QSAR models of human data can enrich or replace LLNA testing for human skin sensitization

OpenAIRE

Alves, Vinicius M.; Capuzzi, Stephen J.; Muratov, Eugene; Braga, Rodolpho C.; Thornton, Thomas; Fourches, Denis; Strickland, Judy; Kleinstreuer, Nicole; Andrade, Carolina H.; Tropsha, Alexander

2016-01-01

Skin sensitization is a major environmental and occupational health hazard. Although many chemicals have been evaluated in humans, there have been no efforts to model these data to date. We have compiled, curated, analyzed, and compared the available human and LLNA data. Using these data, we have developed reliable computational models and applied them for virtual screening of chemical libraries to identify putative skin sensitizers. The overall concordance between murine LLNA and human skin ...

Non-human biota dose assessment. Sensitivity analysis and knowledge quality assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, K.; Robinson, C.; Jackson, D.; La Cruz, I. de; Zinger, I.; Avila, R.

2010-10-01

This report provides a summary of a programme of work, commissioned within the BIOPROTA collaborative forum, to assess the quantitative and qualitative elements of uncertainty associated with biota dose assessment of potential impacts of long-term releases from geological disposal facilities (GDF). Quantitative and qualitative aspects of uncertainty were determined through sensitivity and knowledge quality assessments, respectively. Both assessments focused on default assessment parameters within the ERICA assessment approach. The sensitivity analysis was conducted within the EIKOS sensitivity analysis software tool and was run in both generic and test case modes. The knowledge quality assessment involved development of a questionnaire around the ERICA assessment approach, which was distributed to a range of experts in the fields of non-human biota dose assessment and radioactive waste disposal assessments. Combined, these assessments enabled critical model features and parameters that are both sensitive (i.e. have a large influence on model output) and of low knowledge quality to be identified for each of the three test cases. The output of this project is intended to provide information on those parameters that may need to be considered in more detail for prospective site-specific biota dose assessments for GDFs. Such information should help users to enhance the quality of their assessments and build greater confidence in the results. (orig.)

Lack of influence of GTP cyclohydrolase gene (GCH1 variations on pain sensitivity in humans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dionne Raymond A

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Objectives To assess the effect of variations in GTP cyclohydrolase gene (GCH1 on pain sensitivity in humans. Methods Thermal and cold pain sensitivity were evaluated in a cohort of 735 healthy volunteers. Among this cohort, the clinical pain responses of 221 subjects after the surgical removal of impacted third molars were evaluated. Genotyping was done for 38 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs whose heterozygosity > 0.2 in GCH1. Influence of the genetic variations including SNPs and haplotypes on pain sensitivity were analyzed. Results Minor allele frequencies and linkage disequilibrium show significant differences in European Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans. Association analyses in European Americans do not replicate the previously reported important influence of GCH1 variations on pain sensitivity. Conclusion Considering population stratification, previously reported associations between GCH1 genetic variations and pain sensitivity appear weak or negligible in this well characterized model of pain.

Insulin sensitivity is independent of lipid binding protein trafficking at the plasma membrane in human skeletal muscle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jordy, Andreas Børsting; Serup, Annette Karen; Karstoft, Kristian

2014-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate lipid-induced regulation of lipid binding proteins in human skeletal muscle and the impact hereof on insulin sensitivity. Eleven healthy male subjects underwent a 3-day hyper-caloric and high-fat diet regime. Muscle biopsies were taken before......-regulated by increased fatty acid availability. This suggests a time dependency in the up-regulation of FAT/CD36 and FABPpm protein during high availability of plasma fatty acids. Furthermore, we did not detect FATP1 and FATP4 protein in giant sarcolemmal vesicles obtained from human skeletal muscle. In conclusion......, this study shows that a short-term lipid-load increases mRNA content of key lipid handling proteins in human muscle. However, decreased insulin sensitivity after high-fat diet is not accompanied with relocation of FAT/CD36 or FABPpm protein to the sarcolemma. Finally, FATP1 and FATP4 protein could...

Quantitative relationship between the local lymph node assay and human skin sensitization assays.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, K; Akkan, Z

2004-06-01

The local lymph node assay (LLNA) is a new test method which allows for the quantitative assessment of sensitizing potency in the mouse. Here, we investigate the quantitative correlation between results from the LLNA and two human sensitization tests--specifically, human repeat insult patch tests (HRIPTs) and human maximization tests (HMTs). Data for 57 substances were evaluated, of which 46 showed skin sensitizing properties in human tests, whereas 11 yielded negative results in humans. For better comparability data from mouse and human tests were transformed to applied doses per skin area, which ranged over four orders of magnitude for the substances considered. Regression analysis for the 46 human sensitizing substances revealed a significant positive correlation between the LLNA and human tests. The correlation was better between LLNA and HRIPT data (n=23; r=0.77) than between LLNA and HMT data (n=38; r=0.65). The observed scattering of data points is related to various uncertainties, in part associated with insufficiencies of data from older HMT studies. Predominantly negative results in the LLNA for another 11 substances which showed no skin sensitizing activity in human maximization tests further corroborate the correspondence between LLNA and human tests. Based on this analysis, the LLNA can be considered a reliable basis for relative potency assessments for skin sensitizers. Proposals are made for the regulatory exploitation of the LLNA: four potency groups can be established, and assignment of substances to these groups according to the outcome of the LLNA can be used to characterize skin sensitizing potency in substance-specific assessments. Moreover, based on these potency groups, a more adequate consideration of sensitizing substances in preparations becomes possible. It is proposed to replace the current single concentration limit for skin sensitizers in preparations, which leads to an all or nothing classification of a preparation as sensitizing to

Vulnerability assessment of atmospheric environment driven by human impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yang; Shen, Jing; Ding, Feng; Li, Yu; He, Li

2016-11-15

Atmospheric environment quality worsening is a substantial threat to public health worldwide, and in many places, air pollution due to the intensification of the human activity is increasing dramatically. However, no studies have been investigated the integration of vulnerability assessment and atmospheric environment driven by human impacts. The objective of this study was to identify and prioritize the undesirable environmental changes as an early warning system for environment managers and decision makers in term of human, atmospheric environment, and social economic elements. We conduct a vulnerability assessment method of atmospheric environment associated with human impact, this method integrates spatial context of Geographic Information System (GIS) tool, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method, ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operators under the Exposure-Sensitivity- Adaptive Capacity (ESA) framework. Decision makers can find out relevant vulnerability assessment results with different vulnerable attitudes. In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region, China, we further applied this developed method and proved it to be reliable and consistent with the China Environmental Status Bulletin. Results indicate that the vulnerability of atmospheric environment in the BTH region is not optimistic, and environment managers should do more about air pollution. Thus, the most appropriate strategic decision and development program of city or state can be picked out assisting by the vulnerable results. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of training state on fasting-induced regulation of adipose tissue metabolism in humans

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bertholdt, Lærke; Gudiksen, Anders; Stankiewicz, Tomasz

2018-01-01

Recruitment of fatty acids from adipose tissue is essential during fasting. However, the molecular mechanisms behind fasting-induced metabolic regulation in human adipose tissue and the potential impact of training state in this are unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investig......Recruitment of fatty acids from adipose tissue is essential during fasting. However, the molecular mechanisms behind fasting-induced metabolic regulation in human adipose tissue and the potential impact of training state in this are unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study...... was to investigate 1) fasting-induced regulation of lipolysis and glyceroneogenesis in human adipose tissue as well as 2) the impact of training state on basal oxidative capacity and fasting-induced metabolic regulation in human adipose tissue. Untrained (VO2max 55ml......RNA content were higher in trained subjects than untrained subjects. In addition, trained subjects had higher adipose tissue hormone sensitive lipase Ser660 phosphorylation and adipose triglyceride lipase protein content as well as higher plasma free fatty acids concentration than untrained subjects during...

Effect of aberrations in human eye on contrast sensitivity function

Science.gov (United States)

Quan, Wei; Wang, Feng-lin; Wang, Zhao-qi

2011-06-01

The quantitative analysis of the effect of aberrations in human eye on vision has important clinical value in the correction of aberrations. The wave-front aberrations of human eyes were measured with the Hartmann-Shack wave-front sensor and modulation transfer function (MTF) was computed from the wave-front aberrations. Contrast sensitivity function (CSF) was obtained from MTF and the retinal aerial image modulation (AIM). It is shown that the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th Zernike aberrations deteriorate contrast sensitivity function. When the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th Zernike aberrations are corrected high contrast sensitivity function can be obtained.

Human sensitivity to vertical self-motion.

Science.gov (United States)

Nesti, Alessandro; Barnett-Cowan, Michael; Macneilage, Paul R; Bülthoff, Heinrich H

2014-01-01

Perceiving vertical self-motion is crucial for maintaining balance as well as for controlling an aircraft. Whereas heave absolute thresholds have been exhaustively studied, little work has been done in investigating how vertical sensitivity depends on motion intensity (i.e., differential thresholds). Here we measure human sensitivity for 1-Hz sinusoidal accelerations for 10 participants in darkness. Absolute and differential thresholds are measured for upward and downward translations independently at 5 different peak amplitudes ranging from 0 to 2 m/s(2). Overall vertical differential thresholds are higher than horizontal differential thresholds found in the literature. Psychometric functions are fit in linear and logarithmic space, with goodness of fit being similar in both cases. Differential thresholds are higher for upward as compared to downward motion and increase with stimulus intensity following a trend best described by two power laws. The power laws' exponents of 0.60 and 0.42 for upward and downward motion, respectively, deviate from Weber's Law in that thresholds increase less than expected at high stimulus intensity. We speculate that increased sensitivity at high accelerations and greater sensitivity to downward than upward self-motion may reflect adaptations to avoid falling.

Experience and lessons from health impact assessment for human rights impact assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Salcito, Kendyl; Utzinger, Jürg; Krieger, Gary R; Wielga, Mark; Singer, Burton H; Winkler, Mirko S; Weiss, Mitchell G

2015-09-16

As globalisation has opened remote parts of the world to foreign investment, global leaders at the United Nations and beyond have called on multinational companies to foresee and mitigate negative impacts on the communities surrounding their overseas operations. This movement towards corporate impact assessment began with a push for environmental and social inquiries. It has been followed by demands for more detailed assessments, including health and human rights. In the policy world the two have been joined as a right-to-health impact assessment. In the corporate world, the right-to-health approach fulfils neither managers' need to comprehensively understand impacts of a project, nor rightsholders' need to know that the full suite of their human rights will be safe from violation. Despite the limitations of a right-to-health tool for companies, integration of health into human rights provides numerous potential benefits to companies and the communities they affect. Here, a detailed health analysis through the human rights lens is carried out, drawing on a case study from the United Republic of Tanzania. This paper examines the positive and negative health and human rights impacts of a corporate operation in a low-income setting, as viewed through the human rights lens, considering observations on the added value of the approach. It explores the relationship between health impact assessment (HIA) and human rights impact assessment (HRIA). First, it considers the ways in which HIA, as a study directly concerned with human welfare, is a more appropriate guide than environmental or social impact assessment for evaluating human rights impacts. Second, it considers the contributions HRIA can make to HIA, by viewing determinants of health not as direct versus indirect, but as interrelated.

Assessing potential impacts associated with contamination events in water distribution systems : a sensitivity analysis.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davis, M. J.; Janke, R.; Taxon, T. N. (Decision and Information Sciences); ( EVS); (EPA)

2010-11-01

An understanding of the nature of the adverse effects that could be associated with contamination events in water distribution systems is necessary for carrying out vulnerability analyses and designing contamination warning systems. This study examines the adverse effects of contamination events using models for 12 actual water systems that serve populations ranging from about 104 to over 106 persons. The measure of adverse effects that we use is the number of people who are exposed to a contaminant above some dose level due to ingestion of contaminated tap water. For this study the number of such people defines the impact associated with an event. We consider a wide range of dose levels in order to accommodate a wide range of potential contaminants. For a particular contaminant, dose level can be related to a health effects level. For example, a dose level could correspond to the median lethal dose, i.e., the dose that would be fatal to 50% of the exposed population. Highly toxic contaminants may be associated with a particular response at a very low dose level, whereas contaminants with low toxicity may only be associated with the same response at a much higher dose level. This report focuses on the sensitivity of impacts to five factors that either define the nature of a contamination event or involve assumptions that are used in assessing exposure to the contaminant: (1) duration of contaminant injection, (2) time of contaminant injection, (3) quantity or mass of contaminant injected, (4) population distribution in the water distribution system, and (5) the ingestion pattern of the potentially exposed population. For each of these factors, the sensitivities of impacts to injection location and contaminant toxicity are also examined. For all the factors considered, sensitivity tends to increase with dose level (i.e., decreasing toxicity) of the contaminant, with considerable inter-network variability. With the exception of the population distribution (factor 4

Implied motion because of instability in Hokusai Manga activates the human motion-sensitive extrastriate visual cortex: an fMRI study of the impact of visual art.

Science.gov (United States)

Osaka, Naoyuki; Matsuyoshi, Daisuke; Ikeda, Takashi; Osaka, Mariko

2010-03-10

The recent development of cognitive neuroscience has invited inference about the neurosensory events underlying the experience of visual arts involving implied motion. We report functional magnetic resonance imaging study demonstrating activation of the human extrastriate motion-sensitive cortex by static images showing implied motion because of instability. We used static line-drawing cartoons of humans by Hokusai Katsushika (called 'Hokusai Manga'), an outstanding Japanese cartoonist as well as famous Ukiyoe artist. We found 'Hokusai Manga' with implied motion by depicting human bodies that are engaged in challenging tonic posture significantly activated the motion-sensitive visual cortex including MT+ in the human extrastriate cortex, while an illustration that does not imply motion, for either humans or objects, did not activate these areas under the same tasks. We conclude that motion-sensitive extrastriate cortex would be a critical region for perception of implied motion in instability.

Hunted woolly monkeys (Lagothrix poeppigii show threat-sensitive responses to human presence.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Papworth

Full Text Available Responding only to individuals of a predator species which display threatening behaviour allows prey species to minimise energy expenditure and other costs of predator avoidance, such as disruption of feeding. The threat sensitivity hypothesis predicts such behaviour in prey species. If hunted animals are unable to distinguish dangerous humans from non-dangerous humans, human hunting is likely to have a greater effect on prey populations as all human encounters should lead to predator avoidance, increasing stress and creating opportunity costs for exploited populations. We test the threat sensitivity hypothesis in wild Poeppigi's woolly monkeys (Lagothrix poeppigii in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador, by presenting human models engaging in one of three behaviours "hunting", "gathering" or "researching". These experiments were conducted at two sites with differing hunting pressures. Visibility, movement and vocalisations were recorded and results from two sites showed that groups changed their behaviours after being exposed to humans, and did so in different ways depending on the behaviour of the human model. Results at the site with higher hunting pressure were consistent with predictions based on the threat sensitivity hypothesis. Although results at the site with lower hunting pressure were not consistent with the results at the site with higher hunting pressure, groups at this site also showed differential responses to different human behaviours. These results provide evidence of threat-sensitive predator avoidance in hunted primates, which may allow them to conserve both time and energy when encountering humans which pose no threat.

Tuning and sensitivity of the human vestibular system to low-frequency vibration.

Science.gov (United States)

Todd, Neil P McAngus; Rosengren, Sally M; Colebatch, James G

2008-10-17

Mechanoreceptive hair-cells of the vertebrate inner ear have a remarkable sensitivity to displacement, whether excited by sound, whole-body acceleration or substrate-borne vibration. In response to seismic or substrate-borne vibration, thresholds for vestibular afferent fibre activation have been reported in anamniotes (fish and frogs) in the range -120 to -90 dB re 1g. In this article, we demonstrate for the first time that the human vestibular system is also extremely sensitive to low-frequency and infrasound vibrations by making use of a new technique for measuring vestibular activation, via the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). We found a highly tuned response to whole-head vibration in the transmastoid plane with a best frequency of about 100 Hz. At the best frequency we obtained VOR responses at intensities of less than -70 dB re 1g, which was 15 dB lower than the threshold of hearing for bone-conducted sound in humans at this frequency. Given the likely synaptic attenuation of the VOR pathway, human receptor sensitivity is probably an order of magnitude lower, thus approaching the seismic sensitivity of the frog ear. These results extend our knowledge of vibration-sensitivity of vestibular afferents but also are remarkable as they indicate that the seismic sensitivity of the human vestibular system exceeds that of the cochlea for low-frequencies.

Human activity selectively impacts the ecosystem roles of parrotfishes on coral reefs

KAUST Repository

Bellwood, David R.

2011-11-16

Around the globe, coral reefs and other marine ecosystems are increasingly overfished. Conventionally, studies of fishing impacts have focused on the population size and dynamics of targeted stocks rather than the broader ecosystem-wide effects of harvesting. Using parrotfishes as an example, we show how coral reef fish populations respond to escalating fishing pressure across the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Based on these fish abundance data, we infer the potential impact on four key functional roles performed by parrotfishes. Rates of bioerosion and coral predation are highly sensitive to human activity, whereas grazing and sediment removal are resilient to fishing. Our results offer new insights into the vulnerability and resilience of coral reefs to the ever-growing human footprint. The depletion of fishes causes differential decline of key ecosystem functions, radically changing the dynamics of coral reefs and setting the stage for future ecological surprises. © 2011 The Royal Society.

Human activity selectively impacts the ecosystem roles of parrotfishes on coral reefs

KAUST Repository

Bellwood, David R.; Hoey, Andrew; Hughes, Terence P.

2011-01-01

Around the globe, coral reefs and other marine ecosystems are increasingly overfished. Conventionally, studies of fishing impacts have focused on the population size and dynamics of targeted stocks rather than the broader ecosystem-wide effects of harvesting. Using parrotfishes as an example, we show how coral reef fish populations respond to escalating fishing pressure across the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Based on these fish abundance data, we infer the potential impact on four key functional roles performed by parrotfishes. Rates of bioerosion and coral predation are highly sensitive to human activity, whereas grazing and sediment removal are resilient to fishing. Our results offer new insights into the vulnerability and resilience of coral reefs to the ever-growing human footprint. The depletion of fishes causes differential decline of key ecosystem functions, radically changing the dynamics of coral reefs and setting the stage for future ecological surprises. © 2011 The Royal Society.

Radiation sensitivity of human lung cancer cell lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carmichael, J.; Degraff, W.G.; Gamson, J.; Russo, G.; Mitchell, J.B.; Gazdar, A.F.; Minna, J.D.; Levitt, M.L.

1989-01-01

X-Ray survival curves were determined using a panel of 17 human lung cancer cell lines, with emphasis on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In contrast to classic small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines, NSCLC cell lines were generally less sensitive to radiation as evidenced by higher radiation survival curve extrapolation numbers, surviving fraction values following a 2Gy dose (SF2) and the mean inactivation dose values (D) values. The spectrum of in vitro radiation responses observed was similar to that expected in clinical practice, although mesothelioma was unexpectedly sensitive in vitro. Differences in radiosensitivity were best distinguished by comparison of SF2 values. Some NSCLC lines were relatively sensitive, and in view of this demonstrable variability in radiation sensitivity, the SF2 value may be useful for in vitro predictive assay testing of clinical specimens. (author)

Picture THIS: Taking Human Impact Seriously

Science.gov (United States)

Patrick, Patricia; Patrick, Tammy

2010-01-01

Unfortunately, middle school students often view human impact as an abstract idea over which they have no control and do not see themselves as contributing to the Earth's environmental decline. How better to uncover students' ideas concerning human impact in their local community than to have them take photographs. With this objective in mind, the…

Understanding the Societal Impact of Humanities Scholarship

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, David Budtz; Johansson, Lasse Gøhler

2016-01-01

in society. An important assumption in this paper is that impact should be studied both from conceptual, qualitative and quantitative perspectives. Any approach that focuses merely on scientific outputs (such as publications or citations) or that relies on purely bibliometric indicators will result...... both quantitative and qualitative tools, the paper argues that we need a better and more comprehensive understanding of the role the humanities as part of a wider web of societal institutions, networks, and agents. Granted that the impact of humanities breakthroughs cannot be located at clearly......The critical problem for understanding the societal impact of humanities scholarship is that we currently have no satisfactory tools for understanding how wider social impacts occur and, by implication, very few guidelines for stimulating a reflexive dialogue about the influence of the humanities...

UVA photolysis using the protein-bound sensitizers present in human lens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ortwerth, B.J.; Olesen, P.R.

1994-01-01

This research was undertaken to demonstrate that the protein-bound chromophores in aged human lens can act as sensitizers for protein damage by UVA light. The water-insoluble (WI) proteins from pooled human and bovine lenses were solubilized by sonication in water and illuminated with UV light similar in output to that transmitted by the cornea. Analysis of the irradiated proteins showed a linear decrease in sulfhydryl groups with a 30% loss after 2 h. No loss was seen when native α-crystallin was irradiated under the same conditions. A 25% loss of histidine residues was also observed with the human lens WI fraction, and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels indicated considerable protein cross-linking. Similar photodamage was seen with a WI fraction from old bovine lenses. While the data show the presence of UVA sensitizers, some histidine destruction and protein cross-linking were also obtained with α-crystallin and with lysozyme which argue that part of the histidine loss in the human WISS was likely due to tryptophan acting as a sensitizer. (Author)

Discrimination of skin sensitizers from non-sensitizers by interleukin-1α and interleukin-6 production on cultured human keratinocytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Daun; Che, Jeong-Hwan; Lim, Kyung-Min; Chun, Young-Jin; Heo, Yong; Seok, Seung Hyeok

2016-09-01

In vitro testing methods for classifying sensitizers could be valuable alternatives to in vivo sensitization testing using animal models, such as the murine local lymph node assay (LLNA) and the guinea pig maximization test (GMT), but there remains a need for in vitro methods that are more accurate and simpler to distinguish skin sensitizers from non-sensitizers. Thus, the aim of our study was to establish an in vitro assay as a screening tool for detecting skin sensitizers using the human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT. HaCaT cells were exposed to 16 relevant skin sensitizers and 6 skin non-sensitizers. The highest dose used was the dose causing 75% cell viability (CV75) that we determined by an MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay. The levels of extracellular production of interleukin-1α (IL-1α) and IL-6 were measured. The sensitivity of IL-1α was 63%, specificity was 83% and accuracy was 68%. In the case of IL-6, sensitivity: 69%, specificity: 83% and accuracy: 73%. Thus, this study suggests that measuring extracellular production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1α and IL-6 by human HaCaT cells may potentially classify skin sensitizers from non-sensitizers. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comparison of risk sensitivity to human errors in the Oconee and LaSalle PRAs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, S.; Higgins, J.

1991-01-01

This paper describes the comparative analyses of plant risk sensitivity to human errors in the Oconee and La Salle Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRAs). These analyses were performed to determine the reasons for the observed differences in the sensitivity of core melt frequency (CMF) to changes in human error probabilities (HEPs). Plant-specific design features, PRA methods, and the level of detail and assumptions in the human error modeling were evaluated to assess their influence risk estimates and sensitivities

Relationship between the Bond dissociation energies and impact sensitivities of some nitro-explosives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Xiao-Shu [School of Physics and Chemistry, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang (China); Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Sichuan University, Chengdu (China); Cheng, Xin-Lu; Yang, Xiang-Dong [Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Sichuan University, Chengdu (China); He, Bi [Institute of Chemical Materials, CAEP, Mianyang (China)

2006-08-15

The bond dissociation energy (BDE) for removal of the NO{sub 2} group for eleven CHNO nitro-containing explosive molecules is studied to find its correlation with impact sensitivity. The BDE for removal of the NO{sub 2} group in nitroaromatic molecules with nitro alkyl, and esters with nitro alkyl, is calculated using the B3LYP method of Density Functional Theory with the 6-31G* basis set. The relationship between the impact sensitivities and the weakest C-NO{sub 2} bond dissociation energy values is examined. The results indicate a nearly linear correlation between the impact sensitivity and the ratio of the BDE value to the total molecular energy. (Abstract Copyright [2006], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Impacts of “metals” on human health

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pizzol, Massimo; Christensen, Per; Schmidt, Jannick Højrup

2011-01-01

This paper looks into the differences and uncertainties in determining the impact of “metals” emissions on human health, in Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA). Metals are diverse substances, with different properties and characteristics, considered important in LCIA because of their toxicity...... to humans and ecosystems. First, we defined a list of the most significant metals in terms of impacts on human health. This was done according to precise criteria accounting for both physical and toxic properties of the metals. Second, we performed a LCIA on different key processes using various existing...... to the total impact on human health changes greatly according to the LCIA method used. These differences are due mainly to the number of metals included in each method and to the technique used to calculate the characterization factors. Results obtained with USEtox show no apparent correlation with results...

Sensitive chain specific radioimmunoassay for human immunoglobulins using monoclonal antibodies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sikora, K; Alderson, T St.J.; Ellis, J [Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Cambridge (UK)

1983-02-25

A sensitive radioimmunoassay is described for human immunoglobulins. This solid-phase assay uses commercially available monoclonal antibodies and is specific for different Ig chain types. Levels of less than 20 ng/ml Ig are detectable. The assay is suitable for the analysis of human hybridoma supernatants.

Radioecological sensitivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howard, Brenda J.; Strand, Per; Assimakopoulos, Panayotis

2003-01-01

After the release of radionuclide into the environment it is important to be able to readily identify major routes of radiation exposure, the most highly exposed individuals or populations and the geographical areas of most concern. Radioecological sensitivity can be broadly defined as the extent to which an ecosystem contributes to an enhanced radiation exposure to Man and biota. Radioecological sensitivity analysis integrates current knowledge on pathways, spatially attributes the underlying processes determining transfer and thereby identifies the most radioecologically sensitive areas leading to high radiation exposure. This identifies where high exposure may occur and why. A framework for the estimation of radioecological sensitivity with respect to humans is proposed and the various indicators by which it can be considered have been identified. These are (1) aggregated transfer coefficients (Tag), (2) action (and critical) loads, (3) fluxes and (4) individual exposure of humans. The importance of spatial and temporal consideration of all these outputs is emphasized. Information on the extent of radionuclide transfer and exposure to humans at different spatial scales is needed to reflect the spatial differences which can occur. Single values for large areas, such as countries, can often mask large variation within the country. Similarly, the relative importance of different pathways can change with time and therefore assessments of radiological sensitivity are needed over different time periods after contamination. Radioecological sensitivity analysis can be used in radiation protection, nuclear safety and emergency preparedness when there is a need to identify areas that have the potential of being of particular concern from a risk perspective. Prior identification of radioecologically sensitive areas and exposed individuals improve the focus of emergency preparedness and planning, and contribute to environmental impact assessment for future facilities. The

Integrating human and environmental health in antibiotic risk assessment: A critical analysis of protection goals, species sensitivity and antimicrobial resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Le Page, Gareth; Gunnarsson, Lina; Snape, Jason; Tyler, Charles R

2017-12-01

Antibiotics are vital in the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases but when released into the environment they may impact non-target organisms that perform vital ecosystem services and enhance antimicrobial resistance development with significant consequences for human health. We evaluate whether the current environmental risk assessment regulatory guidance is protective of antibiotic impacts on the environment, protective of antimicrobial resistance, and propose science-based protection goals for antibiotic manufacturing discharges. A review and meta-analysis was conducted of aquatic ecotoxicity data for antibiotics and for minimum selective concentration data derived from clinically relevant bacteria. Relative species sensitivity was investigated applying general linear models, and predicted no effect concentrations were generated for toxicity to aquatic organisms and compared with predicted no effect concentrations for resistance development. Prokaryotes were most sensitive to antibiotics but the range of sensitivities spanned up to several orders of magnitude. We show reliance on one species of (cyano)bacteria and the 'activated sludge respiration inhibition test' is not sufficient to set protection levels for the environment. Individually, neither traditional aquatic predicted no effect concentrations nor predicted no effect concentrations suggested to safeguard for antimicrobial resistance, protect against environmental or human health effects (via antimicrobial resistance development). Including data from clinically relevant bacteria and also more species of environmentally relevant bacteria in the regulatory framework would help in defining safe discharge concentrations for antibiotics for patient use and manufacturing that would protect environmental and human health. It would also support ending unnecessary testing on metazoan species. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Quantitative evaluation of the impact of human reliability in risk assessment for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samanta, P.K.

1981-01-01

The role of human beings in the safe operation of a nuclear power plant has been a matter of concern. This study describes methods for the quantitative description of that role and its impact on the risk from nuclear power plants. The impact of human errors was calculated by observing the changes in risk parameters, such as core melt probability, release category probabilities, accident sequence probabilities and system unavailabilities due to changes in the contribution to unavailablity of human errors, within the framework of risk assessment methodology. It was found that for operational pressurized water reactors the opportunity for reduction in core melt probability by reducing the human error rates without simultaneous reduction of hardware failures is limited, but that core melt probability would significantly increase as human error rates increased. More importantly, most of the dominant accident sequences showed a significant increase in their probabilities with an increase in human error rates. Release categories resulting in high consequences showed a much larger sensitivity to human errors than categories resulting in low consequences. A combination of structural importance and reliability importance measure was used to describe the importance of individual errors

What did domestication do to dogs? A new account of dogs' sensitivity to human actions.

Science.gov (United States)

Udell, Monique A R; Dorey, Nicole R; Wynne, Clive D L

2010-05-01

Over the last two decades increasing evidence for an acute sensitivity to human gestures and attentional states in domestic dogs has led to a burgeoning of research into the social cognition of this highly familiar yet previously under-studied animal. Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) have been shown to be more successful than their closest relative (and wild progenitor) the wolf, and than man's closest relative, the chimpanzee, on tests of sensitivity to human social cues, such as following points to a container holding hidden food. The "Domestication Hypothesis" asserts that during domestication dogs evolved an inherent sensitivity to human gestures that their non-domesticated counterparts do not share. According to this view, sensitivity to human cues is present in dogs at an early age and shows little evidence of acquisition during ontogeny. A closer look at the findings of research on canine domestication, socialization, and conditioning, brings the assumptions of this hypothesis into question. We propose the Two Stage Hypothesis, according to which the sensitivity of an individual animal to human actions depends on acceptance of humans as social companions, and conditioning to follow human limbs. This offers a more parsimonious explanation for the domestic dog's sensitivity to human gestures, without requiring the use of additional mechanisms. We outline how tests of this new hypothesis open directions for future study that offer promise of a deeper understanding of mankind's oldest companion.

Sobol’ sensitivity analysis for stressor impacts on honeybee colonies

Science.gov (United States)

We employ Monte Carlo simulation and nonlinear sensitivity analysis techniques to describe the dynamics of a bee exposure model, VarroaPop. Daily simulations are performed of hive population trajectories, taking into account queen strength, foraging success, mite impacts, weather...

Cumulative human impacts on marine predators.

Science.gov (United States)

Maxwell, Sara M; Hazen, Elliott L; Bograd, Steven J; Halpern, Benjamin S; Breed, Greg A; Nickel, Barry; Teutschel, Nicole M; Crowder, Larry B; Benson, Scott; Dutton, Peter H; Bailey, Helen; Kappes, Michelle A; Kuhn, Carey E; Weise, Michael J; Mate, Bruce; Shaffer, Scott A; Hassrick, Jason L; Henry, Robert W; Irvine, Ladd; McDonald, Birgitte I; Robinson, Patrick W; Block, Barbara A; Costa, Daniel P

2013-01-01

Stressors associated with human activities interact in complex ways to affect marine ecosystems, yet we lack spatially explicit assessments of cumulative impacts on ecologically and economically key components such as marine predators. Here we develop a metric of cumulative utilization and impact (CUI) on marine predators by combining electronic tracking data of eight protected predator species (n=685 individuals) in the California Current Ecosystem with data on 24 anthropogenic stressors. We show significant variation in CUI with some of the highest impacts within US National Marine Sanctuaries. High variation in underlying species and cumulative impact distributions means that neither alone is sufficient for effective spatial management. Instead, comprehensive management approaches accounting for both cumulative human impacts and trade-offs among multiple stressors must be applied in planning the use of marine resources.

Differentiated human midbrain-derived neural progenitor cells express excitatory strychnine-sensitive glycine receptors containing α2β subunits.

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Florian Wegner

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Human fetal midbrain-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs may deliver a tissue source for drug screening and regenerative cell therapy to treat Parkinson's disease. While glutamate and GABA(A receptors play an important role in neurogenesis, the involvement of glycine receptors during human neurogenesis and dopaminergic differentiation as well as their molecular and functional characteristics in NPCs are largely unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we investigated NPCs in respect to their glycine receptor function and subunit expression using electrophysiology, calcium imaging, immunocytochemistry, and quantitative real-time PCR. Whole-cell recordings demonstrate the ability of NPCs to express functional strychnine-sensitive glycine receptors after differentiation for 3 weeks in vitro. Pharmacological and molecular analyses indicate a predominance of glycine receptor heteromers containing α2β subunits. Intracellular calcium measurements of differentiated NPCs suggest that glycine evokes depolarisations mediated by strychnine-sensitive glycine receptors and not by D-serine-sensitive excitatory glycine receptors. Culturing NPCs with additional glycine, the glycine-receptor antagonist strychnine, or the Na(+-K(+-Cl(- co-transporter 1 (NKCC1-inhibitor bumetanide did not significantly influence cell proliferation and differentiation in vitro. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These data indicate that NPCs derived from human fetal midbrain tissue acquire essential glycine receptor properties during neuronal maturation. However, glycine receptors seem to have a limited functional impact on neurogenesis and dopaminergic differentiation of NPCs in vitro.

Skeletal muscle phosphatidylcholine fatty acids and insulin sensitivity in normal humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Clore, J N; Li, J; Gill, R; Gupta, S; Spencer, R; Azzam, A; Zuelzer, W; Rizzo, W B; Blackard, W G

1998-10-01

The fatty acid composition of skeletal muscle membrane phospholipids (PL) is known to influence insulin responsiveness in humans. However, the contribution of the major PL of the outer (phosphatidylcholine, PC) and inner (phosphatidylethanolamine, PE) layers of the sarcolemma to insulin sensitivity is not known. Fatty acid composition of PC and PE from biopsies of vastus lateralis from 27 normal men and women were correlated with insulin sensitivity determined by the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp technique at insulin infusion rates of 0.4, 1.0, and 10.0 mU . kg-1 . min-1. Significant variation in the half-maximal insulin concentration (ED50) was observed in the normal volunteers (range 24.0-146.0 microU/ml), which correlated directly with fasting plasma insulin (r = 0.75, P insulin sensitivity was observed in PE (NS). These studies suggest that the fatty acid composition of PC may be of particular importance in the relationship between fatty acids and insulin sensitivity in normal humans.

Sobol' sensitivity analysis for stressor impacts on honeybee ...

Science.gov (United States)

We employ Monte Carlo simulation and nonlinear sensitivity analysis techniques to describe the dynamics of a bee exposure model, VarroaPop. Daily simulations are performed of hive population trajectories, taking into account queen strength, foraging success, mite impacts, weather, colony resources, population structure, and other important variables. This allows us to test the effects of defined pesticide exposure scenarios versus controlled simulations that lack pesticide exposure. The daily resolution of the model also allows us to conditionally identify sensitivity metrics. We use the variancebased global decomposition sensitivity analysis method, Sobol’, to assess firstand secondorder parameter sensitivities within VarroaPop, allowing us to determine how variance in the output is attributed to each of the input variables across different exposure scenarios. Simulations with VarroaPop indicate queen strength, forager life span and pesticide toxicity parameters are consistent, critical inputs for colony dynamics. Further analysis also reveals that the relative importance of these parameters fluctuates throughout the simulation period according to the status of other inputs. Our preliminary results show that model variability is conditional and can be attributed to different parameters depending on different timescales. By using sensitivity analysis to assess model output and variability, calibrations of simulation models can be better informed to yield more

Identification of failure sequences sensitive to human error

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-06-01

This report prepared by the participants of the technical committee meeting on ''Identification of Failure Sequences Sensitive to Human Error'' addresses the subjects discussed during the meeting and the conclusions reached by the committee. Chapter 1 reviews the INSAG recommendations and the main elements of the IAEA Programme in the area of human element. In Chapter 2 the role of human actions in nuclear power plants safety from insights of operational experience is reviewed. Chapter 3 is concerned with the relationship between probabilistic safety assessment and human performance associated with severe accident sequences. Chapter 4 addresses the role of simulators in view of training for accident conditions. Chapter 5 presents the conclusions and future trends. The seven papers presented by members of this technical committee are also included in this technical document. A separate abstract was prepared for each of these papers

Sensitive detection of viral transcripts in human tumor transcriptomes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sven-Eric Schelhorn

Full Text Available In excess of 12% of human cancer incidents have a viral cofactor. Epidemiological studies of idiopathic human cancers indicate that additional tumor viruses remain to be discovered. Recent advances in sequencing technology have enabled systematic screenings of human tumor transcriptomes for viral transcripts. However, technical problems such as low abundances of viral transcripts in large volumes of sequencing data, viral sequence divergence, and homology between viral and human factors significantly confound identification of tumor viruses. We have developed a novel computational approach for detecting viral transcripts in human cancers that takes the aforementioned confounding factors into account and is applicable to a wide variety of viruses and tumors. We apply the approach to conducting the first systematic search for viruses in neuroblastoma, the most common cancer in infancy. The diverse clinical progression of this disease as well as related epidemiological and virological findings are highly suggestive of a pathogenic cofactor. However, a viral etiology of neuroblastoma is currently contested. We mapped 14 transcriptomes of neuroblastoma as well as positive and negative controls to the human and all known viral genomes in order to detect both known and unknown viruses. Analysis of controls, comparisons with related methods, and statistical estimates demonstrate the high sensitivity of our approach. Detailed investigation of putative viral transcripts within neuroblastoma samples did not provide evidence for the existence of any known human viruses. Likewise, de-novo assembly and analysis of chimeric transcripts did not result in expression signatures associated with novel human pathogens. While confounding factors such as sample dilution or viral clearance in progressed tumors may mask viral cofactors in the data, in principle, this is rendered less likely by the high sensitivity of our approach and the number of biological replicates

Differential sensitivity to human communication in dogs, wolves, and human infants.

Science.gov (United States)

Topál, József; Gergely, György; Erdohegyi, Agnes; Csibra, Gergely; Miklósi, Adám

2009-09-04

Ten-month-old infants persistently search for a hidden object at its initial hiding place even after observing it being hidden at another location. Recent evidence suggests that communicative cues from the experimenter contribute to the emergence of this perseverative search error. We replicated these results with dogs (Canis familiaris), who also commit more search errors in ostensive-communicative (in 75% of the total trials) than in noncommunicative (39%) or nonsocial (17%) hiding contexts. However, comparative investigations suggest that communicative signals serve different functions for dogs and infants, whereas human-reared wolves (Canis lupus) do not show doglike context-dependent differences of search errors. We propose that shared sensitivity to human communicative signals stems from convergent social evolution of the Homo and the Canis genera.

Impact of Globalization on the Human Resource Management ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Impact of Globalization on the Human Resource Management Function in ... impact on the management of human resources in developing countries including Kenya. ... The non-core jobs have been outsourced which has led to an increase in ...

A sensitive chain specific radioimmunoassay for human immunoglobulins using monoclonal antibodies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sikora, K.; Alderson, T.St.J.; Ellis, J.

1983-01-01

A sensitive radioimmunoassay is described for human immunoglobulins. This solid-phase assay uses commercially available monoclonal antibodies and is specific for different Ig chain types. Levels of less than 20 ng/ml Ig are detectable. The assay is suitable for the analysis of human hybridoma supernatants. (Auth.)

Detection of Human Impacts by an Adaptive Energy-Based Anisotropic Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manuel Prado-Velasco

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Boosted by health consequences and the cost of falls in the elderly, this work develops and tests a novel algorithm and methodology to detect human impacts that will act as triggers of a two-layer fall monitor. The two main requirements demanded by socio-healthcare providers—unobtrusiveness and reliability—defined the objectives of the research. We have demonstrated that a very agile, adaptive, and energy-based anisotropic algorithm can provide 100% sensitivity and 78% specificity, in the task of detecting impacts under demanding laboratory conditions. The algorithm works together with an unsupervised real-time learning technique that addresses the adaptive capability, and this is also presented. The work demonstrates the robustness and reliability of our new algorithm, which will be the basis of a smart falling monitor. This is shown in this work to underline the relevance of the results.

Musical training and empathy positively impact adults’ sensitivity to infant distress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christine E Parsons

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Crying is the most powerful auditory signal of infant need. Adults’ ability to perceive and respond to crying is important for infant survival and in the provision of care. This study investigated a number of listener variables that might impact on adults’ perception of infant cry distress, namely parental status, musical training and empathy. Sensitivity to infant distress was tested using a previously validated task, which experimentally manipulated distress by varying the pitch of infant cries. Parents with musical training showed a significant advantage on this task when compared with parents without. The extent of the advantage was correlated with the amount of self-reported musical training. For non-parents, individual differences in empathy were associated with task performance, with higher empathy scores corresponding to greater sensitivity to infant distress. We suggest that sensitivity to infant distress can be impacted by a number of listener variables, and may be amenable to training.

Inhibition of Notch1 increases paclitaxel sensitivity to human breast cancer

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Zhao Li; Ma Yongjie; Gu Feng; Fu Li

2014-01-01

Background Paclitaxel (PAC) is the first-line chemotherapy drug for most breast cancer patients,but clinical studies showed that some breast cancer patients were insensitive to PAC,which led to chemotherapy failure.It was reported that Notch1 signaling participated in drug resistance of breast cancer.Here,we show whether Notch1 expression is related to PAC sensitivity of breast cancer.Methods We employed Notch1 siRNA and Notch1 inhibitor,N-[N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl)-1-alanyl]-S-phenylglycine t-butylester (DAPT),to down regulate Notch1 expression in human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231,and detected the inhibition effect by Western blotting and reverse trans cription-polymerase chain reaction,respectively.After 24 hours exposure to different concentration of PAC (0,1,5,10,15,20,and 25 μg/ml),the viability of the control group and experimental group cells was tested by MTT.We also examined the expression of Notch1 in PAC sensitive and nonsensitive breast cancer patients,respectively by immunohistochemistry (IHC).The PAC sensitivity of breast cancer patients were identified by collagen gel droplet embedded culture-drug sensitivity test (CD-DST).Results Down regulation of Notch1 expression by Notch1siRNA interference or Notch1 inhibitor increased the PAC sensitivity in MDA-MB-231 cells (P ＜0.05).Also,the expression of Notch1 in PAC sensitive patients was much lower than that of PAC non-sensitive patients (P ＜0.01).Conclusion Notch1 expression has an effect on PAC sensitivity in breast cancer patients,and the inhibition of Notch1 increases paclitaxel sensitivity to human breast cancer.

Caffeine markedly sensitizes human mesothelioma cell lines to pemetrexed

Science.gov (United States)

Min, Sang Hee; Goldman, I. David; Zhao, Rongbao

2013-01-01

Pemetrexed is a new generation antifolate approved for the treatment of mesothelioma and non-small cell lung cancer. Caffeine is known to augment radiation or chemotherapeutic drug-induced cell killing. The current study addresses the impact of caffeine on the activity of pemetrexed in mesothelioma cell lines. Caffeine enhanced pemetrexed activity in all four mesothelioma cell lines tested (H2052, H2373, H28 and MSTO-211H). Caffeine sensitized H2052 cells in a dose- and schedule-dependent manner, and was associated with a markedly decreased clonogenic survival. Caffeine sensitization occurred only in cells subjected to pulse, but not continuous, exposure to pemetrexed. Similar pemetrexed sensitization was also observed with the clinically better tolerated caffeine analog, theobromine. Pemetrexed sensitization by caffeine was associated with an increase in pemetrexed-induced phosphorylation of ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) and Chk1. These data indicate that caffeine and its analog, theobromine, may be a useful approach to enhance pemetrexed-based chemotherapy. PMID:17594092

Zebra finches are sensitive to prosodic features of human speech.

Science.gov (United States)

Spierings, Michelle J; ten Cate, Carel

2014-07-22

Variation in pitch, amplitude and rhythm adds crucial paralinguistic information to human speech. Such prosodic cues can reveal information about the meaning or emphasis of a sentence or the emotional state of the speaker. To examine the hypothesis that sensitivity to prosodic cues is language independent and not human specific, we tested prosody perception in a controlled experiment with zebra finches. Using a go/no-go procedure, subjects were trained to discriminate between speech syllables arranged in XYXY patterns with prosodic stress on the first syllable and XXYY patterns with prosodic stress on the final syllable. To systematically determine the salience of the various prosodic cues (pitch, duration and amplitude) to the zebra finches, they were subjected to five tests with different combinations of these cues. The zebra finches generalized the prosodic pattern to sequences that consisted of new syllables and used prosodic features over structural ones to discriminate between stimuli. This strong sensitivity to the prosodic pattern was maintained when only a single prosodic cue was available. The change in pitch was treated as more salient than changes in the other prosodic features. These results show that zebra finches are sensitive to the same prosodic cues known to affect human speech perception. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Cumulative Human Impacts on Coral Reefs: Assessing Risk and Management Implications for Brazilian Coral Reefs

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Rafael A. Magris

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Effective management of coral reefs requires strategies tailored to cope with cumulative disturbances from human activities. In Brazil, where coral reefs are a priority for conservation, intensifying threats from local and global stressors are of paramount concern to management agencies. Using a cumulative impact assessment approach, our goal was to inform management actions for coral reefs in Brazil by assessing their exposure to multiple stressors (fishing, land-based activities, coastal development, mining, aquaculture, shipping, and global warming. We calculated an index of the risk to cumulative impacts: (i assuming uniform sensitivity of coral reefs to stressors; and (ii using impact weights to reflect varying tolerance levels of coral reefs to each stressor. We also predicted the index in both the presence and absence of global warming. We found that 16% and 37% of coral reefs had high to very high risk of cumulative impacts, without and with information on sensitivity respectively, and 42% of reefs had low risk to cumulative impacts from both local and global stressors. Our outputs are the first comprehensive spatial dataset of cumulative impact on coral reefs in Brazil, and show that areas requiring attention mostly corresponded to those closer to population centres. We demonstrate how the relationships between risks from local and global stressors can be used to derive strategic management actions.

Development of nanobody-based flow injection chemiluminescence immunoassay for sensitive detection of human prealbumin.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Lei; Sun, Yanyan; Kang, Xuejun; Wan, Yakun

2014-11-15

Nanobodies, derived from camelid heavy-chain antibodies, have novel and impactful applications in clinical diagnostics. Our objective is to develop a nanobody-based chemiluminescence immunoassay for sensitive detection of human prealbumin (PA). In this context, a phage display nanobody library is constructed via immunizing dromedary camel with human prealbumin. Three nanobodies have been identified by five successive bio-panning steps. Based on their high expression level and good affinity, two out of three are chosen for further study. Magnetic beads (MBs) were functionalized with PEI by acylamide bond formed between the carboxyl group on the surface of the MB. Then, an anti-PA nanobody (Nb1) can be effectively immobilized onto the surface of the functionalized MB using glutaradehyde as the link. The modified MBs with Nb1 can specifically capture the target PA and reacted with silica nanoparticles with co-immobilized HRP and anti-PA nanobody (Nb2). The concentration of PA was detected by flow injection chemiluminescence. When using MB/PEI as the carrier of anti-PA Nb1, the CL signal significantly increased to 4-fold compared with the signal using MB without PEI modification. The CL signal was further amplified to 5-fold when Si/Nb2 was used as the signal probe. Under optimized conditions, the present immunoassay exhibited a wide quantitative range from 0.05 to 1000 μg L(-1) with a detection limit of 0.01 μg L(-1). The sensitivity of the proposed immunoassay offers great promises in providing a sensitive, specific, time saving, and potential method for detecting PA in clinical settings. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Migration of human antigen-presenting cells in a human skin graft onto nude mice model after contact sensitization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoefakker, S.; Balk, H.P.; Boersma, W.J.A.; Joost, T. van; Notten, W.R.F.; Claassen, E.

1995-01-01

Fluorescent contact chemical allergens provoke sensitization after application on both syngeneic and allogeneic skin grafts in mice. We attempted to determine whether the functional activity in a contact sensitization response of human skin graft was affected at the level of antigen uptake and

Sensitive and specific detection of the non-human sialic Acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid in human tissues and biotherapeutic products.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra L Diaz

Full Text Available Humans are genetically defective in synthesizing the common mammalian sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc, but can metabolically incorporate it from dietary sources (particularly red meat and milk into glycoproteins and glycolipids of human tumors, fetuses and some normal tissues. Metabolic incorporation of Neu5Gc from animal-derived cells and medium components also results in variable contamination of molecules and cells intended for human therapies. These Neu5Gc-incorporation phenomena are practically significant, because normal humans can have high levels of circulating anti-Neu5Gc antibodies. Thus, there is need for the sensitive and specific detection of Neu5Gc in human tissues and biotherapeutic products. Unlike monoclonal antibodies that recognize Neu5Gc only in the context of underlying structures, chicken immunoglobulin Y (IgY polyclonal antibodies can recognize Neu5Gc in broader contexts. However, prior preparations of such antibodies (including our own suffered from some non-specificity, as well as some cross-reactivity with the human sialic acid N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac.We have developed a novel affinity method utilizing sequential columns of immobilized human and chimpanzee serum sialoglycoproteins, followed by specific elution from the latter column by free Neu5Gc. The resulting mono-specific antibody shows no staining in tissues or cells from mice with a human-like defect in Neu5Gc production. It allows sensitive and specific detection of Neu5Gc in all underlying glycan structural contexts studied, and is applicable to immunohistochemical, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA, Western blot and flow cytometry analyses. Non-immune chicken IgY is used as a reliable negative control. We show that these approaches allow sensitive detection of Neu5Gc in human tissue samples and in some biotherapeutic products, and finally show an example of how Neu5Gc might be eliminated from such products, by using a human cell

Cumulative human impacts on marine predators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maxwell, Sara M; Hazen, Elliott L; Bograd, Steven J

2013-01-01

Stressors associated with human activities interact in complex ways to affect marine ecosystems, yet we lack spatially explicit assessments of cumulative impacts on ecologically and economically key components such as marine predators. Here we develop a metric of cumulative utilization and impact...

Sensitive Media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Malinowska Anna

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The paper engages with what we refer to as “sensitive media,” a concept associated with developments in the overall media environment, our relationships with media devices, and the quality of the media themselves. Those developments point to the increasing emotionality of the media world and its infrastructures. Mapping the trajectories of technological development and impact that the newer media exert on human condition, our analysis touches upon various forms of emergent affect, emotion, and feeling in order to trace the histories and motivations of the sensitization of “the media things” as well as the redefinition of our affective and emotional experiences through technologies that themselves “feel.”

Human chromosome 9 can complement UV sensitivity of xeroderma pigmentosum group A cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishizaki, Kanji; Sasaki, Masao S.; Ikenaga, Mituo; Nakamura, Yusuke

1990-01-01

A single human chromosome derived from normal human fibroblasts and tagged with the G418 resistance gene was transferred into SV40-transformed xeroderma pigmentosum group A (XP-A) cells via microcell fusion. When chromosome 1 or 12 was transferred, UV sensitivity of microcell hybrid cells was not changed. By contrast, after transferring chromosome 9,7 of 11 reipient clones were as UV-resistant as normal human cells. Four other clones were still as UV-sensitive as the parental XP-A cells. Southern hybridization analysis using a polymorphic probe, pEKZ19.3, which is homologous to a sequence of the D9S17 locus on chromosome 9, has confirmed that at least a part of normal human chromosome 9 was transferred into the recipient clones. However, amounts iof UV-induced unscheduled DNA synthesis in the UV-resistant clones were only one-third of those in normal human cells. These results indicate that a gene on chromosome 9 can confer complementation of high UV sensitivity of XP-A cells although it is still possible that 2 or more genes might be involved in the defective-repair phenotypes of XP-A. (author). 20 refs.; 3 figs.; 1 tab

Hapten-specific lymphocyte transformation in humans sensitized with NDMA or DNCB.

Science.gov (United States)

SoebergB; Andersen, V

1976-01-01

The primary immune response to a contact sensitizing dose of para-N-dimethylnitrosaniline (NDMA) and dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) was obtained in humans and measured in vitro by increased thymidine incorporation into sensitized lymphocytes. No cross-reaction was found between these two haptens, and it is thus possible on two separate occasions to quantify and follow the primary cellular immune response in man. PMID:963911

Health Impacts from Human Interaction with the Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Hasan, S. E.

2008-12-01

Humans have produced far greater impact on the environment than any other living form. The impact has been so significant-particularly during the past 50 years-that a new word, Anthrposphere has started appearing in recent literature. It is now being used along with the four major components of the system earth to underscore humans' influence on the environment. Human activities have produced a myriad of impacts on the environment that span the scale from local to global. The slow process that brought humanity to the present environmental crisis began with the Industrial Revolution and has greatly accelerated since the World War II. The past 50 years mark a unique period in human history that is characterized by rapid technological advances and unprecedented population growth. While the use of technology has been very effective in meeting the needs of the growing population, it has also produced serious impact on the environment. Large scale exploitation of mineral, fuel, water, forest, and marine resources has led to severe environmental degradation; and the resulting pollution of air, water, and land has caused serious consequences to human and ecological health. The presentation deals with the adverse impact on human health associated with mining, dam and reservoir construction, improper waste management, use of fossil fuels, and climate change. Case studies are included to illustrate health impacts from metal and coal mining; dam and reservoir construction and preponderance of disease vectors; pollution caused by improper waste disposal and the resulting incidence of cancer and other diseases; and emergence of vector-borne diseases at hitherto unknown locations, cardiovascular and respiratory track ailments, and increased morbidity and mortality triggered by elevated temperatures associated with climate change. A brief discussion of possible measures to mitigate the health consequences is also included in the presentation.

[Impact of Socioeconomic Risk Exposure on Maternal Sensitivity, Stress and Family Functionality].

