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Sample records for dat pro on-line

  1. CADAQUES: Metodika pro komplexní řízení kvality dat a informací

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Dnešní doba je charakteristická stále se zvětšujícím množstvím pořizovaných a zpracovávaných dat. Cílem tohoto článku je poukázat na různorodost současně používaných datových zdrojů, ukázat jejich specifika z pohledu řízení kvality a představit konkrétní metodiku, která umožňuje řízení kvality dat a informací napříč těmito zdroji. Hlavní součástí této metodiky je sada základních principů a činností, které je možné univerzálně aplikovat. Jedním z klíčových doporučení této metodiky je zaměření se na relativně malou sadu vlastností dat, kterou lze efektivně řídit. Součástí metodiky je rovněž model zralosti datového zdroje, který slouží pro zhodnocení míry rizika spojené s použitím konkrétního zdroje.

  2. Rozšíření funkcionality systému pro dolování z dat na platformě NetBeans

    OpenAIRE

    Šebek, Michal

    2009-01-01

    Databáze se neustále rozrůstají o nová data. Za účelem analýzy těchto dat byl definován proces získávání znalostí z databází. Pro podporu tohoto procesu vznikla řada nástrojů. Vývojem jednoho z těchto nástrojů se zabývá tato práce. Hlavním cílem je analyzovat stávající implementaci systému na přenositelné platformě Java NetBeans a databázovém serveru Oracle a rozšířit ji o algoritmy z oblasti předzpracování a analýzy vstupních dat. Podrobně je popsána implementace jednotlivých komponent pro p...

  3. Dolování dat

    OpenAIRE

    Stehno, David

    2013-01-01

    Cílem diplomové práce bylo nastudovat a popsat metodologii dolování dat CRISP-DM. Ze získané databáze byla prováděna predikce počtu hovorů na call centrum, přičemž bylo postupováno podle metodiky CRISP-DM. Ve fázi modelování byly použity 4 druhy modelů a to K-NN, neuronová síť, lineární regrese a model využívající metodu podpůrných vektorů. Pomocí různých druhů selekcí bylo zhodnoceno, které vstupní atributy mají důležitou roli pro výslednou predikci. Získané výsledky a poznatky mohou v budou...

  4. Heterogeneous transgene expression in the retinas of the TH-RFP, TH-Cre, TH-BAC-Cre and DAT-Cre mouse lines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vuong, H E; Pérez de Sevilla Müller, L; Hardi, C N; McMahon, D G; Brecha, N C

    2015-10-29

    Transgenic mouse lines are essential tools for understanding the connectivity, physiology and function of neuronal circuits, including those in the retina. This report compares transgene expression in the retina of a tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-red fluorescent protein (RFP) mouse line with three catecholamine-related Cre recombinase mouse lines [TH-bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)-, TH-, and dopamine transporter (DAT)-Cre] that were crossed with a ROSA26-tdTomato reporter line. Retinas were evaluated and immunostained with commonly used antibodies including those directed to TH, GABA and glycine to characterize the RFP or tdTomato fluorescent-labeled amacrine cells, and an antibody directed to RNA-binding protein with multiple splicing to identify ganglion cells. In TH-RFP retinas, types 1 and 2 dopamine (DA) amacrine cells were identified by their characteristic cellular morphology and type 1 DA cells by their expression of TH immunoreactivity. In the TH-BAC-, TH-, and DAT-tdTomato retinas, less than 1%, ∼ 6%, and 0%, respectively, of the fluorescent cells were the expected type 1 DA amacrine cells. Instead, in the TH-BAC-tdTomato retinas, fluorescently labeled AII amacrine cells were predominant, with some medium diameter ganglion cells. In TH-tdTomato retinas, fluorescence was in multiple neurochemical amacrine cell types, including four types of polyaxonal amacrine cells. In DAT-tdTomato retinas, fluorescence was in GABA immunoreactive amacrine cells, including two types of bistratified and two types of monostratified amacrine cells. Although each of the Cre lines was generated with the intent to specifically label DA cells, our findings show a cellular diversity in Cre expression in the adult retina and indicate the importance of careful characterization of transgene labeling patterns. These mouse lines with their distinctive cellular labeling patterns will be useful tools for future studies of retinal function and visual processing. Published by Elsevier

  5. Technostress, wat is dat?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eerenbeemt, J. van den

    2018-01-01

    Technostress, dat is toch dat oudere mensen in de stress raken van nieuwe software? Deze reactie hoorden we voortdurend van deelnemers aan ons TNO-onderzoek. We weten namelijk niet wat technostress is, waar het door komt en of we er last van hebben. Vakmedianet

  6. Importance of Direct Antiglobulin Test (DAT in Cord Blood: Causes of DAT (+ in a Cohort Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Serena Valsami

    2015-08-01

    Conclusions: Although ABO incompatibility remains the main reason of DAT (+, other causes (e.g., alloimmunization, drugs should also be explored. The relevant impact of DAT (+ on HDN development should be considered.

  7. DAT by perceived MC interaction on human prefrontal activity and connectivity during emotion processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taurisano, Paolo; Blasi, Giuseppe; Romano, Raffaella; Sambataro, Fabio; Fazio, Leonardo; Gelao, Barbara; Ursini, Gianluca; Lo Bianco, Luciana; Di Giorgio, Annabella; Ferrante, Francesca; Papazacharias, Apostolos; Porcelli, Annamaria; Sinibaldi, Lorenzo; Popolizio, Teresa; Bertolino, Alessandro

    2013-12-01

    Maternal care (MC) and dopamine modulate brain activity during emotion processing in inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), striatum and amygdala. Reuptake of dopamine from the synapse is performed by the dopamine transporter (DAT), whose abundance is predicted by variation in its gene (DAT 3'VNTR; 10 > 9-repeat alleles). Here, we investigated the interaction between perceived MC and DAT 3'VNTR genotype on brain activity during processing of aversive facial emotional stimuli. Sixty-one healthy subjects were genotyped for DAT 3'VNTR and categorized in low and high MC individuals. They underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a task requiring gender discrimination of facial stimuli with angry, fearful or neutral expressions. An interaction between facial expression, DAT genotype and MC was found in left IFG, such that low MC and homozygosity for the 10-repeat allele are associated with greater activity during processing of fearful faces. This greater activity was also inversely correlated with a measure of emotion control as scored with the Big Five Questionnaire. Moreover, MC and DAT genotype described a double dissociation on functional connectivity between IFG and amygdala. These findings suggest that perceived early parental bonding may interact with DAT 3'VNTR genotype in modulating brain activity during emotionally relevant inputs.

  8. The effects of DAT1 genotype on fMRI activation in an emotional go/no-go task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Brenna K; Murrell, Jill; Karne, Harish; Anand, Amit

    2017-02-01

    Dopaminergic brain circuits participate in emotional processing and impulsivity. The dopamine transporter (DAT) modulates dopamine reuptake. A variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) in the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) affects DAT expression. The influence of DAT1 genotype on neural activation during emotional processing and impulse inhibition has not been examined. Forty-two healthy subjects were classified as 9DAT (n = 17) or 10DAT (n = 25) based on DAT1 genotype (9DAT = 9R/9R and 9R/10R; 10DAT = 10R/10R). Subjects underwent fMRI during non-emotional and emotional go/no-go tasks. Subjects were instructed to inhibit responses to letters, happy faces, or sad faces in separate blocks. Accuracy and reaction time did not differ between groups. Within group results showed activation in regions previously implicated in emotional processing and response inhibition. Between groups results showed increased activation in 9DAT individuals during inhibition. During letter inhibition, 9DAT individuals exhibited greater activation in right inferior parietal regions. During sad inhibition, 9DAT Individuals exhibited greater activation in frontal, posterior cingulate, precuneus, right cerebellar, left paracentral, and right occipital brain regions. The interaction between DAT genotype and response type in sad versus letter stimuli showed increased activation in 9DAT individuals during sad no-go responses in the anterior cingulate cortex, extending into frontal-orbital regions. 9DAT individuals have greater activation than 10DAT individuals during neutral and sad inhibition, showing that genotypic variation influencing basal dopamine levels can alter the neural basis of emotional processing and response inhibition. This may indicate that 9R carriers exert more effort to overcome increased basal dopamine activation when inhibiting responses in emotional contexts.

  9. NuDat 2.0: Nuclear Structure and Decay Data on the Internet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sonzogni, A.A.

    2005-01-01

    NuDat 2.0 is a software product developed by the National Nuclear Data Center. It provides an interface between web users and several NNDC nuclear structure and decay databases. NuDat 2.0 can be used to search for ground and excited states level properties, gamma-ray information, and decay radiation information. In addition to the search capabilities, an interactive chart of nuclei is displayed. Different examples highlighting NuDat 2 search capabilities and display options are presented

  10. PCNuDAT a PC Nuclear Data program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kinsey, R.R.

    1998-01-01

    The PC program PCNuDat is described which displays nuclear radioactive decay data and thermal cross section data. It requires 45 Megabytes (reduced version of PCNuDat requires 3 Megabytes) of disc space and can be obtained through Internet FTP or WWW from U.S. Nuclear Data Center or Nuclear Data Section of the IAEA. It can be obtained also on CD-ROM upon request sent to Nuclear Data Section. (author)

  11. Genotype and ancestry modulate brain's DAT availability in healthy humans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shumay, E.; Chen, J.; Fowler, J.S.; Volkow, N.D.

    2011-01-01

    The dopamine transporter (DAT) is a principal regulator of dopaminergic neurotransmission and its gene (the SLC6A3) is a strong biological candidate gene for various behavioral- and neurological disorders. Intense investigation of the link between the SLC6A3 polymorphisms and behavioral phenotypes yielded inconsistent and even contradictory results. Reliance on objective brain phenotype measures, for example, those afforded by brain imaging, might critically improve detection of DAT genotype-phenotype association. Here, we tested the relationship between the DAT brain availability and the SLC6A3 genotypes using an aggregate sample of 95 healthy participants of several imaging studies. These studies employed positron emission tomography (PET) with [ 11 C] cocaine wherein the DAT availability was estimated as Bmax/Kd; while the genotype values were obtained on two repeat polymorphisms - 3-UTR- and intron 8- VNTRs. The main findings are the following: (1) both polymorphisms analyzed as single genetic markers and in combination (haplotype) modulate DAT density in midbrain; (2) ethnic background and age influence the strength of these associations; and (3) age-related changes in DAT availability differ in the 3-UTR and intron8 - genotype groups.

  12. Geochemical characterization of mid-distal Nisyros tephra on Datça peninsula (southwestern Anatolia)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gençalioğlu-Kuşcu, Gonca; Uslular, Göksu

    2018-04-01

    We present new distal records of tephra deposits that overly the Kos ignimbrite in seven locations of Datça peninsula. Tephra in one of these locations were previously associated with Nisyros Kyra sub-unit based only on the field characteristics. We use different proxies such as field observations, petrography, mineral, glass, and whole-rock chemistry in order to characterize and correlate the previously and recently identified pumice fall deposits on Datça. The total thickness of the fall deposit reaches to 3.5 m. The size of the pumice clasts is generally within the range of lapilli, and they have vitrophyric texture consisting mainly of plagioclase (andesine to labradorite) with scarce clinopyroxene (diopside to augite), olivine (Fo48-50), amphibole (magnesio-hastingsite), and biotite crystals. Amphibole is a ubiquitous phenocryst in all Datça tephra units and used as a criterion for the correlation. Glass major element analyses by EMPA reveal two different groups with andesitic and dacitic compositions. Difference in silica content (up to ca. 4 wt%) detected in the same specimen also designates the heterogeneity in pumice glass. This heterogeneity in glass composition is also supported by the frequent occurrence of banded pumice clasts in Datça tephra. Whole-rock composition of the pumice is mainly andesitic with calc-alkaline affinity. Multi-element patterns on primitive-mantle normalized diagram display typical arc-magmatism signature (i.e. depletion in Nb, Ta, Ti, and P). In order to check and eliminate the potential alternatives, we compared the distal deposits on Datça not only with Kyra, but also with other Nisyros tephra units. Yet, Kyra is the only unit that has comparable depositional characteristics, calcic amphibole crystals, andesitic-dacitic glass and whole-rock chemistry, and distal tephra deposits on neighboring islands (Tilos and Chalki). Therefore, we associate Datça tephra deposits with some proximal Kyra subunits of intermediate

  13. Carbon-11-labelling of a novel, trishomocubane-derived, high affinity and selectivity DAT ligand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dolle, F.; Le Helleix, St.; Peyronneau, M.A.; Saba, W.; Tournier, N.; Valette, H.; Banister, S.; Kassiou, M.

    2011-01-01

    Complete text of publication follows: Objectives: Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder and drug abuse are related to abnormalities within the brain's dopaminergic system. The neuronal dopamine transporter (DAT) plays a key role in regulating the synaptic concentration of dopamine and thus dopamine neurotransmission in the brain. Since the DAT can be considered as a marker of the integrity and number of the presynaptic striatal dopamine-producing neurons, considerable efforts have been spent in recent years on the design and development of DAT-selective radioligands for use in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) studies. Notably, the tropane PE2I and its fluorinated analogue LBT-999 were identified as having high affinity and selectivity for the DAT over the norepinephrine transporter (NET) and the serotonin transporter (SERT). Besides tropanes, only a few bicyclic frameworks, e.g. bicyclo[2.2.2]octanes, have delivered compounds with high affinity for the DAT. Recently, novel poly-carbocyclic DAT ligands with selectivity over the NET and the SERT were reported. The lead compound of this series (1, N-methyl-N-(3-fluoro) benzyl-pentacyclo[5.4.0.0 2, 6 .0 3, 10 .0 5, 9 ] undec-8-ylamine, Ki = 1.2 nM, ≥ 8300-fold selectivity over NET and SERT) was selected as a potential candidate for imaging the DAT with PET and isotopically labelled with carbon-11 using [ 11 C]methyl triflate. Methods: The trishomocubane derivatives 1 (reference) and 2 (precursor for labelling with carbon-11) were prepared from commercially available Cookson's diketone in 6 and 7 steps, respectively. Carbon-11 labelling of 1 was performed using a TRACERLab FX-C Pro synthesizer (GEMS) and comprises (1) trapping at -10 C of [ 11 C]MeOTf in acetone (0.4 mL) containing the nor-derivative 2 (0.6-0.9 mg, free base) and aq. 3N NaOH (8 μL); (2) heating at 110 C for 2 min; (3) concentration to dryness and taking up the residue in 1.0 mL of the HPLC mobile phase; (4) purification

  14. A survey on draught animal technology (DAT) in EN-Nhoud area, North Kordofan State, Sudan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Makki, Elsamawal Khalil; Musa, Ezdehar Omer Mohammed

    2011-06-01

    Draught animal technology (DAT) can potentially play a central role in agriculture transformation for traditional farmers. This study surveyed the state of DAT in En-Nhoud area, North Kordofan State, Sudan in an attempt to have a clear view of the changes brought about by introducing the technology. The study followed the cross-sectional survey design. Farmers were selected from ten clusters (villages) and data were collected using questionnaires and face to face interviews with farmers in addition to group discussions with them and the different actors in the field. The results showed that farmers appreciate the role played by DAT, but they highlighted the need for further capacity building and technical backup. Harnessing issues are not well understood and applied by the farmers. The different actors involved in DAT in the area lack networking and coordination, and this reflected on the many problems and constraints faced by the farmers.

  15. Nuclear data retrieval for PC applications, PCNuDat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kinsey, R.R.

    1996-01-01

    The PCNuDat program for IBM-PC compatibles is similar to the NuDat program available through the NNDC Online Nuclear Data Service. They provide a user with access to nuclear data in a convenient and menu driven system. This data is useful in both basic and applied research. The nuclear base used by NuDat is extracted from several data bases maintained at the National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC). The program is an extended DOS program which uses 32 bit addressing. It can run in a DOS window on all the current Windows operating systems. The program and its data base are currently available on both a CD-ROM or electronically over the Internet. Electronic access can be made through the NNDC's Web home page. The files may also be FTP'd from the public area under the [pc prog] directory on bnlnd2.dne.bnl.gov. The CD-ROM version also contains the Nuclear Science References (NSR) data base and its retrieval program, Papyrus NSR

  16. Dolovací modul systému pro dolování z dat na platformě NetBeans

    OpenAIRE

    Výtvar, Jaromír

    2010-01-01

    Cílem této diplomové práce je získat přehled o procesu získávání znalostí z databází a analýza dolovacího systému vyvíjeného na FIT VUT v Brně na platformě NetBeans za účelem vytvoření nového dolovacího modulu. Ze získaných znalostí bylo rozhodnuto o vytvoření modulu pro dolování odlehlých hodnot a doplnění existujícího modulu regrese o nový algoritmus vícenásobné lineární regrese založený na zobecněných lineárních modelech. Nové dolovací metody využívají existující řešení na straně Oracle da...

  17. proBAMconvert: A Conversion Tool for proBAM/proBed.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olexiouk, Volodimir; Menschaert, Gerben

    2017-07-07

    The introduction of new standard formats, proBAM and proBed, improves the integration of genomics and proteomics information, thus aiding proteogenomics applications. These novel formats enable peptide spectrum matches (PSM) to be stored, inspected, and analyzed within the context of the genome. However, an easy-to-use and transparent tool to convert mass spectrometry identification files to these new formats is indispensable. proBAMconvert enables the conversion of common identification file formats (mzIdentML, mzTab, and pepXML) to proBAM/proBed using an intuitive interface. Furthermore, ProBAMconvert enables information to be output both at the PSM and peptide levels and has a command line interface next to the graphical user interface. Detailed documentation and a completely worked-out tutorial is available at http://probam.biobix.be .

  18. Genotype and ancestry modulate brain's DAT availability in healthy humans

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shumay, E.; Shumay, E.; Chen, J.; Fowler, J.S.; Volkow, N.D.

    2011-08-01

    The dopamine transporter (DAT) is a principal regulator of dopaminergic neurotransmission and its gene (the SLC6A3) is a strong biological candidate gene for various behavioral- and neurological disorders. Intense investigation of the link between the SLC6A3 polymorphisms and behavioral phenotypes yielded inconsistent and even contradictory results. Reliance on objective brain phenotype measures, for example, those afforded by brain imaging, might critically improve detection of DAT genotype-phenotype association. Here, we tested the relationship between the DAT brain availability and the SLC6A3 genotypes using an aggregate sample of 95 healthy participants of several imaging studies. These studies employed positron emission tomography (PET) with [{sup 11}C] cocaine wherein the DAT availability was estimated as Bmax/Kd; while the genotype values were obtained on two repeat polymorphisms - 3-UTR- and intron 8- VNTRs. The main findings are the following: (1) both polymorphisms analyzed as single genetic markers and in combination (haplotype) modulate DAT density in midbrain; (2) ethnic background and age influence the strength of these associations; and (3) age-related changes in DAT availability differ in the 3-UTR and intron8 - genotype groups.

  19. DAT positivity in blood donors: a perplexing scenario.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bedi, Ravneet Kaur; Mittal, Kshitija; Sood, Tanvi; Kumar, Rakesh; Praveen, Ajay S

    2014-04-01

    A blood request was received for 70 year male patient suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with anemia. One unit was found incompatible in AHG phase. Patient's antibody screen, indirect antiglobulin test (IAT), direct antiglobulin test (DAT) and auto control was negative. DAT of donor unit was positive with anti IgG gel card and negative with C3d reagent along with positive auto control. Donor was 30 year male with no history of blood transfusion and medication and had no evidence of hemolysis. Donors with positive DAT should be deferred, notified and referred to physician but further studies are required. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. NoSQL databáze pro data senzorů s podporou časových řad

    OpenAIRE

    Vizina, Petr

    2017-01-01

    Tato diplomová práce se zabývá tématem NoSQL databází, jež lze využít pro efektivní ukládání senzorových dat s charakterem časových řad. Cílem je navrhnout a implementovat vlastní řešení databáze určené pro ukládání dat časových řad s využitím právě principu NoSQL. This thesis deals with NoSQL databases, which can be used for effective storage of sensors data with character of time series. The aim is to design and implement own solution for database designed to store time series data, with...

  1. Visceral leishmaniasis in Bangladesh: the value of DAT as a diagnostic tool.

    Science.gov (United States)

    el-Masum, M A; Evans, D A; Minter, D M; el Harith, A

    1995-01-01

    The direct agglutination test (DAT) was performed on 480 serum samples from suspected cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in different parts of Bangladesh. Significant titres (> or = 1:3200) were found in 257 sera (53.5%). All patients with positive bone-marrow aspirates also had significant DAT titres. The male:female seroprevalence ratio was 2:1 and the age-group 0-20 years was the most affected. The DAT proved a simple, economical and reliable diagnostic test for VL.

  2. Dopamine transporter polymorphism modulates oculomotor function and DAT1 mRNA expression in schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wonodi, Ikwunga; Hong, L Elliot; Stine, O Colin; Mitchell, Braxton D; Elliott, Amie; Roberts, Rosalinda C; Conley, Robert R; McMahon, Robert P; Thaker, Gunvant K

    2009-03-05

    Smooth pursuit eye movement (SPEM) deficit is an established schizophrenia endophenotype with a similar neurocognitive construct to working memory. Frontal eye field (FEF) neurons controlling SPEM maintain firing when visual sensory information is removed, and their firing rates directly correlate with SPEM velocity. We previously demonstrated a paradoxical association between a functional polymorphism of dopamine signaling (COMT gene) and SPEM. Recent evidence implicates the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) in modulating cortical dopamine and associated neurocognitive functions. We hypothesized that DAT1 10/10 genotype, which reduces dopamine transporter expression and increases extracellular dopamine, would affect SPEM. We examined the effects of DAT1 genotype on: Clinical diagnosis in the study sample (n = 418; 190 with schizophrenia), SPEM measures in a subgroup with completed oculomotor measures (n = 200; 87 schizophrenia), and DAT1 gene expression in FEF tissue obtained from postmortem brain samples (n = 32; 16 schizophrenia). DAT1 genotype was not associated with schizophrenia. DAT1 10/10 genotype was associated with better SPEM in healthy controls, intermediate SPEM in unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenia subjects, and worse SPEM in schizophrenia subjects. In the gene expression study, DAT1 10/10 genotype was associated with significantly reduced DAT1 mRNA transcript in FEF tissue from healthy control donors (P < 0.05), but higher expression in schizophrenia donors. Findings suggest regulatory effects of another gene(s) or etiological factor in schizophrenia, which modulate DAT1 gene function. 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  3. A peptide disrupting the D2R-DAT interaction protects against dopamine neurotoxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Ping; Liu, Fang

    2017-09-01

    Dopamine reuptake from extracellular space to cytosol leads to accumulation of dopamine, which triggers neurotoxicity in dopaminergic neurons. Previous studies have shown that both dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) and dopamine transporter (DAT) are involved in dopamine neurotoxicity. However, blockade of either D2R or DAT causes side effects due to antagonism of other physiological functions of these two proteins. We previously found that DAT can form a protein complex with D2R and its cell surface expression is facilitated via D2R-DAT interaction, which regulates dopamine reuptake and intracellular dopamine levels. Here we found that an interfering peptide (DAT-S1) disrupting the D2R-DAT interaction protects neurons against dopamine neurotoxicity, and this effect is mediated by inhibiting DAT cell surface expression and inhibiting both caspase-3 and PARP-1 cleavage. This study demonstrates the role of the D2R-DAT complex in dopamine neurotoxicity and investigated the potential mechanisms, which might help better understand the mechanisms of dopamine neurotoxicity. The peptide may provide some insights to improve treatments for dopamine neurotoxicity and related diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, as well as methamphetamine- and 3,4-methsylenedioxy methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  4. CM(dat) Seminarer 2003

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Denne publikation indeholder en samling af artikler som skrevet af Cand. Merc.(dat.) studerende på deres 3. semester i forbindelse med linieseminar i datalogi i efteråret 2003. Opgaver som de studerende har løst har været at skrive en teoretisk oversigtsartikel inden for et selvvalgt emne. Formål...

  5. Transformation of model data to information - experiences with coastDat

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, E.; Weisse, R.

    2016-02-01

    The idea of coastDat is to improve the data base in sparse observational marine regions and to increase data homogeneity and consistency. In doing so long-term historical model data of e.g. wind (e.g. storms), wind wave and tide surge hindcasts are developed and proofed for regions like North Sea and Baltic Sea. These data-sets are available in hourly resolution and highly spatial resolution to simulate the marine environment from 1948/1958 up to now. Scenarios of potential future developments in a changing climate are also available. The coastDat data sets are used for applications e.g. offshore wind industry (design & logistics), risk analysis and analysis of pathways of energy transition. More than 80 stakeholders have used coastDat data sets. They are composed of science networks (31%), economic actors (45 %) and administrating policy actors (14%). The idea of coastDat is compatible in other coastal regions. Also coastDat is suitable as an information base in order to develop possible future adaptation measures. Here the data set and the history are briefly described, validation is reviewed, and an overview about recent uses of the data is provided.

  6. ERK mediated upregulation of death receptor 5 overcomes the lack of p53 functionality in the diaminothiazole DAT1 induced apoptosis in colon cancer models: efficiency of DAT1 in Ras-Raf mutated cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thamkachy, Reshma; Kumar, Rohith; Rajasekharan, K N; Sengupta, Suparna

    2016-03-08

    p53 is a tumour suppressor protein that plays a key role in many steps of apoptosis, and malfunctioning of this transcription factor leads to tumorigenesis. Prognosis of many tumours also depends upon the p53 status. Most of the clinically used anticancer compounds activate p53 dependent pathway of apoptosis and hence require p53 for their mechanism of action. Further, Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK axis is an important signaling pathway activated in many cancers. Dependence of diaminothiazoles, compounds that have gained importance recently due to their anticancer and anti angiogenic activities, were tested in cancer models with varying p53 or Ras/Raf mutational status. In this study we have used p53 mutated and knock out colon cancer cells and xenograft tumours to study the role of p53 in apoptosis mediated by diaminothiazoles. Colon cancer cell lines with varying mutational status for Ras or Raf were also used. We have also examined the toxicity and in vivo efficacy of a lead diaminothiazole 4-Amino-5-benzoyl-2-(4-methoxy phenylamino)thiazole (DAT1) in colon cancer xenografts. We have found that DAT1 is active in both in vitro and in vivo models with nonfunctional p53. Earlier studies have shown that extrinsic pathway plays major role in DAT1 mediated apoptosis. In this study, we have found that DAT1 is causing p53 independent upregulation of the death receptor 5 by activating the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway both in wild type and p53 suppressed colon cancer cells. These findings are also confirmed by the in vivo results. Further, DAT1 is more efficient to induce apoptosis in colon cancer cells with mutated Ras or Raf. Minimal toxicity in both acute and subacute studies along with the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of DAT1 in cancers with both wild type and nonfunctional p53 place it as a highly beneficial candidate for cancer chemotherapy. Besides, efficiency in cancer cells with mutations in the Ras oncoprotein or its downstream kinase Raf raise interest in

  7. Postendocytic sorting of constitutively internalized dopamine transporter in cell lines and dopaminergic neurons

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eriksen, Jacob; Bjørn-Yoshimoto, Walden Emil; Jørgensen, Trine Nygaard

    2010-01-01

    The dopamine transporter (DAT) mediates reuptake of released dopamine and is the target for psychostimulants, such as cocaine and amphetamine. DAT undergoes marked constitutive endocytosis, but little is known about the fate and sorting of the endocytosed transporter. To study DAT sorting in cells...... lines, we fused the one-transmembrane segment protein Tac to DAT, thereby generating a transporter (TacDAT) with an extracellular antibody epitope suited for trafficking studies. TacDAT was functional and endocytosed constitutively in HEK293 cells. According to an ELISA-based assay, TacDAT intracellular...

  8. Carboxyhemoglobin levels as a predictor of risk for significant hyperbilirubinemia in African-American DAT(+) infants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schutzman, D L; Gatien, E; Ajayi, S; Wong, R J

    2016-05-01

    To compare the degree of hemolysis in a group of direct antiglobulin test (DAT) positive (pos) African-American (AA) infants as measured by carboxyhemoglobin corrected (COHbc) for carbon monoxide in ambient air to a similar group of DAT negative (neg) ABO incompatible infants and a group without blood group incompatibility. To determine if COHbc is a better predictor of significant hyperbilirubinemia than DAT status. A prospective study of 180 AA infants from the Well-Baby Nursery of an inner city community hospital, all of whose mothers were type O pos. Infants (60) were ABO incompatible DAT pos, 60 were ABO incompatible DAT neg and 60 were type O(+). Blood for COHbc was drawn at the time of the infants' initial bilirubin and the infants' precise percentile on the Bhutani nomogram was calculated. Mean COHbc of type O(+) infants was 0.76±0.21 and 0.78±0.24% for ABO incompatible DAT neg infants (P=0.63). Mean CoHbc for the ABO incompatible DAT pos infants was 1.03±0.41% (P0.90% (area under the curve(AUC) 0.8113). This was similar to the AUC of the receiver operating characteristic curve using any titer strength of DAT pos as a cutoff (0.7960). Although not greatly superior to the titer strength of DAT pos, COHbc is useful in determining if the etiology of severe hyperbilirubinemia is a hemolytic process.

  9. [(123)I]FP-CIT ENC-DAT normal database

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tossici-Bolt, Livia; Dickson, John C; Sera, Terez

    2017-01-01

    quantifications methods, BRASS and Southampton, and explores the performance of the striatal phantom calibration in their harmonisation. RESULTS: BRASS and Southampton databases comprising 123 ENC-DAT subjects, from gamma cameras with parallel collimators, were reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP......) and iterative reconstruction OSEM without corrections (IRNC) and compared against the recommended OSEM with corrections for attenuation and scatter and septal penetration (ACSC), before and after applying phantom calibration. Differences between databases were quantified using the percentage difference......-camera variability (-0.2%, p = 0.44). CONCLUSIONS: The ENC-DAT reference values are significantly dependent on the reconstruction and quantification methods and phantom calibration, while reducing the major part of their differences, is unable to fully harmonize them. Clinical use of any normal database, therefore...

  10. Clinical use of regional Tc-99m-HMPAO uptake in dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). Klinische Wertigkeit des regionalen [sup 99m]Tc-HMPAO Uptake bei der Demenz vom Alzheimer-Typ (DAT)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gebhardt, U [Nuklearmedizinische Klinik und Poliklinik, TU Muenchen (Germany); Schmauss, F [Nuklearmedizinische Klinik und Poliklinik, TU Muenchen (Germany); Wagner-Manslau, C [Nuklearmedizinische Klinik und Poliklinik, TU Muenchen (Germany); Buttermann, G [Nuklearmedizinische Klinik und Poliklinik, TU Muenchen (Germany); Zimmer, R [Psychiatrische Klinik, TU Muenchen (Germany)

    1993-12-01

    In 46 patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was compared with cognitive performance (MMSE, CAMCOG). The cortico-cerebellar ratio (CCR), determined by [sup 99m]Tc-HMPAO-SPECT was used as a rCBF-equivalent. In the mild demented group we found a bilateral CCR-reduction parietal posterior, in moderate DAT bilateral temporoparietal and leftsided frontolateral defects were seen. Severe DAT showed an additional perfusion decrease mid frontal. With increasing severity of DAT an asymmetric perfusion occurred in 17/46 patients with accentuated CCR-reduction on the left side (temporal>parietal). High correlations between CCR and MMSE (r[>=]0.70) existed frontolateral, temporal and parietal in the left hemisphere. Significant associations between CCR and CAMCOG were obtained for language in the left temporal posterior region (r=0.64), for memory task left temporal anterior (r=0.59) and for praxis left parietal posterior (r=0.55). In detecting rCBF abnormalities the sensitivity for all 46 DAT patients was 91% and 70% in the mild cases. (orig.)

  11. European multicentre database of healthy controls for [(123)I]FP-CIT SPECT (ENC-DAT)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Varrone, Andrea; Dickson, John C; Tossici-Bolt, Livia

    2013-01-01

    of quantification is the availability of normative data, considering possible age and gender effects on DAT availability. The aim of the European Normal Control Database of DaTSCAN (ENC-DAT) study was to generate a large database of [(123)I]FP-CIT SPECT scans in healthy controls....

  12. The polymorphism of dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) and dopamine transporter (DAT) genes in the men with antisocial behaviour and mixed martial arts fighters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cherepkova, Elena V; Maksimov, Vladimir N; Kushnarev, Alexandr P; Shakhmatov, Igor I; Aftanas, Lyubomir I

    2017-09-12

    Variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphisms of DRD4 and DAT genes were studied in the Russian and Chechen men convicted of crimes, and two control groups comprised of the MMA fighters and a sample of general population. A group of MMA fighters included only the subjects without history of antisocial behaviour. DNA was isolated by phenol-chloroform extraction from the blood. Genotyping VNTR polymorphisms of the DRD4 and DAT genes were performed by PCR on published methods. Among those convicted of felonies and most grave crimes, carriers of DRD4 long alleles are found more frequently, similarly to the cohort of MMA fighters (lacking criminal record in both paternal lines). The 9/9 DAT genotype carriers are more frequently encountered among the habitual offenders. A frequency of the combination of the DRD4 genotype 4/7 and DAT genotype 10/10 is clearly higher among the convicts of violent crimes and the MMA fighters. One can speculate the presence of a 'controlled aggression' without a predisposition to pathological violence in the MMA fighters. Our study supports the hypothesis of genetic predisposition to different variants of extreme behaviour mediated by genetic determinants involved in the functioning of neuromediator systems including those controlling dopamine pathways.

  13. Effects of hypoxic–ischemic brain injury on striatal dopamine transporter in newborn piglets: evaluation of 11C-CFT PET/CT for DAT quantification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Yanfen; Wang Xiaoyu; Cao Li; Guo Qiyong; Wang Xiaoming

    2011-01-01

    Introduction: Alterations of dopamine in striatal presynaptic terminals play an important role in the hypoxic–ischemic (HI) brain injury. Quantification of DAT levels in the presynaptic site using 11 C-N-2-carbomethoxy-3-(4-fluorophenyl)-tropane ( 11 C-CFT) with positron emission tomography (PET) was applied in studies for Parkinson's disease. The current study investigated the changes in striatal DAT following HI brain injury in newborn piglets using 11 C-CFT PET. Methods: Newborn piglets were subjected to occlusion of bilateral common carotid arteries for 30 min and simultaneous peripheral hypoxia. Brain DAT imaging was performed using PET/CT with 11 C-CFT as the probe in each group (including the control group and HI insult groups). Brain tissues were collected for DAT immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis at each time point post the PET/CT procedure. Sham controls had some operation without HI procedure. Results: A few minutes after intravenous injection of 11 C-CFT, radioactive signals for DAT clearly appeared in the cortical area, striatum and cerebellum of newborn piglets of sham control group and HI insult groups. HI brain insult markedly increased striatal DAT at an early period (P 11 C-CFT PET imaging data and IHC DAT staining data were highly correlated (r=0.844, P 11 C-CFT PET/CT imaging data reflected the dynamic changes of DAT in the striatum in vivo.

  14. Time-resolved influences of functional DAT1 and COMT variants on visual perception and post-processing.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephan Bender

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Dopamine plays an important role in orienting and the regulation of selective attention to relevant stimulus characteristics. Thus, we examined the influences of functional variants related to dopamine inactivation in the dopamine transporter (DAT1 and catechol-O-methyltransferase genes (COMT on the time-course of visual processing in a contingent negative variation (CNV task. METHODS: 64-channel EEG recordings were obtained from 195 healthy adolescents of a community-based sample during a continuous performance task (A-X version. Early and late CNV as well as preceding visual evoked potential components were assessed. RESULTS: Significant additive main effects of DAT1 and COMT on the occipito-temporal early CNV were observed. In addition, there was a trend towards an interaction between the two polymorphisms. Source analysis showed early CNV generators in the ventral visual stream and in frontal regions. There was a strong negative correlation between occipito-temporal visual post-processing and the frontal early CNV component. The early CNV time interval 500-1000 ms after the visual cue was specifically affected while the preceding visual perception stages were not influenced. CONCLUSIONS: Late visual potentials allow the genomic imaging of dopamine inactivation effects on visual post-processing. The same specific time-interval has been found to be affected by DAT1 and COMT during motor post-processing but not motor preparation. We propose the hypothesis that similar dopaminergic mechanisms modulate working memory encoding in both the visual and motor and perhaps other systems.

  15. Platelet adhesion and degranulation induce pro-survival and pro-angiogenic signalling in ovarian cancer cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karl Egan

    Full Text Available Thrombosis is common in ovarian cancer. However, the interaction of platelets with ovarian cancer cells has not been critically examined. To address this, we investigated platelet interactions in a range of ovarian cancer cell lines with different metastatic potentials [HIO-80, 59M, SK-OV-3, A2780, A2780cis]. Platelets adhered to ovarian cancer cells with the most significant adhesion to the 59M cell line. Ovarian cancer cells induced platelet activation [P-selectin expression] in a dose dependent manner, with the most significant activation seen in response to the 59M cell line. The platelet antagonists [cangrelor, MRS2179, and apyrase] inhibited 59M cell induced activation suggesting a P2Y12 and P2Y1 receptor mediated mechanism of platelet activation dependent on the release of ADP by 59M cells. A2780 and 59M cells potentiated PAR-1, PAR-4, and TxA2 receptor mediated platelet activation, but had no effect on ADP, epinephrine, or collagen induced activation. Analysis of gene expression changes in ovarian cancer cells following treatment with washed platelets or platelet releasate showed a subtle but valid upregulation of anti-apoptotic, anti-autophagy pro-angiogenic, pro-cell cycle and metabolic genes. Thus, ovarian cancer cells with different metastatic potential adhere and activate platelets differentially while both platelets and platelet releasate mediate pro-survival and pro-angiogenic signals in ovarian cancer cells.

  16. Clinical use of regional Tc-99m-HMPAO uptake in dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gebhardt, U.; Schmauss, F.; Wagner-Manslau, C.; Buttermann, G.; Zimmer, R.

    1993-01-01

    In 46 patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was compared with cognitive performance (MMSE, CAMCOG). The cortico-cerebellar ratio (CCR), determined by 99m Tc-HMPAO-SPECT was used as a rCBF-equivalent. In the mild demented group we found a bilateral CCR-reduction parietal posterior, in moderate DAT bilateral temporoparietal and leftsided frontolateral defects were seen. Severe DAT showed an additional perfusion decrease mid frontal. With increasing severity of DAT an asymmetric perfusion occurred in 17/46 patients with accentuated CCR-reduction on the left side (temporal>parietal). High correlations between CCR and MMSE (r≥0.70) existed frontolateral, temporal and parietal in the left hemisphere. Significant associations between CCR and CAMCOG were obtained for language in the left temporal posterior region (r=0.64), for memory task left temporal anterior (r=0.59) and for praxis left parietal posterior (r=0.55). In detecting rCBF abnormalities the sensitivity for all 46 DAT patients was 91% and 70% in the mild cases. (orig.) [de

  17. Upregulated LINE-1 Activity in the Fanconi Anemia Cancer Susceptibility Syndrome Leads to Spontaneous Pro-inflammatory Cytokine Production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brégnard, Christelle; Guerra, Jessica; Déjardin, Stéphanie; Passalacqua, Frank; Benkirane, Monsef; Laguette, Nadine

    2016-06-01

    Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a genetic disorder characterized by elevated cancer susceptibility and pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Using SLX4(FANCP) deficiency as a working model, we questioned the trigger for chronic inflammation in FA. We found that absence of SLX4 caused cytoplasmic DNA accumulation, including sequences deriving from active Long INterspersed Element-1 (LINE-1), triggering the cGAS-STING pathway to elicit interferon (IFN) expression. In agreement, absence of SLX4 leads to upregulated LINE-1 retrotransposition. Importantly, similar results were obtained with the FANCD2 upstream activator of SLX4. Furthermore, treatment of FA cells with the Tenofovir reverse transcriptase inhibitor (RTi), that prevents endogenous retrotransposition, decreased both accumulation of cytoplasmic DNA and pro-inflammatory signaling. Collectively, our data suggest a contribution of endogenous RT activities to the generation of immunogenic cytoplasmic nucleic acids responsible for inflammation in FA. The additional observation that RTi decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine production induced by DNA replication stress-inducing drugs further demonstrates the contribution of endogenous RTs to sustaining chronic inflammation. Altogether, our data open perspectives in the prevention of adverse effects of chronic inflammation in tumorigenesis. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. [(123)I]FP-CIT ENC-DAT normal database

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tossici-Bolt, Livia; Dickson, John C; Sera, Terez

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND: [(123)I]FP-CIT is a well-established radiotracer for the diagnosis of dopaminergic degenerative disorders. The European Normal Control Database of DaTSCAN (ENC-DAT) of healthy controls has provided age and gender-specific reference values for the [(123)I]FP-CIT specific binding ratio...... quantifications methods, BRASS and Southampton, and explores the performance of the striatal phantom calibration in their harmonisation. RESULTS: BRASS and Southampton databases comprising 123 ENC-DAT subjects, from gamma cameras with parallel collimators, were reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP......) and iterative reconstruction OSEM without corrections (IRNC) and compared against the recommended OSEM with corrections for attenuation and scatter and septal penetration (ACSC), before and after applying phantom calibration. Differences between databases were quantified using the percentage difference...

  19. A genetic-demographic approach reveals a gender-specific association of SLC6A3/DAT1 40 bp-VNTR with life-expectancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hadi, Fazal; Dato, Serena; Carpi, Francesco M; Prontera, Paolo; Crucianelli, Francesca; Renda, Federica; Passarino, Giuseppe; Napolioni, Valerio

    2015-06-01

    Several recent lines of evidence are proving an important role for dopamine in the aging process and in the determination of life span. Components of the dopaminergic system may represent good candidates for longevity studies. Herein, we tested the possible association of the functional SLC6A3/DAT1 40-bp VNTR with life-expectancy in a healthy population of Central Italy (N = 993) by applying a genetic-demographic approach that takes into account the demographic information and different survival rates between sexes for modeling the survival of specific allele carriers in the population. Male carriers of S*/S* genotype showed a lower survival chance across most of the lifespan respect to the survival of DAT1*L-carriers (P = 0.021). The same analyses gave non-significant results in females. Several studies already reported significant sex differences in dopamine metabolism and its related biological pathways. Thus, we can hypothesize that the SLC6A3/DAT1 40 bp-VNTR may affect life expectancy in a sex-specific way. Moreover, it is conceivable that DAT1 S*/S* carriers, who are prone to assume "risk" type behaviors, may be dropped out of the "healthy" population by a sort of "demographic selection".

  20. Increased Cortical Thickness in Professional On-Line Gamers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hyun, Gi Jung; Shin, Yong Wook; Kim, Bung-Nyun; Cheong, Jae Hoon; Jin, Seong Nam

    2013-01-01

    Objective The bulk of recent studies have tested whether video games change the brain in terms of activity and cortical volume. However, such studies are limited by several factors including cross-sectional comparisons, co-morbidity, and short-term follow-up periods. In the present study, we hypothesized that cognitive flexibility and the volume of brain cortex would be correlated with the career length of on-line pro-gamers. Methods High-resolution magnetic resonance scans were acquired in twenty-three pro-gamers recruited from StarCraft pro-game teams. We measured cortical thickness in each individual using FreeSurfer and the cortical thickness was correlated with the career length and the performance of the pro-gamers. Results Career length was positively correlated with cortical thickness in three brain regions: right superior frontal gyrus, right superior parietal gyrus, and right precentral gyrus. Additionally, increased cortical thickness in the prefrontal cortex was correlated with winning rates of the pro-game league. Increased cortical thickness in the prefrontal and parietal cortices was also associated with higher performance of Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Conclusion Our results suggest that in individuals without pathologic conditions, regular, long-term playing of on-line games is associated with volume changes in the prefrontal and parietal cortices, which are associated with cognitive flexibility. PMID:24474988

  1. Effects of age and sex on 125I-β-CIT binding to DAT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Xingdang; Lin Xiangtong

    2000-01-01

    Objective: To investigate effects of age and sex on 125 I-β-CIT binding to dopamine transporter (DAT). Methods: Detection of the differences in 125 I-β-CIT binding kinetics in vivo between 6 week and 6 month old KM mice, and the differences of in vivo binding between female and male, and between 3 month and 12 month old SD rats.The animals were sacrificed 2 h after injection. Results: Uptake of 125 I-β-CIT in the striatum, frontal cortex, parietal cortex, temporal cortex, occipital cortex, hippocampus, brain stem and whole brain in 6 week old mice was higher than that in 6 month old mice, and similar uptake pattern happened in between 3 month old and in 12 month old SD rats. In 12 months old SD rats, female rats had higher uptake in the striatum than male rats did. Conclusions: Young mice and rats have a higher uptake of 125 I-β-CIT in the striatum than aged ones and female rats have a higher uptake than male ones do. This result indicates that the density of DAT in rat or mouse striatum may be reduced with aging

  2. NuDat system for access to nuclear data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dunford, C.L.; Kinsey, R.R.

    1998-01-01

    The NuDat program provides a user with access to nuclear properties and to some nuclear reaction data. The program operates on DEC VMS operating systems and on PC's with Microsoft operating systems. The program has four user interfaces, all having the same content and functionality. These interfaces are Web, Video and Sequential for VMS. The PC interface is identical to the VMS Video interface. Forms are used to supply the type of data the user desires, the retrieval parameters, the output format, and the sort order of the data. The program and associated database is used in basic research, particularly for the systematic study of nuclear properties. It is also a useful tool for applied research to identify radiations from radionuclides contained in environmental samples, or from those produced by neutron or charged particle activation. The NuDat database is derived from several databases maintained by the National Nuclear Data Center. The databases are the Adopted Levels and Gammas data sets from ENSDF, the Nuclear Wallet Cards, Decay Radiations derived from ENSDF decay data sets processed by RADLIST, and Thermal Neutron Cross Sections

  3. On-line analyzers to distributed control system linking

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peterson, S.F.; Buchanan, B.R.; Sanders, M.A.

    1990-01-01

    The Analytical Development Section (ADS) of the Savannah River Laboratory is developing on-line analyzers to monitor various site processes. Data from some of the on-line analyzers (OLA's) will be used for process control by distributed control systems (DCS's) such as the Fisher PRoVOX. A problem in the past has been an efficient and cost effective way to get analyzer data onto the DCS data highway. ADS is developing a system to accomplish the linking of OLA's to PRoVOX DCS's. The system will be described, and results of operation in a research and development environment given. Plans for the installation in the production environment will be discussed.

  4. PRO/Mapper: a plotting program for the DEC PRO/300 personal computers utilizing the MAPPER graphics language

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wachter, J.W.

    1986-05-01

    PRO/Mapper is an application for the Digital Equipment Corporation PRO/300 series of personal computers that facilitates the preparation of visuals such as graphs, charts, and maps in color or black and white. The user prepares an input data file containing English-language commands and writes it into a file using standard editor. PRO/Mapper then reads these files and draws graphs, maps, boxes, and complex line segments onto the computer screen. Axes, curves, and error bars may be plotted in graphical presentations. The commands of PRO/Mapper are a subset of the commands of the more sophisticated MAPPER program written for mainframe computers. The PRO/Mapper commands were chosen primarily for the production of linear graphs. Command files written for the PRO/300 are upward compatible with the Martin Marietta Energy Systems version of MAPPER and can be used to produce publication-quality slides, drawings, and maps on the various output devices of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory mainframe computers

  5. Immunization with DAT fragments is associated with long-term striatal impairment, hyperactivity and reduced cognitive flexibility in mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriani Walter

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Possible interactions between nervous and immune systems in neuro-psychiatric disorders remain elusive. Levels of brain dopamine transporter (DAT have been implicated in several impulse-control disorders, like attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD. Here, we assessed the interplay between DAT auto-immunity and behavioural / neurochemical phenotype. Methods Male CD-1 mice were immunized with DAT peptide fragments (DAT-i, or vehicle alone (VEH, to generate elevated circulating levels of DAT auto-antibodies (aAbs. Using an operant delay-of-reward task (20 min daily sessions; timeout 25 sec, mice had a choice between either an immediate small amount of food (SS, or a larger amount of food after a delay (LL, which increased progressively across sessions (from 0 to 150 sec. Results DAT-i mice exhibited spontaneous hyperactivity (2 h-longer wake-up peak; a wake-up attempt during rest. Two sub-populations differing in behavioural flexibility were identified in the VEH control group: they showed either a clear-cut decision to select LL or clear-cut shifting towards SS, as expected. Compared to VEH controls, choice-behaviour profile of DAT-i mice was markedly disturbed, together with long-lasting alterations of the striatal monoamines. Enhanced levels of DA metabolite HVA in DAT-i mice came along with slower acquisition of basal preferences and with impaired shifting; elevation also in DOPAC levels was associated with incapacity to change a rigid selection strategy. This scarce flexibility of performance is indicative of a poor adaptation to task contingencies. Conclusions Hyperactivity and reduced cognitive flexibility are patterns of behaviour consistent with enduring functional impairment of striatal regions. It is yet unclear how anti-DAT antibodies could enter or otherwise affect these brain areas, and which alterations in DAT activity exactly occurred after immunization

  6. Promoter Methylation and BDNF and DAT1 Gene Expression Profiles in Patients with Drug Addiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kordi-Tamandani, Dor Mohammad; Tajoddini, Shahrad; Salimi, Farzaneh

    2015-01-01

    Drug addiction is a brain disorder that has negative consequences for individuals and society. Addictions are chronic relapsing diseases of the brain that are caused by direct drug-induced effects and persevering neuroadaptations at the epigenetic, neuropeptide and neurotransmitter levels. Because the dopaminergic system has a significant role in drug abuse, the purpose of this study was to analyze the methylation and expression profile of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and dopamine transporter (DAT1) genes in individuals with drug addiction. BDNF and DAT1 promoter methylation were investigated with a methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique in blood samples from 75 individuals with drug addiction and 65 healthy controls. The expression levels of BDNF and DAT1 were assessed in 12 mRNA samples from the blood of patients and compared to the samples of healthy controls (n = 12) with real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR. No significant differences were found in the methylation of BDNF and DAT1 between patients and controls, but the relative levels of expression of BDNF and DAT1 mRNA differed significantly in the patients compared to controls (p drug addiction.

  7. Effects of Pro-Gly-Pro tripeptide on the dopamine system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meshavkin, V K; Batishcheva, E Yu; Kost, N V; Sokolov, O Yu; Trufanova, A V; Samonina, G E

    2011-08-01

    Tripeptide Pro-Gly-Pro interacted with dopamine receptors in vitro and reduced behavioral manifestations of apomorphine-induced hyperfunction of the dopamine system in verticalization, stereotypy, and yawning tests. Presumably, the behavioral effects of Pro-Gly-Pro tripeptide were mediated through post- and presynaptic D(2)and D(3)receptors.

  8. Inzicht in beslisgedrag maakt dat meer burgers meedoen

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kerstholt, J.H.

    2014-01-01

    Participatiesamenleving Inzicht in beslisgedrag maakt dat meer burgers meedoen Waar was de bank van de dode buurvrouw? De sekte van de burgerkracht Al het werk is zingevend, ook het vrijwillige De ondernemende burger rukt op, schort het oordeel even op Blij met het luide debat over de

  9. The verification of the usability of the online Indares.com system in collecting data on physical activity – pilot study [Ověření využitelnosti online systému Indares.com pro sběr dat o pohybové aktivitě – pilotní studie

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josef Mitáš

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available In order to reduce the increase of obesity and an inactive healthy lifestyle in the population, we are seeking means which would enhance a change in physical activity behavior worldwide. Information technologies, especially the internet, are among these means. Research has shown internet intervention to be effective in enhancing health in the population. The aim of the pilot study is to verify the usability of the online Indares.com system in collecting data on physical activity (PA and at the same time to analyze a possible use of the system for intervention programs. The verification of the Indares.com system was carried out in the spring term (from January to May 2008 in a sample of 114 students at Valdosta State University who recorded their PA regularly into the system. The study analyzed the data from the first 12 weeks of the semester. The results show that the Indares.com system is an effective tool for the online collection of data on PA in its users and that the recorded data can be used for research purposes. Furthermore, the obtained information suggests that the Indares.com system can be used in internet intervention programs. [Ve snaze zmírnit trend nárůstu obezity a inaktivního způsobu života populace jsou celosvětově hledány prostředky, které by přispěly k žádoucí změně pohybového chování lidí. Mezi tyto prostředky patří moderní informační technologie, zejména internet. Dosavadní výzkumy spíše potvrzují efektivnost internetových intervencí zacílených na zdraví populace. Cílem této pilotní studie bylo ověřit praktickou využitelnost internetové aplikace Indares.com ke sběru dat o pohybové aktivitě (PA a současně analyzovat možnosti využití systému pro intervenční programy. Ověřování systému Indares.com bylo uskutečněno během jarního semestru (leden až květen 2008 na 114 studentech Valdosta State University, kteří svou PA pravidelně zapisovali do systému. V t

  10. Utility of the combination of DAT SPECT and MIBG myocardial scintigraphy in differentiating dementia with Lewy bodies from Alzheimer's disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimizu, Soichiro; Hirao, Kentaro; Kanetaka, Hidekazu; Namioka, Nayuta; Hatanaka, Hirokuni; Hirose, Daisuke; Fukasawa, Raita; Umahara, Takahiko; Sakurai, Hirohumi; Hanyu, Haruo

    2016-01-01

    123 I-2β-Carbomethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl)-N-(3-fluoropropyl) nortropane ( 123 I-FP-CIT) dopamine transporter single photon emission computed tomography (DAT SPECT) and 123 I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) myocardial scintigraphy can be used to assist in the diagnosis of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). We compared the diagnostic value of these two methods in differentiating DLB from Alzheimer's disease (AD). Furthermore, we evaluated whether a combination of DAT SPECT and MIBG myocardial scintigraphy would provide a more useful means of differentiating between DLB and AD. Patients with AD (n = 57) and patients with DLB (n = 76) who underwent both DAT SPECT and MIBG myocardial scintigraphy were enrolled. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of both methods as well as their combination for differentiating DLB from AD were calculated. Moreover, we examined whether symptoms of the patients with DLB were associated with the patterns of the abnormalities displayed on DAT SPECT and MIBG myocardial scintigraphy. The sensitivity and specificity of differentiating DLB from AD were 72.4 and 94.4 % by the heart to mediastinum ratio of MIBG uptake, 88.2 and 88.9 % by the specific binding ratio on DAT SPECT, and 96.1 and 90.7 % by their combination, respectively. The combined use of DAT SPECT and MIBG myocardial scintigraphy enabled more accurate differentiation between DLB and AD compared with either DAT SPECT or MIBG myocardial scintigraphy alone. There was a significantly higher frequency of parkinsonism in the abnormal DAT SPECT group than the normal DAT SPECT group. On the other hand, there was a higher frequency of the appearance of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder in the abnormal MIBG uptake group than the normal MIBG uptake group. These results suggested that using a combination of these scintigraphic methods is a useful and practical approach to differentiate DLB from AD. (orig.)

  11. SGNucDat. Safeguards nuclear data for windows. Summary documentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lemmel, H.D.; Schwerer, O.

    1996-01-01

    SGNucDat is a PC code displaying recommended values of nuclear data that are required for nuclear materials analyses by IAEA safeguards. Diskette and report available from the IAEA Nuclear Data Section, costfree upon request. (author)

  12. Interaction between striatal volume and DAT1 polymorphism predicts working memory development during adolescence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Nemmi

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available There is considerable inter-individual variability in the rate at which working memory (WM develops during childhood and adolescence, but the neural and genetic basis for these differences are poorly understood. Dopamine-related genes, striatal activation and morphology have been associated with increased WM capacity after training. Here we tested the hypothesis that these factors would also explain some of the inter-individual differences in the rate of WM development.We measured WM performance in 487 healthy subjects twice: at age 14 and 19. At age 14 subjects underwent a structural MRI scan, and genotyping of five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in or close to the dopamine genes DRD2, DAT-1 and COMT, which have previously been associated with gains in WM after WM training. We then analyzed which biological factors predicted the rate of increase in WM between ages 14 and 19.We found a significant interaction between putamen size and DAT1/SLC6A3 rs40184 polymorphism, such that TC heterozygotes with a larger putamen at age 14 showed greater WM improvement at age 19.The effect of the DAT1 polymorphism on WM development was exerted in interaction with striatal morphology. These results suggest that development of WM partially share neuro-physiological mechanism with training-induced plasticity. Keywords: Working memory, Development, Dopamine, Striatum, DAT-1, rs40184

  13. Pro-Anorexia and Anti-Pro-Anorexia Videos on YouTube: Sentiment Analysis of User Responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oksanen, Atte; Garcia, David; Sirola, Anu; Näsi, Matti; Kaakinen, Markus; Keipi, Teo; Räsänen, Pekka

    2015-11-12

    Pro-anorexia communities exist online and encourage harmful weight loss and weight control practices, often through emotional content that enforces social ties within these communities. User-generated responses to videos that directly oppose pro-anorexia communities have not yet been researched in depth. The aim was to study emotional reactions to pro-anorexia and anti-pro-anorexia online content on YouTube using sentiment analysis. Using the 50 most popular YouTube pro-anorexia and anti-pro-anorexia user channels as a starting point, we gathered data on users, their videos, and their commentators. A total of 395 anorexia videos and 12,161 comments were analyzed using positive and negative sentiments and ratings submitted by the viewers of the videos. The emotional information was automatically extracted with an automatic sentiment detection tool whose reliability was tested with human coders. Ordinary least squares regression models were used to estimate the strength of sentiments. The models controlled for the number of video views and comments, number of months the video had been on YouTube, duration of the video, uploader's activity as a video commentator, and uploader's physical location by country. The 395 videos had more than 6 million views and comments by almost 8000 users. Anti-pro-anorexia video comments expressed more positive sentiments on a scale of 1 to 5 (adjusted prediction [AP] 2.15, 95% CI 2.11-2.19) than did those of pro-anorexia videos (AP 2.02, 95% CI 1.98-2.06). Anti-pro-anorexia videos also received more likes (AP 181.02, 95% CI 155.19-206.85) than pro-anorexia videos (AP 31.22, 95% CI 31.22-37.81). Negative sentiments and video dislikes were equally distributed in responses to both pro-anorexia and anti-pro-anorexia videos. Despite pro-anorexia content being widespread on YouTube, videos promoting help for anorexia and opposing the pro-anorexia community were more popular, gaining more positive feedback and comments than pro-anorexia videos

  14. Sturen op geluk: is dat mogelijk en wenselijk?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    R. Veenhoven (Ruut)

    2012-01-01

    textabstractHet idee dat de overheid zou moeten sturen op geluk is meer dan 200 jaar geleden al bepleit door Jeremy Bentham (1789). Volgens hem moeten wij streven naar groter geluk voor een groter aantal mensen, ook bij het maken van publieke keuzen. Dit heet in het filosofenjargon ‘politiek

  15. On-line distance assisted training program for nuclear medicine technologists applied to SPECT-CT and PET-CT (Program DAT-OL). Results of a first course in Argentina

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Furnari, J C; Notari, C; Daoud, A; Giannone, C A

    2012-01-01

    The CNEA and the IDB are running for the second time the Distance Assisted Training course (DAT-OL), which is part of a global program of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for Nuclear Medicine technologists working in centers equipped with PET CT and / or SPECT-CT hybrids. Aims: Completion of this course is justified by the strong increase in the installation of hybrid nuclear medicine (NM) systems, the increasing demand for qualified technicians and the lack of formal training opportunity. The course objective is to both promote the qualification of the technologist as improving quality and operational safety in MN participating centers. Material and Methods: This new course is free and is taught in Spanish from the www.datnmt.org website. The study material is available on site and the training is aided by tutors of institutions as CNEA, FUESMEN (School of Nuclear Medicine Foundation), UBA (University of Buenos Aires) and Nuclear Medicine private labs. The DAT-OL is developed in modules: Physics of SPECT / CT and PET / CT; Principles and sectional anatomy CT, SPECT / CT and PET / CT clinical; cyclotron and radiopharmaceutical production; Radiation Safety in PET / CT; Workflows and protocols with PET / CT, clinical reports: normal variants, artifacts and failures. Some of the requirements to take the DAT-OL are: Access to camera PET / CT and / or camera SPECT / CT, and a supervisor (Nuclear Medicine physician or Medical physicist) at the center of NM where the student works. Technicians must have academic qualification, 5 or more years working in centers MN, previous courses in Biology, Physics SPECT and SPECT Clinical course and a Methodology of Radioisotopes and radiation protection course. Results: The first course lasted 12 months including examinations. Tutors have scarcely been consulted. SPECT/CT and PET/CT web examinations, have been developed and evaluated by the authors of the course (B. Hutton and H. Patterson, University of London and

  16. XMuDat: Photon attenuation data on PC. Version 1.0.1 of August 1998. Summary documentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pronyaev, V.G.

    1998-01-01

    XMuDat is a program to be used with Windows 95 or Windows NT for the presentation and calculation of various photon interaction coefficients. Six absorbing materials can be set up individually. Each material can be composed of components chosen from the elements and further from a number of compounds and mixtures of dosimetric interest. Data for mass attenuation-, mass energy transfer- and mass energy absorption coefficients in a photon energy range of 1 keV to 50 MeV can be retrieved. A set of two diskettes with XMuDat files is available upon request, costfree, from the IAEA Nuclear Data Section. Users with access to Internet may download xmudat.zip file (1,174 KB) from http://www.nds.iaea.or.at/reports/nds-195.htm. (author)

  17. An Introduction to the DA-T Gibbs Sampler for the Two-Parameter Logistic (2PL Model and Beyond

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gunter Maris

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available The DA-T Gibbs sampler is proposed by Maris and Maris (2002 as a Bayesian estimation method for a wide variety of Item Response Theory (IRT models. The present paper provides an expository account of the DAT Gibbs sampler for the 2PL model. However, the scope is not limited to the 2PL model. It is demonstrated how the DA-T Gibbs sampler for the 2PL may be used to build, quite easily, Gibbs samplers for other IRT models. Furthermore, the paper contains a novel, intuitive derivation of the Gibbs sampler and could be read for a graduate course on sampling.

  18. Utility of the combination of DAT SPECT and MIBG myocardial scintigraphy in differentiating dementia with Lewy bodies from Alzheimer's disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shimizu, Soichiro; Hirao, Kentaro; Kanetaka, Hidekazu; Namioka, Nayuta; Hatanaka, Hirokuni; Hirose, Daisuke; Fukasawa, Raita; Umahara, Takahiko; Sakurai, Hirohumi; Hanyu, Haruo [Tokyo Medical University, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo (Japan)

    2016-01-15

    {sup 123}I-2β-Carbomethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl)-N-(3-fluoropropyl) nortropane ({sup 123}I-FP-CIT) dopamine transporter single photon emission computed tomography (DAT SPECT) and {sup 123}I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) myocardial scintigraphy can be used to assist in the diagnosis of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). We compared the diagnostic value of these two methods in differentiating DLB from Alzheimer's disease (AD). Furthermore, we evaluated whether a combination of DAT SPECT and MIBG myocardial scintigraphy would provide a more useful means of differentiating between DLB and AD. Patients with AD (n = 57) and patients with DLB (n = 76) who underwent both DAT SPECT and MIBG myocardial scintigraphy were enrolled. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of both methods as well as their combination for differentiating DLB from AD were calculated. Moreover, we examined whether symptoms of the patients with DLB were associated with the patterns of the abnormalities displayed on DAT SPECT and MIBG myocardial scintigraphy. The sensitivity and specificity of differentiating DLB from AD were 72.4 and 94.4 % by the heart to mediastinum ratio of MIBG uptake, 88.2 and 88.9 % by the specific binding ratio on DAT SPECT, and 96.1 and 90.7 % by their combination, respectively. The combined use of DAT SPECT and MIBG myocardial scintigraphy enabled more accurate differentiation between DLB and AD compared with either DAT SPECT or MIBG myocardial scintigraphy alone. There was a significantly higher frequency of parkinsonism in the abnormal DAT SPECT group than the normal DAT SPECT group. On the other hand, there was a higher frequency of the appearance of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder in the abnormal MIBG uptake group than the normal MIBG uptake group. These results suggested that using a combination of these scintigraphic methods is a useful and practical approach to differentiate DLB from AD. (orig.)

  19. Interaction of Dopamine Transporter (DAT1) Genotype and Maltreatment for ADHD: A Latent Class Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, James J.; Lee, Steve S.

    2012-01-01

    Background: Although the association of the dopamine transporter (DAT1) gene and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been widely studied, far less is known about its potential interaction with environmental risk factors. Given that maltreatment is a replicated risk factor for ADHD, we explored the interaction between DAT1 and…

  20. 2005 Tri-Service Infrastructure Systems Conference and Exhibition. Volume 1, Track 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-08-04

    Alan Tool Sediment Impact Assessment Model (SIAM), by David S. Biedenharn and Meg Jonas Mississippi River Sedimentation Study, by Basil Arthur Sediment...Questionnaire Client Report Reports Criteria/Lesson Learned Project Details PRO JEC TS DAT ABA SE 9 eProjects 1. Business Line CIBL Program ANY MILCON 2

  1. Genetic diversity among yellow maize with pro-vitamin A content

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mercy Oluremi Olowolafe

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available An improvement in the concentration of vitamin A in adapted yellow maize varieties grown in Africa can have a positive impact on the dietary intakes in regions where maize is a staple food. The present study was designed to identify heterotic groups and divergent parents for developing new pro-vitamin A enriched maize lines. Ten Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR markers were used to generate DNA profiles among thirteen commonly grown yellow maize lines across south western Nigeria and three high pro-vitamin A lines from International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA, Ibadan. The result obtained estimated 100% polymorphism among the ten SSR markers with polymorphic information content that ranged from 0.28 to 0.71 on an average of 0.50. Genetic similarity coefficients among the 16 maize lines varied from 0.28 to 0.92 GS with an average of 0.63 GS. Four well defined groups were identified at 0.65 GS with an IITA line, PVA8, solely, formed a group. The study identified PVA8 and its most three distant relatives as potential divergent parents that could serve as important genetic resources for broadening the genetic base of the presently assessed IAR&T maize collections and also to develop new maize lines with higher level of pro-vitamin A content.

  2. The rare DAT coding variant Val559 perturbs DA neuron function, changes behavior, and alters in vivo responses to psychostimulants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mergy, Marc A; Gowrishankar, Raajaram; Gresch, Paul J; Gantz, Stephanie C; Williams, John; Davis, Gwynne L; Wheeler, C Austin; Stanwood, Gregg D; Hahn, Maureen K; Blakely, Randy D

    2014-11-04

    Despite the critical role of the presynaptic dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT, SLC6A3) in DA clearance and psychostimulant responses, evidence that DAT dysfunction supports risk for mental illness is indirect. Recently, we identified a rare, nonsynonymous Slc6a3 variant that produces the DAT substitution Ala559Val in two male siblings who share a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with other studies identifying the variant in subjects with bipolar disorder (BPD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previously, using transfected cell studies, we observed that although DAT Val559 displays normal total and surface DAT protein levels, and normal DA recognition and uptake, the variant transporter exhibits anomalous DA efflux (ADE) and lacks capacity for amphetamine (AMPH)-stimulated DA release. To pursue the significance of these findings in vivo, we engineered DAT Val559 knock-in mice, and here we demonstrate in this model the presence of elevated extracellular DA levels, altered somatodendritic and presynaptic D2 DA receptor (D2R) function, a blunted ability of DA terminals to support depolarization and AMPH-evoked DA release, and disruptions in basal and psychostimulant-evoked locomotor behavior. Together, our studies demonstrate an in vivo functional impact of the DAT Val559 variant, providing support for the ability of DAT dysfunction to impact risk for mental illness.

  3. DAT/SERT Selectivity of Flexible GBR 12909 Analogs Modeled Using 3D-QSAR Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilbert, Kathleen M.; Boos, Terrence L.; Dersch, Christina M.; Greiner, Elisabeth; Jacobson, Arthur E.; Lewis, David; Matecka, Dorota; Prisinzano, Thomas E.; Zhang, Ying; Rothman, Richard B.; Rice, Kenner C.; Venanzi, Carol A.

    2007-01-01

    The dopamine reuptake inhibitor GBR 12909 (1-{2-[bis(4-fluorophenyl)methoxy]ethyl}-4-(3-phenylpropyl)piperazine, 1) and its analogs have been developed as tools to test the hypothesis that selective dopamine transporter (DAT) inhibitors will be useful therapeutics for cocaine addiction. This 3D-QSAR study focuses on the effect of substitutions in the phenylpropyl region of 1. CoMFA and CoMSIA techniques were used to determine a predictive and stable model for the DAT/serotonin transporter (SERT) selectivity (represented by pKi (DAT/SERT)) of a set of flexible analogs of 1, most of which have eight rotatable bonds. In the absence of a rigid analog to use as a 3D-QSAR template, six conformational families of analogs were constructed from six pairs of piperazine and piperidine template conformers identified by hierarchical clustering as representative molecular conformations. Three models stable to y-value scrambling were identified after a comprehensive CoMFA and CoMSIA survey with Region Focusing. Test set correlation validation led to an acceptable model, with q2 = 0.508, standard error of prediction = 0.601, two components, r2 = 0.685, standard error of estimate = 0.481, F value = 39, percent steric contribution = 65, and percent electrostatic contribution = 35. A CoMFA contour map identified areas of the molecule that affect pKi (DAT/SERT). This work outlines a protocol for deriving a stable and predictive model of the biological activity of a set of very flexible molecules. PMID:17127069

  4. Evidence of an association between 10/10 genotype of DAT1 and endophenotypes of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agudelo, J A; Gálvez, J M; Fonseca, D J; Mateus, H E; Talero-Gutiérrez, C; Velez-Van-Meerbeke, A

    2015-04-01

    Genetic variance of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a strong determinant of this disorder. The 40 base pairs (bp) variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) located in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of DAT1 gene increases the expression of the dopamine transporter. Therefore, DAT1 has been associated with susceptibility to ADHD. To determine the association between the VNTR of DAT1 and the phenotype of ADHD or its endophenotypes in a sample of children aged between 6 and 15 years from Bogotá. We selected 73 patients with ADHD and 54 controls. WISC test was applied in all subjects and executive functions were assessed. The VNTR of DAT1 was polymerase chain reaction-amplified. Data regarding population genetics and statistical analysis were obtained. Correlation and association tests between genotype and neuropsychological testing were performed. The DAT1 polymorphism was not associated with ADHD (P=.85). Nevertheless, the 10/10 genotype was found to be correlated with the processing speed index (P<.05). In the hyperactivity subtype, there was a genotypic correlation with some subtests of executive function (cognitive flexibility) (P≤.01). In the combined subtype, the 10/10 genotype was associated with verbal comprehension index of WISC (P<.05). A correlation was found between DAT1 VNTR and the subtest "processing speed index" of WISC and the subtest "cognitive flexibility" of executive functions. To our knowledge, this is the first report to assess DAT1 gene in a Colombian population. Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  5. WebDat: bridging the gap between unstructured and structured data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nogiec, Jerzy M.; Trombly-Freytag, Kelley; Carcagno, Ruben

    2008-01-01

    Accelerator R and D environments produce data characterized by different levels of organization. Whereas some systems produce repetitively predictable and standardized structured data, others may produce data of unknown or changing structure. In addition, structured data, typically sets of numeric values, are frequently logically connected with unstructured content (e.g., images, graphs, comments). Despite these different characteristics, a coherent, organized and integrated view of all information is sought out. WebDat is a system conceived as a result of efforts in this direction. It provides a uniform and searchable view of structured and unstructured data via common metadata, regardless of the repository used (DBMS or file system). It also allows for processing data and creating interactive reports. WebDat supports metadata management, administration, data and content access, application integration via Web services, and Web-based collaborative analysis

  6. WebDat: bridging the gap between unstructured and structured data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nogiec, Jerzy M.; Trombly-Freytag, Kelley; Carcagno, Ruben; /Fermilab

    2008-11-01

    Accelerator R&D environments produce data characterized by different levels of organization. Whereas some systems produce repetitively predictable and standardized structured data, others may produce data of unknown or changing structure. In addition, structured data, typically sets of numeric values, are frequently logically connected with unstructured content (e.g., images, graphs, comments). Despite these different characteristics, a coherent, organized and integrated view of all information is sought out. WebDat is a system conceived as a result of efforts in this direction. It provides a uniform and searchable view of structured and unstructured data via common metadata, regardless of the repository used (DBMS or file system). It also allows for processing data and creating interactive reports. WebDat supports metadata management, administration, data and content access, application integration via Web services, and Web-based collaborative analysis.

