumor formation as well as intra-tumoral vascularity in nude mice, which were transplanted with Miapaca-2 cells and treated with gemcitabine. Thus, gemcitabine-induced CXCL8 may counteract the drug through inducing neovascularization. - Highlights: • Gemcitabine induced CXCL8 expression in human pancreatic cancer cells. • CXCL8 expression required ROS generation and NF-κB activation. • CXCL8 did not affect in vitro proliferation of human pancreatic cancer cells. • CXCL8 in vivo counteracted gemcitabine by inducing neovascularization.

Navigating cross-media news use

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Swart, Joëlle; Peters, Chris; Broersma, Marcel

2017-01-01

distinctive cross-media repertoires, and what makes these compositions meaningful. This article analyzes the value of different platforms, genres and practices in everyday life by mapping patterns of cross-media news use. Combining Q methodology with think-aloud protocols and day-in-the-life-interviews, five...... distinct news media repertoires are identified: 1) regionally-oriented 2) background-oriented 3) digital 4) laid-back and 5) nationally-oriented news use. Our findings indicate that users do not always use what they prefer, nor do they prefer what they use. Moreover, the boundaries they draw between news......The current news media landscape is characterized by an abundance of digital outlets and increased opportunities for users to navigate news themselves. Yet, it is still unclear how people negotiate this fluctuating environment to decide which news media to select or ignore, how they assemble...

Observation of orientation- and k-dependent Zeeman spin-splitting in hole quantum wires on (100)-oriented AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, J C H; Klochan, O; Micolich, A P; Hamilton, A R; Martin, T P; Ho, L H; Zuelicke, U; Reuter, D; Wieck, A D

2010-01-01

In this paper, We study the Zeeman spin-splitting in hole quantum wires oriented along the [011] and [01 1-bar] crystallographic axes of a high mobility undoped (100)-oriented AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructure. Our data show that the spin-splitting can be switched 'on' (finite g*) or 'off' (zero g*) by rotating the field from a parallel to a perpendicular orientation with respect to the wire, and the properties of the wire are identical for the two orientations with respect to the crystallographic axes. We also find that the g-factor in the parallel orientation decreases as the wire is narrowed. This is in contrast to electron quantum wires, where the g-factor is enhanced by exchange effects as the wire is narrowed. This is evidence for a k-dependent Zeeman splitting that arises from the spin-3/2 nature of holes.

Rôle of contrast media viscosity in altering vessel wall shear stress and relation to the risk of contrast extravasations.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakellariou, Sophia; Li, Wenguang; Paul, Manosh C; Roditi, Giles

2016-12-01

Iodinated contrast media (CM) are the most commonly used injectables in radiology today. A range of different media are commercially available, combining various physical and chemical characteristics (ionic state, osmolality, viscosity) and thus exhibiting distinct in vivo behaviour and safety profiles. In this paper, numerical simulations of blood flow with contrast media were conducted to investigate the effects of contrast viscosity on generated vessel wall shear stress and vessel wall pressure to elucidate any possible relation to extravasations. Five different types of contrast for Iodine fluxes ranging at 1.5-2.2gI/s were modelled through 18G and 20G cannulae placed in an ideal vein at two different orientation angles. Results demonstrate that the least viscous contrast media generate the least maximum wall shear stress as well as the lowest total pressure for the same flow rate. This supports the empirical clinical observations and hypothesis that more viscous contrast media are responsible for a higher percentage of contrast extravasations. In addition, results support the clinical hypothesis that a catheter tip directed obliquely to the vein wall always produces the highest maximum wall shear stress and total pressure due to impingement of the contrast jet on the vessel wall. Copyright © 2016 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Regulating Rumination by Anger: Evidence for the Mutual Promotion and Counteraction (MPMC Theory of Emotionality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Zhan

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Unlike the strategy of cognitive regulation that relies heavily on the top-down control function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC, which was recently found may be critically impaired in stressful situations, traditional Chinese philosophy and medicine views different types of emotionality as having mutual promotion and counteraction (MPMC relationships, implying a novel approach that requires less cognition to emotional regulation. Actually, our previous studies have indicated that anger responses could be successfully regulated via the induction of sadness, and this efficiency could not be influenced by stress, thus providing evidences for the hypothesis of “sadness counteracts anger” (SCA proposed by the MPMC theory of emotionality (Zhan et al., 2015, 2017. In this study, we experimentally examined the MPMC hypothesis that “anger counteracts rumination” (ACR which postulates that rumination may be alleviated by the anger emotion. In Study 1, all participants were initially caused state rumination and then induced anger, joy or neutral mood, the results showed that the rumination-related affect was alleviated after anger induction relative to that after joy or neutral mood induction. In Study 2, female participants with high trait rumination were recruited and divided into two groups for exposure to an anger or neutral emotion intervention, the result indicated that the anger intervention group exhibited a greater decline in trait rumination than the neutral emotion intervention group. These findings provided preliminary evidence supporting the hypothesis of ACR, which suggested a new strategy that employs less cognitive resources to regulating state and trait rumination by inducing anger.

Regulating Rumination by Anger: Evidence for the Mutual Promotion and Counteraction (MPMC) Theory of Emotionality

Science.gov (United States)

Zhan, Jun; Tang, Fan; He, Mei; Fan, Jin; Xiao, Jing; Liu, Chang; Luo, Jing

2017-01-01

Unlike the strategy of cognitive regulation that relies heavily on the top-down control function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which was recently found may be critically impaired in stressful situations, traditional Chinese philosophy and medicine views different types of emotionality as having mutual promotion and counteraction (MPMC) relationships, implying a novel approach that requires less cognition to emotional regulation. Actually, our previous studies have indicated that anger responses could be successfully regulated via the induction of sadness, and this efficiency could not be influenced by stress, thus providing evidences for the hypothesis of “sadness counteracts anger” (SCA) proposed by the MPMC theory of emotionality (Zhan et al., 2015, 2017). In this study, we experimentally examined the MPMC hypothesis that “anger counteracts rumination” (ACR) which postulates that rumination may be alleviated by the anger emotion. In Study 1, all participants were initially caused state rumination and then induced anger, joy or neutral mood, the results showed that the rumination-related affect was alleviated after anger induction relative to that after joy or neutral mood induction. In Study 2, female participants with high trait rumination were recruited and divided into two groups for exposure to an anger or neutral emotion intervention, the result indicated that the anger intervention group exhibited a greater decline in trait rumination than the neutral emotion intervention group. These findings provided preliminary evidence supporting the hypothesis of ACR, which suggested a new strategy that employs less cognitive resources to regulating state and trait rumination by inducing anger. PMID:29249998

C++, objected-oriented programming, and astronomical data models

Science.gov (United States)

Farris, A.

1992-01-01

Contemporary astronomy is characterized by increasingly complex instruments and observational techniques, higher data collection rates, and large data archives, placing severe stress on software analysis systems. The object-oriented paradigm represents a significant new approach to software design and implementation that holds great promise for dealing with this increased complexity. The basic concepts of this approach will be characterized in contrast to more traditional procedure-oriented approaches. The fundamental features of objected-oriented programming will be discussed from a C++ programming language perspective, using examples familiar to astronomers. This discussion will focus on objects, classes and their relevance to the data type system; the principle of information hiding; and the use of inheritance to implement generalization/specialization relationships. Drawing on the object-oriented approach, features of a new database model to support astronomical data analysis will be presented.

Place and culture-based professional development: cross-hybrid learning and the construction of ecological mindfulness

Science.gov (United States)

Chinn, Pauline W. U.

2015-03-01

This paper approaches mindfulness, an awareness of internal and external realities, as a culturally-shaped habit of mind. Findings of a cross-cultural study and popular sayings that reflect America's cultural orientation to consumption and competition are contrasted with findings from Hawaiian language newspapers, traditional cultural practices, and Hawaiian sayings that indicate an orientation to ecological mindfulness that increased the resilience of fragile social ecosystems. Marginalization of indigenous culture, language, and knowledge and cultural differences between teachers and indigenous students are proposed as a contributing factor to lower science performance of Native Hawaiian students in mainstream schools. Two professional development projects designed to reduce conflicts between culture and science instruction are presented. Findings from these projects suggest alignment of science inquiry with indigenous cultural knowledge and practices oriented to sustainability supports the development of teachers' ecological mindfulness as indicated by increased awareness of, interest in, and incorporation of place and culture-based based resources into their instruction. Teacher feedback indicates that mapping technologies that enable teachers to visualize and integrate indigenous place-based Hawaiian knowledge with science inquiry are promising instructional strategies.

Maldistribution in air-water heat pump evaporators. Part 2: Economic analysis of counteracting technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mader, Gunda; Palm, Björn; Elmegaard, Brian

2015-01-01

maldistribution,high electricity prices, and colder climate. Investment in the individual superheat controltechnology, however, can be quickly amortized in many scenarios. For the warmer climatezone with a small number of operating hours counteracting of maldistribution does notpay off under the used economic...... assumptions.© 2014 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved....

Maturation of polarization and luminance contrast sensitivities in cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis).

Science.gov (United States)

Cartron, Lelia; Dickel, Ludovic; Shashar, Nadav; Darmaillacq, Anne-Sophie

2013-06-01

Polarization sensitivity is a characteristic of the visual system of cephalopods. It has been well documented in adult cuttlefish, which use polarization sensitivity in a large range of tasks such as communication, orientation and predation. Because cuttlefish do not benefit from parental care, their visual system (including the ability to detect motion) must be efficient from hatching to enable them to detect prey or predators. We studied the maturation and functionality of polarization sensitivity in newly hatched cuttlefish. In a first experiment, we examined the response of juvenile cuttlefish from hatching to the age of 1 month towards a moving, vertically oriented grating (contrasting and polarized stripes) using an optomotor response apparatus. Cuttlefish showed differences in maturation of polarization versus luminance contrast motion detection. In a second experiment, we examined the involvement of polarization information in prey preference and detection in cuttlefish of the same age. Cuttlefish preferentially chose not to attack transparent prey whose polarization contrast had been removed with a depolarizing filter. Performances of prey detection based on luminance contrast improved with age. Polarization contrast can help cuttlefish detect transparent prey. Our results suggest that polarization is not a simple modulation of luminance information, but rather that it is processed as a distinct channel of visual information. Both luminance and polarization sensitivity are functional, though not fully matured, in newly hatched cuttlefish and seem to help in prey detection.

Counteracting media’s thin body ideal in adolescent girls: informing is more effective than warning.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veldhuis, J.; Konijn, E.A.; Seidell, J.C.

2014-01-01

The present study investigated whether information or warnings about depictions of the thin-body ideal in mass media are effective in counteracting media-induced negative body perceptions of adolescent girls. Based on counter-advertising and reactance theories, our hypotheses were tested in a 3

Single molecule fluorescence image patterns linked to dipole orientation and axial position: application to myosin cross-bridges in muscle fibers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas P Burghardt

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Photoactivatable fluorescent probes developed specifically for single molecule detection extend advantages of single molecule imaging to high probe density regions of cells and tissues. They perform in the native biomolecule environment and have been used to detect both probe position and orientation.Fluorescence emission from a single photoactivated probe captured in an oil immersion, high numerical aperture objective, produces a spatial pattern on the detector that is a linear combination of 6 independent and distinct spatial basis patterns with weighting coefficients specifying emission dipole orientation. Basis patterns are tabulated for single photoactivated probes labeling myosin cross-bridges in a permeabilized muscle fiber undergoing total internal reflection illumination. Emitter proximity to the glass/aqueous interface at the coverslip implies the dipole near-field and dipole power normalization are significant affecters of the basis patterns. Other characteristics of the basis patterns are contributed by field polarization rotation with transmission through the microscope optics and refraction by the filter set. Pattern recognition utilized the generalized linear model, maximum likelihood fitting, for Poisson distributed uncertainties. This fitting method is more appropriate for treating low signal level photon counting data than χ(2 minimization.Results indicate that emission dipole orientation is measurable from the intensity image except for the ambiguity under dipole inversion. The advantage over an alternative method comparing two measured polarized emission intensities using an analyzing polarizer is that information in the intensity spatial distribution provides more constraints on fitted parameters and a single image provides all the information needed. Axial distance dependence in the emission pattern is also exploited to measure relative probe position near focus. Single molecule images from axial scanning fitted

Transgender Transitioning and Change of Self-Reported Sexual Orientation

OpenAIRE

Auer, M.; Fuss, J.; Höhne, N.; Stalla, G.; Sievers, C.

2014-01-01

Objective Sexual orientation is usually considered to be determined in early life and stable in the course of adulthood. In contrast, some transgender individuals report a change in sexual orientation. A common reason for this phenomenon is not known. Methods We included 115 transsexual persons (70 male-to-female “MtF” and 45 female-to-male “FtM”) patients from our endocrine outpatient clinic, who completed a questionnaire, retrospectively evaluating the history of their gender transition pha...

Current means for raising efficiency of counteraction to counterfeit goods trafficking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dronova O.B.

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The urgency of counteraction to counterfeit goods trafficking is shown. Annual loss due to counterfeit goods producing and trafficking reaches several billion dollars. There remains a danger of buying low-quality and counterfeit goods despite implementing new producing techniques and protective elements. Measures, taken by law enforcement agencies, state authorities and public human rights organizations have not led to systematic suppression of producing and trafficking of such goods. Creation of new information and reference resource, containing information blocks of protective symbols on goods and packages and illustrated materials comprising patterns of discovered counterfeit goods, can assist to increase public awareness and to give necessary information to law enforcement agencies. Organizations, realizing state and social protection of consumers and entrepreneurs, along with producers, rightholders’ representatives and law enforcement bodies can accept the responsibility of creating and functioning this information and reference system in the Internet. Such level of cooperation of all interested organizations will allow to raise efficiency of measures for counteraction to trafficking goods with violated consumer properties. The author proves the necessity to organize functioning of information and reference resource for a wide range of users. Operation of such resource should comply with main principles of generating any information resource, notably full scale, authenticity and relevance of information. The author proposes the algorithm of creating such system which provides cooperation of law enforcement agencies, producers and consumers for the purpose of preventing counterfeit goods trafficking and investigating committed crimes.

The condition of counteraction to administrative corruption offenses in state authorities and local government

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

О. В. Клок

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Article discusses questions dedicated to the analysis of the condition of counteraction to administrative corruption offenses in Ukraine. The statistical information on the dynamics, structure, specific gravity, cost and latency of the administrative corruption is researched. The most effective measures against corrupt practices at the state and municipal service are drawn.

An orientation-space super sampling technique for six-dimensional diffraction contrast tomography

NARCIS (Netherlands)

N.R. Viganò (Nicola); K.J. Batenburg (Joost); W. Ludwig (Wolfgang)

2016-01-01

textabstractDiffraction contrast tomography (DCT) is an X-ray full-field imaging technique that allows for the non-destructive three-dimensional investigation of polycrystalline materials and the determination of the physical and morphological properties of their crystallographic domains, called

Quantum system under the actions of two counteracting baths: A model for the attenuation-amplification interplay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lorenzen, F.; Moussa, M. H. Y.; Ponte, M. A. de; Almeida, N. G. de

2009-01-01

We analyze the dynamical behavior of a quantum system under the actions of two counteracting baths: the inevitable energy draining reservoir and, in opposition, exciting the system, an engineered Glauber's amplifier. We follow the system dynamics towards equilibrium to map its distinctive behavior arising from the interplay of attenuation and amplification. Such a mapping, with the corresponding parameter regimes, is achieved by calculating the evolution of both the excitation and the Glauber-Sudarshan P function. Techniques to compute the decoherence and the fidelity of quantum states under the action of both counteracting baths, based on the Wigner function rather than the density matrix, are also presented. They enable us to analyze the similarity of the evolved state vector of the system with respect to the original one, for all regimes of parameters. Applications of this attenuation-amplification interplay are discussed.

The Extent of Implementation of Orientation Programme among ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

Ogbiji, J. E. - Department of Educational Foundations and. Administration, Cross ... The co-curricular services include registration and orientation of student, enrolment ... The school and the new students stand to derive immense benefits from.

The Impact of Value-Orientations on Cross-cultural Encounters and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

encounters and mediation in the Tanzanian educational system. The purpose of the article is to give an emic perspective on value-orientations in crosscultural encounters and mediation situations in the educational system, to improve understanding of the conflictive aspects of these encounters. To achieve this purpose, the ...

Success Counteracting Tobacco Company Interference in Thailand: An Example of FCTC Implementation for Low- and Middle-income Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen L. Hamann

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Transnational tobacco companies (TTCs interfere regularly in policymaking in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs. The WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control provides mechanisms and guidance for dealing with TTC interference, but many countries still face ‘how to’ challenges of implementation. For more than two decades, Thailand’s public health community has been developing a system for identifying and counteracting strategies TTCs use to derail, delay and undermine tobacco control policymaking. Consequently, Thailand has already implemented most of the FCTC guidelines for counteracting TTC interference. In this study, our aims are to describe strategies TTCs have used in Thailand to interfere in policymaking, and to examine how the public health community in Thailand has counteracted TTC interference. We analyzed information reported by three groups with a stake in tobacco control policies: Thai tobacco control advocates, TTCs, and international tobacco control experts. To identify TTC viewpoints and strategies, we also extracted information from internal tobacco industry documents. We synthesized these data and identified six core strategies TTCs use to interfere in tobacco control policymaking: (1 doing business with ‘two faces’, (2 seeking to influence people in high places, (3 ‘buying’ advocates in grassroots organizations, (4 putting up a deceptive front, (5 intimidation, and (6 undermining controls on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. We present three case examples showing where TTCs have employed multiple interference strategies simultaneously, and showing how Thai tobacco control advocates have successfully counteracted those strategies by: (1 conducting vigilant surveillance, (2 excluding tobacco companies from policymaking, (3 restricting tobacco company sales, (4 sustaining pressure, and (5 dedicating resources to the effective enforcement of regulations. Policy implications from this study are

Dynamics of molecular stereochemistry via oriented molecule scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, D.H.; Jalink, H.; Stolte, S.

1987-01-01

Crossed-beam reactive scattering experiments employing electrostatic hexapole fields to control the initial collision geometry of chemical reactions are described. New results are presented on the reactions of oriented NO with ozone and oriented N 2 O with Ba. Preliminary results are also given for the oriented CH 3 F + Ca* → CaF* + CH 3 reaction. Recent technical advances in state selection and product detection are detailed. They discuss the effects of rotational coupling and nonzero impact parameters in changing the molecular precollisions orientation selected by the hexapole fields to a different in-collision orientation at the moment of impact with the reaction partner. Uncoupling of l doubling in N 2 O at strong orientation fields is demonstrated via the observed reactive anisotropy. Steric effects are found to govern many aspects of the reactions investigated thus far. Strong correlations are observed of the reactivity, product recoil, and rotational angular momentum distributions with the collisional orientation. These correlations ultimately provide information on the anisotropic part of the reaction potential energy surface. They conclude with a brief outline of possible future directions in oriented molecule scattering

Strategies used to counteract bullying in schools : a comparative study / Wendy Batterbee

OpenAIRE

Batterbee, Wendy Ann

2007-01-01

This is an in-depth comparative study of the strategies used to counteract bullying at schools. It provides an international perspective on such strategies: Studies in South African schools are used to provide an African perspective: Australian research is used to provide an Oceanian perspective: Japanese research to provide an Asian perspective; and research conducted in England is used to provide an European perspective on bullying at schools. The extent and nature of bullying in schools...

Forms of the criminal environment counteraction to performing the function of state protection of participants in criminal proceedings and measures of its neutralization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dubonosov E.S.

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Criminal environment’s counteraction is considered as purposeful, active and intentional influence of its representatives on participants in criminal proceedings. It is directed at persons who, due to their professional duties, are involved in detection and investigation of crimes as well as court proceedings, or who possess evidentiary information (witnesses, victims, etc.. Counteraction may be expressed in different ways: discrediting operatives, investigators and judges; pressure on persons involved in the investigation and the trial through bribery, blackmail, threats to life and health of themselves and their family, etc. The administration of justice becomes inefficient due to the variety of forms and purposes of counteraction. The importance of operational units’ awareness of the activities of criminal environment representatives is shown. The importance of revealing the facts of unlawful influence on witnesses and victims of crime, who subsequently acquire procedural status of witnesses and victims, in order to prevent such facts is also stressed. It is proposed to suppress the counteraction of criminal environment by following ways: 1 identifying (with the help of informants and by crime detection actions the persons attempting to influence the preliminary investigation; 2 documenting the suspects actions aimed at illegal influence on participants in criminal proceedings for the purpose of conducting the procedural actions and decision making; 3 “in cell” (using an agent crime detection actions against detainees and arrestees throughout the whole process of covert operation; 4 creating investigative team to develop a common mechanism to neutralize criminal environment’s counteraction to crime investigation.

Checking and Measuring the Architectural Structural Conformance of Object-Oriented Systems

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Abi-Antoun, Marwan; Aldrich, Jonathan

2007-01-01

.... In contrast to existing approaches, our approach uses static analyses, and works with existing Java-like programming languages, existing object-oriented designs and existing integrated development environments...

Three-dimensional shape perception from chromatic orientation flows

Science.gov (United States)

Zaidi, Qasim; Li, Andrea

2010-01-01

The role of chromatic information in 3-D shape perception is controversial. We resolve this controversy by showing that chromatic orientation flows are sufficient for accurate perception of 3-D shape. Chromatic flows required less cone contrast to convey shape than did achromatic flows, thus ruling out luminance artifacts as a problem. Luminance artifacts were also ruled out by a protanope’s inability to see 3-D shape from chromatic flows. Since chromatic orientation flows can only be extracted from retinal images by neurons that are responsive to color modulations and selective for orientation, the psychophysical results also resolve the controversy over the existence of such neurons. In addition, we show that identification of 3-D shapes from chromatic flows can be masked by luminance modulations, indicating that it is subserved by orientation-tuned neurons sensitive to both chromatic and luminance modulations. PMID:16961963

A Case for Relational Leadership and an Ethics of Care for Counteracting Bullying at Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Smit, Brigitte; Scherman, Vanessa

2016-01-01

This paper attends to a theoretical exposition of relational leadership and ethics care as complementary approaches to educational leadership in counteracting bullying at schools. Schools constitute complex systems of activities, processes and dynamics. More specifically, a social system in schools is a web of interactions between the various…

Oriented collision between 15B and 12C studied within Glauber model using microscopically calculated densities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Vishal; Modi, Swati; Arumugam, P.

2017-01-01

Recent advancements in accelerator technology and polarized beams have created opportunities to study oriented collisions of deformed targets. We extend the Glauber model to calculate the interaction cross section for a spherical projectile and a deformed target at different orientation angles of the target. It has been found that the observed reaction cross sections of various systems at high energies can be reproduced with this model. We have used the relativistic mean field (RMF) theory to find the density distribution of nucleons in the projectile and target which are utilised in the Glauber model. We present the variation of interaction cross section of target and projectile with the orientation of deformed target

Aspect oriented service composition for telecommunication applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Niemöller, Jörg

2016-01-01

This PhD dissertation investigates how to overcome the negative effects of cross cutting concerns in the development of composite service applications. It proposes a combination of dynamic aspect oriented programming with a rules driven service composition mechanism. This combination allows very

Counteracting Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis with Right Parietal Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

OpenAIRE

Hanken, Katrin; Bosse, Mona; M?hrke, Kim; Eling, Paul; Kastrup, Andreas; Antal, Andrea; Hildebrandt, Helmut

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients appears to correlate with vigilance decrement as reflected in an increase in reaction time (RT) and errors with prolonged time-on-task. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right parietal or frontal cortex counteracts fatigue-associated vigilance decrement and subjective fatigue. METHODS: In study I, a randomized double-blind placebo-controll...

Cowpea mosaic virus RNA-1 acts as an amplicon whose effects can be counteracted by a RNA-2-encoded suppressor of silencing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Li; Grainger, Jef; Canizares, M. Carmen; Angell, Susan M.; Lomonossoff, George P.

2004-01-01

Lines of Nicotiana benthamiana transgenic for full-length copies of both Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) genomic RNAs, either singly or together, have been produced. Plants transgenic for both RNAs developed symptoms characteristic of a CPMV infection. When plants transgenic for RNA-1 were agro-inoculated with RNA-2, no infection developed and the plants were also resistant to challenge with CPMV. By contrast, plants transgenic for RNA-2 became infected when agro-inoculated with RNA-1 and were fully susceptible to CPMV infection. The resistance of RNA-1 transgenic plants was shown to be related to the ability of RNA-1 to self-replicate and act as an amplicon. The ability of transgenically expressed RNA-2 to counteract the amplicon effect suggested that it encodes a suppressor of posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS). By examining the ability of portions of RNA-2 to reverse PTGS in N. benthamiana, we have identified the small (S) coat protein as the CPMV RNA-2-encoded suppressor of PTGS

Victim-orientated discipline, interpersonal understanding and guilt.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veer, A.J.E. de; Janssens, J.M.A.M.

1994-01-01

According to Hoffman's theory of moral internalisation, parents' victim-orientated disciplinary strategies may stimulate a child to take another's needs into account. To test this hypothesis a cross-lagged panel design was used with two measurements within a time interval of two years. Data were

Rayleigh theory of ultrasound scattering applied to liquid-filled contrast nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Flegg, M B; Poole, C M; Whittaker, A K; Keen, I; Langton, C M

2010-06-07

We present a novel modified theory based upon Rayleigh scattering of ultrasound from composite nanoparticles with a liquid core and solid shell. We derive closed form solutions to the scattering cross-section and have applied this model to an ultrasound contrast agent consisting of a liquid-filled core (perfluorooctyl bromide, PFOB) encapsulated by a polymer shell (poly-caprolactone, PCL). Sensitivity analysis was performed to predict the dependence of the scattering cross-section upon material and dimensional parameters. A rapid increase in the scattering cross-section was achieved by increasing the compressibility of the core, validating the incorporation of high compressibility PFOB; the compressibility of the shell had little impact on the overall scattering cross-section although a more compressible shell is desirable. Changes in the density of the shell and the core result in predicted local minima in the scattering cross-section, approximately corresponding to the PFOB-PCL contrast agent considered; hence, incorporation of a lower shell density could potentially significantly improve the scattering cross-section. A 50% reduction in shell thickness relative to external radius increased the predicted scattering cross-section by 50%. Although it has often been considered that the shell has a negative effect on the echogeneity due to its low compressibility, we have shown that it can potentially play an important role in the echogeneity of the contrast agent. The challenge for the future is to identify suitable shell and core materials that meet the predicted characteristics in order to achieve optimal echogenity.

Counteracting ammonia inhibition in anaerobic digestion by removal with a hollow fiber membrane contactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Lauterböck, B; Ortner, M; Haider, R; Fuchs, W

2012-10-01

The aim of the current study was to investigate the feasibility of membrane contactors for continuous ammonia (NH₃-N) removal in an anaerobic digestion process and to counteract ammonia inhibition. Two laboratory anaerobic digesters were fed slaughterhouse wastes with ammonium (NH₄⁺) concentrations ranging from 6 to 7.4 g/L. One reactor was used as reference reactor without any ammonia removal. In the second reactor, a hollow fiber membrane contactor module was used for continuous ammonia removal. The hollow fiber membranes were directly submerged into the digestate of the anaerobic reactor. Sulfuric acid was circulated in the lumen as an adsorbent solution. Using this set up, the NH₄⁺-N concentration in the membrane reactor was significantly reduced. Moreover the extraction of ammonia lowered the pH by 0.2 units. In combination that led to a lowering of the free NH₃-N concentration by about 70%. Ammonia inhibition in the reference reactor was observed when the concentration exceeded 6 g/L NH₄⁺-N or 1-1.2 g/L NH₃-N. In contrast, in the membrane reactor the volatile fatty acid concentration, an indicator for process stability, was much lower and a higher gas yield and better degradation was observed. The chosen approach offers an appealing technology to remove ammonia directly from media having high concentrations of solids and it can help to improve process efficiency in anaerobic digestion of ammonia rich substrates. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scratching experiments on quartz crystals: Orientation effects in chipping

Science.gov (United States)

Tellier, C. R.; Benmessaouda, D.

1994-06-01

The deformation and microfracture properties of quartz crystals were studied by scratching experiments. The critical load at which microfractures are initiated was found to be orientation dependent, whereas the average width of ductile grooves and chips remained relatively insensitive to crystal orientation. In contrast, a marked anisotropy in the shape of chips was observed. This anisotropy has been interpreted in terms of microfractures propagating preferentially along slip planes. Simple geometrical conditions for the SEM (scanning electron microscopy) observation of active slip planes are proposed.

Self-concept clarity and religious orientations: prediction of purpose in life and self-esteem.

Science.gov (United States)

Błażek, Magdalena; Besta, Tomasz

2012-09-01

The present study concerns the relationship between self-concept clarity, religiosity, and well-being, as well as the mediating influence of religiosity on the relationship between self-concept clarity and sense of meaning in life and self-esteem. Self-concept clarity was found to be a significant predictor of sense of meaning in life and self-esteem; intrinsic religious orientation was found to be a predictor of sense of meaning in life, while the quest religious orientation was a predictor for self-esteem. The cross-products of self-concept clarity and intrinsic religious orientation were found to be related to the sense of purpose in life, which would point to religiosity being a mediator of the relationship between self-concept clarity and sense of purpose in life. The cross-products of self-concept clarity and quest religious orientation were found to be a predictor of self-esteem, which indicates a mediating effect of this religious orientation in the relationship of self-concept clarity and self-esteem.

What is the clinical significance of ventricular mural antagonism?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lunkenheimer, Paul P; Niederer, Peter; Stephenson, Robert S

2018-01-01

alignment, thus deviating from the prevailing tangential orientation. Upon contraction, they produce, in addition to a tangential force, a radial force component that counteracts ventricular constriction and aids widening of the ventricular cavity. In experimental studies, we have provided evidence...... for the existence of such forces, which are auxotonic in nature. This is in contrast to the tangentially aligned myocytes that produce constrictive forces, which are unloading in nature. The ventricular myocardium is, therefore, able to function in an antagonistic fashion, with the prevailing constrictive forces...

Counteracting fatigue in multiple sclerosis with right parietal anodal transcranial direct current stimulation

OpenAIRE

Katrin Hanken; Katrin Hanken; Mona Bosse; Kim Möhrke; Paul Eling; Andreas Kastrup; Andrea Antal; Helmut Hildebrandt; Helmut Hildebrandt

2016-01-01

Background: Fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients appears to correlate with vigilance decrement as reflected in an increase in reaction time and errors with prolonged time-on-task. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right parietal or frontal cortex counteracts fatigue-associated vigilance decrement and subjective fatigue. Methods: In study I, a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, anoda...

Sensitivity enhancement for membrane proteins reconstituted in parallel and perpendicular oriented bicelles obtained by using repetitive cross-polarization and membrane-incorporated free radicals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koroloff, Sophie N. [North Carolina State University, Department of Chemistry (United States); Tesch, Deanna M. [Shaw University (United States); Awosanya, Emmanuel O.; Nevzorov, Alexander A., E-mail: alex-nevzorov@ncsu.edu [North Carolina State University, Department of Chemistry (United States)

2017-02-15

Multidimensional separated local-field and spin-exchange experiments employed by oriented-sample solid-state NMR are essential for structure determination and spectroscopic assignment of membrane proteins reconstituted in macroscopically aligned lipid bilayers. However, these experiments typically require a large number of scans in order to establish interspin correlations. Here we have shown that a combination of optimized repetitive cross polarization (REP-CP) and membrane-embedded free radicals allows one to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio by factors 2.4-3.0 in the case of Pf1 coat protein reconstituted in magnetically aligned bicelles with their normals being either parallel or perpendicular to the main magnetic field. Notably, spectral resolution is not affected at the 2:1 radical-to-protein ratio. Spectroscopic assignment of Pf1 coat protein in the parallel bicelles has been established as an illustration of the method. The proposed methodology will advance applications of oriented-sample NMR technique when applied to samples containing smaller quantities of proteins and three-dimensional experiments.

Optimal control of orientation and entanglement for two dipole-dipole coupled quantum planar rotors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Hongling; Ho, Tak-San; Rabitz, Herschel

2018-05-09

Optimal control simulations are performed for orientation and entanglement of two dipole-dipole coupled identical quantum rotors. The rotors at various fixed separations lie on a model non-interacting plane with an applied control field. It is shown that optimal control of orientation or entanglement represents two contrasting control scenarios. In particular, the maximally oriented state (MOS) of the two rotors has a zero entanglement entropy and is readily attainable at all rotor separations. Whereas, the contrasting maximally entangled state (MES) has a zero orientation expectation value and is most conveniently attainable at small separations where the dipole-dipole coupling is strong. It is demonstrated that the peak orientation expectation value attained by the MOS at large separations exhibits a long time revival pattern due to the small energy splittings arising form the extremely weak dipole-dipole coupling between the degenerate product states of the two free rotors. Moreover, it is found that the peak entanglement entropy value attained by the MES remains largely unchanged as the two rotors are transported to large separations after turning off the control field. Finally, optimal control simulations of transition dynamics between the MOS and the MES reveal the intricate interplay between orientation and entanglement.

Contrasting motivational orientation and evaluative coding accounts: On the need to differentiate the effectors of approach/avoidance responses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia eKozlik

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Several emotion theorists suggest that valenced stimuli automatically trigger motivational orientations and thereby facilitate corresponding behavior. Positive stimuli were thought to activate approach motivational circuits which in turn primed approach-related behavioral tendencies whereas negative stimuli were supposed to activate avoidance motivational circuits so that avoidance-related behavioral tendencies were primed (motivational orientation account. However, recent research suggests that typically observed affective stimulus–response compatibility phenomena might be entirely explained in terms of theories accounting for mechanisms of general action control instead of assuming motivational orientations to mediate the effects (evaluative coding account. In what follows, we explore to what extent this notion is applicable. We present literature suggesting that evaluative coding mechanisms indeed influence a wide variety of affective stimulus–response compatibility phenomena. However, the evaluative coding account does not seem to be sufficient to explain affective S–R compatibility effects. Instead, several studies provide clear evidence in favor of the motivational orientation account that seems to operate independently of evaluative coding mechanisms. Implications for theoretical developments and future research designs are discussed.

Contrasting motivational orientation and evaluative coding accounts: on the need to differentiate the effectors of approach/avoidance responses.

Science.gov (United States)

Kozlik, Julia; Neumann, Roland; Lozo, Ljubica

2015-01-01

Several emotion theorists suggest that valenced stimuli automatically trigger motivational orientations and thereby facilitate corresponding behavior. Positive stimuli were thought to activate approach motivational circuits which in turn primed approach-related behavioral tendencies whereas negative stimuli were supposed to activate avoidance motivational circuits so that avoidance-related behavioral tendencies were primed (motivational orientation account). However, recent research suggests that typically observed affective stimulus-response compatibility phenomena might be entirely explained in terms of theories accounting for mechanisms of general action control instead of assuming motivational orientations to mediate the effects (evaluative coding account). In what follows, we explore to what extent this notion is applicable. We present literature suggesting that evaluative coding mechanisms indeed influence a wide variety of affective stimulus-response compatibility phenomena. However, the evaluative coding account does not seem to be sufficient to explain affective S-R compatibility effects. Instead, several studies provide clear evidence in favor of the motivational orientation account that seems to operate independently of evaluative coding mechanisms. Implications for theoretical developments and future research designs are discussed.

Evolution of orientations and deformation structures within individual grains in cold rolled columnar grained nickel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wu, G.L.; Godfrey, A.; Winther, Grethe

2011-01-01

Columnar grained Ni is used as a model material allowing simultaneous non-surface investigations of the evolution of crystallographic orientations and deformation microstructures within individual grains as a function of rolling strain up to ε=0.7. Electron channelling contrast and electron...... backscattered diffraction are used to visualise microstructures and crystallographic orientations. It is found that both the microstructural and the textural development depend strongly on the initial grain orientation. A grain size effect is observed on the deformation-induced orientation scatter within...

Low seroprevalence of bartonella species in danish elite orienteers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schiellerup, Peter; Dyhr, Thomas; Rolain, Jean Marc

2004-01-01

participants were tested for antibodies against B. henselae, B. quintana and B. elizabethae using immunofluorescent antibody tests. Surprisingly, Bartonella antibodies were only detected in sera from 5 persons: B. henselae from 1 elite orienteer, 1 handball player and 1 blood donor. B. elizabethae antibodies...... were detected in 1 handball player and 1 basketball player. We found no association between elite orienteers and the prevalence of Bartonella antibody positivity. This is in contrast to the Swedish study, and might be explained by the use of different serological methods in the 2 studies; to determine...

Putative Androgen Exposure and Sexual Orientation: Cross-Cultural Evidence Suggesting a Modified Neurohormonal Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Lee; Lykins, Amy; Hoskin, Anthony; Ratnasingam, Malini

2015-12-01

According to neurohormonal theory, prenatal androgens are key determinants of sexual orientation. As a reputed marker for prenatal androgens, the 2D:4D finger length ratio has been used in more than a dozen studies to test the hypothesis that prenatal androgens influence sexual orientation. Findings have been very inconsistent. The present study sought to retest the hypothesis that 2D:4D and sexual orientation are related is a manner consistent with neurohormonal theory. A 2D:4D measure (of the right hand) along with four additional somatic markers of androgen exposure (height, physical strength, muscularity, and athletic ability) with samples of college students in Malaysia (N = 2,058) and the United States (N = 2,511). The five androgen measures were factor analyzed, resulting in a two-factor solution: Factor 1 consisted of strength, muscularity, and athletic ability (the muscular coordination factor), and Factor 2 was comprised of the r2D:4D and adult height (the bone growth factor). Sexual orientation was measured by asking each respondent the extent to which they were sexually attracted to males and the extent to which they were sexually attracted to females, both on 11-point scales. When the countries and sexes were analyzed separately, neither the r2D:4D measure nor Factor 2 correlated with sexual orientation to significant degrees. Instead, it was the muscular coordination factor that correlated the best. Support was found for the hypothesis that prenatal androgens influence sexual orientation, but the nature of these influences was more complex than neurohormonal theory predicted. A modified theory is needed and presented to accommodate the results from this study. © 2015 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Relationship between BOLD amplitude and pattern classification of orientation-selective activity in the human visual cortex

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Frank; Harrison, Stephenie A.; Dewey, John A.; Kamitani, Yukiyasu

2012-01-01

Orientation-selective responses can be decoded from fMRI activity patterns in the human visual cortex, using multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA). To what extent do these feature-selective activity patterns depend on the strength and quality of the sensory input, and might the reliability of these activity patterns be predicted by the gross amplitude of the stimulus-driven BOLD response? Observers viewed oriented gratings that varied in luminance contrast (4, 20 or 100%) or spatial frequency (0.25, 1.0 or 4.0 cpd). As predicted, activity patterns in early visual areas led to better discrimination of orientations presented at high than low contrast, with greater effects of contrast found in area V1 than in V3. A second experiment revealed generally better decoding of orientations at low or moderate as compared to high spatial frequencies. Interestingly however, V1 exhibited a relative advantage at discriminating high spatial frequency orientations, consistent with the finer scale of representation in the primary visual cortex. In both experiments, the reliability of these orientation-selective activity patterns was well predicted by the average BOLD amplitude in each region of interest, as indicated by correlation analyses, as well as decoding applied to a simple model of voxel responses to simulated orientation columns. Moreover, individual differences in decoding accuracy could be predicted by the signal-to-noise ratio of an individual's BOLD response. Our results indicate that decoding accuracy can be well predicted by incorporating the amplitude of the BOLD response into simple simulation models of cortical selectivity; such models could prove useful in future applications of fMRI pattern classification. PMID:22917989

Alpha-Tocopherol Counteracts the Cytotoxicity Induced by Ochratoxin A in Primary Porcine Fibroblasts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fusi, Elenora; Rebucci, Raffaella; Pecorini, Chiara

2010-01-01

The aims of the current study were to determine the half-lethal concentration of ochratoxin A (OTA) as well as the levels of lactate dehydrogenase release and DNA fragmentation induced by OTA in primary porcine fibroblasts, and to examine the role of α-tocopherol in counteracting its toxicity....... Cells showed a dose-, time- and origin-dependent (ear vs. embryo) sensitivity to ochratoxin A. Pre-incubation for 3 h with 1 nM α-tocopherol significantly (P tocopherol...

