WorldWideScience

Sample records for single subject secondary

  1. Single Subject Research: Applications to Special Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cakiroglu, Orhan

    2012-01-01

    Single subject research is a scientific research methodology that is increasingly used in the field of special education. Therefore, understanding the unique characteristics of single subject research methodology is critical both for educators and practitioners. Certain characteristics make single subject research one of the most preferred…

  2. Single-Sex versus Secondary Schooling: A Systematic Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mael, Fred; Alonso, Alex; Gibson, Doug; Rogers, Kelly; Smith, Mark

    2005-01-01

    Single-sex education refers most generally to education at the elementary, secondary, or postsecondary level in which males or females attend school exclusively with members of their own sex. This report deals primarily with single-sex education at the elementary and secondary levels. Research in the United States on the question of whether public…

  3. AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO TEACHING THE SUBJECT «TECHNOLOGY» IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marina Viktorovna Sleptsova

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The article describes the author approach to the teaching of the subject «Technology» in a secondary school. Feature of the proposed approach is its focus on innovation behavior of students in the context of continuous technological education, aimed at the continuous creation of new or modification of existing technical and social systems, reducing the cost of resources, the achievement of high commercial effect. Shows an example of an innovative approach to teaching the subject «Technology of cooking» section of the «Cooking» of the Federal model programme «Technology». The role and place of the subject «Technology» in the psychological preparation of students for entrepreneurship, the formation of «habits of success», even at school age to play the «role model» entrepreneur in the field of industrial production, innovation and agriculture. Demonstrated an innovative approach to teaching the subject «Techno-logy» for productive socialization and social adaptation of graduates of secondary schools.Summary: identify ways and methods of performing teaching staff in secondary schools social order to prepare students for entrepreneurial activity.Methodology: theoretical analysis of the literature, scientific methods of comparison, ge-neralization, systematic approach.Results: the proposed innovative approach to the teaching of the subject «Technology» in a secondary school leads to increased interest in academic subject in grades 9-11 secondary schools, the development of students in sustainable entrepreneurial skills, increase the number of high school graduates, focusing on entrepreneurial activities in the fields of innovation and industrial production, craft activities and agriculture.Practical implication: pedagogy of secondary school.

  4. Digital Inclusion of Secondary Schools' Subject Teachers in Bolivia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Popova, Iskra; Fabre, Gabriela

    2017-01-01

    The government of Bolivia planned to introduce information technology in secondary education through establishing computer labs in schools and through granting each subject teacher a laptop. This initiative was tested for the first time in 2012 with three public schools in La Paz. Most of the subject teachers have never used a computer before. The…

  5. Deracemization of Secondary Alcohols by using a Single Alcohol Dehydrogenase

    KAUST Repository

    Karume, Ibrahim

    2016-03-01

    © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. We developed a single-enzyme-mediated two-step approach for deracemization of secondary alcohols. A single mutant of Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase enables the nonstereoselective oxidation of racemic alcohols to ketones, followed by a stereoselective reduction process. Varying the amounts of acetone and 2-propanol cosubstrates controls the stereoselectivities of the consecutive oxidation and reduction reactions, respectively. We used one enzyme to accomplish the deracemization of secondary alcohols with up to >99% ee and >99.5% recovery in one pot and without the need to isolate the prochiral ketone intermediate.

  6. Parents' Views on Mixed and Single-Sex Secondary Schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    West, Anne; Hunter, Jay

    1993-01-01

    Reports on two studies of British parental attitudes toward coeducational and single-sex secondary schools. Finds few differences between the parents of primary school girls and boys who will attend secondary schools in the future. Also finds a large majority of boys' parents believe that social advantages accrue for boys educated with girls. (CFR)

  7. Single-Subject Research Methodology: An Underutilized Tool in the Field of Deafness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bullis, Michael; Anderson, Glenn

    1986-01-01

    Single-subject research methods are simple, powerful, and very applicable to selected study of deafness. This article considers group versus single-subject designs; an example of withdrawal single-subject design; and an example of the multiple baseline single-subject design. (CB)

  8. Effects of Single-Sex Secondary Schools on Student Achievement and Attitudes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Valerie E.; Bryk, Anthony S.

    1986-01-01

    This study compares the effects of single-sex and coeducational secondary schooling. Results indicate that single-sex schools deliver specific advantages to their students, especially female students. Single-sex schools may facilitate adolescent academic development by providing an environment where social and academic concerns are separated.…

  9. A study on fatigue crack growth behavior subjected to a single tensile overload

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, S.Y.; Liaw, P.K.; Choo, H.; Rogge, R.B.

    2011-01-01

    Neutron diffraction and electric potential experiments were carried out to investigate the growth behavior of a fatigue crack subjected to a single tensile overload. The specific objectives were to (i) probe the crack tip deformation and fracture behaviors under applied loads; (ii) examine the overload-induced transient crack growth micromechanism; (iii) validate the effective stress intensity factor range based on the crack closure approach as the fatigue crack tip driving force; and (iv) establish a quantitative relationship between the crack tip driving force and crack growth behavior. Immediately after a single tensile overload was introduced and then unloaded, the crack tip became blunt and enlarged compressive residual stresses in both magnitude and zone size were observed around the crack tip. The results show that the combined contributions of the overload-induced enlarged compressive residual stresses and crack tip blunting with secondary cracks are responsible for the observed changes in the crack opening load and the resultant post-overload transient crack growth behavior.

  10. Diagnostics of Pupils' Meta-Subject Competence during Lessons on Mathematics in Secondary Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khuziakhmetova, Anvar N.; Naumova, Marina V.

    2016-01-01

    The relevance of diagnostic meta-subject competence measures in secondary schools is caused by the fact that the importance of a meta-subject competence formation was officially defined in educational standards, but there are still no qualitative and informative diagnostic tools for this competence development. The purpose of the article is to…

  11. SSDOnt: An Ontology for Representing Single-Subject Design Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berges, Idoia; Bermúdez, Jesus; Illarramendi, Arantza

    2018-02-01

    Single-Subject Design is used in several areas such as education and biomedicine. However, no suited formal vocabulary exists for annotating the detailed configuration and the results of this type of research studies with the appropriate granularity for looking for information about them. Therefore, the search for those study designs relies heavily on a syntactical search on the abstract, keywords or full text of the publications about the study, which entails some limitations. To present SSDOnt, a specific purpose ontology for describing and annotating single-subject design studies, so that complex questions can be asked about them afterwards. The ontology was developed following the NeOn methodology. Once the requirements of the ontology were defined, a formal model was described in a Description Logic and later implemented in the ontology language OWL 2 DL. We show how the ontology provides a reference model with a suitable terminology for the annotation and searching of single-subject design studies and their main components, such as the phases, the intervention types, the outcomes and the results. Some mappings with terms of related ontologies have been established. We show as proof-of-concept that classes in the ontology can be easily extended to annotate more precise information about specific interventions and outcomes such as those related to autism. Moreover, we provide examples of some types of queries that can be posed to the ontology. SSDOnt has achieved the purpose of covering the descriptions of the domain of single-subject research studies. Schattauer GmbH.

  12. Creating single-subject design graphs in Microsoft Excel 2007.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dixon, Mark R; Jackson, James W; Small, Stacey L; Horner-King, Mollie J; Lik, Nicholas Mui Ker; Garcia, Yors; Rosales, Rocio

    2009-01-01

    Over 10 years have passed since the publication of Carr and Burkholder's (1998) technical article on how to construct single-subject graphs using Microsoft Excel. Over the course of the past decade, the Excel program has undergone a series of revisions that make the Carr and Burkholder paper somewhat difficult to follow with newer versions. The present article provides task analyses for constructing various types of commonly used single-subject design graphs in Microsoft Excel 2007. The task analyses were evaluated using a between-subjects design that compared the graphing skills of 22 behavior-analytic graduate students using Excel 2007 and either the Carr and Burkholder or newly developed task analyses. Results indicate that the new task analyses yielded more accurate and faster graph construction than the Carr and Burkholder instructions.

  13. The Effects of Single-Sex and Coeducational Secondary Schooling on Girls' Achievement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daly, Peter

    1996-01-01

    The effect of coeducational and single-sex secondary schooling on female students' academic achievement was examined. Reexamination of earlier survey data from Northern Ireland studied six outcomes related to student performance on public examinations. Results indicated a small achievement advantage for single-sex schooling (not significant…

  14. The Utility of Single Subject Design Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennett, Kyle D.

    2016-01-01

    Single subject design (SSD) research is a quantitative approach used to investigate basic and applied research questions. It has been used for decades to examine issues of social importance such as those related to general and special education strategies, therapeutic approaches in mental health, community health practices, safety, and business…

  15. Visualization of metallodrugs in single cells by secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Kui; Jia, Feifei; Zheng, Wei; Luo, Qun; Zhao, Yao; Wang, Fuyi

    2017-07-01

    Secondary ion mass spectrometry, including nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), has emerged as a powerful tool for biological imaging, especially for single cell imaging. SIMS imaging can provide information on subcellular distribution of endogenous and exogenous chemicals, including metallodrugs, from membrane through to cytoplasm and nucleus without labeling, and with high spatial resolution and chemical specificity. In this mini-review, we summarize recent progress in the field of SIMS imaging, particularly in the characterization of the subcellular distribution of metallodrugs. We anticipate that the SIMS imaging method will be widely applied to visualize subcellular distributions of drugs and drug candidates in single cells, exerting significant influence on early drug evaluation and metabolism in medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry. Recent progress of SIMS applications in characterizing the subcellular distributions of metallodrugs was summarized.

  16. Experimental research on the stability of armour and secondary layer in a single layered Tetrapod breakwater

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Jong, W.; Verhagen, H.J.; Olthof, J.

    2004-01-01

    Physical model tests were done on an armour of Tetrapods, placed in a single layer. The objective of the investigations was to study the stability of the secondary layer, and to see if the material of this secondary layer could be washed out through the single layer of Tetrapods. It was concluded

  17. The Advantages of Single-Sex Catholic Secondary Schooling: Selection Effects, School Effects, or "Much Ado About Nothing?"

    Science.gov (United States)

    LePore, Paul C.; Warren, John Robert

    Data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) were used to investigate whether there are differences between single-sex and coeducational Catholic secondary school students in academic and social psychological outcomes, whether any differences especially favor young women in single-sex Catholic secondary schools, and…

  18. Single Subject Prediction of Brain Disorders in Neuroimaging: Promises and Pitfalls

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arbabshirani, Mohammad R.; Plis, Sergey; Sui, Jing; Calhoun, Vince D.

    2016-01-01

    Neuroimaging-based single subject prediction of brain disorders has gained increasing attention in recent years. Using a variety of neuroimaging modalities such as structural, functional and diffusion MRI, along with machine learning techniques, hundreds of studies have been carried out for accurate classification of patients with heterogeneous mental and neurodegenerative disorders such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. More than 500 studies have been published during the past quarter century on single subject prediction focused on a multiple brain disorders. In the first part of this study, we provide a survey of more than 200 reports in this field with a focus on schizophrenia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease (AD), depressive disorders, autism spectrum disease (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Detailed information about those studies such as sample size, type and number of extracted features and reported accuracy are summarized and discussed. To our knowledge, this is by far the most comprehensive review of neuroimaging-based single subject prediction of brain disorders. In the second part, we present our opinion on major pitfalls of those studies from a machine learning point of view. Common biases are discussed and suggestions are provided. Moreover, emerging trends such as decentralized data sharing, multimodal brain imaging, differential diagnosis, disease subtype classification and deep learning are also discussed. Based on this survey, there are extensive evidences showing the great potential of neuroimaging data for single subject prediction of various disorders. However, the main bottleneck of this exciting field is still the limited sample size, which could be potentially addressed by modern data sharing models such as the ones discussed in this paper. Emerging big data technologies and advanced data-intensive machine learning methodologies such as deep learning have coincided with an increasing need

  19. Efficacy of microwave ablation for severe secondary hyperparathyroidism in subjects undergoing hemodialysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diao, Zongli; Wang, Liyan; Li, Dishan; Liu, Wenhu

    2017-11-01

    Severe secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is a serious problem in patients undergoing hemodialysis. The efficacy and safety of microwave ablation (MWA), a minimally invasive treatment, for severe SHPT are as yet unclear. To clarify the role of MWA, we administered it to patients with severe SHPT and assessed its efficacy and safety. This was a prospective, single-center, single-arm, clinical trial. We enrolled patients with severe SHPT attending our hemodialysis center who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. We then assessed primary outcome measures (serum concentrations of intact parathyroid hormone) and secondary outcome measures (serum concentrations of calcium and phosphorus). Twenty-six patients were enrolled in this study, 10 of whom (38.46%) were responsive to MWA and 16 (61.54%) of whom were not. The main complication was hypocalcemia (10 cases, 38.46%), which had occurred in all cases by one week after administration of MWA. Responding patients with hypocalcemia all achieved normal serum calcium concentrations within seven months and non-responding patients within three months. There were no changes in serum phosphorus concentrations after MWA in either responders or non-responders. Microwave ablation is relatively ineffective in patients with severe SHPT undergoing maintaining hemodialysis and should not be the initial therapy in such cases.

  20. The relationship between type of secondary education and subject choice with technically oriented aptitudes for automotive operators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juliet I. Puchert

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Orientation: The central theme of this study attends to the role of secondary education in relation to two broad categories of specific aptitudes (psychomotor and spatial abilities. Utilising type of secondary education (incorporating subject choice could be a crucial selection mechanism for high-volume, entry-level technical positions. Research purpose: The objective of this research was to investigate whether the type of secondary education (incorporating subject choice could be used as a proxy for psychomotor (dexterity and coordination and/or spatial (ability to mentally assemble representations and spatial perception 2-D and 3-D aptitudes in the selection of operators for an automotive plant in South Africa. Motivation for the study: The motivation for this study arose from the evident gap in academic literature as well as the selection needs of the automotive industry. Research design, approach and method: A quantitative approach with a cross-sectional research design was used with a convenience sample (n = 1566 of work-seeking applicants for automotive operator positions in South Africa. These applicants completed a biographical questionnaire and five sub-tests from the Trade Aptitude Test Battery. The Chi-square test was used to determine the association between form of Grade 12 qualification and selected technical aptitudes. Main findings: Statistically and practically significant relationships were found between type of secondary education (incorporating subject choice, eye–hand coordination and spatial visualisation. Broad performance levels in the five aptitude instruments employed in this study were significantly associated with the type of matriculation certificate held by applicants. Specifically, types of secondary education that included mathematics and/or science as subjects were associated with higher levels of performance in the five specific aptitudes. Practical/managerial implications: The type of secondary education

  1. Handbook of statistical methods single subject design

    CERN Document Server

    Satake, Eiki; Maxwell, David L

    2008-01-01

    This book is a practical guide of the most commonly used approaches in analyzing and interpreting single-subject data. It arranges the methodologies used in a logical sequence using an array of research studies from the existing published literature to illustrate specific applications. The book provides a brief discussion of each approach such as visual, inferential, and probabilistic model, the applications for which it is intended, and a step-by-step illustration of the test as used in an actual research study.

  2. Protein secondary structure prediction for a single-sequence using hidden semi-Markov models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Borodovsky Mark

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The accuracy of protein secondary structure prediction has been improving steadily towards the 88% estimated theoretical limit. There are two types of prediction algorithms: Single-sequence prediction algorithms imply that information about other (homologous proteins is not available, while algorithms of the second type imply that information about homologous proteins is available, and use it intensively. The single-sequence algorithms could make an important contribution to studies of proteins with no detected homologs, however the accuracy of protein secondary structure prediction from a single-sequence is not as high as when the additional evolutionary information is present. Results In this paper, we further refine and extend the hidden semi-Markov model (HSMM initially considered in the BSPSS algorithm. We introduce an improved residue dependency model by considering the patterns of statistically significant amino acid correlation at structural segment borders. We also derive models that specialize on different sections of the dependency structure and incorporate them into HSMM. In addition, we implement an iterative training method to refine estimates of HSMM parameters. The three-state-per-residue accuracy and other accuracy measures of the new method, IPSSP, are shown to be comparable or better than ones for BSPSS as well as for PSIPRED, tested under the single-sequence condition. Conclusions We have shown that new dependency models and training methods bring further improvements to single-sequence protein secondary structure prediction. The results are obtained under cross-validation conditions using a dataset with no pair of sequences having significant sequence similarity. As new sequences are added to the database it is possible to augment the dependency structure and obtain even higher accuracy. Current and future advances should contribute to the improvement of function prediction for orphan proteins inscrutable

  3. The Influence of Gender, Grade Level and Favourite Subject on Czech Lower Secondary School Pupils' Perception of Geography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kubiatko, Milan; Janko, Tomas; Mrazkova, Katerina

    2012-01-01

    Geography is an important school subject that brings pupils' description and explanation of social, economic and/or political aspects of the changing world. It has been affirmed that the interest in a subject depends on the attitude to this subject. This study investigates Czech lower secondary school pupils' perception of geography. The research…

  4. Beginning Secondary Teachers in PNG: Family Background, Choice of Subject and the Curriculum Needs of Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palmer, W. P.

    1985-01-01

    Some results from the 1982 New Teachers survey will be related to the teacher training programme at Goroka Teachers college. These will be put in the context of the subject courses run at G.T.C. and the subjects taught in secondary schools. Indications of who chooses to teach and why will be found by examining the sociological background of the…

  5. The Reliability of Single Subject Statistics for Biofeedback Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bremner, Frederick J.; And Others

    To test the usefulness of single subject statistical designs for biofeedback, three experiments were conducted comparing biofeedback to meditation, and to a compound stimulus recognition task. In a statistical sense, this experimental design is best described as one experiment with two replications. The apparatus for each of the three experiments…

  6. Single-subject withdrawal designs in delayed matching-to-sample procedures

    OpenAIRE

    Eilifsen, Christoffer; Arntzen, Erik

    2011-01-01

    In most studies of delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) and stimulus equivalence, the delay has remained fixed throughout a single experimental condition. We wanted to expand on the DMTS and stimulus equivalence literature by examining the effects of using titrating delays with different starting points during the establishment of conditional discriminations prerequisite for stimulus equivalence. In Experiment 1, a variation of a single-subject withdrawal design was used. Ten adults were exposed...

  7. The Globular State of the Single-Stranded RNA: Effect of the Secondary Structure Rearrangements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grigoryan, Zareh A.; Karapetian, Armen T.

    2015-01-01

    The mutual influence of the slow rearrangements of secondary structure and fast collapse of the long single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) in approximation of coarse-grained model is studied with analytic calculations. It is assumed that the characteristic time of the secondary structure rearrangement is much longer than that for the formation of the tertiary structure. A nonequilibrium phase transition of the 2nd order has been observed. PMID:26345143

  8. The Globular State of the Single-Stranded RNA: Effect of the Secondary Structure Rearrangements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zareh A. Grigoryan

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The mutual influence of the slow rearrangements of secondary structure and fast collapse of the long single-stranded RNA (ssRNA in approximation of coarse-grained model is studied with analytic calculations. It is assumed that the characteristic time of the secondary structure rearrangement is much longer than that for the formation of the tertiary structure. A nonequilibrium phase transition of the 2nd order has been observed.

  9. SINGLE-PHASE AND TWO-PHASE SECONDARY COOLANTS: SIMULATION AND EVALUATION OF THEIR THERMOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedro Samuel Gomes Medeiros

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper makes a comparative analysis of the thermophysical properties of ice slurry with conventional single-phase secondary fluids used in thermal storage cooling systems. The ice slurry is a two-phase fluid consisting of water, antifreeze and ice crystals. It is a new technology that has shown great energy potential. In addition to transporting energy as a heat transfer fluid, it has thermal storage properties due to the presence of ice, storing coolness by latent heat of fusion. The single-phase fluids analyzed are water-NaCl and water-propylene glycol solutions, which also operate as carrier fluids in ice slurry. The presence of ice changes the thermophysical properties of aqueous solutions and a number of these properties were determined: density, thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity. Data were obtained by software simulation. The results show that the presence of 10% by weight of ice provides a significant increase in thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity, without causing changes in density. The rheological behavior of ice slurries, associated with its high viscosity, requires higher pumping power; however, this was not significant because higher thermal conductivity allows a lower mass flow rate without the use of larger pumps. Thus, the ice slurry ensures its high potential as a secondary fluid in thermal storage cooling systems, proving to be more efficient than single-phase secondary fluids.

  10. Rating the methodological quality of single-subject designs and n-of-1 trials: introducing the Single-Case Experimental Design (SCED) Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tate, Robyn L; McDonald, Skye; Perdices, Michael; Togher, Leanne; Schultz, Regina; Savage, Sharon

    2008-08-01

    Rating scales that assess methodological quality of clinical trials provide a means to critically appraise the literature. Scales are currently available to rate randomised and non-randomised controlled trials, but there are none that assess single-subject designs. The Single-Case Experimental Design (SCED) Scale was developed for this purpose and evaluated for reliability. Six clinical researchers who were trained and experienced in rating methodological quality of clinical trials developed the scale and participated in reliability studies. The SCED Scale is an 11-item rating scale for single-subject designs, of which 10 items are used to assess methodological quality and use of statistical analysis. The scale was developed and refined over a 3-year period. Content validity was addressed by identifying items to reduce the main sources of bias in single-case methodology as stipulated by authorities in the field, which were empirically tested against 85 published reports. Inter-rater reliability was assessed using a random sample of 20/312 single-subject reports archived in the Psychological Database of Brain Impairment Treatment Efficacy (PsycBITE). Inter-rater reliability for the total score was excellent, both for individual raters (overall ICC = 0.84; 95% confidence interval 0.73-0.92) and for consensus ratings between pairs of raters (overall ICC = 0.88; 95% confidence interval 0.78-0.95). Item reliability was fair to excellent for consensus ratings between pairs of raters (range k = 0.48 to 1.00). The results were replicated with two independent novice raters who were trained in the use of the scale (ICC = 0.88, 95% confidence interval 0.73-0.95). The SCED Scale thus provides a brief and valid evaluation of methodological quality of single-subject designs, with the total score demonstrating excellent inter-rater reliability using both individual and consensus ratings. Items from the scale can also be used as a checklist in the design, reporting and critical

  11. Gender, Previous Knowledge, Personality Traits and Subject-Specific Motivation as Predictors of Students' Math Grade in Upper-Secondary School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peklaj, Cirila; Podlesek, Anja; Pecjak, Sonja

    2015-01-01

    The aim of the study was to examine the relationships between gender, previous knowledge, different personality traits, subject-specific motivational dimensions and students' math grade in secondary school. A total of 386 first-year students (142 boys and 244 girls) from secondary schools in Slovenia (mean age was 15.7 years) participated in the…

  12. A randomised, single-blind, single-dose, three-arm, parallel-group study in healthy subjects to demonstrate pharmacokinetic equivalence of ABP 501 and adalimumab.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaur, Primal; Chow, Vincent; Zhang, Nan; Moxness, Michael; Kaliyaperumal, Arunan; Markus, Richard

    2017-03-01

    To demonstrate pharmacokinetic (PK) similarity of biosimilar candidate ABP 501 relative to adalimumab reference product from the USA and European Union (EU) and evaluate safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of ABP 501. Randomised, single-blind, single-dose, three-arm, parallel-group study; healthy subjects were randomised to receive ABP 501 (n=67), adalimumab (USA) (n=69) or adalimumab (EU) (n=67) 40 mg subcutaneously. Primary end points were area under the serum concentration-time curve from time 0 extrapolated to infinity (AUC inf ) and the maximum observed concentration (C max ). Secondary end points included safety and immunogenicity. AUC inf and C max were similar across the three groups. Geometrical mean ratio (GMR) of AUC inf was 1.11 between ABP 501 and adalimumab (USA), and 1.04 between ABP 501 and adalimumab (EU). GMR of C max was 1.04 between ABP 501 and adalimumab (USA) and 0.96 between ABP 501 and adalimumab (EU). The 90% CIs for the GMRs of AUC inf and C max were within the prespecified standard PK equivalence criteria of 0.80 to 1.25. Treatment-related adverse events were mild to moderate and were reported for 35.8%, 24.6% and 41.8% of subjects in the ABP 501, adalimumab (USA) and adalimumab (EU) groups; incidence of antidrug antibodies (ADAbs) was similar among the study groups. Results of this study demonstrated PK similarity of ABP 501 with adalimumab (USA) and adalimumab (EU) after a single 40-mg subcutaneous injection. No new safety signals with ABP 501 were identified. The safety and tolerability of ABP 501 was similar to the reference products, and similar ADAb rates were observed across the three groups. EudraCT number 2012-000785-37; Results. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  13. Mechanism of enhancement of controllable secondary-electron emission from fast single electrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lorikyan, M.P.; Kavalov, R.L.; Trofimchuk, N.N.; Arvanov, A.N.; Gavalyan, V.G.

    For porous KCl films (density approximately 2 percent, thickness 50-400 μm), the controllable secondary electron emission (CSEE) from fast single electrons with energies of 0.7-2 MeV was studied. An electric field E of approximately 10 4 -10 5 V/cm was set up inside the porous films and the emission curves anti sigma = f(E) and the energy spectra of the secondary electrons were measured. The mean emission coefficient anti sigma increases with increasing E, reaching a value of anti sigma approximately equal to 230. Internal enhancement of CSEE under the action of the E field is explained by a process similar to the Townsend semi-self-maintained discharge in gases. The mean free path L/sub e/ of the secondary electrons estimated on the basis of this mechanism of CSEE enhancement is in good agreement with the L/sub e/ value obtained independently from the energy spectra of the secondary electrons. The report examines the effect of the first critical potential U/sub il/ and of the electron affinity of the dielectric α on the formation of CSEE from a porous dielectric film. The possibility of using such films in particle detectors is discussed

  14. Perceived Factors Influencing Post-Secondary Enrollment and Economic Stability of Single and Married Mothers in Utah

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campos-Rosenthal, Angelina M.

    2009-01-01

    This research explored the perceived factors that influenced the decisions of single and married mothers to enroll or not enroll in post-secondary education. The study then investigated the relationship between educational level and income for single mothers in Utah. From a survey of 1197 Utah mothers, this study concluded that mothers enroll in…

  15. Single- and multiple-dose pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety of apixaban in healthy Chinese subjects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cui Y

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Yimin Cui,1 Yan Song,2 Jessie Wang,2 Zhigang Yu,2 Alan Schuster,2 Yu Chen Barrett,2 Charles Frost2 1Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China; 2Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ, USA Background: The pharmacokinetics (PK, pharmacodynamics (PD, and safety of apixaban were assessed in healthy Chinese subjects in this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, single-sequence, single- and multiple-dose study. Subjects and methods: Eighteen subjects 18–45 years of age were randomly assigned (2:1 ratio to receive apixaban or matched placebo. Subjects received a single 10 mg dose of apixaban or placebo on day 1, followed by 10 mg apixaban or placebo twice daily for 6 days (days 4–9. The PK and PD of apixaban were assessed by collecting plasma samples for 72 hours following the dose on day 1 and the morning dose on day 9, and measuring apixaban concentration and anti-Xa activity. Safety was assessed via physical examinations, vital sign measurements, electrocardiograms, and clinical laboratory evaluations. Results: PK analysis showed similar characteristics of apixaban after single and multiple doses, including a median time to maximum concentration of ~3 hours, mean elimination half-life of ~11 hours, and renal clearance of ~1.2 L/hour. The accumulation index was 1.7, consistent with twice-daily dosing and the observed elimination half-life. Single-dose data predict multiple-dose PK, therefore apixaban PK are time-independent. The relationship between anti-Xa activity and plasma apixaban concentrations appears to be linear. Apixaban was safe and well tolerated, with no bleeding-related adverse events reported. Conclusion: Apixaban was safe and well tolerated in healthy Chinese subjects. Apixaban PK and PD were predictable and consistent with findings from previous studies in Asian and non-Asian subjects. The administration of apixaban does not require any dose modification based on race. Keywords: apixaban, oral

  16. Measuring pilot workload in a moving-base simulator. I Asynchronous secondary choice-reaction task

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kantowitz, B. H.; Hart, S. G.; Bortolussi, M. R.

    1983-01-01

    The de facto method for measuring airplane pilot workload is based upon subjective ratings. While researchers agree that such subjective data should be bolstered by using objective behavioral measures, results to date have been mixed. No clear objective technique has surfaced as the metric of choice. It is believed that this difficulty is in part due to neglect of theoretical work in psychology that predicts some of the difficulties that are inherent in a futile search for 'the one and only' best secondary task to measure workload. An initial study that used both subjective ratings and an asynchronous choice-reaction secondary task was conducted to determine if such a secondary task could indeed meet the methodological constraints imposed by current theories of attention. Two variants of a flight scenario were combined with two levels of the secondary task. Appropriate single-task control conditions were also included. Results give grounds for cautious optimism but indicate that future research should use synchronous secondary tasks where possible.

  17. SAAS: Short Amino Acid Sequence - A Promising Protein Secondary Structure Prediction Method of Single Sequence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhou Yuan Wu

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available In statistical methods of predicting protein secondary structure, many researchers focus on single amino acid frequencies in α-helices, β-sheets, and so on, or the impact near amino acids on an amino acid forming a secondary structure. But the paper considers a short sequence of amino acids (3, 4, 5 or 6 amino acids as integer, and statistics short sequence's probability forming secondary structure. Also, many researchers select low homologous sequences as statistical database. But this paper select whole PDB database. In this paper we propose a strategy to predict protein secondary structure using simple statistical method. Numerical computation shows that, short amino acids sequence as integer to statistics, which can easy see trend of short sequence forming secondary structure, and it will work well to select large statistical database (whole PDB database without considering homologous, and Q3 accuracy is ca. 74% using this paper proposed simple statistical method, but accuracy of others statistical methods is less than 70%.

  18. Creating Single-Subject Design Graphs in Microsoft Excel[TM] 2007

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dixon, Mark R.; Jackson, James W.; Small, Stacey L.; Horner-King, Mollie J.; Mui Ker Lik, Nicholas; Garcia, Yors; Rosales, Rocio

    2009-01-01

    Over 10 years have passed since the publication of Carr and Burkholder's (1998) technical article on how to construct single-subject graphs using Microsoft Excel. Over the course of the past decade, the Excel program has undergone a series of revisions that make the Carr and Burkholder paper somewhat difficult to follow with newer versions. The…

  19. Pharmacokinetic Effects of Antidrug Antibodies Occurring in Healthy Subjects After a Single Dose of Intravenous Infliximab.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehrenpreis, Eli D

    2017-12-01

    Infliximab pharmacokinetic studies have been performed in patients receiving chronic infliximab therapy. In these patients, infliximab antidrug antibodies (ADAs) increase infliximab clearance and decrease serum levels and drug efficacy. This study analyzed the pharmacokinetic effect of infliximab ADAs in healthy subjects receiving a single dose of intravenous infliximab. Data were obtained from a single-blind, parallel-group, single-dose study of healthy subjects receiving 5 mg/kg of intravenous SB2 (infliximab biosimilar), EU-sourced Remicade (EU-IFX) or US-sourced Remicade (US-IFX). Serum infliximab was measured at 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h and at 5, 7, 14, 21, 28, 42, 56, and 70 days after administration. ADAs were measured pre-dose and at 29 and 71 days. Data from the first ten subjects randomized to each treatment arm were utilized for this study. A two-compartment model of the serum infliximab vs. time curve was developed using nonlinear regression. At 10 weeks, 11 subjects (37%) developed ADAs. ADAs were detected in four subjects after SB2, one subject after EU-IFX, and six subjects after US-IFX infusion. Of these, neutralizing antibodies occurred in one subject after SB2, in no subjects after EU-IFX, and in three subjects after US-IFX infusion. Infliximab clearance was increased in subjects with ADAs vs. those without ADAs (12.89 ± 2.69 vs. 9.90 ± 1.74 ml/h; p ADAs (282.4 ± 56.4 vs. 343.3 ± 61.9 h; p ADAs are common in healthy subjects after a single intravenous dose of infliximab and result in faster infliximab clearance, shorter elimination time, and lower serum infliximab levels. These data confirm that ADAs are common with biologic therapy and significantly impact the efficacy of these drugs.

  20. X-ray diagnosis of secondary hyperparathyroid osteodystrophy in patients subjected to prolonged hemodialysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Udachina, L.S.; Ratobyl'skij, G.V.; Izakson, V.B.; Timofeeva, T.V.

    1980-01-01

    A comparative study was made on the possibility of the qualitative evaluation of osteoporosis and one of the methods of its quantitative determination in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism. 25 patients with chronic renal insufficiency, subjected to prolonged hemodialysis, were examined. It is concluded that the effectiveness of the qualitative methods for the evaluation of changes in the bones was sufficiently high, while the method proposed by Barnett and Nordin for diagnosing osteoporosis proved to be inadequate. These data were confirmed by checking the index in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism

  1. Early Intervention for Children with Conduct Disorders: A Quantitative Synthesis of Single-Subject Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scruggs, Thomas E.; And Others

    1986-01-01

    Sixteen studies were analyzed that employed single-subject designs focusing on conduct disorders in preschoolers. Results indicated that reinforcement produced most positive outcomes, followed by punishment, timeout, and differential attention. Subject characteristics such as sex, handicapping condition, and target behavior typically bore little…

  2. Measuring Cognitive Load during Simulation-Based Psychomotor Skills Training: Sensitivity of Secondary-Task Performance and Subjective Ratings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haji, Faizal A.; Khan, Rabia; Regehr, Glenn; Drake, James; de Ribaupierre, Sandrine; Dubrowski, Adam

    2015-01-01

    As interest in applying cognitive load theory (CLT) to the study and design of pedagogic and technological approaches in healthcare simulation grows, suitable measures of cognitive load (CL) are needed. Here, we report a two-phased study investigating the sensitivity of subjective ratings of mental effort (SRME) and secondary-task performance…

  3. Single-subject structural networks with closed-form rotation invariant matching mprove power in developmental studies of the cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kandel, Benjamin M; Wang, Danny J J; Gee, James C; Avants, Brian B

    2014-01-01

    Although much attention has recently been focused on single-subject functional networks, using methods such as resting-state functional MRI, methods for constructing single-subject structural networks are in their infancy. Single-subject cortical networks aim to describe the self-similarity across the cortical structure, possibly signifying convergent developmental pathways. Previous methods for constructing single-subject cortical networks have used patch-based correlations and distance metrics based on curvature and thickness. We present here a method for constructing similarity-based cortical structural networks that utilizes a rotation-invariant representation of structure. The resulting graph metrics are closely linked to age and indicate an increasing degree of closeness throughout development in nearly all brain regions, perhaps corresponding to a more regular structure as the brain matures. The derived graph metrics demonstrate a four-fold increase in power for detecting age as compared to cortical thickness. This proof of concept study indicates that the proposed metric may be useful in identifying biologically relevant cortical patterns.

  4. The Relationship between Teacher-Related Factors and Students' Attitudes towards Secondary School Chemistry Subject in Bureti District, Kenya

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chepkorir, Salome; Cheptonui, Edna Marusoi; Chemutai, Agnes

    2014-01-01

    This paper examines the relationship between teacher-related factors and student's attitudes towards Chemistry subject in secondary schools in Kenya. The paper is based on a study conducted in Bureti District in Kericho County, Kenya. This paper highlights issues on the teaching methods used by chemistry teachers, the teachers' availability to…

  5. A Comparison of Single-Sex and Coeducational Catholic Secondary Schooling: Evidence from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988.

    Science.gov (United States)

    LePore, Paul C.; Warren, John Robert

    1997-01-01

    Results from a comparison of single-sex and coeducational Catholic secondary schools using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 suggest that single-sex Catholic high schools are not especially favorable academic settings, and that any advantages of the schools only benefited boys. Pre-enrollment differences may explain…

  6. [Vitamin D deficiency prediction by patient questionnaire and secondary hyperparathyroidism in a cohort of 526 healthy subjects in their fifties].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laroche, Michel; Nigon, Delphine; Gennero, Isabelle; Lassoued, Slim; Pouilles, Jean-Michel; Trémolières, Florence; Vallet, Marion; Tack, Ivan

    2015-01-01

    Can vitamin D deficiency be predicted by patient questionnaire? Does it lead to secondary hyperparathyroidism that may cause excessive bone resorption? We studied non-osteoporotic subjects in their fifties, in whom vitamin D levels are often tested. Patients hospitalised for degenerative osteoarthritis or consulting for assessment of menopause, without renal failure and not treated with vitamin D, completed a questionnaire on sun exposure and underwent measurement of serum calcium, creatinine, 25OH vitamin D, PTH and CTX. Five hundred and twenty-six subjects, mean age 54.6 years (71% women), were investigated throughout the year. 25OH vitamin D levels were correlated with sun exposure and varied according to the month of the year, unlike PTH and CTX levels. From November to May, over 90% of subjects had 25OH vitamin D levelssecondary hyperparathyroidism, characterised by serum calcium65pg/mL, associated with increased CTX levels. Vitamin D deficiency can be predicted by patient questionnaire. It very rarely leads to secondary hyperparathyroidism. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

  7. The Applied Behavior Analysis Research Paradigm and Single-Subject Designs in Adapted Physical Activity Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haegele, Justin A; Hodge, Samuel Russell

    2015-10-01

    There are basic philosophical and paradigmatic assumptions that guide scholarly research endeavors, including the methods used and the types of questions asked. Through this article, kinesiology faculty and students with interests in adapted physical activity are encouraged to understand the basic assumptions of applied behavior analysis (ABA) methodology for conducting, analyzing, and presenting research of high quality in this paradigm. The purposes of this viewpoint paper are to present information fundamental to understanding the assumptions undergirding research methodology in ABA, describe key aspects of single-subject research designs, and discuss common research designs and data-analysis strategies used in single-subject studies.

  8. Analysis of an adhesively bonded single lap joint subjected to eccentric loading

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Anyfantis, Konstantinos; Tsouvalis, N. G.

    2013-01-01

    is benchmarking of computational tools. The test is based on a Single Lap Joint subjected to Eccentric Loading (SLJ-EL). The basic concept that lies behind this configuration is that the applied in-plane tensile load leads the adhesive layer to develop normal stresses, in-plane and out-of-plane shear stresses...

  9. Effects of single-gender mathematics classrooms on self-perception of mathematical ability and post secondary engineering paths: an Australian case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tully, D.; Jacobs, B.

    2010-08-01

    This study focused on a population of female engineering students, probing the influences of their secondary school experience on their choice to pursue an engineering course of study at university. The motivating question is: Do unique opportunities exist in an all-female secondary school mathematics classroom, which impact a young woman's self-perception of her mathematics ability as well as promote a positive path towards an engineering-based university major? Using both qualitative and quantitative data collection instruments, this study examined a sample of Australian engineering students enrolled at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). Demographic statistics show that 40% of UTS' female engineering student population attended a single-gender secondary school, indicating a potential influence of school type (single-gender) on engineering enrolment patterns. Female students were primarily motivated to pursue a post secondary engineering path because of a self-belief that they are good at mathematics. In contrast, male students were more influenced by positive male role models of family members who are practising engineers. In measures of self- perception of mathematical skill and ability, female students from single-gender schools outscored their male engineering counterparts. Additionally, female students seem to benefit from verbal encouragement, contextualisation, same gender problem-solving groups and same gender classroom dynamics.

  10. Effects of Private Tuition on the Academic Achievement of Secondary School Students in Subject of Mathematics in Kohat Division, Pakistan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qaiser Suleman

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Research reveals that private or home tuition after school time plays a crucial role in strengthening and improving student’s academic achievement. The purpose of the study was to explore the effects of private tuition on the academic achievement of students in subject of mathematics at secondary school level. All the students at secondary school level in Kohat Division (Pakistan constituted the population of the study. The study was delimited to the students of Government High School Ahmadi Banda Karak only. Fifty students of class 09 were selected as sample of the study. Sample students were divided into two groups i.e. control group and experimental group by equating them on the basis of their previous knowledge in subject of mathematics as determined through a pre-test. Each group was composed of 25 students. Students of the experimental group were engaged in tuition for two hours after school time. The study was experimental in nature therefore, “The pre-test-post-test Equivalent Groups Design” was used for the collection of data. Statistical tools i.e. the mean, standard deviation and differences of means were computed for each group. Significance of difference between the mean scores of both the experimental and control groups on the variable of pre-test and post test scores was tested at 0.05 levels by applying t-test. After statistical analysis of the data, the researchers concluded that there is significant positive effect of private tuition on the academic achievement of students in subject of mathematics at secondary school level. Based on the findings, it was recommended that parents should arrange private tuition for their children to move up their achievement level in subject of mathematics.

  11. Prospective Patient-Related Outcome Evaluation of Secondary Cleft Rhinoplasty Using a Validated Questionnaire.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawyer, Adam R; Robinson, Stephen; Cadier, Michael

    2017-07-01

    To evaluate patient satisfaction and quality of life following secondary cleft rhinoplasty. Prospective consecutive patient, single unit, single surgeon study. Spires Cleft Centre, Salisbury, Wilshire, United Kingdom, and private practice. 56 (27 secondary cleft rhinoplasty) patients completed evaluation forms preoperatively and 3 to 6 months postoperatively. Subjective assessment was performed using a validated Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation (ROE) questionnaire. This instrument comprises six questions that capture three quality-of-life domains: physical, mental/emotional, and social. Rhinoplasty outcomes evaluation scores were calculated (range = 0 to 100) to indication satisfaction with rhinoplasty outcomes. Average age was 28 years (range = 18 to 59 years). There was a significant subjective improvement in the total ROE evaluation scores from 28 ± 10 to 80 ± 11 (P aesthetic appearance improved from 0.3 ± 0.2 to 3.2 ± 0.3 (P < .01) in secondary cleft rhinoplasty. No significant change was seen in breathing capacity in secondary cleft rhinoplasty (from 2.7 ± 0.3 to 3.2 ± 0.2; P = .29). All patients said they would undergo the procedure again. Our results demonstrate high patient satisfaction after cleft rhinoplasty with particular regard to cosmetic appearance. These results are similar to those for noncleft rhinoplasty. We would recommend the use of this simple and quick validated outcome tool with all rhinoplasty patients.

  12. The teaching professional performance on the subjects of Labor Education and Informatics on the Secondary School level

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maritza Zayas Molina

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Different transformation s are assume d i n the Secondary School that require the teacher ́s professional performa nce in two different subjects , Labor Education and Informatics , to be able to solve social and environment problems of the school context, taking into account the technological development achieved. This Issue is of great importance for the fulfilment of b asic and comprehensive training of students in that level.

  13. Evaluation on Behavior of Single Block Subject to Harmonic Excitation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Woo-Seok; Kim, Dong-Ok; Park, Keun-Bae; Lee, Won-Jae

    2007-01-01

    NHDD(Nuclear Hydrogen Development and Demonstration) project team in KAERI(Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) has been developing a methodology on the seismic evaluation of VHTR(Very High Temperature Reactor). Roughly, there are a block type and a pebble type reactor in VHTR. In the block type reactor, several blocks are stacked and the stacked blocks are arrayed in certain pattern. To evaluate a behavior style and an integrity of the stacked structure subject to a seismic load, a modeling technique to represent the contact surface characteristics between a block and a block support structure and between blocks is necessary. The way to evaluate a load path is also needed. However, it is difficult to deal with a realistic seismic load and to figure out the characteristic of block behavior since it has very complicated time history. In this study, the evaluation of single block subject to a harmonic excitation is conducted for a preliminary evaluation

  14. The incidence angle influence on the structure of secondary-emission characteristics of single crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gasanov, E.R.; Aliyev, B.Z.

    2012-01-01

    Full text : The dependences of Wand MO single crystals in different atom planes have been studied in this work. It is revealed that maximums are added to each dependency and also minimums of first and second degree. This fact is explained by diffraction dynamic theory. It is established that electron diffraction oriented not perpendicularly to crystal surface is the reason of appearance of second order structure on studied secondary-emission characteristics. In the present work being the continuation and development of SEE investigations of high-melting metal single crystals begun earlier by authors, the structure dependence of SEE main characteristics of angle has been studied. This angle has been chosen because as it is mentioned before the bad repeatability in different experiments for it is observed

  15. The influence of the design matrix on treatment effect estimates in the quantitative analyses of single-subject experimental design research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moeyaert, Mariola; Ugille, Maaike; Ferron, John M; Beretvas, S Natasha; Van den Noortgate, Wim

    2014-09-01

    The quantitative methods for analyzing single-subject experimental data have expanded during the last decade, including the use of regression models to statistically analyze the data, but still a lot of questions remain. One question is how to specify predictors in a regression model to account for the specifics of the design and estimate the effect size of interest. These quantitative effect sizes are used in retrospective analyses and allow synthesis of single-subject experimental study results which is informative for evidence-based decision making, research and theory building, and policy discussions. We discuss different design matrices that can be used for the most common single-subject experimental designs (SSEDs), namely, the multiple-baseline designs, reversal designs, and alternating treatment designs, and provide empirical illustrations. The purpose of this article is to guide single-subject experimental data analysts interested in analyzing and meta-analyzing SSED data. © The Author(s) 2014.

  16. Life prediction of simple structures subject to cyclic primary and secondary loading resulting in creep and platicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Otter, N.R.; Jones, R.T.

    1979-01-01

    High temperature reactors are subject to cyclic mechanical and thermal loadings resulting from start up and shut down operations. The design must therefore guard against structural failure resulting from excessive deformation and creep-fatigue damage. Before any simplified inelastic analysis techniques can be applied, their validity needs to be examined under situations representative of the reactor. For this to be carried out it is necessary to determine the behaviour of components, initially geometrically simple, subject to loadings, cyclic primary and secondary in nature, which result in creep and plasticity. Beam-like structures have been investigated on a finite element basis with the aim of determining how cyclic plasticity, creep enhancement and plastic ratchetting vary in relationship with modified shakedown criteria, magnitude of loading and hold time. (orig.)

  17. Bias Corrections for Standardized Effect Size Estimates Used with Single-Subject Experimental Designs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ugille, Maaike; Moeyaert, Mariola; Beretvas, S. Natasha; Ferron, John M.; Van den Noortgate, Wim

    2014-01-01

    A multilevel meta-analysis can combine the results of several single-subject experimental design studies. However, the estimated effects are biased if the effect sizes are standardized and the number of measurement occasions is small. In this study, the authors investigated 4 approaches to correct for this bias. First, the standardized effect…

  18. The semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia: clinical and neuroimaging evidence in single subjects.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leonardo Iaccarino

    Full Text Available We present a clinical-neuroimaging study in a series of patients with a clinical diagnosis of semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia (svPPA, with the aim to provide clinical-functional correlations of the cognitive and behavioral manifestations at the single-subject level.We performed neuropsychological investigations, 18F-FDG-PET single-subject and group analysis, with an optimized SPM voxel-based approach, and correlation analyses. A measurement of white matter integrity by means of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI was also available for a subgroup of patients.Cognitive assessment confirmed the presence of typical semantic memory deficits in all patients, with a relative sparing of executive, attentional, visuo-constructional, and episodic memory domains. 18F-FDG-PET showed a consistent pattern of cerebral hypometabolism across all patients, which correlated with performance in semantic memory tasks. In addition, a majority of patients also presented with behavioral disturbances associated with metabolic dysfunction in limbic structures. In a subgroup of cases the DTI analysis showed FA abnormalities in the inferior longitudinal and uncinate fasciculi.Each svPPA individual had functional derangement involving an extended, connected system within the left temporal lobe, a crucial part of the verbal semantic network, as well as an involvement of limbic structures. The latter was associated with behavioral manifestations and extended beyond the area of atrophy shown by CT scan.Single-subject 18F-FDG-PET analysis can account for both cognitive and behavioral alterations in svPPA. This provides useful support to the clinical diagnosis.

  19. Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Intravenous Murepavadin Infusion in Healthy Adult Subjects Administered Single and Multiple Ascending Doses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wach, Achim; Dembowsky, Klaus; Dale, Glenn E

    2018-04-01

    Murepavadin is the first in class of the outer membrane protein-targeting antibiotics (OMPTA) and a pathogen-specific peptidomimetic antibacterial with a novel, nonlytic mechanism of action targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa Murepavadin is being developed for the treatment of hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia (HABP) and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (VABP). The pharmacokinetics (PK) and safety of single and multiple doses of murepavadin were investigated in healthy male subjects. Part A of the study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, single-ascending-dose investigation in 10 sequential cohorts where each cohort comprised 6 healthy male subjects; 4 subjects were randomized to murepavadin, and 2 subjects were randomized to placebo. Part B was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multiple-ascending-dose investigation in 3 sequential cohorts. After a single dose of murepavadin, the geometric mean half-life (2.52 to 5.30 h), the total clearance (80.1 to 114 ml/h/kg), and the volume of distribution (415 to 724 ml/kg) were consistent across dose levels. The pharmacokinetics of the dosing regimens evaluated were dose proportional and linear. Murepavadin was well tolerated, adverse events were transient and generally mild, and no dose-limiting toxicity was identified. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

  20. Using virtual reality to distinguish subjects with multiple- but not single-domain amnestic mild cognitive impairment from normal elderly subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammadi, Alireza; Kargar, Mahmoud; Hesami, Ehsan

    2018-03-01

    Spatial disorientation is a hallmark of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer's disease. Our aim was to use virtual reality to determine the allocentric and egocentric memory deficits of subjects with single-domain aMCI (aMCIsd) and multiple-domain aMCI (aMCImd). For this purpose, we introduced an advanced virtual reality navigation task (VRNT) to distinguish these deficits in mild Alzheimer's disease (miAD), aMCIsd, and aMCImd. The VRNT performance of 110 subjects, including 20 with miAD, 30 with pure aMCIsd, 30 with pure aMCImd, and 30 cognitively normal controls was compared. Our newly developed VRNT consists of a virtual neighbourhood (allocentric memory) and virtual maze (egocentric memory). Verbal and visuospatial memory impairments were also examined with Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test and Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, respectively. We found that miAD and aMCImd subjects were impaired in both allocentric and egocentric memory, but aMCIsd subjects performed similarly to the normal controls on both tasks. The miAD, aMCImd, and aMCIsd subjects performed worse on finding the target or required more time in the virtual environment than the aMCImd, aMCIsd, and normal controls, respectively. Our findings indicated the aMCImd and miAD subjects, as well as the aMCIsd subjects, were more impaired in egocentric orientation than allocentric orientation. We concluded that VRNT can distinguish aMCImd subjects, but not aMCIsd subjects, from normal elderly subjects. The VRNT, along with the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test and Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, can be used as a valid diagnostic tool for properly distinguishing different forms of aMCI. © 2018 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.

  1. Self-Management Interventions on Students with Autism: A Meta-Analysis of Single-Subject Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carr, Monica E.; Moore, Dennis W.; Anderson, Angelika

    2014-01-01

    Self-management interventions aimed at skill acquisition and/or improving behavior of students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders were examined. Twenty-three single-subject research design studies met inclusion criteria. Quality assessment of these studies was conducted using the What Works Clearinghouse guidelines, and treatment effect…

  2. Alzheimer Disease and Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia: Automatic Classification Based on Cortical Atrophy for Single-Subject Diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Möller, Christiane; Pijnenburg, Yolande A L; van der Flier, Wiesje M; Versteeg, Adriaan; Tijms, Betty; de Munck, Jan C; Hafkemeijer, Anne; Rombouts, Serge A R B; van der Grond, Jeroen; van Swieten, John; Dopper, Elise; Scheltens, Philip; Barkhof, Frederik; Vrenken, Hugo; Wink, Alle Meije

    2016-06-01

    Purpose To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of an image-based classifier to distinguish between Alzheimer disease (AD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) in individual patients by using gray matter (GM) density maps computed from standard T1-weighted structural images obtained with multiple imagers and with independent training and prediction data. Materials and Methods The local institutional review board approved the study. Eighty-four patients with AD, 51 patients with bvFTD, and 94 control subjects were divided into independent training (n = 115) and prediction (n = 114) sets with identical diagnosis and imager type distributions. Training of a support vector machine (SVM) classifier used diagnostic status and GM density maps and produced voxelwise discrimination maps. Discriminant function analysis was used to estimate suitability of the extracted weights for single-subject classification in the prediction set. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the ROC curve (AUC) were calculated for image-based classifiers and neuropsychological z scores. Results Training accuracy of the SVM was 85% for patients with AD versus control subjects, 72% for patients with bvFTD versus control subjects, and 79% for patients with AD versus patients with bvFTD (P ≤ .029). Single-subject diagnosis in the prediction set when using the discrimination maps yielded accuracies of 88% for patients with AD versus control subjects, 85% for patients with bvFTD versus control subjects, and 82% for patients with AD versus patients with bvFTD, with a good to excellent AUC (range, 0.81-0.95; P ≤ .001). Machine learning-based categorization of AD versus bvFTD based on GM density maps outperforms classification based on neuropsychological test results. Conclusion The SVM can be used in single-subject discrimination and can help the clinician arrive at a diagnosis. The SVM can be used to distinguish disease-specific GM patterns in patients with AD

  3. Mild hallux valgus angle affects single-limb postural stability in asymptomatic subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Çınar-Medeni, Özge; Atalay Guzel, Nevin; Basar, Selda

    2016-01-01

    Single-limb postural stability is a key component of lower extremity functional status. Factors affecting postural stability should be well defined to prevent injuries. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the hallux valgus angle on postural stability in asymptomatic subjects. A total of 19 subjects were included in the study. The hallux valgus angle and postural stability were assessed. Participants were assigned to two groups according to whether the hallux valgus angle was pathological or not. A hallux valgus angle greater than 15 degrees was accepted as pathological. The relationship between the hallux valgus angle and postural stability, and the differences in postural stability scores between the two groups were analyzed. Postural stability was assessed with a stabilometer. The test was performed with the eyes open. We found a significant correlation between the hallux valgus angle and mediolateral and overall stability index (r= 0.484, p= 0.036; r = 0.463, p= 0.046 respectively). Subjects with a pathological mild hallux valgus angle had greater stability index scores than normal subjects (phallux valgus angle has negative effects on postural stability as a forefoot deformity. This deformity should be taken into account for injury prevention strategies in pain-free younger adults.

  4. The Effect of a Novel form of Extended-Release Gabapentin on Pain and Sleep in Fibromyalgia Subjects: An Open-Label Pilot Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    North, James M; Hong, Kyung-Soo J; Rauck, Richard L

    2016-07-01

    We assessed the efficacy and safety of extended-release gabapentin in a 15-week, open-label, single-arm, single-center study in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Subjects with documented diagnosis of FM were allowed to participate in the study. We opened enrollment to those who have tried and failed gabapentinoids such as gabapentin or pregabalin due to side effects. Subjects with autoimmune conditions, and or taking opioids for management of their FM pain, were excluded from the study. Subjects were given an extended-release gabapentin starter pack and treated for total of 12 weeks. The primary study endpoint of pain relief was measured using Numeric Pain Rating System (NPRS) scores, and secondary study endpoints were measured with Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Patient's Global Impression of Change (PGIC), and Medical Outcome Sleep questionnaires (MOS). A total of 34 subjects were enrolled and 29 subjects completed the starter pack (85%). Patients reported significant pain relief on NPRS by end of 4 weeks (P life by end of 4 weeks on FIQ (P quality. Improvements in primary and secondary measurements were reflected in PGIC, with significant improvement in patient's impression of FM by week 8. Small sample size, geographical bias, relatively short duration of treatment, and single-arm study without control group. Extended-release gabapentin relieved FM pain symptoms and improved quality-of-life for the FM subjects studied. Subjects reported improvements in both quantity and quality of sleep. © 2015 World Institute of Pain.

  5. Experimental verification of secondary effects of prestressed beam at ULS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Pažma

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The paper deals with secondary effects of prestressing at ultimate limit state when statically indeterminate structure has changed its structural form due to development of plastic hinges in critical cross-sections. The article presents results of an experimental program which was carried out at Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava on two span continuous beams post-tensioned by two single-strand tendons subjected to experimental load which has changed structural system into kinematic mechanism.

  6. The relationship between teacher-related factors and students' attitudes towards secondary school chemistry subject in Bureti district, Kenya

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salome Chepkorir

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the relationship between teacher-related factors and student’s attitudes towards Chemistry subject in secondary schools in Kenya. The paper is based on a study conducted in Bureti District in Kericho County, Kenya. This paper highlights issues on the teaching methods used by chemistry teachers, the teachers’ availability to attend to various needs of students on the subject, their use of teaching and learning resources in teaching, teachers’ personal levels of skills and knowledge of the subject matter in Chemistry and the impact of students’ negative attitudes towards Chemistry on teachers’ effectiveness. The research design used in the study was descriptive survey. The target population comprised Form Four students in ten selected secondary schools in Bureti District of Rift Valley Province Kenya. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select the study sample. Schools were selected from the following categories: Girls’ schools, Boys’ schools and Co-educational schools. Simple random sampling was used to select the respondents from Form Four classes as well as a teacher in each school. In all, one hundred and eighty-nine students and ten teachers filled the questionnaires. The data collection instruments were questionnaires based on the Likert scale and document analysis. Data was analyzed descriptively using frequency tables, means and percentages while hypotheses were tested using Analysis of Variance. From the study findings, a number of indicators revealed that there are some factors influencing students’ attitudes towards Chemistry, including lack of successful experiences in Chemistry, poor teaching. It was recommended that science teachers’ should encourage development of positive self-concept of ability among students. Among other recommendations, the study suggests that guidance and counselling of students in schools should be encouraged, to ensure positive attitudes towards and full

  7. Safety and pharmacokinetics of single and multiple intravenous bolus doses of diclofenac sodium compared with oral diclofenac potassium 50 mg: A randomized, parallel-group, single-center study in healthy subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munjal, Sagar; Gautam, Anirudh; Okumu, Franklin; McDowell, James; Allenby, Kent

    2016-01-01

    In a randomized, parallel-group, single-center study in 42 healthy adults, the safety and pharmacokinetic parameters of an intravenous formulation of 18.75 and 37.5 mg diclofenac sodium (DFP-08) following single- and multiple-dose bolus administration were compared with diclofenac potassium 50 mg oral tablets. Mean AUC0-inf values for a 50-mg oral tablet and an 18.75-mg intravenous formulation were similar (1308.9 [393.0]) vs 1232.4 [147.6]). As measured by the AUC, DFP-08 18.75 mg and 37.5 mg demonstrated dose proportionality for extent of exposure. One subject in each of the placebo and DFP-08 18.75-mg groups and 2 subjects in the DFP-08 37.5-mg group reported adverse events that were considered by the investigator to be related to the study drug. All were mild in intensity and did not require treatment. Two subjects in the placebo group and 1 subject in the DFP-08 18.75-mg group reported grade 1 thrombophlebitis; no subjects reported higher than grade 1 thrombophlebitis after receiving a single intravenous dose. The 18.75- and 37.5-mg doses of intravenous diclofenac (single and multiple) were well tolerated for 7 days. Additional efficacy and safety studies are required to fully characterize the product. © 2015, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

  8. Factors influencing subject selection in upper secondary education (Key Stage 4 for males and females in England

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joanne Vaughan

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Background Research to date has investigated the potential factors that influence students’ decisions in opting to study certain subjects during their upper secondary education. Trends in subject selection at this level (Key Stage 4 have been maintained over time and have consistently displayed comparable differences for males and females. It is recognised that males typically opt for subjects such as physical education and science, while females are traditionally noted as favouring the arts and humanities. These educational decisions may impact on future occupational directions. In light of recent initiatives, such as the English Baccalaureate, it is of interest to explore whether such measures have had an influence on this noted gender gap. Participants and procedure The present study investigates the potential predictors of subject selection, while controlling for gender, offering a specific focus on the education system in England. Attention is given to students’ perceived academic ability and attitude toward school, and how such factors may guide subject choice. Participants (N = 276 were students currently in the process of selecting optional modules for Key Stage 4 study. Results The findings demonstrate that female students are less likely than their male counterparts to opt for physical education (PE and business studies/information and communication technology (ICT as preferred modules, in comparison to ‘creative and performance’ subjects (reference category. Higher levels of reported masculinity were also shown to relate to the up-take of PE at Key Stage 4. Conclusions The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to existing research and practical contributions to the educational arena.

