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Sample records for husher melissa muth

  1. Melissa Wells : "Mojo serdtse teper s etimi ljudmi i ihh problemani" / Melissa Wells ; interv. Jevgenija Garanzha

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Wells, Melissa

    2001-01-01

    Intervjuu USA suursaadikuga Eestis Melissa Wellsiga, põhiteemad: USA uue administratsiooni poliitika Baltimaade suhtes, nn. Kaliningradi skandaal, NATO laienemine, Baltimaade ühinemine NATO-ga, Eesti ja Euroopa kiirreageerimisjõud. Eesti-USA suhted pärast Eesti ühinemist EL-iga, muutused Eestis viimastel aastatel, USA saatkonna osavõtt integratsiooniprojektist. Melissa Wellsi eluloolisi andmeid

  2. Effect of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and melissa (Melissa Officinalis) waste on quality and shelf life of bread.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasileva, Ivelina; Denkova, Rositsa; Chochkov, Rosen; Teneva, Desislava; Denkova, Zapryana; Dessev, Tzvetelin; Denev, Petko; Slavov, Anton

    2018-07-01

    The effect of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and melissa (Melissa Officinalis) waste on preparation, characteristics and shelf life of bread was investigated. It was found that lavender and melissa waste, generated yearly in large amounts, were rich on polyphenols (especially rosmarinic acid) and aroma compounds, and exhibited high antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The bread with 2.5% lavender waste was characterized with the highest loaf volume and loaf specific volume. The total dietary fiber increased three times and the polyphenols and flavonoids increased more than four times for breads with added 5% lavender and melissa waste, compared to control sample. The breads with 2.5% and 5% added lavender waste had increased shelf life (up to 96 h) compared to control, and no fungal or bacterial spoilage was observed during storage at 22 °C, 30 °C and 37 °C for four days. The sensory evaluation demonstrated that the consumers preferred mainly bread with 2.5% lavender waste. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Preliminary approach of the MELiSSA loop energy balance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poulet, Lucie; Lamaze, Brigitte; Lebrun, Jean

    Long duration missions, such as the establishment of permanent bases on the lunar surface or the travel to Mars, require a huge amount of life support consumables (e.g. food, water and oxygen). Current rockets are at the moment unable to launch such a mass from Earth. Consequently Regenerative Life Support Systems are necessary to sustain long-term manned space mission to increase recycling rates and so reduce the launched mass. Thus the European and Canadian research has been concentrating on the MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) project over the last 20 years. MELiSSA is an Environmental Controlled Life Support System (ECLSS), i.e. a closed regenerative loop inspired of a lake ecosystem. Using light as a source of energy, MELiSSA's goal is the recovery of food, water and oxygen from CO2 and organic wastes, using microorganisms and higher plants. The architecture of a ECLSS depends widely on the mission scenario. To compare several ECLSS architectures and in order to be able to evaluate them, ESA is developing a multi criteria evaluation tool: ALISSE (Advanced LIfe Support System Evaluator). One of these criteria is the energy needed to operate the ECLSS. Unlike other criteria like the physical mass, the energy criterion has not been investigated yet and needs hence a detailed analysis. It will consequently be the focus of this study. The main objective of the work presented here is to develop a dynamic tool able to estimate the energy balance for several configurations of the MELiSSA loop. The first step consists in establishing the energy balance using concrete figures from the MELiSSA Pilot Plant (MPP). This facility located at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) is aimed at the ground demonstration of the MELiSSA loop. The MELiSSA loop is structured on several subsystems; each of them is characterized by supplies, exhausts and process reactions. For the purpose of this study (i.e. a generic tool) the solver EES (Engineering

  4. Preliminary study of the space adaptation of the MELiSSA life support system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mas-Albaigès, Joan L.; Duatis, Jordi; Podhajsky, Sandra; Guirado, Víctor; Poughon, Laurent

    MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) is an European Space Agency (ESA) project focused on the development of a closed regenerative life support system to aid the development of technologies for future life support systems for long term manned planetary missions, e.g. a lunar base or missions to Mars. In order to understand the potential evolution of the MELiSSA concept towards its future use in the referred manned planetary mission context the MELiSSA Space Adaptation (MSA) activity has been undertaken. MSA's main objective is to model the different MELiSSA compartments using EcosimPro R , a specialized simulation tool for life support applications, in order to define a preliminary MELiSSA implementation for service in a man-tended lunar base scenario, with a four-member crew rotating in six-month increments, and performing the basic LSS functions of air revitalization, food production, and waste and water recycling. The MELiSSA EcosimPro R Model features a dedicated library for the different MELiSSA elements (bioreactors, greenhouse, crew, interconnecting elements, etc.). It is used to dimension the MELiSSA system in terms of major parameters like mass, volume and energy needs, evaluate the accuracy of the results and define the strategy for a progressive loop closure from the initial required performance (approx.100 The MELiSSA configuration(s) obtained through the EcosimPro R simulation are further analysed using the Advanced Life Support System Evaluation (ALISSE) metric, relying on mass, energy, efficiency, human risk, system reliability and crew time, for trade-off and optimization of results. The outcome of the MSA activity is, thus, a potential Life Support System architecture description, based on combined MELiSSA and other physico-chemical technologies, defining its expected performance, associated operational conditions and logistic needs.

  5. Site- and strand-specific nicking of DNA by fusion proteins derived from MutH and I-SceI or TALE repeats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gabsalilow, Lilia; Schierling, Benno; Friedhoff, Peter; Pingoud, Alfred; Wende, Wolfgang

    2013-04-01

    Targeted genome engineering requires nucleases that introduce a highly specific double-strand break in the genome that is either processed by homology-directed repair in the presence of a homologous repair template or by non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) that usually results in insertions or deletions. The error-prone NHEJ can be efficiently suppressed by 'nickases' that produce a single-strand break rather than a double-strand break. Highly specific nickases have been produced by engineering of homing endonucleases and more recently by modifying zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) composed of a zinc finger array and the catalytic domain of the restriction endonuclease FokI. These ZF-nickases work as heterodimers in which one subunit has a catalytically inactive FokI domain. We present two different approaches to engineer highly specific nickases; both rely on the sequence-specific nicking activity of the DNA mismatch repair endonuclease MutH which we fused to a DNA-binding module, either a catalytically inactive variant of the homing endonuclease I-SceI or the DNA-binding domain of the TALE protein AvrBs4. The fusion proteins nick strand specifically a bipartite recognition sequence consisting of the MutH and the I-SceI or TALE recognition sequences, respectively, with a more than 1000-fold preference over a stand-alone MutH site. TALE-MutH is a programmable nickase.

  6. MELiSSA celebrates 25 years of research into life support

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2015-01-01

    MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) is a collaborative project with the European Space Agency ESA and various other scientific partners. The objective of MELiSSA is to develop a system that is able to provide manned space missions with food, drinking water and oxygen autonomously in space. Drinkable water and oxygen are currently being made in the international space station ISS by filtering waste water and by electrolysing water. However, such physiochemical technologies do not offer a solution for food. The MELiSSA project intends to reuse waste products, which include CO2, water, stools and urine from the astronauts, and even the perspiration moisture in the cabin and to transfer these into food through the use of micro-organisms.

  7. Allelopathic effect of melissa, lemongrass, lavender and rosemary on germination and vigor of lettuce seeds

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    Daniela Aparecida Teixeira

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of four herbal plants on the germination and vigor of lettuce seeds, using aqueous preparations and teas of Melissa oficinalis L. (melissa, Rosmarinus oficinalis L. (rosemary, Lavandula angustifolia Mill. (lavender and Cymbopogon citratus (DC. Stapf. (lemongrass. A randomized complete block design was used with 9 treatments and 4 repetitions. The treatments were: Melissa tea, melissa aqueous preparation, rosemary tea, rosemary aqueous preparation, lavender tea, lavender aqueous preparation, lemongrass tea, lemongrass aqueous preparation and control. The variables evaluated were: germination speed index, percentage of abnormal plants, percentage of germinated plants, fresh matter, dry matter, shoot length and radicle length. Lemongrass showed negative allelopathic effects on germination and vigor of L. sativa L. Melissa tea had a stimulatory effect.

  8. Systematics of Vampyressa melissa Thomas, 1926 (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae), with descriptions of two new species of Vampyressa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavares, Valéria da C.; Gardner, Alfred L.; Ramírez-Chaves, Héctor E.; Velazco, Paúl M.

    2014-01-01

    Vampyressa melissa is a poorly known phyllostomid bat listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Since its description in 1926, fewer than 40 V. melissa have been reported in the literature, and less than half of these may have been correctly identified. During revisionary studies of Vampyressa, we uncovered two previously unrecognized species related to V. melissa, all associated with higher elevation habitats (>1400 m), one from the Andes of Colombia (Vampyressa sinchi, new species) and the other from western Panama (Vampyressa elisabethae, new species) revealing that V. melissa, as traditionally defined, is a composite of at least three species. In this paper, we provide a restricted diagnosis for the genus Vampyressa, an emended diagnosis of V. melissa, and descriptions of the two new species. The separation of these frugivorous bats, previously identified as V. melissa, into three isolated upper-elevation species, each having restricted distributions further highlights their fragile conservation status.

  9. Allelopathic effect of melissa, lemongrass, lavender and rosemary on germination and vigor of lettuce seeds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniela Aparecida Teixeira

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2014v27n4p37 The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of four herbal plants on the germination and vigor of lettuce seeds, using aqueous preparations and teas of Melissa officinalis L. (melissa, Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary, Lavandula angustifolia Mill. (lavender and Cymbopogon citratus (DC. Stapf. (lemongrass. A randomized complete block design was used with 9 treatments and 4 repetitions. The treatments were: melissa tea, melissa aqueous preparation, rosemary tea, rosemary aqueous preparation, lavender tea, lavender aqueous preparation, lemongrass tea, lemongrass aqueous preparation and control. The variables evaluated were: germination speed index, percentage of abnormal plants, percentage of germinated plants, fresh matter, dry matter, shoot length and radicle length. Lemongrass showed negative allelopathic effects on germination and vigor of L. sativa L. Melissa tea had a stimulatory effect.

  10. μ-Carbonato-bis-(bis-{2-[(diethyl-amino)-meth-yl]phen-yl}bis-muth(III)).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soran, Albert P; Nema, Mihai G; Breunig, Hans J; Silvestru, Cristian

    2011-01-12

    The mol-ecular structure of the title compound, [Bi(2)(C(11)H(16)N)(4)(CO(3))], consists of a symmetrically bridging carbonato group which binds two [2-Et(2)NCH(2)C(6)H(4)](2)Bi units that are crystallographically related via a twofold rotation axis bis-ecting the carbonate group. The two Bi atoms and two of the C atoms directly bonded to bis-muth are quasi-planar [deviations of 0.323 (1) and 0.330 (9)Å for the Bi and C atoms, respectively] with the carbonate group. The remaining two ligands are in a trans arrangement relative to the quasi-planar (CBi)(2)CO(3) system. The metal atom is strongly coordinated by the N atom of one pendant arm [Bi-N = 2.739 (6) Å], almost trans to the O atom, while the N atom of the other pendant arm exhibits a weaker intra-molecular inter-action [Bi⋯N = 3.659 (7) Å] almost trans to a C atom. If both these intra-molecular N→Bi inter-actions per metal atom are considered, the overall coordination geometry at bis-muth becomes distorted square-pyramidal [(C,N)(2)BiO cores] and the compound can be described as a hypervalent 12-Bi-5 species. Additional quite short intra-molecular Bi⋯O inter-actions are also present [3.796 (8)-4.020 (9) Å]. Inter-molecular associations through weak η(6)⋯Bi inter-actions [Bi⋯centroid of benzene ring = 3.659 (1) Å] lead to a ribbon-like supra-molecular association.

  11. Biochemical, liver and renal toxicities of Melissa officinals hydroalcoholic extract on balb/C mice

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    Namjoo Abdolrasool

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Melissa officinalis is usually used as antispasmodic, antiaxiety and antibacterial agent. However, its toxicity has not been evaluated, yet. In this study biochemical, liver and renal toxicities of Melissa officinals hydroalcoholic extract were evaluated in balb/C mice. Methods: In an experimental study, 21 balb/C male mice were randomly designated to three equal groups. Group I was treated with normal saline and groups II and III were respectively treated with 0.450 and 1.350 g/kg, hydroalcoholic extract of Melissa officinals daily for two weeks, intraperitoneally. Then on 15th day of the experiment, blood samples were obtained from the heart. The blood was centrifuged and then the sera were evaluated for alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, urea and creatinine, using autoanalyzer and commercial kits. The liver and kidney tissues were also hystopathologically evaluated. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, Tukey’s post hoc test, and Kruskal-Wallis at a significance level of p<0.05. Results: Melissa officinals dose dependently caused a significant reduction in alkaline phosphatase and alanine aminotransferase levels compared to the control group. Furthermore, Melissa officinals extract had no effect on the amount of urea and creatinine compared to the control group. The liver and kidney histopathological changes in the groups that received different doses of the extract showed mild, moderate, and severe tissue injuries. Conclusion: The biochemical analysis in this study indicates that the extract of Melissa officinals causes liver tissue damage in mice; therefore, its consumption in high doses should be avoided.

  12. Chemical-composition of the essential oil from melissa

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tittel, G; Wagner, H; Bos, R

    1982-01-01

    Different oil-samples of Melissa officinalis L. were analysed by capillary GC/MS, using fused silica columns and E.I.-Mass-spectrometry. Comparing the observed mass-spectra with those of a spectral collection, 70 compounds of the oil were identified. Geranial, neral, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one,

  13. Antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the Melissa officinalis essential oil

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    R. Mahmodi

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: Increasing drug resistance in microorganisms and concerns for side effects of chemical preservatives, especially in the food industry, have led to extensive studies on novel potential agents with natural origin. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the Melissa officinalis essential oil. Methods: This experimental study was carried out at Islamic Azad University, Saveh Branch in 2012-2013. The essential oil was extracted from different parts of the plant (leaves, stem and flower by hydrodistillation. The essential oil was phytochemically characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS analysis. Antibacterial properties were examined by disc diffusion and microtiter plates. Antioxidant activity was examined by diphenyl-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH assay. Findings: E-Citral in leaves, 2-Cyclohexen-1-one, 2-methyl-5-(1-methylethenyl in stem, and Trans-Carveol in flower were the major components identified in the Melissa officinalis. Among different parts essential oil, the highest and the lowest antibacterial activity were related to leaves and stem, respectively. The largest diameter of the inhibition growth zone for Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was related to the leaves essential oil. The highest antioxidant activity was related to the leaves essential oil in DPPH assay. Conclusion: With regards to the results, the Melissa officinalis essential oil can be used as a natural preservative for increasing the shelf life of foods.

  14. Amtimicrobial activity of essential oil of Melissa officinalis L, Lamiaceae

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    Aničić Nada V.

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Melissa officinalis was investigated in this paper. The essential oil was obtained by the principle of water and steam and analyzed by GC and GC-MS using FID and MSD. The main components of the oil of Melissa officinalis were geranial (17.30%, neral (14.70% and citronellal (10.70%. The antimicrobial properties were tested against the following bacterial species: B subtilis, B.cereus Bifidobacterium sp., Corynobacterium sp., E. coli, Klebsiella sp., L. acidophilus, L. fermentum, L. plantarum, L. rhamnosus, Listeria monocytogenes, P. vulgaris, P. aerugenosa, S. enteritidis, Shigella sp., S. aureus, and fungi Candida albicans, Alternarija sp. and Aspergillus niger. The diffusion technique was used for testing: the antimicrobial activity, and the MIC was determined by the broth dilution method. The essential oil of M. officinalis showed high antimicrobial activity.

  15. Esterco bovino e biofertilizante no cultivo de erva-cidreira-verdadeira (Melissa officinalis L. Cattle manure and biofertilizer on the cultivation of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.

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    M.F. Santos

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available A importância fitoterápica e, consequentemente, econômica da Melissa officinalis tem contribuído para expansão do cultivo. O óleo essencial das folhas é formado por constituintes químicos que podem ser largamente empregados na indústria farmacêutica por possuírem atividades antioxidativa, antivirótica e sedativa. Assim sendo, objetivou-se no presente trabalho avaliar o efeito de combinações de doses de adubação orgânica com biofertilizante comercial e esterco bovino no cultivo de Melissa officinalis. Os tratamentos foram constituídos de quatro doses de biofertilizante orgânico (Vitassolo® e esterco bovino, sendo estes de 0, 30.000, 60.000 e 90.000 L ha-1. Os tratamentos foram arranjados no delineamento experimental blocos casualizados no fatorial 4x4, com 3 repetições. As características avaliadas foram altura de planta, rendimento de folha, teor e rendimento de óleo essencial. As maiores doses de esterco bovino resultaram em um maior desenvolvimento das plantas, em relação às mesmas doses do biofertilizante.The phytotherapic and economic importance of Melissa officinalis has contributed to its cultivation expansion. The essential oil of leaves is composed of chemical constituents, which can be largely employed in the pharmaceutical industry due to their antioxidant, antivirotic and sedative activities. Thus, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of level combination of organic fertilization with commercial biofertilizer and cattle manure on Melissa officinalis cultivation. Treatments constituted of four levels of organic biofertilizer (Vitassolo® and cattle manure at 0; 30,000; 60,000 and 90,000 L ha-1. Experimental design was in randomized blocks, in split plot 4X4 factorial arrangement, with three replicates. The characteristics evaluated were plant height, leaf yield, essential oil content and yield. The highest cattle manure levels resulted in higher plant development, compared with the same

  16. Preliminary assessment of trace elements effects on essential oil production of Melissa officinalis L. (Lemon balm)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sussa, Fabio V.; Duarte, Celina L.; Andrade, Luana S.; Silva, Paulo S.C.; Furlan, Marcos R.

    2013-01-01

    Melissa officinalis L., Lemon balm, (Lamiaceae) is an herb used as medicine, condiment and in the cosmetic and perfumery industry due to its essential oil. In this study a preliminary assessment of trace elements effects on essential oil production was performed in order to verify an improvement in its quality. The Melissa officinalis samples were harvested from three different soil sites localized in Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo, Brazil. Elemental concentration for the elements As, Ba, Br, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Hf, K, La, Lu, Mg, Mn, Na, Nd, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Ta, Tb, Ti, Th, U, V, Yb, Zn and Zr was determined by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) in Melissa officinalis leaves and surrounding soil. The essential oil was extracted from its leaves by hydrodistillation process in Clevenger apparatus and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Certified reference materials NIST SRM-1515 Apple Leaves, NIST SRM-1547 Peach Leaves and NIST SRM-1573a Tomato Leaves were analyzed for quality control. Our results showed Geranial and Neral were identified as the major compounds in the essential oil extracted from Melissa officinalis L. for all collected sites. However, the relative proportion of some chemical constituents was altered according to the site collected. The preliminary results showed that the production of essential oil by Melissa officinalis must be positively correlated with the concentrations of Rb, Zn and negatively correlated with Sc, Mn, La, K, Fe, and Cr. (author)

  17. Preliminary assessment of trace elements effects on essential oil production of Melissa officinalis L. (Lemon balm)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sussa, Fabio V.; Duarte, Celina L.; Andrade, Luana S.; Silva, Paulo S.C., E-mail: pscsilva@ipen.br, E-mail: clduarte@ipen.br, E-mail: fabiosussa@uol.com.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Furlan, Marcos R., E-mail: furlanagro@gmail.com [Universidade de Taubate, SP (Brazil). Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias

    2013-07-01

    Melissa officinalis L., Lemon balm, (Lamiaceae) is an herb used as medicine, condiment and in the cosmetic and perfumery industry due to its essential oil. In this study a preliminary assessment of trace elements effects on essential oil production was performed in order to verify an improvement in its quality. The Melissa officinalis samples were harvested from three different soil sites localized in Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo, Brazil. Elemental concentration for the elements As, Ba, Br, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Hf, K, La, Lu, Mg, Mn, Na, Nd, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Ta, Tb, Ti, Th, U, V, Yb, Zn and Zr was determined by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) in Melissa officinalis leaves and surrounding soil. The essential oil was extracted from its leaves by hydrodistillation process in Clevenger apparatus and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Certified reference materials NIST SRM-1515 Apple Leaves, NIST SRM-1547 Peach Leaves and NIST SRM-1573a Tomato Leaves were analyzed for quality control. Our results showed Geranial and Neral were identified as the major compounds in the essential oil extracted from Melissa officinalis L. for all collected sites. However, the relative proportion of some chemical constituents was altered according to the site collected. The preliminary results showed that the production of essential oil by Melissa officinalis must be positively correlated with the concentrations of Rb, Zn and negatively correlated with Sc, Mn, La, K, Fe, and Cr. (author)

  18. Mechanical properties and total hydroxycinnamic derivative release of starch/glycerol/Melissa officinalis extract films

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    Letícia Mello Rechia

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanical properties of starch/glycerol/Melissa officinalis, a topical drug delivery system for labial herpes treatment. Four films were prepared with different concentrations of starch, glycerol, and Melissa officinalis extract. The results revealed that increasing the glycerol concentration in the film reduced elasticity modulus and tensile strength, exhibiting a plasticizing effect. The increase in free volume resulted in increased release of hydroxycinnamic derivatives expressed as rosmarinic acid.O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar as propriedades mecânicas e o mecanismo de liberação de um sistema tópico de liberação prolongada para o tratamento do Herpes labial a partir de filmes de amido/glicerol/extrato de Melissa officinalis, planta com comprovada atividade antiviral. Foram obtidos quatro filmes poliméricos com diferentes concentrações de amido, glicerol e extrato de Melissa officinalis os quais foram caracterizados mecanicamente e determinado o perfil de liberação de derivados hidroxicinâmicos. Os resultados demonstraram que o aumento da concentração de glicerol no filme produz uma redução no módulo de elasticidade e na tensão de deformação como conseqüência do efeito plastificante. O aumento no volume livre do polímero resultou em aumento da liberação dos derivados hidroxicinâmicos expressos como ácido rosmarínico.

  19. Antidepressant effect of Melissa officinalis in the forced swimming test

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    M Emamghoreishi

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Background: In Iranian and other traditional medicines, an antidepressant effect has been indicated for Melissa officinalis (Lamiaceae. However, studies showing its antidepressant effect is lacking. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to examine whether the aqueous extract and essential oil from leaves of Melissa officinalis have an antidepressant-like activity in mice.  Materials and Methods: The effect of subchronic administration of different doses of the aqueous extract (25, 75, 150, 300 mg/kg or water; n=9-10 and the essential oil (10, 25, 75, 150, 300 mg/kg or almond oil; n=9-10 on immobility, climbing, and swimming behaviors were evaluated in the forced swimming test. Fluoxetine (20mg/kg and imipramine (15 mg/kg were used as reference drugs. Additionally, the effect of both plant preparations on spontaneous activity was examined. Results: All doses of the aqueous extract, used in this study, produced a significant reduction in immobility along with an increase in climbing behavior which is similar to those which have been observed with imipramine. Essential oil caused a dose-dependent reduction in immobility and an increase in climbing at all studied doses, compared to control group. Only the highest dose (300mg/kg of essential oil showed a significant increase in swimming behavior. The aqueous extract, but not the essential oil, decreased spontaneous activity in a dose dependent manner. Conclusion: The results of this study suggests that the Melissa officinalis possess an antidepressant-like activity similar to imipramine which may have a potential clinical value for treatment of depression.

  20. Surviving space flight: case study on MELiSSA's CIII nitrifying compartment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ilgrande, Chiara; Lasseur, Christophe; Mastroleo, Felice; Paille, Christel; Leys, Natalie; Morozova, Julia; Ilyin, Vyacheslav; Clauwaert, Peter; Christiaens, Marlies E. R.; Lindeboom, Ralph E. F.; Vlaeminck, Siegfried; Prat, Delphine; Arroyo, Jose M. C.; Conincx, Ilse; Van Hoey, Olivier; Roume, Hugo; Udert, Kai; Sas, Benedikt

    2016-07-01

    Space synthetic biology offers key opportunities for long-term space missions. Planets mining, terraformation, space medicine and Life Support technologies would all benefit from an integrative biological approach. However, space is a harsh environment for life: microgravity, temperature, UV and cosmic radiation can affect the health and functionality of microorganisms and plants, possibly preventing the optimal performance of the systems. The European Space Agency's Life Support System (MELiSSA) has been developed as a model for future long term Space missions and Space habitation. MELiSSA is a 5 compartment artificial ecosystem with microorganisms and higher, that aims at completely recycling gas, liquid and solid waste. In this study, the survival and functional activity after Lower Earth Orbit conditions of microbial nitrogen conversions, relevant for MELiSSA's CIII compartment, was tested. Synthetic communities containing Nitrosomonas europeae, Nitrosomonas ureae, Nitrobacter winogradskyi, Nitrospira moscoviensis and Cupriavidus pinatubonensis were exposed to the Lower Earth Orbit conditions of the International Space Station (ISS) for 7 days. Nitrosomonas europeae, Nitrobacter winogradskyi, Cupriavidus pinatubonensis, and three mixed communities (a urine nitrification sludge, a sludge containing aerobic ammonia oxidizing bacteria and anammox bacteria (OLAND), and an aquaculture sludge containing ammonia oxidizing archaea) were exposed to Lower Earth Orbit conditions for 44 days. Survival after both space flights was demonstrated because nitritation, nitratation, denitrification and anammox activity could be restored at a rate comparable to ground storage conditions. Our results validate the potential survival feasibility and suggest future space applications for N-related microorganisms.

  1. In vitro synergistic antibacterial activity of Melissa officinalis L. and some preservatives

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stanojeic, D.; Comic, L.; Stefanovic, O.; Solujic Sukdolak, S.

    2010-07-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial activity of aqueous, ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of the species Melissa officinalis L. and their in vitro synergistic action with preservatives, namely: sodium nitrite, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate against selected food spoiling bacteria, for a potential use in food industry. Synergistic action was noticed in almost every combination between plant extracts and preservatives. This work showed that the active compounds from ethanol, ethyl acetate and aqueous extracts of Melissa officinalis L. significantly enhanced the effectiveness of tested preservatives. Synergism was established at plant extract and preservative concentrations corresponding to 1/4 and 1/8 minimal inhibitory concentration values, which indicated the possibility of avoiding the use of higher concentrations of tested preservatives. (Author) 25 refs.

  2. Melissa officinalis L. extract – an effective remedy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karol Terlecki

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Lemon balm is the popular name of Melissa officinalis L. Melissa comes from the Greek word Mélissa meaning honeybee. Within the species were distinguished three subspecies: M. officinalis ssp. altissima Arcangeli, M. officinalis ssp. officinalis, and M. officinalis ssp. indora Boran. These are the plants from Lamiaceae group, native to the Mediterranean, but also widespread distributed in moderate and subtropical climate regions. M. officinalis is commonly used for nervous complaints, lower abdominal disorders and more recently in the treatment of Herpes simplex lesions. Leaves are pharmacopeia material. In the fresh herb a content of balm oil is 0.01-0.10% and in the dried leaves from 0.1% up to 0.3%. The main components of M. officinalis usually are: citronellal (approximately 40% of content of balm oil, citral, neral, linalool, flavonoids, chlorogenic, ferulic, rosmarinic (4% of content of balm oil and caffeic acid. The aim of the study was to analyze the literature date about the application of balm extract and oil in the contemporary medicine. The latest studies showed the evidence that the alcoholic lemon balm leaves extract has antihyperlipidemic and antihyperglycemic effects. Thus could be used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 or dyslipidemia by the activation of receptors PPAR playing the major role in glucose and lipids metabolism. Another importance of the lemon balm leaves extract is its antiviral activity, owes to rosmarinic acid. Melissa extract demonstrates high virucidal activity even at very low concentrations; it demonstrates low toxicity and inhibits HSV-1 attachment to host cells in vitro. The volatile oils included in lemon balm inhibit the replication of HSV-2. Moreover, the rosmarinic acid found out to be cytotoxic against Human Colon Cancer Cell Line. The substance contained in an alcoholic extract from M. officinalis turned out to be anti-proliferative and decrease in cell number neoplasmatic cell

  3. The MELISSA food data base: space food preparation and process optimization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Creuly, Catherine; Poughon, Laurent; Pons, A.; Farges, Berangere; Dussap, Claude-Gilles

    Life Support Systems have to deal with air, water and food requirement for a crew, waste management and also to the crew's habitability and safety constraints. Food can be provided from stocks (open loops) or produced during the space flight or on an extraterrestrial base (what implies usually a closed loop system). Finally it is admitted that only biological processes can fulfil the food requirement of life support system. Today, only a strictly vegetarian source range is considered, and this is limited to a very small number of crops compared to the variety available on Earth. Despite these constraints, a successful diet should have enough variety in terms of ingredients and recipes and sufficiently high acceptability in terms of acceptance ratings for individual dishes to remain interesting and palatable over a several months period and an adequate level of nutrients commensurate with the space nutritional requirements. In addition to the nutritional aspects, others parameters have to be considered for the pertinent selection of the dishes as energy consumption (for food production and transformation), quantity of generated waste, preparation time, food processes. This work concerns a global approach called MELISSA Food Database to facilitate the cre-ation and the management of these menus associated to the nutritional, mass, energy and time constraints. The MELISSA Food Database is composed of a database (MySQL based) con-taining multiple information among others crew composition, menu, dishes, recipes, plant and nutritional data and of a web interface (PHP based) to interactively access the database and manage its content. In its current version a crew is defined and a 10 days menu scenario can be created using dishes that could be cooked from a set of limited fresh plant assumed to be produced in the life support system. The nutritional covering, waste produced, mass, time and energy requirements are calculated allowing evaluation of the menu scenario and its

  4. MELiSSA Food Characterization general approach and current status

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weihreter, Martin; Chaerle, Laury; Secco, Benjamin; Molders, Katrien; van der Straeten, Dominique; Duliere, Eric; Pieters, Serge; Maclean, Heather; Dochain, Denis; Quinet, Muriel; Lutts, Stanley; Graham, Thomas; Stasiak, Michael; Rondeau Vuk, Theresa; Zheng, Youbin; Dixon, Mike; Laniau, Martine; Larreture, Alain; Timsit, Michel; Aronne, Giovanna; Barbieri, Giancarlo; Buonomo, Roberta; Veronica; Paradiso, Roberta; de Pascale, Stafania; Galbiati, Massimo; Troia, A. R.; Nobili, Matteo; Bucchieri, Lorenzo; Page, Valérie; Feller, Urs; Lasseur, Christophe

    Higher plants play an important role in closed ecological life support systems as oxygen pro-ducers, carbon dioxide and water recyclers, and as a food source. For an integration of higher plant chambers into the MELiSSA (Micro Ecological Life Support System Alternative) loop, a detailed characterization and optimization of the full food production and preparation chain is needed. This implies the prediction and control of the nutritional quality of the final products consumed by the crew, the prediction of the wastes quality and quantity produced along the chain for further waste treatment (MELiSSA waste treatment) and the optimization of overall efficiencies. To reach this goal several issues have to be studied in an integrated manner: the physiological responses of crops to a range of environmental parameters, crop yield efficiencies and respective ratio and composition of edible and inedible biomass, the processability and storability of the produced food and last but not least composition of wastes in view of further degradation (fiber content). Within the Food Characterization (FC) project several compar-ative plant growth bench tests were carried out to obtain preliminary data regarding these aspects. Four pre-selected cultivars of each of the four energy-rich crops with worldwide usage -wheat, durum wheat, potato and soybean -were grown under well-characterized environmental conditions. The different cultivars of each species are screened for their performance in view of a closed loop application by parameter ranking. This comprises the characterization of edi-ble/inedible biomass ratio, nutritional quality, processability and overall performance under the specific conditions of hydroponic cultivation and artificial illumination. A second closely linked goal of the FC project is to develop a mechanistic physiological plant model, which will ease the integration of higher plants compartments in the MELiSSA concept by virtue of its predictive abilities

  5. Comparison of melissa with citalopram and placebo in treatment of sleep disorders in menopausal women: clinical trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahboobeh Shirazi

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Different treatment used for resolving menopausal problems. Some studies assayed effectiveness of citalopram but it had some side effects and other studies about medicinal plants in Iran, including Melissa (combination of officinalis and foeniculum vulgare showed improvement insomnia and anxiety. This study decided to assay effectiveness of this drug and comparison with placebo and citalopram in treatment of sleep disturbance of menopausal women. Methods: Sixty postmenopausal women suffering from sleep disturbances that referred to Yas hospital between 2011-2013 were recruited to this double blind controlled study with 8 weeks’ follow-up period. They were randomized in three groups of twenty patients each, group A: received Melissa 600 mg that made by traditional medical school, group B: received citalopram 20 mg from Arya company that increased to 30 mg after one week and group C: received placebo. The patients were evaluated by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI questionnaire before and after treatment, also we checked the side effects of every drugs. Study was dissertation of one of the author with code 22263. This research has been supported by Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services Grant. This study was registered at Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials with code of IRCT2013072714174N1. Results: Pittsburgh sleep quality index improved significantly in all groups, there was significant differences between Melissa group and two other group, but there wasn’t significance difference between citalopram and placebo group, there was a trend in favor of Melissa versus citalopram and placebo. All of seven field of PSQI improved significantly in all groups that showed improvement of sleep quality in all field of sleep disturbance. Conclusion: Melissa (compound of officinalis and foeniculum vulgare may be recommended for the treatment of sleep disturbances in postmenopausal women. Although further investigation with

  6. μ-Carbonato-bis­(bis­{2-[(diethyl­amino)­meth­yl]phen­yl}bis­muth(III))

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soran, Albert P.; Nema, Mihai G.; Breunig, Hans J.; Silvestru, Cristian

    2011-01-01

    The mol­ecular structure of the title compound, [Bi2(C11H16N)4(CO3)], consists of a symmetrically bridging carbonato group which binds two [2-Et2NCH2C6H4]2Bi units that are crystallographically related via a twofold rotation axis bis­ecting the carbonate group. The two Bi atoms and two of the C atoms directly bonded to bis­muth are quasi-planar [deviations of 0.323 (1) and 0.330 (9)Å for the Bi and C atoms, respectively] with the carbonate group. The remaining two ligands are in a trans arrangement relative to the quasi-planar (CBi)2CO3 system. The metal atom is strongly coordinated by the N atom of one pendant arm [Bi—N = 2.739 (6) Å], almost trans to the O atom, while the N atom of the other pendant arm exhibits a weaker intra­molecular inter­action [Bi⋯N = 3.659 (7) Å] almost trans to a C atom. If both these intra­molecular N→Bi inter­actions per metal atom are considered, the overall coordination geometry at bis­muth becomes distorted square-pyramidal [(C,N)2BiO cores] and the compound can be described as a hypervalent 12-Bi-5 species. Additional quite short intra­molecular Bi⋯O inter­actions are also present [3.796 (8)–4.020 (9) Å]. Inter­molecular associations through weak η6⋯Bi inter­actions [Bi⋯centroid of benzene ring = 3.659 (1) Å] lead to a ribbon-like supra­molecular association. PMID:21522836

  7. Advanced anaerobic bioconversion of lignocellulosic waste for the melissa life support system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lissens, G.; Verstraete, W.; Albrecht, T.; Brunner, G.; Creuly, C.; Dussap, G.; Kube, J.; Maerkl, H.; Lasseur, C.

    The feasibility of nearly-complete conversion of lignocellulosic waste (70% food crops, 20% faecal matter and 10% green algae) into biogas was investigated in the context of the MELiSSA loop (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative). The treatment comprised a series of processes, i.e. a mesophilic laboratory scale CSTR (continuously stirred tank reactor), an upflow biofilm reactor, a fiber liquefaction reactor employing the rumen bacterium Fibrobacter succinogenes and a hydrothermolysis system in near-critical water. By the one-stage CSTR, a biogas yield of 75% with a specific biogas production of 0.37 l biogas g-1 VSS (volatile suspended solids) added at a RT (hydraulic retention time) of 20-25 d was obtained. Biogas yields could not be increased considerably at higher RT, indicating the depletion of readily available substrate after 25 d. The solids present in the CSTR-effluent were subsequently treated in two ways. Hydrothermal treatment (T ˜ 310-350C, p ˜ 240 bar) resulted in effective carbon liquefaction (50-60% without and 83% with carbon dioxide saturation) and complete sanitation of the residue. Application of the cellulolytic Fibrobacter succinogenes converted remaining cellulose contained in the CSTR-effluent into acetate and propionate mainly. Subsequent anaerobic digestion of the hydrothermolysis and the Fibrobacter hydrolysates allowed conversion of 48-60% and 30%, respectively. Thus, the total process yielded biogas corresponding with conversions up to 90% of the original organic matter. It appears that particularly mesophilic digestion in conjunction with hydrothermolysis offers interesting features for (nearly) the MELiSSA system. The described additional technologies show that complete and hygienic carbon and energy recovery from human waste within MELiSSA is technically feasible, provided that the extra energy needed for the thermal treatment is guaranteed.

  8. Melissa L. Anderson: APA/APAGS Award for Distinguished Graduate Student in Professional Psychology

    Science.gov (United States)

    American Psychologist, 2012

    2012-01-01

    Presents a short biography of the winner of the American Psychological Association/American Psychological Association of Graduate Students Award for Distinguished Graduate Student in Professional Psychology. The 2012 winner is Melissa L. Anderson for her ongoing commitment to understanding, treating, and preventing domestic violence in Deaf women…

  9. MELiSSA third compartment: Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrobacter winogradskyi axenic cultures in bioreactors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruvellier, Nelly; Lasseur, Christophe; Poughon, Laurent; Creuly, Catherine; Dussap, Gilles

    Nitrogen is a key element for the life and its balance on Earth is regulated by the nitrogen cycle. This loop includes several steps among which nitrification that permits the transformation of the ammonium into nitrate. The MELiSSA loop is an artificial ecosystem designed for life support systems (LSS). It is based on the carbon and nitrogen cycles and the recycling of the non-edible part of the higher plants and the waste produced by the crew. In this order, all the wastes are collected in the first compartment to degrade them into organic acids and CO2. These compounds are joining the second compartment which is a photoheterotrophic compartment where at the outlet an organic-free medium containing ammonium is produced. This solution will be the substrate of the third compartment where nitrification is done. This compartment has to oxidize the ammonium into nitrate, and this biological reaction needs two steps. In the MELiSSA loop, the nitrification is carried out by two bacteria: Nitrosomonas europaea ATCC® 19718™ which is oxidizing ammonia into nitrite and Nitrobacter winogradskyi ATCC® 25391™ which is producing nitrate from nitrite in the third compartment. These two bacteria are growing in axenic conditions on a fixed bed bioreactor filled with Biostyr® beads. The nitrogen compounds are controlled by Ionic Chromatography and colorimetric titration for each sample. The work presented here deals with the culture of both bacteria in pure cultures and mixed cultures in stirred and aerated bioreactors of different volumes. The first aim of our work is the characterization of the bacteria growth in bioreactors and in the nitrifying fixed-bed column. The experimental results confirm that the growth is slow; the maximal growth rate in suspended cultures is 0.054h-1 for Nitrosomonas europaea and 0.022h-1 for Nitrobacter winogradskyi. Mixed cultures are difficult to control and operate but one could be done for more than 500 hours. The characterization of the

  10. Potencial alelopático de extratos aquosos de Melissa officinalis L. e Mentha x villosa L. na germinação e vigor de sementes de Plantago major L. Allelopathic effect of extracts of Melissa officinallis L. and Mentha x villosa L. on seed germination and vigor of Plantago major L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F.P.G. Bonfim

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar o efeito dos extratos aquosos de hortelã e melissa na germinação e vigor de sementes de tanchagem. O experimento foi conduzido no Departamento de Fitotecnia da Universidade Federal de Viçosa, no mês de abril de 2011. O delineamento utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado com cinco tratamentos (testemunha, 25%, 50%, 75% e 100 % do extrato aquoso de hortelã e melissa e quatro repetições. Os extratos foram preparados utilizando a parte aérea das plantas, na proporção de 100g de planta para 1 L de água destilada. Foram utilizadas 50 sementes de tanchagem em cada caixa gerbox, previamente umedecido com os extratos aquosos (correspondentes aos tratamentos, estas foram levadas para germinar em câmara de germinação, em temperatura de 20°C, fotoperíodo de 16 horas luz e 8 horas escuro, por 14 dias. Durante esse tempo foram feitas às contagens diárias das sementes germinadas para calcular o índice de velocidade de germinação e ao final dos 14 dias foi calculada a porcentagem de germinação. Sementes de tanchagem não submetidas aos extratos aquosos de melissa e hortelã apresentaram-se mais vigorosas quando comparado com as concentrações, evidenciando o potencial alelopático de melissa e hortelã sobre a sua qualidade fisiológica.The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of aqueous extracts of Melissa officinallis and Mentha x villosa for the germination and vigor of Plantago major seeds. The experiment was conducted at the Plant Science Department, Federal University of Viçosa, in April 2011. The design was a completely randomized design with five treatments (control, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of the aqueous extract of Mentha x villosa and Melissa Officinallis and four replications. The extracts were prepared utulizando the shoots of plants at the rate of 100g of plant to 1 L of distilled water. We used 50 Plantago major seeds in each box incubator and these were subsequently placed in a

  11. Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using a Melissa officinalis leaf extract with antibacterial properties

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    Álvaro de Jesús Ruíz-Baltazar

    Full Text Available The exceptional properties of the silver nanoparticles offer several applications in the biomedicine field. The development of antibiotics which are clinically useful against bacteria and drug resistant microorganisms, it is one of the main approaches of silver nanoparticles. However, it is necessary to develop environmentally friendly methods for their synthesis. In this sense, the main objective of this work is focused on to propose a simplified and efficient green synthesis of silver nanoparticles with proven antibacterial properties. The green synthesis route is based on the use of the Melissa officinalis as reducing agent of the silver ions in aqueous solution at room temperature. Complementary, the antibacterial activity of the silver nanoparticles against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was confirmed. The silver nanoparticles obtained were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV–vis, Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy. The observed results suggested that using Melissa officinalis, it is possible to performed silver nanoparticles with controlled characteristics and with significant inhibitory activity against the Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Keywords: Green synthesis, Nanoparticles, Antibacterial effect

  12. [Review] Melissa Gira Grant (2014) Playing the whore: the work of sex work

    OpenAIRE

    Oliver, Jessica Eve

    2016-01-01

    Melissa Gira Grant’s latest book examines the denial of basic labour rights for sex workers, and the external factors behind this, including the attitudes of the police, media and politicians. The book is a sharp critique of the sensationalist treatment of the industry and behaviours of establishment figures that proves timely in the wake of Amnesty’s recently declared support for global decriminalization.

  13. Production characteristics of lettuce Lactuca sativa L. in the frame of the first crop tests in the Higher Plant Chamber integrated into the MELiSSA Pilot Plant

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tikhomirova, Natalia; Lawson, Jamie; Stasiak, Michael; Dixon, Mike; Paille, Christel; Peiro, Enrique; Fossen, Arnaud; Godia, Francesc

    Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA) is an artificial closed ecosystem that is considered a tool for the development of a bioregenerative life support system for manned space missions. One of the five compartments of MELiSSA loop -Higher Plant Chamber was recently integrated into the MELiSSA Pilot Plant facility at Universitat Aut`noma deo Barcelona. The main contributions expected by integration of this photosynthetic compartment are oxygen, water, vegetable food production and CO2 consumption. Production characteristics of Lactuca sativa L., as a MELiSSA candidate crop, were investigated in this work in the first crop experiments in the MELiSSA Pilot Plant facility. The plants were grown in batch culture and totaled 100 plants with a growing area 5 m long and 1 m wide in a sealed controlled environment. Several replicates of the experiments were carried out with varying duration. It was shown that after 46 days of lettuce cultivation dry edible biomass averaged 27, 2 g per plant. However accumulation of oxygen in the chamber, which required purging of the chamber, and decrease in the food value of the plants was observed. Reducing the duration of the tests allowed uninterrupted test without opening the system and also allowed estimation of the crop's carbon balance. Results of productivity, tissue composition, nutrient uptake and canopy photosynthesis of lettuce regardless of test duration are discussed in the paper.

  14. Evaluating the Protective Effects of Melissa Officinalis on Learning Deficits of Rat’s Offspring Exposed to Lead Acetate During Pre- and Postnatal Periods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z Momeni

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction & Objective: Lead contamination dramatically influences different body systems especially the central nervous system. Lead absorption during gestational period has deleterious effects on fetal differentiation and development and it may possibly result in learning deficits in adulthood. Recent studies have demonstrated positive effects of Melissa officinalis on memory improvement in some neural disorders. The aim of the present study is to investigate the protective effects of Melissa on learning deficits in lead acetate exposed rats. Materials & Methods: In this experimental study in department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (2008-2009, 40 mated Wistar rats were divided into 8 groups as follows: control, negative control (Pb, Melissa (M and Pb+M, and each in 3 different subgroups. The treatment started from the 7th day of gestation and continued during pregnancy and lactation. The learning ability and memory retention of four months old offspring were tested by complex T-maze. The collected data was analyzed by the SPSS software using one-way ANOVA and Toki test. Results: A significant difference was found between lead exposed group and other groups regarding the time to reach the goal and the number of errors while there was no meaningful difference between the control and other experimental groups. Conclusion: In lead exposed rats, learning deficits were obviously noticed. Since there was meaningful difference between control and Pb+M subgroups, Melissa can possibly improve learning deficits in lead acetate exposed rats.

  15. Diferentes concentrações de solução nutritiva para o cultivo de Mentha piperita e Melissa officinalis Mentha piperita (peppermint and Melissa officinalis (balm development in different concentrations of nutritive solution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lenita L. Haber

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available Avaliou-se o desenvolvimento das espécies de plantas medicinais, aromáticas e condimentares Mentha piperita (hortelã-pimenta e Melissa officinalis (melissa em diversas concentrações de solução nutritiva em sistema hidropônico NFT. Os experimentos foram implementados em ambiente protegido sendo as espécies semeadas em espuma fenólica com dimensões de 2,5x2,5x3 cm, com 3 sementes por cubo, irrigadas diariamente com água até a germinação e, posteriormente com solução nutritiva diluída em 50%. Após 15 dias para a melissa e 16 dias para a hortelã-pimenta, as mudas foram transferidas para as bancadas de desenvolvimento onde receberam solução nutritiva diluída em 75% por 12 dias, sendo as mudas posteriormente transplantadas para as bancadas de cultivo onde foram submetidas às concentrações da solução nutritiva até o momento da colheita. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado, em esquema de parcelas subdivididas. As concentrações da solução nutritiva (I 50%, II 75%, III 100%, IV 125% foram sorteadas nas parcelas e nas subparcelas avaliando-se o efeito da posição das plantas nos perfis hidropônicos (I - inicial, II - intermediária e III - final, totalizando 12 tratamentos, para cada espécie. Cada posição continha 5 conjuntos de plantas sendo utilizadas 3 repetições por tratamento. Foram avaliados a altura das plantas, número de folhas e brotos, peso fresco e seco, tanto da parte aérea quanto de raiz. Com relação à posição das plantas nos perfis, foi observada interação significativa entre os tratamentos para número de folhas e peso seco para menta e melissa, respectivamente, onde a posição inicial revelou ser o melhor tratamento. Ainda para melissa foi observada diferença significativa entre as posições para altura das plantas, peso fresco de raiz e peso fresco e seco de folhas, com a posição inicial tendo os maiores valores, apesar de não diferir significativamente

  16. Pharmacokinetics, Safety and Tolerability of Melissa officinalis Extract which Contained Rosmarinic Acid in Healthy Individuals: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moeko Noguchi-Shinohara

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of single dose of Melissa officinalis extract which contained rosmarinic acid, including food-effects in healthy individuals. A total of eleven healthy individuals were randomly assigned to treatment arms in the two studies [Study 1 (fasted state and Study 2 (fed state]. Rosmarinic acid in serum was measured by a coulometric detection method using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography electrochemical detector. The serum concentration of total rosmarinic acid peaked at 1 hour after administration of Melissa officinalis extract containing 500mg rosmarinic acid in fasted state, with a maximum serum concentration 162.20 nmol/ L. The area under the curve for intact rosmarinic acid was calculated from the serum concentration-time profile to be 832.13 nmol • hour/ L. Food intake increases area under the curve and delayed time at which the maximum serum concentration. Rosmarinic acid supplementation did not affect liver, kidney, or blood cell function parameters. No adverse event was reported by any of the participants due to the study treatment. Single dose of Melissa officinalis extract containing 500 mg rosmarinic acid appears to be safe and tolerable in healthy individuals. Food intake increased the exposure of rosmarinic acid and delayed absorption of rosmarinic acid in healthy individuals.

  17. Neuroprotective and neurological properties of Melissa officinalis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    López, Víctor; Martín, Sara; Gómez-Serranillos, Maria Pilar

    2009-01-01

    and affinity to the GABA(A)-benzodiazepine receptor). The results suggest that the plant has a significant (P radical scavenging properties were also investigated in cells and in cell free systems, where this plant was shown......Melissa officinalis has traditionally been used due to its effects on nervous system. Both methanolic and aqueous extracts were tested for protective effects on the PC12 cell line, free radical scavenging properties and neurological activities (inhibition of MAO-A and acetylcholinesterase enzymes...... to be a good free radical scavenger. The MAO-A bioassay was also performed to detect possible antidepressant activities demonstrating that both extracts inhibited this enzyme, which has a key role in neurotransmitters metabolism. However, no activity was detected in the acetylcholinesterase and GABA assays...

  18. Organic and mineral fertilization and chemical composition of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis essential oil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Carolina B. Sodré

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Melissa officinalis L., Lamiaceae, is an herb with great growth prospects in the cosmetic industry due to its essential oil. In order to improve its production, it is necessary to study related agricultural practices. This study evaluated the effect of organic and mineral fertilization on the chemical composition of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L. essential oil. The assay was conducted at the "Fazenda Experimental do Glória" of the Federal University of Uberlândia, and essential oil extraction and GC/MS analyses were completed by the Centre for Research and Development on Plant Genetic Resources of the Campinas Agronomic Institute. The assay was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The tested treatments were six types of fertilization (0, 1, 2, 4, 8 kg.m-2 of cattle manure and mineral fertilizing with 60 g.m-2 of NPK 4-14-8 + 4 g.m-2 of boric acid with four replications. The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation in a modified Clevenger apparatus. The chemical composition was analyzed by GC/MS. The essential oil presented the same compounds for all treatments; however, the relative proportion of some chemical constituents was altered according to the treatment. Neral, geranial, and citronellal were the major constituents.

  19. Organic and mineral fertilization and chemical composition of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis essential oil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Carolina B. Sodré

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Melissa officinalis L., Lamiaceae, is an herb with great growth prospects in the cosmetic industry due to its essential oil. In order to improve its production, it is necessary to study related agricultural practices. This study evaluated the effect of organic and mineral fertilization on the chemical composition of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L. essential oil. The assay was conducted at the "Fazenda Experimental do Glória" of the Federal University of Uberlândia, and essential oil extraction and GC/MS analyses were completed by the Centre for Research and Development on Plant Genetic Resources of the Campinas Agronomic Institute. The assay was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The tested treatments were six types of fertilization (0, 1, 2, 4, 8 kg.m-2 of cattle manure and mineral fertilizing with 60 g.m-2 of NPK 4-14-8 + 4 g.m-2 of boric acid with four replications. The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation in a modified Clevenger apparatus. The chemical composition was analyzed by GC/MS. The essential oil presented the same compounds for all treatments; however, the relative proportion of some chemical constituents was altered according to the treatment. Neral, geranial, and citronellal were the major constituents.

  20. Antioxidant capacity and total phenolic contents of oregano (Origanum vulgare), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) from Romania.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spiridon, Iuliana; Colceru, Svetlana; Anghel, Narcis; Teaca, Carmen Alice; Bodirlau, Ruxanda; Armatu, Alice

    2011-10-01

    The study reported here presents a comparative screening of three medicinal plants including oregano (Origanum vulgare L.), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) having the same geographical origin, the Southeast region of Romania, and growing in the same natural conditions. The contents of total phenolics and total flavonoids for the extracts of these were determined. Furthermore, the total antioxidant capacity was also evaluated. It was found that Origanum vulgare and Melissa officinalis extracts present the most effective antioxidant capacity in scavenging DPPH radicals, while Lavandula angustifolia is less active. High performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was used to identify the components of extracts. Major phenolic acids identified in the analysed species were ferulic, rosmarinic, p-coumaric and caffeic, while predominant flavonoids were quercetin, apigenin kaempherol, which were present as glucosides.

  1. Analýza nabídky cestovní kanceláře Melissa Travel

    OpenAIRE

    Sedmíková, Jana

    2008-01-01

    Bachelor thesis pursues the offer analysis of the travel agency Melissa Travel. The opening part is based on theoretical conception, where all the basic terms are defined. There is specified the market area, where the power belongs to the travel agency. The advantages coming out of free market are highlighted. There are determined the elementary legislative conditions, that necessarily must be followed by travel agency. The term "offer" is defined and clarified both on the general and detaile...

  2. Quantitative HPLC Analysis of Rosmarinic Acid in Extracts of "Melissa officinalis" and Spectrophotometric Measurement of Their Antioxidant Activities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canelas, Vera; da Costa, Cristina Teixeira

    2007-01-01

    The students prepare tea samples using different quantities of lemon balm leaves ("Melissa officinalis") and measure the rosmarinic acid contents by an HPLC-DAD method. The antioxidant properties of the tea samples are evaluated by a spectrophotometric method using a radical-scavenging assay with DPPH. (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl). Finally the…

  3. Biological Activities of Asteraceae (Achillea millefolium and Calendula officinalis) and Lamiaceae (Melissa officinalis and Origanum majorana) Plant Extracts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Risco, Mónica R; Mouhid, Lamia; Salas-Pérez, Lilia; López-Padilla, Alexis; Santoyo, Susana; Jaime, Laura; Ramírez de Molina, Ana; Reglero, Guillermo; Fornari, Tiziana

    2017-03-01

    Asteraceae (Achillea millefolium and Calendula officinalis) and Lamiaceae (Melissa officinalis and Origanum majorana) extracts were obtained by applying two sequential extraction processes: supercritical fluid extraction with carbon dioxide, followed by ultrasonic assisted extraction using green solvents (ethanol and ethanol:water 50:50). The extracts were analyzed in terms of the total content of phenolic compounds and the content of flavonoids; the volatile oil composition of supercritical extracts was analyzed by gas chromatography and the antioxidant capacity and cell toxicity was determined. Lamiaceae plant extracts presented higher content of phenolics (and flavonoids) than Asteraceae extracts. Regardless of the species studied, the supercritical extracts presented the lowest antioxidant activity and the ethanol:water extracts offered the largest, following the order Origanum majorana > Melissa officinalis ≈ Achillea millefolium > Calendula officinalis. However, concerning the effect on cell toxicity, Asteraceae (especially Achillea millefolium) supercritical extracts were significantly more efficient despite being the less active as an antioxidant agent. These results indicate that the effect on cell viability is not related to the antioxidant activity of the extracts.

  4. Chemical composition of the essential oils of Salvia officinalis, S. fruticosa, Melissa officinalis, and their infusions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Couladis Maria

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Dried leaves of commercially available Salvia officinalis, Salvia fruticosa, and Melissa officinalis were divided into two parts; the first part was subjected to hydrodistillation and the second part was used for the preparation of the infusions. The essential oil and the infusion of each sample were subjected to analysis by means of GC-FID and GC-MS. The oxygenated monoterpenes 1,8-cineole (27.5% and camphor (11.5% appeared as the most important metabolites in Salvia officinalis, α- and β-thujone (16.5%, 16.4%, followed by 1,8-cineole (8.8% were characterizing the essential oil of Salvia fruticosa, whereas in the oil of Melissa officinalis the sesquiterpene caryophyllene oxide (14.9% was the most abundant constituent, followed by geranial (12.2%, neral (11.2% and citronellal (6.7%. The infusions were characterized by the higher levels of the most important compounds found in the essential oil of the respective sample, as in the case of S. officinalis (1,8-cineol 53.6%, camphor 25.8% and S. fruticosa (α- thujone 61.2%, β-thujone 24.3%, 1,8-cineole 14.5%, while the infusion of M. officinalis was dominated by palmitic and stearic acid (25.5%, 19.5%.

  5. Adubação orgânica e mineral em melissa Organic and mineral fertilization in lemon balm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Carolina B Sodré

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available A melissa (Melissa officinalis é uma planta medicinal comumente usada como calmante e ingerida na forma de chá. Para otimizar sua produção, este trabalho objetivou avaliar o efeito de diferentes doses de esterco bovino, com relação ao fertilizante mineral na produção de biomassa foliar e teor de óleo essencial. O experimento foi conduzido na Universidade Federal de Uberlândia e no Instituto Agronômico de Campinas. O delineamento estatístico foi de blocos casualisados com seis tratamentos (0, 1, 2, 4, 8 kg m-2 de esterco bovino e 30 g m-2 de NPK 4-14-8, em quatro repetições. O óleo essencial foi extraído por hidrodestilação em equipamento tipo Clevenger modificado. As doses de esterco bovino influenciaram a altura de plantas, massa fresca total e massa seca foliar por planta e por hectare. As duas formas de adubação foram superiores à testemunha para praticamente todas as variáveis, exceto em relação ao comprimento e largura foliar, teor de óleo na matéria seca e fresca foliar. Conclui-se que a melissa responde à adubação orgânica com esterco bovino e adubação mineral para produção de biomassa.Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis is a medicinal plant commonly used as a sedative and ingested as a tea. Studies on agricultural practices are required to optimize its yield. To optimize its production, this study evaluated the effect of different doses of organic fertilizer (cow manure in comparison to mineral fertilizer on biomass production and essential oil yield. The experiment was carried out at the Federal University of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, and at the Agronomic Institute of Campinas, São Paulo state, Brazil. The experimental design was randomized blocks with six treatments (0, 1, 2, 4, 8 kg m-2 of manure and 30 g m-2 of NPK 4-14-8, and four replications. Hydro-distillation was done with a modified Clevenger distiller for essential oil extraction. Cattle manure influenced plant height, total fresh

  6. Photosynthetic behavior, growth and essential oil production of Melissa officinalis L. cultivated under colored shade nets

    OpenAIRE

    Graziele C Oliveira; Willyam L Vieira; Suzana C Bertolli; Ana Claudia Pacheco

    2016-01-01

    The modulation of light is of importance during cultivation of medicinal plants to obtain desirable morphological and physiological changes associated with the maximum production of active principles. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the light spectrum transmitted by colored shade nets on growth, essential oil production and photosynthetic behavior in plants of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) Plants were cultivated in pots for 4-mo under black, red, and blue nets with 50% shadin...