High-Intensity Interval Training as a Tool for Counteracting Dyslipidemia in Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarez, Cristian; Ramirez-Campillo, Rodrigo; Martinez-Salazar, Cristian; Castillo, Angélica; Gallardo, Francisco; Ciolac, Emmanuel Gomes

2018-05-01

Sedentary overweight or obese adult (agehigh-intensity interval training (HIIT) program. Triglycerides reduced significantly ( P high-density lipoprotein increased ( P body composition improved ( P <0.05) in all groups. The HIIT program was effective for restoring lipid profile of DYS and DYSHG, and fasting glucose of DYSHG to levels similar to those of CON, with a weekly time commitment 25% to 56% lower than the minimum recommended in current exercise guidelines. These findings suggest that HIIT may be a time-efficient intervention for counteracting dyslipidemia. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Oriented diffusion filtering for enhancing low-quality fingerprint images

KAUST Repository

Gottschlich, C.; Schönlieb, C.-B.

2012-01-01

To enhance low-quality fingerprint images, we present a novel method that first estimates the local orientation of the fingerprint ridge and valley flow and next performs oriented diffusion filtering, followed by a locally adaptive contrast enhancement step. By applying the authors' new approach to low-quality images of the FVC2004 fingerprint databases, the authors are able to show its competitiveness with other state-of-the-art enhancement methods for fingerprints like curved Gabor filtering. A major advantage of oriented diffusion filtering over those is its computational efficiency. Combining oriented diffusion filtering with curved Gabor filters led to additional improvements and, to the best of the authors' knowledge, the lowest equal error rates achieved so far using MINDTCT and BOZORTH3 on the FVC2004 databases. The recognition performance and the computational efficiency of the method suggest to include oriented diffusion filtering as a standard image enhancement add-on module for real-time fingerprint recognition systems. In order to facilitate the reproduction of these results, an implementation of the oriented diffusion filtering for Matlab and GNU Octave is made available for download. © 2012 The Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Oriented diffusion filtering for enhancing low-quality fingerprint images

KAUST Repository

Gottschlich, C.

2012-01-01

To enhance low-quality fingerprint images, we present a novel method that first estimates the local orientation of the fingerprint ridge and valley flow and next performs oriented diffusion filtering, followed by a locally adaptive contrast enhancement step. By applying the authors\\' new approach to low-quality images of the FVC2004 fingerprint databases, the authors are able to show its competitiveness with other state-of-the-art enhancement methods for fingerprints like curved Gabor filtering. A major advantage of oriented diffusion filtering over those is its computational efficiency. Combining oriented diffusion filtering with curved Gabor filters led to additional improvements and, to the best of the authors\\' knowledge, the lowest equal error rates achieved so far using MINDTCT and BOZORTH3 on the FVC2004 databases. The recognition performance and the computational efficiency of the method suggest to include oriented diffusion filtering as a standard image enhancement add-on module for real-time fingerprint recognition systems. In order to facilitate the reproduction of these results, an implementation of the oriented diffusion filtering for Matlab and GNU Octave is made available for download. © 2012 The Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Testing the ability of non-methylamine osmolytes present in kidney cells to counteract the deleterious effects of urea on structure, stability and function of proteins.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sheeza Khan

Full Text Available Human kidney cells are under constant urea stress due to its urine concentrating mechanism. It is believed that the deleterious effect of urea is counteracted by methylamine osmolytes (glycine betaine and glycerophosphocholine present in kidney cells. A question arises: Do the stabilizing osmolytes, non-methylamines (myo-inositol, sorbitol and taurine present in the kidney cells also counteract the deleterious effects of urea? To answer this question, we have measured structure, thermodynamic stability (ΔG D (o and functional activity parameters (K m and k cat of different model proteins in the presence of various concentrations of urea and each non-methylamine osmolyte alone and in combination. We observed that (i for each protein myo-inositol provides perfect counteraction at 1∶2 ([myo-inositol]:[urea] ratio, (ii any concentration of sorbitol fails to refold urea denatured proteins if it is six times less than that of urea, and (iii taurine regulates perfect counteraction in a protein specific manner; 1.5∶2.0, 1.2∶2.0 and 1.0∶2.0 ([taurine]:[urea] ratios for RNase-A, lysozyme and α-lactalbumin, respectively.

The characteristics of the pediatric model for counteracting obesity in Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Banićević Miloš

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Basic data on the establishment, features and results of the health care system for children and adolescents in the Republic of Serbia during the period 1950-1990 are given in the introductory remarks. Enormous pressure for the change of the health sector ownership and the profile of physicians in the primary pediatric care in the last decade of 20th century and at the beginning of 21st century is also emphasized. The destructive consequences of the sanctions of international community (1992-1995, NATO aggression (1999 and the change of the political system in Serbia (2000 caused the huge loss of gross domestic product, increase of the unemployment and poverty rates, and the decrease of the health expenditure rate to unsustainable levels (200-300 USD per capita. In spite of all misfortunes, Pediatric Association of Serbia, in response to the global obesity epidemic, offered in 2007 to the Ministry of health and the National Institute for health insurance the Project 'The prevention and treatment of obesity in children and adolescents in Serbia', as the pediatric chapter for future National strategy for counteracting obesity. The Project, ie the pediatric model for counteracting obesity is funded on the features of the health care system for children and adolescents in our country. The solidarity of the society and the continuous education of health care workers, adolescents and their parents about the significance of obesity epidemic are, in our conviction, key factors for the strengthening of adolescent's conscience on individual responsibility for own health as the prerequisite for successful control of obesity epidemic in adolescents.

Verbal cues effectively orient children's auditory attention in a CV-syllable dichotic listening paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Phélip, Marion; Donnot, Julien; Vauclair, Jacques

2015-12-18

In their groundbreaking work featuring verbal dichotic listening tasks, Mondor and Bryden showed that tone cues do not enhance children's attentional orienting, in contrast to adults. The magnitude of the children's right-ear advantage was not attenuated when their attention was directed to the left ear. Verbal cues did, however, appear to favour the orientation of attention at around 10 years, although stimulus-onset asynchronies (SOAs), which ranged between 450 and 750 ms, were not rigorously controlled. The aim of our study was therefore to investigate the role of both types of cues in a typical CV-syllable dichotic listening task administered to 8- to 10-year-olds, applying a protocol as similar as possible to that used by Mondor and Bryden, but controlling for SOA as well as for cued ear. Results confirmed that verbal cues are more effective than tone cues in orienting children's attention. However, in contrast to adults, no effect of SOA was observed. We discuss the relative difficulty young children have processing CV syllables, as well as the role of top-down processes in attentional orienting abilities.

Distinct crystallinity and orientations of hydroxyapatite thin films deposited on C- and A-plane sapphire substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Akazawa, Housei; Ueno, Yuko

2014-10-01

We report how the crystallinity and orientation of hydroxyapatite (HAp) films deposited on sapphire substrates depend on the crystallographic planes. Both solid-phase crystallization of amorphous HAp films and crystallization during sputter deposition at elevated temperatures were examined. The low-temperature epitaxial phase on C-plane sapphire substrates has c-axis orientated HAp crystals regardless of the crystallization route, whereas the preferred orientation switches to the (310) direction at higher temperatures. Only the symmetric stretching mode (ν1) of PO43- units appears in the Raman scattering spectra, confirming well-ordered crystalline domains. In contrast, HAp crystals grown on A-plane sapphire substrates are always oriented toward random orientations. Exhibiting all vibrational modes (ν1, ν3, and ν4) of PO43- units in the Raman scattering spectra reflects random orientation, violating the Raman selection rule. If we assume that Raman intensities of PO43- units represent the crystallinity of HAp films, crystallization terminating the surface with the C-plane is hindered by the presence of excess H2O and OH species in the film, whereas crystallization at random orientations on the A-plane sapphire is rather promoted by these species. Such contrasting behaviors between C-plane and A-plane substrates will reflect surface-plane dependent creation of crystalline seeds and eventually determine the orientation of resulting HAp films.

Re-orientation of American energy policy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Siebert, H

1981-01-01

The new organization of American economic policy has shown some effects also in the sectoral policies apart from the revision of the concept, new focuses in economic policy - e.g. the struggle against inflation - and the structural re-orientation concerning the role of the government as well as the private sector. Energy policy can be regarded as a paradigm of Reagan's concept of a 'supply-oriented economic policy'. The following contribution gives a survey of the outlines of American energy policy. Chapter one sketches the philosophy of 'supply-oriented' economic policy which is in obvious contrast to the former practice of American energy policy (chapter two). Chapter three deals with the essential problem of the new approach, the deregulation of the price controls especially for natural gas. Chapter four comments on measures of tax policy. Chapter five deals with the price-independent deregulation and the sectors concerned, i.e. coal, electricity and nuclears. Chapter six discusses the governmental quantity policy (distribution of licences). Chapter seven explains the policy of research promotion for synthetic gas. Finally an assessment is made.

Competitor Orientation: Effects of Objectives and Information on Managerial Decisions and Profitability

OpenAIRE

Armstrong, J. Scott; Collopy, Fred

1996-01-01

Managers are often advised, "beat your competitors," which sometimes contrasts with the advice, "do the best for your firm." This may lead managers to focus on comparative measures such as market share. Drawing on game theory, the authors hypothesize that managers are competitor-oriented under certain conditions, in particular, when they are provided with information about competitors' performance. Empirical studies lead to the additional hypothesis that a competitor orientation is detrimenta...

Detection of plane, poorly oriented wide flaws using focused transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vadder, D. de; Azou, P.; Bastien, P.; Saglio, R.

1976-01-01

The detection of plane, poorly oriented, wide flaws by ultrasonic non destructive testing is distinctly improved when using focused transducers. An increased echo can be obtained crossing the defect limit [fr

Internal marketing, customer orientation, and organizational commitment: moderating effects of work status.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Meiju; Chen, Mei-Yen

2013-08-01

Associations among internal marketing, customer orientation, and organizational commitment were examined, particularly with regard to the moderating effects of work status on the relationships between internal marketing and customer orientation or organizational commitment, in a cross-sectional design with structural equation modeling. Two studies (Ns = 119 and 251) were conducted among full- and part-time service employees at Taipei Sports Centers. Internal marketing was associated with organizational commitment and customer orientation. Customer orientation was associated with organizational commitment and partially mediated the relation between internal marketing and organizational commitment. Furthermore, work status significantly moderated the relationships between internal marketing and customer orientation but not between internal marketing and organizational commitment. Implications and directions for future research were discussed.

Mean-field analysis of orientation selectivity in inhibition-dominated networks of spiking neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadeh, Sadra; Cardanobile, Stefano; Rotter, Stefan

2014-01-01

Mechanisms underlying the emergence of orientation selectivity in the primary visual cortex are highly debated. Here we study the contribution of inhibition-dominated random recurrent networks to orientation selectivity, and more generally to sensory processing. By simulating and analyzing large-scale networks of spiking neurons, we investigate tuning amplification and contrast invariance of orientation selectivity in these networks. In particular, we show how selective attenuation of the common mode and amplification of the modulation component take place in these networks. Selective attenuation of the baseline, which is governed by the exceptional eigenvalue of the connectivity matrix, removes the unspecific, redundant signal component and ensures the invariance of selectivity across different contrasts. Selective amplification of modulation, which is governed by the operating regime of the network and depends on the strength of coupling, amplifies the informative signal component and thus increases the signal-to-noise ratio. Here, we perform a mean-field analysis which accounts for this process.

Employee customer orientation in context: how the environment moderates the influence of customer orientation on performance outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Grizzle, Jerry W; Zablah, Alex R; Brown, Tom J; Mowen, John C; Lee, James M

2009-09-01

This empirical study evaluated the moderating effects of unit customer orientation (CO) climate and climate strength on the relationship between service workers' level of CO and their performance of customer-oriented behaviors (COBs). In addition, the study examined whether aggregate COB performance influences unit profitability. Building on multisource, multilevel data, the study's results suggest that the influence of employee CO on employee COB performance is positive when the unit's CO climate is relatively high and that the constructs are unrelated when unit CO climate is relatively low. In addition, the data reveal that unit COB performance influences unit profitability by enhancing revenues without a concomitant increase in costs. The study's results underscore the theoretical importance of considering cross-level influencers of employee-level relationships and suggest that managers should focus on creating a climate that is supportive of COBs if their units are to profit from the recruitment, hiring, and retention of customer-oriented employees.

Ketahanan Papan Unting (Oriented Strand Board) terhadap Serangan Rayap Tanah dan Rayap Kayu Kering

OpenAIRE

Gea, Bud diman

2011-01-01

Oriented strand board is panel of wood raw material from which strand composed of cross and upright structure. In order to oriented strand board can be used for interior and exterior needs, than necessary to be applied various thenology of quality improvement like durabelities and endurance of oriented strand board. For it does found endurance oriented strand board from attack of ground termite and wood dry termite, necessary doing grave yard trial and wood dry termite trial. This research ta...

Announced reward counteracts the effects of chronic social stress on anticipatory behavior and hippocampal synaptic plasticity in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamal, Amer; Van der Harst, Johanneke E; Kapteijn, Chantal M; Baars, Annemarie J M; Spruijt, Berry M; Ramakers, Geert M J

2010-04-01

Chronic stress causes insensitivity to rewards (anhedonia) in rats, reflected by the absence of anticipatory behavior for a sucrose-reward, which can be reversed by antidepressant treatment or repeated announced transfer to an enriched cage. It was, however, not clear whether the highly rewarding properties of the enriched cage alone caused this reversal or whether the anticipation of this reward as such had an additional effect. Therefore, the present study compared the consequences of the announcement of a reward to the mere effect of a reward alone with respect to their efficacy to counteract the consequences of chronic stress. Two forms of synaptic plasticity, long-term potentiation and long-term depression were investigated in area CA1 of the hippocampus. This was done in socially stressed rats (induced by defeat and subsequent long-term individual housing), socially stressed rats that received a reward (short-term enriched housing) and socially stressed rats to which this reward was announced by means of a stimulus that was repeatedly paired to the reward. The results were compared to corresponding control rats. We show that announcement of enriched housing appeared to have had an additional effect compared to the enriched housing per se as indicated by a significant higher amount of LTP. In conclusion, announced short-term enriched housing has a high and long-lasting counteracting efficacy on stress-induced alterations of hippocampal synaptic plasticity. This information is important for counteracting the consequences of chronic stress in both human and captive rats.

Cross-contextual stability of bullying victimization: a person-oriented analysis of cyber and traditional bullying experiences among adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Erentaitė, Rasa; Bergman, Lars R; Zukauskienė, Rita

2012-04-01

Using a person-oriented approach the study examined whether bullying victimization at school continued into cyberspace victimization in a large sample of high school students in Lithuania (N = 1667, 58% girls), age 15-19 (M = 17.29, SD = 0.95). Three forms of traditional bullying (verbal, physical and relational) and seven forms of cyberbullying victimization through cell phones and computers were included in the analysis. The findings revealed that 35% of traditional bullying victims were also bullied in cyberspace. In particular, adolescents who experienced predominantly verbal and relational bullying at school, showed a higher risk of victimization in cyberspace a year later, while this was not observed for predominantly physical forms of traditional bullying. The findings point to the importance of a cross-contextual perspective in studies on stability of bullying victimization. © 2012 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2012 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

The Effects of Relationship Banking and Entrepreneurial Orientation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The purpose of the study was to determine if relationship banking, and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) affect the financial performance of manufacturing firms in Kenya. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design with the population being 620 manufacturing SMEs involved in relationship banking with commercial ...

Acidification counteracts negative effects of warming on diatom silicification

KAUST Repository

Coello-Camba, Alexandra; Agusti, Susana

2016-01-01

Diatoms are a significant group contributing up to 40 % of annual primary production in the oceans. They have a special siliceous cell wall that, acting as a ballast, plays a key role in the sequestration of global carbon and silica. Diatoms dominate primary production in the Arctic Ocean, where global climate change is causing increases in water temperature and in the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2). Here we show that as water temperature increases diatoms become stressed, grow to smaller sizes, and decrease their silicification rates. But at higher pCO2, as the pH of seawater decreases, silica incorporation rates are increased. In a future warmer Arctic ocean diatoms may have a competitive advantage under increased ocean acidification, as increased pCO2 counteracts the adverse effects of increasing temperature on silicification and buffers its consequences in the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and silica.

Acidification counteracts negative effects of warming on diatom silicification

KAUST Repository

Coello-Camba, Alexandra

2016-10-24

Diatoms are a significant group contributing up to 40 % of annual primary production in the oceans. They have a special siliceous cell wall that, acting as a ballast, plays a key role in the sequestration of global carbon and silica. Diatoms dominate primary production in the Arctic Ocean, where global climate change is causing increases in water temperature and in the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2). Here we show that as water temperature increases diatoms become stressed, grow to smaller sizes, and decrease their silicification rates. But at higher pCO2, as the pH of seawater decreases, silica incorporation rates are increased. In a future warmer Arctic ocean diatoms may have a competitive advantage under increased ocean acidification, as increased pCO2 counteracts the adverse effects of increasing temperature on silicification and buffers its consequences in the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and silica.

The capacity limitations of orientation summary statistics

Science.gov (United States)

Attarha, Mouna; Moore, Cathleen M.

2015-01-01

The simultaneous–sequential method was used to test the processing capacity of establishing mean orientation summaries. Four clusters of oriented Gabor patches were presented in the peripheral visual field. One of the clusters had a mean orientation that was tilted either left or right while the mean orientations of the other three clusters were roughly vertical. All four clusters were presented at the same time in the simultaneous condition whereas the clusters appeared in temporal subsets of two in the sequential condition. Performance was lower when the means of all four clusters had to be processed concurrently than when only two had to be processed in the same amount of time. The advantage for establishing fewer summaries at a given time indicates that the processing of mean orientation engages limited-capacity processes (Experiment 1). This limitation cannot be attributed to crowding, low target-distractor discriminability, or a limited-capacity comparison process (Experiments 2 and 3). In contrast to the limitations of establishing multiple summary representations, establishing a single summary representation unfolds without interference (Experiment 4). When interpreted in the context of recent work on the capacity of summary statistics, these findings encourage reevaluation of the view that early visual perception consists of summary statistic representations that unfold independently across multiple areas of the visual field. PMID:25810160

Orientation Mapping of Extruded Polymeric Composites by Polarized Micro-Raman Spectroscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyun Chen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Molecular orientation has a strong influence on polymeric composite materials’ mechanical properties. In this paper we describe the use of polarized micro-Raman spectroscopy as a powerful tool to map out the molecular orientation of a uniaxially oriented polypropylene- (PP- based composite material. Initial samples exhibited a high degree of surface fibrillation upon cutting. Raman spectroscopy was used to characterize the degree of orientation in the skin and guide the development of the posttreatment process to optimize the skin relaxation while maintaining the high degree of orientation in the rest of the board. The PP oriented polymer composite (OPC was oriented through an extrusion process and its surface was then treated to achieve relaxation. Micro-Raman analysis at the surface region demonstrated the surface orientation relaxation, and the results provide an effective way to correlate the extent of relaxation and process conditions. Larger scale orientation mapping was also carried out over the entire cross-section (12.7 cm × 2.54 cm. The results agree well with prior expectation of the molecular orientation based on the extrusion and subsequent quenching process. The methodologies described here can be readily applied to other polymeric systems.

Coexistence of contrasting principles in corporate governance: Two tales of Japanese firms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taeyoung Yoo

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The underlying logic that shapes the coexistence of contrasting mechanisms in a firm’s governance system remains unclear. We examine the logic that promotes a hybrid form of corporate governance in functional terms. The empirical analysis of Japanese firms shows that a firm’s reliance on capital markets for resource acquisition facilitates its adoption of shareholder-oriented mechanisms, such as committee systems. In contrast, corporate performance is still influenced by some of Japanese society’s characteristic governance mechanisms, such as bank ownership. This finding illustrates that contrasting governance mechanisms coexist in a given system owing to their respective or interacting contributions to corporate performance.

CBED contrast in the lower order Laue zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rossouw, C.J.; Maunders, C.J.; Whitfield, H.J.; Etheridge, J.

2006-01-01

Contrast in a systematic arrangement of lower order Laue zone (LOLZ) beams is reported and analysed using a Bloch wave description. Observations are reported for hexagonal barium ruthenium zirconate (Ba 4 Ru 3 ZrO 12 ) and barium ruthenium titanate (Ba 3 Ti 2 RuO 9 ), both near the c -axis orientation. The specific scattering dynamics invoked by this diffraction geometry may have novel uses in the exploration of crystallographic parameters

Cross-sectional anatomy for computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farkas, M.L.

1988-01-01

This self-study guide recognizes that evaluation and interpretation of CT-images demands a firm understanding of both cross-sectional anatomy and the principles of computed tomography. The objectives of this book are: to discuss the basic principles of CT, to stress the importance of cross-sectional anatomy to CT through study of selected cardinal transverse sections of head, neck, and trunk, to explain orientation and interpretation of CT-images with the aid of corresponding cross-sectional preparations

Molecular and functional interactions of cat APOBEC3 and feline foamy and immunodeficiency virus proteins: different ways to counteract host-encoded restriction.

Science.gov (United States)

Chareza, Sarah; Slavkovic Lukic, Dragana; Liu, Yang; Räthe, Ann-Mareen; Münk, Carsten; Zabogli, Elisa; Pistello, Mauro; Löchelt, Martin

2012-03-15

Defined host-encoded feline APOBEC3 (feA3) cytidine deaminases efficiently restrict the replication and spread of exogenous retroviruses like Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Foamy Virus (FFV) which developed different feA3 counter-acting strategies. Here we characterize the molecular interaction of FFV proteins with the diverse feA3 proteins. The FFV accessory protein Bet is the virus-encoded defense factor which is shown here to bind all feA3 proteins independent of whether they restrict FFV, a feature shared with FIV Vif that induces degradation of all feA3s including those that do not inactivate FIV. In contrast, only some feA3 proteins bind to FFV Gag, a pattern that in part reflects the restriction pattern detected. Additionally, one-domain feA3 proteins can homo- and hetero-dimerize in vitro, but a trans-dominant phenotype of any of the low-activity feA3 forms on FFV restriction by one of the highly-active feA3Z2 proteins was not detectable. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Maintenance of lettuce seed viability and counter-action of radiation damage by moisture equilibration-drying treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Punjabi, Bina; Basu, R.N.

1982-01-01

Lettuce seeds were subjected to X- and gamma-radiation after moisture equilibration-drying or they were equilibrated with a saturated atmosphere for 24 hrs immediately after irradiation followed by drying back to the original weight. Results showed that moisture-equilibration drying treatment either before or after irradiation counteracts the adverse effects of irradiation. (M.G.B.)

Maintenance of lettuce seed viability and counter-action of radiation damage by moisture equilibration-drying treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Punjabi, B; Basu, R N

1982-10-01

Lettuce seeds were subjected to X- and gamma-radiation after moisture equilibration-drying or they were equilibrated with a saturated atmosphere for 24 hrs immediately after irradiation followed by drying back to the original weight. Results showed that moisture-equilibration drying treatment either before or after irradiation counteracts the adverse effects of irradiation. (M.G.B.). 14 refs.

3-D growth of a short fatigue crack within a polycrystalline microstructure studied using combined diffraction and phase-contrast X-ray tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herbig, Michael [Universite de Lyon, Lyon, MATEIS, UMR5510 CNRS, 69621 Villeurbanne (France); King, Andrew [GKSS-Research Centre, Geesthacht (Germany); Reischig, Peter [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Proudhon, Henry [MINES ParisTech, Centre des materiaux, CNRS UMR 7633, BP 87, 91003 Evry Cedex (France); Lauridsen, Erik M. [Riso-DTU, Technical University of Denmark, Roskilde (Denmark); Marrow, James [Manchester Materials Science Centre, Manchester (United Kingdom); Buffiere, Jean-Yves [Universite de Lyon, Lyon, MATEIS, UMR5510 CNRS, 69621 Villeurbanne (France); Ludwig, Wolfgang, E-mail: wolfgang.ludwig@insa-lyon.fr [Universite de Lyon, Lyon, MATEIS, UMR5510 CNRS, 69621 Villeurbanne (France); European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France, BP 220, 38043 Grenoble (France)

2011-01-15

X-ray diffraction contrast tomography is a recently developed, non-destructive synchrotron imaging technique which characterizes microstructure and grain orientation in polycrystalline materials in three dimensions. By combining it with propagation-based phase-contrast tomography it is possible to get a full picture description for the analysis of local crack growth rate of short fatigue cracks in three dimensions: the three-dimensional crack morphology at different propagation stages, and the shape and orientation of the grains around the crack. An approach has been developed on the metastable beta titanium alloy Ti 21S that allows for visualization and analysis of the growth rate and crystallographic orientation of the fracture surface.

3-D growth of a short fatigue crack within a polycrystalline microstructure studied using combined diffraction and phase-contrast X-ray tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herbig, Michael; King, Andrew; Reischig, Peter; Proudhon, Henry; Lauridsen, Erik M.; Marrow, James; Buffiere, Jean-Yves; Ludwig, Wolfgang

2011-01-01

X-ray diffraction contrast tomography is a recently developed, non-destructive synchrotron imaging technique which characterizes microstructure and grain orientation in polycrystalline materials in three dimensions. By combining it with propagation-based phase-contrast tomography it is possible to get a full picture description for the analysis of local crack growth rate of short fatigue cracks in three dimensions: the three-dimensional crack morphology at different propagation stages, and the shape and orientation of the grains around the crack. An approach has been developed on the metastable beta titanium alloy Ti 21S that allows for visualization and analysis of the growth rate and crystallographic orientation of the fracture surface.

Cholinergic enhancement reduces orientation-specific surround suppression but not visual crowding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna A. Kosovicheva

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Acetylcholine (ACh reduces the spatial spread of excitatory fMRI responses in early visual cortex and the receptive field sizes of V1 neurons. We investigated the perceptual consequences of these physiological effects of ACh with surround suppression and crowding, two tasks that involve spatial interactions between visual field locations. Surround suppression refers to the reduction in perceived stimulus contrast by a high-contrast surround stimulus. For grating stimuli, surround suppression is selective for the relative orientations of the center and surround, suggesting that it results from inhibitory interactions in early visual cortex. Crowding refers to impaired identification of a peripheral stimulus in the presence of flankers and is thought to result from excessive integration of visual features. We increased synaptic ACh levels by administering the cholinesterase inhibitor donepezil to healthy human subjects in a placebo-controlled, double-blind design. In Exp. 1, we measured surround suppression of a central grating using a contrast discrimination task with three conditions: 1 surround grating with the same orientation as the center (parallel, 2 surround orthogonal to the center, or 3 no surround. Contrast discrimination thresholds were higher in the parallel than in the orthogonal condition, demonstrating orientation-specific surround suppression (OSSS. Cholinergic enhancement reduced thresholds only in the parallel condition, thereby reducing OSSS. In Exp. 2, subjects performed a crowding task in which they reported the identity of a peripheral letter flanked by letters on either side. We measured the critical spacing between the target and flanking letters that allowed reliable identification. Cholinergic enhancement had no effect on critical spacing. Our findings suggest that ACh reduces spatial interactions in tasks involving segmentation of visual field locations but that these effects may be limited to early visual cortical

Moderating effect of nurses' customer-oriented perception between organizational citizenship behaviors and satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Ching Sheng; Chang, Hae Ching

2010-08-01

This study investigates whether organizational citizenship behaviors enhance job satisfaction among nursing personnel, while exploring whether customer-oriented perception has a moderating effect between nursing personnel's organizational citizenship behaviors and job satisfaction.The authors used a cross-sectional survey sent to 500 nurses with 232 valid responses. According to the research findings, nurses' organizational citizenship behaviors have a positive and significant influence on job satisfaction. Results also indicated that the moderating effect of nurses' customer-oriented perception on the relationship between their organizational citizenship behaviors and job satisfaction was stronger for high customer-oriented perception than it was low customer-oriented perception.

Problem-Oriented Requirements in Practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauesen, Søren

2018-01-01

[Context and motivation] Traditional requirements describe what the system shall do. This gives suppliers little freedom to use what they have already. In contrast, problem-oriented requirements describe the customer’s demands: what he wants to use the system for and which problems he wants...... to remove. The supplier specifies how his system will deal with these issues. The author developed the problem-oriented approach in 2007 on request from the Danish Government, and named it SL-07. [Question/problem] SL-07 has been used in many projects – usually with success. However, we had no detailed re......¬ports of the effects. [Princi¬pal ideas/results] This paper is a case study of SL-07 in acquisition of a complex case-management system. The author wrote the requirements and managed the supplier selection. Next, he was asked to run the entire acquisition project, although he was a novice project manager. Some...

Olopatadine Inhibits Exocytosis in Rat Peritoneal Mast Cells by Counteracting Membrane Surface Deformation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asuka Baba

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Backgroud/Aims: Besides its anti-allergic properties as a histamine receptor antagonist, olopatadine stabilizes mast cells by inhibiting the release of chemokines. Since olopatadine bears amphiphilic features and is preferentially partitioned into the lipid bilayers of the plasma membrane, it would induce some morphological changes in mast cells and thus affect the process of exocytosis. Methods: Employing the standard patch-clamp whole-cell recording technique, we examined the effects of olopatadine and other anti-allergic drugs on the membrane capacitance (Cm in rat peritoneal mast cells during exocytosis. Using confocal imaging of a water-soluble fluorescent dye, lucifer yellow, we also examined their effects on the deformation of the plasma membrane. Results: Low concentrations of olopatadine (1 or 10 µM did not significantly affect the GTP-γ-S-induced increase in the Cm. However, 100 µM and 1 mM olopatadine almost totally suppressed the increase in the Cm. Additionally, these doses completely washed out the trapping of the dye on the cell surface, indicating that olopatadine counteracted the membrane surface deformation induced by exocytosis. As shown by electron microscopy, olopatadine generated inward membrane bending in mast cells. Conclusion: This study provides electrophysiological evidence for the first time that olopatadine dose-dependently inhibits the process of exocytosis in rat peritoneal mast cells. Such mast cell stabilizing properties of olopatadine may be attributed to its counteracting effects on the plasma membrane deformation in degranulating mast cells.

Coastal DEMs with Cross-Track Interferometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Greidanus, H.S.F.; Huising, E.J.; Platschorre, Y.; Bree, R.J.P. van; Halsema, D. van; Vaessen, E.M.J.

1999-01-01

Digital elevation models (DEMs) are produced from airborne radar cross-track interferometric measurements. Radar DEMs recorded from perpendicular orientations are intercompared, and compared to DEMs derived from airborne laser altimetry

Exposure to nature counteracts aggression after depletion.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yan; She, Yihan; Colarelli, Stephen M; Fang, Yuan; Meng, Hui; Chen, Qiuju; Zhang, Xin; Zhu, Hongwei

2018-01-01

Acts of self-control are more likely to fail after previous exertion of self-control, known as the ego depletion effect. Research has shown that depleted participants behave more aggressively than non-depleted participants, especially after being provoked. Although exposure to nature (e.g., a walk in the park) has been predicted to replenish resources common to executive functioning and self-control, the extent to which exposure to nature may counteract the depletion effect on aggression has yet to be determined. The present study investigated the effects of exposure to nature on aggression following depletion. Aggression was measured by the intensity of noise blasts participants delivered to an ostensible opponent in a competition reaction-time task. As predicted, an interaction occurred between depletion and environmental manipulations for provoked aggression. Specifically, depleted participants behaved more aggressively in response to provocation than non-depleted participants in the urban condition. However, provoked aggression did not differ between depleted and non-depleted participants in the natural condition. Moreover, within the depletion condition, participants in the natural condition had lower levels of provoked aggression than participants in the urban condition. This study suggests that a brief period of nature exposure may restore self-control and help depleted people regain control over aggressive urges. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Acculturation orientations affect the evolution of a multicultural society.

Science.gov (United States)

Erten, E Yagmur; van den Berg, Pieter; Weissing, Franz J

2018-01-04

The migration of people between different cultures has affected cultural change throughout history. To understand this process, cross-cultural psychologists have used the 'acculturation' framework, classifying 'acculturation orientations' along two dimensions: the willingness to interact with culturally different individuals, and the inclination to retain the own cultural identity ('cultural conservatism'). Here, using a cultural evolution approach, we construct a dynamically explicit model of acculturation. We show that the evolution of a multicultural society, where immigrant and resident culture stably coexist, is more likely if individuals readily engage in cross-cultural interactions, and if resident individuals are more culturally conservative than immigrants. This result holds if some cultural traits pay off better than others, and individuals use social learning to adopt more advantageous cultural traits. Our study demonstrates that formal dynamic models can help us understand how individual orientations towards immigration eventually determine the population-level distribution of cultural traits.

Scattering phase functions of horizontally oriented hexagonal ice crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Guang; Yang Ping; Kattawar, George W.; Mishchenko, Michael I.

2006-01-01

Finite-difference time domain (FDTD) solutions are first compared with the corresponding T-matrix results for light scattering by circular cylinders with specific orientations. The FDTD method is then utilized to study the scattering properties of horizontally oriented hexagonal ice plates at two wavelengths, 0.55 and 12 μm. The phase functions of horizontally oriented ice plates deviate substantially from their counterparts obtained for randomly oriented particles. Furthermore, we compute the phase functions of horizontally oriented ice crystal columns by using the FDTD method along with two schemes for averaging over the particle orientations. It is shown that the phase functions of hexagonal ice columns with horizontal orientations are not sensitive to the rotation about the principal axes of the particles. Moreover, hexagonal ice crystals and circular cylindrical ice particles have similar optical properties, particularly, at a strongly absorbing wavelength, if the two particle geometries have the same length and aspect ratio defined as the ratio of the radius or semi-width of the cross section of a particle to its length. The phase functions for the two particle geometries are slightly different in the case of weakly absorbing plates with large aspect ratios. However, the solutions for circular cylinders agree well with their counterparts for hexagonal columns

Designs of Plasmonic Metamasks for Photopatterning Molecular Orientations in Liquid Crystals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yubing Guo

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Aligning liquid crystal (LC molecules into spatially non-uniform orientation patterns is central to the functionalities of many emerging LC devices. Recently, we developed a new projection photopatterning technique by using plasmonic metamasks (PMMs, and demonstrated high-resolution and high-throughput patterning of molecular orientations into arbitrary patterns. Here we present comparisons between two different types of metamask designs: one based on curvilinear nanoslits in metal films; the other based on rectangular nanoapertures in metal films. By using numerical simulations and experimental studies, we show that the PMMs based on curvilinear nanoslits exhibit advantages in their broadband and high optical transmission, while face challenges in mask designing for arbitrary molecular orientations. In contrast, the PMMs based on nanoapertures, though limited in optical transmission, present the great advantage of allowing for patterning arbitrary molecular orientation fields.

Axon diameter mapping in crossing fibers with diffusion MRI

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Hui; Dyrby, Tim B; Alexander, Daniel C

2011-01-01

This paper proposes a technique for a previously unaddressed problem, namely, mapping axon diameter in crossing fiber regions, using diffusion MRI. Direct measurement of tissue microstructure of this kind using diffusion MRI offers a new class of biomarkers that give more specific information about...... tissue than measures derived from diffusion tensor imaging. Most existing techniques for axon diameter mapping assume a single axon orientation in the tissue model, which limits their application to only the most coherently oriented brain white matter, such as the corpus callosum, where the single...... model to enable axon diameter mapping in voxels with crossing fibers. We show in simulation that the technique can provide robust axon diameter estimates in a two-fiber crossing with the crossing angle as small as 45 degrees. Using ex vivo imaging data, we further demonstrate the feasibility...

The Impact of Market Orientation on Patient Safety Climate Among Hospital Nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Weng, Rhay-Hung; Chen, Jung-Chien; Pong, Li-Jung; Chen, Li-Mei; Lin, Tzu-Chi

2016-03-01

Improving market orientation and patient safety have become the key concerns of nursing management. For nurses, establishing a patient safety climate is the key to enhancing nursing quality. This study explores how market orientation affects the climate of patient safety among hospital nurses. We proposed adopting a cross-sectional research design and using questionnaires to collect responses from nurses working in two Taiwanese hospitals. Three-hundred and forty-three valid samples were obtained. Multiple regression and path analyses were conducted to test the study. Market orientation was defined as the combination of customer orientation, competitor orientation, and interfunctional coordination. Customer orientation directly affects the climate of patient safety. Although the findings only supported Hypothesis 1, competitor orientation and interfunctional coordination positively affected the patient safety climate through the mediating effects of hospital support for staff. Health care managers could encourage nurses to adopt customer-oriented perspectives to enhance their nursing care. In addition, to enhance competitor orientation, interfunctional coordination, and the patient safety climate, hospital managers could strengthen their support for staff members. © The Author(s) 2014.

Cross-poling textures in a lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan, Shan; Bowman, Keith J.

2000-01-01

Tetragonal ferroelectric materials are polarized to induce the anisotropy necessary for the piezoelectric effect. This poling of the material is inherently an orientation process. Pole figure texture measurements of poling and cross-poling in a lead zirconate titanate Navy VI material show domain motion. The resulting axisymmetric and three-dimensional textures demonstrate the contribution of 90 degree sign domain motion to piezoelectricity. Cross-poling results in strong orientations with lower applied fields than in the initial poling steps. (c) 2000 Materials Research Society

Oriented matroids—combinatorial structures underlying loop quantum gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Brunnemann, Johannes; Rideout, David

2010-10-01

We analyze combinatorial structures which play a central role in determining spectral properties of the volume operator (Ashtekar A and Lewandowski J 1998 Adv. Theor. Math. Phys. 1 388) in loop quantum gravity (LQG). These structures encode geometrical information of the embedding of arbitrary valence vertices of a graph in three-dimensional Riemannian space and can be represented by sign strings containing relative orientations of embedded edges. We demonstrate that these signature factors are a special representation of the general mathematical concept of an oriented matroid (Ziegler G M 1998 Electron. J. Comb.; Björner A et al 1999 Oriented Matroids (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)). Moreover, we show that oriented matroids can also be used to describe the topology (connectedness) of directed graphs. Hence, the mathematical methods developed for oriented matroids can be applied to the difficult combinatorics of embedded graphs underlying the construction of LQG. As a first application we revisit the analysis of Brunnemann and Rideout (2008 Class. Quantum Grav. 25 065001 and 065002), and find that enumeration of all possible sign configurations used there is equivalent to enumerating all realizable oriented matroids of rank 3 (Ziegler G M 1998 Electron. J. Comb.; Björner A et al 1999 Oriented Matroids (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)), and thus can be greatly simplified. We find that for 7-valent vertices having no coplanar triples of edge tangents, the smallest non-zero eigenvalue of the volume spectrum does not grow as one increases the maximum spin jmax at the vertex, for any orientation of the edge tangents. This indicates that, in contrast to the area operator, considering large jmax does not necessarily imply large volume eigenvalues. In addition we give an outlook to possible starting points for rewriting the combinatorics of LQG in terms of oriented matroids.

In-vivo quantification of wall motion in cerebral aneurysms from 2D cine phase contrast magnetic resonance images

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karmonik, C. [The Methodist Hospital Research Inst., Houston (United States); Diaz, O.; Klucznik, R. [The Methodist Hospital, Houston (United States); Grossman, R. [The Methodist Hospital, Houston (United States). Neurosurgery

2010-02-15

Purpose: The quantification of wall motion in cerebral aneurysms is of interest for the assessment of aneurysmal rupture risk, for providing boundary conditions for computational simulations and as a validation tool for theoretical models. Materials and Methods: 2D cine phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging (2D pcMRI) in combination with quantitative magnetic resonance angiography (QMRA) was evaluated for measuring wall motion in 7 intracranial aneurysms. In each aneurysm, 2 (in one case 3) cross sections, oriented approximately perpendicular to each other, were measured. Results: The maximum aneurysmal wall distention ranged from 0.16 mm to 1.6 mm (mean 0.67 mm), the maximum aneurysmal wall contraction was -1.91 mm to -0.34 mm (mean 0.94 mm), and the average wall displacement ranged from 0.04 mm to 0.31 mm (mean 0.15 mm). Statistically significant correlations between average wall displacement and the shape of inflow curves (p-value < 0.05) were found in 7 of 15 cross sections; statistically significant correlations between the displacement of the luminal boundary center point and the shape of inflow curves (p-value < 0.05) were found in 6 of 15 cross sections. Conclusion: 2D pcMRI in combination with QMRA is capable of visualizing and quantifying wall motion in cerebral aneurysms. However, application of this technique is currently restricted by its limited spatial resolution. (orig.)

A conceptual model of nurses' goal orientation, service behavior, and service performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Chien, Chun-Cheng; Chou, Hsin-Kai; Hung, Shuo-Tsung

2008-01-01

Based on the conceptual framework known as the "service triangle," the authors constructed a model of nurses' goal orientation, service behavior, and service performance to investigate the antecedents and consequences of the medical service behavior provided by nurses. This cross-sectional study collected data from 127 nurses in six hospitals using a mail-in questionnaire. Analysis of the model revealed that the customer-oriented behavior of nurses had a positive influence on organizational citizenship behavior; and both of these behaviors had a significant positive influence on service performance. The results also indicate that a higher learning goal orientation among nurses was associated with the performance of both observable customer-oriented behavior and organizational-citizenship behavior.

