Experiences of intervertebral motion palpation in osteopathic practice - A qualitative interview study among Swedish osteopaths.

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Sposato, Niklas S; Bjerså, Kristofer

2017-01-01

Assessment in manual therapy includes quantitative and qualitative procedures, and intervertebral motion palpation (IMP) is one of the core assessment methods in osteopathic practice. The aim of this study was to explore osteopathic practitioners' experiences of clinical decision-making and IMP as a diagnostic tool for planning and evaluation of osteopathic interventions. The study was conducted with semi-structured interviews that included eight informants. Content analysis was used as the analytical procedure. In total, three categories emerged from the analysis: strategic decision-making, diagnostic usability of IMP, and treatment applicability of IMP. The study indicated that IMP was considered relevant and was given particular importance in cases where IMP findings confirmed clinical information attained from other stages in the diagnostic process as a whole. However, IMP findings were experienced as less important if they were not correlated to other findings. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predictors of Osteopathic Medical Students' Readiness to Use Health Information Technology.

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Jacobs, Robin J; Iqbal, Hassan; Rana, Arif M; Rana, Zaid; Kane, Michael N

2017-12-01

The advent of health information technology (HIT) tools can affect the practice of modern medicine in many ways, ideally by improving quality of care and efficiency and reducing medical errors. Future physicians will play a key role in the successful implementation of HIT. However, osteopathic medical students' willingness to learn, adopt, and use technology in a health care setting is not well understood. To understand osteopathic medical students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding HIT and to identify factors that may be related to their readiness to use HIT. Using a cross-sectional approach, quantitative surveys were collected from students attending a large osteopathic medical school. Multivariate regression modeling was used to determine whether knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and personal characteristics were associated with students' readiness to use HIT in future clinical practice. Six hundred four students responded to at least 70% of the survey and were included in the analysis. Multivariate modeling successfully explained the 26% of variance in predicting students' readiness to use HIT (F8,506=22.6, Ptechnology use, younger age, being male, and prior exposure to technology were associated with readiness to use HIT. Understanding students' level of HIT readiness may help guide medical education intervention efforts to better prepare future osteopathic physicians for HIT engagement and use. Innovative approaches to HIT education in medical school curricula that include biomedical informatics may be necessary.

Osteopathic Medicine: What is a DO?

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... this site from a secured browser on the server. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Physicians ... Media Center The DO JAOA AOA Health Watch Professional Development AOA Board Certification Continuing Medical Education Research ...

Factors Modifying Burnout in Osteopathic Medical Students.

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Lapinski, Jessica; Yost, Morgan; Sexton, Patricia; LaBaere, Richard J

2016-02-01

The purposes of the current study are to examine factors modifying burnout and identify which of these factors place osteopathic medical students at risk for developing burnout. The current study used a cross-sectional study design and an anonymous, web-based survey to assess burnout and depression in osteopathic medical students. The survey included Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Stressors and their impact scale, students' sleeping and studying habits, and students' extracurricular involvement. In total, 1294 osteopathic medical students completed the survey. Burnout was present in 516 (39.9%) osteopathic medical students, and 1006 (77.0%) met criteria for depression. Females were 1.5 times more likely to be burned out in comparison to males. For the burnout subscales, males had lower emotional exhaustion, slightly higher depersonalization, and lower personal accomplishment. Lesbian/gay/bisexual/asexual students were 2.62 times more likely to be burned out compared with heterosexual students. Depression and academic, personal, and family stressors were all strongly linked to overall burnout. Finally, for modifiable factors, average hours of sleep, average hours spent studying, and club involvement appeared to be linked to burnout. The current study suggested that a variety of factors, including non-modifiable, situational, and modifiable, impact burnout in osteopathic medical students. Future research is necessary since burnout in physicians affects the quality of care provided to patients.

Thanks, but no thanks: how denial of osteopathic service in World War I and World War II shaped the profession.

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Silver, Shawn A

2012-02-01

Osteopathic physicians were denied the same rights and privileges that were granted to allopathic physicians by the US government regarding voluntary and compulsory service in World War I and World War II. Even after changes to the examination process allowed osteopathic physicians to take the examinations required to obtain commission as a physician in the army, osteopathic physicians' service was still rejected. The US government's decision to ban DOs from serving in the war was a blessing in disguise that led to tremendous changes in osteopathic medicine, education, and public acceptance of osteopathic physicians. Using primary documents from military officials, congressional hearings, and archived publications of the American Osteopathic Association, the author recounts the battle osteopathic physicians fought to serve their country during war and the challenges they faced while obtaining both legal and social equality in the eyes of the government and the public.

Opinion and Special Articles: Neurology education at US osteopathic medical schools.

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Freedman, Daniel A; Albert, Dara V F

2017-12-12

Osteopathic medical schools have a longstanding tradition of training primary care physicians (PCP). Neurologic symptoms are common in the PCP's office and there is an undersupply of neurologists in the United States. It is therefore crucial for osteopathic medical students to have a strong foundation in clinical neurology. Despite the importance, a mere 6% of osteopathic medical schools have required neurology clerkships. Furthermore, exposure to neurology in medical school through required clerkships has been correlated with matching into neurology residency. As osteopathic medical schools continue to expand, it will become increasingly important to emphasize the American Academy Neurology's published guidelines for a core clerkship curriculum. Practicing neurologists should take an active role in encouraging osteopathic medical schools to adopt these guidelines. © 2017 American Academy of Neurology.

Descriptive study of interprofessional collaboration between physicians and osteopaths for the pediatric population in Quebec, Canada

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Chantal Morin

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Osteopathy is an increasingly popular healthcare approach that uses a wide variety of therapeutic manual techniques to address pain and somatic dysfunction. In Quebec, Canada, osteopathy is the complementary medicine most often recommended by family physicians. However, factors fostering the development of interprofessional collaboration (IPC between physicians and osteopaths are unknown. This study aimed to describe the current situation in terms of IPC among practitioners working with pediatric patients. Methods A self-administered questionnaire was sent to osteopaths, family physicians, and pediatricians involved with pediatric patients in the province of Quebec. The postal questionnaire captured general knowledge about osteopathy and its practice parameters and role, sources of information, communication aspects including having a professional relationship and referrals, and influence of the upcoming government regulation. Quantitative data from the questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Logistic regression model for factors associated with osteopathic referrals and multiple linear regression analyses for the number of correct answers about general osteopathic practice parameters were performed. Results A total of 274 physicians (155 family physicians (response rate 13% and 119 pediatricians (17% and 297 osteopaths (42% completed the survey. According to physicians, osteopathy was most appropriate for musculoskeletal pain (241; 91% and plagiocephaly (235; 88%. Osteopathic referral was positively associated with having a professional relationship (odds ratio [OR] 4.10 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.12; 7.95, p < 0.001, personal consultation (OR 2.58 (95% CI 1.35; 4.93, p = 0.004, community-based practice (OR 1.89 (95% CI 1.03; 3.47, p = 0.040, and belief in the active role of osteopathy for pediatric conditions (OR 1.22 (95% CI 1.01; 1.47, p = 0.042. The majority of physicians (72% and

Relationships between high-stakes clinical skills exam scores and program director global competency ratings of first-year pediatric residents

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Langenau, Erik E.; Pugliano, Gina; Roberts, William L.

2011-01-01

Background Responding to mandates from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and American Osteopathic Association (AOA), residency programs have developed competency-based assessment tools. One such tool is the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians (ACOP) program directors’ annual report. High-stakes clinical skills licensing examinations, such as the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination Level 2-Performance Evaluation (COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE), also assess competency in several clinical domains. Objective The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between program director competency ratings of first-year osteopathic residents in pediatrics and COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE scores from 2005 to 2009. Methods The sample included all 94 pediatric first-year residents who took COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE and whose training was reviewed by the ACOP for approval of training between 2005 and 2009. Program director competency ratings and COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE scores (domain and component) were merged and analyzed for relationships. Results Biomedical/biomechanical domain scores were positively correlated with overall program director competency ratings. Humanistic domain scores were not significantly correlated with overall program director competency ratings, but did show moderate correlation with ratings for interpersonal and communication skills. The six ACGME or seven AOA competencies assessed empirically by the ACOP program directors’ annual report could not be recovered by principal component analysis; instead, three factors were identified, accounting for 86% of the variance between competency ratings. Discussion A few significant correlations were noted between COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE scores and program director competency ratings. Exploring relationships between different clinical skills assessments is inherently difficult because of the heterogeneity of tools used and overlap of constructs within the AOA

Relationships between high-stakes clinical skills exam scores and program director global competency ratings of first-year pediatric residents

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Erik E. Langenau

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Responding to mandates from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME and American Osteopathic Association (AOA, residency programs have developed competency-based assessment tools. One such tool is the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians (ACOP program directors’ annual report. High-stakes clinical skills licensing examinations, such as the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination Level 2-Performance Evaluation (COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE, also assess competency in several clinical domains.The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between program director competency ratings of first-year osteopathic residents in pediatrics and COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE scores from 2005 to 2009.The sample included all 94 pediatric first-year residents who took COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE and whose training was reviewed by the ACOP for approval of training between 2005 and 2009. Program director competency ratings and COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE scores (domain and component were merged and analyzed for relationships.Biomedical/biomechanical domain scores were positively correlated with overall program director competency ratings. Humanistic domain scores were not significantly correlated with overall program director competency ratings, but did show moderate correlation with ratings for interpersonal and communication skills. The six ACGME or seven AOA competencies assessed empirically by the ACOP program directors’ annual report could not be recovered by principal component analysis; instead, three factors were identified, accounting for 86% of the variance between competency ratings.A few significant correlations were noted between COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE scores and program director competency ratings. Exploring relationships between different clinical skills assessments is inherently difficult because of the heterogeneity of tools used and overlap of constructs within the AOA and ACGME core competencies.

Entrustable Professional Activities for Entering Residency: Establishing Common Osteopathic Performance Standards in the Transition From Medical School to Residency.

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Basehore, Pamela M; Mortensen, Luke H; Katsaros, Emmanuel; Linsenmeyer, Machelle; McClain, Elizabeth K; Sexton, Patricia S; Wadsworth, Nicole

2017-11-01

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are measurable units of observable professional practice that can be entrusted to an unsupervised trainee. They were first introduced as a method of operationalizing competency-based medical education in graduate medical education. The American Association of Medical Colleges subsequently used EPAs to establish the core skills that medical students must be able to perform before they enter residency training. A recently published guide provides descriptions, guidelines, and rationale for implementing and assessing the core EPAs from an osteopathic approach. These osteopathically informed EPAs can allow schools to more appropriately assess a learner's whole-person approach to a patient, in alignment with the philosophy of the profession. As the single accreditation system for graduate medical education moves forward, it will be critical to integrate EPAs into osteopathic medical education to demonstrate entrustment of medical school graduates. The authors describe the collaborative process used to establish the osteopathic considerations added to EPAs and explores the challenges and opportunities for undergraduate osteopathic medical education.

Patients' expectations of private osteopathic care in the UK: a national survey of patients.

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Leach, C M Janine; Mandy, Anne; Hankins, Matthew; Bottomley, Laura M; Cross, Vinette; Fawkes, Carol A; Fiske, Adam; Moore, Ann P

2013-05-31

Patients' expectations of osteopathic care have been little researched. The aim of this study was to quantify the most important expectations of patients in private UK osteopathic practices, and the extent to which those expectations were met or unmet. The study involved development and application of a questionnaire about patients' expectations of osteopathic care. The questionnaire drew on an extensive review of the literature and the findings of a prior qualitative study involving focus groups exploring the expectations of osteopathic patients. A questionnaire survey of osteopathic patients in the UK was then conducted. Patients were recruited from a random sample of 800 registered osteopaths in private practice across the UK. Patients were asked to complete the questionnaire which asked about 51 aspects of expectation, and post it to the researchers for analysis.The main outcome measures were the patients-perceived level of expectation as assessed by the percentage of positive responses for each aspect of expectation, and unmet expectation as computed from the proportion responding that their expectation "did not happen". 1649 sets of patient data were included in the analysis. Thirty five (69%) of the 51 aspects of expectation were prevalent, with listening, respect and information-giving ranking highest. Only 11 expectations were unmet, the most often unmet were to be made aware that there was a complaints procedure, to find it difficult to pay for osteopathic treatment, and perceiving a lack of communication between the osteopath and their GP. The findings reflected the complexity of providing osteopathic care and meeting patients' expectations. The results provided a generally positive message about private osteopathic practice. The study identified certain gaps between expectations and delivery of care, which can be used to improve the quality of care. The questionnaire is a resource for future research.

Patients’ expectations of private osteopathic care in the UK: a national survey of patients

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2013-01-01

Background Patients’ expectations of osteopathic care have been little researched. The aim of this study was to quantify the most important expectations of patients in private UK osteopathic practices, and the extent to which those expectations were met or unmet. Methods The study involved development and application of a questionnaire about patients’ expectations of osteopathic care. The questionnaire drew on an extensive review of the literature and the findings of a prior qualitative study involving focus groups exploring the expectations of osteopathic patients. A questionnaire survey of osteopathic patients in the UK was then conducted. Patients were recruited from a random sample of 800 registered osteopaths in private practice across the UK. Patients were asked to complete the questionnaire which asked about 51 aspects of expectation, and post it to the researchers for analysis. The main outcome measures were the patients-perceived level of expectation as assessed by the percentage of positive responses for each aspect of expectation, and unmet expectation as computed from the proportion responding that their expectation “did not happen”. Results 1649 sets of patient data were included in the analysis. Thirty five (69%) of the 51 aspects of expectation were prevalent, with listening, respect and information-giving ranking highest. Only 11 expectations were unmet, the most often unmet were to be made aware that there was a complaints procedure, to find it difficult to pay for osteopathic treatment, and perceiving a lack of communication between the osteopath and their GP. Conclusions The findings reflected the complexity of providing osteopathic care and meeting patients’ expectations. The results provided a generally positive message about private osteopathic practice. The study identified certain gaps between expectations and delivery of care, which can be used to improve the quality of care. The questionnaire is a resource for future research

Patients' expectations of osteopathic care: a qualitative study.

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Cross, Vinette; Leach, C M Janine; Fawkes, Carol A; Moore, Ann P

2015-10-01

Research has shown that patients' expectations of health care and health-care practitioners are complex and may have a significant impact on outcomes of care. Little is known about the expectations of osteopathic patients. To explore osteopathic patients' expectations of private sector care. Focus groups and individual interviews with purposively selected patients; this was the qualitative phase of a mixed methods study, the final phase being a patient survey. A total of 34 adult patients currently attending for treatment at private osteopathic practices across the United Kingdom. Focus group discussions and individual interviews around expectations before, during and after osteopathic care. Thematic analysis of text data to identify topics raised by patients and to group these into broad themes. Many components of expectation were identified. A preliminary conceptual framework describing the way the therapeutic encounter is approached in osteopathy comprised five themes: individual agency, professional expertise, customer experience, therapeutic process and interpersonal relationship. The components of expectation identified in this phase of the study provided potential question topics for the survey questionnaire in the subsequent phase of the investigation. The model developed in this study may add a new perspective to existing evidence on expectations. Further research is recommended to test the findings both within private practice and the National Health Service. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Curricular analysis of competency-based osteopathic medical education: application of a matrix for quality enhancement to a standardized patient encounter example.

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Lockwood, Michael D; Tucker-Potter, Stacy; Sargentini, Neil J

2009-09-01

With the formal adoption of the seven core competencies, the American Osteopathic Association's Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation instructed osteopathic medical educators to guide curricular development with these goals in mind. Tools to facilitate and monitor these purposes have been under development separately at each of the nation's colleges of osteopathic medicine. To demonstrate the utility of a checklist-based curriculum assessment tool, the Matrix for Quality Enhancement, as developed at Kirksville (Mo) College of Osteopathic Medicine-A.T. Still University. APPLICATION of the Matrix is illustrated using examples selected from our analysis of a set of 16 standardized patient encounters provided as part of a first-year basic science course in medical microbiology. Encounters were developed to improve student understanding of infectious disease entities while also providing a variety of clinical experiences. Feedback on professionalism and humanistic behaviors was also provided. A novel aspect of the Matrix is the inclusion of a component dealing with patient safety. Adding standardized patient encounters to the medical microbiology teaching program at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine was an effective means of integrating educational experiences with the seven core competencies, the requirements of Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination-USA Level 2-PE (Performance Evaluation), and patient safety issues. The Matrix is a valuable tool for evaluating or developing curricular components that maintain osteopathic integrity while working toward standards for medical education specified by the commission.

Profile of osteopathic practice in Spain: results from a standardized data collection study.

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Alvarez Bustins, Gerard; López Plaza, Pedro-Victor; Carvajal, Sonia Roura

2018-04-11

There is limited research regarding patients' profiles and consumer attitudes and habits of osteopathy in Spain. The purpose of this study was to profile patients who regularly receive osteopathic care in Spain using an internationally developed standardized data collection tool. During the period between April 2014 and December 2015, a UK-developed standardized data collection tool was distributed to Spanish osteopaths who voluntarily agreed to participate in this cross-sectional study. Thirty-six osteopaths participated in this study and returned a total of 314 completed datasets. Of 314 patients, 61% were women and 39% were men, with a mean age of 40 years (SD 17.02 years, range 0 to 83 years). Forty-four percent were full-time salaried workers, and in 78% of cases, receiving osteopathic treatment was the patient's own choice. Chronic spinal pain presentations were the most frequent reasons for consultation. Seventy-five percent of patients presented with a coexisting condition, mainly gastrointestinal disorders and headaches. The main treatment approach consisted of mobilization techniques, followed by soft tissue, cranial and high velocity thrust techniques. Improvement or resolution of the complaint was experienced by 93% of patients after a small number of sessions. Adverse events were minor and occurred in 7% of all cases. This is the first study carried out in Spain analyzing the profile of patients who receive osteopathic care. The typical patient who receives osteopathic care in Spain is middle-aged, presents mainly with chronic spinal pain, and voluntarily seeks osteopathic treatment. Osteopathic treatment produces a significant improvement in the majority of cases with a low rate of minor adverse events reported.

Person-centered osteopathic practice: patients' personality (body, mind, and soul) and health (ill-being and well-being).

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Fahlgren, Elin; Nima, Ali A; Archer, Trevor; Garcia, Danilo

2015-01-01

Background. Osteopathic philosophy and practice are congruent with the biopsychosocial model, a patient-centered approach when treating disease, and the view of the person as a unity (i.e., body, mind, and soul). Nevertheless, a unity of being should involve a systematic person-centered understanding of the patient's personality as a biopsychosociospiritual construct that influences health (i.e., well-being and ill-being). We suggest Cloninger's personality model, comprising temperament (i.e., body) and character (i.e., mind and soul), as a genuine paradigm for implementation in osteopathic practice. As a first step, we investigated (1) the relationships between personality and health among osteopathic patients, (2) differences in personality between patients and a control group, and (3) differences in health within patients depending on the presenting problem and gender. Method. 524 osteopathic patients in Sweden (age mean = 46.17, SD = 12.54, 388 females and 136 males) responded to an online survey comprising the Temperament and Character Inventory and measures of health (well-being: life satisfaction, positive affect, harmony in life, energy, and resilience; ill-being: negative affect, anxiety, depression, stress, and dysfunction and suffering associated to the presenting problem). We conducted two structural equation models to investigate the association personality-health; graphically compared the patients' personality T-scores to those of the control group and compared the mean raw scores using t-tests; and conducted two multivariate analyses of variance, using age as covariate, to compare patients' health in relation to their presenting problem and gender. Results. The patients' personality explained the variance of all of the well-being (R (2) between .19 and .54) and four of the ill-being (R (2) between .05 and .43) measures. Importantly, self-transcendence, the spiritual aspect of personality, was associated to high levels of positive emotions and

A new SETX mutation producing AOA2 in two siblings.

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Datta, Neil; Hohler, Anna

2013-09-01

In this paper, we document two cases of a new SETX mutation (820:A>G) combined with an established recessive SETX mutation (5927:T>G) causing ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 2 (AOA2). The patients had a detailed neurological history and examination performed. Radiological imaging was obtained and genetic analysis was obtained. Both siblings demonstrated healthy and normal growth until adolescence. At that time, slowed speech, hypophonia, dysarthria, extraocular muscle dysfunction and some mild choreiform movements began to appear. Family history included some movement disorder difficulties in second degree relatives. The diagnosis of AOA2 was confirmed by genetic testing. We describe a new SETX gene mutation, which when combined with a recognized SETX mutation results in AOA2. The clinical, radiographic and ancillary testing are described.

78 FR 53149 - Medicare and Medicaid Programs: Continued Approval of American Osteopathic Association/Healthcare...

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2013-08-28

... the requirements at Sec. 482.41(c)(4), AOA/HFAP revised its standards to include the National Fire... Insurance Program; and No. 93.774, Medicare--Supplementary Medical Insurance Program) Dated: July 19, 2013...

Person-centered osteopathic practice: patients’ personality (body, mind, and soul and health (ill-being and well-being

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Elin Fahlgren

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Background. Osteopathic philosophy and practice are congruent with the biopsychosocial model, a patient-centered approach when treating disease, and the view of the person as a unity (i.e., body, mind, and soul. Nevertheless, a unity of being should involve a systematic person-centered understanding of the patient’s personality as a biopsychosociospiritual construct that influences health (i.e., well-being and ill-being. We suggest Cloninger’s personality model, comprising temperament (i.e., body and character (i.e., mind and soul, as a genuine paradigm for implementation in osteopathic practice. As a first step, we investigated (1 the relationships between personality and health among osteopathic patients, (2 differences in personality between patients and a control group, and (3 differences in health within patients depending on the presenting problem and gender.Method. 524 osteopathic patients in Sweden (age mean = 46.17, SD = 12.54, 388 females and 136 males responded to an online survey comprising the Temperament and Character Inventory and measures of health (well-being: life satisfaction, positive affect, harmony in life, energy, and resilience; ill-being: negative affect, anxiety, depression, stress, and dysfunction and suffering associated to the presenting problem. We conducted two structural equation models to investigate the association personality-health; graphically compared the patients’ personality T-scores to those of the control group and compared the mean raw scores using t-tests; and conducted two multivariate analyses of variance, using age as covariate, to compare patients’ health in relation to their presenting problem and gender.Results. The patients’ personality explained the variance of all of the well-being (R2 between .19 and .54 and four of the ill-being (R2 between .05 and .43 measures. Importantly, self-transcendence, the spiritual aspect of personality, was associated to high levels of positive emotions

A novel ULA-based geometry for improving AOA estimation

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Shirvani-Moghaddam, Shahriar; Akbari, Farida

2011-12-01

Due to relatively simple implementation, Uniform Linear Array (ULA) is a popular geometry for array signal processing. Despite this advantage, it does not have a uniform performance in all directions and Angle of Arrival (AOA) estimation performance degrades considerably in the angles close to endfire. In this article, a new configuration is proposed which can solve this problem. Proposed Array (PA) configuration adds two elements to the ULA in top and bottom of the array axis. By extending signal model of the ULA to the new proposed ULA-based array, AOA estimation performance has been compared in terms of angular accuracy and resolution threshold through two well-known AOA estimation algorithms, MUSIC and MVDR. In both algorithms, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of the detected angles descends as the input Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) increases. Simulation results show that the proposed array geometry introduces uniform accurate performance and higher resolution in middle angles as well as border ones. The PA also presents less RMSE than the ULA in endfire directions. Therefore, the proposed array offers better performance for the border angles with almost the same array size and simplicity in both MUSIC and MVDR algorithms with respect to the conventional ULA. In addition, AOA estimation performance of the PA geometry is compared with two well-known 2D-array geometries: L-shape and V-shape, and acceptable results are obtained with equivalent or lower complexity.

A novel ULA-based geometry for improving AOA estimation

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Akbari Farida

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Due to relatively simple implementation, Uniform Linear Array (ULA is a popular geometry for array signal processing. Despite this advantage, it does not have a uniform performance in all directions and Angle of Arrival (AOA estimation performance degrades considerably in the angles close to endfire. In this article, a new configuration is proposed which can solve this problem. Proposed Array (PA configuration adds two elements to the ULA in top and bottom of the array axis. By extending signal model of the ULA to the new proposed ULA-based array, AOA estimation performance has been compared in terms of angular accuracy and resolution threshold through two well-known AOA estimation algorithms, MUSIC and MVDR. In both algorithms, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE of the detected angles descends as the input Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR increases. Simulation results show that the proposed array geometry introduces uniform accurate performance and higher resolution in middle angles as well as border ones. The PA also presents less RMSE than the ULA in endfire directions. Therefore, the proposed array offers better performance for the border angles with almost the same array size and simplicity in both MUSIC and MVDR algorithms with respect to the conventional ULA. In addition, AOA estimation performance of the PA geometry is compared with two well-known 2D-array geometries: L-shape and V-shape, and acceptable results are obtained with equivalent or lower complexity.

Benefits and Impact of Joint Metric of AOA/RSS/TOF on Indoor Localization Error

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Qing Jiang

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The emerging techniques in the Fifth Generation (5G communication system, like the millimeter-Wave (mmWave and massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO, make it possible to measure the Angle-Of-arrival (AOA, Receive Signal Strength (RSS and Time-Of-flight (TOF by using various types of mobile devices. At the same time, there is always significant interest in the high-precision localization techniques based on the joint metric of AOA/RSS/TOF, which enable one to overcome the drawback of the single metric-based localization. Motivated by this concern, we rely on the Cramer–Rao Lower Bound (CRLB to analyze the localization errors of RSS/AOA, RSS/TOF, AOA/TOF and the Joint Metric of AOA/RSS/TOF (JMART-based localization. The error bounds derived in this paper can be selected as the benchmarking results to evaluate the indoor localization performance. Finally, extensive simulations are conducted to support our claim.

The fascial system and exercise intolerance in patients with chronic heart failure: hypothesis of osteopathic treatment

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Bordoni B

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Bruno Bordoni,1–3 F Marelli2,3 1Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation, Department of Cardiology, IRCCS Santa Maria Nascente, Milan, Italy; 2School CRESO, Osteopathic Centre for Research and Studies, Falconara Marittima, AN, Italy; 3School CRESO, Osteopathic Centre for Research and Studies, Castellanza, VA, Italy Abstract: Chronic heart failure is a progressive, debilitating disease, resulting in a decline in the quality of life of the patient and incurring very high social economic costs. Chronic heart failure is defined as the inability of the heart to meet the demands of oxygen from the peripheral area. It is a multi-aspect complex disease which impacts negatively on all of the body systems. Presently, there are no texts in the modern literature that associate the symptoms of exercise intolerance of the patient with a dysfunction of the fascial system. In the first part of this article, we will discuss the significance of the disease, its causes, and epidemiology. The second part will explain the pathological adaptations of the myofascial system. The last section will outline a possible osteopathic treatment for patients with heart failure in order to encourage research and improve the general curative approach for the patient. Keywords: manual therapy, fatigue, chronic heart failure, osteopathic

Pre-Medical Preparation in Microbiology among Applicants and Matriculants in Osteopathic Medical School in the United States.

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Ramos, Raddy L; Guercio, Erik; Martinez, Luis R

2017-01-01

It is recognized that medical school curricula contain significant microbiology-related content as part of the training of future physicians who will be responsible stewards of antimicrobials. Surprisingly, osteopathic and allopathic medical schools do not require pre-medical microbiology coursework, and the extent to which medical students have completed microbiology coursework remains poorly understood. In this report, we show that fewer than 3% of applicants and matriculants to osteopathic medical school (OMS) have completed an undergraduate major or minor in microbiology, and fewer than 17% of applicants and matriculants to OMS have completed one or more microbiology-related courses. These data demonstrate limited pre-medical microbiology-related knowledge among osteopathic medical students, which may be associated with an increase in perceived stress when learning this content or during clinical rotations as well as a potential lack of interest in pursuing a career in infectious diseases.

Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in women.

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Franke, Helge; Hoesele, Klaus

2013-01-01

Because of its prevalence and impact on women's well-being, and its high financial costs, female LUTS is an important health problem that requires serious attention from health professionals. The objective of this review was to determine the clinical effects of osteopathic treatment on female lower urinary tract disorders. A systematic literature search was performed in May 2011 in the electronic databases Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PEDro, OSTMED-DR, OSTEOPATHIC WEBRESEARCH and databases of ongoing trials. A manual search in reference lists and a personal communication with experts in the field of osteopathy was also conducted to identify additional studies. Only randomized clinical studies (RCT) or controlled clinical studies (CCT) were included. Inclusion criteria of the participants were female, at least 18 years old and a diagnosed female urinary tract disorder. Exclusion criteria were neurologic disorders, tumors, urinary tract infections or antibiotic treatment, and pregnancy. Two review authors independently extracted the data of the studies using a standardized data extraction form. The updated Cochrane Risk of bias tool from 2011 was used to assess the methodological quality. The quantitative analysis shows a statistically significant and clinically relevant improvement when the osteopathic intervention was compared to an untreated group. Two studies which compare OMT with the pelvic floor muscle training as a reference treatment document almost the same therapeutic effect. The findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis are promising and encouraging to conduct larger, rigorous osteopathic intervention studies for female urination disorders. Future studies should compare the osteopathic treatment with established standard procedures in the control group. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overcoming barriers to the use of osteopathic manipulation techniques in the emergency department.

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Roberge, Raymond J; Roberge, Marc R

2009-08-01

Osteopathic Manipulation Techniques (OMT) have been shown to be effective therapeutic modalities in various clinical settings, but appear to be underutilized in the emergency department (ED) setting. To examine barriers to the use of OMT in the ED and provide suggestions to ameliorate these barriers. Literature review While the medical literature cites numerous obstacles to the use of OMT in the ED setting, most can be positively addressed through education, careful planning, and ongoing research into use of these techniques. Recent prospective clinical trials of OMT have demonstrated the utility of these modalities. Osteopathic Manipulation Techniques are useful therapeutic modalities that could be utilized to a greater degree in the ED. As the number of osteopathic emergency physicians increases, the opportunity to employ these techniques should increase.

Multitasking behaviors of osteopathic medical students.

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Shah, Ankit V; Mullens, Dustin J; Van Duyn, Lindsey J; Januchowski, Ronald P

2014-08-01

To the authors' knowledge, few studies have investigated the relationship between electronic media multitasking by undergraduate and graduate students during lecture and their academic performance, and reports that have looked into this behavior have neglected to investigate factors that may influence students' multitasking during lecture. To determine the extent to which medical students multitask during lecture; the types of multitasking; the frequency of multitasking and factors that influence frequency; and the correlation between multitasking and knowledge acquisition as assessed by a postlecture quiz. A 1-page survey assessing students' multitasking behavior was administered to 125 second-year students at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and collected at the onset of a standard 50-minute lecture. On completion of the 50-minute lecture, an unannounced 10-question multiple-choice quiz was given to assess knowledge acquisition during those lectures. On a separate date, after a standard 50-minute lecture, a second quiz was administered. The 1-page survey revealed that 98% of students check e-mail, 81% use social media, and 74% study for another class. Students spent the most time studying for another class (23 minutes) followed by using social media (13 minutes) and checking e-mail (7 minutes). The most influential factors behind multitasking were examination schedule (91%), lecturer (90%), and the number of lectures in the day (65%). The mean score for quiz 1 (the day after an examination) was 75%, and the mean score for quiz 2 (the day before an examination) was 60%. Multitasking during lecture is prominent among medical students, and examination schedule is the most influential factor. Although a robust drop in mean score on a lecture-based, unannounced quiz was identified 1 day before a scheduled examination, the effect from multitasking on this process remains unclear. © 2014 The American Osteopathic Association.

Effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment versus osteopathy in the cranial field in temporomandibular disorders - a pilot study.

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Gesslbauer, Christina; Vavti, Nadja; Keilani, Mohammad; Mickel, Michael; Crevenna, Richard

2018-03-01

Temporomandibular disorders are a common musculoskeletal condition causing severe pain, physical and psychological disability. The effect and evidence of osteopathic manipulative treatment and osteopathy in the cranial field is scarce and their use are controversial. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment and osteopathy in the cranial field in temporomandibular disorders. A randomized clinical trial in patients with temporomandibular disorders was performed. Forty female subjects with long-term temporomandibular disorders (>3 months) were included. At enrollment, subjects were randomly assigned into two groups: (1) osteopathic manipulative treatment group (20 female patients) and (2) osteopathy in the cranial field group (20 female patients). Examination was performed at baseline (E0) and at the end of the last treatment (E1), consisting of subjective pain intensity with the Visual Analog Scale, Helkimo Index and SF-36 Health Survey. Subjects had five treatments, once a week. 36 subjects completed the study (33.7 ± 10.3 y). Patients in both groups showed significant reduction in Visual Analog Scale score (osteopathic manipulative treatment group: p = 0.001; osteopathy in the cranial field group: posteopathy in the cranial field group: p = 0.003) and a significant improvement in the SF-36 Health Survey - subscale "Bodily Pain" (osteopathic manipulative treatment group: p = 0.04; osteopathy in the cranial field group: p = 0.007) after five treatments (E1). All subjects (n = 36) also showed significant improvements in the above named parameters after five treatments (E1): Visual Analog Scale score (posteopathy in the cranial field as an effective treatment modality in patients with temporomandibular disorders. The positive results in both treatment groups should encourage further research on osteopathic manipulative treatment and osteopathy in the cranial field and support the

OSTEOPATHIC APPROACH: LEG LENGTH DISCREPANCY AND LOW BACK PAIN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taner AYDIN

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Leg length discrepancy (LLD is a biomechanical impediment, which is a potential factor in affecting musculoskeletal disorders in the rest of life, such as scoliosis, osteoarthritis and muscle tightness, or even tenderness in lumbar and pelvic area. Athletes who have developed LLD have symptoms in gait, running, standing posture. Skeletal regions related to the disorder are the lumbar spine, ilium, hip joint, greater trochanter and knee, or even ankle and plantar region. Muscles involved in these areas are numeous. In osteopathic management, the manual practitioner can use a lot of basic techniques to handle these dysfunctions. To cope with musculoskeletal problems, osteopathic manipulation techniques would be an ideal modality to alleviate the LLD syndrome. An overview of the mentioned topics of concern will be discussed in the review.

Learning With Reflection: Practices in an Osteopathic Surgery Clinical Clerkship Through an Online Module.

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Lewis, Kadriye O; Farber, Susan; Chen, Haiqin; Peska, Don N

2015-11-01

The value of reflective practices has gained momentum in osteopathic medical education. However, the use of reflective pedagogies has not been explored in the larger context of medical course delivery and design, to the authors' knowledge. To determine the types of reflection demonstrated by osteopathic medical students on an online discussion board and to explore differences in discussion engagement caused by the use of a reflective learning self-assessment tool. Using a mixed-method approach, reflection processes in an osteopathic surgery clinical clerkship online module were investigated in third-year osteopathic medical students. Discussion board messages were captured and coded. Both manual coding techniques and automated interrogation using NVivo9 (a computer program) for qualitative data were applied. Correlations of scores across 4 case-based discussion tasks and scores for self-reflection were computed as quantitative data. Twenty-eight students were included. Four main types of reflection (ie, content, contextual, dialogic, and personal) along with corresponding differentiated subthemes for each type of case-based discussion board group message were identified. Group collaboration revealed insights about the reflection process itself and also about the evidence of collective efforts, group engagements, and intragroup support among students. Student preparation revealed that students' metacognition was triggered when they judged their own contributions to group work. Challenges in completing readings and meeting deadlines were related to the students' long work hours. Reflective practices are essential to the practice of osteopathic medicine and medical education. Curricula can promote the development of reflective skills by integrating these deliberate practices in educational activities.

Authorship Trends of Emergency Medicine Publications over the Last Two Decades.

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Lammers, Richard; Simunich, Thomas; Ashurst, John

2016-05-01

With the recent merger of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) a heightened pressure for publication may become evident. Our objective was to determine whether there was a gap in the type of both medical degree designation and advanced degree designation among authorship in three United States-based academic emergency medicine journals. We reviewed the Journal of Emergency Medicine, Academic Emergency Medicine and Annals of Emergency Medicine for the type of degree designation that the first and senior authors had obtained for the years 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2014. A total of 2.48% of all authors held a degree in osteopathic medicine. Osteopathic physician first authors contributed to 3.26% of all publications while osteopathic physician senior authors contributed 1.53%. No statistical trend could be established for the years studied for osteopathic physicians. However, we noted an overall trend for increased publication for allopathic senior authors (p=0.001), allopathic first authors with a dual degree (p=0.003) and allopathic senior authors with a dual degree (p=0.005). For each journal studied, no statistical trend could be established for osteopathic first or senior authors but a trend was noted for allopathic first and senior authors in the Journal of Emergency Medicine (p-value=0.020 and 0.006). Of those with dual degrees, osteopathic physicians were in the minority with 1.85% of osteopathic first authors and 0.60% of osteopathic senior authors attaining a dual degree. No statistical trend could be established for increased dual degree publications for osteopathic physicians over the study period, nor could a statistical trend be established for any of the journals studied. Very few osteopathic physicians have published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine, Academic Emergency Medicine or Annals of Emergency Medicine over the last two decades. Despite a trend for increased

Trainer-to-student ratios for teaching psychomotor skills in health care fields, as applied to osteopathic manipulative medicine.

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Snider, Karen T; Seffinger, Michael A; Ferrill, Heather P; Gish, Eric E

2012-04-01

The hallmark of osteopathic medical education is the inclusion of hands-on instruction in osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), which includes palpatory diagnosis and osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). This OMM training typically involves a primary instructor presenting theory and techniques with step-by-step demonstrations to a large group of first- and second-year osteopathic medical students. Additional instructors, referred to as table trainers, assist the primary instructor by supervising the students as they practice the presented techniques. To the authors' knowledge, there is no currently accepted standard for a table trainer-to-student ratio in OMM skills laboratories within osteopathic medical schools in the United States. However, through a Google Web search and PubMed literature review, the authors identified published trainer-to-student ratios used in other health care skills training curricula. Psychomotor skills training courses in health care fields typically have a table trainer-to-student ratio of 1 trainer to 8 or fewer students. On the basis of these findings and psychomotor skills learning theory, the authors conclude that this ratio is likely sufficient for OMM skills training.

Pengaruh Kebijakan Agreement on Agriculture (Aoa) Oleh World Trade Organization (WTO) Terhadap Kenaikan Impor Kopi Indonesia Tahun 2012

OpenAIRE

Jamaan, Ahmad; Parapat, Johan Kristo

2015-01-01

This research describes and proves the influence of policy AgreementOn Agriculture (AoA) by the World Trade Organization (WTO) for theIndonesian coffee. AoA policy is a policy of international trade in agricultureby WTO.This research uses perspective of pluralism. Pluralist assumes that stateis not unitary actor. This study also uses international trade and internationalorganizations theory.Agreement On Agriculture (AoA) is an international treaty on trade inagriculture in the WTO context. Ao...

Effect of synchronized or desynchronized music listening during osteopathic treatment: an EEG study.

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Mercadié, Lolita; Caballe, Julie; Aucouturier, Jean-Julien; Bigand, Emmanuel

2014-01-01

While background music is often used during osteopathic treatment, it remains unclear whether it facilitates treatment, and, if it does, whether it is listening to music or jointly listening to a common stimulus that is most important. We created three experimental situations for a standard osteopathic procedure in which patients and practitioner listened either to silence, to the same music in synchrony, or (unknowingly) to different desynchronized montages of the same material. Music had no effect on heart rate and arterial pressure pre- and posttreatment compared to silence, but EEG measures revealed a clear effect of synchronized versus desynchronized listening: listening to desynchronized music was associated with larger amounts of mu-rhythm event-related desynchronization (ERD), indicating decreased sensorimotor fluency compared to what was gained in the synchronized music listening condition. This result suggests that, if any effect can be attributed to music for osteopathy, it is related to its capacity to modulate empathy between patient and therapist and, further, that music does not systematically create better conditions for empathy than silence. Copyright © 2013 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Use of the SMART Balance Master to quantify the effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment in patients with dizziness.

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Fraix, Marcel; Gordon, Ashlynn; Graham, Victoria; Hurwitz, Eric; Seffinger, Michael A

2013-05-01

Dizziness is the third most common complaint among outpatients and the most common complaint in patients aged 75 years or older. It can be incapacitating for patients, affecting both productivity and quality of life. To evaluate the effect of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) for spinal somatic dysfunction in patients with dizziness lasting longer than 3 months. A prospective clinical cohort study that took place in 2011. Department of Physical Therapy laboratory at the Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine in Pomona, California. Sixteen participants (2 male, 14 female; mean [range] age, 49 [13-75] years) with dizziness lasting at least 3 months (mean duration of symptoms, 84 months) and spinal somatic dysfunction, but no history of known stroke or brain disease, were recruited from the local community and evaluated for postural balance control before, immediately after, and 1 week after OMT. Four osteopathic physicians board certified in neuromusculoskeletal medicine/osteopathic manipulative medicine provided OMT, including muscle energy; high-velocity, low-amplitude; counterstrain; myofascial release; balanced ligamentous release; and cranial OMT techniques. Outcomes were assessed with the SMART Balance Master (NeuroCom), a validated instrument that provides graphic and quantitative analyses of sway and balance, and the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), a self-assessment inventory designed to assess precipitating physical factors associated with dizziness and functional and emotional consequences of vestibular disease. Paired t tests, performed to assess changes in mean composite scores for all challenge tests, revealed that balance was significantly improved both immediately and 1 week after OMT (both P<.001), with no significant difference between immediate and 1-week post-OMT scores (P=.20). The DHI scores, both total and subscale, improved significantly after OMT (P<.001), and changes in composite and DHI scores were

Preventive osteopathic manipulative treatment and stress fracture incidence among collegiate cross-country athletes.

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Brumm, Lynn F; Janiski, Carrie; Balawender, Jenifer L; Feinstein, Adam

2013-12-01

Stress fractures are common among athletes, particularly distance runners, with many theories regarding the etiologic process of stress fractures and various studies identifying risk factors or suggesting preventive techniques. To our knowledge, no previous studies have discussed the possible causative effects of somatic dysfunction or the preventive capabilities of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). To apply a preventive OMT protocol for cross-country athletes to reduce the incidence of stress fractures. Cohort study. Examinations of cross-country athletes at an NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I university were performed by supervising physician-examiners and first- and second-year osteopathic medical students during several consecutive academic years. Athletes re-enrolled in the study each year they continued to be eligible. The intervention included osteopathic structural examination and OMT that focused on somatic dysfunction identified in the pelvis, sacrum, and lower extremities. More than 1800 participant examinations were performed on 124 male and female participants by 3 supervising physician-examiners and 141 osteopathic medical students over the course of 5 consecutive academic years (2004-2005 to 2008-2009). Data from these academic years were compared with data from the previous 8 academic years (1996-1997 to 2003-2004). An average of 20 new participants enrolled yearly. The number of annual stress fractures per team ranged from 0 to 6 for male participants and 1 to 6 for female participants. The cumulative annual incidence of stress fractures for male participants demonstrated a statistically significant decrease from 13.9% (20 of 144) before intervention to 1.0% (1 of 105) after intervention, resulting in a 98.7% relative reduction in stress-fracture diagnosis (P=.019). The cumulative annual incidence for female participants showed a minimal decrease from 12.9% (23 of 178) before intervention to 12.0% (17 of 142) after

Simulation of Multi-Platform Geolocation Using a Hybrid TDOA/AOA Method

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Du, Huai-Jing; Lee, Jim P

2004-01-01

...) geolocation of radar emitters. A mathematical model is developed by combining sensor information such as AOA measurements, TDOA measurements and sensor position information from all platforms. A least-squares (LS...

Estimating Angle of Arrival (AOA for Wideband Signal by Sensor Delay Line (SDL and Tapped Delay Line (TDL Processors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bassim Sayed Mohammed

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Angle of arrival (AOA estimation for wideband signal becomes more necessary for modern communication systems like Global System for Mobile (GSM, satellite, military applications and spread spectrum (frequency hopping and direct sequence. Most of the researchers are focusing on how to cancel the effects of signal bandwidth on AOA estimation performance by using a transversal filter (tap delay line (TDL. Most of the researchers were using two elements array antenna to study these effects. In this research, a general case of proposed (M array elements is used. A transversal filter (TDL in phase adaptive array antenna system is used to calculate the optimum number of taps required to compensate these effect. The proposed system uses a phase adaptive array antenna in conjunction with LMS algorithm to work an angle of arrival (AOA estimator for wideband signals rather than interference canceller. An alternative solution to compensate for the effect of signal bandwidth is proposed by using sensor delay line (SDL instead of fixed delay unit since it has variable time sampling in the time domain and not fixed time delay, depending on the angle of arrival of received signals. The proposed system has the ability to estimate two parameters for received signals simultaneously (the output Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR and AOA, unlike others systems which estimate AOA only. The comparison of the simulation results with Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC technique showed that the proposed system gives good results for estimating AOA and the output SNR for wideband signals. (SDL processor shows better performance result than (TDL processor. MUSIC technique with both (SDL and (TDL processors shows unacceptable results for estimating (AOA for the wideband signal.

The establishment of the Chiropractic & Osteopathic College of Australasia in Queensland (1996–2002

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Walker Bruce F

2005-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction For chiropractors and osteopaths after graduation, the learning process continues by way of experience and continuing education (CE. The provision of CE and other vocational services in Queensland between 1996 and 2002 is the subject of this paper. Methods The Chiropractic & Osteopathic College of Australasia (COCA implemented a plan, which involved continuing education, with speakers from a broad variety of health provider areas; and the introduction of the concepts of evidence-based practice. The plan also involved building membership. Results Membership of COCA in Queensland grew from 3 in June 1996 to 167 in 2002. There were a total of 25 COCA symposia in the same period. Evidence-based health care was introduced and attendees were generally satisfied with the conferences. Discussion The development of a vocational body (COCA for chiropractors and osteopaths in Queensland was achieved. Registrants in the field have supported an organisation that concentrates on the vocational aspects of their practice.

The Glymphatic-Lymphatic Continuum: Opportunities for Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine.

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Hitscherich, Kyle; Smith, Kyle; Cuoco, Joshua A; Ruvolo, Kathryn E; Mancini, Jayme D; Leheste, Joerg R; Torres, German

2016-03-01

The brain has long been thought to lack a lymphatic drainage system. Recent studies, however, show the presence of a brain-wide paravascular system appropriately named the glymphatic system based on its similarity to the lymphatic system in function and its dependence on astroglial water flux. Besides the clearance of cerebrospinal fluid and interstitial fluid, the glymphatic system also facilitates the clearance of interstitial solutes such as amyloid-β and tau from the brain. As cerebrospinal fluid and interstitial fluid are cleared through the glymphatic system, eventually draining into the lymphatic vessels of the neck, this continuous fluid circuit offers a paradigm shift in osteopathic manipulative medicine. For instance, manipulation of the glymphatic-lymphatic continuum could be used to promote experimental initiatives for nonpharmacologic, noninvasive management of neurologic disorders. In the present review, the authors describe what is known about the glymphatic system and identify several osteopathic experimental strategies rooted in a mechanistic understanding of the glymphatic-lymphatic continuum.

Medical Humanities Teaching in North American Allopathic and Osteopathic Medical Schools.

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Klugman, Craig M

2017-11-07

Although the AAMC requires annual reporting of medical humanities teaching, most literature is based on single-school case reports and studies using information reported on schools' websites. This study sought to discover what medical humanities is offered in North American allopathic and osteopathic undergraduate medical schools. An 18-question, semi-structured survey was distributed to all 146 (as of June 2016) member schools of the American Association of Medical Colleges and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. The survey sought information on required and elective humanities content, hours of humanities instruction, types of disciplines, participation rates, and humanities administrative structure. The survey was completed by 134 schools (145 AAMC; 31 AACOM). 70.8% of schools offered required and 80.6% offered electives in humanities. Global health and writing were the most common disciplines. Schools required 43.9 mean (MD 45.4; DO 37.1) and 30 (MD 29; DO 37.5) median hours in humanities. In the first two years, most humanities are integrated into other course work; most electives are offered as stand-alone classes. 50.0% of schools report only 0-25% of students participating in humanities electives. Presence of a certificate, concentration or arts journal increased likelihood of humanities content but decreased mean hours. Schools with a medical humanities MA had a higher number of required humanities hours. Medical humanities content in undergraduate curriculum is lower than is indicated in the AAMC annual report. Schools with a formal structure have a greater humanities presence in the curriculum and are taken by more students.

The Single Graduate Medical Education (GME) Accreditation System Will Change the Future of the Family Medicine Workforce.

Science.gov (United States)

Peabody, Michael R; O'Neill, Thomas R; Eden, Aimee R; Puffer, James C

2017-01-01

Due to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)/American Osteopathic Association (AOA) single-accreditation model, the specialty of family medicine may see as many as 150 programs and 500 trainees in AOA-accredited programs seek ACGME accreditation. This analysis serves to better understand the composition of physicians completing family medicine residency training and their subsequent certification by the American Board of Family Medicine. We identified residents who completed an ACGME-accredited or dual-accredited family medicine residency program between 2006 and 2016 and cross-tabulated the data by graduation year and by educational background (US Medical Graduate-MD [USMG-MD], USMG-DO, or International Medical Graduate-MD [IMG-MD]) to examine the cohort composition trend over time. The number and proportion of osteopaths completing family medicine residency training continues to rise concurrent with a decline in the number and proportion of IMGs. Take Rates for USMG-MDs and USMG-IMGs seem stable; however, the Take Rate for the USMG-DOs has generally been rising since 2011. There is a clear change in the composition of graduating trainees entering the family medicine workforce. As the transition to a single accreditation system for graduate medical education progresses, further shifts in the composition of this workforce should be expected. © Copyright 2017 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

Pilot trial of osteopathic manipulative therapy for patients with frequent episodic tension-type headache.

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Rolle, Guido; Tremolizzo, Lucio; Somalvico, Francesco; Ferrarese, Carlo; Bressan, Livio C

2014-09-01

Osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMTh; manipulative care provided by foreign-trained osteopaths) may be used for managing headache pain and related disability, but there is a need for high-quality randomized controlled trials to assess the effectiveness of this intervention. To explore the efficacy of OMTh for pain management in frequent episodic tension-type headache (TTH). Single-blind randomized placebo-controlled pilot study. Patients were recruited from 5 primary care settings. Forty-four patients who were affected by frequent episodic TTH and not taking any drugs for prophylactic management of episodic TTH were recruited. Patients were randomly allocated to an experimental or control group. The experimental group received corrective OMTh techniques, tailored for each patient; the control group received assessment of the cranial rhythmic impulse (sham therapy). The study included a 1-month baseline period, a 1-month treatment period, and a 3-month follow-up period. The primary outcome was the change in patient-reported headache frequency, and secondary outcomes included changes in headache pain intensity (discrete score, 1 [lowest perceived pain] to 5 [worst perceived pain]), over-the-counter medication use, and Headache Disability Inventory score. Forty patients completed the study (OMTh, n=21; control, n=19). The OMTh group had a significant reduction in headache frequency over time that persisted 1 month (approximate reduction, 40%; Ptreatment. Moreover, there was an absolute difference between the 2 treatment groups at the end of the study, with a 33% lower frequency of headache in the OMTh group (Ptreatment modalities and may benefit patients who have adverse effects to medications or who have difficulty complying with pharmacologic regimens. This protocol may serve as a model for future studies. © 2014 The American Osteopathic Association.

Evaluation of the acceptability of Peer Physical Examination (PPE) in medical and osteopathic students: a cross sectional survey.

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Consorti, Fabrizio; Mancuso, Rosaria; Piccolo, Annalisa; Consorti, Giacomo; Zurlo, Joseph

2013-08-22

Peer physical examination (PPE) is a method of training in medical and osteopathic curricula. The aim of this study was to compare the acceptability of PPE in two classes of medical and osteopathic students after their first experience, to obtain comparative information useful for an understanding of the different professional approaches. The leading hypothesis was that osteopathic students enter the curriculum with a more positive attitude to bodily contact.As a secondary aim, this study validated the new version of a questionnaire to assess the acceptability of PPE. A new version of a previously validated questionnaire and an instrument from the literature (the Examining Fellow Student [EFS] questionnaire) were used for a cross-sectional survey in a class of 129 3rd year medical students and in two parallel classes of 1st year osteopathic students (total of 112 students). The mean score of the new questionnaire was significantly higher for the osteopathic students than for the medical students (53.4 ± 6.3 vs. 43.4 ± 8.9; p student. The EFS mean score also showed a significant difference between the osteopathic and medical students (30.76 ± 2.9 vs. 27.85 ± 4.3; p accounting for 62.8% of the variance. Criterion validity was assessed by correlation with the EFS (Pearson's r coefficient = 0.61). Reliability was expressed in terms of Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which equals 0.86. These quantitative results are consistent with previous qualitative research on the process of embodiment both in medicine and osteopathy. The new questionnaire proved to be valid and reliable. The objective assessment of the acceptability of PPE is a way to determine differences in students' attitudes towards contact with the body and can be used for counselling students regarding career choice. This study can also highlight differences between students from different professions and serve as a basis for reflection for improved mutual interprofessional understanding and future

Recovery From Chronic Low Back Pain After Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

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Licciardone, John C; Gatchel, Robert J; Aryal, Subhash

2016-03-01

Little is known about recovery after spinal manipulation in patients with low back pain (LBP). To assess recovery from chronic LBP after a short regimen of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in a responder analysis of the OSTEOPAThic Health outcomes In Chronic low back pain (OSTEOPATHIC) Trial. A randomized double-blind, sham-controlled trial was conducted to determine the efficacy of 6 OMT sessions over 8 weeks. Recovery was assessed at week 12 using a composite measure of pain recovery (10 mm or less on a 100-mm visual analog scale) and functional recovery (2 or less on the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire for back-specific functioning). The RRs and numbers-needed-to-treat (NNTs) for recovery with OMT were measured, and corresponding cumulative distribution functions were plotted according to baseline LBP intensity and back-specific functioning. Multiple logistic regression was used to compute the OR for recovery with OMT while simultaneously controlling for potential confounders. Sensitivity analyses were performed to corroborate the primary results. There were 345 patients who met neither of the recovery criteria at baseline in the primary analyses and 433 patients who met neither or only 1 of these criteria in the sensitivity analyses. There was a large treatment effect for recovery with OMT (RR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.31-4.24; P=.003), which was associated with a clinically relevant NNT (8.9; 95% CI, 5.4-25.5). This significant finding persisted after adjustment for potential confounders (OR, 2.92; 95% CI, 1.43-5.97; P=.003). There was also a significant interaction effect between OMT and comorbid depression (P=.02), indicating that patients without depression were more likely to recover from chronic LBP with OMT (RR, 3.21; 95% CI, 1.59-6.50; Pback-specific dysfunction at baseline. Similar results were observed in the sensitivity analyses. The OMT regimen was associated with significant and clinically relevant measures for recovery from chronic LBP. A

A workforce survey of Australian osteopathy: analysis of a nationally-representative sample of osteopaths from the Osteopathy Research and Innovation Network (ORION) project.

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Adams, Jon; Sibbritt, David; Steel, Amie; Peng, Wenbo

2018-05-10

Limited information is available regarding the profile and clinical practice characteristics of the osteopathy workforce in Australia. This paper reports such information by analysing data from a nationally-representative sample of Australian osteopaths. Data was obtained from a workforce survey of Australian osteopathy, investigating the characteristics of the practitioner, their practice, clinical management features and perceptions regarding research. The survey questionnaire was distributed to all registered osteopaths across Australia in 2016 as part of the Osteopathy Research and Innovation Network (ORION) project. A total of 992 Australian osteopaths participated in this study representing a response rate of 49.1%. The average age of the participants was 38.0 years with 58.1% being female and the majority holding a Bachelor or higher degree qualification related to the osteopathy professional. Approximately 80.0% of the osteopaths were practicing in an urban area, with most osteopaths working in multi-practitioner locations, having referral relationships with a range of health care practitioners, managing patients a number of musculoskeletal disorders, and providing multi-model treatment options. A total of 3.9 million patients were estimated to consult with osteopaths every year and an average of approximate 3.0 million hours were spent delivering osteopathy services per year. Further research is required to provide rich, in-depth examination regarding a range of osteopathy workforce issues which will help ensure safe, effective patient care to all receiving and providing treatments as part of the broader Australian health system.

Potential nitrous oxide yield of AOA vs. AOB and utilization of carbon and nitrogen in the ammonia oxidizing process in the Pearl River Estuary

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, L.; Dai, M.; Tan, S.; Xia, X.; Liu, H.

2016-12-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas, is a by-product during ammonia oxidation process, the production of which is often stimulated under low dissolved oxygen (DO) in the estuarine environment. The potential yield of N2O has been considered to be driven by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) of Betaproteobacteria & Gammaproteobacteria and/or ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) of Thaumarchaeota. In order to examine the relative importance of AOA and AOB in producing N2O and in modulating the potential N2O yield, arch-amoA, beta-amoA, gamma-amoA encoding for the alpha subunit of the ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) are used as biomarkers to identify the distributions and bioactivities of AOA and AOB in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE). Size fractionation experiments were conducted to distinguish AOA and AOB on particles in different size-fractions of > 3 μm, 0.45-3 μm, and 0.22-0.45 μm. Pure culture of N. maritimusSCM1 was studied as a model organism to identify the organic carbon production during ammonia oxidation by SCM1 strains. Our results show that AOA distributes largely in the free-living state and could adapt to very limited ammonia substrate and low saturation of DO; AOB mainly distributes at the particle-attached state under relative richer ammonia and high DO conditions; however, the RNA/DNA ratio of AOB was higher than that of AOA under the same conditions suggesting AOB is relatively more actively expressed. In the upper reach of PRE, the dominant microorganism in the water column was AOB and the in situ N2O/NH3 therein ranged 0.73-3.74 ‰. In the lower PRE, AOA was dominated, and the in situ N2O/NH3 was of 1.17- 7.32‰. At selected sites, we estimated isotope effect (e) of AOA (eDIC/bulk) as -23.94‰ and AOB (eDIC/bulk) as -56.6‰ to -44.8‰, which is consistent with the studies of pure cultures. The coefficient of C sequestration "k", defined as (C biomass / DIC in situ) / (N biomass / ammonia in situ) to differ the utilization of carbon and nitrogen, of

New York College of Osteopathic Medicine Learning Outcomes Assessment 2009-2010

Science.gov (United States)

McCarthy, John R.; Mead, Pelham; Achziger, Mary Ann; Bruno, Felicia; Bryant, Claire; Goldstein, Leonard; Jeger, Abraham; Zaika, Rodika; Portanova, Ron

2009-01-01

This is a document that lays out the Mission of the NY College of Osteopathic Medicine's Mission Statement, It's 13 Goals and subsequent Objectives of Learning Outcomes. Benchmarks were established for each Educational Goal and defined further in Objectives. This document represents an historic attempt by NYCOM to address it's need for complete…

The Educational Model of Private Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine: Revisited for 2003-2013.

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Cummings, Mark

2015-12-01

Trends in the development of new private colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs) described by the author in 2003 have accelerated in the ensuing decade. During 2003 to 2013, 10 new COMs as well as 2 remote teaching sites and 4 new branch campuses at private institutions were accredited, leading to a 98% increase in the number of students enrolled in private COMs. The key features of the private COM educational model during this period were a reliance on student tuition, the establishment of health professions education programs around the medical school, the expansion of class size, the creation of branch campuses and remote teaching sites, an environment that emphasizes teaching over research, and limited involvement in facilities providing clinical services to patients. There is institutional ownership of preclinical instruction, but clinical instruction occurs in affiliated hospitals and medical institutions where students are typically taught by volunteer and/or adjunct faculty.Between 2003 and 2013, this model attracted smaller universities and organizations, which implemented the strategies of established private COMs in initiating new private COMs, branch campuses, and remote teaching sites. The new COMs have introduced changes to the osteopathic profession and private COM model by expanding to new parts of the country and establishing the first for-profit medical school accredited in the United States in modern times. They have also increased pressure on the system of osteopathic graduate medical education, as the number of funded GME positions available to their graduates is less than the need.

A call to include medical humanities in the curriculum of colleges of osteopathic medicine and in applicant selection.

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Hoff, Gary; Hirsch, Norma J; Means, J Jeffrey; Streyffeler, Lisa

2014-10-01

Medicine stands at a crossroad. Disruptive physician behavior has increased, and patient satisfaction has decreased. A growing body of knowledge demonstrates that the medical humanities assist in the creation of compassionate, resilient physicians. Incorporating medical humanities into the medical school curriculum promotes the development of compassionate, culturally sensitive physicians, and also encourages the development of resilience in health care professionals at a time when internal and external pressures on physicians are increasing. © 2014 The American Osteopathic Association.

Assessment of the influence of osteopathic myofascial techniques on normalization of the vocal tract functions in patients with occupational dysphonia.

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Marszałek, Sławomir; Niebudek-Bogusz, Ewa; Woźnicka, Ewelina; Malińska, Joanna; Golusiński, Wojciech; Śliwińska-Kowalska, Mariola

2012-06-01

Occupational voice disorders are accompanied by increased tension of the external laryngeal muscle which changes the position of the larynx and consequently disturbs the conditions of functioning of the vocal tract. The aim of the study is to assess the use of osteopathic procedures in the diagnosis and treatment of occupational dysphonia. Study subjects included 40 teachers with chronic diseases of the voice organ (38 women and 2 men) aged from 39 to 59 (mean age: 48.25). Before and after the voice therapy the osteopathic examination according to Libermann's protocol was performed as well as phoniatric examination including laryngovideostroboscopy (LVSS), assessment of the maximum phonation time (MPT) and the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) score. The voice therapy, scheduled and supervised by a laryngologist-phoniatrician and conducted by a speech-language pathologist, was supplemented with osteopathic myofascial rehabilitation of the larynx. The chi-square McNemar test and non-parametric Wilcoxon matched pairs test were applied in the statistical assessment. The applied interdisciplinary treatment including osteopathic and vocal therapy resulted in a statistically significant decrease in tenderness of muscles raising the larynx (cricothyroid ligament, sternocleidomastoid muscles, and pharyngeal constrictor muscles) and in lowering the tonus (geniohyoid muscles, pharyngeal constrictor muscles and sternocleidomastoid muscles). A significant improvement was also observed in the case of dysfunction of the cricothyroid joint examined during glissando and yawning, as well as in asymmetry of the thyrohyoid apparatus. Moreover, the therapy resulted in significantly better normalization of the head position and better control of the centre of gravity of the body. Statistically significant post-therapy improvement was observed in the phoniatric examination, including VHI scores, MPT results and parameters of videostroboscopic examination. The use of osteopathic therapy helps

Echinacea purpurea and osteopathic manipulative treatment in children with recurrent otitis media: a randomized controlled trial

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Worden Katherine A

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Recurrent otitis media is a common problem in young children. Echinacea and osteopathic manipulative treatment have been proposed as preventive measures, but have been inadequately studied. This study was designed to assess the efficacy of Echinacea purpurea and/or osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT for prevention of acute otitis media in otitis-prone children. Methods A randomized, placebo-controlled, two-by-two factorial trial with 6-month follow-up, conducted 1999 – 2002 in Tucson, Arizona. Patients were aged 12–60 months with recurrent otitis media, defined as three or more separate episodes of acute otitis media within six months, or at least four episodes in one year. Ninety children (44% white non-Hispanic, 39% Hispanic, 57% male were enrolled, of which 84 had follow-up for at least 3 months. Children were randomly assigned to one of four protocol groups: double placebo, echinacea plus sham OMT, true OMT (including cranial manipulation plus placebo echinacea, or true echinacea plus OMT. An alcohol extract of Echinacea purpurea roots and seeds (or placebo was administered for 10 days at the first sign of each common cold. Five OMT visits (or sham treatments were offered over 3 months. Results No interaction was found between echinacea and OMT. Echinacea was associated with a borderline increased risk of having at least one episode of acute otitis media during 6-month follow-up compared to placebo (65% versus 41%; relative risk, 1.59, 95% CI 1.04, 2.42. OMT did not significantly affect risk compared to sham (44% versus 61%; relative risk, 0.72, 95% CI 0.48, 1.10. Conclusion In otitis-prone young children, treating colds with this form of echinacea does not decrease the risk of acute otitis media, and may in fact increase risk. A regimen of up to five osteopathic manipulative treatments does not significantly decrease the risk of acute otitis media. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00010465

A TOA-AOA-Based NLOS Error Mitigation Method for Location Estimation

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Tianshuang Qiu

2007-12-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a geometric method to locate a mobile station (MS in a mobile cellular network when both the range and angle measurements are corrupted by non-line-of-sight (NLOS errors. The MS location is restricted to an enclosed region by geometric constraints from the temporal-spatial characteristics of the radio propagation channel. A closed-form equation of the MS position, time of arrival (TOA, angle of arrival (AOA, and angle spread is provided. The solution space of the equation is very large because the angle spreads are random variables in nature. A constrained objective function is constructed to further limit the MS position. A Lagrange multiplier-based solution and a numerical solution are proposed to resolve the MS position. The estimation quality of the estimator in term of “biased” or “unbiased” is discussed. The scale factors, which may be used to evaluate NLOS propagation level, can be estimated by the proposed method. AOA seen at base stations may be corrected to some degree. The performance comparisons among the proposed method and other hybrid location methods are investigated on different NLOS error models and with two scenarios of cell layout. It is found that the proposed method can deal with NLOS error effectively, and it is attractive for location estimation in cellular networks.

Effect of Osteopathic Cranial Manipulative Medicine on Visual Function.

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Sandhouse, Mark E; Shechtman, Diana; Fecho, Gregory; Timoshkin, Elena M

2016-11-01

The effects of osteopathic cranial manipulative medicine (OCMM) on visual function have been poorly characterized in the literature. Based on a pilot study conducted by their research group, the authors conducted a study that examined whether OCMM produced a measurable change in visual function in adults with cranial asymmetry. Randomized, controlled, double-blinded clinical trial. The intervention and control (sham therapy) were applied during 8 weekly visits, and participants in both groups received 8 weekly follow-up visits. Adult volunteers aged between 18 and 35 years with unremarkable systemic or ocular history were recruited. Inclusion criteria were refractive error between 6 diopters of myopia and 5 diopters of hyperopia, regular astigmatism of any amount, and cranial somatic dysfunction. All participants were evaluated for cranial asymmetry and randomly assigned to the treatment or sham therapy group. The treatment group received OCMM to correct cranial dysfunctions, and the sham therapy group received light pressure applied to the cranium. Preintervention and postintervention ophthalmic examinations consisted of distance visual acuity testing, accommodative system testing, local stereoacuity testing, pupillary size measurements, and vergence system testing. A χ2 analysis was performed to determine participant masking. Analysis of variance was performed for all ophthalmic measures. Eighty-nine participants completed the trial, with 47 in the treatment group and 42 in the sham therapy group. A hierarchical analysis of variance revealed statistically significant within-groups effects (Psize under bright light in the left eye and in near point of convergence break. Osteopathic cranial manipulative medicine may affect visual function in adults with cranial asymmetry. Active motion testing of the cranium for somatic dysfunction may affect the cranial system to a measurable level and explain interrater reliability issues in cranial studies. (Clinical

The effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment in an abnormal uterine bleeding related pain and health related quality of life (HR-QoL) - A case report.

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Goyal, Kanu; Goyal, Manu; Narkeesh, Kanimozhi; John Samuel, Asir; Sharma, Sorabh; Chatterjee, Subhasish; Arumugam, Narkeesh

2017-07-01

Abnormal uterine bleeding is characterized by painful and/or excessive menorrhea, chronic pelvic pain due to the endometriosis (Em). Osteopathic treatment is commonly used in the gynecological dysfunctions. The aim of the present case study was to explore the effect of osteopathic treatment (OT) for a woman with abnormal uterine bleeding related pain and quality of life (QoL). We reported a case of 29 year old female who presented with chief complaints of increased flow during periods, lower abdominal pain, leukorrhoea, lower back pain and with occasional constipation for the last 3 years. Patient is a mother of 6 years old male child born with normal delivery. On diagnostic ultrasonography the uterus was found bulky with insignificant endometriosis and no other abnormality was detected. She did not have any relevant past medical and surgical history. The pre and post osteopathic treatment measurements were measured using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the health related quality of life (HR-QoL) questionnaire called short form Endometriosis Health Profile Questionnaire (EHP) - 5. In the present case the pain due to the endometriosis was treated with the osteopathic treatment consists of all the major diaphragms' release (release of pelvic diaphragm, abdominal diaphragm, thoracic outlet release and hyoid diaphragm) during the first session and in the second session gastro-esophageal (GE) junction release, sigmoid colon release, cranial therapy to the occiput, sacral release and dural tube rocking. Following that improvement of pain from VAS 8.3/10 to 3.9/10 and QoL improvement from EHP-5, 72/100 to 26/100 was noted. Osteopathic manipulative approach (OMA) in the patient with Em might improve the abnormal uterine bleeding related pain and health related quality of life (HR-QoL). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The state of radiologic teaching practice in preclinical medical education: survey of American medical, osteopathic, and podiatric schools.