Science.gov (United States)

Sidor, Anna; Köhler, Hubert; Cierpka, Manfred

2018-03-01

Impact of Socioeconomic Risk Exposure on Maternal Sensitivity, Stress and Family Functionality Parental stress exposure can influence the parent-child relationship, child development and child wellbeing in negative ways. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of socio-economic risk exposure on the quality of the mother-child-interaction and family functionality. A sample of 294 mother-infant dyads at psychosocial risk was compared with a lower-risk, middle-class sample of 125 mother-infant-dyads in regard to maternal sensitivity/child's cooperation (CARE-Index), maternal stress (PSI-SF) and family functionality (FB-K). Lower levels of maternal sensitivity/child's cooperation and by trend also of the family functionality were found among the mothers from the at-risk sample in comparison to the low-risk sample. The level of maternal stress was similar in both samples. The results underpin the negative effects of a socio-economic risk exposure on the mother-child relationship. An early, sensitivity-focused family support could be encouraged to counteract the negative effects of early socioeconomic stress.

Assessing human rights impacts in corporate development projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salcito, Kendyl, E-mail: kendyl.salcito@unibas.ch [Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel (Switzerland); University of Basel, P.O. Box, CH-4003 Basel (Switzerland); NomoGaia, 1900 Wazee Street, Suite 303, Denver, CO 80202 (United States); NewFields, LLC, Denver, CO 80202 (United States); Utzinger, Jürg, E-mail: juerg.utzinger@unibas.ch [Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel (Switzerland); University of Basel, P.O. Box, CH-4003 Basel (Switzerland); Weiss, Mitchell G., E-mail: Mitchell-g.Weiss@unibas.ch [Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel (Switzerland); University of Basel, P.O. Box, CH-4003 Basel (Switzerland); Münch, Anna K., E-mail: annak.muench@gmail.com [Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 (United States); Singer, Burton H., E-mail: bhsinger@epi.ufl.edu [Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 (United States); Krieger, Gary R., E-mail: gkrieger@newfields.com [NewFields, LLC, Denver, CO 80202 (United States); Wielga, Mark, E-mail: wielga@nomogaia.org [NomoGaia, 1900 Wazee Street, Suite 303, Denver, CO 80202 (United States); NewFields, LLC, Denver, CO 80202 (United States)

2013-09-15

Human rights impact assessment (HRIA) is a process for systematically identifying, predicting and responding to the potential impact on human rights of a business operation, capital project, government policy or trade agreement. Traditionally, it has been conducted as a desktop exercise to predict the effects of trade agreements and government policies on individuals and communities. In line with a growing call for multinational corporations to ensure they do not violate human rights in their activities, HRIA is increasingly incorporated into the standard suite of corporate development project impact assessments. In this context, the policy world's non-structured, desk-based approaches to HRIA are insufficient. Although a number of corporations have commissioned and conducted HRIA, no broadly accepted and validated assessment tool is currently available. The lack of standardisation has complicated efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of HRIA as a risk mitigation tool, and has caused confusion in the corporate world regarding company duties. Hence, clarification is needed. The objectives of this paper are (i) to describe an HRIA methodology, (ii) to provide a rationale for its components and design, and (iii) to illustrate implementation of HRIA using the methodology in two selected corporate development projects—a uranium mine in Malawi and a tree farm in Tanzania. We found that as a prognostic tool, HRIA could examine potential positive and negative human rights impacts and provide effective recommendations for mitigation. However, longer-term monitoring revealed that recommendations were unevenly implemented, dependent on market conditions and personnel movements. This instability in the approach to human rights suggests a need for on-going monitoring and surveillance. -- Highlights: • We developed a novel methodology for corporate human rights impact assessment. • We piloted the methodology on two corporate projects—a mine and a plantation. �

Assessing human rights impacts in corporate development projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salcito, Kendyl; Utzinger, Jürg; Weiss, Mitchell G.; Münch, Anna K.; Singer, Burton H.; Krieger, Gary R.; Wielga, Mark

2013-01-01

Human rights impact assessment (HRIA) is a process for systematically identifying, predicting and responding to the potential impact on human rights of a business operation, capital project, government policy or trade agreement. Traditionally, it has been conducted as a desktop exercise to predict the effects of trade agreements and government policies on individuals and communities. In line with a growing call for multinational corporations to ensure they do not violate human rights in their activities, HRIA is increasingly incorporated into the standard suite of corporate development project impact assessments. In this context, the policy world's non-structured, desk-based approaches to HRIA are insufficient. Although a number of corporations have commissioned and conducted HRIA, no broadly accepted and validated assessment tool is currently available. The lack of standardisation has complicated efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of HRIA as a risk mitigation tool, and has caused confusion in the corporate world regarding company duties. Hence, clarification is needed. The objectives of this paper are (i) to describe an HRIA methodology, (ii) to provide a rationale for its components and design, and (iii) to illustrate implementation of HRIA using the methodology in two selected corporate development projects—a uranium mine in Malawi and a tree farm in Tanzania. We found that as a prognostic tool, HRIA could examine potential positive and negative human rights impacts and provide effective recommendations for mitigation. However, longer-term monitoring revealed that recommendations were unevenly implemented, dependent on market conditions and personnel movements. This instability in the approach to human rights suggests a need for on-going monitoring and surveillance. -- Highlights: • We developed a novel methodology for corporate human rights impact assessment. • We piloted the methodology on two corporate projects—a mine and a plantation. • Human

Cost, energy, global warming, eutrophication and local human health impacts of community water and sanitation service options.

Science.gov (United States)

Schoen, Mary E; Xue, Xiaobo; Wood, Alison; Hawkins, Troy R; Garland, Jay; Ashbolt, Nicholas J

2017-02-01

We compared water and sanitation system options for a coastal community across selected sustainability metrics, including environmental impact (i.e., life cycle eutrophication potential, energy consumption, and global warming potential), equivalent annual cost, and local human health impact. We computed normalized metric scores, which we used to discuss the options' strengths and weaknesses, and conducted sensitivity analysis of the scores to changes in variable and uncertain input parameters. The alternative systems, which combined centralized drinking water with sanitation services based on the concepts of energy and nutrient recovery as well as on-site water reuse, had reduced environmental and local human health impacts and costs than the conventional, centralized option. Of the selected sustainability metrics, the greatest advantages of the alternative community water systems (compared to the conventional system) were in terms of local human health impact and eutrophication potential, despite large, outstanding uncertainties. Of the alternative options, the systems with on-site water reuse and energy recovery technologies had the least local human health impact; however, the cost of these options was highly variable and the energy consumption was comparable to on-site alternatives without water reuse or energy recovery, due to on-site reuse treatment. Future work should aim to reduce the uncertainty in the energy recovery process and explore the health risks associated with less costly, on-site water treatment options. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Muscular heat and mechanical pain sensitivity after lengthening contractions in humans and animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Queme, Fernando; Taguchi, Toru; Mizumura, Kazue; Graven-Nielsen, Thomas

2013-11-01

Mechanical sensitivity of muscle nociceptors was previously shown to increase 2 days after lengthening contractions (LC), but heat sensitivity was not different despite nerve growth factor (NGF) being upregulated in the muscle during delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The discrepancy of these results and lack of other reports drove us to assess heat sensitivity during DOMS in humans and to evaluate the effect of NGF on the heat response of muscle C-fibers. Pressure pain thresholds and pain intensity scores to intramuscular injection of isotonic saline at 48°C and capsaicin were recorded in humans after inducing DOMS. The response of single unmyelinated afferents to mechanical and heat stimulations applied to their receptive field was recorded from muscle-nerve preparations in vitro. In humans, pressure pain thresholds were reduced but heat and capsaicin pain responses were not increased during DOMS. In rats, the mechanical but not the heat sensitivity of muscle C-fibers was increased in the LC group. NGF applied to the receptive field facilitated the heat sensitivity relative to the control. The absence of facilitated heat sensitivity after LC, despite the NGF sensitization, may be explained if the NGF concentration produced after LC is not sufficient to sensitize nociceptor response to heat. This article presents new findings on the basic mechanisms underlying hyperalgesia during DOMS, which is a useful model to study myofascial pain syndrome, and the role of NGF on muscular nociception. This might be useful in the search for new pharmacologic targets and therapeutic approaches. Copyright © 2013 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy attenuates central sensitization induced by a thermal injury in humans

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, V M; Borgen, A E; Jansen, E C

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2 ) treatment has in animal experiments demonstrated antinociceptive effects. It was hypothesized that these effects would attenuate secondary hyperalgesia areas (SHAs), an expression of central sensitization, after a first-degree thermal injury in humans. METHODS...... was demonstrated. However, in the nine volunteers starting with the control session, a statistical significant attenuation of SHAs was demonstrated in the HBO2 session (P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that HBO2 therapy in humans attenuates central sensitization induced by a thermal skin injury......, compared with control. These new and original findings in humans corroborate animal experimental data. The thermal injury model may give impetus to future human neurophysiological studies exploring the central effects of hyperbaric oxygen treatment....

A new sensitive method for detecting human endogenous (leukocyte) pyrogen.

Science.gov (United States)

Bodel, P; Miller, H

1978-03-01

Endogenous, or leukocyte pyrogen (EP), the mediator of fever, is currently detected by injection of pyrogen-containing supernatants into rabbits. This assay has been of little value in the study of human fever because it required injection of relatively large amounts of pyrogen. We now report that injection of medium containing human EP produces fever in mice. Supernatant from 1 c 10(5) granulocytes, stimulated by phagocytosis of staphylococci and incubated overnight, or 1 x 10(4) monocytes similarly treated, produce clear pyrogenic responses. This method for detecting EP is about 100-fold more sensitive than the rabbit assay, and it appears to be specific for EP. Preliminary studies of EP released by small samples of needle liver biopsies from febrile and afebrile patients suggests that this sensitive assay may be useful for investigations into the mechanisms of clinical fever.

Dependencies of the radiation sensitivity of human tooth enamel in EPR dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wieser, A.; El-Faramawy, N.; Meckbach, R.

2001-01-01

The EPR dose response of tooth enamel was determined for human molars collected in Egypt. The influence of age, gender and residence of the tooth donors as well as tooth position and sample preparation on EPR sensitivity and its variability over the enamel samples was investigated. The EPR sensitivity and its variability were found to depend only on the sample preparation procedure. The variability in EPR sensitivity of enamel from Egyptian teeth was maximally 10% and the mean sensitivity was in good agreement with that of German teeth

Sensitivity of nuclear power plant structural response to aircraft impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buchhardt, F.; Magiera, G.; Matthees, W.; Weber, M.

1984-01-01

In this paper a sensitivity study for aircraft impact is performed concerning the excitation of internal components, with particular regard to nonlinear structural material behaviour in the impact area. The nonlinear material values are varied within the bandwidth of suitable material strength, depending on local stiffness pre-calculations. The analyses are then performed on a globally discretized three-dimensional finite element model of a nuclear power plant, using a relatively fine mesh. For specified nodal points results are evaluated by comparing their response spectra. (Author) [pt

Human skeletal muscle perilipin 2 and 3 expression varies with insulin sensitivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vigelsø Hansen, Andreas; Prats Gavalda, Clara; Ploug, Thorkil

2013-01-01

Background: Impaired insulin sensitivity may partly arise from a dysregulated lipid metabolism in human skeletal muscle. This study investigates the expression levels of perilipin 2, 3, and 5, and four key lipases in human skeletal muscle from the subjects that exhibit a range from normal to very...

Virtual impact: visualizing the potential effects of cosmic impact in human history

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masse, W Bruce [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Janecky, David R [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Forte, Maurizio [UC MERCED; Barrientos, Gustavo [UNIV OF LA PLATA, ARG.

2009-01-01

Current models indicate that catastrophic impacts by asteroids and comets capable of killing more than one quarter of Earth's human population have occurred on average once every million years; smaller impacts, such the 1908 Tunguska impact that leveled more than 2,000 square km of Siberian forest, occur every 200-300 years. Therefore, cosmic impact likely significantly affected hominine evolution and conceivably played a role in Holocene period human culture history. Regrettably, few archaeologists are trained to appreciate the nature and potential effects of cosmic impact. We have developed a conceptual model for an extensible set of educational and research tools based on virtual reality collaborative environments to engage archaeologists and the general public on the topic of the role of cosmic impact in human history. Our initial focus is on two documented asteroid impacts in Argentina during the period of 4000 to 1000 B.C. Campo del Cicio resulted in an energy release of around 2-3 megatons (100-150 times the Hiroshima atomic weapon), and left several craters and a strewn field covering 493 km{sup 2} in northeastern Argentina. Rio Cuarto was likely more than 1000 megatons and may have devastated an area greater than 50,000 km{sup 2} in central Argentina. We are focusing on reconstructions of these events and their potential effects on contemporary hunter and gatherers. Our vinual reality tools also introduce interactive variables (e.g., impactor physical properties, climate, vegetation, topography, and social complexity) to allow researchers and students to better investigate and evaluate the factors that significantly influence cosmic impact effects.

Concept of waste and its impact on human health.

Science.gov (United States)

Pashkov, Vitalii M; Batyhina, Olena M; Trotska, Maryna V

Impact of the environment on human health is increasingly being paid attention both at the international level and at the level of individual countries. Among the factors that anyhow can affect it negatively, various objects are distinguished and waste is not of the last consequence. It has different nature of origin, ways of further utilization and a degree of impact on human health and the environment. Its generation, utilization and neutralization are determined by the relevant processes; their research allows continuous improvement and reduction of their negative impact on human health and the environment. To analyze provisions of the international legislation concerning the concept of waste and its classification, as well as its potential impacts on human health and the environment. The study analyzes and uses international legal documents, data of international organizations and scientists' deductions. Furthermore, the study integrates information from scientific journals with scientific methods from the medical and legal point of view. Within the framework of the system approach, as well as analysis and synthesis, the concept of waste, its classification and impact on human health and the environment have been researched. In consequence of the conducted study, it has been found that at the European level, considerable attention is paid to waste in the context of its possible negative impact on human health and the environment. Solution of this problem is carried out with the integrated approach, which is expressed both in enacting statutory acts and amending existing ones, as well as elucidating various aspects at the scientific, methodological, statistical and other levels. Waste in itself has different nature of origin, negative impact, ways of its further utilization. Some kinds of it can be used further in order to achieve other goals and needs that are not related to their generation, others can no longer be used for human benefits taking into account

Sensitive method for the determination of nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the human diet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Siegmund, B.; Weiss, R.; Pfannhauser, W. [Graz Univ. of Technology (Austria). Inst. of Food Chemistry

2003-01-01

The presence of nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs) as contaminants in foods is nowadays a legitimate cause of concern, as they are reported to be strong direct-acting mutagens and carcinogens that may pose a risk to human health. Nevertheless, their concentrations in foods are in the ultra-trace region. In this study, we present a very sensitive analytical method for the determination of this compound class in complex food matrices. Special emphasis was put on sample extraction and clean up. Recoveries of 75% could be obtained for 1- and 2-nitronaphthalene; for all other compounds investigated the recoveries were {>=}94%. The determination of the compounds was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results show that the use of negative chemical ionization (NCI) increases the sensitivity by one order of magnitude in comparison to electron impact ionization (EI) (limits of detection 0.07-0.25 {mu}g kg{sup -1} for EI and 0.01-0.02 {mu}g kg{sup -1} for NCI). The influence of the sample matrix on the sensitivity of the method is demonstrated with extracts of a sample from a duplicate diet study. Due to the lack of a certified reference material the suitability of the method is demonstrated with pumpkin seed oil that was spiked with nitro-PAHs at two different concentration levels. (orig.)

Salivary Proteome Patterns Affecting Human Salt Taste Sensitivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Stolle, Theresa; Grondinger, Freya; Dunkel, Andreas; Meng, Chen; Médard, Guillaume; Kuster, Bernhard; Hofmann, Thomas

2017-10-25

To investigate the role of perireceptor events in inter-individual variability in salt taste sensitivity, 31 volunteers were monitored in their detection functions for sodium chloride (NaCl) and classified into sensitive (0.6-1.7 mmol/L), medium-sensitive (1.8-6.9 mmol/L), and nonsensitive (7.0-11.2 mmol/L) subjects. Chemosensory intervention of NaCl-sensitive (S + ) and nonsensitive (S - ) panellists with potassium chloride, ammonium chloride, and sodium gluconate showed the salt taste sensitivity to be specific for NaCl. As no significant differences were found between S + and S - subjects in salivary sodium and protein content, salivary proteome differences and their stimulus-induced dynamic changes were analyzed by tryptic digestion, iTRAQ labeling, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Differences in the salivary proteome between S + and S - subjects were found primarily in resting saliva and were largely independent of the dynamic alterations observed upon salt stimulation. Gene ontology enrichment analysis of key proteins, i.e., immunoglobulin heavy constant y1, myeloblastin, cathepsin G, and kallikrein, revealed significantly increased serine-type endopeptidase activity for the S + group, while the S - group exhibited augmented cysteine-type endopeptidase inhibitor activity by increased abundances in lipocalin-1 and cystatin-D, -S, and -SN, respectively. As proteases have been suggested to facilitate transepithelial sodium transport by cleaving the y-subunit of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) and protease inhibitors have been shown to reduce ENaC-mediated sodium transport, the differentially modulated proteolytic activity patterns observed in vivo for S + and S - subjects show evidence of them playing a crucial role in affecting human NaCl sensitivity.

Human impacts on fire occurrence: a case study of hundred years of forest fires in a dry alpine valley in Switzerland

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zumbrunnen, T.; Menéndez, P.; Bugmann, H.; Conedera, M.; Gimmi, U.; Bürgi, M.

2012-01-01

Forest fire regimes are sensitive to alterations of climate, fuel load, and ignition sources. We investigated the impact of human activities and climate on fire occurrence in a dry continental valley of the Swiss Alps (Valais) by relating fire occurrence to population and road density, biomass

The impact of vehicle on the relative potency of skin-sensitizing chemicals in the local lymph node assay.

Science.gov (United States)

Jowsey, Ian R; Clapp, Catherine J; Safford, Bob; Gibbons, Ben T; Basketter, David A

2008-01-01

The identification and characterization of chemicals that possess skin-sensitizing potential are typically performed using predictive tests. However, human exposure to skin-sensitizing chemicals often occurs via a matrix (vehicle) that differs from that used in these tests. It is thus important to account for the potential impact of vehicle differences when undertaking quantitative risk assessment for skin sensitization. This is achieved through the application of a specific sensitization assessment factor (SAF), scaled between 1 and 10, when identifying an acceptable exposure level. The objective of the analysis described herein is to determine the impact of vehicle differences on local lymph node assay (LLNA) EC3 values (concentrations of test chemical required to provoke a 3-fold increase in lymph node cell proliferation). Initially, the inherent variability of the LLNA was investigated by examining the reproducibility of EC3 values for 14 chemicals that have been tested more than once in the same vehicle (4:1 acetone:olive oil, AOO). This analysis reveals that the variability in EC3 value for these chemicals following multiple assessments is LLNA using at least 2 of 15 different vehicles. These data demonstrate that often the variability in EC3 values observed for a given chemical in different vehicles is no greater than the 5-fold inherent variability observed when assessing a chemical in the same vehicle on multiple occasions. However, there are examples where EC3 values for a chemical differ by a factor of more than 10 between different vehicles. These observations were often associated with an apparent underestimation of potency (higher EC3 values) with predominantly aqueous vehicles or propylene glycol. These data underscore the need to consider vehicle effects in the context of skin-sensitization risk assessments.

Impacts of “metals” on human health: uncertainties in using different Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methodologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pizzol, Massimo; Christensen, Per; Schmidt, Jannick Højrup

This study looks into the uncertainties in determining the impact of “metals” emissions to human health, in Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA). Metals are diverse substances, with different proprieties and characteristics, considered important in LCIA because of their toxicity to humans or ecosy......This study looks into the uncertainties in determining the impact of “metals” emissions to human health, in Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA). Metals are diverse substances, with different proprieties and characteristics, considered important in LCIA because of their toxicity to humans...... be considered in an impact assessment focused on human health, and defined a list of 14 metals. We performed a contribution analysis in order to compare methods in relative terms; an approach successfully used in other studies. Various processes have been analyzed with 8 different LCIA methods in order...... to assess both how much each metal contributes to the total impact on human health, when only metal emissions are present, and how much metals in total contribute when also other toxic substances are included in the inventory of emissions. Differences between the methods are great and due...

In vitro sensitization of human lymphocytes to a myeloma cell-related antigen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whitson, M.E.; Griffin, G.D.; Novelli, G.D.; Solomon, A.

1981-01-01

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal human donors were cocultivated with cells from two established human multiple myeloma cell lines, RPMI 8226 and K-737, and with lymphoblastoid cells from a third B cell line, RAMM. After a comparison of three methods of lymphocyte sensitization, a 6-day incubation protocol with equal numbers of normal lymphocytes and mitomycin C-treated tumor cells was selected. Cells fom the RPMI 8226 myeloma line stimulated the differentiation of lymphocytes into cytotoxic effector cells as measured by 51 Cr release from labeled target cells. The RPMI 8226-sensitized lymphocytes were cytotoxic for myeloma cells (RPMI 8226 and K-737) and for lymphoblastoid cells (RAMM) but not for cells from human lung tumor lines (A549, A427, MB9812), a breast carcinoma line (ALAB), a normal diploid fibroblast line (HSBP), or normal lymphocytes

In vitro sensitization of human lymphocytes to a myeloma cell-related antigen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whitson, M.E. (Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia); Griffin, G.D.; Novelli, G.D.; Solomon, A.

1981-01-01

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal human donors were cocultivated with cells from two established human multiple myeloma cell lines, RPMI 8226 and K-737, and with lymphoblastoid cells from a third B cell line, RAMM. After a comparison of three methods of lymphocyte sensitization, a 6-day incubation protocol with equal numbers of normal lymphocytes and mitomycin C-treated tumor cells was selected. Cells fom the RPMI 8226 myeloma line stimulated the differentiation of lymphocytes into cytotoxic effector cells as measured by /sup 51/Cr release from labeled target cells. The RPMI 8226-sensitized lymphocytes were cytotoxic for myeloma cells (RPMI 8226 and K-737) and for lymphoblastoid cells (RAMM) but not for cells from human lung tumor lines (A549, A427, MB9812), a breast carcinoma line (ALAB), a normal diploid fibroblast line (HSBP), or normal lymphocytes.

Impact of climate change on human health and health systems in Tanzania: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Mboera, Leonard E G; Mayala, Benjamin K; Kweka, Eliningaya J; Mazigo, Humphrey D

2011-12-01

Climate change (CC) has a number of immediate and long-term impacts on the fundamental determinants of human health. A number of potential human health effects have been associated either directly or indirectly with global climate change. Vulnerability to the risks associated with CC may exacerbate ongoing socio-economic challenges. The objective of this review was to analyse the potential risk and vulnerability in the context of climate-sensitive human diseases and health system in Tanzania. Climate sensitive vector- and waterborne diseases and other health related problems and the policies on climate adaptation in Tanzania during the past 50 years are reviewed. The review has shown that a number of climate-associated infectious disease epidemics have been reported in various areas of the country; mostly being associated with increase in precipitation and temperature. Although, there is no single policy document that specifically addresses issues of CC in the country, the National Environmental Management Act of 1997 recognizes the importance of CC and calls for the government to put up measures to address the phenomenon. A number of strategies and action plans related to CC are also in place. These include the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, the National Action Programme, and the National Bio-safety Framework. The government has put in place a National Climate Change Steering Committee and the National Climate Change Technical Committee to oversee and guide the implementation of CC activities in the country. Recognizing the adverse impacts of natural disasters and calamities, the government established a Disaster Management Division under the Prime Minister's Office. Epidemic Preparedness and Response Unit of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is responsible for emergency preparedness, mostly disease outbreaks. However, specific climate changes associated with human health issues are poorly addressed in the MoHSW strategies and the national

The future of human rights impact assessments of trade agreements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Walker, S.M.

2009-01-01

The Future of Human Rights Impact Assessments of Trade Agreements develops a methodology for human rights impact assessments of trade agreements and considers whether there is any value in using the methodology on a sustained basis to ensure that the human dimensions of international trade are taken

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2016-01-01

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

The impact of residential combustion emissions on atmospheric aerosol, human health, and climate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. W. Butt

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Combustion of fuels in the residential sector for cooking and heating results in the emission of aerosol and aerosol precursors impacting air quality, human health, and climate. Residential emissions are dominated by the combustion of solid fuels. We use a global aerosol microphysics model to simulate the impact of residential fuel combustion on atmospheric aerosol for the year 2000. The model underestimates black carbon (BC and organic carbon (OC mass concentrations observed over Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa, with better prediction when carbonaceous emissions from the residential sector are doubled. Observed seasonal variability of BC and OC concentrations are better simulated when residential emissions include a seasonal cycle. The largest contributions of residential emissions to annual surface mean particulate matter (PM2.5 concentrations are simulated for East Asia, South Asia, and Eastern Europe. We use a concentration response function to estimate the human health impact due to long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 from residential emissions. We estimate global annual excess adult (>  30 years of age premature mortality (due to both cardiopulmonary disease and lung cancer to be 308 000 (113 300–497 000, 5th to 95th percentile uncertainty range for monthly varying residential emissions and 517 000 (192 000–827 000 when residential carbonaceous emissions are doubled. Mortality due to residential emissions is greatest in Asia, with China and India accounting for 50 % of simulated global excess mortality. Using an offline radiative transfer model we estimate that residential emissions exert a global annual mean direct radiative effect between −66 and +21 mW m−2, with sensitivity to the residential emission flux and the assumed ratio of BC, OC, and SO2 emissions. Residential emissions exert a global annual mean first aerosol indirect effect of between −52 and −16 mW m−2, which is sensitive to the

Sensitivity-enhanced 13C MR spectroscopy of the human brain at 3 Tesla.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klomp, D.W.J.; Renema, W.K.J.; Graaf, M. de; Galan, B.E. de; Kentgens, A.P.M.; Heerschap, A.

2006-01-01

A new coil design for sensitivity-enhanced 13C MR spectroscopy (MRS) of the human brain is presented. The design includes a quadrature transmit/receive head coil optimized for 13C MR sensitivity. Loss-less blocking circuits inside the coil conductors allow this coil to be used inside a homogeneous

Sensitivity-enhanced C-13 MR spectroscopy of the human brain at 3 Tesla

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klomp, D.W.J.; Renema, W.K.J.; Graaf, M. van der; Galan, B.E. de; Kentgens, A.P.M.; Heerschap, A.

2006-01-01

A new coil design for sensitivity-enhanced C-13 MR spectroscopy (MRS) of the human brain is presented. The design includes a quadrature transmit/receive head coil optimized for C-13 MR sensitivity. Loss-less blocking circuits inside the coil conductors allow this coil to be used inside a homogeneous

An adjoint method of sensitivity analysis for residual vibrations of structures subject to impacts

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Kun; Cheng, Gengdong

2018-03-01

For structures subject to impact loads, the residual vibration reduction is more and more important as the machines become faster and lighter. An efficient sensitivity analysis of residual vibration with respect to structural or operational parameters is indispensable for using a gradient based optimization algorithm, which reduces the residual vibration in either active or passive way. In this paper, an integrated quadratic performance index is used as the measure of the residual vibration, since it globally measures the residual vibration response and its calculation can be simplified greatly with Lyapunov equation. Several sensitivity analysis approaches for performance index were developed based on the assumption that the initial excitations of residual vibration were given and independent of structural design. Since the resulting excitations by the impact load often depend on structural design, this paper aims to propose a new efficient sensitivity analysis method for residual vibration of structures subject to impacts to consider the dependence. The new method is developed by combining two existing methods and using adjoint variable approach. Three numerical examples are carried out and demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed method. The numerical results show that the dependence of initial excitations on structural design variables may strongly affects the accuracy of sensitivities.

Distinct fermentation and antibiotic sensitivity profiles exist in salmonellae of canine and human origin.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallis, Corrin V; Lowden, Preena; Marshall-Jones, Zoe V; Hilton, Anthony C

2018-02-26

Salmonella enterica is a recognised cause of diarrhoea in dogs and humans, yet the potential for transfer of salmonellosis between dogs and their owners is unclear, with reported evidence both for and against Salmonella as a zoonotic pathogen. A collection of 174 S. enterica isolates from clinical infections in humans and dogs were analysed for serotype distribution, carbon source utilisation, chemical and antimicrobial sensitivity profiles. The aim of the study was to understand the degree of conservation in phenotypic characteristics of isolates across host species. Serovar distribution across human and canine isolates demonstrated nine serovars common to both host species, 24 serovars present in only the canine collection and 39 solely represented within the human collection. Significant differences in carbon source utilisation profiles and ampicillin, amoxicillin and chloramphenicol sensitivity profiles were detected in isolates of human and canine origin. Differences between the human and canine Salmonella collections were suggestive of evolutionary separation, with canine isolates better able to utilise several simple sugars than their human counterparts. Generally higher minimum inhibitory concentrations of three broad-spectrum antimicrobials, commonly used in veterinary medicine, were also observed in canine S. enterica isolates. Differential carbon source utilisation and antimicrobial sensitivity profiles in pathogenic Salmonella isolated from humans and dogs are suggestive of distinct reservoirs of infection for these hosts. Although these findings do not preclude zoonotic or anthroponotic potential in salmonellae, the separation of carbon utilisation and antibiotic profiles with isolate source is indicative that infectious isolates are not part of a common reservoir shared frequently between these host species.

Human surrogate neck response to +Gz vertical impact

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rooij, L. van; Uittenbogaard, J.

2011-01-01

For the evaluation of impact scenarios with a substantial vertical component, the performance of current human surrogates - the RID 3D hardware dummy and two numerical human models - was evaluated. Volunteer tests with 10G and 6G pulses were compared to reconstructed tests with human surrogates.

Hydrological impacts of global land cover change and human water use

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosmans, J.H.C.; van Beek, L.P.H.; Sutanudjaja, E.H.; Bierkens, M.F.P.

2017-01-01

Human impacts on global terrestrial hydrology have been accelerating during the 20th century. These human impacts include the effects of reservoir building and human water use, as well as land cover change. To date, many global studies have focussed on human water use, but only a few focus on or

Is Cytox 3522 (10% methylene-bis-thiocyanate) a human skin sensitizer?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Klaus Ejner; Hamann, K

1983-01-01

Methylene-bis-thiocyanate is an antimicrobial agent in Cytox 3522 (American Cyanamid Corporation) and Nalco 206 (Nalco Chemical Company). Both are wide-spectrum industrial biocides. Cytox 3522 showed a strong sensitization potential in guineau pigs using the Guinea Pig Maximization Test and the O...... and the Open Epicutaneous Test procedures. In spite of this, human sensitization has not been reported. This may be explained by several factors such as limited exposure, low-use concentration and a lack of diagnostic patch tests in selected patients....

Assessing corporate project impacts in changeable contexts: A human rights perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salcito, Kendyl, E-mail: kendyl.salcito@unibas.ch [Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel (Switzerland); University of Basel, P.O. Box, CH-4003 Basel (Switzerland); NomoGaia, 1900 Wazee Street, Suite 303, Denver, CO 80202 (United States); NewFields, LLC, Denver, CO 80202 (United States); Singer, Burton H., E-mail: bhsinger@epi.ufl.edu [Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 (United States); Krieger, Gary R., E-mail: gkrieger@newfields.com [NewFields, LLC, Denver, CO 80202 (United States); Weiss, Mitchell G., E-mail: mitchell-g.weiss@unibas.ch [Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel (Switzerland); University of Basel, P.O. Box, CH-4003 Basel (Switzerland); Wielga, Mark, E-mail: wielga@nomogaia.org [NomoGaia, 1900 Wazee Street, Suite 303, Denver, CO 80202 (United States); NewFields, LLC, Denver, CO 80202 (United States); Utzinger, Jürg, E-mail: juerg.utzinger@unibas.ch [Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel (Switzerland); University of Basel, P.O. Box, CH-4003 Basel (Switzerland)

2014-07-01

Project-level impact assessment was originally conceived as a snapshot taken in advance of project implementation, contrasting current conditions with a likely future scenario involving a variety of predicted impacts. Current best practice guidance has encouraged a shift towards longitudinal assessments from the pre-project stage through the implementation and operating phases. Experience and study show, however, that assessment of infrastructure-intensive projects rarely endures past the project's construction phase. Negative consequences for environmental, social and health outcomes have been documented. Such consequences clarify the pressing need for longitudinal assessment in each of these domains, with human rights impact assessment (HRIA) as an umbrella over, and critical augmentation of, environmental, social and health assessments. Project impacts on human rights are more closely linked to political, economic and other factors beyond immediate effects of a company's policy and action throughout the project lifecycle. Delineating these processes requires an adequate framework, with strategies for collecting longitudinal data, protocols that provide core information for impact assessment and guidance for adaptive mitigation strategies as project-related effects change over time. This article presents general principles for the design and implementation of sustained, longitudinal HRIA, based on experience assessing and responding to human rights impact in a uranium mining project in Malawi. The case study demonstrates the value of longitudinal assessment both for limiting corporate risk and improving human welfare. - Graphical abstract: Assessing changes in human rights condition as affected by both project and context, over time. - Highlights: • Corporate capital projects affect human rights in myriad ways. • Ongoing, longitudinal impact assessment techniques are needed. • We present an approach for conducting longitudinal human rights impact

Assessing corporate project impacts in changeable contexts: A human rights perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salcito, Kendyl; Singer, Burton H.; Krieger, Gary R.; Weiss, Mitchell G.; Wielga, Mark; Utzinger, Jürg

2014-01-01

Project-level impact assessment was originally conceived as a snapshot taken in advance of project implementation, contrasting current conditions with a likely future scenario involving a variety of predicted impacts. Current best practice guidance has encouraged a shift towards longitudinal assessments from the pre-project stage through the implementation and operating phases. Experience and study show, however, that assessment of infrastructure-intensive projects rarely endures past the project's construction phase. Negative consequences for environmental, social and health outcomes have been documented. Such consequences clarify the pressing need for longitudinal assessment in each of these domains, with human rights impact assessment (HRIA) as an umbrella over, and critical augmentation of, environmental, social and health assessments. Project impacts on human rights are more closely linked to political, economic and other factors beyond immediate effects of a company's policy and action throughout the project lifecycle. Delineating these processes requires an adequate framework, with strategies for collecting longitudinal data, protocols that provide core information for impact assessment and guidance for adaptive mitigation strategies as project-related effects change over time. This article presents general principles for the design and implementation of sustained, longitudinal HRIA, based on experience assessing and responding to human rights impact in a uranium mining project in Malawi. The case study demonstrates the value of longitudinal assessment both for limiting corporate risk and improving human welfare. - Graphical abstract: Assessing changes in human rights condition as affected by both project and context, over time. - Highlights: • Corporate capital projects affect human rights in myriad ways. • Ongoing, longitudinal impact assessment techniques are needed. • We present an approach for conducting longitudinal human rights impact assessment

Coupled effects of market impact and asymmetric sensitivity in financial markets

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Li-Xin; Xu, Wen-Juan; Ren, Fei; Shi, Yong-Dong

2013-05-01

By incorporating market impact and asymmetric sensitivity into the evolutionary minority game, we study the coevolutionary dynamics of stock prices and investment strategies in financial markets. Both the stock price movement and the investors’ global behavior are found to be closely related to the phase region they fall into. Within the region where the market impact is small, investors’ asymmetric response to gains and losses leads to the occurrence of herd behavior, when all the investors are prone to behave similarly in an extreme way and large price fluctuations occur. A linear relation between the standard deviation of stock price changes and the mean value of strategies is found. With full market impact, the investors tend to self-segregate into opposing groups and the introduction of asymmetric sensitivity leads to the disappearance of dominant strategies. Compared with the situations in the stock market with little market impact, the stock price fluctuations are suppressed and an efficient market occurs. Theoretical analyses indicate that the mechanism of phase transition from clustering to self-segregation in the present model is similar to that in the majority-minority game and the occurrence and disappearance of efficient markets are related to the competition between the trend-following and the trend-aversion forces. The clustering of the strategies in the present model results from the majority-wins effect and the wealth-driven mechanism makes the market become predictable.

Research progress of non-human species radiological impact and assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bai Xiaoping; Zhu Hao; Mao Yawei; Zheng Wei; Du Hongyan

2014-01-01

In recent years, with the development of radiological protection conception and the improvement of requirement about non-human species protection, much more attention has been paid gradually to biota radiation impact. Research and development of non-human species protection impact and its assessment at home and abroad are introduced, then RESRAD-BIOTA and ERICA which are comparatively mature codes in the world are compared and analyzed, at last some suggestions about research and assessment work of non-human species radiological impact in the future in China are provided. (authors)

Lansoprazole induces sensitivity to suboptimal doses of paclitaxel in human melanoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Azzarito, Tommaso; Venturi, Giulietta; Cesolini, Albino; Fais, Stefano

2015-01-28

Tumor acidity is now considered an important determinant of drug-resistance and tumor progression, and anti-acidic approaches, such as Proton Pump inhibitors (PPIs), have demonstrated promising antitumor and chemo-sensitizing efficacy. The main purpose of the present study was to evaluate the possible PPI-induced sensitization of human melanoma cells to Paclitaxel (PTX). Our results show that PTX and the PPI Lansoprazole (LAN) combination was extremely efficient against metastatic melanoma cells, as compared to the single treatments, both in vitro and in vivo. We also showed that acidity plays an important role on the anti-tumor activity of these drugs, being detrimental for PTX activity, while crucial for the synergistic effect of PTX following pretreatment with LAN, due to its nature of pro-drug needing protonation for a full activation. We obtained straightforward results in a human melanoma xenograft model combining well tolerated LAN doses with suboptimal and poorly toxic doses of PTX. With this study we provide a clear evidence that the PPI LAN may be included in new combined therapy of human melanoma together with low doses of PTX. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Culture-sensitive neural substrates of human cognition: a transcultural neuroimaging approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Shihui; Northoff, Georg

2008-08-01

Our brains and minds are shaped by our experiences, which mainly occur in the context of the culture in which we develop and live. Although psychologists have provided abundant evidence for diversity of human cognition and behaviour across cultures, the question of whether the neural correlates of human cognition are also culture-dependent is often not considered by neuroscientists. However, recent transcultural neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that one's cultural background can influence the neural activity that underlies both high- and low-level cognitive functions. The findings provide a novel approach by which to distinguish culture-sensitive from culture-invariant neural mechanisms of human cognition.

Drop weight impact measurements of HE sensitivity: modified detection methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preston, D N; Brown, G W; Tappan, B C; Oshwald, D M; Koby, J R; Schoonover, M L

2014-01-01

High explosives small-scale sensitivity testing has been a hallmark of safety screening since WWII. Sensitivity testing was once crude and simple; broom sticks were used to scrape explosives on the floor while experimenters would look, listen, and smell for signs of a reaction. Since then, a wide variety of testing apparatus have been developed to explore the effects of different stimuli on explosives. In concert with the development of the machines themselves, the reaction detection methods have also evolved. This paper's focus is on the Los Alamos National Laboratory's (LANL) drop weight impact machine and reaction detection methods. A critical evaluation of results is presented with cautionary examples of false positives that can occur with non-explosive materials.

Calcineurin inhibitors acutely improve insulin sensitivity without affecting insulin secretion in healthy human volunteers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Øzbay, Aygen; Møller, Niels; Juhl, Claus

2012-01-01

and tacrolimus has been attributed to both beta cell dysfunction and impaired insulin sensitivity. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: This is the first trial to investigate beta cell function and insulin sensitivity using gold standard methodology in healthy human volunteers treated with clinically relevant doses...... of ciclosporin and tacrolimus. We document that both drugs acutely increase insulin sensitivity, while first phase and pulsatile insulin secretion remain unaffected. This study demonstrates that ciclosporin and tacrolimus have similar acute effects on glucose metabolism in healthy humans. AIM The introduction...... of calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) ciclosporin (CsA) and tacrolimus (Tac) has improved the outcome of organ transplants, but complications such as new onset diabetes mellitus after transplantation (NODAT) cause impairment of survival rates. The relative contribution of each CNI to the pathogenesis and development...

UV-sensitive photoreceptor protein OPN5 in humans and mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Kojima, Daisuke; Mori, Suguru; Torii, Masaki; Wada, Akimori; Morishita, Rika; Fukada, Yoshitaka

2011-01-01

A variety of animal species utilize the ultraviolet (UV) component of sunlight as their environmental cues, whereas physiological roles of UV photoreception in mammals, especially in human beings, remain open questions. Here we report that mouse neuropsin (OPN5) encoded by the Opn5 gene exhibited an absorption maximum (λmax) at 380 nm when reconstituted with 11-cis-retinal. Upon UV-light illumination, OPN5 was converted to a blue-absorbing photoproduct (λmax 470 nm), which was stable in the dark and reverted to the UV-absorbing state by the subsequent orange light illumination, indicating its bistable nature. Human OPN5 also had an absorption maximum at 380 nm with spectral properties similar to mouse OPN5, revealing that OPN5 is the first and hitherto unknown human opsin with peak sensitivity in the UV region. OPN5 was capable of activating heterotrimeric G protein Gi in a UV-dependent manner. Immuno-blotting analyses of mouse tissue extracts identified the retina, the brain and, unexpectedly, the outer ears as the major sites of OPN5 expression. In the tissue sections of mice, OPN5 immuno-reactivities were detected in a subset of non-rod/non-cone retinal neurons as well as in the epidermal and muscle cells of the outer ears. Most of these OPN5-immuno-reactivities in mice were co-localized with positive signals for the alpha-subunit of Gi. These results demonstrate the first example of UV photoreceptor in human beings and strongly suggest that OPN5 triggers a UV-sensitive Gi-mediated signaling pathway in the mammalian tissues.

Sensitivity to ionizing radiation and chemotherapeutic agents in gemcitabine-resistant human tumor cell lines

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Bree, Chris; Castro Kreder, Natasja; Loves, Willem J. P.; Franken, Nicolaas A. P.; Peters, Godefridus J.; Haveman, Jaap

2002-01-01

Purpose: To determine cross-resistance to anti-tumor treatments in 2',2'difluorodeoxycytidine (dFdC, gemcitabine)-resistant human tumor cells. Methods and Materials: Human lung carcinoma cells SW-1573 (SWp) were made resistant to dFdC (SWg). Sensitivity to cisplatin (cDDP), paclitaxel,

Sensitivity Analysis of Unsteady Flow Fields and Impact of Measurement Strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takashi Misaka

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Difficulty of data assimilation arises from a large difference between the sizes of a state vector to be determined, that is, the number of spatiotemporal mesh points of a discretized numerical model and a measurement vector, that is, the amount of measurement data. Flow variables on a large number of mesh points are hardly defined by spatiotemporally limited measurements, which poses an underdetermined problem. In this study we conduct the sensitivity analysis of two- and three-dimensional vortical flow fields within a framework of data assimilation. The impact of measurement strategy, which is evaluated by the sensitivity of the 4D-Var cost function with respect to measurements, is investigated to effectively determine a flow field by limited measurements. The assimilation experiment shows that the error defined by the difference between the reference and assimilated flow fields is reduced by using the sensitivity information to locate the limited number of measurement points. To conduct data assimilation for a long time period, the 4D-Var data assimilation and the sensitivity analysis are repeated with a short assimilation window.

Muscle tension increases impact force but decreases energy absorption and pain during visco-elastic impacts to human thighs.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsui, Felix; Pain, Matthew T G

2018-01-23

Despite uncertainty of its exact role, muscle tension has shown an ability to alter human biomechanical response and may have the ability to reduce impact injury severity. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of muscle tension on human impact response in terms of force and energy absorbed and the subjects' perceptions of pain. Seven male martial artists had a 3.9 kg medicine ball dropped vertically from seven different heights, 1.0-1.6 m in equal increments, onto their right thigh. Subjects were instructed to either relax or tense the quadriceps via knee extension (≥60% MVC) prior to each impact. F-scan pressure insoles sampling at 500 Hz recorded impact force and video was recorded at 1000 Hz to determine energy loss from the medicine ball during impact. Across all impacts force was 11% higher, energy absorption was 15% lower and time to peak force was 11% lower whilst perceived impact intensity was significantly lower when tensed. Whether muscle is tensed or not had a significant and meaningful effect on perceived discomfort. However, it did not relate to impact force between conditions and so tensing may alter localised injury risk during human on human type impacts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oxygen-Sensitive K+ Channels Modulate Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Secretion from Human Placental Trophoblast

Science.gov (United States)

Díaz, Paula; Sibley, Colin P.; Greenwood, Susan L.

2016-01-01

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a key autocrine/paracrine regulator of placental syncytiotrophoblast, the transport epithelium of the human placenta. Syncytiotrophoblast hCG secretion is modulated by the partial pressure of oxygen (pO2), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and potassium (K+) channels. Here we test the hypothesis that K+ channels mediate the effects of pO2 and ROS on hCG secretion. Placental villous explants from normal term pregnancies were cultured for 6 days at 6% (normoxia), 21% (hyperoxia) or 1% (hypoxia) pO2. On days 3–5, explants were treated with 5mM 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) or tetraethylammonium (TEA), blockers of pO2-sensitive voltage-gated K+ (KV) channels, or ROS (10–1000μM H2O2). hCG secretion and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, a marker of necrosis, were determined daily. At day 6, hCG and LDH were measured in tissue lysate and 86Rb (K+) efflux assessed to estimate syncytiotrophoblast K+ permeability. hCG secretion and 86Rb efflux were significantly greater in explants maintained in 21% pO2 than normoxia. 4-AP/TEA inhibited hCG secretion to a greater extent at 21% than 6% and 1% pO2, and reduced 86Rb efflux at 21% but not 6% pO2. LDH release and tissue LDH/hCG were similar in 6%, 21% and 1% pO2 and unaffected by 4-AP/TEA. H2O2 stimulated 86Rb efflux and hCG secretion at normoxia but decreased 86Rb efflux, without affecting hCG secretion, at 21% pO2. 4-AP/TEA-sensitive K+ channels participate in pO2-sensitive hCG secretion from syncytiotrophoblast. ROS effects on both hCG secretion and 86Rb efflux are pO2-dependent but causal links between the two remain to be established. PMID:26863525

A GIS framework for the assessment of tick impact on human health in a changing climate.

Science.gov (United States)

Estrada-Peña, Agustin; Venzal, José M

2007-05-01

A framework to evaluate the impact of ticks on human health under various scenarios of climate change is proposed. The purpose is not to provide a comprehensive plan (e.g. the economic impact of ticks on human society is not included), instead we wish to describe a series of indices that would be helpful by obtaining homogeneous comparisons of impact and vulnerability exerted by ticks in different regions, countries or continents, using normalized sets of population, vegetation, climate and physical attributes of the territory. Three tick species, i.e. Dermacentor marginatus, Rhipicephalus turanicus and Hyalomma marginatum, have been traced over the territory of Spain to further explain the computation of these indices. The discussion is based on tick habitat suitability, used as a measure of the abiotic (climate) fitness of the habitat for the species in question, and the sensitivity of each tick species to the rate of change of habitat suitability with respect to climate change. The impact is the rate of change in habitat suitability weighted with a fuzzy logic function evaluating the total number of people in an area, percent of rural population and accessibility of the geographical divisions (expressed as hexagons with a 10 km radius) used in the study. The different climate scenarios evaluated in relation to ticks show that the north-western part of Spain would suffer the greatest impact in case the mean temperature would increase, while the Mediterranean region would suffer the highest impact if temperatures decreased. Vulnerability, based on the sanitary structure of the territory and on the impact on human activities due to the change in tick distribution and abundance, is proposed as a measure of adaptation of society to these climate scenarios. The cost is evaluated as a function of land use and tick habitat suitability in a buffer zone surrounding each geographic division. All indices proposed have been obtained by search of common and/or publicly

Human health impacts in the life cycle of future European electricity generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Treyer, Karin; Bauer, Christian; Simons, Andrew

2014-01-01

This paper presents Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) based quantification of the potential human health impacts (HHI) of base-load power generation technologies for the year 2030. Cumulative Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions per kWh electricity produced are shown in order to provide the basis for comparison with existing literature. Minimising negative impacts on human health is one of the key elements of policy making towards sustainable development: besides their direct impacts on quality of life, HHI also trigger other impacts, e.g. external costs in the health care system. These HHI are measured using the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methods “ReCiPe” with its three different perspectives and “IMPACT2002+”. Total HHI as well as the shares of the contributing damage categories vary largely between these perspectives and methods. Impacts due to climate change, human toxicity, and particulate matter formation are the main contributors to total HHI. Independently of the perspective chosen, the overall impacts on human health from nuclear power and renewables are substantially lower than those caused by coal power, while natural gas can have lower HHI than nuclear and some renewables. Fossil fuel combustion as well as coal, uranium and metal mining are the life cycle stages generating the highest HHI. - Highlights: • Life cycle human health impacts (HHI) due to electricity production are analysed. • Results are shown for the three ReCiPe perspectives and IMPACT2002+LCIA method. • Total HHI of nuclear and renewables are much below those of fossil technologies. • Climate change and human toxicity contribute most to total HHI. • Fossil fuel combustion and coal mining are the most polluting life cycle stages

A conceptual framework for predicting temperate ecosystem sensitivity to human impacts on fire regimes

Science.gov (United States)

D. B. McWethy; P. E. Higuera; C. Whitlock; T. T. Veblen; D. M. J. S. Bowman; G. J. Cary; S. G. Haberle; R. E. Keane; B. D. Maxwell; M. S. McGlone; G. L. W. Perry; J. M. Wilmshurst

2013-01-01

The increased incidence of large fires around much of the world in recent decades raises questions about human and non-human drivers of fire and the likelihood of increased fire activity in the future. The purpose of this paper is to outline a conceptual framework for examining where human-set fires and feedbacks are likely to be most pronounced in temperate forests...

Economic impact analysis for global warming: Sensitivity analysis for cost and benefit estimates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ierland, E.C. van; Derksen, L.

1994-01-01

Proper policies for the prevention or mitigation of the effects of global warming require profound analysis of the costs and benefits of alternative policy strategies. Given the uncertainty about the scientific aspects of the process of global warming, in this paper a sensitivity analysis for the impact of various estimates of costs and benefits of greenhouse gas reduction strategies is carried out to analyze the potential social and economic impacts of climate change

Methylation-Sensitive Amplification Length Polymorphism (MS-AFLP) Microarrays for Epigenetic Analysis of Human Genomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Alonso, Sergio; Suzuki, Koichi; Yamamoto, Fumiichiro; Perucho, Manuel

2018-01-01

Somatic, and in a minor scale also germ line, epigenetic aberrations are fundamental to carcinogenesis, cancer progression, and tumor phenotype. DNA methylation is the most extensively studied and arguably the best understood epigenetic mechanisms that become altered in cancer. Both somatic loss of methylation (hypomethylation) and gain of methylation (hypermethylation) are found in the genome of malignant cells. In general, the cancer cell epigenome is globally hypomethylated, while some regions-typically gene-associated CpG islands-become hypermethylated. Given the profound impact that DNA methylation exerts on the transcriptional profile and genomic stability of cancer cells, its characterization is essential to fully understand the complexity of cancer biology, improve tumor classification, and ultimately advance cancer patient management and treatment. A plethora of methods have been devised to analyze and quantify DNA methylation alterations. Several of the early-developed methods relied on the use of methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes, whose activity depends on the methylation status of their recognition sequences. Among these techniques, methylation-sensitive amplification length polymorphism (MS-AFLP) was developed in the early 2000s, and successfully adapted from its original gel electrophoresis fingerprinting format to a microarray format that notably increased its throughput and allowed the quantification of the methylation changes. This array-based platform interrogates over 9500 independent loci putatively amplified by the MS-AFLP technique, corresponding to the NotI sites mapped throughout the human genome.

Guiding principles for evaluating the impacts of conservation interventions on human well-being.

Science.gov (United States)

Woodhouse, Emily; Homewood, Katherine M; Beauchamp, Emilie; Clements, Tom; McCabe, J Terrence; Wilkie, David; Milner-Gulland, E J

2015-11-05

Measures of socio-economic impacts of conservation interventions have largely been restricted to externally defined indicators focused on income, which do not reflect people's priorities. Using a holistic, locally grounded conceptualization of human well-being instead provides a way to understand the multi-faceted impacts of conservation on aspects of people's lives that they value. Conservationists are engaging with well-being for both pragmatic and ethical reasons, yet current guidance on how to operationalize the concept is limited. We present nine guiding principles based around a well-being framework incorporating material, relational and subjective components, and focused on gaining knowledge needed for decision-making. The principles relate to four key components of an impact evaluation: (i) defining well-being indicators, giving primacy to the perceptions of those most impacted by interventions through qualitative research, and considering subjective well-being, which can affect engagement with conservation; (ii) attributing impacts to interventions through quasi-experimental designs, or alternative methods such as theory-based, case study and participatory approaches, depending on the setting and evidence required; (iii) understanding the processes of change including evidence of causal linkages, and consideration of trajectories of change and institutional processes; and (iv) data collection with methods selected and applied with sensitivity to research context, consideration of heterogeneity of impacts along relevant societal divisions, and conducted by evaluators with local expertise and independence from the intervention. © 2015 The Authors.

Climate change in the oceans: Human impacts and responses.

Science.gov (United States)

Allison, Edward H; Bassett, Hannah R

2015-11-13

Although it has far-reaching consequences for humanity, attention to climate change impacts on the ocean lags behind concern for impacts on the atmosphere and land. Understanding these impacts, as well as society's diverse perspectives and multiscale responses to the changing oceans, requires a correspondingly diverse body of scholarship in the physical, biological, and social sciences and humanities. This can ensure that a plurality of values and viewpoints is reflected in the research that informs climate policy and may enable the concerns of maritime societies and economic sectors to be heard in key adaptation and mitigation discussions. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Mapping Cumulative Impacts of Human Activities on Marine Ecosystems

OpenAIRE

, Seaplan

2018-01-01

Given the diversity of human uses and natural resources that converge in coastal waters, the potential independent and cumulative impacts of those uses on marine ecosystems are important to consider during ocean planning. This study was designed to support the development and implementation of the 2009 Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan. Its goal was to estimate and visualize the cumulative impacts of human activities on coastal and marine ecosystems in the state and federal waters off of Ma...

