Unexpected strong attraction in the presence of continuum bound state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delfino, A.; Frederico, T.

1992-06-01

The result of few-particle ground-state calculation employing a two-particle non-local potential supporting a continuum bound state in addition to a negative-energy bound state has occasionally revealed unexpected large attraction in producing a very strongly bound ground state. In the presence of the continuum bound state the difference of phase shift between zero and infinite energies has an extra jump of φ as in the presence of an additional bound state. The wave function of the continuum bound state is identical with that of a strongly bound negative-energy state, which leads us to postulate a pseudo bound state in the two-particle system in order to explain the unexpected attraction. The role of the Pauli forbidden states is expected to be similar to these pseudo states. (author)

Investigating Initial Disclosures and Reactions to Unexpected, Positive HPV Diagnosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Rachel A; Hernandez, Rachael; Catona, Danielle

2014-07-01

Initial disclosures of health conditions are critical communication moments. Existing research focuses on disclosers; integrating confidants into studies of initial disclosures is needed. Guided by the disclosure decision-making model (DD-MM; Greene, 2009), this study examined what diagnosed persons and confidants may say when faced with unexpected test results and unexpected disclosures, respectively. Participants ( N = 151) recorded an audio-visual message for another person, after imagining that they or the other person had just received unexpected, positive HPV test results. The qualitative analysis revealed four themes: (1) impression management and social distance, (2) invisible symptoms and advice regarding future disclosures, (3) expressing and acknowledging emotional reactions, and (4) misunderstandings and lacking knowledge about HPV. These findings suggested that DD-MM may be a relevant framework for understanding not only when disclosers share, but what disclosers and confidants say in early conversations about new diagnoses. While disclosers' and confidants' messages showed marked similarities, important differences appeared. For example, confidants focused on assuaging disclosers' fear about the consequences, whereas disclosers expressed distress related to their uncertainty about the prognosis of an HPV infection and how to prepare for next steps. The discussion highlighted implications for the DD-MM, HPV disclosures, and future interventions.

Cognitive Readiness: Preparing for the Unexpected

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Fletcher, J. D

2004-01-01

.... Anticipated operational requirements can be decomposed into specific tasks, conditions, and standards, but how should individuals, teams, and units prepare for the unexpected, which, by definition...

Characterization through a data display of the different cellular responses in X-irradiated small intestine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carr, K.E.; McCullough, J.S.; Nelson, A.C.; Hume, S.P.

1992-01-01

Previous work on small intestinal radiation injury has reported changes in epithelial and non-epithelial tissues, but with few quantitative comparisons of different responses by individual cell types. The approach used here quantifies the responses of mouse duodenum to X-irradiation with 6 Gy, 10 Gy and 20 Gy, sampled three days after treatment, and 10 Gy sampled 6 hours, 1 day and 3 days after treatment. Tissue area measurements and counts per circumference for 13 different structural elements are subjected to statistical tests. New data reported here for X-irradiation include the fact that cryptal cells do not respond uniformly, indicating that the crypt/microcolony cannot always be used as a standard unit in assessing radiation injury. Non-epithelial structures, such as submucosal arterioles, are also affected. The data display also includes control-referenced ratios, from which are calculated Tissue Indices and a final Morphological Index, which estimates total structural damage. The Indices are useful in drawing attention to unexpected changes in extent or range of data sets. In addition, the Epithelial Index appears to be a sensitive indicator of radiation damage, even at low doses and early time points. The data display includes a graph of the total Indices and summary tables of data, and encourages close study of the constituent data points. (author)

77 FR 21389 - Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-10

... April 3, 2012 Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs Memorandum for the Secretary of State By the... 2(c)(1) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 (the ``Act''), as amended, (22 U.S.C... United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund, for the purpose of meeting unexpected and...

Differences of Organizational Culture between Small and Large Enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ovidiu-Iliuta Dobre

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This research paper analyses the organizational culture of small enterprises and largeenterprises, and highlights the common elements and the main differences. The results of the studyshow significant differences in terms of organizational culture between the two types oforganizations. Employees working in small size enterprises are oriented towards innovation,whereas the ones working in large enterprises are more aware of social responsibility. In addition,small organizations are perceived to have a more supportive organizational culture than largeenterprises. Furthermore, the study reveals differences in management and leadership styles whenanalyzing the small and large enterprises. Considering the flatter organizational structure of smallenterprises, the managers have a personal relationship with the employees and they motivate thembetter and align their goals with the ones of the enterprise. In large organizations, the managersneed to have a tighter control, as more procedures have to be followed.

Autistic Traits Affect P300 Response to Unexpected Events, regardless of Mental State Inferences

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Mitsuhiko Ishikawa

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Limited use of contextual information has been suggested as a way of understanding cognition in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD. However, it has also been argued that individuals with ASD may have difficulties inferring others’ mental states. Here, we examined how individuals with different levels of autistic traits respond to contextual deviations by measuring event-related potentials that reflect context usage. The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ was used to quantify autistic-like traits in 28 university students, and 19 participants were defined as Low or High AQ groups. To additionally examine inferences about mental state, two belief conditions (with or without false belief were included. Participants read short stories in which the final sentence included either an expected or an unexpected word and rated the word’s degree of deviation from expectation. P300 waveform analysis revealed that unexpected words were associated with larger P300 waveforms for the Low AQ group, but smaller P300 responses in the High AQ group. Additionally, AQ social skill subscores were positively correlated with evaluation times in the Unexpected condition, whether a character’s belief was false or not. This suggests that autistic traits can affect responses to unexpected events, possibly because of decreased availability of context information.

[Development of the unexpected reality scale for childcare training].

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuda, Yuko; Shitara, Saeko; Hamada, Shoko

2016-10-01

This study aimed to develop a scale for unexpected reality for childcare training (Study 1) and examine the change and influence it exerts on the efficacy of preschool teachers (Study 2). In Study 1, the sample consisted of 571 university and junior college students enrolled in a childcare course. After exploratory factor analysis, four factors were extracted: “actual feelings for childcare as a field of study,” “difficulties faced during involvement with children,” “negative aspects of the childcare worker,” and “severity of work.” The study’s scale was shown to be internally consistent and valid. In Study 2, the sample consisted of 122 junior college students enrolled in a childcare course. The results showed that the high-scoring groups of each unexpected reality subscales experienced less unexpected reality in the subsequent training session. Moreover, the results of multiple regression showed that preschool teacher efficacy was predicted positively by “actual feelings for childcare as a field of study” and negatively by “difficulties faced during involvement with children.” Thus, we suggest that for effective pre- and post-guidance of childcare training, unexpected realities should be considered.

Structural imaging biomarkers of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Wandschneider, Britta; Koepp, Matthias; Scott, Catherine; Micallef, Caroline; Balestrini, Simona; Sisodiya, Sanjay M; Thom, Maria; Harper, Ronald M; Sander, Josemir W; Vos, Sjoerd B; Duncan, John S; Lhatoo, Samden; Diehl, Beate

2015-10-01

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy is a major cause of premature death in people with epilepsy. We aimed to assess whether structural changes potentially attributable to sudden death pathogenesis were present on magnetic resonance imaging in people who subsequently died of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. In a retrospective, voxel-based analysis of T1 volume scans, we compared grey matter volumes in 12 cases of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (two definite, 10 probable; eight males), acquired 2 years [median, interquartile range (IQR) 2.8] before death [median (IQR) age at scanning 33.5 (22) years], with 34 people at high risk [age 30.5 (12); 19 males], 19 at low risk [age 30 (7.5); 12 males] of sudden death, and 15 healthy controls [age 37 (16); seven males]. At-risk subjects were defined based on risk factors of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy identified in a recent combined risk factor analysis. We identified increased grey matter volume in the right anterior hippocampus/amygdala and parahippocampus in sudden death cases and people at high risk, when compared to those at low risk and controls. Compared to controls, posterior thalamic grey matter volume, an area mediating oxygen regulation, was reduced in cases of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy and subjects at high risk. The extent of reduction correlated with disease duration in all subjects with epilepsy. Increased amygdalo-hippocampal grey matter volume with right-sided changes is consistent with histo-pathological findings reported in sudden infant death syndrome. We speculate that the right-sided predominance reflects asymmetric central influences on autonomic outflow, contributing to cardiac arrhythmia. Pulvinar damage may impair hypoxia regulation. The imaging findings in sudden unexpected death in epilepsy and people at high risk may be useful as a biomarker for risk-stratification in future studies. The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of

Unexpected marked seizure improvement in paediatric epilepsy surgery candidates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hoei-Hansen, Christina E; Mathiasen, René; Uldall, Peter

2017-01-01

PURPOSE: Epilepsy surgery is performed based on the assumption that medical refractory epilepsy will continue. Rarely seizure freedom occurs before surgery is performed, while the patient is being evaluated as an epilepsy surgery candidate. The aim of this study was to describe the number...... of children withdrawn from an epilepsy surgery programme due to unexpected seizure improvement. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 173 children under 18 years with medical refractory epilepsy referred for epilepsy surgery between 1996 and 2010. Medical records were reviewed in 2012 and 2015. RESULTS......: At the first evaluation point in 2012, 13 patients were withdrawn from the epilepsy surgery programme due to unexpected marked improvement. In 2015, 6 of them were still seizure free. They had unexpected seizure freedom due to change in AED treatment (n=3) or after a febrile episode (n=3). The mean number...

Alopecia associated with unexpected leakage from electron cone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wen, B.C.; Pennington, E.C.; Hussey, D.H.; Jani, S.K.

1989-06-01

Excessive irradiation due to unexpected leakage was found on a patient receiving electron beam therapy. The cause of this leakage was analyzed and the amount of leakage was measured for different electron beam energies. The highest leakage occurred with a 6 x 6 cm cone using a 12 MeV electron beam. The leakage dose measured along the side of the cone could be as great as 40%. Until the cones are modified or redesigned, it is advised that all patient setups be carefully reviewed to assure that no significant patient areas are in the side scatter region.

Unexpected differences in butterfly diversity between two peat bogs in the same area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klimczuk Przemysław

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Peat bogs are listed among the most threatened habitats in central Europe, a situation that is reflected by, for example, the conservational status of stenotopic butterflies. Even so, this group remains relatively little studied and most of the available data are limited to qualitative records. The present study enabled us to gain insight into the butterfly fauna of the two largest peat bogs in the Knyszyn Forest (NE Poland, i.e. Bagno Moskal and the one in the Jesionowe Góry nature reserve. The sites, only ca 10 km apart, are characterized by similar vegetation (mainly the Ledo-Sphagnetum association. The study was carried out in 2013-2015 using the transect method, i.e. regular counts along fixed routes. A total of 37 species, including three tyrphobionts (Colias palaeno, Plebejus optilete and Boloria eunomia and two tyrphophiles (Callophrys rubi and Boloria euphrosyne, were recorded. The greatest and unexpected differences between the sites were related to the complete absence of P. optilete at Bagno Moskal, the significantly higher abundance of B. eunomia at Jesionowe Góry and the greater abundance of B. euphrosyne at Bagno Moskal. In addition, C. palaeno was observed sporadically and only at Bagno Moskal. There was some heterogeneity in the distribution and density of particular species, however. Ledum palustre was found to be the most important nectar plant, its flowers also being frequently visited by tyrphoneutrals. The present study shows that isolated island-like habitats (e.g. peat bogs may possess specific features and be subject to specific independent changes. The results provide a good basis for further research into the habitat preferences of tyrphophilous and tyrphobiontic butterflies, which is important in the context of their conservation.

Unexpected Expectations The Curiosities of a Mathematical Crystal Ball

CERN Document Server

Wapner, Leonard M

2012-01-01

Unexpected Expectations: The Curiosities of a Mathematical Crystal Ball explores how paradoxical challenges involving mathematical expectation often necessitate a reexamination of basic premises. The author takes you through mathematical paradoxes associated with seemingly straightforward applications of mathematical expectation and shows how these unexpected contradictions may push you to reconsider the legitimacy of the applications. The book requires only an understanding of basic algebraic operations and includes supplemental mathematical background in chapter appendices. After a history o

Unexpected findings and promoting monocausal claims, a cautionary tale.

Science.gov (United States)

Copeland, Samantha Marie

2017-10-01

Stories of serendipitous discoveries in medicine incorrectly imply that the path from an unexpected observation to major discovery is straightforward or guaranteed. In this paper, I examine a case from the field of research about chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). In Norway, an unexpected positive result during clinical care has led to the development of a research programme into the potential for the immunosuppressant drug rituximab to relieve the symptoms of CFS. The media and public have taken up researchers' speculations that their research results indicate a causal mechanism for CFS - consequently, patients now have great hope that 'the cause' of CFS has been found, and thus, a cure is sure to follow. I argue that a monocausal claim cannot be correctly asserted, either on the basis of the single case of an unexpected, although positive, result or on the basis of the empirical research that has followed up on that result. Further, assertion and promotion of this claim will have specific harmful effects: it threatens to inappropriately narrow the scope of research on CFS, might misdirect research altogether, and could directly and indirectly harm patients. Therefore, the CFS case presents a cautionary tale, illustrating the risks involved in drawing a theoretical hypothesis from an unexpected observation. Further, I draw attention to the tendency in contemporary clinical research with CFS to promote new research directions on the basis of reductive causal models of that syndrome. Particularly, in the case of CFS research, underdetermination and causal complexity undermine the potential value of a monocausal claim. In sum, when an unexpected finding occurs in clinical practice or medical research, the value of following up on that finding is to be found not in the projected value of a singular causal relationship inferred from the finding but rather in the process of research that follows. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Transfection of small RNAs globally perturbs gene regulation by endogenous microRNAs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khan, Aly A; Betel, Doron; Miller, Martin L

2009-01-01

Transfection of small RNAs (such as small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs)) into cells typically lowers expression of many genes. Unexpectedly, increased expression of genes also occurs. We investigated whether this upregulation results from a saturation effect--that is, competiti...

Different shades of green on small islands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teresa Tiago

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Many small islands exist as tourism destinations worldwide. In the 1990s, the growth of environmental consciousness led some small islands to question their mass tourism offers and to refocus on more sustainable propositions. However, it remains unclear whether hospitality firms see these sustainability related efforts as drivers of success and whether tourists value this dimension when choosing or recommending a destination. This study chose a small island destination to address these questions using data covering firm and tourism perceptions of green products. The results show that tourists tend to value green efforts with different intensities, corresponding to three segments: Light Green, Green, and Super Green. These findings should help hotels adjust their communication strategies and develop new services. Further, destination marketing organizations can devise a consistent destination strategy, integrating all stakeholders by including their most valued concepts.

An investigation into the causes of unexpected intra-operative transoesophageal echocardiography findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Skinner, H J; Mahmoud, A; Uddin, A; Mathew, T

2012-04-01

There is uncertainty regarding echocardiography before cardiac surgery, especially with regard to timing and disease progression as well as potential errors. We investigated the causes of unexpected intra-operative transoesophageal echocardiography findings by performing a 33-month audit. We found that there were 50/797 (6%) unexpected findings that led to an alteration in surgical strategy in 34 (4%) patients. Of the unexpected findings, 25 (50%) were unrelated to pre-operative pathology. After reviewing pre-operative studies and reports, unexpected findings were found to be due to: reporting errors in 20 patients (44%); limitations in transthoracic compared to transoesophageal echocardiography in 14 patients (30%); disease progression in 10 patients (22%); and inter-observer variability in two patients (4%). We identified six reports out of 797 (0.8%) that contained potentially serious errors. Surgical management changed in 18/20 (90%) patients in whom the unexpected change was due to reporting error, compared to 16/30 (53%) patients whose pre-operative echocardiogram was correctly reported (p = 0.006). Our study suggests that pre-operative echocardiography reporting errors are common and important. Anaesthesia © 2012 The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

Complex communities of small protists and unexpected occurrence of typical marine lineages in shallow freshwater systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Simon, Marianne; Jardillier, Ludwig; Deschamps, Philippe; Moreira, David; Restoux, Gwendal; Bertolino, Paola; López-García, Purificación

2015-10-01

Although inland water bodies are more heterogeneous and sensitive to environmental variation than oceans, the diversity of small protists in these ecosystems is much less well known. Some molecular surveys of lakes exist, but little information is available from smaller, shallower and often ephemeral freshwater systems, despite their global distribution and ecological importance. We carried out a comparative study based on massive pyrosequencing of amplified 18S rRNA gene fragments of protists in the 0.2-5 μm size range in one brook and four shallow ponds located in the Natural Regional Park of the Chevreuse Valley, France. Our study revealed a wide diversity of small protists, with 812 stringently defined operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to the recognized eukaryotic supergroups (SAR--Stramenopiles, Alveolata, Rhizaria--Archaeplastida, Excavata, Amoebozoa, Opisthokonta) and to groups of unresolved phylogenetic position (Cryptophyta, Haptophyta, Centrohelida, Katablepharida, Telonemida, Apusozoa). Some OTUs represented deep-branching lineages (Cryptomycota, Aphelida, Colpodellida, Tremulida, clade-10 Cercozoa, HAP-1 Haptophyta). We identified several lineages previously thought to be marine including, in addition to MAST-2 and MAST-12, already detected in freshwater, MAST-3 and possibly MAST-6. Protist community structures were different in the five ecosystems. These differences did not correlate with geographical distances, but seemed to be influenced by environmental parameters. © 2014 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Unexpected Coexisting Myocardial Infarction Detected by Delayed Enhancement MRI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edouard Gerbaud

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We report a case of an unexpected coexisting anterior myocardial infarction detected by delayed enhancement MRI in a 41-year-old man following a presentation with a first episode of chest pain during inferior acute myocardial infarction. This second necrotic area was not initially suspected because there were no ECG changes in the anterior leads and the left descending coronary artery did not present any significant stenoses on emergency coronary angiography. Unrecognised myocardial infarction may carry important prognostic implications. CMR is currently the best imaging technique to detect unexpected infarcts.

Unexpected MRI findings in clinically suspected Legg-Calve-Perthes disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lobert, Philip F.; Dillman, Jonathan R.; Strouse, Peter J.; Hernandez, Ramiro J. [University of Michigan Health System, Department of Radiology, Section of Pediatric Radiology, C.S. Mott Children' s Hospital/F3503, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

2011-03-15

In the setting of clinically suspected Legg-Calve-Perthes (LCP) disease and negative/equivocal radiographs, contrast-enhanced MRI can be performed to confirm the diagnosis. To determine the frequency of unexpected causes of hip pain as identified by MRI in children with clinically suspected LCP disease and negative/equivocal radiographs. All pediatric contrast-enhanced MRI examinations of the pelvis and hips performed between January 2000 and February 2009 to evaluate for possible LCP disease in the setting of negative/equivocal radiographs were identified. MRI examinations performed to evaluate for secondary avascular necrosis were excluded. Imaging reports were retrospectively reviewed for unexpected clinically important causes of hip pain. Thirty-six pediatric patients underwent contrast-enhanced MRI examinations for clinically suspected LCP disease in the setting of negative/equivocal radiographs. Twenty-two (61%) imaging studies were normal, while four (11%) imaging studies demonstrated findings consistent with LCP disease. Ten (28%) imaging studies revealed unexpected clinically important causes of hip pain, including nonspecific unilateral joint effusion and synovitis (n = 7, juvenile chronic arthritis was eventually diagnosed in 3 patients), sacral fracture (n = 1), apophyseal injury (n = 1), and femoral head subluxation (n = 1). MRI frequently reveals unexpected clinically important causes of hip pain in children with suspected LCP disease and negative/equivocal radiographs. (orig.)

The Academic Life: Small Worlds, Different Worlds

Science.gov (United States)

Locke, William

2010-01-01

"The Academic Life: Small Worlds, Different Worlds" represented an impressive investigation of the largest and most complex national academic community in the world, which seriously attempted a detailed representation of the variations in its form. Its ethnographic orientation to understanding the internal academic life through exploratory…

Four unexpected lanthanide coordination polymers involving in situ reaction of solvent N, N-Dimethylformamide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin, Jun-Cheng; Tong, Wen-Quan; Fu, Ai-Yun; Xie, Cheng-Gen; Chang, Wen-Gui; Wu, Ju; Xu, Guang-Nian; Zhang, Ya-Nan; Li, Jun; Li, Yong; Yang, Peng-Qi

2015-01-01

Four unexpected 2D lanthanide coordination polymers have been synthesized through in situ reactions of DMF solvent under solvothermal conditions. The isostructural complexes 1–3 contain four types of 2 1 helical chains. While the Nd(III) ions are bridged through μ 2 -HIDC 2− and oxalate to form a 2D sheet along the bc plane without helical character in 4. Therefore, complex 1 exhibits bright red solid-state phosphorescence upon exposure to UV radiation at room temperature. - Graphical abstract: Four unexpected 2D lanthanide coordination polymers have been synthesized through in situ reactions of solvent DMF to formate acid or oxalic acid under solvothermal conditions. The isostructural complexes 1–3 contain four types of different 2 1 helical chains in the 2D layer and 1 exhibits bright red solid-state phosphorescence upon UV radiation. - Highlights: • Four unexpected 2D lanthanide coordination compounds have been synthesized through in situ reactions under solvothermal conditions. • The complexes 1–3 contain four types of 2 1 helical chains in the layer. • Complex 1 exhibits bright red solid-state phosphorescence upon exposure to UV radiation at room temperature

Complexity in an Unexpected Place: Quantities in Selected Acquisition Reports

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-01

by the Army Acquisition Executive contains the following language . As a recently delegated Acquisition Category IC program, the AH-64E Apache...Complexity in an Unexpected Place: Quantities in Selected Acquisition Reports Gregory A. Davis, Project Leader Margaret L. Giles David M. Tate I...F E N S E A N A L Y S E S IDA Paper P-8490 Complexity in an Unexpected Place: Quantities in Selected Acquisition Reports Gregory A. Davis

ERP correlates of unexpected word forms in a picture–word study of infants and adults

Science.gov (United States)

Duta, M.D.; Styles, S.J.; Plunkett, K.

2012-01-01

We tested 14-month-olds and adults in an event-related potentials (ERPs) study in which pictures of familiar objects generated expectations about upcoming word forms. Expected word forms labelled the picture (word condition), while unexpected word forms mismatched by either a small deviation in word medial vowel height (mispronunciation condition) or a large deviation from the onset of the first speech segment (pseudoword condition). Both infants and adults showed sensitivity to both types of unexpected word form. Adults showed a chain of discrete effects: positivity over the N1 wave, negativity over the P2 wave (PMN effect) and negativity over the N2 wave (N400 effect). Infants showed a similar pattern, including a robust effect similar to the adult P2 effect. These observations were underpinned by a novel visualisation method which shows the dynamics of the ERP within bands of the scalp over time. The results demonstrate shared processing mechanisms across development, as even subtle deviations from expected word forms were indexed in both age groups by a reduction in the amplitude of characteristic waves in the early auditory evoked potential. PMID:22483072

Unexpected findings of a female team in Xochimilco, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Salgado, C

1999-01-01

This is a reflection about the methodological circumstances that led the author to certain unexpected information during the course of a qualitative approach to the perception of health problems of a group of poor families in the south of Mexico City. Special attention is paid to the influence of the research team composition (four women with different professional backgrounds, ages, marital statuses, and styles of personal interaction) and the psychoanalytic technique that influenced the study. The inclusion of people of different ages, professions, and personality traits proved extremely valuable both as a means of widening the possibilities for empathetic relations between the research group and the population studied and for increasing the shades of meaning that the team was able to capture.

Unexpected High Digestion Rate of Cooked Starch by the Ct-Maltase-Glucoamylase Small Intestine Mucosal α-Glucosidase Subunit

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Amy Hui-Mei; Nichols, Buford L.; Quezada-Calvillo, Roberto; Avery, Stephen E.; Sim, Lyann; Rose, David R.; Naim, Hassan Y.; Hamaker, Bruce R.

2012-01-01

For starch digestion to glucose, two luminal α-amylases and four gut mucosal α-glucosidase subunits are employed. The aim of this research was to investigate, for the first time, direct digestion capability of individual mucosal α-glucosidases on cooked (gelatinized) starch. Gelatinized normal maize starch was digested with N- and C-terminal subunits of recombinant mammalian maltase-glucoamylase (MGAM) and sucrase-isomaltase (SI) of varying amounts and digestion periods. Without the aid of α-amylase, Ct-MGAM demonstrated an unexpected rapid and high digestion degree near 80%, while other subunits showed 20 to 30% digestion. These findings suggest that Ct-MGAM assists α-amylase in digesting starch molecules and potentially may compensate for developmental or pathological amylase deficiencies. PMID:22563462

Effects of unexpected chords and of performer's expression on brain responses and electrodermal activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Koelsch, Stefan; Kilches, Simone; Steinbeis, Nikolaus; Schelinski, Stefanie

2008-07-09

There is lack of neuroscientific studies investigating music processing with naturalistic stimuli, and brain responses to real music are, thus, largely unknown. This study investigates event-related brain potentials (ERPs), skin conductance responses (SCRs) and heart rate (HR) elicited by unexpected chords of piano sonatas as they were originally arranged by composers, and as they were played by professional pianists. From the musical excerpts played by the pianists (with emotional expression), we also created versions without variations in tempo and loudness (without musical expression) to investigate effects of musical expression on ERPs and SCRs. Compared to expected chords, unexpected chords elicited an early right anterior negativity (ERAN, reflecting music-syntactic processing) and an N5 (reflecting processing of meaning information) in the ERPs, as well as clear changes in the SCRs (reflecting that unexpected chords also elicited emotional responses). The ERAN was not influenced by emotional expression, whereas N5 potentials elicited by chords in general (regardless of their chord function) differed between the expressive and the non-expressive condition. These results show that the neural mechanisms of music-syntactic processing operate independently of the emotional qualities of a stimulus, justifying the use of stimuli without emotional expression to investigate the cognitive processing of musical structure. Moreover, the data indicate that musical expression affects the neural mechanisms underlying the processing of musical meaning. Our data are the first to reveal influences of musical performance on ERPs and SCRs, and to show physiological responses to unexpected chords in naturalistic music.

Effects of unexpected chords and of performer's expression on brain responses and electrodermal activity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Koelsch

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: There is lack of neuroscientific studies investigating music processing with naturalistic stimuli, and brain responses to real music are, thus, largely unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This study investigates event-related brain potentials (ERPs, skin conductance responses (SCRs and heart rate (HR elicited by unexpected chords of piano sonatas as they were originally arranged by composers, and as they were played by professional pianists. From the musical excerpts played by the pianists (with emotional expression, we also created versions without variations in tempo and loudness (without musical expression to investigate effects of musical expression on ERPs and SCRs. Compared to expected chords, unexpected chords elicited an early right anterior negativity (ERAN, reflecting music-syntactic processing and an N5 (reflecting processing of meaning information in the ERPs, as well as clear changes in the SCRs (reflecting that unexpected chords also elicited emotional responses. The ERAN was not influenced by emotional expression, whereas N5 potentials elicited by chords in general (regardless of their chord function differed between the expressive and the non-expressive condition. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results show that the neural mechanisms of music-syntactic processing operate independently of the emotional qualities of a stimulus, justifying the use of stimuli without emotional expression to investigate the cognitive processing of musical structure. Moreover, the data indicate that musical expression affects the neural mechanisms underlying the processing of musical meaning. Our data are the first to reveal influences of musical performance on ERPs and SCRs, and to show physiological responses to unexpected chords in naturalistic music.

INVESTINGATION DOWNWARD WIND PRESSURE ON A SMALL QUADROTOR HELICOPTER

OpenAIRE

RAHMATI, Sadegh; GHASED, Amir

2015-01-01

Abstract. Small rotary-wing UAVs are susceptible to gusts and other environmental disturbances that affect inflow at their rotors. Inflow variations cause unexpected aerodynamic forces through changes in thrust conditions and unmodeled blade-flapping dynamics. This pa­per introduces an onboard, pressure-based flow measurement system developed for a small quadrotor helicopter. The probe-based instrumentation package provides spatially dis­tributed airspeed measurements along each of the aircra...

An unexpected cause of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage in a kidney transplant patient.

Science.gov (United States)

Schlageter, Manuel; Jahn, Kathleen D; Tzankov, Alexandar; Wiese, Mark; Bubendorf, Lukas; Tamm, Michael; Savic, Spasenija

2014-01-01

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a life-threatening condition requiring urgent treatment. There are many different treatment-relevant causes of DAH, making the diagnostic approach to these patients complex and necessitating a multidisciplinary team. We report the case of a kidney transplant recipient in whom all diagnostic efforts did not reveal the cause of DAH, and only autopsy was able to establish an unexpected diagnosis. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Incidentally detected small intestine intussusception caused by primary small intenstine carcinoma on {sup 18}F-FDG PET/CT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Hyun Jong; Oh, So Won; Kim, Yu Kyeong [Dept. of Nuclear MedicineSeoul Metropolitan Government - Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2017-09-15

Small intestine intussusception in adults is a rare condition mainly caused by primary or metastatic small intestine malignancy. Here, we present a 72-year-old male patient who was diagnosed with small intestine cancer that was presented as small intestine intussusception on hybrid {sup 18}F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT). The patient was initially referred for an abnormality on a chest radiography and severe anemia. FDG PET/CT showed the lung lesion in the right upper lobe of lung as a high FDG uptake mass. Accidentally, FDG PET demonstrated another intense hypermetabolic intraluminal lesion in the small intestine accompanied with intussusception shown as a circumferential hypermetabolic wall. By pathologic examination, the patient was diagnosed as primary small intestine cancer with lung metastasis. This case highlights usefulness of hybrid FDG PET/CT to identify unexpected malignancy.

Nationwide survey of rotavirus-associated encephalopathy and sudden unexpected death in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawamura, Yoshiki; Ohashi, Masahiro; Ihira, Masaru; Hashimoto, Shuji; Taniguchi, Koki; Yoshikawa, Tetsushi

2014-08-01

Rotavirus can cause severe complications such as encephalopathy/encephalitis and sudden unexpected death. The incidence of rotavirus-associated encephalopathy/encephalitis or sudden unexpected death remains unknown. To clarify the clinical features of rotavirus-associated encephalitis/encephalopathy and sudden unexpected death, we conducted a nationwide survey in Japan. A two-part questionnaire was designed to determine the number of the cases and the clinical features of severe cases of rotavirus infection, including encephalitis/encephalopathy and sudden unexpected death, between 2009 and 2011. Of the 1365 questionnaires sent to hospitals, 963 (70.5%) were returned and eligible for analysis. We determined 58 cases of rotavirus-associated encephalitis/encephalopathy and 7 cases of sudden unexpected death. These patients were diagnosed with rotavirus infection by immunochromatography. Although 36/58 (62.1%) encephalitis/encephalopathy patients had no sequelae, 15/58 (25.9%) patients had neurological sequelae, and 7/58 (12.1%) patients had fatal outcomes. Pleocytosis was observed in 9/40 (22.5%) patients and cerebrospinal fluid protein levels were elevated in only 4/40 (10%) patients. Elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (>500 IU/L) or acidemia (pHdeath were 44.0 and 4.9 cases in Japan, respectively. Elevated LDH (>500 IU/L) or acidemia (pH<7.15) were related to a poor prognosis of the encephalitis/encephalopathy. Copyright © 2013 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Unexpected complications of bonded mandibular lingual retainers.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Katsaros, C.; Livas, C.; Renkema, A.M.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTION: The flexible spiral wire (FSW) retainer is the most frequently used type of fixed retainer bonded on all 6 anterior teeth. Our aim in this article was to demonstrate unexpected posttreatment changes in the labiolingual position of the mandibular anterior teeth associated with the use

Conifers have a unique small RNA silencing signature.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolgosheina, Elena V; Morin, Ryan D; Aksay, Gozde; Sahinalp, S Cenk; Magrini, Vincent; Mardis, Elaine R; Mattsson, Jim; Unrau, Peter J

2008-08-01

Plants produce small RNAs to negatively regulate genes, viral nucleic acids, and repetitive elements at either the transcriptional or post-transcriptional level in a process that is referred to as RNA silencing. While RNA silencing has been extensively studied across the different phyla of the animal kingdom (e.g., mouse, fly, worm), similar studies in the plant kingdom have focused primarily on angiosperms, thus limiting evolutionary studies of RNA silencing in plants. Here we report on an unexpected phylogenetic difference in the size distribution of small RNAs among the vascular plants. By extracting total RNA from freshly growing shoot tissue, we conducted a survey of small RNAs in 24 vascular plant species. We find that conifers, which radiated from the other seed-bearing plants approximately 260 million years ago, fail to produce significant amounts of 24-nucleotide (nt) RNAs that are known to guide DNA methylation and heterochromatin formation in angiosperms. Instead, they synthesize a diverse population of small RNAs that are exactly 21-nt long. This finding was confirmed by high-throughput sequencing of the small RNA sequences from a conifer, Pinus contorta. A conifer EST search revealed the presence of a novel Dicer-like (DCL) family, which may be responsible for the observed change in small RNA expression. No evidence for DCL3, an enzyme that matures 24-nt RNAs in angiosperms, was found. We hypothesize that the diverse class of 21-nt RNAs found in conifers may help to maintain organization of their unusually large genomes.

77 FR 42947 - Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-20

... unexpected and urgent refugee and migration needs, including by contributions to international, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations and payment of administrative expenses of the Bureau of Population...

Unexpected and just missed: the separate influence of the appraisals of expectancy and proximity on negative emotions.

Science.gov (United States)

Bossuyt, Evelien; Moors, Agnes; De Houwer, Jan

2014-04-01

Previous research has suggested that a goal-incongruent outcome leads to more intense negative emotions when it is unexpected and close to a goal-congruent outcome. Until now, however, no studies have disentangled the influence of the appraisals of expectancy and proximity on emotions. We experimentally manipulated each of these variables in 3 slot machine experiments and measured emotions via differences in motivation (i.e., the tendency to repair the goal incongruence) and feelings (i.e., disappointment, frustration, and anger). The experiments consisted of a series of trials that each started with the sequential presentation of 3 symbols. In case of a win trial, all symbols were equal (e.g., AAA) and the participant gained 10 cents; in case of a loss trial, one or more of the symbols differed and the participant gained 0 cents. Three different loss trials were compared: unexpected proximal ones (e.g., AAB), expected proximal ones (e.g., ABA), and expected distal ones (e.g., ABC). The tendency to repair was measured online via behavior as well as retrospectively via self-reports; feelings were measured retrospectively (Experiments 1 and 2) or online (Experiment 3). Unexpected losses seemed to increase the tendency to repair as well as feelings of disappointment (in all experiments) and feelings of frustration and anger (in Experiments 1 and 3). Proximal losses increased only the tendency to repair (in all experiments). This suggests that the appraisals of expectancy and proximity have a distinct influence on emotions.