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Rubin, Zachary; Blackham, Kristine

2015-04-01

This study describes the state of preclinical radiology curricula in North American allopathic, osteopathic, and podiatric medical schools. An online survey of teaching methods, radiology topics, and future plans was developed. The Associations of American Medical Colleges, Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, and Colleges of Podiatric Medicine listing for all US, Canadian, and Puerto Rican schools was used for contact information for directors of anatomy and/or radiology courses. Letters were sent via e-mail to 198 schools, with a link to the anonymous survey. Of 198 schools, 98 completed the survey (48%). Radiology curricula were integrated with other topics (91%), and taught by anatomists (42%) and radiologists (43%). The majority of time was spent on the topic of anatomy correlation (35%). Time spent teaching general radiology topics in the curriculum, such as physics (3%), modality differences (6%), radiation safety (2%), and contrast use (2%) was limited. Most schools had plans to implement an innovative teaching method in the near future (62%). The major challenges included limits on: time in the curriculum (73%); resources (32%); and radiology faculty participation (30%). A total of 82% reported that their curriculum did not model the suggestions made by the Alliance of Medical Student Educators in Radiology. This survey describes the current state of preclinical radiology teaching: curricula were nonstandard, integrated into other courses, and predominantly used for anatomy correlation. Other important contextual principles of the practice of radiology were seldom taught. Copyright © 2015 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Competition within the physicians' services industry: osteopaths and allopaths.

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Blackstone, E A

1982-01-01

Within the physicians' services industry, doctors of osteopathy are the only "full line" competitors of medical doctors. Given the current interest in merger of the two schools of practice, this Article examines the benefits of having an independent osteopathic school. These benefits include: (1) reduction of the monopoly power of medical doctors in malpractice litigation, fee negotiations with third party payors and the formulation of health policy; (2) greater satisfaction of consumer desires; and (3) diversity and innovation in physicians' training and methods of practice. The Article concludes that society has an interest in discouraging merger of the two groups; osteopathy should be maintained as an independent school of practice. To this end, society should carefully consider the impact of legislation and regulatory policies that may have the unintended effect of eliminating osteopathy as an independent competitor.

Osteopathic manual therapy in heart failure patients: A randomized clinical trial.

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Thomaz, Sergio R; Teixeira, Felipe A; de Lima, Alexandra C G B; Cipriano Júnior, Gerson; Formiga, Magno F; Cahalin, Lawrence Patrick

2018-04-01

Heart Failure (HF) patients usually present with increased arterial resistance and reduced blood pressure (BP) leading to an impaired functional capacity. Osteopathic Manual Therapy (OMT) focused on myofascial release techniques (MRT) and in the balancing of diaphragmatic tensions, has been shown to improve blood flow in individuals using the resistive index (RI). However, its effects in HF patients have not been examined. To evaluate the acute response of selected osteopathic techniques on RI, heart rate (HR), and BP in patients with HF. Randomized-controlled clinical trial of HF patients assigned to MRT (six different techniques with three aimed at the pelvis, two at the thorax, and one at the neck for 15 min) or Control group (subjects in supine position for 15 min without intervention). The RI of the femoral, brachial and carotid arteries was measured via doppler ultrasound while HR and BP were measured via sphygmomanometry before and after a single MRT or control intervention. Twenty-two HF patients equally distributed (50% male, mean age 53 years; range 32-69 years) (ejection fraction = 35.6%, VO 2peak : 12.9 mL/kg -1 min -1 ) were evaluated. We found no intra or inter group differences in RI of the carotid (Δ MRT : 0.07% vs Δ Control :11.8%), brachial (Δ MRT :0.17% vs Δ Control : 2.9%), or femoral arteries (Δ MRT :1.65% vs Δ Control : 0.97%) (P > 0.05) and no difference in HR or BP (Δ MRT :0.6% vs Δ Control : 3%), (P > 0.05). A single MRT session did not significantly change the RI, HR, or BP of HF patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pregnancy Research on Osteopathic Manipulation Optimizing Treatment Effects: the PROMOTE study.

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Hensel, Kendi L; Buchanan, Steve; Brown, Sarah K; Rodriguez, Mayra; Cruser, des Anges

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) to reduce low back pain and improve functioning during the third trimester in pregnancy and to improve selected outcomes of labor and delivery. Pregnancy research on osteopathic manipulation optimizing treatment effects was a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 400 women in their third trimester. Women were assigned randomly to usual care only (UCO), usual care plus OMT (OMT), or usual care plus placebo ultrasound treatment (PUT). The study included 7 treatments over 9 weeks. The OMT protocol included specific techniques that were administered by board-certified OMT specialists. Outcomes were assessed with the use of self-report measures for pain and back-related functioning and medical records for delivery outcomes. There were 136 women in the OMT group: 131 women in the PUT group and 133 women in the UCO group. Characteristics at baseline were similar across groups. Findings indicate significant treatment effects for pain and back-related functioning (P < .001 for both groups), with outcomes for the OMT group similar to that of the PUT group; however, both groups were significantly improved compared with the UCO group. For secondary outcome of meconium-stained amniotic fluid, there were no differences among the groups. OMT was effective for mitigating pain and functional deterioration compared with UCO; however, OMT did not differ significantly from PUT. This may be attributed to PUT being a more active treatment than intended. There was no higher likelihood of conversion to high-risk status based on treatment group. Therefore, OMT is a safe, effective adjunctive modality to improve pain and functioning during the third trimester. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The impact of temperature on microbial diversity and AOA activity in the Tengchong Geothermal Field, China

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Li, Haizhou; Yang, Qunhui; Li, Jian; Gao, Hang; Li, Ping; Zhou, Huaiyang

2015-11-01

Using a culture-independent method that combines CARD-FISH, qPCR and 16S rDNA, we investigated the abundance, community structure and diversity of microbes along a steep thermal gradient (50-90 °C) in the Tengchong Geothermal Field. We found that Bacteria and Archaea abundance changed markedly with temperature changes and that the number of cells was lowest at high temperatures (90.8 °C). Under low-temperature conditions (52.3-74.6 °C), the microbial communities were dominated by Bacteria, which accounted for 60-80% of the total number of cells. At 74.6 °C, Archaea were dominant, and at 90.8 °C, they accounted for more than 90% of the total number of cells. Additionally, the microbial communities at high temperatures (74.6-90.8 °C) were substantially simpler than those at the low-temperature sites. Only a few genera (e.g., bacterial Caldisericum, Thermotoga and Thermoanaerobacter, archaeal Vulcanisaeta and Hyperthermus) often dominated in high-temperature environments. Additionally, a positive correlation between Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea (AOA) activity and temperature was detected. AOA activity increased from 17 to 52 pmol of NO2- per cell d-1 with a temperature change from 50 to 70 °C.

The impact of temperature on microbial diversity and AOA activity in the Tengchong Geothermal Field, China.

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Li, Haizhou; Yang, Qunhui; Li, Jian; Gao, Hang; Li, Ping; Zhou, Huaiyang

2015-11-26

Using a culture-independent method that combines CARD-FISH, qPCR and 16S rDNA, we investigated the abundance, community structure and diversity of microbes along a steep thermal gradient (50-90 °C) in the Tengchong Geothermal Field. We found that Bacteria and Archaea abundance changed markedly with temperature changes and that the number of cells was lowest at high temperatures (90.8 °C). Under low-temperature conditions (52.3-74.6 °C), the microbial communities were dominated by Bacteria, which accounted for 60-80% of the total number of cells. At 74.6 °C, Archaea were dominant, and at 90.8 °C, they accounted for more than 90% of the total number of cells. Additionally, the microbial communities at high temperatures (74.6-90.8 °C) were substantially simpler than those at the low-temperature sites. Only a few genera (e.g., bacterial Caldisericum, Thermotoga and Thermoanaerobacter, archaeal Vulcanisaeta and Hyperthermus) often dominated in high-temperature environments. Additionally, a positive correlation between Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea (AOA) activity and temperature was detected. AOA activity increased from 17 to 52 pmol of NO2(-) per cell d(-1) with a temperature change from 50 to 70 °C.

Fibromyalgia with Gabapentin and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine: A Pilot Study.

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Marske, Cynthia; Bernard, Natasha; Palacios, Alison; Wheeler, Cary; Preiss, Ben; Brown, Mackenzie; Bhattacharya, Saveri; Klapstein, Gloria

2018-04-01

This pilot study compares the safety and efficacy of three treatments in reducing pain and improving fibromyalgia symptoms. This study was an 8-week prospective, single center feasibility study. Forty subjects were recruited from Solano, Sonoma, and Contra Costa counties of California in 2006-2009. Subjects were aged 18-65 and met the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1990 criteria for fibromyalgia. This study had three treatment arms: gabapentin only (900 mg/day), osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) only, and combined treatment of gabapentin plus OMM. OMM treatment was administered by advanced medical students for 30 min, once a week. The trial lasted for 8 weeks, which included 6 weeks of treatment plus initial and final visits. Key outcome measures included Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale (WBF), Clinical Global Impression of Health (CGI), Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), and number of tender points. Twenty-nine subjects completed the trial; 8 subjects received gabapentin only, 11 patients received OMM only, and 10 patients received gabapentin plus OMM. Subjects receiving OMM alone and subjects receiving the combined treatment of OMM and gabapentin displayed clinical improvements based on WBF (p treatment and gabapentin are safe and clinically efficacious treatment of pain and other constitutional and somatic symptoms associated with fibromyalgia. A larger trial using the new ACR 2010 Fibromyalgia criteria is needed to confirm these findings.

[The evaluation of the gastroprotective effect of sucralfate in Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric ulcer].

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Pavlenko, O A; Samoĭlova, A V; Krivova, N A; Zaeva, O B

2007-01-01

The purpose of the investigation was to study the effects of sucralfate on the biochemical composition as well as the anti-radicals and antioxidative activity (ARA; AOA) of the gastric supra-epithelial mucosal layer (GSEML) in patients with Helicobacter pylori (HP)-associated gastric ulcer (GU). A hundred patients suffering from HP-associated GU were examined. The biochemical composition as well as the ARA and AOA of the GSEML were studied before and after eradication therapy as well as after additional administration of sucralfate. Biochemical and chemoluminescence techniques were used. All the patients with HP-associated GU displayed significant changes in all the mentioned parameters vs. healthy persons, which consisted in the secretion of premature glycoproteins and elevated ARA and AOA of the native gastric mucus. Effective antisecretory and eradication therapy by triple regimen recommended by Maastricht consensus-2 (2000), with ulcerous defect scarring, did not normalize the biochemical composition of the GSEML. Additional administration of sucralfate led to positive changes in ARA and AOA, as well as the biochemical composition of the GSEML.

The effect of dual accreditation on family medicine residency programs.

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Mims, Lisa D; Bressler, Lindsey C; Wannamaker, Louise R; Carek, Peter J

2015-04-01

In 1985, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Board of Trustees agreed to allow residency programs to become dually accredited by the AOA and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Despite the increase in such programs, there has been minimal research comparing these programs to exclusively ACGME-accredited residencies. This study examines the association between dual accreditation and suggested markers of quality. Standard characteristics such as regional location, program structure (community or university based), postgraduate year one (PGY-1) positions offered, and salary (PGY-1) were obtained for each residency program. In addition, the faculty to resident ratio in the family medicine clinic and the number of half days residents spent in the clinic each week were recorded. Initial Match rates and pass rates of new graduates on the ABFM examination from 2009 to 2013 were also obtained. Variables were analyzed using chi-square and Student's t test. Logistic regression models were then created to predict a program's 5-year aggregate initial Match rate and Board pass rate in the top tertile as compared to the lowest tertile. Dual accreditation was obtained by 117 (27.0%) of programs. Initial analyses revealed associations between dually accredited programs and mean year of initial ACGME program accreditation, regional location, program structure, tracks, and alternative medicine curriculum. When evaluated in logistic regression, dual accreditation status was not associated with Match rates or ABFM pass rates. By examining suggested markers of program quality for dually accredited programs in comparison to ACGME-only accredited programs, this study successfully established both differences and similarities among the two types.

Evaluation of autotrophic growth of ammonia-oxidizers associated with granular activated carbon used for drinking water purification by DNA-stable isotope probing.

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Niu, Jia; Kasuga, Ikuro; Kurisu, Futoshi; Furumai, Hiroaki; Shigeeda, Takaaki

2013-12-01

Nitrification is an important biological function of granular activated carbon (GAC) used in advanced drinking water purification processes. Newly discovered ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) have challenged the traditional understanding of ammonia oxidation, which considered ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) as the sole ammonia-oxidizers. Previous studies demonstrated the predominance of AOA on GAC, but the contributions of AOA and AOB to ammonia oxidation remain unclear. In the present study, DNA-stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) was used to investigate the autotrophic growth of AOA and AOB associated with GAC at two different ammonium concentrations (0.14 mg N/L and 1.4 mg N/L). GAC samples collected from three full-scale drinking water purification plants in Tokyo, Japan, had different abundance of AOA and AOB. These samples were fed continuously with ammonium and (13)C-bicarbonate for 14 days. The DNA-SIP analysis demonstrated that only AOA assimilated (13)C-bicarbonate at low ammonium concentration, whereas AOA and AOB exhibited autotrophic growth at high ammonium concentration. This indicates that a lower ammonium concentration is preferable for AOA growth. Since AOA could not grow without ammonium, their autotrophic growth was coupled with ammonia oxidation. Overall, our results point towards an important role of AOA in nitrification in GAC filters treating low concentration of ammonium. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment Limits Chronic Constipation in a Child with Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome

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Alessandro Aquino

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome (PTHS is a rare genetic disorder caused by insufficient expression of the TCF4 gene. Children with PTHS typically present with gastrointestinal disorders and early severe chronic constipation is frequently found (75%. Here we describe the case of a PTHS male 10-year-old patient with chronic constipation in whom Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT resulted in improved bowel functions, as assessed by the diary, the QPGS-Form A Section C questionnaire, and the Paediatric Bristol Stool Form Scale. The authors suggested that OMT may be a valid tool to improve the defecation frequency and reduce enema administration in PTHS patients.

Fundamentals for an Osteopathic Obesity Designed Study: The Effects of Education on Osteopathic Medical Students' Attitudes Regarding Obesity.

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Gayer, Gregory G; Weiss, Jennifer; Clearfield, Michael

2017-08-01

Obesity is a major health concern in the United States, and its prevalence continues to rise. Although it is a common health issue, many people, including health care professionals, are biased against people with obesity. To determine whether a comprehensive obesity curriculum presented to students in medical school can positively influence their attitudes toward obesity. The study was designed around a comprehensive educational obesity curriculum at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine-CA, involving the classes of 2013 through 2018. A survey to assess student attitudes toward obesity was distributed to first-year students before the curriculum, directly after completion, and each year after until graduation (graduating classes of 2015 through 2018). Second- and third-year medical students in 2011 (graduating classes of 2014 and 2013), who did not complete the curriculum, were given an examination to establish baseline values and served as the control group. The obesity curriculum consisted of lectures delivered during the first and second year of medical school and case study simulations during the third year. Knowledge gained from the curriculum was assessed with a multiple-choice examination, and bias was assessed using the Fat Phobia Scale. A total of 718 first- through fourth-year students were included. Students who completed the first year of the obesity curriculum (n=528) showed significantly greater medical knowledge regarding obesity-related epidemiology, pathogenesis, biochemistry, pathophysiology, and metabolic factors; nutrition, diet, physical activity, self-control, and behavior modification; pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions; and associated chronic disorders, based on their multiple-choice examination scores compared with the control group. The examination scores indicated significant increases in medical knowledge compared with the precurriculum cohort after the curriculum (OMS I students: 130 [72.4%]; 133 [92.6%]; 133

The Effect of Optimally Timed Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment on Length of Hospital Stay in Moderate and Late Preterm Infants: Results from a RCT

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Gianfranco Pizzolorusso

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Little research has been conducted looking at the effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT on preterm infants. Aim of the Study. This study hypothesized that osteopathic care is effective in reducing length of hospital stay and that early OMT produces the most pronounced benefit, compared to moderately early and late OMT. A secondary outcome was to estimate hospital cost savings by the use of OMT. Methods. 110 newborns ranging from 32- to 37-week gestation were randomized to receive either OMT or usual pediatric care. Early, moderately early, and late OMT were defined as <4, <9, and <14 days from birth, respectively. Result. Hospital stay was shorter in infants receiving late OMT (−2.03; 95% CI −3.15, −0.91; P<0.01 than controls. Subgroup analysis of infants receiving early and moderately early OMT resulted in shorter LOS (early OMT: −4.16; −6.05, −2.27; P<0.001; moderately early OMT: −3.12; −4.36, −1.89; P<0.001. Costs analysis showed that OMT significantly produced a net saving of €740 (−1309.54, −170.33; P=0.01 per newborn per LOS. Conclusions. This study shows evidence that the sooner OMT is provided, the shorter their hospital stay is. There is also a positive association of OMT with overall reduction in cost of care.

A Type-2 Block-Component-Decomposition Based 2D AOA Estimation Algorithm for an Electromagnetic Vector Sensor Array

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Yu-Fei Gao

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates a two-dimensional angle of arrival (2D AOA estimation algorithm for the electromagnetic vector sensor (EMVS array based on Type-2 block component decomposition (BCD tensor modeling. Such a tensor decomposition method can take full advantage of the multidimensional structural information of electromagnetic signals to accomplish blind estimation for array parameters with higher resolution. However, existing tensor decomposition methods encounter many restrictions in applications of the EMVS array, such as the strict requirement for uniqueness conditions of decomposition, the inability to handle partially-polarized signals, etc. To solve these problems, this paper investigates tensor modeling for partially-polarized signals of an L-shaped EMVS array. The 2D AOA estimation algorithm based on rank- ( L 1 , L 2 , · BCD is developed, and the uniqueness condition of decomposition is analyzed. By means of the estimated steering matrix, the proposed algorithm can automatically achieve angle pair-matching. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the present algorithm has the advantages of both accuracy and robustness of parameter estimation. Even under the conditions of lower SNR, small angular separation and limited snapshots, the proposed algorithm still possesses better performance than subspace methods and the canonical polyadic decomposition (CPD method.

Low back pain and kidney mobility: local osteopathic fascial manipulation decreases pain perception and improves renal mobility.

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Tozzi, P; Bongiorno, D; Vitturini, C

2012-07-01

a) To calculate and compare a Kidney Mobility Score (KMS) in asymptomatic and Low Back Pain (LBP) individuals through real-time Ultrasound (US) investigation. b) To assess the effect of Osteopathic Fascial Manipulation (OFM), consisting of Still Technique (ST) and Fascial Unwinding (FU), on renal mobility in people with non-specific LBP. c) To evaluate 'if' and 'to what degree' pain perception may vary in patients with LBP, after OFM is applied. 101 asymptomatic people (F 30; M 71; mean age 38.9 ± 8) were evaluated by abdominal US screening. The distance between the superior renal pole of the right kidney and the ipsilateral diaphragmatic pillar was calculated in both maximal expiration (RdE) and maximal inspiration (RdI). The mean of the RdE-RdI ratios provided a Kidney Mobility Score (KMS) in the cohort of asymptomatic people. The same procedure was applied to 140 participants (F 66; M 74; mean age 39.3 ± 8) complaining of non-specific LBP: 109 of whom were randomly assigned to the Experimental group and 31 to the Control group. For both groups, a difference of RdE and RdI values was calculated (RD = RdE-RdI), before (RD-T0) and after (RD-T1) treatment was delivered, to assess the effective range of right kidney mobility. A blind assessment of each patient was carried using US screening. Both groups completed a Short-Form McGill Pain Assessment Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) on the day of recruitment (SF-MPQ T0) as well as on the third day following treatment (SF-MPQ T1). An Osteopathic assessment of the thoraco-lumbo-pelvic region to all the Experimental participants was performed, in order to identify specific areas of major myofascial tension. Each individual of the Experimental group received OFM by the same Osteopath who had previously assessed them. A sham-treatment was applied to the Control group for the equivalent amount of time. a) The factorial ANOVA test showed a significant difference (p-value < 0.05) between KMS in asymptomatic individuals (1.92�

The future of emergency medicine.

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Schneider, Sandra M; Gardner, Angela F; Weiss, Larry D; Wood, Joseph P; Ybarra, Michael; Beck, Dennis M; Stauffer, Arlen R; Wilkerson, Dean; Brabson, Thomas; Jennings, Anthony; Mitchell, Mark; McGrath, Roland B; Christopher, Theodore A; King, Brent; Muelleman, Robert L; Wagner, Mary J; Char, Douglas M; McGee, Douglas L; Pilgrim, Randy L; Moskovitz, Joshua B; Zinkel, Andrew R; Byers, Michelle; Briggs, William T; Hobgood, Cherri D; Kupas, Douglas F; Krueger, Jennifer; Stratford, Cary J; Jouriles, Nicholas J

2010-08-01

The specialty of emergency medicine (EM) continues to experience a significant workforce shortage in the face of increasing demand for emergency care. In July 2009, representatives of the leading EM organizations met in Dallas for the Future of Emergency Medicine Summit. Attendees at the Future of Emergency Medicine Summit agreed on the following: 1) Emergency medical care is an essential community service that should be available to all; 2) An insufficient emergency physician workforce also represents a potential threat to patient safety; 3) Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education/American Osteopathic Association (AOA)-accredited EM residency training and American Board of Medical Specialties/AOA EM board certification is the recognized standard for physician providers currently entering a career in emergency care; 4) Physician supply shortages in all fields contribute to-and will continue to contribute to-a situation in which providers with other levels of training may be a necessary part of the workforce for the foreseeable future; 5) A maldistribution of EM residency-trained physicians persists, with few pursuing practice in small hospital or rural settings; 6) Assuring that the public receives high quality emergency care while continuing to produce highly skilled EM specialists through EM training programs is the challenge for EM's future; 7) It is important that all providers of emergency care receive continuing postgraduate education. Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Upper airway stabilization by osteopathic manipulation of the sphenopalatine ganglion versus sham manipulation in OSAS patients: a proof-of-concept, randomized, crossover, double-blind, controlled study.

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Jacq, Olivier; Arnulf, Isabelle; Similowski, Thomas; Attali, Valérie

2017-12-20

Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) of the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) is used empirically for the treatment of rhinitis and snoring and is thought to increase pharyngeal stability. This trial was designed to study the effects of this treatment on pharyngeal stability evaluated by critical closing pressure in obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. This single-centre, randomized, crossover, double-blind study compared active manipulation and sham manipulation of the SPG. Randomization was computer-generated. Patients each received one active manipulation and one sham manipulation at an interval of 21 days and were evaluated 30 min and 48 h after each session administered by a qualified osteopath. Neither the patients, nor the investigator performing the evaluations were informed about the order of the two techniques (double-blind). The primary endpoint was the percentage of responding patients presenting increased pharyngeal stability defined by a variation of critical closing pressure (Pcrit) of at least -4 cmH 2 O at 30 min. Secondary endpoints were the variation of Pcrit in absolute values, sleepiness and snoring. Others endpoints were lacrimation (Schirmer's test), induced pain, sensations experienced during OMT. Ten patients were included and nine (57 [50; 58] years, comprising 7 men, with an apnoea-hypopnoea index of 31.0 [25.5; 33.2]/h; (values are median [quartiles])) were analysed. Seven patients were analysed for the primary endpoint and nine patients were analysed for secondary endpoints. Five patients responded after active manipulation versus no patients after sham manipulation (p = 0.0209). Active manipulation induced more intense pain (p = 0.0089), increased lacrimation (ns) and more tactile, nociceptive and gustatory sensations (13 versus 1) compared to sham manipulation. No significant difference was observed for the other endpoints. Osteopathic manipulative treatment of the SPG may improve pharyngeal stability in obstructive sleep

Hypnosis and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment for Visual Disorders During Pregnancy: A Case Report.

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Russo, Giancarlo; Remonato, Alessandro; Remonato, Roberto; Zanier, Emiliano

2017-01-01

Context • Pregnancy causes physiological alterations to the visual system, particularly in relation to retinal vascularization, with a consequent increase of intraocular pressure, and to the lacrimal fluid, with a consequent ocular dryness, which both can lead to a reduction in visual acuity. Numerous case reports refer to the employment of hypnotic treatment in cases of myopia, but the literature does not report any case of decreased visual acuity postpartum that was treated with hypnosis. Objective • For women with visual disorders that had appeared during pregnancy or were preexisting, the study intended to evaluate the benefits of treatment of the diaphragm by hypnotherapy and osteopathy to modify intracorporeal pressure and restore the women's visual function. Design • The research team performed a case study. Setting • The setting was a private osteopathic clinic. Participant • The participant was a 35-y-old woman lacking visual acuity postpartum. Intervention • The study took place during a period of 1 d. The participant first took part in a hypnotherapy session, the first intervention, and then participated in an osteopathic session, the second intervention. Outcome Measures • For the first evaluation of visual function at baseline, 3 tests were performed: (1) a visual acuity test; (2) a cover test for near and distance vision; and (3) a test for near point convergence. The visual function evaluation (all 3 tests) occurred after the 2 types of treatment (T1, T2). Finally, a visual function evaluation (all 3 tests) occurred at a follow-up session 1 mo after the end of treatment (T3). Results • The intervention produced a significant improvement in visual acuity, due to the multidisciplinary approach of treatment with hypnotherapy and osteopathy, and achieved a result that was maintained in the medium term. Conclusions • Hypnosis and osteopathy produced a significant improvement in visual acuity and the result was maintained in the medium

American Osteopathic Association

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... help physicians and medical students determine which practice style might fit best with their personality and desires. TAKE THE QUIZ Focus on Leadership Jan. 25-26 in Austin: Gather with leaders ...

Preserving the Legitimacy of Board Certification.

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Hanemann, Michael S; Wall, Holly C; Dean, John A

2017-06-01

The aims of this discussion were to inform the medical community about the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery's ongoing attempts in Louisiana to achieve equivalency to American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) member boards so that its diplomates may use the term "board certified" in advertising and to ensure public safety by upholding the standards for medical board certification. In 2011, Louisiana passed a truth in medical advertising law, which was intended to protect the public by prohibiting the use of the term "board certified" by improperly credentialed physicians. An American Board of Cosmetic Surgery diplomate petitioned the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners to approve a rule that would establish a pathway to equivalency for non-ABMS member boards, whose diplomates have not completed training approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in the specialty they are certifying. Physicians and physician organizations representing multiple specialties (facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, otolaryngology [head and neck surgery], orthopedic spine surgery, pediatric neurosurgery, dermatology, and plastic surgery) urged the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners to clarify its advertising policy, limiting the use of the term "board certified" to physicians who have completed ACGME-approved training in the specialty or subspecialty named in the certificate. The public equates the term "board certified" with the highest level of expertise in a medical specialty. When a certifying board does not require completion of ACGME or American Osteopathic Association (AOA)-accredited training in the specialty it certifies, the result is an unacceptable degree of variability in the education and training standards applied to its diplomates. Independent, third-party oversight of certifying boards and training programs is necessary to ensure quality standards are upheld. Any system that assesses a non-ABMS member or non-AOA

Osteopathic manipulative treatment results in sustained relief from spinal pain in older patients: A pilot crossover study

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Pannunzio A

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment is commonly used to complement conventional treatment of back pain. The present study verified whether OMT, associated with training program, reduces spinal pain in older. A pilot randomized, double-blind crossover study was conducted at Sport Association of Milan, Italy. We recruited 19 subjects above 60 years old, with presence of SP for more than 3 weeks and with intensity score higher than 3 (NRS score. All patients underwent a multi-component group exercise program for older adults and were randomized in two groups: in the study group (SG OMT was added, while the control group (CG continued with the exercise only. After 6 weeks a crossover was applied to the 2 groups and OMT was added to CG, while SG continued with the exercise only. Self-reported measures: the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS was used at each time to evaluate treatment outcomes. At pre-crossover, SG had a significant improvement in pain perception (p<0.05, while CG had a not significate improvement in pain perception (p=0.33.At post-crossover, the SG remains relatively stable (p=0.37, while CG after OMT addition have a significant benefit on pain perception (p=0.001. At follow-up, pain improvement is sustained (p=0.32. OMT associated to exercise reduce spinal pain in older patients. Our study suggests that OMT associated to exercise leads to significant improvement on pain relief in patients with chronic SP in a short term and the exercise allows to maintain these improvements for several months

Teaching and Assessment of High-Velocity, Low-Amplitude Techniques for the Spine in Predoctoral Medical Education.

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Channell, Millicent King

2016-09-01

Although national didactic criteria have been set for predoctoral education and assessment in osteopathic manipulative treatment, there is no criterion standard for teaching methods and assessments of osteopathic manipulative treatment competence in colleges of osteopathic medicine. This issue is more pressing with the creation of the single graduate medical education accreditation system by the American Osteopathic Association and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, which introduced the creation of "osteopathic recognition" for residencies that want to incorporate osteopathic principles and practice into their programs. Residencies with osteopathic recognition may include both osteopathic and allopathic graduates. Increased standardization at the predoctoral level, however, is recommended as osteopathic principles and practice training applications are expanded. The objectives of this article are to review the standards for teaching osteopathic medical students high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) techniques for the spine; to review and discuss the methods used to assess medical students' proficiency in using HVLA; and to propose baseline standards for teaching and assessing HVLA techniques among medical students.

Target Tracking with Sensor Navigation Using Coupled RSS and AoA Measurements

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Slavisa Tomic

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This work addresses the problem of tracking a signal-emitting mobile target in wireless sensor networks (WSNs with navigated mobile sensors. The sensors are properly equipped to acquire received signal strength (RSS and angle of arrival (AoA measurements from the received signal, while the target transmit power is assumed not known. We start by showing how to linearize the highly non-linear measurement model. Then, by employing a Bayesian approach, we combine the linearized observation model with prior knowledge extracted from the state transition model. Based on the maximum a posteriori (MAP principle and the Kalman filtering (KF framework, we propose new MAP and KF algorithms, respectively. We also propose a simple and efficient mobile sensor navigation procedure, which allows us to further enhance the estimation accuracy of our algorithms with a reduced number of sensors. Model flaws, which result in imperfect knowledge about the path loss exponent (PLE and the true mobile sensors’ locations, are taken into consideration. We have carried out an extensive simulation study, and our results confirm the superiority of the proposed algorithms, as well as the effectiveness of the proposed navigation routine.

The 2016 American Orthopaedic Association-Japanese Orthopaedic Association Traveling Fellowship.

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Nandi, Sumon; Cho, Samuel K; Freedman, Brett A; Firoozabadi, Reza

2017-06-07

The American Orthopaedic Association-Japanese Orthopaedic Association (AOA-JOA) Traveling Fellowship, which began in 1992 as a collaborative effort between the 2 orthopaedic communities, is aimed at fostering leadership among early-career surgeons through clinical, academic, and cultural exchange. Over 3 weeks, we experienced an extraordinary journey that led us across nearly 800 miles of the picturesque Japanese countryside, with stops at 6 distinguished academic centers. The opportunity to become personally acquainted with orthopaedic leaders in Japan, learn from their experiences, and immerse ourselves in the ancient and storied culture of a beautiful country was one that we will not soon forget. Along the way, we accumulated a wealth of information while enjoying the legendary hospitality of the Japanese people. There is a ubiquitous challenge in delivering cost-effective, accessible health care while maintaining a commitment to education and research. The U.S. orthopaedic community may take solace in the fact that our Japanese colleagues stand with us as partners in this pursuit, and our relationship with them continues to grow stronger through endeavors such as the AOA-JOA Traveling Fellowship. We look forward to honoring our Japanese colleagues in 2017 when we host them in the United States.

Quantitative Description of Medical Student Interest in Neurology and Psychiatry.

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Ramos, Raddy L; Cuoco, Joshua A; Guercio, Erik; Levitan, Thomas

2016-07-01

Given the well-documented shortage of physicians in primary care and several other specialties, quantitative understanding of residency application and matching data among osteopathic and allopathic medical students has implications for predicting trends in the physician workforce. To estimate medical student interest in neurology and psychiatry based on numbers of applicants and matches to neurology and psychiatry osteopathic and allopathic residency programs. Also, to gauge students' previous academic experience with brain and cognitive sciences. The number of available postgraduate year 1 positions, applicants, and matches from graduating years 2011 through 2015 were collected from the National Matching Services Inc and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine for osteopathic programs and the National Resident Matching Program and the Association of American Medical Colleges for allopathic programs. To determine and compare osteopathic and allopathic medical students' interest in neurology and psychiatry, the number of positions, applicants, and matches were analyzed considering the number of total osteopathic and allopathic graduates in the given year using 2-tailed χ2 analyses with Yates correction. In addition, osteopathic and allopathic medical schools' websites were reviewed to determine whether neurology and psychiatry rotations were required. Osteopathic medical students' reported undergraduate majors were also gathered. Compared with allopathic medical students, osteopathic medical students had significantly greater interest (as measured by applicants) in neurology (χ21=11.85, Pneurology and psychiatry residency programs. Approximately 6% of osteopathic vs nearly 85% of allopathic medical schools had required neurology rotations. Nearly 10% of osteopathic applicants and matriculants had undergraduate coursework in brain and cognitive sciences. Osteopathic medical students demonstrated greater interest than allopathic medical

Development of Peer Tutoring Services to Support Osteopathic Medical Students' Academic Success.

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Swindle, Nicholas; Wimsatt, Leslie

2015-11-01

Peer tutoring can benefit both tutors and tutored students, but information is lacking regarding establishing and measuring outcomes of such a program at new medical schools. To examine the outcomes of a pilot peer tutoring initiative and explore the implications for long-term program development. Fifty-one osteopathic medical students who participated in a pilot peer tutoring program during the 2013-2014 academic year were surveyed regarding satisfaction with the program. Course grade means for the tutors (all courses) and tutored students (specific courses) were analyzed before and after participating in the tutoring experience. Data analyses were performed using frequency distributions, t tests, and qualitative assessment of emergent themes. The survey had a 76% response rate (39 of 51 students). Both tutored students and tutors were satisfied with the tutoring program. Statistically significant changes in course grades for the tutored courses were noted at 3 to 4 and 8 to 9 months among the tutored students who were most at risk for failure (P=.001). Tutor course grades showed no significant changes for any of the courses in which they were enrolled (P=.445). Learning gains were realized by the students at greatest academic risk. Additional research is needed to evaluate long-term outcomes.

Assessment of cervical stiffness in axial rotation among chronic neck pain patients: A trial in the framework of a non-manipulative osteopathic management.

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Dugailly, P-M; Coucke, A; Salem, W; Feipel, V

2018-03-01

Cervical stiffness is a clinical feature commonly appraised during the functional examination of cervical spine. Measurements of cervical stiffness in axial rotation have not been reported for patients with neck pain. The purpose of this study was to investigate cervical spine stiffness in axial rotation among neck pain patients and asymptomatic subjects, and to analyze the impact of osteopathic management. Thirty-five individuals (17 patients) were enrolled. Measurements were carried out for left-right axial rotation using a torque meter device, prior and after intervention. Passive range of motion, stiffness, and elastic-and neutral zone magnitudes were analyzed. Pain intensity was also collected for patients. The intervention consisted in one single session of non-manipulative osteopathic treatment performed in both groups. A significant main effect of intervention was found for total range of motion and neutral zone. Also, treatment by group interaction was demonstrated for neutral-, elastic zone, stiffness in right axial rotation, and for total neutral zone. Significant changes were observed in the clinical group after intervention, indicating elastic zone decrease and neutral zone increase. In contrast, no significant alteration was detected for the control group. Stiffness characteristics of the cervical spine in axial rotation are prone to be altered in patients with neck pain, but seem to be relieved after a session of non-manipulative manual therapeutic techniques. Further investigations, including randomized clinical trials with various clinical populations and therapeutic modalities, are needed to confirm these preliminary findings. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Lake Trophic Status and Rooted Macrophytes on Community Composition and Abundance of Ammonia-oxidizing Prokaryotes in Freshwater Sediments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Herrmann, Martina; Saunders, Aaron Marc; Schramm, Andreas

2009-01-01

) and slightly higher for AOA in unvegetated sediment and AOA in association with M. alterniflorum (0.01 to 2%), while AOA accounted for up to 5% in the rhizospheres of L. uniflora and J. bulbosus. These results indicate that (i) AOA are at least as numerous as AOB in freshwater sediments, (ii) aquatic...

Investigation of four self-report instruments (FABT, TSK-HC, Back-PAQ, HC-PAIRS) to measure healthcare practitioners' attitudes and beliefs toward low back pain: Reliability, convergent validity and survey of New Zealand osteopaths and manipulative physiotherapists.

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Moran, Robert W; Rushworth, Wendy M; Mason, Jesse

2017-12-01

Healthcare practitioner beliefs influence advice and management provided to patients with back pain. Several instruments measuring practitioner beliefs have been developed but psychometric properties for some have not been investigated. To investigate internal consistency, test-retest reliability and convergent validity of the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Tool (FABT), the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia for Health Care Providers (TSK-HC), the Back Pain Attitudes Questionnaire (Back-PAQ), and the Health Care Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-PAIRS). A secondary aim was to explore beliefs of New Zealand osteopaths and physiotherapists regarding low back pain. FABT, TSK-HC, Back-PAQ, and HC-PAIRS were administered twice, 14 days apart. Data from 91 osteopaths and 35 physiotherapists were analysed. The FABT, TSK-HC and Back-PAQ each demonstrated excellent internal consistency, (Cronbach's α = 0.92, 0.91, and 0.91 respectively), and excellent test-retest reliability (lower limit of 95% CI for intraclass correlation coefficient >0.75). Correlations between instruments (Pearson's r = 0.51 to 0.77, p  0.47) for mean differences in scores, for all instruments, between professions. This study found excellent internal consistency, test-retest reliability and good convergent validity for the FABT, TSK-HC, and Back-PAQ. Previously reported internal consistency, test-retest and convergent validity of the HC-PAIRS were confirmed, and test-retest reliability was excellent. There were significant scoring differences on each instrument between professions, and while both groups demonstrated fear avoidant beliefs, physiotherapist respondent scores indicated that as a group, they held fewer fear-avoidant beliefs than osteopath respondents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Doctors of Osteopathy Licensed in Washington.

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Senters, Jo

Based on information gathered by the Health Manpower Project through a survey cosponsored with the Washington Osteopathic Medical Association, this report begins with a statement of philosophy of osteopathic medicine and proceeds to comment on where such professional education is available. Remarks on the type of educational background of the…

Professional ballet dancers' experience of injury and osteopathic treatment in the UK: A qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Pollard-Smith, Tobias; Thomson, Oliver P

2017-01-01

Professional dancers suffer significant musculoskeletal injuries during the course of their careers. Treatment-seeking behaviour is important in all patient populations, yet is rarely investigated amongst professional dancers. This qualitative study aimed to form a better understanding of how dancers decide to seek treatment, and in particular to explore their experiences of receiving osteopathic care for their injuries. A qualitative study design using grounded theory was used as a methodological framework for data collection and analysis. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore professional dancers' experience of injury and decision-making to seek professional healthcare. Five themes were constructed that explain and describe dancers' experience of injuries and their views and perspectives of treatment, these were; the growing dancer, the fear factor, learning to cope, effective treatment, and returning autonomy. The personal development of each dancer consisted of an amalgam of internal and external pressures. These pressures combine with experiences of pain and injury to influence a dancer's decision-making behaviour when injured and deciding to seek treatment. The study also provide factors relevant in the effective treatment of dancers, and outlined participants' preference for a global physical approach to assessment and treatment of their musculoskeletal pain. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment in neonatal intensive care units: protocol for a multicentre randomised clinical trial

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Cerritelli, Francesco; Pizzolorusso, Gianfranco; Renzetti, Cinzia; D'Incecco, Carmine; Fusilli, Paola; Perri, Paolo Francesco; Tubaldi, Lucia; Barlafante, Gina

2013-01-01

Introduction Neonatal care has been considered as one of the first priorities for improving quality of life in children. In 2010, 10% of babies were born prematurely influencing national healthcare policies, economic action plans and political decisions. The use of complementary medicine has been applied to the care of newborns. One previous study documented the positive effect of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in reducing newborns’ length of stay (LOS). Aim of this multicentre randomised controlled trial is to examine the association between OMT and LOS across three neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Methods and analysis 690 preterm infants will be recruited from three secondary and tertiary NICUs from north and central Italy and allocated into two groups, using permuted-block randomisation. The two groups will receive standard medical care and OMT will be applied, twice a week, to the experimental group only. Outcome assessors will be blinded of study design and group allocation. The primary outcome is the mean difference in days between discharge and entry. Secondary outcomes are difference in daily weight gain, number of episodes of vomit, regurgitation, stooling, use of enema, time to full enteral feeding and NICU costs. Statistical analyses will take into account the intention-to-treat method. Missing data will be handled using last observation carried forward (LOCF) imputation technique. Ethics and dissemination Written informed consent will be obtained from parents or legal guardians at study enrolment. The trial has been approved by the ethical committee of Macerata hospital (n°22/int./CEI/27239) and it is under review by the other regional ethics committees. Results Dissemination of results from this trial will be through scientific medical journals and conferences. Trial registration This trial has been registered at http://www.clinicaltrials.org (identifier NCT01645137). PMID:23430598

Variations of high frequency parameter of heart rate variability following osteopathic manipulative treatment in healthy subjects compared to control group and sham therapy: randomized controlled trial

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Nuria eRuffini

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Context: Heart Rate Variability (HRV indicates how heart rate changes in response to inner and external stimuli. HRV is linked to health status and it is an indirect marker of the autonomic nervous system (ANS function. Objective: To investigate the influence of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT on ANS activity through changes of High Frequency, a heart rate variability index indicating the parasympathetic activity, in healthy subjects, compared with sham therapy and control group.Methods: Sixty-six healthy subjects, both male and female, were included in the present 3-armed randomized placebo controlled within subject cross-over single blinded study. Participants were asymptomatic adults, both smokers and non-smokers and not on medications. At enrollment subjects were randomized in 3 groups: A, B, C. Standardized structural evaluation followed by a patient need-based osteopathic treatment was performed in the first session of group A and in the second session of group B. Standardized evaluation followed by a protocoled sham treatment was provided in the second session of group A and in the first session of group B. No intervention was performed in the two sessions of group C, acting as a time-control. The trial was registered on clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01908920.Main Outcomes Measures: HRV was calculated from electrocardiography before, during and after the intervention, for a total amount time of 25 minutes.Results: OMT engendered a statistically significant increase of parasympathetic activity, as shown by High Frequency rate (p<0.001, and decrease of sympathetic activity, as revealed by Low Frequency rate (p<0.01; results also showed a reduction of Low Frequency/High Frequency ratio (p<0.001 and Detrended fluctuation scaling exponent (p<0.05. Conclusions: Findings suggested that OMT can influence ANS activity increasing parasympathetic function and decreasing sympathetic activity, compared to sham therapy and control group.

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment of Primary Dysmenorrhea and Related Factors: A Randomized Controlled Trial

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Dario Zecchillo

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Objectives: This study is aimed to evaluate if the osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT is effective in patients with primary dysmenorrhea (PD. Methods: Randomized single-blinded controlled trial with OMT group and lighttouch treatment (LTT group. Recruited women were 18-40 years (mean age 27 years, with regular menstrual cycle, normal body mass index (BMI, and a medical diagnosis of PD. Intervention: Patients received five OMT or five LTT over a menstrual cycle. The primary outcomes were average menstrual pain assessed by the numeric rating scale (NRS, the duration of pain, and quality of life (QoL assessed by the SF-12 Short Form Health Survey and Patient Global Impression Change (PGIC. The secondary outcomes were NSAIDs intake, hours of absence from school/work, and menstrual-related symptoms. Results: 31 subjects were enrolled, of which five were excluded and the remaining 26 were randomized. Patients in OMT group had significant improvement in every outcome, including the average menstrual pain that decreased from 5.35 ± 0.28 to 1.98 ± 0.24 (-63.0%; p<0.001. The mean SF-12 physical component score (PCS improved from 31.35 ± 1.70 to 49.56 ± 1.92 (+58.1%, p<0.001, the mean SF-12 mental component score (MCS improved from 38.36 ± 1.16 to 52.04 ± 0.94 (+35.7%; p<0.001. LTT group showed no improvements. Conclusion: OMT was effective in reducing menstrual pain and improving Quality of Life of dysmenorrheic women.

Assessing carbon dioxide removal through global and regional ocean alkalinization under high and low emission pathways

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Lenton, Andrew; Matear, Richard J.; Keller, David P.; Scott, Vivian; Vaughan, Naomi E.

2018-04-01

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels continue to rise, increasing the risk of severe impacts on the Earth system, and on the ecosystem services that it provides. Artificial ocean alkalinization (AOA) is capable of reducing atmospheric CO2 concentrations and surface warming and addressing ocean acidification. Here, we simulate global and regional responses to alkalinity (ALK) addition (0.25 PmolALK yr-1) over the period 2020-2100 using the CSIRO-Mk3L-COAL Earth System Model, under high (Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5; RCP8.5) and low (RCP2.6) emissions. While regionally there are large changes in alkalinity associated with locations of AOA, globally we see only a very weak dependence on where and when AOA is applied. On a global scale, while we see that under RCP2.6 the carbon uptake associated with AOA is only ˜ 60 % of the total, under RCP8.5 the relative changes in temperature are larger, as are the changes in pH (140 %) and aragonite saturation state (170 %). The simulations reveal AOA is more effective under lower emissions, therefore the higher the emissions the more AOA is required to achieve the same reduction in global warming and ocean acidification. Finally, our simulated AOA for 2020-2100 in the RCP2.6 scenario is capable of offsetting warming and ameliorating ocean acidification increases at the global scale, but with highly variable regional responses.

Distribution and abundance of archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidizers in the sediments of the Dongjiang River, a drinking water supply for Hong Kong.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Wei; Xia, Chunyu; Xu, Meiying; Guo, Jun; Wang, Aijie; Sun, Guoping

2013-01-01

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) play important roles in nitrification. However, limited information about the characteristics of AOA and AOB in the river ecosystem is available. The distribution and abundance of AOA and AOB in the sediments of the Dongjiang River, a drinking water source for Hong Kong, were investigated by clone library analysis and quantitative real-time PCR. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Group 1.1b- and Group 1.1b-associated sequences of AOA predominated in sediments with comparatively high carbon and nitrogen contents (e.g. total carbon (TC) >13 g kg(-1) sediment, NH4(+)-N >144 mg kg(-1) sediment), while Group 1.1a- and Group 1.1a-associated sequences were dominant in sediments with opposite conditions (e.g. TC <4 g kg(-1) sediment, NH4(+)-N <93 mg kg(-1) sediment). Although Nitrosomonas- and Nitrosospira-related sequences of AOB were detected in the sediments, nearly 70% of the sequences fell into the Nitrosomonas-like B cluster, suggesting similar sediment AOB communities along the river. Higher abundance of AOB than AOA was observed in almost all of the sediments in the Dongjiang River, while significant correlations were only detected between the distribution of AOA and the sediment pH and TC, which suggested that AOA responded more sensitively than AOB to variations of environmental factors. These results extend our knowledge about the environmental responses of ammonia oxidizers in the river ecosystem.

Auditory attention activates peripheral visual cortex.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anthony D Cate

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Recent neuroimaging studies have revealed that putatively unimodal regions of visual cortex can be activated during auditory tasks in sighted as well as in blind subjects. However, the task determinants and functional significance of auditory occipital activations (AOAs remains unclear. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We examined AOAs in an intermodal selective attention task to distinguish whether they were stimulus-bound or recruited by higher-level cognitive operations associated with auditory attention. Cortical surface mapping showed that auditory occipital activations were localized to retinotopic visual cortex subserving the far peripheral visual field. AOAs depended strictly on the sustained engagement of auditory attention and were enhanced in more difficult listening conditions. In contrast, unattended sounds produced no AOAs regardless of their intensity, spatial location, or frequency. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Auditory attention, but not passive exposure to sounds, routinely activated peripheral regions of visual cortex when subjects attended to sound sources outside the visual field. Functional connections between auditory cortex and visual cortex subserving the peripheral visual field appear to underlie the generation of AOAs, which may reflect the priming of visual regions to process soon-to-appear objects associated with unseen sound sources.

OUTCOMES REVIEW OF TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT WITH GENESIS II TOTAL KNEE SYSTEM: AUSTRALIAN ORTHOPAEDIC ASSOCIATION NATIONAL JOINT REPLACEMENT REGISTRY DATA

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N. L. Logvinov

2014-01-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT. The goal of the article was to review Genesis II Total Knee System use according to AoA NJRR report. Genesis II has been widely used in Russian Federation since 1996. The AoA NJRR report was studied in order to learn connection between number of revision procedures and surgeon’s skills or type of the System, adequate choice among cemented, cementless and hybrid fixation, number of surgeries using Genesis II Total Knee System annually, average revision rate for Genesis II and early cumulative revision rate.CONCLUSION. The systematic study of AoA NJRR allows us to make a conclusion that cemented fixation of Genesis II Total Knee System is mostly effective, and this fact is confirmed by domestic experience. 

Abundance and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria on granular activated carbon and their fates during drinking water purification process.

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Niu, Jia; Kasuga, Ikuro; Kurisu, Futoshi; Furumai, Hiroaki; Shigeeda, Takaaki; Takahashi, Kazuhiko

2016-01-01

Ammonia is a precursor to trichloramine, which causes an undesirable chlorinous odor. Granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration is used to biologically oxidize ammonia during drinking water purification; however, little information is available regarding the abundance and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) associated with GAC. In addition, their sources and fates in water purification process remain unknown. In this study, six GAC samples were collected from five full-scale drinking water purification plants in Tokyo during summer and winter, and the abundance and community structure of AOA and AOB associated with GAC were studied in these two seasons. In summer, archaeal and bacterial amoA genes on GACs were present at 3.7 × 10(5)-3.9 × 10(8) gene copies/g-dry and 4.5 × 10(6)-4.2 × 10(8) gene copies/g-dry, respectively. In winter, archaeal amoA genes remained at the same level, while bacterial amoA genes decreased significantly for all GACs. No differences were observed in the community diversity of AOA and AOB from summer to winter. Phylogenetic analysis revealed high AOA diversity in group I.1a and group I.1b in raw water. Terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of processed water samples revealed that AOA diversity decreased dramatically to only two OTUs in group I.1a after ozonation, which were identical to those detected on GAC. It suggests that ozonation plays an important role in determining AOA diversity on GAC. Further study on the cell-specific activity of AOA and AOB is necessary to understand their contributions to in situ nitrification performance.

Age of acquisition effects in vocabulary learning.

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Palmer, Shekeila D; Havelka, Jelena

2010-11-01

Two experiments examined whether the age of acquisition (AoA) of a concept influences the speed at which native English speakers are able to name pictures using a newly acquired second language (L2) vocabulary. In Experiment 1, participants were taught L2 words associated with pictures. In Experiment 2 a second group of participants were taught the same words associated with L1 translations. Following training both groups performed a picture naming task in which they were asked to name pictures using the newly acquired words. Significant AoA effects were observed only in Experiment 1, in that participants were faster at naming pictures representing early acquired relative to late acquired concepts. The results suggest that the AoA of a concept can exert influence over processing which is independent of the AoA of the word form. The results also indicate that different training methods may lead to qualitative differences in the nature of the links formed between words and concepts during the earliest stages of second language learning. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Customization of UWB 3D-RTLS Based on the New Uncertainty Model of the AoA Ranging Technique.

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Jachimczyk, Bartosz; Dziak, Damian; Kulesza, Wlodek J

2017-01-25

The increased potential and effectiveness of Real-time Locating Systems (RTLSs) substantially influence their application spectrum. They are widely used, inter alia, in the industrial sector, healthcare, home care, and in logistic and security applications. The research aims to develop an analytical method to customize UWB-based RTLS, in order to improve their localization performance in terms of accuracy and precision. The analytical uncertainty model of Angle of Arrival (AoA) localization in a 3D indoor space, which is the foundation of the customization concept, is established in a working environment. Additionally, a suitable angular-based 3D localization algorithm is introduced. The paper investigates the following issues: the influence of the proposed correction vector on the localization accuracy; the impact of the system's configuration and LS's relative deployment on the localization precision distribution map. The advantages of the method are verified by comparing them with a reference commercial RTLS localization engine. The results of simulations and physical experiments prove the value of the proposed customization method. The research confirms that the analytical uncertainty model is the valid representation of RTLS' localization uncertainty in terms of accuracy and precision and can be useful for its performance improvement. The research shows, that the Angle of Arrival localization in a 3D indoor space applying the simple angular-based localization algorithm and correction vector improves of localization accuracy and precision in a way that the system challenges the reference hardware advanced localization engine. Moreover, the research guides the deployment of location sensors to enhance the localization precision.

Customization of UWB 3D-RTLS Based on the New Uncertainty Model of the AoA Ranging Technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bartosz Jachimczyk

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The increased potential and effectiveness of Real-time Locating Systems (RTLSs substantially influence their application spectrum. They are widely used, inter alia, in the industrial sector, healthcare, home care, and in logistic and security applications. The research aims to develop an analytical method to customize UWB-based RTLS, in order to improve their localization performance in terms of accuracy and precision. The analytical uncertainty model of Angle of Arrival (AoA localization in a 3D indoor space, which is the foundation of the customization concept, is established in a working environment. Additionally, a suitable angular-based 3D localization algorithm is introduced. The paper investigates the following issues: the influence of the proposed correction vector on the localization accuracy; the impact of the system’s configuration and LS’s relative deployment on the localization precision distribution map. The advantages of the method are verified by comparing them with a reference commercial RTLS localization engine. The results of simulations and physical experiments prove the value of the proposed customization method. The research confirms that the analytical uncertainty model is the valid representation of RTLS’ localization uncertainty in terms of accuracy and precision and can be useful for its performance improvement. The research shows, that the Angle of Arrival localization in a 3D indoor space applying the simple angular-based localization algorithm and correction vector improves of localization accuracy and precision in a way that the system challenges the reference hardware advanced localization engine. Moreover, the research guides the deployment of location sensors to enhance the localization precision.

Direct Position Determination of Multiple Radio Signals

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Weiss Anthony J

2005-01-01

Full Text Available The most common methods for position determination of radio signal emitters such as communications or radar transmitters are based on measuring a specified parameter such as angle of arrival (AOA or time of arrival (TOA of the signal. The measured parameters are then used to estimate the transmitter's location. Since the measurements are done at each base station independently, without using the constraint that the AOA/TOA estimates at different base stations should correspond to the same transmitter's location, this is a suboptimal location determination technique. Further, if the number of array elements at each base station is , and the signal waveforms are unknown, the number of cochannel simultaneous transmitters that can be localized by AOA is limited to . Also, most AOA algorithms fail when the sources are not well angularly separated. We propose a technique that uses exactly the same data as the common AOA methods but the position determination is direct. The proposed method can handle more than cochannel simultaneous signals. Although there are many stray parameters, only a two-dimensional search is required for a planar geometry. The technique provides a natural solution to the measurements sources association problem that is encountered in AOA-based location systems. In addition to new algorithms, we provide analytical performance analysis, Cramér-Rao bounds and Monte Carlo simulations. We demonstrate that the proposed approach frequently outperforms the traditional AOA methods for unknown as well as known signal waveforms.

Diversity and abundance of ammonia oxidizing archaea in tropical compost systems.

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de Gannes, Vidya; Eudoxie, Gaius; Dyer, David H; Hickey, William J

2012-01-01

Composting is widely used to transform waste materials into valuable agricultural products. In the tropics, large quantities of agricultural wastes could be potentially useful in agriculture after composting. However, while microbiological processes of composts in general are well established, relatively little is known about microbial communities that may be unique to these in tropical systems, particularly nitrifiers. The recent discovery of ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) has changed the paradigm of nitrification being initiated solely by ammonia oxidizing bacteria. In the present study, AOA abundance and diversity was examined in composts produced from combinations of plant waste materials common in tropical agriculture (rice straw, sugar cane bagasse, and coffee hulls), which were mixed with either cow- or sheep-manure. The objective was to determine how AOA abundance and diversity varied as a function of compost system and time, the latter being a contrast between the start of the compost process (mesophilic phase) and the finished product (mature phase). The results showed that AOA were relatively abundant in composts of tropical agricultural wastes, and significantly more so than were the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. Furthermore, while the AOA communities in the composts were predominatly group I.1b, the communities were diverse and exhibited structures that diverged between compost types and phases. These patterns could be taken as indicators of the ecophysiological diversity in the soil AOA (group I.1b), in that significantly different AOA communties developed when exposed to varying physico-chemical environments. Nitrification patterns and levels differed in the composts which, for the mature material, could have significant effects on its performance as a plant growth medium. Thus, it will also be important to determine the association of AOA (and diversity in their communities) with nitrification in these systems.

Diversity of Ammonia Oxidizing Archaea in Tropical Compost Systems

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Vidya eDe Gannes

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Composting is widely used to transform waste materials into valuable agricultural products. In the tropics, large quantities of agricultural wastes could be potentially useful in agriculture after composting. However, while microbiological processes of composts in general are well established, relatively little is known about microbial communities that may be unique to these in tropical systems, particularly nitrifiers. The recent discovery of ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA has changed the paradigm of nitrification being initiated solely by ammonia oxidizing bacteria. In the present study, AOA abundance and diversity was examined in composts produced from combinations of plant waste materials common in tropical agriculture (rice straw, sugar cane bagasse, coffee hulls, which were mixed with either cow- or sheep-manure. The objective was to determine how AOA abundance and diversity varied as a function of compost system and time, the latter being a contrast between the start of the compost process (mesophilic phase and the finished product (mature phase. The results showed that AOA were relatively abundant in composts of tropical agricultural wastes, and significantly more so than were the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. Furthermore, while the AOA communities in the composts were predominatly group I.1b, the communities were diverse and exhibited structures that diverged between compost types and phases. These patterns could be taken as indicators of the ecophysiological diversity in the soil AOA (groub I.1b, in that significantly different AOA communties developed when exposed to varying physico-chemical environments. Nitrification patterns and levels differed in the composts which, for the mature material, could have signifcant effects on its performanc as a plant growth medium. Thus, it will also be important to determine the association of AOA (and diversity in their communities with nitrification in these systems.

42 CFR 60.50 - Which schools are eligible to be HEAL schools?

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2010-10-01

... Medical Education. (B) American Osteopathic Association. (C) Commission on Dental Accreditation. (D) Council on Education of American Veterinary Medical Association. (E) Council on Optometric Education. (F... for Health Services Administration. (K) Committee on Accreditation of American Psychological...

Cultivation and characterization of Candidatus Nitrosocosmicus exaquare, an ammonia-oxidizing archaeon from a municipal wastewater treatment system.

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Sauder, Laura A; Albertsen, Mads; Engel, Katja; Schwarz, Jasmin; Nielsen, Per H; Wagner, Michael; Neufeld, Josh D

2017-05-01

Thaumarchaeota have been detected in several industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), despite the fact that ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are thought to be adapted to low ammonia environments. However, the activity, physiology and metabolism of WWTP-associated AOA remain poorly understood. We report the cultivation and complete genome sequence of Candidatus Nitrosocosmicus exaquare, a novel AOA representative from a municipal WWTP in Guelph, Ontario (Canada). In enrichment culture, Ca. N. exaquare oxidizes ammonia to nitrite stoichiometrically, is mesophilic, and tolerates at least 15 mm of ammonium chloride or sodium nitrite. Microautoradiography (MAR) for enrichment cultures demonstrates that Ca. N. exaquare assimilates bicarbonate in association with ammonia oxidation. However, despite using inorganic carbon, the ammonia-oxidizing activity of Ca. N. exaquare is greatly stimulated in enrichment culture by the addition of organic compounds, especially malate and succinate. Ca. N. exaquare cells are coccoid with a diameter of ~1-2 μm. Phylogenetically, Ca. N. exaquare belongs to the Nitrososphaera sister cluster within the Group I.1b Thaumarchaeota, a lineage which includes most other reported AOA sequences from municipal and industrial WWTPs. The 2.99 Mbp genome of Ca. N. exaquare encodes pathways for ammonia oxidation, bicarbonate fixation, and urea transport and breakdown. In addition, this genome encodes several key genes for dealing with oxidative stress, including peroxidase and catalase. Incubations of WWTP biofilm demonstrate partial inhibition of ammonia-oxidizing activity by 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide (PTIO), suggesting that Ca. N. exaquare-like AOA may contribute to nitrification in situ. However, CARD-FISH-MAR showed no incorporation of bicarbonate by detected Thaumarchaeaota, suggesting that detected AOA may incorporate non-bicarbonate carbon sources or rely on an alternative and yet unknown

Use of the internet as a resource for consumer health information: results of the second osteopathic survey of health care in America (OSTEOSURV-II).

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Licciardone, J C; Smith-Barbaro, P; Coleridge, S T

2001-01-01

The Internet offers consumers unparalleled opportunities to acquire health information. The emergence of the Internet, rather than more-traditional sources, for obtaining health information is worthy of ongoing surveillance, including identification of the factors associated with using the Internet for this purpose. To measure the prevalence of Internet use as a mechanism for obtaining health information in the United States; to compare such Internet use with newspapers or magazines, radio, and television; and to identify sociodemographic factors associated with using the Internet for acquiring health information. Data were acquired from the Second Osteopathic Survey of Health Care in America (OSTEOSURV-II), a national telephone survey using random-digit dialing within the United States during 2000. The target population consisted of adult, noninstitutionalized, household members. As part of the survey, data were collected on: facility with the Internet, sources of health information, and sociodemographic characteristics. Multivariate analysis was used to identify factors associated with acquiring health information on the Internet. A total of 499 (64% response rate) respondents participated in the survey. With the exception of an overrepresentation of women (66%), respondents were generally similar to national referents. Fifty percent of respondents either strongly agreed or agreed that they felt comfortable using the Internet as a health information resource. The prevalence rates of using the health information sources were: newspapers or magazines, 69%; radio, 30%; television, 56%; and the Internet, 32%. After adjusting for potential confounders, older respondents were more likely than younger respondents to use newspapers or magazines and television to acquire health information, but less likely to use the Internet. Higher education was associated with greater use of newspapers or magazines and the Internet as health information sources. Internet use was lower

The effects of mixing on age of air

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Garny, H.; Birner, T.; Bönisch, H.; Bunzel, F.

2014-01-01

Mean age of air (AoA) measures the mean transit time of air parcels along the Brewer-Dobson circulation (BDC) starting from their entry into the stratosphere. AoA is determined both by transport along the residual circulation and by two-way mass exchange (mixing). The relative roles of residual circulation transport and two-way mixing for AoA, and for projected AoA changes are not well understood. Here effects of mixing on AoA are quantified by contrasting AoA with the transit time of hypothe...

Phylogenetic congruence and ecological coherence in terrestrial Thaumarchaeota.

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Oton, Eduard Vico; Quince, Christopher; Nicol, Graeme W; Prosser, James I; Gubry-Rangin, Cécile

2016-01-01

Thaumarchaeota form a ubiquitously distributed archaeal phylum, comprising both the ammonia-oxidising archaea (AOA) and other archaeal groups in which ammonia oxidation has not been demonstrated (including Group 1.1c and Group 1.3). The ecology of AOA in terrestrial environments has been extensively studied using either a functional gene, encoding ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) or 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, which show phylogenetic coherence with respect to soil pH. To test phylogenetic congruence between these two markers and to determine ecological coherence in all Thaumarchaeota, we performed high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA and amoA genes in 46 UK soils presenting 29 available contextual soil characteristics. Adaptation to pH and organic matter content reflected strong ecological coherence at various levels of taxonomic resolution for Thaumarchaeota (AOA and non-AOA), whereas nitrogen, total mineralisable nitrogen and zinc concentration were also important factors associated with AOA thaumarchaeotal community distribution. Other significant associations with environmental factors were also detected for amoA and 16S rRNA genes, reflecting different diversity characteristics between these two markers. Nonetheless, there was significant statistical congruence between the markers at fine phylogenetic resolution, supporting the hypothesis of low horizontal gene transfer between Thaumarchaeota. Group 1.1c Thaumarchaeota were also widely distributed, with two clusters predominating, particularly in environments with higher moisture content and organic matter, whereas a similar ecological pattern was observed for Group 1.3 Thaumarchaeota. The ecological and phylogenetic congruence identified is fundamental to understand better the life strategies, evolutionary history and ecosystem function of the Thaumarchaeota.

Age of acquisition predicts naming and lexical-decision performance above and beyond 22 other predictor variables: an analysis of 2,342 words.

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Cortese, Michael J; Khanna, Maya M

2007-08-01

Age of acquisition (AoA) ratings were obtained and were used in hierarchical regression analyses to predict naming and lexical-decision performance for 2,342 words (from Balota, Cortese, Sergent-Marshall, Spieler, & Yap, 2004). In the analyses, AoA was included in addition to the set of predictors used by Balota et al. (2004). AoA significantly predicted latency performance on both tasks above and beyond the standard predictor set. However, AoA was more strongly related to lexical-decision performance than to naming performance. Finally, the previously reported effect of imageability on naming latencies by Balota et al. was not significant with AoA included as a factor. These results are consistent with the idea either that AoA has a semantic/lexical locus or that AoA effects emerge primarily in situations in which the input-output mapping is arbitrary.

Learning Environment, Preparedness and Satisfaction in Osteopathy in Europe: The PreSS Study.

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Emanuele Luciani

Full Text Available 1 to assess the preparedness to practice and satisfaction in learning environment amongst new graduates from European osteopathic institutions; 2 to compare the results of preparedness to practice and satisfaction in learning environment between and within countries where osteopathy is regulated and where regulation is still to be achieved; 3 to identify possible correlations between learning environment and preparedness to practice.Osteopathic education providers of full-time education located in Europe were enrolled, and their final year students were contacted to complete a survey. Measures used were: Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC and a demographic questionnaire. Scores were compared across institutions using one-way ANOVA and generalised linear model.Nine European osteopathic education institutions participated in the study (4 located in Italy, 2 in the UK, 1 in France, 1 in Belgium and 1 in the Netherlands and 243 (77% of their final-year students completed the survey. The DREEM total score mean was 121.4 (SEM: 1.66 whilst the AAMC was 17.58 (SEM:0.35. A generalised linear model found a significant association between not-regulated countries and total score as well as subscales DREEM scores (p<0.001. Learning environment and preparedness to practice were significantly positively correlated (r=0.76; p<0.01.A perceived higher level of preparedness and satisfaction was found amongst students from osteopathic institutions located in countries without regulation compared to those located in countries where osteopathy is regulated; however, all institutions obtained a 'more positive than negative' result. Moreover, in general, cohorts with fewer than 20 students scored significantly higher compared to larger student cohorts. Finally, an overall positive correlation between students' preparedness and satisfaction were found across all institutions recruited.

[Distribution and Diversity of Ammonium-oxidizing Archaea and Ammonium-oxidizing Bacteria in Surface Sediments of Oujiang River].

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Li, Hu; Huang, Fu-yi; Su, Jian-qiang; Hong, You-wei; Yu, Shen

2015-12-01

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) play important roles in the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle. Rivers are important ecosystems containing a large number of functional microbes in nitrogen cycle. In this study, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE ) and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) technology were used to analyze the distribution and diversity of AOA and AOB in sediments from Oujiang. The results showed that the AOA community structure was similar among various sites, while the AOB community structure was significantly different, in which all detected AOB sequences were classified into Nitrosospira and Nitrosomonas, and 90% affiliated to Nitrosospira. The community composition of AOA was influenced by NH₄⁺ and TS, in addition, the AOB composition was affected by NH₄⁺, EC, pH, NO₃⁻, TC and TN. Total sulfur (TS) and electrical conductivity (EC) were the major factors influencing the diversity of AOA and AOB, respectively. AOA abundance was significantly higher than that of AOB. EC, NH₄⁺-N and NO₃⁻-N were the main environmental factors affecting the abundance of AOA and AOB. This study indicated that the community composition and diversity of AOA and AOB were significantly influenced by environmental factors, and AOA might be dominant drivers in the ammonia oxidation process in Oujiang surface sediment.

Elevational diversity and distribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea community in meadow soils on the Tibetan Plateau.

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Zhao, Kang; Kong, Weidong; Khan, Ajmal; Liu, Jinbo; Guo, Guangxia; Muhanmmad, Said; Zhang, Xianzhou; Dong, Xiaobin

2017-09-01

Unraveling elevational diversity patterns of plants and animals has long been attracting scientific interests. However, whether soil microorganisms exhibit similar elevational patterns remains largely less explored, especially for functional microbial communities, such as ammonia oxidizers. Here, we investigated the diversity and distribution pattern of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in meadow soils along an elevation gradient from 4400 m to the grassline at 5100 m on the Tibetan Plateau using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and sequencing methods by targeting amoA gene. Increasing elevations led to lower soil temperature and pH, but higher nutrients and water content. The results showed that AOA diversity and evenness monotonically increased with elevation, while richness was relatively stable. The increase of diversity and evenness was attributed to the growth inhibition of warm-adapted AOA phylotypes by lower temperature and the growth facilitation of cold-adapted AOA phylotypes by richer nutrients at higher elevations. Low temperature thus played an important role in the AOA growth and niche separation. The AOA community variation was explained by the combined effect of all soil properties (32.6%), and 8.1% of the total variation was individually explained by soil pH. The total AOA abundance decreased, whereas soil potential nitrification rate (PNR) increased with increasing elevations. Soil PNR positively correlated with the abundance of cold-adapted AOA phylotypes. Our findings suggest that low temperature plays an important role in AOA elevational diversity pattern and niche separation, rising the negative effects of warming on AOA diversity and soil nitrification process in the Tibetan region.

Different Recovery Processes of Soil Ammonia Oxidizers from Flooding Disturbance.