  7. Repeated social defeat and the rewarding effects of cocaine in adult and adolescent mice: dopamine transcription factors, proBDNF signaling pathways, and the TrkB receptor in the mesolimbic system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montagud-Romero, Sandra; Nuñez, Cristina; Blanco-Gandia, M Carmen; Martínez-Laorden, Elena; Aguilar, María A; Navarro-Zaragoza, Javier; Almela, Pilar; Milanés, Maria-Victoria; Laorden, María-Luisa; Miñarro, José; Rodríguez-Arias, Marta

    2017-07-01

    Repeated social defeat (RSD) increases the rewarding effects of cocaine in adolescent and adult rodents. The aim of the present study was to compare the long-term effects of RSD on the conditioned rewarding effects of cocaine and levels of the transcription factors Pitx3 and Nurr1 in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), the dopamine transporter (DAT), the D2 dopamine receptor (D2DR) and precursor of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (proBDNF) signaling pathways, and the tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) receptor in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in adult and adolescent mice. Male adolescent and young adult OF1 mice were exposed to four episodes of social defeat and were conditioned 3 weeks later with 1 mg/kg of cocaine. In a second set of mice, the expressions of the abovementioned dopaminergic and proBDNF and TrkB receptor were measured in VTA and NAc, respectively. Adolescent mice experienced social defeats less intensely than their adult counterparts and produced lower levels of corticosterone. However, both adult and adolescent defeated mice developed conditioned place preference for the compartment associated with this low dose of cocaine. Furthermore, only adolescent defeated mice displayed diminished levels of the transcription factors Pitx3 in the VTA, without changes in the expression of DAT and D2DR in the NAc. In addition, stressed adult mice showed a decreased expression of proBDNF and the TrkB receptor, while stressed adolescent mice exhibited increased expression of latter without changes in the former. Our findings suggest that dopaminergic pathways and proBDNF signaling and TrkB receptors play different roles in social defeat-stressed mice exposed to cocaine.

  8. Procyanidin-rich extract of natural cocoa powder causes ROS-mediated caspase-3 dependent apoptosis and reduction of pro-MMP-2 in epithelial ovarian carcinoma cell lines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taparia, Shruti Sanjay; Khanna, Aparna

    2016-10-01

    Over the last four centuries, cocoa and chocolate have been described as having potential medicinal value. As of today, Theobroma cacao L. (Sterculiaceae) and its products are consumed worldwide. They are of great research interest because of the concentration dependent antioxidant as well as pro-oxidant properties of some of their polyphenolic constituents, specially procyanidins and flavan-3-ols such as catechin. This study was aimed at investigating the cellular and molecular changes associated with cytotoxicity, caused due pro-oxidant activity of cocoa catechins and procyanidins, in ovarian cancer cell lines. Extract of non-alkalized cocoa powder enriched with catechins and procyanidins was used to treat human epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines OAW42 and OVCAR3 at various concentrations ≤1000μg/mL. The effect of treatment on intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels was determined. Apoptotic cell death, post treatment, was evaluated microscopically and using flow cytometry by means of annexin-propidium iodide (PI) dual staining. Levels of active caspase-3 as a pro-apoptotic marker and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) as an invasive potential marker were detected using Western blotting and gelatin zymography. Treatment with extract caused an increase in intracellular ROS levels in OAW42 and OVCAR3 cell lines. Bright field and fluorescence microscopy of treated cells revealed apoptotic morphology and DNA damage. Increase in annexin positive cell population and dose dependent upregulation of caspase-3 confirmed apoptotic cell death. pro-MMP2 was found to be downregulated in a dose dependent manner in cells treated with the extract. Treated cells also showed a reduction in MMP2 activity. Our data suggests that cocoa catechins and procyanidins are cytotoxic to epithelial ovarian cancer, inducing apoptotic morphological changes, DNA damage and caspase-3 mediated cell death. Downregulation of pro-MMP2 and reduction in active MMP2 levels imply a decrease

  9. Theoretical perspectives on pro-environmental behaviours

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariela PAVALACHE-ILIE

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The paper outlines a synthesis of the models (The rationalist models, models based on Theory of Reasoned Action/ Theory of Planned Behavior, prosocial models and antecedents of pro-environmental behaviors. The values models applicable for the study of pro-environmental behaviours (Rokeach’s; Schwartz’s; Kollmus and Agyeman synthesis, are presented afterwards, as the results of the studies which confirm the predictive role of values when it comes to pro-environmental behaviour.

  10. GPS pro výukovou HW/SW platformu

    OpenAIRE

    Pajgrt, Ondřej

    2008-01-01

    Práce se zabývá popisem spojení výukové platformy FITkit s GPS modulem. Seznámíme se v ní s problematikou systému GPS z teoretického i praktického hlediska, s výukovou platformou FITkit a jejím obecným využitím.Také podrobně popisuje spojení těchto dvou systémů ve spolupracující celek. Rozebírá též různé komunikační rozhraní a protokoly, které byly pro toto spojení využity. Ve druhé části práce je pak uveden postup zpracovávání dat od GPS modulu až po výsledné zobrazení na monitoru, samotná i...

  11. Evaluation of the possibility of estimating therapeutic response to Donepezil in patients with dat using ezis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joji Kawabe; Shigeaki Higashiyama; Terue Okamura; Hiroshi Hashimoto; Hisanori Akiyama; Kouki Inoue; Nobuo Kiriike; Kenji Torii; Hirotaka Ishizu; Etsushi Kawamura; Jin Kotani; Ai Oe; Takehiro Hayashi

    2004-01-01

    high sensitivity and specificity in detection, but it is difficult to obtain three-dimensional spatial information of abnormalities from surface projection images. eZIS is a new statistical imaging analysis system permitting brain standardization using SPM and statistical analysis of the entire brain using Z-values. In this study, we examined the possibility of estimating therapeutic response to Donepezil in patients with DAT using eZIS. Methods: Eighteen patients (5 men, 13 women, age range, 66-83 years old; mean age, 73.6 years old) who complained of memory impairment were recruited from an outpatient dementia clinic of the Department of Neuro psychiatry of Osaka City University Hospital, between 2001 and 2003. The clinical diagnosis of DAT was based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). The patients received daily oral doses of Donepezil (5 mg/d). Each patient underwent the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale Japanese edition (ADAS-Jcog) test, a recognition function test, and baseline SPECT examination at the time of initial evaluation and was clinically followed by a second ADAS-Jcog test and SPECT examination 12 weeks later. Informed consent of each patient was obtained after a detailed explanation concerning this study before beginning treatment. Before SPECT scanning was performed, an intravenous line was established in the right cubital vein of all patients while they were supine with their eyes closed. Each patient received a 740-MBq intravenous injection of Tc- 99m -ethyl cysteinate dimer (ECD). Dynamic data were collected (70 x 1-s frame images) simultaneously with the injection using a large field of view encompassing the cranial and thoracic regions. Thirty minutes after injection of Tc- 99m -ECD, brain SPECT imaging was performed with a 128 x 128 pixel matrix in step and shoot mode and with a triple-head SPECT system (GCA 9300 A/HG, Toshiba Medical Systems, Inc., Tokyo, Japan). All subsequent image

  12. Toward unified ice core chronologies with the DatIce tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toye Mahamadou Kele, H.; Lemieux-Dudon, B.; Blayo, E.

    2012-04-01

    Antarctic and Greenland ice cores provide a means to study the phase relationships of climate changes in both hemispheres. They also enable to study the timing between climate, and greenhouse gases or orbital forcings. One key step for such studies is to improve the absolute and relative precisions of ice core age scales (for ice and trapped gas), and beyond that, to try to reach the best consistency between chronologies of paleo records of any kind. The DatIce tool is designed to increase the consistency between pre-existing (also called background) core chronologies. It formulates a variational inverse problem which aims at correcting three key quantities that uniquely define the core age scales: the accumulation rate, the total thinning function, and the close-off depth. For that purpose, it integrates paleo data constraints of many types among which age markers (with for instance documented volcanoes eruptions), and stratigraphic links (with for instance abrupt changes in methane concentration). A cost function is built that enables to calculate new chronologies by making a trade-off between all the constraints (background chronologies and paleo data). The method presented in Lemieux-Dudon et al (2010) has already been applied simultaneously to EPICA EDML and EDC, Vostok and NGRIP. Currently, on going works are conducted at LSCE Saclay and LGGE Grenoble laboratories to construct unified Antarctic chronologies by applying the DatIce tool with new ice cores and new sets of paleo measurements. We here present the DatIce tool, the underlying methodology, and its potential applications. We further show some improvements that have been made recently. We especially adress the issue related to the calibration of the error of pre-existing core chronologies. They are inputs that may have a strong impact on the results. However these uncertainties are uneasy to analyze, since prior chronologies are most of the time assessed on the basis of glaciological models (firn

  13. A sustainable building promotes pro-environmental behavior: an observational study on food disposal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, David W-L; DiGiacomo, Alessandra; Kingstone, Alan

    2013-01-01

    In order to develop a more sustainable society, the wider public will need to increase engagement in pro-environmental behaviors. Psychological research on pro-environmental behaviors has thus far focused on identifying individual factors that promote such behavior, designing interventions based on these factors, and evaluating these interventions. Contextual factors that may also influence behavior at an aggregate level have been largely ignored. In the current study, we test a novel hypothesis--whether simply being in a sustainable building can elicit environmentally sustainable behavior. We find support for our hypothesis: people are significantly more likely to correctly choose the proper disposal bin (garbage, compost, recycling) in a building designed with sustainability in mind compared to a building that was not. Questionnaires reveal that these results are not due to self-selection biases. Our study provides empirical support that one's surroundings can have a profound and positive impact on behavior. It also suggests the opportunity for a new line of research that bridges psychology, design, and policy-making in an attempt to understand how the human environment can be designed and used as a subtle yet powerful tool to encourage and achieve aggregate pro-environmental behavior.

  14. Pro forma: impact on communication skills?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morris, Marie; Donohoe, Gary; Hennessy, Martina; O Ciardha, Caoilte

    2013-10-01

    A doctor performs 160 000-300 000 interviews during a lifetime career, thus making the medical interview the most common procedure in clinical medicine. It is reported that 60-80 per cent of diagnosis is based on history taking, yet there is little published data advising on the best method for medical students to initially attain and further refine these core skills during their medical degree. Medical students interviewed two patients: using an open interview first, based on the Calgary-Cambridge approach, and then using a structured pro forma. The students' medical data were assessed by a senior lecturer, and their communication skills were assessed by a behavioural scientist and by the patients. An exact Wilcoxon paired signed rank test was conducted to determine whether there was a difference between the open interview and pro forma methods for history taking and communication skills. The test yielded p-values of 0.0017 and 0.069, respectively, with the pro forma method providing a statistically significantly higher history-taking score and communication score than the open interview method. Subjectively, patients reported the pro forma method as being preferable. Medical students in the early years of training benefit from a structured history-taking pro forma to assist them gather an accurate data set without compromising their interpersonal and communication skills. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. A multi-decadal wind-wave hindcast for the North Sea 1949-2014: coastDat2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groll, Nikolaus; Weisse, Ralf

    2017-12-01

    Long and consistent wave data are important for analysing wave climate variability and change. Moreover, such wave data are also needed in coastal and offshore design and for addressing safety-related issues at sea. Using the third-generation spectral wave model WAM a multi-decadal wind-wave hindcast for the North Sea covering the period 1949-2014 was produced. The hindcast is part of the coastDat database representing a consistent and homogeneous met-ocean data set. It is shown that despite not being perfect, data from the wave hindcast are generally suitable for wave climate analysis. In particular, comparisons of hindcast data with in situ and satellite observations show on average a reasonable agreement, while a tendency towards overestimation of the highest waves could be inferred. Despite these limitations, the wave hindcast still provides useful data for assessing wave climate variability and change as well as for risk analysis, in particular when conservative estimates are needed. Hindcast data are stored at the World Data Center for Climate (WDCC) and can be freely accessed using the doi:10.1594/WDCC/coastDat-2_WAM-North_Sea Groll and Weisse(2016) or via the coastDat web-page http://www.coastdat.de.

  16. Resistance of Advanced Soybean Lines to Pod Borrer (Etiella zinckenella

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heru Kuswantoro

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The increasing and stabilizing of soybean product in Indonesia face many limitations. One of the limiting factors is pod borrer (Etiella zinckenella Treitschke infestation that is able to cause yield loss up to 80%. Objective of the research was to find out some advanced soybean lines that resistant to pod borrer. Design was randomized complete block with three replications. Soybean lines were grown gradualy to ensure the simultanously flowering. The plants were caged at 35 days after planting (DAT and infested with the imago of E. zinckenella at 56 DAT. Results showed that different soybean lines affected imago population, eggs population, larvae population, infected pods and infected seeds. Some genotypes were consistantly resistant to E. zinckenella. The resistance of those genotypes were non preference resistance based on eggs population, larvae population, infected pod and infected seeds. This study discovered nine soybean lines that is resistant to E. zinckenella, so that it can be beneficial for improving soybean resistance to this pest through releasing as a new resistant pod borer variety after tested further in potential yield and genetic x environment interaction trials. In addition, there were three varieties and two germplasm accessions that can be used as gene sources for improving the resistance of the varieties. The three varieties are able to be cultivated directly in field to decrease the E. zinckenella occurrence. 

  17. A 40-bp VNTR polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region of DAT1/SLC6A3 is associated with ADHD but not with alcoholism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Šerý, Omar; Paclt, Ivo; Drtílková, Ivana; Theiner, Pavel; Kopečková, Marta; Zvolský, Petr; Balcar, Vladimir J

    2015-06-11

    ADHD and alcoholism are psychiatric diseases with pathophysiology related to dopamine system. DAT1 belongs to the SLC6 family of transporters and is involved in the regulation of extracellular dopamine levels. A 40 bp variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region of DAT1/SLC6A3 gene was previously reported to be associated with various phenotypes involving disturbed regulation of dopaminergic neurotransmission. A total of 1312 subjects were included and genotyped for 40 bp VNTR polymorphism of DAT1/SLC6A3 gene in this study (441 alcoholics, 400 non-alcoholic controls, 218 ADHD children and 253 non ADHD children). Using miRBase software, we have performed a computer analysis of VNTR part of DAT1 gene for presence of miRNA binding sites. We have found significant relationships between ADHD and the 40 bp VNTR polymorphisms of DAT1/SLC6A3 gene (P VNTR polymorphism of DAT1/SLC6A3 gene has been detected. We have found an association between 40 bp VNTR polymorphism of DAT1/SLC6A3 gene and ADHD in the Czech population; in a broad agreement with studies in other population samples. Furthermore, we detected rare genotypes 8/10, 7/10 and 10/11 present in ADHD boys only and identified miRNAs that should be looked at as potential novel targets in the research on ADHD.

  18. Treatment and remediation of a wastewater lagoon using microelectrolysis and modified DAT/IAT methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Qiong; Hua, Tao; Zhou, Qixing

    2011-01-01

    To examine treatment and remediation of a wastewater lagoon with poor biodegradability, a typical wastewater lagoon in Tianjin, China, was treated and remedied using microelectrolysis and modified demand aeration tank (DAT)/intermittent aeration tank (IAT) methods. After pretreatment by microelectrolysis, the removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) was up to 64.6% and the ratio of BOC/COD in the effluent increased from 0.013 to 0.609. The removal rates of COD(Cr) and NH4(+)-N were affected by sludge backflow rate, mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), and hydraulic retention time (HRT) in the modified DAT/IAT reactor. The highest removal rates of COD(Cr) and NH4(+)-N were up to 78.9% and 62.6%, respectively, when the sludge backflow rate was 38.0 mL/min, the total HRT was 8.0 hr and MLSS was 4088.0 mg/L. In this case, some protozoa and metazoa were observed in activated sludge and biofilm carriers. Most of chrominance was removed by microelectrolysis treatment, while the modified DAT/IAT methods were more effective for COD(Cr) and NH4(+)-N removal.

  19. Differential regional gray matter volumes in patients with on-line game addiction and professional gamers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Doug Hyun; Lyoo, In Kyoon; Renshaw, Perry F.

    2015-01-01

    Patients with on-line game addiction (POGA) and professional video game players play video games for extended periods of time, but experience very different consequences for their on-line game play. Brain regions consisting of anterior cingulate, thalamus and occpito-temporal areas may increase the likelihood of becoming a pro-gamer or POGA. Twenty POGA, seventeen pro-gamers, and eighteen healthy comparison subjects (HC) were recruited. All magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on a 1.5 Tesla Espree MRI scanner (SIEMENS, Erlangen, Germany). Voxel-wise comparisons of gray matter volume were performed between the groups using the two-sample t-test with statistical parametric mapping (SPM5). Compared to HC, the POGA group showed increased impulsiveness and perseverative errors, and volume in left thalamus gray matter, but decreased gray matter volume in both inferior temporal gyri, right middle occipital gyrus, and left inferior occipital gyrus, compared with HC. Pro-gamers showed increased gray matter volume in left cingulate gyrus, but decreased gray matter volume in left middle occipital gyrus and right inferior temporal gyrus compared with HC. Additionally, the pro-gamer group showed increased gray matter volume in left cingulate gyrus and decreased left thalamus gray matter volume compared with the POGA group. The current study suggests that increased gray matter volumes of the left cingulate gyrus in pro-gamers and of the left thalamus in POGA may contribute to the different clinical characteristics of pro-gamers and POGA. PMID:22277302

  20. The Role of the Dopamine Transporter (DAT) in the Development of PTSD in Preschool Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drury, Stacy S.; Theall, Katherine P.; Keats, Bronya J.B.; Scheeringa, Michael

    2015-01-01

    Population-based association studies have supported the heritability of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study explored the influence of genetic variation in the dopamine transporter (DAT) 3′ untranslated region variable number tandem repeat on the development of PTSD in preschool children exposed to Hurricane Katrina, diagnosed using a developmentally appropriate semistructured interview. A diagnosis according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994), total symptoms, and specifically Criterion D symptoms were significantly more likely to be found in children with the 9 allele. This study replicates a previous finding in adults with PTSD. The specificity of this finding to the increased arousal symptoms of Criterion D suggests that dopamine and the DAT allele may contribute to one heritable path in a multifinality model of the development of PTSD. PMID:19960520

  1. Differential regional gray matter volumes in patients with on-line game addiction and professional gamers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Doug Hyun; Lyoo, In Kyoon; Renshaw, Perry F

    2012-04-01

    Patients with on-line game addiction (POGA) and professional video game players play video games for extended periods of time, but experience very different consequences for their on-line game play. Brain regions consisting of anterior cingulate, thalamus and occpito-temporal areas may increase the likelihood of becoming a pro-gamer or POGA. Twenty POGA, seventeen pro-gamers, and eighteen healthy comparison subjects (HC) were recruited. All magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on a 1.5 Tesla Espree MRI scanner (SIEMENS, Erlangen, Germany). Voxel-wise comparisons of gray matter volume were performed between the groups using the two-sample t-test with statistical parametric mapping (SPM5). Compared to HC, the POGA group showed increased impulsiveness and perseverative errors, and volume in left thalamus gray matter, but decreased gray matter volume in both inferior temporal gyri, right middle occipital gyrus, and left inferior occipital gyrus, compared with HC. Pro-gamers showed increased gray matter volume in left cingulate gyrus, but decreased gray matter volume in left middle occipital gyrus and right inferior temporal gyrus compared with HC. Additionally, the pro-gamer group showed increased gray matter volume in left cingulate gyrus and decreased left thalamus gray matter volume compared with the POGA group. The current study suggests that increased gray matter volumes of the left cingulate gyrus in pro-gamers and of the left thalamus in POGA may contribute to the different clinical characteristics of pro-gamers and POGA. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Pro-ana versus Pro-recovery: A Content Analytic Comparison of Social Media Users’ Communication about Eating Disorders on Twitter and Tumblr

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dawn B. Branley

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: To compare how people communicate about eating disorders on two popular social media platforms – Twitter and Tumblr.Materials and Methods: Thematic analysis was conducted to characterize the types of communications posted, and a content analysis was undertaken of between-platform differences.Results: Three types of content (pro-ana, anti-ana, and pro-recovery were posted on each platform. Overall, across both platforms, extreme pro-ana posts were in the minority compared to anti-ana and pro-recovery. Pro-ana posts (including ‘thinspiration’ were more common on Twitter than Tumblr, whereas anti-ana and pro-recovery posts were more common on Tumblr.Conclusion: The findings have implications for future research and health care relating to the treatment and prevention of eating disorders. Developers of future interventions targeting negative pro-ana content should remain aware of the need to avoid any detrimental impact on positive online support.

  3. Pro-ana versus Pro-recovery: A Content Analytic Comparison of Social Media Users' Communication about Eating Disorders on Twitter and Tumblr.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Branley, Dawn B; Covey, Judith

    2017-01-01

    Objectives: To compare how people communicate about eating disorders on two popular social media platforms - Twitter and Tumblr. Materials and Methods: Thematic analysis was conducted to characterize the types of communications posted, and a content analysis was undertaken of between-platform differences. Results: Three types of content (pro-ana, anti-ana, and pro-recovery) were posted on each platform. Overall, across both platforms, extreme pro-ana posts were in the minority compared to anti-ana and pro-recovery. Pro-ana posts (including 'thinspiration') were more common on Twitter than Tumblr, whereas anti-ana and pro-recovery posts were more common on Tumblr. Conclusion: The findings have implications for future research and health care relating to the treatment and prevention of eating disorders. Developers of future interventions targeting negative pro-ana content should remain aware of the need to avoid any detrimental impact on positive online support.

  4. Effect of scopolamine on central DAT and D2 receptor in morphine dependent rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin Yansong; Wang Shizhen; Ding Shiyu; Chen Zhenping; Zhou Xiang; Fang Ping; Wang Bocheng

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the effect of scopolamine (Sco) on central dopamine transporter (DAT) and D 2 receptor in morphine (Mor) dependent rats. Methods: Chronic Mor exposure was induced by repeated Mor (20 mg·kg -1 ·d -1 , i.p.) treatment for 8 d. Conditioned place preference test was used to evaluate the drug seeking behavior. Biodistribution of the imaging agents 125 I-2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl) tropane (β-CIT) and 125 I-3-iodo-2-hydroxy-6-methoxy-N-[(1-ethyl-2-pyrrolidinyl)methyl] benzamide (IBZM) were used to evaluate the central DAT and D 2 receptor during chronic Mor exposure. Results: For the Mor plus pretreating with Sco (Mor+Sco) rats, the time for the rats entering C2 from C1 was (1.72 ± 0.69) min in the first day, with little difference from the control and Mor group (P>0.05), and (1.12 ± 0.33) min for the 8th day, still longer than that of the Mor group (t=5.171, P 125 I-β- CIT %ID/g in striatum (ST) and nucleus accumbens (NAC) for Mor + Sco group were 3.307 ± 0.189 and 1.577 ± 0.401 respectively, higher than those of the control group (2.431 ± 0.104, 1.441 ± 0.043, t was 4.151 and 5.416 respectively, P 125 I-IBZM %ID/g in ST, NAC, hippocampus (HIP) and frontal cortex (FC) for Mor + Sco group were 0.589 ± 0.081, 0.683 ± 0.046, 0.175 ± 0.039 and 0.257 ± 0.034 lower than that of the control rats (0.735 ± 0.096, 0.709 ± 0.098, 0.281 ± 0.038, 0.289 ± 0.020, t was 7.841, 6.170, 5.446 and 4.337 respectively, P 2 receptor induced by Mor to some extent

  5. Analýza nestrukturovaných dat z bankovních stránek na sociální síti Facebook

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucie Šperková

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Sociální sítě jako novodobý kanál pro sdílení online Word of Mouth představuje pro bankovní společnosti příležitost, jak analyzovat komunikaci a názory svých zákazníků, které zde veřejně sdílejí. Článek ukazuje proces a výsledky pokročilé kontextové analýzy těchto nestrukturovaných dat vybraných veřejných bankovních stránek na sociální síti Facebook. Analýza zákaznických názorů, problémů a přání může hrát významnou roli pro pozici těchto společností na trhu a jejich orientaci na zákazníky. Využity byly metody shlukování a sentiment analýz, výsledky odrážejí stav chování zákazníků a bank na této síti. Článek zdůrazňuje důležitost problematiky Word of Mouth a jeho analýz informačními technologiemi. Zároveň diskutuje, jak analýza kontextu může přenést marketing na další úroveň identifikace zákazníkova chování a jeho vztahu ke společnosti.

  6. Sequence analysis of Drd2, Drd4, and Dat1 in SHR and WKY rat strains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mill Jonathan

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR shows a number of behaviours that closely parallel those seen in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. These include motor hyperactivity, excessive responses under a fixed-interval/extinction schedule, difficulty in acquiring operant tasks and increased sensitivity to immediate behavioural reinforcement. As in children with ADHD, the behavioural and cognitive deficits in the SHR are responsive to stimulants, including d-amphetamine and d,l-methylphenidate. The non-hyperactive Wistar Kyoto (WKY rat strain is often used as a control in behavioural studies of the SHR, and WKY itself has been suggested to be a useful animal model of depression. Numerous studies have shown that dopaminergic neurotransmission is altered between the two strains. Human genetic studies have found associations between several dopaminergic genes and both ADHD and depression. Methods We sequenced three candidate dopaminergic genes (Drd2, Drd4, and Dat1 in the SHR and WKY to identify between-strain sequence differences. Results No between-strain sequence differences were found in either Drd2 or Drd4, but several variations were found in the Dat1 gene that encodes the dopamine transporter. Conclusion It is plausible that DNA sequence changes in the Dat1 gene account for some of the behavioural differences observed between the SHR and WKY strains. Future work will focus on elucidating the functional effects of the observed polymorphisms.

  7. GoPro HERO 4 Black recording of scleral buckle placement during retinal detachment repair.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, Vincent Y; Shah, Vaishali G; Yates, David M; Shah, Gaurav K

    2017-08-01

    GoPro and Google Glass technology have previously been used to record procedures in ophthalmology and other medical fields. In this manuscript, GoPro's latest HERO 4 Black edition camera (GoPro Inc, San Mateo, Calif.) will be used to record the placement of a scleral buckle during retinal detachment surgery. GoPro HERO 4 Black edition camera, which records 4K-quality video with a resolution of 3840 (pixels) x 2160 (lines), was mounted on a head strap to record placement of a scleral buckle for a retinal detachment. Excellent video quality was achieved with the 4K SuperView setting. Bluetooth connection with an Apple iPad (Apple Inc, Cupertino, Calif.) provided live streaming and use of the GoPro App. Zoom, horizontal/vertical alignment, exposure, and contrast adjustments were made with postproduction editing on GoPro Studio software. Video recording with the GoPro HERO 4 Black edition camera is an excellent way to document extraocular procedures to improve medical education, self-training, or medicolegal documentation. Copyright © 2017 Canadian Ophthalmological Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. High sibling correlation on methylphenidate response but no association with DAT1-10R homozygosity in Dutch sibpairs with ADHD

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Meulen, Emma M; Bakker, Steven C; Pauls, David L; Oteman, Nicole; Kruitwagen, Cas L J J; Pearson, Peter L; Sinke, Richard J; Buitelaar, Jan K

    2005-01-01

    BACKGROUND: A minority of patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not respond favorably to methylphenidate. This has been partially associated with homozygosity for the Dopamine transporter (DAT1) 10-repeat allele and the presence of one or two Dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4)

  9. High sibling correlation on methylphenidate response but no association with DAT1-10R homozygosity in Dutch sibpairs with ADHD.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meulen, E.M. van der; Bakker, S.C.; Pauls, D.L.; Oteman, N.; Kruitwagen, C.L.J.J.; Pearson, P.L.; Sinke, R.J.; Buitelaar, J.K.

    2005-01-01

    BACKGROUND: A minority of patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not respond favorably to methylphenidate. This has been partially associated with homozygosity for the Dopamine transporter (DAT1) 10-repeat allele and the presence of one or two Dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4)

  10. [Leu31, Pro34]neuropeptide Y

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fuhlendorff, J; Gether, U; Aakerlund, L

    1990-01-01

    Two types of binding sites have previously been described for 36-amino acid neuropeptide Y (NPY), called Y1 and Y2 receptors. Y2 receptors can bind long C-terminal fragments of NPY-e.g., NPY-(13-36)-peptide. In contrast, Y1 receptors have until now only been characterized as NPY receptors that do...... not bind such fragments. In the present study an NPY analog is presented, [Leu31, Pro34]NPY, which in a series of human neuroblastoma cell lines and on rat PC-12 cells can displace radiolabeled NPY only from cells that express Y1 receptors and not from those expressing Y2 receptors. The radiolabeled analog......, [125I-Tyr36] monoiodo-[Leu31, Pro34]NPY, also binds specifically only to cells with Y1 receptors. The binding of this analog to Y1 receptors on human neuroblastoma cells is associated with a transient increase in cytoplasmic free calcium concentrations similar to the response observed with NPY. [Leu31...

  11. Applicability of direct agglutination test (DAT) at a rural health setting in Bangladesh and feasibility of local antigen production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chowdhury, M S; al Masum, A; al Karim, E; Semiáo-Santos, S; Rahman, K M; Ar-Rashid, H; el Harith, A

    1993-01-01

    As part of a large-scale sero-epidemiological survey on visceral leishmaniasis (VL) carried out in Mymensingh district of Bangladesh, applicability of DAT was assessed at the level of a rural health setting in Trishal (upazila) subdistrict. Despite the relatively less optimal conditions encountered, 5854 inhabitants from 7 villages appendant to Trishal were assessed for VL. The demographic distribution for sero-positivity obtained at the rural setting was comparable to that found by DAT as executed at the central laboratory (IEDC&R, Dhaka) on 9619 inhabitants from the same upazila. The overall sero-prevalence rate was 4.4% compared to 3.7% obtained in the population assessed at the central laboratory. In either study, similar VL prevalence rates of 2.1% were obtained in the male populations. Irrespective of sex, younger population ( or = 90 years (1.4% and 1.8%). Local production of DAT antigen employing an authochtonus L. donovani isolate was attempted at the central laboratory (IEDC&R) in Dhaka. By comparison with the reference antigen, titres obtained in all 33 VL sera tested were equally higher (1:6400- > or =: 51200) than in 35 out of 38 negative controls (< or = 1:400-1:1600). A comparable level of reactivity was also obtained in 53 VL and 52 negative control sera using a well characterized L. donovani strain (MHOM/IN/80/D88) from India. However, unlike the reference strain, titres obtained in 7 endemic controls were significantly higher with the authochtonous and homologous antigen (1:3200 - 1:6400) than with the reference (1:100 - 1:1600). The results signify the advantage of employing indigenous L. donovani isolates to further improve DAT sensitivity for detection of early and sub-clinical VL.

  12. A global historical data set of tropical cyclone exposure (TCE-DAT)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geiger, Tobias; Frieler, Katja; Bresch, David N.

    2018-01-01

    Tropical cyclones pose a major risk to societies worldwide, with about 22 million directly affected people and damages of USD 29 billion on average per year over the last 20 years. While data on observed cyclones tracks (location of the center) and wind speeds are publicly available, these data sets do not contain information about the spatial extent of the storm and people or assets exposed. Here, we apply a simplified wind field model to estimate the areas exposed to wind speeds above 34, 64, and 96 knots (kn). Based on available spatially explicit data on population densities and gross domestic product (GDP) we estimate (1) the number of people and (2) the sum of assets exposed to wind speeds above these thresholds accounting for temporal changes in historical distribution of population and assets (TCE-hist) and assuming fixed 2015 patterns (TCE-2015). The associated spatially explicit and aggregated country-event-level exposure data (TCE-DAT) cover the period 1950 to 2015 and are freely available at https://doi.org/10.5880/pik.2017.011 (Geiger at al., 2017c). It is considered key information to (1) assess the contribution of climatological versus socioeconomic drivers of changes in exposure to tropical cyclones, (2) estimate changes in vulnerability from the difference in exposure and reported damages and calibrate associated damage functions, and (3) build improved exposure-based predictors to estimate higher-level societal impacts such as long-term effects on GDP, employment, or migration. We validate the adequateness of our methodology by comparing our exposure estimate to estimated exposure obtained from reported wind fields available since 1988 for the United States. We expect that the free availability of the underlying model and TCE-DAT will make research on tropical cyclone risks more accessible to non-experts and stakeholders.

  13. Selective Activation of N,N'-Diacyl Rhodamine Pro-fluorophores Paired with Releasing Enzyme, Porcine Liver Esterase (PLE).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abney, Kristopher K; Ramos-Hunter, Susan J; Romaine, Ian M; Godwin, J Shawn; Sulikowski, Gary A; Weaver, Charles David

    2018-04-21

    This study reports the synthesis and testing of a family of rhodamine pro-fluorophores and an enzyme capable of converting pro-fluorophores to Rhodamine 110. We prepared a library of simple N,N'-diacyl rhodamines and investigated Porcine Liver Esterase (PLE) as an enzyme to activate rhodamine-based pro-fluorophores. A PLE-expressing cell line generated an increase in fluorescence rapidly upon pro-fluorophore addition demonstrating the rhodamine pro-fluorophores are readily taken up and fluorescent upon PLE-mediated release. Rhodamine pro-fluorophore amides trifluoroacetamide (TFAm) and proponamide (PAm) appeared to be the best substrates using a cell-based assay using PLE expressing HEK293. Our pro-fluorophore series showed diffusion into live cells and resisted endogenous hydrolysis. The use of our engineered cell line containing the exogenous enzyme PLE demonstrated the rigorousness of amide masking when compared to cells not containing PLE. This simple and selective pro-fluorophore rhodamine pair with PLE offers the potential to be used in vitro and in vivo fluorescence based assays. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  14. VizieR Online Data Catalog: ExoMol line lists for 28SiH4

    Science.gov (United States)

    Owens, A.; Yachmenev, A.; Thiel, W.; Tennyson, J.; Yurchenko, S. N.

    2017-08-01

    The states file sih4_e42.dat contains a list of rovibrational states. Each state is labelled with: nine TROVE local mode vibrational quantum numbers and the vibrational symmetry; three rotational quantum numbers including the total angular momentum J and rotational symmetry; the total symmetry quantum number Gamma. In addition there is a largest coefficients used to assign the state in question. Each rovibrational state has a unique number, which is the number of the row in which it appears in the file. This number is the means by which the state is related to the second part of the data system, the transitions files. The total degeneracy is also given to facilitate the intensity calculations. Because of their size, the transitions are listed in 50 separate files, each containing all the transitions in a 100cm-1 frequency range. These transition files T_*.dat contain the silane lines lines consisting of three columns: the reference number in the energy file of the upper state, that of the lower state, the Einstein A coefficient of the transition and the transition wavenumber. These entries are ordered by increasing frequency. The name of the file includes the lowest frequency in the range; thus the T_00500.dat file contains all the transitions in the frequency range 500-600cm-1. The energy file and the transitions files are bzipped, and need to be extracted before use. A programme ExoCross to generate synthetic spectra from these line lists can be obtained at www.exomol.com. (2 data files).

  15. Pro-anorexia and pro-recovery photo sharing: a tale of two warring tribes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yom-Tov, Elad; Fernandez-Luque, Luis; Weber, Ingmar; Crain, Steven P

    2012-11-07

    There is widespread use of the Internet to promote anorexia as a lifestyle choice. Pro-anorexia content can be harmful for people affected or at risk of having anorexia. That movement is actively engaged in sharing photos on social networks such as Flickr. To study the characteristics of the online communities engaged in disseminating content that encourages eating disorders (known as "pro-anorexia") and to investigate if the posting of such content is discouraged by the posting of recovery-oriented content. The extraction of pro-anorexia and pro-recovery photographs from the photo sharing site Flickr pertaining to 242,710 photos from 491 users and analyzing four separate social networks therein. Pro-anorexia and pro-recovery communities interact to a much higher degree among themselves than what is expected from the distribution of contacts (only 59-72% of contacts but 74-83% of comments are made to members inside the community). Pro-recovery users employ similar words to those used by pro-anorexia users to describe their photographs, possibly in order to ensure that their content appears when pro-anorexia users search for images. Pro-anorexia users who are exposed to comments from the opposite camp are less likely to cease posting pro-anorexia photographs than those who do not receive such comments (46% versus 61%), and if they cease, they do so approximately three months later. Our observations show two highly active communities, where most interaction is within each community. However, the pro-recovery community takes steps to ensure that their content is visible to the pro-anorexia community, both by using textual descriptions of their photographs that are similar to those used by the pro-anorexia group and by commenting to pro-anorexia content. The latter activity is, however, counterproductive, as it entrenches pro-anorexia users in their stance. Our results highlight the nature of pro-anorexia and pro-recovery photo sharing and accentuate the need for

  16. Pro-Anorexia and Pro-Recovery Photo Sharing: A Tale of Two Warring Tribes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yom-Tov, Elad; Weber, Ingmar; Crain, Steven P

    2012-01-01

    Background There is widespread use of the Internet to promote anorexia as a lifestyle choice. Pro-anorexia content can be harmful for people affected or at risk of having anorexia. That movement is actively engaged in sharing photos on social networks such as Flickr. Objective To study the characteristics of the online communities engaged in disseminating content that encourages eating disorders (known as “pro-anorexia”) and to investigate if the posting of such content is discouraged by the posting of recovery-oriented content. Methods The extraction of pro-anorexia and pro-recovery photographs from the photo sharing site Flickr pertaining to 242,710 photos from 491 users and analyzing four separate social networks therein. Results Pro-anorexia and pro-recovery communities interact to a much higher degree among themselves than what is expected from the distribution of contacts (only 59-72% of contacts but 74-83% of comments are made to members inside the community). Pro-recovery users employ similar words to those used by pro-anorexia users to describe their photographs, possibly in order to ensure that their content appears when pro-anorexia users search for images. Pro-anorexia users who are exposed to comments from the opposite camp are less likely to cease posting pro-anorexia photographs than those who do not receive such comments (46% versus 61%), and if they cease, they do so approximately three months later. Our observations show two highly active communities, where most interaction is within each community. However, the pro-recovery community takes steps to ensure that their content is visible to the pro-anorexia community, both by using textual descriptions of their photographs that are similar to those used by the pro-anorexia group and by commenting to pro-anorexia content. The latter activity is, however, counterproductive, as it entrenches pro-anorexia users in their stance. Conclusions Our results highlight the nature of pro-anorexia and pro

  17. Georeferencing natural disaster impact footprints : lessons learned from the EM-DAT experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallemacq, Pascaline; Guha Sapir, Debarati

    2014-05-01

    The Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) contains data about the occurrence and consequences of all the disasters that have taken place since 1900. The main objectives of the database are to serve the purposes of humanitarian action at national and international levels; to aid decision making for disaster preparedness, as well as providing an objective base for vulnerability assessments and priority setting. EM-DAT records data on the human and economic impacts for each event as well as the location of said event. This is recorded as text data, namely the province, department, county, district, or village. The first purpose of geocoding (or georeferencing) the EM-DAT database is to transform the location data from text format into code data. The GAUL (Global Administrative Unit Layers) database (FAO) is used as a basis to identify the geographic footprint of the disaster, ideally to the second administrative level and add a unique code for each affected unit. Our first step has involved georeferencing earthquakes since the location of these is precise. The second purpose is to detail the degree of precision of georeferencing. The application and benefits of georeferencing are manifold. The geographic information of the footprint of past (after 2000) and future natural disasters permits the location of vulnerable areas with a GIS system and to cross data from different sources. It will allow the study of different elements such as the extent of a disaster and its human and economic consequences; the exposure and vulnerability of the population in space and time and the efficiency of mitigation measures. In addition, any association between events and external factors can be identified (e.g.: is the famine located at the same places as drought?) and precision of the information in the disaster report can be evaluated. Besides this, these maps will provide valuable communication support since maps have a high communication power and are easily understandable by the

  18. European multicentre database of healthy controls for [123I]FP-CIT SPECT (ENC-DAT): age-related effects, gender differences and evaluation of different methods of analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varrone, Andrea; Dickson, John C.; Tossici-Bolt, Livia; Sera, Terez; Asenbaum, Susanne; Booij, Jan; Kapucu, Ozlem L.; Kluge, Andreas; Knudsen, Gitte M.; Koulibaly, Pierre Malick; Nobili, Flavio; Pagani, Marco; Sabri, Osama; Borght, Thierry vander; Laere, Koen van; Tatsch, Klaus

    2013-01-01

    Dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging with [ 123 I]FP-CIT (DaTSCAN) is an established diagnostic tool in parkinsonism and dementia. Although qualitative assessment criteria are available, DAT quantification is important for research and for completion of a diagnostic evaluation. One critical aspect of quantification is the availability of normative data, considering possible age and gender effects on DAT availability. The aim of the European Normal Control Database of DaTSCAN (ENC-DAT) study was to generate a large database of [ 123 I]FP-CIT SPECT scans in healthy controls. SPECT data from 139 healthy controls (74 men, 65 women; age range 20 - 83 years, mean 53 years) acquired in 13 different centres were included. Images were reconstructed using the ordered-subset expectation-maximization algorithm without correction (NOACSC), with attenuation correction (AC), and with both attenuation and scatter correction using the triple-energy window method (ACSC). Region-of-interest analysis was performed using the BRASS software (caudate and putamen), and the Southampton method (striatum). The outcome measure was the specific binding ratio (SBR). A significant effect of age on SBR was found for all data. Gender had a significant effect on SBR in the caudate and putamen for the NOACSC and AC data, and only in the left caudate for the ACSC data (BRASS method). Significant effects of age and gender on striatal SBR were observed for all data analysed with the Southampton method. Overall, there was a significant age-related decline in SBR of between 4 % and 6.7 % per decade. This study provides a large database of [ 123 I]FP-CIT SPECT scans in healthy controls across a wide age range and with balanced gender representation. Higher DAT availability was found in women than in men. An average age-related decline in DAT availability of 5.5 % per decade was found for both genders, in agreement with previous reports. The data collected in this study may serve as a reference database for

  19. Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the haloalkane dehalogenase DatA from Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mase, Tomoko; Yabuki, Hideya; Okai, Masahiko; Ohtsuka, Jun; Imai, Fabiana Lica; Nagata, Yuji; Tanokura, Masaru

    2012-01-01

    The haloalkane dehalogenase DatA from A. tumefaciens C58 was expressed, purified and crystallized by the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method. X-ray diffraction data were collected to 1.70 Å resolution. Haloalkane dehalogenases are enzymes that catalyze the hydrolytic reaction of a wide variety of haloalkyl substrates to form the corresponding alcohol and hydrogen halide products. DatA from Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58 is a haloalkane dehalogenase that has a unique pair of halide-binding residues, asparagine (Asn43) and tyrosine (Tyr109), instead of the asparagine and tryptophan that are conserved in other members of the subfamily. DatA was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method with a reservoir solution consisting of 0.1 M CHES pH 8.6, 1.0 M potassium sodium tartrate, 0.2 M lithium sulfate, 0.01 M barium chloride. X-ray diffraction data were collected to 1.70 Å resolution. The space group of the crystal was determined as the primitive tetragonal space group P422, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 123.7, c = 88.1 Å. The crystal contained two molecules in the asymmetric unit

  20. Rare autism-associated variants implicate syntaxin 1 (STX1 R26Q) phosphorylation and the dopamine transporter (hDAT R51W) in dopamine neurotransmission and behaviors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cartier, Etienne; Hamilton, Peter J; Belovich, Andrea N; Shekar, Aparna; Campbell, Nicholas G; Saunders, Christine; Andreassen, Thorvald F; Gether, Ulrik; Veenstra-Vanderweele, Jeremy; Sutcliffe, James S; Ulery-Reynolds, Paula G; Erreger, Kevin; Matthies, Heinrich J G; Galli, Aurelio

    2015-02-01

    Syntaxin 1 (STX1) is a presynaptic plasma membrane protein that coordinates synaptic vesicle fusion. STX1 also regulates the function of neurotransmitter transporters, including the dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT). The DAT is a membrane protein that controls DA homeostasis through the high-affinity re-uptake of synaptically released DA. We adopt newly developed animal models and state-of-the-art biophysical techniques to determine the contribution of the identified gene variants to impairments in DA neurotransmission observed in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we characterize two independent autism-associated variants in the genes that encode STX1 and the DAT. We demonstrate that each variant dramatically alters DAT function. We identify molecular mechanisms that converge to inhibit reverse transport of DA and DA-associated behaviors. These mechanisms involve decreased phosphorylation of STX1 at Ser14 mediated by casein kinase 2 as well as a reduction in STX1/DAT interaction. These findings point to STX1/DAT interactions and STX1 phosphorylation as key regulators of DA homeostasis. We determine the molecular identity and the impact of these variants with the intent of defining DA dysfunction and associated behaviors as possible complications of ASD.

  1. Diabetes and overexpression of proNGF cause retinal neurodegeneration via activation of RhoA pathway.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed M H Al-Gayyar

    Full Text Available Our previous studies showed positive correlation between accumulation of proNGF, activation of RhoA and neuronal death in diabetic models. Here, we examined the neuroprotective effects of selective inhibition of RhoA kinase in the diabetic rat retina and in a model that stably overexpressed the cleavage-resistance proNGF plasmid in the retina. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were rendered diabetic using streptozotocin or stably express cleavage-resistant proNGF plasmid. The neuroprotective effects of the intravitreal injection of RhoA kinase inhibitor Y27632 were examined in vivo. Effects of proNGF were examined in freshly isolated primary retinal ganglion cell (RGC cultures and RGC-5 cell line. Retinal neurodegeneration was assessed by counting TUNEL-positive and Brn-3a positive retinal ganglion cells. Expression of proNGF, p75(NTR, cleaved-PARP, caspase-3 and p38MAPK/JNK were examined by Western-blot. Activation of RhoA was assessed by pull-down assay and G-LISA. Diabetes and overexpression of proNGF resulted in retinal neurodegeneration as indicated by 9- and 6-fold increase in TUNEL-positive cells, respectively. In vitro, proNGF induced 5-fold cell death in RGC-5 cell line, and it induced >10-fold cell death in primary RGC cultures. These effects were associated with significant upregulation of p75(NTR and activation of RhoA. While proNGF induced TNF-α expression in vivo, it selectively activated RhoA in primary RGC cultures and RGC-5 cell line. Inhibiting RhoA kinase with Y27632 significantly reduced diabetes- and proNGF-induced activation of proapoptotic p38MAPK/JNK, expression of cleaved-PARP and caspase-3 and prevented retinal neurodegeneration in vivo and in vitro. Taken together, these results provide compelling evidence for a causal role of proNGF in diabetes-induced retinal neurodegeneration through enhancing p75(NTR expression and direct activation of RhoA and p38MAPK/JNK apoptotic pathways.

  2. Dogs do not show pro-social preferences towards humans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mylène Quervel-Chaumette

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Pro-social behaviors are defined as voluntary actions that benefit others. Comparative studies have mostly focused on investigating the presence of pro-sociality across species in an intraspecific context. Taken together, results on both primates and non-primate species indicate that reliance on cooperation may be at work in the selection and maintenance of pro-social sentiments. Dogs appear to be the ideal model when investigating a species’ propensity for pro-sociality in an interspecific context since it has been suggested that as a consequence of domestication, they evolved an underlying temperament encouraging greater propensity to cooperate with human partners. In a recent study, using a food delivery paradigm, dogs were shown to preferentially express pro-social choices towards familiar compared to unfamiliar conspecifics. Using the same set-up and methods in the current study, we investigated dogs’ pro-social preferences towards familiar and unfamiliar human partners. We found that dogs’ pro-social tendencies did not extend to humans and the identity of the human partners did not influence the rate of food delivery. Interestingly, dogs tested with their human partners spent more time gazing at humans, and did so for longer after food consumption had ended than dogs tested with conspecific partners in the initial study. To allow comparability between results from dogs tested with a conspecific and a human partner, the latter were asked not to communicate with dogs in any way. However, this lack of communication from the human may have been aversive to dogs, leading them to cease performing the task earlier compared to the dogs paired with familiar conspecifics in the prior study. This is in line with previous findings suggesting that human communication in such contexts highly affects dogs’ responses. Consequently, we encourage further studies to examine dogs’ pro-social behavior towards humans taking into consideration their

  3. Some problems with pro-competition reforms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agich, G J; Begley, C E

    1985-01-01

    As the search for effective cost-containment policies continues, health care reform along pro-competition lines has gained considerable backing in the United States. By offering market competition to achieve allocational efficiency and vouchers and tax credits to achieve distributional equity, pro-competition reforms appear to satisfy what many believed were incommensurable goals. A critical review of this strategy reveals two practical difficulties, however. The first concerns the ambiguity arising from the proposals' reliance on the concept of equal access to some basic level of health care as its distributional objective and the second concerns the ethical dilemma arising from the proposals' reliance on physicians as rationers of health care. In considering the distributional goal of guaranteeing access to a basic minimum of health care, we argue that, despite its theoretical attractiveness, there exists no acceptable way of determining or justifying its content, and without a clear definition of the basic minimum there is no guarantee that any equity objective will be achieved under the pro-competition strategy. With regard to the use of physicians and other providers as society's gatekeepers, we point out that this role is in direct conflict with traditional responsibilities that patients expect providers to assume. Requiring doctors to ration services in response to market incentives may further erode the trust relationship between physicians and patients, and clearly puts the more seriously ill at a disadvantage.

  4. DNA Methylation at the DAT Promoter and Risk for Psychopathology: Intergenerational Transmission between School-Age Youths and Their Parents in a Community Sample

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia Cimino

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available BackgroundThe effect of gene polymorphisms and promoter methylation, associated with maladaptive developmental outcomes, vary depending on environmental factors (e.g., parental psychopathology. Most studies have focused on 0- to 5-year-old children, adolescents, or adults, whereas there is dearth of research on school-age youths and pre-adolescents.MethodsIn a sample of 21 families recruited at schools, we addressed parents’ psychopathological symptoms (through SCL-90-R; offspring emotional–behavioral functioning (through CBCL-6–18; dopamine transporter gene (DAT1 for epigenetic status of the 5′-untranslated region (UTR and for genotype, i.e., variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism at the 3′-UTR. Possible associations were explored between bio-genetic and psychological characteristics within the same individual and between triplets of children, mothers, and fathers.ResultsDAT methylation of CpG at positions M1, M6, and M7 in mothers was correlated with maternal (phobic anxiety, whereas in fathers’ position M6 was related to paternal depression, anxiety, hostility, psychoticism, and higher Global Severity Index (GSI. No significant correlations were found between maternal and offspring DAT methylation. Significant correlations were found between fathers’ methylation at CpG M1 and children’s methylation at CpG M6. Linear regressions showed that mothers and fathers’ GSI predicted children’s methylation at CpG sites M2, M3, and M6, whereas fathers’ GSI predicted children’s methylation at CpG sites, particularly M1, M2, and M6. Moreover, offspring methylation of DAT at CpG M2 predicted somatic complaint, internalizing and attention problems; methylation of DAT at CpG M6 predicted withdraw.ConclusionThis study may have important clinical implication for the prevention and treatment of emotional–behavioral difficulties in children, as it adds to previous knowledge about the role of genetic and environmental factors in

  5. Agile machining and inspection thrust area team-on-machine probing / compatibility assessment of Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) pro/CMM DMIS with Zeiss DMISEngine.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wade, James Rokwel; Tomlinson, Kurt; Bryce, Edwin Anthony

    2008-09-01

    The charter goal of the Agile Machining and Inspection Thrust Area Team is to identify technical requirements, within the nuclear weapons complex (NWC), for Agile Machining and Inspection capabilities. During FY 2008, the team identified Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) Pro/CMM as a software tool for use in off-line programming of probing routines--used for measurement--for machining and turning centers. The probing routine would be used for in-process verification of part geometry. The same Pro/CMM program used on the machine tool could also be employed for program validation / part verification using a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). Funding was provided to determine the compatibility of the Pro/CMM probing program with CMM software (Zeiss DMISEngine).

  6. Problematika zálohování a uchovávání dat v malých a středních podnicích

    OpenAIRE

    Hrach, Vlastimil

    2009-01-01

    Tato bakalářská práce upozorňuje na hojně opomíjenou důležitost firemních dat a jejich ochranu. Seznamuje s procesem zálohování jako základním prvkem bezpečnosti a efektivnosti informačního systému. Prezentuje výsledky mezinárodních studií na téma „Cena ztracených dat“, popisuje technologie diskových polí RAID, obecnou topologii LAN sítí a technologie DAS, NAS a SAN. Součástí práce jsou základní i pokročilé metody zálohování vhodné pro malé a střední podniky, v závislosti na jejich potřebě a ...

  7. A New Method for Blood NT-proBNP Determination Based on a Near-infrared Point of Care Testing Device with High Sensitivity and Wide Scope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xiao Guang; Shu, Yao Gen; Gao, Ju; Wang, Xuan; Liu, Li Peng; Wang, Meng; Cao, Yu Xi; Zeng, Yi

    2017-06-01

    To develop a rapid, highly sensitive, and quantitative method for the detection of NT-proBNP levels based on a near-infrared point-of-care diagnostic (POCT) device with wide scope. The lateral flow assay (LFA) strip of NT-proBNP was first prepared to achieve rapid detection. Then, the antibody pairs for NT-proBNP were screened and labeled with the near-infrared fluorescent dye Dylight-800. The capture antibody was fixed on a nitrocellulose membrane by a scribing device. Serial dilutions of serum samples were prepared using NT-proBNP-free serum series. The prepared test strips, combined with a near-infrared POCT device, were validated by known concentrations of clinical samples. The POCT device gave the output of the ratio of the intensity of the fluorescence signal of the detection line to that of the quality control line. The relationship between the ratio value and the concentration of the specimen was plotted as a work curve. The results of 62 clinical specimens obtained from our method were compared in parallel with those obtained from the Roche E411 kit. Based on the log-log plot, the new method demonstrated that there was a good linear relationship between the ratio value and NT-proBNP concentrations ranging from 20 pg/mL to 10 ng/mL. The results of the 62 clinical specimens measured by our method showed a good linear correlation with those measured by the Roche E411 kit. The new LFA detection method of NT-proBNP levels based on the near-infrared POCT device was rapid and highly sensitive with wide scope and was thus suitable for rapid and early clinical diagnosis of cardiac impairment. Copyright © 2017 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.

  8. Automatic semi-quantification of [123I]FP-CIT SPECT scans in healthy volunteers using BasGan version 2: results from the ENC-DAT database

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nobili, Flavio; Naseri, Mehrdad; de Carli, Fabrizio; Asenbaum, Susan; Booij, Jan; Darcourt, Jacques; Ell, Peter; Kapucu, Ozlem; Kemp, Paul; Svarer, Claus; Varer, Claus; Morbelli, Silvia; Pagani, Marco; Sabri, Osama; Tatsch, Klaus; Tossici-Bolt, Livia; Sera, Terez; Vander Borght, Tierry; van Laere, Koen; Varrone, Andrea

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to assess striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) availability in a large group of normal subjects. The study included 122 healthy subjects, aged 18-83 years, recruited in the multicentre 'ENC-DAT' study (promoted by the European Association of Nuclear Medicine). Brain single

  9. Molecular and cellular characterization of the tomato pollen profilin, LePro1.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Long-Xi Yu

    Full Text Available Profilin is an actin-binding protein involved in the dynamic turnover and restructuring of the actin cytoskeleton in all eukaryotic cells. We previously cloned a profilin gene, designated as LePro1 from tomato pollen. To understand its biological role, in the present study, we investigated the temporal and spatial expression of LePro1 during pollen development and found that the transcript was only detected at late stages during microsporogenesis and pollen maturation. Using antisense RNA, we successfully knocked down the expression of LePro1 in tomato plants using stable transformation, and obtained two antisense lines, A2 and A3 showing significant down-regulation of LePro1 in pollen resulting in poor pollen germination and abnormal pollen tube growth. A disorganized F-actin distribution was observed in the antisense pollen. Down-regulation of LePro1 also appeared to affect hydration of pollen deposited on the stigma and arrested pollen tube elongation in the style, thereby affecting fertilization. Our results suggest that LePro1 in conjunction with perhaps other cytoskeletal proteins, plays a regulatory role in the proper organization of F-actin in tomato pollen tubes through promoting actin assembly. Down-regulation of LePro1 leads to interruption of actin assembly and disorganization of the actin cytoskeleton thus arresting pollen tube growth. Based on the present and previous studies, it is likely that a single transcript of profilin gives rise to multiple forms displaying multifunctionality in tomato pollen.

  10. United States Air Force Summer Research Program 1991. Graduate Student Research Program (GSRP) Reports. Volume 9. Wright Laboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    1992-01-09

    plotting mode shapes. All programs are written in FORTRAN for use on the VAX system. A flowchart of the entire analytical prediction method is shown...in Figure 1. below. RBDAT.FOR ’Lx [RBIN.DAT RBUP2.FOR ,. MODE.DAT --- ---- -4- -- RBOUT.DAT ~ I MODPLT.PRO II MODPLT.LN3 Figure 1. Flowchart for...CMES is LK Tool’s own derivation of DMIS; therefore, the only documentation is from LK Tool. I received a reference manual and a beginners training

  11. Dat is wel eens anders geweest!’ Geschiedenis op de Nederlandse televisie

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul Knevel

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available It was Different Then!: History on Dutch TelevisionIn ‘Dat is wel eens anders geweest!’ [It was different then!] Paul Knevel and Jouke Turpijn attempt to provide tools for historians to analyse history on the television in a broad historiographical perspective. They cover the first history productions in the Netherlands and the remarkable success of major series in the twentyfirst century. The difficult relation between academic and public history on the television in the Netherlands is placed in an international context. De Gouden Eeuw [The Golden Age] serves as a case study to investigate history series. While De Gouden Eeuw was a big success, it also demonstrates certain limits to Dutch history productions. In ‘Dat is wel eens anders geweest!’ reiken Paul Knevel en Jouke Turpijnhandvatten aan om geschiedenis op televisie in een breed histori(ografisch perspectief te duiden. Vertrekkend vanaf de eerste producties bespreken zij het wonderbaarlijke succes van geschiedenisseries in de eenentwintigste eeuw. Zij staan stil bij de moeizame relatie in Nederland tussen academische geschiedenis en geschiedenis op televisie en vergelijken dit met andere landen. Daarna analyseren zij de serie De Gouden Eeuw, die enerzijds het beste in het genre naar boven heeft gehaald in termen van kijkcijfers, de multimediale aanpak en het evoceren van een ver voorbij verleden. Anderzijds roepen deze en eerdere series de vraag op of er niet iets te winnen valt met andere presentatievormen, waarbij een alwetende presentator misschien wel meer kennis- en visie-overdracht oplevert dan de in Nederland gebruikelijkere presentator die alles wil weten.

  12. Forma dat esse: a Christian ontology of human spirit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joan Martínez Porcell

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Forma dat esse was initially high fertility existential anthropology. Christian philosophy inherited although explanations hylemorphic with explaining human nature knew register the being and doing of the person inside the ontology of created spirits. The presence of human corporeality was a spirit that existed in the boundary and the horizon of eternity. The plasticity of human tendencies was a sign of his intelligence and it should be defined by their spirituality. The word was being-communication and love was the most important act of his life fertility. No wonder that we offer existential self as memory itself and the presence of the soul from the patenting of his spiritual being.

  13. Pre-α-pro-GDNF and Pre-β-pro-GDNF Isoforms Are Neuroprotective in the 6-hydroxydopamine Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna-Maija Penttinen

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF is one of the most studied neurotrophic factors. GDNF has two splice isoforms, full-length pre-α-pro-GDNF (α-GDNF and pre-β-pro-GDNF (β-GDNF, which has a 26 amino acid deletion in the pro-region. Thus far, studies have focused solely on the α-GDNF isoform, and nothing is known about the in vivo effects of the shorter β-GDNF variant. Here we compare for the first time the effects of overexpressed α-GDNF and β-GDNF in non-lesioned rat striatum and the partial 6-hydroxydopamine lesion model of Parkinson's disease. GDNF isoforms were overexpressed with their native pre-pro-sequences in the striatum using an adeno-associated virus (AAV vector, and the effects on motor performance and dopaminergic phenotype of the nigrostriatal pathway were assessed. In the non-lesioned striatum, both isoforms increased the density of dopamine transporter-positive fibers at 3 weeks after viral vector delivery. Although both isoforms increased the activity of the animals in cylinder assay, only α-GDNF enhanced the use of contralateral paw. Four weeks later, the striatal tyrosine hydroxylase (TH-immunoreactivity was decreased in both α-GDNF and β-GDNF treated animals. In the neuroprotection assay, both GDNF splice isoforms increased the number of TH-immunoreactive cells in the substantia nigra but did not promote behavioral recovery based on amphetamine-induced rotation or cylinder assays. Thus, the shorter GDNF isoform, β-GDNF, and the full-length α-isoform have comparable neuroprotective efficacy on dopamine neurons of the nigrostriatal circuitry.

  14. Overexpression of pro-gastrin releasing peptide promotes the cell proliferation and progression in small cell lung cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gong, Zhiyun; Lu, Renquan; Xie, Suhong; Jiang, Minglei; Liu, Kai; Xiao, Ran; Shen, Jiabin; Wang, Yanchun; Guo, Lin

    2016-01-01

    Pro-gastrin releasing peptide (ProGRP) plays the role of oncogene in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). In this study, we aim to explore the biological function of ProGRP in SCLC cells and its potential mechanism. Expression of ProGRP in SCLC tissues and cell lines were detected by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis, respectively. The transduced cell lines with ProGRP down-regulation were established using RNA interference technology. Cell viability, cologenic, apoptosis-associated assay and the biomarker levels determination for cell supernatant were performed in the transduced cells to elucidate the biological functions and mechanisms of ProGRP in SCLC cells. Our data showed that ProGRP protein was demonstrated a higher level in SCLC tissues and cells compared with the control, and its diagnostic efficiency was better than NSE, further, the higher levels of ProGRP were detected in the patients with extensive disease stage (P < 0.05), were also the unfavorable factor to the prognosis of SCLC patients. Additionally, the concentration of serum ProGRP is a useful biomarker in disease-monitoring of the patients with SCLC. Down-regulation of ProGRP significantly reduced SCLC cell growth, repressed colony formation, but increased cancer cell apoptosis. Additionally, repression of ProGRP also induced change in the cell cycle and output of NSE. Our data indicated that ProGRP serve as the useful biomarker in the management of SCLC and might be a potential therapeutic target. - Highlights: • ProGRP is overexpressed in the tissues and sera of the patients with SCLC. • Down-regulation of ProGRP inhibited cell proliferation. • Inhibition of ProGRP altered cell cycle distribution and triggers the apoptosis of lung cancer cells.

  15. Rare autism-associated variants implicate syntaxin 1 (STX1 R26Q) phosphorylation and the dopamine transporter (hDAT R51W) in dopamine neurotransmission and behaviors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cartier, Etienne; Hamilton, Peter J; Belovich, Andrea N

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Syntaxin 1 (STX1) is a presynaptic plasma membrane protein that coordinates synaptic vesicle fusion. STX1 also regulates the function of neurotransmitter transporters, including the dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT). The DAT is a membrane protein that controls DA homeostasis through...... the high-affinity re-uptake of synaptically released DA. METHODS: We adopt newly developed animal models and state-of-the-art biophysical techniques to determine the contribution of the identified gene variants to impairments in DA neurotransmission observed in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). OUTCOMES......: Here, we characterize two independent autism-associated variants in the genes that encode STX1 and the DAT. We demonstrate that each variant dramatically alters DAT function. We identify molecular mechanisms that converge to inhibit reverse transport of DA and DA-associated behaviors. These mechanisms...

  16. Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin (NGAL, Pro-Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (pro-MMP-9 and Their Complex Pro-MMP-9/NGAL in Leukaemias

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandrine Bouchet

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL have gained attention as cancer biomarkers. The inactive zymogen form of MMP-9 (pro-MMP-9 also exists as a disulphide-linked heterodimer bound to NGAL in humans. Leukaemias represent a heterogeneous group of neoplasms, which vary in their clinical behavior and pathophysiology. In this review, we summarize the current literature on the expression profiles of pro-MMP-9 and NGAL as prognostic factors in leukaemias. We also report the expression of the pro-MMP-9/NGAL complex in these diseases. We discuss the roles of (pro-MMP-9 (active and latent forms and NGAL in tumour development, and evaluate the mechanisms by which pro-MMP-9/NGAL may influence the actions of (pro-MMP-9 and NGAL in cancer. Emerging knowledge about the coexpression and the biology of (pro-MMP-9, NGAL and their complex in cancer including leukaemia may improve treatment outcomes.

  17. Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin (NGAL), Pro-Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (pro-MMP-9) and Their Complex Pro-MMP-9/NGAL in Leukaemias

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bouchet, Sandrine; Bauvois, Brigitte, E-mail: brigitte.bauvois@crc.jussieu.fr [INSERM U1138, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Université Paris-Descartes, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Paris 75006 (France)

    2014-04-04

    Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) have gained attention as cancer biomarkers. The inactive zymogen form of MMP-9 (pro-MMP-9) also exists as a disulphide-linked heterodimer bound to NGAL in humans. Leukaemias represent a heterogeneous group of neoplasms, which vary in their clinical behavior and pathophysiology. In this review, we summarize the current literature on the expression profiles of pro-MMP-9 and NGAL as prognostic factors in leukaemias. We also report the expression of the pro-MMP-9/NGAL complex in these diseases. We discuss the roles of (pro)-MMP-9 (active and latent forms) and NGAL in tumour development, and evaluate the mechanisms by which pro-MMP-9/NGAL may influence the actions of (pro)-MMP-9 and NGAL in cancer. Emerging knowledge about the coexpression and the biology of (pro)-MMP-9, NGAL and their complex in cancer including leukaemia may improve treatment outcomes.

  18. Introduction of the human proα1(I) collagen gene into proα1(I)-deficient Mov-13 mouse cells leads to formation of functional mouse-human hybrid type I collagen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schnieke, A.; Dziadek, M.; Bateman, J.; Mascara, T.; Harbers, K.; Gelinas, R.; Jaenisch, R.