Unexpected variation in neuroanatomy among diverse nematode species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ziduan eHan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Nematodes are considered excellent models for understanding fundamental aspects of neuron function. However, nematodes are less frequently used as models for examining the evolution of nervous systems. While the habitats and behaviors of nematodes are diverse, the neuroanatomy of nematodes is often considered highly conserved. A small number of nematode species greatly influences our understanding of nematode neurobiology. The free-living species Caenorhabditis elegans and, to a lesser extent, the mammalian gastrointestinal parasite Ascaris suum are, historically, the primary sources of knowledge regarding nematode neurobiology. Despite differences in size and habitat, C. elegans and Ascaris suum share a surprisingly similar neuroanatomy. Here, we examined species across several clades in the phylum Nematoda and show that there is a surprising degree of neuroanatomical variation both within and among nematode clades when compared to C. elegans and Ascaris. We found variation in the numbers of neurons in the ventral nerve cord and dye-filling pattern of sensory neurons. For example, we found that Pristionchus pacificus, a bacterial feeding species used for comparative developmental research, had 20% fewer ventral cord neurons compared to C. elegans. Steinernema carpocapse, an insect-parasitic nematode capable of jumping behavior, had 40% more ventral cord neurons than C. elegans. Interestingly, the non-jumping congeneric nematode, S. glaseri showed an identical number of ventral cord neurons as S. carpocapsae. There was also variability in the timing of neurodevelopment of the ventral cord with two of five species that hatch as second-stage juveniles showing delayed neurodevelopment. We also found unexpected variation in the dye-filling of sensory neurons among examined species. Again, sensory neuron dye-filling pattern did not strictly correlate with phylogeny. Our results demonstrate that variation in nematode neuroanatomy is more prevalent

Sudden unexpected death in infancy in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Winkel, Bo Gregers; Holst, Anders Gaarsdal; Theilade, Juliane

2011-01-01

Abstract Background. Incidence of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) differs among studies and non-autopsied cases are difficult to assess. Objectives. To investigate causes of sudden death in infancy in a nationwide setting. Validate the use...... of the ICD-10 code for SIDS (R95) in the Danish Cause of Death registry. Design. A retrospective analysis of all infant deaths (death certificates and autopsy reports were read. Results. We identified 192 SUDI cases (10% of total deaths, 0.42 per 1000 births......) with autopsy performed in 87% of cases. In total, 49% of autopsied SUDI cases were defined as SIDS (5% of all deaths, 0.22 per 1000 births); Cardiac cause of death was denoted in 24% of cases. The Danish Cause of Death Registry misclassified 30% of SIDS cases. Conclusions. A large proportion of infant deaths...

Hunting for unexpected post-translational modifications by spectral library searching with tier-wise scoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Chun Wai Manson; Lam, Henry

2014-05-02

Discovering novel post-translational modifications (PTMs) to proteins and detecting specific modification sites on proteins is one of the last frontiers of proteomics. At present, hunting for post-translational modifications remains challenging in widely practiced shotgun proteomics workflows due to the typically low abundance of modified peptides and the greatly inflated search space as more potential mass shifts are considered by the search engines. Moreover, most popular search methods require that the user specifies the modification(s) for which to search; therefore, unexpected and novel PTMs will not be detected. Here a new algorithm is proposed to apply spectral library searching to the problem of open modification searches, namely, hunting for PTMs without prior knowledge of what PTMs are in the sample. The proposed tier-wise scoring method intelligently looks for unexpected PTMs by allowing mass-shifted peak matches but only when the number of matches found is deemed statistically significant. This allows the search engine to search for unexpected modifications while maintaining its ability to identify unmodified peptides effectively at the same time. The utility of the method is demonstrated using three different data sets, in which the numbers of spectrum identifications to both unmodified and modified peptides were substantially increased relative to a regular spectral library search as well as to another open modification spectral search method, pMatch.

Frequency, severity and causes of unexpected allergic reactions to food: a systematic literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Versluis, A; Knulst, A C; Kruizinga, A G; Michelsen, A; Houben, G F; Baumert, J L; van Os-Medendorp, H

2015-02-01

Food allergic patients have to deal with an avoidance diet. Confusing labelling terms or precautionary labels can result in misinterpretation and risk-taking behaviour. Even those patients that strictly adhere to their diet experience (sometimes severe) unexpected allergic reactions to food. The frequency, severity and causes of such reactions are unknown. The objective of this review was to describe the frequency, severity and causes of unexpected allergic reactions to food in food allergic patients aged > 12 years, in order to develop improved strategies to deal with their allergy. A systematic review was carried out by two researchers, in six electronic databases (CINAHL, Cochrane, EMBASE, Medline, Psychinfo and Scopus). The search was performed with keywords relating to the frequency, severity and causes of unexpected allergic reactions to food. This resulted in 24 studies which met the inclusion criteria; 18 observational and six qualitative studies. This review shows that knowledge about the frequency of unexpected reactions is limited. Peanut, nuts, egg, fruit/vegetables and milk are the main causal foods. Severe reactions and even fatalities occur. Most reactions take place at home, but a significant number also take place when eating at friends' houses or in restaurants. Labelling issues, but also attitude and risky behaviour of patients can attribute to unexpected reactions. We conclude that prospective studies are needed to get more insight in the frequency, severity, quantity of unintended allergen ingested and causes of unexpected allergic reactions to food, to be able to optimize strategies to support patients in dealing with their food allergy. Although the exact frequency is not known, unexpected reactions to food occur in a significant number of patients and can be severe. For clinical practice, this means that patient education and dietary instructions are necessary. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A simple and efficient method for isolating small RNAs from different plant species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

de Folter Stefan

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Small RNAs emerged over the last decade as key regulators in diverse biological processes in eukaryotic organisms. To identify and study small RNAs, good and efficient protocols are necessary to isolate them, which sometimes may be challenging due to the composition of specific tissues of certain plant species. Here we describe a simple and efficient method to isolate small RNAs from different plant species. Results We developed a simple and efficient method to isolate small RNAs from different plant species by first comparing different total RNA extraction protocols, followed by streamlining the best one, finally resulting in a small RNA extraction method that has no need of first total RNA extraction and is not based on the commercially available TRIzol® Reagent or columns. This small RNA extraction method not only works well for plant tissues with high polysaccharide content, like cactus, agave, banana, and tomato, but also for plant species like Arabidopsis or tobacco. Furthermore, the obtained small RNA samples were successfully used in northern blot assays. Conclusion Here we provide a simple and efficient method to isolate small RNAs from different plant species, such as cactus, agave, banana, tomato, Arabidopsis, and tobacco, and the small RNAs from this simplified and low cost method is suitable for downstream handling like northern blot assays.

Is the stage set for small reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crowley, J.H.; Marda, R.S.; Ritchey, N.F.

1984-01-01

This paper discusses the unexpected large increase in capital cost and time needed to build large conventional nuclear power plants, the slowdown in electric utility system load growth, and the financing constraints faced by the utility industry. The advantages and disadvantages of small reactor systems in solving some of these problems are assessed from the standpoint of institutional, capital cost, system planning, financing, and market potential considerations

Unexpected secoiridoid glucosides from Manulea corymbosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Gousiadou, Chrysoula; Kokubun, Tetsuo; Gotfredsen, Charlotte H; Jensen, Søren R

2014-03-28

From an extract of Manulea corymbosa were isolated four known secoiridoid glucosides (1-4), 10 new monoterpenoid esters of secologanol, namely, manuleosides A-I (5-11, 13, and 14) and dimethyl rhodanthoside A (12), and four new phenylpropanoid esters of carbocyclic iridoid glucosides, manucorymbosides I-IV (15-18). Also, the caffeoyl phenylethanoid glycoside verbascoside was isolated. The presence of secoiridoids apparently derived from loganic acid in the family Scrophulariaceae is unprecedented and greatly unexpected.

Unexpected Secoiridoid Glucosides from Manulea corymbosa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gousiadou, Chrysoula; Kokubun, Tetsuo; Gotfredsen, Charlotte Held

2014-01-01

From an extract of Manulea corymbosa were isolated four known secoiridoid glucosides (1–4), 10 new monoterpenoid esters of secologanol, namely, manuleosides A–I (5–11, 13, and 14) and dimethyl rhodanthoside A (12), and four new phenylpropanoid esters of carbocyclic iridoid glucosides, manucorymbo......, manucorymbosides I–IV (15–18). Also, the caffeoyl phenylethanoid glycoside verbascoside was isolated. The presence of secoiridoids apparently derived from loganic acid in the family Scrophulariaceae is unprecedented and greatly unexpected....

Circadian variation in unexpected postoperative death

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosenberg, J; Pedersen, M H; Ramsing, T

1992-01-01

Unexpected deaths still occur following major surgical procedures. The cause is often unknown but may be cardiac or thromboembolic in nature. Postoperative ischaemia, infarction and sudden cardiac death may be triggered by episodic or constant arterial hypoxaemia, which increases during the night...... deaths occurred at night-time. These results suggest a need for further studies of sleep- and respiration-related effects on postoperative nocturnal cardiac function. The efficacy of monitoring during this apparent high-risk period should be evaluated....

New product trial, use of edibles, and unexpected highs among marijuana and hashish users in Colorado.

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Jane A; Davis, Kevin C; Duke, Jennifer C; Nonnemaker, James M; Bradfield, Brian R; Farrelly, Matthew C

2017-07-01

This study examines the relationships between trial of new marijuana or hashish products and unexpected highs, and use of edible products and unexpected highs. We conducted an online survey of 634 adult, past-year marijuana users in Colorado. We used logistic regression models to examine the relationship between new product trial or edible use and unexpected highs. In the first year that recreational marijuana was legal in Colorado, 71.4% of respondents tried a new marijuana or hashish product, and 53.6% used an edible product. Trial of new products was associated with greater odds of experiencing an unexpected high after controlling for age, gender, education, mental health status, current marijuana or hashish use, and mean amount of marijuana or hashish consumed in the past month (OR=2.13, pmarijuana or hashish products, or use edible marijuana or hashish products, are at greater risk for an unexpected high. It is possible that some negative outcomes associated with marijuana use and unexpected highs may be averted through a better understanding of how to use product packaging to communicate with consumers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fatigue life analysis of unexpected failure in a lamellar TiAl alloy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chan, K.S.

1999-07-01

Unexpected catastrophic failure occurred in specimens of a lamellar TiAl alloy tested by axial fatigue. The failure initiated at locations away from artificial defects introduced to the specimens as crack starters. Fractographic examination of the fracture surface revealed the presence of featureless, low-energy facets that suggested the catastrophic crack may have initiated in one or more large grains that cleaved on a cleavage plane or an interface. A crack growth analysis of fatigue life of the test specimens suggested that the catastrophic crack propagated at stress intensity levels below the large crack threshold. Furthermore, the catastrophic crack propagated at rates that were higher than the average rates exhibited by small cracks, as well as by the large crack under equivalent stress intensity ranges. Because of this, the conventional life prediction approach based on the large crack growth data grossly overpredicted the fatigue life.

Rural families' interpretations of experiencing unexpected transition in the wake of a natural disaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, Gisele Cristina Manfrini; Boehs, Astrid Eggert; Denham, Sharon A; Nitschke, Rosane Gonçalves; Martini, Jussara Gue

2017-02-13

Natural disasters affect populations in various parts of the world. The impacts of disasters can cause many problems to the health of people and disruption to family life, potentially leading to an unexpected transition. The objective of this paper is to present the unexpected transitional experiences of rural families following a natural disaster. A multiple case study of six families was conducted with children and adolescents in a rural area affected by a 2008 disaster in southern Brazil. For data collection, we used participant observation, narrative interviews, genograms, ecomaps and an instrument called calendar routine. The analysis of the data resulted in different family interpretations about the changes resulting from the storm and compared life before and after the disaster. The loss of homes and loved ones, migration, unemployment, and losses from the farm were the main changes associated with new development tasks. The experiences of family transition after the disaster revealed that losses influenced social lives, daily routines and the preservation of cultural values.

Unexpected Importance of Potential Parasites in the Composition of the Freshwater Small-Eukaryote Community▿

Science.gov (United States)

Lepère, Cécile; Domaizon, Isabelle; Debroas, Didier

2008-01-01

The diversity of small eukaryotes (0.2 to 5 μm) in a mesotrophic lake (Lake Bourget) was investigated using 18S rRNA gene library construction and fluorescent in situ hybridization coupled with tyramide signal amplification (TSA-FISH). Samples collected from the epilimnion on two dates were used to extend a data set previously obtained using similar approaches for lakes with a range of trophic types. A high level of diversity was recorded for this system with intermediate trophic status, and the main sequences from Lake Bourget were affiliated with ciliates (maximum, 19% of the operational taxonomic units [OTUs]), cryptophytes (33%), stramenopiles (13.2%), and cercozoa (9%). Although the comparison of TSA-FISH results and clone libraries suggested that the level of Chlorophyceae may have been underestimated using PCR with 18S rRNA primers, heterotrophic organisms dominated the small-eukaryote assemblage. We found that a large fraction of the sequences belonged to potential parasites of freshwater phytoplankton, including sequences affiliated with fungi and Perkinsozoa. On average, these sequences represented 30% of the OTUs (40% of the clones) obtained for each of two dates for Lake Bourget. Our results provide information on lacustrine small-eukaryote diversity and structure, adding to the phylogenetic data available for lakes with various trophic types. PMID:18359836

Two-phase exchangers with small temperature differences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moracchioli, R.; Marie, G.; Lallee, J. de.

1976-01-01

The possibility in using heat available at low temperature level is shown (industrial wastes, solar energy, geothermal energy, heat power from seas). Special emphasis is put on the importance of heat exchangers that commonly should be evaporators and condensors working with small temperature differences (20 to 100 deg C). The expansion of the so-called ''new'' energies or recovery processes will depend on the physical performance of exchangers (Rankine two-phase cycles) and cost of the elementary exchange interfaces and assembling technics [fr

Lifting an unexpectedly heavy object : the effects on low-back loading and balance loss

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Burg, J C; van Dieën, J H; Toussaint, H M

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the effects of lifting an unexpectedly heavy object on low-back loading and loss of balance. BACKGROUND: It is often suggested that lifting an unexpectedly heavy object may be a major risk factor for low-back pain. This may lead to an increase in muscle activation,

Why are small software organisations different?

OpenAIRE

Richardson, Ita; Gresse von Wangenheim, Christiane

2007-01-01

peer-reviewed Small software organizations independently financed and organized companies with fewer than 50 employees are fundamental to many national economies' growth. In the US, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Finland, Ireland, Hungary, and many other countries, small companies represent up to 85 percent of all software organizations. However, to persist and grow, small software companies need efficient, effective software engineering solutions.

Mathematics Placement Test: Typical Results with Unexpected Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Ingalls, Victoria

2011-01-01

Based on the results of a prior case-study analysis of mathematics placement at one university, the mathematics department developed and piloted a mathematics placement test. This article describes the implementation process for a mathematics placement test and further analyzes the test results for the pilot group. As an unexpected result, the…

The processing of unexpected positive response outcomes in the mediofrontal cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferdinand, Nicola K; Mecklinger, Axel; Kray, Jutta; Gehring, William J

2012-08-29

The human mediofrontal cortex, especially the anterior cingulate cortex, is commonly assumed to contribute to higher cognitive functions like performance monitoring. How exactly this is achieved is currently the subject of lively debate but there is evidence that an event's valence and its expectancy play important roles. One prominent theory, the reinforcement learning theory by Holroyd and colleagues (2002, 2008), assigns a special role to feedback valence, while the prediction of response-outcome (PRO) model by Alexander and Brown (2010, 2011) claims that the mediofrontal cortex is sensitive to unexpected events regardless of their valence. However, paradigms examining this issue have included confounds that fail to separate valence and expectancy. In the present study, we tested the two competing theories of performance monitoring by using an experimental task that separates valence and unexpectedness of performance feedback. The feedback-related negativity of the event-related potential, which is commonly assumed to be a reflection of mediofrontal cortex activity, was elicited not only by unexpected negative feedback, but also by unexpected positive feedback. This implies that the mediofrontal cortex is sensitive to the unexpectedness of events in general rather than their valence and by this supports the PRO model.

Unexpected pathological findings in skills training and assessing skills

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boendermaker, PM; Pols, J; Scherpbier, AJJA

This article draws attention to unexpected pathological findings encountered by students and teachers when examining one another and/or simulated patients in skips training and assessment sessions. Although no literature on the subject was found it appears to be not uncommon far students and

Rural families' interpretations of experiencing unexpected transition in the wake of a natural disaster

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gisele Cristina Manfrini Fernandes

Full Text Available Abstract: Natural disasters affect populations in various parts of the world. The impacts of disasters can cause many problems to the health of people and disruption to family life, potentially leading to an unexpected transition. The objective of this paper is to present the unexpected transitional experiences of rural families following a natural disaster. A multiple case study of six families was conducted with children and adolescents in a rural area affected by a 2008 disaster in southern Brazil. For data collection, we used participant observation, narrative interviews, genograms, ecomaps and an instrument called calendar routine. The analysis of the data resulted in different family interpretations about the changes resulting from the storm and compared life before and after the disaster. The loss of homes and loved ones, migration, unemployment, and losses from the farm were the main changes associated with new development tasks. The experiences of family transition after the disaster revealed that losses influenced social lives, daily routines and the preservation of cultural values.

When Field Experiments Yield Unexpected Results: Lessons Learned from Measuring Selection in White Sands Lizards

Science.gov (United States)

Hardwick, Kayla M.; Harmon, Luke J.; Hardwick, Scott D.; Rosenblum, Erica Bree

2015-01-01

Determining the adaptive significance of phenotypic traits is key for understanding evolution and diversification in natural populations. However, evolutionary biologists have an incomplete understanding of how specific traits affect fitness in most populations. The White Sands system provides an opportunity to study the adaptive significance of traits in an experimental context. Blanched color evolved recently in three species of lizards inhabiting the gypsum dunes of White Sands and is likely an adaptation to avoid predation. To determine whether there is a relationship between color and susceptibility to predation in White Sands lizards, we conducted enclosure experiments, quantifying survivorship of Holbrookia maculate exhibiting substrate-matched and substrate-mismatched phenotypes. Lizards in our study experienced strong predation. Color did not have a significant effect on survival, but we found several unexpected relationships including variation in predation over small spatial and temporal scales. In addition, we detected a marginally significant interaction between sex and color, suggesting selection for substrate matching may be stronger for males than females. We use our results as a case study to examine six major challenges frequently encountered in field-based studies of natural selection, and suggest that insight into the complexities of selection often results when experiments turn out differently than expected. PMID:25714838

An Unexpected Case of Lyme Disease in a Soldier Serving in Northern Iraq

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-01

MILITARY MEDICINE, 175,5:367,2010 An Unexpected Case of Lyme Disease in a Soldier Serving in Northern Iraq CPT Jeremy B. Fisher, SP USA *; CPT...Christopher E. Curtis, MC USAt 188143 ABSTRACT Lyme disease is a tick-transmitted disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. Cases have been...Turkey.3-S We report an unexpected case of Lyme disease from Iraq. CASE REPORT A 28-year-old active duty Army male, on a deployment to northern Iraq

The Investigation of Unexpected Arsenic Compounds Observed in Routine Biological Monitoring Urinary Speciation Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth Leese

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the identity of two unexpected arsenic species found separately in a number of urine samples sent to the Health and Safety Executive’s Health and Safety Laboratory for arsenic speciation (arsenobetaine, AB; arsenite, As3+; arsenate, As5+; monomethylarsonic acid, MMA5+; and dimethylarsinic acid, DMA5+. Micro liquid chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (µLC-ICP-MS and electrospray time of flight tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-QqTOF-MS/MS were used to identify the two arsenic peaks by comparison to several characterized arsenicals: arsenocholine, AC; trimethyl arsine oxide, TMAO; dimethylarsenoacetate, DMAA; dimethylarsenoethanol, DMAE; thio-dimethylarsinate, thio-DMA; thio-dimethylarsenoacetate, thio-DMAA and thio-dimethylarsenoethanol, thio-DMAE. The results from both the ICP-MS and ESI-QqTOF-MS/MS investigations indicate that the unexpected arsenic species termed peak 1 was thio-DMA. While the unexpected arsenic species termed peak 2 has yet to be identified, this investigation shows that it was not AC, TMAO, DMAA, DMAE, thio-DMA, thio-DMAA or thio-DMAE. This study demonstrates the incidence of unexpected arsenic species in both routine and non-routine urine samples from both workers and hospital patients.

Process improvement methodologies uncover unexpected gaps in stroke care.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuner, Anthony D; Schemmel, Andrew J; Pooler, B Dustin; Yu, John-Paul J

2018-01-01

Background The diagnosis and treatment of acute stroke requires timed and coordinated effort across multiple clinical teams. Purpose To analyze the frequency and temporal distribution of emergent stroke evaluations (ESEs) to identify potential contributory workflow factors that may delay the initiation and subsequent evaluation of emergency department stroke patients. Material and Methods A total of 719 sentinel ESEs with concurrent neuroimaging were identified over a 22-month retrospective time period. Frequency data were tabulated and odds ratios calculated. Results Of all ESEs, 5% occur between 01:00 and 07:00. ESEs were most frequent during the late morning and early afternoon hours (10:00-14:00). Unexpectedly, there was a statistically significant decline in the frequency of ESEs that occur at the 14:00 time point. Conclusion Temporal analysis of ESEs in the emergency department allowed us to identify an unexpected decrease in ESEs and through process improvement methodologies (Lean and Six Sigma) and identify potential workflow elements contributing to this observation.

Water in stars: expected and unexpected

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuji, T.; Aoki, W.; Ohnaka, K.

1999-03-01

We have confirmed the presence of water in the early M giant α Cet (M1.5III) and supergiant KK Per (M2Iab) by the highest resolution grating mode of SWS, but this result is quite unexpected from present model atmospheres. In late M giant and supergiant stars, water observed originates partly in the photosphere as expected by the model atmospheres, but ISO SWS has revealed that the 2.7 mic\\ absorption bands appear to be somewhat stronger than predicted while 6.5 mic\\ bands weaker, indicating the contamination by an emission component. In the mid-infrared region extending to 45 mic, pure rotation lines of hho\\ appear as distinct emission on the high resolution SWS spectra of 30g Her (M7III) and S Per (M4-7Ia), along with the dust emission at 10, 13, 20 mic\\ and a new unidentified feature at 30 mic. Thus, together with the dust, water contributes to the thermal balance of the outer atmosphere already in the mid-infrared. The excitation temperature of hho\\ gas is estimated to be 500 - 1000 K. In view of this result for late M (super)giants, unexpected water observed in early M (super)giants should also be of non-photospheric in origin. Thus, ISO has finally established the presence of a new component of the outer atmosphere - a warm molecular envelope - in red giant and supergiant stars from early to late types. Such a rather warm molecular envelope will be a site of various activities such as chemical reactions, dust formation, mass-outflow etc.

Dealing with unexpected events : efficient and safe solutions to emergent repair on NPP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liekens Massazza, I.

2015-07-01

Nuclear Facilities are constantly challenged with unexpected events occurring on Primary Circuit components. A solution must be deployed quickly to minimize impact on the scheduled outage duration while guaranteeing safety, quality and ALARA standards. AREVA NP has demonstrated worldwide recognized capabilities and expertise through efficient management of various unexpected forced events through the time. Turnkey packaged solutions which are proposed are based on proven technics which can be quickly adapted and qualified to the specific problem, resulting in customers’ full satisfaction. (Author)

Unexpected Reading Dissociation in a Brazilian “nisei” with Crossed Aphasia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Caramelli

1994-01-01

Full Text Available There is an increased interest in reading impairments in the Japanese language, due to its particular writing system which includes two different scripts, Kanji (logograms and Kana (phonograms. Reading dissociations between Kanji and Kana have been described, showing that each system is processed differently by the cerebral hemispheres. We describe the case of a 68 year old Brazilian “nisei” (i.e. born from Japanese parents who had knowledge of both Japanese and Portuguese. He presented an ischemic stroke affecting the right hemisphere and subsequently developed a Broca's aphasia and an unexpected reading dissociation, with an impairment in Kana reading comprehension and a good performance in Kanji and in Portuguese. These findings suggest that the patient's right and left hemispheres have assumed opposite roles not only for oral but also for written language decodification.

Gastric Adenomyoma: The Unexpected Mimicker

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcela Adriana Duran Álvarez

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Gastric adenomyoma is a rare benign tumor composed of epithelial structures and smooth muscle stroma. Here, we report an unusual case of gastric adenomyoma mostly composed of smooth muscle that was incidentally found during a laparoscopic intervention. On radiology, it mimicked an acquired hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in an adult patient, and pathologically it resembled a pure smooth muscle hamartoma. Complete submission of the lesion for histology was necessary to find the epithelial component and make the right diagnosis. As a mimicker of benign and malignant entities, gastric adenomyoma is usually an unexpected finding after surgery. The aim of this report is to analyze this adenomyoma variant in the setting of an unexplained thickening of the gastric wall, with explanations concerning histogenesis and biological potential.

Shrinkage of body size of small insects: A possible link to global warming?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Jihuan

2007-01-01

The increase of global mean surface temperature leads to the increase of metabolic rate. This might lead to an unexpected threat from the small insect world. Global warming shrinks cell size, shorten lifespan, and accelerate evolution. The present note speculates on possible connections between allometry and E-infinity theory

Communication of Unexpected and Significant Findings on Chest Radiographs With an Automated PACS Alert System.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Hayes, Sara A

2014-08-01

An integral part of realizing the enormous potential of imaging in patient care is close communication between radiologists and referring physicians. One key element of this process is the communication of unexpected significant findings. The authors examined the performance of a PACS-based alert system in the appropriate communication of reports containing unexpected significant findings to referring physicians.

Small area estimation of proportions with different levels of auxiliary data.

Science.gov (United States)

Chandra, Hukum; Kumar, Sushil; Aditya, Kaustav

2018-03-01

Binary data are often of interest in many small areas of applications. The use of standard small area estimation methods based on linear mixed models becomes problematic for such data. An empirical plug-in predictor (EPP) under a unit-level generalized linear mixed model with logit link function is often used for the estimation of a small area proportion. However, this EPP requires the availability of unit-level population information for auxiliary data that may not be always accessible. As a consequence, in many practical situations, this EPP approach cannot be applied. Based on the level of auxiliary information available, different small area predictors for estimation of proportions are proposed. Analytic and bootstrap approaches to estimating the mean squared error of the proposed small area predictors are also developed. Monte Carlo simulations based on both simulated and real data show that the proposed small area predictors work well for generating the small area estimates of proportions and represent a practical alternative to the above approach. The developed predictor is applied to generate estimates of the proportions of indebted farm households at district-level using debt investment survey data from India. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Many unexpected abdominal findings on staging computed tomography in patients with colorectal cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holmsted, Kim; Nørring, Keld; Laustrup, Lene Collatz

2011-01-01

; an issue that was previously studied in relation to CT colonography, but not in relation to staging CT with intravenous contrast in CRC patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the number and significance of such unexpected findings on staging CTs in CRC patients.......Computed tomography (CT) was proven to be superior to preoperative abdominal ultrasound in the preoperative setting for detection of hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer (CRC). The higher sensitivity of CT has resulted in a number of unexpected abdominal findings of varying importance...

An unexpected clade of South American ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Bembidion).

Science.gov (United States)

Maddison, David R

2014-01-01

Phylogenetic relationships of the Antiperyphanes Complex of the genus Bembidion are inferred using DNA sequences from seven genes (two nuclear ribosomal, four nuclear protein coding, and one mitochondrial protein coding). Redefined subgenera within the complex are each well-supported as monophyletic. Most striking was the discovery that a small set of morphologically and ecologically heterogeneous species formed a clade, here called subgenus Nothonepha. This unexpected result was corroborated by the discovery of deep pits in the lateral body wall (in the mesepisternum) of all Nothonepha, a trait unique within Bembidion. These pits are filled with a waxy substance in ethanol-preserved specimens. In one newly discovered species (Bembidion tetrapholeon sp. n., described here), these pits are so deep that their projections into the body cavity from the two sides touch each other internally. These structures in Bembidion (Nothonepha) are compared to very similar mesepisternal pits which have convergently evolved in two other groups of carabid beetles. The function of these thoracic pits is unknown. Most members of subgenus Nothonepha have in addition similar but smaller pits in the abdomen. A revised classification is proposed for the Antiperyphanes Complex.

An unexpected clade of South American ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Bembidion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Maddison

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Phylogenetic relationships of the Antiperyphanes Complex of the genus Bembidion are inferred using DNA sequences from seven genes (two nuclear ribosomal, four nuclear protein coding, and one mitochondrial protein coding. Redefined subgenera within the complex are each well-supported as monophyletic. Most striking was the discovery that a small set of morphologically and ecologically heterogeneous species formed a clade, here called subgenus Nothonepha. This unexpected result was corroborated by the discovery of deep pits in the lateral body wall (in the mesepisternum of all Nothonepha, a trait unique within Bembidion. These pits are filled with a waxy substance in ethanol-preserved specimens. In one newly discovered species (Bembidion tetrapholeon sp. n., described here, these pits are so deep that their projections into the body cavity from the two sides touch each other internally. These structures in Bembidion (Nothonepha are compared to very similar mesepisternal pits which have convergently evolved in two other groups of carabid beetles. The function of these thoracic pits is unknown. Most members of subgenus Nothonepha have in addition similar but smaller pits in the abdomen. A revised classification is proposed for the Antiperyphanes Complex.

Unexpected Relationships and Inbreeding in HapMap Phase III Populations

Science.gov (United States)

Stevens, Eric L.; Baugher, Joseph D.; Shirley, Matthew D.; Frelin, Laurence P.; Pevsner, Jonathan

2012-01-01

Correct annotation of the genetic relationships between samples is essential for population genomic studies, which could be biased by errors or omissions. To this end, we used identity-by-state (IBS) and identity-by-descent (IBD) methods to assess genetic relatedness of individuals within HapMap phase III data. We analyzed data from 1,397 individuals across 11 ethnic populations. Our results support previous studies (Pemberton et al., 2010; Kyriazopoulou-Panagiotopoulou et al., 2011) assessing unknown relatedness present within this population. Additionally, we present evidence for 1,657 novel pairwise relationships across 9 populations. Surprisingly, significant Cotterman's coefficients of relatedness K1 (IBD1) values were detected between pairs of known parents. Furthermore, significant K2 (IBD2) values were detected in 32 previously annotated parent-child relationships. Consistent with a hypothesis of inbreeding, regions of homozygosity (ROH) were identified in the offspring of related parents, of which a subset overlapped those reported in previous studies (Gibson et al. 2010; Johnson et al. 2011). In total, we inferred 28 inbred individuals with ROH that overlapped areas of relatedness between the parents and/or IBD2 sharing at a different genomic locus between a child and a parent. Finally, 8 previously annotated parent-child relationships had unexpected K0 (IBD0) values (resulting from a chromosomal abnormality or genotype error), and 10 previously annotated second-degree relationships along with 38 other novel pairwise relationships had unexpected IBD2 (indicating two separate paths of recent ancestry). These newly described types of relatedness may impact the outcome of previous studies and should inform the design of future studies relying on the HapMap Phase III resource. PMID:23185369

The unexpected stability of multiwall nanotubes under high pressure and shear deformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pashkin, E. Y.; Pankov, A. M.; Kulnitskiy, B. A.; Mordkovich, V. Z.; Perezhogin, I. A.; Karaeva, A. R.; Popov, M. Y.; Sorokin, P. B.; Blank, V. D.

2016-01-01

The behavior of multiwall carbon nanotubes under a high pressure (up to 55 GPa) combined with shear deformation was studied by experimental and theoretical methods. The unexpectedly high stability of the nanotubes' structure under high stresses was observed. After the pressure was released, we observed that the nanotubes had restored their shapes. Atomistic simulations show that the hydrostatic and shear stresses affect the nanotubes' structure in a different way. It was found that the shear stress load in the multiwall nanotubes' outer walls can induce their connection and formation of an amorphized sp"3-hybridized region but internal core keeps the tubular structure.

The unexpected stability of multiwall nanotubes under high pressure and shear deformation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pashkin, E. Y.; Pankov, A. M.; Kulnitskiy, B. A.; Mordkovich, V. Z. [Technological Institute for Superhard and Novel Carbon Materials, 7a Centralnaya Street, Troitsk, Moscow 142190 (Russian Federation); Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 9 Institutsky Lane, Dolgoprudny 141700 (Russian Federation); Perezhogin, I. A. [Technological Institute for Superhard and Novel Carbon Materials, 7a Centralnaya Street, Troitsk, Moscow 142190 (Russian Federation); Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Karaeva, A. R. [Technological Institute for Superhard and Novel Carbon Materials, 7a Centralnaya Street, Troitsk, Moscow 142190 (Russian Federation); Popov, M. Y.; Sorokin, P. B.; Blank, V. D. [Technological Institute for Superhard and Novel Carbon Materials, 7a Centralnaya Street, Troitsk, Moscow 142190 (Russian Federation); Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 9 Institutsky Lane, Dolgoprudny 141700 (Russian Federation); National University of Science and Technology MISiS, 4 Leninskiy Prospekt, Moscow 119049 (Russian Federation)

2016-08-22

The behavior of multiwall carbon nanotubes under a high pressure (up to 55 GPa) combined with shear deformation was studied by experimental and theoretical methods. The unexpectedly high stability of the nanotubes' structure under high stresses was observed. After the pressure was released, we observed that the nanotubes had restored their shapes. Atomistic simulations show that the hydrostatic and shear stresses affect the nanotubes' structure in a different way. It was found that the shear stress load in the multiwall nanotubes' outer walls can induce their connection and formation of an amorphized sp{sup 3}-hybridized region but internal core keeps the tubular structure.