  7. Teor e composição química do óleo essencial de Melissa officinalis L. in vitro sob influência do meio de cultura = Content and chemical composition of the essential oil of Melissa officinalis L. in vitro under the influence of the culture medium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Érika Soares Reis

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available Com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito do meio de cultura no teor e composição química do óleo essencial de Melissa officinalis, foi realizado o presente trabalho, que avaliaram três concentrações do meio de cultura MS. O experimento foi implantado em delineamentointeiramente casualizado, com sete repetições, e cada repetição foi representada por uma amostra de 20 g de plântulas frescas. A extração do óleo foi realizada em aparelho de Clevenger modificado com duração de 1h e 30 min. e a análise química foi realizada por cromatografiagasosa. Observou-se que o teor e a composição química do óleo essencial de M. officinalis foram influenciados pela concentração de sais do meio MS. As plântulas que se desenvolveram nos meios MS e MS/4 apresentaram maior teor de óleo essencial, e os componentes majoritários foram o geranial (25,23 e 16,21%, respectivamente e o neral (24,5 e 20,53%, respectivamente. Já o componente majoritário presente no óleo de plântulas de melissa cultivadas em meio MS/2 foio acetato de nerila (18,69%.The present work was carried out with the objective of evaluating the effect of the culture medium in the content and chemical composition of the essential oil of Melissa officinalis, evaluating three concentrations of the MS culture medium. The experiment was performed in a completely randomized design, with 7 repetitions, where each repetition was represented by 20 g of fresh biomass. Oil extraction was accomplished using a Clevenger modified device for 1 hour and 30 minutes, and the chemical analysis was accomplished by gas chromatography. It was observed that the content and chemicalcomposition of the essential oil of M. officinalis was influenced by the concentration of MS medium. The plants grown in the MS medium and MS/4 presented higher content of essential oil, and the major components of these plants were geraniol (25.23 and 16.21%, respectively and nerol (24.5 and 20.53%, respectively. The major

  8. The Effect of Lorazepam and Aqueous Extract of Melissa officinalis on Histological Changes in the Hippocampus and Spatial Memory in Male Rats

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    Sakine Heydarifar

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Hippocampus is the most important part of learning and memory in the brain. Melissa officinalis naturally affects the nervous system and induces calmness. Lorazepam is also used in the treatment of insomnia and anxiety. In this study, the effect of Lorazepam and aqueous extract of Melissa officinalis (AEMO was investigated on hippocampus tissue and spatial memory in male rats using radial maze method. Methods: In this experimental study, 24 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups. Control group received normal diet and water, the second group received lorazepam (dose. 10mg/kg, and two other groups received AEMO (at doses of 10 and 100mg/kg by gavage for 18 days. Then, their spatial memory were tested in an 8 arm radial maze (RAM. The level of lipid peroxidation of homogenized brain tissue was assessed, and hippocampal tissue sections were prepared and after H&E staining, DG area was investigated under a microscope. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey statistical tests. The level of significance was set at p<0.05. Results: There was no significant difference in learning level between animals received lorazepam and control group. The results of the experiments showed the positive effect of low dose of AEMO (10mg/kg on spatial memory, while high dose of Melissa officinalis (100mg/kg prevented memory formation. Conclusion: The results of this research showed that AEMO can increase short-term memory at low dose (10mg/kg, but it may prevent spatial memory formation at high doses.

  9. Efeitos da adubação química e da calagem na nutrição de melissa e hortelã-pimenta Effect of chemical fertilization and liming on lemon balm and peppermint nutrition

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    Arie F Blank

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available O trabalho objetivou avaliar os efeitos da adubação química e da calagem no crescimento e na nutrição da melissa (Melissa officinalis e hortelã-pimenta (Mentha piperita, com a técnica da diagnose por subtração. Os tratamentos foram: Completo (adubado com N, P, K, S, B, Cu, Fe e Zn+ calagem; Completo calagem; Completo N; Completo P; Completo K; Completo S; Completo B; Completo Zn; Completo Fe e Testemunha (solo natural. Após 120 dias da semeadura a calagem e a adubação mostraram ser essenciais para o crescimento de melissa e hortelã-pimenta. No solo utilizado, a falta da calagem e dos nutrientes N e P causaram as maiores quedas ou ausência, no caso da falta de calagem em melissa, na produção de folhas, órgão usado na medicina popular e que contém os princípios ativos.This work aimed to evaluate the effects of chemical fertilization and liming on growth and nutrition of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis and peppermint (Mentha piperita, using the missing element technique. Treatments were: complete (fertilized with N, P, K, S, B, Cu, Fe and Zn+ liming; complete - liming; complete -N; complete -P; complete -K; complete -S; complete -B; complete -Zn; complete -Fe and control (natural soil. The following results were obtained within 120 days after sowing: liming and fertilization are essential for lemon balm and peppermint growth. In the soil used in this experiment the nutrients which showed highest results on growth and nutrition of lemon balm and peppermint were N and P, besides liming.

  10. The influence of quorum sensing in compartment II of the MELiSSA loop

    Science.gov (United States)

    Condori, Sandra; Mastroleo, Felice; Wattiez, Ruddy; Leys, Natalie

    MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) has been conceived as a 5 compartments microorganisms and higher plants recycling system for long haul space flights. Rhodospirillum rubrum S1H colonizes compartment II. Previous work reported that continuous culture of the bacterium in a photobioreactor could lead to thick biofilm formation, leading to bioreactor arrest. Our aim is to investigate the unknown quorum sensing (QS) system of R. rubrum S1H, specifically under MELiSSA relevant culture conditions meaning light anaerobic (LAN) and using acetate as carbon source. In that purpose an autoinducer synthase gene (Rru_A3396) knockout mutant was constructed by allelic exchange generating strain M68. In addition phenotypic comparison between wild type (WT) and M68 was performed. Results of thin layer chromatography assay where Agrobacterium tumefaciens NT1 have been used as reporter strain showed that WT produces acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) from C4 to C12 acyl carbon chain length; however, in M68 no AHLs were detected confirming that gene Rru_A3396 (named rruI) encodes an autoinducer synthase. Interestingly under a low shear or static environment M68 showed cell aggregation similar as reported in a closely related bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides (cerI mutant). In contrast to WT, M68 did not form biofilm and exhibited a decreased motility and pigment content. M68 vs wild type transcriptomics results showed that 326 genes were statistically significant differentially expressed. Downregulation of genes related to photosynthesis e.g., reaction center subunits, light harvesting complex and photosynthetic assembly proteins was observed. Similar results were obtained for preliminary proteomic analysis. Results obtained showed that in R. rubrum S1H the AHL-based QS system regulates almost 8% of the genome which is linked to biofilm formation among other biological processes described above. Since strain M68 could not be used in compartment II due to its less

  11. Agricultural management, season and trace elements effects on volatile oil production from Melissa officinalis L. (Lemon balm)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sussa, Fabio Vitorio; Duarte, Celina Lopes; Silva, Paulo Sergio Cardoso da; Furlan, Marcos Roberto

    2016-01-01

    The objective of this study was to provide information about organic and mineral fertilization, season and trace elements effects on volatile oil production by the species Melissa officinalis. Elemental concentration was determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectrometry. The volatile oil was extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer. The elemental content and the main compounds vary according to agricultural management and season. The results indicate that the production of volatile oil main compounds from M. officinalis is correlated with the concentrations of Na, Co, Rb, Cd, Cs, La, Sm and Hf. (author)

  12. The MELiSSA GreenMOSS Study: Preliminary Design Considerations for a Greenhouse Module on the Lunar Surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lobascio, Cesare; Paille, Christel; Lamantea, Matteo Maria; Boscheri, Giorgio; Rossetti, Vittorio

    Extended human presence on an extraterrestrial planetary surface will be made possible by the development of life support systems affordable in the long term. The key elements to support the goal will be the maximization of closure of air and water cycles, as well as the development of cost-effective and reliable hardware, including a careful strategic effort toward reduction of spare parts and consumables. Regenerative life support systems likely represent the final step toward long term sustainability of a space crew, allowing in situ food production and regeneration of organic waste. Referring to the MELiSSA loop, a key element for food production is the Higher Plant Compartment. The paper focuses on the preliminary design of a Greenhouse at the lunar South Pole, as performed within the “Greenhouse Module for Space System” (GreenMOSS) study, under a contract from the European Space Agency. The greenhouse is in support to a relatively small crew for provision of an energetic food complement. Resources necessary for the greenhouse such as water, carbon dioxide and nitrogen are assumed available, as required. The relevant mass and energy balances for incoming resources should be part of future studies, and should help integrate this element with the interfacing MELISSA compartments. Net oxygen production and harvested crop biomass from the greenhouse system will be quantified. This work presents the results of the two major trade-offs performed as part of this study: artificial vs natural illumination and monocrop vs multicrop solutions. Comparisons among possible design solutions were driven by the ALiSSE metric as far as practicable within this preliminary stage, considering mass and power parameters. Finally, the paper presents the mission duration threshold for determining the convenience of the designed solution with respect to other resources provision strategies

  13. Study of elementary composition of Melissa oficinalis from different provenances by neutron activation analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, Allan; Sussa, Fábio V.; Silva, Paulo S.C.

    2017-01-01

    The elemental composition of medicinal plants depends on a number of factors, including soil, irrigation water, climate, among others. All these factors play a fundamental role in all the biological and metabolic systems of plants inducing greater or lesser production of secondary metabolites, which are the active principles of plant drugs. This work aims to determine the elemental concentrations of samples of Melissa officinalis L correlated this composition with the locations of provenance of these samples. Additionally, some physical-chemical characteristics were evaluated to verify the degree of agreement between the material that can be obtained in the trade and the limits established by the Brazilian Farmacopeia. The results indicated that practically all the evaluated aspects are in disagreement with the norms, that the elemental composition varies according to the origin of the plant and that this can be used as indicator of the origin of the samples

  14. Antioksidativna i antibakterijska aktivnost fermentiranog napitka od melise (Melissa officinalis L.) dobivenog s pomoću simbiotičke kulture bakterija i kvasaca

    OpenAIRE

    Velićanski, Aleksandra S.; Cvetković, Dragoljub D.; Markov, Siniša L.; Tumbas Šaponjac, Vesna T.; Vulić, Jelena J.

    2014-01-01

    Kombucha je napitak koji se tradicionalno dobiva fermentacijom zaslađenog crnog ili zelenog čaja (Camellia sinensis L.) s pomoću simbiotičke kulture bakterija i kvasaca (engl. SCOBY). U ovom je radu za pripremu napitka kombucha kao izvor dušika pri fermentaciji upotrijebljena melisa (Melissa officinalis L.). Tijekom sedmodnevne fermentacije mjereni su sljedeći parametri: pH-vrijednost, titracijska kiselost, udjeli ukupnih fenola i fenolnih spojeva, te sposobnost uklanjanja hidroksilnog (˙OH) ...

  15. Produção de óleo essencial de Melissa officinalis L. em diferentes épocas, sistemas de cultivo e adubações

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J.M.Q. Luz

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Os objetivos deste trabalho foram avaliar a biomassa, o rendimento e a composição de óleo essencial de Melissa officinalis L. submetida a diferentes épocas de plantio, sistemas de cultivo, e adubações. O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos casualizados (DBC, em esquema fatorial 2 x 2 x 2, sendo duas épocas de plantio (verão e inverno, dois sistemas de cultivo (estufa e campo, e dois tipos de adubação (mineral e orgânica. A colheita consistiu no corte de todas as plantas da parcela útil. Após a colheita, foi avaliada a massa fresca foliar, a altura de plantas, o comprimento e largura das folhas. A extração de óleo essencial foi realizada por hidrodestilação e a composição química foi analisada em cromatógrafo gasoso acoplado a espectrômetro de massas. Das substâncias encontradas, prevaleceram como constituintes majoritários os monoterpenos geranial e neral na colheita de verão, e geranial, neral e citronelal na colheita de inverno. As condições do ambiente protegido e do verão propiciaram melhor biomassa de melissa, maior rendimento de óleo essencial, e maior taxa do constituinte citral.

  16. Effect of lyophilized water extracts of Melissa officinalis on the stability of algae and linseed oil-in-water emulsion to be used as a functional ingredient in meat products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Ciriano, Mikel García-Iñiguez; Rehecho, Sheyla; Calvo, Maria Isabel; Cavero, Rita Yolanda; Navarro, Iñigo; Astiasarán, Iciar; Ansorena, Diana

    2010-06-01

    Previous work pointed out the possibility to enhance the nutritional value of meat products using long chain omega-3 PUFA enriched emulsions. Oil-in-water emulsions elaborated with a mixture of algae and linseed oils (15:10) in order to be used as functional ingredient were stabilized with BHA (butylhydroxyanisol) or with a lyophilized water extract of Melissa officinalis L. (Lemon balm). The lipid profile of the oil mixture showed a high amount of DHA (31.7%), oleic (25.4%) and alpha-linolenic acid (12.7%) resulting in a very low omega-6/omega-3 ratio (0.12). The lyophilized extract of M. officinalis showed a high antioxidant activity (being 62ppm of the lyophilized water extract of Melissa equivalent to 200ppm of BHA, using the DPPH assay as reference), and high total phenolic content. Studying the oxidation process in the emulsions during 15days at room temperature, it could be concluded that this extract was as efficient as BHA in order to control the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) formation. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Flowering biology and nectary structure of Melissa officinalis L.

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    Mirosława Chwil

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The present study on lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L. covered flowering biology, monitoring of pollinating insects and floral nectary structure. The micromorphology of epidermal cells of the nectary was investigated using scanning electron microscopy. The nectariferous tissues were observed using light microscopy based on semi-thin sections. Lemon balm flowered from the second decade of June until September. Buds opened from early morning hours until noon. Flowers lived for 24 hours, on the average. Their primary pollinator was the honey bee. The beginning of nectar secretion was found to be at the bud swell stage. The automorphic nectary forms a disc with four protrusions at the base of the nectary. Three smaller ones and one larger than the other ones were distinguished among them. No stomata were found on the lower protuberances, whereas on the highest part anomocytic stomata were present, the number of which was 15. The stomata exhibited different development stages and they were situated above other epidermal cells. In their outline, they were ellipsoidally shaped (18 × 23 µm and they had average-sized cuticular ledges. They produced a smooth cuticle and wax granules. In cross section, the nectary tissues were composed of a singlelayered epidermis and 9 - 11 layers of the nectary parenchyma. Their thickness was 198 µm. In longitudinal section, the height of the nectary was within a range of 354 - 404 µm. The epidermal cells produced thin outer cell walls. Some of them were completely filled with strongly stained cytoplasm, whereas others showed a high degree of vacuolisation. But the nectary parenchyma cells were marked by poorly stained cytoplasm, a large nucleus and vacuolisation of varying degree.

  18. Adaptações fisiológicas e anatômicas de Melissa officinalis L. (Lamiaceae cultivadas sob malhas termorrefletoras em diferentes intensidades luminosas Physiological and morphological adaptations of Melissa officinalis L. (Lamiaceae cultivated under thermo-reflector shading nets at different luminous intensities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R.S. Brant

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Objetivou-se, com a realização da pesquisa, avaliar modificações fisiológicas e anatômicas em plantas de melissa, cultivadas sob malhas termorrefletoras (Aluminet®, em diferentes níveis de sombreamento, visando conhecer a plasticidade fenotípica em resposta de adaptação a diferentes quantidades de luz. Os tratamentos foram caracterizados por plantas submetidas a pleno sol e a 20 e 60% de intensidade luminosa, e arranjados conforme o delineamento inteiramente casualizado (DIC. As quantificações de clorofila foram feitas em quatro repetições, as medições das epidermes e parênquimas foram repetidas 15 vezes e utilizou-se 10 repetições para as avaliações das características de cloroplastos e grãos de amido destes. Plantas submetidas a 20% de intensidade luminosa apresentaram maior quantidade de clorofila a e, portanto, maior razão clorofila a/b. Comparativamente, as folhas de melissa a pleno sol e a 60% de luz apresentaram células da epiderme adaxial mais espessas, mas as células da epiderme abaxial mostraram características encontradas em folhas de sombra, ou seja, mais finas. Quanto maior a intensidade luminosa, maior o número de cloroplastos, porém, a pleno sol mostraram-se mais finos e com menor área. Os grãos de amido de plantas cultivadas sob ambientes sombreados tiveram maior área e ocuparam maior parte nos cloroplastos de plantas a 60% de intensidade luminosa. Assim, plantas de melissa, quando submetidas ao sombreamento, tiveram plasticidade fenotípica.The aim of this study was to evaluate physiological and anatomical modifications in lemon balm plants, cultivated under thermo-reflector nets (Aluminet® at different levels of shading, in order to understand the phenotypic plasticity in adaptation response to different light quantities. The treatments were characterized by plants subjected to full sun and 20 and 60% of luminous intensity, and arranged in completely randomized design (CRD. The quantifications

  19. Healthy reduced-fat Bologna sausages enriched in ALA and DHA and stabilized with Melissa officinalis extract.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berasategi, Izaskun; Navarro-Blasco, Iñigo; Calvo, Maria Isabel; Cavero, Rita Yolanda; Astiasarán, Iciar; Ansorena, Diana

    2014-03-01

    Reduced-energy and reduced-fat Bologna products enriched with ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids were formulated by replacing the pork back-fat by an oil-in-water emulsion containing a mixture of linseed-algae oil stabilized with a lyophilized Melissa officinalis extract. Healthier composition and lipid profile was obtained: 85 kcal/100 g, 3.6% fat, 0.6 g ALA and 0.44 g DHA per 100 g of product and ω-6/ω-3 ratio of 0.4. Technological and sensory problems were not detected in the new formulations. Reformulation did not cause oxidation problems during 32 days of storage under refrigeration. The results suggest that it is possible to obtain reduced-fat Bologna-type sausages rich in ALA and DHA and stabilized with natural antioxidants, applying the appropriate technology without significant effects on the sensory quality, yielding interesting products from a nutritional point of view. © 2013.

  20. Preliminary Modelling of Mass Flux at the Surface of Plant Leaves within the MELiSSA Higher Plant Compartments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmberg, Madeleine; Paille, Christel; Lasseur, Christophe

    The ESA project Micro Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA) is an ecosystem of micro-organisms and higher plants, constructed with the objective of being operated as a tool to understand artificial ecosystems to be used for a long-term or permanent manned planetary base (e.g. Moon or Mars). The purpose of such a system is to provide for generation of food, water recycling, atmospheric regeneration and waste management within defined standards of quality and reliability. As MELiSSA consists of individual compartments which are connected to each other, the robustness of the system is fully dependent on the control of each compartment, as well as the flow management between them. Quality of consumables and reliability of the ecosystem rely on the knowledge, understanding and control of each of the components. This includes the full understanding of all processes related to the higher plants. To progress in that direction, this paper focuses on the mechanical processes driving the gas and liquid exchanges between the plant leaf and its environment. The process responsible for the mass transfer on the surface of plant leaves is diffusion. The diffusion flux is dependent on the behaviour of the stoma of the leaf and also on the leaf boundary layer (BL). In this paper, the physiology of the leaf is briefly examined in order to relate parameters such as light quality, light quantity, CO2 concentration, temperature, leaf water potential, humidity, vapour pressure deficit (VPD) gradients and pollutants to the opening or closing of stomata. The diffusion process is described theoretically and the description is compared to empirical approaches. The variables of the BL are examined and the effect airflow in the compartment has on the BL is investigated. Also presented is the impact changes in different environmental parameters may have on the fluid exchanges. Finally, some tests, to evaluate the accuracy of the concluded model, are suggested.

  1. Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of the Beverage Obtained by Fermentation of Sweetened Lemon Balm (Melissa offi cinalis L.) Tea with Symbiotic Consortium of Bacteria and Yeasts

    OpenAIRE

    Dragoljub D. Cvetković; Siniša L. Markov; Vesna T. Tumbas Šaponjac; Jelena J. Vulić; Aleksandra S. Velićanski

    2014-01-01

    Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage which is traditionally prepared by fermenting sweetened black or green tea (Camellia sinensis L.) with symbiotic consortium of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY). In this study, lemon balm (Melissa offi cinalis L.) was used as the only nitrogen source for kombucha fermentation. During the seven-day fermentation process, pH value, titratable acidity (TA), total phenolic content, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity against hydroxyl (˙OH) and 1,1-diphenyl-2...

  2. Effects of IAA, IBA, NAA, and GA3 on rooting and morphological features of Melissa officinalis L. stem cuttings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sevik, Hakan; Guney, Kerim

    2013-01-01

    This study analyzed the potential of producing Melissa officinalis L. using stem cuttings. Four different hormones (IAA, IBA, NAA, and GA3) were applied to the cuttings, with and without buds, in two doses (1000 mg/L and 5000 mg/L), and after 60 days, 10 morphological characteristics of newly generated plants were detected, and a statistical analysis was carried out. The results of the study show that the cuttings with at least one bud must be used in order to produce M. officinalis using stem cuttings. Even though the auxin group hormones (IAA, IBA, and NAA) do not have an apparent effect on rooting percentage, these hormones were detected to affect the morphological characteristics of the newly generated plants, especially root generation. GA3 application has a considerable effect on stem height.

  3. Study of elementary composition of Melissa oficinalis from different provenances by neutron activation analysis; Estudo da composição elementar de Melissa officinalis de diferentes procedências por análise por ativação neutrônica

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Santos, Allan; Sussa, Fábio V.; Silva, Paulo S.C., E-mail: allan_santos@usp.br, E-mail: fvsuss@gmail.com, E-mail: pscsilva@ipen.br [Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Carlos, SP (Brazil). Instituto de Ciências Matemáticas e Computação; Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2017-11-01

    The elemental composition of medicinal plants depends on a number of factors, including soil, irrigation water, climate, among others. All these factors play a fundamental role in all the biological and metabolic systems of plants inducing greater or lesser production of secondary metabolites, which are the active principles of plant drugs. This work aims to determine the elemental concentrations of samples of Melissa officinalis L correlated this composition with the locations of provenance of these samples. Additionally, some physical-chemical characteristics were evaluated to verify the degree of agreement between the material that can be obtained in the trade and the limits established by the Brazilian Farmacopeia. The results indicated that practically all the evaluated aspects are in disagreement with the norms, that the elemental composition varies according to the origin of the plant and that this can be used as indicator of the origin of the samples.

  4. Metodologie di rilievo tra ricerca e innovazione tecnologica per un caso di archeologia medievale: Torre Melissa in provincia di Crotone

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesca Fatta

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available   Il complesso di Torre Melissa è uno dei manufatti storici di pregio che si affacciano sulle coste calabresi del mare Jonio. Una torre-castello d’epoca aragonese sottoposta ad un restauro conservativo agli inizi degli anni duemila. In quella occasione, la torre fu rilevata con procedure manuali e l’ausilio di una stazione totale. Nel 2014 si è proceduto con un rilievo eseguito con strumenti digitali d’alta definizione (laser scanner, fotografia digitale e telecamera applicata a drone. La comparazione tra i due rilievi, effettuati con metodologie differenti, mostrano delle disuguaglianze semantiche evidenti che mettono in risalto i progressi delle odierne strumentazioni per la definizione di modelli 3D d’altissima precisione, fondamentali per le pratiche di tutela e valorizzazione di un patrimonio architettonico complesso e stratificato

  5. Photosynthetic behavior, growth and essential oil production of Melissa officinalis L. cultivated under colored shade nets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Graziele C Oliveira

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The modulation of light is of importance during cultivation of medicinal plants to obtain desirable morphological and physiological changes associated with the maximum production of active principles. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the light spectrum transmitted by colored shade nets on growth, essential oil production and photosynthetic behavior in plants of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L. Plants were cultivated in pots for 4-mo under black, red, and blue nets with 50% shading, and full sunlight exposure. Biometric and anatomical variables, essential oil yield, global solar radiation, photon flux density, chlorophyll content, and gas exchange parameters were measured in M. officinalis leaves. The results showed that despite being considered a partial shade plant, this species is able to adapt to full sunlight conditions without increasing biomass production. The spectral changes provided by colored shade nets did not caused any noticeable change in leaf anatomy of M. officinalis. However, the use of blue net resulted in increments of 116% in plant height, 168% in leaf area, 42% in chlorophyll content and 30% in yield of essential oil in lemon balm plants. These plant's qualities make the use of blue net a cultivation practice suitable for commercial use.

  6. Hypnotic effect of Coriandrum sativum, Ziziphus jujuba, Lavandula angustifolia and Melissa officinalis extracts in mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hajhashemi, Valiollah; Safaei, Azadeh

    2015-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to evaluate hypnotic effect of Coriandrum sativum, Ziziphus jujuba, Lavandula angustifolia and Melissa officinalis hydroalcoholic extracts in mice to select the most effective ones for a combination formula. Three doses of the extracts (250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg of C. sativum and Z. jujuba and 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg of L. angustifolia and M. officinalis) were orally administered to male Swiss mice (20-25 g) and one hour later pentobarbital (50 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected to induce sleep. Onset of sleep and its duration were measured and compared. Control animals and reference group received vehicle (10 ml/kg, p.o.) and diazepam (3 mg/kg, i.p.), respectively. C. sativum and Z. jujuba failed to change sleep parameters. L. angustifolia at doses of 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg shortened sleep onset by 7.6%, 50% and 51.5% and prolonged sleep duration by 9.9%, 43.1% and 80.2%, respectively. Compared with control group the same doses of M. officinalis also decreased sleep onset by 24.7%, 27.5% and 51.2% and prolonged sleep duration by 37.9%, 68.7% and 131.7% respectively. Combinations of L. angustifolia and M. officinalis extracts showed additive effect and it is suggested that a preparation containing both extracts may be useful for insomnia. PMID:26779267

  7. Comparative analysis of the aroma chemicals of Melissa officinalis using hydrodistillation and HS-SPME techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shakeel-u- Rehman

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Headspace solid-phase micro extraction (HS-SPME coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS has been used for the chemical analysis of Melissa officinalis (leaves cultivated in Institute Germplasm. The HS-SPME analysis led to the identification of 22 components constituting 99.1% of the total volatile constituents present in the leaves whereas its hydrodistillate led to the identification of 24 volatile constituents constituting 98.1% of the volatile material. The chemical composition of the SPME and hydrodistilled extract of M. officinalis leaves comprised mainly of oxygenated monoterpenes (78.5% and 57.8% respectively and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (14.9% and 29.7% respectively. The major components identified in the HS-SPME extract were citronellal (31.1%, citronellol (18.3%, β-caryophyllene (12.0%, (E-citral (11.9%, (Z-citral (9.6%, geraniol (3.6%, (Z-β-ocimene (3.1% and 1-octen-3-ol (2.0% whereas hydrodistilled essential oil was rich in (Z-citral (19.6%, β-caryophyllene (13.2%, (E-citral (11.2%, citronellal (10.2%, germacrene-d (8.3%, δ-3-carene (5.0%, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (3.7% and citronellyl acetate (3.7%. The comparative analysis of volatile constituents of M. officinalis leaf extract using HS-SPME and hydrodistillation techniques shows both qualitative as well as quantitative differences. The current study is the first report involving rapid analysis of volatile components of M. officinalis by HS-SPME.

  8. Reduction of Adipose Tissue Mass by the Angiogenesis Inhibitor ALS-L1023 from Melissa officinalis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Byung Young Park

    Full Text Available It has been suggested that angiogenesis modulates adipogenesis and obesity. This study was undertaken to determine whether ALS-L1023 (ALS prepared by a two-step organic solvent fractionation from Melissa leaves, which exhibits antiangiogenic activity, can regulate adipose tissue growth. The effects of ALS on angiogenesis and extracellular matrix remodeling were measured using in vitro assays. The effects of ALS on adipose tissue growth were investigated in high fat diet-induced obese mice. ALS inhibited VEGF- and bFGF-induced endothelial cell proliferation and suppressed matrix metalloproteinase (MMP activity in vitro. Compared to obese control mice, administration of ALS to obese mice reduced body weight gain, adipose tissue mass and adipocyte size without affecting appetite. ALS treatment decreased blood vessel density and MMP activity in adipose tissues. ALS reduced the mRNA levels of angiogenic factors (VEGF-A and FGF-2 and MMPs (MMP-2 and MMP-9, whereas ALS increased the mRNA levels of angiogenic inhibitors (TSP-1, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 in adipose tissues. The protein levels of VEGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9 were also decreased by ALS in adipose tissue. Metabolic changes in plasma lipids, liver triglycerides, and hepatic expression of fatty acid oxidation genes occurred during ALS-induced weight loss. These results suggest that ALS, which has antiangiogenic and MMP inhibitory activities, reduces adipose tissue mass in nutritionally obese mice, demonstrating that adipose tissue growth can be regulated by angiogenesis inhibitors.

  9. Essential oil composition and antifungal activity of Melissa officinalis originating from north-Est Morocco, against postharvest phytopathogenic fungi in apples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Ouadi, Y; Manssouri, M; Bouyanzer, A; Majidi, L; Bendaif, H; Elmsellem, H; Shariati, M A; Melhaoui, A; Hammouti, B

    2017-06-01

    To investigate biological control methods against post-harvest phytopathogenic fungi in apples, tests on the antifungal activity of essential oil of Melissa officinalis were carried out. The essential oil, obtained by hydrodistillation, was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Analysis of the essential oil was able to detect 88.7% of the components. The main components are P-mentha-1,2,3-triol (13.1%), P-menth-3-en-8-ol (8.8%), pulegone (8.8%), piperitynone oxide (8.4%) and 2-piperitone oxide (7.3%). The determination of the antifungal activity of the essential oil of M. officinalisis carried out in vitro using the technique of poison food (PF) and the volatile activity test (VA). To carry out these two tests, three phytopathogens that cause the deterioration of apples have been selected: Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium expansum and Rhizopus stolonifer. The overall results of this study suggest that M. officinalis essential oil has potential as a bio-antifungal preservative for the control of post-harvest diseases of apple. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Protective Effect of Aqueous Plant Extracts of Glycyrrhiza Glabra, Melissa Officinalis and Mentha x Piperita Against Indomethacin Induced Gastric Ulcer in Irradiated Rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Ghazaly, M.A.; Ramadan, L.A.; Ashry, O.M.; Kafafy, Y.A.

    2004-01-01

    The extracts of glycyrrhiza, Mentha and Melissa were tested for the antiulcerogenic activities against indomethacin induced ulcer in irradiated rats. Animals were irradiated at radiation dose levels 0.5, 1 and 2 Gy. The extracts were given orally 3 days after irradiation and the antiulcerogenic as well as the antisecretory and cyroprotective effects of the extracts were determined. All plant extracts produced pronounced antiulcerogenic activities and reduced acid output, increased mucin and decreased pepsin secretion in pyloric ligated rats. The antiulcerogenic activity of the plant extracts was also confirmed histologically. The effect of the plant extract could be party due to their flavonoids content and to their free radical scavenging properties. The stomach is a radiosensitive part of the gastriontestinal tract (Friedman, 1992). It does not tolerate radiation doses that are necessary to control cancer. Hoever, some parts of the stomach are often in the primary treatment field in radiotherapy

  11. Effects of the Extraterrestrial Environment on Plants: Recommendations for Future Space Experiments for the MELiSSA Higher Plant Compartment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silje A. Wolff

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Due to logistical challenges, long-term human space exploration missions require a life support system capable of regenerating all the essentials for survival. Higher plants can be utilized to provide a continuous supply of fresh food, atmosphere revitalization, and clean water for humans. Plants can adapt to extreme environments on Earth, and model plants have been shown to grow and develop through a full life cycle in microgravity. However, more knowledge about the long term effects of the extraterrestrial environment on plant growth and development is necessary. The European Space Agency (ESA has developed the Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA program to develop a closed regenerative life support system, based on micro-organisms and higher plant processes, with continuous recycling of resources. In this context, a literature review to analyze the impact of the space environments on higher plants, with focus on gravity levels, magnetic fields and radiation, has been performed. This communication presents a roadmap giving directions for future scientific activities within space plant cultivation. The roadmap aims to identify the research activities required before higher plants can be included in regenerative life support systems in space.

  12. Movement patterns and population characteristics of the Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knutson, Randy L.; Kwilosz, John R.; Grundel, Ralph

    1999-01-01

    We conducted a three-year mark-release-recapture study of the endangered Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis Nabokov) at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to describe the butterfly's movement patterns and to assess seasonal changes in the Karner blue's population structure. Estimated mean Karner blue adult life span was less than 3.5 days. Populations exhibited protandry and about a 2:1 male:female sex ratio at population peak within a brood. Ranges, or maximum distances moved by individual butterflies, were typically less than 100 m. Maximum ranges were less than 1 km. These distances are similar to those reported for other lycaenid butterflies and from other studies of the Karner blue in the midwestern United States. At two sites, fewer than 2% of adults had ranges greater than 300 m, while at a third site 4.3% of adults had ranges greater than 300 m. Given typical subpopulation sizes these movement percentages suggest that few adults per generation will move between subpopulations separated by more than 300 m. Movement of individuals between subpopulation sites is important for maintaining genetic diversity within a metapopulation and for recolonizing areas following local extinctions. Therefore, prudent conservation planning should aim for a landscape with habitat patches suitable for Karner blue butterfly occupancy separated by less than 300 m.

  13. Nonlinear Structured Growth Mixture Models in Mplus and OpenMx

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grimm, Kevin J.; Ram, Nilam; Estabrook, Ryne

    2014-01-01

    Growth mixture models (GMMs; Muthén & Muthén, 2000; Muthén & Shedden, 1999) are a combination of latent curve models (LCMs) and finite mixture models to examine the existence of latent classes that follow distinct developmental patterns. GMMs are often fit with linear, latent basis, multiphase, or polynomial change models because of their common use, flexibility in modeling many types of change patterns, the availability of statistical programs to fit such models, and the ease of programming. In this paper, we present additional ways of modeling nonlinear change patterns with GMMs. Specifically, we show how LCMs that follow specific nonlinear functions can be extended to examine the presence of multiple latent classes using the Mplus and OpenMx computer programs. These models are fit to longitudinal reading data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort to illustrate their use. PMID:25419006

  14. Identifying units for conservation using molecular systematics: the cautionary tale of the Karner blue butterfly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gompert, Zachariah; Nice, Chris C; Fordyce, James A; Forister, Matthew L; Shapiro, Arthur M

    2006-06-01

    The federally endangered North American Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) and the closely related Melissa blue butterfly (L. m. melissa) can be distinguished based on life history and morphology. Western populations of L. m. samuelis share mitochondrial haplotypes with L. m. melissa populations, while eastern populations of L. m. samuelis have divergent haplotypes. Here we test two hypotheses concerning the presence of L. m. melissa mitochondrial haplotypes in western L. m. samuelis populations: (i) mitochondrial introgression has occurred from L. m. melissa populations into western L. m. samuelis populations, or (ii) western populations of the nominal L. m. samuelis are more closely related to L. m. melissa than to eastern L. m. samuelis populations, yet are phenotypically similar to the latter. A Bayesian algorithm was used to cluster 190 L. melissa individuals based on 143 informative amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) loci. This method clearly differentiated L. m. samuelis and L. m. melissa. Thus, genomic divergence was greater between western L. m. samuelis populations and L. m. melissa populations than it was between western and eastern populations of L. m. samuelis. This supports the hypothesis that the presence of L. m. melissa mitochondrial haplotypes in western L. m. samuelis populations is the result of mitochondrial introgression. These data provide valuable information for conservation and management plans for the endangered L. m. samuelis, and illustrate the risks of using data from a single locus for diagnosing significant units of biodiversity for conservation.

  15. A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled pilot trial of a combined extract of sage, rosemary and melissa, traditional herbal medicines, on the enhancement of memory in normal healthy subjects, including influence of age.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perry, N S L; Menzies, R; Hodgson, F; Wedgewood, P; Howes, M-J R; Brooker, H J; Wesnes, K A; Perry, E K

    2018-01-15

    To evaluate for the first time the effects of a combination of sage, rosemary and melissa (Salvia officinalis L., Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Melissa officinalis L.; SRM), traditional European medicines, on verbal recall in normal healthy subjects. To devise a suitable study design for assessing the clinical efficacy of traditional herbal medicines for memory and brain function. Forty-four normal healthy subjects (mean age 61 ± 9.26y SD; m/f 6/38) participated in this study. A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled pilot study was performed with subjects randomised into an active and placebo group. The study consisted of a single 2-week term ethanol extract of SRM that was chemically-characterised using high resolution LC-UV-MS/MS analysis. Immediate and delayed word recall were used to assess memory after taking SRM or placebo (ethanol extract of Myrrhis odorata (L.) Scop.). In addition analysis was performed with subjects divided into younger and older subgroups (≤ 62 years mean age n = 26: SRM n = 10, Placebo n = 16; ≥ 63 years n = 19: SRM n = 13, Placebo n = 6). Overall there were no significant differences between treatment and placebo change from baseline for immediate or delayed word recall. However subgroup analysis showed significant improvements to delayed word recall in the under 63 year age group (p memory in healthy subjects under 63 years of age. Short- and long- term supplementation with SRM extract merits more robust investigation as an adjunctive treatment for patients with Alzheimer's disease and in the general ageing population. The study design proved a simple cost effective trial protocol to test the efficacy of herbal medicines on verbal episodic memory, with future studies including broader cognitive assessment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  16. The Relationship Between Ants and Lycaeides melissa samuelis (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) at Concord Pine Barrens, NH, USA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pascale, Elizabeth G; Thiet, Rachel K

    2016-04-22

    The Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis Nabokov) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) is a federally listed, endangered species that has experienced dramatic decline over its historic range. In surviving populations, Karner blue butterflies have a facultative mutualism with ants that could be critically important to their survival where their populations are threatened by habitat loss or disturbance. In this study, we investigated the effects of ants, wild blue lupine population status (native or restored), and fire on adult Karner blue butterfly abundance at the Concord Pine Barrens, NH, USA. Ant frequency (the number of times we collected each ant species in our pitfall traps) was higher in restored than native lupine treatments regardless of burn status during both Karner blue butterfly broods, and the trend was statistically significant during the second brood. We observed a positive relationship between adult Karner blue butterfly abundance and ant frequency during the first brood, particularly on native lupine, regardless of burn treatment. During the second brood, adult Karner blue butterfly abundance and ant frequency were not significantly correlated in any treatments or their combinations. Our findings suggest that a combination of native and restored lupine is important for supporting both Karner blue butterflies and ants at the Concord Pine Barrens, and that burning does not affect the mutualism. Thus, scientists and managers at the site may wish to target their habitat management activities to best support both Karner blue butterflies and the particular ant species that provide the greatest benefit to their survival. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. Nectar plant selection by the Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grundel, Ralph; Pavlovic, Noel B.; Sulzman, Christina L.

    2000-01-01

    The Karner blue butterfly, Lycaeides melissa samuelis, is an endangered species residing in savanna and barrens habitats in the Midwest and Northeast United States. To improve our understanding of nectar plant selection patterns by the Karner blue, we examined nectar plant choices made by 146 butterflies. Within observation areas of 2-m radius butterflies usually chose the nectar species with the greatest total number of flowers or flowering heads. This suggests that the Karner blue is opportunistic in selecting nectar plants. However, certain nectar species, including Arabis lyrata, Coreopsis lanceolata, Melilotus alba and Rubus flagellaris, were selected in a significant majority of cases when other nectar species were available nearby. At least in the case of R. flagellaris, this preference was not directly related to the species' local flower abundance. In a significant majority of cases (77.5%) adult Karner blues selected nectar plant species with yellow or white flowers over species with other-colored flowers. Comparison of nectar plant selections at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to selections from Michigan and Wisconsin suggests that the Karner blue most frequently chooses a suite of nectar plant species that includes A. lyrata, C. lanceolata, Euphorbia corollata, M. alba, Monarda punctata, Potentilla simplex, Rubus spp., Solidago speciosa and, perhaps, Asclepias tuberosa and Helianthus divaricatus. This suite includes plant species that readily flower in the sun and others that readily flower in the shade, an important consideration since Karner blues often move across the sun-shade interface.

  18. 78 FR 79662 - Stainless Steel Plate in Coils From Belgium: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-31

    ... Secretary, for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations, through Melissa Skinner, Director, Office III... Duty Operations, through Melissa Skinner, Director, Office III Antidumping and Countervailing Duty..., Deputy Assistant Secretary, for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations, through Melissa Skinner...

  19. 76 FR 2344 - Certain Hot-Rolled Carbon Steel Flat Products From India: Notice of Preliminary Results of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-13

    ..., through James Terpstra, Program Manager, and Melissa Skinner, Office Director, concerning ``Customs and..., International Trade Compliance Analyst, through James Terpstra, Program Manager, and Melissa Skinner, Office... and Programs, Office of International Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, from Melissa Skinner...

  20. Influence of the Melissa officinalis Leaf Extract on Long-Term Memory in Scopolamine Animal Model with Assessment of Mechanism of Action

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcin Ozarowski

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Melissa officinalis (MO, English: lemon balm, Lamiaceae, one of the oldest and still most popular aromatic medicinal plants, is used in phytomedicine for the prevention and treatment of nervous disturbances. The aim of our study was to assess the effect of subchronic (28-fold administration of a 50% ethanol extract of MO leaves (200 mg/kg, p.o. compared with rosmarinic acid (RA, 10 mg/kg, p.o. and huperzine A (HU, 0.5 mg/kg, p.o. on behavioral and cognitive responses in scopolamine-induced rats. The results were linked with acetylcholinesterase (AChE, butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE, and beta-secretase (BACE-1 mRNA levels and AChE and BuChE activities in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of rats. In our study, MO and HU, but not RA, showed an improvement in long-term memory. The results were in line with mRNA levels, since MO produced a decrease of AChE mRNA level by 52% in the cortex and caused a strong significant inhibition of BACE1 mRNA transcription (64% in the frontal cortex; 50% in the hippocampus. However, the extract produced only an insignificant inhibition of AChE activity in the frontal cortex. The mechanisms of MO action are probably more complicated, since its role as a modulator of beta-secretase activity should be taken into consideration.

  1. Produtividade da biomassa de melissa em função de intervalo de cortes e doses de nitrogênio Biomass production of Lemon balm as a result of cutting interval and nitrogen levels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    André May

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available A espécie Melissa officinalis tem crescido em importância econômica no setor produtivo de plantas medicinais, contudo o nível de informações agronômicas a cerca da espécie é limitado. Dessa forma, foi instalado um experimento visando avaliar a influência do intervalo de cortes e de doses de nitrogênio sobre a produção de biomassa dessa espécie. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos ao acaso, com três repetições, em esquema fatorial 4 x 4, sendo os fatores estudados o intervalo de cortes (30; 42; 54 e 66 dias e dose de nitrogênio (0; 60; 120 e 180 kg ha-1 de N. Foram avaliadas a altura da planta e massa seca da parte aérea. Observou-se maior altura da planta para maior intervalo entre corte. Maiores rendimentos de massa seca foram observados com a aplicação de 180 kg ha-1 de N, havendo uma resposta linear para a produção de massa seca com a aplicação de N.Cultivation of Melissa officinalis is increasing in economic importance in the market of medicinal plants, although the level of agronomic information concerning the specie is limited. To achieve those objectives, a trial was carried out to study the influence of cutting intervals and nitrogen levels in biomass production. The experimental design was in blocks with three replications in a 4 x 4 factorial cheme: cutting intervals (30; 42; 54 and 66 days and nitrogen (0; 60; 120 and 180 kg ha-1 of N. The characteristics of plant height and aerial part and accumulated dry mater were evaluated. Increasing the cutting intervals resulted in higher plants. The highest dry matter value was observed using 180 kg ha-1 of N, having a linear reply for the production of dry mass with the application of N.

  2. 76 FR 1971 - Drill Pipe From the People's Republic of China: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-11

    ... to Melissa Skinner, Director, AD/CVD Operations, Office 3, from Eric B. Greynolds, Program Manager...,'' (October 18, 2010) (GOC Verification Report) and Memorandum to Melissa Skinner, Director, AD/CVD Operations... the File through Melissa Skinner, Director, AD/CVD Operations, Office 3, from Kristen Johnson, Trade...

  3. 75 FR 33262 - Certain Welded Carbon Steel Pipe and Tube from Turkey: Notice of Preliminary Results of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-11

    ... companies examined in the current review. See Memo to Melissa Skinner, through James Terpstra, from Dennis... Shipment Inquiry'' to CBP and by reviewing electronic CBP data. See Memo to Melissa Skinner, through James... Melissa Skinner, Office Director, dated April 19, 2010 (``Sales Verification Report''). [[Page 33265...

  4. Effects of Hearing Protection Device Attenuation on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Audio Signatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-03-01

    UAV ) Audio Signatures by Melissa Bezandry, Adrienne Raglin, and John Noble Approved for public release; distribution...Research Laboratory Effects of Hearing Protection Device Attenuation on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ( UAV ) Audio Signatures by Melissa Bezandry...Aerial Vehicle ( UAV ) Audio Signatures 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) Melissa Bezandry

  5. Semantic stability is more pleasurable in unstable episodic contexts. On the relevance of perceptual challenge in art appreciation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claudia eMuth

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Research in the field of psychological aesthetics points to the appeal of stimuli which defy easy recognition by being semantically unstable but which still allow for creating meaning—in the ongoing process of elaborative perception or as an end product of the entire process. Such effects were reported for hidden images (Muth & Carbon, 2013 as well as Cubist artworks concealing detectable—although fragmented—objects (Muth, Pepperell, & Carbon, 2013. To test the stability of the relationship between semantic determinacy and appreciation across different episodic contexts, 30 volunteers evaluated an artistic movie continuously on visual determinacy or liking via the Continuous Evaluation Procedure (CEP, Muth, Raab, & Carbon, 2015. The movie consisted of five episodes with emerging Gestalts. In the first between-participants condition, the hidden Gestalts in the movie episodes were of increasing determinacy, in the second condition, the episodes showed decreasing determinacies of hidden Gestalts. In the increasing-determinacy group, visual determinacy was rated higher and showed better predictive quality for liking than in the decreasing-determinacy group. Furthermore, when the movie started with low visual determinacy of hidden Gestalts, unexpectedly strong increases in visual determinacy had a bigger effect on liking than in the condition which allowed for weaker Gestalt recognition after having started with highly determinate Gestalts. The resulting pattern calls for consideration of the episodic context when examining art appreciation.

  6. Suursaadikud Keskerakonna peakorteris

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2001-01-01

    Ameerika Ühendriikide suursaadik Melissa Wells kohtus Edgar Savisaare, Peeter Kreitzbergi ja Sven Mikseriga. Kommentaarid suursaadik Melissa Wells'ilt. Suurbritannia suursaadik Sarah Squire Keskerakonna peakorteris

  7. 76 FR 45513 - Fresh and Chilled Atlantic Salmon From Norway: Preliminary Results of Full Third Sunset Review of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-29

    ... Melissa Skinner, Director, AD/CVD Operations, Office 3, from Kristen Johnson, Trade Analyst, AD/CVD... Operations, from Melissa Skinner, Director, Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations, Office 3...

  8. 76 FR 37786 - Fresh and Chilled Atlantic Salmon From Norway: Preliminary Results of Full Third Sunset Review of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-28

    ... and ADNSA. See Memorandum to the File, through Melissa Skinner, Director, AD/CVD Operations, Office 3... Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations, from Melissa Skinner, Director, Antidumping...

  9. 75 FR 13490 - Certain Corrosion-Resistant Carbon Steel Flat Products from the Republic of Korea: Notice of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-22

    ..., International Trade Compliance Analyst, through James Terpstra, Program Manager, to Melissa Skinner, Director... POSCO Group as a voluntary respondent. See Memorandum from James Terpstra to Melissa Skinner entitled...

  10. 77 FR 44213 - Corrosion-Resistant Carbon Steel Flat Products From Germany and the Republic of Korea...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-27

    ... Duty Operations, from Melissa G. Skinner, Director, Office 3, on ``Sunset Reviews of the Antidumping... Assistant Secretary for Antidumping Duty and Countervailing Duty Operations, from Melissa G. Skinner...

  11. A Measure of Search Efficiency in a Real World Search Task

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-12-01

    NUMBER N00173-07-1-G901 5b. GRANT NUMBER NRL BAA 07-08,55-07-01 Sc. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 0602782N 6. AUTHOR(S) Beck , Melissa R. Ph.D(LSU...Research Laboratory, Washington DC UNDER REVIEW: DO NOT CITE WITHOUT PERMISSION** Please address correspondence to Melissa R. Beck Louisiana State...U 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT UU 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 24 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON Melissa R. Beck 19b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (Include area

  12. 78 FR 22232 - Certain Lined Paper Products From India: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-15

    ... Memorandum to the File, Through Melissa Skinner, Director, Office 8, from George McMahon, Case Analyst... January 14, 2013. \\8\\ See Memorandum to the File, Through Melissa Skinner, Director, Office 8, from Cindy...

  13. Dealing with a Health Condition

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... own troubles as Melissa, who has Crohn's disease , discovered. Some of Melissa's medications made her look puffy, ... Palsy Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) Dealing With Cancer HIV and AIDS View more About Us Contact Us ...

  14. Capital as a Center of State-building: Historical Memory about ‘Capitalness’ in Kasimov

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. O. Savin

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The article concerns functional elements of “capital” at the example of the Russian provincial town – Kasimov and seeks to explain the influence of the muth about “capitalness” on the construction of a nation. 

  15. Pharmacological profile of essential oils derived from Lavandula angustifolia and Melissa officinalis with anti-agitation properties: focus on ligand-gated channels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Liping; Abuhamdah, Sawsan; Howes, Melanie-Jayne R; Dixon, Christine L; Elliot, Mark S J; Ballard, Clive; Holmes, Clive; Burns, Alistair; Perry, Elaine K; Francis, Paul T; Lees, George; Chazot, Paul L

    2008-11-01

    Both Melissa officinalis (Mo) and Lavandula angustifolia (La) essential oils have putative anti-agitation properties in humans, indicating common components with a depressant action in the central nervous system. A dual radioligand binding and electrophysiological study, focusing on a range of ligand-gated ion channels, was performed with a chemically validated essential oil derived from La, which has shown clinical benefit in treating agitation. La inhibited [35S] TBPS binding to the rat forebrain gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)(A) receptor channel (apparent IC50 = 0.040 +/- 0.001 mg mL(-1)), but had no effect on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) or nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. A 50:50 mixture of Mo and La essential oils inhibited [3H] flunitrazepam binding, whereas the individual oils had no significant effect. Electrophysiological analyses with rat cortical primary cultures demonstrated that La reversibly inhibited GABA-induced currents in a concentration-dependent manner (0.01-1 mg mL(-1)), whereas no inhibition of NMDA- or AMPA-induced currents was noted. La elicited a significant dose-dependent reduction in both inhibitory and excitatory transmission, with a net depressant effect on neurotransmission (in contrast to the classic GABA(A) antagonist picrotoxin which evoked profound epileptiform burst firing in these cells). These properties are similar to those recently reported for Mo. The anti-agitation effects in patients and the depressant effects of La we report in neural membranes in-vitro are unlikely to reflect a sedative interaction with any of the ionotropic receptors examined here. These data suggest that components common to the two oils are worthy of focus to identify the actives underlying the neuronal depressant and anti-agitation activities reported.

  16. A medicinal herb, Melissa officinalis L. ameliorates depressive-like behavior of rats in the forced swimming test via regulating the serotonergic neurotransmitter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Shih-Hang; Chou, Mei-Ling; Chen, Wei-Cheng; Lai, Yi-Syuan; Lu, Kuan-Hung; Hao, Cherng-Wei; Sheen, Lee-Yan

    2015-12-04

    Depression is a serious psychological disorder that causes extreme economic loss and social problems. However, the conventional medications typically cause side effects that result in patients opting to out of therapy. Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L., MO) is an old and particularly reliable medicinal herb for relieving feelings of melancholy, depression and anxiety. The present study aims to investigate the antidepressant-like activity of water extract of MO (WMO) by evaluating its influence on the behaviors and the relevant neurotransmitters of rats performed to forced swimming test. Two phases of the experiment were conducted. In the acute model, rats were administered ultrapure water (control), fluoxetine, WMO, or the indicated active compound (rosmarinic acid, RA) three times in one day. In the sub-acute model, rats were respectively administered ultrapure water (control), fluoxetine, or three dosages of WMO once a day for 10 days. Locomotor activity and depression-like behavior were examined using the open field test and the forced swimming test, respectively. The levels of relevant neurotransmitters and their metabolites in the frontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, and striatum were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. In the acute model, WMO and RA significantly reduced depressive-like behavior but the type of related neurotransmitter could not be determined. The results indicated that the effect of WMO administration on the reduction of immobility time was associated with an increase in swimming time of the rats, indicative of serotonergic neurotransmission modulation. Chromatography data validated that the activity of WMO was associated with a reduction in the serotonin turnover rate. The present study shows the serotonergic antidepressant-like activity of WMO. Hence, WMO may offer a serotonergic antidepressant activity to prevent depression and to assist in conventional therapies. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

  17. In vitro effect of some quinolone antibiotics on strains of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A total of 30 different strains of Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from some selected wards of Madonna University Teaching Hospital (MUTH), Elele, Nigeria, using blood agar and nutrient agar. All the isolates were subjected to some selected quinolones (ciprofloxacin, pefloxacin, ofloxacin, norfloxcin and sparfloxacin) ...

  18. 75 FR 33245 - Drill Pipe From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-11

    ..., through Melissa G. Skinner, Director, AD/CVD Operations, Office 3, regarding ``Respondent Selection..., Program Manager, AD/CVD Operations, Office 3, through Melissa G. Skinner, Director, AD/CVD Operations... alleged provision of steel rounds for less than adequate remuneration (LTAR) by the GOC. We requested...

  19. Simple sequence repeats in mycobacterial genomes

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2006-12-18

    Dec 18, 2006 ... Although prokaryotic genomes derive some plasticity due to microsatellite mutations they have in-built mechanisms to arrest undue expansions of microsatellites and one such mechanism is constituted by post-replicative DNA repair enzymes MutL, MutH and MutS. The mycobacterial genomes lack these ...

  20. Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of the Beverage Obtained by Fermentation of Sweetened Lemon Balm
(Melissa officinalis L.) Tea with Symbiotic Consortium 
of Bacteria and Yeasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velićanski, Aleksandra S; Cvetković, Dragoljub D; Markov, Siniša L; Šaponjac, Vesna T Tumbas; Vulić, Jelena J

    2014-12-01

    Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage which is traditionally prepared by fermenting sweetened black or green tea ( Camellia sinensis L.) with symbiotic consortium of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY). In this study, lemon balm ( Melissa officinalis L.) was used as the only nitrogen source for kombucha fermentation. During the seven-day fermentation process, pH value, titratable acidity (TA), total phenolic content, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity against hydroxyl ( ˙ OH) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil (DPPH) radicals were measured to detect the connection between the fermentation time and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of lemon balm kombucha. Antibacterial activity of finished beverages with optimum acidity (TA=4-4.5 g/L), the value which is confirmed by long-time kombucha consumers, and enhanced acidity (TA=8.12 g/L) was tested against eleven wild bacterial strains. The results showed that lemon balm could be successfully used as an alternative to C. sinensis L. for kombucha fermentation. Total phenolic content and antioxidant activity against DPPH radicals of lemon balm fermentation broth were higher than those of traditional kombucha. Rosmarinic acid is the main phenolic compound of the lemon balm-based kombucha that probably provides biological activity of the beverage. Judging from the EC 50 values, kombucha beverages exhibited higher antioxidant activities compared with C. sinensis L. and M. officinalis L. infusions, which can probably be ascribed to SCOBY metabolites. Lemon balm kombucha with both optimum and enhanced acidity showed antibacterial activity, which can be primarily ascribed to acetic acid, but also to some other tea components and SCOBY metabolites.

  1. Tipos de cobertura do solo e épocas de colheita na produção de melissa Types of mulching and harvesting time on lemon balm production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luiz Antonio Biasi

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Avaliou-se o efeito de diferentes tipos de cobertura do solo e épocas de colheita sobre a produção de biomassa e o rendimento de óleo essencial de Melissa officinalis. O experimento foi conduzido na Estação Experimental do Canguiri da UFPR, no município de Pinhais-PR, de novembro de 2005 a maio de 2006. Os tratamentos testados foram acículas de pinus, plástico preto e a testemunha sem cobertura. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos ao acaso em arranjo de parcelas subdivididas no tempo, com seis repetições e 20 plantas por parcela. Foram feitas três colheitas, aos 84, 134 e 191 dias após o plantio, sendo o corte dos ramos feito a 10 cm do solo. Foram avaliados a massa fresca e seca por planta e por hectare e o teor de óleo essencial por hidrodestilação. Não houve efeito significativo da interação entre coberturas do solo e épocas de colheita sobre as características analisadas. Houve decréscimo na produção de biomassa na terceira colheita, uma vez que o rendimento médio de massa seca que foi de 976 e 1135 kg ha-1 na primeira e segunda colheitas, respectivamente, reduziu para 781 kg ha-1 na terceira. O rendimento de óleo essencial também reduziu com as colheitas sucessivas, cujos valores médios foram de 4,63; 2,97 e 0,43 L ha-1 na primeira, segunda e terceira colheitas, respectivamente. Concluiu-se que a cobertura do solo com acículas de pinus e plástico preto não interferiram no rendimento de biomassa e de óleo essencial da M. officinalis. O crescimento e o acúmulo de óleo essencial da M. officinalis reduzem nas colheitas realizadas no outono na região de Pinhais-PR.The effect of covering and harvesting time on biomass production and essential oil production of Melissa officinalis was evaluated. The experiment was carried out at the Estação Experimental de Canguiri, Pinhais, Paraná State, Brazil, from November 2005 to May 2006. The treatments included pine needles, black plastic and control without

  2. Assessment of Neuroprotective Properties of Melissa officinalis in Combination With Human Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells After Spinal Cord Injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seyed Ruhollah Hosseini

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction The pathophysiology of spinal cord injury (SCI has a classically bad prognosis. It has been demonstrated that human umbilical cord blood stem cells (hUCBSCs and Melissa officinalis (MO are useful for the prevention of neurological disease. Methods Thirty-six adult male rats were randomly divided into intact, sham, control (SCI, MO, hUCBSC, and MO-hUCBSC groups. Intraperitoneal injection of MO (150 mg/kg was commenced 24 hr post-SCI and continued once a day for 14 days. Intraspinal grafting of hUCBSCs was commenced immediately in the next day. The motor and sensory functions of all animals were evaluated once a week after the commencement of SCI. Electromyography (EMG was performed in the last day in order to measure the recruitment index. Immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and transmission electron microscopy evaluations were performed to determine the level of astrogliosis and myelination. Results The results revealed that motor function (MO-hUCBSC: 15 ± 0.3, SCI: 8.2 ± 0.37, p < .001, sensory function (MO-hUCBSC: 3.57 ± 0.19, SCI: 6.38 ± 0.23, p < .001, and EMG recruitment index (MO-hUCBSC: 3.71 ± 0.18, SCI: 1.6 ± 0.1, p < .001 were significantly improved in the MO-hUCBSC group compared with SCI group. Mean cavity area (MO-hUCBSC: 0.03 ± 0.03, SCI: 0.07 ± 0.004, p < .001 was reduced and loss of lower motor neurons (MO-hUCBSC: 7.6 ± 0.43, SCI: 3 ± 0.12, p < .001 and astrogliosis density (MO-hUCBSC: 3.1 ± 0.15, SCI: 6.25 ± 1.42, p < 0.001 in the ventral horn of spinal cord were prevented in MO-hUCBSC group compared with SCI group. Conclusion The results revealed that the combination of MO and hUCBSCs in comparison with the control group has neuroprotective effects in SCI.

  3. Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of the Beverage Obtained by Fermentation of Sweetened Lemon Balm (Melissa offi cinalis L. Tea with Symbiotic Consortium of Bacteria and Yeasts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dragoljub D. Cvetković

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage which is traditionally prepared by fermenting sweetened black or green tea (Camellia sinensis L. with symbiotic consortium of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY. In this study, lemon balm (Melissa offi cinalis L. was used as the only nitrogen source for kombucha fermentation. During the seven-day fermentation process, pH value, titratable acidity (TA, total phenolic content, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity against hydroxyl (˙OH and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil (DPPH radicals were measured to detect the connection between the fermentation time and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of lemon balm kombucha. Antibacterial activity of fi nished beverages with optimum acidity (TA=4–4.5 g/L, the value which is confi rmed by long-time kombucha consumers, and enhanced acidity (TA=8.12 g/L was tested against eleven wild bacterial strains. The results showed that lemon balm could be successfully used as an alternative to C. sinensis L. for kombucha fermentation. Total phenolic content and antioxidant activity against DPPH radicals of lemon balm fermentation broth were higher than those of traditional kombucha. Rosmarinic acid is the main phenolic compound of the lemon balm-based kombucha that probably provides biological activity of the beverage. Judging from the EC50 values, kombucha beverages exhibited higher antioxidant activities compared with C. sinensis L. and M. offi cinalis L. infusions, which can probably be ascribed to SCOBY metabolites. Lemon balm kombucha with both optimum and enhanced acidity showed antibacterial activity, which can be primarily ascribed to acetic acid, but also to some other tea components and SCOBY metabolites.