  9. Civic, Legal and Social Education in French Secondary School: Questions About a New Subject

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicole Tutiaux-Guillon

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available In summer 1999, a new compulsory subject was introduced in French upper secondary school: civic, legal and social education (éducation civique, juridique et sociale or ECJS. This teaching has been introduced as an answer to problems resulting from social and cultural changes in secondary education, from growing indifference to politics and from debates about citizenship. The curriculum in ECJS, through contents based on concepts and social and political controversies, and through pedagogy based on debates, upsets traditional secondary teaching. What is taught and what is learnt differ a lot form one classroom to another. The thesis presented in this paper asserts that this subject shows such an heterogeneity not only because it is new, but also because the three actors in the project, the institution, the teachers and the students, refer ECJS to legitimacies and to contents that do not coincide. The institution refers largely to politics and citizenship, the teachers to school difficulties and school knowledge, the students to their personal experience and common sense. This interpretation calls for discussion.En août 1999, un nouvel enseignement obligatoire a été introduit dans les lycées français: l'éducation civique, juridique et sociale ou ECJS. Cet enseignement apparaît comme une réponse à divers problèmes: ceux résultant des changements culturels et sociaux lies à la massification de l'enseignement secondaire, ceux relevant d'une indifférence croissante au politique, et des débats concernant la citoyenneté. Le programme d'ECJS, tant dans ses contenus fondés sur des concepts et des questions socialement et politiquement controversées, que dans ses méthodes pédagogiques centrées sur le débat, perturbe le fonctionnement usuel de l'enseignement secondaire. Ce qui est enseigné et appris diffère notablement d'une classe à l'autre. Dans cet article, j'attribue cette hétérogénéité non à la nouveauté d'un tel

  10. Quality Appraisal of Single-Subject Experimental Designs: An Overview and Comparison of Different Appraisal Tools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wendt, Oliver; Miller, Bridget

    2012-01-01

    Critical appraisal of the research literature is an essential step in informing and implementing evidence-based practice. Quality appraisal tools that assess the methodological quality of experimental studies provide a means to identify the most rigorous research suitable for evidence-based decision-making. In single-subject experimental research,…

  11. Pharmacokinetics of lansoprazole and its main metabolites after single intravenous doses in healthy Chinese subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Dan; Yang, Man; Liu, Man; Zhang, Yanan; Wang, Xiaolin; Xiao, Xue; Liu, Huichen

    2012-11-01

    The aim of the study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK) of lansoprazole (LPZ) and its main metabolites 5'-hydroxy lansoprazole (HLPZ) and lansoprazole sulphone (LPZS) after single intravenous (i.v.) doses of LPZ in healthy Chinese subjects, and the relationship between the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 phenotypes and the plasma concentrations of LPZS at the time-points in the elimination phase of LPZ. Twelve subjects were given lansoprazole by i.v. infusion. Blood samples were collected at designated time points up to 24 h. Plasma concentrations of LPZ, HLPZ and LPZS were quantified by a selective and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method. After single i.v. doses of 15, 30 and 60 mg LPZ, C(max) and area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC(0-t)) of LPZ were 725 ± 151, 1480 ± 190, 3130 ± 480 µg · L(-1) and 1690 ± 1210, 3630 ± 2530, 8080 ± 4550 µg · h · L(-1), respectively. LPZ was generally well tolerated in healthy Chinese subjects, and displayed linear PK in the range of 15-60 mg. There were significant differences in the elimination of LPZ and the formation of LPZS between the single CYP2C19 poor metabolizer (PM) and the CYP2C19 extensive metabolizers (EM). The concentration of LPZS at the time-points in the elimination phase of LPZ could be monitored for CYP2C19 phenotyping. As a probe drug for CYP2C19 phenotyping, LPZ for injection might be more suitable than LPZ oral formulations.

  12. Pharmacokinetics of lansoprazole and its main metabolites after single and multiple intravenous doses in healthy Chinese subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Dan; Zhang, Yanan; Liu, Man; Wang, Xiaolin; Yang, Man; Han, Jing; Liu, Huichen

    2013-09-01

    The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the pharmacokinetics of lansoprazole (LPZ) and its main metabolites, 5'-hydroxy lansoprazole (HLPZ) and lansoprazole sulfone (LPZS), after single and multiple intravenous (i.v.) doses of LPZ in healthy Chinese subjects. Twelve subjects (six males and six females) were given a single dose of LPZ by i.v. infusion on day 1, and multiple doses from day 2 to day 6. Blood samples were collected at designated time points for analysis of plasma concentrations of LPZ, HLPZ and LPZS by an LC-MS/MS method. LPZ was generally well tolerated in healthy Chinese subjects. After single and multiple i.v. doses of 30 mg LPZ, the C max values of LPZ, HLPZ and LPZS were 1490 ± 290 and 1450 ± 280, 175 ± 71 and 154 ± 56, and 51.3 ± 82.9 and 74.1 ± 158.7 ng/mL, with the AUC0-t values 3280 ± 2550 and 4260 ± 3880, 381 ± 128 and 389 ± 111, and 389 ± 1204 and 700 ± 2255 ng h/mL, respectively. The t 1/2 and CL values of LPZ after single and multiple i.v. doses were 1.48 ± 1.03 and 2.19 ± 1.03 h, and 11.67 ± 4.49 and 9.56 ± 4.08 L/h, respectively. Compared with the pharmacokinetics of LPZ after a single dose, t 1/2 increased markedly, CL decreased significantly and AUC increased by over 20 % after multiple doses. The results indicated that there was drug accumulation of LPZ after multiple i.v. doses, and there was no gender-related difference in pharmacokinetics of LPZ and its two metabolites.

  13. An Evaluation of a Computer-Based Training on the Visual Analysis of Single-Subject Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snyder, Katie

    2013-01-01

    Visual analysis is the primary method of analyzing data in single-subject methodology, which is the predominant research method used in the fields of applied behavior analysis and special education. Previous research on the reliability of visual analysis suggests that judges often disagree about what constitutes an intervention effect. Considering…

  14. A Field-Tested Task Analysis for Creating Single-Subject Graphs Using Microsoft[R] Office Excel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lo, Ya-yu; Konrad, Moira

    2007-01-01

    Creating single-subject (SS) graphs is challenging for many researchers and practitioners because it is a complex task with many steps. Although several authors have introduced guidelines for creating SS graphs, many users continue to experience frustration. The purpose of this article is to minimize these frustrations by providing a field-tested…

  15. Subjective Outcome Evaluation of the Project P.A.T.H.S. (Secondary 2 Program: Views of the Program Participants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel T. L. Shek

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available A total of 196 secondary schools participated in the Secondary 2 Program of the Full Implementation Phase of the Project P.A.T.H.S. (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes. After completion of the Tier 1 Program, 30,731 students responded to the Subjective Outcome Evaluation Form (Form A to assess their perceptions of the program, instructors, and perceived effectiveness of the program. Based on the consolidated reports submitted by the schools to the funding body, the research team aggregated the consolidated data to form a “reconstructed” overall profile on the perceptions of the program participants. Findings demonstrated that high proportions of the respondents had positive perceptions of the program and the instructors, and roughly four-fifths of the respondents regarded the program as beneficial to them. Correlation analyses showed that perceived program and instructor characteristics were positively associated with perceived benefits of the program.

  16. Subjective well-being among primary health care patients.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alis Ozcakir

    Full Text Available The psychological importance of subjective well-being for a healthy life has been well recognized. It is also well known that depressive and anxiety disorders have a negative effect on subjective well-being. The aim of this cross-sectional, descriptive study was to assess the subjective well-being status of a group of primary healthcare patients in relation to socio-demographic characteristics, personal health and mood-status.A total of 284 patients participated in the study. The Oxford Happiness Scale, Life Satisfaction Scale, DASS-42 (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-42 and a questionnaire about socio-demographic characteristics were completed by the participants.In general, the participants were found to be moderately happy and satisfied with their lives. They had mild levels of depression, anxiety and stress. In terms of happiness, an older age (≥40 years, educated to secondary level or higher and not having depression or anxiety were found to be factors increasing happiness. In terms of life satisfaction, female gender, an older age (≥40 years, educated to secondary level or higher, being single and not having depression were found to increase life satisfaction.Primary healthcare providers should give more importance to the mood status of their patients. Screening for depression and anxiety should be applied at the primary healthcare level because negative mood status is more important than some socio-demographic characteristics in respect of unhappiness and dissatisfaction.

  17. Subjective well-being among primary health care patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozcakir, Alis; Oflu Dogan, Fatma; Cakir, Yakup Tolga; Bayram, Nuran; Bilgel, Nazan

    2014-01-01

    The psychological importance of subjective well-being for a healthy life has been well recognized. It is also well known that depressive and anxiety disorders have a negative effect on subjective well-being. The aim of this cross-sectional, descriptive study was to assess the subjective well-being status of a group of primary healthcare patients in relation to socio-demographic characteristics, personal health and mood-status. A total of 284 patients participated in the study. The Oxford Happiness Scale, Life Satisfaction Scale, DASS-42 (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-42) and a questionnaire about socio-demographic characteristics were completed by the participants. In general, the participants were found to be moderately happy and satisfied with their lives. They had mild levels of depression, anxiety and stress. In terms of happiness, an older age (≥40 years), educated to secondary level or higher and not having depression or anxiety were found to be factors increasing happiness. In terms of life satisfaction, female gender, an older age (≥40 years), educated to secondary level or higher, being single and not having depression were found to increase life satisfaction. Primary healthcare providers should give more importance to the mood status of their patients. Screening for depression and anxiety should be applied at the primary healthcare level because negative mood status is more important than some socio-demographic characteristics in respect of unhappiness and dissatisfaction.

  18. Microarray expression profiling of human dental pulp from single subject.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tete, Stefano; Mastrangelo, Filiberto; Scioletti, Anna Paola; Tranasi, Michelangelo; Raicu, Florina; Paolantonio, Michele; Stuppia, Liborio; Vinci, Raffaele; Gherlone, Enrico; Ciampoli, Cristian; Sberna, Maria Teresa; Conti, Pio

    2008-01-01

    Microarray is a recently developed simultaneous analysis of expression patterns of thousand of genes. The aim of this research was to evaluate the expression profile of human healthy dental pulp in order to find the presence of genes activated and encoding for proteins involved in the physiological process of human dental pulp. We report data obtained by analyzing expression profiles of human tooth pulp from single subjects, using an approach based on the amplification of the total RNA. Experiments were performed on a high-density array able to analyse about 21,000 oligonucleotide sequences of about 70 bases in duplicate, using an approach based on the amplification of the total RNA from the pulp of a single tooth. Obtained data were analyzed using the S.A.M. system (Significance Analysis of Microarray) and genes were merged according to their molecular functions and biological process by the Onto-Express software. The microarray analysis revealed 362 genes with specific pulp expression. Genes showing significant high expression were classified in genes involved in tooth development, protoncogenes, genes of collagen, DNAse, Metallopeptidases and Growth factors. We report a microarray analysis, carried out by extraction of total RNA from specimens of healthy human dental pulp tissue. This approach represents a powerful tool in the study of human normal and pathological pulp, allowing minimization of the genetic variability due to the pooling of samples from different individuals.

  19. Function-related Secondary User Needs and Secondary Data

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Riette Ruthven

    basis of both a critical analysis of the theory and an examination of selected data types .... (2) "Secondary needs related to the user's linguistic and subject-specific ... understand the Afrikaans word skepe needs to know that skepe is the plural.

  20. Learning sequences on the subject of energy. Secondary school stage 1. Lernsequenzen zum Thema Energie. Sekundarstufe 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1986-01-01

    The ten learning sequences follow on one another. Each picks on a particular aspect from the energy field. The subject notebooks are self-contained and can therefore be used independently. Apart from actual data and energy-related information, the information for the teacher contains: - proposals for teaching - suggestions for further activities - sample solutions for the pupil's sheets - references to the literature and media. The worksheets for the pupils are different; it should be possible to use the learning sequences in all classes of secondary school stage 1. The multicoloured foils for projectors should motivate, on the one hand, and on the other hand should help to check the results of learning.

  1. A Phase 1, Single-center, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study in Healthy Subjects to Assess the Safety, Tolerability, Clinical Effects, and Pharmacokinetics-Pharmacodynamics of Intravenous Cyclopropyl-methoxycarbonylmetomidate (ABP-700) after a Single Ascending Bolus Dose.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Struys, Michel M R F; Valk, Beatrijs I; Eleveld, Douglas J; Absalom, Anthony R; Meyer, Peter; Meier, Sascha; den Daas, Izaak; Chou, Thomas; van Amsterdam, Kai; Campagna, Jason A; Sweeney, Steven P

    2017-07-01

    Cyclopropyl-methoxycarbonylmetomidate (ABP-700) is a new "soft" etomidate analog. The primary objectives of this first-in-human study were to describe the safety and efficacy of ABP-700 and to determine its maximum tolerated dose. Secondary objectives were to characterize the pharmacokinetics of ABP-700 and its primary metabolite (cyclopropyl-methoxycarbonyl acid), to assess the clinical effects of ABP-700, and to investigate the dose-response and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationships. Sixty subjects were divided into 10 cohorts and received an increasing, single bolus of either ABP-700 or placebo. Safety was assessed by clinical laboratory evaluations, infusion-site reactions, continuous monitoring of vital signs, physical examination, adverse event monitoring, and adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation testing. Clinical effects were assessed with modified observer's assessment of alertness/sedation and Bispectral Index monitoring. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. Stopping criteria were met at 1.00 mg/kg dose. No serious adverse events were reported. Adverse events were dose-dependent and comprised involuntary muscle movement, tachycardia, and ventilatory effects. Adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation evoked a physiologic cortisol response in all subjects, no different from placebo. Pharmacokinetics were dose-proportional. A three-compartment pharmacokinetic model described the data well. A rapid onset of anesthesia/sedation after bolus administration and also a rapid recovery were observed. A quantitative concentration-effect relationship was described for the modified observer's assessment of alertness/sedation and Bispectral Index. This first-in-human study of ABP-700 shows that ABP-700 was safe and well tolerated after single-bolus injections up to 1.00 mg/kg. Bolus doses of 0.25 and 0.35 mg/kg were found to provide the most beneficial clinical effect versus side-effect profile.

  2. Single-fluorophore monitoring of DNA hybridization for investigating the effect of secondary structure on the nucleation step.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jo, Joon-Jung; Kim, Min-Ji; Son, Jung-Tae; Kim, Jandi; Shin, Jong-Shik

    2009-07-17

    Nucleic acid hybridization is one of the essential biological processes involved in storage and transmission of genetic information. Here we quantitatively determined the effect of secondary structure on the hybridization activation energy using structurally defined oligonucleotides. It turned out that activation energy is linearly proportional to the length of a single-stranded region flanking a nucleation site, generating a 0.18 kcal/mol energy barrier per nucleotide. Based on this result, we propose that the presence of single-stranded segments available for non-productive base pairing with a nucleation counterpart extends the searching process for nucleation sites to find a perfect match. This result may provide insights into rational selection of a target mRNA site for siRNA and antisense gene silencing.

  3. Secondary Data Analyses of Subjective Outcome Evaluation Data Based on Nine Databases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel T. L. Shek

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Tier 1 Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S. (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes in Hong Kong by analyzing 1,327 school-based program reports submitted by program implementers. In each report, program implementers were invited to write down five conclusions based on an integration of the subjective outcome evaluation data collected from the program participants and program implementers. Secondary data analyses were carried out by aggregating nine databases, with 14,390 meaningful units extracted from 6,618 conclusions. Results showed that most of the conclusions were positive in nature. The findings generally showed that the workers perceived the program and program implementers to be positive, and they also pointed out that the program could promote holistic development of the program participants in societal, familial, interpersonal, and personal aspects. However, difficulties encountered during program implementation (2.15% and recommendations for improvement were also reported (16.26%. In conjunction with the evaluation findings based on other strategies, the present study suggests that the Tier 1 Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S. is beneficial to the holistic development of the program participants.

  4. Subjective and Objective Quality Assessment of Single-Channel Speech Separation Algorithms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mowlaee, Pejman; Saeidi, Rahim; Christensen, Mads Græsbøll

    2012-01-01

    Previous studies on performance evaluation of single-channel speech separation (SCSS) algorithms mostly focused on automatic speech recognition (ASR) accuracy as their performance measure. Assessing the separated signals by different metrics other than this has the benefit that the results...... are expected to carry on to other applications beyond ASR. In this paper, in addition to conventional speech quality metrics (PESQ and SNRloss), we also evaluate the separation systems output using different source separation metrics: blind source separation evaluation (BSS EVAL) and perceptual evaluation...... that PESQ and PEASS quality metrics predict well the subjective quality of separated signals obtained by the separation systems. From the results it is observed that the short-time objective intelligibility (STOI) measure predict the speech intelligibility results....

  5. Charging of Single Micron Sized Dust Grains by Secondary Electron Emission: A Laboratory Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spann, James F., Jr.; Venturini, Catherine C.; Comfort, R. H.

    1998-01-01

    We present the details of a new laboratory study whose objective is to experimentally study the interaction of micron sized particles with plasmas and electromagnetic radiation. Specifically, to investigate under what conditions and to what extent do particles of various compositions and sizes become charged, or discharged, while exposed to an electron beam and ultraviolet radiation environment The emphasis is the study of the two charging mechanisms, secondary emission of electrons and photoelectric effect. The experiment uses a technique known as electrodynamic suspension of particles. With this technique, a single charged particle is electrodynamically levitated and then exposed to a controlled environment. Its charge to mass ratio is directly measured. Viscous drag measurements and the light scattering measurements characterize its size and optical characteristics. The environment to which the particle is expose may consist of room temperature and pressure or a rarefied atmosphere where only one major gaseous constituent is present, or, as in this case, a vacuum environment under electron bombardment or UV radiation . In addition, the environment can be cycled as part of the experiment. Therefore, using this technique, a single particle can be repeatedly exposed to a controlled environment and its response measured, or a single particle can be exposed to similar environments with minor differences and its response measured as a function of only the changed environmental conditions.

  6. Single-dose FTY720 pharmacokinetics, food effect, and pharmacological responses in healthy subjects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovarik, John M; Schmouder, Robert; Barilla, Denise; Wang, Yibin; Kraus, Gerolf

    2004-01-01

    Aims FTY720 is a sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor agonist that redirects lymphocytes from the circulation to lymph nodes without impairing lymphocyte function. It is being developed as an immunomodulator for the prevention of acute rejection after organ transplantation. This study was performed to provide guidance on administration with respect to meals and to measure pharmacologic responses in healthy subjects. Methods In this randomized, two-period, crossover study, 14 healthy subjects received placebo on day −1 of each period with baseline circadian measurements of lymphocyte count and heart rate. Subjects subsequently received a single 1 mg oral dose of FTY720 on day 1 under fasting conditions and after a high fat meal. Blood FTY720 concentrations, lymphocyte count, and supine heart rate were assessed over an 8 day period after each FTY720 dose. The effect of food on FTY720 pharmacokinetics was assessed by standard bioequivalence testing. Results Both the peak concentration (0.65 ± 0.17 vs 0.64 ± 0.18 ng ml−1) and total exposure (AUC 149 ± 65 vs 139 ± 43 ng ml−1 h) did not differ significantly between fasting and fed states, respectively. The corresponding fed/fasting ratios and 90% confidence intervals were 1.00 (0.86, 1.17) for Cmax and 0.98 (0.86, 1.11) for AUC. Under both treatment conditions peripheral blood lymphocyte count decreased from baseline by 38 ± 9% over the first 2 days postdose and then increased towards predose values over the subsequent week. Whereas a circadian rhythm in supine heart rate was preserved in the presence of FTY720, the heart rate vs time curve was shifted downwards by 10% over the first day postdose and then recovered to prestudy values by days 3–5 postdose. These changes were asymptomatic. Conclusions Single 1 mg doses of FTY720 were well tolerated in healthy subjects and elicited a moderate decrease in peripheral blood lymphocyte count and a transient decrease in heart rate consistent with its pharmacological

  7. Picture Exchange Communication System with Individuals with Developmental Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis of Single Subject Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Stephanie L.; Banda, Devender R.

    2010-01-01

    Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a picture-based communication strategy used to teach communication skills to persons with developmental disabilities including autism. This article systematically reviews 13 published single-subject studies to examine the effectiveness of PECS, the effects of PECS on speech and problem behaviors,…

  8. Nutritional environment at secondary schools in Bloemfontein, South ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Objective: The objective was to determine the nutritional environment at secondary schools in Bloemfontein, Free State province. Design: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study. Subjects and setting: The subjects were secondary school principals in Bloemfontein, Free State province, in 2006. Method: Principals of 10 ...

  9. Secondary plasma formation after single pulse laser ablation underwater and its advantages for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gavrilović, M R; Cvejić, M; Lazic, V; Jovićević, S

    2016-06-07

    In this work we present studies of spatial and temporal plasma evolution after single pulse ablation of an aluminium target in water. The laser ablation was performed using 20 ns long pulses emitted at 1064 nm. The plasma characterization was performed by fast photography, the Schlieren technique, shadowgraphy and optical emission spectroscopy. The experimental results indicate the existence of two distinct plasma stages: the first stage has a duration of approximately 500 ns from the laser pulse, and is followed by a new plasma growth starting from the crater center. The secondary plasma slowly evolves inside the growing vapor bubble, and its optical emission lasts over several tens of microseconds. Later, the hot glowing particles, trapped inside the vapor cavity, were detected during the whole cycle of the bubble, where the first collapse occurs after 475 μs from the laser pulse. Differences in the plasma properties during the two evolution phases are discussed, with an accent on the optical emission since its detection is of primary importance for LIBS. Here we demonstrate that the LIBS signal quality in single pulse excitation underwater can be greatly enhanced by detecting only the secondary plasma emission, and also by applying long acquisition gates (in the order of 10-100 μs). The presented results are of great importance for LIBS measurements inside a liquid environment, since they prove that a good analytical signal can be obtained by using nanosecond pulses from a single commercial laser source and by employing cost effective, not gated detectors.

  10. Dynamic response of tertiary systems in structures subjected to base excitation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hernried, A.G.; Kai-sing Lau

    1988-01-01

    The dynamic response of very lightweight equipment (tertiary subsystem) attached to light equipment (secondary subsystem) which in turn is attached to a heavier structure (primary subsystem) that is subjected to ground shock or earthquake excitation is investigated. Both the single-degree-of-freedom and multi-degree-of-freedom subsystem models are considered. The systems are damped as well as undamped, completely detuned (all natural frequencies of the subsystems well spaced), singly tuned (one natural frequency of each subsystem equal or close to one another), or multiply tuned (more than one natural frequency of the subsystems close to each other). Efficient techniques for the determination of the tertiary subsystem response that avoid a computationally intensive numerical integration of the combined system equations are presented. (author)

  11. A single dose of dark chocolate increases parasympathetic modulation and heart rate variability in healthy subjects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Amélia Machado DUARTE

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effect of a single dose of dark chocolate (70% cocoa on blood pressure and heart rate variability. Methods: Thirty-one healthy subjects (aged 18-25 years; both sexes were divided into two groups: 10 subjects in the white chocolate (7.4 g group and 21 in the dark chocolate (10 g group; measurements were performed at the university's physiology lab. An electrocardiogram measured the sympathovagal balance by spectral and symbolic analysis. Results: A single dose of dark chocolate significantly reduced systolic blood pressure and heart rate. After consuming 10 g of dark chocolate, significant increases were observed for heart rate variability, standard deviation of RR intervals standard deviation of all NN intervals, square root of the mean squared differences between adjacent normal RR intervals root mean square of successive differences, and an increase in the high frequency component in absolute values, representing the parasympathetic modulation. Conclusion: In conclusion the importance of our results lies in the magnitude of the response provoked by a single dose of cocoa. Just 10 g of cocoa triggered a significant increase in parasympathetic modulation and heart rate variability. These combined effects can potentially increase life expectancy because a reduction in heart rate variability is associated with several cardiovascular diseases and higher mortality.

  12. [Knowledge to the subject of legal highs and popularity of their use amongst secondary-school students from the Silesian Voivodeship].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Margasińska, Joanna; Dworak, Daria; Goc, Sara; Ahnert, Bożena; Wiechuła, Danuta

    Evaluation of knowledge to the subject of legal highs and popularity of their use amongst secondary-school students from the Silesian Voivodeship. Studies were conducted in spring of 2016 in two randomly selected secondary schools in Katowice and Dąbrowa Górnicza. The survey was carried out amongst students of these schools and concerned question about the knowledge of legal highs effect on the body and their use by young people. The study consisted of 336 questionnaire forms, 159 filled by secondaryschool students from Katowice and 177 by secondary-school students from Dąbrowa Górnicza. Legal highs for 78.3% of young people are as dangerous as drugs. Almost 70% of respondents believe that legal highs strongly affected the physical health, psyche, may cause a loss of life or health, as well as cause addiction. As the main effects of legal highs, young people point to strong agitation and aggression, as well as visions and hallucinations. 12.5% of respondents answered “Yes” to the question, whether they ever took legal highs. Most of students (69.7%) think that legal highs should be forbidden. The use of legal highs declared 12.5% of secondaryschool students. Most of respondents are aware of threats to health associated with use of legal highs.

  13. RNA-SSPT: RNA Secondary Structure Prediction Tools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmad, Freed; Mahboob, Shahid; Gulzar, Tahsin; Din, Salah U; Hanif, Tanzeela; Ahmad, Hifza; Afzal, Muhammad

    2013-01-01

    The prediction of RNA structure is useful for understanding evolution for both in silico and in vitro studies. Physical methods like NMR studies to predict RNA secondary structure are expensive and difficult. Computational RNA secondary structure prediction is easier. Comparative sequence analysis provides the best solution. But secondary structure prediction of a single RNA sequence is challenging. RNA-SSPT is a tool that computationally predicts secondary structure of a single RNA sequence. Most of the RNA secondary structure prediction tools do not allow pseudoknots in the structure or are unable to locate them. Nussinov dynamic programming algorithm has been implemented in RNA-SSPT. The current studies shows only energetically most favorable secondary structure is required and the algorithm modification is also available that produces base pairs to lower the total free energy of the secondary structure. For visualization of RNA secondary structure, NAVIEW in C language is used and modified in C# for tool requirement. RNA-SSPT is built in C# using Dot Net 2.0 in Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Professional edition. The accuracy of RNA-SSPT is tested in terms of Sensitivity and Positive Predicted Value. It is a tool which serves both secondary structure prediction and secondary structure visualization purposes.

  14. GSK1265744 pharmacokinetics in plasma and tissue after single-dose long-acting injectable administration in healthy subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spreen, William; Ford, Susan L; Chen, Shuguang; Wilfret, David; Margolis, David; Gould, Elizabeth; Piscitelli, Stephen

    2014-12-15

    GSK1265744 (744) is an HIV-1 integrase inhibitor in clinical development as a long-acting (LA) injectable formulation. This study evaluated plasma and tissue pharmacokinetics after single-dose administration of 744 LA administered by intramuscular (IM) or subcutaneous injections. This was a phase I, open-label, 9-cohort, parallel study of 744 in healthy subjects. 744 was administered as a 200 mg/mL nanosuspension at doses of 100-800 mg IM and 100-400 mg subcutaneous. Eight (6 active and 2 placebo) male and female subjects participated in each of the first 7 cohorts. All 8 subjects, 4 males and 4 females, received active 744 LA in cohorts 8 and 9 and underwent rectal and cervicovaginal tissue sampling, respectively. Plasma pharmacokinetic sampling was performed for a minimum of 12 weeks or until 744 concentrations were ≤0.1 μg/mL. Rectal and cervicovaginal tissue biopsies were performed at weeks 2 and 8 (cohort 8) and weeks 4 and 12 (cohort 9). 744 LA was generally safe and well tolerated after single injections. A majority of subjects reported injection site reactions, all graded as mild in intensity. Plasma concentration-time profiles were prolonged with measureable concentrations up to 52 weeks after dosing. 744 LA 800 mg IM achieved mean concentrations above protein adjusted-IC90 for approximately 16 weeks. Rectal and cervicovaginal tissue concentrations ranged from injection has potential application as a monthly or less frequent HIV treatment or prevention agent.

  15. Long-term functional, subjective and psychological results after single digit replantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jing; Zhang, Ai Xian; Chen, Qing Zhong; Mu, Shuai; Tan, Jun

    2018-03-01

    The aim of this study was to analyse the long-term functional, subjective, and psychological results after single-digit replantation. Thirty cases of digital replantation (14 thumbs, 12 index fingers, 2 middle fingers, 1 ring finger, and 1 little finger) in 30 patients (7 females and 23 males) with a mean age of 44.2 years (20-65 years) were evaluated at the end of a mean follow-up time of 36 months (19-50 months). The active range of motion of joints, grip and pinch strength, cutaneous sensibility, upper-extremity functioning, and subjective satisfaction were determined using the Disability of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire and the Michigan Hand Outcomes questionnaire (MHQ). Psychological sequelae, including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), were assessed. A correlation analysis among variables was also performed. The mean score for the DASH questionnaire was 6.6 (range: 0-39.2). The symptom of cold intolerance occurred in 53% of the patients. Two patients were diagnosed with depression, and only one patient exhibited PTSD. The DASH score had a good statistical correlation with total grip strength, pinch grip strength, and static two-point discrimination (S-2PD) (P digit replantation are very low at long-term follow-up. Level IV, therapeutic study. Copyright © 2017 Turkish Association of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Long-term functional, subjective and psychological results after single digit replantation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jing Chen

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse the long-term functional, subjective, and psychological results after single-digit replantation. Methods: Thirty cases of digital replantation (14 thumbs, 12 index fingers, 2 middle fingers, 1 ring finger, and 1 little finger in 30 patients (7 females and 23 males with a mean age of 44.2 years (20–65 years were evaluated at the end of a mean follow-up time of 36 months (19–50 months. The active range of motion of joints, grip and pinch strength, cutaneous sensibility, upper-extremity functioning, and subjective satisfaction were determined using the Disability of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH questionnaire and the Michigan Hand Outcomes questionnaire (MHQ. Psychological sequelae, including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD, were assessed. A correlation analysis among variables was also performed. Results: The mean score for the DASH questionnaire was 6.6 (range: 0–39.2. The symptom of cold intolerance occurred in 53% of the patients. Two patients were diagnosed with depression, and only one patient exhibited PTSD. The DASH score had a good statistical correlation with total grip strength, pinch grip strength, and static two-point discrimination (S-2PD (P < 0.05. Several aspects of the MHQ were also statistically relevant to some or all of the three objective results. Furthermore, the grip strength showed significant correlation with DASH and most aspects of the MHQ in multivariate logistic regression analysis (P < 0.05. Conclusion: Total grip strength is the most important factor positively related to subjective outcomes. The incidence rates of psychological symptoms after digit replantation are very low at long-term follow-up. Level of evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study. Keywords: Digit Replantation, DASH score, Posttraumatic stress disorder

  17. Subjective aggression during alcohol and cannabis intoxication before and after aggression exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Sousa Fernandes Perna, E B; Theunissen, E L; Kuypers, K P C; Toennes, S W; Ramaekers, J G

    2016-09-01

    Alcohol and cannabis use have been implicated in aggression. Alcohol consumption is known to facilitate aggression, whereas a causal link between cannabis and aggression has not been clearly demonstrated. This study investigated the acute effects of alcohol and cannabis on subjective aggression in alcohol and cannabis users, respectively, following aggression exposure. Drug-free controls served as a reference. It was hypothesized that aggression exposure would increase subjective aggression in alcohol users during alcohol intoxication, whereas it was expected to decrease subjective aggression in cannabis users during cannabis intoxication. Heavy alcohol (n = 20) and regular cannabis users (n = 21), and controls (n = 20) were included in a mixed factorial study. Alcohol and cannabis users received single doses of alcohol and placebo or cannabis and placebo, respectively. Subjective aggression was assessed before and after aggression exposure consisting of administrations of the point-subtraction aggression paradigm (PSAP) and the single category implicit association test (SC-IAT). Testosterone and cortisol levels in response to alcohol/cannabis treatment and aggression exposure were recorded as secondary outcome measures. Subjective aggression significantly increased following aggression exposure in all groups while being sober. Alcohol intoxication increased subjective aggression whereas cannabis decreased the subjective aggression following aggression exposure. Aggressive responses during the PSAP increased following alcohol and decreased following cannabis relative to placebo. Changes in aggressive feeling or response were not correlated to the neuroendocrine response to treatments. It is concluded that alcohol facilitates feelings of aggression whereas cannabis diminishes aggressive feelings in heavy alcohol and regular cannabis users, respectively.

  18. Modelling secondary eclipses of Kepler exoplanets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hambálek Lubomír

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available We have selected several Kepler objects with potentially the deepest secondary eclipses. By combination of many single phased light-curves (LCs we have produced a smooth LC with a larger SNR and made the secondary eclipses more distinct. This allowed us to measure the depth of primary and secondary minimum with greater accuracy and then to determine stellar and planetary radii by simplex modelling.

  19. Sociology, Basis for the Secondary-School Subject of Social Sciences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lieke Meijs

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper reformulates the question of ‘sociology, who needs it’ in two ways, The first question we address is that of the reason why the educational system itself did not come to sociology for help in their long quest for a clear-cut content of the subject. The second question is why sociology did not adopt the orphaned subject of social studies back in 1960. The answer to the first question lies in the vulnerability of a subject that is dependent for its continued existence on the political leanings of the day. This led to a new goal for the subject almost every decade: from social education in the sixties and social and political education in the seventies, to a focus on citizenship education in the nineties. Although the objective was renamed on several occasions, the prescriptive viewpoint is recognizable in each. This perspective is difficult to reconcile with a social science content. The answer to the second questions points towards Dutch social scientists with a strong focus on academic sociology and not for critical, policy or public sociology. This choice was also made in order to win the competition with psychologists and for the discipline to get rid of the poor image it had acquired in the 1960s. The new subject social sciences, with a strong focus on science made it possible for sociology to become the pillar of this new subject.

  20. Motion Correction of Single-Voxel Spectroscopy by Independent Component Analysis Applied to Spectra From Nonanesthetized Pediatric Subjects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    de Nijs, Robin; Miranda, Maria J.; Hansen, Lars Kai

    2009-01-01

    For single-voxel spectroscopy, the acquisition of the spectrum is typically repeated n times and then combined with a factor in order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. In practice, the acquisitions are not only affected by random noise but also by physiologic motion and subject movements. Since...... the influence of physiologic motion such as cardiac and respiratory motion on the data is limited, it can be compensated for without data loss. Individual acquisitions hampered by subject movements, on the other hand, need to be rejected if no correction or compensation is possible. If the individual...

  1. Pharmacokinetics, Safety and Tolerability of Sacubitril/Valsartan (LCZ696) After Single-Dose Administration in Healthy Chinese Subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Yi; Ayalasomayajula, Surya; Pan, Wei; Yang, Fan; Yuan, Yaozong; Langenickel, Thomas; Hinder, Markus; Kalluri, Sampath; Pal, Parasar; Sunkara, Gangadhar

    2017-02-01

    Sacubitril/valsartan (LCZ696) is a first-in-class angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) and has been recently approved in several countries for the treatment of patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. This was the first study conducted to characterise the pharmacokinetics of LCZ696 analytes (pro-drug sacubitril, active neprilysin inhibitor LBQ657 and valsartan) after single-dose administration of LCZ696 in healthy Chinese subjects. In this open-label, randomised, parallel-group study, following screening and baseline evaluation, eligible healthy subjects received single oral doses of LCZ696 50, 100, 200 or 400 mg. The pharmacokinetics, safety and tolerability of LCZ696 were assessed up to 72 h after dosing. A total of 40 healthy male subjects were enrolled, and all completed the study. Following oral administration, LCZ696 delivered systemic exposure to sacubitril, LBQ657 and valsartan with a median time to reach maximum plasma concentration (T max ) ranging from 0.50 to 1.25, 2.00 to 3.00 and 1.50 to 2.50 h, respectively, over the investigated dose range. The mean terminal elimination half-life (T 1/2 ) ranged from 0.89 to 1.35, 8.57 to 9.24 and 5.33 to 7.91 h for sacubitril, LBQ657 and valsartan, respectively. The area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to the time of the last quantifiable concentration (AUC 0-last ), and maximum plasma concentration (C max ) for LBQ657 increased dose proportionally over the entire dose range. Dose linear increase in the exposure was observed across the dose range for sacubitril and valsartan. LCZ696 was safe and well tolerated at all doses in this study. Adverse events of only mild intensity, which required no treatment, were reported in 6 (15 %) subjects. The pharmacokinetic profiles of LCZ696 analytes in Chinese subjects are similar to those reported previously in Caucasian subjects.

  2. Randomized Crossover Comparison of the Short-Term Efficacy and Safety of Single Half-Dose Silodosin and Tamsulosin Hydrochoride in Men With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Secondary to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takeshita, Hideki; Moriyama, Shingo; Arai, Yoshiaki; Washino, Satoshi; Saito, Kimitoshi; Chiba, Koji; Horiuchi, Susumu; Noro, Akira

    2016-01-01

    To compare the efficacy and safety of single half-dose silodosin and single full-dose tamsulosin in Japanese men with lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (LUTS/BPH). Japanese men aged ≥50 years with LUTS/BPH and an International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) of ≥8 were enrolled in the randomized crossover study and divided into silodosin-preceding (S-T) and tamsulosin-preceding (T-S) groups. The S-T group received 4 mg silodosin once daily for 4 weeks followed by 0.2 mg tamsulosin once daily for 4 weeks. The T-S group received the reverse treatment sequence. A washout period prior to drug crossover was not included. Subjective and objective efficacy parameters including IPSS, quality of life (QOL) index, uroflowmetry, and safety were compared between the two groups. Thirty of 34 men (S-T group n = 16; T-S group n = 14) completed the study. Both drugs significantly improved all IPSS items and QOL index in the first treatment period. Subjective improvement in nocturia by silodosin was observed in both the first and crossover treatment periods. Objective improvement in maximum flow rate by silodosin was only observed in the first treatment period. Adverse events occurred more frequently with silodosin than with tamsulosin; however, none of the adverse events required treatment discontinuation. Ejaculation disorders occurred in three participants (10%) and were associated with silodosin use. Single half-dose silodosin has a similar efficacy to full-dose tamsulosin in Japanese men with LUTS/BPH and thus, may represent an effective, safe, and affordable treatment option. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  3. Single Parent Family Structure as a Predictor of Alcohol Use among Secondary School Students: Evidence from Jamaica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oshi, Sarah N; Abel, Wendel D; Agu, Chinwendu F; Omeje, Joachim C; Smith, Patrice Whitehorne; Ukwaja, Kingsley N; Ricketts Roomes, Tana; Meka, Ijeoma A; Weaver, Steve; Rae, Tania; Oshi, Daniel C

    2018-04-23

    The aim of this study was to examine the potential relationship between Jamaican secondary students’ alcohol drinking habits and their family structure. Methods: Data collected from a nationally representative survey of 3,365 students were analysed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. Results: Out of the 3,365 students, 1,044 (31.0%) were from single-parent families. Single-parent families, married-parent families and common law-parent families were significantly associated with lifetime use of alcohol (AOR= 1.72, 95% CI= 1.06 - 2.79; AOR= 1.73, 95% CI= 1.07- 2.81, AOR= 1.94, 95%CI= 1.17- 3.21 respectively). However, family structure was not significantly associated with past year and past month alcohol use. Students whose parents “sometimes” knew their whereabouts were significantly less likely to use alcohol in their lifetime compared to students whose parents “Always” knew where the students were. Conclusion: Family structure is an independent predictor of alcohol use among high school students in Jamaica. Being from single-parent families, married-parent and common- law parent families were significantly associated with increased likelihood for lifetime alcohol use. Creative Commons Attribution License

  4. Girls studying physics at post-secondary level in Malta

    OpenAIRE

    Gatt, Suzanne; Borg Marks, Joan; The Access of Women to Science

    2004-01-01

    All secondary level students in Malta study, at least, one science subject (Physics, Chemistry and/or Biology) up to school-leaving level. This is due to a pass in one science subject being compulsory for entry into general post-secondary education. On the other hand, Physics, rather than Chemistry or Biology, is compulsory in State Schools. This ensures that a large percentage of girls, in Malta, study Physics. Analysis of Physics exam results at school-leaving level, the Secondary Education...

  5. Rtools: a web server for various secondary structural analyses on single RNA sequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamada, Michiaki; Ono, Yukiteru; Kiryu, Hisanori; Sato, Kengo; Kato, Yuki; Fukunaga, Tsukasa; Mori, Ryota; Asai, Kiyoshi

    2016-07-08

    The secondary structures, as well as the nucleotide sequences, are the important features of RNA molecules to characterize their functions. According to the thermodynamic model, however, the probability of any secondary structure is very small. As a consequence, any tool to predict the secondary structures of RNAs has limited accuracy. On the other hand, there are a few tools to compensate the imperfect predictions by calculating and visualizing the secondary structural information from RNA sequences. It is desirable to obtain the rich information from those tools through a friendly interface. We implemented a web server of the tools to predict secondary structures and to calculate various structural features based on the energy models of secondary structures. By just giving an RNA sequence to the web server, the user can get the different types of solutions of the secondary structures, the marginal probabilities such as base-paring probabilities, loop probabilities and accessibilities of the local bases, the energy changes by arbitrary base mutations as well as the measures for validations of the predicted secondary structures. The web server is available at http://rtools.cbrc.jp, which integrates software tools, CentroidFold, CentroidHomfold, IPKnot, CapR, Raccess, Rchange and RintD. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  6. No auditory experience, no tinnitus: Lessons from subjects with congenital- and acquired single-sided deafness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sang-Yeon; Nam, Dong Woo; Koo, Ja-Won; De Ridder, Dirk; Vanneste, Sven; Song, Jae-Jin

    2017-10-01

    Recent studies have adopted the Bayesian brain model to explain the generation of tinnitus in subjects with auditory deafferentation. That is, as the human brain works in a Bayesian manner to reduce environmental uncertainty, missing auditory information due to hearing loss may cause auditory phantom percepts, i.e., tinnitus. This type of deafferentation-induced auditory phantom percept should be preceded by auditory experience because the fill-in phenomenon, namely tinnitus, is based upon auditory prediction and the resultant prediction error. For example, a recent animal study observed the absence of tinnitus in cats with congenital single-sided deafness (SSD; Eggermont and Kral, Hear Res 2016). However, no human studies have investigated the presence and characteristics of tinnitus in subjects with congenital SSD. Thus, the present study sought to reveal differences in the generation of tinnitus between subjects with congenital SSD and those with acquired SSD to evaluate the replicability of previous animal studies. This study enrolled 20 subjects with congenital SSD and 44 subjects with acquired SSD and examined the presence and characteristics of tinnitus in the groups. None of the 20 subjects with congenital SSD perceived tinnitus on the affected side, whereas 30 of 44 subjects with acquired SSD experienced tinnitus on the affected side. Additionally, there were significant positive correlations between tinnitus characteristics and the audiometric characteristics of the SSD. In accordance with the findings of the recent animal study, tinnitus was absent in subjects with congenital SSD, but relatively frequent in subjects with acquired SSD, which suggests that the development of tinnitus should be preceded by auditory experience. In other words, subjects with profound congenital peripheral deafferentation do not develop auditory phantom percepts because no auditory predictions are available from the Bayesian brain. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights

  7. Transcriptome Profiling Using Single-Molecule Direct RNA Sequencing Approach for In-depth Understanding of Genes in Secondary Metabolism Pathways of Camellia sinensis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qingshan Xu

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Characteristic secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, theanine and caffeine, are important components of Camellia sinensis, and their biosynthesis has attracted widespread interest. Previous studies on the biosynthesis of these major secondary metabolites using next-generation sequencing technologies limited the accurately prediction of full-length (FL splice isoforms. Herein, we applied single-molecule sequencing to pooled tea plant tissues, to provide a more complete transcriptome of C. sinensis. Moreover, we identified 94 FL transcripts and four alternative splicing events for enzyme-coding genes involved in the biosynthesis of flavonoids, theanine and caffeine. According to the comparison between long-read isoforms and assemble transcripts, we improved the quality and accuracy of genes sequenced by short-read next-generation sequencing technology. The resulting FL transcripts, together with the improved assembled transcripts and identified alternative splicing events, enhance our understanding of genes involved in the biosynthesis of characteristic secondary metabolites in C. sinensis.

  8. A comparison in young and elderly subjects of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of single and multiple doses of benazepril.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macdonald, N J; Elliott, H L; Hughes, D M; Reid, J L

    1993-01-01

    1. The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of single and multiple oral doses of the ACE inhibitor benazepril were investigated in young and elderly normotensive subjects. 2. Following multiple doses the trough concentrations were significantly higher in the elderly and the areas under the plasma concentration-time curves (AUC0-24) were significantly greater, by approximately 23%. 3. The fall in blood pressure tended to be greater in the elderly subjects but this is likely to be attributable to their higher initial blood pressures, although it may reflect the small differences in pharmacokinetics. 4. The age related differences in kinetics and dynamics following multiple dosing are quantitatively similar to those obtained with single doses. However, there appears to be a quantitative difference between benazepril and other ACE inhibitors in that the age related increases were of a relatively smaller magnitude. PMID:9114904

  9. A case study of full integration of the arts into core subject area instruction in one East Texas secondary school

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leysath, Maggie

    This exploratory phenomenological case study investigated the influence the full integration of the arts into core subject instruction has on classroom environment, student academic achievement, and student engagement as perceived by administrators, teachers, and students in one East Texas secondary school. Participant interviews were analyzed using Creswell's (2012) six-step method for analyzing phenomenological studies. The researcher implemented three learning activities in which ceramics learning objectives were fully integrated with chemistry learning objectives. The first activity combined clay properties and pottery wheel throwing with significant numbers. The second activity combined glaze formulation with moles. The third combined stoichiometry with the increased glaze formula for students to glaze the bowls they made. Findings suggest the full integration of art in core subject area instruction has numerous positive effects. Participants reported improved academic achievement for all students including reluctant learners. Students, teachers, and the administrator reported greater participation in the art integrated activities. Participants perceived a need for further training for teachers and administrators for greater success.

  10. Evaluation of 61 Secondary Amyloidosis Patients: A Single-Center Experience from Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Can Huzmeli

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Aim: To evaluate demographic,clinical and laboratory characteristics, causes, MEFV gene mutations, and mortality rates of patients with secondary amyloidosis. Material and Method: 61 patients who had been diagnosed with secondary amyloidosis by renal and rectal biopsy between 2007 and 2013 in the nephrology clinic of Cumhuriyet University, Faculty of Medicine, were included in the study. Demographic characteristics, causes of secondary amyloidosis, MEFV gene mutations, end-stage renal failure (ESRF, renal transplantation, and mortality rates were examined retrospectively. Results: In etiological terms, Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF occurrence was 62.2% (38, bronchiectasis and emphysema 9.8% (6, tuberculosis 4.9% (3, coexistence of FMF and ankylosing spondylitis 3.2% (2, coexistence of FMF and rheumatoid arthritis 1.6% (1, coexistence of FMF and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE 1.6% (1, osteomyelitis 1.6% (1, septic arthritis 1.6% (1, Crohn%u2019s disease 1.6% (1, colon cancer 1.6% (1, coexistence of bronchiectasis and tuberculosis 1.6% (1, rheumatoid arthritis 1.6% (1, and idiopathic cases 6.5% (4. Proteinuria was determined at nephrotic level among 68% (32 of 47 patients who had secondary amyloidosis. MEFV gene mutation of 45 patients with secondary amyloidosis was assessed. Most patients had M694V gene mutation. Surprisingly, we detected heterozygous E148Q mutation in 3 cases. 12 cases died; of these, 9 had ESRF. Five cases with ESRF underwent renal transplantation. Discussion: We found FMF as the most common cause for secondary AA amyloidosis in this study. Further studies should be done with larger or multicenter cohorts.

  11. Enhancement of in vitro interleukin-2 production in normal subjects following a single spinal manipulative treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harris Glen M

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Increasing evidence supports somato-visceral effects of manual therapies. We have previously demonstrated that a single spinal manipulative treatment (SMT accompanied by audible release has an inhibitory effect on the production of proinflammatory cytokines in asymptomatic subjects. The purpose of this study is to report on SMT-related changes in the production of the immunoregulatory cytokine interleukin 2 (IL-2 and to investigate whether such changes might differ with respect to the treatment approach related to the presence or absence of an audible release (joint cavitation. Methods Of 76 asymptomatic subjects, 29 received SMT with cavitation (SMT-C, 23 were treated with SMT without cavitation (SMT-NC and 24 comprised the venipuncture control (VC group. The SMT-C and SMT-NC subjects received a single, similar force high velocity low amplitude manipulation, in the upper thoracic spine. However, in SMT-NC subjects, positioning and line of drive were not conducive to cavitation. Blood and serum samples were obtained before and then at 20 and 120 min post-intervention. The production of IL-2 in peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures was induced by activation for 48 hr with Staphylococcal protein A (SPA and, in parallel preparations, with the combination of phorbol ester (TPA and calcium ionophore. The levels of IL-2 in culture supernatants and serum were assessed by specific immunoassays. Results Compared with VC and their respective baselines, SPA-induced secretion of IL-2 increased significantly in cultures established from both SMT-C and SMT-NC subjects at 20 min post-intervention. At 2 hr post-treatment, significant elevation of IL-2 synthesis was still apparent in preparations from SMT-treated groups though it became somewhat attenuated in SMT-NC subjects. Conversely, IL-2 synthesis induced by TPA and calcium ionophore was unaltered by either type of SMT and was comparable to that in VC group at all time points. No

  12. Microphysical Properties of Single Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA) Particles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rovelli, Grazia; Song, Young-Chul; Pereira, Kelly; Hamilton, Jacqueline; Topping, David; Reid, Jonathan

    2017-04-01

    Secondary Organic Aerosols (SOA) deriving from the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can account for a substantial fraction of the overall atmospheric aerosol mass.[1] Therefore, the investigation of SOA microphysical properties is crucial to better comprehend their role in the atmospheric processes they are involved in. This works describes a single particle approach to accurately characterise the hygroscopic response, the optical properties and the gas-particle partitioning kinetics of water and semivolatile components for laboratory generated SOA. SOA was generated from the oxidation of different VOCs precursors (e.g. α-pinene, toluene) in a photo-chemical flow reactor, which consists of a temperature and relative humidity controlled 300 L polyvinyl fluoride bag. Known VOC, NOx and ozone concentrations are introduced in the chamber and UV irradiation is performed by means of a Hg pen-ray. SOA samples were collected with an electrical low pressure impactor, wrapped in aluminium foil and kept refrigerated at -20°C. SOA samples were extracted in a 1:1 water/methanol mixture. Single charged SOA particles were generated from the obtained solution using a microdispenser and confined within an electrodynamic balance (EDB), where they sit in a T (250-320 K) and RH (0-95%) controlled nitrogen flow. Suspended droplets are irradiated with a 532 nm laser and the evolving angularly resolved scattered light is used to keep track of changes in droplet size. One of the key features of this experimental approach is that very little SOA solution is required because of the small volumes needed to load the dispensers (evaporation kinetics experiments (CK-EDB) of suspended probe and sample droplets.[2] The variation of the refractive index of SOA droplets following to water or SVOCs evaporative loss was measured as a function of water activity by fitting the collected light scattering patterns with a generated Mie-Theory library of phase functions.[3] Long trapping

  13. The ratchet–shakedown diagram for a thin pressurised pipe subject to additional axial load and cyclic secondary global bending

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bradford, R.A.W.; Tipping, D.J.

    2015-01-01

    The ratchet and shakedown boundaries are derived analytically for a thin cylinder composed of elastic-perfectly plastic Tresca material subject to constant internal pressure with capped ends, plus an additional constant axial load, F, and a cycling secondary global bending load. The analytic solution is in good agreement with solutions found using the linear matching method. When F is tensile, ratcheting can occur for sufficiently large cyclic bending loads in which the pipe gets longer and thinner but its diameter remains the same. When F is compressive, ratcheting can occur in which the pipe diameter increases and the pipe gets shorter, but its wall thickness remains the same. When subject to internal pressure and cyclic bending alone (F = 0), no ratcheting is possible, even for arbitrarily large bending loads, despite the presence of the axial pressure load. The reason is that the case with a primary axial membrane stress exactly equal to half the primary hoop membrane stress is equipoised between tensile and compressive axial ratcheting, and hence does not ratchet at all. This remarkable result appears to have escaped previous attention. - Highlights: • A thin cylinder is subject to pressure and cyclic global bending and additional axial load. • Ratchet and shakedown boundaries are derived analytically and using LMM. • Good agreement is found. • No ratcheting occurs for zero additional axial load.

  14. Secondary visual workload capability with primary visual and kinesthetic-tactual displays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilson, R. D.; Burke, M. W.; Jagacinski, R. J.

    1978-01-01

    Subjects performed a cross-adaptive tracking task with a visual secondary display and either a visual or a quickened kinesthetic-tactual (K-T) primary display. The quickened K-T display resulted in superior secondary task performance. Comparisons of secondary workload capability with integrated and separated visual displays indicated that the superiority of the quickened K-T display was not simply due to the elimination of visual scanning. When subjects did not have to perform a secondary task, there was no significant difference between visual and quickened K-T displays in performing a critical tracking task.

  15. BACKGROUND AND MOTIVATION OF STUDENT TEACHERS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCIENCE

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hyllested, Trine

    The students attending teacher training at University College Capital in Copenhagen, Denmark fall into two groups with different subject profiles: One group prefers to teach at the primary level, the other prefers to teach at the secondary level. The students of primary level science combine...... with other subjects such as History, Danish or Physical Education. The students of secondary level science combine with subjects such as Mathematics and related science subjects: Biology, Geography, Physics and Chemistry....

  16. Human Resource Subjects Allocation and Students' Academic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study investigated human resource subjects' allocation and students' academic performance in Secondary Schools in Obudu, Nigeria. The relevant variables of teachers subject was used as independent variable while the dependent variables were students' academic performance. Six hundred teachers from 20 ...

  17. Population pharmacokinetics of artesunate and dihydroartemisinin following single- and multiple-dosing of oral artesunate in healthy subjects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kirsch Lee E

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The population pharmacokinetics of artesunate (AS and its active metabolite dihydroartemisinin (DHA were studied in healthy subjects receiving single- or multiple-dosing of AS orally either in combination with pyronaridine (PYR or as a monotherapy with or without food. Methods Data from 118 concentration-time profiles arising from 91 healthy Korean subjects were pooled from four Phase I clinical studies. Subjects received 2-5 mg/kg of single- and multiple-dosing of oral AS either in combination with PYR or as a monotherapy with or without food. Plasma AS and DHA were measured simultaneously using a validated liquid chromatography- mass spectrometric method with a lower limit of quantification of 1 ng/mL for both AS and DHA. Nonlinear mixed-effect modelling was used to obtain the pharmacokinetic and variability (inter-individual and residual variability parameter estimates. Results A novel parent-metabolite pharmacokinetic model consisting of a dosing compartment, a central compartment for AS, a central compartment and a peripheral compartment for DHA was developed. AS and DHA data were modelled simultaneously assuming stoichiometric conversion to DHA. AS was rapidly absorbed with a population estimate of absorption rate constant (Ka of 3.85 h-1. The population estimates of apparent clearance (CL/F and volume of distribution (V2/F for AS were 1190 L/h with 36.2% inter-individual variability (IIV and 1210 L with 57.4% IIV, respectively. For DHA, the population estimates of apparent clearance (CLM/F and central volume of distribution (V3/F were 93.7 L/h with 28% IIV and 97.1 L with 30% IIV, respectively. The population estimates of apparent inter-compartmental clearance (Q/F and peripheral volume of distribution (V4/F for DHA were 5.74 L/h and 18.5 L, respectively. Intake of high-fat and high-caloric meal prior to the drug administration resulted in 84% reduction in Ka. Body weight impacted CLM/F, such that a unit change in

  18. The Mediating Roles of Primary and Secondary Control in the Relationship between Body Satisfaction and Subjective Well-Being Among Middle-Aged and Older Women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watt, Ashli D; Konnert, Candace A; Speirs, Calandra E C

    2017-07-01

    This study examined primary and secondary control as mediators in the relationship between body satisfaction and subjective well-being (SWB) and explored age differences in the mediation model. Data from 362 women, aged 40-91 years, assessed (i) the relationships between body satisfaction, age, primary and secondary control strategies (body-specific social comparison, acceptance, and positive reappraisal), and three indices of SWB (positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction), (ii) the mediation effects of primary and secondary control on the relationship between body satisfaction and SWB, and (iii) whether mediational relationships were moderated by age. Body satisfaction was unrelated to age but positively related to positive affect and life satisfaction and negatively related to negative affect. Body satisfaction was also related to primary and secondary control strategies. There were significant indirect (mediated) effects of body satisfaction on all outcome variables through acceptance and positive reappraisal. These mediators were significant at all age levels, but exerted their strongest influence among younger women. This study provides new information about the mechanisms that influence the relationship between body satisfaction and SWB among a broad age range of women who are experiencing physical changes that are inconsistent with Western beauty standards. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  19. Evidence-Based Communication Practices for Children with Visual Impairments and Additional Disabilities: An Examination of Single-Subject Design Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parker, Amy T.; Grimmett, Eric S.; Summers, Sharon

    2008-01-01

    This review examines practices for building effective communication strategies for children with visual impairments, including those with additional disabilities, that have been tested by single-subject design methodology. The authors found 30 studies that met the search criteria and grouped intervention strategies to align any evidence of the…

  20. Noise in secondary electron emission: the low yield case

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Frank, Luděk

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 54, č. 4 (2005), s. 361-365 ISSN 0022-0744 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA1065304 Keywords : secondary electrons * noise * SEM image noise * secondary emission noise * statistics of secondary electrons * non-Poisson factor Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 0.720, year: 2005

  1. [Application of single-retainer all-ceramic resin-bonded fixed partial denture in replacing single anterior tooth].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lili, Yang; Debiao, Du; Ruoyu, Ning; Deying, Chen; Junling, Wu

    2017-08-01

    Objective In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical effect of single-retainer all-ceramic resin-bonded fixed partial denture (RBFPD) on the single anterior tooth loss patients. Methods A total of 20 single-retainer all-ceramic RBFPD
were fabricated and evaluated in a two-year follow-up observation. The restorations were examined on the basis of the American Public Health Association (APHA) criteria. Results A total of 20 single-retainer all-ceramic RBFPD achieved class A evaluation after a six-month follow-up observation. One single-retainer all-ceramic RBFPD was classified as class B for secondary caries after a one-year follow-up observation. After a two-year follow-up observation, one single-retainer all-ceramic RBFPD was classified as class B because of secondary caries, and one single-retainer all-ceramic RBFPD was classified as class B because of fracture. Conclusion Single-retainer all-ceramic RBFPD is a promising and optional method in replacing single anterior tooth.

  2. Comparative Analyses of the Teaching Methods and Evaluation Practices in English Subject at Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and General Certificate of Education (GCE O-Level) in Pakistan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behlol, Malik Ghulam; Anwar, Mohammad

    2011-01-01

    The study was conducted to compare the teaching methods and evaluation practices in English subject at secondary school certificate (SSC) and general certificate of education GCE-O-level in Pakistan. The population of the study was students, teachers and experts at SSC and 0-level in the Punjab province. Purposive and random sampling techniques…

  3. The Implementation of the Creative Arts Curriculum in Secondary ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper focuses on the status of the implementation of the creative arts curriculum at the secondary school level. The New National Policy on Education recognized the creative Arts as core subjects at the junior secondary school level, but at the senior secondary school level, they are optional. With very good laid down ...

  4. 'You'll See That Everywhere': Institutional Isomorphism in Secondary School Subject Departments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puttick, Steven

    2017-01-01

    This paper asks why spatially separated school departments might exhibit, in different ways, very similar practices. Data from an ethnographic study of three secondary school geography departments in England are discussed through a concept of "isomorphism" (homogenising forces), drawn from neo-institutional theory. Similarities across…

  5. Development of methods to predict both the dynamic and the pseudo-static response of secondary structures subjected to seismic excitations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Subudhi, M.; Bezler, P.