Inattentional Blindness and Individual Differences in Cognitive Abilities.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carina Kreitz

Full Text Available People sometimes fail to notice salient unexpected objects when their attention is otherwise occupied, a phenomenon known as inattentional blindness. To explore individual differences in inattentional blindness, we employed both static and dynamic tasks that either presented the unexpected object away from the focus of attention (spatial or near the focus of attention (central. We hypothesized that noticing in central tasks might be driven by the availability of cognitive resources like working memory, and that noticing in spatial tasks might be driven by the limits on spatial attention like attention breadth. However, none of the cognitive measures predicted noticing in the dynamic central task or in either the static or dynamic spatial task. Only in the central static task did working memory capacity predict noticing, and that relationship was fairly weak. Furthermore, whether or not participants noticed an unexpected object in a static task was only weakly associated with their odds of noticing an unexpected object in a dynamic task. Taken together, our results are largely consistent with the notion that noticing unexpected objects is driven more by stochastic processes common to all people than by stable individual differences in cognitive abilities.

Inattentional Blindness and Individual Differences in Cognitive Abilities

Science.gov (United States)

Kreitz, Carina; Furley, Philip; Memmert, Daniel; Simons, Daniel J.

2015-01-01

People sometimes fail to notice salient unexpected objects when their attention is otherwise occupied, a phenomenon known as inattentional blindness. To explore individual differences in inattentional blindness, we employed both static and dynamic tasks that either presented the unexpected object away from the focus of attention (spatial) or near the focus of attention (central). We hypothesized that noticing in central tasks might be driven by the availability of cognitive resources like working memory, and that noticing in spatial tasks might be driven by the limits on spatial attention like attention breadth. However, none of the cognitive measures predicted noticing in the dynamic central task or in either the static or dynamic spatial task. Only in the central static task did working memory capacity predict noticing, and that relationship was fairly weak. Furthermore, whether or not participants noticed an unexpected object in a static task was only weakly associated with their odds of noticing an unexpected object in a dynamic task. Taken together, our results are largely consistent with the notion that noticing unexpected objects is driven more by stochastic processes common to all people than by stable individual differences in cognitive abilities. PMID:26258545

Inattentional Blindness and Individual Differences in Cognitive Abilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Kreitz, Carina; Furley, Philip; Memmert, Daniel; Simons, Daniel J

2015-01-01

People sometimes fail to notice salient unexpected objects when their attention is otherwise occupied, a phenomenon known as inattentional blindness. To explore individual differences in inattentional blindness, we employed both static and dynamic tasks that either presented the unexpected object away from the focus of attention (spatial) or near the focus of attention (central). We hypothesized that noticing in central tasks might be driven by the availability of cognitive resources like working memory, and that noticing in spatial tasks might be driven by the limits on spatial attention like attention breadth. However, none of the cognitive measures predicted noticing in the dynamic central task or in either the static or dynamic spatial task. Only in the central static task did working memory capacity predict noticing, and that relationship was fairly weak. Furthermore, whether or not participants noticed an unexpected object in a static task was only weakly associated with their odds of noticing an unexpected object in a dynamic task. Taken together, our results are largely consistent with the notion that noticing unexpected objects is driven more by stochastic processes common to all people than by stable individual differences in cognitive abilities.

Unexpected sneezing after a peribulbar injection in a patient for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... anaesthetic in awake patients. We present a case report of an awake elderly male who experienced unexpected continuous sneezing immediately after the removal of the needle used for the peribulbar block, which was subsequently relieved with pheniramine maleate. Keywords: peribulbar block, pheniramine maleate, ...

Risk, unexpected uncertainty, and estimation uncertainty: Bayesian learning in unstable settings.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elise Payzan-LeNestour

Full Text Available Recently, evidence has emerged that humans approach learning using Bayesian updating rather than (model-free reinforcement algorithms in a six-arm restless bandit problem. Here, we investigate what this implies for human appreciation of uncertainty. In our task, a Bayesian learner distinguishes three equally salient levels of uncertainty. First, the Bayesian perceives irreducible uncertainty or risk: even knowing the payoff probabilities of a given arm, the outcome remains uncertain. Second, there is (parameter estimation uncertainty or ambiguity: payoff probabilities are unknown and need to be estimated. Third, the outcome probabilities of the arms change: the sudden jumps are referred to as unexpected uncertainty. We document how the three levels of uncertainty evolved during the course of our experiment and how it affected the learning rate. We then zoom in on estimation uncertainty, which has been suggested to be a driving force in exploration, in spite of evidence of widespread aversion to ambiguity. Our data corroborate the latter. We discuss neural evidence that foreshadowed the ability of humans to distinguish between the three levels of uncertainty. Finally, we investigate the boundaries of human capacity to implement Bayesian learning. We repeat the experiment with different instructions, reflecting varying levels of structural uncertainty. Under this fourth notion of uncertainty, choices were no better explained by Bayesian updating than by (model-free reinforcement learning. Exit questionnaires revealed that participants remained unaware of the presence of unexpected uncertainty and failed to acquire the right model with which to implement Bayesian updating.

Small chromosomes among Danish Candida glabrata isolates originated through different mechanisms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ahmad, Khadija Mohamed; Ishchuk, Olena P.; Hellborg, Linda

2013-01-01

chromosomes, which were smaller than 0.5 Mb. Regarding the year, patient and hospital, these C. glabrata strains had independent origin and the analyzed small chromosomes were structurally not related to each other (i.e. they contained different sets of genes). We suggest that at least two mechanisms could...... exhibited mitotic instability, while the second type, which contained the corresponding genes in only one copy in the genome, was mitotically stable. Apparently, in patients C. glabrata chromosomes are frequently reshuffled resulting in new genetic configurations, including appearance of small chromosomes...

When an Object Appears Unexpectedly: Object Circumvention in Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilmut, Kate; Du, Wenchong; Barnett, Anna L

2017-01-01

Obstacles often appear unexpectedly in our pathway and these require us to make immediate adjustments. Despite how regularly we encounter such situations only few studies have considered how we adjust to unexpected obstacles in the pathway that require us to walk around them. The authors considered how adults adjust to the possibility of an obstacle appearing and then also how foot placement is adjusted to circumvent an obstacle. Fifteen healthy adults walked down an 11-m walkway, initially they were told this was a clear pathway and nothing in the environment would change (no gate), they then performed a series of trials in which a gate may (gate close) or may not (gate open) partially obstruct their pathway. The authors found that mediolateral trunk velocity and acceleration was significantly increased when there was the possibility of an obstacle but before the obstacle appeared. This demonstrates an adaptive walking strategy that seems to enable healthy young adults to successfully circumvent obstacles. The authors also categorized foot placement adjustments and found that adults favored making shorter and wider steps away from the obstacle. They suggest this combination of adjustments allows participants to maintain stability while successfully circumventing the obstacle.

Frequentie en oorzaak van onverwachte allergische reacties op voedsel [Frequency and cause of unexpected allergic reactions to food

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Michelsen-Huisman, A.D.; Os-Medendorp, H. van; Versluis, A.; Kruizinga, A.G.; Castenmiller, J.J.M.; Noteborn, H.P.J.M.; Houben, G.F.; Knulst, A.C.

2014-01-01

Unexpected reactions occur in patients with food allergy, but frequency data are scare. This prospective study investigates the frequency, severity and causes of unexpected allergic reactions to food in adults with a doctor's diagnosed food allergy. Participants complete an online questionnaire

Evaluation of the Factors Concerning the Unexpected Pregnancy of Women who Applied to the Mother and Child Care and Family Planning Center of Van Province

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebahat Gucuk

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the experiences of unexpected pregnancy and the related factors of the women who have applied to our center. Material and Method: The study was planned as a descriptive study which enrolled women in the age range of 15-49 on the basis of volunteerism who have applied to the Mother and Child Care and Family Planning Center of Van Province. The participants were administered a survey in which certain situations were questioned, such as age, educational background, age at first labor, income status, number of living children, miscarriage status, unexpected pregnancy status, the presence of trying to undergo an abortion with alternative methods, and the state of receiving consultancy service on pre- and post-pregnancy family planning. Results: The more increased the educational level of 399 women enrolled in the study, the more significant reduction in unexpected pregnancies was detected (P=0.001. When the educational background and the use of alternative methods to have an abortion were compared, the illiterate women were found to use alternative methods (37.6% at a significantly high ratio (p=0.0001. The average of children number of women with at least one unexpected pregnancy was significantly high (p=0.0001. While the ratio of receiving consultancy on post-pregnancy family planning from health care personnel of the women with unexpected pregnancy was 79.5%, a ratio of 97.9% was detected for the women with planned pregnancy which was significantly different (p=0.0001. Conclusion: The health care personnel may reduce the unexpected pregnancies by training women on family planning in a simple, understandable way and by trying to increase health literacy by taking the dominant social rules in our region into consideration. We consider that the primary healthcare will be more effective and result oriented through newly applied Family Practice in our region. Key Words: Unexpected pregnancy

Responding In-the-Moment: Learning to Prepare for the Unexpected

Science.gov (United States)

Mason, John

2015-01-01

Becoming aware of something unexpected can be a form of awakening: sharpening attention, enriching noticing, opening up fresh possibilities of action, and educating awareness so as to enable a sensitive response to similar situations in the future. However it can also trigger tunnel vision (few if any actions available) or freezing (no actions…

Unexpected brain finding in pre-autopsy postmortem CT.

Science.gov (United States)

Chatzaraki, Vasiliki; Bolliger, Stephan A; Thali, Michael J; Eggert, Sebastian; Ruder, Thomas D

2017-09-01

A case is presented in which pre-autopsy postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) revealed an unexpected brain abscess with a related frontal sinusitis and an erosion of the posterior wall of the frontal sinus. PMCT findings enabled the forensic pathologists to adapt protective measures during autopsy and protect their health from infection. Pre-autopsy PMCT has been also useful in the early differential diagnosis procedure. The complementary use of postmortem imaging and autopsy can improve the quality of forensic death investigations.

ASSESSING SMALL SAMPLE WAR-GAMING DATASETS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. J. HURLEY

2013-10-01

Full Text Available One of the fundamental problems faced by military planners is the assessment of changes to force structure. An example is whether to replace an existing capability with an enhanced system. This can be done directly with a comparison of measures such as accuracy, lethality, survivability, etc. However this approach does not allow an assessment of the force multiplier effects of the proposed change. To gauge these effects, planners often turn to war-gaming. For many war-gaming experiments, it is expensive, both in terms of time and dollars, to generate a large number of sample observations. This puts a premium on the statistical methodology used to examine these small datasets. In this paper we compare the power of three tests to assess population differences: the Wald-Wolfowitz test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and re-sampling. We employ a series of Monte Carlo simulation experiments. Not unexpectedly, we find that the Mann-Whitney test performs better than the Wald-Wolfowitz test. Resampling is judged to perform slightly better than the Mann-Whitney test.

Effects of unexpected lateral mass placement on trunk loading in lifting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Burg, J.C.E.; Kingma, I.; van Dieen, J.H.

2003-01-01

Study Design. A repeated measurements experiment of spinal loading in healthy subjects. Objectives. To test whether unexpected lateral mass placement increases low back loading and trunk movement when subjects are lifting a mass in upright posture. Summary of Background Data. Epidemiologic studies

Lower incidence of unexpected in-hospital death after interprofessional implementation of a bedside track-and-trigger system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bunkenborg, Gitte; Samuelson, Karin Samuelsonkarin; Poulsen, Ingrid

2014-01-01

In-hospital patients may suffer unexpected death because of suboptimal monitoring. Early recognition of deviating physiological parameters may enable staff to prevent unexpected in-hospital death. The aim of this study was to evaluate short- and long-term effects of systematic interprofessional u...... of early warning scoring, structured observation charts, and clinical algorithms for bedside action....

Why don't you like me? Midfrontal theta power in response to unexpected peer rejection feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Molen, M J W; Dekkers, L M S; Westenberg, P M; van der Veen, F M; van der Molen, M W

2017-02-01

Social connectedness theory posits that the brain processes social rejection as a threat to survival. Recent electrophysiological evidence suggests that midfrontal theta (4-8Hz) oscillations in the EEG provide a window on the processing of social rejection. Here we examined midfrontal theta dynamics (power and inter-trial phase synchrony) during the processing of social evaluative feedback. We employed the Social Judgment paradigm in which 56 undergraduate women (mean age=19.67 years) were asked to communicate their expectancies about being liked vs. disliked by unknown peers. Expectancies were followed by feedback indicating social acceptance vs. rejection. Results revealed a significant increase in EEG theta power to unexpected social rejection feedback. This EEG theta response could be source-localized to brain regions typically reported during activation of the saliency network (i.e., dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, insula, inferior frontal gyrus, frontal pole, and the supplementary motor area). Theta phase dynamics mimicked the behavior of the time-domain averaged feedback-related negativity (FRN) by showing stronger phase synchrony for feedback that was unexpected vs. expected. Theta phase, however, differed from the FRN by also displaying stronger phase synchrony in response to rejection vs. acceptance feedback. Together, this study highlights distinct roles for midfrontal theta power and phase synchrony in response to social evaluative feedback. Our findings contribute to the literature by showing that midfrontal theta oscillatory power is sensitive to social rejection but only when peer rejection is unexpected, and this theta response is governed by a widely distributed neural network implicated in saliency detection and conflict monitoring. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Peritoneal fluid transport in CAPD patients with different transport rates of small solutes.

Science.gov (United States)

Sobiecka, Danuta; Waniewski, Jacek; Weryński, Andrzej; Lindholm, Bengt

2004-01-01

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients with high peritoneal solute transport rate often have inadequate peritoneal fluid transport. It is not known whether this inadequate fluid transport is due solely to a too rapid fall of osmotic pressure, or if the decreased effectiveness of fluid transport is also a contributing factor. To analyze fluid transport parameters and the effectiveness of dialysis fluid osmotic pressure in the induction of fluid flow in CAPD patients with different small solute transport rates. 44 CAPD patients were placed in low (n = 6), low-average (n = 13), high-average (n = 19), and high (n = 6) transport groups according to a modified peritoneal equilibration test (PET). The study involved a 6-hour peritoneal dialysis dwell with 2 L 3.86% glucose dialysis fluid for each patient. Radioisotopically labeled serum albumin was added as a volume marker.The fluid transport parameters (osmotic conductance and fluid absorption rate) were estimated using three mathematical models of fluid transport: (1) Pyle model (model P), which describes ultrafiltration rate as an exponential function of time; (2) model OS, which is based on the linear relationship of ultrafiltration rate and overall osmolality gradient between dialysis fluid and blood; and (3) model G, which is based on the linear relationship between ultrafiltration rate and glucose concentration gradient between dialysis fluid and blood. Diffusive mass transport coefficients (K(BD)) for glucose, urea, creatinine, potassium, and sodium were estimated using the modified Babb-Randerson-Farrell model. The high transport group had significantly lower dialysate volume and glucose and osmolality gradients between dialysate and blood, but significantly higher K(BD) for small solutes compared with the other transport groups. Osmotic conductance, fluid absorption rate, and initial ultrafiltration rate did not differ among the transport groups for model OS and model P. Model G yielded

FETAL METABOLIC PROGRAMMING OF THE SMALL INTESTINE IN A COPENHAGEN SHEEP MODEL

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Axel, Anne Marie Dixen; Khanal, Prabhat; Kongsted, Anna Hauntoft

for diabetes development. Twin-pregnant ewes where fed a Normal, a Low or a High diet during the last 6 weeks of gestation and the twin lambs where fed either a Conventional or a High fat, High carbohydrate (HCHF) diet during the first 6 months of life. Feeding challenge tests were performed on all lambs...... have shown unexpected involvement of the small intestine in diabetes pathophysiology as it in most cases result in a complete resolution of the diabetes before weight loss. Therefore we hypothesize that the small intestine is a subject of metabolic programming and that this programming can predispose...

Fournier gangrene and unexpected death.

Science.gov (United States)

Bury, Danielle; Byard, Roger W

2012-11-01

Fournier gangrene represents a rare but progressive perineal infection that may result in rapid death. A 70-year-old man with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus and alcohol abuse is reported who was found unexpectedly dead. He had last been contacted the night before his death. At autopsy, the most striking finding was deep necrotic ulceration of the scrotum with exposure of underlying deep muscles and testicles, with blood cultures positive for Escherichia coli. Death was, therefore, attributed to necrotic ulceration/gangrene of the perineum (Fournier gangrene) that was due to E. coli sepsis with underlying contributing factors of diabetes mellitus and alcoholism. In addition there was morbid obesity (body mass index 46.9), cirrhosis of the liver, and marked focal coronary artery atherosclerosis with significant cardiomegaly. Fournier gangrene may be an extremely aggressive condition that can result in rapid death, as was demonstrated by the rapid progression in the reported case. © 2012 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Molecular evidence for gender differences in the migratory behaviour of a small seabird.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renata J Medeiros

Full Text Available Molecular sexing revealed an unexpectedly strong female bias in the sex ratio of pre-breeding European Storm Petrels (Hydrobates pelagicus, attracted to playback of conspecific calls during their northwards migration past SW Europe. This bias was consistent across seven years, ranging from 80.8% to 89.7% female (mean annual sex ratio ± SD = 85.5% female ±4.1%. The sex ratio did not differ significantly from unity (i.e., 50% female among (i Storm Petrel chicks at a breeding colony in NW France, (ii adults found dead on beaches in Southern Portugal, (iii breeding birds attending nest burrows in the UK, captured by hand, and (iv adults captured near a breeding colony in the UK using copies of the same sound recordings as used in Southern Europe, indicating that females are not inherently more strongly attracted to playback calls than males. A morphological discriminant function analysis failed to provide a good separation of the sexes, showing the importance of molecular sexing for this species. We found no sex difference in the seasonal or nocturnal timing of migration past Southern Europe, but there was a significant tendency for birds to be caught in sex-specific aggregations. The preponderance of females captured in Southern Europe suggests that the sexes may differ in migration route or in their colony-prospecting behaviour during migration, at sites far away from their natal colonies. Such differences in migration behaviour between males and females are poorly understood but have implications for the vulnerability of seabirds to pollution and environmental change at sea during the non-breeding season.

Next of kin’s experiences of sudden and unexpected death from stroke - a study of narratives

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Death always evokes feelings in those close to the afflicted person. When death comes suddenly the time for preparation is minimal and the next of kin have to cope with the situation despite their own sorrow. The suddenness is found to be stressful for the next of kin and communication both with healthcare professionals and information about what has happened has been found helpful. The aim of this study was to illuminate the experiences of next of kin from the sudden and unexpected death of a relative from acute stroke. Methods Data was collected over a 12-month period in 2009–2010. Twelve next of kin of patients cared for in stroke units who died suddenly and unexpectedly from stroke were interviewed using a narrative method. The narratives were analyzed using narrative thematic analysis. Results Three themes emerged showing facets of next of kin’s experiences of a relative’s sudden and unexpected death from stroke: Divided feelings about the sudden and unexpected death; Perception of time and directed attention when keeping vigil; Contradictions and arbitrary memories when searching for understanding. Conclusions To have to live in the aftermath of severe stroke is absolute horror in people’s imagination and death is seen as the lesser of two evils. The sudden and unexpected death totally pervades the next of kin’s life, directs their attention to the dying person and even causes them to forget themselves and their own needs, and leads to difficulties in information intake. It is a challenge for the healthcare professionals to be able to identify the individual needs of the next of kin in this situation. PMID:23590246

Amygdala activity can be modulated by unexpected chord functions during music listening.

Science.gov (United States)

Koelsch, Stefan; Fritz, Thomas; Schlaug, Gottfried

2008-12-03

Numerous earlier studies have investigated the cognitive processing of musical syntax with regular and irregular chord sequences. However, irregular sequences may also be perceived as unexpected, and therefore have a different emotional valence than regular sequences. We provide behavioral data showing that irregular chord functions presented in chord sequence paradigms are perceived as less pleasant than regular sequences. A reanalysis of functional MRI data showed increased blood oxygen level-dependent signal changes bilaterally in the amygdala in response to music-syntactically irregular (compared with regular) chord functions. The combined data indicate that music-syntactically irregular events elicit brain activity related to emotional processes, and that, in addition to intensely pleasurable music or highly unpleasant music, single chord functions can also modulate amygdala activity.

Unexpected flood loss correlations across Europe

Science.gov (United States)

Booth, Naomi; Boyd, Jessica

2017-04-01

Floods don't observe country borders, as highlighted by major events across Europe that resulted in heavy economic and insured losses in 1999, 2002, 2009 and 2013. Flood loss correlations between some countries occur along multi-country river systems or between neighbouring nations affected by the same weather systems. However, correlations are not so obvious and whilst flooding in multiple locations across Europe may appear independent, for a re/insurer providing cover across the continent, these unexpected correlations can lead to high loss accumulations. A consistent, continental-scale method that allows quantification and comparison of losses, and identifies correlations in loss between European countries is therefore essential. A probabilistic model for European river flooding was developed that allows estimation of potential losses to pan-European property portfolios. By combining flood hazard and exposure information in a catastrophe modelling platform, we can consider correlations between river basins across Europe rather than being restricted to country boundaries. A key feature of the model is its statistical event set based on extreme value theory. Using historical river flow data, the event set captures spatial and temporal patterns of flooding across Europe and simulates thousands of events representing a full range of possible scenarios. Some known correlations were identified, such as between neighbouring Belgium and Luxembourg where 28% of events that affect either country produce a loss in both. However, our model identified some unexpected correlations including between Austria and Poland, and Poland and France, which are geographically distant. These correlations in flood loss may be missed by traditional methods and are key for re/insurers with risks in multiple countries. The model also identified that 46% of European river flood events affect more than one country. For more extreme events with a return period higher than 200 years, all events

The neural coding of expected and unexpected monetary performance outcomes: dissociations between active and observational learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellebaum, C; Jokisch, D; Gizewski, E R; Forsting, M; Daum, I

2012-02-01

Successful adaptation to the environment requires the learning of stimulus-response-outcome associations. Such associations can be learned actively by trial and error or by observing the behaviour and accompanying outcomes in other persons. The present study investigated similarities and differences in the neural mechanisms of active and observational learning from monetary feedback using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Two groups of 15 subjects each - active and observational learners - participated in the experiment. On every trial, active learners chose between two stimuli and received monetary feedback. Each observational learner observed the choices and outcomes of one active learner. Learning performance as assessed via active test trials without feedback was comparable between groups. Different activation patterns were observed for the processing of unexpected vs. expected monetary feedback in active and observational learners, particularly for positive outcomes. Activity for unexpected vs. expected reward was stronger in the right striatum in active learning, while activity in the hippocampus was bilaterally enhanced in observational and reduced in active learning. Modulation of activity by prediction error (PE) magnitude was observed in the right putamen in both types of learning, whereas PE related activations in the right anterior caudate nucleus and in the medial orbitofrontal cortex were stronger for active learning. The striatum and orbitofrontal cortex thus appear to link reward stimuli to own behavioural reactions and are less strongly involved when the behavioural outcome refers to another person's action. Alternative explanations such as differences in reward value between active and observational learning are also discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sudden unexpected death in children with a previously diagnosed cardiovascular disorder

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Polderman, Florens N.; Cohen, Joeri; Blom, Nico A.; Delhaas, Tammo; Helbing, Wim A.; Lam, Jan; Sobotka-Plojhar, Marta A.; Temmerman, Arno M.; Sreeram, Narayanswani

2004-01-01

BACKGROUND: It is known that children with previously diagnosed heart defects die suddenly. The causes of death are often unknown. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to identify all infants and children within the Netherlands with previously diagnosed heart disease who had a sudden unexpected death

Sudden unexpected death in children with a previously diagnosed cardiovascular disorder

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Polderman, F.N.; Cohen, Joeri; Blom, N.A.; Delhaas, T.; Helbing, W.A.; Lam, J.; Sobotka-Plojhar, M.A.; Temmerman, Arno M.; Sreeram, N.

2004-01-01

Background: It is known that children with previously diagnosed heart defects die suddenly. The causes of death are often unknown. Objective: The aim of the study was to identify all infants and children within the Netherlands with previously diagnosed heart disease who had a sudden unexpected death

Pupil dilation during recognition memory: Isolating unexpected recognition from judgment uncertainty.

Science.gov (United States)

Mill, Ravi D; O'Connor, Akira R; Dobbins, Ian G

2016-09-01

Optimally discriminating familiar from novel stimuli demands a decision-making process informed by prior expectations. Here we demonstrate that pupillary dilation (PD) responses during recognition memory decisions are modulated by expectations, and more specifically, that pupil dilation increases for unexpected compared to expected recognition. Furthermore, multi-level modeling demonstrated that the time course of the dilation during each individual trial contains separable early and late dilation components, with the early amplitude capturing unexpected recognition, and the later trailing slope reflecting general judgment uncertainty or effort. This is the first demonstration that the early dilation response during recognition is dependent upon observer expectations and that separate recognition expectation and judgment uncertainty components are present in the dilation time course of every trial. The findings provide novel insights into adaptive memory-linked orienting mechanisms as well as the general cognitive underpinnings of the pupillary index of autonomic nervous system activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Image processing of small protein-crystals in electron microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feinberg, D.A.

1978-11-01

This electron microscope study was undertaken to determine whether high resolution reconstructed images could be obtained from statistically noisy micrographs by the super-position of several small areas of images of well-ordered crystals of biological macromolecules. Methods of rotational and translational alignment which use Fourier space data were demonstrated to be superior to methods which use Real space image data. After alignment, the addition of the diffraction patterns of four small areas did not produce higher resolution because of unexpected image distortion effects. A method was developed to determine the location of the distortion origin and the coefficients of spiral distortion and pincushion/barrel distortion in order to make future correction of distortions in electron microscope images of large area crystals

Audit of radiology communication systems for critical, urgent, and unexpected significant findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Duncan, K A; Drinkwater, K J; Dugar, N; Howlett, D C

2016-03-01

To determine the compliance of UK radiology departments and trusts/healthcare organisations with National Patient Safety Agency and Royal College of Radiologist's published guidance on the communication of critical, urgent, and unexpected significant radiological findings. A questionnaire was sent to all UK radiology department audit leads asking for details of their current departmental policy regarding the issuing of alerts; use of automated electronic alert systems; methods of notification of clinicians of critical, urgent, and unexpected significant radiological findings; monitoring of results receipt; and examples of the more common types of serious pathologies for which alerts were issued. One hundred and fifty-four of 229 departments (67%) responded. Eighty-eight percent indicated that they had a policy in place for the communication of critical, urgent, and unexpected significant radiological findings. Only 34% had an automated electronic alert system in place and only 17% had a facility for service-wide electronic tracking of radiology reports. In only 11 departments with an electronic acknowledgement system was someone regularly monitoring the read rate. There is wide variation in practice across the UK with regard to the communication and monitoring of reports with many departments/trusts not fully compliant with published UK guidance. Despite the widespread use of electronic systems, only a minority of departments/trusts have and use electronic tracking to ensure reports have been read and acted upon. Copyright © 2015 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thallium-201 accumulation in cerebral candidiasis: Unexpected finding on SPECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tonami, N.; Matsuda, H.; Ooba, H.; Yokoyama, K.; Hisada, K.; Ikeda, K.; Yamashita, J.

1990-01-01

The authors present an unexpected finding of Tl-201 uptake in the intracerebral lesions due to candidiasis. SPECT demonstrated the extent of the lesions and a high target-to-background ratio. The regions where abnormal Tl-201 accumulation was seen were nearly consistent with CT scans of those enhanced by a contrast agent. After treatment, most of the abnormal Tl-201 accumulation disappeared

Thallium-201 accumulation in cerebral candidiasis: Unexpected finding on SPECT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tonami, N.; Matsuda, H.; Ooba, H.; Yokoyama, K.; Hisada, K.; Ikeda, K.; Yamashita, J. (Kanazawa Univ. (Japan))

1990-06-01

The authors present an unexpected finding of Tl-201 uptake in the intracerebral lesions due to candidiasis. SPECT demonstrated the extent of the lesions and a high target-to-background ratio. The regions where abnormal Tl-201 accumulation was seen were nearly consistent with CT scans of those enhanced by a contrast agent. After treatment, most of the abnormal Tl-201 accumulation disappeared.

Openness to the unexpected: Our Pathways to Careers in a Federal Research Laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, Kurt R.; Bunnell, David B.; Hondorp, Darryl W.; Taylor, William W.; Lynch, Abigail J.; Léonard, Nancy J.

2014-01-01

Many fisheries professionals may not be in the job they originally envisioned for themselves when they began their undergraduate studies. Rather, their current positions could be the result of unexpected, opportunistic, or perhaps even “lucky” open doors that led them down an unexpected path. In many cases, a mentor helped facilitate the unforeseen trajectory. We offer three unique stories about joining a federal fisheries research laboratory, from the perspective of a scientist, a joint manager-scientist, and a manager. We also use our various experiences to form recommendations that should help the next generation of fisheries professionals succeed in any stop along their journey, including being open to opportunities, setting high expectations, and finding a strong and supportive team environment to work in.

Same-different reaction times to odors: some unexpected findings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moeller, P.; Koester, E.P.; Dijkman, N.; Wijk, de R.A.; Mojet, J.

2012-01-01

Two experiments were carried out using olfactometers that delivered two stimuli with an interval of, respectively, 0.2 s (experiment 1) and 4.0 s (experiment 2) in a same–different paradigm. In experiment 1 (four men, age 38.5¿±¿15.2 and six women, age 25.8¿±¿1.2), four odors and in experiment 2

Effects of orthographic consistency on eye movement behavior: German and English children and adults process the same words differently.

Science.gov (United States)

Rau, Anne K; Moll, Kristina; Snowling, Margaret J; Landerl, Karin

2015-02-01

The current study investigated the time course of cross-linguistic differences in word recognition. We recorded eye movements of German and English children and adults while reading closely matched sentences, each including a target word manipulated for length and frequency. Results showed differential word recognition processes for both developing and skilled readers. Children of the two orthographies did not differ in terms of total word processing time, but this equal outcome was achieved quite differently. Whereas German children relied on small-unit processing early in word recognition, English children applied small-unit decoding only upon rereading-possibly when experiencing difficulties in integrating an unfamiliar word into the sentence context. Rather unexpectedly, cross-linguistic differences were also found in adults in that English adults showed longer processing times than German adults for nonwords. Thus, although orthographic consistency does play a major role in reading development, cross-linguistic differences are detectable even in skilled adult readers. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A resilience markers framework for small teams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Furniss, Dominic, E-mail: d.furniss@ucl.ac.u [UCL Interaction Centre, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom); Back, Jonathan; Blandford, Ann [UCL Interaction Centre, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom); Hildebrandt, Michael; Broberg, Helena [OECD Halden Reactor Project, PO Box 173, 1751 Halden (Norway)

2011-01-15

Processes that enable an effective response to unexpected events and vulnerabilities that lie outside the scope of formal procedures can be described as being resilient. There are many such descriptions of resilience within and across different domains. Comparison and generalisation is difficult because resilience is not a component of a system and should be understood as an emergent property. Here we provide a framework for reasoning about resilience that requires representation of the level of analysis (from the individual to operational), a traceable link from abstract theory to specific observations, resilience mechanisms, and contextual factors. This moves forward an agenda to systematically observe concrete manifestations of resilience within and across domains. We illustrate the application of the framework by considering a case study of the performance of nuclear power plant (NPP) operators in an experimental scenario. This paper focuses on the small team level of analysis. The framework presented here provides the basis for developing concrete measures for improving the resilience of organisations through training, system design, and organisational learning.

A resilience markers framework for small teams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furniss, Dominic; Back, Jonathan; Blandford, Ann; Hildebrandt, Michael; Broberg, Helena

2011-01-01

Processes that enable an effective response to unexpected events and vulnerabilities that lie outside the scope of formal procedures can be described as being resilient. There are many such descriptions of resilience within and across different domains. Comparison and generalisation is difficult because resilience is not a component of a system and should be understood as an emergent property. Here we provide a framework for reasoning about resilience that requires representation of the level of analysis (from the individual to operational), a traceable link from abstract theory to specific observations, resilience mechanisms, and contextual factors. This moves forward an agenda to systematically observe concrete manifestations of resilience within and across domains. We illustrate the application of the framework by considering a case study of the performance of nuclear power plant (NPP) operators in an experimental scenario. This paper focuses on the small team level of analysis. The framework presented here provides the basis for developing concrete measures for improving the resilience of organisations through training, system design, and organisational learning.

Differences in seed rain composition in small and large fragments in the northeast Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

Science.gov (United States)

Knörr, U C; Gottsberger, G

2012-09-01

Tropical forests are seriously threatened by fragmentation and habitat loss. The impact of fragment size and forest configuration on the composition of seed rain is insufficiently studied. For the present study, seed rain composition of small and large forest fragments (8-388 ha) was assessed in order to identify variations in seed abundance, species richness, seed size and dispersal mode. Seed rain was documented during a 1-year period in three large and four small Atlantic Forest fragments that are isolated by a sugarcane matrix. Total seed rain included 20,518 seeds of 149 species of trees, shrubs, palms, lianas and herbs. Most species and seeds were animal-dispersed. A significant difference in the proportion of seeds and species within different categories of seed size was found between small and large fragments. Small fragments received significantly more very small-sized seeds (1.5 cm) that were generally very rare, with only one species in small and eight in large fragments. We found a negative correlation between the inflow of small-sized seeds and the percentage of forest cover. Species richness was lower in small than in large fragments, but the difference was not very pronounced. Given our results, we propose changing plant species pools through logging, tree mortality and a high inflow of pioneer species and lianas, especially in small forest fragments and areas with low forest cover. Connecting forest fragments through corridors and reforestation with local large-seeded tree species may facilitate the maintenance of species diversity. © 2012 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Unpredictable Root Canal Morphology: Expect the Unexpected

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Sohez J Makani

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: A maxillary first molar with more than four canals is an interesting example of anatomic variations, especially when two of these canals are detected, with separate apical foramen in the distal root. The inability to locate the unexpected canals of various anatomical configuration and subsequently treat them , may lead to therapeutic failures. Endodontic retreatment is usually the modality of choice in such cases. This report describes a case of a maxillary first molar with five canals (two mesial canals in mesial root, two distal canals in two distal roots and a palatal canal in palatal root. Additionally it shows a rare anatomic configuration and emphasizes the importance of identifying additional canals.