  4. [Validity and internal consistency of the Maslach Burnout Inventory in Dental Students from Cartagena, Colombia].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simancas-Pallares, Miguel Angel; Fortich Mesa, Natalia; González Martínez, Farith Damián

    To determine the internal consistency and content validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) in dental students from Cartagena, Colombia. Scale validation study in 886 dental students from Cartagena, Colombia. Factor structure was determined through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Internal consistency was measured using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Analyses were performed using the Stata v.13.2 for Windows (Statacorp., USA) and Mplus v.7.31 for Windows (Muthén & Muthén, USA) software. Internal consistency was α=.806. The factor structure showed three that accounted for the 56.6% of the variance. CFA revealed: χ 2 =926.036; df=85; RMSEA=.106 (90%CI, .100-.112); CFI=.947; TLI=.934. The MBI showed an adequate internal consistency and a factor structure being consistent with the original proposed structure with a poor fit, which does not reflect adequate content validity in this sample. Copyright © 2016 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

  5. African Journal of Marine Science - Vol 38, No 4 (2016)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Otolith shape as a valuable tool to evaluate the stock structure of swordfish Xiphias gladius in the Indian Ocean · EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT. K Mahé, H Evano, T Mille, D Muths, J Bourjea, 457-464. http://dx.doi.org/10.2989/1814232X.2016.1224205 ...

  6. Pramana – Journal of Physics | Indian Academy of Sciences

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Pramana – Journal of Physics. L C Gupta. Articles written in Pramana – Journal of Physics. Volume 58 Issue 5-6 May-June 2002 pp 867-870 Superconductivity. Preparation and characterization of MgB2 superconductor · Shashwati Sen D K Aswal Ajay Singh T V Chandrasekhar Rao K P Muthe J C Vyas ...

  7. Environmental Impact Analysis Process. Draft Environmental Assessment. SAC Low-Altitude Flight Operations at the Airburst Range, Colorado

    Science.gov (United States)

    1990-01-01

    Engineering and Housing Fort Carson, Colorado (719) 579-2022 Bill Giordano Department of Planning and Zoning Fremont County, Colorado (719) 275-7510 Anita...Originator. Melissa Mooney Person Contacted: Melvin Nail, Manager Alamosa/Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge Subject- Request for species lists I called...I CONTACT REPORT Date of Contact- December 1, 1989 0 Originator. Melissa Mooney Person Contacted: Dave Kuntz Colorado Natural Areas Progiam

  8. Flooding in Pakistan: Overview and Issues for Congress

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-21

    Melissa D. Ho Specialist in Agricultural Policy mho@crs.loc.gov, 7-5342 Bruce Vaughn, Coordinator Specialist in Asian Affairs bvaughn...Carter Specialist in Natural Resources Policy 7-0854 ncarter@crs.loc.gov Agricultural Effects of Flooding Melissa D. Ho Specialist in Agricultural ... Policy 7-5342 mho@crs.loc.gov Flooding in Pakistan: Overview and Issues for Congress Congressional Research Service 26 Area of Expertise Name

  9. The Professional Military and War Toleration

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-12-01

    Douglas Borer who assisted me to frame the hypothesis of this thesis. I also thank Frank Giordano , who endeared me to quantitative analysis. I am also...on Facebook”] November 28, 2013, http://www.gamestar.hu/visszajon-a-sorkatonasag-remhir-terjed-a-facebookon-fake-alhir-hircsarda.html. 6 Melissa ...NY: Cornell University Press, 1990. Eddy, Melissa . “Austrians Appear to Reject Changes to Conscript Army.” New York Times, January 20, 2013

  10. Creating an isotopically similar Earth–Moon system with correct ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Bryant M. Wyatt

    2018-03-13

    Mar 13, 2018 ... SCOTT A. COOK1, JOHN H. GRESHAM1, MICHAEL F. HIBBS3 and. SHAUKAT N. ... ical impact (Benz et al. 1986 ... the impactor (Meier 2012; Zhang et al. 2012). .... (B–G) Snap shots 0.49, 1.95, 3.82, 5.13, 9.28, and 15.32 hours into the collision. (H) Two ... funding; Robert W. Muth for insightful remarks and.

  11. Unspeakable Silences, When Poetry Ceases to be a Luxury, Black Tulips, My Eggs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa A Castillo-Garsow

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Melissa Castillo-Garsow is a Mexican-American writer, journalist, and scholar currently pursuing a PhD in American Studies and African American Studies at Yale University. Her short stories and poetry have been published in various journals including The Acentos Review, La Bloga, Hispanic Culture Review, and Hinchas de Poesia. Her first novel, Pure Bronx, co-written with Fordham Professor Mark Naison, is due for release Oct. 2013 from Augustus Publishing. Melissa completed her Master’s degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing at Fordham University in 2011. Prior to that she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts from New York University summa cum laude with a double major in Journalism and Latin American Studies. A former employee of NBC News, El Diario/ La Prensa and Launch Radio Networks, Melissa has had articles and reviews published in a wide variety of forums including CNN.com, Latin Beat Magazine, University Wire, El Diario/La Prensa, Women’s Studies, Words. Beats. Life: The Global Journal of Hip-Hop Culture, and The Bilingual Review. Melissa is an active scholar in the fields of English literature, American Studies, African American Studies and Latin American/Latino Studies. At Yale, she focuses on the study of Afro-Latino history and culture in the 20th Century.

  12. Toxicogenomic Response of Rhodospirillum rubrum S1H to the Micropollutant Triclosan▿

    OpenAIRE

    Pycke, Benny F. G.; Vanermen, Guido; Monsieurs, Pieter; De Wever, Heleen; Mergeay, Max; Verstraete, Willy; Leys, Natalie

    2010-01-01

    In the framework of the Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA) project, a pilot study was performed to identify the effects of triclosan on the MELiSSA carbon-mineralizing microorganism Rhodospirillum rubrum S1H. Triclosan is a biocide that is commonly found in human excrement and is considered an emerging pollutant in wastewater and the environment. Chronic exposure to MELiSSA-relevant concentrations (≥25 μg liter−1) of triclosan resulted in a significant extension of the...

  13. A replication of a factor analysis of motivations for trapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schroeder, Susan; Fulton, David C.

    2015-01-01

    Using a 2013 sample of Minnesota trappers, we employed confirmatory factor analysis to replicate an exploratory factor analysis of trapping motivations conducted by Daigle, Muth, Zwick, and Glass (1998).  We employed the same 25 items used by Daigle et al. and tested the same five-factor structure using a recent sample of Minnesota trappers. We also compared motivations in our sample to those reported by Daigle et el.

  14. United States Military Retirement Migration: Patterns and Processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1984-03-27

    active duty force e) Number of heating degree days tA 23 f) Number of physicians per 1000 population g) Recreation acres per 1000 population h...Eva Mueller. 1967. The Geographic Mobility of Labor. Ann Arbor : University of Michigan. Institute for Social Research, Survey Research Center. Law, C.M... Chicken or Egg?. Southern Economic Journal. 37:295-306. Muth, J.F. 1961. Rational Expectations and the Theory of Price Movements. Econometrics. 29:315

  15. Development of a microbiological ammonium to nitrate recycling bioreactor for space capsules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pycke, B.

    2009-01-01

    Since 1988, the Expertise group of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) is an important partner in the development of the Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA). The MELiSSA was designed to allow a small crew to survive on an Antarctic, lunar or Mars outpost, and is a joint research project currently fostered by the European Space Agency, ESA. The MELiSSA functions through a series of five interconnected compartments, of which four are microbial bioreactors and was engineered to degrade organic waste, regenerate the outpost's atmosphere and water, and provide the crew with an additional vegetarian diet. The bioreactor of the third compartment provides the edible cyanobacteria and plants of the fourth compartment with nitrate instead of ammonium as a source of nitrogen. The two bacteria responsible for the biological transformation of ammonium to nitrate (nitrification) are Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrobacter winogradskyi. Since all MELiSSA-reactors are to be relied on for a period of several years, reactor operation is to be studied exhaustively to allow optimal process- and reactor performance. Therefore, a pilot reactor for the third compartment was engineered and constructed at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB), where the pilot plant of the MELiSSA is installed. The reactor was able to perform nitrification with high efficiency for the entire trial period of nearly five years and was the subject of this study. Collaboration between the unit of MCB and researchers at Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) allowed the development and validation of a mathematical model for the third compartment of the MELiSSA. A mathematical model will allow optimizing reactor operation and reactor performance even further. A Real-Time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (Q-PCR) was developed at MCB that allowed the quantitative assessment of the relative distribution of the two autotrophic nitrifying bacterial species along the reactor's packed

  16. Report on Research at AFGL, January 1979-December 1980.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1982-04-01

    accuracy of’ the AAMS and muth references. A Porro prism , an optical astrono~mic measurements wvas about 2 arc cube in the main gyro test table, and an...One of these mirrors is a plane mir- procedure can be improved. The immedi- * ror, the other a retroreflecting prism . Each ate goal of tests now...to a large tectonic signal, tions as focusing of seismic waves and which should be present in this earth- resonant responses. Two contract research

  17. Looking at the stability of life-support microorganisms in space : the MELGEN activity highlights the cyanobacterium Arthrospira sp. PCC8005

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morin, Nicolas

    The MELGEN activity (MELiSSA Genetic Stability Study) mainly covers the molecular aspects of the regenerative life-support system MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) of the European Space Agency (ESA). The general objective of MELGEN is to establish and validate methods and the related hardware in order to detect genetic instability and microbial contaminants in the MELISSA compartments. This includes (1) a genetic description of the MELISSA strains, (2) studies of microbial behavior and genetic stability in bioreactors and (3) the detection of chemical, genetical and biological contamination and their effect on microbial metabolism. Selected as oxygen producer and complementary food source, the cyanobacterium Arthrospira sp. PCC8005 plays a major role within the MELiSSA loop. As the genomic information on this organism was insufficient, sequencing of its genome was proposed at the French National Sequencing Center, Genoscope, as a joint effort between ESA and different laboratories. So far, a preliminary assembly of 16 contigs representing circa 6.3 million basepairs was obtained. Even though the finishing of the genome is on its way, automatic annotation of the contigs has already been performed on the MaGe annotation platform, and curation of the sequence is currently being carried out, with a special focus on biosynthesis pathways, photosynthesis, and maintenance processes of the cell. According to the index of repetitiveness described by Haubold and Wiehe (2006), we discovered that the genome of Arthrospira sp. is among the 50 most repeated bacterial genomes sequenced to date. Thanks to the sequencing project, we have identified and catalogued mobile genetics elements (MGEs) dispersed throughout the unique chromosome of this cyanobacterium. They represent a quite large proportion of the genome, as genes identified as putative transposases are indeed found in circa 5 Results : We currently have a first draft of the complete genome of

  18. The Qualitative Expectations Hypothesis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frydman, Roman; Johansen, Søren; Rahbek, Anders

    We introduce the Qualitative Expectations Hypothesis (QEH) as a new approach to modeling macroeconomic and financial outcomes. Building on John Muth's seminal insight underpinning the Rational Expectations Hypothesis (REH), QEH represents the market's forecasts to be consistent with the predictions...... of an economist's model. However, by assuming that outcomes lie within stochastic intervals, QEH, unlike REH, recognizes the ambiguity faced by an economist and market participants alike. Moreover, QEH leaves the model open to ambiguity by not specifying a mechanism determining specific values that outcomes take...

  19. 76 FR 31938 - Certain Hot-Rolled Carbon Steel Flat Products From India: Notice of Preliminary Results of 2009...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-02

    ... the File from Christopher Hargett, International Trade Compliance Analyst, through Melissa Skinner... Skinner, Office Director, concerning ``Certain Hot-Rolled Carbon Steel Flat Products from India: Customs...

  20. Characterization of some plant extracts by GC-MS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iordache, A.; Culea, M.; Gherman, C.; Cozar, O.

    2009-01-01

    Different types of herbs often used in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industry were extracted and then analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The method validation parameters showed good linearity, precision and recovery for a standard mixture. Herbs from different zones of Romania were studied: melissa (Melissa officinalis), nettle (Urtica dioica, Lamium album), camomile (Matricaria chamomilla). The study was applied for fingerprint chromatograms to characterize the flavors extracted from herb plants of different sources. The identity and quantity of the measured active compounds was correlated with the expected therapeutic effects. The active principles content was determined for the same herb, and different amounts of the active principles were determined for plants of different origin.

  1. Characterization of some plant extracts by GC-MS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Iordache, A. [' Babes-Bolyai' University, Str. M. Kogalniceanu, Nr. 1, Cluj-Napoca 400084 (Romania)], E-mail: andres_iro2002@yahoo.com; Culea, M.; Gherman, C.; Cozar, O. [' Babes-Bolyai' University, Str. M. Kogalniceanu, Nr. 1, Cluj-Napoca 400084 (Romania)

    2009-01-15

    Different types of herbs often used in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industry were extracted and then analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The method validation parameters showed good linearity, precision and recovery for a standard mixture. Herbs from different zones of Romania were studied: melissa (Melissa officinalis), nettle (Urtica dioica, Lamium album), camomile (Matricaria chamomilla). The study was applied for fingerprint chromatograms to characterize the flavors extracted from herb plants of different sources. The identity and quantity of the measured active compounds was correlated with the expected therapeutic effects. The active principles content was determined for the same herb, and different amounts of the active principles were determined for plants of different origin.

  2. Longitudinal Model Building Using Latent Transition Analysis: An Example Using School Bullying Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ji Hoon Ryoo

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Applications of latent transition analysis (LTA have emerged since the early 1990s, with numerous scientific findings being published in many areas, including social and behavioral sciences, education, and public health. Although LTA is effective as a statistical analytic tool for a person-centered model using longitudinal data, model building in LTA has often been subjective and confusing for applied researchers. To fill this gap in the literature, we review the components of LTA, recommend a framework of fitting LTA, and summarize what acceptable model evaluation tools should be used in practice. The proposed framework of fitting LTA consists of six steps depicted in Figure 1 from step 0 (exploring data to step 5 (fitting distal variables. We also illustrate the framework of fitting LTA with data on concerns about school bullying from a sample of 1,180 students ranging from 5th to 9th grade (mean age = 12.2 years, SD = 1.29 years at Time 1 over three semesters. We identified four groups of students with distinct patterns of bullying concerns, and found that their concerns about bullying decreased and narrowed to specific concerns about rumors, gossip, and social exclusion over time. The data and command (syntax files needed for reproducing the results using SAS PROC LCA and PROC LTA (Version 1.3.2 (2015 and Mplus 7.4 (Muthén and Muthén, 1998–2015 are provided as online supplementary materials.

  3. Prevalence and Predictors of Bullying Behavior among Overweight and Obese Youth in a Nationally Representative Sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Odar Stough, Cathleen; Merianos, Ashley; Nabors, Laura; Peugh, James

    2016-08-01

    Child and adolescent overweight and obesity are independent risk factors for poor social outcomes. Whether children who are overweight display greater bullying behaviors than normal weight peers, controlling for demographic and other social-ecological factors, was examined. The influence of child (e.g., mental health), family (e.g., income, parent mental health, and exposure to domestic violence), and community (e.g., exposure to neighborhood violence, unfair treatment based on race or ethnic group) factors on bullying risk in the subset of children who are overweight and obese was explored. We conducted a secondary data analysis of the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health, a cross-sectional study providing a nationally representative sample of participants, using a series of multinomial logistic regressions in Mplus software (Muthén & Muthén, Los Angeles, CA). Participants were 41,361 youth ages 10-17 years. Despite statistically significant differences in unadjusted analyses, no differences were found in bullying behavior by weight status once controlling for other factors. Child, family, and neighborhood factors predicted bullying behavior in both the overall sample and the subset of overweight and obese youth. However, some risk factors were unique to children who were overweight or obese. Children who are overweight or obese are not at greater risk for engaging in bullying behavior than normal weight peers. Health professionals targeting bullying behavior should be aware of the impact child, family, and neighborhood factors have on bullying by overweight and obese children and adolescents.

  4. [Effectiveness of aqueous extracts of aromatic and medicinal plants against tomato grey mould in Morocco].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasmi, Manal; Aourach, Mohammed; El Boukari, Mohammed; Barrijal, Said; Essalmani, Haiat

    2017-08-01

    Grey mould is a major disease threatening the Moroccan tomato; this disease is often controlled by fungicides. However, the latter are a real danger to human health and environment. Thus, this study is part of the research of harmless alternatives such extracts of aromatic and medicinal plants (Lavandula officinalis, Thymus vulgaris, Cymbopogon citratus, and Melissa officinalis). In this study, the extracts of four medicinal and aromatic plants were tested for their antifungal potency in vitro and in vivo in order to select the most effective. The results show that, in vitro, the Lavandula officinalis, Thymus vulgaris and Cymbopogon citratus aqueous extracts all possess significant antifungal activity, whereas Melissa officinalis shows the least effective. Also in vivo only the aqueous extract of Cymbopogon citratus proves most effective against B. cinerea on tomato fruit. The test of the plants confirms that aqueous extracts of Cymbopogon citratus and Thymus vulgaris are most effective, while the aqueous extracts of Melissa officinalis and Lavandula officinalis always seem to be the least effective. Therefore, the aqueous extracts of Cymbopogon citratus and Thymus vulgaris are the most envisaged for the biological control of grey mould. Copyright © 2017 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  5. Modern psychometric approaches to analysis of scales for health-related quality of life

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bjorner, Jakob Bue; Bech, Per

    2016-01-01

    In recent years, much effort has been invested in the development of new instruments for assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQOL). For many new instruments, modern psychometric methods, such as item response theory (IRT) models, have been used, either as supplemental to classical....... The models include Rasch models (Rasch 1980; Fischer and Molenaar 1995), other IRT models (Samejima 1969; van der Linden and Hambleton 1997), and factor analytic models for categorical data (Muthén 1984). “Modern” psychometric methods have actually a rather long history within psychiatric research (both...

  6. The Qualitative Expectations Hypothesis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frydman, Roman; Johansen, Søren; Rahbek, Anders

    2017-01-01

    We introduce the Qualitative Expectations Hypothesis (QEH) as a new approach to modeling macroeconomic and financial outcomes. Building on John Muth's seminal insight underpinning the Rational Expectations Hypothesis (REH), QEH represents the market's forecasts to be consistent with the predictions...... of an economistís model. However, by assuming that outcomes lie within stochastic intervals, QEH, unlike REH, recognizes the ambiguity faced by an economist and market participants alike. Moreover, QEH leaves the model open to ambiguity by not specifying a mechanism determining specific values that outcomes take...

  7. Micropollutants in closed life-support systems: the case of triclosan, a biocide excreted via urine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mastroleo, Felice; Pycke, Benny; Boon, Nico; de Wever, Heleen; Hendrickx, Larissa; Mastroleo, Felice; Wattiez, Ruddy; Mergeay, Max; Verstraete, Willy

    OBJECTIVES: The impact of triclosan on the growth and physiology of the bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum was studied in the frame of the regenerative life-support system, Micro- Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA). A wide range of compounds, such as steroid hormones, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, might enter the life support system via the excrements that are to be treated and recycled. Triclosan was chosen as the first compound to be tested because MELiSSA is a closed system, which is consequently particularly sensitive to compounds inhibiting the microbial metabolism. Because triclosan is increasingly used as an antimicrobial biocide in hygienic formulations (such as toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorants, etc.) and due to its chemical stability, it is considered an emerging pollutant in terrestrial ecosystems. METHODS: In a first phase, the triclosan concentration expected in the life-support system was estimated, the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was determined via plating, and the effect on growth kinetics was assessed by comparing growth parameters in the Gompertz model. In a second phase, the secondary effects of triclosan on cell physiology and gene expression were studied through flow-cytometry and microarray analyses, respectively. RESULTS: Based on the pharmacokinetic data from literature, the predicted concentration range is estimated to be 6-25µg/L triclosan in the Rhodospirillum rubrum compartment of the MELiSSA. The minimal inhibitory concentration of triclosan was determined to be 71 µg/L after 7 days of exposure on Sistrom medium. Upon exposure to 50-200µg/L triclosan, triclosan-resistant mutants of Rhodospirillum rubrum arose spontaneously at high frequency (3.1 ∗ 10 - 4). Analysis of the growth kinetics of the wild-type revealed that triclosan causes an important elongation of the lag-phase and a decrease in growth rate. At concentrations higher than 75mg/L(LD = 500mg/L), triclosan is bactericidal to wild

  8. Fórmula de valoração racional (RVF e variabilidade no tempo das taxas de retornos de ativos Rational valuation formula (RVF and time variability in asset rates of return

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandre Ripamonti

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available O relacionamento de longo prazo e o correspondente mecanismo de correção de erros no curto prazo, entre dados agregados de preço e dividendos, é estudado no presente trabalho, através dos conceitos de fórmula de valoração racional e cointegração variante no tempo, e sob o referencial da teoria das expectativas racionais e de movimentação de preços de Muth (1961, para se supor a variabilidade das taxas de retorno de ativos, testando as hipóteses nulas de mecanismos de correção de erros dos vetores de cointegração constantes no tempo e de desigualdade entre valor fundamental e preço da ação. As séries obtidas foram as disponibilizadas por Shiller (2005 e se referem aos dados agregados de preço e dividendos do mercado acionário norte-americano, no período de 1871 a 2010. Os dados foram analisados através dos modelos de cointegração de Johansen, com a utilização de variáveis restritas decorrentes da combinação das variáveis estudadas com o polinômio temporal de Chebyshev, como proposto por Bierens e Martins (2010. Os resultados indicam a rejeição da hipótese nula de constância dos vetores de cointegração e, ainda, a não rejeição da hipótese nula de desigualdade entre valor fundamental e preço da ação. Tais resultados são consistentes com os obtidos por Bierens e Martins (2010 e não consistentes com a teoria das expectativas racionais de Muth (1961. Conclui-se, portanto, que os investidores possuem diferentes expectativas de retorno para diferentes períodos futuros, que os resultados sugerem a validação do modelo utilizado e que existe a possibilidade da ocorrência de movimentos especulativos suportados pela racionalidade ou bolhas especulativas racionais.The present study examines the long-term relationship between aggregate price and dividend data and the corresponding mechanism for shortterm error correction using the rational valuation formula and time-varying cointegration and based on Muth

  9. 75 FR 80803 - National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity: Notice of Members

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-23

    ... Revolution Center, District of Columbia. Ms. Anne Neal, President, American Council of Trustees and Alumni... additional information? If you have any specific questions about the NACIQI, please contact Melissa Lewis...

  10. Updated Cases for Medical Microbiology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brinda Govindan

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Review of: Cases in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 4th ed.; Peter H. Gilligan, Daniel S. Shapiro, and Melissa B. Miller; (2014. ASM Press, Washington, DC. 589 pages.

  11. Gender and Natural Resource Management: Livelihoods, Mobility ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    2012-05-31

    May 31, 2012 ... Melissa Leach, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK. ... resource management that want to include a gender perspective. ... New initiative will match climate knowledge to developing country needs.

  12. Sources of self-efficacy in academic contexts: A longitudinal perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phan, Huy P; Ngu, Bing H

    2016-12-01

    The formation of self-efficacy, according to Bandura's (1997) social-cognitive theory, is an important area of inquiry. This theoretical tenet posits the importance of enactive learning experience, followed by lesser influences of vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and emotional and physiological states. Quantitative research, predominantly, has produced clear and consistent evidence that supports this position. We argue that the elementary school years may indicate differently, whereby children's limited cognitive maturity and learning experiences could compel them to rely on other psychosocial informational sources. To date and to our knowledge, very few studies, if any, have explored the sustained influence of enactive learning experience across time. In this study, consequently, we tested a sequential predictive model that involved the differential influences of the 4 major informational sources on self-efficacy and then self-efficacy on academic achievement. Three time points of data (N = 328, Year 6) were collected across the calendar year, and Mplus 7.3 (Muthén & Muthén, 1998-2012) was used to assist us in our structural modeling testing. At Time 1, only enactive learning experience and vicarious experience positively influenced self-efficacy. At Time 2, after controlling for prior variance of Time 1 corresponding factors, only enactive learning experience remained significant. At Time 3, after controlling for autoregressive paths, enactive learning experience remained significant, and both verbal persuasion and emotional and physiological states positively influenced self-efficacy. The impact of self-efficacy on academic achievement was significant across the 3 occasions (βs = .20-.46). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  13. Okk hakkas NRG-tehingu pooldajaks / Gunnar Okk ; interv. Argo Ideon

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Okk, Gunnar, 1960-

    2001-01-01

    Eesti Energia juhatuse esimees on kindel, et Narva elektrijaamade müügi lõplikud lepingud sõlmitakse veel tänavu. Arvamust avaldavad: Lennart Meri, Melissa Wells, Mart Laar ja Edgar Savisaar. Parlamendisaadik (E. Savisaar)

  14. Safety and efficacy of a Labisia pumila var alata water extract on ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    kgk-002

    2014-02-05

    Feb 5, 2014 ... LP or placebo in the morning after breakfast. The study product LP ... manufactured under continuous quality control of Good .... fasting glucose levels between groups at baseline, week ..... Obesity 14:1662-1677. Melissa PSW ...

  15. Anthrax, People and Dead Hippos

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2017-11-07

    Epidemiologist, Dr. Melissa Marx, discuses anthrax deaths in people who ate dead hippos.  Created: 11/7/2017 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).   Date Released: 11/7/2017.

  16. 78 FR 67348 - Invitation for Public Comment on Draft Test Plan for the High Burnup Dry Storage Cask Research...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-12

    ...). Click on the link for the electronic comment form. Populate the form and click on ``Submit''. E-Mail: [email protected] . Mail: U.S. Department of Energy, C/O Melissa Bates, 1955 Freemont Ave., MS 1235...

  17. OYSTER POPULATUION ESTIMATION IN SUPPORT OF THE TEN-YEAR GOAL FOR OYSTER RESOTRATION IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY: DEVELOPING STRATEGIES FOR RESTORING AND MANAGING THE EASTERN OYSTER

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mann, Roger, Steve Jordan, Gary Smith, Kennedy Paynter, James Wesson, Mary Christman, Jessica Vanisko, Juliana Harding, Kelly Greenhawk and Melissa Southworth. 2003. Oyster Population Estimation in Support of the Ten-Year Goal for Oyster Restoration in the Chesapeake Bay: Develop...

  18. D/B/F 98: Final Report Of the AIAA Student Aircraft Design, Build & Fly Competition

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-01-17

    Melissa Clarke Airframe, CAD Pieter-Jan Dejaeghere Electrics, Motor Table 2.2. Project Schedule & Timing Milestone Planned Date (month /week) Actual...Shoemaker, Group Head Tom Scarberry Group Flight Test Members: Pete Cooke, Group Head Michael Benkert Joe Giordano Brandon Richards Faculty

  19. 76 FR 64966 - Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment and Receipt of an Application for an...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-19

    .../restoration/enhancement efforts within the Albany Pine Bush and Queensbury viable butterfly populations where... Incidental Take Permit for Karner Blue Butterfly and Frosted Elfin From National Grid AGENCY: Fish and... butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) and unlisted frosted elfin (Callophyrs irus) (should this species...

  20. 76 FR 30958 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Permit Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-27

    ...] Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Permit Applications AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service... Regional Director, Attn: Lisa Mandell, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological Services, 5600 American... Butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) adults, eggs and larvae to test interactions with wild lupine of...

  1. 77 FR 39924 - Effective Date of Requirement for Premarket Approval for Cardiovascular Permanent Pacemaker...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-06

    ... application (PMA) or a notice of completion of a product development protocol (PDP) for the cardiovascular... CONTACT: Melissa Burns, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, 10903... manufacturers, patients and insurance providers. For a new product (i.e., a cardiovascular permanent pacemaker...

  2. Tying up sündroom ehk väsimusmüopaatia : [hobustel] / Anne Rohtla

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Rohtla, Anne

    2010-01-01

    Väsimusmüopaatia on kestvusratsutamishobustel esinev seisund, mida väljendadavad tunnused võivad olla vaevumärgatavad. Samas võib selline seisund areneda eluohlikuks, kui sellese ei sekkuta. Artikkel sisaldab ka refereeringut Melissa Ribley artiklist "Watch for the subtle signs of exertional myopathy"

  3. Antimicrobial activities of essential oils from Southern Africa against ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In the present study, essential oils from four plants including Melissa officinalis, Mentha piperita, Pelargonium graveolens and Leucosidea sericea, traditionally used to treat infectious diseases were tested for antimicrobial activity against seven Gram-positive bacteria, eight Gram-negative bacteria and six yeast species ...

  4. 77 FR 32930 - Certain Steel Wire Garment Hangers From the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Preliminary...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-04

    ... allegations concerning electricity that the GOV allegedly provided for less than adequate remuneration (LTAR... investigation into petitioners' allegation.\\9\\ \\9\\ See Memorandum to Melissa G. Skinner, Director, Office 3, AD... for determining whether a government good or service is provided for less than adequate remuneration...

  5. 78 FR 64889 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Emergency Rule...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-10-30

    ... Catch (ABC) and Annual Catch Limit (ACL) for GB yellowtail flounder and white hake, and the 1.85-percent....noaa.gov/sfd/sfdmulti.html . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Hooper, Fishery Policy Analyst... these emergency measures. 1. FY 2013 GB Yellowtail Flounder ABC The emergency specifications extended...

  6. Proceedings of Damping 89, Volume 2, West Palm Beach, FL, 8-10 February 1989

    Science.gov (United States)

    1989-11-01

    Laboratories Administrative Chairman Mrs. Melissa Arrajj Martin Marietta Astronautics Group Assistant Administrative Chairman Ms. Jo Ellen Dunn CSA...pp. 326-334. [9] Tecza, J.A., J.C. Giordano , E.S. Zorzi, and S.K. Drake, "Squeeze Film Damper Technology: Part 2 - Experimental Verification Using a

  7. COCKROACHES, PESTICIDE USE, AND CHILDREN'S PULMONARY FUNCTION IN AN ARID COMMUNITY

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cockroaches, pesticide use, and children's pulmonary function in an arid communityErik Svendsen1, Mary Ross1, Melissa Gonzales2, Debra Walsh1, Scott Rhoney1, Gina Terrill1, Lucas Neas11US EPA, Chapel Hill, NC; 2University of New MexicoThe El Paso Children's He...

  8. Approaches to Reading with Multiple Lenses of Interpretation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Troise, Melissa

    2007-01-01

    High school teacher Melissa Troise challenges students to recognize the relationships that exist between literary theories, such as Marxism, feminism, and postcolonialism, and urges students to expand their contexts for reading texts by accessing and combining theories. Troise believes theory provides students with the potential to better…

  9. 77 FR 33422 - Utility Scale Wind Towers From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Affirmative...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-06

    ... Trade Analyst, AD/CVD Operations, Office 3, through Melissa G. Skinner, Director, AD/CVD Operations... questionnaire to the GOC regarding the provision of electricity for less than adequate remuneration (LTAR) and.... Skinner, Director, AD/CVD Operations, Office 3, from Patricia M. Tran, International Trade Analyst, AD/CVD...

  10. Research: Accomplishments, Opportunities, Challenges. Proceedings of the Annual National Agricultural Education Research Conference (28th, New Orleans, LA, December 12, 2001).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotrlik, Joe W., Ed.; Burnett, Michael F., Ed.

    This document contains 48 papers from a conference on agricultural education research. The following papers are among those included: "Analysis of the Relationships between Computer Experiences, Self-Efficacy, and Knowledge of Undergraduate Students Entering a Land-Grant College of Agriculture" (Donald M. Johnson, Melissa L. Lester,…

  11. Welcome to the Poster Website | Poster

    Science.gov (United States)

    By Melissa Porter, Executive Editor The Poster newsletter staff is pleased to present you with the all-new Poster website. Now you can access all the latest information from the National Cancer Institute at Frederick from your smart phone, tablet, notebook, or any other device with an Internet connection.

  12. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (75th, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, August 5-8, 1992). Part XI: Advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

    The Advertising section of the proceedings contains the following 16 papers: "Ethics of Advertising Practitioners: An Explanation Based on a Classical Theoretical Framework" (Cornelius B. Pratt and E. Lincoln James); "Sex Roles in Frightening Film Newspaper Advertisements: An Overview of the Past 50 Years" (Melissa M. Spirek);…

  13. Modeling Water Filtration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parks, Melissa

    2014-01-01

    Model-eliciting activities (MEAs) are not new to those in engineering or mathematics, but they were new to Melissa Parks. Model-eliciting activities are simulated real-world problems that integrate engineering, mathematical, and scientific thinking as students find solutions for specific scenarios. During this process, students generate solutions…

  14. African Journal of Biotechnology - Vol 11, No 50 (2012)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Phytoestrogenic property of Labisia pumila for use as an estrogen replacement therapy agent · EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT. Poh Su Wei Melissa, Visneswaran Navaratnam, Chia Yoke Yin, 11053-11056. http://dx.doi.org/10.5897/AJB12.160 ...

  15. 77 FR 19623 - Certain Welded Carbon Steel Standard Pipe from Turkey: Preliminary Results of Countervailing Duty...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-02

    ... buildings for less than adequate remuneration, grants, preferential lending, reduction in tax rates, and... Memorandum to Melissa G. Skinner, Director, AD/CVD Operations, Office 3, from Robert Copyak, Senior Financial... remuneration (LTAR) within the meaning of section 771(5)(D)(iii) of the Act. We preliminarily determine to rely...

  16. 77 FR 17017 - Certain Steel Wheels From the People's Republic of China: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-23

    ... provided for less than adequate remuneration to the Centurion Companies and Jingu Companies. On September 9... hearing in this investigation. \\11\\ See Memorandum to Melissa G. Skinner, Director, AD/CVD Operations... To Be Used for the Jingu Companies Under the HRS for Less Than Adequate Remuneration (LTAR) Program...

  17. One Burn, One Standard

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-09-01

    PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) Giretzlehner M., Haller H. L., Faucher L. D., Pressman M. A., Salinas J., Jeng J. C., 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e...AUVA Linz, Austria Lee D. Faucher, MD University of Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin Melissa A. Pressman , PhD Arizona Burn Center Phoenix

  18. 78 FR 45171 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request-WIC Nutrition...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Food and Nutrition Service Agency Information Collection Activities.... Comments may also be submitted via fax to the attention of Dr. Melissa Abelev at 703-305-2209 or via email... Response: The estimated time for each response is shown in the burden table below. Dividing the total hours...

  19. Green Team News and Upcoming Events | Poster

    Science.gov (United States)

    By Melissa Porter, Staff Writer Spring Plant Swap 2013 This past October, you may have seen several members of the Green Team standing in front of Building 549 giving out free plants or offering to take extra plants off your hands—this was the first Green Team Fall Plant Swap.

  20. The endangered Karner blue butterfly (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae): biology, management considerations, and data gaps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robert A. Haack

    1993-01-01

    The Karner blue butterfly, Lycaeides melissa samuelis Nabokov, became federally listed as endangered in 1992 and is thus afforded protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. This insect has a very discontinuous range, with 1992 populations found in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and New Hampshire. Karner blue...

  1. Proceedings of Damping󈨝 Held in West Palm Beach, Florida on 8-10 February 1989. Volume 2. Pages FAA-1 through IBD-15)

    Science.gov (United States)

    1989-11-01

    Ju iC Administrative Chairman Mrs. Melissa Arrajj D tri Martin Marietta Astronautics Group CI!3 Assistant Administrative Chairman DL r’ vb.jo Ellen...Squeeze Film Dampers", Journal of Lubrication Technology, Trans. ASME, 1983, pp. 326-334. [9] Tecza, J.A., J.C. Giordano , E.S. Zorzi, and S.K. Drake

  2. Proceedings of the Annual Symposium on Frequency Control (39th) Held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 29-31 May 1985

    Science.gov (United States)

    1985-05-01

    types of ovens 2. Melissa Lambropoulos and S. E. Moody, Rev. appear to fit experimental beam profiles quite Sc. Instr. 48, 131 (1977). well, but their...well as matched. Thus it is expected 8. H. J. Carlin and A. R. Giordano , " Network that the pass band ripple will be suppressed to Theory

  3. Solid State Quantum Computer in Silicon

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-09-30

    Zac Evans Martin Fuechsle Virginia Gill Toby Hopf Lenneke Jong Gajendran Kandasamy Wee Han Lim Graeme Lowe Melissa Makin Mladen Mitic Dane McCamey...Hudson 0.50 Linda Macks 0.50 Andrea Morello 1.00 Thilo Reusch 1.00 Frank Ruess 0.00 Giordano Scappucci 0.00 Laurens Willems van Beveren 0.60

  4. The Viability of the English Major in the Current Economy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiner, Amanda

    2012-01-01

    In an April, 2012 Wall Street Journal article titled "Wealth or Waste? Rethinking the Value of a Business Major," national reporter Melissa Korn explores an intriguing fact: the business major, the most popular major on college campuses for over 30 years and the discipline believed to be most economically viable by prospective college…

  5. Things to Remember about El Sistema: A Response to "El Sistema--A Perspective for North American Music Educators" by Tricia Tunstall

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lesniak, Melissa

    2013-01-01

    Melissa Lesniak, the executive director of the Greater Miami Youth Symphony, discusses how much she enjoyed reading the responses to her "El Sistema" article and appreciates the opportunity for healthy dialogue and debate. In response, she states that there are many common goals and objectives across all music education programs that can…

  6. Another Perspective: El Sistema--A Perspective for North American Music Educators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tunstall, Tricia

    2013-01-01

    Herein, Tricia Tunstall presents a critique of the article by Melissa Lesniak published in the December 2012 "Music Educators Journal," and offers a new perspective on the Venezuelan youth orchestra program known as "El Sistema." The program, which began in Caracas thirty-eight years ago, is dedicated to changing the lives of…

  7. 78 FR 29375 - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-20

    ... 12, 2013. Time: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Agenda: To review and evaluate grant applications. Place... Call). Contact Person: Melissa E Nagelin, Ph.D., Scientific Review Officer, Office of Scientific Review... Special Emphasis Panel; K23, K24, K25 Research Career Development Awards. Date: June 13-14, 2013. Time: 8...

  8. Journal of Genetics | Indian Academy of Sciences

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Journal of Genetics. ELEONORA DI ZIO. Articles written in Journal of Genetics. Volume 97 Issue 1 March 2018 pp 311-317 RESEARCH NOTE. Case report of newborn with de novo partial trisomy 2q31.2–37.3 and monosomy 9p24.3 · MAURIZIA COLANGELO MELISSA ALFONSI CHIARA PALKA ...

  9. Book Review Lifeblood: How to Change the World, One Dead ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Book Review Lifeblood: How to Change the World, One Dead Mosquito at a Time By Alex Perry (2011). Melissa Raemaekers. Abstract. Pp xiv + 219. R210. Picador Africa, Pan Macmillan, South Africa. 2011. ISBN 978-1-77010-146-3. February 2012, Vol. 102, No. 2 SAMJ. Full Text: EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE ...

  10. 1. II avati Rotermanni soolalao kunstimuuseumi näitusesaalis...

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2005-01-01

    Marco Laimre kuraatorinäitus "Hääled". Väljas on Oskar Kallise, Jaan Toomiku, Rainer Jancise, Elmar Kitse, Evald Okase, Melissa Gordoni (UK), Eduard Wiiralti, Jasper Zoova, Leili Muuga, Marko Mäetamme, Ene-Liis Semperi, Ado Vabbe, Elin Kardi, Kiwa, Peeter Alliku, Kaja Kärneri, Jüri Arraku, Kadi Estlandi ja Ülo Soosteri tööd

  11. The "Patron Saint" of Comprehensive Education: An Interview with Clyde Chitty. Part Two

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benn, Melissa; Martin, Jane

    2018-01-01

    This is the second and concluding part of the interview which Melissa Benn and Jane Martin conducted with Clyde Chitty in the summer of 2017. The first part appeared in the previous issue of the journal, "FORUM," 59(3). When Clyde stepped away from regular duties with the FORUM board, Michael Armstrong dubbed him "the patron saint…

  12. A Response to Reviewer Comments Regarding the Manuscript, "Rule-Governed Behavior and Self-Control in Children with ADHD: A Theoretical Interpretation"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barry, Leasha M.; Kelly, Melissa A.

    2006-01-01

    The authors appreciate the opportunity to respond to the issues raised in a review of the manuscript, "Rule-Governed Behavior and Self-Control in Children with ADHD: A Theoretical Interpretation" submitted by Leasha M. Barry and Melissa A. Kelly. Many of the points brought to light in the review are indeed useful for discussion and provide…

  13. CRS Issue Statement on State and Foreign Operations Appropriations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-12

    Moss Analyst in Global Health kmoss@crs.loc.gov, 7-7314 Melissa D. Ho Analyst in Agricultural Policy mho@crs.loc.gov, 7-5342 Kennon H. Nakamura...9525 Jim Nichol Specialist in Russian and Eurasian Affairs jnichol@crs.loc.gov, 7-2289 Charles E. Hanrahan Senior Specialist in Agricultural Policy chanrahan@crs.loc.gov, 7-7235 .

  14. The plants with essence oil are potential radio protectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rzayev, N.R.; Guluyev, N.T.

    2010-01-01

    Azerbaijan flora is considered as one of the richest countries according to its genera and species abundance in all over the world. There are 4545 plant species in the Azerbaijan flora the native areal (origin) of many of which is just Azerbaijan. Majority of these plants is used in different fields of the national economy as useful plants. Existance of vertical zonality, abundance of the soil with balanced microelements and etc. Here resulted more amount of biologically active substances in the content of the plants that warrants to use them on the purpose of food, medicine and so on. Also while studying the collection dynamics of biologically active substances in their content quality and quantity index is usually high. Based on our 30 years experience it can be said with certainty: study of bioecological features of basil, melissa and tarragon spread in Azerbaijan Republic area, their use by their biochemical research on the purpose of quality increase of the extracts, ether and fat oils, medicaments of biologically active substances, alcohol-free drinks and food obtained of them is necessary, actual and important for the present time in tinned meat and fish production, in cosmetics and tooth pastes technology working out. In this article it is intended to prepare aerosol, consisted of essence oils and lipid mixtures, for respiratory system treatment in extreme conditions having radiation threat. Flavonoids, carotenoids and antocians along with the activeness of vitamin P and vitamin A possess antiradical, antioxidant, antimutagen, anticanceregenic and antivirus abilities. Besides the medicine they are applied in food, textile, tanning and other industries. The commenced research activities on the purpose of preparation of protector in solders food in an extremal condition, antidote and mithridate against heavy metals, also products against radioactive radiations, preparation of medical aerosols with fragrant aroma against injure of the respiratory system on the

  15. Porter Takes Reins of the FNL Green Team | Poster

    Science.gov (United States)

    Courtesy of the FNL Green Team Melissa Porter, who recently joined the staff of Craig Reynolds, Ph.D., director, Office of Scientific Operations, as administrative manager, has stepped forward to lead the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNL) Green Team in its efforts to promote a “green” work environment. “I am excited to lead the FNL Green Team and have

  16. ORGANIZING, TRAINING, AND RETAINING INTELLIGENCE PROFESSIONALS FOR CYBER OPERATIONS

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-02-13

    in Education,” Preventing School Failure 57(3), (2013): 162-170. Wall , Andru, “Demystifying the Title 10-Title 50 Debate,” Harvard Law School...AIR WAR COLLEGE AIR UNIVERSITY ORGANIZING, TRAINING, AND RETAINING INTELLIGENCE PROFESSIONALS FOR CYBER OPERATIONS by Melissa A...to adequately organize, train and retain cyber expertise. This is especially true within Air Force intelligence, a critical component of the

  17. Does Accessibility to the Central Business District (CBD Have an Impact on High-Rise Condominium Price Gradient in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dziauddin Mohd Faris

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper uses a spatial econometric method known as Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR to investigate the impact of accessibility to the CBD on the high-rise condominium price gradient in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Using a GWR method, after having controlled other factors, this study clearly reveal the impact of accessibility to the CBD on high-rise condominium varying prices across the study area, having a much larger positive impact in some areas but less and counterintuitive impact in others. In general, the results from this study show accessibility to the CBD measured by the travel times does affect high-rise condominium prices (high-rise condominium prices decrease as travel times to the CBD increase in most part of the areas, hence proved Alonso, Muth and Mills were still right.

  18. Molecular Detection of Rickettsia amblyommii in Amblyomma americanum Parasitizing Humans

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    Detection of Rickettsia amblyommii in Amblyomma americanum Parasitizing Humans Ju Jiang~ Tamasin Yarina~ Melissa K. Miller,2 Ellen Y. Stromdahl? and...protein B gene (ompB) of Rickettsia amblyommii was employed to assess the threat of R. amblyommii exposure to humans parasitized by Amblyomma americanum...infection of and possibly disease in humans. Key Words: Amblyomma americanum-Lone star ticks-Real-time PCR- Rickettsia amblyommii. Introduction R

  19. Novel Therapy for Bone Regeneration in Large Segmental Defects

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-12-01

    can maintain bone length and allow successfully regeneration in segmental defects. r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Bone...pre- formed endothelial networks, as the MSCs can act as pericytes to the newly formed blood vessels. Pirraco et al. [159] also cultured ECs and...AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-13-1-0407 TITLE: Novel Therapy for Bone Regeneration in Large Segmental Defects PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Melissa Kacena

  20. Parenting Outside the Box, Part One: Our Path to a Diagnosis | Poster

    Science.gov (United States)

    Editor’s note: This article is the first in a series describing one NCI at Frederick parent’s perspective on special needs parenting. By Melissa Porter, Staff Writer My husband and I find calling ourselves “special needs parents” difficult. Yes, we do have a child who has autism, and yes, we approach each day differently, but I have never thought of that as special needs

  1. The plants with essence oil are potential radio protectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rzayev, N R [Institute of Radiation Problems, ANAS, Baku (Azerbaijan); Guliyev, N T [Hygienic and Epidemiological Controle Centre of the Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan)

    2011-11-15

    Full tex: Azerbaijan flora is considered as one of the richest countries according to its genera and species abondance in all over the world. There are 4545 plant species in the Azerbaijan flora the native areal (origin) of many of which is just Azerbaijan. Majority of these plants is used in different fields of the national economy as useful plant. Nakhichivan Autonomous Republic is very rich within the botanical and geographical regions of Azerbaijan from its flora point of vew. Existance of vertical zonality, abondance of the soil with balanced microelements and etc. here resulted more amount of biologically active substances in the content of the plants that warrants to use them on the purpose of food, medicine and so on.Territory of the Nakhichivan AR differes from other areas of the region with its climate, soil and vegetation cover. That is why fruit, vegetable and water-melon quality and quantity index is high according to their taste, aroma and quality in the both environment - in the natural flora and in the sowing condition. Also while studying the collection dynamics of biologically active substances in their content quality and quantity index is usually high. Based on our 30-yeared experience we can say with certainty: study of bioecological features of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), melissa (Melissa officinalis L.) and tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) spread in the Nakhichivan AR area, their use by their biochemical research on the purpose of quality increase of the extracts, ether and fat oils, medicaments of biologically active substances, alcohol-free drinks and food obtained of them is necessary, actual and important for the present time in tinned meat and fish production, in cosmetics and tooth pastes technology working out. Basil, melissa and tarragon are plants (herbs) belonged to Azerbaijan areal; at the same time just these species have been taken as they differ from the same species and varieties grown in the other countries by their

  2. The plants with essence oil are potential radio protectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rzayev, N.R.; Guliyev, N.T.

    2011-01-01

    Full tex: Azerbaijan flora is considered as one of the richest countries according to its genera and species abondance in all over the world. There are 4545 plant species in the Azerbaijan flora the native areal (origin) of many of which is just Azerbaijan. Majority of these plants is used in different fields of the national economy as useful plant. Nakhichivan Autonomous Republic is very rich within the botanical and geographical regions of Azerbaijan from its flora point of vew. Existance of vertical zonality, abondance of the soil with balanced microelements and etc. here resulted more amount of biologically active substances in the content of the plants that warrants to use them on the purpose of food, medicine and so on.Territory of the Nakhichivan AR differes from other areas of the region with its climate, soil and vegetation cover. That is why fruit, vegetable and water-melon quality and quantity index is high according to their taste, aroma and quality in the both environment - in the natural flora and in the sowing condition. Also while studying the collection dynamics of biologically active substances in their content quality and quantity index is usually high. Based on our 30-yeared experience we can say with certainty: study of bioecological features of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), melissa (Melissa officinalis L.) and tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) spread in the Nakhichivan AR area, their use by their biochemical research on the purpose of quality increase of the extracts, ether and fat oils, medicaments of biologically active substances, alcohol-free drinks and food obtained of them is necessary, actual and important for the present time in tinned meat and fish production, in cosmetics and tooth pastes technology working out. Basil, melissa and tarragon are plants (herbs) belonged to Azerbaijan areal; at the same time just these species have been taken as they differ from the same species and varieties grown in the other countries by their

  3. A method for additive bias correction in cross-cultural surveys

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Scholderer, Joachim; Grunert, Klaus G.; Brunsø, Karen

    2001-01-01

    additive bias from cross-cultural data. The procedure involves four steps: (1) embed a potentially biased item in a factor-analytic measurement model, (2) test for the existence of additive bias between populations, (3) use the factor-analytic model to estimate the magnitude of the bias, and (4) replace......Measurement bias in cross-cultural surveys can seriously threaten the validity of hypothesis tests. Direct comparisons of means depend on the assumption that differences in observed variables reflect differences in the underlying constructs, and not an additive bias that may be caused by cultural...... differences in the understanding of item wording or response category labels. However, experience suggests that additive bias can be found more often than not. Based on the concept of partial measurement invariance (Byrne, Shavelson and Muthén, 1989), the present paper develops a procedure for eliminating...

  4. A procedure for eliminating additive bias from cross-cultural survey data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Scholderer, Joachim; Grunert, Klaus G.; Brunsø, Karen

    2005-01-01

    additive bias from cross-cultural data. The procedure involves four steps: (1) embed a potentially biased item in a factor-analytic measurement model, (2) test for the existence of additive bias between populations, (3) use the factor-analytic model to estimate the magnitude of the bias, and (4) replace......Measurement bias in cross-cultural surveys can seriously threaten the validity of hypothesis tests. Direct comparisons of means depend on the assumption that differences in observed variables reflect differences in the underlying constructs, and not an additive bias that may be caused by cultural...... differences in the understanding of item wording or response category labels. However, experience suggests that additive bias can be found more often than not. Based on the concept of partial measurement invariance (Byrne, Shavelson and Muthén 1989), the present paper develops a procedure for eliminating...

  5. Better management of multimorbidity: a critical look at the 'Ariadne principles'.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bower, Peter

    2014-12-08

    Primary care clinicians and researchers are growing increasingly aware of the prevalence of multimorbidity among long-term conditions, and the impact on patient experience, health, and utilisation of care. The correspondence paper by Muth et al. entitled 'The Ariadne principles: how to handle multimorbidity in primary care consultations' outlines new thinking on a better way to manage the challenges of decision-making in multimorbidity. The paper highlights the importance of shared treatment goals as a fundamental basis for more effective management. Although a welcome contribution to the literature, the principles raise a number of challenges: the complexities of achieving effective patient-centred assessment and goal-setting; how best to encourage implementation of new practices; and the current state of the evidence around multimorbidity and its management.Please see related article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/12/223.

  6. Inhibiting Inosine Hydrolase and Alanine Racemase to Enhance the Germination of Bacillus anthracis Sterne Spores: Potential Spore Decontamination Strategies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-06-19

    decontamination strategies>> Maryline DEFEZ 1𔃼, Melissa HUNTER3J Susan WELKOS :~J Christopher COTE3 1 University Grenoble-Alpes, Grenoble, France. 1...inosine hydrolase and alanine racemase to enhance the germination of Bacillus anthracis Sterne spores potential spore decontamination strategies 5a...8217 • Accidentally in Humans • Natural reservoir is soil • Anthrax Disease Cycle: - animals infected by soilborne spores in food and water or bites from certain

  7. Naised vereimejate ümber / Siim Nestor

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Nestor, Siim, 1974-

    2009-01-01

    Stephenie Meyeri "Videviku" romaani-saaga (Videvik, Noorkuu, Päikesevarjutus, Koidukuma) ja kahe esimese loo ekraniseeringud on fenomenaalselt populaarsed. Märkimisväärsed naised fenomeni loojate hulgas peale kirjanik Stephenie Meyeri on Bella osatäitja Kristen Stewart, filmide soundtrack'ide koostaja Alexandra Patsavas, sarja esimese filmi režissöör Catherine Hardwicke, saaga filmide stsenarist Melissa Rosenberg ja rock-bändi Paramore lauljatar Hayley Williams

  8. Using New Media For Information Operations: A Syrian Insurgency Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-04-01

    Sources,” 4. 30. Beifuss and Bellini, Branding Terror, 11. 31. Ibid., 12. 32. Giordano , “Study of a Storm,” 22. 33. Ibid., 22. 34. Historic...Practice. Westport, CT: Praeger Security International, 1964. Giordano , Angela Maria. “Study of a Storm: An Analysis of Zapatista Propaganda...Graham E. Fuller, and Melissa Fuller. The Zapatista Social Netwar in Mexico. Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 1998. Setrakian, Lara, and Alex Zerden. “Mapping

  9. Electromagnetic-Optical Coherence Tomography Guidance of Transbronchial Solitary Pulmonary Nodule Biopsy

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-12-01

    AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER Melissa J Suter, PhD 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) AND...single flexible catheter. The catheter was designed to be compatible with a custom peripheral transbronchial aspiration needle to enable both imaging...the first clinically viable flexible transbronchial OCT needle catheter, and the first clinically viable flexible EM-OCT needle catheter. Figure

  10. PESAN MORAL DALAM FILM TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (ANALISIS SEMIOTIKA PADA FILM TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

    OpenAIRE

    RENYOET, JAQUILINE MELISSA

    2014-01-01

    2014 JAQUILINE MELISSA RENYOET. Pesan Moral Dalam Film To Kill A Mockingbird (Analisis Semiotika Pada Film To Kill A Mockingbird). (Dibimbing oleh Muh. Nadjib dan Alem Febri Sonni). Tujuan Penelitian ini adalah mengidentifikasi bentuk pesan moral dan memahami makna pesan moral dalam film To Kill A Mockingbird. Penelitian ini dilakukan selama kurang lebih 2 bulan yaitu Maret ??? Mei 2014. Metode yang digunakan untuk penelitian ini adalah metode penelitian kualitatif den...

  11. International Food Aid Programs: Background and Issues

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-03

    D. Ho Analyst in Agricultural Policy Charles E. Hanrahan Senior Specialist in Agricultural Policy February 3, 2010 Congressional Research Service...U.S. Treasury. 10 In United States agricultural policy , “monetization” is a P.L. 480 provision (Section 203) first included in the Food Security Act...Contact Information Melissa D. Ho Analyst in Agricultural Policy mho@crs.loc.gov, 7-5342 Charles E. Hanrahan Senior Specialist in Agricultural

  12. Characterization and Reliability of Vertical N-Type Gallium Nitride Schottky Contacts

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-09-01

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Foremost, I would like to thank my wife, Melissa, with whom I have three wonderful children. Without her endless love , unwavering...conducting research in the lab and studying in the library, she cared for our children and created a loving home for our family. Her strength, passion...Online]. Available: http://ecee.colorado.edu/~bart/book/book/title.htm 78 [12] R. T. Tung, “The physics and chemistry of the Schottky barrier

  13. Who Gets a Bailout? A Comparative Analysis of U.S. and IMF Responses to Economic Crisis in Mexico (1995), Brazil (1998), and Argentina (2001)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-12-01

    not have finished this paper without the support and understanding of my wife, Melissa, and our dog, Blackjack . x THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT...Representatives, November 17, 1993, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1993/roll575.xml (accessed August 28, 2009). 90 Bill Clinton, My Life : The ... Life : The Presidential Years, Volume 2 (New York: Random House, 2005), 479. 92 IMF Staff, “Recovery from the Asian Crisis and the Role of the IMF

  14. Spreadable media: Creating value and meaning in a networked culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moderated by Louisa Stein

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Online Roundtable on Spreadable Media, by Henry Jenkins, Sam Ford, and Joshua Green, with participants Paul Booth, Kristina Busse, Melissa Click, Sam Ford, Henry Jenkins, Xiaochang Li, and Sharon Ross. Section 1 first published as the article "Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture", by Louisa Stein, from Cinema Journal Volume 53 Issue 3, pp152-177. Copyright 2014 by The University of Texas Press. All rights reserved.

  15. Gerando planos de produção através de um problema linear quadrático Gaussiano com restrições nas variáveis de decisão

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oscar S. Silva Filho

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Neste artigo um problema sequencial de planejamento agregado da produção é formulado como um modelo de otimização sequencial do tipo Linear-Quadrático Gaussiano (LQG com restrições probabilísticas nas variáveis de estado e controle. Este problema está baseado em um modelo clássico desenvolvido por Holt, Modigliani, Muth e Simon, e conhecido na literatura como modelo HMMS. Como ideia central do trabalho busca-se estender o modelo original HMMS de modo que ele possa levar em conta restrições de chance nas variáveis de decisão e também uma representação do tipo ARMA como modelo de flutuação de demanda. Essencialmente, o artigo examina as principais características que permitem transformar o modelo HMMS para um padrão LQG com restrições de chances. Além disso, duas heurísticas subótimas muito simples são apresentadas como estratégias de resolução para este tipo de problema. Por fim, um exemplo ilustrativo de como gerar planos de produção agregados via o modelo proposto, é apresentado.A single product, multi-period, aggregate production planning problem is formulated as a Linear-Quadratic Gaussian (LQG optimal control problem with probabilistic constraints on state and control variables. This stochastic problem is based on a classical model developed by Holt, Modigliani, Muth and Simon, and known in the literature as HMMS model. The central idea is to extend the original HMMS model in order to take into account both chance-constraints on the decision variables and an ARMA forecasting model to represent the fluctuation of demand. Essentially, the paper discusses the main features that allow transforming the problem into a chance constrained LQG pattern. In addition, two sub-optimal techniques for solving this kind of problem are briefly described. At last, an illustrative example of how to provide aggregate production plans from the proposed problem is presented.

  16. Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Laboratory HEU fuel shipment summary. Final

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1997-01-01

    In November 1988, OSURR converted from HEU fuel to LEU fuel. As a result they needed to get rid of their HEU fuel by shipping it to Savannah River. The players in the fuel shipping game are: OSURR as the keeper of the fuel; DOE as the owner of fuel and shipper of record; Tri-State Motor Transit Co. for transporting the cask; Muth Brothers as the rigger responsible for getting the cask on and off the truck and in and out of the building; Hoffman LaRoche/Cintichem as the owner of the cask; Savannah River as the receiver of the fuel; and the NRC for approval of the Security Plan, QA Plan, etc. This report gives a chronological history of the events from February 1989 to June 1, 1995, the actual day of shipment. The cask was received at Savannah River on June 2, 1995

  17. Mutant strains of Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis to increase the efficiency of micro-ecological life support systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Igor

    The European Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA) is an advanced idea for organizing a bioregenerative system for long term space flights and extraterrestrial settlements (Hendrickx, De Wever et al., 2005). Despite the hostility of both lunar and Martian environments to unprotected life, it seems possible to cultivate photosynthetic bacteria using closed bioreactors illuminated and heated by solar energy. Such reactors might be employed in critical processes, e.g. air revitalization, foodcaloric and protein source, as well as an immunomodulators production. The MELiSSA team suggested cyanobacterium Spirulina as most appropriate agent to revitalize air and produce a simple "fast" food. This is right suggestion because Spirulina was recently shown to be an oxygenic organism with the highest level of O2 production per unit mass (Ananyev et al., 2005). Chemical composition of Spirulina includes proteins (55Aiming to make Spirulina cultivation in life support systems like MELiSSA more efficient, we selected Spirulina mutant strains with increased fraction of methionine in the biomass of this cyanobacterium and compared the effect of parental wild strain of Spirulina and its mutants on the tendency of such experimental illnesses as radiationinduced lesions and hemolythic anemia. Results: It was found that mutant strains 198B and 27G contain higher quantities of total protein, essential amino acids, c-phycocyanin, allophycocyanin and chlorophyll a than parental wild strain of S. platensis. The strain 198B is also characterized with increased content of carotenoids. Revealed biochemical peculiarities of mutant strains suggest that these strains can serve as an additional source of essential amino acids as well as phycobiliproteins and carotenoids for the astronauts. Feeding animals suffering from radiation-induced lesions, c-phycocyanin, extracted from strain 27G, led to a correction in deficient dehydrogenase activity and energy-rich phosphate levels

  18. Department of Defense and Security Cooperation: Improving Prioritization, Authorities, and Evaluations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-03-09

    March 9, 2016 Chairman Fischer , Ranking Member Nelson, and distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify...on the important subject of U.S. security cooperation. It’s a pleasure to appear before you today along with my colleagues, Jeff Eggers and Melissa...based evaluations. Chairman Fischer , Ranking Member Nelson, and members of the subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to offer this testimony, and I look forward to assisting the committee in its vital work.