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Ye, Fei; Ma, Mao-Hua; Op den Camp, Huub J M; Chatzinotas, Antonis; Li, Lei; Lv, Ming-Quan; Wu, Sheng-Jun; Wang, Yu

2018-04-11

Understanding how microorganisms respond to environmental disturbance is one of the key focuses in microbial ecology. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) are responsible for ammonia oxidation which is a crucial step in the nitrogen cycle. Although the physiology, distribution, and activity of AOA and AOB in soil have been extensively investigated, their recovery from a natural disturbance remains largely unknown. To assess the recovery capacities, including resistance and resilience, of AOA and AOB, soil samples were taken from a reservoir riparian zone which experienced periodically water flooding. The samples were classified into three groups (flooding, recovery, and control) for a high-throughput sequencing and quantitative PCR analysis. We used a relative quantitative index of both the resistance (RS) and resilience (RL) to assess the variation of gene abundance, alpha-diversity, and community composition. The AOA generally demonstrated a better recovery capability after the flooding disturbance compared to AOB. In particular, AOA were more resilient after the flooding disturbance. Taxa within the AOA and AOB showed different RS and RL values, with the most abundant taxa showing in general the highest RS indices. Soil NH 4 + and Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ were the main variables controlling the key taxa of AOA and AOB and probably influenced the resistance and resilience properties of AOA and AOB communities. The distinct mechanisms of AOA and AOB in maintaining community stability against the flooding disturbance might be linked to the different life-history strategies: the AOA community was more likely to represent r-strategists in contrast to the AOB community following a K-life strategy. Our results indicated that the AOA may play a vital role in ammonia oxidation in a fluctuating habitat and contribute to the stability of riparian ecosystem.

Dermatology Terms

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... Online Store Welcome Calendar of Events Find a Dermatology DO Osteopathic Medicine Disease Database Contributors Doctor Derm ... of Trustees Contact Us Ethics Foundation for Osteopathic Dermatology What is the FOD? Foundation Levels of Giving ...

Dermatology Procedures

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... Online Store Welcome Calendar of Events Find a Dermatology DO Osteopathic Medicine Disease Database Contributors Doctor Derm ... of Trustees Contact Us Ethics Foundation for Osteopathic Dermatology What is the FOD? Foundation Levels of Giving ...

Responses of bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidizers to soil organic and fertilizer amendments under long-term management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wessen, E.; Nyberg, K.; Jansson, J.K.; Hallin, S.

2010-05-01

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) co-exist in soil, but their relative distribution may vary depending on the environmental conditions. Effects of changes in soil organic matter and nutrient content on the AOB and AOA are poorly understood. Our aim was to compare effects of long-term soil organic matter depletion and amendments with labile (straw) and more recalcitrant (peat) organic matter, with and without easily plant-available nitrogen, on the activities, abundances and community structures of AOB and AOA. Soil was sampled from a long-term field site in Sweden that was established in 1956. The potential ammonia oxidation rates, the AOB and AOA amoA gene abundances and the community structures of both groups based on T-RFLP of amoA genes were determined. Straw amendment during 50 years had not altered any of the measured soil parameters, while the addition of peat resulted in a significant increase of soil organic carbon as well as a decrease in pH. Nitrogen fertilization alone resulted in a small decrease in soil pH, organic carbon and total nitrogen, but an increase in primary production. Type and amount of organic matter had an impact on the AOB and AOA community structures and the AOA abundance. Our findings confirmed that AOA are abundant in soil, but showed that under certain conditions the AOB dominate, suggesting niche differentiation between the two groups at the field site. The large differences in potential rates between treatments correlated to the AOA community size, indicating that they were functionally more important in the nitrification process than the AOB. The AOA abundance was positively related to addition of labile organic carbon, which supports the idea that AOA could have alternative growth strategies using organic carbon. The AOB community size varied little in contrast to that of the AOA. This indicates that the bacterial ammonia oxidizers as a group have a greater ecophysiological diversity and

Archaeal dominated ammonia-oxidizing communities in Icelandic grassland soils are moderately affected by long-term N fertilization and geothermal heating

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Daebeler, Anne; Abell, Guy C. J.; Bodelier, Paul L. E.; Bodrossy, Levente; Frampton, Dion M. F.; Hefting, Mariet M.; Laanbroek, Hendrikus J.

2012-01-01

The contribution of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea (AOB and AOA, respectively) to the net oxidation of ammonia varies greatly between terrestrial environments. To better understand, predict and possibly manage terrestrial nitrogen turnover, we need to develop a conceptual understanding of ammonia oxidation as a function of environmental conditions including the ecophysiology of associated organisms. We examined the discrete and combined effects of mineral nitrogen deposition and geothermal heating on ammonia-oxidizing communities by sampling soils from a long-term fertilization site along a temperature gradient in Icelandic grasslands. Microarray, clone library and quantitative PCR analyses of the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene accompanied by physico-chemical measurements of the soil properties were conducted. In contrast to most other terrestrial environments, the ammonia-oxidizing communities consisted almost exclusively of archaea. Their bacterial counterparts proved to be undetectable by quantitative polymerase chain reaction suggesting AOB are only of minor relevance for ammonia oxidation in these soils. Our results show that fertilization and local, geothermal warming affected detectable ammonia-oxidizing communities, but not soil chemistry: only a subset of the detected AOA phylotypes was present in higher temperature soils and AOA abundance was increased in the fertilized soils, while soil physio-chemical properties remained unchanged. Differences in distribution and structure of AOA communities were best explained by soil pH and clay content irrespective of temperature or fertilizer treatment in these grassland soils, suggesting that these factors have a greater potential for ecological niche-differentiation of AOA in soil than temperature and N fertilization. PMID:23060870

Archaeal dominated ammonia-oxidizing communities in Icelandic grassland soils are moderately affected by long-term N fertilization and geothermal heating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne eDaebeler

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The contribution of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea (AOB and AOA, respectively to the net oxidation of ammonia varies greatly between terrestrial environments. To better understand, predict and possibly manage terrestrial nitrogen turnover, we need to develop a conceptual understanding of ammonia oxidation as a function of environmental conditions including the ecophysiology of the associated organisms. We examined the discrete and combined effects of mineral nitrogen deposition and geothermal heating on ammonia-oxidizing communities by sampling soils from a long-term fertilisation site along a temperature gradient in Icelandic grasslands. Microarray, clone library and quantitative PCR analyses of the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA gene accompanied by physico-chemical measurements of the soil properties were conducted. In contrast to most other terrestrial environments, the ammonia-oxidizing communities consisted almost exclusively of archaea. Their bacterial counterparts proved to be undetectable by quantitative PCR suggesting AOB are only of minor relevance for ammonia oxidation in these soils. Our results show that fertilization and local, geothermal warming affected detectable ammonia-oxidizing communities, but not soil chemistry: only a subset of the detected AOA phylotypes was present in higher temperature soils and AOA abundance was increased in the fertilized soils, while the measured soil physico-chemical properties remained unchanged. Differences in distribution and structure of AOA communities were best explained by soil pH and clay content irrespective of temperature or fertilizer treatment in these grassland soils, suggesting that these factors have a greater potential for ecological niche-differentiation of AOA in soil than temperature and N fertilization.

Archaeal dominated ammonia-oxidizing communities in Icelandic grassland soils are moderately affected by long-term N fertilization and geothermal heating.

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Daebeler, Anne; Abell, Guy C J; Bodelier, Paul L E; Bodrossy, Levente; Frampton, Dion M F; Hefting, Mariet M; Laanbroek, Hendrikus J

2012-01-01

The contribution of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea (AOB and AOA, respectively) to the net oxidation of ammonia varies greatly between terrestrial environments. To better understand, predict and possibly manage terrestrial nitrogen turnover, we need to develop a conceptual understanding of ammonia oxidation as a function of environmental conditions including the ecophysiology of associated organisms. We examined the discrete and combined effects of mineral nitrogen deposition and geothermal heating on ammonia-oxidizing communities by sampling soils from a long-term fertilization site along a temperature gradient in Icelandic grasslands. Microarray, clone library and quantitative PCR analyses of the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene accompanied by physico-chemical measurements of the soil properties were conducted. In contrast to most other terrestrial environments, the ammonia-oxidizing communities consisted almost exclusively of archaea. Their bacterial counterparts proved to be undetectable by quantitative polymerase chain reaction suggesting AOB are only of minor relevance for ammonia oxidation in these soils. Our results show that fertilization and local, geothermal warming affected detectable ammonia-oxidizing communities, but not soil chemistry: only a subset of the detected AOA phylotypes was present in higher temperature soils and AOA abundance was increased in the fertilized soils, while soil physio-chemical properties remained unchanged. Differences in distribution and structure of AOA communities were best explained by soil pH and clay content irrespective of temperature or fertilizer treatment in these grassland soils, suggesting that these factors have a greater potential for ecological niche-differentiation of AOA in soil than temperature and N fertilization.

Effects of mixing on resolved and unresolved scales on stratospheric age of air

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S. Dietmüller

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Mean age of air (AoA is a widely used metric to describe the transport along the Brewer–Dobson circulation. We seek to untangle the effects of different processes on the simulation of AoA, using the chemistry–climate model EMAC (ECHAM/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry and the Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS. Here, the effects of residual transport and two-way mixing on AoA are calculated. To do so, we calculate the residual circulation transit time (RCTT. The difference of AoA and RCTT is defined as aging by mixing. However, as diffusion is also included in this difference, we further use a method to directly calculate aging by mixing on resolved scales. Comparing these two methods of calculating aging by mixing allows for separating the effect of unresolved aging by mixing (which we term aging by diffusion in the following in EMAC and CLaMS. We find that diffusion impacts AoA by making air older, but its contribution plays a minor role (order of 10 % in all simulations. However, due to the different advection schemes of the two models, aging by diffusion has a larger effect on AoA and mixing efficiency in EMAC, compared to CLaMS. Regarding the trends in AoA, in CLaMS the AoA trend is negative throughout the stratosphere except in the Northern Hemisphere middle stratosphere, consistent with observations. This slight positive trend is neither reproduced in a free-running nor in a nudged simulation with EMAC – in both simulations the AoA trend is negative throughout the stratosphere. Trends in AoA are mainly driven by the contributions of RCTT and aging by mixing, whereas the contribution of aging by diffusion plays a minor role.

Effects of different fertilizers on the abundance and community structure of ammonia oxidizers in a yellow clay soil.

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Yao, Huaiying; Huang, Sha; Qiu, Qiongfen; Li, Yaying; Wu, Lianghuan; Mi, Wenhai; Dai, Feng

2016-08-01

Yellow clay paddy soil (Oxisols) is a typical soil with low productivity in southern China. Nitrification inhibitors and slow release fertilizers have been used to improve nitrogen fertilizer utilization and reduce environmental impaction of the paddy soil. However, their effects on ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in paddy soil have rarely been investigated. In the present work, we compared the influences of several slow release fertilizers and nitrification inhibitors on the community structure and activities of the ammonia oxidizers in yellow clay soil. The abundances and community compositions of AOA and AOB were determined with qPCR, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), and clone library approaches. Our results indicated that the potential nitrification rate (PNR) of the soil was significantly related to the abundances of both AOA and AOB. Nitrogen fertilizer application stimulated the growth of AOA and AOB, and the combinations of nitrapyrin with urea (NPU) and urea-formaldehyde (UF) inhibited the growth of AOA and AOB, respectively. Compared with other treatments, the applications of NPU and UF also led to significant shifts in the community compositions of AOA and AOB, respectively. NPU showed an inhibitory effect on AOA T-RF 166 bp that belonged to Nitrosotalea. UF had a negative effect on AOB T-RF 62 bp that was assigned to Nitrosospira. These results suggested that NPU inhibited PNR and increased nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by inhibiting the growth of AOA and altering AOA community. UF showed no effect on NUE but decreased AOB abundance and shifted AOB community.

Wastewater and Saltwater: Studying the Biogeochemistry and Microbial Activity Associated with Wastewater Inputs to San Francisco Bay

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Challenor, T.; Menendez, A. D.; Damashek, J.; Francis, C. A.; Casciotti, K. L.

2014-12-01

Nitrification is the process of converting ammonium (NH­­4+) into nitrate (NO3-), and is a crucial step in removing nitrogen (N) from aquatic ecosystems. This process is governed by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) that utilize the ammonia monooxygenase gene (amoA). Studying the rates of nitrification and the abundances of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in south San Francisco Bay's Artesian Slough, which receives treated effluent from the massive San Jose-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility, are important for understanding the cycling of nutrients in this small but complex estuary. Wastewater inputs can have negative environmental impacts, such as the release of nitrous oxide, a byproduct of nitrification and a powerful greenhouse gas. Nutrient inputs can also increase productivity and sometimes lead to oxygen depletion. Assessing the relative abundance and diversity of AOA and AOB, along with measuring nitrification rates gives vital information about the biology and biogeochemistry of this important N-cycling process. To calculate nitrification rates, water samples were spiked with 15N-labeled ammonium and incubated in triplicate for 24 hours. Four time-points were extracted across the incubation and the "denitrifier" method was used to measure the isotopic ratio of nitrate in the samples over time. In order to determine relative ratios of AOB to AOA, DNA was extracted from water samples and used in clade-specific amoA PCR assays. Nitrification rates were detectable in all locations sampled and were higher than in other regions of the bay, as were concentrations of nitrate and ammonium. Rates were highest in the regions of Artesian Slough most directly affected by wastewater effluent. AOB vastly outnumbered AOA, which is consistent with other studies showing that AOB prefer high nutrient environments. AOB diversity includes clades of Nitrosospira and Nitrosomonas prevalent in estuarine settings. Many of the sequenced genes are related

Abundance and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in the rhizosphere soil of three plants in the Ebinur Lake wetland.

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He, Yuan; Hu, Wenge; Ma, Decao; Lan, Hongzhu; Yang, Yang; Gao, Yan

2017-07-01

Ammonia oxidation is carried out by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA). The Ebinur Lake wetland is the best example of a temperate arid zone wetland ecosystem in China. Soil samples were collected from rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil containing Halocnemum strobilaceum (samples H and H'), Phragmites australis (samples R and R'), and Karelinia caspia (samples K and K') to study the relationship between environmental factors and the community structure of AOB and AOA. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the AOA sequences belonged to the Nitrosopumilus and Nitrososphaera clusters. AOB were grouped into Nitrosospira sp. and Nitrosomonas sp. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction results showed that the AOA abundance ranged from 2.09 × 10 4 to 2.94 × 10 5 gene copies/g soil. The highest number of AOA was detected in sample K, followed by samples R and H. AOB abundance varied between 2.91 × 10 5 and 1.05 × 10 6 gene copies/g soil, which was higher than that of AOA. Redundancy analysis indicated that electrical conductivity, pH, and NH 4 + -N might influence the community structure of AOA and AOB. AOB might play a more crucial role than AOA in ammonia oxidation based on AOB's higher diversity and abundance in the Ebinur Lake wetland in Xinjiang.

Objective age of acquisition for 223 Italian words: norms and effects on picture naming speed.

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Lotto, Lorella; Surian, Luca; Job, Remo

2010-02-01

The present study provides a set of objective age of acquisition (AoA) norms for 223 Italian words that may be useful for conducting cross-linguistic studies or experiments on Italian language processing. The data were collected by presenting children from the ages of 2 to 11 with a normed picture set (Lotto, Dell'Acqua, & Job, 2001). Following the study of Morrison, Chappell, and Ellis (1997), we report two measures of objective AoA. Both measures strongly correlated with each other, and they also showed a good correlation with the rated AoA provided by adult participants. Furthermore, we assessed the relationship between the AoA measures and other variables used in psycholinguistic experiments. Regression analyses showed that familiarity, typicality, and word frequency were significant predictors of AoA. AoA, but not word frequency, was found to determine naming latencies. Finally, we present a path model in which AoA is a mediator in predicting speed in picture naming. The norms and the picture set can also be downloaded from http://dpss.psy.unipd.it/files/strumenti.php and from http://brm.psychonomic-journals.org/content/supplemental.

Test-based age-of-acquisition norms for 44 thousand English word meanings.

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Brysbaert, Marc; Biemiller, Andrew

2017-08-01

Age of acquisition (AoA) is an important variable in word recognition research. Up to now, nearly all psychology researchers examining the AoA effect have used ratings obtained from adult participants. An alternative basis for determining AoA is directly testing children's knowledge of word meanings at various ages. In educational research, scholars and teachers have tried to establish the grade at which particular words should be taught by examining the ages at which children know various word meanings. Such a list is available from Dale and O'Rourke's (1981) Living Word Vocabulary for nearly 44 thousand meanings coming from over 31 thousand unique word forms and multiword expressions. The present article relates these test-based AoA estimates to lexical decision times as well as to AoA adult ratings, and reports strong correlations between all of the measures. Therefore, test-based estimates of AoA can be used as an alternative measure.

Ecology and Distribution of Thaumarchaea in the Deep Hypolimnion of Lake Maggiore

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Manuela Coci

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Ammonia-oxidizing Archaea (AOA play an important role in the oxidation of ammonia in terrestrial, marine, and geothermal habitats, as confirmed by a number of studies specifically focused on those environments. Much less is known about the ecological role of AOA in freshwaters. In order to reach a high resolution at the Thaumarchaea community level, the probe MGI-535 was specifically designed for this study and applied to fluorescence in situ hybridization and catalyzed reporter deposition (CARD-FISH analysis. We then applied it to a fine analysis of diversity and relative abundance of AOA in the deepest layers of the oligotrophic Lake Maggiore, confirming previous published results of AOA presence, but showing differences in abundance and distribution within the water column without significant seasonal trends with respect to Bacteria. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of AOA clone libraries from deep lake water and from a lake tributary, River Maggia, suggested the riverine origin of AOA of the deep hypolimnion of the lake.

A longitudinal study of adult-onset asthma incidence among HMO members.

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Sama, Susan R; Hunt, Phillip R; Cirillo, C I H Priscilla; Marx, Arminda; Rosiello, Richard A; Henneberger, Paul K; Milton, Donald K

2003-08-07

HMO databases offer an opportunity for community based epidemiologic studies of asthma incidence, etiology and treatment. The incidence of asthma in HMO populations and the utility of HMO data, including use of computerized algorithms and manual review of medical charts for determining etiologic factors has not been fully explored. We identified adult-onset asthma, using computerized record searches in a New England HMO. Monthly, our software applied exclusion and inclusion criteria to identify an "at-risk" population and "potential cases". Electronic and paper medical records from the past year were then reviewed for each potential case. Persons with other respiratory diseases or insignificant treatment for asthma were excluded. Confirmed adult-onset asthma (AOA) cases were defined as those potential cases with either new-onset asthma or reactivated mild intermittent asthma that had been quiescent for at least one year. We validated the methods by reviewing charts of selected subjects rejected by the algorithm. The algorithm was 93 to 99.3% sensitive and 99.6% specific. Sixty-three percent (n = 469) of potential cases were confirmed as AOA. Two thirds of confirmed cases were women with an average age of 34.8 (SD 11.8), and 45% had no evidence of previous asthma diagnosis. The annualized monthly rate of AOA ranged from 4.1 to 11.4 per 1000 at-risk members. Physicians most commonly attribute asthma to infection (59%) and allergy (14%). New-onset cases were more likely attributed to infection, while reactivated cases were more associated with allergies. Medical charts included a discussion of work exposures in relation to asthma in only 32 (7%) cases. Twenty-three of these (72%) indicated there was an association between asthma and workplace exposures for an overall rate of work-related asthma of 4.9%. Computerized HMO records can be successfully used to identify AOA. Manual review of these records is important to confirm case status and is useful in evaluation of

Effect of aminooxyacetic acid and sugars on the vase life of Dendrobium flowers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rattanawisalanon, C.; Ketsa, S.; Doorn, van W.G.

2003-01-01

We investigated the effect of sugars and aminooxyacetic acid (AOA) on Dendrobium `Jew Yuay Tew¿ inflorescences bearing open flowers and flower buds. Glucose or sucrose in the vase water had no effect on vase life. AOA alone also did not improve vase life, but AOA together with sugars considerably

Themes Underlying Australian General Practitioner Views towards Chiropractic and Osteopathy: An Assessment of Free Text Data from a Cross-Sectional Survey

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Sandra Grace

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The Australian chiropractic and osteopathic professions underwent a period of significant transformation between 1960 and 2000. This resulted in an improvement in the views held by the medical profession towards the two professions. However, a recent survey of Australian general practitioners (GPs reported that a number of GPs still hold negative views towards chiropractors and osteopaths. This paper examines these views from the perspective of critical realism and explores the generative mechanisms that can influence the willingness of health practitioners to collaborate over patient care. A qualitative analysis of open-ended responses to a survey of 630 Australian GPs was conducted. Unfavourable attitudes of GPs towards chiropractors and osteopaths included perceived lack of safety, efficacy, and inadequacy of training, despite chiropractic’s and osteopathy’s reliance on the same evidence base and similar training to those of other manual therapy professions such as physiotherapy. These attitudes may be underpinned by the professional biases against chiropractic and osteopathy that continue to marginalise the professions within the Australian healthcare system. Continued investment in the research base for chiropractic and osteopathic practice is required, along with raising the awareness of GPs about the education and skills of chiropractors and osteopaths.

Insights into high-temperature nitrogen cycling from studies of the thermophilic ammonia-oxidizing archaeon Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii. (Invited)

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de la Torre, J. R.

2010-12-01

Our understanding of the nitrogen cycle has advanced significantly in recent years with the discovery of new metabolic processes and the recognition that key processes such as aerobic ammonia oxidation are more broadly distributed among extant organisms and habitat ranges. Nitrification, the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite and nitrate, is a key component of the nitrogen cycle and, until recently, was thought to be mediated exclusively by the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). The discovery that mesophilic marine archaea, some of the most abundant microorganisms on the planet, are capable of oxidizing ammonia to nitrite fundamentally changed our perception of the global nitrogen cycle. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are now thought to be significant drivers of nitrification in many marine and terrestrial environments. Most studies, however, have focused on the contribution of AOA to nitrogen cycling in mesophilic environments. Our recent discovery of a thermophilic AOA, Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii, has expanded the role and habitat range of AOA to include high temperature environments. Numerous studies have shown that AOA are widely distributed in geothermal habitats with a wide range of temperature and pH. The availability of multiple AOA genome sequences, combined with metagenomic studies from mesophilic and thermophilic environments gives us a better understanding of the physiology, ecology and evolution of these organisms. Recent studies have proposed that the AOA represent the most deeply branching lineage within the Archaea, the Thaumarchaeota. Furthermore, genomic comparisons between AOA and AOB reveal significant differences in the proposed pathways for ammonia oxidation. These genetic differences likely explain fundamental physiological differences such as the resistance of N. yellowstonii and other AOA to the classical nitrification inhibitors allylthiourea and acetylene. Physiological studies suggest that the marine AOA are adapted to oligotrophic

Fact and Fiction of Nitrous Oxide Production By Nitrification

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Stein, L. Y.; Kozlowski, J.; Stieglmeier, M.; Klotz, M. G.; Schleper, C.

2014-12-01

An accepted dogma in nitrification research is that ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) produce a modicum of nitrous oxide (N2O) during nitritation via incomplete oxidation of hydroxylamine, and substantially more at low oxygen concentrations via nitrifier denitrification.The nitrifier denitrification pathway involves the reduction of nitrite to N2O via nitric oxide and was thought to require activities of a copper-containing nitrite reductase (NirK) and nitric oxide reductase (NorB); inventory encoded in most, but not all AOB genome sequences. The discovery of nirK genes in ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeota (AOA) resulted in a slew of publications stating that AOA must also perform nitrifier denitrification and, due to their high abundance, must control the majority of nitrification-linked N2O emissions. Prior to a publication by Stieglmeier et al. (2014), which definitively showed a lack of nitrifier denitrification by two axenic AOA cultures, other researchers relied on enrichment cultures, negative data, and heavy inferencing without direct demonstration of either a functional pathway or involvement of specific genes or enzymes. AOA genomes lack recognizable nitric oxide reductases and thermophilic AOA also lack nirK genes. Physiological and microrespirometry experiments with axenic AOB and AOA cultures allowed us to demonstrate that: 1) AOB produce N2O via nitrifier denitrification even though some lack annotated nirK and/or norB genes; 2) nitrifier denitrification by AOB is reliant on nitric oxide but ammonia oxidation is not; 3) ammonia oxidation by AOA is reliant on production of nitric oxide; 4) AOA are incapable of generating N2O via nitrifier denitrification; 5) N2O production by AOA is from chemical interactions between NO and media components, most likely not by enzyme activity. Our results reveal operation of different N oxide transformation pathways in AOB and AOA governed by different environmental controls and involving different mechanisms of N2O

Shifts in the abundance and community structure of soil ammonia oxidizers in a wet sclerophyll forest under long-term prescribed burning.

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Long, Xi-En; Chen, Chengrong; Xu, Zhihong; He, Ji-Zheng

2014-02-01

Fire shapes global biome distribution and promotes the terrestrial biogeochemical cycles. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) play a vital role in the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen (N). However, behaviors of AOB and AOA under long-term prescribed burning remain unclear. This study was to examine how fire affected the abundances and communities of soil AOB and AOA. A long-term repeated forest fire experiment with three burning treatments (never burnt, B0; biennially burnt, B2; and quadrennially burnt, B4) was used in this study. The abundances and community structure of soil AOB and AOA were determined using quantitative PCR, restriction fragment length polymorphism and clone library. More frequent fires (B2) increased the abundance of bacterium amoA gene, but tended to decrease archaeal amoA genes. Fire also modified the composition of AOA and AOB communities. Canonical correspondence analysis showed soil pH and dissolved organic C (DOC) strongly affected AOB genotypes, while nitrate-N and DOC shaped the AOA distribution. The increased abundance of bacterium amoA gene by fires may imply an important role of AOB in nitrification in fire-affected soils. The fire-induced shift in the community composition of AOB and AOA demonstrates that fire can disturb nutrient cycles. © 2013.

Artificial oocyte activation with calcium ionophore for frozen sperm cycles.

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Karabulut, Seda; Aksünger, Özlem; Ata, Can; Sağıroglu, Yusuf; Keskin, İlknur

2018-04-05

Fertilization problems are the major problems that may be faced in 30-55% of the patients during an intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycle. A successful oocyte activation depends on factors related to both sperm and oocyte, and one of the important factors that mediates the process is Ca 2+ concentration within the oocyte. Artificial oocyte activation (AOA) is a method used for fertilization problems that commonly involve the usage of Ca 2+ ionophores and is usually used in problems such as total fertilization failure (TFF) and globozoospermia. The aim of the present study was to investigate possible effects of AOA for different groups of patients with fertilization failure. Four groups of patients (previous TFF, low oocyte number, severe sperm quality, and frozen sperm (FS) group) that underwent ICSI with AOA were included in the study. All groups had similar control groups with same indications except TFF, where AOA was not performed. Fertilization rates were significantly higher in the TFF group than those observed in other AOA groups. Fertilization rates and quality of embryos observed in the remaining AOA groups were higher than those of the controls, which were statistically insignificant. Prgenancy rates were higher in all AOA groups compared to the controls, although the differences were significant in FS group only. Quality of embryos and pregnancy rates were lower in the TFF group compared to the remaining AOA groups indicating possible concomitant problems. Fertilization rates, quality of embryos and pregnancy rates seemed to be increased in all indication groups suggesting that not only TFF patients but also a wide variety of patients with different indications may benefit from AOA. ICSI: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection; ARTs: Assisted reproductive techniques; Ca: Calcium; AOA: Artificial oocyte activation; TFF: Total fertilization failures; OAT: Oligoasthenoteratozoospemia; IVF: In vitro fertilization; SOAT: Severe OAT; LON: Low ooctye number

42 CFR 62.6 - How will individuals be selected to participate in the scholarship program?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

...) academic performance. (2) Special consideration will be given to (i) medical and osteopathic students who indicate their intention to enter family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, or osteopathic general... this part for a period of 1 school year. (e) Continuation awards. Subject to the availability of funds...

Diversity, abundance and niche differentiation of ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes in mud deposits of the eastern China marginal seas

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Shaolan eYu

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The eastern China marginal seas are prominent examples of river-dominated ocean margins, whose most characteristic feature is the existence of isolated mud patches on sandy sediments. Ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes play a crucial role in the nitrogen cycles of many marine environments, including marginal seas. However, few studies have attempted to address the distribution patterns of ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes in mud deposits of these seas. The horizontal and vertical community composition and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA and bacteria (AOB were investigated in mud deposits of the South Yellow Sea (SYS and the East China Sea (ECS by using amoA clone libraries and quantitative PCR. The diversity of AOB was comparable or higher in the mud zone of SYS and lower in ECS when compared with AOA. Vertically, surface sediments had generally higher diversity of AOA and AOB than middle and bottom layers. Diversity of AOA and AOB showed significant correlation with latitude. Nitrosopumilus and Nitrosospira lineages dominated AOA and AOB communities, respectively. Both AOA and AOB assemblages exhibited greater variations across different sites than those among various depths at one site. The abundance of bacterial amoA was generally higher than that of archaeal amoA, and both of them decreased with depth. Niche differentiation, which was affected by dissolved oxygen, salinity, ammonia and silicate (SiO32-, was observed between AOA and AOB and among different groups of them. The spatial distribution of AOA and AOB was significantly correlated with δ15NTN and SiO32-, and nitrate and δ13C, respectively. Both archaeal and bacterial amoA abundance correlated strongly with SiO32-. This study improves our understanding of spatial distribution of AOA and AOB in ecosystems featuring oceanic mud deposits.

Diversity, Abundance, and Niche Differentiation of Ammonia-Oxidizing Prokaryotes in Mud Deposits of the Eastern China Marginal Seas.

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Yu, Shaolan; Yao, Peng; Liu, Jiwen; Zhao, Bin; Zhang, Guiling; Zhao, Meixun; Yu, Zhigang; Zhang, Xiao-Hua

2016-01-01

The eastern China marginal seas (ECMS) are prominent examples of river-dominated ocean margins, whose most characteristic feature is the existence of isolated mud patches on sandy sediments. Ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes play a crucial role in the nitrogen cycles of many marine environments, including marginal seas. However, few studies have attempted to address the distribution patterns of ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes in mud deposits of these seas. The horizontal and vertical community composition and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) were investigated in mud deposits of the South Yellow Sea (SYS) and the East China Sea (ECS) by using amoA clone libraries and quantitative PCR. The diversity of AOB was comparable or higher in the mud zone of SYS and lower in ECS when compared with AOA. Vertically, surface sediments had generally higher diversity of AOA and AOB than middle and bottom layers. Diversity of AOA and AOB showed significant correlation with latitude. Nitrosopumilus and Nitrosospira lineages dominated AOA and AOB communities, respectively. Both AOA and AOB assemblages exhibited greater variations across different sites than those among various depths at one site. The abundance of bacterial amoA was generally higher than that of archaeal amoA, and both of them decreased with depth. Niche differentiation, which was affected by dissolved oxygen, salinity, ammonia, and silicate (SiO[Formula: see text]), was observed between AOA and AOB and among different groups of them. The spatial distribution of AOA and AOB was significantly correlated with δ(15)NTN and SiO[Formula: see text], and nitrate and δ(13)C, respectively. Both archaeal and bacterial amoA abundance correlated strongly with SiO[Formula: see text]. This study improves our understanding of spatial distribution of AOA and AOB in ecosystems featuring oceanic mud deposits.

Mountaineering-induced bilateral plantar paresthesia.

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Henderson, Kyle K; Parker, Justine; Heinking, Kurt P

2014-07-01

Flat feet (pes planus) have been implicated in multiple musculoskeletal complaints, which are often exacerbated by lack of appropriate arch support or intense exercise. To investigate the efficacy of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) on a patient (K.K.H.) with mountaineering-induced bilateral plantar paresthesia and to assess the association of pes planus with paresthesia in members of the mountaineering expedition party that accompanied the patient. A patient history and physical examination of the musculoskeletal system were performed. The hindfoot, midfoot, forefoot, big toe, and distal toes were evaluated for neurologic function, specifically pin, vibration, 10-g weight sensitivity, and 2-point discrimination during the 4-month treatment period. To determine if OMT could augment recovery, the patient volunteered to use the contralateral leg as a control, with no OMT performed on the sacrum or lower back. To determine if pes planus was associated with mountaineering-induced paresthesia, a sit-to-stand navicular drop test was performed on members of the expedition party. Osteopathic manipulative treatment improved fibular head motion and muscular flexibility and released fascial restrictions of the soleus, hamstring, popliteus, and gastrocnemius. The patient's perception of stiffness, pain, and overall well-being improved with OMT. However, OMT did not shorten the duration of paresthesia. Of the 9 expedition members, 2 experienced paresthesia. Average navicular drop on standing was 5.1 mm for participants with no paresthesia vs 8.9 mm for participants with paresthesia (t test, Pparesthesia. Early diagnosis of pes planus and treatment with orthotics (which may prevent neuropathies)--or, less ideally, OMT after extreme exercise--should be sought to relieve tension and discomfort. © 2014 The American Osteopathic Association.

Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 2: a clinical and genetic study of 19 patients.

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Tazir, M; Ali-Pacha, L; M'Zahem, A; Delaunoy, J P; Fritsch, M; Nouioua, S; Benhassine, T; Assami, S; Grid, D; Vallat, J M; Hamri, A; Koenig, M

2009-03-15

Ataxia with oculo-motor apraxia type 2 (AOA2) is a recently described autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxia (ARCA) caused by mutations in the senataxin gene (SETX). We analysed the phenotypic spectrum of 19 AOA2 patients with mutations in SETX, which seems to be the third most frequent form of ARCA in Algeria after Freidreich ataxia and Ataxia with vitamin E deficiency. In AOA2 patients, the mean age at onset for all families was in the second decade. Cerebellar ataxia was progressive, slowly leading to disability which was aggravated by axonal polyneuropathy present in almost all the patients. Mean disease duration until wheelchair was around 20 years. Oculo-motor apraxia (OMA) was present in 32% of the patients while convergent strabismus was present in 37%. Strabismus is therefore also very suggestive of AOA2 when associated with ataxia and polyneuropathy even in the absence of OMA. Cerebellar atrophy was more severe in the eldest patients; however it may also be an early sign since it was present in the youngest and paucisymptomatic patients. The initial sign was gait ataxia in all but two patients who presented with head tremor and writer cramp, respectively. Serum alpha-fetoprotein, which was elevated in all tested patients, was a good marker to suggest molecular studies of the SETX gene.

Contributions of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria to nitrification in Oregon forest soils

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Xinda Lu; Peter J. Bottomley; David D. Myrold

2015-01-01

Ammonia oxidation, the first step of nitrification, is mediated by both ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB); however, the relative contributions of AOA and AOB to soil nitrification are not well understood. In this study we used 1-octyne to discriminate between AOA-and AOB-supported nitrifi-cation determined both in soil-water slurries and in unsaturated...

Environmental factors determining ammonia-oxidizing organism distribution and diversity in marine environments.

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Bouskill, Nicholas J; Eveillard, Damien; Chien, Diana; Jayakumar, Amal; Ward, Bess B

2012-03-01

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) play a vital role in bridging the input of fixed nitrogen, through N-fixation and remineralization, to its loss by denitrification and anammox. Yet the major environmental factors determining AOB and AOA population dynamics are little understood, despite both groups having a wide environmental distribution. This study examined the relative abundance of both groups of ammonia-oxidizing organisms (AOO) and the diversity of AOA across large-scale gradients in temperature, salinity and substrate concentration and dissolved oxygen. The relative abundance of AOB and AOA varied across environments, with AOB dominating in the freshwater region of the Chesapeake Bay and AOA more abundant in the water column of the coastal and open ocean. The highest abundance of the AOA amoA gene was recorded in the oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) of the Eastern Tropical South Pacific (ETSP) and the Arabian Sea (AS). The ratio of AOA : AOB varied from 0.7 in the Chesapeake Bay to 1600 in the Sargasso Sea. Relative abundance of both groups strongly correlated with ammonium concentrations. AOA diversity, as determined by phylogenetic analysis of clone library sequences and archetype analysis from a functional gene DNA microarray, detected broad phylogenetic differences across the study sites. However, phylogenetic diversity within physicochemically congruent stations was more similar than would be expected by chance. This suggests that the prevailing geochemistry, rather than localized dispersal, is the major driving factor determining OTU distribution. © 2011 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Fascial preadipocytes: another missing piece of the puzzle to understand fibromyalgia?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bordoni B

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Bruno Bordoni,1 Fabiola Marelli,2,3 Bruno Morabito,2–4 Francesca Cavallaro,5 David Lintonbon6 1Foundation Don Carlo Gnocchi IRCCS, Department of Cardiology, Institute of Hospitalization and Care with Scientific, Milan, Italy; 2CRESO, School of Osteopathic Center for Research and Studies, Department of Fascial Osteopathic Research: FORe, Gorla Minore, Italy; 3CRESO, School of Osteopathic Center for Research and Studies, Department of Fascial Osteopathic Research, Fano, Italy; 4Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Radiological, Oncological and Anatomopathological Sciences, Rome, Italy; 5ICOM, International College of Osteopathic Medicine, Torino, Italy; 6London School of Osteopathy, Department of Osteopathic Technique, London, UK Abstract: Fibromyalgia (FM syndrome is a chronic condition causing pain, affecting approximately 0.5%–6% of the developed countries’ population, and on average, 2% of the worldwide population. Despite the large amount of scientific literature available, the FM etiology is still uncertain. The diagnosis is based on the clinical presentation and the severity of the symptomatology. Several studies pointed out pathological alterations within the central nervous system, suggesting that FM could originate from a central sensitization of the pain processing centers. Research supports the thesis of a peripheral neuropathic component, with the finding of axonal damages. The fibromyalgia patient has many myofascial system abnormalities, such as pain and fatigue, impairing the symptomatic profile. This paper revises the myopathic compensations, highlighting the possible role of the fascia in generating symptoms, being aware of the new information about the fascia’s activity in stimulating inflammation and fat cell production. Keywords: fibromyalgia, fascia, pain, myofascial, neuropathic pain

Development & automation of a novel ["1"8F]F prosthetic group, 2-["1"8F]-fluoro-3-pyridinecarboxaldehyde, and its application to an amino(oxy)-functionalised Aβ peptide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morris, Olivia; Gregory, J.; Kadirvel, M.; Henderson, Fiona; Blykers, A.; McMahon, Adam; Taylor, Mark; Allsop, David; Allan, Stuart; Grigg, J.; Boutin, Herve; Prenant, Christian

2016-01-01

2-["1"8F]-Fluoro-3-pyridinecarboxaldehyde (["1"8F]FPCA) is a novel, water-soluble prosthetic group. It's radiochemistry has been developed and fully-automated for application in chemoselective radiolabelling of amino(oxy)-derivatised RI-OR2-TAT peptide, (Aoa-k)-RI-OR2-TAT, using a GE TRACERlab FX-FN. RI-OR2-TAT is a brain-penetrant, retro-inverso peptide that binds to amyloid species associated with Alzheimer's Disease. Radiolabelled (Aoa-k)-RI-OR2-TAT was reproducibly synthesised and the product of the reaction with FPCA has been fully characterised. In-vivo biodistribution of ["1"8F]RI-OR2-TAT has been measured in Wistar rats.

42 CFR 493.1443 - Standard; Laboratory director qualifications.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... laboratory in the State in which the laboratory is located; or (6) For the subspecialty of oral pathology, be certified by the American Board of Oral Pathology, American Board of Pathology, the American Osteopathic... or clinical pathology, or both, by the American Board of Pathology or the American Osteopathic Board...

A survey of resident perspectives on surgical case minimums and the impact on milestones, graduation, credentialing, and preparation for practice: AOA critical issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeray, Kyle J; Frick, Steven L

2014-12-03

Residency education continues to evolve. Several major changes have occurred in the past several years, including emphasis on core competencies, duty-hour restrictions, and call. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Next Accreditation System (NAS) implemented educational milestones in orthopaedic surgery in July 2013. Additionally, the Residency Review Committee for orthopaedic surgery published suggested surgical case minimums in 2012, which overlap with several of the milestones.We conducted a survey to assess the opinions of orthopaedic residents regarding the ACGME-suggested surgical case minimums and the effects that these may have on resident education and potential future privileges in hospitals. The survey was sent via e-mail to all of the residents participating in the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) Resident Leadership Forum for both 2011 and 2012. Participants in the Resident Leadership Forum are in either postgraduate year 4 or postgraduate year 5, are selected by the program directors as resident leaders, and represent 80% of the orthopaedic residency programs in the United States. The survey was completed by 157 of the 314 participants. Sixty-nine percent of the participants believed that case logs with minimum numbers of surgical procedures were an effective way to monitor the work but were not necessarily the only way to monitor the educational progress of the residents. Thirty-two percent believed that the minimums should not be required. Overwhelmingly, there was agreement that important cases were missing from the currently proposed sixteen core surgical minimums. Specifically, the residents believed that a minimum number of cases are necessary for distal radial fracture fixation and proximal humeral fracture fixation and possibly have a milestone to reflect the progress of the residents for each fixation.Most residents thought that surgical case minimums are an effective tool in monitoring the progress of

Ammonia oxidation kinetics and temperature sensitivity of a natural marine community dominated by Archaea

Science.gov (United States)

Horak, Rachel E A; Qin, Wei; Schauer, Andy J; Armbrust, E Virginia; Ingalls, Anitra E; Moffett, James W; Stahl, David A; Devol, Allan H

2013-01-01

Archaeal ammonia oxidizers (AOAs) are increasingly recognized as prominent members of natural microbial assemblages. Evidence that links the presence of AOA with in situ ammonia oxidation activity is limited, and the abiotic factors that regulate the distribution of AOA natural assemblages are not well defined. We used quantitative PCR to enumerate amoA (encodes α-subunit of ammonia monooxygenase) abundances; AOA amoA gene copies greatly outnumbered ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and amoA transcripts were derived primarily from AOA throughout the water column of Hood Canal, Puget Sound, WA, USA. We generated a Michaelis–Menten kinetics curve for ammonia oxidation by the natural community and found that the measured Km of 98±14 nmol l−1 was close to that for cultivated AOA representative Nitrosopumilus maritimus SCM1. Temperature did not have a significant effect on ammonia oxidation rates for incubation temperatures ranging from 8 to 20 °C, which is within the temperature range for depths of measurable ammonia oxidation at the site. This study provides substantial evidence, through both amoA gene copies and transcript abundances and the kinetics response, that AOA are the dominant active ammonia oxidizers in this marine environment. We propose that future ammonia oxidation experiments use a Km for the natural community to better constrain ammonia oxidation rates determined with the commonly used 15NH4+ dilution technique. PMID:23657360

Learning Environment, Preparedness and Satisfaction in Osteopathy in Europe: The PreSS Study

Science.gov (United States)

Luciani, Emanuele; van Dun, Patrick L. S.; Esteves, Jorge Eduardo; Lunghi, Christian; Petracca, Marco; Papa, Liria; Merdy, Olivier; Jäkel, Anne; Cerritelli, Francesco

2015-01-01

Objective 1) to assess the preparedness to practice and satisfaction in learning environment amongst new graduates from European osteopathic institutions; 2) to compare the results of preparedness to practice and satisfaction in learning environment between and within countries where osteopathy is regulated and where regulation is still to be achieved; 3) to identify possible correlations between learning environment and preparedness to practice. Method Osteopathic education providers of full-time education located in Europe were enrolled, and their final year students were contacted to complete a survey. Measures used were: Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM), the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and a demographic questionnaire. Scores were compared across institutions using one-way ANOVA and generalised linear model. Results Nine European osteopathic education institutions participated in the study (4 located in Italy, 2 in the UK, 1 in France, 1 in Belgium and 1 in the Netherlands) and 243 (77%) of their final-year students completed the survey. The DREEM total score mean was 121.4 (SEM: 1.66) whilst the AAMC was 17.58 (SEM:0.35). A generalised linear model found a significant association between not-regulated countries and total score as well as subscales DREEM scores (posteopathy is regulated; however, all institutions obtained a ‘more positive than negative’ result. Moreover, in general, cohorts with fewer than 20 students scored significantly higher compared to larger student cohorts. Finally, an overall positive correlation between students’ preparedness and satisfaction were found across all institutions recruited. PMID:26103514

The immediate effect of individual manipulation techniques on pulmonary function measures in persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Noll, Donald R; Johnson, Jane C; Baer, Robert W; Snider, Eric J

2009-10-08

The use of manipulation has long been advocated in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but few randomized controlled clinical trials have measured the effect of manipulation on pulmonary function. In addition, the effects of individual manipulative techniques on the pulmonary system are poorly understood. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the immediate effects of four osteopathic techniques on pulmonary function measures in persons with COPD relative to a minimal-touch control protocol. Persons with COPD aged 50 and over were recruited for the study. Subjects received five, single-technique treatment sessions: minimal-touch control, thoracic lymphatic pump (TLP) with activation, TLP without activation, rib raising, and myofascial release. There was a 4-week washout period between sessions. Protocols were given in random order until all five techniques had been administered. Pulmonary function measures were obtained at baseline and 30-minutes posttreatment. For the actual pulmonary function measures and percent predicted values, Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to test within-technique changes from baseline. For the percent change from baseline, Friedman tests were used to test for between-technique differences. Twenty-five subjects were enrolled in the study. All four tested osteopathic techniques were associated with adverse posttreatment changes in pulmonary function measures; however, different techniques changed different measures. TLP with activation increased posttreatment residual volume compared to baseline, while TLP without activation did not. Side effects were mild, mostly posttreatment chest wall soreness. Surprisingly, the majority of subjects believed they could breathe better after receiving osteopathic manipulation. In persons with COPD, TLP with activation, TLP without activation, rib raising, and myofascial release mildly worsened pulmonary function measures immediately posttreatment relative to

Reliability of diagnosis and clinical efficacy of visceral osteopathy: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Guillaud, Albin; Darbois, Nelly; Monvoisin, Richard; Pinsault, Nicolas

2018-02-17

In 2010, the World Health Organization published benchmarks for training in osteopathy in which osteopathic visceral techniques are included. The purpose of this study was to identify and critically appraise the scientific literature concerning the reliability of diagnosis and the clinical efficacy of techniques used in visceral osteopathy. Databases MEDLINE, OSTMED.DR, the Cochrane Library, Osteopathic Research Web, Google Scholar, Journal of American Osteopathic Association (JAOA) website, International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine (IJOM) website, and the catalog of Académie d'ostéopathie de France website were searched through December 2017. Only inter-rater reliability studies including at least two raters or the intra-rater reliability studies including at least two assessments by the same rater were included. For efficacy studies, only randomized-controlled-trials (RCT) or crossover studies on unhealthy subjects (any condition, duration and outcome) were included. Risk of bias was determined using a modified version of the quality appraisal tool for studies of diagnostic reliability (QAREL) in reliability studies. For the efficacy studies, the Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess their methodological design. Two authors performed data extraction and analysis. Eight reliability studies and six efficacy studies were included. The analysis of reliability studies shows that the diagnostic techniques used in visceral osteopathy are unreliable. Regarding efficacy studies, the least biased study shows no significant difference for the main outcome. The main risks of bias found in the included studies were due to the absence of blinding of the examiners, an unsuitable statistical method or an absence of primary study outcome. The results of the systematic review lead us to conclude that well-conducted and sound evidence on the reliability and the efficacy of techniques in visceral osteopathy is absent. The review is registered PROSPERO 12th of December

[Ammonia-oxidizing archaea and their important roles in nitrogen biogeochemical cycling: a review].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jing-Jing; Wu, Wei-Xiang; Ding, Ying; Shi, De-Zhi; Chen, Ying-Xu

2010-08-01

As the first step of nitrification, ammonia oxidation is the key process in global nitrogen biogeochemical cycling. So far, the autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in the beta- and gamma-subgroups of proteobacteria have been considered as the most important contributors to ammonia oxidation, but the recent researches indicated that ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are widely distributed in various kinds of ecosystems and quantitatively predominant, playing important roles in the global nitrogen biogeochemical cycling. This paper reviewed the morphological, physiological, and ecological characteristics and the molecular phylogenies of AOA, and compared and analyzed the differences and similarities of the ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) and its encoding genes between AOA and AOB. In addition, the potential significant roles of AOA in nitrogen biogeochemical cycling in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems were summarized, and the future research directions of AOA in applied ecology and environmental protection were put forward.

Important characteristics of a director of medical education.

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, V D; George, R J

1993-11-01

In osteopathic graduate medical education programs, the Director of Medical Education (DME) plays the key leadership role. This article outlines critical characteristics and skills that the DME should possess to successfully perform in this role. Central to this success is a passionate commitment to osteopathic medical education and a commitment to justice and fairness.

Temporal and Spatial Stability of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea and Bacteria in Aquarium Biofilters

KAUST Repository

Bagchi, Samik; Vlaeminck, Siegfried E.; Sauder, Laura A.; Mosquera, Mariela; Neufeld, Josh D.; Boon, Nico; Poulain, Alexandre

2014-01-01

Nitrifying biofilters are used in aquaria and aquaculture systems to prevent accumulation of ammonia by promoting rapid conversion to nitrate via nitrite. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), as opposed to ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), were recently identified as the dominant ammonia oxidizers in most freshwater aquaria. This study investigated biofilms from fixed-bed aquarium biofilters to assess the temporal and spatial dynamics of AOA and AOB abundance and diversity. Over a period of four months, ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms from six freshwater and one marine aquarium were investigated at 4–5 time points. Nitrogen balances for three freshwater aquaria showed that active nitrification by aquarium biofilters accounted for ≥81–86% of total nitrogen conversion in the aquaria. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) for bacterial and thaumarchaeal ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) genes demonstrated that AOA were numerically dominant over AOB in all six freshwater aquaria tested, and contributed all detectable amoA genes in three aquarium biofilters. In the marine aquarium, however, AOB outnumbered AOA by three to five orders of magnitude based on amoA gene abundances. A comparison of AOA abundance in three carrier materials (fine sponge, rough sponge and sintered glass or ceramic rings) of two three-media freshwater biofilters revealed preferential growth of AOA on fine sponge. Denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis (DGGE) of thaumarchaeal 16S rRNA genes indicated that community composition within a given biofilter was stable across media types. In addition, DGGE of all aquarium biofilters revealed low AOA diversity, with few bands, which were stable over time. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) based on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprints of thaumarchaeal 16S rRNA genes placed freshwater and marine aquaria communities in separate clusters. These results indicate that AOA are the dominant ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in freshwater aquarium

Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea Show More Distinct Biogeographic Distribution Patterns than Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria across the Black Soil Zone of Northeast China.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Junjie; Yu, Zhenhua; Yao, Qin; Sui, Yueyu; Shi, Yu; Chu, Haiyan; Tang, Caixian; Franks, Ashley E; Jin, Jian; Liu, Xiaobing; Wang, Guanghua

2018-01-01

Black soils (Mollisols) of northeast China are highly productive and agriculturally important for food production. Ammonia-oxidizing microbes play an important role in N cycling in the black soils. However, the information related to the composition and distribution of ammonia-oxidizing microbes in the black soils has not yet been addressed. In this study, we used the amoA gene to quantify the abundance and community composition of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) across the black soil zone. The amoA abundance of AOA was remarkably larger than that of AOB, with ratios of AOA/AOB in the range from 3.1 to 91.0 across all soil samples. The abundance of AOA amoA was positively correlated with total soil C content ( p 0.05). In contrast, the abundance of AOB amoA positively correlated with soil pH ( p = 0.009) but not with total soil C. Alpha diversity of AOA did not correlate with any soil parameter, however, alpha diversity of AOB was affected by multiple soil factors, such as soil pH, total P, N, and C, available K content, and soil water content. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the AOA community was mainly affected by the sampling latitude, followed by soil pH, total P and C; while the AOB community was mainly determined by soil pH, as well as total P, C and N, water content, and sampling latitude, which highlighted that the AOA community was more geographically distributed in the black soil zone of northeast China than AOB community. In addition, the pairwise analyses showed that the potential nitrification rate (PNR) was not correlated with alpha diversity but weakly positively with the abundance of the AOA community ( p = 0.048), whereas PNR significantly correlated positively with the richness ( p = 0.003), diversity ( p = 0.001) and abundance ( p < 0.001) of the AOB community, which suggested that AOB community might make a greater contribution to nitrification than AOA community in the black soils when

Quantifying the effect of mixing on the mean age of air in CCMVal-2 and CCMI-1 models

Science.gov (United States)

Dietmüller, Simone; Eichinger, Roland; Garny, Hella; Birner, Thomas; Boenisch, Harald; Pitari, Giovanni; Mancini, Eva; Visioni, Daniele; Stenke, Andrea; Revell, Laura; Rozanov, Eugene; Plummer, David A.; Scinocca, John; Jöckel, Patrick; Oman, Luke; Deushi, Makoto; Kiyotaka, Shibata; Kinnison, Douglas E.; Garcia, Rolando; Morgenstern, Olaf; Zeng, Guang; Stone, Kane Adam; Schofield, Robyn

2018-05-01

The stratospheric age of air (AoA) is a useful measure of the overall capabilities of a general circulation model (GCM) to simulate stratospheric transport. Previous studies have reported a large spread in the simulation of AoA by GCMs and coupled chemistry-climate models (CCMs). Compared to observational estimates, simulated AoA is mostly too low. Here we attempt to untangle the processes that lead to the AoA differences between the models and between models and observations. AoA is influenced by both mean transport by the residual circulation and two-way mixing; we quantify the effects of these processes using data from the CCM inter-comparison projects CCMVal-2 (Chemistry-Climate Model Validation Activity 2) and CCMI-1 (Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative, phase 1). Transport along the residual circulation is measured by the residual circulation transit time (RCTT). We interpret the difference between AoA and RCTT as additional aging by mixing. Aging by mixing thus includes mixing on both the resolved and subgrid scale. We find that the spread in AoA between the models is primarily caused by differences in the effects of mixing and only to some extent by differences in residual circulation strength. These effects are quantified by the mixing efficiency, a measure of the relative increase in AoA by mixing. The mixing efficiency varies strongly between the models from 0.24 to 1.02. We show that the mixing efficiency is not only controlled by horizontal mixing, but by vertical mixing and vertical diffusion as well. Possible causes for the differences in the models' mixing efficiencies are discussed. Differences in subgrid-scale mixing (including differences in advection schemes and model resolutions) likely contribute to the differences in mixing efficiency. However, differences in the relative contribution of resolved versus parameterized wave forcing do not appear to be related to differences in mixing efficiency or AoA.

Temporal and Spatial Stability of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea and Bacteria in Aquarium Biofilters

KAUST Repository

Bagchi, Samik

2014-12-05

Nitrifying biofilters are used in aquaria and aquaculture systems to prevent accumulation of ammonia by promoting rapid conversion to nitrate via nitrite. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), as opposed to ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), were recently identified as the dominant ammonia oxidizers in most freshwater aquaria. This study investigated biofilms from fixed-bed aquarium biofilters to assess the temporal and spatial dynamics of AOA and AOB abundance and diversity. Over a period of four months, ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms from six freshwater and one marine aquarium were investigated at 4–5 time points. Nitrogen balances for three freshwater aquaria showed that active nitrification by aquarium biofilters accounted for ≥81–86% of total nitrogen conversion in the aquaria. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) for bacterial and thaumarchaeal ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) genes demonstrated that AOA were numerically dominant over AOB in all six freshwater aquaria tested, and contributed all detectable amoA genes in three aquarium biofilters. In the marine aquarium, however, AOB outnumbered AOA by three to five orders of magnitude based on amoA gene abundances. A comparison of AOA abundance in three carrier materials (fine sponge, rough sponge and sintered glass or ceramic rings) of two three-media freshwater biofilters revealed preferential growth of AOA on fine sponge. Denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis (DGGE) of thaumarchaeal 16S rRNA genes indicated that community composition within a given biofilter was stable across media types. In addition, DGGE of all aquarium biofilters revealed low AOA diversity, with few bands, which were stable over time. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) based on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprints of thaumarchaeal 16S rRNA genes placed freshwater and marine aquaria communities in separate clusters. These results indicate that AOA are the dominant ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in freshwater aquarium

The use of the AOA TTR-4P GPS receiver in operation at the BIPM for real-time restitution of GPS time

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Claudine

1994-01-01

The Global Positioning System is an outstanding tool for the dissemination of time. Using mono-channel C/A-code GPS time receivers, the restitution of GPS time through the satellite constellation presents a peak-to-peak discrepancy of several tens of nanoseconds without SA but may be as high as several hundreds of nanoseconds with SA. As a consequence, civil users are more and more interested in implementing hardware and software methods for efficient restitution of GPS time, especially in the framework of the project of a real-time prediction of UTC (UTCp) which could be available in the form of time differences (UTCp - GPS time). Previous work, for improving the real-time restitution of GPS time with SA, to the level obtained without SA, focused on the implementation of a Kalman filter based on past data and updated at each new observation. An alternative solution relies upon the statistical features of the noise brought about by SA; it has already been shown that the SA noise is efficiently reduced by averaging data from numerous satellites observed simultaneously over a sufficiently long time. This method was successfully applied to data from a GPS time receiver, model AOA TTR-4P, connected to the cesium clock kept at the BIPM. This device, a multi-channel, dual frequency, P-code GPS time receiver, is one of the first TTR-4P units in operation in a civil laboratory. Preliminary comparative studies of this new equipment with conventional GPS time receivers are described in this paper. The results of an experimental restitution of GPS time, obtained in June 1993, are also detailed: 3 to 6 satellites were observed simultaneously with a sample interval of 15 s, an efficient smoothing of SA noise was realized by averaging data on all observed satellites over more than 1 hour. When the GPS system is complete in 1994, 8 satellites will be observable continuously from anywhere in the world and the same level of uncertainty will be obtained using a shorter averaging

Applicant characteristics associated with successful matching into otolaryngology.

Science.gov (United States)

Hauser, Leah J; Gebhard, Grant M; Blumhagen, Rachel; Carlson, Nichole E; Cabrera-Muffly, Cristina

2017-05-01

To identify resident applicant characteristics that increase the odds of matching to otolaryngology residency. Cross-sectional analysis. Residency applications to our institution from 2009 through 2013 were reviewed. The available data represented 81.1% of applicants to otolaryngology programs nationwide. Online public records were searched to determine whether an applicant matched to an otolaryngology residency position. Factors that were significantly associated with the odds of matching were determined using logistic regression. A total of 1,479 unique applications were analyzed. On univariate analysis, 27 demographic, academic, personal, medical school, prior training, and application-specific factors were associated with the odds of matching into otolaryngology. On multivariate analysis, indicators of academic achievement, such as Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (AOA) status, whether applicant received awards, and publications, were significantly associated with the odds of matching (odds ratio [OR] 2.03, 1.39, 1.66, respectively). The odds of matching increased with increasing step 1 scores (P otolaryngology residency. Although this information allows medical students to determine the strength of their application, these criteria have not been correlated with resident success. We urge selection committees to begin identifying applicant selection methods that reflect the values we want to cultivate in our future colleagues. N/A. Laryngoscope, 127:1052-1057, 2017. © 2016 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

A longitudinal study of adult-onset asthma incidence among HMO members

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosiello Richard A

2003-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background HMO databases offer an opportunity for community based epidemiologic studies of asthma incidence, etiology and treatment. The incidence of asthma in HMO populations and the utility of HMO data, including use of computerized algorithms and manual review of medical charts for determining etiologic factors has not been fully explored. Methods We identified adult-onset asthma, using computerized record searches in a New England HMO. Monthly, our software applied exclusion and inclusion criteria to identify an "at-risk" population and "potential cases". Electronic and paper medical records from the past year were then reviewed for each potential case. Persons with other respiratory diseases or insignificant treatment for asthma were excluded. Confirmed adult-onset asthma (AOA cases were defined as those potential cases with either new-onset asthma or reactivated mild intermittent asthma that had been quiescent for at least one year. We validated the methods by reviewing charts of selected subjects rejected by the algorithm. Results The algorithm was 93 to 99.3% sensitive and 99.6% specific. Sixty-three percent (n = 469 of potential cases were confirmed as AOA. Two thirds of confirmed cases were women with an average age of 34.8 (SD 11.8, and 45% had no evidence of previous asthma diagnosis. The annualized monthly rate of AOA ranged from 4.1 to 11.4 per 1000 at-risk members. Physicians most commonly attribute asthma to infection (59% and allergy (14%. New-onset cases were more likely attributed to infection, while reactivated cases were more associated with allergies. Medical charts included a discussion of work exposures in relation to asthma in only 32 (7% cases. Twenty-three of these (72% indicated there was an association between asthma and workplace exposures for an overall rate of work-related asthma of 4.9%. Conclusion Computerized HMO records can be successfully used to identify AOA. Manual review of these records is

Uncertified and Teaching: Industry Professionals in Career and Technical Education Classrooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geralyn E. Stephens

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Industry professionals are permitted to teach in Michigan’s federally funded Career and Technical Education (CTE secondary programs, before completing a teacher certification program, under the Annual Occupational Authorization (AOA provision. This study reviews their academic foundations, professional credentials and their pedagogical knowledge and skill levels. Findings include that most AOA teachers possess post-secondary academic credentials and extensive service records in their previous industry careers. The study identified relationships between the age and educational backgrounds of AOA teachers and their use of specific instructional activities and a statistical relationship between their years teaching in the CTE classroom and the degree of collaboration with academic, industry and occupational colleagues. While AOA teachers are confident in their ability to share occupational knowledge and skills, they lack an extensive awareness of authentic assessment strategies. Recommendations include establishing Teacher Mentoring programs, where both academic and occupational peers serve as mentors to AOA teachers.

Cultivation and Genomic Analysis of "Candidatus Nitrosocaldus islandicus," an Obligately Thermophilic, Ammonia-Oxidizing Thaumarchaeon from a Hot Spring Biofilm in Graendalur Valley, Iceland.

Science.gov (United States)

Daebeler, Anne; Herbold, Craig W; Vierheilig, Julia; Sedlacek, Christopher J; Pjevac, Petra; Albertsen, Mads; Kirkegaard, Rasmus H; de la Torre, José R; Daims, Holger; Wagner, Michael

2018-01-01

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) within the phylum Thaumarchaeota are the only known aerobic ammonia oxidizers in geothermal environments. Although molecular data indicate the presence of phylogenetically diverse AOA from the Nitrosocaldus clade, group 1.1b and group 1.1a Thaumarchaeota in terrestrial high-temperature habitats, only one enrichment culture of an AOA thriving above 50°C has been reported and functionally analyzed. In this study, we physiologically and genomically characterized a newly discovered thaumarchaeon from the deep-branching Nitrosocaldaceae family of which we have obtained a high (∼85%) enrichment from biofilm of an Icelandic hot spring (73°C). This AOA, which we provisionally refer to as " Candidatus Nitrosocaldus islandicus," is an obligately thermophilic, aerobic chemolithoautotrophic ammonia oxidizer, which stoichiometrically converts ammonia to nitrite at temperatures between 50 and 70°C. " Ca. N. islandicus" encodes the expected repertoire of enzymes proposed to be required for archaeal ammonia oxidation, but unexpectedly lacks a nirK gene and also possesses no identifiable other enzyme for nitric oxide (NO) generation. Nevertheless, ammonia oxidation by this AOA appears to be NO-dependent as " Ca. N. islandicus" is, like all other tested AOA, inhibited by the addition of an NO scavenger. Furthermore, comparative genomics revealed that " Ca. N. islandicus" has the potential for aromatic amino acid fermentation as its genome encodes an indolepyruvate oxidoreductase ( iorAB ) as well as a type 3b hydrogenase, which are not present in any other sequenced AOA. A further surprising genomic feature of this thermophilic ammonia oxidizer is the absence of DNA polymerase D genes - one of the predominant replicative DNA polymerases in all other ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeota. Collectively, our findings suggest that metabolic versatility and DNA replication might differ substantially between obligately thermophilic and other AOA.

Cultivation and Genomic Analysis of “Candidatus Nitrosocaldus islandicus,” an Obligately Thermophilic, Ammonia-Oxidizing Thaumarchaeon from a Hot Spring Biofilm in Graendalur Valley, Iceland

Science.gov (United States)

Daebeler, Anne; Herbold, Craig W.; Vierheilig, Julia; Sedlacek, Christopher J.; Pjevac, Petra; Albertsen, Mads; Kirkegaard, Rasmus H.; de la Torre, José R.; Daims, Holger; Wagner, Michael

2018-01-01

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) within the phylum Thaumarchaeota are the only known aerobic ammonia oxidizers in geothermal environments. Although molecular data indicate the presence of phylogenetically diverse AOA from the Nitrosocaldus clade, group 1.1b and group 1.1a Thaumarchaeota in terrestrial high-temperature habitats, only one§ enrichment culture of an AOA thriving above 50°C has been reported and functionally analyzed. In this study, we physiologically and genomically characterized a newly discovered thaumarchaeon from the deep-branching Nitrosocaldaceae family of which we have obtained a high (∼85%) enrichment from biofilm of an Icelandic hot spring (73°C). This AOA, which we provisionally refer to as “Candidatus Nitrosocaldus islandicus,” is an obligately thermophilic, aerobic chemolithoautotrophic ammonia oxidizer, which stoichiometrically converts ammonia to nitrite at temperatures between 50 and 70°C. “Ca. N. islandicus” encodes the expected repertoire of enzymes proposed to be required for archaeal ammonia oxidation, but unexpectedly lacks a nirK gene and also possesses no identifiable other enzyme for nitric oxide (NO) generation§. Nevertheless, ammonia oxidation by this AOA appears to be NO-dependent as “Ca. N. islandicus” is, like all other tested AOA, inhibited by the addition of an NO scavenger. Furthermore, comparative genomics revealed that “Ca. N. islandicus” has the potential for aromatic amino acid fermentation as its genome encodes an indolepyruvate oxidoreductase (iorAB) as well as a type 3b hydrogenase, which are not present in any other sequenced AOA. A further surprising genomic feature of this thermophilic ammonia oxidizer is the absence of DNA polymerase D genes§ – one of the predominant replicative DNA polymerases in all other ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeota. Collectively, our findings suggest that metabolic versatility and DNA replication might differ substantially between obligately thermophilic and

Cultivation and Genomic Analysis of “Candidatus Nitrosocaldus islandicus,” an Obligately Thermophilic, Ammonia-Oxidizing Thaumarchaeon from a Hot Spring Biofilm in Graendalur Valley, Iceland

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Anne Daebeler

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA within the phylum Thaumarchaeota are the only known aerobic ammonia oxidizers in geothermal environments. Although molecular data indicate the presence of phylogenetically diverse AOA from the Nitrosocaldus clade, group 1.1b and group 1.1a Thaumarchaeota in terrestrial high-temperature habitats, only one§ enrichment culture of an AOA thriving above 50°C has been reported and functionally analyzed. In this study, we physiologically and genomically characterized a newly discovered thaumarchaeon from the deep-branching Nitrosocaldaceae family of which we have obtained a high (∼85% enrichment from biofilm of an Icelandic hot spring (73°C. This AOA, which we provisionally refer to as “Candidatus Nitrosocaldus islandicus,” is an obligately thermophilic, aerobic chemolithoautotrophic ammonia oxidizer, which stoichiometrically converts ammonia to nitrite at temperatures between 50 and 70°C. “Ca. N. islandicus” encodes the expected repertoire of enzymes proposed to be required for archaeal ammonia oxidation, but unexpectedly lacks a nirK gene and also possesses no identifiable other enzyme for nitric oxide (NO generation§. Nevertheless, ammonia oxidation by this AOA appears to be NO-dependent as “Ca. N. islandicus” is, like all other tested AOA, inhibited by the addition of an NO scavenger. Furthermore, comparative genomics revealed that “Ca. N. islandicus” has the potential for aromatic amino acid fermentation as its genome encodes an indolepyruvate oxidoreductase (iorAB as well as a type 3b hydrogenase, which are not present in any other sequenced AOA. A further surprising genomic feature of this thermophilic ammonia oxidizer is the absence of DNA polymerase D genes§ – one of the predominant replicative DNA polymerases in all other ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeota. Collectively, our findings suggest that metabolic versatility and DNA replication might differ substantially between obligately

Response of ammonia oxidizing archaea and bacteria to decabromodiphenyl ether and copper contamination in river sediments.

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Wang, Linqiong; Li, Yi; Niu, Lihua; Zhang, Wenlong; Zhang, Huanjun; Wang, Longfei; Wang, Peifang

2018-01-01

Ammonia oxidation plays a fundamental role in river nitrogen cycling ecosystems, which is normally governed by both ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB). Co-contamination of typical emerging pollutant Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and heavy metal on AOA and AOB communities in river sediments remains unknown. In this study, multiple analytical tools, including high-throughput pyrosequencing and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), were used to reveal the ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) activity, subunit alpha (amoA) gene abundance, and community structures of AOA and AOB in river sediments. It was found that the inhibition of AMO activities was increased with the increase of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 209, 1-100 mg kg -1 ) and copper (Cu, 50-500 mg kg -1 ) concentrations. Moreover, the synergic effects of BDE 209 and Cu resulted in a higher AMO activity reduction than the individual pollutant BDE 209. The AOA amoA copy number declined by 75.9% and 83.2% and AOB amoA gene abundance declined 82.8% and 90.0% at 20 and 100 mg kg -1 BDE 209 with a 100 mg kg -1 Cu co-contamination, respectively. The pyrosequencing results showed that both AOB and AOA community structures were altered, with a higher change of AOB than that of AOA. The results demonstrated that the AOB microbial community may be better adapted to BDE 209 and Cu pollution, while AOA might possess a greater capacity for stress resistance. Our study provides a better understanding of the ecotoxicological effects of heavy metal and micropollutant combined exposure on AOA and AOB in river sediments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clinical decision-making and therapeutic approaches in osteopathy - a qualitative grounded theory study.