A propensity score analysis of the impact of surgical intervention on unexpected 30-day readmission following admission for subdural hematoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Franko, Lynze R; Sheehan, Kyle M; Roark, Christopher D; Joseph, Jacob R; Burke, James F; Rajajee, Venkatakrishna; Williamson, Craig A

2017-12-22

OBJECTIVE Subdural hematoma (SDH) is a common disease that is increasingly being managed nonoperatively. The all-cause readmission rate for SDH has not previously been described. This study seeks to describe the incidence of unexpected 30-day readmission in a cohort of patients admitted to an academic neurosurgical center. Additionally, the relationship between operative management, clinical outcome, and unexpected readmission is explored. METHODS This is an observational study of 200 consecutive adult patients with SDH admitted to the neurosurgical ICU of an academic medical center. Demographic information, clinical characteristics, and treatment strategies were compared between readmitted and nonreadmitted patients. Multivariable logistic regression, weighted by the inverse probability of receiving surgery using propensity scores, was used to evaluate the association between operative management and unexpected readmission. RESULTS Of 200 total patients, 18 (9%) died during hospitalization and were not included in the analysis. Overall, 48 patients (26%) were unexpectedly readmitted within 30 days. Sixteen patients (33.3%) underwent SDH evacuation during their readmission. Factors significantly associated with unexpected readmission were nonoperative management (72.9% vs 54.5%, p = 0.03) and female sex (50.0% vs 32.1%, p = 0.03). In logistic regression analysis weighted by the inverse probability of treatment and including likely confounders, surgical management was not associated with likelihood of a good outcome at hospital discharge, but was associated with significantly reduced odds of unexpected readmission (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.08-0.49). CONCLUSIONS Over 25% of SDH patients admitted to an academic neurosurgical ICU were unexpectedly readmitted within 30 days. Nonoperative management does not affect outcome at hospital discharge but is significantly associated with readmission, even when accounting for the probability of treatment by propensity score weighted

[Species composition, diversity and density of small fishes in two different habitats in Niushan Lake].

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Shao-Wen; Li, Zhong-Jie; Cao, Wen-Xuan

2007-07-01

This paper studied the spatial distribution of small fishes in a shallow macrophytic lake, Niushan Lake in spring 2003, and its relations with habitat heterogeneity. Based on the macrophyte cover condition, distance from lake shore and water depth, two representative habitat types in the lake were selected. Habitat A was near the shore with dense submersed macrophyte, while habitat B was far from the shore with sparse submersed macrophyte. Small fishes were sampled quantitatively by block net (180 m2), and their densities within the net area were estimated by multiple mark-recapture or Zippin's removal method. The results showed that there were some differences in species composition, biodiversity measurement, and estimated density of small fishes between the two habitats: 1) the catches in habitat A consisted of 14 small fish species from 5 families, among which, benthopelagic species Rhodeus ocellatus, Paracheilognathus imberbis and Pseudorasbora parva were considered as dominant species, while those in habitat B consisted of 9 small fish species from 3 families, among which, bottom species Rhinogobius giurinus and Micropercops swinhonis were dominant; 2) the Bray-Curtis index between the two small fish communities was 0.222, reflecting their low structure similarity, and no significant difference was observed between their rank/ abundance distributions, both of which belonged to log series distribution; 3) the total density of 9 major species in habitat A was 8.71 ind x m(-2), while that of 5 major species in habitat B was only 3.54 ind x m(-2). The fact that the spatial distribution of the small fishes differed with habitats might be related to their habitat need for escaping predators, feeding, and breeding, and thus, aquatic macrophyte habitat should be of significance in the rational exploitation of small fish resources as well as the conservation of fish resource diversity.

Falls-risk post-stroke: Examining contributions from paretic versus non paretic limbs to unexpected forward gait slips.

Science.gov (United States)

Kajrolkar, Tejal; Bhatt, Tanvi

2016-09-06

Community-dwelling stroke survivors show a high incidence of falls with unexpected external perturbations during dynamic activities like walking. Previous evidence has demonstrated the importance of compensatory stepping to restore dynamic stability in response to perturbations in hemiparetic stroke survivors. However, these studies were limited to either stance perturbations or perturbation induced under the unaffected limb. This study aimed to compare the differences, if any, between the non-paretic and paretic sides in dynamic stability and protective stepping strategies when exposed to unexpected external perturbation during walking. Twenty hemiparetic subjects experienced an unexpected forward slip during walking on the laboratory walkway either on the paretic (n=10) or the nonparetic limb (n=10). Both groups demonstrated a backward loss of balance with a compensatory stepping response, with the nonparetic-side slip group resorting mainly to an aborted step response (60%) and the paretic-side slip group mainly exhibiting a recovery step response (90%). Although both groups showed an equal incidence of falls, the nonparetic-side slip group demonstrated a higher stability at recovery step touchdown, resulting from lower perturbation magnitudes (slip displacement and velocity) compared to the paretic-side slip group. The results indicate that the paretic side had difficulty initiating and executing a successful stepping response (nonparetic-side slip) and also in reactive limb control while in stance (paretic-side slip). Based on these results it is suggested that intervention strategies for fall-prevention in chronic stroke survivors should focus on paretic limb training for both reactive stepping and weight bearing for improving balance control for recovery from unpredictable perturbations during dynamic activities such as walking. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Unexpected Anal Squamous Cells Carcinoma after Open Hemorrhoidectomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Navarra Luca

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We report a case of unexpected anal squamous cells carcinoma found in hemorrhoidectomy specimen. The patient had a 3-year history of prolapsing hemorrhoids. A prolapsing hemorrhoid was present at eleven o’clock in lithotomy. Milligan-Morgan was performed and gross examination of the specimen was unremarkable. Histopathologic evaluation showed noninvasive squamous cells carcinoma. The present case report evidences the opportunity of routine histopathologic analysis of hemorrhoidal specimens particularly in case of long-standing prolapse. Questions arise in the option of those techniques where no specimens are collected or tissue is excised far from deceased area.

Unexpected death holograms: Animitas urban appeal in Chile

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Lautaro Ojeda Ledesma

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This paper aims at performing an integral analysis of the relation between popular religiousness and urban space in Chilean animitas [little shrines] practices. In order to do this, we propose a multipurpose analysis scheme, holding the concept of "unexpected death hologram". This scheme puts forward three supplementary classifications: animita as a holographic subject, as a holographic object and as a holographic place. Finally, these three classifications supplemented by interviews and topologic analyses show almost all the sociospatial factors present in this practice, accounting for the urban importance that this type of popular practice has

Precision grip responses to unexpected rotational perturbations scale with axis of rotation.

Science.gov (United States)

De Gregorio, Michael; Santos, Veronica J

2013-04-05

It has been established that rapid, pulse-like increases in precision grip forces ("catch-up responses") are elicited by unexpected translational perturbations and that response latency and strength scale according to the direction of linear slip relative to the hand as well as gravity. To determine if catch-up responses are elicited by unexpected rotational perturbations and are strength-, axis-, and/or direction-dependent, we imposed step torque loads about each of two axes which were defined relative to the subject's hand: the distal-proximal axis away from and towards the subject's palm, and the grip axis which connects the two fingertips. Precision grip responses were dominated initially by passive mechanics and then by active, unimodal catch-up responses. First dorsal interosseous activity, marking the start of the catch-up response, began 71-89 ms after the onset of perturbation. The onset latency, shape, and duration (217-231 ms) of the catch-up response were not affected by the axis, direction, or magnitude of the rotational perturbation, while strength was scaled by axis of rotation and slip conditions. Rotations about the grip axis that tilted the object away from the palm and induced rotational slip elicited stronger catch-up responses than rotations about the distal-proximal axis that twisted the object between the digits. To our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate grip responses to unexpected torque loads and to show characteristic, yet axis-dependent, catch-up responses for conditions other than pure linear slip. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Small angle neutron scattering investigations of spin disorder in nanocomposite soft magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vecchini, C.; Moze, O.; Suzuki, K.; Cadogan, J.M.; Pranzas, K.; Michels, A.; Weissmueller, J.

2006-01-01

The technique of SANS (small angle neutron scattering) furnishes unique information on the characteristic magnetic length scales and local magnetic anisotropies at the nanoscale in nanocomposite ferromagnets. Such information is not presently available using any other microscopic technique. The basic principles and results of the technique will be presented with regard to a unique and unexpected observation of a dipole field controlled spin disorder in a prototypical soft nanocomposite ferromagnet of the Nanoperm type

Crystal structure of a small heat-shock protein from Xylella fastidiosa reveals a distinct high-order structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Fonseca, Emanuella Maria Barreto; Scorsato, Valéria; Dos Santos, Marcelo Leite; Júnior, Atilio Tomazini; Tada, Susely Ferraz Siqueira; Dos Santos, Clelton Aparecido; de Toledo, Marcelo Augusto Szymanski; de Souza, Anete Pereira; Polikarpov, Igor; Aparicio, Ricardo

2017-04-01

Citrus variegated chlorosis is a disease that attacks economically important citrus plantations and is caused by the plant-pathogenic bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. In this work, the structure of a small heat-shock protein from X. fastidiosa (XfsHSP17.9) is reported. The high-order structures of small heat-shock proteins from other organisms are arranged in the forms of double-disc, hollow-sphere or spherical assemblies. Unexpectedly, the structure reported here reveals a high-order architecture forming a nearly square cavity.

Teach Students to Dig for Understanding Using an Unexpected Technological Shovel

Science.gov (United States)

Lake, Susan E. L.

2004-01-01

Online genealogy tools is an unexpected resource as these tools not only serve valuable for genealogy research, but also can be used by students to learn about their country's past and learn to use primary materials to draw conclusions. Some of these Online sources like the 1880 census available at www.ancestry.com, www.thepastwhispers.com, which…

All Intimate Grammars Leak: Reflections on "Indian Languages in Unexpected Places"

Science.gov (United States)

Kroskrity, Paul V.

2011-01-01

In this discussion of a set of studies that fits the trope of "Indian Languages in Unexpected Places," I explore the obvious necessity of developing a relevant notion of linguistic "leakage" following a famous image from the writings of the linguistic anthropologist Edward Sapir. Though in its original use, the concept applied more to the order of…

Small airway function changes and its clinical significance of asthma patients in different clinical phases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan-Hui Zhou

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Objective: To observe the small airways function changes of asthmatic patients in different clinical phases and to discuss its clinical significance. Methods: A total of 127 patients diagnosed as asthma were selected randomly and pulmonary function (PF of them was determined by conventional method. Then they were divided into A, B and C group based on PF results. All 34 patients in A group suffered from acute asthma attack for the first time. All 93 patients in B group had been diagnosed as asthma but in remission phase. C Group was regarded as Control group with 20 healthy volunteers. Then FEV1, FEF50%, FEF75% levels of patients in each group were analyzed, and ΔFEV1, ΔFEF75% and ΔFEF50% levels of patients in each group were compared after bronchial dilation test. Results: It was found that most patients in group A and B had abnormal small airways function, and their small airways function was significantly different compared with that of group C (P<0.01. In addition, except for group C, ΔFEF75%,ΔFEF50% levels in A and B group were improved more significantly than ΔFEV1 levels (P<0.01. Conclusions: Asthma patients in acute phase all have abnormal small airways function. Most asthma patients in remission phase also have abnormal small airways function. After bronchial dilation test, whether patients in acute phase or in remission phase, major and small airways function of them are improved, but improvement of small airways function is weaker than that of major airways. This indicates that asthma respiratory tract symptoms in different phases exists all the time and so therapeutic process is needed to perform step by step.

75 FR 67015 - Unexpected Urgent Refugee And Migration Needs Resulting From Flooding InPakistan

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-01

... September 3, 2010 Unexpected Urgent Refugee And Migration Needs Resulting From Flooding InPakistan... humanitarian needs resulting from recent devastating flooding in Pakistan. You are authorized and directed to...

Simultaneous repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm and resection of unexpected, associated abdominal malignancies.

Science.gov (United States)

Illuminati, Giulio; Calio', Francesco G; D'Urso, Antonio; Lorusso, Riccardo; Ceccanei, Gianluca; Vietri, Francesco

2004-12-15

The management of unexpected intra-abdominal malignancy, discovered at laparotomy for elective treatment of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), is controversial. It is still unclear whether both conditions should be treated simultaneously or a staged approach is to be preferred. To contribute in improving treatment guidelines, we retrospectively reviewed the records of patients undergoing laparotomy for elective AAA repair. From January 1994 to March 2003, 253 patients underwent elective, trans-peritoneal repair of an AAA. In four patients (1.6%), an associated, unexpected neoplasm was detected at abdominal exploration, consisting of one renal, one gastric, one ileal carcinoid, and one ascending colon tumor. All of them were treated at the same operation, after aortic repair and careful isolation of the prosthetic graft. The whole series' operative mortality was 3.6%. None of the patients simultaneously treated for AAA and tumor resection died in the postoperative period. No graft-related infections were observed. Simultaneous treatment of AAA and tumor did not prolong significantly the mean length of stay in the hospital, compared to standard treatment of AAA alone. Except for malignancies of organs requiring major surgical resections, simultaneous AAA repair and resection of an associated, unexpected abdominal neoplasm can be safely performed, in most of the patients, sparing the need for a second procedure. Endovascular grafting of the AAA can be a valuable tool in simplifying simultaneous treatment, or in staging the procedures with a very short delay.

Dosimetry in CBCT with different protocols: emphasis on small FOVs including exams for TMJ

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nascimento, Helena Aguiar Ribeiro; Nascimento, Eduarda Helena Leandro; Freitas, Deborah Queiroz, E-mail: eduarda.hln@gmail.com [Universidade de Campinas (UNICAMP), Piracicaba, SP (Brazil). Departmento de Diagnose Oral; Andrade, Marcos Ely Almeida [Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE (Brazil). Departmento de Energia Nuclear; Frazão, Marco Antonio Gomes [Faculdade de Odontologia de Recife (FOR), Recife, PE (Brazil). Divisao de Radiologia Oral; Ramos-Perez, Flavia Maria Moraes [Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE (Brazil). Departmento de Clinica e Odontologica Preventiva

2017-07-15

This study aimed to estimate the absorbed dose in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) exams according to different exposure parameters and size and position of the field of view (FOV). In addition was compared the absorbed dose of two smaller FOV scans with that of a larger FOV scan for evaluation of temporomandibular joint (TMJ), as it is a bilateral structure. CBCT scans were obtained on OP300 Maxio unit varying scanning mode (standard, high and endo) as well as size (5 x 5, 6 x 8 and 8 x 15 cm) and positioning of FOV. With a small FOV, different areas were scanned (maxilla or mandible, anterior or posterior and TMJ). Absorbed doses were determined using thermoluminescent dosimeters on the skin surface of sensitive organs of an anthropomorphic phantom. Endo mode showed the highest dose, followed by the high and standard modes in all FOV positions. With small FOV, doses were higher in the posterior region, especially in the mandible. Dose reduction occurred when small FOVs were used, but it was not proportional to FOV size reduction. For TMJ, the dose in a single acquisition with large FOV was greater than two acquisitions with small FOV, but lower than two acquisitions with medium FOV (6x8 cm). In conclusion, scanning mode, size and FOV position have great influence on the absorbed dose. Small FOV decreases the dose, but there is no linear relation between FOV size and dose. For bilateral exams of TMJ, double acquisition with small FOVs produces decrease in absorbed dose relative to a large FOV. (author)

Incidentally found and unexpected tumors discovered by MRI examination for temporomandibular joint arthrosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagi, Yoshinobu; Asaumi, Jun-ichi; Maki, Yuu; Murakami, Jun; Hisatomi, Miki; Matsuzaki, Hidenobu; Konouchi, Hironobu; Honda, Yosutoshi; Kishi, Kanji

2003-01-01

We examined the frequency of incidentally found or unexpected tumors discovered at the time of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) region for patients with suspicion of TMJ arthrosis. Five MR images (T1-weighted transverse scout image and proton density and T2-weighted oblique sagittal images at the open and closed mouth) were acquired. In 2776 MRI examinations of TMJ arthrosis, two tumors were discovered. They consisted of an adenoid cystic carcinoma in the deep portion of the parotid gland, and a malignant tumor extending from the infratemporal fossa to the parapharyngeal space. The rate of incidentally founded or unexpected tumors in TMJ examinations was low (0.072%), but the two tumors found were malignant tumors, and therefore, scout image should be carefully examined, not only used for positing the slice

Incidentally found and unexpected tumors discovered by MRI examination for temporomandibular joint arthrosis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yanagi, Yoshinobu; Asaumi, Jun-ichi E-mail: asaumi@md.okayama-u.ac.jp; Maki, Yuu; Murakami, Jun; Hisatomi, Miki; Matsuzaki, Hidenobu; Konouchi, Hironobu; Honda, Yosutoshi; Kishi, Kanji

2003-07-01

We examined the frequency of incidentally found or unexpected tumors discovered at the time of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) region for patients with suspicion of TMJ arthrosis. Five MR images (T1-weighted transverse scout image and proton density and T2-weighted oblique sagittal images at the open and closed mouth) were acquired. In 2776 MRI examinations of TMJ arthrosis, two tumors were discovered. They consisted of an adenoid cystic carcinoma in the deep portion of the parotid gland, and a malignant tumor extending from the infratemporal fossa to the parapharyngeal space. The rate of incidentally founded or unexpected tumors in TMJ examinations was low (0.072%), but the two tumors found were malignant tumors, and therefore, scout image should be carefully examined, not only used for positing the slice.

76 FR 14271 - Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs Related to Libya

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-16

... March 7, 2011 Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs Related to Libya Memorandum for the... States, including section 2(c)(1) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 (the ``Act''), as... million from the United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund, for the purpose of meeting...

Audit of radiology communication systems for critical, urgent, and unexpected significant findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duncan, K.A.; Drinkwater, K.J.; Dugar, N.; Howlett, D.C.

2016-01-01

Aim: To determine the compliance of UK radiology departments and trusts/healthcare organisations with National Patient Safety Agency and Royal College of Radiologist's published guidance on the communication of critical, urgent, and unexpected significant radiological findings. Materials and methods: A questionnaire was sent to all UK radiology department audit leads asking for details of their current departmental policy regarding the issuing of alerts; use of automated electronic alert systems; methods of notification of clinicians of critical, urgent, and unexpected significant radiological findings; monitoring of results receipt; and examples of the more common types of serious pathologies for which alerts were issued. Results: One hundred and fifty-four of 229 departments (67%) responded. Eighty-eight percent indicated that they had a policy in place for the communication of critical, urgent, and unexpected significant radiological findings. Only 34% had an automated electronic alert system in place and only 17% had a facility for service-wide electronic tracking of radiology reports. In only 11 departments with an electronic acknowledgement system was someone regularly monitoring the read rate. Conclusion: There is wide variation in practice across the UK with regard to the communication and monitoring of reports with many departments/trusts not fully compliant with published UK guidance. Despite the widespread use of electronic systems, only a minority of departments/trusts have and use electronic tracking to ensure reports have been read and acted upon. - Highlights: • UK wide audit of communication of significant radiology results. • 88% of departments have a communication policy in place. • 34% of departments have an automated electronic alert system. • 17% of Trusts have facility for service wide electronic tracking of radiology reports.

Birthdating of myenteric neuron subtypes in the small intestine of the mouse.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergner, Annette J; Stamp, Lincon A; Gonsalvez, David G; Allison, Margaret B; Olson, David P; Myers, Martin G; Anderson, Colin R; Young, Heather M

2014-02-15

There are many different types of enteric neurons. Previous studies have identified the time at which some enteric neuron subtypes are born (exit the cell cycle) in the mouse, but the birthdates of some major enteric neuron subtypes are still incompletely characterized or unknown. We combined 5-ethynynl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) labeling with antibody markers that identify myenteric neuron subtypes to determine when neuron subtypes are born in the mouse small intestine. We found that different neurochemical classes of enteric neuron differed in their birthdates; serotonin neurons were born first with peak cell cycle exit at E11.5, followed by neurofilament-M neurons, calcitonin gene-related peptide neurons (peak cell cycle exit for both at embryonic day [E]12.5-E13.5), tyrosine hydroxylase neurons (E15.5), nitric oxide synthase 1 (NOS1) neurons (E15.5), and calretinin neurons (postnatal day [P]0). The vast majority of myenteric neurons had exited the cell cycle by P10. We did not observe any EdU+/NOS1+ myenteric neurons in the small intestine of adult mice following EdU injection at E10.5 or E11.5, which was unexpected, as previous studies have shown that NOS1 neurons are present in E11.5 mice. Studies using the proliferation marker Ki67 revealed that very few NOS1 neurons in the E11.5 and E12.5 gut were proliferating. However, Cre-lox-based genetic fate-mapping revealed a small subpopulation of myenteric neurons that appears to express NOS1 only transiently. Together, our results confirm a relationship between enteric neuron subtype and birthdate, and suggest that some enteric neurons exhibit neurochemical phenotypes during development that are different from their mature phenotype. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Investigating Teachers' Appraisal of Unexpected Moments and Underlying Values: An Exploratory Case in the Context of Changing Mathematics Classroom Discourse

Science.gov (United States)

Cavanna, Jillian M.; Herbel-Eisenmann, Beth; Seah, Wee Tiong

2015-01-01

This article provides an exploratory case study that examines what one teacher indicated as unexpected as she worked to become more purposeful about her classroom discourse practices. We found that she highlighted three areas as being unexpected: (1) aspects of lesson enactment; (2) characteristics of student learning and (3) her own…

Unexpected Regularity in Swimming Behavior of Clausocalanus furcatus Revealed by a Telecentric 3D Computer Vision System.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giuseppe Bianco

Full Text Available Planktonic copepods display a large repertoire of motion behaviors in a three-dimensional environment. Two-dimensional video observations demonstrated that the small copepod Clausocalanus furcatus, one the most widely distributed calanoids at low to medium latitudes, presented a unique swimming behavior that was continuous and fast and followed notably convoluted trajectories. Furthermore, previous observations indicated that the motion of C. furcatus resembled a random process. We characterized the swimming behavior of this species in three-dimensional space using a video system equipped with telecentric lenses, which allow tracking of zooplankton without the distortion errors inherent in common lenses. Our observations revealed unexpected regularities in the behavior of C. furcatus that appear primarily in the horizontal plane and could not have been identified in previous observations based on lateral views. Our results indicate that the swimming behavior of C. furcatus is based on a limited repertoire of basic kinematic modules but exhibits greater plasticity than previously thought.

The vital few meet the trivial many: unexpected use patterns in a monographs collection.

Science.gov (United States)

Eldredge, J D

1998-01-01

PURPOSE: To test three related hypotheses about monographs circulation at academic health sciences libraries: (1) Juran's "Vital Few" Principle, sometimes incorrectly referred to as the "Pareto Principle"; (2) most (> 30%) new monographs will not circulate within four years; and, (3) Trueswell's 20/80 rule concerning intensity of monographs circulation. METHODS: Retrospective circulation study conducted at a major academic health sciences library in November 1997 on monographs acquired during 1993, utilizing an online review file. RESULTS: Unexpectedly, most monographs (84%) had circulated at least once in the four years following acquisition. Combining circulation and in-house data revealed that 90.7% of the monographs acquired in 1993 had been used at least once. Small percentages of these monographs produced disproportionately high circulation levels. CONCLUSION: Monographs circulation rates confirm Juran's Vital Few principle. Most monographs circulated at least once in contrast to results reported by the Pittsburgh Study or other studies reported by Hardesty and Fenske. The results do not comply with Trueswell's 20/80 ratio rule. Further research needs to investigate the effects of low students to books ratios and problem-based learning (PBL) curricula upon monographs utilization. PMID:9803291

Unexpected properties of Radim-type radon monitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plch, J.; Burian, I.; Jilek, K.; Vosahlik, J.

2004-01-01

The results of numerous experiments carried out using Radim-type monitors are summarized. The monitor, which is based on collection of ions on the surface of a semiconductor detector in an electric field, exhibits enormous efficiency in collecting ions, which attains a value of 70% in the optimum case. The collection efficiency exhibits low dependence on the humidity: the efficiency decreases by 7.4% when the humidity changes from 50 to 90%. The dependence on the humidity is linear to 10% - in contradiction with the published results. The work gives the experimentally determined decreases in the presence of smoke and VOCs, which are acceptable even when the smoke and VOC concentrations are enormous. The results are analyzed and an attempt was made to theoretically explain these unexpected results. (author)

Patterns of unexpected in-hospital deaths: a root cause analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Curry J Paul

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Respiratory alarm monitoring and rapid response team alerts on hospital general floors are based on detection of simple numeric threshold breaches. Although some uncontrolled observation trials in select patient populations have been encouraging, randomized controlled trials suggest that this simplistic approach may not reduce the unexpected death rate in this complex environment. The purpose of this review is to examine the history and scientific basis for threshold alarms and to compare thresholds with the actual pathophysiologic patterns of evolving death which must be timely detected. Methods The Pubmed database was searched for articles relating to methods for triggering rapid response teams and respiratory alarms and these were contrasted with the fundamental timed pathophysiologic patterns of death which evolve due to sepsis, congestive heart failure, pulmonary embolism, hypoventilation, narcotic overdose, and sleep apnea. Results In contrast to the simplicity of the numeric threshold breach method of generating alerts, the actual patterns of evolving death are complex and do not share common features until near death. On hospital general floors, unexpected clinical instability leading to death often progresses along three distinct patterns which can be designated as Types I, II and III. Type I is a pattern comprised of hyperventilation compensated respiratory failure typical of congestive heart failure and sepsis. Here, early hyperventilation and respiratory alkalosis can conceal the onset of instability. Type II is the pattern of classic CO2 narcosis. Type III occurs only during sleep and is a pattern of ventilation and SPO2 cycling caused by instability of ventilation and/or upper airway control followed by precipitous and fatal oxygen desaturation if arousal failure is induced by narcotics and/or sedation. Conclusion The traditional threshold breach method of detecting instability on hospital wards was not

Race and sex differences in small-molecule metabolites and metabolic hormones in overweight and obese adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Mahesh J; Batch, Bryan C; Svetkey, Laura P; Bain, James R; Turer, Christy Boling; Haynes, Carol; Muehlbauer, Michael J; Stevens, Robert D; Newgard, Christopher B; Shah, Svati H

2013-12-01

In overweight/obese individuals, cardiometabolic risk factors differ by race and sex categories. Small-molecule metabolites and metabolic hormone levels might also differ across these categories and contribute to risk factor heterogeneity. To explore this possibility, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of fasting plasma levels of 69 small-molecule metabolites and 13 metabolic hormones in 500 overweight/obese adults who participated in the Weight Loss Maintenance trial. Principal-components analysis (PCA) was used for reduction of metabolite data. Race and sex-stratified comparisons of metabolite factors and metabolic hormones were performed. African Americans represented 37.4% of the study participants, and females 63.0%. Of thirteen metabolite factors identified, three differed by race and sex: levels of factor 3 (branched-chain amino acids and related metabolites, phormones regulating body weight homeostasis. Among overweight/obese adults, there are significant race and sex differences in small-molecule metabolites and metabolic hormones; these differences may contribute to risk factor heterogeneity across race and sex subgroups and should be considered in future investigations with circulating metabolites and metabolic hormones.

An Investigation of the Differences and Similarities between Generated Small-World Networks for Right- and Left-Hand Motor Imageries.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jiang; Li, Yuyao; Chen, Huafu; Ding, Jurong; Yuan, Zhen

2016-11-04

In this study, small-world network analysis was performed to identify the similarities and differences between functional brain networks for right- and left-hand motor imageries (MIs). First, Pearson correlation coefficients among the nodes within the functional brain networks from healthy subjects were calculated. Then, small-world network indicators, including the clustering coefficient, the average path length, the global efficiency, the local efficiency, the average node degree, and the small-world index, were generated for the functional brain networks during both right- and left-hand MIs. We identified large differences in the small-world network indicators between the functional networks during MI and in the random networks. More importantly, the functional brain networks underlying the right- and left-hand MIs exhibited similar small-world properties in terms of the clustering coefficient, the average path length, the global efficiency, and the local efficiency. By contrast, the right- and left-hand MI brain networks showed differences in small-world characteristics, including indicators such as the average node degree and the small-world index. Interestingly, our findings also suggested that the differences in the activity intensity and range, the average node degree, and the small-world index of brain networks between the right- and left-hand MIs were associated with the asymmetry of brain functions.

Critical Neural Substrates for Correcting Unexpected Trajectory Errors and Learning from Them

Science.gov (United States)

Mutha, Pratik K.; Sainburg, Robert L.; Haaland, Kathleen Y.

2011-01-01

Our proficiency at any skill is critically dependent on the ability to monitor our performance, correct errors and adapt subsequent movements so that errors are avoided in the future. In this study, we aimed to dissociate the neural substrates critical for correcting unexpected trajectory errors and learning to adapt future movements based on…

Cine Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Small Bowel: Comparison of Different Oral Contrast Media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asbach, P.; Breitwieser, C.; Diederichs, G.; Eisele, S.; Kivelitz, D.; Taupitz, M.; Zeitz, M.; Hamm, B.; Klessen, C.

2006-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate several substances regarding small bowel distension and contrast on balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) cine magnetic resonance (MR) images. Material and Methods: Luminal contrast was evaluated in 24 volunteers after oral application of two different contrast agent groups leading to either bright lumen (pineapple, blueberry juice) or dark lumen (tap water, orange juice) on T1-weighted images. Bowel distension was evaluated in 30 patients ingesting either methylcellulose or mannitol solution for limiting intestinal absorption. Fifteen patients with duodeno-jejunal intubation served as the control. Quantitative evaluation included measurement of luminal signal intensities and diameters of four bowel segments, qualitative evaluation assessed luminal contrast and distension on a five-point scale. Results: Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the four contrast agents revealed no significant differences regarding luminal contrast on bSSFP images. Quantitative evaluation revealed significantly lower (P<0.05) small bowel distension for three out of four segments (qualitative evaluation: two out of four segments) for methylcellulose in comparison to the control. Mannitol was found to be equal to the control. Conclusion: Oral ingestion of tap water or orange juice in combination with mannitol is recommended for cine MR imaging of the small bowel regarding luminal contrast and small bowel distension on bSSFP sequences

Cine Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Small Bowel: Comparison of Different Oral Contrast Media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Asbach, P.; Breitwieser, C.; Diederichs, G.; Eisele, S.; Kivelitz, D.; Taupitz, M.; Zeitz, M.; Hamm, B.; Klessen, C. [Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Charite Campus Mitte, Berlin (Germany). Dept. of Radiology

2006-11-15

Purpose: To evaluate several substances regarding small bowel distension and contrast on balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) cine magnetic resonance (MR) images. Material and Methods: Luminal contrast was evaluated in 24 volunteers after oral application of two different contrast agent groups leading to either bright lumen (pineapple, blueberry juice) or dark lumen (tap water, orange juice) on T1-weighted images. Bowel distension was evaluated in 30 patients ingesting either methylcellulose or mannitol solution for limiting intestinal absorption. Fifteen patients with duodeno-jejunal intubation served as the control. Quantitative evaluation included measurement of luminal signal intensities and diameters of four bowel segments, qualitative evaluation assessed luminal contrast and distension on a five-point scale. Results: Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the four contrast agents revealed no significant differences regarding luminal contrast on bSSFP images. Quantitative evaluation revealed significantly lower (P<0.05) small bowel distension for three out of four segments (qualitative evaluation: two out of four segments) for methylcellulose in comparison to the control. Mannitol was found to be equal to the control. Conclusion: Oral ingestion of tap water or orange juice in combination with mannitol is recommended for cine MR imaging of the small bowel regarding luminal contrast and small bowel distension on bSSFP sequences.

The therapeutic lamp: treating small-animal phobias.

Science.gov (United States)

Wrzesien, Maja; Alcañiz, Mariano; Botella, Cristina; Burkhardt, Jean-Marie; Bretón-López, Juana; Ortega, Mario; Brotons, Daniel Beneito

2013-01-01

We all have an irrational fear or two. Some of us get scared by an unexpected visit from a spider in our house; others get nervous when they look down from a high building. Fear is an evolutionary and adaptive function that can promote self-preservation and help us deal with the feared object or situation. However, when this state becomes excessive, it might develop into psychological disorders such as phobias, producing high anxiety and affecting everyday life. The Therapeutic Lamp is an interactive projection-based augmented-reality system for treating small-animal phobias. It aims to increase patient-therapist communication, promote more natural interaction, and improve the patient's engagement in the therapy.

Vine vigor, yield and grape quality assessment by airborne remote sensing over three years: Analysis of unexpected relationships in cv. Tempranillo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bonilla, I.; Martinez de Toda, F.; Martínez-Casasnovas, J.A.

2015-07-01

The prediction of grape composition is becoming more important due to the need of reducing the current levels of alcohol and pH of the wines, a problem that is exacerbated by climate change. This work presents a 3-year study of the spatial variability of grape composition in a rainfed Tempranillo vineyard located in Rioja (Spain). It is based on the acquisition of multispectral imagery at véraison (start of the ripening process); and zoning based on NDVI, to assess its performance for zonal management. The results reveal a high spatial variability within the plot, with a stable pattern over the years, even with very different climate conditions. NDVI was a good predictor of vegetative growth variables. However, the prediction of grape composition was more complex. Unexpectedly, anthocyanins were found to be higher in the highest vigor zone, which is probably related to the effects of climate change. This unexpected relationship is particularly discussed in the article. (Author)

Simulation experiments of small break LOCA in upper plenum joint pipe for 5 MW heating test reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bo Jinhai; Jiang Shengyao; Zhang Youjie; Tong Yunxian; Sun Shusen; Yao Meisheng

1988-12-01

A simulation experiment of small break LOCA is introduced, which was caused by the breakdown of a small size or middle size pipe located at upper plenum, or by unexpected opening the safety valve. In the tests, the system pressure, temperature, void fraction and total loss of water were studied. The results showed that the total loss of water was nearly 20% of initial loading water. It means under this condition the 5MW low temperature heating reactor being built in Institute of Nnclear Engergy Technology of Tsinghua University is safe

Minimum Colour Differences Required To Recognise Small Objects On A Colour CRT

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Peter L.