    1984-01-01

    Multiple independent support excitation time history formulations have been used to investigate simplified methods to predict the inertial (or dynamic) component of response as well as the pseudo-static (or static) component of response of secondary structures subjected to seismic excitations. For the dynamic component the independent response spectrum method is used with current industry practice for the modal and direction of excitation combinations being adopted and various procedures for the group combination and sequence being investigated. SRSS combination between support groups is found to yield satisfactory results. For the static component, support grouping by elevation for preliminary design followed by support grouping by attachment point for final design assure overall safety in the design

  6. Reflection after teaching a lesson: Experiences of secondary school science teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halstead, Melissa A.

    Secondary science teachers spend most of their time planning, collaborating, and teaching, but spend little time reflecting after teaching a single lesson. The theoretical framework of the adult learning theory and the transformative learning theory was the basis of this study. This qualitative research study was conducted to understand the reflective experiences of secondary science educators after teaching a single or several lessons. The collection of data consisted of interviews from a group of purposefully selected secondary science teachers who met the criteria set forth by the researcher. Through a qualitative analysis of interviews and field notes, the researcher determined that the secondary science teachers in this study shared similar as well as different experiences regarding collaborative and individual reflection after teaching a single or several lessons. The findings from this study also suggested that secondary science educators prefer to collaboratively reflect and then reflect alone to allow for further thought. Additionally, a supportive school culture increases the secondary science teacher’s desire to engage in collaborative as well as individual reflection. The information from this study could be used to close the gaps that exist in the teacher professional development programs.

  7. Examining Practice in Secondary Visual Arts Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Donna Mathewson

    2015-01-01

    Teaching in secondary visual arts classrooms is complex and challenging work. While it is implicated in much research, the complexity of the lived experience of secondary visual arts teaching has rarely been the subject of sustained and synthesized research. In this paper, the potential of practice as a concept to examine and represent secondary…

  8. N-of-1-pathways MixEnrich: advancing precision medicine via single-subject analysis in discovering dynamic changes of transcriptomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Qike; Schissler, A Grant; Gardeux, Vincent; Achour, Ikbel; Kenost, Colleen; Berghout, Joanne; Li, Haiquan; Zhang, Hao Helen; Lussier, Yves A

    2017-05-24

    Transcriptome analytic tools are commonly used across patient cohorts to develop drugs and predict clinical outcomes. However, as precision medicine pursues more accurate and individualized treatment decisions, these methods are not designed to address single-patient transcriptome analyses. We previously developed and validated the N-of-1-pathways framework using two methods, Wilcoxon and Mahalanobis Distance (MD), for personal transcriptome analysis derived from a pair of samples of a single patient. Although, both methods uncover concordantly dysregulated pathways, they are not designed to detect dysregulated pathways with up- and down-regulated genes (bidirectional dysregulation) that are ubiquitous in biological systems. We developed N-of-1-pathways MixEnrich, a mixture model followed by a gene set enrichment test, to uncover bidirectional and concordantly dysregulated pathways one patient at a time. We assess its accuracy in a comprehensive simulation study and in a RNA-Seq data analysis of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). In presence of bidirectionally dysregulated genes in the pathway or in presence of high background noise, MixEnrich substantially outperforms previous single-subject transcriptome analysis methods, both in the simulation study and the HNSCCs data analysis (ROC Curves; higher true positive rates; lower false positive rates). Bidirectional and concordant dysregulated pathways uncovered by MixEnrich in each patient largely overlapped with the quasi-gold standard compared to other single-subject and cohort-based transcriptome analyses. The greater performance of MixEnrich presents an advantage over previous methods to meet the promise of providing accurate personal transcriptome analysis to support precision medicine at point of care.

  9. Optimum design of a Lanchester damper for a viscously damped single degree of freedom system subjected to inertial excitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bapat, V. A.; Prabhu, P.

    1980-11-01

    The problem of designing an optimum Lanchester damper for a viscously damped single degree of freedom system subjected to inertial harmonic excitation is investigated. Two criteria are used for optimizing the performance of the damper: (i) minimum motion transmissibility; (ii) minimum force transmissibility. Explicit expressions are developed for determining the absorber parameters.

  10. Single Low Dose Primaquine (0.25 mg/kg Does Not Cause Clinically Significant Haemolysis in G6PD Deficient Subjects.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Germana Bancone

    Full Text Available Primaquine is the only drug consistently effective against mature gametocytes of Plasmodium falciparum. The transmission blocking dose of primaquine previously recommended was 0.75 mg/kg (adult dose 45 mg but its deployment was limited because of concerns over haemolytic effects in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD deficiency. G6PD deficiency is an inherited X-linked enzymatic defect that affects an estimated 400 million people around the world with high frequencies (15-20% in populations living in malarious areas. To reduce transmission in low transmission settings and facilitate elimination of P. falciparum, the World Health Organization now recommends adding a single dose of 0.25 mg/kg (adult dose 15 mg to Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs without G6PD testing. Direct evidence of the safety of this low dose is lacking. Adverse events and haemoglobin variations after this treatment were assessed in both G6PD normal and deficient subjects in the context of targeted malaria elimination in a malaria endemic area on the North-Western Myanmar-Thailand border where prevalence of G6PD deficiency (Mahidol variant approximates 15%.The tolerability and safety of primaquine (single dose 0.25 mg base/kg combined with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHA-PPQ given three times at monthly intervals was assessed in 819 subjects. Haemoglobin concentrations were estimated over the six months preceding the ACT + primaquine rounds of mass drug administration. G6PD deficiency was assessed with a phenotypic test and genotyping was performed in male subjects with deficient phenotypes and in all females. Fractional haemoglobin changes in relation to G6PD phenotype and genotype and primaquine round were assessed using linear mixed-effects models. No adverse events related to primaquine were reported during the trial. Mean fractional haemoglobin changes after each primaquine treatment in G6PD deficient subjects (-5.0%, -4.2% and -4

  11. The effect of a motor-based, social skills intervention for adolescents with high-functioning autism: two single-subject design cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gutman, Sharon A; Raphael, Emily I; Ceder, Leila M; Khan, Arshi; Timp, Katherine M; Salvant, Sabrina

    2010-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of a motor-based, social skills intervention for two adolescents with high-functioning autism (HFA) using single-subject design. A description of the intervention is provided as a first step in the manualization process. The intervention was provided as a 7-week after-school program, once weekly to the paired participants. Intervention consisted of role-play methods in which motor behaviours were linked with their cognitive and emotional meanings. Baseline, intervention and 3-month probe data collection periods were carried out and then compared using visual inspection of graphed data, paired t-tests and a three-standard-deviation-band approach. Both participants displayed a statistically significant increase in targeted social skills behaviours from baseline to intervention and maintained this level at a 3-month post-intervention probe. These single-subject design cases illustrate that motor-based, social skills interventions may be effective for adolescents with HFA and warrant further testing. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  12. Students’ Perception of the Availability and Utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT in the Teaching and Learning of Science Subjects in Secondary Schools in Ekiti State, Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jegede Samuel Akingbade

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The study investigated students’ perception of the availability and utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT in the teaching and learning of science subjects in secondary schools in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The population of the study was made up of all secondary school students in public and private secondary schools in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The sample was 400 students selected from both public and private secondary schools in the state using the multi-stage sampling. The only instrument used in collecting relevant data for the study was a questionnaire consisting of two sections A and B. Section A consisted of personal biodata of the respondents, while section B consisted of 22 items which elicited information on the application of ICT in schools for learning science. Four research questions were raised and two hypotheses tested. Data collected were analysed using frequency counts and percentages as well as inferential statistics of t-test. The results showed that apart from the computer, which is available in most schools, the other identified ICT equipment were not available. The findings also showed that there is no significant difference in the availability of ICT facilities in public and private secondary schools, and that students in private schools are more exposed to ICT than their counterparts in public schools.

  13. Stimulus-Dominance Effects and Lateral Asymmetries for Language in Normal Subjects and in Patients with a Single Functional Hemisphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Stefano, Marirosa; Marano, Elena; Viti, Marzia

    2004-01-01

    The assessment of language laterality by the dichotic fused-words test may be impaired by interference effects revealed by the dominant report of one member of the stimuli-pair. Stimulus-dominance and ear asymmetry were evaluated in normal population (48 subjects of both sex and handedness) and in 2 patients with a single functional hemisphere.…

  14. A randomized, single-blind, single-dose study evaluating the pharmacokinetic equivalence of proposed biosimilar ABP 980 and trastuzumab in healthy male subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanes, Vladimir; Chow, Vincent; Zhang, Nan; Markus, Richard

    2017-05-01

    This study compared the pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles of the proposed biosimilar ABP 980 and trastuzumab in healthy males. In this single-blind study, 157 healthy males were randomized 1:1:1 to a single 6 mg/kg intravenous infusion of ABP 980, FDA-licensed trastuzumab [trastuzumab (US)], or EU-authorized trastuzumab [trastuzumab (EU)]. Primary endpoints were area under the serum concentration-time curve from time 0 to infinity (AUC inf ) and maximum observed serum concentration (C max ). To establish equivalence, the geometric mean ratio (GMR) and 90% confidence interval (CI) for C max and AUC inf had to be within the equivalence criteria of 0.80-1.25. The GMRs and 90% CIs for C max and AUC inf , respectively, were: 1.04 (0.99-1.08) and 1.06 (1.00-1.12) for ABP 980 versus trastuzumab (US); 0.99 (0.95-1.03) and 1.00 (0.95-1.06) for ABP 980 versus trastuzumab (EU); and 0.96 (0.92-1.00) and 0.95 (0.90-1.01) for trastuzumab (US) versus trastuzumab (EU). All comparisons were within the equivalence criteria of 0.80-1.25. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were reported in 84.0, 75.0, and 78.2 of subjects in the ABP 980, trastuzumab (US), and trastuzumab (EU) groups, respectively. There were no deaths or TEAEs leading to study discontinuation and no binding or neutralizing anti-drug anti-bodies were detected. This study demonstrated the PK similarity of ABP 980 to both trastuzumab (US) and trastuzumab (EU), and of trastuzumab (US) to trastuzumab (EU). No differences in safety and tolerability between treatments were noted; no subject tested positive for binding anti-bodies.

  15. The Professional Learning Experiences of Non-Mathematics Subject Specialist Teachers: A Descriptive Study

    OpenAIRE

    Ho Younghusband, Alice Christine

    2017-01-01

    Certified teachers in British Columbia (BC) schools can be assigned to teach secondary mathematics without having a major, minor, or formal background in mathematics. This is known as out-of-field teaching. These non-mathematics subject specialist teachers (NMSSTs) must learn or relearn the subject matter of mathematics to teach secondary mathematics. This study investigates what professional learning activities NMSSTs participate in to gain subject matter content knowledge in mathematics, wh...

  16. Summarizing primary and secondary effects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Karlson, Kristian Bernt

    2013-01-01

    Current methods for decomposing class differentials in educational decisions into primary and secondary effects produce many parameters, rendering them ill-equipped for parsimonious comparisons across countries or birth cohorts. This paper develops a parametric method that provides an optimal...... summary of primary and secondary effects across discrete class origins. Under the testable assumption that the pattern of effects of class origins on academic ability is proportional to the pattern of effects of class origins on educational choice net of academic ability, the method returns a single...

  17. The Role of Migration and Single Motherhood in Upper Secondary Education in Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Creighton, Mathew J.; Park, Hyunjoon; Teruel, Graciela M.

    2009-01-01

    We investigated the link between migration, family structure, and the risk of dropping out of upper secondary school in Mexico. Using two waves of the Mexican Family Life Survey, which includes 1,080 upper secondary students, we longitudinally modeled the role of family structure in the subsequent risk of dropping out, focusing on the role of…

  18. A Study of Secondary School Students' Academic Performance at ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study assessed and investigated the academic performance of secondary school students in two principal subjects (English Language and. Mathematics) at the Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) in ten secondary schools typical of urban and rural locations in five randomised. Local Government Areas of ...

  19. Working at a Different Level? Curriculum Differentiation in Irish Lower Secondary Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smyth, Emer

    2018-01-01

    Young people in Irish schools are required to choose whether to sit secondary exam subjects at higher or ordinary level. This paper draws on a mixed methods longitudinal study of students in 12 case-study schools to trace the factors influencing take-up of higher level subjects within lower secondary education. School organisation and process are…

  20. Simplified Hybrid-Secondary Uncluttered Machine And Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, John S [Oak Ridge, TN

    2005-05-10

    An electric machine (40, 40') has a stator (43) and a rotor (46) and a primary air gap (48) has secondary coils (47c, 47d) separated from the rotor (46) by a secondary air gap (49) so as to induce a slip current in the secondary coils (47c, 47d). The rotor (46, 76) has magnetic brushes (A, B, C, D) or wires (80) which couple flux in through the rotor (46) to the secondary coils (47c, 47d) without inducing a current in the rotor (46) and without coupling a stator rotational energy component to the secondary coils (47c, 47d). The machine can be operated as a motor or a generator in multi-phase or single-phase embodiments. A method of providing a slip energy controller is also disclosed.

  1. What happens if you single out? An experiment

    OpenAIRE

    Galeotti, Fabio; Zizzo, Daniel John

    2014-01-01

    We present an experiment investigating the effects of singling out an individual on trust and trustworthiness. We find that (a) trustworthiness falls if there is a singled out subject; (b) non-singled out subjects discriminate against the singled out subject when they are not responsible of the distinct status of this person; (c) under a negative frame, the singled out subject returns significantly less; (d) under a positive frame, the singled out subject behaves bimodally, either selecting v...

  2. Secondary metabolites from Ganoderma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baby, Sabulal; Johnson, Anil John; Govindan, Balaji

    2015-06-01

    Ganoderma is a genus of medicinal mushrooms. This review deals with secondary metabolites isolated from Ganoderma and their biological significance. Phytochemical studies over the last 40years led to the isolation of 431 secondary metabolites from various Ganoderma species. The major secondary compounds isolated are (a) C30 lanostanes (ganoderic acids), (b) C30 lanostanes (aldehydes, alcohols, esters, glycosides, lactones, ketones), (c) C27 lanostanes (lucidenic acids), (d) C27 lanostanes (alcohols, lactones, esters), (e) C24, C25 lanostanes (f) C30 pentacyclic triterpenes, (g) meroterpenoids, (h) farnesyl hydroquinones (meroterpenoids), (i) C15 sesquiterpenoids, (j) steroids, (k) alkaloids, (l) prenyl hydroquinone (m) benzofurans, (n) benzopyran-4-one derivatives and (o) benzenoid derivatives. Ganoderma lucidum is the species extensively studied for its secondary metabolites and biological activities. Ganoderma applanatum, Ganoderma colossum, Ganoderma sinense, Ganoderma cochlear, Ganoderma tsugae, Ganoderma amboinense, Ganoderma orbiforme, Ganoderma resinaceum, Ganoderma hainanense, Ganoderma concinna, Ganoderma pfeifferi, Ganoderma neo-japonicum, Ganoderma tropicum, Ganoderma australe, Ganoderma carnosum, Ganoderma fornicatum, Ganoderma lipsiense (synonym G. applanatum), Ganoderma mastoporum, Ganoderma theaecolum, Ganoderma boninense, Ganoderma capense and Ganoderma annulare are the other Ganoderma species subjected to phytochemical studies. Further phytochemical studies on Ganoderma could lead to the discovery of hitherto unknown biologically active secondary metabolites. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Predicting Thermal Behavior of Secondary Organic Aerosols

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Volume concentrations of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) are measured in 139 steady-state, single precursor hydrocarbon oxidation experiments after passing through a...

  4. Effects of a single, oral 60 mg caffeine dose on attention in healthy adult subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilhelmus, Micha Mm; Hay, Justin L; Zuiker, Rob Gja; Okkerse, Pieter; Perdrieu, Christelle; Sauser, Julien; Beaumont, Maurice; Schmitt, Jeroen; van Gerven, Joop Ma; Silber, Beata Y

    2017-02-01

    Caffeine induces positive effects on sustained attention, although studies assessing the acute effects of low caffeine dose (caffeine on sustained attention in tests lasting up to 45 minutes using 82 low or non-caffeine-consuming healthy male ( n=41) and female ( n=41) adults aged between 40 and 60 years. Vigilance was measured using Mackworth Clock test, Rapid Visual Information Processing Test, adaptive tracking test, saccadic eye movement and attention switch test. Effects on mood and fatigue were analysed using Bond and Lader and Caffeine Research visual analogue scales, and Samn-Perelli questionnaire. Saliva sampling was performed for both compliance and caffeine pharmacokinetic analysis. Administration of a 60 mg caffeine dose resulted in a significant improvement in sustained attention compared with the placebo. Also a significantly improved peak saccadic velocity and reaction time performance was found, and decreased error rate. Significantly increased feelings of alertness, contentment and overall mood after caffeine treatment compared with placebo were observed. This study demonstrated that in healthy adult subjects oral administration of a single 60 mg caffeine dose elicited a clear enhancement of sustained attention and alertness, measured both in multiple objective performances and in subjective scales.

  5. Inhalation of a dry powder ciprofloxacin formulation in healthy subjects: a phase I study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stass, Heino; Nagelschmitz, Johannes; Willmann, Stefan; Delesen, Heinz; Gupta, Abhishek; Baumann, Sybille

    2013-06-01

    Oral and intravenous formulations of ciprofloxacin have established efficacy and safety profiles in respiratory infections. A dry powder for inhalation (DPI) that uses Novartis' PulmoSphere™ technology has been developed to deliver high concentrations of ciprofloxacin to the lung with low systemic exposure using a portable and convenient passive dry powder inhaler (Novartis' T-326 inhaler). The primary objective was to investigate the safety and tolerability of ciprofloxacin DPI in healthy male subjects, with a secondary objective to investigate the pharmacokinetics of ciprofloxacin after ciprofloxacin DPI administration. This was a phase I, single-dose, single-site, randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study conducted in the hospital setting. Subjects were followed up for safety for approximately 2 weeks. Six healthy male subjects, aged 27-42 years with no history of pulmonary disease, repeated bronchitis or respiratory allergies were enrolled. In randomized order and separated by a 1-week washout period, subjects inhaled a single dose of ciprofloxacin DPI 32.5 mg or placebo from the T-326 inhaler. Primary safety parameters included vital signs, electrocardiogram, laboratory tests, adverse events and lung function (total specific resistance, thoracic gas volume and forced expiratory volume in 1 s). Plasma concentration-time data were used to calculate pharmacokinetic parameters. Ciprofloxacin DPI was well tolerated with no clinically relevant adverse effects on lung function. Estimates of lung deposition derived from physiology-based pharmacokinetic modelling suggest that approximately 40 % of the total dose of ciprofloxacin DPI reached the trachea/bronchi and alveolar space. Systemic ciprofloxacin was detected soon after inhalation [peak concentration in plasma (C(max)) 56.42 μg/L, median time to C max 0.625 h], but total systemic exposure was minimal (area under the plasma concentration-time curve 354.4 μg·h/L). Terminal elimination half

  6. Intracortical excitability in patients with relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conte, A; Lenzi, D; Frasca, V; Gilio, F; Giacomelli, E; Gabriele, M; Bettolo, C Marini; Iacovelli, E; Pantano, P; Pozzilli, C; Inghilleri, M

    2009-06-01

    We designed this study to investigate possible correlations between variables measuring primary motor cortex excitability detected by single and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and the severity of clinical manifestations in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Thirty patients with MS in remission, 16 with relapsing-remitting (RR), 14 with secondary progressive disease (SP) and 17 healthy subjects participated in the study. In each subject, the central motor conduction time (CMCT) was calculated, and single-pulse and paired-pulse TMS at 3 and 10 ms interstimulus intervals was delivered over the primary motor cortex of the dominant hemisphere to measure the amplitude of motor-evoked potentials (MEPs), motor threshold (MTh), intracortical inhibition (ICI) and facilitation (ICF). Correlations were determined between the patients' TMS findings and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (lesion load) and clinical features (expanded disability status scale, EDSS score). EDSS scores were significantly higher in SPMS than in RRMS patients. The MTh was significantly higher, and the MEP was significantly smaller in SPMS patients than in RRMS patients and control subjects. All patients had longer CMCTs than healthy subjects. In all patients, paired-pulse TMS elicited an inhibited test MEP at the 3-ms ISI and a facilitated test MEP at the 10 ms ISI. Post hoc analysis showed that ICI was significantly lower in SPMS patients than in those with RRMS and healthy subjects. EDSS scores correlated significantly with TMS measures (MEP, ICI, CMCT and MTh), but not with MRI lesion load. It was found that intracortical excitability as measured with TMS differs according to the clinical course of MS; it remains normal in patients with low EDSS scores and is altered in patients with high EDSS scores.

  7. Pharmacokinetics After Single Ascending Dose, Food Effect, and Safety of Sacubitril/Valsartan (LCZ696), an Angiotensin Receptor and Neprilysin Inhibitor, in Healthy Japanese Subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akahori, Mizuki; Ayalasomayajula, Surya; Langenickel, Thomas; Pal, Parasar; Zhou, Wei; Sunkara, Gangadhar

    2017-06-01

    LCZ696 (sacubitril/valsartan) is a novel angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) that has been developed for treatment of heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction and approved in the US, Europe, and many other countries. This randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted in healthy Japanese male subjects (N = 50) to assess the pharmacokinetics and safety of single ascending oral doses (20-600 mg) of LCZ696. Food effect was also evaluated following administration of 200 mg dose. Plasma and urine samples from 40 subjects receiving LCZ696 were collected to assess pharmacokinetics of LCZ696 analytes (sacubitril, sacubitrilat, and valsartan). Following single oral dose administration of LCZ696, sacubitril and valsartan rapidly appeared in systemic circulation with a dose-linear increase in the exposure to the LCZ696 analytes. Of the administered dose, approximately 0.85 %, 54.0 %, and 8.19 % of sacubitril, sacubitrilat, and valsartan, respectively, were recovered in urine. Food reduced AUC of sacubitril, sacubitrilat, and valsartan by 21, 8, and 40 %, respectively, and C max by 72, 27, and 51 %, respectively. Single oral doses of up to 600 mg of LCZ696 were safe and generally well tolerated in healthy Japanese male subjects.

  8. Evidence of pervasive biologically functional secondary structures within the genomes of eukaryotic single-stranded DNA viruses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muhire, Brejnev Muhizi; Golden, Michael; Murrell, Ben; Lefeuvre, Pierre; Lett, Jean-Michel; Gray, Alistair; Poon, Art Y F; Ngandu, Nobubelo Kwanele; Semegni, Yves; Tanov, Emil Pavlov; Monjane, Adérito Luis; Harkins, Gordon William; Varsani, Arvind; Shepherd, Dionne Natalie; Martin, Darren Patrick

    2014-02-01

    Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses have genomes that are potentially capable of forming complex secondary structures through Watson-Crick base pairing between their constituent nucleotides. A few of the structural elements formed by such base pairings are, in fact, known to have important functions during the replication of many ssDNA viruses. Unknown, however, are (i) whether numerous additional ssDNA virus genomic structural elements predicted to exist by computational DNA folding methods actually exist and (ii) whether those structures that do exist have any biological relevance. We therefore computationally inferred lists of the most evolutionarily conserved structures within a diverse selection of animal- and plant-infecting ssDNA viruses drawn from the families Circoviridae, Anelloviridae, Parvoviridae, Nanoviridae, and Geminiviridae and analyzed these for evidence of natural selection favoring the maintenance of these structures. While we find evidence that is consistent with purifying selection being stronger at nucleotide sites that are predicted to be base paired than at sites predicted to be unpaired, we also find strong associations between sites that are predicted to pair with one another and site pairs that are apparently coevolving in a complementary fashion. Collectively, these results indicate that natural selection actively preserves much of the pervasive secondary structure that is evident within eukaryote-infecting ssDNA virus genomes and, therefore, that much of this structure is biologically functional. Lastly, we provide examples of various highly conserved but completely uncharacterized structural elements that likely have important functions within some of the ssDNA virus genomes analyzed here.

  9. High patient satisfaction after secondary rhinoplasty in cleft lip patients

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hens, Greet; Picavet, Valerie A.; Poorten, Vincent Vander; Schoenaers, Joseph; Jorissen, Mark; Hellings, Peter W.

    2011-01-01

    We surveyed the subjective outcome of secondary rhinoplasty in cleft lip patients. Questionnaires were sent to 38 patients who had undergone a secondary rhinoplasty. A total of 30 questionnaires were returned and analyzed. Patients were asked to score their preoperative and postoperative nasal

  10. Image quality and radiation dose of single heartbeat 640-slice coronary CT angiography: A comparison between patients with chronic Atrial Fibrillation and subjects in normal sinus rhythm by propensity analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Di Cesare, Ernesto, E-mail: ernesto.dicesare@cc.univaq.it [Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Radiotherapy, Laboratory of Radiobiology, University of L’Aquila (Italy); Gennarelli, Antonio; Di Sibio, Alessandra; Felli, Valentina; Splendiani, Alessandra [Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Radiology, Laboratory of Radiobiology, University of L’Aquila (Italy); Gravina, Giovanni Luca [Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Radiotherapy, Laboratory of Radiobiology, University of L’Aquila (Italy); Masciocchi, Carlo [Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Radiology, Laboratory of Radiobiology, University of L’Aquila (Italy)

    2015-04-15

    Highlights: •Atrial Fibrillation (AF) may affect CCTA image quality. •We compare the results of single heartbeat CCTA in subjects with chronic AF and in sinus rhythm. •Single heartbeat CCTA may be feasible also in subjects with cAF and HR <72 bpm. •In cAF patients with heart rate higher than 72 bpm, CCTA has more movement-associated artefacts. •Mean effective dose of single heartbeat CCTA in cAF group was higher than in sinus rhythm one. -- Abstract: Objectives: To evaluate image quality and radiation dose of single heartbeat 640-slice coronary CT angiography (CCTA) in patients with chronic Atrial Fibrillation (cAF) in comparison with subjects in normal sinus rhythm. Methods: A cohort of 71 patients with cAF was matched with 71 subjects in normal sinus rhythm (NSR) and HR ≤ 65 bpm using a matched by propensity analysis. All subjects underwent a single heartbeat CCTA with prospective gating. In subjects with cAF, we manually established the acquisition of data only from a single heartbeat. Mean effective dose and image quality, with both objective and subjective measures, were assessed. Results: 96.4% of all segments in the cAF group had diagnostic image quality. The rate of subjects with at least one non-diagnostic segment was 14% and 2.8% (p = 0.031) in the cAF and NRS groups, respectively. In the cAF group, the percentage of patients with at least one non-diagnostic segment for acquisition HR ≤ 72 was 1.8% (1/55), and it did not significantly differ from the NSR group (2.8%; 2/71) (p = 1.0). Objective quality parameters did not show a statistically significant difference between the two groups. The mean effective dose was 4.24 ± 1.24 mSv in the cAF group and 2.67 ± 0.5 mSv in the sinus rhythm group (p < 0.0001) with an increase by 59% in the cAF group with respect to the SNR group. Conclusions: A single heartbeat acquisition protocol with a 640-slice prospectively ECG-triggered CT angiography may be feasible in patients with cAF and HR below 72

  11. Image quality and radiation dose of single heartbeat 640-slice coronary CT angiography: A comparison between patients with chronic Atrial Fibrillation and subjects in normal sinus rhythm by propensity analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Di Cesare, Ernesto; Gennarelli, Antonio; Di Sibio, Alessandra; Felli, Valentina; Splendiani, Alessandra; Gravina, Giovanni Luca; Masciocchi, Carlo

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: •Atrial Fibrillation (AF) may affect CCTA image quality. •We compare the results of single heartbeat CCTA in subjects with chronic AF and in sinus rhythm. •Single heartbeat CCTA may be feasible also in subjects with cAF and HR <72 bpm. •In cAF patients with heart rate higher than 72 bpm, CCTA has more movement-associated artefacts. •Mean effective dose of single heartbeat CCTA in cAF group was higher than in sinus rhythm one. -- Abstract: Objectives: To evaluate image quality and radiation dose of single heartbeat 640-slice coronary CT angiography (CCTA) in patients with chronic Atrial Fibrillation (cAF) in comparison with subjects in normal sinus rhythm. Methods: A cohort of 71 patients with cAF was matched with 71 subjects in normal sinus rhythm (NSR) and HR ≤ 65 bpm using a matched by propensity analysis. All subjects underwent a single heartbeat CCTA with prospective gating. In subjects with cAF, we manually established the acquisition of data only from a single heartbeat. Mean effective dose and image quality, with both objective and subjective measures, were assessed. Results: 96.4% of all segments in the cAF group had diagnostic image quality. The rate of subjects with at least one non-diagnostic segment was 14% and 2.8% (p = 0.031) in the cAF and NRS groups, respectively. In the cAF group, the percentage of patients with at least one non-diagnostic segment for acquisition HR ≤ 72 was 1.8% (1/55), and it did not significantly differ from the NSR group (2.8%; 2/71) (p = 1.0). Objective quality parameters did not show a statistically significant difference between the two groups. The mean effective dose was 4.24 ± 1.24 mSv in the cAF group and 2.67 ± 0.5 mSv in the sinus rhythm group (p < 0.0001) with an increase by 59% in the cAF group with respect to the SNR group. Conclusions: A single heartbeat acquisition protocol with a 640-slice prospectively ECG-triggered CT angiography may be feasible in patients with cAF and HR below 72

  12. Subject Orientation of Teaching and Academic Subjects in the Context of Different Didactic Approaches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. M. Osmolovskaya

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper is devoted to the research findings concerning the didactic characteristics and means of subject-oriented teaching. The research question includes the content of the general secondary education regarded as the design object. The process of selecting and structuring materials is reviewed from the theoretical standpoint, and the attempt is made to identify the ways of selecting materials for students’ learning from the social experience reflected in culture. The author introduces the concept of subject-orientation as a tool providing pedagogic adaptation of social experience in the process of teaching content development. Subject-oriented teaching is defined in the context of traditional knowledge, as well as the competence and student-oriented didac- tic approaches; the forms and means of its realization being indicated providing the new ways for introducing and understanding the educational subject. The research results can be used by the specialists in didactic, curricula developers, authors of textbooks in various subjects

  13. Dual control by a single gene of secondary sexual characters and mating preferences in medaka

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oda Shoji

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Animals utilize a wide variety of tactics to attract reproductive partners. Behavioral experiments often indicate an important role for visual cues in fish, but their molecular basis remains almost entirely unknown. Studies on model species (such as zebrafish and medaka allow investigations into this fundamental question in behavioral and evolutionary biology. Results Through mate-choice experiences using several laboratory strains of various body colors, we successfully identified one medaka mutant (color interfere; ci that is distinctly unattractive to reproductive partners. This unattractiveness seems to be due to reduced orange pigment cells (xanthophores in the skin. The ci strain carries a mutation on the somatolactin alpha (SLa gene, therefore we expected over-expression of SLa to make medaka hyper-attractive. Indeed, extremely strong mating preferences were detected in a choice between the ci and SLa-transgenic (Actb-SLa:GFP medaka. Intriguingly, however, the strains showed opposite biases; that is, the mutant and transgenic medaka liked to mate with partners from their own strain, similar to becoming sexually isolated. Conclusion This study spotlighted SLa as a novel mate-choice gene in fish. In addition, these results are the first demonstration of a single gene that can pleiotropically and harmoniously change both secondary sexual characters and mating preferences. Although theoretical models have long suggested joint evolution of linked genes on a chromosome, a mutation on a gene-regulatory region (that is, switching on/off of a single gene might be sufficient to trigger two 'runaway' processes in different directions to promote (sympatric speciation.

  14. Subject Retrieval from Full-Text Databases in the Humanities

    Science.gov (United States)

    East, John W.

    2007-01-01

    This paper examines the problems involved in subject retrieval from full-text databases of secondary materials in the humanities. Ten such databases were studied and their search functionality evaluated, focusing on factors such as Boolean operators, document surrogates, limiting by subject area, proximity operators, phrase searching, wildcards,…

  15. Study Habits and Academic Achievement in Core Subjects among Junior Secondary School Students in Ondo State, Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J.T.B. Oluwatimilehin

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available This article investigates of the relationship between study habits and students’ academic achievement in core subjects at the junior secondary school level. The aim was to determine the relationship between various aspects of study habits including homework and assignments, time allocation, reading and note taking, study period procedures, concentration, written work, examination and teacher consultation and students’ achievement in English language, Mathematics, Integrated Science and Art. This was meant to provide clearer understanding of the phenomenon. The descriptive research design of an ex post facto approach was used in the study. A sample of 300 JS2 students was drawn using simple random sampling technique. A major hypothesis was raised leading to the application of correlation and stepwise linear regression analysis. Findings reveal that of all the study habits’ subscales, ‘teacher consultation’ was most influential while the ‘time allocation’ exercise, concentration, no taking reading and assignments were regarded as less integral to students’ academic performances. Therefore, regular counseling services to train students on study skills strategies were advocated in order to boost their study habit and enhance their academic achievement.

  16. Thermophysical Properties of Aqueous Solutions Used as Secondary Working Fluids

    OpenAIRE

    Melinder, Åke

    2007-01-01

    Secondary working fluids (secondary refrigerants, heat transfer fluids, antifreezes, brines) have long been used in various indirect re-frigeration and heat pump systems. Aqueous solutions (water solu-tions) have long been used as single phase (liquid only) secondary working fluids for cooling in supermarkets, ice rinks, heat recovery systems, heat pumps and other applications. However, aqueous solutions are increasingly used also for freezers in supermarkets and other applications in low tem...

  17. Glucose counterregulation in diabetes secondary to chronic pancreatitis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, S; Hilsted, J; Philipsen, E K

    1990-01-01

    Glucose counterregulation and hormonal responses after insulin-induced hypoglycemia were investigated in six patients with diabetes mellitus secondary to chronic pancreatitis, in seven with insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes mellitus, and in seven healthy subjects. Glucose counterregulation...... was identical in type I patients and in the patients with chronic pancreatitis, whereas both groups had impaired glucose recovery compared with the healthy subjects. The patients with chronic pancreatitis had no glucagon response to hypoglycemia, whereas epinephrine increased significantly. In an additional...... experiment, glucose recovery did not occur after hypoglycemia during concomitant beta-adrenoceptor blockade in these patients. In conclusion, glucose counterregulation is preserved but slightly impaired in patients with diabetes secondary to chronic pancreatitis, and the combination of total glucagon...

  18. 75 FR 9247 - Single Family Mortgage Insurance Premium, Single Family

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT [Docket No. FR-5376-N-13] Single Family Mortgage Insurance Premium, Single Family AGENCY: Office of the Chief Information Officer, HUD. ACTION: Notice... is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal. Lenders use the Single Family Premium...

  19. Computer science in Dutch secondary education: independent or integrated?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Sijde, Peter; Doornekamp, B.G.

    1992-01-01

    Nowadays, in Dutch secondary education, computer science is integrated within school subjects. About ten years ago computer science was considered an independent subject, but in the mid-1980s this idea changed. In our study we investigated whether the objectives of teaching computer science as an

  20. Performance of Single Friction Pendulum bearing for isolated buildings subjected to seismic actions in Vietnam

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, N. V.; Nguyen, C. H.; Hoang, H. P.; Huong, K. T.

    2018-04-01

    Using structural control technology in earthquake resistant design of buildings in Vietnam is very limited. In this paper, a performance evaluation of using Single Friction Pendulum (SFP) bearing for seismically isolated buildings with earthquake conditions in Vietnam is presented. A two-dimensional (2-D) model of the 5-storey building subjected to earthquakes is analyzed in time domain. Accordingly, the model is analyzed for 2 cases: with and without SFP bearing. The ground acceleration data is selected and scaled to suit the design acceleration in Hanoi followed by the Standard TCVN 9386:2012. It is shown that the seismically isolated buildings gets the performance objectives while achieving an 91% reduction in the base shear, a significant decrease in the inter-story drift and absolute acceleration of each story.

  1. THE TEACHING OF GEO SCIENCE IN MALAWI SECONDARY SCHOOLS: The case of the Solar System and beyond

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chasukwa Mwalwenje, Yvonne; Chasukwa, Fidel

    2016-04-01

    Malawi secondary school curriculum has been offering Geo sciences Education since the dawn of independence from the British rule in 1964. Qualified primary and secondary school teachers are responsible for the teaching of Geo sciences. The assumption is that trained teachers are more likely to produce successful students thus making geoscience a successful subject. To make the subject more relevant and captivating to stakeholders, the government revised Geo science curriculum and incorporated other topics. Among additional topic was the solar system that was covered in great detail in secondary school. The solar system is a Geo science concept taught in Geography curriculum from primary school for 8 years and in secondary school for 4 years. Despite the solar system being one of the traditional topics in Malawi school curriculum and Government's effort to revise the curriculum in the interest of learners and improving the pass rate, number of students conversant with the topic has been failing sharply over the years. The disparity between the input in terms of effort to improve familiarity with solar system among learners and the outcomes is of great concern and worth hard investigation to inform education policy and curriculum revision decisions. Based on empirical data collected through qualitative research design, the paper establishes that regardless of imploring such interventions, there are still indicators that students continue to fail in solar system related subjects. Malawi National Examination report (2015) reveals that Geography at Malawi School Certificate Examinations pass rate has been going down ranging from 69.49 to 60.78 per cent from 2009 to 2014. The report advances that lack of instruction materials across the schools have contributed to deteriorating knowledge in solar system education. For instance, the school may have no simple models such as globes that clarify the shape of the earth better. As such, the teacher may improvise by getting an

  2. Predicting Thermal Behavior of Secondary Organic Aerosols

    Science.gov (United States)

    Volume concentrations of steady-state secondary organic aerosol (SOA) were measured in 139 steadystate single precursor hydrocarbon oxidation experiments after passing through a temperature controlled inlet tube. Higher temperatures resulted in greater loss of particle volume, wi...

  3. Temperature measurement and control system for transtibial prostheses: Single subject clinical evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghoseiri, Kamiar; Zheng, Yong Ping; Leung, Aaron K L; Rahgozar, Mehdi; Aminian, Gholamreza; Masoumi, Mehdi; Safari, Mohammad Reza

    2018-01-01

    The snug fit of a prosthetic socket over the residual limb can disturb thermal balance and put skin integrity in jeopardy by providing an unpleasant and infectious environment. The prototype of a temperature measurement and control (TM&C) system was previously introduced to resolve thermal problems related to prostheses. This study evaluates its clinical application in a setting with reversal, single subject design. The TM&C system was installed on a fabricated prosthetic socket of a man with unilateral transtibial amputation. Skin temperature of the residual limb without prosthesis at baseline and with prosthesis during rest and walking was evaluated. The thermal sense and thermal comfort of the participant were also evaluated. The results showed different skin temperature around the residual limb with a temperature decrease tendency from proximal to distal. The TM&C system decreased skin temperature rise after prosthesis wearing. The same situation occurred during walking, but the thermal power of the TM&C system was insufficient to overcome heat build-up in some regions of the residual limb. The participant reported no significant change of thermal sense and thermal comfort. Further investigations are warranted to examine thermography pattern of the residual limb, thermal sense, and thermal comfort in people with amputation.

  4. Effects of listening to pleasant music on chronic unilateral neglect: a single-subject study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Pei-Luen; Chen, Mei-Ching; Huang, Yu-Ting; Lin, Keh-Chung

    2013-01-01

    Recent studies suggest that the positive emotion induced by pleasant music may improve cognitive functions. We used the single-subject design to study whether listening to preferred music may reduce unilateral neglect in two participants with post-stroke neglect. These participants were instructed to listen to their preferred music every day for 5 weeks, followed by 2 weeks of follow-up assessment. Outcome measures involved the Star Cancellation Test, the Line Bisection Test, and the visual exploration task. A combination of visual analysis and the two-standard-deviation band method was used for data analysis. Both participants showed significant intervention-related improvements on all outcome measures except the Line Bisection Test, on which one participant showed no improvement. The therapeutic effects were maintained during the follow-up phase. The findings suggest that positive emotion, evoked by preferred music, may be used to ameliorate unilateral neglect. Further research using controlled trials is warranted to validate the findings.

  5. Experimental gingivitis induces systemic inflammatory markers in young healthy individuals: a single-subject interventional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eberhard, Jörg; Grote, Karsten; Luchtefeld, Maren; Heuer, Wieland; Schuett, Harald; Divchev, Dimitar; Scherer, Ralph; Schmitz-Streit, Ruth; Langfeldt, Daniela; Stumpp, Nico; Staufenbiel, Ingmar; Schieffer, Bernhard; Stiesch, Meike

    2013-01-01

    We here investigated whether experimental gingivitis enhances systemic markers of inflammation which are also known as surrogate markers of atherosclerotic plaque development. Gingivitis is a low-level oral infection induced by bacterial deposits with a high prevalence within Western populations. A potential link between the more severe oral disease periodontitis and cardiovascular disease has already been shown. 37 non-smoking young volunteers with no inflammatory disease or any cardiovascular risk factors participated in this single-subject interventional study with an intra-individual control. Intentionally experimental oral inflammation was induced by the interruption of oral hygiene for 21 days, followed by a 21-days resolving phase after reinitiation of oral hygiene. Primary outcome measures at baseline, day 21 and 42 were concentrations of hsCRP, IL-6, and MCP-1, as well as adhesion capacity and oxLDL uptake of isolated blood monocytes. The partial cessation of oral hygiene procedures was followed by the significant increase of gingival bleeding (34.0%, Pgingivitis. Bacterial-induced gingival low-level inflammation induced a systemic increase in inflammatory markers. Dental hygiene almost completely reversed this experimental inflammatory process, suggesting that appropriate dental prophylaxis may also limit systemic markers of inflammation in subjects with natural gingivitis. International Clinical Trials Register Platform of the World Health Organization, registry number: DRKS00003366, URL: http://apps.who.int/trialsearch/Default.aspx.

  6. Attitude of Junior Secondary School Students towards the Study of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    of girls' education in Science subjects, as it exists in Ghana with reference to J.S.S. pupils' attitude to Science. Using a stratified random sample of junior secondary school students from public and private schools, the study investigated the attitudes of junior secondary school students towards the study of science. Data were ...

  7. Mixing state of particles with secondary species by single particle aerosol mass spectrometer in an atmospheric pollution event

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Lingling; Chen, Jinsheng

    2016-04-01

    Single particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SPAMS) was used to characterize size distribution, chemical composition, and mixing state of particles in an atmospheric pollution event during 20 Oct. - 5 Nov., 2015 in Xiamen, Southeast China. A total of 533,012 particle mass spectra were obtained and clustered into six groups, comprising of industry metal (4.5%), dust particles (2.6%), carbonaceous species (70.7%), K-Rich particles (20.7%), seasalt (0.6%) and other particles (0.9%). Carbonaceous species were further divided into EC (70.6%), OC (28.5%), and mixed ECOC (0.9%). There were 61.7%, 58.3%, 4.0%, and 14.6% of particles internally mixed with sulfate, nitrate, ammonium and C2H3O, respectively, indicating that these particles had undergone significant aging processing. Sulfate was preferentially mixed with carbonaceous particles, while nitrate tended to mix with metal-containing and dust particles. Compared to clear days, the fractions of EC-, metal- and dust particles remarkably increased, while the fraction of OC-containing particles decreased in pollution days. The mixing state of particles, excepted for OC-containing particles with secondary species was much stronger in pollution days than that in clear days, which revealed the significant influence of secondary particles in atmospheric pollution. The different activity of OC-containing particles might be related to their much smaller aerodynamic diameter. These results could improve our understanding of aerosol characteristics and could be helpful to further investigate the atmospheric process of particles.

  8. [Association of the meaning of life with satisfaction, the occurrence of subjective complaints and the family's economic status in the population of lower secondary school students].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zawadzka, Dorota; Stalmach, Magdalena; Oblacińska, Anna; Tabak, Izabela

    Feeling of meaning in life is extremely crucial factor of mental health. The lack of it can result in various disorders. Many authors, especially those connected with current of humanistic psychology underline the teenagers' life sense. The aim of the paper was to examine the level of satisfaction with life, the frequency of psychosomatic complaints by junior high school students as well as the estimation of economical status of family and the analysis of meaning in life with above mentioned factors. The research was carried out in 2015 at 70 schools from all over the country, in group of 3695 lower secondary school students of I-III classes at the age of 13-17 (M=14,9; SD=0,87). The analysis connected with meaning in life using the shorten version of Purpose in Life Test (PIL) as well as analysis of life satisfaction using Cantril scale were taken up. What is more, the subjective physical complaints using single-factor shorten scale and economic status of family with the usage of material resources FAS scale (Family Affluence Scale) were examined. The statistical analysis included a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), t-student test post-hoc test as well as multivariate logistic regression model. The average level of meaning in life among the examined students was 24,7 points (the summary scale 0-36 points), the boys achieved higher score than girls. The students satisfied with life (t=28,0; plife than students who were dissatisfied with their life, often or fairly suffer from health complaints and live in families of at most average level of affluence. The meaning in life is positively connected with satisfaction with life, lack of subjective complaints and family affluence. Because there is a lack of analysis linked with school teenagers' meaning in life in Polish literature, another research involved not only shorten but also full version of this tool should be conducted.

  9. Secondary hyperalgesia to heat stimuli after burn injury in man

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, J L; Kehlet, H

    1998-01-01

    The aim of the study was to examine the presence of hyperalgesia to heat stimuli within the zone of secondary hyperalgesia to punctate mechanical stimuli. A burn was produced on the medial part of the non-dominant crus in 15 healthy volunteers with a 50 x 25 mm thermode (47 degrees C, 7 min......), and assessments were made 70 min and 40 min before, and 0, 1, and 2 h after the burn injury. Hyperalgesia to mechanical and heat stimuli were examined by von Frey hairs and contact thermodes (3.75 and 12.5 cm2), and pain responses were rated with a visual analog scale (0-100). The area of secondary hyperalgesia...... to punctate stimuli was assessed with a rigid von Frey hair (462 mN). The heat pain responses to 45 degrees C in 5 s (3.75 cm2) were tested in the area just outside the burn, where the subjects developed secondary hyperalgesia, and on the lateral crus where no subject developed secondary hyperalgesia (control...

  10. Pharmacokinetics and Safety of a Single Oral Dose of Mirogabalin in Japanese Subjects With Varying Degrees of Renal Impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kato, Manabu; Tajima, Naoyuki; Shimizu, Takako; Sugihara, Masahiro; Furihata, Kenichi; Harada, Kazuhiro; Ishizuka, Hitoshi

    2018-01-01

    Mirogabalin (DS-5565) is a novel preferentially selective α 2 δ-1 ligand being developed for the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain and postherpetic neuralgia. The current multicenter open-label study determined the effect of varying degrees of renal impairment on the pharmacokinetics and safety of a single dose of mirogabalin 5 mg in Japanese subjects. A total of 30 subjects (6 subjects per renal function category [normal, mild, moderate, or severe impairment; and end-stage renal disease (ESRD)]) were enrolled and completed the study. The AUC last increased with severity of renal impairment; the geometric least-squares mean ratios of AUC last compared with subjects with normal renal function were 1.3, 1.9, 3.6, and 5.3 for patients with mild, moderate, and severe impairment and ESRD, respectively. In accordance with this AUC last increase, apparent total body clearance (CL/F), renal clearance (CLr), and the cumulative percentage of mirogabalin dose excreted into urine all decreased with severity of renal impairment. There were no deaths and no severe treatment-related adverse events (TEAEs), serious TEAEs, or TEAEs resulting in study discontinuation. Mirogabalin was well tolerated in Japanese subjects with normal renal function and those with mild to severe renal impairment. It was also tolerated in subjects with ESRD but with a higher incidence of TEAEs. The most frequently reported TEAEs were dizziness (ESRD, n = 3), somnolence (ESRD, n = 2), and vomiting (ESRD, n = 2). Based on these data, a mirogabalin dose adjustment will be considered in Japanese subjects with moderate to severe renal impairment and those with ESRD. © 2017, The Authors. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

  11. Controlling the formation of wrinkles in a single layer graphene sheet subjected to in-plane shear

    KAUST Repository

    Duan, Wen Hui

    2011-08-01

    The initiation and development of wrinkles in a single layer graphene sheet subjected to in-plane shear displacements are investigated. The dependence of the wavelength and amplitude of wrinkles on the applied shear displacements is explicitly obtained with molecular mechanics simulations. A continuum model is developed for the characteristics of the wrinkles which show that the wrinkle wavelength decreases with an increase in shear loading, while the amplitude of the wrinkles is found to initially increase and then become stable. The propagation and growth process of the wrinkles in the sheet is elucidated. It is expected that the research could promote applications of graphenes in the transportation of biological systems, separation science, and the development of the fluidic electronics. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. An investigation of the mass spectra of secondary ions ejected from the single crystal surface of semiconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koval', A.G.; Mel'nikov, V.N.; Enukov, Yu.V.

    1976-01-01

    The mass spectra of secondary positive and negative ions, ejected by an Ar + ion beam from the (100) face of an epitaxial film of the semiconductor Alsub(x)Gasub(1-x)As were investigated. There are many various secondary ions in the mass spectrum under investigation. They may be divided into four groups according to their origins. Mass spectra of secondary positive and negative secondary ions differ much, either in their composition or the intensities of homogeneous ions. The I(T) dependences (I=the current of corresponding secondary ions, T=target temperature) were obtained for secondary and negative ions taken from groups differing by their origin. The I(T) dependences were obtained at several oxygen pressures in a chamber. For the ions with 'superficial' origin a strong dependence of their current on target temperature is observed. Oxygen pressure increase leads to substantial change of the I(T)curves. (Auth.)

  13. Changing Pattern of Bacteriuria among Asymptomatic Secondary ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Subjects and Methods: A survey of 628 adolescents attending secondary schools in Enugu was ... females in whom asymptomatic bacteriuria needs to be treated in pregnancy in order to prevent the attendant risks to the fetus. Thus, there is a ...

  14. Pharmacokinetics and Safety of DW1029M, a Botanical Drug for the Treatment of Diabetic Nephropathy, Following Single Doses in Healthy Subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Yunjeong; Jeon, Ji-Young; Kim, Eun-Young; Lim, Cheol-Hee; Jang, Hwan Bong; Kim, Min-Gul

    2017-09-01

    DW1029M is a botanical extract of Morus albalinne root bark and Puerariae radix that is used for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. This study evaluated the safety and pharmacokinetics of DW1029M following its administration in healthy Korean subjects. We conducted a randomized, open-label, single-dose, crossover phase 1 clinical study. During each period, subjects received 300, 600, or 1200 mg oral doses of DW1029M. Plasma concentrations of puerarin, daidzin, and daidzein were analyzed using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Six healthy male subjects completed the study. The maximum concentration of the drug in the plasma (C max ) and area under the plasma drug concentration-time curve to the last measurable concentration (AUC last ) for puerarin, daidzin, and daidzein were assessed after oral administration of DW1029M. No serious adverse events or clinically or statistically significant adverse events associated with any of the drug levels were observed. The results of the measurement of vital signs, electrocardiogram, laboratory tests, and physical examinations indicated that no clinically significant changes occurred during this study. The DW1029M tablet was safe and well tolerated over a single dose range of 300-1200 mg. This pharmacokinetic study of a botanical drug may aid in the development of DW1029M. © 2017, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

  15. Single-Sex Versus Coeducational Schooling: A Systematic Review. Doc # 2005-01

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mael, Fred; Alonso, Alex; Gibson, Doug; Rogers, Kelly; Smith, Mark

    2005-01-01

    Single-sex education refers most generally to education at the elementary, secondary, or postsecondary level in which males or females attend school exclusively with members of their own sex. This report deals primarily with single-sex education at the elementary and secondary levels. Research in the United States on the question of whether public…

  16. Subjective Happiness of Lebanese College Youth in Lebanon: Factorial Structure and Invariance of the Arabic Subjective Happiness Scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moghnie, Lamia; Kazarian, Shahe S.

    2012-01-01

    The present study evaluated the subjective happiness of Lebanese college youth using a multi-item rather than a single-item subjective happiness measure. An Arabic translation of the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) was administered to 273 Lebanese college youth from state- and private-run higher institutions of learning, as was the Arabic Adult…

  17. Monitoring driver fatigue using a single-channel electroencephalographic device: A validation study by gaze-based, driving performance, and subjective data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morales, José M; Díaz-Piedra, Carolina; Rieiro, Héctor; Roca-González, Joaquín; Romero, Samuel; Catena, Andrés; Fuentes, Luis J; Di Stasi, Leandro L

    2017-12-01

    Driver fatigue can impair performance as much as alcohol does. It is the most important road safety concern, causing thousands of accidents and fatalities every year. Thanks to technological developments, wearable, single-channel EEG devices are now getting considerable attention as fatigue monitors, as they could help drivers to assess their own levels of fatigue and, therefore, prevent the deterioration of performance. However, the few studies that have used single-channel EEG devices to investigate the physiological effects of driver fatigue have had inconsistent results, and the question of whether we can monitor driver fatigue reliably with these EEG devices remains open. Here, we assessed the validity of a single-channel EEG device (TGAM-based chip) to monitor changes in mental state (from alertness to fatigue). Fifteen drivers performed a 2-h simulated driving task while we recorded, simultaneously, their prefrontal brain activity and saccadic velocity. We used saccadic velocity as the reference index of fatigue. We also collected subjective ratings of alertness and fatigue, as well as driving performance. We found that the power spectra of the delta EEG band showed an inverted U-shaped quadratic trend (EEG power spectra increased for the first hour and half, and decreased during the last thirty minutes), while the power spectra of the beta band linearly increased as the driving session progressed. Coherently, saccadic velocity linearly decreased and speeding time increased, suggesting a clear effect of fatigue. Subjective data corroborated these conclusions. Overall, our results suggest that the TGAM-based chip EEG device is able to detect changes in mental state while performing a complex and dynamic everyday task as driving. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Treatment duration of topics in senior secondary school core ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The purpose of the study was to investigate whether the intended time of 160 minutes per week for 96 weeks was adequate for the treatment of the SSS Core Mathematics. The study used simple random sampling method to select two mixed, two single-sex female and two single-sex male Senior Secondary Schools in the ...

  19. Secondary education as a predictor of aptitude: Implications for selection in the automotive sector

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juliet I. Puchert

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Orientation: Details of applicants’ secondary education (incorporating subject choice could be a useful screening tool when processing large applicant pools. Here, the relationships between secondary education (incorporating subject choice and the reasoning and visual perceptual speed components of the Differential Aptitude Test are explored. Research purpose: The objective of the study was to determine whether type of secondary education (incorporating subject choice could be used as a substitute for reasoning (verbal and non-verbal and/or visual perceptual speed aptitudes in the selection of operators for an automotive plant in South Africa. Motivation for the study: The motivation for this study arose from the evident gap in academic literature as well as the selection needs of the automotive industry. Research design, approach and method: This research adopted a quantitative approach. It involved a non-probability convenience quota sample of 2463 work-seeking applicants for an automotive operator position in South Africa. Participants completed a biographical questionnaire and three subtests from the Differential Aptitude Test battery. The Chi-square test was used to determine the relationship between type of secondary education (incorporating subject choice and selected cognitive aptitudes. Main findings: The study’s findings revealed statistically and practically significant relationships between type of secondary education (incorporating subject choice, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and visual perceptual speed. Broad performance levels in the three aptitude subtests employed in this study were significantly associated with the type of matriculation certificate held by applicants. The findings specifically indicated that the secondary education types that included the subjects mathematics or both mathematics and science were associated with higher levels of performance in the three aptitudes. This had consequences for these

  20. Helical CT for secondary screening of lung cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mori, Kiyoshi; Onishi, Tsukasa; Tominaga, Keigo; Kishiro, Izumi; Yokoyama, Kohki.

    1995-01-01

    Helical CT was used on a trial basis for secondary screening of lung cancer, and its clinical usefulness is discussed in this report. The subjects of 157 patients with abnormal shadows on plain chest X-ray images were chosen between November 1993 and August 1994. Imaging parameters used for screening CT were as follows: 50 mA, 120 kV, a couch-top movement speed of 20 mm/s, and a beam width of 10 mm. The entire lung field was scanned during a single breath-hold. Reconstructed images were generated at 10-mm intervals by the 180deg interpolation method, and films were produced. Images of the entire lung field were made during a single breath-hold in all patients. Abnormal shadows were detected in 73 of 157 patients by screening CT. These 73 patients included 14 with lung cancer, 53 with benign lesions, one under observation, and five others. The average diameter of the tumors was 11.1 mm. The lung cancers detected all arose in the periphery, and were classified into stage I (10 patients), stage IIIA (3 patients), and stage IV with bone metastases (1 patient). Lung cancers in clinical stage I (3 patients) and stage IV (1 patient) were difficult to see on plain chest X-ray films. We conclude that screening CT is useful for early diagnosis of lung cancer because the entire lung field can be imaged during a single breath-hold. Therefore, helical CT can be expected to be useful in screening for lung cancer. (author)

  1. Secondary Forest Age and Tropical Forest Biomass Estimation Using TM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, R. F.; Kimes, D. S.; Salas, W. A.; Routhier, M.

    1999-01-01

    The age of secondary forests in the Amazon will become more critical with respect to the estimation of biomass and carbon budgets as tropical forest conversion continues. Multitemporal Thematic Mapper data were used to develop land cover histories for a 33,000 Square kM area near Ariquemes, Rondonia over a 7 year period from 1989-1995. The age of the secondary forest, a surrogate for the amount of biomass (or carbon) stored above-ground, was found to be unimportant in terms of biomass budget error rates in a forested TM scene which had undergone a 20% conversion to nonforest/agricultural cover types. In such a situation, the 80% of the scene still covered by primary forest accounted for over 98% of the scene biomass. The difference between secondary forest biomass estimates developed with and without age information were inconsequential relative to the estimate of biomass for the entire scene. However, in futuristic scenarios where all of the primary forest has been converted to agriculture and secondary forest (55% and 42% respectively), the ability to age secondary forest becomes critical. Depending on biomass accumulation rate assumptions, scene biomass budget errors on the order of -10% to +30% are likely if the age of the secondary forests are not taken into account. Single-date TM imagery cannot be used to accurately age secondary forests into single-year classes. A neural network utilizing TM band 2 and three TM spectral-texture measures (bands 3 and 5) predicted secondary forest age over a range of 0-7 years with an RMSE of 1.59 years and an R(Squared) (sub actual vs predicted) = 0.37. A proposal is made, based on a literature review, to use satellite imagery to identify general secondary forest age groups which, within group, exhibit relatively constant biomass accumulation rates.

  2. Bistable intrinsic charge fluctuations of a dust grain subject to secondary electron emission in a plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shotorban, B

    2015-10-01

    A master equation was formulated to study intrinsic charge fluctuations of a grain in a plasma as ions and primary electrons are attached to the grain through collisional collection, and secondary electrons are emitted from the grain. Two different plasmas with Maxwellian and non-Maxwellian distributions were considered. The fluctuations could be bistable in either plasma when the secondary electron emission is present, as two stable macrostates, associated with two stable roots of the charge net current, may exist. Metastablity of fluctuations, manifested by the passage of the grain charge between two macrostates, was shown to be possible.