Differential sensitivity of Chironomus and human hemoglobin to gamma radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gaikwad, Pallavi S. [Stress Biology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Savitribai Phule University, Pune, 411007 (India); Molecular Biology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, 400085 (India); Panicker, Lata [Solid State Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, 400085 (India); Mohole, Madhura; Sawant, Sangeeta [Bioinformatics Center, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411007 (India); Mukhopadhyaya, Rita [Molecular Biology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, 400085 (India); Nath, Bimalendu B., E-mail: bbnath@gmail.com [Stress Biology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Savitribai Phule University, Pune, 411007 (India)

2016-08-05

Chironomus ramosus is known to tolerate high doses of gamma radiation exposure. Larvae of this insect possess more than 95% of hemoglobin (Hb) in its circulatory hemolymph. This is a comparative study to see effect of gamma radiation on Hb of Chironomus and humans, two evolutionarily diverse organisms one having extracellular and the other intracellular Hb respectively. Stability and integrity of Chironomus and human Hb to gamma radiation was compared using biophysical techniques like Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), UV-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectrometry and CD spectroscopy after exposure of whole larvae, larval hemolymph, human peripheral blood, purified Chironomus and human Hb. Sequence- and structure-based bioinformatics methods were used to analyze the sequence and structural similarities or differences in the heme pockets of respective Hbs. Resistivity of Chironomus Hb to gamma radiation is remarkably higher than human Hb. Human Hb exhibited loss of heme iron at a relatively low dose of gamma radiation exposure as compared to Chironomus Hb. Unlike human Hb, the heme pocket of Chironomus Hb is rich in aromatic amino acids. Higher hydophobicity around heme pocket confers stability of Chironomus Hb compared to human Hb. Previously reported gamma radiation tolerance of Chironomus can be largely attributed to its evolutionarily ancient form of extracellular Hb as evident from the present study. -- Highlights: •Comparison of radiation tolerant Chironomus Hb and radiation sensitive Human Hb. •Amino acid composition of midge and human heme confer differential hydrophobicity. •Heme pocket of evolutionarily ancient midge Hb provide gamma radiation resistivity.

Differential sensitivity of Chironomus and human hemoglobin to gamma radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaikwad, Pallavi S.; Panicker, Lata; Mohole, Madhura; Sawant, Sangeeta; Mukhopadhyaya, Rita; Nath, Bimalendu B.

2016-01-01

Chironomus ramosus is known to tolerate high doses of gamma radiation exposure. Larvae of this insect possess more than 95% of hemoglobin (Hb) in its circulatory hemolymph. This is a comparative study to see effect of gamma radiation on Hb of Chironomus and humans, two evolutionarily diverse organisms one having extracellular and the other intracellular Hb respectively. Stability and integrity of Chironomus and human Hb to gamma radiation was compared using biophysical techniques like Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), UV-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectrometry and CD spectroscopy after exposure of whole larvae, larval hemolymph, human peripheral blood, purified Chironomus and human Hb. Sequence- and structure-based bioinformatics methods were used to analyze the sequence and structural similarities or differences in the heme pockets of respective Hbs. Resistivity of Chironomus Hb to gamma radiation is remarkably higher than human Hb. Human Hb exhibited loss of heme iron at a relatively low dose of gamma radiation exposure as compared to Chironomus Hb. Unlike human Hb, the heme pocket of Chironomus Hb is rich in aromatic amino acids. Higher hydophobicity around heme pocket confers stability of Chironomus Hb compared to human Hb. Previously reported gamma radiation tolerance of Chironomus can be largely attributed to its evolutionarily ancient form of extracellular Hb as evident from the present study. -- Highlights: •Comparison of radiation tolerant Chironomus Hb and radiation sensitive Human Hb. •Amino acid composition of midge and human heme confer differential hydrophobicity. •Heme pocket of evolutionarily ancient midge Hb provide gamma radiation resistivity.

MicroRNA-203 Modulates the Radiation Sensitivity of Human Malignant Glioma Cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Ji Hyun; Hwang, Yeo Hyun; Lee, David J.; Kim, Dan Hyo; Park, Ji Min; Wu, Hong-Gyun; Kim, In Ah

2016-01-01

Purpose: We investigated whether miR-203 could modulate the radiation sensitivity of glioblastoma (GBM) cells and which target gene(s) could be involved. Methods and Materials: Three human malignant glioma (MG) cell lines and normal human astrocytes were transfected with control microRNA, pre-miR-203, or antisense miR-203. Real-time PCR (RT-PCR), clonogenic assays, immunofluorescence, and invasion/migration assays were performed. To predict the target(s), bioinformatics analyses using microRNA target databases were performed. Results: Overexpression of miR-203 increased the radiation sensitivity of all 3 human MG cell lines and prolonged radiation-induced γ-H2AX foci formation. Bioinformatics analyses suggested that miR-203 could be involved in post-transcriptional control of DNA repair, PI3K/AKT, SRC, and JAK/STAT3 and the vascular signaling pathway. Western blot analysis validated the fact that miR-203 downregulated ATM, RAD51, SRC, PLD2, PI3K-AKT, JAK-STAT3, VEGF, HIF-1α, and MMP2. Overexpression of miR-203 inhibited invasion and migration potentials, downregulated SLUG and Vimentin, and upregulated Claudin-1 and ZO1. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that miR-203 potentially controls DNA damage repair via the PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT3 pathways and may collectively contribute to the modulation of radiation sensitivity in MG cells by inhibiting DNA damage repair, prosurvival signaling, and epithelium-mesenchyme transition. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that miR-203 could be a target for overcoming the radiation resistance of GBM.

MicroRNA-203 Modulates the Radiation Sensitivity of Human Malignant Glioma Cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Ji Hyun [Department of Radiation Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, Yeo Hyun; Lee, David J.; Kim, Dan Hyo; Park, Ji Min [Medical Science Research Institute, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Kyeonggido (Korea, Republic of); Wu, Hong-Gyun [Department of Radiation Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, In Ah, E-mail: inah228@snu.ac.kr [Department of Radiation Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Medical Science Research Institute, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Kyeonggido (Korea, Republic of); Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2016-02-01

Purpose: We investigated whether miR-203 could modulate the radiation sensitivity of glioblastoma (GBM) cells and which target gene(s) could be involved. Methods and Materials: Three human malignant glioma (MG) cell lines and normal human astrocytes were transfected with control microRNA, pre-miR-203, or antisense miR-203. Real-time PCR (RT-PCR), clonogenic assays, immunofluorescence, and invasion/migration assays were performed. To predict the target(s), bioinformatics analyses using microRNA target databases were performed. Results: Overexpression of miR-203 increased the radiation sensitivity of all 3 human MG cell lines and prolonged radiation-induced γ-H2AX foci formation. Bioinformatics analyses suggested that miR-203 could be involved in post-transcriptional control of DNA repair, PI3K/AKT, SRC, and JAK/STAT3 and the vascular signaling pathway. Western blot analysis validated the fact that miR-203 downregulated ATM, RAD51, SRC, PLD2, PI3K-AKT, JAK-STAT3, VEGF, HIF-1α, and MMP2. Overexpression of miR-203 inhibited invasion and migration potentials, downregulated SLUG and Vimentin, and upregulated Claudin-1 and ZO1. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that miR-203 potentially controls DNA damage repair via the PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT3 pathways and may collectively contribute to the modulation of radiation sensitivity in MG cells by inhibiting DNA damage repair, prosurvival signaling, and epithelium-mesenchyme transition. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that miR-203 could be a target for overcoming the radiation resistance of GBM.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha selectively sensitizes human immunodeficiency virus-infected cells to heat and radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, G.H.; McHugh, T.; Weber, R.; Goeddel, D.V.

1991-01-01

We report here that infection of the human T-cell line HUT-78 with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) increases its sensitivity to heat and radiation toxicity. A possible explanation for this result may be the reduced expression of manganous superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) in HIV-infected cells compared to uninfected cells. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) further sensitizes HIV-infected cells but not uninfected cells to heat and radiation. This is consistent with the ability of TNF-alpha to induce the expression of MnSOD in uninfected but not in HIV-infected cells. HIV-infected HUT-78 cell lines engineered to overexpress MnSOD are more resistant to heat and radiation than HIV-infected cells that do not overexpress MnSOD. However, treatment with TNF-alpha still sensitizes these cells to heat and radiation

Hydrogen-bond network and pH sensitivity in human transthyretin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yokoyama, Takeshi, E-mail: tyokoya3@pha.u-toyama.ac.jp; Mizuguchi, Mineyuki; Nabeshima, Yuko [University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0914 (Japan); Kusaka, Katsuhiro; Yamada, Taro [Ibaraki University, 162-1 Shirakata, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1106 (Japan); Hosoya, Takaaki [Ibaraki University, 162-1 Shirakata, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1106 (Japan); Ibaraki University, 4-12-1 Naka-Narusawa, Hitachi, Ibaraki 316-8511 (Japan); Ohhara, Takashi [Comprehensive Research Organization for Science and Society, 162-1 Shirakata, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1106 (Japan); Kurihara, Kazuo [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-4 Shirakata, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Tanaka, Ichiro [Ibaraki University, 162-1 Shirakata, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1106 (Japan); Ibaraki University, 4-12-1 Naka-Narusawa, Hitachi, Ibaraki 316-8511 (Japan); Niimura, Nobuo [Ibaraki University, 162-1 Shirakata, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1106 (Japan)

2013-11-01

The neutron crystal structure of human transthyretin is presented. Transthyretin (TTR) is a tetrameric protein. TTR misfolding and aggregation are associated with human amyloid diseases. Dissociation of the TTR tetramer is believed to be the rate-limiting step in the amyloid fibril formation cascade. Low pH is known to promote dissociation into monomer and the formation of amyloid fibrils. In order to reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying pH sensitivity and structural stabilities of TTR, neutron diffraction studies were conducted using the IBARAKI Biological Crystal Diffractometer with the time-of-flight method. Crystals for the neutron diffraction experiments were grown up to 2.5 mm{sup 3} for four months. The neutron crystal structure solved at 2.0 Å revealed the protonation states of His88 and the detailed hydrogen-bond network depending on the protonation states of His88. This hydrogen-bond network is involved in monomer–monomer and dimer–dimer interactions, suggesting that the double protonation of His88 by acidification breaks the hydrogen-bond network and causes the destabilization of the TTR tetramer. Structural comparison with the X-ray crystal structure at acidic pH identified the three amino acid residues responsible for the pH sensitivity of TTR. Our neutron model provides insights into the molecular stability related to amyloidosis.

Life cycle human health impacts of 875 pesticides

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fantke, Peter; Jolliet, Oliver

2016-01-01

present a consistent framework for characterizing human toxicological impacts associated with pesticides applied to agricultural crops in the frame of life cycle impact assessment based on state-of-the-art data and methods. Methods We combine a dynamic multicrop plant uptake model designed for evaluating......-crop combinations of 10 orders of magnitude. Conclusions Our framework is operational for use in current life cycle impact assessment models, is made available for USEtox, and closes an important gap in the assessment of human exposure to pesticides. For ready use in life cycle assessment studies, we present...... pesticide-crop combination-specific characterization factors normalized to pesticide mass applied and provide default data for application times and loss due to post-harvest food processing. When using our data, we emphasize the need to consult current pesticide regulation, since each pesticide...

Human-mediated drivers of change — impacts on coastal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Human-mediated drivers of change — impacts on coastal ecosystems and marine ... of global change because they are located at the land–ocean interface and ... upwelling regimes are all being affected by human-mediated climate change.

Genetics of human sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Cleaver, James E.

1994-07-01

the major human health effects of solar and artificial UV light occur from the UVB and UVC wavelength ranges and involve a variety of short-term and long-term deleterious changes to the skin and eyes. the more important initial damage to cellular macromolecules involves dimerization of adjacent pyrimidines in DNA to produce cyclobutane pyrimidine dimes, (6-4) pyrimidine- pyrimidone, and (6-4) dewar photoproducts. these photoproducts can be repaired by a genetically regulated enzyme system (nucleotide excision repair) which removes oligonucleotides 29-30 nucleotides long that contain the photoproducts, and synthesizes replacement patches. At least a dozen gene products are involved in the process of recognizing photoproducts in DNA, altering local DNA helicity and cleaving the polynucleotide chain at defined positions either side of a photoproduct. Hereditary mutations in many of these genes are recognized in the human genetic disorders xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), Cockayne syndrome (CS), and trichothiodystrophy (TTD). Several of the gene products have other functions involving the regulation of gene transcription which accounts for the complex clinical presentation of repair deficient diseases that involve sensitivity of the skin and eyes to UV light, increased solar carcinogenesis (in XP), demyelination, and ganglial calcification (in CS), hair abnormalities (in TTD), and developmental and neurological abnormalities

Females are sensitive to unpleasant human emotions regardless of the emotional context of photographs.

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, Ryousuke; Takeda, Yuji

2017-06-09

Previous studies have demonstrated that females exhibit higher sensitivity than males to the emotional state of a person in a photograph. The present study examined whether such females' sensitivity to human emotions could be observed even when the background emotional contexts were incongruent with facial expressions. The late positive potential (LPP) was measured while 19-female and 15-male participants viewed a photograph of a face with varied emotional expressions (pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant) superimposed on a background photograph with varied valences (pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant). The results showed that unpleasant background photographs elicited a larger LPP compared to pleasant and neutral background photographs in both female and male participants. In contrast, a larger LPP for the unpleasant face photographs was observed only in female participants. Furthermore, the effect of face photographs did not interact with the effect of background photographs. These results suggest that females are sensitive to human emotions regardless of the emotional context. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Contrasting effects of ultraviolet-A and ultraviolet B exposure on induction of contact sensitivity in human skin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skov, Lone; Hansen, Henrik; Barker, J. N.

1997-01-01

Ultraviolet-B (UVB), in addition to direct effects on DNA, induces immunological changes in the skin that predispose to the development of skin cancer. Whether ultraviolet-A (UVA) induces similar changes is unknown. This effect can be investigated in humans in vivo using epicutaneous antigens...... as a model of tumour antigens. Volunteers (n = 46) were randomly assigned to received no sensitization, sensitization with the allergen diphenylcyclopropenone (DPCP) on non-UV-exposed normal skin, or sensitization with DPCP on skin exposed to three minimal erythema doses (MED) of either UVA or UVB radiation...... the immunization rate compared with sensitization on non-irradiated skin (P UVA radiation did not result in a decreased immunization rate compared with non-irradiated skin. These results indicate that in humans erythemagenic...

The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The focus of this paper is on the impact of HRM practices on private sector organisations performance in Nigeria. Guinness Nigeria Plc is a private sector driving entity. Its human resource practices can be crucial to its performance. The purpose of this study therefore was to assess whether Guinness‟s human resource ...

Explicitly Linking Human Impact to Ecological Function in Secondary School Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Wyner, Yael; Becker, Johnathan; Torff, Bruce

2014-01-01

Both the old National Science Education Standards (NSES) and the recent "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS) devote significant resources to learning about human environmental impact. Whereas the NSES advocate learning about human environmental impact in a section apart from the science- content learning strands, the NGSS embed…

Widespread molecular patterns associated with drug sensitivity in breast cancer cell lines, with implications for human tumors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chad J Creighton

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Recent landmark studies have profiled cancer cell lines for molecular features, along with measuring the corresponding growth inhibitory effects for specific drug compounds. These data present a tool for determining which subsets of human cancer might be more responsive to particular drugs. To this end, the NCI-DREAM-sponsored DREAM7: Drug Sensitivity Prediction Challenge (sub-challenge 1 set out to predict the sensitivities of 18 breast cancer cell lines to 31 previously untested compounds, on the basis of molecular profiling data and a training subset of cell lines. METHODS AND RESULTS: With 47 teams submitting blinded predictions, team Creighton scored third in terms of overall accuracy. Team Creighton's method was simple and straightforward, incorporated multiple expression data types (RNA-seq, gene array, RPPA, and incorporated all profiled features (not only the "best" predictive ones. As an extension of the approach, cell line data, from public datasets of expression profiling coupled with drug sensitivities (Barretina, Garnett, Heiser were used to "predict" the drug sensitivities in human breast tumors (using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Drug sensitivity correlations within human breast tumors showed differences by expression-based subtype, with many associations in line with the expected (e.g. Lapatinib sensitivity in HER2-enriched cancers and others inviting further study (e.g. relative resistance to PI3K inhibitors in basal-like cancers. CONCLUSIONS: Molecular patterns associated with drug sensitivity are widespread, with potentially hundreds of genes that could be incorporated into making predictions, as well as offering biological clues as to the mechanisms involved. Applying the cell line patterns to human tumor data may help generate hypotheses on what tumor subsets might be more responsive to therapies, where multiple cell line datasets representing various drugs may be used, in order to assess consistency of

Comparative sensitivity of human and rat neural cultures to chemical-induced inhibition of neurite outgrowth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harrill, Joshua A.; Freudenrich, Theresa M.; Robinette, Brian L.; Mundy, William R., E-mail: mundy.william@epa.gov

2011-11-15

There is a need for rapid, efficient and cost-effective alternatives to traditional in vivo developmental neurotoxicity testing. In vitro cell culture models can recapitulate many of the key cellular processes of nervous system development, including neurite outgrowth, and may be used as screening tools to identify potential developmental neurotoxicants. The present study compared primary rat cortical cultures and human embryonic stem cell-derived neural cultures in terms of: 1) reproducibility of high content image analysis based neurite outgrowth measurements, 2) dynamic range of neurite outgrowth measurements and 3) sensitivity to chemicals which have been shown to inhibit neurite outgrowth. There was a large increase in neurite outgrowth between 2 and 24 h in both rat and human cultures. Image analysis data collected across multiple cultures demonstrated that neurite outgrowth measurements in rat cortical cultures were more reproducible and had higher dynamic range as compared to human neural cultures. Human neural cultures were more sensitive than rat cortical cultures to chemicals previously shown to inhibit neurite outgrowth. Parallel analysis of morphological (neurite count, neurite length) and cytotoxicity (neurons per field) measurements were used to detect selective effects on neurite outgrowth. All chemicals which inhibited neurite outgrowth in rat cortical cultures did so at concentrations which did not concurrently affect the number of neurons per field, indicating selective effects on neurite outgrowth. In contrast, more than half the chemicals which inhibited neurite outgrowth in human neural cultures did so at concentrations which concurrently decreased the number of neurons per field, indicating that effects on neurite outgrowth were secondary to cytotoxicity. Overall, these data demonstrate that the culture models performed differently in terms of reproducibility, dynamic range and sensitivity to neurite outgrowth inhibitors. While human neural

Comparative sensitivity of human and rat neural cultures to chemical-induced inhibition of neurite outgrowth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harrill, Joshua A.; Freudenrich, Theresa M.; Robinette, Brian L.; Mundy, William R.

2011-01-01

There is a need for rapid, efficient and cost-effective alternatives to traditional in vivo developmental neurotoxicity testing. In vitro cell culture models can recapitulate many of the key cellular processes of nervous system development, including neurite outgrowth, and may be used as screening tools to identify potential developmental neurotoxicants. The present study compared primary rat cortical cultures and human embryonic stem cell-derived neural cultures in terms of: 1) reproducibility of high content image analysis based neurite outgrowth measurements, 2) dynamic range of neurite outgrowth measurements and 3) sensitivity to chemicals which have been shown to inhibit neurite outgrowth. There was a large increase in neurite outgrowth between 2 and 24 h in both rat and human cultures. Image analysis data collected across multiple cultures demonstrated that neurite outgrowth measurements in rat cortical cultures were more reproducible and had higher dynamic range as compared to human neural cultures. Human neural cultures were more sensitive than rat cortical cultures to chemicals previously shown to inhibit neurite outgrowth. Parallel analysis of morphological (neurite count, neurite length) and cytotoxicity (neurons per field) measurements were used to detect selective effects on neurite outgrowth. All chemicals which inhibited neurite outgrowth in rat cortical cultures did so at concentrations which did not concurrently affect the number of neurons per field, indicating selective effects on neurite outgrowth. In contrast, more than half the chemicals which inhibited neurite outgrowth in human neural cultures did so at concentrations which concurrently decreased the number of neurons per field, indicating that effects on neurite outgrowth were secondary to cytotoxicity. Overall, these data demonstrate that the culture models performed differently in terms of reproducibility, dynamic range and sensitivity to neurite outgrowth inhibitors. While human neural

Integrating human health into environmental impact assessment: case studies of Canada's Northern mining resource sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noble, B.F.; Bronson, J.E.

2005-01-01

This paper examines the integration of human health considerations into environmental impact assessment (EIA) in the Canadian North. Emphasis is placed on the northern mining sector, where more land has been staked in the past decade than in the previous 50 years combined. Using information from interviews with northern EIA and health practitioners and reviews of selected project documents, we examined three principal mining case studies, northern Saskatchewan uranium mining operations, the Ekati diamond project, and the Voisey's Bay mine/mill project, to determine whether and how health considerations in EIA have evolved and the current nature and scope of health integration. Results suggest that despite the recognized link between environment and health and the number of high-profile megaprojects in Canada's North, human health, particularly social health, has not been given adequate treatment in northern EIA. Health considerations in EIA have typically been limited to physical health impacts triggered directly by project-induced environmental change, while social and other health determinants have been either not considered at all, or limited to those aspects of health and well-being that the project proponent directly controlled, namely employment opportunities and worker health and safety. In recent years, we have been seeing improvements in the scope of health in EIA to reflect a broader range of health determinants, including traditional land use and culture. However, there is still a need to adopt impact mitigation and enhancement measures that are sensitive to northern society, to monitor and follow up actual health impacts after project approval, and to ensure that mitigation and enhancement measures are effective. (author)

Sensitivity of Asteroid Impact Risk to Uncertainty in Asteroid Properties and Entry Parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Wheeler, Lorien; Mathias, Donovan; Dotson, Jessie L.; NASA Asteroid Threat Assessment Project

2017-10-01

A central challenge in assessing the threat posed by asteroids striking Earth is the large amount of uncertainty inherent throughout all aspects of the problem. Many asteroid properties are not well characterized and can range widely from strong, dense, monolithic irons to loosely bound, highly porous rubble piles. Even for an object of known properties, the specific entry velocity, angle, and impact location can swing the potential consequence from no damage to causing millions of casualties. Due to the extreme rarity of large asteroid strikes, there are also large uncertainties in how different types of asteroids will interact with the atmosphere during entry, how readily they may break up or ablate, and how much surface damage will be caused by the resulting airbursts or impacts.In this work, we use our Probabilistic Asteroid Impact Risk (PAIR) model to investigate the sensitivity of asteroid impact damage to uncertainties in key asteroid properties, entry parameters, or modeling assumptions. The PAIR model combines physics-based analytic models of asteroid entry and damage in a probabilistic Monte Carlo framework to assess the risk posed by a wide range of potential impacts. The model samples from uncertainty distributions of asteroid properties and entry parameters to generate millions of specific impact cases, and models the atmospheric entry and damage for each case, including blast overpressure, thermal radiation, tsunami inundation, and global effects. To assess the risk sensitivity, we alternately fix and vary the different input parameters and compare the effect on the resulting range of damage produced. The goal of these studies is to help guide future efforts in asteroid characterization and model refinement by determining which properties most significantly affect the potential risk.

Evaluation of human skin tests for potential dermal irritant and contact sensitizing products: a position paper

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Loveren H van; Jong WH de; Garssen J; LPI

1998-01-01

Prediction of human cutaneous irritation and sensitization in view of hazard identification has primarily relied on the use of laboratory animals. Such studies in laboratory animals have been very instrumental in the detection of potential contact sensitizing agents. There are however many

Human sensitivity to eye contact in 2D and 3D videoconferencing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eijk, van R.L.J.; Kuijsters, A.; Dijkstra, K.I.; IJsselsteijn, W.A.

2010-01-01

Gaze awareness and eye contact serve important functions in social interaction. In order to maintain those functions in 2D and 3D videoconferencing systems, human sensitivity to eye contact and gaze direction needs to be taken into account in the design of such systems. Here we experimentally

Indirect human impacts reverse centuries of carbon sequestration and salt marsh accretion.

Science.gov (United States)

Coverdale, Tyler C; Brisson, Caitlin P; Young, Eric W; Yin, Stephanie F; Donnelly, Jeffrey P; Bertness, Mark D

2014-01-01

Direct and indirect human impacts on coastal ecosystems have increased over the last several centuries, leading to unprecedented degradation of coastal habitats and loss of ecological services. Here we document a two-century temporal disparity between salt marsh accretion and subsequent loss to indirect human impacts. Field surveys, manipulative experiments and GIS analyses reveal that crab burrowing weakens the marsh peat base and facilitates further burrowing, leading to bank calving, disruption of marsh accretion, and a loss of over two centuries of sequestered carbon from the marsh edge in only three decades. Analogous temporal disparities exist in other systems and are a largely unrecognized obstacle in attaining sustainable ecosystem services in an increasingly human impacted world. In light of the growing threat of indirect impacts worldwide and despite uncertainties in the fate of lost carbon, we suggest that estimates of carbon emissions based only on direct human impacts may significantly underestimate total anthropogenic carbon emissions.

Self-reflection on personal values to support value-sensitive design

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pommeranz, A.; Detweiler, C.A.; Wiggers, P.; Jonker, C.M.

2011-01-01

The impact of ubiquitous technology and social media on our lives is rapidly increasing. We explicitly need to consider personal values affected or violated by these systems. Value-sensitive design can guide a designer in building systems that account for human values. However, the framework lacks

Classifying multi-model wheat yield impact response surfaces showing sensitivity to temperature and precipitation change

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Fronzek, S.; Pirttioja, N. K.; Carter, T. R.; Bindi, M.; Hoffmann, H.; Palosuo, T.; Ruiz-Ramos, M.; Tao, F.; Trnka, Miroslav; Acutis, M.; Asseng, S.; Baranowski, P.; Basso, B.; Bodin, P.; Buis, S.; Cammarano, D.; Deligios, P.; Destain, M. F.; Dumont, B.; Ewert, F.; Ferrise, R.; Francois, L.; Gaiser, T.; Hlavinka, Petr; Jacquemin, I.; Kersebaum, K. C.; Kollas, C.; Krzyszczak, J.; Lorite, I. J.; Minet, J.; Ines Minguez, M.; Montesino, M.; Moriondo, M.; Mueller, C.; Nendel, C.; Öztürk, I.; Perego, A.; Rodriguez, A.; Ruane, A. C.; Ruget, F.; Sanna, M.; Semenov, M. A.; Slawinski, C.; Stratonovitch, P.; Supit, I.; Waha, K.; Wang, E.; Wu, L.; Zhao, Z.; Rötter, R.

2018-01-01

Roč. 159, jan (2018), s. 209-224 ISSN 0308-521X Institutional support: RVO:86652079 Keywords : climate - change * crop models * probabilistic assessment * simulating impacts * british catchments * uncertainty * europe * productivity * calibration * adaptation * Classification * Climate change * Crop model * Ensemble * Sensitivity analysis * Wheat Subject RIV: GC - Agronomy OBOR OECD: Agronomy, plant breeding and plant protection Impact factor: 2.571, year: 2016

Evidence for the speed-value trade-off: human and monkey decision making is magnitude sensitive.

Science.gov (United States)

Pirrone, Angelo; Azab, Habiba; Hayden, Benjamin Y; Stafford, Tom; Marshall, James A R

2018-04-01

Complex natural systems from brains to bee swarms have evolved to make adaptive multifactorial decisions. Recent theoretical and empirical work suggests that many evolved systems may take advantage of common motifs across multiple domains. We are particularly interested in value sensitivity (i.e., sensitivity to the magnitude or intensity of the stimuli or reward under consideration) as a mechanism to resolve deadlocks adaptively. This mechanism favours long-term reward maximization over accuracy in a simple manner, because it avoids costly delays associated with ambivalence between similar options; speed-value trade-offs have been proposed to be evolutionarily advantageous for many kinds of decision. A key prediction of the value-sensitivity hypothesis is that choices between equally-valued options will proceed faster when the options have a high value than when they have a low value. However, value-sensitivity is not part of idealised choice models such as diffusion to bound. Here we examine two different choice behaviours in two different species, perceptual decisions in humans and economic choices in rhesus monkeys, to test this hypothesis. We observe the same value sensitivity in both human perceptual decisions and monkey value-based decisions. These results endorse the idea that neural decision systems make use of the same basic principle of value-sensitivity in order to resolve costly deadlocks and thus improve long-term reward intake.

Disgust sensitivity and the 'non-rational' aspects of a career choice in surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Consedine, Nathan S; Yu, Tzu-Chieh; Hill, Andrew G; Windsor, John A

2013-03-15

Fitting trainee physicians to career paths remains an ongoing challenge in a highly fluid health workforce environment. Studies attempting to explain low interest in surgical careers have typically examined the relative impact of career and lifestyle values. The current work argues that emotional proclivities are potentially more important and that disgust sensitivity may help explain both low surgical interest as well as the tendency for female students to avoid surgical careers. 216 medical students attending a required course in human behaviour completed measures of career intention, traditional predictors of career intention and dispositional disgust sensitivity. As predicted, logistic regression showed that greater disgust sensitivity predicted lower surgical career intention even when controlling for traditional career values (OR=0.45, 95%CI=0.21-0.95). Additionally, the gender effect indexing low female interest in surgical careers was no longer significant once disgust sensitivity was added to the model. The impact of disgust sensitivity on surgical interest was substantial and on par with established predictors of career intention. Disgust sensitivity may represent a potentially modifiable factor impacting surgical career choice, particularly among female students who are typically more disgust sensitive.

Radiological impacts from nuclear facilities on non-human species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-07-01

This monograph is the Proceedings of a Symposium on Radiological Impacts from Nuclear Facilities on Non-Human Species, held in Ottawa, Canada, December 1 and 2, 1996. The Symposium was held in response to the assessment of radiological impacts from nuclear facilities on non-human biota by Environment Canada and the move by Atomic Energy Control Board to include the radiological impacts in its regulatory regime. The two major goals of the Symposium were to critically evaluate the ecological risk assessment as applied to radionuclides and contribute to the wide consultation sought by the Atomic Energy Control Board on their new environmental initiatives. The series of papers presented at the Symposium discuss issues relevant to the two major objectives of the Symposium

WIPP performance assessment: impacts of human intrusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, D.R.; Hunter, R.L.; Bertram-Howery, S.G.; Lappin, A.R.

1989-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeastern New Mexico is a research and development facility that may become the USA's first and only mined geologic repository for transuranic waste. Human intrusion into the WIPP repository after closure has been shown by preliminary sensitivity analyses and calculations of consequences to be an important, and perhaps the most important, factor in long-term repository performance

Hospital Standardized Mortality Ratios: Sensitivity Analyses on the Impact of Coding

Science.gov (United States)

Bottle, Alex; Jarman, Brian; Aylin, Paul

2011-01-01

Introduction Hospital standardized mortality ratios (HSMRs) are derived from administrative databases and cover 80 percent of in-hospital deaths with adjustment for available case mix variables. They have been criticized for being sensitive to issues such as clinical coding but on the basis of limited quantitative evidence. Methods In a set of sensitivity analyses, we compared regular HSMRs with HSMRs resulting from a variety of changes, such as a patient-based measure, not adjusting for comorbidity, not adjusting for palliative care, excluding unplanned zero-day stays ending in live discharge, and using more or fewer diagnoses. Results Overall, regular and variant HSMRs were highly correlated (ρ > 0.8), but differences of up to 10 points were common. Two hospitals were particularly affected when palliative care was excluded from the risk models. Excluding unplanned stays ending in same-day live discharge had the least impact despite their high frequency. The largest impacts were seen when capturing postdischarge deaths and using just five high-mortality diagnosis groups. Conclusions HSMRs in most hospitals changed by only small amounts from the various adjustment methods tried here, though small-to-medium changes were not uncommon. However, the position relative to funnel plot control limits could move in a significant minority even with modest changes in the HSMR. PMID:21790587

Methodologies for assessing socio-economic impacts of climate change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smit, B.

1993-01-01

Much of the studies on climate change impacts have focused on physical and biological impacts, yet a knowledge of the social and economic impacts of climate change is likely to have a greater impact on the public and on policymakers. A conventional assessment of the impacts of climate change begins with scenarios of future climate, commonly derived from global climate models translated to a regional scale. Estimates of biophysical conditions provided by such scenarios provide a basis for analyses of human impacts, usually considered sector by sector. The scenario approach, although having considerable merit and appeal, has some noteworthy limitations. It encourages consideration of only a small set of scenarios, requires bold assumptions to be made about adjustments in human systems, provides little direct analysis of sensitivities of human social and economic systems to climate perturbations, and usually invokes the assumption that all factors other than climate are stable and have no synergistic effects on human systems. Conventional studies concentrate on average climate, yet climate is inherently variable. A common response to this situation is to propose further development of climate models, but this is not a sufficient or necessary condition for good and useful assessments of impacts on human activities. Different approaches to socioeconomic impact analysis are needed, and approaches should be considered that include identification of sensitivities in a social or ecological system, identification of critical threshold levels or critical speeds of change in variables, and exploration of alternative methodologies such as process studies, spatial and temporal analogues, and socio-economic systems modelling. 5 refs., 3 figs

Hydrological impacts of global land cover change and human water use

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. H. C. Bosmans

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Human impacts on global terrestrial hydrology have been accelerating during the 20th century. These human impacts include the effects of reservoir building and human water use, as well as land cover change. To date, many global studies have focussed on human water use, but only a few focus on or include the impact of land cover change. Here we use PCR-GLOBWB, a combined global hydrological and water resources model, to assess the impacts of land cover change as well as human water use globally in different climatic zones. Our results show that land cover change has a strong effect on the global hydrological cycle, on the same order of magnitude as the effect of human water use (applying irrigation, abstracting water, for industrial use for example, including reservoirs, etc.. When globally averaged, changing the land cover from that of 1850 to that of 2000 increases discharge through reduced evapotranspiration. The effect of land cover change shows large spatial variability in magnitude and sign of change depending on, for example, the specific land cover change and climate zone. Overall, land cover effects on evapotranspiration are largest for the transition of tall natural vegetation to crops in energy-limited equatorial and warm temperate regions. In contrast, the inclusion of irrigation, water abstraction and reservoirs reduces global discharge through enhanced evaporation over irrigated areas and reservoirs as well as through water consumption. Hence, in some areas land cover change and water distribution both reduce discharge, while in other areas the effects may partly cancel out. The relative importance of both types of impacts varies spatially across climatic zones. From this study we conclude that land cover change needs to be considered when studying anthropogenic impacts on water resources.

Remotely-Sensed Urban Wet-Landscapes AN Indicator of Coupled Effects of Human Impact and Climate Change

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Wei

2016-06-01

This study proposes the concept of urban wet-landscapes (loosely-defined wetlands) as against dry-landscapes (mainly impervious surfaces). The study is to examine whether the dynamics of urban wet-landscapes is a sensitive indicator of the coupled effects of the two major driving forces of urban landscape change - human built-up impact and climate (precipitation) variation. Using a series of satellite images, the study was conducted in the Kansas City metropolitan area of the United States. A rule-based classification algorithm was developed to identify fine-scale, hidden wetlands that could not be appropriately detected based on their spectral differentiability by a traditional image classification. The spatial analyses of wetland changes were implemented at the scales of metropolitan, watershed, and sub-watershed as well as based on the size of surface water bodies in order to reveal urban wetland change trends in relation to the driving forces. The study identified that wet-landscape dynamics varied in trend and magnitude from the metropolitan, watersheds, to sub-watersheds. The study also found that increased precipitation in the region in the past decades swelled larger wetlands in particular while smaller wetlands decreased mainly due to human development activities. These findings suggest that wet-landscapes, as against the dry-landscapes, can be a more effective indicator of the coupled effects of human impact and climate change.

REMOTELY-SENSED URBAN WET-LANDSCAPES: AN INDICATOR OF COUPLED EFFECTS OF HUMAN IMPACT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Ji

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This study proposes the concept of urban wet-landscapes (loosely-defined wetlands as against dry-landscapes (mainly impervious surfaces. The study is to examine whether the dynamics of urban wet-landscapes is a sensitive indicator of the coupled effects of the two major driving forces of urban landscape change – human built-up impact and climate (precipitation variation. Using a series of satellite images, the study was conducted in the Kansas City metropolitan area of the United States. A rule-based classification algorithm was developed to identify fine-scale, hidden wetlands that could not be appropriately detected based on their spectral differentiability by a traditional image classification. The spatial analyses of wetland changes were implemented at the scales of metropolitan, watershed, and sub-watershed as well as based on the size of surface water bodies in order to reveal urban wetland change trends in relation to the driving forces. The study identified that wet-landscape dynamics varied in trend and magnitude from the metropolitan, watersheds, to sub-watersheds. The study also found that increased precipitation in the region in the past decades swelled larger wetlands in particular while smaller wetlands decreased mainly due to human development activities. These findings suggest that wet-landscapes, as against the dry-landscapes, can be a more effective indicator of the coupled effects of human impact and climate change.

Maternal sensitivity and mental health: does an early childhood intervention programme have an impact?

Science.gov (United States)

Brahm, Paulina; Cortázar, Alejandra; Fillol, María Paz; Mingo, María Verónica; Vielma, Constanza; Aránguiz, María Consuelo

2016-06-01

Maternal sensitivity (MS) and mental health influence mother-child attachment and the child's mental health. Early interventions may promote resilience and facilitate healthy development of the children through an impact on mothers' outcomes such as their sensitivity and mental health. Play with Our Children (POC) is an early intervention programme aiming to promote a positive mother-child interaction for children who attend three family health centres of deprived areas of Santiago de Chile. To estimate the effect of the programme POC on MS and mental health. A quasi-experimental design with propensity score matching estimations was employed. MS was measured with the Q-Sort of Maternal Sensitivity, and maternal mental health was assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire and the Parenting Stress Index. Mean-difference comparison and difference-in-difference method were used as statistical strategies. The sample included 102 children from 2 to 23 months of age, 54 of them participated in the intervention and 48 children were the comparison group. Estimates showed that participation in POC was positively associated with less stress in mothers of children younger than 12 months (P early intervention POC may influence mother's mental health and indirectly impact children's well-being during critical stages of their development by strengthening their mother's sensitivity towards them. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Sensitivity of C6 Glioma Cells Carrying the Human Poliovirus Receptor to Oncolytic Polioviruses.

Science.gov (United States)

Sosnovtseva, A O; Lipatova, A V; Grinenko, N F; Baklaushev, V P; Chumakov, P M; Chekhonin, V P

2016-10-01

A humanized line of rat C6 glioma cells expressing human poliovirus receptor was obtained and tested for the sensitivity to oncolytic effects of vaccine strains of type 1, 2, and 3 polioviruses. Presentation of the poliovirus receptor on the surface of C6 glioma cells was shown to be a necessary condition for the interaction of cells with polioviruses, but insufficient for complete poliovirus oncolysis.

In vivo imaging of human oral hard and soft tissues by polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Walther, Julia; Golde, Jonas; Kirsten, Lars; Tetschke, Florian; Hempel, Franz; Rosenauer, Tobias; Hannig, Christian; Koch, Edmund

2017-12-01

Since optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides three-dimensional high-resolution images of biological tissue, the benefit of polarization contrast in the field of dentistry is highlighted in this study. Polarization-sensitive OCT (PS OCT) with phase-sensitive recording is used for imaging dental and mucosal tissues in the human oral cavity in vivo. An enhanced polarization contrast of oral structures is reached by analyzing the signals of the co- and crosspolarized channels of the swept source PS OCT system quantitatively with respect to reflectivity, retardation, optic axis orientation, and depolarization. The calculation of these polarization parameters enables a high tissue-specific contrast imaging for the detailed physical interpretation of human oral hard and soft tissues. For the proof-of-principle, imaging of composite restorations and mineralization defects at premolars as well as gingival, lingual, and labial oral mucosa was performed in vivo within the anterior oral cavity. The achieved contrast-enhanced results of the investigated human oral tissues by means of polarization-sensitive imaging are evaluated by the comparison with conventional intensity-based OCT.

Inhibition of c-Kit signaling is associated with reduced heat and cold pain sensitivity in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Ceko, Marta; Milenkovic, Nevena; le Coutre, Philipp; Westermann, Jörg; Lewin, Gary R

2014-07-01

The tyrosine kinase receptor c-Kit is critically involved in the modulation of nociceptive sensitivity in mice. Ablation of the c-Kit gene results in hyposensitivity to thermal pain, whereas activation of c-Kit produces hypersensitivity to noxious heat, without altering sensitivity to innocuous mechanical stimuli. In this study, we investigated the role of c-Kit signaling in human pain perception. We hypothesized that subjects treated with Imatinib or Nilotinib, potent inhibitors of tyrosine kinases including c-Kit but also Abl1, PDFGFRα, and PDFGFRβ, that are used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), would experience changes in thermal pain sensitivity. We examined 31 asymptomatic CML patients (14 male and 17 female) receiving Imatinib/Nilotinib treatment and compared them to 39 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (12 male and 27 female). We used cutaneous heat and cold stimulation to test normal and noxious thermal sensitivity, and a grating orientation task to assess tactile acuity. Thermal pain thresholds were significantly increased in the Imatinib/Nilotinib-treated group, whereas innocuous thermal and tactile thresholds were unchanged compared to those in the control group. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the biological effects of c-Kit inhibition are comparable in mice and humans in that c-Kit activity is required to regulate thermal pain sensitivity but does not affect innocuous thermal and mechanical sensation. The effect on experimental heat pain observed in our study is comparable to those of several common analgesics; thus modulation of the c-Kit pathway can be used to specifically modulate noxious heat and cold sensitivity in humans. Copyright © 2014 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Well-Being Impacts of Human-Elephant Conflict in Khumaga, Botswana: Exploring Visible and Hidden Dimensions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Allison L Mayberry

2017-01-01

Full Text Available High densities of wild African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana combined with widespread human land-use have increased human-elephant conflict in northern Botswana. Visible impacts (e.g. crop/property damage, injury/fatality of elephants on human well-being are well documented in scholarly literature while hidden impacts (e.g. emotional stress, restricted mobility are less so. This research uses qualitative methods to explore human experiences with elephants and perceived impacts of elephants on human well-being. Findings reveal participants are concerned about food insecurity and associated visible impacts of elephant crop raids. Findings also reveal participants are concerned about reduced safety and restricted mobility as hidden impacts threatening livelihoods and everyday life. Both visible and hidden impacts of elephants contribute to people's negative feelings towards elephants, as does the broader political context. This research emphasises the importance of investigating both visible and hidden impacts of elephants on human well-being to foster holistic understanding of human-elephant conflict scenarios and to inform future mitigation strategies.

A meta-analysis of human disturbance impacts on Antarctic wildlife.

Science.gov (United States)

Coetzee, Bernard W T; Chown, Steven L

2016-08-01

Evidence-based assessments are increasingly recognized as the best-practice approach to determine appropriate conservation interventions, but such assessments of the impact of human disturbance on wildlife are rare. Human disturbance comprises anthropogenic activities that are typically non-lethal, but may cause short- and/or longer-term stress and fitness responses in wildlife. Expanding human activity in the Antarctic region is of particular concern because it increases the scope and potential for increased human disturbance to wildlife in a region that is often thought of as relatively untouched by anthropogenic influences. Here, we use a meta-analytical approach to synthesise research on human disturbance to wildlife over the last three decades in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic region. We combine data from 62 studies across 21 species on the behavioural, physiological and population responses of wildlife to pedestrian, vehicle and research disturbances. The overall effect size indicated a small, albeit statistically significant negative effect of disturbance (-0.39; 95% CI: -0.60 to -0.18). Negative effects were found for both physiological and population responses, but no evidence was found for a significant impact on wildlife behavioural responses. Negative effects were found across pedestrian, vehicle and research disturbances. Significant and high among-study heterogeneity was found in both disturbance and response sub-groups. Among species, it remains unclear to what extent different forms of disturbance translate into negative population responses. Most current guidelines to limit wildlife disturbance impacts in Antarctica recommend that approaches be tailored to animal behavioural cues, but our work demonstrates that behavioural changes do not necessarily reflect more cryptic, and more deleterious impacts, such as changes in physiology. In consequence, we recommend that pedestrian approach guidelines in the Antarctic region be revisited. Due to the high

Sensitive radioimmunoassay for detection of antibodies to recombinant human interferon-alpha A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palleroni, A.V.; Trown, P.W.

1986-01-01

A radioimmunoassay (RIA) for the detection of antibodies to recombinant human leukocyte interferon A (rHuIFN-alpha A) in human serum has been developed and validated against the standard antiviral neutralization bioassay (ANB). The assay measures the binding of 125 I-labeled rHuIFN-alpha A to immunoglobulins in serum. Aliquots of patients' sera are incubated with 125 I-rHuIFN-alpha A and the complexes formed between antibodies in the sera and the 125 I-rHuIFN-alpha A are precipitated with goat anti-human IgG serum. The radioactivity in the immune precipitate is a measure of the quantity of antibody (if present) in the serum. The sensitivity of this RIA is 5 ng of IgG/ml of serum

Regenerative, Highly-Sensitive, Non-Enzymatic Dopamine Sensor and Impact of Different Buffer Systems in Dopamine Sensing

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Saumya Joshi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Carbon nanotube field-effect transistors are used extensively in ultra-sensitive biomolecule sensing applications. Along with high sensitivity, the possibility of regeneration is highly desired in bio-sensors. An important constituent of such bio-sensing systems is the buffer used to maintain pH and provide an ionic conducting medium, among its other properties. In this work, we demonstrate highly-sensitive regenerative dopamine sensors and the impact of varying buffer composition and type on the electrolyte gated field effect sensors. The role of the buffer system is an often ignored condition in the electrical characterization of sensors. Non-enzymatic dopamine sensors are fabricated and regenerated in hydrochloric acid (HCl solution. The sensors are finally measured against four different buffer solutions. The impact of the nature and chemical structure of buffer molecules on the dopamine sensors is shown, and the appropriate buffer systems are demonstrated.

Methodological Challenges in Examining the Impact of Healthcare Predictive Analytics on Nursing-Sensitive Patient Outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeffery, Alvin D

2015-06-01

The expansion of real-time analytic abilities within current electronic health records has led to innovations in predictive modeling and clinical decision support systems. However, the ability of these systems to influence patient outcomes is currently unknown. Even though nurses are the largest profession within the healthcare workforce, little research has been performed to explore the impact of clinical decision support on their decisions and the patient outcomes associated with them. A scoping literature review explored the impact clinical decision support systems containing healthcare predictive analytics have on four nursing-sensitive patient outcomes (pressure ulcers, failure to rescue, falls, and infections). While many articles discussed variable selection and predictive model development/validation, only four articles examined the impact on patient outcomes. The novelty of predictive analytics and the inherent methodological challenges in studying clinical decision support impact are likely responsible for this paucity of literature. Major methodological challenges include (1) multilevel nature of intervention, (2) treatment fidelity, and (3) adequacy of clinicians' subsequent behavior. There is currently insufficient evidence to demonstrate efficacy of healthcare predictive analytics-enhanced clinical decision support systems on nursing-sensitive patient outcomes. Innovative research methods and a greater emphasis on studying this phenomenon are needed.

Impact of Human Security Threats on Leadership and Political ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Human security threats in contemporary Africa have become a major political challenge. Whether it involves sectional conflicts, kidnapping, human trafficking, armed robbery they have continued to exert a far reaching impact on the leadership and political stability in the region. This paper is therefore an attempt to examine ...

Review: The impact of changing human environment and climate ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The impact of human-induced climate change through industrialization with the consequent depletion of the ozone layer of the environment is now observed to compromise the sustainability of human development as it threatens the ecological support system on which life depends in addition to encouraging the emergence ...

Factors influencing the drug sensitization of human tumor cells for in situ lipofection.

Science.gov (United States)

Son, K; Huang, L

1996-07-01

The cisplatin induced enhancement of in situ lipofection was optimized by considering the factors that can increase the degree of sensitization. Two other anticancer drugs, mechlorethamine (nitrogen mustard) and taxol, enhanced CAT gene expression but the degree of sensitization was not as great as cisplatin. Besides human 2008 ovarian cancer cells we also found that human lung (A549) and head and neck cancer cells (SCC 25) were transiently sensitized by cisplatin. The transfectability of the two commercially available cationic liposomes, Lipofectin and LipofectAmine, was either weak or not consistent among tumors tested. In vivo transfection efficiency of 2008 cells was the highest at 1 microgram DNA per nmol or microgram liposome with all three cationic liposomes. In vitro transfection efficiency of 2008 cells at 1:1 (microgram of DNA:nmole of DC-chol/DOPE liposome) increased in a dose-dependent manner while at 1:10, an optimal ratio for in vitro lipofection, rapidly decreased with an increase in dose. This result indicated that there was a correlation between in vivo and in vitro lipofection at 1:1 ratio for delivering liposomal DNA. Most of the DNA injected into the tumor was concentrated in the tumor and in the skin above the tumor whether cisplatin was preinjected or liposomes were used as carriers.

China in Africa: The Human Rights Impact

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C.L. Bennett (Clare); S. McCann (S.); B. Radley (Ben)

2008-01-01

markdownabstract__Abstract__ This report examines the practical impact of Chinese investment on human rights in Africa, in order to assess how the positive effects of China in Africa can be maximised and how the negative effects – which have the potential to be particularly damaging in states

Multi-scale Modeling of the Impact Response of a Strain Rate Sensitive High-Manganese Austenitic Steel

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Orkun eÖnal

2014-09-01

Full Text Available A multi-scale modeling approach was applied to predict the impact response of a strain rate sensitive high-manganese austenitic steel. The roles of texture, geometry and strain rate sensitivity were successfully taken into account all at once by coupling crystal plasticity and finite element (FE analysis. Specifically, crystal plasticity was utilized to obtain the multi-axial flow rule at different strain rates based on the experimental deformation response under uniaxial tensile loading. The equivalent stress – equivalent strain response was then incorporated into the FE model for the sake of a more representative hardening rule under impact loading. The current results demonstrate that reliable predictions can be obtained by proper coupling of crystal plasticity and FE analysis even if the experimental flow rule of the material is acquired under uniaxial loading and at moderate strain rates that are significantly slower than those attained during impact loading. Furthermore, the current findings also demonstrate the need for an experiment-based multi-scale modeling approach for the sake of reliable predictions of the impact response.

The sensitivity of human mesenchymal stem cells to ionizing radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, M.-F.; Lin, C.-T.; Chen, W.-C.; Yang, C.-T.; Chen, C.-C.; Liao, S.-K.; Liu, J.M.; Lu, C.-H.; Lee, K.-D.

2006-01-01

Purpose: Recent studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) obtained from bone marrow transplantation patients originate from the host. This clinical observation suggests that MSCs in their niches could be resistant to irradiation. However, the biologic responses of bone marrow MSCs to irradiation have rarely been described in the literature. Methods and Materials: In this study, human bone marrow-derived, clonally expanded MSCs were used to investigate their sensitivity to irradiation in vitro, and the cellular mechanisms that may facilitate resistance to irradiation. The human lung cancer cell line A549 and the breast cancer cell line HCC1937 were used as controls for radiosensitivity; the former line has been shown to be radioresistant and the latter radiosensitive. We then examined their in vitro biologic changes and sensitivities to radiation therapy. Results: Our results suggest that MSCs are characterized as resistant to irradiation. Several cellular mechanisms were demonstrated that may facilitate resistance to irradiation: ATM protein phosphorylation, activation of cell-cycle checkpoints, double-strand break repair by homologous recombination and nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ), and the antioxidant capacity for scavenging reactive oxygen species. Conclusions: As demonstrated, MSCs possess a better antioxidant reactive oxygen species-scavenging capacity and active double-strand break repair to facilitate their radioresistance. These findings provide a better understanding of radiation-induced biologic responses in MSCs and may lead to the development of better strategies for stem cell treatment and cancer therapy

Impacts of human activity on reindeer and caribou: The matter

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Ingunn Vistnes

2007-04-01

Full Text Available The impacts of human activity and infrastructure development on reindeer and caribou (Rangifer tarandus have been studied for decades and have resulted in numerous debates among scientists, developers and indigenous people affected. Herein, we discuss the development within this field of research in the context of choice of spatial and temporal scale and concurrent trends in wildlife disturbance studies. Before the 1980s, the vast majority of Rangifer disturbance studies were behavioural studies of individual animals exposed directly to potential disturbance sources. Most of these local studies reported few and short-term impacts on Rangifer. Around the mid 1980s focus shifted to regional scale landscape ecology studies, reporting that reindeer and caribou reduced the use of areas within 5 km from infrastructure and human activity by 50-95%, depending on type of disturbance, landscape, season, sensitivity of herds, and sex and age distribution of animals. In most cases where avoidance was documented a smaller fraction of the animals, typically bulls, were still observed closer to infrastructure or human activity. Local-scale behavioural studies of individual animals may provide complementary information, but will alone seriously underestimate potential regional impacts. Of 85 studies reviewed, 83% of the regional studies concluded that the impacts of human activity were significant, while only 13% of the local studies did the same. Traditional ecological knowledge may further increase our understanding of disturbance effects.Effekter av menneskelig aktivitet på rein og caribou: Betydningen av valg av skalaAbstract in Norwegian / Sammendrag: Effektene av menneskelig aktivitet og utbygging på rein og caribou (Rangifer tarandus har vært studert i flere tiår og har resultert i utallige debatter mellom forskere, utbyggere og berørt urbefolkning. I denne artikkelen diskuterer vi utviklingen innenfor dette forskningsfeltet i forhold til valg av

Neural prediction errors reveal a risk-sensitive reinforcement-learning process in the human brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Niv, Yael; Edlund, Jeffrey A; Dayan, Peter; O'Doherty, John P

2012-01-11

Humans and animals are exquisitely, though idiosyncratically, sensitive to risk or variance in the outcomes of their actions. Economic, psychological, and neural aspects of this are well studied when information about risk is provided explicitly. However, we must normally learn about outcomes from experience, through trial and error. Traditional models of such reinforcement learning focus on learning about the mean reward value of cues and ignore higher order moments such as variance. We used fMRI to test whether the neural correlates of human reinforcement learning are sensitive to experienced risk. Our analysis focused on anatomically delineated regions of a priori interest in the nucleus accumbens, where blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signals have been suggested as correlating with quantities derived from reinforcement learning. We first provide unbiased evidence that the raw BOLD signal in these regions corresponds closely to a reward prediction error. We then derive from this signal the learned values of cues that predict rewards of equal mean but different variance and show that these values are indeed modulated by experienced risk. Moreover, a close neurometric-psychometric coupling exists between the fluctuations of the experience-based evaluations of risky options that we measured neurally and the fluctuations in behavioral risk aversion. This suggests that risk sensitivity is integral to human learning, illuminating economic models of choice, neuroscientific models of affective learning, and the workings of the underlying neural mechanisms.