    1987-01-01

    The Mov-13 mouse strain carries a retroviral insertion in the proα1(I) collagen gene that prevents transcription of the gene. Cell lines derived from homozygous embryos do not express type I collagen although normal amounts of proα2 mRNA are synthesized. The authors have introduced genomic clones of either the human or mouse proα1(I) collagen gene into homozygous cell lines to assess whether the human or mouse proα1(I) chains can associate with the endogenous mouse proα2(I) chain to form stable type I collagen. The human gene under control of the simian virus 40 promoter was efficiently transcribed in the transfected cells. Protein analyses revealed that stable heterotrimers consisting of two human α1 chains and one mouse α2 chain were formed and that type I collagen was secreted by the transfected cells at normal rates. However, the electrophoretic migration of both α1(I) and α2(I) chains in the human-mouse hybrid molecules were retarded, compared to the α(I) chains in control mouse cells. Inhibition of the posttranslational hydroxylation of lysine and proline resulted in comigration of human and mouse α1 and α2 chains, suggesting that increased posttranslational modification caused the altered electrophoretic migration in the human-mouse hybrid molecules. Amino acid sequence differences between the mouse and human α chains may interfere with the normal rate of helix formation and increase the degree of posttranslational modifications similar to those observed in patients with lethal perinatal osteogenesis imperfecta. The Mov-13 mouse system should allow the authors to study the effect specific mutations introduced in transfected proα1(I) genes have on the synthesis, assembly, and function of collagen I

  19. European multicentre database of healthy controls for [{sup 123}I]FP-CIT SPECT (ENC-DAT): age-related effects, gender differences and evaluation of different methods of analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Varrone, Andrea [Karolinska University Hospital, R5:02, Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Psychiatry Research, Stockholm (Sweden); Dickson, John C. [UCLH NHS Foundation Trust and University College, Institute of Nuclear Medicine, London (United Kingdom); Tossici-Bolt, Livia [University Hospitals Southampton NHS Trust, Department of Medical Physics, Southampton (United Kingdom); Sera, Terez [University of Szeged, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Euromedic Szeged, Szeged (Hungary); Asenbaum, Susanne [Medical University of Vienna, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Vienna (Austria); Booij, Jan [University of Amsterdam, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Kapucu, Ozlem L. [Gazi University, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara (Turkey); Kluge, Andreas [ABX-CRO, Dresden (Germany); Knudsen, Gitte M. [Rigshospitalet and University of Copenhagen, Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen (Denmark); Koulibaly, Pierre Malick [University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Nuclear Medicine Department, Centre Antoine Lacassagne, Nice (France); Nobili, Flavio [University of Genoa, Clinical Neurophysiology Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Ophthalmology and Genetics, Genoa (Italy); Pagani, Marco [Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, CNR, Rome (Italy); Karolinska University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Stockholm (Sweden); Sabri, Osama [University of Leipzig, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Leipzig (Germany); Borght, Thierry vander [Universite Catholique de Louvain, Nuclear Medicine Division, Mont-Godinne Medical Center, Yvoir (Belgium); Laere, Koen van [University Hospital and K.U. Leuven, Nuclear Medicine, Leuven (Belgium); Tatsch, Klaus [Municipal Hospital of Karlsruhe Inc, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Karlsruhe (Germany)

    2013-02-15

    Dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging with [{sup 123}I]FP-CIT (DaTSCAN) is an established diagnostic tool in parkinsonism and dementia. Although qualitative assessment criteria are available, DAT quantification is important for research and for completion of a diagnostic evaluation. One critical aspect of quantification is the availability of normative data, considering possible age and gender effects on DAT availability. The aim of the European Normal Control Database of DaTSCAN (ENC-DAT) study was to generate a large database of [{sup 123}I]FP-CIT SPECT scans in healthy controls. SPECT data from 139 healthy controls (74 men, 65 women; age range 20 - 83 years, mean 53 years) acquired in 13 different centres were included. Images were reconstructed using the ordered-subset expectation-maximization algorithm without correction (NOACSC), with attenuation correction (AC), and with both attenuation and scatter correction using the triple-energy window method (ACSC). Region-of-interest analysis was performed using the BRASS software (caudate and putamen), and the Southampton method (striatum). The outcome measure was the specific binding ratio (SBR). A significant effect of age on SBR was found for all data. Gender had a significant effect on SBR in the caudate and putamen for the NOACSC and AC data, and only in the left caudate for the ACSC data (BRASS method). Significant effects of age and gender on striatal SBR were observed for all data analysed with the Southampton method. Overall, there was a significant age-related decline in SBR of between 4 % and 6.7 % per decade. This study provides a large database of [{sup 123}I]FP-CIT SPECT scans in healthy controls across a wide age range and with balanced gender representation. Higher DAT availability was found in women than in men. An average age-related decline in DAT availability of 5.5 % per decade was found for both genders, in agreement with previous reports. The data collected in this study may serve as a reference

  20. Association of ADHD, tics, and anxiety with dopamine transporter (DAT1) genotype in autism spectrum disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gadow, Kenneth D; Roohi, Jasmin; DeVincent, Carla J; Hatchwell, Eli

    2008-12-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with high rates of psychiatric disturbance to include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), tic disorder, and anxiety disorders. The aim of the present study was to examine the association between a variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) functional polymorphism located in the 3'-untranslated region of the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) and the severity of these symptoms as well as the association between the DAT1 DdeI polymorphism and severity of tics. Parents (n = 62) and teachers (n = 57) completed a DSM-IV-referenced rating scale for 67 children with ASD. According to parent ratings, children with the 10-10 repeat allele (versus a combined group of all other genotypes) exhibited less severe symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity as well as less severe language deficits. Teacher ratings indicated that social anxiety and tic symptoms were more severe for children with the 10-10 genotype versus all others. Exploratory analyses provided preliminary support for the notion that heterozygosity (9-10 repeat genotype) may be a risk/protective factor. There were no associations of tic severity with the DAT1 DdeI polymorphism. Collectively, these results suggest that the extraordinary variability in ASD clinical phenotypes may be explained in part by the same genes that are implicated in a host of other psychiatric disorders in non-ASD populations. Nevertheless, replication with independent samples is necessary to confirm this preliminary finding.

  1. Prediction about severity and outcome of sepsis by pro-atrial natriuretic peptide and pro-adrenomedullin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Rui-lan; Kang, Fu-xin

    2010-06-01

    Measurement of biomarkers is a potential approach to early prediction of the risk of mortality in patients with sepsis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic value of pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (pro-ANP) and pro-adrenomedullin (pro-ADM) levels in a cohort of medical intensive care patients and to compare it with that of other known biomarkers and physiological scores. Blood samples of 51 consecutive critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit and 53 age-matched healthy control people were evaluated in this prospective study. The prognostic value of pro-ANP and pro-ADM levels was compared with that of acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II scores and various biomarkers such as C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and procalcitonin. Pro-ANP and pro-ADM were detected by a new sandwich immunoassay. On admission, 25 patients had systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), 12 sepsis, 9 severe sepsis and 5 septic shock. At that time, the median levels (ng/ml) of pro-ANP and pro-ADM were 87.22 and 0.34 respectively in patients with SIRS, 1533.30 and 2.23 in those with sepsis, 1098.73 and 4.57 in those with severe sepsis, and 1933.94 and 8.21 in those with septic shock. With the increasing severity of disease, the levels of pro-ANP and pro-ADM were gradually increased. On admission, the circulating levels of pro-ANP and pro-ADM in patients with sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock were significantly higher in non-survivors than in survivors (P less than 0.05). In a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for the survival of patients with sepsis, the areas under the curve (AUCs) for pro-ANP and pro-ADM were 0.89 and 0.87 respectively, which was similar to the AUCs for procalcitonin and APACHE II scores. Pro-ANP and pro-ADM are valuable biomarkers for prediction of severity of septic patients.

  2. Pro Oracle database 11g RAC on Linux

    CERN Document Server

    Shaw, Steve

    2010-01-01

    Pro Oracle Database 11g RAC on Linux provides full-life-cycle guidance on implementing Oracle Real Application Clusters in a Linux environment. Real Application Clusters, commonly abbreviated as RAC, is Oracle's industry-leading architecture for scalable and fault-tolerant databases. RAC allows you to scale up and down by simply adding and subtracting inexpensive Linux servers. Redundancy provided by those multiple, inexpensive servers is the basis for the failover and other fault-tolerance features that RAC provides. Written by authors well-known for their talent with RAC, Pro Oracle Database

  3. Measurement of the deuterium Balmer series line emission on EAST

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, C. R.; Xu, Z.; Jin, Z.; Zhang, P. F. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 1126, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); Science Island Branch of Graduate School, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); Huang, J., E-mail: juan.huang@ipp.ac.cn; Gao, W.; Gao, W.; Chang, J. F.; Xu, J. C.; Duan, Y. M.; Chen, Y. J.; Zhang, L.; Wu, Z. W.; Li, J. G. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 1126, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); Hou, Y. M. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 1126, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China)

    2016-11-15

    Volume recombination plays an important role towards plasma detachment for magnetically confined fusion devices. High quantum number states of the Balmer series of deuterium are used to study recombination. On EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak), two visible spectroscopic measurements are applied for the upper/lower divertor with 13 channels, respectively. Both systems are coupled with Princeton Instruments ProEM EMCCD 1024B camera: one is equipped on an Acton SP2750 spectrometer, which has a high spectral resolution ∼0.0049 nm with 2400 gr/mm grating to measure the D{sub α}(H{sub α}) spectral line and with 1200 gr/mm grating to measure deuterium molecular Fulcher band emissions and another is equipped on IsoPlane SCT320 using 600 gr/mm to measure high-n Balmer series emission lines, allowing us to study volume recombination on EAST and to obtain the related line averaged plasma parameters (T{sub e}, n{sub e}) during EAST detached phases. This paper will present the details of the measurements and the characteristics of deuterium Balmer series line emissions during density ramp-up L-mode USN plasma on EAST.

  4. Combined DaT imaging and olfactory testing for differentiating parkinsonian disorders

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Borghammer, Per; Knudsen, K; Østergaard, K

    2014-01-01

    ObjectiveDopamine transporter (DaT) imaging with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) detects loss of striatal dopaminergic innervation with very high sensitivity. It cannot readily distinguish idiopathic Parkinson's disease (iPD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) from atypical...... predicted a dopamine-deficient diagnosis with 98% sensitivity and 98% specificity. The combined DaT/olfactory testing correctly classified 91% of patients as iPD/DLB (PPV 91%). The PPV rose to 97% or greater in anosmic patients. In contrast, only 45% of aPD patients were categorised correctly by combined Da...

  5. Energy recovery by pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) in SWRO–PRO integrated processes

    KAUST Repository

    Wan, Chun Feng

    2015-11-11

    Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is a promising technology to reduce the specific energy consumption of a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant. In this study, it is projected that 25.6-40.7millionkWh/day of energy can be recovered globally, if the brines from SWRO are used as the draw solution and diluted to the seawater level in a PRO system. Detailed integrated SWRO-PRO processes are developed in this study with the option to form a closed-loop SWRO-PRO process that can substantially reduce the pretreatment cost of desalination. The governing mathematical models that describe both the transport phenomena on a module level and the energy flow on a system level are developed to evaluate the performances of the SWRO-PRO processes. The model aims to investigate the performance of the hollow fibers as dilution occurs and provides guidelines on hollow fiber module design and process operation. Determining the dilution factor and the corresponding operating pressure of PRO is the key to optimize the integrated process. The specific energy consumptions of three SWRO-involved processes; namely, (1) SWRO without a pressure exchanger, (2) SWRO with a pressure exchanger, and (3) SWRO with pressure exchangers and PRO are compared. The results show that the specific energy consumptions for the above three processes are 5.51, 1.79 and 1.08kWh/(m of desalinated water) for a 25% recovery SWRO plant; and 4.13, 2.27 and 1.14kWh/(m of desalinated water) for a 50% recovery SWRO plant, using either freshwater or wastewater as the feed solution in PRO.

  6. A Product Line Analysis for Eco-Designed Fashion Products: Evidence from an Outdoor Sportswear Brand

    OpenAIRE

    Luo Wang; Bin Shen

    2017-01-01

    With the increasing awareness of sustainability, eco-design has been an important trend in the fashion industry. Many fashion brands such as Nike, Adidas, and The North Face have developed sustainable fashion by incorporating eco-design elements. Eco-design is an important part of sustainable supply chains. In this paper, we conducted a product line analysis of eco-designed products from a famous outdoor sportswear brand, Patagonia. We collected Patagonia’s 2017 Spring Season product line dat...

  7. DAT1 polymorphism determines L-DOPA effects on learning about others' prosociality.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christoph Eisenegger

    Full Text Available Despite that a wealth of evidence links striatal dopamine to individualś reward learning performance in non-social environments, the neurochemical underpinnings of such learning during social interaction are unknown. Here, we show that the administration of 300 mg of the dopamine precursor L-DOPA to 200 healthy male subjects influences learning about a partners' prosocial preferences in a novel social interaction task, which is akin to a repeated trust game. We found learning to be modulated by a well-established genetic marker of striatal dopamine levels, the 40-bp variable number tandem repeats polymorphism of the dopamine transporter (DAT1 polymorphism. In particular, we found that L-DOPA improves learning in 10/10R genoype subjects, who are assumed to have lower endogenous striatal dopamine levels and impairs learning in 9/10R genotype subjects, who are assumed to have higher endogenous dopamine levels. These findings provide first evidence for a critical role of dopamine in learning whether an interaction partner has a prosocial or a selfish personality. The applied pharmacogenetic approach may open doors to new ways of studying psychiatric disorders such as psychosis, which is characterized by distorted perceptions of others' prosocial attitudes.

  8. Effects of amaranth addition on the pro-vitamin A content, and physical and antioxidant properties of extruded pro-vitamin A-biofortified maize snacks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beswa, Daniso; Dlamini, Nomusa R; Amonsou, Eric O; Siwela, Muthulisi; Derera, John

    2016-01-15

    Pro-vitamin A-biofortified maize snacks with added leafy vegetable may have a potential as nutritious and health-promoting products, especially in addressing vitamin A deficiency, which is prevalent in developing regions. The objective of the study was to determine the effects of adding amaranth leaf powder on the physical, antioxidant properties and pro-vitamin A content of extruded pro-vitamin A-biofortified maize snacks. Extruded snacks were processed using four pro-vitamin A-biofortified maize varieties that were composited with amaranth leaf powder at 0%, 1% and 3% (w/w) substitution levels. At higher amaranth concentration, the expansion ratio of the snacks decreased, while their hardness increased by as much as 93%. The physical quality of the snacks may therefore need improvement. As amaranth was increased, the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the snacks increased as well as the pro-vitamin A content. Pro-vitamin A-biofortified maize with added amaranth has a potential for use in nutritious and healthy extruded snacks. There are limited studies reporting on processing pro-vitamin A maize with complementary plant foods, which is common with white maize in southern Africa; thus the current study serves as a baseline. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

  9. BACH1 Ser919Pro variant and breast cancer risk

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eerola Hannaleena

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background BACH1 (BRCA1-associated C-terminal helicase 1; also known as BRCA1-interacting protein 1, BRIP1 is a helicase protein that interacts in vivo with BRCA1, the protein product of one of the major genes for hereditary predisposition to breast cancer. Previously, two BACH1 germ line missense mutations have been identified in early-onset breast cancer patients with and without family history of breast and ovarian cancer. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether there are BACH1 genetic variants that contribute to breast cancer risk in Finland. Methods The BACH1 gene was screened for germ line alterations among probands from 43 Finnish BRCA1/2 negative breast cancer families. Recently, one of the observed common variants, Ser-allele of the Ser919Pro polymorphism, was suggested to associate with an increased breast cancer risk, and was here evaluated in an independent, large series of 888 unselected breast cancer patients and in 736 healthy controls. Results Six BACH1 germ line alterations were observed in the mutation analysis, but none of these were found to associate with the cancer phenotype. The Val193Ile variant that was seen in only one family was further screened in an independent series of 346 familial breast cancer cases and 183 healthy controls, but no additional carriers were observed. Individuals with the BACH1 Ser919-allele were not found to have an increased breast cancer risk when the Pro/Ser heterozygotes (OR 0.90; 95% CI 0.70–1.16; p = 0.427 or Ser/Ser homozygotes (OR 1.02; 95% CI 0.76–1.35; p = 0.91 were compared to Pro/Pro homozygotes, and there was no association of the variant with any breast tumor characteristics, age at cancer diagnosis, family history of cancer, or survival. Conclusion Our results suggest that the BACH1 Ser919 is not a breast cancer predisposition allele in the Finnish study population. Together with previous studies, our results also indicate that although some rare germ line variants

  10. BACH1 Ser919Pro variant and breast cancer risk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vahteristo, Pia; Yliannala, Kristiina; Tamminen, Anitta; Eerola, Hannaleena; Blomqvist, Carl; Nevanlinna, Heli

    2006-01-01

    BACH1 (BRCA1-associated C-terminal helicase 1; also known as BRCA1-interacting protein 1, BRIP1) is a helicase protein that interacts in vivo with BRCA1, the protein product of one of the major genes for hereditary predisposition to breast cancer. Previously, two BACH1 germ line missense mutations have been identified in early-onset breast cancer patients with and without family history of breast and ovarian cancer. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether there are BACH1 genetic variants that contribute to breast cancer risk in Finland. The BACH1 gene was screened for germ line alterations among probands from 43 Finnish BRCA1/2 negative breast cancer families. Recently, one of the observed common variants, Ser-allele of the Ser919Pro polymorphism, was suggested to associate with an increased breast cancer risk, and was here evaluated in an independent, large series of 888 unselected breast cancer patients and in 736 healthy controls. Six BACH1 germ line alterations were observed in the mutation analysis, but none of these were found to associate with the cancer phenotype. The Val193Ile variant that was seen in only one family was further screened in an independent series of 346 familial breast cancer cases and 183 healthy controls, but no additional carriers were observed. Individuals with the BACH1 Ser919-allele were not found to have an increased breast cancer risk when the Pro/Ser heterozygotes (OR 0.90; 95% CI 0.70–1.16; p = 0.427) or Ser/Ser homozygotes (OR 1.02; 95% CI 0.76–1.35; p = 0.91) were compared to Pro/Pro homozygotes, and there was no association of the variant with any breast tumor characteristics, age at cancer diagnosis, family history of cancer, or survival. Our results suggest that the BACH1 Ser919 is not a breast cancer predisposition allele in the Finnish study population. Together with previous studies, our results also indicate that although some rare germ line variants in BACH1 may contribute to breast cancer development, the

  11. Pericellular activation of proMMP-7 (promatrilysin-1) through interaction with CD151.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shiomi, Takayuki; Inoki, Isao; Kataoka, Fumio; Ohtsuka, Takashi; Hashimoto, Gakuji; Nemori, Ryoichi; Okada, Yasunori

    2005-12-01

    Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) (also known as matrilysin-1) is secreted as a proenzyme (proMMP-7) and plays a key role in the degradation of various extracellular matrix (ECM) and non-ECM molecules after activation. To identify the binding proteins related to proMMP-7 activation, a human lung cDNA library was screened by yeast two-hybrid system using proMMP-7 as bait. We identified a candidate molecule CD151, which is a member of the transmembrane 4 superfamily. Complex formation of proMMP-7 with CD151 was demonstrated by immunoprecipitation of the molecules from CaR-1 cells, a human rectal carcinoma cell line, expressing both proMMP-7 and CD151, and CD151 stable transfectants incubated with proMMP-7. Yeast two-hybrid assays using deletion mutants of proMMP-7 and CD151 suggested an interaction between the propeptide of proMMP-7 and the COOH-terminal extracellular loop of CD151. The binding activity of (125)I-labeled proMMP-7 to CD151 on the cell membranes was shown with CD151 stable transfectants. Laser-scanning confocal microscopy demonstrated that proMMP-7 colocalizes with CD151 on the cell membranes of CD151 stable transfectants and CaR-1 cells. In situ zymography using crosslinked carboxymethylated transferrin, a substrate of MMP-7, demonstrated proteinase activity on and around CD151 stable transfectants and CaR-1 cells, while the activity was abolished by their treatment with MMP inhibitors, anti-MMP-7 antibody or anti-CD151 antibody. In human lung adenocarcinoma tissues, colocalization of MMP-7 and CD151 was demonstrated on the carcinoma cells. Metalloproteinase activity was present in these tissues and could be inhibited by antibodies to MMP-7 or CD151. These data demonstrate for the first time that proMMP-7 is captured and activated on the cell membranes through interaction with CD151, and suggest the possibility that similar to the MT1-MMP/MMP-2 system, MMP-7 is involved in the pericellular activation mechanism mediated by CD151, a crucial step in

  12. EuReDatA - project groups: An overview of objectives and results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luisi, T.

    1986-01-01

    The EuReDatA Association was formed to harmonize research and development work in the field of Reliability Data Banks, in particular by promoting the adoption of agreed definitions and procedures aimed at the exchange of information and experience on reliability data acquisition among members. To solve the problems arising from the organization and control of the large effort various ad-hoc project groups were created to work out solutions for specific topics. This paper describes the effort made and the results obtained by such specialized groups which have already produced reports that could be utilized by people active in an ever-widening variety of disciplines to facilitate the useful exchange of reliability information among them. (orig./DG)

  13. Structure-Activity Relationship Studies on a Series of 3α-[Bis(4-fluorophenyl)methoxy]tropanes and 3α-[Bis(4-fluorophenyl)methylamino]tropanes As Novel Atypical Dopamine Transporter (DAT) Inhibitors for the Treatment of Cocaine Use Disorders

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zou, Mu Fa; Cao, Jianjing; Abramyan, Ara M.

    2017-01-01

    microsomes and compared to cocaine in locomotor activity and drug discrimination paradigms in mice. A molecular dynamic simulation study supported the hypothesis that atypical DAT inhibitors have similar binding poses at DAT in a conformation that differs from that of cocaine. Such differences may ultimately...

  14. A Prospective Open-label Pilot Study of Fluvastatin on Pro-inflammatory and Pro-thrombotic Biomarkers in Antiphospholipid Antibody Positive Patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erkan, Doruk; Willis, Rohan; Murthy, Vijaya L.; Basra, Gurjot; Vega, JoAnn; Ruiz Limón, Patricia; Carrera, Ana Laura; Papalardo, Elizabeth; Martínez-Martínez, Laura Aline; González, Emilio B.; Pierangeli, Silvia S.

    2014-01-01

    Objective: To determine if pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic biomarkers are differentially upregulated in persistently antiphospholipid antibody (aPL)-positive patients, and to examine the effects of fluvastatin on these biomarkers. Methods: Four groups of patients (age 18-65) were recruited: a) Primary Antiphospholipid Syndrome (PAPS); b) Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) with APS (SLE/APS); c) Persistent aPL positivity without SLE or APS (Primary aPL); and d) Persistent aPL positivity with SLE but no APS (SLE/aPL). The frequency-matched control group, used for baseline data comparison, was identified from a databank of healthy persons. Patients received fluvastatin 40 mg daily for three months. At three months, patients stopped the study medication and they were followed for another three months. Blood samples for 12 pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic biomarkers were collected monthly for six months. Results: Based on the comparison of the baseline samples of 41 aPL-positive patients with 30 healthy controls, 9/12 (75%) biomarkers (interleukin [IL]-6, IL1β, vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF], tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-□α, interferon [IFN]-α, inducible protein-10 [IP10], soluble CD40 ligand [sCD40L], soluble tissue factor [sTF], and intracellular cellular adhesion molecule [ICAM]-1) were significantly elevated. Twenty-four patients completed the study; fluvastatin significantly and reversibly reduced the levels of 6/12 (50%) biomarkers (IL1β, VEGF, TNFα, IP10, sCD40L, and sTF). Conclusion: Our prospective mechanistic study demonstrates that pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic biomarkers, which are differentially upregulated in persistently aPL-positive patients, can be reversibly reduced by fluvastatin. Thus, statin-induced modulation of the aPL effects on target cells can be a valuable future approach in the management of aPL-positive patients. PMID:23933625

  15. ADHD and DAT1: Further evidence of paternal over-transmission of risk alleles and haplotype

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hawi, Z.; Kent, L.; Hill, M.; Anney, R.J.; Brookes, K. J.; Barry, E.; Franke, B.; Banaschewski, T.; Buitelaar, J.; Ebstein, R.; Miranda, A.; Oades, R.D.; Roeyers, H.; Rothenberger, A.; Sergeant, J.A.; Sonuga-Barke, E.; Steinhausen, H.C.; Faraone, S.V.; Asherson, P.; Gill, M.

    2009-01-01

    We [Hawi et al. (2005); Am J Hum Genet 77:958-965] reported paternal over-transmission of risk alleles in some ADHD-associated genes. This was particularly clear in the case of the DAT1 30-UTR VNTR. In the current investigation, we analyzed three new sample comprising of 1,248 ADHD nuclear families

  16. ADHD and DAT1: further evidence of paternal over-transmission of risk alleles and haplotype.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hawi, Z.; Kent, L.; Hill, M.; Anney, R.J.; Brookes, K.J.; Barry, E.; Franke, B.; Banaschewski, T.; Buitelaar, J.K.; Ebstein, R.; Miranda, A.; Oades, R.D.; Roeyers, H.; Rothenberger, A.; Sergeant, J.A.; Sonuga-Barke, E.J.S.; Steinhausen, H.C.; Faraone, S.V.; Asherson, P.; Gill, M.

    2010-01-01

    We [Hawi et al. (2005); Am J Hum Genet 77:958-965] reported paternal over-transmission of risk alleles in some ADHD-associated genes. This was particularly clear in the case of the DAT1 3'-UTR VNTR. In the current investigation, we analyzed three new sample comprising of 1,248 ADHD nuclear families

  17. The milk-derived peptides Val-Pro-Pro and Ile-Pro-Pro attenuate arterial dysfunction in L-NAME-treated rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nonaka, Atsuko; Nakamura, Teppei; Hirota, Tatsuhiko; Matsushita, Akiko; Asakura, Masanori; Ohki, Kohji; Kitakaze, Masafumi

    2014-08-01

    Both endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness are surrogate markers of atherosclerosis and thus cardiovascular (CV) events. The milk-derived peptides Val-Pro-Pro (VPP) and Ile-Pro-Pro (IPP) inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme, dilate blood vessels ex vivo and stimulate nitric oxide (NO) production in cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of either VPP or IPP on arterial function and on target organ damage in vivo. Male Wistar rats were treated with N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME, 1 g l(-1)), L-NAME+VPP (0.3 g l(-1)) or L-NAME+IPP (0.3 g l(-1)) in their drinking water for 8 weeks. Plasma nitrite and nitrate (NOx) levels were significantly increased in normal Wistar rats after supplementation with either VPP or IPP but not in rats that were chronically treated with L-NAME. Acetylcholine-induced vasorelaxation in the thoracic aorta ring was impaired by L-NAME, whereas vasorelaxation was significantly greater in mice treated with L-NAME+VPP for 1 or 4 weeks or L-NAME+IPP for 4 weeks than in mice treated with L-NAME alone. Four weeks of treatment with either VPP or IPP attenuated the increase in pulse wave velocity (PWV) that was induced by L-NAME. Cardiac and renal damage were observed after 8 weeks of treatment with L-NAME, and either VPP or IPP attenuated this damage. These results show that VPP or IPP attenuates arterial dysfunction and suggest that milk-derived peptides might prevent CV damage.

  18. The effects of autoclave sterilization on the cyclic fatigue resistance of ProTaper Universal, ProTaper Next, and ProTaper Gold nickel-titanium instruments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Özyürek, Taha; Yılmaz, Koray; Uslu, Gülşah

    2017-11-01

    It was aimed to compare the cyclic fatigue resistances of ProTaper Universal (PTU), ProTaper Next (PTN), and ProTaper Gold (PTG) and the effects of sterilization by autoclave on the cyclic fatigue life of nickel-titanium (NiTi) instruments. Eighty PTU, 80 PTN, and 80 PTG were included to the present study. Files were tested in a simulated canal. Each brand of the NiTi files were divided into 4 subgroups: group 1, as received condition; group 2, pre-sterilized instruments exposed to 10 times sterilization by autoclave; group 3, instruments tested were sterilized after being exposed to 25%, 50%, and 75% of the mean cycles to failure, then cycled fatigue test was performed; group 4, instruments exposed to the same experiment with group 3 without sterilization. The number of cycles to failure (NCF) was calculated. The data was statistically analyzed by using one-way analysis of variance and post hoc Tukey tests. PTG showed significantly higher NCF than PTU and PTN in group 1 ( p Autoclaving increased the cyclic fatigue resistances of PTN and PTG.

  19. DRD4 and DAT1 in ADHD: Functional neurobiology to pharmacogenetics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Darko Turic

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Darko Turic1, James Swanson2, Edmund Sonuga-Barke1,31Institute for Disorders of Impulse and Attention, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, UK; 2Child Development Center, University of California, Irvine, California, US; 3Department of Experimental, Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, BelgiumAbstract: Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD is a common and potentially very impairing neuropsychiatric disorder of childhood. Statistical genetic studies of twins have shown ADHD to be highly heritable, with the combination of genes and gene by environment interactions accounting for around 80% of phenotypic variance. The initial molecular genetic studies where candidates were selected because of the efficacy of dopaminergic compounds in the treatment of ADHD were remarkably successful and provided strong evidence for the role of DRD4 and DAT1 variants in the pathogenesis of ADHD. However, the recent application of noncandidate gene strategies (eg, genome-wide association scans has failed to identify additional genes with substantial genetic main effects, and the effects for DRD4 and DAT1 have not been replicated. This is the usual pattern observed for most other physical and mental disorders evaluated with current state-of-the-art methods. In this paper we discuss future strategies for genetic studies in ADHD, highlighting both the pitfalls and possible solutions relating to candidate gene studies, genome-wide studies, defining the phenotype, and statistical approaches.Keywords: dopamine, ADHD, pharmacogenetics, candidate gene

  20. idRHa+ProMod - Rail Hardening Control System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferro, L

    2016-01-01

    idRHa+ProMod is the process control system developed by Primetals Technologies to foresee the thermo-mechanical evolution and micro-structural composition of rail steels subjected to slack quenching into idRHa+ Rail Hardening equipments in a simulation environment. This tool can be used both off-line or in-line, giving the user the chance to test and study the best cooling strategies or letting the automatic control system free to adjust the proper cooling recipe. Optimization criteria have been tailored in order to determine the best cooling conditions according to the metallurgical requirements imposed by the main rail standards and also taking into account the elastoplastic bending phenomena occurring during all stages of the head hardening process. The computational core of idRHa+ProMod is a thermal finite element procedure coupled with special algorithms developed to work out the main thermo-physical properties of steel, to predict the non-isothermal austenite decomposition into all the relevant phases and subsequently to evaluate the amount of latent heat of transformation released, the compound thermal expansion coefficient and the amount of plastic deformation in the material. Air mist and air blades boundary conditions have been carefully investigated by means of pilot plant tests aimed to study the jet impingement on rail surfaces and the cooling efficiency at all working conditions. Heat transfer coefficients have been further checked and adjusted directly on field during commissioning. idRHa+ is a trademark of Primetals Technologies Italy Srl (paper)

  1. idRHa+ProMod - Rail Hardening Control System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferro, L.

    2016-03-01

    idRHa+ProMod is the process control system developed by Primetals Technologies to foresee the thermo-mechanical evolution and micro-structural composition of rail steels subjected to slack quenching into idRHa+ Rail Hardening equipments in a simulation environment. This tool can be used both off-line or in-line, giving the user the chance to test and study the best cooling strategies or letting the automatic control system free to adjust the proper cooling recipe. Optimization criteria have been tailored in order to determine the best cooling conditions according to the metallurgical requirements imposed by the main rail standards and also taking into account the elastoplastic bending phenomena occurring during all stages of the head hardening process. The computational core of idRHa+ProMod is a thermal finite element procedure coupled with special algorithms developed to work out the main thermo-physical properties of steel, to predict the non-isothermal austenite decomposition into all the relevant phases and subsequently to evaluate the amount of latent heat of transformation released, the compound thermal expansion coefficient and the amount of plastic deformation in the material. Air mist and air blades boundary conditions have been carefully investigated by means of pilot plant tests aimed to study the jet impingement on rail surfaces and the cooling efficiency at all working conditions. Heat transfer coefficients have been further checked and adjusted directly on field during commissioning. idRHa+ is a trademark of Primetals Technologies Italy Srl

  2. S-phenylpiracetam, a selective DAT inhibitor, reduces body weight gain without influencing locomotor activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zvejniece, Liga; Svalbe, Baiba; Vavers, Edijs; Makrecka-Kuka, Marina; Makarova, Elina; Liepins, Vilnis; Kalvinsh, Ivars; Liepinsh, Edgars; Dambrova, Maija

    2017-09-01

    S-phenylpiracetam is an optical isomer of phenotropil, which is a clinically used nootropic drug that improves physical condition and cognition. Recently, it was shown that S-phenylpiracetam is a selective dopamine transporter (DAT) inhibitor that does not influence norepinephrine (NE) or serotonin (5-HT) receptors. The aim of the present study was to study the effects of S-phenylpiracetam treatment on body weight gain, blood glucose and leptin levels, and locomotor activity. Western diet (WD)-fed mice and obese Zucker rats were treated daily with peroral administration of S-phenylpiracetam for 8 and 12weeks, respectively. Weight gain and plasma metabolites reflecting glucose metabolism were measured. Locomotor activity was detected in an open-field test. S-phenylpiracetam treatment significantly decreased body weight gain and fat mass increase in the obese Zucker rats and in the WD-fed mice. In addition, S-phenylpiracetam reduced the plasma glucose and leptin concentration and lowered hyperglycemia in a glucose tolerance test in both the mice and the rats. S-phenylpiracetam did not influence locomotor activity in the obese Zucker rats or in the WD-fed mice. The results demonstrate that S-phenylpiracetam reduces body weight gain and improves adaptation to hyperglycemia without stimulating locomotor activity. Our findings suggest that selective DAT inhibitors, such as S-phenylpiracetam, could be potentially useful for treating obesity in patients with metabolic syndrome with fewer adverse health consequences compared to other anorectic agents. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  3. Segmentace hipokampu v MRI datech

    OpenAIRE

    Kodym, Oldřich

    2015-01-01

    Práce se zabývá využitím grafových metod pro segmentaci málo kontrastních obrazových dat, konkrétně pro segmentaci hipokampu ze snímků magnetické rezonance. Nejprve je uvedena základní problematika a terminologie teorie grafů. Následně je popsána me toda minimálního řezu grafem včetně algoritmů schopných tento minimální řez nalézt. Následuje popis její implementace pro segmentaci 2D a 3D obrazových dat. Metoda byla testována na zkušebních datech a poté implemetována jako modul pro software 3D...

  4. New treatment of iliac artery disease: focus on the Absolute Pro® Vascular Self-Expanding Stent System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gates L

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Lindsay Gates, Jeffrey Indes Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA Abstract: Management of iliac artery disease has evolved over the years, from a surgical-only approach to a primarily endovascular-only approach as the first line treatment option. This has been continuously improved upon with the advent of new devices and applied technologies. Most recently in particular, the literature has shown good, reliable outcomes with the use of self-expandable stents in iliac artery atherosclerotic lesions. Nevertheless, no device is without its limitations, and the Absolute Pro® Vascular Self-Expanding Stent System was designed with the intent of overcoming some of the shortcomings of other available stents while maintaining acceptable postprocedural outcomes. Based on preliminary industry-acquired data, it has achieved these goals and appears to be an emergent competitor for the treatment of both focal and complex iliac artery lesions. Keywords: Absolute-Pro®, iliac stent, self-expanding stents, atherosclerotic disease

  5. Tumour-Derived Interleukin-1 Beta Induces Pro-inflammatory Response in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alajez, Nehad M; Al-toub, Mashael; Almusa, Abdulaziz

    ’ secreted factors as represented by a panel of human cancer cell lines (breast (MCF7 and MDA-MB-231); prostate (PC-3); lung (NCI-H522); colon (HT-29) and head & neck (FaDu)) on the biological characteristics of MSCs. Background Over the past several years, significant amount of research has emerged......, the goal of this study was to assess the cellular and molecular changes in MSCs in response to secreted factors present in conditioned media (CM) from a panel of human tumor cell lines covering a spectrum of human cancers (Breast, Prostate, Lung, colon, and head and neck). Research Morphological changes...... with bipolar processes. In association with phenotypic changes, genome-wide gene expression and bioinformatics analysis revealed an enhanced pro-inflammatory response of those MSCs. Pharmacological inhibitions of FAK and MAPKK severely impaired the pro-inflammatory response of MSCs to tumor CM (~80-99%, and 55...

  6. Invloed van UV straling in de kas. Fors minder plaaginsecten bij kasdek dat geen UV-licht doorlaat

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hemming, S.; Os, van E.

    2007-01-01

    Nieuwe energiebesparende kasdekmaterialen hebben een andere doorlatendheid voor UV-straling dan glas. Dat heeft niet alleen invloed op de groei van planten, maar ook op die van plaaginsecten, schimmels, predatoren en bestuivende insecten. In dit artikel komt het effect van UV op plaaginsecten,

  7. ClimaDat: A long-term network to study at different scales climatic processes and interactions between climatic compartments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgui, Josep Anton; Agueda, Alba; Batet, Oscar; Curcoll, Roger; Ealo, Marina; Grossi, Claudia; Occhipinti, Paola; Sánchez-García, Laura; Arias, Rosa; Rodó, Xavi

    2013-04-01

    ClimaDat (www.climadat.es) is a pioneer project of the Institut Català de Ciències del Clima (IC3) in collaboration with and funded by "la Caixa" Foundation. This project aims at studying the interactions between climate and ecosystems at different spatial and temporal scales. The ClimaDat project consists of a network of eight long-term observatory stations distributed over Spain, installed at natural and remote areas, and covering different climatic domains (e.g. Mediterranean, Atlantic, subtropics) and natural systems (e.g. delta, karsts, high mountain areas). Data obtained in the ClimaDat network will help us to understand how ecosystems are influenced by and eventually might feedback different processes in the climate system. The point of focus of these studies will be taken into account regional-and-local conditions to understand climatic global scale eventsThe data gathered will be used to study the behavior of the global element cycles and associated greenhouse gas emissions. The network is expected to offer near real-time (NRT) data free for the scientific community. Instrumentation installed at these stations mainly consists of: CO2, CH4, H2O, CO, N2O, SF6 and 222Rn analyzers, isotopic CO2, CH4 and H2O analyzers, meteorological sensors, eddy covariance equipment, four-component radiometers, soil moisture and temperature sensors, and sap flow meters. Each station may have a more focused subset of all this equipment, depending on the specific characteristics of the site. Instrumentation selected for this network has been chosen to comply with standards established in international research infrastructure projects, such as ICOS (http://www.icos-infrastructure.eu/home) or InGOS (http://www.ingos-infrastructure.eu/). Preliminary data time-series of greenhouse gases concentrations and meteorological variables are presented in this study for three currently operational ClimaDat stations: the Natural Park of the Ebre Delta (lat 40.75° N - long 0.79° E), the

  8. Pro-torus actions on Poincaré duality spaces

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    duality spaces, Borel's dimension formula and topological splitting principle to local weights, hold if 'torus' is replaced by 'pro-torus'. Keywords. Pro-torus; Poincaré duality space; local weight. 1. Introduction. In the theory of linear representations of compact connected Lie groups, the crucial first step is restriction to the ...

  9. Genetic Variation of the Dopamine Transporter (DAT1) Influences the Acute Subjective Responses to Cocaine in Volunteers with Cocaine Use Disorders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brewer, Alex J.; Nielsen, David A.; Spellicy, Catherine J.; Hamon, Sara C.; Gingrich, Justin; Thompson-Lake, Daisy G. Y.; Nielsen, Ellen M.; Mahoney, James J.; Kosten, Thomas R.; Newton, Thomas F.; De La Garza, Richard

    2015-01-01

    Objective : The aim of this study was to identify gene variants of DAT1 (SLC6A3) that modulate subjective responses to acute cocaine exposure. Methods Non-treatment seeking volunteers with cocaine use disorders (CUDs) received a single bolus infusion of saline and cocaine (40 mg, IV) in randomized order. Subjective effects were assessed with visual analog scales administered before (-15 min) and up to 20 min after infusion. Subjective effects ratings were normalized to baseline and saline infusion values were subtracted. Data was analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. DNA from subjects was genotyped for the DAT1 intron 8 (rs3836790) and 3’ UTR (rs28363170) variable number of tandem repeats. Results Participants were mostly male (~80%) and African American (~70%). No differences were found among drug use variables between groups for either polymorphism. Carriers of the 9-allele of the DAT1 3’ UTR (9,9 and 9,10) (n = 24) exhibited greater responses to cocaine for “high”, “any drug effect”, “anxious”, and “stimulated” (all p-values < 0.001) compared to individuals homozygous for the 10-allele (n = 33). For the intron 8 polymorphism, individuals homozygous for the 6 allele exhibited greater responses for “anxious” than carriers of the 5 allele (p < 0.001). Individuals possessing the genotype pattern of 10,10 and at least one 5-allele reported lower responses to “good effects”, “bad effects”, “depressed”, and “anxious” (all p-values < 0.01). Conclusions The data presented here support the hypothesis that genetic differences of DAT1 contribute to variation of subjective responses to cocaine among participants with CUDs. PMID:25850966

  10. MacBook Pro Portable Genius

    CERN Document Server

    Miser, Brad

    2011-01-01

    Tips and techniques for forward-thinking MacBook Pro users Now that you have a MacBook Pro, you need just one more accessory, your very own copy of MacBook Pro Portable Genius, Third Edition. This handy, compact book lets you in on a wealth of tips and tricks, so you get the very most out of Apple's very popular notebook. Discover the latest on the most recent release of iLife, get the skinny on the new Intel Core i7 and i5 processors in the Pro, see how to go wireless in a smart way, and much more. The book is easy to navigate, doesn't skimp on the essentials, and helps you save time and avoi

  11. Influence of vitamin D on cisplatin sensitivity in testicular germ cell cancer-derived cell lines and in a NTera2 xenograft model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Anne; Blomberg Jensen, Martin; Nielsen, John Erik

    2013-01-01

    The active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25(OH)(2)D(3)) has anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic, and pro-differentiating effects in somatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) also augments the anti-tumor effects of several chemotherapeutic agents, including...... cisplatin, which may have clinical relevance. Given the pro-differentiation effect of vitamin D recently demonstrated in testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs), we hypothesized that 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) could be a beneficial adjunctive to existing chemotherapy regime used to treat these tumors. In this study, cell...... survival effects of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3), another pro-differentiation compound, retinoic acid and cisplatin were investigated in TGCT-derived cell lines in vitro. 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) augmented the effect of cisplatin in an embryonal carcinoma-derived cell line (NTera2), possibly through downregulation...

  12. Methylphenidate DAT binding in adolescents with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder comorbid with Substance Use Disorder--a single photon emission computed tomography with [Tc(99m)]TRODAT-1 study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szobot, Claudia M; Shih, Ming Chi; Schaefer, Thais; Júnior, Neivo; Hoexter, Marcelo Q; Fu, Ying Kai; Pechansky, Flávio; Bressan, Rodrigo A; Rohde, Luis A P

    2008-04-15

    Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is highly prevalent among adolescents with Substance Use Disorders (SUD). Effects of methylphenidate (MPH) on ADHD are attributed to its properties of blocking the dopamine transporter (DAT) in the striatum. However, it has been demonstrated that drug addiction is associated with dopaminergic system changes that may affect MPH brain effects, emphasizing the need to better understand MPH actions in subjects with ADHD+SUD. To evaluate the effect of an extended release formulation of MPH (MPH-SODAS) on DAT availability in 17 stimulant-naive ADHD adolescents with comorbid SUD (cannabis and cocaine). Subjects underwent two single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans with [Tc(99m)]TRODAT-1, at baseline and after 3 weeks on MPH-SODAS. Clinical assessment for ADHD relied on the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham Scale - version IV (SNAP-IV). Caudate and putamen DAT binding potential (BP) was calculated. After 3 weeks on MPH-SODAS, there was a significant reduction of SNAP-IV total scores (pADHD patients without SUD comorbidity, providing neurobiological support for trials with stimulants in adolescents with ADHD+SUD, an important population excluded from studies.

  13. Pro Tools HD

    CERN Document Server

    Camou, Edouard

    2013-01-01

    An easy-to-follow guide for using Pro Tools HD 11 effectively.This book is ideal for anyone who already uses ProTools and wants to learn more, or is new to Pro Tools HD and wants to use it effectively in their own audio workstations.

  14. NT-proBNP on Cobas h 232 in point-of-care testing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gils, Charlotte; Ramanathan, R.; Breindahl, T.

    2015-01-01

    Background. NT-proBNP may be useful for ruling out heart failure in primary health care. In this study we examined the analytical quality of NT-proBNP in primary health care on the Cobas h 232 point-of-care instrument compared with measurements performed in a hospital laboratory. Materials...... and methods. Blood samples requested for NT-proBNP were collected in primary health care (n = 95) and in a hospital laboratory (n = 107). NT-proBNP was measured on-site on Cobas h 232 instruments both in primary health care centres and at the hospital laboratory and all samples were also analyzed...... with a comparison method at the hospital. Precision, trueness, accuracy, and lot-variation were determined at different concentration levels and evaluated according to acceptance criteria. Furthermore user-friendliness was assessed by questionnaires. Results. For Cobas h 232 repeatability CV was 8...

  15. Presence and function of dopamine transporter (DAT in stallion sperm: dopamine modulates sperm motility and acrosomal integrity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Javier A Urra

    Full Text Available Dopamine is a catecholamine with multiple physiological functions, playing a key role in nervous system; however its participation in reproductive processes and sperm physiology is controversial. High dopamine concentrations have been reported in different portions of the feminine and masculine reproductive tract, although the role fulfilled by this catecholamine in reproductive physiology is as yet unknown. We have previously shown that dopamine type 2 receptor is functional in boar sperm, suggesting that dopamine acts as a physiological modulator of sperm viability, capacitation and motility. In the present study, using immunodetection methods, we revealed the presence of several proteins important for the dopamine uptake and signalling in mammalian sperm, specifically monoamine transporters as dopamine (DAT, serotonin (SERT and norepinephrine (NET transporters in equine sperm. We also demonstrated for the first time in equine sperm a functional dopamine transporter using 4-[4-(Dimethylaminostyryl]-N-methylpyridinium iodide (ASP(+, as substrate. In addition, we also showed that dopamine (1 mM treatment in vitro, does not affect sperm viability but decreases total and progressive sperm motility. This effect is reversed by blocking the dopamine transporter with the selective inhibitor vanoxerine (GBR12909 and non-selective inhibitors of dopamine reuptake such as nomifensine and bupropion. The effect of dopamine in sperm physiology was evaluated and we demonstrated that acrosome integrity and thyrosine phosphorylation in equine sperm is significantly reduced at high concentrations of this catecholamine. In summary, our results revealed the presence of monoamine transporter DAT, NET and SERT in equine sperm, and that the dopamine uptake by DAT can regulate sperm function, specifically acrosomal integrity and sperm motility.

  16. Automatic semi-quantification of [123I]FP-CIT SPECT scans in healthy volunteers using BasGan version 2: results from the ENC-DAT database

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nobili, Flavio; Naseri, Mehrdad; Morbelli, Silvia; De Carli, Fabrizio; Asenbaum, Susan; Booij, Jan; Darcourt, Jacques; Ell, Peter; Kapucu, Oezlem; Kemp, Paul; Varer, Claus; Pagani, Marco; Sabri, Osama; Tatsch, Klaus; Tossici-Bolt, Livia; Sera, Terez; Borght, Thierry vander; Laere, Koen van; Varrone, Andrea

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to assess striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) availability in a large group of normal subjects. The study included 122 healthy subjects, aged 18-83 years, recruited in the multicentre 'ENC-DAT' study (promoted by the European Association of Nuclear Medicine). Brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was acquired by means of dual-head cameras 3 h after [ 123 I]FP-CIT administration. Specific to nondisplaceable binding ratios (SBRs) in the basal ganglia were computed using the 'BasGan' software, allowing automatic value extraction with partial volume effect correction. Multicentre camera inhomogeneity was taken into account by calibrating values on basal ganglia phantom data. SBR in each caudate nucleus (C) and putamen (P) were the dependent variables in a repeated measures general linear model analysis; age, gender, handedness and body mass index (BMI) were the independent variables. SBR values in C and P were significantly associated with age (mean rate decrease with age: 0.0306 per year, or 0.57 % of the general mean; p < 0.0001) and gender (women had higher values; p = 0.015), while no significant effect was found for handedness and BMI. A significant interaction was found between age and region (p < 0.0001) as the age-related decline was 0.028 for left C, 0.026 for right C and 0.034 for both P. P/C ratio analysis confirmed that age-related SBR decrease was stronger in P than in C (p < 0.0001). No significant effect was found for season or time of the day when the scan was acquired by analysing the residual of SBR values in C and P, after subtraction of age and gender effects. This study confirms the dependency of DAT on ageing and highlights the gender differences in a large sample of healthy subjects, while it does not support the dependency of DAT on BMI, handedness, circadian rhythm or season. (orig.)

  17. Dat nooit meer’ – ‘Never Again’

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James Kennedy

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available In October of 2011 the Dutch historian and journalist Chris van der Heijden defended his dissertation Dat nooit meer – ‘Never Again’ which came out at the same time in a trade edition. In his 900-page magnum opus, supervised by the historians Hans Blom and Ido de Haan, Van der Heijden attempted to reconstruct ‘the aftermath of the Second World War in the Netherlands’. To do this, he offered a ‘thick description’ of incidents, affairs, public events and contemporary historiography, which togetherconstructed the culture and politics of memory about that war. Van der Heijden’s work immediately generated controversy in the Netherlands. Various historians at the public defence of the dissertation expressedfundamental criticisms of the book, a trend also evident in the media and in several reviews. The disapproval addressed the author’s method, use of sources and interpretative framework (or lack thereof, often in strong terms. Van der Heijden started a web-based blog to answer his critics and a heated debate continued for some time.

  18. The presence of both serotonin 1A receptor (HTR1A and dopamine transporter (DAT1 gene variants increase the risk of borderline personality disorder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter R Joyce

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Dysfunction in the dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmitter systems has been demonstrated to be important in the aetiology of Borderline personality disorder (BPD. We investigated the relationship of two BPD risk factors, the HTR1A promoter polymorphism -1019C>G (rs6295 and the DAT1 repeat allele, with BPD in a major depressive disorder cohort of 367 patients. Out-patients with major depressive disorder were recruited for two treatment trials and assessed for personality disorders, including BPD. DNA samples were collected and the rs6295 polymorphism was detected with a TaqMan® assay. The DAT1 repeat allele was genotyped using a modified PCR method. The impact of polymorphisms on BPD was statistically analysed using uncontrolled logistic and multiple logistic regression models. BPD patients had higher frequencies of the DAT1 9,9 (OR=2.67 and 9,10 (OR=3.67 genotypes and also those homozygous HTR1A G allele (OR=2.03. No significant interactions between HTR1A and DAT1 genotypes, were observed; however, an increased risk of BPD was observed for those patients who were either 9,10; G,G (OR=6.64 and 9,9; C,G (OR=5.42. Furthermore, the odds of BPD in patients exhibiting high-risk variants of these two genes differed from those of patients in low-risk groups by up to a factor of 9. Our study provides evidence implicating the importance of the serotonergic and dopaminergic systems in BPD and that the interaction between genes from different neurotransmitters may play a role in the susceptibility to BPD.

  19. Pro Puppet

    CERN Document Server

    Krum, Spencer; Kero, Ben; Turnbull, James; McCune, Jeffrey

    2013-01-01

    Pro Puppet, Second Edition, now updated for Puppet 3, is an in-depth guide to installing, using, and developing the popular configuration management tool Puppet. Puppet provides a way to automate everything from user management to server configuration. You'll learn how Puppet has changed in the latest version, how to use it on a variety of platforms, including Windows, how to work with Puppet modules, and how to use Hiera. Puppet is a must-have tool for system administrators, and Pro Puppet will teach you how to maximize its capabilities and customize it for your environment.

  20. Effect of Pancreatic Hormones on pro-Atrial Natriuretic Peptide in Humans

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zois, Nora E.; Terzic, Dijana; Faerch, Kristine

    2017-01-01

    Plasma concentrations of pro-Atrial natriuretic peptide, proANP, are decreased in obesity and diabetes. Decreased proANP concentrations have also been noted after meal intake, and recently, a glucose-mediated regulation of ANP gene expression was reported. Hence, we evaluated the effects of insul...

  1. Antiproliferative and Pro-Apoptotic Effect of Novel Nitro-Substituted Hydroxynaphthanilides on Human Cancer Cell Lines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tereza Kauerova

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Ring-substituted hydroxynaphthanilides are considered as cyclic analogues of salicylanilides, compounds possessing a wide range of pharmacological activities, including promising anticancer properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential anticancer effect of novel nitro-substituted hydroxynaphthanilides with a special focus on structure-activity relationships. The antiproliferative effect was assessed by Water Soluble Tetrazolium Salts-1 (WST-1 assay, and cytotoxicity was evaluated via dye exclusion test. Flow cytometry was used for cell cycle analysis and detection of apoptosis using Annexin V-FITC/PI assay. Protein expression was estimated by Western blotting. Our data indicate that the potential to cause the antiproliferative effect increases with the shift of the nitro substituent from the ortho- to the para-position. The most potent compounds, 3-hydroxy-N-(3-nitrophenylnaphthalene-2-carboxamide (2, and 2-hydroxy-N-(4-nitrophenyl-naphthalene-1-carboxamide (6 showed antiproliferative activity against THP-1 and MCF-7 cancer cells without affecting the proliferation of 3T3-L1 non-tumour cells. Compounds 2 and 6 induced the accumulation of THP-1 and MCF-7 cells in G1 phase associated with the downregulation of cyclin E1 protein levels, while the levels of cyclin B1 were not affected. Moreover, compound 2 was found to exert the pro-apoptotic effect on the THP-1 cells. These results suggest that hydroxynaphthanilides might represent a potential model structure for the development of novel anticancer agents.

  2. Automatic semi-quantification of [{sup 123}I]FP-CIT SPECT scans in healthy volunteers using BasGan version 2: results from the ENC-DAT database

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nobili, Flavio [University of Genoa, Clinical Neurophysiology, Department of Neurosciences, Ophthalmology and Genetics, Genoa (Italy); Naseri, Mehrdad; Morbelli, Silvia [University of Genoa, Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Genoa (Italy); De Carli, Fabrizio [National Research Council, Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology, Genoa (Italy); Asenbaum, Susan [Medical University of Vienna, Department of Neurology, Vienna (Austria); Booij, Jan [University of Amsterdam, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Darcourt, Jacques [University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Nuclear Medicine Department Centre Antoine Lacassagne TIRO Laboratory CEA, Nice (France); Ell, Peter [University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, Institute of Nuclear Medicine, London (United Kingdom); Kapucu, Oezlem [Gazi University School of Medicine, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Gazi Hospital, Besevler, Ankara (Turkey); Kemp, Paul [Southampton University Hospitals Trust, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Southampton (United Kingdom); Varer, Claus [Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Neurobiology Research Unit and Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (CIMBI), Copenhagen (Denmark); Pagani, Marco [Karolinska University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Stockholm (Sweden); Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Rome (Italy); Sabri, Osama [University of Leipzig, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Leipzig (Germany); Tatsch, Klaus [Municipal Hospital of Karlsruhe Inc., Department of Nuclear Medicine, Karlsruhe (Germany); Tossici-Bolt, Livia [Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, Southampton (United Kingdom); Sera, Terez [University of Szeged, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Euromedic Szeged, Szeged (Hungary); Borght, Thierry vander [Universite Catholique de Louvain, Nuclear Medicine Division, Mont-Godinne Medical Center, Yvoir (Belgium); Laere, Koen van [University Hospitals Leuven, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Leuven (Belgium); Varrone, Andrea [Karolinska Hospital, Centre for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm (Sweden)

    2013-04-15

    The aim of this study was to assess striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) availability in a large group of normal subjects. The study included 122 healthy subjects, aged 18-83 years, recruited in the multicentre 'ENC-DAT' study (promoted by the European Association of Nuclear Medicine). Brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was acquired by means of dual-head cameras 3 h after [{sup 123}I]FP-CIT administration. Specific to nondisplaceable binding ratios (SBRs) in the basal ganglia were computed using the 'BasGan' software, allowing automatic value extraction with partial volume effect correction. Multicentre camera inhomogeneity was taken into account by calibrating values on basal ganglia phantom data. SBR in each caudate nucleus (C) and putamen (P) were the dependent variables in a repeated measures general linear model analysis; age, gender, handedness and body mass index (BMI) were the independent variables. SBR values in C and P were significantly associated with age (mean rate decrease with age: 0.0306 per year, or 0.57 % of the general mean; p < 0.0001) and gender (women had higher values; p = 0.015), while no significant effect was found for handedness and BMI. A significant interaction was found between age and region (p < 0.0001) as the age-related decline was 0.028 for left C, 0.026 for right C and 0.034 for both P. P/C ratio analysis confirmed that age-related SBR decrease was stronger in P than in C (p < 0.0001). No significant effect was found for season or time of the day when the scan was acquired by analysing the residual of SBR values in C and P, after subtraction of age and gender effects. This study confirms the dependency of DAT on ageing and highlights the gender differences in a large sample of healthy subjects, while it does not support the dependency of DAT on BMI, handedness, circadian rhythm or season. (orig.)

  3. NF-PRO research on a repository for vitrified waste and spent fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sneyers, A.

    2006-01-01

    NF-PRO is a four-year (2004-2007) Integrated Project supported by funding under the Sixth Research (EURATOM) Programme of the European Commission. NF-PRO is coordinated by SCK C EN and investigates key processes in the near-field of geological repositories for the disposal of high-level vitrified waste and spent nuclear fuel. The near-field of a geological repository consists of the area surrounding the waste packages and is composed of several engineered barriers that enclose and confine the disposed waste. These barriers include the waste form, the waste canisters, backfills, seals, plugs and the part of the host rock that has been modified by the excavation of the repository. In all repository designs under investigation within EU Member States, the near-field plays an important role in ensuring the overall safety of disposal: its principal function is to retain radionuclides over extended periods of time and to minimise their release from the waste to the host rock. The main objective of NF-PRO is to integrate European research on the near field with the aim of enhancing common understanding of the long-term changes taking place in a deep repository. NF-PRO assesses how these changes affect the containment of the disposed radioactive waste. Knowledge generated by the project can be applied in waste management programmes to optimise repository designs and to make barriers functional and resource-efficient. The integration of results from detailed process studies in assessments on the overall near-field system performance is a key objective of NF-PRO. The level of integration envisaged by NF-PRO has not yet been achieved in earlier research projects supported by the European Commission. Accordingly, NF PRO represents a major step forward in the establishing of the scientific and technical basis for geological disposal and the safe management of radioactive wastes

  4. The Importance of Pro-Environmental Behavior in Adolescent

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palupi, Tyas; Sawitri, Dian R.

    2018-02-01

    Studies regarding pro-environmental behavior in adolescents are lacking. This study aimed to examine the importance of pro-environmental behavior in adolescents (high school and university students) by conducting literature review from previous studies on pro environmental behavior. Pro-environmental behavior is the behavior of individuals that contributes towards environmental preservation. Based on previous studies, measurement of pro-environmental behavior were investigated on several theories, namely theory of planned behavior (TPB) and value, belief, norms (VBN) by using aspects of pro environmental behavior. Young people with critical thinking, and good environmental education, are expected to behave more environmentally friendly for creating a sustainable future.

  5. Pengungkapan Pro Forma, Mendukung atau Menyesatkan Investor?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yohanis Rura

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Pro forma is originated from Latin. It contains different meaning depends on which discipline it is used. In accounting, pro forma disclosure is used to show effect of important transaction which occurs after the end of periods, or which occurs during period but not fully reflected in historical cost financial statement of a firm. Pro forma disclosure has the objective to support (but might mislead investor in decision making focused on particular influence of important transaction. Company with low GAAP profit information; less profitable company and has higher level of debt but more liquid, whose P-E ratio and market to book is higher than other companies in the industry; has the tendency to do pro forma disclosure. Pro forma disclosure has been supported by several theories such as: efficient market theory, catering theory, agency theory, signaling theory, and stakeholder theory. However, there are problems in reporting pro forma figures. There is no standard to it. Therefore, information on pro forma disclosure might also mislead less sophisticated investor.

  6. Similar pro-NT and pro-RLX2 levels after preeclampsia and after uncomplicated pregnancy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zoet, G. A.(Gerbrand); van Rijn, B. B.(Bas); Rehfeldt, M. (Miriam); Franx, A. (Arie); Maas, Angela H E M

    2017-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: Women are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) after preeclampsia. Proneurotensin 1-117 (pro-NT) and prorelaxin 2 connecting peptide (pro-RLX2) have recently emerged as potential biomarkers for CVD risk in women. We assessed pro-NT and pro-RLX2 levels in women with

  7. Similar pro-NT and pro-RLX2 levels after preeclampsia and after uncomplicated pregnancy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zoet, G. A.(Gerbrand); van Rijn, B. B.(Bas); Rehfeldt, M. (Miriam); Franx, A. (Arie); Maas, Angela H E M

    2017-01-01

    Objective Women are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) after preeclampsia. Proneurotensin 1-117 (pro-NT) and prorelaxin 2 connecting peptide (pro-RLX2) have recently emerged as potential biomarkers for CVD risk in women. We assessed pro-NT and pro-RLX2 levels in women with

  8. Cytotoxic, antimigratory, pro-and antioxidative activities of extracts from medicinal mushrooms on colon cancer cell lines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Šeklić Dragana S.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Methanol extracts of five commercially available mushroom species (Phellinus linteus (Berk. et Curt Teng, Cordyceps sinensis (Berk. Sacc., Lentinus edodes (Berk. Pegler, Coprinus comatus (O. F. Müll. Pers. and Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis P. Karst, traditionally used as anticancer agents, were evaluated in vitro for their total phenol and flavonoid contents, cytotoxic and antimigratory activities and antioxidant/prooxidant effects on colon cancer cell lines (HCT-116 and SW-480. Spectrophotometric methods were used for the determination of total phenol content, flavonoid concentrations and DPPH activity of the extracts. Cytotoxic activity was measured by the MTT assay. The antimigratory activity of extracts was determined using the Transwell assay and immunofluorescence staining of β-catenin. The prooxidant/antioxidant status was followed by measuring the superoxide anion radical (O2•-, nitrite and reduced glutathione (GSH concentrations. Our results show that the highest phenolic and flavonoid content was found in P. linteus, and its DPPH-scavenging capacity was significantly higher than in other samples. The P. linteus extract significantly decreased cell viability of both tested cancer cell lines. All other extracts selectively inhibited SW-480 cell viability, but did not show significant cytotoxic activity. The mushroom extracts caused changes in the prooxidant/antioxidant status of cells, inducing oxidative stress. All extracts tested on HCT-116 cells demonstrated significant antimigratory effects, which correlated with increased production of O2•- and a reduced level of β-catenin protein expression, while only P. linteus showed the same effect on SW-480 cells. The results of the present research indicate that the mushroom extracts causes oxidative stress which has a pronounced impact on the migratory status of colon cancer cell lines. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III41010

  9. ProCom middleware

    OpenAIRE

    Kunčar, Jiří

    2013-01-01

    The goal of this thesis is to develop and implement parts of a middleware that provides necessary support for the execution of ProCom components on top of the real-time operating system FreeRTOS. The ProCom is a component model for embedded systems developed at Mälardalen University. The primary problem is finding an appropriate balance between the level of abstraction and thoughtful utilization of system resources in embedded devices. The defined target platform has limitations in comparison...

  10. ProCom middleware

    OpenAIRE

    Kuncar, Jiri

    2011-01-01

    The goal of this thesis is to develop and implement parts of a middleware that provides necessary support for the execution of ProCom components on top of the real-time operating system FreeRTOS. ProCom is a component model for embedded systems developed at Mälardalen University. The primary problem is finding an appropriate balance between the level of abstraction and thoughtful utilization of system resources in embedded devices. The defined target platform has limitations in comparison to ...

  11. Impact of hemoglobin on plasma pro-B-type natriuretic peptide concentrations in the general population

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nybo, Mads; Benn, Marianne; Mogelvang, Rasmus

    2007-01-01

    , the impact of hemoglobin status on proBNP concentrations has not been established in the general population. METHODS: In the 4th examination in the Copenhagen City Heart Study, we performed a nested case-control study of 6238 individuals from a Danish general population. Of these, 3497 randomly selected...... participants also underwent an echocardiographic examination. The population was stratified into groups depending on health and hemoglobin status. Correlations between hemoglobin and proBNP concentrations were examined by simple and multiple regression analyses, adjusted for variables known to influence...... the proBNP plasma concentration. RESULTS: The mean proBNP concentration was increased 1.7-fold in the group with anemia vs the nonanemic group [mean (SD) 42 (45) pmol/L vs 25 (29) pmol/L, P hemoglobin on pro...

  12. Rare Autism-Associated Variants Implicate Syntaxin 1 (STX1 R26Q) Phosphorylation and the Dopamine Transporter (hDAT R51W) in Dopamine Neurotransmission and Behaviors

    OpenAIRE

    Cartier, Etienne; Hamilton, Peter J.; Belovich, Andrea N.; Shekar, Aparna; Campbell, Nicholas G.; Saunders, Christine; Andreassen, Thorvald F.; Gether, Ulrik; Veenstra-Vanderweele, Jeremy; Sutcliffe, James S.; Ulery-Reynolds, Paula G.; Erreger, Kevin; Matthies, Heinrich J.G.; Galli, Aurelio

    2015-01-01

    Background: Syntaxin 1 (STX1) is a presynaptic plasma membrane protein that coordinates synaptic vesicle fusion. STX1 also regulates the function of neurotransmitter transporters, including the dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT). The DAT is a membrane protein that controls DA homeostasis through the high-affinity re-uptake of synaptically released DA. Methods: We adopt newly developed animal models and state-of-the-art biophysical techniques to determine the contribution of the identified gen...

  13. Aplikace pro výuku jazyků pro Firefox OS

    OpenAIRE

    Chudík, Jakub

    2015-01-01

    Tato práce se zabývá vytvořením aplikace pro výuku jazyků specificky pro mobilní operační systém Firefox OS. Vzhledem k své povaze, uživatelské rozhraní aplikace se snaží uspokojit ergonomické potřeby aplikací určených pro kapesní zařízení. Aplikuje několik konceptů gamifikace ke zlepšení procesu učení, jehož výsledky jsou prezentovány a vyhodnoceny. Aplikace také přináší své vlastní jedinečné vlastnosti, které jí pomáhají vyniknout mezi ostatními aplikacemi pro výuku jazyků. This thesis d...

  14. Toxicity of Parasporin-4 and Health Effects of Pro-parasporin-4 Diet in Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shiro Okumura

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Parasporin-4 (PS4 is an aerolysin-type β-pore-forming toxin produced by Bacillus thuringiensis strain A1470. It exhibits specific cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines; therefore, it is expected to be useful for the diagnosis and treatment of particular types of cancer cells. We examined the acute toxicity of PS4 on ICR mice. The LD50 value was 160 μg/kg by a subcutaneous route. Potassium, ammonium, magnesium ion, creatinine, and urea nitrogen decreased in urine by the injection of PS4. Simultaneously, creatinine and urea nitrogen in mice serum increased. These results imply that PS4 impairs kidney function in mice. PS4 is obtained from Pro-parasporin-4 (ProPS4 by processing, and ProPS4 is produced by recombinant Escherichia coli as the inclusion body. The inclusion body of ProPS4 can be solubilized in a weak acid solution and activated by pepsin, implying that it would be solubilized and activated in the stomach of mammals after oral administration. Thus, the influence of the oral administration of it by C57BL/6J mice was examined. Although ProPS4 was activated to PS4 in the mouse digestive tract, any serious health hazard was not observed and there was no significant difference in body weight change.

  15. Pro Forma Registration of Companies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Werlauff, Erik

    2010-01-01

    The article analyses the view taken by Community law on companies' pro forma registration in another EU or EEA country. Community law recognises pro forma registration under company law, i.e. a brass plate is sufficient, whereas it does not recognise pro forma registration under tax law, i.......e. a brass plate is not sufficient. The article provides reasons for the differential treatment of the two contexts and clarifies the difference on the basis of the Hubbard criterion, in which it was ruled that the effectiveness of Community law cannot vary according to the various branches of national law....

  16. Generation of the ECP database (ECP02.DAT) at the beginning of the cycle 1 of the Unit 1 of Laguna Verde; Generacion de la base ECP (ECP02.DAT) al inicio del ciclo 1 de la Unidad 1 de Laguna Verde

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perusquia C, R. [ININ, 52045 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)

    1992-10-15

    In order to carrying out a comparison among the results provided for the Program of Estimate of the ECP Critical Position and the Shutdown/Startup produced in the Cycle 1 of the Unit 1 of Laguna Verde, it was generated the base of the ECP program, following the outlines settled down in the Procedure 'Generation of ECP Database for Laguna Verde' (IT.SN/DFR 074). Next the data sheets filled when being generated the ECP02.DAT database at the beginning of the cycle are provided. In the IT.SN/DFR 079 report 'Adjustment and Preliminary Evaluation of the Predictions of Criticity of the ECP Program with Reported Data of Cycle 1 of the Unit 1 of Laguna Verde, the results of the comparison among the estimates of the ECP program using the ECP02.DAT with the real data of the Cycle 1 of the Unit 1 of Laguna Verde are presented. (Author)

  17. Pro-eating disorder communities on social networking sites: a content analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juarascio, Adrienne S; Shoaib, Amber; Timko, C Alix

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess the number of pro-ana groups on social networking sites and to analyze their content. A general inductive approach was used to analyze the content. Two main themes emerged from the content analysis: social support and eating disorder specific content. Themes were similar across all groups; however, a linguistic analysis indicated differences between groups on the two different networking sites. There was an absence of content typically found on Internet sites. Pro-ana groups on social networking sites are focused on social interactions, and lack eating disorder specific content found on Internet sites.

  18. Pro-poor growth and gender inequality

    OpenAIRE

    Klasen, Stephan

    2006-01-01

    This paper examines to what extent gender gaps in education, health, employment, productive assets and inputs can affect pro poor growth (in the sense of increasing monetary incomes of the poor). After discussing serious methodological problems with examining gender issues in the context of an income-based pro-poor growth framework, the paper considers theory and evidence on the impact of gender inequality on pro poor growth. While there is a considerable literature suggesting negative impact...

  19. Endothelial cells provide a notch-dependent pro-tumoral niche for enhancing breast cancer survival, stemness and pro-metastatic properties.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pegah Ghiabi

    Full Text Available Treating metastasis has been challenging due to tumors complexity and heterogeneity. This complexity is partly related to the crosstalk between tumor and its microenvironment. Endothelial cells -the building blocks of tumor vasculature- have been shown to have additional roles in cancer progression than angiogenesis and supplying oxygen and nutrients. Here, we show an alternative role for endothelial cells in supporting breast cancer growth and spreading independent of their vascular functions. Using endothelial cells and breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB231 and MCF-7, we developed co-culture systems to study the influence of tumor endothelium on breast tumor development by both in vitro and in vivo approaches. Our results demonstrated that endothelial cells conferred survival advantage to tumor cells under complete starvation and enriched the CD44HighCD24Low/- stem cell population in tumor cells. Moreover, endothelial cells enhanced the pro-metastatic potential of breast cancer cells. The in vitro and in vivo results concordantly confirmed a role for endothelial Jagged1 to promote breast tumor through notch activation. Here, we propose a role for endothelial cells in enhancing breast cancer progression, stemness, and pro-metastatic traits through a perfusion-independent manner. Our findings may be beneficial in developing novel therapeutic approaches.