  3. Investigating Declining Enrolments in Secondary Mathematics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hine, Gregory

    2016-01-01

    This research paper examines the perspective of the Heads of Learning Area: Mathematics (HOLAMs) within all Western Australian secondary schools as to why they felt capable students were not enrolling in the two higher-level mathematics courses of study. All HOLAMs were invited to participate in a single, anonymous online survey comprising…

  4. Safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of doravirine, a novel HIV non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, after single and multiple doses in healthy subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Matt S; Gilmartin, Jocelyn; Cilissen, Caroline; De Lepeleire, Inge; Van Bortel, Luc; Dockendorf, Marissa F; Tetteh, Ernestina; Ancona, June K; Liu, Rachael; Guo, Ying; Wagner, John A; Butterton, Joan R

    2015-01-01

    Doravirine is a novel non-nucleoside inhibitor of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase with potent activity against wild-type virus (95% inhibitory concentration 19 nM, 50% human serum). Doravirine has low potential to cause drug-drug interactions since it is primarily eliminated by oxidative metabolism and does not inhibit or significantly induce drug-metabolizing enzymes. The pharmacokinetics and safety of doravirine were investigated in two double-blind, dose-escalation studies in healthy males. Thirty-two subjects received single doses of doravirine (6-1,200 mg) or matching placebo tablets; 40 subjects received doravirine (30-750 mg) or matching placebo tablets once daily for 10 days. In addition, the effect of doravirine (120 mg for 14 days) on single-dose pharmacokinetics of the CYP3A substrate midazolam was evaluated (10 subjects). The maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) of doravirine was achieved within 1-5 h with an apparent terminal half-life of 12-21 h. Consistent with single-dose pharmacokinetics, steady state was achieved after approximately 7 days of once daily administration, with accumulation ratios (day 10/day 1) of 1.1-1.5 in the area under the plasma concentration-time curve during the dosing interval (AUC0-24 h), Cmax and trough plasma concentration (C24 h). All dose levels produced C24 h>19 nM. Administration of 50 mg doravirine with a high-fat meal was associated with slight elevations in AUC time zero to infinity (AUC0-∞) and C24 h with no change in Cmax. Midazolam AUC0-∞ was slightly reduced by coadministration of doravirine (geometric mean ratio 0.82, 90% CI 0.70, 0.97). There was no apparent relationship between adverse event frequency or intensity and doravirine dose. No rash or significant central nervous system events other than headache were reported. Doravirine is generally well tolerated in single doses up to 1,200 mg and multiple doses up to 750 mg once daily for up to 10 days, with a pharmacokinetic profile supportive of once

  5. Computer Science Education in Secondary Schools--The Introduction of a New Compulsory Subject

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hubwieser, Peter

    2012-01-01

    In 2004 the German state of Bavaria introduced a new compulsory subject of computer science (CS) in its grammar schools ("Gymnasium"). The subject is based on a comprehensive teaching concept that was developed by the author and his colleagues during the years 1995-2000. It comprises mandatory courses in grades 6/7 for all students of…

  6. Structure of single-chain single crystals of isotactic polystyrene and their radiation resistance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bu Haishan; Cao Jie; Xu Shengyong; Zhang Ze

    1997-01-01

    The structure of the single-chain single crystals of isotactic polystyrene (i-PS) was investigated by electron diffraction (ED) and high resolution electron microscopy (HREM). The nano-scale single-chain single crystals were found to be very stable to electron irradiation. According to the unit cell of i-PS crystals, the reflection rings in ED pattern and the lattice fringes in HREM images could be indexed, but the lower-index diffractions were not found. It is proposed that the single-chain single crystals are very small, thus secondary electrons may be allowed to escape and radiation damage is highly reduced, and that there are less lower-index lattice planes in the single-chain single crystals to provide sufficient diffraction intensity for recording. HREM images can be achieved at room temperature in the case of single-chain single crystals because of its stability to electron irradiation, therefore, this might be a novel experimental approach to the study of crystal structure of macromolecules

  7. Vascular Morphodynamics During Secondary Growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Reuille, Pierre Barbier; Ragni, Laura

    2017-01-01

    Quantification of vascular morphodynamics during secondary growth has been hampered by the scale of the process. Even in the tiny model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the xylem can include more than 2000 cells in a single cross section, rendering manual counting impractical. Moreover, due to its deep location, xylem is an inaccessible tissue, limiting live imaging. A novel method to visualize and measure secondary growth progression has been proposed: "the Quantitative Histology" approach. This method is based on a detailed anatomical atlas, and image segmentation coupled with machine learning to automatically extract cell shapes and identify cell type. Here we present a new version of this approach, with a user-friendly interface implemented in the open source software LithoGraphX.

  8. Hybrid-secondary uncluttered permanent magnet machine and method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, John S.

    2005-12-20

    An electric machine (40) has a stator (43), a permanent magnet rotor (38) with permanent magnets (39) and a magnetic coupling uncluttered rotor (46) for inducing a slip energy current in secondary coils (47). A dc flux can be produced in the uncluttered rotor when the secondary coils are fed with dc currents. The magnetic coupling uncluttered rotor (46) has magnetic brushes (A, B, C, D) which couple flux in through the rotor (46) to the secondary coils (47c, 47d) without inducing a current in the rotor (46) and without coupling a stator rotational energy component to the secondary coils (47c, 47d). The machine can be operated as a motor or a generator in multi-phase or single-phase embodiments and is applicable to the hybrid electric vehicle. A method of providing a slip energy controller is also disclosed.

  9. Can Constraint Induced Movement Therapy Improve In-Hand Manipulation Skills: A Single Subject Design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Somaye Kavousipor

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: This study describes a single subject design (ABA that shows the effective use of constraint induced movement therapy in improvement of quality and performance of in-hand manipulation skills for a 10 year old boy and a 9 years old girl with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, as Dickerson (2007 showed it in arm movement and function. Methods: To determine the effectiveness of CIMT by the use of C-statistic analysis and visual analysis. Approach: The first step was to design a child friendly group activity and home based intervention program through occupation. The possible effectiveness of CIMT was evaluated by daily measurements and video recording of 6 sub skills of in-hand manipulation according to Pont category (2009 in defined activity. Results: For making the treatment more cost effective, families can produce a simple clinical setting at home and participate in their child treatment plan actively. Discussion: A client center intervention will facilitate the use and quality of fingers and hand motion. Also a group activity can motivate participants to participate more and better.

  10. Cultural Capital, Family Background and Education: Choosing University Subjects in China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheng, Xiaoming

    2017-01-01

    This article employs Bourdieu's conceptual tools to unpack family influences on students' subject and university choices in China. This empirical study employed mixed research approaches, using both quantitative and qualitative methods, to examine students' choices of subjects and universities in a sample of secondary school students from the age…

  11. Secondary-school chemistry textbooks in the 19th century

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milanović Vesna D.

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The teaching of chemistry in Serbia as a separate subject dates from 1874. The first secondary-school chemistry textbooks appeared in the second half of the 19th century. The aim of this paper is to gain insight, by analysing two secondary-school chemistry textbooks, written by Sima Lozanić (1895 and Mita Petrović (1892, into what amount of scientific knowledge from the sphere of chemistry was presented to secondary school students in Serbia in the second half of the 19th century, and what principles textbooks written at the time were based on. Within the framework of the research conducted, we defined the criteria for assessing the quality of secondary-school chemistry textbooks in the context of the time they were written in. The most important difference between the two textbooks under analysis that we found pertained to the way in which their contents were organized. Sima Lozanić’s textbook is characterized by a greater degree of systematicness when it comes to the manner of presenting its contents and consistency of approach throughout the book. In both textbooks one can perceive the authors’ attempts to link chemistry-related subjects to everyday life, and to point out the practical significance of various substances, as well as their toxicness.

  12. Controlling for Prior Attainment Reduces the Positive Influence that Single-Gender Classroom Initiatives Exert on High School Students' Scholastic Achievements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pennington, Charlotte R; Kaye, Linda K; Qureshi, Adam W; Heim, Derek

    2018-01-01

    Research points to the positive impact that gender-segregated schooling and classroom initiatives exert on academic attainment. An evaluation of these studies which reveal positive effects highlights, however, that students are typically selectively assigned to single- or mixed-gender instructional settings, presenting a methodological confound. The current study controls for students' prior attainment to appraise the efficacy of a single-gender classroom initiative implemented in a co-educational high school in the United Kingdom. Secondary data analysis (using archived data) was performed on 266 middle-ability, 11-12 year-old students' standardized test scores in Languages (English, foreign language), STEM-related (Mathematics, Science, Information and Communication Technology), and Non-STEM subjects (art, music, drama). Ninety-eight students (54, 55% female) were taught in single-gender and 168 (69, 41% female) in mixed-gender classrooms. Students undertook identical tests irrespective of classroom type, which were graded in accordance with U.K national curriculum guidelines. Controlling for students' prior attainment, findings indicate that students do not appear to benefit from being taught in single-gender relative to mixed-gender classrooms in Language and STEM-related subjects. Young women benefitted from being taught in mixed-gender relative to single-gender classes for Non-STEM subjects. However, when prior ability is not controlled for, the intervention appears to be effective for all school subjects, highlighting the confounding influence of selective admissions. These findings suggest that gender-segregated classroom initiatives may not bolster students' grades. It is argued that studies that do not control for selection effects may tell us little about the effectiveness of such interventions on scholastic achievement.

  13. Environmental Education in Action in Secondary Teacher Training in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Jenny

    In secondary and tertiary education, most environmental education is ... Teacher educators were very supportive of the policy development process because they .... relevant environmental education issues, while the same subjects, together ...

  14. Who 'fits' the science and technology profile? Personality differences in secondary education

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Korpershoek, Hanke; Kuyper, Hans; van der Werf, Greetje; Bosker, Roe; Van der Werf, M.P.C.

    2010-01-01

    The present study explores the relationship between personality characteristics and students' subject choice in secondary education and addresses the question: Are there differences in personality characteristics among students choosing different school subjects?' The research included 3992 9th

  15. People, Processes, and Policy-Making in Canadian Post-secondary Education, 1990-2000

    Science.gov (United States)

    Axelrod, Paul; Desai-Trilokekar, Roopa; Shanahan, Theresa; Wellen, Richard

    2011-01-01

    Policy-making in Canadian post-secondary education is rarely the subject of intensive, systematic study. This paper seeks to identify the distinctive ways in which Canadian post-secondary education policy decisions were constructed and implemented, and to posit an analytical framework for interpreting policy-making process in post-secondary…

  16. Safety and Efficacy of D-Tagatose in Glycemic Control in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ensor, Mark; Banfield, Amy B; Smith, Rebecca R; Williams, Jarrod; Lodder, Robert A

    The primary objectives of this study were to evaluate the treatment effect of D-tagatose on glycemic control, determined by a statistically significant decrease in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and safety profile of D-tagatose compared to placebo. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the treatment effects on fasting blood glucose, insulin, lipid profiles, changes in BMI, and the proportion of subjects achieving HbA1c targets of tagatose dissolved in 125-250 ml of water three times a day or placebo with meals. Reduction in HbA1c was statistically significant compared to placebo at all post-baseline time points in the ITT population. Additionally, secondary endpoints were achieved in the ITT population with regard to LDL, total cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, and proportion of subjects achieving HbA1c targets of tagatose was unable to lower triglycerides or raise HDL compared to placebo. A subgroup LOCF analysis on the ITT US population showed a greater and statistically significant LS mean reduction in HbA1c in the D-tagatose group at all post-baseline visits. Based on these results it is concluded that in the ITT population D-tagatose is an effective single agent at treating many of the therapy targets of type 2 diabetes including lowering fasting blood glucose and HbA1c, and lowering of LDL and total cholesterol.

  17. Piloting a deceased subject integrated data repository and protecting privacy of relatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huser, Vojtech; Kayaalp, Mehmet; Dodd, Zeyno A; Cimino, James J

    2014-01-01

    Use of deceased subject Electronic Health Records can be an important piloting platform for informatics or biomedical research. Existing legal framework allows such research under less strict de-identification criteria; however, privacy of non-decedent must be protected. We report on creation of the decease subject Integrated Data Repository (dsIDR) at National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center and a pilot methodology to remove secondary protected health information or identifiable information (secondary PxI; information about persons other than the primary patient). We characterize available structured coded data in dsIDR and report the estimated frequencies of secondary PxI, ranging from 12.9% (sensitive token presence) to 1.1% (using stricter criteria). Federating decedent EHR data from multiple institutions can address sample size limitations and our pilot study provides lessons learned and methodology that can be adopted by other institutions.

  18. Introducing dengue vaccine: Implications for diagnosis in dengue vaccinated subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alagarasu, Kalichamy

    2016-05-27

    Diagnosis of dengue virus infections is complicated by preference for different diagnostic tests in different post onset days of illness and the presence of multiple serotypes leading to secondary and tertiary infections. The sensitivity of the most commonly employed diagnostic assays such as anti dengue IgM capture (MAC) ELISA and non structural protein (NS) 1 capture ELISA are lower in secondary and subsequent infections. Introduction of dengue vaccine in endemic regions will affect the way how dengue is diagnosed in vaccinated subjects. This viewpoint article discusses implications of introduction of dengue vaccine on the diagnosis of dengue infections in vaccinated subjects and the strategies that are needed to tackle the issue. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Intention and constraints of Hong Kong secondary school Physical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journal for Physical Activity and Health Sciences ... of Hong Kong secondary school Physical Education teachers to promote Unified Sports® ... school subjects like Civic Education, Social Studies, Religious Studies or Liberal Studies.

  20. Live Imaging of Mouse Secondary Palate Fusion

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kim, S.; Procházka, Jan; Bush, J.O.

    jaro, č. 125 (2017), č. článku e56041. ISSN 1940-087X Institutional support: RVO:68378050 Keywords : Developmental Biology * Issue 125 * live imaging * secondary palate * tissue fusion * cleft * craniofacial Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology OBOR OECD: Developmental biology Impact factor: 1.232, year: 2016

  1. Secondary school as a context for expressing and developing creativity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maksić Slavica

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the results of a research on the views of teachers about expressing and developing creativity of students at the secondary educational level. The analysis of the discussion with ten grammar school teachers allocated as the most important the teachers' views of the nature of creativity, the capacity of the school to stimulate creativity in students and the conditions for stimulating creativity in school. The majority of teachers saw creativity as a complex phenomenon for whose understanding a multi-perspective approach is needed. Although only few teachers believe in distributivity of creativity, the majority agreed that school should stimulate students' creativity, but that it does not do it sufficiently. Among the factors which support creativity they singled out the teacher's engagement, specificities of certain school subjects, the application of certain teaching techniques and the image of the school. Among the factors that obstruct creativity they stated curricular requirements, selection of students, characteristics of young generations and current social values.

  2. Making the Invisible Visible: Disciplinary Literacy in Secondary School Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mac Mahon, Brendan

    2014-01-01

    In Ireland, policy on literacy now aims to expand the role that post-primary teachers of all subjects have in developing students' literacy skills. This paper draws on data from a wider research study carried out in secondary schools in 2010 and focuses on the classroom support with disciplinary literacy provided by subject teachers for students…

  3. Case study: videogame distraction reduces behavioral distress in a preschool-aged child undergoing repeated burn dressing changes: a single-subject design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sil, Soumitri; Dahlquist, Lynnda M; Burns, Andrew J

    2013-04-01

    This single-subject design study evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of passive and interactive videogame distraction on behavioral distress for a preschool-aged child receiving repeated burn dressing changes. A 4-year-old girl underwent 3 baseline and 10 videogame distraction sessions (5 passive and 5 interactive) using a restricted alternating treatments design. Observed behavioral distress was coded, and parents and nurses rated the child's distress and cooperative behavior. Relative to baseline, behavioral distress decreased and cooperative behavior increased immediately after the onset of videogame distraction. Single Case Randomization Tests revealed significantly lower behavioral distress and greater cooperation during interactive videogame distraction relative to passive videogame distraction. Interactive videogame distraction appears to be a feasible and effective pain management strategy for a preschool-aged child undergoing repeated painful medical procedures.

  4. Determinants of Secondary School Learners Performance in Christian Religious Education in Lelan Sub County, Kenya

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akaranga, Stephen; Simiyu, Patrick Cheben

    2016-01-01

    In Kenya, Christian Religious Education is taught and examined by the Kenya National Examinations Council in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education at the end of the four years of Secondary Education cycle. The teaching of this subject in Secondary Schools ensures that learners are offered an opportunity to develop morally and spiritually…

  5. Understanding reading problems in secondary schools: Some ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... factors are discussed based on the evidence obtained by observations and research findings. The importance of teaching reading 'as a subject in the secondary school is hinted. Recommendations are made to ensure that reading as a tool to learning is given a prominent place in schools and libraries throughout Nigeria ...

  6. Subject knowledge for teaching and continuing professional ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    It suggests a number of practical needs that secondary school teachers of English may be seeking to address in the way of subject knowledge development and how this may relate to the provision made within the United Kingdom (UK) Higher Education sector. It is hoped in so doing that it also identifies issues that may be ...

  7. Immediate effects of kinesiotaping on quadriceps muscle strength: a single-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vercelli, Stefano; Sartorio, Francesco; Foti, Calogero; Colletto, Lorenzo; Virton, Domenico; Ronconi, Gianpaolo; Ferriero, Giorgio

    2012-07-01

    To investigate the immediate effects on maximal muscle strength of kinesiotaping (KT) applied to the dominant quadriceps of healthy subjects. Single-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial. "Salvatore Maugeri" Foundation. With ethical approval and informed consent, a convenience sample of 36 healthy volunteers were recruited. Two subjects did not complete the sessions and were excluded from the analysis. Subjects were tested across 3 different sessions, randomly receiving 2 experimental KT conditions applied with the aim of enhancing and inhibiting muscle strength and a sham KT application. Quadriceps muscle strength was measured by means of an isokinetic maximal test performed at 60 and 180 degrees per second. Two secondary outcome measures were performed: the single-leg triple hop for distance to measure limb performance and the Global Rating of Change Scale (GRCS) to calculate agreement between KT application and subjective perception of strength. Compared with baseline, none of the 3 taping conditions showed a significant change in muscle strength and performance (all P > 0.05). Effect size was very low under all conditions (≤0.08). Very few subjects showed an individual change greater than the minimal detectable change. Global Rating of Change Scale scores demonstrated low to moderate agreement with the type of KT applied, but some placebo effects were reported independently of condition. Our findings indicated no significant effect in the maximal quadriceps strength immediately after the application of inhibition, facilitation, or sham KT. These results do not support the use of KT applied in this way to change maximal muscle strength in healthy people.

  8. Directional Secondary Emission of a Semiconductor Microcavity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Langbein, Wolfgang; Jensen, Jacob Riis; Hvam, Jørn Märcher

    2000-01-01

    We investigate the time-resolved secondary emission of a homogeneously broadened microcavity after resonant excitation. The sample consists of a 25nm GaAs single quantum well (QW) in the center of a wedged ¥ë cavity with AlAs/AlGaAs Bragg reflectors, grown by molecular beam epitaxy. At zero detun...

  9. Secondary electron emission studied by secondary electron energy loss coincidence spectroscopy (SE2ELCS)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khalid, R.

    2013-01-01

    Emission of secondary electrons is of importance in many branches of fundamental and applied science. It is widely applied in the electron microscope for the investigation of the structure and electronic state of solid surfaces and particle detection in electron multiplier devices, and generally it is related to the energy dissipation of energetic particles moving inside a solid. The process of secondary electron emission is a complex physical phenomenon, difficult to measure experimentally and treat theoretically with satisfactory accuracy. The secondary electron spectrum measured with single electron spectroscopy does not provide detailed information of the energy loss processes responsible for the emission of secondary electrons. This information can be accessed when two correlated electron pairs are measured in coincidence and the pair consists of a backscattered electron after a given energy loss and a resulting emitted secondary electron. To investigate the mechanisms responsible for the emission of secondary electrons, a reflection (e,2e) coincidence spectrometer named Secondary Electron Electron Energy Loss Coincidence Spectrometer (SE2ELCS) has been developed in the framework of this thesis which allows one to uncover the relation between the features in the spectra which are due to energy losses and true secondary electron emission structures. The correlated electron pairs are measured with a hemispherical mirror analyzer (HMA) and a time of flight analyzer (TOF) by employing a continuous electron beam. An effort has been made to increase the coincidence count rate by increasing the effective solid angle of the TOF analyzer and optimizing the experimental parameters to get optimum energy resolution. Double differential coincidence spectra for a number of materials namely, nearly free electron metals (Al, Si), noble metals (Ag, Au, Cu, W) and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) have been measured using this coincidence spectrometer. The

  10. Neuropsychological Performance and Subjective Symptom Reporting in Military Service Members With a History of Multiple Concussions: Comparison With a Single Concussion, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Orthopedic Trauma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Douglas B; Curtiss, Glenn; Armistead-Jehle, Patrick; Belanger, Heather G; Tate, David F; Reid, Matthew; Bowles, Amy O; Velez, Carmen S; Kennedy, Jan E; Vanderploeg, Rodney D

    To examine differences in objective neurocognitive performance and subjective cognitive symptoms in individuals with a history of a single concussion, multiple concussions, orthopedic injuries, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants included 116 military service members who sustained a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) during combat deployment. Subjects were subdivided into groups based on concussion frequency: a single concussion (n = 42), 2 concussions (n = 21), and 3 or more concussions (n = 53). Eighty-one subjects sustained an orthopedic injury (n = 60) during deployment or were diagnosed with PTSD (n = 21), but had no history of mTBI. Subjects completed a battery of neuropsychological tests and self-report measures of postconcussive symptoms, PTSD symptoms, and psychopathology. No differences were found among the concussion groups on a composite neuropsychological measure. The PTSD group had the highest number of symptom complaints, with the 2-concussion and 3-plus-concussion groups being most similar to the PTSD group. The concussion groups showed a nonsignificant pattern of increasing distress with increasing number of concussions. The current findings are consistent with meta-analytic results showing no differential effect on neuropsychological functioning due to multiple concussions. Results also support the burden of adversity hypothesis suggesting increasing symptom levels with increasing psychological or physically traumatic exposures.

  11. Accelerated reliability testing of highly aligned single-walled carbon nanotube networks subjected to DC electrical stressing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strus, Mark C; Chiaramonti, Ann N; Kim, Young Lae; Jung, Yung Joon; Keller, Robert R

    2011-07-01

    We investigate the electrical reliability of nanoscale lines of highly aligned, networked, metallic/semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) fabricated through a template-based fluidic assembly process. We find that these SWCNT networks can withstand DC current densities larger than 10 MA cm(-2) for several hours and, in some cases, several days. We develop test methods that show that the degradation rate, failure predictability and total device lifetime can be linked to the initial resistance. Scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy suggest that fabrication variability plays a critical role in the rate of degradation, and we offer an empirical method of quickly determining the long-term performance of a network. We find that well-fabricated lines subject to constant electrical stress show a linear accumulation of damage reminiscent of electromigration in metallic interconnects, and we explore the underlying physical mechanisms that could cause such behavior.

  12. Assessing Model Characterization of Single Source ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aircraft measurements made downwind from specific coal fired power plants during the 2013 Southeast Nexus field campaign provide a unique opportunity to evaluate single source photochemical model predictions of both O3 and secondary PM2.5 species. The model did well at predicting downwind plume placement. The model shows similar patterns of an increasing fraction of PM2.5 sulfate ion to the sum of SO2 and PM2.5 sulfate ion by distance from the source compared with ambient based estimates. The model was less consistent in capturing downwind ambient based trends in conversion of NOX to NOY from these sources. Source sensitivity approaches capture near-source O3 titration by fresh NO emissions, in particular subgrid plume treatment. However, capturing this near-source chemical feature did not translate into better downwind peak estimates of single source O3 impacts. The model estimated O3 production from these sources but often was lower than ambient based source production. The downwind transect ambient measurements, in particular secondary PM2.5 and O3, have some level of contribution from other sources which makes direct comparison with model source contribution challenging. Model source attribution results suggest contribution to secondary pollutants from multiple sources even where primary pollutants indicate the presence of a single source. The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Computational Exposure Division (CED) develops and evaluates data, deci

  13. Secondary combined suicide pact.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayanth, S H; Girish Chandra, Y P; Hugar, Basappa S; Kainoor, Sunilkumar

    2014-03-01

    This article reports a combined suicide pact, where in a young couple; a 26 year old male and a 20 year old female committed suicide by using two methods. The couple had resorted to hanging and self-immolation to prevent failure of single method alone. In secondary combined suicides, several other methods of suicide are tried after the first method chosen has failed. It is primary combined suicide only when two or more methods are used simultaneously. Both types of combined suicide by one individual is well reported in the literature whereas the same by two persons together is rare. In this report, the deceased were disappointed lovers, poor and the family members were against their marriage. The investigation of scene, methods employed to commit suicide, autopsy findings and the interview with their relatives altogether suggested that it was a secondary combined suicide pact. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

  14. Single- and Multiple-Dose Study To Determine the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Food Effect of Oral MRX-I versus Linezolid in Healthy Adult Subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eckburg, Paul B; Ge, Yigong; Hafkin, Barry

    2017-04-01

    A multipart phase 1 study was conducted to determine the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and food effect of the novel oral oxazolidinone, MRX-I, in healthy adults, as well as the tolerability of longer-term exposure of both oral MRX-I and linezolid. Thirty subjects in part 1 received single ascending doses of MRX-I or placebo under fasting or fed condition in a double-blind crossover design. Twelve subjects in part 2 received MRX-I at 800 mg every 12 h (q12h) for 14 days in a double-blind, placebo-controlled design. In part 3, 24 subjects were randomized to receive 28 days of MRX-I at 800 mg q12h or oral linezolid at 600 mg q12h for 28 days in a double-blind, double-dummy design. Oral MRX-I was associated with a greater bioavailability and exposure when administered with food, and minimal accumulation of MRX-I occurred after multiple-dose administration. Oral MRX-I was well tolerated at single doses of up to 1,200 and 800 mg q12h for up to 28 days; all adverse events were mild to moderate in severity, and there was no drug discontinuation due to adverse events. These data support further clinical development of oral MRX-I in the treatment of resistant Gram-positive bacterial infections. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Gu; Wong, Wang Ivy

    2018-05-01

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

  16. Complete Resolution of a Giant Pigment Epithelial Detachment Secondary to Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration after a Single Intravitreal Ranibizumab (Lucentis Injection: Results Documented by Optical Coherence Tomography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eleni Loukianou

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Aim:To describe a patient with a giant pigment epithelial detachment (PED secondary to exudative age-related macular degeneration (ARMD successfully treated with a single intravitreal ranibizumab (Lucentis injection (0.5 mg/0.05 ml.Methods:An 89-year-old woman presented with a six-day history of reduced vision and distortion in the left eye. Best-corrected visual acuity in that eye was 6/15. Fundoscopy revealed a giant PED and exudates temporally to the fovea. Optical coherence tomography showed a PED associated with subretinal and intraretinal fluid. Fluorescein angiography confirmed the diagnosis of an occult choroidal neovascularization. Treatment with intravitreal injections of ranibizumab (Lucentis was recommended, although the increased risk of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE rip was mentioned. Results:Four weeks after the first intravitreal Lucentis injection, the visual acuity in the left eye improved to 6/7.5, with a significant improvement of the distortion and a complete anatomical resolution of the PED confirmed by optical coherence tomography. Conclusion:Giant PED secondary to exudative ARMD can be successfully treated with intravitreal ranibizumab, despite the increased risk of RPE rip. To our knowledge, this is the first case presenting with complete resolution of PED after a single ranibizumab injection.

  17. Working Memory Processing In Normal Subjects and Subjects with Dyslexia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowyer, S. M.; Lajiness-O'Neill, R.; Weiland, B. J.; Mason, K.; Tepley, N.

    2004-10-01

    Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to determine the neuroanatomical location of working memory (WM) processes. Differences between subjects with dyslexia (SD; n=5) and normal readers (NR; n=5) were studied during two WM tasks. A spatial WM task (SMW) consisted of blocks visually presented in one of 12 positions for 2 s each. Subjects were to determine if the current position matched the position presented 2 slides earlier (N-Back Test). The verbal task (VMW) consisted of presentation of a single letter. The location of cortical activity during SWM in NR (determined with MR-FOCUSS analysis) was in the right superior temporal gyrus (STG) and right angular gyrus (AG). Similar activation was seen in SD with a slight delay of approximately 20 ms. During VWM activity was seen in LEFT STG and LEFT AG in NR. In contrast for SD, activation was in the RIGHT STG and RIGHT AG. This study demonstrates the possibility to differentiate WM processing in subjects with and without learning disorders.

  18. SCIENTIFIC-RESEARCH WORK OF STUDENTS IN ORGANIZATIONS OF SECONDARY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natalya O. Vaganova

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study is to reveal features and possibilities of research work in the organizations of secondary professional education. Methods. Theoretical methods involve analysis of legislative, normative documents; comparison and generalization of the findings of scientists on research activities. Empirical methods: pedagogical observation, to study the experience of organization of research work. Results. The definition of «research ability» is proposed; the system of organization of research activity in the organization of secondary vocational education, including the identification of approaches to the concept of «research» is developed; development of a program of research skills formation is given; definition of subjective functional relationships for the implementation of the programmer of research; the development of training programs for teaching staff the organization of the secondary professional education to the organization and conduct of research activities with students; creation of innovative infrastructure as a set of resources and means to ensure the maintenance of research activities. Scientific novelty. An attempt to fill the gaps in the methodology of organization of research activity in organizations of secondary vocational education is taken. Peculiarities of the educational programs of secondary vocational education, defining the forms of research activities are disclosed. Approaches to the concept of «research», the formation of research skills and development of professional-pedagogical competences of teachers as subjects of research activities are proposed. Practical significance. The use of suggested approaches to conducting research in organizations of secondary vocational education can increase the level of students and extend the functionality of teachers. 

  19. Secondary arsenic minerals in the environment: A review

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Drahota, P.; Filippi, Michal

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 35, č. 8 (2009), s. 1243-1255 ISSN 0160-4120 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR KJB300130702 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30130516 Keywords : arsenic * secondary arsenic mineral * environmental sample * solubility * environmental stability Subject RIV: DD - Geochemistry Impact factor: 4.786, year: 2009

  20. Polymer Industrial Floors - The Possibility of Using Secondary Raw Materials from Solar Panels

    OpenAIRE

    J. Kosikova; B. Vacenovska; M. Vyhnankova

    2014-01-01

    The paper reports on the subject of recycling and further use of secondary raw materials obtained from solar panels, which is becoming a very up to date topic in recent years. Recycling these panels is very difficult and complex, and the use of resulting secondary raw materials is still not fully resolved. Within the research carried out at the Brno University of Technology, new polymer materials used for industrial floors are being developed. Secondary raw materials are ...

  1. Numerical study of jets secondary instabilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brancher, Pierre

    1996-01-01

    The work presented in this dissertation is a contribution to the study of the transition to turbulence in open shear flows. Results from direct numerical simulations are interpreted within the framework of hydrodynamic stability theory. The first chapter is an introduction to the primary and secondary instabilities observed in jets and mixing layers. The numerical method used in the present study is detailed in the second chapter. The dynamics of homogeneous circular jets subjected to stream wise and azimuthal perturbations are investigated in the third chapter. A complete scenario describing the evolution of the jet is proposed with emphasis on the dynamics of vorticity within the flow. In the fourth chapter a parametric study reveals a three-dimensional secondary instability mainly controlled in the linear regime by the Strouhal number of the primary instability. In the nonlinear regime the dynamics of the azimuthal harmonies are described by means of model equations and are linked to the formation of stream wise vortices in the braid. The fifth chapter is dedicated to the convective or absolute nature of the secondary instabilities in plane shear layers. It is shown that there are flow configurations for which the two-dimensional secondary instability (pairing) is absolute even though the primary instability (Kelvin-Helmholtz) is convective. Some preliminary results concerning the three-dimensional secondary instabilities arc presented at the end of this chapter. The last chapter summarizes the main results and examines possible extensions of this work. (author) [fr

  2. Pharmacokinetics of a telmisartan/rosuvastatin fixed-dose combination: a single-dose, randomized, open-label, 2-period crossover study in healthy Korean subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chae, Dong Woo; Son, Mijeong; Kim, Yukyung; Son, Hankil; Jang, Seong Bok; Seo, Jeong Min; Nam, Su Youn; Park, Kyungsoo

    2015-10-01

    As hypertension and dyslipidemia are frequent comorbidities, antihypertensive drugs and lipid-lowering agents are often prescribed together for their treatment. Telmisartan and rosuvastatin are widely used together to treat hypertension and dyslipidemia. A combination formulation of these two drugs would improve patient compliance due to ease of dosing. The purpose of this study was to assess bioequivalence of single-dose administration of a newly-developed fixed-dose combination (FDC) tablet containing telmisartan/rosuvastatin 80/20 mg (test treatment) and coadministration of a telmisartan 80-mg tablet and a rosuvastatin 20-mg tablet (reference treatment) in healthy Korean male volunteers. This was a single-dose, randomized, open-label, 2-period crossover study enrolling healthy males aged 20 - 50 years with BMI between 18.5 and 25 kg/m2. Each subject received a single dose of the reference and test treatments with a 14-day washout period. Blood sampling was performed at prespecified intervals for up to 72 hours after dosing. Primary pharmacokinetic parameters were Cmax, AUClast, and AUC0-∞ of telmisartan, rosuvastatin, and N-desmethyl rosuvastatin. Bioequivalence was assessed by determining whether the 90% confidence intervals (CIs) of the geometric mean ratios (test treatment/reference treatment) of these parameters were within the standard range of 80% to 125%. Adverse events were monitored via regular interviews with the subjects and by physical examinations. 60 subjects were enrolled and 55 completed the study. The 90% CIs of the geometric mean ratios of Cmax, AUClast, and AUC00-∞ were 0.9262-1.1498, 0.9294-1.0313, and 0.9312-1.0320 for telmisartan, 0.9041-1.0428, 0.9262-1.0085, and 0.9307-1.0094 for rosuvastatin, and 0.8718-1.0022, 0.8901-0.9904, and 0.8872-0.9767 for N-desmethyl rosuvastatin, respectively. There was no statistical difference in the incidence of adverse events (AEs) (all of which were mild or moderate) between the reference and test

  3. Students' perceptions about science: The impact of transition from primary to secondary school

    Science.gov (United States)

    Speering, Wendy; Rennie, Léonie

    1996-09-01

    As students move through school, attitudes to school in general, and science in particular, become less positive. This paper reports on a longitudinal study which mapped, from the students' point of view, the transition between primary and secondary school in Western Australia. The study focused on the subject of science, and used both quantitative and qualitative methods. During the transition, there is a considerable change in the organisation of the school, the curriculum and the teacherstudent relationship. Students in this study, especially the girls, were generally disenchanted with the teaching strategies used in their secondary science classrooms, and regretted the loss of the close teacher-student relationship of their primary school years. Their perceptions were that science in secondary school was not what they had expected, and this experience may have long term implications for their subject and career choices.

  4. Effect of Cs and Li atom adsorption on MgO: Secondary emission and work function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bagraev, N.T.; Borisov, V.L.

    1980-01-01

    Adsorption of Cs and Li atoms on the surface of single crystal magnesium oxide films has been investigated using Auger, LEED and contact difference techniques. A decreased work function for a single crystal MgO film grown on the Mo (100) face was observed to be accompanied by an increased secondary electron emission yield shown to be due to a larger escape depth for secondary electrons. LEED showed well ordered layers of adsorbed Cs on the MgO film surface. A model to explain the behaviour of Cs atoms on the film surface is proposed. It is shown that the stability of the Cs coating is not dependent on a prolonged bombardment of the film by incident electron beams of high current density. Depositing and implanting of thin single crystal MgO films with Li were found to result in an increased secondary electron emission yield, with Li adsorption on the MgO film surface being disordered. (orig.)

  5. The pharmacokinetics of peginterferon lambda-1a following single dose administration to subjects with impaired renal function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hruska, Matthew W; Adamczyk, Robert; Colston, Elizabeth; Hesney, Michael; Stonier, Michele; Myler, Heather; Bertz, Richard

    2015-09-01

    This open label study was conducted to assess the effect of renal impairment (RI) on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of peginterferon lambda-1a (Lambda). Subjects (age 18-75 years, BMI 18-35 kg m(-2) ) were enrolled into one of five renal function groups: normal (n = 12), mild RI (n = 8), moderate RI (n = 8), severe RI (n = 7), end-stage renal disease (ESRD, n = 8) based on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) calculated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation. Subjects received a single dose of Lambda (180 µg) subcutaneously on day 1 followed by PK serum sample collections through day 29. Safety, tolerability and immunogenicity data were collected through day 43. PK parameters were estimated and summarized by group. Geometric mean ratios (GMR) and 90% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated between normal and RI groups. With decreasing eGFR, Lambda exposure (Cmax , AUC) increased while apparent clearance (CL/F) and apparent volume of distribution (V/F) decreased. Relative to subjects with normal renal function (geometric mean AUC = 99.5 ng ml(-1) h), Lambda exposure estimates (AUC) were slightly increased in the mild RI group (geometric mean [90% CI]: 1.20 [0.82, 1.77]) and greater in the moderate (1.95 [1.35, 2.83]), severe RI (1.95 [1.30, 2.93]) and ESRD (1.88 [1.30, 2.73]) groups. Lambda was generally well tolerated. The results demonstrated that RI reduces the clearance of Lambda and suggests that dose modifications may not be required in patients with mild RI but may be required in patients with moderate to severe RI or ESRD. © 2015 The British Pharmacological Society.

  6. Evaluation of alternate secondary (and tertiary) coolants for the molten-salt breeder reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kelmers, A.D.; Baes, C.F.; Bettis, E.S.; Brynestad, J.; Cantor, S.; Engel, J.R.; Grimes, W.R.; McCoy, H.E.; Meyer, A.S.

    1976-04-01

    The three most promising coolant selections for an MSBR have been identified and evaluated in detail from the many coolants considered for application either as a secondary coolant in 1000-MW(e) MSBR configurations using only one coolant, or as secondary and tertiary coolants in an MSBR dual coolant configuration employing two different coolants. These are, as single secondary coolants: (1) a ternary sodium--lithium--beryllium fluoride melt; (2) the sodium fluoroborate--sodium fluoride eutectic melt, the present reference design secondary coolant. In the case of the dual coolant configuration, the preferred system is molten lithium--beryllium fluoride (Li 2 BeF 4 ) as the secondary coolant and helium gas as the tertiary coolant

  7. Nonimaging secondary concentrators for large rim angle parabolic troughs with tubular absorbers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ries, H; Spirkl, W

    1996-05-01

    For parabolic trough solar collectors with tubular absorbers, we design new tailored secondary concentrators. The design is applicable for any rim angle of a parabolic reflector. With the secondary, the concentration can be increased by a factor of more than 2 with a compact secondary reflector consisting of a single piece, even for the important case of a rim angle of 90 deg. The parabolic reflector can be used without changes; the reduced absorber is still tubular but smaller than the original absorber and slightly displaced toward the primary.

  8. Assessment of Teacher of Nursing Subjects by Pupils and Students

    OpenAIRE

    Bednářová, Markéta

    2006-01-01

    The dissertation Assessment of a teacher of nursing subjects by pupils and students focuses on finding the opinion of pupils of secondary nursing schools and students of higher nursing schools and universities on teachers of nursing. The subject of the interest was particularly qualities and skills of the nursing teachers which pupils and students consider important and desirable. The theoretical part of the work summarizes conclusions from thematically similar studies. The empirical part of ...

  9. Influence of Stationary Crossflow Modulation on Secondary Instability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choudhari, Meelan M.; Li, Fei; Paredes, Pedro

    2016-01-01

    A likely scenario for swept wing transition on subsonic aircraft with natural laminar flow involves the breakdown of stationary crossflow vortices via high frequency secondary instability. A majority of the prior research on this secondary instability has focused on crossflow vortices with a single dominant spanwise wavelength. This paper investigates the effects of the spanwise modulation of stationary crossflow vortices at a specified wavelength by a subharmonic stationary mode. Secondary instability of the modulated crossflow pattern is studied using planar, partial-differential-equation based eigenvalue analysis. Computations reveal that weak modulation by the first subharmonic of the input stationary mode leads to mode splitting that is particularly obvious for Y-type secondary modes that are driven by the wall-normal shear of the basic state. Thus, for each Y mode corresponding to the fundamental wavelength of results in unmodulated train of crossflow vortices, the modulated flow supports a pair of secondary modes with somewhat different amplification rates. The mode splitting phenomenon suggests that a more complex stationary modulation such as that induced by natural surface roughness would yield a considerably richer spectrum of secondary instability modes. Even modest levels of subharmonic modulation are shown to have a strong effect on the overall amplification of secondary disturbances, particularly the Z-modes driven by the spanwise shear of the basic state. Preliminary computations related to the nonlinear breakdown of these secondary disturbances provide interesting insights into the process of crossflow transition in the presence of the first subharmonic of the dominant stationary vortex.

  10. Capturing alternative secondary structures of RNA by decomposition of base-pairing probabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hagio, Taichi; Sakuraba, Shun; Iwakiri, Junichi; Mori, Ryota; Asai, Kiyoshi

    2018-02-19

    It is known that functional RNAs often switch their functions by forming different secondary structures. Popular tools for RNA secondary structures prediction, however, predict the single 'best' structures, and do not produce alternative structures. There are bioinformatics tools to predict suboptimal structures, but it is difficult to detect which alternative secondary structures are essential. We proposed a new computational method to detect essential alternative secondary structures from RNA sequences by decomposing the base-pairing probability matrix. The decomposition is calculated by a newly implemented software tool, RintW, which efficiently computes the base-pairing probability distributions over the Hamming distance from arbitrary reference secondary structures. The proposed approach has been demonstrated on ROSE element RNA thermometer sequence and Lysine RNA ribo-switch, showing that the proposed approach captures conformational changes in secondary structures. We have shown that alternative secondary structures are captured by decomposing base-paring probabilities over Hamming distance. Source code is available from http://www.ncRNA.org/RintW .

  11. "Why Single Me Out?" Peer Mentoring, Autism and Inclusion in Mainstream Secondary Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradley, Ryan

    2016-01-01

    The past decade has seen an increase in the number of students with autism attending mainstream educational provision. Improving outcomes for this group is a complex issue given the deficit of evidence-based practice. A new peer mentoring programme developed for students with autism in mainstream secondary schools was evaluated using a combination…

  12. Brain Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography in Anosmic Subjects Ater Closed Head Trauma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roozbeh Banan

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Anosmia following head trauma is relatively common and in many cases is persistent and irreversible. The ability to objectively measure such a decline in smelling, for both clinical and medicolegal goals, is very important. The aim of this study was to find results of brain Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT in anosmic subjects after closed head trauma. This case-control cross sectional study was conducted in a tertiary referral University Hospital. The brain perfusion state of nineteen anosmic patients and thirteen normal controls was evaluated by means of the SPECT with 99mtc- ECD infusion- before and after olfactory stimulation. The orbitofrontal lobe of the brain was assumed as the region of interest and changes in perfusion of this area before and after the stimulations were compared in two groups. The mean of brain perfusion in controls before and after the stimulation was 8.26% ± 0.19% and 9.89% ± 0.54%, respectively (P < 0.0001. Among patients group, these quantities were 7.97% ± 1.05% and 8.49% ± 1.5%, respectively (P < 0.004. The difference between all the measures in cases and controls were statistically significant (P < 0.0001. There were no differences in age and sex between two groups. The brain SPECT is an objective technique suitable for evaluating anosmia following the head trauma and it may be used with other diagnostic modalities

  13. Pharmacokinetics of colistin methanesulfonate (CMS) in healthy Chinese subjects after single and multiple intravenous doses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Miao; Wu, Xiao-Jie; Fan, Ya-Xin; Zhang, Ying-Yuan; Guo, Bei-Ning; Yu, Ji-Cheng; Cao, Guo-Ying; Chen, Yuan-Cheng; Wu, Ju-Fang; Shi, Yao-Guo; Li, Jian; Zhang, Jing

    2018-05-01

    The high prevalence of extensively drug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens has forced clinicians to use colistin as a last-line therapy. Knowledge on the pharmacokinetics of colistin methanesulfonate (CMS), an inactive prodrug, and colistin has increased substantially; however, the pharmacokinetics in the Chinese population is still unknown due to lack of a CMS product in China. This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of a new CMS product developed in China in order to optimise dosing regimens. A total of 24 healthy subjects (12 female, 12 male) were enrolled in single- and multiple-dose pharmacokinetic (PK) studies. Concentrations of CMS and formed colistin in plasma and urine were measured, and PK analysis was conducted using a non-compartmental approach. Following a single CMS dose [2.36 mg colistin base activity (CBA) per kg, 1 h infusion], peak concentrations (C max ) of CMS and formed colistin were 18.0 mg/L and 0.661 mg/L, respectively. The estimated half-life (t 1/2 ) of CMS and colistin were 1.38 h and 4.49 h, respectively. Approximately 62.5% of the CMS dose was excreted via urine within 24 h after dosing, whilst only 1.28% was present in the form of colistin. Following multiple CMS doses, colistin reached steady-state within 24 h; there was no accumulation of CMS, but colistin accumulated slightly (R AUC  = 1.33). This study provides the first PK data in the Chinese population and is essential for designing CMS dosing regimens for use in Chinese hospitals. The urinary PK data strongly support the use of intravenous CMS for serious urinary tract infections. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

  14. Age-related mechanism and its relationship with secondary metabolism and abscisic acid in Aristotelia chilensis plants subjected to drought stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Villagra, Jorge; Rodrigues-Salvador, Acácio; Nunes-Nesi, Adriano; Cohen, Jerry D; Reyes-Díaz, Marjorie M

    2018-03-01

    Drought stress is the most important stress factor for plants, being the main cause of agricultural crop loss in the world. Plants have developed complex mechanisms for preventing water loss and oxidative stress such as synthesis of abscisic acid (ABA) and non-enzymatic antioxidant compounds such as anthocyanins, which might help plants to cope with abiotic stress as antioxidants and for scavenging reactive oxygen species. A. chilensis (Mol.) is a pioneer species, colonizing and growing on stressed and disturbed environments. In this research, an integrated analysis of secondary metabolism in Aristotelia chilensis was done to relate ABA effects on anthocyanins biosynthesis, by comparing between young and fully-expanded leaves under drought stress. Plants were subjected to drought stress for 20 days, and physiological, biochemical, and molecular analyses were performed. The relative growth rate and plant water status were reduced in stressed plants, with young leaves significantly more affected than fully-expanded leaves beginning from the 5th day of drought stress. A. chilensis plants increased their ABA and total anthocyanin content and showed upregulation of gene expression when they were subjected to severe drought (day 20), with these effects being higher in fully-expanded leaves. Multivariate analysis indicated a significant positive correlation between transcript levels for NCED1 (9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase) and UFGT (UDP glucose: flavonoid-3-O-glucosyltransferase) with ABA and total anthocyanin, respectively. Thus, this research provides a more comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms that allow plants to cope with drought stress. This is highlighted by the differences between young and fully-expanded leaves, showing different sensibility to stress due to their ability to synthesize anthocyanins. In addition, this ability to synthesize different and high amounts of anthocyanins could be related to higher NCED1 and MYB expression and ABA levels

  15. Otorhinolaryngology manifestations secondary to oral sex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernández-López, Claudia; Morales-Angulo, Carmelo

    Over the last few years, oral and pharyngeal signs and symptoms due to oral sex have increased significantly. However, no review articles related to this subject have been found in the medical literature. The objective of our study was to identify otorhinolaryngological manifestations associated with orogenital/oroanal contact, both in adults and children, in the context of consensual sex or sexual abuse. We performed a review of the medical literature on otorhinolaryngological pathology associated with oral sex published in the last 20 years in the PubMed database. Otorhinolaryngological manifestations secondary to oral sex practice in adults can be infectious, tumoral or secondary to trauma. The more common signs and symptoms found in the literature were human papillomavirus infection (above all, condyloma acuminata and papilloma/condyloma), oral or pharyngeal syphilis, gonococcal pharyngitis, herpes simplex virus infection and pharyngitis from Chlamydia trachomatis. The incidence of human papillomavirus -induced oropharyngeal carcinoma has dramatically increased. In children past the neonatal period, the presence of condyloma acuminatus, syphilis, gonorrhoea or palatal ecchymosis (the last one, unless justified by other causes) should make us suspect sexual abuse. Sexual habits have changed in the last decades, resulting in the appearance of otorhinolaryngological pathology that was rarely seen previously. For this reason, it is important for primary care physicians to have knowledge about the subject to perform correct diagnosis and posterior treatment. Some sexual abuse cases in children may also be suspected based on the knowledge of the characteristic oropharyngeal manifestations secondary to them. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Otorrinolaringología y Cirugía de Cabeza y Cuello. All rights reserved.

  16. Attitudes of Secondary School Students towards Modern Biotechnology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    T. Klop (Tanja)

    2008-01-01

    textabstractI interviewed a group of four sixteen-year old secondary school students about their attitudes towards modern biotechnology. When I asked them what they knew about this subject, one girl responded: “Well, I know it’s about genes, they are located in your DNA, and within your genes is all

  17. Effectiveness of cinacalcet in patients with recurrent/persistent secondary hyperparathyroidism following parathyroidectomy: results of the ECHO study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zitt, Emanuel; Rix, Marianne; Ureña Torres, Pablo

    2011-01-01

    Progressive secondary hyperparathyroidism (sHPT) is characterized by parathyroid gland hyperplasia which may ultimately require parathyroidectomy (PTX). Although PTX is generally a successful treatment for those patients subjected to surgery, a significant proportion develops recurrent sHPT follo......Progressive secondary hyperparathyroidism (sHPT) is characterized by parathyroid gland hyperplasia which may ultimately require parathyroidectomy (PTX). Although PTX is generally a successful treatment for those patients subjected to surgery, a significant proportion develops recurrent s...

  18. The Geographic Information System (GIS) in secondary education in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study investigates the application of new educational technologies in geography classes. The research involved 126 students from vocational secondary schools in Serbia taking geography as a compulsory subject. We developed and applied a questionnaire for this research. The results indicate that out of several ...

  19. Accurate prediction of secondary metabolite gene clusters in filamentous fungi

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Mikael Rørdam; Nielsen, Jakob Blæsbjerg; Klitgaard, Andreas

    2013-01-01

    Biosynthetic pathways of secondary metabolites from fungi are currently subject to an intense effort to elucidate the genetic basis for these compounds due to their large potential within pharmaceutics and synthetic biochemistry. The preferred method is methodical gene deletions to identify...... used A. nidulans for our method development and validation due to the wealth of available biochemical data, but the method can be applied to any fungus with a sequenced and assembled genome, thus supporting further secondary metabolite pathway elucidation in the fungal kingdom....

  20. Self-Oriented Perfectionism and Self-Assessment as Predictors of Adolescents? Subjective Well-Being

    Science.gov (United States)

    Çelik, Eyüp

    2014-01-01

    The aim of the present study is to examine whether subjective well-being is predicted by self-oriented perfectionism and self-assessment. The self-oriented perfectionism scale, self-assessment scale and subjective well-being scale (SWB) were administrated to a sample of voluntary 272 eight-grade students from three secondary schools in Sultangazi,…

  1. Effects of cereal bar containing polydextrose on subjective feelings of appetite and energy intake in overweight adults over 15 d.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinelli, Marcela; Hick, Emilia; Walz, Florencia; Drago, Silvina R

    2018-01-18

    The effects of 15 d polydextrose (16.7 g) consumption on energy intake (EI) and appetite feelings were investigated. Overweight adults consumed a polydextrose-bar or a control-bar matched in energy content as a midmorning snack for 15 consecutive days in a single-blind, randomised, crossover design. The two 15-d intervention periods were separated by a 15-d washout period. On the day 1 and the day 15 of each intervention period, energy intake (primary outcome) and appetite feelings (secondary outcome) were assessed. There were not significant main effects of the day, type of bar, or their interaction for EI (at lunchtime test meal, at rest of the day, or at total daily) or subjective feelings (hunger, desire to eat, fullness, and prospective food consumption) during the satiation and satiety periods. The results showed the consumption of polydextrose-bar during 15 d did not significantly affect energy intake and subjective feelings of appetite in overweight adults.

  2. Post secondary project-based learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics

    OpenAIRE

    Ralph, Rachel A.

    2016-01-01

    Project-based learning (PjBL - to distinguish from problem-based learning - PBL) has become a recurrent practice in K-12 classroom environments. As PjBL has become prominent in K-12 classrooms, it has also surfaced in post-secondary institutions.  The purpose of this paper is to examine the research that has studied a variety of science, technology, engineering and mathematic subjects using PjBL in post-secondary classrooms. Eleven articles (including qualitative, quantitative and mixed metho...

  3. Single isotope dual-phase scintigraphy with 99mTc-MIBI and 99mTc-tetrofosmin combined with SPECT technique in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Botushanova, A.; Yaneva, M.; Botushanov, N.

    2015-01-01

    Full text: Preoperative parathyroid scintigraphy is highly beneficial when used for minimally invasive parathyroidectomy. The aim is to examine the diagnostic value of single isotope dual-phase scintigraphy with 99mTc-MIBI and 99mTc-etrofosmin combined with SPECT technique in preoperative localization of hyperplastic parathyroid glands in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism. The study included 15 patients aged 37 to 73 years (8 women and 7 men) with proven secondary hyperparathyroidism with increased serum calcium and parathyroid hormone. All patients were on chroniodialysis and treatment with Calcitriol. The examination was done with two-headed SPECT gamma camera SIMBIA by protocol for single isotope dual-phase scintigraphy and SPECT technique. 740 MBq 99mTc-MIBI were applied intravenously in 6 of the patients, and in 9 patients were administered 740 MBq 99mTc-tetrofosmin. The scintigraphy with 99mTc-MIBI visualized a focus of residual activity in 4 patients, and in 2 we received negative scintigraphy. The scintigraphy with 99mTc-tetrofosmin combined with SPECT showed an area of hyperfixation in both phases on SPECT images in 1 patient. In 2 patients hyperfixating areas suspicious for abnormal parathyroid glands were registered only in the early SPECT images. In 6 patients the scintigraphic results were negative. Negative scintigraphic results can be explained with the ability to suppress the uptake of 99mTc-MIBI and 99mTc - tetrofosmin by the parathyroid cells as a result of taking Calcitriol. Scintigraphy with 99mTc-MIBI and 99mTc-tetrofosmin did not show high sensitivity in identifying the hyperplastic parathyroid glands, although it was capable to distinguish patients with nodular hyperplasia of those with diffuse hyperplasia

  4. Secondary Hypertension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Secondary hypertension Overview Secondary hypertension (secondary high blood pressure) is high blood pressure that's caused by another medical condition. Secondary hypertension can be caused by conditions that affect your kidneys, ...

  5. Endovascular Repair of Traumatic Rupture of the Thoracic Aorta: Single-Center Experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saratzis, Nikolaos A.; Saratzis, Athanasios N.; Melas, Nikolaos; Ginis, Georgios; Lioupis, Athanasios; Lykopoulos, Dimitrios; Lazaridis, John; Dimitrios, Kiskinis

    2007-01-01

    Purpose. Traumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta secondary to blunt chest trauma is a life-threatening emergency and a common cause of death, usually following violent collisions. The objective of this retrospective report was to evaluate the efficacy of endovascular treatment of thoracic aortic disruptions with a single commercially available stent-graft. Methods. Nine men (mean age 29.5 years) were admitted to our institution between January 2003 and January 2006 due to blunt aortic trauma following violent motor vehicle collisions. Plain chest radiography, spiral computed tomography, aortography, and transesophageal echocardiography were used for diagnostic purposes in all cases. All patients were diagnosed with contained extramural thoracic aortic hematomas, secondary to aortic disruption. One patient was also diagnosed with a traumatic thoracic aortic dissection, secondary to blunt trauma. All subjects were poor surgical candidates, due to major injuries such as multiple bone fractures, abdominal hematomas, and pulmonary contusions. All repairs were performed using the EndoFit (LeMaitre Vascular) stent-graft. Results. Complete exclusion of the traumatic aortic disruption and pseudoaneurysm was achieved and verified at intraoperative arteriography and on CT scans, within 10 days of the repair in all patients. In 1 case the deployment of a second cuff was necessary due to a secondary endoleak. In 2 cases the left subclavian artery was occluded to achieve adequate graft fixation. No procedure-related deaths have occurred and no cardiac or peripheral vascular complications were observed within the 12 months (range 8-16 months) follow-up. Conclusions. This is the first time the EndoFit graft has been utilized in the treatment of thoracic aortic disruptions secondary to chest trauma. The repair of such pathologies is technically feasible and early follow-up results are promising

  6. Mutual Coupling Between Meteorological Parameters and Secondary Microseisms

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Holub, Karel; Kalenda, Pavel; Rušajová, Jana

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 24, č. 6 (2013), s. 933-949 ISSN 1017-0839 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LM2010008 Institutional support: RVO:68145535 ; RVO:67985891 Keywords : secondary microseisms * meteorological elements * statistics Subject RIV: DC - Siesmology, Volcanology, Earth Structure Impact factor: 1.061, year: 2013 http://tao.cgu.org.tw/pdf/v246p933.pdf

  7. Complex antioxidants in a randomized single-blinded study of memory in seniors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Summers, William K; Martin, Roy L; Liu, Yimeng; Peña, Bernice; Marsh, Gary M

    2018-04-01

    Oxidative injury to the brain and aging are theoretical co-causes of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Amyloid plaques and tangles are then secondary phenomenon. The preclinical state would then be 'normal' elderly. A potent complex antioxidant (antiOx) was tested against a popular one-a-day multivitamin (mV) in a randomized single blind design in 'normal' senior subjects over 6 months. Memory testing was done at baseline, 1, 3, and 6 months. The generalized estimating equation (GEE) approach was used to compare the change score of NLT 100 and 20 WR between two groups over time. Analysis of the antiOx group (30 subjects) demonstrated significant improvement in declarative memory (change score for NLT 100 at month 6 = 6.36 p working memory (change score for 20 WR at month 6 = 3.23, p < 0.0001). A change-score analysis over 6 months suggests possible neurogenesis in the antiOx group. The mV group (33 subjects) had a change score of the NLT 100 and 20WR on the sixth month of 2.20 and 0.32 (p = 0.07, 0.35). A complex antioxidant blend, sold as an over-the-counter (OTC) supplement, can improve memory in elder subjects. Antioxidants may be beneficial in AD and other neurodegerative diseases.

  8. Miscellaneous subjects, ch. 18

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brussaard, P.J.; Glaudemans, P.W.M.

    1977-01-01

    Attention is paid to a variery of subjects which are related to shell model applications, e.g. the Lanczos method for matrix diagonalization, truncation methods (seniority truncation, single-particle energy truncation and diagonal energy truncation which can be used for reducing the configuration space.) Coulomb energies and spurious states are briefly discussed. Finally attention is paid to the particle-vibrator model

  9. Teachers' Teaching Experience and Students' Learning Outcomes in Secondary Schools in Ondo State, Nigeria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adeyemi, T. O.

    2008-01-01

    This article examined teachers' teaching experience and students' learning outcomes in the secondary schools in Ondo State Nigeria. As a correlational survey, the study population comprised all the 257 secondary schools in the State. This population was made up of 147 rural schools and 110 urban schools. It was also made up of 12 single sex…

  10. Modelación en coordenadas de fase del transformador monofásico con derivación central en el secundario; Modeling in phase-coordinates of the single-phase transformer with center tap in the secondary winding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ignacio - Pérez Abril

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Existe un modelo en la literatura para representar el transformador monofásico con derivación central en el secundario. No obstante, dicho modelo representa toda la impedancia del transformador en el secundario, lo que difiere de la realidad. La distribución de la impedancia del transformador entre el primario y ambas secciones del secundario tiene una gran influencia en la magnitud de la corriente de cortocircuito de una fase a la derivación central del secundario. Esta corriente supera ampliamente la corriente de cortocircuito de fase a fase en transformadores con devanados entrelazados. El presente trabajo desarrolla el modelo en coordenadas de fase del transformador monofásico con derivación central en el secundario. El modelo desarrollado se prueba con varios ejemplos que demuestran la conveniencia de emplear el modelo presentado para analizar la carga desigual de ambas secciones del devanado secundario o el cortocircuito de una fase a la derivación central del secundario.There exists a model in the literature to representing the single-phase transformer with center tap in the secondary winding. However, this model represents all the impedance of the transformer in the secondary winding, which differs from practice. The distribution of the impedance between primary and the both sections of the secondary winding has a great influence over the magnitude of the short circuit current from a phase to the center tap. This current is much greater than the phase to phase short circuit current in transformers with interlaced windings. The present paper develops a model in phase coordinates for the single-phase transformer with center tap in the secondary winding. The developed model is tested with several examples that shown the convenience of the use of the presented model to analyze the unequal load in both sections of the secondary or the short circuit from a phase to the center tap of the secondary.