The impact of HIV/AIDS on human development in African countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Boutayeb, Abdesslam

2009-11-18

In the present paper, we consider the impact of HIV/AIDS on human development in African countries, showing that, beyond health issues, this disease should and must be seen as a global development concern, affecting all components of human development. Consequently, we stress the necessity of multidisciplinary approaches that model, estimate and predict the real impact of HIV/AIDS on human development of African countries in order to optimise the strategies proposed by national countries, international institutions and their partners. In our search strategy, we relied on secondary information, mainly through National Human Development Reports of some African countries and regular publications released by the United Nations (UN), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank. We restricted ourselves to reports dealing explicitly with the impact of HIV/AIDS on human development in African countries. HIV/AIDS is affecting the global human development of African countries through its devastating impact on health and demographic indicators such as life expectancy at birth, healthcare assistance, age and sex distribution, economic indicators like income, work force, and economic growth, education and knowledge acquisition and other indicators like governance, gender inequality and human rights. On the basis of the national reports reviewed, it appears clearly that HIV/AIDS is no longer a crisis only for the healthcare sector, but presents a challenge to all sectors. Consequently, HIV/AIDS is a development question and should be viewed as such. The disease is impeding development by imposing a steady decline in the key indicators of human development and hence reversing the social and economic gains that African countries are striving to attain. Being at the same time a cause and consequence of poverty and underdevelopment, it constitutes a challenge to human security and human development by diminishing the chances of

Sensitivity of hyperthermia-treated human cells to killing by ultraviolet or gamma radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitchel, R.E.; Smith, B.P.; Wheatly, N.; Chan, A.; Child, S.; Paterson, M.C.

1985-01-01

Human xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) or Fanconi anemia (FA) fibroblasts displayed shouldered 45 0 C heat survival curves not significantly different from normal fibroblasts, a result similar to that previously found for ataxia telangiectasia (AT) cells, indicating heat resistance is not linked to either uv or low-LET ionizing radiation resistance. Hyperthermia (45 0 C) sensitized normal and XP fibroblasts to killing by gamma radiation but failed to sensitize the cells to the lethal effects of 254 nm uv radiation. Thermal inhibition of repair of ionizing radiation lesions but not uv-induced lesions appears to contribute synergistically to cell death. The thermal enhancement ratio (TER) for the synergistic interaction of hyperthermia (45 0 C, 30 min) and gamma radiation was significantly lower in one FA and two strains (TER = 1.7-1.8) than that reported previously for three normal strains (TER = 2.5-3.0). These XP and FA strains may be more gamma sensitive than normal human fibroblasts. Since hyperthermia treatment only slightly increases the gamma-radiation sensitivity of ataxia telangiectasia (AT) fibroblasts compared to normal strains, it is possible that the degree of thermal enhancement attainable reflects the genetically inherent ionizing radiation repair capacity of the cells. The data indicate that both repair inhibition and particular lesion types are required for lethal synergism between heat and radiation. We therefore postulate that the transient thermal inhibition of repair results in the conversion of gamma-induced lesions to irrepairable lethal damage, while uv-type damage can remain unaltered during this period

Human survivability of extreme impacts in free-fall.

Science.gov (United States)

1963-08-01

Human deceleration tolerances beyond the limits imposed by voluntary experimental methods were studied by means of intensive case histories of 137 individuals who have survived extremely abrupt impacts in accidental, suicidal, and homicidal free-fall...

The sensitivity of different environments to radioactive contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tracy, B.L.; Carini, F.; Barabash, S.; Berkovskyy, V.; Brittain, J.E.; Chouhan, S.; Eleftheriou, G.; Iosjpe, M.; Monte, L.; Psaltaki, M.; Shen, J.; Tschiersch, J.; Turcanu, C.

2013-01-01

This paper describes modelling calculations carried out to determine the sensitivity of various rural and semi-natural environments to radionuclide contamination by 137 Cs, 90 Sr, and 131 I released during a major nuclear accident. Depositions of 1000 Bq/m 3 were assumed for each radionuclide. Four broad types of environments were considered: agricultural, forest or tundra, freshwater aquatic, and coastal marine. A number of different models were applied to each environment. The annual dose to a human population receiving most or all of its food and drinking water from a given environment was taken as a broad measure of sensitivity. The results demonstrated that environmental sensitivity was highly radionuclide specific, with 137 Cs generally giving the highest doses during the first year, especially for adults, in terrestrial and freshwater pathways. However, in coastal marine environments, 131 I and 239 Pu were more significant. Sensitivity was time dependent with doses for the first year dominating those for the 2nd and 10th years after deposition. In agricultural environments the ingestion dose from 137 Cs was higher for adults than other age groups, whereas for 90 Sr and 131 I, the ingestion dose was highest for infants. The dependence of sensitivity on social and economic factors such as individual living habits, food consumption preferences, and agricultural practices is discussed. -- Highlights: ► We model the impact of fallout from a nuclear accident in four different settings. ► The greatest impact on human populations occurs in agricultural environments. ► 137 Cs dominates in agricultural, forest, and tundra environments. ► Both 137 Cs and 90 Sr are important in freshwater aquatic environments. ► Coastal marine environments are more susceptible to 131 I and 239 Pu

Human impacts quantification on the coastal landforms of Gran Canaria Island (Canary Islands)

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrer-Valero, Nicolás; Hernández-Calvento, Luis; Hernández-Cordero, Antonio I.

2017-06-01

The coastal areas of the Canary Islands are particularly sensitive to changes, both from a natural perspective and for their potential socio-economic implications. In this paper, the state of conservation of an insular coast is approached from a geomorphological point of view, considering recent changes induced by urban and tourism development. The analysis is applied to the coast of Gran Canaria, a small Atlantic island of volcanic origin, subject to a high degree of human pressure on its coastal areas, especially in recent decades. Currently, much of the economic activity of Gran Canaria is linked to mass tourism, associated with climatic and geomorphological features of the coast. This work is addressed through detailed mapping of coastal landforms across the island (256 km perimeter), corresponding to the period before the urban and tourism development (late 19th century for the island's capital, mid-20th century for the rest of the island) and today. The comparison between the coastal geomorphology before and after the urban and tourism development was established through four categories of human impacts, related to their conservation state: unaltered, altered, semi-destroyed and extinct. The results indicate that 43% of coastal landforms have been affected by human impacts, while 57% remain unaltered. The most affected are sedimentary landforms, namely coastal dunes, palaeo-dunes, beaches and wetlands. Geodiversity loss was also evaluated by applying two diversity indices. The coastal geodiversity loss by total or partial destruction of landforms is estimated at - 15.2%, according to Shannon index (H‧), while it increases to - 32.1% according to an index proposed in this paper. We conclude that the transformations of the coast of Gran Canaria induced by urban and tourism development have heavily affected the most singular coastal landforms (dunes, palaeo-dunes and wetlands), reducing significantly its geodiversity.

Impact of climate change on human infectious diseases: Empirical evidence and human adaptation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xiaoxu; Lu, Yongmei; Zhou, Sen; Chen, Lifan; Xu, Bing

2016-01-01

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in weather conditions and patterns of extreme weather events. It may lead to changes in health threat to human beings, multiplying existing health problems. This review examines the scientific evidences on the impact of climate change on human infectious diseases. It identifies research progress and gaps on how human society may respond to, adapt to, and prepare for the related changes. Based on a survey of related publications between 1990 and 2015, the terms used for literature selection reflect three aspects--the components of infectious diseases, climate variables, and selected infectious diseases. Humans' vulnerability to the potential health impacts by climate change is evident in literature. As an active agent, human beings may control the related health effects that may be effectively controlled through adopting proactive measures, including better understanding of the climate change patterns and of the compound disease-specific health effects, and effective allocation of technologies and resources to promote healthy lifestyles and public awareness. The following adaptation measures are recommended: 1) to go beyond empirical observations of the association between climate change and infectious diseases and develop more scientific explanations, 2) to improve the prediction of spatial-temporal process of climate change and the associated shifts in infectious diseases at various spatial and temporal scales, and 3) to establish locally effective early warning systems for the health effects of predicated climate change. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Advances in radiation biology: Relative radiation sensitivities of human organ systems. Volume 12

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lett, J.T.; Altman, K.I.; Ehmann, U.K.; Cox, A.B.

1987-01-01

This volume is a thematically focused issue of Advances in Radiation Biology. The topic surveyed is relative radiosensitivity of human organ systems. Topics considered include relative radiosensitivities of the thymus, spleen, and lymphohemopoietic systems; relative radiosensitivities of the small and large intestine; relative rediosensitivities of the oral cavity, larynx, pharynx, and esophagus; relative radiation sensitivity of the integumentary system; dose response of the epidermal; microvascular, and dermal populations; relative radiosensitivity of the human lung; relative radiosensitivity of fetal tissues; and tolerance of the central and peripheral nervous system to therapeutic irradiation

Advances in radiation biology: Relative radiation sensitivities of human organ systems. Volume 12

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lett, J.T.; Altman, K.I.; Ehmann, U.K.; Cox, A.B.

1987-01-01

This volume is a thematically focused issue of Advances in Radiation Biology. The topic surveyed is relative radiosensitivity of human organ systems. Topics considered include relative radiosensitivities of the thymus, spleen, and lymphohemopoietic systems; relative radiosensitivities of the small and large intestine; relative rediosensitivities of the oral cavity, larynx, pharynx, and esophagus; relative radiation sensitivity of the integumentary system; dose response of the epidermal; microvascular, and dermal populations; relative radiosensitivity of the human lung; relative radiosensitivity of fetal tissues; and tolerance of the central and peripheral nervous system to therapeutic irradiation.

Limited impacts of extensive human land use on dominance, specialization, and biotic homogenization in boreal plant communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayor, Stephen J; Boutin, Stan; He, Fangliang; Cahill, James F

2015-02-13

results contrast previous findings in more species rich, complex or spatially heterogeneous systems and ecological models. We suggest that broad occupancy-based intercommunity patterns are insensitive to human land use extent in boreal vascular plants, perhaps because of ubiquity of generalists, low species richness, and history of natural disturbance. The poor sensitivity of these metrics to disturbance presents challenges for monitoring and managing impacts to biodiversity in this region.

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL AUDIT IN HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

NĂSTASIE MIHAELA – ANDREEA

2015-03-01

Full Text Available General research area of this article is the impacts of social audit in human resources management, in full compliance with the identification of social risks that may threaten the proper functioning of the economic entity. An essential tool used in human resource management is social audit, which provides a balance between the economic entity's financial results and its social results. Social audit is at the same time, an instrument of leadership and management interference in internal audit and financial audit and pursues an economic entity management capacity on the part of human problems and on the other hand the social problems generated by a continuously changing environment. This article is part of a broader research and through it we tried to address a topical issue, ie the impact of social audit and its consequences on economic and financial development level of economic entities.

Multimodel Uncertainty Changes in Simulated River Flows Induced by Human Impact Parameterizations

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xingcai; Tang, Qiuhong; Cui, Huijuan; Mu, Mengfei; Gerten Dieter; Gosling, Simon; Masaki, Yoshimitsu; Satoh, Yusuke; Wada, Yoshihide

2017-01-01

Human impacts increasingly affect the global hydrological cycle and indeed dominate hydrological changes in some regions. Hydrologists have sought to identify the human-impact-induced hydrological variations via parameterizing anthropogenic water uses in global hydrological models (GHMs). The consequently increased model complexity is likely to introduce additional uncertainty among GHMs. Here, using four GHMs, between-model uncertainties are quantified in terms of the ratio of signal to noise (SNR) for average river flow during 1971-2000 simulated in two experiments, with representation of human impacts (VARSOC) and without (NOSOC). It is the first quantitative investigation of between-model uncertainty resulted from the inclusion of human impact parameterizations. Results show that the between-model uncertainties in terms of SNRs in the VARSOC annual flow are larger (about 2 for global and varied magnitude for different basins) than those in the NOSOC, which are particularly significant in most areas of Asia and northern areas to the Mediterranean Sea. The SNR differences are mostly negative (-20 to 5, indicating higher uncertainty) for basin-averaged annual flow. The VARSOC high flow shows slightly lower uncertainties than NOSOC simulations, with SNR differences mostly ranging from -20 to 20. The uncertainty differences between the two experiments are significantly related to the fraction of irrigation areas of basins. The large additional uncertainties in VARSOC simulations introduced by the inclusion of parameterizations of human impacts raise the urgent need of GHMs development regarding a better understanding of human impacts. Differences in the parameterizations of irrigation, reservoir regulation and water withdrawals are discussed towards potential directions of improvements for future GHM development. We also discuss the advantages of statistical approaches to reduce the between-model uncertainties, and the importance of calibration of GHMs for not only

Ultra-Sensitive HIV-1 Latency Viral Outgrowth Assays Using Humanized Mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmitt, Kimberly; Akkina, Ramesh

2018-01-01

In the current quest for a complete cure for HIV/AIDS, highly sensitive HIV-1 latency detection methods are critical to verify full viral eradication. Until now, the in vitro quantitative viral outgrowth assays (qVOA) have been the gold standard for assessing latent HIV-1 viral burden. However, these assays have been inadequate in detecting the presence of ultralow levels of latent virus in a number of patients who were initially thought to have been cured, but eventually showed viral rebound. In this context, new approaches utilizing in vivo mouse-based VOAs are promising. In the murine VOA (mVOA), large numbers of CD4 + T cells or PBMC from aviremic subjects are xenografted into immunodeficient NSG mice, whereas in the humanized mouse-based VOA (hmVOA) patient CD4 + T cell samples are injected into BLT or hu-hematopoetic stem cells (hu-HSC) humanized mice. While latent virus could be recovered in both of these systems, the hmVOA provides higher sensitivity than the mVOA using a fewer number of input cells. In contrast to the mVOA, the hmVOA provides a broader spectrum of highly susceptible HIV-1 target cells and enables newly engrafted cells to home into preformed human lymphoid organs where they can infect cells in situ after viral activation. Hu-mice also allow for both xenograft- and allograft-driven cell expansions with less severe GvH providing a longer time frame for potential viral outgrowth from cells with a delayed latent viral activation. Based on these advantages, the hmVOA has great potential in playing an important role in HIV-1 latency and cure research.

Crabby Interactions: Fifth Graders Explore Human Impact on the Blue Crab Population

Science.gov (United States)

Jeffery, Tonya D.; McCollough, Cherie A.; Moore, Kim

2016-01-01

This article describes a two-day lesson in which fifth-grade students took on the role of marine biology scientists, using their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills to explore human impact on the blue crab ecosystem. The purpose of "Crabby Interactions" was to help students understand the impact of human activities on the local…

Auditory perception of a human walker.

Science.gov (United States)

Cottrell, David; Campbell, Megan E J

2014-01-01

When one hears footsteps in the hall, one is able to instantly recognise it as a person: this is an everyday example of auditory biological motion perception. Despite the familiarity of this experience, research into this phenomenon is in its infancy compared with visual biological motion perception. Here, two experiments explored sensitivity to, and recognition of, auditory stimuli of biological and nonbiological origin. We hypothesised that the cadence of a walker gives rise to a temporal pattern of impact sounds that facilitates the recognition of human motion from auditory stimuli alone. First a series of detection tasks compared sensitivity with three carefully matched impact sounds: footsteps, a ball bouncing, and drumbeats. Unexpectedly, participants were no more sensitive to footsteps than to impact sounds of nonbiological origin. In the second experiment participants made discriminations between pairs of the same stimuli, in a series of recognition tasks in which the temporal pattern of impact sounds was manipulated to be either that of a walker or the pattern more typical of the source event (a ball bouncing or a drumbeat). Under these conditions, there was evidence that both temporal and nontemporal cues were important in recognising theses stimuli. It is proposed that the interval between footsteps, which reflects a walker's cadence, is a cue for the recognition of the sounds of a human walking.

Lysophosphatidylcholine hydrolases of human erythrocytes, lymphocytes, and brain: Sensitive targets of conserved specificity for organophosphorus delayed neurotoxicants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vose, Sarah C.; Holland, Nina T.; Eskenazi, Brenda; Casida, John E.

2007-01-01

Brain neuropathy target esterase (NTE), associated with organophosphorus (OP)-induced delayed neuropathy, has the same OP inhibitor sensitivity and specificity profiles assayed in the classical way (paraoxon-resistant, mipafox-sensitive hydrolysis of phenyl valerate) or with lysophosphatidylcholine (LysoPC) as the substrate. Extending our earlier observation with mice, we now examine human erythrocyte, lymphocyte, and brain LysoPC hydrolases as possible sensitive targets for OP delayed neurotoxicants and insecticides. Inhibitor profiling of human erythrocytes and lymphocytes gave the surprising result of essentially the same pattern as with brain. Human erythrocyte LysoPC hydrolases are highly sensitive to OP delayed neurotoxicants, with in vitro IC 50 values of 0.13-85 nM for longer alkyl analogs, and poorly sensitive to the current OP insecticides. In agricultural workers, erythrocyte LysoPC hydrolyzing activities are similar for newborn children and their mothers and do not vary with paraoxonase status but have high intersample variation that limits their use as a biomarker. Mouse erythrocyte LysoPC hydrolase activity is also of low sensitivity in vitro and in vivo to the OP insecticides whereas the delayed neurotoxicant ethyl n-octylphosphonyl fluoride inhibits activity in vivo at 1-3 mg/kg. Overall, inhibition of blood LysoPC hydrolases is as good as inhibition of brain NTE as a predictor of OP inducers of delayed neuropathy. NTE and lysophospholipases (LysoPLAs) both hydrolyze LysoPC, yet they are in distinct enzyme families with no sequence homology and very different catalytic sites. The relative contributions of NTE and LysoPLAs to LysoPC hydrolysis and clearance from erythrocytes, lymphocytes, and brain remain to be defined

Impact of Advanced HSIs on Human Reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duc, Duy Le; Kim, Jonghyun

2013-01-01

This study investigated how a digitalized control room may influence operators' performance. The new HSI system is highly supportive of knowledge-based works and during complex scenarios. The most noticeable enhancement and gained improvement came from the utilization of the CPS. The results also showed that for different task types, the effects of distinctive features are diverse. Since there is large flexibility in the design of advanced HSI systems, HRA should also consider the detailed design analysis for the plant of interest. Current designs of advanced Main Control Room (MCR) apply digital technology whose features include the Advanced Alarm System (AAS), Digital Information Display System (DIDS), Computerized Procedure System (CPS), and Soft Controls (SCs). Despite the significant improvements made to these features, the full impact have yet to be thoroughly assessed using Human Reliability Analysis (HRA). Furthermore, the evaluation criteria for these new features have not been provided; and there are no available data to perform adjustments for human error probabilities (HEPs), which have been developed for conventional control rooms. The aim of this study is to examine the potential effects of the new Human-System Interface (HSI) features on human reliability. Firstly, the characteristics and functions of the AAS, DIDS, CPS and SCs are assessed and categorized. Secondly, tasks related to the features are discussed, focusing on the differences between conventional and digital control rooms. Qualitative investigation of the impacts is performed by reviewing available literatures. Finally, a new model for the quantitative estimation of HEPs based on the Korean Standard HRA (K-HRA) method is proposed

Impact of Advanced HSIs on Human Reliability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duc, Duy Le; Kim, Jonghyun [KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of)

2013-10-15

This study investigated how a digitalized control room may influence operators' performance. The new HSI system is highly supportive of knowledge-based works and during complex scenarios. The most noticeable enhancement and gained improvement came from the utilization of the CPS. The results also showed that for different task types, the effects of distinctive features are diverse. Since there is large flexibility in the design of advanced HSI systems, HRA should also consider the detailed design analysis for the plant of interest. Current designs of advanced Main Control Room (MCR) apply digital technology whose features include the Advanced Alarm System (AAS), Digital Information Display System (DIDS), Computerized Procedure System (CPS), and Soft Controls (SCs). Despite the significant improvements made to these features, the full impact have yet to be thoroughly assessed using Human Reliability Analysis (HRA). Furthermore, the evaluation criteria for these new features have not been provided; and there are no available data to perform adjustments for human error probabilities (HEPs), which have been developed for conventional control rooms. The aim of this study is to examine the potential effects of the new Human-System Interface (HSI) features on human reliability. Firstly, the characteristics and functions of the AAS, DIDS, CPS and SCs are assessed and categorized. Secondly, tasks related to the features are discussed, focusing on the differences between conventional and digital control rooms. Qualitative investigation of the impacts is performed by reviewing available literatures. Finally, a new model for the quantitative estimation of HEPs based on the Korean Standard HRA (K-HRA) method is proposed.

Human perception of air movement. Impact of frequency and airflow direction on draught sensation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Genhong Zhou

1999-08-01

Draught is defined as an unwanted local cooling of the human body caused by air movement. Air velocity and temperature are the main characteristics of air movement in rooms. Characteristics of instantaneous air velocity and temperature records previously measured in ventilated indoor spaces were analyzed. Air velocity and temperature fluctuated randomly. The amplitude and frequency of the fluctuations changed over time. Air movements around the human body were measured with a three-dimensional laser Doppler amemometer. A new parameter, equivalent frequency, was defined as an integral single parameter for describing the frequency characteristics of air velocity. The equivalent frequency of a randomly fluctuating velocity is defined as the frequency of sinusoidal velocity fluctuations with the same ratio of the standard deviation of acceleration to the standard deviation of air velocity as in the random velocity fluctuations. The equivalent frequencies of numerous instantaneous air-velocity records measured in ventilated space were analysed. The equivalent frequency of an airflow in an indoor space was found to be 0.1 to 2 Hz. The equivalent frequencies of most of the airflows were between 0.2 and 0.6 Hz. The relation between equivalent frequency and mean air velocity and standard deviation was established. Experiments were performed to identify the impact of the equivalent frequency on the human perception of draught. Forty subjects (20 women and 20 men) were subjected to airflows from behind with mean air velocities of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 m/s, with equivalent frequencies from 0 to 1 Hz at an air temperature of 20 deg. C. In this human-subject experimental study the frequency was found to have a significant impact on draught sensation. Subjects were more sensitive to airflow at an equivalent frequency between 0.2 and 0.6 Hz. A mathematical model for the simulation of draught was established and a computer program was developed for simulating the draught. The program

Assessment of metal sensitizer potency with the reconstructed human epidermis IL-18 assay.

Science.gov (United States)

Gibbs, Susan; Kosten, Ilona; Veldhuizen, Rosalien; Spiekstra, Sander; Corsini, Emanuela; Roggen, Erwin; Rustemeyer, Thomas; Feilzer, Albert J; Kleverlaan, Cees J

2018-01-15

According to the new EU Medical Devices (MDR) legislation coming into effect in 2017, manufactures will have to comply with higher standards of quality and safety for medical devices in order to meet common safety concerns regarding such products. Metal alloys are extensively used in dentistry and medicine (e.g. orthopedic surgery and cardiology) even though clinical experience suggests that many metals are sensitizers. The aim of this study was to further test the applicability domain of the in vitro reconstructed human epidermis (RhE) IL-18 assay developed to identify contact allergens and in doing so: i) determine whether different metal salts, representing leachables from metal alloys used in medical devices, could be correctly labelled and classified; and ii) assess the ability of different salts for the same metal to penetrate the skin stratum corneum. Twenty eight chemicals including 15 metal salts were topically exposed to RhE. Nickel, chrome, gold, palladium were each tested in two different salt forms, and titanium in 4 different salt forms. Metal salts were labelled (YES/NO) as sensitizer if a threshold of more than 5 fold IL18 release was reached. The in vitro estimation of expected sensitization induction level (potency) was assessed by interpolating in vitro EC50 and IL-18 SI2 with LLNA EC3 and human NOEL values from standard reference curves generated using DNCB (extreme) and benzocaine (weak). Metal salts, in contrast to other chemical sensitizers and with the exception of potassium dichromate (VI) and cobalt (II) chloride, were not identified as contact allergens since they only induced a small or no increase in IL-18 production. This finding was not related to a lack of stratum corneum skin penetration since EC50 values (decrease in metabolic activity; MTT assay) were obtained after topical RhE exposure to 8 of the 15 metal salts. For nickel, gold and palladium salts, differences in EC50 values between two salts for the same metal could not be

Contribution of human and climate change impacts to changes in streamflow of Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Xuezhi; Gan, Thian Yew

2015-12-04

Climate change exerts great influence on streamflow by changing precipitation, temperature, snowpack and potential evapotranspiration (PET), while human activities in a watershed can directly alter the runoff production and indirectly through affecting climatic variables. However, to separate contribution of anthropogenic and natural drivers to observed changes in streamflow is non-trivial. Here we estimated the direct influence of human activities and climate change effect to changes of the mean annual streamflow (MAS) of 96 Canadian watersheds based on the elasticity of streamflow in relation to precipitation, PET and human impacts such as land use and cover change. Elasticities of streamflow for each watershed are analytically derived using the Budyko Framework. We found that climate change generally caused an increase in MAS, while human impacts generally a decrease in MAS and such impact tends to become more severe with time, even though there are exceptions. Higher proportions of human contribution, compared to that of climate change contribution, resulted in generally decreased streamflow of Canada observed in recent decades. Furthermore, if without contributions from retreating glaciers to streamflow, human impact would have resulted in a more severe decrease in Canadian streamflow.

Impact parameter sensitive study of inner-shell atomic processes in the experimental storage ring

Science.gov (United States)

Gumberidze, A.; Kozhuharov, C.; Zhang, R. T.; Trotsenko, S.; Kozhedub, Y. S.; DuBois, R. D.; Beyer, H. F.; Blumenhagen, K.-H.; Brandau, C.; Bräuning-Demian, A.; Chen, W.; Forstner, O.; Gao, B.; Gassner, T.; Grisenti, R. E.; Hagmann, S.; Hillenbrand, P.-M.; Indelicato, P.; Kumar, A.; Lestinsky, M.; Litvinov, Yu. A.; Petridis, N.; Schury, D.; Spillmann, U.; Trageser, C.; Trassinelli, M.; Tu, X.; Stöhlker, Th.

2017-10-01

In this work, we present a pilot experiment in the experimental storage ring (ESR) at GSI devoted to impact parameter sensitive studies of inner shell atomic processes for low-energy (heavy-) ion-atom collisions. The experiment was performed with bare and He-like xenon ions (Xe54+, Xe52+) colliding with neutral xenon gas atoms, resulting in a symmetric collision system. This choice of the projectile charge states was made in order to compare the effect of a filled K-shell with the empty one. The projectile and target X-rays have been measured at different observation angles for all impact parameters as well as for the impact parameter range of ∼35-70 fm.

Parameter studies to determine sensitivity of slug impact loads to properties of core surrounding structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gvildys, J.

1985-01-01

A sensitivity study of the HCDA slug impact response of fast reactor primary containment to properties of core surrounding structures was performed. Parameters such as the strength of the radial shield material, mass, void, and compressibility properties of the gas plenum material, mass of core material, and mass and compressibility properties of the coolant were used as variables to determine the magnitude of the slug impact loads. The response of the reactor primary containment and the partition of energy were also given. A study was also performed using water as coolant to study the difference in slug impact loads

The Value of Mainstreaming Human Rights into Health Impact Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

MacNaughton, Gillian; Forman, Lisa

2014-01-01

Health impact assessment (HIA) is increasingly being used to predict the health and social impacts of domestic and global laws, policies and programs. In a comprehensive review of HIA practice in 2012, the authors indicated that, given the diverse range of HIA practice, there is an immediate need to reconsider the governing values and standards for HIA implementation [1]. This article responds to this call for governing values and standards for HIA. It proposes that international human rights standards be integrated into HIA to provide a universal value system backed up by international and domestic laws and mechanisms of accountability. The idea of mainstreaming human rights into HIA is illustrated with the example of impact assessments that have been carried out to predict the potential effects of intellectual property rights in international trade agreements on the availability and affordability of medicines. The article concludes by recommending international human rights standards as a legal and ethical framework for HIA that will enhance the universal values of nondiscrimination, participation, transparency and accountability and bring legitimacy and coherence to HIA practice as well. PMID:25264683

Small protease sensitive oligomers of PrPSc in distinct human prions determine conversion rate of PrP(C.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chae Kim

Full Text Available The mammalian prions replicate by converting cellular prion protein (PrP(C into pathogenic conformational isoform (PrP(Sc. Variations in prions, which cause different disease phenotypes, are referred to as strains. The mechanism of high-fidelity replication of prion strains in the absence of nucleic acid remains unsolved. We investigated the impact of different conformational characteristics of PrP(Sc on conversion of PrP(C in vitro using PrP(Sc seeds from the most frequent human prion disease worldwide, the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD. The conversion potency of a broad spectrum of distinct sCJD prions was governed by the level, conformation, and stability of small oligomers of the protease-sensitive (s PrP(Sc. The smallest most potent prions present in sCJD brains were composed only of∼20 monomers of PrP(Sc. The tight correlation between conversion potency of small oligomers of human sPrP(Sc observed in vitro and duration of the disease suggests that sPrP(Sc conformers are an important determinant of prion strain characteristics that control the progression rate of the disease.

The impact of human capital outsourcing on human capital management practices in Karachi pharmaceutical industry

OpenAIRE

Rana, Tariq Mehmood; Syed, Qamar Ali Zaidi; Muhmmad, Sajid; Herani, Gobind M.

2011-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this research is to examine relationship between Human Capital Management (HRM) and Human Resource (HR) Outsourcing in the Pharmaceutical sector. The specific objective is to find out that how important is HRM for an Organization to perform its operations more efficiently, and at what level Human Resource Outsourcing is affecting it. Literature review: Literature review shows that HR outsourcing has positive impact on HRM for an Organization to perform its operations more ...

Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United ...

Science.gov (United States)

Climate change threatens human health and well-being in the United States. To address this growing threat, the Interagency Group on Climate Change and Human Health (CCHHG), a working group of the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s (USGCRP), has developed this assessment as part of the ongoing efforts of the USGCRP’s National Climate Assessment (NCA) and as called for under the President’s Climate Action Plan. The authors of this assessment have compiled and assessed current research on human health impacts of climate change and summarized the current “state of the science” for a number of key impact areas. This assessment provides a comprehensive update to the most recent detailed technical assessment for the health impacts of climate change, 2008 Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.6 (SAP 4.6) Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems (CCSP 2008). It also updates and builds upon the health chapter of the third NCA (Melillo et al. 2014). The lead and coordinating Federal agencies for the USGCRP Climate and Health Assessment are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Institute of Health (NIH), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Available at https://health2016.globalchange.gov/ The interagency U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has developed this assessment as part of the ongoing efforts of their National C

Investigating ESD sensitivity in electrostatic SiGe MEMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sangameswaran, Sandeep; De Coster, Jeroen; Linten, Dimitri; Scholz, Mirko; Thijs, Steven; Groeseneken, Guido; De Wolf, Ingrid

2010-01-01

The sensitivity of electrostatically actuated SiGe microelectromechanical systems to electrostatic discharge events has been investigated in this paper. Torsional micromirrors and RF microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) actuators have been used as two case studies to perform this study. On-wafer electrostatic discharge (ESD) measurement methods, such as the human body model (HBM) and machine model (MM), are discussed. The impact of HBM ESD zap tests on the functionality and behavior of MEMS is explained and the ESD failure levels of MEMS have been verified by failure analysis. It is demonstrated that electrostatic MEMS devices have a high sensitivity to ESD and that it is essential to protect them.

Isolation of uv-sensitive variants of human FL cells by a viral suicide method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiomi, T.; Sato, K.

1979-01-01

A new method (viral suicide method) for the isolation of uv-sensitive mutants is described. Colonies of mutagenized human FL cells were infected with uv-irradiated Herpes simplex viruses and surviving ones which seemed to be deficient in host cell reactivation (HCR) were examined for their uv sensitivity. Nineteen of 238 clones examined were sensitive to uv irradiation at the time of the isolation. After recloning, four of these clones have been studied and two (UVS-1 and UVS-2) of them are stable in their uv sensitivity for 4 months in culture. uv sensitivity of UVS-1, UVS-2, and the parental FL cells are as follows: the extrapolation numbers (n) are 2.2, 2.1, and 1.8 and mean lethal doses (DO) are 2.9, 3.7, and 7.8 J/m 2 for UVS-1, UVS-2, and the parental FL cells, respectively. They are no more sensitive than FL cells to x-irradiation. The ability of HCR in UVS-2 cells is apparently lower than that in FL cells, whereas UVS-1 cells are the same as FL cells in the ability

Localization and function of ATP-sensitive potassium channels in human skeletal muscle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jens Jung; Kristensen, Michael; Hellsten, Ylva

2003-01-01

The present study investigated the localization of ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels in human skeletal muscle and the functional importance of these channels for human muscle K+ distribution at rest and during muscle activity. Membrane fractionation based on the giant vesicle technique...... or the sucrose-gradient technique in combination with Western blotting demonstrated that the KATP channels are mainly located in the sarcolemma. This localization was confirmed by immunohistochemical measurements. With the microdialysis technique, it was demonstrated that local application of the KATP channel...... to in vitro conditions, the present study demonstrated that under in vivo conditions the KATP channels are active at rest and contribute to the accumulation of interstitial K+....

S100A10 protein expression is associated with oxaliplatin sensitivity in human colorectal cancer cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suzuki Sayo

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Individual responses to oxaliplatin (L-OHP-based chemotherapy remain unpredictable. The objective of our study was to find candidate protein markers for tumor sensitivity to L-OHP from intracellular proteins of human colorectal cancer (CRC cell lines. We performed expression difference mapping (EDM analysis of whole cell lysates from 11 human CRC cell lines with different sensitivities to L-OHP by using surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS, and identified a candidate protein by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry ion trap time-of-flight (LCMS-IT-TOF. Results Of the qualified mass peaks obtained by EDM analysis, 41 proteins were differentially expressed in 11 human colorectal cancer cell lines. Among these proteins, the peak intensity of 11.1 kDa protein was strongly correlated with the L-OHP sensitivity (50% inhibitory concentrations (P R2 = 0.80. We identified this protein as Protein S100-A10 (S100A10 by MS/MS ion search using LCMS-IT-TOF. We verified its differential expression and the correlation between S100A10 protein expression levels in drug-untreated CRC cells and their L-OHP sensitivities by Western blot analyses. In addition, S100A10 protein expression levels were not correlated with sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil, suggesting that S100A10 is more specific to L-OHP than to 5-fluorouracil in CRC cells. S100A10 was detected in cell culture supernatant, suggesting secretion out of cells. Conclusions By proteomic approaches including SELDI technology, we have demonstrated that intracellular S100A10 protein expression levels in drug-untreated CRC cells differ according to cell lines and are significantly correlated with sensitivity of CRC cells to L-OHP exposure. Our findings provide a new clue to searching predictive markers of the response to L-OHP, suggesting that S100A10 is expected to be one of the candidate protein markers.

Job satisfaction and job performance – impacts on human capital

OpenAIRE

Gotvassli, Kjell-Åge; Haugset, Anne Sigrid

2010-01-01

Within macroeconomics it is a well established point of view that investments in human capital is important for the economic growth of a region. In this paper we will look at the connection between job satisfaction and job performance and its impact on the “use” of human capital.

Skin Sensitive Difference of Human Body Sections under Clothing-Smirnov Test of Skin Surface Temperatures' Dynamic Changing

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LI Jun; WU Hai-yan; WANG Yun-yi

2004-01-01

Skin sensitive difference of human body sections under clothing is the theoretic foundation of thermal insulation clothing design.By a new method of researching on clothing comfort perception,the skin temperature live changing procedure of human body sections affected by the same cold stimulation is inspected.Furthermore with the Smirnov test the skin temperatures dynamic changing patterns of main human body sections are obtained.

Effect of training on insulin sensitivity of glucose uptake and lipolysis in human adipose tissue

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stallknecht, B; Larsen, J J; Mikines, K J

2000-01-01

Training increases insulin sensitivity of both whole body and muscle in humans. To investigate whether training also increases insulin sensitivity of adipose tissue, we performed a three-step hyperinsulinemic, euglycemic clamp in eight endurance-trained (T) and eight sedentary (S) young men...... (glucose only). Adipose tissue blood flow was measured by (133)Xe washout. In the basal state, adipose tissue blood flow tended to be higher in T compared with S subjects, and in both groups blood flow was constant during the clamp. The change from basal in arterial-interstitial glucose concentration......-time: T, 44 +/- 9 min (n = 7); S, 102 +/- 23 min (n = 5); P training enhances insulin sensitivity of glucose uptake in subcutaneous adipose tissue and in skeletal muscle. Furthermore, interstitial glycerol data suggest that training also increases insulin sensitivity of lipolysis...

Systematic comparative and sensitivity analyses of additive and outranking techniques for supporting impact significance assessments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cloquell-Ballester, Vicente-Agustin; Monterde-Diaz, Rafael; Cloquell-Ballester, Victor-Andres; Santamarina-Siurana, Maria-Cristina

2007-01-01

Assessing the significance of environmental impacts is one of the most important and all together difficult processes of Environmental Impact Assessment. This is largely due to the multicriteria nature of the problem. To date, decision techniques used in the process suffer from two drawbacks, namely the problem of compensation and the problem of identification of the 'exact boundary' between sub-ranges. This article discusses these issues and proposes a methodology for determining the significance of environmental impacts based on comparative and sensitivity analyses using the Electre TRI technique. An application of the methodology for the environmental assessment of a Power Plant project within the Valencian Region (Spain) is presented, and its performance evaluated. It is concluded that contrary to other techniques, Electre TRI automatically identifies those cases where allocation of significance categories is most difficult and, when combined with sensitivity analysis, offers greatest robustness in the face of variation in weights of the significance attributes. Likewise, this research demonstrates the efficacy of systematic comparison between Electre TRI and sum-based techniques, in the solution of assignment problems. The proposed methodology can therefore be regarded as a successful aid to the decision-maker, who will ultimately take the final decision

γ-radiation induces cellular sensitivity and aberrant methylation in human tumor cell lines.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Ashok; Rai, Padmalatha S; Upadhya, Raghavendra; Vishwanatha; Prasada, K Shama; Rao, B S Satish; Satyamoorthy, Kapettu

2011-11-01

Ionizing radiation induces cellular damage through both direct and indirect mechanisms, which may include effects from epigenetic changes. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of ionizing radiation on DNA methylation patterns that may be associated with altered gene expression. Sixteen human tumor cell lines originating from various cancers were initially tested for radiation sensitivity by irradiating them with γ-radiation in vitro and subsequently, radiation sensitive and resistant cell lines were treated with different doses of a demethylating agent, 5-Aza-2'-Deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC) and a chromatin modifier, Trichostatin-A (TSA). Survival of these cell lines was measured using 3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol- 2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium (MTT) and clonogenic assays. The effect of radiation on global DNA methylation was measured using reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The transcription response of methylated gene promoters, from cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (p16(INK4a)) and ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) genes, to radiation was measured using a luciferase reporter assay. γ-radiation resistant (SiHa and MDAMB453) and sensitive (SaOS2 and WM115) tumor cell lines were examined for the relationship between radiation sensitivity and DNA methylation. Treatment of cells with 5-aza-dC and TSA prior to irradiation enhanced DNA strand breaks, G2/M phase arrest, apoptosis and cell death. Exposure to γ-radiation led to global demethylation in a time-dependent manner in tumor cells in relation to resistance and sensitivity to radiation with concomitant activation of p16(INK4a) and ATM gene promoters. These results provide important information on alterations in DNA methylation as one of the determinants of radiation effects, which may be associated with altered gene expression. Our results may help in delineating the mechanisms of radiation resistance in tumor cells, which can influence diagnosis, prognosis and

Highly sensitive detection of human IgG using a novel bio-barcode assay combined with DNA chip technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Zhenbao [Central South University, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (China); Zhou, Bo, E-mail: zhoubo1771@163.com [The Affiliated Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University, Department of Gerontology (China); Wang, Haiqing; Lu, Feng; Liu, Tianjun; Song, Cunxian; Leng, Xigang, E-mail: lengxigyky@163.com [Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College (China)

2013-09-15

A simple and ultrasensitive detection of human IgG based on signal amplification using a novel bio-barcode assay and DNA chip technology was developed. The sensing platform was a sandwich system made up of antibody-modified magnetic microparticles (Ab-MMPs)/human IgG/Cy3-labeled single-stranded DNA and antibody-modified gold nanoparticles (Cy3-ssDNA-Ab-AuNPs). The MMPs (2.5 {mu}m in diameter) modified with mouse anti-human IgG monoclonal-antibodies could capture human IgG and further be separated and enriched via a magnetic field. The AuNPs (13 nm in diameter) conjugated with goat anti-human IgG polyclonal-antibodies and Cy3-ssDNA could further combine with the human IgG/Ab-MMP complex. The Cy3-ssDNA on AuNPs was then released by TCEP to hybridize with the DNA chip, thus generating a detectable signal by the fluorescence intensity of Cy3. In order to improve detection sensitivity, a three-level cascaded signal amplification was developed: (1) The MMP enrichment as the first-level; (2) Large quantities of Cy3-ssDNA on AuNPs as the second-level; (3) The Cy3-ssDNA conjugate with DNA chip as the third-level. The highly sensitive technique showed an increased response of the fluorescence intensity to the increased concentration of human IgG through a detection range from 1 pg mL{sup -1} to 10 ng mL{sup -1}. This sensing technique could not only improve the detection sensitivity for the low concentration of human IgG but also present a robust and efficient signal amplification model. The detection method has good stability, specificity, and reproducibility and could be applied in the detection of human IgG in the real samples.

Highly sensitive detection of human IgG using a novel bio-barcode assay combined with DNA chip technology

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhenbao; Zhou, Bo; Wang, Haiqing; Lu, Feng; Liu, Tianjun; Song, Cunxian; Leng, Xigang

2013-09-01

A simple and ultrasensitive detection of human IgG based on signal amplification using a novel bio-barcode assay and DNA chip technology was developed. The sensing platform was a sandwich system made up of antibody-modified magnetic microparticles (Ab-MMPs)/human IgG/Cy3-labeled single-stranded DNA and antibody-modified gold nanoparticles (Cy3-ssDNA-Ab-AuNPs). The MMPs (2.5 μm in diameter) modified with mouse anti-human IgG monoclonal-antibodies could capture human IgG and further be separated and enriched via a magnetic field. The AuNPs (13 nm in diameter) conjugated with goat anti-human IgG polyclonal-antibodies and Cy3-ssDNA could further combine with the human IgG/Ab-MMP complex. The Cy3-ssDNA on AuNPs was then released by TCEP to hybridize with the DNA chip, thus generating a detectable signal by the fluorescence intensity of Cy3. In order to improve detection sensitivity, a three-level cascaded signal amplification was developed: (1) The MMP enrichment as the first-level; (2) Large quantities of Cy3-ssDNA on AuNPs as the second-level; (3) The Cy3-ssDNA conjugate with DNA chip as the third-level. The highly sensitive technique showed an increased response of the fluorescence intensity to the increased concentration of human IgG through a detection range from 1 pg mL-1 to 10 ng mL-1. This sensing technique could not only improve the detection sensitivity for the low concentration of human IgG but also present a robust and efficient signal amplification model. The detection method has good stability, specificity, and reproducibility and could be applied in the detection of human IgG in the real samples.

Highly sensitive detection of human IgG using a novel bio-barcode assay combined with DNA chip technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Zhenbao; Zhou, Bo; Wang, Haiqing; Lu, Feng; Liu, Tianjun; Song, Cunxian; Leng, Xigang

2013-01-01

A simple and ultrasensitive detection of human IgG based on signal amplification using a novel bio-barcode assay and DNA chip technology was developed. The sensing platform was a sandwich system made up of antibody-modified magnetic microparticles (Ab-MMPs)/human IgG/Cy3-labeled single-stranded DNA and antibody-modified gold nanoparticles (Cy3-ssDNA-Ab-AuNPs). The MMPs (2.5 μm in diameter) modified with mouse anti-human IgG monoclonal-antibodies could capture human IgG and further be separated and enriched via a magnetic field. The AuNPs (13 nm in diameter) conjugated with goat anti-human IgG polyclonal-antibodies and Cy3-ssDNA could further combine with the human IgG/Ab-MMP complex. The Cy3-ssDNA on AuNPs was then released by TCEP to hybridize with the DNA chip, thus generating a detectable signal by the fluorescence intensity of Cy3. In order to improve detection sensitivity, a three-level cascaded signal amplification was developed: (1) The MMP enrichment as the first-level; (2) Large quantities of Cy3-ssDNA on AuNPs as the second-level; (3) The Cy3-ssDNA conjugate with DNA chip as the third-level. The highly sensitive technique showed an increased response of the fluorescence intensity to the increased concentration of human IgG through a detection range from 1 pg mL −1 to 10 ng mL −1 . This sensing technique could not only improve the detection sensitivity for the low concentration of human IgG but also present a robust and efficient signal amplification model. The detection method has good stability, specificity, and reproducibility and could be applied in the detection of human IgG in the real samples

Human impact on the microbiological water quality of the rivers

OpenAIRE

P?ll, Em?ke; Niculae, Mihaela; Kiss, Timea; ?andru, Carmen Dana; Sp?nu, Marina

2013-01-01

Microbiological contamination is an important water-quality problem worldwide. Human impact on this category of contamination is significant and several human-related activities, and also the population explosion, have affected and are still affecting dramatically the aquatic environment. Extensive industrialization and agriculture have led to increased pollution and hydromorphological changes in many river basins. The Danube river is one of the most affected by these changes where human invo...

Human-Robot Collaboration Dynamic Impact Testing and Calibration Instrument for Disposable Robot Safety Artifacts.

Science.gov (United States)

Dagalakis, Nicholas G; Yoo, Jae Myung; Oeste, Thomas

2016-01-01

The Dynamic Impact Testing and Calibration Instrument (DITCI) is a simple instrument with a significant data collection and analysis capability that is used for the testing and calibration of biosimulant human tissue artifacts. These artifacts may be used to measure the severity of injuries caused in the case of a robot impact with a human. In this paper we describe the DITCI adjustable impact and flexible foundation mechanism, which allows the selection of a variety of impact force levels and foundation stiffness. The instrument can accommodate arrays of a variety of sensors and impact tools, simulating both real manufacturing tools and the testing requirements of standards setting organizations. A computer data acquisition system may collect a variety of impact motion, force, and torque data, which are used to develop a variety of mathematical model representations of the artifacts. Finally, we describe the fabrication and testing of human abdomen soft tissue artifacts, used to display the magnitude of impact tissue deformation. Impact tests were performed at various maximum impact force and average pressure levels.

Archiving and Databasing of Non-Human Primate Impact Data

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Dobie, Thomas

2001-01-01

The National Biodynamics Laboratory (NBDL) of the University of New Orleans has preserved recoverable indirect impact acceleration data from non-human primate subject tests performed by the former Naval Biodynamics Laboratory...

Sensitivity to ionizing radiation and chemotherapeutic agents in gemcitabine-resistant human tumor cell lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bree, Chris van; Kreder, Natasja Castro; Loves, Willem J.P.; Franken, Nicolaas A.P.; Peters, Godefridus J.; Haveman, Jaap

2002-01-01

Purpose: To determine cross-resistance to anti-tumor treatments in 2',2'difluorodeoxycytidine (dFdC, gemcitabine)-resistant human tumor cells. Methods and Materials: Human lung carcinoma cells SW-1573 (SWp) were made resistant to dFdC (SWg). Sensitivity to cisplatin (cDDP), paclitaxel, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), methotrexate (MTX), cytarabine (ara-C), and dFdC was measured by a proliferation assay. Radiosensitivity and radioenhancement by dFdC of this cell panel and the human ovarian carcinoma cell line A2780 and its dFdC-resistant variant AG6000 were determined by clonogenic assay. Bivariate flowcytometry was performed to study cell cycle changes. Results: In the SWg, a complete deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) deficiency was found on mRNA and protein level. This was accompanied by a 10-fold decrease in dCK activity which resulted in the >1000-fold resistance to dFdC. Sensitivity to other anti-tumor drugs was not altered, except for ara-C (>100-fold resistance). Radiosensitivity was not altered in the dFdC-resistant cell lines SWg and AG6000. High concentrations (50-100 μM dFdC) induced radioenhancement in the dFdC-resistant cell lines similar to the radioenhancement obtained at lower concentrations (10 nM dFdC) in the parental lines. An early S-phase arrest was found in all cell lines after dFdC treatment where radioenhancement was achieved. Conclusions: In the dFdC-resistant lung tumor cell line SWg, the deficiency in dCK is related to the resistance to dFdC and ara-C. No cross-resistance was observed to other anti-tumor drugs used for the treatment in lung cancer. Sensitivity to ionizing radiation was not altered in two different dFdC-resistant cell lines. Resistance to dFdC does not eliminate the ability of dFdC to sensitize cells to radiation

DNA-mediated strand displacement facilitates sensitive electronic detection of antibodies in human serums.

Science.gov (United States)

Dou, Baoting; Yang, Jianmei; Shi, Kai; Yuan, Ruo; Xiang, Yun

2016-09-15

We describe here the development of a sensitive and convenient electronic sensor for the detection of antibodies in human serums. The sensor is constructed by self-assembly formation of a mixed monolayer containing the small molecule epitope conjugated double stranded DNA probes on gold electrode. The target antibody binds the epitope on the dsDNA probe and lowers the melting temperature of the duplex, which facilitates the displacement of the antibody-linked strand of the duplex probe by an invading methylene blue-tagged single stranded DNA (MB-ssDNA) through the strand displacement reaction and leads to the capture of many MB-ssDNA on the sensor surface. Subsequent electrochemical oxidation of the methylene blue labels results in amplified current response for sensitive monitoring of the antibodies. The antibody assay conditions are optimized and the sensor exhibits a linear range between 1.0 and 25.0nM with a detection limit of 0.67nM for the target antibody. The sensor is also selective and can be employed to detect the target antibodies in human serum samples. With the advantages of using small molecule epitope as the antibody recognition element over traditional antigen, the versatile manipulability of the DNA probes and the unique properties of the electrochemical transduction technique, the developed sensor thus hold great potential for simple and sensitive detection of different antibodies and other proteins in real samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of human impacts on landuse and vegetation cover ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Assessment of human impacts on landuse and vegetation cover changes in Mubi region, Adamawa state, Nigeria; remote sensing and GIS approach. ... Global Journal of Environmental Sciences. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL ...

Dietary Sodium Restriction Decreases Insulin Secretion Without Affecting Insulin Sensitivity in Humans

Science.gov (United States)

Byrne, Loretta M.; Yu, Chang; Wang, Thomas J.; Brown, Nancy J.

2014-01-01

Context: Interruption of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system prevents incident diabetes in high-risk individuals, although the mechanism remains unclear. Objective: To test the hypothesis that activation of the endogenous renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system or exogenous aldosterone impairs insulin secretion in humans. Design: We conducted a randomized, blinded crossover study of aldosterone vs vehicle and compared the effects of a low-sodium versus a high-sodium diet. Setting: Academic clinical research center. Participants: Healthy, nondiabetic, normotensive volunteers. Interventions: Infusion of exogenous aldosterone (0.7 μg/kg/h for 12.5 h) or vehicle during low or high sodium intake. Low sodium (20 mmol/d; n = 12) vs high sodium (160 mmol/d; n = 17) intake for 5–7 days. Main Outcome Measures: Change in acute insulin secretory response assessed during hyperglycemic clamps while in sodium balance during a low-sodium vs high-sodium diet during aldosterone vs vehicle. Results: A low-sodium diet increased endogenous aldosterone and plasma renin activity, and acute glucose-stimulated insulin (−16.0 ± 5.6%; P = .007) and C-peptide responses (−21.8 ± 8.4%; P = .014) were decreased, whereas the insulin sensitivity index was unchanged (−1.0 ± 10.7%; P = .98). Aldosterone infusion did not affect the acute insulin response (+1.8 ± 4.8%; P = .72) or insulin sensitivity index (+2.0 ± 8.8%; P = .78). Systolic blood pressure and serum potassium were similar during low and high sodium intake and during aldosterone infusion. Conclusions: Low dietary sodium intake reduces insulin secretion in humans, independent of insulin sensitivity. PMID:25029426

How Well Does the Latest Anthropomorphic Test Device Mimic Human Impact Responses?