  19. From the Renaissance to the Modern World—Introduction

    OpenAIRE

    Peter Iver Kaufman

    2012-01-01

    On November 11 and 12, 2011, a symposium held at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill honored John M. Headley, Emeritus Professor of History. The organizers, Professor Melissa Bullard—Headley’s colleague in the department of history at that university—along with Professors Paul Grendler (University of Toronto) and James Weiss (Boston College), as well as Nancy Gray Schoonmaker, coordinator of the Program in Medieval and Early Modern Studies—assembled presenters, respondents, and do...

  20. The Case For Space: A Legislative Framework For An Independent United States Space Force

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-04-01

    example of an organization created by competing bureaucratic interests, ARPA hampered and muddled early service efforts to think clearly about space.12...change the way we think and prepare for that eventuality.”54 As aptly stated recently by Melissa de Zwart, Dean of Law at the University of Adelaide in...NASA Bets on Private Companies to Exploit Moon’s Resources,” Phys.org, 9 February 2014, https://phys.org/news/2014-02-nasa-private-companies-exploit

  1. Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Four Lamiaceae Species Cultivated in Barnyard Manure

    OpenAIRE

    YALDIZ, Gülsüm; KAŞKO ARICI, Yeliz; YILMAZ, Gülşah

    2017-01-01

    The present study was conducted to determine essential oil yields, essential oil compositions, total phenolics, antioxidantand antibacterial activities of organic manure-treated medicinal plants of Salvia officinalis L. (sage), Lavandulaangustifolia L. (lavender), Melissa officinalis L. (lemon balm) and Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum (origano). Essentialoil yields of investigated medicinal plants varied between 0.06±0.01%-3.43±0.06%. The 1,8-cineol (15.285±0.003%),viridiflorol (12.095±0.003%) a...

  2. Seasonal maximum temperature prediction skill over Southern Africa: 1- vs 2-tiered forecasting systems

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Lazenby, MJ

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available TEMPERATURE PREDICTION SKILL OVER SOUTHERN AFRICA: 1- VS. 2-TIERED FORECASTING SYSTEMS Melissa J. Lazenby University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa Willem A. Landman Council for Scientific and Industrial....J., Tyson, P.D. and Tennant, W.J., 2001. Retro-active skill of multi- tiered forecasts of summer rainfall over southern Africa. International Journal of Climatology, 21, 1- 19. Mason, S.J. and Graham, N.E., 2002. Areas beneath the relative operating...

  3. Tendenze interpuntorie in giovani narratori

    OpenAIRE

    Spinelli, Silvia

    2016-01-01

    Il saggio si concentra sull’analisi dei fenomeni interpuntori all’interno di alcuni romanzi scritti da giovani autori italiani e pubblicati dopo l’anno duemila: 100 colpi di spazzola prima di andare a dormire, di Melissa P. (2003), La ragazza dei miei sogni di Roberto Dimitri (2007), La solitudine dei numeri primi di Paolo Giordano (2008), La Panzanella di Giulia Villoresi (2009), Acciaio di Silvia Avallone (2010) e Troppa umana speranza di Alessandro Mari (2011). L’analisi comparata dei roma...

  4. History of Morgellons disease: from delusion to definition

    OpenAIRE

    Middelveen,Marianne J; Fesler,Melissa C; Stricker,Raphael B

    2018-01-01

    Marianne J Middelveen,1 Melissa C Fesler,2 Raphael B Stricker2 1Atkins Veterinary Services, Calgary, AB, Canada; 2Union Square Medical Associates, San Francisco, CA, USA Abstract: Morgellons disease (MD) is a skin condition characterized by the presence of multicolored filaments that lie under, are embedded in, or project from skin. Although the condition may have a longer history, disease matching the above description was first reported in the US in 2002. Since that time, the condition tha...

  5. Assessment of inhibitory potential of essential oils on natural mycoflora and Fusarium mycotoxins production in wheat

    OpenAIRE

    Sumalan, Renata-Maria; Alexa, Ersilia; Poiana, Mariana-Atena

    2013-01-01

    Background In the last years essential oils from different plants were used in the prevention of fungi and mycotoxins accumulation in cereals. The most attractive aspect derived from using of essential oils as seed grains protectants is due to their non-toxicity. This study was focused on assessment the inhibitory effect of some essential oils: Melissa officinalis (O1), Salvia officinalis (O2), Coriandrum sativum (O3), Thymus vulgaris (O4) Mentha piperita (O5) and Cinnamomum zeylanicum (O6) a...

  6. The rational expectations equilibrium inventory model theory and applications

    CERN Document Server

    1989-01-01

    This volume consists of six essays that develop and/or apply "rational expectations equilibrium inventory models" to study the time series behavior of production, sales, prices, and inventories at the industry level. By "rational expectations equilibrium inventory model" I mean the extension of the inventory model of Holt, Modigliani, Muth, and Simon (1960) to account for: (i) discounting, (ii) infinite horizon planning, (iii) observed and unobserved by the "econometrician" stochastic shocks in the production, factor adjustment, storage, and backorders management processes of firms, as well as in the demand they face for their products; and (iv) rational expectations. As is well known according to the Holt et al. model firms hold inventories in order to: (a) smooth production, (b) smooth production changes, and (c) avoid stockouts. Following the work of Zabel (1972), Maccini (1976), Reagan (1982), and Reagan and Weitzman (1982), Blinder (1982) laid the foundations of the rational expectations equilibrium inve...

  7. Insight into the radiotolerance of the life support bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum S1H by means of phenotypic and transcriptomic methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mastroleo, Felice; Monsieurs, Pieter; Leys, Natalie

    The MELiSSA life support system from the European Space Agency is targeting the produc-tion of oxygen, water and food by recycling organic waste. Among different types of pro-cesses, MELiSSA uses several interconnected bioreactors inhabited by microorganisms and higher plants (Hendrickx et al., 2006; Mergeay et al., 1988). Because this loop is foreseen to be functional in space where it will be exposed to higher doses and different spectra of ionizing radiation, it was decided to screen the radiotolerance of the organisms used. In this study, the radiotolerance (i.e. tolerance to ionizing radiation) of the photosynthetic bacterium Rho-dospirillum rubrum S1H was investigated. In this test, first the effect of low energy Cobalt-60 gamma rays, were tested. To assess the radiotolerance of bacterium S1H, the survival rate after increasing exposure was determined. R. rubrum S1H appeared relatively radiosensitive, as the radiation dose at which 90% of the population was killed (D10 value) was 4 times lower than the model bacterium Escherichia coli. It was demonstrate that the culture medium has an impact on radiation tolerance. This survival curve also permitted to select a number of sub-lethal ionizing radiation doses (¡ D10 ), that were used to analyze the gene expression response of R. rubrum S1H after gamma irradiation. The microarray transcriptome analysis results ob-tained from different doses and different culture medium showed a significant response of the bacterium to sublethal doses. Potential marker genes for ionizing radiation stress in R. rubrum S1H were identified. By quantitative PCR, it was shown that the expression of these marker genes increased with the recovery time after exposure to ionizing radiation. In other words, the radiation tolerance and the response of R. rubrum S1H to low energy Cobalt-60 gamma ionizing radiation was characterized. Therefore to ensure MELiSSA process robustness during extended space exploration mission, it is advised that

  8. Echo-critical Poetic Narcissisms: Being Transformed in Petrarca, Ronsard, and Shakespeare

    OpenAIRE

    Yinger, Melissa

    2016-01-01

    AbstractEcho-critical Poetic Narcissisms: Being Transformed in Petrarca, Ronsard, and ShakespeareMelissa Yinger “Narcissism” is a term that was popularized by Freud in the twentieth century, but whose roots date back to the first century C.E., to a story from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In Ovid’s story, Narcissus is a beautiful youth who falls in love with his image in a pool and wastes away, leaving only the Narcissus flower. Only slightly less famous is the story of Echo, with which Narcissus’s...

  9. LITHOSTRATIGRAPHY, CONODONT BIOSTRATIGRAPHY AND DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE MIDDLE DEVONIAN (GIVETIAN TO EARLY CARBONIFEROUS (TOURNAISIAN LIPAK FORMATION IN THE PIN VALLEY OF SPITI (NW INDIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ERICH DRAGANITS

    2002-03-01

    Full Text Available Bed-by-bed lithostratigraphic sections combined with sequence stratigraphy and conodont biostratigraphy provide new information on the depositional environment and age of the Lipak Formation in the Pin Valley (Spiti. The formation comprises mixed siliciclastic and calcareous sediments at lower levels, richly fossiliferous limestones with two distinct sandstone incursions at higher levels, and dark mudstones followed by a thin siltstone interval. The upper limit of the Lipak Formation is defined by the angular unconformity below the sandstones of the Permian Gechang Formation. Lithologic correlation with sections in upper Lahaul indicates that, in the Pin Valley, the formation has been truncated just below its characteristic gypsum horizon. The lower boundary of the Lipak Formation is gradational from coastal arenites of the Muth Formation; the mappable boundary is drawn at the first appearance of dark carbonaceous, argillaceous siltstone and shale.Sedimentary structures, microfacies and conodont faunas indicate a general shallow marine depositional environment of the Lipak Formation in the Pin Valley; five sequence stratigraphic units have been distinguished. Conodont data demonstrate that the lowest 33 m of the Lipak Formation of the Pin Valley is mid to late Early varcus Subzone with characteristic species of Icriodus and Bipennatus. A previously unrecognised hiatus at c. 33 m above the base, at the boundary of sequence stratigraphic units S1 and S2, represents the interval Middle varcus Subzone to at least the end of the late Famennian Early expansa Zone. Because this hiatus does not correspond to a mappable boundary, no division of the Lipak Formation into named stratigraphic units is suggested, but we refer informally to the sediments represented by cycle S1 as Lipak A, and the sediments represented by cycles S2-S5 as Lipak B. Determination of S1 as Early varcus Subzone provides a maximum age for the gradationally underlying Muth Formation

  10. Morphological outcomes of gynandromorphism in Lycaeides butterflies (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jahner, Joshua P; Lucas, Lauren K; Wilson, Joseph S; Forister, Matthew L

    2015-01-01

    The genitalia of male insects have been widely used in taxonomic identification and systematics and are potentially involved in maintaining reproductive isolation between species. Although sexual selection has been invoked to explain patterns of morphological variation in genitalia among populations and species, developmental plasticity in genitalia likely contributes to observed variation but has been rarely examined, particularly in wild populations. Bilateral gynandromorphs are individuals that are genetically male on one side of the midline and genetically female on the other, while mosaic gynandromorphs have only a portion of their body developing as the opposite sex. Gynandromorphs might offer unique insights into developmental plasticity because individuals experience abnormal cellular interactions at the genitalic midline. In this study, we compare the genitalia and wing patterns of gynandromorphic Anna and Melissa blue butterflies, Lycaeides anna (Edwards) (formerly L. idas anna) and L. melissa (Edwards) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), to the morphology of normal individuals from the same populations. Gynandromorph wing markings all fell within the range of variation of normal butterflies; however, a number of genitalic measurements were outliers when compared with normal individuals. From these results, we conclude that the gynandromorphs' genitalia, but not wing patterns, can be abnormal when compared with normal individuals and that the gynandromorphic genitalia do not deviate developmentally in a consistent pattern across individuals. Finally, genetic mechanisms are considered for the development of gynandromorphism in Lycaeides butterflies. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Entomological Society of America.

  11. A Measure of Search Efficiency in a Real World Search Task (PREPRINT)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-02-16

    Search Task 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER N00173-08-1-G030 5b. GRANT NUMBER NRL BAA 08-09, 55-07-01 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 0602782N 6. AUTHOR(S... Beck , Melissa R. Ph.D (LSU) Maura C. Lohrenz (NRL Code 7440.1) J. Gregory Trafton (NRL Code 5515) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 08294 5e. TASK NUMBER... Beck 19b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (Include area code) (225)578-7214 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8/98) Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18 A measure of search

  12. Protean and boundaryless career attitudes scales: Spanish translation and validation Protean and boundaryless career attitudes scales: Spanish translation and validation Protean and boundaryless career attitudes scales: Spanish translation and validation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oriol Lordan

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: The aim of this paper is to translate into Spanish and examine the psychometric properties of the resulting Spanish version of Briscoe, Hall and DeMuth (2006’s Protean and Boundayless Career Attitude Scale, encompassing: Self-Direction, Values-driven predispositions, Boundaryless mindset and Organizational Mobility Preference. Design/methodology/approach: Translation of the Protean and Boundayless Career Attitude Scale was carried out using a back-translation procedure and cognitive interviews were conducted to ensure an accurate interpretation of questionnaire items. The validity and reliability of the scale were evaluated using exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Finally, confirmatory factor analysis was performed to evaluate the factor structure of the modified version of the scale, which consists in those items with higher factor loadings.Findings: The reliability coefficients of the modified scale are consistent with those reported by Briscoe et al. (2006. Nevertheless, the values-driven attitudes scale seem to measure two latent traits: strong core beliefs regarding one’s definition of career success and individual emphasis of core personal values through work (reliance on personal values when individual and organizational values do not match.Originality/value: This is the first study which provides a Spanish translation of the Protean and Boundaryless Career Attitude Scale.Purpose: The aim of this paper is to translate into Spanish and examine the psychometric properties of the resulting Spanish version of Briscoe, Hall and DeMuth (2006’s Protean and Boundayless Career Attitude Scale, encompassing: Self-Direction, Values-driven predispositions, Boundaryless mindset and Organizational Mobility Preference.Design/methodology/approach: Translation of the Protean and Boundayless Career Attitude Scale was carried out using a back-translation procedure and cognitive interviews were conducted to

  13. Effects of Lemon Balm on the Oxidative Stability and the Quality Properties of Hamburger Patties during Refrigerated Storage

    OpenAIRE

    Lee, Hyun-Joo; Choi, You-Jung; Choi, Yang-Il; Lee, Jae-Joon

    2014-01-01

    This study was performed to investigate the effects of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) on various quality and antioxidant activity of hamburger patties. Lemon balm extract (LBE) showed the highest amount of total polyphenol (801.00 mg TAE/g DW) and flavonoids (65.05 mg RA/g DW). The IC50 value of DPPH hydroxyl scavenging of LBE was 132 ?g/mL. The hamburger patties were prepared by 0% (N), 0.1% (L1), 0.5% (L2), and 1.0% (L3) of the lemon balm powder. The addition of lemon balm powder incre...

  14. Resting-state functional connectivity of orthographic networks in acquired dysgraphia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gali Ellenblum

    2015-05-01

    The NTA findings indicate that the relationship between orthographic and default-mode networks is characterized by greater within- vs. across-network connectivity. Furthermore, we show for the first time a pattern of increasing within/across network “coherence normalization” following spelling rehabilitation. Additional dysgraphic participants and other networks (language, sensory-motor, etc. will be analyzed to develop a better understanding of the RS orthographic network and its response to damage and recovery. Acknowledgements. The work is part of a multi-site, NIDCD-supported project examining language recovery neurobiology in aphasia (DC006740. We thank Melissa Greenberger and Xiao-Wei Song.

  15. Corrigendum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Singh S

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Singh S, Mak I, Power P, Cunnigham M, Turcotte R, Ghert MGene transfection in primary stem-like cells of giant cell tumor of bone. Stem Cells and Cloning: Advances and Applications. 2010;3:129–134.Dr Melissa Cunningham’s name was spelt incorrectly in the published paper. The corrected citation is: Singh S, Mak I, Power P, Cunningham M, Turcotte R, Ghert M. Gene transfection in primary stem-like cells of giant cell tumor of bone. Stem Cells and Cloning: Advances and Applications. 2010;3:129–134.Read the original article

  16. Ivins examines Destiny with the processing team in the SSPF

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-01-01

    In the Space Station Processing Facility, Marsha Ivins, a mission specialist on the STS-98 crew, inspects the U.S. Laboratory with members of the laboratory's processing team. The laboratory module, considered the centerpiece of the International Space Station (ISS), has been named 'Destiny' in honor of its prominent role in the world's largest science and technology effort. It is planned for launch aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on the sixth ISS construction flight currently targeted for March 2000. From left to right are Ivins, Danny Whittington (face not visible), Melissa Orozco, Jerry Hopkins, and Suzanne Fase.

  17. Structure and Magnetic Properties of Lanthanide Nanocrystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dickerson, James Henry [Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States)

    2014-06-01

    We have had considerable success on this project, particularly in the understanding of the relationship between nanostructure and magnetic properties in lanthanide nanocrystals. We also have successfully facilitated the doctoral degrees of Dr. Suseela Somarajan, in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and Dr. Melissa Harrison, in the Materials Science Program. The following passages summarize the various accomplishments that were featured in 9 publications that were generated based on support from this grant. We thank the Department of Energy for their generous support of our research efforts in this area of materials science, magnetism, and electron microscopy.

  18. Response to the commentaries of Melissa S Anderson and Murray J Dyck.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovacs, Jozsef

    2013-08-01

    Anderson and Dyck claim that the current trend of almost exclusively using citation-based evaluative metrics to assess the research output of scholars is unsound. I agree with them in this, but I feel that, for practical reasons, this system will not disappear in the near future, so we must concentrate on making it fairer. Both commentators doubt whether numerically expressing each contributor's relative contribution is feasible. I admit that an important precondition for this task is the possibility of an informed, democratic debate among equals about the relative contribution of each contributor to the article. Mechanisms should be established to protect vulnerable researchers in the academic field in the same way as safeguards exist today to protect vulnerable research participants. Theoretically, however, I think that the fair allocation of authorship credit is possible, and much of this task is already being performed routinely when contributors determine the order of their names in the byline, being well aware of the widespread assumption that this order mostly mirrors the order of their relative contributions. All they would have to do as an additional task is to express this order in numbers. If they cannot reach a consensus, they could always choose not to express their relative contribution in numbers, in which case the presumption would be that they contributed equally. My proposal could, at best, make the system fairer and, at worst, not reduce the options that evaluators already have.

  19. Biodiversity within Melissa officinalis: Variability of Bioactive Compounds in a Cultivated Collection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Remigius Chizzola

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Phytochemical characters were evaluated in a five-year-old lemon balm collection consisting of 15 and 13 subspecies officinalis and altissima accessions, respectively. Stems were lower in essential oil than leaves. First cut leaves (June gave more oil than those of the second cut (August. Subspecies officinalis plants had leaf oils rich in geranial, neral and citronellal in various proportions in the first cut. However, in the second cut the oils from all accessions appeared very similar with 80–90% geranial plus neral. Leaf oils of subsp. altissima contained sesquiterpenes (β-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, germacrene D and also further monoterpenes in the second cut. Leaves had higher rosmarinic acid (RA contents than stems. More RA was in subsp. officinalis than subsp. altissima leaves. First cut leaves were richer in RA than those from second cut. Total phenolics and antioxidant parameters showed that lemon balm is a valuable source of plant antioxidants.

  20. The development of quantitative determination method of organic acids in complex poly herbal extraction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. L. Dyachok

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Aim. The development of sensible, economical and expressive method of quantitative determination of organic acids in complex poly herbal extraction counted on izovaleric acid with the use of digital technologies. Materials and methods. Model complex poly herbal extraction of sedative action was chosen as a research object. Extraction is composed of these medical plants: Valeriana officinalis L., Crataégus, Melissa officinalis L., Hypericum, Mentha piperita L., Húmulus lúpulus, Viburnum. Based on chemical composition of plant components, we consider that main pharmacologically active compounds, which can be found in complex poly herbal extraction are: polyphenolic substances (flavonoids, which are contained in Crataégus, Viburnum, Hypericum, Mentha piperita L., Húmulus lúpulus; also organic acids, including izovaleric acid, which are contained in Valeriana officinalis L., Mentha piperita L., Melissa officinalis L., Viburnum; the aminoacid are contained in Valeriana officinalis L. For the determination of organic acids content in low concentration we applied instrumental method of analysis, namely conductometry titration which consisted in the dependences of water solution conductivity of complex poly herbal extraction on composition of organic acids. Result. The got analytical dependences, which describes tangent lines to the conductometry curve before and after the point of equivalence, allow to determine the volume of solution expended on titration and carry out procedure of quantitative determination of organic acids in the digital mode. Conclusion. The proposed method enables to determine the point of equivalence and carry out quantitative determination of organic acids counted on izovaleric acid with the use of digital technologies, that allows to computerize the method on the whole.

  1. Phytotoxic Activities of Mediterranean Essential Oils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luiz Fernando Rolim de Almeida

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Twelve essential oils from Mediterranean aromatic plants were tested for their phytotoxic activity, at different doses, against the germination and the initial radicle growth of seeds of Raphanus sativus, Lactuca sativa and Lepidium sativum. The essential oils were obtained from Hyssopus officinalis, Lavandula angustifolia, Majorana hortensis, Melissa officinalis, Ocimum basilicum, Origanum vulgare, Salvia officinalis and Thymus vulgaris (Lamiaceae, Verbena officinalis (Verbenaceae, Pimpinella anisum, Foeniculum vulgare and Carum carvi (Apiaceae. The germination and radicle growth of tested seeds were affected in different ways by the oils. Thyme, balm, vervain and caraway essential oils were more active against both germination and radicle elongation.

  2. Effect of plant extracts on Alzheimer′s disease: An insight into therapeutic avenues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Obulesu

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Alzheimer′s disease (AD is a devastative neurodegenerative disorder which needs adequate studies on effective treatment options. The extracts of plants and their effect on the amelioration of AD symptoms have been extensively studied. This paper summarizes the mechanisms like acetylcholinesterase (AChE inhibition, modification of monoamines, antiamyloid aggregation effect, and antioxidant activity which are actively entailed in the process of amelioration of AD symptoms. These effects are induced by extracts of a few plants of different origin like Yizhi Jiannao, Moringa oleifera (Drumstick tree, Ginkgo Biloba (Ginkgo/Maidenhair tree, Cassia obtisufolia (Sicklepod, Desmodium gangeticum (Sal Leaved Desmodium, Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm, and Salvia officinalis (Garden sage, common sage.

  3. An Exchange on Theory and Cultural Studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Various Authors

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available The following exchange grew out of a series of posts to the Cultural Studies Association of Australasia discussion list. As a talking point leading into a regular meeting for early career cultural studies researchers in Brisbane, Melissa Gregg, Jean Burgess and Joshua Green quoted a passage from Simon During’s recent Cultural Studies: A Critical Introduction (Routledge, 2005 in the hope of provoking a wider debate about the current state of Australian cultural studies. Various members of the list were duly provoked, and the ensuing discussion was later picked up in a paper by John Frow and continued in private correspondence and then in invited responses to the developing exchange.

  4. From the Renaissance to the Modern World—Introduction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Iver Kaufman

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available On November 11 and 12, 2011, a symposium held at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill honored John M. Headley, Emeritus Professor of History. The organizers, Professor Melissa Bullard—Headley’s colleague in the department of history at that university—along with Professors Paul Grendler (University of Toronto and James Weiss (Boston College, as well as Nancy Gray Schoonmaker, coordinator of the Program in Medieval and Early Modern Studies—assembled presenters, respondents, and dozens of other participants from Western Europe and North America to celebrate the career of their prolific, versatile, and influential colleague whose publications challenged and often changed the ways scholars think about Martin Luther, Thomas More, the Habsburg empire, early modern Catholicism, globalization, and multiculturalism. [...

  5. Inhibition of cholinesterase by essential oil from food plant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaiyana, Wantida; Okonogi, Siriporn

    2012-06-15

    Inhibition of cholinesterase has attracted much attention recently because of its potential for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. In this work, the anticholinesterase activities of plant oils were investigated using Ellman's colorimetric method. The results indicate that essential oils obtained from Melissa officinalis leaf and Citrus aurantifolia leaf showed high acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase co-inhibitory activities. C. aurantifolia leaf oil revealed in this study has an IC(50) value on acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase of 139 ± 35 and 42 ± 5 μg/ml, respectively. GC/MS analysis revealed that the major constituents of C. aurantifolia leaf oil are monoterpenoids including limonene, l-camphor, citronellol, o-cymene and 1,8-cineole. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  6. Closed compact Taylor's droplets in a phase-separated lamellar-sponge mixture under shear flow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Courbin, L.; Cristobal, G.; Rouch, J.; Panizza, P.

    2001-09-01

    We have studied by optical microscopy, small-angle light scattering, and rheology, the behavior under shear flow of a phase-separated lamellar-sponge (Lα - L3) ternary mixture. We observe in the Lα-rich region (ΦLα > 80%) the existence of a Newtonian assembly made of closed compact monodisperse lamellar droplets immersed in the sponge phase. Contrary to the classical onion glassy texture obtained upon shearing Lα phases, the droplet size scales herein as dot gamma-1, the inverse of the shear rate. This result is in good agreement with Taylor's picture. Above a critical shear rate, dot gammac, the droplets organize to form a single colloidal crystal whose lattice size varies as dot gamma-1/3. To the memory of Tess Melissa P.

  7. The curious anomaly of skewed judgment distributions and systematic error in the wisdom of crowds.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ulrik W Nash

    Full Text Available Judgment distributions are often skewed and we know little about why. This paper explains the phenomenon of skewed judgment distributions by introducing the augmented quincunx (AQ model of sequential and probabilistic cue categorization by neurons of judges. In the process of developing inferences about true values, when neurons categorize cues better than chance, and when the particular true value is extreme compared to what is typical and anchored upon, then populations of judges form skewed judgment distributions with high probability. Moreover, the collective error made by these people can be inferred from how skewed their judgment distributions are, and in what direction they tilt. This implies not just that judgment distributions are shaped by cues, but that judgment distributions are cues themselves for the wisdom of crowds. The AQ model also predicts that judgment variance correlates positively with collective error, thereby challenging what is commonly believed about how diversity and collective intelligence relate. Data from 3053 judgment surveys about US macroeconomic variables obtained from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and the Wall Street Journal provide strong support, and implications are discussed with reference to three central ideas on collective intelligence, these being Galton's conjecture on the distribution of judgments, Muth's rational expectations hypothesis, and Page's diversity prediction theorem.

  8. Duality of roles and corporate governance in Greece

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Themistokles Lazarides

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Duality of the role of President of the Board of Directors (BoD and CEO has been regarded as a good practice of corporate governance. These two roles are the ones with the most power an authority within the corporation. The paper depicts the formulating factors of duality of roles in Greece. Literature has linked duality with performance, organizational stability, ownership concentration and balance of power and control within the firm. The paper, using a Probit regression analysis, examines whether these relationships are valid in Greece. Statistical – econometric analysis has shown that financial performance is not related with concentration of power and control. The same conclusion is can be drawn for ownership concentration. There is a trend of change but this trend hasn’t the same dynamic or driving factors as the ones that are reported by Kirkbride and Letza (2002 and Muth and Donaldson (1998. The hypothesis posed by Heracleous (2001 and Baliga, 6oyer and Rao (1996 are more likely to be true in the case of Greece. Overall, duality in Greece is affected by the historical development of the firm, its organizational scheme and even more by the balance of power and control within the firm.

  9. Understanding Robert Lucas (1967-1981: his influence and influences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandre F.S. Andrada

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper analyzes Robert Lucas's contribution to economic theory between 1967 (year of his first solo publication and 1981 (the year before the emergence of Real Business Cycle approach, and it has two parts. The first one, using citation data from three different sources, we try to answer two questions: (i What are Lucas's most influential papers currently? (ii How has this influence changed through time? We show, for instance, that according to two of those three sources, Lucas's most influential paper today is not from his business cycle research agenda, which gave him his Nobel Prize in 1995. Moreover, it is clear the loss of influence of Lucas's macroeconomic theory since the early 1980s. In the second part, by cataloging all the works that Lucas had used as bibliographical references in his papers and separating them in two categories (positive and negative, we try to understand who exerted influence on him. We show that the author that Lucas most cited in a positive context were John Muth, Milton Friedman and Edmund Phelps. The authors more often cited in a negative context were John M. Keynes and A. W. Phillips. We discuss the reasons behind this data.

  10. Determination of metals in medicinal plants highly consumed in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandre Soares Leal

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available In this work, samples of the medicinal plants: Boldo (Peumus boldus, Castanha da Índia (Aesculus hippocastanum, Chá Verde (Camelia sinensis, Erva Cidreira (Melissa officinalis, Espinheira Santa (Maytenus ilicifolia, Guaraná (Paullinia cupana, Maracujá (Passiflora sp., Mulungu (Erythrina velutina, Sene (Cassia angustifolia and Valeriana (Valeriana officinalis were evaluated BY using the Neutron Activation Analysis technique (NAA- k0 in order to determine the levels of metals and other chemical contaminants. The results showed the presence of non essential elements to the human body. The diversity of chemical impurities found even at low concentration levels, considering the potential for chronic toxicity of these elements, reinforces the need to improve the implementation of good practices by growers and traders, and the hypothesis of lack of quality control in plant products.

  11. Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-12-01

    This award is given to individuals who have made sustained and enduring contributions to international cooperation and the advancement of knowledge in psychology. The 2017 recipient of the APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology was selected by the 2016 Committee on International Relations in Psychology (CIRP). The members of the 2016 CIRP were Melissa Morgan Consoli, PhD, and Arpana G. Inman, PhD (Co-chairs); Rehman Abdulrehman, PhD; Gonzalo Bacigalupe, EdD; Frederic Bemak, EdD; Brigitte Khoury, PhD; Susan Nolan, PhD; Nancy Sidun, PsyD; and Danny Wedding, PhD. Dr. Morgan Consoli, Dr. Inman, Dr. Nolan, and Doctor Sidun were members of the subcommittee for the 2017 award. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  12. VIG Seminar April 5, 2018 Rachel Van Duyne and Melissa Fernandez | Center for Cancer Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Please join us for the Virology Interest Group Seminar on Thursday, April 5th, from 2:30 until 3:30 in Frederick, Building 549, Conference Room A. The seminar will also be broadcasted to Bethesda, Building 50, Room 2328.

  13. Generation of Look-Up Tables for Dynamic Job Shop Scheduling Decision Support Tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oktaviandri, Muchamad; Hassan, Adnan; Mohd Shaharoun, Awaluddin

    2016-02-01

    Majority of existing scheduling techniques are based on static demand and deterministic processing time, while most job shop scheduling problem are concerned with dynamic demand and stochastic processing time. As a consequence, the solutions obtained from the traditional scheduling technique are ineffective wherever changes occur to the system. Therefore, this research intends to develop a decision support tool (DST) based on promising artificial intelligent that is able to accommodate the dynamics that regularly occur in job shop scheduling problem. The DST was designed through three phases, i.e. (i) the look-up table generation, (ii) inverse model development and (iii) integration of DST components. This paper reports the generation of look-up tables for various scenarios as a part in development of the DST. A discrete event simulation model was used to compare the performance among SPT, EDD, FCFS, S/OPN and Slack rules; the best performances measures (mean flow time, mean tardiness and mean lateness) and the job order requirement (inter-arrival time, due dates tightness and setup time ratio) which were compiled into look-up tables. The well-known 6/6/J/Cmax Problem from Muth and Thompson (1963) was used as a case study. In the future, the performance measure of various scheduling scenarios and the job order requirement will be mapped using ANN inverse model.

  14. New regulatory pathways and incentives for sustainable antibiotics: Recent European & US Initiatives

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Minssen, Timo

    2014-01-01

    ) and the COMBACTE and TRANSLOCATION projects under NewDrugs4BadBugs program, involving the EU Commission and the pharma industry. But also national initiatives, such as the successful Danish ban and regulations on antibiotic use in animal production, as well as educational efforts (the European Antibiotic Awareness......New regulatory pathways and incentives for sustainable antibiotics: Recent European & US Initiatives Posted on March 19, 2014 by Timo Minssen Please find attached a ppt presentation on “New regulatory pathways and incentives for sustainable antibiotics: Recent European & US Initiatives” given...... on March 7, 2014 at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. The presentation was followed by a discussion moderated by US patent attorney Melissa Hunter-Ensor, Partner at Saul Ewing, Boston I started out by emphasizing increasing problems of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on a global level, providing new...

  15. Antioxidant attributes of four lamiaceae essential oils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hussain, A.I.; Anwar, A.; Iqbal, T.; Bhatti, I.A.

    2011-01-01

    The present study was conducted to investigate the antioxidant and radical scavenging activities of essential oils of four Lamiaceae plants i.e. Pogostemon cablin, Lavandula angustifolia, Melissa officinalis, and Salvia officinalis native to Pakistan. The essential oil contents from the aerial parts of P. cablin, L. angustifolia, M. officinalis and S. officinalis were found to be 1.98, 0.58, 0.25 and 0.46%, respectively. The principal chemical constituent established in P. cablin L. angustifolia, M. officinalis, and S. officinalis essential oils, were patchouli alcohol, linalool, citronellal, and 1,8-cineol, respectively. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by scavenging of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl radical (DPPH), percent inhibition of linoleic acid oxidation and bleaching beta-carotene in linoleic acid system. The essential oils possessed appreciable antioxidant and radical scavenging activities revealing potential for therapeutic applications. (author)

  16. Evaluation of macro and microminerals in crude drugs and infusions of five herbs widely used as sedatives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marta E. Petenatti

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available It has been determined the concentration of fourteen micro and macrominerals (Al, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, P, Se, and Zn in both crude drugs and infusions of Melissa officinalis L., Lamiaceae, Nepeta cataria L., Lamiaceae, Passiflora caerulea L., Passifloraceae, Tilia x moltkei Späth ex C.K. Schneid., Tiliaceae, and Valeriana officinalis L., Caprifoliaceae. These herbs are widely consumed by its sedative properties, either alone or in herb mixtures. All measurements were performed using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES. The products were obtained from regional markets, mainly in San Luis province (Argentina. The estimated daily intake was compared with current recommendations. All products and its infusions were included within the upper tolerable limits for minerals, in trace elements such as toxic elements present at low levels.

  17. Evaluation of macro and microminerals in crude drugs and infusions of five herbs widely used as sedatives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marta E. Petenatti

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available It has been determined the concentration of fourteen micro and macrominerals (Al, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, P, Se, and Zn in both crude drugs and infusions of Melissa officinalis L., Lamiaceae, Nepeta cataria L., Lamiaceae, Passiflora caerulea L., Passifloraceae, Tilia x moltkei Späth ex C.K. Schneid., Tiliaceae, and Valeriana officinalis L., Caprifoliaceae. These herbs are widely consumed by its sedative properties, either alone or in herb mixtures. All measurements were performed using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES. The products were obtained from regional markets, mainly in San Luis province (Argentina. The estimated daily intake was compared with current recommendations. All products and its infusions were included within the upper tolerable limits for minerals, in trace elements such as toxic elements present at low levels.

  18. Four new Mouse Spider species (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Actinopodidae, Missulena from Western Australia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Miglio

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Four new species of the Mouse Spider genus Missulena Walckenaer, 1805 (family Actinopodidae are described from Western Australia based on morphological features of adult males. Missulena leniae sp. n. (from the Carnarvon and Yalgoo biogeographic regions, Missulena mainae sp. n. (Carnarvon, Missulena melissae sp. n. (Pilbara and Missulena pinguipes sp. n. (Mallee represent a broad spectrum of morphological diversity found in this genus and differ from other congeners by details of the male copulatory bulb, colour patterns, eye sizes, leg morphology and leg spination. Two of the species, M. pinguipes sp. n. and M. mainae sp. n., are characterised by swollen metatarsi of the fourth legs in males, a feature not previously recorded in the family. A key to males of all named Missulena species from Australia is presented and allows their identification based on external morphology.

  19. Новые таксоны в роде Clinopodium L. (Lamiaceae. 2

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. G. Melnikov

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available В статье приводится описание пяти новых секций (sect. Umbraria, sect. Stellatocapillus, sect. Chortoranus, sect. Thymidulum, sect. Ellementha, пяти подсекций (subsect. Chinomelissa, subsect. Nepetoides, subsect. Baetica, subsect. Ascendentia, subsect. Menthofoliastrum и трех новых видов рода Clinopodium L. (C. krupkinae, C. gilanicum, C. syriacum, а также обнародование комбинаций: C. × alboviride, C. bulgaricum, C. largiflorum, C. nepetoides, C. spruneri, C. thessalum и заменяющего названия C. jordanii. Осуществлена лектотипификация Calamintha ascendens Jord., Calamintha chinensis Benth., Calamintha thessala Hausskn., Hedeoma micrantha Regel, Melissa candidissima Munby, Melissa umbrosa M. Bieb., Micromeria capitellata Benth., Satureja × alboviridis Faure et Maire.Ключевые слова: лектотипификация, номенклатурная комбинация, систематика, таксономия, новая секция, новый вид, Labiatae, Кавказ, Турция, Иран, Сирия.

  20. Preliminary investigations of the rhizosphere nature of hydroponically grown lettuces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antunes, Inês; Paille, Christel; Lasseur, Christophe

    Due to capabilities of current launchers, future manned exploration beyond the Earth orbit will imply long journeys and extended stays on planet surfaces. For this reason, it is of a great importance to develop a Regenerative Life Support System that enables the crew to be, to a very large extent, metabolic consumables self-sufficient. In this context, the European Space Agency, associated with a scientific and engineering con-sortium, initiated in 1989 the Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA) project. This concept, inspired on a terrestrial ecosystem (i.e. a lake), comprises five intercon-nected compartments inhabited by micro-organisms and higher-plants aiming to produce food, fresh water, and oxygen from organic waste, carbon dioxide, and minerals. Given the important role of the higher-plant compartment for the consumption of carbon dioxide and the production of oxygen, potable water, and food, it was decided to study the microbial communities present in the root zone of the plants (i.e. the rhizosphere), and their synergistic and antagonistic influences in the plant growth. This understanding is important for later investigations concerning the technology involved in the higher plant compartment, since the final goal is to integrate this compartment inside the MELiSSA loop and to guarantee a healthy and controlled environment for the plants to grow under reduced-gravity conditions. To perform a preliminary assessment of the microbial populations of the root zone, lettuces were grown in a hydroponic system and their growth was characterized in terms of nutrient uptake, plant diameter, and plant wet and dry weights. In parallel, the microbial population, bacteria and fungi, present in the hydroponic medium and also inside and outside the roots were analyzed in terms of quantity and nature. The goal of this presentation is to give a preliminary review in the plant root zone of the micro-organisms communities and as well their proportions

  1. Pathogenic microorganisms of medicinal herbal drugs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stević Tatjana

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available All the parts of plants (root, leaf, flower naturally have a high level of microorganisms, bacteria and fungi, especially molds. Microbial contamination could be a result of inappropriate harvesting, cleaning of the raw plant material, unhygienic processing of the plants, unsuitable transport and storage. After examination of over 40 dried medicinal plant species, the lowest microbial quality was determined for Maydis stigma, Mentha leaf and herb, Equisetum herb, Calendula flower, Urtica leaf, Melissa leaf, Serpylli herb, Chamomilla flower etc. Although mixed infections are recorded with different types of fungus, Fusarium was observed as the most dominant genus in most of the tested drugs, followed by Aspergillus and Alternaria. In addition to these fungi species from the following genera were identified: Phoma, Cephalosporium, Nigrospora, Cladosporium, Epicoccum, Gliocladium, Myrothecium, Cercospora, Phomopsis, Verticillium, Dreschlera (=Bipolaris, Rhizoctonia, Septoria, Trichoderma, Curvularia, Stachybotrys, Trichothecium, Puccinia, Botrytis, Mucor and Rhizopus sp., depending on plant species.

  2. Management of cutaneous T cell lymphoma: new and emerging targets and treatment options

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li JY

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Janet Y Li1, Steven Horwitz2, Alison Moskowitz2, Patricia L Myskowski3, Melissa Pulitzer4, Christiane Querfeld31College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 2Department of Medicine, Lymphoma Service, 3Department of Medicine, Dermatology Service, 4Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USAAbstract: Cutaneous T cell lymphomas (CTCL clinically and biologically represent a heterogeneous group of non-Hodgkin lymphomas, with mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome being the most common subtypes. Over the last decade, new immunological and molecular pathways have been identified that not only influence CTCL phenotype and growth, but also provide targets for therapies and prognostication. This review will focus on recent advances in the development of therapeutic agents, including bortezomib, the histone deacetylase inhibitors (vorinostat and romidepsin, and pralatrexate in CTCL.Keywords: novel targets, histone deacetylase inhibitors, pralatrexate, bortezomib, cutaneous T cell lymphoma

  3. Dal Conte di Montecristo ai Promessi Sposi (passando per Melissa): l’Italia all’ombra degli sceneggiati Rai

    OpenAIRE

    Campanile, Achille; Rodari, Gianni; Cipriani, Ivano

    2016-01-01

    Come Gianluigi Rossini spiega nel libro Le serie TV, e come questo numero illustra, le tante diverse forme di serialità narrativa hanno via via creato tante diverse forme di dipendenza. Ma una delle più memorabili resta quella innescata dai cosiddetti “sceneggiati” che la nostra Rai manda in onda tra gli anni Cinquanta e i Settanta, dipendenza vissuta pressoché da tutti con la stessa assolutezza, cerimonia laica, passione (e non di rado ossessione) condivisa negli stessi tempi e modi: non sol...

  4. Role of golimumab, a TNF-alpha inhibitor, in the treatment of the psoriatic arthritis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa A Michelon

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Melissa A Michelon1, Alice B Gottlieb1,21Tufts University School of Medicine, 2Department of Dermatology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USAAbstract: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA is an inflammatory arthritis that affects many psoriasis patients and can often have a debilitating disease progression. Golimumab is a new tumor necrosis factor (TNF antagonist recently approved by the FDA for controlling signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. In a Phase III clinical trial in patients with PsA, patients receiving golimumab showed significant improvement in the signs and symptoms of disease. It was usually well tolerated, but adverse events generally occurred more in patients receiving golimumab compared to placebo. Golimumab has also recently shown efficacy in slowing structural damage in PsA. This new biologic therapy provides physicians with another option in the treatment of this inflammatory arthritis while offering patients certain advantages over other TNF antagonists.Keywords: golimumab, psoriatic arthritis, TNF-alpha inhibitor

  5. Anti-Stress Effects of Lemon Balm-Containing Foods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew Scholey

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis has been used historically and contemporarily as a modulator of mood and cognitive function, with anxiolytic effects following administration of capsules, coated tablets and topical application. Following a pilot study with lemon balm extract administered as a water based drink, which confirmed absorption of rosmarinic acid effects on mood and cognitive function, we conducted two similar double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover studies. These evaluated the mood and cognitive effects of a standardised M. officinalis preparation administered in palatable forms in a beverage and in yoghurt. In each study a cohort of healthy young adults’ self-rated aspects of mood were measured before and after a multi-tasking framework (MTF administered one hour and three hours following one of four treatments. Both active lemon balm treatments were generally associated with improvements in mood and/or cognitive performance, though there were some behavioral “costs” at other doses and these effects depended to some degree on the delivery matrix.

  6. Tendenze interpuntorie in giovani narratori

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia Spinelli

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Il saggio si concentra sull’analisi dei fenomeni interpuntori all’interno di alcuni romanzi scritti da giovani autori italiani e pubblicati dopo l’anno duemila: 100 colpi di spazzola prima di andare a dormire, di Melissa P. (2003, La ragazza dei miei sogni di Roberto Dimitri (2007, La solitudine dei numeri primi di Paolo Giordano (2008, La Panzanella di Giulia Villoresi (2009, Acciaio di Silvia Avallone (2010 e Troppa umana speranza di Alessandro Mari (2011. L’analisi comparata dei romanzi sotto il profilo interpuntorio consente di mettere in luce alcuni aspetti interessanti: da un lato, la vicinanza con altre forme di scrittura (prevalentemente giornalistica attraverso l’impiego prevalente di punto fermo e virgola; dall’altro, la buona tenuta di alcuni elementi interpuntori caduti in disuso altrove ma qui ampiamente presenti, come il punto e virgola. Risulta, infine, ancora più interessante notare come tali utilizzi siano trasversali e riguardino l’intero corpus: non vi sono, infatti, distinzioni legate ai sottogeneri di appartenenza dei romanzi.

  7. Novel biosynthesis of Ag-hydroxyapatite: Structural and spectroscopic characterization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruíz-Baltazar, Álvaro de Jesús; Reyes-López, Simón Yobanny; Silva-Holguin, Pamela Nair; Larrañaga, Daniel; Estévez, Miriam; Pérez, Ramiro

    2018-06-01

    Silver-doped hydroxyapatite (Ag-HAP) was obtained by green synthesis route. The dopant silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were obtained by biosynthesis based on Melissa officinalis extract. This research is focused on the characterization and the use of the nontoxic and environment-friendly Ag-HAP nanocomposite. The structural and morphological characterization of Ag-HAP nanocomposite was carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy. The obtained nanoparticles exhibited a great interaction with the HAP matrix, performing an Ag-HAP nanocomposite. Changes in the structure of the Ag-HAP nanocomposite were corroborated by the different characterization techniques. Additionally, a homogeneous distribution of the AgNPs on the HAP structure was observed. The heterogeneous nucleation process employed to doping the HAP, offer a functional route to obtain a green composite with potentials applications in multiple fields, such as tissue engineering, bone repair as well as protein. These properties can be evaluated in subsequent studies.

  8. Non-faith-based arguments against physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sulmasy, Daniel P; Travaline, John M; Mitchell, Louise A; Ely, E Wesley

    2016-08-01

    This article is a complement to "A Template for Non-Religious-Based Discussions Against Euthanasia" by Melissa Harintho, Nathaniel Bloodworth, and E. Wesley Ely which appeared in the February 2015 Linacre Quarterly . Herein we build upon Daniel Sulmasy's opening and closing arguments from the 2014 Intelligence Squared debate on legalizing assisted suicide, supplemented by other non-faith-based arguments and thoughts, providing four nontheistic arguments against physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia: (1) "it offends me"; (2) slippery slope; (3) "pain can be alleviated"; (4) physician integrity and patient trust. Lay Summary: Presented here are four non-religious, reasonable arguments against physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia: (1) "it offends me," suicide devalues human life; (2) slippery slope, the limits on euthanasia gradually erode; (3) "pain can be alleviated," palliative care and modern therapeutics more and more adequately manage pain; (4) physician integrity and patient trust, participating in suicide violates the integrity of the physician and undermines the trust patients place in physicians to heal and not to harm.

  9. International Humanitarian Award.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-12-01

    The International Humanitarian Award recognizes extraordinary humanitarian services and activism by psychologists, including professional and volunteer work conducted primarily in the field with underserved populations. Award recipients are psychologists who, by their extraordinary service at a difficult time, improve the lives and contribute to the well-being of people in a large or small geographic area anywhere in the world. The 2017 recipient of the APA International Humanitarian Award was selected by the 2016 Committee on International Relations in Psychology (CIRP). The members of the 2016 CIRP were Melissa Morgan Consoli, PhD, and Arpana G. Inman, PhD (Co-chairs); Rehman Abdulrehman, PhD; Gonzalo Bacigalupe, EdD; Frederic Bemak, EdD; Brigitte Khoury, PhD; Susan Nolan, PhD; Nancy Sidun, PsyD; and Danny Wedding, PhD. Dr. Morgan Consoli, Dr. Inman, Dr. Nolan, and Doctor Sidun were members of the subcommittee for the 2017 award. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  10. Developing Effective Undergraduate Research Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, Michael; Ilie, Carolina C.

    2011-03-01

    Undergraduate research is a valuable educational tool for students pursuing a degree in physics, but these experiences can become problematic and ineffective if not handled properly. Undergraduate research should be planned as an immersive learning experience in which the student has the opportunity to develop his/her skills in accordance with their interests. Effective undergraduate research experiences are marked by clear, measurable objectives and frequent student-professor collaboration. These objectives should reflect the long and short-term goals of the individual undergraduates, with a heightened focus on developing research skills for future use. 1. Seymour, E., Hunter, A.-B., Laursen, S. L. and DeAntoni, T. (2004), ``Establishing the benefits of research experiences for undergraduates in the sciences: First findings from a three-year study''. Science Education, 88: 493--534. 2. Behar-Horenstein, Linda S., Johnson, Melissa L. ``Enticing Students to Enter Into Undergraduate Research: The Instrumentality of an Undergraduate Course.'' Journal of College Science Teaching 39.3 (2010): 62-70.

  11. Factors limiting the recovery of boreal toads (Bufo b. boreas)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carey, C.; Corn, P.S.; Jones, M.S.; Livo, L.J.; Muths, E.; Loeffler, C.W.; Lannoo, M.

    2005-01-01

    Boreal toads (Bufo b. boreas) are widely distributed over much of the mountainous western United States. Populations in the Southern Rocky Mountains suffered extensive declines in the late 1970s through early 1980s (Carey, 1993). At the time, these mass mortalities were thought to be associated with a bacterial infection (Carey, 1993). Although the few populations that survived the mass die-offs were not systematically monitored until at least 1993, no mass mortalities had been observed until 1996 when die-offs were observed. A mycotic skin infection associated with a chytrid fungus is now causing mortality of toads in at least two of the populations (M.S. Jones and D.E. Green, unpublished data; Muths et al., 2003). Boreal toads are now absent throughout large areas of their former distribution in Colorado and southern Wyoming and may be extinct in New Mexico (Corn et al., 1989; Carey, 1993; Stuart and Painter, 1994). These toads are classified as “endangered” by Colorado and New Mexico and are designated as a protected non-game species in Wyoming. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has categorized the Southern Rocky Mountain populations for federal listing and is currently reviewing their designation as a “warranted but precluded” species for possible listing in the next few years. For the management of boreal toads and their habitats, a Boreal Toad Recovery Team was formed by the Colorado Division of Wildlife in 1995 as part of a collaborative effort with federal agencies within the United States’ departments of the Interior and Agriculture and with agencies in two adjoining states. To date, conservation agreements have been signed by eight state and federal agencies and by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program. Although boreal toads were considered common throughout their range in Colorado, no comprehensive surveys of the numbers and sizes of their populations were conducted prior to mass die-offs in the 1970s. Surveys completed in the late 1980s to

  12. Cyanobacteria to Link Closed Ecological Systems and In-Situ Resources Utilization Processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Igor

    Introduction: A major goal for the Vision of Space Exploration is to extend human presence across the solar sys-tem. With current technology, however, all required consumables for these missions (propellant, air, food, water) as well as habitable volume and shielding to support human explorers will need to be brought from Earth. In-situ pro-duction of consumables (In-Situ Resource Utilization-ISRU) will significantly facilitate current plans for human ex-ploration and colonization of the solar system, especially by reducing the logistical overhead such as recurring launch mass. The production of oxygen from lunar materials is generally recognized as the highest priority process for lunar ISRU, for both human metabolic and fuel oxidation needs. The most challenging technology developments for future lunar settlements may lie in the extraction of elements (O, Fe, Mn, Ti, Si, etc) from local rocks and soils for life support, industrial feedstock and the production of propellants. With few exceptions (e.g., Johannson, 1992), nearly all technology development to date has employed an ap-proach based on inorganic chemistry (e.g. Allen et al., 1996). None of these technologies include concepts for inte-grating the ISRU system with a bioregenerative life support system and a food production systems. Bioregenerative life support efforts have recently been added to the Constellation ISRU development program (Sanders et al, 2007). Methods and Concerns: The European Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA) is an ad-vanced concept for organizing a bioregenerative system for long term space flights and extraterrestrial settlements (Hendrickx, De Wever et al., 2005). However the MELiSSA system is a net consumer of ISRU products without a net return to in-situ technologies, e.g.. to extract elements as a result of complete closure of MELiSSA. On the other hand, the physical-chemical processes for ISRU are typically massive (relative to the rate of oxygen

  13. Detection of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in German licensed herbal medicinal teas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulz, M; Meins, J; Diemert, S; Zagermann-Muncke, P; Goebel, R; Schrenk, D; Schubert-Zsilavecz, M; Abdel-Tawab, M

    2015-06-01

    Because of the hepatotoxic, mutagenic, and cancerogenic effects of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) recommends not to exceed a daily PA intake of 0.007 µg/kg body weight (0.42 µg/60 kg adult). In a recent study conducted by the BfR, up to 5647 µg PA/kg dried herbal material were detected in tea products marketed as food. The present study aimed at elucidating whether medicinal teas licensed or registered as medicinal products contain PAs as well. One hundred sixty-nine different commercially available medicinal teas, i.e. 19 nettle (Urtica dioica L.), 12 fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.), 14 chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.), 11 melissa (Melissa officinalis L.) and 4 peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) teas as well as 109 tea mixtures were analyzed for the presence of 23 commercially available PAs. LC/MS was used for the determination of the PAs In general, the total PA contents ranging 0-5668 µg/kg. Thirty percent of the tested single-ingredient tea products and 56.9% of the tested medicinal tea mixtures were found to contain PA concentrations above the limit of quantification (LOQ) of 10 µg/kg. In 11 medicinal teas PA contents >300 µg/kg dry herb were determined thus exceeding the recommended limit for PA intake by BfR. In addition three products of the investigated tea mixtures revealed extremely high PA contents of 4227, 5137, and 5668 µg/kg. Generally, single-ingredient tea products contained much less or even no detectable amounts of PAs when compared to the tea mixtures. PAs in the range between 13 and 1080 µg/kg were also detected in five analyzed aqueous herbal infusions of the medicinal tea mixture products with the highest PA content. Two out of the five investigated herbal infusions exceeded the recommended BfR limit for PA intake. This study demonstrates clearly that also medicinal teas licensed as medicinal products may partly contain high amounts of PAs exceeding current recommendations. For

  14. Enhancing activity and thermostability of lipase A from Serratia marcescens by site-directed mutagenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammadi, Mohsen; Sepehrizadeh, Zargham; Ebrahim-Habibi, Azadeh; Shahverdi, Ahmad Reza; Faramarzi, Mohammad Ali; Setayesh, Neda

    2016-11-01

    Lipases as significant biocatalysts had been widely employed to catalyze various chemical reactions such as ester hydrolysis, ester synthesis, and transesterification. Improving the activity and thermostability of enzymes is desirable for industrial applications. The lipase of Serratia marcescens belonging to family I.3 lipase has a very important pharmaceutical application in production of chiral precursors. In the present study, to achieve improved lipase activity and thermostability, using computational predictions of protein, four mutant lipases of SML (MutG2P, MutG59P, Mut H279K and MutL613WA614P) were constructed by site-directed mutagenesis. The recombinant mutant proteins were over-expressed in E. coli and purified by affinity chromatography on the Ni-NTA system. Circular dichroism spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and kinetic parameters (Km and kcat) were determined. Our results have shown that the secondary structure of all lipases was approximately similar to one another. The MutG2P and MutG59P were more stable than wild type by approximately 2.3 and 2.9 in T 1/2 , respectively. The catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) of MutH279K was enhanced by 2-fold as compared with the wild type (p<0.05). These results indicate that using protein modeling program and creating mutation, can enhance lipase activity and/or thermostability of SML and it also could be used for improving other properties of enzyme to the desired requirements as well as further mutations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Bayesian estimation and entropy for economic dynamic stochastic models: An exploration of overconsumption

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Argentiero, Amedeo; Bovi, Maurizio; Cerqueti, Roy

    2016-01-01

    This paper examines psycho-induced overconsumption in a dynamic stochastic context. As emphasized by well-established psychological results, these psycho-distortions derive from a decision making based on simple rules-of-thumb, not on analytically sounded optimizations. To our end, we therefore compare two New Keynesian models. The first is populated by optimizing Muth-rational agents and acts as the normative benchmark. The other is a “psycho-perturbed” version of the benchmark that allows for the potential presence of overoptimism and, hence, of overconsumption. The parameters of these models are estimated through a Bayesian-type procedure, and performances are evaluated by employing an entropy measure. Such methodologies are particularly appropriate here since they take in full consideration the complexity generated by the randomness of the considered systems. In particular, they let to derive a not negligible information on the size and on the cyclical properties of the biases. In line with cognitive psychology suggestions our evidence shows that the overoptimism/overconsumption is: widespread—it is detected in nation-wide data; persistent—it emerges in full-sample estimations; it moves according to the expected cyclical behavior—larger in booms, and it disappears in crises. Moreover, by taking into account the effect of these psycho-biases, the model fits actual data better than the benchmark. All considered, then, enhancing the existing literature our findings: i) sustain the importance of inserting psychological distortions in macroeconomic models and ii) underline that system dynamics and psycho biases have statistically significant and economically important connections.

  16. Influence of Biophysical Priming on Seed Germination and Yield on Two Landraces of Lemon-Balm (Melissa officinalis L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marziyeh HOSEINI

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available The aim is to study the effects of physical seed priming on germination and yield of lemon balm. Laboratory and pots experiments were conducted as factorial based on completely randomized design. The treatments are magnetic field with 75 mT for 10 and 15 min durations; laser light with 2 mw.cm-2 for 20 min; ultrasonic wave with physiotrapy device for 20 min; cs-gamma ray for one hour in lead cell, and control that were applied on two landraces of lemon balm (‘Karaj’, ‘Esfahan’. Then in laboratory with use of special paper and pure water the seeds were cultured in petri-dishes and were putt in germinator with 19°C temperature for 8 days and were counted daily. Some parts of primed seeds were stored in normal condition for 6 months and were cultured in laboratory condition. All the primed seeds were farmed in pots. Three months later the plants were harvested in first blooming level and dry weight and essential oil percentage were measured. Results showed that the influence of various treatments on germination percentage and germination rate were significant. Magnetic field treatment (15 min showed the highest positive effect on percentage (86%, and rate. The length and weight of seedling in magnetic field treatment were the highest in comparison with other ones. Considering physiological characteristics, the higher Leaf Area Ratio and Leaf Area Index were seen in magnetic field. Effect of different treatments on plant height, biomass dry weight and essential oil concentration was significant.

  17. Novel biosynthesis of Ag-hydroxyapatite: Structural and spectroscopic characterization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Álvaro de Jesús Ruíz-Baltazar

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Silver-doped hydroxyapatite (Ag-HAP was obtained by green synthesis route. The dopant silver nanoparticles (AgNPs were obtained by biosynthesis based on Melissa officinalis extract. This research is focused on the characterization and the use of the nontoxic and environment-friendly Ag-HAP nanocomposite. The structural and morphological characterization of Ag-HAP nanocomposite was carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy. The obtained nanoparticles exhibited a great interaction with the HAP matrix, performing an Ag-HAP nanocomposite. Changes in the structure of the Ag-HAP nanocomposite were corroborated by the different characterization techniques. Additionally, a homogeneous distribution of the AgNPs on the HAP structure was observed. The heterogeneous nucleation process employed to doping the HAP, offer a functional route to obtain a green composite with potentials applications in multiple fields, such as tissue engineering, bone repair as well as protein. These properties can be evaluated in subsequent studies. Keywords: Green synthesis, Ag nanoparticles, Hydroxyapatite, Structural characterization, Spectroscopy

  18. OXIDATIVE STABILITY OF CHILLED CHICKEN MEAT AFTER FEEDING OF SELECTED PLANTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mária Martonová

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available  The effect of feeding of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis, L and combination of yarrow (Achillea millefolium L and hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha L on oxidative stability and sensory properties of produced poultry meat was investigated. Sixty one-day-old commercial broiler chicks (ROSS 308 were used in our experiment, divided into 3 groups, and fed 41 days, as follows: control (K was fed with standard diet without supplementation of plants; second group (M was fed with standard diet supplemented with grounded lemon balm in concentration 2 % per 1 kg; and third group was fed with standard diet supplemented with grounded yarrow (2 % and hawthorn (1 %. Results showed that supplementation with lemon balm, and mainly combination of yarrow and hawthorn in the diet significantly caused reduction of lipid oxidation processes in thigh meat during chilling storage of samples. In addition, supplementation of plants in the diet had positive effect on sensory quality of meat of broiler chickens.    doi:10.5219/38 

  19. Envisioning the future of wildlife in a changing climate: Collaborative learning for adaptation planning

    Science.gov (United States)

    LeDee, Olivia E.; Karasov, W.H.; Martin, Karl J.; Meyer, Michael W.; Ribic, Christine; Van Deelen, Timothy R.