1985-05-01

Data is required to assist in the assessment, evaluation and optimisation of colour and other displays for both military and general use. A general aim is to develop a mathematical technique to aid optimisation and reduce the amount of expensive hardware development and trials necessary when introducing new displays. The present standards and methods available for evaluating colour differences are known not to apply to the perception of typical objects on a display. Data is required for irregular objects viewed at small angular subtense ((1°) and relating the recognition of form rather than colour matching. Therefore laboratory experiments have been carried out using a computer controlled CRT to measure the threshold colour difference that an observer requires between object and background so that he can discriminate a variety of similar objects. Measurements are included for a variety of background and object colourings. The results are presented in the CIE colorimetric system similar to current standards used by the display engineer. Apart from the characteristic small field tritanopia, the results show that larger colour differences are required for object recognition than those assumed from conventional colour discrimination data. A simple relationship to account for object size and background colour is suggested to aid visual performance assessments and modelling.

Sudden unexpected death under acute influence of cannabis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartung, Benno; Kauferstein, Silke; Ritz-Timme, Stefanie; Daldrup, Thomas

2014-04-01

The acute toxicity of cannabinoids is said to be low and there is little public awareness of the potentially hazardous cardiovascular effects of cannabis, e.g. marked increase in heart rate or supine blood pressure. We describe the cases of two young, putative healthy men who died unexpectedly under the acute influence of cannabinoids. To our knowledge, these are the first cases of suspected fatal cannabis intoxications where full postmortem investigations, including autopsy, toxicological, histological, immunohistochemical and genetical examinations, were carried out. The results of these examinations are presented. After exclusion of other causes of death we assume that the young men experienced fatal cardiovascular complications evoked by smoking cannabis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Unexpected pattern of pearl millet genetic diversity among ethno-linguistic groups in the Lake Chad Basin.

Science.gov (United States)

Naino Jika, A K; Dussert, Y; Raimond, C; Garine, E; Luxereau, A; Takvorian, N; Djermakoye, R S; Adam, T; Robert, T

2017-05-01

Despite of a growing interest in considering the role of sociological factors in seed exchanges and their consequences on the evolutionary dynamics of agro-biodiversity, very few studies assessed the link between ethno-linguistic diversity and genetic diversity patterns in small-holder farming systems. This is key for optimal improvement and conservation of crop genetic resources. Here, we investigated genetic diversity at 17 SSR markers of pearl millet landraces (varieties named by farmers) in the Lake Chad Basin. 69 pearl millet populations, representing 27 landraces collected in eight ethno-linguistic farmer groups, were analyzed. We found that the farmers' local taxonomy was not a good proxy for population's genetic differentiation as previously shown at smaller scales. Our results show the existence of a genetic structure of pearl millet mainly associated with ethno-linguistic diversity in the western side of the lake Chad. It suggests there is a limit to gene flow between landraces grown by different ethno-linguistic groups. This result was rather unexpected, because of the highly outcrossing mating system of pearl millet, the high density of pearl millet fields all along the green belt of this Sahelian area and the fact that seed exchanges among ethno-linguistic groups are known to occur. In the eastern side of the Lake, the pattern of genetic diversity suggests a larger efficient circulation of pearl millet genes between ethno-linguistic groups that are less numerous, spatially intermixed and, for some of them, more prone to exogamy. Finally, other historical and environmental factors which may contribute to the observed diversity patterns are discussed.

Unexpected findings after surgery for suspected appendicitis rarely change treatment in pediatric patients; Results from a cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gorter, Ramon R; van Amstel, Paul; van der Lee, Johanna H; van der Voorn, Patick; Bakx, Roel; Heij, Hugo A

2017-08-01

To determine if non-operative treatment is safe in children with acute appendicitis, we evaluated the incidence of unexpected findings after an appendectomy in children, and the influence they have on subsequent treatment. A historical cohort study (January 2004-December 2014) was performed including children, aged 0-17 years, who underwent an appendectomy for the suspicion of acute appendicitis. Patients were divided based upon histopathological examination. Unexpected findings were reviewed, as well as the subsequent treatment plan. In total 484 patients were included in this study. In the overall group, unexpected findings were noted in 10 (2.1%) patients of which two patients intra-operatively with a non-inflamed appendix (Ileitis terminalis N=1 and ovarian torsion N=1) and in 8 patients on histopathological examination. The latter group consisted of 4 patients with concomitant simple appendicitis (parasitic infection N=3 and Walthard cell rest N=1), two with concomitant complex appendicitis (carcinoid N=1 and parasitic infection N=1) and two patients with a non-inflamed appendix (endometriosis N=1 and parasitic infection N=1). Treatment was changed in 4 patients (appendicitis, as the occurrence of unexpected findings was low, with extremely few necessary changes of the treatment plan because of serious findings. Prognosis study. Level 2 (retrospective cohort study). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The study of measuring small gap made from different in closed body with industrial CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Wan; Ye Yunchang; Deng Jun; Chen Fa

2011-01-01

It studies the measurement of small gap between spherical samples made from different material. It can gain the picture of sample by industrial CT scan. Then it can draw the border of measured sphere and find the coordinate of center and diameter of sphere and get surface integral region of measured gap. And it measure small gap by writing special measuring software. (authors)

Financing patterns around the world: Are small firms different?.

OpenAIRE

Beck, T.H.L.; Demirgüc-Kunt, A.; Maksimovic, V.

2008-01-01

Using a firm-level survey database covering 48 countries, we investigate how financial and institutional development affects financing of large and small firms. Our database is not limited to large firms but includes small and medium-size firms and data on a broad spectrum of financing sources, including leasing, supplier, development, and informal finance. Small firms and firms in countries with poor institutions use less external finance, especially bank finance. Protection of property righ...

Analysis of Different Blade Architectures on small VAWT Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Battisti, L.; Brighenti, A.; Benini, E.; Raciti Castelli, M.

2016-09-01

The present paper aims at describing and comparing different small Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) architectures, in terms of performance and loads. These characteristics can be highlighted by resorting to the Blade Element-Momentum (BE-M) model, commonly adopted for rotor pre-design and controller assessment. After validating the model with experimental data, the paper focuses on the analysis of VAWT loads depending on some relevant rotor features: blade number (2 and 3), airfoil camber line (comparing symmetrical and asymmetrical profiles) and blade inclination (straight versus helical blade). The effect of such characteristics on both power and thrusts (in the streamwise direction and in the crosswise one) as a function of both the blades azimuthal position and their Tip Speed Ratio (TSR) are presented and widely discussed.

Preserved scleral patch graft for unexpected extreme scleral thinning found at the scleral buckling procedure: A case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Spela Stunf

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Pre-existing scleral pathology is an important risk factor for globe rupture during scleral buckling procedures. We report here, the surgical management of an unexpected scleral pathology found at the scleral buckling procedure in a retinal detachment patient. A 77-year-old white female with retinal detachment underwent a scleral buckling procedure. The surgery was converted into a scleral graft procedure, as extreme scleral thinning was found intraoperatively. An alcohol-preserved donor sclera graft was used. The second surgery for definitive retinal alignment was performed two weeks later. The presented case of an unexpected scleral pathology in a retinal detachment patient was managed with a combination of scleral grafting and pars plana vitrectomy, without any major complications. The anatomical outcome was excellent and the scleral rupture was prevented; the visual outcome was satisfactory. A conversion of the scleral buckling procedure into a scleral graft procedure has proved to be safe and effective for unexpected scleral pathology.

Tourism Stocks in Times of Crises: An Econometric Investigation of Unexpected Non-macroeconomic Factors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A. Zopiatis (Anastasios); C.S. Savva (Christos); N. Lambertides (Neophytos); M.J. McAleer (Michael)

2017-01-01

textabstractFollowing the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, the European media emphatically pronounced that billions of Euros were wiped from tourism related stocks. The theoretical relationship of the industry with such unexpected non-macro incidents received moderate academic coverage.

Incidence of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy in community-based cohort in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Yan; Ding, Ding; Zhang, Qing; Yang, Bin; Wang, Taiping; Li, Beixu; Wang, Jie; Luo, Jianfeng; Kwan, Patrick; Wang, Wenzhi; Hong, Zhen; Sander, Josemir W

2017-11-01

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is associated with the high premature mortality observed among people with epilepsy. It is, however, considered a rare event in China, probably because of lack of awareness and limitation of studies in the country. We aimed to provide some initial estimation of the burden of SUDEP in China. We established a large Chinese community-based cohort of people with epilepsy between January 2010 and December 2011. For any participant who died during follow-up, detailed information on cause of death was obtained using a specifically designed Verbal Autopsy Questionnaire. All cases were reviewed by a multidisciplinary expert panel and reinvestigated if necessary. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy incidence rates were estimated and case details provided. The cohort consisted of 1562 people and during a median 5years follow-up, 72 deaths were reported. The all-causes death incidence was 11.23 (95% CI 8.86-14.07) per 1000 person-years. Fifteen died suddenly and unexpectedly in a reasonable state of health in the week preceding death. We recorded detailed information of these 15 deaths. Thirteen were considered to be probable SUDEP and two possible SUDEP. The incidence of probable SUDEP was 2.03 (95% CI 1.13-3.38) per 1000 person-years, and the incidence of all suspected (probable and possible) SUDEP was 2.34 (95% CI 1.36-3.77) per 1000 person-years. The incidence of SUDEP was relatively high among Chinese people with epilepsy when compared with that in previous community-based studies from high-income countries. The burden of SUDEP in China requires further assessments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ultrasonic Detection of Small Crack in Studs[Bolts] by Time Difference of Thread Signals(TDTS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suh, D. M.; Park, D. Y.; Kim, C. K.

1990-01-01

It is difficult to detect such flaws as stress - corrosion cracking or corrosion wastage(loss of bolt diameter) in the threads. In many cases the critical size of a flaw is very small(1-2 mm order). This paper describes how it is possible to discriminate small flaw indications in threads using the time difference or thread signals(TDTS) by a signal-conditioning technique

Development of a screening procedure for vibrational fatigue in small bore piping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, J.K.; Riccardella, P.C.; Gosselin, S.R.

1995-01-01

Approximately 80% of the documented fatigue failures in nuclear power plants are caused by high cycle vibrational fatigue. These failures typically occur in socket welded pipe fittings in small bore piping (2 in. nominal diameter and smaller). These failures have been unexpected, and have caused costly, unscheduled outages in some cases. In order to reduce the number of vibrational fatigue failures in operating nuclear power plants, a vibrational fatigue screening procedure has been developed under Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) sponsorship. The purpose of this paper is to describe this procedure, and to discuss topics related to vibrational fatigue failures. These topics include sources of vibration in nuclear power plants, the effect of socket welds on vibrational fatigue failures, vibrational fatigue screening criteria for small bore piping systems, and good design practices for reducing the number of vibrational fatigue failures in small bore piping

Frequency, severity and causes of unexpected allergic reactions to food: A systematic literature review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Versluis, A.; Knulst, A.C.; Kruizinga, A.G.; Michelsen, A.; Houben, G.F.; Baumert, J.L.; Os-Medendorp, H. van

2015-01-01

Summary: Food allergic patients have to deal with an avoidance diet. Confusing labelling terms or precautionary labels can result in misinterpretation and risk-taking behaviour. Even those patients that strictly adhere to their diet experience (sometimes severe) unexpected allergic reactions to

Frequency, severity and causes of unexpected allergic reactions to food : A systematic literature review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Versluis, A.; Knulst, A. C.; Kruizinga, A. G.; Michelsen, A.; Houben, G. F.; Baumert, J. L.; van Os-Medendorp, H.

2015-01-01

Summary: Food allergic patients have to deal with an avoidance diet. Confusing labelling terms or precautionary labels can result in misinterpretation and risk-taking behaviour. Even those patients that strictly adhere to their diet experience (sometimes severe) unexpected allergic reactions to

Clinical observation and discussion of different surgical treatment on small-diopter intermittent exotropia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

En-Hui Yi

2017-03-01

Full Text Available AIM:To discuss the clinical features and operation methods on small-diopter intermittent exotropia. METHODS:Totally 206 in-patients with small-diopter intermittent exotropia(IXTin different operation groups, from September 2013 to September 2014,were observed for the eyesight, refraction, dominant eye, exotropia degree, synoptophore and near stereopsis before and after operation. Three types were divided in 206 cases. One hundred and thirty-two cases of basic IXT were the first type, in which 52 cases underwent nondominant eye unilateral recess-resection(nondominant eye unilateral recess-resection, ndR& R, 40 cases underwent dominant eye unilateral recess-resection(dominant eye unilateral recess-resection, dR& R, 40 cases underwent bilateral lateral rectus recession(bilateral lateral rectus recession, BLR-rec. Sixty-one cases of convergence insufficiency IXT were the second type, in which 40 cases underwent ndR& R, 21 cases underwent bilateral medial rectus amputation. Thirteen cases of divergence excess IXT were the third type, in which 7 cases underwent ndR& R, 6 cases underwent BLR-rec. The rates of the orthophoria, undercorrection, overcorrection and the recovery of synoptophore and near stereopsis after surgery in 1, 6, 12, 24mo were compared in 3 types. RESULTS: The clinical features of 206 cases with small-diopter IXT were: in the most cases, between 5 and 12 years old; nondominant eye was left eye; the eyesight of nondominant eye was lower than another eye; refraction status were myopia, astigmatism and anisometropia; basic IXT was the most common type; exotropia degree was between 40△ and 60△; some cases owned binocular function and near stereopsis. Comparison of operation methods in 3 groups: orthophoria comparisons in basic IXT among ndR& R group, d R& R group and BLR-rec group were significant difference(PP>0.05after operation. The operation of divergence excess IXT was effective. Orthophoria comparison in ndR& R group between

Analysis of Small ruminant market system in different agro-climatic zones of Southern India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D Ramesh

2012-10-01

Full Text Available This study examines the marketing system of small ruminants in three different agro-climatic zones of Karnataka in India. Multistage random sampling technique was used to select 60 small ruminant farmers from three viz. Bijapur (Arid zone, Gulbarga (Semi-arid zone and Udupi (Coastal zone district of Karnataka state. A structured questionnaire which had earlier been subject to face validity and has a reliability coefficient of 0.87 was used to collect data from the samples respondents. Data was analysed using statistical package for social science (SPSS.The results of the study revealed that marketing of small ruminants is haphazard in the study areas. Majority of the respondents (85% sold their animal when they needed cash for home consumption followed by to pay off loan (28.3% was the main reason to sell their animals. Important marketing channels were relatives and friends, local markets and village collectors. Farmers gave different reasons for selling their animals through different channels. Majority of the farmers used relatives and friends as one of the marketing channels. Most of farmers also felt that there was a difference in the price offered by village collectors and the price they were getting in the livestock markets. And a few of them were of the opinion that village collectors were not reliable in marketing. Price of the animals was establishing based on the body confirmation of the animal. Study also revealed that injured animals fetch less value than the healthy animals. [Vet. World 2012; 5(5.000: 288-293

Small scale green infrastructure design to meet different urban hydrological criteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Z; Tang, S; Luo, W; Li, S; Zhou, M

2016-04-15

As small scale green infrastructures, rain gardens have been widely advocated for urban stormwater management in the contemporary low impact development (LID) era. This paper presents a simple method that consists of hydrological models and the matching plots of nomographs to provide an informative and practical tool for rain garden sizing and hydrological evaluation. The proposed method considers design storms, infiltration rates and the runoff contribution area ratio of the rain garden, allowing users to size a rain garden for a specific site with hydrological reference and predict overflow of the rain garden under different storms. The nomographs provide a visual presentation on the sensitivity of different design parameters. Subsequent application of the proposed method to a case study conducted in a sub-humid region in China showed that, the method accurately predicted the design storms for the existing rain garden, the predicted overflows under large storm events were within 13-50% of the measured volumes. The results suggest that the nomographs approach is a practical tool for quick selection or assessment of design options that incorporate key hydrological parameters of rain gardens or other infiltration type green infrastructure. The graphic approach as displayed by the nomographs allow urban planners to demonstrate the hydrological effect of small scale green infrastructure and gain more support for promoting low impact development. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydroscoop - Bulletin of the small-scale hydraulic laboratory MHyLab; Hydroscoop - Bulletin d'information MHyLab laboratoire de petite hydraulique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Denis, V.

2009-07-01

This is issue Nr. 5 of the news bulletin of MHyLab, the small-scale hydraulic laboratory in Montcherand, Switzerland. The history of MHyLab development is recalled. The objective of the laboratory is given: the laboratory development of efficient and reliable turbines for the entire small-scale hydraulic range (power: 10 to 2000 kW, flow rate: 0.01 to 10 m{sup 3}/s, hydraulic head: 1 m up to more than 700 m). The first period (1997-2001) was devoted to Pelton turbines for high heads (60 to 70 m) and the second (2001-2009) to Kaplan turbines for low and very low heads (1 to 30 m). In the third period (beginning 2008) diagonal turbines for medium heads (25 to 100 m) are being developed. MHyLab designed, modelled and tested all these different types. The small-scale hydraulic market developed unexpectedly quickly. The potential of small-scale hydraulics in the Canton of Vaud, western Switzerland is presented. Three implemented projects are reported on as examples for MHyLab activities on the market place. The MHyLab staff is presented.

Sudden and unexpected childhood deaths investigated at the Pretoria Medico-Legal Laboratory, South Africa, 2007 - 2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Deventer, B S; Rossouw, S H; Du Toit-Prinsloo, L

2016-09-06

 Sudden and unexpected death is well known to occur in infants, and although sudden deaths are less frequent after the first birthday, they still account for a significant proportion of childhood deaths. In 2009, 1.9% of the total deaths in the USA were childhood deaths. In South Africa (SA) this proportion was much higher at 11.85%. According to the law, sudden and unexpected deaths are generally investigated as unnatural deaths. Establishing an exact underlying anatomical cause of death will depend on available resources and can be difficult in a substantial proportion of cases.  A retrospective descriptive case audit was conducted at the Pretoria Medico-Legal Laboratory (PMLL), SA, from 1 January 2007 through to 31 December 2011. All children aged 1 - 18 years who died suddenly and unexpectedly were included.  Ninety-eight cases were identified, which constituted nearly 1% of total admissions to the PMLL. The majority of the deaths were of children aged 1 - 5 years, and the male/female ratio was 1.04:1. In the largest proportion of cases (n=28, 28.6%), the medicolegal investigation, including autopsy and ancillary investigations, did not establish an underlying anatomical cause of death. In the cases where a cause of death was established, pneumonia was the most common diagnosis (n=22, 22.4%).  The fact that the cause of the largest proportion of deaths could not be ascertained emphasises the need for consideration of additional investigative techniques, such as molecular/genetic screening, which have provided an underlying cause of death in a significant number of cases in other countries. There is a lack of published research on the causes and incidence of sudden unexpected deaths in children in SA, and further research in this area is needed.

More Differences or More Similarities Regarding Education in Big, Middle-sized and Small Companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marjana Merkač

2001-12-01

Full Text Available The article presents the results of research of education and qualifying of employees in small, middle-sized and big Slovenian companies. The research shows some differences regarding the attitude to the development of employees as a part of a company's business strategy, some obstacles for developing their abilities, and connections between job satisfaction and motivation for learning. It also shows how important it is for the subjects concerning education and qualifying if an individual works for a big, middle-sized, or small company.

The creative use of unexpected responses in the hypnotherapy of patients with conversion disorders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moene, F.C.; Hoogduin, C.A.L.

1999-01-01

In a previously completed empirical study examining the use of hypnosis in a comprehensive treatment program with 85 patients who suffered motor conversion symptoms, 16 patients were reported by their therapists to have had unusual and unexpected responses during hypnosis. This article summarizes

Unexpected Symmetry in the Nodal Structure of the He Atom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bressanini, Dario; Reynolds, Peter J.

2005-01-01

The nodes of even simple wave functions are largely unexplored. Motivated by their importance to quantum simulations of fermionic systems, we have found unexpected symmetries in the nodes of several atoms and molecules. Here, we report on helium. We find that in both ground and excited states the nodes have simple forms. In particular, they have higher symmetry than the wave functions they come from. It is of great interest to understand the source of these new symmetries. For the quantum simulations that motivated the study, these symmetries may help circumvent the fermion sign problem

Manganese-Catalyzed C−H Functionalizations: Hydroarylations and Alkenylations Involving an Unexpected Heteroaryl Shift

KAUST Repository

Wang, Chengming

2017-06-24

A manganese-catalyzed regio- and stereoselective hydroarylation of allenes is reported. The C−H functionalization method provides access to various alkenylated indoles in excellent yields. Moreover, a hydroarylation/cyclization cascade involving an unexpected C−N bond cleavage and aryl shift has been developed, which provides a new synthetic approach to substituted pyrroloindolones.

Manganese-Catalyzed C−H Functionalizations: Hydroarylations and Alkenylations Involving an Unexpected Heteroaryl Shift

KAUST Repository

Wang, Chengming; Wang, Ai; Rueping, Magnus

2017-01-01

A manganese-catalyzed regio- and stereoselective hydroarylation of allenes is reported. The C−H functionalization method provides access to various alkenylated indoles in excellent yields. Moreover, a hydroarylation/cyclization cascade involving an unexpected C−N bond cleavage and aryl shift has been developed, which provides a new synthetic approach to substituted pyrroloindolones.

Stability of vertical posture explored with unexpected mechanical perturbations: synergy indices and motor equivalence.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamagata, Momoko; Falaki, Ali; Latash, Mark L

2018-03-21

We explored the relations between indices of mechanical stability of vertical posture and synergy indices under unexpected perturbations. The main hypotheses predicted higher posture-stabilizing synergy indices and higher mechanical indices of center of pressure stability during perturbations perceived by subjects as less challenging. Healthy subjects stood on a force platform and held in fully extended arms a bar attached to two loads acting downward and upward. One of the loads was unexpectedly released by the experimenter causing a postural perturbations. In different series, subjects either knew or did not know which of the two loads would be released. Forward perturbations were perceived as more challenging and accompanied by co-activation patterns among the main agonist-antagonist pairs. Backward perturbation led to reciprocal muscle activation patterns and was accompanied by indices of mechanical stability and of posture-stabilizing synergy which indicated higher stability. Changes in synergy indices were observed as early as 50-100 ms following the perturbation reflecting involuntary mechanisms. In contrast, predictability of perturbation direction had weak or no effect on mechanical and synergy indices of stability. These observations are interpreted within a hierarchical scheme of synergic control of motor tasks and a hypothesis on the control of movements with shifts of referent coordinates. The findings show direct correspondence between stability indices based on mechanics and on the analysis of multi-muscle synergies. They suggest that involuntary posture-stabilizing mechanisms show synergic organization. They also show that predictability of perturbation direction has strong effects on anticipatory postural adjustment but not corrective adjustments. We offer an interpretation of co-activation patterns that questions their contribution to postural stability.

The Impacts of Different Expansion Modes on Performance of Small Solar Energy Firms: Perspectives of Absorptive Capacity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hsing Hung Chen

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The characteristics of firm’s expansion by differentiated products and diversified products are quite different. However, the study employing absorptive capacity to examine the impacts of different modes of expansion on performance of small solar energy firms has never been discussed before. Then, a conceptual model to analyze the tension between strategies and corporate performance is proposed to filling the vacancy. After practical investigation, the results show that stronger organizational institutions help small solar energy firms expanded by differentiated products increase consistency between strategies and corporate performance; oppositely, stronger working attitudes with weak management controls help small solar energy firms expanded by diversified products reduce variance between strategies and corporate performance.

Difference structures from time-resolved small-angle and wide-angle x-ray scattering

Science.gov (United States)

Nepal, Prakash; Saldin, D. K.

2018-05-01

Time-resolved small-angle x-ray scattering/wide-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) is capable of recovering difference structures directly from difference SAXS/WAXS curves. It does so by means of the theory described here because the structural changes in pump-probe detection in a typical time-resolved experiment are generally small enough to be confined to a single residue or group in close proximity which is identified by a method akin to the difference Fourier method of time-resolved crystallography. If it is assumed, as is usual with time-resolved structures, that the moved atoms lie within the residue, the 100-fold reduction in the search space (assuming a typical protein has about 100 residues) allows the exaction of the structure by a simulated annealing algorithm with a huge reduction in computing time and leads to a greater resolution by varying the positions of atoms only within that residue. This reduction in the number of potential moved atoms allows us to identify the actual motions of the individual atoms. In the case of a crystal, time-resolved calculations are normally performed using the difference Fourier method, which is, of course, not directly applicable to SAXS/WAXS. The method developed in this paper may be thought of as a substitute for that method which allows SAXS/WAXS (and hence disordered molecules) to also be used for time-resolved structural work.

The unexpected product of Diels-Alder reaction between "indanocyclon" and maleimide

Science.gov (United States)

Dobrowolski, Michał A.; Roszkowski, Piotr; Struga, Marta; Szulczyk, Daniel

2017-02-01

A heterocyclic compound commonly known as "indanocyclon" undergoes an unexpected Diels-Alder addition with maleimide. The resulting product has been isolated and characterized in order to get an information about its structure and possible mechanism of the reaction. Extensive comparison of single crystal properties of 3-(2,8-dioxo-1,3-diphenyl-2,8-dihydrocyclopenta[a]inden-8a(1H)-yl)pyrrolidine-2,5-dione and favorable product of the reaction has been also performed.

Unexpectedly slow decrease of Chernobyl-derived radiocesium in air and deposition in Bavaria/Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bunzl, K.; Hoetzl, H.; Rosner, G.; Winkler, R.

1995-01-01

In this paper we analyze the corresponding data observed after the termination of the fresh fallout of Chernobyl-derived 137 Cs, and discuss possible reasons for the unexpectedly slow decrease of radiocesium in the air and in the total deposition to the ground. (SR)

Unexpectedly slow decrease of Chernobyl-derived radiocesium in air and deposition in Bavaria/Germany

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bunzl, K. [GSF-Forschungszentrum fuer Umwelt und Gesundheit, Neuherberg (Germany); Hoetzl, H. [GSF-Forschungszentrum fuer Umwelt und Gesundheit, Neuherberg (Germany); Rosner, G. [Inst. fuer Strahlenschutz, Oberschleissheim (Germany); Winkler, R. [Inst. fuer Strahlenschutz, Oberschleissheim (Germany)

1995-09-01

In this paper we analyze the corresponding data observed after the termination of the fresh fallout of Chernobyl-derived {sup 137}Cs, and discuss possible reasons for the unexpectedly slow decrease of radiocesium in the air and in the total deposition to the ground. (SR)

Financing patterns around the world : Are small firms different?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beck, T.H.L.; Demirgüc-Kunt, A.; Maksimovic, V.

2008-01-01

Using a firm-level survey database covering 48 countries, we investigate how financial and institutional development affects financing of large and small firms. Our database is not limited to large firms, but includes small and medium firms and data on a broad spectrum of financing sources,

Willingness and ability to pay for unexpected dental expenses by Finnish adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Widström Eeva

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Since 2002, adults have been able to choose oral health care services in the public sector or in the private sector in Finland. Though various subsidies for care exist in both sectors, the Public Dental Service (PDS is a cheaper option for the patient but, on the other hand, there are no waiting lists for private care. The aim of this study was to assess middle-aged adults' use of dental services, willingness to pay (WTP and ability to pay (ATP for unexpected, urgent dental treatment. Methods Postal questionnaires on use of dental services were sent to a random sample of 1500 47-59 year old adults living in three large municipalities in the Helsinki region. The initial response rate was 65.8%. Two hypothetical scenarios were presented: "What would be the highest price you would be prepared to pay to have a lost filling replaced immediately, or, at the latest, the day after losing the filling?" and " How much could you pay for unexpected dental expenses at two weeks notice, if you suddenly needed more comprehensive treatment?" Logistic regression analysis was used to analyse factors related to WTP and ATP. Results Most respondents (89.6% had visited a dentist recently and a majority (76.1% had used private services. For immediate replacement of a lost filling, almost all respondents (93.2% were willing to pay the lower price charged in the PDS and 46.2% were willing to pay the private fee. High income and no subjective need for dental treatment were positively associated with the probability of paying a higher price. Most respondents (93.0% were able to pay a low fee, EUR 50 and almost half (41.6% at least EUR 300 for unexpected treatment at short notice. High income and male sex were associated with high ATP. Conclusion There was a strong and statistically significant relationship between income and WTP and ATP for urgent dental care, indicating that access to publicly provided services improved equity for persons with low

20 Years Experience with using Low Cost Launch Opportunities for 20 Small Satellite Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Meerman, Maarten; Sweeting, Martin, , Sir

these larger 'small satellites' are too big to be carried 'piggy-back'. The entrepreneurial efforts of leading FSU rocket &missile organisations in converting existing vehicles to meet the small satellite launch market at an appropriate cost has resulted in the FSU now holding the prime position for providing launches for the small satellite community - and with an excellent track record of successful launches. However, negotiating and completing a Launch Services Agreement (LSA) for a nano-micro-minisatellite with any launcher organisation is a complex matter and risky territory for the unwary or inexperienced who may easily fall prey to unexpected additional costs and delays. Whilst this warning should be heeded when dealing with European and US organisations, it is particularly relevant when negotiating launches from the FSU where there is a plethora of agencies and organisations offering a bewildering range of launch vehicles and options. Furthermore, the FSU has developed a very different technical and managerial philosophy towards launchers when compared with the west and this can be unnerving to 'first-time buyers'. Organisations experienced in dealing in the FSU will encounter a different but excellent service - once the launch service agreement has been thoroughly and fiercely negotiated in every detail. The inexperienced, however, have encountered frustrating delays, lost opportunities, unexpected taxes and costs for additional services or facilities not originally specified, and bewilderment at the different procedures used in the FSU. Fortunately, all this can be avoided with proper experience and the FSU is the current mainstay for launching small satellites quickly, affordably and reliably. Surrey has unique experience gathered over 20 years in handling launches for 20 small satellites, ranging from a 6kg nanosatellite, 50-100kg microsatellites, and a 325kg minisatellite, using 7 different launchers from the USA, Russia, Ukraine, and Europe. By working

Unexpected radionuclide uptake due to calcification in muscles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khier, A.

1999-01-01

Full text: A male patient aged 27 years was injected with 1000 MBq of 99 Tc m -MDP. The patient was an active man indulging in contact sport. He presented with lower back and pelvic pain. Spot pictures were made of the pelvis, lumbar spine and femurs. Unexpected active radionuclide uptake in the muscles was seen. In the delayed static images, there was focal accumulation of tracer uptake in the muscles overlying the mid-shaft of the left femur consistent with myositis ossificans. Myositis ossificans is a benign ossifying process that is generally solitary and well circumscribed. It is most commonly found in the muscles but it may occur in other connective tissues, especially tendons and subcutaneous fat. This was presumably associated with chronic muscular injuries contracted during sports activity

Unexpected findings at imaging: Predicting frequency in various types of studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lumbreras, Blanca; Gonzalez-Alvarez, Isabel; Lorente, Ma Fernanda; Calbo, Jorge; Aranaz, Jesus; Hernandez-Aguado, Ildefonso

2010-01-01

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the prevalence and associated variables of unsuspected findings from imaging tests in clinical practice. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study of patients referred for an imaging test in 2006. Two independent radiologists classified the imaging tests according to the presence or absence of an unexpected finding in relation with the causes that prompted the test (kappa = 0.95). A thorough chart review of these patients was carried out as a quality control. Results: Out of 3259 patients in the study, 488 revealed unsuspected findings (15.0%). The prevalence of abnormal findings varied according to age: from 20.4% (150/734) in the over 74-group to 9.0% (76/847) in the under 43-group. The largest prevalence was in the category of infectious diseases (14/49, 28.6%) and in CT (260/901, 28.9%) and ultrasound (138/668, 20.7%). Studies showing moderate clinical information on the referral form were less likely to show unexpected findings than those with null or minor information (OR 0.51; 95% CI 0.36-0.73). Conclusion: Clinicians should expect the frequency of diseases detectable by imaging to increase in the future. Further research with follow-up of these findings is needed to estimate the effect of imaging technologies on final health outcomes.

Unexpected findings at imaging: Predicting frequency in various types of studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lumbreras, Blanca [Public Health Department, Miguel Hernandez University (Spain); CIBER en Epidemiologia y Salud Publica (Spain)], E-mail: blumbreras@umh.es; Gonzalez-Alvarez, Isabel [Radiodiagnostic Department, San Juan Hospital, 03550 Alicante (Spain)], E-mail: gonzalez_isa@gva.es; Lorente, Ma Fernanda [Radiodiagnostic Department, San Juan Hospital, 03550 Alicante (Spain)], E-mail: MARFERLORENTE@telefonica.net; Calbo, Jorge [Radiodiagnostic Department, San Juan Hospital, 03550 Alicante (Spain)], E-mail: jocalma@hotmail.com; Aranaz, Jesus [Preventive Medicine Department, San Juan Hospital, 03550 Alicante (Spain)], E-mail: aranaz_jes@gva.es; Hernandez-Aguado, Ildefonso [Public Health Department, Miguel Hernandez University (Spain); CIBER en Epidemiologia y Salud Publica (Spain)], E-mail: ihernandez@umh.es

2010-04-15

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the prevalence and associated variables of unsuspected findings from imaging tests in clinical practice. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study of patients referred for an imaging test in 2006. Two independent radiologists classified the imaging tests according to the presence or absence of an unexpected finding in relation with the causes that prompted the test (kappa = 0.95). A thorough chart review of these patients was carried out as a quality control. Results: Out of 3259 patients in the study, 488 revealed unsuspected findings (15.0%). The prevalence of abnormal findings varied according to age: from 20.4% (150/734) in the over 74-group to 9.0% (76/847) in the under 43-group. The largest prevalence was in the category of infectious diseases (14/49, 28.6%) and in CT (260/901, 28.9%) and ultrasound (138/668, 20.7%). Studies showing moderate clinical information on the referral form were less likely to show unexpected findings than those with null or minor information (OR 0.51; 95% CI 0.36-0.73). Conclusion: Clinicians should expect the frequency of diseases detectable by imaging to increase in the future. Further research with follow-up of these findings is needed to estimate the effect of imaging technologies on final health outcomes.