  20. Energy consumption of ProTaper Next X1 after glide path with PathFiles and ProGlider.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berutti, Elio; Alovisi, Mario; Pastorelli, Michele Angelo; Chiandussi, Giorgio; Scotti, Nicola; Pasqualini, Damiano

    2014-12-01

    Instrument failure caused by excessive torsional stress can be controlled by creating a manual or mechanical glide path. The ProGlider single-file system (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) was recently introduced to perform a mechanical glide path. This study was designed to compare the effect of a glide path performed with PathFiles (Dentsply Maillefer) and ProGlider on torque, time, and pecking motion required for ProTaper Next X1 (Dentsply Maillefer) to reach the full working length in simulated root canals. Forty Endo Training Blocks (Dentsply Maillefer) were used. Twenty were prepared with a mechanical glide path using PathFiles 1 and 2 (the PathFile group), and 20 were prepared with a mechanical glide path using a ProGlider single file (the ProGlider group). All samples were shaped with ProTaper Next X1 driven by an endodontic motor connected to a digital wattmeter. The required torque for root canal instrumentation was analyzed by evaluating the electrical power consumption of the endodontic engine. Electric power consumption (mW/h), elapsed time (seconds), and number of pecking motions required to reach the full working length with ProTaper Next X1 were calculated. Differences among groups were analyzed with the parametric Student t test for independent data (P < .05). Elapsed time and electric power consumption were significantly different between groups (P = .0001 for both). ProGlider appears to perform more efficiently than PathFiles in decreasing electric power consumption of ProTaper Next X1 to reach the full working length. This study confirmed the ability of ProGlider to reduce stress in ProTaper Next X1 during shaping through a glide path and preliminary middle and coronal preflaring. Copyright © 2014 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Prognostic value of plasma midregional pro-adrenomedullin and C-terminal-pro-endothelin-1 in chronic heart failure outpatients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adlbrecht, Christopher; Hülsmann, Martin; Strunk, Guido; Berger, Rudolf; Mörtl, Deddo; Struck, Joachim; Morgenthaler, Nils G; Bergmann, Andreas; Jakowitsch, Johannes; Maurer, Gerald; Lang, Irene M; Pacher, Richard

    2009-04-01

    The identification of chronic heart failure (CHF) patients at high risk of adverse outcome remains a challenge. New peptides are emerging that may give additional information. In CHF patients, endothelin (ET) levels predict mortality risk. Adrenomedullin has been shown to predict mortality in ischaemic heart failure, but not in unselected or non-ischaemic CHF patients. Moreover, ADM and ET have never been assessed in one model. The aim of the present study was to assess the prognostic value of midregional-pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM) and C-terminal-pro-endothelin-1 (CT-proET-1) in outpatients with CHF. We measured plasma MR-proADM and CT-proET-1 levels in 786 consecutive CHF outpatients and compared them with B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels. At 24-month follow-up, 233 patients had died. A stepwise forward Cox regression model with age, sex, estimated glomerular filtration rate, NYHA > II, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), MR-proADM, CT-proET-1, and BNP as possible predictors revealed that MR-proADM levels [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.77, P II (HR = 1.86, P < 0.001) were predictors of death at 24 months. When the analysis was repeated dependent on NYHA-stage, MR-proADM (HR = 2.12, P < 0.001) and LVEF (HR = 0.96, P = 0.006) were significant markers, but only in patients with mild/moderate CHF. Our data suggest that MR-proADM may be an important prognostic humoral marker, especially in mild/moderately symptomatic and non-ischaemic CHF patients.

  2. Chemical composition, in vitro antitumor and pro-oxidant activities of Glandora rosmarinifolia (Boraginaceae) essential oil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poma, Paola; Labbozzetta, Manuela; Notarbartolo, Monica; Bruno, Maurizio; Maggio, Antonella; Rosselli, Sergio; Sajeva, Maurizio; Zito, Pietro

    2018-01-01

    The biological properties of essential oils have been demonstrated in the treatment of several diseases and to enhance the bioavailability of other drugs. In natural habitats the essential oils compounds may play important roles in the protection of the plants as antibacterials, antivirals, antifungals, insecticides and also against herbivores by reducing their appetite for such plants or by repelling undesirable others. We analyzed by gas-chromatography mass spectrometry the chemical composition of the essential oil of aerial parts of Glandora rosmarinifolia (Ten.) D.C. Thomas obtained by hydrodistillation and verified some biological activities on a panel of hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (HA22T/VGH, HepG2, Hep3B) and triple negative breast cancer cell lines (SUM 149, MDA-MB-231). In the essential oil we detected 35 compounds. The results of the biological assays indicate that essential oil of G. rosmarinifolia induces cell growth inhibition at concentration-dependent way in all cell line models. This oil does not seem to possess antioxidant activity, while the cytotoxicity of G. rosmarinifolia essential oil appeared to involve, at least in part, a pro-oxidant mechanism. Our results show for the first time the antitumoral and pro-oxidant activities of G. rosmarinifolia essential oil and suggest that it may represent a resource of pharmacologically active compounds.

  3. DAT1-Genotype and Menstrual Cycle, but Not Hormonal Contraception, Modulate Reinforcement Learning: Preliminary Evidence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jakob, Kristina; Ehrentreich, Hanna; Holtfrerich, Sarah K C; Reimers, Luise; Diekhof, Esther K

    2018-01-01

    Hormone by genotype interactions have been widely ignored by cognitive neuroscience. Yet, the dependence of cognitive performance on both baseline dopamine (DA) and current 17ß-estradiol (E2) level argues for their combined effect also in the context of reinforcement learning. Here, we assessed how the interaction between the natural rise of E2 in the late follicular phase (FP) and the 40 base-pair variable number tandem repeat polymorphism of the dopamine transporter (DAT1) affects reinforcement learning capacity. 30 women with a regular menstrual cycle performed a probabilistic feedback learning task twice during the early and late FP. In addition, 39 women, who took hormonal contraceptives (HC) to suppress natural ovulation, were tested during the "pill break" and the intake phase of HC. The present data show that DAT1-genotype may interact with transient hormonal state, but only in women with a natural menstrual cycle. We found that carriers of the 9-repeat allele (9RP) experienced a significant decrease in the ability to avoid punishment from early to late FP. Neither homozygote subjects of the 10RP allele, nor subjects from the HC group showed a change in behavior between phases. These data are consistent with neurobiological studies that found that rising E2 may reverse DA transporter function and could enhance DA efflux, which would in turn reduce punishment sensitivity particularly in subjects with a higher transporter density to begin with. Taken together, the present results, although based on a small sample, add to the growing understanding of the complex interplay between different physiological modulators of dopaminergic transmission. They may not only point out the necessity to control for hormonal state in behavioral genetic research, but may offer new starting points for studies in clinical settings.

  4. DAT1-Genotype and Menstrual Cycle, but Not Hormonal Contraception, Modulate Reinforcement Learning: Preliminary Evidence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristina Jakob

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Hormone by genotype interactions have been widely ignored by cognitive neuroscience. Yet, the dependence of cognitive performance on both baseline dopamine (DA and current 17ß-estradiol (E2 level argues for their combined effect also in the context of reinforcement learning. Here, we assessed how the interaction between the natural rise of E2 in the late follicular phase (FP and the 40 base-pair variable number tandem repeat polymorphism of the dopamine transporter (DAT1 affects reinforcement learning capacity. 30 women with a regular menstrual cycle performed a probabilistic feedback learning task twice during the early and late FP. In addition, 39 women, who took hormonal contraceptives (HC to suppress natural ovulation, were tested during the “pill break” and the intake phase of HC. The present data show that DAT1-genotype may interact with transient hormonal state, but only in women with a natural menstrual cycle. We found that carriers of the 9-repeat allele (9RP experienced a significant decrease in the ability to avoid punishment from early to late FP. Neither homozygote subjects of the 10RP allele, nor subjects from the HC group showed a change in behavior between phases. These data are consistent with neurobiological studies that found that rising E2 may reverse DA transporter function and could enhance DA efflux, which would in turn reduce punishment sensitivity particularly in subjects with a higher transporter density to begin with. Taken together, the present results, although based on a small sample, add to the growing understanding of the complex interplay between different physiological modulators of dopaminergic transmission. They may not only point out the necessity to control for hormonal state in behavioral genetic research, but may offer new starting points for studies in clinical settings.

  5. The influence of anticipated pride and guilt on pro-environmental decision making.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claudia R Schneider

    Full Text Available The present research explores the relationship between anticipated emotions and pro-environmental decision making comparing two differently valenced emotions: anticipated pride and guilt. In an experimental design, we examined the causal effects of anticipated pride versus guilt on pro-environmental decision making and behavioral intentions by making anticipated emotions (i.e. pride and guilt salient just prior to asking participants to make a series of environmental decisions. We find evidence that anticipating one's positive future emotional state from green action just prior to making an environmental decision leads to higher pro-environmental behavioral intentions compared to anticipating one's negative emotional state from inaction. This finding suggests a rethinking in the domain of environmental and climate change messaging, which has traditionally favored inducing negative emotions such as guilt to promote pro-environmental action. Furthermore, exploratory results comparing anticipated pride and guilt inductions to baseline behavior point toward a reactance eliciting effect of anticipated guilt.

  6. The influence of anticipated pride and guilt on pro-environmental decision making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, Claudia R; Zaval, Lisa; Weber, Elke U; Markowitz, Ezra M

    2017-01-01

    The present research explores the relationship between anticipated emotions and pro-environmental decision making comparing two differently valenced emotions: anticipated pride and guilt. In an experimental design, we examined the causal effects of anticipated pride versus guilt on pro-environmental decision making and behavioral intentions by making anticipated emotions (i.e. pride and guilt) salient just prior to asking participants to make a series of environmental decisions. We find evidence that anticipating one's positive future emotional state from green action just prior to making an environmental decision leads to higher pro-environmental behavioral intentions compared to anticipating one's negative emotional state from inaction. This finding suggests a rethinking in the domain of environmental and climate change messaging, which has traditionally favored inducing negative emotions such as guilt to promote pro-environmental action. Furthermore, exploratory results comparing anticipated pride and guilt inductions to baseline behavior point toward a reactance eliciting effect of anticipated guilt.

  7. The influence of anticipated pride and guilt on pro-environmental decision making

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaval, Lisa; Weber, Elke U.; Markowitz, Ezra M.

    2017-01-01

    The present research explores the relationship between anticipated emotions and pro-environmental decision making comparing two differently valenced emotions: anticipated pride and guilt. In an experimental design, we examined the causal effects of anticipated pride versus guilt on pro-environmental decision making and behavioral intentions by making anticipated emotions (i.e. pride and guilt) salient just prior to asking participants to make a series of environmental decisions. We find evidence that anticipating one’s positive future emotional state from green action just prior to making an environmental decision leads to higher pro-environmental behavioral intentions compared to anticipating one’s negative emotional state from inaction. This finding suggests a rethinking in the domain of environmental and climate change messaging, which has traditionally favored inducing negative emotions such as guilt to promote pro-environmental action. Furthermore, exploratory results comparing anticipated pride and guilt inductions to baseline behavior point toward a reactance eliciting effect of anticipated guilt. PMID:29190758

  8. Human melioidosis reported by ProMED

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katherinn Melissa Nasner-Posso

    2015-06-01

    Conclusions: Internet-based reporting systems such as ProMED are useful to gather information and synthesize knowledge on emerging infections. Although certain areas need to be improved, ProMED provided good information about melioidosis.

  9. Quantifying the persistence of pro-smoking media effects on college students' smoking risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Setodji, Claude M; Martino, Steven C; Scharf, Deborah M; Shadel, William G

    2014-04-01

    To quantify the persistence of pro-smoking media exposure effects on college students' intentions to smoke and smoking refusal self-efficacy. A total of 134 college students (ages 18-24 years) were enrolled in an ecological momentary assessment study in which they carried handheld data collection devices for 3 weeks and reported their exposures to pro-smoking media as they occurred in the real world. Smoking intentions and smoking refusal self-efficacy were assessed after each exposure to pro-smoking media and at random prompts during each day of the 3-week assessment period. A generalized additive model was used to determine how long the effect of an exposure to pro-smoking media persisted. The effect of pro-smoking media exposures persisted for 7 days. After exposure, smoking intentions immediately increased (.56; 95% confidence interval [CI]: [.26, .87]) and then steadily decreased (-.12; 95% CI: [-.19, -.05]) each day for 7 days, while smoking refusal self-efficacy immediately decreased (-.42; 95% CI: [-.75, -.10]) and then steadily increased (.09; 95% CI: [.02, .16]) each day for 7 days. Daily changes occurring after 7 days were not statistically significant, suggesting that smoking intentions and refusal self-efficacy had stabilized and were no longer affected by pro-smoking media exposure. Exposures to pro-smoking media may have strong implications for emerging young adults smoking risk as the impact of an individual exposure appears to persist for at least a week. Copyright © 2014 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. All rights reserved.

  10. ABORTION AND VIOLENCE IN JANE MARTIN’S KEELY AND DU: PRO-CHOICE, PRO-LIFE, OR MERELY PROVOCATIVE?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eta Farmacelia Nurulhady

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Abortion and violence are global issues, yet different culture might respond to the issues somewhat differently. This study aims to reveal the abortion and violence issues in Jane Martin’s Keely and Du in terms of pro-choice and pro life movements and see how Indonesian students reading the play respond to the issues. In the United States of America, the discussion of abortion issue can be grouped into two major categories: the pro-life and pro-choice. In Indonesia, the majority of people would be against abortion when it is not for medical reasons. The students reading Keely and Du find the play challenging their beliefs as religious people still keeping hold of eastern values. Having discussed the nature of pro-life and pro-choice movements, it is difficult for them to decide whether they are proponent of either one. Keely and Du is successfully provocative in offering insight on how abortion and violence issues cannot be judged in a black and white manner.

  11. Pro Android 3

    CERN Document Server

    Hashimi, Sayed Ibrahim; MacLean, Dave

    2011-01-01

    Pro Android 3 starts with the basics, giving you a firm foundation in Android development. It then builds on this foundation to teach you how to build real-world and fun mobile applications using the new Android 3.0 SDK. This book covers advanced concepts in detail including maps, geocoding, services, live folders, drag and drop, touchscreens, and the new Android 3.0 features: fragments and ActionBar. Pro Android 3 is uniquely comprehensive: it covers sensors, text to speech, OpenGL, live widgets, search, and the audio and video APIs. Using the code-heavy tutorials and expert advice, you'll qu

  12. DAT genotype modulates striatal processing and long-term memory for items associated with reward and punishment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wittmann, Bianca C; Tan, Geoffrey C; Lisman, John E; Dolan, Raymond J; Düzel, Emrah

    2013-09-01

    Previous studies have shown that appetitive motivation enhances episodic memory formation via a network including the substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA), striatum and hippocampus. This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study now contrasted the impact of aversive and appetitive motivation on episodic long-term memory. Cue pictures predicted monetary reward or punishment in alternating experimental blocks. One day later, episodic memory for the cue pictures was tested. We also investigated how the neural processing of appetitive and aversive motivation and episodic memory were modulated by dopaminergic mechanisms. To that end, participants were selected on the basis of their genotype for a variable number of tandem repeat polymorphism of the dopamine transporter (DAT) gene. The resulting groups were carefully matched for the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene. Recognition memory for cues from both motivational categories was enhanced in participants homozygous for the 10-repeat allele of the DAT, the functional effects of which are not known yet, but not in heterozygous subjects. In comparison with heterozygous participants, 10-repeat homozygous participants also showed increased striatal activity for anticipation of motivational outcomes compared to neutral outcomes. In a subsequent memory analysis, encoding activity in striatum and hippocampus was found to be higher for later recognized items in 10-repeat homozygotes compared to 9/10-repeat heterozygotes. These findings suggest that processing of appetitive and aversive motivation in the human striatum involve the dopaminergic system and that dopamine plays a role in memory for both types of motivational information. In accordance with animal studies, these data support the idea that encoding of motivational events depends on dopaminergic processes in the hippocampus. © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. EXO-DAT: AN INFORMATION SYSTEM IN SUPPORT OF THE CoRoT/EXOPLANET SCIENCE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deleuil, M.; Meunier, J. C.; Moutou, C.; Surace, C.; Barbieri, M.; Agneray, F.; Granet, Y.; Guterman, P.; Deeg, H. J.; Almenara, J. M.; Debosscher, J.; Hodgkin, S.

    2009-01-01

    Exo-Dat is a database and an information system created primarily in support of the exoplanet program of the COnvection ROtation and planetary Transits (CoRoT) mission. In the directions of CoRoT pointings, it provides a united interface to several sets of data: stellar published catalogs, photometric and spectroscopic data obtained during the mission preparation, results from the mission and from follow-up observations, and several mission-specific technical parameters. The new photometric data constitute the subcatalog Exo-Cat, and give consistent 4-color photometry of 14.0 million stars with a completeness to 19th magnitude in the r-filter. It covers several zones in the galactic plane around CoRoT pointings, with a total area of 209 deg 2 . This Exo-Dat information system provides essential technical support to the ongoing CoRoT light-curve analyses and ground-based follow-up by supplying additional complementary information such as the prior knowledge of the star's fundamental parameters or its contamination level inside the large CoRoT photometric mask. The database is fully interfaced with VO tools and thus benefits from existing visualization and analysis tools like TOPCAT or ALADIN. It is accessible to the CoRoT community through the Web, and will be gradually opened to the public. It is the ideal tool to prepare the foreseen statistical studies of the properties of the exoplanetary systems. As a VO-compliant system, such analyses could thus benefit from the most up-to-date classifier tools.

  14. A content analysis of an online pro-eating disorder community on Reddit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sowles, Shaina J; McLeary, Monique; Optican, Allison; Cahn, Elizabeth; Krauss, Melissa J; Fitzsimmons-Craft, Ellen E; Wilfley, Denise E; Cavazos-Rehg, Patricia A

    2018-03-01

    Pro-eating disorder communities provide a refuge for individuals with eating disorders (EDs) who are ambivalent about seeking treatment. We investigated a pro-ED community on Reddit, an anonymous social networking platform with topical forums, to identify expression of behaviors aligned with ED symptoms and support for these behaviors. A content analysis on four weeks of topic-specific discussion threads (N=125 comments, 115 replies to comments) was conducted to identify behaviors consistent with ED psychopathology and support for these behaviors (informational, tangible assistance, esteem/emotional support). Results indicated that the content aligned with expressions of clinically relevant ED psychopathology, with eating concerns (49/125) and shape concerns (47/125) being most prevalent. The majority (92/115) of replies provided esteem/emotional support to the comment author. Online interventions and/or recovery programs are needed to counteract reinforcing dialogue that occurs on social media sites, like Reddit, and promote ED recovery through supportive messages on these platforms. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Pro-inflammatory cytokines derived from West Nile virus (WNV-infected SK-N-SH cells mediate neuroinflammatory markers and neuronal death

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nerurkar Vivek R

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background WNV-associated encephalitis (WNVE is characterized by increased production of pro-inflammatory mediators, glial cells activation and eventual loss of neurons. WNV infection of neurons is rapidly progressive and destructive whereas infection of non-neuronal brain cells is limited. However, the role of neurons and pathological consequences of pro-inflammatory cytokines released as a result of WNV infection is unclear. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the role of key cytokines secreted by WNV-infected neurons in mediating neuroinflammatory markers and neuronal death. Methods A transformed human neuroblastoma cell line, SK-N-SH, was infected with WNV at multiplicity of infection (MOI-1 and -5, and WNV replication kinetics and expression profile of key pro-inflammatory cytokines were analyzed by plaque assay, qRT-PCR, and ELISA. Cell death was measured in SK-N-SH cell line in the presence and absence of neutralizing antibodies against key pro-inflammatory cytokines using cell viability assay, TUNEL and flow cytometry. Further, naïve primary astrocytes were treated with UV-inactivated supernatant from mock- and WNV-infected SK-N-SH cell line and the activation of astrocytes was measured using flow cytometry and ELISA. Results WNV-infected SK-N-SH cells induced the expression of IL-1β, -6, -8, and TNF-α in a dose- and time-dependent manner, which coincided with increase in virus-induced cell death. Treatment of cells with anti-IL-1β or -TNF-α resulted in significant reduction of the neurotoxic effects of WNV. Furthermore treatment of naïve astrocytes with UV-inactivated supernatant from WNV-infected SK-N-SH cell line increased expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein and key inflammatory cytokines. Conclusion Our results for the first time suggest that neurons are one of the potential sources of pro-inflammatory cytokines in WNV-infected brain and these neuron-derived cytokines contribute to WNV

  16. [Expression of proBNP and NT-proBNP in Sudden Death of Coronary Heart Disease].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Q; Sun, R F; Li, Z; Zhai, L Q; Liu, M Z; Guo, X J; Gao, C R

    2017-10-01

    To study the expression change of pro-brain natriuretic peptide (proBNP) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in sudden death of coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, and to explore its application in forensic diagnosis. Myocardial and blood samples were collected from normal control group, sudden death of coronary atherosclerotic heart disease group and single coronary stenosis group (20 cases in each group). The expression of proBNP in myocardial samples were detected by immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting, and that of BNP mRNA were detected by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR). The content of NT-proBNP in plasma were detected by ELISA. Immunohistochemical staining showed positive expression of proBNP in both sudden death of coronary atherosclerotic heart disease group and single coronary stenosis group. There was no positive expression in normal control group. For sudden death of coronary atherosclerotic heart disease group and single coronary stenosis group, the relative expression of proBNP protein and BNP mRNA in myocardial tissue and the NT-proBNP content in plasma were higher than that of normal control group ( P heart disease group was higher than that of single coronary stenosis group ( P heart disease and determine whether the sudden death due to coronary atherosclerotic heart disease. Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Forensic Medicine

  17. Anti- versus Pro-Competitive Mergers

    OpenAIRE

    Fridolfsson, Sven-Olof

    2007-01-01

    In a framework where mergers are mutually excluding, I show that firms pursue anti- rather than (alternative) pro-competitive mergers. Potential outsiders to anti-competitive mergers refrain from pursuing pro-competitive mergers if the positive externalities from anti-competitive mergers are strong enough. Potential outsiders to pro-competitive mergers pursue anti-competitive mergers if the negative externalities from the pro-competitive mergers are strong enough. Potential participants in an...

  18. Recommendations on evidence needed to support measurement equivalence between electronic and paper-based patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures: ISPOR ePRO Good Research Practices Task Force report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coons, Stephen Joel; Gwaltney, Chad J; Hays, Ron D; Lundy, J Jason; Sloan, Jeff A; Revicki, Dennis A; Lenderking, William R; Cella, David; Basch, Ethan

    2009-06-01

    , a draft version of the full report was distributed to roughly 220 members of a reviewer group. The reviewer group comprised individuals who had responded to an emailed invitation to the full membership of ISPOR. This Task Force report reflects the extensive internal and external input received during the 16-month good research practices development process. RESULTS/RECOMMENDATIONS: An ePRO questionnaire that has been adapted from a paper-based questionnaire ought to produce data that are equivalent or superior (e.g., higher reliability) to the data produced from the original paper version. Measurement equivalence is a function of the comparability of the psychometric properties of the data obtained via the original and adapted administration mode. This comparability is driven by the amount of modification to the content and format of the original paper PRO questionnaire required during the migration process. The magnitude of a particular modification is defined with reference to its potential effect on the content, meaning, or interpretation of the measure's items and/or scales. Based on the magnitude of the modification, evidence for measurement equivalence can be generated through combinations of the following: cognitive debriefing/testing, usability testing, equivalence testing, or, if substantial modifications have been made, full psychometric testing. As long as only minor modifications were made to the measure during the migration process, a substantial body of existing evidence suggests that the psychometric properties of the original measure will still hold for the ePRO version. Hence, an evaluation limited to cognitive debriefing and usability testing only may be sufficient. However, where more substantive changes in the migration process has occurred, confirming that the adaptation to the ePRO format did not introduce significant response bias and that the two modes of administration produce essentially equivalent results is necessary. Recommendations

  19. The influence of anticipated pride and guilt on pro-environmental decision making

    OpenAIRE

    Schneider, Claudia R.; Zaval, Lisa; Weber, Elke U.; Markowitz, Ezra M.

    2017-01-01

    The present research explores the relationship between anticipated emotions and pro-environmental decision making comparing two differently valenced emotions: anticipated pride and guilt. In an experimental design, we examined the causal effects of anticipated pride versus guilt on pro-environmental decision making and behavioral intentions by making anticipated emotions (i.e. pride and guilt) salient just prior to asking participants to make a series of environmental decisions. We find evide...

  20. Regulation of dopamine transporter activity by carboxypeptidase E

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhang Heping

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The dopamine transporter (DAT plays a critical role in terminating the action of dopamine by rapid reuptake into the presynaptic neuron. Previous studies have revealed that the DAT carboxyl terminus (DAT-CT can directly interact with other cellular proteins and regulate DAT function and trafficking. Results Here, we have identified that carboxypeptidase E (CPE, a prohormone processing exopeptidase and sorting receptor for the regulated secretory pathway, interacts with the DAT-CT and affects DAT function. Mammalian cell lines coexpressing CPE and DAT exhibited increased DAT-mediated dopamine uptake activity compared to cells expressing DAT alone. Moreover, coexpression of an interfering DAT-CT minigene inhibited the effects of CPE on DAT. Functional changes caused by CPE could be attributed to enhanced DAT expression and subsequent increase in DAT cell surface localization, due to decreased DAT degradation. In addition, CPE association could reduce the phosphorylation state of DAT on serine residues, potentially leading to reduced internalization, thus stabilizing plasmalemmal DAT localization. Conclusion Taken together, our results reveal a novel role for CPE in the regulation of DAT trafficking and DAT-mediated DA uptake, which may provide a novel target in the treatment of dopamine-governed diseases such as drug addiction and obesity.

  1. Dietary Bioactive Diallyl Trisulfide in Cancer Prevention and Treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puccinelli, Michael T; Stan, Silvia D

    2017-07-28

    Bioactive dietary agents have been shown to regulate multiple cancer hallmark pathways. Epidemiologic studies have linked consumption of Allium vegetables, such as garlic and onions, to decreased incidence of cancer. Diallyl trisulfide (DATS), a bioactive compound derived from Allium vegetables, has been investigated as an anti-cancer and chemopreventive agent. Preclinical studies provide ample evidence that DATS regulates multiple cancer hallmark pathways including cell cycle, apoptosis, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. DATS has been shown to arrest cancer cells at multiple stages of the cell cycle with the G2/M arrest being the most widely reported. Additionally, increased pro-apoptotic capacity as a result of regulating intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathway components has been widely reported following DATS treatment. Invasion, migration, and angiogenesis represent emerging targets of DATS and support its anti-cancer properties. This review summarizes DATS mechanisms of action as an anti-cancer and chemopreventive agent. These studies provide rationale for future investigation into its use as a cancer chemopreventive agent.

  2. Antithrombotic Protective Effects of Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro Peptide during Emotional Stress Provoked by Forced Swimming Test in Rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grigor'eva, M E; Lyapina, L A

    2017-01-01

    Blood coagulation was enhanced and all factors (total, enzyme, and non-enzyme) of the fibrinolytic system were suppressed in rats in 60 min after forced swimming test. Argininecontaining tetrapeptide glyproline Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro administered prior to this test activated fibrinolysis and prevented hypercoagulation. Administration of this peptide in 5 min after swimming test also enhanced anticoagulant, fibrinolytic, and antithrombotic activity of the blood. Therefore, glyproline Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro exerted both preventive and curative effects on the hemostasis system and prevented enhancement of blood coagulation provoked by emotional stress modeled by forced swimming test.

  3. Functional Consequences of Intracellular Proline Levels Manipulation Affecting PRODH/POX-Dependent Pro-Apoptotic Pathways in a Novel in Vitro Cell Culture Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zareba, Ilona; Surazynski, Arkadiusz; Chrusciel, Marcin; Miltyk, Wojciech; Doroszko, Milena; Rahman, Nafis; Palka, Jerzy

    2017-01-01

    The effect of impaired intracellular proline availability for proline dehydrogenase/proline oxidase (PRODH/POX)-dependent apoptosis was studied. We generated a constitutively knocked-down PRODH/POX MCF-7 breast cancer cell line (MCF-7shPRODH/POX) as a model to analyze the functional consequences of impaired intracellular proline levels. We have used inhibitor of proline utilization in collagen biosynthesis, 2-metoxyestradiol (MOE), inhibitor of prolidase that generate proline, rapamycin (Rap) and glycyl-proline (GlyPro), substrate for prolidase. Collagen and DNA biosynthesis were evaluated by radiometric assays. Cell viability was determined using Nucleo-Counter NC-3000. The activity of prolidase was determined by colorimetric assay. Expression of proteins was assessed by Western blot and immunofluorescence bioimaging. Concentration of proline was analyzed by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. PRODH/POX knockdown decreased DNA and collagen biosynthesis, whereas increased prolidase activity and intracellular proline level in MCF-7shPRODH/POX cells. All studied compounds decreased cell viability in MCF-7 and MCF-7shPRODH/POX cells. DNA biosynthesis was similarly inhibited by Rap and MOE in both cell lines, but GlyPro inhibited the process only in MCF-7shPRODH/POX and MOE+GlyPro only in MCF-7 cells. All the compounds inhibited collagen biosynthesis, increased prolidase activity and cytoplasmic proline level in MCF-7shPRODH/POX cells and contributed to the induction of pro-survival mode only in MCF-7shPRODH/POX cells. In contrast, all studied compounds upregulated expression of pro-apoptotic protein only in MCF-7 cells. PRODH/POX was confirmed as a driver of apoptosis and proved the eligibility of MCF-7shPRODH/POX cell line as a highly effective model to elucidate the different mechanisms underlying proline utilization or generation in PRODH/POX-dependent pro-apoptotic pathways. © 2017 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

  4. Neuronal release of proBDNF

    OpenAIRE

    Yang, Jianmin; Siao, Chia-Jen; Nagappan, Guhan; Marinic, Tina; Jing, Deqiang; McGrath, Kelly; Chen, Zhe-Yu; Mark, Willie; Tessarollo, Lino; Lee, Francis S; Lu, Bai; Hempstead, Barbara L

    2009-01-01

    Pro–brain-derived neurotrophic factor (proBDNF) and mature BDNF utilize distinct receptors to mediate divergent neuronal actions. Using new tools to quantitate endogenous BDNF isoforms, we found that mouse neurons secrete both proBDNF and mature BDNF. The highest levels of proBDNF and p75 were observed perinatally and declined, but were still detectable, in adulthood. Thus, BDNF actions are developmentally regulated by secretion of proBDNF or mature BDNF and by local expression of p75 and Trk...

  5. Friends moderate the effects of pro-smoking media on college students’ intentions to smoke

    Science.gov (United States)

    Setodji, Claude M.; Martino, Steven C.; Scharf, Deborah M.; Shadel, William G.

    2013-01-01

    Exposure to pro-smoking media (e.g., smoking in movies, advertising in magazines) contributes to smoking in young people. However, the extent to which the impact of exposure depends on the social context in which those exposures occur has not been investigated. This study used ecological momentary assessment to examine the moderating role of social context in the relationship between college students’ exposure to pro-smoking media and their smoking refusal self-efficacy and intention to smoke. College students (N = 134) carried handheld computers for 21 days, recording their exposure to all forms of pro-smoking media during the assessment period. They also responded to three investigator-initiated control prompts (programmed to occur randomly) each day of the assessment. After each exposure to pro-smoking media and after each control prompt, participants answered questions about smoking refusal self-efficacy and their intentions to smoke; they also indicated whether they were with friends, with family, with a romantic partner, or alone (i.e., their social context). When participants were with friends, pro-smoking media exposures were associated with stronger smoking intentions and lower smoking refusal self-efficacy; these associations were not present when participants were alone. Being with family members or with a romantic partner did not moderate the impact of pro-smoking media exposure on either dependent variable. These results suggest a new role for peers in the development of youth smoking. PMID:22686961

  6. Intracerebroventricular Infusion of the (Pro)renin Receptor Antagonist PRO20 Attenuates Deoxycorticosterone Acetate-Salt–Induced Hypertension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wencheng; Sullivan, Michelle N.; Zhang, Sheng; Worker, Caleb J.; Xiong, Zhenggang; Speth, Robert C.; Feng, Yumei

    2016-01-01

    We previously reported that binding of prorenin to the (pro)renin receptor (PRR) plays a major role in brain angiotensin II formation and the development of deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertension. Here, we designed and developed an antagonistic peptide, PRO20, to block prorenin binding to the PRR. Fluorescently labeled PRO20 bound to both mouse and human brain tissues with dissociation constants of 4.4 and 1.8 nmol/L, respectively. This binding was blocked by coincubation with prorenin and was diminished in brains of neuron-specific PRR-knockout mice, indicating specificity of PRO20 for PRR. In cultured human neuroblastoma cells, PRO20 blocked prorenin-induced calcium influx in a concentration- and AT1 receptor–dependent manner. Intracerebroventricular infusion of PRO20 dose-dependently inhibited prorenin-induced hypertension in C57Bl6/J mice. Furthermore, acute intracerebroventricular infusion of PRO20 reduced blood pressure in both DOCA-salt and genetically hypertensive mice. Chronic intracerebroventricular infusion of PRO20 attenuated the development of hypertension and the increase in brain hypothalamic angiotensin II levels induced by DOCA-salt. In addition, chronic intracerebroventricular infusion of PRO20 improved autonomic function and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity in mice treated with DOCA-salt. In summary, PRO20 binds to both mouse and human PRRs and decreases angiotensin II formation and hypertension induced by either prorenin or DOCA-salt. Our findings highlight the value of the novel PRR antagonist, PRO20, as a lead compound for a novel class of antihypertensive agents and as a research tool to establish the validity of brain PRR antagonism as a strategy for treating hypertension. PMID:25421983

  7. Intracerebroventricular infusion of the (Pro)renin receptor antagonist PRO20 attenuates deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt-induced hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wencheng; Sullivan, Michelle N; Zhang, Sheng; Worker, Caleb J; Xiong, Zhenggang; Speth, Robert C; Feng, Yumei

    2015-02-01

    We previously reported that binding of prorenin to the (pro)renin receptor (PRR) plays a major role in brain angiotensin II formation and the development of deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertension. Here, we designed and developed an antagonistic peptide, PRO20, to block prorenin binding to the PRR. Fluorescently labeled PRO20 bound to both mouse and human brain tissues with dissociation constants of 4.4 and 1.8 nmol/L, respectively. This binding was blocked by coincubation with prorenin and was diminished in brains of neuron-specific PRR-knockout mice, indicating specificity of PRO20 for PRR. In cultured human neuroblastoma cells, PRO20 blocked prorenin-induced calcium influx in a concentration- and AT(1) receptor-dependent manner. Intracerebroventricular infusion of PRO20 dose-dependently inhibited prorenin-induced hypertension in C57Bl6/J mice. Furthermore, acute intracerebroventricular infusion of PRO20 reduced blood pressure in both DOCA-salt and genetically hypertensive mice. Chronic intracerebroventricular infusion of PRO20 attenuated the development of hypertension and the increase in brain hypothalamic angiotensin II levels induced by DOCA-salt. In addition, chronic intracerebroventricular infusion of PRO20 improved autonomic function and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity in mice treated with DOCA-salt. In summary, PRO20 binds to both mouse and human PRRs and decreases angiotensin II formation and hypertension induced by either prorenin or DOCA-salt. Our findings highlight the value of the novel PRR antagonist, PRO20, as a lead compound for a novel class of antihypertensive agents and as a research tool to establish the validity of brain PRR antagonism as a strategy for treating hypertension. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

  8. The mediated influences of perceived norms on pro-environmental behavior

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thøgersen, John

    2014-01-01

    Research on the influence of social norms on pro-environmental behavior often reaches very different conclusions depending on whether the research is experimental or survey based. I propose that the main reason is that survey-based research applying popular social cognitive theories often underes...

  9. Antioxidant, pro-oxidant and cytotoxic properties of parsley.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorman, H J Damien; Lantto, Tiina A; Raasmaja, Atso; Hiltunen, Raimo

    2011-06-01

    Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) leaves were macerated with a mixture of methanol: water: acetic acid to produce a crude extract which was then defatted with (40°-60°) petrol. Antioxidant activity of the extract was evaluated using a battery of in vitro assays, viz., iron(iii) reduction, iron(ii) chelation and free radical scavenging assays. Evaluation of the pro-oxidant activity of the extract was based upon its effects upon DNA fragmentation and protein carbonylation. Cytotoxicity and apoptotic effects of the extract were determined in non-cancerous CV1-P fibroblast and cancerous A375 melanoma cells using MTT and LDH tests and caspase 3-like activity assay. The highest concentration, 2.0 mg ml(-1), decreased the viability of both cell lines, however, the cancerous melanoma cells were slightly susceptible to the effects. The observed cytotoxicity was not due to the caspase 3 activity. In conclusion, the toxicity might be explained by the pro-oxidative activity of components within the extract against proteins and/or DNA but it is not related to caspase 3-dependent apoptosis within cells.

  10. Insertion of tetracysteine motifs into dopamine transporter extracellular domains.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deanna M Navaroli

    Full Text Available The neuronal dopamine transporter (DAT is a major determinant of extracellular dopamine (DA levels and is the primary target for a variety of addictive and therapeutic psychoactive drugs. DAT is acutely regulated by protein kinase C (PKC activation and amphetamine exposure, both of which modulate DAT surface expression by endocytic trafficking. In order to use live imaging approaches to study DAT endocytosis, methods are needed to exclusively label the DAT surface pool. The use of membrane impermeant, sulfonated biarsenic dyes holds potential as one such approach, and requires introduction of an extracellular tetracysteine motif (tetraCys; CCPGCC to facilitate dye binding. In the current study, we took advantage of intrinsic proline-glycine (Pro-Gly dipeptides encoded in predicted DAT extracellular domains to introduce tetraCys motifs into DAT extracellular loops 2, 3, and 4. [(3H]DA uptake studies, surface biotinylation and fluorescence microscopy in PC12 cells indicate that tetraCys insertion into the DAT second extracellular loop results in a functional transporter that maintains PKC-mediated downregulation. Introduction of tetraCys into extracellular loops 3 and 4 yielded DATs with severely compromised function that failed to mature and traffic to the cell surface. This is the first demonstration of successful introduction of a tetracysteine motif into a DAT extracellular domain, and may hold promise for use of biarsenic dyes in live DAT imaging studies.

  11. Technical report: an ePRO patient reported outcome program for the evaluation of patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerson, C D; Gerson, M-J

    2014-02-01

    Patient reported outcome (PRO) is an important healthcare concept that describes patient's participation in their care by self-evaluation, usually in the form of questionnaires. This report describes an unique computerized technique, electronic PRO (ePRO), for following the progress of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Patients first completed a series of questionnaires, including questions about their illness history, symptom severity, and, in this application, psychological and relationship issues. The symptom severity and psychological questionnaires were then completed at intervals by the patients on their own computers. The ePRO was constructed to allow scores to be automatically summed and placed on a time-line graph for review at the time of the next office visit. Of the 32 patients who completed the initial set of questionnaires, 20 maintained participation in the program for a 6-month period. Of those 20 patients, median number of submissions was 7.0; median interval between questionnaire submissions was 3.0 weeks, whereas median interval between office visits was 5.9 weeks. On average, questionnaire completion took less than 5 min and was positively experienced by the patients. The ePRO program proved to be technically feasible, clinically useful, and positively experienced by the patients. It provides a focus on a collaborative conversation between physician and patient. It has significant potential as a technique for evaluating outcome in response to various therapies. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. Encouraging sustainability in the workplace: a survey on the pro-environmental behaviour of university employees

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Blok, V.; Wesselink, R.; Studynka, O.; Kemp, R.G.M.

    2015-01-01

    In order to enhance more sustainable behaviour in households, recent research focuses on the identification of factors that have an impact on sustainable or pro-environmental behaviour. The aim of this study is to identify factors that could predict pro-environmental behaviour in the workplace.

  13. Pro-social Motivation beyond Firm Boundaries

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Foss, Nicolai; Milagres, Rosileia

    2014-01-01

    , contradicting the above argument. More constructively, the case of the Genolyptus network points to the importance of intensive communication, rewards that are tied to joint outcomes, knowledge-based authority and consensual decision-making as support arrangements that can build and sustain pro......An influential body of literature in macro-management research (notably, organization theory and strategic management) associates pro-social motivation solely with firm-like organizations, suggesting that such motivation cannot thrive under more market-like arrangements. We question this argument...... on theoretical, as well as empirical, grounds. As to the latter, we discuss the specific case of a network of firms in Brazil, the Genolyptus network. We argue that this particular network manifests strong pro-social motivations. This implies that pro-social motivations may thrive beyond corporate boundaries...

  14. Integrated Programs and Pro-Environmental Behaviour

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Tiffany

    2008-01-01

    Research suggested that "nature experience as an education method played a role in developing environmental value and attitudes, and was influential in pro-environmental behaviour." Few of these studies however, assessed the long-term influences of outdoor education experiences on participants' pro-environmental behaviour. The Outward…

  15. PRoMoTo 2013 proceedings

    OpenAIRE

    Bishop, Judith; Tillmann, Nikolai; Puder, Arno; Naik, Vinayak

    2013-01-01

    Programming for Mobile and Touch (PRoMoTo'13) was held at the 2013 ACM SIGPLAN conference on Systems, Programming, Languages and Applications (SPLASH 2013), October 2013 in Indianapolis, USA. Submissions for this event were invited in the general area of mobile and touch-oriented programming languages and programming environments, and teaching of programming for mobile devices. These are proceedings of the PRoMoTo'13.

  16. Undergraduate Students' Pro-Environmental Behavior in Daily Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewi, Widiaswati; Sawitri, Dian R.

    2018-02-01

    Pro-environmental behavior is an individual action as a manifestation of one's responsibility to create a sustainable environment. University students as one of the agent of change can adopt pro-environmental behaviors concept, even through simple things to do on daily activities such as ride a bicycle or walk for short distance, reuse the shopping bags, separate waste, learn about environmental issues etc. Many studies have examined pro-environmental behavior from various approaches. However, the study about university students' pro-environmental behavior is lacking. The aim of this paper is to examine the undergraduate students' pro-environmental behaviors level. We surveyed 364 first year undergraduate students from a state university in Semarang. The survey included six aspects of pro-environmental behavior in daily practice which include energy conservation, mobility and transportation, waste avoidance, recycling, consumerism, and vicarious behaviors toward conservation. Findings of this study showed the level of pro-environmental behavior of first year undergraduate students is medium. Recommendations for undergraduate students and future researchers are discussed.

  17. Pro Puppet

    CERN Document Server

    Turnbull, James

    2011-01-01

    Pro Puppet is an in-depth guide to installing, using, and developing the popular configuration management tool Puppet. The book is a comprehensive follow-up to the previous title Pulling Strings with Puppet. Puppet provides a way to automate everything from user management to server configuration. You'll learn how to create Puppet recipes, extend Puppet, and use Facter to gather configuration data from your servers. Puppet is a must-have tool for system administrators, and Pro Puppet will teach you how to maximize its capabilities and customize it for your environment. * Install and configure

  18. Human melioidosis reported by ProMED.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nasner-Posso, Katherinn Melissa; Cruz-Calderón, Stefania; Montúfar-Andrade, Franco E; Dance, David A B; Rodriguez-Morales, Alfonso J

    2015-06-01

    There are limited sources describing the global burden of emerging diseases. A review of human melioidosis reported by ProMED was performed and the reliability of the data retrieved assessed in comparison to published reports. The effectiveness of ProMED was evaluated as a source of epidemiological data by focusing on melioidosis. Using the keyword 'melioidosis' in the ProMED search engine, all of the information from the reports and collected data was reviewed using a structured form, including the year, country, gender, occupation, number of infected individuals, and number of fatal cases. One hundred and twenty-four entries reported between January 1995 and October 2014 were identified. A total of 4630 cases were reported, with death reported in 505 cases, suggesting a misleadingly low overall case fatality rate (CFR) of 11%. Of 20 cases for which the gender was reported, 12 (60%) were male. Most of the cases were reported from Australia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia, with sporadic reports from other countries. Internet-based reporting systems such as ProMED are useful to gather information and synthesize knowledge on emerging infections. Although certain areas need to be improved, ProMED provided good information about melioidosis. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  19. Targeting ceramide metabolic pathway induces apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vethakanraj, Helen Shiphrah; Babu, Thabraz Ahmed; Sudarsanan, Ganesh Babu; Duraisamy, Prabhu Kumar; Ashok Kumar, Sekar, E-mail: sekarashok@gmail.com

    2015-08-28

    The sphingolipid ceramide is a pro apoptotic molecule of ceramide metabolic pathway and is hydrolyzed to proliferative metabolite, sphingosine 1 phosphate by the action of acid ceramidase. Being upregulated in the tumors of breast, acid ceramidase acts as a potential target for breast cancer therapy. We aimed at targeting this enzyme with a small molecule acid ceramidase inhibitor, Ceranib 2 in human breast cancer cell lines MCF 7 and MDA MB 231. Ceranib 2 effectively inhibited the growth of both the cell lines in dose and time dependant manner. Morphological apoptotic hallmarks such as chromatin condensation, fragmented chromatin were observed in AO/EtBr staining. Moreover, ladder pattern of fragmented DNA observed in DNA gel electrophoresis proved the apoptotic activity of Ceranib 2 in breast cancer cell lines. The apoptotic events were associated with significant increase in the expression of pro-apoptotic genes (Bad, Bax and Bid) and down regulation of anti-apoptotic gene (Bcl 2). Interestingly, increase in sub G1 population of cell cycle phase analysis and elevated Annexin V positive cells after Ceranib 2 treatment substantiated its apoptotic activity in MCF 7 and MDA MB 231 cell lines. Thus, we report Ceranib 2 as a potent therapeutic agent against both ER{sup +} and ER{sup −} breast cancer cell lines. - Highlights: • Acid Ceramidase inhibitor, Ceranib 2 induced apoptosis in Breast cancer cell lines (MCF 7 and MDA MB 231 cell lines). • Apoptosis is mediated by DNA fragmentation and cell cycle arrest. • Ceranib 2 upregulated the expression of pro-apoptotic genes and down regulated anti-apoptotic gene expression. • More potent compared to the standard drug Tamoxifen.

  20. Targeting ceramide metabolic pathway induces apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vethakanraj, Helen Shiphrah; Babu, Thabraz Ahmed; Sudarsanan, Ganesh Babu; Duraisamy, Prabhu Kumar; Ashok Kumar, Sekar

    2015-01-01

    The sphingolipid ceramide is a pro apoptotic molecule of ceramide metabolic pathway and is hydrolyzed to proliferative metabolite, sphingosine 1 phosphate by the action of acid ceramidase. Being upregulated in the tumors of breast, acid ceramidase acts as a potential target for breast cancer therapy. We aimed at targeting this enzyme with a small molecule acid ceramidase inhibitor, Ceranib 2 in human breast cancer cell lines MCF 7 and MDA MB 231. Ceranib 2 effectively inhibited the growth of both the cell lines in dose and time dependant manner. Morphological apoptotic hallmarks such as chromatin condensation, fragmented chromatin were observed in AO/EtBr staining. Moreover, ladder pattern of fragmented DNA observed in DNA gel electrophoresis proved the apoptotic activity of Ceranib 2 in breast cancer cell lines. The apoptotic events were associated with significant increase in the expression of pro-apoptotic genes (Bad, Bax and Bid) and down regulation of anti-apoptotic gene (Bcl 2). Interestingly, increase in sub G1 population of cell cycle phase analysis and elevated Annexin V positive cells after Ceranib 2 treatment substantiated its apoptotic activity in MCF 7 and MDA MB 231 cell lines. Thus, we report Ceranib 2 as a potent therapeutic agent against both ER + and ER − breast cancer cell lines. - Highlights: • Acid Ceramidase inhibitor, Ceranib 2 induced apoptosis in Breast cancer cell lines (MCF 7 and MDA MB 231 cell lines). • Apoptosis is mediated by DNA fragmentation and cell cycle arrest. • Ceranib 2 upregulated the expression of pro-apoptotic genes and down regulated anti-apoptotic gene expression. • More potent compared to the standard drug Tamoxifen

  1. TGFbeta1 (Leu10Pro), p53 (Arg72Pro) can predict for increased risk for breast cancer in south Indian women and TGFbeta1 Pro (Leu10Pro) allele predicts response to neo-adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajkumar, Thangarajan; Samson, Mani; Rama, Ranganathan; Sridevi, Veluswami; Mahji, Urmila; Swaminathan, Rajaraman; Nancy, Nirmala K

    2008-11-01

    The breast cancer incidence has been increasing in the south Indian women. A case (n=250)-control (n=500) study was undertaken to investigate the role of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP's) in GSTM1 (Present/Null); GSTP1 (Ile105Val), p53 (Arg72Pro), TGFbeta1 (Leu10Pro), c-erbB2 (Ile655Val), and GSTT1 (Null/Present) in breast cancer. In addition, the value of the SNP's in predicting primary tumor's pathologic response following neo-adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy was assessed. Genotyping was done using PCR (GSTM1, GSTT1), Taqman Allelic discrimination assay (GSTP1, c-erbB2) and PCR-CTPP (p53 and TGFbeta1). None of the gene SNP's studied were associated with a statistically significant increased risk for the breast cancer. However, combined analysis of the SNP's showed that p53 (Arg/Arg and Arg/Pro) with TGFbeta1 (Pro/Pro and Leu/Pro) were associated with greater than 2 fold increased risk for breast cancer in Univariate (P=0.01) and Multivariate (P=0.003) analysis. There was no statistically significant association for the GST family members with the breast cancer risk. TGFbeta1 (Pro/Pro) allele was found to predict complete pathologic response in the primary tumour following neo-adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy (OR=6.53 and 10.53 in Univariate and Multivariate analysis respectively) (P=0.004) and was independent of stage. This study suggests that SNP's can help predict breast cancer risk in south Indian women and that TGFbeta1 (Pro/Pro) allele is associated with a better pCR in the primary tumour.

  2. Technical Training: Programmation Unity-Pro pour utilisateurs de Schneider PL7-Pro et Concept

    CERN Multimedia

    Monique Duval

    2005-01-01

    Un nouveau cours pratique sur les environnements Premium et Quantum de Schneider est proposé aux automaticiens concepteurs ou installateurs, et aux techniciens de bureau d'études, pour découvrir l'outil de programmation Unity. La prochaine session aura lieu du 24 au 28 janvier 2005. Le cours est ouvert aux personnes capables de développer sous PL7-Pro ou Concept. Objectifs : Maîtriser les différences fonctionnelles d'Unity-Pro par rapport à PL7 et Concept ; programmer en Unity-Pro sur Base Premium et Quantum. Programme : Environnement Quantum et Coupleur Profibus (1 journée) : configuration d'un automate sous Unity Pro et d'un coupleur Profibus DP. Conversion à Unity sur base Quantum et Premium (3,5 jours) : l'offre globale Unity, evolution par rapport à PL7 et Concept ; conversion d'application depuis PL7 Pro ; outils de mise au point ; manipulation des variables structurées ; utilisation des fonctions ; gestion des DF...

  3. ProVac Global Initiative: a vision shaped by ten years of supporting evidence-based policy decisions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jauregui, Barbara; Janusz, Cara Bess; Clark, Andrew D; Sinha, Anushua; Garcia, Ana Gabriela Felix; Resch, Stephen; Toscano, Cristiana M; Sanderson, Colin; Andrus, Jon Kim

    2015-05-07

    The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) created the ProVac Initiative in 2004 with the goal of strengthening national technical capacity to make evidence-based decisions on new vaccine introduction, focusing on economic evaluations. In view of the 10th anniversary of the ProVac Initiative, this article describes its progress and reflects on lessons learned to guide the next phase. We quantified the output of the Initiative's capacity-building efforts and critically assess its progress toward achieving the milestones originally proposed in 2004. Additionally, we reviewed how country studies supported by ProVac have directly informed and strengthened the deliberations around new vaccine introduction. Since 2004, ProVac has conducted four regional workshops and supported 24 health economic analyses in 15 Latin American and Caribbean countries. Five Regional Centers of Excellence were funded, resulting in six operational research projects and nine publications. Twenty four decisions on new vaccine introductions were supported with ProVac studies. Enduring products include the TRIVAC and CERVIVAC cost-effectiveness models, the COSTVAC program costing model, methodological guides, workshop training materials and the OLIVES on-line data repository. Ten NITAGs were strengthened through ProVac activities. The evidence accumulated suggests that initiatives with emphasis on sustainable training and direct support for countries to generate evidence themselves, can help accelerate the introduction of the most valuable new vaccines. International and Regional Networks of Collaborators are necessary to provide technical support and tools to national teams conducting analyses. Timeliness, integration, quality and country ownership of the process are four necessary guiding principles for national economic evaluations to have an impact on policymaking. It would be an asset to have a model that offers different levels of complexity to choose from depending on the vaccine being

  4. Structural and electrical characterization of phase‐change memory line cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oosthoek, Jasper

    2014-01-01

    De afgelopen tien jaar is Flash geheugen veel toegepast in o.a. USB sticks en later ook in smartphones en tablets. Een geheugentype waarvan verwacht werd dat ze Flash zou kunnen vervangen is Phase-change RAM of PRAM. NXP, dat toendertijd nog bekend stond als Philips Semiconductors, introduceerde het

  5. Smoking-specific parenting and smoking onset in adolescence: the role of genes from the dopaminergic system (DRD2, DRD4, DAT1 genotypes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marieke Hiemstra

    Full Text Available Although only few studies have shown direct links between dopaminergic system genes and smoking onset, this does not rule out the effect of a gene-environment interaction on smoking onset. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the associations between smoking-specific parenting (i.e., frequency and quality of communication and house rules and smoking onset while considering the potential moderating role of dopaminergic system genes (i.e., DRD2, DRD4, and DAT1 genotypes. Data from five annual waves of the 'Family and Health' project were used. At time 1, the sample comprised 365 non-smoking adolescents (200 younger adolescents, mean age = 13.31, SD = .48; 165 older adolescents, mean age = 15.19, SD = .57. Advanced longitudinal analyses were used (i.e., logistic regression analyses, (dual latent growth curves, and cross-lagged path models. The results showed a direct effect of quality of communication on smoking onset. No direct effects were found for frequency of communication and house rules. Furthermore, no direct and moderating effects of the DRD2, DRD4, or DAT1 genotypes were found. In conclusion, the findings indicated that the effects of smoking-specific parenting on smoking are similar for adolescent carriers and non-carriers of the dopaminergic system genes.

  6. The Westinghouse BEACON on-line core monitoring system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buechel, Robert J.; Boyd, William A.; Casadei, Alberto L.

    1995-01-01

    BEACON (Best Estimate Analysis of Core Operations - Nuclear), a core monitoring and operational support package developed by Westinghouse, has been installed at many operating PWRs worldwide. The BEACON system is a real-time monitoring system which can be used in plants with both fixed and movable incore detector systems and utilizes an on-line nodal model combined with core instrumentation data to provide continuous core power distribution monitoring. In addition, accurate core-predictive capabilities utilizing a full core nodal model updated according to plant operating history can be made to provide operational support. Core history information is kept and displayed to help operators anticipate core behavior and take pro-active control actions. The BEACON system has been licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for direct, continuous monitoring of DNBR and peak linear heat rate. This allows BEACON to be integrated into the plant technical specifications to permit significant relaxation of operating limitations defined by conventional technical specifications. (author). 4 refs, 2 figs, 1 tab

  7. L-Aspartic and l-glutamic acid ester-based ProTides of anticancer nucleosides: Synthesis and antitumoral evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Ling-Jie; De Jonghe, Steven; Daelemans, Dirk; Herdewijn, Piet

    2016-05-01

    A series of novel aryloxyphosphoramidate nucleoside prodrugs based on l-aspartic acid and l-glutamic acid as amino acid motif has been synthesized and evaluated for antitumoral activity. Depending on the cancer cell line studied and on the nature of the parent nucleoside compound (gemcitabine, 5-iodo-2'-deoxy-uridine, floxuridine or brivudin), the corresponding ProTides are endowed with an improved or decreased cytotoxic activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Tinder a další seznamovací aplikace aneb proč dnes hledáme partnera on-line

    OpenAIRE

    STUHLOVÁ, Barbora

    2017-01-01

    This thesis deals with the problematics of usage of dating applications between young people of the Czech republic and their views on partnerships. The introduction is dedicated to theoretical findings and basic terminology related with on-line dating. The first half of the theoretical part introduces the reader to different views on partnerships and their core pillars based on psychological theories. In connection with these attributes, the second part of the thesis concentrates on theories ...

  9. Generation of the ECP database (ECP01.DAT) of the cycle 1 of the Unit 1 of Laguna Verde with burnt of 1377 MWD/MT; Generacion de la base ECP (ECP01.DAT) del ciclo 1 de la Unidad 1 de Laguna Verde con quemado de 1377 MWD/MT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perusquia C, R. [ININ, 52045 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)

    1992-10-15

    In order to carrying out a comparison among the results provided by the Program of Estimate of the ECP Critical Position and the Shutdown/Startup produced in the Cycle 1 of the Unit 1 of Laguna Verde, it was generated the base of the ECP program, following the outlines settled down in the Procedure 'Generation of ECP Database for Laguna Verde' (IT.SN/DFR-074). Next the data sheets filled when being generated the ECP01.DAT database with a burnt of 1377 MWD/MT are provided. In the report IT.SN/DFR-079 'Adjustment and Preliminary Evaluation of the Predictions of Criticity of the ECP Program with Reported Data of the Cycle 1 of the Unit 1 of Laguna Verde', the results of the comparison among those estimates of the ECP program using the ECP01.DAT database with the real data of the Cycle 1 of the Unit 1 of Laguna Verde are presented. (Author)

  10. Saikosaponin A Alleviates Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder through Downregulation of DAT and Enhancing BDNF Expression in Spontaneous Hypertensive Rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sun Jichao

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The disturbed dopamine availability and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF expression are due in part to be associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD. In this study, we investigated the therapeutical effect of saikosaponin a (SSa isolated from Bupleurum Chinese DC, against spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR model of ADHD. Methylphenidate and SSa were orally administered for 3 weeks. Activity was assessed by open-field test and Morris water maze test. Dopamine (DA and BDNF were determined in specific brain regions. The mRNA or protein expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH, dopamine transporter (DAT, and vesicles monoamine transporter (VMAT was also studied. Both MPH and SSa reduced hyperactivity and improved the spatial learning memory deficit in SHRs. An increased DA concentration in the prefrontal cortex (PFC and striatum was also observed after treating with the SSa. The increased DA concentration may partially be attributed to the decreased mRNA and protein expression of DAT in PFC while SSa exhibited no significant effects on the mRNA expression of TH and VMAT in PFC of SHRs. In addition, BDNF expression in SHRs was also increased after treating with SSa or MPH. The obtained result suggested that SSa may be a potential drug for treating ADHD.

  11. ProTEK PSB as Biotechnology Photosensitive Protection Mask on 3C-SiC-on-Si in MEMS Sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marsi, N.; Majlis, B. Y.; Mohd-Yasin, F.; Hamzah, A. A.; Mohd Rus, A. Z.

    2016-11-01

    This project presents the fabrication of MEMS employing a cubic silicon carbide (3C- SiC) on silicon wafer using newly developed ProTEK PSB as biotechnology photosensitive protection mask. This new biotechnology can reduce the number of processes and simplify the process flow with minimal impact on overall undercut performance. The 680 pm thick wafer is back-etched, leaving the 3C-SiC thin film with a thickness of 1.0 μm as the flexible diaphragm to detect pressure. The effect of the new coating of ProTEK PSB on different KOH solvents were investigated depending on various factors such as development time, final cure temperature and the thickness of the ProTEK PSB deposited layer. It is found that 6.174 μm thickness of ProTEK PSB offers some possibility of reducing the processing time compared to silicon nitride etch masks in KOH (55%wt, 80°C). The new ProTEK PSB biotechnology photosensitive protection mask indicates good stability and sustains its performance in different treatments under KOH and IPA for 8 hours. This work also revealed that the fabrication of MEMS sensors using the new biotechnology photosensitive protection mask provides a simple assembly approach and reduces manufacturing costs. The MEMS sensor can operate up to 500 °C as indicated under the sensitivity of 0.826 pF/MPa with nonlinearity and hysteresis of 0.61% and 3.13%, respectively.

  12. Nivalenol induces oxidative stress and increases deoxynivalenol pro-oxidant effect in intestinal epithelial cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Del Regno, Marisanta; Adesso, Simona; Popolo, Ada [Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132–84084 Fisciano, Salerno (Italy); Quaroni, Andrea [Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Veterinary Research Tower, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853–6401 (United States); Autore, Giuseppina [Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132–84084 Fisciano, Salerno (Italy); Severino, Lorella [Department of Pathology and Animal Health, Division of Toxicology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Delpino 1, 80137 Naples (Italy); Marzocco, Stefania, E-mail: smarzocco@unisa.it [Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132–84084 Fisciano, Salerno (Italy)

    2015-06-01

    Mycotoxins are secondary fungal metabolites often found as contaminants in almost all agricultural commodities worldwide, and the consumption of food or feed contaminated by mycotoxins represents a major risk for human and animal health. Reactive oxygen species are normal products of cellular metabolism. However, disproportionate generation of reactive oxygen species poses a serious problem to bodily homeostasis and causes oxidative tissue damage. In this study we analyzed the effect of two trichothecenes mycotoxins: nivalenol and deoxynivalenol, alone and in combination, on oxidative stress in the non-tumorigenic intestinal epithelial cell line IEC-6. Our results indicate the pro-oxidant nivalenol effect in IEC-6, the stronger pro-oxidant effect of nivalenol when compared to deoxynivalenol and, interestingly, that nivalenol increases deoxynivalenol pro-oxidative effects. Mechanistic studies indicate that the observed effects were mediated by NADPH oxidase, calcium homeostasis alteration, NF-kB and Nrf2 pathways activation and by iNOS and nitrotyrosine formation. The toxicological interaction by nivalenol and deoxynivalenol reported in this study in IEC-6, points out the importance of the toxic effect of these mycotoxins, mostly in combination, further highlighting the risk assessment process of these toxins that are of growing concern. - Highlights: • Nivalenol induces oxidative stress in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). • Nivalenol increases deoxynivalenol pro-oxidant effects in IECs. • Nivalenol and deoxynivalenol trigger antioxidant response IECs. • These results indicate the importance of mycotoxins co-contamination.

  13. Valuing Employees with Disabilities: A Chain Effect of Pro-Disability Climate on Organizational Commitment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jenell Lynn-Senter Wittmer

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Previous organizational research has focused heavily on organizational commitment, for employees in general, as well as for specific minority groups. However, there is a large gap in the research literature concerning the organizational commitment of people with disabilities. The current study contributes to the literature both by investigating the predictors of reported organizational commitment of people with disabilities, as well by examining organizational-level predictors, rather than individual-level phenomena. Additionally, rather than examining legal or compliance issues related to people with disabilities, as is found in most previous research, the current study examines contextual predictors of organizational commitment, pro-disability climate, pro-disability technology, and availability of flexible work arrangements. Structural equation modeling results suggest that there is a chain effect of pro-disability climate, which impacts the organizational commitment of people with disabilities through pro-disability technology and flexible work arrangements. Implications for both research and human resource practitioners are discussed.

  14. Pro Tools 9 music production, recording, editing and mixing

    CERN Document Server

    Collins, Mike

    2012-01-01

    Prepare yourself to be a great producer when using Pro Tools in your studio. Pro Tools 9: Music Production, Recording, Editing & Mixing is the definitive guide to the software for new and professional users, providing you with all the vital techniques that you need to know. Covering both Pro Tools HD 9 and Pro Tools 9 software, this book is extensively illustrated in color and packed with time saving hints and tips - making it a great reference to keep on hand.* Become an expert Pro Tools user and fully unlock the potential of your system! * Discover how to achieve complete co

  15. Generation of the ECP database (ECP02.DAT) at the beginning of the cycle 1 of the Unit 1 of Laguna Verde

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perusquia C, R.

    1992-10-01

    In order to carrying out a comparison among the results provided for the Program of Estimate of the ECP Critical Position and the Shutdown/Startup produced in the Cycle 1 of the Unit 1 of Laguna Verde, it was generated the base of the ECP program, following the outlines settled down in the Procedure 'Generation of ECP Database for Laguna Verde' (IT.SN/DFR 074). Next the data sheets filled when being generated the ECP02.DAT database at the beginning of the cycle are provided. In the IT.SN/DFR 079 report 'Adjustment and Preliminary Evaluation of the Predictions of Criticity of the ECP Program with Reported Data of Cycle 1 of the Unit 1 of Laguna Verde, the results of the comparison among the estimates of the ECP program using the ECP02.DAT with the real data of the Cycle 1 of the Unit 1 of Laguna Verde are presented. (Author)

  16. Analgesic Effect and Immunomodulation Response on Pro ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In order to determine qualitatively the chemical components of the extract, thin layer chromatography (TLC) was used. The analgesic activity of the extract at various doses (25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, i.p) was assessed using formalin test while pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent ...

  17. Challenging Ingrained Thoughts? The Joint Effect of Stereotypes and Awareness of Related Information on Pro-Environmental Behavior in China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Majid Ghorbani

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available This research applies a positive stereotype perspective to test the effect of individuals’ choices between pro-environmental versus pro-safety behavior, while considering the role of media exposure. We test our hypotheses in China, where both food-safety and environment are major issues and are widely covered by the media and government reports. Based on a quasi-experiments and survey questionnaires focused on attitudes towards disposable chopsticks, we find that individuals form cognitive perceptions in ways that either have stronger positive environmental or safety stereotypes. Based on these stereotypes, they either believe that reusable chopsticks are more environmentally friendly or that disposable chopsticks are safer, each impacting individuals’ choices differently. In addition, awareness of information related to the environment augments the link between environmental stereotypes and pro-environmental behavior, while having no influence on the effect of safety stereotypes on pro-safety behavior. On the other hand, while awareness of safety-related information accentuates the link between safety-related stereotypes and pro-safety behavior, it has no impact on the effect of environmental stereotypes on pro-environmental behavior.

  18. The impact of perception of consistency and inconsistency in parenting style on pro-social motives of adolescents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karmakar R.

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Adolescence is the most dynamic and eventful period of human development. During this crucial period of life, adolescents encounter challenges in life and constantly adapting to the relationship dynamics with friends, family, school and society. There is tendency of adolescents to engage in antisocial or pro-social behaviour. Adolescents’ relationship with parents and guardian significantly influence their antisocial and prosocial behavior. Pro-social behavior is defined as a behavior that is primarily aimed at benefiting others. Some pro-social behaviour is extrinsically motivated whereas some are intrinsically motivated. The present study investigated the nature of prosocial behaviour among adolescents and impact of consistency and inconsistency of parenting style on prosocial behaviour. A group of 610 adolescents (310 boys and 300 girls aged between 16—18 years (mean = 17.07 and standard deviation = 1.02 was selected for the present study. Pro-social Motivation Questionnaire and Parental Authority Questionnaire were used to measure pro-social motive and parenting style, respectively. The results indicate that adolescents generally show higher level of intrinsic pro-social motive. Adolescent girls prefer to display internalised and empathetic pro-social motives whereas adolescent boys tend to gain others’ approval by displaying heroic activities. Consistency in parenting style facilitates intrinsic pro-social motive only when both parents are authoritative in nature. The result interestingly reveals that inconsistent parenting style is not always bad. Authoritative and permissive dyad facilitates intrinsic pro-social motive among adolescents. Implications for parental socialisation in families and pro-social motive among adolescents are discussed.

  19. Pro Python

    CERN Document Server

    Alchin, Marty

    2010-01-01

    You've learned the basics of Python, but how do you take your skills to the next stage? Even if you know enough to be productive, there are a number of features that can take you to the next level in Python. Pro Python explores concepts and features normally left to experimentation, allowing you to be even more productive and creative. In addition to pure code concerns, Pro Python will develop your programming techniques and approaches, which will help make you a better Python programmer. Not only will this book help your code, it will also help you understand and interact with the many establ

  20. DRD2 genotype-based variation of default mode network activity and of its relationship with striatal DAT binding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sambataro, Fabio; Fazio, Leonardo; Taurisano, Paolo; Gelao, Barbara; Porcelli, Annamaria; Mancini, Marina; Sinibaldi, Lorenzo; Ursini, Gianluca; Masellis, Rita; Caforio, Grazia; Di Giorgio, Annabella; Niccoli-Asabella, Artor; Popolizio, Teresa; Blasi, Giuseppe; Bertolino, Alessandro

    2013-01-01

    The default mode network (DMN) comprises a set of brain regions with "increased" activity during rest relative to cognitive processing. Activity in the DMN is associated with functional connections with the striatum and dopamine (DA) levels in this brain region. A functional single-nucleotide polymorphism within the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2, rs1076560 G > T) shifts splicing of the 2 D2 isoforms, D2 short and D2 long, and has been associated with striatal DA signaling as well as with cognitive processing. However, the effects of this polymorphism on DMN have not been explored. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of rs1076560 on DMN and striatal connectivity and on their relationship with striatal DA signaling. Twenty-eight subjects genotyped for rs1076560 underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during a working memory task and 123 55 I-Fluoropropyl-2-beta-carbomethoxy-3-beta(4-iodophenyl) nortropan Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography ([(123)I]-FP-CIT SPECT) imaging (a measure of dopamine transporter [DAT] binding). Spatial group-independent component (IC) analysis was used to identify DMN and striatal ICs. Within the anterior DMN IC, GG subjects had relatively greater connectivity in medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), which was directly correlated with striatal DAT binding. Within the posterior DMN IC, GG subjects had reduced connectivity in posterior cingulate relative to T carriers. Additionally, rs1076560 genotype predicted connectivity differences within a striatal network, and these changes were correlated with connectivity in MPFC and posterior cingulate within the DMN. These results suggest that genetically determined D2 receptor signaling is associated with DMN connectivity and that these changes are correlated with striatal function and presynaptic DA signaling.

  1. [Comparison of effectiveness and safety between Twisted File technique and ProTaper Universal rotary full sequence based on micro-computed tomography].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xiao-bo; Chen, Chen; Liang, Yu-hong

    2016-02-18

    To evaluate the efficacy and security of two type of rotary nickel titanium system (Twisted File and ProTaper Universal) for root canal preparation based on micro-computed tomography(micro-CT). Twenty extracted molars (including 62 canals) were divided into two experimental groups and were respectively instrumented using Twisted File rotary nickel titanium system (TF) and ProTaper Universal rotary nickel titanium system (PU) to #25/0.08 following recommended protocol. Time for root canal instrumentation (accumulation of time for every single file) was recorded. The 0-3 mm root surface from apex was observed under an optical stereomicroscope at 25 × magnification. The presence of crack line was noted. The root canals were scanned with micro-CT before and after root canal preparation. Three-dimensional shape images of canals were reconstructed, calculated and evaluated. The amount of canal central transportation of the two groups was calculated and compared. The shorter preparation time [(0.53 ± 0.14) min] was observed in TF group, while the preparation time of PU group was (2.06 ± 0.39) min (Pvs. (0.097 ± 0.084) mm, P<0.05]. No instrument separation was observed in both the groups. Cracks were not found in both the groups either based in micro-CT images or observation under an optical stereomicroscope at 25 × magnification. Compared with ProTaper Universal, Twisted File took less time in root canal preparation and exhibited better shaping ability, and less canal transportation.

  2. COLLIDE Pro Helvetia Award

    CERN Multimedia

    2016-01-01

    The COLLIDE Pro Helvetia Award is run in partnership with Pro Helvetia, giving the opportunity to Swiss artists to do research at CERN for three months.   From left to right: Laura Perrenoud, Marc Dubois and Simon de Diesbach. The photo shows their VR Project, +2199. Fragment.In are the winning artists of COLLIDE Pro Helvetia. They came to CERN for two months in 2015, and will now continue their last month in the laboratory. Fragment.In is a Swiss based interaction design studio. They create innovative projects, interactive installations, video and game design. Read more about COLLIDE here.