    2011-01-01

    Natural resource managers are tasked with assessing the impacts of climate change on conservation targets and developing adaptation strategies to meet agency goals. The complex, transboundary nature of climate change demands the collaboration of scientists, managers, and stakeholders in this effort. To share, integrate, and apply knowledge from these diverse perspectives, we must engage in social learning. In 2009, we initiated a process to engage university researchers and agency scientists and managers in collaborative learning to assess the impacts of climate change on terrestrial fauna in the state of Wisconsin, USA. We constructed conceptual Bayesian networks to depict the influence of climate change, key biotic and abiotic factors, and existing stressors on the distribution and abundance of 3 species: greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido), wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus), and Karner blue butterfly (Plebejus melissa samuelis). For each species, we completed a 2-stage expert review that elicited dialogue on information gaps, management opportunities, and research priorities. From our experience, collaborative network modeling proved to be a powerful tool to develop a common vision of the potential impacts of climate change on conservation targets.

  20. An epidemiological study on herbal product self-medication practice among psychotic outpatients from Serbia: A cross-sectional study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gordana Nikolić

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Utilization of herbal products (HPs is a common practice in the traditional medicine of people from southeastern Serbia. In this study, we focused on the usage of HPs as a self-medication practice among patients diagnosed with a mental illness, by aiming to ascertain the usage prevalence, the identity of the main plant taxa utilized, their formulations and target symptoms. This was accomplished through a cross-sectional study of psychiatric outpatients, conducted in the Clinic for Mental Health Protection in Niš, and which included a questionnaire on HP utilization and a non-structured psychiatric interview. Typically, single, middle-aged males, with a secondary education degree, utilized Matricaria chamomilla and/or Melissa officinalis in a form of an infusion (tea for relieving anxiety and psychotic symptoms. In some cases, adverse effects were noted when HPs were used in combination with prescribed psychotropic medications. Our and previous results urge a thorough evaluation of possible benefits and/or harmful interactions of HP with standard medication in the treatment of psychiatric patients.

  1. Reviews of recent publications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2001-06-01

    Full Text Available Alonso, Carlos J. The Burden of Modernity: The Rhetoric of Cultural Discourse in Spanish America Reviewed by Melvin S. Arrington, Jr. Kolocotroni, Vassiliki, Jane Goldman, and Olga Taxidou, eds, Modernism: An Anthology of Sources and Documents Reviewed by Gerd Bayer Motte, Warren. Small Worlds: Minimalism in Contemporary French Literature Reviewed by William Cloonan Melton, Judith M. The Face of Exile: Autobiographical Journeys Reviewed by Claude P. Desmarais Redding, Arthur. Raids on Human Consciousness: Writing, Anarchism, and Violence Reviewed by Gail Finney Chambers, Ross. Facing It: AIDS Diaries and the Death of the Author Reviewed by Melissa A. Fitch Marx-Scouras, Danielle. The Cultural Politics of Tel Quel: Literature and the Left in the Wake of Engagement Reviewed by Diane Fourny Foster, David William. Buenos Aires: Perspectives on the City and Cultural Production Reviewed by Gustavo Geirola Nelson, Ardis L., ed. Guillermo Cabrera Infante: Assays, essays, and other arts Reviewed by José Luis Martinez-Dueñas Fox, Claire F. The Fence and the River: Culture and Politics at the U.S.-Mexico Border Reviewed by Robert Neustadt

  2. Growth modelling of Nitrosomonas europaea ATCC® 19718 and Nitrobacter winogradskyi ATCC® 25391: A new online indicator of the partial nitrification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruvellier, Nelly; Poughon, Laurent; Creuly, Catherine; Dussap, C-Gilles; Lasseur, Christophe

    2016-11-01

    The aim of the present work was to study the growth of two nitrifying bacteria. For modelling the nitrifying subsystem of the MELiSSA loop, Nitrosomonas europaea ATCC® 19718 and Nitrobacter winogradskyi ATCC® 25931 were grown separately and in cocultures. The kinetic parameters of a stoichiometric mass balanced Pirt model were identified: μmax=0.054h(-1), decay rate b=0.003h(-1) and maintenance rate m=0.135gN-NH4(+)·gX(-1)·h(-1) for Nitrosomonas europaea; μmax=0.024h(-1), b=0.001h(-1) and m=0.467gN-NO2(-)·gX(-1)·h(-1) for Nitrobacter winogradskyi. A predictive structured model of nitrification in co-culture was developed. The online evolution of the addition of KOH is correlated to the nitritation; the dissolved oxygen concentration is correlated to both nitritation and nitratation. The model suitably represents these two variables so that transient partial nitrification is assessed. This is a clue for avoiding partial nitrification by predictive functional control. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Snapping up the market: the Rock Hamburgueria case

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Paula Kieling

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This study case aims to offer the students an opportunity of experiencing relevant situations to the marketing context, from the management analysis of Rock Hamburgueria, an establishment that sells gourmet burgers in a competitive environment. The restaurant, opened in 2014 in Florianópolis, SC, Brazil by Melissa Andrade and André Fernandes, was profitable in its first year of activity, but has suffered a drop in sales, attributed to the increased competition in the industry and the economic crisis in the country. To outstand from the others, reach their target audience and achieve better results, the partners need to invest in marketing strategies, but given their limited capital to invest in the field, the partners are facing a dilemma: should they focus on traditional marketing or digital marketing actions? As a teaching tool, the case was developed to be used in graduate and undergraduate courses in Business Administration and Marketing. The discussion in the in Marketing Management and Digital Marketing courses includes topics such as marketing management and digital marketing.

  4. Effect of Elevated CO2 in Different Fertilizer Conditions on Physiological Traits in Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis at Greenhouse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Shoor

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations and nutrients supply are generally expected to enhance photosynthesis and growth of crops as a result considerably increase yields. The present study aims to investigate effects of elevated CO2 and different fertilizer conditions on physiological traits in Lemon balm. A factorial experiment was conducted based on completely randomized design with three replications and nine treatments at the greenhouse in 2010. The experiment factors were included three CO2 concentrations (380, 700 and 1050 ppm and three kinds of conditions fertilizer (no fertilizer, manure fertilizer and nitrogen fertilizer. The results indicated that increasing of CO2 from 380 to 1050 ppm led to improve in leaf area, plant height, relative growth ratio, total dry matter and final yield of individual plant. The highest and the lowest amount of measured traits related to with and without nitrogen fertilizer, respectively. Impact of elevated CO2 in conjunction with nitrogen and manure fertilizers increased. These effects were more on total dry matter and final yield than other growth indices. Therefore, it can be concluded that, whereas increase of temperature caused by rising CO2 is not considered or there is not any limitation for resources, CO2 enrichment will be improved lemon balm production.

  5. The Sunnel: Engaging Visitors in Solar Research via a Tunnel Through the Sun

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeMuth, Nora H.; Walker, C. E.

    2006-12-01

    The publicly accessible hallway space inside the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope building on Kitt Peak has great untapped potential to house a display that would be relevant and understandable to KPNO visitors without the need for mediation or further explanation. An effective display would unite background content on solar physics and astronomy, and information on current solar research techniques and results in an accessible way that would excite and engage visitors. Considering these requirements, we created a concept currently dubbed the Sunnel (for “Sun-tunnel”). The Sunnel consists of two 95by 13-foot murals of the layers of the Sun stretching down the visitor hallway in the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope. Temperatures of the layers are represented by the colors of the peak in the corresponding black-body curves, and solar features such as sunspots and pressure waves are represented by abstract designs flowing along the walls. A photon path will be laid on the floor using tiles, and several posters highlighting current solar research and background science content relevant to solar research will be displayed on one wall. An audio tour featuring interviews with solar researchers guides visitors along the Sunnel, engaging them and supporting deeper appreciation of the solar research. Installation of the murals is scheduled for early 2007, just in time to celebrate the International Heliophysical Year. DeMuth's research was supported by the NOAO/KPNO Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program which is funded by the National Science Foundation through Scientific Program Order No. 3 (AST-0243875) of the Cooperative Agreement No. AST-0132798 between the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) and the NSF.

  6. "One for Sorrow, Two for Joy?": American embryo transfer guideline recommendations, practices, and outcomes for gestational surrogate patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Pamela M

    2017-04-01

    In January 2016, Melissa Cook, a California gestational surrogate experiencing a multiple-birth pregnancy following the in vitro fertilization (IVF) transfer of three embryos comprised of donor eggs and sperm provided by the intended father, went to the media when the intended father requested that she undergo a fetal reduction because twins were less expensive to raise than triplets. Much of the legal interest in this case to date has centered on the enforceability of surrogacy contracts. However, the Cook case also raises troubling issues about fertility treatment practices involving gestational surrogates, twin preference, and third-party reproduction medical decision-making. This paper focuses on multiple-embryo transfers in the context of US surrogacy arrangements. Offering an original analysis of data obtained from the US national-assisted reproduction registry, it examines single- and multiple-embryo transfer trends over a 12-year period (2003 to 2014). Findings reveal that recommended guidelines were followed in fewer than 42% of the cases in 2014. The paper argues that ensuring equitable medical treatment for all recipients of IVF requires the adoption of treatment guidelines tailored to, and offering protections for, specific patient groups, and that, once in place, guidelines must be robustly implemented.

  7. Volatile compounds of Lamiaceae exhibit a synergistic antibacterial activity with streptomycin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sthéfane G. Araújo

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Bacterial infections cause thousands of deaths in the world every year. In most cases, infections are more serious because the patient is already weakened, and often, the bacteria are already resistant to the antibiotics used. Counterparting this negative scenario, the interest in medicinal plants as an alternative to the synthetic antimicrobial drugs is blossoming worldwide. In the present work, we identified the volatile compounds of ethanol extracts of Melissa officinalis, Mentha sp., Ocimum basilicum, Plectranthus barbatus, and Rosmarinus officinalis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS. Also was evaluated antimicrobial activity of ethanol extracts against 6 bacteria of clinical interest, and was tested the interaction of these extracts with a commercial antibiotic streptomycin. Phytol was a compound identified in all extracts by GC/MS, being majoritary component in Plectranthus barbatus and Rosmarinus officinalis. The Gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive to ethanol extracts, and Plectranthus barbatus and Rosmarinus officinalis were the most active extracts. Ethanol extracts exhibited a synergetic effect with streptomycin. These results encourage additional studies, in order to evaluate the possibilities of using ethanol extracts of Lamiaceae family as natural source for antibacterial activity.

  8. Formulation and quality control of a poly herbal tranquilizer syrup

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Background and objectives: Herbal drugs are rapidly becoming popular in recent years as alternative therapies. Numerous poly herbal formulations, which are combinations of different herbal materials/extracts are being used for prevention or treatment of various disorders. The present research has been undertaken to formulate and evaluate the quality of a tranquilizing syrup based on Iranian traditional medicine references. Methods: A decoction containing Echium amoenum L., Lavandula spp. L., Melissa officinalis L., Cuscuta chinensis Lam, Vitis venifera L.,Prunus domestica and Alhagi camelorum Fisch.was prepared and then filtered. The filtrate was concentrated and different sweeteners and flavoring agents including, brown sugar, honey, masking flavor, sucralose, lemon and orange essential oil were examined to cover the unpleasant taste of the product caused by Cuscuta chinensis. Finally,sucralose was found to be beneficent to cover the unpleasant taste. The final product was evaluated physicochemically and microbiologically according to standard protocols. Results: The results of the quality control assessments demonstrated that the color, odor, microbial and physicochemical characteristics of the syrup were acceptable. Conclusion: The formulated syrup can be examined in in vivo and clinical studies as a tranquilizer with respect to its tranquilizing herbal content.

  9. Larval Performance in the Context of Ecological Diversification and Speciation in Lycaeides Butterflies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cynthia F. Scholl

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The role of ecology in diversification has been widely investigated, though few groups have been studied in enough detail to allow comparisons of different ecological traits that potentially contribute to reproductive isolation. We investigated larval performance within a species complex of Lycaeides butterflies. Caterpillars from seven populations were reared on five host plants, asking if host-specific, adaptive larval traits exist. We found large differences in performance across plants and fewer differences among populations. The patterns of performance are complex and suggest both conserved traits (i.e., plant effects across populations and more recent dynamics of local adaptation, in particular for L. melissa that has colonized an exotic host. We did not find a relationship between oviposition preference and larval performance, suggesting that preference did not evolve to match performance. Finally, we put larval performance within the context of several other traits that might contribute to ecologically based reproductive isolation in the Lycaeides complex. This larger context, involving multiple ecological and behavioral traits, highlights the complexity of ecological diversification and emphasizes the need for detailed studies on the strength of putative barriers to gene flow in order to fully understand the process of ecological speciation.

  10. Effects of Honey Addition on Antioxidative Properties of Different Herbal Teas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toydemir Gamze

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Tea and herbal infusions are among the major contributors of phenolic compounds, specifically flavonoids, in our daily diet. Honey is another antioxidant-rich food that is widely used as a natural sweetener. In this work, the effects of honey addition on antioxidant properties of different herbal teas were investigated. For this purpose, 2 different types of honey (flower and pine honey were added into 9 different herbal teas (melissa, green tea, rosehip, sage, echinacea, fennel, linden, daisy, and ginger at 4 different temperatures (55°C, 65°C, 75°C, and 85°C, and the changes in the content of total pheolics, total flavonoids, and total antioxidant capacity were determined. The total phenolic content and the total antioxidant capacity of the honey-added-tea samples were found to be increased (up to 57% for both, especially with pine honey and at higher temperatures of honey addition. The findings of this study supported the use of honey as a natural sweetener in tea in order to be able to benefit from the health-enhancing antioxidative properties of these two promising food products.

  11. On difference and capital: gender and the globalization of production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bair, Jennifer

    2010-01-01

    This article is both a review of, and an intervention in, the literature on gender and the globalization of production. Via a discussion of six key texts analyzing export-oriented manufacturing, ranging from Maria Mies's Lace Makers of Narsapur to Melissa Wright's Disposable Women and Other Myths of Global Capitalism, I show that, over time, the focus has shifted from an emphasis on the feminization of manufacturing as a defining feature of globalization to an appreciation of the diverse and contingent ways in which gender matters for offshore production. While this recent scholarship highlights variability in gendered labor regimes at the global-local nexus, I argue that it is also critically important to ask what is similar about the many locations on the global assembly line that have been studied. Specifically, we must look to how gender, as a set of context-specific meanings and practices, works within the macrostructure of the global economy and its systemic logic of capital accumulation. In other words, while capitalism does not determine the concrete modalities of gender that exist in a given locale, it is essential for explaining the gendered dimension of transnational production as a patterned regularity of contemporary globalization.

  12. Orienteering Club

    CERN Multimedia

    Club d'Orientation

    2011-01-01

    C’est reparti pour une nouvelle coupe d’automne Samedi 27 août, plus de soixante coureurs sont venus au rendez-vous de la première étape de la coupe dans la forêt de Grange Malval. Certains rentraient juste de la grande semaine O’Festival de Chambéry, courses en parallèle des championnats du monde de CO, et ne manquaient pas d’entrainement. Les 6 parcours proposés par les organisateurs du club de CO du CERN ont été remportés par: Facile court (1,7 km, dénivelé 50 m, 10 postes) 1er Melissa Assfalo (19:23), 2e Elliot Dannecker (26:44), 3e Ulysse Dannecker (26:51) Facile moyen (2,7 km, dénivelé 80 m, 13 postes) 1er Julien Vuitton (22:28), 2e Carlos Vidal (49:04), 3e Clément Genot (1:03:20) Facile long (3,9 km, dénivelé 100 m, 10 postes) 1er Tony/Joan Cass/Brooks (1:23:30), 2e Anna Lip...

  13. Students with Non-Proficient Information Seeking Skills Greatly Over-Estimate Their Abilities. A Review of: Gross, Melissa, and Don Latham.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Herron

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Objective – The objective of this study is an investigation of the relationship between students’ self-assessment of their information literacy skills and their actual skill level, as well as an analysis of whether library anxiety is related to information skill attainment. Design – Quantitative research design (Information Literacy Test (ILT, Library Anxiety Scale (LAS, pre and post surveys.Setting – Florida State University, United States.Subjects – Students, incoming freshmen.Methods – Information literacy skills were measured using the Information Literacy Test (ILT, presenting subjects with 65 multiple choice items designed around four of the five ACRL information literacy standards, in which students were expectedto: 1 determine the nature and extent of the information needed; 2 access needed information effectively and efficiently; 3 evaluate information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his/her knowledge base system; 4 understand many of the economic, legal and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally. The ILT categorized participant scores as non-proficient(Main Results – The main aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that students who test non-proficient on an information literacy test tend to overestimate their competency to a higher degree than proficient and advanced students. In the pre- and post-surveys, the students were asked to estimate their performance onthe ILT in terms of the expected percentage of questions they would answer correctly, the number of questions they expected to answer correctly, and how their performance on the ILT would compare toothers taking the test (in percentage. The results of the study show that all students overestimate their abilities, both in terms of performance and relative performance, in the pre-survey. The estimated percentage correct answers for the whole group was 75%, but the actual percentage correct was 65%. The estimated score was 50 and the actual 39, and the estimated comparison with their peers was 77% and the actual 53%. All three measures demonstrated a significant difference between estimated and actual values. On the ILT, the mean score for the bottom tier of the students was 34, and the mean score for the top tier was 42, showing a significant difference between the top and bottom tier in a t-test. On the ILT, 23 students scored less than 39 (= nonproficient, 27 scored between 39-53 (proficient. Only one student, a top quartile participant, showed advanced information literacy skills (a score above 53. In the post-survey, the students still over-estimated their performance, but to a lesser degree. All three groups adjusted their self-estimates in the post-survey in response to information skills testing, but the non-proficient group over-estimated their skills to a higher degree, on both pre-and post-surveys. The estimated percentage correct answers for the whole group was69%, but the actual was 65%, the estimated score was 44 and the actual 39, and the estimated comparison with their peers was 70% and the actual 53%. All three measures demonstrated a significant difference. All results show that the original hypothesis holds: non-proficient students over-estimate their abilities to a greater degree, both in terms of score and performance relative totheir peers. The LAS was used to see if there was a relationship between student scores on the ILT and library anxiety. Bi-variate analysis was performed on the ILT scores and student total scores on the LAS, and the results show that library anxiety tended to decrease with higher scores on the ILT. This result was not expected from the theory. In the pre-survey, the students were asked how they had obtained their information literacy skills. The top tier indicated a reliance on more formal sources (e.g. school library media center, classroom, and/or public library, while the bottom tier relied on less formal sources (e.g. friends and self-teaching. This suggested that library instruction was not effective reaching the weakest group of students. In addition, nearly 75% of all participants responded that they were largely self-taught. Conclusions – The results show a difference between the level of information literacy skills between lower-performing and higher-performing freshmen, but the study as a whole gives some evidence that many students could be information illiterate when entering university (45% tested non-proficient. There is an association between scores on an information literacy test and students’ estimates of their information literacy skills. Students who demonstrate low-level skills hold even more inflated views of their abilities, and the very competent may tend to underestimate their performance. However, the limited number of subjects in this study makes further analysis impossible. No correlation was found between performance on the ILT and the experience of library anxiety as measured by the LAS, although the subscale “knowledge of the library” demonstrated a negative relationship with information literacy skills. That is, the higher the score, the less the anxiety.There are several limitations of the study (which the authors acknowledge. One limitation that is important to note the small sample size, which limits the possibility to generalize the findings to the broader population of incoming students. More research is needed on how to best design, market, and deliver information literacy education to students with non-proficient information literacy skills since they seem to be unaware of their deficiencies.

  14. From The Count of Montecristo to The Bethroted (to say nothing of Melissa: Italy and television serials during the Sixties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Achille Campanile

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Come Gianluigi Rossini spiega nel libro Le serie TV, e come questo numero illustra, le tante diverse forme di serialità narrativa hanno via via creato tante diverse forme di dipendenza. Ma una delle più memorabili resta quella innescata dai cosiddetti “sceneggiati” che la nostra Rai manda in onda tra gli anni Cinquanta e i Settanta, dipendenza vissuta pressoché da tutti con la stessa assolutezza, cerimonia laica, passione (e non di rado ossessione condivisa negli stessi tempi e modi: non solo la fiction di turno spadroneggia indisturbata (oltre a non avere concorrenti alla sua altezza, la televisione consiste fino al 1961 in un  solo canale, in due fino al 1979, ma inoltre sprigiona, diversamente dai quiz e dai festival, il fascino garantito del mondo immaginario; e d’altra parte, diversamente dai libri, dai film stessi (e, ovviamente, dalle serie attuali, permette alla collettività di scivolare in questo mondo in simultanea, lo distilla con cadenze regolari nella quotidianità della nazione.

  15. Has growth mixture modeling improved our understanding of how early change predicts psychotherapy outcome?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koffmann, Andrew

    2017-03-02

    Early change in psychotherapy predicts outcome. Seven studies have used growth mixture modeling [GMM; Muthén, B. (2001). Second-generation structural equation modeling with a combination of categorical and continuous latent variables: New opportunities for latent class-latent growth modeling. In L. M. Collins & A. G. Sawyers (Eds.), New methods for the analysis of change (pp. 291-322). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association] to identify patient classes based on early change but have yielded conflicting results. Here, we review the earlier studies and apply GMM to a new data set. In a university-based training clinic, 251 patients were administered the Outcome Questionnaire-45 [Lambert, M. J., Hansen, N. B., Umphress, V., Lunnen, K., Okiishi, J., Burlingame, G., … Reisinger, C. W. (1996). Administration and scoring manual for the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ 45.2). Wilmington, DE: American Professional Credentialing Services] at each psychotherapy session. We used GMM to identify class structure based on change in the first six sessions and examined trajectories as predictors of outcome. The sample was best described as a single class. There was no evidence of autoregressive trends in the data. We achieved better fit to the data by permitting latent variables some degree of kurtosis, rather than to assume multivariate normality. Treatment outcome was predicted by the amount of early improvement, regardless of initial level of distress. The presence of sudden early gains or losses did not further improve outcome prediction. Early improvement is an easily computed, powerful predictor of psychotherapy outcome. The use of GMM to investigate the relationship between change and outcome is technically complex and computationally intensive. To date, it has not been particularly informative.

  16. The prediction of Neutron Elastic Scattering from Tritium for E(n) = 6-14 MeV

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anderson, J D; Dietrich, F S; Luu, T; McNabb, D P; Navratil, P; Quaglioni, S

    2010-06-14

    In a recent report Navratil et al. evaluated the angle-integrated cross section and the angular distribution for 14-MeV n+T elastic scattering by inferring these cross sections from accurately measured p+3He angular distributions. This evaluation used a combination of two theoretical treatments, based on the no-core shell model and resonating-group method (NCSM/RGM) and on the R-matrix formalism, to connect the two charge-symmetric reactions n+T and p+{sup 3}He. In this report we extend this treatment to cover the neutron incident energy range 6-14 MeV. To do this, we evaluate angle-dependent correction factors for the NCSM/RGM calculations so that they agree with the p+{sup 3}He data near 6 MeV, and using the results found earlier near 14 MeV we interpolate these correction factors to obtain correction factors throughout the 6-14 MeV energy range. The agreement between the corrected NCSM/RGM and R-Matrix values for the integral elastic cross sections is excellent ({+-}1%), and these are in very good agreement with total cross section experiments. This result can be attributed to the nearly constant correction factors at forward angles, and to the evidently satisfactory physics content of the two calculations. The difference in angular shape, obtained by comparing values of the scattering probability distribution P({mu}) vs. {mu}(the cosine of the c.m. scattering angle), is about {+-}4% and appears to be related to differences in the two theoretical calculations. Averaging the calculations yields P({mu}) values with errors of {+-}2 1/2 % or less. These averaged values, along with the corresponding quantities for the differential cross sections, will form the basis of a new evaluation of n+T elastic scattering. Computer files of the results discussed in this report will be supplied upon request.

  17. Pseudacris triseriata (western chorus frog) and Rana sylvatica (wood frog) chytridiomycosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rittman, S.E.; Muths, E.; Green, D.E.

    2003-01-01

    The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a known pathogen of anuran amphibians, and has been correlated with amphibian die-offs worldwide (Daszak et. al. 1999. Emerging Infectious Diseases 5:735-748). In Colorado, B. dendrobatidis has infected Boreal toads (Bufo boreas) (Muths et. al., in review) and has been identified on museum specimens of northern leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) (Carey et. al. 1999. Develop. Comp. Immunol. 23:459-472). We report the first verified case of chytrid fungus in chorus frogs (Pseudacris triseriata) and wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) in the United States. We collected seven P. triseriata, and two adult and two juvenile R. sylvatica in the Kawuneeche Valley in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) during June 2001. These animals were submitted to the National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) as part of an amphibian health evaluation in RMNP. Chorus frogs were shipped in one container. Wood frog adults and juveniles were shipped in two separate containers. Histological examinations of all chorus frogs and 3 of 4 wood frogs were positive for chytrid fungus infection. The fourth (adult) wood frog was too decomposed for meaningful histology. Histological findings consisted of multifocally mild to diffusely severe infections of the epidermis of the ventrum and hindlimb digital skin. Chytrid thalli were confined to the thickened epidermis (hyperkeratosis), were spherical to oval, and occasional thalli contained characteristic discharge pores or zoospores (Green and Kagarise Sherman 1999. J. Herpetol 35:92-103; Fellers et al. 2001. Copeia 2001:945-953). We cannot confirm that all specimens carried the fungus at collection, because infection may have spread from one individual to all other individuals in each container during transport. Further sampling of amphibians in Kawuneeche Valley is warranted to determine the rate of infection and mortality in these populations.

  18. Subcritical and supercritical water oxidation of organic, wet wastes for carbon cycling in regenerative life support systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ronsse, Frederik; Lasseur, Christophe; Rebeyre, Pierre; Clauwaert, Peter; Luther, Amanda; Rabaey, Korneel; Zhang, Dong Dong; López Barreiro, Diego; Prins, Wolter; Brilman, Wim

    2016-07-01

    For long-term human spaceflight missions, one of the major requirements is the regenerative life support system which has to be capable of recycling carbon, nutrients and water from both solid and liquid wastes generated by the crew and by the local production of food through living organisms (higher plants, fungi, algae, bacteria, …). The European Space Agency's Life Support System, envisioned by the MELiSSA project, consists of a 5 compartment artificial ecosystem, in which the waste receiving compartment (so-called compartment I or briefly 'CI') is based on thermophilic fermentation. However, as the waste generated by the crew compartment and food production compartment contain typical plant fibres (lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose), these recalcitrant fibres end up largely unaffected in the digestate (sludge) generated in the C-I compartment. Therefore, the C-I compartment has to be supplemented with a so-called fibre degradation unit (in short, FDU) for further oxidation or degradation of said plant fibres. A potential solution to degrading these plant fibres and other recalcitrant organics is their oxidation, by means of subcritical or supercritical water, into reusable CO2 while retaining the nutrients in an organic-free liquid effluent. By taking advantage of the altered physicochemical properties of water above or near its critical point (647 K, 22.1 MPa) - including increased solubility of non-polar compounds and oxygen, ion product and diffusivity - process conditions can be created for rapid oxidation of C into CO2. In this research, the oxidizer is provided as a hydrogen peroxide solution which, at elevated temperature, will dissociated into O2. The purpose of this study is to identify ideal process conditions which (a) ensure complete oxidation of carbon, (b) retaining the nutrients other than C in the liquid effluent and (c) require as little oxidizer as possible. Experiments were conducted on a continuous, tubular heated reactor and on batch

  19. Low Earth orbit journey and ground simulations studies point out metabolic changes in the ESA life support organism Rhodospirillum rubrum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mastroleo, Felice; Leys, Natalie; Benotmane, Rafi; Vanhavere, Filip; Janssen, Ann; Hendrickx, Larissa; Wattiez, Ruddy; Mergeay, Max

    MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) is a project of closed regenerative life support system for future space flights developed by the European Space Agency. It consists of interconnected processes (i.e. bioreactors, higher plant compartments, filtration units,..) targeting the total recycling of organic waste into oxygen, water and food. Within the MELiSSA loop, the purple non-sulfur alpha-proteobacterium R. rubrum ATCC25903 is used to convert fatty acids released from the upstream raw waste digesting reactor to CO2 and biomass, and to complete the mineralization of aminoacids into NH4+ that will be forwarded to the nitrifying compartment. Among the numerous challenges of the project, the functional stability of the bioreactors in long term and under space flight conditions is of paramount importance for the efficiency of the life support system and consequently the crew safety. Therefore, the physiological and metabolic changes induced by space flight were investigated for R. rubrum. The bacterium grown on solid medium during 2 different 10-day space flights to the ISS (MES- SAGE2, BASE-A experiments) were compared to cells grown on Earth 1 g gravity or modeled microgravity and normal Earth radiation or simulated space flight radiation conditions in order to relate each single stress to its respective cellular response. For simulating the radiation environment, pure gamma and neutron sources were combined, while simulation of changes in gravity where performed using the Random Positioning Machine technology. Transcriptome analysis using R. rubrum total genome DNA-chip showed up-regulation of genes involved in oxidative stress response after a 10-day mission inside the ISS, without loss of viability. As an example, alkyl hydroperoxide reductase, thioredoxin reductase and bacterioferritin genes are least 2 fold induced although the radiation dose experienced by the bacterium (4 mSv) is very low compared to its radiotolerance (D10 = 100 Sv

  20. Nephroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of aqueous extract of Melissa officinalis L. on acetaminophen-induced and pleurisy-induced lesions in rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denise Pereira Müzell

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available This study assessed the bioactive properties of an aqueous extract of M. officinalis for its anti-inflammatory activity and its protection against hepatic and renal lesions induced by acetaminophen (APAP. Animals pre-treated with the crude extract in pleurisy induced by carrageenan showed a reduction in the amounts of exudate, in the numbers of leukocytes and polymorphonuclear cells. Intragastric administration of the extract for seven days prior to the APAP-induced lesion showed no protective effect on the liver. The treatment with the extract induced an increase of serum aspartate aminotransferase, indicating a rise of toxicity. Contrarily, the same treatment reduced the APAP induced lesion in kidney, with respect to ν-glutamyltransferase. The results suggested that the extract was not hepatoprotective and could lead to an increase in the lesions induced by the APAP. On the other hand, the extract was nephroprotective against the lesions induced by the APAP and showed an anti-inflammatory effect on pleurisy carrageenan-induced.

  1. Time for Decarbonization of Conservation and Development Projects? The Political Ecology of Carbon Projects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pierre L. Ibisch

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The globe's first carbon projects were designed and implemented approximately 20 years ago following scientific insights that emissions of greenhouse gases needed to be mitigated. Visible in some of these early projects were the important aspects of social governance and local benefit sharing. The projects promised to be a panacea to environmental, social and economic problems in remote rural areas of developing countries. However, it took another decade before a wave of hundreds of carbon projects were launched. Many of the projects were offered under the mechanism of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, plus the role of conservation, sustainable forest management and carbon enhancement, as well as under a variety of voluntary schemes and national programs, public-private partnerships, and forestry-based investment initiatives. As decision-makers prepare the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climatic Change in Paris (COP21, Earthscan has released a book entitled `Carbon conflicts and forest landscapes in Africa', edited by Melissa Leach and Ian Scoones. According to the editors, the focus of the book is on what happens on the ground when carbon forestry projects arrive, what types of projects work, and, equally important, what doesn’t work.

  2. Suitability of thermoluminescence, chemiluminescence, ESR and viscosity measurements as detection method for the irradiation of medicinal herbs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schuettler, C.; Gebhardt, G.; Stock, A.; Helle, N.; Boegl, K.W.

    1993-01-01

    Chemiluminescence, electron spin resonance, thermoluminescence and viscosity measurements have been investigated for their suitability as detection method for the irradiation of the medicinal herbs anise seeds (anisi fructus), valerian roots (valerianae radix), redberry leaves (uvae ursi folium), birch leaves (betulae folium), greek hay seeds (foenugraeci semen), cayenne pepper (capsici fructus acer), black-aldertee bark (frangulae cortex), fennel fruits (feoniculi fructus), rose hip shells (cynosbati fructus), coltsfoot (farfarae folium), acorus roots (calami rhizoma), chamomile flowers (matricariae flos), caraway (carvi fructus), lavender flowers (lavandulae flos), linseed (lini semen), lime tree flowers (tiliae flos), St. Mary's thistle fruit (cardui mariae herba), lemon balm (melissae folium), java tea (orthosiphonis folium), peppermint (menthae piperitae folium), sage leaves (salviae folium), scouring rush (equiseti herba), senna leaves (sennae folium), plantain herbs (plantaginis lanceolata herba), thyme herbs (thymi herba), juniper berries (juniperi fructus), hawthorne herbs (crataegi folium), wheat starch (amylum tritici) and wormwood (absinthii herba). Depending on the herbs, the methods used were more or less suitable. Chemiluminescence measurements showed the smallest differences between untreated and irradiated samples whereas thermoluminescence measurements on isolated minerals from the vegetable drugs gave better results. In some herbs radiation-specific radicals could be identified by ESR spectroscopy. Viscosity measurement is suitable for some herbs as fast and inexpensive method for screening. (orig.) [de

  3. Biological life support systems for a Mars mission planetary base: Problems and prospects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tikhomirov, A. A.; Ushakova, S. A.; Kovaleva, N. P.; Lamaze, B.; Lobo, M.; Lasseur, Ch.

    The study develops approaches to designing biological life support systems for the Mars mission - for the flight conditions and for a planetary base - using experience of the Institute of Biophysics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBP SB RAS) with the Bios-3 system and ESA's experience with the MELISSA program. Variants of a BLSS based on using Chlorella and/or Spirulina and higher plants for the flight period of the Mars mission are analyzed. It is proposed constructing a BLSS with a closed-loop material cycle for gas and water and for part of human waste. A higher-plant-based BLSS with the mass exchange loop closed to various degrees is proposed for a Mars planetary base. Various versions of BLSS configuration and degree of closure of mass exchange are considered, depending on the duration of the Mars mission, the diet of the crew, and some other conditions. Special consideration is given to problems of reliability and sustainability of material cycling in BLSS, which are related to production of additional oxygen inside the system. Technologies of constructing BLSS of various configurations are proposed and substantiated. Reasons are given for using physicochemical methods in BLSS as secondary tools both during the flight and the stay on Mars.

  4. Antibacterial activities of plant essential oils and their components against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica in apple juice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedman, Mendel; Henika, Philip R; Levin, Carol E; Mandrell, Robert E

    2004-09-22

    We evaluated 17 plant essential oils and nine oil compounds for antibacterial activity against the foodborne pathogens Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica in apple juices in a bactericidal assay in terms of % of the sample that resulted in a 50% decrease in the number of bacteria (BA(50)). The 10 compounds most active against E. coli (60 min BA(50) range in clear juice, 0.018-0.093%) were carvacrol, oregano oil, geraniol, eugenol, cinnamon leaf oil, citral, clove bud oil, lemongrass oil, cinnamon bark oil, and lemon oil. The corresponding compounds against S. enterica (BA(50) range, 0.0044-0.011%) were Melissa oil, carvacrol, oregano oil, terpeineol, geraniol, lemon oil, citral, lemongrass oil, cinnamon leaf oil, and linalool. The activity (i) was greater for S. enterica than for E. coli, (ii) increased with incubation temperature and storage time, and (iii) was not affected by the acidity of the juices. The antibacterial agents could be divided into two classes: fast-acting and slow-acting. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that the bactericidal results are related to the composition of the oils. These studies provide information about new ways to protect apple juice and other foods against human pathogens.

  5. Evaluation of solid sampling high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for direct determination of chromium in medicinal plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Virgilio, Alex; Nóbrega, Joaquim A.; Rêgo, Jardes F.; Neto, José A. Gomes

    2012-01-01

    A method for Cr determination in medicinal plants using direct solid sampling graphite furnace high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry was developed. Modifiers were dispensable. Pyrolysis and atomization temperatures were 1500 °C and 2400 °C, respectively. Slopes of calibration curves (50–750 pg Cr, R 2 > 0.999) using aqueous and solid standards coincides in 96%, indicated feasibility of aqueous calibration for solid sampling of medicinal plants. Accuracy was checked by analysis of four plant certified reference materials. Results were in agreement at 95% confidence level with certified and non-certified values. Ten samples of medicinal plants were analyzed and Cr contents were in the 1.3–17.7 μg g −1 Cr range. The highest RSD (n = 5) was 15.4% for the sample Melissa officinalis containing 13.9 ± 2.1 μg g −1 Cr. The limit of detection was 3.3 ng g −1 Cr. - Highlights: ► Direct solid sampling is first time employed for Cr in plant materials. ► Calibration curves with liquids and solids are coincident. ► Microanalysis of plants for Cr is validated by reference materials. ► The proposed HR-CS GF AAS method is environmental friendly.

  6. Evaluation of solid sampling high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for direct determination of chromium in medicinal plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Virgilio, Alex; Nobrega, Joaquim A. [Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Post Office Box 676, 13560-970, Sao Carlos-SP (Brazil); Rego, Jardes F. [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Sao Paulo State University-UNESP, Post Office Box 355, 14801-970, Araraquara-SP (Brazil); Neto, Jose A. Gomes, E-mail: anchieta@iq.unesp.br [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Sao Paulo State University-UNESP, Post Office Box 355, 14801-970, Araraquara-SP (Brazil)

    2012-12-01

    A method for Cr determination in medicinal plants using direct solid sampling graphite furnace high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry was developed. Modifiers were dispensable. Pyrolysis and atomization temperatures were 1500 Degree-Sign C and 2400 Degree-Sign C, respectively. Slopes of calibration curves (50-750 pg Cr, R{sup 2} > 0.999) using aqueous and solid standards coincides in 96%, indicated feasibility of aqueous calibration for solid sampling of medicinal plants. Accuracy was checked by analysis of four plant certified reference materials. Results were in agreement at 95% confidence level with certified and non-certified values. Ten samples of medicinal plants were analyzed and Cr contents were in the 1.3-17.7 {mu}g g{sup -1} Cr range. The highest RSD (n = 5) was 15.4% for the sample Melissa officinalis containing 13.9 {+-} 2.1 {mu}g g{sup -1} Cr. The limit of detection was 3.3 ng g{sup -1} Cr. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Direct solid sampling is first time employed for Cr in plant materials. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Calibration curves with liquids and solids are coincident. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Microanalysis of plants for Cr is validated by reference materials. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The proposed HR-CS GF AAS method is environmental friendly.

  7. An attempt of postharvest orange fruit rot control using essential oils from Mediterranean plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camele, Ippolito; De Feo, Vincenzo; Altieri, Luciana; Mancini, Emilia; De Martino, Laura; Luigi Rana, Gian

    2010-12-01

    Twelve essential oils from Mediterranean aromatic plants were tested at different doses against four fungi known as causal agents of post-harvest orange fruit rot: Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium italicum, Phytophthora citrophthora, and Rhizopus stolonifer. Essential oils were obtained from Hyssopus officinalis, Lavandula angustifolia, Majorana hortensis, Melissa officinalis, Ocimum basilicum, Origanum vulgare, Salvia officinalis, and Thymus vulgaris (Family Lamiaceae), Verbena officinalis (Family Verbenaceae), and Pimpinella anisum, Foeniculum vulgare, and Carum carvi (Family Apiaceae). Because preliminary in vitro experiments showed that only the oils from V. officinalis, T. vulgaris, and O. vulgare exhibited some fungistatic activity against the above-named fungi, these three essential oils were used in successive in vivo tests carried out to protect healthy "Washington navel" orange fruits from artificial infection by the same micromycetes. The essential oil of T. vulgaris, at a 2,000 ppm dose, controlled fruit rot by B. cinerea, P. citrophthora, and R. stolonifer but was ineffective against P. italicum. Essential oils of V. officinalis and O. vulgare inhibited infection by the first two fungi and only by P. citrophthora, respectively. This finding represents an important result, with the goal of using the essential oils as natural preservatives for food products, due to their positive effect on their safety and shelf life.

  8. Extracts of medicinal plants as functional beer additives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Đorđević Sofija

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper is based on determining the level of the antioxidant activity of beer, to which sensory acceptable amounts of selected extracts of medicinal plants were added, with the aim of obtaining a beer with increased functional and new sensory features. For purposes of this study a commercial lager beer type Pils and extracts of herbal drugs: Melissae folium, Thymi herba, Juniperi fructus, Urticae radix and Lupuli strobuli, were used. Total phenols were analyzed by the method of Folin-Ciocalteu, and the antioxidant activity of samples using FRAP and DPPH test. Sensory evaluation of beer was conducted on 80 subjects, using a nine levels hedonic scale. The results showed that the content of total phenols was the highest in the beer which thyme, juniper and lemon balm were added to (384.22, 365.38 and 363.08 mg GAE/L, respectively, representing the increase of 37.09, 30.36 and 29.55% (respectively compared to the commercial lager beer. Values of antioxidant activity were correlated with the content of total phenols. The extract of lemon balm blended in the best manner with the baseline, commercial lager beer in terms of sensory acceptability. New beer, enriched with lemon balm, had a pleasant, appealing and harmonious flavor and aroma.

  9. Drug Target Identification and Elucidation of Natural Inhibitors for : An Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Surya Narayan Rath

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Environmental microbes like Bordetella petrii has been established as a causative agent for various infectious diseases in human. Again, development of drug resistance in B. petrii challenged to combat against the infection. Identification of potential drug target and proposing a novel lead compound against the pathogen has a great aid and value. In this study, bioinformatics tools and technology have been applied to suggest a potential drug target by screening the proteome information of B. petrii DSM 12804 (accession No. PRJNA28135 from genome database of National Centre for Biotechnology information. In this regards, the inhibitory effect of nine natural compounds like ajoene (Allium sativum, allicin (A. sativum, cinnamaldehyde (Cinnamomum cassia, curcumin (Curcuma longa, gallotannin (active component of green tea and red wine, isoorientin (Anthopterus wardii, isovitexin (A. wardii, neral (Melissa officinalis, and vitexin (A. wardii have been acknowledged with anti-bacterial properties and hence tested against identified drug target of B. petrii by implicating computational approach. The in silico studies revealed the hypothesis that lpxD could be a potential drug target and with recommendation of a strong inhibitory effect of selected natural compounds against infection caused due to B. petrii, would be further validated through in vitro experiments.

  10. Interaction Effect of CO2 Enrichment and Nutritional Conditions on Physiological Characteristics, Essential Oil and Yield of Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahmoud SHOOR

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Carbon dioxide enrichment and nutritional improvement can increase photosynthesis and growth of different crops. The aim of the present study was to assess interaction effects of CO2 enrichment and fertilizer on physiological characteristics and lemon balm essential oil. Experimental units were composed of CO2 at 380, 700, and 1050 ppm with and without manure and N fertilizer application. A continuous increasing trend of individual plant leaf area, total dry weight accumulation and relative growth ratio were recorded with CO2 enrichment. When CO2 was elevated from 380 to 1050 ppm, the values of height (24.3%, SPAD reading (2.7%, essential oil yield (26.3% and final yield (65.3% were increased, unlike, stomatal conductance (35.2% and essential oil percentage (53% were decreased. The highest and the lowest values (except for oil percentage were obtained under N and no fertilizer application, respectively. Except for SPAD, interaction between CO2 enrichment and each fertilizer on all measured characteristics had a significant effect, so that CO2 effect was intensified by applying each fertilizer. Therefore, it can be concluded that when temperature increase caused by rising CO2 is not considered or there is not a limitation for resources, CO2 enrichment will improve lemon balm biomass and essential oil yield.

  11. Adenosine triphosphate stimulates Aquifex aeolicus MutL endonuclease activity.

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    Jerome Mauris

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Human PMS2 (hPMS2 homologues act to nick 5' and 3' to misincorporated nucleotides during mismatch repair in organisms that lack MutH. Mn(++ was previously found to stimulate the endonuclease activity of these homologues. ATP was required for the nicking activity of hPMS2 and yPMS1, but was reported to inhibit bacterial MutL proteins from Thermus thermophilus and Aquifex aeolicus that displayed homology to hPMS2. Mutational analysis has identified the DQHA(X(2E(X(4E motif present in the C-terminus of PMS2 homologues as important for endonuclease activity.We examined the effect ATP had on the Mn(++ induced nicking of supercoiled pBR322 by full-length and mutant A. aeolicus MutL (Aae MutL proteins. Assays were single time point, enzyme titration experiments or reaction time courses. The maximum velocity for MutL nicking was determined to be 1.6+/-0.08x10(-5 s(-1 and 4.2+/-0.3x10(-5 s(-1 in the absence and presence of ATP, respectively. AMPPNP stimulated the nicking activity to a similar extent as ATP. A truncated Aae MutL protein composed of only the C-terminal 123 amino acid residues was found to nick supercoiled DNA. Furthermore, mutations in the conserved C-terminal DQHA(X(2E(X(4E and CPHGRP motifs were shown to abolish Aae MutL endonuclease activity.ATP stimulated the Mn(++ induced endonuclease activity of Aae MutL. Experiments utilizing AMPPNP implied that the stimulation did not require ATP hydrolysis. A mutation in the DQHA(X(2E(X(4E motif of Aae MutL further supported the role of this region in endonclease activity. For the first time, to our knowledge, we demonstrate that changing the histidine residue in the conserved CPHGRP motif abolishes endonucleolytic activity of a hPMS2 homologue. Finally, the C-terminal 123 amino acid residues of Aae MutL were sufficient to display Mn(++ induced nicking activity.

  12. Flowers of Çoruh Valley

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    Ramazan Çakmakçı

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Coruh valley has an important biological diversity in term of plants, flora-fauna, wildlife and ecosystems. These regions contain the landraces, wild and weedy relatives, other wild, herbaceous and flowering trees, herbaceous flowering plants, medicinal and aromatic and flowering and ornamental shrubs plants species which are especially economically important plant for floriculture, eco-tourism, botanical tourism and nature tourism. Many important medicinal and aromatic and ornamental plants species are found in this region and naturally grow. It is considered that Acantholimon, Achillea, Alkanna, Allium, Amygdalus, Angelica, Anemone, Anthemis, Arabis, Arctium, Artemisia, Asparagus, Asperula, Astragalus, Calamintha, Calendula, Calutea, Campanula, Capparis, Cardamine, Centaurea, Cephalanthera, Cephalaria, Chelidonium, Chenopodium, Chysanthemum, Colchicum, Consolida, Coriandrum, Cornus, Coronilla, Cerasus, Cotoneaster, Crataegus, Crocus, Cyclamen, Dactylorhiza, Digitalis, Dianthus, Draba, Echinops, Equisetum, Ferula, Filipendula, Fritillaria, Fumaria, Gagea, Galanthus, Galium, Genista, Gentiana, Geranium, Geum, Gladiolus, Glychirrza, Helichrysum, Hesperis, Hypericum, İnula, İris, Isatis, Juniperus, Lilium, Linaria, Linum, lysimachia, Malus, Malva, Marrubium, Melissa, Mentha, Micromeria, Morina, Muscari, Mysotis, Narcissus, Neotchichatchewia, Nepeta, Onobrychis, Orchis, Ornithogalum, Origanum, Paeonia, Papaver, Pedicularis, Peganum, Phelypaea, Platanthera, Plantago, Pilosella, Pelargonium, Potentilla, Polygonum, Polygala, Primula, Punica, Prunus, Pyrus, Ranunculus, Rhamnus, Rhododendron, Rhus, Rosa, Rubia, Rubus, Rumex, Salvia, Sambucus, Satureja, Scilla, Scorzonera, Scutellaria, Sedum, Sempervivum, Sideritis, Sophora, Sorbus, Stachys, Tanecetum, Teucrium, Thymus, Trigonella, Tulipa, Tussilago, Uechtriitzia, Vaccinium, Verbascum, Verbena, Veronica, Viburnum and Ziziphora species commonly found in the region may be may be evaluated economically.

  13. Pharmacological and neuroprotective profile of an essential oil derived from leaves of Aloysia citrodora Palau.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abuhamdah, Sawsan; Abuhamdah, Rushdie; Howes, Melanie-Jayne R; Al-Olimat, Suleiman; Ennaceur, Abdel; Chazot, Paul L

    2015-09-01

    The Jordanian 'Melissa', (Aloysia citrodora) has been poorly studied both pharmacologically and in the clinic. Essential oils (EO) derived from leaves of A. citrodora were obtained by hydrodistillation, analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and were investigated for a range of neurobiological and pharmacological properties, as a basis for potential future use in drug discovery. A selection of central nervous system (CNS) receptor-binding profiles was carried out. Antioxidant activity and ferrous iron-chelating assays were adopted, and the neuroprotective properties of A. citrodora EO assessed using hydrogen peroxide-induced and β-amyloid-induced neurotoxicity with the CAD (Cath.-a-differentiated) neuroblastoma cell line. The major chemical components detected in the A. citrodora EOs, derived from dried and fresh leaves, included limonene, geranial, neral, 1, 8-cineole, curcumene, spathulenol and caryophyllene oxide, respectively. A. citrodora leaf EO inhibited [(3) H] nicotine binding to well washed rat forebrain membranes, and increased iron-chelation in vitro. A. citrodora EO displays effective antioxidant, radical-scavenging activities and significant protective properties vs both hydrogen peroxide- and β-amyloid-induced neurotoxicity. A. citrodora EO displays a range of pharmacological properties worthy of further investigation to isolate the compounds responsible for the observed neuroactivities, to further analyse their mode of action and determine their clinical potential in neurodegenerative diseases. © 2015 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

  14. Prevalence of self-medication practice with herbal products among non-psychotic psychiatric patients from southeastern Serbia: A cross-sectional study

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    Nikola M. Stojanović

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the usage prevalence of herbal products (HP and to ascertain the identity, mode and adverse effects of plant taxa used in self-medication practice for anxiety, depression and insomnia in patients with non-psychotic disorders originating from southeastern Serbia. Also, we compared HP users and non-users on the variables of socio-demographic characteristics, information source and origin of HP. The study was done by a face-to-face interview with a trained psychiatrist using a structured questionnaire administered to 136 adult patients suffering from non-psychotic mental disorders. A typical herbal-product user among non-psychotic psychiatric patients from southeastern Serbia is a middle-aged married woman, with a secondary level of education, unemployed and living in an urban area. Non-psychotic psychiatric patients, although not living predominantly in rural areas, were familiar with a variety of ethno-medicines and were often using HP primarily without the consultation of their psychiatrists/physicians. HP stated to be most frequently used for psychiatry-related symptoms included: Melissa officinalis, Mentha × piperita, Hypericum perforatum and Valeriana officinalis. The interviewees rarely stated adverse reactions related to the HP usage; however, this should not be generalized, since HP are known to vary in the content of their adverse reaction-causing constituents.

  15. Proteome-wide analysis and diel proteomic profiling of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis PCC 8005.

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    Sabine Matallana-Surget

    Full Text Available The filamentous cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis has a long history of use as a food supply and it has been used by the European Space Agency in the MELiSSA project, an artificial microecosystem which supports life during long-term manned space missions. This study assesses progress in the field of cyanobacterial shotgun proteomics and light/dark diurnal cycles by focusing on Arthrospira platensis. Several fractionation workflows including gel-free and gel-based protein/peptide fractionation procedures were used and combined with LC-MS/MS analysis, enabling the overall identification of 1306 proteins, which represents 21% coverage of the theoretical proteome. A total of 30 proteins were found to be significantly differentially regulated under light/dark growth transition. Interestingly, most of the proteins showing differential abundance were related to photosynthesis, the Calvin cycle and translation processes. A novel aspect and major achievement of this work is the successful improvement of the cyanobacterial proteome coverage using a 3D LC-MS/MS approach, based on an immobilized metal affinity chromatography, a suitable tool that enabled us to eliminate the most abundant protein, the allophycocyanin. We also demonstrated that cell growth follows a light/dark cycle in A. platensis. This preliminary proteomic study has highlighted new characteristics of the Arthrospira platensis proteome in terms of diurnal regulation.

  16. A Review Study on the Effect of Iranian Herbal Medicines on Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebrahimie, Marzieh; Bahmani, Mahmoud; Shirzad, Hedayatollah; Rafieian-Kopaei, Mahmoud; Saki, Kourosh

    2015-10-01

    Addiction is a chronic and recurring disease that recurrence phenomenon is the most important challenge in treatment of this disease. Recent experiences have shown that synthetic drugs have undesirable side effects. Recent studies on medicinal plants have shown that they might be effective in treatment of different stages of addiction with lower side effects and costs. The aim of this study was to review the effects of medicinal plants in the treatment of morphine addiction in experimental animals. In this review article, by using keywords of morphine, withdrawal, and plants or herbal medicine in databases of indexing cites, desired articles were obtained since 1994. Inclusion criteria for selecting articles were the articles related to application of medicinal plants in decreasing symptoms resulting from morphine withdrawal were selected. Results of this study on experimental studies have shown that medicinal plants such as Trachyspermum copticum L and Melissa officinalis decrease the symptoms of withdrawal syndrome in a dose-dependent. Also, medicinal plants like Avena sativa, Hypericum perforatu, Passiflora incarnate, Valeriana officinalis, Satureja hortensis L, and Mentha piperita can have effects on behavior, emotions, and other problems of addicts, decreasing withdrawal symptoms. Results of this study showed that medicinal plants can be effective in controlling deprivation, decreasing dependency creation, and possibly DETOXIFICATION: of opioid addicts. © The Author(s) 2015.

  17. Survey of insect fauna from plants medicinal, aromatic and seasoning and disinfestation by the process of radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reis, Fabricio Caldeira

    2013-01-01

    The present study aimed to survey the insect fauna associated with medicinal plants, aromatic dehydrated and seasoning trade in Sao Paulo city, using different doses of gamma radiation with the aim of disinfestation of the material and determine the lethal dose of gamma radiation on Sphaericus gibboides. From April to May 2011 were collected in 10 establishments the following sample materials: Melissa officinalis L. (Lemongrass), Mentha piperita L. (Mint), Ocimum basilicum L. (Basil), Origanum vulgare L. (Oregano), Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Rosemary), Thymus vulgaris L. (Thyme), Senna alexandrina Mill (senna), Coriandrum sativum L. (Coriander), Petroselinum crispum (Mill.) Fuss (salsa) and Pimpinella anisum L. (Fennel), Baccharis trimera (Less.) DC. (Gorse), Chamomilla recutita L. (= M. recutita L.) (chamomile), Laurus nobilis L. (Blonde) (Lauraceae); Capsicum annuum L. (Sweet paprika), Bixa orellana L. (Spice) (Bixaceae) and Peumus boldus Molina (Boldo). The first screening showed that all the tested materials did not show the presence of adult insects. After 45 days 940 adult insects were found and larvae from eggs. The substrates analyzed Chamomilla recutita showed the highest rate of infestation, with 70,6%. Pelmus boldus, Laurus nobilis, Chamomilla recutita and Capsicum annuum, had the highest species diversity. Baccharis trimera, Bixa orellana, Melissa officinalis, Origanum vulgare and Coriandrum sativum showed no infestation. The species was Lasioderma serricorne the insect with the largest number of individuals found (936), higher percentage of infestation in different materials (62.5%) and lots, and highest occurrence (68,75%) materials (M. piperita, S. alexandrian, P. anisum, Chamomilla recutita, P. crispum, L. nobilis, C. sativum, C. annuum, O. basilicum, P. boldus and T. vulgaris). The following materials were selected for testing disinfestation by irradiation process: Bixa orellana, Capsicum annuum, Cassia angustifolia, Coriandrum sativum, Mentha

  18. Evaluación in vitro de la actividad inhibitoria de extractos vegetales sobre aislados de Colletotrichum spp In vitro evaluation of inhibitory activity of plant extracts on Colletotrichum spp

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Pérez Cordero

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Se evaluó la actividad inhibitoria in vitro de extractos de hojas de Melissa officinalis, Origanum vulgare, Jatropha gossypilia, Eucalyptus sp., Melia azederach y Mascagnia concinna sobre aislados de hongo del género Colletotrichum, causante de la enfermedad antracnosis en el cultivo del ñame (Dioscorea alata, D. rotundata en el departamento de Sucre, Colombia. Para la obtención de extractos etanólicos de hojas de M. officinalis y O. vulgare, se utilizó el método de percolación y para las otras especies vegetales, el método de Soxhlet. Una vez preparados los extractos de hojas, se evaluó su actividad inhibitoria sobre seis aislados de hongo del género Colletotrichum (BVC 279a, BVC 279b, BVC 853, BVC 040, BVC 342 y BVC 507. Para la prueba inhibitoria se utilizó el método de siembra directa sobre la superficie del medio papa-dextrosa-agar. Sobre las diferentes cepas se adicionaron 250 µl de cada extracto por separado. Se utilizó un control positivo con nistatina (4 mg/ml y un testigo absoluto sin ningún tipo de tratamiento. La prueba se evaluó midiendo el crecimiento radial de cada cepa con los diferentes tratamientos a 96 y 168 h. Se utilizó un diseño de bloques completamente al azar con tres repeticiones, para probar diferencias significativas entre tratamientos, cepas (aislados y tiempo de inhibición. Los resultados expresados en porcentaje de inhibición, mostraron una alta actividad de los extractos obtenidos de las hojas de las plantas de M. azederach y M. concinna, sobre los hongos evaluados y su acción fue similar al control positivo.The objective of this study was to evaluate in vitro inhibitory activity of extracts from leaves of Melissa officinalis, Origanum vulgare, Jatropha gossypilia, Eucalyptus sp. Melia azederach and Mascagnia concinna on isolated fungus of the genus Colletotrichum, which causes anthracnose disease in the crop of yam (Dioscorea alata, D. rotundata in the department of Sucre, Colombia. To obtain

  19. Survey of insect fauna from plants medicinal, aromatic and seasoning and disinfestation by the process of radiation; Levantamento da entomofauna de plantas medicinais, aromaticas e condimentares e desinfestacao pelo processo de irradiacao

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reis, Fabricio Caldeira

    2013-07-01

    The present study aimed to survey the insect fauna associated with medicinal plants, aromatic dehydrated and seasoning trade in Sao Paulo city, using different doses of gamma radiation with the aim of disinfestation of the material and determine the lethal dose of gamma radiation on Sphaericus gibboides. From April to May 2011 were collected in 10 establishments the following sample materials: Melissa officinalis L. (Lemongrass), Mentha piperita L. (Mint), Ocimum basilicum L. (Basil), Origanum vulgare L. (Oregano), Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Rosemary), Thymus vulgaris L. (Thyme), Senna alexandrina Mill (senna), Coriandrum sativum L. (Coriander), Petroselinum crispum (Mill.) Fuss (salsa) and Pimpinella anisum L. (Fennel), Baccharis trimera (Less.) DC. (Gorse), Chamomilla recutita L. (= M. recutita L.) (chamomile), Laurus nobilis L. (Blonde) (Lauraceae); Capsicum annuum L. (Sweet paprika), Bixa orellana L. (Spice) (Bixaceae) and Peumus boldus Molina (Boldo). The first screening showed that all the tested materials did not show the presence of adult insects. After 45 days 940 adult insects were found and larvae from eggs. The substrates analyzed Chamomilla recutita showed the highest rate of infestation, with 70,6%. Pelmus boldus, Laurus nobilis, Chamomilla recutita and Capsicum annuum, had the highest species diversity. Baccharis trimera, Bixa orellana, Melissa officinalis, Origanum vulgare and Coriandrum sativum showed no infestation. The species was Lasioderma serricorne the insect with the largest number of individuals found (936), higher percentage of infestation in different materials (62.5%) and lots, and highest occurrence (68,75%) materials (M. piperita, S. alexandrian, P. anisum, Chamomilla recutita, P. crispum, L. nobilis, C. sativum, C. annuum, O. basilicum, P. boldus and T. vulgaris). The following materials were selected for testing disinfestation by irradiation process: Bixa orellana, Capsicum annuum, Cassia angustifolia, Coriandrum sativum, Mentha

  20. Molecular exploration of the highly radiation resistant cyanobacterium Arthrospira sp. PCC 8005

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badri, Hanène; Leys, Natalie; Wattiez, Ruddy

    Arthrospira (Spirulina) is a photosynthetic cyanobacterium able to use sunlight to release oxygen from water and remove carbon dioxide and nitrate from water. In addition, it is suited for human consumption (edible). For these traits, the cyanobacterium Arthrospira sp. PCC 8005 was selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of the life support system MELiSSA for recycling oxygen, water, and food during future long-haul space missions. However, during such extended missions, Arthrospira sp. PCC 8005 will be exposed to continuous artificial illumination and harmful cosmic radiation. The aim of this study was to investigate how Arthrospira will react and behave when exposed to such stress environment. The cyanobacterium Arthrospira sp. PCC 8005 was exposed to high gamma rays doses in order to unravel in details the response of this bacterium following such stress. Test results showed that after acute exposure to high doses of 60Co gamma radiation upto 3200 Gy, Arthrospira filaments were still able to restart photosynthesis and proliferate normally. Doses above 3200 Gy, did have a detrimental effect on the cells, and delayed post-irradiation proliferation. The photosystem activity, measured as the PSII quantum yield immediately after irradiation, decreased significantly at radiation doses above 3200 Gy. Likewise through pigment content analysis a significant decrease in phycocyanin was observed following exposure to 3200 Gy. The high tolerance of this bacterium to 60Co gamma rays (i.e. ca. 1000x more resistant than human cells for example) raised our interest to investigate in details the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind this amazing resistance. Optimised DNA, RNA and protein extraction methods and a new microarray chip specific for Arthrospira sp. PCC 8005 were developed to identify the global cellular and molecular response following exposure to 3200 Gy and 5000 Gy A total of 15,29 % and 30,18 % genes were found differentially expressed in RNA

  1. Massive transfusion protocols: current best practice

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    Hsu YM

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Yen-Michael S Hsu,1 Thorsten Haas,2 Melissa M Cushing1 1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA; 2Department of Anesthesia, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland Abstract: Massive transfusion protocols (MTPs are established to provide rapid blood replacement in a setting of severe hemorrhage. Early optimal blood transfusion is essential to sustain organ perfusion and oxygenation. There are many variables to consider when establishing an MTP, and studies have prospectively evaluated different scenarios and patient populations to establish the best practices to attain improved patient outcomes. The establishment and utilization of an optimal MTP is challenging given the ever-changing patient status during resuscitation efforts. Much of the MTP literature comes from the trauma population, due to the fact that massive hemorrhage is the leading cause of preventable trauma-related death. As we come to further understand the positive and negative clinical impacts of transfusion-related factors, massive transfusion practice can be further refined. This article will first discuss specific MTPs targeting different patient populations and current relevant international guidelines. Then, we will examine a wide selection of therapeutic products to support MTPs, including newly available products and the most suitable of the traditional products. Lastly, we will discuss the best design for an MTP, including ratio-based MTPs and MTPs based on the use of point-of-care coagulation diagnostic tools. Keywords: hemorrhage, MTP, antifibrinolytics, coagulopathy, trauma, ratio, logistics, guidelines, hemostatic

  2. Medicinal Herbs in Iranian Traditional Medicine for Learning and Memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shojaii, Asie; Ghods, Roshanak; Fard, Mehri Abdollahi

    2016-05-01

    A few factors such as age, stress, and emotions may lead to impaired learning, memory loss, amnesia, and dementia or threats like schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Iranian traditional medicine (ITM) recommends some herbs and herbal preparations for the treatment or prevention of CNS problems. In this study, scientific evidence related to the effectiveness of ITM herbal medicine on memory, learning and AD is reviewed. The scientific evidence of plant efficacy was searched in electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, SID, Science Direct, and Google Scholar by keywords such as memory, Alzheimer, amnesia, learning and scientific plant names from 1969 to 2014. The findings of this study confirmed the effectiveness of certain ITM medicinal plants on enhancing memory and learning or in the treatment/prevention of amnesia and AD. Some ITM plants like Melissa officinalis, Crocus sativus and Nigella sativa showed improving effects on memory and the treatment of AD in clinical trials. In some cases, active principles responsible for the efficacy of these plants on memory were also determined. Most of the studies on ITM plants were designed in animal models and a few herbs were evaluated in clinical trials on AD. Furthermore, there are insufficient or no investigations on certain herbal medicines used in ITM to confirm their effectiveness on memory and learning. Therefore, further experimental and clinical studies are necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of these plants on memory and AD as well as determining their active components.