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Thomson, Oliver P; Petty, Nicola J; Moore, Ann P

2014-02-01

There is limited understanding of how osteopaths make decisions in relation to clinical practice. The aim of this research was to construct an explanatory theory of the clinical decision-making and therapeutic approaches of experienced osteopaths in the UK. Twelve UK registered osteopaths participated in this constructivist grounded theory qualitative study. Purposive and theoretical sampling was used to select participants. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews which were audio-recorded and transcribed. As the study approached theoretical sufficiency, participants were observed and video-recorded during a patient appointment, which was followed by a video-prompted interview. Constant comparative analysis was used to analyse and code data. Data analysis resulted in the construction of three qualitatively different therapeutic approaches which characterised participants and their clinical practice, termed; Treater, Communicator and Educator. Participants' therapeutic approach influenced their approach to clinical decision-making, the level of patient involvement, their interaction with patients, and therapeutic goals. Participants' overall conception of practice lay on a continuum ranging from technical rationality to professional artistry, and contributed to their therapeutic approach. A range of factors were identified which influenced participants' conception of practice. The findings indicate that there is variation in osteopaths' therapeutic approaches to practice and clinical decision-making, which are influenced by their overall conception of practice. This study provides the first explanatory theory of the clinical decision-making and therapeutic approaches of osteopaths. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationship between variations in the level of endogenous thiols and antioxidant activity of lipids and radiosensitivity of animals of different species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burlakova, E.B.; Graevskaya, B.M.; Ivanenko, G.F.; Shishkina, L.N.; AN SSSR, Moscow. Inst. Ehvolyutsionnoj Morfologii i Ehkologii Zhivotnykh)

1978-01-01

Initial levels of total and nonprotein sulfhydryl groups and antioxidant activity (AOA) of lipids of the spleen and liver are measured in animals of different species. Radiosensitivity of animals is assessed by the value of LDsub(50/30). No reliable correlation has been revealed between initial levels of endogenous thiols and AOA of lipids. There is a positive correlation between AOA of the spleen lipids and LDsub(50/30) as well as between the level of endogenous thiols and radioresistance of the animal species under study. It is likely that the level of endogenous thiols and AOA of lipids reflect various aspects of cellular metabolism which is responsible for radioresistance of the organism

Growth of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in cattle manure compost under various temperatures and ammonia concentrations.

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Oishi, Ryu; Tada, Chika; Asano, Ryoki; Yamamoto, Nozomi; Suyama, Yoshihisa; Nakai, Yutaka

2012-05-01

A recent study showed that ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) coexist in the process of cattle manure composting. To investigate their physiological characteristics, liquid cultures seeded with fermenting cattle manure compost were incubated at various temperatures (37°C, 46°C, or 60°C) and ammonium concentrations (0.5, 1, 4, or 10 mM NH (4) (+) -N). The growth rates of the AOB and AOA were monitored using real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis targeting the bacterial and archaeal ammonia monooxygenase subunit A genes. AOB grew at 37°C and 4 or 10 mM NH (4) (+) -N, whereas AOA grew at 46°C and 10 mM NH (4) (+) -N. Incubation with allylthiourea indicated that the AOB and AOA grew by oxidizing ammonia. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and subsequent sequencing analyses revealed that a bacterium related to Nitrosomonas halophila and an archaeon related to Candidatus Nitrososphaera gargensis were the predominant AOB and AOA, respectively, in the seed compost and in cultures after incubation. This is the first report to demonstrate that the predominant AOA in cattle manure compost can grow and can probably oxidize ammonia under moderately thermophilic conditions.

Natural antioxidant activity of commonly consumed plant foods in India: effect of domestic processing.

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Sreeramulu, D; Reddy, C V K; Chauhan, Anitha; Balakrishna, N; Raghunath, M

2013-01-01

Phytochemicals protect against oxidative stress which in turn helps in maintaining the balance between oxidants and antioxidants. In recent times natural antioxidants are gaining considerable interest among nutritionists, food manufacturers, and consumers because of their perceived safety, potential therapeutic value, and long shelf life. Plant foods are known to protect against degenerative diseases and ageing due to their antioxidant activity (AOA) attributed to their high polyphenolic content (PC). Data on AOA and PC of Indian plant foods is scanty. Therefore we have determined the antioxidant activity in 107 commonly consumed Indian plant foods and assessed their relation to their PC. Antioxidant activity is presented as the range of values for each of the food groups. The foods studied had good amounts of PC and AOA although they belonged to different food groups. Interestingly, significant correlation was observed between AOA (DPPH and FRAP) and PC in most of the foods, corroborating the literature that polyphenols are potent antioxidants and that they may be important contributors to the AOA of the plant foods. We have also observed that common domestic methods of processing may not affect the PC and AOA of the foods studied in general. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first results of the kind in commonly consumed Indian plant foods.

Cultivation and genomic analysis of Candidatus Nitrosocaldus islandicus, a novel obligately thermophilic ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeon

OpenAIRE

De La Torre, Jose; Kirkegaard, Rasmus; Daebeler, Anne; Sedlacek, Christopher; Wagner, Michael; Daims, Holger; Pjevac, Petra; Albersten, Mads; Vierheilig, Julia; Herbold, Craig

2017-01-01

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) within the phylum Thaumarchaea are the only known aerobic ammonia oxidizers in geothermal environments. Although molecular data indicate the presence of phylogenetically diverse AOA from the Nitrosocaldus clade, group 1.1b and group 1.1a Thaumarchaea in terrestrial high-temperature habitats, only one enrichment culture of an AOA thriving above 50 C has been reported and functionally analyzed. In this study, we physiologically and genomically characterized a nov...

Water addition regulates the metabolic activity of ammonia oxidizers responding to environmental perturbations in dry subhumid ecosystems.

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Hu, Hang-Wei; Macdonald, Catriona A; Trivedi, Pankaj; Holmes, Bronwyn; Bodrossy, Levente; He, Ji-Zheng; Singh, Brajesh K

2015-02-01

Terrestrial arid and semi-arid ecosystems (drylands) constitute about 41% of the Earth's land surface and are predicted to experience increasing fluctuations in water and nitrogen availability. Mounting evidence has confirmed the significant importance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) in nitrification, plant nitrogen availability and atmospheric N2 O emissions, but their responses to environmental perturbations in drylands remain largely unknown. Here we evaluate how the factorial combinations of irrigation and fertilization in forests and land-use change from grassland to forest affects the dynamics of AOA and AOB following a 6-year dryland field study. Potential nitrification rates and AOA and AOB abundances were significantly higher in the irrigated plots, accompanied by considerable changes in community compositions, but their responses to fertilization alone were not significant. DNA-stable isotope probing results showed increased (13) CO2 incorporation into the amoA gene of AOA, but not of AOB, in plots receiving water addition, coupled with significantly higher net mineralization and nitrification rates. High-throughput microarray analysis revealed that active AOA assemblages belonging to Nitrosopumilus and Nitrosotalea were increasingly labelled by (13) CO2 following irrigation. However, no obvious effects of land-use changes on nitrification rates or metabolic activity of AOA and AOB could be observed under dry conditions. We provide evidence that water addition had more important roles than nitrogen fertilization in influencing the autotrophic nitrification in dryland ecosystems, and AOA are increasingly involved in ammonia oxidation when dry soils become wetted. © 2014 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Simulating Effects of High Angle of Attack on Turbofan Engine Performance

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Liu, Yuan; Claus, Russell W.; Litt, Jonathan S.; Guo, Ten-Huei

2013-01-01

A method of investigating the effects of high angle of attack (AOA) flight on turbofan engine performance is presented. The methodology involves combining a suite of diverse simulation tools. Three-dimensional, steady-state computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software is used to model the change in performance of a commercial aircraft-type inlet and fan geometry due to various levels of AOA. Parallel compressor theory is then applied to assimilate the CFD data with a zero-dimensional, nonlinear, dynamic turbofan engine model. The combined model shows that high AOA operation degrades fan performance and, thus, negatively impacts compressor stability margins and engine thrust. In addition, the engine response to high AOA conditions is shown to be highly dependent upon the type of control system employed.

Age of acquisition and naming performance in Frisian-Dutch bilingual speakers with dementia.

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Veenstra, Wencke S; Huisman, Mark; Miller, Nick

2014-01-01

Age of acquisition (AoA) of words is a recognised variable affecting language processing in speakers with and without language disorders. For bi- and multilingual speakers their languages can be differentially affected in neurological illness. Study of language loss in bilingual speakers with dementia has been relatively neglected. We investigated whether AoA of words was associated with level of naming impairment in bilingual speakers with probable Alzheimer's dementia within and across their languages. Twenty-six Frisian-Dutch bilinguals with mild to moderate dementia named 90 pictures in each language, employing items with rated AoA and other word variable measures matched across languages. Quantitative (totals correct) and qualitative (error types and (in)appropriate switching) aspects were measured. Impaired retrieval occurred in Frisian (Language 1) and Dutch (Language 2), with a significant effect of AoA on naming in both languages. Earlier acquired words were better preserved and retrieved. Performance was identical across languages, but better in Dutch when controlling for covariates. However, participants demonstrated more inappropriate code switching within the Frisian test setting. On qualitative analysis, no differences in overall error distribution were found between languages for early or late acquired words. There existed a significantly higher percentage of semantically than visually-related errors. These findings have implications for understanding problems in lexical retrieval among bilingual individuals with dementia and its relation to decline in other cognitive functions which may play a role in inappropriate code switching. We discuss the findings in the light of the close relationship between Frisian and Dutch and the pattern of usage across the life-span.

Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea Are More Resistant Than Denitrifiers to Seasonal Precipitation Changes in an Acidic Subtropical Forest Soil

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Jie Chen

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Seasonal precipitation changes are increasingly severe in subtropical areas. However, the responses of soil nitrogen (N cycle and its associated functional microorganisms to such precipitation changes remain unclear. In this study, two projected precipitation patterns were manipulated: intensifying the dry-season drought (DD and extending the dry-season duration (ED but increasing the wet-season storms following the DD and ED treatment period. The effects of these two contrasting precipitation patterns on soil net N transformation rates and functional gene abundances were quantitatively assessed through a resistance index. Results showed that the resistance index of functional microbial abundance (-0.03 ± 0.08 was much lower than that of the net N transformation rate (0.55 ± 0.02 throughout the experiment, indicating that microbial abundance was more responsive to precipitation changes compared with the N transformation rate. Spring drought under the ED treatment significantly increased the abundances of both nitrifying (amoA and denitrifying genes (nirK, nirS, and nosZ, while changes in these gene abundances overlapped largely with control treatment during droughts in the dry season. Interestingly, the resistance index of the ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA amoA abundance was significantly higher than that of the denitrifying gene abundances, suggesting that AOA were more resistant to the precipitation changes. This was attributed to the stronger environmental adaptability and higher resource utilization efficiency of the AOA community, as indicated by the lack of correlations between AOA gene abundance and environmental factors [i.e., soil water content, ammonium (NH4+ and dissolved organic carbon concentrations] during the experiment.

Sore Throat? Know When To Call the Doctor

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Muscle Cramp - A Common Pain

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First language acquisition differs from second language acquisition in prelingually deaf signers: evidence from sensitivity to grammaticality judgement in British Sign Language.

Science.gov (United States)

Cormier, Kearsy; Schembri, Adam; Vinson, David; Orfanidou, Eleni

2012-07-01

Age of acquisition (AoA) effects have been used to support the notion of a critical period for first language acquisition. In this study, we examine AoA effects in deaf British Sign Language (BSL) users via a grammaticality judgment task. When English reading performance and nonverbal IQ are factored out, results show that accuracy of grammaticality judgement decreases as AoA increases, until around age 8, thus showing the unique effect of AoA on grammatical judgement in early learners. No such effects were found in those who acquired BSL after age 8. These late learners appear to have first language proficiency in English instead, which may have been used to scaffold learning of BSL as a second language later in life. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Drug delivery system prepared by ionizing radiation of the N,N-dimethyl acrylamide with acryloyloxy-acetanilide copolymerization; Sistema de liberacao de droga obtido via radiacao ionizante pela copolimerizacao do N,N-dimetilacrilamida com 4-acriloiloxiacetanilida

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martellini, Flavia; Higa, Olga Z. [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Queiroz, Alvaro A.A. de [Escola Federal de Engenharia de Itajuba, MG (Brazil); Rodighiero, Paolo [Universidade de Padova (Italy). Inst. de Ciencias Farmaceuticas

1995-12-31

Radiation induced polymerization has been used in biomaterials used in systems which such as drug delivery (DDS). This work describes the copolymerization of the monomers by gamma rays N,N-dimethyl acrylamide (DMAA) and acryloyloxy-acetanilide (AOA) for the immobilization of paracetamol, an analgesic and anti thermic drug. Dimethylformamide solutions were used in two concentrations of DMAA and AOA (F{sub DMAA/AOA} = 0,85/015 and 0,70/0,30, where F = molar fraction in the monomer feed). The samples were irradiated in the dose range of 30-800 Gy. The copolymer poly(DMAA-co-AOA) characterization was carried out by FTIR and {sup 1}HRMN. The hydrolysis was studied considering the formation of sodium salts of 4-hydroxy acetanilide at different times of treatment using colorimetric assay. (author). 6 refs., 5 figs.

Drug delivery system prepared by ionizing radiation of the N,N-dimethyl acrylamide with acryloyloxy-acetanilide copolymerization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martellini, Flavia; Higa, Olga Z.; Queiroz, Alvaro A.A. de; Rodighiero, Paolo

1995-01-01

Radiation induced polymerization has been used in biomaterials used in systems which such as drug delivery (DDS). This work describes the copolymerization of the monomers by gamma rays N,N-dimethyl acrylamide (DMAA) and acryloyloxy-acetanilide (AOA) for the immobilization of paracetamol, an analgesic and anti thermic drug. Dimethylformamide solutions were used in two concentrations of DMAA and AOA (F DMAA/AOA = 0,85/015 and 0,70/0,30, where F = molar fraction in the monomer feed). The samples were irradiated in the dose range of 30-800 Gy. The copolymer poly(DMAA-co-AOA) characterization was carried out by FTIR and 1 HRMN. The hydrolysis was studied considering the formation of sodium salts of 4-hydroxy acetanilide at different times of treatment using colorimetric assay. (author). 6 refs., 5 figs

Geographic Distribution of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea along the Kuril Islands in the Western Subarctic Pacific

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Hongmei Jing

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Community composition and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA in the ocean were affected by different physicochemical conditions, but their responses to physical barriers (such as a chain of islands were largely unknown. In our study, geographic distribution of the AOA from the surface photic zone to the deep bathypelagic waters in the western subarctic Pacific adjacent to the Kuril Islands was investigated using pyrosequencing based on the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA gene. Genotypes of clusters A and B dominated in the upper euphotic zone and the deep waters, respectively. Quantitative PCR assays revealed that the occurrence and ammonia-oxidizing activity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA reached their maxima at the depth of 200 m, where a higher diversity and abundance of actively transcribed AOA was observed at the station located in the marginal sea exposed to more terrestrial input. Similar community composition of AOA observed at the two stations adjacent to the Kuril Islands maybe due to water exchange across the Bussol Strait. They distinct from the station located in the western subarctic gyre, where sub-cluster WCAII had a specific distribution in the surface water, and this sub-cluster seemed having a confined distribution in the western Pacific. Habitat-specific groupings of different WCB sub-clusters were observed reflecting the isolated microevolution existed in cluster WCB. The effect of the Kuril Islands on the phylogenetic composition of AOA between the Sea of Okhotsk and the western subarctic Pacific is not obvious, possibly because our sampling stations are near to the Bussol Strait, the main gateway through which water is exchanged between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific. The vertical and horizontal distribution patterns of AOA communities among stations along the Kuril Islands were essentially determined by the in situ prevailing physicochemical gradients along the two dimensions.

Effect of the orientation of the harbor seal vibrissa based biomimetic cylinder on hydrodynamic forces and vortex induced frequency

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, HyoJu; Yoon, Hyun Sik

2017-10-01

The present study considered the geometric disturbance inspired by a harbor seal vibrissa of which undulated surface structures (HSV) are known as a detecting device to capture the water movement induced by prey fish. As an original research can extend to the flow control based on the biomimetic, this study aims at finding the effect of the angle of attack (AOA) on flow characteristics around the harbor seal vibrissa shaped cylinder, to cover the change of flow direction during the harbor seal's movements and surrounding conditions. Therefore, we considered a wide range of AOA varying from 0 to 90 degree. We carried out large eddy simulation (LES) to investigate the flow around inclined vibrissa shaped cylinder for the Reynolds number (Re) of 500. The elliptic cylinder is considered for the purpose of the comparison. The difference of force coefficients between the HSV and the elliptic cylinder can be classified into three regimes of one large variation region, two invariant regimes according to AOA. In contrast to the elliptic cylinder showing the monotonically decrease of the vortex shedding frequency in AOA, the HSV reveals the increasing and then decreasing behavior of the vortex shedding frequency along the AOA. The same decreasing profile of the vortex shedding frequency means that the HSV lost the unique function on the vortex shedding frequency. The shear layers for the HSV is much longer than that of shear layers for the elliptic cylinder at low angles of the attack. With increasing AOA, the difference of the vortical structures in the wake between the HSV and the elliptic cylinder becomes minor. Thus, it can be concluded that as AOA increases, the bluff body flow overcomes the flow induced by the HSV shape, resulting in the appearance of almost the same flow with the elliptic cylinder.

High abundances of potentially active ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in oligotrophic, high-altitude lakes of the Sierra Nevada, California, USA.

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Curtis J Hayden

Full Text Available Nitrification plays a central role in the nitrogen cycle by determining the oxidation state of nitrogen and its subsequent bioavailability and cycling. However, relatively little is known about the underlying ecology of the microbial communities that carry out nitrification in freshwater ecosystems--and particularly within high-altitude oligotrophic lakes, where nitrogen is frequently a limiting nutrient. We quantified ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA and bacteria (AOB in 9 high-altitude lakes (2289-3160 m in the Sierra Nevada, California, USA, in relation to spatial and biogeochemical data. Based on their ammonia monooxygenase (amoA genes, AOB and AOA were frequently detected. AOB were present in 88% of samples and were more abundant than AOA in all samples. Both groups showed >100 fold variation in abundance between different lakes, and were also variable through time within individual lakes. Nutrient concentrations (ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate were generally low but also varied across and within lakes, suggestive of active internal nutrient cycling; AOB abundance was significantly correlated with phosphate (r(2 = 0.32, p<0.1, whereas AOA abundance was inversely correlated with lake elevation (r(2 = 0.43, p<0.05. We also measured low rates of ammonia oxidation--indicating that AOB, AOA, or both, may be biogeochemically active in these oligotrophic ecosystems. Our data indicate that dynamic populations of AOB and AOA are found in oligotrophic, high-altitude, freshwater lakes.

Spatial distribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria across eight freshwater lakes in sediments from Jiangsu of China

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Xu Sun

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Ammonia-oxidizingarchaea (AOA and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB play an important role innitrogen transformation in freshwater sediments. However, it is still unclear towhat extent the distribution patterns of these microorganisms are affected bythe freshwater sediment across a large geographical scale. This study wasdesigned to gain insight into the heterogeneity distribution of AOA and AOB in32 freshwater sediments from a wide range of ecologic types. Real-time quantitative polymerasechain reaction PCR(qPCR combined with the terminal restrictionfragment length polymorphism(T-RFLP were employed to characterize the abundance, diversity, and communitystructure of the AOA and AOB in 32 freshwater sediments. AOA and AOB wereubiquitous in all sediments, and archaeal amoA far outnumbered bacterial amoA inmost sediments with lower organic matters. The abundance of AOA and AOB did notvary with the freshwater ecological type (macrophyte dominated region and algaedominated region. Based on  the T-RFLP of an amoA gene, this research found that organicmatters in pore water rather than other factors affect the AOA communitystructure in sediments, while the AOB were not significantly different in thefreshwater sediments. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all archaeal amoAsequences fell within either the Crenarchaeotal Group (CG I.1b or the CGI.1asubgroup, and all AOB clustered with genus Nitrosomonas or Nitrosospira. The data obtained inthis study elucidates the role of ammonia-oxidizing archaea andammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the nitrogen cycle of freshwater ecosystems.

Niche specificity of ammonia-oxidizing archaeal and bacterial communities in a freshwater wetland receiving municipal wastewater in Daqing, Northeast China.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kwok-Ho; Wang, Yong-Feng; Li, Hui; Gu, Ji-Dong

2014-12-01

Ecophysiological differences between ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) enable them to adapt to different niches in complex freshwater wetland ecosystems. The community characters of AOA and AOB in the different niches in a freshwater wetland receiving municipal wastewater, as well as the physicochemical parameters of sediment/soil samples, were investigated in this study. AOA community structures varied and separated from each other among four different niches. Wetland vegetation including aquatic macrophytes and terrestrial plants affected the AOA community composition but less for AOB, whereas sediment depths might contribute to the AOB community shift. The diversity of AOA communities was higher than that of AOB across all four niches. Archaeal and bacterial amoA genes (encoding for the alpha-subunit of ammonia monooxygenases) were most diverse in the dry-land niche, indicating O2 availability might favor ammonia oxidation. The majority of AOA amoA sequences belonged to the Soil/sediment Cluster B in the freshwater wetland ecosystems, while the dominant AOB amoA sequences were affiliated with Nitrosospira-like cluster. In the Nitrosospira-like cluster, AOB amoA gene sequences affiliated with the uncultured ammonia-oxidizing beta-proteobacteria constituted the largest portion (99%). Moreover, independent methods for phylogenetic tree analysis supported high parsimony bootstrap values. As a consequence, it is proposed that Nitrosospira-like amoA gene sequences recovered in this study represent a potentially novel cluster, grouping with the sequences from Gulf of Mexico deposited in the public databases.

Identification of Auditory Object-Specific Attention from Single-Trial Electroencephalogram Signals via Entropy Measures and Machine Learning

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Yun Lu

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Existing research has revealed that auditory attention can be tracked from ongoing electroencephalography (EEG signals. The aim of this novel study was to investigate the identification of peoples’ attention to a specific auditory object from single-trial EEG signals via entropy measures and machine learning. Approximate entropy (ApEn, sample entropy (SampEn, composite multiscale entropy (CmpMSE and fuzzy entropy (FuzzyEn were used to extract the informative features of EEG signals under three kinds of auditory object-specific attention (Rest, Auditory Object1 Attention (AOA1 and Auditory Object2 Attention (AOA2. The linear discriminant analysis and support vector machine (SVM, were used to construct two auditory attention classifiers. The statistical results of entropy measures indicated that there were significant differences in the values of ApEn, SampEn, CmpMSE and FuzzyEn between Rest, AOA1 and AOA2. For the SVM-based auditory attention classifier, the auditory object-specific attention of Rest, AOA1 and AOA2 could be identified from EEG signals using ApEn, SampEn, CmpMSE and FuzzyEn as features and the identification rates were significantly different from chance level. The optimal identification was achieved by the SVM-based auditory attention classifier using CmpMSE with the scale factor τ = 10. This study demonstrated a novel solution to identify the auditory object-specific attention from single-trial EEG signals without the need to access the auditory stimulus.

Influence of land use intensity on the diversity of ammonia oxidizing bacteria and archaea in soils from grassland ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Annabel; Focks, Andreas; Radl, Viviane; Welzl, Gerhard; Schöning, Ingo; Schloter, Michael

2014-01-01

In the present study, the influence of the land use intensity on the diversity of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) in soils from different grassland ecosystems has been investigated in spring and summer of the season (April and July). Diversity of AOA and AOB was studied by TRFLP fingerprinting of amoA amplicons. The diversity from AOB was low and dominated by a peak that could be assigned to Nitrosospira. The obtained profiles for AOB were very stable and neither influenced by the land use intensity nor by the time point of sampling. In contrast, the obtained patterns for AOA were more complex although one peak that could be assigned to Nitrosopumilus was dominating all profiles independent from the land use intensity and the sampling time point. Overall, the AOA profiles were much more dynamic than those of AOB and responded clearly to the land use intensity. An influence of the sampling time point was again not visible. Whereas AOB profiles were clearly linked to potential nitrification rates in soil, major TRFs from AOA were negatively correlated to DOC and ammonium availability and not related to potential nitrification rates.

On the influence of typicality and age of acquisition on semantic processing: Diverging evidence from behavioural and ERP responses.

Science.gov (United States)

Räling, Romy; Holzgrefe-Lang, Julia; Schröder, Astrid; Wartenburger, Isabell

2015-08-01

Various behavioural studies show that semantic typicality (TYP) and age of acquisition (AOA) of a specific word influence processing time and accuracy during the performance of lexical-semantic tasks. This study examines the influence of TYP and AOA on semantic processing at behavioural (response times and accuracy data) and electrophysiological levels using an auditory category-member-verification task. Reaction time data reveal independent TYP and AOA effects, while in the accuracy data and the event-related potentials predominantly effects of TYP can be found. The present study thus confirms previous findings and extends evidence found in the visual modality to the auditory modality. A modality-independent influence on semantic word processing is manifested. However, with regard to the influence of AOA, the diverging results raise questions on the origin of AOA effects as well as on the interpretation of offline and online data. Hence, results will be discussed against the background of recent theories on N400 correlates in semantic processing. In addition, an argument in favour of a complementary use of research techniques will be made. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

HIFiRE-1 and HIFiRE-5 Test Results

Science.gov (United States)

2014-02-01

the leeward side of the vehicle with increasing AoA.13 Tests at AoA=0, 1, and 5 degrees at CUBRC at Mach 7.2 indicated a forward movement of...transition on both windward and leeward with increasing AoA.4 CUBRC tests indicated a change in windward side transition location of 33% at 1 degree AoA...DLR H2K wind tunnel were carried out at a variety of angles of attack, based on as-flown conditions. CUBRC tests, conducted on the full-scale model

Localization with Sparse Acoustic Sensor Network Using UAVs as Information-Seeking Data Mules

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-01

technique to differentiate among several sources. 2.2. AoA Estimation AoA Models. The kth of NAOA AoA sensors produces an angular measurement modeled...squares sense. θ̂ = arg min φ 3∑ i=1 ( ̂τi0 − eTφ ri )2 (9) The minimization was done by gridding the one-dimensional angular space and finding the optimum...Latitude E5500 laptop running FreeBSD and custom Java applications to process and store the raw audio signals. Power Source: The laptop was powered for an

Age of acquisition and word frequency in written picture naming.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonin, P; Fayol, M; Chalard, M

2001-05-01

This study investigates age of acquisition (AoA) and word frequency effects in both spoken and written picture naming. In the first two experiments, reliable AoA effects on object naming speed, with objective word frequency controlled for, were found in both spoken (Experiment 1) and written picture naming (Experiment 2). In contrast, no reliable objective word frequency effects were observed on naming speed, with AoA controlled for, in either spoken (Experiment 3) or written (Experiment 4) picture naming. The implications of the findings for written picture naming are briefly discussed.

Age of acquisition and naming performance in Frisian-Dutch bilingual speakers with dementia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wencke S. Veenstra

Full Text Available Age of acquisition (AoA of words is a recognised variable affecting language processing in speakers with and without language disorders. For bi- and multilingual speakers their languages can be differentially affected in neurological illness. Study of language loss in bilingual speakers with dementia has been relatively neglected.OBJECTIVE:We investigated whether AoA of words was associated with level of naming impairment in bilingual speakers with probable Alzheimer's dementia within and across their languages.METHODS:Twenty-six Frisian-Dutch bilinguals with mild to moderate dementia named 90 pictures in each language, employing items with rated AoA and other word variable measures matched across languages. Quantitative (totals correct and qualitative (error types and (inappropriate switching aspects were measured.RESULTSImpaired retrieval occurred in Frisian (Language 1 and Dutch (Language 2, with a significant effect of AoA on naming in both languages. Earlier acquired words were better preserved and retrieved. Performance was identical across languages, but better in Dutch when controlling for covariates. However, participants demonstrated more inappropriate code switching within the Frisian test setting. On qualitative analysis, no differences in overall error distribution were found between languages for early or late acquired words. There existed a significantly higher percentage of semantically than visually-related errors.CONCLUSIONThese findings have implications for understanding problems in lexical retrieval among bilingual individuals with dementia and its relation to decline in other cognitive functions which may play a role in inappropriate code switching. We discuss the findings in the light of the close relationship between Frisian and Dutch and the pattern of usage across the life-span.

In vitro antioxidant activity of thiazolidinone derivatives of 1,3-thiazole and 1,3,4-thiadiazole.

Science.gov (United States)

Djukic, Mirjana; Fesatidou, Mara; Xenikakis, Iakovos; Geronikaki, Athina; Angelova, Violina T; Savic, Vladimir; Pasic, Marta; Krilovic, Branislav; Djukic, Dusan; Gobeljic, Borko; Pavlica, Marina; Djuric, Ana; Stanojevic, Ivan; Vojvodic, Danilo; Saso, Luciano

2018-04-25

The initial steps in preclinical drug developing research concern the synthesis of new compounds for specific therapeutic use which needs to be confirmed by in vitro and then in vivo testing. Nine thiazolidinone derivatives (numerically labeled 1-9) classified as follows: 1,3-thiazole-based compounds (1 and 2); 1,3,4-thiadiazole based compounds (3 and 4); substituted 5-benzylideno-2-adamantylthiazol[3,2-b][1,2,4]triazol-6(5H)ones (5-8); and an ethylaminothiazole-based chalcone (9), were tested for antioxidant activity (AOA) by using three in vitro assays: DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl scavenging capacity test); FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power test); and TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances test). Compounds 1-4 and 9 in particular are newly synthesized compounds. Also, traditional antioxidants Vitamins E and C and α-lipoic acid (α-LA) were tested. The results of DPPH testing: Vitamin C 94.35%, Vitamin E 2.99% and α-LA 1.57%; compounds: 4 33.98%; 2 18.73%; 1 15.62%; 5 6.59%; 3 4.99%; 6-9 demonstrated almost no AOA. The results of TBARS testing (% of LPO inhibition): Vitamin C 62.32%; Vitamin E 36.29%; α-LA 51.36%; compounds: 1 62.11%; 5 66.71%; 9 60.93%; 4, 6 and 7 demonstrated ∼50%; 3 and 8 displayed ∼38%; 2 23.51%. By FRAP method, Vitamins E and C showed equal AOA, ∼100%, unlike α-LA (no AOA), and AOA of the tested compounds (expressed as a fraction of the AOA of Vitamin C) were: 2 and 4-75%; 8, 3 and 1-45%; 5-7 and 9-27%. Different red-ox reaction principles between these assays dictate different AOA outcomes for a single compound. Vitamin C appeared to be the superior antioxidant out of the traditional antioxidants; and compound 4 was superior to other tested thiazolidinone derivatives. Vitamin C appeared to be the superior antioxidant out of the traditional antioxidants; and compound 4 was superior to other tested thiazolidinone derivatives. Phenyl-functionalized benzylidene, amino-carbonyl functional domains and chelating

Novel hydrazones – antioxidant potential and stabilization via polysaccharide particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hristova-Avakumova, N; Hadjimitova, V; Nikolova-Mladenova, B; Yoncheva, K

2017-01-01

In this study, we aimed to: i) determine the impact of three new isonicotinoyl hydrazones derivatives in in vitro systems used to investigate free radical processes - radical scavenging approach (ABTS and DPPH) and iron induced peroxidation in lipid containing model systems and ii) evaluate the potential of polysaccharide-based particles to act as protective carriers preserving the antioxidant activity (AOA) of the tested compounds. The tested compounds revealed excellent antioxidant effectiveness in the ABTS system. In the DPPH radical scavenging assay the compounds exhibited very weak or absence of AOA. The data from the iron induced peroxidation methods disclosed better antioxidant properties of the derivatives in the system containing egg yolk homogenate which is more plausible compared to the lecithin containing one. The incorporation of a bromine atom on 5 th position in salicylaldehyde moiety is associated with diminishment of the radical scavenging activity in the systems containing stable free radicals but its AOA reduction after encapsulation during the storage was only 9.17%. The obtained data indicate that compounds have proven themselves as promising candidates for further evaluation as antioxidant agents. Their encapsulation in chitosan-alginate particles could be a useful approach for improving the stability of their antioxidant properties. (paper)

Shifts in Abundance and Diversity of Soil Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria and Archaea Associated with Land Restoration in a Semi-Arid Ecosystem.

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Zhu Chen

Full Text Available The Grain to Green Project (GGP is an unprecedented land restoration action in China. The project converted large areas (ca 10 million ha of steep-sloped/degraded farmland and barren land into forest and grassland resulting in ecological benefits such as a reduction in severe soil erosion. It may also affect soil microorganisms involved in ammonia oxidization, which is a key step in the global nitrogen cycle. The methods for restoration that are typically adopted in semi-arid regions include abandoning farmland and growing drought tolerant grass (Lolium perenne L. or shrubs (Caragana korshinskii Kom.. In the present study, the effects of these methods on the abundance and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA were evaluated via quantitative real-time PCR, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and clone library analysis of amoA genes. Comparisons were made between soil samples from three restored lands and the adjacent farmland in Inner Mongolia. Both the abundance and community composition of AOB were significantly different between the restored lands and the adjacent control. Significantly lower nitrification activity was observed for the restored land. Clone library analysis revealed that all AOB amoA gene sequences were affiliated with Nitrosospira. Abundance of the populations that were associated with Nitrosospira sp. Nv6 which had possibly adapted to high concentrations of inorganic nitrogen, decreased on the restored land. Only a slight difference in the AOB communities was observed between the restored land with and without the shrub (Caragana korshinskii Kom.. A minor effect of land restoration on AOA was observed. In summary, land restoration negatively affected the abundance of AOB and soil nitrification activities, suggesting the potential role of GGP in the leaching of nitrates, and in the emission of N2O in related terrestrial ecosystems.

Interferometer angle-of-arrival determination using precalculated phases

Science.gov (United States)

Younger, J. P.; Reid, I. M.

2017-09-01

A method has been developed to determine the angle of arrival (AoA) of incident radiation using precomputed lookup tables. The phase difference between two receiving antennas can be used to infer AoA as measured from the pair baseline, but there will be more than one possible solution for antenna spacings greater than or equal to half a wavelength. Larger spacings are preferable to minimize mutual coupling of elements in the receive array and to decrease the relative uncertainty in measured phase difference. We present a solution that uses all unique antenna pairs to determine probabilities for all possible azimuth and zenith values. Prior to analysis, the expected phase differences for all AoAs are calculated for each antenna pair. For a received signal, histograms of possible AoAs for each antenna pair phase difference are extracted and added to produce a two-dimensional probability density array that will maximize at the true value of the AoA. A benefit of this method is that all possible antenna pairs are utilized rather than the restriction to specific pairs along baselines used by some interferometer algorithms. Numerical simulations indicate that performance of the suggested algorithm exceeds that of existing methods, with the benefit of additional flexibility in antenna placement. Meteor radar data have been used to test this method against existing methods, with excellent agreement between the two approaches. This method of AoA determination will allow the construction of low-cost interferometric direction finding arrays with different layouts, including construction of difficult terrain and three-dimensional antenna arrangements.

Diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cardoso, J.F.M.F.; van Bleijswijk, J.D.L.; Witte, H.; van Duyl, F.C.

2013-01-01

We analysed the diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea (AOA) and Bacteria (AOB) in the shallow warm-water sponge Halisarca caerulea and the deep cold-water sponges Higginsia thielei and Nodastrella nodastrella. The abundance of AOA and AOB was analysed using catalyzed reporter

The role of social networking web sites in influencing residency decisions.

Science.gov (United States)

Schweitzer, Justin; Hannan, Alexander; Coren, Joshua

2012-10-01

Social networking Web sites such as Facebook have grown rapidly in popularity. It is unknown how such sites affect the ways in which medical trainees investigate and interact with graduate medical education (GME) programs. To evaluate the use of social networking Web sites as a means for osteopathic medical students, interns, residents, and fellows to interact with GME programs and report the degree to which that interaction impacts a medical trainee's choice of GME program. An anonymous, 10-item electronic survey on social networking Web sites was e-mailed to osteopathic medical student, intern, resident, and fellow members of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians. The weighted least squares test and the Fisher exact test were used for data analysis. A total of 9606 surveys were distributed, and 992 (10%) were completed. Nine hundred twenty-eight (93%) of the respondents used social networking Web sites, with the most popular services being Facebook (891 [90%]; P=.03), the Student Doctor Network (278 [28%]), and LinkedIn (89 [9%]; P=.03). Three hundred fifty-three respondents (36%; P=.52) were connected with a professional organization and 673 (68%; P=.73) used social networking Web sites for job searching related to GME programs or postresidency employment. Within the population of 497 third-, fourth-, and fifth-year osteopathic medical students, 136 (27%) reported gleaning information about programs through social networking Web sites (P=.01). Within the total population, 100 of 992 (10%) reported that this information influenced their decisions (P=.07). Of note, 144 (14%) of the total 992 respondents reported that the programs they applied to did not have any presence on social networking Web sites (P=.05). Our results indicate that social networking Web sites have a present and growing influence on how osteopathic medical students, interns, residents, and fellows learn about and select a GME program.

The concentration of the coolant 7Li in Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant operating with potassium hydroxide as an alkalizing reagent (possible impact on the occurrence of axial offset anomaly)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dobrevski, I.D.; Minkova, K.F.; Ivanova, R.A.

2003-01-01

The phenomenon of axial offset anomaly (AOA) has occurred in a number of PWRs operating with extended fuel cycles and high boiling duty cores. Up to now AOA has been observed in PWRs operating with lithium hydroxide and the alkalizing reagent used for pH adjustment in boric acid water solutions. Since AOA is connected with the LiBO 2 precipitation in porous corrosion product deposits on the fuel cladding surfaces, we could presume that the replacement of lithium hydroxide with potassium hydroxide will avoid AOA. Nowadays there is a lack of observed AOA in VVER, i.e., a lack of formation of lithium metaborate (LiBO 2 ) deposits on the fuel element surfaces by coolant alkalization with potassium hydroxide. Nevertheless, the concentrations of 7 Li appear in the coolant, as a product of the neutron reaction with boron: 10 B (n,α) → 7 Li (n, α). As a consequence the possibility it is not excluded of LiBO 2 formation in VVERs with potassium hydroxide water chemistry. The aim of this study is to inform the reader about the development of the concentration of the coolant lithium concentration during the fuel cycles of VVERs and to discuss the possibility of LiBO 2 formation under VVER operation conditions. (orig.)

Determinants of famous name processing speed: age of acquisition versus semantic connectedness.

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Smith-Spark, James H; Moore, Viv; Valentine, Tim

2013-02-01

The age of acquisition (AoA) and the amount of biographical information known about celebrities have been independently shown to influence the processing of famous people. In this experiment, we investigated the facilitative contribution of both factors to famous name processing. Twenty-four mature adults participated in a familiarity judgement task, in which the names of famous people were grouped orthogonally by AoA and by the number of bits of biographical information known about them (number of facts known; NoFK). Age of acquisition was found to have a significant effect on both reaction time (RT) and accuracy of response, but NoFK did not. The RT data also revealed a significant AoA×NoFK interaction. The amount of information known about a celebrity played a facilitative role in the processing of late-acquired, but not early-acquired, celebrities. Once AoA is controlled, it would appear that the semantic system ceases to have a significant overall influence on the processing of famous people. The pre-eminence of AoA over semantic connectedness is considered in the light of current theories of AoA and how their influence might interact. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Community Structure of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea and Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria in Soil Treated with the Insecticide Imidacloprid

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Mariusz Cycoń

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this experiment was to assess the effect of imidacloprid on the community structure of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB in soil using the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE approach. Analysis showed that AOA and AOB community members were affected by the insecticide treatment. However, the calculation of the richness (S and the Shannon-Wiener index (H values for soil treated with the field rate (FR dosage of imidacloprid (1 mg/kg soil showed no changes in measured indices for the AOA and AOB community members. In turn, the 10*FR dosage of insecticide (10 mg/kg soil negatively affected the AOA community, which was confirmed by the decrease of the S and H values in comparison with the values obtained for the control soil. In the case of AOB community, an initial decline followed by the increase of the S and H values was obtained. Imidacloprid decreased the nitrification rate while the ammonification process was stimulated by the addition of imidacloprid. Changes in the community structure of AOA and AOB could be due to an increase in the concentration of N-NH4+, known as the most important factor which determines the contribution of these microorganisms to soil nitrification.

Wastewater treatment plant effluents change abundance and composition of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in mediterranean urban stream biofilms.

Science.gov (United States)

Merbt, Stephanie N; Auguet, Jean-Christophe; Blesa, Alba; Martí, Eugènia; Casamayor, Emilio O

2015-01-01

Streams affected by wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents are hotspots of nitrification. We analyzed the influence of WWTP inputs on the abundance, distribution, and composition of epilithic ammonia-oxidizing (AO) assemblages in five Mediterranean urban streams by qPCR and amoA gene cloning and sequencing of both archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB). The effluents significantly modified stream chemical parameters, and changes in longitudinal profiles of both NH(4)(+) and NO(3)(-) indicated stimulated nitrification activity. WWTP effluents were an allocthonous source of both AOA, essentially from the Nitrosotalea cluster, and mostly of AOB, mainly Nitrosomonas oligotropha, Nitrosomonas communis, and Nitrosospira spp. changing the relative abundance and the natural composition of AO assemblages. Under natural conditions, Nitrososphaera and Nitrosopumilus AOA dominated AO assemblages, and AOB were barely detected. After the WWTP perturbation, epilithic AOB increased by orders of magnitude whereas AOA did not show quantitative changes but a shift in population composition to dominance of Nitrosotalea spp. The foraneous AOB successfully settled in downstream biofilms and probably carried out most of the nitrification activity. Nitrosotalea were only observed downstream and only in biofilms exposed to either darkness or low irradiance. In addition to other potential environmental limitations for AOA distribution, this result suggests in situ photosensitivity as previously reported for Nitrosotalea under laboratory conditions.

Estimation of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and photosynthetic activity of estuarine phytoplankton using a multiple-fixed-wavelength spectral fluorometer.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldman, Emily A; Smith, Erik M; Richardson, Tammi L

2013-03-15

The utility of a multiple-fixed-wavelength spectral fluorometer, the Algae Online Analyser (AOA), as a means of quantifying chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and phytoplankton photosynthetic activity was tested using algal cultures and natural communities from North Inlet estuary, South Carolina. Comparisons of AOA measurements of CDOM to those by spectrophotometry showed a significant linear relationship, but increasing amounts of background CDOM resulted in progressively higher over-estimates of chromophyte contributions to a simulated mixed algal community. Estimates of photosynthetic activity by the AOA at low irradiance (≈ 80 μmol quanta m(-2) s(-1)) agreed well with analogous values from the literature for the chlorophyte, Dunaliella tertiolecta, but were substantially lower than previous measurements of the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II (F(v)/F(m)) in Thalassiosira weissflogii (a diatom) and Rhodomonas salina (a cryptophyte). When cells were exposed to high irradiance (1500 μmol quanta m(-2) s(-1)), declines in photosynthetic activity with time measured by the AOA mirrored estimates of cellular fluorescence capacity using the herbicide 3'-(3, 4-dichlorophenyl)-1',1'-dimethyl urea (DCMU). The AOA shows promise as a tool for the continuous monitoring of phytoplankton community composition, CDOM, and the group-specific photosynthetic activity of aquatic ecosystems. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impacts of organic and inorganic fertilizers on nitrification in a cold climate soil are linked to the bacterial ammonia oxidizer community.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Fenliang; Yang, Qianbao; Li, Zhaojun; Wei, Dan; Cui, Xi'an; Liang, Yongchao

2011-11-01

The microbiology underpinning soil nitrogen cycling in northeast China remains poorly understood. These agricultural systems are typified by widely contrasting temperature, ranging from -40 to 38°C. In a long-term site in this region, the impacts of mineral and organic fertilizer amendments on potential nitrification rate (PNR) were determined. PNR was found to be suppressed by long-term mineral fertilizer treatment but enhanced by manure treatment. The abundance and structure of ammonia-oxidizing bacterial (AOB) and archaeal (AOA) communities were assessed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis techniques. The abundance of AOA was reduced by all fertilizer treatments, while the opposite response was measured for AOB, leading to a six- to 60-fold reduction in AOA/AOB ratio. The community structure of AOA exhibited little variation across fertilization treatments, whereas the structure of the AOB community was highly responsive. PNR was correlated with community structure of AOB rather than that of AOA. Variation in the community structure of AOB was linked to soil pH, total carbon, and nitrogen contents induced by different long-term fertilization regimes. The results suggest that manure amendment establishes conditions which select for an AOB community type which recovers mineral fertilizer-suppressed soil nitrification.

The History of Ethics and Professionalism within Optometry in the United States of America 1898-2015, Part 1.

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, R Norman

2016-01-01

The history surrounding the development of codes of ethics and other official statements of desired professional conduct adopted by the American Optometric Association (AOA) reveals the struggle optometry faced in the United States ofAmerica (USA) in establishing itself as a leading primary health care profession. Information regarding the events and documents reported in this paper were obtained through research of the historical literature and archival material held in The Archives & Museum of Optometry at the American Optometric Association's headquarters at 243 N. Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis, MO; through current Association documents; and from discussions with those participating in the drafting of the more recent updates to the Association's ethical statements; codes, oaths, standards, and resolutions. This writing is an update to an earlier paper by the author, The history of ethics in the American Optometric Association 1898-1994. J Am Optom Assoc 1994; 65:427-444, which was written to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the then current Code of Ethics of the AOA. An additional purpose of this present writing is to help the reader understand, from a historical perspective, some of the driving forces and imperatives for the advancement of optometry's professional stature. Forces outside as well as within the profession were found to have influenced the drafting and redrafting of the official ethical and professional conduct statements meant to guide the professional behavior of the membership of the AOA. Ethical codes and other statements of desired conduct have been essential to the establishment of the profession of optometry. As optometry has grown and matured as a provider of primary eye and vision care services, so have its ethical emphases. To further understand the ethical and legal challenges for optometry as it worked to establish itself as a reputable profession, it is suggested the reader investigate in more detail the information provided in the

A qualitative grounded theory study of the conceptions of clinical practice in osteopathy - a continuum from technical rationality to professional artistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomson, Oliver P; Petty, Nicola J; Moore, Ann P

2014-02-01

How practitioners conceive clinical practice influences many aspects of their clinical work including how they view knowledge, clinical decision-making, and their actions. Osteopaths have relied upon the philosophical and theoretical foundations upon which the profession was built to guide clinical practice. However, it is currently unknown how osteopaths conceive clinical practice, and how these conceptions develop and influence their clinical work. This paper reports the conceptions of practice of experienced osteopaths in the UK. A constructivist grounded theory approach was taken in this study. The constant comparative method of analysis was used to code and analyse data. Purposive sampling was employed to initially select participants. Subsequent theoretical sampling, informed by data analysis, allowed specific participants to be sampled. Data collection methods involved semi-structured interviews and non-participant observation of practitioners during a patient appointment, which was video-recorded and followed by a video-prompted reflective interview. Participants' conception of practice lay on a continuum, from technical rationality to professional artistry and the development of which was influenced by their educational experience, view of health and disease, epistemology of practice knowledge, theory-practice relationship and their perceived therapeutic role. The findings from this study provide the first theoretical insight of osteopaths' conceptions of clinical practice and the factors which influence such conceptions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of histological subtype on survival after combined therapy of surgery and radiation in WHO grade 3 glioma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirai, Katsuyuki; Suzuki, Yoshiyuki; Okamoto, Masahiko

2010-01-01

World Health Organization (WHO) grade 3 glioma is one of the common brain tumors and has three main histological subtypes, including anaplastic astrocytoma (AA), anaplastic oligoastrocytoma (AOA) and anaplastic oligodendroglioma (AO). However, most previous studies have considered AOA and AO as one group because of the difficult differential diagnosis between AOA and AO. Therefore the prognostic difference among patients with these histological subtypes has been unclear. In this study, 68 patients with histologically proven WHO grade 3 glioma, consecutively received postoperative radiotherapy at the Gunma University Hospital, Japan, between 1983 and 2005, were investigated to assess the impact of histological subtype on the survival. The number of AA, AOA and AO patients was 41, 16 and 11, respectively. The mean and median follow-up periods were 72 and 48 months, respectively. The number of patients treated with gross total resection, partial resection and biopsy was 14, 38 and 16, respectively. The mean and median radiation doses were 58±5 Gy and 60 Gy, respectively. The 5-year overall survival rates of AA, AOA and AO were 21%, 38% and 80%, and median survival period were 16 months, 58 months and not reached, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that the histological subtype (P<0.01) and extent of surgery (P<0.01) were significant prognostic factors for survival. Selective comparison showed that overall survival of patients with AA was significantly worse than for those with AOA (P=0.01) and AO (P<0.01). The overall survival of patients with AO was better than for those with AOA; however, the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.14). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that histological subtype, age and extent of surgery were the significant independent variable for survival (P<0.01, P<0.01 and P=0.04). In our study, histological subtype was one of the most important prognostic factors of WHO grade 3 glioma. (author)

Human oocyte calcium analysis predicts the response to assisted oocyte activation in patients experiencing fertilization failure after ICSI.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrer-Buitrago, M; Dhaenens, L; Lu, Y; Bonte, D; Vanden Meerschaut, F; De Sutter, P; Leybaert, L; Heindryckx, B

2018-01-10

Can human oocyte calcium analysis predict fertilization success after assisted oocyte activation (AOA) in patients experiencing fertilization failure after ICSI? ICSI-AOA restores the fertilization rate only in patients displaying abnormal Ca2+ oscillations during human oocyte activation. Patients capable of activating mouse oocytes and who showed abnormal Ca2+ profiles after mouse oocyte Ca2+ analysis (M-OCA), have variable responses to ICSI-AOA. It remains unsettled whether human oocyte Ca2+ analysis (H-OCA) would yield an improved accuracy to predict fertilization success after ICSI-AOA. Sperm activation potential was first evaluated by MOAT. Subsequently, Ca2+ oscillatory patterns were determined with sperm from patients showing moderate to normal activation potential based on the capacity of human sperm to generate Ca2+ responses upon microinjection in mouse and human oocytes. Altogether, this study includes a total of 255 mouse and 122 human oocytes. M-OCA was performed with 16 different sperm samples before undergoing ICSI-AOA treatment. H-OCA was performed for 11 patients who finally underwent ICSI-AOA treatment. The diagnostic accuracy to predict fertilization success was calculated based on the response to ICSI-AOA. Patients experiencing low or total failed fertilization after conventional ICSI were included in the study. All participants showed moderate to high rates of activation after MOAT. Metaphase II (MII) oocytes from B6D2F1 mice were used for M-OCA. Control fertile sperm samples were used to obtain a reference Ca2+ oscillation profile elicited in human oocytes. Donated human oocytes, non-suitable for IVF treatments, were collected and vitrified at MII stage for further analysis by H-OCA. M-OCA and H-OCA predicted the response to ICSI-AOA in 8 out of 11 (73%) patients. Compared to M-OCA, H-OCA detected the presence of sperm activation deficiencies with greater sensitivity (75 vs 100%, respectively). ICSI-AOA never showed benefit to overcome

The family medicine curriculum resource project structural framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Stearns, Jeffrey A; Stearns, Marjorie A; Davis, Ardis K; Chessman, Alexander W

2007-01-01

In the original contract for the Family Medicine Curricular Resource Project (FMCRP), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Division of Medicine and Dentistry, charged the FMCRP executive committee with reviewing recent medical education reform proposals and relevant recent curricula to develop an analytical framework for the project. The FMCRP executive and advisory committees engaged in a review and analysis of a variety of curricular reform proposals generated during the last decade of the 20th century. At the same time, in a separate and parallel process, representative individuals from all the family medicine organizations, all levels of learners, internal medicine and pediatric faculty, and the national associations of medical and osteopathic colleges (Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine) were involved in group discussions to identify educational needs for physicians practicing in the 21st century. After deliberation, a theoretical framework was chosen for this undergraduate medical education resource that mirrors the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies, a conceptual design originated for graduate medical education. In addition to reflecting the current environment calling for change and greater accountability in medical education, use of the ACGME competencies as the theoretical framework for the FMCR provides a continuum of focus between the two major segments of physician education: medical school and residency.

amoA Gene abundances and nitrification potential rates suggest that benthic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and not Archaea dominate N cycling in the Colne Estuary, United Kingdom.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jialin; Nedwell, David B; Beddow, Jessica; Dumbrell, Alex J; McKew, Boyd A; Thorpe, Emma L; Whitby, Corinne

2015-01-01

Nitrification, mediated by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), is important in global nitrogen cycling. In estuaries where gradients of salinity and ammonia concentrations occur, there may be differential selections for ammonia-oxidizer populations. The aim of this study was to examine the activity, abundance, and diversity of AOA and AOB in surface oxic sediments of a highly nutrified estuary that exhibits gradients of salinity and ammonium. AOB and AOA communities were investigated by measuring ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) gene abundance and nitrification potentials both spatially and temporally. Nitrification potentials differed along the estuary and over time, with the greatest nitrification potentials occurring mid-estuary (8.2 μmol N grams dry weight [gdw](-1) day(-1) in June, increasing to 37.4 μmol N gdw(-1) day(-1) in January). At the estuary head, the nitrification potential was 4.3 μmol N gdw(-1) day(-1) in June, increasing to 11.7 μmol N gdw(-1) day(-1) in January. At the estuary head and mouth, nitrification potentials fluctuated throughout the year. AOB amoA gene abundances were significantly greater (by 100-fold) than those of AOA both spatially and temporally. Nitrosomonas spp. were detected along the estuary by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) band sequence analysis. In conclusion, AOB dominated over AOA in the estuarine sediments, with the ratio of AOB/AOA amoA gene abundance increasing from the upper (freshwater) to lower (marine) regions of the Colne estuary. These findings suggest that in this nutrified estuary, AOB (possibly Nitrosomonas spp.) were of major significance in nitrification. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The response of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms to trace metals and urine in two grassland soils in New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Pengcheng; Di, Hong J; Cameron, Keith C; Tan, Qiling; Podolyan, Andriy; Zhao, Xiaohu; McLaren, Ron G; Hu, Chengxiao

2017-01-01

An incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the response of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), and the nitrification rate to the contamination of Cu, Zn, and Cd in two New Zealand grassland soils. The soils spiked with different concentrations of Cu (20 and 50 mg kg -1 ), Zn (20 and 50 mg kg -1 ), and Cd (2 and 10 mg kg -1 ) were incubated for 14 days and then treated with 500 mg kg -1 urine-N before continuing incubation for a total of 115 days. Soils were sampled at intervals throughout the incubation. The nitrification rate in soils at each sampling period was determined, and the abundance of AOB and AOA was measured by real-time quantification polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay of the amoA gene copy numbers. The results revealed that moderate trace metal stress did not significantly affect the abundance of AOB and AOA in the two soils, probably due to the high organic matter content of the soils which would have reduced the toxic effect of the metals. Nitrification rates were much greater and the observable nitrification period was much shorter in the dairy farm (DF) soil, in which the AOB and AOA abundances were greater than those of the mixed cropping farm (MF) soil. AOB were shown to grow under high nitrogen conditions, whereas AOA were shown to grow under low N environments, with different metal concentrations. Therefore, nitrogen status rather than metal applications was the main determining factor for AOB and AOA growth in the two soils studied.

Effect of surface oxidation of ZIRLO fuel cladding tube on crud deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Moon Sic; Baek, Seung Heon; Shim, Hee-Sang; Kim, Jung Gu; Hur, Do Haeng

2016-01-01

Crud has often led a lot of problems in the primary coolant system such as fuel cladding corrosion, power distortion and reduction, and radio-activity build-up of out-of-core [2-3]. Although a crud-induced localized corrosion (CILC) is a severe accident, in which fuel is leaked into the coolant, it is rarely happened but a crud-induced power shift (CIPS) has frequently occurred in worldwide PWR plants. CIPS, or power axial offset anomaly (AOA) has long been realized in the nuclear industry since early 1970s. In late 1980s, severe AOA phenomena were found in Callaway plants in U. S. and later in many power plants around the world. The axial offset (AO) is defined by the power distortion between the top half of the core and the bottom half of the core. When the plant exceeds acceptable limit of 3% in AO value, it is judged as AOA occurrence and this is forced to reduce power or shutdown. AOA is caused by a hideout for large accumulation of boron into porous crud and its formation is accelerated by increased sub-cooled nucleate boiling (SNB) with sufficient corrosion product supply. Crud has often led a lot of problems in the primary coolant system such as fuel cladding corrosion, power distortion and reduction, and radio-activity build-up of out-of-core. Although a crud-induced localized corrosion (CILC) is a severe accident, in which fuel is leaked into the coolant, it is rarely happened but a crud-induced power shift (CIPS) has frequently occurred in worldwide PWR plants. CIPS, or power axial offset anomaly (AOA) has long been realized in the nuclear industry since early 1970s. In late 1980s, severe AOA phenomena were found in Callaway plants in U. S. and later in many power plants around the world. The axial offset (AO) is defined by the power distortion between the top half of the core and the bottom half of the core. When the plant exceeds acceptable limit of 3% in AO value, it is judged as AOA occurrence and this is forced to reduce power or shutdown. AOA is

Differential contributions of ammonia oxidizers and nitrite oxidizers to nitrification in four paddy soils

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Baozhan; Zhao, Jun; Guo, Zhiying; Ma, Jing; Xu, Hua; Jia, Zhongjun

2015-01-01

Rice paddy fields are characterized by regular flooding and nitrogen fertilization, but the functional importance of aerobic ammonia oxidizers and nitrite oxidizers under unique agricultural management is poorly understood. In this study, we report the differential contributions of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) to nitrification in four paddy soils from different geographic regions (Zi-Yang (ZY), Jiang-Du (JD), Lei-Zhou (LZ) and Jia-Xing (JX)) that are representative of the rice ecosystems in China. In urea-amended microcosms, nitrification activity varied greatly with 11.9, 9.46, 3.03 and 1.43 μg NO3−-N g−1 dry weight of soil per day in the ZY, JD, LZ and JX soils, respectively, over the course of a 56-day incubation period. Real-time quantitative PCR of amoA genes and pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes revealed significant increases in the AOA population to various extents, suggesting that their relative contributions to ammonia oxidation activity decreased from ZY to JD to LZ. The opposite trend was observed for AOB, and the JX soil stimulated only the AOB populations. DNA-based stable-isotope probing further demonstrated that active AOA numerically outcompeted their bacterial counterparts by 37.0-, 10.5- and 1.91-fold in 13C-DNA from ZY, JD and LZ soils, respectively, whereas AOB, but not AOA, were labeled in the JX soil during active nitrification. NOB were labeled to a much greater extent than AOA and AOB, and the addition of acetylene completely abolished the assimilation of 13CO2 by nitrifying populations. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that archaeal ammonia oxidation was predominantly catalyzed by soil fosmid 29i4-related AOA within the soil group 1.1b lineage. Nitrosospira cluster 3-like AOB performed most bacterial ammonia oxidation in the ZY, LZ and JX soils, whereas the majority of the 13C-AOB in the JD soil was affiliated with the Nitrosomona communis lineage. The 13C-NOB was overwhelmingly

77 FR 10693 - Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Airplanes

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-23

... the machining oil during the manufacturing process of the AOA resolvers. This proposed AD would... removal of machining oil during the manufacturing process of the AoA resolvers. At low temperatures, this... any necessary follow-on actions would take about 3 work-hours and require parts costing $0, for a cost...

Antioxidant activity of erythrocyte membranes of rats exposed to X-radiation and injected with α-tocopheral acetate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsvetkova, T.V.; Tsokur, Eh.V.

1988-01-01

Injection of α-tocopherol acetate to albino mongrel rats potentiates antioxidant activity (AOA) that involves water-soluble factors of the antioxidant system in erythrocyte membranes. The activation of AOA by a α-tocopherol takes place immediately after irradiation and drug injection and persists during the first 24 h following irradiation

Application of a novel functional gene microarray to probe the functional ecology of ammonia oxidation in nitrifying activated sludge.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael D Short

Full Text Available We report on the first study trialling a newly-developed, functional gene microarray (FGA for characterising bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidisers in activated sludge. Mixed liquor (ML and media biofilm samples from a full-scale integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS plant were analysed with the FGA to profile the diversity and relative abundance of ammonia-oxidising archaea and bacteria (AOA and AOB respectively. FGA analyses of AOA and AOB communities revealed ubiquitous distribution of AOA across all samples - an important finding for these newly-discovered and poorly characterised organisms. Results also revealed striking differences in the functional ecology of attached versus suspended communities within the IFAS reactor. Quantitative assessment of AOB and AOA functional gene abundance revealed a dominance of AOB in the ML and approximately equal distribution of AOA and AOB in the media-attached biofilm. Subsequent correlations of functional gene abundance data with key water quality parameters suggested an important functional role for media-attached AOB in particular for IFAS reactor nitrification performance and indicate possible functional redundancy in some IFAS ammonia oxidiser communities. Results from this investigation demonstrate the capacity of the FGA to resolve subtle ecological shifts in key microbial communities in nitrifying activated sludge and indicate its value as a tool for better understanding the linkages between the ecology and performance of these engineered systems.

A fresh look at the predictors of naming accuracy and errors in Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Cuetos, Fernando; Rodríguez-Ferreiro, Javier; Sage, Karen; Ellis, Andrew W

2012-09-01

In recent years, a considerable number of studies have tried to establish which characteristics of objects and their names predict the responses of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the picture-naming task. The frequency of use of words and their age of acquisition (AoA) have been implicated as two of the most influential variables, with naming being best preserved for objects with high-frequency, early-acquired names. The present study takes a fresh look at the predictors of naming success in Spanish and English AD patients using a range of measures of word frequency and AoA along with visual complexity, imageability, and word length as predictors. Analyses using generalized linear mixed modelling found that naming accuracy was better predicted by AoA ratings taken from older adults than conventional ratings from young adults. Older frequency measures based on written language samples predicted accuracy better than more modern measures based on the frequencies of words in film subtitles. Replacing adult frequency with an estimate of cumulative (lifespan) frequency did not reduce the impact of AoA. Semantic error rates were predicted by both written word frequency and senior AoA while null response errors were only predicted by frequency. Visual complexity, imageability, and word length did not predict naming accuracy or errors. ©2012 The British Psychological Society.

Water Chemistry Control Technology to Improve the Performance of Nuclear Power Plants for Extended Fuel Cycles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeng, W. Y.; Na, J. W.; Lee, E. H.

2010-07-01

Ο To Develop the technology to manage the problems of AOA and radiation, corrosion as long term PWR operation. Ο To Establish the advanced water chemical operating systems. - Development of the proper water chemistry guidelines for long term PWR operation. AOA(Axial Offest Anomaly) has been reported in many PWR plants in the world, including Korea, especially in the plants of higher burn-up and longer cycle operation or power up-rate. A test loop has been designed and made by KAERI, in order to investigate and mitigate AOA problems in Korea. This project included the study of hydrodynamic simulation and the modeling about AOA. The analysis of radioactive crud was performed to investigate of NPPs primary water chemical effect on AOA and to reduce the radioactive dose rate. The high temperature measurement system was developed to on-line monitor of water chemistry in nuclear power plants. The effects of various environmental factors such as temperature, pressure, and flow rate on YSZ-based pH electrode were evaluated for ensuring the accuracy of high-temperature pH measurement. The inhibition technology for fouling and SCC of SG tube was evaluated to establish the water chemistry technology of corrosion control of nuclear system. The high temperature and high pressure crevice chemistry analysis test loop was manufactured to develop the water chemistry technology of crevice chemistry control

The roles of H2S and H2O2 in regulating AsA-GSH cycle in the leaves of wheat seedlings under drought stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Shan, Changjuan; Zhang, Shengli; Ou, Xingqi

2018-01-25

This paper investigated the roles of hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and the possible relationship between them in regulating the AsA-GSH cycle in wheat leaves under drought stress (DS). Results showed that DS markedly increased the production of H 2 S and H 2 O 2 , the transcript levels and activities of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR); malondialdehyde (MDA) content; and electrolyte leakage (EL). Meanwhile, DS markedly reduced plant height and biomass. Above increases induced by drought stress except MDA content and EL were all suppressed by pretreatments with H 2 S synthesis inhibitor aminooxyaceticacid (AOA) and H 2 O 2 synthesis inhibitor diphenylene iodonium (DPI). Besides, pretreatments with AOA and DPI further significantly increased MDA content and EL and significantly reduced plant height and biomass under DS. DPI reduced the production of H 2 O 2 and H 2 S induced by DS. AOA also reduced the production of H 2 S and H 2 O 2 induced by DS. Pretreatments with NaHS + AOA and H 2 O 2 + DPI reversed above effects of AOA and DPI. Our results suggested that H 2 S and H 2 O 2 all participated in the up-regulation of AsA-GSH cycle in wheat leaves by DS and possibly affected each other.

Spatial distribution of microbial communities associated with dune landform in the Gurbantunggut Desert, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ruyin; Li, Ke; Zhang, Hongxun; Zhu, Junge; Joshi, DevRaj

2014-11-01

The microbial community compositions and potential ammonia oxidation in the topsoil at different positions of sand dune (stoss slope, crest, lee slope, and interdune) from the Gurbantunggut Desert, the largest semi-fixed desert in China, were investigated using several molecular methods. Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria (especially Alphaproteobacteria) were commonly the dominant taxa across all soil samples. Bacterial communities were similar in soils collected from the stoss slopes and interdunes (HC-BSCs, biological soil crusts with a high abundance of cyanobacteria), containing more abundant cyanobacterial populations (16.9-24.5%) than those (0.2-0.7% of Cyanobacteria) in the crests and lee slopes (LC-BSCs, biological soil crusts with a low abundance of cyanobacteria). The Cyanobacteria were mainly composed of Microcoleus spp., and quantitative PCR analysis revealed that 16S rRNA gene copy numbers of Cyanobacteria (especially genus Microcoleus) were at least two orders of magnitude higher in HC-BSCs than in LC-BSCs. Heterotrophic Geodermatophilus spp. frequently occurred in HC-BSCs (2.5-8.0%), whereas genera Arthrobacter, Bacillus, and Segetibacter were significantly abundant in LC-BSC communities. By comparison, the desert archaeal communities were less complex, and were dominated by Nitrososphaera spp. The amoA gene abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) was higher than that of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in all soil samples, particularly in the interdunal soils (10(6)-10(8) archaeal amoA gene copies per gram dry soil), indicating that AOA possibly dominate the ammonia oxidation at the interdunes.

Survey of billing and coding for counterstrain tender points.