  3. Analýza dat: výzvy a specifika v neurovědách a psychiatrii

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kalina, Jan; Zvárová, J.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 156, č. 8 (2017), s. 430-436 ISSN 0008-7335 R&D Projects: GA MZd(CZ) NV15-33250A; GA ČR GA13-23940S Institutional support: RVO:67985807 Keywords : biostatistics * big data * psychiatry * decision support Subject RIV: BB - Applied Statistics, Operational Research OBOR OECD: Computer sciences, information science, bioinformathics (hardware development to be 2.2, social aspect to be 5.8) http://www.prolekare.cz/casopis-lekaru-ceskych-clanek/analyza-dat-vyzvy-a-specifika-v-neurovedach-a-psychiatrii-62767

  4. Pro Kapital sihib ida suunas / Raigo Neudorf

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Neudorf, Raigo

    2007-01-01

    Peamiselt itaallastele kuuluv kinnisvaraarendaja Pro Kapital Group suunab edaspidi oma põhitegevuse Venemaale ja Ukrainasse, kuid jätkab kinnisvaraprojektide arendamisega Eestis ja Lätis. Vt. samas: Preatoni juhib Domina tegevust; Pro Kapital laiendab Kristiine keskust; Arco Vara juht kiidab Pro Kapitali ning nende projekte; Kümme aastat Pro Kapitali juhina

  5. AYAT-AYAT WAH}DAT AL-WUJUd dalam Kitab Tanbi>h al-Ma>shi Karya ‘Abdurrauf al-Sinkili

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Asep Nahrul Musadad

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: One of the key moments in discussing the history of Indonesian Islam is a polemic related to the negotiation on the doctrine of wahdat al-wujud that occured in Aceh in 17th century between the followers of Hamzah al-Fansuri and Nuruddin al-Raniri. This article focuses on analyzing several Qur’anic verses used by ‘Abdurrauf as the confirmation of his argument. In the polemical context, Abdurrauf al-Sinkili appeared to be an actor of reconciliation between two opposite sides. He tried to respond to the disputed issues through his book called “Tanbi>h al-Mashi”. As an exponent of the so-called moderate sufism (mysticism, he built the argument concerning wah}dat al-wujud based on the Quranic text. After making a thematic classification chronologically, his interpretation on these verses is analyzed by using Hussain al-Dhahaby’s theory of sufistic exegesis. In conclusion, it shows that ‘Abdurrauf’s commentary is “sufi-nazari type”, featured by his exegeses pattern. This, of course, represents his attitude as a reconciler who then needs to seek confirmation to the Qur’anic verses in evaluating wah}dat al-wujud doctrine, through which such a polemical issues occurred at that time. الملخص: إن من المرحلة الأساسية التي مرّ بها تاريخ الإسلام في اندونيسيا الجدل و النزاع حول عقيدة وحدة الوجود فى أتشيه (Aceh حول قرن السابع عشر بين أتباع حمزة الفنسوري و نور الدين الرانيري. ففي ذلك الخطاب النزاعي جاء عبد الرؤوف السنكيلي مصلحا بين الجانبين المعاكسين. وعلى مقتضى الظروف، كتب كتاب " تنبيه الماشي" الذي تطرّق فيه طريق التوسّط، ممثّلا للتصوّف المعتدل. اعتمد عبد الرؤوف على النصوص القرآنية فى تحقيق آراءه حول ت

  6. FileMaker Pro 9

    CERN Document Server

    Coffey, Geoff

    2007-01-01

    FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual is the clear, thorough and accessible guide to the latest version of this popular desktop database program. FileMaker Pro lets you do almost anything with the information you give it. You can print corporate reports, plan your retirement, or run a small country -- if you know what you're doing. This book helps non-technical folks like you get in, get your database built, and get the results you need. Pronto.The new edition gives novices and experienced users the scoop on versions 8.5 and 9. It offers complete coverage of timesaving new features such as the Q

  7. A Meta-Analysis Examining the Influence of Pro-Eating Disorder Websites on Body Image and Eating Pathology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodgers, Rachel F; Lowy, Alice S; Halperin, Daniella M; Franko, Debra L

    2016-01-01

    Previous research has indicated that exposure to pro-eating disorder websites might increase eating pathology; however, the magnitude of this effect is unknown. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the effect of exposure to pro-eating disorder websites on body image and eating pathology. Studies examining the relationship between exposure to pro-eating disorder websites and eating pathology-related outcomes were included. The systematic review identified nine studies. Findings revealed significant effect sizes of exposure to pro-eating disorder websites on body image dissatisfaction (five studies), d = .41, p = .003; dieting (six studies), d = .68, p eating disorder websites on body image and eating pathology, highlighting the need for enforceable regulation of these websites. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

  8. Usability test of the ImPRO, computer-based procedure system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Y.; Lee, J.

    2006-01-01

    ImPRO is a computer based procedure in both flowchart and success logic tree. It is evaluated on the basis of computer based procedure guidelines. It satisfies most requirements such as presentations and functionalities. Besides, SGTR has been performed with ImPRO to evaluate reading comprehension and situation awareness. ImPRO is a software engine which can interpret procedure script language, so that ImPRO is reliable by nature and verified with formal method. One bug, however, had hidden one year after release, but it was fixed. Finally backup paper procedures can be prepared on the same format as VDU in case of ImPRO failure. (authors)

  9. MacBook Pro Portable Genius

    CERN Document Server

    Miser, Brad

    2012-01-01

    Discover loads of tips and techniques for the newest MacBook Pro You're already ahead of the game with a MacBook Pro. Now you can get even more out the popular Apple notebook with the new edition of this handy, compact book. Crammed with savvy insights and tips on key tools and shortcuts, this book will help you increase your productivity and keep your Apple digital lifestyle on track. From desktop sharing and wireless networking to running Windows applications, this book avoids fluff, doesn't skimp on the essentials, saves you time and hassle, and shows you what you most want to know. Include

  10. [Study of genetic variants in the BDNF, COMT, DAT1 and SERT genes in Colombian children with attention deficit disorder].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortega-Rojas, Jenny; Arboleda-Bustos, Carlos E; Morales, Luis; Benítez, Bruno A; Beltrán, Diana; Izquierdo, Álvaro; Arboleda, Humberto; Vásquez, Rafael

    Attention deficit and hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is highly prevalent among children in Bogota City. Both genetic and environmental factors play a very important role in the etiology of ADHD. However, to date few studies have addressed the association of genetic variants and ADHD in the Colombian population. To test the genetic association between polymorphisms in the DAT1, HTTLPR, COMT and BDNF genes and ADHD in a sample from Bogota City. We genotyped the most common polymorphisms in DAT1, SERT, COMT and BDNF genes associated with ADHD using conventional PCR followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) in 97 trios recruited in a medical center in Bogota. The transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) was used to determine the association between such genetic variants and ADHD. The TDT analysis showed that no individual allele of any variant studied has a preferential transmission. Our results suggest that the etiology of the ADHD may be complex and involves several genetic factors. Further studies in other candidate polymorphisms in a larger sample size will improve our knowledge of the ADHD in Colombian population. Copyright © 2016 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

  11. Pro-Lie Groups: A Survey with Open Problems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karl H. Hofmann

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available A topological group is called a pro-Lie group if it is isomorphic to a closed subgroup of a product of finite-dimensional real Lie groups. This class of groups is closed under the formation of arbitrary products and closed subgroups and forms a complete category. It includes each finite-dimensional Lie group, each locally-compact group that has a compact quotient group modulo its identity component and, thus, in particular, each compact and each connected locally-compact group; it also includes all locally-compact Abelian groups. This paper provides an overview of the structure theory and the Lie theory of pro-Lie groups, including results more recent than those in the authors’ reference book on pro-Lie groups. Significantly, it also includes a review of the recent insight that weakly-complete unital algebras provide a natural habitat for both pro-Lie algebras and pro-Lie groups, indeed for the exponential function that links the two. (A topological vector space is weakly complete if it is isomorphic to a power RX of an arbitrary set of copies of R. This class of real vector spaces is at the basis of the Lie theory of pro-Lie groups. The article also lists 12 open questions connected to pro-Lie groups.

  12. Garcinia mangostana Linn displays antidepressant-like and pro-cognitive effects in a genetic animal model of depression: a bio-behavioral study in the Flinders Sensitive Line rat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oberholzer, Inge; Möller, Marisa; Holland, Brendan; Dean, Olivia M; Berk, Michael; Harvey, Brian H

    2018-04-01

    There is abundant evidence for both disorganized redox balance and cognitive deficits in major depressive disorder (MDD). Garcinia mangostana Linn (GM) has anti-oxidant activity. We studied the antidepressant-like and pro-cognitive effects of raw GM rind in Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) rats, a genetic model of depression, following acute and chronic treatment compared to a reference antidepressant, imipramine (IMI). The chemical composition of the GM extract was analysed for levels of α- and γ-mangostin. The acute dose-dependent effects of GM (50, 150 and 200 mg/kg po), IMI (20 mg/kg po) and vehicle were determined in the forced swim test (FST) in FSL rats, versus Flinders Resistant Line (FRL) control rats. Locomotor testing was conducted using the open field test (OFT). Using the most effective dose above coupled with behavioral testing in the FST and cognitive assessment in the novel object recognition test (nORT), a fixed dose 14-day treatment study of GM was performed and compared to IMI- (20 mg/kg/day) and vehicle-treated animals. Chronic treated animals were also assessed with respect to frontal cortex and hippocampal monoamine levels and accumulation of malondialdehyde. FSL rats showed significant cognitive deficits and depressive-like behavior, with disordered cortico-hippocampal 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) and noradrenaline (NA), as well as elevated hippocampal lipid peroxidation. Acute and chronic IMI treatment evoked pronounced antidepressant-like effects. Raw GM extract contained 117 mg/g and 11 mg/g α- and γ-mangostin, respectively, with acute GM demonstrating antidepressant-like effects at 50 mg/kg/day. Chronic GM (50 mg/kg/d) displayed significant antidepressant- and pro-cognitive effects, while demonstrating parity with IMI. Both behavioral and monoamine assessments suggest a more prominent serotonergic action for GM as opposed to a noradrenergic action for IMI, while both IMI and GM reversed hippocampal lipid peroxidation in

  13. From Off-line to On-line Handwriting Recognition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lallican, P.; Viard-Gaudin, C.; Knerr, S.

    2004-01-01

    On-line handwriting includes more information on time order of the writing signal and on the dynamics of the writing process than off-line handwriting. Therefore, on-line recognition systems achieve higher recognition rates. This can be concluded from results reported in the literature, and has been

  14. Cyclic mechanical stretch down-regulates cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide expression and activates a pro-inflammatory response in human bronchial epithelial cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harpa Karadottir

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Mechanical ventilation (MV of patients can cause damage to bronchoalveolar epithelium, leading to a sterile inflammatory response, infection and in severe cases sepsis. Limited knowledge is available on the effects of MV on the innate immune defense system in the human lung. In this study, we demonstrate that cyclic stretch of the human bronchial epithelial cell lines VA10 and BCi NS 1.1 leads to down-regulation of cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP gene expression. We show that treatment of VA10 cells with vitamin D3 and/or 4-phenyl butyric acid counteracted cyclic stretch mediated down-regulation of CAMP mRNA and protein expression (LL-37. Further, we observed an increase in pro-inflammatory responses in the VA10 cell line subjected to cyclic stretch. The mRNA expression of the genes encoding pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-8 and IL-1β was increased after cyclic stretching, where as a decrease in gene expression of chemokines IP-10 and RANTES was observed. Cyclic stretch enhanced oxidative stress in the VA10 cells. The mRNA expression of toll-like receptor (TLR 3, TLR5 and TLR8 was reduced, while the gene expression of TLR2 was increased in VA10 cells after cyclic stretch. In conclusion, our in vitro results indicate that cyclic stretch may differentially modulate innate immunity by down-regulation of antimicrobial peptide expression and increase in pro-inflammatory responses.

  15. Introduction to the First International Workshop on Process-Oriented Information Systems in Healthcare (ProHealth 2007)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reichert, Manfred; Peleg, Mor; Lenz, Richard

    2007-01-01

    The proHealth’07 workshop is held in Brisbane in conjunction with the fifth international conference on business process management. ProHealth’07 elaborates both the potential and the limitations of IT support for healthcare processes. It further provides a forum wherein challenges, paradigms, and

  16. Teaching with ArcGIS Pro

    OpenAIRE

    Theller, Larry

    2016-01-01

    For Fall semester 2016 the ABE department moved the course ASM 540 Basic GIS from ArcGIS Desktop 10.2 to ArcGIS Pro 1.3. This software from ESRI has a completely new look and feel, (ribbon-based rather than cascading menus) and is a true 64 bit application, capable of multi-threading, and built on Python 3. After ArcGIS Desktop 10.5 is released, desktop ends and the future release will be ArcGIS Pro; so it makes sense to switch sooner rather than later. This talk will discuss some issues and...

  17. Evaluation of the ProPublica Surgeon Scorecard "Adjusted Complication Rate" Measure Specifications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ban, Kristen A; Cohen, Mark E; Ko, Clifford Y; Friedberg, Mark W; Stulberg, Jonah J; Zhou, Lynn; Hall, Bruce L; Hoyt, David B; Bilimoria, Karl Y

    2016-10-01

    The ProPublica Surgeon Scorecard is the first nationwide, multispecialty public reporting of individual surgeon outcomes. However, ProPublica's use of a previously undescribed outcome measure (composite of in-hospital mortality or 30-day related readmission) and inclusion of only inpatients have been questioned. Our objectives were to (1) determine the proportion of cases excluded by ProPublica's specifications, (2) assess the proportion of inpatient complications excluded from ProPublica's measure, and (3) examine the validity of ProPublica's outcome measure by comparing performance on the measure to well-established postoperative outcome measures. Using ACS-NSQIP data (2012-2014) for 8 ProPublica procedures and for All Operations, the proportion of cases meeting all ProPublica inclusion criteria was determined. We assessed the proportion of complications occurring inpatient, and thus not considered by ProPublica's measure. Finally, we compared risk-adjusted performance based on ProPublica's measure specifications to established ACS-NSQIP outcome measure performance (eg, death/serious morbidity, mortality). ProPublica's inclusion criteria resulted in elimination of 82% of all operations from assessment (range: 42% for total knee arthroplasty to 96% for laparoscopic cholecystectomy). For all ProPublica operations combined, 84% of complications occur during inpatient hospitalization (range: 61% for TURP to 88% for total hip arthroplasty), and are thus missed by the ProPublica measure. Hospital-level performance on the ProPublica measure correlated weakly with established complication measures, but correlated strongly with readmission (R = 0.834, P Scorecard is questionable.

  18. Dog-Assisted Therapy (DAT Applied to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD in School Age

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María Dolores Jara-Gil

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available With this study and through an extensive literature review, firstly, it tries to bring the reader to the field of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD and the Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT, which are novel therapeutic alternative very effective and applicable to both children, young people and adults, whether in the academic, social as in the clinical field. Secondly, this work goes after to demonstrate the therapeutic effects that are obtained when we applying a AAT, in this case, a Dog-Assisted Therapy (DAT on children with ASD, and to demonstrate that it can be used as a complement to any type of treatment, be outlined the great and unknown importance in the lives of whom suffer from this disorder, besides to improve the different areas of the ASD and to demonstrate the extensive benefits, contributions and improvements that dogs are capable to produce.

  19. Putting foucault to work on the environment: Exploring pro-environmental behaviour change as a form of discipline

    OpenAIRE

    Hargreaves, Tom

    2010-01-01

    Calls for pro-environmental behaviour change among individuals have become commonplace within the ecological modernist framework. To date, research on pro-environmental behaviour has tended to emphasise either the more or less rational decision-making processes undertaken by individuals, or the ways in which broader social discourses and practices enable or constrain pro-environmental action. As far as politics enters into these discussions, it is normally with respect to how responsibility f...

  20. Dextran-shelled oxygen-loaded nanodroplets reestablish a normoxia-like pro-angiogenic phenotype and behavior in hypoxic human dermal microvascular endothelium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Basilico, Nicoletta; Magnetto, Chiara; D'Alessandro, Sarah; Panariti, Alice; Rivolta, Ilaria; Genova, Tullio; Khadjavi, Amina; Gulino, Giulia Rossana; Argenziano, Monica; Soster, Marco

    2015-01-01

    In chronic wounds, hypoxia seriously undermines tissue repair processes by altering the balances between pro-angiogenic proteolytic enzymes (matrix metalloproteinases, MMPs) and their inhibitors (tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases, TIMPs) released from surrounding cells. Recently, we have shown that in human monocytes hypoxia reduces MMP-9 and increases TIMP-1 without affecting TIMP-2 secretion, whereas in human keratinocytes it reduces MMP-2, MMP-9, and TIMP-2, without affecting TIMP-1 release. Provided that the phenotype of the cellular environment is better understood, chronic wounds might be targeted by new oxygenating compounds such as chitosan- or dextran-shelled and 2H,3H-decafluoropentane-cored oxygen-loaded nanodroplets (OLNs). Here, we investigated the effects of hypoxia and dextran-shelled OLNs on the pro-angiogenic phenotype and behavior of human dermal microvascular endothelium (HMEC-1 cell line), another cell population playing key roles during wound healing. Normoxic HMEC-1 constitutively released MMP-2, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 proteins, but not MMP-9. Hypoxia enhanced MMP-2 and reduced TIMP-1 secretion, without affecting TIMP-2 levels, and compromised cell ability to migrate and invade the extracellular matrix. When taken up by HMEC-1, nontoxic OLNs abrogated the effects of hypoxia, restoring normoxic MMP/TIMP levels and promoting cell migration, matrix invasion, and formation of microvessels. These effects were specifically dependent on time-sustained oxygen diffusion from OLN core, since they were not achieved by oxygen-free nanodroplets or oxygen-saturated solution. Collectively, these data provide new information on the effects of hypoxia on dermal endothelium and support the hypothesis that OLNs might be used as effective adjuvant tools to promote chronic wound healing processes. - Highlights: • Hypoxia enhances MMP-2 and reduces TIMP-1 secretion by dermal HMEC-1 cell line. • Hypoxia compromises migration and matrix invasion abilities of

  1. Dextran-shelled oxygen-loaded nanodroplets reestablish a normoxia-like pro-angiogenic phenotype and behavior in hypoxic human dermal microvascular endothelium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Basilico, Nicoletta, E-mail: nicoletta.basilico@unimi.it [Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Chirurgiche e Odontoiatriche, Università di Milano, via Pascal 36, 20133 Milano (Italy); Magnetto, Chiara, E-mail: c.magnetto@inrim.it [Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRIM), Strada delle Cacce, 91, 10135 Torino (Italy); D' Alessandro, Sarah, E-mail: sarah.dalessandro@unimi.it [Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università di Milano, via Pascal 36, 20133 Milano (Italy); Panariti, Alice, E-mail: alice.panariti@mail.mcgill.ca [Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università di Milano Bicocca, Via Cadore 48, 20900 Monza (Italy); Rivolta, Ilaria, E-mail: ilaria.rivolta@unimib.it [Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università di Milano Bicocca, Via Cadore 48, 20900 Monza (Italy); Genova, Tullio, E-mail: tullio.genova@unito.it [Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino (Italy); Khadjavi, Amina, E-mail: amina.khadjavi@unito.it [Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università di Torino, Corso Raffaello 30, 10125 Torino (Italy); Gulino, Giulia Rossana, E-mail: giuliarossana.gulino@unito.it [Dipartimento di Oncologia, Università di Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Torino (Italy); Argenziano, Monica, E-mail: monica.argenziano@unito.it [Dipartimento di Scienza e Tecnologia del Farmaco, Università di Torino, Via Giuria, 9, 10125 Torino (Italy); Soster, Marco, E-mail: marco.soster@unito.it [Dipartimento di Scienza e Tecnologia del Farmaco, Università di Torino, Via Giuria, 9, 10125 Torino (Italy); and others

    2015-11-01

    In chronic wounds, hypoxia seriously undermines tissue repair processes by altering the balances between pro-angiogenic proteolytic enzymes (matrix metalloproteinases, MMPs) and their inhibitors (tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases, TIMPs) released from surrounding cells. Recently, we have shown that in human monocytes hypoxia reduces MMP-9 and increases TIMP-1 without affecting TIMP-2 secretion, whereas in human keratinocytes it reduces MMP-2, MMP-9, and TIMP-2, without affecting TIMP-1 release. Provided that the phenotype of the cellular environment is better understood, chronic wounds might be targeted by new oxygenating compounds such as chitosan- or dextran-shelled and 2H,3H-decafluoropentane-cored oxygen-loaded nanodroplets (OLNs). Here, we investigated the effects of hypoxia and dextran-shelled OLNs on the pro-angiogenic phenotype and behavior of human dermal microvascular endothelium (HMEC-1 cell line), another cell population playing key roles during wound healing. Normoxic HMEC-1 constitutively released MMP-2, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 proteins, but not MMP-9. Hypoxia enhanced MMP-2 and reduced TIMP-1 secretion, without affecting TIMP-2 levels, and compromised cell ability to migrate and invade the extracellular matrix. When taken up by HMEC-1, nontoxic OLNs abrogated the effects of hypoxia, restoring normoxic MMP/TIMP levels and promoting cell migration, matrix invasion, and formation of microvessels. These effects were specifically dependent on time-sustained oxygen diffusion from OLN core, since they were not achieved by oxygen-free nanodroplets or oxygen-saturated solution. Collectively, these data provide new information on the effects of hypoxia on dermal endothelium and support the hypothesis that OLNs might be used as effective adjuvant tools to promote chronic wound healing processes. - Highlights: • Hypoxia enhances MMP-2 and reduces TIMP-1 secretion by dermal HMEC-1 cell line. • Hypoxia compromises migration and matrix invasion abilities of

  2. Hra pro Android OS

    OpenAIRE

    Salvet, Lukáš

    2017-01-01

    Tato práce se zabývá tvorbou 2D hry pro zařízení s operačním systémem Android. Popisuje možnost tvorby her v tomto prostředí. Hlavně pak využití knihovny OpenGL ES 2.0, kterou jsem pro implementaci použil. Dále je v práci popsáno renderování textu, použití Google play games services pro achievementy a leaderboard, testování hry, atd. Beta verze hry byla vydána na Google Play. This work deals with creating 2D games for devices running Android. It describes the ability to create games in thi...

  3. Pro Android UI

    CERN Document Server

    Jackson, Wallace

    2014-01-01

    If you're an Android application developer, chances areyou're using fixed, scrolling, swipe-able, and other cutting-edge custom UIDesigns in your Android development projects. These UI Design approaches aswell as other Android ViewGroup UI layout containers are the bread and butterof Pro Android User Interface (UI) design and Android User Experience (UX)design and development.Using a top down approach, Pro Android UI shows you how todesign and develop the best user interface for your app, while taking intoaccount the varying device form factors in the increasingly fragmented Androidenvironment

  4. Pro Android 2

    CERN Document Server

    Hashimi, S; MacLean, Dave

    2010-01-01

    Pro Android 2 shows you how to build real-world and fun mobile applications using Google's latest Android SDK. This new edition is fully updated for Android 2, covering everything from the fundamentals of building applications for embedded devices to advanced concepts such as custom 3D components, OpenGL, and touchscreens including gestures. While other Android development guides simply discuss topics, Pro Android 2 offers the combination of expert insight and real sample applications that work. * Discover the design and architecture of the Android SDK through practical examples, and how to bu

  5. Interactions between Brief Flashed Lines at Threshold.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1987-12-11

    ORAIAIN 6 OFC ’PO 4 4M FMNTRIGOGNZTO lol in AFI, C 203 2- 44 . NAME OF PFN IG PORAIION lbOFFICE SYMBOL 7il PRO4MEN MINTRUNT INCNIATON NM ,.. .oAFOSR...Cass, P. C. (1986) Facilitatory interactionE between flashed lines. Perceptinn. jj,443-460. omith, P.A. and Cass, P C. (1967) Aliasing in the

  6. The everyday challenges of Pro-environmental practices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Berthou, Sara Kristine Gløjmar

    2013-01-01

    Much research and policy planning aimed at climate change mitigation currently focuses on individual behavioural change as a means to reduce carbon emissions. An often used approach in order to achieve this is the attempt to influence behaviour through transfers of knowledge and information...... guiding everyday pro-environmental practices, the aim was to examine the challenges experienced in this regard. Based on visits to households in Copenhagen, four major challenges are identified and discussed. The paper argues that everyday life, as the starting point of individual pro......-environmental practices, is characterised by a complexity which people have to navigate, and thus that pro-environmental practices should not be seen as one demarcated field, but as interlinked with other practices in everyday life....

  7. Profiling the ‘Pro-environmental Individual’: A Personality Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markowitz, Ezra M.; Goldberg, Lewis R.; Ashton, Michael C.; Lee, Kibeom

    2011-01-01

    There is considerable scientific interest in the psychological correlates of pro-environmental behaviors. Much research has focused on demographic and social-psychological characteristics of individuals who consistently perform such actions. Here, we report the results of two studies in which we explored relations between broad personality traits and pro-environmental actions. Using a wide variety of behavior and personality measures, we consistently found moderate positive relations between Openness to Experience and pro-environmental activities in both a community sample (Study 1: N = 778) and an undergraduate student sample (Study 2: N = 115). In Study 2 we showed that the effect of Openness on pro-environmental behaviors was fully mediated by individuals’ environmental attitudes and connection to nature. Our findings suggest that high levels of aesthetic appreciation, creativity, and inquisitiveness, but not personality traits associated with altruism, may have motivated the performance of pro-environmental actions among our respondents. Implications for intervention development are discussed. PMID:21241310

  8. BDNF pro-peptide regulates dendritic spines via caspase-3

    OpenAIRE

    Guo, J; Ji, Y; Ding, Y; Jiang, W; Sun, Y; Lu, B; Nagappan, G

    2016-01-01

    The precursor of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (proBDNF) is enzymatically cleaved, by either intracellular (furin/PC1) or extracellular proteases (tPA/plasmin/MMP), to generate mature BDNF (mBDNF) and its pro-peptide (BDNF pro-peptide). Little is known about the function of BDNF pro-peptide. We have developed an antibody that specifically detects cleaved BDNF pro-peptide, but not proBDNF or mBDNF. Neuronal depolarization elicited a marked increase in extracellular BDNF pro-peptide,...

  9. The Experience of Bulimic College Students Who Use "Pro-Ana/Pro-Mia" Web Sites: A Two-Phase Mixed-Method Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Blair J.

    2010-01-01

    Eating disorders (EDs) are a serious problem in the U.S. due to their rise in prevalence during the 20th century and high morbidity and mortality rates. A relatively new, controversial phenomenon, "pro-Ana" (pro-anorexia) and "pro-Mia" (pro-bulimia) Web sites, came to the public's attention around 2000. These sites are created by and for people…

  10. Making Women the Subjects of the Abortion Debate: A Class Exercise that Moves beyond "Pro-Choice" and "Pro-Life"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crawley, Sara L.; Willman, Rebecca K.; Clark, Leisa; Walsh, Clare

    2009-01-01

    In this article, the authors describe a classroom exercise designed to put women (and children and men) back at the center of the abortion debate, avoiding the standard rhetoric and engaging reflection on how everyone might find common political goals among the so-called pro-life and pro-choice sides. The exercise the authors offer in this article…

  11. A formulation of pancreatic pro-enzymes provides potent anti-tumour efficacy: a pilot study focused on pancreatic and ovarian cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perán, Macarena; López-Ruiz, Elena; García, María Ángel; Nadaraia-Hoke, Shorena; Brandt, Ralf; Marchal, Juan A; Kenyon, Julian

    2017-10-25

    Proteolytic enzymes have shown efficacy in cancer therapy. We present a combination of the two pro-enzymes Trypsinogen and Chymotrypsinogen A with potent in vitro and in vivo anti-tumour efficacy. A synergetic anti-tumour effect for Trypsinogen and Chymotrypsinogen A was determined at a ratio 1:6 (named PRP) using 24 human cancer cell lines. The antiangiogenic effect of PRP was analysed by matrigel-based tube formation and by fibrous capsule formation assays. Furthermore, cell invasion and wound healing assays together with qRT-PCR determination of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers were performed on human cancer cells treated with PRP. Additionally, in vivo pharmacokinetic studies were implemented and the PRP's anti-tumour efficacy was explored against orthotopic pancreatic and ovarian cancer tumours. PRP formulation was proven to inhibit in vitro angiogenesis, tumour growth, cancer cell migration and invasiveness; and to be an effective and well tolerated in vivo anti-tumour treatment. Finally, the clinical efficacy of a suppository formulation containing both pancreatic pro-enzymes in the context of a UK Pharmaceuticals Special Scheme was evaluated in advanced cancer patients. Consequently, PRP could have relevant oncological clinical applications for the treatment of advanced or metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma and advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

  12. Assessing High School Students’ Pro-Environmental Behaviour

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hidayah, N.; Agustin, R. R.

    2017-09-01

    This paper aims to reveal students’ pro-environmental behavior in a High School. Self-reported behavior assessment was administered in this study involving students with age range 15 to 18 years. Pro-environmental behavior in this study comprises six domains. Those are recycling, waste avoidance, consumerism, energy conservation, mobility and transportation, and vicarious conservation behavior. Pro-environmental behavior (PEB) of science class students was compared to behavior of non-science class students. Effect of students’ grade level and extracurricular activity on the behavior was evaluated. Study revealed that science could improve students’ PEB. It is because environmental topics are covered in science class. Student’s involvement in extracurricular activity may enhance PEB as well. In conclusion, students’ PEB is influenced by class program (science or non-science) but it is not influenced by time length in learning science. This finding could be consider by science educator in choosing strategy to enhance student’s pro-environmental behaviour.

  13. The effect of solar irradiated Vibrio cholera on the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines by the JAWS II dendritic cell line in vitro

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Ssemakalu, CC

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available 70, IL-15, MIP-1a, MIP-1ß, MIP-2, RANTES, TNF-a, IL-23 and IL-27. Results showed that solar irradiated cultures of V. cholerae induced dendritic cells to secrete significant (p<0.05) levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in comparison...

  14. Rise and fall of NT-proBNP in aortic valve intervention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hultkvist, Henrik; Holm, Jonas; Svedjeholm, Rolf; Vánky, Farkas

    2018-01-01

    To describe the dynamics of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) from preoperative evaluation to 6-month follow-up in patients undergoing aortic valve intervention, and to evaluate NT-proBNP with regard to 1-year mortality. At preoperative evaluation, we prospectively included 462 patients accepted for aortic valve intervention. The median time to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR; n=336) or transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI; n=126) was 4 months. NT-proBNP was measured at enrolment for preoperative evaluation, on the day of surgery, postoperatively on day 1, day 3 and at the 6-month follow-up. Subgroups of patients undergoing SAVR with aortic regurgitation and aortic stenosis with and without coronary artery bypass were also analysed. NT-proBNP remained stable in all subgroups during the preoperative waiting period, but displayed a substantial transient early postoperative increase with a peak on day 3 except in the TAVI group, which peaked on day 1. At the 6-month follow-up, NT-proBNP had decreased to or below the preoperative level in all groups. In the SAVR group, NT-proBNP preoperatively and on postoperative days 1 and 3 revealed significant discriminatory power with regard to 1-year mortality (area under the curve (AUC)=0.79, P=0.0001; AUC=0.71, P=0.03; and AUC=0.79, P=0.002, respectively). This was not found in the TAVI group, which had higher levels of NT-proBNP both preoperatively and at the 6-month follow-up compared with the SAVR group. The dynamic profile of NT-proBNP differed between patients undergoing TAVI and SAVR. NT-proBNP in the perioperative course was associated with increased risk of 1-year mortality in SAVR but not in TAVI.

  15. Activation of Pro-uPA is Critical for Initial Escape from the Primary Tumor and Hematogenous Dissemination of Human Carcinoma Cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bekes, Erin; Deryugina, Elena; Kuprianova, Tatyana

    2011-01-01

    disseminating variant of the human PC-3 prostate carcinoma cell line, PC-hi/diss, as a prototype of aggressive carcinomas to investigate the mechanisms whereby pro-uPA activation and uPA-generated plasmin functionally contribute to specific stages of metastasis. The PC-hi/diss cells secrete and activate...... significant amounts of pro-uPA, leading to efficient generation of plasmin in solution and at the cell surface. In a mouse orthotopic xenograft model, treatment with the specific pro-uPA activation-blocking antibody mAb-112 significantly inhibited local invasion and distant metastasis of the PC-hi/diss cells....... To mechanistically examine the uPA/plasmin-mediated aspects of tumor cell dissemination, the anti pro-uPA mAb-112 and the potent serine protease inhibitor, aprotinin, were utilized in parallel in a number of in vivo assays modeling various rate-limiting steps in early metastatic spread. Our findings demonstrate...

  16. GoPro-kypäräkameran kuvakulmat extreme-urheiluvideoissa

    OpenAIRE

    Hypén, Anssi

    2013-01-01

    Opinnäytetyössä tutkitaan GoPro-valmistajan kypäräkameran tavallisimpia videoiden kuvakulmia extreme-urheilulajeissa. Kuvakulmia tutkitaan GoPro viralliseen Youtube-videopalveluun ladattujen videoiden kautta, josta on poimittu yleisimpiä kuvakulmia extreme-urheilulajeissa. GoPro-kypäräkamera on alunperin suunniteltu extreme- ja seikkailu-urheiluun, joten opinnäytetyössä tutkitut kuvakulmat on rajattu tarkastelemaan vain extreme-urheilulajeissa käytettyjä kuvakulmia. Extreme-urheiluvideois...

  17. Influence of Pro-Qura-generated Plans on Postimplant Dosimetric Quality: A Review of a Multi-Institutional Database

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allen, Zachariah; Merrick, Gregory S.; Grimm, Peter; Blasko, John; Sylvester, John; Butler, Wayne; Chaudry, Usman-Ul-Haq; Sitter, Michael

    2008-01-01

    The influence of Pro-Qura-generated plans vs. community-generated plans on postprostate brachytherapy dosimetric quality was compared. In the Pro-Qura database, 2933 postplans were evaluated from 57 institutions. A total of 1803 plans were generated by Pro-Qura and 1130 by community institutions. Iodine-125 ( 125 I) plans outnumbered Palladium 103 ( 103 Pd) plans by a ratio of 3:1. Postimplant dosimetry was performed in a standardized fashion by overlapping the preimplant ultrasound and the postimplant computed tomography (CT). In this analysis, adequacy was defined as a V 100 > 80% and a D 90 of 90% to 140% for both isotopes along with a V 150 125 I and 103 Pd. The mean postimplant V 100 and D 90 were 88.6% and 101.6% vs. 89.3% and 102.3% for Pro-Qura and community plans, respectively. When analyzed in terms of the first 8 sequence groups (10 patients/sequence group) for each institution, Pro-Qura planning resulted in less postimplant variability for V 100 (86.2-89.5%) and for D 90 (97.4-103.2%) while community-generated plans had greater V 100 (85.3-91.2%) and D 90 (95.9-105.2%) ranges. In terms of sequence groups, postimplant dosimetry was deemed 'too cool' in 11% to 30% of cases and 'too hot' in 12% to 27%. On average, no clinically significant postimplant dosimetric differences were discerned between Pro-Qura and community-based planning. However, substantially greater variability was identified in the community-based plan cohort. It is possible that the Pro-Qura plan and/or the routine postimplant dosimetric evaluation may have influenced dosimetric outcomes at community-based centers

  18. Distinguishing Isomeric Peptides: The Unimolecular Reactivity and Structures of (LeuPro)M+ and (ProLeu)M+ (M = Alkali Metal).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jami-Alahmadi, Yasaman; Linford, Bryan D; Fridgen, Travis D

    2016-12-29

    The unimolecular chemistries and structures of gas-phase (ProLeu)M + and (LeuPro)M + complexes when M = Li, Na, Rb, and Cs have been explored using a combination of SORI-CID, IRMPD spectroscopy, and computational methods. CID of both (LeuPro)M + and (ProLeu)M + showed identical fragmentation pathways and could not be differentiated. Two of the fragmentation routes of both peptides produced ions at the same nominal mass as (Pro)M + and (Leu)M + , respectively. For the litiated peptides, experiments revealed identical IRMPD spectra for each of the m/z 122 and 138 ions coming from both peptides. Comparison with computed IR spectra identified them as the (Pro)Li + and (Leu)Li + , and it is concluded that both zwitterionic and canonical forms of (Pro)Li + exist in the ion population from CID of both (ProLeu)Li + and (LeuPro)Li + . The two isomeric peptide complexes could be distinguished using IRMPD spectroscopy in both the fingerprint and the CH/NH/OH regions. The computed IR spectra for the lowest energy structures of each charge solvated complexes are consistent with the IRMPD spectra in both regions for all metal cation complexes. Through comparison between the experimental spectra, it was determined that in lithiated and sodiated ProLeu, metal cation is bound to both carbonyl oxygens and the amine nitrogen. In contrast, the larger metal cations are bound to the two carbonyls, while the amine nitrogen is hydrogen bonded to the amide hydrogen. In the lithiated and sodiated LeuPro complexes, the metal cation is bound to the amide carbonyl and the amine nitrogen while the amine nitrogen is hydrogen bonded to the carboxylic acid carbonyl. However, there is no hydrogen bond in the rubidiated and cesiated complexes; the metal cation is bound to both carbonyl oxygens and the amine nitrogen. Details of the position of the carboxylic acid C═O stretch were especially informative in the spectroscopic confirmation of the lowest energy computed structures.

  19. Glycosylphosphatidylinositol Anchor Modification Machinery Deficiency Is Responsible for the Formation of Pro-Prion Protein (PrP) in BxPC-3 Protein and Increases Cancer Cell Motility*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Liheng; Gao, Zhenxing; Hu, Lipeng; Wu, Guiru; Yang, Xiaowen; Zhang, Lihua; Zhu, Ying; Wong, Boon-Seng; Xin, Wei; Sy, Man-Sun; Li, Chaoyang

    2016-01-01

    The normal cellular prion protein (PrP) is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored cell surface glycoprotein. However, in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell lines, such as BxPC-3, PrP exists as a pro-PrP retaining its glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) peptide signaling sequence. Here, we report the identification of another pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell line, AsPC-1, which expresses a mature GPI-anchored PrP. Comparison of the 24 genes involved in the GPI anchor modification pathway between AsPC-1 and BxPC-3 revealed 15 of the 24 genes, including PGAP1 and PIG-F, were down-regulated in the latter cells. We also identified six missense mutations in DPM2, PIG-C, PIG-N, and PIG-P alongside eight silent mutations. When BxPC-3 cells were fused with Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, which lack endogenous PrP, pro-PrP was successfully converted into mature GPI-anchored PrP. Expression of the individual gene, such as PGAP1, PIG-F, or PIG-C, into BxPC-3 cells does not result in phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C sensitivity of PrP. However, when PIG-F but not PIG-P is expressed in PGAP1-expressing BxPC-3 cells, PrP on the surface of the cells becomes phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C-sensitive. Thus, low expression of PIG-F and PGAP1 is the major factor contributing to the accumulation of pro-PrP. More importantly, BxPC-3 cells expressing GPI-anchored PrP migrate much slower than BxPC-3 cells bearing pro-PrP. In addition, GPI-anchored PrP-bearing AsPC-1 cells also migrate slower than pro-PrP bearing BxPC-3 cells, although both cells express filamin A. “Knocking out” PRNP in BxPC-3 cell drastically reduces its migration. Collectively, these results show that multiple gene irregularity in BxPC-3 cells is responsible for the formation of pro-PrP, and binding of pro-PrP to filamin A contributes to enhanced tumor cell motility. PMID:26683373

  20. Distinguishing dimensions of pro-environmental behaviour

    OpenAIRE

    Lynn, Peter

    2014-01-01

    This study empirically identifies dimensions of behaviour that are distinct in terms of the extent to which people act pro-environmentally. Three dimensions are identified, relating to at-home, transport-related and purchasing behaviour. The correlation between behaviour in each dimension is explored and the characteristics and attitudes associated with the extent to which behaviour is pro-environmental in each dimension are compared. The correlates of pro-environmental behaviour are found to...

  1. Technical Training: Programmation Unity-Pro pour utilisateurs de Schneider PL7-Pro

    CERN Multimedia

    Monique Duval

    2004-01-01

    Annonce de nouveau cours pour l'environnement d'automatisme Schneider Un nouveau cours sur les environnements d'automatisme Premium et Quantum de Schneider est maintenant offert dans le cadre de l'Enseignement technique du CERN, afin de découvrir le nouvel outil de programmation Unity. Cette formation, mise en place par le GUAPI (Groupe des utilisateurs d'automates programmables industriels du CERN), sera essentiellement technique et pratique, destinée aux automaticiens concepteurs, metteurs en oeuvre, installateurs, intégrateurs et techniciens de bureau d'études. Ce cours est ouvert aux personnes étant déjà capables de développer une application PL7-Pro sur TSX Premium, ou ayant suivi le stage AP571. Objectifs : Maîtriser rapidement les différences fonctionnelles d'Unity-Pro par rapport à PL7-Pro; programmer en PLC TSX Premium sous Unity, et notamment connaître l'ensemble des l...

  2. When action speaks louder than words: The effect of parenting on young consumers' pro-environmental behaviour

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grønhøj, Alice; Thøgersen, John

    The present study examines intergenerational transfers of pro-environmental behaviours between parents and children. In a survey study involving 600 Danish families, we examine whether children's pro-environmental behaviours can be determined by their parents' attitudes and behaviours with respect...... to three "green" consumption activities: buying organic/environmentally friendly products, handling waste responsibly, and energy saving activities. In addition, we examine the effect of parenting on adolescents' pro-environmental behaviours by including a particular aspect of parenting style: parental...... autonomy support. Results show that the adolescents are influenced by their parents' behaviour, and especially how they perceive parents' behaviour, which seems to depend on how visible these behaviours are to them. Furthermore, parenting style influences the adolescents' behaviour in various ways....

  3. Channelling urban modernity to sustainable pro-poor tourism development in Indonesia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prasetyanti, R.

    2017-06-01

    Sustainable urban planning and development requires not only a fast-growing economic growth and modernity, but also social equity and environmental sustainability. Meanwhile, the global goals of sustainable development have fascinatingly set a promising urban development future by enhancing ecology based pro-poor policy program. Apparently, pro-poor development agenda has led to the notion of pro-poor tourism as part of urban development strategies on poverty alleviation. This research presents Jakarta Hidden Tour and Kampung Warna-warni as certain cases of pro-poor tourism in Indonesia. By the emergence of criticism onpro-growth” paradigm, the critical analysis of this research focuses on the scenario of sustainable pro-poor tourism through eco-cultural based Kampung-Tour development. In accordance, debates and dilemma have been continuously arising as pros and cons regarding the ethical issues of poverty alleviation based Kampung-Tour development. Nevertheless, this paper tries to redefine Slum Kampung as potential; the writer wildly offers a concept of poverty alleviation by reinventing pro-poor tourism strategy; revitalizing slum site to eco-cultural based pro-poor tourism development as an embodiment of a sustainable urban development. By holding system thinking analysis as research method, sustainable pro-poor tourism highlights the urgency community based tourism and eco-tourism so that poverty alleviation based tourism can be tangibly perceived by the poor. In this sense, good local governance and public private partnership must be enhanced, it is due to, like any other development projects; sustainable pro-poor tourism needs a strong political commitment to alleviate urban poverty, as well as to pursue a better future of sustainable nation.

  4. Application of direct agglutination test (DAT) and fast agglutination screening test (FAST) for sero-diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in endemic area of Minas Gerais, Brazil

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Silva, Eduardo S.; Schoone, Gerard J.; Gontijo, Celia M. F.; Brazil, Reginaldo P.; Pacheco, Raquel S.; Schallig, Henk D. F. H.

    2005-01-01

    The direct agglutination test (DAT) has proved to be a very important sero-diagnostic tool combining high levels of intrinsic validity and ease of performance. Otherwise, fast agglutination screening test (FAST) utilises only one serum dilution making the test very suitable for the screening of

  5. Pro Agile NET Development with Scrum

    CERN Document Server

    Blankenship, Jerrel; Millett, Scott

    2011-01-01

    Pro Agile .NET Development with SCRUM guides you through a real-world ASP.NET project and shows how agile methodology is put into practice. There is plenty of literature on the theory behind agile methodologies, but no book on the market takes the concepts of agile practices and applies these in a practical manner to an end-to-end ASP.NET project, especially the estimating, requirements and management aspects of a project. Pro Agile .NET Development with SCRUM takes you through the initial stages of a project - gathering requirements and setting up an environment - through to the development a

  6. Effects of self-adjusting file, Mtwo, and ProTaper on the root canal wall.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hin, Ellemieke S; Wu, Min-Kai; Wesselink, Paul R; Shemesh, Hagay

    2013-02-01

    The purpose of this ex vivo study was to observe the incidence of cracks in root dentin after root canal preparation with hand files, self-adjusting file (SAF), ProTaper, and Mtwo. One hundred extracted mandibular premolars with single canals were randomly selected. Two angulated radiographs were taken for each tooth, and the width of the canal was measured at 9 mm from the apex. Five groups of 20 teeth each were comparable in canal width. The control group was left unprepared. Four experimental groups were instrumented with hand files, ProTaper, Mtwo, and SAF. Roots were then sectioned horizontally and observed under a microscope. The presence of dentinal cracks and their location were noted. The difference between the experimental groups was analyzed with a χ(2) test. No cracks were observed in the control group. In the experimental groups, ProTaper, Mtwo, and SAF caused cracks in 35%, 25%, and 10% of teeth, respectively. The hand-file group did not show any dentinal cracks (P ProTaper and Mtwo caused more cracks than hand files (P .05). Instrumentation of root canals with SAF, Mtwo, and ProTaper could cause damage to root canal dentin. SAF has a tendency to cause less dentinal cracks as compared with ProTaper or Mtwo. Copyright © 2013 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Pro Tools All-in-One For Dummies

    CERN Document Server

    Strong, Jeff

    2012-01-01

    A professional musician guides serious hobbyists through Pro Tool Pro Tools puts professional recording and music production software in the hands of anyone with the appropriate hardware and the knowledge to use it. Musician and recording engineer Jeff Strong guides you through the latest version of this complex program, offering twice the content of the official guide at a lower price. Eight minibooks cover recording basics, getting started with Pro Tools, recording audio, editing audio, managing MIDI, mixing, mastering, and getting your music to the masses.The latest version of Pro Tools off

  8. MacBook Pro portable genius

    CERN Document Server

    Gruman, Galen

    2013-01-01

    Learn the skills, tools and shortcuts you need in order to make the most of your MacBook Pro This easy-to-use, compact guide skips the fluff and gets right to the essentials so that you can maximize all the latest features of the MacBook Pro. Packed with savvy insights and tips on key tools and shortcuts, this handy book aims to help you increase your productivity and save you time and hassle. From desktop sharing and wireless networking to running Windows applications and more, this book shows you what you want to know. Includes the latest version of OS X, iCloud, FaceTime, and moreCovers al

  9. Surface Chirality of Gly-Pro Dipeptide Adsorbed on a Cu(110) Surface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruguel, Hervé; Méthivier, Christophe; Pradier, Claire-Marie; Humblot, Vincent

    2015-07-01

    The adsorption of chiral Gly-Pro dipeptide on Cu(110) has been characterized by combining in situ polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-RAIRS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The chemical state of the dipeptide, and its anchoring points and adsorption geometry, were determined at various coverage values. Gly-Pro molecules are present on Cu(110) in their anionic form (NH2 /COO(-)) and adsorb under a 3-point binding via both oxygen atoms of the carboxylate group and via the nitrogen atom of the amine group. Low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) have shown the presence of an extended 2D chiral array, sustained via intermolecular H-bonds interactions. Furthermore, due to the particular shape of the molecule, only one homochiral domain is formed, creating thus a truly chiral surface. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Mortality and preoperative cardiac function in vascular amputees: an N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) pilot study

    OpenAIRE

    Riemersma, Marcel; Dijkstra, Pieter U.; van Veldhuisen, Dirk Jan; Muskiet, Frits A. J.; van den Dungen, Jan A. M. M.; Geertzen, Jan H. B.

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To determine preoperative ventricular function in vascular amputees by measuring N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and to analyse the relationship between NT-proBNP levels and 30-day postoperative mortality. Design: Prospective pilot study. Subjects and methods: In 19 patients planned for a lower limb amputation for nonreconstructable peripheral arterial disease NT-proBNP was measured the day before amputation. Results: Four amputees died within 30 days after the...

  11. Measurement properties of ThyPRO short-form (ThyPRO-39) for use in Chinese patients with benign thyroid diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Carlos K H; Choi, Edmond P H; Woo, Y C; Lang, Brian H H

    2018-04-18

    To evaluate the validity and reliability of a newly-translated Thyroid-specific Patient-Reported Outcome short-form (ThyPRO-39) instrument for ethnic-Chinese patients suffering from benign thyroid diseases. The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the English ThyPRO-39 were performed using the double forward translation, reconciliation, single backward translation, and cognitive debriefing, followed by a panel review. Cross-sectional data of 308 patients with benign thyroid diseases were utilized for this psychometric evaluation of ThyPRO-39 instrument. Convergent validity between similar construct in the ThyPRO-39, SF-6D, and SF-12v2 was assessed using Spearman correlations. The internal construct validity was assessed by corrected item-total correlations. Sensitivity of the ThyPRO-39 domain scores was determined by performing known group comparisons by independent t test. The internal consistency reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Significant floor effects were observed in 9 out of 13 domains of the ThyPRO-39. The hypothesized correlations between similar constructs in the ThyPRO-39 and the SF-12v2 and SF-6D were generally observed, supporting convergent validity. The internal construct validity was supported in most items, except eight items in six scales. Scale score of hyperthyroid symptoms of the ThyPRO-39 was significantly higher in the group with Graves' disease or hyperthyroid disease than the group without Graves' disease nor hyperthyroid disease. Scale scores of eye symptoms and impaired daily life were significantly higher in the incidental group than the non-incidental group. For six domains (hyperthyroid symptoms, hypothyroid symptoms, eye symptoms, tiredness, depressivity, and emotional susceptibility), Cronbach's alpha did not reach the recommended standard of 0.7. This was the first psychometric study to translate and adapt the ThyPRO-39 instrument for non-Caucasian patients, and report its validity and reliability

  12. Simulation of Assembly Line Balancing in Automotive Component Manufacturing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jamil, Muthanna; Mohd Razali, Noraini

    2016-02-01

    This study focuses on the simulation of assembly line balancing in an automotive component in a vendor manufacturing company. A mixed-model assembly line of charcoal canister product that is used in an engine system as fuel's vapour filter was observed and found that the current production rate of the line does not achieve customer demand even though the company practices buffer stock for two days in advance. This study was carried out by performing detailed process flow and time studies along the line. To set up a model of the line by simulation, real data was taken from a factory floor and tested for distribution fit. The data gathered was then transformed into a simulation model. After verification of the model by comparing it with the actual system, it was found that the current line efficiency is not at its optimum condition due to blockage and idle time. Various what-if analysis were applied to eliminate the cause. Proposed layout shows that the line is balanced by adding buffer to avoid the blockage. Whereas, manpower is added the stations to reduce process time therefore reducing idling time. The simulation study was carried out using ProModel software.

  13. Inhibiting Invasion into Human Bladder Carcinoma 5637 Cells with Diallyl Trisulfide by Inhibiting Matrix Metalloproteinase Activities and Tightening Tight Junctions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yung Hyun Choi

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Diallyl trisulfide (DATS, an organosulfur compound in garlic, possesses pronounced anti-cancer potential. However, the anti-invasive mechanism of this compound in human bladder carcinoma is not fully understood. In this study, we evaluated the anti-invasive effects of DATS on a human bladder carcinoma (5637 cell line and investigated the underlying mechanism. The results indicated that DATS suppressed migration and invasion of 5637 cells by reducing the activities and expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-2 and MMP-9 at both the protein and mRNA levels. DATS treatment up-regulated expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in 5637 cells. The inhibitory effects of DATS on invasiveness were associated with an increase in transepithelial electrical resistance and repression of the levels of claudin family members. Although further studies are needed, our data demonstrate that DATS exhibits anti-invasive effects in 5637 cells by down-regulating the activity of tight junctions and MMPs. DATS may have future utility in clinical applications for treating bladder cancer.

  14. Prediction of response to medical therapy by serum soluble (pro)renin receptor levels in Graves' disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mizuguchi, Yuki; Morimoto, Satoshi; Kimura, Shihori; Takano, Noriyoshi; Yamashita, Kaoru; Seki, Yasufumi; Bokuda, Kanako; Yatabe, Midori; Yatabe, Junichi; Watanabe, Daisuke; Ando, Takashi; Ichihara, Atsuhiro

    2018-01-01

    Antithyroid drugs are generally selected as the first-line treatment for Graves' Disease (GD); however, the existence of patients showing resistance or severe side effects to these drugs is an important issue to be solved. The (pro)renin receptor [(P)RR] is a multi-functional protein that activates the tissue renin-angiotensin system and is an essential constituent of vacuolar H+-ATPase, necessary for the autophagy-lysosome pathway. (P)RR is cleaved to soluble (s)(P)RR, which reflects the status of (P)RR expression. In this retrospective study, we aimed to investigate whether serum s(P)RR concentration can be used as a biomarker to predict the outcome of antithyroid drug treatment in GD patients. Serum s(P)RR levels were measured in 54 untreated GD patients and 47 control participants. Effects of medical treatment with antithyroid drugs on these levels were investigated in GD patients. Serum s(P)RR levels were significantly higher in patients with Graves' disease than in control subjects (PGraves' disease. High serum s(P)RR levels were associated with resistance to antithyroid drug treatment, suggesting that serum s(P)RR concentration can be used as a useful biomarker to predict the outcome of antithyroid drug treatment in these patients. Patients with Graves' disease with low body mass index showed higher levels of serum soluble (pro)renin receptor levels than those with high body mass index. In addition, in patients with Graves' disease, serum triglyceride levels were negatively correlated with serum soluble (pro)renin receptor levels. All these data indicated an association between low nutrient condition due to hyperthyroidism and increased (pro)renin receptor expression in these patients, suggesting that (pro)renin receptor expression could be increased in the process of stimulating intracellular energy production via activating autophagy function to compensate energy loss.

  15. Prediction of response to medical therapy by serum soluble (pro)renin receptor levels in Graves’ disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimura, Shihori; Takano, Noriyoshi; Yamashita, Kaoru; Seki, Yasufumi; Bokuda, Kanako; Yatabe, Midori; Yatabe, Junichi; Watanabe, Daisuke; Ando, Takashi

    2018-01-01

    Antithyroid drugs are generally selected as the first-line treatment for Graves’ Disease (GD); however, the existence of patients showing resistance or severe side effects to these drugs is an important issue to be solved. The (pro)renin receptor [(P)RR] is a multi-functional protein that activates the tissue renin-angiotensin system and is an essential constituent of vacuolar H+-ATPase, necessary for the autophagy-lysosome pathway. (P)RR is cleaved to soluble (s)(P)RR, which reflects the status of (P)RR expression. In this retrospective study, we aimed to investigate whether serum s(P)RR concentration can be used as a biomarker to predict the outcome of antithyroid drug treatment in GD patients. Serum s(P)RR levels were measured in 54 untreated GD patients and 47 control participants. Effects of medical treatment with antithyroid drugs on these levels were investigated in GD patients. Serum s(P)RR levels were significantly higher in patients with Graves’ disease than in control subjects (Pantithyroid drug treatment, suggesting that serum s(P)RR concentration can be used as a useful biomarker to predict the outcome of antithyroid drug treatment in these patients. Patients with Graves’ disease with low body mass index showed higher levels of serum soluble (pro)renin receptor levels than those with high body mass index. In addition, in patients with Graves’ disease, serum triglyceride levels were negatively correlated with serum soluble (pro)renin receptor levels. All these data indicated an association between low nutrient condition due to hyperthyroidism and increased (pro)renin receptor expression in these patients, suggesting that (pro)renin receptor expression could be increased in the process of stimulating intracellular energy production via activating autophagy function to compensate energy loss. PMID:29621332

  16. The pestivirus N terminal protease N(pro) redistributes to mitochondria and peroxisomes suggesting new sites for regulation of IRF3 by N(pro.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jefferson, Matthew; Whelband, Matthew; Mohorianu, Irina; Powell, Penny P

    2014-01-01

    The N-terminal protease of pestiviruses, N(pro) is a unique viral protein, both because it is a distinct autoprotease that cleaves itself from the following polyprotein chain, and also because it binds and inactivates IRF3, a central regulator of interferon production. An important question remains the role of N(pro) in the inhibition of apoptosis. In this study, apoptotic signals induced by staurosporine, interferon, double stranded RNA, sodium arsenate and hydrogen peroxide were inhibited by expression of wild type N(pro), but not by mutant protein N(pro) C112R, which we show is less efficient at promoting degradation of IRF3, and led to the conclusion that N(pro) inhibits the stress-induced intrinsic mitochondrial pathway through inhibition of IRF3-dependent Bax activation. Both expression of N(pro) and infection with Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) prevented Bax redistribution and mitochondrial fragmentation. Given the role played by signaling platforms during IRF3 activation, we have studied the subcellular distribution of N(pro) and we show that, in common with many other viral proteins, N(pro) targets mitochondria to inhibit apoptosis in response to cell stress. N(pro) itself not only relocated to mitochondria but in addition, both N(pro) and IRF3 associated with peroxisomes, with over 85% of N(pro) puncta co-distributing with PMP70, a marker for peroxisomes. In addition, peroxisomes containing N(pro) and IRF3 associated with ubiquitin. IRF3 was degraded, whereas N(pro) accumulated in response to cell stress. These results implicate mitochondria and peroxisomes as new sites for IRF3 regulation by N(pro), and highlight the role of these organelles in the anti-viral pathway.

  17. Pro-apoptotic effect of a Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae putative type I signal peptidase on PK(15) swine cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paes, Jéssica A; Virginio, Veridiana G; Cancela, Martín; Leal, Fernanda M A; Borges, Thiago J; Jaeger, Natália; Bonorino, Cristina; Schrank, Irene S; Ferreira, Henrique B

    2017-03-01

    Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is an economically significant swine pathogen that causes porcine enzootic pneumonia (PEP). Important processes for swine infection by M. hyopneumoniae depend on cell surface proteins, many of which are secreted by secretion pathways not completely elucidated so far. A putative type I signal peptidase (SPase I), a possible component of a putative Sec-dependent pathway, was annotated as a product of the sipS gene in the pathogenic M. hyopneumoniae 7448 genome. This M. hyopneumoniae putative SPase I (MhSPase I) displays only 14% and 23% of sequence identity/similarity to Escherichia coli bona fide SPase I, and, in complementation assays performed with a conditional E. coli SPase I mutant, only a partial restoration of growth was achieved with the heterologous expression of a recombinant MhSPase I (rMhSPase I). Considering the putative surface location of MhSPase I and its previously demonstrated capacity to induce a strong humoral response, we then assessed its potential to elicit a cellular and possible immunomodulatory response. In assays for immunogenicity assessment, rMhSPase I unexpectedly showed a cytotoxic effect on murine splenocytes. This cytotoxic effect was further confirmed using the swine epithelial PK(15) cell line in MTT and annexin V-flow cytometry assays, which showed that rMhSPase I induces apoptosis in a dose dependent-way. It was also demonstrated that this pro-apoptotic effect of rMhSPase I involves activation of a caspase-3 cascade. The potential relevance of the rMhSPase I pro-apoptotic effect for M. hyopneumoniae-host interactions in the context of PEP is discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. On the need for pro-poor land administration in disaster risk management

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Unger, E.M.; Zevenbergen, J.A.; Bennett, R.M.

    2017-01-01

    There exists an intensifying and multifaceted relationship between rapid population growth, the increasing occurrence of natural disasters, and demands for land tenure security. Consequently, there is growing agreement on the need to adopt pro-poor land administration approaches, ones that better

  19. Generation of the ECP database (ECP01.DAT) of the cycle 1 of the Unit 1 of Laguna Verde with burnt of 1377 MWD/MT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perusquia C, R.

    1992-10-01

    In order to carrying out a comparison among the results provided by the Program of Estimate of the ECP Critical Position and the Shutdown/Startup produced in the Cycle 1 of the Unit 1 of Laguna Verde, it was generated the base of the ECP program, following the outlines settled down in the Procedure 'Generation of ECP Database for Laguna Verde' (IT.SN/DFR-074). Next the data sheets filled when being generated the ECP01.DAT database with a burnt of 1377 MWD/MT are provided. In the report IT.SN/DFR-079 'Adjustment and Preliminary Evaluation of the Predictions of Criticity of the ECP Program with Reported Data of the Cycle 1 of the Unit 1 of Laguna Verde', the results of the comparison among those estimates of the ECP program using the ECP01.DAT database with the real data of the Cycle 1 of the Unit 1 of Laguna Verde are presented. (Author)

  20. Apoptotic effects of antilymphocyte globulins on human pro-inflammatory CD4+CD28- T-cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christina Duftner

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Pro-inflammatory, cytotoxic CD4(+CD28(- T-cells with known defects in apoptosis have been investigated as markers of premature immuno-senescence in various immune-mediated diseases. In this study we evaluated the influence of polyclonal antilymphocyte globulins (ATG-Fresenius, ATG-F on CD4(+CD28(- T-cells in vivo and in vitro. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Surface and intracellular three colour fluorescence activated cell sorting analyses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 16 consecutive transplant recipients and short-term cell lines were performed. In vivo, peripheral levels of CD3(+CD4(+CD28(- T-cells decreased from 3.7 ± 7.1% before to 0 ± 0% six hours after ATG-F application (P = 0.043 in 5 ATG-F treated but not in 11 control patients (2.9 ± 2.9% vs. 3.9 ± 3.0%. In vitro, ATG-F induced apoptosis even in CD4(+CD28(- T-cells, which was 4.3-times higher than in CD4(+CD28(+ T-cells. ATG-F evoked apoptosis was partially reversed by the broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl (Cbz-Val-Ala-Asp(OMe-fluoromethylketone (zVAD-fmk and prednisolon-21-hydrogensuccinate. ATG-F triggered CD25 expression and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and induced down-regulation of the type 1 chemokine receptors CXCR-3, CCR-5, CX3CR-1 and the central memory adhesion molecule CD62L predominately in CD4(+CD28(- T-cells. CONCLUSION: In summary, in vivo depletion of peripheral CD3(+CD4(+CD28(- T-cells by ATG-F in transplant recipients was paralleled in vitro by ATG-F induced apoptosis. CD25 expression and chemokine receptor down-regulation in CD4(+CD28(- T-cells only partly explain the underlying mechanism.

  1. The pestivirus N terminal protease N(pro redistributes to mitochondria and peroxisomes suggesting new sites for regulation of IRF3 by N(pro..

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthew Jefferson

    Full Text Available The N-terminal protease of pestiviruses, N(pro is a unique viral protein, both because it is a distinct autoprotease that cleaves itself from the following polyprotein chain, and also because it binds and inactivates IRF3, a central regulator of interferon production. An important question remains the role of N(pro in the inhibition of apoptosis. In this study, apoptotic signals induced by staurosporine, interferon, double stranded RNA, sodium arsenate and hydrogen peroxide were inhibited by expression of wild type N(pro, but not by mutant protein N(pro C112R, which we show is less efficient at promoting degradation of IRF3, and led to the conclusion that N(pro inhibits the stress-induced intrinsic mitochondrial pathway through inhibition of IRF3-dependent Bax activation. Both expression of N(pro and infection with Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV prevented Bax redistribution and mitochondrial fragmentation. Given the role played by signaling platforms during IRF3 activation, we have studied the subcellular distribution of N(pro and we show that, in common with many other viral proteins, N(pro targets mitochondria to inhibit apoptosis in response to cell stress. N(pro itself not only relocated to mitochondria but in addition, both N(pro and IRF3 associated with peroxisomes, with over 85% of N(pro puncta co-distributing with PMP70, a marker for peroxisomes. In addition, peroxisomes containing N(pro and IRF3 associated with ubiquitin. IRF3 was degraded, whereas N(pro accumulated in response to cell stress. These results implicate mitochondria and peroxisomes as new sites for IRF3 regulation by N(pro, and highlight the role of these organelles in the anti-viral pathway.

  2. Mortality and preoperative cardiac function in vascular amputees : an N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) pilot study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Riemersma, Marcel; Dijkstra, Pieter U.; van Veldhuisen, Dirk Jan; Muskiet, Frits A. J.; van den Dungen, Jan A. M. M.; Geertzen, Jan H. B.

    Objective: To determine preoperative ventricular function in vascular amputees by measuring N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and to analyse the relationship between NT-proBNP levels and 30-day postoperative mortality. Design: Prospective pilot study. Subjects and methods: In 19

  3. Discordant expression of pro-B-type and pro-C-type natriuretic peptide in newborn infants of mothers with type 1 diabetes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nybo, Mads; Nielsen, Lars Bo; Nielsen, Søren Junge

    2007-01-01

    CNP-derived peptides in newborn infants. METHODS: Plasma concentrations of proCNP-derived peptides were measured in umbilical cord plasma and human placental tissue extracts using sequence-specific radioimmunoassays raised against N-terminal and C-terminal proCNP regions, respectively. RESULTS: The median pro...... in umbilical cord plasma compared to adult plasma (4.6 vs. 1.1), which parallels our earlier findings for proBNP and BNP peptides. CONCLUSIONS: There is a discordant expression of CNP and BNP peptides in newborn infants of mothers with diabetes. Moreover, fetal metabolism of proCNP and CNP appears to differ...

  4. Título da página electrónica: EM-DAT, The International Disaster Database – Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disaster (CRED

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susana Freiria

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available A EM-DAT consiste numa base de dados com mais de 18 000 grandes desastres ocorridos em todo o mundo desde 1900. Um dado fenómeno é considerado um desastre quando se verifica pelo menos uma das seguintes situações: 10 ou mais pessoas são dadas como vítimas mortais; 100 ou mais pessoas são registadas como afectadas; é emitida uma declaração de estado de emergência; é feito um pedido de ajuda internacional. A base é mantida pelo Centro de Pesquisa em Epidemiologia de Desastres, na Escola de Saú...

  5. HDR Efex Pro After the Shoot

    CERN Document Server

    Sholik, Stan

    2011-01-01

    A concise, on-the-go guide to the new HDR Efex Pro imaging toolkit for photographers Now that you've gone mobile and HDR, you want to be able to download and enhance your favorite photos on the run, without having to return to the mother ship (i.e., your desktop computer). This book shows you just how to do that using the amazing HDR Efex Pro, the image editing toolset from Nik Software. In brilliant color and using plenty of show-stopping examples, this practical guide explains all tools and features. Follow numbered steps and you'll soon be handling things like alignment, ghosting control, h

  6. Pro JavaScript with MooTools

    CERN Document Server

    Obcena, Mark Joseph

    2010-01-01

    Pro JavaScript with MooTools is unlike any other JavaScript book on the market today. While similar books focus on either JavaScript as a language of the browser or how to use JavaScript frameworks, Pro JavaScript with MooTools fills the gap between these topics and moves beyond - exploring the advanced features of JavaScript and how the MooTools framework uses these features to further improve the language itself. The book itself takes a unique three-pronged approach. It first walks you through the advanced features of JavaScript and the MooTools framework, including native augmentation and t

  7. VizieR Online Data Catalog: Compilation of stellar rotation data (Kovacs, 2018)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovacs, G.

    2018-03-01

    The three datasets included in table1-1.dat, table1-2.dat and table1-6.dat respectively, correspond to the type of stars listed in Table 1 in lines 1 [Praesepe], 2 [HJ_host] and 6 [Field(C)]. These data result from the compilation of rotational and other stellar data from the literature. (4 data files).

  8. GPU PRO 3 Advanced rendering techniques

    CERN Document Server

    Engel, Wolfgang

    2012-01-01

    GPU Pro3, the third volume in the GPU Pro book series, offers practical tips and techniques for creating real-time graphics that are useful to beginners and seasoned game and graphics programmers alike. Section editors Wolfgang Engel, Christopher Oat, Carsten Dachsbacher, Wessam Bahnassi, and Sebastien St-Laurent have once again brought together a high-quality collection of cutting-edge techniques for advanced GPU programming. With contributions by more than 50 experts, GPU Pro3: Advanced Rendering Techniques covers battle-tested tips and tricks for creating interesting geometry, realistic sha

  9. Blow capacity of an air curtain; Hoe hard denkt u dat een luchtgrodijn moet blazen?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cremers, B.E. [Biddle, Kootstertille (Netherlands)

    2003-03-01

    In winter, the heat capacity of a conventional air curtain can often be increased by adjusting the speed of its outlet velocity. This article demonstrates that for various reasons, it is better to adjust the width of the outlet if you need to boost the heat level rather than the outlet velocity. It also describes the benefits of this CA (Constant Air Velocity) Technology in the interests of energy conservation and comfort. [Dutch] In de winter wordt de warmtecapaciteit van een conventioneel luchtgordijn vaak verhoogd door de uitblaassnelheid aan te passen. Dit artikel toont aan dat het om meerdere redenen beter is om bij een hogere warmtebehoefte de uitblaasbreedte aan te passen in plaats van de uitblaassnelheid. Daarnaast beschrijft het de voordelen van deze CA-technologie (Constant Air velocity) wat betreft energieverbruik en comfort.

  10. Pro Hadoop

    CERN Document Server

    Venner, J

    2009-01-01

    You've heard the hype about Hadoop: it runs petabyte--scale data mining tasks insanely fast, it runs gigantic tasks on clouds for absurdly cheap, it's been heavily committed to by tech giants like IBM, Yahoo!, and the Apache Project, and it's completely open source (thus free). But what exactly is it, and more importantly, how do you even get a Hadoop cluster up and running? From Apress, the name you've come to trust for hands--on technical knowledge, Pro Hadoop brings you up to speed on Hadoop. You learn the ins and outs of MapReduce; how to structure a cluster, design, and implement the Hado

  11. Effects of viewing a pro-ana website: an experimental study on body satisfaction, affect, and appearance self-efficacy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delforterie, Monique J; Larsen, Junilla K; Bardone-Cone, Anna M; Scholte, Ron H J

    2014-01-01

    Pro-anorexia websites portray an extreme form of thin-ideal. This between-subjects experiment examined the effects of viewing such a website on body satisfaction, affect, and appearance self-efficacy compared to viewing control websites (fashion, home decoration, automutilation). The sample consisted of 124 normal weight, young adult, Dutch women (mean age 21.2, mean body mass index 21.4). Participants did not differ on affect and appearance self-efficacy. One body satisfaction measure showed that pro-anorexia viewers were more satisfied with their bodies than home decoration viewers. Our findings suggest that viewing a pro-anorexia website might not have detrimental effects on body satisfaction and affect among normal weight young women.