  3. A review of effective herbal medicines in controlling menopausal symptoms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kargozar, Rahele; Azizi, Hoda; Salari, Roshanak

    2017-01-01

    Background Acute menopausal syndrome especially hot flashes, is one of the most common gynecological problems during menopause. Due to the side effects of hormone therapy, herbal and complementary medicines are always of immense interest to people in the treatment and management of the symptoms and complications of menopause. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms and effects of medicinal plants employed in the treatment of menopausal symptoms. Methods This review article was carried out by examining clinical trial studies between the period of 1994 and 2016. The keywords, which include menopause, climacteric, hot flushes, flashes, herb and phytoestrogens were used to search for herbal medicines used in clinical trials for the treatment of menopausal symptoms using databases such as PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Google scholar, SID and Magiran. Results The results of the study showed that the medicinal plants, which include Sage herb (Salvia officinalis), Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), Valerina officinalis, Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), Black cumin (Nigella sativa), Vitex (Vitex agnus-castus), Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis), Ginkgo biloba, Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), Hypericum perforatum, Panax ginseng, Pimpinella anisum, Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Passiflora incarnata, Red clover (Trifolium pratense), and Glycine soja were effective in the treatment of acute menopausal syndrome with different mechanisms. Conclusion Medicinal plants can play an imperative role in the treatment of acute menopausal syndrome; however, further studies are required to buttress their efficacy in the treatment of acute menopausal syndrome. PMID:29403626

  4. Ethnoveterinary medicines used to treat endoparasites and stomach problems in pigs and pets in British Columbia, Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lans, Cheryl; Turner, Nancy; Khan, Tonya; Brauer, Gerhard

    2007-09-30

    This paper documents the medicinal plants used to treat endoparasites and stomach problems in dogs, cats and pigs in British Columbia, Canada. Ethnoveterinary data was collected over a 6-month period in 2003. The majority of the information on pets came from 2 naturopaths, 10 herbalists, 5 dog trainers, breeders and pet shop owners, 9 holistic veterinarians and 6 of 27 organic farmers. Two pig farmers joined the study in the final stages. The following plants were used as anthelmintics: Artemisia cina O. Berg and C.F. Schmidt, Artemisia vulgaris L., Artemisia annua, Calendula officinalis L., Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench (all Asteraceae), Mentha piperita L. and Salvia officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) (Allium sativum L. (Alliaceae), Cucurbita pepo L. (Cucurbitaceae), Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb (Myrtaceae), Gentiana lutea L. (Gentianaceae), Hydrastis canadensis L. (Ranunculaceae), Juglans nigra L. (Juglandaceae), Olea europaea L. (Oleaceae) and Ruta graveolens L. (Rutaceae)). Stomach problems were treated with: Achillea millefolium L. (Asteraceae), Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f. (Asphodelaceae), Elytrigia repens (L.) Desv. ex Nevski (Poaceae), Frangula purshiana (DC.) Cooper (Rhamnaceae), Juniperus communis L. (Cupressaceae), Melissa officinalis L. and M. piperita L. (Lamiaceae), Petroselinum crispum L. (Apiaceae), Plantago major L. and Plantago ovata Forssk. (Plantaginaceae) Rumex crispus L. and Rumex obtusifolius L. (Polygonaceae), Ulmus fulva Michx. (Ulmaceae) and Zingiber officinalis Roscoe (Zingiberaceae). There is insufficient information available to assess the anthelmintic efficacies of C. officinalis, Salvia officinalis, Eugenia caryophyllata and O. europaea; the other plants have mid- to high-level validity for their ethnoveterinary uses.

  5. Herbal extracts and phytochemicals: plant secondary metabolites and the enhancement of human brain function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kennedy, David O; Wightman, Emma L

    2011-01-01

    Humans consume a wide range of foods, drugs, and dietary supplements that are derived from plants and which modify the functioning of the central nervous sytem (CNS). The psychoactive properties of these substances are attributable to the presence of plant secondary metabolites, chemicals that are not required for the immediate survival of the plant but which are synthesized to increase the fitness of the plant to survive by allowing it to interact with its environment, including pathogens and herbivorous and symbiotic insects. In many cases, the effects of these phytochemicals on the human CNS might be linked either to their ecological roles in the life of the plant or to molecular and biochemical similarities in the biology of plants and higher animals. This review assesses the current evidence for the efficacy of a range of readily available plant-based extracts and chemicals that may improve brain function and which have attracted sufficient research in this regard to reach a conclusion as to their potential effectiveness as nootropics. Many of these candidate phytochemicals/extracts can be grouped by the chemical nature of their potentially active secondary metabolite constituents into alkaloids (caffeine, nicotine), terpenes (ginkgo, ginseng, valerian, Melissa officinalis, sage), and phenolic compounds (curcumin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, Hypericum perforatum, soy isoflavones). They are discussed in terms of how an increased understanding of the relationship between their ecological roles and CNS effects might further the field of natural, phytochemical drug discovery.

  6. Herbal Extracts and Phytochemicals: Plant Secondary Metabolites and the Enhancement of Human Brain Function1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kennedy, David O.; Wightman, Emma L.

    2011-01-01

    Humans consume a wide range of foods, drugs, and dietary supplements that are derived from plants and which modify the functioning of the central nervous sytem (CNS). The psychoactive properties of these substances are attributable to the presence of plant secondary metabolites, chemicals that are not required for the immediate survival of the plant but which are synthesized to increase the fitness of the plant to survive by allowing it to interact with its environment, including pathogens and herbivorous and symbiotic insects. In many cases, the effects of these phytochemicals on the human CNS might be linked either to their ecological roles in the life of the plant or to molecular and biochemical similarities in the biology of plants and higher animals. This review assesses the current evidence for the efficacy of a range of readily available plant-based extracts and chemicals that may improve brain function and which have attracted sufficient research in this regard to reach a conclusion as to their potential effectiveness as nootropics. Many of these candidate phytochemicals/extracts can be grouped by the chemical nature of their potentially active secondary metabolite constituents into alkaloids (caffeine, nicotine), terpenes (ginkgo, ginseng, valerian, Melissa officinalis, sage), and phenolic compounds (curcumin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, Hypericum perforatum, soy isoflavones). They are discussed in terms of how an increased understanding of the relationship between their ecological roles and CNS effects might further the field of natural, phytochemical drug discovery. PMID:22211188

  7. Biological life support systems for martian missions: some problems and prospects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tikhomirov, A. A.; Ushakova, S. A.; Kovaleva, N. P.; Lasseur, C.

    Taking into account the experience of scientific researches obtained during experiments in the BIOS - 3 of the Institute of Biophysics of Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Science (IBP SB RAS) and the MELISSA program (ESA), approaches in creation biological life support systems for a flight period and a fixed-site base of Martian mission are considered. Various alternate variants of designing of elements of BLSS based on use of Chlorella and/or Spirulina, and also greenhouses with higher plants for the flight period of Martian mission are analyzed. For this purpose construction of BLSS ensuring full closure of matter turnover according to gas exchange and water and partial closure on the human's exometabolites is supposed. For the fixed site Martian station BLSS based on use of higher plants with a various degree of closure of internal mass exchange are suggested. Various versions of BLSS configuration and degree of closure of mass exchange depending on duration of Martian mission, the diet type of a crew and some other conditions are considered. Special attention is given to problems of reliability and tolerance of matter turnover processes in BLSS which maintenance is connected, in particular, with additional oxygen reproduction inside a system. Technologies for realization of BLSS of various configurations are offered and justified. The auxiliary role of the physicochemical methods in BLSS functioning both for the flight period and for the crew stay on Mars is justified.

  8. Investigation of pyrrolizidine alkaloids including their respective N-oxides in selected food products available in Hong Kong by liquid chromatography electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Stephen W C; Lam, Aaron C H

    2017-07-01

    This study determined the levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), including their respective N-oxides, in foodstuffs available in Hong Kong by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 234 samples (48 food items) were collected randomly from a local market and analysed. About 50% of samples were found to contain detectable amount of PAs. Amongst the 48 food items, PAs were not detected in 11 food items, including barley flour, beef, cattle liver, pork, pig liver, chicken meat, chicken liver, milk, non-fermented tea, Melissa tea and linden tea. For those found to contain detectable PAs, the summed PA content ranged up to 11,000 µg kg -1 . The highest sum of PA content among the 37 food items calculated with lower bound was cumin seed, then followed by oregano, tarragon and herbs de Provence with ranges of 2.5-11,000, 1.5-5100, 8.0-3300 and 18-1300 µg kg -1 respectively. Among the samples, the highest sum of PA content was detected in a cumin seed sample (11,000 µg kg -1 ), followed by an oregano (5100 µg kg -1 ), a tarragon (3300 µg kg -1 ) and a herbs de Provence (1300 µg kg -1 ). In general, the results of this study agreed well with other published results in peer-reviewed journals, except that the total PAs in honey and specific tea infusion in this study were comparatively lower.

  9. Using drawings to explore patients’ perceptions of their illness: a scoping review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheung MMY

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Melissa Mei Yin Cheung, Bandana Saini, Lorraine Smith Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia Background: An emerging approach for investigating patient perspectives of their illness is the use of drawings. Objective: This scoping review consolidates findings from current literature regarding the use of drawings to explore patients’ perceptions and experiences of their illness and treatment. Methods: Electronic databases (Medline, PubMed, Embase, PsychINFO, Cinahl, Art Index and Scopus and reference lists were searched to identify published English language studies using participant-generated drawings to explore adults’ perceptions and experiences of their illness and treatment. Using the scoping methodological framework, data were analyzed with respect to each study’s design, key findings and implications. Results: Thirty-two studies were identified and these reflected diversities in both health conditions and methods of data collection and analysis. Participants’ drawings revealed new, insightful knowledge about patients’ perceptions, beliefs and experiences of their condition and were associated with clinical and psychological markers of health. Drawing was a powerful adjunct to traditional data collection approaches, and demonstrated potential benefits for participants. This review provides detailed insights and guidance on the use of drawings in research and clinical practice. Conclusion: Drawing is a novel and potentially valuable technique for exploring patients’ perceptions and experiences about their illness and treatment. Advancing the methodology and applicability of drawings in this area will assist in the future development of this technique, with benefits for the patient, researcher and health care professional alike. Keywords: scoping review, drawing, illness perceptions, patient experience 

  10. In vitro susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to botanical extracts used traditionally for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahady, Gail B; Pendland, Susan L; Stoia, Adenia; Hamill, Frank A; Fabricant, Daniel; Dietz, Birgit M; Chadwick, Lucas R

    2005-11-01

    The gram-negative bacterium Helicobacter pylori (HP), identified in 1982, is now recognized as the primary etiological factor associated with the development of gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. In addition, HP infections are also associated with chronic gastritis, gastric carcinoma and primary gastric B-cell lymphoma. For centuries, herbals have been used in traditional medicine to treat a wide range of ailments, including gastrointestinal (GI) disorders such as dyspepsia, gastritis and peptic ulcer disease (PUD). However, the mechanism of action by which these botanicals exert their therapeutic effects has not been completely elucidated. As part of an ongoing screening program, the study assessed the in vitro susceptibility of 15 HP strains to botanical extracts, which have a history of traditional use in the treatment of GI disorders. Methanol extracts of Myristica fragrans (seed) had a MIC of 12.5 microg/mL; Zingiber officinale (ginger rhizome/root) and Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary leaf) had an MIC of 25 microg/mL. Methanol extracts of botanicals with a MIC of 50 microg/mL included Achillea millefolium, Foeniculum vulgare (seed), Passiflora incarnata (herb), Origanum majorana (herb) and a (1:1) combination of Curcuma longa (root) and ginger rhizome. Botanical extracts with a MIC of 100 microg/mL included Carum carvi (seed), Elettaria cardamomum (seed), Gentiana lutea (roots), Juniper communis (berry), Lavandula angustifolia (flowers), Melissa officinalis (leaves), Mentha piperita (leaves) and Pimpinella anisum (seed). Methanol extracts of Matricaria recutita (flowers) and Ginkgo biloba (leaves) had a MIC > 100 microg/mL.

  11. Análisis del efecto antimicrobiano de doce plantas medicinales de uso ancestral en Ecuador

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azuero, Andrea

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The specimens of plant species Lippia citriodora K (cedrón, Ambrosia artemisifolia L (altamisa, Taraxacum officinale Weber (diente de león, Ageratum conyzoides L (mastrante, Piper carpunya Ruiz & Pav (guaviduca, Borago officinalis L (borraja, Coriandrum sativum L (cilantro,Melissa officinalis L (toronjil, Cymbopogon citratus S (hierba luisa, Artemisia absinthium L (ajenjo, Momordica charantia L (achochilla y Moringa oleífera Lam (moringa were collected randomly in the towns of Santa Rosa and Machala, Ecuador. The leaves were washed, dried, ground and extracted by maceration with methanol; the filtrates concentrated by evaporation under reduced pressure. A diffusion technique in agar was used to determine the antimicrobial activity of the obtained methanolic extracts, by which they were tested against strains of Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Paeruginosa, and a strain of fungus (Candida albicans. All extracts analyzed, except for those of Lcitriodora and A. conyzoides showed a bactericidal action against all bacterial strains tested, reflecting the importance of these species in the production of herbal medicines antibiotics. T. officinale and Pcarpunya showed a high antibacterial effect against E. coli; however, S. aureus did not show sensitivity to P. carpunya and L. citriodora extracts. The antifungal activity bioassay conducted to studied extracts against C. albicans, showed that all have high fungicidal action, except for T. officinale with less inhibitory effect of fungal growth. It can be inferred that these plants are a promising source of antimicrobial components of high pharmacological value.

  12. Dysmobility syndrome: current perspectives

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    Hill KD

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Keith D Hill,1 Kaela Farrier,1 Melissa Russell,2 Elissa Burton1 1School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia; 2Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia Background: A new term, dysmobility syndrome, has recently been described as a new approach to identify older people at risk of poor health outcomes. The aim was to undertake a systematic review of the existing research literature on dysmobility syndrome.Method: All articles reporting dysmobility syndrome were identified in a systematic review of Medline (Proquest, CINAHL, PubMed, PsycInfo, EMBASE, and Scopus databases. Key characteristics of identified studies were extracted and summarized.Results: The systematic review identified five papers (three cross-sectional, one case control, and one longitudinal study. No intervention studies were identified. Prevalence of dysmobility syndrome varied between studies (22%–34% in three of the studies. Dysmobility syndrome was shown to be associated with reduced function, increased falls and fractures, and a longitudinal study showed its significant association with mortality.Conclusion: Early research on dysmobility syndrome indicates that it may be a useful classification approach to identify older people at risk of adverse health outcomes and to target for early interventions. Future research needs to standardize the optimal mix of measures and cut points, and investigate whether balance performance may be a more useful factor than history of falls for dysmobility syndrome. Keywords: mobility, elderly, functional decline

  13. History of Morgellons disease: from delusion to definition

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    Middelveen MJ

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Marianne J Middelveen,1 Melissa C Fesler,2 Raphael B Stricker2 1Atkins Veterinary Services, Calgary, AB, Canada; 2Union Square Medical Associates, San Francisco, CA, USA Abstract: Morgellons disease (MD is a skin condition characterized by the presence of multicolored filaments that lie under, are embedded in, or project from skin. Although the condition may have a longer history, disease matching the above description was first reported in the US in 2002. Since that time, the condition that we know as MD has become a polemic topic. Because individuals afflicted with the disease may have crawling or stinging sensations and sometimes believe they have an insect or parasite infestation, most medical practitioners consider MD a purely delusional disorder. Clinical studies supporting the hypothesis that MD is exclusively delusional in origin have considerable methodological flaws and often neglect the fact that mental disorders can result from underlying somatic illness. In contrast, rigorous experimental investigations show that this skin affliction results from a physiological response to the presence of an infectious agent. Recent studies from that point of view show an association between MD and spirochetal infection in humans, cattle, and dogs. These investigations have determined that the cutaneous filaments are not implanted textile fibers, but are composed of the cellular proteins keratin and collagen and result from overproduction of these filaments in response to spirochetal infection. Further studies of the genetics, pathogenesis, and treatment of MD are warranted. Keywords: Morgellons disease, dermopathy, Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, spirochetes

  14. The Investigation of Decontamination Effects of Ozone Gas on Microbial Load and Essential Oil of Several Medicinal Plants

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    Razieh VALI ASILL

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Today, Ozone as a disinfectant method, without putting on the harmful effects on human and plant products, it is alternative common methods for disinfection of plant material. The research as a factorial experiment was conducted on the basis of randomized complete block design with three replications and the effects of Ozone gas on decreasing the microbial load of some important medicinal plants include: Peppermint (Mentha piperita, Summer savory (Satureja hortensis, Indian valerian(Valeriana wallichii, Meliss (Melissa officinalis and Iranian thyme (Zataria multiflora were investigated. Medicinal plants leaves were treated with Ozone gas concentration 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 ml/L at times of 10 and 30 then total count, coliform and mold and yeast of the samples were studied. The result showed that Ozone gas decreases microbial load of medicinal plants samples. But Ozone gas and Ozone gas in medicinal plants interaction effect had no effect on essential oil content. The lowest and the highest of microbial load were detected in samples treated with concentration of 0.9 ml/L of Ozone gas and control respectively. The highest and the lowest of microbial load were observed in Iranian thyme and Indian valerian respectively. Also result showed that Ozone gas treatment for 30 min had the greatest of effect in reducing the microbial load and 0.9 ml/L Ozone gas concentration had the lowest of microbial load. Results of this survey reflect that the use of Ozone as a method of disinfection for medicinal plants is a decontamination.

  15. The Use of Herbal Medicine in Alzheimer's Disease—A Systematic Review

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    Leopoldo Luiz dos Santos-Neto

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available The treatments of choice in Alzheimer's disease (AD are cholinesterase inhibitors and NMDA-receptor antagonists, although doubts remain about the therapeutic effectiveness of these drugs. Herbal medicine products have been used in the treatment of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD but with various responses. The objective of this article was to review evidences from controlled studies in order to determine whether herbs can be useful in the treatment of cognitive disorders in the elderly. Randomized controlled studies assessing AD in individuals older than 65 years were identified through searches of MEDLINE, LILACS, Cochrane Library, dissertation Abstract (USA, ADEAR (Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Trials Database, National Research Register, Current Controlled trials, Centerwatch Trials Database and PsychINFO Journal Articles. The search combined the terms Alzheimer disease, dementia, cognition disorders, Herbal, Phytotherapy. The crossover results were evaluated by the Jadad's measurement scale. The systematic review identified two herbs and herbal formulations with therapeutic effects for the treatment of AD: Melissa officinalis, Salvia officinalis and Yi-Gan San and BDW (Ba Wei Di Huang Wan. Ginkgo biloba was identified in a meta-analysis study. All five herbs are useful for cognitive impairment of AD. M. officinalis and Yi-Gan San are also useful in agitation, for they have sedative effects. These herbs and formulations have demonstrated good therapeutic effectiveness but these results need to be compared with those of traditional drugs. Further large multicenter studies should be conducted in order to test the cost-effectiveness of these herbs for AD and the impact in the control of cognitive deterioration.

  16. Evaluación de la capacidad antioxidante y metabolitos secundarios de extractos de dieciséis plantas medicinales

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    Echavarría, Ana

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This study evaluated the antioxidant capacity of sixteen medicinal plants: Escoba amarga (Parthenium hysterophons, ajenjo (Artemisia absinthium, guarumo (Cecropia obtusifolia, chaya (Cnidoscolus chayamansa, borraja (Borago officinalis, balsa (Ochroma sp., linaza (Linum usitatissimum, hierba Luisa (Cymbopogon citratus, toronjil (Melissa officinalis, buganvilla (Bougainvillea spectabilis, alcachofa (Cynara scolymus, guaviduca (Piper carpunya, altamisa (Ambrosia cumanensis, diente de León (Taxacum officinales, buscapina (Parietaria officinalisand moringa (Moringa oleifera. For this, the DPPH (radical 1, 1-difenil-2-picrilhidrazil method was used; furthermore, recognition assays of secondary metabolites were performed, in order to obtain the first signs of phytochemical compounds of interest. The free radical scavenging activity of the extracts was expressed as IC value (g/mL (necessary amount to inhibit the formation of 50% of DPPH radical. The low value of IC50 reflects better free radical scavenging action. Although most of the samples tested showed good antioxidant capacity with this method (DPPH, tests of hydroalcoholic extracts show that alcachofa (IC50 9.89 mg/mL, moringa (IC50 11.4 mg/mL and borraja (IC50 14.0 mg/mL were those with higher antioxidant capacity. Through chemical characterization tests, the presence of flavonoids, tannins, triterpenes, alkaloids and saponins were detected in most of the analyzed species (approximately 56-69%; only 20% of them showed the presence of polyphenols, cyanogenic glycosides, lactones, coumarins, anthraquinones and sterols. According to the results obtained, these plants might be considered as promising sources of secondary metabolites with antioxidant activity.

  17. Soybean cultivation for Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSSs): The effect of hydroponic system and nitrogen source

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paradiso, Roberta; Buonomo, Roberta; Dixon, Mike A.; Barbieri, Giancarlo; De Pascale, Stefania

    2014-02-01

    Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is one of the plant species selected within the European Space Agency (ESA) Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA) project for hydroponic cultivation in Biological Life Support Systems (BLSSs), because of the high nutritional value of seeds. Root symbiosis of soybean with Bradirhizobium japonicum contributes to plant nutrition in soil, providing ammonium through the bacterial fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of two hydroponic systems, Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) and cultivation on rockwool, and two nitrogen sources in the nutrient solution, nitrate (as Ca(NO3)2 and KNO3) and urea (CO(NH2)2), on root symbiosis, plant growth and seeds production of soybean. Plants of cultivar 'OT8914', inoculated with B. japonicum strain BUS-2, were grown in a growth chamber, under controlled environmental conditions. Cultivation on rockwool positively influenced root nodulation and plant growth and yield, without affecting the proximate composition of seeds, compared to NFT. Urea as the sole source of N drastically reduced the seed production and the harvest index of soybean plants, presumably because of ammonium toxicity, even though it enhanced root nodulation and increased the N content of seeds. In the view of large-scale cultivation for space colony on planetary surfaces, the possibility to use porous media, prepared using in situ resources, should be investigated. Urea can be included in the nutrient formulation for soybean in order to promote bacterial activity, however a proper ammonium/nitrate ratio should be maintained.

  18. Management of recurrent aphthous stomatitis with medicinal herbs and their related phytochemicals in clinic: review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Background and objectives: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS is one of the most common painful mucosal diseases seen in the oral cavity of patients. Pathogenesis and etiology of this disorder is still unclear. RAS is categorized into minor, major, and herpetiform ulcers. Ulcers classified as minor, consist more than 85% cases of RAS. The goal of this study was to review the efficacy of medicinal plants and their bioactive phytochemicals used in clinical trials in the management of the recurrent aphthous lesions.Methods: Different electronic resources including Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were used as the searching engines. The key words were ‘plant’, ‘phytochemical’, or ‘herb’ and ‘aphthosis’, ‘aphthous’, ‘aphthae’, ‘aphthous ulcer’, ‘recurrent aphthous stomatitis’, or ‘aphthous stomatitis’. Finally, all the relevant clinical trials were regained.  Results: The results showed that plants such as Satureja khuzistanica, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Alchemilla vulgaris, Matricaria chamomilla, Punica granatum var. pleniflora, Myrtus communis, Melissa officinalis, Rosa damascena, Aloe vera, Nicotiana tabacum, and bioactive ingredients like acemannan and berberine possessed potential beneficial effects in oral diseases and could be effective in decreasing ulcer size, pain intensity, duration of  complete lesion healing, average time of pain elimination, aphthae number, diameter of inflammatory halo and necrotic zone of the ulcer and provided satisfaction in patients who suffered from RAS.Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that herbal medicines could be considered as future pharmaceutical drugs or adjuvant treatments to improve their efficacy and alleviate the side effects in the management of RAS.

  19. Development of a scheffler fixed focus concentrator for the processing of medicinal plants and fruits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Munir, A.; Hensel, O.

    2011-01-01

    With the increasing population and industrialization, there is need to cut down the load of fossil fuels and to reduce environmental pollution. A large part of industrial process heat lies from low to medium temperature range which can be supplied by solar energy. Scheffler fixed focus concentrators are successfully used for medium temperature applications in different parts of the world. These concentrators are taken as lateral sections of paraboloids and provide fixed focus away from the path of incident beam radiations throughout the year. The paper presents description and experimental results of medicinal and fruit processing using an 8 m/sup 2/ surface area Scheffler solar concentrator installed at solar campus, university of Kassel, Witzenhausen Germany. The research was focused to promote solar renewable energy in rural and remote locations. The solar system was equipped with Pyranometer and thermocouples to evaluate real time data which was used for performance evaluation of the solar system during processing of different products. In the first phase of the research, several trials were made to evaluate the performance of the system. Within the solar radiations range of 700- 800 W m-2, the receiver temperatures were recorded between 300 - 400 deg. C. The average power was found to be 1.55 kW and system efficiency was found to be 32.34%. Different medicinal plants like Melissa, Peppermint, Rosemary, Cumin, and Cloves buds were successfully processed by using solar energy. Different fruit and vegetables like Apples, Plums, cherries, tomatoes were also processed by using solar energy. Research results have showed that solar energy can be successfully used for the post harvest and fruit processing at rural location. (author)

  20. Inhibition of HIV-1 infection by aqueous extracts of Prunella vulgaris L.

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    McCoy Joe-Ann

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The mint family (Lamiaceae produces a wide variety of constituents with medicinal properties. Several family members have been reported to have antiviral activity, including lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L., sage (Salvia spp., peppermint (Mentha × piperita L., hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis L., basil (Ocimum spp. and self-heal (Prunella vulgaris L.. To further characterize the anti-lentiviral activities of Prunella vulgaris, water and ethanol extracts were tested for their ability to inhibit HIV-1 infection. Results Aqueous extracts contained more anti-viral activity than did ethanol extracts, displaying potent antiviral activity against HIV-1 at sub μg/mL concentrations with little to no cellular cytotoxicity at concentrations more than 100-fold higher. Time-of-addition studies demonstrated that aqueous extracts were effective when added during the first five hours following initiation of infection, suggesting that the botanical constituents were targeting entry events. Further analysis revealed that extracts inhibited both virus/cell interactions and post-binding events. While only 40% inhibition was maximally achieved in our virus/cell interaction studies, extract effectively blocked post-binding events at concentrations similar to those that blocked infection, suggesting that it was targeting of these latter steps that was most important for mediating inhibition of virus infectivity. Conclusions We demonstrate that aqueous P. vulgaris extracts inhibited HIV-1 infectivity. Our studies suggest that inhibition occurs primarily by interference of early, post-virion binding events. The ability of aqueous extracts to inhibit early events within the HIV life cycle suggests that these extracts, or purified constituents responsible for the antiviral activity, are promising microbicides and/or antivirals against HIV-1.

  1. Dronabinol oral solution in the management of anorexia and weight loss in AIDS and cancer

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    Badowski ME

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Melissa E Badowski, Paa Kwesi Yanful Section of Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy, Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Pharmacy, Chicago, IL, USA Abstract: The true incidence of anorexia secondary to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS and cancer is not well classified owing to the fact that there is a lack of standardized definitions and recent clinical data in these settings. Dronabinol, or Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, is a synthetic molecule that closely mimics the action of Cannabis sativa L., a naturally occurring compound activated in the central nervous system by cannabinoid receptors. Dronabinol exerts its effects by directly acting on the vomiting and appetite control centers in the brain, which in turn increases appetite and prevents vomiting. In the USA, dronabinol is currently available in two dosage formulations – oral capsule and oral solution. While the oral capsule was initially approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1985, the recent approval of the oral solution in 2016 presents an “easy-to-swallow” alternative for patients using or intending to use dronabinol. Dronabinol is indicated in adult patients with HIV/AIDS for the treatment of anorexia and weight loss. However, there is no approved indication in the setting of cancer-related anorexia and weight loss. This review aims at presenting available data on the use of oral dronabinol in the management of anorexia and weight loss in HIV/AIDS and cancer, as well as characterizing and highlighting the pharmacotherapeutic considerations of the newest formulation of dronabinol. Keywords: HIV/AIDS, cancer, anorexia, weight loss, cachexia, dronabinol

  2. Evaluación in vitro de la actividad inhibitoria de extractos vegetales sobre aislados de Colletotrichum spp

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    Rojas Sierra2 Johanna

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Se evaluó la actividad inhibitoria in vitro de extractos de hojas de Melissa officinalis, Origanum vulgare,Jatropha gossypilia, Eucalyptus sp., Melia azederach y Mascagnia concinna sobre aislados de hongo delgénero Colletotrichum, causante de la enfermedad antracnosis en el cultivo del ñame (Dioscorea alata, D.rotundata en el departamento de Sucre, Colombia. Para la obtención de extractos etanólicos de hojasde M. officinalis y O. vulgare, se utilizó el método de percolación y para las otras especies vegetales, elmétodo de Soxhlet. Una vez preparados los extractos de hojas, se evaluó su actividad inhibitoria sobreseis aislados de hongo del género Colletotrichum (BVC 279a, BVC 279b, BVC 853, BVC 040, BVC 342 yBVC 507. Para la prueba inhibitoria se utilizó el método de siembra directa sobre la superficie del mediopapa-dextrosa-agar. Sobre las diferentes cepas se adicionaron 250 μl de cada extracto por separado. Seutilizó un control positivo con nistatina (4 mg/ml y un testigo absoluto sin ningún tipo de tratamiento.La prueba se evaluó midiendo el crecimiento radial de cada cepa con los diferentes tratamientos a 96y 168 h. Se utilizó un diseño de bloques completamente al azar con tres repeticiones, para probardiferencias significativas entre tratamientos, cepas (aislados y tiempo de inhibición. Los resultadosexpresados en porcentaje de inhibición, mostraron una alta actividad de los extractos obtenidos de lashojas de las plantas de M. azederach y M. concinna, sobre los hongos evaluados y su acción fue similaral control positivo

  3. An evaluation of the inhibitory effects against rotavirus infection of edible plant extracts

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    Knipping Karen

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Rotaviruses are the single most important cause of severe diarrhea in young children worldwide. The developments of specific, potent and accessible antiviral treatments that restrain rotavirus infection remain important to control rotavirus disease. Methods 150 plant extracts with nutritional applications were screened in vitro on MA-104 cells for their antiviral activity against rhesus rotavirus (RRV. One extract (Aspalathus linearis (Burm.f. R.Dahlgren was also tested for its effect on the loss of transepithelial resistance (TER of Caco-2 cells caused by simian rotavirus (SA-11 infection. Results Aqueous extracts of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. fruit, Urtica dioica L. root, Aspalathus linearis (Burm.f. R.Dahlgren leaves, Glycyrrhiza glabra L. root and Olea europaea L. leaves were found to have strong significant antiviral activity with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50 Glycyrrhiza glabra was found to have the strongest antiviral activity (IC50 46 μM, followed by luteolin and vitexin from Aspalathus linearis (IC50 respectively 116 μM and 129 μM and apigenin-7-O-glucoside from Melissa officinalis (IC50 150 μM. A combination of Glycyrrhiza glabra L. + Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. and Urtica dioica L. + Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. showed synergy in their anti-viral activities. Aspalathus linearis (Burm.f. R.Dahlgren showed no positive effect on the maintenance of the TER. Conclusions These results indicate that nutritional intervention with extracts of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn., Aspalathus linearis (Burm.f. R.Dahlgren, Urtica dioica L., Glycyrrhiza glabra L. and Olea europaea L. might be useful in the treatment of diarrhea caused by rotavirus infection.

  4. Optimal nonpharmacological management of agitation in Alzheimer's disease: challenges and solutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Millán-Calenti, José Carlos; Lorenzo-López, Laura; Alonso-Búa, Begoña; de Labra, Carmen; González-Abraldes, Isabel; Maseda, Ana

    2016-01-01

    Many patients with Alzheimer's disease will develop agitation at later stages of the disease, which constitutes one of the most challenging and distressing aspects of dementia. Recently, nonpharmacological therapies have become increasingly popular and have been proven to be effective in managing the behavioral symptoms (including agitation) that are common in the middle or later stages of dementia. These therapies seem to be a good alternative to pharmacological treatment to avoid unpleasant side effects. We present a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) focused on the nonpharmacological management of agitation in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients aged 65 years and above. Of the 754 studies found, eight met the inclusion criteria. This review suggests that music therapy is optimal for the management of agitation in institutionalized patients with moderately severe and severe AD, particularly when the intervention includes individualized and interactive music. Bright light therapy has little and possibly no clinically significant effects with respect to observational ratings of agitation but decreases caregiver ratings of physical and verbal agitation. Therapeutic touch is effective for reducing physical nonaggressive behaviors but is not superior to simulated therapeutic touch or usual care for reducing physically aggressive and verbally agitated behaviors. Melissa oil aromatherapy and behavioral management techniques are not superior to placebo or pharmacological therapies for managing agitation in AD. Further research in clinical trials is required to confirm the effectiveness and long-term effects of nonpharmacological interventions for managing agitation in AD. These types of studies may lead to the development of future intervention protocols to improve the well-being and daily functioning of these patients, thereby avoiding residential care placement.

  5. Biotechnology of curd product with vegetable origin components

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    O. I. Dolmatova

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The authors proposed the use of an extract from the roots of a dandelion in the curd product manufacture technology. Dandelion roots are the strongest and most valuable part of the plant. Pectin substances contained in plants possess a wide range of physiological activity. The roots of dandelion have antiviral, analgesic, diaphoretic action and are recommended to patients with diabetes. They contain inulin up to 40%. In autumn, roots contain up to 18% of sugars (fructose, sucrose and glucose. Triterpene compounds, sterols (taraxerol, taraxol, taraxasterol, b-sitosterol and stigmasterol, a fatty oil containing glycerides of palmitic, oleic, linoleic, melissa and cerotinic acids were found in their roots. The biotechnological scheme of the curd product includes the following operations: acceptance and preparation of raw materials; heating and separation; milk normalization, mixture preparation; mixture pasteurization and cooling; starter introduction into the mixture and its fermentation; clot cutting, whey separation and clot filling; self-pressing and pressing of the clot; curd cooling, introduction of the prepared component (extract of dandelion root, granulated sugar; mixing; packing and marking; storage; selling. The amount of the flavor component influences the organoleptic characteristics of the product. Its dosage was varied from 0.5 to 5%. Curd products with a mass fraction of the extract of dandelion root of 2-3% were characterized by high organoleptic characteristics. Curd product is characterized by a soft consistency, white with a cream color shade, pleasant sour-milk taste. In order to smooth the specific taste of the dandelion root extract, it is recommended to add sugar or sweetener. Quality indicators of the curd product were studied. Its shelf-life life was determined.

  6. Traditional medicine in Sakarya province (Turkey) and antimicrobial activities of selected species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uzun, Ergin; Sariyar, Günay; Adsersen, Anne; Karakoc, Berna; Otük, Gülten; Oktayoglu, Ercan; Pirildar, Sevda

    2004-12-01

    Traditional medicine in North-West of Turkey (Sakarya province) were studied during a 2 months field study by interviewing local informants from several villages. Plant species used to treat infections were tested for antimicrobial activity. Information was collected for 46 plant species from 30 families and for 5 animal species. Twenty four of the plant species were cultivated. Most used families were Asteraceae, Cucurbitaceae, Lamiaceae and Rosaceae and the most used plants were Artemisia absinthium, Equisetum telmateia, Lavandula stoechas, Melissa officinalis, Tussilago farfara and Urtica dioica. A total of 139 medicinal uses were obtained. Plants are used mainly for infectious diseases (18%), for neurological and psychological disorders (13.7%), cardiovascular disorders (13%), skin disorders (12.2%) and respiratory disorders (10.1%). Extracts were tested in vitro for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 65538, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228, Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, Klebsiella pneumonia ATCC 4352, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 1539, Salmonella typhi, Shigella flexneri, Proteus mirabilis and Candida albicans ATCC 10231, using microbroth dilution technique according to National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS). This research showed that Arum maculatum, Datura stramonium, Geranium asphodeloides and Equisetum telmateia petroleum ether extracts had MIC values of 39.1 microg/ml, 78.1 microg/ml, 78.1 microg/ml and 39.1 microg/ml, respectively against Staphylococcus epidermidis. Datura stramonium petroleum ether extract had a MIC value of 39.1 microg/ml against Escherichia coli and Trachystemon orientalis ethanol extract had a MIC value of 39.1 microg/ml against Escherichia coli. The antimicrobial activity of Arum maculatum, Equisetum telmateia, Geranium asphodeloides, Plantago intermedia, Senecio vulgaris and Trachystemon orientalis has been reported here for the first time.

  7. The conceptual design of a hybrid life support system based on the evaluation and comparison of terrestrial testbeds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czupalla, M.; Horneck, G.; Blome, H. J.

    This report summarizes a trade study of different options of a bioregenerative Life Support System (LSS) and a subsequent conceptual design of a hybrid LSS. The evaluation was based mainly on the terrestrial testbed projects MELISSA (ESA) and BIOS (Russia). In addition, some methods suggested by the Advanced Life Support Project (NASA) were considered. Computer models, including mass flows were established for each of the systems with the goal of closing system loops to the extent possible. In order to cope with the differences in the supported crew size and provided nutrition, all systems were scaled for supporting a crew of six for a 780 day Mars mission (180 days transport to Mars; 600 days surface period) as given in the NASA Design Reference Mission Scenario [Hoffman, S.J., Kaplan, D.L. Human exploration of Mars: the Reference Mission of the NASA Mars Exploratory Study, 1997]. All models were scaled to provide the same daily allowances, as of calories, to the crew. Equivalent System Mass (ESM) analysis was used to compare the investigated system models against each other. Following the comparison of the terrestrial systems, the system specific subsystem options for Food Supply, Solid Waste Processing, Water Management and Atmosphere Revitalization were evaluated in a separate trade study. The best subsystem technologies from the trade study were integrated into an overall design solution based on mass flow relationships. The optimized LSS is mainly a bioregenerative system, complemented by a few physico-chemical elements, with a total ESM of 18,088 kg, which is about 4 times higher than that of a pure physico-chemical LSS, as designed in an earlier study.

  8. Comparative randomized open-label trial on efficacy and safety of Persen® and Persen® Night herbal extracts in patients with short-term insomnia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. P. Rachin

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Herbal sedatives serve an alternative to antipsychotics and hypnotics aimed to alleviate symptoms of anxious disorders and insomnia. Valeriana officinalis L., Mentha piperita L. and Melissa officinalis are most widely used in neurology as sedatives of herbal origin. We present the results of a randomized open-label trial on efficiency and safety of Persen® and Persen® Night containing extracts of the above mentioned plants in patients with short-term insomnia. The study consisted of 60 subjects of 18–65 y.o. (mean 42.4 ± 6.9 y.o. with short-term insomnia due to adjustment disorder or mixed anxiety-depressive disorders: 30 of them got Persen® 2 tablets a day and 30 – Persen® Night, 1 capsule 30–60 min before sleep during 4 weeks. The majority (76.5 % of patients referred the onset of insomnia with psychosocial traumatic stressor. Persen® Night’s main action was found on superficial sleep, number of night awakenings, sleep onset rate. At the end of the therapy with this substance 39.7 % of patients fell asleep in 10–15 min, and 92.2 % – in 30 min, accordingly, while for Persen® at 17.4 and 80.3 % accordingly (р < 0.05. In the meantime Persen® decreased the bad sleep perception at awakening and day somnolence, mostly attributed to the mood improvement and decrease of anxiety. Levels of efficacy and safety for both substances were significant, allowing to regard them as potential phytotherapeutic agent in the treatment of insomnia and mixed anxiety-depressive disorders.

  9. The Australian Natural Disaster Resilience Index

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thoms, Martin

    2016-04-01

    The Australian Natural Disaster Resilience Index Martin Thoms, Melissa Parsons, Phil Morley Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre, Geography and Planning, University of New England, Armidale NSW 2351, Australia. Natural hazard management policy directions in Australia - and indeed internationally - are increasingly being aligned to ideas of resilience. Resilience to natural hazards is the ability of individuals and communities to cope with disturbance and adversity and to maintain adaptive behaviour. Operationalizing the measurement and assessment of disaster resilience is often undertaken using a composite index, but this exercise is yet to be undertaken in Australia. The Australian Natural Disaster Resilience Index is a top-down, national scale assessment of the resilience of communities to natural hazards. Resilience is assessed based on two sets of capacities: coping and adaptive capacities. Coping capacity relates to the factors influencing the ability of a community to prepare for, absorb and recover from a natural hazard event. Adaptive capacity relates to the arrangements and processes that enable adjustment through learning, adaptation and transformation. Indicators are derived under themes of social character, economic capital, infrastructure and planning, emergency services, community capital, information and engagement and governance/leadership/policy, using existing data sets (e.g. census data) or evaluation of policy and procedure (e.g. disaster management planning). A composite index of disaster resilience is then computed for each spatial division, giving national scale coverage. The results of the Australian Natural Disaster Resilience Index will be reported in a State of Disaster Resilience report, due in 2018. The index is co-designed with emergency service agencies, and will support policy development, planning, community engagement and emergency management.

  10. Examining human rights and mental health among women in drug abuse treatment centers in Afghanistan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abadi MH

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Melissa Harris Abadi1, Stephen R Shamblen1, Knowlton Johnson1, Kirsten Thompson1, Linda Young1, Matthew Courser1, Jude Vanderhoff1, Thom Browne21Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation – Louisville Center, Louisville, KY, USA; 2United States Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, Washington, DC, USAAbstract: Denial of human rights, gender disparities, and living in a war zone can be associated with severe depression and poor social functioning, especially for female drug abusers. This study of Afghan women in drug abuse treatment (DAT centers assesses (a the extent to which these women have experienced human rights violations and mental health problems prior to entering the DAT centers, and (b whether there are specific risk factors for human rights violations among this population. A total of 176 in-person interviews were conducted with female patients admitted to three drug abuse treatment centers in Afghanistan in 2010. Nearly all women (91% reported limitations with social functioning. Further, 41% of the women indicated they had suicide ideation and 27% of the women had attempted suicide at least once 30 days prior to entering the DAT centers due to feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Half of the women (50% experienced at least one human rights violation in the past year prior to entering the DAT centers. Risk factors for human rights violations among this population include marital status, ethnicity, literacy, employment status, entering treatment based on one’s own desire, limited social functioning, and suicide attempts. Conclusions stemming from the results are discussed.Keywords: Afghanistan, women, human rights, mental health, drug abuse treatment

  11. PROPUESTA PARA LA FORMULACIÓN E IMPLEMENTACIÓN DE UNA ESTRATEGIA DE INNOVACIÓN EN GRUPOS DE INVESTIGACIÓN. APLICACIÓN EN UN GRUPO DE INVESTIGACIÓN EN AGROINDUSTRIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    GINA LIA OROZCO-MENDOZA

    Full Text Available Este artículo describe los resultados de una investigación cuyo propósito era la formulación y generación de un plan de implementación de una estrategia de innovación mediante la aplicación de la metodología de Melissa Schilling, 2010 para un grupo de investigación en agroindustria de una universidad de la ciudad de Medellín- Colombia. Como resultado, se obtuvo: a la identificación de brechas de innovación y tecnología, la definición de elementos claves para su orientación estratégica, b la clasificación de sus proyectos en derivativos, de plataforma, de ruptura y de avanzada, dentro de la herramienta Mapa de proyectos de I+D+i, c el análisis y establecimiento de formas de colaboración para cada proyecto, d el establecimiento de mecanismos de protección de la innovación y, por último, se aplicaron metodologías para determinar un plan de implementación de la estrategia de innovación tales como: herramientas para la generación de nuevos servicios y productos, elección de formas de organización de sus equipos de proyectos y la identificación de parámetros de desempeño de curvas en S para analizar y comprender la difusión de futuras innovaciones. Los resultados de éste proyecto permitieron al grupo generar un plan estratégico coherente con sus capacidades.

  12. Activity of essential oils and individual components against acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orhan, Ilkay; Kartal, Murat; Kan, Yüksel; Sener, Bilge

    2008-01-01

    We have tested acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activities of nineteen essential oils obtained from cultivated plants, namely one from Anethum graveolens L. (organic fertilizer), two from Foeniculum vulgare Mill. collected at fully-mature and flowering stages (organic fertilizer), two from Melissa officinalis L. (cultivated using organic and chemical fertilizers), two from Mentha piperita L. and M. spicata L. (organic fertilizer), two from Lavandula officinalis Chaix ex Villars (cultivated using organic and chemical fertilizers), two from Ocimum basilicum L. (green and purple-leaf varieties cultivated using only organic fertilizer), four from Origanum onites L., O. vulgare L., O. munitiflorum Hausskn., and O. majorana L. (cultivated using organic fertilizer), two from Salvia sclarea L. (organic and chemical fertilizers), one from S. officinalis L. (organic fertilizer), and one from Satureja cuneifolia Ten. (organic fertilizer) by a spectrophotometric method of Ellman using ELISA microplate-reader at 1 mg/ml concentration. In addition, a number of single components widely encountered in most of the essential oils [gamma-terpinene, 4-allyl anisole, (-)-carvone, dihydrocarvone, (-)-phencone, cuminyl alcohol, cumol, 4-isopropyl benzaldehyde, trans-anethole, camphene, iso-borneol, (-)-borneol, L-bornyl acetate, 2-decanol, 2-heptanol, methyl-heptanol, farnesol, nerol, iso-pulegol, 1,8-cineole, citral, citronellal, citronellol, geraniol, linalool, alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, piperitone, iso-menthone, menthofurane, linalyl oxide, linalyl ester, geranyl ester, carvacrol, thymol, menthol, vanilline, and eugenol] was also screened for the same activity in the same manner. Almost all of the essential oils showed a very high inhibitory activity (over 80%) against both enzymes, whereas the single components were not as active as the essential oils.

  13. New genome sequence data and molecular tools promote the use of photosynthetic and edible cyanobacteria in bioregenerative systems to support human space exploration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leys, Natalie; Morin, Nicolas; Janssen, Paul; Mergeay, Max

    Cyanobacteria are daily used as nutritional supplements (e.g. Spirulina) and are considered for promising applications beyond Earth, in space, where they can play a crucial role in closed miniaturised biological waste recycling systems that are currently developed to support future long-term space missions. Cyanobacteria can be cultured with artificial light in controllable photobioreactors, and used for the efficient removal of CO2 from and production of O2 in the at-mosphere of the confined spacecraft, for removal of nitrate from waste water that is recycled to potable water, and as complementary food source. In this context, the filamentous cyanobac-terium Arthrospira sp. PCC 8005 was selected as part of the bio-regenerative life-support system MELiSSA from the European Space Agency. For bioprocess control and optimisation, the access to its genetic information and the development of molecular tools is crucial. Here we report on our efforts to determine the full genome of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira sp. PCC 8005. The obtained sequence data were analysed in detail to gain a better insight in the photosynthetic, nutritive, or potential toxic potential of this strain. In addition, the sensitivity of PCC 8005 to ionizing radiation was investigated because prolonged exposure of PCC 8005 to cosmic radiation in space might have a deleterious effect on its metabolism and oxygenic properties. To our knowledge, of the 6 different research groups across the globe trying to sequence Arthrospira strains, none of them, including us, were yet able to obtain a complete genome sequence. For Arthrospira sp. strain PCC 8005, we obtained 119 contigs (assembled in 16 scaffolds), representing 6,3 Mb, with 5,856 predicted protein-coding sequences (CDSs) and 176 genes encoding RNA. The PCC 8005 genome displays an unusual high number of large repeated sequences, covering around 8% of the genome, which likely hampered the sequenc-ing. The PCC 8005 genome is also ridden by mobile

  14. Comparison of Online Survey Recruitment Platforms for Hard-to-Reach Pregnant Smoking Populations: Feasibility Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ibarra, Jose Luis; Agas, Jessica Marie; Lee, Melissa; Pan, Julia Lily; Buttenheim, Alison Meredith

    2018-04-16

    Recruiting hard-to-reach populations for health research is challenging. Web-based platforms offer one way to recruit specific samples for research purposes, but little is known about the feasibility of online recruitment and the representativeness and comparability of samples recruited through different Web-based platforms. The objectives of this study were to determine the feasibility of recruiting a hard-to-reach population (pregnant smokers) using 4 different Web-based platforms and to compare participants recruited through each platform. A screener and survey were distributed online through Qualtrics Panel, Soapbox Sample, Reddit, and Amazon Mechanical Turk (mTurk). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize results of each recruitment platform, including eligibility yield, quality yield, income, race, age, and gestational age. Of the 3847 participants screened for eligibility across all 4 Web-based platforms, 535 were eligible and 308 completed the survey. Amazon mTurk yielded the fewest completed responses (n=9), 100% (9/9) of which passed several quality metrics verifying pregnancy and smoking status. Qualtrics Panel yielded 14 completed responses, 86% (12/14) of which passed the quality screening. Soapbox Sample produced 107 completed surveys, 67% (72/107) of which were found to be quality responses. Advertising through Reddit produced the highest completion rate (n=178), but only 29.2% (52/178) of those surveys passed the quality metrics. We found significant differences in eligibility yield, quality yield, age, number of previous pregnancies, age of smoking initiation, current smokers, race, education, and income (Precruited pregnant smokers, results varied in quality, cost, and percentage of complete responses. Moving forward, investigators should pay careful attention to the percentage yield and cost of online recruitment platforms to maximize internal and external validity. ©Jose Luis Ibarra, Jessica Marie Agas, Melissa Lee, Julia Lily Pan, Alison

  15. Evaluación in vitro de la actividad inhibitoria de extractos vegetales sobre aislados de Colletotrichum spp

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Pérez Cordero

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Se evaluó la actividad inhibitoria in vitro de extractos de hojas de Melissa officinalis, Origanum vulgare, Jatropha gossypilia, Eucalyptus sp., Melia azederach y Mascagnia concinna sobre aislados de hongo del género Colletotrichum, causante de la enfermedad antracnosis en el cultivo del ñame (Dioscorea alata, D. rotundata en el departamento de Sucre, Colombia. Para la obtención de extractos etanólicos de hojas de M. officinalis y O. vulgare, se utilizó el método de percolación y para las otras especies vegetales, el método de Soxhlet. Una vez preparados los extractos de hojas, se evaluó su actividad inhibitoria sobre seis aislados de hongo del género Colletotrichum (BVC 279a, BVC 279b, BVC 853, BVC 040, BVC 342 y BVC 507. Para la prueba inhibitoria se utilizó el método de siembra directa sobre la superficie del medio papa-dextrosa-agar. Sobre las diferentes cepas se adicionaron 250 µl de cada extracto por separado. Se utilizó un control positivo con nistatina (4 mg/ml y un testigo absoluto sin ningún tipo de tratamiento. La prueba se evaluó midiendo el crecimiento radial de cada cepa con los diferentes tratamientos a 96 y 168 h. Se utilizó un diseño de bloques completamente al azar con tres repeticiones, para probar diferencias significativas entre tratamientos, cepas (aislados y tiempo de inhibición. Los resultados expresados en porcentaje de inhibición, mostraron una alta actividad de los extractos obtenidos de las hojas de las plantas de M. azederach y M. concinna, sobre los hongos evaluados y su acción fue similar al control positivo.

  16. Aromatherapy for the Treatment of Patients with Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: A Descriptive Analysis of RCTs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Press-Sandler, Olga; Freud, Tamar; Volkov, Ilya; Peleg, Roni; Press, Yan

    2016-06-01

    Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are a common problem among patients with dementia. This problem is usually treated by drugs, but they have limited efficacy and often cause adverse effects. Aromatherapy is a nonpharmacologic treatment that is simple to use and devoid of significant adverse effects. To review the literature on the effectiveness of aromatherapy treatment in patients with BPSD. A descriptive analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) published in the English-language literature and cited in PubMed. Eleven articles on RCTs were found, of which 1 had fewer than 10 participants, 2 were mistakenly presented as RCTs, and another did not report treatment for BPSD. In all, 7 articles with 417 participants total (range, 15-114) were reviewed. The mean age in all studies was greater than 69 years (range, 69-85 years), and the percentage of women was 55% (range, 50%-57%). The intervention period ranged from 10 days to 12 weeks. Two studies used Melissa oil and 5 others used lavender oil. The studies described different methods of administration for the oils, including spraying and rubbing over various body organs. The duration of treatment differed among the studies. In 3 studies the investigators concluded that the treatment was not effective and in 3 that it was effective; in 1 study no clear conclusion could be drawn. The difference between positive and negative studies was not explained by differences in the study population, the type of oil, or the duration of treatment. The significant difference apparently stems from the method of administration. When the oil was applied close to the olfactory system the outcome was positive. A study should be designed to assess the effect of the site of application of aromatherapy.

  17. The contribution of maternal psychological functioning to infant length of stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cherry AS

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Amanda S Cherry,1 Melissa R Mignogna,1 Angela Roddenberry Vaz,1 Carla Hetherington,2 Mary Anne McCaffree,2 Michael P Anderson,3 Stephen R Gillaspy1 1Section of General and Community Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 2Neonatal Perinatal Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma, College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, OK, 3Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, College of Public Health, Oklahoma City, OK, USA Objective: Assess maternal psychological functioning within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU and its contribution to neonate length of stay (LOS in the NICU.Study design: Mothers of infants admitted to the NICU (n=111 were assessed regarding postpartum depression, postpartum social support, postpartum NICU stress, and maternal anxiety at 2 weeks postpartum. Illness severity was assessed with the Clinical Risk Index for Babies (CRIB.Results: Postpartum depression was not significantly correlated with LOS, but was significantly correlated with trait anxiety (r=0.620, which was significantly correlated with LOS (r=0.227. Among mothers with previous mental health history, substance abuse history and CRIB score were the best predictors of LOS. For mothers without a prior mental health issues, delivery type, stress associated with infant appearance, and CRIB scores were the best predictors of LOS. In this group, LOS was found to increase on average by 7.06 days per one unit increase in stress associated with infant appearance among mothers with the same delivery type and CRIB score.Conclusion: Significant correlations of trait anxiety, stress associated with infant appearance, and parental role with LOS support the tenet that postpartum psychological functioning can be associated with NICU LOS. Keywords: NICU, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, parental stress, CRIB

  18. Repelência e atividade inseticida de pós vegetais sobre Zabrotes subfasciatus Boheman em feijão-fava armazenado

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J.E. Girão Filho

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar o potencial inseticida de Piper nigrum L. (pimenta do reino, Ruta graveolens L. (arruda, Laurus nobilis L. (louro, Syzygium aromaticum (L. Merr. & L.M.Perry (cravo da índia, Chenopodium ambrosioides L. (mastruz, Piper tuberculatum Jaqc. (pimenta de macaco, Tagetes erecta L. (cravo de defunto, Cymbopogon nardus L. (citronela e Melissa officinalis L. (erva cidreira sobre Z. subfasciatus Boh. através dos testes de confinamento, onde os insetos foram confinados durante cinco dias em um recipiente contendo dez grãos de feijão-fava com 0,3 g do pó da planta a ser testada, e, com chance de escolha por meio de uma arena circular, os insetos tiveram a possibilidade de escolha entre grãos com os pós e a testemunha, grãos sem pó das plantas. Observou-se que houve plantas que atuaram como inseticida, outras que repeliram o inseto e não causaram a morte, e outras, que além de repelir também mataram os insetos quando em contato (cravo da índia e matruz. Concluímos que: P. nigrum, P. tuberculatum, S. aromaticum e C. ambrosioides são tóxicas à Z. subfasciatus causando-lhes a morte, L. nobilis, T. erecta, e C. nardus não apresentaram efeito tóxico sobre Z. subfasciatus, C. ambrosioides, S. aromaticum, e C. nardus são repelentes à Z. subfasciatus; P. nigrum, P. tuberculatum, e T. erecta são neutras, e que M. officinalis não apresentou nenhum efeito sobre Z. subfasciatus em relação aos parâmetros avaliados.