Ombud's Corner: unexpected turn in the conversation?

CERN Multimedia

Sudeshna Datta-Cockerill

2014-01-01

Regular informal conversations with colleagues play a very important part in weaving the fabric of team spirit. They allow us to build the working relationships that are vital to the success of our projects and to create an environment of good will that is instrumental in averting potential conflict or crises. However, sometimes they can come with unexpected surprises…   Eric and his colleagues always meet on Monday mornings to have coffee together, before starting the working week. This is a very privileged moment for the team when there are no formal barriers or professional concerns: Mary may talk about a film that she saw at the weekend, Eric often goes hiking in the Jura with his friend Stefan, Hans has always got a story about his son’s prowess on the school football team and occasionally there is a bit of special news such as Louisa’s recent marriage, Pierre’s baby’s christening or Claude’s daughter’s graduation&...

Unexpected results in Chernozem soil respiration while measuring the effect of a bio-fertilizer on soil microbial activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Bautista, Gabriela; Mátyás, Bence; Carpio, Isabel; Vilches, Richard; Pazmino, Karina

2017-01-01

The number of studies investigating the effect of bio-fertilizers is increasing because of their importance in sustainable agriculture and environmental quality. In our experiments, we measured the effect of different fertilizers on soil respiration. In the present study, we were looking for the cause of unexpected changes in CO2 values while examining Chernozem soil samples. We concluded that CO2 oxidizing microbes or methanotrophs may be present in the soil that periodically consume CO2 . This is unusual for a sample taken from the upper layer of well-ventilated Chernozem soil with optimal moisture content.

When theory and biology differ: The relationship between reward prediction errors and expectancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Chad C; Hassall, Cameron D; Trska, Robert; Holroyd, Clay B; Krigolson, Olave E

2017-10-01

Comparisons between expectations and outcomes are critical for learning. Termed prediction errors, the violations of expectancy that occur when outcomes differ from expectations are used to modify value and shape behaviour. In the present study, we examined how a wide range of expectancy violations impacted neural signals associated with feedback processing. Participants performed a time estimation task in which they had to guess the duration of one second while their electroencephalogram was recorded. In a key manipulation, we varied task difficulty across the experiment to create a range of different feedback expectancies - reward feedback was either very expected, expected, 50/50, unexpected, or very unexpected. As predicted, the amplitude of the reward positivity, a component of the human event-related brain potential associated with feedback processing, scaled inversely with expectancy (e.g., unexpected feedback yielded a larger reward positivity than expected feedback). Interestingly, the scaling of the reward positivity to outcome expectancy was not linear as would be predicted by some theoretical models. Specifically, we found that the amplitude of the reward positivity was about equivalent for very expected and expected feedback, and for very unexpected and unexpected feedback. As such, our results demonstrate a sigmoidal relationship between reward expectancy and the amplitude of the reward positivity, with interesting implications for theories of reinforcement learning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interpretation of small-angle diffraction experiments on opal-like photonic crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Marlow, F.; Muldarisnur, M.; Sharifi, P.; Zabel, H.

2011-08-01

Comprehensive structural information on artificial opals involving the deviations from the strongly dominating face-centered cubic structure is still missing. Recent structure investigations with neutrons and synchrotron sources have shown a high degree of order but also a number of unexpected scattering features. Here, we point out that the exclusion of the allowed 002-type diffraction peaks by a small atomic form factor is not obvious and that surface scattering has to be included as a possible source for the diffraction peaks. Our neutron diffraction data indicate that surface scattering is the main reason for the smallest-angle peaks in the diffraction patterns.

75 FR 67013 - Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs Resulting from Violence in Kyrgyzstan

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-01

... August 26, 2010 Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs Resulting from Violence in Kyrgyzstan... laws of the United States, including section 2(c)(1) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of... amount not to exceed $9.5 million from the United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund...

Letter-Sound Knowledge: Exploring Gender Differences in Children When They Start School Regarding Knowledge of Large Letters, Small Letters, Sound Large Letters, and Sound Small Letters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hermundur Sigmundsson

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This study explored whether there is a gender difference in letter-sound knowledge when children start at school. 485 children aged 5–6 years completed assessment of letter-sound knowledge, i.e., large letters; sound of large letters; small letters; sound of small letters. The findings indicate a significant difference between girls and boys in all four factors tested in this study in favor of the girls. There are still no clear explanations to the basis of a presumed gender difference in letter-sound knowledge. That the findings have origin in neuro-biological factors cannot be excluded, however, the fact that girls probably have been exposed to more language experience/stimulation compared to boys, lends support to explanations derived from environmental aspects.

Unexpected East-West effect in mesopause region SABER temperatures over El Leoncito

Science.gov (United States)

Reisin, Esteban R.; Scheer, Jürgen

2017-05-01

We find that mesopause region temperatures determined by the SABER instrument on the TIMED satellite during nocturnal overpasses at El Leoncito (31.8°S, 69.3°W) are several kelvins higher when SABER observes from the East than when it observes from the West. We distinguish between altitudes corresponding to the nominal emission heights of the OH and O2 airglow layers. The East-West temperature differences of 4.5 K obtained for OH-equivalent height, and of 3.5 K for O2-equivalent height are surprising, because an effect of the South Atlantic Anomaly on SABER temperature is unexpected. However, the ground-based data obtained with our airglow spectrometer at El Leoncito show that such a SABER artifact can be ruled out. Rather, the phenomenon is explained as a consequence of the temporal sampling of the nocturnal variation, which is mostly due to the semidiurnal tide. The monthly mean tide is strongest from April to September with a mean amplitude of 6.9 K for OH, and of 10.5 K for O2 rotational temperature, but the contribution to the East-West effect varies strongly from month to month because of differences in the temporal sampling. This mechanism should be active at other sites, as well.

75 FR 34617 - Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs Related to Somalia and Food Pipeline Breaks for...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-18

... unexpected and urgent refugee and migration needs, including by contributions to international, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations and payment of administrative expenses of the Bureau of Population...

Evaluation of Different Normalization and Analysis Procedures for Illumina Gene Expression Microarray Data Involving Small Changes

Science.gov (United States)

Johnstone, Daniel M.; Riveros, Carlos; Heidari, Moones; Graham, Ross M.; Trinder, Debbie; Berretta, Regina; Olynyk, John K.; Scott, Rodney J.; Moscato, Pablo; Milward, Elizabeth A.

2013-01-01

While Illumina microarrays can be used successfully for detecting small gene expression changes due to their high degree of technical replicability, there is little information on how different normalization and differential expression analysis strategies affect outcomes. To evaluate this, we assessed concordance across gene lists generated by applying different combinations of normalization strategy and analytical approach to two Illumina datasets with modest expression changes. In addition to using traditional statistical approaches, we also tested an approach based on combinatorial optimization. We found that the choice of both normalization strategy and analytical approach considerably affected outcomes, in some cases leading to substantial differences in gene lists and subsequent pathway analysis results. Our findings suggest that important biological phenomena may be overlooked when there is a routine practice of using only one approach to investigate all microarray datasets. Analytical artefacts of this kind are likely to be especially relevant for datasets involving small fold changes, where inherent technical variation—if not adequately minimized by effective normalization—may overshadow true biological variation. This report provides some basic guidelines for optimizing outcomes when working with Illumina datasets involving small expression changes. PMID:27605185

Standard test method for measurement of light reflectance value and small color differences between pieces of ceramic tile

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2007-01-01

1.1 This test method covers the measurement of Light Reflectance Value (LRV) and visually small color difference between pieces of glazed or unglazed ceramic tile, using any spectrophotometer that meets the requirements specified in the test method. LRV and the magnitude and direction of the color difference are expressed numerically, with sufficient accuracy for use in product specification. 1.2 LRV may be measured for either solid-colored tile or tile having a multicolored, speckled, or textured surface. For tile that are not solid-colored, an average reading should be obtained from multiple measurements taken in a pattern representative of the overall sample as described in 9.2 of this test method. Small color difference between tiles should only be measured for solid-color tiles. Small color difference between tile that have a multicolored, speckled, or textured surface, are not valid. 1.3 For solid colored tile, a comparison of the test specimen and reference specimen should be made under incandescent, f...

Sudden Unexpected Death During Sleep in Familial Dysautonomia: A Case-Control Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Palma, Jose-Alberto; Norcliffe-Kaufmann, Lucy; Perez, Miguel A; Spalink, Christy L; Kaufmann, Horacio

2017-08-01

Sudden unexpected death during sleep (SUDS) is the most common cause of death in patients with familial dysautonomia (FD), an autosomal recessive disease characterized by sensory and autonomic dysfunction. It remains unknown what causes SUDS in these patients and who is at highest risk. We tested the hypothesis that SUDS in FD is linked to sleep-disordered breathing. We retrospectively identified patients with FD who died suddenly and unexpectedly during sleep and had undergone polysomnography within the 18-month period before death. For each case, we sampled one age-matched surviving subject with FD that had also undergone polysomnography within the 18-month period before study. Data on polysomnography, EKG, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, arterial blood gases, blood count, and metabolic panel were analyzed. Thirty-two deceased cases and 31 surviving controls were included. Autopsy was available in six cases. Compared with controls, participants with SUDS were more likely to be receiving treatment with fludrocortisone (odds ratio [OR]; 95% confidence interval) (OR 29.7; 4.1-213.4), have untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OR 17.4; 1.5-193), and plasma potassium levels Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Nuclear fission - the unexpected discovery seventy years ago

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weis, Michael

2008-01-01

Seventy years ago, on December 17, 1938, Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner, and Fritz Strassmann discovered nuclear fission. It was a serendipitous discovery resulting from the consistent pursuit, for many years, of occasionally unexpected radiochemical experimental findings. Hardly any other scientific discovery has had such direct bearing on our life, changing our view of the world. It over-threw the tenet of physics, believed to be incontestable, that the atom was indivisible. The use of nuclear power it has made possible has given rise to immense benefits, but it has also allowed mankind's most dreadful weapon so far to be developed. All this is ample reason seventy years later to recall the discovery, the discoverers and their times. It will also be shown what later generations have made of this discovery, and what economic and ecological prospects it continues to hold. (orig.)

Subclinical hyperthyroidism and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Scorza, Fulvio A; Arida, Ricardo M; Cysneiros, Roberta M; Terra, Vera C; de Albuquerque, Marly; Machado, Hélio R; Cavalheiro, Esper A

2010-04-01

Epilepsy is the most common serious neurological condition and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the most important direct epilepsy-related cause of death. Information concerning risk factors for SUDEP is conflicting, but high seizure frequency is a potential risk factor. Additionally, potential pathomechanisms for SUDEP are unknown, but it is very probable that cardiac arrhythmias during and between seizures or transmission of epileptic activity to the heart via the autonomic nervous system potentially play a role. In parallel, several studies have shown a link between hormones and epilepsy. However, exact knowledge regarding the association of thyroid hormones and epilepsy is lacking. As subclinical hyperthyroidism has been linked with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, we propose in this paper that SUDEP, at least in some cases, could be related with subclinical thyroid dysfunction. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structures of Rotavirus Reassortants Demonstrate Correlation of Altered Conformation of the VP4 Spike and Expression of Unexpected VP4-Associated Phenotypes

Science.gov (United States)

Pesavento, Joseph B.; Billingsley, Angela M.; Roberts, Ed J.; Ramig, Robert F.; Prasad, B. V. Venkataram

2003-01-01

Numerous prior studies have indicated that viable rotavirus reassortants containing structural proteins of heterologous parental origin may express unexpected phenotypes, such as changes in infectivity and immunogenicity. To provide a structural basis for alterations in phenotypic expression, a three-dimensional structural analysis of these reassortants was conducted. The structures of the reassortants show that while VP4 generally maintains the parental structure when moved to a heterologous protein background, in certain reassortants, there are subtle alterations in the conformation of VP4. The alterations in VP4 conformation correlated with expression of unexpected VP4-associated phenotypes. Interactions between heterologous VP4 and VP7 in reassortants expressing unexpected phenotypes appeared to induce the conformational alterations seen in VP4. PMID:12584352

Effects of icotinib on advanced non-small cell lung cancer with different EGFR phenotypes.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Huiyun; Liu, Rong; Li, Shengjie; Fang, Hui; Wang, Ziwei; Huang, Sheng; Zhou, Jianying

2014-09-01

Icotinib is the first oral epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitor, which has been proven to exert significant inhibitory effects on non-small cell lung cancer in vitro. Clinical evidence has showed that the efficacy of Icotinib on retreating advanced non-small cell lung cancer is comparable to Gefitinib. However, different phenotypes of EGFR can affect the therapeutic outcomes of EGFR tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitor. Therefore, our study focused on efficacy and safety of Icotinib in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer of different EGPR phenotypes. Clinical data of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who received Icotinib treatment from August, 2011 to May, 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used for survival analysis and comparison. 18 wild-type EGFR and 51 mutant type were found in a total of 69 patients. Objective response rate of patients with mutant type EGFR was 54.9 % and disease control rate was 86.3 %. Objective response rate of wild-type patients was 11.1 % (P = 0.0013 vs mutant type), disease control rate was 50.0 % (P = 0.0017). Median progression-free survival (PFS) of mutant type and wild-type patients were 9.7 and 2.6 months, respectively (P Icotinib included rash, diarrhea, itching skin with occurrence rates of 24.6 % (17/69), 13.0 % (9/69), and 11.6 % (8/69), respectively. Most adverse reactions were grade I-II. Icotinib has great efficacy in EGFR mutated patients, making it an optimal regimen to treat EGFR mutated patients. Furthermore, most of adverse reactions associated with Icotinib treatment were tolerable.

Actin and microtubule networks contribute differently to cell response for small and large strains

Science.gov (United States)

Kubitschke, H.; Schnauss, J.; Nnetu, K. D.; Warmt, E.; Stange, R.; Kaes, J.

2017-09-01

Cytoskeletal filaments provide cells with mechanical stability and organization. The main key players are actin filaments and microtubules governing a cell’s response to mechanical stimuli. We investigated the specific influences of these crucial components by deforming MCF-7 epithelial cells at small (≤5% deformation) and large strains (>5% deformation). To understand specific contributions of actin filaments and microtubules, we systematically studied cellular responses after treatment with cytoskeleton influencing drugs. Quantification with the microfluidic optical stretcher allowed capturing the relative deformation and relaxation of cells under different conditions. We separated distinctive deformational and relaxational contributions to cell mechanics for actin and microtubule networks for two orders of magnitude of drug dosages. Disrupting actin filaments via latrunculin A, for instance, revealed a strain-independent softening. Stabilizing these filaments by treatment with jasplakinolide yielded cell softening for small strains but showed no significant change at large strains. In contrast, cells treated with nocodazole to disrupt microtubules displayed a softening at large strains but remained unchanged at small strains. Stabilizing microtubules within the cells via paclitaxel revealed no significant changes for deformations at small strains, but concentration-dependent impact at large strains. This suggests that for suspended cells, the actin cortex is probed at small strains, while at larger strains; the whole cell is probed with a significant contribution from the microtubules.

Sunburn as a Cause of Unexpected Neutrophilia in a Healthy Pregnant Woman

OpenAIRE

Harper, Robert

2018-01-01

Background. Neutrophilia has a broad differential diagnosis and represents a systemic response to an infection or other inflammatory pathologies. Case. A 31-year-old woman, Gravida 3, Para 2 at 28 weeks of gestation, presented to the day assessment unit following routine blood tests that showed an unexpected marked neutrophilia. The underlying cause of the neutrophilia was sunburn. The sunburn recovered and her neutrophil count spontaneously normalised. Conclusion. Clinicians can add sunburn ...

Dynamic Asset Allocation Strategies Based on Volatility, Unexpected Volatility and Financial Turbulence

OpenAIRE

Grimsrud, David Borkner

2015-01-01

Masteroppgave økonomi og administrasjon- Universitetet i Agder, 2015 This master thesis looks at unexpected volatility- and financial turbulence’s predictive ability, and exploit these measures of financial risk, together with volatility, to create three dynamic asset allocation strategies, and test if they can outperform a passive and naively diversified buy-and-hold strategy. The idea with the dynamic strategies is to increase the portfolio return by keeping the portfolio risk at a low a...

Epilepsy and risk of death and sudden unexpected death in the young

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holst, Anders Gaarsdal; Winkel, Bo Gregers; Risgaard, Bjarke

2013-01-01

Patients with epilepsy are at increased risk of premature death from all causes and likely also from sudden unexplained death (SUD). Many patients with epilepsy have significant comorbidity, and it is unclear how much of the increased risk can be explained by epilepsy itself. We aimed to chart...... the incidence of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) and estimate the risk of death from all causes and SUD conferred by epilepsy independently....

Prevalence of incidental or unexpected findings on low-dose CT performed during routine SPECT/CT nuclear medicine studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yap, Kelvin Kwok-Ho; Sutherland, Tom; Shafik-Eid, Raymond; Taubman, Kim; Schlicht, Stephen; Ramaseshan, Ganeshan

2015-01-01

In nuclear medicine, single-photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT) is often combined with ‘simultaneous’ low-dose CT (LDCT) to provide complementary anatomical and functional correlation. As a consequence, numerous incidental and unexpected findings may be detected on LDCT. Recognition of these findings and appropriate determination of their relevance can add to the utility of SPECT/CT. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and categorise the relevance of incidental and unexpected findings on LDCT scans performed as part of routine SPECT/CT studies. All available LDCT scans performed as part of SPECT/CT studies at St. Vincent's Hospital Melbourne in the year 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Two qualified radiologists independently reviewed the studies and any previous available imaging and categorised any detected incidental findings. A total of 2447 LDCT studies were reviewed. The relevance of the findings was classified according to a modified version of a scale used in the Colonography Reporting and Data System: E1 = normal or normal variant (28.0%); E2 = clinically unimportant (63.5%); E3 = likely unimportant or incompletely characterised (6.2%); E4 = potentially important (2.5%). Imaging specialists need to be cognisant of incidental and unexpected findings present on LDCT studies performed as part of SPECT/CT. Appropriate categorisation of findings and communication of potentially important findings to referring clinicians should form part of routine practice. The overall prevalence of potentially significant incidental and unexpected findings in our series was 8.7% (E3, 6.2%; E4, 2.5%) and was comparable to rates in other published imaging series.

Unexpected photoreactivation of Vibrio harveyi bacteria living in ionization environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alifano, P.; Tala, A.; Tredici, S. M.; Nassisi, V.; Siciliano, M. V.

2011-01-01

Bacteria undergoing environmental effects is extremely interesting for structural, mechanistic, and evolutionary implications. Luminescent bacteria that have evolved in a specific ambient have developed particular responses and their behavior can give us new suggestions on the task and production of luciferina proteins. To analyze the UV interaction under controlled laboratory conditions, we used photoluminescent bacterial strains belonging to a new species evolutionarily close to Vibrio harveyi sampled from a coastal cave with a high radon content that generates ionizing radiation. The survival of the bacterial strains was analyzed, in the light and in the dark, following a variety of genotoxic treatments including UV radiation exposure. The strains were irradiated by a germicide lamp. The results demonstrated that most of the strains exhibited a low rate of survival after the UV exposure. After irradiation by visible light following the UV exposure, all strains showed a high capability of photoreactivation when grown. This capability was quite unexpected because these bacteria were sampled from a dark ambient without UV radiation. This leads us to hypothesize that the photoreactivation in these bacteria might have been evolved to repair DNA lesions also induced by different radiation sources other than UV (e.g., x-ray) and that the luminescent bacteria might use their own light emission to carry out the photoreactivation. The high capability of photoreactivation of these bacteria was also justified by the results of deconvolution. The deconvolution was applied to the emission spectra and it was able to show evidence of different light peaks. The presence of the visible peak could control the photolysis enzyme.

Adaptation to sudden unexpected loading of the low back - the effects of repeated trials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skotte, J.H.; Fallentin, N.; Pedersen, Mogens Theisen

2004-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate short-term changes in reactions to sudden unexpected loading of the low back. The study utilized a set-up where a horizontal force of 58 N pointing forward suddenly was applied to the upper part of the subject's trunk. EMG activity from the erector...

Unexpected ferromagnetic ordering enhancement with crystallite size growth observed in La{sub 0.5}Ca{sub 0.5}MnO₃ nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iniama, G.; Ita, B. I. [Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Calabar, Calabar (Nigeria); Presa, P. de la, E-mail: pmpresa@ucm.es; Hernando, A. [Instituto de Magnetismo Aplicado, UCM-ADIF-CSIC, 28230 Las Rozas (Spain); Fac. CC Físicas, Dpto. Física de Materiales, Univ. Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Alonso, J. M. [Instituto de Magnetismo Aplicado, UCM-ADIF-CSIC, 28230 Las Rozas (Spain); Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales, CSIC, 28049-Madrid (Spain); Multigner, M. [Instituto de Magnetismo Aplicado, UCM-ADIF-CSIC, 28230 Las Rozas (Spain); Cortés-Gil, R.; Ruiz-González, M. L. [Fac. CC Químicas, Dpto. Química Inorgánica, Univ. Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Gonzalez-Calbet, J. M. [Instituto de Magnetismo Aplicado, UCM-ADIF-CSIC, 28230 Las Rozas (Spain); Fac. CC Químicas, Dpto. Química Inorgánica, Univ. Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

2014-09-21

In this paper, the physical properties of half-doped manganite La{sub 0.5}Ca{sub 0.5}MnO₃ with crystallite sizes ranging from 15 to 40 nm are investigated. As expected, ferromagnetic order strengthens at expense of antiferromagnetic one as crystallite size is reduced to 15 nm. However, contrary to previously reported works, an enhancement of saturation magnetization is observed as crystallite size increases from 15 to 22 nm. This unexpected behavior is accompanied by an unusual cell volume variation that seems to induce ferromagnetic-like behavior at expense of antiferromagnetic one. Besides, field cooled hysteresis loops show exchange bias field and coercivity enhancement for increasing cooling fields, which suggest a kind of core-shell structure with AFM-FM coupling for crystallite sizes as small as 15 nm. It is expected that inner core orders antiferromagnetically, whereas uncompensated surface spins behave as spin glass with ferromagnetic-like ordering.

Unexpected storm-time nightside plasmaspheric density enhancement at low L shell

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, X.; Bortnik, J.; Denton, R. E.; Yue, C.

2017-12-01

We have developed a three-dimensional dynamic electron density (DEN3D) model in the inner magnetosphere using a neural network approach. The DEN3D model can provide spatiotemporal distribution of the electron density at any location and time that spacecraft observations are not available. Given DEN3D's good performance in predicting the structure and dynamic evolution of the plasma density, the salient features of the DEN3D model can be used to gain further insight into the physics. For instance, the DEN3D models can be used to find unusual phenomena that are difficult to detect in observations or simulations. We report, for the first time, an unexpected plasmaspheric density increase at low L shell regions on the nightside during the main phase of a moderate storm during 12-16 October 2004, as opposed to the expected density decrease due to storm-time plasmaspheric erosion. The unexpected density increase is first discovered in the modeled electron density distribution using the DEN3D model, and then validated using in-situ density measurements obtained from the IMAGE satellite. The density increase was likely caused by increased earthward transverse field plasma transport due to enhanced nightside ExB drift, which coincided with enhanced solar wind electric field and substorm activity. This is consistent with the results of physics-based simulation SAMI3 model which show earthward enhanced plasma transport and electron density increase at low L shells during storm main phase.

Unexpected ferromagnetic ordering enhancement with crystallite size growth observed in La0.5Ca0.5MnO3 nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iniama, G.; Ita, B. I.; Presa, P. de la; Hernando, A.; Alonso, J. M.; Multigner, M.; Cortés-Gil, R.; Ruiz-González, M. L.; Gonzalez-Calbet, J. M.

2014-01-01

In this paper, the physical properties of half-doped manganite La 0.5 Ca 0.5 MnO 3 with crystallite sizes ranging from 15 to 40 nm are investigated. As expected, ferromagnetic order strengthens at expense of antiferromagnetic one as crystallite size is reduced to 15 nm. However, contrary to previously reported works, an enhancement of saturation magnetization is observed as crystallite size increases from 15 to 22 nm. This unexpected behavior is accompanied by an unusual cell volume variation that seems to induce ferromagnetic-like behavior at expense of antiferromagnetic one. Besides, field cooled hysteresis loops show exchange bias field and coercivity enhancement for increasing cooling fields, which suggest a kind of core-shell structure with AFM-FM coupling for crystallite sizes as small as 15 nm. It is expected that inner core orders antiferromagnetically, whereas uncompensated surface spins behave as spin glass with ferromagnetic-like ordering.

The unexpected in primary care: a multicenter study on the emergence of unvoiced patient agenda.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Peltenburg, M.; Fischer, J.E.; Bahrs, O.; Dulmen, S. van; Brink-Muinen, A. van den

2004-01-01

PURPOSE: Within the time constraints of a typical physician-patient encounter, the full patient agenda will rarely be voiced. Unexpectedly revealed issues that were neither on the patient's list of items for discussion nor anticipated by the physician constitute an emerging agenda. We aimed to

A case-crossover analyses of fine particulate matter and out-of-hospital sudden unexpected death

Science.gov (United States)

Out-of-hospital sudden unexpected deaths (OHSUD) are natural deaths that occur without obvious underlying causes and account for nearly 1 in 6 deaths in the United States. Ambient air pollution is known to be causally related to overall mortality, therefore, we hypothesized that ...

3 CFR - Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs Related to the Continuing Conflict in Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 3 The President 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs Related to the Continuing Conflict in Pakistan Presidential Documents Other Presidential Documents... to the Continuing Conflict in Pakistan Memorandum for the Secretary of State By the authority vested...

Challenging Ideals of Reciprocity in Undergraduate Teaching: The Unexpected Benefits of Unpredictable Cross-Cultural Fieldwork

Science.gov (United States)

Hammersley, Laura A.; Bilous, Rebecca H.; James, Sarah W.; Trau, Adam M.; Suchet-Pearson, Sandie

2014-01-01

Geographers are increasingly grappling with the theoretical and practical implications of integrating an ethics of reciprocity into undergraduate learning and teaching. This paper draws on the unexpected experiences of a third-year human geography research methods fieldtrip to examine the process of balancing undergraduate student learning and…

Differential effects of allergen challenge on large and small airway reactivity in mice.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chantal Donovan

Full Text Available The relative contributions of large and small airways to hyperresponsiveness in asthma have yet to be fully assessed. This study used a mouse model of chronic allergic airways disease to induce inflammation and remodelling and determine whether in vivo hyperresponsiveness to methacholine is consistent with in vitro reactivity of trachea and small airways. Balb/C mice were sensitised (days 0, 14 and challenged (3 times/week, 6 weeks with ovalbumin. Airway reactivity was compared with saline-challenged controls in vivo assessing whole lung resistance, and in vitro measuring the force of tracheal contraction and the magnitude/rate of small airway narrowing within lung slices. Increased airway inflammation, epithelial remodelling and fibrosis were evident following allergen challenge. In vivo hyperresponsiveness to methacholine was maintained in isolated trachea. In contrast, methacholine induced slower narrowing, with reduced potency in small airways compared to controls. In vitro incubation with IL-1/TNFα did not alter reactivity. The hyporesponsiveness to methacholine in small airways within lung slices following chronic ovalbumin challenge was unexpected, given hyperresponsiveness to the same agonist both in vivo and in vitro in tracheal preparations. This finding may reflect the altered interactions of small airways with surrounding parenchymal tissue after allergen challenge to oppose airway narrowing and closure.

Structures of foot and mouth disease virus pentamers: Insight into capsid dissociation and unexpected pentamer reassociation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nayab Malik

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV belongs to the Aphthovirus genus of the Picornaviridae, a family of small, icosahedral, non-enveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses. It is a highly infectious pathogen and is one of the biggest hindrances to the international trade of animals and animal products. FMDV capsids (which are unstable below pH6.5 release their genome into the host cell from an acidic compartment, such as that of an endosome, and in the process dissociate into pentamers. Whilst other members of the family (enteroviruses have been visualized to form an expanded intermediate capsid with holes from which inner capsid proteins (VP4, N-termini (VP1 and RNA can be released, there has been no visualization of any such state for an aphthovirus, instead the capsid appears to simply dissociate into pentamers. Here we present the 8-Å resolution structure of isolated dissociated pentamers of FMDV, lacking VP4. We also found these pentamers to re-associate into a rigid, icosahedrally symmetric assembly, which enabled their structure to be solved at higher resolution (5.2 Å. In this assembly, the pentamers unexpectedly associate 'inside out', but still with their exposed hydrophobic edges buried. Stabilizing interactions occur between the HI loop of VP2 and its symmetry related partners at the icosahedral 3-fold axes, and between the BC and EF loops of VP3 with the VP2 βB-strand and the CD loop at the 2-fold axes. A relatively extensive but subtle structural rearrangement towards the periphery of the dissociated pentamer compared to that in the mature virus provides insight into the mechanism of dissociation of FMDV and the marked difference in antigenicity.

Preliminary study of diagnostic workstation with different matrix size for detection of small pulmonary nodules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Jie; Wang Xuejian; Wang Bo; Tong Juan; Wei Yuqing; Shen Guiquan; Wang Limei; Cao Jun; Sui He

2004-01-01

Objective: To assess the influence in detecting small pulmonary nodules (SPNs) on soft-copy images displayed with different matrix sizes. Methods: Seventy-six chest compute radiographs were selected for the study. Of the 76 test images, 36 pulmonary nodules smaller than 20 mm in diameter were proven by CT, which were further divided into two groups: 1.0-2.0 cm and Z values and standard error of three kinds of view system for individual observers. Results: For 1.0-2.0 cm group, the mean A Z values were 0.7936 for DRCS with 2-fold magnification and window technique, 0.8225 for 1 K monitor with 2-fold magnification and window technique, and 0.8367 for 2 K monitor without magnification; for Z values increased slightly as the display matrix size improved, but there were no significant differences among the three sets in the detection of SPNs in the ROC analyses. Conclusion: It is acceptable to detect small pulmonary nodules of 1.0-2.0 cm in diameter on 1 K monitor and DRCS with magnification. High resolution diagnostic workstation is recommended for detecting small pulmonary nodules <1.0 cm in diameter. Reasonable equipment for the detection of subtle abnormality may result in better cost-efficacy and diagnostic accuracy

Sunburn as a Cause of Unexpected Neutrophilia in a Healthy Pregnant Woman

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Harper

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Neutrophilia has a broad differential diagnosis and represents a systemic response to an infection or other inflammatory pathologies. Case. A 31-year-old woman, Gravida 3, Para 2 at 28 weeks of gestation, presented to the day assessment unit following routine blood tests that showed an unexpected marked neutrophilia. The underlying cause of the neutrophilia was sunburn. The sunburn recovered and her neutrophil count spontaneously normalised. Conclusion. Clinicians can add sunburn to the broad differential diagnosis of neutrophilia.

Unexpected perturbations training improves balance control and voluntary stepping times in older adults - a double blind randomized control trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Kurz, Ilan; Gimmon, Yoav; Shapiro, Amir; Debi, Ronen; Snir, Yoram; Melzer, Itshak

2016-03-04

Falls are common among elderly, most of them occur while slipping or tripping during walking. We aimed to explore whether a training program that incorporates unexpected loss of balance during walking able to improve risk factors for falls. In a double-blind randomized controlled trial 53 community dwelling older adults (age 80.1±5.6 years), were recruited and randomly allocated to an intervention group (n = 27) or a control group (n = 26). The intervention group received 24 training sessions over 3 months that included unexpected perturbation of balance exercises during treadmill walking. The control group performed treadmill walking with no perturbations. The primary outcome measures were the voluntary step execution times, traditional postural sway parameters and Stabilogram-Diffusion Analysis. The secondary outcome measures were the fall efficacy Scale (FES), self-reported late life function (LLFDI), and Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA). Compared to control, participation in intervention program that includes unexpected loss of balance during walking led to faster Voluntary Step Execution Times under single (p = 0.002; effect size [ES] =0.75) and dual task (p = 0.003; [ES] = 0.89) conditions; intervention group subjects showed improvement in Short-term Effective diffusion coefficients in the mediolateral direction of the Stabilogram-Diffusion Analysis under eyes closed conditions (p = 0.012, [ES] = 0.92). Compared to control there were no significant changes in FES, LLFDI, and POMA. An intervention program that includes unexpected loss of balance during walking can improve voluntary stepping times and balance control, both previously reported as risk factors for falls. This however, did not transferred to a change self-reported function and FES. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01439451 .

Unexpected magnetism in low dimensional systems: the role of symmetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munoz, MC; Chico, L; Lopez-Sancho, MP; Beltran, JI; Gallego, S; Cerda, J

2006-01-01

The symmetry underlying the geometric structure of materials determines most of their physical properties. In low dimensional systems the role of symmetry is enhanced and can give rise to new phenomena. Here, we report on unexpected magnetism in carbon nanotubes and O-rich surfaces of ionic oxides, to show how its existence is closely related to the symmetry conditions. First, based on tight-binding models, we demonstrate that chiral carbon nanotubes present spin splitting at the Fermi level in the absence of a magneticfield, whereas achiral tubes preserve spin degeneracy. These remarkably different behaviors of chiral and non-chiral nanotubes are due to the intrinsic symmetry dependence of the spin-orbit interaction. Second, the occurrence of spin-polarization at ZrO 2 , Al 2 O 3 and MgO surfaces is proved by means of abinitio calculations within the density functional theory. Large spin moments develop at O-ended polar terminations, transforming the non-magnetic insulator into a half-metal. The magnetic moments mainly reside in the surface oxygen atoms, and their origin is related to the existence of 2p holes of well-defined spin polarization at the valence band of the ionic oxide. The direct relation between magnetization and local loss of donor charge shows that at the origin of these phenomena is the reduced surface symmetry

Unexpected Maternal Convulsion: An Idiopathic Case of Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome after Delivery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jila Agah

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES is associated with various clinical manifestations such as headache, blurred vision, confusion and tonic-clonic convulsion. Some of the predisposing factors for PRES include hypertensive encephalopathy, preeclampsia and eclampsia, lupus erythematosus, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and long-term use of immunosuppressive drugs. This condition rarely occurs after normotensive and uneventful pregnancies. Several theories have been proposed on the etiology of PRES. For instance, endothelial injury and brain edema have been reported as possible causes of PRES. Although PRES is a temporary condition, proper and timely management of the disorder in the acute phase is critical for the prevention of permanent neurological complications. During pregnancy, PRES is normally accompanied with hypertension. In this paper, we present a rare case of PRES in a normotensive pregnancy in a 25-year-old parturient woman (Gravida 2, Ab 1. The patient unexpectedly manifested symptoms of tonic-clonic convulsion one hour after an uneventful vaginal delivery, which were successfully managed. According to our observations, PRES has various clinical manifestations with unexpected occurrence in some cases. Therefore, it is recommended that maternity centers be well-equipped with resuscitation tools, emergency drugs and expert staff so as to manage unforeseen PRES efficiently and prevent permanent maternal neurological complications and mortality.