  12. ProSAAS-derived peptides are differentially processed and sorted in mouse brain and AtT-20 cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan H Wardman

    Full Text Available ProSAAS is the precursor for some of the most abundant peptides found in mouse brain and other tissues, including peptides named SAAS, PEN, and LEN. Both SAAS and LEN are found in big and little forms due to differential processing. Initial processing of proSAAS is mediated by furin (and/or furin-like enzymes and carboxypeptidase D, while the smaller forms are generated by secretory granule prohormone convertases and carboxypeptidase E. In mouse hypothalamus, PEN and big LEN colocalize with neuropeptide Y. In the present study, little LEN and SAAS were detected in mouse hypothalamus but not in cell bodies of neuropeptide Y-expressing neurons. PEN and big LEN show substantial colocalization in hypothalamus, but big LEN and little LEN do not. An antiserum to SAAS that detects both big and little forms of this peptide did not show substantial colocalization with PEN or big LEN. To further study this, the AtT-20 cells mouse pituitary corticotrophic cell line was transfected with rat proSAAS and the distribution of peptides examined. As found in mouse hypothalamus, only some of the proSAAS-derived peptides colocalized with each other in AtT-20 cells. The two sites within proSAAS that are known to be efficiently cleaved by furin were altered by site-directed mutagenesis to convert the P4 Arg into Lys; this change converts the sequences from furin consensus sites into prohormone convertase consensus sites. Upon expression of the mutated form of proSAAS in AtT-20 cells, there was significantly more colocalization of proSAAS-derived peptides PEN and SAAS. Taken together, these results indicate that proSAAS is initially cleaved in the Golgi or trans-Golgi network by furin and/or furin-like enzymes and the resulting fragments are sorted into distinct vesicles and further processed by additional enzymes into the mature peptides.

  13. Plasma pro-surfactant protein B and lung function decline in smokers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leung, Janice M; Mayo, John; Tan, Wan; Tammemagi, C Martin; Liu, Geoffrey; Peacock, Stuart; Shepherd, Frances A; Goffin, John; Goss, Glenwood; Nicholas, Garth; Tremblay, Alain; Johnston, Michael; Martel, Simon; Laberge, Francis; Bhatia, Rick; Roberts, Heidi; Burrowes, Paul; Manos, Daria; Stewart, Lori; Seely, Jean M; Gingras, Michel; Pasian, Sergio; Tsao, Ming-Sound; Lam, Stephen; Sin, Don D

    2015-04-01

    Plasma pro-surfactant protein B (pro-SFTPB) levels have recently been shown to predict the development of lung cancer in current and ex-smokers, but the ability of pro-SFTPB to predict measures of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) severity is unknown. We evaluated the performance characteristics of pro-SFTPB as a biomarker of lung function decline in a population of current and ex-smokers. Plasma pro-SFTPB levels were measured in 2503 current and ex-smokers enrolled in the Pan-Canadian Early Detection of Lung Cancer Study. Linear regression was performed to determine the relationship of pro-SFTPB levels to changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) over a 2-year period as well as to baseline FEV1 and the burden of emphysema observed in computed tomography (CT) scans. Plasma pro-SFTPB levels were inversely related to both FEV1 % predicted (p=0.024) and FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) (p<0.001), and were positively related to the burden of emphysema on CT scans (p<0.001). Higher plasma pro-SFTPB levels were also associated with a more rapid decline in FEV1 at 1 year (p=0.024) and over 2 years of follow-up (p=0.004). Higher plasma pro-SFTPB levels are associated with increased severity of airflow limitation and accelerated decline in lung function. Pro-SFTPB is a promising biomarker for COPD severity and progression. Copyright ©ERS 2015.

  14. Pro NET Best Practices

    CERN Document Server

    Ritchie, Stephen D

    2011-01-01

    Pro .NET Best Practices is a practical reference to the best practices that you can apply to your .NET projects today. You will learn standards, techniques, and conventions that are sharply focused, realistic and helpful for achieving results, steering clear of unproven, idealistic, and impractical recommendations. Pro .NET Best Practices covers a broad range of practices and principles that development experts agree are the right ways to develop software, which includes continuous integration, automated testing, automated deployment, and code analysis. Whether the solution is from a free and

  15. ProOpDB: Prokaryotic Operon DataBase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taboada, Blanca; Ciria, Ricardo; Martinez-Guerrero, Cristian E; Merino, Enrique

    2012-01-01

    The Prokaryotic Operon DataBase (ProOpDB, http://operons.ibt.unam.mx/OperonPredictor) constitutes one of the most precise and complete repositories of operon predictions now available. Using our novel and highly accurate operon identification algorithm, we have predicted the operon structures of more than 1200 prokaryotic genomes. ProOpDB offers diverse alternatives by which a set of operon predictions can be retrieved including: (i) organism name, (ii) metabolic pathways, as defined by the KEGG database, (iii) gene orthology, as defined by the COG database, (iv) conserved protein domains, as defined by the Pfam database, (v) reference gene and (vi) reference operon, among others. In order to limit the operon output to non-redundant organisms, ProOpDB offers an efficient method to select the most representative organisms based on a precompiled phylogenetic distances matrix. In addition, the ProOpDB operon predictions are used directly as the input data of our Gene Context Tool to visualize their genomic context and retrieve the sequence of their corresponding 5' regulatory regions, as well as the nucleotide or amino acid sequences of their genes.

  16. Model to Evaluate Pro-Environmental Consumer Practices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wendolyn Aguilar-Salinas

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The consumer plays a key role in resource conservation; therefore, it is important to know consumer behavior to identify consumer profiles and to promote pro-environmental practices in society that encourage resource conservation and reductions in waste generation. The purpose of this paper is to implement a fuzzy model to evaluate consumer behavior in relation to three pro-environmental practices that can be implemented at the household level, including reductions in resource consumption (reduce, reuse of resources (reuse, and recycling (recycle. To identify socio-demographic profiles that characterize an environmentally responsible consumer, 2831 surveys were applied on a representative sample of consumers residing in a Mexican city. Fuzzy logic and neural networks were applied using a Sugeno-type subtractive clustering to determine each profile. The model input variables were socioeconomic status, age, education level, monthly income, occupation and the type of organizations with which the consumer is affiliated. The output variables were represented by pro-environmental practices. Results show that the consumer practices are performed independently of each other, with the most frequent pro-environmental consumer practices being reduction and reuse.

  17. Impact of underlying heart disease per se on the utility of preoperative NT-proBNP in adult cardiac surgery.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huiqi Jiang

    Full Text Available The primary aim was to investigate the role of underlying heart disease on preoperative NT-proBNP levels in patients admitted for adult cardiac surgery, after adjusting for the known confounders age, gender, obesity and renal function. The second aim was to investigate the predictive value of preoperative NT-proBNP with regard to severe postoperative heart failure (SPHF and postoperative mortality.A retrospective cohort study based on preoperative NT-proBNP measurements in an unselected cohort including all patients undergoing first time surgery for coronary artery disease (CAD; n = 2226, aortic stenosis (AS; n = 406 or mitral regurgitation (MR; n = 346 from April 2010 to August 2016 in the southeast region of Sweden (n = 2978. Concomitant procedures were not included, with the exception of Maze or tricuspid valve procedures.Preoperative NT-proBNP was 1.67 times (p<0.0001 and 1.41 times (p<0.0001 higher in patients with AS or MR respectively, than in patients with CAD after adjusting for confounders. NT-proBNP demonstrated significant discrimination with regard to SPHF in CAD (AUC = 0.79, 95%CI 0.73-0.85, p<0.0001, MR (AUC = 0.80, 95%CI 0.72-0.87, p<0.0001 and AS (AUC = 0.66, 95%CI 0.51-0.81, p = 0.047. In CAD patients NT-proBNP demonstrated significant discrimination with regard to postoperative 30-day or in-hospital mortality (AUC = 0.78; 95%CI 0.71-0.85, p<0.0001. The number of deaths was too few in the AS and MR group to permit analysis. Elevated NT-proBNP emerged as an independent risk factor for SPHF, and postoperative mortality in CAD.Patients with AS or MR have higher preoperative NT-proBNP than CAD patients even after adjusting for confounders. The predictive value of NT-proBNP with regard to SPHF was confirmed in CAD and MR patients but was less convincing in AS patients.

  18. Oleuropein potentiates anti-tumor activity of cisplatin against HepG2 through affecting proNGF/NGF balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherif, Iman O; Al-Gayyar, Mohammed M H

    2018-04-01

    Oleuropein is considered as a new chemotherapeutic agent in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) while, its exact underlying molecular mechanism still not yet explored. In addition, cisplatin is a standard anticancer drug against solid tumors with toxic side effects. Therefore, we conducted this study to assess antitumor activity of oleuropein either alone or in combination with cisplatin against HepG2, human HCC cell lines, via targeting pro-NGF/NGF signaling pathway. HepG2 cells were treated with cisplatin (20, 50, 100 μM) and oleuropein (100, 200, 300 and 400 μM) as well as some of the cells were treated with 50 μM cisplatin and different concentrations of oleuropein. Gene expressions of nerve growth factor (NGF), matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) and caspase-3 were evaluated by real time-PCR. In addition, protein levels of NGF and pro-form of NGF (pro-NGF) were measured by ELISA while, nitric oxide (NO) content was determined colorimetrically. Cisplatin treatment showed a significant elevation of NO content and pro-NGF protein level with a marked reduction of NGF protein level in addition to the upregulation of caspase-3 along with downregulation of MMP-7 gene expressions in a dose-dependent manner. However, the combination of 50 μM cisplatin and 200 μM oleuropein showed the most potent effect on the molecular level when compared with oleuropein or cisplatin alone. Our results showed for the first time that the anti-tumor activity of oleuropein against HCC could be attributed to influencing the pro-NGF/NGF balance via affecting MMP-7 activity without affecting the gene expression of NGF. Concurrent treatment with both oleuropein and cisplatin could lead to more effective chemotherapeutic combination against HCC. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Can venous ProBNP levels predict placenta accreta?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ersoy, Ali Ozgur; Oztas, Efser; Ozler, Sibel; Ersoy, Ebru; Erkenekli, Kudret; Uygur, Dilek; Caglar, Ali Turhan; Danisman, Nuri

    2016-12-01

    Placenta previa (PP) is a potential life-threatening pregnancy complication. Pro-brain natriuretic peptide (ProBNP), creatine kinase (CK), cardiac form of CK (CK-MB) and Troponin I are circulatory biomarkers related to cardiac functions. We aimed to determine whether these biomarkers are related to PP and placenta accreta. In this case-control study, fifty-four pregnant women who attended our tertiary care center for perinatology with the diagnosis of PP totalis, and of them, 14 patients with placenta accreta were recruited as the study groups. Forty-six uncomplicated control patients who were matched for age, BMI were also included. Maternal venous ProBNP, CK, CK-MB and Troponin I levels were compared between the three groups. Obstetric history characteristics were comparable among groups, generally. CK and CK-MB levels were similar among three groups. Troponin I levels in the previa and accreta groups were significantly higher than the controls. ProBNP levels in the accreta group were significantly higher than other two groups. The multivariate regression model revealed that ProBNP could predict placental adhesion anomalies. Troponin I and ProBNP levels in PP cases were higher than controls and ProBNP could predict placenta accreta.

  20. Power line policy in practice. A pilot study; Hoogspanningslijnenbeleid in de praktijk. Een pilotonderzoek

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kelfkens, G.; Pruppers, M.J.M.

    2008-07-01

    which individuals can influence a municipality's decision on power line placement. [Dutch] Uit een quick scan van het RIVM onder twaalf gemeenten met hoogspanningslijnen in de provincie Utrecht blijkt dat de helft van deze gemeenten niet op de hoogte is van het VROM-advies voor hoogspanningslijnen. Gemeenten waar de hoogspanningslijnenproblematiek speelt, zijn over het algemeen wil van het beleid op de hoogte. Onder druk van verontruste burgers nemen zij vaak strengere maatregelen dan wordt geadviseerd, bijvoorbeeld door maatregelen voor bestaande situaties te treffen of door een vastgesteld woningbouwplan uit te stellen. Geen van de geinterviewde gemeenten heeft een duidelijk aanspreekpunt om hun inwoners over hoogspanningslijnen te informeren. Internationaal epidemiologisch onderzoek wijst op een mogelijk verhoogd risico op leukemie bij kinderen die in de buurt van bovengrondse hoogspanningslijnen wonen. Eind 2005 heeft VROM een beleidsadvies hierover naar gemeenten, provincies en netbeheerders gestuurd. Het ministerie wil voorkomen dat kinderen in nieuwe situaties langdurig aan magnetische velden van bovengrondse hoogspanningslijnen worden blootgesteld. VROM adviseert daarom in nieuwe situaties een zone bij de hoogspanningslijnen vrij te houden van woningen, scholen en kinderdagverblijven. Het advies richt zich op het opstellen of wijzigen van bestemmingsplannen. Omdat een dergelijke procedure jaren duurt, kan nu, ruim twee jaar nadat het advies is ingevoerd, nog niet worden beoordeeld of het succesvol is. De quick scan vond plaats in opdracht van de VROM-Inspectie Regio Noord-West, die wil achterhalen welke rol het VROM-advies binnen gemeenten speelt en welke invloed burgers op het hoogspanningslijnenbeleid uitoefenen.

  1. Nicaragua - ProNicaragua

    Data.gov (United States)

    Millennium Challenge Corporation — The focus of this performance evaluation was whether or not the ProNicaragua Activity’s program logic was sound and successful and had the intended benefits related...

  2. The urgent matter of online pro-eating disorder content and children: clinical practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Custers, Kathleen

    2015-04-01

    During the last decade, much concern has been expressed about online pro-eating disorder communities (e.g., pro-anorexia websites and blogs) which encourage their users to engage in disordered eating behavior. The aim of the current paper is to reemphasize the importance of pro-eating disorder communities in light of the recent changes in the media landscape. With the increase of social networking sites, pro-anorexia messages have transplanted to more volatile and constantly changing media, such as Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and many others. Most parents, educators, and health professionals are unaware of the sheer scope and nature of such pro-anorexia messages in these new contexts. The current paper will provide a review of pro-eating disorder websites, overview the effects of such websites on young people's health, examine the emergence of these messages on social media platforms, and highlight a number of guidelines for clinicians and parents. The dissemination of online pro-eating disorder content to different types of social networking sites is becoming an urgent issue. • Existing research on pro-eating disorder websites examines the prevalence and the content of these websites, and the effects of pro-eating disorder content on both clinical (eating disordered individuals) and non-clinical samples (non-eating disordered individuals). • The scope and nature of such anorexia messages is unknown to most adults, and many people (including parents and medical professionals) are insufficiently aware of the ease with which young people access, navigate, and use a wide range of online platforms. • Pro-anorexia messages are no longer limited to websites that can be easily monitored, but instead have been transplanted to more volatile and constantly changing media such as Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Tumblr which makes pro-eating disorder content much more easily accessible. • This paper wants to emphasize the implications

  3. RO-PRO desalination: An integrated low-energy approach to seawater desalination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prante, Jeri L.; Ruskowitz, Jeffrey A.; Childress, Amy E.; Achilli, Andrea

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • In the novel RO-PRO system, the energy produced by PRO is utilized to offset the energy consumed by the RO. • The specific energy consumption of a RO-PRO system was modeled for the first time. • A novel module-based PRO model for full-scale applications was developed. • The minimum net specific energy consumption of the modeled RO-PRO system was 1.2 kW h/m 3 at 50% RO recovery. • A sensitivity analysis showed a min RO-PRO specific energy consumption of 1.0 kW h/m 3 and a max power density of 10 W/m 2 . - Abstract: Although reverse osmosis (RO) is currently the most energy efficient desalination technology, it still requires a great deal of energy to create the high pressures necessary to desalinate seawater. An opposite process of RO, called pressure retarded osmosis (PRO), utilizes the salinity gradient between a relatively fresh impaired water source and seawater to produce pressure and hence, energy. In this paper, PRO is evaluated in conjunction with RO, in a system called RO-PRO desalination, to reduce the energy requirement of seawater RO desalination. RO-PRO specific energy consumption was modeled using RO conditions at the thermodynamic restriction and a newly developed module-based PRO model. Using a well-characterized cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane, the minimum net specific energy consumption of the system was found to be approximately 40% lower than state-of-the-art seawater RO. A sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the effects of membrane characteristics on the specific energy production of the PRO process in the RO-PRO system. The sensitivity analysis showed that the minimum specific energy consumption using virtual membranes is approximately 1.0 kW h per m 3 of RO permeate at 50% RO recovery and that a maximum power density of approximately 10 W/m 2 could be achieved

  4. iPro user : a case study of pro-am photographers in Malaysia travel magazine

    OpenAIRE

    Teh, Chree Yee

    2012-01-01

    In the digital era, centralized media is moving towards de-centralized and globalized network. This development changes the relationship between mass media and their audiences, remodels the connection among media users and expands traditional roles of consumers. Consumer behavior changes blur the distinction between producer-consumer, professional-amateur, and work-leisure. With a title of ‘iPro User’ which refers to ‘I am a productive and professional user’, this paper is applying ‘pro-am’ m...

  5. Glycosylphosphatidylinositol Anchor Modification Machinery Deficiency Is Responsible for the Formation of Pro-Prion Protein (PrP) in BxPC-3 Protein and Increases Cancer Cell Motility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Liheng; Gao, Zhenxing; Hu, Lipeng; Wu, Guiru; Yang, Xiaowen; Zhang, Lihua; Zhu, Ying; Wong, Boon-Seng; Xin, Wei; Sy, Man-Sun; Li, Chaoyang

    2016-02-19

    The normal cellular prion protein (PrP) is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored cell surface glycoprotein. However, in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell lines, such as BxPC-3, PrP exists as a pro-PrP retaining its glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) peptide signaling sequence. Here, we report the identification of another pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell line, AsPC-1, which expresses a mature GPI-anchored PrP. Comparison of the 24 genes involved in the GPI anchor modification pathway between AsPC-1 and BxPC-3 revealed 15 of the 24 genes, including PGAP1 and PIG-F, were down-regulated in the latter cells. We also identified six missense mutations in DPM2, PIG-C, PIG-N, and PIG-P alongside eight silent mutations. When BxPC-3 cells were fused with Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, which lack endogenous PrP, pro-PrP was successfully converted into mature GPI-anchored PrP. Expression of the individual gene, such as PGAP1, PIG-F, or PIG-C, into BxPC-3 cells does not result in phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C sensitivity of PrP. However, when PIG-F but not PIG-P is expressed in PGAP1-expressing BxPC-3 cells, PrP on the surface of the cells becomes phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C-sensitive. Thus, low expression of PIG-F and PGAP1 is the major factor contributing to the accumulation of pro-PrP. More importantly, BxPC-3 cells expressing GPI-anchored PrP migrate much slower than BxPC-3 cells bearing pro-PrP. In addition, GPI-anchored PrP-bearing AsPC-1 cells also migrate slower than pro-PrP bearing BxPC-3 cells, although both cells express filamin A. "Knocking out" PRNP in BxPC-3 cell drastically reduces its migration. Collectively, these results show that multiple gene irregularity in BxPC-3 cells is responsible for the formation of pro-PrP, and binding of pro-PrP to filamin A contributes to enhanced tumor cell motility. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  6. NT-proBNP concentrations in mountain marathoners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banfi, Giuseppe; Lippi, Giuseppe; Susta, Daniele; Barassi, Alessandra; D'Eril, Gianvico Melzi; Dogliotti, Giada; Corsi, Massimiliano M

    2010-05-01

    The 76 amino acid N-terminal proB-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is proposed for evaluating and monitoring heart pathologies characterized by myocardial wall stress. Strenuous exercise might generate transitory ischemia, myocardial stress, and diastolic left ventricular dysfunction, possibly inducing an increase of some biochemical parameter concentrations. An alert has been claimed owing to biochemical and instrumental signs of heart dysfunction in recreational athletes during marathon races. We studied the behaviour of NT-proBNP in 15 mountain marathoners before and after a race. The concentrations of the parameter were lower than that observed in controls at rest and were similar to that observed in professional soccer and rugby players. The concentrations significantly increased after the race. NT-proBNP is low at rest in professional athletes, and the increase after physical exercise is physiological. The marathoners, even when performing races in a high-altitude environment, show NT-proBNP concentrations similar to those of athletes from other sports disciplines, characterized by low levels of effort and by a mix of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism. The increase of NT-proBNP is linked to strenuous physical exercise and to heavy heart effort, testified also by an increase of troponin I. However, the role of the NT-proBNP could be important to screen recreational and professional marathoners to avoid possible heart problems and sudden cardiac death in subjects with occult heart disease. The results of the present study are relevant to the design and evaluation of training programs for improving strength and function of professional marathoners.

  7. Kaempferol modulates pro-inflammatory NF-κB activation by suppressing advanced glycation endproducts-induced NADPH oxidase

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Ji Min; Lee, Eun Kyeong; Kim, Dae Hyun; Yu, Byung Pal

    2010-01-01

    Advanced glycation endproducts (AGE) are oxidative products formed from the reaction between carbohydrates and a free amino group of proteins that are provoked by reactive species (RS). It is also known that AGE enhance the generation of RS and that the binding of AGE to a specific AGE receptor (RAGE) induces the activation of the redox-sensitive, pro-inflammatory transcription factor, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-ĸB). In this current study, we investigated the anti-oxidative effects of short-term kaempferol supplementation on the age-related formation of AGE and the binding activity of RAGE in aged rat kidney. We further investigated the suppressive action of kaempferol against AGE's ability to stimulate activation of pro-inflammatory NF-ĸB and its molecular mechanisms. For this study, we utilized young (6 months old), old (24 months old), and kaempferol-fed (2 and 4 mg/kg/day for 10 days) old rats. In addition, for the molecular work, the rat endothelial cell line, YPEN-1 was used. The results show that AGE and RAGE were increased during aging and that these increases were blunted by kaempferol. In addition, dietary kaempferol reduced age-related increases in NF-κB activity and NF-ĸB-dependant pro-inflammatory gene activity. The most significant new finding from this study is that kaempferol supplementation prevented age-related NF-κB activation by suppressing AGE-induced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NADPH oxidase). Taken together, our results demonstrated that dietary kaempferol exerts its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory actions by modulating the age-related NF-κB signaling cascade and its pro-inflammatory genes by suppressing AGE-induced NADPH oxidase activation. Based on these data, dietary kaempferol is proposed as a possible anti-AGE agent that may have the potential for use in anti-inflammation therapies. PMID:20431987

  8. The ProVent model learns to speak French.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cox, Christopher E

    2014-10-20

    Leroy and colleagues report on the accuracy of the Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation Prognostic Model ('ProVent') in a cohort study of patients ventilated for at least 21 days in one of three hospitals in the north of France. This study is noteworthy because it is the first to describe the performance of the ProVent model both outside the US and in a community hospital-based setting.

  9. Neoliberalism, Pro-ana/mia Websites, and Pathologizing Women: Using Performance Ethnography to Challenge Psychocentrism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicole D Schott

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Key terms such as “pro-ana,” “pro-anorexia,” and “pro-ED” are searched for on the Internet over 13 million times annually. These searches lead to web pages and social media sites where pro-anorexia and “pro-bulimia” (pro-ana/mia contributors share weight-loss and exercise tips, “thinspiration” slogans, images and videos, and speak openly about their problems with eating and body image. In this article, we outline our initial research on online responses to pro-ana/mia, and describe how we used the data and analyses from this research to create a piece of research-informed theatre, or performance ethnography. The initial research identified a range of responses to pro-ana/mia that were aligned with either dominant or critical discourses on the causes of, and solutions for, pro-ana/mia. Our findings and analyses challenge media portrayals and medical approaches to pro-ana/mia phenomena, and support an alternative, critical analysis of how psychocentrism and neoliberalism foster social injustices for women and girls. Our work nurtures collective efforts to displace dominant ideologies and practices that have serious implications for the socio-cultural, economic, physical and mental health of women and their communities.

  10. Human Langerhans Cells with Pro-inflammatory Features Relocate within Psoriasis Lesions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eidsmo, Liv; Martini, Elisa

    2018-01-01

    Psoriasis is a common skin disease that presents with well-demarcated patches of inflammation. Recurrent disease in fixed areas of the skin indicates a localized disease memory that is preserved in resolved lesions. In line with such concept, the involvement of tissue-resident immune cells in psoriasis pathology is increasingly appreciated. Langerhans cells (LCs) are perfectly placed to steer resident T cells and local tissue responses in psoriasis. Here, we present an overview of the current knowledge of LCs in human psoriasis, including findings that highlight pro-inflammatory features of LCs in psoriasis lesions. We also review the literature on conflicting data regarding LC localization and functionality in psoriasis. Our review highlights that further studies are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that drive LCs functionality in inflammatory diseases. PMID:29520279

  11. N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide on admission for early risk stratification of patients with chest pain and no ST-segment elevation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jernberg, Tomas; Stridsberg, Mats; Venge, Per; Lindahl, Bertil

    2002-08-07

    The study evaluated the prognostic value of single measurement of N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) obtained on admission in patients with symptoms suggestive of an acute coronary syndrome and no ST-segment elevation. Patients with symptoms suggestive of an acute coronary syndrome and no ST-segment elevation constitute a large and heterogeneous population. Early risk stratification has been based on clinical background factors, electrocardiography (ECG) and biochemical markers of myocardial damage. The neurohormonal activation has, so far, received less attention. The NT-proBNP was analyzed on admission in 755 patients admitted because of chest pain and no ST-segment elevation. Patients were followed concerning death for 40 months (median). The median NT-proBNP level was 400 (111 to 1646) ng/l. Compared to the lowest quartile, patients in the second, third and fourth quartiles had a relative risk of subsequent death of 4.2 (1.6 to 11.1), 10.7 (4.2 to 26.8) and 26.6 (10.8 to 65.5), respectively. When NT-proBNP was added to a Cox regression model including clinical background factors, ECG and troponin T, the NT-proBNP levels were independently associated with prognosis. A single measurement of NT-proBNP on admission will substantially improve the early risk stratification of patients with symptoms suggestive of an acute coronary syndrome and no ST-segment elevation. A combination of clinical background factors, ECG, troponin T and NT-proBNP obtained on admission will provide a highly discerning tool for risk stratification and further clinical decisions.

  12. Antimetastatic Therapies of the Polysulfide Diallyl Trisulfide against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC via Suppressing MMP2/9 by Blocking NF-κB and ERK/MAPK Signaling Pathways.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuping Liu

    Full Text Available Migration and invasion are two crucial steps of tumor metastasis. Blockage of these steps may be an effective strategy to reduce the risk. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of diallyl trisulfide (DATS, a natural organosulfuric compound with most sulfur atoms found in garlic, on migration and invasion in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC cells. Molecular mechanisms underlying the anticancer effects of DATS were further investigated.MDA-MB-231 cells and HS 578t breast cancer cells were treated with different concentrations of DATS. DATS obviously suppressed the migration and invasion of two cell lines and changed the morphological. Moreover, DATS inhibited the mRNA/protein/ enzymes activities of MMP2/9 via attenuating the NF-κB pathway. DATS also inhibited ERK/MAPK rather than p38 and JNK.DATS inhibits MMP2/9 activity and the metastasis of TNBC cells, and emerges as a potential anti-cancer agent. The inhibitory effects are associated with down-regulation of the transcriptional activities of NF-κB and ERK/MAPK signaling pathways.

  13. The NT-ProBNP Test in Subjects with End-Stage Renal Disease on Hemodialysis Presenting with Acute Dyspnea: Is Knowing Worth the Cost?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shaffer R. S. Mok

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. The NT-ProBNP/BNP test has been validated as a marker for determining the etiology of acute dyspnea. In the setting of end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis (ESRD on HD, the utility of the NT-ProBNP/BNP test has not been validated. This study examines the clinical utility of the NT-ProBNP test in the setting of ESRD on HD patients presenting with acute dyspnea. Methods. A retrospective case series of 250 subjects were admitted to Cooper University Hospital, 07/2010-03/2011, with ESRD and HD presenting with dyspnea. The incidences of echocardiography, cardiology consultation, and NT-ProBNP elevated and normal were examined. Correlation coefficients were calculated for NT-ProBNP with age (years, estimated dry weight (kg, amount of fluid removed (L, and ejection fraction (EF in % among other echocardiography parameters. Results. Of the total sample 235 patients had NT-ProBNP levels performed. Cardiology consults were placed in 68.8% and 58% who underwent echocardiography. Of those for whom an echocardiography was performed estimated mean EFs of 54.6%, 50.8%, and 61.7% were observed among the NT-ProBNP elevated group, normal group, and no NT-ProBNP group, respectively. No differences were detected in all other echocardiography measurements. No correlation was observed between NT-ProBNP and age (, baseline EDW (, amount of fluid removed (, or EF (. Conclusion. In the setting of ESRD on HD, the NT-ProBNP test has no clinical utility in determining the etiology of acute dyspnea. This can be demonstrated through echocardiographic and therapeutic parameters measured in this study.

  14. Effects of the nicotinic agonist varenicline, nicotinic antagonist r-bPiDI, and DAT inhibitor (R)-modafinil on co-use of ethanol and nicotine in female P rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maggio, Sarah E; Saunders, Meredith A; Baxter, Thomas A; Nixon, Kimberly; Prendergast, Mark A; Zheng, Guangrong; Crooks, Peter; Dwoskin, Linda P; Slack, Rachel D; Newman, Amy H; Bell, Richard L; Bardo, Michael T

    2018-05-01

    Co-users of alcohol and nicotine are the largest group of polysubstance users worldwide. Commonalities in mechanisms of action for ethanol (EtOH) and nicotine proposes the possibility of developing a single pharmacotherapeutic to treat co-use. Toward developing a preclinical model of co-use, female alcohol-preferring (P) rats were trained for voluntary EtOH drinking and i.v. nicotine self-administration in three phases: (1) EtOH alone (0 vs. 15%, two-bottle choice), (2) nicotine alone (0.03 mg/kg/infusion, active vs. inactive lever), and (3) concurrent access to both EtOH and nicotine. Using this model, we examined the effects of (1) varenicline, a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) partial agonist with high affinity for the α4β2* subtype; (2) r-bPiDI, a subtype-selective antagonist at α6β2* nAChRs; and (3) (R)-modafinil, an atypical inhibitor of the dopamine transporter (DAT). In phases 1 and 2, pharmacologically relevant intake of EtOH and nicotine was achieved. In the concurrent access phase (phase 3), EtOH consumption decreased while nicotine intake increased relative to phases 1 and 2. For drug pretreatments, in the EtOH access phase (phase 1), (R)-modafinil (100 mg/kg) decreased EtOH consumption, with no effect on water consumption. In the concurrent access phase, varenicline (3 mg/kg), r-bPiDI (20 mg/kg), and (R)-modafinil (100 mg/kg) decreased nicotine self-administration but did not alter EtOH consumption, water consumption, or inactive lever pressing. These results indicate that therapeutics which may be useful for smoking cessation via selective inhibition of α4β2* or α6β2* nAChRs, or DAT inhibition, may not be sufficient to treat EtOH and nicotine co-use.

  15. In dubio pro aegroti / Ants Nõmper

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Nõmper, Ants, 1977-

    2007-01-01

    Kriminaalmenetluses kehtivast põhimõttest in dubio pro reo, mille kohaselt kõik kohtu arvates ebapiisavalt tõendatud asjaolud tuleb tõlgendada nii, nagu on kohtualusele kasulik. Patsiendikaitsest

  16. Isolatieplan vol kieren; kennis en maatwerk ontbreken in nationaal project voor energiebesparing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Entrop, A.G.; Brouwers, H.J.H.

    2008-01-01

    Het nationaal energiebesparingsplan Meer met Minder heeft als doel tot 2020 2,4 miljoen bestaande gebouwen 30 % zuiniger te maken. Ir. Bram Entrop en pro.fdr.ir. Jos Brouwers vrezen dat dit initiatief van overheid, energieleveranciers, bouw- en installatiebedrijven niet meer is dan een papieren

  17. InterProSurf: a web server for predicting interacting sites on protein surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Negi, Surendra S.; Schein, Catherine H.; Oezguen, Numan; Power, Trevor D.; Braun, Werner

    2009-01-01

    Summary A new web server, InterProSurf, predicts interacting amino acid residues in proteins that are most likely to interact with other proteins, given the 3D structures of subunits of a protein complex. The prediction method is based on solvent accessible surface area of residues in the isolated subunits, a propensity scale for interface residues and a clustering algorithm to identify surface regions with residues of high interface propensities. Here we illustrate the application of InterProSurf to determine which areas of Bacillus anthracis toxins and measles virus hemagglutinin protein interact with their respective cell surface receptors. The computationally predicted regions overlap with those regions previously identified as interface regions by sequence analysis and mutagenesis experiments. PMID:17933856

  18. Recent Advances in Osmotic Energy Generation via Pressure-Retarded Osmosis (PRO: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jihye Kim

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Global energy consumption has been highly dependent on fossil fuels which cause severe climate change and, therefore, the exploration of new technologies to produce effective renewable energy plays an important role in the world. Pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO is one of the promising candidates to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels by harnessing energy from the salinity gradient between seawater and fresh water. In PRO, water is transported though a semi-permeable membrane from a low-concentrated feed solution to a high-concentrated draw solution. The increased volumetric water flow then runs a hydro-turbine to generate power. PRO technology has rapidly improved in recent years; however, the commercial-scale PRO plant is yet to be developed. In this context, recent developments on the PRO process are reviewed in terms of mathematical models, membrane modules, process designs, numerical works, and fouling and cleaning. In addition, the research requirements to accelerate PRO commercialization are discussed. It is expected that this article can help comprehensively understand the PRO process and thereby provide essential information to activate further research and development.

  19. BAG3 protects bovine papillomavirus type 1-transformed equine fibroblasts against pro-death signals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cotugno, Roberta; Gallotta, Dario; d'Avenia, Morena; Corteggio, Annunziata; Altamura, Gennaro; Roperto, Franco; Belisario, Maria Antonietta; Borzacchiello, Giuseppe

    2013-07-22

    In human cancer cells, BAG3 protein is known to sustain cell survival. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate the expression of BAG3 protein both in equine sarcoids in vivo and in EqS04b cells, a sarcoid-derived fully transformed cell line harbouring bovine papilloma virus (BPV)-1 genome. Evidence of a possible involvement of BAG3 in equine sarcoid carcinogenesis was obtained by immunohistochemistry analysis of tumour samples. We found that most tumour samples stained positive for BAG3, even though to a different grade, while normal dermal fibroblasts from healthy horses displayed very weak staining pattern for BAG3 expression. By siRNA technology, we demonstrate in EqS04b the role of BAG3 in counteracting basal as well as chemical-triggered pro-death signals. BAG3 down-modulation was indeed shown to promote cell death and cell cycle arrest in G0/G1. In addition, we found that BAG3 silencing sensitized EqS04b cells to phenethylisothiocyanate (PEITC), a promising cancer chemopreventive/chemotherapeutic agent present in edible cruciferous vegetables. Notably, such a pro-survival role of BAG3 was less marked in E. Derm cells, an equine BPV-negative fibroblast cell line taken as a normal counterpart. Altogether our findings might suggest a mutual cooperation between BAG3 and viral oncoproteins to sustain cell survival.

  20. Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO): Past experiences, current developments, and future prospects

    KAUST Repository

    Sarp, S.; Li, Z.; Saththasivam, J.

    2016-01-01

    Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) has attracted worldwide attention with respect to its salinity gradient energy production potential, and low energy desalination applications. PRO processes, which use Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) brine as draw solutions, have a higher potential of being applied to any new, and existing membrane based seawater desalination systems, as an energy production and/or conservation process. Hydraulic pressure is applied on a high salinity draw solution, and the hydraulic pressure of the high salinity draw solution can be kept relatively constant during operation, even though the volumetric flow rate is to be increased. Therefore, the draw side of the PRO process can be considered near-isobaric, in most cases. The harvested Gibbs free energy of mixing, and the volumetric expansion can explain this near-isobaric behavior of the draw side in the PRO process. Thus, PRO can be used to multiply the internal energy of the draw solution with respect to the ratio of the permeated water flux. Even though PRO has very high theoretical potential for energy production and/or recovery, there are several shortcomings, which should be answered before the realization of the scale up applications, such as; thermodynamic process optimization, high power density membranes, and high efficiency hydraulic pressure conversion and recovery systems. This review gives detailed information about the PRO process including; (1) theoretical background, (2) membranes for PRO, (3) experimental and large scale applications, and (4) economic feasibility of PRO applications.

  1. Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO): Past experiences, current developments, and future prospects

    KAUST Repository

    Sarp, S.

    2016-01-16

    Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) has attracted worldwide attention with respect to its salinity gradient energy production potential, and low energy desalination applications. PRO processes, which use Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) brine as draw solutions, have a higher potential of being applied to any new, and existing membrane based seawater desalination systems, as an energy production and/or conservation process. Hydraulic pressure is applied on a high salinity draw solution, and the hydraulic pressure of the high salinity draw solution can be kept relatively constant during operation, even though the volumetric flow rate is to be increased. Therefore, the draw side of the PRO process can be considered near-isobaric, in most cases. The harvested Gibbs free energy of mixing, and the volumetric expansion can explain this near-isobaric behavior of the draw side in the PRO process. Thus, PRO can be used to multiply the internal energy of the draw solution with respect to the ratio of the permeated water flux. Even though PRO has very high theoretical potential for energy production and/or recovery, there are several shortcomings, which should be answered before the realization of the scale up applications, such as; thermodynamic process optimization, high power density membranes, and high efficiency hydraulic pressure conversion and recovery systems. This review gives detailed information about the PRO process including; (1) theoretical background, (2) membranes for PRO, (3) experimental and large scale applications, and (4) economic feasibility of PRO applications.

  2. Sada testů pro projekt OpenLDAP/NSS

    OpenAIRE

    Špůrek, David

    2011-01-01

    Cílem práce je vytvořit sadu testů pro projekt OpenLDAP/NSS. Práce objasňuje principy testování, možnosti automatizace testování v prostředí GNU/Linux a vysvětluje pojmy LDAP i NSS. Testy jsou navrženy pro distribuci Fedora/Red Hat Enterprise Linux a jsou automatizovány pomocí skriptování v shellu s využitím knihovny Beakerlib pro testování. Pro návrh testů je použita metoda black box. Testy se zaměřují na integraci OpenLDAP a NSS. V práci jsou navrhnuty a implementovány testy pro balíky open...

  3. Pro Spring Integration

    CERN Document Server

    Lui, M; Chan, Andy; Long, Josh

    2011-01-01

    Pro Spring Integration is an authoritative book from the experts that guides you through the vast world of enterprise application integration (EAI) and application of the Spring Integration framework towards solving integration problems. The book is:. * An introduction to the concepts of enterprise application integration * A reference on building event-driven applications using Spring Integration * A guide to solving common integration problems using Spring Integration What makes this book unique is its coverage of contemporary technologies and real-world information, with a focus on common p

  4. 48 CFR 352.237-70 - Pro-Children Act.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Pro-Children Act. 352.237...-Children Act. As prescribed in 337.103-70(a), the Contracting Officer shall insert the following clause: Pro-Children Act (January 2006) (a) Public Law 103-227, Title X, Part C, also known as the Pro...

  5. Non-pro-vitamin A and pro-vitamin A carotenoids in atopy development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rühl, R

    2013-01-01

    Carotenoids are important derivatives of the human diet and occur in high concentrations in the human organism. Various carotenoids are also present in human breast milk and are transferred to breast-fed children. The alternative to breastfeeding is supplementation with an infant milk formula, but these formulas contain only a limited variety of carotenoids. Our question is: 'What is the function of various carotenoids in human nutrition with a special emphasis on child development and the development of atopy?' In this review, the mechanisms of action of the most important non-pro-vitamin A and pro-vitamin A carotenoids: α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene and retinoids are discussed. In summary, the combination of carotenoids, especially lycopene, seems to be of great importance, and exclusive usage of β-carotene in infant formula may yield in an increased atopy prevalence mediated in various target organs like the skin, lungs and immune competent cells. We conclude that the determination of novel bioactive metabolites of various carotenoids, at various stages in different organs during atopy development, might be the key to understanding the potential importance of carotenoids on atopy development. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  6. Constitutively internalized dopamine transporter is targeted to late endosomes and lysosomal degradation in heterologous cell lines and dopaminergic neurons

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eriksen, Jacob; Madsen, Kenneth; Vægter, Christian Bjerggaard

    and amphetamine, a substrate of the DAT. In antibody feeding experiments we observed that Tac-DAT was constitutively internalized faster than Tac alone and using an ELISA based assay we could quantify time-dependent intracellular accumulation of the transporter. Incubation with inhibitors of lysosomal degradation...... (leupeptin, chloroquine, or ammonium chloride) increased the amount of transporter accumulated intracellularly over time, suggesting that constitutively endocytosed transporter was targeted to lysosomal degradation. This was further supported by expression of Tac-DAT in the immortalized dopaminergic cell...... dopaminergic neurons and visualized the DAT directly in the neurons using the fluorescent cocaine analog JHC 1-064. These data showed pronounced colocalization upon constitutive internalization with Lysotracker, a late endosomal/lysosomal marker; however only little co-lolization was observed with Alexa488...

  7. Processing-independent proANP measurement for low concentrations in plasma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mark, Peter D; Hunter, Ingrid; Terzic, Dijana

    2018-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Decreased concentrations of pro-atrial-derived natriuretic peptides (proABP) in plasma have been associated with obesity and suggested as a predictor of type 2 diabetes. However, assays for measuring proANP are generally aimed to quantitate higher concentrations of proANP associated...

  8. Pro-active data breach detection: examining accuracy and applicability on personal information detected

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Botha, J

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available breaches but does not provide a clear indication of the level of personal information available on the internet since only reported incidents are taken into account. The possibility of pro-active automated breach detection has previously been discussed as a...

  9. The Effects of Collaboration and Competition on Pro-Social Prospective Memory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guido D’Angelo

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The social underpinnings of remembering to perform an action in the future (i.e., prospective memory, PM have been recently shown to be an important feature of prospective memory functioning (Brandimonte, Ferrante, Bianco, & Villani, 2010. One emergent, though neglected, issue refers to the way people remember to do things 'with others' and 'for others'. In two experiments, participants were requested to collaborate or compete during an event-based PM task. In Experiment 1, they could also gain money for donation, while in Experiment 2 they could get personal earnings. Participants completed a parity judgment ongoing task and a PM task. Results revealed that a decrease in PM performance occurred with collaboration, as a result of responsibility sharing. In contrast, the pro-social nature of the PM task improved participants' performance. Interestingly, pro-sociality prevented the detrimental effect of collaboration (experiments 1 and 2, while a personal gain did not contrast responsibility sharing (experiment 2. Surprisingly, competition did not significantly affect PM performance. Finally, an increase of the monitoring costs during the ongoing task was associated with pro-social goals. This pattern of result suggests that PM is influenced by social drives and points to a pivotal role of motivation in regulating conscious mechanisms underlying memory for intentions.

  10. Determinants of Visitor Pro-Environmental Intentions on Two Small Greek Islands: Is Ecotourism Possible at Coastal Protected Areas?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kafyri, Andriani; Hovardas, Tasos; Poirazidis, Konstantinos

    2012-07-01

    A relatively under-researched question is whether there is a possibility of influencing environmentally aware tourists regarding ecotourism at destinations that continue to develop under a pattern of mass `seaside' tourism. Our objective was to assess the pro-environmental intentions of visitors at two small Greek islands, which are within a Natura 2000 site, specifically Paxoi and Antipaxoi. Intentions involved willingness to receive information about the protected area, willingness to accept pro-environmental limitations on recreational experience, and willingness-to-pay a conditional environmental conservation value added tax. In addition, we aimed to identify determinants of visitor pro-environmental intentions among visitor and visit characteristics, visitor satisfaction, and self-reported environmental knowledge, as well as anticipated outcomes of tourism development and suggestions for protected area management. We randomly collected 324 usable questionnaires during the summer season; 242 (74.69 %) by Greek visitors and 82 (25.31 %) by foreign visitors. Visitor satisfaction was quite high; however, visitors reported low levels of environmental knowledge. Our findings showed that the unique characteristics of the destination were not salient among visitors and that there is a lack of effective outreach campaigns, interpretation, and on-site environmental education programs. However, our study revealed high levels of visitor pro-environmental intentions that might support the promotion of ecotourism on the two islands. We provide recommendations based on determinants of visitor pro-environmental intentions, which might assist towards advancing visitor participation in environmental education projects, environmentally responsible behavior among visitors, and financial contribution to environmental conservation by visitors.

  11. Determinants of visitor pro-environmental intentions on two small Greek islands: is ecotourism possible at coastal protected areas?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kafyri, Andriani; Hovardas, Tasos; Poirazidis, Konstantinos

    2012-07-01

    A relatively under-researched question is whether there is a possibility of influencing environmentally aware tourists regarding ecotourism at destinations that continue to develop under a pattern of mass 'seaside' tourism. Our objective was to assess the pro-environmental intentions of visitors at two small Greek islands, which are within a Natura 2000 site, specifically Paxoi and Antipaxoi. Intentions involved willingness to receive information about the protected area, willingness to accept pro-environmental limitations on recreational experience, and willingness-to-pay a conditional environmental conservation value added tax. In addition, we aimed to identify determinants of visitor pro-environmental intentions among visitor and visit characteristics, visitor satisfaction, and self-reported environmental knowledge, as well as anticipated outcomes of tourism development and suggestions for protected area management. We randomly collected 324 usable questionnaires during the summer season; 242 (74.69 %) by Greek visitors and 82 (25.31 %) by foreign visitors. Visitor satisfaction was quite high; however, visitors reported low levels of environmental knowledge. Our findings showed that the unique characteristics of the destination were not salient among visitors and that there is a lack of effective outreach campaigns, interpretation, and on-site environmental education programs. However, our study revealed high levels of visitor pro-environmental intentions that might support the promotion of ecotourism on the two islands. We provide recommendations based on determinants of visitor pro-environmental intentions, which might assist towards advancing visitor participation in environmental education projects, environmentally responsible behavior among visitors, and financial contribution to environmental conservation by visitors.

  12. Processing-independent analysis for pro-C-type natriuretic peptide

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lippert, Solvej Kølvraa; Rehfeld, Jens F.; Gøtze, Jens Peter

    2010-01-01

    proCNP 11-27. Samples were incubated with trypsin prior to immunoassay, which allows for the measurement of "total" proCNP irrespective of the degree of post-translational processing. Seminal plasma from normal young men and vasectomized men were collected and quantitated; the molecular heterogeneity...... was evaluated by gel chromatography. The antiserum displayed high binding affinity. Preanalytical trypsin treatment fully exposed the proCNP 11-27 epitope detected by the antiserum. Seminal plasma from healthy men (n=120) contained ~8-fold higher proCNP concentrations compared to blood plasma (range 104......-933 pmol/L, age 18-25 years); gel chromatography suggested the presence of several molecular forms. Parameters associated to male fertility, proCNP concentrations in blood plasma and time of abstinence did not correlate to the seminal proCNP concentrations. Measurement in vasectomized men disclosed seminal...

  13. Statistically significant dependence of the Xaa-Pro peptide bond conformation on secondary structure and amino acid sequence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leitner Dietmar

    2005-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background A reliable prediction of the Xaa-Pro peptide bond conformation would be a useful tool for many protein structure calculation methods. We have analyzed the Protein Data Bank and show that the combined use of sequential and structural information has a predictive value for the assessment of the cis versus trans peptide bond conformation of Xaa-Pro within proteins. For the analysis of the data sets different statistical methods such as the calculation of the Chou-Fasman parameters and occurrence matrices were used. Furthermore we analyzed the relationship between the relative solvent accessibility and the relative occurrence of prolines in the cis and in the trans conformation. Results One of the main results of the statistical investigations is the ranking of the secondary structure and sequence information with respect to the prediction of the Xaa-Pro peptide bond conformation. We observed a significant impact of secondary structure information on the occurrence of the Xaa-Pro peptide bond conformation, while the sequence information of amino acids neighboring proline is of little predictive value for the conformation of this bond. Conclusion In this work, we present an extensive analysis of the occurrence of the cis and trans proline conformation in proteins. Based on the data set, we derived patterns and rules for a possible prediction of the proline conformation. Upon adoption of the Chou-Fasman parameters, we are able to derive statistically relevant correlations between the secondary structure of amino acid fragments and the Xaa-Pro peptide bond conformation.

  14. Determinants of Pro-Environmental Consumption: Multicountry Comparison Based upon Big Data Search

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donghyun Lee

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The Korean government has promoted a variety of environmental policies to revitalize pro-environmental consumption, and the government’s budget for this purpose has increased. However, there is a lack of quantitative data and analysis regarding the effects upon the pro-environmental consumption of education and changing public awareness of the environment. In addition, to improve pro-environmental consumption, the determinant and hindrance factors of pro-environmental consumption should be analyzed in advance. Accordingly, herein we suggest a pro-environmental consumption index that represents the condition of pro-environmental consumption based on big data queries and use the index to analyze determinants of and hindrances to pro-environmental consumption. To verify the reliability of the proposed indicator, we examine the correlation between the proposed indicator and Greendex, an existing survey-based indicator. In addition, we conduct an analysis of the determinants of pro-environmental consumption across 13 countries based upon the proposed indicator. The index is highest for Argentina and average for Korea. An analysis of the determinants shows that the levels of health expenditure, the ratio of the population aged over 65 years, and past orientation are significantly negatively related to the pro-environmental consumption index, but the level of preprimary education is significantly positively related with it. We also find that high-GDP countries have a significantly positive relationship between economy growth and pro-environmental consumption, but low-GDP countries do not have this relationship.

  15. Does pro-environmental behaviour affect carbon emissions?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tabi, Andrea

    2013-01-01

    The primary focus of this research is to explore the effect of pro-environmental behaviour on CO 2 emissions in relation to heating, electricity and transport activities in the residential sector. Changing such behaviour has considerable potential for conserving energy and is an important target of environmental policies which are designed to decrease energy consumption. It is hypothesized that people who consciously act in a pro-environmental way do not necessarily have lower CO 2 emissions more than those who do not undertake environmental activities. Data about residential energy use is based on a survey carried out in Hungary in 2010 with a sample of 1012 people. Latent cluster analysis (LCA) was conducted based on data about the reported pro-environmental behavior in the survey and four clusters were identified. Relevant sociostructural and structural factors were also inverstigated. Results of the data analysis show that no significant difference is found between the impacts of environmentally aware and environmentally unaware consumers, i.e. both ‘Brown’ and ‘Supergreen’ consumers consume approximately the same amount of energy and produce approximately the same amount of carbon emissions because the motivation-driven activities of ‘Supergreens’ are offset by structural factors

  16. Direct comparison of mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide with N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide in the diagnosis of patients with atrial fibrillation and dyspnoea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eckstein, Jens; Potocki, Mihael; Murray, Karsten; Breidthardt, Tobias; Ziller, Ronny; Mosimann, Tamina; Klima, Theresia; Hoeller, Rebeca; Moehring, Berit; Sou, Seoung Mann; Rubini Gimenez, Maria; Morgenthaler, Nils G; Mueller, Christian

    2012-10-01

    Due to different release mechanisms, mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (MR proANP) may be superior to N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT proBNP) in the diagnosis of acute heart failure (AHF) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We compared MR proANP and NT proBNP for their diagnostic value in patients with AF and sinus rhythm (SR). Prospective cohort study. University hospital, emergency department. 632 consecutive patients presenting with acute dyspnoea. MR proANP and NT proBNP plasma levels were determined. The diagnosis of AHF was adjudicated by two independent cardiologists using all available data. Patients received long-term follow-up. AF was present in 151 patients (24%). MR proANP and NT proBNP levels were significantly higher in the AF group compared with the SR group (385 (258-598) versus 201 (89-375) pmol/l for MR proANP, pvalue for the diagnosis of AHF. The rhythm at presentation has to be taken into account because plasma levels of both peptides are significantly higher in patients with AF compared with SR.

  17. A ProCoS II Project Final Report: ESPRIT Basic Research project 707

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bowen, J. P.; Hoare, C. A. R.; Langmaack, Hans

    1996-01-01

    An overview of the research and associated activities of the Europeancollaborative ESPRIT Basic Research ProCoS II project (no. 7071) on``Provably Correct Systems'' which ran from 1992 to 1995 is presented.This was a follow-on project to ProCoS (no. 3104) and ran inparallel with the ProCoS Working...

  18. NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR EVALUATION OF SEVERITY AND PROGNOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEART FAILURE BASED ON N-TERMINAL PRO-BRAIN NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE PLASMA LEVEL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. S. Galjavich

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim. To study an importance of plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (N-proBNP in evaluation of severity and prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF of ischemic genesis.Material and methods. 77 patients (60 men and 17 women; 59,4±10,7 y.o. with CHF of ischemic genesis were included in the study. All patients had sinus rhythm and history of Q wave myocardial infarction. Standard examination was performed to all patients. Besides N-proBNP plasma level and patients yearly survival were evaluated.Results. N-proBNP plasma level had direct correlation with clinical indices (exercise tolerance, blood pressure, heart rate and echocardiographic heart sizes. N-proBNP plasma level had relationship with prognosis of CHF patients. Baseline N-proBNP level was more than 2 times higher in died patients in comparison with survived patients. The yearly survival rate of CHF patients was 51,3% if N-proBNP level had been more than 400 fmol/ml (>15% of normal value. The clinico-laboratory index (based on N-proBNP plasma level of severity and prognosis in CHF patients was developed.Conclusion. The clinico-laboratory index based on N-proBNP plasma level is easy to use and can improve medical practice.

  19. NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR EVALUATION OF SEVERITY AND PROGNOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEART FAILURE BASED ON N-TERMINAL PRO-BRAIN NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE PLASMA LEVEL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. S. Galjavich

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim. To study an importance of plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (N-proBNP in evaluation of severity and prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF of ischemic genesis.Material and methods. 77 patients (60 men and 17 women; 59,4±10,7 y.o. with CHF of ischemic genesis were included in the study. All patients had sinus rhythm and history of Q wave myocardial infarction. Standard examination was performed to all patients. Besides N-proBNP plasma level and patients yearly survival were evaluated.Results. N-proBNP plasma level had direct correlation with clinical indices (exercise tolerance, blood pressure, heart rate and echocardiographic heart sizes. N-proBNP plasma level had relationship with prognosis of CHF patients. Baseline N-proBNP level was more than 2 times higher in died patients in comparison with survived patients. The yearly survival rate of CHF patients was 51,3% if N-proBNP level had been more than 400 fmol/ml (>15% of normal value. The clinico-laboratory index (based on N-proBNP plasma level of severity and prognosis in CHF patients was developed.Conclusion. The clinico-laboratory index based on N-proBNP plasma level is easy to use and can improve medical practice.

  20. Prediction of Xaa-Pro peptide bond conformation from sequence and chemical shifts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shen Yang; Bax, Ad, E-mail: bax@nih.go [National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Laboratory of Chemical Physics (United States)

    2010-03-15

    We present a program, named Promega, to predict the Xaa-Pro peptide bond conformation on the basis of backbone chemical shifts and the amino acid sequence. Using a chemical shift database of proteins of known structure together with the PDB-extracted amino acid preference of cis Xaa-Pro peptide bonds, a cis/trans probability score is calculated from the backbone and {sup 13}C{sup {beta}} chemical shifts of the proline and its neighboring residues. For an arbitrary number of input chemical shifts, which may include Pro-{sup 13}C{sup {gamma}}, Promega calculates the statistical probability that a Xaa-Pro peptide bond is cis. Besides its potential as a validation tool, Promega is particularly useful for studies of larger proteins where Pro-{sup 13}C{sup {gamma}} assignments can be challenging, and for on-going efforts to determine protein structures exclusively on the basis of backbone and {sup 13}C{sup {beta}} chemical shifts.

  1. Effect of low glomerular filtration rate on evaluating the cardiac function by N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide in patients with hypertension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Lili; Li Peiyong; Guan Liang

    2013-01-01

    Objective: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of NT-proBNP in hypertension patients by observing the effect of decreased GFR on N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentration in patients with different cardiac function. Methods: Eighty-nine hypertension patients were divided into two groups based on the results of UCG. Forty-three patients had normal left ventricular function and 46 patients had dysfunction. GFR, NT-proBNP and other biochemical markers of cardiac and renal function were measured. The factors affecting the NT-proBNP concentration under normal left ventricular function were analyzed, and the diagnostic value of NT-proBNP affected by normal or decreased GFR (> 80 ml/min or ≤80 ml/min) under different left ventricular functions were further assessed. The two-sample t test, rank sum test and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze their statistical difference and relationship. Results: In patients with normal left ventricular function, GFR (β=-0.361, P<0.05) and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD, β=0.385, P<0.05) were significant factors to NT-proBNP level. They were both meaningful compared with LVEF (β=0.189, P>0.05) and septal thickness (β=0.003, P>0.05). The median concentration of NT-proBNP was 13.18 and 24.14 μg/L in patients with normal left ventricular function and dysfunction, respectively (Z=-3.19, P<0.01). While in patients with decreased GFR, 6 cases with normal left ventricular function and 19 cases with dysfunction had a median concentration of NT-proBNP of 38.45 and 44.20 μg/L, respectively (Z=-0.45, P>0.05). In patients with normal GFR, 37 cases with normal left ventricular function and 27 cases with dysfunction had a median concentration of NT-proBNP of 12.51 and 20.31 μg/L, which was lower than that of patients with decreased GFR (Z=-2.76, both P<0.05). The NT-proBNP concentration had no significant difference between patients of normal left ventricular function with decreased GFR and

  2. Patents and innovation in cancer therapeutics: lessons from CellPro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bar-Shalom, Avital; Cook-Deegan, Robert

    2002-01-01

    This article discusses the interaction between intellectual property and cancer treatment. CellPro developed a stem cell separation technology based on research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. A patent with broad claims to bone marrow stem cell antibodies had been awarded to Johns Hopkins University and licensed to Baxter Healthcare under the 1980 Bayh-Dole Act to promote commercial use of inventions from federally funded research. CellPro got FDA approval more than two years before Baxter but lost patent infringement litigation. NIH elected not to compel Hopkins to license its patents to CellPro. CellPro went out of business, selling its technology to its competitor. Decisions at both firms and university licensing offices, and policies at the Patent and Trademark Office, NIH, and the courts influenced the outcome.

  3. The Interplay among Environmental Attitudes, Pro-Environmental Behavior, Social Identity, and Pro-Environmental Institutional Climate. A Longitudinal Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prati, Gabriele; Albanesi, Cinzia; Pietrantoni, Luca

    2017-01-01

    By using a panel design in a sample of 298 undergraduate/master students at an Italian public university, the present study aimed to test longitudinally the interplay among environmental attitudes, pro-environmental behavior, social identity, and pro-environmental institutional climate. The relationships were tested with cross-lagged analysis…

  4. Analysis of Surface Characteristics of ProTaper Universal and ProTaper Next Instruments by Scanning Electron Microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennett, Jeffery; Chung, Kwok-Hung; Fong, Hanson; Johnson, James; Paranjpe, Avina

    2017-07-01

    Many new rotary files systems have been introduced, however, limited research has been conducted related to the surface irregularities of these files and if these have any effects on the files themselves. Hence, the aim of the present study was to analyze surface irregularities of the ProTaper® Universal rotary files (PTU) and the ProTaper Next™ rotary files (PTN) before and after instrumentation in curved canals. The main objective was to investigate the nature of these irregularities and how they might influence the use and fracture of rotary files during root-canal treatments. The files were examined pre-operatively using a stereomicroscope and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) to analyze surface imperfections and the presence of particles. Mesial roots of forty extracted mandibular molars were selected. Each instrument was used to prepare one of the mesial canals. The files were then rinsed with alcohol, and autoclaved and analyzed again. Of the 80 files used in this study, five files fractured, five files unwound and seven files were curved or bent and they all belonged to the PTU group. Irregularities and debris could be visualized with the SEM on both unused PTU and PTN files. Most of the debris was found associated with deeper milling grooves and defects on the surface of the metal. Surface analysis of the files that were used and sterilized were performed and the SEM images demonstrated organic debris, metal flash, and crack formation and initiation of fractures for both file types. All files showed machining grooves, metal flash, debris, and defects on cutting edges. These irregularities appear to be critical in the accumulation of debris and initiation of fatigue and crack propagation within the NiTi alloy. The accumulation of debris could be a concern due to the potential exchange of organic debris between patients. Key words: ProTaper® Universal, ProTaper Next™, surface characteristics, SEM.

  5. Evaluation of bacterial leakage of four root- end filling materials: Gray Pro Root MTA, White Pro Root MTA, Root MTA and Portland Cement (type I

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zarabian M.

    2005-07-01

    Full Text Available Background and Aim: Today several materials have been used for root- end filling in endodontic surgery. Optimal properties of Pro Root MTA in in-vitro and in-vivo studies has been proven. On the other hand, based on some studies, Root MTA (Iranian Pro Root MTA and Portland cement are similar to Pro Root MTA in physical and biologic properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate bacterial leakage (amount and mean leakage time of four root- end filling materials. Materials and Methods: In this experimental in-vitro study, seventy six extracted single- rooted human teeth were randomly divided into six groups for root-end filling with gray Pro Root MTA, white Pro Root MTA, Root MTA (Iranian Pro Root MTA, Portland Cement (type I and positive and negative control groups. Root canals were instrumented using the step- back technique. Root- end filling materials were placed in 3mm ultra sonic retro preparations. Samples and microleakage model system were sterilized in autoclave. The apical 3-4 mm of the roots were immersed in phenol red with 3% lactose broth culture medium. The coronal access of each specimen was inoculated every 24h with a suspension of Streptococcus sanguis (ATCC 10556. Culture media were observed every 24h for colour change indicating bacterial contamination for 60 days. Statistical analysis was performed using log- rank test with P<0.05 as the limit of significance. Results: At the end of study 50%, 56.25%, 56.25% and 50% of specimens filled with Gray Pro Root MTA, White Pro Root MTA. Root MTA and Portland Cement (type I had evidence of leakage respectively. The mean leakage time was 37.19±6.29, 36.44±5.81, 37.69±5.97 and 34.81±6.67 days respectively. Statistical analysis of data showed no significant difference among the leakage (amount and mean leakage time of the four tested root- end filling materials (P=0.9958. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, there were no significant differences in leakage among the four

  6. Development of the Flu-PRO: a patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument to evaluate symptoms of influenza.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powers, John H; Guerrero, M Lourdes; Leidy, Nancy Kline; Fairchok, Mary P; Rosenberg, Alice; Hernández, Andrés; Stringer, Sonja; Schofield, Christina; Rodríguez-Zulueta, Patricia; Kim, Katherine; Danaher, Patrick J; Ortega-Gallegos, Hilda; Bacci, Elizabeth Dansie; Stepp, Nathaniel; Galindo-Fraga, Arturo; St Clair, Kristina; Rajnik, Michael; McDonough, Erin A; Ridoré, Michelande; Arnold, John C; Millar, Eugene V; Ruiz-Palacios, Guillermo M

    2016-01-05

    To develop content validity of a comprehensive patient-reported outcome (PRO) measure following current best scientific methodology to standardize assessment of influenza (flu) symptoms in clinical research. Stage I (Concept Elicitation): 1:1 telephone interviews with influenza-positive adults (≥18 years) in the US and Mexico within 7 days of diagnosis. Participants described symptom type, character, severity, and duration. Content analysis identified themes and developed the draft Flu-PRO instrument. Stage II (Cognitive Interviewing): The Flu-PRO was administered to a unique set of influenza-positive adults within 14 days of diagnosis; telephone interviews addressed completeness, respondent interpretation of items and ease of use. Samples: Stage I: N = 46 adults (16 US, 30 Mexico); mean (SD) age: 38 (19), 39 (14) years; % female: 56%, 73%; race: 69% White, 97% Mestizo. Stage II: N = 34 adults (12 US, 22 Mexico); age: 37 (14), 39 (11) years; % female: 50%, 50%; race: 58% White, 100% Mestizo. Symptoms identified by >50%: coughing, weak or tired, throat symptoms, congestion, headache, weakness, sweating, chills, general discomfort, runny nose, chest (trouble breathing), difficulty sleeping, and body aches or pains. No new content was uncovered during Stage II; participants easily understood the instrument. Results show the 37-item Flu-PRO is a content valid measure of influenza symptoms in adults with a confirmed diagnosis of influenza. Research is underway to evaluate the suitability of the instrument for children and adolescents. This work can form the basis for future quantitative tests of reliability, validity, and responsiveness to evaluate the measurement properties of Flu-PRO for use in clinical trials and epidemiology studies.

  7. FileMaker Pro 11 The Missing Manual

    CERN Document Server

    Prosser, Susan

    2010-01-01

    This hands-on, friendly guide shows you how to harness FileMaker's power to make your information work for you. With a few mouse clicks, the FileMaker Pro 11 database helps you create and print corporate reports, manage a mailing list, or run your entire business. FileMaker Pro 11: The Missing Manual helps you get started, build your database, and produce results, whether you're running a business, pursuing a hobby, or planning your retirement. It's a thorough, accessible guide for new, non-technical users, as well as those with more experience. Start up: Get your first database up and runnin

  8. N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide measurement in plasma suggests covalent modification

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hunter, Ingrid; Alehagen, Urban; Dahlström, Ulf

    2011-01-01

    different proANP assays on clinical outcome. METHODS: We examined 474 elderly patients with symptoms of heart failure presenting in a primary healthcare setting. Samples were analyzed with an automated immunoluminometric midregion proANP (MR-proANP) assay and a new processing-independent assay (PIA.......74 (95% CI, 0.66–0.81); P = 0.32]. The prognostic ability to report cardiovascular mortality during a 10-year follow-up revealed AUC values of 0.66 (95% CI, 0.60–0.71) for the proANP PIA and 0.69 (95% CI, 0.63–0.74) for the MR-proANP assay (P = 0.08, for comparing the 2 assays). CONCLUSIONS: Our data......BACKGROUND: The N-terminal fragment of cardiac-derived pro–B-type natriuretic peptide is a glycosylated polypeptide. It is unknown whether N-terminal pro–atrial natriuretic peptide (proANP) fragments are also covalently modified. We therefore evaluated the clinical performance of 2 distinctly...

  9. GeoPro: Technology to Enable Scientific Modeling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    C. Juan

    2004-01-01

    Development of the ground-water flow model for the Death Valley Regional Groundwater Flow System (DVRFS) required integration of numerous supporting hydrogeologic investigations. The results from recharge, discharge, hydraulic properties, water level, pumping, model boundaries, and geologic studies were integrated to develop the required conceptual and 3-D framework models, and the flow model itself. To support the complex modeling process and the needs of the multidisciplinary DVRFS team, a hardware and software system called GeoPro (Geoscience Knowledge Integration Protocol) was developed. A primary function of GeoPro is to manage the large volume of disparate data compiled for the 100,000-square-kilometer area of southern Nevada and California. The data are primarily from previous investigations and regional flow models developed for the Nevada Test Site and Yucca Mountain projects. GeoPro utilizes relational database technology (Microsoft SQL Server(trademark)) to store and manage these tabular point data, groundwater flow model ASCII data, 3-D hydrogeologic framework data, 2-D and 2.5-D GIS data, and text documents. Data management consists of versioning, tracking, and reporting data changes as multiple users access the centralized database. GeoPro also supports the modeling process by automating the routine data transformations required to integrate project software. This automation is also crucial to streamlining pre- and post-processing of model data during model calibration. Another function of GeoPro is to facilitate the dissemination and use of the model data and results through web-based documents by linking and allowing access to the underlying database and analysis tools. The intent is to convey to end-users the complex flow model product in a manner that is simple, flexible, and relevant to their needs. GeoPro is evolving from a prototype system to a production-level product. Currently the DVRFS pre- and post-processing modeling tools are being re

  10. NT-proBNP

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Charlotte; Mellemkjær, Søren; Hilberg, Ole

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious complication to interstitial lung disease (ILD) and has a poor prognosis. PH is often diagnosed by screening with echocardiography followed by right heart catheterisation. A previous study has shown that a value of NT-pro-brain natriuretic...

  11. Pro Android Flash

    CERN Document Server

    Chin, Stephen; Campesato, Oswald

    2011-01-01

    Did you know you can take your Flash skills beyond the browser, allowing you to make apps for Android, iOS and the BlackBerry Tablet OS? Build dynamic apps today starting with the easy-to-use Android smartphones and tablets. Then, take your app to other platforms without writing native code. Pro Android Flash is the definitive guide to building Flash and other rich Internet applications (RIAs) on the Android platform. It covers the most popular RIA frameworks for Android developers - Flash and Flex - and shows how to build rich, immersive user experiences on both Android smartphones and tablet

  12. Regional differences in the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) pro-peptide, proBDNF and preproBDNF in the brain confer stress resilience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Bangkun; Yang, Chun; Ren, Qian; Zhang, Ji-Chun; Chen, Qian-Xue; Shirayama, Yukihiko; Hashimoto, Kenji

    2016-12-01

    Using learned helplessness (LH) model of depression, we measured protein expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) pro-peptide, BDNF precursors (proBDNF and preproBDNF) in the brain regions of LH (susceptible) and non-LH rats (resilience). Expression of preproBDNF, proBDNF and BDNF pro-peptide in the medial prefrontal cortex of LH rats, but not non-LH rats, was significantly higher than control rats, although expression of these proteins in the nucleus accumbens of LH rats was significantly lower than control rats. This study suggests that regional differences in conversion of BDNF precursors into BDNF and BDNF pro-peptide by proteolytic cleavage may contribute to stress resilience.

  13. Synthesis of the tritium labelled β-casomorphine analogues 3H-Phe-Pro-Gly-OH and 3H2-Tyr-Pro-3H-Phe-pyrrolidide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oehlke, J.; Niedrich, H.; Born, I.; Neubert, K.; Mittag, E.