Science.gov (United States)

Snider, Karen T; Johnson, Jane C

2012-06-01

The names of certain counterstrain tender points are incongruent with their physical locations because of an assumption that these points are reflective of dysfunction in neighboring body areas. Because the body area that is physically examined does not always match the body region in which somatic dysfunction is diagnosed for these tender points, it is not always clear which evaluation and management service codes should be used for billing physician services. To assess the attitudes of osteopathic physicians toward the billing and coding of incongruent counterstrain tender points. Physician members of the American Academy of Osteopathy who use counterstrain in clinical practice were surveyed regarding the body area that they would physically examine when assessing for incongruent tender points and, if tender points were present, the body regions to which they would assign somatic dysfunction for billing and coding purposes. Physician responses were categorized as indicating a structural approach (ie, reflective of anatomic location) or a functional approach (ie, reflective of dysfunction in neighboring body areas) to tender point examination and treatment. Associations between sex, specialty, and years in practice with the approach chosen were also examined. Of 175 physicians who responded to the survey, 156 met the study criteria. Respondents were primarily board-certified in neuromusculoskeletal medicine/osteopathic manipulative medicine (98 [63%]), special proficiency in osteopathic manipulative medicine (30 [19%]), or family practice/family practice and osteopathic manipulative treatment (94 [60%]). Ninety percent of physicians predominantly chose responses indicating a structural approach to the physical examination of tender points and 21% predominantly chose responses indicating a functional approach to somatic dysfunction diagnosis. There were inconsistencies among individual respondents regarding the type of approach chosen for a single tender point. For

Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 2: clinical, biological and genotype/phenotype correlation study of a cohort of 90 patients.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Anheim, M

2009-10-01

Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 2 (AOA2) is an autosomal recessive disease due to mutations in the senataxin gene, causing progressive cerebellar ataxia with peripheral neuropathy, cerebellar atrophy, occasional oculomotor apraxia and elevated alpha-feto-protein (AFP) serum level. We compiled a series of 67 previously reported and 58 novel ataxic patients who underwent senataxin gene sequencing because of suspected AOA2. An AOA2 diagnosis was established for 90 patients, originating from 15 countries worldwide, and 25 new senataxin gene mutations were found. In patients with AOA2, median AFP serum level was 31.0 microg\\/l at diagnosis, which was higher than the median AFP level of AOA2 negative patients: 13.8 microg\\/l, P = 0.0004; itself higher than the normal level (3.4 microg\\/l, range from 0.5 to 17.2 microg\\/l) because elevated AFP was one of the possible selection criteria. Polyneuropathy was found in 97.5% of AOA2 patients, cerebellar atrophy in 96%, occasional oculomotor apraxia in 51%, pyramidal signs in 20.5%, head tremor in 14%, dystonia in 13.5%, strabismus in 12.3% and chorea in 9.5%. No patient was lacking both peripheral neuropathy and cerebellar atrophy. The age at onset and presence of occasional oculomotor apraxia were negatively correlated to the progression rate of the disease (P = 0.03 and P = 0.009, respectively), whereas strabismus was positively correlated to the progression rate (P = 0.03). An increased AFP level as well as cerebellar atrophy seem to be stable in the course of the disease and to occur mostly at or before the onset of the disease. One of the two patients with a normal AFP level at diagnosis had high AFP levels 4 years later, while the other had borderline levels. The probability of missing AOA2 diagnosis, in case of sequencing senataxin gene only in non-Friedreich ataxia non-ataxia-telangiectasia ataxic patients with AFP level > or =7 microg\\/l, is 0.23% and the probability for a non-Friedreich ataxia non

Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 2: clinical, biological and genotype/phenotype correlation study of a cohort of 90 patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Anheim, M; Monga, B; Fleury, M; Charles, P; Barbot, C; Salih, M; Delaunoy, J P; Fritsch, M; Arning, L; Synofzik, M; Schöls, L; Sequeiros, J; Goizet, C; Marelli, C; Le Ber, I; Koht, J; Gazulla, J; De Bleecker, J; Mukhtar, M; Drouot, N; Ali-Pacha, L; Benhassine, T; Chbicheb, M; M'Zahem, A; Hamri, A; Chabrol, B; Pouget, J; Murphy, R; Watanabe, M; Coutinho, P; Tazir, M; Durr, A; Brice, A; Tranchant, C; Koenig, M

2009-10-01

Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 2 (AOA2) is an autosomal recessive disease due to mutations in the senataxin gene, causing progressive cerebellar ataxia with peripheral neuropathy, cerebellar atrophy, occasional oculomotor apraxia and elevated alpha-feto-protein (AFP) serum level. We compiled a series of 67 previously reported and 58 novel ataxic patients who underwent senataxin gene sequencing because of suspected AOA2. An AOA2 diagnosis was established for 90 patients, originating from 15 countries worldwide, and 25 new senataxin gene mutations were found. In patients with AOA2, median AFP serum level was 31.0 microg/l at diagnosis, which was higher than the median AFP level of AOA2 negative patients: 13.8 microg/l, P = 0.0004; itself higher than the normal level (3.4 microg/l, range from 0.5 to 17.2 microg/l) because elevated AFP was one of the possible selection criteria. Polyneuropathy was found in 97.5% of AOA2 patients, cerebellar atrophy in 96%, occasional oculomotor apraxia in 51%, pyramidal signs in 20.5%, head tremor in 14%, dystonia in 13.5%, strabismus in 12.3% and chorea in 9.5%. No patient was lacking both peripheral neuropathy and cerebellar atrophy. The age at onset and presence of occasional oculomotor apraxia were negatively correlated to the progression rate of the disease (P = 0.03 and P = 0.009, respectively), whereas strabismus was positively correlated to the progression rate (P = 0.03). An increased AFP level as well as cerebellar atrophy seem to be stable in the course of the disease and to occur mostly at or before the onset of the disease. One of the two patients with a normal AFP level at diagnosis had high AFP levels 4 years later, while the other had borderline levels. The probability of missing AOA2 diagnosis, in case of sequencing senataxin gene only in non-Friedreich ataxia non-ataxia-telangiectasia ataxic patients with AFP level > or =7 microg/l, is 0.23% and the probability for a non-Friedreich ataxia non

The Impact of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy for High-Grade Gliomas by Histology in the United States Population

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rusthoven, Chad G., E-mail: Chad.Rusthoven@ucdenver.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado (United States); Carlson, Julie A.; Waxweiler, Timothy V. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado (United States); Dally, Miranda J.; Barón, Anna E. [Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado (United States); Yeh, Norman; Gaspar, Laurie E.; Liu, Arthur K. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado (United States); Ney, Douglas E.; Damek, Denise M. [Department of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado (United States); Lillehei, Kevin O. [Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado (United States); Kavanagh, Brian D. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado (United States)

2014-11-15

Purpose: To compare the survival impact of adjuvant external beam radiation therapy (RT) for malignant gliomas of glioblastoma (GBM), anaplastic astrocytoma (AA), anaplastic oligodendroglioma (AO), and mixed anaplastic oligoastrocytoma (AOA) histology. Methods and Materials: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was queried from 1998 to 2007 for patients aged ≥18 years with high-grade gliomas managed with upfront surgical resection, treated with and without adjuvant RT. Results: The primary analysis totaled 14,461 patients, with 12,115 cases of GBM (83.8%), 1312 AA (9.1%), 718 AO (4.9%), and 316 AOA (2.2%). On univariate analyses, adjuvant RT was associated with significantly improved overall survival (OS) for GBMs (2-year OS, 17% vs 7%, p<.001), AAs (5-year OS, 38% vs 24%, p<.001), and AOAs (5-year OS, 55% vs 44%, p=.026). No significant differences in OS were observed for AOs (5-year OS, with RT 50% vs 56% without RT, p=.277). In multivariate Cox proportional hazards models accounting for extent of resection, age, sex, race, year, marital status, and tumor registry, RT was associated with significantly improved OS for both GBMs (HR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.50-0.55; P<.001) and AAs (HR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.48-0.68; P<.001) but only a trend toward improved OS for AOAs (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.45-1.09; P=.110). Due to the observation of nonproportional hazards, Cox regressions were not performed for AOs. A significant interaction was observed between the survival impact of RT and histology overall (interaction P<.001) and in a model limited to the anaplastic (WHO grade 3) histologies. (interaction P=.024), characterizing histology as a significant predictive factor for the impact of RT. Subgroup analyses demonstrated greater hazard reductions with RT among patients older than median age for both GBMs and AAs (all interaction P≤.001). No significant interactions were observed between RT and extent of resection. Identical patterns of significance were

Ammonia oxidation driven by archaea rather than bacteria in the hot spring at Tengchong geothermal field, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Shun; Peng, Xiaotong; Xu, Hengchao; Li, Jiwei; Ta, Kaiwen

2015-04-01

The occurrence of microbial mediated ammonia oxidation and these organisms are present in large numbers in natural environments indicated a potential biogeochemical role for them in the global nitrogen cycle. However, very little is understood about their role and contribution to nitrification in the high temperature extreme environments. Here we explore the ammonia oxidation rates and abundance of potential ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in upper and bottom sediments from Gongxiaoshe hot spring, Tengchong, Yunnan, China. The 15N-incorporating AOA cells and cell aggregated were detected with Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and Nano secondary ion mass spectrometry (Nano-SIMS). Ammonia oxidation rates measured using 15N-NO3- pool dilution in upper and bottom sediments (without NH4+ stimulated) were 4.8 and 5.3 nmol N g-1h-1, respectively. Close relatives of the autotrophic, ammonia-oxidizing archaeon 'Candidatus Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii' represented the most abundant OTU in both of the two spring sediments by 16S rRNA gene analysis. Furthermore, it should be noted that no ammonia-oxidizing bacterial clones detected in this study. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) indicated that AOA and 16S rRNA genes were present at 2.75-9.80×105 and 0.128-1.96×108 gene copies g-1 sediment. Based on the reaction rates and AOA abundance, we estimated the cell-specific nitrification rates were 0.41 to 0.79 fmol N archaeal cell-1 h-1, which are comparable to those observed in estuary environment. We suggest that AOA have the responsibility in nitrification in this hot spring, and these archaea rather than bacteria may be considered as a driver in nitrogen cycling in terrestrial hot ecosystems. Key words: ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA); nitrification; ammonia-oxidizing rate; hot spring;

Comparison of the Effects of Phenylhydrazine Hydrochloride and Dicyandiamide on Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria and Archaea in Andosols

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenjie Yang

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Dicyandiamide, a routinely used commercial nitrification inhibitor (NI, inhibits ammonia oxidation catalyzed by ammonia monooxygenase (AMO. Phenylhydrazine hydrochloride has shown considerable potential for the development of next-generation NIs targeting hydroxylamine dehydrogenase (HAO. The effects of the AMO inhibitor and the HAO inhibitor on ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA present in agricultural soils have not been compared thus far. In the present study, the effects of the two inhibitors on soil nitrification and the abundance of AOA and AOB as well as their community structure were investigated in a soil microcosm using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and pyrosequencing. The net nitrification rates and the growth of AOA and AOB in this soil microcosm were inhibited by both NIs. Both NIs had limited effect on the community structure of AOB and no effect on that of AOA in this soil microcosm. The effects of phenylhydrazine hydrochloride were similar to those of dicyandiamide. These results indicated that organohydrazine-based NIs have potential for the development of next-generation NIs targeting HAO in the future.

Validating the psycholinguistic aspects of LITMUS-CLT: Evidence from Polish and Norwegian.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Pernille; Simonsen, Hanne Gram; Łuniewska, Magdalena; Haman, Ewa

2017-01-01

The novel assessment tool Cross-Linguistic Lexical Tasks (LITMUS-CLT) aims for comparable cross-linguistic assessment of multilingual children's lexical skills by basing each language version on two language-specific variables: age of acquisition (AoA) and complexity index (CI), a novel measure related to phonology, morphology, exposure and etymology. This article investigates the validity of this methodology, asking whether the underlying properties are robust predictors of children's performance. The Polish and Norwegian CLTs were used to assess 32 bilingual Polish-Norwegian, 34 monolingual Norwegian and 36 monolingual Polish children. The effects of AoA and CI were contrasted with frequency in child directed speech (CDS) and imageability, two known predictors of lexical development. AoA was a reliable predictor of performance within all parts of CLT, in contrast to CI. Apart from AoA, only exposure and CDS frequency had a significant effect within both monolinguals and bilinguals. These results indicate that CLT assesses lexical skills in a cross-linguistically comparable manner, but suggest a revision of the CI measure.

PILA: Sub-Meter Localization Using CSI from Commodity Wi-Fi Devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Zengshan; Li, Ze; Zhou, Mu; Jin, Yue; Wu, Zipeng

2016-10-10

The aim of this paper is to present a new indoor localization approach by employing the Angle-of-arrival (AOA) and Received Signal Strength (RSS) measurements in Wi-Fi network. To achieve this goal, we first collect the Channel State Information (CSI) by using the commodity Wi-Fi devices with our designed three antennas to estimate the AOA of Wi-Fi signal. Second, we propose a direct path identification algorithm to obtain the direct signal path for the sake of reducing the interference of multipath effect on the AOA estimation. Third, we construct a new objective function to solve the localization problem by integrating the AOA and RSS information. Although the localization problem is non-convex, we use the Second-order Cone Programming (SOCP) relaxation approach to transform it into a convex problem. Finally, the effectiveness of our approach is verified based on the prototype implementation by using the commodity Wi-Fi devices. The experimental results show that our approach can achieve the median error 0.7 m in the actual indoor environment.

Response of the tumor and organs of the tumor-bearing animal to the action of an ionizing radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burlakova, E.B.; Gaintseva, V.D.; Pal'mina, N.P.; Sezina, N.P.

1977-01-01

Changes in the antioxigenic activity (AOA) of the liver of the tumor-bearing animals and the tumor have been studied after a single whole-body exposure of animals to a dose of 600 R. AOA of the liver of animals having hepatoma 22-a and Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT) was found to decrease immediately after irradiation while that of the tumor itself can both increase (hepatoma 22-a) and decrease (EAT). Proceeding from the assumption that AOA is connected with tissue radiosensitivity it is suggested that the observed variations in the response of tumor cells and normal tissue to the action of ionizing radiation should be taken into account when developing the schemes of radiation effect on the tumor

Aerodynamic robustness in owl-inspired leading-edge serrations: a computational wind-gust model.

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Rao, Chen; Liu, Hao

2018-06-08

Owls are a master to achieve silent flight in gliding and flapping flights under natural turbulent environments owing to their unique wing morphologies. While the leading-edge serrations are recently revealed, as a passive flow control micro-device, to play a crucial role in aerodynamic force production and sound suppression [25], the characteristics of wind-gust rejection associated with leading-edge serrations remain unclear. Here we address a large-eddy simulation (LES)-based study of aerodynamic robustness in owl-inspired leading-edge serrations, which is conducted with clean and serrated wing models through mimicking wind-gusts under a longitudinal fluctuation in free-stream inflow and a lateral fluctuation in pitch angle over a broad range of angles of attack (AoAs) over 0° ≤ Φ ≤ 20°. Our results show that the leading-edge serration-based passive flow control mechanisms associated with laminar-turbulent transition work effectively under fluctuated inflow and wing pitch, indicating that the leading-edge serrations are of potential gust fluctuation rejection or robustness in aerodynamic performance. Moreover, it is revealed that the tradeoff between turbulent flow control (i.e., aero-acoustic suppression) and force production in the serrated model holds independently to the wind-gust environments: poor at lower AoAs but capable of achieving equivalent aerodynamic performance at higher AoAs > 15o compared to the clean model. Our results reveal that the owl-inspired leading-edge serrations can be a robust micro-device for aero-acoustic control coping with unsteady and complex wind environments in biomimetic rotor designs for various fluid machineries. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

78 FR 36449 - State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-18

...-term care ombudsmen at every level have reported to AoA that they have found some provisions of the Act... to residents' care and quality of life at the local, state and national levels. Begun in 1972 as a... policies so long as those policies do not conflict with Ombudsman program law and policy). Therefore, AoA...

The Influence of Age of Acquisition in Word Reading and Other Tasks: A Never Ending Story?

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Bonin, Patrick; Barry, Christopher; Meot, Alain; Chalard, Marylene

2004-01-01

This paper concerns the influence of age of acquisition (AoA) in word reading and other tasks, and attempts to develop a number of issues raised by Zevin and Seidenberg (2002). Analyses performed on both rated and objective measures of AoA show that the frequency trajectory of words is a reliable predictor of their order of acquisition, which…

75 FR 42448 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Extension of...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-21

... collection requirements relating to the Supplemental Form to the Financial Status Report for all AoA Title... reports, keep records, or provide information to a third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C... Financial Status Report for all AoA Title III Grantees provides an understanding of how projects funded by...

Understanding clinical reasoning in osteopathy: a qualitative research approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Grace, Sandra; Orrock, Paul; Vaughan, Brett; Blaich, Raymond; Coutts, Rosanne

2016-01-01

Clinical reasoning has been described as a process that draws heavily on the knowledge, skills and attributes that are particular to each health profession. However, the clinical reasoning processes of practitioners of different disciplines demonstrate many similarities, including hypothesis generation and reflective practice. The aim of this study was to understand clinical reasoning in osteopathy from the perspective of osteopathic clinical educators and the extent to which it was similar or different from clinical reasoning in other health professions. This study was informed by constructivist grounded theory. Participants were clinical educators in osteopathic teaching institutions in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Focus groups and written critical reflections provided a rich data set. Data were analysed using constant comparison to develop inductive categories. According to participants, clinical reasoning in osteopathy is different from clinical reasoning in other health professions. Osteopaths use a two-phase approach: an initial biomedical screen for serious pathology, followed by use of osteopathic reasoning models that are based on the relationship between structure and function in the human body. Clinical reasoning in osteopathy was also described as occurring in a number of contexts (e.g. patient, practitioner and community) and drawing on a range of metaskills (e.g. hypothesis generation and reflexivity) that have been described in other health professions. The use of diagnostic reasoning models that are based on the relationship between structure and function in the human body differentiated clinical reasoning in osteopathy. These models were not used to name a medical condition but rather to guide the selection of treatment approaches. If confirmed by further research that clinical reasoning in osteopathy is distinct from clinical reasoning in other health professions, then osteopaths may have a unique perspective to bring to multidisciplinary

Enrichment and genome sequence of the group I.1a ammonia-oxidizing Archaeon "Ca. Nitrosotenuis uzonensis" representing a clade globally distributed in thermal habitats.

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Elena V Lebedeva

Full Text Available The discovery of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA of the phylum Thaumarchaeota and the high abundance of archaeal ammonia monooxygenase subunit A encoding gene sequences in many environments have extended our perception of nitrifying microbial communities. Moreover, AOA are the only aerobic ammonia oxidizers known to be active in geothermal environments. Molecular data indicate that in many globally distributed terrestrial high-temperature habits a thaumarchaeotal lineage within the Nitrosopumilus cluster (also called "marine" group I.1a thrives, but these microbes have neither been isolated from these systems nor functionally characterized in situ yet. In this study, we report on the enrichment and genomic characterization of a representative of this lineage from a thermal spring in Kamchatka. This thaumarchaeote, provisionally classified as "Candidatus Nitrosotenuis uzonensis", is a moderately thermophilic, non-halophilic, chemolithoautotrophic ammonia oxidizer. The nearly complete genome sequence (assembled into a single scaffold of this AOA confirmed the presence of the typical thaumarchaeotal pathways for ammonia oxidation and carbon fixation, and indicated its ability to produce coenzyme F420 and to chemotactically react to its environment. Interestingly, like members of the genus Nitrosoarchaeum, "Candidatus N. uzonensis" also possesses a putative artubulin-encoding gene. Genome comparisons to related AOA with available genome sequences confirmed that the newly cultured AOA has an average nucleotide identity far below the species threshold and revealed a substantial degree of genomic plasticity with unique genomic regions in "Ca. N. uzonensis", which potentially include genetic determinants of ecological niche differentiation.

Enrichment and genome sequence of the group I.1a ammonia-oxidizing Archaeon "Ca. Nitrosotenuis uzonensis" representing a clade globally distributed in thermal habitats.

Science.gov (United States)

Lebedeva, Elena V; Hatzenpichler, Roland; Pelletier, Eric; Schuster, Nathalie; Hauzmayer, Sandra; Bulaev, Aleksandr; Grigor'eva, Nadezhda V; Galushko, Alexander; Schmid, Markus; Palatinszky, Marton; Le Paslier, Denis; Daims, Holger; Wagner, Michael

2013-01-01

The discovery of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota and the high abundance of archaeal ammonia monooxygenase subunit A encoding gene sequences in many environments have extended our perception of nitrifying microbial communities. Moreover, AOA are the only aerobic ammonia oxidizers known to be active in geothermal environments. Molecular data indicate that in many globally distributed terrestrial high-temperature habits a thaumarchaeotal lineage within the Nitrosopumilus cluster (also called "marine" group I.1a) thrives, but these microbes have neither been isolated from these systems nor functionally characterized in situ yet. In this study, we report on the enrichment and genomic characterization of a representative of this lineage from a thermal spring in Kamchatka. This thaumarchaeote, provisionally classified as "Candidatus Nitrosotenuis uzonensis", is a moderately thermophilic, non-halophilic, chemolithoautotrophic ammonia oxidizer. The nearly complete genome sequence (assembled into a single scaffold) of this AOA confirmed the presence of the typical thaumarchaeotal pathways for ammonia oxidation and carbon fixation, and indicated its ability to produce coenzyme F420 and to chemotactically react to its environment. Interestingly, like members of the genus Nitrosoarchaeum, "Candidatus N. uzonensis" also possesses a putative artubulin-encoding gene. Genome comparisons to related AOA with available genome sequences confirmed that the newly cultured AOA has an average nucleotide identity far below the species threshold and revealed a substantial degree of genomic plasticity with unique genomic regions in "Ca. N. uzonensis", which potentially include genetic determinants of ecological niche differentiation.

Functional activity and white matter microstructure reveal the independent effects of age of acquisition and proficiency on second-language learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Nichols, Emily S; Joanisse, Marc F

2016-12-01

Two key factors govern how bilingual speakers neurally maintain two languages: the speakers' second language age of acquisition (AoA) and their subsequent proficiency. However, the relative roles of these two factors have been difficult to disentangle given that the two can be closely correlated, and most prior studies have examined the two factors in isolation. Here, we combine functional magnetic resonance imaging with diffusion tensor imaging to identify specific brain areas that are independently modulated by AoA and proficiency in second language speakers. First-language Mandarin Chinese speakers who are second language speakers of English were scanned as they performed a picture-word matching task in either language. In the same session we also acquired diffusion-weighted scans to assess white matter microstructure, along with behavioural measures of language proficiency prior to entering the scanner. Results reveal gray- and white-matter networks involving both the left and right hemisphere that independently vary as a function of a second-language speaker's AoA and proficiency, focused on the superior temporal gyrus, middle and inferior frontal gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, and the basal ganglia. These results indicate that proficiency and AoA explain separate functional and structural networks in the bilingual brain, which we interpret as suggesting distinct types of plasticity for age-dependent effects (i.e., AoA) versus experience and/or predisposition (i.e., proficiency). Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Fast and Cost-Effective Detection of Melamine by Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Using a Novel Hydrogen Bonding-Assisted Supramolecular Matrix and Gold-Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles

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Jing Neng

2017-05-01

Full Text Available A fast and cost-effective melamine detection approach has been developed based on surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS using a novel hydrogen bonding-assisted supramolecular matrix. The detection utilizes Fe3O4/Au magnetic nanoparticles coated with 5-aminoorotic acid (AOA as a SERS active substrate (Fe3O4/Au–AOA, and Rhodamine B (RhB conjugated AOA as a Raman reporter (AOA–RhB. Upon mixing the reagents with melamine, a supramolecular complex [Fe3O4/Au–AOA•••melamine•••AOA–RhB] was formed due to the strong multiple hydrogen bonding interactions between AOA and melamine. The complex was separated and concentrated to a pellet by an external magnet and used as a supramolecular matrix for the melamine detection. Laser excitation of the complex pellet produced a strong SERS signal diagnostic for RhB. The logarithmic intensity of the characteristic RhB peaks was found to be proportional to the concentration of melamine with a limit of detection of 2.5 µg/mL and a detection linearity range of 2.5~15.0 µg/mL in milk. As Fe3O4 nanoparticles and AOA are thousands of times less expensive than the monoclonal antibody used in a traditional sandwich immunoassay, the current assay drastically cut down the cost of melamine detection. The current approach affords promise as a biosensor platform that cuts down sample pre-treatment steps and measurement expense.

Archaea produce lower yields of N2 O than bacteria during aerobic ammonia oxidation in soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Hink, Linda; Nicol, Graeme W; Prosser, James I

2017-12-01

Nitrogen fertilisation of agricultural soil contributes significantly to emissions of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N 2 O), which is generated during denitrification and, in oxic soils, mainly by ammonia oxidisers. Although laboratory cultures of ammonia oxidising bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) produce N 2 O, their relative activities in soil are unknown. This work tested the hypothesis that AOB dominate ammonia oxidation and N 2 O production under conditions of high inorganic ammonia (NH 3 ) input, but result mainly from the activity of AOA when NH 3 is derived from mineralisation. 1-octyne, a recently discovered inhibitor of AOB, was used to distinguish N 2 O production resulting from archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidation in soil microcosms, and specifically inhibited AOB growth, activity and N 2 O production. In unamended soils, ammonia oxidation and N 2 O production were lower and resulted mainly from ammonia oxidation by AOA. The AOA N 2 O yield relative to nitrite produced was half that of AOB, likely due to additional enzymatic mechanisms in the latter, but ammonia oxidation and N 2 O production were directly linked in all treatments. Relative contributions of AOA and AOB to N 2 O production, therefore, reflect their respective contributions to ammonia oxidation. These results suggest potential mitigation strategies for N 2 O emissions from fertilised agricultural soils. © 2016 The Authors. Environmental Microbiology published by Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A Dempster-Shafer Method for Multi-Sensor Fusion

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-01

Sacroiliac Somatic Dysfunction .” The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 110(2): 81-86 (1 February 2010). http://www.jaoa.org/content/110/2/81/F3...cadence, stride length, step length, joint angles (hip, knee, ankle), speed, and ground contact time [11; 27]. These measurements are easy to obtain because...Conference of Radar. 393-396. Beijing: October 1996. 27. “ Joint Function & GAIT Analysis.” http://wings.buffalo.edu/eng/mae/courses/417- 517/Orthopaedic

AoA Region: South Asian Seas

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Naqvi, S.W.A.

is an environmental assessment for the entire Bay of Bengal region (BOBP/ REP/67) prepared for the Swedish Centre for Coastal Development and Management of Aquatic Resources by Holmgren (1994) under the Bay of Bengal Programme. This assessment provides information...-based activities (UNEP 2001) includes information on the South Asian Seas region. Under the Environment Management-Capacity Building Project implemented by the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests with funding support from the World Bank, the Integrated...

Separation and identification of phenolic compounds of extra virgin olive oil from Olea europaea L. by HPLC-DAD-SPE-NMR/MS. Identification of a new diastereoisomer of the aldehydic form of oleuropein aglycone.

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-Trujillo, Míriam; Gómez-Caravaca, Ana María; Segura-Carretero, Antonio; Fernández-Gutiérrez, Alberto; Parella, Teodor

2010-08-25

The phenolic fraction of a monovarietal extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) from Olea europaea L. var. Cornezuelo was studied by the hyphenated HPLC-DAD-SPE-NMR/MS techniques. This survey led to the identification of 25 main compounds. One was identified as a new diastereoisomer of the aldehydic form of oleuropein aglycone (AOA) and characterized by 1D and 2D NMR techniques. The relative configuration of this new AOA was determined as 5R*,8S*,9S* on the basis of the results obtained from the combination of NOE experiments and Monte Carlo conformational search calculations. Assuming, as for the described diastereoisomers, that the new AOA comes from the natural oleuropein aglycone (OA), the absolute configuration was proposed as 5S,8R,9R.

Influence of the formulation type (o/w, w/o/w emulsions and ointment on the topical delivery of paromomycin Influência da forma farmacêutica (emulsão múltipla A/O/A, emulsão O/A e pomada sobre a permeação e retenção cutânea da paromomicina

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Sérgio Fernandes de Oliveira Gomes

2004-09-01

Full Text Available Ointments containing paromomycin (PA have been used for topical treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Although influence of the vehicle on skin permeation is crucial for optimization of formulations containing PA, this aspect has not been investigated experimentally. In this study, we have evaluated the influence of the formulation type [oil-in-water (o/w, water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w emulsions and ointment] on in vitro release and skin permeation of PA and experiments were carried out on cellulose acetate membrane and skin biopsies from hairless mice, respectively. PA release from o/w emulsion (51.7% ± 0.9 of dose applied was faster than that observed for w/o/w emulsion (3.0% ± 0.5. PA absorption from o/w emulsion (87.1% ± 3.9 through stripped skin was 5 to 6 times higher than that observed for w/o/w multiple emulsion (14.7% ± 0.5 and ointment (16.6% ± 0.1. PA permeation through intact (normal skin was negligible for all tested formulations. Skin uptake from o/w emulsion (0.9% ± 0.1 was greater than that observed for w/o/w multiple emulsion (0.3% ± 0.1 and ointment (0.1% ± 0.1. These results suggest that a hydrophilic vehicle (o/w emulsion could be an interesting alternative to improve topical delivery of PA.Pomadas contendo paromomicina (PA são utilizadas no tratamento tópico da leishmaniose cutânea. Embora a influência do veículo seja crucial para otimização de formulações contendo PA, este aspecto não tem sido investigado experimentalmente. Neste estudo, nós avaliamos a influência do tipo de formulação [emulsões óleo-em-água (o/a, múltipla água-em-óleo-em-água (a/o/a e pomadas] sobre a liberação e permeação cutânea in vitro da PA e os experimentos foram conduzidos sobre membranas de acetato de celulose e biópsias de pele de camundongos glabros, respectivamente. A liberação de PA a partir da emulsão o/a (51,7% da dose aplicada foi mais rápida do que aquela observada a partir da emulsão múltipla a/o/a

Influence of water quality on nitrifier regrowth in two full-scale drinking water distribution systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Daniel B; Van Dyke, Michele I; Anderson, William B; Huck, Peter M

2015-12-01

The potential for regrowth of nitrifying microorganisms was monitored in 2 full-scale chloraminated drinking water distribution systems in Ontario, Canada, over a 9-month period. Quantitative PCR was used to measure amoA genes from ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), and these values were compared with water quality parameters that can influence nitrifier survival and growth, including total chlorine, ammonia, temperature, pH, and organic carbon. Although there were no severe nitrification episodes, AOB and AOA were frequently detected at low concentrations in samples collected from both distribution systems. A culture-based presence-absence test confirmed the presence of viable nitrifiers. AOB were usually present in similar or greater numbers than AOA in both systems. As well, AOB showed higher regrowth potential compared with AOA in both systems. Statistically significant correlations were measured between several water quality parameters of relevance to nitrification. Total chlorine was negatively correlated with both nitrifiers and heterotrophic plate count (HPC) bacteria, and ammonia levels were positively correlated with nitrifiers. Of particular importance was the strong correlation between HPC and AOB, which reinforced the usefulness of HPC as an operational parameter to measure general microbiological conditions in distribution systems.

Imageability and age of acquisition effects in disyllabic word recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Cortese, Michael J; Schock, Jocelyn

2013-01-01

Imageability and age of acquisition (AoA) effects, as well as key interactions between these variables and frequency and consistency, were examined via multiple regression analyses for 1,936 disyllabic words, using reaction time and accuracy measures from the English Lexicon Project. Both imageability and AoA accounted for unique variance in lexical decision and naming reaction time performance. In addition, across both tasks, AoA and imageability effects were larger for low-frequency words than high-frequency words, and imageability effects were larger for later acquired than earlier acquired words. In reading aloud, consistency effects in reaction time were larger for later acquired words than earlier acquired words, but consistency did not interact with imageability in the reaction time analysis. These results provide further evidence that multisyllabic word recognition is similar to monosyllabic word recognition and indicate that AoA and imageability are valid predictors of word recognition performance. In addition, the results indicate that meaning exerts a larger influence in the reading aloud of multisyllabic words than monosyllabic words. Finally, parallel-distributed-processing approaches provide a useful theoretical framework to explain the main effects and interactions.

Cognitive Functions in Ataxia with Oculomotor Apraxia Type 2

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Péter eKlivényi

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Background: Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 2 (AOA2 is characterized by cerebellar atrophy, peripheral neuropathy, oculomotor apraxia, and elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein levels. The disease is caused by a recessive mutation in the senataxin gene. Since it is a very rare cerebellar disorder, no detailed examination of cognitive functions in AOA2 has been published to date. The aim of the present study was to investigate the neuropsychological profile of a 54-year-old patient with AOA2. Methods: A broad range of neuropsychological examination protocol was administered including the following domains: short-term, working- and episodic- memories, executive functions, implicit sequence learning, and the temporal parameters of speech. Results: The performance on the Listening Span, Letter Fluency, Serial Reaction Time Task and pause ratio in speech was 2 or more standard deviations (SD lower compared to controls, and 1 SD lower on Backward Digit Span, Semantic Fluency, articulation rate and speech tempo. Conclusions: These findings indicate that the pathogenesis of the cerebrocerebellar circuit in AOA2 is responsible for the weaker coordination of complex cognitive functions such as working memory, executive functions, speech and sequence learning.

Experimental Investigation of the Root Cause Mechanism and Effectiveness of Mitigating Actions for Axial Offset Anomaly in Pressurized Water Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Said Abdel-Khalik

2005-01-01

Axial offset anomaly (AOA) in pressurized water reactors refers to the presence of a significantly larger measured negative axial offset deviation than predicted by core design calculations. The neutron flux depression in the upper half of high-power rods experiencing significant subcooled boiling is believed to be caused by the concentration of boron species within the crud layer formed on the cladding surface. Recent investigations of the root-cause mechanism for AOA [1,2] suggest that boron build-up on the fuel is caused by precipitation of lithium metaborate (LiBO2) within the crud in regions of subcooled boiling. Indirect evidence in support of this hypothesis was inferred from operating experience at Callaway, where lithium return and hide-out were, respectively, observed following power reductions and power increases when AOA was present. However, direct evidence of lithium metaborate precipitation within the crud has, heretofore, not been shown because of its retrograde solubility. To this end, this investigation has been undertaken in order to directly verify or refute the proposed root-cause mechanism of AOA, and examine the effectiveness of possible mitigating actions to limit its impact in high power PWR cores

One Year Sustain ability of Risk Factor Change from a 9-Week Workplace Intervention

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rush, E.C.; Cumin, M.B.; Migriauli, L.; Ferguson, L.R.; Plank, L.D.

2010-01-01

We examined the effect of a 9-week diet and physical activity intervention provided in the workplace by a group education session where personal dietary and physical activity goals were proposed. Measurements of anthropometry, fasting blood lipids, glucose and insulin, assays for antioxidant activity (AOA) and questionnaires were completed at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks in 50 healthy workers (50% male, mean age 46y). Followup measurements in 39 (56% male) were possible at 52 weeks. At week 3 a group dietary and physical activity motivational seminar was held. At week 6, half the group were supplied daily kiwifruit for 3 weeks with cross over at week 9 until week 12. Compared to baseline, lipid, glucose, insulin and AOA measurements were improved at 12 and 52 weeks. Body measurements did not change. Group diet and physical activity advice reinforced over 9 weeks is associated with a sustained improvement in cardiovascular risk factors at 52 weeks.

One Year Sustainability of Risk Factor Change from a 9-Week Workplace Intervention

Science.gov (United States)

Rush, Elaine C.; Cumin, Michelle B.; Migriauli, Lela; Ferguson, Lynnette R.; Plank, Lindsay D.

2009-01-01

We examined the effect of a 9-week diet and physical activity intervention provided in the workplace by a group education session where personal dietary and physical activity goals were proposed. Measurements of anthropometry, fasting blood lipids, glucose and insulin, assays for antioxidant activity (AOA) and questionnaires were completed at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks in 50 healthy workers (50% male, mean age 46y). Followup measurements in 39 (56% male) were possible at 52 weeks. At week 3 a group dietary and physical activity “motivational seminar” was held. At week 6, half the group were supplied daily kiwifruit for 3 weeks with cross over at week 9 until week 12. Compared to baseline, lipid, glucose, insulin and AOA measurements were improved at 12 and 52 weeks. Body measurements did not change. Group diet and physical activity advice reinforced over 9 weeks is associated with a sustained improvement in cardiovascular risk factors at 52 weeks. PMID:20169118

One Year Sustainability of Risk Factor Change from a 9-Week Workplace Intervention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elaine C. Rush

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We examined the effect of a 9-week diet and physical activity intervention provided in the workplace by a group education session where personal dietary and physical activity goals were proposed. Measurements of anthropometry, fasting blood lipids, glucose and insulin, assays for antioxidant activity (AOA and questionnaires were completed at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks in 50 healthy workers (50% male, mean age 46y. Followup measurements in 39 (56% male were possible at 52 weeks. At week 3 a group dietary and physical activity “motivational seminar” was held. At week 6, half the group were supplied daily kiwifruit for 3 weeks with cross over at week 9 until week 12. Compared to baseline, lipid, glucose, insulin and AOA measurements were improved at 12 and 52 weeks. Body measurements did not change. Group diet and physical activity advice reinforced over 9 weeks is associated with a sustained improvement in cardiovascular risk factors at 52 weeks.

Effects of reforestation on ammonia-oxidizing microbial community composition and abundance in subtropical acidic forest soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Ruo-Nan; Meng, Han; Wang, Yong-Feng; Gu, Ji-Dong

2018-06-01

Forest ecosystems have great ecological values in mitigation of climate change and protection of biodiversity of flora and fauna; re-forestry is commonly used to enhance the sequestration of atmospheric CO 2 into forest storage biomass. Therefore, seasonal and spatial dynamics of the major microbial players in nitrification, ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), in acidic soils of young and matured revegetated forests were investigated to elucidate the changes of microbial communities during forest restoration, and compared to delineate the patterns of community shifts under the influences of environmental factors. AOA were more abundant than AOB in both young and matured revegetated forest soils in both summer and winter seasons. In summer, however, the abundance of amoA-AOA decreased remarkably (p < 0.01), ranging from 1.90 (± 0.07) × 10 8 copies per gram dry soil in matured forest to 5.04 (± 0.43) × 10 8 copies per gram dry soil in young forest, and amoA-AOB was below detection limits to obtain any meaningful values. Moreover, exchangeable Al 3+ and organic matter were found to regulate the physiologically functional nitrifiers, especially AOA abundance in acidic forest soils. AOB community in winter showed stronger correlation with the restoration status of revegetated forests and AOA community dominated by Nitrosotalea devanaterra, in contrast, was more sensitive to the seasonal and spatial variations of environmental factors. These results enrich the current knowledge of nitrification during re-forestry and provide valuable information to developmental status of revegetated forests for management through microbial analysis.

Age of Acquisition Effects on Word Processing for Chinese Native Learners’ English: ERP Evidence for the Arbitrary Mapping Hypothesis

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Jin Xue

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The present study aimed at distinguishing processing of early learned L2 words from late ones for Chinese natives who learn English as a foreign language. Specifically, we examined whether the age of acquisition (AoA effect arose during the arbitrary mapping from conceptual knowledge onto linguistic units. The behavior and ERP data were collected when 28 Chinese-English bilinguals were asked to perform semantic relatedness judgment on word pairs, which represented three stages of word learning (i.e., primary school, junior and senior high schools. A 3 (AoA: early vs. intermediate vs. late × 2 (regularity: regular vs. irregular × 2 (semantic relatedness: related vs. unrelated × 2 (hemisphere: left vs. right × 3 (brain area: anterior vs. central vs. posterior within-subjects design was adopted. Results from the analysis of N100 and N400 amplitudes showed that early learned words had an advantage in processing accuracy and speed; there is a tendency that the AoA effect was more pronounced for irregular word pairs and in the semantic related condition. More important, ERP results showed early acquired words induced larger N100 amplitudes for early AoA words in the parietal area and more negative-going N400 than late acquire words in the frontal and central regions. The results indicate the locus of the AoA effect might derive from the arbitrary mapping between word forms and semantic concepts, and early acquired words have more semantic interconnections than late acquired words.

Species richness and distribution of chondrichthyan fishes in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lynghammar, A.; Christiansen, J. S.; Mecklenburg, C. W.

2013-01-01

The sea ice cover decreases and human activity increases in Arctic waters. Fisheries and bycatch issues, shipping and petroleum exploitation (pollution issues) make it imperative to establish biological baselines for the marine fishes inhabiting the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas (AOAS). Species...... richness, zoogeographic affiliations and Red List statuses among chondrichthyan fishes (Chondrichthyes) were examined across 16 AOAS regions as a first step towards credible conservation actions. Published literature and museum vouchers were consulted for presence/absence data. Although many regions...... are poorly sampled, 49 chondrichthyan species have been reported from the AOAS. Skates and rays are the most species-rich taxon, represented by 27 species in family Rajidae and one species in family Dasyatidae. The sharks comprise 20 species in 13 families and the chimaeras one species in family Chimaeridae...

An evaluation of several methods of determining the local angle of attack on wind turbine blades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guntur, S; Sørensen, N N

2014-01-01

Several methods of determining the angles of attack (AOAs) on wind turbine blades are discussed in this paper. A brief survey of the methods that have been used in the past are presented, and the advantages of each method are discussed relative to their application in the BEM theory. Data from existing as well as new full rotor CFD computations of the MEXICO rotor are used in this analysis. A more accurate estimation of the AOA is possible from 3D full rotor CFD computations, but when working with experimental data, pressure measurements and sectional forces are often the only data available. The aim of this work is to analyse the reliability of some of the simpler methods of estimating the 3D effective AOA compared some of the more rigorous CFD based methods

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2018-04-01

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

Assessing the extent of decomposition of natural organic materials using solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baddock, J.A.; Oades, J.M.; Nelson, P.N.; Skene, T.M.; Golchin, A.; Clarke, P.

1997-01-01

Solid-state 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has become an important tool for examining the chemical structure of natural organic materials and the chemical changes associated with decomposition. In this paper, solid-state 13 C NMR data pertaining to changes in the chemical composition of a diverse range of natural organic materials, including wood, peat, composts, forest litter layers, and organic materials in surface layers of mineral soils, were reviewed with the objective of deriving an index of the extent of decomposition of such organic materials based on changes in chemical composition. Chemical changes associated with the decomposition of wood varied considerably and were dependent on a strong interaction between the species of wood examined and the species composition of the microbial decomposer community, making the derivation of a single general index applicable to wood decomposition unlikely. For the remaining forms of natural organic residues, decomposition was almost always associated with an increased content of alkyl C and a decreased content of O-alkyl C. The concomitant increase and decrease in alkyl and O-alkyl C contents, respectively, suggested that the ratio of alkyl to O-alkyl carbon (A/O-A ratio) may provide a sensitive index of the extent of decomposition. Contrary to the traditional view that humic substances with an aromatic core accumulate as decomposition proceeds, changes in the aromatic region were variable and suggested a relationship with the activity of lignin-degrading fungi. The A/O-A ratio did appear to provide a sensitive index of extent of decomposition provided that its use was restricted to situations where the organic materials were derived from a common starting material. In addition, the potential for adsorption of highly decomposable materials on mineral soil surfaces and the impacts which such an adsorption may have on bioavailability required consideration when the A/O-A ratio was used to assess the

The journal 'chiropractic & osteopathy' changes its title to 'chiropractic & manual therapies'. a new name, a new era

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walker Bruce F

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Chiropractic & Osteopathy changes its title to Chiropractic & Manual Therapies in January 2011. This change reflects the expanding base of submissions from clinical scientists interested in the discipline of manual therapy. It is also in accord with the findings of a review of the journal content and a joint venture between the original parent organisation the Chiropractic and Osteopathic College of Australasia and a new partner the European Academy of Chiropractic, which is a subsidiary body of the European Chiropractors' Union. The title change should encourage submissions from all professionals interested in manual therapy including chiropractors, osteopaths, physiotherapists, medical doctors and scientists interested in this field.

Neural convergence for language comprehension and grammatical class production in highly proficient bilinguals is independent of age of acquisition.

Science.gov (United States)

Consonni, Monica; Cafiero, Riccardo; Marin, Dario; Tettamanti, Marco; Iadanza, Antonella; Fabbro, Franco; Perani, Daniela

2013-05-01

In bilinguals, native (L1) and second (L2) languages are processed by the same neural resources that can be modulated by age of second language acquisition (AOA), proficiency level, and daily language exposure and usage. AOA seems to particularly affect grammar processing, where a complete neural convergence has been shown only in bilinguals with parallel language acquisition from birth. Despite the fact that proficiency-related neuroanatomical differences have been well documented in language comprehension (LC) and production, few reports have addressed the influence of language exposure. A still unanswered question pertains to the role of AOA, when proficiency is comparably high across languages, with respect to its modulator effects both on LC and production. Here, we evaluated with fMRI during sentence comprehension and verb and noun production tasks, two groups of highly proficient bilinguals only differing in AOA. One group learned Italian and Friulian in parallel from birth, whereas the second group learned Italian between 3 and 6 years. All participants were highly exposed to both languages, but more to Italian than Friulian. The results indicate a complete overlap of neural activations for the comprehension of both languages, not only in bilinguals from birth, but also in late bilinguals. A slightly extra activation in the left thalamus for the less-exposed language confirms that exposure may affect language processing. Noteworthy, we report for the first time that, when proficiency and exposure are kept high, noun and verb production recruit the same neural networks for L1 and L2, independently of AOA. These results support the neural convergence hypothesis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abundance and diversity of archaeal accA gene in hot springs in Yunnan Province, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Zhao-Qi; Wang, Li; Wang, Feng-Ping; Jiang, Hong-Chen; Chen, Jin-Quan; Zhou, En-Min; Liang, Feng; Xiao, Xiang; Li, Wen-Jun

2013-09-01

It has been suggested that archaea carrying the accA gene, encoding the alpha subunit of the acetyl CoA carboxylase, autotrophically fix CO2 using the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate pathway in low-temperature environments (e.g., soils, oceans). However, little new information has come to light regarding the occurrence of archaeal accA genes in high-temperature ecosystems. In this study, we investigated the abundance and diversity of archaeal accA gene in hot springs in Yunnan Province, China, using DNA- and RNA-based phylogenetic analyses and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that archaeal accA genes were present and expressed in the investigated Yunnan hot springs with a wide range of temperatures (66-96 °C) and pH (4.3-9.0). The majority of the amplified archaeal accA gene sequences were affiliated with the ThAOA/HWCG III [thermophilic ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA)/hot water crenarchaeotic group III]. The archaeal accA gene abundance was very close to that of AOA amoA gene, encoding the alpha subunit of ammonia monooxygenase. These data suggest that AOA in terrestrial hot springs might acquire energy from ammonia oxidation coupled with CO2 fixation using the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate pathway.

Inhibition of bacterial ammonia oxidation by organohydrazines in soil microcosms

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Yucheng eWu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Hydroxylamine oxidation by hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (HAO is a key step for energy-yielding in support of the growth of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB. Organohydrazines have been shown to inactivate HAO from Nitrosomonas europaea, and may serve as selective inhibitors to differentiate bacterial from archaeal ammonia oxidation due to the absence of bacterial HAO gene homologue in known ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA. In this study, the effects of three organohydrazines on activity, abundance and composition of AOB and AOA were evaluated in soil microcosms. The results indicate that phenylhydrazine and methylhydrazine at the concentration of 100 mol per gram dry weight soil completely suppressed the activity of soil nitrification. DGGE fingerprinting and sequencing analysis of bacterial ammonia monooxygenase subunit A gene (amoA clearly demonstrated that nitrification activity change is well paralleled with the growth of Nitrosomonas europaea-like AOB in soil microcosms. No significant correlation between AOA community structure and nitrification activity was observed among all treatments during the incubation period, although incomplete inhibition of nitrification activity occurred in 2-hydroxyethylhydrazine-amended soil microcosms. These findings show that the HAO-targeted organohydrazines can effectively inhibit bacterial nitrification in soil, and the mechanism of organohydrazine affecting AOA remains unclear.

Methodological inaccuracies in clinical aortic valve severity assessment: insights from computational fluid dynamic modeling of CT-derived aortic valve anatomy

Science.gov (United States)

Traeger, Brad; Srivatsa, Sanjay S.; Beussman, Kevin M.; Wang, Yechun; Suzen, Yildirim B.; Rybicki, Frank J.; Mazur, Wojciech; Miszalski-Jamka, Tomasz

2016-04-01

Aortic stenosis is the most common valvular heart disease. Assessing the contribution of the valve as a portion to total ventricular load is essential for the aging population. A CT scan for one patient was used to create one in vivo tricuspid aortic valve geometry and assessed with computational fluid dynamics (CFD). CFD simulated the pressure, velocity, and flow rate, which were used to assess the Gorlin formula and continuity equation, current clinical diagnostic standards. The results demonstrate an underestimation of the anatomic orifice area (AOA) by Gorlin formula and overestimation of AOA by the continuity equation, using peak velocities, as would be measured clinically by Doppler echocardiography. As a result, we suggest that the Gorlin formula is unable to achieve the intended estimation of AOA and largely underestimates AOA at the critical low-flow states present in heart failure. The disparity in the use of echocardiography with the continuity equation is due to the variation in velocity profile between the outflow tract and the valve orifice. Comparison of time-averaged orifice areas by Gorlin and continuity with instantaneous orifice areas by planimetry can mask the errors of these methods, which is a result of the assumption that the blood flow is inviscid.

Extraction of airfoil data using PIV and pressure measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Hua; Shen, Wen Zhong; Sørensen, Jens Nørkær

2011-01-01

of the rotor. The extraction technique is verified by employing the derived airfoil characteristics as input to computations using the BEM technique and comparing the calculated axial and tangential forces to the measured data. The comparison also demonstrates that the used technique of determining the AOA...... airfoil data are compared to 2D data from wind tunnel experiments and XFOIL computations. The comparison suggests that the rotor is subject to severe 3D effects originating from the geometry of the rotor, and explains why the Blade Element Momentum technique with 2D airfoil data over‐predicts the loading......A newly developed technique for determining the angle of attack (AOA) on a rotating blade is used to extract AOAs and airfoil data from measurements obtained during the MEXICO (Model rotor EXperiments in COntrolled conditions) rotor experiment. Detailed surface pressure and Particle Image...

Relationship of residency program characteristics with pass rate of the American Board of Internal Medicine certifying exam

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Amporn Atsawarungruangkit

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between the pass rate of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM certifying exam and the characteristics of residency programs. Methods: The study used a retrospective, cross-sectional design with publicly available data from the ABIM and the Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database. All categorical residency programs with reported pass rates were included. Using univariate and multivariate, linear regression analyses, I analyzed how 69 factors (e.g., location, general information, number of faculty and trainees, work schedule, educational environment are related to the pass rate. Results: Of 371 programs, only one region had a significantly different pass rate from the other regions; however, as no other characteristics were reported in this region, I excluded program location from further analysis. In the multivariate analysis, pass rate was significantly associated with four program characteristics: ratio of full-time equivalent paid faculty to positions, percentage of osteopathic doctors, formal mentoring program, and on-site child care (OCC. Numerous factors were not associated at all, including minimum exam scores, salary, vacation days, and average hours per week. Conclusions: As shown through the ratio of full-time equivalent paid faculty to positions and whether there was a formal mentoring program, a highly supervised training experience was strongly associated with the pass rate. In contrast, percentage of osteopathic doctors was inversely related to the pass rate. Programs with OCC significantly outperformed programs without OCC. This study suggested that enhancing supervision of training programs and offering parental support may help attract and produce competitive residents.

Generation Y and the Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency Match: A Cross-sectional Study of the 2011 Match Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Narayan, Deepak

2013-01-01

Background: Plastic surgery is the most competitive specialty in medicine. We sought to identify factors associated with the successful match of generation Y applicants into integrated plastic surgery residency. Methods: We utilized the most recent data from the Charting Outcomes in the Match published by the National Resident Matching Program in 2011. We had data on US senior or independent applicant status, Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) status, attendance of top 40 medical schools, advanced degree status, and number of contiguous ranks within plastic surgery. Our main outcome measure was match status. Results: A total of 81 out of 197 applicants (41.1%) successfully matched into integrated plastic surgery in the 2011 main match. US seniors matched at a significantly higher rate compared to independent applicants (44.0% vs 24.1%, P = 0.044). Matched US seniors were more likely to have AOA membership compared to unmatched US seniors (45.9% vs 27.7%, P = 0.014) and attend a top 40 medical school (52.7% vs 35.1%, P = 0.022). There were no differences in terms of advanced degrees between matched and unmatched US seniors. Unmatched US seniors were more likely to have 3 or fewer contiguous ranks of plastic surgery residency programs than matched US seniors (86.2% vs 68.9%, P = 0.007). Conclusions: US senior status, AOA membership, and attendance at a top 40 medical school are predictors of matching into integrated plastic surgery. Program directors need to be aware of the background of the millennial applicants to recruit and maintain top residents. PMID:25289227

Composition of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and their contribution to nitrification in a high-temperature hot spring

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, S.; Peng, X.-T.; Xu, H.-C.; Ta, K.-W.

2015-10-01

The oxidation of ammonia by microbes and associated organisms has been shown to occur in diverse natural environments. However, the contribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea to nitrification in high-temperature environments remains unclear. Here, we studied in situ ammonia oxidation rates and the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in surface and bottom sediments at 77 °C in the Gongxiaoshe hot spring, Tengchong, Yunnan, China. The in situ ammonia oxidation rates measured by the 15N-NO3- pool dilution technique in the surface sinter and bottom sediments were 4.8 and 5.3 nmol N g-1 h-1, respectively. Relative abundances of Crenarchaea in both samples were determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA genes showed high sequence similarity to thermophilic "Candidatus Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii", which represented the most abundant operation taxonomic units (OTU) in both sediments. Furthermore, bacterial amoA was not detected in this study. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) indicated that AOA and 16S rRNA genes were present in the range of 2.75 to 9.80 × 105 and 0.128 to 1.96 × 108 gene copies g-1 sediment. The cell-specific nitrification rates were estimated to be in the range of 0.41 to 0.79 fmol N archaeal cell-1 h-1, which is consistent with earlier estimates in estuary environments. This study demonstrated that AOA were widely involved in nitrification in this hot spring. It further indicated the importance of archaea rather than bacteria in driving the nitrogen cycle in terrestrial geothermal environments.

The Co-Distribution of Nitrifying Archaea and Diazotrophic Bacteria in Geothermal Springs

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton, T. L.; Jewell, T. N. M.; de la Torre, J. R.; Boyd, E. S.

2014-12-01

Microbial processes that regulate availability of nutrients play key roles in shaping community composition. All life requires fixed nitrogen (N), and its bioavailability is what often limits ecosystem productivity. Biological nitrogen fixation, or the reduction of dinitrogen (N2) to ammonia (NH3), is a keystone process in N limited ecosystems, providing nitrogen for members of the community. N2 fixing organisms likely represent a 'bottom up control' on the structure of communities that develop in N limited environments. N2 fixation is catalyzed by a limited number of metabolically diverse bacteria and some methanogenic archaea and occurs in a variety of physically and geochemically diverse environments. Nitrification, or the sequential oxidation of NH4+ to nitrite (NO2-) and ultimately nitrate (NO3-), is catalyzed by several lineages of Proteobacteria at temperatures of < 62°C and by members of the Thaumarcheota at temperatures up to 90°C. Nitrification can thus be considered a 'top down control' on the structure of communities that develop in N limited environments. Our research in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) reveals a strong correspondence between the distribution of ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) and nitrogen fixing aquificae (NFA) in nitrogen-limited geothermal hot springs over large environmental gradients. Based on the physiology of AOA and NFA, we propose that the strong co-distributional pattern results from interspecies interactions, namely competition for bioavailable ammonia. Our recent work has shown that in springs where the niche dimension of AOA and NFA overlap (e.g., Perpetual Spouter; pH 7.1, 86.4°C), the dissimilar affinities for NH4 result in AOA metabolism maintaining a low NH4(T) pool and selecting for inclusion of NFA during the assembly of these communities. Here, we examine in situ physiological interactions of AOA and NFA, tracking changes in transcript levels of key genes involved in nitrogen metabolism and carbon fixation of

Pitch control margin at high angle of attack - Quantitative requirements (flight test correlation with simulation predictions)

Science.gov (United States)

Lackey, J.; Hadfield, C.

1992-01-01

Recent mishaps and incidents on Class IV aircraft have shown a need for establishing quantitative longitudinal high angle of attack (AOA) pitch control margin design guidelines for future aircraft. NASA Langley Research Center has conducted a series of simulation tests to define these design guidelines. Flight test results have confirmed the simulation studies in that pilot rating of high AOA nose-down recoveries were based on the short-term response interval in the forms of pitch acceleration and rate.

Ratings of age of acquisition of 299 words across 25 languages

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Magdalena, Luniewska,; Haman, Ewa; Armon Lotem, Sharon

2016-01-01

We present a new set of subjective age-of acquisition (AoA) ratings for 299 words (158 nouns, 141 verbs) in 25 languages from five language families (Afro- Asiatic: Semitic languages; Altaic: one Turkic language: Indo-European: Baltic, Celtic, Germanic, Hellenic, Slavic, and Romance languages......; Niger-Congo: one Bantu language; Uralic: Finnic and Ugric languages). Adult native speakers reported the age at which they had learned each word. We present a comparison of the AoA ratings across all languages by contrasting them in pairs. This comparison shows a consistency in the orders of ratings...... across the 25 languages. The data were then analyzed (1) to ascertain how the demographic characteristics of the participants influenced AoA estimations and (2) to assess differences caused by the exact form of the target question (when did you learn vs. when do children learn this word); (3) to compare...

Psycholinguistic norms and face naming times for photographs of celebrities in French.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonin, Patrick; Perret, Cyril; Méot, Alain; Ferrand, Ludovic; Mermillod, Martial

2008-02-01

A set of 105 photographs of celebrities has been standardized in French on distinctiveness, proper name agreement, face agreement, age of acquisition (AoA), and subjective frequency. Statistics on the collected variables for photographs are provided. The relationships between these variables have been analyzed. Face naming latencies have also been collected for the photographs of celebrities, and several multiple regression analyses have been carried out on naming latencies and percentages of tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) phenomena. Themain determinants of naming speed included AoA, face agreement, and name agreement. In addition, AoA, together with distinctiveness and face agreement, reliably predicted the percentages of TOTs. The norms, photographs of the celebrities, and spoken naming latencies corresponding to the celebrities are available on the Internet at norms.celebrities.googlepages.com and should be of great use to researchers interested in the processing of famous people.

Use of aliphatic n-alkynes to discriminate soil nitrification activities of ammonia-oxidizing thaumarchaea and bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Anne E; Vajrala, Neeraja; Giguere, Andrew T; Gitelman, Alix I; Arp, Daniel J; Myrold, David D; Sayavedra-Soto, Luis; Bottomley, Peter J

2013-11-01

Ammonia (NH3)-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and thaumarchaea (AOA) co-occupy most soils, yet no short-term growth-independent method exists to determine their relative contributions to nitrification in situ. Microbial monooxygenases differ in their vulnerability to inactivation by aliphatic n-alkynes, and we found that NH3 oxidation by the marine thaumarchaeon Nitrosopumilus maritimus was unaffected during a 24-h exposure to ≤ 20 μM concentrations of 1-alkynes C8 and C9. In contrast, NH3 oxidation by two AOB (Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrosospira multiformis) was quickly and irreversibly inactivated by 1 μM C8 (octyne). Evidence that nitrification carried out by soilborne AOA was also insensitive to octyne was obtained. In incubations (21 or 28 days) of two different whole soils, both acetylene and octyne effectively prevented NH4(+)-stimulated increases in AOB population densities, but octyne did not prevent increases in AOA population densities that were prevented by acetylene. Furthermore, octyne-resistant, NH4(+)-stimulated net nitrification rates of 2 and 7 μg N/g soil/day persisted throughout the incubation of the two soils. Other evidence that octyne-resistant nitrification was due to AOA included (i) a positive correlation of octyne-resistant nitrification in soil slurries of cropped and noncropped soils with allylthiourea-resistant activity (100 μM) and (ii) the finding that the fraction of octyne-resistant nitrification in soil slurries correlated with the fraction of nitrification that recovered from irreversible acetylene inactivation in the presence of bacterial protein synthesis inhibitors and with the octyne-resistant fraction of NH4(+)-saturated net nitrification measured in whole soils. Octyne can be useful in short-term assays to discriminate AOA and AOB contributions to soil nitrification.

Community Composition and Transcriptional Activity of Ammonia-Oxidizing Prokaryotes of Seagrass Thalassia hemprichii in Coral Reef Ecosystems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Ling

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Seagrasses in coral reef ecosystems play important ecological roles by enhancing coral reef resilience under ocean acidification. However, seagrass primary productivity is typically constrained by limited nitrogen availability. Ammonia oxidation is an important process conducted by ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA and bacteria (AOB, yet little information is available concerning the community structure and potential activity of seagrass AOA and AOB. Therefore, this study investigated the variations in the abundance, diversity and transcriptional activity of AOA and AOB at the DNA and transcript level from four sample types: the leaf, root, rhizosphere sediment and bulk sediment of seagrass Thalassia hemprichii in three coral reef ecosystems. DNA and complementary DNA (cDNA were used to prepare clone libraries and DNA and cDNA quantitative PCR (qPCR assays, targeting the ammonia monooxygenase-subunit (amoA genes as biomarkers. Our results indicated that the closest relatives of the obtained archaeal and bacterial amoA gene sequences recovered from DNA and cDNA libraries mainly originated from the marine environment. Moreover, all the obtained AOB sequences belong to the Nitrosomonadales cluster. Nearly all the AOA communities exhibited higher diversity than the AOB communities at the DNA level, but the qPCR data demonstrated that the abundances of AOB communities were higher than that of AOA communities based on both DNA and RNA transcripts. Collectively, most of the samples shared greater community composition similarity with samples from the same location rather than sample type. Furthermore, the abundance of archaeal amoA gene in rhizosphere sediments showed significant relationships with the ammonium concentration of sediments and the nitrogen content of plant tissue (leaf and root at the DNA level (P < 0.05. Conversely, no such relationships were found for the AOB communities. This work provides new insight into the nitrogen cycle

Individual language experience modulates rapid formation of cortical memory circuits for novel words

Science.gov (United States)

Kimppa, Lilli; Kujala, Teija; Shtyrov, Yury

2016-01-01

Mastering multiple languages is an increasingly important ability in the modern world; furthermore, multilingualism may affect human learning abilities. Here, we test how the brain’s capacity to rapidly form new representations for spoken words is affected by prior individual experience in non-native language acquisition. Formation of new word memory traces is reflected in a neurophysiological response increase during a short exposure to novel lexicon. Therefore, we recorded changes in electrophysiological responses to phonologically native and non-native novel word-forms during a perceptual learning session, in which novel stimuli were repetitively presented to healthy adults in either ignore or attend conditions. We found that larger number of previously acquired languages and earlier average age of acquisition (AoA) predicted greater response increase to novel non-native word-forms. This suggests that early and extensive language experience is associated with greater neural flexibility for acquiring novel words with unfamiliar phonology. Conversely, later AoA was associated with a stronger response increase for phonologically native novel word-forms, indicating better tuning of neural linguistic circuits to native phonology. The results suggest that individual language experience has a strong effect on the neural mechanisms of word learning, and that it interacts with the phonological familiarity of the novel lexicon. PMID:27444206

The deep-sea glass sponge Lophophysema eversa harbours potential symbionts responsible for the nutrient conversions of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Ren-Mao; Sun, Jin; Cai, Lin; Zhang, Wei-Peng; Zhou, Guo-Wei; Qiu, Jian-Wen; Qian, Pei-Yuan

2016-09-01

Glass sponge (Hexactinellida, Porifera) is a special lineage because of its unique tissue organization and skeleton material. Structure and physiology of glass sponge have been extensively studied. However, our knowledge of the glass sponge-associated microbial community and of the interaction with the host is rather limited. Here, we performed genomic studies on the microbial community in the glass sponge Lophophysema eversa in seamount. The microbial community was dominated by an ammonia-oxidizing archaeum (AOA), a nitrite-oxidizing bacterium (NOB) and a sulfur-oxidizing bacterium (SOB), all of which were autotrophs. Genomic analysis on the AOA, NOB and SOB in the sponge revealed specific functional features of sponge-associated microorganisms in comparison with the closely related free-living relatives, including chemotaxis, phage defence, vitamin biosynthesis and nutrient uptake among others, which are related to ecological functions. The three autotrophs play essential roles in the cycles of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur in the microenvironment inside the sponge body, and they are considered to play symbiotic roles in the host as scavengers of toxic ammonia, nitrite and sulfide. Our study extends knowledge regarding the metabolism and the evolution of chemolithotrophs inside the invertebrate body. © 2015 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Novel Spectroscopic and Electrochemical Sensors and Nanoprobes for the Characterization of Food and Biological Antioxidants.

Science.gov (United States)

Apak, Reşat; Demirci Çekiç, Sema; Üzer, Ayşem; Çelik, Saliha Esin; Bener, Mustafa; Bekdeşer, Burcu; Can, Ziya; Sağlam, Şener; Önem, Ayşe Nur; Erçağ, Erol

2018-01-11

Since an unbalanced excess of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) causes various diseases, determination of antioxidants that can counter oxidative stress is important in food and biological analyses. Optical/electrochemical nanosensors have attracted attention in antioxidant activity (AOA) assessment because of their increased sensitivity and selectivity. Optical sensors offer advantages such as low cost, flexibility, remote control, speed, miniaturization and on-site/in situ analysis. Electrochemical sensors using noble metal nanoparticles on modified electrodes better catalyze bioelectrochemical reactions. We summarize the design principles of colorimetric sensors and nanoprobes for food antioxidants (including electron-transfer based and ROS/RNS scavenging assays) and important milestones contributed by our laboratory. We present novel sensors and nanoprobes together with their mechanisms and analytical performances. Our colorimetric sensors for AOA measurement made use of cupric-neocuproine and ferric-phenanthroline complexes immobilized on a Nafion membrane. We recently designed an optical oxidant/antioxidant sensor using N , N -dimethyl- p -phenylene diamine (DMPD) as probe, from which ROS produced colored DMPD-quinone cationic radicals electrostatically retained on a Nafion membrane. The attenuation of initial color by antioxidants enabled indirect AOA estimation. The surface plasmon resonance absorption of silver nanoparticles as a result of enlargement of citrate-reduced seed particles by antioxidant addition enabled a linear response of AOA. We determined biothiols with Ellman reagent-derivatized gold nanoparticles.

Still in the closet: the invisible minority in medical education

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background To investigate the relationship between sexual orientation and gender identity in regard to levels of depression; levels of perceived social support; comfort with disclosure of orientation; and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) campus climate. Methods E-mail invitations to participate in the current cross-sectional questionnaire-based study were sent to all thirty US osteopathic medical schools in August 2012; six schools responded and disseminated the survey to their students. Participating students completed an anonymous web-based survey, and informed consent was obtained when they accessed the survey. The survey was designed specifically for the current study but contained scales used with permission from previously published research. Analysis procedures included nonparametric tests, one-way analysis of variance and Pearson’s correlations. Results Of the 4112 students invited to participate in the survey, 1334 (32.4%) completed it. Approximately 85% of respondents self-identified as heterosexual only. No respondents identified as transgender. In general, LGB students indicated higher levels of depression (P LGBT campus climate in osteopathic medical students. In the future, osteopathic medical schools should consider closely examining their campus culture in order to create a more positive and inclusive environment for all its students. PMID:25128252

Determination of the angle of attack on rotor blades

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shen, Wen Zhong; Hansen, Martin Otto Laver; Sørensen, Jens Nørkær

2009-01-01

Two simple methods for determining the angle of attack (AOA) on a section of a rotor blade are proposed. Both techniques consist of employing the Biot-Savart integral to determine the influence of the bound vorticity on the velocity field. In the first technique, the force distribution along...... the blade and the velocity at a monitor point in the vicinity of the blade are assumed to be known from experiments or CFD computations. The AOA is determined by subtracting the velocity induced by the bound circulation, determined from the loading, from the velocity at the monitor point. In the second...... to be located closer to the blade, and thus to determine the AOA with higher accuracy. Data from CFD computations for flows past the Tellus 95 kW wind turbine at different wind speeds are used to test both techniques. Comparisons show that the proposed methods are in good agreement with existing techniques...

Antioxidant activities of tocopherols/tocotrienols and lipophilic antioxidant capacity of wheat, vegetable oils, milk and milk cream by using photochemiluminescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Karmowski, Jasmin; Hintze, Victoria; Kschonsek, Josephine; Killenberg, Margrit; Böhm, Volker

2015-05-15

The purpose of this study was to measure the antioxidant activity (AOA) of tocopherols and tocotrienols by using photochemiluminescence (PCL). This method enables to detect total lipophilic antioxidants. The AOA of all vitamin E isomers depended on number and position of methyl groups in the chroman ring. Correlation between the AOA and the redox potential and the biological activity of the tocochromanols was observed. The second aim was to analyse different kinds of wheat, vegetable oils, milk and milk cream on their antioxidant capacity (AOC) by using PCL and α-TEAC. The contents of vitamin E and carotenoids were analysed by HPLC. Correlations between the sum of carotenoids and vitamin E and the AOC were detected. Based on high vitamin E contents, the oils had the highest and in contrast, the product macaroni showed the lowest AOC. A concentration-dependent effect was observed in both assays, PCL and α-TEAC. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A robust nitrifying community in a bioreactor at 50 °C opens up the path for thermophilic nitrogen removal.

Science.gov (United States)

Courtens, Emilie Np; Spieck, Eva; Vilchez-Vargas, Ramiro; Bodé, Samuel; Boeckx, Pascal; Schouten, Stefan; Jauregui, Ruy; Pieper, Dietmar H; Vlaeminck, Siegfried E; Boon, Nico

2016-09-01

The increasing production of nitrogen-containing fertilizers is crucial to meet the global food demand, yet high losses of reactive nitrogen associated with the food production/consumption chain progressively deteriorate the natural environment. Currently, mesophilic nitrogen-removing microbes eliminate nitrogen from wastewaters. Although thermophilic nitrifiers have been separately enriched from natural environments, no bioreactors are described that couple these processes for the treatment of nitrogen in hot wastewaters. Samples from composting facilities were used as inoculum for the batch-wise enrichment of thermophilic nitrifiers (350 days). Subsequently, the enrichments were transferred to a bioreactor to obtain a stable, high-rate nitrifying process (560 days). The community contained up to 17% ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOAs) closely related to 'Candidatus Nitrososphaera gargensis', and 25% nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOBs) related to Nitrospira calida. Incorporation of (13)C-derived bicarbonate into the respective characteristic membrane lipids during nitrification supported their activity as autotrophs. Specific activities up to 198±10 and 894±81 mg N g(-1) VSS per day for AOAs and NOBs were measured, where NOBs were 33% more sensitive to free ammonia. The NOBs were extremely sensitive to free nitrous acid, whereas the AOAs could only be inhibited by high nitrite concentrations, independent of the free nitrous acid concentration. The observed difference in product/substrate inhibition could facilitate the development of NOB inhibition strategies to achieve more cost-effective processes such as deammonification. This study describes the enrichment of autotrophic thermophilic nitrifiers from a nutrient-rich environment and the successful operation of a thermophilic nitrifying bioreactor for the first time, facilitating opportunities for thermophilic nitrogen removal biotechnology.