The Relationship Between Goal Orientation, Social Comparison Responses, Self-Efficacy, and Performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Carmona, Carmen; Buunk, Abraham P.; Dijkstra, Arie; Peiro, Jose M.

2008-01-01

The present study examined whether social comparison responses (identification and contrast in social comparison) mediated the relationship between goal orientation (promotion and prevention) and self-efficacy, and whether self-efficacy was subsequently related with a better performance. As

The N-end rule pathway counteracts cell death by destroying proapoptotic protein fragments.

Science.gov (United States)

Piatkov, Konstantin I; Brower, Christopher S; Varshavsky, Alexander

2012-07-03

In the course of apoptosis, activated caspases cleave ∼500 to ∼1,000 different proteins in a mammalian cell. The dynamics of apoptosis involve a number of previously identified, caspase-generated proapoptotic protein fragments, defined as those that increase the probability of apoptosis. In contrast to activated caspases, which can be counteracted by inhibitor of apoptosis proteins, there is little understanding of antiapoptotic responses to proapoptotic protein fragments. One possibility is the regulation of proapoptotic fragments through their selective degradation. The previously identified proapoptotic fragments Cys-RIPK1, Cys-TRAF1, Asp-BRCA1, Leu-LIMK1, Tyr-NEDD9, Arg-BID, Asp-BCL(XL), Arg-BIM(EL), Asp-EPHA4, and Tyr-MET bear destabilizing N-terminal residues. Tellingly, the destabilizing nature (but not necessarily the actual identity) of N-terminal residues of proapoptotic fragments was invariably conserved in evolution. Here, we show that these proapoptotic fragments are short-lived substrates of the Arg/N-end rule pathway. Metabolic stabilization of at least one such fragment, Cys-RIPK1, greatly augmented the activation of the apoptosis-inducing effector caspase-3. In agreement with this understanding, even a partial ablation of the Arg/N-end rule pathway in two specific N-end rule mutants is shown to sensitize cells to apoptosis. We also found that caspases can inactivate components of the Arg/N-end rule pathway, suggesting a mutual suppression between this pathway and proapoptotic signaling. Together, these results identify a mechanistically specific and functionally broad antiapoptotic role of the Arg/N-end rule pathway. In conjunction with other apoptosis-suppressing circuits, the Arg/N-end rule pathway contributes to thresholds that prevent a transient or otherwise weak proapoptotic signal from reaching the point of commitment to apoptosis.

The Replisome-Coupled E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Rtt101Mms22 Counteracts Mrc1 Function to Tolerate Genotoxic Stress.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raymond Buser

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Faithful DNA replication and repair requires the activity of cullin 4-based E3 ubiquitin ligases (CRL4, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. The budding yeast Cul4 homologue, Rtt101, in complex with the linker Mms1 and the putative substrate adaptor Mms22 promotes progression of replication forks through damaged DNA. Here we characterized the interactome of Mms22 and found that the Rtt101(Mms22 ligase associates with the replisome progression complex during S-phase via the amino-terminal WD40 domain of Ctf4. Moreover, genetic screening for suppressors of the genotoxic sensitivity of rtt101Δ cells identified a cluster of replication proteins, among them a component of the fork protection complex, Mrc1. In contrast to rtt101Δ and mms22Δ cells, mrc1Δ rtt101Δ and mrc1Δ mms22Δ double mutants complete DNA replication upon replication stress by facilitating the repair/restart of stalled replication forks using a Rad52-dependent mechanism. Our results suggest that the Rtt101(Mms22 E3 ligase does not induce Mrc1 degradation, but specifically counteracts Mrc1's replicative function, possibly by modulating its interaction with the CMG (Cdc45-MCM-GINS complex at stalled forks.

Acidosis counteracts itch tachyphylaxis to consecutive pruritogen exposure dependent on acid-sensing ion channel 3.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Yi-Ming; Huang, Chen; Peng, Zhong; Han, Shao-Ling; Li, Wei-Guang; Zhu, Michael Xi; Xu, Tian-Le

2017-01-01

Tachyphylaxis of itch refers to a markedly reduced scratching response to consecutive exposures of a pruritogen, a process thought to protect against tissue damage by incessant scratching and to become disrupted in chronic itch. Here, we report that a strong stimulation of the Mas-related G-protein-coupled receptor C11 by its agonist, Ser-Leu-Ile-Gly-Arg-Leu-NH 2 (SL-NH 2 ) or bovine adrenal medulla 8-22 peptide, via subcutaneous injection in mice induces tachyphylaxis to the subsequent application of SL-NH 2 to the same site. Notably, co-application of acid and SL-NH 2 following the initial injection of the pruritogen alone counteracted itch tachyphylaxis by augmenting the scratching behaviors in wild-type but not in acid-sensing ion channel 3-null, animals. Using an activity-dependent silencing strategy, we identified that acid-sensing ion channel 3-mediated itch enhancement mainly occurred via the Mas-related G-protein-coupled receptor C11-responsive sensory neurons. Together, our results indicate that acid-sensing ion channel 3, activated by concomitant acid and certain pruritogens, constitute a novel signaling pathway that counteracts itch tachyphylaxis to successive pruritogenic stimulation, which likely contributes to chronic itch associated with tissue acidosis.

Selenium-Induced Toxicity Is Counteracted by Sulfur in Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica).

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Ming; Hui, Maixia; Thannhauser, Theodore W; Pan, Siyi; Li, Li

2017-01-01

Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient for humans. Increasing Se content in food crops offers an effective approach to enhance the consumption of Se in human diets. A thoroughly understanding of the effects of Se on plant growth is important for Se biofortification in food crops. Given that Se is an analog of sulfur (S) and can be toxic to plants, its effect on plant growth is expected to be greatly affected by S nutrition. However, this remains to be further understood. Here, we evaluated the influence of Se treatments on broccoli ( Brassica oleracea L. var. italica ) growth when S was withheld from the growth nutrient solution. We found that Se was highly toxic to plants when S nutrition was poor. In contrast to Se treatments with adequate S nutrition that slightly reduced broccoli growth, the same concentration of Se treatments without S supplementation dramatically reduced plant sizes. Higher Se toxicity was observed with selenate than selenite under low S nutrition. We examined the bases underlying the toxicity. We discovered that the high Se toxicity in low S nutrition was specifically associated with an increased ratio of Se in proteins verse total Se level, enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species, elevated lipid peroxidation causing increased cell membrane damage, and reduced antioxidant enzyme activities. Se toxicity could be counteracted with increased supplementation of S, which is likely through decreasing non-specific integration of Se into proteins and altering the redox system. The present study provides information for better understanding of Se toxicity and shows that adequate S nutrition is important to prevent Se toxicity during biofortification of crops by Se fertilization.

Selenium-Induced Toxicity Is Counteracted by Sulfur in Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming Tian

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Selenium (Se is an essential micronutrient for humans. Increasing Se content in food crops offers an effective approach to enhance the consumption of Se in human diets. A thoroughly understanding of the effects of Se on plant growth is important for Se biofortification in food crops. Given that Se is an analog of sulfur (S and can be toxic to plants, its effect on plant growth is expected to be greatly affected by S nutrition. However, this remains to be further understood. Here, we evaluated the influence of Se treatments on broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica growth when S was withheld from the growth nutrient solution. We found that Se was highly toxic to plants when S nutrition was poor. In contrast to Se treatments with adequate S nutrition that slightly reduced broccoli growth, the same concentration of Se treatments without S supplementation dramatically reduced plant sizes. Higher Se toxicity was observed with selenate than selenite under low S nutrition. We examined the bases underlying the toxicity. We discovered that the high Se toxicity in low S nutrition was specifically associated with an increased ratio of Se in proteins verse total Se level, enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species, elevated lipid peroxidation causing increased cell membrane damage, and reduced antioxidant enzyme activities. Se toxicity could be counteracted with increased supplementation of S, which is likely through decreasing non-specific integration of Se into proteins and altering the redox system. The present study provides information for better understanding of Se toxicity and shows that adequate S nutrition is important to prevent Se toxicity during biofortification of crops by Se fertilization.

Cross-Cultural Mentoring: A Pathway to Making Excellence Inclusive

Science.gov (United States)

Crutcher, Betty Neal

2014-01-01

Cross-cultural mentoring involves an ongoing, intentional, and mutually enriching relationship with someone of a different race, gender, ethnicity, religion, cultural background, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, or nationality. Generally more experienced, the cross-cultural mentor guides the intellectual and personal development of…

Electron-impact ionization of oriented molecules using the time-dependent close-coupling approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Colgan, J [Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Pindzola, M S, E-mail: jcolgan@lanl.gov [Department of Physics, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849 (United States)

2011-04-01

An overview is given on recent progress on computing triple differential cross sections for electron-impact ionization of the hydrogen molecule using a time-dependent close-coupling approach. Our calculations, when averaged over all molecular orientations, are generally in very good agreement with (e,2e) measurements made on H{sub 2}, where the molecular orientation is unknown, for a range of incident energies and outgoing electron angles and energies. In this paper, we present TDCS for ionization of H{sub 2} at specific molecular orientations. It is hoped that this study will help stimulate future measurements of TDCS from oriented H{sub 2} at medium impact energies.

What Drives Juvenile Probation Officers? Relating Organizational Contexts, Status Characteristics, and Personal Convictions to Treatment and Punishment Orientations

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Geoff; Kupchik, Aaron

2010-01-01

Data from surveys of juvenile court probation officers in four states are analyzed to understand professional orientations toward two seemingly contrasting goals of contemporary juvenile justice systems: punishment and treatment. These self-reported juvenile probation officer orientations are considered in relation to three clusters of variables…

Mutual Relevance of Mainstream and Cross-Cultural Psychology.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Lee Anna

1987-01-01

Asserts that mainstream and cross-cultural psychology address many of the same basic issues and that cross-cultural studies may be a direct and logical extension of the search for causes of variation in human psychology and psychopathology. Discusses differences in theoretical orientation and methodological approach and barriers to communication…

Generalized Cross-Gramian for Linear Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shaker, Hamid Reza

2012-01-01

The cross-gramian is a well-known matrix with embedded controllability and observability information. The cross-gramian is related to the Hankel operator and the Hankel singular values of a linear square system and it has several interesting properties. These properties make the cross...... square symmetric systems, the ordinary cross-gramian does not exist. To cope with this problem, a new generalized cross-gramian is introduced in this paper. In contrast to the ordinary cross-gramian, the generalized cross-gramian can be easily obtained for general linear systems and therefore can be used...

Analysis of dependence of fission cross section and angular anisotropy of the 235U fission fragment escape induced by neutrons of intermediate energies (epsilon < or approximately200 keV) on target nucleus orientation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barabanov, A.L.

1985-01-01

Experimental data on dependence of fission cross section Σsub(f) (epsilon) and angular anisotropy W(epsilon, 0 deg)/W(epsilon, 90 deg) of sup(235)U fission fragment escape by neutrons with energy epsilon=100 and 200 keV on orientation of target nuclei are analyzed. 235 U (Isup(πsub(0))=7/2sup(-)) nuclei were orientated at the expense of interaction of quadrupole nucleus momenta with nonuniform electric field of uranyl-rubidium nitrate crystal at crystal cooling to T=0.2 K. The analysis was carried out with three different sets of permeability factors T(epsilon). Results of the analysis weakly depend on T(epsilon) choice. It is shown that a large number of adjusting parameters (six fissionabilities γsup(f)(Jsup(π), epsilon) and six momenta sub(Jsup(π))) permit to described experimental data on Σsub(f)(epsilon) and W(epsilon, 0 deg)/W(epsilon, 90 deg), obtained at epsilon=200 keV by introducing essential dependence of γsup(f)(Jsup(π), epsilon) and sub(Jsup(π)) on Jsup(π). Estimations of fission cross sections Σsub(f)(epsilon) and angular distribution W(epsilon, n vector) up to T approximately equal to 0.01 K in two geometries of the experiment: the orientation axis is parallel and perpendicular to momentum direction p vector of incident neutrons, are conducted

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography for the detection of crossing renal vessels in children with symptomatic ureteropelvic junction obstruction: comparison with operative findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Calder, Alistair D; Hiorns, Melanie P; Abhyankar, Aruna; Mushtaq, Imran; Olsen, Oystein E

2007-04-01

Crossing renal vessels (CRV) are associated with ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction, particularly when presentation is beyond the neonatal period. Their presence may influence surgical management. To evaluate the accuracy of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) in the identification of CRV in children requiring surgical treatment of symptomatic UPJ obstruction, against a gold standard of laparoscopic or open surgical findings. We reviewed CE-MRA studies (3-D T2-weighted turbo spin-echo and multiphase 3-D spoiled gradient echo following intravenous gadolinium administration) of 14 children, age range 6-15 years, performed prior to surgery for suspected CRV-related UPJ obstruction. Consensus reviews of the CE-MRA studies were compared with surgical findings. CE-MRA demonstrated CRV at the level of the obstruction in nine and no crossing vessels in five children. These were all verified intraoperatively (chi2=14.0; Pchildren older than 6 years with symptomatic UPJ obstruction.

Atomistic simulations of dislocation-precipitate interactions emphasize importance of cross-slip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, C.V.; Mateos, A.J.; Warner, D.H.

2011-01-01

This work examines the interaction of screw dislocations with Guinier-Preston (GP) zones using atomistic simulations. Both Orowan looping and cross-slip mechanisms are found to control the interactions. Cross-slip, occurring both at zero and finite temperatures, is found to either significantly reduce or enhance precipitate strengthening, depending upon the orientation of the dislocation-GP zone interaction. The orientation dependence, and its dependence on temperature, provides a micromechanical explanation for the experiments of Muraishi et al. (Philos. Mag. A 82 (2002) 2755).

High levels of absorption in orientation-unbiased, radio-selected 3CR Active Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkes, Belinda J.; Haas, Martin; Barthel, Peter; Leipski, Christian; Kuraszkiewicz, Joanna; Worrall, Diana; Birkinshaw, Mark; Willner, Steven P.

2014-08-01

A critical problem in understanding active galaxies (AGN) is the separation of intrinsic physical differences from observed differences that are due to orientation. Obscuration of the active nucleus is anisotropic and strongly frequency dependent leading to complex selection effects for observations in most wavebands. These can only be quantified using a sample that is sufficiently unbiased to test orientation effects. Low-frequency radio emission is one way to select a close-to orientation-unbiased sample, albeit limited to the minority of AGN with strong radio emission.Recent Chandra, Spitzer and Herschel observations combined with multi-wavelength data for a complete sample of high-redshift (1half the sample is significantly obscured with ratios of unobscured: Compton thin (22 24.2) = 2.5:1.4:1 in these high-luminosity (log L(0.3-8keV) ~ 44-46) sources. These ratios are consistent with current expectations based on modelingthe Cosmic X-ray Background. A strong correlation with radio orientation constrains the geometry of the obscuring disk/torus to have a ~60 degree opening angle and ~12 degree Compton-thick cross-section. The deduced ~50% obscured fraction of the population contrasts with typical estimates of ~20% obscured in optically- and X-ray-selected high-luminosity samples. Once the primary nuclear emission is obscured, AGN X-ray spectra are frequently dominated by unobscured non-nuclear or scattered nuclear emission which cannot be distinguished from direct nuclear emission with a lower obscuration level unless high quality data is available. As a result, both the level of obscuration and the estimated instrinsic luminosities of highly-obscured AGN are likely to be significantly (*10-1000) underestimated for 25-50% of the population. This may explain the lower obscured fractions reported for optical and X-ray samples which have no independent measure of the AGN luminosity. Correcting AGN samples for these underestimated luminosities would result in

The anisotropic potential of molecular hydrogen determined from the scattering of oriented H2 on inert gases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zandee, A.P.L.M.

1977-01-01

This thesis deals with an experiment aimed at determining the angle dependence of an intermolecular potential between H 2 molecule and a rare gas atom. The small relative difference in total collision cross section for beams of differently oriented H 2 molecules colliding with inert gas atoms in a scattering box is measured (anisotropy A). Through variation of the orientation and by studying its influence on the total collision cross sections, the angle dependence of the intermolecular potential can be arrived at

Coronavirus gene 7 counteracts host defenses and modulates virus virulence.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jazmina L G Cruz

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV genome contains three accessory genes: 3a, 3b and 7. Gene 7 is only present in members of coronavirus genus a1, and encodes a hydrophobic protein of 78 aa. To study gene 7 function, a recombinant TGEV virus lacking gene 7 was engineered (rTGEV-Δ7. Both the mutant and the parental (rTGEV-wt viruses showed the same growth and viral RNA accumulation kinetics in tissue cultures. Nevertheless, cells infected with rTGEV-Δ7 virus showed an increased cytopathic effect caused by an enhanced apoptosis mediated by caspase activation. Macromolecular synthesis analysis showed that rTGEV-Δ7 virus infection led to host translational shut-off and increased cellular RNA degradation compared with rTGEV-wt infection. An increase of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2α phosphorylation and an enhanced nuclease, most likely RNase L, activity were observed in rTGEV-Δ7 virus infected cells. These results suggested that the removal of gene 7 promoted an intensified dsRNA-activated host antiviral response. In protein 7 a conserved sequence motif that potentially mediates binding to protein phosphatase 1 catalytic subunit (PP1c, a key regulator of the cell antiviral defenses, was identified. We postulated that TGEV protein 7 may counteract host antiviral response by its association with PP1c. In fact, pull-down assays demonstrated the interaction between TGEV protein 7, but not a protein 7 mutant lacking PP1c binding motif, with PP1. Moreover, the interaction between protein 7 and PP1 was required, during the infection, for eIF2α dephosphorylation and inhibition of cell RNA degradation. Inoculation of newborn piglets with rTGEV-Δ7 and rTGEV-wt viruses showed that rTGEV-Δ7 virus presented accelerated growth kinetics and pathology compared with the parental virus. Overall, the results indicated that gene 7 counteracted host cell defenses, and modified TGEV persistence increasing TGEV survival. Therefore, the

Integration of the Gene Ontology into an object-oriented architecture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zheng W Jim

2005-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To standardize gene product descriptions, a formal vocabulary defined as the Gene Ontology (GO has been developed. GO terms have been categorized into biological processes, molecular functions, and cellular components. However, there is no single representation that integrates all the terms into one cohesive model. Furthermore, GO definitions have little information explaining the underlying architecture that forms these terms, such as the dynamic and static events occurring in a process. In contrast, object-oriented models have been developed to show dynamic and static events. A portion of the TGF-beta signaling pathway, which is involved in numerous cellular events including cancer, differentiation and development, was used to demonstrate the feasibility of integrating the Gene Ontology into an object-oriented model. Results Using object-oriented models we have captured the static and dynamic events that occur during a representative GO process, "transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta receptor complex assembly" (GO:0007181. Conclusion We demonstrate that the utility of GO terms can be enhanced by object-oriented technology, and that the GO terms can be integrated into an object-oriented model by serving as a basis for the generation of object functions and attributes.

Oriented movement of statoliths studied in a reduced gravitational field during parabolic flights of rockets.

Science.gov (United States)

Volkmann, D; Buchen, B; Hejnowicz, Z; Tewinkel, M; Sievers, A

1991-09-01

During five rocket flights (TEXUS 18, 19, 21, 23 and 25), experiments were performed to investigate the behaviour of statoliths in rhizoids of the green alga Chara globularia Thuill. and in statocytes of cress (Lepidium sativum L.) roots, when the gravitational field changed to approx. 10(-4) · g (i.e. microgravity) during the parabolic flight (lasting for 301-390 s) of the rockets. The position of statoliths was only slightly influenced by the conditions during launch, e.g. vibration, acceleration and rotation of the rocket. Within approx. 6 min of microgravity conditions the shape of the statolith complex in the rhizoids changed from a transversely oriented lens into a longitudinally oriented spindle. The center of the statolith complex moved approx. 14 μm and 3.6 μm in rhizoids and root statocytes, respectively, in the opposite direction to the originally acting gravity vector. The kinetics of statolith displacement in rhizoids demonstrate that the velocity was nearly constant under microgravity whereas it decreased remarkably after inversion of rhizoids on Earth. It can be concluded that on Earth the position of statoliths in both rhizoids and root statocytes depends on the balance of two forces, i.e. the gravitational force and the counteracting force mediated by microfilaments.

Propionyl-L-Carnitine Enhances Wound Healing and Counteracts Microvascular Endothelial Cell Dysfunction.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Giovanna Scioli

Full Text Available Impaired wound healing represents a high cost for health care systems. Endothelial dysfunction characterizes dermal microangiopathy and contributes to delayed wound healing and chronic ulcers. Endothelial dysfunction impairs cutaneous microvascular blood flow by inducing an imbalance between vasorelaxation and vasoconstriction as a consequence of reduced nitric oxide (NO production and the increase of oxidative stress and inflammation. Propionyl-L-carnitine (PLC is a natural derivative of carnitine that has been reported to ameliorate post-ischemic blood flow recovery.We investigated the effects of PLC in rat skin flap and cutaneous wound healing. A daily oral PLC treatment improved skin flap viability and associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS reduction, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS and NO up-regulation, accelerated wound healing and increased capillary density, likely favoring dermal angiogenesis by up-regulation for iNOS, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, placental growth factor (PlGF and reduction of NADPH-oxidase 4 (Nox4 expression. In serum-deprived human dermal microvascular endothelial cell cultures, PLC ameliorated endothelial dysfunction by increasing iNOS, PlGF, VEGF receptors 1 and 2 expression and NO level. In addition, PLC counteracted serum deprivation-induced impairment of mitochondrial β-oxidation, Nox4 and cellular adhesion molecule (CAM expression, ROS generation and leukocyte adhesion. Moreover, dermal microvascular endothelial cell dysfunction was prevented by Nox4 inhibition. Interestingly, inhibition of β-oxidation counteracted the beneficial effects of PLC on oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction.PLC treatment improved rat skin flap viability, accelerated wound healing and dermal angiogenesis. The beneficial effects of PLC likely derived from improvement of mitochondrial β-oxidation and reduction of Nox4-mediated oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction. Antioxidant therapy and

Previous International Experience, Cross-Cultural Training, and Expatriates' Cross-Cultural Adjustment: Effects of Cultural Intelligence and Goal Orientation

Science.gov (United States)

Koo Moon, Hyoung; Kwon Choi, Byoung; Shik Jung, Jae

2012-01-01

Although various antecedents of expatriates' cross-cultural adjustment have been addressed, previous international experience, predeparture cross-cultural training, and cultural intelligence (CQ) have been most frequently examined. However, there are few attempts that explore the effects of these antecedents simultaneously or consider the possible…

Cross-visit tumor sub-segmentation and registration with outlier rejection for dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI time series data.

Science.gov (United States)

Buonaccorsi, G A; Rose, C J; O'Connor, J P B; Roberts, C; Watson, Y; Jackson, A; Jayson, G C; Parker, G J M

2010-01-01

Clinical trials of anti-angiogenic and vascular-disrupting agents often use biomarkers derived from DCE-MRI, typically reporting whole-tumor summary statistics and so overlooking spatial parameter variations caused by tissue heterogeneity. We present a data-driven segmentation method comprising tracer-kinetic model-driven registration for motion correction, conversion from MR signal intensity to contrast agent concentration for cross-visit normalization, iterative principal components analysis for imputation of missing data and dimensionality reduction, and statistical outlier detection using the minimum covariance determinant to obtain a robust Mahalanobis distance. After applying these techniques we cluster in the principal components space using k-means. We present results from a clinical trial of a VEGF inhibitor, using time-series data selected because of problems due to motion and outlier time series. We obtained spatially-contiguous clusters that map to regions with distinct microvascular characteristics. This methodology has the potential to uncover localized effects in trials using DCE-MRI-based biomarkers.

Counteracting effect of threat on reward enhancements during working memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Jong Moon; Padmala, Srikanth; Pessoa, Luiz

2015-01-01

Cognitive performance has been shown to be enhanced when performance-based rewards are at stake. On the other hand, task-irrelevant threat processing has been shown to have detrimental effects during several cognitive tasks. Crucially, the impact of reward and threat on cognition has been studied largely independently of one another. Hence, our understanding of how reward and threat simultaneously contribute to performance is incomplete. To fill in this gap, the present study investigated how reward and threat interact with one another during a cognitive task. We found that threat of shock counteracted the beneficial effect of reward during a working memory task. Furthermore, individual differences in self-reported reward-sensitivity and anxiety were linked to the extent to which reward and threat interacted during behaviour. Together, the current findings contribute to a limited but growing literature unravelling how positive and negative information processing jointly influence cognition.

The importance of orientation in proton transport of a polymer film based on an oriented self-organized columnar liquid-crystalline polyether

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tylkowski, Bartosz; Castelao, Nuria [Departament d' Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Paiesos Catalans, 26, E-43007, Tarragona (Spain); Giamberini, Marta, E-mail: marta.giamberini@urv.net [Departament d' Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Paiesos Catalans, 26, E-43007, Tarragona (Spain); Garcia-Valls, Ricard [Departament d' Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Paiesos Catalans, 26, E-43007, Tarragona (Spain); Reina, Jose Antonio [Departament de Quimica Analitica i Quimica Organica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Carrer Marcel.li Domingo s/n, E-43007, Tarragona (Spain); Gumi, Tania [Departament d' Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Paiesos Catalans, 26, E-43007, Tarragona (Spain)

2012-02-01

We prepared membranes based on a liquid-crystalline side-chain polyether obtained by chemical modification of commercial poly(epichlorohydrin) (PECH) with dendrons. This polymer exhibited a columnar structure, which could form an ion channel in the inner part. The columns were successfully oriented by taking advantage of surface interactions between the polymer and hydrophilic substrates, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and optical microscopy between crossed polars (POM). Column orientation was found to be crucial for effective transport: the oriented membranes exhibited proton transport comparable to that of Nafion Registered-Sign N117 and no water uptake. An increase in sodium ion concentration in the feed phase suggested a proton/cation antiport. On the contrary, no proton transport was detected on unoriented membranes based on the same liquid-crystalline side-chain polyether or on unmodified PECH. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We prepared oriented membranes based on a liquid crystalline columnar polyether. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer In this structure, the inner polyether chain could work as an ion channel. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We obtained membranes by casting a chloroform solution in the presence of water. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Membranes showed good proton permeability due to the presence of oriented channels.

The importance of orientation in proton transport of a polymer film based on an oriented self-organized columnar liquid-crystalline polyether

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tylkowski, Bartosz; Castelao, Nuria; Giamberini, Marta; Garcia-Valls, Ricard; Reina, José Antonio; Gumí, Tània

2012-01-01

We prepared membranes based on a liquid-crystalline side-chain polyether obtained by chemical modification of commercial poly(epichlorohydrin) (PECH) with dendrons. This polymer exhibited a columnar structure, which could form an ion channel in the inner part. The columns were successfully oriented by taking advantage of surface interactions between the polymer and hydrophilic substrates, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and optical microscopy between crossed polars (POM). Column orientation was found to be crucial for effective transport: the oriented membranes exhibited proton transport comparable to that of Nafion® N117 and no water uptake. An increase in sodium ion concentration in the feed phase suggested a proton/cation antiport. On the contrary, no proton transport was detected on unoriented membranes based on the same liquid-crystalline side-chain polyether or on unmodified PECH. - Highlights: ► We prepared oriented membranes based on a liquid crystalline columnar polyether. ► In this structure, the inner polyether chain could work as an ion channel. ► We obtained membranes by casting a chloroform solution in the presence of water. ► Membranes showed good proton permeability due to the presence of oriented channels.

Counteracting Animal Homelessness and Providing Care for Stray Animals as a Task of a Commune

OpenAIRE

Szalewska, Małgorzata

2017-01-01

The analysis of Polish binding law acts allows one to assume that, on normative level, the obligation of public administration to provide care for stray animals is deeply embedded. Both the Animal Protection Act, as well as the Act on Maintaining Cleanliness, indicate the tasks of a commune in the scope of providing care for stray animals, catching homeless animals and counteracting their homelessness. Simultaneously, the analysis of jurisdiction, and inquiries as well as considerations emerg...

Total neutron cross section of lead

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanda, K.; Aizawa, O.

1976-01-01

The total thermal-neutron cross section of natural lead under various physical conditions was measured by the transmission method. It became clear that the total cross section at room temperature previously reported is lower than the present data. The total cross section at 400, 500, and 600 0 C, above the melting point of lead, 327 0 C, was also measured, and the changes in the cross section as a function of temperature were examined, especially near and below the melting point. The data obtained for the randomly oriented polycrystalline state at room temperature were in reasonable agreement with the theoretical values calculated by the THRUSH and UNCLE-TOM codes

3-D growth of a short fatigue crack within a polycrystalline microstructure studied using combined diffraction and phase-contrast X-ray tomography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Herbig, M.; King, Andrew; Reischig, Peter

2011-01-01

X-ray diffraction contrast tomography is a recently developed, non-destructive synchrotron imaging technique which characterizes microstructure and grain orientation in polycrystalline materials in three dimensions. By combining it with propagation-based phase-contrast tomography it is possible t...

A precise form of divisive suppression supports population coding in the primary visual cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

MacEvoy, Sean P; Tucker, Thomas R; Fitzpatrick, David

2009-05-01

The responses of neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1) to an optimally oriented grating are suppressed when a non-optimal grating is superimposed. Although cross-orientation suppression is thought to reflect mechanisms that maintain a distributed code for orientation, the effect of superimposed gratings on V1 population responses is unknown. Using intrinsic signal optical imaging, we found that patterns of tree shrew V1 activity evoked by superimposed equal-contrast gratings were predicted by the averages of patterns evoked by individual component gratings. This prediction held across contrasts, for summed sinusoidal gratings or nonsumming square-wave gratings, and was evident in single-unit extracellular recordings. Intracellular recordings revealed consistent levels of suppression throughout the time course of subthreshold responses. These results indicate that divisive suppression powerfully governs population responses to multiple orientations. Moreover, the specific form of suppression that we observed appears to support independent population codes for stimulus orientation and strength and calls for a reassessment of mechanisms that underlie cross-orientation suppression.

The Impact of Value-Orientations on Cross-cultural Encounters and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

empirical studies aim to develop cross-cultural awareness and conflict management ... end states or behaviors (terminal and instrumental values), which transcend ... self-direction) or collectivistic goals (prosocial, conformity), which can.

Effect of gamma irradiation on density and thermal expansion changes of uniaxial oriented LLDPE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kacarevic-Popovic, Z.; Kostoski, D.; Novakovic, Lj.

1998-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. It is well known that gamma irradiation induces cross-linking in the amorphous phase of isotropic polyethylene, or chain scission in highly oriented fibers and films. Thermomechanical behavior and values of density are the reflection of the changes induced by gamma irradiation. Namely, scission of macromolecules, in general, increases thermal expansion coefficient and decreases density and vice versa. On the other hand, as it is well known, the thermal expansion behavior of oriented polymers shows marked anisotropy. It was found that many highly oriented polymers show a negative coefficient of thermal expansion in the draw direction and a positive coefficient in the transverse direction. It has been suggested that, apart from any intrinsic crystalline contribution, a significant part of the negative thermal expansion coefficients obtained for highly oriented polymers arises from the effect of entropy internal stresses in the amorphous regions. From our previous work, the thermal coefficients in draw direction of irradiated samples rise in the glass transition temperature range and it was related to the effects of cross-linking in the amorphous phase of LDPE. In our present work we observed initial decrease in density with absorbed dose, up to 35 kGy, and subsequent increase up to a dose of 500 kGy. The observed increase in thermal expansion coefficient followed the changes in density and is related to the parallel processes of chain scission and net cross-linking in the amorphous phase of LLDPE, induced by gamma irradiation

Three-dimensional grain structure of sintered bulk strontium titanate from X-ray diffraction contrast tomography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Syha, M.; Rheinheimer, W.; Bäurer, M.

2012-01-01

The three-dimensional grain boundary network of sintered bulk strontium titanate is reconstructed using X-ray diffraction contrast tomography, a non-destructive technique for determining the grain shape and crystallographic orientation in polycrystals that is ideally suited for detailed studies...

Crossing the cultural divide: issues in translation, mistrust, and cocreation of meaning in cross-cultural therapeutic assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenberg, Audrey; Almeida, Angelica; Macdonald, Heather

2012-01-01

This article examines cross-cultural therapeutic assessment in a community mental health clinic. The first case describes the work between a Caucasian assessor and a Mexican American family. The authors explore the metaphorical and literal translation of the findings from English to Spanish and the parallel process of translation of the self, experienced by both assessor and client. The second case describes the work between a Caucasian assessor and an African American adolescent. We describe the inherent challenge between the Eurocentric "task" orientation of the evaluation and the Afrocentric "relationship" orientation. We suggest that bridging the gap between cultures and overcoming cultural mistrust lay in the building of the assessor-client relationship. Fischer's concepts of rapport and intimacy are emphasized and expanded on as we emphasize the importance of cocreated meaning in cross-cultural assessment work.

Entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation, and competitive environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Hans Eibe; Cadogan, John W.

This study sheds light on the role that the competitive environment plays in determining how elements of market orientation and elements of entrepreneurial orientation interact to influence business success. We develop a model in which we postulate that market orientation, entrepreneurial...... orientation, and competitive environment shape business performance via a three-way interaction. We test the model using primary data from the CEOs of 270 CEO of manufacturing firms, together with secondary data on these firms' profit performance. An assessment of the results indicates that customer...... orientation moderates the positive relationships between the competitiveness element of entrepreneurial orientation and market share and return on assets (ROA): the positive relationships between competitiveness and market share and competitiveness and ROA become stronger the greater the firms' customer...

Smoking Counteracts the Favorable Effect of Exercise Training on Endothelial Function in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shinji Sato

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background Exercise training can improve endothelial function in patients with diabetes. We hypothesized that the favorable effect of exercise training on endothelial function in patients with diabetes is counteracted by cigarette smoking. Purpose To assess whether there is a difference in the effect of exercise on endothelial function in smokers and non-smokers with type 2 diabetes. Methods We performed a 3-month controlled trial in 27 never-smoking and 17 smoking individuals with type 2 diabetes who participated in a home-based walking program. The percentage decrease in post-exercise ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI, which is an index of endothelial function, was assessed at baseline and after 3 months. Results Compared to the smoking group, the never-smoking group showed a more significant improvement in post exercise ABI during the 3 months of home-based training (interaction, P < 0.01. Conclusions These results indicate that smoking may counteract the favorable effects of exercise training on endothelial function. Endothelial function plays an important role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease among patients with diabetes. Therefore, a Certified Diabetes Educator should strongly advise diabetic patients not to smoke.

Immunologic basis for adverse reactions to radiographic contrast media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stejskal, V; Nilsson, R; Grepe, A [Astra Pharmaceuticals AB, Soedertaelje (Sweden). Lab. of Safety Assessment Stockholm Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Genetic and Cellular Toxicology Stockholm Univ. (Sweden). Wallenberglaboratoriet Danderyds Sjukhus, Danderyd (Sweden). Radiologic Clinic

1990-11-01

The lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) was used to elucidate whether certain side effects induced by radiographic contrast media have an immunologic etiology. Groups studied were: 8 patients who had previously experienced adverse reactions in association with urography, 6 patients who underwent urography without notable side reactions, 17 occupationally exposed nurses, and 9 unexposed controls. The lymphocytes from 2 hypersensitive patients and from 11 nurses exhibited a positive proliferative response to amidotrizoate. Five nurses who had shown a positive response, had a previous history of hypersensitivity reactions when handling contrast media, whereas the remaining 6 were free of symptoms. Amidotrizoatespecific memory cells were absent in patients who underwent urography without signs of hypersensitivity and in 7/9 of unexposed control subjects. Lymphocytes from patients sensitive to amidotrizoate cross-reacted to structurally related ionic contrast media while nonionic contrast agents did not induce proliferation of the lymphocytes. Thus, ionic radiographic contrast agents have antigenic properties in man. Irradiated mixtures of radiographic contrast media and serum proteins were, in general, not effective in inducing an LTT response. (orig.).

Immunologic basis for adverse reactions to radiographic contrast media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stejskal, V.; Nilsson, R.; Grepe, A.; Stockholm Univ.; Stockholm Univ.; Danderyds Sjukhus, Danderyd

1990-01-01

The lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) was used to elucidate whether certain side effects induced by radiographic contrast media have an immunologic etiology. Groups studied were: 8 patients who had previously experienced adverse reactions in association with urography, 6 patients who underwent urography without notable side reactions, 17 occupationally exposed nurses, and 9 unexposed controls. The lymphocytes from 2 hypersensitive patients and from 11 nurses exhibited a positive proliferative response to amidotrizoate. Five nurses who had shown a positive response, had a previous history of hypersensitivity reactions when handling contrast media, whereas the remaining 6 were free of symptoms. Amidotrizoatespecific memory cells were absent in patients who underwent urography without signs of hypersensitivity and in 7/9 of unexposed control subjects. Lymphocytes from patients sensitive to amidotrizoate cross-reacted to structurally related ionic contrast media while nonionic contrast agents did not induce proliferation of the lymphocytes. Thus, ionic radiographic contrast agents have antigenic properties in man. Irradiated mixtures of radiographic contrast media and serum proteins were, in general, not effective in inducing an LTT response. (orig.)

Orientation damage in the Christchurch cemeteries generated during the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010

Science.gov (United States)

Martín-González, Fidel; Perez-Lopez, Raul; Rodrigez-Pascua, Miguel Angel; Martin-Velazquez, Silvia

2014-05-01

The intensity scales determined the damage caused by an earthquake. However, a new methodology takes into account not only the damage but the type of damage "Earthquake Archaeological Effects" EAE's, and its orientation (e.g. displaced masonry blocks, impact marks, conjugated fractures, fallen and oriented columns, dipping broken corners, etc.). It focuses not only on the amount of damage but also in its orientation, giving information about the ground motion during the earthquake. In 2010 an earthquake of magnitude 6.2 took place in Christchurch (New Zealand) (22-2-2010), 185 casualties, making it the second-deadliest natural disaster in New Zealand. Due to the magnitude of the catastrophe, the city centre (CBD) was closed and the most damaged buildings were closed and later demolished. For this reason it could not be possible to access to sampling or make observations in the most damaged areas. However, the cemeteries were not closed and a year later still remained intact since the financial means to recover were used to reconstruct infrastructures and housing the city. This peculiarity of the cemeteries made measures of the earthquake effects possible. Orientation damage was measured on the tombs, crosses and headstones of the cemeteries (mainly on falling objects such as fallen crosses, obelisks, displaced tombstones, etc.). 140 data were taken in the most important cemeteries (Barbadoes, Addington, Pebleton, Woodston, Broomley and Linwood cemeteries) covering much of the city area. The procedure involved two main phases: a) inventory and identification of damages, and b) analysis of the damage orientations. The orientation was calculated for each element and plotted in a map and statistically in rose diagrams. The orientation dispersion is high in some cemeteries but damage orientation S-N and E-W is observed. However, due to the multiple seismogenic faults responsible for earthquakes and damages in Christchurch during the year after the 2010 earthquake, a

Vitamin D Counteracts Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Induced Cathelicidin Downregulation in Dendritic Cells and Allows Th1 Differentiation and IFNγ Secretion.

Science.gov (United States)

Rode, Anna K O; Kongsbak, Martin; Hansen, Marie M; Lopez, Daniel Villalba; Levring, Trine B; Woetmann, Anders; Ødum, Niels; Bonefeld, Charlotte M; Geisler, Carsten

2017-01-01

Tuberculosis (TB) presents a serious health problem with approximately one-third of the world's population infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a latent state. Experience from the pre-antibiotic era and more recent clinical studies have established a beneficial role of sunlight and vitamin D in patients with TB. At the same time, experimental data have shown that Th1 cells through production of IFNγ are crucial for cathelicidin release by macrophages, bacterial killing, and containment of M. tuberculosis in granulomas. Paradoxically, vitamin D has repeatedly been ascribed an immune-suppressive function inhibiting Th1 differentiation and production of IFNγ in T cells. The aim of this study was to investigate this apparent paradox. We studied naïve human CD4 + T cells activated either with CD3 and CD28 antibodies or with allogeneic dendritic cells (DC) stimulated with heat-killed M. tuberculosis (HKMT) or purified toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands. We show that vitamin D does not block differentiation of human CD4 + T cells to Th1 cells and that interleukin (IL)-12 partially counteracts vitamin D-mediated inhibition of IFNγ production promoting production of equal amounts of IFNγ in Th1 cells in the presence of vitamin D as in T cells activated in the absence of vitamin D and IL-12. Furthermore, we show that HKMT and TLR2 ligands strongly downregulate cathelicidin expression in DC and that vitamin D counteracts this by upregulating cathelicidin expression. In conclusion, we demonstrate that vitamin D counteracts M. tuberculosis -induced cathelicidin downregulation and allows Th1 differentiation and IFNγ secretion.