Science.gov (United States)

Newby, Nate; Somers, Jeff; Caldewll, Erin; Gernhardt, Michael

2014-01-01

One of the goals of the NASA Occupant Protection Group is to understand the human tolerance to dynamic loading. This knowledge has to come through indirect approaches such as existing human response databases, anthropometric test devices (ATD), animal testing, post-­-mortem human subjects, and models. This study investigated the biofidelity of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's ATD named the THOR (test device for human occupant restraint). If THOR responds comparably to humans, then it could potentially be used as a human surrogate to help validate space vehicle requirements for occupant protection. The THOR responses to frontal and spinal impacts (ranging from 8 to 12 G with rise times of 40, 70, and 100 ms) were measured and compared to human volunteer responses (95 trials in frontal and 58 in spinal) previously collected by the U. S. Air Force on the same horizontal impact accelerator. The impact acceleration profiles tested are within the expected range of multi-­-purpose crew vehicle (MPCV) landing dynamics. A correlation score was calculated for each THOR to human comparison using CORA (CORrelation and Analysis) software. A two-­-parameter beta distribution model fit was obtained for each dependent variable using maximum likelihood estimation. For frontal impacts, the THOR head x-­-acceleration peak response correlated with the human response at 8 and 10-­-G 100 ms but not 10-­-G 70 ms. The phase lagged the human response. Head z-­-acceleration was not correlated. Chest x-­-acceleration was in phase, had a higher peak response, and was well correlated with lighter subjects (Cora = 0.8 for 46 kg vs. Cora = 0.4 for 126 kg). Head x-­-displacement had a leading phase. Several subjects responded with the same peak displacement but the mean of the group was lower. The shoulder x-­-displacement was in phase but had higher peaks than the human response. For spinal impacts, the THOR head x-­-acceleration was not well correlated. Head and

The Human-Nature Relationship and Its Impact on Health: A Critical Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Seymour, Valentine

2016-01-01

Within the past four decades, research has been increasingly drawn toward understanding whether there is a link between the changing human-nature relationship and its impact on people's health. However, to examine whether there is a link requires research of its breadth and underlying mechanisms from an interdisciplinary approach. This article begins by reviewing the debates concerning the human-nature relationship, which are then critiqued and redefined from an interdisciplinary perspective. The concept and chronological history of "health" is then explored, based on the World Health Organization's definition. Combining these concepts, the human-nature relationship and its impact on human's health are then explored through a developing conceptual model. It is argued that using an interdisciplinary perspective can facilitate a deeper understanding of the complexities involved for attaining optimal health at the human-environmental interface.

Human impacts to mountain streams

Science.gov (United States)

Wohl, Ellen

2006-09-01

Mountain streams are here defined as channel networks within mountainous regions of the world. This definition encompasses tremendous diversity of physical and biological conditions, as well as history of land use. Human effects on mountain streams may result from activities undertaken within the stream channel that directly alter channel geometry, the dynamics of water and sediment movement, contaminants in the stream, or aquatic and riparian communities. Examples include channelization, construction of grade-control structures or check dams, removal of beavers, and placer mining. Human effects can also result from activities within the watershed that indirectly affect streams by altering the movement of water, sediment, and contaminants into the channel. Deforestation, cropping, grazing, land drainage, and urbanization are among the land uses that indirectly alter stream processes. An overview of the relative intensity of human impacts to mountain streams is provided by a table summarizing human effects on each of the major mountainous regions with respect to five categories: flow regulation, biotic integrity, water pollution, channel alteration, and land use. This table indicates that very few mountains have streams not at least moderately affected by land use. The least affected mountainous regions are those at very high or very low latitudes, although our scientific ignorance of conditions in low-latitude mountains in particular means that streams in these mountains might be more altered than is widely recognized. Four case studies from northern Sweden (arctic region), Colorado Front Range (semiarid temperate region), Swiss Alps (humid temperate region), and Papua New Guinea (humid tropics) are also used to explore in detail the history and effects on rivers of human activities in mountainous regions. The overview and case studies indicate that mountain streams must be managed with particular attention to upstream/downstream connections, hillslope

Elucidative analysis and sequencing of two respiratory health monitoring methods to study the impact of varying atmospheric composition on human health

Science.gov (United States)

Awasthi, Amit; Hothi, Navjot; Kaur, Prabhjot; Singh, Nirankar; Chakraborty, Monojit; Bansal, Sangeeta

2017-12-01

Atmospheric composition of ambient air consists of different gases in definite proportion that affect the earth's climate and its ecological system. Due to varied anthropogenic reasons, this composition is changed, which ultimately have an impact on the health of living beings. For survival, the human respiratory system is one of the sensitive systems, which is easily and closely affected by the change in atmospheric composition of an external environment. Many studies have been conducted to quantify the effects of atmospheric pollution on human health by using different approaches. This article presents different scenario of studies conducted to evaluate the effects on different human groups. Differences between the studies conducted using spirometry and survey methods are presented in this article to extract a better sequence between these two methodologies. Many studies have been conducted to measure the respiratory status by evaluating the respiratory symptoms and hospital admissions. Limited numbers of studies are found with repeated spirometry on the same subjects for long duration to nullify the error arising due to decrease in efforts by the same subjects during manoeuvre of pulmonary function tests. Present study reveals the importance of methodological sequencing in order to obtain more authentic and reliable results. This study suggests that impacts of deteriorating atmospheric composition on human health can be more significantly studied if spirometry is done after survey analysis. The article also proposes that efficiency and authenticity of surveys involving health impacts will increase, if medical data information of patients is saved in hospitals in a proper format.

Phenylbutyrate Sensitizes Human Glioblastoma Cells Lacking Wild-Type P53 Function to Ionizing Radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopez, Carlos A.; Feng, Felix Y.; Herman, Joseph M.; Nyati, Mukesh K.; Lawrence, Theodore S.; Ljungman, Mats

2007-01-01

Purpose: Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors induce growth arrest, differentiation, and apoptosis in cancer cells. Phenylbutyrate (PB) is a HDAC inhibitor used clinically for treatment of urea cycle disorders. Because of its low cytotoxicity, cerebrospinal fluid penetration, and high oral bioavailability, we investigated PB as a potential radiation sensitizer in human glioblastoma cell lines. Methods and Materials: Four glioblastoma cell lines were selected for this study. Phenylbutyrate was used at a concentration of 2 mM, which is achievable in humans. Western blots were used to assess levels of acetylated histone H3 in tumor cells after treatment with PB. Flow cytometry was used for cell cycle analysis. Clonogenic assays were performed to assess the effect of PB on radiation sensitivity. We used shRNA against p53 to study the role of p53 in radiosensitization. Results: Treatment with PB alone resulted in hyperacetylation of histones, confirmed by Western blot analysis. The PB alone resulted in cytostatic effects in three cell lines. There was no evidence of G 1 arrest, increase in sub-G 1 fraction or p21 protein induction. Clonogenic assays showed radiosensitization in two lines harboring p53 mutations, with enhancement ratios (± SE) of 1.5 (± 0.2) and 1.3 (± 0.1), respectively. There was no radiopotentiating effect in two cell lines with wild-type p53, but knockdown of wild-type p53 resulted in radiosensitization by PB. Conclusions: Phenylbutyrate can produce p21-independent cytostasis, and enhances radiation sensitivity in p53 mutant human glioblastoma cells in vitro. This suggests the potential application of combined PB and radiotherapy in glioblastoma harboring mutant p53

Sensitization of human cells by inhibitors of DNA synthesis following the action of DNA-damaging agents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Filatov, M.V.; Noskin, L.A. (Leningrad Inst. of Nuclear Physics, Gatchina (USSR))

1983-08-01

Inhibitors of DNA synthesis 1-..beta..-arabinofuranosylcytosine (Ac) and hydroxyurea (Hu) taken together drastically sensitized human cells to the killing effect of DNA-damaging agents. For UV-irradiation this sensitization depended on the cells' ability for excision repair. By using viscoelastometric methods of measurement of double-strand breaks (DSB) in the genome, it was established that the first DSB were generated after incubation of the damaged cells in the mixture of inhibitors at about the same dose when sensitization appeared. A scheme is proposed to describe molecular events associated with the phenomenon studied. 35 refs.

Impact of HIV/aids epidemic on human capital development in West Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Dauda, Rasaki Stephen

2018-01-12

West Africa occupies the third position with respect to the burden of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) globally, after Southern and East Africa. About 5 million adults and children are infected with the disease in the subregion, while HIV prevalence in the general population hovers around 2% and 5%. This paper attempts to investigate the impact of HIV/AIDS epidemic on human capital development in 11 West African countries over the period 1990 to 2011. The study used a dynamic panel data modeling approach, using first difference, difference generalized methods of moment, and system generalized methods of moment estimating techniques. Four measures of HIV/AIDS and 2 human capital measures were used in the study. The findings revealed that HIV/AIDS pandemic had negative and significant impact on human capital in West Africa. However, the statistical significance was more pronounced on life expectancy (a measure of human capital), while the negative impact on school enrolment (another human capital measure) was not significant. It is therefore recommended that the spread of HIV/AIDS disease in West Africa should be effectively controlled, while the number of infected persons undergoing antiretroviral therapy in the subregion should be increased to a near 100% coverage. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Characterizing the Sensitivity of Groundwater Storage to Climate variation in the Indus Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, L.; Sabo, J. L.

2017-12-01

Indus Basin represents an extensive groundwater aquifer facing the challenge of effective management of limited water resources. Groundwater storage is one of the most important variables of water balance, yet its sensitivity to climate change has rarely been explored. To better estimate present and future groundwater storage and its sensitivity to climate change in the Indus Basin, we analyzed groundwater recharge/discharge and their historical evolution in this basin. Several methods are applied to specify the aquifer system including: water level change and storativity estimates, gravity estimates (GRACE), flow model (MODFLOW), water budget analysis and extrapolation. In addition, all of the socioeconomic and engineering aspects are represented in the hydrological system through the change of temporal and spatial distributions of recharge and discharge (e.g., land use, crop structure, water allocation, etc.). Our results demonstrate that the direct impacts of climate change will result in unevenly distributed but increasing groundwater storage in the short term through groundwater recharge. In contrast, long term groundwater storage will decrease as a result of combined indirect and direct impacts of climate change (e.g. recharge/discharge and human activities). The sensitivity of groundwater storage to climate variation is characterized by topography, aquifer specifics and land use. Furthermore, by comparing possible outcomes of different human interventions scenarios, our study reveals human activities play an important role in affecting the sensitivity of groundwater storage to climate variation. Over all, this study presents the feasibility and value of using integrated hydrological methods to support sustainable water resource management under climate change.

Nordic reference study on uncertainty and sensitivity analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirschberg, S.; Jacobsson, P.; Pulkkinen, U.; Porn, K.

1989-01-01

This paper provides a review of the first phase of Nordic reference study on uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. The main objective of this study is to use experiences form previous Nordic Benchmark Exercises and reference studies concerning critical modeling issues such as common cause failures and human interactions, and to demonstrate the impact of associated uncertainties on the uncertainty of the investigated accident sequence. This has been done independently by three working groups which used different approaches to modeling and to uncertainty analysis. The estimated uncertainty interval for the analyzed accident sequence is large. Also the discrepancies between the groups are substantial but can be explained. Sensitivity analyses which have been carried out concern e.g. use of different CCF-quantification models, alternative handling of CCF-data, time windows for operator actions and time dependences in phase mission operation, impact of state-of-knowledge dependences and ranking of dominating uncertainty contributors. Specific findings with respect to these issues are summarized in the paper

Impact of variation in the BDNF gene on social stress sensitivity and the buffering impact of positive emotions: replication and extension of a gene-environment interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

van Winkel, Mark; Peeters, Frenk; van Winkel, Ruud; Kenis, Gunter; Collip, Dina; Geschwind, Nicole; Jacobs, Nele; Derom, Catherine; Thiery, Evert; van Os, Jim; Myin-Germeys, Inez; Wichers, Marieke

2014-06-01

A previous study reported that social stress sensitivity is moderated by the brain-derived-neurotrophic-factor(Val66Met) (BDNF rs6265) genotype. Additionally, positive emotions partially neutralize this moderating effect. The current study aimed to: (i) replicate in a new independent sample of subjects with residual depressive symptoms the moderating effect of BDNF(Val66Met) genotype on social stress sensitivity, (ii) replicate the neutralizing impact of positive emotions, (iii) extend these analyses to other variations in the BDNF gene in the new independent sample and the original sample of non-depressed individuals. Previous findings were replicated in an experience sampling method (ESM) study. Negative Affect (NA) responses to social stress were stronger in "Val/Met" carriers of BDNF(Val66Met) compared to "Val/Val" carriers. Positive emotions neutralized the moderating effect of BDNF(Val66Met) genotype on social stress sensitivity in a dose-response fashion. Finally, two of four additional BDNF SNPs (rs11030101, rs2049046) showed similar moderating effects on social stress-sensitivity across both samples. The neutralizing effect of positive emotions on the moderating effects of these two additional SNPs was found in one sample. In conclusion, ESM has important advantages in gene-environment (GxE) research and may attribute to more consistent findings in future GxE research. This study shows how the impact of BDNF genetic variation on depressive symptoms may be explained by its impact on subtle daily life responses to social stress. Further, it shows that the generation of positive affect (PA) can buffer social stress sensitivity and partially undo the genetic susceptibility. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Impact of the human activities on the climate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deque, M.

2007-01-01

In the framework of the A2 scenario of the GIEC, the possible impacts on the french climate, of the human activities are examined. It seems that the human activities imposed and will be able to impose a faster change of the climate than the natural changes. For the hundred coming years the main characteristics could be: an increase of the temperature, an increase of the rains in winter and a decrease in summer, a decrease of the water in soils expected in freezing areas and an increase of the drought periods. (A.L.B.)

Evaluating Modeled Impact Metrics for Human Health, Agriculture Growth, and Near-Term Climate

Science.gov (United States)

Seltzer, K. M.; Shindell, D. T.; Faluvegi, G.; Murray, L. T.

2017-12-01

Simulated metrics that assess impacts on human health, agriculture growth, and near-term climate were evaluated using ground-based and satellite observations. The NASA GISS ModelE2 and GEOS-Chem models were used to simulate the near-present chemistry of the atmosphere. A suite of simulations that varied by model, meteorology, horizontal resolution, emissions inventory, and emissions year were performed, enabling an analysis of metric sensitivities to various model components. All simulations utilized consistent anthropogenic global emissions inventories (ECLIPSE V5a or CEDS), and an evaluation of simulated results were carried out for 2004-2006 and 2009-2011 over the United States and 2014-2015 over China. Results for O3- and PM2.5-based metrics featured minor differences due to the model resolutions considered here (2.0° × 2.5° and 0.5° × 0.666°) and model, meteorology, and emissions inventory each played larger roles in variances. Surface metrics related to O3 were consistently high biased, though to varying degrees, demonstrating the need to evaluate particular modeling frameworks before O3 impacts are quantified. Surface metrics related to PM2.5 were diverse, indicating that a multimodel mean with robust results are valuable tools in predicting PM2.5-related impacts. Oftentimes, the configuration that captured the change of a metric best over time differed from the configuration that captured the magnitude of the same metric best, demonstrating the challenge in skillfully simulating impacts. These results highlight the strengths and weaknesses of these models in simulating impact metrics related to air quality and near-term climate. With such information, the reliability of historical and future simulations can be better understood.

Dosage sensitivity shapes the evolution of copy-number varied regions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benjamin Schuster-Böckler

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Dosage sensitivity is an important evolutionary force which impacts on gene dispensability and duplicability. The newly available data on human copy-number variation (CNV allow an analysis of the most recent and ongoing evolution. Provided that heterozygous gene deletions and duplications actually change gene dosage, we expect to observe negative selection against CNVs encompassing dosage sensitive genes. In this study, we make use of several sources of population genetic data to identify selection on structural variations of dosage sensitive genes. We show that CNVs can directly affect expression levels of contained genes. We find that genes encoding members of protein complexes exhibit limited expression variation and overlap significantly with a manually derived set of dosage sensitive genes. We show that complexes and other dosage sensitive genes are underrepresented in CNV regions, with a particular bias against frequent variations and duplications. These results suggest that dosage sensitivity is a significant force of negative selection on regions of copy-number variation.

Food-web structure of seagrass communities across different spatial scales and human impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

Coll, Marta; Schmidt, Allison; Romanuk, Tamara; Lotze, Heike K

2011-01-01

Seagrass beds provide important habitat for a wide range of marine species but are threatened by multiple human impacts in coastal waters. Although seagrass communities have been well-studied in the field, a quantification of their food-web structure and functioning, and how these change across space and human impacts has been lacking. Motivated by extensive field surveys and literature information, we analyzed the structural features of food webs associated with Zostera marina across 16 study sites in 3 provinces in Atlantic Canada. Our goals were to (i) quantify differences in food-web structure across local and regional scales and human impacts, (ii) assess the robustness of seagrass webs to simulated species loss, and (iii) compare food-web structure in temperate Atlantic seagrass beds with those of other aquatic ecosystems. We constructed individual food webs for each study site and cumulative webs for each province and the entire region based on presence/absence of species, and calculated 16 structural properties for each web. Our results indicate that food-web structure was similar among low impact sites across regions. With increasing human impacts associated with eutrophication, however, food-web structure show evidence of degradation as indicated by fewer trophic groups, lower maximum trophic level of the highest top predator, fewer trophic links connecting top to basal species, higher fractions of herbivores and intermediate consumers, and higher number of prey per species. These structural changes translate into functional changes with impacted sites being less robust to simulated species loss. Temperate Atlantic seagrass webs are similar to a tropical seagrass web, yet differed from other aquatic webs, suggesting consistent food-web characteristics across seagrass ecosystems in different regions. Our study illustrates that food-web structure and functioning of seagrass habitats change with human impacts and that the spatial scale of food-web analysis

Food-web structure of seagrass communities across different spatial scales and human impacts.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Coll

Full Text Available Seagrass beds provide important habitat for a wide range of marine species but are threatened by multiple human impacts in coastal waters. Although seagrass communities have been well-studied in the field, a quantification of their food-web structure and functioning, and how these change across space and human impacts has been lacking. Motivated by extensive field surveys and literature information, we analyzed the structural features of food webs associated with Zostera marina across 16 study sites in 3 provinces in Atlantic Canada. Our goals were to (i quantify differences in food-web structure across local and regional scales and human impacts, (ii assess the robustness of seagrass webs to simulated species loss, and (iii compare food-web structure in temperate Atlantic seagrass beds with those of other aquatic ecosystems. We constructed individual food webs for each study site and cumulative webs for each province and the entire region based on presence/absence of species, and calculated 16 structural properties for each web. Our results indicate that food-web structure was similar among low impact sites across regions. With increasing human impacts associated with eutrophication, however, food-web structure show evidence of degradation as indicated by fewer trophic groups, lower maximum trophic level of the highest top predator, fewer trophic links connecting top to basal species, higher fractions of herbivores and intermediate consumers, and higher number of prey per species. These structural changes translate into functional changes with impacted sites being less robust to simulated species loss. Temperate Atlantic seagrass webs are similar to a tropical seagrass web, yet differed from other aquatic webs, suggesting consistent food-web characteristics across seagrass ecosystems in different regions. Our study illustrates that food-web structure and functioning of seagrass habitats change with human impacts and that the spatial scale of

Impact of varying physical activity levels on airway sensitivity and bronchodilation in healthy humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Joshua R; Kurti, Stephanie P; Johnson, Ariel M; Kolmer, Sarah A; Harms, Craig

2015-12-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if the amount of physical activity influences airway sensitivity and bronchodilation in healthy subjects across a range of physical activity levels. Thirty healthy subjects (age, 21.9 ± 2.6 years; 13 men/17 women) with normal pulmonary function reported to the laboratory on 2 separate occasions where they were randomized to breathe either hypertonic saline (HS) (nebulized hypertonic saline (25%) for 20 min) or HS followed by 5 deep inspirations (DIs), which has been reported to bronchodilate the airways. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were performed prior to both conditions and following the HS breathing or 5 DIs. Moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) level was measured via accelerometer worn for 7 days. Following the HS breathing, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) significantly decreased from baseline by -11.8% ± 8.4% and -9.3% ± 6.7%, respectively. A 2-segment linear model determined significant relationships between MVPA and percent change in FEV1 (r = 0.50) and FVC (r = 0.55). MVPA above ∼497 and ∼500 min/week for FEV1 and FVC, respectively, resulted in minor additional improvements (p > 0.05) in PFTs following the HS breathing. Following the DIs, FEV1 and FVC decreased (p 0.05) to MVPA. In conclusion, these data demonstrate that higher MVPA levels attenuated airway sensitivity but not bronchodilation in healthy subjects.

Sensitive Tumorigenic Potential Evaluation of Adult Human Multipotent Neural Cells Immortalized by hTERT Gene Transduction.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kee Hang Lee

Full Text Available Stem cells and therapeutic genes are emerging as a new therapeutic approach to treat various neurodegenerative diseases with few effective treatment options. However, potential formation of tumors by stem cells has hampered their clinical application. Moreover, adequate preclinical platforms to precisely test tumorigenic potential of stem cells are controversial. In this study, we compared the sensitivity of various animal models for in vivo stem cell tumorigenicity testing to identify the most sensitive platform. Then, tumorigenic potential of adult human multipotent neural cells (ahMNCs immortalized by the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT gene was examined as a stem cell model with therapeutic genes. When human glioblastoma (GBM cells were injected into adult (4-6-week-old Balb/c-nu, adult NOD/SCID, adult NOG, or neonate (1-2-week-old NOG mice, the neonate NOG mice showed significantly faster tumorigenesis than that of the other groups regardless of intracranial or subcutaneous injection route. Two kinds of ahMNCs (682TL and 779TL were primary cultured from surgical samples of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. Although the ahMNCs were immortalized by lentiviral hTERT gene delivery (hTERT-682TL and hTERT-779TL, they did not form any detectable masses, even in the most sensitive neonate NOG mouse platform. Moreover, the hTERT-ahMNCs had no gross chromosomal abnormalities on a karyotype analysis. Taken together, our data suggest that neonate NOG mice could be a sensitive animal platform to test tumorigenic potential of stem cell therapeutics and that ahMNCs could be a genetically stable stem cell source with little tumorigenic activity to develop regenerative treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.

Skeletal muscle phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine are related to insulin sensitivity and respond to acute exercise in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Newsom, Sean A; Brozinick, Joseph T; Kiseljak-Vassiliades, Katja; Strauss, Allison N; Bacon, Samantha D; Kerege, Anna A; Bui, Hai Hoang; Sanders, Phil; Siddall, Parker; Wei, Tao; Thomas, Melissa; Kuo, Ming Shang; Nemkov, Travis; D'Alessandro, Angelo; Hansen, Kirk C; Perreault, Leigh; Bergman, Bryan C

2016-06-01

Several recent reports indicate that the balance of skeletal muscle phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) is a key determinant of muscle contractile function and metabolism. The purpose of this study was to determine relationships between skeletal muscle PC, PE and insulin sensitivity, and whether PC and PE are dynamically regulated in response to acute exercise in humans. Insulin sensitivity was measured via intravenous glucose tolerance in sedentary obese adults (OB; n = 14), individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D; n = 15), and endurance-trained athletes (ATH; n = 15). Vastus lateralis muscle biopsies were obtained at rest, immediately after 90 min of cycle ergometry at 50% maximal oxygen consumption (V̇o2 max), and 2-h postexercise (recovery). Skeletal muscle PC and PE were measured via infusion-based mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry analysis. ATH had greater levels of muscle PC and PE compared with OB and T2D (P insulin sensitivity (both P insulin sensitivity among the entire cohort (r = -0.43, P = 0.01). Muscle PC and PE were altered by exercise, particularly after 2 h of recovery, in a highly group-specific manner. However, muscle PC:PE ratio remained unchanged in all groups. In summary, total muscle PC and PE are positively related to insulin sensitivity while PC:PE ratio is inversely related to insulin sensitivity in humans. A single session of exercise significantly alters skeletal muscle PC and PE levels, but not PC:PE ratio. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Sensitive and Flexible Polymeric Strain Sensor for Accurate Human Motion Monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Hassan; Razmjou, Amir; Ebrahimi Warkiani, Majid; Kottapalli, Ajay; Asadnia, Mohsen

2018-02-01

Flexible electronic devices offer the capability to integrate and adapt with human body. These devices are mountable on surfaces with various shapes, which allow us to attach them to clothes or directly onto the body. This paper suggests a facile fabrication strategy via electrospinning to develop a stretchable, and sensitive poly (vinylidene fluoride) nanofibrous strain sensor for human motion monitoring. A complete characterization on the single PVDF nano fiber has been performed. The charge generated by PVDF electrospun strain sensor changes was employed as a parameter to control the finger motion of the robotic arm. As a proof of concept, we developed a smart glove with five sensors integrated into it to detect the fingers motion and transfer it to a robotic hand. Our results shows that the proposed strain sensors are able to detect tiny motion of fingers and successfully run the robotic hand.

Sensitive and Flexible Polymeric Strain Sensor for Accurate Human Motion Monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hassan Khan

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Flexible electronic devices offer the capability to integrate and adapt with human body. These devices are mountable on surfaces with various shapes, which allow us to attach them to clothes or directly onto the body. This paper suggests a facile fabrication strategy via electrospinning to develop a stretchable, and sensitive poly (vinylidene fluoride nanofibrous strain sensor for human motion monitoring. A complete characterization on the single PVDF nano fiber has been performed. The charge generated by PVDF electrospun strain sensor changes was employed as a parameter to control the finger motion of the robotic arm. As a proof of concept, we developed a smart glove with five sensors integrated into it to detect the fingers motion and transfer it to a robotic hand. Our results shows that the proposed strain sensors are able to detect tiny motion of fingers and successfully run the robotic hand.

Transcriptional differences between smokers and non-smokers and variance by obesity as a risk factor for human sensitivity to environmental exposures.

Science.gov (United States)

Nikodemova, Maria; Yee, Jeremiah; Carney, Patrick R; Bradfield, Christopher A; Malecki, Kristen Mc

2018-04-01

Obesity has been shown to alter response to air pollution and smoking but underlying biological mechanisms are largely unknown and few studies have explored mechanisms by which obesity increases human sensitivity to environmental exposures. Overall study goals were to investigate whole blood gene expression in smokers and non-smokers to examine associations between cigarette smoke and changes in gene expression by obesity status and test for effect modification. Relative fold-change in mRNA expression levels of 84 genes were analyzed using a Toxicity and Stress PCR array among 50 21-54 year old adults. Data on smoking status was confirmed using urinary cotinine levels. Adjusted models included age, gender, white blood cell count and body-mass index. Models comparing gene expression of smokers vs. non-smokers identified six differentially expressed genes associated with smoking after adjustments for covariates. Obesity was associated with 29 genes differentially expressed compared to non-obese. We also identified 9 genes with significant smoking/obesity interactions influencing mRNA levels in adjusted models comparing expression between smokers vs non-smokers for four DNA damage related genes (GADD45A, DDB2, RAD51 and P53), two oxidative stress genes (FTH1, TXN), two hypoxia response genes (BN1P3lL, ARNT), and one gene associated with unfolded protein response (ATF6B). Findings suggest that obesity alters human sensitivity to smoke exposures through several biological pathways by modifying gene expression. Additional studies are needed to fully understand the clinical impact of these effects, but risk assessments should consider underlying phenotypes, such as obesity, that may modulate sensitivity of vulnerable populations to environmental exposures. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sensitivity field distributions for segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis based on real human anatomy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danilov, A A; Rudnev, S G; V Vassilevski, Yu; Kramarenko, V K; Nikolaev, D V; Smirnov, A V; Salamatova, V Yu

2013-01-01

In this work, an adaptive unstructured tetrahedral mesh generation technology is applied for simulation of segmental bioimpedance measurements using high-resolution whole-body model of the Visible Human Project man. Sensitivity field distributions for a conventional tetrapolar, as well as eight- and ten-electrode measurement configurations are obtained. Based on the ten-electrode configuration, we suggest an algorithm for monitoring changes in the upper lung area.

Sensitivity field distributions for segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis based on real human anatomy

Science.gov (United States)

Danilov, A. A.; Kramarenko, V. K.; Nikolaev, D. V.; Rudnev, S. G.; Salamatova, V. Yu; Smirnov, A. V.; Vassilevski, Yu V.

2013-04-01

In this work, an adaptive unstructured tetrahedral mesh generation technology is applied for simulation of segmental bioimpedance measurements using high-resolution whole-body model of the Visible Human Project man. Sensitivity field distributions for a conventional tetrapolar, as well as eight- and ten-electrode measurement configurations are obtained. Based on the ten-electrode configuration, we suggest an algorithm for monitoring changes in the upper lung area.

Development of a sensitive and specific epitope-blocking ELISA for universal detection of antibodies to human enterovirus 71 strains.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fang He

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Human Enterovirus 71 (EV71 is a common cause of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD in young children. It is often associated with severe neurological diseases and mortalities in recent outbreaks across the Asia Pacific region. Currently, there is no efficient universal antibody test available to detect EV71 infections. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDING: In the present study, an epitope-blocking ELISA was developed to detect specific antibodies to human EV71 viruses in human or animal sera. The assay relies on a novel monoclonal antibody (Mab 1C6 that specifically binds to capsid proteins in whole EV71 viruses without any cross reaction to any EV71 capsid protein expressed alone. The sensitivity and specificity of the epitope-blocking ELISA for EV71 was evaluated and compared to microneutralization using immunized animal sera to multiple virus genotypes of EV71 and coxsackieviruses. Further, 200 serum sample from human individuals who were potentially infected with EV71 viruses were tested in both the blocking ELISA and microneutralization. Results indicated that antibodies to EV71 were readily detected in immunized animals or human sera by the epitope blocking ELISA whereas specimens with antibodies to other enteroviruses yielded negative results. This assay is not only simpler to perform but also shows higher sensitivity and specificity as compared to microneutralization. CONCLUSION: The epitope-blocking ELISA based on a unique Mab 1C6 provided highly sensitive and 100% specific detection of antibodies to human EV71 viruses in human sera.

56 Hydrological Dynamics and Human Impact on Ecosystems of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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Hydrological Dynamics and Human Impact on Ecosystems of Lake Tana, Northwestern. Ethiopia. 1Amare ... and lake level data were evaluated to identify change in climate and lake level. The annual ... economic importance. The total area of ...

Exploring the impact of climate variability during the Last Glacial Maximum on the pattern of human occupation of Iberia.

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, Ariane; Levavasseur, Guillaume; James, Patrick M A; Guiducci, Dario; Izquierdo, Manuel Arturo; Bourgeon, Lauriane; Kageyama, Masa; Ramstein, Gilles; Vrac, Mathieu

2014-08-01

The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) was a global climate event, which had significant repercussions for the spatial distribution and demographic history of prehistoric populations. In Eurasia, the LGM coincides with a potential bottleneck for modern humans and may mark the divergence date for Asian and European populations (Keinan et al., 2007). In this research, the impact of climate variability on human populations in the Iberian Peninsula during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is examined with the aid of downscaled high-resolution (16 × 16 km) numerical climate experiments. Human sensitivity to short time-scale (inter-annual) climate variability during this key time period, which follows the initial modern human colonisation of Eurasia and the extinction of the Neanderthals, is tested using the spatial distribution of archaeological sites. Results indicate that anatomically modern human populations responded to small-scale spatial patterning in climate variability, specifically inter-annual variability in precipitation levels as measured by the standard precipitation index. Climate variability at less than millennial scale, therefore, is shown to be an important component of ecological risk, one that played a role in regulating the spatial behaviour of prehistoric human populations and consequently affected their social networks. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using citizen science data to identify the sensitivity of species to human land use.

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Todd, Brian D; Rose, Jonathan P; Price, Steven J; Dorcas, Michael E

2016-12-01

Conservation practitioners must contend with an increasing array of threats that affect biodiversity. Citizen scientists can provide timely and expansive information for addressing these threats across large scales, but their data may contain sampling biases. We used randomization procedures to account for possible sampling biases in opportunistically reported citizen science data to identify species' sensitivities to human land use. We analyzed 21,044 records of 143 native reptile and amphibian species reported to the Carolina Herp Atlas from North Carolina and South Carolina between 1 January 1990 and 12 July 2014. Sensitive species significantly associated with natural landscapes were 3.4 times more likely to be legally protected or treated as of conservation concern by state resource agencies than less sensitive species significantly associated with human-dominated landscapes. Many of the species significantly associated with natural landscapes occurred primarily in habitats that had been nearly eradicated or otherwise altered in the Carolinas, including isolated wetlands, longleaf pine savannas, and Appalachian forests. Rare species with few reports were more likely to be associated with natural landscapes and 3.2 times more likely to be legally protected or treated as of conservation concern than species with at least 20 reported occurrences. Our results suggest that opportunistically reported citizen science data can be used to identify sensitive species and that species currently restricted primarily to natural landscapes are likely at greatest risk of decline from future losses of natural habitat. Our approach demonstrates the usefulness of citizen science data in prioritizing conservation and in helping practitioners address species declines and extinctions at large extents. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

Using NASA's GRACE and SMAP satellites to measure human impacts on the water cycle

Science.gov (United States)

Reager, J. T., II; Castle, S.; Turmon, M.; Famiglietti, J. S.; Fournier, S.

2017-12-01

Two satellite missions, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission and the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission are enabling the measurement of the dynamic state of the water cycle globally, offering a unique opportunity for the study of human impacts on terrestrial hydrology and an opportunity to quantify the direct augmentation of natural cycles by human activities. While many model-data fusion studies aim to apply observations to improve model performance, we present recent studies on measuring the multi-scale impacts of human activities by differencing or contrasting model simulations and observations. Results that will be presented include studies on: the measurement of human impacts on evapotranspiration in the Colorado River Basin; the estimation of the human portion of groundwater depletion in the Southwestern U.S.; and the influence of irrigation on runoff generation in the Mississippi River basin. Each of these cases has a unique implications for the sustainable use of natural resources by humans, and indicate the relevant extent and magnitude of human influence on natural processes, suggesting their importance for inclusion in hydrology and land-surface models.

Exploring the Human Ecology of the Younger Dryas Extraterrestrial Impact Event

Science.gov (United States)

Kennett, D. J.; Erlandson, J. M.; Braje, T. J.; Culleton, B. J.

2007-05-01

Several lines of evidence now exist for a major extraterrestrial impact event in North America at 12.9 ka (the YDB). This impact partially destabilized the Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets, triggered abrupt Younger Dryas cooling and extensive wildfires, and contributed to megafaunal extinction. This event also occurred soon after the well established colonization of the Americas by anatomically modern humans. Confirmation of this event would represent the first near-time extraterrestrial impact with significant effects on human populations. These likely included widespread, abrupt human mortality, population displacement, migration into less effected or newly established habitats, loss of cultural traditions, and resource diversification in the face of the massive megafaunal extinction and population reductions in surviving animal populations. Ultimately, these transformations established the context for the special character of plant and animal domestication and the emergence of agricultural economies in North America. We explore the Late Pleistocene archaeological record in North America within the context of documented major biotic changes associated with the YDB in North America and of the massive ecological affects hypothesized for this event.

An ancestral haplotype of the human PERIOD2 gene associates with reduced sensitivity to light-induced melatonin suppression.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tokiho Akiyama

Full Text Available Humans show various responses to the environmental stimulus in individual levels as "physiological variations." However, it has been unclear if these are caused by genetic variations. In this study, we examined the association between the physiological variation of response to light-stimulus and genetic polymorphisms. We collected physiological data from 43 subjects, including light-induced melatonin suppression, and performed haplotype analyses on the clock genes, PER2 and PER3, exhibiting geographical differentiation of allele frequencies. Among the haplotypes of PER3, no significant difference in light sensitivity was found. However, three common haplotypes of PER2 accounted for more than 96% of the chromosomes in subjects, and 1 of those 3 had a significantly low-sensitive response to light-stimulus (P < 0.05. The homozygote of the low-sensitive PER2 haplotype showed significantly lower percentages of melatonin suppression (P < 0.05, and the heterozygotes of the haplotypes varied their ratios, indicating that the physiological variation for light-sensitivity is evidently related to the PER2 polymorphism. Compared with global haplotype frequencies, the haplotype with a low-sensitive response was more frequent in Africans than in non-Africans, and came to the root in the phylogenetic tree, suggesting that the low light-sensitive haplotype is the ancestral type, whereas the other haplotypes with high sensitivity to light are the derived types. Hence, we speculate that the high light-sensitive haplotypes have spread throughout the world after the Out-of-Africa migration of modern humans.

Human borna disease virus infection impacts host proteome and histone lysine acetylation in human oligodendroglia cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Xia [Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China); Department of Neurology, The Fifth People' s Hospital of Shanghai, School of Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200240 (China); Zhao, Libo [Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China); Department of Neurology, The Third People' s Hospital of Chongqing, 400014 (China); Yang, Yongtao [Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China); Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016 (China); Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016 (China); Bode, Liv [Bornavirus Research Group affiliated to the Free University of Berlin, Berlin (Germany); Huang, Hua [Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China); Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016 (China); Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016 (China); Liu, Chengyu [Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016 (China); Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016 (China); Huang, Rongzhong [Department of Rehabilitative Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400010 (China); Zhang, Liang [Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China); Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016 (China); Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016 (China); and others

2014-09-15

Background: Borna disease virus (BDV) replicates in the nucleus and establishes persistent infections in mammalian hosts. A human BDV strain was used to address the first time, how BDV infection impacts the proteome and histone lysine acetylation (Kac) of human oligodendroglial (OL) cells, thus allowing a better understanding of infection-driven pathophysiology in vitro. Methods: Proteome and histone lysine acetylation were profiled through stable isotope labeling for cell culture (SILAC)-based quantitative proteomics. The quantifiable proteome was annotated using bioinformatics. Histone acetylation changes were validated by biochemistry assays. Results: Post BDV infection, 4383 quantifiable differential proteins were identified and functionally annotated to metabolism pathways, immune response, DNA replication, DNA repair, and transcriptional regulation. Sixteen of the thirty identified Kac sites in core histones presented altered acetylation levels post infection. Conclusions: BDV infection using a human strain impacted the whole proteome and histone lysine acetylation in OL cells. - Highlights: • A human strain of BDV (BDV Hu-H1) was used to infect human oligodendroglial cells (OL cells). • This study is the first to reveal the host proteomic and histone Kac profiles in BDV-infected OL cells. • BDV infection affected the expression of many transcription factors and several HATs and HDACs.

Human borna disease virus infection impacts host proteome and histone lysine acetylation in human oligodendroglia cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Xia; Zhao, Libo; Yang, Yongtao; Bode, Liv; Huang, Hua; Liu, Chengyu; Huang, Rongzhong; Zhang, Liang

2014-01-01

Background: Borna disease virus (BDV) replicates in the nucleus and establishes persistent infections in mammalian hosts. A human BDV strain was used to address the first time, how BDV infection impacts the proteome and histone lysine acetylation (Kac) of human oligodendroglial (OL) cells, thus allowing a better understanding of infection-driven pathophysiology in vitro. Methods: Proteome and histone lysine acetylation were profiled through stable isotope labeling for cell culture (SILAC)-based quantitative proteomics. The quantifiable proteome was annotated using bioinformatics. Histone acetylation changes were validated by biochemistry assays. Results: Post BDV infection, 4383 quantifiable differential proteins were identified and functionally annotated to metabolism pathways, immune response, DNA replication, DNA repair, and transcriptional regulation. Sixteen of the thirty identified Kac sites in core histones presented altered acetylation levels post infection. Conclusions: BDV infection using a human strain impacted the whole proteome and histone lysine acetylation in OL cells. - Highlights: • A human strain of BDV (BDV Hu-H1) was used to infect human oligodendroglial cells (OL cells). • This study is the first to reveal the host proteomic and histone Kac profiles in BDV-infected OL cells. • BDV infection affected the expression of many transcription factors and several HATs and HDACs

Human impact surveys in Mount Rainier National Park : past, present, and future

Science.gov (United States)

Regina M. Rochefort; Darin D. Swinney

2000-01-01

Three survey methods were utilized to describe human impacts in one wilderness management zone of Mount Rainier National Park: wilderness impact cards, social trail and campsite surveys, and condition class surveys. Results were compared with respect to assessment of wilderness condition and ecological integrity. Qualitative wilderness impact cards provided location of...

The variation field of the radiosensitivity in the human population: hypersensitivity and hypo sensitivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouffler, S.

2009-01-01

It is generally admitted in the radiotherapy practice that 5% of patients will present serious reactions of normal tissues. Studies made on human population confirm it exists variations of cell radiosensitivity and genetic factors contribute in a significant manner to the observed variations. The researches of markers able to predict the reactions of normal tissues to the therapy focussed on the identification of sensitive sub-group. It is however obvious that exists also a part of the population relatively hypo sensitive. It would be interesting to make studies on the genome to find genes associated to serious reactions of normal tissues to radiotherapy. (N.C.)

Human impacts on morphodynamic thresholds in estuarine systems

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Z. B.; Van Maren, D. S.; Ding, P. X.; Yang, S. L.; Van Prooijen, B. C.; De Vet, P. L. M.; Winterwerp, J. C.; De Vriend, H. J.; Stive, M. J. F.; He, Q.

2015-12-01

Many estuaries worldwide are modified, primarily driven by economic gain or safety. These works, combined with global climate changes heavily influence the morphologic development of estuaries. In this paper, we analyze the impact of human activities on the morphodynamic developments of the Scheldt Estuary and the Wadden Sea basins in the Netherlands and the Yangtze Estuary in China at various spatial scales, and identify mechanisms responsible for their change. Human activities in these systems include engineering works and dredging activities for improving and maintaining the navigation channels, engineering works for flood protection, and shoreline management activities such as land reclamations. The Yangtze Estuary is influenced by human activities in the upstream river basin as well, especially through the construction of many dams. The tidal basins in the Netherlands are also influenced by human activities along the adjacent coasts. Furthermore, all these systems are influenced by global changes through (accelerated) sea-level rise and changing weather patterns. We show that the cumulative impacts of these human activities and global changes may lead to exceeding thresholds beyond which the morphology of the tidal basins significantly changes, and loses its natural characteristics. A threshold is called tipping point when the changes are even irreversible. Knowledge on such thresholds or tipping points is important for the sustainable management of these systems. We have identified and quantified various examples of such thresholds and/or tipping points for the morphodynamic developments at various spatial and temporal scales. At the largest scale (mega-scale) we consider the sediment budget of a tidal basin as a whole. A smaller scale (macro-scale) is the development of channel structures in an estuary, especially the development of two competing channels. At the smallest scale (meso-scale) we analyze the developments of tidal flats and the connecting

The influence of human activity in the Arctic on climate and climate impacts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huntington, H.P. [23834 The Clearing Dr., Eagle River, AK 99577 (United States); Boyle, M. [Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6S 1K4 (Canada); Flowers, G.E. [Department of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6 (Canada); Weatherly, J.W. [Snow and Ice Division, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, 72 Lyme Road, Hanover, NH 03755 (United States); Hamilton, L.C. [Department of Sociology, University of New Hampshire, 20 College Road, Durham, NH 03824 (United States); Hinzman, L. [Water and Environment Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 755860, Fairbanks, AK 99775 (United States); Gerlach, C. [Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 757720, Fairbanks, AK 99775 (United States); Zulueta, R. [Department of Biology, Global Change Research Group, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, PS-240, San Diego, CA 92182 (United States); Nicolson, C. [Department of Natural Resources Conservation, University of Massachusetts, 160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA , 01003 (United States); Overpeck, J. [Institute for the Study of Planet Earth, University of Arizona, 715 North Park Avenue, 2nd Floor, Tucson, AZ, 85721 (United States)

2007-05-15

Human activities in the Arctic are often mentioned as recipients of climate-change impacts. In this paper we consider the more complicated but more likely possibility that human activities themselves can interact with climate or environmental change in ways that either mitigate or exacerbate the human impacts. Although human activities in the Arctic are generally assumed to be modest, our analysis suggests that those activities may have larger influences on the arctic system than previously thought. Moreover, human influences could increase substantially in the near future. First, we illustrate how past human activities in the Arctic have combined with climatic variations to alter biophysical systems upon which fisheries and livestock depend. Second, we describe how current and future human activities could precipitate or affect the timing of major transitions in the arctic system. Past and future analyses both point to ways in which human activities in the Arctic can substantially influence the trajectory of arctic system change.

The impact of human factor on labor productivity at the mining enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pinigina Galina

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article describes the term “human factor” which implies a person involved in the organizational process in the diversity of his natural and socio-psychological characteristics. The necessity to identify the impact of human factor on labour productivity at the mining enterprises is proved. It is assumed that considering human factor can be one of the ways to increase labour productivity. A research technique of the complex – mechanized team in order to identify the impact of human factor on its productivity is described. Definite research results and analysis which strongly support the assumption are given. The stages at which the human factor should be considered are analyzed. Based on the fact that person's mood determines all his vital functions, the following interpretation of the human factor was propose: to consider the human factor means to take into account everything that might spoil the mood of a person starting from his coming to the place of work till the work is finished. If it is necessary to provide high productivity, take care of the human mind. This thesis does not require proof and justification, it is obvious.

[EVALUATION OF THE HUMAN SENSITIVITY TO SMALLPOX VIRUS BY THE PRIMARY CULTURES OF THE MONOCYTE-MACROPHAGES].

Science.gov (United States)

Zamedyanskaya, A S; Titova, K A; Sergeev, Al A; Kabanov, A S; Bulychev, L E; Sergeev, Ar A; Galakhova, D O; Nesterov, A E; Nosareva, O V; Shishkina, L N; Taranov, O S; Omigov, V V; Agafonov, A P; Sergeev, A N

2016-01-01

Studies of the primary cultures of granulocytes, mononuclear, and monocyte-macrophage cells derived from human blood were performed using variola virus (VARV) in the doses of 0.001-0.021 PFU/cell (plaques-forming units per cell). Positive dynamics of the virus accumulation was observed only in the monocyte-macrophages with maximum values of virus concentration (5.0-5.5 Ig PFU/ml) mainly within six days after the infection. The fact of VARV replication in the monocyte-macrophages was confirmed by the data of electron microscopy. At the same time, virus vaccines when tested in doses 3.3 and 4.2 Ig PFU/ml did not show the ability to reproduce in these human cells. The people sensitivity to VARV as assessed from the data obtained on human monocyte-macrophages corresponded to -1 PFU (taking into account the smooth interaction of the virus in the body to the cells of this type), which is consistent to previously found theoretical data on the virus sensitivity. The human susceptibility to VARV assessed experimentally can be used to predict the adequacy of developed smallpox models (in vivo) based on susceptible animals. This is necessary for reliable assessment of the efficiency of development of drugs for treatment and prophylaxis of the smallpox.

Women, Human-Wildlife Conflict, and CBNRM: Hidden Impacts and Vulnerabilities in Kwandu Conservancy, Namibia

OpenAIRE

Kathryn Elizabeth Khumalo; Laurie Ann Yung

2015-01-01

Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) programmes are designed to ensure that rural residents benefit from conservation initiatives. But where human-wildlife conflict threatens life and livelihood, wildlife impacts can undermine the goals of CBNRM. Based on research on women′s experiences in Namibia′s Kwandu Conservancy, we examine both the visible and hidden impacts of human-wildlife conflict. In Kwandu Conservancy, the effects of human-wildlife conflict are ongoing, reaching be...

Androgen-Sensitized Apoptosis of HPr-1AR Human Prostate Epithelial Cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Congcong Chen

Full Text Available Androgen receptor (AR signaling is crucial to the development and homeostasis of the prostate gland, and its dysregulation mediates common prostate pathologies. The mechanisms whereby AR regulates growth suppression and differentiation of luminal epithelial cells in the prostate gland and proliferation of malignant versions of these cells have been investigated in human and rodent adult prostate. However, the cellular stress response of human prostate epithelial cells is not well understood, though it is central to prostate health and pathology. Here, we report that androgen sensitizes HPr-1AR and RWPE-AR human prostate epithelial cells to cell stress agents and apoptotic cell death. Although 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT treatment alone did not induce cell death, co-treatment of HPr-1AR cells with DHT and an apoptosis inducer, such as staurosporine (STS, TNFt, or hydrogen peroxide, synergistically increased cell death in comparison to treatment with each apoptosis inducer by itself. We found that the synergy between DHT and apoptosis inducer led to activation of the intrinsic/mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, which is supported by robust cleavage activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3. Further, the dramatic depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential that we observed upon co-treatment with DHT and STS is consistent with increased mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP in the pro-apoptotic mechanism. Interestingly, the synergy between DHT and apoptosis inducer was abolished by AR antagonists and inhibitors of transcription and protein synthesis, suggesting that AR mediates pro-apoptotic synergy through transcriptional regulation of MOMP genes. Expression analysis revealed that pro-apoptotic genes (BCL2L11/BIM and AIFM2 were DHT-induced, whereas pro-survival genes (BCL2L1/BCL-XL and MCL1 were DHT-repressed. Hence, we propose that the net effect of these AR-mediated expression changes shifts the balance of BCL2-family proteins

Understanding Human Impact: Second Graders Explore Watershed Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Magruder, Robin; Rosenauer, Julia

2016-01-01

This article describes a second grade science enrichment unit with a focus on human impact, both positive and negative, on the living and nonliving components of the local watershed. Investigating the local watershed gave the unit a personal and pragmatic connection to students' lives because they depend on the local watershed for what they need…

Radio-sensitization by Piper longumine of human breast adenoma MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Jian-Xin; Yao, Zhi-Feng; Li, Zhan-Feng; Liu, Yong-Biao

2014-01-01

The current study investigated the effects of Piper longumine on radio-sensitization of human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and underlying mechanisms. Human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells were cultured in vitro and those in logarithmic growth phase were selected for experiments divided into four groups: control, X-ray exposed, Piper longumine, and Piper longumine combined with X-rays. Conogenic assays were performed to determine the radio-sensitizing effects. Cell survival curves were fitted by single-hit multi-target model and then the survival fraction (SF), average lethal dose (D0), quasi-threshold dose (Dq) and sensitive enhancement ratio (SER) were calculated. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM).Western blot assays were employed for expression of apoptosis-related proteins (Bc1-2 and Bax) after treatment with Piper longumine and/or X-ray radiation. The intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was detected by FCM with a DCFH-DA probe. The cloning formation capacity was decreased in the group of piperlongumine plus radiation, which displayed the values of SF2, D0, Dq significantly lower than those of radiation alone group and the sensitive enhancement ratio (SER) of D0 was1.22 and 1.29, respectively. The cell apoptosis rate was increased by the combination treatment of Piper longumine and radiation. Piper longumine increased the radiation-induced intracellular levels of ROS. Compared with the control group and individual group, the combination group demonstrated significantly decreased expression of Bcl-2 with increased Bax. Piper longumine at a non-cytotoxic concentration can enhance the radio-sensitivity of MDA- MB-231cells, which may be related to its regulation of apoptosis-related protein expression and the increase of intracellular ROS level, thus increasing radiation-induced apoptosis.

Impacts of the Human Gut Microbiome on Therapeutics.

Science.gov (United States)

Vázquez-Baeza, Yoshiki; Callewaert, Chris; Debelius, Justine; Hyde, Embriette; Marotz, Clarisse; Morton, James T; Swafford, Austin; Vrbanac, Alison; Dorrestein, Pieter C; Knight, Rob

2018-01-06

The human microbiome contains a vast source of genetic and biochemical variation, and its impacts on therapeutic responses are just beginning to be understood. This expanded understanding is especially important because the human microbiome differs far more among different people than does the human genome, and it is also dramatically easier to change. Here, we describe some of the major factors driving differences in the human microbiome among individuals and populations. We then describe some of the many ways in which gut microbes modify the action of specific chemotherapeutic agents, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and cardiac glycosides, and outline the potential of fecal microbiota transplant as a therapeutic. Intriguingly, microbes also alter how hosts respond to therapeutic agents through various pathways acting at distal sites. Finally, we discuss some of the computational and practical issues surrounding use of the microbiome to stratify individuals for drug response, and we envision a future where the microbiome will be modified to increase everyone's potential to benefit from therapy.

Emotional expectations influence neural sensitivity to fearful faces in humans:An event-related potential study

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2010-01-01

The present study tested whether neural sensitivity to salient emotional facial expressions was influenced by emotional expectations induced by a cue that validly predicted the expression of a subsequently presented target face. Event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by fearful and neutral faces were recorded while participants performed a gender discrimination task under cued (‘expected’) and uncued (‘unexpected’) conditions. The behavioral results revealed that accuracy was lower for fearful compared with neutral faces in the unexpected condition, while accuracy was similar for fearful and neutral faces in the expected condition. ERP data revealed increased amplitudes in the P2 component and 200–250 ms interval for unexpected fearful versus neutral faces. By contrast, ERP responses were similar for fearful and neutral faces in the expected condition. These findings indicate that human neural sensitivity to fearful faces is modulated by emotional expectations. Although the neural system is sensitive to unpredictable emotionally salient stimuli, sensitivity to salient stimuli is reduced when these stimuli are predictable.

Accounting for the impact of conservation on human well-being.

Science.gov (United States)

Milner-Gulland, E J; McGregor, J A; Agarwala, M; Atkinson, G; Bevan, P; Clements, T; Daw, T; Homewood, K; Kumpel, N; Lewis, J; Mourato, S; Palmer Fry, B; Redshaw, M; Rowcliffe, J M; Suon, S; Wallace, G; Washington, H; Wilkie, D

2014-10-01

Conservationists are increasingly engaging with the concept of human well-being to improve the design and evaluation of their interventions. Since the convening of the influential Sarkozy Commission in 2009, development researchers have been refining conceptualizations and frameworks to understand and measure human well-being and are starting to converge on a common understanding of how best to do this. In conservation, the term human well-being is in widespread use, but there is a need for guidance on operationalizing it to measure the impacts of conservation interventions on people. We present a framework for understanding human well-being, which could be particularly useful in conservation. The framework includes 3 conditions; meeting needs, pursuing goals, and experiencing a satisfactory quality of life. We outline some of the complexities involved in evaluating the well-being effects of conservation interventions, with the understanding that well-being varies between people and over time and with the priorities of the evaluator. Key challenges for research into the well-being impacts of conservation interventions include the need to build up a collection of case studies so as to draw out generalizable lessons; harness the potential of modern technology to support well-being research; and contextualize evaluations of conservation impacts on well-being spatially and temporally within the wider landscape of social change. Pathways through the smog of confusion around the term well-being exist, and existing frameworks such as the Well-being in Developing Countries approach can help conservationists negotiate the challenges of operationalizing the concept. Conservationists have the opportunity to benefit from the recent flurry of research in the development field so as to carry out more nuanced and locally relevant evaluations of the effects of their interventions on human well-being. © 2014 The Authors. Conservation Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Syringic acid from Tamarix aucheriana possesses antimitogenic and chemo-sensitizing activities in human colorectal cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Abaza, Mohamed-Salah; Al-Attiyah, Raja'a; Bhardwaj, Radhika; Abbadi, Ghaneim; Koyippally, Mathew; Afzal, Mohammad

2013-09-01

For its variety of biological activities, Tamarix aucheriana (Decne.) Baum. (Tamaricaceae) has an extensive history as a traditional Arab medicine. Antimitogenic and chemo-sensitizing activities of syringic acid (SA) were studied against human colorectal cancer. Chromatographic and spectral data were used for the isolation and identification of SA. MTT, flow cytometry, in vitro invasion and angiogenesis assays, fluoremetry, ELISA and Real Time qPCR were used to test antimitogenic and chemo-sensitizing activities of SA, cell cycle, apoptosis, proteasome and NFκB-DNA-binding activities, cancer cell invasion and angiogenesis, and expression of cell cycle/apoptosis-related genes. SA showed a time- and dose-dependent (IC₅₀ = 0.95-1.2 mg mL⁻¹) antimitogenic effect against cancer cells with little cytotoxicity on normal fibroblasts (≤20%). SA-altered cell cycle (S/G2-M or G1/G2-M phases) in a time-dependent manner, induced apoptosis, inhibited DNA-binding activity of NFκB (p ≤ 0.0001), chymotrypsin-like/PGPH (peptidyl-glutamyl peptide-hydrolyzing) (p ≤ 0.0001) and the trypsin-like (p ≤ 0.002) activities of 26S proteasome and angiogenesis. SA also differentially sensitized cancer cells to standard chemotherapies with a marked increase in their sensitivity to camptothecin (500-fold), 5FU (20,000-fold), doxorubicin (210-fold), taxol (3134-fold), vinblastine (1000-fold), vincristine (130-fold) and amsacrine (107-fold) compared to standard drugs alone. SA exerted its chemotherapeutic and chemo-sensitizing effects through an array of mechanisms including cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis induction, inhibition of cell proliferation, cell migration, angiogenesis, NFκB DNA-binding and proteasome activities. These results demonstrate the potential of SA as an antimitogenic and chemo-sensitizing agent for human colorectal cancer.