Vida de vaso de inflorescências de Epidendrum ibaguense Kunth tratadas com inibidores de etileno

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MARCELO AMARAL DE MOURA

2010-12-01

Full Text Available O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência de inibidores da síntese e ação do etileno, incluindo ácido aminooxiacético (AOA, ácido aminoetoxivinilglicina (AVG, ácido acetilsalicílico (AAS e tiossulfato de prata (STS, aplicados na forma de pulverização ou solução de condicionamento sobre a qualidade de flores cortadas de Epidendrum ibaguense. As hastes foram colhidas e imediatamente submetidas aos seguintes tratamentos: (1 pulverização com 1,0 mM de AOA; (2 pulverização com 1,0 mM de AVG; (3 pulverização com 1,0 mM de AAS; (4 pulsing com 2,0 mM de STS, por 30 minutos; (5 pulverização com 1,0 mM de AOA + pulsing com 2,0 mM de STS, por 30 minutos; (6 pulverização com 1,0 mM de AVG + pulsing com 2,0 mM de STS; (7 pulverização com 1,0 mM de AAS + pulsing com 2,0 mM de STS; (8 pulverização + pulsing com água desionizada (controle. Após os tratamentos, as hastes foram mantidas em vasos com água desionizada, renovada a cada dois dias, para evitar o desenvolvimento de microrganismos. Ao final da longevidade, o qual variou de acordo com o tratamento, as inflorescências submetidas ao AVG e AVG + STS mostraram a maior porcentagem de abertura floral, visto que promoveram aumento de 49 e 88% em relação ao controle. A taxa de abscisão também foi influenciada pelos tratamentos, pois ao oitavo dia, as inflorescências controle apresentaram cerca de 51% de queda das flores, cujo início ocorreu, principalmente, a partir do quinto dia. As inflorescências tratadas ao AAS, AOA, STS, AVG, STS + AAS, STS + AOA e STS + AVG mostraram redução de 11, 39, 47, 71, 38, 61 e 86%, respectivamente. Além disso, houve atraso de 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 3 e 8 dias para o início da abscisão, respectivamente. A longevidade de E. ibaguense foi afetada pelos inibidores do etileno, mas com exceção de AAS e AOA, os demais tratamentos foram significativamente maiores que o controle. O STS, AVG, AAS + STS, AOA + STS e AVG + STS tiveram longevidade

Activation of Multiple Antibiotic Resistance in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Strains by Aryloxoalcanoic Acid Compounds

Science.gov (United States)

Balagué, Claudia; Véscovi, Eleonora García

2001-01-01

Clofibric and ethacrynic acids are prototypical pharmacological agents administered in the treatment of hypertrigliceridemia and as a diuretic agent, respectively. They share with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (the widely used herbicide known as 2,4-D) a chlorinated phenoxy structural moiety. These aryloxoalcanoic agents (AOAs) are mainly excreted by the renal route as unaltered or conjugated active compounds. The relatedness of these agents at the structural level and their potential effect on therapeutically treated or occupationally exposed individuals who are simultaneously undergoing a bacterial urinary tract infection led us to analyze their action on uropathogenic, clinically isolated Escherichia coli strains. We found that exposure to these compounds increases the bacterial resistance to an ample variety of antibiotics in clinical isolates of both uropathogenic and nonpathogenic E. coli strains. We demonstrate that the AOAs induce an alteration of the bacterial outer membrane permeability properties by the repression of the major porin OmpF in a micF-dependent process. Furthermore, we establish that the antibiotic resistance phenotype is primarily due to the induction of the MarRAB regulatory system by the AOAs, while other regulatory pathways that also converge into micF modulation (OmpR/EnvZ, SoxRS, and Lrp) remained unaltered. The fact that AOAs give rise to uropathogenic strains with a diminished susceptibility to antimicrobials highlights the impact of frequently underestimated or ignored collateral effects of chemical agents. PMID:11353631

Candidatus Nitrosocaldus cavascurensis, an Ammonia Oxidizing, Extremely Thermophilic Archaeon with a Highly Mobile Genome.

Science.gov (United States)

Abby, Sophie S; Melcher, Michael; Kerou, Melina; Krupovic, Mart; Stieglmeier, Michaela; Rossel, Claudia; Pfeifer, Kevin; Schleper, Christa

2018-01-01

Ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are widespread in moderate environments but their occurrence and activity has also been demonstrated in hot springs. Here we present the first enrichment of a thermophilic representative with a sequenced genome, which facilitates the search for adaptive strategies and for traits that shape the evolution of Thaumarchaeota. Candidatus Nitrosocaldus cavascurensis has been enriched from a hot spring in Ischia, Italy. It grows optimally at 68°C under chemolithoautotrophic conditions on ammonia or urea converting ammonia stoichiometrically into nitrite with a generation time of approximately 23 h. Phylogenetic analyses based on ribosomal proteins place the organism as a sister group to all known mesophilic AOA. The 1.58 Mb genome of Ca. N. cavascurensis harbors an amo AXCB gene cluster encoding ammonia monooxygenase and genes for a 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate pathway for autotrophic carbon fixation, but also genes that indicate potential alternative energy metabolisms. Although a bona fide gene for nitrite reductase is missing, the organism is sensitive to NO-scavenging, underlining the potential importance of this compound for AOA metabolism. Ca. N. cavascurensis is distinct from all other AOA in its gene repertoire for replication, cell division and repair. Its genome has an impressive array of mobile genetic elements and other recently acquired gene sets, including conjugative systems, a provirus, transposons and cell appendages. Some of these elements indicate recent exchange with the environment, whereas others seem to have been domesticated and might convey crucial metabolic traits.

Numerical investigation of unsteady vortex breakdown past 80°/65° double-delta wing

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Liu Jian

2014-06-01

Full Text Available An improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES method based on the k-ω-SST (shear stress transport turbulence model was applied to predict the unsteady vortex breakdown past an 80°/65° double-delta wing (DDW, where the angles of attack (AOAs range from 30° to 40°. Firstly, the IDDES model and the relative numerical methods were validated by simulating the massively separated flow around an NACA0021 straight wing at the AOA of 60°. The fluctuation properties of the lift and pressure coefficients were analyzed and compared with the available measurements. For the DDW case, the computations were compared with such measurements as the mean lift, drag, pitching moment, pressure coefficients and breakdown locations. Furthermore, the unsteady properties were investigated in detail, such as the frequencies of force and moments, pressure fluctuation on the upper surface, typical vortex breakdown patterns at three moments, and the distributions of kinetic turbulence energy at a stream wise section. Two dominated modes are observed, in which their Strouhal numbers are 1.0 at the AOAs of 30°, 32° and 34° and 0.7 at the AOAs of 36°, 38° and 40°. The breakdown vortex always moves upstream and downstream and its types change alternatively. Furthermore, the vortex can be identified as breakdown or not through the mean pressure, root mean square of pressure, or even through correlation analysis.

Antioxidant activity of commonly consumed cereals, millets, pulses and legumes in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Sreeramulu, D; Reddy, C Vijaya Kumar; Raghunath, M

2009-02-01

Plant foods are important due to their antioxidant activity (AOA) attributed to the phenolics which are known to protect organisms against harmful effects of oxygen radicals. However, information on antioxidant activity of Indian plant foods is scanty. Therefore, the present study evaluated the AOA of cereals, millets, pulses and legumes, commonly consumed in India and assessed the relationship with their total phenolic content (TPC). AOA was assessed by DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl) radical scavenging assay, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and reducing power. DPPH scavenging activity ranged from 0.24 and 1.73 mg/g, whereas FRAP ranged from 16.21 to 471.71 micromoles/g. Finger millet (Eleusine cora cana) and Rajmah (Phaseolus vulgaris) had the highest FRAP 471.71, 372.76 and DPPH scavenging activity 1.73, 1.07. Similar trends were observed with reducing power. Among cereals and legumes, Finger millet (Ragi) and black gram dhal (Phaseolus mungo Roxb) had the highest TPC, the values being 373 and 418 mg/100 g respectively, while rice (Oryza sativa) and green gram dhal (Phaseolus aureus Roxb) showed the least (47.6 and 62.4 mg/100 g). In the present study, FRAP (r = 0.91) and reducing power (r = 0.90) showed significant correlation with TPC in cereals and millets, but not in pulses and legumes. The results suggest that TPC contributes significantly to the AOA of Indian cereals and millets.

Field Demonstration of Fuel Crud Filtration System at Ulchin Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Duk-Won; Lee, Doo-Ho; Park, Jong-Youl; Choi, In-Kyu

2007-01-01

Crud deposited onto the fuel assemblies in nuclear power plants was not a serious problem until an upper core flux depression named Axial Offset Anomaly (AOA) was found at Callaway, USA in 1989. Though the mechanism of an AOA is not completely understood, crud is believed to be a key component of initiating AOA. After the sufficient amount of corrosion products in the reactor cooling system are deposited on the fuel clad by a sub-cooled nucleate boiling, boron is adsorbed in the crud. Thus a measurable reduction in the neutron flux occurs which causes an AOA problem. A filtration system has been developed to remove the fuel crud from irradiated fuel assemblies for mitigating the axial offset anomaly under a technical cooperation agreement with DEI (Dominion Engineering Inc.). This filtration system with a fuel cleaning fixture was successfully demonstrated at Ulchin plant unit 2. Within several minutes, detachable crud deposits were effectively removed from the clad surfaces of the fuel assembly. Also, to characterize the crud particles for each fuel assembly, a small crud sampling device and radiation monitor devices were connected to the filtration system during the cleaning operation. In this study, we completed a functional test and demonstration of an ultrasonic fuel cleaning system by using four spent fuel assemblies. It took only 5 minutes to remove the fuel crud from each fuel assembly. In addition, collective dose rates indicated an average of 8 R/Hr per assembly

Study of genes associated with the 'anger-in' and 'anger-out' emotions of humans using a rat model.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Yinghui; Zhang, Huiyun; Gao, Jie; Wei, Sheng; Song, Chunhong; Sun, Peng; Qiao, Mingqi

2015-04-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the genes associated with 'anger-in' (tendency to suppress anger) and 'anger-out' (tendency to express anger through verbal or physical means) emotions in humans. Wistar rats were divided into five groups (n=10/group), based on the type of model and the Chinese medicinal formulation administered, and the rat models were established. The five groups were as follows: Normal control (control), anger-in model (AIM), anger-in Jingqianshu-administered (AIA), anger-out model (AOM) and anger-out Jingqianping-administered (AOA). Open-field, resident-intruder and aggressive behavior tests were carried out, as well as gene expression analysis, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses. The body weights of the rats in the AIM and AOM groups were significantly lower than those of the control group rats. The open-field test indicated that the scores in the AOM group were significantly higher (Pemotions. Jingqianping and Jingqianshu granules attenuated the changes in the mRNA expression of 5-Htr2C , GABA B R2 and 5-Htr3B , as indicated by RT-qPCR, and showed similar effects on protein expression, as demonstrated by western blot analysis. The present study demonstrated that the anger-in and anger-out emotions of rats are closely associated with 5-Htr2C, GABA B R2 and 5-Htr3B genes, and that Jingqianshu and Jingqianping granules attenuate the abnormal behaviors of model rats. These findings may be useful for the treatment of emotional disorders associated with anger.

75 FR 49950 - Robert Wayne Mosier, D.O.; Denial of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-16

... Web site dated January 13, 2010, indicates that Respondent had undergone disciplinary action and that... Order further alleged that ``[a]s a result of actions by the Oklahoma State Board of Osteopathic...

AMAP Assessment 2013: Arctic Ocean acidification

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

This assessment report presents the results of the 2013 AMAP Assessment of Arctic Ocean Acidification (AOA). This is the first such assessment dealing with AOA from an Arctic-wide perspective, and complements several assessments that AMAP has delivered over the past ten years concerning the effects of climate change on Arctic ecosystems and people. The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) is a group working under the Arctic Council. The Arctic Council Ministers have requested AMAP to: - produce integrated assessment reports on the status and trends of the conditions of the Arctic ecosystems;

The inhibition of N2O production by ocean acidification in cold temperate and polar waters

Science.gov (United States)

Rees, Andrew P.; Brown, Ian J.; Jayakumar, Amal; Ward, Bess B.

2016-05-01

The effects of ocean acidification (OA) on nitrous oxide (N2O) production and on the community composition of ammonium oxidizing archaea (AOA) were examined in the northern and southern sub-polar and polar Atlantic Ocean. Two research cruises were performed during June 2012 between the North Sea and Arctic Greenland and Barent Seas, and in January-February 2013 to the Antarctic Scotia Sea. Seven stations were occupied in all during which shipboard experimental manipulations of the carbonate chemistry were performed through additions of NaHCO3-+HCl in order to examine the impact of short-term (48 h for N2O and between 96 and 168 h for AOA) exposure to control and elevated conditions of OA. During each experiment, triplicate incubations were performed at ambient conditions and at 3 lowered levels of pH which varied between 0.06 and 0.4 units according to the total scale and which were targeted at CO2 partial pressures of 500, 750 and 1000 μatm. The AOA assemblage in both Arctic and Antarctic regions was dominated by two major archetypes that represent the marine AOA clades most often detected in seawater. There were no significant changes in AOA assemblage composition between the beginning and end of the incubation experiments. N2O production was sensitive to decreasing pHT at all stations and decreased by between 2.4% and 44% with reduced pHT values of between 0.06 and 0.4. The reduction in N2O yield from nitrification was directly related to a decrease of between 28% and 67% in available NH3 as a result of the pH driven shift in the NH3:NH4+ equilibrium. The maximum reduction in N2O production at conditions projected for the end of the 21st century was estimated to be 0.82 Tg N y-1.

Cause and effect in childhood obesity: solutions for a national epidemic.

Science.gov (United States)

Wieting, J Michael

2008-10-01

Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. As a result, children are at increased risk for myriad preventable acute and chronic medical problems--many of which are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In addition, childhood obesity has serious psychosocial consequences, such as low self-esteem, lower quality of life, and depression. The multifaceted causes and solutions to this pervasive health issue are discussed in the present review, as are pertinent health policy issues. Osteopathic physicians and other healthcare providers can play an important role in patient and family education, direct care, and advocacy.

Antioxidant activity of salts of 2-(5-R-4-amino-1,2,4-triazole-3-ylthioacetic acid

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Ye. S. Pruglo

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Antioxidants are chemical structures that prevent the oxidation of other chemicals. They protect key cell components by neutralizing the harmful effect of free radicals which are natural products of cell metabolism. Oxidative stress leads to serious cell damage which results in various human diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, atherosclerosis, cancer, arthritis, neurodegenerative disorders etc. The deficiency of antioxidants in food also leads to oxidative stress, which indicates a lack of antioxidant substances consumed by humans. Therefore, the search of substances that could not only prevent but also increase the resistance of the human body to active forms of oxygen or nitrogen and interfere with the processes of oxidative stress is an important task of medicine and pharmacy. The purpose of this work was to study the antioxidant activity (AOA of salts of 2-(5-R-4-R-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-ylthioacetic acids with non-enzymatic initiation of free radical oxidation and to establish laws concerning chemical structure and biological effects of the studied substances. Materials and methods. Original derivatives of 1,2,4-triazole were used in the series of screening studies. The antioxidant activity of the compounds in vitro was determined according to the methodical recommendations of the State Pharmacological Center MoH Ukraine using the method of non-enzymatic initiation of lipid peroxide oxidation. Results. Dimethylammonium salt of 2-(4-amino-5-(2-bromophenyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-ylthioacetic acid (3c possessed with a high AOA which reduced the content of TBK-AP by 54,95% ( р˂0,001. Derivatives of 4-amino-1,2,4-triazole had the most distinct AOA containing С5 carbon atoms 2-bromophenyl substituent. Thus, methylammonium salt 3b reduced the TBK-AP content by 80,31 (p˂0,001 which exceeds the reference ascorbic acid by 45,05% and the prototype thiotriazoline by 36,64%. Considering the data of experimental studies it was found

International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences: Editorial ...

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The International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences (IJBCS) is a journal ... IJBCS publishes original research papers, critical up-to-date and concise ... Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio ...

Visceral and somatic disorders: tissue softening with frequency-specific microcurrent.

Science.gov (United States)

McMakin, Carolyn R; Oschman, James L

2013-02-01

Frequency-specific microcurrent (FSM) is an emerging technique for treating many health conditions. Pairs of frequencies of microampere-level electrical stimulation are applied to particular places on the skin of a patient via combinations of conductive graphite gloves, moistened towels, or gel electrode patches. A consistent finding is a profound and palpable tissue softening and warming within seconds of applying frequencies appropriate for treating particular conditions. Similar phenomena are often observed with successful acupuncture, cranial-sacral, and other energy-based techniques. This article explores possible mechanisms involved in tissue softening. In the 1970s, neuroscientist and osteopathic researcher Irvin Korr developed a "γ-loop hypothesis" to explain the persistence of increased systemic muscle tone associated with various somatic dysfunctions. This article summarizes how physiologists, neuroscientists, osteopaths, chiropractors, and fascial researchers have expanded on Korr's ideas by exploring various mechanisms by which injury or disease increase local muscle tension or systemic muscle tone. Following on Korr's hypothesis, it is suggested that most patients actually present with elevated muscle tone or tense areas due to prior traumas or other disorders, and that tissue softening indicates that FSM or other methods are affecting the cause of their pathophysiology. The authors believe this concept and the research it has led to will be of interest to a wide range of energetic, bodywork, and movement therapists.

Dermatology Terms

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... cause the death of the patient. Malignancy is expressed by 1) local invasion, in which the neoplasm ... copying of this information is strictly prohibited unless expressed written permission is given by the American Osteopathic ...

Is vocabulary growth influenced by the relations among words in a language learner's vocabulary?

Science.gov (United States)

Sailor, Kevin M

2013-09-01

Several recent studies have explored the applicability of the preferential attachment principle to account for vocabulary growth. According to this principle, network growth can be described by a process in which existing nodes recruit new nodes with a probability that is an increasing function of their connectivity within the existing network. The current study combined subjective estimates of the age of acquisition (AoA) and associations among words in a large corpus to estimate the organization of semantic knowledge at multiple points in vocabulary growth. Consistent with previous studies, the number of connections or relations among words followed a power law distribution in which relatively few words were highly connected with other words and most words were connected to relatively few words. In addition, the growth in the number of connections of a word was a linear function of its initial number of connections, and the ratio of connections to any two words was relatively constant over time. Finally, number of connections to known words was a reliable predictor of a word's AoA. All of these findings can be shown to be consistent with the preferential attachment principle. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

An Improved Algorithm to Delineate Urban Targets with Model-Based Decomposition of PolSAR Data

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Dingfeng Duan

2017-10-01

Full Text Available In model-based decomposition algorithms using polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR data, urban targets are typically identified based on the existence of strong double-bounced scattering. However, urban targets with large azimuth orientation angles (AOAs produce strong volumetric scattering that appears similar to scattering characteristics from tree canopies. Due to scattering ambiguity, urban targets can be classified into the vegetation category if the same classification scheme of the model-based PolSAR decomposition algorithms is followed. To resolve the ambiguity and to reduce the misclassification eventually, we introduced a correlation coefficient that characterized scattering mechanisms of urban targets with variable AOAs. Then, an existing volumetric scattering model was modified, and a PolSAR decomposition algorithm developed. The validity and effectiveness of the algorithm were examined using four PolSAR datasets. The algorithm was valid and effective to delineate urban targets with a wide range of AOAs, and applicable to a broad range of ground targets from urban areas, and from upland and flooded forest stands.

Bilingual experience and resting-state brain connectivity: Impacts of L2 age of acquisition and social diversity of language use on control networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Gullifer, Jason W; Chai, Xiaoqian J; Whitford, Veronica; Pivneva, Irina; Baum, Shari; Klein, Denise; Titone, Debra

2018-05-01

We investigated the independent contributions of second language (L2) age of acquisition (AoA) and social diversity of language use on intrinsic brain organization using seed-based resting-state functional connectivity among highly proficient French-English bilinguals. There were two key findings. First, earlier L2 AoA related to greater interhemispheric functional connectivity between homologous frontal brain regions, and to decreased reliance on proactive executive control in an AX-Continuous Performance Task completed outside the scanner. Second, greater diversity in social language use in daily life related to greater connectivity between the anterior cingulate cortex and the putamen bilaterally, and to increased reliance on proactive control in the same task. These findings suggest that early vs. late L2 AoA links to a specialized neural framework for processing two languages that may engage a specific type of executive control (e.g., reactive control). In contrast, higher vs. lower degrees of diversity in social language use link to a broadly distributed set of brain networks implicated in proactive control and context monitoring. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mathematical modeling of nitrous oxide production in an anaerobic/oxic/anoxic process.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Xiaoqian; Zhao, Jianqiang; Hu, Bo; Chen, Ying; Ge, Guanghuan; Li, Xiaoling; Wang, Sha; Gao, Kun; Tian, Xiaolei

2016-12-01

This study incorporates three currently known nitrous oxide (N 2 O) production pathways: ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) denitrification, incomplete hydroxylamine (NH 2 OH) oxidation, and heterotrophic denitrification on intracellular polymers, into a mathematical model to describe N 2 O production in an anaerobic/oxic/anoxic (AOA) process for the first time. The developed model was calibrated and validated by four experimental cases, then evaluated by two independent anaerobic/aerobic (AO) studies from literature. The modeling results displayed good agreement with the measured data. N 2 O was primarily generated in the aerobic stage by AOB denitrification (67.84-81.64%) in the AOA system. Smaller amounts of N 2 O were produced via incomplete NH 2 OH oxidation (15.61-32.17%) and heterotrophic denitrification on intracellular polymers (0-12.47%). The high nitrite inhibition on N 2 O reductase led to the increased N 2 O accumulation in heterotrophic denitrification on intracellular polymers. The new model was capable of modeling nitrification-denitrification dynamics and heterotrophic denitrification on intracellular polymers in the AOA system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Linking Changes in Snow Cover with Nitrogen Cycling and Microbial Abundance and Functional Gene Expression in Agricultural Soils

Science.gov (United States)

Goyer, C.; Brin, L.; Zebarth, B.; Burton, D.; Wertz, S.; Chantigny, M.

2016-12-01

In eastern Canada, climate change-related warming and increased precipitation may alter winter snow cover, with potential consequences for soil conditions, microbes, and N2O fluxes. We conducted a two-year field study with snow removal, passive snow addition, and ambient treatments in a potato-barley crop system. We measured in situ greenhouse gas (N2O and CO2) fluxes and belowground gas accumulation, and quantified abundance and expression of denitrifier (nirS, nirK, nosZ) and nitrifier (ammonium oxidizing archaeal (AOA) and bacterial (AOB) amoA) genes. Soil gas accumulated throughout winter, and surface fluxes were greatest during spring thaw. Greatest mid-winter soil N2O accumulation and spring thaw N2O fluxes were associated with snow removal in winter 1 and ambient snow in winter 2. High N2O accumulation and fluxes may have been due to increased substrate availability with increased frost intensity in removal plots in winter 1, but with greatest water content in ambient plots in winter 2. In each winter, greatest abundances of nirS, nirK gene denitrifiers and/or amoA gene of AOA were observed in the treatments with the greatest N2O accumulation and fluxes. Gene expression did not vary with treatment, but highest expression of amoA gene of AOA and AOB, and nosZ gene was measured near 0ºC, indicating activity during periods of stable snow cover and spring thaw. Results suggest that the magnitude of fluxes during spring thaw were related to soil conditions and microbial communities present during the prior winter, and not solely those during thaw. Furthermore, the effects of changing snow cover on microbes and N2O fluxes were not a straightforward effect of snow depth, but were likely mediated by temperature and moisture.

Candidatus Nitrosocaldus cavascurensis, an Ammonia Oxidizing, Extremely Thermophilic Archaeon with a Highly Mobile Genome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sophie S. Abby

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are widespread in moderate environments but their occurrence and activity has also been demonstrated in hot springs. Here we present the first enrichment of a thermophilic representative with a sequenced genome, which facilitates the search for adaptive strategies and for traits that shape the evolution of Thaumarchaeota. Candidatus Nitrosocaldus cavascurensis has been enriched from a hot spring in Ischia, Italy. It grows optimally at 68°C under chemolithoautotrophic conditions on ammonia or urea converting ammonia stoichiometrically into nitrite with a generation time of approximately 23 h. Phylogenetic analyses based on ribosomal proteins place the organism as a sister group to all known mesophilic AOA. The 1.58 Mb genome of Ca. N. cavascurensis harbors an amoAXCB gene cluster encoding ammonia monooxygenase and genes for a 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate pathway for autotrophic carbon fixation, but also genes that indicate potential alternative energy metabolisms. Although a bona fide gene for nitrite reductase is missing, the organism is sensitive to NO-scavenging, underlining the potential importance of this compound for AOA metabolism. Ca. N. cavascurensis is distinct from all other AOA in its gene repertoire for replication, cell division and repair. Its genome has an impressive array of mobile genetic elements and other recently acquired gene sets, including conjugative systems, a provirus, transposons and cell appendages. Some of these elements indicate recent exchange with the environment, whereas others seem to have been domesticated and might convey crucial metabolic traits.

Characterization of atherosclerotic disease in thoracic aorta: A 3D, multicontrast vessel wall imaging study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Changwu [Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tsinghua University School of Medicine, Beijing (China); Department of Radiology, The Second Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou (China); Qiao, Huiyu; He, Le [Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tsinghua University School of Medicine, Beijing (China); Yuan, Chun [Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tsinghua University School of Medicine, Beijing (China); Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States); Chen, Huijun; Zhang, Qiang; Li, Rui [Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tsinghua University School of Medicine, Beijing (China); Wang, Wei; Du, Fang [Department of Radiology, The Second Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou (China); Li, Cheng, E-mail: cjr.licheng@vip.163.com [Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing (China); Zhao, Xihai, E-mail: xihaizhao@tsinghua.edu.cn [Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tsinghua University School of Medicine, Beijing (China)

2016-11-15

Purpose: To investigate the characteristics of plaque in the thoracic aorta using three dimensional multicontrast magnetic resonance imaging. Materials and methods: Elderly subjects (≥60 years) were recruited in this study. Thoracic aorta was imaged on a 3.0T MR scanner by acquiring multicontrast sequences. The plaque burden was evaluated by measuring lumen area, wall area, wall thickness, and normalized wall index. The presence or absence of plaque and intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH)/mural thrombus (MT) were identified. The characteristics of atherosclerosis among different thoracic aorta segments (AAO: ascending aorta; AOA: aortic arch, and DOA: descending aorta) were determined. Results: Of 66 recruited subjects (mean age 72.3 ± 6.2 years, 30 males), 55 (83.3%) had plaques in the thoracic aorta. The prevalence of plaque in AAO, AOA, and DAO was 5.4%, 72.7%, and 71.2%, respectively. In addition, 21.2% of subjects were found to have lesions with IPH/MT in the thoracic aorta. The prevalence of IPH/MT in segment of AAO, AOA and DAO was 0%, 13.6%, and 12.1%, respectively. The aortic wall showed the highest NWI in DAO (34.1% ± 4.8%), followed by AOA (31.2% ± 5%), and AAO (26.8% ± 3.3%) (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Three dimensional multicontrast MR imaging is capable of characterizing atherosclerotic plaques in the thoracic aorta. The findings of high prevalence of plaques and the presence of high risk plaques in the thoracic aorta suggest early screening for aortic vulnerable lesions in the elderly.

Characterization of atherosclerotic disease in thoracic aorta: A 3D, multicontrast vessel wall imaging study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Changwu; Qiao, Huiyu; He, Le; Yuan, Chun; Chen, Huijun; Zhang, Qiang; Li, Rui; Wang, Wei; Du, Fang; Li, Cheng; Zhao, Xihai

2016-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the characteristics of plaque in the thoracic aorta using three dimensional multicontrast magnetic resonance imaging. Materials and methods: Elderly subjects (≥60 years) were recruited in this study. Thoracic aorta was imaged on a 3.0T MR scanner by acquiring multicontrast sequences. The plaque burden was evaluated by measuring lumen area, wall area, wall thickness, and normalized wall index. The presence or absence of plaque and intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH)/mural thrombus (MT) were identified. The characteristics of atherosclerosis among different thoracic aorta segments (AAO: ascending aorta; AOA: aortic arch, and DOA: descending aorta) were determined. Results: Of 66 recruited subjects (mean age 72.3 ± 6.2 years, 30 males), 55 (83.3%) had plaques in the thoracic aorta. The prevalence of plaque in AAO, AOA, and DAO was 5.4%, 72.7%, and 71.2%, respectively. In addition, 21.2% of subjects were found to have lesions with IPH/MT in the thoracic aorta. The prevalence of IPH/MT in segment of AAO, AOA and DAO was 0%, 13.6%, and 12.1%, respectively. The aortic wall showed the highest NWI in DAO (34.1% ± 4.8%), followed by AOA (31.2% ± 5%), and AAO (26.8% ± 3.3%) (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Three dimensional multicontrast MR imaging is capable of characterizing atherosclerotic plaques in the thoracic aorta. The findings of high prevalence of plaques and the presence of high risk plaques in the thoracic aorta suggest early screening for aortic vulnerable lesions in the elderly.

Lymphatic pump treatment mobilizes leukocytes from the gut associated lymphoid tissue into lymph.

Science.gov (United States)

Hodge, Lisa M; Bearden, Melissa K; Schander, Artur; Huff, Jamie B; Williams, Arthur; King, Hollis H; Downey, H Fred

2010-06-01

Lymphatic pump techniques (LPT) are used clinically by osteopathic practitioners for the treatment of edema and infection; however, the mechanisms by which LPT enhances lymphatic circulation and provides protection during infection are not understood. Rhythmic compressions on the abdomen during LPT compress the abdominal area, including the gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT), which may facilitate the release of leukocytes from these tissues into the lymphatic circulation. This study is the first to document LPT-induced mobilization of leukocytes from the GALT into the lymphatic circulation. Catheters were inserted into either the thoracic or mesenteric lymph ducts of dogs. To determine if LPT enhanced the release of leukocytes from the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) into lymph, the MLN were fluorescently labeled in situ. Lymph was collected during 4 min pre-LPT, 4 min LPT, and 10 min following cessation of LPT. LPT significantly increased lymph flow and leukocytes in both mesenteric and thoracic duct lymph. LPT had no preferential effect on any specific leukocyte population, since neutrophil, monocyte, CD4+ T cell, CD8+ T cell, IgG+B cell, and IgA+B cell numbers were similarly increased. In addition, LPT significantly increased the mobilization of leukocytes from the MLN into lymph. Lymph flow and leukocyte counts fell following LPT treatment, indicating that the effects of LPT are transient. LPT mobilizes leukocytes from GALT, and these leukocytes are transported by the lymphatic circulation. This enhanced release of leukocytes from GALT may provide scientific rationale for the clinical use of LPT to improve immune function.

An evaluation of several methods of determining the local angle of attack on wind turbine blades

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guntur, Srinivas; Sørensen, Niels N.

2014-01-01

Several methods of determining the angles of attack (AOAs) on wind turbine blades are discussed in this paper. A brief survey of the methods that have been used in the past are presented, and the advantages of each method are discussed relative to their application in the BEM theory. Data from...... existing as well as new full rotor CFD computations of the MEXICO rotor are used in this analysis. A more accurate estimation of the AOA is possible from 3D full rotor CFD computations, but when working with experimental data, pressure measurements and sectional forces are often the only data available...

Renal epithelioid angiomyolipoma presenting clinically as renal cell ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

M.S. Johnson

a Detroit Medical Center, Michigan State University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA .... Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells stained strongly positive .... [10] Cao Q, Liu F, Xiao P, Tian X, Li B, Li Z. Coexistence of renal.

Analysis of online patient education materials in pediatric ophthalmology.

Science.gov (United States)

John, Ann M; John, Elizabeth S; Hansberry, David R; Thomas, Prashant J; Guo, Suqin

2015-10-01

Patients increasingly consult online resources for healthcare information. The American Medical Association (AMA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend that online education resources be written between a 3rd- and 7th-grade level. This study assesses whether online health information abides by these guidelines. Ten pediatric ophthalmology conditions were entered into a commonly used search engine, Google.com, and analyzed using 10 validated readability scales. Scientific articles and articles written on patient forums were excluded. The 10 conditions--amblyopia, cataract, conjunctivitis, corneal abrasion, nystagmus, retinoblastoma, retinopathy of prematurity, strabismus, stye, and glaucoma--were also searched and analyzed separately from widely used websites, including Wikipedia and WebMD, as well as those of professional societies, including the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) and the American Optometric Association (AOA). The majority of articles were written above recommended guidelines. All scales showed that the 100 articles were written at a mean grade-level of 11.75 ± 2.72. Only 12% of articles were written below a 9th-grade level and only 3% met recommended criteria. The articles accrued separately from Wikipedia, WebMD, AAPOS, and AOA also had average grade levels above the recommended guidelines. The readability of online patient education material exceeds NIH and AMA guidelines. This disparity can adversely affect caregiver comprehension of such resources and contribute to poor decision making. Pediatric ophthalmology online articles are generally written at a level too high for average caregiver comprehension. Revision of articles can increase satisfaction, improve outcomes, and facilitate the patient-ophthalmologist relationship. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) Process Improvement Study

Science.gov (United States)

2016-12-01

currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. 1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED...analysis, cost analysis, sustainment considerations, early systems engineering analyses, threat projections, and market research. UNCLASSIFIED CAA...primarily the Equipping (EE), Sustaining (SS) and Training (TT) Program Evaluation Groups (PEGs) and Long-range Investment Requirements Analysis

Incidence of concussions in youth ice hockey players

OpenAIRE

Linzmeier, Kathleen A.; LaBella, Cynthia R.

2016-01-01

Investigators from the University of Pittsburg, University of Arkansas, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical College researched the incidence of concussions in youth hockey in relation to age and activity setting.

Diabetic osteopathy of the foot

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lorenz, R.; Friedmann, G.

1982-09-01

Osteopathic bone destruction in diabetics is difficult to differentiate from primary inflammatory diseases. The pathogenicity, clinical findings, radiological signs and differential diagnoses are presented and discussed. The value of follow-up studies of this condition are pointed out.

Developing technology-enhanced active learning for medical education: challenges, solutions, and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

McCoy, Lise; Pettit, Robin K; Lewis, Joy H; Bennett, Thomas; Carrasco, Noel; Brysacz, Stanley; Makin, Inder Raj S; Hutman, Ryan; Schwartz, Frederic N

2015-04-01

Growing up in an era of video games and Web-based applications has primed current medical students to expect rapid, interactive feedback. To address this need, the A.T. Still University-School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (Mesa) has developed and integrated a variety of approaches using technology-enhanced active learning for medical education (TEAL-MEd) into its curriculum. Over the course of 3 years (2010-2013), the authors facilitated more than 80 implementations of games and virtual patient simulations into the education of 550 osteopathic medical students. The authors report on 4 key aspects of the TEAL-MEd initiative, including purpose, portfolio of tools, progress to date regarding challenges and solutions, and future directions. Lessons learned may be of benefit to medical educators at academic and clinical training sites who wish to implement TEAL-MEd activities.

Diabetic osteopathy of the foot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lorenz, R.; Friedmann, G.

1982-01-01

Osteopathic bone destruction in diabetics is difficult to differentiate from primary inflammatory diseases. The pathogenecity, clinical findings, radiological signs and differential diagnoses are presented and discussed. The value of follow-up studies of this condition are pointed out. (orig.)

Testing the effectiveness of an innovative information package on practitioner reported behaviour and beliefs: The UK Chiropractors, Osteopaths and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapists Low back pain ManagemENT (COMPLeMENT trial [ISRCTN77245761

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vogel Steven

2005-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Low back pain (LBP is a common and costly problem. Initiatives designed to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate healthcare for LBP include printed evidence-based clinical guidelines. The three professional groups of chiropractic, osteopathy and musculoskeletal physiotherapy in the UK share common ground with their approaches to managing LBP and are amongst those targeted by LBP guidelines. Even so, many seem unaware that such guidelines exist. Furthermore, the behaviour of at least some of these practitioners differs from that recommended in these guidelines. Few randomised controlled trials evaluating printed information as an intervention to change practitioner behaviour have utilised a no-intervention control. All these trials have used a cluster design and most have methodological flaws. None specifically focus upon practitioner behaviour towards LBP patients. Studies that have investigated other strategies to change practitioner behaviour with LBP patients have produced conflicting results. Although numerous LBP guidelines have been developed worldwide, there is a paucity of data on whether their dissemination actually changes practitioner behaviour. Primarily because of its low unit cost, sending printed information to large numbers of practitioners is an attractive dissemination and implementation strategy. The effect size of such a strategy, at an individual practitioner level, is likely to be small. However, if large numbers of practitioners are targeted, this strategy might achieve meaningful changes at a population level. Methods The primary aim of this prospective, pragmatic randomised controlled trial is to test the short-term effectiveness (six-months following intervention of a directly-posted information package on the reported clinical behaviour (primary outcome, attitudes and beliefs of UK chiropractors, osteopaths and musculoskeletal physiotherapists. We sought to randomly allocate a

Fluctuations in ammonia oxidizing communities across agricultural soils are driven by soil structure and pH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michele C ePereira e Silva

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The milieu in soil in which microorganisms dwell is never constant. Conditions such as temperature, water availability, pH and nutrients frequently change, impacting the overall functioning of the soil system. To understand the effects of such factors on soil functioning, proxies (indicators of soil function are needed that, in a sensitive manner, reveal normal amplitude of variation. Thus, the so-called normal operating range (NOR of soil can be defined. In this study we determined different components of nitrification by analyzing, in eight agricultural soils, how the community structures and sizes of ammonia oxidizing bacteria and archaea (AOB and AOA, respectively, and their activity, fluctuate over spatial and temporal scales. The results indicated that soil pH and soil type are the main factors that influence the size and structure of the AOA and AOB, as well as their function. The nitrification rates varied between 0.11 ± 0.03 µgN.h-1.gdw-1 and 1.68 ± 0.11 µgN.h-1.gdw-1, being higher in soils with higher clay content (1.09 ± 0.12 µgN.h-1.gdw-1 and lower in soils with lower clay percentages (0.27 ± 0.04 µgN.h-1.gdw-1. Nitrifying activity was driven by soil pH, mostly related to its effect on AOA but not on AOB abundance. Regarding the influence of soil parameters, clay content was the main soil factor shaping the structure of both the AOA and AOB communities. Overall, the potential nitrifying activities were higher and more variable over time in the clayey than in the sandy soils. Whereas the structure of AOB fluctuated more (62.7 ± 2.10% the structure of AOA communities showed lower amplitude of variation (53.65 ± 3.37%. Similar trends were observed for the sizes of these communities. The present work represents a first step towards defining a NOR for soil nitrification. Moreover, the clear effect of soil texture established here suggests that the NOR should be defined in a soil-type-specific manner.

Protection capacity against low-density lipoprotein oxidation and antioxidant potential of some organic and non-organic wines.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalkan Yildirim, Hatice; Delen Akçay, Yasemin; Güvenç, Ulgar; Yildirim Sözmen, Eser

2004-08-01

Current research suggests that phenolics from wine may play a positive role against oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is a key step in the development of atherosclerosis. Considering the effects of different wine-making techniques on phenols and the wine consumption preference influencing the benefical effects of the product, organically and non-organically produced wines were obtained from the grapes of Vitis vinifera origin var: Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache, Columbard and Semillon. Levels of total phenols [mg/l gallic acid equivalents (GAE)], antioxidant activity (%) and inhibition of LDL oxidation [%, inhibition of diene and malondialdehyde (MDA) formation] were determined. Some phenolic acids (gallic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, syringic acid, 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid and vanillic acid) were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with an electrochemical detection carried at +0.65 V (versus Ag/AgCl, 0.5 microA full scale). The highest concentrations of gallic, syringic and ferulic acids were found in organic Cabernet Sauvignon; 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid in organic Carignan and p-coumaric and vanillic acids in non-organic Merlot wine. High levels of antioxidant activity (AOA), inhibition of LDL oxidation and total phenol levels were found in non-organic Merlot (101.950% AOA; 88.570% LDL-diene; 41.000% LDL-MDA; 4700.000 mg/l GAE total phenol) and non-organic Cabernet Sauvignon (92.420% AOA; 91.430% LDL-diene; 67.000% LDL-MDA; 3500.000 mg/l GAE total phenol) grape varieties. Concentrations of some individual phenolic constituents (ferulic, p-coumaric, vanillic) are correlated with high antioxidant activity and inhibition of LDL oxidation. The best r value for all examined characteristics was determined for gallic acid, followed by 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic, syringic, ferulic and p-coumaric acids. Negative correlation of vanillic with MDA and p-hydroxybenzoic acid with LDL were

Adaptation of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms to environment shift of paddy field soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Ke, Xiubin; Lu, Yahai

2012-04-01

Adaptation of microorganisms to the environment is a central theme in microbial ecology. The objective of this study was to investigate the response of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) to a soil medium shift. We employed two rice field soils collected from Beijing and Hangzhou, China. These soils contained distinct AOB communities dominated by Nitrosomonas in Beijing rice soil and Nitrosospira in Hangzhou rice soil. Three mixtures were generated by mixing equal quantities of Beijing soil and Hangzhou soil (BH), Beijing soil with sterilized Hangzhou soil (BSH), and Hangzhou soil with sterilized Beijing soil (HSB). Pure and mixed soils were permanently flooded, and the surface-layer soil where ammonia oxidation occurred was collected to determine the response of AOB and AOA to the soil medium shift. AOB populations increased during the incubation, and the rates were initially faster in Beijing soil than in Hangzhou soil. Nitrosospira (cluster 3a) and Nitrosomonas (communis cluster) increased with time in correspondence with ammonia oxidation in the Hangzhou and Beijing soils, respectively. The 'BH' mixture exhibited a shift from Nitrosomonas at day 0 to Nitrosospira at days 21 and 60 when ammonia oxidation became most active. In 'HSB' and 'BSH' mixtures, Nitrosospira showed greater stimulation than Nitrosomonas, both with and without N amendment. These results suggest that Nitrosospira spp. were better adapted to soil environment shifts than Nitrosomonas. Analysis of the AOA community revealed that the composition of AOA community was not responsive to the soil environment shifts or to nitrogen amendment. © 2011 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

Periodic and aperiodic flow patterns around an airfoil with leading-edge protuberances

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Chang; Zuo, Zhigang; Maeda, Takao; Kamada, Yasunari; Li, Qing'an; Shimamoto, Kensei; Liu, Shuhong

2017-11-01

Recently leading-edge protuberances have attracted great attention as a passive method for separation control. In this paper, the effect of multiple leading-edge protuberances on the performance of a two-dimensional airfoil is investigated through experimental measurement of aerodynamic forces, surface tuft visualization, and numerical simulation. In contrast to the sharp stall of the baseline airfoil with large hysteresis effect during AOA (angle of attack) increasing and decreasing, the stall process of the modified airfoil with leading-edge protuberances is gentle and stable. Flow visualization revealed that the flow past each protuberance is periodic and symmetric at small AOAs. Streamwise vortices are generated on the shoulders of the protuberance, leading to a larger separation around the valley sections and a longer attachment along the peak sections. When some critical AOA is exceeded, aperiodic and asymmetric flow patterns occur on the protuberances at different spanwise positions, with leading-edge separation on some of the valley sections and non-stalled condition elsewhere. A combined mechanism, involving both the compartmentalization effect of the slender momentum-enhanced attached flows on the protuberance peaks and the downwash effect of the local stalled region with low circulation, is proposed to explain the generation of the aperiodic flow patterns. The influence of the number of protuberances is also investigated, which shows similar aperiodic flow patterns. The distance between the neighboring local stalled valley sections is found to be in the range of 4-7 times the protuberance wavelength. According to the proposed mechanism, it is speculated that the distance between the neighboring local stalled valley sections is inclined to increase with a smaller protuberance amplitude or at a larger AOA.

Understanding the unsteady aerodynamics of a revolving wing with pitching-flapping perturbations

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Long; Wu, Jianghao; Zhou, Chao; Hsu, Shih-Jung; Eslam Panah, Azar; Cheng, Bo

2017-11-01

Revolving wings become less efficient for lift generation at low Reynolds numbers. Unlike flying insects using reciprocating revolving wings to exploit unsteady mechanisms for lift enhancement, an alternative that introduces unsteadiness through vertical flapping perturbation, is studied via experiments and simulations. Substantial drag reduction, linearly dependent on Strouhal number, is observed for a flapping-perturbed revolving wing at zero angle of attack (AoA), which can be explained by changes in the effective angle of attack and formation of reverse Karman vortex streets. When the AoA increases, flapping perturbations improve the maximum lift coefficient attainable by the revolving wing, with minor increases of drag or even minor drag reductions depending on Strouhal number and normalized flapping amplitude. When the pitching perturbations are further introduced, more substantial drag reduction and lift enhancement can be achieved in zero and positive AoAs, respectively. As the flapping-perturbed wings are less efficient compared with revolving wings in terms of power loading, the pitching-flapping perturbations can achieve a higher power loading at 20°AoA and thus have potential applications in micro air vehicle designs. This research was supported by NSF, DURIP, NSFC and Penn State Multi-Campus SEED Grant.

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in wastewater treatment plant sludge and nearby coastal sediment in an industrial area in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yan; Chen, Lujun; Sun, Renhua; Dai, Tianjiao; Tian, Jinping; Wen, Donghui

2015-05-01

Under the increasing pressure of human activities, Hangzhou Bay has become one of the most seriously polluted waters along China's coast. Considering the excessive inorganic nitrogen detected in the bay, in this study, the impact of an effluent from a coastal industrial park on ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs) of the receiving area was interpreted for the first time by molecular technologies. Revealed by real-time PCR, the ratio of archaeal amoA/bacterial amoA ranged from 5.68 × 10(-6) to 4.79 × 10(-5) in the activated sludge from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and 0.54-3.44 in the sediments from the effluent receiving coastal area. Analyzed by clone and pyrosequencing libraries, genus Nitrosomonas was the predominant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), but no ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) was abundant enough for sequencing in the activated sludge from the WWTPs; genus Nitrosomonas and Nitrosopumilus were the dominant AOB and AOA, respectively, in the coastal sediments. The different abundance of AOA but similar structure of AOB between the WWTPs and nearby coastal area probably indicated an anthropogenic impact on the microbial ecology in Hangzhou Bay.

Systematisch literatuuronderzoek naar de effecten van behandeling bij zuigelingen met 'kopgewrichteninvloed bij storingen in de symmetrie' ('KISS-syndroom')

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brand, P. L. P.; Engelbert, R. H. H.; Helders, P. J. M.; Offringa, M.

2005-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To establish the effects of manual therapy, chiropractic, or osteopathic treatment of the KISS-syndrome (kinetic imbalance due to suboccipital strain) in infants with positional preference, plagiocephaly, and colic. DESIGN: Systematic review of the literature. METHOD: PubMed, Embase and

42 CFR 413.75 - Direct GME payments: General requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

...-based providers for the costs of approved residency programs in medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, and... activities means the care and treatment of particular patients, including services for which a physician or..., general internal medicine, general pediatrics, preventive medicine, geriatric medicine or osteopathic...

77 FR 6805 - Eligibility Criteria for the Centers of Excellence Program in Health Professions Education for...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-09

... or Mental Health from the school of discipline, the proposed graduation rate eligibility threshold... sizes across the health professions schools, the graduation rate eligibility thresholds for Hispanic...: allopathic and osteopathic medicine; pharmacy; dentistry; and behavioral or mental health. Individual schools...

Concussions in Collision Youth Sports

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathleen A. Linzmeier

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Investigators from the University of Pittsburg, University of Arkansas, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical College researched the incidence of concussions in youth hockey in relation to age and activity setting.

Afican Health Sciences Vol 9 No 2.pmd

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Administrator

Seizure activity and neurological sequelae in Ugandan children who ... and Child Health, Mulago Hospital/Makerere University Medical School, ... Program, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University, East .... incorporating a checklist of material possessions, quality ... Nutrition (weight for age z-score).

Sound beam manipulation based on temperature gradients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qian, Feng [Key Laboratory of Modern Acoustics, Institute of Acoustics and School of Physics, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); School of Physics & Electronic Engineering, Changshu Institute of Technology, Changshu 215500 (China); Quan, Li; Liu, Xiaozhou, E-mail: xzliu@nju.edu.cn; Gong, Xiufen [Key Laboratory of Modern Acoustics, Institute of Acoustics and School of Physics, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)

2015-10-28

Previous research with temperature gradients has shown the feasibility of controlling airborne sound propagation. Here, we present a temperature gradients based airborne sound manipulation schemes: a cylindrical acoustic omnidirectional absorber (AOA). The proposed AOA has high absorption performance which can almost completely absorb the incident wave. Geometric acoustics is used to obtain the refractive index distributions with different radii, which is then utilized to deduce the desired temperature gradients. Since resonant units are not applied in the scheme, its working bandwidth is expected to be broadband. The scheme is temperature-tuned and easy to realize, which is of potential interest to fields such as noise control or acoustic cloaking.

Elevator Sizing, Placement, and Control-Relevant Tradeoffs for Hypersonic Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Dickeson, Jeffrey J.; Rodriguez, Armando A.; Sridharan, Srikanth; Korad, Akshay

2010-01-01

Within this paper, control-relevant vehicle design concepts are examined using a widely used 3 DOF (plus flexibility) nonlinear model for the longitudinal dynamics of a generic carrot-shaped scramjet powered hypersonic vehicle. The impact of elevator size and placement on control-relevant static properties (e.g. level-flight trimmable region, trim controls, Angle of Attack (AOA), thrust margin) and dynamic properties (e.g. instability and right half plane zero associated with flight path angle) are examined. Elevator usage has been examine for a class of typical hypersonic trajectories.

Annual Research Progress Report, Fiscal Year 1979,

Science.gov (United States)

1979-10-01

nasopharyngeal angiofibroma : A case report. 63rd Annual Clinical Assembly The Osteopathic College of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, May 1979, Sulphur Springs...Combined surgical management of a juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma : A case report. The Laryngoscope. Perry, F.P. Hyperbaric oxygen in the treatment of

Libraries in New Jersey: MedlinePlus

Science.gov (United States)

... deborah.org/ Camden Cooper University Hospital Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Library 1 Cooper Plaza Camden, NJ 08103 856-342- ... 8285 http://www.valleyhealth.com Stratford Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine ... Library 1 Medical Center Drive Stratford, NJ 08084-1504 ...

Differences in attitudes towards/beliefs on complementary and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

These differences boil down to higher criticism expressed by physicians as regards CAM efficiency, especially the therapeutic value of spiritual & intuitive curing methods and osteopathic & laying-on-hands treatments, while significant differences in attitudes towards acupuncture, chiropractic and massage failed to be found.

Feasibility of Using Ultrasonography to Establish Relationships Among Sacral Base Position, Sacral Sulcus Depth, Body Mass Index, and Sex.

Science.gov (United States)

Lockwood, Michael D; Kondrashova, Tatyana; Johnson, Jane C

2015-11-01

Identifying relationships among anatomical structures is key in diagnosing somatic dysfunction. Ultrasonography can be used to visualize anatomical structures, identify sacroiliac landmarks, and validate anatomical findings and measurements in relation to somatic dysfunction. As part of the osteopathic manipulative medicine course at A.T. Still University-Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, first-year students are trained to use ultrasonography to establish relationships among musculoskeletal structures. To determine the ability of first-year osteopathic medical students to establish sacral base position (SBP) and sacral sulcus depth (SSD) using ultrasonography and to identify the relationship of SBP and SSD to body mass index (BMI) and sex. Students used ultrasonography to obtain the distance between the skin and the sacral base (the SBP) and the distance between the skin and the tip of the posterior superior iliac spine bilaterally. Next, students calculated the SSD (the distance between the tip of the posterior superior iliac spine and the SBP). Data were analyzed with respect to side of the body, BMI, sex, and age. The BMI data were subdivided into normal (18-25 mg/kg) and overweight (25-30 mg/kg) groups. Ultrasound images of 211 students were included in the study. The SBP was not significantly different between the left and right sides (36.5 mm vs 36.5 mm; P=.95) but was significantly different between normal and overweight BMI categories (33.0 mm vs 40.0 mm; Psex may point to more soft tissue overlaying the sacrum in these groups. Further research is needed on the use of ultrasonography to establish criteria for somatic dysfunction.

Phylogenetic diversity and ecological pattern of ammonia-oxidizing archaea in the surface sediments of the western Pacific.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Huiluo; Hong, Yiguo; Li, Meng; Gu, Ji-Dong

2011-11-01

The phylogenetic diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) was surveyed in the surface sediments from the northern part of the South China Sea (SCS). The distribution pattern of AOA in the western Pacific was discussed through comparing the SCS with other areas in the western Pacific including Changjiang Estuary and the adjacent East China Sea where high input of anthropogenic nitrogen was evident, the tropical West Pacific Continental Margins close to the Philippines, the deep-sea methane seep sediments in the Okhotsk Sea, the cold deep sea of Northeastern Japan Sea, and the hydrothermal field in the Southern Okinawa Trough. These various environments provide a wide spectrum of physical and chemical conditions for a better understanding of the distribution pattern and diversities of AOA in the western Pacific. Under these different conditions, the distinct community composition between shallow and deep-sea sediments was clearly delineated based on the UniFrac PCoA and Jackknife Environmental Cluster analyses. Phylogenetic analyses showed that a few ammonia-oxidizing archaeal subclades in the marine water column/sediment clade and endemic lineages were indicative phylotypes for some environments. Higher phylogenetic diversity was observed in the Philippines while lower diversity in the hydrothermal vent habitat. Water depth and possibly with other environmental factors could be the main driving forces to shape the phylogenetic diversity of AOA observed, not only in the SCS but also in the whole western Pacific. The multivariate regression tree analysis also supported this observation consistently. Moreover, the functions of current and other climate factors were also discussed in comparison of phylogenetic diversity. The information collectively provides important insights into the ecophysiological requirements of uncultured ammonia-oxidizing archaeal lineages in the western Pacific Ocean.

Evaluation of Design & Analysis Code, CACTUS, for Predicting Crossflow Hydrokinetic Turbine Performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wosnik, Martin [Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States). Center for Ocean Renewable Energy; Bachant, Pete [Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States). Center for Ocean Renewable Energy; Neary, Vincent Sinclair [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Murphy, Andrew W. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2016-09-01

CACTUS, developed by Sandia National Laboratories, is an open-source code for the design and analysis of wind and hydrokinetic turbines. While it has undergone extensive validation for both vertical axis and horizontal axis wind turbines, and it has been demonstrated to accurately predict the performance of horizontal (axial-flow) hydrokinetic turbines, its ability to predict the performance of crossflow hydrokinetic turbines has yet to be tested. The present study addresses this problem by comparing the predicted performance curves derived from CACTUS simulations of the U.S. Department of Energy’s 1:6 scale reference model crossflow turbine to those derived by experimental measurements in a tow tank using the same model turbine at the University of New Hampshire. It shows that CACTUS cannot accurately predict the performance of this crossflow turbine, raising concerns on its application to crossflow hydrokinetic turbines generally. The lack of quality data on NACA 0021 foil aerodynamic (hydrodynamic) characteristics over the wide range of angles of attack (AoA) and Reynolds numbers is identified as the main cause for poor model prediction. A comparison of several different NACA 0021 foil data sources, derived using both physical and numerical modeling experiments, indicates significant discrepancies at the high AoA experienced by foils on crossflow turbines. Users of CACTUS for crossflow hydrokinetic turbines are, therefore, advised to limit its application to higher tip speed ratios (lower AoA), and to carefully verify the reliability and accuracy of their foil data. Accurate empirical data on the aerodynamic characteristics of the foil is the greatest limitation to predicting performance for crossflow turbines with semi-empirical models like CACTUS. Future improvements of CACTUS for crossflow turbine performance prediction will require the development of accurate foil aerodynamic characteristic data sets within the appropriate ranges of Reynolds numbers and AoA.

Direct ultrasound-assisted extraction and characterization of phenolic compounds from fresh houseleek (Sempervivum marmoreum L. leaves

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Karabegović Ivana T.

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The effects of ultrasound power and frequency on the yield of total extractive substances (TES, total phenolic content (TPC, total flavonoid content (TFC and antioxidant activity (AOA of fresh houseleek leaves extracts obtained by direct ultrasound-assisted extraction (DUAE were studied. Preliminary extraction of plant material was performed using methanol, acetone and 2-propanol by Soxhlet extraction. It was found that maximum TES yield could be obtained by methanol extraction (2.91±0.02, followed by acetone and 2-propanol with a TES yield of 2.32±0.01 and 2.01±0.03 g per 100 g of fresh plant material, respectively. In the fresh houseleek leaves extracts obtained by DUAE and methanol as the chosen solvent, TPC, TFC and AOA were in the ranges of: 40.5–85.9 mg gallic acid/g dry extract, 12.7–19.3 mg rutin/g dry extract and 24.6–108.2μg/ml, respectively. The results showed that the increase in the ultrasound power and extraction time have positive and significant (p < 0.05 effects on the TPC, TFC and AOA, while the increase in the ultrasound frequency leads to a decrease in the TPC, TFC and AOA of the extracts. A chromatographic analysis of crude extract identified the following: kaempferol 3-O-(6’’-O-malonylglucoside- 7-O-glucosyde, kaempferol 3-O-glucoside-7-O-rhamnoside, luteolin 5-O-(6’’-O-malonylglucoside, kaempferol 3-O-(6’’-O-acetylglucoside-7-O-rhamnoside, genkwanin 5-O-glucoside, luteolin 5-O-(6’’-O-malonylglucoside, kaempferol 3-O-(6’’-O-malonylglucoside, kaempferol 3-O-rhamnoside, quercetin, genkwanin 4’-O-glucoside and hyperoside. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 172047

Improved-Delayed-Detached-Eddy Simulation of cavity-induced transition in hypersonic boundary layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao, Lianghua; Xiao, Zhixiang; Duan, Zhiwei; Fu, Song

2015-01-01

Highlights: • This work is about hypersonic cavity-induced transition with IDDES approach. • The length-to-width-to-depth ratio of the cavity is 19.9:3.57:1 at AoA −10° and −15°. • Flow remains laminar at −10°, transition occurs at −15° and cavity changed from open to close type. • Streamwise vortices, impingement shock, traveling shocks and exit shock are observed. • Breakdown of these vortices triggering rapid flow transition. - Abstract: Hypersonic flow transition from laminar to turbulent due to the surface irregularities, like local cavities, can greatly affect the surface heating and skin friction. In this work, the hypersonic flows over a three-dimensional rectangular cavity with length-to-width-to-depth ratio, L:W:D, of 19.9:3.57:1 at two angles of attack (AoA) were numerically studied with Improved-Delayed-Detached-Eddy Simulation (IDDES) method to highlight the mechanism of transition triggered by the cavity. The present approach was firstly applied to the transonic flow over M219 rectangular cavity. The results, including the fluctuating pressure and frequency, agreed with experiment well. In the hypersonic case at Mach number about 9.6 the cavity is seen as “open” at AoA of −10° but “closed” at AoA of −15° unconventional to the two-dimensional cavity case where the flow always exhibits closed cavity feature when the length-to-depth ratio L/D is larger than 14. For the open cavity flow, the shear layer is basically steady and the flow maintains laminar. For the closed cavity case, the external flow goes into the cavity and impinges on the bottom floor. High intensity streamwise vortices, impingement shock and exit shock are observed causing breakdown of these vortices triggering rapid flow transition

Aerobic nitrous oxide production through N-nitrosating hybrid formation in ammonia-oxidizing archaea.

Science.gov (United States)

Stieglmeier, Michaela; Mooshammer, Maria; Kitzler, Barbara; Wanek, Wolfgang; Zechmeister-Boltenstern, Sophie; Richter, Andreas; Schleper, Christa

2014-05-01

Soil emissions are largely responsible for the increase of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) in the atmosphere and are generally attributed to the activity of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria. However, the contribution of the recently discovered ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) to N2O production from soil is unclear as is the mechanism by which they produce it. Here we investigate the potential of Nitrososphaera viennensis, the first pure culture of AOA from soil, to produce N2O and compare its activity with that of a marine AOA and an ammonia-oxidizing bacterium (AOB) from soil. N. viennensis produced N2O at a maximum yield of 0.09% N2O per molecule of nitrite under oxic growth conditions. N2O production rates of 4.6±0.6 amol N2O cell(-1) h(-1) and nitrification rates of 2.6±0.5 fmol NO2(-) cell(-1) h(-1) were in the same range as those of the AOB Nitrosospira multiformis and the marine AOA Nitrosopumilus maritimus grown under comparable conditions. In contrast to AOB, however, N2O production of the two archaeal strains did not increase when the oxygen concentration was reduced, suggesting that they are not capable of denitrification. In (15)N-labeling experiments we provide evidence that both ammonium and nitrite contribute equally via hybrid N2O formation to the N2O produced by N. viennensis under all conditions tested. Our results suggest that archaea may contribute to N2O production in terrestrial ecosystems, however, they are not capable of nitrifier-denitrification and thus do not produce increasing amounts of the greenhouse gas when oxygen becomes limiting.

77 FR 12315 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-29

... Act of 1995: Proposed Project: Area Health Education Centers Project on the Mental and Behavioral..., diversity, supply, and quality of health care personnel. The AHEC Program grantees include schools of medicine or osteopathic medicine, incorporated consortiums of such schools, or the parent institutions of...

Defense Health Care: US Family Health Plan is Duplicative and Should be Eliminated

Science.gov (United States)

2014-07-01

Osteopathic Medicine degree. The inclusion of other types of providers, including nurse practitioners or physician’s assistants, could potentially affect...MasterCard, Visa, check, or money order. Call for additional information. Connect with GAO on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube . Subscribe to our

基于海鸥翼型的小型风力机叶片仿生设计与试验%Bionic design and test of small-sized wind turbine blade based on seagull airfoil

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

王骥月; 丛茜; 梁宁; 毛士佳; 关欢欢; 刘林鹏; 陈创发

2015-01-01

针对现有小型风力发电机效率远低于理论值问题，对100 W水平轴风力机叶片进行仿生改进。采用Spalart-Allmaras模型分析不同攻角下海鸥翼型与标准翼型的气动特性；以标准100 W水平轴风力机叶片为原型，结合海鸥翼型、标准弦长和计算得出的安装角，设计得到仿海鸥翼型叶片；利用SST k-ω模型进行仿海鸥翼型叶片与标准叶片气动特性数值模拟；搭建室内风力机效率测试平台，进行仿海鸥翼型风力机与标准风力机效率对比试验。结果表明：海鸥翼型气动性能优良，最大升力系数是标准翼型的2.19倍，最大升阻比是标准翼型的1.34倍；仿海鸥翼型叶片与标准叶片相比，输出功率提高25.77%。该研究可为小型风力发电机的改进设计提供参考。%Power of the existing small-sized wind turbine blades is much less than the theoretical value. This study improved 100 W wind turbine blades to increase the power of wind turbine. First of all, Spalart-Allmaras model which was suitable for airfoil stalling characteristics research was used to analyze the aerodynamic characteristics of seagull airfoil and standard airfoil with different angles of attack (AOA). Seagull airfoil and standard airfoil were got from seagull wing and standard blade by portable three-dimension scanner, Imageware software and Geomagic Studio software through standard blade scan, seagull wing scan, point cloud processing, reverse engineering modeling and cross section capture. Lift coefficients and lift-drag ratios of seagull airfoil and standard airfoil were calculated by Fluent software. Secondly, bionic blade was designed based on standard 100 W blades and Glauert theory. Thirdly, numerical simulations of bionic blade and standard blade were performed by using SST(shear stress transport) k-ω model which was suitable for blade performance research to analyze the aerodynamic characteristics of bionic blade and standard

Chronic inflammatory disease and osteopathy: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Cicchitti, Luca; Martelli, Marta; Cerritelli, Francesco

2015-01-01

Chronic inflammatory diseases (CID) are globally highly prevalent and characterized by severe pathological medical conditions. Several trials were conducted aiming at measuring the effects of manipulative therapies on patients affected by CID. The purpose of this review was to explore the extent to which osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) can be benefi-cial in medical conditions also classified as CID. This review included any type of experimental study which enrolled sub-jects with CID comparing OMT with any type of control procedure. The search was conducted on eight databases in January 2014 using a pragmatic literature search approach. Two independent re-viewers conducted study selection and data extraction for each study. The risk of bias was evaluated according to the Cochrane methods. Heterogeneity was assessed and meta-analysis performed where possible. 10 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review enrolling 386 subjects. The search identified six RCTs, one laboratory study, one cross-over pilot studies, one observation-al study and one case control pilot study. Results suggest a potential effect of osteopathic medicine on patients with medical pathologies associated with CID (in particular Chronic Obstructive Pul-monary Disease (COPD), Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Asthma and Peripheral Arterial Disease) com-pared to no treatment or sham therapy although data remain elusive. Moreover one study showed possible effects on arthritis rat model. Meta-analysis was performed for COPD studies only show-ing no effect of any type of OMT applied versus control. No major side effects were reported by those receiving OMT. The present systematic review showed inconsistent data on the effect of OMT in the treatment of medical conditions potentially associated with CID, however the OMT appears to be a safe approach. Further more robust trials are needed to determine the direction and magnitude of the effect of OMT and to generalize favorable results.

Impact of Antenna Placement on Frequency Domain Adaptive Antenna Array in Hybrid FRF Cellular System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sri Maldia Hari Asti

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Frequency domain adaptive antenna array (FDAAA is an effective method to suppress interference caused by frequency selective fading and multiple-access interference (MAI in single-carrier (SC transmission. However, the performance of FDAAA receiver will be affected by the antenna placement parameters such as antenna separation and spread of angle of arrival (AOA. On the other hand, hybrid frequency reuse can be adopted in cellular system to improve the cellular capacity. However, optimal frequency reuse factor (FRF depends on the channel propagation and transceiver scheme as well. In this paper, we analyze the impact of antenna separation and AOA spread on FDAAA receiver and optimize the cellular capacity by using hybrid FRF.

Investigation on Hydrodynamic Cavitation of a Restriction Orifice and Static Mixer on Crud-like Deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seong Man; Lee, Seung Won; Park, Seong Dae; Kang, Sa Rah; Seo, Han; Bang, In Cheol

2012-01-01

Axial Offset Anomaly (AOA) referring to an unexpected neutron flux depression is also known as Crud Induced Power Shift (CIPS). Fuel assemblies removed from an AOA core have shown a thick porous deposition layer of crud on fuel clad surface. The deposition layer was induced by precipitation reactions of both boron species and crud during sub-cooled nucleate boiling. Therefore, to resolve the AOA issues, a fuel cleaning technology using ultrasonic cavitation has been developed by EPRI and applied to the domestic NPPs by KNF. However, the performance of crud removal during maintenance of NPPs is known to be not enough. Hydrodynamic cavitation is the process of vaporization, bubble generation and bubble implosion which occurs in a flowing liquid as a result of decrease and subsequent increase in pressure. Hydrodynamic cavitation generates shock pressure of a few tens MPa due to bubble collapse like the cavitation generated by Ultrasonics. It is well known that the cavitation can erode the metal surface. The idea of the current study is that such energetic cavitation bubble collapses could help to remove the crud from the fuel assembly. Therefore, the current study first investigates effects of hydrodynamic cavitation occurred from a single hole orifice and static mixer fundamentally

Effects of Hydrodynamic Cavitation of a Restriction Orifice on Crud-like Deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seong Man; Lee, Seung Won; Park, Sung Dae; Kang, Sarah; Seo, Han; Bang, In Cheol

2011-01-01

Axial Offset Anomaly (AOA) referring to an unexpected neutron flux depression is also known as Crud Induced Power Shift (CIPS). Fuel assemblies removed from an AOA core has shown a thick porous deposition layer of crud on fuel clad surface. The deposition layer was induced by precipitation reactions of both boron species and crud during sub-cooled nucleate boiling. Therefore, to resolve the AOA issues, a fuel cleaning technology using ultrasonic cavitation has been developed by EPRI and applied to the domestic NPPs by KNF. However, the performance of crud removal during maintenance of NPPs is known to be not enough. Hydrodynamic cavitation is the process of vaporization, bubble generation and bubble implosion which occurs in a flowing liquid as a result of decrease and subsequent increase in pressure. Hydrodynamic cavitation generates shock pressure of a few tens MPa due to bubble collapse like the cavitation generated by Ultrasonics. It is well known that the cavitation can erode the metal surface. The idea of the current study is that such energetic cavitation bubble collapses could help to remove the crud from the fuel assembly. Therefore, the current study first investigates effects of hydrodynamic cavitation occurred from a single hole orifice fundamentally

Investigation on Hydrodynamic Cavitation of a Restriction Orifice and Static Mixer on Crud-like Deposits

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Seong Man; Lee, Seung Won; Park, Seong Dae; Kang, Sa Rah; Seo, Han; Bang, In Cheol [Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of)

2012-05-15

Axial Offset Anomaly (AOA) referring to an unexpected neutron flux depression is also known as Crud Induced Power Shift (CIPS). Fuel assemblies removed from an AOA core have shown a thick porous deposition layer of crud on fuel clad surface. The deposition layer was induced by precipitation reactions of both boron species and crud during sub-cooled nucleate boiling. Therefore, to resolve the AOA issues, a fuel cleaning technology using ultrasonic cavitation has been developed by EPRI and applied to the domestic NPPs by KNF. However, the performance of crud removal during maintenance of NPPs is known to be not enough. Hydrodynamic cavitation is the process of vaporization, bubble generation and bubble implosion which occurs in a flowing liquid as a result of decrease and subsequent increase in pressure. Hydrodynamic cavitation generates shock pressure of a few tens MPa due to bubble collapse like the cavitation generated by Ultrasonics. It is well known that the cavitation can erode the metal surface. The idea of the current study is that such energetic cavitation bubble collapses could help to remove the crud from the fuel assembly. Therefore, the current study first investigates effects of hydrodynamic cavitation occurred from a single hole orifice and static mixer fundamentally

Effects of Hydrodynamic Cavitation of a Restriction Orifice on Crud-like Deposits

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Seong Man; Lee, Seung Won; Park, Sung Dae; Kang, Sarah; Seo, Han; Bang, In Cheol [Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of)

2011-10-15

Axial Offset Anomaly (AOA) referring to an unexpected neutron flux depression is also known as Crud Induced Power Shift (CIPS). Fuel assemblies removed from an AOA core has shown a thick porous deposition layer of crud on fuel clad surface. The deposition layer was induced by precipitation reactions of both boron species and crud during sub-cooled nucleate boiling. Therefore, to resolve the AOA issues, a fuel cleaning technology using ultrasonic cavitation has been developed by EPRI and applied to the domestic NPPs by KNF. However, the performance of crud removal during maintenance of NPPs is known to be not enough. Hydrodynamic cavitation is the process of vaporization, bubble generation and bubble implosion which occurs in a flowing liquid as a result of decrease and subsequent increase in pressure. Hydrodynamic cavitation generates shock pressure of a few tens MPa due to bubble collapse like the cavitation generated by Ultrasonics. It is well known that the cavitation can erode the metal surface. The idea of the current study is that such energetic cavitation bubble collapses could help to remove the crud from the fuel assembly. Therefore, the current study first investigates effects of hydrodynamic cavitation occurred from a single hole orifice fundamentally

Effect of Storage on the Physico-Chemical and Antioxidant Properties of Strawberry and Kiwi Leathers.