N2O emission hotspots at different spatial scales and governing factors for small scale hotspots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heuvel, R.N. van den; Hefting, M.M.; Tan, N.C.G.; Jetten, M.S.M.; Verhoeven, J.T.A.

2009-01-01

Chronically nitrate-loaded riparian buffer zones show high N 2 O emissions. Often, a large part of the N 2 O is emitted from small surface areas, resulting in high spatial variability in these buffer zones. These small surface areas with high N 2 O emissions (hotspots) need to be investigated to generate knowledge on the factors governing N 2 O emissions. In this study the N 2 O emission variability was investigated at different spatial scales. Therefore N 2 O emissions from three 32 m 2 grids were determined in summer and winter. Spatial variation and total emission were determined on three different scales (0.3 m 2 , 0.018 m 2 and 0.0013 m 2 ) at plots with different levels of N 2 O emissions. Spatial variation was high at all scales determined and highest at the smallest scale. To test possible factors inducing small scale hotspots, soil samples were collected for slurry incubation to determine responses to increased electron donor/acceptor availability. Acetate addition did increase N 2 O production, but nitrate addition failed to increase total denitrification or net N 2 O production. N 2 O production was similar in all soil slurries, independent of their origin from high or low emission soils, indicating that environmental conditions (including physical factors like gas diffusion) rather than microbial community composition governed N 2 O emission rates

Unexpected structure in the E2 quasicontinuum spectrum of 154Dy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holzmann, R.; Khoo, T.L.; Ma, W.C.

1988-01-01

The evolution of the γ quasicontinuum spectrum with neutron number has been investigated in the sequence of dysprosium isotopes /sup 152,154,156/Dy. The three nuclei display a pronounced collective E2 component. In 154 Dy this component shows an unexpected splitting into two distinct parts, signifying a structural change along the γ cascade. The E2 and statistical components can be reproduced in simple γ cascade calculations; in 152 Dy and 156 Dy only rotational bands were included, whereas in 154 Dy additional vibration-like transitions were required to reproduce the two E2 peaks. 11 refs., 2 figs

76 FR 53295 - Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs Related to the Horn of Africa

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-25

...-12 of August 8, 2011--Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs Related to the Horn of Africa... Migration Needs Related to the Horn of Africa Memorandum for the Secretary of State By the authority vested... Department of State, related to the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa. You are authorized and...

In-Depth Glyco-Peptidomics Approach Reveals Unexpected Diversity of Glycosylated Peptides and Atypical Post-Translational Modifications in Dendroaspis angusticeps Snake Venom.

Science.gov (United States)

Degueldre, Michel; Echterbille, Julien; Smargiasso, Nicolas; Damblon, Christian; Gouin, Charlotte; Mourier, Gilles; Gilles, Nicolas; De Pauw, Edwin; Quinton, Loïc

2017-11-18

Animal venoms represent a valuable source of bioactive peptides that can be derived into useful pharmacological tools, or even innovative drugs. In this way, the venom of Dendroaspis angusticeps (DA), the Eastern Green Mamba, has been intensively studied during recent years. It mainly contains hundreds of large toxins from 6 to 9 kDa, each displaying several disulfide bridges. These toxins are the main target of venom-based studies due to their valuable activities obtained by selectively targeting membrane receptors, such as ion channels or G-protein coupled receptors. This study aims to demonstrate that the knowledge of venom composition is still limited and that animal venoms contain unexpected diversity and surprises. A previous study has shown that Dendroaspis angusticeps venom contains not only a cocktail of classical toxins, but also small glycosylated peptides. Following this work, a deep exploration of DA glycopeptidome by a dual nano liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (nanoLC-ESI-MS) and Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) analyses was initiated. This study reveals unsuspected structural diversity of compounds such as 221 glycopeptides, displaying different glycan structures. Sequence alignments underline structural similarities with natriuretic peptides already characterized in Elapidae venoms. Finally, the presence of an S -cysteinylation and hydroxylation of proline on four glycopeptides, never described to date in snake venoms, is also revealed by proteomics and affined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments.

In-Depth Glyco-Peptidomics Approach Reveals Unexpected Diversity of Glycosylated Peptides and Atypical Post-Translational Modifications in Dendroaspis angusticeps Snake Venom

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michel Degueldre

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Animal venoms represent a valuable source of bioactive peptides that can be derived into useful pharmacological tools, or even innovative drugs. In this way, the venom of Dendroaspis angusticeps (DA, the Eastern Green Mamba, has been intensively studied during recent years. It mainly contains hundreds of large toxins from 6 to 9 kDa, each displaying several disulfide bridges. These toxins are the main target of venom-based studies due to their valuable activities obtained by selectively targeting membrane receptors, such as ion channels or G-protein coupled receptors. This study aims to demonstrate that the knowledge of venom composition is still limited and that animal venoms contain unexpected diversity and surprises. A previous study has shown that Dendroaspis angusticeps venom contains not only a cocktail of classical toxins, but also small glycosylated peptides. Following this work, a deep exploration of DA glycopeptidome by a dual nano liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (nanoLC-ESI-MS and Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS analyses was initiated. This study reveals unsuspected structural diversity of compounds such as 221 glycopeptides, displaying different glycan structures. Sequence alignments underline structural similarities with natriuretic peptides already characterized in Elapidae venoms. Finally, the presence of an S-cysteinylation and hydroxylation of proline on four glycopeptides, never described to date in snake venoms, is also revealed by proteomics and affined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR experiments.

Unexpectedly high catch-and-release rates in European marine recreational fisheries: implications for science and management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ferter, Keno; Weltersbach, Marc Simon; Strehlow, Harry Vincent

2013-01-01

Unexpectedly high catch-and-release rates in European marine recreational fisheries: implications for science and management. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: .While catch-and-release (C&R) is a well-known practice in several European freshwater recreational fisheries, studies on the magnitu...

Radiography after unexpected death in infants and children compared to autopsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lange, Charlotte de; Stake, Gunnar; Vege, Aashild

2007-01-01

Postmortem radiography may reveal skeletal and soft-tissue abnormalities of importance for the diagnosis of cause of death. To review the radiographs of children under 3 years of age who had died suddenly and unexpectedly. To compare the radiological and autopsy findings evaluating possible differences in children dying of SIDS and of an explainable cause. A total of 110 consecutive skeletal surveys performed between 1998 and 2002 were reviewed. All but one were performed before autopsy and comprised AP views of the appendicular and axial skeleton and thorax/abdomen, lateral views of the axial skeleton and thorax, and two oblique views of the ribs. Radiography and autopsy findings were compared. Causes of death were classified as SIDS/borderline SIDS (n = 52) and non-SIDS (n = 58), with one case of abuse. In 102 infants there were 150 pathological findings, 88 involving the chest, 24 skeletal, and 38 miscellaneous findings. The radiological-pathological agreement was poor concerning pulmonary findings. Skeletal findings were sometimes important for the final diagnosis. Radiography revealed many skeletal and soft-tissue findings. Pulmonary pathology was most frequently found, but showed poor agreement with autopsy findings. Recognizing skeletal findings related to abuse is important, as these may escape recognition at autopsy. (orig.)

Inference With Difference-in-Differences With a Small Number of Groups: A Review, Simulation Study, and Empirical Application Using SHARE Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Rokicki, Slawa; Cohen, Jessica; Fink, Günther; Salomon, Joshua A; Landrum, Mary Beth

2018-01-01

Difference-in-differences (DID) estimation has become increasingly popular as an approach to evaluate the effect of a group-level policy on individual-level outcomes. Several statistical methodologies have been proposed to correct for the within-group correlation of model errors resulting from the clustering of data. Little is known about how well these corrections perform with the often small number of groups observed in health research using longitudinal data. First, we review the most commonly used modeling solutions in DID estimation for panel data, including generalized estimating equations (GEE), permutation tests, clustered standard errors (CSE), wild cluster bootstrapping, and aggregation. Second, we compare the empirical coverage rates and power of these methods using a Monte Carlo simulation study in scenarios in which we vary the degree of error correlation, the group size balance, and the proportion of treated groups. Third, we provide an empirical example using the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe. When the number of groups is small, CSE are systematically biased downwards in scenarios when data are unbalanced or when there is a low proportion of treated groups. This can result in over-rejection of the null even when data are composed of up to 50 groups. Aggregation, permutation tests, bias-adjusted GEE, and wild cluster bootstrap produce coverage rates close to the nominal rate for almost all scenarios, though GEE may suffer from low power. In DID estimation with a small number of groups, analysis using aggregation, permutation tests, wild cluster bootstrap, or bias-adjusted GEE is recommended.

[Algorithm for securing an unexpected difficult airway : User analysis on a simulator].

Science.gov (United States)

Ott, T; Truschinski, K; Kriege, M; Naß, M; Herrmann, S; Ott, V; Sellin, S

2018-01-01

Critical incidents in difficult airway management are still a main contributory factor for perioperative morbidity and mortality. Many national associations have developed algorithms for management of these time critical events. For implementation of these algorithms the provision of technical requirements and procedure-related training are essential. Severe airway incidents are rare events and clinical experience of the individual operators is limited; therefore, simulation is an adequate instrument for training and evaluating difficult airway algorithms. The aim of this observational study was to evaluate the application of the institutional difficult airway algorithm among anesthetists. After ethics committee approval, anesthetists were observed while treating a "cannot intubate" (CI) and a "cannot intubate, cannot ventilate" (CICV) situation in the institutional simulation center. As leader of a supportive team the participants had to deal with an unexpected difficult airway after induction of anesthesia in a patient simulator. The following data were recorded: sequence of the applied airway instruments, time to ventilation after establishing a secured airway using any instrument in the CI situation and time to ventilation via cricothyrotomy in the CICV situation. Conformity to the algorithm was defined by the sequence of the applied instruments. Analysis comprised conformity to the algorithm, non-parametric tests for time to ventilation and differences between junior and senior anesthetists. Out of 50 participants 45 were analyzed in the CI situation. In this situation 93% of the participants acted in conformity with the algorithm. In 62% the airway was secured by flexible intubation endoscopy, in 38% with another device. Data from 46 participants were analyzed in the CICV situation. In this situation 91% acted in conformity with the algorithm. The last device used prior to the decision for cricothyrotomy was flexible intubation endoscopy in 39%, a

Experimental and numerical analysis of a small-scale turbojet engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badami, M.; Nuccio, P.; Signoretto, A.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • A theoretical and experimental activity was performed on a small scale turbojet. • The small turbojet shows the typical CO, UHC and NO x trends of aero-engines emissions. • The comparison between the CFD and experimental results show a quite good agreement. • The CFD analysis permitted to interpret some unexpected behaviour of thermodynamic parameters. • This essential knowledge of the research will be applied in a subsequent research on the use of alternative fuels. - Abstract: Since experimental activities on real aeronautical turbines can be very complex and expensive, the use of parts of real engines or small-size turbojets can be very useful for research activities. The present paper describes the results of an experimental and numerical activity that was conducted on a research turbojet engine, with a nominal thrust of 80 N at 80,000 rpm. The aim of the research was to obtain detailed information on the thermodynamic cycle and performance of the engine in order to use it in subsequent activities on the benefits of using alternative fuels in gas turbine engines. A specific characterization of each component of the engine has been performed by means of thermodynamics and CFD analyses and several measured parameters have been critically analyzed and compared with theoretical ones, with the purpose of increasing the knowledge of these kinds of small turbo-engines

Sequence tagging reveals unexpected modifications in toxicoproteomics

Science.gov (United States)

Dasari, Surendra; Chambers, Matthew C.; Codreanu, Simona G.; Liebler, Daniel C.; Collins, Ben C.; Pennington, Stephen R.; Gallagher, William M.; Tabb, David L.

2010-01-01

Toxicoproteomic samples are rich in posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of proteins. Identifying these modifications via standard database searching can incur significant performance penalties. Here we describe the latest developments in TagRecon, an algorithm that leverages inferred sequence tags to identify modified peptides in toxicoproteomic data sets. TagRecon identifies known modifications more effectively than the MyriMatch database search engine. TagRecon outperformed state of the art software in recognizing unanticipated modifications from LTQ, Orbitrap, and QTOF data sets. We developed user-friendly software for detecting persistent mass shifts from samples. We follow a three-step strategy for detecting unanticipated PTMs in samples. First, we identify the proteins present in the sample with a standard database search. Next, identified proteins are interrogated for unexpected PTMs with a sequence tag-based search. Finally, additional evidence is gathered for the detected mass shifts with a refinement search. Application of this technology on toxicoproteomic data sets revealed unintended cross-reactions between proteins and sample processing reagents. Twenty five proteins in rat liver showed signs of oxidative stress when exposed to potentially toxic drugs. These results demonstrate the value of mining toxicoproteomic data sets for modifications. PMID:21214251

When rare is just a matter of sampling: unexpected dominance of clubtail dragonflies (Odonata, Gomphidae through different collecting methods at Parque Nacional da Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcus Vinícius Oliveira de Almeida

2013-12-01

Full Text Available When rare is just a matter of sampling: Unexpected dominance of clubtail dragonflies (Odonata, Gomphidae through different collecting methods at Parque Nacional da Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Capture of dragonfly adults during two short expeditions to Parque Nacional da Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais State, using three distinct collecting methodsaerial nets, Malaise and light sheet trapsis reported. The results are outstanding due the high number of species of Gomphidae (7 out of 26 Odonata species, including a new species of Cyanogomphus Selys, 1873, obtained by two non-traditional collecting methods. Because active collecting with aerial nets is the standard approach for dragonfly inventories, we discuss some aspects of the use of traps, comparing our results with those in the literature, suggesting they should be used as complementary methods in faunistic studies. Furthermore, Zonophora campanulata annulata Belle, 1983 is recorded for the first time from Minas Gerais State and taxonomic notes about Phyllogomphoides regularis (Selys, 1873 and Progomphus complicatus Selys, 1854 are also given.

Change from lung adenocarcinoma to small cell lung cancer as a mechanism of resistance to afatinib.

Science.gov (United States)

Manca, Paolo; Russano, Marco; Pantano, Francesco; Tonini, Giuseppe; Santini, Daniele

2017-08-29

We report the case of a patient affected by advanced EGFR mutation-positive lung who experienced resistance to therapy during treatment with Afatinib through the occurrence of a switch of tumor histotype to small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with features of a G3 neuroendocrine carcinoma. Unexpectedly, the switch to SCLC histotype occurred in the only site not responsive to afatinib and subsequently the most responsive to chemotherapy. Our case shows that occurrence of switch to SCLC is a possible mechanism of resistance during treatment with Afatinib.

Age-related changes in posture response under a continuous and unexpected perturbation.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Yi-Ching; Hsieh, Lin-Fen; Yang, Saiwei

2014-01-22

Aging is a critical factor to influence the functional performance during daily life. Without an appropriate posture control response when experiencing an unexpected external perturbation, fall may occur. A novel six-degree-of freedom platform with motion control protocol was designed to provide a real-life simulation of unexpected disturbance in order to discriminate the age-related changes of the balance control and the recovery ability. Twenty older adults and 20 healthy young adults participated in the study. The subjects stood barefoot on the novel movable platform, data of the center of mass (COM) excursion, joint rotation angle and electromyography (EMG) were recorded and compared. The results showed that the older adults had similar patterns of joint movement and COM excursion as the young adults during the balance reactive-recovery. However, larger proximal joint rotation in elderly group induced larger COM sway envelop and therefore loss of the compensatory strategy of posture recovery. The old adults also presented a lower muscle power. In order to keep an adequate joint stability preventing from falling, the EMG activity was increased, but the asymmetric pattern might be the key reason of unstable postural response. This novel design of moveable platform and test protocol comprised the computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) demonstrate its value to assess the possible sensory, motor, and central adaptive impairments to balance control and could be the training tool for posture inability person. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-Term Adaptations to Unexpected Surface Perturbations: Postural Control During Stance and Gait in Train Conductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Baumgart, Christian; Hoppe, Matthias Wilhelm; Freiwald, Jürgen

2016-01-01

The authors aimed to evaluate the differences in postural control during stance and gait between train conductors and controls. Twenty-one train conductors and 21 office workers performed 6 unilateral and bilateral balance tests on stable and unstable surfaces as well as a gait analysis. In the balance tests, the mean velocity of the center of pressure and unstable surface was measured. In the bilateral balance tests the selected stance width was measured. During gait the length, width, frequency, and velocity of the steps were calculated from the ground reaction forces. Train conductors showed a significantly greater step width during gait (15.4 ± 4.7 vs. 13.0 ± 3.4 cm; p = .035) and stance width during the bilateral stance on the unstable surface (21.0 ± 5.1 vs. 17.8 ± 3.7 cm; p = .026) than the office workers, while no differences were revealed in balance variables. The revealed differences between train conductors and office workers may represent task-specific feedforward control strategies, which increase the base of support and may be helpful to resist unexpected perturbations in trains.

Unexpected optical limiting properties from MoS2 nanosheets modified by a semiconductive polymer.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Min; Chang, Meng-Jie; Wang, Qiang; Zhu, Zhen-Tong; Zhai, Xin-Ping; Zirak, Mohammad; Moshfegh, Alireza Z; Song, Ying-Lin; Zhang, Hao-Li

2015-08-07

Direct solvent exfoliation of bulk MoS2 with the assistance of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) produces a novel two-dimensional organic/inorganic semiconductor hetero-junction. The obtained P3HT-MoS2 nanohybrid exhibits unexpected optical limiting properties in contrast to the saturated absorption behavior of both P3HT and MoS2, showing potential in future photoelectric applications.

Cobalt-catalyzed hydrogenation of esters to alcohols: unexpected reactivity trend indicates ester enolate intermediacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Srimani, Dipankar; Mukherjee, Arup; Goldberg, Alexander F G; Leitus, Gregory; Diskin-Posner, Yael; Shimon, Linda J W; Ben David, Yehoshoa; Milstein, David

2015-10-12

The atom-efficient and environmentally benign catalytic hydrogenation of carboxylic acid esters to alcohols has been accomplished in recent years mainly with precious-metal-based catalysts, with few exceptions. Presented here is the first cobalt-catalyzed hydrogenation of esters to the corresponding alcohols. Unexpectedly, the evidence indicates the unprecedented involvement of ester enolate intermediates. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fungal isolates and their toxicity from different ecosystems in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ONOS

2010-08-23

Aug 23, 2010 ... fungal species behave unexpectedly in different ecosystems. That is why the main ... All the isolates from marine environment were non toxic to brine ... by animals or humans. Severe health problems and death have occurred.

Unexpected consequences of control: competitive vs. predator release in a four-species assemblage of invasive mammals.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruscoe, Wendy A; Ramsey, David S L; Pech, Roger P; Sweetapple, Peter J; Yockney, Ivor; Barron, Mandy C; Perry, Mike; Nugent, Graham; Carran, Roger; Warne, Rodney; Brausch, Chris; Duncan, Richard P

2011-10-01

Invasive species are frequently the target of eradication or control programmes to mitigate their impacts. However, manipulating single species in isolation can lead to unexpected consequences for other species, with outcomes such as mesopredator release demonstrated both theoretically and empirically in vertebrate assemblages with at least two trophic levels. Less is known about the consequences of species removal in more complex assemblages where a greater number of interacting invaders increases the potential for selective species removal to result in unexpected changes in community structure. Using a replicated Before-After Control-Impact field experiment with a four-species assemblage of invasive mammals we show that species interactions in the community are dominated by competition rather than predation. There was no measurable response of two mesopredators (rats and mice) following control of the top predator (stoats), but there was competitive release of rats following removal of a herbivore (possums), and competitive release of mice following removal of rats. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.

Perturbative evolution: a different approach at small x

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Donnachie, A. [University of Manchester, School of Physics and Astromony, Manchester (United Kingdom); Landshoff, P.V. [DAMTP, Cambridge University, Cambridge (United Kingdom)

2017-08-15

We propose an approach to DGLAP evolution at small x that circumvents the usual problem that a perturbation expansion is not valid there. The data for the charm structure function are important to motivate the method, and it describes them much more successfully than the conventional approach. (orig.)

Transfusion rate and prevalence of unexpected red blood cell alloantibodies in women undergoing hysterectomy for benign disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thoestesen, Lisbeth M; Rasmussen, Kjeld L; Lauszus, Finn F

2011-01-01

To determine transfusion rates, risk factors for transfusion and the prevalence of unexpected red blood cell alloantibodies in women undergoing hysterectomy for benign disease. In addition, we aimed to evaluate the necessity of the pretransfusion testing for red blood cell alloantibodies....

The own and social effects of an unexpected income shock: Evidence from the Dutch Postcode Lottery

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuhn, P.J.; Kooreman, P.; Soetevent, A.R.; Kapteyn, A.

2008-01-01

In the Dutch Postcode Lottery a postal code (19 households on average) is randomly selected weekly, and prizes - consisting of cash and a new BMW - are awarded to lottery participants living in that postal code. On average, this generates a temporary, unexpected income shock equal to about eight

Understanding unexpected courses of multiple sclerosis among patients using complementary and alternative medicine: A travel from recipient to explorer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anita Salamonsen

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM is frequently used by patients with multiple sclerosis (MS. Some MS patients experience unexpected improvements of symptoms, which they relate to their use of CAM. The aim of this study was to obtain knowledge and develop understandings of such self-defined unexpected improvement of MS symptoms. Two cases were constructed based on documents and 12 qualitative interviews. Our aim was not to make generalisations from the cases, but to transfer knowledge as working hypotheses. We identified four health-related change processes: the process of losing bodily competence; the process of developing responsibility; the process of taking control; and the process of choosing CAM. The patients explained unexpected improvements in their MS symptoms as results of their own efforts including their choice and use of CAM. In our theoretical interpretations, we found the patients’ redefinition of history, the concept of treatment and the importance of conventional health care to be essential, and leading to a change of patients’ position towards conventional health care from recipients to explorers. The explorers can be perceived as boundary walkers reflecting limitations within the conventional health care system and as initiators regarding what MS patients find useful in CAM.

Interlimb communication following unexpected changes in treadmill velocity during human walking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stevenson, Andrew James Thomas; Geertsen, Svend Sparre; Sinkjær, Thomas

2015-01-01

Interlimb reflexes play an important role in human walking, particularly when dynamic stability is threatened by external perturbations or changes in the walking surface. Interlimb reflexes have recently been demonstrated in the contralateral biceps femoris (cBF) following knee joint rotations...... applied to the ipsilateral leg (iKnee) during the late stance phase of human gait (Stevenson et al. 2013). This interlimb reflex likely acts to slow the forward progression of the body in order to maintain dynamic stability following the perturbations. We examined this hypothesis by unexpectedly...... to slow the forward progression of the body and maintaining dynamic stability during walking, thus signifying a functional role for interlimb reflexes....

Small-angle physics at the intersecting storage rings forty years later

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amaldi, Ugo

2012-01-01

It is often said that the ISR did not have the detectors needed to discover fundamental phenomena made accessible by its large and new energy range. This is certainly true for ‘high-momentum-transfer physics’, which, since the end of the 1960s, became a main focus of research, but the statement does not apply to the field that is the subject of this paper. In fact, looking back to the results obtained at the ISR by the experiments that were programmed to study ‘small-angle physics’, one can safely say that the detectors were very well suited to the tasks and performed much better than foreseen. As far as the results are concerned, in this particular corner of hadron–hadron physics, new phenomena were discovered, unexpected scaling laws were found and the first detailed studies of that elusive concept, which goes under the name ‘pomeron’, were performed, opening the way to phenomena that we hope will be observed at the LHC. Moreover, some techniques and methods have had a lasting influence: all colliders had and have their Roman pots, and the different methods developed at the ISR for measuring the luminosity are still in use.

Streamflow response of a small forested catchment on different timescales

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Zabaleta

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The hydrological response of a catchment to rainfall on different timescales is result of a complex system involving a range of physical processes which may operate simultaneously and have different spatial and temporal influences. This paper presents the analysis of streamflow response of a small humid-temperate catchment (Aixola, 4.8 km² in the Basque Country on different timescales and discusses the role of the controlling factors. Firstly, daily time series analysis was used to establish a hypothesis on the general functioning of the catchment through the relationship between precipitation and discharge on an annual and multiannual scale (2003–2008. Second, rainfall-runoff relationships and relationships among several hydrological variables, including catchment antecedent conditions, were explored at the event scale (222 events to check and improve the hypothesis. Finally, the evolution of electrical conductivity (EC during some of the monitored storm events (28 events was examined to identify the time origin of waters. Quick response of the catchment to almost all the rainfall events as well as a considerable regulation capacity was deduced from the correlation and spectral analyses. These results agree with runoff event scale data analysis; however, the event analysis revealed the non-linearity of the system, as antecedent conditions play a significant role in this catchment. Further, analysis at the event scale made possible to clarify factors controlling (precipitation, precipitation intensity and initial discharge the different aspects of the runoff response (runoff coefficient and discharge increase for this catchment. Finally, the evolution of EC of the waters enabled the time origin (event or pre-event waters of the quickflow to be established; specifically, the conductivity showed that pre-event waters usually represent a high percentage of the total discharge during runoff peaks. The importance of soil waters in the

Large and Small Dendritic Spines Serve Different Interacting Functions in Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity and Homeostasis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joshua J. W. Paulin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The laying down of memory requires strong stimulation resulting in specific changes in synaptic strength and corresponding changes in size of dendritic spines. Strong stimuli can also be pathological, causing a homeostatic response, depressing and shrinking the synapse to prevent damage from too much Ca2+ influx. But do all types of dendritic spines serve both of these apparently opposite functions? Using confocal microscopy in organotypic slices from mice expressing green fluorescent protein in hippocampal neurones, the size of individual spines along sections of dendrite has been tracked in response to application of tetraethylammonium. This strong stimulus would be expected to cause both a protective homeostatic response and long-term potentiation. We report separation of these functions, with spines of different sizes reacting differently to the same strong stimulus. The immediate shrinkage of large spines suggests a homeostatic protective response during the period of potential danger. In CA1, long-lasting growth of small spines subsequently occurs consolidating long-term potentiation but only after the large spines return to their original size. In contrast, small spines do not change in dentate gyrus where potentiation does not occur. The separation in time of these changes allows clear functional differentiation of spines of different sizes.

Design study on small CANDLE reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sekimoto, H; Yan, M [Research Laboratory for Nuclear Reactors, Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan)

2007-07-01

A new reactor burnup strategy CANDLE was proposed, where shapes of neutron flux, nuclide densities and power density distributions remain constant but move to an axial direction. Here important points are that the solid fuel is fixed at each position and that any movable burnup reactivity control mechanisms such as control rods are not required. This burnup strategy can derive many merits. The change of excess reactivity along burnup is theoretically zero, and shim rods will not be required for this reactor. The reactor becomes free from accidents induced by unexpected control rods withdrawal. The core characteristics, such as power feedback coefficients and power peaking factor, are not changed along burnup. Therefore, the operation of the reactor becomes much easier than the conventional reactors especially for high burnup reactors. The transportation and storage of replacing fuels become easy and safe, since they are free from criticality accidents. In our previous works it is appeared that application of this burnup strategy to neutron rich fast reactors makes excellent performances. Only natural or depleted uranium is required for the replacing fuels. The average burnup of the spent fuel is about 40% that is equivalent to 40% utilization of the natural uranium without the reprocessing and enrichment. This reactor can be realized for large reactor, since the neutron leakage becomes small and its neutron economy becomes improved. In the present paper we try to design small CANDLE reactor whose performance is similar to the large reactor by increasing its fuel volume ration of the core, since its performance is strongly required for local area usage. Small long life reactor is required for some local areas. Such a characteristic that only natural uranium is required after second core is also strong merit for this case. The core with 1.0 m radius, 2.0 m length can realize CANDLE burn-up with nitride (enriched N-15) natural uranium as fresh fuel. Lead-Bismuth is

Design study on small CANDLE reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekimoto, H.; Yan, M.

2007-01-01

A new reactor burnup strategy CANDLE was proposed, where shapes of neutron flux, nuclide densities and power density distributions remain constant but move to an axial direction. Here important points are that the solid fuel is fixed at each position and that any movable burnup reactivity control mechanisms such as control rods are not required. This burnup strategy can derive many merits. The change of excess reactivity along burnup is theoretically zero, and shim rods will not be required for this reactor. The reactor becomes free from accidents induced by unexpected control rods withdrawal. The core characteristics, such as power feedback coefficients and power peaking factor, are not changed along burnup. Therefore, the operation of the reactor becomes much easier than the conventional reactors especially for high burnup reactors. The transportation and storage of replacing fuels become easy and safe, since they are free from criticality accidents. In our previous works it is appeared that application of this burnup strategy to neutron rich fast reactors makes excellent performances. Only natural or depleted uranium is required for the replacing fuels. The average burnup of the spent fuel is about 40% that is equivalent to 40% utilization of the natural uranium without the reprocessing and enrichment. This reactor can be realized for large reactor, since the neutron leakage becomes small and its neutron economy becomes improved. In the present paper we try to design small CANDLE reactor whose performance is similar to the large reactor by increasing its fuel volume ration of the core, since its performance is strongly required for local area usage. Small long life reactor is required for some local areas. Such a characteristic that only natural uranium is required after second core is also strong merit for this case. The core with 1.0 m radius, 2.0 m length can realize CANDLE burn-up with nitride (enriched N-15) natural uranium as fresh fuel. Lead-Bismuth is

Modeling Physical Processes at the Nanoscale—Insight into Self-Organization of Small Systems (abstract)

Science.gov (United States)

Proykova, Ana

2009-04-01

Essential contributions have been made in the field of finite-size systems of ingredients interacting with potentials of various ranges. Theoretical simulations have revealed peculiar size effects on stability, ground state structure, phases, and phase transformation of systems confined in space and time. Models developed in the field of pure physics (atomic and molecular clusters) have been extended and successfully transferred to finite-size systems that seem very different—small-scale financial markets, autoimmune reactions, and social group reactions to advertisements. The models show that small-scale markets diverge unexpectedly fast as a result of small fluctuations; autoimmune reactions are sequences of two discontinuous phase transitions; and social groups possess critical behavior (social percolation) under the influence of an external field (advertisement). Some predicted size-dependent properties have been experimentally observed. These findings lead to the hypothesis that restrictions on an object's size determine the object's total internal (configuration) and external (environmental) interactions. Since phases are emergent phenomena produced by self-organization of a large number of particles, the occurrence of a phase in a system containing a small number of ingredients is remarkable.

The Unexpected Past of a Dwarf Galaxy

Science.gov (United States)

1996-08-01

New Light on Cannibalism in the Local Group of Galaxies The Local Group of Galaxies consists of a few large spiral galaxies - for instance the Milky Way galaxy in which we live, and the Andromeda galaxy that is visible to the unaided eye in the northern constellation of the same name - as well as two dozen much smaller galaxies of mostly irregular shape. Whereas the larger galaxies have extended halos of very old stars, no such halos have ever been seen around the smaller ones. Now, however, Dante Minniti and Albert Zijlstra [1], working at the ESO 3.5-metre New Technology Telescope (NTT), have found a large halo of old and metal-poor stars around one of the dwarf galaxies in the Local Group. This finding is quite unexpected. It revises our understanding of star formation in these galaxies and provides important information about the past evolution of galaxies [2]. Galaxy halos The Milky Way galaxy is surrounded by a large, roughly spherical halo of old stars. The diameter is about 100,000 light years and the stars therein, known as Population II stars, are among the oldest known, with ages of 10 billion years or even more. They also differ from the younger stars nearer to the main plane of the Milky Way (in which our 4.7 billion year old Sun is located) by being very metal-poor. Many of the halo stars consist almost solely of hydrogen and helium, reflecting the composition of matter in the young Universe. This halo is important for our understanding of the processes that led to the formation of the Milky Way galaxy. It is believed that many of the halo stars and those of the same type found in globular clusters existed already before the Milky Way had fully formed. Galaxy cannibalism Many astronomers suspect that galaxies evolve and gradually grow larger and heavier by practising cannibalism on their own kind. In this picture, when two galaxies collide in space, the stars and nebulae in the smaller one will disperse and soon be taken over by the larger one, which

Cannibalistic-morph Tiger Salamanders in unexpected ecological contexts

Science.gov (United States)

McLean, Kyle I.; Stockwell, Craig A.; Mushet, David M.

2016-01-01

Barred tiger salamanders [Ambystoma mavortium (Baird, 1850)] exhibit two trophic morphologies; a typical and a cannibalistic morph. Cannibalistic morphs, distinguished by enlarged vomerine teeth, wide heads, slender bodies, and cannibalistic tendencies, are often found where conspecifics occur at high density. During 2012 and 2013, 162 North Dakota wetlands and lakes were sampled for salamanders. Fifty-one contained A. mavortium populations; four of these contained cannibalistic morph individuals. Two populations with cannibalistic morphs occurred at sites with high abundances of conspecifics. However, the other two populations occurred at sites with unexpectedly low conspecific but high fathead minnow [Pimephales promelas (Rafinesque, 1820)] abundances. Further, no typical morphs were observed in either of these later two populations, contrasting with earlier research suggesting cannibalistic morphs only occur at low frequencies in salamander populations. Another anomaly of all four populations was the occurrence of cannibalistic morphs in permanent water sites, suggesting their presence was due to factors other than faster growth allowing them to occupy ephemeral habitats. Therefore, our findings suggest environmental factors inducing the cannibalistic morphism may be more complex than previously thought.