  11. Refractive Secondary Solar Concentrator Being Designed and Developed

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macosko, Robert P.; Donovan, Richard M.

    1998-01-01

    As the need for achieving super high temperatures (2000 K and above) in solar heat receivers has developed so has the need for secondary concentrators. These concentrators refocus the already highly concentrated solar energy provided by a primary solar collector, thereby significantly reducing the light entrance aperture of the heat receiver and the resulting infrared radiation heat loss from the receiver cavity. Although a significant amount of research and development has been done on nonimaging hollow reflective concentrators, there has been no other research or development to date on solid, single crystal, refractive concentrators that can operate at temperatures above 2000 K. The NASA Lewis Research Center recently initiated the development of single-crystal, optically clear, refractive secondary concentrators that, combined with a flux extractor, offer a number of significant advantages over the more conventional, hollow, reflective concentrators at elevated temperatures. Such concentrators could potentially provide higher throughput (efficiency), require no special cooling device, block heat receiver material boiloff from the receiver cavity, provide for flux tailoring in the cavity via the extractor, and potentially reduce infrared heat loss via an infrared block coating.The many technical challenges of designing and fabricating high-temperature refractive secondary concentrators and flux extractors include identifying optical materials that can survive the environment (high-temperature, vacuum and/or hydrogen atmosphere), developing coatings for enhanced optical and thermal performance, and developing crystal joining techniques and hardware that can survive launch loads.

  12. Analysis of hopanes and steranes in single oil-bearing fluid inclusions using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siljeström, S; Lausmaa, J; Sjövall, P; Broman, C; Thiel, V; Hode, T

    2010-01-01

    Steranes and hopanes are organic biomarkers used as indicators for the first appearance of eukaryotes and cyanobacteria on Earth. Oil-bearing fluid inclusions may provide a contamination-free source of Precambrian biomarkers, as the oil has been secluded from the environment since the formation of the inclusion. However, analysis of biomarkers in single oil-bearing fluid inclusions, which is often necessary due to the presence of different generations of inclusions, has not been possible due to the small size of most inclusions. Here, we have used time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) to monitor in real time the opening of individual inclusions trapped in hydrothermal veins of fluorite and calcite and containing oil from Ordovician source rocks. Opening of the inclusions was performed by using a focused C(60)(+) ion beam and the in situ content was precisely analysed for C(27)-C(29) steranes and C(29)-C(32) hopanes using Bi(3)(+) as primary ions. The capacity to unambiguously detect these biomarkers in the picoliter amount of crude oil from a single, normal-sized (15-30 mum in diameter) inclusion makes the approach promising in the search of organic biomarkers for life's early evolution on Earth.

  13. Secondary emission monitor (SEM) grids.

    CERN Multimedia

    Patrice Loïez

    2002-01-01

    A great variety of Secondary Emission Monitors (SEM) are used all over the PS Complex. At other accelerators they are also called wire-grids, harps, etc. They are used to measure beam density profiles (from which beam size and emittance can be derived) in single-pass locations (not on circulating beams). Top left: two individual wire-planes. Top right: a combination of a horizontal and a vertical wire plane. Bottom left: a ribbon grid in its frame, with connecting wires. Bottom right: a SEM-grid with its insertion/retraction mechanism.

  14. Paricalcitol for secondary hyperparathyroidism in renal transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trillini, Matias; Cortinovis, Monica; Ruggenenti, Piero; Reyes Loaeza, Jorge; Courville, Karen; Ferrer-Siles, Claudia; Prandini, Silvia; Gaspari, Flavio; Cannata, Antonio; Villa, Alessandro; Perna, Annalisa; Gotti, Eliana; Caruso, Maria Rosa; Martinetti, Davide; Remuzzi, Giuseppe; Perico, Norberto

    2015-05-01

    Secondary hyperparathyroidism contributes to post-transplant CKD mineral and bone disorder. Paricalcitol, a selective vitamin D receptor activator, decreased serum parathyroid hormone levels and proteinuria in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism. This single-center, prospective, randomized, crossover, open-label study compared the effect of 6-month treatment with paricalcitol (1 μg/d for 3 months and then uptitrated to 2 µg/d if tolerated) or nonparicalcitol therapy on serum parathyroid hormone levels (primary outcome), mineral metabolism, and proteinuria in 43 consenting recipients of renal transplants with secondary hyperparathyroidism. Participants were randomized 1:1 according to a computer-generated sequence. Compared with baseline, median (interquartile range) serum parathyroid hormone levels significantly declined on paricalcitol from 115.6 (94.8-152.0) to 63.3 (52.0-79.7) pg/ml (Psecondary hyperparathyroidism. Long-term studies are needed to monitor directly measured GFR, ensure that the bone remodeling and mineral effects are sustained, and determine if the reduction in proteinuria improves renal and cardiovascular outcomes. Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Nephrology.

  15. Slovak Income Tax Legislation in Terms of EU Secondary Law Transposition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krajčírová Renáta

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the integration process of implementation of European Union secondary law into the Slovak tax legislation. In particular, the article analyses whether provisions of (i EU Parent Subsidiary Directive, (ii EU Interest and Royalty Directive and (iii EU Merger Directive are implemented into the Slovak Income Tax Act. Following our research, it should be noted that in general, the Slovak tax legislation has adopted the EU secondary law, in particular, the Parent Subsidiary and Interest and Royalty Directives have been implemented. It should be noted that the profit distributions are not subject to tax in Slovakia. It follows that interest and royalty are not subject to tax and is applicable to EU associated companies. Following the Slovak implementation of EU Merger Directive, merger transactions are generally treated as not giving rise to a capital gain. As a result, according to the Slovak Income Tax Act the income received by shareholders from acquiring new shares and income from exchange of the shares on merger transaction is not subject to income tax.

  16. Causal modeling of secondary science students' intentions to enroll in physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crawley, Frank E.; Black, Carolyn B.

    The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of the theory of planned behavior model developed by social psychologists for understanding and predicting the behavioral intentions of secondary science students regarding enrolling in physics. In particular, the study used a three-stage causal model to investigate the links from external variables to behavioral, normative, and control beliefs; from beliefs to attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control; and from attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control to behavioral intentions. The causal modeling method was employed to verify the underlying causes of secondary science students' interest in enrolling physics as predicted in the theory of planned behavior. Data were collected from secondary science students (N = 264) residing in a central Texas city who were enrolled in earth science (8th grade), biology (9th grade), physical science (10th grade), or chemistry (11th grade) courses. Cause-and-effect relationships were analyzed using path analysis to test the direct effects of model variables specified in the theory of planned behavior. Results of this study indicated that students' intention to enroll in a high school physics course was determined by their attitude toward enrollment and their degree of perceived behavioral control. Attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control were, in turn, formed as a result of specific beliefs that students held about enrolling in physics. Grade level and career goals were found to be instrumental in shaping students' attitude. Immediate family members were identified as major referents in the social support system for enrolling in physics. Course and extracurricular conflicts and the fear of failure were shown to be the primary beliefs obstructing students' perception of control over physics enrollment. Specific recommendations are offered to researchers and practitioners for strengthening secondary school students

  17. Entrepreneurial Attitude and Entrepreneurial Efficacy of Technical Secondary School Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaidatol Akmaliah, Lope Pihie; Bagheri, Afsaneh

    2010-01-01

    Entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial efficacy are considered to be two important factors influencing students' intention and success in becoming entrepreneurs. This study was conducted to determine the entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial efficacy of 3000 students following technical subjects in the secondary schools of Malaysia.…

  18. The effect of single oral doses of duloxetine, reboxetine, and midodrine on the urethral pressure in healthy female subjects, using urethral pressure reflectometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klarskov, Niels; Cerneus, Dirk; Sawyer, William

    2018-01-01

    AIMS: To evaluate the effect on urethral pressure of reference drugs known to reduce stress urinary incontinence symptoms by different effect size and mechanisms of action on urethral musculature under four test conditions in healthy female subjects using urethral pressure reflectometry. METHODS......: Healthy females aged 18-55 years were recruited by advertising for this phase 1, single site, placebo-controlled, randomized, four-period, crossover study. The interventions were single oral doses of 10 mg Midodrine, 80 mg Duloxetine, 12 mg Reboxetine, and placebo. The endpoints were the opening urethral...... pressure measured in each period at four time points (predose and 2, 5.5, and 9 h after dosing). RESULTS: Twenty-nine females were enrolled; 25 randomized and 24 completed the study. The opening urethral pressure was higher in all measurements with filled bladder compared with empty bladder, and during...

  19. Concrete as secondary containment for interior wall embedded waste lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porter, C.L.

    1993-01-01

    Throughout the Department of Energy (DOE) complex are numerous facilities that handle hazardous waste solutions. Secondary containment of tank systems and their ancillary piping is a major concern for existing facilities. The Idaho Division of Environmental Quality was petitioned in 1990 for an Equivalent Device determination regarding secondary containment of waste lines embedded in interior concrete walls. The petition was granted, however it expires in 1996. To address the secondary containment issue, additional studies were undertaken. One study verified the hypothesis that an interior wall pipe leak would follow the path of least resistance through the naturally occurring void found below a rigidly supported pipe and pass into an adjacent room where detection could occur, before any significant deterioration of the concrete takes place. Other tests demonstrated that with acidic waste solutions rebar and cold joints are not an accelerated path to the environment. The results from these latest studies confirm that the subject configuration meets all the requirements of secondary containment

  20. Security Situation in Secondary Schools in Tuzla Canton - BiH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dzevad Mahmutovic

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available In this research has been presented an assessment of safety situation in schools, examined through the attitudes of students and teachers of secondary schools in five municipalities of Tuzla Canton. The sample consisted of 160 subjects, who for the purposes of this research divided in three subsample: male students, female students and professors. The research was conducted as a questionnaire, where on the posted statements subjects chose one of five responses on the Likert-type scale. The results of the research showed that subjects generally have unfavour­able attitudes about security situation in secondary schools, which makes them feel very insecure. By descriptive analysis, besides these attitudes, it was determined that there are certain differences between the subsamples per individual variables. By analysis of variance, about influence of different status (student-professor on the sub-samples attitudes about safety in schools, it was determined that these differences were not statistically significant at the level p <.05 in results for the three subsample (F = .421, p = .245. In relation on manifested negative att­itudes about safety in schools, but also the homogeneity of results, in relation on the total sample of subjects, it is necessary to determine an adequate strategy of action, develop appropriate programs for work with students and make their prompt implementation in order to achieve safer living conditions and work in the school environment.

  1. Methods for forming particles from single source precursors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fox, Robert V [Idaho Falls, ID; Rodriguez, Rene G [Pocatello, ID; Pak, Joshua [Pocatello, ID

    2011-08-23

    Single source precursors are subjected to carbon dioxide to form particles of material. The carbon dioxide may be in a supercritical state. Single source precursors also may be subjected to supercritical fluids other than supercritical carbon dioxide to form particles of material. The methods may be used to form nanoparticles. In some embodiments, the methods are used to form chalcopyrite materials. Devices such as, for example, semiconductor devices may be fabricated that include such particles. Methods of forming semiconductor devices include subjecting single source precursors to carbon dioxide to form particles of semiconductor material, and establishing electrical contact between the particles and an electrode.

  2. SSD for R: A Comprehensive Statistical Package to Analyze Single-System Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Auerbach, Charles; Schudrich, Wendy Zeitlin

    2013-01-01

    The need for statistical analysis in single-subject designs presents a challenge, as analytical methods that are applied to group comparison studies are often not appropriate in single-subject research. "SSD for R" is a robust set of statistical functions with wide applicability to single-subject research. It is a comprehensive package…

  3. [Clinical-demographic factors associated with fear-avoidance in subjects with non-specific chronic low back pain in Primary Care: secondary analysis of intervention study].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Díaz-Cerrillo, Juan Luis; Rondón-Ramos, Antonio; Clavero-Cano, Susana; Pérez-González, Rita; Martinez-Calderon, Javier; Luque-Suarez, Alejandro

    2018-01-30

    To describe some sociodemographics and clinical characteristics of subjects with Non-specific Chronic Low Back Pain (NCLBP) in Primary Care, as well as to investigate their association with Fear-Avoidance (FA). Cross-sectional. Secondary analysis of an intervention study. Basic Health Areas in Costa del Sol Health District (Málaga, Spain). An analysis was performed on 147 subjects with NCLBP from a previous intervention study database in Primary Care Physiotherapy (PCP). Characteristics: age 18-65; understanding of the Spanish language; absence of cognitive disorders, fibromyalgia or dorsolumbar surgery, and to be able to perform physical exercise. The main variable was FA level (FABQ and the FABQ-PA and FABQ-W) sub-scales. Clinical variables included: pain (NRPS-11), disability (RMQ), evolution, previous treatments and diagnostic imaging. The sociodemographic variables included: gender, age, educational level, and employment status. Just over half (51.7%) of the subjects had high FA on the FABQ-PA sub-scale. Sick leave (SL) [β=24.45 (P=.009 * ); β=13.03 (P=.016 * ); β=14.04 (P=.011 * ) for FABQ, FABQ-PA and FABQ-W, respectively]; primary studies level [β=15.09 (P=.01 * ); β=9.73 (P=.01 * ) for FABQ and FABQ-PA], and disability [β=1.45 (P<.001); β=0.61 (P<.001); β=0.68 (P<.001) for FABQ, FABQ-PA and FABQ-W, respectively] were associated with FA when they were modeled by multivariate regression. Some sociodemographic and clinical features of the NCLBP population are presented. Imaging tests (81.63%) and previous passive treatments (55.78%) could reflect problems of adherence to recommendations of CPGs. Sick leave, primary studies level, and disability were associated with FA. The findings should be interpreted in the light of possible limitations. Some suggestions for clinical practice are provided. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  4. Estimation method for first excursion probability of secondary system with impact and friction using maximum response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shigeru Aoki

    2005-01-01

    The secondary system such as pipings, tanks and other mechanical equipment is installed in the primary system such as building. The important secondary systems should be designed to maintain their function even if they are subjected to destructive earthquake excitations. The secondary system has many nonlinear characteristics. Impact and friction characteristic, which are observed in mechanical supports and joints, are common nonlinear characteristics. As impact damper and friction damper, impact and friction characteristic are used for reduction of seismic response. In this paper, analytical methods of the first excursion probability of the secondary system with impact and friction, subjected to earthquake excitation are proposed. By using the methods, the effects of impact force, gap size and friction force on the first excursion probability are examined. When the tolerance level is normalized by the maximum response of the secondary system without impact or friction characteristics, variation of the first excursion probability is very small for various values of the natural period. In order to examine the effectiveness of the proposed method, the obtained results are compared with those obtained by the simulation method. Some estimation methods for the maximum response of the secondary system with nonlinear characteristics have been developed. (author)

  5. Role of the DGAT gene C79T single-nucleotide polymorphism in French obese subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coudreau, Sylvie Kipfer; Tounian, Patrick; Bonhomme, Geneviève; Froguel, Philippe; Girardet, Jean-Philippe; Guy-Grand, Bernard; Basdevant, Arnaud; Clément, Karine

    2003-10-01

    Acyl-coenzyme A, diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT), is a key enzyme involved in adipose-cell triglyceride storage. A 79-bp T-to-C single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on the 3' region of the DGAT transcriptional site has been reported to increase promoter activity and is associated with higher BMI in Turkish women. To validate the possible role of this genetic variant in obesity, as well as the variant's possible cellular-functional significance, we performed an association study between the T79C change and several obesity-related phenotypes in 1357 obese French adults and children. The prevalence of the T79C SNP was similar between obese adults and children when each group was compared with the controls. (CC genotype carrier frequencies were 0.25 to 0.29 in the obese groups and 0.21 in controls; p > 0.05.) In each of the obese adult and child groups studied, the T79C variant was not found to be associated with any of the obesity-related phenotypes tested. Although the T79C SNP of the DGAT gene was studied in several groups of white subjects, the association between this SNP and obesity-related phenotypes, previously described, was not confirmed in our population.

  6. Horizontal transfer of bait in the German cockroach: indoxacarb causes secondary and tertiary mortality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buczkowski, Grzegorz; Scherer, Clay W; Bennett, Gary W

    2008-06-01

    Horizontal transfer of indoxacarb in the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), was examined under laboratory conditions. Results show that a single bait-fed adult cockroach (i.e., the donor) transferred indoxacarb to numerous primary recipients (secondary mortality),which then became secondary donors. These recipients subsequently became donors to other cockroaches and caused significant mortality in other members of the aggregation, resulting in tertiary kill. Indoxacarb was effectively transferred among adult cockroaches and resulted in significant secondary mortality. When adult males served as donors and vectored the insecticide to adult males, the donor:recipient ratio affected the mortality of the recipients and the rate of secondary mortality increased with increasing the ratio of donors to recipients. Furthermore, secondary mortality in the untreated cockroaches was significantly affected by the freshness of excretions from the donors, the presence of alternative food, and the duration of contact between the donors and the recipients. Ingested indoxacarb was most effectively translocated when the recipients interacted with freshly symptomatic donors in the absence of alternative food. The transfer of indoxacarb continued beyond secondary mortality and resulted in significant tertiary mortality. Excretions from a single bait-fed adult killed 38/50 (76%) nymphs within 72 h. The dead nymphs then vectored indoxacarb to 20 adult males and killed 16/20 (81%) recipients within 72 h. Behavioral mechanisms involved in the horizontal transfer of indoxacarb may include: contact with excretions, necrophagy, emetophagy, and ingestion of other excretions that originate from the donors.

  7. 5. International seminar on primary and secondary side water chemistry of nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-01-01

    The major subjects of the meetings are: water chemistry of primary and secondary coolant circuits of PWR type reactors (mainly WWER types), corrosion of steam generators, decontamination processes, treatment of radioactive waste waters and related subjects. All the 29 papers were individually indexed and abstracted for the INIS database. (R.P.)

  8. 5. International seminar on primary and secondary side water chemistry of nuclear power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-07-01

    The major subjects of the meetings are: water chemistry of primary and secondary coolant circuits of PWR type reactors (mainly WWER types), corrosion of steam generators, decontamination processes, treatment of radioactive waste waters and related subjects. All the 29 papers were individually indexed and abstracted for the INIS database. (R.P.)

  9. Turkish Chemistry Teachers' Views about Secondary School Chemistry Curriculum: A Perspective from Environmental Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Icoz, Omer Faruk

    2015-01-01

    Teachers' views about environmental education (EE) have been regarded as one of the most important concerns in education for sustainability. In secondary school chemistry curriculum, there are several subjects about EE embedded in the chemistry subjects in Turkey. This study explores three chemistry teachers' views about to what extent the…

  10. Exciton distribution function and secondary radiation in polar semiconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trallero Giner, C.; Sotolongo Costa, O.

    1985-07-01

    An explicit non-equilibrium distribution function for excitons in the ground state n=1 in the case when the fundamental interaction is with acoustical phonons is calculated for polar semiconductors. Using it, a general expression for the secondary radiation cross-section (valid for Raman, hot and thermalized luminescence processes), is obtained. The results are applied to explain the temperature dependence of the 1LO and 2LO luminescence lines half-width in CdS single crystals. The relative contributions of 3LO Raman and luminescence intensities and the variation of the secondary emission spectrum as function of exciton life-time are studied. Comparison with experimental results yields quantitative agreement. (author)

  11. ACUTE RENAL FAILURE WITH NORMAL PLASMA UREA LEVEL SECONDARY TO ACUTE PYELONEPHITIS IN A SINGLE KIDNEY PATIENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Imperiali N

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available SUMMARYAcute renal failure is a syndrome that usually runs with an increase in creatinine and urea plasma levels. However, there are clinical situations in which this syndrome may run with an increase in plasma creatinine keeping normal the urea one.In this report we present a case of acute renal failure with normal plasma urea level secondary to an acute pyelonephritis in a single kidney patient. The patient had an increased fractional excretion of urea which could explain the normal plasma urea levels found despite of his reduced glomerular filtration. This increased urea excretion state was interpreted as a consequence of the nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and alteration of the intra-renal urea reciclying process that the acute pyelonephritis induced. In conclusion: Acute pyelonephritis in a single kidney patient can appear as a pattern of acute renal failure with normal plasma urea levels. RESUMEN:La insuficiencia renal aguda es un sindrome que característicamente cursa con niveles plasmáticos elevados de urea y creatinina. Sin embargo, hay situaciones clínicas en las cuales este sindrome puede cursar con un incremento de la creatininemia sin presentar elevación de la uremia.En este reporte presentamos un caso clínico de una insuficiencia renal aguda con uremia normal secundaria a una pielonefritis aguda en un paciente con riñón único. El paciente presentaba una elevada excreción fraccional de urea lo cual podía explicar su uremia normal pese a estar cursando una caída del filtrado gomerular. Dicha excreción de urea elevada fue interpretada como secundaria a una diabetes insipida nefrogénica y una alteración en el recirculado intra-renal de la urea ambos producto de la pielonefritis aguda. Concluimos que la pielonefritis aguda en un paciente mono-reno puede presentarse con un patrón de insuficiencia renal aguda con uremia normal.

  12. ACUTE RENAL FAILURE WITH NORMAL PLASMA UREA LEVEL SECONDARY TO ACUTE PYELONEPHITIS IN A SINGLE KIDNEY PATIENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Algranati L

    2007-04-01

    Full Text Available SUMMARY: Acute renal failure is a syndrome that usually runs with an increase in creatinine and urea plasma levels. However, there are clinical situations in which this syndrome may run with an increase in plasma creatinine keeping normal the urea one. In this report we present a case of acute renal failure with normal plasma urea level secondary to an acute pyelonephritis in a single kidney patient. The patient had an increased fractional excretion of urea which could explain the normal plasma urea levels found despite of his reduced glomerular filtration. This increased urea excretion state was interpreted as a consequence of the nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and alteration of the intra-renal urea reciclying process that the acute pyelonephritis induced. In conclusion: Acute pyelonephritis in a single kidney patient can appear as a pattern of acute renal failure with normal plasma urea levels.RESUMEN: La insuficiencia renal aguda es un sindrome que característicamente cursa con niveles plasmáticos elevados de urea y creatinina. Sin embargo, hay situaciones clínicas en las cuales este sindrome puede cursar con un incremento de la creatininemia sin presentar elevación de la uremia. En este reporte presentamos un caso clínico de una insuficiencia renal aguda con uremia normal secundaria a una pielonefritis aguda en un paciente con riñón único. El paciente presentaba una elevada excreción fraccional de urea lo cual podía explicar su uremia normal pese a estar cursando una caída del filtrado gomerular. Dicha excreción de urea elevada fue interpretada como secundaria a una diabetes insipida nefrogénica y una alteración en el recirculado intra-renal de la urea ambos producto de la pielonefritis aguda. Concluimos que la pielonefritis aguda en un paciente mono-reno puede presentarse con un patrón de insuficiencia renal aguda con uremia normal.

  13. Ultrafast interfeometric investigation of resonant secondary emission from quantum well excitons

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Birkedal, Dan; Shah, Jagdeep; Pfeiffer, L. N.

    1999-01-01

    Coherent Rayleigh scattering and incoherent luminescence comprise the secondary emission from quantum well exciton following ultrafast resonant excitation. We show that coherent Rayleigh scattering forms a time-dependent speckle pattern and isolate in a single speckle the Rayleigh component from...

  14. Secondary Aluminum National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) Applicability Flowcharts

    Science.gov (United States)

    This March 2003 document contains three diagrams that that are intended to assist you in determining whether you own or operate any equipment that is subject to the NESHAP for Secondary Aluminum Production Facilities.

  15. Fibrosis-Related Gene Expression in Single Ventricle Heart Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakano, Stephanie J; Siomos, Austine K; Garcia, Anastacia M; Nguyen, Hieu; SooHoo, Megan; Galambos, Csaba; Nunley, Karin; Stauffer, Brian L; Sucharov, Carmen C; Miyamoto, Shelley D

    2017-12-01

    To evaluate fibrosis and fibrosis-related gene expression in the myocardium of pediatric subjects with single ventricle with right ventricular failure. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed on explanted right ventricular myocardium of pediatric subjects with single ventricle disease and controls with nonfailing heart disease. Subjects were divided into 3 groups: single ventricle failing (right ventricular failure before or after stage I palliation), single ventricle nonfailing (infants listed for primary transplantation with normal right ventricular function), and stage III (Fontan or right ventricular failure after stage III). To evaluate subjects of similar age and right ventricular volume loading, single ventricle disease with failure was compared with single ventricle without failure and stage III was compared with nonfailing right ventricular disease. Histologic fibrosis was assessed in all hearts. Mann-Whitney tests were performed to identify differences in gene expression. Collagen (Col1α, Col3) expression is decreased in single ventricle congenital heart disease with failure compared with nonfailing single ventricle congenital heart disease (P = .019 and P = .035, respectively), and is equivalent in stage III compared with nonfailing right ventricular heart disease. Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP-1, TIMP-3, and TIMP-4) are downregulated in stage III compared with nonfailing right ventricular heart disease (P = .0047, P = .013 and P = .013, respectively). Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2, MMP-9) are similar between nonfailing single ventricular heart disease and failing single ventricular heart disease, and between stage III heart disease and nonfailing right ventricular heart disease. There is no difference in the prevalence of right ventricular fibrosis by histology in subjects with single ventricular failure heart disease with right ventricular failure (18%) compared with those with normal right

  16. Nocturnal blood pressure in normotensive subjects and those with white coat, primary, and secondary hypertension.

    OpenAIRE

    Middeke, M.; Schrader, J.

    1994-01-01

    OBJECTIVE--To compare the mean nocturnal blood pressure of patients with various forms of renal and endocrine hypertension with that in patients with primary and white coat hypertension, and normal blood pressure. DESIGN--Ambulatory monitoring of blood pressure over 24 hours in a prospective study. SETTING--Two German centres for outpatients with hypertension and kidney diseases. SUBJECTS--176 normotensive subjects, 490 patients with primary hypertension including mild and severe forms, 42 wi...

  17. Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of single doses of empagliflozin, a sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, in healthy Japanese subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarashina, Akiko; Koiwai, Kazuki; Seman, Leo J; Yamamura, Norio; Taniguchi, Atsushi; Negishi, Takahiro; Sesoko, Shogo; Woerle, Hans J; Dugi, Klaus A

    2013-01-01

    This randomized, placebo-controlled within dose groups, double-blind, single rising dose study investigated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of 1 mg to 100 mg doses of empagliflozin in 48 healthy Japanese male subjects. Empagliflozin was rapidly absorbed, reaching peak levels in 1.25 to 2.50 h; thereafter, plasma concentrations declined in a biphasic fashion, with mean terminal elimination half-life ranging from 7.76 to 11.7 h. Increase in empagliflozin exposure was proportional to dose. Oral clearance was dose independent and ranged from 140 to 172 mL/min. In the 24 h following 100 mg empagliflozin administration, the mean (%CV) amount of glucose excreted in urine was 74.3 (17.1) g. The amount and the maximum rate of glucose excreted via urine increased with dose of empagliflozin. Nine adverse events, all of mild intensity, were reported by 8 subjects (7 with empagliflozin and 1 with the placebo). No hypoglycemia was reported. In conclusion, 1 mg to 100 mg doses of empagliflozin had a good safety and tolerability profile in healthy Japanese male subjects. Exposure to empagliflozin was dose proportional. The amount and rate of urinary glucose excretion were higher with empagliflozin than with the placebo, and increased with empagliflozin dose.

  18. Subjective Well-Being of Children in the Context of Educational Transitions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Günter Krampen

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available The objective of two empirical studies is the analysis of the development of subjective well-being in kindergarten and elementary school students in the context of the educational transitions (1 from kindergarten to elementary school and (2 from elementary to secondary schools in two different national school systems. Semi-structured interviews on self-esteem and dysthymic mood (i.e., low spirits, feelings of depressiveness and of dejection were administered in 5 cohorts (two kindergarten and the first three elementary school years. Measurements were repeated three times each a year apart. Samples refer to 312 German and 244 Luxembourg children enrolled in educational systems with optional kindergarten, 4-year comprehensive elementary school, and educational placement thereafter (Germany versus obligatory kindergarten and 6-year comprehensive elementary school (Luxembourg. Time- and age-effects point to significant discontinuities in the development of subjective well-being. There are declines of self-esteem and increases of dysthymic mood just after school enrollment (“transition shock” in the Luxembourg sample, whereas quite similar developments are observed in the last elementary school year before educational placement for secondary education in the German sample. School enrollment and educational placement for secondary education are critical life events with significant impact on children’s well-being, which varies between different school systems.

  19. A Pharmacokinetics, Efficacy, and Safety Study of Gadoterate Meglumine in Pediatric Subjects Aged Younger Than 2 Years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scala, Mario; Koob, Meriam; de Buttet, Sophie; Bourrinet, Philippe; Felices, Mathieu; Jurkiewicz, Elzbieta

    2018-02-01

    The primary objective of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic profile of gadoterate meglumine in pediatric patients younger than 2 years; the secondary objectives were to document its efficacy and safety. This was a Phase IV open-label, prospective study conducted in 9 centers (4 countries). Forty-five patients younger than 2 years with normal estimated glomerular filtration rate and scheduled to undergo routine gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of any organ were included and received a single intravenous injection of gadoterate meglumine (0.1 mmol/kg). To perform the population pharmacokinetics analysis, 3 blood samples per subject were drawn during 3 time windows at time points allocated by randomization. Gadoterate meglumine concentrations were best fitted using a 2-compartmental model with linear elimination from central compartment. The median total clearance adjusted to body weight was estimated at 0.06 L/h per kg and increased with estimated glomerular filtration rate according to a power model. The median volume of distribution at steady state (Vss) adjusted to body weight was estimated at 0.047 L/kg. Estimated median terminal half-life (t1/2β) was 1.35 h, and the median systemic exposure (area under the curve) was 1591 μmol h/L. Efficacy was assessed by comparing precontrast +postcontrast images to precontrast images in a subset of 28 subjects who underwent an MRI examination of brain, spine, and associated tissues. A total of 28 lesions were identified and analyzed in 15 subjects with precontrast images versus 30 lesions in 16 subjects with precontrast + postcontrast images. Lesion visualization was improved with a mean (SD) increase in scores at subject level of 0.7 (1.0) for lesion border delineation, 0.9 (1.6) for internal morphology, and 3.1 (3.2) for contrast enhancement. Twenty-six adverse events occurred postinjection in 13 subjects (28.9%), including 3 serious reported in 1 subject (2.2%). One subject (2

  20. Pharmacokinetic comparison of controlled-release and immediate-release oral formulations of simvastatin in healthy Korean subjects: a randomized, open-label, parallel-group, single- and multiple-dose study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, Seong Bok; Lee, Yoon Jung; Lim, Lay Ahyoung; Park, Kyung-Mi; Kwon, Bong-Ju; Woo, Jong Soo; Kim, Yong-Il; Park, Min Soo; Kim, Kyung Hwan; Park, Kyungsoo

    2010-01-01

    A controlled-release (CR) formulation of simvastatin was recently developed in Korea. The formulation is expected to yield a lower C(max) and similar AUC values compared with the immediate-release (IR) formulation. The goal of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetics of the new CR formulation and an IR formulation of simvastatin after single- and multiple-dose administration in healthy Korean subjects. This study was developed as part of a product development project at the request of the Korean regulatory agency. This was a randomized, open-label, parallelgroup, 2-part study. Eligible subjects were healthy male or female volunteers between the ages of 19 and 55 years and within 20% of their ideal weight. In part I, each subject received a single dose of the CR or IR formulation of simvastatin 40 mg orally (20 mg x 2 tablets) after fasting. In part II, each subject received the same dose of the CR or IR formulation for 8 consecutive days. Blood samples were obtained for 48 hours after the dose in part I and after the first and the last dose in part II. Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined for both simvastatin (the inactive prodrug) and simvastatin acid (the active moiety). An adverse event (AE) was defined as any unfavorable sign (including an abnormal laboratory finding) or symptom, regardless of whether it had a causal relationship with the study medication. Serious AEs were defined as any events that are considered life threatening, require hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization, cause persistent or significant disability or incapacity, or result in congenital abnormality, birth defect, or death. AEs were determined based on patient interviews and physical examinations. Twenty-four healthy subjects (17 men, 7 women; mean [SD] age, 29 [7] years; age range, 22-50 years) were enrolled in part I, and 29 subjects (17 men, 12 women; mean age, 33 [9] years; age range, 19-55 years) were enrolled in part II. For simvastatin acid, C

  1. Contribution of Romanian Secondary Sector to Regional Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristina ALPOPI

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we shows the contribution of the secondary sector (industry and construction on the economic development of the regions, functional areas and the urban system in Romania. The development of economic activities of production is conditioned by certain geophysical, demographical, social and cultural characteristics. Considering that economic restructuring and privatization of industry put their mark on the evolution of the Romanian economy in recent years, it is absolutely necessary to take into account the influence of the secondary sector activities - industry and construction, to establish the development measures of romanian regions. One more reason is that the most industrialized cities prior 1990, dependent on a single branch of industry, losing the markets for these industries, recorded high unemployment, which in terms of social, equates to a high degree of poverty. Territorial development of the secondary sector shows large differences mainly due to natural barriers, level of accessibility to natural resources and public services of general interest. These gaps deep more economic and social problems existing in the territory. In the secondary sector, Romania follows closely the provisions of European Union policy, in order to develop a national competitive market, integrated into the European internal market. An example: in the industrial branch, employment share is approximately equal to the european average level. In terms of productivity, in Romania, in the context of a very low level of this indicator, its value is high in the industrial sector (especially in the manufacturing sector the specific productivity is above the national average. It is estimated that after 2014, the improvement of Romania's macroeconomic stability could generate rapid growth in the secondary sector. In Romania, industrial sector faces with problems such: the high level of resources not identified, poor promotion on domestic and foreign market

  2. Intravitreal bevacizumab as therapy for refractory neovascular glaucoma secondary to iris metastasis of breast carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephanie Vale

    2018-03-01

    Conclusions & importance: A single intravitreal bevacizumab injection may be sufficient to achieve palliative control of neovascular glaucoma secondary to iris breast cancer metastasis. To our knowledge, this is the first case report in which a single intravitreal bevacizumab injection was used for the effective management of this condition.

  3. The Six-Legged Subject: A Survey of Secondary Science Teachers' Incorporation of Insects into U.S. Life Science Instruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingram, Erin; Golick, Douglas

    2018-03-14

    To improve students' understanding and appreciation of insects, entomology education efforts have supported insect incorporation in formal education settings. While several studies have explored student ideas about insects and the incorporation of insects in elementary and middle school classrooms, the topic of how and why insects are incorporated in secondary science classrooms remains relatively unexplored. Using survey research methods, this study addresses the gap in the literature by (1) describing in-service secondary science teachers' incorporation of insects in science classrooms; (2) identifying factors that support or deter insect incorporation and (3) identifying teachers' preferred resources to support future entomology education efforts. Findings indicate that our sample of U.S. secondary science teachers commonly incorporate various insects in their classrooms, but that incorporation is infrequent throughout the academic year. Insect-related lesson plans are commonly used and often self-created to meet teachers' need for standards-aligned curriculum materials. Obstacles to insect incorporation include a perceived lack of alignment of insect education materials to state or national science standards and a lack of time and professional training to teach about insects. Recommendations are provided for entomology and science education organizations to support teachers in overcoming these obstacles.

  4. The Six-Legged Subject: A Survey of Secondary Science Teachers’ Incorporation of Insects into U.S. Life Science Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingram, Erin

    2018-01-01

    To improve students’ understanding and appreciation of insects, entomology education efforts have supported insect incorporation in formal education settings. While several studies have explored student ideas about insects and the incorporation of insects in elementary and middle school classrooms, the topic of how and why insects are incorporated in secondary science classrooms remains relatively unexplored. Using survey research methods, this study addresses the gap in the literature by (1) describing in-service secondary science teachers’ incorporation of insects in science classrooms; (2) identifying factors that support or deter insect incorporation and (3) identifying teachers’ preferred resources to support future entomology education efforts. Findings indicate that our sample of U.S. secondary science teachers commonly incorporate various insects in their classrooms, but that incorporation is infrequent throughout the academic year. Insect-related lesson plans are commonly used and often self-created to meet teachers’ need for standards-aligned curriculum materials. Obstacles to insect incorporation include a perceived lack of alignment of insect education materials to state or national science standards and a lack of time and professional training to teach about insects. Recommendations are provided for entomology and science education organizations to support teachers in overcoming these obstacles. PMID:29538297

  5. [Secondary hypertension].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshida, Yuichi; Shibata, Hirotaka

    2015-11-01

    Hypertension is a common disease and a crucial predisposing factor of cardiovascular diseases. Approximately 10% of hypertensive patients are secondary hypertension, a pathogenetic factor of which can be identified. Secondary hypertension consists of endocrine, renal, and other diseases. Primary aldosteronism, Cushing's syndrome, pheochromocytoma, hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism result in endocrine hypertension. Renal parenchymal hypertension and renovascular hypertension result in renal hypertension. Other diseases such as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome are also very prevalent in secondary hypertension. It is very crucial to find and treat secondary hypertension at earlier stages since most secondary hypertension is curable or can be dramatically improved by specific treatment. One should keep in mind that screening of secondary hypertension should be done at least once in a daily clinical practice.

  6. AHSG tag single nucleotide polymorphisms associate with type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia: studies of metabolic traits in 7,683 white Danish subjects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Gitte; Burgdorf, Kristoffer Sølvsten; Sparsø, Thomas

    2008-01-01

    been largely successful. We related seven frequent AHSG tag single nucleotide polymorphisms to a range of metabolic traits, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The polymorphisms were genotyped in 7,683 white Danish subjects using Taqman allelic...... with dyslipidemia (P = 0.003 and P(corr) = 0.009). Thr248Met (rs4917) tended to associate with lower fasting and post-oral glucose tolerance test serum insulin release (P = 0.02, P(corr) = 0.1 for fasting and P = 0.04, P(corr) = 0.2 for area under the insulin curve) and improved insulin sensitivity estimated...

  7. Secondary Channel Bifurcation Geometry: A Multi-dimensional Problem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaeuman, D.; Stewart, R. L.

    2017-12-01

    The construction of secondary channels (or side channels) is a popular strategy for increasing aquatic habitat complexity in managed rivers. Such channels, however, frequently experience aggradation that prevents surface water from entering the side channels near their bifurcation points during periods of relatively low discharge. This failure to maintain an uninterrupted surface water connection with the main channel can reduce the habitat value of side channels for fish species that prefer lotic conditions. Various factors have been proposed as potential controls on the fate of side channels, including water surface slope differences between the main and secondary channels, the presence of main channel secondary circulation, transverse bed slopes, and bifurcation angle. A quantitative assessment of more than 50 natural and constructed secondary channels in the Trinity River of northern California indicates that bifurcations can assume a variety of configurations that are formed by different processes and whose longevity is governed by different sets of factors. Moreover, factors such as bifurcation angle and water surface slope vary with discharge level and are continuously distributed in space, such that they must be viewed as a multi-dimensional field rather than a single-valued attribute that can be assigned to a particular bifurcation.

  8. The Geographic Information System (GIS) in Secondary Education in Serbia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Komlenovic, Djurdjica; Manic, Emilija; Malinic, Dusica

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates the application of new educational technologies in geography classes. The research involved 126 students from vocational secondary schools in Serbia taking geography as a compulsory subject. We developed and applied a questionnaire for this research. The results indicate that out of several ICTs available, the majority of…

  9. Pulmonary function in subjects with psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, P. R.; Isaksen, Jonas Lynggaard; Jemec, G. B.

    2018-01-01

    Psoriasis is a prevalent chronic inflammatory disease associated with comorbidities, e.g. cardiometabolic diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, and depression that may share an inflammatory origin. Smoking increases the risk of psoriasis and the disease has also been linked to chronic obstructive...... pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, with evidence of shared inflammatory cytokine-mediated mechanisms. Moreover, subjects with psoriasis display increased risk of infections, especially respiratory infections including pneumonia. However, only a small single-center study of pulmonary function in subjects...... with psoriasis is available. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved....

  10. Relationships between Endogenous Plasma Biomarkers of Constitutive Cytochrome P450 3A Activity and Single-Time-Point Oral Midazolam Microdose Phenotype in Healthy Subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woolsey, Sarah J; Beaton, Melanie D; Choi, Yun-Hee; Dresser, George K; Gryn, Steven E; Kim, Richard B; Tirona, Rommel G

    2016-04-01

    Due to high basal interindividual variation in cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) activity and susceptibility to drug interactions, there has been interest in the application of efficient probe drug phenotyping strategies, as well as endogenous biomarkers for assessment of in vivo CYP3A activity. The biomarkers 4β-hydroxycholesterol (4βHC) and 6β-hydroxycortisol (6βHCL) are sensitive to CYP3A induction and inhibition. However, their utility for the assessment of constitutive CYP3A activity remains uncertain. We investigated whether endogenous plasma biomarkers (4βHC and 6βHCL) are associated with basal CYP3A metabolic activity in healthy subjects assessed by a convenient single-time-point oral midazolam (MDZ) phenotyping strategy. Plasma 4βHC and 6βHCL metabolic ratios (MRs) were analysed in 51 healthy adult participants. CYP3A activity was determined after administration of an oral MDZ microdose (100 μg). Simple linear and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess relationships between MDZ oral clearance, biomarkers and subject covariates. Among study subjects, basal MDZ oral clearance, 4βHC and 6βHCL MRs ranged 6.5-, 10- and 13-fold, respectively. Participant age and alcohol consumption were negatively associated with MDZ oral clearance (p = 0.03 and p = 0.045, respectively), while weight and female sex were associated with lower plasma 4βHC MR (p = 0.0003 and p = 0.032, respectively). Neither 4βHC nor 6βHCL MRs were associated with MDZ oral clearance. Plasma 4βHC and 6βHCL MRs do not relate to MDZ single-time-point metabolic phenotype in the assessment of constitutive CYP3A activity among healthy individuals. © 2015 Nordic Association for the Publication of BCPT (former Nordic Pharmacological Society).

  11. Early Implementation of Public Single-Sex Schools: Perceptions and Characteristics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riordan, Cornelius; Faddis, Bonnie J.; Beam, Margaret; Seager, Andrew; Tanney, Adam; DiBiase, Rebecca; Ruffin, Monya; Valentine, Jeffrey

    2008-01-01

    Although for most of the nation's history, coeducation has been the norm in public elementary and secondary school, recent years have marked an increasing interest in public single-sex education. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) authorized school districts to use local or innovative program funds to offer single-sex schools and…

  12. Characteristics and generation of secondary jets and secondary gigantic jets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Li-Jou; Huang, Sung-Ming; Chou, Jung-Kung; Kuo, Cheng-Ling; Chen, Alfred B.; Su, Han-Tzong; Hsu, Rue-Rou; Frey, Harald U.; Takahashi, Yukihiro; Lee, Lou-Chuang

    2012-06-01

    Secondary transient luminous events (TLEs) recorded by the ISUAL-FORMOSAT2 mission can either be secondary jets or secondary gigantic jets (GJs), depending on their terminal altitudes. The secondary jets emerge from the cloud top beneath the preceding sprites and extend upward to the base of the sprites at ˜50 km. The secondary jets likely are negative electric discharges with vertically straight luminous columns, morphologically resembling the trailing jet of the type-I GJs. The number of luminous columns in a secondary jet seems to be affected by the size of the effective capacitor plate formed near the base of the preceding sprites and the charge distribution left behind by the sprite-inducing positive cloud-to-ground discharges. The secondary GJs originate from the cloud top under the shielding area of the preceding sprites, and develop upward to reach the lower ionosphere at ˜90 km. The observed morphology of the secondary GJs can either be the curvy shifted secondary GJs extending outside the region occupied by the preceding sprites or the straight pop-through secondary GJs developing through the center of the preceding circular sprites. A key factor in determining the terminal height of the secondary TLEs appears to be the local ionosphere boundary height that established by the preceding sprites. The abundance and the distribution of the negative charge in the thundercloud following the sprite-inducing positive cloud-to-ground discharges may play important role in the generation of the secondary TLEs.

  13. Mathematical Modelling at Secondary School: The MACSI-Clongowes Wood College Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charpin, J. P. F.; O'Hara, S.; Mackey, D.

    2013-01-01

    In Ireland, to encourage the study of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects and particularly mathematics, the Mathematics Applications Consortium for Science and Industry (MACSI) and Clongowes Wood College (County Kildare, Ireland) organized a mathematical modelling workshop for senior cycle secondary school students.…

  14. Swedish Upper Secondary Students' Perspectives on the Typical Mathematics Lesson

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrews, Paul; Larson, Niclas

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a group interview study of Swedish upper secondary students' perspectives on the typical mathematics lesson. Students, from four demographically different schools, constructed a collective synthesis of their many years' experience of mathematics classrooms. Transcriptions were subjected to a constant comparison analysis, which…

  15. Information literacy in secondary education in The Netherlands : the new curiculum

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Weering, Bram; Plomp, T.

    1991-01-01

    The Dutch government decided to introduce in 1991 some form of comprehensive lower secondary education for grades 7–9. The Minister of Education and Sciences appointed committees for all fourteen subject areas to prepare attainment targets for these domains. The Committee for Information Literacy

  16. Coupled response spectrum analysis of secondary systems using uncoupled modal properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gupta, A.K.; Jaw Jingwen

    1986-01-01

    A method of performing coupled response spectrum analysis of secondary systems is presented. The response spectrum specified at the base of the primary system is used as the input. The complex coupled mode shapes along with frequencies and damping values are calculated using an efficient and accurate perturbation scheme. The new method is applied to a 2 DOF secondary system coupled with a 6 DOF secondary system. The masses and the stiffness of the secondary system are varied to get nine different cases. The coupled system is subjected to El Centro (S00E, 1940) ground motion. It is shown that the response values from the present method are in good agreement with those from the coupled time history analysis. The conventional floor response spectrum method gives response values which are consistently much higher than the corresponding values from the time history analysis. It is concluded that the present method is sufficiently straightforward and efficient, and that it yields accurate response values. (orig.)

  17. All 25-hydroxyvitamin D-deficient Indian postmenopausal women do not have secondary hyperparathyroidism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dixit, Vivek; Tripathi, R L; Dhanwal, Dinesh Kumar

    2018-05-27

    This study shows a high 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency among postmenopausal women accompanying secondary hyperparathyroidism. However, a sizable number of subjects did not have secondary hyperparathyroidism despite having low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. This condition arises a research question in clinical practice needed to be addressed in the future. The present study was attempted to determine the prevalence of secondary hyperparathyroidism and also to analyze the mean value (cutoff) of 25-hydroxyvitamin D from where the PTH begins to rise in Indian postmenopausal women. A cross-sectional study including 334 postmenopausal women attending the outpatient department (MOPD) of Lok Nayak Hospital, New Delhi, between July 2008 and June 2010. Institutional ethical approval was obtained for this study. The apparently healthy postmenopausal women and attendees of the patients were included in the study. Post-thyroidectomy, thyroid illness, pregnant women, subjects taking drugs that can affect bone mineral metabolism, such as glucocorticoids, antitubercular therapy, antiepileptic, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D supplement were excluded from the study. BMD parameters such as PTH and 25(OH)D were measured by using commercial kits from DiaSorin, USA, and blood chemistry was evaluated by standard methods from the central facility of the center. Dietary calcium was analyzed by applying a food frequency questionnaire by a trained dietician. Mean (SD) age of the subjects was 56.4 ± 7.7 years. The mean BMI was 24.7 ± 5.5 kg/m 2 . The baseline biochemical investigations such as total bilirubin, liver function test (LFT), kidney function test (KFT), calcium, phosphorous, total protein, and serum albumin were in reference range except alkaline phosphatase (ALP). The mean values of 25(OH)D and PTH were 12.95 ± 8.08 ng/ml and 91.60 ± 75.56 pg/ml respectively. The 24-h dietary calcium intake was 487.06 ± 239.36 mg/24 h. 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency was found

  18. Risk of secondary lymphedema in breast cancer survivors is related to serum phospholipid fatty acid desaturation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryu, Eunjung; Yim, Seung Yun; Do, Hyun Ju; Lim, Jae-Young; Yang, Eun Joo; Shin, Min-Jeong; Lee, Seung-Min

    2016-09-01

    Secondary lymphedema is a common irreversible side effect of breast cancer surgery. We investigated if risk of secondary lymphedema in breast cancer survivors was related to changes in serum phospholipid fatty acid composition. Study subjects were voluntarily recruited into the following three groups: breast cancer survivors who had sentinel lymph node biopsy without lymphedema (SLNB), those who had auxillary lymph node dissection without lymphedema (ALND), and those who had ALND with lymphedema (ALND + LE). Body mass index (BMI), serum lipid profiles, bioimpedance data with single-frequency bioimpedance analysis (SFBIA), and serum phospholipid compositions were analyzed and compared among the groups. BMI, serum total cholesterol (total-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and SFBIA ratios increased only in the ALND + LE. High polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and high C20:4 to C18:2 n-6 PUFAs (arachidonic acid [AA]/linoleic acid [LA]) was detected in the ALND and ALND + LE groups compared to SLNB. The ALND + LE group showed increased activity indices for delta 6 desaturase (D6D) and D5D and increased ratio of AA to eicosapentaenoic acid (AA/EPA) compared to the ALND and SLNB groups. Correlation and regression analysis indicated that D6D, D5D, and AA/EPA were associated with SFBIA ratios. We demonstrated that breast cancer survivors with lymphedema had elevated total PUFAs, fatty acid desaturase activity indices, and AA/EPA in serum phospholipids. Our findings suggested that desaturation extent of fatty acid composition might be related to the risk of secondary lymphedema in breast cancer survivors.

  19. A device intended for the practical works in secondary schools

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robe, M.Ch.; Bertrand, C.; Bonin, B.

    2003-01-01

    The physics programmes have changed in 2002 for the secondary school examination qualifying for entry to university, the radioactivity is become a more important component of the final scientific class. The I.R.S.N. requested for this subject, proposed to choose the subject of natural radioactivity and more specially the radon, omnipresent at the Earth surface. It is at concentrations always measurable in air whatever the region. The hypothesis is made that it exists in the school, a piece of lawn. The idea is to measure the radon. (N.C.)

  20. High blood pressure in older subjects with cognitive impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mossello, Enrico; Simoni, David

    2016-06-22

    High blood pressure and cognitive impairment often coexist in old age, but their pathophysiological association is complex. Several longitudinal studies have shown that high blood pressure at midlife is a risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia, although this association is much less clear in old age. The effect of blood pressure lowering in reducing the risk of dementia is only borderline significant in clinical trials of older subjects, partly due to the insufficient follow-up time. Conversely, dementia onset is associated with a decrease of blood pressure values, probably secondary to neurodegeneration. Prognostic effect of blood pressure values in cognitively impaired older subjects is still unclear, with aggressive blood pressure lowering being potentially harmful in this patients category. Brief cognitive screening, coupled with simple motor assessment, are warranted to identify frail older subjects who need a more cautious approach to antihypertensive treatment. Values obtained with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring seem more useful than clinical ones to predict the outcome of cognitively impaired older subjects. Future studies should identify the most appropriate blood pressure targets in older subjects with cognitive impairment.

  1. The new secondary channel control system at TRIUMF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keitel, R.; Bishop, D.; Dale, D.; England, N.; Harrison, D.

    1990-01-01

    The control of the secondary channels at TRIUMF has been decentralized. Each channel is now controlled through a single CAMAC crate from an IBM PC in the experimental counting room. Intelligent motor controllers were developed to replace the ageing slit control system. Advanced features of the control software package TICS, such as computer optimization of channel parameters and high-voltage conditioning of the dc separators, are described. (orig.)

  2. Preservice Secondary Teachers' Sense of Efficacy in Teaching Character Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waters, Stewart; Russell, William B., III

    2014-01-01

    This study investigated the personal teaching efficacy and general teaching efficacy for character education of 130 preservice secondary teachers at a large university where there were no formal courses dedicated to character education, but the topic was included in some of the content coursework. The subjects were in one teacher education program…

  3. Secondary Traumatic Stress and Health Professional Care to Traumatized Families: a Relational Look

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olga Lidia Casillas-Cárdenas

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Today, society faces the secondary traumatic stress in work settings, transmitted through the intervention process the social worker, serving human social suffering of the families. This phenomenon is reflected as burnout or contagion of emotions similar to those suffered by subjects treated, characterized by pain, anguish and fear behaviors, and is associated with the cost of care. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the emergence of relationships that emerge in the process of social intervention, as simultaneous complex relationships that keep reciprocity between the life of the social worker, the suffering of the treated subject and labor dynamics, where a frame is shared favoring meanings recirculation secondary traumatic stress. Previous advances show complex triadic relations, which only have interconnection through professional speaking at a given time and space.

  4. Esophageal transit and in vivo disintegration of branded risedronate sodium tablets and two generic formulations of alendronic acid tablets: a single-center, single-blind, six-period crossover study in healthy female subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perkins, Alan C; Blackshaw, P Elaine; Hay, Peter D; Lawes, Simon C; Atherton, Clare T; Dansereau, Richard J; Wagner, Leigh K; Schnell, Dan J; Spiller, Robin C

    2008-05-01

    Delayed esophageal transit or disintegration of oral bisphosphonate tablets before they enter the stomach may be of concern with respect to iatrogenic complications among patients receiving longterm treatment. Different formulations of generic bisphosphonate tablets meeting regulatory requirements may have substantial differences in pharmaceutical attributes from the branded product that may result in different characteristics during esophageal transit. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate and compare esophageal transit times and in vivo disintegration of 3 bisphosphonate formulations, one branded and the others generic, that are commercially available in Canada and the United Kingdom. This was a single-center, randomized, singleblind, 6-period crossover study in healthy postmenopausal women aged >50 years. Each subject received a single oral dose of a branded risedronate sodium 35-mg tablet and 2 generic formulations of alendronic acid 70-mg tablets (Novopharm Limited, Toronto, Canada, and Teva UK Limited, Morley, United Kingdom) in both the erect and semisupine (45 degrees ) positions. Although the products are labeled to be taken in the erect position, the semisupine position was included to simulate dosing in bedridden patients. Subjects took tablets with 30 mL of water in the morning after an overnight fast. The tablets were radiolabeled with technetium-99m ion-exchange resins to enable visualization and measurement of esophageal transit time and disintegration using a gamma camera. Dynamic scintigraphic images were obtained for a total of 10 minutes: 2 images per second for the first 30 seconds and 1 image every 15 seconds for 9.5 minutes. This was a mechanistic study and tolerability was not assessed. The study was conducted in 20 healthy white female subjects with a mean age of 62 years (range, 51-77 years). The effect of body position was statistically significant (P = 0.043), with the estimated hazard ratio (HR) of 0.74 indicating longer

  5. Distance to hospital and socioeconomic status influence secondary health care use

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zielinski, Andrzej; Borgquist, Lars; Halling, Anders

    2013-01-01

    Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate how distance to hospital and socioeconomic status (SES) influence the use of secondary health care (SHC) when taking comorbidity into account. Design and setting. A register-based study in Östergötland County. Subjects. The adult population...

  6. Subject- and Experience-Bound Differences in Teachers' Conceptual Understanding of Sustainable Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borg, C.; Gericke, N.; Höglund, H.-O.; Bergman, E.

    2014-01-01

    This article describes the results of a nationwide questionnaire study of 3229 Swedish upper secondary school teachers' conceptual understanding of sustainable development in relation to their subject discipline and teaching experience. Previous research has shown that teachers have difficulties understanding the complex concept of sustainable…

  7. Understanding radiation and risk: the importance of primary and secondary education

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tada, Junichiro

    1999-01-01

    In Japan's primary and secondary schools, radiation and radioactivity are taught as part of the curriculum dealing with social science subjects. Students learn much about the hazardous features of radiation, but lack the scientific understanding necessary to build a more balanced picture. Although the same point applies to education covering the harmful effects of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, electrical storms and so on, public understanding of these events is relatively high and students are generally able to make informed judgments about the risks involved. By contrast, their limited understanding of radiation often contributes to fears that it is evil or even supernatural. To correct this distortion, it is important that primary and secondary education includes a scientific explanation of radiation. Like heat and light, radiation is fundamental to the history of the universe; and scientific education programs should give appropriate emphasis to this important subject. Students would then be able to make more objective judgments about the useful and hazardous aspects of radiation. (author)

  8. Understanding radiation and risk: the importance of primary and secondary education

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tada, Junichiro [Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (SPring-8), Mikaduki, Hyogo (Japan)

    1999-09-01

    In Japan's primary and secondary schools, radiation and radioactivity are taught as part of the curriculum dealing with social science subjects. Students learn much about the hazardous features of radiation, but lack the scientific understanding necessary to build a more balanced picture. Although the same point applies to education covering the harmful effects of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, electrical storms and so on, public understanding of these events is relatively high and students are generally able to make informed judgments about the risks involved. By contrast, their limited understanding of radiation often contributes to fears that it is evil or even supernatural. To correct this distortion, it is important that primary and secondary education includes a scientific explanation of radiation. Like heat and light, radiation is fundamental to the history of the universe; and scientific education programs should give appropriate emphasis to this important subject. Students would then be able to make more objective judgments about the useful and hazardous aspects of radiation. (author)

  9. Secondary health conditions and quality of life in persons living with spinal cord injury for at least ten years

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Adriaansen, Jacinthe J. E.; Ruijs, Laura E. M.; van Koppenhagen, Casper F.; van Asbeck, Floris W. A.; Snoek, Govert J.; van Kuppevelt, Dirk; Visser-Meily, Johanna M. A.; Post, Marcel W. M.

    2016-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of secondary health conditions among persons with long-term spinal cord injury, and the relationship between these secondary health conditions and quality of life. DESIGN: Multicentre, cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: Individuals (n = 282) with traumatic or

  10. Processes and problems in secondary star formation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klein, R.I.; Whitaker, R.W.; Sandford, M.T. II.

    1984-03-01

    Recent developments relating the conditions in molecular clouds to star formation triggered by a prior stellar generation are reviewed. Primary processes are those that lead to the formation of a first stellar generation. The secondary processes that produce stars in response to effects caused by existing stars are compared and evaluated in terms of the observational data presently available. We discuss the role of turbulence to produce clumpy cloud structures and introduce new work on colliding inter-cloud gas flows leading to non-linear inhomogeneous cloud structures in an intially smooth cloud. This clumpy morphology has important consequences for secondary formation. The triggering processes of supernovae, stellar winds, and H II regions are discussed with emphasis on the consequences for radiation driven implosion as a promising secondary star formation mechanism. Detailed two-dimensional, radiation-hydrodynamic calculations of radiation driven implosion are discussed. This mechanism is shown to be highly efficient in synchronizing the formation of new stars in congruent to 1-3 x 10 4 years and could account for the recent evidence for new massive star formation in several UCHII regions. It is concluded that, while no single theory adequately explains the variety of star formation observed, a uniform description of star formation is likely to involve several secondary processes. Advances in the theory of star formation will require multiple dimensional calculations of coupled processes. The important non-linear interactions include hydrodynamics, radiation transport, and magnetic fields

  11. Processes and problems in secondary star formation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klein, R.I.; Whitaker, R.W.; Sandford, M.T. II

    1985-01-01

    Recent developments relating the conditions in molecular clouds to star formation triggered by a prior stellar generation are reviewed. Primary processes are those that lead to the formation of a first stellar generation. The secondary processes that produce stars in response to effects caused by existing stars are compared and evaluated in terms of observational data presently available. We discuss the role of turbulence to produce clumpy cloud structures and introduce new work on colliding intercloud gas flows leading to nonlinear inhomogeneous cloud structures in an initially smooth cloud. This clumpy morphology has important consequences for secondary formation. The triggering processes of supernovae, stellar winds, and H II regions are discussed with emphasis on the consequences for radiation-driven implosion as a promising secondary star formation mechanism. Detailed two-dimensional, radiation-hydrodynamic calculations of radiation-driven implosion are discussed. This mechanism is shown to be highly efficient in synchronizing the formation of new stars in -- 1-3 x 10/sup 4/ yr and could account for the recent evidence for new massive star formation in several ultracompact H II regions. It is concluded that, while no single theory adequately explains the variety of star formation observed, a uniform description of star formation is likely to involve several secondary processes. Advances in the theory of star formation will require multi-dimensional calculations of coupled processes. Important nonlinear interactions include hydrodynamics, radiation transport, and magnetic fields

  12. Secondary instabilities of hypersonic stationary crossflow waves

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edelman, Joshua B.