Vitamin D Counteracts Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Induced Cathelicidin Downregulation in Dendritic Cells and Allows Th1 Differentiation and IFNγ Secretion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna K. O. Rode

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Tuberculosis (TB presents a serious health problem with approximately one-third of the world’s population infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a latent state. Experience from the pre-antibiotic era and more recent clinical studies have established a beneficial role of sunlight and vitamin D in patients with TB. At the same time, experimental data have shown that Th1 cells through production of IFNγ are crucial for cathelicidin release by macrophages, bacterial killing, and containment of M. tuberculosis in granulomas. Paradoxically, vitamin D has repeatedly been ascribed an immune-suppressive function inhibiting Th1 differentiation and production of IFNγ in T cells. The aim of this study was to investigate this apparent paradox. We studied naïve human CD4+ T cells activated either with CD3 and CD28 antibodies or with allogeneic dendritic cells (DC stimulated with heat-killed M. tuberculosis (HKMT or purified toll-like receptor (TLR ligands. We show that vitamin D does not block differentiation of human CD4+ T cells to Th1 cells and that interleukin (IL-12 partially counteracts vitamin D-mediated inhibition of IFNγ production promoting production of equal amounts of IFNγ in Th1 cells in the presence of vitamin D as in T cells activated in the absence of vitamin D and IL-12. Furthermore, we show that HKMT and TLR2 ligands strongly downregulate cathelicidin expression in DC and that vitamin D counteracts this by upregulating cathelicidin expression. In conclusion, we demonstrate that vitamin D counteracts M. tuberculosis-induced cathelicidin downregulation and allows Th1 differentiation and IFNγ secretion.

Sex and sexual orientation differences in personality in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Lijun; Lippa, Richard A; Zheng, Yong

2011-06-01

Using data from an Internet survey, we assessed masculinity-femininity (self-ascribed masculinity-femininity [Self-MF], gender-related interests, instrumentality, expressiveness) and Big Five personality traits in a Chinese sample of 201 heterosexual men, 220 homosexual men, 353 heterosexual women, and 215 homosexual women. Sex differences and sexual orientation differences were largest for gender-related interests and Self-MF. Homosexual-heterosexual differences in emotional stability were opposite for men and women, supporting the "gender shift" over the "social stress" hypothesis. Sex and sexual orientation differences in gender-related interests, Self-MF, and emotional stability observed in China were consistent with those found in other countries, suggesting possible biological influences. In contrast, group differences in other traits were more variable, suggesting possible cultural influences.

Stevioside counteracts the alpha cell hypersecretion caused by long-term palmitate exposure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hong, Jing; Chen, Jianguo; Jeppesen, Per Bendix

2006-01-01

Long-term exposure to fatty acids impairs beta-cell function in type 2 diabetes, but little is known about the chronic effects of fatty acids on alpha-cells. We therefore studied the prolonged impact of palmitate on alpha-cell function and on the expression of genes related to fuel metabolism. We......-activated receptor-gamma, and stearoyl-CoA desaturase gene expressions in the presence of palmitate (Pacids leads to a hypersecretion of glucagon and an accumulation of TG content in clonal alpha-TC1-6 cells. Stevioside was able to counteract the alpha......-cell hypersecretion caused by palmitate and enhanced the expression of genes involved in fatty acid metabolism. This indicates that stevioside may be a promising antidiabetic agent in treatment of type 2 diabetes....

Crystallographic Orientation Determination of Hexagonal Structure Crystals by Laser Ultrasonic Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, W; Coulson, J; Marrow, P; Smith, R J; Clark, M; Sharples, S D; Lainé, S J

2016-01-01

Spatially resolved acoustic spectroscopy (SRAS) is a laser ultrasonic technique that shows qualitative contrast between grains of different orientation, illustrating the sensitivity of acoustic waves to the material structure. The technique has been improved significantly on determining the full orientation of multigrain cubic metals, by comparing the measured surface acoustic wave (SAW) velocity to a pre-calculated model. In this paper we demonstrate the ability of this technique to determine the orientation of hexagonal structure crystals, such as magnesium and titanium based alloys. Because of the isotropy of the SAW velocity on the basal plane (0001) of hexagonal crystals, the slowness surface is shown as a circle. As the plane moves from (0001) towards (112-bar0) or towards (101-bar0), the slowness surface gradually turns into an oval. These acoustic properties increase the difficulty in orientation determination. The orientation results of a grade 1 commercially pure titanium by SRAS is presented, with comparison with electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) results. Due to the nature of SAWs on hexagonal structure crystals, only the results of Euler angles 1 and 2 are discussed. The error between SRAS and EBSD is also investigated. (paper)

Cross-modal attention influences auditory contrast sensitivity: Decreasing visual load improves auditory thresholds for amplitude- and frequency-modulated sounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciaramitaro, Vivian M; Chow, Hiu Mei; Eglington, Luke G

2017-03-01

We used a cross-modal dual task to examine how changing visual-task demands influenced auditory processing, namely auditory thresholds for amplitude- and frequency-modulated sounds. Observers had to attend to two consecutive intervals of sounds and report which interval contained the auditory stimulus that was modulated in amplitude (Experiment 1) or frequency (Experiment 2). During auditory-stimulus presentation, observers simultaneously attended to a rapid sequential visual presentation-two consecutive intervals of streams of visual letters-and had to report which interval contained a particular color (low load, demanding less attentional resources) or, in separate blocks of trials, which interval contained more of a target letter (high load, demanding more attentional resources). We hypothesized that if attention is a shared resource across vision and audition, an easier visual task should free up more attentional resources for auditory processing on an unrelated task, hence improving auditory thresholds. Auditory detection thresholds were lower-that is, auditory sensitivity was improved-for both amplitude- and frequency-modulated sounds when observers engaged in a less demanding (compared to a more demanding) visual task. In accord with previous work, our findings suggest that visual-task demands can influence the processing of auditory information on an unrelated concurrent task, providing support for shared attentional resources. More importantly, our results suggest that attending to information in a different modality, cross-modal attention, can influence basic auditory contrast sensitivity functions, highlighting potential similarities between basic mechanisms for visual and auditory attention.

Non-destructive analysis of micro texture and grain boundary character from X-ray diffraction contrast tomography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

King, A.; Herbig, M.; Ludwig, W.

2010-01-01

Recent advances in synchrotron based X-ray imaging and diffraction techniques offer interesting new possibilities for mapping 3D grain shapes and crystallographic orientations in different classes of polycrystalline materials. X-ray diffraction contrast tomography (DCT) is a monochromatic beam...... imaging technique combining the principles of X-ray micro-tomography and three-dimensional X-ray diffraction microscopy (3DXRD). DCT provides simultaneous access to 3D grain shape, crystallographic orientation and attenuation coefficient distribution at the micrometer length scale. The microtexture...

Long adaptation reveals mostly attractive shifts of orientation tuning in cat primary visual cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghisovan, N; Nemri, A; Shumikhina, S; Molotchnikoff, S

2009-12-15

In the adult brain, sensory cortical neurons undergo transient changes of their response properties following prolonged exposure to an appropriate stimulus (adaptation). In cat V1, orientation-selective cells shift their preferred orientation after being adapted to a non-preferred orientation. There are conflicting reports as to the direction of those shifts, towards (attractive) or away (repulsive) from the adapter. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying attractive shifts remain unexplained. In the present investigation we show that attractive shifts are the most frequent outcome of a 12 min adaptation. Overall, cells displaying selectivity for oblique orientations exhibit significantly larger shifts than cells tuned to cardinal orientations. In addition, cells selective to cardinal orientations had larger shift amplitudes when the absolute difference between the original preferred orientation and the adapting orientation increased. Conversely, cells tuned to oblique orientations exhibited larger shift amplitudes when this absolute orientation difference was narrower. Hence, neurons tuned to oblique contours appear to show more plasticity in response to small perturbations. Two different mechanisms appear to produce attractive and repulsive orientation shifts. Attractive shifts result from concurrent response depression on the non-adapted flank and selective response facilitation on the adapted flank of the orientation tuning curve. In contrast, repulsive shifts are caused solely by response depression on the adapted flank. We suggest that an early mechanism leads to repulsive shifts while attractive shifts engage a subsequent late facilitation. A potential role for attractive shifts may be improved stimulus discrimination around the adapting orientation.

A gaze-contingent display to study contrast sensitivity under natural viewing conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Dorr, Michael; Bex, Peter J.

2011-03-01

Contrast sensitivity has been extensively studied over the last decades and there are well-established models of early vision that were derived by presenting the visual system with synthetic stimuli such as sine-wave gratings near threshold contrasts. Natural scenes, however, contain a much wider distribution of orientations, spatial frequencies, and both luminance and contrast values. Furthermore, humans typically move their eyes two to three times per second under natural viewing conditions, but most laboratory experiments require subjects to maintain central fixation. We here describe a gaze-contingent display capable of performing real-time contrast modulations of video in retinal coordinates, thus allowing us to study contrast sensitivity when dynamically viewing dynamic scenes. Our system is based on a Laplacian pyramid for each frame that efficiently represents individual frequency bands. Each output pixel is then computed as a locally weighted sum of pyramid levels to introduce local contrast changes as a function of gaze. Our GPU implementation achieves real-time performance with more than 100 fps on high-resolution video (1920 by 1080 pixels) and a synthesis latency of only 1.5ms. Psychophysical data show that contrast sensitivity is greatly decreased in natural videos and under dynamic viewing conditions. Synthetic stimuli therefore only poorly characterize natural vision.

Counteraction of urea-induced protein denaturation by trimethylamine N-oxide: A chemical chaperone at atomic resolution

OpenAIRE

Bennion, Brian J.; Daggett, Valerie

2004-01-01

Proteins are very sensitive to their solvent environments. Urea is a common chemical denaturant of proteins, yet some animals contain high concentrations of urea. These animals have evolved an interesting mechanism to counteract the effects of urea by using trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). The molecular basis for the ability of TMAO to act as a chemical chaperone remains unknown. Here, we describe molecular dynamics simulations of a small globular protein, chymotrypsin inhibitor 2, in 8 M urea ...

Late adverse reactions to intravascular iodine based contrast media

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bellin, Marie-France; Stacul, Fulvio; Webb, Judith A W

2011-01-01

DEFINITION: Late adverse reactions (LAR) to contrast media (CM) are defined as reactions occurring 1 h to 1 week after exposure. NEED FOR REVIEW: In view of more prospective studies of LAR and new data about their pathophysiology, the Contrast Medium Safety Committee (CMSC) of the European Society...... or delayed reading intradermal). The main risk factors for LAR are a previous reaction to contrast medium, a history of allergy, and interleukin-2 treatment. Most skin reactions are mild or moderate and self-limiting. MANAGEMENT: Management is symptomatic and similar to the management of other drug......-induced skin reactions. To reduce the risk of repeat reactions avoidance of the relevant CM and any cross-reacting agents identified by skin testing is recommended....

C4P cross-section libraries for safety analyses with SIMMER and related studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rineiski, A.; Sinitsa, V.; Gabrielli, F.; Maschek, W.

2011-01-01

A code and data system, C 4 P, is under development at KIT. It includes fine-group master libraries and tools for generating problem-oriented cross-section libraries, primarily for safety studies with the SIMMER code and related analyses. In the paper, the 560-group master library and problem oriented 40-group and 72-group cross-section libraries, for thermal and fast systems, respectively, are described and their performances are investigated. (author)

Figures mythiques et histoire. Réinterprétations et contrastes entre Orient et Occident

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Denise Aigle

2009-05-01

Full Text Available L'histoire de l'Orient musulman est jalonnée de grands personnages qui servent de modèles de référence et d'ancêtres fondateurs, certains hérités de l'islam, d'autres de l'Antiquité et de la Bible. Leur figure s'est transformée en Orient musulman à partir du Xe siècle, largement sous l'influence du Shâh-nâma, quand se sont multipliées les dynasties indépendantes, puis à la suite de l'irruption des Turcs, des Croisés et des Mongols. Les exemples de Saladin et de Gengis Khan illustrent le renouvellement des modèles, leur extension et leurs réinterprétations successives. La créativité mythique apparaît comme un acte culturel, de portée éminemment politique. La carrière d'un grand conquérant comme Tamerlan a servi de modèle à ses épigones pour justifier leurs prétentions territoriales. Les références bibliques attestées dans le Coran ont permis d'intégrer les Turcs, puis les Mongols, dans l'histoire de la Création, comme descendants de l'un des trois fils de Noé. Des rattachements bibliques anciens ont valorisé les musulmans des régions de la Volga à partir du XVIIIe siècle, ainsi que les différents peuples chrétiens et musulmans du Caucase, région riche en références bibliques comme l'échouage de l'arche de Noé sur le mont Ararat et l'enfermement des peuples de Gog et Magog derrière des portes de fer.

Temporal resolution of orientation-defined texture segregation: a VEP study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lachapelle, Julie; McKerral, Michelle; Jauffret, Colin; Bach, Michael

2008-09-01

Orientation is one of the visual dimensions that subserve figure-ground discrimination. A spatial gradient in orientation leads to "texture segregation", which is thought to be concurrent parallel processing across the visual field, without scanning. In the visual-evoked potential (VEP) a component can be isolated which is related to texture segregation ("tsVEP"). Our objective was to evaluate the temporal frequency dependence of the tsVEP to compare processing speed of low-level features (e.g., orientation, using the VEP, here denoted llVEP) with texture segregation because of a recent literature controversy in that regard. Visual-evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded in seven normal adults. Oriented line segments of 0.1 degrees x 0.8 degrees at 100% contrast were presented in four different arrangements: either oriented in parallel for two homogeneous stimuli (from which were obtained the low-level VEP (llVEP)) or with a 90 degrees orientation gradient for two textured ones (from which were obtained the texture VEP). The orientation texture condition was presented at eight different temporal frequencies ranging from 7.5 to 45 Hz. Fourier analysis was used to isolate low-level components at the pattern-change frequency and texture-segregation components at half that frequency. For all subjects, there was lower high-cutoff frequency for tsVEP than for llVEPs, on average 12 Hz vs. 17 Hz (P = 0.017). The results suggest that the processing of feature gradients to extract texture segregation requires additional processing time, resulting in a lower fusion frequency.

Work Process Oriented Learning via Mobile Devices – Theoretical Basics and Examples for a (New Didactical Approach

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Georg Spöttl

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Two problems can be identified which counteract the need for further training: On the one hand the clientele of skilled workers is not necessarily keen on further training. On the other hand the time and cost pressure within the sector does not offer any room for time-consuming further training measures far away from the workplace. This is why the project “Virtual Learning on the building site – (Vila-b” was realized in cooperation with the project partners of the University of Bremen (Working group »Digital Media« of the Centre for Information Technology as well as from the economy (Arbeitskreis ökologischer Holzbau e. V. and Claus Holm, pm|c. The project team has tested a concept which facilitated learning adapted to the occupational reality and supported by the advantages of digital media. The central didactical elements for the development of this further training course are the contextual and methodological orientation to real work processes as well as the use of digital mobile media which facilitate learning directly at the workplace. The present article starts with a description of the theoretical basics for learning within the work process and discusses the didactical elements which are necessary for work process oriented learning with digital and mobile media.

Counteracting the Influence of Peer Smoking on YouTube.

Science.gov (United States)

Romer, Daniel; Jamieson, Patrick E; Jamieson, Kathleen Hall; Jones, Christopher; Sherr, Susan

2017-04-01

YouTube, a popular online site for user-generated content, is emerging as a powerful source of peer modeling of smoking. Previous research suggests that in counteracting such influence, health messages may inadvertently increase the perceived prevalence of drug use (a descriptive norm) without reducing its acceptability (injunctive norm). This research tested the ability of health messages to reduce the social acceptability of peer smoking on YouTube despite enhancing its perceived prevalence. In an online experiment with 999 adolescents, participants were randomly assigned to view one of two videos: (a) a mosaic displaying a variety of YouTube videos of adolescents smoking followed by a message about the mortality risk to those smokers, or (b) a control video on a health topic unrelated to smoking. Although exposure to the adolescent YouTube smokers increased perceived prevalence among some participants, it simultaneously increased beliefs about smoking's adverse health outcomes and negative attitudes toward smoking, effects that were associated with reductions in injunctive norms of social acceptability. Interventions that communicate the severity and scope of health risks associated with smoking may undercut the descriptive normative effects of peer modeling of smoking on social media sites such as YouTube.

Counteracting structural errors in ensemble forecast of influenza outbreaks.

Science.gov (United States)

Pei, Sen; Shaman, Jeffrey

2017-10-13

For influenza forecasts generated using dynamical models, forecast inaccuracy is partly attributable to the nonlinear growth of error. As a consequence, quantification of the nonlinear error structure in current forecast models is needed so that this growth can be corrected and forecast skill improved. Here, we inspect the error growth of a compartmental influenza model and find that a robust error structure arises naturally from the nonlinear model dynamics. By counteracting these structural errors, diagnosed using error breeding, we develop a new forecast approach that combines dynamical error correction and statistical filtering techniques. In retrospective forecasts of historical influenza outbreaks for 95 US cities from 2003 to 2014, overall forecast accuracy for outbreak peak timing, peak intensity and attack rate, are substantially improved for predicted lead times up to 10 weeks. This error growth correction method can be generalized to improve the forecast accuracy of other infectious disease dynamical models.Inaccuracy of influenza forecasts based on dynamical models is partly due to nonlinear error growth. Here the authors address the error structure of a compartmental influenza model, and develop a new improved forecast approach combining dynamical error correction and statistical filtering techniques.

Attacks on the Network Synchronization Systems Counteraction Method Implemented in the Software and Hardware Device «MARSH! 3.0»

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Dmitry Anatolevich Melnikov

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes attacks on the network synchronization systems counteraction technique, method, algorithm and realizable aspects. The network synchronization systems are included in information technology systems or networks. This method is implemented in software and hardware device (means «MARSH! 3.0» providing trusted session.

Wetting morphologies on randomly oriented fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Sauret, Alban; Boulogne, François; Soh, Beatrice; Dressaire, Emilie; Stone, Howard A

2015-06-01

We characterize the different morphologies adopted by a drop of liquid placed on two randomly oriented fibers, which is a first step toward understanding the wetting of fibrous networks. The present work reviews previous modeling for parallel and touching crossed fibers and extends it to an arbitrary orientation of the fibers characterized by the tilting angle and the minimum spacing distance. Depending on the volume of liquid, the spacing distance between fibers and the angle between the fibers, we highlight that the liquid can adopt three different equilibrium morphologies: 1) a column morphology in which the liquid spreads between the fibers, 2) a mixed morphology where a drop grows at one end of the column or 3) a single drop located at the node. We capture the different morphologies observed using an analytical model that predicts the equilibrium configuration of the liquid based on the geometry of the fibers and the volume of liquid.

A case of complex regional pain syndrome with agnosia for object orientation.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Gail; Cohen, Helen; Goebel, Andreas

2011-07-01

This systematic investigation of the neurocognitive correlates of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in a single case also reports agnosia for object orientation in the context of persistent CRPS. We report a patient (JW) with severe long-standing CRPS who had no difficulty identifying and naming line drawings of objects presented in 1 of 4 cardinal orientations. In contrast, he was extremely poor at reorienting these objects into the correct upright orientation and in judging whether an object was upright or not. Moreover, JW made orientation errors when copying drawings of objects, and he also showed features of mirror reversal in writing single words and reading single letters. The findings are discussed in relation to accounts of visual processing. Agnosia for object orientation is the term for impaired knowledge of an object's orientation despite good recognition and naming of the same misoriented object. This defect has previously only been reported in patients with major structural brain lesions. The neuroanatomical correlates are discussed. The patient had no structural brain lesion, raising the possibility that nonstructural reorganisation of cortical networks may be responsible for his deficits. Other patients with CRPS may have related neurocognitive defects. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Facet orientation and tropism: associations with spondylolysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalichman, Leonid; Guermazi, Ali; Li, Ling; Hunter, David J; Suri, Pradeep

2010-04-01

Cross-sectional study. To evaluate the association between lumbar spine facet joint orientation, facet joint tropism, and spondylolysis identified by multidetector computed tomography (CT) in the community-based Framingham Heart Study. The association between lumbar spondylolysis and facet orientation and tropism remains unclear. This study was an ancillary project to the Framingham Heart Study. Three thousand five hundred twenty-nine participants of the Framingham Heart Study aged 40 to 80 years underwent multidetector CT imaging to assess aortic calcification. One hundred ninety-one subjects were included in this ancillary study. Facet joint features and spondylolysis were evaluated on CT scans. The final analyzed sample included 104 men with mean age 51.90+/-11.25 years and 84 women with mean age 53.61+/-10.20 years. The association between spondylolysis and facet orientation and tropism was examined using univariate and multivariate analyses. Spondylolysis was prevalent in 11.5% of the total population. chi2 test demonstrated a significant sex difference in prevalence of spondylolysis (P=0.0154), with almost 3 times higher prevalence among men. There was no statistically significant difference in facet orientation and continuous facet tropism between individuals with and without spondylolysis at the L5 level (P=0.49 to 0.91). After adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index, no significant association between the occurrence of spondylolysis and facet orientation and tropism was found. In the studied sample the prevalence of facet joint osteoarthritis was significantly higher in individuals with spondylolysis than in those without spondylolysis at both sides of L4-L5 spinal level (P=0.044 at the right side and P=0.003 at the left side) and at left side of L5-S1 level (P=0.038). We did not find an association between facet orientation, facet tropism, and spondylolysis. One of the possible explanations for this is that the high prevalence of facet joint

The mechanism of sputter-induced orientation change in YBCO films on MgO (001)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Y.; Vuchic, B.V.; Baldo, P.; Merkle, K.L.; Buchholz, D.B.; Mahajan, S.; Lei, J.S.; Markworth, P.R.; Chang, R.P.H.

1996-12-01

The mechanisms of the sputter-induced orientation change in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (YBCO) films grown on MgO (001) substrates by pulsed organometallic beam epitaxy (POMBE) are investigated by x-ray diffraction. Rutherford backscatter spectroscopy (RBS), cross-section TEM (XTEM) and microanalysis. It is found that the W atom implantation concurring with the ion sputtering plays an important role in effecting the orientation change. This implantation changes the surface structure of the substrate and induces an intermediate layer in the initial growth of the YBCO film, which in turn acts as a template that induces the orientation change. It seems that the surface morphology change caused by ion sputtering has only a minor effect on the orientation change

Market orientation in the mental models of decision-makers in two cross-border value chains: A pilot study using the laddering technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grunert, Klaus G.; Trondsen, Torbjørn; Campos, Emilio Gonzalo

The laddering method is used to elicit mental models of actors in two cross-border value chains: Norwegian salmon to Japan, and Danish pork to Japan. The mental models are analysed with regard to overlap and linkages between actors in the value chain, with a special view towards elements...... in the mental models that can be related to actors? market orientation. In both value chains decision-makers have a fair degree of overlap in their views on what drives their business. There are also differences, between the chains, in what decision-makers believe are the major success factors. The pork chain...... seems to be dominated by thinking in terms of efficiency, technology and quality control, though communication is also acknowledged as important. In the salmon chain, there is a higher emphasis on new product development and on good relations between the chain partners....

Feline APOBEC3s, Barriers to Cross-Species Transmission of FIV?

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Zeli Zhang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The replication of lentiviruses highly depends on host cellular factors, which defines their species-specific tropism. Cellular restriction factors that can inhibit lentiviral replication were recently identified. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV was found to be sensitive to several feline cellular restriction factors, such as apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3 and tetherin, but FIV evolved to counteract them. Here, we describe the molecular mechanisms by which feline APOBEC3 restriction factors inhibit FIV replication and discuss the molecular interaction of APOBEC3 proteins with the viral antagonizing protein Vif. We speculate that feline APOBEC3 proteins could explain some of the observed FIV cross-species transmissions described in wild Felids.

Feline APOBEC3s, Barriers to Cross-Species Transmission of FIV?

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zeli; Gu, Qinyong; Marino, Daniela; Lee, Kyeong-Lim; Kong, Il-Keun; Häussinger, Dieter; Münk, Carsten

2018-01-01

The replication of lentiviruses highly depends on host cellular factors, which defines their species-specific tropism. Cellular restriction factors that can inhibit lentiviral replication were recently identified. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) was found to be sensitive to several feline cellular restriction factors, such as apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3) and tetherin, but FIV evolved to counteract them. Here, we describe the molecular mechanisms by which feline APOBEC3 restriction factors inhibit FIV replication and discuss the molecular interaction of APOBEC3 proteins with the viral antagonizing protein Vif. We speculate that feline APOBEC3 proteins could explain some of the observed FIV cross-species transmissions described in wild Felids. PMID:29642583

Orientation Transfer in Vernier and Stereoacuity Training.

Science.gov (United States)

Snell, Nathaniel; Kattner, Florian; Rokers, Bas; Green, C Shawn

2015-01-01

Human performance on various visual tasks can be improved substantially via training. However, the enhancements are frequently specific to relatively low-level stimulus dimensions. While such specificity has often been thought to be indicative of a low-level neural locus of learning, recent research suggests that these same effects can be accounted for by changes in higher-level areas--in particular in the way higher-level areas read out information from lower-level areas in the service of highly practiced decisions. Here we contrast the degree of orientation transfer seen after training on two different tasks--vernier acuity and stereoacuity. Importantly, while the decision rule that could improve vernier acuity (i.e. a discriminant in the image plane) would not be transferable across orientations, the simplest rule that could be learned to solve the stereoacuity task (i.e. a discriminant in the depth plane) would be insensitive to changes in orientation. Thus, given a read-out hypothesis, more substantial transfer would be expected as a result of stereoacuity than vernier acuity training. To test this prediction, participants were trained (7500 total trials) on either a stereoacuity (N = 9) or vernier acuity (N = 7) task with the stimuli in either a vertical or horizontal configuration (balanced across participants). Following training, transfer to the untrained orientation was assessed. As predicted, evidence for relatively orientation specific learning was observed in vernier trained participants, while no evidence of specificity was observed in stereo trained participants. These results build upon the emerging view that perceptual learning (even very specific learning effects) may reflect changes in inferences made by high-level areas, rather than necessarily fully reflecting changes in the receptive field properties of low-level areas.

Reduced visual surround suppression in schizophrenia shown by measuring contrast detection thresholds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ignacio eSerrano-Pedraza

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Visual perception in schizophrenia is attracting a broad interest given the deep knowledge that we have about the visual system in healthy population. In visual science it is known that the visibility of a grating located in the visual periphery is impaired by the presence of a surrounding grating of the same spatial frequency and orientation. Previous studies have suggested abnormal visual surround suppression in patients with schizophrenia. Given that schizophrenia patients have cortical alterations including hypofunction of NMDA receptors and reduced concentration of GABA neurotransmitter, which affect lateral inhibitory connections, then they should perform better than controls in visual suppression tasks. We tested this hypothesis by measuring contrast detection thresholds using a new stimulus configuration. We tested two groups: 21 schizophrenia patients and 24 healthy subjects. Thresholds were obtained using Bayesian staircases in a 4AFC detection task where the target was a grating within a 3 deg Butterworth window that appeared in one of four possible positions at 5 deg eccentricity. We compared three conditions, a target with no surround (NS, b target on top of a surrounding grating of 20 deg diameter and 25% contrast with same spatial frequency and orthogonal orientation (OS, and c target on top of a surrounding grating with parallel (same orientation (PS. Our results show significantly lower thresholds for controls than for patients in NS and OS conditions. We also found significant lower suppression ratios PS/NS in patients. Our results support the hypothesis that inhibitory lateral connections in early visual cortex are impaired in schizophrenia patients.

Preserving the person: The ethical imperative of recovery-oriented practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Atterbury, Kendall

2014-03-01

For more than a decade the principles of mental health recovery have been promoted as an alternative to traditional models of care. Recovery-oriented practices are those that recognize the strengths of service users and empower them within the mental health system. In contrast to a more hierarchical model of care in which service providers make decisions with a pronounced absence of input from service users, recovery-oriented practices emphasize shared decision-making, respect for service user goals, and the recognition of the full humanity of all persons in care relationships. Recovery-oriented care has yet to be embraced by the majority of service providers, however. There are several reasons for this failure but among them is the lack of attention given to the ethical ground of recovery. This article seeks to bring recovery into conversation with moral philosophy by arguing that recovery-oriented care is essentially linked to fundamental rights and values of personhood within a liberal democracy. By joining together a conception of personhood rooted in essential vulnerability and a Rawlsian perspective on justice, this article argues that recovery is not only a desirable approach to mental health practice but that it is ethically necessary. It argues that recovery practices are not exceptional interventions to be reserved for a few but that a recovery-orientation entails fundamental elements of justice and respect to which all persons are entitled.

Uncovering the Psychometric Properties of Scales Measuring Individualist and Collectivist Orientations

Science.gov (United States)

Paquet, Stephanie L.; Kline, Theresa J. B.

2009-01-01

Cross-cultural research in many psychology-related fields is becoming commonplace. To further the research in a methodologically rigorous fashion it is critical to be able to measure adequately the constructs under investigation. This study (N = 238) examined three measures used to assess individualist and collectivist orientations. The internal…

P-S & S-P Elastic Wave Conversions from Linear Arrays of Oriented Microcracks

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, L.; Modiriasari, A.; Bobet, A.; Pyrak-Nolte, L. J.

2017-12-01

Natural and induced processes can produce oriented mechanical discontinuities such as en echelon cracks, fractures and faults. Previous research has shown that compressional to shear (P-S) wave conversions occur at normal incidence to a fracture because of cross-coupling fracture compliances (Nakagawa et al., 2000). Here, experiments and computer simulation are presented to demonstrate the link among cross-coupling stiffness, microcrack orientation and energy partitioning among P, S, and P-S/S-P waves. A FormLabs 2 3D printer was used to fabricate 7 samples (50 mm x 50 mm x 100 mm) with linear arrays of microcracks oriented at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 900 with a print resolution of 0.025 mm. The microcracks were elliptical in cross-sections (2 mm long by 1 mm wide), through the 50 mm thickness of sample, and spaced 3 mm (center-to-center for adjacent cracks). A 25 mm length of each sample contained no microcracks to act as a reference material. Broadband transducers (0.2-1.5 MHz) were used to transmit and receive P and polarized S wave signals that were propagated at normal incidence to the linear array of microcracks. P-wave amplitude increased, while S-wave amplitude remained relatively constant, as the microcrack orientation increased from 0o to 90o. At normal incidence, P-S and S-P wave conversions emerged and increased in amplitude as the crack inclination increased from 00 to 450. From 450 to 900, the amplitude of these converted modes decreased. Between negative and positive crack angles, the P-to-S and S-to-P waves were 1800 phase reversed. The observed energy partitioning matched the computed compliances obtained from numerical simulations with ABAQUS. The cross-coupling compliance for cracks inclined at 450 was found to be the smallest magnitude. 3D printing enabled the study of microstructural effects on macro-scale wave measurements. Information on the orientation of microcracks or even en echelon fractures and faults is contained in P-S conversions

Violence and Means to Counteract Power: a View to Migrant Indigenous Women in Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara María Lara Flores

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The article analizes the conditions in which women farmers incorporate into México’s exports processes. This sector has a great need of labour at the national level, which in turn brings about many migration fluxes in which indigenous women play an important role. The study shows how this feminine incorporation into the labour market triggers gender as well as ethnic inequalities that manifest themselves in a segmentation within the branches and sectors of the national economy. Also, the article describes the means to which indigenous women turn to in order to counteract the actual and symbolic violence they are submitted to.

Cross-National Yardstick Comparisons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møller Hansen, Kasper; Leth Olsen, Asmus; Bech, Mickael

2015-01-01

performance comparisons—even when accounting for classic national sociotropic and egotropic items. Specifically, voters respond strongly to how the prospective wealth of Denmark evolves relative to the neighboring Sweden. Interestingly, voters are more negative in their response to cross-national losses......Comparing performance between countries is both a theoretically and intuitively useful yardstick for voters. Cross-national comparisons provide voters with heuristics that are less cognitively demanding, less ambiguous, and less uncertain than solely national, absolute performance measurements. We...... test this proposition using a unique, choice experiment embedded in the 2011 Danish National Election Study. This design allows to contrast cross-national comparisons with more traditional national sociotropic and egotropic concerns. The findings suggest that voters are strongly influenced by cross-national...

Fulfilment of administrative and professional organisational obligations and nurses' customer-oriented behaviours.

Science.gov (United States)

Trybou, Jeroen; Gemmel, Paul

2016-07-01

The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between the perceived quality of organisational exchange and nurses' customer-oriented behaviours. Hospitals face increasing competitive market conditions. Registered nurses interact closely with patients and therefore play an important front-office role towards patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Registered nurses (n = 151) of a Belgian hospital received a questionnaire to assess the fulfilment of administrative and professional organisational obligations and their customer-oriented behaviours. We found a positive relationship between psychological contract fulfilment and nurses' customer-oriented behaviours. More precisely administrative and professional psychological contract fulfilment relates significantly to nurses' service delivery and external representation. In case of internal influence only administrative psychological contract fulfilment was significantly related. Nurses' perceptions of the fulfilment of administrative and professional obligations are important to their customer-oriented behaviours. Nurse managers must be aware of the impact of fulfilling both administrative and professional obligations of registered nurses in order to optimise their customer-oriented behaviours. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Validity and Psychometric Properties of Malay Translated Religious Orientation Scale-Revised among Malaysian Adult Samples

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Mohammad Rahim Kamaluddin

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Religious Orientation Scale-Revised (ROS-R has been used increasingly as an important measure in psychology of religion based researches and widely administered in cross-cultural settings. Unfortunately, there is no valid and reliable ROS-R available in Malay language to assess religious orientations among Malaysians. With that in mind, the present study aims to validate and document the psychometric properties of Malay translated ROS-R (henceforth, M-ROS-R among sample of Malaysian adults. This study commenced with Forward-Backward translations and was followed by content and face validities. Subsequently, a cross-sectional study was conducted among Malaysian adults (n = 226 using convenience sampling method for the purpose of construct and factorial validations. Later, construct and factorial validity was performed via Exploratory Factor Analysis using Principal Component Analysis with Varimax rotation. Finally, reliability testing was performed to determine the internal consistency of the items which was achieved using Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient method (α. The factor loading consisted of three factors with a total variance of 64.76%. The final version of M-ROS-R consisted of 14 items with Factor 1 (Intrinsic Orientation comprised of 8 items, Factor 2 (Extrinsic-Socially Orientated with 3 items while Factor 3 (Extrinsic-Personally Orientated constituted 3 items. The internal consistency values of the factors ranged between 0.68 and 0.86, indicating the scale is reliable. The intercorrelations between factors were also significant with each other. M-ROS-R was concluded as a valid and reliable scale to measure and assess religious orientations among Malaysians.

High-contrast multimodel nonlinear optical imaging of collagen and elastin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhuo, S M [Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Science and Technology for Medicine (Fujian Normal University), Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350007 (China); Chen, J X [Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Science and Technology for Medicine (Fujian Normal University), Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350007 (China); Luo, T S [Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Science and Technology for Medicine (Fujian Normal University), Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350007 (China); Chen, H L [Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Science and Technology for Medicine (Fujian Normal University), Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350007 (China); Zhao, J J [Department of Skin, Affiliated Xiehe Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350001 (China)

2007-07-15

Collagen and elastin, as the major components in the extracellular matrix (ECM), are intrinsic indicators of physiological and pathological states. Here, we have developed a high-contrast multimodel nonlinear optical imaging technique to imaging collagen and elastin by detecting simultaneously two photon-excited fluorescence (TPEF) from elastin and second-harmonic generation (SHG) from collagen. Our results show that this technique can obtain a high-contrast TPEF/SHG image in human dermis and permit direct visualization of collagen and elastin. It was shown that the technique can provide collagen and elastin structural information to determine collagen and elastin fibril orientation and distribution and acquire some morphometric properties. It was found that the in-depth TPEF/SHG imaging and 3-D reconstruction of TPEF/SHG images can extract more collagen and elastin structural and biochemical information. The study results suggest that the high-contrast multimodel nonlinear imaging provides a powerful tool to study ECM intrinsic components and has the potential to provide more important information for the diagnosis of tissue.

High-contrast multimodel nonlinear optical imaging of collagen and elastin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhuo, S M; Chen, J X; Luo, T S; Chen, H L; Zhao, J J

2007-01-01

Collagen and elastin, as the major components in the extracellular matrix (ECM), are intrinsic indicators of physiological and pathological states. Here, we have developed a high-contrast multimodel nonlinear optical imaging technique to imaging collagen and elastin by detecting simultaneously two photon-excited fluorescence (TPEF) from elastin and second-harmonic generation (SHG) from collagen. Our results show that this technique can obtain a high-contrast TPEF/SHG image in human dermis and permit direct visualization of collagen and elastin. It was shown that the technique can provide collagen and elastin structural information to determine collagen and elastin fibril orientation and distribution and acquire some morphometric properties. It was found that the in-depth TPEF/SHG imaging and 3-D reconstruction of TPEF/SHG images can extract more collagen and elastin structural and biochemical information. The study results suggest that the high-contrast multimodel nonlinear imaging provides a powerful tool to study ECM intrinsic components and has the potential to provide more important information for the diagnosis of tissue

[100]-Oriented LiFePO4 Nanoflakes toward High Rate Li-Ion Battery Cathode.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhaojin; Peng, Zhenzhen; Zhang, Hui; Hu, Tao; Hu, Minmin; Zhu, Kongjun; Wang, Xiaohui

2016-01-13

[100] is believed to be a tough diffusion direction for Li(+) in LiFePO4, leading to the belief that the rate performance of [100]-oriented LiFePO4 is poor. Here we report the fabrication of 12 nm-thick [100]-oriented LiFePO4 nanoflakes by a simple one-pot solvothermal method. The nanoflakes exhibit unexpectedly excellent electrochemical performance, in stark contrast to what was previously believed. Such an exceptional result is attributed to a decreased thermodynamic transformation barrier height (Δμb) associated with increased active population.

A-axis oriented superconductive YBCO thin films. Growth mechanism on MgO substrate. [Y-Ba-Cu-O

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamet, J F; Mercey, B; Hervieu, M; Poullain, G; Raveau, B [Centre de Materiaux Supraconducteurs, CRISMAT-ISMRa, 14 - Caen (France)

1992-08-01

The growth mechanism of a-axis oriented YBCO thin films has been studied by TEM. At 650degC, a disordered cubic perovskite is first formed with a[sub p]parallela[sub MgO], then a strained tetragonal a-axis oriented perovskite is observed, with c=3a[sub p], slightly misoriented with respect to MgO and showing a marquetry-like contrast. At 750degC, a [1anti 10] axis oriented perovskite is formed whose lattice exhibits a rotation with respect to MgO lattice, but also a tilting of the [CuO[sub 2

Effect of IR Laser on Myoblasts: Prospects of Application for Counteracting Microgravity-Induced Muscle Atrophy

Science.gov (United States)

Monici, Monica; Cialdai, Francesca; Romano, Giovanni; Corsetto, Paola Antonia; Rizzo, Angela Maria; Caselli, Anna; Ranaldi, Francesco

2013-02-01

Microgravity-induced muscle atrophy is a problem of utmost importance for the impact it may have on the health and performance of astronauts. Therefore, appropriate countermeasures are needed to prevent disuse atrophy and favour muscle recovery. Muscle atrophy is characterized by loss of muscle mass and strength, and a shift in substrate utilization from fat to glucose, that leads to a reduced metabolic efficiency and enhanced fatigability. Laser therapy is already used in physical medicine and rehabilitation to accelerate muscle recovery and in sports medicine to prevent damages produced by metabolic disturbances and inflammatory reactions after heavy exercise. The aim of the research we present was to get insights on possible benefits deriving from the application of an advanced infrared laser system to counteract deficits of muscle energy metabolism and stimulate the recovery of the hypotrophic tissue. The source used was a Multiwave Locked System (MLS) laser, which combines continuous and pulsed emissions at 808 nm and 905 nm, respectively. We studied the effect of MLS treatment on morphology and energy metabolism of C2C12 cells, a widely accepted myoblast model, previously exposed to microgravity conditions modelled by a Random Positioning Machine. The MLS laser treatment was able to restore basal levels of serine/threonine protein phosphatase activity and to counteract cytoskeletal alterations and increase in glycolytic enzymes activity that occurred following the exposure to modelled microgravity. In conclusion, the results provide interesting insights for the application of infrared laser in the treatment of muscle atrophy.