    1991-01-01

    The precursor peptides H-Phe(I)-Pro-Gly-OH (III) and H-Tyr(I 2 )-Pro-Phe(I)-pyrrolidide (VIII) were synthesized by stepwise elongation from the C-terminal end and by coupling of Boc-Tyr(I 2 )-Pro-OH with H-Phe(I)-pyrrolidide and following deprotection of the Boc-residue respectively. Catalytic dehalotritiation yielded tritated peptides with specific radioactivities of 450 and 1500 GBq/mmol respectively. Cleavage of 3 H 2 -Tyr-Pro- 3 H-Phe-pyrrolidide by dipeptidylpeptidase IV resulted in fragments with specific radioactivities of 950 ( 3 H 2 -Tyr-Pro) and 590 GBq/ mmol ( 3 H-Phe-pyrrolidide). (author)

  14. Knock out of the BASIGIN/CD147 chaperone of lactate/H+ symporters disproves its pro-tumour action via extracellular matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) induction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marchiq, Ibtissam; Albrengues, Jean; Granja, Sara; Gaggioli, Cédric; Pouysségur, Jacques; Simon, Marie-Pierre

    2015-09-22

    BASIGIN/CD147/EMMPRIN is a multifunctional transmembrane glycoprotein strongly expressed in tumours. BASIGIN controls tumour metabolism, particularly glycolysis by facilitating lactic acid export through the two monocarboxylate transporters MCT1 and hypoxia-inducible MCT4. However, before being recognized as a co-carrier of MCTs, BASIGIN was described as an inducer of extracellular matrix metalloproteases (MMPs). Early on, a model emerged in which, tumour cells use the extracellular domain of BASIGIN to recognize and stimulate neighbouring fibroblasts to produce MMPs. However, this model has remained hypothetical since a direct link between BASIGIN and MMPs production has not yet been clearly established. To validate the BASIGIN/MMP hypothesis, we developed BASIGIN knockouts in three human tumour cell lines derived from glioma, colon, and lung adenocarcinoma. By using co-culture experiments of either human or mouse fibroblasts and tumour cell lines we showed, contrary to what has been abundantly published, that the disruption of BASIGIN in tumour cells and in MEFs has no action on the production of MMPs. Our findings do not support the notion that the pro-tumoural action of BASIGIN is mediated via induction of MMPs. Therefore, we propose that to date, the strongest pro-tumoural action of BASIGIN is mediated through the control of fermentative glycolysis.

  15. Mean or green : Which values can promote stable pro-environmental behavior?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Groot, Judith I. M.; Steg, Linda

    In most cases, pro-environmental behavior does not maximize individual interests, but mainly benefits other people or the environment. We propose that although acting on the basis of egoistic considerations may result in pro-environmental behavior, altruistic and biospheric considerations provide

  16. ProP Is Required for the Survival of Desiccated Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Cells on a Stainless Steel Surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finn, Sarah; Händler, Kristian; Condell, Orla; Colgan, Aoife; Cooney, Shane; McClure, Peter; Amézquita, Aléjandro; Hinton, Jay C. D.

    2013-01-01

    Consumers trust commercial food production to be safe, and it is important to strive to improve food safety at every level. Several outbreaks of food-borne disease have been caused by Salmonella strains associated with dried food. Currently we do not know the mechanisms used by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium to survive in desiccated environments. The aim of this study was to discover the responses of S. Typhimurium ST4/74 at the transcriptional level to desiccation on a stainless steel surface and to subsequent rehydration. Bacterial cells were dried onto the same steel surfaces used during the production of dry foods, and RNA was recovered for transcriptomic analysis. Subsequently, dried cells were rehydrated and were again used for transcriptomic analysis. A total of 266 genes were differentially expressed under desiccation stress compared with a static broth culture. The osmoprotectant transporters proP, proU, and osmU (STM1491 to STM1494) were highly upregulated by drying. Deletion of any one of these transport systems resulted in a reduction in the long-term viability of S. Typhimurium on a stainless steel food contact surface. The proP gene was critical for survival; proP deletion mutants could not survive desiccation for long periods and were undetectable after 4 weeks. Following rehydration, 138 genes were differentially expressed, with upregulation observed for genes such as proP, proU, and the phosphate transport genes (pstACS). In time, this knowledge should prove valuable for understanding the underlying mechanisms involved in pathogen survival and should lead to improved methods for control to ensure the safety of intermediate- and low-moisture foods. PMID:23666329

  17. Pro OpenSSH

    CERN Document Server

    Stahnke, Michael

    2006-01-01

    SSH, acronym for Secure Socket Shell, is for users and administrators wishing to establish secure communication between disparate networks. 'Pro OpenSSH', authored by two Fortune 100 system administrators, provides readers with a highly practical reference for configuring and deploying OpenSSH in their own environment.

  18. Trajectories in higher education: ProUni in focus

    OpenAIRE

    Felicetti,Vera Lucia; Cabrera,Alberto F.

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Trajectories in higher education and the University for All Program (ProUni) are the central theme of this paper. The research question was: To what extent were some factors experienced during university difficulties in the academic trajectory of ProUni and non-ProUni graduates? The approach was quantitative with an explanatory goal. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in the data analysis. The research subjects were 197 higher education graduates from a Southern Brazil ...

  19. Bioaccessibility of pro-vitamin A carotenoids is minimally affected by non pro-vitamin a xanthophylls in maize (Zea mays sp.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thakkar, Sagar K; Failla, Mark L

    2008-12-10

    The absorption of some carotenoids has been reported to be decreased by coingestion of relatively high concentrations of other carotenoids. It is unclear if such interactions occur among carotenoids during the digestion of plant foods. Current varieties of maize contain limited amounts of the pro-vitamin A (pro-VA) carotenoids beta-carotene (BC) and beta-cryptoxanthin (BCX) and relatively higher levels of their oxygenated metabolites lutein (LUT) and zeaxanthin (ZEA). Here, we examined if LUT and ZEA attenuate the bioaccessibility of pro-VA carotenoids at amounts and ratios present in maize. BC incorporation into bile salt mixed micelles during chemical preparation and during simulated small intestinal digestion of carotenoid-enriched oil was slightly increased when the concentration of LUT was sixfold or more greater than BC. Likewise, the efficiency of BC micellarization was slightly increased during simulated small intestinal digestion of white maize porridge supplemented with oil containing ninefold molar excess of LUT to BC. Mean efficiencies of micellarization of BC, BCX, LUT, and ZEA were 16.7, 27.7, 30.3, and 27.9%, respectively, and independent of the ratio of LUT plus ZEA to pro-VA carotenoids during simulated digestion of maize porridge prepared from flours containing 0.4-11.3 microg/g endogenous pro-VA carotenoids. LUT attenuated uptake of BC by differentiated cultures of Caco-2 human cells from medium-containing micelles in a dose-dependent manner with inhibition reaching 35% when the molar ratio of LUT to BC was 13. Taken together, these results suggest that the bioaccessibility of pro-VA carotenoids in maize is likely to be minimally affected by the relative levels of xanthophylls lacking pro-VA activity present in cultivars of maize.

  20. Video Capture of Plastic Surgery Procedures Using the GoPro HERO 3+.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graves, Steven Nicholas; Shenaq, Deana Saleh; Langerman, Alexander J; Song, David H

    2015-02-01

    Significant improvements can be made in recoding surgical procedures, particularly in capturing high-quality video recordings from the surgeons' point of view. This study examined the utility of the GoPro HERO 3+ Black Edition camera for high-definition, point-of-view recordings of plastic and reconstructive surgery. The GoPro HERO 3+ Black Edition camera was head-mounted on the surgeon and oriented to the surgeon's perspective using the GoPro App. The camera was used to record 4 cases: 2 fat graft procedures and 2 breast reconstructions. During cases 1-3, an assistant remotely controlled the GoPro via the GoPro App. For case 4 the GoPro was linked to a WiFi remote, and controlled by the surgeon. Camera settings for case 1 were as follows: 1080p video resolution; 48 fps; Protune mode on; wide field of view; 16:9 aspect ratio. The lighting contrast due to the overhead lights resulted in limited washout of the video image. Camera settings were adjusted for cases 2-4 to a narrow field of view, which enabled the camera's automatic white balance to better compensate for bright lights focused on the surgical field. Cases 2-4 captured video sufficient for teaching or presentation purposes. The GoPro HERO 3+ Black Edition camera enables high-quality, cost-effective video recording of plastic and reconstructive surgery procedures. When set to a narrow field of view and automatic white balance, the camera is able to sufficiently compensate for the contrasting light environment of the operating room and capture high-resolution, detailed video.

  1. ProMeV Light : een invulling van risicogestuurde aanpak van weginfrastructuur.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bax, C. A. Eenink, R.G. Commandeur, J.J.F. & Loenis, B.J.C.

    2017-01-01

    A light variant of ProMeV applied in twelve provinces : a risk based approach to road infrastructure. ProMeV Light quickly and proactively gives an overview of the biggest safety bottlenecks on road sections in the provincial road network. This way it offers a useful alternative to a policy on the

  2. Value of amino-terminal pro B-natriuretic peptide in diagnosing Kawasaki disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McNeal-Davidson, Ariane; Fournier, Anne; Spigelblatt, Linda; Saint-Cyr, Claire; Mir, Thomas S; Nir, Amiram; Dallaire, Frédéric; Cousineau, Jocelyne; Delvin, Edgard; Dahdah, Nagib

    2012-10-01

    The aim of the present study was to investigate the diagnostic value of the N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in acute Kawasaki disease (KD) given that the clinical criteria and the current basic laboratory tests lack the necessary specificity for accurate diagnosis. Basic biological tests and serum NT-proBNP levels obtained from acute KD patients were compared to that of febrile controls. NT-proBNP was considered abnormal based on the following definitions: above a cut-off determined on receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis, above the upper limit for age, or above 2 SD calculated from healthy children. Analyses were also performed for KD cases with complete or incomplete criteria combined and separately. There were 81 patients and 49 controls aged 3.60 ± 2.77 versus 4.25 ± 3.88 years (P= 0.69). ROC analysis yielded significant area under the curve for NT-proBNP. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 70.4-88.9%, 69.4-91.8%, 82.8-93.4%, and 65.2-79.1%. The odds ratios based on NT-proBNP definitions varied between 18.13 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.21-45.57), 20.82 (95%CI: 8.18-53.0), and 26.71 (95%CI: 8.64-82.57; P < 0.001). Results were reproducible for cases with complete or incomplete criteria separately. NT-proBNP is a reliable marker for the diagnosis of KD. Prospective clinical studies with emphasis on NT-proBNP in a diagnostic algorithm are needed. © 2012 The Authors. Pediatrics International © 2012 Japan Pediatric Society.

  3. BEPS: quo vadis Nederland?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cornelisse, R.P.C.

    2015-01-01

    Schrijver blikt vooruit op de ontwikkelingen die dit jaar in de fiscale wereld gaan plaatsvinden. Hij stelt de vraag aan de orde of Nederland de ontwikkelingen op dit terrein moet afwachten of dat het verstandiger is juist niet af te wachten maar pro-actief haar fiscale stelsel op korte termijn

  4. Influence of multiple clinical use on fatigue resistance of ProTaper rotary nickel-titanium instruments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vieira, E P; França, E C; Martins, R C; Buono, V T L; Bahia, M G A

    2008-02-01

    To examine the influence of clinical use on the occurrence of deformation and fracture and on the fatigue resistance of ProTaper rotary instruments. Root canal treatments were performed on patients using the ProTaper rotary system. Ten sets of instruments were used by an experienced endodontist, each set in five molars. Another 10 sets of instruments were used by the same operator, each set in eight molars. In addition, 10 sets of instruments were used, each set in five molars, by undergraduate students with no clinical experience with the system. After clinical use, S1, S2, F1 and F2 instruments were analysed for damage by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The used sets, along with a control group of 12 sets of new instruments, were then tested in a bench device for fatigue resistance. The use of the ProTaper rotary instruments by an experienced endodontist allowed for the cleaning and shaping of the root canal system of up to eight molars without fracture. During the students work, six instruments fractured. Fatigue resistance decreased upon clinical use for all instruments analysed. Fatigue resistance of used instruments was reduced, but no significant change was observed amongst the instruments used for shaping the canals of five and eight molars. Operator experience affected the occurrence of fracture and plastic deformation during shaping.

  5. Relationships between daily affect and pro-environmental behavior at work : The moderating role of pro-environmental attitude

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bissing-Olson, Megan J.; Iyer, Aarti; Fielding, Kelly S.; Zacher, Hannes

    Research in organizational psychology has increasingly focused on understanding the determinants of green employee behavior. The present study used a daily diary design to investigate relationships between employees' daily affect, pro-environmental attitude, as well as daily task-related

  6. NT-proBNP (N-Terminal pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide)-Guided Therapy in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: PRIMA II Randomized Controlled Trial (Can NT-ProBNP-Guided Therapy During Hospital Admission for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Reduce Mortality and Readmissions?).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stienen, Susan; Salah, Khibar; Moons, Arno H; Bakx, Adrianus L; van Pol, Petra; Kortz, R A Mikael; Ferreira, João Pedro; Marques, Irene; Schroeder-Tanka, Jutta M; Keijer, Jan T; Bayés-Genis, Antoni; Tijssen, Jan G P; Pinto, Yigal M; Kok, Wouter E

    2018-04-17

    The concept of natriuretic peptide guidance has been extensively studied in patients with chronic heart failure (HF), with only limited success. The effect of NT-proBNP (N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide)-guided therapy in patients with acute decompensated HF using a relative NT-proBNP target has not been investigated. This study aimed to assess whether NT-proBNP-guided therapy of patients with acute decompensated HF using a relative NT-proBNP target would lead to improved outcomes compared with conventional therapy. We conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial to study the impact of in-hospital guidance for acute decompensated HF treatment by a predefined NT-proBNP target (>30% reduction from admission to discharge) versus conventional treatment. Patients with acute decompensated HF with NT-proBNP levels >1700 ng/L were eligible. After achieving clinical stability, 405 patients were randomized to either NT-proBNP-guided or conventional treatment (1:1). The primary end point was dual: a composite of all-cause mortality and HF readmissions in 180 days and the number of days alive out of the hospital in 180 days. Secondary end points were all-cause mortality within 180 days, HF readmissions within 180 days, and a composite of all-cause mortality and HF readmissions within 90 days. Significantly more patients in the NT-proBNP-guided therapy group were discharged with an NT-proBNP reduction of >30% (80% versus 64%, P =0.001). Nonetheless, NT-proBNP-guided therapy did not significantly improve the combined event rate for all-cause mortality and HF readmissions (hazard ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.72-1.37; P =0.99) or the median number of days alive outside of the hospital (178 versus 179 days for NT-proBNP versus conventional patients, P =0.39). Guided therapy also did not significantly improve any of the secondary end points. The PRIMA II trial (Can NT-ProBNP-Guided Therapy During Hospital Admission for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

  7. SolarProTeam - Final report; Solar production technology melts architects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2010-07-01

    To this date, no module manufacturing line has been able to produce special designed multiple function modules or Custom Design Solution (hereafter CDS) modules at costs that are anywhere near the costs of standard modules. The goal of this R and D project was to provide the basis for eliminating the multiplication of costs for specialised modules. The purpose of the SolarProTeam R and D project is to form the foundation of special production equipment and production lay-out in order to realise a cost-effective CDS module production line. The main results derive from research and development of: (1) A number of new module designs corresponding to the special demands of end-users. For instance, black shiny modules with high efficiency; long large black modules with in-built thermal absorbers; flexible high voltage lightweight modules for ground water pumping; large area curved colorful modules with for architecturally advanced buildings; a solar tree for power supply placed along roads and in public places. Module designs are reported. (2) A new general concept 'Q-keys' based on a master plan and specially designed modules integrating both very large and medium sized individual solar plants in the environment of the end-user. I.e., in addition to integration with regard to architectural and environment demands, integration with respect to technical demands are met, such as storage, desalination plants, cooling, mini-grids, the general grid, etc. The Q-keys concept emphasizes the financial issue in that the solar plants are competitive with coal generated electricity and stand-alone diesel generation of electricity. (3) Fully automated production equipment and a semi-automatic module production line, which can mass produce advanced multifunctional and/or architecturally integrated modules at a cost effective price. The equipment and production line were inspired by the functional and technological demands of different types of costumer designed modules. Due

  8. Evaluation of glucose metabolism and reproductive hormones in polycystic ovary syndrome on the basis of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma2 Pro12Ala genotype.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tok, E C; Aktas, A; Ertunc, D; Erdal, E M; Dilek, S

    2005-06-01

    Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma2 Pro12Ala polymorphism has been suggested as a protective factor for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In this study, we aimed to investigate metabolic features and reproductive hormones in women with PCOS and compare these features with control women on the basis of Pro12Ala genotype. This study involved 60 randomly selected women with PCOS and 60 controls. Main outcome measures were anthropometric measures, variables of glucose metabolism and reproductive hormones. All the patients were genotyped for Pro12Ala variant of PPAR-gamma2 gene. Patients with Pro12Ala polymorphism were more obese in both groups. Furthermore, they had lower fasting insulin levels, were less insulin-resistant and were less glucose-intolerant as demonstrated by 2 h glucose concentrations. However, there was no difference in reproductive hormone levels on the basis of Pro12Ala genotype. Both control women and women with PCOS had significant differences in glucose metabolism on the basis of PPAR-gamma2 Pro12Ala polymorphism. Pro12Ala variant may break the process that leads to PCOS in susceptible women, instead of being a direct causal relationship between Pro12Ala polymorphism and PCOS.

  9. Cell model for the study of receptor and regulatory functions of human proHB-EGF

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. V. Korotkevych

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Developing of new models and approaches, particularly with fluorescent techniques, for investigation of intracellular transport of proHB-EGF and its ligand-receptor complexes is strongly required. In order to create a model for studying proHB-EGF functions the genetic construction pEGFP-N1-proHB-EGF, encoding proHB-EGF-EGFP which is fluorescent-labeled form of proHB-EGF with enhanced green fluorescent protein EGFP in the cytoplasmic terminus of the molecule, was obtained. Eukaryotic cells expressing fusion protein proHB-EGF-EGFP on the cell surface were obtained by transfection with pEGFP-N1-proHB-EGF. Expressed in the Vero cells proHB-EGF-EGFP could bind fluorescent derivative of nontoxic receptor-binding subunit B of diphtheria toxin mCherry-SubB. After stimulation of transfected cells with TPA (12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, proHB-EGF-EGFP formed a fluorescentl-labeled C-terminal fragment of the molecule – CTF-EGFP. Thus, the obtained genetic construction pEGFP-N1-proHB-EGF could be helpful in visualization of molecules proHB-EGF and CTF in cells, may open new possibilities for the studying of their functions, such as receptor function of proHB-EGF for diphtheria toxin, intracellular translocation of CTF and provide possibilities for natural proHB-EGF ligands search.

  10. Legal Understanding of "Quid Pro Quo" Sexual Harassment in Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahlangu, Vimbi Petrus

    2017-01-01

    This paper highlights legal understanding of quid pro quo sexual harassment in schools. Quid pro quo sexual harassment implies abuse of authority or position to gain something sexual. A duty of care rests on teachers, Schools Governing Bodies and the Department of Education to provide and maintain safe schools that are free from all forms of…

  11. PaintShop Pro X4 for photographers

    CERN Document Server

    McMahon, Ken

    2012-01-01

    Great for those new to PaintShop Pro or digital imaging in general, this book is packed with inspirational, full-color images and easy to follow, step-by-step projects that will have you producing great images in PaintShop Pro in no time! Everything you need to turn your photos into stunning works of art is right here in this Corel-reviewed guide. In this new edition, Ken covers new features including how to make the most of the newly organized workspaces, use the redesigned HDR tool, and instantly publish photos on Flickr and Facebook. Squeeze every ounce of detail out of RAW files using the

  12. [Evaluation of preparation of curved root canals using hand-used ProTaper].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nie, Min; Zhao, Xin-Chen; Peng, Bin; Fan, Ming-Wen; Bian, Zhuan

    2009-05-01

    To evaluate the shaping ability of hand-used ProTaper on curved canals using Endodontic Cube. Fifty-four curved root canals in vitro were selected and divided into three groups according to the curved degree (alpha), group A: 0 degrees hand-used ProTaper. Before and after shaping, photograph of all the sections were taken under a stereomicroscope. Statistical analyses were performed. The dentin cutting quantity of the whole canal prepared with ProTaper in group B and C was larger than that of group A. The deviation distance of the whole canal prepared by ProTaper in group C was significantly larger than that in group A, and the deviation distance in middle portion larger than that in group B. The maintaining ability in the middle portion of group C by ProTaper was worse than that of group A and B. The curvature of root canal may increase the cutting quantity of the -dentin and reduce the ability of remaining original canal shape prepared by ProTaper.

  13. The Gain-of-Function Integrin β3 Pro33 Variant Alters the Serotonin System in the Mouse Brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dohn, Michael R; Kooker, Christopher G; Bastarache, Lisa; Jessen, Tammy; Rinaldi, Capria; Varney, Seth; Mazalouskas, Matthew D; Pan, Hope; Oliver, Kendra H; Velez Edwards, Digna R; Sutcliffe, James S; Denny, Joshua C; Carneiro, Ana M D

    2017-11-15

    Engagement of integrins by the extracellular matrix initiates signaling cascades that drive a variety of cellular functions, including neuronal migration and axonal pathfinding in the brain. Multiple lines of evidence link the ITGB3 gene encoding the integrin β3 subunit with the serotonin (5-HT) system, likely via its modulation of the 5-HT transporter (SERT). The ITGB3 coding polymorphism Leu33Pro (rs5918, Pl A2 ) produces hyperactive αvβ3 receptors that influence whole-blood 5-HT levels and may influence the risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Using a phenome-wide scan of psychiatric diagnoses, we found significant, male-specific associations between the Pro33 allele and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and ASDs. Here, we used knock-in (KI) mice expressing an Itgb3 variant that phenocopies the human Pro33 variant to elucidate the consequences of constitutively enhanced αvβ3 signaling to the 5-HT system in the brain. KI mice displayed deficits in multiple behaviors, including anxiety, repetitive, and social behaviors. Anatomical studies revealed a significant decrease in 5-HT synapses in the midbrain, accompanied by decreases in SERT activity and reduced localization of SERTs to integrin adhesion complexes in synapses of KI mice. Inhibition of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) rescued SERT function in synapses of KI mice, demonstrating that constitutive active FAK signaling downstream of the Pro32Pro33 integrin αvβ3 suppresses SERT activity. Our studies identify a complex regulation of 5-HT homeostasis and behaviors by integrin αvβ3, revealing an important role for integrins in modulating risk for neuropsychiatric disorders. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The integrin β3 Leu33Pro coding polymorphism has been associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) within a subgroup of patients with elevated blood 5-HT levels, linking integrin β3, 5-HT, and ASD risk. We capitalized on these interactions to demonstrate that the Pro33 coding variation in the murine

  14. Pro asynchronous programming with .NET

    CERN Document Server

    Blewett, Richard; Ltd, Rock Solid Knowledge

    2014-01-01

    Pro Asynchronous Programming with .NET teaches the essential skill of asynchronous programming in .NET. It answers critical questions in .NET application development, such as: how do I keep my program responding at all times to keep my users happy how do I make the most of the available hardware how can I improve performanceIn the modern world, users expect more and more from their applications and devices, and multi-core hardware has the potential to provide it. But it takes carefully crafted code to turn that potential into responsive, scalable applications.With Pro Asynchronous Programming

  15. N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide as a cardiac biomarker in Japanese hemodialysis patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimizu, Minako; Doi, Shigehiro; Nakashima, Ayumu; Naito, Takayuki; Masaki, Takao

    2018-03-01

    This study examined the clinical significance of N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide level as a cardiac marker in Japanese hemodialysis patients. This was a multicenter cross-sectional study involving 1428 Japanese hemodialysis patients. Ultrasonic cardiography data at post-hemodialysis were obtained from 395 patients. We examined whether serum N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide levels were associated with cardiac parameters and assessed cut-off values and investigated factors associated with a reduced ratio of N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide levels pre- and post-hemodialysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that pre- and post-hemodialysis N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide levels were associated with left ventricular hypertrophy on electrocardiogram (odds ratio: 3.10; p N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide levels were also significantly associated with ejection fraction on urine chorionic gonadotrophin (ultrasonic cardiography; odds ratio: 35.83; p N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide reduction ratio during a hemodialysis session correlated with Kt/V, membrane area, membrane type, modality, body weight gain ratio, treatment time, and ultrafiltration rate with multiple linear regression ( R: 0.53; p N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide are associated with the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy in this population. The post-hemodialysis N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide level is a useful marker for systolic dysfunction.

  16. The Chemical Product Simulator - ProCAPD

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kalakul, Sawitree; Eden, Mario Richard; Gani, Rafiqul

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, a chemical product design simulator called ProCAPD is presented. ProCAPD works in the same way as a chemical process simulator, that is, it helps to verify product design decisions and generates information that can be used to make design decisions. Like the contents of the process...... simulator, the product simulator needs a database of chemicals and properties, a library of models, numerical routines to solve mathematical problems as well as various calculation options. Also, like the process simulator, the product simulator comes with a user-interface to describe the problems.......); calculation tools (product attributes, blend compositions, environmental impact, etc.); design templates (single molecules, blends, formulations, emulsions, devices); and, design-simulation-analysis functions. All these capabilities are based on the prototype tool developed by Kalakul et al. (2017...

  17. The Effects of Allicin, a Reactive Sulfur Species from Garlic, on a Selection of Mammalian Cell Lines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin C. H. Gruhlke

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Garlic (Allium sativum L. has been used as a spice and medicinal plant since ancient times. Garlic produces the thiol-reactive defence substance, allicin, upon wounding. The effects of allicin on human lung epithelium carcinoma (A549, mouse fibroblast (3T3, human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC, human colon carcinoma (HT29 and human breast cancer (MCF7 cell lines were tested. To estimate toxic effects of allicin, we used a standard MTT-test (methylthiazoltetrazolium for cell viability and 3H-thymidine incorporation for cell proliferation. The glutathione pool was measured using monobromobimane and the formation of reactive species was identified using 2′,7′-dichlorofluoresceine-diacetate. The YO-PRO-1 iodide staining procedure was used to estimate apoptosis. Allicin reduced cell viability and cell proliferation in a concentration dependent manner. In the bimane test, it was observed that cells treated with allicin showed reduced fluorescence, suggesting glutathione oxidation. The cell lines tested differed in sensitivity to allicin in regard to viability, cell proliferation and glutathione oxidation. The 3T3 and MCF-7 cells showed a higher proportion of apoptosis compared to the other cell types. These data show that mammalian cell lines differ in their sensitivity and responses to allicin.

  18. Influence of age on the prognostic value of mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin in the general population

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brouwers, Frank P.; de Boer, Rudolf A.; van der Harst, Pim; Struck, Joachim; de Jong, Paul E.; de Zeeuw, Dick; Gans, Rijk O.; Gansevoort, Ron T.; Hillege, Hans L.; van Gilst, Wiek H.; Bakker, Stephan J.

    Objective Experimental studies have shown that adrenomedullin (ADM) has an important role in circulatory homeostasis. Mid-regional pro-ADM (MR-proADM) is a stable form of ADM. Observational studies found an important association with age, body mass index and kidney function. The aim of this study

  19. The Role of Social Influences on Pro-Environment Behaviors in the San Diego Region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Estrada, Mica; Schultz, P Wesley; Silva-Send, Nilmini; Boudrias, Michel A

    2017-04-01

    From a social psychological perspective, addressing the threats of climate change involves not only education, which imparts objective facts upon a passive individual, but also a socializing process. The Tripartite Integration Model of Social Influence (TIMSI) provides a theoretical framework that connects acquiring climate change knowledge with integration into a community, which results in greater engagement in climate friendly behaviors. Survey data were collected from 1000 residents in San Diego County. Measures included (a) knowledge about climate change; (b) self-efficacy, what pro-environmental actions they felt they could do; (c) identity, to what extent they identified as part of a community that is concerned about climate change; (d) values, endorsement of values of the community that is concerned about climate change; and (e) pro-environmental behavior, engagement in conservation behaviors. Results indicated that self-efficacy and values mediated the relationship between knowledge and pro-environmental behavior.

  20. What is next for forward osmosis (FO) and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO)

    KAUST Repository

    Chung, Neal Tai-Shung

    2015-10-29

    This short review summarizes our understanding and perspectives on FO and PRO processes and meaningful R & D in order to develop effective and sustainable FO and PRO technologies for water reuse and osmotic power generation.

  1. What is next for forward osmosis (FO) and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO)

    KAUST Repository

    Chung, Neal Tai-Shung; Luo, Lin; Wan, Chun Feng; Cui, Yue; Amy, Gary L.

    2015-01-01

    This short review summarizes our understanding and perspectives on FO and PRO processes and meaningful R & D in order to develop effective and sustainable FO and PRO technologies for water reuse and osmotic power generation.

  2. Energy recovery by pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) in SWRO–PRO integrated processes

    KAUST Repository

    Wan, Chun Feng; Chung, Neal Tai-Shung

    2015-01-01

    Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is a promising technology to reduce the specific energy consumption of a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant. In this study, it is projected that 25.6-40.7millionkWh/day of energy can be recovered globally

  3. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PROVISION OF PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICES BY ATTORNEYS IN SOUTH AFRICA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dave Holness

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available SUMMARYThis paper focuses on legal service delivery for the indigent by attorneys in private practice acting pro bono in civil rather than criminal matters. In this regard there have been and continue to be considerable gaps between the proper access to civil justice imperatives of constitutional South Africa and the status quo which has existed from the advent of a democratic South Africa until the present. Law as a vehicle for necessary positive change in the daily lives of South African residents is pertinently considered within the country’s woefully unequal socio-economic climate. This paper considers the role which pro bono work by private attorneys is playing and should play in promoting a more just and equitable society through proper access to justice. It explores the current position in South Africa as well as the position in selected foreign jurisdictions regarding pro bono services by attorneys in private practice in civil matters. Part of the discussion focuses on the question of whether pro bono work should be voluntary or mandatory. The merits of introducing a pro bono obligation are critically analysed by looking at the effect on both legal practitioners as well as those receiving the pro bono services. Having defined pro bono work, the practical need for pro bono work by lawyers in private practice is highlighted due to the dearth of legal aid in civil matters for indigent South Africans. Possible constitutional imperatives for the provision of free legal services in civil matters are highlighted. An important part of the paper is a reflection on some of the pro bono work being conducted by private firms of attorneys. The paper concludes with suggestions on means for establishing a more effective pro bono system in South Africa.

  4. TGFβ induces proHB-EGF shedding and EGFR transactivation through ADAM activation in gastric cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ebi, Masahide; Kataoka, Hiromi; Shimura, Takaya; Kubota, Eiji; Hirata, Yoshikazu; Mizushima, Takashi; Mizoshita, Tsutomu; Tanaka, Mamoru; Mabuchi, Motoshi; Tsukamoto, Hironobu; Tanida, Satoshi; Kamiya, Takeshi; Higashiyama, Shigeki; Joh, Takashi

    2010-01-01

    Research highlights: → TGFβ induces EGFR transactivation through proHB-EGF shedding by activated ADAM members in gastric cancer cells. → TGFβ induces nuclear translocation of HB-EGF-CTF cleaved by ADAM members. → TGFβ enhances cell growth by EGFR transactivation and HB-EGF-CTF nuclear translocation and ADAM inhibitors block these effects. → Silencing of ADAM17 also blocks EGFR transactivation, HB-EGF-CTF nuclear translocation and cancer cell growth by TGFβ. → ADAM17 may play a crucial role in this TGFβ-HB-EGF signal transduction. -- Abstract: Background and aims: Transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) is known to potently inhibit cell growth. Loss of responsiveness to TGFβ inhibition on cell growth is a hallmark of many types of cancer, yet its mechanism is not fully understood. Membrane-anchored heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (proHB-EGF) ectodomain is cleaved by a disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM) members and is implicated in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) transactivation. Recently, nuclear translocation of the C-terminal fragment (CTF) of pro-HB-EGF was found to induce cell growth. We investigated the association between TGFβ and HB-EGF signal transduction via ADAM activation. Materials and methods: The CCK-8 assay in two gastric cancer cell lines was used to determine the effect for cell growth by TGFβ. The effect of two ADAM inhibitors was also evaluated. Induction of EGFR phosphorylation by TGFβ was analyzed and the effect of the ADAM inhibitors was also examined. Nuclear translocation of HB-EGF-CTF by shedding through ADAM activated by TGFβ was also analyzed. EGFR transactivation, HB-EGF-CTF nuclear translocation, and cell growth were examined under the condition of ADAM17 knockdown. Result: TGFβ-induced EGFR phosphorylation of which ADAM inhibitors were able to inhibit. TGFβ induced shedding of proHB-EGF allowing HB-EGF-CTF to translocate to the nucleus. ADAM inhibitors blocked this nuclear translocation. TGF

  5. The effect of pro-inflammatory cytokines on immunophenotype, differentiation capacity and immunomodulatory functions of human mesenchymal stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pourgholaminejad, Arash; Aghdami, Nasser; Baharvand, Hossein; Moazzeni, Seyed Mohammad

    2016-09-01

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), as cells with potential clinical utilities, have demonstrated preferential incorporation into inflammation sites. Immunophenotype and immunomodulatory functions of MSCs could alter by inflamed-microenvironments due to the local pro-inflammatory cytokine milieu. A major cellular mediator with specific function in promoting inflammation and pathogenicity of autoimmunity are IL-17-producing T helper 17 (Th17) cells that polarize in inflamed sites in the presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6 and IL-23. Since MSCs are promising candidate for cell-based therapeutic strategies in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, Th17 cell polarizing factors may alter MSCs phenotype and function. In this study, human bone-marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSC) and adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AD-MSC) were cultured with or without IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-23 as pro-inflammatory cytokines. The surface markers and their differentiation capacity were measured in cytokine-untreated and cytokine-treated MSCs. MSCs-mediated immunomodulation was analyzed by their regulatory effects on mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) and the level of IL-10, TGF-β, IL-4, IFN-γ and TNF-α production as immunomodulatory cytokines. Pro-inflammatory cytokines showed no effect on MSCs morphology, immunophenotype and co-stimulatory molecules except up-regulation of CD45. Adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation capacity increased in CD45+ MSCs. Moreover, cytokine-treated MSCs preserved the suppressive ability of allogeneic T cell proliferation and produced higher level of TGF-β and lower level of IL-4. We concluded pro-inflammatory cytokines up-regulate the efficacy of MSCs in cell-based therapy of degenerative, inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  6. Altered expression of BDNF, BDNF pro-peptide and their precursor proBDNF in brain and liver tissues from psychiatric disorders: rethinking the brain?liver axis

    OpenAIRE

    Yang, B; Ren, Q; Zhang, J-c; Chen, Q-X; Hashimoto, K

    2017-01-01

    Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has a role in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. The precursor proBDNF is converted to mature BDNF and BDNF pro-peptide, the N-terminal fragment of proBDNF; however, the precise function of these proteins in psychiatric disorders is unknown. We sought to determine whether expression of these proteins is altered in the brain and peripheral tissues from patients with psychiatric disorders. We measured protein expression of proBDNF, mature BDNF...

  7. Comparison of debris extruded apically and working time used by ProTaper Universal rotary and ProTaper retreatment system during gutta-percha removal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mary Kinue Nakamune Uezu

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro action of ProTaper retreatment files and ProTaper Universal in the retreatment of mandibular premolars. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The amount of debris extruded apically was measured and the time to reach the working length and to complete the removal of gutta-percha was observed. Thirty teeth had their canals prepared using ProTaper Universal files and were obturated by the single cone technique. The teeth were then stored at 37ºC in a humid environment for 7 days. During the use of the rotary instruments for root canal filling removal, the apical portions of the teeth were attached to the open end of a resin tube to collect the apically extruded debris. RESULTS: ProTaper Universal files were significantly faster (p=0.0011 than the ProTaper retreatment files to perform gutta-percha removal, but no significant difference was found between the files regarding the time to reach the working length or the amount of apical extrusion. CONCLUSIONS: ProTaper Universal rotary had better results for endodontic retreatment, and both techniques promote similar apical extrusion of debris.

  8. Functional replacement of Wheat streak mosaic virus HC-Pro with the corresponding cistron from a diverse array of viruses in the family Potyviridae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stenger, Drake C.; French, Roy

    2004-01-01

    Helper component-proteinase (HC-Pro) of Wheat streak mosaic virus strain Sidney 81 (WSMV-Sidney 81) was systematically replaced with the corresponding cistron derived from four strains of WSMV (Type, TK1, CZ, and El Batan 3), the tritimovirus Oat necrotic mottle virus (ONMV), the rymoviruses Agropyron mosaic virus (AgMV) and Hordeum mosaic virus (HoMV), or the potyviruses Tobacco etch virus (TEV) and Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV). These HC-Pro proteins varied in amino acid sequence identity shared with HC-Pro of WSMV-Sidney 81 from high (strains of WSMV at ∼86-99%) to moderate (ONMV at 70%) to low (rymoviruses and potyviruses at ∼15-17%). Surprisingly, all chimeric viral genomes examined were capable of systemic infection of wheat upon inoculation with RNA transcripts produced in vitro. HC-Pro replacements derived from tritimoviruses did not alter host range relative to WSMV-Sidney 81, as each of these chimeric viruses was able to systemically infect wheat, oat, and corn line SDp2. These results indicate that differences in host range among tritimoviruses, including the inability of ONMV to infect wheat or the inability of WSMV strains Type and El Batan 3 to infect SDp2 corn, are not determined by HC-Pro. In contrast, all chimeric viruses bearing HC-Pro replacements derived from rymoviruses or potyviruses were unable to infect SDp2 corn and oat. Collectively, these results indicate that HC-Pro from distantly related virus species of the family Potyviridae are competent to provide WSMV-Sidney 81 with all functions necessary for infection of a permissive host (wheat) and that virus-host interactions required for systemic infection of oat and SDp2 corn are more stringent. Changes in symptom severity or mechanical transmission efficiency observed for some chimeric viruses further suggest that HC-Pro affects virulence in WSMV

  9. HyPro: A Multi-DoF Hybrid-Powered Transradial Robotic Prosthesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. L. Semasinghe

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a multi-DoF hybrid-powered transradial robotic prosthesis, named HyPro. The HyPro consists of two prosthetic units: hand and wrist that can achieve five grasping patterns such as power grasp, tip grasp, lateral grasp, hook grasp, and index point. It is an underactuated device with 15 degrees of freedom. A hybrid powering concept is proposed and implemented on hand unit of HyPro where the key focus is on restoration of grasp functions of biological hand. A novel underactuated mechanism is introduced to achieve the required hand preshaping for a given grasping pattern using electric power in the pregrasp stage and body power is used in grasp stage to execute the final grasping action with the selected fingers. Unlike existing hybrid prostheses where each of the joints is separately controlled by either electric or body power, the proposed prosthesis is capable of delivering grasping power in combination. The wrist unit of HyPro is designed and developed to achieve flexion-extension and supination-pronation using electric power. Experiments were carried out to evaluate the functionality and performance of the proposed hybrid-powered robotic prosthesis. The results verified the potential of HyPro to perform intended grasping patterns effectively and efficiently.

  10. Effect of Patency File on Transportation and Curve Straightening in Canal Preparation with ProTaper System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasheminia, Seyed Mohsen; Farhadi, Nastaran; Shokraneh, Ali

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this ex vivo study was to evaluate the effect of using a patency file on apical transportation and curve straightening during canal instrumentation with the ProTaper rotary system. Seventy permanent mandibular first molars with mesiobuccal canals, measuring 18-23 mm in length and with a 25-40° curvature (according to the Schneider method), were selected. The working lengths were determined and the teeth were mounted and divided into two experimental groups: (A) prepared by the ProTaper system without using a patency file (n = 35) and (B) prepared by the ProTaper system using a patency file (n = 35). Radiographs taken before and after the preparation were imported into Photoshop software and the apical transportation, and curve straightening were measured. Data were analyzed using independent t-test. Partial correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between the initial curvature, transportation, and curve straightening (α = 0.05). Using a patency file during canal preparation significantly decreased both apical transportation and curve straightening (P system.

  11. Identification of the endogenous key substrates of the human organic cation transporter OCT2 and their implication in function of dopaminergic neurons.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dirk Taubert

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The etiology of neurodegenerative disorders, such as the accelerated loss of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease, is unclear. Current hypotheses suggest an abnormal function of the neuronal sodium-dependent dopamine transporter DAT to contribute to cell death in the dopaminergic system, but it has not been investigated whether sodium-independent amine transporters are implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: By the use of a novel tandem-mass spectrometry-based substrate search technique, we have shown that the dopaminergic neuromodulators histidyl-proline diketopiperazine (cyclo(his-pro and salsolinol were the endogenous key substrates of the sodium-independent organic cation transporter OCT2. Quantitative real-time mRNA expression analysis revealed that OCT2 in contrast to its related transporters was preferentially expressed in the dopaminergic regions of the substantia nigra where it colocalized with DAT and tyrosine hydroxylase. By assessing cell viability with the MTT reduction assay, we found that salsolinol exhibited a selective toxicity toward OCT2-expressing cells that was prevented by cyclo(his-pro. A frequent genetic variant of OCT2 with the amino acid substitution R400C reduced the transport efficiency for the cytoprotective cyclo(his-pro and thereby increased the susceptibility to salsolinol-induced cell death. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings indicate that the OCT2-regulated interplay between cyclo(his-pro and salsolinol is crucial for nigral cell integrity and that a shift in transport efficiency may impact the risk of Parkinson's disease.

  12. Diagnostic and prognostic value of N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in patients with chronic aortic regurgitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, Michael; Hausen, Michael; Arnold, Roman; Moellmann, Helge; Nef, Holger; Elsaesser, Albrecht; Mitrovic, Vesselin; Hamm, Christian

    2008-07-21

    BNP and its N-terminal fragment NT-proBNP have proven to be of diagnostic and prognostic value in patients with valvular aortic stenosis. Data regarding those biomarkers in patients with chronic aortic regurgitation (AR) are sparse. Thus it was the aim of the present study to evaluate the diagnostic and the long term prognostic value of NT-proBNP in patients presenting with AR. This study included 60 patients with isolated AR of varying severity (AR I mild, AR II moderate and AR III severe) and preserved left ventricular function. Patients were followed over a median period of 824 (770-921) days. NT-proBNP at baseline was related to disease severity and to functional status (161 (70-456) pg/ml in AR I, 226 (100-666) pg/ml in AR II and 1268 (522-5446) pg/ml in AR III (p=0.003)). Patients (n=6) experiencing an adverse event had higher NT-proBNP values at baseline as event free survivors (1271 (613-2992) pg/ml vs. 215 (92-534) pg/ml; p=0.034). The AUC of the ROC curve for NT-proBNP as a predictor for an adverse event was 0.76 (pvalue of 602 pg/ml. Consequently, in Kaplan-Meier analysis NT-proBNP values dichotomised at this cut-off were able to discriminate patients with an adverse outcome in the entire study group (Log rank 9.98, p=0.0016) and even better in the conservative group (Log rank 26.92, p<0.001). NT-proBNP is linked to disease severity in patients with chronic aortic regurgitation reflecting hemodynamic stress due to volume overload. It provides prognostic information for the clinical outcome and thus might be a useful biomarker for risk stratification.

  13. A Study to Develop Alternative Approaches for Implementing Product Line Management in the South Texas Veterans Health Care System

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Seeman, Sandra

    1997-01-01

    .... Thirteen South Texas Veterans Health Care System key management staff were interviewed to learn their perceptions about implementing pro- duct line management in the South Texas Veterans Health Care System...

  14. A systematic review on the safety of Prostar XL versus ProGlide after TAVR and EVAR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maniotis, Christos [2nd Cardiology Department, Hellenic Red Cross Hospital of Athens, Athens (Greece); Andreou, Constantinos; Karalis, Ioannis [Interventional Cardiology Department, University Hospital of Leiden, Leiden (Netherlands); Koutouzi, Giasemi [Interventional Radiology Department, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg (Sweden); Agelaki, Maria [2nd Cardiology Department, Hellenic Red Cross Hospital of Athens, Athens (Greece); Koutouzis, Michael, E-mail: koutouzismike@yahoo.gr [2nd Cardiology Department, Hellenic Red Cross Hospital of Athens, Athens (Greece)

    2017-03-15

    Background: Endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) and transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) are widely spreading minimally invasive procedures performed mainly through the femoral artery. Prostar XL and ProGlide vascular closure devices are used in clinical practice for the hemostasis in these procedures and they have been shown to be safe and effective. Purpose: The aim of our systematic review is to compare the safety of these two devices for percutaneous closure of large arteriotomies in patients undergoing TAVR and EVAR. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for all randomized and observational published studies that compared Prostar XL vs. ProGlide. Relative risk was calculated by random-effects model. Review Manager 5.1 was used for statistical analysis. Results: A total number of 2909 patients were included in our analysis. The rate of overall vascular complications did not differ between Prostar XL and ProGlide {RR 1.35 (0.80–2.29), p = 0.27}. In contrary, the risk ratio of all bleeding complications with Prostar XL compared to ProGlide was 1.82 (1.47–2.24, p < 0.001) and for major and life-threatening bleeding complications was 2.48 (1.65–3.73, p < 0001, suggesting a lower bleeding risk with ProGlide). No statistical difference was found between groups for end-stage acute kidney injury (AKI), with a risk ratio of 2.14 (0.81–5.66), p = 0.05. Finally, there were no differences in in-hospital and 30-days mortality rate between the two groups (1.41, 0.56–3.54, p = 0.46 and 1.43, 0.55–3.73, p = 0.47, respectively). Conclusions: Prostar XL is associated with greater risk of any bleeding as well as life threatening bleeding compared to the ProGlide device. However, no significant differences were observed in the rate of overall vascular complications, end stage AKI and in-hospital and 30-days mortality. - Highlights: • We present a systematic review

  15. A systematic review on the safety of Prostar XL versus ProGlide after TAVR and EVAR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maniotis, Christos; Andreou, Constantinos; Karalis, Ioannis; Koutouzi, Giasemi; Agelaki, Maria; Koutouzis, Michael

    2017-01-01

    Background: Endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) and transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) are widely spreading minimally invasive procedures performed mainly through the femoral artery. Prostar XL and ProGlide vascular closure devices are used in clinical practice for the hemostasis in these procedures and they have been shown to be safe and effective. Purpose: The aim of our systematic review is to compare the safety of these two devices for percutaneous closure of large arteriotomies in patients undergoing TAVR and EVAR. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for all randomized and observational published studies that compared Prostar XL vs. ProGlide. Relative risk was calculated by random-effects model. Review Manager 5.1 was used for statistical analysis. Results: A total number of 2909 patients were included in our analysis. The rate of overall vascular complications did not differ between Prostar XL and ProGlide {RR 1.35 (0.80–2.29), p = 0.27}. In contrary, the risk ratio of all bleeding complications with Prostar XL compared to ProGlide was 1.82 (1.47–2.24, p < 0.001) and for major and life-threatening bleeding complications was 2.48 (1.65–3.73, p < 0001, suggesting a lower bleeding risk with ProGlide). No statistical difference was found between groups for end-stage acute kidney injury (AKI), with a risk ratio of 2.14 (0.81–5.66), p = 0.05. Finally, there were no differences in in-hospital and 30-days mortality rate between the two groups (1.41, 0.56–3.54, p = 0.46 and 1.43, 0.55–3.73, p = 0.47, respectively). Conclusions: Prostar XL is associated with greater risk of any bleeding as well as life threatening bleeding compared to the ProGlide device. However, no significant differences were observed in the rate of overall vascular complications, end stage AKI and in-hospital and 30-days mortality. - Highlights: • We present a systematic review

  16. PRO development: rigorous qualitative research as the crucial foundation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lasch, Kathryn Eilene; Marquis, Patrick; Vigneux, Marc; Abetz, Linda; Arnould, Benoit; Bayliss, Martha; Crawford, Bruce; Rosa, Kathleen

    2010-10-01

    Recently published articles have described criteria to assess qualitative research in the health field in general, but very few articles have delineated qualitative methods to be used in the development of Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs). In fact, how PROs are developed with subject input through focus groups and interviews has been given relatively short shrift in the PRO literature when compared to the plethora of quantitative articles on the psychometric properties of PROs. If documented at all, most PRO validation articles give little for the reader to evaluate the content validity of the measures and the credibility and trustworthiness of the methods used to develop them. Increasingly, however, scientists and authorities want to be assured that PRO items and scales have meaning and relevance to subjects. This article was developed by an international, interdisciplinary group of psychologists, psychometricians, regulatory experts, a physician, and a sociologist. It presents rigorous and appropriate qualitative research methods for developing PROs with content validity. The approach described combines an overarching phenomenological theoretical framework with grounded theory data collection and analysis methods to yield PRO items and scales that have content validity.

  17. Test Reviews: Reynolds, C., & Voress, J. K. (2007). "Test of Memory and Learning: Second Edition." Austin, TX: PRO-ED

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmitt, Ara J.; Decker, Scott L.

    2009-01-01

    This article reviews the Test of Memory and Learning: Second Edition (TOMAL-2), published by PRO-ED, which constitutes a recent revision of the Test of Memory and Learning (TOMAL; Reynolds & Bigler, 1994). Advertised as the "single most comprehensive memory battery available for the entire age range of 5 years through 59 years of age", the TOMAL-2…

  18. Cytotoxic, Antiproliferative and Pro-Apoptotic Effects of 5-Hydroxyl-6,7,3′,4′,5′-Pentamethoxyflavone Isolated from Lantana ukambensis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wamtinga Richard Sawadogo

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Lantana ukambensis (Vatke Verdc. is an African food and medicinal plant. Its red fruits are eaten and highly appreciated by the rural population. This plant was extensively used in African folk medicinal traditions to treat chronic wounds but also as anti-leishmanial or cytotoxic remedies, especially in Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Kenya, or Ethiopia. This study investigates the in vitro bioactivity of polymethoxyflavones extracted from a L. ukambensis as anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic agents. We isolated two known polymethoxyflavones, 5,6,7,3′,4′,5′-hexamethoxyflavone (1 and 5-hydroxy-6,7,3′,4′,5′-pentamethoxyflavone (2 from the whole plant of L. ukambensis. Their chemical structures were determined by spectroscopic analysis and comparison with published data. These molecules were tested for the anti-proliferative, cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects on human cancer cells. Among them, 5-hydroxy-6,7,3′,4′,5′-pentamethoxyflavone (2 was selectively cytotoxic against monocytic lymphoma (U937, acute T cell leukemia (Jurkat, and chronic myelogenous leukemia (K562 cell lines, but not against peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs from healthy donors, at all tested concentrations. Moreover, this compound exhibited significant anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects against U937 acute myelogenous leukemia cells. This study highlights the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of 5-hydroxy-6,7,3′,4′,5′-pentamethoxyflavone (2 and provides a scientific basis of traditional use of L. ukambensis.

  19. Mastering Adobe Premiere Pro CS6

    CERN Document Server

    Ekert, Paul

    2013-01-01

    Designed to be practical and engaging, Mastering Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 is a project-based book to help you truly augment your skills and become a film editing hotshot.If you're just starting out or even migrating from existing video editing software, then this book is for you. With rapid progression through practical examples constructed to be both engaging and useful, Mastering Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 is ideal for learning the sometimes complex workflows of this powerful application.

  20. Pro Android Games

    CERN Document Server

    Silva, Vladimir

    2010-01-01

    Do you remember landmark games like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Asteroids? Well, here's an exciting opportunity to build and/or port these games to one of the hottest mobile and netbooks platforms today: Google's Android. Pro Android Games teaches you how to build cool games like Space Blaster and the classic Asteroids from scratch on the latest Android platform. This book also shows you how to port other classic freeware/shareware games like Doom and Wolfenstein 3D from C using the Java Native Interface (JNI) for Android. This book is all about a unique perspective in Android game development:

  1. Pro Android games

    CERN Document Server

    Nardone, Massimo

    2016-01-01

    Combining actionable, real-world source code with graphics, Pro Android Games, Third Edition shows you how to build more sophisticated and addictive Android game apps with minimum effort. Harness the power of the latest Android 5.0 SDK to bring countless legendary, action-packed PC games to the Android platform. With actionable real-world source code, this one of a kind book shows you how to build more sophisticated and addictive Android game apps, by leveraging the power of the recent advancements found in the new Android 5.0 software development kit as well as those you've counted on in e

  2. Exercise dependence of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide in patients with precapillary pulmonary hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grachtrup, Sabine; Brügel, Mathias; Pankau, Hans; Halank, Michael; Wirtz, Hubert; Seyfarth, Hans-Jürgen

    2012-01-01

    N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is secreted by cardiac ventricular myocytes upon pressure and volume overload and is a prognostic marker to monitor the severity of precapillary pulmonary hypertension and the extent of right heart failure. The impact of physical exercise on NT-proBNP levels in patients with left heart disease was demonstrated previously. No data regarding patients with isolated right heart failure and the influence of acute exercise on NT-proBNP serum levels exist. Twenty patients with precapillary pulmonary hypertension were examined. Hemodynamic parameters were measured during right heart catheterization. Serum NT-proBNP of patients was measured at rest, after a 6-min walking test, during ergospirometry and during recovery, all within 7 h. Significant differences in sequential NT-proBNP values, relative changes compared to values at rest and the correlation between NT-proBNP and obtained parameters were assessed. At rest, the mean serum level of NT-proBNP was 1,278 ± 998 pg/ml. The mean level of NT-proBNP at maximal exercise was increased (1,592 ± 1,219 pg/ml), whereas serum levels decreased slightly during recovery (1,518 ± 1,170 pg/ml). The relative increase of serum NT-proBNP during exercise correlated with pulmonary vascular resistance (r = 0.45; p = 0.026) and cardiac output (r = -0.5; p = 0.015). In this study, we demonstrated acute changes in NT-proBNP levels due to physical exercise in a small group of patients with precapillary pulmonary hypertension. Our results also confirm the predominant usefulness of NT-proBNP as an intraindividual parameter of right heart load. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  3. Oxidized LDL Promotes Apoptosis and Expression of Pro ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Accumulation of lipid within non-adipose tissues can induce inflammation by promoting macrophage infiltration and activation. Oxidized lipoproteins (oxLDL) have been known to induce cellular dysfunction in resident macrophages through pro-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic properties. However research into the ...

  4. Principle of pro-poor tourism: Analysis of the positive and negative aspects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Škrbić Iva

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Reducing poverty is one of the primary activities that must be implemented by developed countries and developing countries alike. Seeing as tourism has a major impact on the global and local economy through the implementation of the objectives of poverty reduction, the pro-poor tourism strategy must be included in the agenda of tourism development. The aim of the pro-poor strategy is to increase the economic and socio-cultural benefits for the local population. The theoretical frame for the creation of these strategies is almost inexistent, but a number of small initiatives is what indicates the further course of activities. Criticisms of the strategy of pro-poor tourism and problems occurring in practice should not be ignored, because the identification of these problems is the first step toward solving them and improving the existing strategies. Therefore, this paper aims to point out the advantages and disadvantages of applying the principle of pro-poor tourism. The subject of the paper is the identification of the key determinants of pro-poor tourism strategies and the requirements for the investors, tourists and local people to reap the benefits of pro-poor tourism.

  5. Maggot secretions skew monocyte-macrophage differentiation away from a pro-inflammatory to a pro-angiogenic type

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    van der Plas, Mariena J A; van Dissel, Jaap T; Nibbering, Peter H

    2009-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Maggots of the blowfly Lucilia sericata are used for the treatment of chronic wounds. Earlier we reported maggot secretions to inhibit pro-inflammatory responses of human monocytes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of maggot secretions on the differentiation...... for 18 h. The expression of cell surface molecules and the levels of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors in supernatants were measured. Our results showed secretions to affect monocyte-macrophage differentiation leading to MØ-1 with a partial MØ-2-like morphology but lacking CD163, which...... is characteristic for MØ-2. In response to LPS or LTA, secretions-differentiated MØ-1 produced less pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-12p40 and MIF) than control cells. Similar results were observed for MØ-2 when stimulated with low concentrations of LPS. Furthermore, secretions dose-dependently led to MØ-1...

  6. Retracted: Effects of pro-inflammatory cytokines on mineralization potential of rat dental pulp stem cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yang, X.; Walboomers, X.F.; Bian, Z.; Jansen, J.A.; Fan, M.

    2011-01-01

    The following article from the Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, 'Effects of Pro-inflammatory Cytokines on Mineralization Potential of Rat Dental Pulp Stem Cells' by Yang X, Walboomers XF, Bian Z, Jansen JA, Fan M, published online on 11 July 2011 in Wiley Online Library

  7. Video Capture of Plastic Surgery Procedures Using the GoPro HERO 3+

    OpenAIRE

    Steven Nicholas Graves, MA; Deana Saleh Shenaq, MD; Alexander J. Langerman, MD; David H. Song, MD, MBA

    2015-01-01

    Background: Significant improvements can be made in recoding surgical procedures, particularly in capturing high-quality video recordings from the surgeons? point of view. This study examined the utility of the GoPro HERO 3+ Black Edition camera for high-definition, point-of-view recordings of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Methods: The GoPro HERO 3+ Black Edition camera was head-mounted on the surgeon and oriented to the surgeon?s perspective using the GoPro App. The camera was used to ...

  8. Activation of a synapse weakening pathway by human Val66 but not Met66 pro-brain-derived neurotrophic factor (proBDNF)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kailainathan, Sumangali; Piers, Thomas M.; Yi, Jee Hyun; Choi, Seongmin; Fahey, Mark S.; Borger, Eva; Gunn-Moore, Frank J.; O’Neill, Laurie; Lever, Michael; Whitcomb, Daniel J.; Cho, Kwangwook; Allen, Shelley J.

    2016-01-01

    This study describes a fundamental functional difference between the two main polymorphisms of the pro-form of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (proBDNF), providing an explanation as to why these forms have such different age-related neurological outcomes. Healthy young carriers of the Met66 form (present in ∼30% Caucasians) have reduced hippocampal volume and impaired hippocampal-dependent memory function, yet the same polymorphic population shows enhanced cognitive recovery after traumatic brain injury, delayed cognitive dysfunction during aging, and lower risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD) compared to those with the more common Val66 polymorphism. To examine the differences between the protein polymorphisms in structure, kinetics of binding to proBDNF receptors and in vitro function, we generated purified cleavage-resistant human variants. Intriguingly, we found no statistical differences in those characteristics. As anticipated, exogenous application of proBDNF Val66 to rat hippocampal slices dysregulated synaptic plasticity, inhibiting long-term potentiation (LTP) and facilitating long-term depression (LTD). We subsequently observed that this occurred via the glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) activation pathway. However, surprisingly, we found that Met66 had no such effects on either LTP or LTD. These novel findings suggest that, unlike Val66, the Met66 variant does not facilitate synapse weakening signaling, perhaps accounting for its protective effects with aging. PMID:26687096

  9. Ctr9, a Protein in the Transcription Complex Paf1, Regulates Dopamine Transporter Activity at the Plasma Membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Gois, Stéphanie; Slama, Patrick; Pietrancosta, Nicolas; Erdozain, Amaia M; Louis, Franck; Bouvrais-Veret, Caroline; Daviet, Laurent; Giros, Bruno

    2015-07-17

    Dopamine (DA) is a major regulator of sensorimotor and cognitive functions. The DA transporter (DAT) is the key protein that regulates the spatial and temporal activity of DA release into the synaptic cleft via the rapid reuptake of DA into presynaptic termini. Several lines of evidence have suggested that transporter-interacting proteins may play a role in DAT function and regulation. Here, we identified the tetratricopeptide repeat domain-containing protein Ctr9 as a novel DAT binding partner using a yeast two-hybrid system. We showed that Ctr9 is expressed in dopaminergic neurons and forms a stable complex with DAT in vivo via GST pulldown and co-immunoprecipitation assays. In mammalian cells co-expressing both proteins, Ctr9 partially colocalizes with DAT at the plasma membrane. This interaction between DAT and Ctr9 results in a dramatic enhancement of DAT-mediated DA uptake due to an increased number of DAT transporters at the plasma membrane. We determined that the binding of Ctr9 to DAT requires residues YKF in the first half of the DAT C terminus. In addition, we characterized Ctr9, providing new insight into this protein. Using three-dimensional modeling, we identified three novel tetratricopeptide repeat domains in the Ctr9 sequence, and based on deletion mutation experiments, we demonstrated the role of the SH2 domain of Ctr9 in nuclear localization. Our results demonstrate that Ctr9 localization is not restricted to the nucleus, as previously described for the transcription complex Paf1. Taken together, our data provide evidence that Ctr9 modulates DAT function by regulating its trafficking. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  10. Protocol for ADDITION-PRO

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansen, Nanna Borup; Hansen, Anne-Louise Smidt; Jensen, Troels M

    2012-01-01

    disease and microvascular diabetic complications. We also require a better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie and drive early changes in cardiometabolic physiology. The ADDITION-PRO study was designed to address these issues among individuals at different levels of diabetes risk recruited from...... Danish primary care. METHODS/DESIGN: ADDITION-PRO is a population-based, longitudinal cohort study of individuals at high risk for diabetes. 16,136 eligible individuals were identified at high risk following participation in a stepwise screening programme in Danish general practice between 2001 and 2006....... All individuals with impaired glucose regulation at screening, those who developed diabetes following screening, and a random sub-sample of those at lower levels of diabetes risk were invited to attend a follow-up health assessment in 2009-2011 (n=4,188), of whom 2,082 (50%) attended. The health...

  11. Pro-static Agents in Jet Fuels

    Science.gov (United States)

    1976-08-16

    recent survey of jet fuels at 10 airports and 3 military bases in the United States [6]. Consequently , the results of the present study can be directly...as quickly as it is generated. Consequently , compounds that increase conductivity above 50 pS/m are not pro-static agents in the sense implied here...Additive Con, 1000 pPm CORROSION INHIBITORS UNiCOrn J COPIOCO T- 60 LU$RIZOL 541 TOLAD 245 OCI 4A] PRO ig ., NALCO 5400 TOLAD 244 , MALCO 5402 GULF 170 "Y2

  12. The use of analogy in pro-life argumentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simona Mazilu

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The paper is concerned with how analogy is strategically used in pro-life argumentation on abortion. Pragma-dialectics (van Eemeren and Grootendorst 1992 offers a set of critical questions by means of which I will evaluate the use of the argumentation based on a relation of analogy in terms of dialectical soundness. Examining various pro-life texts, I have noticed that the analogies employed remain unexplained. Therefore, despite the apparent similarities between abortion and the German holocaust or slavery, for instance, there are essential differences which are not mentioned. I claim that these analogies mainly have a rhetorical function, to operate what has been called by Micheli (2007: 960 “a transfer of emotional consensus”.

  13. Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) Consortium translation process: consensus development of updated best practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eremenco, Sonya; Pease, Sheryl; Mann, Sarah; Berry, Pamela

    2017-01-01

    This paper describes the rationale and goals of the Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) Consortium's instrument translation process. The PRO Consortium has developed a number of novel PRO measures which are in the process of qualification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in clinical trials where endpoints based on these measures would support product labeling claims. Given the importance of FDA qualification of these measures, the PRO Consortium's Process Subcommittee determined that a detailed linguistic validation (LV) process was necessary to ensure that all translations of Consortium-developed PRO measures are performed using a standardized approach with the rigor required to meet regulatory and pharmaceutical industry expectations, as well as having a clearly defined instrument translation process that the translation industry can support. The consensus process involved gathering information about current best practices from 13 translation companies with expertise in LV, consolidating the findings to generate a proposed process, and obtaining iterative feedback from the translation companies and PRO Consortium member firms on the proposed process in two rounds of review in order to update existing principles of good practice in LV and to provide sufficient detail for the translation process to ensure consistency across PRO Consortium measures, sponsors, and translation companies. The consensus development resulted in a 12-step process that outlines universal and country-specific new translation approaches, as well as country-specific adaptations of existing translations. The PRO Consortium translation process will play an important role in maintaining the validity of the data generated through these measures by ensuring that they are translated by qualified linguists following a standardized and rigorous process that reflects best practice.

  14. Influence of a glide path on the dentinal crack formation of ProTaper Next system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sevinç Aktemur Türker

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Objectives The aim was to evaluate dentinal crack formation after root canal preparation with ProTaper Next system (PTN with and without a glide path. Materials and Methods Forty-five mesial roots of mandibular first molars were selected. Fifteen teeth were left unprepared and served as controls. The experimental groups consist of mesiobuccal and mesiolingual root canals of remaining 30 teeth, which were divided into 2 groups (n = 15: Group PG/PTN, glide path was created with ProGlider (PG and then canals were shaped with PTN system; Group PTN, glide path was not prepared and canals were shaped with PTN system only. All roots were sectioned perpendicular to the long axis at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 mm from the apex, and the sections were observed under a stereomicroscope. The presence/absence of cracks was recorded. Data were analyzed with chi-square tests with Yates correction. Results There were no significant differences in crack formation between the PTN with and without glide path preparation. The incidence of cracks observed in PG/PTN and PTN groups was 17.8% and 28.9%, respectively. Conclusions The creation of a glide path with ProGlider before ProTaper Next rotary system did not influence dentinal crack formation in root canals.

  15. Influence of axial movement on fatigue of ProFile Ni-Ti rotary instruments: an in vitro evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avoaka, Marie-Chantal; Haïkel, Youssef

    2010-05-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the axial movement and the angle of curve (in degrees) on fatigue of nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) ProFile rotary endodontic instruments. Ni-Ti ProFile rotary instruments (Maillefer SA, Ballaigues, Switzerland), 25 mm long in the range of ISO size 15 to 40 with two tapers (0.4 and 0.6) were evaluated. They are divided in two groups: the instruments with axial movement and those without axial movement. The system used to test the fatigue is maintained in mechanical conditions as close as possible to the clinical situation. The axial movement is in the order of 2 mm in corono-apical direction with a frequency of 1 Hz. The concave radii incorporating a notched V-form for guiding the instruments were: 5; 7,5 and 10 mm. The rotary system is mounted on an electric handpiece and rotated at 350 rpm speed as recommended by the manufacturers. The instruments are rotated until their separation, and the time, in seconds, is recorded. Statistical evaluation is undertaken using a two-way t-test to identify significant differences between variables in the study (p engine drive ProFile instruments incorporating an axial movement and the instruments without axial movement with the same radius of curvature, size and taper.The incorporation of the axial movement increases significantly the life-span of the ProFile rotary instruments. This should reduce the risk of the instrument separation during the endodontic treatment.

  16. Data capture for creation of DTM

    OpenAIRE

    Ondráček, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    Předmětem této bakalářské práce byl sběr dat pro tvorbu digitálního modelu terénu v západní části údolí Kombutského potoka mezi obcemi Kotvrdovice a Jedovnice. Byla vybudována síť pomocných měřických bodů, ze kterých bylo tachymetricky zaměřeno zadané území. Byly vypočítány souřadnice a výšky měřených bodů. Dále bylo provedeno testování přesnosti kontrolně zaměřených bodů. Z naměřených dat byla vyhotovena účelová mapa v měřítku 1 : 500. Získaná data poslouží jako podklad pro účely předmětu GE...

  17. Informative value of Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO in Health Technology Assessment (HTA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brettschneider, Christian

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: “Patient-Reported Outcome” (PRO is used as an umbrella term for different concepts for measuring subjectively perceived health status e. g. as treatment effects. Their common characteristic is, that the appraisal of the health status is reported by the patient himself. In order to describe the informative value of PRO in Health Technology Assessment (HTA first an overview of concepts, classifications and methods of measurement is given. The overview is complemented by an empirical analysis of clinical trials and HTA-reports on rheumatoid arthritis and breast cancer in order to report on type, frequency and consequences of PRO used in these documents. Methods: For both issues systematic reviews of the literature have been performed. The search for methodological literature covers the publication period from 1990 to 2009, the search for clinical trials of rheumatoid arthritis and breast cancer covers the period 2005 to 2009. Both searches were performed in the medical databases of the German Institute of Medical Documentation and Information (DIMDI. The search for HTA-reports and methodological papers of HTA-agencies was performed in the CRD-Databases (CRD = Centre for Reviews and Dissemination and by handsearching the websites of INAHTA member agencies (INAHTA = International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment. For all issues specific inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined. The methodological quality of randomized controlled trials (RCT was assessed by a modified version of the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. For the methodological part information extraction from the literature is structured by the report’s chapters, for the empirical part data extraction sheets were constructed. All information is summarized in a qualitative manner. Results: Concerning the methodological issues the literature search retrieved 158 documents (87 documents related to definition or classification, 125 documents related to

  18. Purity, adulteration and price of drugs bought on-line versus off-line in the Netherlands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Gouwe, Daan; Brunt, Tibor M; van Laar, Margriet; van der Pol, Peggy

    2017-04-01

    On-line drug markets flourish and consumers have high expectations of on-line quality and drug value. The aim of this study was to (i) describe on-line drug purchases and (ii) compare on-line with off-line purchased drugs regarding purity, adulteration and price. Comparison of laboratory analyses of 32 663 drug consumer samples (stimulants and hallucinogens) purchased between January 2013 and January 2016, 928 of which were bought on-line. The Netherlands. Primary outcome measures were (i) the percentage of samples purchased on-line and (ii) the chemical purity of powders (or dosage per tablet); adulteration; and the price per gram, blotter or tablet of drugs bought on-line compared with drugs bought off-line. The proportion of drug samples purchased on-line increased from 1.4% in 2013 to 4.1% in 2015. The frequency varied widely, from a maximum of 6% for controlled, traditional substances [ecstasy tablets, 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) powder, amphetamine powder, cocaine powder, 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B) and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)] to more than a third for new psychoactive substances (NPS) [4-fluoroamphetamine (4-FA), 5/6-(2-aminopropyl)benzofuran (5/6-APB) and methoxetamine (MXE)]. There were no large differences in drug purity, yet small but statistically significant differences were found for 4-FA (on-line 59% versus off-line 52% purity for 4-FA on average, P = 0.001), MDMA powders (45 versus 61% purity for MDMA, P = 0.02), 2C-B tablets (21 versus 10 mg 2C-B/tablet dosage, P = 0.49) and ecstasy tablets (131 versus 121 mg MDMA/tablet dosage, P = 0.05). The proportion of adulterated samples purchased on-line and off-line did not differ, except for 4-FA powder, being less adulterated on-line (χ 2  = 8.3; P < 0.02). Drug prices were mainly higher on-line, ranging for various drugs from 10 to 23% higher than that of drugs purchased off-line (six of 10 substances: P < 0.05). Dutch drug users increasingly

  19. Návrh e-marketingu pro Kitemaniacs.cz

    OpenAIRE

    Kinzel, Roman

    2009-01-01

    Cílem této bakalářské práce je návrh e-marketingu pro sportovní klub „kitemaniacs“. Práce se skládá z teoretické, analytické a praktické části. Získané data z analýz budou sloužit jako podklad pro praktickou část práce. V první části vypracuji návrh webové prezentace a implementuji ji do Word Wide Web. Následovně provedu optimalizaci webové prezentace pro internetové vyhledávače. V poslední části budu monitorovat a kontrolovat úspěch provedeného e-marketingu. The goal of this bachelor´s th...