    A sharp, circular 7° half-angle cone was tested in the Boeing/AFOSR Mach-6 Quiet Tunnel at 6° angle of attack. Using a variety of roughness configurations, measurements were made using temperature-sensitive paint (TSP) and fast pressure sensors. High-frequency secondary instabilities of the stationary crossflow waves were detected near the aft end of the cone, from 110° to 163° from the windward ray. At least two frequency bands of the secondary instabilities were measured. The secondary instabilities have high coherence between upstream and downstream sensor pairs. In addition, the amplitudes of the instabilities increase with the addition of roughness elements near the nose of the cone. Two of the measured instabilities were captured over a range of axial Reynolds numbers of about 1 - 2 million, with amplitudes ranging from low to turbulent breakdown. For these instabilities, the wave speed and amplitude growth can be calculated. The wave speeds were all near the edge velocity. Measured growth before breakdown for the two instabilities are between e3 and e4 from background noise levels. The initial linear growth rates for the instabilities are near 50 /m. Simultaneous measurement of two frequency bands of the secondary instabilities was made during a single run. It was found that each mode was spatially confined within a small azimuthal region, and that the regions of peak amplitude for one mode correspond to regions of minimal amplitude for the other.

  13. Single-Sex Computer Classes: An Effective Alternative.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swain, Sandra L.; Harvey, Douglas M.

    2002-01-01

    Advocates single-sex computer instruction as a temporary alternative educational program to provide middle school and secondary school girls with access to computers, to present girls with opportunities to develop positive attitudes towards technology, and to make available a learning environment conducive to girls gaining technological skills.…

  14. A Study of Job Satisfaction of Secondary School Administrators in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper was concerned with studying the job satisfaction of secondary school administrators in Kano state, Nigeria. Survey design was used and a random sampling was used to select the study sample of 421 subjects used for the study. The Job Descriptive Index was used to collect data. Five hypotheses were raised in ...

  15. Single-sex schooling and labour market outcomes

    OpenAIRE

    Sullivan, A.; Joshi, H.; Leonard, D.

    2011-01-01

    One quarter of the 1958 British Birth cohort attended single-sex secondary schools. This paper asks whether sex-segregated schooling had any impact on the experience of gender differences in the labour market in mid-life. We examine outcomes at age 42, allowing for socio-economic origins and abilities measured in childhood. We find no net impact of single-sex schooling on the chances of being employed in 2000, nor on the horizontal or social class segregation of mid-life occupations. But we d...

  16. Mechanism of secondary recrystallization of Goss grains in grain-oriented electrical steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayakawa, Yasuyuki

    2017-12-01

    Since its invention by Goss in 1934, grain-oriented (GO) electrical steel has been widely used as a core material in transformers. GO exhibits a grain size of over several millimeters attained by secondary recrystallization during high-temperature final batch annealing. In addition to the unusually large grain size, the crystal direction in the rolling direction is aligned with , which is the easy magnetization axis of α-iron. Secondary recrystallization is the phenomenon in which a certain very small number of {110} (Goss) grains grow selectively (about one in 106 primary grains) at the expense of many other primary recrystallized grains. The question of why the Goss orientation is exclusively selected during secondary recrystallization has long been a main research subject in this field. The general criterion for secondary recrystallization is a small and uniform primary grain size, which is achieved through the inhibition of normal grain growth by fine precipitates called inhibitors. This paper describes several conceivable mechanisms of secondary recrystallization of Goss grains mainly based on the selective growth model.

  17. (The evolution of) post-secondary education: a computational model and experiments

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Ortmann, Andreas; Slobodyan, Sergey

    -, č. 355 (2008), s. 1-46 ISSN 1211-3298 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LC542 Institutional research plan: CEZ:MSM0021620846 Keywords : post-secondary education * for-profit higher education providers * computational simulations Subject RIV: AH - Economics http://www.cerge-ei.cz/pdf/wp/Wp355.pdf

  18. The Role of Personality in Relation to Gender Differences in School Subject Choices in Pre-University Education

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Korpershoek, H.; Kuyper, H.; Van der Werf, M.P.C.

    2012-01-01

    Boys and girls to some extent differ in personality characteristics while they also prefer different school subjects in secondary education. This study has attempted to unravel the relations among gender, personality, and students' subject choices. The study was based on a sample of 1,740 9th grade

  19. Single Trial Probability Applications: Can Subjectivity Evade Frequency Limitations?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Howden

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Frequency probability theorists define an event’s probability distribution as the limit of a repeated set of trials belonging to a homogeneous collective. The subsets of this collective are events which we have deficient knowledge about on an individual level, although for the larger collective we have knowledge its aggregate behavior. Hence, probabilities can only be achieved through repeated trials of these subsets arriving at the established frequencies that define the probabilities. Crovelli (2009 argues that this is a mistaken approach, and that a subjective assessment of individual trials should be used instead. Bifurcating between the two concepts of risk and uncertainty, Crovelli first asserts that probability is the tool used to manage uncertain situations, and then attempts to rebuild a definition of probability theory with this in mind. We show that such an attempt has little to gain, and results in an indeterminate application of entrepreneurial forecasting to uncertain decisions—a process far-removed from any application of probability theory.

  20. The climate change: A teaching unit to Secondary School

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Margarita González

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes the planning of "Climate change" Secondary School the experience gained in its application Ninth Grade ESBU Tania the Guerilla of Pinar del Río.The subjects are presented in proposal for the simultaneous work of the subjectare:Geography, Chemistry Physicsand Biology with the support of Computing. Work on these subjects taxed at fulfillment of the objectiveof the unit.instruments are also presented for measuring development of knowledge, assessment and materials Discussesthe results of the application thereof.TeachingClimate Change Unit is one of the ways in which they can be realized in the classroom addressing issues of global interest

  1. Molecular systematics of Barbatosphaeria (Sordariomycetes): multigene phylogeny and secondary ITS structure

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Réblová, Martina; Réblová, K.; Štěpánek, Václav

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 35, December 2015 (2015), s. 21-38 ISSN 0031-5850 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP506/12/0038 Institutional support: RVO:67985939 ; RVO:61388971 Keywords : Barbatosphaeria * molecular systematic * ITS secondary structures Subject RIV: EF - Botanics; EE - Microbiology, Virology (MBU-M) Impact factor: 5.725, year: 2015

  2. (The evolution of) post-secondary education: a computational model and experiments

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Ortmann, Andreas; Slobodyan, Sergey

    -, č. 355 (2008), s. 1-46 ISSN 1211-3298 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LC542 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70850503 Keywords : post-secondary education * for-profit higher education providers * computational simulations Subject RIV: AH - Economics http://www.cerge-ei.cz/pdf/wp/Wp355.pdf

  3. A brief introduction to single-molecule fluorescence methods

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wildenberg, S.M.J.L.; Prevo, B.; Peterman, E.J.G.; Peterman, EJG; Wuite, GJL

    2011-01-01

    One of the more popular single-molecule approaches in biological science is single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, which is the subject of the following section of this volume. Fluorescence methods provide the sensitivity required to study biology on the single-molecule level, but they also allow

  4. A brief introduction to single-molecule fluorescence methods

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Wildenberg, Siet M.J.L.; Prevo, Bram; Peterman, Erwin J.G.

    2018-01-01

    One of the more popular single-molecule approaches in biological science is single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, which will be the subject of the following section of this volume. Fluorescence methods provide the sensitivity required to study biology on the single-molecule level, but they also

  5. Upgrade of the Proton West secondary beamline

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spiegel, L.

    1989-01-01

    As originally designed and operated, protons entering PW6 were steered by a series of EPB dipoles into a single interaction length beryllium target, some 43 feet from the enclosure wall. Ensuing secondary beams, either p + /π + or p - /π - , were collected by a string of quadrupoles following the target, steered westward, away from the Proton Center line, through PW6 and PW7, and ultimately focussed on experiment production targets located within the large PW8 hall. Around the Spring of 1988 it was decided to upgrade the existing Proton West secondary beamline to allow for transport of a primary proton beam, anticipated to be either 800 or 900 GeV/c, through PW8. This upgrade project, which is now nearing completion, was largely motivated by the then recent approval of E-771, a hadronic beauty production experiment located in PW8. E-771 represents the third in a series of experiments for the large-acceptance dimuon spectrometer presently located at the end of the Proton West beamline. This Technical Memo is a summary of the upgrade --- an explanation of the underlying strategy and a documentation of the final locations of the secondary beamline elements. 6 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs

  6. EFFECTIVENESS OF ROCABADO'S TECHNIQUE FOR SUBJECTS WITH TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT DYSFUNCTION - A SINGLE BLIND STUDY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Niha Siraj Mulla

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Background:A temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction or TMD is a group of conditions characterized by pain in the muscles of mastication, the temporo-mandiblar joint or both. Rocabado has described techniques includes the Rocabado’s manipulation and Rocabado’s exercises which have both been individually advocated for treatment of TMD. The purpose of study is to determine the effectiveness of Rocabado’s techniques on TMJ dysfunction symptoms, pain, TMJ Range of Motion (ROM and jaw functional limitation for subjects with temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction. Method: Pre to post test experimental study design, subjects with temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction randomized into two groups with 15 subjects into each group with total of 30 subjects in Study and control group, respectively. The study group received the Rocabado’s technique which consisted of Rocabado’s non-thrust TMJ manipulation and Rocabado’s exercises along with conventional TMJ exercises and the control group received only conventional TMJ exercises. The exercises were performed for 6 times per each session, six times in a day, one session under supervision and remaining five sessions by the subject at home for 6 days in a week for duration of 2 weeks. The outcome measurements such as VAS for pain, TMJ ROM, Fonseca’s questionnaire rating for TMJ dysfunction symptoms and jaw function limitation score (JFLS was measured before and after two weeks of intervention. Results: Comparative analysis, using Independent ‘t’ test and Mann Whitney U- test found that the means of VAS, TMJ ROM, Fonseca’s questionnaire and JFLS scores showed statistically significant difference (p <0.05 when the pre-intervention means and post-intervention means were compared between two groups. Conclusion: It is concluded that Rocabado’s technique found to have statistically and clinically significant added effect with conventional TMJ exercises shown greater percentage of improvements obtained

  7. Predictors for secondary therapy after surgical resection of nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ratnasingam, Jeyakantha; Lenders, Nele; Ong, Benjamin; Boros, Samuel; Russell, Anthony W; Inder, Warrick J; Ho, Ken K Y

    2017-12-01

    Factors determining recurrence of nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFAs) that require further therapy are unclear as are postoperative follow-up imaging guidelines. We aimed to identify predictors for secondary therapy after surgical resection of NFAs and use this knowledge to inform postoperative management. A single-centre retrospective study of surgically resected NFAs in 108 patients followed for up to 15 years. Serial tumour images were analysed for size, location and growth rate (GR) and tissue analysed for hormone cell type and proliferation indices with secondary treatment as outcome measure. Twenty-four of 66 (36%) patients harbouring a postoperative remnant required secondary treatment, all occurring within 10 years. No secondary treatment was required in any of 42 patients with complete tumour resection. Age, gender, remnant volume and tumour histology were not different between patients requiring and not requiring secondary therapy. Remnant GRs in those requiring secondary therapy were more than 10-fold higher (Prisk for secondary therapy. Tumour GR in the first three postoperative years correlated significantly (r 2 =.6, P<.01) with GR during the period of follow-up. In surgically resected NFAs further treatment is dependent on the presence of residual tumour, growth rate and location but not tumour histology. Postoperative growth rate of NFAs in the first 3 years of imaging can be used to tailor long-term follow-up to optimize use of health resources. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Single-Trial Inference on Visual Attention

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dyrholm, Mads; Kyllingsbæk, Søren; Vangkilde, Signe Allerup

    2011-01-01

    In this paper we take a step towards single-trial behavioral modeling within a Theory of Visual Attention (TVA). In selective attention tasks, such as the Partial Report paradigm, the subject is asked to ignore distractors and only report stimuli that belong to the target class. Nothing about...... Report trial. This result retrodicts a latent attentional state of the subject using the observed response from that particular trial and thus differs from other predictions made with TVA which are based on expected values of observed variables. We show an example of the result in single-trial analysis...

  9. Comparison of depression symptoms between primary depression and secondary-to-schizophrenia depression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahim, Twana; Rashid, Roshe

    2017-11-01

    This study exclusively aimed to clinically assess which symptom pattern discriminates primary depression from depression-secondary to-schizophrenia. A total of 98 patients with primary depression and 71 patients with secondary-to-schizophrenia depression were assessed for identifying the clinical phenomena of depression. Diagnosis of schizophrenia was confirmed by Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Each participant was, however, assessed by Patient Health Questionnaire-9 as well as Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) for possible concurrent depressive symptoms. Depressed mood, loss of interest, reduced energy and pathological guilt were more common in primary depression, whereas sleep disturbance and guilty ideas of reference were more amounting towards the diagnosis of depression secondary-to-schizophrenia. It is clinically hard to differentiate primary from secondary-to-schizophrenia depression, especially in the absence of obvious psychotic symptoms. However, the classical symptoms of depression like subjective depressed mood, anhedonia, reduced energy and pathological guilt are more prominent in the primary depression.

  10. Association of subcutaneous testosterone pellet therapy with developing secondary polycythemia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rotker, Katherine Lang; Alavian, Michael; Nelson, Bethany; Baird, Grayson L; Miner, Martin M; Sigman, Mark; Hwang, Kathleen

    2018-01-01

    A variety of methods for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) exist, and the major potential risks of TRT have been well established. The risk of developing polycythemia secondary to exogenous testosterone (T) has been reported to range from 0.4% to 40%. Implantable T pellets have been used since 1972, and secondary polycythemia has been reported to be as low as 0.4% with this administration modality. However, our experience has suggested a higher rate. We conducted an institutional review board-approved, single-institution, retrospective chart review (2009–2013) to determine the rate of secondary polycythemia in 228 men treated with subcutaneously implanted testosterone pellets. Kaplan–Meyer failure curves were used to estimate time until the development of polycythemia (hematocrit >50%). The mean number of pellets administered was 12 (range: 6–16). The mean follow-up was 566 days. The median time to development of polycythemia whereby 50% of patients developed polycythemia was 50 months. The estimated rate of polycythemia at 6 months was 10.4%, 12 months was 17.3%, and 24 months was 30.2%. We concluded that the incidence of secondary polycythemia while on T pellet therapy may be higher than previously established. PMID:29205178

  11. Influences of crystallographic orientations on deformation mechanism and grain refinement of Al single crystals subjected to one-pass equal-channel angular pressing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, W.Z.; Zhang, Z.F.; Wu, S.D.; Li, S.X.

    2007-01-01

    The influences of crystallographic orientations on the evolution of dislocation structures and the refinement process of sub-grains in Al single crystals processed by one-pass equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) were systematically investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Three single crystals with different orientations, denoted as crystal I, crystal II and crystal III, were specially designed according to the shape of the ECAP die. For crystal I, its insert direction is parallel to [1 1 0] and its extrusion direction is parallel to [1-bar11]. For crystal II, the (1-bar11) plane is located parallel to the intersection plane of the ECAP die, and the [1 1 0] direction is along the general shear direction on the intersection plane. For crystal III, the (1-bar11) plane is laid on the plane perpendicular to the intersection of the ECAP die, and the [1 1 0] direction is vertical to the general shear direction. For crystal I, abundant cell block structures with multi-slip characters were formed, and they should be induced by four symmetric slip systems, while for crystal II, there are two sets of sub-grain structures with higher misorientation, making an angle of ∼70 deg., which can be attributed to the interactions of the two asymmetric primary slip planes, whereas for crystal III, only one set of ribbon structures was parallel to the traces of (1-bar11) with the lowest misorientation angle among the three single crystals, which should result from the homogeneous slip on the primary slip plane. The different microstructural features of the three single crystals provide clear experimental evidence that the microstructures and misorientation evolution are strongly affected by the crystallographic orientation or by the interaction between shear deformation imposed by the ECAP die and the intrinsic slip deformation of the single crystals. Based on the experimental results and the

  12. Subjective evaluation of HEVC in mobile devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, Ray; Kalva, Hari

    2013-03-01

    Mobile compute environments provide a unique set of user needs and expectations that designers must consider. With increased multimedia use in mobile environments, video encoding methods within the smart phone market segment are key factors that contribute to positive user experience. Currently available display resolutions and expected cellular bandwidth are major factors the designer must consider when determining which encoding methods should be supported. The desired goal is to maximize the consumer experience, reduce cost, and reduce time to market. This paper presents a comparative evaluation of the quality of user experience when HEVC and AVC/H.264 video coding standards were used. The goal of the study was to evaluate any improvements in user experience when using HEVC. Subjective comparisons were made between H.264/AVC and HEVC encoding standards in accordance with Doublestimulus impairment scale (DSIS) as defined by ITU-R BT.500-13. Test environments are based on smart phone LCD resolutions and expected cellular bit rates, such as 200kbps and 400kbps. Subjective feedback shows both encoding methods are adequate at 400kbps constant bit rate. However, a noticeable consumer experience gap was observed for 200 kbps. Significantly less H.264 subjective quality is noticed with video sequences that have multiple objects moving and no single point of visual attraction. Video sequences with single points of visual attraction or few moving objects tended to have higher H.264 subjective quality.

  13. Does family structure matter? Comparing the life goals and aspirations of learners in secondary schools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eugene Lee Davids

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to compare the goals and aspirations of learners from single- and two-parent families. The study used a quantitative methodology with a cross-sectional comparative group design. The sample consisted of 853 Grade 11 learners from secondary schools in the Northern, Southern and Metro Central education districts in the Western Cape. The data were collected using the Aspirations Index and a short biographical questionnaire. The results suggest that there was a significant main effect of family structure on certain goals and aspirations of learners in secondary schools. These goals and aspirations included wealth, image, personal growth, relationships, and health. Furthermore, learners in single-parent families placed more emphasis on intrinsic goals.

  14. Clinical Perspective An adolescent's subjective experiences of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    An adolescent's subjective experiences of mindfulness were explored in a single case study of a 17-yearold female. Data were created by means of 'mindfulness sessions', unstructured interviews, creative expression, journals and field notes. The data were analysed and interpreted using a combination of typological and ...

  15. Astronomy in Primary and Secondary Education in Slovenia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomboc, Andreja

    2015-08-01

    I will present the status of astronomy in educational system in Slovenia. In primary schools astronomy is offered as an optional course in the last 3 grades (12-15 yrs old), while in secondary schools a few astronomical topics are present only as part of other subjects (e.g. physics, geography). I will describe a pilot project of an astronomy course in secondary schools, which was carried out in the school year 2013/14. The main focus of my presentation will be the experience gained with organisation of the Slovenian National Astronomy Competition. It is organised by the Slovenian Society of Mathematicians, Physicists and Astronomers since 2009, building on an extensive network of over 200 primary and secondary school teachers who participated in IYA2009 activities, and who now represent majority of mentors for the competition. In 2013, only 5 years after the start of competition, our pupils attended the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics for the first time and with great success. Supporting activities include the Slovenian version of the Portal to the Universe (www.portalvvesolje.si) and translation of Space Scoop astronomy news for children.

  16. Matching Three Classifications of Secondary Students to Differential Levels of Study Guides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horton, Steven V.; And Others

    1991-01-01

    This study examined the effectiveness of matching 82 secondary students (learning disabled, remedial, and nondisabled) to differential levels of study guides. The study evaluated two treatment conditions (multilevel study guides containing different levels of referential cues, and single-level study guides without referential cues), used in…

  17. Students’ experienced coherence between chemistry and biology in context-based secondary science education

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boer, H.J.; Prins, Gjalt; Goedhart, M.J.; Boersma, Kerst

    2014-01-01

    In current biology and chemistry secondary school practice, coherence between the subjects chemistry and biology is underexposed or even ignored. This is incongruent with the current scientific practice, in which the emphasis is shifting towards inter- and multidisciplinarity. These problems have

  18. Reducing deaths in single vehicle collisions.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Adminaite, D. Jost, G. Stipdonk, H. & Ward, H.

    2017-01-01

    A third of road deaths in the EU are caused by collisions that involve a single motorised vehicle where the driver, rider and/or passengers are killed but no other road users are involved. These single vehicle collisions (SVCs), and how to prevent them occurring, are the subject of this report.

  19. Cocombustion of secondary fuels with Rhenish brown coal; Mitverbrennung von Sekundaerbrennstoffen mit rheinischer Braunkohle

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gerhardt, Alexander; Kull, Rene; Zepf, Eva; Fuller, Aaron; Maier, Joerg; Scheffknecht, Guenter [Stuttgart Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Verfahrenstechnik und Dampfkesselwesen; Jong, Martin de [KEMA Nederland B.V. (Netherlands); Glorius, Thomas [REMONDIS Trade and Sales GmbH (Germany)

    2008-07-01

    The Institute of Combustion and Power Plant of Technology of the University of Stuttgart (Stuttgart, Federal Republic of Germany) performs scientific research within the range of solid firings. The cocombustion of secondary fuels in coal-fired power stations as well as the production of secondary fuels are examined in the project RECOFUEL. The production of secondary fuels is performed from harmless house wastes and commercial wastes as well as from biological residues from forestry and agriculture. Secondary fuels offer an alternative to fossil fuels for the power production in different branches of industry and reduce the emission of carbon dioxide from fossil sources. For the attempts in two power stations of RWE Power AG (Essen, Federal Republic of Germany) the quality-certified secondary fuel SBS1 registered of the company Remondis GmbH (Luenen, Federal Republic of Germany) was used. This secondary fuel was developed and subjected to an intensive analysis. Experiments in a pulverized fuel furnace and in a fluidised bed were performed at the power stations Weisweiler and Berrenrath in order to examine different aspects of the cocombustion.

  20. Knowledge about HIV/AIDS among secondary school students

    OpenAIRE

    Pratibha Gupta; Fatima Anjum; Pankaj Bhardwaj; J P Srivastav; Zeashan Haider Zaidi

    2013-01-01

    Background: HIV/AIDS has emerged as the single most formidable challenge to public health. School children of today are exposed to the risk of HIV/AIDS. Aims: The study was conducted to determine the knowledge among secondary school students regarding HIV/AIDS and provide suggestions for HIV/AIDS education in schools. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among students of tenth to twelfth standard in the intermediate schools of Lucknow, India, from July to October 2011...

  1. Differentiation to improve the articulation between levels : In the teaching of English in primary and secondary education in the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    A.P. de Kraay

    2016-01-01

    In 1986, English became a compulsory subject in primary education in The Netherlands1. While secondary schools have, by law, been required to offer English since 1863 (Wilhelm, 2005) the articulation between Dutch primary and secondary education levels of English language teaching has always been

  2. Turbulence production due to secondary vortex cutting in a turbine rotor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Binder, A.

    1985-10-01

    Measurements of the unsteady flow field near and within a turbine rotor were made by means of a Laser-2-Focus velocimeter. The testing was performed in a single-stage cold-air turbine at part-load and near-design conditions. Random unsteadiness and flow angle results indicate that the secondary vortices of the stator break down after being cut and deformed by the rotor blades. A quantitative comparison shows that some of the energy contained in these secondary vortices is thereby converted into turbulence energy in the front part of the rotor. An attempt is made to explain this turbulence energy production as caused by the vortex breakdown.

  3. Intraspecific Variation and Phylogenetic Relationships Are Revealed by ITS1 Secondary Structure Analysis and Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism in Ganoderma lucidum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pei, Haisheng; Chen, Zhou; Tan, Xiaoyan; Hu, Jing; Yang, Bin; Sun, Junshe

    2017-01-01

    Ganoderma lucidum is a typical polypore fungus used for traditional Chinese medical purposes. The taxonomic delimitation of Ganoderma lucidum is still debated. In this study, we sequenced seven internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of Ganoderma lucidum strains and annotated the ITS1 and ITS2 regions. Phylogenetic analysis of ITS1 differentiated the strains into three geographic groups. Groups 1–3 were originated from Europe, tropical Asia, and eastern Asia, respectively. While ITS2 could only differentiate the strains into two groups in which Group 2 originated from tropical Asia gathered with Groups 1 and 3 originated from Europe and eastern Asia. By determining the secondary structures of the ITS1 sequences, these three groups exhibited similar structures with a conserved central core and differed helices. While compared to Group 2, Groups 1 and 3 of ITS2 sequences shared similar structures with the difference in helix 4. Large-scale evaluation of ITS1 and ITS2 both exhibited that the majority of subgroups in the same group shared the similar structures. Further Weblogo analysis of ITS1 sequences revealed two main variable regions located in helix 2 in which C/T or A/G substitutions frequently occurred and ITS1 exhibited more nucleotide variances compared to ITS2. ITS1 multi-alignment of seven spawn strains and culture tests indicated that a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) site at position 180 correlated with strain antagonism. The HZ, TK and 203 fusion strains of Ganoderma lucidum had a T at position 180, whereas other strains exhibiting antagonism, including DB, RB, JQ, and YS, had a C. Taken together, compared to ITS2 region, ITS1 region could differentiated Ganoderma lucidum into three geographic originations based on phylogenetic analysis and secondary structure prediction. Besides, a SNP in ITS 1 could delineate Ganoderma lucidum strains at the intraspecific level. These findings will be implemented to improve species quality control in the

  4. Intraspecific Variation and Phylogenetic Relationships Are Revealed by ITS1 Secondary Structure Analysis and Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism in Ganoderma lucidum.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiuqing Zhang

    Full Text Available Ganoderma lucidum is a typical polypore fungus used for traditional Chinese medical purposes. The taxonomic delimitation of Ganoderma lucidum is still debated. In this study, we sequenced seven internal transcribed spacer (ITS sequences of Ganoderma lucidum strains and annotated the ITS1 and ITS2 regions. Phylogenetic analysis of ITS1 differentiated the strains into three geographic groups. Groups 1-3 were originated from Europe, tropical Asia, and eastern Asia, respectively. While ITS2 could only differentiate the strains into two groups in which Group 2 originated from tropical Asia gathered with Groups 1 and 3 originated from Europe and eastern Asia. By determining the secondary structures of the ITS1 sequences, these three groups exhibited similar structures with a conserved central core and differed helices. While compared to Group 2, Groups 1 and 3 of ITS2 sequences shared similar structures with the difference in helix 4. Large-scale evaluation of ITS1 and ITS2 both exhibited that the majority of subgroups in the same group shared the similar structures. Further Weblogo analysis of ITS1 sequences revealed two main variable regions located in helix 2 in which C/T or A/G substitutions frequently occurred and ITS1 exhibited more nucleotide variances compared to ITS2. ITS1 multi-alignment of seven spawn strains and culture tests indicated that a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP site at position 180 correlated with strain antagonism. The HZ, TK and 203 fusion strains of Ganoderma lucidum had a T at position 180, whereas other strains exhibiting antagonism, including DB, RB, JQ, and YS, had a C. Taken together, compared to ITS2 region, ITS1 region could differentiated Ganoderma lucidum into three geographic originations based on phylogenetic analysis and secondary structure prediction. Besides, a SNP in ITS 1 could delineate Ganoderma lucidum strains at the intraspecific level. These findings will be implemented to improve species quality

  5. Lung Parenchymal Assessment in Primary and Secondary Pneumothorax.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bintcliffe, Oliver J; Edey, Anthony J; Armstrong, Lynne; Negus, Ian S; Maskell, Nick A

    2016-03-01

    The definition of primary spontaneous pneumothorax excludes patients with known lung disease; however, the assumption that the underlying lung is normal in these patients is increasingly contentious. The purpose of this study was to assess lung structure and compare the extent of emphysema in patients with primary versus secondary spontaneous pneumothorax and to patients with no pneumothorax in an otherwise comparable control group. We identified patients treated for pneumothorax by screening inpatient and outpatient medical records at one medical center in the United Kingdom. From this group, 20 patients had no clinically apparent underlying lung disease and were classified as having a primary spontaneous pneumothorax, and 20 patients were classified as having a secondary spontaneous pneumothorax. We assembled a control group composed of 40 subjects matched for age and smoking history who had a unilateral pleural effusion or were suspected to have a thoracic malignancy and had a chest computed tomography scan suitable for quantitative analysis. Demographics and smoking histories were collected. Quantitative evaluation of low-attenuation areas of the lung on computed tomography imaging was performed using semiautomated software, and the extent of emphysema-like destruction was assessed visually. The extent of emphysema and percentage of low-attenuation areas was greater for patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax than for control subjects matched for age and smoking history (median, 0.25 vs. 0.00%; P = 0.019) and was also higher for patients with secondary pneumothorax than those with primary spontaneous pneumothorax (16.15 vs. 0.25%, P pneumothorax who smoked had significantly greater low-attenuation area than patients with primary pneumothorax who were nonsmokers (0.7 vs. 0.1%, P = 0.034). The majority of patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax had quantifiable evidence of parenchymal destruction and emphysema. The exclusion of patients

  6. Antigenic variation of TprK facilitates development of secondary syphilis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reid, Tara B; Molini, Barbara J; Fernandez, Mark C; Lukehart, Sheila A

    2014-12-01

    Although primary syphilis lesions heal spontaneously, the infection is chronic, with subsequent clinical stages. Healing of the primary chancre occurs as antibodies against outer membrane antigens facilitate opsonophagocytosis of the bacteria by activated macrophages. TprK is an outer membrane protein that undergoes antigenic variation at 7 variable regions, and variants are selected by immune pressure. We hypothesized that individual TprK variants escape immune clearance and seed new disseminated lesions to cause secondary syphilis. As in human syphilis, infected rabbits may develop disseminated secondary skin lesions. This study explores the nature of secondary syphilis, specifically, the contribution of antigenic variation to the development of secondary lesions. Our data from the rabbit model show that the odds of secondary lesions containing predominately TprK variant treponemes is 3.3 times higher than the odds of finding TprK variants in disseminated primary lesions (odds ratio [OR] = 3.3 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.98 to 11.0]; P = 0.055) and that 96% of TprK variant secondary lesions are likely seeded by single treponemes. Analysis of antibody responses demonstrates significantly higher antibody titers to tprK variable region sequences found in the inoculum compared to reactivity to tprK variant sequences found in newly arising secondary lesions. This suggests that tprK variants escape the initial immune response raised against the V regions expressed in the inoculum. These data further support a role for TprK in immune evasion and suggest that the ability of TprK variants to persist despite a robust immune response is instrumental in the development of later stages of syphilis. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  7. Subjective Well-being and Partnership Dynamics; Are Same-sex Relationships Different?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chen, Shuai; van Ours, Jan

    2017-01-01

    Partnered individuals are happier than singles. This can be because partnership leads to more satisfactory subjective well-being or because happier people are more likely to find a partner. We analyze Dutch panel data to investigate whether there is a causal effect of partnership on subjective

  8. On Post-Weld Heat Treatment of a Single Crystal Nickel-Based Superalloy Joint by Linear Friction Welding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. J. Ma

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Three types of post-weld heat treatment (PWHT, i.e. solution treatment + primary aging + secondary aging (I, secondary aging (II, and primary aging + secondary aging (III, were applied to a single crystal nickel-based superalloy joint made with linear friction welding (LFW. The results show that the grains in the thermomechanically affected zone (TMAZ coarsen seriously and the primary γ' phase in the TMAZ precipitates unevenly after PWHT I. The primary γ' phase in the TMAZ and weld zone (WZ precipitates insufficiently and fine granular secondary γ' phase is observed in the matrix after PWHT II. After PWHT III, the primary γ' phase precipitates more sufficiently and evenly compared to PWHTs I and II. Moreover, the grains in the TMAZ have not coarsened seriously and fine granular secondary γ' phase is not found after PWHT III. PWHT III seems more suitable to the LFWed single crystal nickel-based superalloy joints when performing PWHT.

  9. Advance Organizers in Secondary Special Education Resource Classrooms: Effects on Student Engagement Behaviors

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, Lisa

    2013-01-01

    Student engagement and appropriate behaviors are essential for effective instruction in secondary special education classrooms. Research suggests that proactive engagement strategies and interventions can have a greater effect on overall classroom behaviors than negative consequences. A single case experiment measured the effects of…

  10. Free energy minimization to predict RNA secondary structures and computational RNA design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Churkin, Alexander; Weinbrand, Lina; Barash, Danny

    2015-01-01

    Determining the RNA secondary structure from sequence data by computational predictions is a long-standing problem. Its solution has been approached in two distinctive ways. If a multiple sequence alignment of a collection of homologous sequences is available, the comparative method uses phylogeny to determine conserved base pairs that are more likely to form as a result of billions of years of evolution than by chance. In the case of single sequences, recursive algorithms that compute free energy structures by using empirically derived energy parameters have been developed. This latter approach of RNA folding prediction by energy minimization is widely used to predict RNA secondary structure from sequence. For a significant number of RNA molecules, the secondary structure of the RNA molecule is indicative of its function and its computational prediction by minimizing its free energy is important for its functional analysis. A general method for free energy minimization to predict RNA secondary structures is dynamic programming, although other optimization methods have been developed as well along with empirically derived energy parameters. In this chapter, we introduce and illustrate by examples the approach of free energy minimization to predict RNA secondary structures.

  11. Secondary Containment Design for the LLNL B801 Diala Oil Tank

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mertesdorf, E. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2016-12-14

    Design is to add an extension to the secondary containment of tank T1-A3 at building 801. Piping from the inner tank penetrates the secondary containment tank below the liquid level of the primary tank. To meet Oil Pollution Prevention Regulation 40 CFR 120.7 the single wall piping needs to be provided with secondary containment. Steel Tank Institute (STI) conference publication states: §112.3(d)(1)(iii) –SPCC Plan requirements- Systems shall be designed in accordance with good engineering practice, including consideration of applicable industry standards and that procedures for required inspections and testing have been established. Section 112.7(a)(2) allows for deviations from specific rule requirements, provided the Owner/operator responsible to select, document and implement alternate measure and a PE certifies the SPCC Plan in accordance with good engineering practices, including consideration of industry standards

  12. Didactics, Dance and Teacher Knowing in an Upper Secondary School Context

    Science.gov (United States)

    Styrke, Britt-Marie

    2015-01-01

    This article deals with didactics, dance and teacher knowing in an upper secondary school context in Sweden. Dance is referred to as a western theatrical art form as well as to a subject mainly defined through its curriculum. A qualitative interview study with experienced dance teachers constitutes the base on which two overarching theoretical…

  13. Relationship of extinction to perceptual thresholds for single stimuli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meador, K J; Ray, P G; Day, L J; Loring, D W

    2001-04-24

    To demonstrate the effects of target stimulus intensity on extinction to double simultaneous stimuli. Attentional deficits contribute to extinction in patients with brain lesions, but extinction (i.e., masking) can also be produced in healthy subjects. The relationship of extinction to perceptual thresholds for single stimuli remains uncertain. Brief electrical pulses were applied simultaneously to the left and right index fingers of 16 healthy volunteers (8 young and 8 elderly adults) and 4 patients with right brain stroke (RBS). The stimulus to be perceived (i.e., target stimulus) was given at the lowest perceptual threshold to perceive any single stimulus (i.e., Minimal) and at the threshold to perceive 100% of single stimuli. The mask stimulus (i.e., stimulus given to block the target) was applied to the contralateral hand at intensities just below discomfort. Extinction was less for target stimuli at 100% than Minimal threshold for healthy subjects. Extinction of left targets was greater in patients with RBS than elderly control subjects. Left targets were extinguished less than right in healthy subjects. In contrast, the majority of left targets were extinguished in patients with RBS even when right mask intensity was reduced below right 100% threshold for single stimuli. RBS patients had less extinction for right targets despite having greater left mask - threshold difference than control subjects. In patients with RBS, right "targets" at 100% threshold extinguished left "masks" (20%) almost as frequently as left masks extinguished right targets (32%). Subtle changes in target intensity affect extinction in healthy adults. Asymmetries in mask and target intensities (relative to single-stimulus perceptual thresholds) affect extinction in RBS patients less for left targets but more for right targets as compared with control subjects.

  14. Media Usage, Religiosity and Gender as Determinant of Performance in Chemistry Subject

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oloyede, Ganiyat Kehinde; Mercy, Ofole Ndidi

    2016-01-01

    This research was designed to investigate the effect of media usage, religiosity and gender on performance in chemistry subject. This study employed survey research design. Two hundred participants (66 males and 134 females) drawn from public Senior Secondary Schools in Ibadan North Local Government Area, Oyo State constituted the study's sample.…

  15. Full scale lightning surge tests of distribution transformers and secondary systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goedde, G.L.; Dugan, R.C. Sr.; Rowe, L.D.

    1992-01-01

    This paper reports that low-side surges are known to cause failures of distribution transformers. They also subject load devices to overvoltages. A full-scale model of a residential service has been set up in a laboratory and subjected to impulses approximating lightning strokes. The tests were made to determine the impulse characteristics of the secondary system and to test the validity of previous analyses. Among the variables investigated were stroke location, the balance of the surges in the service cable, and the effectiveness of arrester protection. Low-side surges were found to consist of two basic components: the natural frequency of the system and the inductive response of the system to the stoke current. The latter component is responsible for transformer failures while the former may be responsible for discharge spots often found around secondary bushings. Arresters at the service entrance are effective in diverting most of the energy from a lightning strike, but may not protect sensitive loads. Additional local protection is also needed. The tests affirmed previous simulations and uncovered additional phenomena as well

  16. Accounting for Laser Extinction, Signal Attenuation, and Secondary Emission While Performing Optical Patternation in a Single Plane

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Brown, C

    2002-01-01

    An optical patternation method is described where the effects of laser extinction and signal attenuation can be corrected for, and where secondary scattering effects are reduced by probing the spray...

  17. Qualities of effective secondary science teachers: Perspectives of university biology students

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCall, Madelon J.

    This research was an attempt to hear the student voice concerning secondary science teacher effectiveness and to share that voice with those who impact the educational process. It was a snapshot of university freshmen biology students' opinions of the qualities of effective secondary science teachers based on their high school science experiences. The purpose of this study was to compile a list of effective secondary science teacher qualities as determined through a purposeful sampling of university second semester biology students and determine the role of the secondary science teacher in promoting interest and achievement in science, as well as the teacher's influence on a students' choice of a science career. The research was a mixed methods design using both quantitative and qualitative data obtained through the use of a 24 question electronic survey. There were 125 participants who provided information concerning their high school science teachers. Respondents provided information concerning the qualities of effective secondary science teachers and influences on the students' present career choice. The quantitative data was used to construct a hierarchy of qualities of effective secondary science teachers, divided into personal, professional, and classroom management qualities. The qualitative data was used to examine individual student responses to questions concerning secondary science teacher effectiveness and student career choice. The results of the research indicated that students highly value teachers who are both passionate about the subject taught and passionate about their students. High school science students prefer teachers who teach science in a way that is both interesting and relevant to the student. It was determined that the greatest influence on a secondary student's career choice came from family members and not from teachers. The secondary teacher's role was to recognize the student's interest in the career and provide encouragement

  18. Photodynamic treatment of a secondary vasoproliferative tumour associated with sector retinitis pigmentosa and Usher syndrome type I.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osman, Saatci A; Aylin, Yaman; Arikan, Gul; Celikel, Harika

    2007-03-01

    Vasoproliferative tumours may be primary or secondary and present with severe exudation leading to marked visual loss. We describe a 47-year-old man with unilateral secondary vasoproliferative tumour associated with sector retinitis pigmentosa and Usher I syndrome who was successfully treated with a single session of photodynamic treatment. Standard treatment protocol was used except that the treatment duration was doubled. A year after the treatment, the angioma-like tumour vanished and exudation was dramatically reduced. Photodynamic therapy seems to be a minimally invasive and safe technique in eyes with secondary vasoproliferative tumours.

  19. Single-Sex Schooling and Labour Market Outcomes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sullivan, Alice; Joshi, Heather; Leonard, Diana

    2011-01-01

    One quarter of the 1958 British Birth cohort attended single-sex secondary schools. This paper asks whether sex-segregated schooling had any impact on the experience of gender differences in the labour market in mid-life. We examine outcomes at age 42, allowing for socio-economic origins and abilities measured in childhood. We find no net impact…

  20. A comparison of science and mathematics teachers’ interpersonal behaviour with teachers of other subjects.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brok, den P.J.; Taconis, R.; Fisher, D.; Gilmer, P.J.; Czerniak, C.M.; Osborne, J.; Kyle, W.C.

    2008-01-01

    The differences in teacher interpersonal behavior between science classes and other subject classes in secondary education are investigated using the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI). Multilevel analysis of variance was used on an existing Dutch data set containing 44,353 students and 605

  1. EFFECTS OF ROTATIONALLY INDUCED MIXING IN COMPACT BINARY SYSTEMS WITH LOW-MASS SECONDARIES AND IN SINGLE SOLAR-TYPE STARS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chatzopoulos, E.; Robinson, Edward L.; Wheeler, J. Craig

    2012-01-01

    Many population synthesis and stellar evolution studies have addressed the evolution of close binary systems in which the primary is a compact remnant and the secondary is filling its Roche lobe, thus triggering mass transfer. Although tidal locking is expected in such systems, most studies have neglected the rotationally induced mixing that may occur. Here we study the possible effects of mixing in mass-losing stars for a range of secondary star masses and metallicities. We find that tidal locking can induce rotational mixing prior to contact and thus affect the evolution of the secondary star if the effects of the Spruit-Tayler dynamo are included both for angular momentum and chemical transport. Once contact is made, the effect of mass transfer tends to be more rapid than the evolutionary timescale, so the effects of mixing are no longer directly important, but the mass-transfer strips matter to inner layers that may have been affected by the mixing. These effects are enhanced for secondaries of 1-1.2 M ☉ and for lower metallicities. We discuss the possible implications for the paucity of carbon in the secondaries of the cataclysmic variable SS Cyg and the black hole candidate XTE J1118+480 and for the progenitor evolution of Type Ia supernovae. We also address the issue of the origin of blue straggler stars in globular and open clusters. We find that for models that include rotation consistent with that observed for some blue straggler stars, evolution is chemically homogeneous. This leads to tracks in the H-R diagram that are brighter and bluer than the non-rotating main-sequence turn-off point. Rotational mixing could thus be one of the factors that contribute to the formation of blue stragglers.

  2. Electric reaction arising in bone subjected to mechanical loadings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murasawa, Go; Cho, Hideo; Ogawa, Kazuma

    2006-03-01

    The aim of present study is the investigation of the electric reaction arising in bone subjected to mechanical loadings. Firstly, specimen was fabricated from femur of cow, and ultrasonic propagation in bone was measured by ultrasonic technique. Secondary, 4-point bending test was conducted up to fracture, and electric reaction arising in bone was measured during loading. Thirdly, cyclic 4-point bending test was conducted to investigate the effect of applied displacement speed on electric reaction.

  3. Determining fertility in a bovine subject comprises detecting in a sample from the bovine subject the presence or absence of genetic marker alleles associated with a trait indicative of fertility of the bovine subject and/or off-spring

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2009-01-01

    NOVELTY - Determining fertility in a bovine subject comprises detecting in a sample from the bovine subject the presence or absence of two or more genetic marker alleles that are associated with a trait indicative of fertility of the bovine subject and/or off-spring. USE - The methods are useful...... for determining fertility in a bovine subject; and selecting bovine subjects for breeding purposes (all claimed). DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Determining fertility in a bovine subject comprises detecting in a sample from the bovine subject the presence or absence of two or more genetic marker alleles...... that are associated with a trait indicative of fertility of the bovine subject and/or off-spring, where the two or more genetic marker alleles are single nucleotide polymorphisms selected from Hapmap60827-rs29019866, ARS-BFGL-NGS-40979, Hapmap47854-BTA-119090, ARS-BFGL-NGS-114679, Hapmap43841-BTA-34601, Hapmap43407...

  4. Secondary school teachers' attitudes towards and beliefs about ability grouping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hallam, Susan; Ireson, Judith

    2003-09-01

    Internationally and historically considerable research has been undertaken regarding the attitudes of secondary school teachers towards different types of ability grouping. There has been no recent research taking account of the changing educational context in the UK. This paper aims to explore secondary school teachers' attitudes and beliefs about ability grouping taking account of school type, gender, experience and qualifications. The sample comprised over 1,500 teachers from 45 schools divided into three groups based on their ability grouping practices in years 7-9 (the students were aged 11-14). The sample included all the lower school teachers of mathematics, science and English and a random sample of teachers from other subjects in each school. Teachers responded to a questionnaire which explored their attitudes towards ability grouping through the use of rating scales and open-ended questions. The findings showed that the teachers' beliefs broadly reflected research findings on the actual effects of ability grouping, although there were significant differences relating to the type of school they taught in and the subject that they taught. Separate analysis of school types showed that length of time teaching, individual school differences and teacher qualifications were also significant predictors of attitudes. Teachers' beliefs about ability grouping are influenced by the type of groupings adopted in the school where they work, the subject that they teach, their experience and qualifications. As pedagogical practices are known to be influenced by beliefs these findings have important implications for teacher training.

  5. Change Forces: Implementing Change in a Secondary School for the Common Good

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melville, Wayne; Bartley, Anthony; Weinburgh, Molly

    2012-01-01

    In this article, we investigate the change forces that act on administrators, subject department chairpersons and teachers as they seek to implement a change in a Canadian secondary school. Using a case study methodology, our analysis of the data uses Sergiovanni's (1998) six change forces: bureaucratic, personal, market, professional, cultural,…

  6. Prediction of RNA secondary structure using generalized centroid estimators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamada, Michiaki; Kiryu, Hisanori; Sato, Kengo; Mituyama, Toutai; Asai, Kiyoshi

    2009-02-15

    Recent studies have shown that the methods for predicting secondary structures of RNAs on the basis of posterior decoding of the base-pairing probabilities has an advantage with respect to prediction accuracy over the conventionally utilized minimum free energy methods. However, there is room for improvement in the objective functions presented in previous studies, which are maximized in the posterior decoding with respect to the accuracy measures for secondary structures. We propose novel estimators which improve the accuracy of secondary structure prediction of RNAs. The proposed estimators maximize an objective function which is the weighted sum of the expected number of the true positives and that of the true negatives of the base pairs. The proposed estimators are also improved versions of the ones used in previous works, namely CONTRAfold for secondary structure prediction from a single RNA sequence and McCaskill-MEA for common secondary structure prediction from multiple alignments of RNA sequences. We clarify the relations between the proposed estimators and the estimators presented in previous works, and theoretically show that the previous estimators include additional unnecessary terms in the evaluation measures with respect to the accuracy. Furthermore, computational experiments confirm the theoretical analysis by indicating improvement in the empirical accuracy. The proposed estimators represent extensions of the centroid estimators proposed in Ding et al. and Carvalho and Lawrence, and are applicable to a wide variety of problems in bioinformatics. Supporting information and the CentroidFold software are available online at: http://www.ncrna.org/software/centroidfold/.

  7. Rhabdomyolysis Secondary to Clenbuterol Use and Exercise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grimmer, Nicole M; Gimbar, Renee Petzel; Bursua, Adam; Patel, Meet

    2016-02-01

    The literature regarding rhabdomyolysis secondary to illicit drug use is sparse. Clenbuterol is a bronchodilator approved for veterinary use, which in high doses can increase protein deposition and lipolysis similarly to anabolic steroids, and is thereby abused for bodybuilding and weight loss effects. Clenbuterol has previously been described in case reports to be cardiotoxic, with patient presentations similar to overdoses of sympathomimetic substances, but reports of rhabdomyolysis are limited to a single case series in horses. We report the first case of rhabdomyolysis secondary to clenbuterol in a human. Our patient used clenbuterol for muscle-building effects in addition to exercise for multiple days prior to presentation. The patient's chief complaint at Emergency Department (ED) presentation was discolored urine. Workup for rhabdomyolysis was initiated, and an initial creatine kinase was measured at 122,933 units/L. Our patient's rhabdomyolysis was successfully treated with supportive therapy, and the patient was eventually discharged to home with no identifiable disability. The patient's kidney function remained at baseline, and no acute kidney injury was experienced secondary to rhabdomyolysis. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Patients presenting to the ED may have been unintentionally exposed through cutting of illicit substances or through intentional use in bodybuilding. Clenbuterol has well-described cardiotoxic effects, and we report the additional toxicity of rhabdomyolysis with its use. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Increased medial foot loading during drop jump in subjects with patellofemoral pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rathleff, Michael S; Richter, Camilla; Brushøj, Christoffer

    2014-01-01

    PURPOSE: To compare medial-to-lateral plantar forces during drop jump and single leg squat in individuals with and without patellofemoral pain. METHODS: This cross-sectional study compared 23 young adults with patellofemoral pain to 20 age- and sex-matched controls without knee pain. The plantar...... pressure distribution was collected during drop jump and single leg squat using pressure-sensitive Pedar insoles, inserted into a standard flat shoe. The primary outcome was the medial-to-lateral force, quantified as the peak force under the medial forefoot as the percentage of force under the total...... forefoot during drop jump. Secondary outcomes included peak medial-to-lateral force during single leg squat and mean forces during drop jump and single leg squat. RESULTS: The primary outcome showed that individuals with patellofemoral pain had a 22 % higher medial-to-lateral peak force during drop jump...

  9. Exploring the Relationship between Health Insurance, Social Connectedness, and Subjective Social Status among Residents of O‘ahu

    OpenAIRE

    Thompson, Lisa M; Murray, Kate A; Jarvis, Sarah; Scarr, Ellen

    2016-01-01

    Relative position in a social hierarchy, or subjective social status, has been associated with indicators of socioeconomic status and may be influenced by social connectedness. The primary purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between health insurance status and subjective social status, using the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status (SSS, community version), in the state of Hawai'i with its highly insured population. The secondary purpose is to examine other social dete...

  10. Working Memory and Fluid Intelligence: Capacity, Attention Control, and Secondary Memory Retrieval

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unsworth, Nash; Fukuda, Keisuke; Awh, Edward; Vogel, Edward K.

    2015-01-01

    Several theories have been put forth to explain the relation between working memory (WM) and gF. Unfortunately, no single factor has been shown to fully account for the relation between these two important constructs. In the current study we tested whether multiple factors (capacity, attention control, and secondary memory) would collectively account for the relation. A large number of participants performed multiple measures of each construct and latent variable analyses were used to examine the data. The results demonstrated that capacity, attention control, and secondary memory were uniquely related to WM storage, WM processing, and gF. Importantly, the three factors completely accounted for the relation between WM (both processing and storage) and gF. Thus, although storage and processing make independent contributions to gF, both of these contributions are accounted for by variation in capacity, attention control and secondary memory. These results are consistent with the multifaceted view of WM, suggesting that individual differences in capacity, attention control, and secondary memory jointly account for individual differences in WM and its relation with gF. PMID:24531497

  11. Sequenced subjective accents for brain-computer interfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vlek, R. J.; Schaefer, R. S.; Gielen, C. C. A. M.; Farquhar, J. D. R.; Desain, P.

    2011-06-01

    Subjective accenting is a cognitive process in which identical auditory pulses at an isochronous rate turn into the percept of an accenting pattern. This process can be voluntarily controlled, making it a candidate for communication from human user to machine in a brain-computer interface (BCI) system. In this study we investigated whether subjective accenting is a feasible paradigm for BCI and how its time-structured nature can be exploited for optimal decoding from non-invasive EEG data. Ten subjects perceived and imagined different metric patterns (two-, three- and four-beat) superimposed on a steady metronome. With an offline classification paradigm, we classified imagined accented from non-accented beats on a single trial (0.5 s) level with an average accuracy of 60.4% over all subjects. We show that decoding of imagined accents is also possible with a classifier trained on perception data. Cyclic patterns of accents and non-accents were successfully decoded with a sequence classification algorithm. Classification performances were compared by means of bit rate. Performance in the best scenario translates into an average bit rate of 4.4 bits min-1 over subjects, which makes subjective accenting a promising paradigm for an online auditory BCI.

  12. Performance modeling of a two-tier primary-secondary network with IEEE 802.11 broadcast scheme

    KAUST Repository

    Khabazian, Mehdi

    2011-03-01

    In this paper, we study the performance of a two-tier primary-secondary network based on IEEE 802.11 broadcast scheme. We assume that a number of primary and secondary users coexist in the radio environment and share a single band. To protect the primary users\\' priority, the secondary users are allowed to contend for the channel only if they sense it idle for a certain sensing time. Considering an exponential packet inter-arrival time for the primary network, we model each primary user as an independent M/G/1 queue. Subsequently, we determine the primary users\\' average medium access delay in the presence of secondary users as well as the hybrid network\\'s throughput. Numerical results and discussions show the effects of parameters pertaining to the secondary users, such as as sensing time, packet payload size and population size, on the performance of the primary network. Furthermore, we provide simulation results which confirm the accuracy of the proposed analysis. © 2011 IEEE.

  13. Performance modeling of a two-tier primary-secondary network with IEEE 802.11 broadcast scheme

    KAUST Repository

    Khabazian, Mehdi; Aissa, Sonia; El Kefi, Rania

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, we study the performance of a two-tier primary-secondary network based on IEEE 802.11 broadcast scheme. We assume that a number of primary and secondary users coexist in the radio environment and share a single band. To protect the primary users' priority, the secondary users are allowed to contend for the channel only if they sense it idle for a certain sensing time. Considering an exponential packet inter-arrival time for the primary network, we model each primary user as an independent M/G/1 queue. Subsequently, we determine the primary users' average medium access delay in the presence of secondary users as well as the hybrid network's throughput. Numerical results and discussions show the effects of parameters pertaining to the secondary users, such as as sensing time, packet payload size and population size, on the performance of the primary network. Furthermore, we provide simulation results which confirm the accuracy of the proposed analysis. © 2011 IEEE.

  14. Enhanced primary and secondary performance through cognitive relaying and leveraging primary feedback

    KAUST Repository

    Hamza, Doha R.; Aï ssa, Sonia

    2014-01-01

    We consider a spectrum-sharing system, where the primary terminal operates in a time-slotted fashion and is active only when it has a packet to send. The secondary terminal uses spectrum sensing results and the primary automatic repeat request (ARQ) feedback to access the channel probabilistically. To enhance the primary's system performance, the secondary user (SU) acts as a relay for the primary user (PU) in the event of transmission failure on the direct link of the latter. Closed-form expressions for the primary and secondary throughputs are obtained for the described scheme. The optimal medium access probabilities are then obtained by maximizing the secondary throughput subject to constraints that guarantee the stability of the considered queues, a minimum primary throughput, and a maximum primary queueing delay. The results clearly indicate the benefits of cognitive relaying in enhancing the throughput performance for both the PU and SU. Furthermore, by guaranteeing minimum rate and maximum delay requirements, our scheme is shown to provide a definitive notion of protection for the licensed users of the network. © 2013 IEEE.

  15. Enhanced primary and secondary performance through cognitive relaying and leveraging primary feedback

    KAUST Repository

    Hamza, Doha R.

    2014-06-01

    We consider a spectrum-sharing system, where the primary terminal operates in a time-slotted fashion and is active only when it has a packet to send. The secondary terminal uses spectrum sensing results and the primary automatic repeat request (ARQ) feedback to access the channel probabilistically. To enhance the primary\\'s system performance, the secondary user (SU) acts as a relay for the primary user (PU) in the event of transmission failure on the direct link of the latter. Closed-form expressions for the primary and secondary throughputs are obtained for the described scheme. The optimal medium access probabilities are then obtained by maximizing the secondary throughput subject to constraints that guarantee the stability of the considered queues, a minimum primary throughput, and a maximum primary queueing delay. The results clearly indicate the benefits of cognitive relaying in enhancing the throughput performance for both the PU and SU. Furthermore, by guaranteeing minimum rate and maximum delay requirements, our scheme is shown to provide a definitive notion of protection for the licensed users of the network. © 2013 IEEE.

  16. A secondary meta-synthesis of qualitative studies of gender and access to cardiac rehabilitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angus, Jan E; King-Shier, Kathryn M; Spaling, Melisa A; Duncan, Amanda S; Jaglal, Susan B; Stone, James A; Clark, Alexander M

    2015-08-01

    To discuss issues in the theorization and study of gender observed during a qualitative meta-synthesis of influences on uptake of secondary prevention and cardiac rehabilitation services. Women and men can equally benefit from secondary prevention/cardiac rehabilitation and there is a need to understand gender barriers to uptake. Meta-method analysis secondary to meta-synthesis. For the meta-synthesis, a systematic search was performed to identify and retrieve studies published as full papers during or after 1995 and contained: a qualitative research component wholly or in a mixed method design, extractable population specific data or themes for referral to secondary prevention programmes and adults ≥18 years. Databases searched between January 1995-31 October 2011 included: CSA Sociological Abstracts, EBSCOhost CINAHL, EBSCOhost Gender Studies, EBSCOhost Health Source Nursing: Academic Edition, EBSCOhost SPORTDiscus, EBSCOhost SocINDEX. Studies were reviewed against inclusion/exclusion criteria. Included studies were subject to quality appraisal and standardized data extraction. Of 2264 screened articles, 69 were included in the meta-method analysis. Only four studies defined gender or used gender theories. Findings were mostly presented as inherently the characteristic of gendered worldviews of participants. The major themes suggest a mismatch between secondary prevention/cardiac rehabilitation services and consumers' needs, which are usually portrayed as differing according to gender but may also be subject to intersecting influences such as age or socioeconomic status. There is a persistent lack of theoretically informed gender analysis in qualitative literature in this field. Theory-driven gender analysis will improve the conceptual clarity of the evidence base for gender-sensitive cardiac rehabilitation programme development. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Liberal Studies Reform in Hong Kong Secondary Education: Contrasting Desirability with Feasibility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fok, Ping Kwan

    2016-01-01

    In major curriculum reforms, there are inevitably gaps between design and implementation issues, taking the introduction of liberal studies (LS) into the senior secondary curriculum in Hong Kong as a classic example. The current paper illustrates how the implementation of LS as a compulsory core subject has impacted noticeably on Hong Kong senior…

  18. The London Geography Alliance: Re-Connecting the School Subject with the University Discipline

    Science.gov (United States)

    Standish, Alex; Hawley, Duncan; Willy, Tessa

    2016-01-01

    The London Geography Alliance was established to provide a network of subject-based support to primary and secondary schools, by linking teachers and university lecturers. Workshops and fieldwork were conducted over a 17-month period to address different aspects of the geography curriculum. The effects of the project were evaluated using…

  19. The relationships between faecal worm egg count and subjectively ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    2014-08-02

    Aug 2, 2014 ... The use of subjectively assessed traits for selecting ... use objective measurements for Merino sheep selection criteria led to the development of a ..... food intake comparison of Romney single-trait selection and control lines.

  20. Stressful Life Event Experiences of Homeless Adults: A Comparison of Single Men, Single Women, and Women with Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zugazaga, Carole

    2004-01-01

    This article describes stressful life events experienced by a multi-shelter sample of 162 homeless adults in the Central Florida area. Participants included homeless single men (n = 54), homeless single women (n = 54), and homeless women with children (n = 54). Subjects were interviewed with a modified version of the List of Threatening…

  1. Enantioselective disposition of omeprazole, pantoprazole, and lansoprazole in a same Brazilian subjects group.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cassiano, Neila M; Oliveira, Regina V; Bernasconi, Gilberto C R; Cass, Quezia B

    2012-04-01

    This work reports the result of the enantioselective disposition of pantoprazole, omeprazole, and lansoprazole in a same group of Brazilian health subjects. Ten nongenotyped healthy subjects were used for this study. Each subject received a single oral dose of 80 mg of pantoprazole, 40 mg of omeprazole, and 30 mg of lansoprazole, and the plasma concentrations of the enantiomers were measured for 8 h postdose. For pantoprazole and omeprazole, among the 10 volunteers investigated, only one volunteer (Subject # 4) presented higher plasma concentrations of the (+)-enantiomer than those of (-)-enantiomer. Nevertheless, the area under the concentration-time curve of the (+)-lansoprazole was higher than those the (-)-lansoprazole for all subjects. The comparison of proton pump inhibitors' enantiomers disposition from a single group volunteer demonstrated that pantoprazole and omeprazole can be used to differentiate extensive from poor CYP2C19 metabolizer while lansoprazole cannot do it. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Changes in secondary structure of poliovirus ribonucleic acid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koza, J.