Cue combination in a combined feature contrast detection and figure identification task.

Science.gov (United States)

Meinhardt, Günter; Persike, Malte; Mesenholl, Björn; Hagemann, Cordula

2006-11-01

Target figures defined by feature contrast in spatial frequency, orientation or both cues had to be detected in Gabor random fields and their shape had to be identified in a dual task paradigm. Performance improved with increasing feature contrast and was strongly correlated among both tasks. Subjects performed significantly better with combined cues than with single cues. The improvement due to cue summation was stronger than predicted by the assumption of independent feature specific mechanisms, and increased with the performance level achieved with single cues until it was limited by ceiling effects. Further, cue summation was also strongly correlated among tasks: when there was benefit due to the additional cue in feature contrast detection, there was also benefit in figure identification. For the same performance level achieved with single cues, cue summation was generally larger in figure identification than in feature contrast detection, indicating more benefit when processes of shape and surface formation are involved. Our results suggest that cue combination improves spatial form completion and figure-ground segregation in noisy environments, and therefore leads to more stable object vision.

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography for the detection of crossing renal vessels in children with symptomatic ureteropelvic junction obstruction: comparison with operative findings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calder, Alistair D.; Hiorns, Melanie P.; Olsen, Oystein E. [Hospital for Children NHS Trust, Department of Radiology, London (United Kingdom); Abhyankar, Aruna; Mushtaq, Imran [Hospital for Children NHS Trust, Department of Urology, London (United Kingdom)

2007-04-15

Crossing renal vessels (CRV) are associated with ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction, particularly when presentation is beyond the neonatal period. Their presence may influence surgical management. To evaluate the accuracy of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) in the identification of CRV in children requiring surgical treatment of symptomatic UPJ obstruction, against a gold standard of laparoscopic or open surgical findings. We reviewed CE-MRA studies (3-D T2-weighted turbo spin-echo and multiphase 3-D spoiled gradient echo following intravenous gadolinium administration) of 14 children, age range 6-15 years, performed prior to surgery for suspected CRV-related UPJ obstruction. Consensus reviews of the CE-MRA studies were compared with surgical findings. CE-MRA demonstrated CRV at the level of the obstruction in nine and no crossing vessels in five children. These were all verified intraoperatively ({chi}{sup 2} = 14.0; P < 0.001). In eight of the nine patients with CRV there was no evidence of intrinsic obstruction at surgery. In the remaining patient there was fibrosis of the upper ureter. CE-MRA is an accurate means of identifying CRV in children older than 6 years with symptomatic UPJ obstruction. (orig.)

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography for the detection of crossing renal vessels in children with symptomatic ureteropelvic junction obstruction: comparison with operative findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calder, Alistair D.; Hiorns, Melanie P.; Olsen, Oystein E.; Abhyankar, Aruna; Mushtaq, Imran

2007-01-01

Crossing renal vessels (CRV) are associated with ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction, particularly when presentation is beyond the neonatal period. Their presence may influence surgical management. To evaluate the accuracy of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) in the identification of CRV in children requiring surgical treatment of symptomatic UPJ obstruction, against a gold standard of laparoscopic or open surgical findings. We reviewed CE-MRA studies (3-D T2-weighted turbo spin-echo and multiphase 3-D spoiled gradient echo following intravenous gadolinium administration) of 14 children, age range 6-15 years, performed prior to surgery for suspected CRV-related UPJ obstruction. Consensus reviews of the CE-MRA studies were compared with surgical findings. CE-MRA demonstrated CRV at the level of the obstruction in nine and no crossing vessels in five children. These were all verified intraoperatively (χ 2 = 14.0; P < 0.001). In eight of the nine patients with CRV there was no evidence of intrinsic obstruction at surgery. In the remaining patient there was fibrosis of the upper ureter. CE-MRA is an accurate means of identifying CRV in children older than 6 years with symptomatic UPJ obstruction. (orig.)

Counteracting Rotor Imbalance in a Bearingless Motor System with Feedforward Control

Science.gov (United States)

Kascak, Peter Eugene; Jansen, Ralph H.; Dever, Timothy; Nagorny, Aleksandr; Loparo, Kenneth

2012-01-01

In standard motor applications, traditional mechanical bearings represent the most economical approach to rotor suspension. However, in certain high performance applications, rotor suspension without bearing contact is either required or highly beneficial. Such applications include very high speed, extreme environment, or limited maintenance access applications. This paper extends upon a novel bearingless motor concept, in which full five-axis levitation and rotation of the rotor is achieved using two motors with opposing conical air-gaps. By leaving the motors' pole-pairs unconnected, different d-axis flux in each pole-pair is created, generating a flux imbalance which creates lateral force. Note this is approach is different than that used in previous bearingless motors, which use separate windings for levitation and rotation. This paper will examine the use of feedforward control to counteract synchronous whirl caused by rotor imbalance. Experimental results will be presented showing the performance of a prototype bearingless system, which was sized for a high speed flywheel energy storage application, with and without feedforward control.

Housing, energy cost, and the poor: Counteracting effects in Germany's housing allowance program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Groesche, Peter

2010-01-01

Adequate housing and affordable warmth are essential human needs, the lack of which may seriously harm people's health. Germany provides an allowance to low-income households, covering the housing as well as the space heating cost, to protect people from the consequences of poor housing conditions and fuel poverty. In order to limit public expenditures, payment recipients are required to choose low-cost dwellings, with the consequence that they probably occupy flats with a poor thermal performance. Recipients might therefore exhibit a lower per-square meter rent but in turn are likely to have a higher energy consumption and energy expenditures. Using a large data set of German households, this paper demonstrates that this financially counteracting effect is of negligible magnitude.

Locomotion in degus on terrestrial substrates varying in orientation - implications for biomechanical constraints and gait selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, André

2014-04-01

To gain new insights into running gaits on sloped terrestrial substrates, metric and selected kinematic parameters of the common degu (Octodon degus) were examined. Individuals were filmed at their maximum voluntary running speed using a high-speed camera placed laterally to the terrestrial substrate varying in orientations from -30° to +30°, at 10° increments. Degus used trotting, lateral-sequence (LS) and diagonal-sequence (DS) running gaits at all substrate orientations. Trotting was observed across the whole speed range whereas DS running gaits occurred at significantly higher speeds than LS running gaits. Metric and kinematic changes on sloped substrates in degus paralleled those noted for most other mammals. However, the timing of metric and kinematic locomotor adjustments differed significantly between individual degus. In addition, most of these adjustments took place at 10° rather than 30° inclines and declines, indicating significant biomechanical demands even on slightly sloped terrestrial substrates. The results of this study suggest that DS and LS running gaits may represent an advantage in small to medium-sized mammals for counteracting some level of locomotor instability. Finally, changes in locomotor parameters of the forelimbs rather than the hindlimbs seem to play an important role in gait selection in small to medium-sized mammals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Light-dependent magnetoreception: orientation behaviour of migratory birds under dim red light.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiltschko, Roswitha; Munro, Ursula; Ford, Hugh; Stapput, Katrin; Wiltschko, Wolfgang

2008-10-01

Magnetic compass orientation in migratory birds has been shown to be based on radical pair processes and to require light from the short wavelength part of the spectrum up to 565 nm Green. Under dim red light of 645 nm wavelength and 1 mW m(-2) intensity, Australian silvereyes and European robins showed a westerly tendency that did not change between spring and autumn, identifying it as a 'fixed direction' response. A thorough analysis revealed that this orientation did not involve the inclination compass, but was a response based on the polarity of the magnetic field. Furthermore, in contrast to the orientation under short-wavelength light, it could be disrupted by local anaesthesia of the upper beak where iron-containing receptors are located, indicating that it is controlled by these receptors. The similarity of the response under dim red light to the response in total darkness suggests that the two responses may be identical. These findings indicate that the observed 'fixed direction' response under dim red light is fundamentally different from the normal compass orientation, which is based on radical pair processes.

Nuclear-physical investigations with oriented nuclei and polarized neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfimenkov, V.P.; Pikel'ner, L.B.; Sharapov, Eh.I.

1980-01-01

Several experiments with oriented nuclei and polarized neutrons are considered, as well as some methods of polarization of neutrons and nuclei. Experiments on the study of spin dependence of neutron cross sections for fissionable and nonfissionable nuclei interaction of polarized neutrons with polarized nuclei as well as measurement of magnetic momenta of compound-states of rare-earth nuclei. Described are some investigations with thermal neutrons: study on spin dependence of neutron scattering length with nuclei and gamma radiation of neutron radiation capture. Difficulties of production of high-intensive polarized neutron beams and construction of oriented targets are noted. Neutron polarization by transmission of them through a polarized proton target is the most universal method (out of existing methods) in the energy range under consideration [ru

Aggressive Behaviour in Huntington’s Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Nursing Home Population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. S. Shiwach

1993-01-01

Full Text Available We describe a cross-sectional study of aggressive behaviour in a sample of patients suffering from Huntington's disease in a residential nursing home. Data were obtained using the RAGE, a behaviourally oriented rating scale for measuring aggressive behaviour in cognitively impaired patients. Nursing staff rated 27 patients after a 3 day observation period. A third of the sample were rated to be at least mildly aggressive; the frequencies of some specific types of aggressive behaviour were high. In contrast, the frequency of injuries sustained and the use of restraints and medication for aggressive behaviour were low. Aggressive behaviour was found to be significantly related to the degree of functional impairment. These data are compared with those reported in a study using the RAGE to assess aggressive behaviour in a sample of elderly patients with dementia.

The Effects of Cell Phone and Text Message Conversations on Simulated Street Crossing.

Science.gov (United States)

Banducci, Sarah E; Ward, Nathan; Gaspar, John G; Schab, Kurt R; Crowell, James A; Kaczmarski, Henry; Kramer, Arthur F

2016-02-01

A fully immersive, high-fidelity street-crossing simulator was used to examine the effects of texting on pedestrian street-crossing performance. Research suggests that street-crossing performance is impaired when pedestrians engage in cell phone conversations. Less is known about the impact of texting on street-crossing performance. Thirty-two young adults completed three distraction conditions in a simulated street-crossing task: no distraction, phone conversation, and texting. A hands-free headset and a mounted tablet were used to conduct the phone and texting conversations, respectively. Participants moved through the virtual environment via a manual treadmill, allowing them to select crossing gaps and change their gait. During the phone conversation and texting conditions, participants had fewer successful crossings and took longer to initiate crossing. Furthermore, in the texting condition, smaller percentage of time with head orientation toward the tablet, fewer number of head orientations toward the tablet, and greater percentage of total characters typed before initiating crossing predicted greater crossing success. Our results suggest that (a) texting is as unsafe as phone conversations for street-crossing performance and (b) when subjects completed most of the texting task before initiating crossing, they were more likely to make it safely across the street. Sending and receiving text messages negatively impact a range of real-world behaviors. These results may inform personal and policy decisions. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Goal orientation and work role performance: predicting adaptive and proactive work role performance through self-leadership strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Marques-Quinteiro, Pedro; Curral, Luís Alberto

2012-01-01

This article explores the relationship between goal orientation, self-leadership dimensions, and adaptive and proactive work role performances. The authors hypothesize that learning orientation, in contrast to performance orientation, positively predicts proactive and adaptive work role performances and that this relationship is mediated by self-leadership behavior-focused strategies. It is posited that self-leadership natural reward strategies and thought pattern strategies are expected to moderate this relationship. Workers (N = 108) from a software company participated in this study. As expected, learning orientation did predict adaptive and proactive work role performance. Moreover, in the relationship between learning orientation and proactive work role performance through self-leadership behavior-focused strategies, a moderated mediation effect was found for self-leadership natural reward and thought pattern strategies. In the end, the authors discuss the results and implications are discussed and future research directions are proposed.

Perceptual load affects exogenous spatial orienting while working memory load does not.

Science.gov (United States)

Santangelo, Valerio; Finoia, Paola; Raffone, Antonino; Belardinelli, Marta Olivetti; Spence, Charles

2008-01-01

We examined whether or not increasing visual perceptual load or visual working memory (WM) load would affect the exogenous orienting of visuo-spatial attention, in order to assess whether or not exogenous orienting is genuinely automatic. In Experiment 1, we manipulated visual perceptual load by means of a central morphing shape that in some trials morphed into a particular target shape (a rectangle) that participants had to detect. In Experiment 2, the possibility that the presentation of any changing stimulus at fixation would eliminate exogenous orienting was ruled out, by presenting two alternating letters at fixation. In Experiment 3, we manipulated visual WM load by means of arrays consisting of three (low-load) or five (high-load) randomly located coloured squares. The participants had to remember these items in order to judge whether a cued square had been presented in the same or different colour at the end of each trial. In all the experiments, exogenous visuo-spatial attentional orienting was measured by means of an orthogonal spatial cuing task, in which the participants had to discriminate the elevation (up vs. down) of a visual target previously cued by a spatially nonpredictive visual cue. The results showed that increasing the perceptual load of the task eliminated the exogenous orienting of visuo-spatial attention. By contrast, increasing the WM load had no effect on spatial orienting. These results are discussed in terms of the light that they shed on claims regarding the automaticity of visuo-spatial exogenous orienting.

Subarray-based FDA radar to counteract deceptive ECM signals

Science.gov (United States)

Abdalla, Ahmed; Wang, Wen-Qin; Yuan, Zhao; Mohamed, Suhad; Bin, Tang

2016-12-01

In recent years, the frequency diverse array (FDA) radar concept has attracted extensive attention, as it may benefit from a small frequency increment, compared to the carrier frequency across the array elements and thereby achieve an array factor that is a function of the angle, the time, and the range which is superior to the conventional phase array radar (PAR). However, limited effort on the subject of FDA in electronic countermeasure scenarios, especially in the presence of mainbeam deceptive jamming, has been published. Basic FDA is not desirable for anti-jamming applications, due to the range-angle coupling response of targets. In this paper, a novel method based on subarrayed FDA signal processing is proposed to counteract deceptive ECM signals. We divide the FDA array into multiple subarrays, each of which employs a distinct frequency increment. As a result, in the subarray-based FDA, the desired target can be distinguished at subarray level in joint range-angle-Doppler domain by utilizing the fact that the jammer generates false targets with the same ranges to each subarray without reparations. The performance assessment shows that the proposed solution is effective for deceptive ECM targets suppression. The effectiveness is verified by simulation results.

Illustration of cross flow of polystyrene melts through a coathanger die

Science.gov (United States)

Schöppner, V.; Henke, B.

2015-05-01

To design an optimal coathanger die with a uniform flow rate distribution and low pressure drop, it is essential to understand the flow conditions in the die. This is important because the quality of the product is influenced by the flow velocity and the flow rate distribution. In extrusion dies, cross flows also occur in addition to the main flow, which flow perpendicular to the main flow. This results in pressure gradients in the extrusion direction, which have an influence on flow distribution and pressure drop in the die. In recent decades, quantitative representation and analysis of physical flow processes have made considerable progress in predicting the weather, developing drive technologies and designing aircraft using simulation methods and lab trials. Using the flow-line method, the flow is analyzed in flat film extrusion dies with a rectangular cross-section, in particular cross flows. The simplest method to visualize the flow is based on the measurement of obstacle orientation in the flow field by adding individual particles. A near-surface flow field can be visualized by using wool or textile yarns. By sticking thin, frayed at the ends of strands of wool surface that is to be examined cross flows, near-wall profiles of the flow and vortex and separation regions can be visualized. A further possibility is to add glass fibers and analyze the fiber orientation by microscopy and x-ray analysis. In this paper the influence of process parameters (e.g. melt temperatures and throughput) on cross flow and fiber orientation is described.

Personal selling constructs and measures: Emic versus etic approaches to cross-national research

OpenAIRE

Herché, Joel; Swenson, Michael; Verbeke, Willem

1996-01-01

textabstractEvaluates transportability of personal selling measures across cultural boundaries. Concept of measurement development; Emic and etic approaches to developing measures for cross-cultural applications; Cross-national dimensionality, reliability and construct validity of adaptive selling (ADAPTS) and customer-oriented selling (SOCO).

The Association between Cultural Orientation and Drinking Behaviors among University Students in Wuhan, China

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Hongxiu; Cai, Weibin; Wang, Hongjing; Zhang, Qing; Qian, Ling; Shell, Duane F.; Newman, Ian M.; Yin, Ping

2013-01-01

Objectives This study examines the association between cultural orientation and drinking behaviors among university students. Cultural orientation is the measure of how the cultural values of individuals living in their own society are influenced by cultural values introduced from the outside. Methods In 2011, a cross-sectional survey collected data from 1279 university students from six universities in central China. Participants used a likert scale to rank a series of statements reflecting cultural values from the previously validated Chinese Cultural Orientation Scale and answered questions about their drinking behaviors and socio-demographic characteristics. Results Statistically significant differences in cultural orientation were observed for gender, hometown and type of university attendance. Traditional-oriented students were more likely to be occasional drinkers or nondrinkers, while marginal-oriented students, bicultural-oriented students and western-oriented students were more likely to be regular drinkers. Bicultural orientation (OR = 1.80, Pstudent being regular drinking, compared to students with traditional orientations. Males (OR = 4.40, Pstudents (OR = 2.59, Pstudents from urban areas (OR = 1.79, Pstudents attending key universities (OR = 0.48, Pattending general universities. Conclusions Cultural orientation influences drinking behaviors. Traditional cultural orientation was associated with less drinking while western cultural orientation, marginal cultural orientation and bicultural orientation were associated with more drinking. The role of gender, hometown and university attendance is partially moderated through the influence of cultural orientation. The relationship between a traditional cultural orientation and alcohol drinking suggests that traditional Chinese cultural values should be examined for their role in possibly reducing alcohol-related risks through education and policy initiatives. PMID:23359611

An exploration of the science teaching orientations of Indian science teachers in the context of curriculum reform

Science.gov (United States)

Nargund-Joshi, Vanashri

This study explores the concepts and behaviors, otherwise referred to as orientations, of six Indian science teachers and the alignment of these orientations to the 2005 India National Curriculum Framework (NCF-2005). Differences in teachers' orientations across grade bands (elementary, middle, and secondary) and school types (public versus private) are also examined to determine how contextual factors may influence this alignment. First, a content analysis of the NCF-2005 was completed to identify the overarching principles of the NCF-2005 and goals specific to the teaching and learning of science. Interviews with school principals were also analyzed to understand how the goals of NCF-2005 were communicated to schools and teachers. Together, these data sources served to answer research question one. Next, profiles were created based on three interviews with each teacher and several observations of their teaching. These profiles provide a point of reference for answering the remaining three research questions. Findings include teacher's orientations falling along a continuum from traditionalist in nature to inquiry/constructivist in nature. Stark contrasts were found between traditionalist orientations and the goals of NCF-2005, with much of this contrast due to the limited pedagogical content knowledge these teachers have regarding students' scientific thinking, curriculum design, instructional strategies, and assessment. Inquiry/constructivist teachers' orientations, while more in line with reform, still have a few key areas of pedagogical content knowledge needing attention (e.g., knowledge of assessment and a variety of purposes for constructivist instructional strategies). In response to the final research question, several contextual factors contributed to teachers' orientations including environmental constraints, such as limited resources and large class sizes, cultural testing pressures, and limited accessibility to professional development. Suggestions

Norwegian Football Academy Players-Players Self-Assessed Competence, Perfectionism, Goal Orientations and Motivational Climate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eirik Nerland

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Grounded in the theoretical framework of achievement goal theory and perfectionism theory, the purpose of this study was to examine how self-assessed perceived abilities covariance these variables among Norwegian football academy players. 140 adolescent football players participated, representing three football academies. Perceived competence was reported as equivalent to or better than others. Perfectionism scores showed personal standards as the highest of the dimensions of perfectionism, while perceived parental pressure was lowest. In contrast, mean task orientation and perceived mastery climate were higher than ego orientation and perceived performance climate. The correlation analysis showed that perceived competence correlated positively with personal standards. Personal standards correlated positively with the rest of the perfectionism dimensions as well as ego orientation, perceived mastery- and performance climate. Concern over mistakes was positively correlated with ego-orientation. Overall, findings suggested that personal standards correlate with perceived competence, while these variables also relate to other perfectionism dimensions, goal orientations and perceived motivational climate. Therefore, coaches should highlight the importance of high personal standards, as a potentially maladaptive function on talent development.

Orientation and properties of the blends on high-molecular mass polyacrylonitrile with trihydroxyethylenedimethacrylate under electron irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lomonosova, N.V.

1998-01-01

Molecular orientation of the drawn blends of high- molecular-mass poly(acrylonitrile) containing 5-50 wt % of trihydroxyethylenedimethacrylate and a change in the orientation of the drawn samples upon irradiation with accelerated electrons was studied by methods of birefringence, isometric heating, and IR dichroism. The degree of orientation of the unirradiated blends containing certain amounts of oligomer exceed that of the individual polymer. In the region of large drawing ratios, the differential degree of orientation of the polymer matrix is not affected by the irradiation, while the orientation of the oligomer component increase. High values of the strength (600-730 MPa) and the modulus (18-22 GPa) of the compositions are due to the presence of a crystalline skeleton formed by unfolded chains of the polymer matrix stabilized by the electron irradiation induced cross-linking

Predicting factors of positive orientation and attitudes towards nursing : A quantitative cross-sectional study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ten Hoeve, Yvonne; Castelein, Stynke; Jansen, Wiebren; Jansen, Gerard; Roodbol, Petrie

Background: Previous studies have identified various reasons for students to choose a career in nursing. Students at the start of their programme hold a great variety of images and perceptions of nursing which can affect their orientation and attitudes towards their future profession. Objectives:

Examining School Counseling Students' Multicultural and Sexual Orientation Competencies through a Cross-Specialization Comparison

Science.gov (United States)

Bidell, Markus P.

2012-01-01

Professional school counselors have an opportunity to directly address the educational, emotional, and social problems facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. The purpose of this study was to examine the multicultural and sexual orientation counselor competencies of school counseling students through a…

Polarization-independent high-index contrast grating and its fabrication tolerances

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ikeda, Kazuhiro; Takeuchi, Kazuma; Takayose, Kentaro

2013-01-01

also investigated the fabrication tolerances of the structure and found that, assuming careful optimizations of electron beam lithography for the precise grating width and dry-etching for the vertical sidewall, the suggested polarization-independent HCG can be fabricated using standard technologies.......A polarization-independent, high-index contrast grating (HCG) with a single layer of cross stripes allowing simple fabrication is proposed. Since the cross stripes structure can be suspended in air by selectively wet-etching the layer below, all the layers can be grown at once when implemented...

Validity and Psychometric Properties of Malay Translated Religious Orientation Scale-Revised among Malaysian Adult Samples

OpenAIRE

Mohammad Rahim Kamaluddin; Rohany Nasir; Wan Shahrazad Wan Sulaiman; Rozainee Khairudin; Zainah Ahmad Zamani

2017-01-01

Religious Orientation Scale-Revised (ROS-R) has been used increasingly as an important measure in psychology of religion based researches and widely administered in cross-cultural settings. Unfortunately, there is no valid and reliable ROS-R available in Malay language to assess religious orientations among Malaysians. With that in mind, the present study aims to validate and document the psychometric properties of Malay translated ROS-R (henceforth, M-ROS-R) among sample of Malay...

The Effects of Strategic Orientations and Perceived Environment on Firm Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farkas Gergely

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Among micro, small, and medium-sized firms located in Hungary, I conducted a survey examining the effects of entrepreneurial and learning orientations, and that of perceived environment on firm performance. I studied the perceptions of environmental turbulence and environmental hostility. Three dimensions were examined both in the case of entrepreneurial orientation (i.e., innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk taking and in the case of learning orientation (i.e., commitment to learning, shared visions, and open-mindedness. The effects of such dimensions on firm performance were analyzed with the path analysis (PLS-SEM method. In the course of the research, firm performance was divided into three dimensions: efficiency, growth, and profit. The possible effect of available financial resources was also taken into consideration. Results show that the availability of financial resources is relatively important, although it is connected only to the growth dimension of performance. Strategic orientations should be interpreted as multi-dimensional, and they have an effect on different performance dimensions. The research was cross-sectional and has implications for long-term strategic decisions.

Understanding voter orientation in the context of political market orientation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ormrod, Robert P.; Henneberg, Stephan C.

2010-01-01

This article develops a conceptual framework and measurement model of political market orientation. The relationships between different behavioural aspects of political market orientation and the attitudinal influences of such behaviour are analysed, and the study includes structural equation...... modelling to test several hypotheses. While the results show that political parties focus on several different aspects of market-oriented behaviour, especially using an internal and societal orientation as cultural antecedents, a more surprising result is the inconclusive effect of a voter orientation...... on political market orientation. This lends support to the argument of 'looking beyond the customer' in political marketing research and practice. The article discusses the findings in the context of the existing literature on political marketing and commercial market orientation....

Elastic properties of woven bone: effect of mineral content and collagen fibrils orientation.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Rodríguez, J; Martínez-Reina, J

2017-02-01

Woven bone is a type of tissue that forms mainly during fracture healing or fetal bone development. Its microstructure can be modeled as a composite with a matrix of mineral (hydroxyapatite) and inclusions of collagen fibrils with a more or less random orientation. In the present study, its elastic properties were estimated as a function of composition (degree of mineralization) and fibril orientation. A self-consistent homogenization scheme considering randomness of inclusions' orientation was used for this purpose. Lacuno-canalicular porosity in the form of periodically distributed void inclusions was also considered. Assuming collagen fibrils to be uniformly oriented in all directions led to an isotropic tissue with a Young's modulus [Formula: see text] GPa, which is of the same order of magnitude as that of woven bone in fracture calluses. By contrast, assuming fibrils to have a preferential orientation resulted in a Young's modulus in the preferential direction of 9-16 GPa depending on the mineral content of the tissue. These results are consistent with experimental evidence for woven bone in foetuses, where collagen fibrils are aligned to a certain extent.

First quantification of relationship between dune orientation and sediment availability, Olympia Undae, Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez-Cascales, Laura; Lucas, Antoine; Rodriguez, Sébastien; Gao, Xin; Spiga, Aymeric; Narteau, Clément

2018-05-01

Dunes provide unique information about wind regimes on planetary bodies where there is no direct meteorological data. At the eastern margin of Olympia Undae on Mars, dune orientation is measured from satellite imagery and sediment cover is estimated using the high contrast between the dune material and substrate. The analysis of these data provide the first quantification of relationship between sediment availability and dune orientation. Abrupt and smooth dune reorientations are associated with inward and outward dynamics of dunes approaching and ejecting from major sedimentary bodies, respectively. These reorientation patterns along sediment transport pathways are interpreted using a new generation dune model based on the coexistence of two dune growth mechanisms. This model also permits solving of the inverse problem of predicting the wind regime from dune orientation. For bidirectional wind regimes, solutions of this inverse problem show substantial differences in the distributions of sediment flux orientation, which can be attributed to atmospheric flow variations induced by changes in albedo at the boundaries of major dune fields. Then, we conclude that relationships between sediment cover and dune orientation can be used to constrain wind regime and dune field development on Mars and other planetary surfaces.

Single-Sex Schooling: Friendships, Dating, and Sexual Orientation.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Gu; Wong, Wang Ivy

2018-05-01

Single-sex schooling has been controversial for decades. The current study investigated the differences in friendships, dating, and past, present, and ideal sexual orientation, between 207 college students who attended single-sex secondary schools and 249 college students who attended coeducational secondary schools in Hong Kong, controlling for personal characteristics such as socioeconomic status. We found that, compared to graduates of coeducational schools, graduates of single-sex schools reported a different gender composition in intimate friendships favoring the same sex, less romantic involvement with other-sex close friends, older age at first date, fewer boyfriends or girlfriends, and more past same-sex sexuality. In contrast, we found no significant differences in the interactions with same-sex versus other-sex friends, most aspects of past or present dating engagement, or self-reported present or ideal sexual orientation. These findings give insight into the interpersonal outcomes of single-sex schooling and fill a gap in previous research which has focused on academic achievement and gender role stereotypes.

Classical kinematic model for direct reactions of oriented reagents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schechter, I.; Prisant, M.G.; Levine, R.D.

1987-01-01

A simple kinematic model based on the concept of an orientation-dependent critical configuration for reaction is introduced and applied. The model serves two complementary purposes. In the predictive mode the model provides an easily implemented procedure for computing the reactivity of oriented reagents (including those actually amenable to measure) from a given potential energy surface. The predictions of the model are compared against classical trajectory results for the H + D 2 reaction. By use of realistic potential energy surfaces the model is applied to the Li + HF and O + HCl reactions where the HX molecules are pumped by a polarized laser. A given classical trajectory is deemed reactive or not according to whether it can surmount the barrier at that particular orientation. The essential difference with the model of Levine and Bernstein is that the averaging over initial conditions is performed by using a Monte Carlo integration. One can therefore use the correct orientation-dependent shape (and not only height) of the barrier to reaction and, furthermore, use oriented or aligned reagents. Since the only numerical step is a Monte Carlo sampling of initial conditions, very many trajectories can be run. This suffices to determine the reaction cross section for different initial conditions. To probe the products, they have employed the kinematic approach of Elsum and Gordon. The result is a model where, under varying initial conditions, examining final-state distributions or screening different potential energy surfaces can be efficiently carried out

Docosahexaenoic acid counteracts attenuation of CD95-induced cell death by inorganic mercury

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gill, Randall [Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Wayne State University, Detroit MI (United States); Lanni, Lydia; Jen, K.-L. Catherine [Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Wayne State University, Detroit MI (United States); McCabe, Michael J. [Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester, Rochester NY (United States); Rosenspire, Allen, E-mail: arosenspire@wayne.edu [Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Wayne State University, Detroit MI (United States)

2015-01-01

In the United States the principal environmental exposure to mercury is through dietary consumption of sea food. Although the mechanism by which low levels of mercury affect the nervous system is not well established, epidemiological studies suggest that low level exposure of pregnant women to dietary mercury can adversely impact cognitive development in their children, but that Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the most prominent n-polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-PUFA) present in fish may counteract negative effects of mercury on the nervous system. Aside from effects on the nervous system, epidemiological and animal studies have also suggested that low level mercury exposure may be a risk factor for autoimmune disease. However unlike the nervous system where a mechanism linking mercury to impaired cognitive development remains elusive, we have previously suggested a potential mechanism linking low level mercury exposures to immune system dysfunction and autoimmunity. In the immune system it is well established that disruption of CD95 mediated apoptosis leads to autoimmune disease. We have previously shown in vitro as well as in vivo that in lymphocytes burdened with low levels of mercury, CD95 mediated cell death is impaired. In this report we now show that DHA counteracts the negative effect of mercury on CD95 signaling in T lymphocytes. T cells which have been pre-exposed to DHA are able to cleave pro-caspase 3 and efficiently signal programmed cell death through the CD95 signaling pathway, whether or not they are burdened with low levels of mercury. Thus DHA may lower the risk of autoimmune disease after low level mercury exposures. - Highlights: • Inorganic mercury (Hg{sup 2+}) interferes with CD95 mediated cell death in Jurkat T cells • DHA restores the ability of CD95 to signal cell death in Hg{sup 2+} intoxicated T cells • The restoration of CD95 mediated cell death by DHA is correlated with increased activation of Caspase 3.

Docosahexaenoic acid counteracts attenuation of CD95-induced cell death by inorganic mercury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gill, Randall; Lanni, Lydia; Jen, K.-L. Catherine; McCabe, Michael J.; Rosenspire, Allen

2015-01-01

In the United States the principal environmental exposure to mercury is through dietary consumption of sea food. Although the mechanism by which low levels of mercury affect the nervous system is not well established, epidemiological studies suggest that low level exposure of pregnant women to dietary mercury can adversely impact cognitive development in their children, but that Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the most prominent n-polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-PUFA) present in fish may counteract negative effects of mercury on the nervous system. Aside from effects on the nervous system, epidemiological and animal studies have also suggested that low level mercury exposure may be a risk factor for autoimmune disease. However unlike the nervous system where a mechanism linking mercury to impaired cognitive development remains elusive, we have previously suggested a potential mechanism linking low level mercury exposures to immune system dysfunction and autoimmunity. In the immune system it is well established that disruption of CD95 mediated apoptosis leads to autoimmune disease. We have previously shown in vitro as well as in vivo that in lymphocytes burdened with low levels of mercury, CD95 mediated cell death is impaired. In this report we now show that DHA counteracts the negative effect of mercury on CD95 signaling in T lymphocytes. T cells which have been pre-exposed to DHA are able to cleave pro-caspase 3 and efficiently signal programmed cell death through the CD95 signaling pathway, whether or not they are burdened with low levels of mercury. Thus DHA may lower the risk of autoimmune disease after low level mercury exposures. - Highlights: • Inorganic mercury (Hg 2+ ) interferes with CD95 mediated cell death in Jurkat T cells • DHA restores the ability of CD95 to signal cell death in Hg 2+ intoxicated T cells • The restoration of CD95 mediated cell death by DHA is correlated with increased activation of Caspase 3

Interaction between endogenous and exogenous orienting in crossmodal attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiaoxi; Chen, Qi; Gao, Dingguo; Yue, Zhenzhu

2012-08-01

Using a cue-target paradigm, we investigated the interaction between endogenous and exogenous orienting in cross-modal attention. A peripheral (exogenous) cue was presented after a central (endogenous) cue with a variable time interval. The endogenous and exogenous cues were presented in one sensory modality (auditory in Experiment 1 and visual in Experiment 2) whereas the target was presented in another modality. Both experiments showed a significant endogenous cuing effect (longer reaction times in the invalid condition than in the valid condition). However, exogenous cuing produced a facilitatory effect in both experiments in response to the target when endogenous cuing was valid, but it elicited a facilitatory effect in Experiment 1 and an inhibitory effect in Experiment 2 when endogenous cuing was invalid. These findings indicate that endogenous and exogenous cuing can co-operate in orienting attention to the crossmodal target. Moreover, the interaction between endogenous and exogenous orienting of attention is modulated by the modality between the cue and the target. © 2012 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2012 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

Determination of lattice orientation in aluminium alloy grains by low energy gallium ion-channelling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silk, Jonathan R. [Aerospace Metal Composites Ltd., RAE Road, Farnborough, GU14 6XE (United Kingdom); Dashwood, Richard J. [WMG, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL (United Kingdom); Chater, Richard J., E-mail: r.chater@imperial.ac.u [Department of Materials, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom)

2010-06-15

Polished sections of a fine-grained aluminium, silicon carbide metal matrix composite (MMC) alloy were prepared by sputtering using a low energy gallium ion source and column (FIB). The MMC had been processed by high temperature extrusion. Images of the polished surface were recorded using the ion-induced secondary electron emission. The metal matrix grains were distinguished by gallium ion-channelling contrast from the silicon carbide component. The variation of the contrast from the aluminium grains with tilt angle can be recorded and used to determine lattice orientation with the contrast from the silicon carbide (SiC) component as a reference. This method is rapid and suits site-specific investigations where classical methods of sample preparation fail.

Mexican-Origin Youth's Cultural Orientations and Adjustment: Changes from Early to Late Adolescence

Science.gov (United States)

Updegraff, Kimberly A.; Umaña-Taylor, Adriana J.; McHale, Susan M.; Wheeler, Lorey A.; Perez-Brena, Norma

2013-01-01

Drawing from developmental and cultural adaptation perspectives and using a longitudinal design, this study examined: (a) mean-level changes in Mexican-origin adolescents’ cultural orientations and adjustment from early to late adolescence; and (b) bidirectional associations between cultural orientations and adjustment using a cross-lag panel model. Participants included 246 Mexican-origin, predominantly immigrant families that participated in home interviews and a series of nightly phone calls when target adolescents were 12 years and 18 years of age. Girls exhibited more pronounced declines in traditional gender role attitudes than did boys, and all youth declined in familism values, time spent with family, and involvement in Mexican culture. Bidirectional relations between cultural orientations and adjustment emerged, and some associations were moderated by adolescent nativity and gender. PMID:22966929

Individualized volume CT dose index determined by cross-sectional area and mean density of the body to achieve uniform image noise of contrast-enhanced pediatric chest CT obtained at variable kV levels and with combined tube current modulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goo, Hyun Woo

2011-01-01

A practical body-size adaptive protocol providing uniform image noise at various kV levels is not available for pediatric CT. To develop a practical contrast-enhanced pediatric chest CT protocol providing uniform image noise by using an individualized volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) determined by the cross-sectional area and density of the body at variable kV levels and with combined tube current modulation. A total of 137 patients (mean age, 7.6 years) underwent contrast-enhanced pediatric chest CT based on body weight. From the CTDIvol, image noise, and area and mean density of the cross-section at the lung base in the weight-based group, the best fit equation was estimated with a very high correlation coefficient (γ 2 = 0.86, P 2 vs. 326.3 ± 124.8 cm 2 ), mean density (-212.9 ± 53.1 HU vs. -221.1 ± 56.3 HU), and image noise (13.8 ± 2.3 vs. 13.6 ± 1.7 HU) between the weight-based and the CTDIvol groups (P > 0.05). Contrast-enhanced pediatric chest CT with the CTDIvol determined individually by the cross-sectional area and density of the body provides more uniform noise and better dose adaptation to body habitus than does weight-based CT at variable kV levels and with combined tube current modulation. (orig.)

Delighting the Customer: Creativity-Oriented High-Performance Work Systems, Frontline Employee Creative Performance, and Customer Satisfaction

OpenAIRE

Martinaityte, Ieva; Sacramento, Claudia; Aryee, Samuel

2016-01-01

Drawing on self-determination theory, we proposed and tested a cross-level model of how perceived creativity-oriented high-performance work systems (HPWS) influence customer satisfaction. Data were obtained from frontline employees (FLEs), their managers, and branch records of two organizations (retail bank and cosmetics) in Lithuania. Results of multilevel structural equation modeling analyses revealed partial support for our model. Although perceived creativity-oriented HPWS related to crea...

Galantamine counteracts development of learning impairment in guinea pigs exposed to the organophosphorus poison soman: Clinical significance

Science.gov (United States)

Mamczarz, Jacek; Kulkarni, Girish S.; Pereira, Edna F. R.; Albuquerque, Edson X.

2017-01-01

Galantamine, a drug used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, protects guinea pigs against the acute toxicity and lethality of organophosphorus (OP) compounds, including soman. Here, we tested the hypothesis that a single exposure of guinea pigs to 1xLD50 soman triggers cognitive impairments that can be counteracted by galantamine. Thus, animals were injected intramuscularly with saline (0.5 ml/kg) or galantamine (8 mg/kg) and 30 min later injected subcutaneously with soman (26.3 µg/kg) or saline. Cognitive performance was analyzed in the Morris water maze (MWM) four days or three months after the soman challenge. Fifty percent of the saline-injected animals that were challenged with soman survived with mild-to-moderate signs of acute toxicity that subsided within a few hours. These animals showed no learning impairment and no memory retention deficit, when training in the MWM started four days post-soman challenge. In contrast, animals presented significant learning impairment when testing started three months post-challenge. Though the magnitude of the impairment correlated with the severity of the acute toxicity, animals that presented no or only mild signs of toxicity were also learning impaired. All guinea pigs that were treated with galantamine survived the soman challenge with no signs of acute toxicity and learned the MWM task as control animals, regardless of when testing began. Galantamine also prevented memory extinction in both saline-and soman-challenged animals. In conclusion, learning impairment develops months after a single exposure to 1xLD50 soman, and galantamine prevents both the acute toxicity and the delayed cognitive deficits triggered by this OP poison. PMID:21784098

International summer school on hyperfine interactions and physics with oriented nuclei - 1985. Pt.1,2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rotter, M.

1985-01-01

Part I and part II are presented of the contributions submitted to the International study meeting on physics with oriented nuclei and of papers from the International summer school on hyperfine interactions. The contributions and papers are devoted to the present status and further development of low temperature nuclear orientation of short-lived nuclei with emphasis on online techniques. The following topics are covered: nuclear orientation, NMR/ON, level mixing and level crossing resonances, laser spectroscopy, Moessbauer spectroscopy, polarization phenomena in low, medium and high energy physics, applications of hyperfine interaction techniques in nuclear physics, atomic physics, solid state physics, biology and materials research. (Z.J.)

Estimation of fringe orientation for optical fringe patterns with poor quality based on Fourier transform.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Chen; Wang, Zhifang; Wang, Linlin; Wu, Jian; Gao, Tao; Yan, Si

2010-02-01

Fringe orientation represents an important property of fringes. The estimation of orientation from a poor quality fringe image is still a challenging problem faced in this area. This paper introduces a new approach for estimating optical fringe orientation with a poor quality image. This approach is based on the power spectrum analysis of the Fourier transform. We evaluate the performance of this algorithm via application to a variety of test cases and comparison with the widely used gradient-based method and accumulate-differences method. The experimental results show that our method is capable of calculating fringe orientation robustly even when the quality of fringe images is considerably low because of high or low density, high noise, and low contrast. Under the same conditions, our accuracy is even better than that obtained with the gradient-based and accumulate-differences methods, especially for fringe images with poor quality.