Assessing Human Impacts on the Greater Akaki River, Ethiopia ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

We assessed the impacts of human activities on the Greater Akaki River using physicochemical parameters and macroinvertebrate metrics. Physicochemical samples and macroinvertebrates were collected bimonthly from eight sites established on the Greater Akaki River from February 2006 to April 2006. Eleven metrics ...

Land use and human impact in the Dinaric karst.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gams Ivan

1999-01-01

Full Text Available The artice presents Dinaric karst, human impacts in the area, and its long history of deforestation, transformation into stony semi-desert, and a century long reforestation, where plans to restore the primary thick soil were just hoping against hope.

Regional characterization of freshwater Use in LCA: modeling direct impacts on human health.

Science.gov (United States)

Boulay, Anne-Marie; Bulle, Cécile; Bayart, Jean-Baptiste; Deschênes, Louise; Margni, Manuele

2011-10-15

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a methodology that quantifies potential environmental impacts for comparative purposes in a decision-making context. While potential environmental impacts from pollutant emissions into water are characterized in LCA, impacts from water unavailability are not yet fully quantified. Water use can make the resource unavailable to other users by displacement or quality degradation. A reduction in water availability to human users can potentially affect human health. If financial resources are available, there can be adaptations that may, in turn, shift the environmental burdens to other life cycle stages and impact categories. This paper proposes a model to evaluate these potential impacts in an LCA context. It considers the water that is withdrawn and released, its quality and scarcity in order to evaluate the loss of functionality associated with water uses. Regionalized results are presented for impacts on human health for two modeling approaches regarding affected users, including or not domestic uses, and expressed in disability-adjusted life years (DALY). A consumption and quality based scarcity indicator is also proposed as a midpoint. An illustrative example is presented for the production of corrugated board with different effluents, demonstrating the importance of considering quality, process effluents and the difference between the modeling approaches.

Indicators for human toxicity in Life Cycle Impact Assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krewitt, Wolfram; Pennington, David W.; Olsen, Stig Irving

2002-01-01

The main objectives of this task group under SETAC-Europe’s Second Working Group on Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA-WIA2) were to identify and discuss the suitability of toxicological impact measures for human health for use in characterization in LCIA. The current state of the art of defining......, as well as potency. Quantitative severity-based indicators yield measures in terms of Years of Life Lost (YOLL), Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY), Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY) and other similar measures. DALYs and QALYs are examples of approaches that attempt to account for both years of life...... such as No Observed Effect Levels (NOEL). NOELs, and similar data, are determined in laboratory studies using rodents and are then extrapolated to more relevant human measures. Many examples also exist of measures and methods beyond potency-based indicators that attempt to account for differences in expected severity...

Influence of the human reliability in the assessment of the impact on the risk of changes of CLO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martorell, P.; Martorell, S.; Marton, I.; Saiz, M.

2014-01-01

Treatment and study of epistemic uncertainties is of special importance in the application of the analysis of probabilistic security to informed decision-making in risk, as points out the guide regulatory 1,174 [1] (Regulatory Guide 1,174, RG1.174). Specifically, the RG 1.177 [2] details of the impact on risk assessment concerning changes in the technical operating specifications (ETF). Based on the framework defined by such regulatory guides, will be assessed the effect of uncertainties epistemic associated with the analysis of human reliability in the context of the limit conditions of operation. As an example of application, will be held a sensitivity study of the time of inoperability Completion Time, the Residual heat removal system. (Author)

A multivariate relationship for the impact sensitivities of energetic N-nitrocompounds based on bond dissociation energy.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jinshan

2010-02-15

The ZPE-corrected N-NO(2) bond dissociation energies (BDEs(ZPE)) of a series of model N-nitrocompounds and typical energetic N-nitrocompounds have been calculated using density functional theory methods. Computed results show that using the 6-31G** basis set the UB3LYP calculated BDE(ZPE) is similar to the B3PW91 but is less than the UB3P86 and that for both UB3P86 and UB3PW91 methods the 6-31G(**) calculated BDE(ZPE) is close to the 6-31++G(**). For the series of model N-nitrocompounds it is drawn from the NBO analysis that at the UB3LYP/6-31G(**) level the order of BDE(ZPE) is not only in line with that of bond order but also with that of the energy gap between N-NO(2) bond and antibond orbitals. For the typical energetic N-nitrocompounds the impact sensitivity is strongly related to the BDE(ZPE) indeed, and based on the BDEs(ZPE) calculated at different density functional theory levels this work has established a good multivariate correlation of impact sensitivity with molecular parameters, which provides a method to address the sensitivity problem.

Assessing the impact of revegetation and weed control on urban sensitive bird species.

Science.gov (United States)

Archibald, Carla L; McKinney, Matthew; Mustin, Karen; Shanahan, Danielle F; Possingham, Hugh P

2017-06-01

Nature in cities is concentrated in urban green spaces, which are key areas for urban biodiversity and also important areas to connect people with nature. To conserve urban biodiversity within these natural refugia, habitat restoration such as weed control and revegetation is often implemented. These actions are expected to benefit biodiversity, although species known to be affected by urbanization may not be interacting with restoration in the ways we anticipate. In this study, we use a case study to explore how urban restoration activities impact different bird species. Birds were grouped into urban sensitivity categories and species abundance, and richness was then calculated using a hierarchical species community model for individual species responses, with "urban class" used as the hierarchical parameter. We highlight variable responses of birds to revegetation and weed control based on their level of urban sensitivity. Revegetation of open grassy areas delivers significant bird conservation outcomes, but the effects of weed control are neutral or in some cases negative. Specifically, the species most reliant on remnant vegetation in cities seem to remain stable or decline in abundance in areas with weed control, which we suspect is the result of a simplification of the understorey. The literature reports mixed benefits of weed control between taxa and between locations. We recommend, in our case study site, that weed control be implemented in concert with replanting of native vegetation to provide the understory structure preferred by urban sensitive birds. Understanding the impacts of revegetation and weed control on different bird species is important information for practitioners to make restoration decisions about the allocation of funds for conservation action. This new knowledge can be used both for threatened species and invasive species management.

Comparative Human Health Impact Assessment of Engineered Nanomaterials in the Framework of Life Cycle Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Fransman, Wouter; Buist, Harrie; Kuijpers, Eelco; Walser, Tobias; Meyer, David; Zondervan-van den Beuken, Esther; Westerhout, Joost; Klein Entink, Rinke H; Brouwer, Derk H

2017-07-01

For safe innovation, knowledge on potential human health impacts is essential. Ideally, these impacts are considered within a larger life-cycle-based context to support sustainable development of new applications and products. A methodological framework that accounts for human health impacts caused by inhalation of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in an indoor air environment has been previously developed. The objectives of this study are as follows: (i) evaluate the feasibility of applying the CF framework for NP exposure in the workplace based on currently available data; and (ii) supplement any resulting knowledge gaps with methods and data from the life cycle approach and human risk assessment (LICARA) project to develop a modified case-specific version of the framework that will enable near-term inclusion of NP human health impacts in life cycle assessment (LCA) using a case study involving nanoscale titanium dioxide (nanoTiO 2 ). The intent is to enhance typical LCA with elements of regulatory risk assessment, including its more detailed measure of uncertainty. The proof-of-principle demonstration of the framework highlighted the lack of available data for both the workplace emissions and human health effects of ENMs that is needed to calculate generalizable characterization factors using common human health impact assessment practices in LCA. The alternative approach of using intake fractions derived from workplace air concentration measurements and effect factors based on best-available toxicity data supported the current case-by-case approach for assessing the human health life cycle impacts of ENMs. Ultimately, the proposed framework and calculations demonstrate the potential utility of integrating elements of risk assessment with LCA for ENMs once the data are available. © 2016 Society for Risk Analysis.

Impact of calcium-sensitive dyes on the beating properties and pharmacological responses of human iPS-derived cardiomyocytes using the calcium transient assay.

Science.gov (United States)

Kopljar, Ivan; Hermans, An N; Teisman, Ard; Gallacher, David J; Lu, Hua Rong

Calcium-based screening of hiPS-CMs is a useful preclinical safety evaluation platform with the ability to generate robust signals that facilitates high-throughput screening and data analysis. However, due to the potential inherent toxicities, it is important to understand potential effects of different calcium-sensitive dyes on the hiPS-CMs model. We compared three calcium-sensitive fluorescence dyes (Cal520, ACTOne and Calcium 5) for their impact on the variability, the beating properties and the pharmacological responses of hiPS-CMs using the Hamamatsu FDSS/μCell imaging platform. Direct effects of three dyes on the electrophysiological properties of hiPS-CMs were evaluated with the multi-electrode array (MEA) Axion Maestro platform. We propose a specific experimental protocol for each dye which gives the most optimal assay conditions to minimize variability and possible adverse effects. We showed that Cal520 had the smallest effect on hiPS-CMs together with the longest-lasting stable amplitude signal (up to 4 h). Although all dyes had a (minor) acute effect on hiPS-CMs, in the form of reduced beat rate and prolonged field potential duration, the selection of the dye did not influence the pharmacological response of four cardioactive drugs (dofetilide, moxifloxacin, nimodipine and isoprenaline). In conclusion, we have documented that different calcium sensitive dyes have only minor direct (acute) effects on hiPS-CMs with Cal520 showing the least effects and the longest lasting signal amplitude. Importantly, drug-induced pharmacological responses in hiPS-CMs were comparable between the three dyes. These findings should help further improve the robustness of the hiPS-CMs-based calcium transient assay as a predictive, preclinical cardiac safety evaluation tool. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radioimmunoelectrophoresis, a sensitive method for detecting cleavage of the fifth component of human complement (C5)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez, H.D.; Ong, R.; Banda, D.; Goldstein, I.M.

1983-01-01

A method has been developed for detecting cleavage of human C5 in serum and whole blood as a consequence of complement activation. Standard, single-dimension immunoelectrophoresis was performed using as antibody a radioiodinated IgG fraction prepared from a commercially available antiserum to human C5. Autoradiographs developed after radioimmunoelectrophoresis of either normal human serum or functionally pure human C5 revealed only one precipitin band. In contrast, when either zymosan-treated serum or trypsin-treated human C5 were examined with this technique, two additional precipitin bands were detected. One migrated more anodally than native C5 while the other remained at the origin (cathode). Radioimmunoelectrophoresis was significantly more sensitive as an indicator of complement activation in human serum than either measurements of total hemolytic complement or a standard assay for complement (C5)-derived chemotactic activity. (Auth.)

The impact of corruption on the sustainable development of human capital

Science.gov (United States)

Absalyamova, Svetlana; Absalyamov, Timur; Khusnullova, Asiya; Mukhametgalieva, Chulpan

2016-08-01

The article explains the use of the human capital sustainable development index (HCSDI) to assess the quality of the reproduction of human capital. The paper provides the algorithm for calculating HCSDI and its components. Authors estimated cross-country differences of HCSDI and developed econometric model of the impact of corruption on HCSDI. The use of this model has allowed to reveal the mechanism and assess the impact of corruption on HCSDI and its components. The results of econometric analysis revealed a negative multiplier effect: an increase in the corruption of the socio-economic system of the state by 1% caused HCSDI reduce by more than 1%. The results and conclusions may be proxy-assessments of the socio-economic consequences of violations of the stability of reproduction of human capital in the conditions of the growth of corruption in the country

Women, Human-Wildlife Conflict, and CBNRM: Hidden Impacts and Vulnerabilities in Kwandu Conservancy, Namibia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathryn Elizabeth Khumalo

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM programmes are designed to ensure that rural residents benefit from conservation initiatives. But where human-wildlife conflict threatens life and livelihood, wildlife impacts can undermine the goals of CBNRM. Based on research on women′s experiences in Namibia′s Kwandu Conservancy, we examine both the visible and hidden impacts of human-wildlife conflict. In Kwandu Conservancy, the effects of human-wildlife conflict are ongoing, reaching beyond direct material losses to include hidden impacts such as persistent worries about food insecurity, fears for physical safety, and lost investments. Existing vulnerabilities related to poverty and marital statuses make some women more susceptible to wildlife impacts, and less able to recover from losses or to access compensation. This process may actually deepen the vulnerability of women whose economic status is already marginal. Because the benefits of wildlife conservation accrue at multiple scales, we recommend that the cost of human-wildlife conflict be better distributed, with additional resources for prevention and compensation made available for conservancy residents.

Impacts of geo-physical factors and human disturbance on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

We examined vegetation-disturbance-environment relationships in the Xiaomengyang Section of Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve (XNR) using multivariate analysis to understand the impacts of geo-physical factors and human disturbance on vegetation along the highway corridor. We found that native forests were the best ...

Fall Protection Characteristics of Safety Belts and Human Impact Tolerance.

Science.gov (United States)

Hino, Yasumichi; Ohdo, Katsutoshi; Takahashi, Hiroki

2014-08-23

Many fatal accidents due to falls from heights have occurred at construction sites not only in Japan but also in other countries. This study aims to determine the fall prevention performance of two types of safety belts: a body belt 1) , which has been used for more than 40 yr in the Japanese construction industry as a general type of safety equipment for fall accident prevention, and a full harness 2, 3) , which has been used in many other countries. To determine human tolerance for impact trauma, this study discusses features of safety belts with reference 4-9) to relevant studies in the medical science, automobile crash safety, and aircrew safety. For this purpose, simple drop tests were carried out in a virtual workplace to measure impact load, head acceleration, and posture in the experiments, the Hybrid-III pedestrian model 10) was used as a human dummy. Hybrid-III is typically employed in official automobile crash tests (New Car Assessment Program: NCAP) and is currently recognized as a model that faithfully reproduces dynamic responses. Experimental results shows that safety performance strongly depends on both the variety of safety belts used and the shock absorbers attached onto lanyards. These findings indicate that fall prevention equipment, such as safety belts, lanyards, and shock absorbers, must be improved to reduce impact injuries to the human head and body during falls.

Comparative DNA microarray analysis of human monocyte derived dendritic cells and MUTZ-3 cells exposed to the moderate skin sensitizer cinnamaldehyde

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Python, Francois; Goebel, Carsten; Aeby, Pierre

2009-01-01

The number of studies involved in the development of in vitro skin sensitization tests has increased since the adoption of the EU 7th amendment to the cosmetics directive proposing to ban animal testing for cosmetic ingredients by 2013. Several studies have recently demonstrated that sensitizers induce a relevant up-regulation of activation markers such as CD86, CD54, IL-8 or IL-1β in human myeloid cell lines (e.g., U937, MUTZ-3, THP-1) or in human peripheral blood monocyte-derived dendritic cells (PBMDCs). The present study aimed at the identification of new dendritic cell activation markers in order to further improve the in vitro evaluation of the sensitizing potential of chemicals. We have compared the gene expression profiles of PBMDCs and the human cell line MUTZ-3 after a 24-h exposure to the moderate sensitizer cinnamaldehyde. A list of 80 genes modulated in both cell types was obtained and a set of candidate marker genes was selected for further analysis. Cells were exposed to selected sensitizers and non-sensitizers for 24 h and gene expression was analyzed by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Results indicated that PIR, TRIM16 and two Nrf2-regulated genes, CES1 and NQO1, are modulated by most sensitizers. Up-regulation of these genes could also be observed in our recently published DC-activation test with U937 cells. Due to their role in DC activation, these new genes may help to further refine the in vitro approaches for the screening of the sensitizing properties of a chemical.

Climate change, ozone depletion and the impact on ultraviolet exposure of human skin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diffey, Brian

2004-01-01

For 30 years there has been concern that anthropogenic damage to the Earth's stratospheric ozone layer will lead to an increase of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching the Earth's surface, with a consequent adverse impact on human health, especially to the skin. More recently, there has been an increased awareness of the interactions between ozone depletion and climate change (global warming), which could also impact on human exposure to terrestrial UV. The most serious effect of changing UV exposure of human skin is the potential rise in incidence of skin cancers. Risk estimates of this disease associated with ozone depletion suggest that an additional peak incidence of 5000 cases of skin cancer per year in the UK would occur around the mid-part of this century. Climate change, which is predicted to lead to an increased frequency of extreme temperature events and high summer temperatures, will become more frequent in the UK. This could impact on human UV exposure by encouraging people to spend more time in the sun. Whilst future social trends remain uncertain, it is likely that over this century behaviour associated with climate change, rather than ozone depletion, will be the largest determinant of sun exposure, and consequent impact on skin cancer, of the UK population. (topical review)

Using Impact-Relevant Sensitivities to Efficiently Evaluate and Select Climate Change Scenarios

Science.gov (United States)

Vano, J. A.; Kim, J. B.; Rupp, D. E.; Mote, P.

2014-12-01

We outline an efficient approach to help researchers and natural resource managers more effectively use global climate model information in their long-term planning. The approach provides an estimate of the magnitude of change of a particular impact (e.g., summertime streamflow) from a large ensemble of climate change projections prior to detailed analysis. These estimates provide both qualitative information as an end unto itself (e.g., the distribution of future changes between emissions scenarios for the specific impact) and a judicious, defensible evaluation structure that can be used to qualitatively select a sub-set of climate models for further analysis. More specifically, the evaluation identifies global climate model scenarios that both (1) span the range of possible futures for the variable/s most important to the impact under investigation, and (2) come from global climate models that adequately simulate historical climate, providing plausible results for the future climate in the region of interest. To identify how an ecosystem process responds to projected future changes, we methodically sample, using a simple sensitivity analysis, how an impact variable (e.g., streamflow magnitude, vegetation carbon) responds locally to projected regional temperature and precipitation changes. We demonstrate our technique over the Pacific Northwest, focusing on two types of impacts each in three distinct geographic settings: (a) changes in streamflow magnitudes in critical seasons for water management in the Willamette, Yakima, and Upper Columbia River basins; and (b) changes in annual vegetation carbon in the Oregon and Washington Coast Ranges, Western Cascades, and Columbia Basin ecoregions.

Diagnostic sensitivity of two radio receptor assays (TRAK Assay and TRAK Dyno human) for the detection of TSH receptor antibodies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paunkovic, N.; Paunkovic, J.

2003-01-01

Radio receptor assays for the detection of TSH receptor antibodies in serum are typically based on binding the competition of TSH-R antibodies and 125I -labelled-TSH for membrane preparation of thyrocytes (TBII tests). The sensitivity of the available tests utilizing porcine cell membranes was found to be around 80%. A new test (TRAK Dyno human, BRAHMS) utilizes human recombinant TSH receptor and human standard material that is supposed to improve the performance of the test. We have compared the results of these two assays. The sensitivity of the TRAK Assay tested in 356 patients with untreated Grave's disease was found to be 85%, and 97.5% for TRAK Dyno human in 111 newly diagnosed patients. Both tests were performed from the same serum specimen for 60 of the investigated patients. The TRAK Assay was positive in 50 patients (83.2%) and TRAK Dyno human in 59 patients (98.3%). The specificity of the new radio receptor assay was also improved. (author)

Recent Trends in Local-Scale Marine Biodiversity Reflect Community Structure and Human Impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

Elahi, Robin; O'Connor, Mary I; Byrnes, Jarrett E K; Dunic, Jillian; Eriksson, Britas Klemens; Hensel, Marc J S; Kearns, Patrick J

2015-07-20

The modern biodiversity crisis reflects global extinctions and local introductions. Human activities have dramatically altered rates and scales of processes that regulate biodiversity at local scales. Reconciling the threat of global biodiversity loss with recent evidence of stability at fine spatial scales is a major challenge and requires a nuanced approach to biodiversity change that integrates ecological understanding. With a new dataset of 471 diversity time series spanning from 1962 to 2015 from marine coastal ecosystems, we tested (1) whether biodiversity changed at local scales in recent decades, and (2) whether we can ignore ecological context (e.g., proximate human impacts, trophic level, spatial scale) and still make informative inferences regarding local change. We detected a predominant signal of increasing species richness in coastal systems since 1962 in our dataset, though net species loss was associated with localized effects of anthropogenic impacts. Our geographically extensive dataset is unlikely to be a random sample of marine coastal habitats; impacted sites (3% of our time series) were underrepresented relative to their global presence. These local-scale patterns do not contradict the prospect of accelerating global extinctions but are consistent with local species loss in areas with direct human impacts and increases in diversity due to invasions and range expansions in lower impact areas. Attempts to detect and understand local biodiversity trends are incomplete without information on local human activities and ecological context. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pred-Skin: A Fast and Reliable Web Application to Assess Skin Sensitization Effect of Chemicals.

Science.gov (United States)

Braga, Rodolpho C; Alves, Vinicius M; Muratov, Eugene N; Strickland, Judy; Kleinstreuer, Nicole; Trospsha, Alexander; Andrade, Carolina Horta

2017-05-22

Chemically induced skin sensitization is a complex immunological disease with a profound impact on quality of life and working ability. Despite some progress in developing alternative methods for assessing the skin sensitization potential of chemical substances, there is no in vitro test that correlates well with human data. Computational QSAR models provide a rapid screening approach and contribute valuable information for the assessment of chemical toxicity. We describe the development of a freely accessible web-based and mobile application for the identification of potential skin sensitizers. The application is based on previously developed binary QSAR models of skin sensitization potential from human (109 compounds) and murine local lymph node assay (LLNA, 515 compounds) data with good external correct classification rate (0.70-0.81 and 0.72-0.84, respectively). We also included a multiclass skin sensitization potency model based on LLNA data (accuracy ranging between 0.73 and 0.76). When a user evaluates a compound in the web app, the outputs are (i) binary predictions of human and murine skin sensitization potential; (ii) multiclass prediction of murine skin sensitization; and (iii) probability maps illustrating the predicted contribution of chemical fragments. The app is the first tool available that incorporates quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models based on human data as well as multiclass models for LLNA. The Pred-Skin web app version 1.0 is freely available for the web, iOS, and Android (in development) at the LabMol web portal ( http://labmol.com.br/predskin/ ), in the Apple Store, and on Google Play, respectively. We will continuously update the app as new skin sensitization data and respective models become available.

Spatial and temporal changes in cumulative human impacts on the world's ocean.

Science.gov (United States)

Halpern, Benjamin S; Frazier, Melanie; Potapenko, John; Casey, Kenneth S; Koenig, Kellee; Longo, Catherine; Lowndes, Julia Stewart; Rockwood, R Cotton; Selig, Elizabeth R; Selkoe, Kimberly A; Walbridge, Shaun

2015-07-14

Human pressures on the ocean are thought to be increasing globally, yet we know little about their patterns of cumulative change, which pressures are most responsible for change, and which places are experiencing the greatest increases. Managers and policymakers require such information to make strategic decisions and monitor progress towards management objectives. Here we calculate and map recent change over 5 years in cumulative impacts to marine ecosystems globally from fishing, climate change, and ocean- and land-based stressors. Nearly 66% of the ocean and 77% of national jurisdictions show increased human impact, driven mostly by climate change pressures. Five percent of the ocean is heavily impacted with increasing pressures, requiring management attention. Ten percent has very low impact with decreasing pressures. Our results provide large-scale guidance about where to prioritize management efforts and affirm the importance of addressing climate change to maintain and improve the condition of marine ecosystems.

The Impact of Human Encroachment and River Bank Agricultural ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The impact of human encroachment and river bank Agricultural activities on the habitat of the manatee (Trichechus Senegalensis) was investigated. The method of data collection involved the use of a structured questionnaire administered to farmers and fishermen. Vegetation survey in three selected sites along the river ...

Alkylation sensitivity screens reveal a conserved cross-species functionome

Science.gov (United States)

Svilar, David; Dyavaiah, Madhu; Brown, Ashley R.; Tang, Jiang-bo; Li, Jianfeng; McDonald, Peter R.; Shun, Tong Ying; Braganza, Andrea; Wang, Xiao-hong; Maniar, Salony; St Croix, Claudette M.; Lazo, John S.; Pollack, Ian F.; Begley, Thomas J.; Sobol, Robert W.

2013-01-01

To identify genes that contribute to chemotherapy resistance in glioblastoma, we conducted a synthetic lethal screen in a chemotherapy-resistant glioblastoma derived cell line with the clinical alkylator temozolomide (TMZ) and an siRNA library tailored towards “druggable” targets. Select DNA repair genes in the screen were validated independently, confirming the DNA glycosylases UNG and MYH as well as MPG to be involved in the response to high dose TMZ. The involvement of UNG and MYH is likely the result of a TMZ-induced burst of reactive oxygen species. We then compared the human TMZ sensitizing genes identified in our screen with those previously identified from alkylator screens conducted in E. coli and S. cerevisiae. The conserved biological processes across all three species composes an Alkylation Functionome that includes many novel proteins not previously thought to impact alkylator resistance. This high-throughput screen, validation and cross-species analysis was then followed by a mechanistic analysis of two essential nodes: base excision repair (BER) DNA glycosylases (UNG, human and mag1, S. cerevisiae) and protein modification systems, including UBE3B and ICMT in human cells or pby1, lip22, stp22 and aim22 in S. cerevisiae. The conserved processes of BER and protein modification were dual targeted and yielded additive sensitization to alkylators in S. cerevisiae. In contrast, dual targeting of BER and protein modification genes in human cells did not increase sensitivity, suggesting an epistatic relationship. Importantly, these studies provide potential new targets to overcome alkylating agent resistance. PMID:23038810

Monomeric tartrate resistant acid phosphatase induces insulin sensitive obesity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pernilla Lång

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Obesity is associated with macrophage infiltration of adipose tissue, which may link adipose inflammation to insulin resistance. However, the impact of inflammatory cells in the pathophysiology of obesity remains unclear. Tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP is an enzyme expressed by subsets of macrophages and osteoclasts that exists either as an enzymatically inactive monomer or as an active, proteolytically processed dimer.Using mice over expressing TRAP, we show that over-expression of monomeric, but not the dimeric form in adipose tissue leads to early onset spontaneous hyperplastic obesity i.e. many small fat cells. In vitro, recombinant monomeric, but not proteolytically processed TRAP induced proliferation and differentiation of mouse and human adipocyte precursor cells. In humans, monomeric TRAP was highly expressed in the adipose tissue of obese individuals. In both the mouse model and in the obese humans the source of TRAP in adipose tissue was macrophages. In addition, the obese TRAP over expressing mice exhibited signs of a low-grade inflammatory reaction in adipose tissue without evidence of abnormal adipocyte lipolysis, lipogenesis or insulin sensitivity.Monomeric TRAP, most likely secreted from adipose tissue macrophages, induces hyperplastic obesity with normal adipocyte lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity.

Differentiation-associated decrease in muscarinic receptor sensitivity in human neuroblastoma cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heikkilae, J.E.; Scott, J.G.; Suominen, L.A.; Akerman, K.E.O.

1987-01-01

Muscarinic receptor-linked increases in intracellular free Ca 2+ as measured with quin-2 and Ca 2+ release from monolayers of cells have been measured in the human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. Induction of differentiation with the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) leads to a decrease in the sensitivity of the cells to low concentrations of agonists with respect to the induced increase in cytosolic free Ca 2+ and stimulation of Ca 2+ efflux. No decrease in agonist binding affinity was observed when the displacement of a labelled antagonist, 3 H-NMS, by a non-labelled agonist was studied

Polarization sensitive changes in the human macula associated with normal aging and age-related macular degeneration

Science.gov (United States)

VanNasdale, Dean Allan, Jr.

2011-12-01

The human macula occupies a relatively small, but crucial retinal area, as it is the location responsible for our most acute spatial vision and best color discrimination. Localizing important landmarks in the retina is difficult even in normal eyes where morphological inter-individual variability is high. This becomes even more challenging in the presence of sight-threatening pathology. With respect to the human macula, there remains a significant gap in the understanding of normal structure and function. Even less is known about the pathological mechanisms that occur in sight-threatening diseases including age-related macular degeneration. Because relatively little is known about normal aging changes, it is also difficult to differentiate those changes from changes associated with retinal disease. To better understand normal and pathological changes in the macula, imaging techniques using specific optical signatures are required. Structural features in the macula can be distinguished based on their intrinsic properties using specific light/tissue interactions. Because of the high degree of structural regularity in the macula, polarization sensitive imaging is potentially a useful tool for evaluating the morphology and integrity of the cellular architecture for both normal individuals and those affected by disease. In our investigations, we used polarization sensitive imaging to determining normal landmarks that are important clinically and for research investigations. We found that precision and accuracy in localizing the central macula was greatly improved through the use of polarization sensitive imaging. We also found that specific polarization alterations can be used to demonstrate systematic changes as a function of age, disproportionately affecting the central macular region. When evaluating patients with age-related macular degeneration, we found that precision and accuracy of localizing the central macula was also improved, even when significant pathology

Human impact on the microbiological water quality of the rivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Páll, Emőke; Niculae, Mihaela; Kiss, Timea; Şandru, Carmen Dana; Spînu, Marina

2013-11-01

Microbiological contamination is an important water-quality problem worldwide. Human impact on this category of contamination is significant and several human-related activities, and also the population explosion, have affected and are still affecting dramatically the aquatic environment. Extensive industrialization and agriculture have led to increased pollution and hydromorphological changes in many river basins. The Danube river is one of the most affected by these changes where human involvement is undeniable, and subsequently, the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve became one of the most vulnerable ecosystems. This review is an attempt to analyse the microbiological contamination and to identify the major role human activities play in altering the water quality of the rivers.

Sex differences in vascular endothelial function and health in humans: impacts of exercise.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Daniel J; Hopkins, Nicola D; Jones, Helen; Thijssen, Dick H J; Eijsvogels, Thijs M H; Yeap, Bu B

2016-02-01

What is the topic of this review? This brief review discusses potential sex differences in arterial function across the age span, with special emphasis on the effects of oestrogen and testosterone on the vascular endothelium. What advances does it highlight? We discuss the relationship between the impacts of sex hormones on arterial function and health in the context of epidemiological evidence pertaining to the menopause and ageing. Studies performed in humans are emphasized, alongside insights from animal studies. Findings suggest that the combination of exercise and hormone administration should be potentially synergistic or additive in humans. This brief review presents historical evidence for the purported impacts of male and female sex hormones on the vasculature in humans, including effects on macro- and microvascular function and health. Impacts of ageing on hormonal changes and arterial function are considered in the context of the menopause. Physiological data are presented alongside clinical outcomes from large trials, in an attempt to rationalize disparate findings along the bench-to-bedside continuum. Finally, the theoretical likelihood that exercise and hormone treatment may induce synergistic and/or additive vascular adaptations is developed in the context of recent laboratory studies that have compared male and female responses to training. Differences between men and women in terms of the impact of age and cardiorespiratory fitness on endothelial function are addressed. Ultimately, this review highlights the paucity of high-quality and compelling evidence regarding the fundamental impact, in humans, of sex differences on arterial function and the moderating impacts of exercise on arterial function, adaptation and health at different ages in either sex. © 2015 The Authors. Experimental Physiology © 2015 The Physiological Society.

Human impacts affect tree community features of 20 forest fragments of a vanishing neotropical hotspot.

Science.gov (United States)

Pereira, José Aldo Alves; de Oliveira-Filho, Ary Teixeira; Eisenlohr, Pedro V; Miranda, Pedro L S; de Lemos Filho, José Pires

2015-02-01

The loss in forest area due to human occupancy is not the only threat to the remaining biodiversity: forest fragments are susceptible to additional human impact. Our aim was to investigate the effect of human impact on tree community features (species composition and abundance, and structural descriptors) and check if there was a decrease in the number of slender trees, an increase in the amount of large trees, and also a reduction in the number of tree species that occur in 20 fragments of Atlantic montane semideciduous forest in southeastern Brazil. We produced digital maps of each forest fragment using Landsat 7 satellite images and processed the maps to obtain morphometric variables. We used investigative questionnaires and field observations to survey the history of human impact. We then converted the information into scores given to the extent, severity, and duration of each impact, including proportional border area, fire, trails, coppicing, logging, and cattle, and converted these scores into categorical levels. We used linear models to assess the effect of impacts on tree species abundance distribution and stand structural descriptors. Part of the variation in floristic patterns was significantly correlated to the impacts of fire, logging, and proportional border area. Structural descriptors were influenced by cattle and outer roads. Our results provided, for the first time, strong evidence that tree species occurrence and abundance, and forest structure of Atlantic seasonal forest fragments respond differently to various modes of disturbance by humans.

Multivariate sensitivity to voice during auditory categorization.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yune Sang; Peelle, Jonathan E; Kraemer, David; Lloyd, Samuel; Granger, Richard

2015-09-01

Past neuroimaging studies have documented discrete regions of human temporal cortex that are more strongly activated by conspecific voice sounds than by nonvoice sounds. However, the mechanisms underlying this voice sensitivity remain unclear. In the present functional MRI study, we took a novel approach to examining voice sensitivity, in which we applied a signal detection paradigm to the assessment of multivariate pattern classification among several living and nonliving categories of auditory stimuli. Within this framework, voice sensitivity can be interpreted as a distinct neural representation of brain activity that correctly distinguishes human vocalizations from other auditory object categories. Across a series of auditory categorization tests, we found that bilateral superior and middle temporal cortex consistently exhibited robust sensitivity to human vocal sounds. Although the strongest categorization was in distinguishing human voice from other categories, subsets of these regions were also able to distinguish reliably between nonhuman categories, suggesting a general role in auditory object categorization. Our findings complement the current evidence of cortical sensitivity to human vocal sounds by revealing that the greatest sensitivity during categorization tasks is devoted to distinguishing voice from nonvoice categories within human temporal cortex. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Leadership and Followership in Organizational Impact Humanity in Government Sector

OpenAIRE

Ahmad Norazilawani; Hassan Hanum

2018-01-01

Leadership in organizational behavior can be impact of humanity in Goverrment Sector., tourism, service sector. Communication style in the organization is very important and also key forces in providing employees with job satisfaction, humanity and communication skills. When employees do not get satisfaction from their jobs, morale drops an absences and lateness increases. Any person just follow instruction from a leader behavior and subordinates even the step, instruction good job, take acti...

Impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms: quantifying sensitivities and interaction with warming

Science.gov (United States)

Kroeker, Kristy J; Kordas, Rebecca L; Crim, Ryan; Hendriks, Iris E; Ramajo, Laura; Singh, Gerald S; Duarte, Carlos M; Gattuso, Jean-Pierre

2013-01-01

Ocean acidification represents a threat to marine species worldwide, and forecasting the ecological impacts of acidification is a high priority for science, management, and policy. As research on the topic expands at an exponential rate, a comprehensive understanding of the variability in organisms' responses and corresponding levels of certainty is necessary to forecast the ecological effects. Here, we perform the most comprehensive meta-analysis to date by synthesizing the results of 228 studies examining biological responses to ocean acidification. The results reveal decreased survival, calcification, growth, development and abundance in response to acidification when the broad range of marine organisms is pooled together. However, the magnitude of these responses varies among taxonomic groups, suggesting there is some predictable trait-based variation in sensitivity, despite the investigation of approximately 100 new species in recent research. The results also reveal an enhanced sensitivity of mollusk larvae, but suggest that an enhanced sensitivity of early life history stages is not universal across all taxonomic groups. In addition, the variability in species' responses is enhanced when they are exposed to acidification in multi-species assemblages, suggesting that it is important to consider indirect effects and exercise caution when forecasting abundance patterns from single-species laboratory experiments. Furthermore, the results suggest that other factors, such as nutritional status or source population, could cause substantial variation in organisms' responses. Last, the results highlight a trend towards enhanced sensitivity to acidification when taxa are concurrently exposed to elevated seawater temperature. PMID:23505245

Decoding of faces and face components in face-sensitive human visual cortex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David F Nichols

2010-07-01

Full Text Available A great challenge to the field of visual neuroscience is to understand how faces are encoded and represented within the human brain. Here we show evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI for spatially distributed processing of the whole face and its components in face-sensitive human visual cortex. We used multi-class linear pattern classifiers constructed with a leave-one-scan-out verification procedure to discriminate brain activation patterns elicited by whole faces, the internal features alone, and the external head outline alone. Furthermore, our results suggest that whole faces are represented disproportionately in the fusiform cortex (FFA whereas the building blocks of faces are represented disproportionately in occipitotemporal cortex (OFA. Faces and face components may therefore be organized with functional clustering within both the FFA and OFA, but with specialization for face components in the OFA and the whole face in the FFA.

Investigation of the various structure parameters for predicting impact sensitivity of energetic molecules via artificial neural network

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keshavarz, Mohammad Hossein; Jaafari, Mohammad [Department of Chemistry, Malek-Ashtar University of Technology, Shahin-Shahr, P.O. Box 83145/115 (Iran)

2006-06-15

A generalized scheme is introduced for predicting impact sensitivity of any explosives by using artificial neural networks. Experimental values for the impact sensitivity for 291 compounds containing C, H, N and O have been used for training and testing sets. The input descriptors include aromatic character, heteroaromatic character, the number of N-NO{sub 2} bonds and the number of {alpha}-hydrogen atoms as well as the number of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen divided by molecular weight. The reliability of the proposed model was assessed by comparing the results against measured values as well as five models of complicated quantum mechanical computed values of 14 CHNO explosives from a variety of chemical structures. The model gives root mean squares errors of 41 cm and 56 cm for training and test sets, respectively, of the H{sub 50} quantity. (Abstract Copyright [2006], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Evaluation of cloned cells, animal model, and ATRA sensitivity of human testicular yolk sac tumor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhao Junfeng

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract The testicular yolk sac tumor (TYST is the most common neoplasm originated from germ cells differentiated abnormally, a major part of pediatric malignant testicular tumors. The present study aimed at developing and validating the in vitro and vivo models of TYST and evaluating the sensitivity of TYST to treatments, by cloning human TYST cells and investigating the histology, ultra-structure, growth kinetics and expression of specific proteins of cloned cells. We found biological characteristics of cloned TYST cells were similar to the yolk sac tumor and differentiated from the columnar to glandular-like or goblet cells-like cells. Chromosomes for tumor identification in each passage met nature of the primary tumor. TYST cells were more sensitive to all-trans-retinoic acid which had significantly inhibitory effects on cell proliferation. Cisplatin induced apoptosis of TYST cells through the activation of p53 expression and down-regulation of Bcl- expression. Thus, we believe that cloned TYST cells and the animal model developed here are useful to understand the molecular mechanism of TYST cells and develop potential therapies for human TYST.

USEtox: The UNEP-SETAC consensus model for life-cycle impacts on human health and ecosystems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hauschild, Michael Zwicky; McKone, Tom; Huijbregts, Mark A.J.

2007-01-01

Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) characterizes emissions for the life-cycle assessment (LCA) of a product by translating these emissions into their potential impacts on human health, ecosystems, global climate and other resources. This process requires substance-specific characterization factors...... (CFs) that represent the relative potential of specific chemical emissions to impact human disease burden and ecosystem health. Within the Life Cycle Initiative, a joint initiative of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC...... and transparent tool for making human health and ecosystem CF estimates. The consensus model has now been used to calculate CFs for several thousand substances and is intended to form the basis of the recommendations from UNEP-SETAC‘s Life Cycle Initiative regarding characterization of toxic impacts in Life Cycle...

Impact of Boko Haram insurgency on human security in Nigeria ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Impact of Boko Haram insurgency on human security in Nigeria. ... Global Journal of Social Sciences ... denied millions of children and youths access to education; increased the number of internally displaced persons with dire need of shelter ...

A quantitative impact analysis of sensor failures on human operator's decision making in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seong, Poong Hyun

2004-01-01

In emergency or accident situations in nuclear power plants, human operators take important roles in generating appropriate control signals to mitigate accident situation. In human reliability analysis (HRA) in the framework of probabilistic safety assessment (PSA), the failure probabilities of such appropriate actions are estimated and used for the safety analysis of nuclear power plants. Even though understanding the status of the plant is basically the process of information seeking and processing by human operators, it seems that conventional HRA methods such as THERP, HCR, and ASEP does not pay a lot of attention to the possibilities of providing wrong information to human operators. In this paper, a quantitative impact analysis of providing wrong information to human operators due to instrument faults or sensor failures is performed. The quantitative impact analysis is performed based on a quantitative situation assessment model. By comparing the situation in which there are sensor failures and the situation in which there are not sensor failures, the impact of sensor failures can be evaluated quantitatively. It is concluded that the impact of sensor failures are quite significant at the initial stages, but the impact is gradually reduced as human operators make more and more observations. Even though the impact analysis is highly dependent on the situation assessment model, it is expected that the conclusions made based on other situation assessment models with be consistent with the conclusion made in this paper. (author)

Radiation sensitization by dihydroartemisinin on human HeLa cells of cervical cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Xialin; Cao Jianping; Ji Rong; Zhu Wei; Liu Yang; Gong Xiaomei; Tang Yan; Pan Chunyan; Fan Saijun

2009-01-01

Objective: To investigate the radiosensitizing effects of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) on human HeLa cells of cervical cancer irradiated by X rays. Methods: Cell growth kinetics was determined using MTF assay. Cell survival was analyzed by elonogenic assay. The change of cell cycle and apeptosis was measured by flow cytometry. Results: Dihydroartemisinin inhibited the growth of HeLa cells of human cervical cancer and showed a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. Dihydroartemisinin (20 μmol/L) showed the radiosensitizing effects on HeLa cells, and the sensitizing enhancement ratio (SER) was 1.47. Dihydroartemisinin abrogated radiation-induced G 2 arrest of the tested HeLa cells, the G 2 ratio of medicine + radiation group dechned from 73.58% to 48.31%. Dihydroartemisinin enhanced the apoptosis of HeLa cells by X-irradiation, the apoptosis rates of medicine + radiation group significantly increased from 29.46%, 48.04%, 70.21% to 45.79%, 66.36% and 79.58%, respectively for 2, 4 and 6 Gy. Conclusions: Dihydroartemisinin could increase the radiosensitivity of HeLa cells of human cervical cancer. Abrogation of radiation-induced C 2 arrest could be part of the mechanism. (authors)

Sensitivity of human cells expressing low-fidelity or weak-catalytic-activity variants of DNA polymerase ζ to genotoxic stresses.

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Tetsuya; Grúz, Petr; Honma, Masamitsu; Adachi, Noritaka; Nohmi, Takehiko

2016-09-01

Translesion DNA polymerases (TLS pols) play critical roles in defense mechanisms against genotoxic agents. The defects or mutations of TLS pols are predicted to result in hypersensitivity of cells to environmental mutagens. In this study, human cells expressing DNA polymerase ζ (Pol ζ) variants with low fidelity or weak catalytic activity have been established with Nalm-6-MSH+ cells and their sensitivity to mutagenicity and cytotoxicity of benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide (BPDE) and ultraviolet-C light (UV-C) was examined. The low-fidelity mutants were engineered by knocking-in DNA sequences that direct changes of leucine 2618 to either phenylalanine (L2618F) or methionine (L2618M) of Pol ζ. The weak-catalytic-activity mutants were generated by knocking-in DNA sequences that direct changes of either tyrosine 2779 to phenylalanine (Y2779F) or aspartate 2781 to asparagine (D2781N). In addition, a +1 frameshift mutation, i.e., CCC to CCCC, was introduced in the coding region of the TK1 gene to measure the mutant frequencies. Doubling time and spontaneous TK mutant frequencies of the established cell lines were similar to those of the wild-type cells. The low-fidelity mutants displayed, however, higher sensitivity to the mutagenicity of BPDE and UV-C than the wild-type cells although their cytotoxic sensitivity was not changed. In contrast, the weak-catalytic-activity mutants were more sensitive to the cytotoxicity of BPDE and UV-C than the wild-type cells, and displayed much higher sensitivity to the clastogenicity of BPDE than the wild-type cells in an in vitro micronucleus assay. These results indicate that human Pol ζ is involved in TLS across DNA lesions induced by BPDE and UV-C and also that the TLS plays important roles in induction of mutations, clastogenicity and in cellular survival of the damaged human cells. Similarities and differences in in vivo roles of yeast and human Pol ζ in genome integrity are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights

Late Quaternary dynamics of a South African floodplain wetland and the implications for assessing recent human impacts

Science.gov (United States)

Tooth, S.; Rodnight, H.; McCarthy, T. S.; Duller, G. A. T.; Grundling, A. T.

2009-05-01

glaciated during the Quaternary, many other floodplain wetlands may be of similar antiquity, but the Klip River illustrates their sensitivity to direct and indirect human impacts.

Climate impacts on human livelihoods at 1.5° and 2° of warming

Science.gov (United States)

Lissner, Tabea

2017-04-01

The measurement of impacts of climate change on socio-economic systems remains challenging and especially multi-dimensional outcome measures remain scarce. Climate impacts can directly affect many dimensions of human livelihoods, which cannot be addressed by monetary assessments alone. Multi-dimensional measures are essential in order to understand the full range of consequences of climate change and to understand the costs that higher levels of warming may have, not only in economic terms, but also in terms of non-market impacts on human livelihood. The AHEAD framework aims at measuring "Adequate Human livelihood conditions for wEll-being And Development" in a multi-dimensional framework, allowing to focus on resources and conditions which are a requirement to attain well-being. In this contribution we build on previous implementations of AHEAD and focus on differences in climate impacts at 1.5° and 2° of warming in order to improve our understanding of the societal consequences of these different warming levels.

Sensitivity analysis of human brain structural network construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuang Wei

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Network neuroscience leverages diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and tractography to quantify structural connectivity of the human brain. However, scientists and practitioners lack a clear understanding of the effects of varying tractography parameters on the constructed structural networks. With diffusion images from the Human Connectome Project (HCP, we characterize how structural networks are impacted by the spatial resolution of brain atlases, total number of tractography streamlines, and grey matter dilation with various graph metrics. We demonstrate how injudicious combinations of highly refined brain parcellations and low numbers of streamlines may inadvertently lead to disconnected network models with isolated nodes. Furthermore, we provide solutions to significantly reduce the likelihood of generating disconnected networks. In addition, for different tractography parameters, we investigate the distributions of values taken by various graph metrics across the population of HCP subjects. Analyzing the ranks of individual subjects within the graph metric distributions, we find that the ranks of individuals are affected differently by atlas scale changes. Our work serves as a guideline for researchers to optimize the selection of tractography parameters and illustrates how biological characteristics of the brain derived in network neuroscience studies can be affected by the choice of atlas parcellation schemes. Diffusion tractography has been proven to be a promising noninvasive technique to study the network properties of the human brain. However, how various tractography and network construction parameters affect network properties has not been studied using a large cohort of high-quality data. We utilize data provided by the Human Connectome Project to characterize the changes to network properties induced by varying the brain parcellation atlas scales, the number of reconstructed tractography tracks, and the degree of grey

The Arctic Alzheimer mutation enhances sensitivity to toxic stress in human neuroblastoma cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sennvik, Kristina; Nilsberth, Camilla; Stenh, Charlotte

2002-01-01

The E693G (Arctic) mutation of the amyloid precursor protein was recently found to lead to early-onset Alzheimer's disease in a Swedish family. In the present study, we report that the Arctic mutation decreases cell viability in human neuroblastoma cells. The cell viability, as measured by the MTT...... their secretion of beta-secretase cleaved amyloid precursor protein. The enhanced sensitivity to toxic stress in cells with the Arctic mutation most likely contributes to the pathogenic pathway leading to Alzheimer's disease....

Sensitization of human carcinoma cells to alkylating agents by small interfering RNA suppression of 3-alkyladenine-DNA glycosylase.

Science.gov (United States)

Paik, Johanna; Duncan, Tod; Lindahl, Tomas; Sedgwick, Barbara

2005-11-15

One of the major cytotoxic lesions generated by alkylating agents is DNA 3-alkyladenine, which can be excised by 3-alkyladenine DNA glycosylase (AAG). Inhibition of AAG may therefore result in increased cellular sensitivity to chemotherapeutic alkylating agents. To investigate this possibility, we have examined the role of AAG in protecting human tumor cells against such agents. Plasmids that express small interfering RNAs targeted to two different regions of AAG mRNA were transfected into HeLa cervical carcinoma cells and A2780-SCA ovarian carcinoma cells. Stable derivatives of both cell types with low AAG protein levels were sensitized to alkylating agents. Two HeLa cell lines with AAG protein levels reduced by at least 80% to 90% displayed a 5- to 10-fold increase in sensitivity to methyl methanesulfonate, N-methyl-N-nitrosourea, and the chemotherapeutic drugs temozolomide and 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea. These cells showed no increase in sensitivity to UV light or ionizing radiation. After treatment with methyl methanesulfonate, AAG knockdown HeLa cells were delayed in S phase but accumulated in G2-M. Our data support the hypothesis that ablation of AAG activity in human tumor cells may provide a useful strategy to enhance the efficacy of current chemotherapeutic regimens that include alkylating agents.

A novel method of selective removal of human DNA improves PCR sensitivity for detection of Salmonella Typhi in blood samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Liqing; Pollard, Andrew J

2012-07-27

Enteric fever is a major public health problem, causing an estimated 21million new cases and 216,000 or more deaths every year. Current diagnosis of the disease is inadequate. Blood culture only identifies 45 to 70% of the cases and is time-consuming. Serological tests have very low sensitivity and specificity. Clinical samples obtained for diagnosis of enteric fever in the field generally have blood, so that even PCR-based methods, widely used for detection of other infectious diseases, are not a straightforward option in typhoid diagnosis. We developed a novel method to enrich target bacterial DNA by selective removal of human DNA from blood samples, enhancing the sensitivity of PCR tests. This method offers the possibility of improving PCR assays directly using clinical specimens for diagnosis of this globally important infectious disease. Blood samples were mixed with ox bile for selective lysis of human blood cells and the released human DNA was then digested with addition of bile resistant micrococcal nuclease. The intact Salmonella Typhi bacteria were collected from the specimen by centrifugation and the DNA extracted with QIAamp DNA mini kit. The presence of Salmonella Typhi bacteria in blood samples was detected by PCR with the fliC-d gene of Salmonella Typhi as the target. Micrococcal nuclease retained activity against human blood DNA in the presence of up to 9% ox bile. Background human DNA was dramatically removed from blood samples through the use of ox bile lysis and micrococcal nuclease for removal of mammalian DNA. Consequently target Salmonella Typhi DNA was enriched in DNA preparations and the PCR sensitivity for detection of Salmonella Typhi in spiked blood samples was enhanced by 1,000 fold. Use of a combination of selective ox-bile blood cell lysis and removal of human DNA with micrococcal nuclease significantly improves PCR sensitivity and offers a better option for improved typhoid PCR assays directly using clinical specimens in diagnosis of

Proteasome inhibitor MG132 sensitizes HPV-positive human cervical cancer cells to rhTRAIL-induced apoptosis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hougardy, BMT; Maduro, JH; van der Zee, AGJ; de Groot, DJA; van den Heuvel, FAJ; de Vries, EGE; de Jong, S

2006-01-01

In cervical carcinogenesis, the p53 tumor suppressor pathway is disrupted by HPV (human papilloma virus) E6 oncogene expression. E6 targets p53 for rapid proteasome-mediated degradation. We therefore investigated whether proteasome inhibition by MG132 could restore wild-type p53 levels and sensitize

Validity and sensitivity of a model for assessment of impacts of river floodplain reconstruction on protected and endangered species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nooij, R.J.W. de; Lotterman, K.M.; Sande, P.H.J. van de; Pelsma, T.; Leuven, R.S.E.W.; Lenders, H.J.R.

2006-01-01

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) must account for legally protected and endangered species. Uncertainties relating to the validity and sensitivity of EIA arise from predictions and valuation of effects on these species. This paper presents a validity and sensitivity analysis of a model (BIO-SAFE) for assessment of impacts of land use changes and physical reconstruction measures on legally protected and endangered river species. The assessment is based on links between species (higher plants, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, butterflies and dragon- and damselflies) and ecotopes (landscape ecological units, e.g., river dune, soft wood alluvial forests), and on value assignment to protected and endangered species using different valuation criteria (i.e., EU Habitats and Birds directive, Conventions of Bern and Bonn and Red Lists). The validity of BIO-SAFE has been tested by comparing predicted effects of landscape changes on the diversity of protected and endangered species with observed changes in biodiversity in five reconstructed floodplains. The sensitivity of BIO-SAFE to value assignment has been analysed using data of a Strategic Environmental Assessment concerning the Spatial Planning Key Decision for reconstruction of the Dutch floodplains of the river Rhine, aimed at flood defence and ecological rehabilitation. The weights given to the valuation criteria for protected and endangered species were varied and the effects on ranking of alternatives were quantified. A statistically significant correlation (p < 0.01) between predicted and observed values for protected and endangered species was found. The sensitivity of the model to value assignment proved to be low. Comparison of five realistic valuation options showed that different rankings of scenarios predominantly occur when valuation criteria are left out of the assessment. Based on these results we conclude that linking species to ecotopes can be used for adequate impact assessments

THE IMPACT OF THE WTO RETALIATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF HUMAN RIGHTS LAW

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Intan Innayatun Soeparna

2008-10-01

Full Text Available World Trade Organization (WTO dispute settlement system through Panel and Appellate Body, allows sanction to be imposed when a member is unwilling to bring a WTO-inconsistent trade measure into conformity. According to the Article 22 of Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU, if in a certain case WTO Panel finds a party has failed to make new policy in compliance with the WTO rules, the aggrieved party is entitled to obtain retaliation. The WTO retaliation emerges negative impact for some countries in particular developing or small economic countries. This impact denotes the violation of international human rights law, particularly economic rights that stipulate in Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR. This paper explains the impact that arises when WTO retaliation is imposed to a country whether a developed or developing country, from the perspective of international human rights law.