  20. Test Review: Gilliam, J. E. (2015), "Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Test" (2nd Ed) [Assessment Instrument]. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perdue, Elizabeth A.

    2016-01-01

    The "Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Test-Second Edition" (ADHDT-2) is published through Pro-Ed in Austin, Texas. It was formally published in 2014, following critical revisions of the ADHDT, the reportedly popular initial version of this test that was published in 1995. The ADHDT-2 purports to act as a screener for individuals…

  1. Validity and reliability of the novel thyroid-specific quality of life questionnaire, ThyPRO

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Watt, Torquil; Hegedüs, Laszlo; Groenvold, Mogens

    2010-01-01

    Background Appropriate scale validity and internal consistency reliability have recently been documented for the new thyroid-specific quality of life (QoL) patient-reported outcome (PRO) measure for benign thyroid disorders, the ThyPRO. However, before clinical use, clinical validity and test......-retest reliability should be evaluated. Aim To investigate clinical ('known-groups') validity and test-retest reliability of the Danish version of the ThyPRO. Methods For each of the 13 ThyPRO scales, we defined groups expected to have high versus low scores ('known-groups'). The clinical validity (known......-groups validity) was evaluated by whether the ThyPRO scales could detect expected differences in a cross-sectional study of 907 thyroid patients. Test-retest reliability was evaluated by intra-class correlations of two responses to the ThyPRO 2 weeks apart in a subsample of 87 stable patients. Results On all 13...

  2. LuFLA1PRO and LuBGAL1PRO promote gene expression in the phloem fibres of flax (Linum usitatissimum).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hobson, Neil; Deyholos, Michael K

    2013-04-01

    Cell type-specific promoters were identified that drive gene expression in an industrially important product. To identify flax (Linum usitatissimum) gene promoters, we analyzed the genomic regions upstream of a fasciclin-like arabinogalactan protein (LuFLA1) and a beta-galactosidase (LuBGAL1). Both of these genes encode transcripts that have been found to be highly enriched in tissues bearing phloem fibres. Using a beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter construct, we found that a 908-bp genomic sequence upstream of LuFLA1 (LuFLA1PRO) directed GUS expression with high specificity to phloem fibres undergoing secondary cell wall development. The DNA sequence upstream of LuBGAL1 (LuBGAL1PRO) likewise produced GUS staining in phloem fibres with developing secondary walls, as well as in tissues of developing flowers and seed bolls. These data provide further evidence of a specific role for LuFLA1 in phloem fibre development, and demonstrate the utility of LuFLA1PRO and LuBGAL1PRO as tools for biotechnology and further investigations of phloem fibre development.

  3. FAKTOR-FAKTOR PERILAKU PRO-LINGKUNGAN DALAM MENDUKUNG PELAKSANAAN IMPLEMENTASI CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Asri Rachmawati

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Perguruan tinggi memiliki peran penting dalam melindungi lingkungan di masa depan. Untuk mengembangkan Program keberlanjutan kampus memerlukan pemahaman tentang faktor-faktor penentu yang mempengaruhi perilaku pro-lingkungan. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah mengidentifikasi karakteristik perilaku pro-lingkungan. Penelitian menggunakan analisis faktor ini untuk mengurangi faktor penentu dan dilakukan survei untuk pengumpulan data. Alat survei menggunakan theory of planned behaviour (TPB di seluruh kuesioner yang telah dibagikan kepada 400 mahasiswa. Hasil penelitian ini menyimpulkan perilaku pro-lingkungan dipengaruhi oleh sikap, norma subjektif, persepsi kendali perilaku, persepsi konsekuensi, faktor-faktor situasional, dan niat perilaku.   Kata Kunci : analisis faktor, campus sustainability, perilaku pro-lingkungan Abstract Universitieshave an important role in protecting the environment in the future. To develop campus sustainability programrequire an understanding about the determinant factors that influence pro-environmental behaviours. The purpose of this paper is identify characteristic pro-environmental behaviours. This study use factor analysis to reduce factor determinant and survei to collect the data. The survey tool used the theory of planned behaviour (TPB throughout the questionnaire which had shared to 400 college students.Result of this study conclude pro-environmental behaviours is influenced by attitudes, subjective norms, perceived control, perceived consequences, and situational factors, behaviour intention.   Keyword: pro-environmental behaviours; campus sustainability; factor analysis

  4. OPTICON: Pro-Matlab software for large order controlled structure design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, Lee D.

    1989-01-01

    A software package for large order controlled structure design is described and demonstrated. The primary program, called OPTICAN, uses both Pro-Matlab M-file routines and selected compiled FORTRAN routines linked into the Pro-Matlab structure. The program accepts structural model information in the form of state-space matrices and performs three basic design functions on the model: (1) open loop analyses; (2) closed loop reduced order controller synthesis; and (3) closed loop stability and performance assessment. The current controller synthesis methods which were implemented in this software are based on the Generalized Linear Quadratic Gaussian theory of Bernstein. In particular, a reduced order Optimal Projection synthesis algorithm based on a homotopy solution method was successfully applied to an experimental truss structure using a 58-state dynamic model. These results are presented and discussed. Current plans to expand the practical size of the design model to several hundred states and the intention to interface Pro-Matlab to a supercomputing environment are discussed.

  5. Pro biotic as Alternative to Antibiotic for Broiler Chicken fed Food Industrial Residual Oil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    EL-Faramawy, A.A.; El-Maghraby, A.F.; El-Danasoury, M.M.; Hussien, H.A.; Hegazy, E.S.

    2016-01-01

    This study aimed to evaluate the effect of pro biotic (some lactic acid bacteria) with different levels of food industrial residual oil in broiler commercial diets on growth performance, meat yield, internal organs, economical efficiency and performance index. One hundred and eighty one day old Cobb chicks (45 ± 0.4 g) were equally and randomly divided into 6 groups namely; the antibiotic with fresh oil (FO), the antibiotic with mixed oil (MO) [FO+RO ( 1:1 w/w)], the antibiotic with food industrial residual oil (RO), the pro biotic with FO, the pro biotic with MO and the pro biotic with RO. Virginiamycin, Phibro, USA (15 ppm), was the antibiotic, while a mixture of lactic acid bacteria is chosen as pro biotic. Both were added to the water. During the experiment which lasted for 42 days, the body weight, the feed intake and the mortality rate were recorded at 2, 4 and 6 weeks of age then the body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, economical efficiency and performance index were calculated. The results revealed that the average body weight, body weight gain and feed consumption significantly (P 0.05) while liver increased significantly (P<0.05) in pro biotic FO and gizzard in all pro biotic group and antibiotic MO. The highest performance index was observed in groups of birds treated with pro biotic with MO followed by birds treated with pro biotic FO without significant difference. It could be concluded that supplementation of pro biotic in broiler diet containing different levels of RO was economically more beneficial than antibiotic

  6. DETERMINING VAT PRO RATE. CASE STUDY AT A PAWNSHOP IN ROMANIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    NICOLAE ECOBICI

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Determining VAT pro rate entails in terms of theory the calculation of the share of taxable transactions made by an entity in total transactions. Thus, the entities that use VAT mixed regimes will be able to deduct the VAT related to operations afferent to the transactions with deductibility right and without deduction right, just in the same proportion with calculated pro rata. Also, regulations and adjustments will be made using the final pro rate applied for the entire ending year in the last statement of every year. By the 25th of the first month of the financial year, any entity must declare the provisional pro rate for the coming year to the tax administration body, which is equal to that determined for the ended year. The method used for capturing the main practical tax and accounting problems inherent to determine the VAT pro rate is the case study made at a pawn shop in Romania over the year 2016. Thus, given the multiplicity of operations carried out by pawnshops (pawnshop with gold and silver goods, pawnshop with electronics, selling goods unclaimed at the expiration of the pawn contracts, melting gold and silver and sale in the form of ingots or bars etc., in this article there will be discussed the main problems which may occur in practice on the VAT pro rata, using the example of an entity of this kind in Romania for 2016.

  7. Pro-2-PAM therapy for central and peripheral cholinesterases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demar, James C; Clarkson, Edward D; Ratcliffe, Ruthie H; Campbell, Amy J; Thangavelu, Sonia G; Herdman, Christine A; Leader, Haim; Schulz, Susan M; Marek, Elizabeth; Medynets, Marie A; Ku, Therese C; Evans, Sarah A; Khan, Farhat A; Owens, Roberta R; Nambiar, Madhusoodana P; Gordon, Richard K

    2010-09-06

    Novel therapeutics to overcome the toxic effects of organophosphorus (OP) chemical agents are needed due to the documented use of OPs in warfare (e.g. 1980-1988 Iran/Iraq war) and terrorism (e.g. 1995 Tokyo subway attacks). Standard OP exposure therapy in the United States consists of atropine sulfate (to block muscarinic receptors), the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) reactivator (oxime) pralidoxime chloride (2-PAM), and a benzodiazepine anticonvulsant to ameliorate seizures. A major disadvantage is that quaternary nitrogen charged oximes, including 2-PAM, do not cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) to treat brain AChE. Therefore, we have synthesized and evaluated pro-2-PAM (a lipid permeable 2-PAM derivative) that can enter the brain and reactivate CNS AChE, preventing seizures in guinea pigs after exposure to OPs. The protective effects of the pro-2-PAM after OP exposure were shown using (a) surgically implanted radiotelemetry probes for electroencephalogram (EEG), (b) neurohistopathology of brain, (c) cholinesterase activities in the PNS and CNS, and (d) survivability. The PNS oxime 2-PAM was ineffective at reducing seizures/status epilepticus (SE) in diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP)-exposed animals. In contrast, pro-2-PAM significantly suppressed and then eliminated seizure activity. In OP-exposed guinea pigs, there was a significant reduction in neurological damage with pro-2-PAM but not 2-PAM. Distinct regional areas of the brains showed significantly higher AChE activity 1.5h after OP exposure in pro-2-PAM treated animals compared to the 2-PAM treated ones. However, blood and diaphragm showed similar AChE activities in animals treated with either oxime, as both 2-PAM and pro-2-PAM are PNS active oximes. In conclusion, pro-2-PAM can cross the BBB, is rapidly metabolized inside the brain to 2-PAM, and protects against OP-induced SE through restoration of brain AChE activity. Pro-2-PAM represents the first non-invasive means of administering a CNS therapeutic for

  8. A social identity model of pro-environmental action (SIMPEA).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fritsche, Immo; Barth, Markus; Jugert, Philipp; Masson, Torsten; Reese, Gerhard

    2018-03-01

    Large-scale environmental crises are genuinely collective phenomena: they usually result from collective, rather than personal, behavior and how they are cognitively represented and appraised is determined by collectively shared interpretations (e.g., differing across ideological groups) and based on concern for collectives (e.g., humankind, future generations) rather than for individuals. Nevertheless, pro-environmental action has been primarily investigated as a personal decision-making process. We complement this research with a social identity perspective on pro-environmental action. Social identity is the human capacity to define the self in terms of "We" instead of "I," enabling people to think and act as collectives, which should be crucial given personal insufficiency to appraise and effectively respond to environmental crises. We propose a Social Identity Model of Pro-Environmental Action (SIMPEA) of how social identity processes affect both appraisal of and behavioral responses to large-scale environmental crises. We review related and pertinent research providing initial evidence for the role of 4 social identity processes hypothesized in SIMPEA. Specifically, we propose that ingroup identification, ingroup norms and goals, and collective efficacy determine environmental appraisals as well as both private and public sphere environmental action. These processes are driven by personal and collective emotions and motivations that arise from environmental appraisal and operate on both a deliberate and automatic processing level. Finally, we discuss SIMPEA's implications for the research agenda in environmental and social psychology and for interventions fostering pro-environmental action. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  9. The Effect of Exposure to Pro-Tobacco Advertising on Experimentation With Emerging Tobacco Products Among U.S. Adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agaku, Israel T; Ayo-Yusuf, Olalekan A

    2014-06-01

    This study assessed the influence of exposure to pro-tobacco advertisements on experimentation with emerging tobacco products among U.S. adolescents aged ≥9 years, in Grades 6 to 12. Data were obtained from the 2011 National Youth Tobacco Survey. Multivariate logistic regression was used to measure the association between experimentation with snus and e-cigarettes and exposure to pro-tobacco advertisements from three sources: over the Internet, in newspapers/magazines, and at retail stores. After controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and current use of other tobacco products, the odds of experimenting with snus were 1.36 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.88-3.16), 2.03 (95% CI = 1.30-3.17), and 3.24 (95% CI = 2.07-5.07), among students exposed to one, two, or all three types of pro-tobacco advertisements, respectively, compared with those exposed to none. Similar results were obtained for e-cigarettes. Stronger restrictions on tobacco advertisements, in concert with increased tobacco taxes and warning about the dangers of tobacco, use may help reduce youth tobacco use. © 2013 Society for Public Health Education.

  10. Content validity--establishing and reporting the evidence in newly developed patient-reported outcomes (PRO) instruments for medical product evaluation: ISPOR PRO good research practices task force report: part 1--eliciting concepts for a new PRO instrument.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patrick, Donald L; Burke, Laurie B; Gwaltney, Chad J; Leidy, Nancy Kline; Martin, Mona L; Molsen, Elizabeth; Ring, Lena

    2011-12-01

    The importance of content validity in developing patient reported outcomes (PRO) instruments is stressed by both the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. Content validity is the extent to which an instrument measures the important aspects of concepts that developers or users purport it to assess. A PRO instrument measures the concepts most significant and relevant to a patient's condition and its treatment. For PRO instruments, items and domains as reflected in the scores of an instrument should be important to the target population and comprehensive with respect to patient concerns. Documentation of target population input in item generation, as well as evaluation of patient understanding through cognitive interviewing, can provide the evidence for content validity. Developing content for, and assessing respondent understanding of, newly developed PRO instruments for medical product evaluation will be discussed in this two-part ISPOR PRO Good Research Practices Task Force Report. Topics include the methods for generating items, documenting item development, coding of qualitative data from item generation, cognitive interviewing, and tracking item development through the various stages of research and preparing this tracking for submission to regulatory agencies. Part 1 covers elicitation of key concepts using qualitative focus groups and/or interviews to inform content and structure of a new PRO instrument. Part 2 covers the instrument development process, the assessment of patient understanding of the draft instrument using cognitive interviews and steps for instrument revision. The two parts are meant to be read together. They are intended to offer suggestions for good practices in planning, executing, and documenting qualitative studies that are used to support the content validity of PRO instruments to be used in medical product evaluation. Copyright © 2011 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR

  11. Excessive Pro-Inflammatory Serum Cytokine Concentrations in Virulent Canine Babesiosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Goddard, Amelia; Leisewitz, Andrew L; Kjelgaard-Hansen, Mads

    2016-01-01

    compared between the different groups using the Mann-Whitney U test. IL-10 and MCP-1 concentrations were significantly elevated for the Babesia-infected dogs compared to the healthy controls. In contrast, the IL-8 concentration was significantly decreased in the Babesia-infected dogs compared......Babesia rossi infection causes a severe inflammatory response in the dog, which is the result of the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine secretion. The aim of this study was to determine whether changes in cytokine concentrations were present in dogs with babesiosis and whether...... it was associated with disease outcome. Ninety-seven dogs naturally infected with B. rossi were studied and fifteen healthy dogs were included as controls. Diagnosis of babesiosis was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and reverse line blot. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein at admission, prior...

  12. NVGClient - Programový systém pro vizualizaci taktických dat ve 3D pro OTS VŘ PozS

    OpenAIRE

    Přenosil Václav; Františ Petr; Hodický Jan; Havelka Ladislav

    2012-01-01

    Program NVGClient je určený k přenosu taktických průsvitek z webové služby dle standardu NATO NVG do použitého vizualizačního programu. Při přenosu taktických průsvitek dochází k rozdělení jednotlivých grafických elementů (taktických značek) do určených kategorií a rovněž dochází k převodu symbolů (taktických značek) v přenášených průsvitkách dle kódu APP6B do jeho grafické podoby. Zároveň jsou taktické značky jednotek doplněny informacemi z příslušné databáze o jejich stavu (množství pohonný...

  13. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND EU CITIZENS’ PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena N. UNTARU

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The present paper aims to determine the influence of EU member countries’ economic development on their citizens’ pro-environmental attitudes, using a Cluster Analysis, a Principal Components Analysis and a series of multiple regressions. In this sense, we have used the results of the 2012 survey on the „Attitudes of Europeans towards building the single market for green products”, as well as the 2012 statistical information referring to EU member countries’ economic development, provided by Eurostat. Using multiple regression analyses, we have outlined a significant influence of macroeconomic variables, such as: the employment rate, tertiary educational attainment, GDP per capita, human development index value, unemployment rate, share of gross value added in services and share of employment in services on European citizens’ pro-environmental attitudes.

  14. Applying TPM on Production Line of Huanwei

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhai Yunkai

    2017-01-01

    The study based on the study and analysis of the TPM theory, based on my practice in the SMT2 production line of Victoria Electronics of Huanwei. Then it studied the promotion and implementation steps of TPM on SMT2 line. And it also introduced the improvement instance of SMT2 line. By contrasting the utilization of equipment on SMT2 line before and after the comprehensive of TPM, the necessity of implementing TPM is derived. For how to apply TPM on the production lines, and how to improve equipment comprehensive utilization, finish the order on time, provide high quality products to our customers, these are the main part of production line equipment management work. This article provides the reference for how to promote TPM on other production lines.

  15. The pro-resolving lipid mediator Maresin 1 protects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by attenuating the pro-inflammatory response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xian, Wenjing; Wu, Yan; Xiong, Wei; Li, Longyan; Li, Tong; Pan, Shangwen; Song, Limin; Hu, Lisha; Pei, Lei; Yao, Shanglong

    2016-01-01

    Inflammation plays a crucial role in acute ischemic stroke pathogenesis. Macrophage-derived Maresin 1 (MaR1) is a newly uncovered mediator with potent anti-inflammatory abilities. Here, we investigated the effect of MaR1 on acute inflammation and neuroprotection in a mouse brain ischemia reperfusion (I/R) model. Male C57 mice were subjected to 1-h middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and reperfusion. By the methods of 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride, haematoxylin and eosin or Fluoro-Jade B staining, neurological deficits scoring, ELISA detection, immunofluorescence assay and western blot analysis, we found that intracerebroventricular injection of MaR1 significantly reduced the infarct volume and neurological defects, essentially protected the brain tissue and neurons from injury, alleviated pro-inflammatory reactions and NF-κB p65 activation and nuclear translocation. Taken together, our results suggest that MaR1 significantly protects against I/R injury probably by inhibiting pro-inflammatory reactions. - Highlights: • MaR1 significantly protects against ischemia reperfusion injury. • MaR1 inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines and reducing glial activation and neutrophil infiltration. • These effects at least partially occurred via suppression of the NF-κB p65 signalling pathway.

  16. The pro-resolving lipid mediator Maresin 1 protects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by attenuating the pro-inflammatory response

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xian, Wenjing [Department of Anesthesiology, Institute of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan (China); Wu, Yan [Department of Neurology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan (China); Xiong, Wei [Department of Anesthesiology, Institute of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan (China); Department of Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan (China); Li, Longyan [Department of Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan (China); Li, Tong [Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan (China); Pan, Shangwen [Department of Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan (China); Song, Limin [Department of Anesthesiology, Institute of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan (China); Department of Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan (China); Hu, Lisha [Department of Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan (China); Pei, Lei [Department of Neurobiology, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan (China); Yao, Shanglong, E-mail: ysltian@163.com [Department of Anesthesiology, Institute of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan (China); and others

    2016-03-25

    Inflammation plays a crucial role in acute ischemic stroke pathogenesis. Macrophage-derived Maresin 1 (MaR1) is a newly uncovered mediator with potent anti-inflammatory abilities. Here, we investigated the effect of MaR1 on acute inflammation and neuroprotection in a mouse brain ischemia reperfusion (I/R) model. Male C57 mice were subjected to 1-h middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and reperfusion. By the methods of 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride, haematoxylin and eosin or Fluoro-Jade B staining, neurological deficits scoring, ELISA detection, immunofluorescence assay and western blot analysis, we found that intracerebroventricular injection of MaR1 significantly reduced the infarct volume and neurological defects, essentially protected the brain tissue and neurons from injury, alleviated pro-inflammatory reactions and NF-κB p65 activation and nuclear translocation. Taken together, our results suggest that MaR1 significantly protects against I/R injury probably by inhibiting pro-inflammatory reactions. - Highlights: • MaR1 significantly protects against ischemia reperfusion injury. • MaR1 inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines and reducing glial activation and neutrophil infiltration. • These effects at least partially occurred via suppression of the NF-κB p65 signalling pathway.

  17. The p53 codon 72 PRO/PRO genotype may be associated with initial central visual field defects in caucasians with primary open angle glaucoma.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janey L Wiggs

    Full Text Available Loss of vision in glaucoma is due to apoptotic retinal ganglion cell loss. While p53 modulates apoptosis, gene association studies between p53 variants and glaucoma have been inconsistent. In this study we evaluate the association between a p53 variant functionally known to influence apoptosis (codon 72 Pro/Arg and the subset of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG patients with early loss of central visual field.Genotypes for the p53 codon 72 polymorphism (Pro/Arg were obtained for 264 POAG patients and 400 controls from the U.S. and in replication studies for 308 POAG patients and 178 controls from Australia (GIST. The glaucoma patients were divided into two groups according to location of initial visual field defect (either paracentral or peripheral. All cases and controls were Caucasian with European ancestry.The p53-PRO/PRO genotype was more frequent in the U.S. POAG patients with early visual field defects in the paracentral regions compared with those in the peripheral regions or control group (p=2.7 × 10(-5. We replicated this finding in the GIST cohort (p  =7.3 × 10(-3, and in the pooled sample (p=6.6 × 10(-7 and in a meta-analysis of both the US and GIST datasets (1.3 × 10(-6, OR 2.17 (1.58-2.98 for the PRO allele.These results suggest that the p53 codon 72 PRO/PRO genotype is potentially associated with early paracentral visual field defects in primary open-angle glaucoma patients.

  18. Apically-extruded debris using the ProTaper system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azar, Nasim Gheshlaghi; Ebrahimi, Gholamreza

    2005-04-01

    The purpose of this in vitro study was to determine the quantity of debris and irrigant extruded apically using the ProTaper system compared to ProFiles and K-Flexofiles. Thirty-six mesio-buccal root canals of human mandibular molars were selected and divided into three groups of twelve canals. Two groups were instrumented with ProFiles and ProTapers according to the manufacturer's instructions. The other group was instrumented with K-Flexofiles using the step-back technique. A standard amount of irrigant was used for each canal. Apically-extruded debris and irrigant was collected in pre-weighed vials. The mean weight of extruded debris and irrigant for each group was statistically analysed using Student's t-test and one-way ANOVA. All instrumentation techniques produced extruded debris and irrigant. Although the mean amount of extrusion with the step-back technique was higher than the two rotary systems, there was no significant difference between the three groups (p > 0.05). NiTi rotary systems were associated with less apical extrusion, but were not significantly better than hand file instrumentation. All techniques extruded debris.

  19. Maximize the operating profit of a SWRO-PRO integrated process for optimal water production and energy recovery

    KAUST Repository

    Wan, Chun Feng; Chung, Neal Tai-Shung

    2016-01-01

    Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is a promising technology to reduce the specific energy consumption and the operating expenditure of a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant. In this study, a simple analytical PRO model is developed to predict the PRO performance as the dilution of draw solutions occurs. The model can predict the PRO performance with a high accuracy without carrying out complicated integrations and experiments. The operating profit of SWRO-PRO is also studied by calculating the profit generated for every m3 of seawater entering the process because maximizing the operating profit is the uttermost objective of the SWRO-PRO process. Based on the PRO analytical model, the operating profit and the dynamics of the SWRO-PRO process, a strategy has been proposed to maximize the operating profit of the SWRO-PRO process while maintaining the highest power density of the PRO membranes. This study proves that integration of SWRO with PRO can (1) push the SWRO to a higher recovery and maintain its high profitability, (2) effectively reduce the specific energy consumption of desalination by up to 35% and (3) increase the operating profit up to 100%. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd.

  20. Maximize the operating profit of a SWRO-PRO integrated process for optimal water production and energy recovery

    KAUST Repository

    Wan, Chun Feng

    2016-03-28

    Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is a promising technology to reduce the specific energy consumption and the operating expenditure of a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant. In this study, a simple analytical PRO model is developed to predict the PRO performance as the dilution of draw solutions occurs. The model can predict the PRO performance with a high accuracy without carrying out complicated integrations and experiments. The operating profit of SWRO-PRO is also studied by calculating the profit generated for every m3 of seawater entering the process because maximizing the operating profit is the uttermost objective of the SWRO-PRO process. Based on the PRO analytical model, the operating profit and the dynamics of the SWRO-PRO process, a strategy has been proposed to maximize the operating profit of the SWRO-PRO process while maintaining the highest power density of the PRO membranes. This study proves that integration of SWRO with PRO can (1) push the SWRO to a higher recovery and maintain its high profitability, (2) effectively reduce the specific energy consumption of desalination by up to 35% and (3) increase the operating profit up to 100%. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd.

  1. Grain Yield and Fusarium Ear Rot of Maize Hybrids Developed From Lines With Varying Levels of Resistance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fusarium ear rot, caused by Fusarium verticillioides and other Fusarium spp. is found in all U.S. maize growing regions. Affected grain often contains carcinogenic mycotoxins called fumonisins. We tested the hypothesis that inbred lines with greater resistance to fumonisin contamination would pro...

  2. Ablation of kappa-opioid receptors from brain dopamine neurons has anxiolytic-like effects and enhances cocaine-induced plasticity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van't Veer, Ashlee; Bechtholt, Anita J; Onvani, Sara; Potter, David; Wang, Yujun; Liu-Chen, Lee-Yuan; Schütz, Günther; Chartoff, Elena H; Rudolph, Uwe; Cohen, Bruce M; Carlezon, William A

    2013-07-01

    Brain kappa-opioid receptors (KORs) are implicated in states of motivation and emotion. Activation of KORs negatively regulates mesolimbic dopamine (DA) neurons, and KOR agonists produce depressive-like behavioral effects. To further evaluate how KOR function affects behavior, we developed mutant mice in which exon 3 of the KOR gene (Oprk1) was flanked with Cre-lox recombination (loxP) sites. By breeding these mice with lines that express Cre-recombinase (Cre) in early embryogenesis (EIIa-Cre) or only in DA neurons (dopamine transporter (DAT)-Cre), we developed constitutive KOR knockouts (KOR(-/-)) and conditional knockouts that lack KORs in DA-containing neurons (DAT-KOR(lox/lox)). Autoradiography demonstrated complete ablation of KOR binding in the KOR(-/-) mutants, and reduced binding in the DAT-KOR(lox/lox) mutants. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qPCR) studies confirmed that KOR mRNA is undetectable in the constitutive mutants and reduced in the midbrain DA systems of the conditional mutants. Behavioral characterization demonstrated that these mutant lines do not differ from controls in metrics, including hearing, vision, weight, and locomotor activity. Whereas KOR(-/-) mice appeared normal in the open field and light/dark box tests, DAT-KOR(lox/lox) mice showed reduced anxiety-like behavior, an effect that is broadly consistent with previously reported effects of KOR antagonists. Sensitization to the locomotor-stimulating effects of cocaine appeared normal in KOR(-/-) mutants, but was exaggerated in DAT-KOR(lox/lox) mutants. Increased sensitivity to cocaine in the DAT-KOR(lox/lox) mutants is consistent with a role for KORs in negative regulation of DA function, whereas the lack of differences in the KOR(-/-) mutants suggests compensatory adaptations after constitutive receptor ablation. These mouse lines may be useful in future studies of KOR function.

  3. Superkapacitory pro akumulaci energie

    OpenAIRE

    Kovařík, Jakub

    2017-01-01

    Tato práce se zabývá návrhem DC/DC měniče určeného pro nabíjení superkapacitoru a pro následnou transformaci napětí na požadovanou hodnotu. V textu jsou uvedeny snižující a zvyšující spínaný měnič napětí včetně výpočtu jednotlivých součástek a také schéma měniče, který kombinuje oba dva typy. Pomocí simulačních programů byla ověřena funkce jednotlivých zapojení, které mohou posloužit jako záložní zdroj elektrické energie menšího výkonu. This paper describes the design of DC/DC converters d...

  4. Bureaucracy and Pro-poor Change

    OpenAIRE

    Ali Cheema; Asad Sayeed

    2006-01-01

    Based on the premise that a functioning state is a necessary pre-requisite for pro-poor change, it is critical to investigate the role of the bureaucracy as a key catalyst in this process. Weber (1968) ascribes bureaucracies to be anchors of the modern nation state as their conduct is based on rational-legal norms. Bureaucracies, according to this ideal type, temper the populist urges of politicians who wish to execute policy unencumbered by rules and procedures. State success or failure in m...

  5. Distinct roles of prelimbic and infralimbic proBDNF in extinction of conditioned fear.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Wei; Li, Xiaoliang; An, Lei

    2018-03-15

    Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been investigated for its positive role in regulation of fear acquisition and memory. The precursor of BDNF, proBDNF, has been identified as different protein from its mature form. The prelimbic (PL) and infralimbic (IL) sub-regions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are functionally distinct in fear behavior. However, the role of PL and IL proBDNF in fear memory is unclear. Here, through the infusion of cleavage-resistant proBDNF and its antibody, we identified the dissociable roles of PL and IL proBDNF in fear expression and extinction memory as well as explored proBDNF's potential mechanism of action. The results suggest that the infusion of proBDNF in the IL facilitates induction of fear extinction, while infusion in the PL depresses fear expression. Blocking proBDNF by using its antibody disrupted the acquisition of fear extinction in the IL, but not the PL. Furthermore, proBDNF-induced extinction was sufficient for extinguishing new and older memories, and required NR2B, but not NR2A, -containing NMDA receptors. We also observed extinction-related proBDNF expression increased in the PL and IL during successful fear expression and extinction, respectively. Importantly, enhanced proBDNF was required for maintaining an extinguished behavior. The extinction effects of proBDNF did not involve degrading the original fear memory. Therefore, proBDNF in the IL and PL differentially contribute to the inhibitory control of fear extinction behavior. Our findings provide a strong link between proBDNF activity and deficits in fear extinction, a hallmark of several psychiatric disorders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. The failures of root canal preparation with hand ProTaper.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bătăiosu, Marilena; Diaconu, Oana; Moraru, Iren; Dăguci, C; Tuculină, Mihaela; Dăguci, Luminiţa; Gheorghiţă, Lelia

    2012-07-01

    The failures of root canal preparation are due to some anatomical deviation (canal in "C" or "S") and some technique errors. The technique errors are usually present in canal root cleansing and shaping stage and are the result of endodontic treatment objectives deviation. Our study was made on technique errors while preparing the canal roots with hand ProTaper. Our study was made "in vitro" on 84 extracted teeth (molars, premolars, incisors and canines). The canal root of these teeth were cleansed and shaped with hand ProTaper by crown-down technique and canal irrigation with NaOCl(2,5%). The dental preparation control was made by X-ray. During canal root preparation some failures were observed like: canal root overinstrumentation, zipping and stripping phenomenon, discarded and/or fractured instruments. Hand ProTaper represents a revolutionary progress of endodontic treatment, but a deviation from accepted rules of canal root instrumentation can lead to failures of endodontic treatment.

  7. Pro Linux System Administration

    CERN Document Server

    Turnbull, James

    2009-01-01

    We can all be Linux experts, provided we invest the time in learning the craft of Linux administration. Pro Linux System Administration makes it easy for small to medium--sized businesses to enter the world of zero--cost software running on Linux and covers all the distros you might want to use, including Red Hat, Ubuntu, Debian, and CentOS. Authors, and systems infrastructure experts James Turnbull, Peter Lieverdink, and Dennis Matotek take a layered, component--based approach to open source business systems, while training system administrators as the builders of business infrastructure. If

  8. Pro Access 2010 Development

    CERN Document Server

    Collins, Mark

    2011-01-01

    Pro Access 2010 Development is a fundamental resource for developing business applications that take advantage of the features of Access 2010 and the many sources of data available to your business. In this book, you'll learn how to build database applications, create Web-based databases, develop macros and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) tools for Access applications, integrate Access with SharePoint and other business systems, and much more. Using a practical, hands-on approach, this book will take you through all the facets of developing Access-based solutions, such as data modeling, co

  9. Guidelines for Inclusion of Patient-Reported Outcomes in Clinical Trial Protocols: The SPIRIT-PRO Extension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calvert, Melanie; Kyte, Derek; Mercieca-Bebber, Rebecca; Slade, Anita; Chan, An-Wen; King, Madeleine T; Hunn, Amanda; Bottomley, Andrew; Regnault, Antoine; Chan, An-Wen; Ells, Carolyn; O'Connor, Daniel; Revicki, Dennis; Patrick, Donald; Altman, Doug; Basch, Ethan; Velikova, Galina; Price, Gary; Draper, Heather; Blazeby, Jane; Scott, Jane; Coast, Joanna; Norquist, Josephine; Brown, Julia; Haywood, Kirstie; Johnson, Laura Lee; Campbell, Lisa; Frank, Lori; von Hildebrand, Maria; Brundage, Michael; Palmer, Michael; Kluetz, Paul; Stephens, Richard; Golub, Robert M; Mitchell, Sandra; Groves, Trish

    2018-02-06

    = 21) reduced this to 56 items, which were considered by 138 international stakeholder survey participants and 99 Delphi panelists. The final wording of the SPIRIT-PRO Extension was agreed on at a consensus meeting (n = 29 participants) and reviewed by external group of experts during a consultation period. Eleven extensions and 5 elaborations to the SPIRIT 2013 checklist were recommended for inclusion in clinical trial protocols in which PROs are a primary or key secondary outcome. Extension items focused on PRO-specific issues relating to the trial rationale, objectives, eligibility criteria, concepts used to evaluate the intervention, time points for assessment, PRO instrument selection and measurement properties, data collection plan, translation to other languages, proxy completion, strategies to minimize missing data, and whether PRO data will be monitored during the study to inform clinical care. The SPIRIT-PRO guidelines provide recommendations for items that should be addressed and included in clinical trial protocols in which PROs are a primary or key secondary outcome. Improved design of clinical trials including PROs could help ensure high-quality data that may inform patient-centered care.

  10. Design and synthesis of thienopyrimidine urea derivatives with potential cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic activity against breast cancer cell line MCF-7.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdelhaleem, Eman F; Abdelhameid, Mohammed K; Kassab, Asmaa E; Kandeel, Manal M

    2018-01-01

    A series of novel tetrahydrobenzothieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine urea derivatives was synthesized according to fragment-based design strategy. They were evaluated for their anticancer activity against MCF-7 cell line. Three compounds 9c, 9d and 11b showed 1.5-1.03 folds more potent anticancer activity than doxorubicin. In this study, a promising multi-sited enzyme small molecule inhibitor 9c, which showed the most potent anti-proliferative activity, was identified. The anti-proliferative activity of this compound appears to correlate well with its ability to inhibit topoisomerase II (IC 50  = 9.29 μM). Moreover, compound 9c showed excellent VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity, at the sub-micromolar level with IC 50 value 0.2 μM, which is 2.1 folds more potent than sorafenib. Moreover, activation of damage response pathway of the DNA leads to cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, accumulation of cells in pre-G1 phase and annexin-V and propidium iodide staining, indicating that cell death proceeds through an apoptotic mechanism. Compound 9c showed potent pro-apoptotic effect through induction of the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. This mechanistic pathway was confirmed by a significant increase in the expression of the tumor suppressor gene p53, elevation in Bax/BCL-2 ratio and a significant increase in the level of active caspase-3. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) studies delivered equations of five 3D descriptors with R 2  = 0.814. This QSAR model provides an effective technique for understanding the observed antitumor properties and thus could be adopted for developing effective lead structures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  11. Influence of visualization on consumption during on-line shopping

    OpenAIRE

    Hictaler, Urška

    2013-01-01

    This diploma work studies the influence of visualization on consumption during on-line shopping. The first part of the thesis starts with key areas of visualization, consumption and on-line shopping. Visualization, areas of use, human perception and ways of product presentation in on-line shops are defined discussed first. Next, consumption, consumers and factors that influence their decisions and satisfaction are defined. The last topic in the first part of the thesis discusses on-line shopp...

  12. Cellular regulation of the dopamine transporter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eriksen, Jacob

    2010-01-01

    -membrane spanning protein Tac, thereby creating an extracellular antibody epitope. Upon expression in HEK293 cells this TacDAT fusion protein displayed functional properties similar to the wild type transporter. In an ELISA based internalization assay, TacDAT intracellular accumulation was increased by inhibitors...... of lysosomal degradation and moreover TacDAT colocalized with the late endosomal marker Rab7. In the DA cell line 1Rb3An27 TacDAT also co-localized with EGFP-Rab7 and not with the recycling endosomal marker EGFP-Rab11. To assess whether sorting to late endosomes/lysosomes was a property also inherent...... to natively expressed transporter, DAT was visualized directly in cultured DA neurons using the fluorescent cocaine analog JHC 1-64. These data showed pronounced colocalization upon constitutive internalization with Lysotracker, a late endosomal/lysosomal marker; however only little cololization was observed...

  13. The effect of taurine chloramine on human osteosarcoma cell-lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pilz, M.

    2010-01-01

    Osteosarcoma is the most frequent nonhaematogenic primary malignant tumor of the bone. The rather rare tumour occurs mainly in children and adolescents. This osteogenic tumour is a high-aggressive mesenchymal neoplasm typically producing osteoid. The surgical resection of the complete tumour must be carried out with wide or radical margins to prevent recurrence. Even though the combination of surgery with chemotherapy has noticeably improved the survival rate of osteosarcoma patients, the application of anticancer drugs is still associated with significant adverse reactions, for example the common acquisition of drug-resistant phenotypes, indicating the need of new chemotherapeutical substances. Taurine is a sulfur-containing β-amino acid, which is present in high concentrations in mammalian cells and plasma, in granulocytes and lymphocytes. Large quantities of taurine are released by stimulated neutrophiles and rapidly chlorinated by the reaction with hypochlorous acid (HOCl) generating taurine monochloramine (NCT). NCT is noted to play quite a few roles in the modulation of the immune response and sizeably decreases the production of plenty proinflammatory mediators from adherent as well as non-adherent leucocytes. NCT inhibits the intracellular transcription of nitric-oxide synthase and the production of nitric oxide and switches cell death from the less advantageous necrosis to the more physiologically beneficial apoptosis. Aim of this study was to research, if different concentrations of NCT are capable to induce apoptosis in the human osteosarcoma cell lines HOS, MG-63 and SAOS-2. Therefore the cell proliferation assay EZ4U, a fluorescence staining with acridine-orange, an ELISA for the detection of DNA-fragments and a JC-1 mitochondrial FACS-analysis were performed. The results of these four independent experiments show, that NCT has a pro-apoptotic effect on these osteosarcoma cell lines. (author) [de

  14. ProCKSI: a decision support system for Protein (Structure Comparison, Knowledge, Similarity and Information

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Błażewicz Jacek

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background We introduce the decision support system for Protein (Structure Comparison, Knowledge, Similarity and Information (ProCKSI. ProCKSI integrates various protein similarity measures through an easy to use interface that allows the comparison of multiple proteins simultaneously. It employs the Universal Similarity Metric (USM, the Maximum Contact Map Overlap (MaxCMO of protein structures and other external methods such as the DaliLite and the TM-align methods, the Combinatorial Extension (CE of the optimal path, and the FAST Align and Search Tool (FAST. Additionally, ProCKSI allows the user to upload a user-defined similarity matrix supplementing the methods mentioned, and computes a similarity consensus in order to provide a rich, integrated, multicriteria view of large datasets of protein structures. Results We present ProCKSI's architecture and workflow describing its intuitive user interface, and show its potential on three distinct test-cases. In the first case, ProCKSI is used to evaluate the results of a previous CASP competition, assessing the similarity of proposed models for given targets where the structures could have a large deviation from one another. To perform this type of comparison reliably, we introduce a new consensus method. The second study deals with the verification of a classification scheme for protein kinases, originally derived by sequence comparison by Hanks and Hunter, but here we use a consensus similarity measure based on structures. In the third experiment using the Rost and Sander dataset (RS126, we investigate how a combination of different sets of similarity measures influences the quality and performance of ProCKSI's new consensus measure. ProCKSI performs well with all three datasets, showing its potential for complex, simultaneous multi-method assessment of structural similarity in large protein datasets. Furthermore, combining different similarity measures is usually more robust than

  15. Preatoni kantis Pro Kapitalist välja sadu miljoneid kroone / Inno Tähismaa

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Tähismaa, Inno, 1970-

    2001-01-01

    Kinnisvarafirma Pro Kapital juht Ernesto Preatoni on mõne viimase aastaga firmast välja kandnud pea kogu võimaliku kasumi, mis kokku ulatub sadadesse miljonitesse kroonidesse. Pro Kapitali viimase paari aasta kinnisvaraostud. Ilmunud ka: Delovõje Vedomosti, 25. juuli 2001, lk. 4

  16. Conservation caring: measuring the influence of zoo visitors' connection to wildlife on pro-conservation behaviors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skibins, Jeffrey C; Powell, Robert B

    2013-01-01

    Zoos in the 21st century are striving to make effective contributions to conservation. Although zoos are extremely popular and host over 600 million visitors worldwide, one challenge zoos face is how to effectively engage visitors and raise awareness and action for conservation. To this end, zoos commonly rely on charismatic megafauna, which have been shown to elicit a connection with zoo visitors. However, little is known about how to measure a connection to a species or how this connection may influence conservation behaviors. This study had two sequential objectives. The first was to develop a scale to measure visitors' connection to a species (Conservation Caring). The second was to investigate the relationship of Conservation Caring to pro-conservation behaviors, following a zoo experience. Pre- (n = 411) and post-visit (n = 452) responses were collected from three sites in order to assess the reliability and validity of a scale to measure Conservation Caring. Structural equation modeling was used to explore the relationship between Conservation Caring and pro-conservation behaviors. Conservation Caring was deemed a valid and reliable scale and was a strong predictor of species oriented behaviors (β = 0.62), for example, "adopting" an animal, but a weak predictor for biodiversity oriented behaviors (β = 0.07), for example, supporting sustainability policies. Results support the role zoos can play in fostering a connection to wildlife and stimulating pro-conservation behaviors. Additionally, visitors connected to a wide array of animals. On the basis of these results, zoos may recruit a wider assemblage of species as potential flagships. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. Amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptides: testing in general populations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lemos, J.A. de; Hildebrandt, P.

    2008-01-01

    Screening of general populations with amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptides (NT-proBNP) holds promise for the detection of significant underlying cardiac structural and functional abnormalities, as well as for the early detection of the propensity to develop future cardiovascular events....... In comparative studies to date, NT-proBNP performs at least as well as BNP in the detection of heart disease and prognostication in the general population. In some studies and subgroups, NT-proBNP appears to outperform BNP in population screening. More needs to be learned about noncardiac sources of NT...

  18. Catabolism of neurotensin by neural (neuroblastoma clone N1E115) and extraneural (HT29) cell lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Checler, F.; Amar, S.; Kitabgi, P.; Vincent, J.P.

    1986-01-01

    The mechanisms by which neurotensin (NT) was inactivated by differentiated neuroblastoma and HT29 cells were characterized. In both cell lines, the sites of primary cleavages of NT were Pro7-Arg8, Arg8-Arg9 and Pro10-Tyr11 bonds. The cleavage at the Pro7-Arg8 bond was totally inhibited by N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Prolyl-Prolinal and therefore resulted from the action of proline endopeptidase. This peptidase also contributed in a major way to the cleavage at the Pro10-Tyr11 bond. However the latter breakdown was partly due to an NT-degrading neutral metallopeptidase. Finally, we demonstrated the involvement of a recently purified rat brain soluble metalloendopeptidase at the Arg8-Arg9 site by the use of its specific inhibitor N-[1(R,S)-carboxy-2-Phenylethyl]-alanylalanylphenylalanine-p-amino benzoate. The secondary processing of NT degradation products revealed differences between HT29 and N1E115 cells. Angiotensin converting enzyme was shown to degrade NT1-10 and NT1-7 in N1E115 cells but was not detected in HT29 cells. A post-proline dipeptidyl aminopeptidase activity converted NT9-13 into NT11-13 in HT29 cells but not in N1E115 cells. Finally, bestatin-sensitive aminopeptidases rapidly broke down NT11-13 to Tyr in both cell lines. Models for the inactivation of NT in HT29 and N1E115 cells are proposed and compared to that previously described for purified rat brain synaptic membranes

  19. Unlocking the black box: line managers and HRM performance in a call centre context

    OpenAIRE

    Harney, Brian; Jordan, Claire

    2008-01-01

    Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show the way to unlock the black box of HRM and performance linkages by exploring one of the key variables that mediates the link, namely whether line managers can stimulate improvements in firm performance by eliciting appropriate employee outcomes in a call centre context. Design/methodology/approach – The research draws on Purcell's "People-Performance Model" as a sensitising framework to inform an in-depth case study of a call centre. This pro...

  20. Impact of epitope specificity and precursor maturation in pro-B-type natriuretic peptide measurement

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Goetze, J.P.; Dahlstrom, U.; Alehagen, U.

    2008-01-01

    with different epitope specificities in a cohort of elderly patients presenting with symptoms associated with heart failure (n = 415). RESULTS: Comparison of N-terminal proBNP with proBNP 1-76 measurement in plasma revealed a high correlation on regression analysis (r(2) = 0.91, P ..., the proBNP 1-76 assay measured lower concentrations in the high range than the N-terminal proBNP assay. Correlations between assay measurements in a clinical setting were comparable for all the assays (r(2) approximately 0.57-0.83), and ROC analyses revealed area-under-the-curve values ranging between 0......BACKGROUND: Cardiac-derived natriuretic peptides are sensitive plasma markers of cardiac dysfunction. Recent reports have disclosed a more complex molecular heterogeneity of B-type natriuretic peptide precursor (proBNP)-derived peptides than previously suggested. In this study, we examined...

  1. Predictive value of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide in severe sepsis and septic shock.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varpula, Marjut; Pulkki, Kari; Karlsson, Sari; Ruokonen, Esko; Pettilä, Ville

    2007-05-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) on mortality in a large, unselected patient population with severe sepsis and septic shock. Prospective observational cohort study about incidence and prognosis of sepsis in 24 intensive care units in Finland (the FINNSEPSIS study). A total of 254 patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. After informed consent, the blood tests for NT-proBNP analyses were drawn on the day of admission and 72 hrs thereafter. Patients' demographic data were collected, and intensive care unit and hospital mortality and basic hemodynamic and laboratory data were recorded daily. NT-proBNP levels at admission were significantly higher in hospital nonsurvivors (median, 7908 pg/mL) compared with survivors (median, 3479 pg/mL; p = .002), and the difference remained after 72 hrs (p = .002). The receiver operating characteristic curves of admission and 72-hr NT-proBNP levels for hospital mortality resulted in area under the curve values of 0.631 (95% confidence interval, 0.549-0.712; p = .002) and 0.648 (95% confidence interval, 0.554-0.741; p = .002), respectively. In logistic regression analyses, NT-proBNP values at 72 hrs after inclusion and Simplified Acute Physiology Score for the first 24 hrs were independent predictors of hospital mortality. Pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (p < .001), plasma creatinine clearance (p = .001), platelet count (p = .03), and positive blood culture (p = .04) had an independent effect on first-day NT-proBNP values, whereas after 72 hrs, only plasma creatinine clearance (p < .001) was significant in linear regression analysis. NT-proBNP values are frequently increased in severe sepsis and septic shock. Values are significantly higher in nonsurvivors than survivors. NT-proBNP on day 3 in the intensive care unit is an independent prognostic marker of mortality in severe sepsis.

  2. On-Line Voltage Stability Assessment based on PMU Measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Garcia-Valle, Rodrigo; P. Da Silva, Luiz C.; Nielsen, Arne Hejde

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents a method for on-line monitoring of risk voltage collapse based on synchronised phasor measurement. As there is no room for intensive computation and analysis in real-time, the method is based on the combination of off-line computation and on-line monitoring, which are correlat...

  3. LYATK1 potently inhibits LPS-mediated pro-inflammatory response

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xi, Feng [Department of Intensive Care Unit, Taixing People" ' s Hospital, Taixing, Jiangsu Province, 225400 (China); Liu, Yuan [Department of Ophthalmology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing (China); Wang, Xiujuan; Kong, Wei [Department of Intensive Care Unit, Taixing People" ' s Hospital, Taixing, Jiangsu Province, 225400 (China); Zhao, Feng, E-mail: taixingzhaofeng163@163.com [Department of Intensive Care Unit, Taixing People" ' s Hospital, Taixing, Jiangsu Province, 225400 (China)

    2016-01-29

    Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-primed monocytes/macrophages produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, which could lead to endotoxin shock. TGF-β-activated kinase1 (TAK1) activation is involved in the process. In the current study, we studied the potential effect of a selective TAK1 inhibitor, LYTAK1, on LPS-stimulated response both in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrated that LYTAK1 inhibited LPS-induced mRNA expression and production of several pro-inflammatory cytokines [interleukin 1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)] in RAW 264.7 macrophages. LYTAK1's activity was almost nullified with TAK1 shRNA-knockdown. Meanwhile, in both primary mouse bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs) and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production was again attenuated with LYTAK1 co-treatment. Molecularly, LYTAK1 dramatically inhibited LPS-induced TAK1-nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (Erk, Jnk and p38) activation in RAW 264.7 cells, mouse BMDMs and human PBMCs. In vivo, oral administration of LYTAK1 inhibited LPS-induced activation of TAK1-NFκB-p38 in ex-vivo cultured PBMCs, and cytokine production and endotoxin shock in mice. Together, these results demonstrate that LYTAK1 inhibits LPS-induced production of several pro-inflammatory cytokines and endotoxin shock probably through blocking TAK1-regulated signalings. - Highlights: • LYTAK1 inhibits LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production in RAW 264.7 cells. • The effect by LYTAK1 is more potent than other known TAK1 inhibitors. • LYTAK1 inhibits LPS-induced cytokine production in primary macrophages/monocytes. • LYTAK1 inhibits LPS-induced TAK1-NFκB and MAPK activation in macrophages/monocytes. • LYTAK1 gavage inhibits LPS-induced endotoxin shock and cytokine production in mice.

  4. LYATK1 potently inhibits LPS-mediated pro-inflammatory response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xi, Feng; Liu, Yuan; Wang, Xiujuan; Kong, Wei; Zhao, Feng

    2016-01-01

    Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-primed monocytes/macrophages produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, which could lead to endotoxin shock. TGF-β-activated kinase1 (TAK1) activation is involved in the process. In the current study, we studied the potential effect of a selective TAK1 inhibitor, LYTAK1, on LPS-stimulated response both in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrated that LYTAK1 inhibited LPS-induced mRNA expression and production of several pro-inflammatory cytokines [interleukin 1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)] in RAW 264.7 macrophages. LYTAK1's activity was almost nullified with TAK1 shRNA-knockdown. Meanwhile, in both primary mouse bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs) and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production was again attenuated with LYTAK1 co-treatment. Molecularly, LYTAK1 dramatically inhibited LPS-induced TAK1-nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (Erk, Jnk and p38) activation in RAW 264.7 cells, mouse BMDMs and human PBMCs. In vivo, oral administration of LYTAK1 inhibited LPS-induced activation of TAK1-NFκB-p38 in ex-vivo cultured PBMCs, and cytokine production and endotoxin shock in mice. Together, these results demonstrate that LYTAK1 inhibits LPS-induced production of several pro-inflammatory cytokines and endotoxin shock probably through blocking TAK1-regulated signalings. - Highlights: • LYTAK1 inhibits LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production in RAW 264.7 cells. • The effect by LYTAK1 is more potent than other known TAK1 inhibitors. • LYTAK1 inhibits LPS-induced cytokine production in primary macrophages/monocytes. • LYTAK1 inhibits LPS-induced TAK1-NFκB and MAPK activation in macrophages/monocytes. • LYTAK1 gavage inhibits LPS-induced endotoxin shock and cytokine production in mice.

  5. Pro-region engineering for improved yeast display and secretion of brain derived neurotrophic factor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burns, Michael L; Malott, Thomas M; Metcalf, Kevin J; Puguh, Arthya; Chan, Jonah R; Shusta, Eric V

    2016-03-01

    Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a promising therapeutic candidate for a variety of neurological diseases. However, it is difficult to produce as a recombinant protein. In its native mammalian context, BDNF is first produced as a pro-protein with subsequent proteolytic removal of the pro-region to yield mature BDNF protein. Therefore, in an attempt to improve yeast as a host for heterologous BDNF production, the BDNF pro-region was first evaluated for its effects on BDNF surface display and secretion. Addition of the wild-type pro-region to yeast BDNF production constructs improved BDNF folding both as a surface-displayed and secreted protein in terms of binding its natural receptors TrkB and p75, but titers remained low. Looking to further enhance the chaperone-like functions provided by the pro-region, two rounds of directed evolution were performed, yielding mutated pro-regions that further improved the display and secretion properties of BDNF. Subsequent optimization of the protease recognition site was used to control whether the produced protein was in pro- or mature BDNF forms. Taken together, we have demonstrated an effective strategy for improving BDNF compatibility with yeast protein engineering and secretion platforms. Copyright © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. ProMED-mail: 22 years of digital surveillance of emerging infectious diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carrion, Malwina; Madoff, Lawrence C

    2017-05-01

    ProMED-mail (ProMED) was launched in 1994 as an email service to identify unusual health events related to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and toxins affecting humans, animals and plants. It is used daily by public health leaders, government officials at all levels, physicians, veterinarians and other healthcare workers, researchers, private companies, journalists and the general public. Reports are produced and commentary provided by a global team of subject matter experts in a variety of fields including virology, parasitology, epidemiology, entomology, veterinary and plant disease specialists. ProMED operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and has over 83 000 subscribers, representing every country in the world. Additionally, ProMED disseminates information via its website and through social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook as well as through RSS feeds. Over the last 22 years, it has been the first to report on numerous major and minor disease outbreaks including SARS, MERS, Ebola and the early spread of Zika. ProMED is transparent, apolitical, open to all and free of charge, making it an important and longstanding contributor to global health surveillance. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  7. Bursal transcriptome profiling of different inbred chicken lines reveals key differentially expressed genes at 3 days post-infection with very virulent infectious bursal disease virus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farhanah, Mohd Isa; Yasmin, Abd Rahaman; Mat Isa, Nurulfiza; Hair-Bejo, Mohd; Ideris, Aini; Powers, Claire; Oladapo, Omobolanle; Nair, Venugopal; Khoo, Jia-Shiun; Ghazali, Ahmad-Kamal; Yee, Wai-Yan; Omar, Abdul Rahman

    2018-01-01

    Infectious bursal disease is a highly contagious disease in the poultry industry and causes immunosuppression in chickens. Genome-wide regulations of immune response genes of inbred chickens with different genetic backgrounds, following very virulent infectious bursal disease virus (vvIBDV) infection are poorly characterized. Therefore, this study aims to analyse the bursal tissue transcriptome of six inbred chicken lines 6, 7, 15, N, O and P following infection with vvIBDV strain UK661 using strand-specific next-generation sequencing, by highlighting important genes and pathways involved in the infected chicken during peak infection at 3 days post-infection. All infected chickens succumbed to the infection without major variations among the different lines. However, based on the viral loads and bursal lesion scoring, lines P and 6 can be considered as the most susceptible lines, while lines 15 and N were regarded as the least affected lines. Transcriptome profiling of the bursa identified 4588 genes to be differentially expressed, with 2985 upregulated and 1642 downregulated genes, in which these genes were commonly or uniquely detected in all or several infected lines. Genes that were upregulated are primarily pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and IFN-related. Various genes that are associated with B-cell functions and genes related to apoptosis were downregulated, together with the genes involved in p53 signalling. In conclusion, bursal transcriptome profiles of different inbred lines showed differential expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, Th1 cytokines, JAK-STAT signalling genes, MAPK signalling genes, and their related pathways following vvIBDV infection.

  8. The In-Situ One-Step Synthesis of a PDC Macromolecular Pro-Drug and the Fabrication of a Novel Core-Shell Micell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Cui-Yun; Yang, Sa; Li, Zhi-Ping; Huang, Can; Ning, Qian; Huang, Wen; Yang, Wen-Tong; He, Dongxiu; Sun, Lichun

    2016-01-01

    The development of slow release nano-sized carriers for efficient antineoplastic drug delivery with a biocompatible and biodegradable pectin-based macromolecular pro-drug for tumor therapy has been reported in this study. Pectin-doxorubicin conjugates (PDC), a macromolecular pro-drug, were prepared via an amide condensation reaction, and a novel amphiphilic core-shell micell based on a PDC macromolecular pro-drug (PDC-M) was self-assembled in situ, with pectin as the hydrophilic shell and doxorubicin (DOX) as the hydrophobic core. Then the chemical structure of the PDC macromolecular pro-drug was identified by both Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-NMR), and proved that doxorubicin combined well with the pectin and formed macromolecular pro-drug. The PDC-M were observed to have an unregularly spherical shape and were uniform in size by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The average particle size of PDC-M, further measured by a Zetasizer nanoparticle analyzer (Nano ZS, Malvern Instruments), was about 140 nm. The encapsulation efficiency and drug loading were 57.82% ± 3.7% (n = 3) and 23.852% ±2.3% (n = 3), respectively. The in vitro drug release behaviors of the resulting PDC-M were studied in a simulated tumor environment (pH 5.0), blood (pH 7.4) and a lysosome media (pH 6.8), and showed a prolonged slow release profile. Assays for antiproliferative effects and flow cytometry of the resulting PDC-M in HepG2 cell lines demonstrated greater properties of delayed and slow release as compared to free DOX. A cell viability study against endothelial cells further revealed that the resulting PDC-M possesses excellent cell compatibilities and low cytotoxicities in comparison with that of the free DOX. Hemolysis activity was investigated in rabbits, and the results also demonstrated that the PDC-M has greater compatibility in comparison with free DOX. This shows that the resulting PDC-M can ameliorate the

  9. ProBDNF Signaling Regulates Depression-Like Behaviors in Rodents under Chronic Stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Yin-Yin; Ruan, Chun-Sheng; Yang, Chun-Rui; Li, Jia-Yi; Kang, Zhi-Long; Zhou, Li; Liu, Dennis; Zeng, Yue-Qing; Wang, Ting-Hua; Tian, Chang-Fu; Liao, Hong; Bobrovskaya, Larisa; Zhou, Xin-Fu

    2016-11-01

    Chronic exposure to stressful environment is a key risk factor contributing to the development of depression. However, the mechanisms involved in this process are still unclear. Brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) has long been investigated for its positive role in regulation of mood, although the role of its precursor, proBDNF, in regulation of mood is not known. In this study, using an unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) paradigm we found that the protein levels of proBDNF were increased in the neocortex and hippocampus of stressed mice and this UCMS-induced upregulation of proBDNF was abolished by chronic administration of fluoxetine. We then established a rat model of UCMS and found that the expression of proBDNF/p75 NTR /sortilin was upregulated, whereas the expression of mature BDNF and TrkB was downregulated in both neocortex and hippocampus of chronically stressed rats. Finally, we found that the injection of anti-proBDNF antibody via intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) and intraperitoneal (i.p.) approaches into the UCMS rats significantly reversed the stress-induced depression-like behavior and restored the exploratory activity and spine growth. Although intramuscular injection of AAV-proBDNF did not exacerbate the UCMS-elicited rat mood-related behavioral or pathological abnormalities, i.c.v. injection of AAV-proBDNF increased the depression-like behavior in naive rats. Our findings suggest that proBDNF plays a role in the development of chronic stress-induced mood disturbances in rodents. Central (i.c.v.) or peripheral (i.p.) inhibition of proBDNF by injecting specific anti-proBDNF antibodies may provide a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of stress-related mood disorders.

  10. Dynamic detection of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide helps to predict the outcome of patients with major trauma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, A; Zhang, M; Zhao, G

    2015-02-01

    NT-proBNP and BNP have been demonstrated to be prognostic markers in cardiac disease and sepsis. However, the prognostic value and the dynamic changes of BNP or NT-proBNP in trauma patients remain unclear. The present study was conducted to investigate the dynamic changes of NT-proBNP in patients with major trauma (injury severity score ≥16), determine whether NT-proBNP could be used as a simple index to predict mortality in major trauma patients. This prospective observational study included 60 patients with major trauma. Serum NT-proBNP levels were measured on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day after injury The NT-proBNP levels in survivors were compared with those in non-survivors. The efficacy of NT-proBNP to predict survival was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic curves. An analysis of correlations between NT-proBNP and various factors, including injury severity score, Glasgow coma score, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II, central venous pressure, creatine kinase-MB, cardiac troponin I and procalcitonin (PCT) was performed. NT-proBNP levels in patients with traumatic brain injury were compared with those in patients without traumatic brain injury. A comparison of NT-proBNP levels between patients with and without sepsis was also performed at each time point. NT-proBNP levels in non-survivors were significantly higher than those in survivors at all the indicated time points. In the group of non-survivors, NT-proBNP levels on the 7th day were markedly higher than those on the 1st day. In contrast, NT-proBNP levels in survivors showed a reduction over time. The efficacy of NT-proBNP to predict survival was analyzed using ROC curves, and there was no difference in the area under the ROC between NT-proBNP and APACHE II/ISS at the three time points. A significant correlation was found between NT-proBNP and ISS on the 1st day, NT-proBNP and CK-MB, Tn-I and APACHE II on the 3rd day, NT-proBNP and PCT on the 7th day. There were no significant

  11. Diagnostic Value of N Terminal Pro B Type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-pro BNP in Cardiac Involvement in Patients with Beta- Thalassemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noor Mohammad Noori

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Background Heart failure is a major cause of death in thalassemia. The study aimed to determine the diagnostic value of N Terminal Pro B Type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-pro BNP, to early diagnose the cardiac involvement in beta- thalassemia major patients. Materials and Methods  80 thalassemia patients aged 7 to 18 years old (patients group, and 80 healthy age and gender matched controls were enrolled in the case-control study. Patients were selected from those attending to the clinic of Aliasghar hospital, Zahedan-Iran. They were subjected to echo-Doppler tissue and conventional examination for both right and left heart function. Data were analysis using SPSS 18.0 software. Results  NT-pro BNP increased in patients compared the controls (P

  12. INIS retrieval service, towards on-line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ebinuma, Yukio; Komatsubara, Yasutoshi

    1983-01-01

    Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute executes the retrieval service of INIS atomic energy information by batch system in cooperation with Genshiryoku Kozaikai. This service is very popular to the users in whole Japan, but the demand of on-line service has increased recently. Therefore, it was decided to begin the INIS on-line service from January, 1984, through the on-line information retrieval system of the Japan Information Center of Science and Technology. It is expected that when the operation will be started, the utilization of INIS atomic energy information in Japan will drastically increase. Also Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute has carried out the retrieval service by on-line system for those in the institute besides the batch system, accordingly, at this opportunity, the state of utilization of both systems and their distinction to use effectively, and the operation and the method of utilization of the on-line information retrieval system of JICST are explained. In the on-line system, the users are accessible to the data base themselves, and immediate information retrieval is possible, while in the batch system, the related information can be retrieved without fail, and the troublesome operation of equipment is not necessary. (Kako, I.)

  13. Control of extracellular cleavage of ProBDNF by high frequency neuronal activity

    OpenAIRE

    Nagappan, Guhan; Zaitsev, Eugene; Senatorov, Vladimir V.; Yang, Jianmin; Hempstead, Barbara L.; Lu, Bai

    2009-01-01

    Pro- and mature neurotrophins often elicit opposing biological effects. For example, mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor (mBDNF) is critical for long-term potentiation induced by high-frequency stimulation, whereas proBDNF facilitate long-term depression induced by low-frequency stimulation. Because mBDNF is derived from proBDNF by endoproteolytic cleavage, mechanisms regulating the cleavage of proBDNF may control the direction of BDNF regulation. Using methods that selectively detect pr...

  14. Implementation of the Master Curve method in ProSACC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Feilitzen, Carl von; Sattari-Far, Iradj [Inspecta Technology AB, Stockholm (Sweden)

    2012-03-15

    Cleavage fracture toughness data display normally large amount of statistical scatter in the transition region. The cleavage toughness data in this region is specimen size-dependent, and should be treated statistically rather than deterministically. Master Curve methodology is a procedure for mechanical testing and statistical analysis of fracture toughness of ferritic steels in the transition region. The methodology accounts for temperature and size dependence of fracture toughness. Using the Master Curve methodology for evaluation of the fracture toughness in the transition region releases the overconservatism that has been observed in using the ASME-KIC curve. One main advantage of using the Master Curve methodology is possibility to use small Charpy-size specimens to determine fracture toughness. Detailed description of the Master Curve methodology is given by Sattari-Far and Wallin [2005). ProSACC is a suitable program in using for structural integrity assessments of components containing crack like defects and for defect tolerance analysis. The program gives possibilities to conduct assessments based on deterministic or probabilistic grounds. The method utilized in ProSACC is based on the R6-method developed at Nuclear Electric plc, Milne et al [1988]. The basic assumption in this method is that fracture in a cracked body can be described by two parameters Kr and Lr. The parameter Kr is the ratio between the stress intensity factor and the fracture toughness of the material. The parameter Lr is the ratio between applied load and the plastic limit load of the structure. The ProSACC assessment results are therefore highly dependent on the applied fracture toughness value in the assessment. In this work, the main options of the Master Curve methodology are implemented in the ProSACC program. Different options in evaluating Master Curve fracture toughness from standard fracture toughness testing data or impact testing data are considered. In addition, the

  15. Implementation of the Master Curve method in ProSACC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feilitzen, Carl von; Sattari-Far, Iradj

    2012-03-01

    Cleavage fracture toughness data display normally large amount of statistical scatter in the transition region. The cleavage toughness data in this region is specimen size-dependent, and should be treated statistically rather than deterministically. Master Curve methodology is a procedure for mechanical testing and statistical analysis of fracture toughness of ferritic steels in the transition region. The methodology accounts for temperature and size dependence of fracture toughness. Using the Master Curve methodology for evaluation of the fracture toughness in the transition region releases the overconservatism that has been observed in using the ASME-KIC curve. One main advantage of using the Master Curve methodology is possibility to use small Charpy-size specimens to determine fracture toughness. Detailed description of the Master Curve methodology is given by Sattari-Far and Wallin [2005). ProSACC is a suitable program in using for structural integrity assessments of components containing crack like defects and for defect tolerance analysis. The program gives possibilities to conduct assessments based on deterministic or probabilistic grounds. The method utilized in ProSACC is based on the R6-method developed at Nuclear Electric plc, Milne et al [1988]. The basic assumption in this method is that fracture in a cracked body can be described by two parameters Kr and Lr. The parameter Kr is the ratio between the stress intensity factor and the fracture toughness of the material. The parameter Lr is the ratio between applied load and the plastic limit load of the structure. The ProSACC assessment results are therefore highly dependent on the applied fracture toughness value in the assessment. In this work, the main options of the Master Curve methodology are implemented in the ProSACC program. Different options in evaluating Master Curve fracture toughness from standard fracture toughness testing data or impact testing data are considered. In addition, the

  16. A new technique for on-line and off-line high speed computation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hartouni, E.P.; Jensen, D.A.; Klima, B.; Kreisler, M.N.; Rabin, M.S.Z.; Uribe, J.; Gottschalk, E.; Gara, A.; Knapp, B.C.

    1989-01-01

    A new technique for both on-line and off-line computation has been developed. With this technique, a reconstruction analysis in Elementary Particle Physics, otherwise prohibitively long, has been accomplished. It will be used on-line in an upcoming Fermilab experiment to reconstruct more than 100,000 events per second and to trigger on the basis of that information. The technique delivers 40 Giga operations per second, has a bandwidth on the order of Gigabytes per second and has a modest cost. An overview of the program, details of the system, and performance measurements are presented in this paper

  17. The naming impairment of living and nonliving items in Alzheimer's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montanes, P; Goldblum, M C; Boller, F

    1995-01-01

    Several studies of semantic abilities in Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (DAT) suggest that their semantic disorders may affect specific categories of knowledge. In particular, the existence of a category-specific semantic impairment affecting, selectively, living things has frequently been reported in association with DAT. We report here results from two naming tasks of 25 DAT patients and two subgroups within this population. The first naming task used 48 black and white line drawings from Snodgrass and Vanderwart (1980) which controlled the visual complexity of stimuli from living and nonliving categories. The second task used 44 colored pictures (to assess the influence of word frequency in living vs. nonliving categories). Within the set of black and white pictures, both DAT patients and controls obtained significantly lower scores on high visual complexity stimuli than on stimuli of low visual complexity. A clear effect of semantic category emerged for DAT patients and controls, with a lower performance on the living category. Within the colored set, pictures corresponding to high frequency words gave rise to significantly higher scores than pictures corresponding to low frequency words. No significant difference emerged between living versus nonliving categories, either in DAT patients or in controls. In the two tasks, the two subgroups of DAT patients presented a different profile of performance and error type. As color constitutes the main difference between the two sets of pictures, our results point to the relevance of this cue in the processing of semantic information, with visual complexity and frequency also being very relevant.

  18. N-terminal Pro-B-type natriuretic peptide: a measure of significant patent cuctus arteriosus

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    OFarombi-Oghuvbu, IO

    2008-01-24

    Background: B type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a marker for ventricular dysfunction secreted as a pre-prohormone, Pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (ProBNP), and cleaved into BNP and a biologically inactive fragment, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). Little is known about the clinical usefulness of NT-proBNP in preterm infants.\\r\

  19. Hepatic lipase: a pro- or anti-atherogenic protein?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    H. Jansen (Hans); A.J.M. Verhoeven (Adrie); E.J.G. Sijbrands (Eric)

    2002-01-01

    textabstractHepatic lipase (HL) plays a role in the metabolism of pro- and anti-atherogenic lipoproteins affecting their plasma level and composition. However, there is controversy regarding whether HL accelerates or retards atherosclerosis. Its effects on different

  20. Research for the Influence of Distribution Network Line Reclosing Current on Line Protection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu Kansheng

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available According to the distribution network line structure and reclosing control strategy, the system simulation model of distribution network lines has established based on the real-time digital simulation RTDS. Based on this, distribution network switching impulse current characteristic has researched with different capacity, different distribution and different load power factor under the different voltage switching angles. The results of the study provide a scientific basis for distribution network line protection setting, in order to further lay the foundation for improvement the validity and reliability of distribution network line protection action.