The company they keep and avoid: social goal orientation as a predictor of children's ethnic segregation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Travis M; Rodkin, Philip C; Ryan, Allison M

2014-04-01

This study examined whether social goal orientation (i.e., demonstration-approach, demonstration-avoid, and social development goals) predicts changes in ethnic segregation among 4th and 5th grade African American and European American children (n = 713, ages 9-11 years) from fall to spring. Segregation measures were (a) same-ethnicity favoritism in friendships, (b) same-ethnicity favoritism in peer group affiliations, and (c) cross-ethnicity dislike. Social goal orientation was asymmetrically associated with ethnic segregation for the 2 groups. Among African Americans, aspiring to achieve high social status predicted increases in same-ethnicity favoritism and cross-ethnicity dislike. Among European Americans, aspiring to achieve high social status predicted decreases in same-ethnicity favoritism. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Indium hexagonal island as seed-layer to boost a-axis orientation of AlN thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Redjdal, N.; Salah, H.; Azzaz, M.; Menari, H.; Manseri, A.; Guedouar, B.; Garcia-Sanchez, A.; Chérif, S. M.

2018-06-01

Highly a-axis oriented aluminum nitride films have been grown on Indium coated (100) Si substrate by DC reactive magnetron sputtering. It is shown that In incorporated layer improve the extent of preferential growth along (100) axis and form dense AlN films with uniform surface and large grains, devoid of micro-cracks. As revealed by SEM cross section images, AlN structure consists of oriented columnar grains perpendicular to the Si surface, while AlN/In structure results in uniformely tilted column. SEM images also revealed the presence of In hexagonal islands persistent throughout the entire growth. Micro -Raman spectroscopy of the surface and the cross section of the AlN/In grown films evidenced their high degree of homogeneity and cristallinity.

Fashion reporting in cross-national perspective 1955-2005

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.S.S.E. Janssen (Susanne)

2006-01-01

textabstractThis article aims to portray long-term developments and cross-national differences in the editorial prominence, artistic focus and international orientation of the coverage given to designer fashion by a central, intermediary agency within national, cultural fields: the journalism of art

How does School Experience Relate to Adolescent Identity Formation Over Time? Cross-Lagged Associations between School Engagement, School Burnout and Identity Processing Styles.

Science.gov (United States)

Erentaitė, Rasa; Vosylis, Rimantas; Gabrialavičiūtė, Ingrida; Raižienė, Saulė

2018-04-01

The existing research findings still do not provide a clear understanding of the links between adolescent school experience and their identity formation. To address this gap, we analyzed the dynamic links between adolescent school experiences and identity formation by exploring the cross-lagged associations between school engagement, school burnout and identity processing styles (information-oriented, normative and diffuse-avoidant) over a 2-year period during middle-to-late adolescence. The sample of this school-based study included 916 adolescents (51.4% females) in the 9th to 12th grades from diverse socio-economic and family backgrounds. The results from the cross-lagged analyses with three time points revealed that (a) school engagement positively predicted information-oriented identity processing over a 2-year period; (b) school burnout positively predicted the reliance on normative and diffuse-avoidant identity styles across the three measurements; (c) the effects were stable over the three time points and across different gender, grade, and socio-economic status groups. The unidirectional effects identified in our study support the general prediction that active engagement in learning at school can serve as a resource for adolescent identity formation, while school burnout, in contrast, can hinder the formation of adolescent identity. This points to the importance of taking developmental identity-related needs of adolescents into account when planning the school curriculum.

Surface-Energy-Anisotropy-Induced Orientation Effects on RayleighInstabilities in Sapphire

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santala, Melissa; Glaeser, Andreas M.

2006-01-01

Arrays of controlled-geometry, semi-infinite pore channels of systematically varied crystallographic orientation were introduced into undoped m-plane (10{bar 1}0) sapphire substrates using microfabrication techniques and ion-beam etching and subsequently internalized by solid-state diffusion bonding. A series of anneals at 1700 C caused the breakup of these channels into discrete pores via Rayleigh instabilities. In all cases, channels broke up with a characteristic wavelength larger than that expected for a material with isotropic surface energy, reflecting stabilization effects due to surface-energy anisotropy. The breakup wavelength and the time required for complete breakup varied significantly with channel orientation. For most orientations, the instability wavelength for channels of radius R was in the range of 13.2R-25R, and complete breakup occurred within 2-10 h. To first order, the anneal times for complete breakup scale with the square of the breakup wavelength. Channels oriented along a <11{bar 2}0> direction had a wavelength of {approx} 139R, and required 468 h for complete breakup. Cross-sectional analysis of channels oriented along a <11{bar 2}0> direction showed the channel to be completely bounded by stable c(0001), r{l_brace}{bar 1}012{r_brace}, and s{l_brace}10{bar 1}1{r_brace} facets.

Polarization-dependent imaging contrast in abalone shells

Science.gov (United States)

Metzler, Rebecca A.; Zhou, Dong; Abrecht, Mike; Chiou, Jau-Wern; Guo, Jinghua; Ariosa, Daniel; Coppersmith, Susan N.; Gilbert, P. U. P. A.

2008-02-01

Many biominerals contain micro- or nanocrystalline mineral components, organized accurately into architectures that confer the material with improved mechanical performance at the macroscopic scale. We present here an effect which enables us to observe the relative orientation of individual crystals at the submicron scale. We call it polarization-dependent imaging contrast (PIC), as it is an imaging development of the well-known x-ray linear dichroism. Most importantly, PIC is obtained in situ, in biominerals. We present here PIC in the prismatic and nacreous layers of Haliotis rufescens (red abalone), confirm it in geologic calcite and aragonite, and corroborate the experimental data with theoretical simulated spectra. PIC reveals different and unexpected aspects of nacre architecture that have inspired theoretical models for nacre formation.

Conducting Layered Organic-inorganic Halides Containing -Oriented Perovskite Sheets.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitzi, D B; Wang, S; Feild, C A; Chess, C A; Guloy, A M

1995-03-10

Single crystals of the layered organic-inorganic perovskites, [NH(2)C(I=NH(2)](2)(CH(3)NH(3))m SnmI3m+2, were prepared by an aqueous solution growth technique. In contrast to the recently discovered family, (C(4)H(9)NH(3))(2)(CH(3)NH(3))n-1SnnI3n+1, which consists of (100)-terminated perovskite layers, structure determination reveals an unusual structural class with sets of m -oriented CH(3)NH(3)SnI(3) perovskite sheets separated by iodoformamidinium cations. Whereas the m = 2 compound is semiconducting with a band gap of 0.33 +/- 0.05 electron volt, increasing m leads to more metallic character. The ability to control perovskite sheet orientation through the choice of organic cation demonstrates the flexibility provided by organic-inorganic perovskites and adds an important handle for tailoring and understanding lower dimensional transport in layered perovskites.

NSs protein of Schmallenberg virus counteracts the antiviral response of the cell by inhibiting its transcriptional machinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Barry, Gerald; Varela, Mariana; Ratinier, Maxime; Blomström, Anne-Lie; Caporale, Marco; Seehusen, Frauke; Hahn, Kerstin; Schnettler, Esther; Baumgärtner, Wolfgang; Kohl, Alain; Palmarini, Massimo

2014-08-01

Bunyaviruses have evolved a variety of strategies to counteract the antiviral defence systems of mammalian cells. Here we show that the NSs protein of Schmallenberg virus (SBV) induces the degradation of the RPB1 subunit of RNA polymerase II and consequently inhibits global cellular protein synthesis and the antiviral response. In addition, we show that the SBV NSs protein enhances apoptosis in vitro and possibly in vivo, suggesting that this protein could be involved in SBV pathogenesis in different ways. © 2014 The Authors.

Mean field theory for a balanced hypercolumn model of orientation selectivity in primary visual cortex

CERN Document Server

Lerchner, A; Hertz, J; Ahmadi, M

2004-01-01

We present a complete mean field theory for a balanced state of a simple model of an orientation hypercolumn. The theory is complemented by a description of a numerical procedure for solving the mean-field equations quantitatively. With our treatment, we can determine self-consistently both the firing rates and the firing correlations, without being restricted to specific neuron models. Here, we solve the analytically derived mean-field equations numerically for integrate-and-fire neurons. Several known key properties of orientation selective cortical neurons emerge naturally from the description: Irregular firing with statistics close to -- but not restricted to -- Poisson statistics; an almost linear gain function (firing frequency as a function of stimulus contrast) of the neurons within the network; and a contrast-invariant tuning width of the neuronal firing. We find that the irregularity in firing depends sensitively on synaptic strengths. If Fano factors are bigger than 1, then they are so for all stim...

Visual signal detection in structured backgrounds. II. Effects of contrast gain control, background variations, and white noise

Science.gov (United States)

Eckstein, M. P.; Ahumada, A. J. Jr; Watson, A. B.

1997-01-01

Studies of visual detection of a signal superimposed on one of two identical backgrounds show performance degradation when the background has high contrast and is similar in spatial frequency and/or orientation to the signal. To account for this finding, models include a contrast gain control mechanism that pools activity across spatial frequency, orientation and space to inhibit (divisively) the response of the receptor sensitive to the signal. In tasks in which the observer has to detect a known signal added to one of M different backgrounds grounds due to added visual noise, the main sources of degradation are the stochastic noise in the image and the suboptimal visual processing. We investigate how these two sources of degradation (contrast gain control and variations in the background) interact in a task in which the signal is embedded in one of M locations in a complex spatially varying background (structured background). We use backgrounds extracted from patient digital medical images. To isolate effects of the fixed deterministic background (the contrast gain control) from the effects of the background variations, we conduct detection experiments with three different background conditions: (1) uniform background, (2) a repeated sample of structured background, and (3) different samples of structured background. Results show that human visual detection degrades from the uniform background condition to the repeated background condition and degrades even further in the different backgrounds condition. These results suggest that both the contrast gain control mechanism and the background random variations degrade human performance in detection of a signal in a complex, spatially varying background. A filter model and added white noise are used to generate estimates of sampling efficiencies, an equivalent internal noise, an equivalent contrast-gain-control-induced noise, and an equivalent noise due to the variations in the structured background.

Lateral Spread of Orientation Selectivity in V1 is Controlled by Intracortical Cooperativity

Science.gov (United States)

Chavane, Frédéric; Sharon, Dahlia; Jancke, Dirk; Marre, Olivier; Frégnac, Yves; Grinvald, Amiram

2011-01-01

Neurons in the primary visual cortex receive subliminal information originating from the periphery of their receptive fields (RF) through a variety of cortical connections. In the cat primary visual cortex, long-range horizontal axons have been reported to preferentially bind to distant columns of similar orientation preferences, whereas feedback connections from higher visual areas provide a more diverse functional input. To understand the role of these lateral interactions, it is crucial to characterize their effective functional connectivity and tuning properties. However, the overall functional impact of cortical lateral connections, whatever their anatomical origin, is unknown since it has never been directly characterized. Using direct measurements of postsynaptic integration in cat areas 17 and 18, we performed multi-scale assessments of the functional impact of visually driven lateral networks. Voltage-sensitive dye imaging showed that local oriented stimuli evoke an orientation-selective activity that remains confined to the cortical feedforward imprint of the stimulus. Beyond a distance of one hypercolumn, the lateral spread of cortical activity gradually lost its orientation preference approximated as an exponential with a space constant of about 1 mm. Intracellular recordings showed that this loss of orientation selectivity arises from the diversity of converging synaptic input patterns originating from outside the classical RF. In contrast, when the stimulus size was increased, we observed orientation-selective spread of activation beyond the feedforward imprint. We conclude that stimulus-induced cooperativity enhances the long-range orientation-selective spread. PMID:21629708

Assessment of Parent Orientation towards Autonomy vs. Control in Promoting Children's Healthy Eating and Exercise.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiang, Evelyn S; Padilla, Miguel A

2012-07-01

Self-determination theory has been widely applied to understanding individuals' health-related behaviors such as eating healthy foods and exercising. Different reasons for engagement are associated with varying levels of personal agency or autonomy. Authority figures in the environment can be supportive of autonomy or, in contrast, controlling. Although researchers have assessed individuals' perceptions of the autonomy-support in their environments, studies have not directly examined the authority figures' orientations to autonomy with respect to health contexts. A new scale, Parent Orientations to Health, was created to investigate parent orientation to autonomy and control with respect to healthy eating and exercise in children. One hundred and forty-three parents of elementary school-aged children responded to the scale. Scale validation and reliability results indicate that the scale successfully assessed parent orientation towards autonomy for children in health contexts. Furthermore, parent autonomy orientation varied according to child weight status and the healthiness of the child's diet. Parent orientation towards autonomy can be evaluated through the use of the Parent Orientations to Health scale. In addition, parent autonomy orientation is associated with both the healthiness of the child's diet (as perceived by the parent) and the child's body mass index. © 2012 The Authors. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being © 2012 The International Association of Applied Psychology.

Cross-sectional study assessing the addition of contrast sensitivity to visual acuity when testing for fitness to drive

Science.gov (United States)

Spreng, Lucie; Favrat, Bernard; Borruat, François-Xavier; Vaucher, Paul

2018-01-01

Objectives The aim of this study is to quantify the importance of loss of contrast sensitivity (CS) and its relationship to loss of visual acuity (VA), driving restrictions and daytime, on-road driving evaluations in drivers aged 70+. Design A predictive cross-sectional study. Setting Volunteer participants to a drivers’ refresher course for adults aged 70+ delivered by the Swiss Automobile Club in western Switzerland from 2011 to 2013. Participants 162 drivers, male and female, aged 70 years or older. Clinical predictors We used a vision screener to estimate VA and the The Mars Letter Contrast Sensitivity Test to test CS. Outcomes We asked drivers to report whether they found five driving restrictions useful for their condition; restrict driving to known roads, avoid driving on highways, avoid driving in the dark, avoid driving in dense traffic and avoid driving in fog. All participants also underwent a standardised on-road evaluation carried out by a driving instructor. Results Moderate to severe loss of CS for at least one eye was frequent (21.0% (95% CI 15.0% to 28.1%)) and often isolated from a loss of VA (11/162 cases had a VA ≥0.8 decimal and a CS of ≤1.5 log(CS); 6.8% (95% CI 3.4% to 11.8%)). Drivers were more likely (R2=0.116, P=0.004) to report a belief that self-imposed driving restrictions would be useful if they had reduced CS in at least one eye. Daytime evaluation of driving performance seems limited in its ability to correctly identify difficulties related to CS loss (VA: R2=0.004, P=0.454; CS: R2=0.006, P=0.332). Conclusion CS loss is common for older drivers. Screening CS and referring for cataract surgery even in the absence of VA loss could help maintain mobility. Reduced CS and moderate reduction of VA were both poor predictors of daytime on-road driving performances in this research study. PMID:29374663

A user-orientated approach to provenance capture and representation for in silico experiments, explored within the atmospheric chemistry community.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Chris J; Haji, Mohammed H; Jimack, Peter K; Pilling, Michael J; Dew, Peter M

2009-07-13

We present a novel user-orientated approach to provenance capture and representation for in silico experiments, contrasted against the more systems-orientated approaches that have been typical within the e-Science domain. In our approach, we seek to capture the scientist's reasoning in the form of annotations as an experiment evolves, while using the scientist's terminology in the representation of process provenance. Our user-orientated approach is applied in a case study within the atmospheric chemistry domain: we consider the design, development and evaluation of an electronic laboratory notebook, a provenance capture and storage tool, for iterative model development.

Trends in Sexual Orientation Missing Data Over a Decade of the California Health Interview Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Viana, Joseph; Grant, David; Cochran, Susan D.; Lee, Annie C.; Ponce, Ninez A.

2015-01-01

Objectives. We explored changes in sexual orientation question item completion in a large statewide health survey. Methods. We used 2003 to 2011 California Health Interview Survey data to investigate sexual orientation item nonresponse and sexual minority self-identification trends in a cross-sectional sample representing the noninstitutionalized California household population aged 18 to 70 years (n = 182 812 adults). Results. Asians, Hispanics, limited-English-proficient respondents, and those interviewed in non-English languages showed the greatest declines in sexual orientation item nonresponse. Asian women, regardless of English-proficiency status, had the highest odds of item nonresponse. Spanish interviews produced more nonresponse than English interviews and Asian-language interviews produced less nonresponse when we controlled for demographic factors and survey cycle. Sexual minority self-identification increased in concert with the item nonresponse decline. Conclusions. Sexual orientation nonresponse declines and the increase in sexual minority identification suggest greater acceptability of sexual orientation assessment in surveys. Item nonresponse rate convergence among races/ethnicities, language proficiency groups, and interview languages shows that sexual orientation can be measured in surveys of diverse populations. PMID:25790399

Low molecular weight dextran provides similar optical coherence tomography coronary imaging compared to radiographic contrast media.

Science.gov (United States)

Frick, Kyle; Michael, Tesfaldet T; Alomar, Mohammed; Mohammed, Atif; Rangan, Bavana V; Abdullah, Shuaib; Grodin, Jerrold; Hastings, Jeffrey L; Banerjee, Subhash; Brilakis, Emmanouil S

2014-11-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) coronary imaging requires displacement of red blood cells from the vessel lumen. This is usually accomplished using radiographic contrast. Low molecular weight dextran has low cost and is safe in low volumes. In the present study, we compared dextran with contrast for coronary OCT imaging. Fifty-one vessels in 26 patients were sequentially imaged using manual injection of radiographic contrast (iodixanol) and dextran. OCT images were analyzed at 1 mm intervals to determine the image clarity (defined as a visible lumen border > 270°) and to measure the lumen area and lumen diameter. To correct for the refractive index of dextran, the dextran area measurements were multiplied by 1.117 and the dextran length measurements were multiplied by 1.057. A total of 3,418 cross-sections (1,709 with contrast and 1,709 with dextran) were analyzed. There were no complications related to OCT imaging or to contrast or dextran administration. Clear image segments were observed in 97.0% vs. 96.7% of the cross-sections obtained with contrast and dextran, respectively (P = 0.45). The mean lumen areas were also similar: 6.69 ± 1.95 mm(2) with iodixanol vs. 7.06 ± 2.06 mm(2) with dextran (correlation coefficient 0.984). The image quality and measurements during OCT image acquisition are similar for dextran and contrast. Dextran could be used instead of contrast for OCT imaging, especially in patients in whom contrast load minimization is desired. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Oscillating magnetic field disrupts magnetic orientation in Zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wiltschko Wolfgang

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Zebra finches can be trained to use the geomagnetic field as a directional cue for short distance orientation. The physical mechanisms underlying the primary processes of magnetoreception are, however, largely unknown. Two hypotheses of how birds perceive magnetic information are mainly discussed, one dealing with modulation of radical pair processes in retinal structures, the other assuming that iron deposits in the upper beak of the birds are involved. Oscillating magnetic fields in the MHz range disturb radical pair mechanisms but do not affect magnetic particles. Thus, application of such oscillating fields in behavioral experiments can be used as a diagnostic tool to decide between the two alternatives. Methods In a setup that eliminates all directional cues except the geomagnetic field zebra finches were trained to search for food in the magnetic north/south axis. The birds were then tested for orientation performance in two magnetic conditions. In condition 1 the horizontal component of the geomagnetic field was shifted by 90 degrees using a helmholtz coil. In condition 2 a high frequently oscillating field (1.156 MHz was applied in addition to the shifted field. Another group of birds was trained to solve the orientation task, but with visual landmarks as directional cue. The birds were then tested for their orientation performance in the same magnetic conditions as applied for the first experiment. Results The zebra finches could be trained successfully to orient in the geomagnetic field for food search in the north/south axis. They were also well oriented in test condition 1, with the magnetic field shifted horizontally by 90 degrees. In contrast, when the oscillating field was added, the directional choices during food search were randomly distributed. Birds that were trained to visually guided orientation showed no difference of orientation performance in the two magnetic conditions. Conclusion The results

Optimal Incentives to Foster Cross Selling: An Economic Analysis

OpenAIRE

Decrouppe, Andre

2014-01-01

Cross selling is the practice of selling additional products to an existing customer. It has the potential to boost revenues and can be beneficial for both the company and the customer. For many multi-divisional companies with product or service oriented organizational structures the attempt to realize the benefits of cross selling generates incentive problems. In this thesis, three problems spread over three business levels are identified. Firstly, management needs to (fina...

The Applicability of Wildlife Value Orientations Scales to a Muslim Student Sample in Malaysia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jacobs, M.H.; Zainal Abidin, Zulkhairi

2016-01-01

This article addresses the applicability of quantitative wildlife value
orientation scales in Muslim students in Malaysia. As Malaysian culture
is deeply influenced by Islam ideology, this article presents a
case for addressing the cross-cultural applicability of the scales.

Differences in Risky Sexual Behavior According to Sexual Orientation in Korean Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Ji-Su; Kim, Kyunghee; Kwak, Yeunhee

2017-10-13

Adolescents in sexual minority groups are known to be at risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases through risky sexual behavior. However, few studies have examined associations between sexual orientation and risky sexual behavior and sexually transmitted diseases in Korean adolescents. Therefore, this cross-sectional study used raw data from the Tenth Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey to explore these relationships. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the associations between risky sexual behavior and sexual orientation in adolescents. The participants were 6,884 adolescents who provided data regarding demographic characteristics, sexual orientation, and risky sexual behavior. The proportions of homosexual and bisexual subjects who used condoms, engaged in sexual intercourse after drinking alcohol, and experienced sexually transmitted diseases were higher relative to those of heterosexual subjects. Associations between homosexuality and bisexuality and sexually transmitted diseases and engagement in sexual intercourse after drinking remained after multivariate adjustment. Interventions to prevent risky sexual behavior should target sexual orientation, to improve sexual health and prevent sexually transmitted disease in homosexual and bisexual adolescents.

Facet orientation and tropism: Associations with asymmetric lumbar paraspinal and psoas muscle parameters in patients with chronic low back pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, W B; Chen, S; Fan, S W; Zhao, F D; Yu, X J; Hu, Z J

2016-08-10

Many studies have explored the relationship between facet tropism and facet joint osteoarthritis, disc degeneration and degenerative spondylolisthesis. However, the associations between facet orientation and tropism, and paraspinal muscles have not been studied. To analyze the associations between facet orientation and tropism, and parameters of paraspinal muscles in patients with chronic low back pain. Ninety-five patients with chronic low back pain were consecutively enrolled. Their facet joint angles were measured on computed tomography (CT) while gross cross-sectional area (GCSA), functional cross-sectional area (FCSA) and T2 signal intensity of lumbar paraspinal and psoas muscle were evaluated on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The GCSA and FCSA were significantly smaller for multifidus muscle (Plow back pain. Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the causal relationship between facet orientation and tropism and muscular asymmetry in future.

Diffraction contrast as a sensitive indicator of femtosecond sub-nanoscale motion in ultrafast transmission electron microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Cremons, Daniel R.; Schliep, Karl B.; Flannigan, David J.

2013-09-01

With ultrafast transmission electron microscopy (UTEM), access can be gained to the spatiotemporal scales required to directly visualize rapid, non-equilibrium structural dynamics of materials. This is achieved by operating a transmission electron microscope (TEM) in a stroboscopic pump-probe fashion by photoelectrically generating coherent, well-timed electron packets in the gun region of the TEM. These probe photoelectrons are accelerated down the TEM column where they travel through the specimen before reaching a standard, commercially-available CCD detector. A second laser pulse is used to excite (pump) the specimen in situ. Structural changes are visualized by varying the arrival time of the pump laser pulse relative to the probe electron packet at the specimen. Here, we discuss how ultrafast nanoscale motions of crystalline materials can be visualized and precisely quantified using diffraction contrast in UTEM. Because diffraction contrast sensitively depends upon both crystal lattice orientation as well as incoming electron wavevector, minor spatial/directional variations in either will produce dynamic and often complex patterns in real-space images. This is because sections of the crystalline material that satisfy the Laue conditions may be heterogeneously distributed such that electron scattering vectors vary over nanoscale regions. Thus, minor changes in either crystal grain orientation, as occurs during specimen tilting, warping, or anisotropic expansion, or in the electron wavevector result in dramatic changes in the observed diffraction contrast. In this way, dynamic contrast patterns observed in UTEM images can be used as sensitive indicators of ultrafast specimen motion. Further, these motions can be spatiotemporally mapped such that direction and amplitude can be determined.

The relationship between religious orientation and death anxiety in patients with breast cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

farkhonde Salehi

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Breast Cancer is the most common malignancy and is the second leading cause of mortality due to cancer in women. One of the important psychological factors in these patients is death anxiety. Given the role of religious orientation to this psychological factor, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between religious orientation and death anxiety in patients with breast cancer in Kermanshah. Methods: In this cross-sectional study on 48 patients with breast cancer referred to the Oncology Department of Imam Reza (PBUH Hospital. Templer Death Anxiety Scale and Allport Religious Orientation Scale were used to gather data and the data analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests in SPSS 22. Results: The highest and lowest scores of religious orientation in these patients were 76 and 48, with mean score 65.31. The highest and lowest death anxiety scores attained by these patients were 14 (8.3% and 2 (10.4%, and 72.9% of the patients had high levels of death anxiety. Religious orientation and death anxiety were significantly correlated (correlation coefficient: 0.508, and age was significantly correlated with death anxiety but not with religious orientation. Conclusion: Given the findings of the present study, it cannot be definitely argued that religious orientation and death anxiety are correlated in cancer patients. Therefore, this issue should be further investigated.

Modulation of Stem Cell Differentiation and Myostatin as an Approach to Counteract Fibrosis in Muscle Dystrophy and Regeneration after Injury

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-01

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). To examine whether counteracting myostatin, a negative regulator of muscle mass and a pro-lipofibrotic factor...extracellular matrix, and fat, characterizes muscle dystrophy , and in particular Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) (1,2), as seen also in its animal model...stem cells (MDSC) into myogenic as opposed to lipofibrogenic lineages is a promising therapeutic strategy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). To

Theoretical study of alignment and orientation of n = 2 levels in Li++He collision

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Courbin, C.; Sidis, V.

1986-01-01

The determination of alignment and orientation parameters from differential cross section measurements involving the photon-particle coincidence technique prompts theory to investigate a wide variety of electronic transitions both at small and large distances of approach between the collision partners. A theoretical model is presented with a view to explaining alignment and orientation phenomena related to Li + +He*(2 1 P) excitation and Li*(2 2 P)+He + charge exchange excitation in the prototype Li + +He collision. The corresponding discussion is illustrated using a recent ab initio study by the authors [fr

Adding temporally localized noise can enhance the contribution of target knowledge on contrast detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Silvestre, Daphné; Cavanagh, Patrick; Arleo, Angelo; Allard, Rémy

2017-02-01

External noise paradigms are widely used to characterize sensitivity by comparing the effect of a variable on contrast threshold when it is limited by internal versus external noise. A basic assumption of external noise paradigms is that the processing properties are the same in low and high noise. However, recent studies (e.g., Allard & Cavanagh, 2011; Allard & Faubert, 2014b) suggest that this assumption could be violated when using spatiotemporally localized noise (i.e., appearing simultaneously and at the same location as the target) but not when using spatiotemporally extended noise (i.e., continuously displayed, full-screen, dynamic noise). These previous findings may have been specific to the crowding and 0D noise paradigms that were used, so the purpose of the current study is to test if this violation of noise-invariant processing also occurs in a standard contrast detection task in white noise. The rationale of the current study is that local external noise triggers the use of recognition rather than detection and that a recognition process should be more affected by uncertainty about the shape of the target than one involving detection. To investigate the contribution of target knowledge on contrast detection, the effect of orientation uncertainty was evaluated for a contrast detection task in the absence of noise and in the presence of spatiotemporally localized or extended noise. A larger orientation uncertainty effect was observed with temporally localized noise than with temporally extended noise or with no external noise, indicating a change in the nature of the processing for temporally localized noise. We conclude that the use of temporally localized noise in external noise paradigms risks triggering a shift in process, invalidating the noise-invariant processing required for the paradigm. If, instead, temporally extended external noise is used to match the properties of internal noise, no such processing change occurs.

Approximative Krieger-Nelkin orientation averaging and anisotropy of water molecules vibrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markovic, M.I.

1974-01-01

Quantum-mechanics approach of water molecules dynamics should be taken into account for precise theoretical calculation of differential scattering cross sections of neutrons. Krieger and Nelkin have proposed an approximate method for averaging orientation of molecules regarding directions of incoming and scattered neutron. This paper shows that this approach can be successfully applied for general shape of water molecule vibration anisotropy

Market Orientation Capabilities: A Study of Learning Processes in Market-Oriented Companies

OpenAIRE

Silkoset, Ragnhild

2009-01-01

The literature operates with three perspectives on market orientation. These include market orientation as behavior (Kohli and Jaworski 1990; Narver and Slater 1990), market orientation as a unique resource (Hunt and Morgan 1995) and market orientation as a dynamic learning capability (Sinkula 1994; Day 1994b). A company's level of market orientation will vary with regard to the perspectives, including factors affecting a company’s degree of market orientation and the effect...

Nursing students' changing orientation and attitudes towards nursing during education : A quantitative cross-sectional study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ten Hoeve, Yvonne; Castelijn, Stynke; Jansen, W.S.; Jansen, Gerard; Roodbol, Petri

Previous studies have identified various reasons for students to choose a career in nursing. Students at the start of their programme hold a great variety of images and perceptions of nursing which can affect their orientation and attitudes towards their future profession.

Neural Computation of Surface Border Ownership and Relative Surface Depth from Ambiguous Contrast Inputs.

Science.gov (United States)

Dresp-Langley, Birgitta; Grossberg, Stephen

2016-01-01

The segregation of image parts into foreground and background is an important aspect of the neural computation of 3D scene perception. To achieve such segregation, the brain needs information about border ownership; that is, the belongingness of a contour to a specific surface represented in the image. This article presents psychophysical data derived from 3D percepts of figure and ground that were generated by presenting 2D images composed of spatially disjoint shapes that pointed inward or outward relative to the continuous boundaries that they induced along their collinear edges. The shapes in some images had the same contrast (black or white) with respect to the background gray. Other images included opposite contrasts along each induced continuous boundary. Psychophysical results demonstrate conditions under which figure-ground judgment probabilities in response to these ambiguous displays are determined by the orientation of contrasts only, not by their relative contrasts, despite the fact that many border ownership cells in cortical area V2 respond to a preferred relative contrast. Studies are also reviewed in which both polarity-specific and polarity-invariant properties obtain. The FACADE and 3D LAMINART models are used to explain these data.

Neural computation of surface border ownership and relative surface depth from ambiguous contrast inputs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Birgitta Dresp-Langley

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The segregation of image parts into foreground and background is an important aspect of the neural computation of 3D scene perception. To achieve such segregation, the brain needs information about border ownership; that is, the belongingness of a contour to a specific surface represented in the image. This article presents psychophysical data derived from 3D percepts of figure and ground that were generated by presenting 2D images composed of spatially disjoint shapes that pointed inward or outward relative to the continuous boundaries that they induced along their collinear edges. The shapes in some images had the same contrast (black or white with respect to the background gray. Other images included opposite contrasts along each induced continuous boundary. Results demonstrate conditions under which figure-ground judgment probabilities in response to these ambiguous displays are determined by the orientation of contrasts only, not by their relative contrasts, despite the fact that many border ownership cells in cortical area V2 respond to a preferred relative contrast. Studies are also reviewed in which both polarity-specific and polarity-invariant properties obtain. The FACADE and 3D LAMINART models are used to explain these data.

Neural Computation of Surface Border Ownership and Relative Surface Depth from Ambiguous Contrast Inputs

Science.gov (United States)

Dresp-Langley, Birgitta; Grossberg, Stephen

2016-01-01

The segregation of image parts into foreground and background is an important aspect of the neural computation of 3D scene perception. To achieve such segregation, the brain needs information about border ownership; that is, the belongingness of a contour to a specific surface represented in the image. This article presents psychophysical data derived from 3D percepts of figure and ground that were generated by presenting 2D images composed of spatially disjoint shapes that pointed inward or outward relative to the continuous boundaries that they induced along their collinear edges. The shapes in some images had the same contrast (black or white) with respect to the background gray. Other images included opposite contrasts along each induced continuous boundary. Psychophysical results demonstrate conditions under which figure-ground judgment probabilities in response to these ambiguous displays are determined by the orientation of contrasts only, not by their relative contrasts, despite the fact that many border ownership cells in cortical area V2 respond to a preferred relative contrast. Studies are also reviewed in which both polarity-specific and polarity-invariant properties obtain. The FACADE and 3D LAMINART models are used to explain these data. PMID:27516746

Randomly oriented twin domains in electrodeposited silver dendrites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivanović Evica R.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Silver dendrites were prepared by electrochemical deposition. The structures of Ag dendrites, the type of twins and their distribution were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, Z-contrast high angle annular dark field transmission electron microscopy (HAADF, and crystallografically sensitive orientation imaging microscopy (OIM. The results revealed that silver dendrites are characterized by the presence of randomly distributed 180° rotational twin domains. The broad surface of dendrites was of the {111} type. Growth directions of the main dendrite stem and all branches were of type. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 172054

Market orientation in the mental models of decision-makers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grunert, Klaus G.; Trondsen, Torbjørn; Campos, Emilio Gonzalo

2010-01-01

Purpose: This study determines whether predictions about different degrees of market orientation in two cross-border value chains also appear in the mental models of decision makers at two levels of these value chains. Design: The laddering method elicits mental models of actors in two value chains......: Norwegian salmon exported to Japan and Danish pork exported to Japan. The analysis of the mental models centers on potential overlap and linkages between actors in the value chain, including elements in the mental models that may relate to the actors' market orientation. Findings: In both value chains......, decision makers exhibit overlap in their views of what drives their business. The pork chain appears dominated by a focus on efficiency, technology, and quality control, though it also acknowledges communication as important. The salmon chain places more emphasis on new product development and good...

The association between cultural orientation and drinking behaviors among university students in Wuhan, China.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongxiu Tang

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: This study examines the association between cultural orientation and drinking behaviors among university students. Cultural orientation is the measure of how the cultural values of individuals living in their own society are influenced by cultural values introduced from the outside. METHODS: In 2011, a cross-sectional survey collected data from 1279 university students from six universities in central China. Participants used a likert scale to rank a series of statements reflecting cultural values from the previously validated Chinese Cultural Orientation Scale and answered questions about their drinking behaviors and socio-demographic characteristics. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences in cultural orientation were observed for gender, hometown and type of university attendance. Traditional-oriented students were more likely to be occasional drinkers or nondrinkers, while marginal-oriented students, bicultural-oriented students and western-oriented students were more likely to be regular drinkers. Bicultural orientation (OR = 1.80, P<0.05 and marginal orientation (OR = 1.64, P<0.05 increased the likelihood of the student being regular drinking, compared to students with traditional orientations. Males (OR = 4.40, P<0.05 had a higher likelihood of regular drinking than females, graduate students (OR = 2.59, P<0.05 had a higher likelihood of regular drinking than undergraduates, students from urban areas (OR = 1.79, P<0.05 had a higher likelihood of regular drinking than those from towns/rural areas, and students attending key universities (OR = 0.48, P<0.05 had a lower likelihood of regular drinking than those attending general universities. CONCLUSIONS: Cultural orientation influences drinking behaviors. Traditional cultural orientation was associated with less drinking while western cultural orientation, marginal cultural orientation and bicultural orientation were associated with more drinking. The role of gender

Cross-polarised and parallel-polarised light: Viewing and photography for examination and documentation of biological materials in medicine and forensics.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanlon, Katharine L

2018-01-01

Cross-polarisation, with regard to visible light, is a process wherein two polarisers with perpendicular orientation to one another are used on the incident and reflected lights. Under cross-polarised light birefringent structures which are otherwise invisible become apparent. Cross-polarised light eliminates glare and specular highlights, allowing for an unobstructed view of subsurface pathology. Parallel-polarisation occurs when the polarisers are rotated to the same orientation. When cross- or parallel-polarisation is applied to photography, images can be generated which aid in visualisation of surface and subsurface elements. Improved access to equipment and education has the potential to benefit practitioners, researchers, investigators and patients.

Gender variance in childhood and sexual orientation in adulthood: a prospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

Steensma, Thomas D; van der Ende, Jan; Verhulst, Frank C; Cohen-Kettenis, Peggy T

2013-11-01

Several retrospective and prospective studies have reported on the association between childhood gender variance and sexual orientation and gender discomfort in adulthood. In most of the retrospective studies, samples were drawn from the general population. The samples in the prospective studies consisted of clinically referred children. In understanding the extent to which the association applies for the general population, prospective studies using random samples are needed. This prospective study examined the association between childhood gender variance, and sexual orientation and gender discomfort in adulthood in the general population. In 1983, we measured childhood gender variance, in 406 boys and 473 girls. In 2007, sexual orientation and gender discomfort were assessed. Childhood gender variance was measured with two items from the Child Behavior Checklist/4-18. Sexual orientation was measured for four parameters of sexual orientation (attraction, fantasy, behavior, and identity). Gender discomfort was assessed by four questions (unhappiness and/or uncertainty about one's gender, wish or desire to be of the other gender, and consideration of living in the role of the other gender). For both men and women, the presence of childhood gender variance was associated with homosexuality for all four parameters of sexual orientation, but not with bisexuality. The report of adulthood homosexuality was 8 to 15 times higher for participants with a history of gender variance (10.2% to 12.2%), compared to participants without a history of gender variance (1.2% to 1.7%). The presence of childhood gender variance was not significantly associated with gender discomfort in adulthood. This study clearly showed a significant association between childhood gender variance and a homosexual sexual orientation in adulthood in the general population. In contrast to the findings in clinically referred gender-variant children, the presence of a homosexual sexual orientation in

Is love colorblind? Political orientation and interracial romantic desire.

Science.gov (United States)

Eastwick, Paul W; Richeson, Jennifer A; Son, Deborah; Finkel, Eli J

2009-09-01

The present research examined the association of political orientation with ingroup favoritism in two live romantic contexts. In Study 1, White participants had sequential interactions with both a White and Black confederate and reported their romantic desire for each. In Study 2, both White and Black participants speed-dated multiple potential romantic partners and reported whether they would be interested in meeting each speed-dating partner again. In both studies, White participants' political conservatism positively predicted the strength of the ingroup-favoring bias: White conservatives were less likely than White liberals to desire Black (interracial) relative to White potential romantic partners. In contrast, Black participants' political conservatism negatively predicted the strength of the ingroup-favoring bias: Consistent with system-justification theory, Black conservatives were more likely than Black liberals to desire White (interracial) relative to Black potential romantic partners. Political orientation may be a key factor that influences the initiation of interracial romantic relationships.

Contrast model for three-dimensional vehicles in natural lighting and search performance analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Witus, Gary; Gerhart, Grant R.; Ellis, R. Darin

2001-09-01

Ground vehicles in natural lighting tend to have significant and systematic variation in luminance through the presented area. This arises, in large part, from the vehicle surfaces having different orientations and shadowing relative to the source of illumination and the position of the observer. These systematic differences create the appearance of a structured 3D object. The 3D appearance is an important factor in search, figure-ground segregation, and object recognition. We present a contrast metric to predict search and detection performance that accounts for the 3D structure. The approach first computes the contrast of the front (or rear), side, and top surfaces. The vehicle contrast metric is the area-weighted sum of the absolute values of the contrasts of the component surfaces. The 3D structure contrast metric, together with target height, account for more than 80% of the variance in probability of detection and 75% of the variance in search time. When false alarm effects are discounted, they account for 89% of the variance in probability of detection and 95% of the variance in search time. The predictive power of the signature metric, when calibrated to half the data and evaluated against the other half, is 90% of the explanatory power.

Improving scale invariant feature transform with local color contrastive descriptor for image classification

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Sheng; Huang, Weilin; Qiao, Yu

2017-01-01

Image representation and classification are two fundamental tasks toward version understanding. Shape and texture provide two key features for visual representation and have been widely exploited in a number of successful local descriptors, e.g., scale invariant feature transform (SIFT), local binary pattern descriptor, and histogram of oriented gradient. Unlike these gradient-based descriptors, this paper presents a simple yet efficient local descriptor, named local color contrastive descriptor (LCCD), which captures the contrastive aspects among local regions or color channels for image representation. LCCD is partly inspired by the neural science facts that color contrast plays important roles in visual perception and there exist strong linkages between color and shape. We leverage f-divergence as a robust measure to estimate the contrastive features between different spatial locations and multiple channels. Our descriptor enriches local image representation with both color and contrast information. Due to that LCCD does not explore any gradient information, individual LCCD does not yield strong performance. But we verified experimentally that LCCD can compensate strongly SIFT. Extensive experimental results on image classification show that our descriptor improves the performance of SIFT substantially by combination on three challenging benchmarks, including MIT Indoor-67 database, SUN397, and PASCAL VOC 2007.