  19. Editorial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renzo Ramírez Bacca

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available HiSTOReLo. Revista de Historia Regional y Local presenta su quinto número, con el cual ofrece distintas novedades orientadas a lograr un mayor dinamismo editorial y académico. La primera novedad se relaciona con la nueva composición del Comité Científico. Hemos invitado, con miras a lograr una mayor dinámica, hacia la internacionalización del proyecto, a prestigiosos profesores de Argentina, México, Brasil y los EE.UU. El propósito es redimensionar la red nacional de historiadores locales y regionales en una perspectiva latinoamericanista con énfasis en los estudios locales y regionales, que contribuyan a futuros estudios comparativos. Gratitud y bienvenida a todos los miembros del nuevo equipo editorial. La segunda novedad es la creciente virtualización de la revista, la cual se relaciona con diferentes y nuevos procesos de  indexación e indización en sistemas, redes y bases de datos bibliográficas de carácter global. Haber obtenido la Categoría C en Publindex-Colciencias (Colombia refleja la calidad académica del proyecto, y es un estímulo importante con miras a lograr un mayor impacto académico en el contexto internacional. Es necesario felicitar a todos nuestros colaboradores, –profesores, académicos, investigadores, estudiantes y becarios–, quienes han participado en calidad de lectores, autores y revisores en los distintos números de la revista. La tercera novedad se relaciona con el nuevo diseño y formato digital propuesto por Melissa Gaviria Henao, el cual representa una imagen moderna y dinámica en términos visuales, y es una contribución de la Oficina de Comunicaciones de la Facultad de Ciencias Humanas y Económicas de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, sede Medellín.

  20. Clinical utility of dronabinol in the treatment of weight loss associated with HIV and AIDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Badowski ME

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Melissa E Badowski,1 Sarah E Perez2 1Department of Pharmacy Practice, Section of Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; 2Infectious Diseases Clinic, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA Abstract: Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, weight loss has been a common complaint for patients. The use of various definitions defining HIV wasting syndrome has made it difficult to determine its actual prevalence. Despite the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy, it is estimated that the prevalence of HIV wasting syndrome is between 14% and 38%. HIV wasting syndrome may stem from conditions affecting chewing, swallowing, or gastrointestinal motility, neurologic disease affecting food intake or the perception of hunger or ability to eat, psychiatric illness, food insecurity generated from psychosocial or economic concerns, or anorexia due to medications, malabsorption, infections, or tumors. Treatment of HIV wasting syndrome may be managed with appetite stimulants (megestrol acetate or dronabinol, anabolic agents (testosterone, testosterone analogs, or recombinant human growth hormone, or, rarely, cytokine production modulators (thalidomide. The goal of this review is to provide an in-depth evaluation based on existing clinical trials on the clinical utility of dronabinol in the treatment of weight loss associated with HIV/AIDS. Although total body weight gain varies with dronabinol use (–2.0 to 3.2 kg, dronabinol is a well-tolerated option to promote appetite stimulation. Further studies are needed with standardized definitions of HIV-associated weight loss and clinical outcomes, robust sample sizes, safety and efficacy data on chronic use of dronabinol beyond 52 weeks, and associated virologic and immunologic outcomes. Keywords: dronabinol, weight loss, HIV/AIDS, HIV wasting syndrome, cachexia

  1. Optimal management of fatigue in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuen HK

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Hon K Yuen,1 Melissa A Cunningham2 1Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 2Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, SC, USA Abstract: Among the host of distressing pathophysiological and psychosocial symptoms, fatigue is the most prevalent complaint in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE. This review is to update the current findings on non-pharmacological, pharmacological, and modality strategies to manage fatigue in patients with SLE and to provide some recommendations on optimal management of fatigue based on the best available evidence. We performed a systematic literature search of the PubMed and Scopus databases to identify publications on fatigue management in patients with SLE. Based on the studies reported in the literature, we identified nine intervention strategies that have the potential to alleviate fatigue in patients with SLE. Of the nine strategies, aerobic exercise and belimumab seem to have the strongest evidence of treatment efficacy. N-acetylcysteine and ultraviolet-A1 phototherapy demonstrated low-to-moderate levels of evidence. Psychosocial interventions, dietary manipulation (low calorie or glycemic index diet aiming for weight loss, vitamin D supplementation, and acupuncture all had weak evidence. Dehydroepiandrosterone is not recommended due to a lack of evidence for its efficacy. In addition to taking treatment efficacy and side effects into consideration, clinicians should consider factors such as cost of treatment, commitments, and burden to the patient when selecting fatigue management strategies for patients with SLE. Any comorbidities, such as psychological distress, chronic pain, sleep disturbance, obesity, or hypovitaminosis D, associated with fatigue should be addressed. Keywords: health-related quality of life, vitality, systemic lupus erythematosus, clinical

  2. Assessment of inhibitory potential of essential oils on natural mycoflora and Fusarium mycotoxins production in wheat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sumalan, Renata-Maria; Alexa, Ersilia; Poiana, Mariana-Atena

    2013-02-14

    In the last years essential oils from different plants were used in the prevention of fungi and mycotoxins accumulation in cereals. The most attractive aspect derived from using of essential oils as seed grains protectants is due to their non-toxicity. This study was focused on assessment the inhibitory effect of some essential oils: Melissa officinalis (O1), Salvia officinalis (O2), Coriandrum sativum (O3), Thymus vulgaris (O4) Mentha piperita (O5) and Cinnamomum zeylanicum (O6) against natural mycoflora and Fusarium mycotoxins production correlated with their antioxidants properties. All essential oils showed inhibitory effect on fungal contamination of wheat seeds. This ability was dose-dependent. The highest inhibitory effect on Fusarium and Aspergillus fungi was recorded after 5 days of treatment. Fungi such as yeast (Pichia, Saccharomyces and Hyphopichia) were predominantly on seeds mycoflora after 22 days. Each treatment had a selective inhibitory effect on frequency of fungus genera. After 5 days of treatment the most fungicidal effect was recorder for O4, followed by O1. In terms of essential oils effect on mycotoxins development, the best control on fumonisins (FUMO) production was recorded for O6. The antioxidant properties of essential oils decreased in order: O4 > O1 > O6 > O5 > O2 > O3. Also, our data suggested that there is a significant negative correlation between antioxidant properties and seed contamination index (SCI), but there was not recorded a good correlation between antioxidant properties and FUMO content. Based on proven antifungal and antimycotoxin effects as well as their antioxidant properties, the essential oils could be recommended as natural preservatives for stored cereals. The highest inhibition of fungal growth was noted after 5 days of treatment and decreased after 22 days.

  3. Pyrrolizidine and tropane alkaloids in teas and the herbal teas peppermint, rooibos and chamomile in the Israeli market.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimshoni, Jakob Avi; Duebecke, Arne; Mulder, Patrick P J; Cuneah, Olga; Barel, Shimon

    2015-01-01

    Dehydro pyrrolizidine alkaloids (dehydro PAs) are carcinogenic phytotoxins prevalent in the Boraginaceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae families. Dehydro PAs enter the food and feed chain by co-harvesting of crops intended for human and animal consumption as well as by carry-over into animal-based products such as milk, eggs and honey. Recently the occurrence of dehydro PAs in teas and herbal teas has gained increasing attention from the EU, due to the high levels of dehydro PAs found in commercially available teas and herbal teas in Germany and Switzerland. Furthermore, several tropane alkaloids (TAs, e.g. scopolamine and hyoscyamine) intoxications due to the consumption of contaminated herbal teas were reported in the literature. The aim of the present study was to determine the dehydro PAs and TAs levels in 70 pre-packed teabags of herbal and non-herbal tea types sold in supermarkets in Israel. Chamomile, peppermint and rooibos teas contained high dehydro PAs levels in almost all samples analysed. Lower amounts were detected in black and green teas, while no dehydro PAs were found in fennel and melissa herbal teas. Total dehydro PAs concentrations in chamomile, peppermint and rooibos teas ranged from 20 to 1729 μg/kg. Except for black tea containing only mono-ester retrorsine-type dehydro PAs, all other teas and herbal teas showed mixed patterns of dehydro PA ester types, indicating a contamination by various weed species during harvesting and/or production. The TA levels per teabag were below the recommended acute reference dose; however, the positive findings of TAs in all peppermint tea samples warrant a more extensive survey. The partially high levels of dehydro PAs found in teas and herbal teas present an urgent warning letter to the regulatory authorities to perform routine quality control analysis and implement maximum residual levels for dehydro PAs.

  4. Public Awareness of Uterine Power Morcellation Through US Food and Drug Administration Communications: Analysis of Google Trends Search Term Patterns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Lauren N; Jamnagerwalla, Juzar; Markowitz, Melissa A; Thum, D Joseph; McCarty, Philip; Medendorp, Andrew R; Raz, Shlomo; Kim, Ja-Hong

    2018-04-26

    Uterine power morcellation, where the uterus is shred into smaller pieces, is a widely used technique for removal of uterine specimens in patients undergoing minimally invasive abdominal hysterectomy or myomectomy. Complications related to power morcellation of uterine specimens led to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) communications in 2014 ultimately recommending against the use of power morcellation for women undergoing minimally invasive hysterectomy. Subsequently, practitioners drastically decreased the use of morcellation. We aimed to determine the effect of increased patient awareness on the decrease in use of the morcellator. Google Trends is a public tool that provides data on temporal patterns of search terms, and we correlated this data with the timing of the FDA communication. Weekly relative search volume (RSV) was obtained from Google Trends using the term “morcellation.” Higher RSV corresponds to increases in weekly search volume. Search volumes were divided into 3 groups: the 2 years prior to the FDA communication, a 1-year period following, and thereafter, with the distribution of the weekly RSV over the 3 periods tested using 1-way analysis of variance. Additionally, we analyzed the total number of websites containing the term “morcellation” over this time. The mean RSV prior to the FDA communication was 12.0 (SD 15.8), with the RSV being 60.3 (SD 24.7) in the 1-year after and 19.3 (SD 5.2) thereafter (PGoogle search activity about morcellation of uterine specimens increased significantly after the FDA communications. This trend indicates an increased public awareness regarding morcellation and its complications. More extensive preoperative counseling and alteration of surgical technique and clinician practice may be necessary. ©Lauren N Wood, Juzar Jamnagerwalla, Melissa A Markowitz, D Joseph Thum, Philip McCarty, Andrew R Medendorp, Shlomo Raz, Ja-Hong Kim. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (http

  5. Assessment of inhibitory potential of essential oils on natural mycoflora and Fusarium mycotoxins production in wheat

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background In the last years essential oils from different plants were used in the prevention of fungi and mycotoxins accumulation in cereals. The most attractive aspect derived from using of essential oils as seed grains protectants is due to their non-toxicity. This study was focused on assessment the inhibitory effect of some essential oils: Melissa officinalis (O1), Salvia officinalis (O2), Coriandrum sativum (O3), Thymus vulgaris (O4) Mentha piperita (O5) and Cinnamomum zeylanicum (O6) against natural mycoflora and Fusarium mycotoxins production correlated with their antioxidants properties. Results All essential oils showed inhibitory effect on fungal contamination of wheat seeds. This ability was dose-dependent. The highest inhibitory effect on Fusarium and Aspergillus fungi was recorded after 5 days of treatment. Fungi such as yeast (Pichia, Saccharomyces and Hyphopichia) were predominantly on seeds mycoflora after 22 days. Each treatment had a selective inhibitory effect on frequency of fungus genera. After 5 days of treatment the most fungicidal effect was recorder for O4, followed by O1. In terms of essential oils effect on mycotoxins development, the best control on fumonisins (FUMO) production was recorded for O6. The antioxidant properties of essential oils decreased in order: O4 > O1 > O6 > O5 > O2 > O3. Also, our data suggested that there is a significant negative correlation between antioxidant properties and seed contamination index (SCI), but there was not recorded a good correlation between antioxidant properties and FUMO content. Conclusions Based on proven antifungal and antimycotoxin effects as well as their antioxidant properties, the essential oils could be recommended as natural preservatives for stored cereals. The highest inhibition of fungal growth was noted after 5 days of treatment and decreased after 22 days. PMID:23409841

  6. Selected abstracts from the Breastfeeding and Feminism International Conference 2016

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisa H. Amir

    2016-10-01

    . Public health vs. free trade: a longitudinal analysis of a global policy to protect breastfeeding Mary Ann Merz A18. Legislative advocacy and grassroots organizing for improved breastfeeding laws in Virginia Kate Noon A19. Breastfeeding and the rights of incarcerated women Krista M Olson A20. Barriers and support for Puerto Rican breastfeeding working mothers Ana M. Parrilla-Rodríguez, José J. Gorrín-Peralta Melissa Pellicier, Zeleida M. Vázquez-Rivera A21. Pumping at work: a daily struggle for Puerto Rican breastfeeding mothers in spite of the law Melissa Pellicier A22. “I saw a wrong and I wanted to stand up for what I thought was right:” a narrative study on becoming a breastfeeding activist Jennifer L. Pemberton A23. Peer breastfeeding support: advocacy and action Catherine McEvilly Pestl A24. Good intentions: a study of breastfeeding intention and postpartum realities among first-time Central Brooklyn mothers Jennifer Pierre, Philip Noyes, Khushbu Srivastava, Sharon Marshall-Taylor A25. Women describing the infant feeding choice: the impact of the WIC breastfeeding classes on infant feeding practices in Ionia, Michigan Jennifer Proto, Sarah Hyland Laurie Brinks A26. Local and state programs and national partnership to reduce disparities through community breastfeeding support Harumi Reis-Reilly, Martelle Esposito, Megan Phillippi A27. Beyond black breastfeeding week: instagram image content analysis for #blackwomendobreastfeed/#bwdbf Cynthia L. Sears, Delores James, Cedric Harville, Kristina Carswell A28. Stakeholder views of breastfeeding education in the K-12 environment: a review of the literature Nicola Singletary, L. Suzanne Goodell, April Fogleman A29. “The Breastfeeding Transition”: a framework for explaining changes in global breastfeeding rates as related to large-scale forces shaping the status of women Paige Hall Smith A30. Breastfeeding, contraception, and ethics, oh my! Advocacy and informed decision-making in the post-partum period Alison M

  7. Precursor life science experiments and closed life support systems on the Moon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez, A.; Paille, C.; Rebeyre, P.; Lamaze, B.; Lobo, M.; Lasseur, C.

    Nowadays the Moon is not only a scientific exploration target but also potentially also a launch pad for deeper space exploration. Establishing an extended human presence on the Moon could reduce the cost of further space exploration, and gather the technical and scientific experience that would make possible the next steps of space exploration, namely manned-missions to Mars. To enable the establishment of such a Moon base, a reliable and regenerative life support system (LSS) is required: without any recycling of metabolic consumables (oxygen, water and food), a 6-person crew during the course of one year would require a supply of 12t from Earth (not including water for hygiene purposes), with a prohibitive associated cost! The recycling of consumables is therefore mandatory for a combination of economic, logistical and also safety reasons. Currently the main regenerative technologies used, namely water recycling in the ISS, are physical-chemical but they do not solve the issue of food production. In the European Space Agency, for the last 15 years, studies are being performed on several life support topics, namely in air revitalisation, food, water and waste management, contaminants, monitoring and control. Ground demonstration, namely the MELiSSA Pilot Plant and Concordia Station, and simulation studies demonstrated the studies feasibility and the recycling levels are promising. To be able to build LSS in a Moon base, the temperature amplitude, the dust and its 14-day night, which limits solar power supply, should be regarded. To reduce these technical difficulties, a landing site should be carefully chosen. Considering the requirements of a mission to the Moon and within the Aurora programme phase I, a preliminary configuration for a regenerative LSS can be proposed as an experiment for a precursor mission to the Moon. An overview of the necessary LSS to a Moon base will be presented, identifying Moon?s specific requirements and showing preliminary

  8. An eHealth Capabilities Framework for Graduates and Health Professionals: Mixed-Methods Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brunner, Melissa; McGregor, Deborah; Keep, Melanie; Janssen, Anna; Spallek, Heiko; Quinn, Deleana; Jones, Aaron; Tseris, Emma; Yeung, Wilson; Togher, Leanne; Solman, Annette; Shaw, Tim

    2018-05-15

    The demand for an eHealth-ready and adaptable workforce is placing increasing pressure on universities to deliver eHealth education. At present, eHealth education is largely focused on components of eHealth rather than considering a curriculum-wide approach. This study aimed to develop a framework that could be used to guide health curriculum design based on current evidence, and stakeholder perceptions of eHealth capabilities expected of tertiary health graduates. A 3-phase, mixed-methods approach incorporated the results of a literature review, focus groups, and a Delphi process to develop a framework of eHealth capability statements. Participants (N=39) with expertise or experience in eHealth education, practice, or policy provided feedback on the proposed framework, and following the fourth iteration of this process, consensus was achieved. The final framework consisted of 4 higher-level capability statements that describe the learning outcomes expected of university graduates across the domains of (1) digital health technologies, systems, and policies; (2) clinical practice; (3) data analysis and knowledge creation; and (4) technology implementation and codesign. Across the capability statements are 40 performance cues that provide examples of how these capabilities might be demonstrated. The results of this study inform a cross-faculty eHealth curriculum that aligns with workforce expectations. There is a need for educational curriculum to reinforce existing eHealth capabilities, adapt existing capabilities to make them transferable to novel eHealth contexts, and introduce new learning opportunities for interactions with technologies within education and practice encounters. As such, the capability framework developed may assist in the application of eHealth by emerging and existing health care professionals. Future research needs to explore the potential for integration of findings into workforce development programs. ©Melissa Brunner, Deborah Mc

  9. Introduction to the Proceedings of the 9th ISDH

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bove, V. Michael, Jr.; Riskin, Seth

    2013-02-01

    The Proceedings As co-chairs of the 9th International Symposium on Display Holography, we welcome readers of this collection of papers and posters presented at the event. We hope that both attendees of the event and others pursuing the art, science, and business of holography and 3D imaging will find the authors' contributions of lasting interest and importance. The Event Since its creation at Lake Forest College in 1982 by Professor Tung H Jeong, ISDH has followed a model that differentiates it from other scientific conferences. The 9th ISDH continued this history, fully occupying a floor of the MIT Media Lab for five days. The single-track conference opened with reports on the state of holography in the various nations represented by the attendees, followed by a series of presentations on Education and Holography. One and one-half days of papers on Art and Holography followed, then sessions on Techniques and Materials, Digital Techniques, and Commercial and Applied Holography. A poster session permitted more in-depth discussion between authors and the audience. Two exhibitions of holographic works opened at ISDH: an informal display area at the symposium, and a 15-month-long MIT Museum exhibition, The Jeweled Net: Views of Contemporary Holography. The success of an event of this sort requires the help of many people and organizations. We wish especially to recognize our Honorary Conference Chairs: Tung H Jeong and Joseph W Goodman; our Technical Program Committee: Hans I Bjelkhagen, Frank Fan, Nasser Peyghambarian, and Hiroshi Yoshikawa; and our Arts and Exhibition Committee: Betsy Connors-Chen, Melissa Crenshaw, John Durant, Dieter Jung, Linda Law, Martin Richardson, Jonathan Ross, and Sally Weber. Betsy also coordinated the on-site exhibition. Kristin Hall at the MIT Media Lab made local arrangements, while registration was handled by MIT Conference Services. We also gratefully acknowledge support from Lake Forest College, holographer.org, and authentibrand

  10. Suitability of thermoluminescence, chemiluminescence, ESR and viscosity measurements as detection method for the irradiation of medicinal herbs; Eignung von Thermolumineszenz-, Chemilumineszenz-, ESR- und Viskositaetsmessungen zur Identifizierung strahlenbehandelter Arzneidrogen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schuettler, C.; Gebhardt, G.; Stock, A.; Helle, N.; Boegl, K.W.

    1993-12-31

    Chemiluminescence, electron spin resonance, thermoluminescence and viscosity measurements have been investigated for their suitability as detection method for the irradiation of the medicinal herbs anise seeds (anisi fructus), valerian roots (valerianae radix), redberry leaves (uvae ursi folium), birch leaves (betulae folium), greek hay seeds (foenugraeci semen), cayenne pepper (capsici fructus acer), black-aldertee bark (frangulae cortex), fennel fruits (feoniculi fructus), rose hip shells (cynosbati fructus), coltsfoot (farfarae folium), acorus roots (calami rhizoma), chamomile flowers (matricariae flos), caraway (carvi fructus), lavender flowers (lavandulae flos), linseed (lini semen), lime tree flowers (tiliae flos), St. Mary`s thistle fruit (cardui mariae herba), lemon balm (melissae folium), java tea (orthosiphonis folium), peppermint (menthae piperitae folium), sage leaves (salviae folium), scouring rush (equiseti herba), senna leaves (sennae folium), plantain herbs (plantaginis lanceolata herba), thyme herbs (thymi herba), juniper berries (juniperi fructus), hawthorne herbs (crataegi folium), wheat starch (amylum tritici) and wormwood (absinthii herba). Depending on the herbs, the methods used were more or less suitable. Chemiluminescence measurements showed the smallest differences between untreated and irradiated samples whereas thermoluminescence measurements on isolated minerals from the vegetable drugs gave better results. In some herbs radiation-specific radicals could be identified by ESR spectroscopy. Viscosity measurement is suitable for some herbs as fast and inexpensive method for screening. (orig.) [Deutsch] Die Eignung von Chemilumineszenz-, ESR-, Thermolumineszenz- und Viskositaetsmessungen als Nachweismethode fuer die Behandlung von Arzneidrogen mit ionisierenden Strahlen wurde an Anis, Baldrianwurzel, Baerentraubenblaettern, Birkenblaettern, Bockshornsamen, Cayennepfeffer, Faulbaumrinde, Fenchel, Hagebuttenschalen, Huflattichblaettern

  11. Clinical Microbiology Laboratories' Adoption of Culture-Independent Diagnostic Tests Is a Threat to Foodborne-Disease Surveillance in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shea, Shari; Kubota, Kristy A; Maguire, Hugh; Gladbach, Stephen; Woron, Amy; Atkinson-Dunn, Robyn; Couturier, Marc Roger; Miller, Melissa B

    2017-01-01

    ARUP Laboratories and Melissa Miller of the University of North Carolina will explain the advantages of CIDTs for enteric pathogens and discuss practical solutions for clinical microbiology laboratories to address these public health needs. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Microbiology.

  12. Métodos para atrair e repelir a abelha Apis mellifera (L. em cultura de maracujá amarelo (Passiflora edulis flavicarpa flavicarpa Deg. - DOI: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v25i1.2036 Methods to attract and repel Africanize honey bees Apis mellifera, L., to passion fruit (Passiflora edulis flavicarpa flavicarpa Deg. - DOI: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v25i1.2036

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    Marta Maria Rossi

    2003-04-01

    Full Text Available Este experimento foi conduzido no Centro Universitário Moura Lacerda, Campus Ribeirão Preto, Estado de São Paulo, e teve como objetivos observar a eficiência dos extratos de capim-limão (Cymbopogon citratus, manjericão (Ocimum basilicum L. e falsa melissa (Lippia alba, como atrativos, e citronela (C. nardus, extratos de orégano, pimenta-do-reino, canela e cravo, como repelentes, que foram comparados a outros atrativos (eugenol e linalol e repelentes (n.octyl.acetato, 2.heptanona e citronellal, obtidos comercialmente, para a A. mellifera. Foram estudados, ainda, os insetos visitantes nas flores do maracujá amarelo (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Deg., além de testar plantas-iscas para essas abelhas. Os produtos testados in vitro e, posteriormente, testados tanto pulverizados quanto em tubos, não foram eficientes para atrair ou repelir a abelha Apis mellifera. Os produtos n.octyl.acetato e citronellal repeliram completamente tanto as abelhas africanizadas quanto as Xylocopa, não devendo ser utilizado em cultivos comerciais. O girassol (Hellianthus annuus e o cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus podem ser utilizados como alternativas para afastar a abelha A. mellifera das flores do maracujá.This experiment was carried out at Centro Universitário Moura Lacerda, Ribeirão Preto, state of São Paulo, Brazil, to study Africanized honey bee (Apis mellifera L. attractives and repellents in vitro, in tubes and on passion fruit flowers (Passiflora edulis flavicarpa flavicarpa Deg.. Visiting insects were studied in flowers and also, bait-plants to Africanized honey bees were tested. The products were not effective in attracting and repelling the honey bee in vitro and in tube tests. The chemicals n.octyl.acetato and citronellal were repellent to honey bees and Xylocopa bees on passion fruit flowers. Sunflower (Hellianthus annuus and cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus flowers can be used to remove Africanized honey bees from passion fruit crops.

  13. Isolation of Cronobacter sakazakii from different herbal teas

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    Stojanović Marija M.

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Bacground/Aim. Cronobacter sakazakii (C. sakazakii is an emerging food-borne pathogen that has increasingly raised interest among the whole public community and food industry, especially in the production of powder infant formula. It has been isolated from water, sediment and soil. The question is whether this pathogen can be present in herbal teas. Herbal teas are widely used for great number of health problems, as an additional or sometimes only “medicine” given. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of C. sakazakii in herbal teas which are traditionally used for all restricted populations, including newborns and immunocompromised infant and adults. Methods. In this study 150 samples of dried herbal teas were tested: Children (Baby tea (11, Althaea officinalis (7, Sennae folium (4, Mentha piperita (8, Hypericum perforatum (3, Thymus serpyllum (5, Matricaria recutita (6, Fruit tea (18, Black, Green and Rooibos tea (11, Salvia officinalis (9, Arctostaphylos uva ursi (5, Urtica dioica (3, Achillea millefolium (2, Melissa officinalis (4, Cynosbati fructus (3, Flower Herbal tea (3 and 17 different mixtures of tea (48 samples. The presence of C. sakazakii was also investigated in previously positive samples of prepared teas (48 samples after 2 h, 12 h and 24 h. C. sakazakii was isolated by the use of the official method ISO TS 22964 : 2006 and confirmed with the biochemical test API 20E (Biomerieux-France. Results. The obtained results showed that C. sakazakii was isolated from 48 (32% samples dried herbal teas. C. sakazakii was not isolated only from 2 (4% of the 48 tested samples of prepared tea and in 46 (96% of the samples C. sakazakii remained viable after 2 h, 12 h and 24 h. Conclusion. Herbal teas should be carefully used, especially for infants and immunocompromited people with severe chronic diseases because of the possibility of infection by C. sakazakii. Better control and improve testing as well as new facts about

  14. Experiences of social support among women presenting for obstetric fistula repair surgery in Tanzania

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    Dennis AC

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Alexis C Dennis1 Sarah M Wilson1–3 Mary V Mosha4 Gileard G Masenga4 Kathleen J Sikkema1,5,6 Korrine E Terroso1 Melissa H Watt1 1Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, 2Department of Veterans Affairs, Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, 3Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; 4Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center, Moshi, Tanzania; 5Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; 6Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa Objective: An obstetric fistula is a childbirth injury resulting in uncontrollable leakage of urine and/or feces and can lead to physical and psychological challenges, including social isolation. Prior to and after fistula repair surgery, social support can help a woman to reintegrate into her community. The aim of this study was to preliminarily examine the experiences of social support among Tanzanian women presenting with obstetric fistula in the periods immediately preceding obstetric fistula repair surgery and following reintegration.Patients and methods: The study used a mixed-methods design to analyze cross-sectional surveys (n=59 and in-depth interviews (n=20.Results: Women reported widely varying levels of social support from family members and partners, with half of the sample reporting overall high levels of social support. For women experiencing lower levels of support, fistula often exacerbated existing problems in relationships, sometimes directly causing separation or divorce. Many women were assertive and resilient with regard to advocating for their fistula care and relationship needs.Conclusion: Our data suggest that while some women endure negative social experiences following an obstetric fistula and require additional resources and services, many women report high levels of social support from family members and partners, which may be harnessed to improve the holistic

  15. Pilot study of participant-collected nasal swabs for acute respiratory infections in a low-income, urban population

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    Vargas CY

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Celibell Y Vargas,1 Liqun Wang,1 Yaritza Castellanos de Belliard,1 Maria Morban,1 Hilbania Diaz,1 Elaine L Larson,2,3 Philip LaRussa,1 Lisa Saiman,1,4 Melissa S Stockwell1,5,6 1Department of Pediatrics, 2School of Nursing, 3Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 4Department of Infection Prevention and Control, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, 5Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 6NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA Objective: To assess the feasibility and validity of unsupervised participant-collected nasal swabs to detect respiratory pathogens in a low-income, urban minority population. Methods: This project was conducted as part of an ongoing community-based surveillance study in New York City to identify viral etiologies of acute respiratory infection. In January 2014, following sample collection by trained research assistants, participants with acute respiratory infection from 30 households subsequently collected and returned a self-collected/parent-collected nasal swab via mail. Self/parental swabs corresponding with positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction primary research samples were analyzed. Results: Nearly all (96.8%, n=30/31 households agreed to participate; 100% reported returning the sample and 29 were received (median time: 8 days. Most (18; 62.1% of the primary research samples were positive. For eight influenza-positive research samples, seven (87.5% self-swabs were also positive. For ten other respiratory pathogen-positive research samples, eight (80.0% self-swabs were positive. Sensitivity of self-swabs for any respiratory pathogen was 83.3% and 87.5% for influenza, and specificity for both was 100%. There was no relationship between level of education and concordance of results between positive research samples and their matching participant swab. Conclusion: In this pilot study, self

  16. Ludin’s Kopftuch (headdress: A problem of religious freedom in German schools

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    P.H. Coetzee

    2004-07-01

    Full Text Available Fereshta Ludin is a German citizen and devout “Muslimin”. She has been denied leave to wear her “Kopftuch” in the classroom. She has lost her case in the courtrooms of the states where appeals were lodged to lift the ban. She may consequently not teach at any public school in Germany. We argue that Ludin is entitled to wear the “Kopftuch” on grounds of her right to religious freedom and that the attempt to deny her this entitlement constitutes a breach of individual rights. Following the South African philosopher, Denise Meyerson, we maintain that the domain of religion constitutes an area of intractable dispute, and that the state is not entitled to limit liberty in this domain because it cannot justify limitations in a neutrally acceptable way. Meyerson’s arguments rest on the acceptability of Rawls’s notion of public reason. We test Ludin’s case against Jeremy Waldron’s objections to the use of deliberative discipline of public reason in cultural disputes and against his alternative to the politics of identity. Meyerson’s approach offers protection of religious dissent in a way Waldron’s cannot. One significant reason for this is Waldron’s insistence on the elimination of identity claims from the conversation between cultures seeking accommodation with one another in the liberal pluralist state. However, bracketing identity claims eliminates what is peculiar about Ludin’s case. This we bring out by drawing on views of Sawitri Sahorsa and Melissa Williams. We argue that Ludin’s dilemma is twofold: her status as “metic” – as a member of a minority at the margins of mainstream German culture, and her status as “Muslimin” – as one believed to be suffering sexual discrimination in her own culture, hang together in a way that challenges the integration policies of the German state and embarrasses German feminism.

  17. Antioxidant and Acetylcholinesterase Inhibiting Activity of Several Aqueous Tea Infusions in vitro

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    Višnja Katalinić

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available A study of antioxidant activity and acetylcholineste ase (AChE inhibitory activity of aqueous tea infusions prepared from walnut (Juglans regia L., peppermint (Mentha×piperita L., strawberry (Fragaria×ananassa L., lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L., sage (Salvia officinalis L., and immortelle (Helichrysum arenarium (L. Moench. is presented here. Chemical composition of selected aqueous tea infusions was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode-array method (HPLC-PDA, and the following phenolic compounds were identified as dominant: rosmarinic acid, gallic acid (not identified in walnut and sage, caffeic acid (in sage and peppermint, neochlorogenic acid, 3-p-coumaroylquinic acid and quercetin 3-galactoside (in walnut and luteolin 7-O-glucoside (in sage. Antioxidant activity of the selected aqueous tea infusions was measured using low-density lipoprotein (LDL oxidation method, 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH radical scavenging test, β-carotene bleaching method, and Rancimat method (induction period of lard oxidation. Strawberry and lemon balm aqueous infusions completely inhibited LDL oxidation at the concentration of 0.005 g/L in the reacting system. Very long prolongation of the lag phase was achieved with peppermint and sage aqueous infusions. All tested infusions in the concentration range of 0.05–2.85 g/L showed very pronounced effect of DPPH scavenging activity (90–100 % as well as the inhibition of β-carotene bleaching (89–100 %. In pure lipid medium, used in Rancimat method, sage and immortelle at the concentration of 0.16 % (by mass had the highest ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation process. Screening of the AChE inhibitory activity by Ellman´s method showed that the strongest inhibition was obtained with walnut and strawberry aqueous infusions at the concentration of 1.36 g/L in the reacting system. The presented results suggest that natural antioxidants could be useful and merit further

  18. Facilitating the implementation of evidence-based practice through contextual support and nursing leadership

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    Kueny A

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Angela Kueny,1 Leah L Shever,2 Melissa Lehan Mackin,3 Marita G Titler4 1Luther College, Decorah, IA, 2The University of Michigan Hospital and Health Center, Ann Arbor, MI, 3University of Iowa College of Nursing, Iowa City, IA, 4University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, MI, USA Background/purpose: Nurse managers (NMs play an important role promoting evidence-based practice (EBP on clinical units within hospitals. However, there is a dearth of research focused on NM perspectives about institutional contextual factors to support the goal of EBP on the clinical unit. The purpose of this article is to identify contextual factors described by NMs to drive change and facilitate EBP at the unit level, comparing and contrasting these perspectives across nursing units. Methods: This study employed a qualitative descriptive design using interviews with nine NMs who were participating in a large effectiveness study. To stratify the sample, NMs were selected from nursing units designated as high or low performing based on implementation of EBP interventions, scores on the Meyer and Goes research use scale, and fall rates. Descriptive content analysis was used to identify themes that reflect the complex nature of infrastructure described by NMs and contextual influences that supported or hindered their promotion of EBP on the clinical unit. Results: NMs perceived workplace culture, structure, and resources as facilitators or barriers to empowering nurses under their supervision to use EBP and drive change. A workplace culture that provides clear communication of EBP goals or regulatory changes, direct contact with CEOs, and clear expectations supported NMs in their promotion of EBP on their units. High-performing unit NMs described a structure that included nursing-specific committees, allowing nurses to drive change and EBP from within the unit. NMs from high-performing units were more likely to articulate internal resources, such as quality

  19. MyVoice National Text Message Survey of Youth Aged 14 to 24 Years: Study Protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeJonckheere, Melissa; Nichols, Lauren P; Moniz, Michelle H; Sonneville, Kendrin R; Vydiswaran, V G Vinod; Zhao, Xinyan; Guetterman, Timothy C; Chang, Tammy

    2017-12-11

    youth-serving organizations through a variety of methods. Policy makers and organizations also share their priority areas with the research team to develop additional question sets to inform important policy decisions. Youth-serving organizations can use results to make decisions to promote youth well-being. ©Melissa DeJonckheere, Lauren P Nichols, Michelle H Moniz, Kendrin R Sonneville, VG Vinod Vydiswaran, Xinyan Zhao, Timothy C Guetterman, Tammy Chang. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 11.12.2017.

  20. Impacts of Urban Agriculture on the Determinants of Health: Scoping Review Protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Audate, Pierre Paul; Fernandez, Melissa A; Cloutier, Geneviève; Lebel, Alexandre

    2018-03-27

    its kind and is expected to lead to a characterization of UA impacts based on sociodemographic profiles of participants and income levels of the studied countries. This will be relevant for policy makers and UA practitioners. ©Pierre Paul Audate, Melissa A Fernandez, Geneviève Cloutier, Alexandre Lebel. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 27.03.2018.

  1. Ethnoveterinary medicines used for ruminants in British Columbia, Canada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lans, Cheryl; Turner, Nancy; Khan, Tonya; Brauer, Gerhard; Boepple, Willi

    2007-01-01

    helix and Alchemilla vulgaris are fed for retained placenta. Conclusion Some of the plants showing high levels of validity were Hedera helix for retained placenta and Euphrasia officinalis for eye problems. Plants with high validity for wounds and injuries included Hypericum perforatum, Malva parviflora and Prunella vulgaris. Treatments with high validity against endoparasites included those with Juniperus communis and Pinus ponderosa. Anxiety and pain are well treated with Melissa officinalis and Nepeta caesarea. PMID:17324258

  2. Inventing Wastewater: The Social and Scientific Construction of Effluent in the Northeastern United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brideau, J. M.; Ng, M.; Hoover, J. H.; Hale, R. L.; Thomas, B.; Vogel, R. M.; Northeast ConsortiumHydrologic Synthesis Summer Institute, 2010--Biogeochemistry

    2010-12-01

    Title: Inventing Wastewater: The Social and Scientific Construction of Effluent in the Northeastern United States Authors: Jeffrey Brideau, Melissa Ng, Joseph Hoover, Rebecca Hale, Brian Thomas, and Richard Vogel Presented by: Jeffrey Brideau B.A., M.A., PhD Candidate, Department of History, University of Maryland Regulation of pollution is a prevalent part of contemporary American society. Scientists and policy makers have established acceptable effluent thresholds, with the ostensible goal of protecting human and stream health. However, this ubiquity of regulation is a recent phenomenon, and institutional mechanisms for effluent control were virtually non-existent in the early 20th century. Nonetheless, these same decades witnessed the emergence of nascent efforts at water pollution abatement. This project aims to explore social and scientific perceptions of wastewater, and begins with the simple premise that socio-cultural values underlay human decision-making in water management, and that wastewater is imbued with a matrix of human values that are continuously renegotiated. So what were the primary motivations for abatement efforts? Were they aesthetic and olfactory, or scientific concern for public and stream health? This paper proposes that there are social as well as scientific thresholds for pollutant loads. Collaborating with a team of interdisciplinary researchers we have created and aggregated discrete data sets to model, using export coefficient and linear regression modeling techniques, historic pollutant loading in the Northeastern United States. Concurrently, we have drawn on historical narratives of agitation by abatement advocates, nuisance laws, regulatory regimes, and changing scientific understanding; and contrasting the modeling results with these narratives allows this project to quantitatively determine where social thresholds lay in relation to their scientific counterparts. This project’s novelty lies in its use of existing narratives of

  3. Comparison of bromfenac 0.09% QD to nepafenac 0.1% TID after cataract surgery: pilot evaluation of visual acuity, macular volume, and retinal thickness at a single site

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    Cable M

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Melissa CableDiscover Vision Centers, Independence, MO, USAPurpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical outcomes of bromfenac ophthalmic solution 0.09% once daily (QD and nepafenac 0.1% ophthalmic suspension three times daily following cataract extraction with posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation, specifically looking at any differences in Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study visual acuities, macular volume, and/or retinal thickness changes.Methods: Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either bromfenac (n = 10 QD or nepafenac (n = 10 three times daily. Dosing began 3 days before cataract surgery, continuing to day 21 postsurgery. In addition to the investigated nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug regimen, all subjects received antiinfective intraoperative and postoperative standard of care. Subjects were followed at 1 day and 1, 3, and 6 weeks postoperatively. Study visit assessments included best-corrected visual acuity, biomicroscopy, summed ocular inflammation score (anterior chamber cells and flare grading, intraocular pressure measurement, adverse event recording, and concomitant medication review. Optical coherence tomography was performed at 1, 3, and 6 weeks.Results: Both treatment groups had similar baseline measurements. Outcomes for mean letters read (P = 0.318, mean change in macular volume (P = 0.665, and retinal thickness (P = 0.552 were not statistically different between the groups from baseline through week six, although independently only the bromfenac group demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in letters gained from baseline to week six (P = 0.040. In the same time period, mean macular volume and retinal thickening worsened in the nepafenac group, demonstrating a statistically significant increase (P = 0.006 at week six for macular volume when compared to baseline. One subject in the nepafenac group experienced recurrent inflammation at week six, was unmasked, and

  4. Preliminary results of Physiological plant growth modelling for human life support in space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sasidharan L, Swathy; Dussap, Claude-Gilles; Hezard, Pauline

    2012-07-01

    Human life support is fundamental and crucial in any kind of space explorations. MELiSSA project of European Space Agency aims at developing a closed, artificial ecological life support system involving human, plants and micro organisms. Consuming carbon dioxide and water from the life support system, plants grow in one of the chambers and convert it into food and oxygen along with potable water. The environmental conditions, nutrient availability and its consumption of plants should be studied and necessarily modeled to predict the amount of food, oxygen and water with respect to the environmental changes and limitations. The reliability of a completely closed system mainly depends on the control laws and strategies used. An efficient control can occur, only if the system to control is itself well known, described and ideally if the responses of the system to environmental changes are predictable. In this aspect, the general structure of plant growth model has been designed together with physiological modelling.The physiological model consists of metabolic models of leaves, stem and roots, of which concern specific metabolisms of the associated plant parts. On the basis of the carbon source transport (eg. sucrose) through stem, the metabolic models (leaf and root) can be interconnected to each other and finally coupled to obtain the entire plant model. For the first step, leaf metabolic model network was built using stoichiometric, mass and energy balanced metabolic equations under steady state approach considering all necessary plant pathways for growth and maintenance of leaves. As the experimental data for lettuce plants grown in closed and controlled environmental chambers were available, the leaf metabolic model has been established for lettuce leaves. The constructed metabolic network is analyzed using known stoichiometric metabolic technique called metabolic flux analysis (MFA). Though, the leaf metabolic model alone is not sufficient to achieve the

  5. The perspective crops for the bioregenerative human life support systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polonskiy, Vadim; Polonskaya, Janna

    The perspective crops for the bioregenerative human life support systems V.I. Polonskiy, J.E. Polonskaya aKrasnoyarsk State Agrarian University, 660049, Krasnoyarsk, Russia In the nearest future the space missions will be too long. In this case it is necessary to provide the crew by vitamins, antioxidants, and water-soluble dietary fibers. These compounds will be produced by higher plants. There was not enough attention at present to increasing content of micronutrients in edible parts of crops candidates for CELSS. We suggested to add the new crops to this list. 1. Barley -is the best crop for including to food crops (wheat, rice, soybean). Many of the health effects of barley are connected to dietary fibers beta-glucan of barley grains. Bar-ley is the only seed from cereals including wheat with content of all eight tocopherols (vitamin E, important antioxidant). Barley grains contain much greater amounts of phenolic compounds (potential antioxidant activities) than other cereal grains. Considerable focus is on supplement-ing wheat-based breads with barley to introduce the inherent nutritional advantages of barley flour, currently only 20We have selected and tested during 5 generations two high productive barley lines -1-K-O and 25-K-O. Our investigations (special breeding program for improving grain quality of barley) are in progress. 2. Volatile crops. Young leaves and shoots of these crops are edible and have a piquant taste. A lot of organic volatile compounds, oils, vitamins, antioxidants are in their biomass. These micronutrients are useful for good appetite and health of the crew. We have investigated 11 species: basil (Ocimum basilicum), hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), marjoram (Origanum majorana), sweet-Mary (Melissa officinalis), common thyme (Thymus vulgaris), creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum), summer savory (Satureja hortensis), catnip (Nepeta cataria), rue (Ruta graveolens), coriander (Coriandrum Ativum), sulfurwort (Levisticum officinale). These

  6. Evaluación in vitro de la actividad anti Trypanosoma cruzi de aceites esenciales de diez plantas medicinales

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    Juan Rojas

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Objetivos: Determinar la actividad anti Trypanosoma cruzi in vitro de los aceites esenciales de 10 plantas medicinales. Además, determinar la actividad citotóxica de los aceites contra células de mamíferos y la actividad modulatoria de los aceites sobre el óxido nítrico. Diseño: Estudio experimental in vitro. Institución: Instituto de Investigaciones Clínicas e Instituto de Medicina Tropical, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú. Material biológico: Epimastigotes de Trypanosoma cruzi, células Raw 264.7, aceites esenciales de Mentha X piperita L (menta, Rosmarinus officinalis L (romero, Chenopodium ambrosioides L (paico, Eucaliptus globulus Labill (eucalipto, Artemisia absinthium L (ajenjo, Melissa officinalis L (toronjil, Minthostachys setosa Brig (muña, Cimbopogon citratus (hierba luisa, Aloysia triphylla (cedrón y Mentha spicata L (hierba buena. Método: La actividad tripanocida se evaluó contra epimastigotes cultivados en medio LIT, incubados por 48 horas a 37ºC en incubador humidificado con CO2 al 5%. El cristal violeta se utilizó como control positivo. La actividad citotóxica de los productos contra células mamíferas se evaluó en células RAW 264.7 y la actividad modulatoria de los compuestos sobre óxido nítrico también se determinó en los cultivos de células RAW 264.7. Principales medidas de resultados: Porcentaje de inhibición de viabilidad y CI50. Resultados: Los aceites esenciales de Cymbopogon citratus (hierba luisa y Aloysia triphylla (cedrón inhibieron significativamente el crecimiento de la forma epimastigote de T. cruzi, con una CI50 de 63,09 y 96,49 μg/mL, respectivamente. No hubo variaciσn significativa de la concentraciσn de óxido nítrico y tampoco se evidenció citotoxicidad. Conclusiones: Los aceites esenciales de Cymbopogon citratus y Aloysia triphylla mostraron actividad anti-Trypanosoma cruzi in vitro y no fueron citotóxicas para las células mamíferas.

  7. A hybridized membrane-botanical biofilter for improving air quality in occupied spaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llewellyn, David; Darlington, Alan; van Ras, Niels; Kraakman, Bart; Dixon, Mike

    number of space-specific applications such as odors arising from aspects of the MELiSSA system and spacequalified small animal cages, our focus was on indoor air quality as the terrestrial application of this technology. This paper describes aspects of the development of this technology from conceptualization through laboratory trials to the design, construction and field trials of pre-market prototypes.

  8. Perceptions of Menthol Cigarettes Among Twitter Users: Content and Sentiment Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rose, Shyanika W; Jo, Catherine L; Binns, Steven; Buenger, Melissa; Emery, Sherry; Ribisl, Kurt M

    2017-02-27

    -largely due to expression of negative stereotypes associated with these groups' use of menthol cigarettes. Examinations of public opinions toward menthol cigarettes through social media can help to inform the framing of public communication about menthol cigarettes, particularly in light of potential regulation by the European Union, US Food and Drug Administration, other jurisdictions, and localities. ©Shyanika W Rose, Catherine L Jo, Steven Binns, Melissa Buenger, Sherry Emery, Kurt M Ribisl. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 27.02.2017.

  9. Ethnoveterinary medicines used for ruminants in British Columbia, Canada

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brauer Gerhard

    2007-02-01

    Symphytum officinale. Hedera helix and Alchemilla vulgaris are fed for retained placenta. Conclusion Some of the plants showing high levels of validity were Hedera helix for retained placenta and Euphrasia officinalis for eye problems. Plants with high validity for wounds and injuries included Hypericum perforatum, Malva parviflora and Prunella vulgaris. Treatments with high validity against endoparasites included those with Juniperus communis and Pinus ponderosa. Anxiety and pain are well treated with Melissa officinalis and Nepeta caesarea.

  10. Cost-effectiveness of minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cher DJ

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Daniel J Cher,1 Melissa A Frasco,2 Renée JG Arnold,2,3 David W Polly4,5 1Clinical Affairs, SI-BONE, Inc., San Jose, CA, USA; 2Division of Health Economics and Outcomes Research, Quorum Consulting, Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA; 3Department of Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; 4Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; 5Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA Background: Sacroiliac joint (SIJ disorders are common in patients with chronic lower back pain. Minimally invasive surgical options have been shown to be effective for the treatment of chronic SIJ dysfunction. Objective: To determine the cost-effectiveness of minimally invasive SIJ fusion. Methods: Data from two prospective, multicenter, clinical trials were used to inform a Markov process cost-utility model to evaluate cumulative 5-year health quality and costs after minimally invasive SIJ fusion using triangular titanium implants or non-surgical treatment. The analysis was performed from a third-party perspective. The model specifically incorporated variation in resource utilization observed in the randomized trial. Multiple one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. Results: SIJ fusion was associated with a gain of approximately 0.74 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs at a cost of US$13,313 per QALY gained. In multiple one-way sensitivity analyses all scenarios resulted in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER <$26,000/QALY. Probabilistic analyses showed a high degree of certainty that the maximum ICER for SIJ fusion was less than commonly selected thresholds for acceptability (mean ICER =$13,687, 95% confidence interval $5,162–$28,085. SIJ fusion provided potential cost savings per QALY gained compared to non-surgical treatment after a treatment horizon of greater than 13 years. Conclusion: Compared to traditional non-surgical treatments

  11. Ocorrência do uso de plantas medicinais por moradores de um bairro do município de Marília-SP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. F. MACEDO

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available

    As plantas medicinais continuam ocupando lugar de destaque no arsenal terapêutico e muitas vezes, é o único recurso de muitas comunidades e grupos étnicos. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi pesquisar a ocorrência do uso de plantas medicinais em residências de um bairro do município de Marília-SP. Foram entrevistados moradores de 150 residências do Jardim Lavínia, no período de março a julho de 2006. Foram aplicados questionários semi-estruturados para o levantamento dos dados. Os resultados mostraram que 19,34% das residências, possuíam plantas e destas, 41,37% de Melissa officinalis, 31,03% de Matricaria chamomilla, 13,79% de Camellia sinensis, Mentha piperita e Foeniculum vulgare, 6,89% de Valeriana officinalis, Baccharis triptera, Peumus boldus e 27,52% outros. A indicação do uso foi de 55,17% por amigos/parentes, 13,79% por TV/Rádio, 13,79% por cultura/crenças, 6,89% não responderam e apenas 10,34% por prescrição médica. Das plantas medicinais encontradas, 31,25% eram utilizados de modo contrário à sua finalidade. Dos moradores entrevistados, 41,37% apresentavam idade acima de 46 anos e 31,03% possuíam ensino superior completo. Estes dados permitem concluir que mesmo o consumo sendo amplo no Brasil, ainda existe escassez de informação e a falta desta se dá também em indivíduos de nível superior, podendo gerar uso incorreto. Os meios de comunicação já não são mais os grandes vilões do estímulo do uso das plantas medicinais, a cultura popular faz com que as indicações sejam transmitidas de pessoa para pessoa, atingindo também a população mais favorecida economicamente. Palavras-chave: etnobotânica; plantas medicinais; farmacoterapia; fitoterápicos.

  12. Social jetlag in health and behavioral research: a systematic review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beauvalet JC

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Juliana Castilhos Beauvalet,1,2 Caroline Luísa Quiles,1,2 Melissa Alves Braga de Oliveira,1,2 Carlos Augusto Vieira Ilgenfritz,1 Maria Paz Loayza Hidalgo,1–3 André Comiran Tonon1 1Laboratório de Cronobiologia e Sono, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; 2Postgraduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical School, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, Medical School, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil Background: Even though light is considered the main cue that entrains inner biological rhythms according to circadian environmental rhythms, social organizations have the capacity to take the body “out of sync”. An emergent field of research on the topic refers to what has been described as social jetlag, the biological misalignment that arises from alternated work and free days. However, to the present moment, there is still controversial evidence on the effects of such a phenomenon to human health.Objective: The aim of this study was to identify current peer-reviewed evidence of the health and behavioral risks associated with social jetlag.Method: We conducted a systematic review of the literature on PubMed, Scopus, Embase and LILACS electronic databases using the terms “social AND (jet lag OR jetlag”. The search was finalized on August 22, 2016, resulting in 26 research articles included in the review.Results and discussion: Our results point to a variety of health and behavioral outcomes that seem to be associated with the mismatch existent between work or study days and free days. They are epilepsy, minor psychiatric symptoms, aggression and conduct problems, mood disorders, cognitive impairment (eg, work and academic performance, substance use, cardiometabolic risk and adverse endocrine profiles

  13. Optimal nonpharmacological management of agitation in Alzheimer’s disease: challenges and solutions

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    Millán-Calenti JC

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available José Carlos Millán-Calenti,1 Laura Lorenzo-López,1 Begoña Alonso-Búa,1 Carmen de Labra,2 Isabel González-Abraldes,1 Ana Maseda1 1Gerontology Research Group, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidade da Coruña, A Coruña, Spain; 2Research, Development and Innovation Department, Gerontological Complex La Milagrosa, Provincial Association of Pensioners and Retired People (UDP from A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain Abstract: Many patients with Alzheimer’s disease will develop agitation at later stages of the disease, which constitutes one of the most challenging and distressing aspects of dementia. Recently, nonpharmacological therapies have become increasingly popular and have been proven to be effective in managing the behavioral symptoms (including agitation that are common in the middle or later stages of dementia. These therapies seem to be a good alternative to pharmacological treatment to avoid unpleasant side effects. We present a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs focused on the nonpharmacological management of agitation in Alzheimer’s disease (AD patients aged 65 years and above. Of the 754 studies found, eight met the inclusion criteria. This review suggests that music therapy is optimal for the management of agitation in institutionalized patients with moderately severe and severe AD, particularly when the intervention includes individualized and interactive music. Bright light therapy has little and possibly no clinically significant effects with respect to observational ratings of agitation but decreases caregiver ratings of physical and verbal agitation. Therapeutic touch is effective for reducing physical nonaggressive behaviors but is not superior to simulated therapeutic touch or usual care for reducing physically aggressive and verbally agitated behaviors. Melissa oil aromatherapy and behavioral management techniques are not superior to placebo or pharmacological therapies for

  14. Selection and hydroponic growth of potato cultivars for bioregenerative life support systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molders, K.; Quinet, M.; Decat, J.; Secco, B.; Dulière, E.; Pieters, S.; van der Kooij, T.; Lutts, S.; Van Der Straeten, D.

    2012-07-01

    As part of the ESA-funded MELiSSA program, Ghent University and the Université catholique de Louvain investigated the suitability, growth and development of four potato cultivars in hydroponic culture under controlled conditions with the aim to incorporate such cultivation system in an Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS). Potato plants can fulfill three major functions in an ECLSS in space missions: (a) fixation of CO2 and production of O2, (b) production of tubers for human nutrition and (c) production of clean water after condensation of the water vapor released from the plants by transpiration. Four cultivars (Annabelle, Bintje, Desiree and Innovator) were selected and grown hydroponically in nutrient film technique (NFT) gullies in a growth chamber under controlled conditions. The plant growth parameters, tuber harvest parameters and results of tuber nutritional analysis of the four cultivars were compared. The four potato cultivars grew well and all produced tubers. The growth period lasted 127 days for all cultivars except for Desiree which needed 145 days. Annabelle (1.45 kg/m2) and Bintje (1.355 kg/m2) were the best performing of the four cultivars. They also produced two times more tubers than Desiree and Innovator. Innovator produced the biggest tubers (20.95 g/tuber) and Desiree the smallest (7.67 g/tuber). The size of Annabelle and Bintje potatoes were intermediate. Bintje plants produced the highest total biomass in term of DW. The highest non-edible biomass was produced by Desiree, which showed both the highest shoot and root DW. The manual length and width measurements were also used to predict the total tuber mass. The energy values of the tubers remained in the range of the 2010 USDA and Souci-Fachmann-Kraut food composition databases. The amount of Ca determined was slightly reduced compared to the USDA value, but close to the Souci-Fachmann-Kraut value. The concentration of Cu, Zn and P were high compared to both databases

  15. The technology development for the complex Api-phyto product “Apised” in the form of capsules with the restorative and sedative action

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. S. Shpychak

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study is to substantiate and experimentally develop the technology for the complex api-phyto product “Apised” (which is used to treat nervous disorders and the psycho-emotional stress in extreme conditions, in particular in sports medicine in the form of gelatin capsules in pharmacy conditions and in conditions of industrial production based on the pharmaceutical-technological and physical-chemical studies. Materials and methods. As the research objects the experimental samples of “Apised” capsules, as well as their mixtures of masses for encapsulation were used. These mixtures contain such active pharmaceutical ingredients (API as a standardized substance of powdered honey (PH, medicinal plant raw material (Melissa herb, hop cones, true lavender flowers and the following excipients (antifriction substances: aerosil (anhydrous colloidal silicon dioxide or the mixture of aerosil and calcium stearate (3:1 in the amount of 2 %, as well as a wetting agent – 5 % solution of Plasdone K29/32. Results. The obtained results of the experimental studies were used when developing the flowcharts of the manufacturing process for “Apised” capsules in pharmacy conditions and in conditions of the standard operating procedure for the drug. Taking into account the physical-chemical properties of API included in the composition of the drug the flowchart of the manufacturing process for the complex api-phyto product in conditions of industrial production and the project of the specification were developed, the technological parameters of its manufacturing were substantiated, the optimal amount of excipients and a wetting agent required for performing the proper technological process was calculated, as well as the control over the sequence of mixing of active substances and excipients, moisturizing and obtaining of wet granules, drying and sizing of granules, obtaining of the encapsulated mass and other control parameters affecting the

  16. Augmenting Outpatient Alcohol Treatment as Usual With Online Alcohol Avoidance Training: Protocol for a Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bratti-van der Werf, Marleen Kj; Laurens, Melissa C; Postel, Marloes G; Pieterse, Marcel E; Ben Allouch, Somaya; Wiers, Reinout W; Bohlmeijer, Ernst T; Salemink, Elske

    2018-03-01

    ://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=5087 (Archived at WebCite http://www.webcitation.org/6wuS4i1tH). ©Marleen KJ Bratti-van der Werf, Melissa C Laurens, Marloes G Postel, Marcel E Pieterse, Somaya Ben Allouch, Reinout W Wiers, Ernst T Bohlmeijer, Elske Salemink. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 01.03.2018.

  17. What is eHealth (6)? Development of a Conceptual Model for eHealth: Qualitative Study with Key Informants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaw, Tim; McGregor, Deborah; Brunner, Melissa; Keep, Melanie; Janssen, Anna; Barnet, Stewart

    2017-10-24

    defined domains of eHealth while highlighting the benefits of using digital technologies in ways that cross several domains. It provides the depth of perspectives and examples of eHealth use that are lacking in previous research. On the basis of this model, we suggest that eHealth initiatives that are most impactful would include elements from all 3 domains. ©Tim Shaw, Deborah McGregor, Melissa Brunner, Melanie Keep, Anna Janssen, Stewart Barnet. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 24.10.2017.

  18. Technial Programme Committee

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-06-01

    Chairpersons Dr Dinesh Sathyamoorthy, Science & Technology Research Institute for Defence (STRIDE), Ministry of Defence, Malaysia Associate Professor Sr Dr Abdul Rashid Mohamed Shariff, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia Dr Ahmad Fikri Abdullah, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia Dr Farrah Melissa Muharram, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia Members Professor Dr Li Jing, Beijing Normal University, China Professor Dr Iyyanki Muralikrishna, Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), India Professor Dr Alias Abdul Rahman, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Malaysia Professor Dr Ismat Mohamed El Hassan, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia Professor Dr George Miliaresis, Open University of Cyprus, Cyprus Professor Dr Christine Pohl, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Malaysia Professor Dr Mahender Kotha, Goa University, India Associate Professor Dr Paolo Gamba, University of Pavia, Italy Associate Professor Dr Behara Seshadri Daya Sagar, Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), India Associate Professor Sr Ranjit Singh, Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur (IUKL), Malaysia Associate Professor Dr Abdul Nasir Matori, Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), Malaysia Associate Dr Lucian Dragut, West University of Timişoara, Romania Associate Professor Dr Saied Pirasteh, Islamic Azad University, Iran Associate Professor Dr Peter Yuen, Cranfield University, United Kingdom Associate Professor Dr Lim Hwee San, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Malaysia Associate Professor Dr Wayan Suparta, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Malaysia Associate Professor Dr Tuong Thuy Vu, The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Malaysia Associate Professor Dr Maged Mahmoud Marghany, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Malaysia Associate Professor Dr Rami Al-Ruzouq, University of Sharjah, UAE Associate Professor Dr Biswajeet Pradhan, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia Associate Professor Dr Helmi Zulhaidi Mohd Shafri, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia

  19. Quantitative sensory testing measures individual pain responses in emergency department patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duffy KJ

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Kevin J Duffy, Katharyn L Flickinger, Jeffrey T Kristan, Melissa J Repine, Alexandro Gianforcaro, Rebecca B Hasley, Saad Feroz, Jessica M Rupp, Jumana Al-Baghli, Maria L Pacella, Brian P Suffoletto, Clifton W Callaway Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Background: Refining and individualizing treatment of acute pain in the emergency department (ED is a high priority, given that painful complaints are the most common reasons for ED visits. Few tools exist to objectively measure pain perception in the ED setting. We speculated that variation in perception of fixed painful stimuli would explain individual variation in reported pain and response to treatment among ED patients. Materials and methods: In three studies, we 1 describe performance characteristics of brief quantitative sensory testing (QST in 50 healthy volunteers, 2 test effects of 10 mg oxycodone versus placebo on QST measures in 18 healthy volunteers, and 3 measure interindividual differences in nociception and treatment responses in 198 ED patients with a painful complaint during ED treatment. QST measures adapted for use in the ED included pressure sensation threshold, pressure pain threshold (PPT, pressure pain response (PPR, and cold pain tolerance (CPT tests. Results: First, all QST measures had high inter-rater reliability and test–retest reproducibility. Second, 10 mg oxycodone reduced PPR, increased PPT, and prolonged CPT. Third, baseline PPT and PPR revealed hyperalgesia in 31 (16% ED subjects relative to healthy volunteers. In 173 (88% ED subjects who completed repeat testing 30 minutes after pain treatment, PPT increased and PPR decreased (Cohen’s dz 0.10–0.19. Verbal pain scores (0–10 for the ED complaint decreased by 2.2 (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.9, 2.6 (Cohen’s dz 0.97 but did not covary with the changes in PPT and PPR (r=0.05–0.13. Treatment effects were greatest in ED subjects

  20. Canadian advanced life support capacities and future directions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bamsey, M.; Graham, T.; Stasiak, M.; Berinstain, A.; Scott, A.; Vuk, T. Rondeau; Dixon, M.