Science.gov (United States)

Concha-Meyer, Anibal A; D'Ignoti, Valeria; Saez, Barbara; Diaz, Ricardo I; Torres, Carolina A

2016-03-01

Strawberry and kiwi leathers were used to develop a new healthy and preservative-free fruit snack for new markets. Fruit puree was dehydrated at 60 °C for 20 h and subjected to accelerated storage. Soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, water activity (aw ), total phenolic (TP), antioxidant activity (AOA) and capacity (ORAC), and color change (browning index) were measured in leathers, cooked, and fresh purees. An untrained panel was used to evaluate consumer acceptability. Soluble solids of fresh purees were 11.24 to 13.04 °Brix, whereas pH was 3.46 to 3.39. Leathers presented an aw of 0.59 to 0.67, and a moisture content of 21 kg water/100 kg. BI decreased in both leathers over accelerated storage period. TP and AOA were higher (P ≤ 0.05) in strawberry formulations. ORAC decreased 57% in strawberry and 65% in kiwi leathers when compared to fruit puree. TP and AOA increased in strawberries during storage. Strawberry and Kiwi leathers may be a feasible new, natural, high antioxidant, and healthy snack for the Chilean and other world markets, such as Europe, particularly the strawberry leather, which was preferred by untrained panelists. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®

Numerical simulation of transitional flow on a wind turbine airfoil with RANS-based transition model

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ye; Sun, Zhengzhong; van Zuijlen, Alexander; van Bussel, Gerard

2017-09-01

This paper presents a numerical investigation of transitional flow on the wind turbine airfoil DU91-W2-250 with chord-based Reynolds number Rec = 1.0 × 106. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes based transition model using laminar kinetic energy concept, namely the k - kL - ω model, is employed to resolve the boundary layer transition. Some ambiguities for this model are discussed and it is further implemented into OpenFOAM-2.1.1. The k - kL - ω model is first validated through the chosen wind turbine airfoil at the angle of attack (AoA) of 6.24° against wind tunnel measurement, where lift and drag coefficients, surface pressure distribution and transition location are compared. In order to reveal the transitional flow on the airfoil, the mean boundary layer profiles in three zones, namely the laminar, transitional and fully turbulent regimes, are investigated. Observation of flow at the transition location identifies the laminar separation bubble. The AoA effect on boundary layer transition over wind turbine airfoil is also studied. Increasing the AoA from -3° to 10°, the laminar separation bubble moves upstream and reduces in size, which is in close agreement with wind tunnel measurement.

Experience with compound words influences their processing: An eye movement investigation with English compound words.

Science.gov (United States)

Juhasz, Barbara J

2016-11-14

Recording eye movements provides information on the time-course of word recognition during reading. Juhasz and Rayner [Juhasz, B. J., & Rayner, K. (2003). Investigating the effects of a set of intercorrelated variables on eye fixation durations in reading. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 29, 1312-1318] examined the impact of five word recognition variables, including familiarity and age-of-acquisition (AoA), on fixation durations. All variables impacted fixation durations, but the time-course differed. However, the study focused on relatively short, morphologically simple words. Eye movements are also informative for examining the processing of morphologically complex words such as compound words. The present study further examined the time-course of lexical and semantic variables during morphological processing. A total of 120 English compound words that varied in familiarity, AoA, semantic transparency, lexeme meaning dominance, sensory experience rating (SER), and imageability were selected. The impact of these variables on fixation durations was examined when length, word frequency, and lexeme frequencies were controlled in a regression model. The most robust effects were found for familiarity and AoA, indicating that a reader's experience with compound words significantly impacts compound recognition. These results provide insight into semantic processing of morphologically complex words during reading.

Age of Acquisition Effects in Chinese EFL learners’ Delexicalized Verb and Collocation Acquisition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miao Haiyan

2015-05-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates age of acquisition (AoA effects and the acquisition of delexicalized verbs and collocations in Chinese EFL learners, and explores the underlying reasons from the connectionist model for these learners’ acquisition characteristics. The data were collected through a translation test consisted of delexialized verb information section and English-Chinese and Chinese-English collocation parts, aiming to focus on Chinese EFL learners’ receptive and productive abilities respectively. As Chinese EFL is a nationally classroom-based practice beginning from early primary school, the pedagogical value and different phases of acquisition are thus taken into consideration in designing the translation test. Research results show that the effects of AoA are significant not only in the learners’ acquisition of individual delexicalized verbs but also in delexicalized collocations. Although learners have long begun to learn delexicalized verbs, their production indicates that early learning does not guarantee total acquisition, because their grasp of delexicalized verbs still stay at the senior middle school level. AoA effects significantly affect the recognition but not the production of collocations. Furthermore, a plateau effect occurs in learners’ acquisition of college-level delexicalized collocations, as their recognition and production have no processing advantages over earlier learned collocations.

Steady Aerodynamic Characteristics of Two-Dimensional NACA0012 Airfoil for One Revolution Angle of Attack

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Byung Ho; Han, Yong Oun

2018-04-01

Steady variations in aerodynamic forces and flow behaviors of two-dimensional NACA0012 airfoil were investigated using a numerical method for One Revolution Angle of Attack (AOA) at Reynolds number of 105 . The profiles of lift coefficients, drag coefficients, and pressure coefficients were compared with those of the experimental data. The AERODAS model was used to analyze the profiles of lift and drag coefficients. Wake characteristics were given along with the deficit profiles of incoming velocity components. Both the characteristics of normal and reverse airfoil models were compared with the basic aerodynamic data for the same range of AOA. The results show that two peaks of the lift coefficients appeared at 11.5{°} and 42{°} and are in good agreement with the pre-stall and post-stall models, respectively. Counter-rotating vortex flows originated from the leading and trailing edges at a high AOA, which formed an impermeable zone over the suction surface and made reattachments in the wake. Moreover, the acceleration of inflow along the boundary of the vortex wrap appeared in the profile of the wake velocity. The drag profile was found to be independent of the airfoil mode, but the lift profile was quite sensitive to the airfoil mode.

Resolution of hypothyroidism after correction of somatovisceral reflex dysfunction by refusion of the cervical spine.

Science.gov (United States)

Berkowitz, Murray R

2015-01-01

Psychosis is a rare initial presentation of new-onset hypothyroidism. The author describes the case of a 29-year-old woman who presented with psychosis caused by hypothyroidism, or myxedema madness. Although the patient's psychosis resolved after standard monotherapy using levothyroxine sodium, her hypothyroidism persisted. Imaging of the patient's cervical spine showed that previous C5-C6 and C6-C7 fusions had failed. The failed fusions were corrected, and the patient's hypothyroidism resolved, suggesting that the somatovisceral reflex was the cause of the patient's hypothyroidism. Although somatovisceral reflex dysfunctions are rare, physicians should consider them as potential underlying causes of their patients' presenting medical conditions. © 2015 The American Osteopathic Association.

Expert Systems Based Clinical Assessment and Tutorial Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Papa, Frank; Shores, Jay

This project at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (Fort Worth) evaluated the use of an artificial-intelligence-derived measure, "Knowledge-Based Inference Tool" (KBIT), as the basis for assessing medical students' diagnostic capabilities and designing instruction to improve diagnostic skills. The instrument was designed to…

Integrating complementary/alternative medicine into primary care: evaluating the evidence and appropriate implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wainapel SF

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Stanley F Wainapel,1 Stephanie Rand,1 Loren M Fishman,2 Jennifer Halstead-Kenny1 1The Arthur S Abramson Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, 2Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA Abstract: The frequency with which patients utilize treatments encompassed by the term complementary/alternative medicine (CAM is well documented. A number of these therapies are beginning to be integrated into contemporary medical practice. This article examines three of them: osteopathic manipulation, yoga, and acupuncture, with a focus on their physiological effects, efficacy in treating medical conditions commonly encountered by practitioners, precautions or contraindications, and ways in which they can be incorporated into clinical practice. Physicians should routinely obtain information about use of CAM as part of their patient history and should consider their role based on physiological effects and clinical research results. Keywords: integrative medicine, osteopathic manipulation, yoga, acupuncture therapy

Physiological plasticity of the thermophilic ammonia oxidizing archaeon Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii in response to a changing environment

Science.gov (United States)

Jewell, T.; Johnson, A.; Gelsinger, D.; de la Torre, J. R.

2012-12-01

Our understanding of nitrogen biogeochemical cycling in high temperature environments underwent a dramatic revision with the discovery of ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA). The importance of AOA to the global nitrogen cycle came to light when recent studies of marine AOA demonstrated the dominance of these organisms in the ocean microbiome and their role as producers of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Understanding how AOA respond to fluctuating environments is crucial to fully comprehending their contribution to global biogeochemical cycling and climate change. In this study we use the thermophilic AOA Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii strain HL72 to explore the physiological plasticity of energy metabolism in these organisms. Previous studies have shown that HL72 grows autotrophically by aerobically oxidizing ammonia (NH3) to nitrite (NO2-). Unlike studies of marine AOA, we find that HL72 can grow over a wide ammonia concentration range (0.25 - 10 mM NH4Cl) with comparable generation times when in the presence of 0.25 to 4 mM NH4Cl. However, preliminary data indicate that amoA, the alpha subunit of ammonia monooxygenase (AMO), is upregulated at low ammonia concentrations (<50 μM) compared to growth at 1 mM. Although the ammonia oxidation pathway has not been fully elucidated, we have shown that nitric oxide (NO) appears to be a key intermediate: exponentially growing HL72 produces significant NO and the removal of NO using a scavenger reversibly inhibits growth. In addition to AMO, the HL72 genome also contains sequences for a urease encoded by subunits ureABC and an active urea transporter. Urea ((NH2)2CO) is an organic compound ubiquitous to aquatic and soil habitats that, when hydrolyzed, forms NH3 and CO2. We examined urea as an alternate source of ammonia for the ammonia oxidation pathway. HL72 grows over a wide range of urea concentrations (0.25 - 10 mM) at rates comparable to growth on ammonia. In a substrate competition experiment HL72 preferentially

An Exploratory Study of Women in the Health Professions Schools. Volume VII: Women in Podiatry.

Science.gov (United States)

Urban and Rural Systems Associates, San Francisco, CA.

In an exploratory study conducted for the Women's Action Program of HEW, the aims were to identify and explore the barriers to success that women face as MODVOPPP (Medicine, Osteopathic medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary medicine, Optometry, Podiatry, Pharmacy, and Public health) school applicants and students, and to describe the discrimination…

77 FR 73677 - Stephanie A. Tarapchak, M.D.; Decision and Order

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-11

... Pennsylvania State Board of Osteopathic Medicine (Board) issued a Notice of disciplinary action and Preliminary... Appropriate Relief, a Preliminary Order, and a Notice of formal disciplinary action, alleging that Respondent... State has yet to provide the practitioner with a hearing to challenge the State's action at which he may...

Živčić et al., Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. (2014) 11(6):57-65 ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

cadewumi

osteopathic & laying-on-hands treatments, while significant differences in attitudes towards acupuncture, chiropractic and massage failed to be found. Differences in healthcare professionals' attitudes arising on the grounds of gender (T=-1.411, p=0.159), educational background (F=2.372303, p=0.095) and the number of ...

AoA Case Study: A Variation of Regret Analysis

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kane, Robyn A

2005-01-01

.... It is not overly pessimistic to assign at most a 30-percent confidence level to a complex system's cost estimate to account for significant technical and program uncertainties, and the estimation uncertainty itself...

Medical Team Training Improves Team Performance: AOA Critical Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, James E; Bagian, James P; Snider, Rebecca G; Jeray, Kyle J

2017-09-20

Effective teamwork and communication can decrease medical errors in environments where the culture of safety is enhanced. Health care can benefit from programs that are based on teamwork, as in other high-stress industries (e.g., aviation), with crew resource management programs, simulator use, and utilization of checklists. Medical team training (MTT) with a strong leadership commitment was used at our institution to focus specifically on creating open, yet structured, communication in operating rooms. Training included the 3 phases of the World Health Organization protocol to organize communication and briefings: preoperative verification, preincision briefing, and debriefing at or near the end of the surgical case. This training program led to measured improvements in job satisfaction and compliance with checklist tasks, and identified opportunities to improve training sessions. MTT provides the potential for sustainable change and a positive impact on the environment of the operating room.

Solving the AOA-Mystery and Does the Taxman Agree?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Burgers, Irene; Hoyos Jimenez, Catalina; Garcia Novoa, Cesar; Fernandez C., Julio

This contribution shows why the Authorized OECD Approach to profit allocation to permanent establishment is the approach that is most in line with the principle of neutrality underlying the international tax system

ARRA NEPA Quarterly Report- First Report: DHHS: AoA

Data.gov (United States)

Council on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President — Reports prepared by the Departments and Agencies on status of NEPA progress for activities and projects funded under Division A of the American Recovery and...

AoA Region: Red Sea And Gulf of Aden

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Naqvi, S.W.A.

. The Secretariat for PERSGA was formally established in Jeddah following the Cairo Declaration of September 1995. PERSGA’s mandate is to perform functions necessary for the management of the Jeddah Convention and its Action Plan. As a result, PERSGA, in close... collaboration with relevant regional and international organizations, began implementing activities and programmes to deal with the various threats facing the coastal and marine environments in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden region. The Strategic Action...

Existence of an 16O-rich gaseous reservoir in the solar nebula.

Science.gov (United States)

Krot, Alexander N; McKeegan, Kevin D; Leshin, Laurie A; MacPherson, Glenn J; Scott, Edward R D

2002-02-08

Carbonaceous chondrite condensate olivine grains from two distinct petrographic settings, calcium-aluminum-rich inclusion (CAI) accretionary rims and amoeboid olivine aggregates (AOAs), are oxygen-16 (16O) enriched at the level previously observed inside CAIs. This requires that the gas in the nebular region where these grains condensed was 16O-rich. This contrasts with an 16O-poor gas present during the formation of chondrules, suggesting that CAIs and AOAs formed in a spatially restricted region of the solar nebula containing 16O-rich gas. The 16O-rich gas composition may have resulted either from mass-independent isotopic chemistry or from evaporation of regions with enhanced dust/gas ratios, possibly in an X-wind environment near the young Sun.

Pre-ischemic mitochondrial substrate constraint by inhibition of malate-aspartate shuttle preserves mitochondrial function after ischemia-reperfusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jespersen, Nichlas Riise; Yokota, Takashi; Støttrup, Nicolaj Brejnholt

2017-01-01

KEY POINTS: Pre-ischaemic administration of aminooxiacetate (AOA), an inhibitor of the malate-aspartate shuttle (MAS), provides cardioprotection against ischaemia-reperfusion injury. The underlying mechanism remains unknown. We examined whether transient inhibition of the MAS during ischaemia......, but not IPC, reduced the myocardial interstitial concentration of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates at the onset of reperfusion. The results obtained in the present study demonstrate that metabolic regulation by inhibition of the MAS at the onset of reperfusion may be beneficial for the preservation...... of mitochondrial function during late reperfusion in an IR-injured heart. ABSTRACT: Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a central role in ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. Pre-ischaemic administration of aminooxyacetate (AOA), an inhibitor of the malate-aspartate shuttle (MAS), provides cardioprotection against IR...

Vesicovaginal fistula, bladder calculus, retained foreign body or all ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

L. Paik

Vesicovaginal fistula, bladder calculus, retained foreign body or all of the above? The unusual presentation of a female with total urinary incontinence. L. Paika, S. Smitb,∗. , H. van Heerdenb, K. du Toitb,. A. van der Merweb, C. Heynsb a Department of Urology, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, ...

The electronic residency application service application can predict accreditation council for graduate medical education competency-based surgical resident performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Tolan, Amy M; Kaji, Amy H; Quach, Chi; Hines, O Joe; de Virgilio, Christian

2010-01-01

Program directors often struggle to determine which factors in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application are important in the residency selection process. With the establishment of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies, it would be important to know whether information available in the ERAS application can predict subsequent competency-based performance of general surgery residents. This study is a retrospective correlation of data points found in the ERAS application with core competency-based clinical rotation evaluations. ACGME competency-based evaluations as well as technical skills assessment from all rotations during residency were collected. The overall competency score was defined as an average of all 6 competencies and technical skills. A total of77 residents from two (one university and one community based university-affiliate) general surgery residency programs were included in the analysis. Receiving honors for many of the third year clerkships and AOA membership were associated with a number of the individual competencies. USMLE scores were predictive only of Medical Knowledge (p = 0.004). Factors associated with higher overall competency were female gender (p = 0.02), AOA (p = 0.06), overall number of honors received (p = 0.04), and honors in Ob/Gyn (p = 0.03) and Pediatrics (p = 0.05). Multivariable analysis showed honors in Ob/Gyn, female gender, older age, and total number of honors to be predictive of a number of individual core competencies. USMLE scores were only predictive of Medical Knowledge. The ERAS application is useful for predicting subsequent competency based performance in surgical residents. Receiving honors in the surgery clerkship, which has traditionally carried weight when evaluating a potential surgery resident, may not be as strong a predictor of future success. Copyright © 2010 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights

Monechma ciliatum methanolic extract regulates low density ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ONOS

2010-09-06

Sep 6, 2010 ... which is the rate-limiting enzyme in this process (Brown and Goldstein, 1986). ... control elevated plasma LDLC (Brown and Goldstein,. 1997). ... Antioxidant activity (AOA) measurement .... using gel image instrumentation.

The State of the Otolaryngology Match: A Review of Applicant Trends, "Impossible" Qualifications, and Implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Bowe, Sarah N; Schmalbach, Cecelia E; Laury, Adrienne M

2017-06-01

Objective This State of the Art Review aims (1) to define recent qualifications of otolaryngology resident applicants by focusing on United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores, Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) status, and research/publications and (2) to summarize the current literature regarding the relationship between these measures and performance in residency. Data Sources Electronic Residency Application Service, National Residency Matching Program, PubMed, Ovid, and GoogleScholar. Review Methods Electronic Residency Application Service and National Residency Matching Program data were analyzed to evaluate trends in applicant numbers and qualifications. Additionally, a literature search was performed with the aforementioned databases to identify relevant articles published in the past 5 years that examined USMLE Step 1 scores, AOA status, and research/publications. Conclusions Compared with other highly competitive fields over the past 3 years, the only specialty with decreasing applicant numbers is otolaryngology, with the rest remaining relatively stable or slightly increased. Additionally, USMLE Step 1 scores, AOA status, and research/publications do not reliably correlate with performance in residency. Implications for Practice The consistent decline in applications for otolaryngology residency is concerning and reflects a need for change in the current stereotype of the "ideal" otolaryngology applicant. This includes consideration of additional selection measures focusing on noncognitive and holistic qualities. Furthermore, otolaryngology faculty should counsel medical students that applying in otolaryngology is not "impossible" but rather a feasible and worthwhile endeavor.

A new method for measuring lift forces acting on an airfoil under dynamic conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wolken-Moehlmann, Gerrit; Peinke, Joachim [Institute of Physics, University of Oldenburg (Germany)

2008-07-01

Wind turbines operate in a turbulent atmospheric boundary layer and are exposed to strong wind fluctuations in time and space. This can induce the dynamic stall, a phenomenon that causes extra loads. Dynamic stall occurs under fast changes in the angle of attack (AoA) and was determined in detail in helicopter research. But in contrast to helicopter aerodynamics, the changes in the AoA of wind turbine airfoils are in general non-sinusoidal, and thus it seems to be difficult to use these measurements and models. Our goal is to acquire lift data under conditions more comparable to real wind turbines, including non-periodic changes in the AoA. For this purpose a closed test section for our wind tunnel was built. An airfoil with a chord length of 0.2m will be rotated by a stepping motor with angular velocities of up to 300 {sup circle} /s. With a maximum wind velocity of 50m/s, Reynolds numbers of Re=700 000 can be realized. The lift force is determined by the counter forces acting on the wind tunnel walls. These are measured by two lines of 40 pressure sensors with sampling rates up to 2kHz. The results show distinct dynamic stall characteristics. Further experiments with different parameters and foils will give a better insight in dynamic stall and a verification and improvement of existing models.

Enrichment of Thermophilic Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea from an Alkaline Hot Spring in the Great Basin, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, C.; Huang, Z.; Jiang, H.; Wiegel, J.; Li, W.; Dong, H.

2010-12-01

One of the major advances in the nitrogen cycle is the recent discovery of ammonia oxidation by archaea. While culture-independent studies have revealed occurrence of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in nearly every surface niche on earth, most of these microorganisms have resisted isolation and so far only a few species have been identified. The Great Basin contains numerous hot springs, which are characterized by moderately high temperature (40-65 degree C) and circumneutral or alkaline pH. Unique thermophilic archaea have been identified based on molecular DNA and lipid biomarkers; some of which may be ammonia oxidizers. This study aims to isolate some of these archaea from a California hot spring that has pH around 9.0 and temperature around 42 degree C. Mat material was collected from the spring and transported on ice to the laboratory. A synthetic medium (SCM-5) was inoculated with the mat material and the culture was incubated under varying temperature (35-65 degree C) and pH (7.0-10.0) conditions using antibiotics to suppress bacterial growth. Growth of the culture was monitored by microscopy, decrease in ammonium and increase in nitrite, and increases in Crenarchaeota and AOA abundances over time. Clone libraries were constructed to compare archaeal community structures before and after the enrichment experiment. Temperature and pH profiles indicated that the culture grew optimally at pH 9.0 and temperature 45 degree C, which are consistent with the geochemical conditions of the natural environment. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the final OTU was distantly related to all known hyperthermophilic archaea. Analysis of the amoA genes showed two OTUs in the final culture; one of them was closely related to Candidatus Nitrososphaera gargensis. However, the enrichment culture always contained bacteria and attempts to separate them from archaea have failed. This highlights the difficulty in bringing AOA into pure culture and suggests that some of the AOA may

Reverse-transcriptional gene expression of anammox and ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in soybean and rice paddy soils of Northeast China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jing; Dong, Hailiang; Wang, Weidong; Gu, Ji-Dong

2014-03-01

The relative gene expression of hydrazine oxidoreductase encoding gene (hzo) for anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria (anammox) and ammonia monooxygenase encoding gene (amoA) for both ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in Sanjiang Plain soybean and rice paddy soils of Northeast China was investigated by using real-time reverse-transcriptional quantitative PCR. Metabolically active populations of anammox, AOA, and AOB in rice paddy soils were evident by the presence and successful quantification of hzo mRNA and amoA mRNA genes. The expression ratio of amoA gene for both AOA and AOB varied between soybean soils and different rice paddy soils while the expression of hzo gene for anammox was detectable only in rice paddy soils by showing a diverse relative expression ratio in each soil sample. Gene expression of both archaeal and bacterial amoA genes in rice paddy soils differed among the three sampling depths, but that of hzo was not. Both archaeal and bacterial amoA genes showed an increase trend of expression level with continuation of rice paddy cultivation, but the low expression ratio of hzo gene indicated a relatively small contribution of anammox in overall removal of inorganic nitrogen through N2 even under anoxic and high nitrogen input in agriculture. Bacterial amoA gene from two soybean fields and three rice paddy fields were also analyzed for community composition by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis fingerprint. Community shift was observed between soybean and paddy fields and within each of them. The consistent occurrence of three bands 5, 6, and 7 in all samples showed their high adaptability for both arid cultivation and continuous rice paddy cultivation. Our data suggest that AOA and AOB are playing a more important role in nitrogen transformation in agricultural soils in oxic or anoxic environment and anammox bacteria may also contribute but in a less extent to N transformation in these agricultural soils

The Link between Microbial Diversity and Nitrogen Cycling in Marine Sediments Is Modulated by Macrofaunal Bioturbation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yazdani Foshtomi, Maryam; Braeckman, Ulrike; Derycke, Sofie; Sapp, Melanie; Van Gansbeke, Dirk; Sabbe, Koen; Willems, Anne; Vincx, Magda; Vanaverbeke, Jan

2015-01-01

The marine benthic nitrogen cycle is affected by both the presence and activity of macrofauna and the diversity of N-cycling microbes. However, integrated research simultaneously investigating macrofauna, microbes and N-cycling is lacking. We investigated spatio-temporal patterns in microbial community composition and diversity, macrofaunal abundance and their sediment reworking activity, and N-cycling in seven subtidal stations in the Southern North Sea. Our results indicated that bacteria (total and β-AOB) showed more spatio-temporal variation than archaea (total and AOA) as sedimentation of organic matter and the subsequent changes in the environment had a stronger impact on their community composition and diversity indices in our study area. However, spatio-temporal patterns of total bacterial and β-AOB communities were different and related to the availability of ammonium for the autotrophic β-AOB. Highest bacterial richness and diversity were observed in June at the timing of the phytoplankton bloom deposition, while richness of β-AOB as well as AOA peaked in September. Total archaeal community showed no temporal variation in diversity indices. Distance based linear models revealed that, independent from the effect of grain size and the quality and quantity of sediment organic matter, nitrification and N-mineralization were affected by respectively the diversity of metabolically active β-AOB and AOA, and the total bacteria, near the sediment-water interface. Separate models demonstrated a significant and independent effect of macrofaunal activities on community composition and richness of total bacteria, and diversity indices of metabolically active AOA. Diversity of β-AOB was significantly affected by macrofaunal abundance. Our results support the link between microbial biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in marine sediments, and provided broad correlative support for the hypothesis that this relationship is modulated by macrofaunal activity. We

The Link between Microbial Diversity and Nitrogen Cycling in Marine Sediments Is Modulated by Macrofaunal Bioturbation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maryam Yazdani Foshtomi

Full Text Available The marine benthic nitrogen cycle is affected by both the presence and activity of macrofauna and the diversity of N-cycling microbes. However, integrated research simultaneously investigating macrofauna, microbes and N-cycling is lacking. We investigated spatio-temporal patterns in microbial community composition and diversity, macrofaunal abundance and their sediment reworking activity, and N-cycling in seven subtidal stations in the Southern North Sea.Our results indicated that bacteria (total and β-AOB showed more spatio-temporal variation than archaea (total and AOA as sedimentation of organic matter and the subsequent changes in the environment had a stronger impact on their community composition and diversity indices in our study area. However, spatio-temporal patterns of total bacterial and β-AOB communities were different and related to the availability of ammonium for the autotrophic β-AOB. Highest bacterial richness and diversity were observed in June at the timing of the phytoplankton bloom deposition, while richness of β-AOB as well as AOA peaked in September. Total archaeal community showed no temporal variation in diversity indices.Distance based linear models revealed that, independent from the effect of grain size and the quality and quantity of sediment organic matter, nitrification and N-mineralization were affected by respectively the diversity of metabolically active β-AOB and AOA, and the total bacteria, near the sediment-water interface. Separate models demonstrated a significant and independent effect of macrofaunal activities on community composition and richness of total bacteria, and diversity indices of metabolically active AOA. Diversity of β-AOB was significantly affected by macrofaunal abundance. Our results support the link between microbial biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in marine sediments, and provided broad correlative support for the hypothesis that this relationship is modulated by macrofaunal

Using Simulation-Based Medical Education to Meet the Competency Requirements for the Single Accreditation System.

Science.gov (United States)

Riley, Bernadette

2015-08-01

Simulation-based medical education can provide medical training in a nonjudgmental, patient-safe, and effective environment. Although simulation has been a relatively new addition to medical education, the aeronautical, judicial, and military fields have used simulation training for hundreds of years, with positive outcomes. Simulation-based medical education can be used in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, medical schools, and simulation training centers. As the author describes in the present article, residencies currently accredited by the American Osteopathic Association can use a simulation-based medical education curriculum to meet training requirements of the 6 competencies identified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The author also provides specific guidance on providing training and assessment in the professionalism competency.

Development and Assessment of Loss of Control Prevention Techniques, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Our team proposes to develop an innovative Angle of Attack (AoA) system for General Aviation (GA) with the new ability to estimate flap position combined with our...

Osteopathy for primary headache patients: a systematic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cerritelli F

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Francesco Cerritelli,1–3 Eleonora Lacorte,4 Nuria Ruffini,1 Nicola Vanacore4 1Clinical-based Human Research Department, Centre for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration, 2Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, 3ITAB – Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. D’Annunzio University of Chieti, Pescara, 4National Centre for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy Objective: This systematic review aimed to assess the efficacy, effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT in patients with headache. Background: Migraine is one of the most common and disabling medical conditions. It affects more than 15% of the general population, causing high global socioeconomic costs, and the currently available treatment options are inadequate.Methods: We systematically reviewed all available studies investigating the use of OMT in patients with migraine and other forms of headache.Results: The search of literature produced six studies, five of which were eligible for review. The reviewed papers collectively support the notion that patients with migraine can benefit from OMT. OMT could most likely reduce the number of episodes per month as well as drug use. None of the included studies, however, was classified as low risk of bias according to the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias.Conclusion: The results from this systematic review show a preliminary low level of evidence that OMT is effective in the management of headache. However, studies with more rigorous designs and methodology are needed to strengthen this evidence. Moreover, this review suggests that new manual interventions for the treatment of acute migraine are available and developing. Keywords: osteopathic manipulative treatment, tension type headache, pain, migraine, disability 

Learning by Living: Life-Altering Medical Education through Nursing Home-Based Experiential Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Gugliucci, Marilyn R.; Weiner, Audrey

2013-01-01

The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine Learning by Living Project (referred to as Learning by Living) was piloted in 2006 as an experiential medical education learning model. Since its inception, medical and other health professions students have been "admitted" into nursing homes to live the life of an older adult nursing…

34 CFR Appendix to Part 648 - Academic Areas

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

....07Developmental and Child Psychology 42.08Experimental Psychology 42.09Industrial and Organizational Psychology 42....18Ophthalmic/Optometric Services 51.19Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) 51.20Pharmacy 51.21Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., Pod.D.) 51.22Public Health 51.23Rehabilitation/Therapeutic Services 51.24Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M...

Biological effects of direct and indirect manipulation of the fascial system. Narrative review.

Science.gov (United States)

Parravicini, Giovanni; Bergna, Andrea

2017-04-01

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) is effective in improving function, movement and restoring pain conditions. Despite clinical results, the mechanisms of how OMT achieves its' effects remain unclear. The fascial system is described as a tensional network that envelops the human body. Direct or indirect manipulations of the fascial system are a distinctive part of OMT. This review describes the biological effects of direct and indirect manipulation of the fascial system. Literature search was performed in February 2016 in the electronic databases: Cochrane, Medline, Scopus, Ostmed, Pedro and authors' publications relative to Fascia Research Congress Website. Manipulation of the fascial system seems to interfere with some cellular processes providing various pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cells and molecules. Despite growing research in the osteopathic field, biological effects of direct or indirect manipulation of the fascial system are not conclusive. To elevate manual medicine as a primary intervention in clinical settings, it's necessary to clarify how OMT modalities work in order to underpin their clinical efficacies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

77 FR 20637 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; OAA Title III-C...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-05

... independence in their homes and communities and support family caregivers of older adults and grandparents... information will be used by AoA to measure how well and under what circumstances does the OAA Title III-C...

Identity, gender, and the role of age of acquisition in face processing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew W. Ellis

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Two experiments examined the effects of age of acquisition (AoA and the gender of stimulus faces on familiarity decisions (Experiment 1 and gender decisions (Experiment 2 to the same set of famous and unfamiliar faces presented as whole faces, internal features or external features. In Experiment 1, familiarity decisions were faster to whole faces than to internal or external features. Famous faces with early AoA were recognised faster than later acquired faces, though the effect was only reliable for famous male faces, and for whole faces and internal features rather than for external features. In Experiment 2, gender decisions were made more rapidly to whole faces than to internal or external features. Classification was faster to famous than to unfamiliar faces when the faces were presented as internal features or external features, but not when they were presented as whole faces. More gender classification errors were made to famous than to unfamiliar male faces, but there was no effect of familiarity on the accuracy of responses to female faces. AoA had no effect on gender classification of whole faces or external features. Classification from internal features was faster for early than for late acquired male faces, but faster for late than for early female faces. In the light of the anomalous results for female faces, responses to male faces were analysed separately. The results for the male faces form the focus of the discussion.

Biosynthesis of 2-aminooctanoic acid and its use to terminally modify a lactoferricin B peptide derivative for improved antimicrobial activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Almahboub, Sarah A; Narancic, Tanja; Devocelle, Marc; Kenny, Shane T; Palmer-Brown, William; Murphy, Cormac; Nikodinovic-Runic, Jasmina; O'Connor, Kevin E

2018-01-01

Terminal modification of peptides is frequently used to improve their hydrophobicity. While N-terminal modification with fatty acids (lipidation) has been reported previously, C-terminal lipidation is limited as it requires the use of linkers. Here we report the use of a biocatalyst for the production of an unnatural fatty amino acid, (S)-2-aminooctanoic acid (2-AOA) with enantiomeric excess > 98% ee and the subsequent use of 2-AOA to modify and improve the activity of an antimicrobial peptide. A transaminase originating from Chromobacterium violaceum was employed with a conversion efficiency 52-80% depending on the ratio of amino group donor to acceptor. 2-AOA is a fatty acid with amino functionality, which allowed direct C- and N-terminal conjugation respectively to an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) derived from lactoferricin B. The antibacterial activity of the modified peptides was improved by up to 16-fold. Furthermore, minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of C-terminally modified peptide were always lower than N-terminally conjugated peptides. The C-terminally modified peptide exhibited MIC values of 25 μg/ml for Escherichia coli, 50 μg/ml for Bacillus subtilis, 100 μg/ml for Salmonella typhimurium, 200 μg/ml for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 400 μg/ml for Staphylococcus aureus. The C-terminally modified peptide was the only peptide tested that showed complete inhibition of growth of S. aureus.

Role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of oral submucous fibrosis: A preliminary prospective study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G K Shakunthala

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: In the current scenario pathogenesis of majority of the diseases is deeply linked with the oxidative stress, irrespective of its etiology. Enumerable data suggests that reactive oxygen species play a key role in multistage carcinogenesis. Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF is considered as a potentially malignant disorder. Its increased incidence over recent years in the Indian subcontinent is a major health concern to oral physicians. However, the role of oxidative stress has not been widely investigated in OSMF. Aims: Is to evaluate both antioxidant and oxidant status in OSMF and to compare with controls. Settings and Design: Twenty patients and 20 controls of the same age group were enrolled in the study. Subjects and Methods: Five milliliters of blood were collected from each individual and serum was separated. Malondialdehyde (MDA estimation using thiobarbituric acid (TBA method, and antioxidant activity (AOA using principle of TBA reactive substances was done using this serum, with a calorimetric method. Statistical Analysis Used: Student's t-test and ANOVA test. Results: The mean serum AOA status was seen to significantly decrease in OSMF patients, as compared to controls (P = 0.013. The increase in mean serum MDA level was highly significant in OSMF patients, as compared to controls (P < 0.001. Conclusion: The disparity between AOA and MDA levels in the patients clearly demonstrates the role of oxidative stress in the disease process. The results also suggest the use of antioxidants in the management of OSMF.

Evaluación de preservantes florales en la poscosecha de tres variedades de clavel estándar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

López Paola

2008-04-01

Full Text Available

En clavel es imprescindible el tratamiento poscosecha a base de tiosulfato de plata (STS, para garantizar una mayor longevidad floral; sin embargo, los tratamientos antietilénicos a base del ión plata implican contaminación ambiental. El objetivo de este estudio fue realizar la evaluación de diferentes compuestos en la poscosecha de clavel estándar variedades Nelson, Dream y Delphi, como posibles sustitutos del STS. Para este fin, se utilizaron tratamientos a base de STS, SR-AOA (ácido aminooxacético de liberación lenta y quitosan. En seguida a la cosecha de los tallos florales se realizó una simulación de viaje con una duración aproximada de 21 días; posteriormente, las flores fueron sometidas a evaluaciones de longevidad, velocidad de apertura, color y consumo de agua. En la evolución de la vida en florero, se observó la misma tendencia para las tres variedades: un primer grupo de mayor longevidad floral, conformado por los tratamientos a base de SR-AOA y STS, con un promedio de durabilidad de 14 a 20 días; y el segundo grupo, de menor longevidad floral, conformado por los tratamientos a base de quitosan, quitosan más ácido cítrico, quitosan más AOA y testigo absoluto, con una duración promedio de 6 a 8 días.

Direct numerical simulation of a NACA0012 in full stall

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodríguez, I.; Lehmkuhl, O.; Borrell, R.; Oliva, A.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Coherent structures at transitional and supercritical wake modes are presented. • Vortex shedding is detected in both wake modes. • KH instabilities and vortex shedding frequencies are identified. • Low-frequency flapping of the shear-layer is also detected after stall. • Local pressure distribution at both AOA is coherent with experimental observations. -- Abstract: This work aims at investigating the mechanisms of separation and the transition to turbulence in the separated shear-layer of aerodynamic profiles, while at the same time to gain insight into coherent structures formed in the separated zone at low-to-moderate Reynolds numbers. To do this, direct numerical simulations of the flow past a NACA0012 airfoil at Reynolds numbers Re = 50,000 (based on the free-stream velocity and the airfoil chord) and angles of attack AOA = 9.25° and AOA = 12° have been carried out. At low-to-moderate Reynolds numbers, NACA0012 exhibits a combination of leading-edge/trailing-edge stall which causes the massive separation of the flow on the suction side of the airfoil. The initially laminar shear layer undergoes transition to turbulence and vortices formed are shed forming a von Kármán like vortex street in the airfoil wake. The main characteristics of this flow together with its main features, including power spectra of a set of selected monitoring probes at different positions on the suction side and in the wake of the airfoil are provided and discussed in detail

Get Tested for Glaucoma!

Science.gov (United States)

... of this page please turn Javascript on. Feature: Glaucoma Get Tested for Glaucoma! Past Issues / Fall 2009 Table of Contents Taylor ... aoa.org/ When were you finally diagnosed with glaucoma? Not until 1969, after a game of basketball. ...

Microbial community changes along the active seepage site of one cold seep in the Red Sea.

KAUST Repository

Cao, Huiluo

2015-07-21

The active seepage of the marine cold seeps could be a critical process for the exchange of energy between the submerged geosphere and the sea floor environment through organic-rich fluids, potentially even affecting surrounding microbial habitats. However, few studies have investigated the associated microbial community changes. In the present study, 16S rRNA genes were pyrosequenced to decipher changes in the microbial communities from the Thuwal seepage point in the Red Sea to nearby marine sediments in the brine pool, normal marine sediments and water, and benthic microbial mats. An unexpected number of reads from unclassified groups were detected in these habitats; however, the ecological functions of these groups remain unresolved. Furthermore, ammonia-oxidizing archaeal community structures were investigated using the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene. Analysis of amoA showed that planktonic marine habitats, including seeps and marine water, hosted archaeal ammonia oxidizers that differed from those in microbial mats and marine sediments, suggesting modifications of the ammonia oxidizing archaeal (AOA) communities along the environmental gradient from active seepage sites to peripheral areas. Changes in the microbial community structure of AOA in different habitats (water vs. sediment) potentially correlated with changes in salinity and oxygen concentrations. Overall, the present results revealed for the first time unanticipated novel microbial groups and changes in the ammonia-oxidizing archaea in response to environmental gradients near the active seepages of a cold seep.

Microbial community changes along the active seepage site of one cold seep in the Red Sea.

KAUST Repository

Cao, Huiluo; Zhang, Weipeng; Wang, Yong; Qian, Pei-Yuan

2015-01-01

The active seepage of the marine cold seeps could be a critical process for the exchange of energy between the submerged geosphere and the sea floor environment through organic-rich fluids, potentially even affecting surrounding microbial habitats. However, few studies have investigated the associated microbial community changes. In the present study, 16S rRNA genes were pyrosequenced to decipher changes in the microbial communities from the Thuwal seepage point in the Red Sea to nearby marine sediments in the brine pool, normal marine sediments and water, and benthic microbial mats. An unexpected number of reads from unclassified groups were detected in these habitats; however, the ecological functions of these groups remain unresolved. Furthermore, ammonia-oxidizing archaeal community structures were investigated using the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene. Analysis of amoA showed that planktonic marine habitats, including seeps and marine water, hosted archaeal ammonia oxidizers that differed from those in microbial mats and marine sediments, suggesting modifications of the ammonia oxidizing archaeal (AOA) communities along the environmental gradient from active seepage sites to peripheral areas. Changes in the microbial community structure of AOA in different habitats (water vs. sediment) potentially correlated with changes in salinity and oxygen concentrations. Overall, the present results revealed for the first time unanticipated novel microbial groups and changes in the ammonia-oxidizing archaea in response to environmental gradients near the active seepages of a cold seep.

2D Unitary ESPRIT Based Super-Resolution Channel Estimation for Millimeter-Wave Massive MIMO with Hybrid Precoding

KAUST Repository

Liao, Anwen

2017-11-01

Millimeter-wave (mmWave) massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) with hybrid precoding is a promising technique for the future 5G wireless communications. Due to a large number of antennas but a much smaller number of radio frequency (RF) chains, estimating the high-dimensional mmWave massive MIMO channel will bring the large pilot overhead. To overcome this challenge, this paper proposes a super-resolution channel estimation scheme based on two-dimensional (2D) unitary ESPRIT algorithm. By exploiting the angular sparsity of mmWave channels, the continuously distributed angle of arrivals/departures (AoAs/AoDs) can be jointly estimated with high accuracy. Specifically, by designing the uplink training signals at both base station (BS) and mobile station (MS), we first use low pilot overhead to estimate a low-dimensional effective channel, which has the same shift-invariance of array response as the high-dimensional mmWave MIMO channel to be estimated. From the low-dimensional effective channel, the superresolution estimates of AoAs and AoDs can be jointly obtained by exploiting the 2D unitary ESPRIT channel estimation algorithm. Furthermore, the associated path gains can be acquired based on the least squares (LS) criterion. Finally, we can reconstruct the high-dimensional mmWave MIMO channel according to the obtained AoAs, AoDs, and path gains. Simulation results have confirmed that the proposed scheme is superior to conventional schemes with a much lower pilot overhead.

2D Unitary ESPRIT Based Super-Resolution Channel Estimation for Millimeter-Wave Massive MIMO with Hybrid Precoding

KAUST Repository

Liao, Anwen; Gao, Zhen; Wu, Yongpeng; Wang, Hua; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

Millimeter-wave (mmWave) massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) with hybrid precoding is a promising technique for the future 5G wireless communications. Due to a large number of antennas but a much smaller number of radio frequency (RF) chains, estimating the high-dimensional mmWave massive MIMO channel will bring the large pilot overhead. To overcome this challenge, this paper proposes a super-resolution channel estimation scheme based on two-dimensional (2D) unitary ESPRIT algorithm. By exploiting the angular sparsity of mmWave channels, the continuously distributed angle of arrivals/departures (AoAs/AoDs) can be jointly estimated with high accuracy. Specifically, by designing the uplink training signals at both base station (BS) and mobile station (MS), we first use low pilot overhead to estimate a low-dimensional effective channel, which has the same shift-invariance of array response as the high-dimensional mmWave MIMO channel to be estimated. From the low-dimensional effective channel, the superresolution estimates of AoAs and AoDs can be jointly obtained by exploiting the 2D unitary ESPRIT channel estimation algorithm. Furthermore, the associated path gains can be acquired based on the least squares (LS) criterion. Finally, we can reconstruct the high-dimensional mmWave MIMO channel according to the obtained AoAs, AoDs, and path gains. Simulation results have confirmed that the proposed scheme is superior to conventional schemes with a much lower pilot overhead.

A Constrained Least Squares Approach to Mobile Positioning: Algorithms and Optimality

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, KW; So, HC; Ma, W.-K.; Chan, YT

2006-12-01

The problem of locating a mobile terminal has received significant attention in the field of wireless communications. Time-of-arrival (TOA), received signal strength (RSS), time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA), and angle-of-arrival (AOA) are commonly used measurements for estimating the position of the mobile station. In this paper, we present a constrained weighted least squares (CWLS) mobile positioning approach that encompasses all the above described measurement cases. The advantages of CWLS include performance optimality and capability of extension to hybrid measurement cases (e.g., mobile positioning using TDOA and AOA measurements jointly). Assuming zero-mean uncorrelated measurement errors, we show by mean and variance analysis that all the developed CWLS location estimators achieve zero bias and the Cramér-Rao lower bound approximately when measurement error variances are small. The asymptotic optimum performance is also confirmed by simulation results.

Antioxidant activity of dorzolamide/timolol fixed combination in neuroprotective therapy in glaucoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. I. Kurysheva

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: to study the antioxidant activity of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and timolol fixed combinations and to compare it with other fixed combinations.Methods: Antioxidant activity (AOA of dorzolamide/timolol (Cosopt, dorzolamide/timolol (Dorzopt Plus, latanoprost/timolol, brimonidine/timolol, travoprost/timolol and bimatoprost/timolol fixed combinations was measured in vitro using the model of oxida- tive hemolysis.Results: Dorzolamide/timolol (Cosopt AOA was higher than that of other fixed combinations and increased with the quantity of the drugs added to the model system: 40%, 52% and 75% in 30 μl, 60 μl and 90 μl respectively.Conclusion: these findings suggest that dorzolamide/timolol fixed combination has potential advantages over the other fixed combinations due to its high antioxidant activity and might be used as the neuroptotective agent for glaucoma treatment.

Alternative Reimbursement Models: Bundled Payment and Beyond: AOA Critical Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Greenwald, A Seth; Bassano, Amy; Wiggins, Stephen; Froimson, Mark I

2016-06-01

The Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative was begun in January 2013 by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) through its Innovation Center authority, which was created by the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The BPCI program seeks to improve health-care delivery and to ultimately reduce costs by allowing providers to enter into prenegotiated payment arrangements that include financial and performance accountability for a clinical episode in which a risk-and-reward calculus must be determined. BPCI is a contemporary 3-year experiment designed to test the applicability of episode-based payment models as a viable strategy to transform the CMS payment methodology while improving health outcomes. A summary of the 4 models being evaluated in the BPCI initiative is presented in addition to the awardee types and the number of awardees in each model. Data from one of the BPCI-designated pilot sites demonstrate that strategies do exist for successful implementation of an alternative payment model by keeping patients first while simultaneously improving coordination, alignment of care, and quality and reducing cost. Providers will need to embrace change and their areas of opportunity to gain a competitive advantage. Health-care providers, including orthopaedic surgeons, health-care professionals at post-acute care institutions, and product suppliers, all have a role in determining the strategies for success. Open dialogue between CMS and awardees should be encouraged to arrive at a solution that provides opportunity for gainsharing, as this program continues to gain traction and to evolve. Copyright © 2016 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated.

Bacteria, not archaea, restore nitrification in a zinc-contaminated soil

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mertens, J.; Broos, K.; Wakelin, S.A.; Kowalchuk, G.A.; Springael, D.; Smolders, E.

2009-01-01

Biological ammonia oxidation had long been thought to be mediated solely by discrete clades of - and -proteobacteria (ammonia-oxidizing bacteria; AOB). However, ammonia-oxidizing Crenarchaeota (ammonia-oxidizing archaea; AOA) have recently been identified and proposed to be the dominant agents of

Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report for the Proposed Marathon Industrial/Commercial Business Center Tract 5167, Hayward California. Supplement.

Science.gov (United States)

1987-06-01

National Technical Information Services, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA. (1982). Ayres, Judith E., Regional Administrator, EPA, written...Sernmnts (AOA) regarding: a. Wether project emissions have been considered in formulating the Seattaiment Area Plan (MP),. and awe consistent with emission

The Development of a Coalition Operational Architecture: A British and US Army Approach

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Galvin, K. E; Madigan, J. C

2000-01-01

... (COA) to support a US Corps operating as a Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) Headquarters with up to a UK Division as an integral part of its ORBAT would be investigated by staff from both countries' Army Operational Architecture (AOA) teams...

Archaeal dominated ammonia-oxidizing communities in Icelandic grassland soils are moderately affected by long-term N fertilization and geothermal heating

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Daebeler, A.; Abell, G.C.J.; Bodelier, P.L.E.; Bodrossy, L.; Frampton, D.M.; Hefting, M.M.; Laanbroek, H.J.

2012-01-01

The contribution of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea (AOB and AOA, respectively) to the net oxidation of ammonia varies greatly between terrestrial environments. To better understand, predict and possibly manage terrestrial nitrogen turnover, we need to develop a conceptual understanding of

MGMT-STP27 Methylation Status as Predictive Marker for Response to PCV in Anaplastic Oligodendrogliomas and Oligoastrocytomas. A Report from EORTC Study 26951

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Bent, Martin J.; Erdem-Eraslan, Lale; Idbaih, Ahmed; de Rooi, Johan; Eilers, Paul H. C.; Spliet, Wim G. M.; den Dunnen, Wilfred F. A.; Tijssen, Cees; Wesseling, Pieter; Smitt, Peter A. E. Sillevis; Kros, Johan M.; Gorlia, Thierry; French, Pim J.

2013-01-01

Purpose: The long-term follow-up results from the EORTC-26951 trial showed that the addition of procarbazine, CCNU, and vincristine (PCV) after radiotherapy increases survival in anaplastic oligodendrogliomas/oligoastrocytomas (AOD/AOA). However, some patients appeared to benefit more from PCV

MGMT-STP27 methylation status as predictive marker for response to PCV in anaplastic oligodendrogliomas and oligoastrocytomas. A report from EORTC study 26951

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.J. van den Bent (Martin); L. Erdem-Eraslan (Lale); A. Idbaih (Ahmed); J.J. de Rooi (Johan); P.H.C. Eilers (Paul); W.G.M. Spliet (Wim); W.F.A. den Dunnen (Wilfred); C.C. Tijssen (Cees); P. Wesseling (Pieter); P.A.E. Sillevis Smitt (Peter); J.M. Kros (Johan); T.S. Gorlia (Thierry); P.J. French (Pim)

2013-01-01

textabstractPurpose: The long-term follow-up results from the EORTC-26951 trial showed that the addition of procarbazine, CCNU, and vincristine (PCV) after radiotherapy increases survival in anaplastic oligodendrogliomas/ oligoastrocytomas (AOD/AOA). However, some patients appeared to benefit more

MGMT-STP27 methylation status as predictive marker for response to PCV in anaplastic Oligodendrogliomas and Oligoastrocytomas. A report from EORTC study 26951

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bent, M.J. van den; Erdem-Eraslan, L.; Idbaih, A.; Rooi, J. de; Eilers, P.H.; Spliet, W.G.; Dunnen, W.F. den; Tijssen, C.; Wesseling, P.; Smitt, P.A.; Kros, J.M.; Gorlia, T.; French, P.J.

2013-01-01

PURPOSE: The long-term follow-up results from the EORTC-26951 trial showed that the addition of procarbazine, CCNU, and vincristine (PCV) after radiotherapy increases survival in anaplastic oligodendrogliomas/oligoastrocytomas (AOD/AOA). However, some patients appeared to benefit more from PCV

Novel maximum likelihood approach for passive detection and localisation of multiple emitters

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez, Marcel

2017-12-01

In this paper, a novel target acquisition and localisation algorithm (TALA) is introduced that offers a capability for detecting and localising multiple targets using the intermittent "signals-of-opportunity" (e.g. acoustic impulses or radio frequency transmissions) they generate. The TALA is a batch estimator that addresses the complex multi-sensor/multi-target data association problem in order to estimate the locations of an unknown number of targets. The TALA is unique in that it does not require measurements to be of a specific type, and can be implemented for systems composed of either homogeneous or heterogeneous sensors. The performance of the TALA is demonstrated in simulated scenarios with a network of 20 sensors and up to 10 targets. The sensors generate angle-of-arrival (AOA), time-of-arrival (TOA), or hybrid AOA/TOA measurements. It is shown that the TALA is able to successfully detect 83-99% of the targets, with a negligible number of false targets declared. Furthermore, the localisation errors of the TALA are typically within 10% of the errors generated by a "genie" algorithm that is given the correct measurement-to-target associations. The TALA also performs well in comparison with an optimistic Cramér-Rao lower bound, with typical differences in performance of 10-20%, and differences in performance of 40-50% in the most difficult scenarios considered. The computational expense of the TALA is also controllable, which allows the TALA to maintain computational feasibility even in the most challenging scenarios considered. This allows the approach to be implemented in time-critical scenarios, such as in the localisation of artillery firing events. It is concluded that the TALA provides a powerful situational awareness aid for passive surveillance operations.

Shifts in the pelagic ammonia-oxidizing microbial communities along the eutrophic estuary of Yong River in Ningbo City, China

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhang, Qiufang; Tang, Fang-Yuan; Zhou, Yang-Jing; Xu, Jirong; Chen, Heping; Wang, Ming-Juang; Laanbroek, H.J.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Aerobic ammonia oxidation plays a key role in the nitrogen cycle, and the diversity of the responsible microorganisms is regulated by environmental factors. Abundance and composition of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were investigated in the surface

Bacteria, not archaea, restore nitrification in a zinc contaminated soil.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mertens, J.; Broos, K.; Wakelin, S.A.; Kowalchuk, G.A.; Springael, D.; Smolders, E.

2009-01-01

Biological ammonia oxidation had long been thought to be mediated solely by discrete clades of Β- and γ-proteobacteria (ammonia-oxidizing bacteria; AOB). However, ammonia-oxidizing Crenarchaeota (ammonia-oxidizing archaea; AOA) have recently been identified and proposed to be the dominant agents of

Probing magnetochirality

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

field wave-vector k and the magnetic field B. However, it is independent of the state of ... there were some preliminary investigations in crystals by Portigal and Burstein .... where ω is the optical frequency, aF and aOA characterize the magnetic ...

Novel PNKP mutation in siblings with ataxia-oculomotor apraxia type 4.

Science.gov (United States)

Schiess, Nicoline; Zee, David S; Siddiqui, Khurram A; Szolics, Miklos; El-Hattab, Ayman W

The phenotypic and genetic spectrum of ataxia with oculomotor apraxia (AOA) disorders is rapidly evolving and new technologies such as genetic mapping using whole exome sequencing reveal subtle distinctions among the various subtypes. We report a novel PNKP mutation in two siblings with progressive ataxia, abnormal saccades, sensorimotor neuropathy and dystonia consistent with the AOA type 4 phenotype. Laboratory evaluation revealed hypoalbuminemia, hypercholesterolemia with elevated LDL, elevated IgE levels and normal α fetoprotein levels. Eye movement examination demonstrated a marked saccade initiation defect with profound hypometric horizontal saccades. Vertical saccades were also affected but less so. Also present were conspicuous thrusting head movements when attempting to change gaze, but rather than an apraxia these were an adaptive strategy to take advantage of an intact vestibulo-ocular reflex to carry the eyes to a new target of interest. This is demonstrated in accompanying videos.

Spatial interaction of archaeal ammonia-oxidizers and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in an unfertilized grassland soil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara eStempfhuber

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Interrelated successive transformation steps of nitrification are performed by distinct microbial groups – the ammonia-oxidizers, comprising ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA and bacteria (AOB, and nitrite-oxidizers such as Nitrobacter and Nitrospira, which are the dominant genera in the investigated soils. Hence, not only their presence and activity in the investigated habitat is required for nitrification, but also their temporal and spatial interactions. To demonstrate the interdependence of both groups and to address factors promoting putative niche differentiation within each group, temporal and spatial changes in nitrifying organisms were monitored in an unfertilized grassland site over an entire vegetation period at the plot scale of 10 m². Nitrifying organisms were assessed by measuring the abundance of marker genes (amoA for AOA and AOB, nxrA for Nitrobacter, 16S rRNA gene for Nitrospira selected for the respective sub-processes. A positive correlation between numerically dominant AOA and Nitrospira, and their co-occurrence at the same spatial scale in August and October, suggests that the nitrification process is predominantly performed by these groups and is restricted to a limited timeframe. Amongst nitrite-oxidizers, niche differentiation was evident in observed seasonally varying patterns of co-occurrence and spatial separation. While their distributions were most likely driven by substrate concentrations, oxygen availability may also have played a role under substrate-limited conditions. Phylogenetic analysis revealed temporal shifts in Nitrospira community composition with an increasing relative abundance of OTU03 assigned to sublineage V from August onwards, indicating its important role in nitrite oxidation.

Putative anticancer potential of novel 4-thiazolidinone derivatives: cytotoxicity toward rat C6 glioma in vitro and correlation of general toxicity with the balance of free radical oxidation in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Коbylinska, Lesya I; Boiko, Nataliya M; Panchuk, Rostyslav R; Grytsyna, Iryna I; Klyuchivska, Olga Yu; Biletska, Liliya P; Lesyk, Roman B; Zіmenkovsky, Borys S; Stoika, Rostyslav S

2016-04-23

To evaluate the cytotoxic action of 4-thiazolidinone derivatives (ID 3288, ID 3882, and ID 3833) toward rat glioma C6 cells and to compare the effects of these compounds and doxorubicin on the balance of free radical oxidation (FRO) and antioxidant activity (AOA) in the serum of rats. Glioma cells were treated with ID 3882, ID 3288, ID 3833, and doxorubicin, and their cytotoxicity was studied using MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and Trypan blue exclusion test, light and fluorescent microscopy, and flow cytometric study of cell cycling and apoptosis, including measuring of Annexin V-positive cells. The contents of superoxide radical, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical, malonic dialdehyde, and hydrogen sulfide were measured in the serum of rats. Enzymatic activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (Cat), and glutathione peroxydase (GPO) was determined. Among novel 4-thiazolidinone derivatives, ID 3288 was most toxic toward rat glioma C6 cells, even compared with doxorubicin. All applied derivatives were less active than doxorubicin in inducing reactive oxygen species-related indicators in the serum of rats. A similar effect was observed when enzymatic indicators of AOA processes were measured. While doxorubicin inhibited the activity of SOD, GPO, and Cat, the effects of 4-thiazolidinone derivatives were less prominent. Novel 4-thiazolidinone derivatives differ in their antineoplastic action toward rat glioma C6 cells, and ID 3288 possesses the highest activity compared to doxorubicin. Measurement of indicators of FRO and AOA in the serum of rats treated with these compounds showed their lower general toxicity compared with doxorubicin's toxicity.

Spatial distribution of archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidizers in the littoral buffer zone of a nitrogen-rich lake.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yu; Zhu, Guibing; Ye, Lei; Feng, Xiaojuan; Op den Camp, Huub J M; Yin, Chengqing

2012-01-01

The spatial distribution and diversity of archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidizers (AOA and AOB) were evaluated targeting amoA genes in the gradient of a littoral buffer zone which has been identified as a hot spot for N cycling. Here we found high spatial heterogeneity in the nitrification rate and abundance of ammonia oxidizers in the five sampling sites. The bacterial amoA gene was numerically dominant in most of the surface soil but decreased dramatically in deep layers. Higher nitrification potentials were detected in two sites near the land/water interface at 4.4-6.1 microg NO(2-)-N/(g dry weight soil x hr), while only 1.0-1.7 microg NO(2-)-N/(g dry weight soil x hr) was measured at other sites. The potential nitrification rates were proportional to the amoA gene abundance for AOB, but with no significant correlation with AOA. The NH4+ concentration was the most determinative parameter for the abundance of AOB and potential nitrification rates in this study. Higher richness in the surface layer was found in the analysis of biodiversity. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that most of the bacterial amoA sequences in surface soil were affiliated with the genus of Nitrosopira while the archaeal sequences were almost equally affiliated with Candidatus 'Nitrososphaera gargensis' and Candidatus 'Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii'. The spatial distribution of AOA and AOB indicated that bacteria may play a more important role in nitrification in the littoral buffer zone of a N-rich lake.

Quinclorac resistance induced by the suppression of the expression of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase and ACC oxidase genes in Echinochloa crus-galli var. zelayensis.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yuan; Li, Jun; Pan, Xukun; Liu, Dingrong; Napier, Richard; Dong, Liyao

2018-04-01

We previously reported that the mechanism of quinclorac resistance in Echinochloa crus-galli var. zelayensis may be closely related to ethylene biosynthesis and the detoxification of cyanide. Differences in EcCAS gene sequences and expression levels may result in higher capacity to detoxify cyanide in resistant biotypes, which may avoid cyanide accumulation and avoid more ethylene and cyanide production and then avoid damage. In the present study, we focused on the mechanism of resistance related to ethylene biosynthesis in E. crus-galli var. zelayensis. The fresh weight of susceptible and moderately resistant biotypes were significantly reduced after treatment with quinclorac. However, AOA, an ethylene biosynthesis inhibitor, reduced the impact of quinclorac. On pretreatment with AOA, ethylene production was significantly reduced in the three biotypes. The highly resistant biotype produced less ethylene compared to the other two biotypes. Three ACS and seven ACO genes, which are the key genes in ethylene biosynthesis, were obtained. The expression levels of EcACS-like, EcACS7, and EcACO1 varied in the three biotypes upon treatment with quinclorac, which could be manipulated by AOA. In summary, it is inferred that the expression of EcACS-like, EcACS7, and EcACO1 can be stimulated to varying extent after quinclorac treatment in three E. crus-galli var. zelayensis biotypes, which consequently results in varying levels of ethylene production. Lower expression of these three genes results in more resistance to quinclorac, which may also be related to quinclorac resistance in E. crus-galli var. zelayensis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Molecular diagnosis of known recessive ataxias by homozygosity mapping with SNP arrays.

Science.gov (United States)

H'mida-Ben Brahim, D; M'zahem, A; Assoum, M; Bouhlal, Y; Fattori, F; Anheim, M; Ali-Pacha, L; Ferrat, F; Chaouch, M; Lagier-Tourenne, C; Drouot, N; Thibaut, C; Benhassine, T; Sifi, Y; Stoppa-Lyonnet, D; N'Guyen, K; Poujet, J; Hamri, A; Hentati, F; Amouri, R; Santorelli, F M; Tazir, M; Koenig, M

2011-01-01

The diagnosis of rare inherited diseases is becoming more and more complex as an increasing number of clinical conditions appear to be genetically heterogeneous. Multigenic inheritance also applies to the autosomal recessive progressive cerebellar ataxias (ARCAs), for which 14 genes have been identified and more are expected to be discovered. We used homozygosity mapping as a guide for identification of the defective locus in patients with ARCA born from consanguineous parents. Patients from 97 families were analyzed with GeneChip Mapping 10K or 50K SNP Affymetrix microarrays. We identified six families homozygous for regions containing the autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) gene, two families homozygous for the ataxia-telangiectasia gene (ATM), two families homozygous for the ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 1 (AOA1) gene, and one family homozygous for the AOA type 2 (AOA2) gene. Upon direct gene testing, we were able to identify a disease-related mutation in all families but one of the two kindred homozygous at the ATM locus. Although linkage analyses pointed to a single locus on chromosome 11q22.1-q23.1 for this family, clinical features, normal levels of serum alpha-foetoprotein as well as absence of mutations in the ATM gene rather suggest the existence of an additional ARCA-related gene in that interval. While the use of homozygosity mapping was very effective at pointing to the correct gene, it also suggests that the majority of patients harbor mutations either in the genes of the rare forms of ARCA or in genes yet to be identified.

Kahua A';o--A Learning Foundation: Using Hawaiian Language Newspaper Articles for Science and Science Education

Science.gov (United States)

Chinn, P. W.; Businger, S.

2013-12-01

, and Ellinwood created ArcGIS wind maps associating winds in the Wind Gourd of Laamaomao with ahupua';a, traditional geographical units. Their innovative use of technology to visualize place-based indigenous knowledge inspires teachers to use anemometers and GPS and to want to learn to create maps of winds and other phenomena. A lesson being developed on ENSO/El Nino-La Nina addresses a phenomenon with implications for rainfall, drought, and biological impacts in Hawaii. In the context of climate change, reduced rainfall at higher elevations will increase stress on fragile ecosystems that are the last refuges of most of Hawaii's endemic species. A search of Hawaiian newspaper articles that mention storms, rains and drought shows interesting correlations with historical reconstructions of ENSO cycles in the Pacific. Damage reports in the articles establish that an 1871 tropical storm that impacted the island of Hawaii was a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir Simpson scale. This finding is of great scientific interest and the associated lesson effectively engages students in meaningful learning during Hawaii's hurricane season. As over 95% of 1.5 million pages of text are in Hawaiian, the project 1) increases resources for science teachers, scientists, and informal science educators and 2) conveys the science underlying Hawaiian cultural practices.

C Condit ass tioners sembla s and s age of cru signific f proka ude ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

sunny

2014-10-06

Oct 6, 2014 ... C. INT. The eco paid the upo com issu with pro sou dive. *C. Au. Int. Vol. 13(44), pp ..... PCR for AOA (polymerase chain reaction - ammonia oxidizing archea) ... were cooled on ice after incubation in Thermal block (95 C, 3 min.

75 FR 18219 - Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-09

... coordinates AoA's budget formulation, budget execution, and financial management activities. OBF serves as the... program development functions, including the formulation of short- and long- term strategies for advancing... for Public Affairs, including planning and implementing strategy for relations with the news and other...

75 FR 63187 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review Comment Request: Supplemental...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-14

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Administration on Aging Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review Comment Request: Supplemental Form to the Financial Status Report for... form to the Financial Status Report for all AoA Title III Grantees provides an understanding of how...

78 FR 8589 - Notice of Determinations Regarding Eligibility to Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-06

... report submitted to the President by the International Trade Commission under section 202(f)(1) with... Leased Workers From Adecco. 82,240 Allesee Orthodontic Calexico, CA December 11, 2011. Appliances (AOA... Assistance In the following cases, the investigation revealed that the eligibility criteria for worker...

The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries Annual Statistics: an exploratory twenty-five-year trend analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Byrd, Gary D; Shedlock, James

2003-04-01

This paper presents an exploratory trend analysis of the statistics published over the past twenty-four editions of the Annual Statistics of Medical School Libraries in the United States and Canada. The analysis focuses on the small subset of nineteen consistently collected data variables (out of 656 variables collected during the history of the survey) to provide a general picture of the growth and changing dimensions of services and resources provided by academic health sciences libraries over those two and one-half decades. The paper also analyzes survey response patterns for U.S. and Canadian medical school libraries, as well as osteopathic medical school libraries surveyed since 1987. The trends show steady, but not dramatic, increases in annual means for total volumes collected, expenditures for staff, collections and other operating costs, personnel numbers and salaries, interlibrary lending and borrowing, reference questions, and service hours. However, when controlled for inflation, most categories of expenditure have just managed to stay level. The exceptions have been expenditures for staff development and travel and for collections, which have both outpaced inflation. The fill rate for interlibrary lending requests has remained steady at about 75%, but the mean ratio of items lent to items borrowed has decreased by nearly 50%.

Blended Learning Educational Format for Third-Year Pediatrics Clinical Rotation.