IMPACT OF PERSONAL ORIENTATIONS ON ATTITUDES TO DIVERSITY AND CIVIC SOCIAL-POLITICAL ACTIVENESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yolanda Zografova

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The dynamically ongoing processes of integration are among the crucial premises for the development of contemporary interpersonal, intergroup and cross-cultural relations, attitudes, conflicts and more. The research problem here directs to an analysis, based on ESS data collected in 8 countries, rounds 2006 and 2008, on the extent to which Europeans' personal orientations significantly influence the attitudes towards ethno-national diversity, in this case, towards two social groups: immigrants coming from poorer countries outside Europe and people with different sexual orientation. Furthermore, the influence of the same factors on the civic activeness and involvement in the social-political processes has been followed. Through regressive analysis the important effect of the co-otherness orientation (a concept developed by Sicakkan, 2003, the orientation to success and traditionalism on all included dependent variables has been proved. The expectations for predicting effects of the three personal orientations have been confirmed regarding the civic involvement and tolerance to diversity. Simultaneously the necessity of working EU politics to deal with the risks of emerging negative attitudes has been pointed out in relation to the broad immigrant and refugee wave to European countries.

Sexual Orientation (For Parents)

Science.gov (United States)

... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Sexual Orientation KidsHealth / For Parents / Sexual Orientation What's in this ... orientation is part of that process. What Is Sexual Orientation? The term sexual orientation refers to the gender ( ...

Redistributive Politics in a Political Union

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Citi, Manuele; Justesen, Mogens Kamp

One of the main functions of centralized budgets in federal and political unions is to act as an equalizing mechanism to support economic cohesion. This is also the case with the European Union’s budget, which operates as a redistributive mechanism that counteracts the cross-national and cross...... remarkably over the last decades. In this paper, we investigate how and why the net fiscal position of each member state towards the rest of the EU changes over time. Using a novel panel dataset (1979-2014), we study how some key national and EU-level political and economic variables affect the EU...... find that the political orientation of national governments does not per se influence redistributive politics with in the EU. However, when the unemployment rate is rising, right-wing governments are able to extract significantly larger budgetary benefits....

Diffraction Contrast Tomography: A Novel 3D Polycrystalline Grain Imaging Technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuettner, Lindsey Ann [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-06-06

Diffraction contrast tomography (DCT) is a non-destructive way of imaging microstructures of polycrystalline materials such as metals or crystalline organics. It is a useful technique to map 3D grain structures as well as providing crystallographic information such as crystal orientation, grain shape, and strain. Understanding the internal microstructure of a material is important in understanding the bulk material properties. This report gives a general overview of the similar techniques, DCT data acquisition, and analysis processes. Following the short literature review, potential work and research at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is discussed.

Subcortical orientation biases explain orientation selectivity of visual cortical cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Vidyasagar, Trichur R; Jayakumar, Jaikishan; Lloyd, Errol; Levichkina, Ekaterina V

2015-04-01

The primary visual cortex of carnivores and primates shows an orderly progression of domains of neurons that are selective to a particular orientation of visual stimuli such as bars and gratings. We recorded from single-thalamic afferent fibers that terminate in these domains to address the issue whether the orientation sensitivity of these fibers could form the basis of the remarkable orientation selectivity exhibited by most cortical cells. We first performed optical imaging of intrinsic signals to obtain a map of orientation domains on the dorsal aspect of the anaesthetized cat's area 17. After confirming using electrophysiological recordings the orientation preferences of single neurons within one or two domains in each animal, we pharmacologically silenced the cortex to leave only the afferent terminals active. The inactivation of cortical neurons was achieved by the superfusion of either kainic acid or muscimol. Responses of single geniculate afferents were then recorded by the use of high impedance electrodes. We found that the orientation preferences of the afferents matched closely with those of the cells in the orientation domains that they terminated in (Pearson's r = 0.633, n = 22, P = 0.002). This suggests a possible subcortical origin for cortical orientation selectivity. © 2015 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American Physiological Society and The Physiological Society.

Water Orientation at Ceramide/Water Interfaces Studied by Heterodyne-Detected Vibrational Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

KAUST Repository

Adhikari, Aniruddha

2016-10-10

Lipid/water interaction is essential for many biological processes. The water structure at the nonionic lipid interface remains little known, and there is no scope of a priori prediction of water orientation at nonionic interfaces, either. Here, we report our study combining advanced nonlinear spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulation on the water orientation at the ceramide/water interface. We measured χ spectrum in the OH stretch region of ceramide/isotopically diluted water interface using heterodyne-detected vibrational sum-frequency generation spectroscopy and found that the interfacial water prefers an overall hydrogen-up orientation. Molecular dynamics simulation indicates that this preferred hydrogen-up orientation of water is determined by a delicate balance between hydrogen-up and hydrogen-down orientation induced by lipid-water and intralipid hydrogen bonds. This mechanism also suggests that water orientation at neutral lipid interfaces depends highly on the chemical structure of the lipid headgroup, in contrast to the charged lipid interfaces where the net water orientation is determined solely by the charge of the lipid headgroup.

Retrieval and sleep both counteract the forgetting of spatial information.

Science.gov (United States)

Antony, James W; Paller, Ken A

2018-06-01

Repeatedly studying information is a good way to strengthen memory storage. Nevertheless, testing recall often produces superior long-term retention. Demonstrations of this testing effect, typically with verbal stimuli, have shown that repeated retrieval through testing reduces forgetting. Sleep also benefits memory storage, perhaps through repeated retrieval as well. That is, memories may generally be subject to forgetting that can be counteracted when memories become reactivated, and there are several types of reactivation: (i) via intentional restudying, (ii) via testing, (iii) without provocation during wake, or (iv) during sleep. We thus measured forgetting for spatial material subjected to repeated study or repeated testing followed by retention intervals with sleep versus wake. Four groups of subjects learned a set of visual object-location associations and either restudied the associations or recalled locations given the objects as cues. We found the advantage for restudied over retested information was greater in the PM than AM group. Additional groups tested at 5-min and 1-wk retention intervals confirmed previous findings of greater relative benefits for restudying in the short-term and for retesting in the long-term. Results overall support the conclusion that repeated reactivation through testing or sleeping stabilizes information against forgetting. © 2018 Antony and Paller; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

The relationships between market orientation and alternative strategic orientations : A meta-analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Grinstein, A.

2008-01-01

Purpose - One of the strongest convictions in marketing is that market orientation contributes to firms' performance substantially more than alternative strategic orientations such as innovation and entrepreneurial orientations. Still, some studies show that alternative orientations can also

Strong orientational coordinates and orientational order parameters for symmetric objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haji-Akbari, Amir; Glotzer, Sharon C

2015-01-01

Recent advancements in the synthesis of anisotropic macromolecules and nanoparticles have spurred an immense interest in theoretical and computational studies of self-assembly. The cornerstone of such studies is the role of shape in self-assembly and in inducing complex order. The problem of identifying different types of order that can emerge in such systems can, however, be challenging. Here, we revisit the problem of quantifying orientational order in systems of building blocks with non-trivial rotational symmetries. We first propose a systematic way of constructing orientational coordinates for such symmetric building blocks. We call the arising tensorial coordinates strong orientational coordinates (SOCs) as they fully and exclusively specify the orientation of a symmetric object. We then use SOCs to describe and quantify local and global orientational order, and spatiotemporal orientational correlations in systems of symmetric building blocks. The SOCs and the orientational order parameters developed in this work are not only useful in performing and analyzing computer simulations of symmetric molecules or particles, but can also be utilized for the efficient storage of rotational information in long trajectories of evolving many-body systems. (paper)

Sexual-orientation differences in drinking patterns and use of drinking contexts among college students.

Science.gov (United States)

Coulter, Robert W S; Marzell, Miesha; Saltz, Robert; Stall, Ron; Mair, Christina

2016-03-01

Evidence suggests there are important sexual-orientation differences in alcohol consumption, particularly among women. Little is known about where gay/lesbian and bisexual college students drink or differences in drinking patterns derived from graduated frequency measures between heterosexual, gay/lesbian, and bisexual students. The goal of this analysis was to examine patterns of alcohol consumption-including drinking prevalence, quantity, frequency, and contexts of use-by sexual orientation. Data on sexual identity, gender, drinking behaviors, and drinking contexts were examined from repeated cross-sectional samples of undergraduate students attending 14 public California universities from 2003-2011 (n=58,903). Multivariable statistical techniques were employed to examine sexual-orientation differences stratified by gender. Gay males, lesbians, and bisexual females were significantly more likely to report drinking alcohol in the current semester than their same-gender heterosexual peers (relative risks ranged from 1.07 to 1.10, p-values sexual-orientation differences in drinking patterns and use of drinking contexts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synovitis assessed on static and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and its association with pain in knee osteoarthritis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riis, Robert Gabriel Coumine; Gudbergsen, Henrik; Henriksen, Marius

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between pain and peripatellar-synovitis on static and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI in knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: In a cross-sectional setting, knee synovitis was assessed using 3-Tesla MRI and correlated with pain using the knee injury and osteoarthr......OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between pain and peripatellar-synovitis on static and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI in knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: In a cross-sectional setting, knee synovitis was assessed using 3-Tesla MRI and correlated with pain using the knee injury...

Sexual orientation modulates endocrine stress reactivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Juster, Robert-Paul; Hatzenbuehler, Mark L; Mendrek, Adrianna; Pfaus, James G; Smith, Nathan Grant; Johnson, Philip Jai; Lefebvre-Louis, Jean-Philippe; Raymond, Catherine; Marin, Marie-France; Sindi, Shireen; Lupien, Sonia J; Pruessner, Jens C

2015-04-01

Biological sex differences and sociocultural gender diversity influence endocrine stress reactivity. Although numerous studies have shown that men typically activate stronger stress responses than women when exposed to laboratory-based psychosocial stressors, it is unclear whether sexual orientation further modulates stress reactivity. Given that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals frequently report heightened distress secondary to stigma-related stressors, we investigated whether cortisol stress reactivity differs between LGB individuals and heterosexual individuals in response to a well-validated psychosocial stressor. The study population comprised 87 healthy adults (mean age, 25 years) who were grouped according to their biological sex and their gendered sexual orientation: lesbian/bisexual women (n = 20), heterosexual women (n = 21), gay/bisexual men (n = 26), and heterosexual men (n = 20). Investigators collected 10 salivary cortisol samples throughout a 2-hour afternoon visit involving exposure to the Trier Social Stress Test modified to maximize between-sex differences. Relative to heterosexual women, lesbian/bisexual women showed higher cortisol stress reactivity 40 min after exposure to the stressor. In contrast, gay/bisexual men displayed lower overall cortisol concentrations throughout testing compared with heterosexual men. Main findings were significant while adjusting for sex hormones (estradiol-to-progesterone ratio in women and testosterone in men), age, self-esteem, and disclosure status (whether LGB participants had completed their "coming out"). Our results provide novel evidence for gender-based modulation of cortisol stress reactivity based on sexual orientation that goes beyond well-established between-sex differences. This study raises several important avenues for future research related to the physiologic functioning of LGB populations and gender diversity more broadly. Copyright © 2015 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published

Sexual Orientation Modulates Endocrine Stress Reactivity

Science.gov (United States)

Juster, Robert-Paul; Hatzenbuehler, Mark L.; Mendrek, Adrianna; Pfaus, James G.; Smith, Nathan Grant; Johnson, Philip Jai; Lefebvre-Louis, Jean-Philippe; Raymond, Catherine; Marin, Marie-France; Sindi, Shireen; Lupien, Sonia J.; Pruessner, Jens C.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND Biological sex differences and sociocultural gender diversity influence endocrine stress reactivity. Although numerous studies have shown that men typically activate stronger stress responses than women when exposed to laboratory-based psychosocial stressors, it is unclear whether sexual orientation further modulates stress reactivity. Given that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals frequently report heightened distress secondary to stigma-related stressors, we investigated whether cortisol stress reactivity differs between LGB individuals and heterosexual individuals in response to a well-validated psychosocial stressor. METHODS The study population comprised 87 healthy adults (mean age, 25 years) who were grouped according to their biological sex and their gendered sexual orientation: lesbian/bisexual women (n = 20), heterosexual women (n = 21), gay/bisexual men (n = 26), and heterosexual men (n = 20). Investigators collected 10 salivary cortisol samples throughout a 2-hour afternoon visit involving exposure to the Trier Social Stress Test modified to maximize between-sex differences. RESULTS Relative to heterosexual women, lesbian/bisexual women showed higher cortisol stress reactivity 40 min after exposure to the stressor. In contrast, gay/bisexual men displayed lower overall cortisol concentrations throughout testing compared with heterosexual men. Main findings were significant while adjusting for sex hormones (estradiol-to-progesterone ratio in women and testosterone in men), age, self-esteem, and disclosure status (whether LGB participants had completed their “coming out”). CONCLUSIONS Our results provide novel evidence for gender-based modulation of cortisol stress reactivity based on sexual orientation that goes beyond well-established between-sex differences. This study raises several important avenues for future research related to the physiologic functioning of LGB populations and gender diversity more broadly. PMID:25444167

The Eyes Have It: Sex and Sexual Orientation Differences in Pupil Dilation Patterns

Science.gov (United States)

Rieger, Gerulf; Savin-Williams, Ritch C.

2012-01-01

Recent research suggests profound sex and sexual orientation differences in sexual response. These results, however, are based on measures of genital arousal, which have potential limitations such as volunteer bias and differential measures for the sexes. The present study introduces a measure less affected by these limitations. We assessed the pupil dilation of 325 men and women of various sexual orientations to male and female erotic stimuli. Results supported hypotheses. In general, self-reported sexual orientation corresponded with pupil dilation to men and women. Among men, substantial dilation to both sexes was most common in bisexual-identified men. In contrast, among women, substantial dilation to both sexes was most common in heterosexual-identified women. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed. Because the measure of pupil dilation is less invasive than previous measures of sexual response, it allows for studying diverse age and cultural populations, usually not included in sexuality research. PMID:22870196

A cross-culture, cross-gender comparison of perspective taking mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Kessler, Klaus; Cao, Liyu; O'Shea, Kieran J; Wang, Hongfang

2014-06-22

Being able to judge another person's visuo-spatial perspective is an essential social skill, hence we investigated the generalizability of the involved mechanisms across cultures and genders. Developmental, cross-species, and our own previous research suggest that two different forms of perspective taking can be distinguished, which are subserved by two distinct mechanisms. The simpler form relies on inferring another's line-of-sight, whereas the more complex form depends on embodied transformation into the other's orientation in form of a simulated body rotation. Our current results suggest that, in principle, the same basic mechanisms are employed by males and females in both, East-Asian (EA; Chinese) and Western culture. However, we also confirmed the hypothesis that Westerners show an egocentric bias, whereas EAs reveal an other-oriented bias. Furthermore, Westerners were slower overall than EAs and showed stronger gender differences in speed and depth of embodied processing. Our findings substantiate differences and communalities in social cognition mechanisms across genders and two cultures and suggest that cultural evolution or transmission should take gender as a modulating variable into account.

The Service Orientation and Employee’s Customer Orientation in Public Services Organizations

OpenAIRE

Andrada Iacob

2015-01-01

This paper explores the relationships between service orientation and employees’ customer orientation in public services organizations. First, we will review the relevant literature on service orientation and employee’s customer orientation. Based on this theory, the research hypothesis is formulated. The research results will be followed by conclusions, limitations and future directions. At the construct level, we found positive direct relationships between service orientation and employees’...

Myelography in the dog with non-ionic contrast media at different iodine concentrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fatone, G.; Lamagna, F.; Pasolini, M.P.; Potena, A.; Brunetti, A.

1997-01-01

Image quality and side effects were evaluated retrospectively in a series of 183 myelographic studies performed with two non-ionic contrast media (iohexol and iopamidol) at different concentrations. Side effects during and following the procedure were recorded. Image quality was assessed using an arbitrary scoring system and statistical analysis was performed with the cross-tabulation test (4 times 2 table) by comparing two groups receiving contrast medium at higher and lower concentrations. No significant differences in side effects were observed between the two groups but the ratings for image quality were significantly higher in the group receiving contrast medium at the higher concentration than in the group receiving the lower concentration. The results suggest that a high concentration of non-ionic contrast media can safely be used in dogs and may improve image quality

Towards aspect-oriented functional–structural plant modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Cieslak, Mikolaj; Seleznyova, Alla N.; Prusinkiewicz, Przemyslaw; Hanan, Jim

2011-01-01

Background and Aims Functional–structural plant models (FSPMs) are used to integrate knowledge and test hypotheses of plant behaviour, and to aid in the development of decision support systems. A significant amount of effort is being put into providing a sound methodology for building them. Standard techniques, such as procedural or object-oriented programming, are not suited for clearly separating aspects of plant function that criss-cross between different components of plant structure, which makes it difficult to reuse and share their implementations. The aim of this paper is to present an aspect-oriented programming approach that helps to overcome this difficulty. Methods The L-system-based plant modelling language L+C was used to develop an aspect-oriented approach to plant modelling based on multi-modules. Each element of the plant structure was represented by a sequence of L-system modules (rather than a single module), with each module representing an aspect of the element's function. Separate sets of productions were used for modelling each aspect, with context-sensitive rules facilitated by local lists of modules to consider/ignore. Aspect weaving or communication between aspects was made possible through the use of pseudo-L-systems, where the strict-predecessor of a production rule was specified as a multi-module. Key Results The new approach was used to integrate previously modelled aspects of carbon dynamics, apical dominance and biomechanics with a model of a developing kiwifruit shoot. These aspects were specified independently and their implementation was based on source code provided by the original authors without major changes. Conclusions This new aspect-oriented approach to plant modelling is well suited for studying complex phenomena in plant science, because it can be used to integrate separate models of individual aspects of plant development and function, both previously constructed and new, into clearly organized, comprehensive FSPMs. In

Towards aspect-oriented functional--structural plant modelling.

Science.gov (United States)

Cieslak, Mikolaj; Seleznyova, Alla N; Prusinkiewicz, Przemyslaw; Hanan, Jim

2011-10-01

Functional-structural plant models (FSPMs) are used to integrate knowledge and test hypotheses of plant behaviour, and to aid in the development of decision support systems. A significant amount of effort is being put into providing a sound methodology for building them. Standard techniques, such as procedural or object-oriented programming, are not suited for clearly separating aspects of plant function that criss-cross between different components of plant structure, which makes it difficult to reuse and share their implementations. The aim of this paper is to present an aspect-oriented programming approach that helps to overcome this difficulty. The L-system-based plant modelling language L+C was used to develop an aspect-oriented approach to plant modelling based on multi-modules. Each element of the plant structure was represented by a sequence of L-system modules (rather than a single module), with each module representing an aspect of the element's function. Separate sets of productions were used for modelling each aspect, with context-sensitive rules facilitated by local lists of modules to consider/ignore. Aspect weaving or communication between aspects was made possible through the use of pseudo-L-systems, where the strict-predecessor of a production rule was specified as a multi-module. The new approach was used to integrate previously modelled aspects of carbon dynamics, apical dominance and biomechanics with a model of a developing kiwifruit shoot. These aspects were specified independently and their implementation was based on source code provided by the original authors without major changes. This new aspect-oriented approach to plant modelling is well suited for studying complex phenomena in plant science, because it can be used to integrate separate models of individual aspects of plant development and function, both previously constructed and new, into clearly organized, comprehensive FSPMs. In a future work, this approach could be further

Sexual Orientation-Related Differences in Virtual Spatial Navigation and Spatial Search Strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Qazi; Sharp, Jonathan; McVeigh, Meadhbh; Ho, Man-Ling

2017-07-01

Spatial abilities are generally hypothesized to differ between men and women, and people with different sexual orientations. According to the cross-sex shift hypothesis, gay men are hypothesized to perform in the direction of heterosexual women and lesbian women in the direction of heterosexual men on cognitive tests. This study investigated sexual orientation differences in spatial navigation and strategy during a virtual Morris water maze task (VMWM). Forty-four heterosexual men, 43 heterosexual women, 39 gay men, and 34 lesbian/bisexual women (aged 18-54 years) navigated a desktop VMWM and completed measures of intelligence, handedness, and childhood gender nonconformity (CGN). We quantified spatial learning (hidden platform trials), probe trial performance, and cued navigation (visible platform trials). Spatial strategies during hidden and probe trials were classified into visual scanning, landmark use, thigmotaxis/circling, and enfilading. In general, heterosexual men scored better than women and gay men on some spatial learning and probe trial measures and used more visual scan strategies. However, some differences disappeared after controlling for age and estimated IQ (e.g., in visual scanning heterosexual men differed from women but not gay men). Heterosexual women did not differ from lesbian/bisexual women. For both sexes, visual scanning predicted probe trial performance. More feminine CGN scores were associated with lower performance among men and greater performance among women on specific spatial learning or probe trial measures. These results provide mixed evidence for the cross-sex shift hypothesis of sexual orientation-related differences in spatial cognition.

Three-dimensional grain mapping by x-ray diffraction contrast tomography and the use of Friedel pairs in diffraction data analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ludwig, W.; Reischig, P.; King, A.

2009-01-01

X-ray diffraction contrast tomography (DCT) is a technique for mapping grain shape and orientation in plastically undeformed polycrystals. In this paper, we describe a modified DCT data acquisition strategy which permits the incorporation of an innovative Friedel pair method for analyzing...

Counteracting ammonia inhibition during anaerobic digestion by recovery using submersible microbial desalination cell

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Yifeng; Angelidaki, Irini

2015-01-01

Ammonia inhibition is one of the most frequent and serious problems in biogas plants. In this study, a novel hybrid system consisting of a submersible microbial desalination cell (SMDC) and a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) was developed for counteracting ammonia inhibition during anaerobic...... digestion (AD) with simultaneous in situ ammonia recovery and electricity production. The SMDC was powered by acetate in a buffer solution, while synthetic ammonia-rich wastewater was used as the feeding of the CSTR. Under continuous operation, ammonia recovery rate of 86 g-N/m2 /day and current density...... of 4.33 A/m2 were achieved at steady-state condition. As a result, 112% extra biogas was produced due to ammonia recovery by the SMDC. High-throughput sequencing showed that ammonia recovery had an impact on the microbial community structures in the SMDC and CSTR. Considering the additional economic...

Differentiation of grain orientation with corrosive and colour etching on a granular bainitic steel.

Science.gov (United States)

Reisinger, S; Ressel, G; Eck, S; Marsoner, S

2017-08-01

This study presents a detailed verification of the etching methods with Nital and Klemm on a granular bainitic steel. It is shown that both methods allow the identification of the crystal orientation, whereas Klemm etching enables also a quantification of the apparent phases, as also retained austenite can be distinguished from the other bainitic microstructures. A combination of atom probe tomography with electron-back-scattered-diffraction showed that both etching methods emphasize the bainitic {100} crystal orientation. However, a cross-section produced by focused ion beam evidenced that Klemm etching leads to the formation of a topography of the different oriented bainitic crystals that directly affects the thickness and therefore the apparent colour of the deposited layer formed during etching. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of angular cross correlations studied by light scattering from two-dimensional microsphere films

Science.gov (United States)

Schroer, M. A.; Gutt, C.; Grübel, G.

2014-07-01

Recently the analysis of scattering patterns by angular cross-correlation analysis (CCA) was introduced to reveal the orientational order in disordered samples with special focus to future applications on x-ray free-electron laser facilities. We apply this CCA approach to ultra-small-angle light-scattering data obtained from two-dimensional monolayers of microspheres. The films were studied in addition by optical microscopy. This combined approach allows to calculate the cross-correlations of the scattering patterns, characterized by the orientational correlation function Ψl(q), as well as to obtain the real-space structure of the monolayers. We show that CCA is sensitive to the orientational order of monolayers formed by the microspheres which are not directly visible from the scattering patterns. By mixing microspheres of different radii the sizes of ordered monolayer domains is reduced. For these samples it is shown that Ψl(q) quantitatively describes the degree of hexagonal order of the two-dimensional films. The experimental CCA results are compared with calculations based on the microscopy images. Both techniques show qualitatively similar features. Differences can be attributed to the wave-front distortion of the laser beam in the experiment. This effect is discussed by investigating the effect of different wave fronts on the cross-correlation analysis results. The so-determined characteristics of the cross-correlation analysis will be also relevant for future x-ray-based studies.

The orientation of the mineral crystals in the radius and tibia of the sheep, and its variation with age.

Science.gov (United States)

Bacon, G E; Goodship, A E

1991-01-01

The direction of preferred orientation of the hydroxyapatite crystals in both the tibia and radius of the sheep is close to the long axis of the bone, notwithstanding the angle of about 30 degrees which, for the tibia, exists between the long axis and the direction of principal dynamic strain during locomotion. For both bones the orientation of the cranial cortex, which is a tension surface during locomotion, is about 40% larger than the caudal. The variation with age of the magnitude of the preferred orientation for the sheep bones is contrasted with what has been reported earlier for the human femur. Notably, for the sheep, both bones show substantial orientation at birth--having increased steadily during gestation--so that the animal is able to stand and walk at the outset. PMID:1817133

Recovery-oriented services for individuals with mental illness and case managers' experience of professional burnout.

Science.gov (United States)

Kraus, Shane W; Stein, Catherine H

2013-02-01

Present cross-sectional study examined perceptions of recovery-oriented services and reports of professional burnout and job satisfaction in a sample of 114 case managers working in community mental health centers across Ohio. The research examined the relative contribution of demographic characteristics, the structure of case management services, and case managers' beliefs about recovery-oriented services in describing their reports of professional burnout and job satisfaction. Regardless of individual characteristics of case managers and reports of the structure of their jobs, case managers who perceived their agency to offer higher levels of recovery-oriented services also reported lower levels of depersonalization and emotional exhaustion at work, and higher levels of professional accomplishment and job satisfaction. Directions for future research in the area are discussed.

Prediction of particle orientation in simple upsetting process of NdFeB magnets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Chao-Cheng; Hsiao, Po-Jen [Department of Mold and Die Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, 415 Chien-Kung Road, Sanmin District, Kaohsiung 80778, Taiwan (China); You, Jr-Shiang; Chen, Yen-Ju; Chang, Can-Xun [Metal Forming Technology Section, Metal Processing R and D Department, Metal Industries Research and Development Centre, 1001 Kaonan Highway, Kaohsiung 81160, Taiwan (China)

2013-12-16

The magnetic properties of NdFeB magnets are strongly affected by crystallographic texture which is highly associated with particle orientation. This study proposed a method for predicting the particle orientation in the simple upsetting process of NdFeB magnets. The method is based on finite element simulation with flow net analysis. The magnets in a cylindrical form were compressed by two flat dies in a chamber filled with argon at 750°C. Three forming speeds were taken into account in order to obtain flow stress curves used in simulations. The micrographs of the cross sections of the deformed magnets show that the particle deformation significantly increases with the compression. The phenomenon was also predicted by the proposed method. Both simulated and experimental results show that the inhomogeneity of the texture of the NdFeB magnets can be increased by the simple upsetting process. The predicted particle orientations were in a good agreement with those examined in the deformed magnets. The proposed method for predicting particle orientations can also be used in other forming processes of NdFeB magnets.

Prediction of particle orientation in simple upsetting process of NdFeB magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Chao-Cheng; Hsiao, Po-Jen; You, Jr-Shiang; Chen, Yen-Ju; Chang, Can-Xun

2013-01-01

The magnetic properties of NdFeB magnets are strongly affected by crystallographic texture which is highly associated with particle orientation. This study proposed a method for predicting the particle orientation in the simple upsetting process of NdFeB magnets. The method is based on finite element simulation with flow net analysis. The magnets in a cylindrical form were compressed by two flat dies in a chamber filled with argon at 750°C. Three forming speeds were taken into account in order to obtain flow stress curves used in simulations. The micrographs of the cross sections of the deformed magnets show that the particle deformation significantly increases with the compression. The phenomenon was also predicted by the proposed method. Both simulated and experimental results show that the inhomogeneity of the texture of the NdFeB magnets can be increased by the simple upsetting process. The predicted particle orientations were in a good agreement with those examined in the deformed magnets. The proposed method for predicting particle orientations can also be used in other forming processes of NdFeB magnets

Reduced-Contrast Approximations for High-Contrast Multiscale Flow Problems

KAUST Repository

Chung, Eric T.; Efendiev, Yalchin

2010-01-01

In this paper, we study multiscale methods for high-contrast elliptic problems where the media properties change dramatically. The disparity in the media properties (also referred to as high contrast in the paper) introduces an additional scale that needs to be resolved in multiscale simulations. First, we present a construction that uses an integral equation to represent the highcontrast component of the solution. This representation involves solving an integral equation along the interface where the coefficients are discontinuous. The integral representation suggests some multiscale approaches that are discussed in the paper. One of these approaches entails the use of interface functions in addition to multiscale basis functions representing the heterogeneities without high contrast. In this paper, we propose an approximation for the solution of the integral equation using the interface problems in reduced-contrast media. Reduced-contrast media are obtained by lowering the variance of the coefficients. We also propose a similar approach for the solution of the elliptic equation without using an integral representation. This approach is simpler to use in the computations because it does not involve setting up integral equations. The main idea of this approach is to approximate the solution of the high-contrast problem by the solutions of the problems formulated in reduced-contrast media. In this approach, a rapidly converging sequence is proposed where only problems with lower contrast are solved. It was shown that this sequence possesses the convergence rate that is inversely proportional to the reduced contrast. This approximation allows choosing the reduced-contrast problem based on the coarse-mesh size as discussed in this paper. We present a simple application of this approach to homogenization of elliptic equations with high-contrast coefficients. The presented approaches are limited to the cases where there are sharp changes in the contrast (i.e., the high

Time-sequential observation of spindle and phragmoplast orientation in BY-2 cells with altered cortical actin microfilament patterning.

Science.gov (United States)

Kojo, Kei H; Yasuhara, Hiroki; Hasezawa, Seiichiro

2014-01-01

Precise division plane determination is essential for plant development. At metaphase, a dense actin microfilament meshwork appears on both sides of the cell center, forming a characteristic cortical actin microfilament twin peak pattern in BY-2 cells. We previously reported a strong correlation between altered cortical actin microfilament patterning and an oblique mitotic spindle orientation, implying that these actin microfilament twin peaks play a role in the regulation of mitotic spindle orientation. In the present study, time-sequential observation was used to reveal the progression from oblique phragmoplast to oblique cell plate orientation in cells with altered cortical actin microfilament patterning. In contrast to cells with normal actin microfilament twin peaks, oblique phragmoplast reorientation was rarely observed in cells with altered cortical actin microfilament patterning. These results support the important roles of cortical actin microfilament patterning in division plane orientation.

BPMN4SOA : A service oriented process modelling language

OpenAIRE

Bergstøl, Eivind

2010-01-01

Service oriented architectures have become very popular the last few years. The abstraction of computer systems into a service paradigm bring many new solutions, both for cross business processes to aid interoperability and the reuse of existing legacy systems in a new network centric world. In the wake of this, service modelling has become a part of OMGs Model Driven Architecture and new modelling languages that are based on past experience for the new paradigm are emerging. BPMN 2.0 and...

German Orientalism

OpenAIRE

Margaret Olin

2011-01-01

Review of: Suzanne L. Marchand, German Orientalism in the Age of Empire: Religion, Race and Scholarship, Cambridge and Washington, D.C.: Cambridge University Press, 2009. This analysis of Suzanne L. Marchand’s German Orientalism in the Age of Empire: Religion, Race and Scholarship reads her contribution in part against the background of Edward Said’s path breaking book Orientalism. Differences lie in her more expansive understanding of the term ‘Oriental’ to include the Far East and her conce...

A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Anxiety among College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Baloglu, Mustafa; Abbasi, Amir; Masten, William G.

2007-01-01

A number of studies have continued to investigate cross-cultural differences in anxiety. However, the cross-national research on anxiety is still far less advanced than other psychological constructs such as schizophrenia or depression. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to compare and contrast the levels of anxiety experienced by …

An anatomically oriented breast coordinate system for mammogram analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brandt, Sami; Karemore, Gopal; Karssemeijer, Nico

2011-01-01

and the shape of the breast boundary because these are the most robust features independent of the breast size and shape. On the basis of these landmarks, we have constructed a nonlinear mapping between the parameter frame and the breast region in the mammogram. This mapping makes it possible to identify...... the corresponding positions and orientations among all of the ML or MLO mammograms, which facilitates an implicit use of the registration, i.e., no explicit image warping is needed. We additionally show how the coordinate transform can be used to extract Gaussian derivative features so that the feature positions...... and orientations are registered and extracted without non-linearly deforming the images. We use the proposed breast coordinate transform in a cross-sectional breast cancer risk assessment study of 490 women, in which we attempt to learn breast cancer risk factors from mammograms that were taken prior to when...

Biomedical Research and the Animal Rights Movement: A Contrast in Values.

Science.gov (United States)

Morrison, Adrian R.

1993-01-01

This article explains how animals are used in research in an effort to counteract animal rights literature. Reveals how medical professionals and others trained in scholarship have misquoted the scientific literature to bolster their claims against the utility of animal research. (PR)

Principles of electron backscattering by solids and thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niedrig, H.

1977-01-01

The parameters concerning the electron backscattering from thin films and solids (atomic scattering cross-section, atomic number, single/multiple scattering, film thickness of self-supporting films and of surface films on bulk substrates, scattering angular distribution, angle of incidence, diffraction effects) are described. Their influence on some important contrast mechanisms in scanning electron microscopy (thickness contrast, Z/material contrast, tilting/topography contrast, orientation contrast) is discussed. The main backscattering electron detection systems are briefly described. (orig.) [de

Clomipramine counteracts lipid raft disturbance due to short-term muscle disuse.

Science.gov (United States)

Bryndina, Irina G; Shalagina, Maria N; Sekunov, Alexey V; Zefirov, Andrei L; Petrov, Alexey M

2018-01-18

Disuse-induced skeletal muscle dysfunction is a serious consequence of long-term spaceflight, numerous diseases and conditions for which treatment possibilities are still strictly limited. We have previously shown that acute hindlimb suspension (HS)-mediated disuse disrupts membrane lipid rafts in the unloaded muscle. Here, we investigated whether pretreatment of rats with the inhibitor of acid sphingomyelinase, clomipramine (1.25mg/g/day, intramuscularly, for 5days before HS), is able to hinder the loss in lipid raft integrity in response to 12h of HS. Clomipramine pretreatment significantly counteracted the decrease in labeling of the plasma membranes with lipid raft markers (fluorescent cholera toxin B subunit and bodipy-GM1-ganglioside) specifically in the junctional regions of the suspended soleus muscle. This was associated with: a) enhancing raft disrupting potential of exogenous sphingomyelinase in the junctional membranes; b) prevention of both ceramide accumulation and cholesterol loss; c) prevention of decline in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor labeling in the unloaded muscle. Our data suggest that sphingomyelinase-mediated raft disturbance serves as one of the earlier events in HS effects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A contrast-oriented algorithm for FDG-PET-based delineation of tumour volumes for the radiotherapy of lung cancer: derivation from phantom measurements and validation in patient data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schaefer, Andrea; Hellwig, Dirk; Kirsch, Carl-Martin; Nestle, Ursula [Saarland University Medical Center, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Homburg (Germany); Kremp, Stephanie; Ruebe, Christian [Saarland University Medical Center, Department of Radiotherapy, Homburg (Germany)

2008-11-15

An easily applicable algorithm for the FDG-PET-based delineation of tumour volumes for the radiotherapy of lung cancer was developed by phantom measurements and validated in patient data. PET scans were performed (ECAT-ART tomograph) on two cylindrical phantoms (phan1, phan2) containing glass spheres of different volumes (7.4-258 ml) which were filled with identical FDG concentrations. Gradually increasing the activity of the fillable background, signal-to-background ratios from 33:1 to 2.5:1 were realised. The mean standardised uptake value (SUV) of the region-of-interest (ROI) surrounded by a 70% isocontour (mSUV{sub 70}) was used to represent the FDG accumulation of each sphere (or tumour). Image contrast was defined as: C=(mSUV{sub 70}-BG)/BG wehre BG is the mean background - SUV. For the spheres of phan1, the threshold SUVs (TS) best matching the known sphere volumes were determined. A regression function representing the relationship between TS/(mSUV{sub 70}-BG) and C was calculated and used for delineation of the spheres in phan2 and the gross tumour volumes (GTVs) of eight primary lung tumours. These GTVs were compared to those defined using CT. The relationship between TS/(mSUV{sub 70}-BG) and C is best described by an inverse regression function which can be converted to the linear relationship TS=a x mSUV{sub 70}+b x BG. Using this algorithm, the volumes delineated in phan2 differed by only -0.4 to +0.7 mm in radius from the true ones, whilst the PET-GTVs differed by only -0.7 to +1.2 mm compared with the values determined by CT. By the contrast-oriented algorithm presented in this study, a PET-based delineation of GTVs for primary tumours of lung cancer patients is feasible. (orig.)

Cross-Cultural Evaluation of Antonovsky's Orientation to Life Questionnaire: Comparison Between Australian, Finnish, and Turkish Young Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Lajunen, Timo

2018-01-01

Antonovsky's concept "sense of coherence" (SOC) and the related measurement instrument "The Orientation to Life Questionnaire" (OLQ) has been widely applied in studies on health and well-being. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the cultural differences in factor structures and psychometric properties as well as mean scores of the 13-item form of Antonovsky's OLQ among Australian (n = 201), Finnish (n = 203), and Turkish (n = 152) students. Three models of factor structure were studied by using confirmatory factor analysis: single-factor model, first-order correlated-three-factor model, and the second-order three-factor model. Results obtained in all three countries suggest that the first- and second-order three-factor models fitted the data better that the single-factor model. Hence, the OLQ scoring based on comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness scales was supported. Scale reliabilities and inter-correlations were in line with those reported in earlier studies. Two-way analyses of variance (gender × nationality) with age as a covariate showed no cultural differences in SOC scale scores. Women got higher scores on the meaningfulness scale than men, and age was positively related to all SOC scale scores indicating that SOC increases in early adulthood. The results support the three-factor model of OLQ which thus should be used in Australia, Finland, and Turkey instead of a single-factor model. Need for cross-cultural studies taking into account cultural correlates of SOC and its relation to health and well-being indicators as well as studies on gender differences in the OLQ are emphasized.

Independent sources of anisotropy in visual orientation representation: a visual and a cognitive oblique effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Balikou, Panagiota; Gourtzelidis, Pavlos; Mantas, Asimakis; Moutoussis, Konstantinos; Evdokimidis, Ioannis; Smyrnis, Nikolaos

2015-11-01

The representation of visual orientation is more accurate for cardinal orientations compared to oblique, and this anisotropy has been hypothesized to reflect a low-level visual process (visual, "class 1" oblique effect). The reproduction of directional and orientation information also leads to a mean error away from cardinal orientations or directions. This anisotropy has been hypothesized to reflect a high-level cognitive process of space categorization (cognitive, "class 2," oblique effect). This space categorization process would be more prominent when the visual representation of orientation degrades such as in the case of working memory with increasing cognitive load, leading to increasing magnitude of the "class 2" oblique effect, while the "class 1" oblique effect would remain unchanged. Two experiments were performed in which an array of orientation stimuli (1-4 items) was presented and then subjects had to realign a probe stimulus within the previously presented array. In the first experiment, the delay between stimulus presentation and probe varied, while in the second experiment, the stimulus presentation time varied. The variable error was larger for oblique compared to cardinal orientations in both experiments reproducing the visual "class 1" oblique effect. The mean error also reproduced the tendency away from cardinal and toward the oblique orientations in both experiments (cognitive "class 2" oblique effect). The accuracy or the reproduced orientation degraded (increasing variable error) and the cognitive "class 2" oblique effect increased with increasing memory load (number of items) in both experiments and presentation time in the second experiment. In contrast, the visual "class 1" oblique effect was not significantly modulated by any one of these experimental factors. These results confirmed the theoretical predictions for the two anisotropies in visual orientation reproduction and provided support for models proposing the categorization of

Polarization contrast in reflection near-field optical microscopy with uncoated fibre tips

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bozhevolnyi, Sergey I.; Langbein, Wolfgang; Hvam, Jørn Märcher

1999-01-01

Using cross-hatched, patterned semiconductor surfaces and round 20-nm-thick gold pads on semiconductor wafers, we investigate the imaging characteristics of a reflection near-field optical microscope with an uncoated fibre tip for different polarization configurations and light wavelengths....... Is is shown that cross-polarized detection allows one to effectively suppress far-field components in the detected signal and to realise imaging of optical contrast on the sub-wavelength scale. The sensitivity window of our microscope, i.e. the scale on which near-field optical images represent mainly optical...