    1975-01-01

    Infectious single-stranded RNA isolated from mature purified poliovirus was separated into three fractions by means of chromatography on an ''evaporated'' calcium phosphate column. RNA molecules with a higher degree of secondary structure were detected in two of the fractions as a result of the chromatography. These RNA molecules (1) were resistant to hydrolysis by pancreatic ribonuclease A, (2) retained unchanged the original infectivity for actinomycin D-pretreated cells, (3) were resistant to ultraviolet-light inactivation and (4) were partially resistant to formaldehyde inactivation

  3. Teaching evolution in Chile. History of a conflict documented in textbooks of secondary education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manuel Tamayo Hurtado

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we analyzed the presence of the evolution in secondary education textbooks used en Chile since 1902 to 2003. Textbooks analysis of secondary education shows the disputes between evolutionisms and their opponents. Members of the clergy participated actively as antievolutionisms and several of the most outstanding evolutionisms were liberal and francmasones. The text of Bernardino Quijada marked a landmark and polarized to those in favor and detractors during half century. The evolutionary subject was reduced in second half of century XX, partly by the development of other biological fields, but also by ideological pressures of preservative religious sectors. During the last reforms, evolutionary theory oscillates between the compulsory and the optative contents of the programs of Chilean secondary education.

  4. Chemistry: content, context and choices : towards students' higher order problem solving in upper secondary school

    OpenAIRE

    Broman, Karolina

    2015-01-01

    Chemistry is often claimed to be difficult, irrelevant, and uninteresting to school students. Even students who enjoy doing science often have problems seeing themselves as being scientists. This thesis explores and challenges the negative perception of chemistry by investigating upper secondary students’ views on the subject. Based on students’ ideas for improving chemistry education to make the subject more interesting and meaningful, new learning approaches rooted in context-based learning...

  5. Tensile properties of electron-beam-welded single crystals of molybdenum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hiraoka, Yutaka; Okada, Masatoshi; Irie, Hirosada; Fujii, Tadayuki.

    1987-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate the macro- and microstructures and the tensile properties of electron-beam-welded single crystals of molybdenum. The single-crystal sheets were prepared by means of secondary recrystallization. The welding was carried out by a melt-run technique. The weld metal had the same crystallographic orientation as the base metal, and no grain boundary was observed. However, many large weld pores were formed mostly along the weld bond. The strength and ductility of the welded joints of single crystals were almost the same as those of the base metal (''annealed'' single crystals). It is concluded that the joint efficiency of molybdenum single crystals at room temperature or above was excellent and nearly 100 %. (author)

  6. Mobile-based biology edutainment application for secondary schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    AL-Modwahi, Ashraf Abbas M.; Kaisara, Onalenna; Parkizkar, Behrang; Habibi Lashkari, Arash

    2013-03-01

    The high increase of mobile technology is leading to mobilized learning environment, thus making traditional learning to diminish slowly and become inactive and unproductive. Learners worldwide are being attracted to mobile environment more so that it promotes anytime, anywhere learning. Biology as a secondary school subject will be applicable for mobile learning for such a time and generation as this. This paper is therefore an attempt to mobile based biology edutainment system for the students who normally range from the ages of thirteen to sixteen.

  7. Secondary prevention of stroke in Saskatchewan, Canada: hypertension control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartsch, Janelle Ann; Teare, Gary F; Neufeld, Anne; Hudema, Nedeene; Muhajarine, Nazeem

    2013-10-01

    In the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, stroke is the third leading cause of death as well as the major cause of adult disability. Once a person suffers a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), they are at high risk for having a secondary stroke. Hypertension (elevated blood pressure) is the single most important modifiable risk factor for both first and recurrent stroke, and is thus an important risk factor to be controlled. According to the Canadian Stroke Strategy (CSS) Best Practice Recommendations, blood pressure lowering treatment should be initiated before discharge from hospital for all stroke/TIA patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the quality of medically driven secondary stroke prevention care in Saskatchewan as applied to hypertension control. The objectives of the study were to: (1) develop methodology and calculate a secondary stroke process of care measure using available data in Saskatchewan, based on an appropriate hypertension therapy indicator recommendation from the CSS Performance Measurement Manual; (2) examine variation in secondary stroke prevention hypertensive care among the Saskatchewan Regional Health Authorities; and (3) investigate factors associated with receiving evidence-based hypertensive secondary stroke prevention. This multi-year cross-sectional study was an analysis of deidentified health data derived from linkage of administrative health data. A select indicator from the CSS Performance Measurement Manual that measures adherence to a CSS Best Practice Guidelines concerning use of antihypertensive medications for secondary stroke prevention was calculated. Logistic regression was used to quantify the association of patient demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and geographic location of care with receipt of guideline-recommended hypertensive secondary stroke prevention. The target population was all Saskatchewan residents who were hospitalized in Saskatchewan for a stroke or TIA between April 1, 2001

  8. T2 relaxation times of the glenohumeral joint at 3.0 T MRI in patients with and without primary and secondary osteoarthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, So-Yeon; Park, Hee-Jin; Kwon, Heon-Ju; Kim, Mi Sung; Choi, Seon Hyeong; Choi, Yoon Jung; Kim, Eugene

    2015-11-01

    Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of cartilage has recently been applied to patients with osteoarthritis (OA). T2 mapping is a sensitive method of detecting changes in the chemical composition and structure of cartilage. To establish baseline T2 values of glenohumeral joint cartilage at 3.0 T and compare T2 values among subjects with and without OA. The study involved 30 patients (18 women, 12 men; median age, 67 years; age range, 51-78 years) with primary (n = 7) and secondary OA (n = 23) in the glenohumeral joint and 34 subjects without OA (19 women, 15 men; median age, 49 years; age range, 23-63 years). All subjects were evaluated by radiography and 3.0 T MRI including a multi-echo T2-weighted spin echo pulse sequence. The T2 value of the cartilage was measured by manually drawing the region of interest on the T2 map. Per-zone comparison of T2 values was performed using Mann-Whitney U test. Median T2 values differed significantly between subjects without OA (36.00 ms [interquartile range, 33.89-37.31 ms]) and those with primary (37.52 ms [36.84-39.11], P = 0.028), but not secondary (36.87 ms [34.70-41.10], P = 0.160) OA. Glenohumeral cartilage T2 values were higher in different zones between patients with primary and secondary OA than in subjects without OA. These T2 values can be used for comparison to assess cartilage degeneration in patients with shoulder OA. Significant differences in T2 were observed among subjects without OA and those with primary and secondary OA. © The Foundation Acta Radiologica 2014.

  9. Non-B DNA Secondary Structures and Their Resolution by RecQ Helicases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sudha Sharma

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available In addition to the canonical B-form structure first described by Watson and Crick, DNA can adopt a number of alternative structures. These non-B-form DNA secondary structures form spontaneously on tracts of repeat sequences that are abundant in genomes. In addition, structured forms of DNA with intrastrand pairing may arise on single-stranded DNA produced transiently during various cellular processes. Such secondary structures have a range of biological functions but also induce genetic instability. Increasing evidence suggests that genomic instabilities induced by non-B DNA secondary structures result in predisposition to diseases. Secondary DNA structures also represent a new class of molecular targets for DNA-interactive compounds that might be useful for targeting telomeres and transcriptional control. The equilibrium between the duplex DNA and formation of multistranded non-B-form structures is partly dependent upon the helicases that unwind (resolve these alternate DNA structures. With special focus on tetraplex, triplex, and cruciform, this paper summarizes the incidence of non-B DNA structures and their association with genomic instability and emphasizes the roles of RecQ-like DNA helicases in genome maintenance by resolution of DNA secondary structures. In future, RecQ helicases are anticipated to be additional molecular targets for cancer chemotherapeutics.

  10. Achieving secondary prevention low-density lipoprotein particle concentration goals using lipoprotein cholesterol-based data.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simon C Mathews

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic studies suggest that LDL particle concentration (LDL-P may remain elevated at guideline recommended LDL cholesterol goals, representing a source of residual risk. We examined the following seven separate lipid parameters in achieving the LDL-P goal of <1000 nmol/L goal for very high risk secondary prevention: total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio, TC/HDL, <3; a composite of ATP-III very high risk targets, LDL-C<70 mg/dL, non-HDL-C<100 mg/dL and TG<150 mg/dL; a composite of standard secondary risk targets, LDL-C<100, non-HDL-C<130, TG<150; LDL phenotype; HDL-C ≥ 40; TG<150; and TG/HDL-C<3. METHODS: We measured ApoB, ApoAI, ultracentrifugation lipoprotein cholesterol and NMR lipoprotein particle concentration in 148 unselected primary and secondary prevention patients. RESULTS: TC/HDL-C<3 effectively discriminated subjects by LDL-P goal (F = 84.1, p<10(-6. The ATP-III very high risk composite target (LDL-C<70, nonHDL-C<100, TG<150 was also effective (F = 42.8, p<10(-5. However, the standard secondary prevention composite (LDL-C<100, non-HDL-C<130, TG<150 was also effective but yielded higher LDL-P than the very high risk composite (F = 42.0, p<10(-5 with upper 95% confidence interval of LDL-P less than 1000 nmol/L. TG<150 and TG/HDL-C<3 cutpoints both significantly discriminated subjects but the LDL-P upper 95% confidence intervals fell above goal of 1000 nmol/L (F = 15.8, p = 0.0001 and F = 9.7, p = 0.002 respectively. LDL density phenotype neared significance (F = 2.85, p = 0.094 and the HDL-C cutpoint of 40 mg/dL did not discriminate (F = 0.53, p = 0.47 alone or add discriminatory power to ATP-III targets. CONCLUSIONS: A simple composite of ATP-III very high risk lipoprotein cholesterol based treatment targets or TC/HDL-C ratio <3 most effectively identified subjects meeting the secondary prevention target level of LDL-P<1000 nmol/L, providing a potential alternative to advanced lipid testing in many clinical

  11. Primary Versus Secondary Contributions to Particle Number Concentrations in the European Boundary Layer

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Reddington, C.L.; Carslaw, K.S.; Spracklen, D.V.; Frontoso, M.G.; Collins, L.; Merikanto, J.; Minikin, A.; Hamburger, T.; Coe, H.; Kulmala, M.; Aalto, P.; Flentje, H.; Plass-Dülmer, C.; Birmili, W.; Wiedensohler, A.; Wehner, B.; Tuch, T.; Sonntag, A.; O'Dowd, C.D.; Jennings, S.G.; Dupuy, R.; Baltensperger, U.; Weingartner, A.; Hansson, H.-C.; Tunved, P.; Laj, P.; Sellegri, K.; Boulon, J.; Putaund, J.-P.; Gruening, C.; Swietlicki, E.; Roldin, P.; Henzing, J.S.; Moerman, M.; Mihalopoulos, N.; Kouvarakis, G.; Ždímal, Vladimír; Zíková, Naděžda; Marinoni, A.; Bonasoni, P.; Duchi, R.

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 11, č. 23 (2011), s. 12007-12036 ISSN 1680-7316 Grant - others:EUCAARI(XE) 036833-2; GFME(DE) FE370343200 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40720504 Keywords : primary aerosol * secondary aerosol * boundary layer Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 5.520, year: 2011

  12. Problem Solving Strategies of Selected Pre-Service Secondary School Mathematics Teachers in Malaysia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yew, Wun Theam; Zamri, Sharifah Norul Akmar Syed

    2016-01-01

    Problem solving strategies of eight pre-service secondary school mathematics teachers (PSSMTs) were examined in this study. A case study research design was employed and clinical interview technique was used to collect the data. Materials collected for analysis consisted of audiotapes and videotapes of clinical interviews, subjects' notes and…

  13. Secondary-Postsecondary Curriculum Development in Automotive Mechanics. Automotive Electrical Competencies. Final Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoepner, Ronald

    Developed as part of a competency-based curriculum in automotive mechanics which is usable by students at both the secondary and postsecondary levels, this learning package focuses on automotive electrical systems. It is the first unit to be published in a series of eight which will cover the eight subject areas on the national certification…

  14. Motor correlates of models of secondary bilateral synchrony and multiple epileptic foci

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Jiruška, Přemysl; Prokš, J.; Otáhal, Jakub; Mareš, Pavel

    2007-01-01

    Roč. 16, č. 7 (2007), s. 627-635 ISSN 1059-1311 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA309/03/0770; GA ČR GA304/05/2582 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z5011922 Keywords : epileptic foci * secondary bilateral synchrony * neocortex Subject RIV: ED - Physiology Impact factor: 1.815, year: 2007

  15. Perception of Civic Education: contributions from secondary education students.

    OpenAIRE

    Alfaro Valverde, Alicia; Badilla Vargas, Maynor

    2016-01-01

    The following article presents the views of students, especially for tenth and eleven graders in secondary education about the Civic. It includes the perception they have about this subject as well as the feelings they developed around it. When students take lessons in this area, they can express strengths of this discipline regarding the integral formation of people and the necessity to reflect on communal issues relating to the environment, poverty, inequality, and strengthening democracy a...

  16. Psychometric properties of the Questionnaire for Secondary Traumatization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katharina Weitkamp

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: During the past several years, there has been a growing interest in the negative effects that providing therapy may have on therapists. Of special interest is a phenomenon called secondary traumatization, which can arise while working with traumatized clients. To develop a simple screening tool for secondary traumatization, a quantitative assessment instrument was constructed using a data-driven approach based on qualitative interviews with affected trauma therapists as well as experienced supervisors in trauma therapy. Objective: The aim of the current study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the newly developed Questionnaire for Secondary Traumatization (FST acute and lifetime version and to determine the most appropriate scoring procedure. Method: To this end, three independent samples of psychotherapists (n=371, trauma therapists in training (n=80, and refugee counselors (n=197 filled out an online questionnaire battery. Data structure was analyzed using factor analyses, cluster analyses, and reliability analyses. Results: Factor analyses yielded a six-factor structure for both the acute and the lifetime version with only a small number of items loading on differing factors. Cluster analyses suggested a single scale structure of the questionnaire. The FST total score showed good internal consistencies across all three samples, while internal consistency of the six extracted factors was mixed. Conclusion: With the FST, a reliable screening instrument for acute and lifetime secondary traumatization is now available which is free of charge and yields a sum score for quick evaluation. The six-factor structure needs to be verified with confirmatory factor analyses.

  17. Effects of Single-Gender Mathematics Classrooms on Self-Perception of Mathematical Ability and Post Secondary Engineering Paths: An Australian Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tully, D.; Jacobs, B.

    2010-01-01

    This study focused on a population of female engineering students, probing the influences of their secondary school experience on their choice to pursue an engineering course of study at university. The motivating question is: Do unique opportunities exist in an all-female secondary school mathematics classroom, which impact a young woman's…

  18. Effect of duration of the pause single-phase auto-reclosing on electro-power transmission capacitance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krasil'nikova Tatyana

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses the problem associated with accidents in the aerial line (AL ultra-high voltage (UHV due to its big length. In lines with a voltage of 500-1150 kV the overwhelming proportion of trips (98% is caused by single-phase short circuit (SPSC. A substantial portion (70% single-phase short circuits is erratic arc accidents which can be successfully eliminated in a high-speed auto-reclosing (HSAR or single-phase auto-reclosing (SPAR. Success single-phase auto-reclosing (SPAR at liquidation by single-phase short circuit (SPSC, on the one hand, is determined by the characteristics of the secondary arc current, and on the other hand the effectiveness of ways to reduce secondary arc current and recovery voltage development. The minimum dead time, at a HSAR it is usually taken as 0.5 s., at single-phase autoreclosing (SPAR it depends on the current value of the arc support is in the range of 0.5-3.0 s. The article shows high efficiency of use single-phase auto reclosing (SPAR at liquidation SPSC in a single-chain AL voltage of 500 kV, the dependence of the bandwidth of transmission in maintaining the dynamic stability from the length of the pause SPAR.

  19. Assessment of cerebral perfusion with single-photon emission tomography in normal subjects and in patients with Alzheimer's disease: effects of region of interest selection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Claus, J J [Dept. of Neurology, Univ. Hospital, Rotterdam (Netherlands) Dept. of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus Univ. Medical School, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Harskamp, F van [Dept. of Neurology, Univ. Hospital, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Breteler, M M.B. [Dept. of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus Univ. Medical School, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Krenning, E P [Dept. of Nuclear Medicine, Univ. Hospital, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Cammen, T.J.M. van der (Dept. of Geriatric Medicine, Univ. Hospital, Rotterdam (Netherlands)); Hofman, A [Dept. of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus Univ. Medical School, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Hasan, D [Dept. of Neurology, Univ. Hospital, Rotterdam (Netherlands)

    1994-10-01

    We compared three different ROIs in a SPET study with 60 controls and in 48 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease diagnosed according to the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was assessed with SPET using technetium-99m d,l-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime ([sup 99m]Tc-HMPAO), normalized to the mean activity in a cerebellar reference slice. The three different ROIs were: a multi-slice and a single-slice ROI with reference to the normal brain anatomy (using an anatomical atlas), and a rectangular (2x4 pixels) ROI in the frontal, temporal, temporoparietal and occipital cortices. No differences were observed for the means of rCBF values between the single-slice and multi-slice ROI's with reference to the normal anatomy, but some variability was present for individual comparisons. In contrast, significantly higher mean rCBF values were obtained with the single-slice rectangular ROIs in all four regions for both patients and controls and considerable variability was shown for individual subjects. After analysis with multivariate logistic regression and receiver operator characteristic curves, the ability of SPET to discriminate between controls and Alzheimer patients was similar in the three methods for mild and moderate Alzheimer patients (Global Deterioration Scale = GDS of 3 and 4). However, with increasing dementia severity (GDS>4) the rectangular ROIs showed lower ability to discriminate between groups compared to the single-slice and multi-slice anatomically defined ROIs. This study suggests that results of rCBF assessment with SPET using [sup 99m]Tc-HMPAO in patients with severe Alzheimer's disease are influenced by the shape and size of the ROI. (orig.)

  20. Assessment of cerebral perfusion with single-photon emission tomography in normal subjects and in patients with Alzheimer's disease: effects of region of interest selection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Claus, J.J.; Harskamp, F. van; Breteler, M.M.B.; Krenning, E.P.; Cammen, T.J.M. van der; Hofman, A.; Hasan, D.

    1994-01-01

    We compared three different ROIs in a SPET study with 60 controls and in 48 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease diagnosed according to the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was assessed with SPET using technetium-99m d,l-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime ( 99m Tc-HMPAO), normalized to the mean activity in a cerebellar reference slice. The three different ROIs were: a multi-slice and a single-slice ROI with reference to the normal brain anatomy (using an anatomical atlas), and a rectangular (2x4 pixels) ROI in the frontal, temporal, temporoparietal and occipital cortices. No differences were observed for the means of rCBF values between the single-slice and multi-slice ROI's with reference to the normal anatomy, but some variability was present for individual comparisons. In contrast, significantly higher mean rCBF values were obtained with the single-slice rectangular ROIs in all four regions for both patients and controls and considerable variability was shown for individual subjects. After analysis with multivariate logistic regression and receiver operator characteristic curves, the ability of SPET to discriminate between controls and Alzheimer patients was similar in the three methods for mild and moderate Alzheimer patients (Global Deterioration Scale = GDS of 3 and 4). However, with increasing dementia severity (GDS>4) the rectangular ROIs showed lower ability to discriminate between groups compared to the single-slice and multi-slice anatomically defined ROIs. This study suggests that results of rCBF assessment with SPET using 99m Tc-HMPAO in patients with severe Alzheimer's disease are influenced by the shape and size of the ROI. (orig.)

  1. Quantitative imaging of magnesium distribution at single-cell resolution in brain tumors and infiltrating tumor cells with secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chandra, Subhash; Parker, Dylan J.; Barth, Rolf F.; Pannullo, Susan C.

    2016-01-01

    Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the deadliest forms of human brain tumors. The infiltrative pattern of growth of these tumors includes the spread of individual and/or clusters of tumor cells at some distance from the main tumor mass in parts of the brain protected by an intact blood-brain-barrier. Pathophysiological studies of GBM could be greatly enhanced by analytical techniques capable of in situ single-cell resolution measurements of infiltrating tumor cells. Magnesium homeostasis is an area of active investigation in high grade gliomas. In the present study, we have used the F98 rat glioma as a model of human GBM and an elemental/isotopic imaging technique of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), a CAMECA IMS-3f ion microscope, for studying Mg distributions with single-cell resolution in freeze-dried brain tissue cryosections. Quantitative observations were made on tumor cells in the main tumor mass, contiguous brain tissue, and infiltrating tumor cells in adjacent normal brain. The brain tissue contained a significantly lower total Mg concentration of 4.70 ± 0.93 mmol/Kg wet weight (mean ± SD) in comparison to 11.64 ± 1.96 mmol/Kg wet weight in tumor cells of the main tumor mass and 10.72 ± 1.76 mmol/Kg wet weight in infiltrating tumor cells (p<0.05). The nucleus of individual tumor cells contained elevated levels of bound Mg. These observations demonstrate enhanced Mg-influx and increased binding of Mg in tumor cells and provide strong support for further investigation of GBMs for altered Mg homeostasis and activation of Mg-transporting channels as possible therapeutic targets. PMID:26703785

  2. Use of antihypertensive medications and diagnostic tests among privately insured adolescents and young adults with primary versus secondary hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Esther Y; Cohn, Lisa; Freed, Gary; Rocchini, Albert; Kershaw, David; Ascione, Frank; Clark, Sarah

    2014-07-01

    To compare the use of antihypertensive medications and diagnostic tests among adolescents and young adults with primary versus secondary hypertension. We conducted retrospective cohort analysis of claims data for adolescents and young adults (12-21 years of age) with ≥3 years of insurance coverage (≥11 months/year) in a large private managed care plan during 2003-2009 with diagnosis of primary hypertension or secondary hypertension. We examined their use of antihypertensive medications and identified demographic characteristics and the presence of obesity-related comorbidities. For the subset receiving antihypertensive medications, we examined their diagnostic test use (echocardiograms, renal ultrasounds, and electrocardiograms). The study sample included 1,232 adolescents and young adults; 84% had primary hypertension and 16% had secondary hypertension. The overall prevalence rate of hypertension was 2.6%. One quarter (28%) with primary hypertension had one or more antihypertensive medications, whereas 65% with secondary hypertension had one or more antihypertensive medications. Leading prescribers of antihypertensives for subjects with primary hypertension were primary care physicians (80%), whereas antihypertensive medications were equally prescribed by primary care physicians (43%) and sub-specialists (37%) for subjects with secondary hypertension. The predominant hypertension diagnosis among adolescents and young adults is primary hypertension. Antihypertensive medication use was higher among those with secondary hypertension compared with those with primary hypertension. Further study is needed to determine treatment effectiveness and patient outcomes associated with differential treatment patterns used for adolescents and young adults with primary versus secondary hypertension. Copyright © 2014 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Mid-menstrual cycle ultrasound evaluation of endometrial thickness of fertile women and women with secondary infertility in Nsukka, Nigeria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ochie, K.; Eze, C.U.; Okoye, G.C.; Ohagwu, C.C.; Luntsi, G.

    2016-01-01

    Background: The prognostic value of endometrial thickness in achieving conception is still debatable. Objective: To compare the mid menstrual cycle thickness of the endometrium of fertile women and women with unexplained secondary infertility. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study targeting women of reproductive ages was conducted. The mid menstrual cycle endometrial thickness was measured at sonography in a group of fertile women and in another group of women with secondary infertility. The endometrial thicknesses in the two groups of women were statistically compared. Results: There was a preponderance of thickened endometrium among the fertile women. The majority of women with secondary infertility, 21 (30.0%) with a thickness range of 2.0–3.9 mm and 17 (24.29%) with 4.0–5.9 mm had thin endometrium and only a few of them, 8 (11.43%) had endometrium of 12 mm thickness of greater. The median value of mid menstrual cycle endometrial thickness for the fertile group was 10.8 mm (range 7.8–12.4 mm) and the interquartile range was 1.45 mm. For the group with secondary infertility, the median was 5.0 mm (range 2.0–17.0 mm) and the interquartile range 6.0 mm. The endometrium was significantly thinner in subjects with secondary infertility compared to fertile subjects (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The mid menstrual cycle endometrial thickness differs significantly between fertile women and women with secondary infertility. It is thicker in fertile women compared to women with secondary infertility. Therefore, mid menstrual cycle endometrial thickness has potential as a prognostic factor for secondary infertility in the studied population. - Highlights: • Endometrial thickness has potential as a prognostic factor for secondary infertility. • Endometrial thickness differs between fertile and secondarily infertile women. • Thin endometrium is common among women with secondary infertility. • Few women with secondary infertility may have

  4. Design Steps for Physic STEM Education Learning in Secondary School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teevasuthonsakul, C.; Yuvanatheeme, V.; Sriput, V.; Suwandecha, S.

    2017-09-01

    This study aimed to develop the process of STEM Education activity design used in Physics subjects in the Thai secondary schools. The researchers have conducted the study by reviewing the literature and related works, interviewing Physics experts, designing and revising the process accordingly, and experimenting the designed process in actual classrooms. This brought about the five-step process of STEM Education activity design which Physics teachers applied to their actual teaching context. The results from the after-class evaluation revealed that the students’ satisfaction level toward Physics subject and critical thinking skill was found higher statistically significant at p technology, and engineering design process as the foundation when creating case study of problems and solutions.

  5. Interactions Between a Belowground Herbivore and Primary and Secondary Root Metabolites in Wild Cabbage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Geem, Moniek; Harvey, J.A.; Cortesero, A.M.; Raaijmakers, C.E.; Gols, R.

    2015-01-01

    Plants are attacked by both above- and belowground herbivores. Toxic secondary compounds are part of the chemical defense arsenal of plants against a range of antagonists, and are subject to genetic variation. Plants also produce primary metabolites (amino acids, nutrients, sugars) that function as

  6. Advances in single-molecule magnet surface patterning through microcontact printing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mannini, Matteo; Bonacchi, Daniele; Zobbi, Laura; Piras, Federica M; Speets, Emiel A; Caneschi, Andrea; Cornia, Andrea; Magnani, Agnese; Ravoo, Bart Jan; Reinhoudt, David N; Sessoli, Roberta; Gatteschi, Dante

    2005-07-01

    We present an implementation of strategies to deposit single-molecule magnets (SMMs) using microcontact printing microCP). We describe different approaches of microCP to print stripes of a sulfur-functionalized dodecamanganese (III, IV) cluster on gold surfaces. Comparison by atomic force microscopy profile analysis of the patterned structures confirms the formation of a chemically stable single layer of SMMs. Images based on chemical contrast, obtained by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, confirm the patterned structure.

  7. Multispectral optical tweezers for molecular diagnostics of single biological cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butler, Corey; Fardad, Shima; Sincore, Alex; Vangheluwe, Marie; Baudelet, Matthieu; Richardson, Martin

    2012-03-01

    Optical trapping of single biological cells has become an established technique for controlling and studying fundamental behavior of single cells with their environment without having "many-body" interference. The development of such an instrument for optical diagnostics (including Raman and fluorescence for molecular diagnostics) via laser spectroscopy with either the "trapping" beam or secondary beams is still in progress. This paper shows the development of modular multi-spectral imaging optical tweezers combining Raman and Fluorescence diagnostics of biological cells.

  8. Shaping the breast in secondary microsurgical breast reconstruction: single- vs. two-esthetic unit reconstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gravvanis, Andreas; Smith, Roger W

    2010-10-01

    The esthetic outcome is dictated essentially not only by the position, size, and shape of the reconstructed breast, but also by the extra scaring involved. In the present study, we conducted a visual analog scale survey to compare the esthetic outcome in delayed autologous breast reconstruction following two different abdominal flaps inset. Twenty-five patients had their reconstruction using the Single-esthetic Unit principle and were compared with 25 patients that their breast was reconstructed using the Two-Esthetic Unit principle. Photographic images were formulated to a PowerPoint presentation and cosmetic outcomes were assessed from 30 physicians, by means of a Questionnaire and a visual analog scale. Our data showed that the single-esthetic unit breast reconstruction presents significant advantages over the traditional two-esthetic units, due to inconspicuous flap reconstruction, better position of the inframammary fold, and more natural transition from native and reconstructed tissues. Moreover, patient self-evaluation of esthetic outcome and quality of life showed that single-esthetic unit reconstruction is associated with higher patient satisfaction, therefore should be considered the method of choice. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  9. [Subjective Gait Stability in the Elderly].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirsch, Theresa; Lampe, Jasmin; Michalk, Katrin; Röder, Lotte; Munsch, Karoline; Marquardt, Jonas

    2017-07-10

    It can be assumed that the feeling of gait stability or gait instability in the elderly may be independent of a possible fear of falling or a history of falling when walking. Up to now, there has been a lack of spatiotemporal gait parameters for older people who subjectively feel secure when walking. The aim of the study is to analyse the distribution of various gait parameters for older people who subjectively feel secure when walking. In a cross-sectional study, the gait parameters stride time, step time, stride length, step length, double support, single support, and walking speed were measured using a Vicon three-dimensional motion capture system (Plug-In Gait Lower-Body Marker Set) in 31 healthy people aged 65 years and older (mean age 72 ± 3.54 years) who subjectively feel secure when walking. There was a homogeneous distribution in the gait parameters examined, with no abnormalities. The mean values have a low variance with narrow confidence intervals. This study provides evidence that people who subjectively feel secure when walking demonstrate similarly objective gait parameters..

  10. Nutrition sciences as part of school education on secondary level

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christiane Hillger

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available

    Background: The following article focuses on nutrition related topics that had been implemented in the curricula of secondary level schools in Saxony, Germany, during their reorganisation. The overall aim was to make children and adolescents more sensitive to nutrition related topics in their daily lives. Thus, the lesson plans that have been created for the teachers will be introduced and a preview of further steps will be given.

    Methods: For the subject economics-technology-household exemplary lesson plans within the framework of the Saxon curricula were created for secondary level schools from grades eight to ten. Furthermore, conceptions for project days and different kinds of courses were prepared for nutrition related topics. After the lesson plans were tested and three teachers were consulted, feedback from all of the subject teachers was obtained via interview for qualitative analysis. Fifty-two pupils were asked to answer a questionnaire. The responses according to the lessons were taken partially standardised and were evaluated.

    Results: Teachers as well as pupils appreciated the complex lesson plans and materials on scientific basis.The consulted subject teachers emphasised that the lesson plans can be regarded as a fundamental preparation for their further work. If necessary they need to be adapted to the teacher’s ideas and special circumstances in school.

    Conclusions: With the preparation of the lesson plans important steps were realised within the restructuring process of Saxon curricula. Thus, the implementation of nutrition related topics in school curricula could be achieved.

  11. Exploratory pilot study assessing the risk of cognitive impairment or sedation in the elderly following single doses of solifenacin 10 mg.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wesnes, Keith A; Edgar, Chris; Tretter, Reiner N; Bolodeoku, John

    2009-11-01

    To assess the cognitive effects of single doses of solifenacin 10 mg compared with placebo (primary objective) and oxybutynin immediate release (IR) 10 mg (secondary objective) in elderly subjects. Single-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 12 healthy elderly volunteers, with three crossover periods separated by two 14-day washout periods. Each sequence consisted of a single dose of solifenacin 10 mg in one period, oxybutynin IR 10 mg in another and placebo in another. Aspects of attention, information processing, working memory, episodic memory and self-rated mood and alertness were tested using the validated Cognitive Drug Research computerised assessment system. There was no evidence from absolute mean values or changes from baseline to suggest that solifenacin 10 mg impaired cognition or self-ratings of mood and alertness versus placebo. Post-hoc ANCOVA showed no statistically significant cognitive deterioration with solifenacin versus placebo, when measured at a time point closest to the probable C(max) of solifenacin. Oxybutynin was associated with statistically significant impairments in several measures of cognitive function at a time point corresponding with its probable C(max). In this pilot study, single 10 mg doses of solifenacin did not show any clear propensity to impair cognitive function in a healthy elderly population.

  12. Vaccination in secondary school students expedites rubella control and prevents congenital rubella syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Hanqing; Yan, Rui; Tang, Xuewen; Zhou, Yang; Deng, Xuan; Xie, Shuyun

    2016-11-30

    In order to control the spread of rubella and reduce the risk for congenital rubella syndrome, an additional rubella vaccination program was set up for all secondary school students since 2008 in Zhejiang, China. We conducted a descriptive analysis of rubella incidence among different age groups from 2005 to 2015 and a serosurvey of female subjects aged 15-39 years to understand the possible effects of this immunization program. The average annual rubella incidence rate had decreased from 15.86 per 100,000 population (2005-2007) to 0.75 per 100,000 population (2013-2015) in Zhejiang. The decrease in the rate of rubella incidence in girls aged 15-19 years was more accelerated (from 138.30 to 0.34 per 100,000) than in the total population during 2008-2015 (from 32.20 to 0.46 per 100,000). Of 1225 female subjects in the serosurvey, 256 (20.9%) were not immune to rubella. The proportion of subjects immune to rubella was significantly different among different age groups (Wald χ2 = 22.19, p = 0.000), and subjects aged 15-19 years old had the highest immunity (88.0%). Rubella antibody levels were significantly lower in women aged 25-30 years with 26.7% of them not immune, followed by the group aged 20-24 years (25.0%) and 30-35 years (24.5%). Rubella vaccine included in the Expanded Program on Immunization together with vaccination activities for secondary school students can help in rubella control, particularly in targeted age groups in the program. Seroprevalence of antibodies to the rubella virus amongst the female population within childbearing age in Zhejiang, China, is still too low to provide immunity. In addition to vaccination programs in the secondary schools, rubella vaccination should also be encouraged in women of childbearing age, which can be done effectively combined with pre-marital examination in China.

  13. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation of fungal secondary metabolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khalil, Zeinab G.; Kalansuriya, Pabasara; Capon, Robert J.

    2014-01-01

    We report on a preliminary investigation of the use the Gram-negative bacterial cell wall constituent lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a natural chemical cue to stimulate and alter the expression of fungal secondary metabolism. Integrated high-throughput micro-cultivation and micro-analysis methods determined that 6 of 40 (15%) of fungi tested responded to an optimal exposure to LPS (0.6 ng/mL) by activating, enhancing or accelerating secondary metabolite production. To explore the possible mechanisms behind this effect, we employed light and fluorescent microscopy in conjunction with a nitric oxide (NO)-sensitive fluorescent dye and an NO scavenger to provide evidence that LPS stimulation of fungal secondary metabolism coincided with LPS activation of NO. Several case studies demonstrated that LPS stimulation can be scaled from single microplate well (1.5 mL) to preparative (>400 mL) scale cultures. For example, LPS treatment of Penicillium sp. (ACM-4616) enhanced pseurotin A and activated pseurotin A1 and pseurotin A2 biosynthesis, whereas LPS treatment of Aspergillus sp. (CMB-M81F) substantially accelerated and enhanced the biosynthesis of shornephine A and a series of biosynthetically related ardeemins and activated production of neoasterriquinone. As an indication of broader potential, we provide evidence that cultures of Penicillium sp. (CMB-TF0411), Aspergillus niger (ACM-4993F), Rhizopus oryzae (ACM-165F) and Thanatephorus cucumeris (ACM-194F) were responsive to LPS stimulation, the latter two examples being particular noteworthy as neither are known to produce secondary metabolites. Our results encourage the view that LPS stimulation can be used as a valuable tool to expand the molecular discovery potential of fungal strains that either have been exhaustively studied by or are unresponsive to traditional culture methodology. PMID:25379339

  14. The Intelence aNd pRezista Once A Day Study (INROADS): a multicentre, single-arm, open-label study of etravirine and darunavir/ritonavir as dual therapy in HIV-1-infected early treatment-experienced subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruane, P J; Brinson, C; Ramgopal, M; Ryan, R; Coate, B; Cho, M; Kakuda, T N; Anderson, D

    2015-05-01

    Following antiretroviral therapy failure, patients are often treated with a three-drug regimen that includes two nucleoside/tide reverse transcriptase inhibitors [N(t)RTIs]. An alternative two-drug nucleoside-sparing regimen may decrease the pill burden and drug toxicities associated with the use of N(t)RTIs. The Intelence aNd pRezista Once A Day Study (INROADS; NCT01199939) evaluated the nucleoside-sparing regimen of etravirine 400 mg with darunavir/ritonavir 800/100 mg once-daily in HIV-1-infected treatment-experienced subjects or treatment-naïve subjects with transmitted resistance. In this exploratory phase 2b, single-arm, open-label, multicentre, 48-week study, the primary endpoint was the proportion of subjects who achieved HIV-1 RNA treatment-experienced subjects or treatment-naïve subjects with transmitted resistance was virologically efficacious and well tolerated. © 2014 British HIV Association.

  15. Optimizing nasal potential difference analysis for CFTR modulator development: assessment of ivacaftor in CF subjects with the G551D-CFTR mutation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steven M Rowe

    Full Text Available Nasal potential difference (NPD is used as a biomarker of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR and epithelial sodium channel (ENaC activity. We evaluated methods to detect changes in chloride and sodium transport by NPD based on a secondary analysis of a Phase II CFTR-modulator study. Thirty-nine subjects with CF who also had the G551D-CFTR mutation were randomized to receive ivacaftor (Kalydeco™; also known as VX-770 in four doses or placebo twice daily for at least 14 days. All data were analyzed by a single investigator who was blinded to treatment assignment. We compared three analysis methods to determine the best approach to quantify changes in chloride and sodium transport: (1 the average of both nostrils; (2 the most-polarized nostril at each visit; and (3 the most-polarized nostril at screening carried forward. Parameters of ion transport included the PD change with zero chloride plus isoproterenol (CFTR activity, the basal PD, Ringer's PD, and change in PD with amiloride (measurements of ENaC activity, and the delta NPD (measuring CFTR and ENaC activity. The average and most-polarized nostril at each visit were most sensitive to changes in chloride and sodium transport, whereas the most-polarized nostril at screening carried forward was less discriminatory. Based on our findings, NPD studies should assess both nostrils rather than a single nostril. We also found that changes in CFTR activity were more readily detected than changes in ENaC activity, and that rigorous standardization was associated with relatively good within-subject reproducibility in placebo-treated subjects (± 2.8 mV. Therefore, we have confirmed an assay of reasonable reproducibility for detecting chloride-transport improvements in response to CFTR modulation.

  16. WebQuest experience: Pre-Service secondary maths and chemistry teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erdoğan Halat

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine the impact of developing WebQuests on the attention, confidence, relevance and satisfaction, or motivation, of pre-service secondary mathematics and chemistry teachers in the instructional technologies and material design course. There were a total of 67 pre-service teachers, 32 pre-service secondary mathematics teachers and 35 pre-service secondary chemistry teachers involved in this study, which took place over seven weeks. The pre-service teachers in both groups designed their WebQuests suitable for the level of high-school students. The researcher used a questionnaire in the collection of the data to find the motivational level of the participants. It was given to the participants by the researcher before and after the instruction during a single class period. The paired-samples t-test, independent samples t-test and ANCOVA were used in the analysis of the quantitative data. The study showed that designing WebQuests had more effect on the attention, confidence and relevance of the pre-service chemistry teachers than of the pre-service mathematics teachers. However, in general, although developing WebQuests had positive effects on the motivational levels of both pre-service secondary maths and chemistry teachers, there were no statistically significant differences found in relation to the motivational levels of both groups.

  17. Potential of secondary aerosol formation from Chinese gasoline engine exhaust.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Zhuofei; Hu, Min; Peng, Jianfei; Guo, Song; Zheng, Rong; Zheng, Jing; Shang, Dongjie; Qin, Yanhong; Niu, He; Li, Mengren; Yang, Yudong; Lu, Sihua; Wu, Yusheng; Shao, Min; Shuai, Shijin

    2018-04-01

    Light-duty gasoline vehicles have drawn public attention in China due to their significant primary emissions of particulate matter and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, little information on secondary aerosol formation from exhaust for Chinese vehicles and fuel conditions is available. In this study, chamber experiments were conducted to quantify the potential of secondary aerosol formation from the exhaust of a port fuel injection gasoline engine. The engine and fuel used are common in the Chinese market, and the fuel satisfies the China V gasoline fuel standard. Substantial secondary aerosol formation was observed during a 4-5hr simulation, which was estimated to represent more than 10days of equivalent atmospheric photo-oxidation in Beijing. As a consequence, the extreme case secondary organic aerosol (SOA) production was 426±85mg/kg-fuel, with high levels of precursors and OH exposure. The low hygroscopicity of the aerosols formed inside the chamber suggests that SOA was the dominant chemical composition. Fourteen percent of SOA measured in the chamber experiments could be explained through the oxidation of speciated single-ring aromatics. Unspeciated precursors, such as intermediate-volatility organic compounds and semi-volatile organic compounds, might be significant for SOA formation from gasoline VOCs. We concluded that reductions of emissions of aerosol precursor gases from vehicles are essential to mediate pollution in China. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  18. Inactivation of single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator by thrombin in human subjects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Braat, E. A.; Levi, M. [=Marcel M.; Bos, R.; Haverkate, F.; Lassen, M. R.; de Maat, M. P.; Rijken, D. C.

    1999-01-01

    Thrombin cleaves single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (scu-PA) into a virtually inactive two-chain form (tcu-PA/T), a process that may protect a blood clot from early fibrinolysis. It is not known under what circumstances tcu-PA/T can be generated in vivo. We have studied the occurrence

  19. Secondary Moments due to Prestressing with Different Bond at the Ultimate Limit State

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Halvoník Jaroslav

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Secondary effects of prestressing develop in statically indeterminate structures (e.g., continuous beams due to the restraint of deformations imposed by hyperstatic restraints. These effects may significantly influence internal forces and stresses in prestressed structures. Secondary effects are influenced by the redundancy of a structural system, which raises the question of whether they will remain constant after a change in the structural system, e.g., due to the development of plastic hinge(s in a critical cross-section(s or after the development of a kinematic mechanism, or if they will disappear when the structure changes into a sequence of simply supported beams. The paper deals with an investigation of the behavior of continuous post-tensioned beams subjected to an ultimate load with significant secondary effects from prestressing. A total of 6 two-span beams prestressed by tendons with different bonds were tested in a laboratory with a load that changed their structural system into a kinematic mechanism. The internal forces and secondary effects of the prestressing were controlled through measurements of the reactions in all the supports. The results revealed that the secondary effects remained as a permanent part of the action on the experimental beams, even after the development of the kinematic mechanism. The results obtained confirmed that secondary effects should be included in all combinations of actions for verifications of ultimate limit states (ULS.

  20. Secondary Moments due to Prestressing with Different Bond at the Ultimate Limit State

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halvoník, Jaroslav; Pažma, Peter; Vida, Radoslav

    2018-03-01

    Secondary effects of prestressing develop in statically indeterminate structures (e.g., continuous beams) due to the restraint of deformations imposed by hyperstatic restraints. These effects may significantly influence internal forces and stresses in prestressed structures. Secondary effects are influenced by the redundancy of a structural system, which raises the question of whether they will remain constant after a change in the structural system, e.g., due to the development of plastic hinge(s) in a critical cross-section(s) or after the development of a kinematic mechanism, or if they will disappear when the structure changes into a sequence of simply supported beams. The paper deals with an investigation of the behavior of continuous post-tensioned beams subjected to an ultimate load with significant secondary effects from prestressing. A total of 6 two-span beams prestressed by tendons with different bonds were tested in a laboratory with a load that changed their structural system into a kinematic mechanism. The internal forces and secondary effects of the prestressing were controlled through measurements of the reactions in all the supports. The results revealed that the secondary effects remained as a permanent part of the action on the experimental beams, even after the development of the kinematic mechanism. The results obtained confirmed that secondary effects should be included in all combinations of actions for verifications of ultimate limit states (ULS).

  1. The writing approaches of secondary students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lavelle, Ellen; Smith, Jennifer; O'Ryan, Leslie

    2002-09-01

    Research with college students has supported a model of writing approaches that defines the relationship between a writer and writing task along a deep and surface process continuum (Biggs, 1988). Based on that model, Lavelle (1993) developed the Inventory of Processes in College Composition which reflects students' motives and strategies as related to writing outcomes. It is also important to define the approaches of secondary students to better understand writing processes at that level, and development in written composition. This study was designed to define the writing approaches of secondary students by factor analysing students' responses to items regarding writing beliefs and writing strategies, and to compare the secondary approaches to those of college students. A related goal was to explore the relationships of the secondary writing approaches to perceived self-regulatory efficacy for writing (Zimmerman & Bandura, 1994), writing preferences, and writing outcomes. The initial, factor analytic phase involved 398 junior level high school students (11th grade) enrolled in a mandatory language arts class at each of three large Midwestern high schools (USA). Then, 49 junior level students enrolled in two language arts classes participated as subjects in the second phase. Classroom teachers administered the Inventory of Processes in College Composition (Lavelle, 1993), which contained 72 true-or-false items regarding writing beliefs and strategies, during regular class periods. Data were factor analysed and the structure compared to that of college students. In the second phase, the new inventory, Inventory of Processes in Secondary Composition, was administered in conjunction with the Perceived Self-Regulatory Efficacy for Writing Inventory (Zimmerman & Bandura, 1994), and a writing preferences survey. A writing sample and grade in Language Arts classes were obtained and served as outcome variables. The factor structure of secondary writing reflected three

  2. Discrepancies between genital responses and subjective sexual function during testosterone substitution in women with hypothalamic amenorrhea

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tuiten, A.; Laan, E.; Panhuysen, G.; Everaerd, W.; de Haan, E.; Koppeschaar, H.; Vroon, P.

    1996-01-01

    Psychosexual dysfunction is often suggested the cause of the disturbed eating habits associated with hypothalamic secondary amenorrhea. In contrast, we explored the possibility that impaired sexual function may result from reduced levels of testosterone in amenorrheic subjects as a consequence of

  3. Secondary Behavior of Drivers on Cell Phones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farmer, Charles M; Klauer, Sheila G; McClafferty, Julie A; Guo, Feng

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this study was to determine whether cell phone use by drivers leads to changes in the frequency of other types of potentially distracting behavior. There were 2 main questions of interest: (1) As each driver changes cell phone use, does he or she change the amount of driving time spent on other distracting behavior? (2) As each driver changes cell phone use, does he or she change the amount of driving time spent looking away from the driving task? Day-to-day driving behavior of 105 volunteer subjects was monitored over a period of 1 year. The amount of driving time during each trip spent on tasks secondary to driving (or looking away from the driving task) was correlated to the amount of time on a cell phone, taking into account the relationships among trips taken by the same driver. Drivers spent 42% of the time engaging in at least one secondary activity. Drivers were talking on a cell phone 7% of the time, interacting in some other way with a cell phone 5% of the time, and engaging in some other secondary activity (sometimes in conjunction with cell phone use) 33% of the time. Other than cell phone use, the most common secondary activities were interacting with a passenger (12% of driving time), holding but not otherwise interacting with an object (6%), and talking/singing/dancing to oneself (5%). Drivers were looking straight forward 81% of the time, forward left or right 5% of time, in a mirror 4% of the time, and elsewhere (eyes off driving task) 10% of time. On average, for each 1 percentage point increase in cell phone talking, the other secondary behavior rate decreased by 0.28 percentage points (P cell phone interaction per trip, the other secondary behavior rate decreased by 0.08 percentage points (P =.0558), but the rate of eyes off driving task increased by 0.06 percentage points (P cell phone can be distracting from the driving task, other secondary activities can be equally or more distracting, at least as measured by eye glances

  4. Working memory and fluid intelligence: capacity, attention control, and secondary memory retrieval.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unsworth, Nash; Fukuda, Keisuke; Awh, Edward; Vogel, Edward K

    2014-06-01

    Several theories have been put forth to explain the relation between working memory (WM) and gF. Unfortunately, no single factor has been shown to fully account for the relation between these two important constructs. In the current study we tested whether multiple factors (capacity, attention control, and secondary memory) would collectively account for the relation. A large number of participants performed multiple measures of each construct and latent variable analyses were used to examine the data. The results demonstrated that capacity, attention control, and secondary memory were uniquely related to WM storage, WM processing, and gF. Importantly, the three factors completely accounted for the relation between WM (both processing and storage) and gF. Thus, although storage and processing make independent contributions to gF, both of these contributions are accounted for by variation in capacity, attention control and secondary memory. These results are consistent with the multifaceted view of WM, suggesting that individual differences in capacity, attention control, and secondary memory jointly account for individual differences in WM and its relation with gF. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. An Investigation of the Use of the ‘Flipped Classroom’ Pedagogy in Secondary English Language Classrooms

    OpenAIRE

    Chi Cheung Ruby Yang

    2017-01-01

    Aim/Purpose : To examine the use of a flipped classroom in the English Language subject in secondary classrooms in Hong Kong. Background: The research questions addressed were: (1) What are teachers’ perceptions towards the flipped classroom pedagogy? (2) How can teachers transfer their flipped classroom experiences to teaching other classes/subjects? (3) What are students’ perceptions towards the flipped classroom pedagogy? (4) How can students transfer their flipped classroom experience...

  6. Secondary School Teachers' Perspectives on Teaching about Topics That Bridge Science and Religion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Billingsley, Berry; Riga, Fran; Taber, Keith S.; Newdick, Helen

    2014-01-01

    The question of where to locate teaching about the relationships between science and religion has produced a long-running debate. Currently, science and religious education (RE) are statutory subjects in England and are taught in secondary schools by different teachers. This paper reports on an interview study in which 16 teachers gave their…

  7. Triclade: influence of a sinuous secondary instability on the Richtmyer-Meshkov instabilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boulet, M.; Griffond, J.

    2004-01-01

    Occurrence of a secondary instability developing after the Richtmyer-Meshkov (primary) instability is emphasized thanks to numerical simulations with the TRICLADE code. We are mainly considering 2D perturbations describes by trigonometric function cosine or [cosine]. However, the 3D case is also tackled. The sinuous secondary instability is characterized by the loss of the symmetries in the direction normal to the interface at its crests. It reduces the late time growing rate of the 'mushrooms' formed by the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability. Related simplified problems, like symmetrical Riemann problems or the Mallier-Maslowe array of counter-rotating vortices, allow us to perform 2D linear stability analysis. Thus, we show that the sinuous secondary instability is not a numerical artifact and that is comes from the continuous incompressible velocity field in the interface region. This instability implies temporal limitations for the validity of single mode simulations; therefore multimode simulations are necessary to study the ]ate-time behaviour of interfaces bitted by shocks. (authors)

  8. Gender Differences in Marital Status Moderation of Genetic and Environmental Influences on Subjective Health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finkel, Deborah; Franz, Carol E; Horwitz, Briana; Christensen, Kaare; Gatz, Margaret; Johnson, Wendy; Kaprio, Jaako; Korhonen, Tellervo; Niederheiser, Jenae; Petersen, Inge; Rose, Richard J; Silventoinen, Karri

    2015-10-14

    From the IGEMS Consortium, data were available from 26,579 individuals aged 23 to 102 years on 3 subjective health items: self-rated health (SRH), health compared to others (COMP), and impact of health on activities (ACT). Marital status was a marker of environmental resources that may moderate genetic and environmental influences on subjective health. Results differed for the 3 subjective health items, indicating that they do not tap the same construct. Although there was little impact of marital status on variance components for women, marital status was a significant modifier of variance in all 3 subjective health measures for men. For both SRH and ACT, single men demonstrated greater shared and nonshared environmental variance than married men. For the COMP variable, genetic variance was greater for single men vs. married men. Results suggest gender differences in the role of marriage as a source of resources that are associated with subjective health.

  9. A single-cell view on the ecophysiology of anaerobic phototrophic bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Musat, Niculina; Halm, Hannah; Winterholler, Bärbel

    2008-01-01

    Quantitative information on the ecophysiology of individual microorganisms is generally limited because it is difficult to assign specific metabolic activities to identified single cells. Here, we develop and apply a method, Halogen In Situ Hybridization-Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (HISH...

  10. Single session imaging of cerebellum at 7 Tesla: obtaining structure and function of multiple motor subsystems in individual subjects.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa A Batson

    Full Text Available The recent increase in the use of high field MR systems is accompanied by a demand for acquisition techniques and coil systems that can take advantage of increased power and accuracy without being susceptible to increased noise. Physical location and anatomical complexity of targeted regions must be considered when attempting to image deeper structures with small nuclei and/or complex cytoarchitechtonics (i.e. small microvasculature and deep nuclei, such as the brainstem and the cerebellum (Cb. Once these obstacles are overcome, the concomitant increase in signal strength at higher field strength should allow for faster acquisition of MR images. Here we show that it is technically feasible to quickly and accurately detect blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD signal changes and obtain anatomical images of Cb at high spatial resolutions in individual subjects at 7 Tesla in a single one-hour session. Images were obtained using two high-density multi-element surface coils (32 channels in total placed beneath the head at the level of Cb, two channel transmission, and three-dimensional sensitivity encoded (3D, SENSE acquisitions to investigate sensorimotor activations in Cb. Two classic sensorimotor tasks were used to detect Cb activations. BOLD signal changes during motor activity resulted in concentrated clusters of activity within the Cb lobules associated with each task, observed consistently and independently in each subject: Oculomotor vermis (VI/VII and CrusI/II for pro- and anti-saccades; ipsilateral hemispheres IV-VI for finger tapping; and topographical separation of eye- and hand- activations in hemispheres VI and VIIb/VIII. Though fast temporal resolution was not attempted here, these functional patches of highly specific BOLD signal changes may reflect small-scale shunting of blood in the microvasculature of Cb. The observed improvements in acquisition time and signal detection are ideal for individualized investigations such as

  11. Secondary tracheoesophageal puncture in-office using Seldinger technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Britt, Christopher J; Lippert, Dylan; Kammer, Rachael; Ford, Charles N; Dailey, Seth H; McCulloch, Timothy; Hartig, Gregory

    2014-05-01

    Evaluate the safety and efficacy of in-office secondary tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) technique using transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE) and the Seldinger technique in conjunction with a cricothyroidotomy kit for placement. Case series with chart review. Academic medical center. A retrospective chart review was performed on 83 subjects who underwent in-office secondary TEP. Variables that were examined included disease site, staging, histologic diagnosis, extent of resection and reconstruction, chemoradiation, functional voice status (as assessed by speech pathologist in most recent note), and complications directly related to the procedure. Eighty-three individuals from our institution met our criteria for in-office secondary TEP from 2005 to August 2012. Of these, 97.6% (81/83) had no complications of TEP. The overall complication rate was 2.4% (2/83). Complications included bleeding from puncture site and closure of puncture site after dislodgement of prosthesis at the time of puncture. Fluent conversational speech was achieved in 69.9% of all patients (58/83), and an additional 19.3% (16/83) achieved functional/intelligible speech; of those, 3.6% (3/83) were unable to achieve fluent conversational speech due to anatomic defects from previous surgery. An in-office TEP can be safely performed using the Seldinger technique with direct visualization using TNE, despite the extent of resection or reconstruction, with functional speech outcomes comparable to other studies available in the literature.

  12. Diagnostic Value of Subjective Memory Complaints Assessed with a Single Item in Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Disease: Results of the DIAN Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christoph Laske

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. We examined the diagnostic value of subjective memory complaints (SMCs assessed with a single item in a large cross-sectional cohort consisting of families with autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease (ADAD participating in the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN. Methods. The baseline sample of 183 mutation carriers (MCs and 117 noncarriers (NCs was divided according to Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR scale into preclinical (CDR 0; MCs: n=107; NCs: n=109, early symptomatic (CDR 0.5; MCs: n=48; NCs: n=8, and dementia stage (CDR ≥ 1; MCs: n=28; NCs: n=0. These groups were subdivided by the presence or absence of SMCs. Results. At CDR 0, SMCs were present in 12.1% of MCs and 9.2% of NCs (P=0.6. At CDR 0.5, SMCs were present in 66.7% of MCs and 62.5% of NCs (P=1.0. At CDR ≥ 1, SMCs were present in 96.4% of MCs. SMCs in MCs were significantly associated with CDR, logical memory scores, Geriatric Depression Scale, education, and estimated years to onset. Conclusions. The present study shows that SMCs assessed by a single-item scale have no diagnostic value to identify preclinical ADAD in asymptomatic individuals. These results demonstrate the need of further improvement of SMC measures that should be examined in large clinical trials.

  13. Mathematics and science choice following introduction of compulsory study profiles into Dutch secondary education

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rekers-Mombarg, Lyset; Dekkers, Hetty; van Langen, A.

    2008-01-01

    Since 1998, upper level secondary education pupils in the Netherlands are required to choose one of four study profiles with their own specific and fixed combinations of final examination subjects. With the aid of multilevel analyses, the extent to which this situation has led to changes in the

  14. Efficacy of low-dose cinacalcet on alternate days for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in hemodialysis patients: a single-center study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gojaseni P

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Pongsathorn Gojaseni, Dolnapa Pattarathitinan, Anutra Chittinandana Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital, Directorate of Medical Services, Royal Thai Air Force, Bangkok, Thailand Introduction: Cinacalcet is effective in reducing serum parathyroid hormone (PTH in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT. This study focused on testing whether a prescription of low-dose cinacalcet on alternate days could be an option for treatment of secondary HPT.Materials and methods: A retrospective clinical study was conducted on chronic maintenance hemodialysis patients. Patients with secondary HPT who received cinacalcet at a starting dose of 25 mg on alternate days were reviewed (low-dose group. Patients who were being treated with a standard dose of cinacalcet in the same period of time were selected as the control group. The primary outcome was difference in the percentage of patients achieving >30% reduction of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH levels at 16 weeks. The changes of serum iPTH and other biochemical data were also tested.Results: A total of 30 patients (16 low doses and 14 controls took part in the study. Baseline iPTH levels in the low-dose and control group were 1,065.9±477.7 and 1,214.1±497.6 pg/mL, respectively (p=0.413. The analysis showed that the percentage of patients who achieved the primary outcome showed little or no difference (33.3% in the low-dose group compared with 38.5% in the control group, p=1.0. Serum iPTH reduction during 16 weeks of study period in the low-dose and control group was 253.5±316.1 and 243.4±561.3 pg/mL, respectively (p=0.957. There was no difference in the adverse events between both groups.Conclusion: Among patients with secondary HPT, initial treatment with cinacalcet 25 mg on alternate days can decrease serum PTH levels. The role of low-dose cinacalcet in secondary HPT should be further determined in large-scale, randomized controlled trials. Keywords

  15. Hypoinsulinemic hypoglycemia triggered by liver injury in elderly subjects with low body weight: case reports.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anno, Takatoshi; Kaneto, Hideaki; Shigemoto, Ryo; Kawasaki, Fumiko; Kawai, Yasuhiro; Urata, Noriyo; Kawamoto, Hirofumi; Kaku, Kohei; Okimoto, Niro

    2018-01-01

    Hypoglycemia is induced by many causes, especially over-dose of insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents in diabetic subjects. In such a case, hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia is usually observed. On the other hand, it is important to classify secondary hypoglycemia and hypoinsulinemic hypoglycemia. Liver injury-induced hypoglycemia is one of the causes of hypoinsulinemic hypoglycemia but rarely observed in clinical practice. Herein, we experienced similar 2 cases of non-diabetic hypoinsulinemic hypoglycemia. Both of them were elderly subjects with low body weight. Furthermore, it is likely that hypoinsulinemic hypoglycemia in both subjects was triggered by severe liver injury, at least in part, due to possible limited liver glycogen store. In elderly subjects with low body weight and/or malnutrition, metabolism in the liver is reduced and glycogen accumulation is decreased. Such alteration brings out acute and marked liver injury, which finally leads to the onset of severe hypoglycemia. It is known that not only liver injury but also multiple organ failure could be induced due to extreme emaciation in subjects. It is likely that in elderly subjects with low body weight and/or malnutrition, multiple organ failure including liver failure could be induced due to the similar reason. Therefore, we should be very careful of such subjects in order to avoid the development of multiple organ failure which leads to life-threatening situations. In conclusion, we should keep in mind the possibility of hypoinsulinemic hypoglycemia when we examine severe liver injury, especially in elderly or starving subjects with low body weight and limited liver glycogen stores. It is important to classify secondary hypoglycemia and hypoinsulinemic hypoglycemia.Liver injury-induced hypoglycemia is one of the causes of hypoinsulinemic hypoglycemia but rarely observed in everyday clinical practice.Herein, we reported similar 2 cases of hypoinsulinemic hypoglycemia without diabetes presumably triggered

  16. Development of the complex general linear model in the Fourier domain: application to fMRI multiple input-output evoked responses for single subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rio, Daniel E; Rawlings, Robert R; Woltz, Lawrence A; Gilman, Jodi; Hommer, Daniel W

    2013-01-01

    A linear time-invariant model based on statistical time series analysis in the Fourier domain for single subjects is further developed and applied to functional MRI (fMRI) blood-oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) multivariate data. This methodology was originally developed to analyze multiple stimulus input evoked response BOLD data. However, to analyze clinical data generated using a repeated measures experimental design, the model has been extended to handle multivariate time series data and demonstrated on control and alcoholic subjects taken from data previously analyzed in the temporal domain. Analysis of BOLD data is typically carried out in the time domain where the data has a high temporal correlation. These analyses generally employ parametric models of the hemodynamic response function (HRF) where prewhitening of the data is attempted using autoregressive (AR) models for the noise. However, this data can be analyzed in the Fourier domain. Here, assumptions made on the noise structure are less restrictive, and hypothesis tests can be constructed based on voxel-specific nonparametric estimates of the hemodynamic transfer function (HRF in the Fourier domain). This is especially important for experimental designs involving multiple states (either stimulus or drug induced) that may alter the form of the response function.