Sensitive and simultaneous quantification of zinc pyrithione and climbazole deposition from anti-dandruff shampoos onto human scalp

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chen, G.; Miao, M.; Hoptroff, M.; Fei, X.; Collins, L.Z.; Jones, A.; Janssen, H.G.

2015-01-01

A sensitive ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of zinc pyrithione (ZPT) and climbazole (CBZ) deposited onto human scalp from anti-dandruff (AD) shampoos. Scrubbing with a buffer

Assessing the Impact of Arts and Humanities Research at the University of Cambridge. Technical Report

Science.gov (United States)

Levitt, Ruth; Celia, Claire; Diepeveen, Stephanie; Chonaill, Siobhan Ni; Rabinovich, Lila; Tiessen, Jan

2010-01-01

This project for the University of Cambridge and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) assesses the impacts of arts and humanities research at the University of Cambridge. Evidence from interviews, a survey of research staff and detailed case studies indicates that these disciplines already have a broad range of impacts. Many of these…

A UV-sensitive human clonal cell line, RSa, which has low repair activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, N.; Fuse, A.

1981-01-01

The repair activity of a human transformed cell line, RSa, which was found to be highly sensitive to the lethal effects of 254 mm far-ultraviolet radiation, was compared with that of HeLa cells by evaluating the range of UV-induced incorporation of [methyl- 3 H]thymidine ([ 3 H]dThd) or 5-[6- 3 H]bromodeoxyuridine ([ 3 H]BrdUrd) into deoxyribonucleic acid. Direct scintillation counting was used for measuring the extent of unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) in UV-irradiated cells, which were treated with hydroxyurea or with arginine deprivation. More quantitative measurements were made by using the density labeling and equilibrium centrifugation method for assaying repair replication. All the amounts of UDS and repair replication in RSa cells were markedly below those in HeLa cells. The possible relationships of the low repair activity to abnormally high UV sensitivity in RSa cells are discussed. (orig.)

Enhanced expression of IL-8 in normal human keratinocytes and human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT in vitro after stimulation with contact sensitizers, tolerogens and irritants.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohamadzadeh, M; Müller, M; Hultsch, T; Enk, A; Saloga, J; Knop, J

1994-12-01

To investigate the interleukin-8 production of keratinocytes after stimulation in vitro we have used various agents: (i) contact sensitizer (2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene, 3-n-pentadecylcatechol); (ii) tolerogen (5-methyl-3-n-pentadecylcatechol); (iii) irritant (sodium lauryl sulfate). Interleukin-8 gene expression was assessed by northern blot hybridization of the total cytoplasmic RNA extracted from subconfluent normal human keratinocyte cultures and the keratinocyte cell line HaCaT using a radiolabeled DNA probe specific for human interleukin-8. Interleukin-8 gene expression was markedly increased upon in vitro stimulation after 1-6 h with contact sensitizers, tolerogen and the irritant. In contrast, interleukin-8 production was not detectable in unstimulated normal human keratinocytes or the HaCaT keratinocyte cell line. These results suggest that the induction and production of interleukin-8 is a response to nonspecific stimuli and may play a critical role in the early response to immunogenic or inflammatory signals in man.

Identification and prioritization of relationships between environmental stressor and adverse human health impacts

Science.gov (United States)

AbstractBackground: There are over 80,000 chemicals in commerce with little data available describing their impacts on human health. Biomonitoring surveys, such as the NHANES, offer one route to identifying possible relationships between environmental chemicals and health impacts...

Social Media Impact on Human Resources Management Strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angela-Eliza Micu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to do a research of human resource management in Romania for the ITsector, and focus the attention to a couple of things like culture, trainings and the impact resultedon social media that this companies and their employees are producing. The use of social media has a huge impact on the quality of the work and also is contributing tostrengthen the relationships between employees. It can be a good resource in attracting new talentsand also promoting the company. This research used mined data from LinkedIn and other socialmedia and publicly available websites in order to statistically test hypotheses using the Pearsonchi-square method and successfully finding 6 strong correlations between data analyzed forRomanian software development companies.

Impact of patient weight on tumor visibility based on human-shaped phantom simulation study in PET imaging system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Musarudin, M.; Saripan, M.I.; Mashohor, S.; Saad, W.H.M.; Nordin, A.J.; Hashim, S.

2015-01-01

Energy window technique has been implemented in all positron emission tomography (PET) imaging protocol, with the aim to remove the unwanted low energy photons. Current practices in our institution however are performed by using default energy threshold level regardless of the weight of the patient. Phantom size, which represents the size of the patient's body, is the factor that determined the level of scatter fraction during PET imaging. Thus, the motivation of this study is to determine the optimum energy threshold level for different sizes of human-shaped phantom, to represent underweight, normal, overweight and obese patients. In this study, the scanner was modeled by using Monte Carlo code, version MCNP5. Five different sizes of elliptical-cylinder shaped of human-sized phantoms with diameter ranged from 15 to 30 cm were modeled. The tumor was modeled by a cylindrical line source filled with 1.02 MeV positron emitters at the center of the phantom. Various energy window widths, in the ranged of 10–50% were implemented to the data. In conclusion, the phantom mass volume did influence the scatter fraction within the volume. Bigger phantom caused more scattering events and thus led to coincidence counts lost. We evaluated the impact of phantom sizes on the sensitivity and visibility of the simulated models. Implementation of wider energy window improved the sensitivity of the system and retained the coincidence photons lost. Visibility of the tumor improved as an appropriate energy window implemented for the different sizes of phantom. - Highlights: • Optimizing the energy window improved the sensitivity of the PET system. • Improving the visibility of the tumors using the optimized energy window. • Recommendations on the optimized energy windows for different body sizes. • Using simulated phantom using MCNP to determine various body sizes

An epidermal equivalent assay for identification and ranking potency of contact sensitizers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gibbs, Susan, E-mail: S.Gibbs@VUMC.nl [Department of Dermatology, VU University Medical Centre, Dept of Oral Cell Biology, ACTA, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Corsini, Emanuela [Laboratory of Toxicology, DiSFeB, Università degli Studi di Milano (Italy); Spiekstra, Sander W. [Department of Dermatology, VU University Medical Centre, Dept of Oral Cell Biology, ACTA, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Galbiati, Valentina [Laboratory of Toxicology, DiSFeB, Università degli Studi di Milano (Italy); Fuchs, Horst W. [CellSystems GmbH, Troisdorf (Germany); DeGeorge, George; Troese, Matthew [MB Research Labs, Spinnerstown, PA (United States); Hayden, Patrick; Deng, Wei [MatTek Corporation, Ashland, MA (United States); Roggen, Erwin [3Rs Management and Consultancy (Denmark)

2013-10-15

The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of combining the epidermal equivalent (EE) potency assay with the assay which assesses release of interleukin-18 (IL-18) to provide a single test for identification and classification of skin sensitizing chemicals, including chemicals of low water solubility or stability. A protocol was developed using different 3D-epidermal models including in house VUMC model, epiCS® (previously EST1000™), MatTek EpiDerm™ and SkinEthic™ RHE and also the impact of different vehicles (acetone:olive oil 4:1, 1% DMSO, ethanol, water) was investigated. Following topical exposure for 24 h to 17 contact allergens and 13 non-sensitizers a robust increase in IL-18 release was observed only after exposure to contact allergens. A putative prediction model is proposed from data obtained from two laboratories yielding 95% accuracy. Correlating the in vitro EE sensitizer potency data, which assesses the chemical concentration which results in 50% cytotoxicity (EE-EC{sub 50}) with human and animal data showed a superior correlation with human DSA{sub 05} (μg/cm{sup 2}) data (Spearman r = 0.8500; P value (two-tailed) = 0.0061) compared to LLNA data (Spearman r = 0.5968; P value (two-tailed) = 0.0542). DSA{sub 05} = induction dose per skin area that produces a positive response in 5% of the tested population Also a good correlation was observed for release of IL-18 (SI-2) into culture supernatants with human DSA{sub 05} data (Spearman r = 0.8333; P value (two-tailed) = 0.0154). This easily transferable human in vitro assay appears to be very promising, but additional testing of a larger chemical set with the different EE models is required to fully evaluate the utility of this assay and to establish a definitive prediction model. - Highlights: • A potential epidermal equivalent assay to label and classify sensitizers • Il-18 release distinguishes sensitizers from non sensitizers • IL-18 release can rank sensitizer potency �

An epidermal equivalent assay for identification and ranking potency of contact sensitizers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gibbs, Susan; Corsini, Emanuela; Spiekstra, Sander W.; Galbiati, Valentina; Fuchs, Horst W.; DeGeorge, George; Troese, Matthew; Hayden, Patrick; Deng, Wei; Roggen, Erwin

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of combining the epidermal equivalent (EE) potency assay with the assay which assesses release of interleukin-18 (IL-18) to provide a single test for identification and classification of skin sensitizing chemicals, including chemicals of low water solubility or stability. A protocol was developed using different 3D-epidermal models including in house VUMC model, epiCS® (previously EST1000™), MatTek EpiDerm™ and SkinEthic™ RHE and also the impact of different vehicles (acetone:olive oil 4:1, 1% DMSO, ethanol, water) was investigated. Following topical exposure for 24 h to 17 contact allergens and 13 non-sensitizers a robust increase in IL-18 release was observed only after exposure to contact allergens. A putative prediction model is proposed from data obtained from two laboratories yielding 95% accuracy. Correlating the in vitro EE sensitizer potency data, which assesses the chemical concentration which results in 50% cytotoxicity (EE-EC 50 ) with human and animal data showed a superior correlation with human DSA 05 (μg/cm 2 ) data (Spearman r = 0.8500; P value (two-tailed) = 0.0061) compared to LLNA data (Spearman r = 0.5968; P value (two-tailed) = 0.0542). DSA 05 = induction dose per skin area that produces a positive response in 5% of the tested population Also a good correlation was observed for release of IL-18 (SI-2) into culture supernatants with human DSA 05 data (Spearman r = 0.8333; P value (two-tailed) = 0.0154). This easily transferable human in vitro assay appears to be very promising, but additional testing of a larger chemical set with the different EE models is required to fully evaluate the utility of this assay and to establish a definitive prediction model. - Highlights: • A potential epidermal equivalent assay to label and classify sensitizers • Il-18 release distinguishes sensitizers from non sensitizers • IL-18 release can rank sensitizer potency • EC50 (chemical

Impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms: quantifying sensitivities and interaction with warming.

Science.gov (United States)

Kroeker, Kristy J; Kordas, Rebecca L; Crim, Ryan; Hendriks, Iris E; Ramajo, Laura; Singh, Gerald S; Duarte, Carlos M; Gattuso, Jean-Pierre

2013-06-01

Ocean acidification represents a threat to marine species worldwide, and forecasting the ecological impacts of acidification is a high priority for science, management, and policy. As research on the topic expands at an exponential rate, a comprehensive understanding of the variability in organisms' responses and corresponding levels of certainty is necessary to forecast the ecological effects. Here, we perform the most comprehensive meta-analysis to date by synthesizing the results of 228 studies examining biological responses to ocean acidification. The results reveal decreased survival, calcification, growth, development and abundance in response to acidification when the broad range of marine organisms is pooled together. However, the magnitude of these responses varies among taxonomic groups, suggesting there is some predictable trait-based variation in sensitivity, despite the investigation of approximately 100 new species in recent research. The results also reveal an enhanced sensitivity of mollusk larvae, but suggest that an enhanced sensitivity of early life history stages is not universal across all taxonomic groups. In addition, the variability in species' responses is enhanced when they are exposed to acidification in multi-species assemblages, suggesting that it is important to consider indirect effects and exercise caution when forecasting abundance patterns from single-species laboratory experiments. Furthermore, the results suggest that other factors, such as nutritional status or source population, could cause substantial variation in organisms' responses. Last, the results highlight a trend towards enhanced sensitivity to acidification when taxa are concurrently exposed to elevated seawater temperature. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The Impact of Human Capital on Company performance Abera D

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Administrator

capital development towards accelerating the economic growth by devoting necessary ... extent does human capital create impact on firm performance? This study ... Till 2010 majority of their exports are semi-processed leather products such as pickled ...... Leather Industry Development Institute, AAU MSc thesis economics.

Hyper-radiation sensitivity of murine scid mutation and mapping of the human homologue HYRC1 gene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komatsu, Kenshi; Ohta, Tohru; Niikawa, Norio; Okumura, Yutaka; Kubota, Nobuo.

1994-01-01

The murine severe combined immunodeficient mutation (scid) is characterized by a lack of both B and T cells, due to a defect in lymphoid variable-(diversity)-joining(V(D)J) rearrangement. Scid cells are highly sensitive to both radiation-induced killing and chromosomal aberrations. Present experiments also demonstrated the high sensitivity of scid cells to killing, because of a deficient repair of double strand breaks(DSB). Scid cells can repair only 60% of radiation-induced DSB for 3 hours, while normal cells repair 85% of the DSB. Significantly reduced Do and n values were obtained from survival curves of scid cells and were similar to ataxia-telangiectasia(AT) cells (a unique human disease conferring whole body radiosensitivity). However, the kinetics of DNA synthesis after irradiation were different between the two cell types. In contrast with the radioresistant DNA synthesis of AT cells, DNA synthesis of scid cells was markedly inhibited after irradiation. The existence of different mutations was also supported by evidence of complementation in somatic cell hybrids between scid cells and AT cells. Using these hybrid cells, fragments of human chromosome 8 were introduced into scid cells HPRT mutant via X-irradiation and somatic cell fusion. The resulting hybrid clones contained human DNA fragment(s) which complemented the hyper-radiosensitivity of the scid cells. Alu-PCR products from these hybrids were used for chromosome painting using the technique of chromosome in situ suppression hybridization, allowing assignment of the human HYRC1 (hyper-radiosensitivity of murine scid mutation, complementing 1) gene, a candidate for a V(D)J recombinant gene, to human chromosome 8q11. (author)

Critical Studies on Integrating Land-Use Induced Effects on Climate Regulation Services into Impact Assessment for Human Well-Being

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhihui Li

2013-01-01

Full Text Available It is commonly acknowledged that land use changes (LUC and climate changes have exerted significant effects on ecosystem services which are essential and vital to human well-being. Among all the services provided by ecosystem, climate regulation services are relatively sensitive to LUC and climate changes. This study aims to comprehensively review studies on the complex effects of LUC and climate changes on climate regulation services and further integrates the effects on climate regulation services into impact assessment for human well-being. In this study, we firstly introduced research efforts in which the drivers of and their corresponding effects on climate regulation services are briefly identified. Then, we explicitly reviewed the researches on the effects of LUC and climate changes on climate regulation services, especially focused on the certain methods and models used to quantify the effects on the major drivers of climate regulation services. After that, the effects of LUC and climate changes on human well-being via climate regulation services were revisited and commented accordingly. Finally, this paper discussed the current research gaps and proposed some research prospects in future studies.

The Impact of Strategic Human Resource Management on Organizational Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luftim CANIA

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Organizational performance is getting more and more important, especially in a market with greater competition and dynamic. Organizational performance is measured through different indicators. It guarantees the continuity of the organization to be competitive in a global marketplace. Normally, the implementation of performance indicators achieved through human resources. Human resources are the key for keeping the organization in the market so competitive. These human resources need to be managed effectively to achieve the required performance of the organization. It is necessary to manage strategically the human resources and to adapt at its strategy with organizational strategy. The aim of this study is focused on the impact of the strategic management of human resource in achieving organizational performance. This study was conducted based on primary and secondary sources. How much organizations appear competitive in the market through achieving the performance indicators? How important is the management of human resources in achieving organizational performance? So, through the skills, behaviors and attitudes would be expected by human resources to achieve the required performance in the organization.

Cryptolepine, isolated from Sida acuta, sensitizes human gastric adenocarcinoma cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Firoj; Toume, Kazufumi; Ohtsuki, Takashi; Rahman, Mahmudur; Sadhu, Samir Kumar; Ishibashi, Masami

2011-01-01

Bioassay guided separation of Sida acuta whole plants led to the isolation of an alkaloid, cryptolepine (1), along with two kaempferol glycosides (2-3). Compound 1 showed strong activity in overcoming TRAIL-resistance in human gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) cells at 1.25, 2.5 and 5 μm. Combined treatment of 1 and TRAIL sensitized AGS cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis at the aforementioned concentrations. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Thymidine kinase deficient human cells have increased UV sensitivity in their capacity to support herpes simplex virus but normal UV sensitivity for colony formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rainbow, A.J.

1989-01-01

A thymidine kinase deficient (tk - ) and two thymidine kinase proficient (tk + ) human cell lines were compared for UV sensitivity using colony-forming ability as well as their capacity to support the plaque formation of herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1).The tk - line (143 cells) was a derivative of one of the tk + lines (R970-5), whereas the other tk + line (AC4 cells) was a derivative of the 143 cells obtained by transfection with purified sheared HSV-2 DNA encoding the viral tk gene. 143, R970-5 and AC4 cells showed a similar UV sensitivity for colony-forming ability. In contrast, the capacity to support HSV-1 plaque formation immediately (within 1 h) afte UV-irradiation was reduced to a greater extent in the 143 cells compared to the R970-5 and AC4 cells. Capacity curves for plaque formation of the HSV-1: KOS wild-type (tk + ) strain were similar to those for the HSV-1: PTK3B mutant (tk - ) strain were similar to those for the HSV-1: PTK3B mutant (tk - ) strain in the 3 cell strains, indicating that the viral tk gene does not influence the ability of HSV-1 to form plaques in UV-irradiated compared to unirradiated human cells. Cellular capacity for HSV-1 plaque formation was found to recover in both tk - and tk + cells for cultures infected 24 h after UV-irradiation. These results suggest that repair of UV-damaged DNA takes place to a similar extent in both tk - and tk + human cells, but the kinetics of repair are initially slower in tk - compared to tk + human cells. (author). 33 refs.; 3 figs.; 1 tab

Methods for mapping the impact of social sciences and humanities - a literature review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, David Budtz; Grønvad, Jonas Følsgaard; Hvidtfeldt, Rolf

2018-01-01

This article explores the current literature on 'research impact' in the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH). By providing a comprehensive review of available literature, drawing on national and international experiences, we seek to examine key methods and frameworks used to assess research impact...

Mechanistic Insights into Human Brain Impact Dynamics through Modal Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Laksari, Kaveh; Kurt, Mehmet; Babaee, Hessam; Kleiven, Svein; Camarillo, David

2018-03-01

Although concussion is one of the greatest health challenges today, our physical understanding of the cause of injury is limited. In this Letter, we simulated football head impacts in a finite element model and extracted the most dominant modal behavior of the brain's deformation. We showed that the brain's deformation is most sensitive in low frequency regimes close to 30 Hz, and discovered that for most subconcussive head impacts, the dynamics of brain deformation is dominated by a single global mode. In this Letter, we show the existence of localized modes and multimodal behavior in the brain as a hyperviscoelastic medium. This dynamical phenomenon leads to strain concentration patterns, particularly in deep brain regions, which is consistent with reported concussion pathology.

Human impacts on runoff regime of middle and lower Yellow River

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan-fang Sang

2011-03-01

Full Text Available In this study, the 54-year (1950 to 2003 monthly runoff series from February, April, August, and November, as well as the annual runoff series, measured at both Huayuankou and Lijin hydrological stations were chosen as representative data, and the continuous wavelet transform (CWT was applied to analyze the impacts of human activities on the runoff regime of the middle and lower Yellow River. A point of change in 1970 was first determined, and the observed series before 1970 were considered natural runoff while those after 1970 were restored according to linear trends. Then, the CWT was applied to both the observed and restored runoff series to reveal their variations at multi-temporal scales, including the five temporal ranges of 1–4, 6–8, 9–12, 16–22, and 22–30 years, and the trend at the temporal scale of 54 years. These analysis results are compared and discussed in detail. In conclusion, because of the impacts of human activities, there have been significant changes in the runoff regime in the middle and lower Yellow River since 1970. The decaying tendency of annual runoff has become more pronounced, and the inner-annual distribution of runoff has changed, but human activities have had little impact on the periodic characteristics of runoff.

Does Human Capital Investment Impact the Earning Mobility of the Near Poor?

Science.gov (United States)

Karasik, Bradley

2012-01-01

This secondary analysis of the earning mobility of the near poor examined the impact of human capital investment on the earning mobility of the near poor between 2005 and 2009. The theory framing this study is Human Capital Theory (Shultz, 1961). Other demographic and socioeconomic variables were included in this study to further explore factors…

Dissolved nutrient exports from natural and human-impacted Neotropical catchments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gücker, Björn; Silva, Ricky C. S.; Graeber, Daniel

2016-01-01

Aim Neotropical biomes are highly threatened by land-use changes, but the catchment-wide biogeochemical effects are poorly understood. Here, we aim to compare exports of dissolved nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from natural and human-impacted catchments in the Neotropics. Location Neotropics. Me...

The impact of animal source food products on human nutrition and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The impact of animal source food products on human nutrition and health. ... the widest array of complex scientific, economic, environmental and political issues. ... investment in research and extrapolation of information towards appropriate ...

Sensitivity analysis of the use of Life Cycle Impact Assessment methods: a case study on building materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bueno, Cristiane; Hauschild, Michael Zwicky; Rossignolo, Joao Adriano

2016-01-01

The main aim of this research is to perform a sensitivity analysis of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) case study to understand if the use of different Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methods may lead to different conclusions by decision makers and stakeholders. A complete LCA was applied to non...

Climate change impacts on human exposures to air pollution ...

Science.gov (United States)

This is an abstract for a presentations at the Annual Conference of the International Society on Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. This presentation will serve as an introduction to the symposium. As we consider the potential health impacts of a warming planet, the relationships between climate change and air pollutants become increasingly important to understand. These relationships are complex and highly variable, causing a variety of environmental impacts at local, regional and global scales. Human exposures and health impacts for air pollutants have the potential to be altered by changes in climate through multiple factors that drive population exposures to these pollutants. Research on this topic will provide both state and local governments with the tools and scientific knowledge base to undertake any necessary adaptation of the air pollution regulations and/or public health management systems in the face of climate change.

Sensitization of interferon-γ induced apoptosis in human osteosarcoma cells by extracellular S100A4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedersen, Kjetil Boye; Andersen, Kristin; Fodstad, Øystein; Mælandsmo, Gunhild Mari

2004-01-01

S100A4 is a small Ca 2+ -binding protein of the S100 family with metastasis-promoting properties. Recently, secreted S100A4 protein has been shown to possess a number of functions, including induction of angiogenesis, stimulation of cell motility and neurite extension. Cell cultures from two human osteosarcoma cell lines, OHS and its anti-S100A4 ribozyme transfected counterpart II-11b, was treated with IFN-γ and recombinant S100A4 in order to study the sensitizing effects of extracellular S100A4 on IFN-γ mediated apoptosis. Induction of apoptosis was demonstrated by DNA fragmentation, cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and Lamin B. In the present work, we found that the S100A4-expressing human osteosarcoma cell line OHS was more sensitive to IFN-γ-mediated apoptosis than the II-11b cells. S100A4 protein was detected in conditioned medium from OHS cells, but not from II-11b cells, and addition of recombinant S100A4 to the cell medium sensitized II-11b cells to apoptosis induced by IFN-γ. The S100A4/IFN-γ-mediated induction of apoptosis was shown to be independent of caspase activation, but dependent on the formation of reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, addition of extracellular S100A4 was demonstrated to activate nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). In conclusion, we have shown that S100A4 sensitizes osteosarcoma cells to IFN-γ-mediated induction of apoptosis. Additionally, extracellular S100A4 activates NF-κB, but whether these events are causally related remains unknown

Changes in extreme events and the potential impacts on human health.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Jesse E; Brown, Claudia Langford; Conlon, Kathryn; Herring, Stephanie; Kunkel, Kenneth E; Lawrimore, Jay; Luber, George; Schreck, Carl; Smith, Adam; Uejio, Christopher

2018-04-01

Extreme weather and climate-related events affect human health by causing death, injury, and illness, as well as having large socioeconomic impacts. Climate change has caused changes in extreme event frequency, intensity, and geographic distribution, and will continue to be a driver for change in the future. Some of these events include heat waves, droughts, wildfires, dust storms, flooding rains, coastal flooding, storm surges, and hurricanes. The pathways connecting extreme events to health outcomes and economic losses can be diverse and complex. The difficulty in predicting these relationships comes from the local societal and environmental factors that affect disease burden. More information is needed about the impacts of climate change on public health and economies to effectively plan for and adapt to climate change. This paper describes some of the ways extreme events are changing and provides examples of the potential impacts on human health and infrastructure. It also identifies key research gaps to be addressed to improve the resilience of public health to extreme events in the future. Extreme weather and climate events affect human health by causing death, injury, and illness, as well as having large socioeconomic impacts. Climate change has caused changes in extreme event frequency, intensity, and geographic distribution, and will continue to be a driver for change in the future. Some of these events include heat waves, droughts, wildfires, flooding rains, coastal flooding, surges, and hurricanes. The pathways connecting extreme events to health outcomes and economic losses can be diverse and complex. The difficulty in predicting these relationships comes from the local societal and environmental factors that affect disease burden.

Impacts of Launch Vehicle Fairing Size on Human Exploration Architectures

Science.gov (United States)

Jefferies, Sharon; Collins, Tim; Dwyer Cianciolo, Alicia; Polsgrove, Tara

2017-01-01

Human missions to Mars, particularly to the Martian surface, are grand endeavors that place extensive demands on ground infrastructure, launch capabilities, and mission systems. The interplay of capabilities and limitations among these areas can have significant impacts on the costs and ability to conduct Mars missions and campaigns. From a mission and campaign perspective, decisions that affect element designs, including those based on launch vehicle and ground considerations, can create effects that ripple through all phases of the mission and have significant impact on the overall campaign. These effects result in impacts to element designs and performance, launch and surface manifesting, and mission operations. In current Evolvable Mars Campaign concepts, the NASA Space Launch System (SLS) is the primary launch vehicle for delivering crew and payloads to cis-lunar space. SLS is currently developing an 8.4m diameter cargo fairing, with a planned upgrade to a 10m diameter fairing in the future. Fairing diameter is a driving factor that impacts many aspects of system design, vehicle performance, and operational concepts. It creates a ripple effect that influences all aspects of a Mars mission, including: element designs, grounds operations, launch vehicle design, payload packaging on the lander, launch vehicle adapter design to meet structural launch requirements, control and thermal protection during entry and descent at Mars, landing stability, and surface operations. Analyses have been performed in each of these areas to assess and, where possible, quantify the impacts of fairing diameter selection on all aspects of a Mars mission. Several potential impacts of launch fairing diameter selection are identified in each of these areas, along with changes to system designs that result. Solutions for addressing these impacts generally result in increased systems mass and propellant needs, which can further exacerbate packaging and flight challenges. This paper

Draft Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for managing treatment, storage, and disposal of radioactive and hazardous waste. Volume 3, Appendix A: Public response to revised NOI, Appendix B: Environmental restoration, Appendix C, Environmental impact analysis methods, Appendix D, Risk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-08-01

Volume three contains appendices for the following: Public comments do DOE's proposed revisions to the scope of the waste management programmatic environmental impact statement; Environmental restoration sensitivity analysis; Environmental impacts analysis methods; and Waste management facility human health risk estimates

Draft Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for managing treatment, storage, and disposal of radioactive and hazardous waste. Volume 3, Appendix A: Public response to revised NOI, Appendix B: Environmental restoration, Appendix C, Environmental impact analysis methods, Appendix D, Risk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-08-01

Volume three contains appendices for the following: Public comments do DOE`s proposed revisions to the scope of the waste management programmatic environmental impact statement; Environmental restoration sensitivity analysis; Environmental impacts analysis methods; and Waste management facility human health risk estimates.

Lethal aggression in Pan is better explained by adaptive strategies than human impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Michael L; Boesch, Christophe; Fruth, Barbara; Furuichi, Takeshi; Gilby, Ian C; Hashimoto, Chie; Hobaiter, Catherine L; Hohmann, Gottfried; Itoh, Noriko; Koops, Kathelijne; Lloyd, Julia N; Matsuzawa, Tetsuro; Mitani, John C; Mjungu, Deus C; Morgan, David; Muller, Martin N; Mundry, Roger; Nakamura, Michio; Pruetz, Jill; Pusey, Anne E; Riedel, Julia; Sanz, Crickette; Schel, Anne M; Simmons, Nicole; Waller, Michel; Watts, David P; White, Frances; Wittig, Roman M; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Wrangham, Richard W

2014-09-18

Observations of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (Pan paniscus) provide valuable comparative data for understanding the significance of conspecific killing. Two kinds of hypothesis have been proposed. Lethal violence is sometimes concluded to be the result of adaptive strategies, such that killers ultimately gain fitness benefits by increasing their access to resources such as food or mates. Alternatively, it could be a non-adaptive result of human impacts, such as habitat change or food provisioning. To discriminate between these hypotheses we compiled information from 18 chimpanzee communities and 4 bonobo communities studied over five decades. Our data include 152 killings (n = 58 observed, 41 inferred, and 53 suspected killings) by chimpanzees in 15 communities and one suspected killing by bonobos. We found that males were the most frequent attackers (92% of participants) and victims (73%); most killings (66%) involved intercommunity attacks; and attackers greatly outnumbered their victims (median 8:1 ratio). Variation in killing rates was unrelated to measures of human impacts. Our results are compatible with previously proposed adaptive explanations for killing by chimpanzees, whereas the human impact hypothesis is not supported.

The impact of the oxygen scavenger on the dose-rate dependence and dose sensitivity of MAGIC type polymer gels

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Muzafar; Heilemann, Gerd; Kuess, Peter; Georg, Dietmar; Berg, Andreas

2018-03-01

Recent developments in radiation therapy aimed at more precise dose delivery along with higher dose gradients (dose painting) and more efficient dose delivery with higher dose rates e.g. flattening filter free (FFF) irradiation. Magnetic-resonance-imaging based polymer gel dosimetry offers 3D information for precise dose delivery techniques. Many of the proposed polymer gels have been reported to exhibit a dose response, measured as relaxation rate ΔR2(D), which is dose rate dependent. A lack of or a reduced dose-rate sensitivity is very important for dosimetric accuracy, especially with regard to the increasing clinical use of FFF irradiation protocols with LINACs at high dose rates. Some commonly used polymer gels are based on Methacrylic-Acid-Gel-Initiated-by-Copper (MAGIC). Here, we report on the dose sensitivity (ΔR2/ΔD) of MAGIC-type gels with different oxygen scavenger concentration for their specific dependence on the applied dose rate in order to improve the dosimetric performance, especially for high dose rates. A preclinical x-ray machine (‘Yxlon’, E  =  200 kV) was used for irradiation to cover a range of dose rates from low \\dot{D} min  =  0.6 Gy min-1 to high \\dot{D} max  =  18 Gy min-1. The dose response was evaluated using R2-imaging of the gel on a human high-field (7T) MR-scanner. The results indicate that all of the investigated dose rates had an impact on the dose response in polymer gel dosimeters, being strongest in the high dose region and less effective for low dose levels. The absolute dose rate dependence \\frac{(Δ R2/Δ D)}{Δ \\dot{D}} of the dose response in MAGIC-type gel is significantly reduced using higher concentrations of oxygen scavenger at the expense of reduced dose sensitivity. For quantitative dose evaluations the relative dose rate dependence of a polymer gel, normalized to its sensitivity is important. Based on this normalized sensitivity the dose rate sensitivity was reduced distinctly

Interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha sensitize primarily resistant human endometrial stromal cells to Fas-mediated apoptosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fluhr, Herbert; Krenzer, Stefanie; Stein, Gerburg M

2007-01-01

The subtle interaction between the implanting embryo and the maternal endometrium plays a pivotal role during the process of implantation. Human endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) express Fas and the implanting trophoblast cells secrete Fas ligand (FASLG, FasL), suggesting a possible role for Fas......-mediated signaling during early implantation. Here we show that ESCs are primarily resistant to Fas-mediated apoptosis independently of their state of hormonal differentiation. Pre-treatment of ESCs with interferon (IFN)-gamma and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha sensitizes them to become apoptotic upon stimulation...... of Fas by an agonistic anti-Fas antibody. Incubation of ESCs with the early embryonic signal human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG, CGB) does not influence their reaction to Fas stimulation. The sensitizing effect of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha was accompanied by a significant upregulation of Fas and FLICE...

Quantitative assessment of human-induced impacts based on net primary productivity in Guangzhou, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yanyan; Wu, Zhifeng

2018-02-08

Urban expansion and land cover change driven primarily by human activities have significant influences on the urban eco-environment, and together with climate change jointly alter net primary productivity (NPP). However, at the spatiotemporal scale, there has been limited quantitative analysis of the impacts of human activities independent of climate change on NPP. We chose Guangzhou city as a study area to analyze the impacts of human activities on NPP, as well as the spatiotemporal variations of those impacts within three segments, using a relative impact index (RII) based on potential NPP (NPP p ), actual NPP (NPP act ), and NPP appropriation due to land use/land cover change (NPP lulc ). The spatial patterns and dynamics of NPP act and NPP lulc were evaluated and the impacts of human activities on NPP during the process of urban sprawl were quantitatively analyzed and assessed using the RII. The results showed that NPP act and NPP lulc in the study area had clear spatial heterogeneity, between 2001 and 2013 there was a declining trend in NPP act while an increasing trend occurred in NPP lulc , and those trends were especially significant in the 10-40-km segment. The results also revealed that more than 91.0% of pixels in whole study region had positive RII values, while the lowest average RII values were found in the > 40-km segment (39.03%), indicating that human activities were not the main cause for the change in NPP there; meanwhile, the average RII was greater than 65.0% in the other two, suggesting that they were subjected to severe anthropogenic disturbances. The RII values in all three segments of the study area increased, indicating an increasing human interference. The 10-40-km buffer zone had the largest slope value (0.5665), suggesting that this segment was closely associated with growing human disturbances. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the > 40-km segment had a large slope value (0.3323) and required more conservation efforts. Based

The impact of envelope glycoprotein cleavage on the antigenicity, infectivity, and neutralization sensitivity of Env-pseudotyped human immunodeficiency virus type 1 particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herrera, Carolina; Klasse, Per Johan; Michael, Elizabeth; Kake, Shivani; Barnes, Kelly; Kibler, Christopher W.; Campbell-Gardener, Lila; Si, Zhihai; Sodroski, Joseph; Moore, John P.; Beddows, Simon

2005-01-01

Endoproteolytic processing of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope (Env) glycoproteins is an obligate part of the biosynthetic pathway that generates functional, fusion-competent Env complexes, which are then incorporated into infectious virions. We have examined the influence of cleavage on Env-specific antibody reactivity, Env incorporation into pseudovirions, and the infectivity and neutralization sensitivity of Env-pseudotyped viruses. To do so, we have used both incompletely processed wild-type (Wt) Env and engineered, cleavage-defective Env mutants. We find that there is no simple association between antibody reactivity to cell surface-expressed Env, and the ability of the same antibody to neutralize virus pseudotyped with the same Env proteins. One explanation for the absence of such an association is the diverse array of Env species present on the surface of transiently transfected cells. We also confirm that cleavage-defective mutants are antigenically different from Wt Env. These findings have implications for the use of Env binding assays as predictors of neutralizing activity, and for the development of cleavage-defective Env trimers for use as subunit immunogens

A Sensitivity Study of Human Errors in Optimizing Surveillance Test Interval (STI) and Allowed Outage Time (AOT) of Standby Safety System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Dae Wook; Shin, Won Ky; You, Young Woo; Yang, Hui Chang

1998-01-01

In most cases, the surveillance test intervals (STIs), allowed outage times (AOTS) and testing strategies of safety components in nuclear power plant are prescribed in plant technical specifications. And, in general, it is required that standby safety system shall be redundant (i.e., composed of multiple components) and these components are tested by either staggered test strategy or sequential test strategy. In this study, a linear model is presented to incorporate the effects of human errors associated with test into the evaluation of unavailability. The average unavailabilities of 1/4, 2/4 redundant systems are computed considering human error and testing strategy. The adverse effects of test on system unavailability, such as component wear and test-induced transient have been modelled. The final outcome of this study would be the optimized human error domain from 3-D human error sensitivity analysis by selecting finely classified segment. The results of sensitivity analysis show that the STI and AOT can be optimized provided human error probability is maintained within allowable range. (authors)

Inhibition of WNT signaling reduces differentiation and induces sensitivity to doxorubicin in human malignant neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Suebsoonthron, Junjira; Jaroonwitchawan, Thiranut; Yamabhai, Montarop; Noisa, Parinya

2017-06-01

Neuroblastoma is one of the most common cancers in infancy, arising from the neuroblasts during embryonic development. This cancer is difficult to treat and resistance to chemotherapy is often found; therefore, clinical trials of novel therapeutic approaches, such as targeted-cancer signaling, could be an alternative for a better treatment. WNT signaling plays significant roles in the survival, proliferation, and differentiation of human neuroblastoma. In this report, WNT signaling of a malignant human neuroblastoma cell line, SH-SY5Y cells, was inhibited by XAV939, a specific inhibitor of the Tankyrase enzyme. XAV939 treatment led to the reduction of β-catenin within the cells, confirming its inhibitory effect of WNT. The inhibition of WNT signaling by XAV939 did not affect cell morphology, survival, and proliferation; however, the differentiation and sensitivity to anticancer drugs of human neuroblastoma cells were altered. The treatment of XAV939 resulted in the downregulation of mature neuronal markers, including β-tubulin III, PHOX2A, and PHOX2B, whereas neural progenitor markers (PAX6, TFAP2α, and SLUG) were upregulated. In addition, the combination of XAV939 significantly enhanced the sensitivity of SH-SY5Y and IMR-32 cells to doxorubicin in both 2D and 3D culture systems. Microarray gene expression profiling suggested numbers of candidate target genes of WNT inhibition by XAV939, in particular, p21, p53, ubiquitin C, ZBED8, MDM2, CASP3, and FZD1, and this explained the enhanced sensitivity of SH-SY5Y cells to doxorubicin. Altogether, these results proposed that the altered differentiation of human malignant neuroblastoma cells by inhibiting WNT signaling sensitized the cells to anticancer drugs. This approach could thus serve as an effective treatment option for aggressive brain malignancy.

Environmental sensitivity of the coastal islands of Ubatuba, SP, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Getulio Teixeira Batista

2008-08-01

Full Text Available The Environmental Sensitivity Index Maps for Oil Spills (ESI Maps, or SAO in Portuguese constitute an essential component and source of basic information for emergency planning, response decision support and damage evaluation in case of oil spills. This study aims at the elaboration of sensitivity maps for oil spills for the islands within the Ubatuba municipality, north coast of the State of São Paulo. The adopted methodology is based on the Technical Specifications for the production of Environmental Sensitivity Maps for oil spills (SAO maps proposed by the Brazilian Ministry of Environment. The study involved the gathering of secondary data, followed by field work carried out in the summer and winter periods of 2007; the elaboration of the cartographic base maps and, finally, the integration of the data to a GIS (Geographic Information System. As a result it was registered and mapped the physical (geology, geomorphology, oceanography and climatology, biological (fauna, flora and coastal environments and socioeconomic (anthropic influence, human use, artificial structures and impacts resources of Ubatuba coastal islands. Eleven beaches have been identified, located at six islands, with distinct topographic and geomorphologic features. The beaches were classified with sensitivity index 4, because they are sheltered from actions of waves and currents. Most of the mapped environments (44.8% were classified with sensitivity index 8, indicating high sensitivity of the islands. The oil spill impacts on coastal environments can be significantly minimized during the contingency actions when previous knowledge of the ecosystems that compose the islands environment is available, especially when it is integrated into GIS data basis, capable of displaying easy-to-use maps. The environmental sensitivity mapping is an important management instrument, especially when dealing with sensible and poorly studied areas such as the islands of Ubatuba.

Relationship between RDX properties and sensitivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doherty, Ruth M. [Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Directorate, Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division, Indian Head, MD 20640-5102 (United States); Watt, Duncan S. [Novare, Level 6 80 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane 4000 (Australia)

2008-02-15

An interlaboratory comparison of seven lots of commercially available RDX was conducted to determine what properties of the nitramine particles can be used to assess whether the RDX has relatively high or relatively low sensitivity. The materials chosen for the study were selected to give a range of HMX content, manufacturing process and reported shock sensitivity. The results of two different shock sensitivity tests conducted on a PBX made with the RDX lots in the study showed that there are measurable differences in the shock sensitivity of the PBXs, but the impact sensitivity for all of the lots is essentially the same. Impact sensitivity is not a good predictor of shock sensitivity for these types of RDX. Although most RDX that exhibits RS has low HMX content, that characteristic alone is not sufficient to guarantee low sensitivity. A range of additional analytical chemistry tests were conducted on the material; two of these (HPLC and DSC) are discussed within. (Abstract Copyright [2008], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Impact of human wildlife conflict on socio-economy of support zone ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Impact of human wildlife conflict on socio-economy of support zone ... who mostly dependent on natural resources of their immediate environment. ... Most of the victims attack and kill the animals as a management method in both communities.

The Impact of a Novel Curriculum on Secondary Biology Teachers' Dispositions toward Using Authentic Data and Media in Their Human Impact and Ecology Lessons

Science.gov (United States)

Wyner, Yael

2013-01-01

This study examines how the implementation of a novel curriculum, that emphasizes the use of published scientific data and media to learn about human impact and ecological function, influenced ninth-grade biology teacher (N - 36) dispositions toward using data and media in their ecology and human impact lesson plans. It explores how integration of…

Human body temperature and new approaches to constructing temperature-sensitive bacterial vaccines.

Science.gov (United States)

White, Matthew D; Bosio, Catharine M; Duplantis, Barry N; Nano, Francis E

2011-09-01

Many of the live human and animal vaccines that are currently in use are attenuated by virtue of their temperature-sensitive (TS) replication. These vaccines are able to function because they can take advantage of sites in mammalian bodies that are cooler than the core temperature, where TS vaccines fail to replicate. In this article, we discuss the distribution of temperature in the human body, and relate how the temperature differential can be exploited for designing and using TS vaccines. We also examine how one of the coolest organs of the body, the skin, contains antigen-processing cells that can be targeted to provoke the desired immune response from a TS vaccine. We describe traditional approaches to making TS vaccines, and highlight new information and technologies that are being used to create a new generation of engineered TS vaccines. We pay particular attention to the recently described technology of substituting essential genes from Arctic bacteria for their homologues in mammalian pathogens as a way of creating TS vaccines.

Impacts of Neanderthal-Introgressed Sequences on the Landscape of Human Gene Expression.

Science.gov (United States)

McCoy, Rajiv C; Wakefield, Jon; Akey, Joshua M

2017-02-23

Regulatory variation influencing gene expression is a key contributor to phenotypic diversity, both within and between species. Unfortunately, RNA degrades too rapidly to be recovered from fossil remains, limiting functional genomic insights about our extinct hominin relatives. Many Neanderthal sequences survive in modern humans due to ancient hybridization, providing an opportunity to assess their contributions to transcriptional variation and to test hypotheses about regulatory evolution. We developed a flexible Bayesian statistical approach to quantify allele-specific expression (ASE) in complex RNA-seq datasets. We identified widespread expression differences between Neanderthal and modern human alleles, indicating pervasive cis-regulatory impacts of introgression. Brain regions and testes exhibited significant downregulation of Neanderthal alleles relative to other tissues, consistent with natural selection influencing the tissue-specific regulatory landscape. Our study demonstrates that Neanderthal-inherited sequences are not silent remnants of ancient interbreeding but have measurable impacts on gene expression that contribute to variation in modern human phenotypes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rapid and sensitive analysis of phthalate metabolites, bisphenol A, and endogenous steroid hormones in human urine by mixed-mode solid-phase extraction, dansylation, and ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, He-xing; Wang, Bin; Zhou, Ying; Jiang, Qing-wu

2013-05-01

Steroid hormone levels in human urine are convenient and sensitive indicators for the impact of phthalates and/or bisphenol A (BPA) exposure on the human steroid hormone endocrine system. In this study, a rapid and sensitive method for determination of 14 phthalate metabolites, BPA, and ten endogenous steroid hormones in urine was developed and validated on the basis of ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. The optimized mixed-mode solid phase-extraction separated the weakly acidic or neutral BPA and steroid hormones from acidic phthalate metabolites in urine: the former were determined in positive ion mode with a methanol/water mobile phase containing 10 mM ammonium formate; the latter were determined in negative ion mode with a acetonitrile/water mobile phase containing 0.1 % acetic acid, which significantly alleviated matrix effects for the analysis of BPA and steroid hormones. Dansylation of estrogens and BPA realized simultaneous and sensitive analysis of the endogenous steroid hormones and BPA in a single chromatographic run. The limits of detection were less than 0.84 ng/mL for phthalate metabolites and less than 0.22 ng/mL for endogenous steroid hormones and BPA. This proposed method had satisfactory precision and accuracy, and was successfully applied to the analyses of human urine samples. This method could be valuable when investigating the associations among endocrine-disrupting chemicals, endogenous steroid hormones, and relevant adverse outcomes in epidemiological studies.

pH-sensitive intracellular photoluminescence of carbon nanotube-fluorescein conjugates in human ovarian cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, M T; Ishikawa, F N; Gundersen, M A; Gomez, L M; Vernier, P T; Zhou, C

2009-01-01

To add to the understanding of the properties of functionalized carbon nanotubes in biological applications, we report a monotonic pH sensitivity of the intracellular fluorescence emission of single-walled carbon nanotube-fluorescein carbazide (SWCNT-FC) conjugates in human ovarian cancer cells. Light-stimulated intracellular hydrolysis of the amide linkage and localized intracellular pH changes are proposed as mechanisms. SWCNT-FC conjugates may serve as intracellular pH sensors.

The study on the effect of artesunate on the radio-sensitivity of human cervical cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geng Chong; Cao Jianping; Ni Qianying

2011-01-01

To investigate the effect of artesunate on radio-sensitivity of human cervical cancer cells in vitro. The human cervical cancer cells HeLa and Siha were used as the experimental cells. MTT assay was used to determine the most appropriate drug concentration in the subsequent experiment, and the effect of human cervical cancer cells treated with artesunate and irradiation of 60 Co γ-rays was studied by using conventional chromosomal aberration analysis and cytokinesis block method (CB method). The results show that when the concentration of artesunate in this experiment was 2.0 μmol/L for HeLa cell and 4.0 μmol/L for Siha cell respectively, the chromosome aberration, micronuclei cell and micronuclei rates of HeLa cells treated with artesunate were more serious than that of the only irradiation, but there is almost no change with Siha cells. (authors)

Radio-sensitivity of the cells from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis model mice transfected with human mutant SOD1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wate, Reika; Ito, Hidefumi; Kusaka, Hirofumi; Takahashi, Sentaro; Kubota, Yoshihisa; Suetomi, Katsutoshi; Sato, Hiroshi; Okayasu, Ryuichi

2005-01-01

In order to clarify the possible involvement of oxidative damage induced by ionizing radiation in the onset and/or progression of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we studied radio-sensitivity in primary cells derived from ALS model mice expressing human mutant Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1). The primary mouse cells expressed both mouse and the mutant human SOD1. The cell survival of the transgenic mice (with mutant SOD1), determined by counting cell numbers at a scheduled time after X-irradiation, is very similar to that of cells from wild type animals. The induction and repair of DNA damage in the transgenic cells, measured by single cell gel electrophoresis and pulsed field gel electrophoresis, are also similar to those of wild type cells. These results indicate that the human mutant SOD1 gene does not seem to contribute to the alteration of radio-sensitivity, at least in the fibroblastic cells used here. Although it is necessary to consider the difference in cell types between fibroblastic and neuronal cells, the present results may suggest that ionizing radiation is not primarily responsible for the onset of familial ALS with the SOD1 mutation, and that the excess risks are probably not a concern for radiation diagnosis and therapy in familial ALS patients. (author)

Pharmacomicrobiomics: The Impact of Human Microbiome Variations on Systems Pharmacology and Personalized Therapeutics

OpenAIRE

ElRakaiby, Marwa; Dutilh, Bas E.; Rizkallah, Mariam R.; Boleij, Annemarie; Cole, Jason N.; Aziz, Ramy K.

2014-01-01

The Human Microbiome Project (HMP) is a global initiative undertaken to identify and characterize the collection of human-associated microorganisms at multiple anatomic sites (skin, mouth, nose, colon, vagina), and to determine how intra-individual and inter-individual alterations in the microbiome influence human health, immunity, and different disease states. In this review article, we summarize the key findings and applications of the HMP that may impact pharmacology and personalized thera...

Hotspot mutations in KIT receptor differentially modulate its allosterically coupled conformational dynamics: impact on activation and drug sensitivity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isaure Chauvot de Beauchêne

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Receptor tyrosine kinase KIT controls many signal transduction pathways and represents a typical allosterically regulated protein. The mutation-induced deregulation of KIT activity impairs cellular physiological functions and causes serious human diseases. The impact of hotspots mutations (D816H/Y/N/V and V560G/D localized in crucial regulatory segments, the juxtamembrane region (JMR and the activation (A- loop, on KIT internal dynamics was systematically studied by molecular dynamics simulations. The mutational outcomes predicted in silico were correlated with in vitro and in vivo activation rates and drug sensitivities of KIT mutants. The allosteric regulation of KIT in the native and mutated forms is described in terms of communication between the two remote segments, JMR and A-loop. A strong correlation between the communication profile and the structural and dynamical features of KIT in the native and mutated forms was established. Our results provide new insight on the determinants of receptor KIT constitutive activation by mutations and resistance of KIT mutants to inhibitors. Depiction of an intra-molecular component of the communication network constitutes a first step towards an integrated description of vast communication pathways established by KIT in physiopathological contexts.

Impact of patient weight on tumor visibility based on human-shaped phantom simulation study in PET imaging system

Science.gov (United States)

Musarudin, M.; Saripan, M. I.; Mashohor, S.; Saad, W. H. M.; Nordin, A. J.; Hashim, S.

2015-10-01

Energy window technique has been implemented in all positron emission tomography (PET) imaging protocol, with the aim to remove the unwanted low energy photons. Current practices in our institution however are performed by using default energy threshold level regardless of the weight of the patient. Phantom size, which represents the size of the patient's body, is the factor that determined the level of scatter fraction during PET imaging. Thus, the motivation of this study is to determine the optimum energy threshold level for different sizes of human-shaped phantom, to represent underweight, normal, overweight and obese patients. In this study, the scanner was modeled by using Monte Carlo code, version MCNP5. Five different sizes of elliptical-cylinder shaped of human-sized phantoms with diameter ranged from 15 to 30 cm were modeled. The tumor was modeled by a cylindrical line source filled with 1.02 MeV positron emitters at the center of the phantom. Various energy window widths, in the ranged of 10-50% were implemented to the data. In conclusion, the phantom mass volume did influence the scatter fraction within the volume. Bigger phantom caused more scattering events and thus led to coincidence counts lost. We evaluated the impact of phantom sizes on the sensitivity and visibility of the simulated models. Implementation of wider energy window improved the sensitivity of the system and retained the coincidence photons lost. Visibility of the tumor improved as an appropriate energy window implemented for the different sizes of phantom.

Impact Response Comparison Between Parametric Human Models and Postmortem Human Subjects with a Wide Range of Obesity Levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Kai; Cao, Libo; Wang, Yulong; Hwang, Eunjoo; Reed, Matthew P; Forman, Jason; Hu, Jingwen

2017-10-01

Field data analyses have shown that obesity significantly increases the occupant injury risks in motor vehicle crashes, but the injury assessment tools for people with obesity are largely lacking. The objectives of this study were to use a mesh morphing method to rapidly generate parametric finite element models with a wide range of obesity levels and to evaluate their biofidelity against impact tests using postmortem human subjects (PMHS). Frontal crash tests using three PMHS seated in a vehicle rear seat compartment with body mass index (BMI) from 24 to 40 kg/m 2 were selected. To develop the human models matching the PMHS geometry, statistical models of external body shape, rib cage, pelvis, and femur were applied to predict the target geometry using age, sex, stature, and BMI. A mesh morphing method based on radial basis functions was used to rapidly morph a baseline human model into the target geometry. The model-predicted body excursions and injury measures were compared to the PMHS tests. Comparisons of occupant kinematics and injury measures between the tests and simulations showed reasonable correlations across the wide range of BMI levels. The parametric human models have the capability to account for the obesity effects on the occupant impact responses and injury risks. © 2017 The Obesity Society.

Distribution of ultraviolet-induced DNA repair synthesis in nuclease sensitive and resistant regions of human chromatin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smerdon, M.J.; Tlsty, T.D.; Lieberman, M.W.