Radiographic contrast media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golman, K.; Holtz, E.; Almen, T.

1987-01-01

Contrast media are used in diagnostic radiology to enhance the X-ray attenuation between a body structure of interest and the surrounding tissue. A detail becomes perceptible on a roentgenogram only when its contrast exceeds a minimum value in relation to the background. Small areas of interest must have higher contrast than the background. The contrast effect depends on concentration of the contrast media with the body. A high contrast media concentration difference thus gives rise to more morphological details in the radiographs. Contrast media can be divided into negative contrast media such as air and gas which attenuate X-rays less than the body tissues, and positive contrast materials which attenuate X-rays more than the body tissues. The positive contrast media all contain either iodine (atomic number 53) or barium (atomic number 56) and can be divided into water-insoluble and water-soluble contrast media

Colour differences in Caucasian and Oriental women's faces illuminated by white LED sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Melgosa, M; Richard, N; Fernández-Maloigne, C; Xiao, K; de Clermont-Gallerande, H; Jost-Boissard, S; Okajima, K

2018-04-10

To provide an approach to facial contrast, analysing CIELAB colour differences (ΔE* ab,10 ) and its components in women's faces from two different ethnic groups, illuminated by modern white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or traditional illuminants recommended by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE). We performed spectrophotometric measurements of spectral reflectance factors on forehead and cheek of 87 young healthy women (50 Caucasians and 37 Orientals), plus 5 commercial red lipsticks. We considered a set of 10 white LED illuminants, representative of technologies currently available on the market, plus 8 main illuminants currently recommended by the CIE, representative of conventional incandescent, daylight, and fluorescent light sources. Under each of these 18 illuminants we analysed the magnitude and components of ΔE* ab,10 between Caucasian and Oriental women (considering cheek and forehead), as well as for cheek-forehead and cheek-lipsticks in Caucasian and Oriental women. Colour-inconstancy indices for cheek, forehead, and lipsticks were computed, assuming D65 and A as reference illuminants. ΔE* ab,10 between forehead and cheek were quantitatively and qualitatively different in Orientals and Caucasians, but discrepancies with respect to average values for 18 illuminants were small (1.5% and 5.0% for Orientals and Caucasians, respectively). ΔE* ab,10 between Caucasians and Orientals were also quantitatively and qualitatively different both for forehead and cheek, and discrepancies with respect to average values were again small (1.0% and 3.9% for forehead and cheek, respectively). ΔE* ab,10 between lipsticks and cheek were at least 2 times higher than those between forehead and cheek. Regarding ΔE* ab,10 between lipsticks and cheeks, discrepancies with respect to average values were in the range 1.5% - 12.3%, although higher values of up to 54.2% were found for a white RGB LED. This white RGB LED provided the highest average colour

Automatic orientation and 3D modelling from markerless rock art imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Lerma, J. L.; Navarro, S.; Cabrelles, M.; Seguí, A. E.; Hernández, D.

2013-02-01

This paper investigates the use of two detectors and descriptors on image pyramids for automatic image orientation and generation of 3D models. The detectors and descriptors replace manual measurements and are used to detect, extract and match features across multiple imagery. The Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) and the Speeded Up Robust Features (SURF) will be assessed based on speed, number of features, matched features, and precision in image and object space depending on the adopted hierarchical matching scheme. The influence of applying in addition Area Based Matching (ABM) with normalised cross-correlation (NCC) and least squares matching (LSM) is also investigated. The pipeline makes use of photogrammetric and computer vision algorithms aiming minimum interaction and maximum accuracy from a calibrated camera. Both the exterior orientation parameters and the 3D coordinates in object space are sequentially estimated combining relative orientation, single space resection and bundle adjustment. The fully automatic image-based pipeline presented herein to automate the image orientation step of a sequence of terrestrial markerless imagery is compared with manual bundle block adjustment and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) which serves as ground truth. The benefits of applying ABM after FBM will be assessed both in image and object space for the 3D modelling of a complex rock art shelter.

Applications of the rotating orientation XRD method to oriented materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Zhenqi; Li Fei; Jin Li; Bai Yu

2009-01-01

The rotating orientation x-ray diffraction (RO-XRD) method, based on conventional XRD instruments by a modification of the sample stage, was introduced to investigate the orientation-related issues of such materials. In this paper, we show its applications including the determination of single crystal orientation, assistance in crystal cutting and evaluation of crystal quality. The interpretation of scanning patterns by RO-XRD on polycrystals with large grains, bulk material with several grains and oriented thin film is also presented. These results will hopefully expand the applications of the RO-XRD method and also benefit the conventional XRD techniques. (fast track communication)

Midwifery and nursing students' communication skills and life orientation: correlation with stress coping approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozdemir, Gülsün; Kaya, Hatice

2013-06-01

Methods learnt by nursing and midwifery students' such as communication skills, optimisim and coping with stress would be used in their profeesional life. It is very important to promote their positive thinking and communication skills to raise coping with stress. This cross sectional study was performed to examine the nursing and midwifery students' communication skills and optimistic life orientation and its correlation with coping strategies with stress. The study population included 2572 students who were studying in departments of nursing and midwifery in Istanbul. The sample was included 1419 students. Three questionnaires including Communication Skills Test, Life Orientation Test and Ways of Coping Inventory were used for data collection. The data were evaluated by calculating frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation and Pearson correlation coefficient. Students' total mean score from the Communication Skills Scale was 165.27 ± 15.39 and for the Life Orientation Test was 18.51 ± 4.54. There was a positive correlation between their Life Orientation scores and the scores for self confidence (r = 0.34, P students in optimistic life orientation and communication skills increased self confidence approach, optimistic, and social support seeking scores increased, whereas helpless, and submissive scores decreased.

Understanding political market orientation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ormrod, Robert P.; Henneberg, Stephan C.

influences of such behavior. The study includes structural equation modeling to investigate several propositions. While the results show that political parties need to focus on several different aspects of market-oriented behavior, especially using an internal and external orientation as cultural antecedents......This article develops a conceptual framework and measurement model of political market orientation that consists of attitudinal and behavioural constructs. The article reports on perceived relationships among different behavioral aspects of political market orientation and the attitudinal......, a more surprising result is the inconclusive effect of a voter orientation on market-oriented behaviours. The article discusses the findings in the context of the existing literature in political marketing and commercial market orientation....

MODELS AND METHODS OF SAFETY-ORIENTED PROJECT MANAGEMENT OF DEVELOPMENT OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS: METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Олег Богданович ЗАЧКО

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The methods and models of safety-oriented project management of the development of complex systems are proposed resulting from the convergence of existing approaches in project management in contrast to the mechanism of value-oriented management. A cognitive model of safety oriented project management of the development of complex systems is developed, which provides a synergistic effect that is to move the system from the original (pre condition in an optimal one from the viewpoint of life safety - post-project state. The approach of assessment the project complexity is proposed, which consists in taking into account the seasonal component of a time characteristic of life cycles of complex organizational and technical systems with occupancy. This enabled to take into account the seasonal component in simulation models of life cycle of the product operation in complex organizational and technical system, modeling the critical points of operation of systems with occupancy, which forms a new methodology for safety-oriented management of projects, programs and portfolios of projects with the formalization of the elements of complexity.

Individualized volume CT dose index determined by cross-sectional area and mean density of the body to achieve uniform image noise of contrast-enhanced pediatric chest CT obtained at variable kV levels and with combined tube current modulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goo, Hyun Woo [University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2011-07-15

A practical body-size adaptive protocol providing uniform image noise at various kV levels is not available for pediatric CT. To develop a practical contrast-enhanced pediatric chest CT protocol providing uniform image noise by using an individualized volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) determined by the cross-sectional area and density of the body at variable kV levels and with combined tube current modulation. A total of 137 patients (mean age, 7.6 years) underwent contrast-enhanced pediatric chest CT based on body weight. From the CTDIvol, image noise, and area and mean density of the cross-section at the lung base in the weight-based group, the best fit equation was estimated with a very high correlation coefficient ({gamma}{sup 2} = 0.86, P < 0.001). For the next study, 177 patients (mean age, 7.9 years; the CTDIvol group) underwent contrast-enhanced pediatric chest CT with the CTDIvol determined individually by the best fit equation. CTDIvol values on the dose report after CT scanning, noise differences from the target noise, areas, and mean densities were compared between these two groups. The CTDIvol values (mean{+-}standard deviation, 1.6 {+-} 0.7 mGy) and the noise differences from the target noise (1.1 {+-} 0.9 HU) of the CTDIvol group were significantly lower than those of the weight-based group (2.0 {+-} 1.0 mGy, 1.8 {+-} 1.4 HU) (P < 0.001). In contrast, no statistically significant difference was found in area (317.0 {+-} 136.8 cm{sup 2} vs. 326.3 {+-} 124.8 cm{sup 2}), mean density (-212.9 {+-} 53.1 HU vs. -221.1 {+-} 56.3 HU), and image noise (13.8 {+-} 2.3 vs. 13.6 {+-} 1.7 HU) between the weight-based and the CTDIvol groups (P > 0.05). Contrast-enhanced pediatric chest CT with the CTDIvol determined individually by the cross-sectional area and density of the body provides more uniform noise and better dose adaptation to body habitus than does weight-based CT at variable kV levels and with combined tube current modulation. (orig.)

Simultaneous acquisition of dual analyser-based phase contrast X-ray images for small animal imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitchen, Marcus J.; Pavlov, Konstantin M.; Hooper, Stuart B.; Vine, David J.; Siu, Karen K.W.; Wallace, Megan J.; Siew, Melissa L.L.; Yagi, Naoto; Uesugi, Kentaro; Lewis, Rob A.

2008-01-01

Analyser-based phase contrast X-ray imaging can provide high-contrast images of biological tissues with exquisite sensitivity to the boundaries between tissues. The phase and absorption information can be extracted by processing multiple images acquired at different analyser orientations. Recording both the transmitted and diffracted beams from a thin Laue analyser crystal can make phase retrieval possible for dynamic systems by allowing full field imaging. This technique was used to image the thorax of a mechanically ventilated newborn rabbit pup using a 25 keV beam from the SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility. The diffracted image was produced from the (1 1 1) planes of a 50 mm x 40 mm, 100 μm thick Si analyser crystal in the Laue geometry. The beam and analyser were large enough to image the entire chest, making it possible to observe changes in anatomy with high contrast and spatial resolution

Simultaneous acquisition of dual analyser-based phase contrast X-ray images for small animal imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kitchen, Marcus J. [School of Physics, Monash University, Victoria 3800 (Australia)], E-mail: Marcus.Kitchen@sci.monash.edu.au; Pavlov, Konstantin M. [School of Physics, Monash University, Victoria 3800 (Australia); Monash Centre for Synchrotron Science, Monash University, Victoria 3800 (Australia); Physics and Electronics, School of Science and Technology, University of New England, NSW 2351 (Australia)], E-mail: Konstantin.Pavlov@sci.monash.edu.au; Hooper, Stuart B. [Department of Physiology, Monash University, Victoria 3800 (Australia)], E-mail: Stuart.Hooper@med.monash.edu.au; Vine, David J. [School of Physics, Monash University, Victoria 3800 (Australia)], E-mail: David.Vine@sci.monash.edu.au; Siu, Karen K.W. [School of Physics, Monash University, Victoria 3800 (Australia); Monash Centre for Synchrotron Science, Monash University, Victoria 3800 (Australia)], E-mail: Karen.Siu@sci.monash.edu.au; Wallace, Megan J. [Department of Physiology, Monash University, Victoria 3800 (Australia)], E-mail: Megan.Wallace@med.monash.edu.au; Siew, Melissa L.L. [Department of Physiology, Monash University, Victoria 3800 (Australia)], E-mail: Melissa.Siew@med.monash.edu.au; Yagi, Naoto [SPring-8/JASRI, Sayo (Japan)], E-mail: yagi@spring8.or.jp; Uesugi, Kentaro [SPring-8/JASRI, Sayo (Japan)], E-mail: ueken@spring8.or.jp; Lewis, Rob A. [School of Physics, Monash University, Victoria 3800 (Australia); Monash Centre for Synchrotron Science, Monash University, Victoria 3800 (Australia)], E-mail: Rob.Lewis@sync.monash.edu.au

2008-12-15

Analyser-based phase contrast X-ray imaging can provide high-contrast images of biological tissues with exquisite sensitivity to the boundaries between tissues. The phase and absorption information can be extracted by processing multiple images acquired at different analyser orientations. Recording both the transmitted and diffracted beams from a thin Laue analyser crystal can make phase retrieval possible for dynamic systems by allowing full field imaging. This technique was used to image the thorax of a mechanically ventilated newborn rabbit pup using a 25 keV beam from the SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility. The diffracted image was produced from the (1 1 1) planes of a 50 mm x 40 mm, 100 {mu}m thick Si analyser crystal in the Laue geometry. The beam and analyser were large enough to image the entire chest, making it possible to observe changes in anatomy with high contrast and spatial resolution.

Comparison of Accuracy of Contrast Enhanced Computed Tomography with Accuracy of Non-Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Evaluation of Local Extension of Base of Tongue Malignancies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ketan Rathod

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Diagnosis of base of tongue malignancy can be obtained through clinical examination and biopsy. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI and Computed Tomography (CT are used to detect its local extension, nodal spread and distant metastases. The main aim of study was to compare the accuracy of MRI and contrast enhanced CT in determining the local extent of base of tongue malignancy. Twenty five patients, biopsy proven cases of squamous cell carcinoma of base of tongue were taken. 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Unit with T2 weighted axial, coronal image; T1 weighted axial, coronal image; and STIR (Short tau inversion recovery axial and coronal images were used. 16 slice Computed Tomography unit with non-contrast and contrast enhanced images were used. Accuracy of CT to detect midline crossing: 50%; accuracy of MRI to detect midline crossing: 100%; accuracy of CT to detect anterior extension: 92%; accuracy of MRI to detect anterior extension: 100%; accuracy of CT to detect tonsillar fossa invasion: 83%; accuracy of MRI to detect tonsillar fossa invasion: 100%; accuracy of CT to detect oro pharyngeal spread: 83%; accuracy of MRI to detect oro pharyngeal spread: 100%; accuracy of CT to detect bone involvement: 20%; accuracy of MRI to detect bone involvement: 100%. MRI proved to be a better investigation than CT, in terms of evaluation of depth of invasion, presence of bony involvement, extension to opposite side, anterior half of tongue, tonsillar fossa, floor of mouth or oropharynx.

Tumor Vessel Compression Hinders Perfusion of Ultrasonographic Contrast Agents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirco Galiè

2005-05-01

Full Text Available Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS is an advanced approach to in vivo assessment of tumor vascularity and is being increasingly adopted in clinical oncology. It is based on 1- to 10 μm-sized gas microbubbles, which can cross the capillary beds of the lungs and are effective echo enhancers. It is known that high cell density, high transendothelial fluid exchange, and poorly functioning lymphatic circulation all provoke solid stress, which compresses vessels and drastically reduces tumor blood flow. Given their size, we supposed that the perfusion of microbubbles is affected by anatomic features of tumor vessels more than are contrast agents traditionally used in dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI. Here, we compared dynamic information obtained from CEUS and DCE-MRI on two experimental tumor models exhibiting notable differences in vessel anatomy. We found that tumors with small, flattened vessels show a much higher resistance to microbubble perfusion than to MRI contrast agents, and appear scarcely vascularized at CEUS examination, despite vessel volume adequate for normal function. Thus, whereas CEUS alone could induce incorrect diagnosis when tumors have small or collapsed vessels, integrated analysis using CEUS and DCE-MRI allows in vivo identification of tumors with a vascular profile frequently associated with malignant phenotypes.

Synaptic Mechanisms Generating Orientation Selectivity in the ON Pathway of the Rabbit Retina.

Science.gov (United States)

Venkataramani, Sowmya; Taylor, W Rowland

2016-03-16

Neurons that signal the orientation of edges within the visual field have been widely studied in primary visual cortex. Much less is known about the mechanisms of orientation selectivity that arise earlier in the visual stream. Here we examine the synaptic and morphological properties of a subtype of orientation-selective ganglion cell in the rabbit retina. The receptive field has an excitatory ON center, flanked by excitatory OFF regions, a structure similar to simple cell receptive fields in primary visual cortex. Examination of the light-evoked postsynaptic currents in these ON-type orientation-selective ganglion cells (ON-OSGCs) reveals that synaptic input is mediated almost exclusively through the ON pathway. Orientation selectivity is generated by larger excitation for preferred relative to orthogonal stimuli, and conversely larger inhibition for orthogonal relative to preferred stimuli. Excitatory orientation selectivity arises in part from the morphology of the dendritic arbors. Blocking GABAA receptors reduces orientation selectivity of the inhibitory synaptic inputs and the spiking responses. Negative contrast stimuli in the flanking regions produce orientation-selective excitation in part by disinhibition of a tonic NMDA receptor-mediated input arising from ON bipolar cells. Comparison with earlier studies of OFF-type OSGCs indicates that diverse synaptic circuits have evolved in the retina to detect the orientation of edges in the visual input. A core goal for visual neuroscientists is to understand how neural circuits at each stage of the visual system extract and encode features from the visual scene. This study documents a novel type of orientation-selective ganglion cell in the retina and shows that the receptive field structure is remarkably similar to that of simple cells in primary visual cortex. However, the data indicate that, unlike in the cortex, orientation selectivity in the retina depends on the activity of inhibitory interneurons. The

Nilotinib Enhances Tumor Angiogenesis and Counteracts VEGFR2 Blockade in an Orthotopic Breast Cancer Xenograft Model with Desmoplastic Response

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Zafarnia

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF/VEGF receptor (VEGFR-targeted therapies predominantly affect nascent, immature tumor vessels. Since platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR blockade inhibits vessel maturation and thus increases the amount of immature tumor vessels, we evaluated whether the combined PDGFR inhibition by nilotinib and VEGFR2 blockade by DC101 has synergistic therapy effects in a desmoplastic breast cancer xenograft model. In this context, besides immunohistological evaluation, molecular ultrasound imaging with BR55, the clinically used VEGFR2-targeted microbubbles, was applied to monitor VEGFR2-positive vessels noninvasively and to assess the therapy effects on tumor angiogenesis. DC101 treatment alone inhibited tumor angiogenesis, resulting in lower tumor growth and in significantly lower vessel density than in the control group after 14 days of therapy. In contrast, nilotinib inhibited vessel maturation but enhanced VEGFR2 expression, leading to markedly increased tumor volumes and a significantly higher vessel density. The combination of both drugs led to an almost similar tumor growth as in the DC101 treatment group, but VEGFR2 expression and microvessel density were higher and comparable to the controls. Further analyses revealed significantly higher levels of tumor cell–derived VEGF in nilotinib-treated tumors. In line with this, nilotinib, especially in low doses, induced an upregulation of VEGF and IL-6 mRNA in the tumor cells in vitro, thus providing an explanation for the enhanced angiogenesis observed in nilotinib-treated tumors in vivo. These findings suggest that nilotinib inhibits vessel maturation but counteracts the effects of antiangiogenic co-therapy by enhancing VEGF expression by the tumor cells and stimulating tumor angiogenesis.

MyT1 Counteracts the Neural Progenitor Program to Promote Vertebrate Neurogenesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisca F. Vasconcelos

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The generation of neurons from neural stem cells requires large-scale changes in gene expression that are controlled to a large extent by proneural transcription factors, such as Ascl1. While recent studies have characterized the differentiation genes activated by proneural factors, less is known on the mechanisms that suppress progenitor cell identity. Here, we show that Ascl1 induces the transcription factor MyT1 while promoting neuronal differentiation. We combined functional studies of MyT1 during neurogenesis with the characterization of its transcriptional program. MyT1 binding is associated with repression of gene transcription in neural progenitor cells. It promotes neuronal differentiation by counteracting the inhibitory activity of Notch signaling at multiple levels, targeting the Notch1 receptor and many of its downstream targets. These include regulators of the neural progenitor program, such as Hes1, Sox2, Id3, and Olig1. Thus, Ascl1 suppresses Notch signaling cell-autonomously via MyT1, coupling neuronal differentiation with repression of the progenitor fate.

Trip-oriented travel time prediction (TOTTP) with historical vehicle trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Tao; Li, Xiang; Claramunt, Christophe

2018-06-01

Accurate travel time prediction is undoubtedly of importance to both traffic managers and travelers. In highly-urbanized areas, trip-oriented travel time prediction (TOTTP) is valuable to travelers rather than traffic managers as the former usually expect to know the travel time of a trip which may cross over multiple road sections. There are two obstacles to the development of TOTTP, including traffic complexity and traffic data coverage.With large scale historical vehicle trajectory data and meteorology data, this research develops a BPNN-based approach through integrating multiple factors affecting trip travel time into a BPNN model to predict trip-oriented travel time for OD pairs in urban network. Results of experiments demonstrate that it helps discover the dominate trends of travel time changes daily and weekly, and the impact of weather conditions is non-trivial.

Moderate consumption of beer, red wine and spirits has counteracting effects on plasma antioxidants in middle-aged men.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Gaag, M S; van den Berg, R; van den Berg, H; Schaafsma, G; Hendriks, H F

2000-07-01

To evaluate the in vivo effects of moderate consumption of red wine, beer and spirits on antioxidants, antioxidant enzymes and antioxidant capacity. Randomized, diet-controlled, cross-over study. Twelve apparently healthy, non-smoking middle-aged men were included; 11 of them completed the study. Each subject consumed four glasses of red wine, beer, spirits and water (negative control) with evening dinner during four successive periods of 3 weeks, daily at the Institute. The total diet was supplied to the subjects and had essential the same composition during these 12 weeks. Neither the enzyme activities of serum glutathion peroxidase, erythrocyte glutathion reductase and superoxide dismutase nor the plasma concentrations of alpha- and gamma-tocopherol, lutein, zeaxantin, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and alpha-carotene were affected. Plasma beta-carotene concentrations were decreased after 3 weeks' consumption of red wine, beer and spirits (40 g alcohol/day) as compared to consumption of water, by 15% (P=0.0005), 11% (P=0.010) and 13% (P=0.003), respectively. Also, plasma ascorbic acid was decreased after beer (15%, P=0.004) and spirits (12%, P=0.030), but not after wine consumption. Serum uric acid concentrations were increased after consumption of beer (15%, Pspirits (8%, P=0.008) and red wine (9%, P=0.003). The overall serum antioxidant capacity, assessed as Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), was similar for all treatments. Moderate consumption of red wine, beer and spirits has counteracting effects on plasma antioxidant components, resulting in no significant effect on overall antioxidant status. The effects on antioxidant parameters are largely independent of the type of alcoholic beverage, and probably irrelevant to chronic disease risk. Dutch Foundation for Alcohol Research (SAR).

Results on the Coherent Interaction of High Energy Electrons and Photons in Oriented Single Crystals

CERN Document Server

Apyan, A.; Badelek, B.; Ballestrero, S.; Biino, C.; Birol, I.; Cenci, P.; Connell, S.H.; Eichblatt, S.; Fonseca, T.; Freund, A.; Gorini, B.; Groess, R.; Ispirian, K.; Ketel, T.J.; Kononets, Yu.V.; Lopez, A.; Mangiarotti, A.; van Rens, B.; Sellschop, J.P.F.; Shieh, M.; Sona, P.; Strakhovenko, V.; Uggerhoj, E.; Uggerhj, Ulrik Ingerslev; Unel, G.; Velasco, M.; Vilakazi, Z.Z.; Wessely, O.; Kononets, Yu.V.

2005-01-01

The CERN-NA-59 experiment examined a wide range of electromagnetic processes for multi-GeV electrons and photons interacting with oriented single crystals. The various types of crystals and their orientations were used for producing photon beams and for converting and measuring their polarisation. The radiation emitted by 178 GeV unpolarised electrons incident on a 1.5 cm thick Si crystal oriented in the Coherent Bremsstrahlung (CB) and the String-of-Strings (SOS) modes was used to obtain multi-GeV linearly polarised photon beams. A new crystal polarimetry technique was established for measuring the linear polarisation of the photon beam. The polarimeter is based on the dependence of the Coherent Pair Production (CPP) cross section in oriented single crystals on the direction of the photon polarisation with respect to the crystal plane. Both a 1 mm thick single crystal of Germanium and a 4 mm thick multi-tile set of synthetic Diamond crystals were used as analyzers of the linear polarisation. A birefringence ...

Employees' goal orientations, the quality of leader-member exchange, and the outcomes of job performance and job satisfaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen, O.; Van Yperen, N.W.

As hypothesized, data from 170 employees of a Dutch firm showed that the quality of leader-member exchange mediated positive relationships between a mastery orientation and leader-rated in-role job performance, leader-rated innovative job performance, and job satisfaction. In contrast, a performance

Comparative evaluation of positive contrast and double contrast gastrography in dogs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dileepkumar, K.M.; Rajankutty, K.; Sarada, Amma T.; Devanand, C.B.; Vijayan, N.

2012-01-01

A contrast radiography of stomach with oral barium sulphate suspension 25% (5 mL/kg b.wt positive contrast) and double contrast with oral barium sulphate 25% (3 mL/kg b.wt) followed by air (2 to 10 mL/kg b.wt, negative contrast) was done on six dogs to study the affections of stomach. Contrast radiography using barium sulphate alone was found satisfactory to identify most of the lesions of the stomach. Double contrast radiography using barium sulphate and air, required sedation to control the animals for proper administration. For the diagnosis of mucosal lesions, double contrast radiography was better than barium sulphate alone. Key words: Barium, Contrast radiography, Dog, Double contrast, Stomach

Deformation Mechanism and Recrystallization Relationships in Galfenol Single Crystals: On the Origin of Goss and Cube Orientations

Science.gov (United States)

Na, Suok-Min; Smith, Malcolm; Flatau, Alison B.

2018-06-01

In this work, deformation mechanism related to recrystallization behavior in single-crystal disks of Galfenol (Fe-Ga alloy) was investigated to gain insights into the influence of crystal orientations on structural changes and selective grain growth that take place during secondary recrystallization. We started with the three kinds of single-crystal samples with (011)[100], (001)[100], and (001)[110] orientations, which were rolled and annealed to promote the formation of different grain structures and texture evolutions. The initial Goss-oriented (011)[100] crystal mostly rotated into {111} orientations with twofold symmetry and shear band structures by twinning resulted in the exposure of rolled surface along {001} orientation during rolling. In contrast, the Cube-oriented (001)[100] single crystal had no change in texture during rolling with the thickness reduction up to 50 pct. The {123} slip systems were preferentially activated in these single crystals during deformation as well as {112} slip systems that are known to play a role in primary slip of body-centered cubic (BCC) materials such as α-iron and Fe-Si alloys. After annealing, the deformed Cube-oriented single crystal had a small fraction ( orientation, associated with {123} slip systems as well. This was expected to provide potential sites of nucleation for secondary recrystallization; however, no Goss- and Cube-oriented components actually developed in this sample during secondary recrystallization. Those results illustrated how the recrystallization behavior can be influenced by deformed structure and the slip systems.

Process-oriented performance indicators for measuring ecodesign management practices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rodrigues, Vinicius Picanco; Pigosso, Daniela Cristina Antelmi; McAloone, Tim C.

2016-01-01

In order to support ecodesign performance measurement from a business perspective, this paper performs an exploration of available process-oriented indicators to be applied to ecodesign management practices. With the Ecodesign Maturity Model as a background framework, a systematic literature review...... coupled with a cross-content analysis was carried out to assign proper indicators to the practices. Results show that the currently available indicators do not fully reflect the characteristics of ecodesign and there is significant room for improving the development of tailor-made indicators....

Mesoscopic self-organization of a self-assembled supramolecular rectangle on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and Au(111) surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Jian-Ru; Wan, Li-Jun; Yuan, Qun-Hui; Bai, Chun-Li; Jude, Hershel; Stang, Peter J

2005-01-25

A self-assembled supramolecular metallacyclic rectangle was investigated with scanning tunneling microscopy on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and Au(111) surfaces. The rectangles spontaneously adsorb on both surfaces and self-organize into well ordered adlayers. On highly oriented pyrolytic graphite, the long edge of the rectangle stands on the surface, forming a 2D molecular network. In contrast, the face of the rectangle lays flat on the Au(111) surface, forming linear chains. The structures and intramolecular features obtained through high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy imaging are discussed.

Determining the orientation of the observed object in threedimensional space using stereo vision methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ponomarev, S

2014-01-01

The task of matching image of an object with its template is central for many optoelectronic systems. Solution of the matching problem in three-dimensional space in contrast to the structural alignment in the image plane allows using a larger amount of information about the object for determining its orientation, which may increase the probability of correct matching. In the case of stereo vision methods for constructing a three-dimensional image of the object, it becomes possible to achieve invariance w.r.t. background and distance to the observed object. Only three of the orientation angle of the object relative to the camera are uncertain and require measurements. This paper proposes a method for determining the orientation angles of the observed object in three-dimensional space, which is based on the processing of stereo image sequences. Disparity map segmentation method that allows one to ensure the invariance of the background is presented. Quantitative estimates of the effectiveness of the proposed method are presented and discussed.

An analysis of calcium carbonate/polymer hybrid crystals applying contrast variation SANS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Endo, Hitoshi; Schwahn, Dietmar; Coelfen, Helmut

2004-01-01

The geometry of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 )/polymer hybrid crystals was investigated by means of the contrast variation small angle neutron scattering. Our sophisticated contrast variation method led to decomposition of the measured scattering intensities into partial scattering functions of each component. These decomposed partial scattering functions gave detailed information on each component in the hybrid particle. Especially, on the basis of the Babinet principle (or incompressibility hypothesis), the comparison of the cross terms led to the relationships of each scattering amplitude. In this way, we could determine the geometry of the hybrid crystals in detail

An analysis of calcium carbonate/polymer hybrid crystals applying contrast variation SANS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Endo, Hitoshi; Schwahn, Dietmar; Coelfen, Helmut

2004-07-15

The geometry of calcium carbonate (CaCO{sub 3})/polymer hybrid crystals was investigated by means of the contrast variation small angle neutron scattering. Our sophisticated contrast variation method led to decomposition of the measured scattering intensities into partial scattering functions of each component. These decomposed partial scattering functions gave detailed information on each component in the hybrid particle. Especially, on the basis of the Babinet principle (or incompressibility hypothesis), the comparison of the cross terms led to the relationships of each scattering amplitude. In this way, we could determine the geometry of the hybrid crystals in detail.

Smoothing Data Friction through building Service Oriented Data Platforms

Science.gov (United States)

Wyborn, L. A.; Richards, C. J.; Evans, B. J. K.; Wang, J.; Druken, K. A.

2017-12-01

Data Friction has been commonly defined as the costs in time, energy and attention required to simply collect, check, store, move, receive, and access data. On average, researchers spend a significant fraction of their time finding the data for their research project and then reformatting it so that it can be used by the software application of their choice. There is an increasing role for both data repositories and software to be modernised to help reduce data friction in ways that support the better use of the data. Many generic data repositories simply accept data in the format as supplied: the key check is that the data have sufficient metadata to enable discovery and download. Few generic repositories have both the expertise and infrastructure to support the multiple domain specific requirements that facilitate the increasing need for integration and reusability. In contrast, major science domain-focused repositories are increasingly able to implement and enforce community endorsed best practices and guidelines that ensure reusability and harmonization of data for use within the community by offering semi-automated QC workflows to improve quality of submitted data. The most advanced of these science repositories now operate as service-oriented data platforms that extend the use of data across domain silos and increasingly provide server-side programmatically-enabled access to data via network protocols and community standard APIs. To provide this, more rigorous QA/QC procedures are needed to validate data against standards and community software and tools. This ensures that the data can be accessed in expected ways and also demonstrates that the data works across different (non-domain specific) packages, tools and programming languages deployed by the various user communities. In Australia, the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) has created such a service-oriented data platform which is demonstrating how this approach can reduce data friction

Electron microscopy analysis of structural changes within white etching areas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Diederichs, Annika Martina; Schwedt, A.; Mayer, J.

2016-01-01

In the present work, crack networks with white etching areas (WEAs) in cross-sections of bearings were investigated by a complementary use of SEM and TEM with the focus on the use of orientation contrast imaging and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Orientation contrast imaging was used...... for the first time to give detailed insight into the microstructure of WEA. A significant difference between Nital-etched and polished WEA samples was observed. It was revealed that WEAs are composed of different areas with varying grain sizes. As a result of secondary transformation, needle-shaped grains were...

ACT-1000. Group activation cross-section library for WWER-1000 type reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zolotarev, K I; Pashchenko, A B [National Research Centre - A.I. Leipunsky Institute for Physics and Power Engineering, Obninsk (Russian Federation)

2001-10-01

The ACT-1000, a problem-oriented library of group-averaged activation cross-sections for WWER-1000 type reactors, is based on evaluated microscopic cross-section data files. The ACT-1000 data library was designed for calculating induced activity for the main dose-generated nuclides contained in WWER-1000 structural materials. In preparing the ACT-1000 library, 47 group-averaged cross-section data for the 10{sup -9}-17.33 MeV energy range were used to calculate the spatial-energy neutron flux distribution. (author)

Complications from the use of intravenous gadolinium-based contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elias Junior, Jorge; Santos, Antonio Carlos dos; Nogueira-Barbosa, Marcello Henrique; Muglia, Valdair Francisco; Koenigkam-Santos, Marcel [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), Ribeirao Preto, SP (Brazil). Hospital das Clinicas. Centro de Ciencias das Imagens e Fisica Medica]. E-mail: jejunior@fmrp.usp.br

2008-07-15

Gadolinium-based contrast agents are much safer than the iodinated ones; however complications may occur and should be recognized for appropriate orientation and management. The total incidence of adverse reactions to contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging ranges between 2% and 4%. Cases of severe acute reactions to gadolinium, such as laryngospasm and anaphylactic shock, are rare. Chronic complications secondary to the use of gadolinium also can occur and, recently an association between its use and a rare dermatologic disease occurring in patients with renal failure has been reported. Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis was the subject of an official health notification issued by the American Food and Drug Administration. This progressive disease is characterized by hardened skin with fibrotic nodules and plaques which may involve other parts of the body. Patients who have been affected by this disorder presented chronic renal failure, with metabolic acidosis and had been submitted to magnetic resonance angiography, probably involving exposure to large amounts of intravenous paramagnetic contrast. This review is aimed at presenting a succinct description of the gadolinium-based contrast agent types, possible secondary complications, their preventive measures and management. (author)

Power port contrast medium flushing and trapping: impact of temperature, an in vitro experimental study.

Science.gov (United States)

Guiffant, Gérard; Durussel, Jean Jacques; Flaud, Patrice; Royon, Laurent; Marcy, Pierre Yves; Merckx, Jacques

2013-01-01

The use of totally implantable venous access devices (TIVADs) certified as "high pressure resistant" or "power port" has begun to spread worldwide as a safe procedure for power contrast injection. Owing to the thermo-rheological properties of the contrast media, the primary aim of this work is to present an in vitro experimental impact study concerning the impact of the temperature level on flushing efficiency after contrast medium injection. Moreover, we report experimental data that confirms the role of needle bevel orientation. The secondary aim is to answer the following questions: Is there significant device contrast medium trapping after contrast medium injection? Is saline flushing efficient? And, finally, is it safe to inject contrast medium through an indwelled port catheter? The experimental results show that in addition to hydrodynamics, temperature is a key parameter for the efficiency of device flushing after contrast medium injection. It appears that this is the case when the cavity is incompletely rinsed after three calibrated flushing volumes of 10 mL saline solution, even by using the Huber needle bevel opposite to the port exit. This leads to a potentially important trapped volume of contrast medium in the port, and consequently to the possibility of subsequent salt precipitates and long term trisubstituted benzene nuclei delivery that might impair the solute properties, which may be further injected via the power port later on. We thus suggest, in TIVADS patients, the use of a temporary supplementary intravenous line rather than the port to perform contrast medium injections in daily radiology routine practice.

Contrasting two models of academic self-efficacy--domain-specific versus cross-domain--in children receiving and not receiving special instruction in mathematics.

Science.gov (United States)

Jungert, Tomas; Hesser, Hugo; Träff, Ulf

2014-10-01

In social cognitive theory, self-efficacy is domain-specific. An alternative model, the cross-domain influence model, would predict that self-efficacy beliefs in one domain might influence performance in other domains. Research has also found that children who receive special instruction are not good at estimating their performance. The aim was to test two models of how self-efficacy beliefs influence achievement, and to contrast children receiving special instruction in mathematics with normally-achieving children. The participants were 73 fifth-grade children who receive special instruction and 70 children who do not receive any special instruction. In year four and five, the children's skills in mathematics and reading were assessed by national curriculum tests, and in their fifth year, self-efficacy in mathematics and reading were measured. Structural equation modeling showed that in domains where children do not receive special instruction in mathematics, self-efficacy is a mediating variable between earlier and later achievement in the same domain. Achievement in mathematics was not mediated by self-efficacy in mathematics for children who receive special instruction. For normal achieving children, earlier achievement in the language domain had an influence on later self-efficacy in the mathematics domain, and self-efficacy beliefs in different domains were correlated. Self-efficacy is mostly domain specific, but may play a different role in academic performance depending on whether children receive special instruction. The results of the present study provided some support of the Cross-Domain Influence Model for normal achieving children. © 2014 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Safety of contrast media. Focus on contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuwatsuru, Ryohei

2011-01-01

Despite advances in imaging diagnosis, contrast media still play an important role in diagnosing the existence of the disease, demonstrating the extent of disease, and determining the perfusion of the disease, which is important to make a differential diagnosis. However, the administration of contrast media may cause contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN), especially in patients with renal impairment. It is estimated that 20-30% of patients with renal impairment who received contrast media develop CIN. Though the precise cause of CIN currently remains unknown, almost all injected contrast media are excreted through the kidney and the effects of contrast media on the kidney are easily understood. As CIN is the most common cause of death due to complications after receiving contrast media, prevention of CIN is important. There are several known risk factors for CIN. Patients with renal impairment, diabetes mellitus, and dehydration are at high risk for CIN. Furthermore, a high osmolar contrast media, excessive amount of contrast media, and ionic contrast media are also risk factors for CIN. CIN can be prevented in several ways. Certain drugs seem to be useful to prevent CIN, while others are harmful. Hydration is useful to prevent CIN, although there is no widely acceptable hydration method to prevent CIN. Both sodium bicarbonate and N-acetylcysteine are promising candidates for prevention of CIN. There are few reports to study CIN after intravenous administration, although reports of CIN after percutaneous cardiac intervention (PCI) and angiography are well recognized. In clinical situations, intravenous administration of contrast media is common. Therefore, a study of CIN after intravenous administration of contrast media should be performed. (author)

Orienting in virtual environments: How are surface features and environmental geometry weighted in an orientation task?

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Debbie M; Bischof, Walter F

2008-10-01

We investigated how human adults orient in enclosed virtual environments, when discrete landmark information is not available and participants have to rely on geometric and featural information on the environmental surfaces. In contrast to earlier studies, where, for women, the featural information from discrete landmarks overshadowed the encoding of the geometric information, Experiment 1 showed that when featural information is conjoined with the environmental surfaces, men and women encoded both types of information. Experiment 2 showed that, although both types of information are encoded, performance in locating a goal position is better if it is close to a geometrically or featurally distinct location. Furthermore, although features are relied upon more strongly than geometry, initial experience with an environment influences the relative weighting of featural and geometric cues. Taken together, these results show that human adults use a flexible strategy for encoding spatial information.

The cross-cultural generalizability and validity of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leone, Luigi; Van der Zee, K.I.; van Oudenhoven, Jan Pieter; Perugini, Marco; Ercolani, Anna Paola

The present study examined the validity of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), an instrument designed to measure five personality dimensions linked to multicultural orientation and adaptation. First, the cross-cultural generalizability of the scales was investigated across Italian (N

Bridging the Divide: Cross-Cultural Mediation

Science.gov (United States)

Mahan, Laura N.; Mahuna, Joshua M.

2017-01-01

The article strives to contribute to the growing field of conflict resolution by analyzing contrasting cross-cultural perceptions through insights from multiple areas to resolve intercultural conflicts and disputes. Western-centric mediation techniques are dissected in juxtaposition to indigenous methodologies in degrees of (1) substantiality and…