  17. Elastic Properties of Nucleic Acids by Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camunas-Soler, Joan; Ribezzi-Crivellari, Marco; Ritort, Felix

    2016-07-05

    We review the current knowledge on the use of single-molecule force spectroscopy techniques to extrapolate the elastic properties of nucleic acids. We emphasize the lesser-known elastic properties of single-stranded DNA. We discuss the importance of accurately determining the elastic response in pulling experiments, and we review the simplest models used to rationalize the experimental data as well as the experimental approaches used to pull single-stranded DNA. Applications used to investigate DNA conformational transitions and secondary structure formation are also highlighted. Finally, we provide an overview of the effects of salt and temperature and briefly discuss the effects of contour length and sequence dependence.

  18. The role of nanotechnology in single-cell detection: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Changling; Zhang, Yuxiang; Xia, Mingdian; Zhu, Xingxi; Qi, Shitao; Shen, Huaqiang; Liu, Tiebing; Tang, Liming

    2014-10-01

    Biological processes in single cells, such as signal transduction, DNA duplication, and protein synthesis and trafficking, occur in subcellular compartments at nanoscale level. Achieving high spatial-temporal resolution, high sensitivity, and high specificity in single-cell detection poses a great challenge. Nanotechnology, which has been widely applied in the fields of medicine, electronics, biomaterials, and energy production, has the potential to provide solutions for single-cell detection. Here we present a review of the use of nanotechnology in single-cell detection over the past two decades. First, we review the main areas of scientific interest, including morphology, ion concentration, DNA, RNA, protein, intracellular temperature, elements, and mechanical properties. Second, four categories of application of nanotechnology to single-cell detection are described: nanomanipulation, nanodevices, nanomaterials as labels, and nano Secondary ion mass spectrometry. Finally, the prospects and future trends in single-cell detection and analysis are discussed.

  19. Visual perception of spatial subjects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Osterloh, K.R.S.; Ewert, U.

    2007-01-01

    Principally, any imaging technology consists of two consecutive, though strictly separated processes: data acquisition and subsequent processing to generate an image that can be looked at, either on a monitor screen or printed on paper. Likewise, the physiological process of viewing can be separated into vision and perception, though these processes are much more overlapping. Understanding the appearance of a subject requires the entire sequence from receiving the information carried e.g. by photons up to an appropriate processing leading to the perception of the subject shown. As a consequence, the imagination of a subject is a result of both, technological and physiological processes. Whenever an evaluation of an image is critical, also the physiological part of the processing should be considered. However, an image has two dimensions in the first place and reality is spatial, it has three dimensions. This problem has been tackled on a philosophical level at least since Platon's famous discussion on the shadow image in a dark cave. The mere practical point is which structural details can be perceived and what may remain undetected depending on the mode of presentation. This problem cannot be resolved without considering each single step of visual perception. Physiologically, there are three 'tools' available to understanding the spatial structure of a subject: binocular viewing, following the course of perspective projection and motion to collect multiple aspects. Artificially, an object may be cut in various ways to display the interior or covering parts could be made transparent within a model. Samples will be shown how certain details of a subject can be emphasised or hidden depending on the way of presentation. It needs to be discussed what might help to perceive the true spatial structure of a subject with all relevant details and what could be misleading. (authors)

  20. Visual perception of spatial subjects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Osterloh, K.R.S.; Ewert, U. [Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Berlin (Germany)

    2007-07-01

    Principally, any imaging technology consists of two consecutive, though strictly separated processes: data acquisition and subsequent processing to generate an image that can be looked at, either on a monitor screen or printed on paper. Likewise, the physiological process of viewing can be separated into vision and perception, though these processes are much more overlapping. Understanding the appearance of a subject requires the entire sequence from receiving the information carried e.g. by photons up to an appropriate processing leading to the perception of the subject shown. As a consequence, the imagination of a subject is a result of both, technological and physiological processes. Whenever an evaluation of an image is critical, also the physiological part of the processing should be considered. However, an image has two dimensions in the first place and reality is spatial, it has three dimensions. This problem has been tackled on a philosophical level at least since Platon's famous discussion on the shadow image in a dark cave. The mere practical point is which structural details can be perceived and what may remain undetected depending on the mode of presentation. This problem cannot be resolved without considering each single step of visual perception. Physiologically, there are three 'tools' available to understanding the spatial structure of a subject: binocular viewing, following the course of perspective projection and motion to collect multiple aspects. Artificially, an object may be cut in various ways to display the interior or covering parts could be made transparent within a model. Samples will be shown how certain details of a subject can be emphasised or hidden depending on the way of presentation. It needs to be discussed what might help to perceive the true spatial structure of a subject with all relevant details and what could be misleading. (authors)

  1. The influence of selected teacher inputs on students’ academic achievement in the junior secondary school certificate mathematics in Namibia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simon E. Akpo

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available This study explored the link between teachers’ inputs and students’ academic achievement in the JSC Mathematics for the period 2006 to 2010. One hundred and fifty secondary schools selected from 573 secondary schools in the country constituted the target population. One hundred and sixty-four JSC mathematics teachers from the 150 secondary schools participated in the study, with the final JSC Mathematics results of the students serving as the dependent variable of the study. Mathematics teachers’ input data (academic qualifications, teaching experience and subject specialisation were collected from a questionnaire developed by the researchers. Standard multiple regression was used to analyse the link between teachers’ inputs and students’ academic achievement in JSC Mathematics at P < 0.05and P < 0.10 respectively. The study found that teachers’ academic qualifications and subject specialisation had a significant and positive relationship with students’ academic achievement in JSC Mathematics. Teachers’ gender, however, was not significantly related to students’ academic achievement in JSC Mathematics. This is the first time within the Namibian context that we have empirically demonstrated the link between teachers’ inputs and students’ academic achievement in JSC Mathematics. The study therefore provides support for the policy initiatives that seek to link teachers’ academic qualifications, subject specialisation and teaching experience to employment and classroom allocation.

  2. Secondary Evaluations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cook, Thomas D.

    Secondary evaluations, in which an investigator takes a body of evaluation data collected by a primary evaluation researcher and examines the data to see if the original conclusions about the program correspond with his own, are discussed. The different kinds of secondary evaluations and the advantages and disadvantages of each are pointed out,…

  3. The control processes and subjective well-being of Chinese teachers: Evidence of convergence with and divergence from the key propositions of the motivational theory of life-span development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wan-Chi eWong

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available An analytical review of the motivational theory of life-span development reveals that this theory has undergone a series of elegant theoretical integrations. Its claim to universality nonetheless brings forth unresolved controversies. With the purpose of scrutinizing the key propositions of this theory, an empirical study was designed to examine the control processes and subjective well-being of Chinese teachers (N = 637. The OPS-Scales (Optimization in Primary and Secondary Control Scales for the Domain of Teaching were constructed to assess patterns of control processes. Three facets of subjective well-being were investigated with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, the Life Satisfaction Scale, and the Subjective Vitality Scale. The results revealed certain aspects of alignment with and certain divergences from the key propositions of the motivational theory of life-span development. Neither primacy of primary control nor primacy of secondary control was clearly supported. Notably, using different criteria for subjective well-being yielded different subtypes of primary and secondary control as predictors. The hypothesized life-span trajectories of primary and secondary control received limited support. To advance the theory in this area, we recommend incorporating Lakatos’ ideas about sophisticated falsification by specifying the hard core of the motivational theory of life-span development and articulating new auxiliary hypotheses.

  4. Pupils' Perceptions of Discipline and Academic Standards in Belgian Coeducational and Single-Sex Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brutsaert, Herman

    2002-01-01

    In this paper, single-sex and coeducational schools are compared in terms of pupils' perceptions of disciplinary and academic climates. Use was made of data from 68 secondary schools in Flanders (Belgium). Of these schools, 25 were mixed and 43 were single-sex (21 girls, and 22 boys, schools). Respondents were third-year students: 3370 girls and…

  5. Developing and Validating a Competence Framework for Secondary Mathematics Student Teachers through a Delphi Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muñiz-Rodríguez, Laura; Alonso, Pedro; Rodríguez-Muñiz, Luis J.; Valcke, Martin

    2017-01-01

    Initial teacher education programmes provide student teachers with the desired competences to develop themselves as teachers. Although a generic framework for teaching competences is available covering all school subjects in Spain, the initial teacher education programmes curriculum does not specify which competences secondary mathematics student…

  6. [Effects of training on static and dynamic balance in elderly subjects who have had a fall or not].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toulotte, C; Thévenon, A; Fabre, C

    2004-11-01

    To evaluate the effects of a physical training program on static and dynamic balance during single and dual task conditions in elderly subjects who have had a fall or not. Two groups, comprising a total of 33 elderly subjects, were trained: 16 who had a fall were 69.2 +/- 5.0 years old and 17 who had not had a fall were 67.3 +/- 3.8 years. All subjects underwent an unipedal test with eyes open and eyes closed, followed by gait assessment during single and dual motor task conditions, before and after a physical training program. All subjects showed a significant decrease, by six times for subjects who had fallen and four times by those who had not, in the number of touch-downs in the unipedal test with eyes open (P < 0.05), and by 2.5 and 2 times, respectively, with eyes closed (P < 0.05) after the training program. All subjects showed a significant increase in speed (P < 0.05), cadence (P < 0.05) and stride length (P < 0.05) and a significant decrease in the single support time (P < 0.05) and stride time (P < 0.05) in gait assessment during single and dual task conditions after the training program. During the training program, no subjects fell. The physical training program improved static balance and quality of gait in elderly subjects who had had a fall and those who had not, which could contribute to minimizing and/or retarding the effects of aging and maintaining physical independence.

  7. University Students from Single-Sex and Coeducational High Schools: Differences in Majors and Attitudes at a Catholic University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karpiak, Christie P.; Buchanan, James P.; Hosey, Megan; Smith, Allison

    2007-01-01

    We conducted an archival study at a coeducational Catholic university to test the proposition that single-sex secondary education predicts lasting differences in college majors. Men from single-sex schools were more likely to both declare and graduate in gender-neutral majors than those from coeducational schools. Women from single-sex schools…

  8. Global Analysis of RNA Secondary Structure in Two Metazoans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fan Li

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The secondary structure of RNA is necessary for its maturation, regulation, processing, and function. However, the global influence of RNA folding in eukaryotes is still unclear. Here, we use a high-throughput, sequencing-based, structure-mapping approach to identify the paired (double-stranded RNA [dsRNA] and unpaired (single-stranded RNA [ssRNA] components of the Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans transcriptomes, which allows us to identify conserved features of RNA secondary structure in metazoans. From this analysis, we find that ssRNAs and dsRNAs are significantly correlated with specific epigenetic modifications. Additionally, we find key structural patterns across protein-coding transcripts that indicate that RNA folding demarcates regions of protein translation and likely affects microRNA-mediated regulation of mRNAs in animals. Finally, we identify and characterize 546 mRNAs whose folding pattern is significantly correlated between these metazoans, suggesting that their structure has some function. Overall, our findings provide a global assessment of RNA folding in animals.

  9. Learning sequences on the subject of energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-01-01

    The ten learning sequences follow on one another. Each picks on a particular aspect from the energy field. The subject notebooks are self-contained and can therefore be used independently. Apart from actual data and energy-related information, the information for the teacher contains: - proposals for teaching - suggestions for further activities - sample solutions for the pupil's sheets - references to the literature and media. The worksheets for the pupils are different; it should be possible to use the learning sequences in all classes of secondary school stage 1. The multicoloured foils for projectors should motivate, on the one hand, and on the other hand should help to check the results of learning. (orig./HP) [de

  10. Welding and joining of single crystals of BCC refractory metals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hiraoka, Yutaka; Fujii, Tadayuki

    1989-01-01

    Welding and joining is one of key technologies for the wider utilizations of a material. In the present work, the applicability of welding and joining for a single crystal of BCC refractory metal was investigated. Electron-beam welding and tungsten-inert-gas welding by a melt-run technique, and high-temperature brazing by using brazing metals such as Mo-40%Ru alloy, vanadium or platinum were conducted for molybdenum single crystal which had been prepared by means of secondary recrystallization. 12 refs.,12 figs., 2 tabs. (Author)

  11. Assessment of secondary sources of Persistent Organic Pollutants in the Arctic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pisso, Ignacio; Eckhardt, Sabine; Breivik, Knut

    2014-05-01

    Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) including highly toxic pesticides and other chemicals accumulate in living tissues and magnify in food chains. POPs are subject to long-range transport and hence represent a serious public health issue even in regions where their production is regulated. Rational control strategies require an understanding of the overall relationship between environmental emissions of contaminants and environmental / human exposure. In this study, we assess the relationships between environmental emissions and potential human exposure of organic contaminants with emphasis on long-range atmospheric transport. We investigate whether atmospheric levels of POPs measured at Zeppelin observatory in Svalbard since the early '90s are controlled by primary or secondary emissions. We present statistical indications that the measurements are affected by secondary ocean emissions and discuss the applicability of different inverse modeling approaches.

  12. Effectiveness of cinacalcet in patients with recurrent/persistent secondary hyperparathyroidism following parathyroidectomy: results of the ECHO study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zitt, Emanuel; Rix, Marianne; Ureña Torres, Pablo

    2010-01-01

    Background. Progressive secondary hyperparathyroidism (sHPT) is characterized by parathyroid gland hyperplasia which may ultimately require parathyroidectomy (PTX). Although PTX is generally a successful treatment for those patients subjected to surgery, a significant proportion develops recurrent...

  13. Effects of wood vinegar on properties and mechanism of heavy metal competitive adsorption on secondary fermentation based composts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ling; Guo, Xiaoping; Wang, Shuqi; Li, Lei; Zeng, Yang; Liu, Guanhong

    2018-04-15

    In this study, secondary municipal solid waste composts (SC) and wood vinegar treated secondary compost (WV-SC) was prepared to investigate the capability for single-heavy metals and multi-metal systems adsorption. The adsorption sequence of WV-SC for the maximum single metals sorption capacities was Cd (42.7mgg -1 ) > Cu (38.6mgg -1 ) > Zn (34.9mgg -1 ) > Ni (28.7mgg -1 ) and showed higher than that of SC adsorption isotherm. In binary/quaternary-metal systems, Ni adsorption showed a stronger inhibitory effect compared with Zn, Cd and Cu on both SC and WV-SC. According to Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherm models, as well as desorption behaviors and speciation analysis of heavy metals, competitive adsorption behaviors were differed from single-metal adsorption. Especially, the three-dimensional simulation of competitive adsorption indicated that the Ni was easily exchanged and desorbed. The amount of exchangeable heavy metal fraction were in the lowest level for the metal-loaded adsorbents, composting treated by wood vinegar improved the adsorbed metals converted to the residue fraction. This was an essential start in estimating the multiple heavy metal adsorption behaviors of secondary composts, the results proved that wood vinegar was an effective additive to improve the composts quality and decrease the metal toxicity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. An Algorithm for Template-Based Prediction of Secondary Structures of Individual RNA Sequences

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Pánek, Josef; Modrák, Martin; Schwarz, Marek

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 8, OCT 10 (2017), s. 1-11, č. článku 147. ISSN 1664-8021 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-00885S; GA MŠk(CZ) LM2015047 Institutional support: RVO:61388971 Keywords : RNA * secondary structure * homology Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology OBOR OECD: Microbiology Impact factor: 3.789, year: 2016

  15. New experiments in organic, fast-atom-bomdardment, and secondary-ion mass spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    DiDonato, G.C.

    1987-01-01

    The goal of research presented in this dissertation is the creative use of new ionization and instrumental techniques in mass spectrometry. This goal manifests itself in three areas of mass spectrometry. In the first portion, modern, state-of-the-art instrumentation and new experiments were used to re-examine the mass spectra of transition-metal acetates and acetylacetonates. High resolution, chemical ionization, negative chemical ionization, and extended-mass-range mass spectrometry uncovered a wealth of new gas-phase ionic species. Energy-resolved mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry was applied to the characterization of molecular and fragment ion first-row transition-metal acetylacetonates, and comprises the second portion of the thesis. Studies in fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry are the subject of the third portion of the dissertation. Since fast-atom bombardment samples a liquid matrix, absolute and relative abundances of sputtered secondary ions are influenced by solution chemistry. The design and construction of an imaging secondary-ion mass spectrometer is the subject of the final portion of the thesis. This instrument provides for direct mass-spectrometric analysis of thin-layer and paper chromatograms and electrophoretograms

  16. Evolutionary rate variation and RNA secondary structure prediction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knudsen, B.; Andersen, E.S.; Damgaard, C.

    2004-01-01

    Predicting RNA secondary structure using evolutionary history can be carried out by using an alignment of related RNA sequences with conserved structure. Accurately determining evolutionary substitution rates for base pairs and single stranded nucleotides is a concern for methods based on this type...... by applying rates derived from tRNA and rRNA to the prediction of the much more rapidly evolving 5'-region of HIV-1. We find that the HIV-1 prediction is in agreement with experimental data, even though the relative evolutionary rate between A and G is significantly increased, both in stem and loop regions...

  17. Dropout in the lower tracks of Dutch secondary education : Predictor variables and variation among schools

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Luyten, H; Bosker, R.J.; Dekkers, H; Derks, A

    2003-01-01

    This study analyses the data from a large-scale longitudinal investigation into the effect of both school and student characteristics on the dropout rate for students in lower secondary education in The Netherlands. Dropout rates were found to vary significantly between schools, but only a single

  18. An Investigation of the Use of the ‘Flipped Classroom’ Pedagogy in Secondary English Language Classrooms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chi Cheung Ruby Yang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim/Purpose\t: To examine the use of a flipped classroom in the English Language subject in secondary classrooms in Hong Kong. Background:\tThe research questions addressed were: (1 What are teachers’ perceptions towards the flipped classroom pedagogy? (2 How can teachers transfer their flipped classroom experiences to teaching other classes/subjects? (3 What are students’ perceptions towards the flipped classroom pedagogy? (4 How can students transfer their flipped classroom experiences to studying other subjects? (5 Will students have significant gain in the knowledge of the lesson topic trialled in this study? Methodology: A total of 57 students from two Secondary 2 classes in a Band 3 secondary school together with two teachers teaching these two classes were involved in this study. Both quantitative and quantitative data analyses were conducted. Contribution: Regarding whether the flipped classroom pedagogy can help students gain significantly in their knowledge of a lesson topic, only one class of students gained statistically significantly in the subject knowledge but not for another class. Findings: Students in general were positive about the flipped classroom. On the other hand, although the teachers considered that the flipped classroom pedagogy was creative, they thought it may only be useful for teaching English grammar. Recommendations for Practitioners: Teachers thought that flipping a classroom may only be useful for more motivated students, and the extra workload of finding or making suitable pre-lesson online videos is the main concern for teachers. Recommendations for Researchers: Both quantitative and qualitative analyses should be conducted to investigate the effectiveness of a flipped classroom on students’ language learning. Impact on Society\t: Teachers and students can transfer their flipped classroom experiences in English Language to teaching and studying other subjects. Future Research:\tMore classes should be

  19. Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Momelotinib in Subjects With Hepatic or Renal Impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xin, Yan; Kawashima, Jun; Weng, Winnie; Kwan, Ellen; Tarnowski, Thomas; Silverman, Jeffrey A

    2018-04-01

    Momelotinib is a Janus kinase 1/2 inhibitor in clinical development for the treatment of myelofibrosis. Two phase 1 open-label, parallel-group, adaptive studies were conducted to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of a single 200-mg oral dose of momelotinib in subjects with hepatic or renal impairment compared with healthy matched control subjects with normal hepatic or renal function. Plasma pharmacokinetics of momelotinib and its major active metabolite, M21, were evaluated, and geometric least-squares mean ratios (GMRs) and associated 90% confidence intervals (CIs) for impaired versus each control group were calculated for plasma exposures (area under concentration-time curve from time 0 to ∞ [AUC ∞ ] and maximum concentration) of momelotinib and M21. There was no clinically significant difference in plasma exposures of momelotinib and M21 between subjects with moderate or severe renal impairment or moderate hepatic impairment and healthy control subjects. Compared with healthy control subjects, momelotinib AUC ∞ was increased (GMR, 197%; 90%CI, 129%-301%), and M21 AUC ∞ was decreased (GMR, 52%; 90%CI, 34%-79%) in subjects with severe hepatic impairment. The safety profile following a single dose of momelotinib was similar between subjects with hepatic or renal dysfunction and healthy control subjects. These pharmacokinetic and safety results indicate that dose adjustment is not necessary for momelotinib in patients with renal impairment or mild to moderate hepatic impairment. In patients with severe hepatic impairment, however, the dose of momelotinib should be reduced. © 2017, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

  20. Use of trunk stabilization and locomotor training in an adult with cerebellar ataxia: a single system design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freund, Jane E; Stetts, Deborah M

    2010-10-01

    The purpose of this study is to describe the effects of trunk stabilization training and locomotor training (LT) using body-weight support on a treadmill (BWST) and overground walking on balance, gait, self-reported function, and trunk muscle performance in an adult with severe ataxia secondary to brain injury. There are no studies on the effectiveness of these combined interventions in persons with ataxia. The subject was a 23-year-old male who had a traumatic brain injury 13 months prior. An A-B-A withdrawal single-system design was used. Outcome measures were Berg Balance Test (BBT), timed unsupported stance, Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), 10-meter walk test (10-MWT), Outpatient Physical Therapy Improvement in Movement Assessment Log (OPTIMAL), transverse abdominis (TrA) thickness, and isometric trunk endurance tests. Performance on the BBT, timed unsupported stance, FAC, 10-MWT, and OPTIMAL each improved after 10 weeks of intervention. In additions, TrA symmetry at rest improved as did right side-bridge endurance time. LT, using BWST and overground walking, and trunk stabilization training may be effective in improving balance, gait, function, and trunk performance in individuals with severe ataxia. Further research with additional subjects is indicated.

  1. Role of optometry school in single day large scale school vision testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anuradha, N; Ramani, Krishnakumar

    2015-01-01

    Background: School vision testing aims at identification and management of refractive errors. Large-scale school vision testing using conventional methods is time-consuming and demands a lot of chair time from the eye care professionals. A new strategy involving a school of optometry in single day large scale school vision testing is discussed. Aim: The aim was to describe a new approach of performing vision testing of school children on a large scale in a single day. Materials and Methods: A single day vision testing strategy was implemented wherein 123 members (20 teams comprising optometry students and headed by optometrists) conducted vision testing for children in 51 schools. School vision testing included basic vision screening, refraction, frame measurements, frame choice and referrals for other ocular problems. Results: A total of 12448 children were screened, among whom 420 (3.37%) were identified to have refractive errors. 28 (1.26%) children belonged to the primary, 163 to middle (9.80%), 129 (4.67%) to secondary and 100 (1.73%) to the higher secondary levels of education respectively. 265 (2.12%) children were referred for further evaluation. Conclusion: Single day large scale school vision testing can be adopted by schools of optometry to reach a higher number of children within a short span. PMID:25709271

  2. Effects of Thermal Exposure on Structures of DD6 Single Crystal Superalloy with Thermal Barrier Coatings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    DONG Jianmin

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available In order to investigate the effect of water grit-blasting and high temperature thermal exposure on the microstructures of DD6 alloy with TBCs, DD6 single crystal superalloy specimens were water grit-blasted with 0.3 MPa pressure, then the specimens were coated with thermal barrier coatings by electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD. Specimens with TBCs were exposed at 1100℃ for 50 and 100 hours in the air respectively, and then these specimens were subjected to stress-rupture tests under the condition of 1100℃/130 MPa. The results show that grit-blasting doesn't lead into the recrystallization, thermal exposure can induce element interdiffusion between the bond coat and alloy substrate, the residual stress and element diffusion lead into the changes of γ' phase coarsing direction. After stress rupture tests, the secondary reaction zone emerges into a local area.

  3. Perception of sexuality education amongst secondary school students in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Opara, P I; Eke, G K; Tabansi, P N

    2012-01-01

    Sexuality behavior amongst young people in Nigeria and indeed Sub-Saharan Africa is seriously going through transformation from what it was previously. It is therefore important that young people have adequate information about their sexuality so that they can make informed choices. To determine perceptions and knowledge of sexuality education amongst secondary school students in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. A structured, anonymous and self-administered questionnaire, used as instrument for data collection, was distributed amongst a convenient sample of 1050 secondary school students attending a series of Schools debates in Port Harcourt Metropolis. The students were aged 10 -20 years, with a median age of 15. There were 486 males and 564 females giving a M: F ratio of 1:1.2. Four hundred and fourteen (73.4%) of the females had attained menarche. Nine hundred and fifty (90.5%) of the respondents had heard of sexuality education but only 422 (40.1%) discussed relevant topics on the subject. 52.8% believed that sexuality education should be given at home by both parents. However, only 164 (31.2%) and 19 (3.6%) got such information from their mothers and fathers respectively. Only 7.6% acknowledged the school teacher as a source of information. Secondary school students are aware of the subject of sexuality education, but lack adequate information on sexuality issues. Parents and teachers are a poor source of information for students. Parents, Teachers and students need to be enlightened on sexuality education. There is also a need to incorporate it into the school curriculum.

  4. Gamification and Physics and Chemistry of Secondary Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Felipe QUINTANAL PEREZ

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Research proposal was made during the 2014–2015 school year with 4th year’s students of Secondary Education who have chosen as optional the subject of Physics and Chemistry. This project is based on the use of various gamebased strategies applied to the subject of Physics and Chemistry. We have chosen this theme by the pedagogical benefits that games have on the attraction of students and the development of their motivation. Students have participated individually, in pairs and in teams. Games used have been “chemical formulas on the run”, “chemical formulas championship”, “wheel of Physics and Chemistry”, “the sunken treasure” and “challenge problems”. The students have also developed a game based on the theme of waves and several teams did using Scratch. Finally there has been an increase in the academic performance of the subject. This experience was a success according to the results of the evaluation by the students. They have highlighted chemical formulas championship, the sunken treasure and the development of the game based on waves. As conclusions are that gamifying is not limited to only use video games, it can be gamify with little technology, personal, social and intellectual skills are developed and the method employed can be extrapolated to other subjects and courses.

  5. Deformation Mechanism and Recrystallization Relationships in Galfenol Single Crystals: On the Origin of Goss and Cube Orientations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Na, Suok-Min; Smith, Malcolm; Flatau, Alison B.

    2018-06-01

    In this work, deformation mechanism related to recrystallization behavior in single-crystal disks of Galfenol (Fe-Ga alloy) was investigated to gain insights into the influence of crystal orientations on structural changes and selective grain growth that take place during secondary recrystallization. We started with the three kinds of single-crystal samples with (011)[100], (001)[100], and (001)[110] orientations, which were rolled and annealed to promote the formation of different grain structures and texture evolutions. The initial Goss-oriented (011)[100] crystal mostly rotated into {111} orientations with twofold symmetry and shear band structures by twinning resulted in the exposure of rolled surface along {001} orientation during rolling. In contrast, the Cube-oriented (001)[100] single crystal had no change in texture during rolling with the thickness reduction up to 50 pct. The {123} slip systems were preferentially activated in these single crystals during deformation as well as {112} slip systems that are known to play a role in primary slip of body-centered cubic (BCC) materials such as α-iron and Fe-Si alloys. After annealing, the deformed Cube-oriented single crystal had a small fraction ( orientation, associated with {123} slip systems as well. This was expected to provide potential sites of nucleation for secondary recrystallization; however, no Goss- and Cube-oriented components actually developed in this sample during secondary recrystallization. Those results illustrated how the recrystallization behavior can be influenced by deformed structure and the slip systems.

  6. Aansluiting middelbaar agrarisch onderwijs en arbeidsmarkt 1990 [Connection between secondary agricultural education and labour market 1990

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pierik, H.J.

    1994-01-01

    Two cohorts of students finished their secondary agricultural education (MAO) in the years 1978 and 1987 were traced and they were asked to evaluate their education and their career. Agricultural background / preliminary training / residence of MAO / subject / importance of fields of study in

  7. Levels of Job Satisfaction and Performance of Sports Officers in Lagos State Secondary Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onifade, Ademola; Keinde, Idou; Kehinde, Eunice

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationship between job satisfaction levels of sports officers and sports performance of secondary schools in Lagos State. Data were collected from 200 subjects across 10 Local Education Districts. Job Descriptive Index was used to determine job satisfaction while performance in the Principals' Soccer…

  8. Problems of discipline in primary and secondary school: Teachers' opinions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Savović Branka B.

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Investigations carried out in late 2001 in primary and secondary schools of Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš comprised students, teachers and associates. The aim of investigations was to get insight into the state-of-the-arts problems and needs of our primary and secondary schools. The paper is a part of investigations, related to the results obtained for students' opinions of their interrelations with teachers as well as opinions of teachers themselves. The sample comprised 727 students of 4th grade of secondary vocational and high schools, 562 students of 8th grade of primary schools 168 secondary school and 107 primary school teachers. We investigated their interrelationships and within this framework the level of potential or current aggressive behavior. The majority of teachers (51% estimated student-teacher relationships mediocre - neither good nor bad. The most frequent problem in students' behavior is, according to the teachers instruction disturbance. One-quarter of teachers find that students offend them, ridicule them, or mock at them in front of others, and 5 per cent complain of physical injury intimidation on the part of students. When a problem comes up, 18 per cent of teachers talk with a student, and nearly 10 per cent of teachers give lower grades in their subject, so as to punish a student for undisciplined behaviors. In teachers' opinion, society, school the least, is to be blamed for the situation.

  9. Subject Teachers as Educators for Sustainability: A Survey Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Uitto

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Sustainability education (SE is included in school curricula to integrate the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development (SD into all education. This study investigates lower secondary school subject teachers as educators for sustainability. A survey was used to study the perceptions of 442 subject teachers from 49 schools in Finland. There were significant differences between the subject teachers’ perceptions of their SE competence, and the frequency with which they used different dimensions of SE (ecological, economic, social, well-being, cultural in their teaching varied. Teachers’ age had a small effect, but gender, school, and its residential location were nonsignificant factors. Teachers could be roughly classified into three different subgroups according to their perceptions of the role of SE in their teaching; those who considered three SE dimensions rather often and used holistic sustainability approaches in their teaching (biology, geography, history; those who considered two or three dimensions often but were not active in holistic teaching (mother tongue, religion, visual arts, crafts, music, physical and health education, and home economics and those who used one SE dimension or consider only one holistic approach in their teaching (mathematics, physics, chemistry and language. Subject teachers’ awareness of their SE competence is important to encourage them to plan and implement discipline-based and interdisciplinary SE in their teaching. The specific SE expertise of subject teachers should be taken into account in teacher training and education.

  10. Teaching secondary mathematics

    CERN Document Server

    Rock, David

    2013-01-01

    Solidly grounded in up-to-date research, theory and technology,?Teaching Secondary Mathematics?is a practical, student-friendly, and popular text for secondary mathematics methods courses. It provides clear and useful approaches for mathematics teachers, and shows how concepts typically found in a secondary mathematics curriculum can be taught in a positive and encouraging way. The thoroughly revised fourth edition combines this pragmatic approach with truly innovative and integrated technology content throughout. Synthesized content between the book and comprehensive companion websi

  11. Elements of Experimental Work in the Upper Secondary School

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Josephsen, Jens

    1999-01-01

    The objectives for the Danish second year upper secondary school chemistry course are intended to contribute to a general understanding of science as well as to the preparation for university studies in science subjects. At the university, knowledge of the students’ entrance qualifications...... is important for freshman teaching planning. The practical work of 4 different classes has been characterised by studying laboratory exercise manuals. An estimate has been given of to what extent the qualitative goals for the practical work can be reached. An outline of elements of experimental work used...

  12. Factors affecting condom use among senior secondary school pupils in South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peltzer, K

    2000-11-01

    The aim of the study was to investigate factors affecting condom use among senior secondary school pupils in South Africa. Objectives were to identify the sociodemographic characteristics and sexual history, knowledge about correct condom use, source of condom information, AIDS health beliefs, self efficacy of condom use, correlates and predictors of condom use in Grade 12 students. Cross sectional survey. 460 Grade 12 secondary school pupils from three rural schools. The sample included 460 Grade 12 secondary school pupils, 170 (37%) males and 290 (63%) females in the age range of 16 to 30 years (mean age 19.7 yrs, SD = 2.5). Self reported sexual activity and condom use (12 items); source of 'condom' information (12 items); knowledge of correct condom use (10 items); a 16 item AIDS Health Belief Scale and a 28 item Condom Use Self-Efficacy Scale. About half of those sexually active (52.6% males and 40.5% females) reported never having used condoms. About 90% levels of correct answers on condom knowledge were found for the items of "protection against AIDS" and "expire date of condoms". Knowing someone with HIV/AIDS was related to current condom use and a history of STD with lifetime condom use. The four AIDS beliefs sub-scales were all related to self efficacy of condom use. Behavioural norm to use condoms, attitudes towards condom use, normative beliefs to use of condoms and subjective norm to use condoms were all related to condom use intention. Normative beliefs and subjective norms to use condoms were both negatively related with lifetime condom use, current condom use, and self efficacy in condom use. Normative beliefs, attitudes and subjective norms about condoms predicted condom use intention, AIDS susceptibility and AIDS benefits predicted condom use with last sexual partner, and AIDS benefits and AIDS barriers predicted condom use intention. Findings have relevant implications and are discussed in the context of developing an educational or intervention

  13. RNA secondary structures of the bacteriophage phi6 packaging regions.

    OpenAIRE

    Pirttimaa, M J; Bamford, D H

    2000-01-01

    Bacteriophage phi6 genome consists of three segments of double-stranded RNA. During maturation, single-stranded copies of these segments are packaged into preformed polymerase complex particles. Only phi6 RNA is packaged, and each particle contains only one copy of each segment. An in vitro packaging and replication assay has been developed for phi6, and the packaging signals (pac sites) have been mapped to the 5' ends of the RNA segments. In this study, we propose secondary structure models ...

  14. CentroidFold: a web server for RNA secondary structure prediction

    OpenAIRE

    Sato, Kengo; Hamada, Michiaki; Asai, Kiyoshi; Mituyama, Toutai

    2009-01-01

    The CentroidFold web server (http://www.ncrna.org/centroidfold/) is a web application for RNA secondary structure prediction powered by one of the most accurate prediction engine. The server accepts two kinds of sequence data: a single RNA sequence and a multiple alignment of RNA sequences. It responses with a prediction result shown as a popular base-pair notation and a graph representation. PDF version of the graph representation is also available. For a multiple alignment sequence, the ser...

  15. Failure by void coalescence in metallic materials containing primary and secondary voids subject to intense shearing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Kim Lau; Tvergaard, Viggo

    2011-01-01

    Failure under intense shearing at close to zero stress triaxiality is widely observed for ductile metallic materials, and is identified in experiments as smeared-out dimples on the fracture surface. Numerical cell-model studies of equal sized voids have revealed that the mechanism governing...... this shear failure mode boils down to the interaction between primary voids which rotate and elongate until coalescence occurs under severe plastic deformation of the internal ligaments. The objective of this paper is to analyze this failure mechanism of primary voids and to study the effect of smaller...... secondary damage that co-exists with or nucleation in the ligaments between larger voids that coalesce during intense shearing. A numerical cell-model study is carried out to gain a parametric understanding of the overall material response for different initial conditions of the two void populations...

  16. Assessment of torque-steadiness reliability at the ankle level in healthy young subjects: implications for cerebral palsy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bandholm, Thomas; Rose, Martin Høyer; Sonne-Holm, Stig

    2008-01-01

    It was the primary objective of this study to investigate whether quantifying fluctuations in dorsi and plantarflexor torque during submaximal isometric contractions is a reliable measurement in young healthy subjects. A secondary objective was to investigate the reliability of the associated mus...

  17. The Effects of Curriculum Integration on the Academic Achievement of Secondary Career and Technical Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Patricia Anders

    2012-01-01

    Using a causal-comparative design, this quantitative study investigated whether or not the curriculum integration of academic subjects with career and technical education classes affected secondary students' academic performance as assessed by scores on standardized tests. The purposive sample was drawn from students in Trade and Industry classes…

  18. An Investigation of the Use of the "Flipped Classroom" Pedagogy in Secondary English Language Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Chi Cheung Ruby

    2017-01-01

    Aim/Purpose: To examine the use of a flipped classroom in the English Language subject in secondary classrooms in Hong Kong. Background: The research questions addressed were: (1) What are teachers' perceptions towards the flipped classroom pedagogy?; (2) How can teachers transfer their flipped classroom experiences to teaching other…

  19. RNA secondary structures of the bacteriophage phi6 packaging regions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pirttimaa, M J; Bamford, D H

    2000-06-01

    Bacteriophage phi6 genome consists of three segments of double-stranded RNA. During maturation, single-stranded copies of these segments are packaged into preformed polymerase complex particles. Only phi6 RNA is packaged, and each particle contains only one copy of each segment. An in vitro packaging and replication assay has been developed for phi6, and the packaging signals (pac sites) have been mapped to the 5' ends of the RNA segments. In this study, we propose secondary structure models for the pac sites of phi6 single-stranded RNA segments. Our models accommodate data from structure-specific chemical modifications, free energy minimizations, and phylogenetic comparisons. Previously reported pac site deletion studies are also discussed. Each pac site possesses a unique architecture, that, however, contains common structural elements.

  20. Quantitative secondary electron detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agrawal, Jyoti; Joy, David C.; Nayak, Subuhadarshi

    2018-05-08

    Quantitative Secondary Electron Detection (QSED) using the array of solid state devices (SSD) based electron-counters enable critical dimension metrology measurements in materials such as semiconductors, nanomaterials, and biological samples (FIG. 3). Methods and devices effect a quantitative detection of secondary electrons with the array of solid state detectors comprising a number of solid state detectors. An array senses the number of secondary electrons with a plurality of solid state detectors, counting the number of secondary electrons with a time to digital converter circuit in counter mode.

  1. Differences in kinematics of single leg squatting between anterior cruciate ligament-injured patients and healthy controls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamazaki, J; Muneta, T; Ju, Y J; Sekiya, I

    2010-01-01

    Seventy to eighty percent of all anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are due to non-contact injury mechanisms. It has been reported that the majority of injuries due to single leg landing come from valgus positioning of the lower leg. Preventing valgus positioning during single leg landing is expected to help reduce the number of ACL injuries. We found that many ACL-deficient patients cannot perform stable single leg squatting. Therefore, we performed 3D motion analysis of the single-legged half squat for ACL-injured patients to evaluate its significance as a risk factor for ACL injuries. We evaluated the relative angles between the body, thigh, and lower leg using an electromagnetic device during single leg half squatting performed by 63 ACL-injured patients (32 males, 31 females) the day before ACL reconstruction and by 26 healthy control subjects with no knee problems. The uninjured leg of ACL-injured male subjects demonstrated significantly less external knee rotation than that of the dominant leg of the male control. The uninjured leg of ACL-injured female subjects demonstrated significantly more external hip rotation and knee flexion and less hip flexion than that of the dominant leg of the female control. Comparing injured and uninjured legs, the injured leg of male subjects demonstrated significantly less external knee and hip rotation, less knee flexion, and more knee varus than that of the uninjured leg of male subjects. The injured leg of female subjects demonstrated more knee varus than that of the uninjured leg of female subjects. Regarding gender differences, female subjects demonstrated significantly more external hip rotation and knee valgus than male subjects did in both the injured and uninjured legs (P < 0.05). The current kinematic study exhibited biomechanical characteristics of female ACL-injured subjects compared with that of control groups. Kinematic correction during single leg half squat would reduce ACL reinjury in female ACL

  2. Pharmacokinetic comparison of sustained- and immediate-release oral formulations of cilostazol in healthy Korean subjects: a randomized, open-label, 3-part, sequential, 2-period, crossover, single-dose, food-effect, and multiple-dose study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Donghwan; Lim, Lay Ahyoung; Jang, Seong Bok; Lee, Yoon Jung; Chung, Jae Yong; Choi, Jong Rak; Kim, Kiyoon; Park, Jin Woo; Yoon, Hosang; Lee, Jaeyong; Park, Min Soo; Park, Kyungsoo

    2011-12-01

    A sustained-release (SR) formulation of cilostazol was recently developed in Korea and was expected to yield a lower C(max) and a similar AUC to the immediate-release (IR) formulation. The goal of the present study was to compare the pharmacokinetic profiles of a newly developed SR formulation and an IR formulation of cilostazol after single- and multiple-dose administration and to evaluate the influence of food in healthy Korean subjects. This study was developed as part of a product development project at the request of the Korean regulatory agency. This was a randomized, 3-part, sequential, open-label, 2-period crossover study. Each part consisted of different subjects between the ages of 19 and 55 years. In part 1, each subject received a single dose of SR (200 mg × 1 tablet, once daily) and IR (100 mg × 2 tablets, BID) formulations of cilostazol orally 7 days apart in a fasted state. In part 2, each subject received a single dose of the SR (200 mg × 1 tablet, once daily) formulation of cilostazol 7 days apart in a fasted and a fed state. In part 3, each subject received multiple doses of the 2 formulations for 8 consecutive days 21 days apart. Blood samples were taken for 72 hours after the dose. Cilostazol pharmacokinetics were determined for both the parent drug and its metabolites (OPC-13015 and OPC-13213). Adverse events were evaluated through interviews and physical examinations. Among the 92 enrolled subjects (66 men, 26 women; part 1, n = 26; part 2, n = 26; part 3, n = 40), 87 completed the study. In part 1, all the primary pharmacokinetic parameters satisfied the criterion for assumed bioequivalence both in cilostazol and its metabolites, yielding 90% CI ratios of 0.9624 to 1.2323, 0.8873 to 1.1208, and 0.8919 to 1.1283 for C(max) and 0.8370 to 1.0134, 0.8204 to 0.9807, and 0.8134 to 0.9699 for AUC(0-last) of cilostazol, OPC-13015, and OPC-13213, respectively. In part 2, food intake increased C(max) and AUC significantly (P food and 23 with a high

  3. Predictors of subjective well-being among older Ghanaians | Calys ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The single item measure of life satisfaction was used to determine subjective wellbeing. Descriptive statistics as well as logistic regression analysis were carried out to determine the predictors of SWB. Results: A total of 4724 individuals aged 50 years and above responded to the questionnaires. Of these 50.4% were males.

  4. Clinical trial: single- and multiple-dose pharmacokinetics of polyethylene glycol (PEG-3350) in healthy young and elderly subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelham, R W; Nix, L C; Chavira, R E; Cleveland, M Vb; Stetson, P

    2008-07-01

    The pharmacokinetics of polyethylene glycol 3350 (PEG-3350) have not been fully described because of lack of a sufficiently sensitive analytical method. To describe the pharmacokinetics of PEG-3350 in humans. A highly sensitive, high performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS) method was developed for PEG-3350 in urine, plasma and faeces with quantification limits of 30 ng/mL, 100 ng/mL and 500 microg/g respectively. Noncompartmental pharmacokinetics methods were used and the effects of gender, age, renal status and dosing frequency were examined after the oral administration of 17 g to healthy volunteers. Peak PEG-3350 plasma concentrations occurred at 2-4 h and declined to nonquantifiable levels usually within 18 h after single and multiple doses, with a half-life of about 4-6 h. Steady state was reached within 5 days of dosing. Mean urinary excretion of the administered dose ranged from 0.19% to 0.25%. Age, gender or mild kidney impairment did not alter the pharmacokinetics of PEG-3350. Mean faecal excretion of the administered dose was 93% in young subjects. For the first time, a highly sensitive assay allowed comprehensive pharmacokinetics studies of PEG-3350 in humans. These studies confirmed that orally administered PEG-3350 is minimally absorbed, rapidly excreted and primarily eliminated via faeces.

  5. Mobile Learning in Secondary Education: Perceptions and Acceptance of Tablets of Teachers and Pupils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montrieux, Hannelore; Courtois, Cédric; De Grove, Frederik; Raes, Annelies; Schellens, Tammy; De Marez, Lieven

    2013-01-01

    This paper reports on the introduction of the tablet computer as a personal, mobile learning tool in a secondary school in Flanders, Belgium. In this longitudinal research project, drawing upon the Theory of Planned Behavior, we question the relative extent to which attitude, subjective norm, and self-efficacy explain the prospective uptake of the…

  6. Hysterectomy and Bilateral Salpingoovariectomy in a Transsexual Subject without Visible Scaring

    OpenAIRE

    Perrone, Anna Myriam; Scifo, Maria Cristina; Martelli, Valentina; Casadio, Paolo; Morselli, Paolo Giovanni; Pelusi, Giuseppe; Meriggiola, Maria Cristina

    2010-01-01

    Objective. To report on the use of laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) for the management of total hysterectomy (TH) with bilateral salpingoovariectomy (BSO) in a subject affected by gender identity disorder. Design. Case report. Setting. University Hospital. Patient(s). A 27-year-old affected by Gender Identity Disorder underwent a hysterectomy and BSO as part of surgical sex reassignment. Intervention(s). Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery access for TH and BSO. Main Outcome ...

  7. Variation in secondary structure of the 16S rRNA molecule in cyanobacteria with implications for phylogenetic analysis

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Řeháková, Klára; Johansen, J. R.; Bowen, M.B.; Martin, M.P.; Sheil, C.A.

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 14, č. 2 (2014), s. 161-178 ISSN 1802-5439 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : 16S rRNA secondary structure * cyanobacteria * phylogeny Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 1.930, year: 2014

  8. Single-subject-based whole-brain MEG slow-wave imaging approach for detecting abnormality in patients with mild traumatic brain injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ming-Xiong Huang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Traumatic brain injury (TBI is a leading cause of sustained impairment in military and civilian populations. However, mild TBI (mTBI can be difficult to detect using conventional MRI or CT. Injured brain tissues in mTBI patients generate abnormal slow-waves (1–4 Hz that can be measured and localized by resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG. In this study, we develop a voxel-based whole-brain MEG slow-wave imaging approach for detecting abnormality in patients with mTBI on a single-subject basis. A normative database of resting-state MEG source magnitude images (1–4 Hz from 79 healthy control subjects was established for all brain voxels. The high-resolution MEG source magnitude images were obtained by our recent Fast-VESTAL method. In 84 mTBI patients with persistent post-concussive symptoms (36 from blasts, and 48 from non-blast causes, our method detected abnormalities at the positive detection rates of 84.5%, 86.1%, and 83.3% for the combined (blast-induced plus with non-blast causes, blast, and non-blast mTBI groups, respectively. We found that prefrontal, posterior parietal, inferior temporal, hippocampus, and cerebella areas were particularly vulnerable to head trauma. The result also showed that MEG slow-wave generation in prefrontal areas positively correlated with personality change, trouble concentrating, affective lability, and depression symptoms. Discussion is provided regarding the neuronal mechanisms of MEG slow-wave generation due to deafferentation caused by axonal injury and/or blockages/limitations of cholinergic transmission in TBI. This study provides an effective way for using MEG slow-wave source imaging to localize affected areas and supports MEG as a tool for assisting the diagnosis of mTBI.

  9. in jimma zone, southwest ethiopia

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    0.002, OR. = 0.565 ... Single subjects showed the highest (5.8%) prevalence followed by Married ones (5.6%), ... subjects who attended Junior secondary and high school followed by those who attended ..... economic disadvantages related to their.

  10. CompaRNA: a server for continuous benchmarking of automated methods for RNA secondary structure prediction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puton, Tomasz; Kozlowski, Lukasz P.; Rother, Kristian M.; Bujnicki, Janusz M.

    2013-01-01

    We present a continuous benchmarking approach for the assessment of RNA secondary structure prediction methods implemented in the CompaRNA web server. As of 3 October 2012, the performance of 28 single-sequence and 13 comparative methods has been evaluated on RNA sequences/structures released weekly by the Protein Data Bank. We also provide a static benchmark generated on RNA 2D structures derived from the RNAstrand database. Benchmarks on both data sets offer insight into the relative performance of RNA secondary structure prediction methods on RNAs of different size and with respect to different types of structure. According to our tests, on the average, the most accurate predictions obtained by a comparative approach are generated by CentroidAlifold, MXScarna, RNAalifold and TurboFold. On the average, the most accurate predictions obtained by single-sequence analyses are generated by CentroidFold, ContextFold and IPknot. The best comparative methods typically outperform the best single-sequence methods if an alignment of homologous RNA sequences is available. This article presents the results of our benchmarks as of 3 October 2012, whereas the rankings presented online are continuously updated. We will gladly include new prediction methods and new measures of accuracy in the new editions of CompaRNA benchmarks. PMID:23435231

  11. CompaRNA: a server for continuous benchmarking of automated methods for RNA secondary structure prediction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puton, Tomasz; Kozlowski, Lukasz P; Rother, Kristian M; Bujnicki, Janusz M

    2013-04-01

    We present a continuous benchmarking approach for the assessment of RNA secondary structure prediction methods implemented in the CompaRNA web server. As of 3 October 2012, the performance of 28 single-sequence and 13 comparative methods has been evaluated on RNA sequences/structures released weekly by the Protein Data Bank. We also provide a static benchmark generated on RNA 2D structures derived from the RNAstrand database. Benchmarks on both data sets offer insight into the relative performance of RNA secondary structure prediction methods on RNAs of different size and with respect to different types of structure. According to our tests, on the average, the most accurate predictions obtained by a comparative approach are generated by CentroidAlifold, MXScarna, RNAalifold and TurboFold. On the average, the most accurate predictions obtained by single-sequence analyses are generated by CentroidFold, ContextFold and IPknot. The best comparative methods typically outperform the best single-sequence methods if an alignment of homologous RNA sequences is available. This article presents the results of our benchmarks as of 3 October 2012, whereas the rankings presented online are continuously updated. We will gladly include new prediction methods and new measures of accuracy in the new editions of CompaRNA benchmarks.

  12. Function-related secondary user needs and secondary data? a crit ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The aim of this article is to contribute to the development of the modern theory of lexicographical functions by offering a critical examination of the following concepts associated with it: primary needs, primary data, secondary needs, secondary data, function-related needs, and function-related data. By way of introduction, ...

  13. Secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jamal, Sophie A; Miller, Paul D

    2013-01-01

    We reviewed the etiology and management of secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism. Secondary hyperparathyroidism is characterized by an increase in parathyroid hormone (PTH) that is appropriate and in response to a stimulus, most commonly low serum calcium. In secondary hyperparathyroidism, the serum calcium is normal and the PTH level is elevated. Tertiary hyperparathyroidism is characterized by excessive secretion of PTH after longstanding secondary hyperparathyroidism, in which hypercalcemia has ensued. Tertiary hyperparathyroidism typically occurs in men and women with chronic kidney disease usually after kidney transplant. The etiology and treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism is relatively straightforward whereas data on the management of tertiary hyperparathyroidism is limited to a few small trials with short follow-up. Copyright © 2013 The International Society for Clinical Densitometry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Neurofeedback-Based Enhancement of Single Trial Auditory Evoked Potentials: Feasibility in Healthy Subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rieger, Kathryn; Rarra, Marie-Helene; Moor, Nicolas; Diaz Hernandez, Laura; Baenninger, Anja; Razavi, Nadja; Dierks, Thomas; Hubl, Daniela; Koenig, Thomas

    2018-03-01

    Previous studies showed a global reduction of the event-related potential component N100 in patients with schizophrenia, a phenomenon that is even more pronounced during auditory verbal hallucinations. This reduction assumingly results from dysfunctional activation of the primary auditory cortex by inner speech, which reduces its responsiveness to external stimuli. With this study, we tested the feasibility of enhancing the responsiveness of the primary auditory cortex to external stimuli with an upregulation of the event-related potential component N100 in healthy control subjects. A total of 15 healthy subjects performed 8 double-sessions of EEG-neurofeedback training over 2 weeks. The results of the used linear mixed effect model showed a significant active learning effect within sessions ( t = 5.99, P < .001) against an unspecific habituation effect that lowered the N100 amplitude over time. Across sessions, a significant increase in the passive condition ( t = 2.42, P = .03), named as carry-over effect, was observed. Given that the carry-over effect is one of the ultimate aims of neurofeedback, it seems reasonable to apply this neurofeedback training protocol to influence the N100 amplitude in patients with schizophrenia. This intervention could provide an alternative treatment option for auditory verbal hallucinations in these patients.

  15. Use of Invasion Percolation Models To Study the Secondary Migration of Oil and Related Problems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wagner, G.

    1997-12-31

    This thesis studies simulations of the slow displacement of a wetting fluid by a non-wetting fluid in porous media and in a single fracture. The simulations are based on the invasion percolation model. New modified versions of the model are presented that simulate migration, fragmentation and coalescence processes of the clusters of non-wetting fluid. The resulting displacement patterns are characterized by scaling laws. In particular, simulations of the secondary migration of oil through porous homogeneous rock are discussed. Fractured rocks are extreme cases of inhomogeneous porous media. Simulations of the slow displacement of a wetting fluid by a non-wetting fluid in a single fracture using the standard invasion model are presented. There is a discussion of a scenario in which a cluster of non-wetting fluid migrates through a porous medium that was saturated with a wetting fluid. The migration is driven by continuously driven buoyancy forces. Both experiments and simulations are described. The same scenario is also studied theoretically and by simulations using a simplified percolation model of fluid migration in one dimension. The migration model in two dimensions, with constant buoyancy forces, is also discussed. Simulations of fluid migration, such as the secondary migration of oil, in two- and three-dimensional media are examined, the media having multi-affine properties rather than being homogeneous. Slow immiscible displacement processes in single fractures are studied using fractal geometries to model single fractures. 167 refs., 123 figs.

  16. Plant secondary metabolite-induced shifts in bacterial community structure and degradative ability in contaminated soil

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Uhlík, O.; Musilová, L.; Rídl, Jakub; Hroudová, Miluše; Vlček, Čestmír; Koubek, J.; Holečková, M.; Mackova, M.; Macek, T.

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 97, č. 20 (2013), s. 9245-9256 ISSN 0175-7598 Grant - others:EK(XE) 265946; GA MŠk(CZ) ME10041 Institutional support: RVO:68378050 Keywords : plant secondary metabolites (PSM) * bacterial community * metabolic activity * bioremediation * pyrosequencing Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 3.811, year: 2013

  17. Who is the research subject in cluster randomized trials in health research?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brehaut Jamie C

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract This article is part of a series of papers examining ethical issues in cluster randomized trials (CRTs in health research. In the introductory paper in this series, we set out six areas of inquiry that must be addressed if the CRT is to be set on a firm ethical foundation. This paper addresses the first of the questions posed, namely, who is the research subject in a CRT in health research? The identification of human research subjects is logically prior to the application of protections as set out in research ethics and regulation. Aspects of CRT design, including the fact that in a single study the units of randomization, experimentation, and observation may differ, complicate the identification of human research subjects. But the proper identification of human research subjects is important if they are to be protected from harm and exploitation, and if research ethics committees are to review CRTs efficiently. We examine the research ethics literature and international regulations to identify the core features of human research subjects, and then unify these features under a single, comprehensive definition of human research subject. We define a human research subject as any person whose interests may be compromised as a result of interventions in a research study. Individuals are only human research subjects in CRTs if: (1 they are directly intervened upon by investigators; (2 they interact with investigators; (3 they are deliberately intervened upon via a manipulation of their environment that may compromise their interests; or (4 their identifiable private information is used to generate data. Individuals who are indirectly affected by CRT study interventions, including patients of healthcare providers participating in knowledge translation CRTs, are not human research subjects unless at least one of these conditions is met.

  18. Does prescribed burning affect leaf secondary metabolites in pine stands?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lavoir, A V; Ormeño, E; Pasqualini, V; Ferrat, L; Greff, S; Lecareux, C; Vila, B; Mévy, J P; Fernandez, C

    2013-03-01

    Prescribed burning (PB) is gaining popularity as a low-cost forest protection measure that efficiently reduces fuel build-up, but its effects on tree health and growth are poorly understood. Here, we evaluated the impact of PB on plant defenses in Mediterranean pine forests (Pinus halepensis and P. nigra ssp. laricio). These chemical defenses were estimated based on needle secondary metabolites (terpenes and phenolics including flavonoids) and discussed in terms of chlorophyll fluorescence and soil nutrients. Three treatments were applied: absence of burning (control plots); single burns (plots burned once); and repeated burns (plots burned twice). For single burns, we also explored changes over time. In P. laricio, PB tended to trigger only minor modifications consisting exclusively of short-lived increases (observed within 3 months after PB) in flavonoid index, possibly due to the leaf temperature increase during PB. In P. halepensis, PB had detrimental effects on physiological performance, consisting of (i) significant decreases in actual PSII efficiency (ΦPSII) in light-adapted conditions after repeated PB, and (ii) short-lived decreases in variable-to-maximum fluorescence ratio (Fv/Fm) after single PB, indicating that PB actually stressed P. halepensis trees. Repeated PB also promoted terpene-like metabolite production, which increased 2 to 3-fold compared to control trees. Correlations between terpene metabolites and soil chemistry were found. These results suggest that PB impacts needle secondary metabolism both directly (via a temperature impact) and indirectly (via soil nutrients), and that these impacts vary according to species/site location, frequency and time elapsed since last fire. Our findings are discussed with regard to the use of PB as a forest management technique and its consequences on plant investment in chemical defenses.

  19. The Work of the Prince's Teaching Institute--Insisting that Established Subjects Matter to All Pupils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Martin

    2012-01-01

    The Prince's Teaching Institute (PTI), which has evolved out of the Summer Schools for English Literature and History which The Prince of Wales inaugurated in 2002, now provides a variety of courses in the major subjects of the secondary curriculum. In partnership with Cambridge University it enables teachers to update and extend their subject…

  20. Girls, Boys and Subject Choice: A Report on Sex Differences in Participation Rates in Subjects in Western Australian Government Secondary Schools. Discussion Paper No. 11.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Sandra; Fitzpatrick, Jim

    Many of the issues confronting schools and society relate to the changing roles of males and females. Concern has also been expressed over the preparedness of graduates to face an uncertain job market and rapid technological change. To study the relationship between school subject choice and career opportunities for Australian youth, school…