1978-01-01

The distribution of ultraviolet radiation (uv) induced DNA repair synthesis within chromatin was examined in cultured human diploid fibroblasts (IMR-90). Measurement of the time course of repair synthesis yielded two distinct phases: An initial rapid phase (fast repair) which occurs during the first 2 to 3 h after damage and a slower phase (slow repair) associated with a tenfold decrease in the rate of nucleotide incorporation, which persists for at least 35 h after damage. Staphylococcal nuclease digests of nuclei from cells damaged with uv and labeled during the fast-repair phase revealed a marked preference of fast-repair synthesis for the nuclease-sensitive regions. A new method was developed to analyze the digestion data and showed that approximately 50% of the nucleotides incorporated during the fast-repair phase are located in staphylococcal nuclease-sensitive regions, which comprise about 30% of the genome. Calculations from these data indicate that in the staphylococcal nuclease-sensitive regions the number of newly inserted nucleotides per unit DNA is about twice that of resistant regions. These results were supported by electrophoresis studies which demonstrated a decreased representation of fast-repair synthesis in core particle DNA. In contrast, the distribution within chromatin of nucleotides incorporated during the slow-repair phase was found to be much more homogeneous with about 30% of the repair sites located in 25% of the genome. Digestion studieswith DNase I indicated a slight preference of repair synthesis for regions sensitive to this enzyme; however, no marked difference between the distributions of fast- and slow-repair synthesis was observed. This study provides evidence that the structural constraints placed upon DNA in chromatin also place constraints upon uv-induced DNA repair synthesis in human cells

The ecology of seamounts: structure, function, and human impacts.

OpenAIRE

Clark, MR; Rowden, AA; Schlacher, T; Williams, A; Consalvey, M; Stocks, KI; Rogers, AD; O'Hara, TD; White, M; Shank, TM; Hall-Spencer, JM

2010-01-01

In this review of seamount ecology, we address a number of key scientific issues concerning the structure and function of benthic communities, human impacts, and seamount management and conservation. We consider whether community composition and diversity differ between seamounts and continental slopes, how important dispersal capabilities are in seamount connectivity, what environmental factors drive species composition and diversity, whether seamounts are centers of enhanced biological prod...

Development of an in vitro skin sensitization test using human cell lines; human Cell Line Activation Test (h-CLAT). II. An inter-laboratory study of the h-CLAT.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakaguchi, H; Ashikaga, T; Miyazawa, M; Yoshida, Y; Ito, Y; Yoneyama, K; Hirota, M; Itagaki, H; Toyoda, H; Suzuki, H

2006-08-01

Recent regulatory changes have placed a major emphasis on in vitro safety testing and alternative models. In regard to skin sensitization tests, dendritic cells (DCs) derived from human peripheral blood have been considered in the development of new in vitro alternatives. Human cell lines have been also reported recently. In our previous study, we suggested that measuring CD86 and/or CD54 expression on THP-1 cells (human monocytic leukemia cell line) could be used as an in vitro skin sensitization method. An inter-laboratory study among two laboratories was undertaken in Japan in order to further develop an in vitro skin sensitization model. In the present study, we used two human cell lines: THP-1 and U-937 (human histiocytic lymphoma cell line). First we optimized our test protocol (refer to the related paper entitled "optimization of the h-CLAT protocol" within this journal) and then we did an inter-laboratory validation with nine chemicals using the optimized protocol. We measured the expression of CD86 and CD54 on the above cells using flow cytometry after a 24h and 48h exposure to six known allergens (e.g., DNCB, pPD, NiSO(4)) and three non-allergens (e.g., SLS, tween 80). For the sample test concentration, four doses (0.1x, 0.5x, 1x, and 2x of the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50))) were evaluated. IC(50) was calculated using MTT assay. We found that allergens/non-allergens were better predicted using THP-1 cells compared to U-937 cells following a 24 h and a 48 h exposure. We also found that the 24h treatment time tended to have a better accuracy than the 48 h treatment time for THP-1 cells. Expression of CD86 and CD54 were good predictive markers for THP-1 cells, but for U-937 cells, expression of CD86 was a better predictor than CD54, at the 24h and the 48 h treatment time. The accuracy also improved when both markers (CD86 and CD54) were used as compared with a single marker for THP-1 cells. Both laboratories gave a good prediction of allergen

Life cycle assessment of sewage sludge management options including long-term impacts after land application

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yoshida, Hiroko; ten Hoeve, Marieke; Christensen, Thomas Højlund

2018-01-01

-toxic impact categories other than freshwater eutrophication. The sensitivity analysis showed that the results were sensitive to soil and precipitation conditions. The ranking of scenarios was affected by local conditions for marine eutrophication. Overall, the present study highlighted the importance...... of including all sludge treatment stages and conducting a detailed N flow analysis, since the emission of reactive N into the environment is the major driver for almost all non-toxic impact categories....... happened. In general, the INC scenario performed better than or comparably to the scenarios with land application of the sludge. Human toxicity (non-carcinogenic) and eco-toxicity showed the highest normalised impact potentials for all the scenarios with land application. In both categories, impacts were...

Abundance and diversity of culturable Pseudomonas constitute sensitive indicators for adverse long-term copper impacts in soil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thorsen, Maja Kristine; Brandt, Kristian Koefoed; Nybroe, Ole

2013-01-01

heterotrophic bacteria. This indicates that the Pseudomonas population is not resilient towards copper stress and that culturable Pseudomonas spp. comprise sensitive bio-indicators of adverse copper impacts in contaminated soils. Further this study shows that copper exposure decreases bacterial diversity...

Internal noise sources limiting contrast sensitivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Silvestre, Daphné; Arleo, Angelo; Allard, Rémy

2018-02-07

Contrast sensitivity varies substantially as a function of spatial frequency and luminance intensity. The variation as a function of luminance intensity is well known and characterized by three laws that can be attributed to the impact of three internal noise sources: early spontaneous neural activity limiting contrast sensitivity at low luminance intensities (i.e. early noise responsible for the linear law), probabilistic photon absorption at intermediate luminance intensities (i.e. photon noise responsible for de Vries-Rose law) and late spontaneous neural activity at high luminance intensities (i.e. late noise responsible for Weber's law). The aim of this study was to characterize how the impact of these three internal noise sources vary with spatial frequency and determine which one is limiting contrast sensitivity as a function of luminance intensity and spatial frequency. To estimate the impact of the different internal noise sources, the current study used an external noise paradigm to factorize contrast sensitivity into equivalent input noise and calculation efficiency over a wide range of luminance intensities and spatial frequencies. The impact of early and late noise was found to drop linearly with spatial frequency, whereas the impact of photon noise rose with spatial frequency due to ocular factors.

Climate Sensitivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindzen, Richard [M.I.T.

2011-11-09

Warming observed thus far is entirely consistent with low climate sensitivity. However, the result is ambiguous because the sources of climate change are numerous and poorly specified. Model predictions of substantial warming aredependent on positive feedbacks associated with upper level water vapor and clouds, but models are notably inadequate in dealing with clouds and the impacts of clouds and water vapor are intimately intertwined. Various approaches to measuring sensitivity based on the physics of the feedbacks will be described. The results thus far point to negative feedbacks. Problems with these approaches as well as problems with the concept of climate sensitivity will be described.

Functional and Taxonomic Differentiation of Macrophyte Assemblages Across the Yangtze River Floodplain Under Human Impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Min; García Molinos, Jorge; Zhang, Xiaolin; Xu, Jun

2018-01-01

Human activities and the consequent extirpations of species have been changing the composition of species assemblages worldwide. These anthropogenic impacts alter not only the richness of assemblages but also the biological dissimilarity among them. One of the main gaps in the assessment of biodiversity change in freshwater ecosystems is our limited understanding regarding how taxonomic and functional facets of macrophyte assemblages respond to human impacts on regional scales. Here, we assess the temporal (before 1970s against after 2000s) changes in taxonomic and functional richness and compositional dissimilarities, partitioned into its turnover and nestedness components, of freshwater macrophyte assemblages across the floodplain lakes of the Yangtze River in China. We found that functional and taxonomic assemblage differentiation occurred simultaneously under increasing human impact, concomitant to a general decrease in functional and taxonomic richness. However, this effect weakened when the historical level of taxonomic dissimilarity among assemblages was high. Macrophyte species with large dispersal range and submersed life form were significantly more susceptible to extirpation. The impact of human activities on differentiation was complex but habitat loss and fishery intensity were consistently the main drivers of assemblage change in these lakes, whereas water quality (i.e., light pollution and nutrient enrichment) had weaker effects. Further, macrophyte taxonomic and functional differentiation was mainly driven by the nestedness component of dissimilarity, accounting for changes in assemblage composition related to changes in species richness independent of species replacement. This result, markedly different from previous studies on freshwater fish assemblages conducted in these lakes, represents a novel contribution toward achieving a more holistic understanding of how human impacts contribute to shape community assemblages in natural ecosystems.

Long-term impacts of unconventional drilling operations on human and animal health.

Science.gov (United States)

Bamberger, Michelle; Oswald, Robert E

2015-01-01

Public health concerns related to the expansion of unconventional oil and gas drilling have sparked intense debate. In 2012, we published case reports of animals and humans affected by nearby drilling operations. Because of the potential for long-term effects of even low doses of environmental toxicants and the cumulative impact of exposures of multiple chemicals by multiple routes of exposure, a longitudinal study of these cases is necessary. Twenty-one cases from five states were followed longitudinally; the follow-up period averaged 25 months. In addition to humans, cases involved food animals, companion animals and wildlife. More than half of all exposures were related to drilling and hydraulic fracturing operations; these decreased slightly over time. More than a third of all exposures were associated with wastewater, processing and production operations; these exposures increased slightly over time. Health impacts decreased for families and animals moving from intensively drilled areas or remaining in areas where drilling activity decreased. In cases of families remaining in the same area and for which drilling activity either remained the same or increased, no change in health impacts was observed. Over the course of the study, the distribution of symptoms was unchanged for humans and companion animals, but in food animals, reproductive problems decreased and both respiratory and growth problems increased. This longitudinal case study illustrates the importance of obtaining detailed epidemiological data on the long-term health effects of multiple chemical exposures and multiple routes of exposure that are characteristic of the environmental impacts of unconventional drilling operations.

Development of a Human Cranial Bone Surrogate for Impact Studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, Jack C.; Merkle, Andrew C.; Carneal, Catherine M.; Voo, Liming M.; Johannes, Matthew S.; Paulson, Jeff M.; Tankard, Sara; Uy, O. Manny

2013-01-01

In order to replicate the fracture behavior of the intact human skull under impact it becomes necessary to develop a material having the mechanical properties of cranial bone. The most important properties to replicate in a surrogate human skull were found to be the fracture toughness and tensile strength of the cranial tables as well as the bending strength of the three-layer (inner table-diplöe-outer table) architecture of the human skull. The materials selected to represent the surrogate cranial tables consisted of two different epoxy resins systems with random milled glass fiber to enhance the strength and stiffness and the materials to represent the surrogate diplöe consisted of three low density foams. Forty-one three-point bending fracture toughness tests were performed on nine material combinations. The materials that best represented the fracture toughness of cranial tables were then selected and formed into tensile samples and tested. These materials were then used with the two surrogate diplöe foam materials to create the three-layer surrogate cranial bone samples for three-point bending tests. Drop tower tests were performed on flat samples created from these materials and the fracture patterns were very similar to the linear fractures in pendulum impacts of intact human skulls, previously reported in the literature. The surrogate cranial tables had the quasi-static fracture toughness and tensile strength of 2.5 MPa√ m and 53 ± 4.9 MPa, respectively, while the same properties of human compact bone were 3.1 ± 1.8 MPa√ m and 68 ± 18 MPa, respectively. The cranial surrogate had a quasi-static bending strength of 68 ± 5.7 MPa, while that of cranial bone was 82 ± 26 MPa. This material/design is currently being used to construct spherical shell samples for drop tower and ballistic tests.

Impact Of Human Activities On Ecosystem In Rivers State, Nigeria ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study was to assess the percent sample population size of people involved in selected human economic activities and the impact on ecosystem in Rivers State. The data for this study was obtained from a sample size of 1000 respondents who were purposively selected from the study area. Purposive sample was used ...

[Clinical impact of opening a human milk bank in a neonatal unit].

Science.gov (United States)

Vázquez-Román, S; Bustos-Lozano, G; López-Maestro, M; Rodríguez-López, J; Orbea-Gallardo, C; Samaniego-Fernández, M; Pallás-Alonso, C R

2014-09-01

The benefits of donor human milk compared with artificial formulas have been well demonstrated; nevertheless the impact in the clinical practice of opening a human milk bank within a neonatal unit has not yet been studied. The main aim of this study was to analyze the impact on the clinical practice of opening a human milk bank in a neonatal unit to provide donor human milk for preterm infants ≤ 32 weeks of gestational age. A before and after study was designed, with the intervention being the opening a human milk bank. Preterm infants ≤ 32 weeks of gestational age born in the Hospital 12 Octubre from July to December 2005 and January to June 2008 (firsts 6 months after opening the human milk bank) were included. After opening the human milk bank, enteral feedings were started 31h before (Partificial formula, the exposure to formula in the first 15 days of life was reduced from 50% to 16.6%, and it's consumption during the first 28 days of life was significantly reduced. There was a higher consumption of own mother's milk during the hospital stay, and a higher rate of exclusive breastfeeding at hospital discharge (54% vs 40%). The availability of donor human milk has led to quicker progression with enteral feedings and earlier withdrawal of parenteral nutrition. It has reduced the exposure to artificial formulas, and has also increased the intake of own mother's milk during the hospital stay and the rate of exclusive breastfeeding at hospital discharge. Copyright © 2013 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

A changing climate: impacts on human exposures to O3 using ...

Science.gov (United States)

Predicting the impacts of changing climate on human exposure to air pollution requires future scenarios that account for changes in ambient pollutant concentrations, population sizes and distributions, and housing stocks. An integrated methodology to model changes in human exposures due to these impacts was developed by linking climate, air quality, land-use, and human exposure models. This methodology was then applied to characterize changes in predicted human exposures to O3 under multiple future scenarios. Regional climate projections for the U.S. were developed by downscaling global circulation model (GCM) scenarios for three of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The regional climate results were in turn used to generate air quality (concentration) projections using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. For each of the climate change scenarios, future U.S. census-tract level population distributions from the Integrated Climate and Land Use Scenarios (ICLUS) model for four future scenarios based on the IPCC’s Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) storylines were used. These climate, air quality, and population projections were used as inputs to EPA’s Air Pollutants Exposure (APEX) model for 12 U.S. cities. Probability density functions show changes in the population distribution of 8 h maximum daily O3 exposur

Human scenarios for the screening assessment. Columbia River Comprehensive Impact Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Napier, B.A.; Harper, B.L.; Lane, N.K.; Strenge, D.L.; Spivey, R.B.

1996-03-01

Because of past nuclear production operations along the Columbia River, there is intense public and tribal interest in assessing any residual Hanford Site related contamination along the river from the Hanford Reach to the Pacific Ocean. The Columbia River Impact Assessment (CRCIA) was proposed to address these concerns. The assessment of the Columbia River is being conducted in phases. The initial phase is a screening assessment of risk, which addresses current environmental conditions for a range of potential uses. One component of the screening assessment estimates the risk from contaminants in the Columbia River to humans. Because humans affected by the Columbia river are involved in a wide range of activities, various scenarios have been developed on which to base the risk assessments. The scenarios illustrate the range of activities possible by members of the public coming in contact with the Columbia River so that the impact of contaminants in the river on human health can be assessed. Each scenario illustrates particular activity patterns by a specific group. Risk will be assessed at the screening level for each scenario. This report defines the scenarios and the exposure factors that will be the basis for estimating the potential range of risk to human health from Hanford-derived radioactive as well as non-radioactive contaminants associated with the Columbia River.

Human scenarios for the screening assessment. Columbia River Comprehensive Impact Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Napier, B.A.; Harper, B.L.; Lane, N.K.; Strenge, D.L.; Spivey, R.B.

1996-03-01

Because of past nuclear production operations along the Columbia River, there is intense public and tribal interest in assessing any residual Hanford Site related contamination along the river from the Hanford Reach to the Pacific Ocean. The Columbia River Impact Assessment (CRCIA) was proposed to address these concerns. The assessment of the Columbia River is being conducted in phases. The initial phase is a screening assessment of risk, which addresses current environmental conditions for a range of potential uses. One component of the screening assessment estimates the risk from contaminants in the Columbia River to humans. Because humans affected by the Columbia river are involved in a wide range of activities, various scenarios have been developed on which to base the risk assessments. The scenarios illustrate the range of activities possible by members of the public coming in contact with the Columbia River so that the impact of contaminants in the river on human health can be assessed. Each scenario illustrates particular activity patterns by a specific group. Risk will be assessed at the screening level for each scenario. This report defines the scenarios and the exposure factors that will be the basis for estimating the potential range of risk to human health from Hanford-derived radioactive as well as non-radioactive contaminants associated with the Columbia River

Delineating the Impact of Weightlessness on Human Physiology Using Computational Models

Science.gov (United States)

Kassemi, Mohammad

2015-01-01

Microgravity environment has profound effects on several important human physiological systems. The impact of weightlessness is usually indirect as mediated by changes in the biological fluid flow and transport and alterations in the deformation and stress fields of the compliant tissues. In this context, Fluid-Structural and Fluid-Solid Interaction models provide a valuable tool in delineating the physical origins of the physiological changes so that systematic countermeasures can be devised to reduce their adverse effects. In this presentation, impact of gravity on three human physiological systems will be considered. The first case involves prediction of cardiac shape change and altered stress distributions in weightlessness. The second, presents a fluid-structural-interaction (FSI) analysis and assessment of the vestibular system and explores the reasons behind the unexpected microgravity caloric stimulation test results performed aboard the Skylab. The last case investigates renal stone development in microgravity and the possible impact of re-entry into partial gravity on the development and transport of nucleating, growing, and agglomerating renal calculi in the nephron. Finally, the need for model validation and verification and application of the FSI models to assess the effects of Artificial Gravity (AG) are also briefly discussed.

The sensitization potential of sunscreen after ablative fractional skin resurfacing using modified human repeated insult patch test.

Science.gov (United States)

Boonchai, Waranya; Sathaworawong, Angkana; Wongpraparut, Chanisada; Wanitphakdeedecha, Rungsima

2015-10-01

Ablative fractional skin resurfacing has become popular and proven to be useful in treating scars, photoaging and wrinkles. Although post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is the most common complication especially in dark-skinned patients like Asian. Several modalities have been used to overcome the PIH. To determine the sensitization potential of sunscreen applied immediately after ablative fractional skin resurfacing. Sixty volunteers were recruited. Of these 30 subjects were from previous ablative fractional skin resurfacing study who applied broad-spectrum sunscreen containing anti-inflammatory agent starting on the first day after resurfacing and another 30 non-resurfacing subjects had applied the same sunscreen on the intact skin. All subjects were patch/photopatch tested for sensitization study by using modified human repeated insult patch test (HRIPT). There were significantly higher sensitization rate of UV-filter, octocrylene and the sunscreen in resurfacing group than in non-resurfacing group. Early application of sunscreen after ablative fractional skin resurfacing has increased the incidence of sensitization potential of sunscreen. The sunscreen is recommended to start using from D3 after fractional ablative skin resurfacing to ensure the complete recovery of skin barrier and minimize the risk of sensitization.

Measuring the Impact of the Human Rights on Health in Global Health Financing.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Sara L M

2015-12-10

In response to new scientific developments, UNAIDS, WHO, and global health financing institutions have joined together to promote a "fast-track" global scale-up of testing and treatment programs. They have set ambitious targets toward the goal of ending the three diseases by 2030. These numerical indicators, based on infectious disease modeling, can assist in measuring countries' progressive realization of the right to health. However, they only nominally reference the catastrophic impact that human rights abuses have on access to health services; they also do not measure the positive impact provided by law reform, legal aid, and other health-related human rights programs. Drawing on experience at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which has incorporated expanded stakeholder consultation and human rights programming into its grants, the article argues that addressing human rights barriers to access is often an ad hoc activity occurring on the sidelines of a health grantmaking process that has focused on the scale-up of biomedical programs to meet global health indicators. To ensure that these biomedical programs have impact, UN agencies and health financing mechanisms must begin to more systematically and proactively integrate human rights policy and practice into their modeling and measurement tools. Copyright © 2015 Davis. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Characterizing the impact of projected changes in climate and air quality on human exposures to ozone.

Science.gov (United States)

Dionisio, Kathie L; Nolte, Christopher G; Spero, Tanya L; Graham, Stephen; Caraway, Nina; Foley, Kristen M; Isaacs, Kristin K

2017-05-01

The impact of climate change on human and environmental health is of critical concern. Population exposures to air pollutants both indoors and outdoors are influenced by a wide range of air quality, meteorological, behavioral, and housing-related factors, many of which are also impacted by climate change. An integrated methodology for modeling changes in human exposures to tropospheric ozone (O 3 ) owing to potential future changes in climate and demographics was implemented by linking existing modeling tools for climate, weather, air quality, population distribution, and human exposure. Human exposure results from the Air Pollutants Exposure Model (APEX) for 12 US cities show differences in daily maximum 8-h (DM8H) exposure patterns and levels by sex, age, and city for all scenarios. When climate is held constant and population demographics are varied, minimal difference in O 3 exposures is predicted even with the most extreme demographic change scenario. In contrast, when population is held constant, we see evidence of substantial changes in O 3 exposure for the most extreme change in climate. Similarly, we see increases in the percentage of the population in each city with at least one O 3 exposure exceedance above 60 p.p.b and 70 p.p.b thresholds for future changes in climate. For these climate and population scenarios, the impact of projected changes in climate and air quality on human exposure to O 3 are much larger than the impacts of changing demographics. These results indicate the potential for future changes in O 3 exposure as a result of changes in climate that could impact human health.

Mechano-sensitive nociceptors are required to detect heat pain thresholds and cowhage itch in human skin.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinkauf, B; Dusch, M; van der Ham, J; Benrath, J; Ringkamp, M; Schmelz, M; Rukwied, R

2016-02-01

Mechano-sensitive and mechano-insensitive C-nociceptors in human skin differ in receptive field sizes and electrical excitation thresholds, but their distinct functional roles are yet unclear. After blocking the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (NCFL) in eight healthy male subjects (3-mL Naropin(®) 1%), we mapped the skin innervation territory being anaesthetic to mechanical pin prick but sensitive to painful transcutaneous electrical stimuli. Such 'differentially anaesthetic zones' indicated that the functional innervation with mechano-sensitive nociceptors was absent but the innervation with mechano-insensitive nociceptors remained intact. In these areas, we explored heat pain thresholds, low pH-induced pain, cowhage- and histamine-induced itch, and axon reflex flare. In differentially anaesthetic skin, heat pain thresholds were above the cut-off of 50°C (non-anaesthetized skin 47 ± 0.4°C). Pain ratings to 30 μL pH 4 injections were reduced compared to non-anaesthetized skin (48 ± 9 vs. 79 ± 6 VAS; p pain. The mechano-sensitive nociceptors are crucial for cowhage-induced itch and for the assessment of heat pain thresholds. © 2015 European Pain Federation - EFIC®

Impact of human resources on wine supply chain flexibility, quality, and economic performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. L. García-Alcaraz

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This article assesses the impact of human resources skills on production quality, flexibility, and economic performance of La Rioja’s wine supply chain. These four elements were integrated as latent variables composed of 15 observed variables and associated through six hypotheses. Data were gathered from 64 wineries located in La Rioja, Spain, and hypotheses were validated in a structural equation model using WarpPLS v.5 software. Results indicate that human resources skills have a positive direct impact on SC flexibility and quality, but not on economic performance; however, these variables are indirectly associated through SC quality and SC flexibility.

O6-alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase activity and nitrosourea sensitivity in human cancer cell lines.

OpenAIRE

Walker, M. C.; Masters, J. R.; Margison, G. P.

1992-01-01

The DNA repair enzyme, O6-alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase (ATase), is thought to be the principal mechanism controlling resistance to nitrosoureas and related alkylating agents. We compared the sensitivities of five human testis and five bladder tumour cell lines to two nitrosoureas (N-nitroso-N-methylurea (MNU) and mitozolomide) with cellular levels of ATase. Enzyme levels ranged from 3 to 206 fmol mg-1 protein (0.1 x 10(4) to 5.1 x 10(4) molecules/cell) in the testis lines and from 11 to ...

Measuring sensitivity in pharmacoeconomic studies. Refining point sensitivity and range sensitivity by incorporating probability distributions.

Science.gov (United States)

Nuijten, M J

1999-07-01

The aim of the present study is to describe a refinement of a previously presented method, based on the concept of point sensitivity, to deal with uncertainty in economic studies. The original method was refined by the incorporation of probability distributions which allow a more accurate assessment of the level of uncertainty in the model. In addition, a bootstrap method was used to create a probability distribution for a fixed input variable based on a limited number of data points. The original method was limited in that the sensitivity measurement was based on a uniform distribution of the variables and that the overall sensitivity measure was based on a subjectively chosen range which excludes the impact of values outside the range on the overall sensitivity. The concepts of the refined method were illustrated using a Markov model of depression. The application of the refined method substantially changed the ranking of the most sensitive variables compared with the original method. The response rate became the most sensitive variable instead of the 'per diem' for hospitalisation. The refinement of the original method yields sensitivity outcomes, which greater reflect the real uncertainty in economic studies.

Impact of human emotions on physiological characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Partila, P.; Voznak, M.; Peterek, T.; Penhaker, M.; Novak, V.; Tovarek, J.; Mehic, Miralem; Vojtech, L.

2014-05-01

Emotional states of humans and their impact on physiological and neurological characteristics are discussed in this paper. This problem is the goal of many teams who have dealt with this topic. Nowadays, it is necessary to increase the accuracy of methods for obtaining information about correlations between emotional state and physiological changes. To be able to record these changes, we focused on two majority emotional states. Studied subjects were psychologically stimulated to neutral - calm and then to the stress state. Electrocardiography, Electroencephalography and blood pressure represented neurological and physiological samples that were collected during patient's stimulated conditions. Speech activity was recording during the patient was reading selected text. Feature extraction was calculated by speech processing operations. Classifier based on Gaussian Mixture Model was trained and tested using Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients extracted from the patient's speech. All measurements were performed in a chamber with electromagnetic compatibility. The article discusses a method for determining the influence of stress emotional state on the human and his physiological and neurological changes.

Impacts of pavement types on in-vehicle noise and human health.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qing; Qiao, Fengxiang; Yu, Lei

2016-01-01

Noise is a major source of pollution that can affect the human physiology and living environment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an exposure for longer than 24 hours to noise levels above 70 dB(A) may damage human hearing sensitivity, induce adverse health effects, and cause anxiety to residents nearby roadways. Pavement type with different roughness is one of the associated sources that may contribute to in-vehicle noise. Most previous studies have focused on the impact of pavement type on the surrounding acoustic environment of roadways, and given little attention to in-vehicle noise levels. This paper explores the impacts of different pavement types on in-vehicle noise levels and the associated adverse health effects. An old concrete pavement and a pavement with a thin asphalt overlay were chosen as the test beds. The in-vehicle noise caused by the asphalt and concrete pavements were measured, as well as the drivers' corresponding heart rates and reported riding comfort. Results show that the overall in-vehicle sound levels are higher than 70 dB(A) even at midnight. The newly overlaid asphalt pavement reduced in-vehicle noise at a driving speed of 96.5 km/hr by approximately 6 dB(A). Further, on the concrete pavement with higher roughness, driver heart rates were significantly higher than on the asphalt pavement. Drivers reported feeling more comfortable when driving on asphalt than on concrete pavement. Further tests on more drivers with different demographic characteristics, along highways with complicated configurations, and an examination of more factors contributing to in-vehicle noise are recommended, in addition to measuring additional physical symptoms of both drivers and passengers. While there have been many previous noise-related studies, few have addressed in-vehicle noise. Most studies have focused on the noise that residents have complained about, such as neighborhood traffic noise. As yet, there have been no complaints by

Traditional Chinese Medicine Curcumin Sensitizes Human Colon Cancer to Radiation by Altering the Expression of DNA Repair-related Genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Guangen; Qiu, Jianming; Wang, Dong; Tao, Yong; Song, Yihuan; Wang, Hongtao; Tang, Juping; Wang, Xing; Sun, Y U; Yang, Zhijian; Hoffman, Robert M

2018-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the radio-sensitizing efficacy of curcumin, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on colon cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Human colon cancer HT-29 cells were treated with curcumin (2.5 μM), irradiation (10 Gy) and the combination of irradiation and curcumin. Cell proliferation was assessed using the MTT assay. Apoptotic cells were detected by Annexin V-PE/7-AAD analysis. PCR was performed to determine differential-expression profiling of 95 DNA-repair genes in irradiated cells and cells treated with both irradiation and curcumin. Differentially-expressed genes were confirmed by Western blotting. In vivo radio-sensitizing efficacy of curcumin was assessed in a xenograft mouse model of HT-29 colon cancer. Curcumin was administrated daily by intraperitoneal injection at 20 mg/kg/dose. Mice received irradiation (10 Gy) twice weekly. Apoptosis of the cancer cells following treatment was determined by TUNEL staining. Irradiation induced proliferation inhibition and apoptosis of HT-29 cells in vitro. Concurrent curcumin treatment sensitized the HT-29 tumor to irradiation (pcurcumin and irradiation compared with irradiation alone (pcurcumin and irradiation resulted in a significantly greater tumor-growth inhibition and apoptosis compared to irradiation treatment alone (pCurcumin sensitizes human colon cancer in vitro and in vivo to radiation. Downregulation of LIG4 and PNKP and upregulation of XRCC5 and CCNH DNA-repair-related genes were involved in the radio-sensitizing efficacy of curcumin in colon cancer. Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

Catchment liming creates recolonization opportunity for sensitive invertebrates in a smelter impacted landscape

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John M. Gunn

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The response of a sensitive indicator species to the effects of catchment liming was assessed in a lake severely impacted by atmospheric emissions from a metal smelter in Sudbury, Canada. The lake chemistry recovered following the closure of the local smelter and major reductions (approximately 95% in acid and metal emissions from other area smelters, leading to recolonization of the lake with fish and other biota. However, the littoral macrobenthos community remain severely impoverished. The catchment liming sustained improved stream water quality for 20 years after the initial aerial treatment and created a littoral zone hot spot for the recolonization of Hyalella azteca. Colonization at delta sites of untreated catchment drainage areas, in the same lake, were low and highly variable, and these sites appeared to be impacted from soil erosion and episodic release of acid and metals. This study demonstrated the need to both reduce air pollutants and to conduct land reclamation in severely damaged watersheds, before lake ecosystems themselves can be fully recovered.

The impact of weather on human health.

Science.gov (United States)

Sulman, F G

1984-01-01

The impact of weather on human health is a well-known fact, yet, alas, neglected in the past. Bioclimatology, a vast field of medical knowledge, has only been developed in the past few years. It shows that the air we breathe has a profound influence on our well-being. Electrical charges of the air, such as ions, spherics and electrofields can affect our endocrine, vegetative and autonomous nerve system. It may even be responsible for post-operative thromboembolism. The present article describes weather reactions, electric radiations, climate rhythm, medical aspects of weather changes, and their effect on health and disease. Special devotion is also given to the manifestations of evil winds.

LCI Databases Sensitivity Analysis of the Environmental Impact of the Injection Molding Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Elduque

2015-03-01

Full Text Available During the last decades, society’s concern for the environment has increased. Specific tools like the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA, and software and databases to apply this method have been developed to calculate the environmental burden of products or processes. Calculating the environmental impact of plastic products is relevant as the global plastics production rose to 288 million tons in 2012. Among the different ways of processing plastics, the injection molding process is one of the most used in the industry worldwide. In this paper, a sensitivity analysis of the environmental impact of the injection molding process has been carried out. In order to perform this study, the EcoInvent database inventory for injection molding, and the data from which this database is created, have been studied. Generally, when an LCA of a product is carried out, databases such as EcoInvent, where materials, processes and transports are characterized providing average values, are used to quantify the environmental impact. This approach can be good enough in some cases but in order to assess a specific production process, like injection molding, a further level of detail is needed. This study shows how the final results of environmental impact differ for injection molding when using the PVC’s, PP’s or PET’s data. This aspect suggests the necessity of studying, in a more precise way, this process, to correctly evaluate its environmental burden. This also allows us to identify priority areas and thereby actions to develop a more sustainable way of manufacturing plastics.

Disaster Impacts on Human Capital Accumulation Shown in the Typhoon Haiyan Case

Science.gov (United States)

Özceylan Aubrecht, Dilek; Aubrecht, Christoph

2014-05-01

School children and their school environment are increasingly exposed to all kinds of hazards. Many disaster events have shown the extent of disaster impacts on the education sector which this study also highlights in the Typhoon Haiyan Case. Disasters do not only cause loss of lives or damage to educational facilities, they also entail significant economic and social consequences on human capital development in the short and long-run. While the trend of short term disaster impact can easily be analyzed in rapid post disaster assessments taking destroyed assets as proxy, usually analyses of medium and long-term effects of disasters include large inherent uncertainties and are of less tangible nature, require more time and complex methods and can often not give comprehensive results. The consequences of disasters especially in developing countries are therefore to a certain extent often left unknown. Generally, economic and social effects of disasters on human capital seem to be ambiguous and to some degree these effects are related to economic, social and institutional well-being. Thus, clear understanding is crucial to interpret its complex effects on human capital accumulation. This essential nature of medium and long-term effects has not been reflected in many analyses. Focus has mostly been given on the extent of physical damage, displacements, lives and assets lost instead of targeting resilience of social and economic characteristics of communities in terms of preventing human capital accumulation disruption. Main objective of this study is to provide a conceptual framework illustrating the impacts of disasters on schooling which might help in assessing such effects, as one of the fundamental components of human capital accumulation (Ozceylan Aubrecht, 2013). The dimensions of human capital building and its relationship to disasters under the light of past disaster events are discussed with a special focus on the recent Typhoon Haiyan that struck the

Improved physiologically based pharmacokinetic model for oral exposures to chromium in mice, rats, and humans to address temporal variation and sensitive populations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kirman, C.R., E-mail: ckirman@summittoxicology.com [Summit Toxicology, PO Box 3209, Bozeman, MT 59715 (United States); Suh, M.; Proctor, D.M. [ToxStrategies, Mission Viejo, CA (United States); Hays, S.M. [Summit Toxicology, PO Box 3209, Bozeman, MT 59715 (United States)

2017-06-15

A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] in mice, rats, and humans developed previously (Kirman et al., 2012, 2013), was updated to reflect an improved understanding of the toxicokinetics of the gastrointestinal tract following oral exposures. Improvements were made to: (1) the reduction model, which describes the pH-dependent reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in the gastrointestinal tract under both fasted and fed states; (2) drinking water pattern simulations, to better describe dosimetry in rodents under the conditions of the NTP cancer bioassay; and (3) parameterize the model to characterize potentially sensitive human populations. Important species differences, sources of non-linear toxicokinetics, and human variation are identified and discussed within the context of human health risk assessment. - Highlights: • An improved version of the PBPK model for Cr(VI) toxicokinetics was developed. • The model incorporates data collected to fill important data gaps. • Model predictions for specific age groups and sensitive subpopulations are provided. • Implications to human health risk assessment are discussed.

Assessing Sensitiveness to Transport

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lieb, Christoph; Suter, Stefan; Sánchez, Alfredo

Summary The EU-project ASSET (ASessing SEnsitiveness to Transport) aims at developing and implementing a concise concept to assess transport sensitive areas (TSA) in a European context, i.e. areas in which transport leads to more serious impacts than in other areas. The aim of work package 2 (WP2...

Human impact on open temperate woodlands during the middle Holocene in Central Europe

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jamrichová, Eva; Hédl, Radim; Kolář, Jan; Tóth, P.; Bobek, Přemysl; Hajnalová, M.; Procházka, J.; Kadlec, Jaroslav; Szabó, Péter

2017-01-01

Roč. 245, OCT 2017 (2017), s. 55-68 ISSN 0034-6667 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 278065 - LONGWOOD Institutional support: RVO:67985939 ; RVO:67985530 Keywords : temperate oakwoods * Quercus * human impact Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour; DE - Earth Magnetism, Geodesy, Geography (GFU-E) OBOR OECD: Ecology; Physical geography (GFU-E) Impact factor: 1.817, year: 2016

Impact of socially responsible human resources policies on intellectual capital

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesus Barrena-Martínez

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This research focuses on the benefits that social responsibility can report on the area of human resources, examined the impact of a socially responsible configuration of human resource policies and practices in the generation value process for the company, and more specifically in its intellectual capital. Design/methodology/approach: The study performed a regression analysis, testing the individual effects of socially responsible human resource policies on intellectual capital, broken down into three main variables such as human, social and organizational capital. Findings: The results shed light on how the introduction of socially responsible aspects in the management of human resources can facilitate the exchange of knowledge, skills and attitudes human--capital; lead to improvements in communication, trust, cooperation among employees social-capital and, in turn, generates an institutionalized knowledge encoded in the own organizational culture –organizational capital–. Research limitations/implications: The study only provides information from large companies with over 250 employees. Practical implications: There are important implications in the measure of corporate social responsibility concerns in the area of human resources. Social implications: Also important intangible effects on non-economic variables are confirmed, such as intellectual capital. Originality/value: The value of the study lies in its novelty, testing socially responsible configurations of human resources as well as the direct effects of different policies on intellectual capital.

Uptake of human pharmaceuticals in bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) inhabiting a wastewater-impacted river.

Science.gov (United States)

Gelsleichter, James; Szabo, Nancy J

2013-07-01

The presence of human pharmaceuticals in sewage-impacted ecosystems is a growing concern that poses health risks to aquatic wildlife. Despite this, few studies have investigated the uptake of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in aquatic organisms. In this study, the uptake of 9 APIs from human drugs was examined and compared in neonate bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) residing in pristine (Myakka River) and wastewater-impacted (Caloosahatchee River) tributaries of Florida's Charlotte Harbor estuary. The synthetic estrogen used in human contraceptives (17α-ethynylestradiol) and 6 of the selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (citalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine) used in human antidepressants were observed at detectable and, in some cases, quantifiable levels in plasma of Caloosahatchee River sharks. Comparatively, only venlafaxine was detected in the plasma of a single Myakka River shark at a level below the limit of quantitation. These results suggest that sharks residing in wastewater-impacted habitats accumulate APIs, a factor that may pose special risks to C. leucas since it is one of few shark species to regularly occupy freshwater systems. Further research is needed to determine if the low levels of API uptake observed in Caloosahatchee River bull sharks pose health risks to these animals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sensitivities of ionic explosives

Science.gov (United States)

Politzer, Peter; Lane, Pat; Murray, Jane S.

2017-03-01

We have investigated the relevance for ionic explosive sensitivity of three factors that have been demonstrated to be related to the sensitivities of molecular explosives. These are (1) the maximum available heat of detonation, (2) the amount of free space per molecule (or per formula unit) in the crystal lattice and (3) specific features of the electrostatic potential on the molecular or ionic surface. We find that for ionic explosives, just as for molecular ones, there is an overall tendency for impact sensitivity to increase as the maximum detonation heat release is greater. This means that the usual emphasis upon designing explosives with large heats of detonation needs to be tempered somewhat. We also show that a moderate detonation heat release does not preclude a high level of detonation performance for ionic explosives, as was already demonstrated for molecular ones. Relating the free space per formula unit to sensitivity may require a modified procedure for ionic explosives; this will continue to be investigated. Finally, an encouraging start has been made in linking impact sensitivities to the electrostatic potentials on ionic surfaces, although limited so far to ammonium salts.

Impact of pasteurization of human milk on preterm newborn in vitro digestion: Gastrointestinal disintegration, lipolysis and proteolysis.

Science.gov (United States)

de Oliveira, Samira C; Bourlieu, Claire; Ménard, Olivia; Bellanger, Amandine; Henry, Gwénaële; Rousseau, Florence; Dirson, Emelyne; Carrière, Frédéric; Dupont, Didier; Deglaire, Amélie

2016-11-15

Human milk feeding is an important recommendation for preterm newborns considering their vulnerability and digestive immaturity. Holder pasteurization (62.5°C, 30min) applied in milk banks modifies its biological quality and its microstructure. We investigated the impact of pasteurization of preterm human milk on its gastrointestinal kinetics of lipolysis, proteolysis and structural disintegration. An in vitro dynamic system was set up to simulate the gastrointestinal digestion of preterm newborns. A pool of preterm human milk was digested as raw or after Holder pasteurization. Pasteurization impacted the microstructure of undigested human milk, its gastrointestinal disintegration and tended to limit the intestinal lipolysis. Furthermore, the gastrointestinal bioaccessibility of some fatty acids was decreased by pasteurization, while the intestinal bioaccessibility of some amino acids was selectively modulated. The impact of pasteurization on the digestion of human milk may have nutritional relevance in vivo and potentially modulates preterm development and growth. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impacts of Social Media (Facebook on Human Communication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tang-Mui Joo

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The impact of social networking is varied from good to bad. Online activities have also been categorized into pros and cons of social networking, either as reported as hiding Internet activities among teenagers or killing loneliness among elderly. In terms of relationships, there have been argument over its closeness and quality of an online relationship in Internet settings. Looking at the contradiction in an innovative interaction between classic community communication and social media, there is an unknown scent of the future struggling and challenging both human communication and relationships in the presence of digital culture. This research uses Diffusion of Innovation to study the wide and continuous spread of digital culture in human communication; and, Media Dependency in learning and structuring the cognitive, affective and behavioral effects of social media on each person uses the media in different ways. This research will be using online survey to gain opinions from a social network site as an update of views and reflection of self-awareness to all levels of people. Social media like Facebook (FB is perceived as a good tool of communication that it is able to bring closeness among the family members. The results show that social media like FB brings positive impact towards family members; it would help to build a better and harmonic society; and, relationships among family members and communication shall be improved and enhanced to the level of a united society.

The impact of pegvisomant treatment on substrate metabolism and insulin sensitivity in patients with acromegaly

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindberg-Larsen, Rune; Møller, Niels; Schmitz, Ole

2007-01-01

CONTEXT: Pegvisomant is a specific GH receptor antagonist that is able to normalize serum IGF-I concentrations in most patients with acromegaly. The impact of pegvisomant on insulin sensitivity and substrate metabolism is less well described. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We assessed basal and insulin......-stimulated (euglycemic clamp) substrate metabolism in seven patients with active acromegaly before and after 4-wk pegvisomant treatment (15 mg/d) in an open design. RESULTS: After pegvisomant, IGF-I decreased, whereas GH increased (IGF-I, 621 +/- 82 vs. 247 +/- 33 microg/liter, P = 0.02; GH, 5.3 +/- 1.5 vs. 10.8 +/- 3...... vs. 1563 +/- 101 kcal/24 h, P = 0.03), but the rate of lipid oxidation did not change significantly. CONCLUSIONS: 1) Pegvisomant treatment for 4 wk improves peripheral and hepatic insulin sensitivity in acromegaly. 2) This is associated with a decrease in resting energy expenditure, whereas free...

Functional organization of the face-sensitive areas in human occipital-temporal cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Hanyu; Weng, Xuchu; He, Sheng

2017-08-15

Human occipital-temporal cortex features several areas sensitive to faces, presumably forming the biological substrate for face perception. To date, there are piecemeal insights regarding the functional organization of these regions. They have come, however, from studies that are far from homogeneous with regard to the regions involved, the experimental design, and the data analysis approach. In order to provide an overall view of the functional organization of the face-sensitive areas, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive study that taps into the pivotal functional properties of all the face-sensitive areas, within the context of the same experimental design, and uses multiple data analysis approaches. In this study, we identified the most robustly activated face-sensitive areas in bilateral occipital-temporal cortices (i.e., AFP, aFFA, pFFA, OFA, pcSTS, pSTS) and systemically compared their regionally averaged activation and multivoxel activation patterns to 96 images from 16 object categories, including faces and non-faces. This condition-rich and single-image analysis approach critically samples the functional properties of a brain region, allowing us to test how two basic functional properties, namely face-category selectivity and face-exemplar sensitivity are distributed among these regions. Moreover, by examining the correlational structure of neural responses to the 96 images, we characterize their interactions in the greater face-processing network. We found that (1) r-pFFA showed the highest face-category selectivity, followed by l-pFFA, bilateral aFFA and OFA, and then bilateral pcSTS. In contrast, bilateral AFP and pSTS showed low face-category selectivity; (2) l-aFFA, l-pcSTS and bilateral AFP showed evidence of face-exemplar sensitivity; (3) r-OFA showed high overall response similarities with bilateral LOC and r-pFFA, suggesting it might be a transitional stage between general and face-selective information processing; (4) r-aFFA showed high

An in vitro method for detecting chemical sensitization using human reconstructed skin models and its applicability to cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and medical device safety testing.

Science.gov (United States)

McKim, James M; Keller, Donald J; Gorski, Joel R

2012-12-01

Chemical sensitization is a serious condition caused by small reactive molecules and is characterized by a delayed type hypersensitivity known as allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). Contact with these molecules via dermal exposure represent a significant concern for chemical manufacturers. Recent legislation in the EU has created the need to develop non-animal alternative methods for many routine safety studies including sensitization. Although most of the alternative research has focused on pure chemicals that possess reasonable solubility properties, it is important for any successful in vitro method to have the ability to test compounds with low aqueous solubility. This is especially true for the medical device industry where device extracts must be prepared in both polar and non-polar vehicles in order to evaluate chemical sensitization. The aim of this research was to demonstrate the functionality and applicability of the human reconstituted skin models (MatTek Epiderm(®) and SkinEthic RHE) as a test system for the evaluation of chemical sensitization and its potential use for medical device testing. In addition, the development of the human 3D skin model should allow the in vitro sensitization assay to be used for finished product testing in the personal care, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. This approach combines solubility, chemical reactivity, cytotoxicity, and activation of the Nrf2/ARE expression pathway to identify and categorize chemical sensitizers. Known chemical sensitizers representing extreme/strong-, moderate-, weak-, and non-sensitizing potency categories were first evaluated in the skin models at six exposure concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 2500 µM for 24 h. The expression of eight Nrf2/ARE, one AhR/XRE and two Nrf1/MRE controlled gene were measured by qRT-PCR. The fold-induction at each exposure concentration was combined with reactivity and cytotoxicity data to determine the sensitization potential. The results demonstrated that

The impacts of nature experience on human cognitive function and mental health.

Science.gov (United States)

Bratman, Gregory N; Hamilton, J Paul; Daily, Gretchen C

2012-02-01

Scholars spanning a variety of disciplines have studied the ways in which contact with natural environments may impact human well-being. We review the effects of such nature experience on human cognitive function and mental health, synthesizing work from environmental psychology, urban planning, the medical literature, and landscape aesthetics. We provide an overview of the prevailing explanatory theories of these effects, the ways in which exposure to nature has been considered, and the role that individuals' preferences for nature may play in the impact of the environment on psychological functioning. Drawing from the highly productive but disparate programs of research in this area, we conclude by proposing a system of categorization for different types of nature experience. We also outline key questions for future work, including further inquiry into which elements of the natural environment may have impacts on cognitive function and mental health; what the most effective type, duration, and frequency of contact may be; and what the possible neural mechanisms are that could be responsible for the documented effects. © 2012 New York Academy of Sciences.

Waste management programmatic environmental impact statement methodology for estimating human health risks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergenback, B.; Blaylock, B.P.; Legg, J.L.

1995-05-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has produced large quantities of radioactive and hazardous waste during years of nuclear weapons production. As a result, a large number of sites across the DOE Complex have become chemically and/or radiologically contaminated. In 1990, the Secretary of Energy charged the DOE Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste management (EM) with the task of preparing a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). The PEIS should identify and assess the potential environmental impacts of implementing several integrated Environmental Restoration (ER) and Waste Management (WM) alternatives. The determination and integration of appropriate remediation activities and sound waste management practices is vital for ensuring the diminution of adverse human health impacts during site cleanup and waste management programs. This report documents the PEIS risk assessment methodology used to evaluate human health risks posed by WM activities. The methodology presents a programmatic cradle to grave risk assessment for EM program activities. A unit dose approach is used to estimate risks posed by WM activities and is the subject of this document

Comprehensive Assessment of Human Health Impacts and Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables in a LCA Context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stylianou, Katerina S.; Fantke, Peter; Fulgoni, Victor L.

2017-01-01

Nutritional effects from the 'use stage' of the life cycle of food products can have a substantial effect on human health; yet, they are often not considered in life cycle assessment (LCA). In this study we explore the trade-offs between environmental and nutritional health effects associated wit...... be extended to other human health impacts (e.g. water use) and used in making sustainable diets decisions.[GRAPHICS]...... diet could result in an avoided health impact of 19.0 mu DALY (respective avoided impact for vegetables: 5.25 mu DALY). Overall, adding one fruits serving to the average US diet may lead to substantial health benefits: nutrition-related avoided impact (benefit) is 50 times higher than environmental...... health impacts (Figure 2). The benefit is slightly enhanced when increased fruit intake is substituted by food associated with adverse health outcomes, such as trans-fat and red meat, with the benefit mainly linked to avoided nutritional health impact. Benefits exceed impacts even when considering...

Human impacts on 20th century fire dynamics and implications for global carbon and water trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Fang; Lawrence, David M.; Bond-Lamberty, Ben

2018-03-01

Fire is a fundamental Earth system process and the primary ecosystem disturbance on the global scale. It affects carbon and water cycles through changing terrestrial ecosystems, and at the same time, is regulated by weather and climate, vegetation characteristics, and, importantly, human ignitions and suppression (i.e., the direct human effect on fire). Here, we utilize the Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM4.5) to quantify the impacts of changes in human ignition and suppression on fire dynamics and associated carbon and water cycles. We find that the impact is to significantly reduce the 20th century global burned area by a century average of 38 Mha/yr and by 103 Mha/yr at the end of the century. Land carbon gain is weakened by 17% over the 20th century, mainly due to increased human deforestation fires and associated escape fires (i.e., degradation fires) in the tropical humid forests, even though the decrease in burned area in many other regions due to human fire suppression acts to increase land carbon gain. The direct human effect on fire weakens the upward trend in global runoff throughout the century by 6% and enhances the upward trend in global evapotranspiration since 1945 by 7%. In addition, the above impacts in densely populated, highly developed (if population density > 0.1 person/km2), or moderately populated and developed regions are of opposite sign to those in other regions. Our study suggests that particular attention should be paid to human deforestation and degradation fires in the tropical humid forests when reconstructing and projecting fire carbon emissions and net atmosphere-land carbon exchange and estimating resultant impacts of direct human effect on fire.

Human impacts on 20th century fire dynamics and implications for global carbon and water trajectories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Fang; Lawrence, David M.; Bond-Lamberty, Ben

2018-03-01

Fire is a fundamental Earth system process and the primary ecosystem disturbance on the global scale. It affects carbon and water cycles through changing terrestrial ecosystems, and at the same time, is regulated by weather and climate, vegetation characteristics, and, importantly, human ignitions and suppression (i.e., the direct human effect on fire). Here, we utilize the Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM4.5) to quantify the impacts of changes in human ignition and suppression on fire dynamics and associated carbon and water cycles. We find that the impact is to significantly reduce the 20th century global burned area by a century average of 38 Mha/yr and by 103 Mha/yr at the end of the century. Land carbon gain is weakened by 17% over the 20th century, mainly due to increased human deforestation fires and associated escape fires (i.e., degradation fires) in the tropical humid forests, even though the decrease in burned area in many other regions due to human fire suppression acts to increase land carbon gain. The direct human effect on fire weakens the upward trend in global runoff throughout the century by 6% and enhances the upward trend in global evapotranspiration since ~ 1945 by 7%. In addition, the above impacts in densely populated, highly developed (if population density > 0.1 person/km2), or moderately populated and developed regions are of opposite sign to those in other regions. Our study suggests that particular attention should be paid to human deforestation and degradation fires in the tropical humid forests when reconstructing and projecting fire carbon emissions and net atmosphere-land carbon exchange and estimating resultant impacts of direct human effect on fire.

Impacts of community forest management on human economic well-being across Madagascar

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasolofoson, Ranaivo Andriarilala; Ferraro, Paul J.; Ruta, Giovanni

2017-01-01

Community Forest Management (CFM) devolves forest management to local communities to achieve conservation and human well-being goals. Yet, the evidence for CFM's impacts is mixed and difficult to interpret because of inadequate attention to rival explanations for the observed empirical patterns....... In a national-scale analysis in Madagascar that carefully considers these rival explanations, we estimate CFM impacts on household living standards, as measured by per capita consumption expenditures. The estimated impact is positive, but small and not statistically different from zero. However, we can...... statistically reject substantial negative impacts (which others have suggested may exist). The estimated impacts vary conditional on household education and proximity to forests: they are more positive and statistically significant for households closer to forest and with more education. To help improve CFM...

Walking through Architectural Spaces: The Impact of Interior Forms on Human Brain Dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Banaei, Maryam; Hatami, Javad; Yazdanfar, Abbas; Gramann, Klaus

2017-01-01

Neuroarchitecture uses neuroscientific tools to better understand architectural design and its impact on human perception and subjective experience. The form or shape of the built environment is fundamental to architectural design, but not many studies have shown the impact of different forms on the inhabitants' emotions. This study investigated the neurophysiological correlates of different interior forms on the perceivers' affective state and the accompanying brain activity. To understand the impact of naturalistic three-dimensional (3D) architectural forms, it is essential to perceive forms from different perspectives. We computed clusters of form features extracted from pictures of residential interiors and constructed exemplary 3D room models based on and representing different formal clusters. To investigate human brain activity during 3D perception of architectural spaces, we used a mobile brain/body imaging (MoBI) approach recording the electroencephalogram (EEG) of participants while they naturally walk through different interior forms in virtual reality (VR). The results revealed a strong impact of curvature geometries on activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Theta band activity in ACC correlated with specific feature types ( r s (14) = 0.525, p = 0.037) and geometry ( r s (14) = -0.579, p = 0.019), providing evidence for a role of this structure in processing architectural features beyond their emotional impact. The posterior cingulate cortex and the occipital lobe were involved in the perception of different room perspectives during the stroll through the rooms. This study sheds new light on the use of mobile EEG and VR in architectural studies and provides the opportunity to study human brain dynamics in participants that actively explore and realistically experience architectural spaces.

Walking through Architectural Spaces: The Impact of Interior Forms on Human Brain Dynamics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maryam Banaei

2017-09-01