    2009-07-01

    Canada began research on space-relevant biological life support systems in the early 1990s. Since that time Canadian capabilities have grown tremendously, placing Canada among the emerging leaders in biological life support systems. The rapid growth of Canadian expertise has been the result of several factors including a large and technically sophisticated greenhouse sector which successfully operates under challenging climatic conditions, well planned technology transfer strategies between the academic and industrial sectors, and a strong emphasis on international research collaborations. Recent activities such as Canada's contribution of the Higher Plant Compartment of the European Space Agency's MELiSSA Pilot Plant and the remote operation of the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse in the Canadian High Arctic continue to demonstrate Canadian capabilities with direct applicability to advanced life support systems. There is also a significant latent potential within Canadian institutions and organizations with respect to directly applicable advanced life support technologies. These directly applicable research interests include such areas as horticultural management strategies (for candidate crops), growth media, food processing, water management, atmosphere management, energy management, waste management, imaging, environment sensors, thermal control, lighting systems, robotics, command and data handling, communications systems, structures, in-situ resource utilization, space analogues and mission operations. With this background and in collaboration with the Canadian aerospace industry sector, a roadmap for future life support contributions is presented here. This roadmap targets an objective of at least 50% food closure by 2050 (providing greater closure in oxygen, water recycling and carbon dioxide uptake). The Canadian advanced life support community has chosen to focus on lunar surface infrastructure and not low Earth orbit or transit systems (i.e. microgravity

  1. Selection and hydroponic growth of bread wheat cultivars for bioregenerative life support systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Page, V.; Feller, U.

    2013-08-01

    As part of the ESA-funded MELiSSA program, the suitability, the growth and the development of four bread wheat cultivars were investigated in hydroponic culture with the aim to incorporate such a cultivation system in an Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS). Wheat plants can fulfill three major functions in space: (a) fixation of CO2 and production of O2, (b) production of grains for human nutrition and (c) production of cleaned water after condensation of the water vapor released from the plants by transpiration. Four spring wheat cultivars (Aletsch, Fiorina, Greina and CH Rubli) were grown hydroponically and compared with respect to growth and grain maturation properties. The height of the plants, the culture duration from germination to harvest, the quantity of water used, the number of fertile and non-fertile tillers as well as the quantity and quality of the grains harvested were considered. Mature grains could be harvested after around 160 days depending on the varieties. It became evident that the nutrient supply is crucial in this context and strongly affects leaf senescence and grain maturation. After a first experiment, the culture conditions were improved for the second experiment (stepwise decrease of EC after flowering, pH adjusted twice a week, less plants per m2) leading to a more favorable harvest (higher grain yield and harvest index). Considerably less green tillers without mature grains were present at harvest time in experiment 2 than in experiment 1. The harvest index for dry matter (including roots) ranged from 0.13 to 0.35 in experiment 1 and from 0.23 to 0.41 in experiment 2 with modified culture conditions. The thousand-grain weight for the four varieties ranged from 30.4 to 36.7 g in experiment 1 and from 33.2 to 39.1 g in experiment 2, while market samples were in the range of 39.4-46.9 g. Calcium levels in grains of the hydroponically grown wheat were similar to those from field-grown wheat, while potassium, magnesium

  2. The psychosocial impact of acne, vitiligo, and psoriasis: a review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nguyen CM

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Catherine M Nguyen,1 Kourosh Beroukhim,2 Melissa J Danesh,3 Aline Babikian,4 John Koo,3 Argentina Leon3 1University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, Irvine, 2David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, 3Department of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, 4Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Vallejo, CA, USA Introduction: Chronic skin conditions have been well reported to affect a patient's quality of life on multiple dimensions, including the psychosocial domain. Psychosocial is defined as the interrelation of social factors with an individual's thoughts and behavior. The assessment of the psychosocial impact of skin disease on a patient can help direct the dermatologists' treatment goals. To evaluate the psychosocial impact of skin disease, we conducted a review of the literature on three skin conditions with onsets at various stages of life: acne, vitiligo, and psoriasis. Methods: A PubMed search was conducted in March 2015 using the terms “psychosocial” AND “acne”, “psychosocial” AND “vitiligo”, and “psychosocial” AND “psoriasis”. The results were limited to articles published in English in the past 5 years studying patients of all ages. Results and their references were evaluated for relevance according to their discussion of psychosocial qualities in their patients and the validity of psychosocial assessments. The search for acne yielded 51 results, and eleven were found to be relevant; vitiligo yielded 30 results with ten found to be relevant; and psoriasis yielded 70 results with seven found to be relevant. Results: According to the articles evaluated, 19.2% of adolescent patients with acne were affected in their personal and social lives. Social phobia was present in 45% of patients with acne compared to 18% of control subjects. Race and sex played a role in self-consciousness and social perceptions of the disease. Vitiligo

  3. YouTube Videos as a Source of Information About Clinical Trials: Observational Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hillyer, Grace Clarke; MacLean, Sarah A; Beauchemin, Melissa; Basch, Corey H; Schmitt, Karen M; Segall, Leslie; Kelsen, Moshe; Brogan, Frances L; Schwartz, Gary K

    2018-06-26

    provided information on many aspects of trials; however, individual videos tended to focus on selected topics with varying levels of detail. Cancer clinical trial videos were more emotional in style and positive in tone and provided information on the important topics of cost and communication. Patients are encouraged to verify and supplement YouTube video information in consultations with their health care professionals to obtain a full and accurate picture of cancer clinical trials to make an adequately informed decision about participation. ©Grace Clarke Hillyer, Sarah A MacLean, Melissa Beauchemin, Corey H Basch, Karen M Schmitt, Leslie Segall, Moshe Kelsen, Frances L Brogan, Gary K Schwartz. Originally published in JMIR Cancer (http://cancer.jmir.org), 26.06.2018.

  4. Doripenem in hospital infections: a focus on nosocomial pneumonia, complicated intra-abdominal infections, and complicated urinary tract infections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tze Shien Lo

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Tze Shien Lo,1 Stephanie M Borchardt,2 Justin M Welch,3 Melissa A Rohrich,3 Augusto M Alonto,4 Anne V Alonto51Infectious Diseases Service, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Fargo, North Dakota, USA; 2Research Service, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Fargo, North Dakota, USA; 3Pharmacy Service, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Fargo, North Dakota, USA; 4Infectious Diseases Department, MeritCare Medical Center, Fargo, North Dakota, USA; 5Department of Internal Medicine, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Fargo, North Dakota, USAAbstract: Doripenem is the latest carbapenem on the market to date. Although not an antibiotic in a new class, it offers a glimmer of hope in combating serious infections secondary to multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria when we have not seen a new class of antibacterial, particularly for Gram-negative bacteria, for more than 10 years. In vitro, doripenem exhibits a broad spectrum of activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL and Amp-C β-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae and anaerobes. Doripenem also exhibits better in vitro activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa compared to other anti-pseudomonal carbapenems. It combines the desirable activities of both imipenem and meropenem. It has similar activity to imipenem against Gram-positive pathogens and has the antimicrobial spectrum of meropenem against Gram-negative organisms. Several randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that doripenem is non-inferior to meropenem, imipenem, piperacillin/tazobactam, or levofloxacin in its efficacy and safety profile in treating a wide range of serious bacterial infections including intra-abdominal infection, complicated urinary tract infection, and nosocomial pneumonia. Due to its wide spectrum of activity and good safety profile it is susceptible to misuse leading to increasing rates of resistance

  5. Sex-specific relationships between adverse childhood experiences and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in five states

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cunningham TJ

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Timothy J Cunningham,1 Earl S Ford,1 Janet B Croft,1 Melissa T Merrick,2 Italia V Rolle,3 Wayne H Giles1 1Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA; 2Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA; 3Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA Purpose: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs before age 18 have been repeatedly associated with several chronic diseases in adulthood such as depression, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke. We examined sex-specific relationships between individual ACEs and the number of ACEs with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD in the general population. Materials and methods: Data from 26,546 women and 19,015 men aged ≥18 years in five states of the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were analyzed. We used log-linear regression to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs for the relationship of eight ACEs with COPD after adjustment for age group, race/ethnicity, marital status, educational attainment, employment, asthma history, health insurance coverage, and smoking status. Results: Some 63.8% of women and 62.2% of men reported ≥1 ACE. COPD was reported by 4.9% of women and 4.0% of men. In women, but not in men, there was a higher likelihood of COPD associated with verbal abuse (PR =1.30, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.61, sexual abuse (PR =1.69, 95% CI: 1.36, 2.10, living with a substance abusing household member (PR =1.49, 95% CI: 1.23, 1.81, witnessing domestic violence (PR =1.40, 95% CI: 1.14, 1.72, and parental separation/divorce (PR =1.47, 95% CI: 1.21, 1.80 during childhood compared to those with no individual ACEs

  6. Comparative cost-effectiveness of a fluticasone-propionate/salmeterol combination versus anticholinergics as initial maintenance therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    An

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Anand A Dalal1, Melissa H Roberts2, Hans V Petersen2, Christopher M Blanchette3, Douglas W Mapel41US Health Outcomes, GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, NC; 2Division of Clinical and Outcomes Research, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM; 3Kannapolis, North Carolina; 4Lovelace Clinic Foundation, Albuquerque, NM, USAPurpose: Relative costs and utilization-related outcomes of a fluticasone propionate 250 µg + salmeterol 50 µg combination (FSC, tiotropium bromide, and ipratropium as initial maintenance therapy in COPD have not been compared in a commercially-insured population.Methods: This retrospective, observational cohort study used health care claims data from January 2004 to June 2009 from a large administrative database for patients aged ≥40 years with COPD. Time-to-first COPD-related health care event beginning 30 days following therapy initiation with FSC (n = 16,684, ipratropium alone or in fixed dose combination with albuterol (n = 14,449, or tiotropium (n = 12,659 was estimated using Cox proportional hazard models that controlled for differences in patient demographic characteristics, health care utilization, and comorbidities at baseline. Mean adjusted costs and numbers of COPD-related health care encounters and prescription medication fills were compared among patients with 12 months of follow-up (FSC, n = 12,595; ipratropium, n = 10,617; tiotropium, n = 9126.Results: With FSC as the reference, risk for a COPD-related hospitalization and/or emergency department visit was significantly higher for ipratropium (hazard ratio [HR] 1.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.50–1.79 and tiotropium (HR 1.29, CI 1.17–1.41. Mean adjusted 12-month COPD-related total health care costs were lower for FSC ($2068, standard deviation [SD] $1190 than for ipratropium ($2841, SD $1858 and tiotropium ($2408, SD $1511, both P < 0.05. Mean number of COPD-related hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and outpatient

  7. Barriers and facilitators associated with colonoscopy completion in individuals with multiple chronic conditions: a qualitative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sultan S

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Shahnaz Sultan,1–4 Melissa R Partin,1,2 Phalgoon Shah,5 Jennifer LeLaurin,4 Ivette Magaly Freytes,4 Chandylen L Nightingale,6 Susan F Fesperman,4 Barbara A Curbow,7 Rebecca J Beyth3,4,8 1Center for Chronic Disease Outcomes Research, Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, 2Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 3Department of Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, 4Center of Innovation on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, Gainesville, FL, 5Department of Medicine, Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI, 6Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem NC, 7Department of Community and Behavioral Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 8Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, Gainesville, FL, USA Background: A recommendation to undergo a colonoscopy, an invasive procedure that requires commitment and motivation, planning (scheduling and finding a driver and preparation (diet restriction and laxative consumption, may be uniquely challenging for individuals with multiple chronic conditions (MCCs. This qualitative study aimed to describe the barriers and facilitators to colonoscopy experienced by such patients.Materials and methods: Semistructured focus groups were conducted with male Veterans who were scheduled for outpatient colonoscopy and either failed to complete the procedure or completed the examination. Focus group recordings were transcribed and analyzed by an inductive grounded approach using constant comparative analysis.Results: Forty-four individuals aged 51–83 years participated in this study (23 adherent and 21 nonadherent. Participants had an average of 7.4 chronic conditions (range 2–14. The five most common chronic conditions were hypertension (75%, hyperlipidemia (75

  8. Health-related quality of life in current smokers with COPD: factors associated with current smoking and new insights into sex differences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheruvu VK

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Vinay K Cheruvu,1 Lorriane A Odhiambo,1 Dana S Mowls,2 Melissa D Zullo,1 Abdi T Gudina1 1Department of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Sciences, and Epidemiology, College of Public Health, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 2Department of Biostatistics & Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA Abstract: Findings from studies that examined the association between health-related ­quality of life (HRQOL and smoking status among COPD patients have been mixed. Moreover, factors associated with current smoking in COPD patients and differences by sex have not been fully elucidated. Data from the 2011 and 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System was used in this study. Four HRQOL indicators were examined in this study: general health, physical health, mental health, and activity limitations. General health was dichotomized into two groups: “excellent/very good/good” and “fair/poor”, and the other three HRQOL indicators were dichotomized into <14 (infrequent and ≥14 (frequent unhealthy days in the past 30 days. To examine HRQOL indicators in association with current versus former smoking and identify factors associated with current smoking, logistic regression models were used. Sex differences were explored. In COPD patients, current smokers compared to former smokers had significantly poor HRQOL on all subdomains: “fair/poor” general health (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.2 [95% confidence interval {CI}: 1.1–1.5]; poor physical health (AOR: 1.3 [CI: 1.1–1.5]; poor mental health (AOR: 1.8 [CI: 1.4–2.2]; and poor activity limitations (AOR: 1.5 [CI: 1.3–1.9]. HRQOL subdomains affected by current smoking differed by sex except activity limitations. General health (AOR: 1.5 [CI: 1.1–2.0] and activity limitations (AOR: 1.6 [95% CI: 1.2–2.2] in males and physical health (AOR: 1.3 [CI: 1.0–1.6], mental health (AOR: 2.1 [CI: 1.7–2.6], and activity

  9. Input of Psychosocial Information During Multidisciplinary Team Meetings at Medical Oncology Departments: Protocol for an Observational Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horlait, Melissa; Van Belle, Simon; Leys, Mark

    2018-02-26

    supplemented with semi-structured individual interviews with members of the MOC-meetings. The protocol is part of a larger research project on communication and multidisciplinary collaboration in oncology departments. Results of this study will particularly focus on the input of psychosocial information during MDTMs. The concept of an MDTM should not merely be a group of care professionals who mostly work independently and occasionally liaise with one another. Interventions aiming to enhance the input of psychosocial information are crucial to ensure that MDTMs can benefit from their diverse membership to achieve their full potential. The findings from this study can be used to design nonclinical and organizational interventions that enhance multidisciplinary decision-making in oncology. ©Melissa Horlait, Simon Van Belle, Mark Leys. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 26.02.2018.

  10. Hydroponic cultivation of soybean for Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSSs)

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Pascale, Stefania; De Micco, Veronica; Aronne, Giovanna; Paradiso, Roberta

    For long time our research group has been involved in experiments aiming to evaluate the possibility to cultivate plants in Space to regenerate resources and produce food. Apart from investigating the response of specific growth processes (at morpho-functional levels) to space factors (namely microgravity and ionising radiation), wide attention has been dedicated to agro-technologies applied to ecologically closed systems. Based on technical and human dietary requirements, soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is studied as one of the candidate species for hydroponic (soilless) cultivation in the research program MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) of the European Space Agency (ESA). Soybean seeds show high nutritional value, due to the relevant content of protein, lipids, dietary fiber and biologically active substances such as isoflavones. They can produce fresh sprouts or be transformed in several edible products (soymilk and okara or soy pulp). Soybean is traditionally grown in open field where specific interactions with soil microrganisms occur. Most available information on plant growth, seed productivity and nutrient composition relate to cultivated varieties (cultivars) selected for soil cultivation. However, in a space outpost, plant cultivation would rely on soilless systems. Given that plant growth, seed yield and quality strictly depend on the environmental conditions, to make successful the cultivation of soybean in space, it was necessary to screen all agronomic information according to space constraints. Indeed, selected cultivars have to comply with the space growth environment while providing a suitable nutritional quality to fulfill the astronauts needs. We proposed an objective criterion for the preliminary theoretical selection of the most suitable cultivars for seed production, which were subsequently evaluated in bench tests in hydroponics. Several Space-oriented experiments were carried out in a closed growth chamber to

  11. Development of inquiry-based planetary science resources for Canadian schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osinski, G. R.; Gilbert, A.; Brown, P.

    2011-12-01

    abilities) outline the independent variables, and design an experiment. This is conducted in groups after the proposed experiment is approved by the teacher. (4) Students draw conclusions on their experiment, and present results in the lab hand out and to their peers. Learning outcomes based on the Ontario curriculum have been pre-identified allowing the teachers to know what portion of the curriculum is being taught. Future activities include increasing the number of activity-based learning themes and modules available, implementing more Teacher Training Courses and workshops, increasing the number of schools that participate to the programme and continuing to participate in the annual Science Teacher's Association of Ontario Conference. Acknowledgements: Funding from the Canadian Space Agency's Space Awaremess and Learning program and an Interdisciplinary Development Initiative award from Western has made this program possible. Melissa Battler, Anna Chanou, Heather Henry, Emily McCullough, Alexandra Pontefract, and Alaura Singleton are thanked for their participation in this program.

  12. Greenhouse Module for Space System: A Lunar Greenhouse Design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeidler Conrad

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available In the next 10 to 20 years humankind will return to the Moon and/or travel to Mars. It is likely that astronauts will eventually build permanent settlements there, as a base for long-term crew tended research tasks. It is obvious that the crew of such settlements will need food to survive. With current mission architectures the provision of food for longduration missions away from Earth requires a significant number of resupply flights. Furthermore, it would be infeasible to provide the crew with continuous access to fresh produce, specifically crops with high water content such as tomatoes and peppers, on account of their limited shelf life. A greenhouse as an integrated part of a planetary surface base would be one solution to solve this challenge for long-duration missions. Astronauts could grow their own fresh fruit and vegetables in-situ to be more independent from supply from Earth. This paper presents the results of the design project for such a greenhouse, which was carried out by DLR and its partners within the framework of the Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA program. The consortium performed an extensive system analysis followed by a definition of system and subsystem requirements for greenhouse modules. Over 270 requirements were defined in this process. Afterwards the consortium performed an in-depth analysis of illumination strategies, potential growth accommodations and shapes for the external structure. Five different options for the outer shape were investigated, each of them with a set of possible internal configurations. Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process, the different concept options were evaluated and ranked against each other. The design option with the highest ranking was an inflatable outer structure with a rigid inner core, in which the subsystems are mounted. The inflatable shell is wrapped around the core during launch and transit to the lunar surface. The paper provides an overview of the

  13. Targeting improved patient outcomes using innovative product listing agreements: a survey of Canadian and international key opinion leaders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thompson M

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Melissa Thompson,1 Chris Henshall,2 Louis P Garrison,3 Adrian D Griffin,4 Doug Coyle,2,5 Stephen Long,6 Zayna A Khayat,7 Dana L Anger,1 Rebecca Yu8 1Cornerstone Research Group Inc., Burlington, ON, Canada; 2Health Economics Research Group, Brunel University London, London UK; 3Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy Program, School of Pharmacy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; 4Government Affairs & Policy, Johnson & Johnson, High Wycombe, UK; 5School of Epidemiology, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; 6Health and Life Sciences, Global Public Affairs, Calgary, AB, 7Health Systems Innovation at MaRS Discovery District, Toronto, ON, Canada; 8Strategic Health Technology Assessment, Government Affairs & Market Access, Janssen Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada Objectives: To address the uncertainty associated with procuring pharmaceutical products, product listing agreements (PLAs are increasingly being used to support responsible funding decisions in Canada and elsewhere. These agreements typically involve financial-based rebating initiatives or, less frequently, outcome-based contracts. A qualitative survey was conducted to improve the understanding of outcome-based and more innovative PLAs (IPLAs based on input from Canadian and international key opinion leaders in the areas of drug manufacturing and reimbursement. Methods: Results from a structured literature review were used to inform survey development. Potential participants were invited via email to partake in the survey, which was conducted over phone or in person. Responses were compiled anonymously for review and reporting. Results: Twenty-one individuals participated in the survey, including health technology ­assessment (HTA key opinion leaders (38%, pharmaceutical industry chief executive officers/vice presidents (29%, ex-payers (19%, and current payers/drug plan managers/HTA (14%. The participants suggested that ~80%–95% of

  14. 8th European Conference on Rare Diseases & Orphan Products (ECRD 2016

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    Michael Schlander

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Table of contents O1 The European Social Preferences Measurement (ESPM study project: social cost value analysis, budget impact, commercial life cycle revenue management, and the economics of biopharmaceutical Research & Development (R&D Michael Schlander, Søren Holm, Erik Nord, Jeff Richardson, Silvio Garattini, Peter Kolominsky-Rabas, Deborah Marshall, Ulf Persson, Maarten Postma, Steven Simoens, Oriol de Solà Morales, Keith Tolley, Mondher Toumi, Harry Telser O2 Newborn Screening: the potential and the challenges James R Bonham O3 Untreatable disease outcomes - how would we measure them? Helmut Hintner, Anja Diem, Martin Laimer O4 Taking Integrated Care Forward: Experiences from Canada to inspire service provision for people living with rare disease in Europe Réjean Hébert O5 Listening to the patient’s voice: social media listening for safety and benefits in rare diseases Nabarun Dasgupta, Carrie E. Pierce, Melissa Jordan O6 Via Opta: Mobile apps making visually impaired patients’ lives easier Barbara Bori, Mohanad Fors, Emilie Prazakova O7 A report of the IRDiRC “Small Population Clinical Trial” Task Force Simon Day O8 HAE patient identification and diagnosis: An innovative, ‘game changing’ collaboration Thomas J. Croce Jr. O9 Co-creating with the community: primary packaging & administration for people with haemophilia Jonas Fransson, Philip Wood O10 Go with Gaucher, taking forward the next generation. How to involve young people to create a new generation of patient advocates Anne-Grethe Lauridsen, Joanne Higgs, Vesna Stojmirova Aleksovska P1 ODAK – Orphan Drug for Acanthamoeba Keratitis Christina Olsen, Ritchie Head, Antonio Asero, Vincenzo Papa, Christa van Kan, Loic Favennec, Silvana Venturella, Michela Salvador, Alan Krol P5 Rare Navigators help people living with rare diseases to manage the social – and healthcare systems Stephanie J. Nielsen, Birthe B. Holm P6 The eAcademy for Tay-Sachs & Sandhoff disease app

  15. Agriculture for Space: People and Places Paving the Way

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wheeler Raymond M.

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Agricultural systems for space have been discussed since the works of Tsiolkovsky in the early 20th century. Central to the concept is the use of photosynthetic organisms and light to generate oxygen and food. Research in the area started in 1950s and 60s through the works of Jack Myers and others, who studied algae for O2 production and CO2 removal for the US Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA. Studies on algal production and controlled environment agriculture were also carried out by Russian researchers in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia beginning in 1960s including tests with human crews whose air, water, and much of their food were provided by wheat and other crops. NASA initiated its Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS Program ca. 1980 with testing focused on controlled environment production of wheat, soybean, potato, lettuce, and sweetpotato. Findings from these studies were then used to conduct tests in a 20 m2, atmospherically closed chamber located at Kennedy Space Center. Related tests with humans and crops were conducted at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in the 1990s. About this same time, Japanese researchers developed a Controlled Ecological Experiment Facility (CEEF in Aomori Prefecture to conduct closed system studies with plants, humans, animals, and waste recycling systems. CEEF had 150 m2 of plant growth area, which provided a near-complete diet along with air and water regeneration for two humans and two goats. The European Space Agency MELiSSA Project began in the late 1980s and pursued ecological approaches for providing gas, water and materials recycling for space life support, and later expanded to include plant testing. A Canadian research team at the University of Guelph developed a research facility ca. 1994 for space crop research. The Canadian team eventually developed sophisticated canopy-scale hypobaric plant production chambers ca. 2000 for testing crops for space, and have

  16. Economic Incentives in the Purchase and Use of Energy-Using Products: Past Practices and New Developments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bjornstad, D.J.

    2003-03-27

    complex than that implied by traditional approaches. These lessons lead to the conclusion that technological change is far less automatic than that implied by simpler models, which presume fully informed and ''rational'' purchasers who are hypersensitive to marginal opportunities to save energy. The lessons also imply a set of policy guidelines with the potential to improve the attractiveness of energy-saving technologies to the marketplace. Numerous reviewers provided advice and guidance in preparing this paper. Jerry Dion suggested the topic and helped focus it to meet EERE needs. Marilyn Brown of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) provided insightful comments on various drafts, as did Milton Russell of the Joint Institute for Energy and Environment (JIEE). Other colleagues at ORNL and JIEE, including but not limited to, Barbara Ashdown, Melissa Lapsa, Lee Grier, Robert Shelton, and Don Jones have also been supportive and have contributed useful comments and correction. A number of other colleagues contributed comments on earlier drafts. Naturally, the author retains full responsibility for any remaining shortcomings.

  17. Reliability and validity of the Italian version of the 14-item Resilience Scale

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Callegari C

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Camilla Callegari,1 Lorenza Bertù,2 Melissa Lucano,1 Marta Ielmini,1 Elena Braggio,1 Simone Vender1 1Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine – Psychiatric Division, 2Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Centre for Research EPIMED – Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy Background: In recent years resilience has gained clinical relevance in sociological, psychological, and medical disciplines, and a lot of scales measuring resilience have been developed and have been utilized in the western countries. The aim of the study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the 14-item Resilience Scale (RS-14, by describing its validity and reliability. As agreed with the authors of the original English version of the RS-14, it was translated into Italian. Then the standard procedure for back-translation was followed. Methods: In total, 150 participants among the nursing and professional education students of the University of Insubria of Varese and health workers of the “ASST dei Sette Laghi-Ospedale di Circolo” of Varese were enrolled. The responses to the questionnaires were collected only from the students and the health workers between the ages of 18 and 65 years who gave their consent to participate in the study from April to September 2015. A subsample of 26 students and health workers was retested on the RS-14, 5 weeks after the first assessment. The questionnaires were handed out to 214 people, and 150 sets of questionnaires (70% were returned, of which eight were subsequently removed because >60% of the answers were missing. In order to ensure anonymity, every completed questionnaire was identified only via a code. Results: No significant differences were found between the mean values of the resilience scores between women (76.1 and men (76.3, with unpaired t-test = –0.08 and P=0.93. Similarly, no difference between resilience scores were found between

  18. Métodos para atrair a abelha Apis mellifera L. em cultura de abacate (Persea americana Mill. Methods to attract honeybee Apis mellifera L. to avocado tree (Persea americana Mill

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Darclet Terezinha Malerbo Souza

    2002-04-01

    Full Text Available O presente experimento teve como objetivo avaliar métodos de atração da abelha Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera, Apidae em duas variedades de abacate (Persea americana Mill.. Os atrativos utilizados foram extratos de Cymbopogon citratus, Ocimum basilicum, Lippia alba, folha de Citrus sp, folha de Eucaliptus sp. e o eugenol e o linalol (SIGMA. Os tratamentos utilizados foram: coberto; descoberto pulverizado (DP; descoberto com tubos e descoberto não pulverizado (DNP. Observou-se que a atratividade das substâncias testadas desapareceu minutos após a sua aplicação, utilizando ou não a glicerina, em ambas as variedades. A pulverização dos extratos de falsa melissa, folhas de eucalipto e folhas de laranja apresentaram um aumento no número de abelhas Apis mellifera, na variedade Quintal. Os dados mostraram que a freqüência das abelhas A. mellifera foi maior na variedade Quintal comparada à variedade Fortuna. Isto pode ter ocorrido devido à maior concentração de açúcares do néctar de suas flores. Observou-se que as abelhas A. mellifera preferiram visitar as flores do abacateiro da variedade Quintal, tanto para néctar quanto para coleta de pólen, comparada à variedade Fortuna. Com relação aos frutos, nenhuma das características apresentou diferença significativa entre os tratamentos, em ambas as variedades. Entretanto, observou-se que na variedade Quintal os frutos decorrentes dos tratamentos DP e DNP foram mais pesados, mais compridos e com maior espessura da polpa, comparados ao único fruto obtido do tratamento coberto. Os produtos testados em tubos não foram eficientes para atrair a abelha Apis mellifera, em ambas as variedades.The present experiment was carried out to evaluate some methods to attract honeybee Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera, Apidae to two avocado varieties (Persea americana Mill.. Extracts of Cymbopogon citratus, Ocimum basilicum, Lippia alba, Citrus sp leaf, Eucalyptus sp leaf, the eugenol and linalol

  19. The possibility of aromorphosis in further development of closed human life support systems using genetically modified organisms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gitelson, Josef

    Creation of closed systems that would be able to support human life outside the biosphere for extended periods of time (CES) was started after humans went into outer space. The last fifty years have seen the construction of experimental variants of the CES in Russia, USA, and Japan. The "MELISSA" project of the European Space Agency is being prepared to be launched. Much success has been achieved in closing material loops in the CES. An obstacle to constructing a fully closed ecosystem is significant imbalance in material exchange between the producing components and the decomposing ones in the CES. The spectrum of metabolites released by humans does not fully correspond to the requirements of the main producer of the CES -plants. However, this imbalance can be corrected by rather simple physicochemical processes that can be used in the CES without unclosing the system. The major disagreement that prevents further improvement of human life support systems (LSS) is that the spectrum of products of photosynthesis in the CES does not correspond to human food requirements qual-itatively, quantitatively, or in terms of diversity. In the normal, physiologically sound, human diet, this discrepancy is resolved by adding animal products. However, there are technical, technological, and hygienic obstacles to including animals in the closed human life support systems, and if higher animals are considered, there are also ethical arguments. If between the photoautotrophic link, plants, and the heterotrophic link, the human, there were one more heterotrophic link, farm animals, the energy requirements of the system would be increased by nearly an order of magnitude, decreasing its efficiency and making it heavier and bulkier. Is there another way to close loops in human life support systems? In biology, such "findings" of evolution, which open up new perspectives and offer ample opportunities for possible adapta-tions, are termed aromorphoses (Schmalhausen, 1948). In further

  20. Antibacterial activity of plant extracts and phytochemicals on antibiotic-resistant bacteria Atividade de extratos vegetais e fitofármacos sobre bactérias resistentes a antibióticos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gislene G. F. Nascimento

    2000-10-01

    Full Text Available The antimicrobial activity of plant extracts and phytochemicals was evaluated with antibiotic susceptible and resistant microorganisms. In addition, the possible synergistic effects when associated with antibiotics were studied. Extracts from the following plants were utilized: Achillea millifolium (yarrow, Caryophyllus aromaticus (clove, Melissa offficinalis (lemon-balm, Ocimun basilucum (basil, Psidium guajava (guava, Punica granatum (pomegranate, Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary, Salvia officinalis (sage, Syzygyum joabolanum (jambolan and Thymus vulgaris (thyme. The phytochemicals benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, eugenol and farnesol were also utilized. The highest antimicrobial potentials were observed for the extracts of Caryophyllus aromaticus and Syzygyum joabolanum, which inhibited 64.2 and 57.1% of the tested microorganisms, respectively, with higher activity against antibiotic-resistant bacteria (83.3%. Sage and yarrow extracts did not present any antimicrobial activity. Association of antibiotics and plant extracts showed synergistic antibacterial activity against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The results obtained with Pseudomonas aeruginosa was particularly interesting, since it was inhibited by clove, jambolan, pomegranate and thyme extracts. This inhibition was observed with the individual extracts and when they were used in lower concentrations with ineffective antibiotics.Foi avaliada a atividade antimicrobiana de extratos vegetais e fitofármacos frente a microrganismos sensíveis e resistentes a antibióticos, bem como observado o possível efeito sinérgico da associação entre antibióticos e extratos vegetais. Foram utilizados os extratos de plantas cujo nomes populares são: tomilho, alecrim, cravo-da-Índia, jambolão, erva cidreira, romã, goiaba, sálvia, manjericão e mil-folhas, e ainda os fitofármacos, ácido benzóico, ácido cinâmico, eugenol e farnesol. Na avaliação da atividade antimicrobiana através do m

  1. Acoustic development of a neonatal beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) at the John G. Shedd Aquarium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carneiro, Brooke Elizabeth

    the same adult beluga whales recorded by Melissa Kelly (2009) at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in 2008. The first recorded sound produced by the calf was a low frequency, pulsed signal which was extremely weak in amplitude and almost seven times lower in frequency compared to similar sounds from a male beluga calf born at the Vancouver Aquarium in 2002. As he grew, the calf steadily increased the complexity and adult-like characteristics in all sound types. He decreased the peak frequency of tones, but increased the peak frequency of noise and noise with tones sounds. Using analysis of variance, sounds produced during the younger age class (0 to 6 months) were significantly longer in duration than during the older age class (6 to 12 months). There was no statistical difference in peak frequency of tones or tones with noise between the two age groups. The peak frequencies of both tones and tones with noise were significantly higher during agonistic contexts compared to non-agonistic contexts. Finally, the age at which the calf was first recorded using echolocation was at about five months. Future studies on the underwater acoustic behavior of beluga whale calves are necessary to identify developmental milestones in their repertoire.

  2. "Meta-analyses and P-curves support robust cycle shifts in women's mate preferences: Reply to Wood and Carden (2014) and Harris, Pashler, and Mickes (2014)": Correction to Gildersleeve, Haselton, and Fales (2014).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-11-01

    Reports an error in "Meta-analyses and p -curves support robust cycle shifts in women's mate preferences: Reply to Wood and Carden (2014) and Harris, Pashler, and Mickes (2014)" by Kelly Gildersleeve, Martie G. Haselton and Melissa R. Fales ( Psychological Bulletin , 2014[Sep], Vol 140[5], 1272-1280). In the article, all p -curve analyses examining the Context Moderation Hypothesis Prediction mistakenly included the p-value from Little, Jones, Burt, & Perrett (2007) Study 2 for the simple effect of fertility on attraction to facial symmetry in a short-term relationship context ( p < .001). The analyses should have instead included the p -value for the fertility X relationship context interaction ( p = .011). In addition, the p -curve analyses examining exact two-tailed p -values for the Cycle Shift Prediction should have included an additional p -value from Provost et al. (2008) Study 1 for the main effect of fertility on attraction to gait masculinity. The reported p -value for this effect was .05, making it ineligible for inclusion in p -curves of reported p-values. However, the exact recalculated two-tailed p -value was .049, making it eligible for inclusion in p -curves of exact p -values. The corrected p -curve of exact two-tailed p -values evaluating the Cycle Shift Prediction and Context Moderation Prediction (displayed in Figure 2) now includes a total of 15 p -values ( N = 1442) is no longer significantly right skewed χ²(30) = 41.25, p = .08. The corrected p -curve of exact two-tailed p -values evaluating the Cycle Shift Prediction, Context Moderation Prediction, and Partner Qualities Moderation Prediction (displayed in Figure 3) now includes a total of 21 p -values ( N = 1707) and continues to be significantly right skewed Χ²(42) = 69.83, p = .004. As part of this correction, the online supplemental materials have been updated. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2014-35938-003.) Two meta-analyses evaluated shifts across

  3. Can nitrification bring us to Mars? The role of microbial interactions on nitrogen recovery in life support systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christiaens, Marlies E. R.; Lasseur, Christophe; Clauwaert, Peter; Boon, Nico; Ilgrande, Chiara; Vlaeminck, Siegfried

    2016-07-01

    Human habitation in space requires artificial environment recirculating fundamental elements to enable the highest degree of autonomy . The European Space Agency, supported by a large consortoium of European organisationsdevelop the Micro-Ecological Life Support System (MELiSSA) to transform the mission wastes waste (a.o. organic fibers, CO2, and urine) into water, oxygen, and food (Lasseur et al., 2010). Among these wastes, astronauts' urine has a high potential to provide nitrogen as a fertilizer for food production. As higher plant growth in space is typically proposed to be performed in hydroponics, liquid fertilizer containing nitrates is preferred. An Additional Unit for Water Treatment is developed for urine nitrification by means of a synthetic microbial community. The key players in this consortium are ureolytic bacteria to hydrolyse the main nitrogen source in urine, urea, to ammonium and carbon dioxide as well as oxidation of organic compounds present in urine, ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) to convert ammonium to nitrite (nitritation), and the nitrate oxidizing bacteria (NOB) to produce nitrate (nitratation). Pure AOB strains Nitrosomonas ureae Nm10 and Nitrosomonas europaea ATCC 19718, pure NOB strains Nitrobacter winogradskyi Nb-255 and Nitrobacter vulgaris Z, and interactions within synthetic consortia of one AOB and one NOB or all together were tested. As the initial salinity of fresh urine can be as high as 30 mS/cm, the functionality of selected pure strains and synthetic consortia was evaluated by means of the nitritation and nitratation activity at varying NaCl salinities (5, 10, and 30 mS/cm). The nitritation activity of pure AOB strains was compared with the synthetic consortia. Both N. ureae and Ns. europaea benefit from the presence of Nb. winogradskyi as the ammonium oxidation rates of 1.7 ± 0.7 and 6.4 ± 0.6 mg N/L.d at 5 mS/cm, respectively, doubled. These results are in line with the findings of Perez et al (2015) observing a lower

  4. The Study on Diurnal Changes in Leaf Gas Exchange of Lemon Balm, Catnip, Holy Basil and Sweet basil in Ahvaz

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Mahmoodi Sourestani

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Mediterranean climate conditions induce several stresses that plants have to cope with, especially during summer months when high temperature and radiation levels along with low water availability in the soil prevail for long periods. Variation in physiological traits such as photosynthesis and plant water status and their association with morphological characters can play an important role in the adaptability of the species to environmental constraints. The previous studies show that scorching weather not only affects the rate of gas exchange, but also results in diurnal changes in activity. Thus, the impact of environmental stresses on plants growing in these conditions should be assessed by examining the evolution of their diurnal variations on leaf gas exchange. Aromatic plants represent a renewable source of valuable compounds that can be used in food, perfumery, and pharmaceutical industry. Among these plants, sweet basil (Ocimumbasilicum, holy basil (Ocimum sanctum, lemon balm (Melissa officinalisL. and catnip (Nepetacataria are very important for different industries. Studies on environmental physiology of medicinal plants are relatively scarce and very few information is available concerning the physiological basis of medicinal plant response to heat stress that is one of the most important factors limiting production of medicinal plants in Khuzestan province. Material and methods: In order to evaluate the diurnal fluctuation of gas exchange of mentioned plants, an experiment was carried out in 2013 at research farm of Horticultural Science, Shahid Chamran University (31°20'N latitude and 48°40'E longitude and 22.5m mean sea level, Ahvaz (Iran, a site characterized by a semidry and scorching weather during late spring and summer. The experiment was arranged based on randomized complete block design (RCBD with three replications and 4×8 factorial scheme (Four plants including lemon balm, catnip, holy basil and basil; and

  5. Temperature dependence of CO2-enhanced primary production in the European Arctic Ocean, supplement to: Holding, Johnna; Duarte, Carlos M; Sanz-Martín, Marina; Mesa, E; Arrieta, J M; Chierici, Melissa; Hendriks, Iris; García-Corral, L S; Regaudie-de-Gioux, A; Delgado, A; Reigstad, M; Wassmann, P; Agustí, Susana (2015): Temperature dependence of CO2-enhanced primary production in the European Arctic Ocean. Nature Climate Change, 5(12), 1079-1082

    KAUST Repository

    Holding, Johnna; Duarte, Carlos M.; Sanz-Martí n, Marina; Mesa, E; Arrieta, J M; Chierici, Melissa; Hendriks, Iris; Garcí a-Corral, L S; Regaudie-de-Gioux, A; Delgado, A; Reigstad, M; Wassmann, P; Agusti, Susana

    2016-01-01

    should lead to increased rates of planktonic primary production. Yet, simultaneous assessment of warming and increased CO2 on primary production in the Arctic has not been conducted. Here we test the expectation that CO2-enhanced gross primary production

  6. Temperature dependence of CO2-enhanced primary production in the European Arctic Ocean, supplement to: Holding, Johnna; Duarte, Carlos M; Sanz-Martín, Marina; Mesa, E; Arrieta, J M; Chierici, Melissa; Hendriks, Iris; García-Corral, L S; Regaudie-de-Gioux, A; Delgado, A; Reigstad, M; Wassmann, P; Agustí, Susana (2015): Temperature dependence of CO2-enhanced primary production in the European Arctic Ocean. Nature Climate Change, 5(12), 1079-1082

    KAUST Repository

    Holding, Johnna

    2016-01-01

    The Arctic Ocean is warming at two to three times the global rate and is perceived to be a bellwether for ocean acidification. Increased CO2 concentrations are expected to have a fertilization effect on marine autotrophs, and higher temperatures should lead to increased rates of planktonic primary production. Yet, simultaneous assessment of warming and increased CO2 on primary production in the Arctic has not been conducted. Here we test the expectation that CO2-enhanced gross primary production (GPP) may be temperature dependent, using data from several oceanographic cruises and experiments from both spring and summer in the European sector of the Arctic Ocean. Results confirm that CO2 enhances GPP (by a factor of up to ten) over a range of 145-2,099?µatm; however, the greatest effects are observed only at lower temperatures and are constrained by nutrient and light availability to the spring period. The temperature dependence of CO2-enhanced primary production has significant implications for metabolic balance in a warmer, CO2-enriched Arctic Ocean in the future. In particular, it indicates that a twofold increase in primary production during the spring is likely in the Arctic.

  7. Comparison of Organic and Chemical Inputs on Different Densities of Echium amoenum Fisch & Mey. in Mashhad Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamad Behzad Amiri

    2017-02-01

    most significant resources for development of agricultural soil quality and increase in the yield of different medicinal plants. It has been reported that this ecological inputs provide favorable conditions for plant growth and development through improvement of physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil, therefore, it can be concluded that improvement of the most studied traits in the present study were due to use of organic fertilizers. It seems that plants compete with each other over scarce nutrients and water in high plant density and cause stunted growth . Some other studies have reported that suitable plant density can increase the growth and yield of some medicinal plants such as coriander (Coriandrum sativum L. (Akhani, Ajwain (Carum copticum L. , lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L. and anise (Pimpinella anisum L.. Conclusion: In general, the results of this research showed that the use of organic fertilizers in optimal plant densities can be reducing environmental risks of chemical fertilizers and develop sustainable agriculture and protect the health of the products.

  8. Comparison of Organic and Chemical Inputs on Different Densities of Echium amoenum Fisch & Mey. in Mashhad Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamad Behzad Amiri

    2017-09-01

    most significant resources for development of agricultural soil quality and increase in the yield of different medicinal plants. It has been reported that this ecological inputs provide favorable conditions for plant growth and development through improvement of physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil, therefore, it can be concluded that improvement of the most studied traits in the present study were due to use of organic fertilizers. It seems that plants compete with each other over scarce nutrients and water in high plant density and cause stunted growth . Some other studies have reported that suitable plant density can increase the growth and yield of some medicinal plants such as coriander (Coriandrum sativum L. (Akhani, Ajwain (Carum copticum L. , lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L. and anise (Pimpinella anisum L.. Conclusion: In general, the results of this research showed that the use of organic fertilizers in optimal plant densities can be reducing environmental risks of chemical fertilizers and develop sustainable agriculture and protect the health of the products.

  9. Organic photovoltaics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demming, Anna; Krebs, Frederik C.; Chen, Hongzheng

    2013-12-01

    foresight, nor that the present generation of innovators are 'tackling' the opportunity with such promise and success, as the work in this special issue clearly demonstrates. References [1] http://environment.nationalgeographic.co.uk/environment/global-warming/solar-power-profile [2] Muth M-A, Mitchel W, Tierney S, Lada T A, Xue X, Richter H, Carrasco-Orozco M and Thelakkat M 2013 Influence of charge carrier mobility and morphology on solar cell parameters in devices of mono- and bis-fullerene adducts Nanotechnology 24 484001 [3] Rudenko A E, Noh S and Thompson B C 2013 Influence of selenophene on the properties of semi-random polymers and their blends with PC61BM Nanotechnology 24 484002 [4] Zhang K, Hu Z, Duan C, Ying L, Huang F and Cao Y 2013 The effect of methanol treatment on the performance of polymer solar cells Nanotechnology 24 484003 [5] Meng B, Fang G, Fu Y, Xie Z and Wang L 2013 Fine tuning of the PCDTBT-OR:PC71BM blend nanoscale phase separation via selective solvent annealing toward high-performance polymer photovoltaics Nanotechnology 24 484004 [6] Arar M et al 2013 Influence of morphology and polymer:nanoparticle ratio on device performance of hybrid solar cells—an approach in experiment and simulation Nanotechnology 24 484005 [7] Yu B, Wang H and Yan D 2013 Efficient organic photovoltaic cells with vertical ordered bulk heterojunction Nanotechnology 24 484006 [8] Chen G, Sasabe H, Sano T, Wang X-F, Hong Z, Kido J and Yang Y 2013 Chloroboron (III) subnaphthalocyanine as an electron donor in bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cells Nanotechnology 24 484007 [9] Cheng P, Li Y and Zhan X 2013 DMF-assisted solution process boosts the efficiency in P3HT:PCBM solar cells up to 5.31% Nanotechnology 24 484008 [10] Chen H-Y, Lin S-H, Sun J-Y, Hsu C-H, Lan S and Lin C-F 2013 Morphologic improvement of the PBDTTT-C and PC71BM blend film with mixed solvent for high-performance inverted polymer solar cells Nanotechnology 24 484009 [11] Peng J, Sun Q, Zhai Z, Yuan J, Huang

  10. Editorial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Herly Quiñónez

    2008-12-01

    los investigadores vinculados con la Universidad, así como para la difusión de la investigaciones de los mismos estudiantes, quienes materializan en una Memoría de Grado (tesis de licenciatura un trabajo de calidad, basado en los criterios teóricos y metodológicos de las ciencias sociales. Precisamente, para este primer número  han colaborado un grupo de ex alumnas de la ULA Táchira, quienes realizaron su memoria de grado en alguna de las líneas de investigación prioritarias para este Anuario. Ellas son: Ismar Sánchez, Rosiris Materán, María Belisa Méndez, Mailé Guadalupe Colmenares, Mary Torres, Evelin Hernández y Elizabeth Montoya. Del mismo modo, profesores adscritos al Departamento de Comunicación Social de la ULA Táchira, como Tomás Byrne y Carmen Aidé Valecillos; además de Patricia Henríquez, profesora adscrita al Departamento de Computación e Informática, y Raquel Flores, investigadora del Centro de Estudios de Frontera e Integración (CEFI. Todos ellos proponen en sus artículos maneras de abordar el ejercicio periodístico y ofrecen herramientas necesarias para el aprendizaje del estudiante de Comunicación Social. Por un lado, con un análisis de las etapas de la formación del periodista con la propuesta de un Laboratorio Digital, reconociendo su pertinencia en los procesos de enseñanza. Y, por el otro, con la creación de un periódico escolar que contribuya a la integración de conocimientos en la comunidad y escuela.  Disertaciones es un espacio pensado desde la asignatura  “Problemática de la Ciencia y la Tecnología en Venezuela” del Departamento de Comunicación Social de la ULA Táchira y gestionado en esta primera edición por sus; un esfuerzo que pretende difundir a través del medio digital los avances de las ciencias de la comunicación. En la producción de la revista participaron: María Aguilar, Luisanna Armas, Iriana Cánchica, Juan Contreras, Diana Cuevas, Johana Flórez, Astridd García, Melissa G

  11. 13th National Congress of the South African Society of Psychiatrists, 20-23 September 2004

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eugene Allers

    2004-10-01

    , Liezl Koen 45. Buprenorphine/Naloxone maintenance in office practice: 18 months and 170 patients after the American release Ted Parran Jr, Chris Adelman 46. Integration of Pharmacotherapy for Opioid dependence into general psychiatric practice: Naltrexone, Methadone and Buprenorphine/ Naloxone Ted Parran 47. Our African understanding of individulalism and communitarianism Willie Pienaar 48. Healthy ageing and the prevention of Dementia Felix Potocnik, Susan van Rensburg, Christianne Bouwens 49. Indigenous plants and methods used by traditional African healers for treatinf psychiatric patients in the Soutpansberg Area (Research was done in 1998 Ramovha Muvhango Rachel 50. Symptom pattern & associated psychiatric disorders in subjects with possible & confirmed 22Q11 deletional syndrome J.L. Roos, H.W. Pretorius, M. Karayiorgou 51. Duration of antidepressant treatment: How long is long enough? How long is too long Steven P Roose 52. A comparison study of early non-psychotic deviant behaviour in the first ten years of life, in Afrikaner patients with Schizophrenia, Schizo-affective disorder and Bipolar disorder Martin Scholtz, Melissa Janse van Rensburg, J. Louw Roos 53. Treatment, treatment issues, and prevention of PTSD in women: An update Soraya Seedat 54. Fron neural networks to clinical practice M Spitzer 55. Opening keynote presentation: The art and science of Psychiatry M Spitzer 56. The future of Pharmacotherapy for anxiety disorders Dan J. Stein 57. Neuropsychological deficits pre and post Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT thrice a week: A report of four cases Ugash Subramaney, Yusuf Moosa 58. Prevalence of and risk factors for Tradive Dyskinesia in a Xhosa population in the Eastern Cape Dave Singler, Betty D. Patterson, Sandi Willows 59. Eating disorders: Addictive disorders? Christopher Paul Szabo 60. Ethical challenges and dilemmas of research in third world countries Godfrey B. Tangwa 61. The interface between Neurology and Psychiatry with specific focus on

  12. Encyclopedia of Information Ethics and Security

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reviewed by Yavuz AKBULUT

    2008-01-01

    from an Islamic Perspective/Salam Abdallah Information Security and the ―Privacy Broker‖/Michael Douma and Eduard J.Gamito Information Security Policies for Networkable Devices/Julia Kotlarsky, IlanOshri, and Corey Hirsch Information Security Policy Research Agenda/Heather Fulford and Neil Doherty Internet and Suicide/Dianne Currier Internet Piracy and Copyright Debates/Paul Sugden Internet Research Ethics Questions and Considerations/Elizabeth Buchanan Interviews with Young People using Online Chat/Elza Dunkels and AnnBrittEnochsson Intrusion Detection and Information Security Audits/Terry T. Kidd and Robert K.Hiltbrand Investigation Strategy for the Small Pedophiles World/Gianluigi Me Managed Services and Changing Workplace Ethics/Alan Sixsmith Managing the Environmental Impact of Information Technology/Laurel EvelynDyson Measuring Ethical Reasoning of IT Professionals and Students/MohammadAbdolmohammadi and Jane Fedorowicz Meta View of Information Ethics/Charles R. Crowell and Robert N. Barger Mitigation of Identity Theft in the Information Age/Reggie Becker, Mark B.Schmidt, and Allen C. Johnston Mobile Agents and Security/Fei Xue Modelling Context-Aware Security for Electronic Health Records/Pravin Shettyand Seng Loke Moral Rights in the Australian Public Sector/Lynley Hocking Multimodal Biometric System/Ajita Rattani, Hunny Mehrotra, and PhalguniGupta Objective Ethics for Managing Information Technology/John R. Drake Parental Rights to Monitor Internet Usage/Benjamin J. Halpert Patient Centric Healthcare Information Systems in the U.S./NilminiWickramasinghe Pedagogical Framework for Ethical Development/Melissa Dark, Richard Epstein,Linda Morales, Terry Countermine, Qing Yuan, Muhammed Ali, Matt Rose, andNathan Harter Personal Information Ethics/Sabah S. Al-Fedaghi Pharming AttackDesigns/Manish Gupta and Raj Sharman Port Scans/Jalal Kawash Privacy and Access to Electronic Health Records

  13. Открытое сравнительное рандомизированное исследование эффективности и безопасности применения растительных препаратов Персен® и Персен® Ночь у пациентов с кратковременной инсомнией

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Седативные растительные средства являются альтернативой рецептурным лекарствам для облегчения симптомов тревожных рас- стройств и инсомнии. В качестве успокаивающих средств наиболее широкое применение в неврологии нашли валериана лекарственная (Valeriana officinalis L., мята перечная (Mentha piperita L. и мелисса лекарственная (Melissa officinalis L.. В настоящей статье представлены результаты открытого сравнительного исследования эффективности и безопасности применения растительных пре- паратов Персен® и Персен® Ночь, содержащих экстракты указанных растений, у пациентов с кратковременной инсомнией. В иссле- довании приняли участие 60 пациентов в возрасте 18–65 лет (средний возраст 42,4 ± 6,9 года, страдающих кратковременной ин- сомнией на фоне нарушений адаптации или коморбидных тревожно-депрессивных расстройств; 30 из них получали препарат Персен® по 2 таблетки в сутки и 30 – Персен® Ночь по 1 капсуле за 30–60 мин до сна на протяжении 4 нед. Большинство (76,5 % больных связывали начало инсомнии с какой-либо психотравмирующей ситуацией (остро возникшие финансовые трудности, проблемы на работе

  14. Obituary: E. Dorrit Hoffleit, 1907-2007

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trimble, Virginia

    2007-12-01

    American Association of Variable Star Observers, where MMO papers still turn up, though perhaps not so many as in Dorrit's day. She would also continue education and public outreach activities in the local community that her predecessor, Margaret Harwood, had established. Summer research experience for undergraduate opportunities have become common, but they were rare in 1957, especially for women students, and the ones who came to MMO (more than one hundred over her term) were undoubtedly very strongly motivated. They left even more so, with the striking result that about 25 of the Hoffleit students became professional astronomers. A few of the earliest are now retired; many remain in stellar astronomy, but others have spread across the Solar System and the galaxies. According to a list compiled by Dorrit, with minor additions, these are, in chronological order: Margo Friedel Aller, Andrea Knudsen Dupree, Barbara Welther, Gretchen Luft Hagen Harris, Nancy Houk, Martha Safford Hanner, Diane Reeve Moorhead, Nancy Remage Evans, Catherine Doremus Garmany, Jane Turner, Jean Warren Goad, Karen Alper Castle, Marcia Keyes Rieke, Judy Karpen, Karen Kwitter, Esther Hu, Bonnie Buratti, Harriet Dinerstein, Melissa McGrath, Constance Phillips Walker, John Briggs, Deborah Crocker, Edward Morgan, and Karen Meech. The program went co-ed shortly before Dorrit handed it over to Emilia Belaserne). A special paragraph must go to Janet Akyüz Mattei. She came to MMO in the summer of 1969 upon the recommendation of Paris Pismis, an Armenian-Turkish-Mexican astronomer who had known Janet in Turkey and was a very old friend of Dorrit's (and of mine). Janet's own obituary sadly appeared in these pages (BAAS, 36, pp. 1681-82, 2004), the last 30 of her only 61 years having been spent as the director of AAVSO. Among the many important things Janet did in that directorial capacity was to persuade Dorrit Hoffleit to write up the story of her life for publication by AAVSO in 2002, from which much of

  15. AAS 227: Day 4

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohler, Susanna

    2016-01-01

    energetic than normalin our solar system. Analyses of Kepler data suggest that these flares likely happen every 300-500 years in Sunlike stars (way more often than previously thought!), and would devastate communications systems on Earth (and hurt astronauts in space).Peter Buhler and Taisiya Kopytova finished up the session. Peter showed how he used Spitzer secondary eclipses and MESA models to determine the tidal love number and core mass of HAT-P-13b. Taisiya presented her thesis work on observations of brown dwarfs and low-mass stars. She shows that in many cases, particularly for young objects and cold objects, the models for these objects do not fit the data very well!Press Conference: Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) IV (by Susanna Kohler)The final press conference of the meeting was all about the fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.In the opening talk, Michael Blanton (New York University) presented some early results from SDSS-IV, which is slated to run from 2014 to 2020. The major components to SDSS-IV are extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS), a cosmological survey of quasars and galaxies; APO Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-2), a stellar survey of the Milky Way; and Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA), a survey that will map the detailed internal structure of nearly 10,000 nearby galaxies.Next up was Melissa Ness (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy), speaking about APOGEEs creation of the first global age map of the Milky Way. APOGEE obtained the spectra for 70,000 red giant stars. These spectra, combined with the stars light curves, allowed the team to infer the ages of these stars distributed across the Milky Way galaxy. The resulting map is shown in the video below. From this map, Ness says its pretty clear: the Milky Way started as a small disk, and its expanded out from there, since. Our galaxy grew, and it grew up by growing out. Heres the press release. This is a big 3D map showing the age of stars in the Milky Way

  16. ارزیابی اثر خشکی بر خصوصیات کمی و کیفی جمعیت های گیاه دارویی بالنگو (‎‏Lallemantia royleana Benth.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    خدیجه احمدی

    2017-08-01

    آثیر معنی ­داری بر صفات عملکرد دانه، عملکرد بیولوژیک، شاخص برداشت، قندهای محلول، درصد موسیلاژ، فاکتور تورم و عملکرد روغن داشت. تنش خشکی بر درصد روغن غیر معنی ­دار شد. نتایج نشان داد که با افزایش سطوح تنش عملکرد دانه کاهش یافت. عملکرد گیاه پاسخی به میزان کارایی آب در مراحل مختلف رشد گیاه و به‌کارگیری آب در سرتاسر فصل رشد گیاه است (Igbadun et al., 2006. جمعیت اصفهان3 بیش­ترین عملکرد را با میانگین 312.77 کیلوگرم در هکتار و عملکرد روغن با 86.7 کیلوگرم در هکتار در تنش 9.5- اتمسفر داشت. تنش خشکی باعث کاهش قندهای محلول شد که با نتایج عباس­زاده و همکاران (Abbaszadeh et al. بر گیاه بادرنجبویه (Melissa officinalis مطابقت داشت. در نتایج اثرات برهمکنش، بیش­ترین و کم­ترین درصد موسیلاژ به ترتیب در جمعیت­های اصفهان5 و اصفهان3 در تنش ملایم مشاهده شد. به نظر می­رسد جمعیت اصفهان3، جمعیت مقاوم در برابر تنش خشکی است. نتیجه­ گیری به طور کلی تنش 9.5- اتمسفر باعث کاهش خصوصیات کمی و کیفی گیاه دارویی بالنگو شد. جمعیت اصفهان3 دارای بیش­ترین عملکرد دانه و عملکرد روغن بود. طبق مشاهدات این پژوهش به نظر می­رسد جمعیت اصفهان3، جمعیت مقاوم در برابر تنش خشکی است. از سوی دیگر مشاهدات نشان داد پاسخ جمعیت­ های بالنگو به تنش خشکی در صفات مورد مطالعه متفاوت است که می­توان