Science.gov (United States)

Langenau, Erik E; Lee, Robert; Fults, Marci

2017-04-01

Traditional medical education is shifting to incorporate learning technologies and online educational activities with traditional face-to-face clinical instruction to engage students, especially at remote clinical training sites. To describe and evaluate the effectiveness of the blended learning format (combining online and face-to-face instruction) for third-year osteopathic medical students during their pediatric rotation. Third-year medical students who completed the 4-week clerkship in pediatrics during the 2014-2015 academic year were divided into a standard learning group and a blended learning group with online activities (discussion boards, blogs, virtual patient encounters, narrated video presentations, and online training modules). Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Achievement Test scores and final course grades were compared between the standard learning and blended learning groups. Students in the blended learning group completed a postsurvey regarding their experiences. Of 264 third-year students who completed the 4-week clerkship in pediatrics during the 2014-2015 academic year, 78 (29.5%) participated in the blended learning supplement with online activities. Of 53 students who completed the postsurvey in the blended learning group, 44 (83.0%) agreed or strongly agreed that "The integration of e-learning and face-to-face learning helped me learn pediatrics." Open-ended comments supported this overall satisfaction with the course format; however, 26 of 100 comments reflected a desire to increase the amount of clinical exposure and face-to-face time with patients. No statistical differences were seen between the standard learning (n=186) and blended learning (n=78) groups with regard to Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Achievement Test scores (P=.321). Compared with the standard learning group, more students in the blended learning group received a final course grade of honors (P=.015). Results of this study support the use of blended learning in a

Investigation on asymmetric flow over a blunt-nose slender body at high angle of attack

Science.gov (United States)

Zhongyang, Qi; Yankui, Wang; Lei, Wang; Qian, Li

2017-12-01

The asymmetric vortices over a blunt-nose slender body are investigated experimentally and numerically at a high angle of attack (AoA, α = 50°) and a Reynolds number of Re D = 1.54 × 105 on the basis of an incoming free-stream velocity and diameter (D) of the model. A micro-perturbation in the form of a hemispherical protrusion with a radius of r = 0.012D is introduced and attached on the nose of the slender body to control the behavior of the asymmetric vortices. Given the predominant role of micro perturbation in the asymmetric vortex pattern, a square wave, which is singly periodic, is observed for side-force variation by setting the circumferential angle (θ) of the micro perturbation from 0° to 360°. The asymmetric vortex pattern and the corresponding side force are manageable and highly dependent on the location of perturbation. The flow structure over the blunt-nose slender body is clarified by building a physical model of asymmetric vortex flow structure in a regular state at a high AoA (α = 50°). This model is divided into several regions by flow structure development along the model body-axis, i.e., inception region at x/D ≤ 3.0, triple-vortex region at 3.0 ≤ x/D ≤ 6.0, four-vortex region at 6.0 ≤ x/D ≤ 8.5, and five-vortex region at 8.5 ≤ x/D ≤ 12. The model reveals a complicated multi-vortex system. The associated pressure distributions and flow characteristics are discussed in detail.

Potato cultivar type affects the structure of ammonia oxidizer communities in field soil under potato beyond the rhizosphere

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cavalcante Franco Dias, A.; Hoogwout, E.F.; de Cassia Pereira e Silva, M.; Falcão Salles, J.; van Overbeek, L.S.; van Elsas, J.D.

The effects of plants on the microbiota involved in the oxidation of ammonia in soils have been controversial. Here, we investigated the dynamics in the abundances and community structures of the bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidizers (AOB and AOA, respectively) in two fields that were cropped

Relative contributions of archaea and bacteria to microbial ammonia oxidation differ under different conditions during agricultural waste composting.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Guangming; Zhang, Jiachao; Chen, Yaoning; Yu, Zhen; Yu, Man; Li, Hui; Liu, Zhifeng; Chen, Ming; Lu, Lunhui; Hu, Chunxiao

2011-10-01

The aim of this study was to compare the relative contribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) to nitrification during agricultural waste composting. The AOA and AOB amoA gene abundance and composition were determined by quantitative PCR and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), respectively. The results showed that the archaeal amoA gene was abundant throughout the composting process, while the bacterial amoA gene abundance decreased to undetectable level during the thermophilic and cooling stages. DGGE showed more diverse archaeal amoA gene composition when the potential ammonia oxidation (PAO) rate reached peak values. A significant positive relationship was observed between the PAO rate and the archaeal amoA gene abundance (R²=0.554; Parchaea dominated ammonia oxidation during the thermophilic and cooling stages. Bacteria were also related to ammonia oxidation activity (R²=0.503; P=0.03) especially during the mesophilic and maturation stages. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Artificial Neural Network for Location Estimation in Wireless Communication Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chien-Sheng Chen

2012-03-01

Full Text Available In a wireless communication system, wireless location is the technique used to estimate the location of a mobile station (MS. To enhance the accuracy of MS location prediction, we propose a novel algorithm that utilizes time of arrival (TOA measurements and the angle of arrival (AOA information to locate MS when three base stations (BSs are available. Artificial neural networks (ANN are widely used techniques in various areas to overcome the problem of exclusive and nonlinear relationships. When the MS is heard by only three BSs, the proposed algorithm utilizes the intersections of three TOA circles (and the AOA line, based on various neural networks, to estimate the MS location in non-line-of-sight (NLOS environments. Simulations were conducted to evaluate the performance of the algorithm for different NLOS error distributions. The numerical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed algorithms can obtain more precise location estimation under different NLOS environments.

Artificial neural network for location estimation in wireless communication systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chien-Sheng

2012-01-01

In a wireless communication system, wireless location is the technique used to estimate the location of a mobile station (MS). To enhance the accuracy of MS location prediction, we propose a novel algorithm that utilizes time of arrival (TOA) measurements and the angle of arrival (AOA) information to locate MS when three base stations (BSs) are available. Artificial neural networks (ANN) are widely used techniques in various areas to overcome the problem of exclusive and nonlinear relationships. When the MS is heard by only three BSs, the proposed algorithm utilizes the intersections of three TOA circles (and the AOA line), based on various neural networks, to estimate the MS location in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) environments. Simulations were conducted to evaluate the performance of the algorithm for different NLOS error distributions. The numerical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed algorithms can obtain more precise location estimation under different NLOS environments.

The impact of a national strategy to increase physical activity among older adults on national organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Chae-Hee; Chodzko-Zajko, Wojtek; Ory, Marcia G; Gleason-Senior, Jane; Bazzarre, Terry L; Mockenhaupt, Robin

2010-10-01

This study was designed to evaluate the impact of the National Blueprint (NB) on the policies, programs, and organizational culture of selected national organizations. The theoretical model selected to assess the impact of the NB on organizational behavior was Burke's system theory of organizational change. Three organizations, AARP, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and the Administration on Aging (AoA), were selected for the study. Two individuals in each of these organizations were selected for interview. Semistructured interviews and document reviews were used in the data-collection process. Findings showed that the publication and establishment of the NB resulted in changes in the operating procedures of AARP, ACSM, and AoA. The results were broadly consistent with Burke's system theory of organizational change. The publication of the NB was shown to affect the behavior of organizational leaders, organizational culture, policies, programs, and individual and organizational performance. The new information generated has increased our understanding of the impact of health campaigns on organizational behavior.

Stimulative effect of the fungal biocontrol agent Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. Striga on abundance of nitrifying prokaryotes in a maize rhizosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Musyoki, Mary; Enowashu, Esther; Zimmermann, Judith; Muema, Esther; Wainright, Henry; Vanlauwe, Bernard; Cadisch, Georg; Rasche, Frank

2014-05-01

The integration of resistant crop varieties and Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. strigae (Foxy-2) strains as biological control agent (BCA) has shown to be an effective control of the weed Striga hermonthica which is parasitic to several cereals (e.g., maize) cultivated in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most studies have examined the efficacy of the BCA and its interactions with host crops, while overlooking the interplay among key microorganisms in the soil nitrogen (N) cycle. Hence, we postulated that both Foxy-2 and Striga pose threats to the indigenous plant root-associated microbial communities involved in N cycling through direct or indirect competition for nutrients and that the application of high quality organic residues would compensate these effects. The primary objective of this study was thus to assess the potential impact of Foxy-2 on indigenous nitrifying prokaryotes in maize rhizosphere cultivated on two distinct soils (sandy Ferric Alisol versus clayey Humic Nitisol) obtained from Machanga and Embu, respectively, in central Kenya. These soils were treated with or without Foxy-2 and Striga; and in combination with high quality (i.e. CN ratio; 13, lignins, 8.9 % and polyphenols, 1.7 %) organic residues (i.e., Tithonia diversifolia) as N source. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), we followed at three pre-defined sampling dates (14, 28 and 42 days after planting) the responses of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), total bacteria and archaea in four treatments of a rhizobox experiment: (i) Foxy-2 plus Striga (F+S), (ii) Striga only (C+S), (iii) Foxy-2 plus Striga plus Tithonia diversifolia residues (F+S+T), and (iv) a non-treated control (C). Overall, the treatment effects on soil microbial populations were, in comparison to the clayey Embu soil, more pronounced in the sandy Machanga soil. Contrary to our expectations, we observed a distinct stimulative, but no resource competition effect of Foxy-2 on the abundance of AOA, as well as

Transition on Hypersonic Vehicles with Crossflow

Science.gov (United States)

2017-11-01

within the uncertainty of the measured flight AoA. Full flow conditions for the computation and current Best Estimated Trajectory ( BET ) are found in...shape and definition of the boundary of the entropy layer, and the choice of boundary layer assumptions. Therefore one should not think of the

Successional patterns of key genes and processes involved in the microbial nitrogen cycle in a salt marsh chronosequence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Salles, Joana Falcao; Cassia Pereira e Silva , de Michele; Dini-Andreote, Francisco; Dias, Armando C. F.; Guillaumaud, Nadine; Poly, Franck; van Elsas, Jan Dirk

Here, we investigated the patterns of microbial nitrogen cycling communities along a chronosequence of soil development in a salt marsh. The focus was on the abundance and structure of genes involved in N fixation (nifH), bacterial and archaeal ammonium oxidation (amoA; AOB and AOA), and the

Understanding clinical reasoning in osteopathy: a qualitative research approach

OpenAIRE

Grace, Sandra; Orrock, Paul; Vaughan, Brett; Blaich, Raymond; Coutts, Rosanne

2016-01-01

Background Clinical reasoning has been described as a process that draws heavily on the knowledge, skills and attributes that are particular to each health profession. However, the clinical reasoning processes of practitioners of different disciplines demonstrate many similarities, including hypothesis generation and reflective practice. The aim of this study was to understand clinical reasoning in osteopathy from the perspective of osteopathic clinical educators and the extent to which it wa...

The antioxidant properties of functional food ingredients used in the production of bakery and dairy products, their impact on quality and storageability of the product

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Yu. Potoroko

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the study of antioxidant activity (AOA food ingredients (FI containing fucoidan used as dressers bakery and dairy products, and evaluate their impact on the quality and persistence of the products. The use of FI possessing AOA in food production will ensure their functionality from the point of view of increasing the resistance of the body to noninfectious diseases. Objects of research were fucoidan from different manufacturers, as well as experimental samples of bread wheat and yoghurt-based products restored dry milk. Evaluation of antioxidant activity of FI based on fucoidan showed that the total concentration of antioxidants varies in significant range from (43,32 ± 0,2 to (69,17 ± 0,2 mg of ascorbic acid per 100 g was Also determined the effect of any FI on the organoleptic and physico-chemical quality parameters of bread and yogurt product in storage. The use of FI in the technology of bread contributes to the prolongation of periods of storage. Thus the deviation values increased humidity decreases by 1.3%, porosity – by 1.4%. In addition, we studied the temperature stability of fucoidan after baking bread. The residual content of his made up 0,196 ± 0.0015 mg/g when introducing 0.2 g. study of the effect of FI with fucoidan on the inhibition of the processes of molding bread confirmed the strong bactericidal properties of fucoidans, due to the high AOA. During storage of yoghurt for 120 hours was observed decrease in the activity of capacity operated of acidity that may be due to the action of FI.

A Localization Algorithm Based on AOA for Ad-Hoc Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Sun Lee

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Knowledge of positions of sensor nodes in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs will make possible many applications such as asset monitoring, object tracking and routing. In WSNs, the errors may happen in the measurement of distances and angles between pairs of nodes in WSN and these errors will be propagated to different nodes, the estimation of positions of sensor nodes can be difficult and have huge errors. In this paper, we will propose localization algorithm based on both distance and angle to landmark. So, we introduce a method of incident angle to landmark and the algorithm to exchange physical data such as distances and incident angles and update the position of a node by utilizing multiple landmarks and multiple paths to landmarks.

Investigation of variations in the acrylamide and N(ε) -(carboxymethyl) lysine contents in cookies during baking.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Lu; Jin, Cheng; Zhang, Ying

2014-05-01

Baking processing is indispensable to determine special sensory prosperities of cookies and induces the formation of some beneficial components such as antioxidants. However, the formation of some Maillard reaction-derived chemical hazards, such as acrylamide (AA) and N(ε) -(carboxymethyl) lysine (CML) in cookies is also a significant consequence of baking processing from a food safety standpoint. This study investigated the effects of baking conditions on the formation of AA and CML, as well as the antioxidant activity (AOA) of cookies. Cookies were baked at various baking temperatures (155 to 230 °C) and times (1.5 to 31 min). AA and CML contents were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, respectively. The highest level of AA was obtained in the cookies baked at 155 °C/21 min and 205 °C/11 min (328.93 ± 3.10 μg/kg and 329.29 ± 5.29 μg/kg), while the highest level of CML was obtained in the cookies baked at 230 °C/1.5 min (118.05 ± 0.21 mg/kg). AA was prone to form at relatively low temperature range (155 to 205 °C), however, CML at relatively high temperature range (205 to 230 °C). The CML content was much higher than the AA content in the same set of cookies, by about 2 to 3 orders of magnitude. The AOA of cookies increased at more severe baking conditions. According to the AA and CML content, AOA and sensory properties of cookies, the temperature-time regime of 180 °C/16 min might be a compromised selection. However, only optimizing the baking condition was not enough for manufacture of high-quality cookies. Cookies, a kind of widely consumed bakery products in the world, contain some potentially harmful compounds, like acrylamide (AA) and N(ε) -(carboxymethyl) lysine (CML). AA in cookies has led to public health concern and several research efforts. But CML, another Maillard reaction-derived chemical hazard, has been neglected so far, even though its content is much higher than that of AA in cookies. The

Effects of ethylene inhibitors, silver nitrate (AgNO3), cobalt chloride ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Significant increase in shoot regeneration, leaf chlorophyll content and rooting occurred when silver nitrate (AgNO3), cobalt chloride (CoCl2) or aminooxyacetic acid (AOA) were added to banana culture medium. The highest numbers of shoots per explants shoot length and leaf surface area was obtained when media were ...

78 FR 19085 - Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Airplanes

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-29

... Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Airplanes AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of... Airbus Model A318, A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of oil residue... (MCAI) states: During Airbus Final Assembly Line flight tests, AoA [angle of attack] data from two...

Effects of uredine and two flavonoids on nodulation and nitrogen ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Samih Tamimi

2015-08-12

Aug 12, 2015 ... Significant increase in shoot regeneration, leaf chlorophyll content and rooting occurred when silver nitrate (AgNO3), cobalt chloride (CoCl2) or aminooxyacetic acid (AOA) were added to banana culture medium. The highest numbers of shoots per explants shoot length and leaf surface area was obtained.

HGF/c-MET Pathway in AIDS-Related Lymphoma

Science.gov (United States)

2016-09-01

of Pediatrics, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China 5 William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine...12845. 32. Gottwein E, Mukherjee N, Sachse C, Frenzel C, Majoros WH, Chi JT, Braich R, Manoharan M, Soutschek J, Ohler U and Cullen BR. A viral microRNA...relevance to the accumulation of versican. Prostate. 2005; 63:269–275. 17. Ricciardelli C, Frewin KM, Tan Ide A, Williams ED, Opeskin K, Pritchard MA

Failed back surgery syndrome: review and new hypotheses

OpenAIRE

Bordoni, Bruno; Marelli,Fabiola

2016-01-01

Bruno Bordoni,1,2 Fabiola Marelli2 1Department of Cardiology, Foundation Don Carlo Gnocchi, IRCCS, Institute of Hospitalization and Care, S Maria Nascente, Milan, 2School CRESO, Osteopathic Centre for Research and Studies, Falconara Marittima, Ancona, Italy Abstract: Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) is a term used to define an unsatisfactory outcome of a patient who underwent spinal surgery, irrespective of type or intervention area, with persistent pain in the lumbosacral region with or ...

Curcumin: a natural substance with potential efficacy in Alzheimer’s disease

OpenAIRE

Potter, Pamela

2013-01-01

Pamela E Potter Department of Pharmacology, Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, USA Abstract: Curcumin is a component of turmeric, a spice used in many types of cooking. Epidemiological evidence suggesting that populations that eat food with a substantial amount of curcumin were at lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) led to the idea that this compound might have a neuroprotective effect. Curcumin has substantial antioxidant and anti-infl...

On the Impact of L2 Speech Rhythm on Syntactic Ambiguity Resolution

Science.gov (United States)

Roncaglia-Denissen, M. Paula; Schmidt-Kassow, Maren; Heine, Angela; Kotz, Sonja A.

2015-01-01

In an event-related potential (ERP) study we investigated the role of age of acquisition (AoA) on the use of second language rhythmic properties during syntactic ambiguity resolution. Syntactically ambiguous sentences embedded in rhythmically regular and irregular contexts were presented to Turkish early and late second language (L2) learners of…

49 CFR 1540.5 - Terms used in this subchapter.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... within a secured area or SIDA. Exclusive area means any portion of a secured area, AOA, or SIDA... Identification Display Area (SIDA) means a portion of an airport, specified in the airport security program, in... present without an escort in, secured areas and SIDA's of airports. Unescorted access to cargo means the...

How to analyse age effects in electrophysiological signatures of second language grammar processing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Berends, Sanne; Wieling, Martijn; Sprenger, Simone; Brouwer, Susanne; Schmid, Monika

2017-01-01

There is a debate on the nature of the relationship between age of acquisition (AoA) and grammatical processing in second language (L2) learners (Birdsong, 2005). On the one hand, it has been argued that the ability to learn the grammar of an L2 decreases continuously with age due to general

Microbial community response to chlorine conversion in a chloraminated drinking water distribution system.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hong; Proctor, Caitlin R; Edwards, Marc A; Pryor, Marsha; Santo Domingo, Jorge W; Ryu, Hodon; Camper, Anne K; Olson, Andrew; Pruden, Amy

2014-09-16

Temporary conversion to chlorine (i.e., "chlorine burn") is a common approach to controlling nitrification in chloraminated drinking water distribution systems, yet its effectiveness and mode(s) of action are not fully understood. This study characterized occurrence of nitrifying populations before, during and after a chlorine burn at 46 sites in a chloraminated distribution system with varying pipe materials and levels of observed nitrification. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis of gene markers present in nitrifying populations indicated higher frequency of detection of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) (72% of samples) relative to ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) (28% of samples). Nitrospira nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) were detected at 45% of samples, while presence of Nitrobacter NOB could not be confirmed at any of the samples. During the chlorine burn, the numbers of AOA, AOB, and Nitrospira greatly reduced (i.e., 0.8-2.4 log). However, rapid and continued regrowth of AOB and Nitrospira were observed along with nitrite production in the bulk water within four months after the chlorine burn, and nitrification outbreaks appeared to worsen 6-12 months later, even after adopting a twice annual burn program. Although high throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes revealed a distinct community shift and higher diversity index during the chlorine burn, it steadily returned towards a condition more similar to pre-burn than burn stage. Significant factors associated with nitrifier and microbial community composition included water age and sampling location type, but not pipe material. Overall, these results indicate that there is limited long-term effect of chlorine burns on nitrifying populations and the broader microbial community.

A review of the microbiology of the Rehai geothermal field in Tengchong, Yunnan Province, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian P. Hedlund

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The Rehai Geothermal Field, located in Tengchong County, in central-western Yunnan Province, is the largest and most intensively studied geothermal field in China. A wide physicochemical diversity of springs (ambient to ∼97 °C; pH from ≤1.8 to ≥9.3 provides a multitude of niches for extremophilic microorganisms. A variety of studies have focused on the cultivation, identification, basic physiology, taxonomy, and biotechnological potential of thermophilic microorganisms from Rehai. Thermophilic bacteria isolated from Rehai belong to the phyla Firmicutes and Deinococcus-Thermus. Firmicutes include neutrophilic or alkaliphilic Anoxybacillus, Bacillus, Caldalkalibacillus, Caldanaerobacter, Laceyella, and Geobacillus, as well as thermoacidophilic Alicyclobacillus and Sulfobacillus. Isolates from the Deinococcus-Thermus phylum include several Meiothermus and Thermus species. Many of these bacteria synthesize thermostable polymer-degrading enzymes that may be useful for biotechnology. The thermoacidophilic archaea Acidianus, Metallosphaera, and Sulfolobus have also been isolated and studied. A few studies have reported the isolation of thermophilic viruses belonging to Siphoviridae (TTSP4 and TTSP10 and Fuselloviridae (STSV1 infecting Thermus spp. and Sulfolobus spp., respectively. More recently, cultivation-independent studies using 16S rRNA gene sequences, shotgun metagenomics, or “functional gene” sequences have revealed a much broader diversity of microorganisms than represented in culture. Studies of the gene and mRNA encoding the large subunit of the ammonia monooxygenase (amoA of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea (AOA and the tetraether lipid crenarchaeol, a potential biomarker for AOA, suggest a wide diversity, but possibly low abundance, of thermophilic AOA in Rehai. Finally, we introduce the Tengchong Partnerships in International Research and Education (PIRE project, an international collaboration between Chinese and U.S. scientists with

Zonally resolved impact of ENSO on the stratospheric circulation and water vapor entry values

Science.gov (United States)

Konopka, Paul; Ploeger, Felix; Tao, Mengchu; Riese, Martin

2016-10-01

Based on simulations with the Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS) for the period 1979-2013, with model transport driven by the ECMWF ERA-Interim reanalysis, we discuss the impact of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the variability of the dynamics, water vapor, ozone, and mean age of air (AoA) in the tropical lower stratosphere during boreal winter. Our zonally resolved analysis at the 390 K potential temperature level reveals that not only (deseasonalized) ENSO-related temperature anomalies are confined to the tropical Pacific (180-300°E) but also anomalous wave propagation and breaking, as quantified in terms of the Eliassen-Palm (EP) flux divergence, with strongest local contribution during the La Niña phase. This anomaly is coherent with respective anomalies of water vapor (±0.5 ppmv) and ozone (±100 ppbv) derived from CLaMS being in excellent agreement with the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder observations. Thus, during El Niño a more zonally symmetric wave forcing drives a deep branch of the Brewer-Dobson (BD) circulation. During La Niña this forcing increases at lower levels (≈390 K) over the tropical Pacific, likely influencing the shallow branch of the BD circulation. In agreement with previous studies, wet (dry) and young (old) tape recorder anomalies propagate upward in the subsequent months following El Niño (La Niña). Using CLaMS, these anomalies are found to be around +0.3 (-0.2) ppmv and -4 (+4) months for water vapor and AoA, respectively. The AoA ENSO anomaly is more strongly affected by the residual circulation (≈2/3) than by eddy mixing (≈1/3).

Electrophysiological correlates of second-language syntactic processes are related to native and second language distance regardless of age of acquisition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Begoña eDíaz

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In the present study, we investigate how early and late L2 learners process L2 grammatical traits that are either present or absent in their native language (L1. Thirteen early (AoA = 4 years old and thirteen late (AoA = 18 years old Spanish learners of Basque performed a grammatical judgment task on auditory Basque sentences while their event-related brain potentials (ERPs were recorded. The sentences contained violations of a syntactic property specific to participants’ L2, i.e., ergative case, or violations of a syntactic property present in both of the participants’ languages, i.e., verb agreement. Two forms of verb agreement were tested: subject agreement, found in participants’ L1 and L2, and object agreement, present only in participants’ L2. Behaviorally, early bilinguals were more accurate in the judgment task than late L2 learners. Early bilinguals showed native-like ERPs for verb agreement, which differed from the late learners’ ERP pattern. Nonetheless, approximation to native-likeness was greater for the subject-verb agreement processing, the type of verb-agreement present in participants’ L1, compared to object-verb agreement, the type of verb-agreement present only in participants’ L2. For the ergative argument alignment, unique to L2, the two non-native groups showed similar ERP patterns which did not correspond to the natives’ ERP pattern. We conclude that non-native syntactic processing approximates native processing for early L2 acquisition and high proficiency levels when the syntactic property is common to the L1 and L2. However, syntactic traits that are not present in the L1 do not rely on native-like processing, despite early AoA and high proficiency.

Measurement and analysis of bubble behavior in subcooled nucleate boiling flow field with high fidelity imaging system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, W.; Jones, B.G.; Newell, T.A.

2004-01-01

Axial offset anomaly (AOA) is an unexpected deviation in the core axial power distribution from the predicted curve. AOA is a current major consideration for reactors operating at increased power levels and is becoming immediate threat to nuclear power's competitiveness in the market. Despite much effort focusing on this topic, a comprehensive understanding is far from being developed. However, previous research indicates first, that a close connection exists between subcooled nucleate boiling occurring in core region and the formation of crud, which directly results in AOA phenomena, secondly, that deposition is greater, and sometimes much greater, on heated than on unheated surfaces. A number of researchers have suggested that boiling promotes deposition, and several observed increased deposition in the subcooled boiling region. Limited detailed information is available on the interaction between heat and mass transfer in subcooled nucleate boiling (SNB) flow. Bubbles formed in SNB region play an important role in helping the formation of crud. This research examines bubble behavior under SNB condition from the dynamic point of view, using a high fidelity digital imaging apparatus. Freon R-134a is chosen as a simulant fluid due to its merit of having smaller surface tension and lower boiling temperature. The apparatus is operated at reduced pressure. Series of images at frame rates up to 4000 frames/s were obtained, showing different characteristics of bubble behavior with varying experimental parameters e.g. flow velocity, fluid subcooled level, etc. Analyses that combine the experimental results with analytical result on flow field in velocity boundary layer are considered. A tentative suggestion is that a rolling movement of a bubble accompanies its sliding along the heating surface in the flow channel. Numerical computations using FLUENT v5.5 have been performed to support this conclusion

Psycholinguistic norms for 320 fixed expressions (idioms and proverbs) in French.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonin, Patrick; Méot, Alain; Boucheix, Jean-Michel; Bugaiska, Aurélia

2018-05-01

We provide psycholinguistic norms for a new set of 160 French idiomatic expressions and 160 proverbs: knowledge, predictability, literality, compositionality, subjective and objective frequency, familiarity, age of acquisition (AoA) and length. Different analyses (reliability, descriptive statistics and correlations) performed on the norms are reported and discussed. The norms can be downloaded as Supplemental Material .

49 CFR 1542.5 - Inspection authority.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... areas, AOA's, and SIDA's without access media or identification media issued or approved by an airport... may direct. (d) At the request of TSA and upon the completion of SIDA training as required in a... SIDA's. (e) TSA may enter and be present at an airport that does not have a security program under this...

Dissociating Word Frequency and Age of Acquisition: The Klein Effect Revived (and Reversed)

Science.gov (United States)

Dewhurst, Stephen A.; Barry, Christopher

2006-01-01

The Klein effect (G. S. Klein, 1964) refers to the finding that high-frequency words produce greater interference in a color-naming task than low-frequency words. The present study used the Klein effect to investigate the relationship between frequency and age of acquisition (AoA) by measuring their influence on color naming. Two experiments…

Progenies of allotriploids of Oriental x Asiatic lilies (Lilium) examined by GISH analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Barba Gonzalez, R.; Silfhout, van A.A.; Visser, R.G.F.; Ramanna, M.S.; Tuyl, van J.M.

2006-01-01

With the aim of utilizing allotriploid (2n = 3x = 36) lily hybrids (Lilium) in introgression breeding, different types of crosses were made. First, using diploid Asiatic lilies (2n = 2x = 24), reciprocal crosses (3x ¿ 2x and 2x ¿ 3x) were made with allotriploid hybrids (AOA) obtained by backcrosses

Substrate and nutrient limitation of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in temperate forest soil

Science.gov (United States)

J.S. Norman; J.E. Barrett

2014-01-01

Ammonia-oxidizing microbes control the rate-limiting step of nitrification, a critical ecosystem process, which affects retention and mobility of nitrogen in soil ecosystems. This study investigated substrate (NH4þ) and nutrient (K and P) limitation of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in temperate forest soils at Coweeta Hydrologic...

Substrate availability drives spatial patterns in richness of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in temperate forest soils

Science.gov (United States)

J.S. Norman; J.E. Barrett

2016-01-01

We sought to investigate the drivers of richness of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) in temperate forest soils. We sampled soils across four experimental watersheds in the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, North Carolina USA. These watersheds are geographically close, but vary in soil chemistry due to differences in land use history. While we...

Word Order Processing in the Bilingual Brain

Science.gov (United States)

Saur, Dorothee; Baumgaertner, Annette; Moehring, Anja; Buchel, Christian; Bonnesen, Matthias; Rose, Michael; Musso, Mariachristina; Meisel, Jurgen M.

2009-01-01

One of the issues debated in the field of bilingualism is the question of a "critical period" for second language acquisition. Recent studies suggest an influence of age of onset of acquisition (AOA) particularly on syntactic processing; however, the processing of word order in a sentence context has not yet been examined specifically. We used…

Age of acquisition and allophony in Spanish-English bilinguals

Science.gov (United States)

Barlow, Jessica A.

2014-01-01

This study examines age of acquisition (AoA) in Spanish-English bilinguals’ phonetic and phonological knowledge of /l/ in English and Spanish. In English, the lateral approximant /l/ varies in darkness by context [based on the second formant (F2) and the difference between F2 and the first formant (F1)], but the Spanish /l/ does not. Further, English /l/ is overall darker than Spanish /l/. Thirty-eight college-aged adults participated: 11 Early Spanish-English bilinguals who learned English before the age of 5 years, 14 Late Spanish-English bilinguals who learned English after the age of 6 years, and 13 English monolinguals. Participants’ /l/ productions were acoustically analyzed by language and context. The results revealed a Spanish-to-English phonetic influence on /l/ productions for both Early and Late bilinguals, as well as an English-to-Spanish phonological influence on the patterning of /l/ for the Late Bilinguals. These findings are discussed in terms of the Speech Learning Model and the effect of AoA on the interaction between a bilingual speaker’s two languages. PMID:24795664

Optimization of reactor coolant shutdown chemistry practices for crud inventory management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fellers, B.; Barnette, J.; Stevens, J.; Perkins, D.

2002-01-01

This report describes reactor coolant shutdown chemistry control practices at Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station (CPSES, TXU-Generation, USA). The shutdown evolution is managed from a process control perspective to achieve conditions most favorable to crud decomposition and to avoiding re-precipitation of metals. The report discusses the evolution of current industry practices and the necessity for greater emphasis on shutdown chemistry control in response to Axial Offset Anomaly and growth of ex-core radiation fields during outage conditions. Nuclear Industry experience with axial offset anomaly (AOA), radiation field growth and unexpected behavior of crud during reactor shutdowns has encouraged the refinement of chemistry control practices during plant shutdown and startup. The strong implication of nickel rich crud as a cause of AOA and unexpected crud behavior has resulted in a focus on nickel inventory management. The goals for Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station (CPSES) include maintaining solubility of metals and radioisotopes, maximizing nickel removal and effective cleanup with demineralizers. This paper provides results and lessons learned from long term efforts to optimize the shutdown process. (authors)

Recent development of BOA version 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deshon, J.; Hussey, D.; Westacott, J.; Young, M.; Secker, J.; Epperson, K.; McGurk, J.; Henshaw, J.

2010-01-01

BOA is the EPRI code developed to help understand material transport issues in PWR systems. In particular, BOA was developed to investigate the problem of crud induced power shifts (CIPS) or axial offset anomalies (AOA) that are related to crud accumulation on fuel clad and the subsequent uptake of boron within this crud. Over the last few years significant developments of BOA have taken place; these include new models for release and deposition of soluble and particulate material as well as new models for boron capture in the crud. The new version of BOA (version 3), as well as predicting the extent of AOA a plant might expect during a cycle, also predicts soluble and particulate Ni/Fe levels in the coolant, end of cycle Ni shut-down releases and the relative amounts of Ni/Fe within the fuel crud. The model is being validated against plant data and this paper briefly discusses the recent developments, the fundamental scientific basis for these changes and some of the validation studies. (author)

Community size and composition of ammonia oxidizers and denitrifiers in an alluvial intertidal wetland ecosystem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ziye eHu

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Global nitrogen cycling is mainly mediated by the activity of microorganisms. Nitrogen cycle processes are mediated by functional groups of microorganisms that are affected by constantly changing environmental conditions and substrate availability. In this study, we investigated the temporal and spatial patterns of nitrifier and denitrifier communities in an intertidal wetland. Soil samples were collected over four distinct seasons from three locations with different vegetative cover. Multiple environmental factors and process rates were measured and analyzed together with the community size and composition profiles. We observed that the community size and composition of the nitrifiers and denitrifiers are affected significantly by seasonal factors, while vegetative cover affected the community composition. The seasonal impacts on the community size of ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA are much higher than that of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB. The seasonal change was a more important indicator for AOA community composition patterns, while vegetation was more important for the AOB community patterns. The microbial process rates were correlated with both the community size and composition.

Robust Backstepping Control of Wing Rock Using Disturbance Observer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dawei Wu

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Wing rock is a highly nonlinear phenomenon when the aircraft suffers undesired roll-dominated oscillatory at high angle of attack (AOA. Considering the strong nonlinear and unsteady aerodynamic characteristics, an uncertain multi-input and multi-output (MIMO nonlinear wing rock model is studied, and system uncertainties, unsteady aerodynamic disturbances and externaldisturbancesareconsideredinthedesignofwingrockcontrollaw. Tohandletheproblemof multipledisturbances,arobustcontrolschemeisproposedbasedontheextendedstateobserver(ESO and the radial basis function neural network (RBFNN technique. Considering that the effectiveness of actuators are greatly decreased at high AOA, the input saturation problem is also handled by constructing a corresponding auxiliary system. Based on the improved ESO and the auxiliary system, a robust backstepping control law is proposed for the wing rock control. In addition, the dynamic surface control (DSC technique is introduced to avoid the tedious computations of time derivatives for the virtual control laws in the backstepping method. The stability of the closed-loop system is guaranteed via rigorously Lyapunov analysis. Finally, simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the ESO and the proposed wing rock control approach.

Musculoskeletal Pain in High-G Aircraft Training Programs: A Survey of Student and Instructor Pilots

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-01

progress through training. The Japan study reviewed literature [3-8] and found high-G neck injuries to include the rare compression fractures , herniated... fractures at C7 and C5, widening of the C6-7 interspinous ligament, herniated disc at C5-6 and C6-7, myofascial pain syndrome, and fracture of the C7...Medicine and Rehabilitation , Osteopathic, Chiropractic, Aerospace Medicine Primary, Residency in Aerospace Medicine, and the SUPT, as well as the

Book Reviews •• Boekbesprekings

African Journals Online (AJOL)

important as description of recent advances. In this the editors and authors succeed admirably well to give the reader more than the usual factual information found in symposia. J.G.S.. Orthopaedic Surgery in Spasticity. Orthopaedic lectures volume 1. By Harold M. Frost, M.D., AO.A., AA.O.S.,. A.B.J.S. Pp. xi + 216. Illustrated.

Analysis of Mission Effectiveness: Modern System Architecture Tools for Project Developers

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2017-12-01

thus optimizing resources and maximizing the impact on the development program . Engineers often aim to solve the exciting problems first, delaying...Operational Concept ....................................................................10  B.  PROBLEM STATEMENT...is the case even when the concept that was initially determined to be viable by the analysis of alternatives (AoA) may not be so when the program

Temporal Dynamics of Late Second Language Acquisition: Evidence from Event-Related Brain Potentials

Science.gov (United States)

Steinhauer, Karsten; White, Erin J.; Drury, John E.

2009-01-01

The ways in which age of acquisition (AoA) may affect (morpho)syntax in second language acquisition (SLA) are discussed. We suggest that event-related brain potentials (ERPs) provide an appropriate online measure to test some such effects. ERP findings of the past decade are reviewed with a focus on recent and ongoing research. It is concluded…

Complementary and alternative therapies in dentistry and characteristics of dentists who recommend them.

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Baatsch, Beatrice; Zimmer, Stefan; Rodrigues Recchia, Daniela; Büssing, Arndt

2017-12-01

The aims of this study were to analyse whether dentists offer or recommend complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) remedies in their clinical routine, and how effective these are rated by proponents and opponents. A second aim of this study was to give a profile of the dentists endorsing CAM. A prospective, explorative, anonymised cross-sectional survey was spread among practicing dentists in Germany via congresses, dental periodicals and online (n=250, 55% male, 45% female; mean age 49.1±11.4years). Of a set of 31 predefined CAM modalities, the dentists integrated plant extracts from Arnica montana (64%), chamomile (64%), clove (63%), Salvia officinalis (54%), but also relaxation therapies (62%), homeopathy (57%), osteopathic medicine (50%) and dietetics (50%). The effectiveness of specific treatments was rated significantly higher (peffective, namely ear acupuncture, osteopathic medicine and clove. For ear acupuncture these scores did not significantly differ between both groups. With respect to the characteristic of the proponents, the majority of CAM endorsing dentists were women. The mean age (50.4±0.9 vs 47.0±0.9years) and number of years of professional experience (24.2±1.0 vs 20.0±1.0years) were significantly higher for CAM proponents than the means for opponents (p<0.0001 respectively). CAM proponents worked significantly less (p<0.0001) and their perceived workload was significantly lower (p=0.008). Their self-efficacy expectation (SEE) and work engagement (Utrecht work engagement, UWE) were significantly higher (p≤0.01 and p<0.0001) compared to dentists who abandoned these treatment options. The logistic regression model showed (exploratively) an increased association from CAM proponents with the UWES subscale dedication, with years of experience, and that men are less likely to be CAM proponents than women. Various CAM treatments are recommended by German dentists and requested by their patients, but the scientific evidence for these

Artificial tears potpourri: a literature review

OpenAIRE

Moshirfar, Majid; Pierson, Kasey; Hanamaikai, Kamalani; Santiago-Caban, Luis; Muthappan, Valliammai; Passi, Samuel F

2014-01-01

Majid Moshirfar,1 Kasey Pierson,2,* Kamalani Hanamaikai,3,* Luis Santiago-Caban,1 Valliammai Muthappan,1 Samuel F Passi11Department of Ophthalmology, John A Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; 2University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA; 3A T Still University, School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona, Mesa, AZ, USA *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Numerous brands and types of artificial tears are available on the...

Change in gene abundance in the nitrogen biogeochemical cycle with temperature and nitrogen addition in Antarctic soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Jaejoon; Yeom, Jinki; Kim, Jisun; Han, Jiwon; Lim, Hyoun Soo; Park, Hyun; Hyun, Seunghun; Park, Woojun

2011-12-01

The microbial community (bacterial, archaeal, and fungi) and eight genes involved in the nitrogen biogeochemical cycle (nifH, nitrogen fixation; bacterial and archaeal amoA, ammonia oxidation; narG, nitrate reduction; nirS, nirK, nitrite reduction; norB, nitric oxide reduction; and nosZ, nitrous oxide reduction) were quantitatively assessed in this study, via real-time PCR with DNA extracted from three Antarctic soils. Interestingly, AOB amoA was found to be more abundant than AOA amoA in Antarctic soils. The results of microcosm studies revealed that the fungal and archaeal communities were diminished in response to warming temperatures (10 °C) and that the archaeal community was less sensitive to nitrogen addition, which suggests that those two communities are well-adapted to colder temperatures. AOA amoA and norB genes were reduced with warming temperatures. The abundance of only the nifH and nirK genes increased with both warming and the addition of nitrogen. NirS-type denitrifying bacteria outnumbered NirK-type denitrifiers regardless of the treatment used. Interestingly, dramatic increases in both NirS and NirK-types denitrifiers were observed with nitrogen addition. NirK types increase with warming, but NirS-type denitrifiers tend to be less sensitive to warming. Our findings indicated that the Antarctic microbial nitrogen cycle could be dramatically altered by temperature and nitrogen, and that warming may be detrimental to the ammonia-oxidizing archaeal community. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to investigate genes associated with each process of the nitrogen biogeochemical cycle in an Antarctic terrestrial soil environment. Copyright © 2011 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Are age and sex differences in brain oxytocin receptors related to maternal and infanticidal behavior in naïve mice?

Science.gov (United States)

Olazábal, Daniel E; Alsina-Llanes, Marcela

2016-01-01

This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". There is significant variability in the behavioral responses displayed by naïve young and adult mice when first exposed to pups. This variability has been associated with differences in the expression of oxytocin receptors (OXTRs) in the brain in several species. Experiment I investigated the behavioral responses of juvenile, adolescent, and adult CB57BL/6 males and females when first exposed to pups. We found an age increase in maternal females (11% of juveniles, 20% of adolescents, and 50% of young adults), and infanticidal males (0% of juveniles, 30% of adolescents, 44.5% of young adults, and 100% of older adults). Experiment II investigated OXTR density in the brain of juvenile and adult mice. Our results revealed an age decline in the density of OXTR in several brain regions, including the lateral septum, cingulated and posterior paraventricular thalamic nucleus in both males and females. Adult females had higher OXTR density in the ventromedial nucleus/postero-ventral hypothalamus (VMH) and the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), but lower density in the ventral region of the lateral septum (LSv) than juveniles. Males had lower OXTR density in the anterior olfactory area (AOA) compared to juveniles. No age or sex differences were found in the medial preoptic area, and amygdaloid nuclei, among other brain regions. This study suggests that 1) maturation of parental and infanticidal behavioral responses is not reached until adulthood; 2) the pattern of development of OXTR in the mouse brain is unique, region specific, and differs from that observed in other rodents; 3) either up or down regulation of OXTR in a few brain regions (VMH/AOB/LSv/AOA) might contribute to age or sex differences in parental or infanticidal behavior. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Physical therapy with drug treatment in Bell palsy: a focused review.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Margarida; Marques, Elisa E; Duarte, José A; Santos, Paula C

2015-04-01

The physical therapy (PT) associated with standard drug treatment (SDT) in Bell palsy has never been investigated. Randomized controlled trials or quasirandomized controlled trials have compared facial PT (except treatments such as acupuncture and osteopathic) combined with SDT against a control group with SDT alone. Participants included those older than 15 yrs with a clinical diagnosis of Bell palsy, and the primary outcome measure was motor function recovery by the House-Brackmann scale. The methodologic quality of each study was also independently assessed by two reviewers using the PEDro scale. Four studies met the inclusion criteria. Three trials indicate that PT in association with SDT supports higher motor function recovery than SDT alone between 15 days and 1 yr of follow-up. On the other hand, one trial showed that electrical stimulation added to conventional PT with SDT did not influence treatment outcomes. The present review suggests that the current practice of Bell palsy treatment by PT associated with SDT seems to have a positive effect on grade and time recovery compared with SDT alone. However, there is very little quality evidence from randomized controlled trials, and such evidence is insufficient to decide whether combined treatment is beneficial in the management of Bell palsy.

Feasibility of establishing an Australian ACL registry: a pilot study by the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry (AOANJRR).

Science.gov (United States)

Lekkas, Christina; Clarnette, Richard; Graves, Stephen E; Rainbird, Sophia; Parker, David; Lorimer, Michelle; Paterson, Roger; Roe, Justin; Morris, Hayden; Feller, Julian A; Annear, Peter; Forster, Ben; Hayes, David

2017-05-01

Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a common and debilitating injury that impacts significantly on knee function and risks the development of degenerative arthritis. The outcome of ACL surgery is not monitored in Australia. The optimal treatment is unknown. Consequently, the identification of best practice in treating ACL is crucial to the development of improved outcomes. The Australian Knee Society (AKS) asked the Australian Orthopaedic Association (AOA) to consider establishing a national ACL registry. As a first step, a pilot study was undertaken by the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry (AOANJRR) to test the hypothesis that collecting the required information in the Australian setting was possible. Surgeons completed an operative form which provided comprehensive information on the surgery undertaken. Patients provided pre- and post-operative questionnaires including the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and the Marx Activity Scale (MA Scale). The number of ACL procedures undertaken at each hospital during the recruitment period was compared against State Government Health Department separation data. A total of 802 patients were recruited from October 2011 to January 2013. The overall capture rate for surgeon-derived data was 99%, and the capture rate for the pre-operative patient questionnaire was 97.9%. At 6 months, patient-reported outcomes were obtained from 55% of patients, and 58.5% of patients at 12 months. When checked against State Government Health Department separation data, 31.3% of procedures undertaken at each study hospital were captured in the study. It is possible to collect surgeon-derived and pre-operative patient-reported data, following ACL reconstruction in Australia. The need to gain patient consent was a limiting factor to participation. When patients did consent to participate in the study, we were able to capture nearly 100% of surgical procedures. Patient consent

Comammox in drinking water systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yulin; Ma, Liping; Mao, Yanping; Jiang, Xiaotao; Xia, Yu; Yu, Ke; Li, Bing; Zhang, Tong

2017-06-01

The discovery of complete ammonia oxidizer (comammox) has fundamentally upended our perception of the global nitrogen cycle. Here, we reported four metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs) of comammox Nitrospira that were retrieved from metagenome datasets of tap water in Singapore (SG-bin1 and SG-bin2), Hainan province, China (HN-bin3) and Stanford, CA, USA (ST-bin4). Genes of phylogenetically distinct ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) and hydroxylamine dehydrogenase (hao) were identified in these four MAGs. Phylogenetic analysis based on ribosomal proteins, AmoA, hao and nitrite oxidoreductase (subunits nxrA and nxrB) sequences indicated their close relationships with published comammox Nitrospira. Canonical ammonia-oxidizing microbes (AOM) were also identified in the three tap water samples, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in Singapore's and Stanford's samples and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in Hainan's sample. The comammox amoA-like sequences were also detected from some other drinking water systems, and even outnumbered the AOA and AOB amoA-like sequences. The findings of MAGs and the occurrences of AOM in different drinking water systems provided a significant clue that comammox are widely distributed in drinking water systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acoustic Performance of the GEAE UPS Research Fan in the NASA Glenn 9- by 15-Foot Low-Speed Wind Tunnel

Science.gov (United States)

Woodward, Richard P.; Hughes, Christopher E.

2012-01-01

A model advanced turbofan was acoustically tested in the NASA Glenn 9- by 15-Foot Low-Speed Wind Tunnel in 1994. The Universal Propulsion Simulator fan was designed and manufactured by General Electric Aircraft Engines, and included an active core, as well as bypass, flow paths. The fan was tested with several rotors featuring unswept, forward-swept and aft-swept designs of both metal and composite construction. Sideline acoustic data were taken with both hard and acoustically treated walls in the flow passages. The fan was tested within an airflow at a Mach number of 0.20, which is representative of aircraft takeoff/approach conditions. All rotors showed similar aerodynamic performance. However, the composite rotors typically showed higher noise levels than did corresponding metal rotors. Aft and forward rotor sweep showed at most modest reductions of transonic multiple pure tone levels. However, rotor sweep often introduced increased rotor-stator interaction tone levels. Broadband noise was typically higher for the composite rotors and also for the aft-swept metal rotor. Transonic MPT generation was reduced with increasing fan axis angle of attack (AOA); however, higher downstream noise levels did increase with AOA resulting in higher overall Effective Perceived Noise Level.

Numerical study on effect of boundary layer trips on aerodynamic performance of E216 airfoil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B.K. Sreejith

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Simulation is carried out to find the performance of airfoil E216 using Transition γ-Reθ model at Reynolds number of 100,000. Flow behaviour and effect of angle of attack (AOA on laminar separation bubble (LSB formation are examined. The results are validated with wind tunnel experimental results. LSB formation is clearly spotted in the velocity vector plot and coefficient of pressure distribution over airfoil. LSB moved upstream towards the leading edge with increase in AOA. Effect of boundary layer trip on LSB formation over the airfoil and performance of airfoil are studied. Two different trip locations, 17% of chord and 10% of chord from leading edge, and different trip heights (0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm, 1 mm are investigated in this study. Results showed that boundary layer trip could eliminate LSB partially or completely and improve aerodynamic performance of the airfoil. Maximum improvement in drag by 15.48% and lift to drag ratio by 21.62% are obtained at angle of attack of 60. In all the cases, improvement in performance is observed only up to trip height of 0.5 mm.

Investigation of co-flow jet flow control and its applications

Science.gov (United States)

Lefebvre, Alexis M.

This thesis investigates the performance of co-flow jet (CFJ) flow control and its applications using experimental testing and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. For a stationary airfoil and wing, CFJ increases the lift coefficient (CL), reduces the drag and may produce thrust at a low angle of attack (AoA). The maximum lift coefficient is substantially increased for a 2D CFJ airfoil and reaches a value of 4.8 at Cmicro = 0.30. The power consumption of the CFJ pump, measured by the power coefficient (Pc), is influenced by a variety of parameters, including the momentum coefficient (C micro ), the AoA, the injection slot location, and the internal cavity configuration. A low Cmicro of 0.04 produces a rather small Pc in the range of 0.01--0.02 while a higher Cmicro rapidly increases the Pc. Due to the stronger leading edge suction effect, increasing the AoA decreases the Pc. That is until the flow is near separation, within about 2°--3° of the stall AoA. An injection slot location within 2%--5% chord from the leading edge very effectively reduces the power coefficient. An internal cavity design with no separation is crucial to minimize the CFJ power consumption. Overall, the CFJ effectiveness is enhanced with an increasing Mach number as long as the flow remains subsonic, typically with free stream Mach number less than 0.4. Two pitching airfoil oscillations with dynamic stall are studied in this thesis, namely the mild dynamic stall and the deep dynamic stall. At Mach 0.3, the CFJ with a relatively low Cmicro of 0.08 removes the mild dynamic stall. Thereby, the time-averaged lift is increased by 32% and the time-averaged drag is decreased by 80%. The resulting time-averaged aerodynamic (L/D)ave, which does not take the pumping power into account, reaches 118.3. When C micro is increased, the time-averaged drag becomes negative, which demonstrates the feasibility of a CFJ to propel helicopter blades using its pump as the only source of power. The deep

Addressing the primary care physician shortage in an evolving medical workforce

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lakhan Shaheen E

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Primary care physicians have been shown to play an important role in the general health of the communities in which they serve. In spite of their importance, however, there has been a decrease in the number of physicians interested in pursuing primary care fields, while the proportion of specialists continues to increase. The prediction of an overall physician shortage only augments this issue in the US, where this uneven distribution is particularly evident. As such, serious effort to increase the number of practicing primary care physicians is both necessary and beneficial for meeting this country's health care needs. Discussion There are several factors at play which contribute to the decrease in the number of practicing physicians in primary specialties. Lifestyle concerns, such as schedule and income, as well as the lack of prestige associated with this field seem to be among the most prevalent reasons cited for the diminishing interest. Multifaceted concerns such as these, however, are difficult to adequately invalidate; doing so would not only require a great deal research, but also a good deal of time – a resource which is in short supply given the current physician shortage being faced. Thus, a more immediate solution may lie in the increased recruitment and continued support of those individuals who are already associated with primary care service. This is particularly relevant given the Association of American Medical College's goal of increasing medical school enrollment by 15% over the next 10 years. Several groups have been shown to be large contributors to primary care in the US. Here, we focus on three such groups: minority students, International Medical Graduates (IMGs and Osteopathic Physicians (DOs. Although these groups are highly diverse individually, they all share the distinction of being underutilized in regard to the current primary care shortages faced. Thus, through more fully accentuating these

15th Annual Expeditionary Warfare Conference - Expeditionary Operations - What’s Next

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-07

kinetic, low-order, high-order neutralization Forensics  Radiographic systems  Post Blast investigation  Wireless transmission/reception* Where...mentoring and partnering; and establishes the conditions for successful introduction of follow-on forces in zone IOT support the expansion of...Readiness Review CDD Spec Development Milestones/ Reviews Follow Vessel Schedule AoA Lead Vessel Schedule DT&E/ OT&E/ LFT&E IOT &E T&E Program

Production of oceanic nitrous oxide by ammonia-oxidizing archaea

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C. R. Löscher

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The recent finding that microbial ammonia oxidation in the ocean is performed by archaea to a greater extent than by bacteria has drastically changed the view on oceanic nitrification. The numerical dominance of archaeal ammonia-oxidizers (AOA over their bacterial counterparts (AOB in large parts of the ocean leads to the hypothesis that AOA rather than AOB could be the key organisms for the oceanic production of the strong greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N₂O that occurs as a by-product of nitrification. Very recently, enrichment cultures of marine ammonia-oxidizing archaea have been reported to produce N₂O.

Here, we demonstrate that archaeal ammonia monooxygenase genes (amoA were detectable throughout the water column of the eastern tropical North Atlantic (ETNA and eastern tropical South Pacific (ETSP Oceans. Particularly in the ETNA, comparable patterns of abundance and expression of archaeal amoA genes and N₂O co-occurred in the oxygen minimum, whereas the abundances of bacterial amoA genes were negligible. Moreover, selective inhibition of archaea in seawater incubations from the ETNA decreased the N₂O production significantly. In studies with the only cultivated marine archaeal ammonia-oxidizer Nitrosopumilus maritimus SCM1, we provide the first direct evidence for N₂O production in a pure culture of AOA, excluding the involvement of other microorganisms as possibly present in enrichments. N. maritimus showed high N₂O production rates under low oxygen concentrations comparable to concentrations existing in the oxycline of the ETNA, whereas the N₂O production from two AOB cultures was comparably low under similar conditions. Based on our findings, we hypothesize that the production of N₂O in tropical ocean areas results mainly from archaeal nitrification and will be affected by the predicted decrease in dissolved

Advancing the Field Elder Abuse: Future Directions and Policy Implications

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, XinQi

2012-01-01

Elder abuse, sometime called elder mistreatment or elder maltreatment, includes psychological, physical, and sexual abuse, neglect (caregiver neglect and self-neglect), and financial exploitation. Evidence suggests that 1 out of 10 older adult experiences some form of elder abuse, and only 1 of out 25 cases are actually reported to social services agencies. At the same time, elder abuse is associated with significant morbidity and premature mortality. Despite these findings, there is a great paucity in research, practice, and policy dealing with the pervasive issues of elder abuse. Through my experiences as a American Political Sciences Association Congressional Policy Fellow/Health and Aging Policy Fellow working with Administration on Community Living (ACL) (Previously known at Administration on Aging (AoA)) for the last two years, I will describe the major functions of the ACL; and highlight on two major pieces of federal legislation: The Older Americans Act (OAA) and the Elder Justice Act (EJA). Moreover, I will highlight major research gaps and future policy relevant research directions for the field of elder abuse. PMID:23110488

Clinical association between teeth malocclusions, wrong posture and ocular convergence disorders: an epidemiological investigation on primary school children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvestrini-Biavati Armando

2013-01-01

occlusal defects. The vertical dimension of occlusion revealed a slight relationship with the proper dominant eye. Postural, orthoptic, osteopathic and occlusal variables were often clinically associated, and therefore these disorders appear to request a multidisciplinary medical approach for their treatment.

Does Residency Selection Criteria Predict Performance in Orthopaedic Surgery Residency?

Science.gov (United States)

Raman, Tina; Alrabaa, Rami George; Sood, Amit; Maloof, Paul; Benevenia, Joseph; Berberian, Wayne

2016-04-01

More than 1000 candidates applied for orthopaedic residency positions in 2014, and the competition is intense; approximately one-third of the candidates failed to secure a position in the match. However, the criteria used in the selection process often are subjective and studies have differed in terms of which criteria predict either objective measures or subjective ratings of resident performance by faculty. Do preresidency selection factors serve as predictors of success in residency? Specifically, we asked which preresidency selection factors are associated or correlated with (1) objective measures of resident knowledge and performance; and (2) subjective ratings by faculty. Charts of 60 orthopaedic residents from our institution were reviewed. Preresidency selection criteria examined included United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 and Step 2 scores, Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores, number of clinical clerkship honors, number of letters of recommendation, number of away rotations, Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) honor medical society membership, fourth-year subinternship at our institution, and number of publications. Resident performance was assessed using objective measures including American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) Part I scores and Orthopaedics In-Training Exam (OITE) scores and subjective ratings by faculty including global evaluation scores and faculty rankings of residents. We tested associations between preresidency criteria and the subsequent objective and subjective metrics using linear correlation analysis and Mann-Whitney tests when appropriate. Objective measures of resident performance namely, ABOS Part I scores, had a moderate linear correlation with the USMLE Step 2 scores (r = 0.55, p communication skills" subsection of the global evaluations. We found that USMLE Step 2, number of honors in medical school clerkships, and AOA membership demonstrated the strongest correlations with resident performance. Our

Candidatus Nitrosocaldus cavascurensis, an Ammonia Oxidizing, Extremely Thermophilic Archaeon with a Highly Mobile Genome

OpenAIRE

Abby, Sophie S.; Melcher, Michael; Kerou, Melina; Krupovic, Mart; Stieglmeier, Michaela; Rossel, Claudia; Pfeifer, Kevin; Schleper, Christa

2018-01-01

Ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are widespread in moderate environments but their occurrence and activity has also been demonstrated in hot springs. Here we present the first enrichment of a thermophilic representative with a sequenced genome, which facilitates the search for adaptive strategies and for traits that shape the evolution of Thaumarchaeota. Candidatus Nitrosocaldus cavascurensis has been enriched from a hot spring in Ischia, Italy. It grows optimally ...

Diversity of Ammonia Oxidizing Archaea in Tropical Compost Systems

OpenAIRE

Vidya eDe Gannes; Gaius eEudoxie; David H Dyer; William James Hickey

2012-01-01

Composting is widely used to transform waste materials into valuable agricultural products. In the tropics, large quantities of agricultural wastes could be potentially useful in agriculture after composting. However, while microbiological processes of composts in general are well established, relatively little is known about microbial communities that may be unique to these in tropical systems, particularly nitrifiers. The recent discovery of ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) has changed the p...

Diversity and abundance of ammonia oxidizing archaea in tropical compost systems

OpenAIRE

de Gannes, Vidya; Eudoxie, Gaius; Dyer, David H.; Hickey, William J.

2012-01-01

Composting is widely used to transform waste materials into valuable agricultural products. In the tropics, large quantities of agricultural wastes could be potentially useful in agriculture after composting. However, while microbiological processes of composts in general are well established, relatively little is known about microbial communities that may be unique to these in tropical systems, particularly nitrifiers. The recent discovery of ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) has changed the p...

Flow Field Measurements Using Hotwire Anemometry.

Science.gov (United States)

1987-09-01

is connected to the differential pressure transducer, the other is connected to an absolute pressure transducer. Static pressure from the absolute ...and intercept data. The seventh variable contains the calibration tunnel temperature in degrees Farenheit . This is0* . used for hotwire compensation...output is then directed to channel five of the Relay Multiplexer. Voltage output from the signal amplifier is zeroed at 0 degrees AOA and is positive for

Performance of African Agricultural Exports and External Market Access Conditions under International Trade Reforms

OpenAIRE

Nyangito, Hezron Omare

2004-01-01

Sub Saharan African agriculture is currently facing challenges in international trade with respect to external market access conditions and competition in world markets as a result of trade liberalization efforts under the world trade organization (WTO) agreements and in particular the agreement on agriculture (AoA). This paper presents the performance of agricultural exports for selected countries and indicates external market barriers faced and the resulting implications of the barriers on ...

Exploring the Integration of COSYSMO with a Model-Based Systems Engineering Methodology in Early Trade Space Analytics and Decisions

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-01

Air Force base AFIT Air Force Institute of Technology AoA analysis of alternatives AV All Viewpoint-DODAF bdd block definition diagram BPMN Business...Business ProcessModel Notation ( BPMN ) to name a few. Each of these languages has specific lifecycles and limitations to consider. The use of a customized...systems analysis. When utilizing other available languages such, as SysML, LML, and BPMN , increased interoperability in communication and performance

Application of the Levenberg-Marquardt Scheme to the MUSIC Algorithm for AOA Estimation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joon-Ho Lee

2013-01-01

can be expressed in a least squares form. Based on this observation, we present a rigorous Levenberg-Marquardt (LM formulation of the MUSIC algorithm for simultaneous estimation of an azimuth and an elevation. We show a convergence property and compare the performance of the LM-based MUSIC algorithm with that of the standard MUSIC algorithm via Monte-Carlo simulation. We also compare the performance of the MUSIC algorithm with that of the Capon algorithm both for the standard implementation and for the LM-based implementation.

Leadership, Communication, and Negotiation Across a Diverse Workforce*: An AOA Critical Issues Symposium.

Science.gov (United States)

Clohisy, Denis R; Yaszemski, Michael J; Lipman, Joanne

2017-06-21

The current workforce in the United States is rapidly changing and is increasingly inclusive of individuals from a broad range of ages, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds. Engaging and leading a diverse workforce creates great opportunities for innovation and adaptation in our evolving medical economic and clinical care delivery environment. For optimal engagement of employees and partners, orthopaedic surgeons must develop the necessary skills for executing change inside complex organizations and across teams composed of a variety of providers and skilled workers. Important skills include leadership, effective communication, and negotiation within an ever-changing employee milieu. Understanding generalizable differences between age-based generations can increase the effectiveness of one's strategies to execute change and increase organizational performance. One of the greatest impediments to effective communication and negotiations that all leaders face is unconscious bias. For leaders, even the tiniest unconscious biases have an outsized impact. Common domains that harbor unconscious bias include sex, race, and ethnicity. Addressing unconscious bias begins with developing awareness and then deploying various tactics that might include equity in compensation, promotion, and "being heard." Effective negotiation skills also are essential to lead a diverse workforce and develop a successful organization. The most basic goal in any negotiation should be to establish a relationship (or deepen an existing relationship) while seeking an agreement that provides win-win opportunities for all parties. To effectively achieve a win-win scenario, leaders must recognize and address their tendency to interpret others' behaviors, values, and beliefs through the lens of their own beliefs and experiences. Finally, and fortunately, there is a set of leader attributes that transcends the generational differences and diversity that is encountered in the workplace. These attributes include integrity, credibility, effective listening, having a vision of your destination, fairness, humility, and caring.

A clinical study on "Computer vision syndrome" and its management with Triphala eye drops and Saptamrita Lauha.

Science.gov (United States)

Gangamma, M P; Poonam; Rajagopala, Manjusha

2010-04-01

American Optometric Association (AOA) defines computer vision syndrome (CVS) as "Complex of eye and vision problems related to near work, which are experienced during or related to computer use". Most studies indicate that Video Display Terminal (VDT) operators report more eye related problems than non-VDT office workers. The causes for the inefficiencies and the visual symptoms are a combination of individual visual problems and poor office ergonomics. In this clinical study on "CVS", 151 patients were registered, out of whom 141 completed the treatment. In Group A, 45 patients had been prescribed Triphala eye drops; in Group B, 53 patients had been prescribed the Triphala eye drops and SaptamritaLauha tablets internally, and in Group C, 43 patients had been prescribed the placebo eye drops and placebo tablets. In total, marked improvement was observed in 48.89, 54.71 and 06.98% patients in groups A, B and C, respectively.

Fungal endophyte Phomopsis liquidambari affects nitrogen transformation processes and related microorganisms in the rice rhizosphere

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Bo eYang

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The endophytic fungus Phomopsis liquidambari performs an important ecosystem service by assisting its host with acquiring soil nitrogen (N, but little is known regarding how this fungus influences soil N nutrient properties and microbial communities. In this study, we investigated the impact of P. liquidambari on N dynamics，the abundance and composition of N cycling genes in rhizosphere soil treated with three levels of N (urea. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB and diazotrophs were assayed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis at four rice growing stages (S0: before planting, S1: tillering stage, S2: grain filling stage, and S3: ripening stage. A significant increase in the available nitrate and ammonium contents was found in the rhizosphere soil of endophyte-infected rice under low N conditions. Moreover, P. liquidambari significantly increased the potential nitrification rates (PNR, affected the abundance and community structure of AOA, AOB and diazotrophs under low N conditions in the S1 and S2 stages. The root exudates were determined due to their important role in rhizosphere interactions. P. liquidambari colonization altered the exudation of organic compounds by rice roots and P. liquidambari increased the concentration of soluble saccharides, total free amino acids and organic acids

Antioxidant capacity changes and phenolic profile of Echinacea purpurea, nettle (Urtica dioica L.), and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) after application of polyamine and phenolic biosynthesis regulators.

Science.gov (United States)

Hudec, Jozef; Burdová, Mária; Kobida, L'ubomír; Komora, Ladislav; Macho, Vendelín; Kogan, Grigorij; Turianica, Ivan; Kochanová, Radka; Lozek, Otto; Habán, Miroslav; Chlebo, Peter

2007-07-11

The changes of the antioxidant (AOA) and antiradical activities (ARA) and the total contents of phenolics, anthocyanins, flavonols, and hydroxybenzoic acid in roots and different aerial sections of Echinacea purpurea, nettle, and dandelion, after treatment with ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor, a polyamine inhibitor (O-phosphoethanolamine, KF), and a phenol biosynthesis stimulator (carboxymethyl chitin glucan, CCHG) were analyzed spectrophotometrically; hydroxycinnamic acids content was analyzed by RP-HPLC with UV detection. Both regulators increased the AOA measured as inhibition of peroxidation (IP) in all herb sections, with the exception of Echinacea stems after treatment with KF. In root tissues IP was dramatically elevated mainly after CCHG application: 8.5-fold in Echinacea, 4.14-fold in nettle, and 2.08-fold in dandelion. ARA decrease of Echinacea leaves treated with regulators was in direct relation only with cichoric acid and caftaric acid contents. Both regulators uphold the formation of cinnamic acid conjugates, the most expressive being that of cichoric acid after treatment with CCHG in Echinacea roots from 2.71 to 20.92 mg g(-1). There was a strong relationship between increase of the total phenolics in all sections of Echinacea, as well as in the studied sections of dandelion, and the anthocyanin content.

Effects of grape seed polyphenols on oxidative damage in liver tissue of acutely and chronically exercised rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Belviranlı, Muaz; Gökbel, Hakkı; Okudan, Nilsel; Büyükbaş, Sadık

2013-05-01

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of grape seed extract (GSE) supplementation on oxidative stress and antioxidant defense markers in liver tissue of acutely and chronically exercised rats. Rats were randomly assigned to six groups: Control (C), Control Chronic Exercise (CE), Control Acute Exercise (AE), GSE-supplemented Control (GC), GSE-supplemented Chronic Exercise(GCE) and GSE-supplemented Acute Exercise (GAE). Rats in the chronic exercise groups were subjected to a six-week treadmill running and in the acute exercise groups performed an exhaustive running. Rats in the GSE supplemented groups received GSE (100 mg.kg(-1) .day(-1) ) in drinking water for 6 weeks. Liver tissues of the rats were taken for the analysis of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) levels and total antioxidant activity (AOA) and xanthine oxidase (XO) activities. MDA levels decreased with GSE supplementation in control groups but increased in acute and chronic exercise groups compared to their non-supplemented control. NO levels increased with GSE supplementation. XO activities were higher in AE group compared to the CE group. AOA decreased with GSE supplementation. In conclusion, while acute exercise triggers oxidative stress, chronic exercise has protective role against oxidative stress. GSE has a limited antioxidant effect on exercise-induced oxidative stress in liver tissue.

Numerical Simulation of Airfoil Aerodynamic Penalties and Mechanisms in Heavy Rain

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Zhenlong Wu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Numerical simulations that are conducted on a transport-type airfoil, NACA 64-210, at a Reynolds number of 2.6×106 and LWC of 25 g/m3 explore the aerodynamic penalties and mechanisms that affect airfoil performance in heavy rain conditions. Our simulation results agree well with the experimental data and show significant aerodynamic penalties for the airfoil in heavy rain. The maximum percentage decrease in CL is reached by 13.2% and the maximum percentage increase in CD by 47.6%. Performance degradation in heavy rain at low angles of attack is emulated by an originally creative boundary-layer-tripped technique near the leading edge. Numerical flow visualization technique is used to show premature boundary-layer separation at high angles of attack and the particulate trajectories at various angles of attack. A mathematic model is established to qualitatively study the water film effect on the airfoil geometric changes. All above efforts indicate that two primary mechanisms are accountable for the airfoil aerodynamic penalties. One is to cause premature boundary-layer transition at low AOA and separation at high AOA. The other occurs at times scales consistent with the water film layer, which is thought to alter the airfoil geometry and increase the mass effectively.

Possible adverse events in children treated by manual therapy: a review

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Humphreys B Kim

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Pediatric manual therapy is controversial within the medical community particularly with respect to adverse events. Pediatric manual therapy (Ped MT is commonly used by a number of professions such as chiropractors, osteopaths and naturopaths for a variety of treatments in children. Ped MT interventions range from advice, light touch, massage, through to mobilisation and high velocity spinal manipulation. However, current evidence related to adverse events associated with Ped MT is not well understood. Objective To update the clinical research literature from the 2007 report by Vohra, Johnston, Cramer and Humphreys on possible adverse events in children treated by spinal manipulation. Methods A review of the clinical research literature from June 2004 until January 2010 as reported in MEDLINE, PubMed and PubMed Central for adverse events specifically related to the treatment of pediatric cases by manual therapy. Results Only three new clinical studies, one systematic review with meta-analysis and one evidence report were identified. Two clinical studies reported on chiropractic care and one on osteopathic spinal manipulation in children. The systematic review investigated all studies of adverse events and manual therapy and was not specific for pediatric patients. The evidence review focused on effectiveness of spinal manipulation in a variety of musculoskeletal conditions. No serious or catastrophic adverse events were reported in the clinical studies or systematic review. However for adults, it has been estimated that between 0.003% and 0.13% of manual therapy treatments may result in a serious adverse event. Although mild to moderate adverse events are common in adults, an accurate estimate from high quality pediatric studies is currently not available. Conclusions There is currently insufficient research evidence related to adverse events and manual therapy. However, clinical studies and systematic reviews from adult