The unexpected influence of aryl substituents in N-aryl-3-oxobutanamides on the behavior of their multicomponent reactions with 5-amino-3-methylisoxazole and salicylaldehyde

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volodymyr V. Tkachenko

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The switchable three-component reactions of 5-amino-3-methylisoxazole, salicylaldehyde and N-aryl-3-oxobutanamides under different conditions were studied and discussed. The unexpected influence of the aryl substituent in N-aryl-3-oxobutanamides on the behavior of the reaction was discovered. The key influence of ultrasonication and Lewis acid catalysts led to an established protocol to selectively obtain two or three types of heterocyclic scaffolds depending on the substituent in the N-aryl moiety.

Spontaneous abortion and unexpected death: a critical discussion of Marquis on abortion.

Science.gov (United States)

Coleman, Mary Clayton

2013-02-01

In his classic paper, 'Why abortion is immoral', Don Marquis argues that what makes killing an adult seriously immoral is that it deprives the victim of the valuable future he/she would have otherwise had. Moreover, Marquis contends, because abortion deprives a fetus of the very same thing, aborting a fetus is just as seriously wrong as killing an adult. Marquis' argument has received a great deal of critical attention in the two decades since its publication. Nonetheless, there is a potential challenge to it that seems to have gone unnoticed. A significant percentage of fetuses are lost to spontaneous abortion. Once we bring this fact to our attention, it becomes less clear whether Marquis can use his account of the wrongness of killing to show that abortion is the moral equivalent of murder. In this paper, I explore the relevance of the rate of spontaneous abortion to Marquis' classic anti-abortion argument. I introduce a case I call Unexpected Death in which someone is about to commit murder, but, just as the would-be murderer is about to strike, his would-be victim dies unexpectedly. I then ask: what does Marquis' account of killing imply about the moral status of what the would-be murderer was about to do? I consider four responses Marquis could give to this question, and I examine what implications these responses have for Marquis' strategy of using his account of the wrongness of killing an adult to show that abortion is in the same moral category.

Regional differences in gene expression and promoter usage in aged human brains

KAUST Repository

Pardo, Luba M.

2013-02-19

To characterize the promoterome of caudate and putamen regions (striatum), frontal and temporal cortices, and hippocampi from aged human brains, we used high-throughput cap analysis of gene expression to profile the transcription start sites and to quantify the differences in gene expression across the 5 brain regions. We also analyzed the extent to which methylation influenced the observed expression profiles. We sequenced more than 71 million cap analysis of gene expression tags corresponding to 70,202 promoter regions and 16,888 genes. More than 7000 transcripts were differentially expressed, mainly because of differential alternative promoter usage. Unexpectedly, 7% of differentially expressed genes were neurodevelopmental transcription factors. Functional pathway analysis on the differentially expressed genes revealed an overrepresentation of several signaling pathways (e.g., fibroblast growth factor and wnt signaling) in hippocampus and striatum. We also found that although 73% of methylation signals mapped within genes, the influence of methylation on the expression profile was small. Our study underscores alternative promoter usage as an important mechanism for determining the regional differences in gene expression at old age.

Comparison of different training models for laparoscopic surgery in neonates and small infants.

Science.gov (United States)

Heinrich, M; Tillo, N; Kirlum, H-J; Till, H

2006-04-01

Minimally invasive surgery in small children and infants requires special skills and training. This experimental study compares the efficiency of an in vitro pelvic trainer (PT) and an a in vivo animal model (AM). For this study, 12 residents were prospectively randomized into two groups. Initially, all had to pass a basic skill assessment (3 tasks). Then endoscopic small bowel biopsy was performed (8 times) either with the in vitro PT (group A) or the in vivo AM (group B). Finally, all had to demonstrate this procedure in the in vivo AM and repeat the basic skill assessment. A quality index (complications, suture, biopsy) was evaluated. Initially, there was no difference between the two groups. Interestingly, the mean regression gradient of the index for the in vitro PT (group A) was significantly better than for the in vivo AM (group B). In the final in vivo operation, however, the mean index for the in vitro PT (group A) worsened significantly, whereas it increased for the in vivo AM (group B) (p = 0.037). Adequate training for an isolated mechanical task such as gut biopsy can be supplied using a pelvic trainer or animal model with similar effects. However in vivo performance of the same task requires secondary surgical skills, which are conveyed during live training with greater success. Consequently, stepwise teaching with both modules seems reasonable before these procedures are approached in neonates or small children.

[Nitrogen Losses Under the Action of Different Land Use Types of Small Catchment in Three Gorges Region].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Cheng-long; Gao, Ming; Ni, Jiu-pai; Xie, De-ti; Deng, Hua

2016-05-15

As an independent water-collecting area, small catchment is the source of non-point source pollution in Three Gorges Region. Choosing 3 kinds of the most representative land-use types and using them to lay monitoring points of overland runoff within the small catchment of Wangjiagou in Fuling of Three Gorges Region, the author used the samples of surface runoff collected through the twelve natural rainfalls from May to December to analyze the feature of spatial-temporal change of Nitrogen's losses concentrations under the influence of different land use types and the hillslopes and small catchments composed by those land use types, revealing the relation between different land-use types and Nitrogen's losses of small catchments in Three Gorges Region. The result showed: the average losses concentration of TN showed the biggest difference for different land use types during the period of spring crops, and the average value of dry land was 1. 61 times and 6.73 times of the values of interplanting field of mulberry and paddy field, respectively; the change of the losses concentration of TN was most conspicuous in the 3 periods of paddy field. The main element was NO₃⁻-N, and the relation between TN and NO₃⁻-N showed a significant linear correlation. TN's and NO₃⁻-N's losses concentrations were significantly and positively correlated with the area ratio of corn and mustard, but got a significant negative correlation with the area ratio of paddy and mulberry; NH₄⁺-N's losses concentrations got a significant positive correlation with the area ratio of mustard. Among all the hillslopes composed by different land use types, TN's average losses concentration of surface runoff of the hillslope composed by interplantating field of mulberry and paddy land during the three periods was the lowest, and the values were 2.55, 11.52, 8.58 mg · L⁻¹, respectively; the hillslope of rotation plough land of corn and mustard had the maximum value, and the values were

Differences in practice patterns and costs between small cell and non-small cell lung cancer patients in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuwabara, Kazuaki; Matsuda, Shinya; Fushimi, Kiyohide; Anan, Makoto; Ishikawa, Koichi B.; Horiguchi, Hiromasa; Hayashida, Kenshi; Fujimori, Kenji

2009-01-01

Many reports exist regarding the economic evaluation of evolving chemotherapeutic regimens or diagnostic images for lung cancer (LC) patients. However, it is not clear whether clinical information, such as pathological diagnosis or cancer stage, should be considered as a risk adjustment in lung cancer. This study compared the cost and practice patterns between small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients. 6,060 LC patients treated at 58 academic hospitals and 14,507 at 257 community hospitals were analyzed. Study variables included demographic variables, comorbid status, cancer stage, use of imaging and surgical procedures, type of adjuvant therapy (chemotherapy, radiation or chemoradiation), use of ten chemotherapeutic agents, length of stay (LOS), and total charges (TC; US$1=100 yen) in SCLC and NSCLC patients. The impact of pathological diagnosis on LOS and TC was investigated using multivariate analysis. We identified 3,571 SCLC and 16,996 NSCLC patients. The proportion of demographic and practice-process variables differed significantly between SCLC and NSCLC patients, including diagnostic imaging, adjuvant therapy and surgical procedures. Median LOS and TC were 20 days and US$6,015 for SCLC and 18 days and US$6,993 for NSCLC patients, respectively (p<0.001 for each variable). Regression analysis revealed that pathological diagnosis was not correlated with TC. Physicians should acknowledge that pathological diagnosis dose not accounts for any variation in cost of LC patients but that should remain as an indicator of appropriate care like selection of chemotherapeutic agents. (author)

Bah humbug: Unexpected Christmas cards and the reciprocity norm.

Science.gov (United States)

Meier, Brian P

2016-01-01

The reciprocity norm refers to the expectation that people will help those who helped them. A well-known study revealed that the norm is strong with Christmas cards, with 20% of people reciprocating a Christmas card received from a stranger. I attempted to conceptually replicate and extend this effect. In Study 1, 755 participants received a Christmas card supposedly from a more- versus less-similar stranger. The reciprocation rate was unexpectedly low (2%), which did not allow for a test of a similarity effect. Two potential reasons for this low rate were examined in Study 2 in which 494 participants reported their likelihood of reciprocating a Christmas card from a stranger as well as their felt suspicions/threat about the card and their frequency of e-mail use. Reciprocation likelihood was negatively correlated with perceived threat/suspicion and e-mail use. It appears that reciprocating a gift from a stranger in offline settings may be less likely than expected.

Unexpectedly large charge radii of neutron-rich calcium isotopes

CERN Document Server

Garcia Ruiz, R F; Blaum, K; Ekström, A; Frömmgen, N; Hagen, G; Hammen, M; Hebeler, K; Holt, J D; Jansen, G R; Kowalska, M; Kreim, K; Nazarewicz, W; Neugart, R; Neyens, G; Nörtershäuser, W; Papenbrock, T; Papuga, J; Schwenk, A; Simonis, J; Wendt, K A; Yordanov, D T

2016-01-01

Despite being a complex many-body system, the atomic nucleus exhibits simple structures for certain ‘magic’ numbers of protons and neutrons. The calcium chain in particular is both unique and puzzling: evidence of doubly magic features are known in 40,48Ca, and recently suggested in two radioactive isotopes, 52,54Ca. Although many properties of experimentally known calcium isotopes have been successfully described by nuclear theory, it is still a challenge to predict the evolution of their charge radii. Here we present the first measurements of the charge radii of 49,51,52Ca, obtained from laser spectroscopy experiments at ISOLDE, CERN. The experimental results are complemented by state-of-the-art theoretical calculations. The large and unexpected increase of the size of the neutron-rich calcium isotopes beyond N = 28 challenges the doubly magic nature of 52Ca and opens new intriguing questions on the evolution of nuclear sizes away from stability, which are of importance for our understanding of neutron-...

Muscle activation in young men during a lower limb aquatic resistance exercise with different devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Borreani, Sebastien; Colado, Juan Carlos; Furio, Josep; Martin, Fernando; Tella, Víctor

2014-05-01

Little research has been reported on the effects of using different devices with resistance exercises in a water environment. This study compared muscular activation of lower extremity and core muscles during leg adduction performed at maximum velocity with drag and floating devices of different sizes. A total of 24 young men (mean age 23.20 ± 1.18 years) performed 3 repetitions of leg adduction at maximum velocity using 4 different devices (ie, large/small and drag/floating). The maximum amplitude of the electromyographic root mean square of the adductor longus, rectus abdominis, external oblique on the dominant side, external oblique on the nondominant side, and erector lumbar spinae were recorded. Electromyographic signals were normalized to the maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC). Unexpectedly, no significant (P > 0.05) differences were found in the neuromuscular responses among the different devices used; the average activation of agonist muscle adequate for neuromuscular conditioning was 40.95% of MVIC. In addition, external oblique activation is greater on the contralateral side to stabilize the body (average, 151.74%; P < 0.05). Therefore, if maximum muscle activation is required, the kind of device is not relevant. Thus, the choice should be based on economic factors.

PECULIAR FEATURES OF CRITERIA PERTAINING TO SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESS AND THEIR DIFFERENCE IN BELARUS, RUSSIA AND POLAND

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. P. Kozel

2009-01-01

Full Text Available There are definite criteria that help to classify individual entrepreneurs and organizations as small and medium business categories. Definition of an economic management subject as a small enterprise and an individual entrepreneur provides possibilities to obtain tax privileges and other preferences in some countries.The paper considers peculiar features of criteria that allow to define an economic management subject as a small and medium business in Belarus, Russia and Poland. Comparison has been carried out according to such criteria as average manpower, type of economic activity, annual turnover, purpose of the activity and founder staff.The comparative analysis has made it possible to reveal similar features and significant differences between criteria used for definition of small entrepreneurship in the above-mentioned countries. Corresponding conclusions in respect of Belarus are made in the paper. The paper also contains evaluation of application of some criteria in our country.

Thermal Fluxes and Temperatures in Small Urban Headwater Streams of the BES LTER: Landscape Forest and Impervious Patches and the Importance of Spatial and Temporal Scales

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, H.; Belt, K. T.; Welty, C.; Heisler, G.; Pouyat, R. V.; McGuire, M. P.; Stack, W. P.

2006-05-01

Water and material fluxes from urban landscape patches to small streams are modulated by extensive "engineered" drainage networks. Small urban headwater catchments are different in character and function from their larger receiving streams because of their extensive, direct connections to impervious surface cover (ISC) and their sometimes buried nature. They need to be studied as unique functional hydrologic units if impacts on biota are to be fully understood. As part of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study LTER project, continuous water temperature data are being collected at 2-minute intervals at over twenty small catchments representing various mixtures of forest and ISC. Suburban stream sites with greater ISC generally have higher summer water temperatures. Suburban catchments with most of their channel drainage contained within storm drain pipes show subdued diurnal variation and cool temperatures, but with very large spikes in summer runoff events. Conversely, high ISC urban piped streams have elevated "baseline" temperatures that stand well above all the other monitoring sites. There is a pronounced upstream-downstream effect; nested small headwater catchments experience more frequent, larger temperature spikes related to runoff events than downstream sites. Also, runoff-initiated temperature elevations at small stream sites unexpectedly last much longer than the storm runoff hydrographs. These observations suggest that for small headwater catchments, urban landscapes not only induce an ambient, "heat island" effect on stream temperatures, but also introduce thermal disturbance regimes and fluxes that are not trivial to aquatic biota.

A new unexpected feature of superdeformed nuclei: strange degeneracies and their origin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dudek, J.

1990-01-01

Unexpected similarities between the superdeformed bands found recently in many nuclei of the mass A ∼ 150 and A ∼ 190 regions and the physical sense of this discovery are discussed. These similarities manifest themselves through the existence of nearly identical sequences of transitions belonging to two neighboring nuclei, and by now numerous nuclear pairs manifesting this feature have been found. The underlying microscopic mechanism is traced back to two independent effects: a readjustment of nuclear deformation diminishing the role of alignment of the least bound nucleus, and, the pseudospin symmetry, responsible for an approximate decoupling of the orbital and the intrinsic (pseudo) spin-degrees of freedom. 9 figs

Electrocardiographic features of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Chyou, Janice Y; Friedman, Daniel; Cerrone, Marina; Slater, William; Guo, Yu; Taupin, Daniel; O'Rourke, Sean; Priori, Silvia G; Devinsky, Orrin

2016-07-01

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the most common cause of epilepsy-related mortality. We hypothesized that electrocardiography (ECG) features may distinguish SUDEP cases from living subjects with epilepsy. Using a matched case-control design, we compared ECG studies of 12 consecutive cases of SUDEP over 10 years and 22 epilepsy controls matched for age, sex, epilepsy type (focal, generalized, or unknown/mixed type), concomitant antiepileptic, and psychotropic drug classes. Conduction intervals and prevalence of abnormal ventricular conduction diagnosis (QRS ≥110 msec), abnormal ventricular conduction pattern (QRS <110 msec, morphology of incomplete right or left bundle branch block or intraventricular conduction delay), early repolarization, and features of inherited cardiac channelopathies were assessed. Abnormal ventricular conduction diagnosis and pattern distinguished SUDEP cases from matched controls. Abnormal ventricular conduction diagnosis was present in two cases and no controls. Abnormal ventricular conduction pattern was more common in cases than controls (58% vs. 18%, p = 0.04). Early repolarization was similarly prevalent in cases and controls, but the overall prevalence exceeded that of published community-based cohorts. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International League Against Epilepsy.

Size matters: pitch dimensions constrain inter-team distances and surface area difference in small-sided soccer games

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frencken, Wouter; van der Plaats, Jorrit; Visscher, Chris; Lemmink, Koen

2013-01-01

Pitch size varies in official soccer matches and differently sized pitches are adopted for tactical purposes in small-sided training games. Since interactive team behaviour emerges under con- straints, the authors evaluate the effect of pitch size (task) manipulations on interactive team behaviour

Age-Related Gene Expression Differences in Monocytes from Human Neonates, Young Adults, and Older Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Lissner, Michelle M; Thomas, Brandon J; Wee, Kathleen; Tong, Ann-Jay; Kollmann, Tobias R; Smale, Stephen T

2015-01-01

A variety of age-related differences in the innate and adaptive immune systems have been proposed to contribute to the increased susceptibility to infection of human neonates and older adults. The emergence of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) provides an opportunity to obtain an unbiased, comprehensive, and quantitative view of gene expression differences in defined cell types from different age groups. An examination of ex vivo human monocyte responses to lipopolysaccharide stimulation or Listeria monocytogenes infection by RNA-seq revealed extensive similarities between neonates, young adults, and older adults, with an unexpectedly small number of genes exhibiting statistically significant age-dependent differences. By examining the differentially induced genes in the context of transcription factor binding motifs and RNA-seq data sets from mutant mouse strains, a previously described deficiency in interferon response factor-3 activity could be implicated in most of the differences between newborns and young adults. Contrary to these observations, older adults exhibited elevated expression of inflammatory genes at baseline, yet the responses following stimulation correlated more closely with those observed in younger adults. Notably, major differences in the expression of constitutively expressed genes were not observed, suggesting that the age-related differences are driven by environmental influences rather than cell-autonomous differences in monocyte development.

Pattern Differences of Small Hand Muscle Atrophy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Mimic Disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Jia; Liu, Ming-Sheng; Guan, Yu-Zhou; Du, Hua; Li, Ben-Hong; Cui, Bo; Ding, Qing-Yun; Cui, Li-Ying

2016-04-05

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and some mimic disorders, such as distal-type cervical spondylotic amyotrophy (CSA), Hirayama disease (HD), and spinobulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) may present with intrinsic hand muscle atrophy. This study aimed to investigate different patterns of small hand muscle involvement in ALS and some mimic disorders. We compared the abductor digiti minimi/abductor pollicis brevis (ADM/APB) compound muscle action potential (CMAP) ratios between 200 ALS patients, 95 patients with distal-type CSA, 88 HD patients, 43 SBMA patients, and 150 normal controls. The ADM/APB CMAP amplitude ratio was significantly higher in the ALS patients (P mimic disorders presumably reflect distinct pathophysiological mechanisms underlying different disorders, and may aid in distinguishing between ALS and mimic disorders.

Unexpected Impacts of Global warming on Extreme Warm Spells

Science.gov (United States)

Sardeshmukh, P. D.; Compo, G. P.; McColl, C.; Penland, C.

2017-12-01

It is generally presumed that the likelihood of extreme warm spells around the globe has increased, and will continue to increase, due to global warming. However, we find that this is generally not true in three very different types of global observational datasets and uncoupled atmospheric model simulations of the 1959 to 2012 period with prescribed observed global SSTs, sea ice, and radiative forcing changes. While extreme warm spells indeed became more common in many regions, in many other regions their likelihood remained almost the same or even decreased from the first half to the second half of this period. Such regions of unexpected changes covered nearly 40 percent of the globe in both winter and summer. The basic reason for this was a decrease of temperature variability in such regions that offset or even negated the effect of the mean temperature shift on extreme warm spell probabilities. The possibility of such an impact on extreme value probabilities was highlighted in a recent paper by Sardeshmukh, Compo, and Penland (Journal of Climate 2015). The consistency of the changes in extreme warm spell probabilities among the different observational datasets and model simulations examined suggests that they are robust regional aspects of global warming associated with atmospheric circulation changes. This highlights the need for climate models to represent not just the mean regional temperature signals but also the changes in subseasonal temperature variability associated with global warming. However, current climate models (both CMIP3 and CMIP5) generally underestimate the magnitude of the changes in the atmospheric circulation and associated temperature variability. A likely major cause of this is their continuing underestimation of the magnitude of the spatial variation of tropical SST trends. By generating an overly spatially bland tropical SST warming in response to changes in radiative forcing, the models spuriously mute tropically

Unexpected results in Chernozem soil respiration while measuring the effect of a bio-fertilizer on soil microbial activity [version 2; referees: 2 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriela Bautista

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The number of studies investigating the effect of bio-fertilizers is increasing because of their importance in sustainable agriculture and environmental quality. In our experiments, we measured the effect of different fertilizers on soil respiration. In the present study, we were looking for the cause of unexpected changes in CO2 values while examining Chernozem soil samples. We concluded that CO2 oxidizing microbes or methanotrophs may be present in the soil that periodically consume CO2 . This is unusual for a sample taken from the upper layer of well-ventilated Chernozem soil with optimal moisture content.

Unexpected Diagnosis of Cerebral Toxoplasmosis by 16S and D2 Large-Subunit Ribosomal DNA PCR and Sequencing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kruse, Alexandra Yasmin Collin; Kvich, Lasse Andersson; Eickhardt-Dalbøge, Steffen Robert

2015-01-01

The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii causes severe opportunistic infections. Here, we report an unexpected diagnosis of cerebral toxoplasmosis. T. gondii was diagnosed by 16S and D2 large-subunit (LSU) ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequencing of a cerebral biopsy specimen and confirmed by T. gondii...

Thermal buckling comparative analysis using Different FE (Finite Element) tools

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Banasiak, Waldemar; Labouriau, Pedro [INTECSEA do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Burnett, Christopher [INTECSEA UK, Surrey (United Kingdom); Falepin, Hendrik [Fugro Engineers SA/NV, Brussels (Belgium)

2009-12-19

High operational temperature and pressure in offshore pipelines may lead to unexpected lateral movements, sometimes call lateral buckling, which can have serious consequences for the integrity of the pipeline. The phenomenon of lateral buckling in offshore pipelines needs to be analysed in the design phase using FEM. The analysis should take into account many parameters, including operational temperature and pressure, fluid characteristic, seabed profile, soil parameters, coatings of the pipe, free spans etc. The buckling initiation force is sensitive to small changes of any initial geometric out-of-straightness, thus the modeling of the as-laid state of the pipeline is an important part of the design process. Recently some dedicated finite elements programs have been created making modeling of the offshore environment more convenient that has been the case with the use of general purpose finite element software. The present paper aims to compare thermal buckling analysis of sub sea pipeline performed using different finite elements tools, i.e. general purpose programs (ANSYS, ABAQUS) and dedicated software (SAGE Profile 3D) for a single pipeline resting on an the seabed. The analyses considered the pipeline resting on a flat seabed with a small levels of out-of straightness initiating the lateral buckling. The results show the quite good agreement of results of buckling in elastic range and in the conclusions next comparative analyses with sensitivity cases are recommended. (author)

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Attentional Disengagement from Visually Unique and Unexpected Items at Fixation

Science.gov (United States)

Brockmole, James R.; Boot, Walter R.

2009-01-01

Distinctive aspects of a scene can capture attention even when they are irrelevant to one's goals. The authors address whether visually unique, unexpected, but task-irrelevant features also tend to hold attention. Observers searched through displays in which the color of each item was irrelevant. At the start of search, all objects changed color.…

False Belief Understanding: Children Catch It from Classmates of Different Ages

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yifang; Su, Yanjie

2009-01-01

Two experiments were conducted to compare the false belief understanding of children who have no siblings, but have classmates of different ages in kindergarten. In Experiment 1, 4- and 5-year-olds completed two unexpected location tasks. We found that 4-year-olds with classmates of different ages performed significantly better than those with…

Effects of Muscle Fatigue, Creep, and Musculoskeletal Pain on Neuromuscular Responses to Unexpected Perturbation of the Trunk: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Abboud, Jacques; Lardon, Arnaud; Boivin, Frédéric; Dugas, Claude; Descarreaux, Martin

2016-01-01

Introduction: Trunk neuromuscular responses have been shown to adapt under the influence of muscle fatigue, as well as spinal tissue creep or even with the presence of low back pain (LBP). Despite a large number of studies exploring how these external perturbations affect the spinal stability, characteristics of such adaptations remains unclear. Aim: The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the quality of evidence of studies investigating trunk neuromuscular responses to unexpected trunk perturbation. More specifically, the targeted neuromuscular responses were trunk muscle activity reflex and trunk kinematics under the influence of muscle fatigue, spinal creep, and musculoskeletal pain. Methods: A research of the literature was conducted in Pubmed, Embase, and Sport-Discus databases using terms related to trunk neuromuscular reflex responses, measured by electromyography (baseline activity, reflex latency, and reflex amplitude) and/or trunk kinematic, in context of unexpected external perturbation. Moreover, independent variables must be either trunk muscle fatigue or spinal tissue creep or LBP. All included articles were scored for their electromyography methodology based on the "Surface Electromyography for the Non-Invasive Assessment of Muscles (SENIAM)" and the "International Society of Electrophysiology and Kinesiology (ISEK)" recommendations whereas overall quality of articles was scored using a specific quality checklist modified from the Quality Index. Meta-analysis was performed on reflex latency variable. Results: A final set of 29 articles underwent quality assessments. The mean quality score was 79%. No effect of muscle fatigue on erector spinae reflex latency following an unexpected perturbation, nor any other distinctive effects was found for back muscle fatigue and reflex parameters. As for spinal tissue creep effects, no alteration was found for any of the trunk reflex variables. Finally, the meta-analysis revealed an increased erector

The simple beauty of the unexpected a natural philosopher's quest for trout and the meaning of everything

CERN Document Server

Gleiser, Marcelo

2016-01-01

Marcelo Gleiser has had a passion for science and fishing since he was a boy growing up on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. Now a world-famous theoretical physicist with hundreds of scientific articles and several books of popular science to his credit, he felt it was time to connect with nature in less theoretical ways. After seeing a fly-fishing class on the Dartmouth College green, he decided to learn to fly-fish, a hobby, he says, that teaches humility. In The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected, Gleiser travels the world to scientific conferences, fishing wherever he goes. At each stop, he ponders how in the myriad ways physics informs the act of fishing; how, in its turn, fishing serves as a lens into nature s inner workings; and how science engages with questions of meaning and spirituality, inspiring a sense of mystery and awe of the not yet known. Personal and engaging, The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected is a scientist s tribute to nature, an affirmation of humanity s deep connection with and debt to Eart...

Development of C-lignin with G/S-lignin and lipids in orchid seed coats – an unexpected diversity exposed by ATR-FT-IR spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barsberg, Søren Talbro; Lee, Y.-I.; Rasmussen, Hanne Nina

2018-01-01

Cite this article: Barsberg ST, Lee Y-I, Rasmussen HN. Development of C-lignin with G/S-lignin and lipids in orchid seed coats – an unexpected diversity exposed by ATR-FT-IR spectroscopy. Seed Science Research https:// doi.org/10.1017/S0960258517000344......Cite this article: Barsberg ST, Lee Y-I, Rasmussen HN. Development of C-lignin with G/S-lignin and lipids in orchid seed coats – an unexpected diversity exposed by ATR-FT-IR spectroscopy. Seed Science Research https:// doi.org/10.1017/S0960258517000344...

Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy: A Retrospective Autopsy Study of 112 Epileptic Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Esen Melez, İpek; Arslan, Murat Nihat; Melez, Deniz Oğuzhan; Şanli, Ahmet Necati; Koç, Sermet

2017-09-01

Sudden unexpected deaths comprise the most important and worthy investigation case profiles in both neurology and forensic medicine. Epilepsy, which is one of the neuropathological causes of sudden unexpected deaths, is an important disorder having mysterious aspects. The aim of this study is to make common the points of view between neurology and forensic medicine experts and to discuss the features of the findings together with the related clinical hypotheses, leading to the differential diagnosis of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) by presenting autopsy findings and available medical data of patients who had a prior diagnosis of epilepsy. In Istanbul, the cases of 20334 autopsied patients who were referred to The Ministry of Justice Council of Forensic Medicine between 2007 and 2011 were identified from the complete forensic autopsy data of the city and were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who had a prior diagnosis of epilepsy were included. Both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed through the parameters of demographical data, physical properties, incident features, macroscopic-microscopic autopsy findings, and cause of death initially for all cases and then separately for SUDEP cases. Among the 20334 patients, 112 were determined to have a prior diagnosis of epilepsy. A possible macroscopic and/or microscopic epileptic focus was present in 23 (20.5%) of these 112 cases. The cause of death was determined to be SUDEP in 40 (35.7%) cases, while it could not be determined in 28 (25%) cases. Among patients whose death cause was considered as SUDEP, the male-to-female ratio was 1.1:1, while the mean age was 31.5±13.9 years in males and 29.6±12.9 years in females. The presence of hypertrophy and myocardial scar tissue findings in the microscopic examination were significantly more frequent among patients determined to have died from cardiovascular diseases compared to patients in the SUDEP group (p=0.001 for each finding

Language and music: differential hemispheric dominance in detecting unexpected errors in the lyrics and melody of memorized songs.

Science.gov (United States)

Yasui, Takuya; Kaga, Kimitaka; Sakai, Kuniyoshi L

2009-02-01

Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), we report here the hemispheric dominance of the auditory cortex that is selectively modulated by unexpected errors in the lyrics and melody of songs (lyrics and melody deviants), thereby elucidating under which conditions the lateralization of auditory processing changes. In experiment 1 using familiar songs, we found that the dipole strength of responses to the lyrics deviants was left-dominant at 140 ms (M140), whereas that of responses to the melody deviants was right-dominant at 130 ms (M130). In experiment 2 using familiar songs with a constant syllable or pitch, the dipole strength of frequency mismatch negativity elicited by oddballs was left-dominant. There were significant main effects of experiment (1 and 2) for the peak latencies and for the coordinates of the dipoles, indicating that the M140 and M130 were not the frequency mismatch negativity. In experiment 3 using newly memorized songs, the right-dominant M130 was observed only when the presented note was unexpected one, independent of perceiving unnatural pitch transitions (i.e., perceptual saliency) and of selective attention to the melody of songs. The consistent right-dominance of the M130 between experiments 1 and 3 suggests that the M130 in experiment 1 is due to unexpected notes deviating from well-memorized songs. On the other hand, the left-dominant M140 was elicited by lyrics deviants, suggesting the influence of top-down linguistic information and the memory of the familiar songs. We thus conclude that the left- lateralized M140 and right-lateralized M130 reflect the expectation based on top-down information of language and music, respectively.

Unexpected large room-temperature ferromagnetism in porous Cu{sub 2}O thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hou, Xue [College of Physics Science & Information Engineering, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024 (China); Key Laboratory of Advanced Films of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang 050024 (China); Sun, Huiyuan, E-mail: huiyuansun@126.com [College of Physics Science & Information Engineering, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024 (China); Key Laboratory of Advanced Films of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang 050024 (China); Liu, Lihu; Jia, Xiaoxuan; Liu, Huiyuan [College of Physics Science & Information Engineering, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024 (China); Key Laboratory of Advanced Films of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang 050024 (China)

2015-05-15

Porous Cu{sub 2}O films have been fabricated on porous anodic alumina substrates using DC-reactive magnetron sputtering with pure Cu targets, and unexpectedly large room temperature ferromagnetism has been observed in the films. The maximum saturation magnetic moment along the out-of-plane direction was as high as 94 emu/cm{sup 3}. Photoluminescence spectra show that the ferromagnetism originates with oxygen vacancies. The ferromagnetism could be adjusted by changing the concentration of oxygen vacancies through annealing in an oxygen atmosphere. These observations suggest that the origin of the ferromagnetism is due to coupling between oxygen vacancies with local magnetic moments in the porous Cu{sub 2}O films, which can occur either directly through exchange interactions between oxygen vacancies, or through the mediation of conduction electrons. Such a ferromagnet without the presence of any ferromagnetic dopant may find applications in spintronic devices. - Highlights: • Porous Cu{sub 2}O films were deposited on porous anodic alumina (PAA) substrates. • Significant room-temperature ferromagnetism has been observed in porous Cu{sub 2}O films. • Ferromagnetism of Cu{sub 2}O films exhibited different magnetic signals with the field. • The saturation magnetization is 94 emu/cm{sup 3} with an out-of-plane.

Unexpected structural complexity of supernumerary marker chromosomes characterized by microarray comparative genomic hybridization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hing Anne V

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Supernumerary marker chromosomes (SMCs are structurally abnormal extra chromosomes that cannot be unambiguously identified by conventional banding techniques. In the past, SMCs have been characterized using a variety of different molecular cytogenetic techniques. Although these techniques can sometimes identify the chromosome of origin of SMCs, they are cumbersome to perform and are not available in many clinical cytogenetic laboratories. Furthermore, they cannot precisely determine the region or breakpoints of the chromosome(s involved. In this study, we describe four patients who possess one or more SMCs (a total of eight SMCs in all four patients that were characterized by microarray comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH. Results In at least one SMC from all four patients, array CGH uncovered unexpected complexity, in the form of complex rearrangements, that could have gone undetected using other molecular cytogenetic techniques. Although array CGH accurately defined the chromosome content of all but two minute SMCs, fluorescence in situ hybridization was necessary to determine the structure of the markers. Conclusion The increasing use of array CGH in clinical cytogenetic laboratories will provide an efficient method for more comprehensive characterization of SMCs. Improved SMC characterization, facilitated by array CGH, will allow for more accurate SMC/phenotype correlation.

Biological effects in natural populations of small rodents in radiocontaminated areas. The frequency of bone marrow polyploid cells in bank voles in different years following the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryabokon', N.I.

1999-01-01

On the basis of metaphase analysis results the peculiarities of dynamics of genome mutation frequency (polyploid cells) were studied in bone marrow of bank voles inhibiting the areas with different contamination level due to the Chernobyl accident (8-1526 kBq/m 2 for 137 Cs) in 1986-1991. Unexpectedly high frequencies of polyploid cells exceeding the pre-accidental level by factor of 10 1 -10 3 were recorded in all populations studied. Relationship between the frequency of parameter studied and the concentration of radionuclides incorporated in animal carcasses was proved. Statistically significant rise in the frequency of genome mutations with the time was revealed up to 1991, i.e. approximately to 12-th post-accidental animal generation [ru

Benefits and unexpected artifacts of biplanar digital slot-scanning imaging in children

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blumer, Steven L. [Nemours/A.I duPont Hospital for Children, Department of Medical Imaging, Wilmington, DE (United States); Dinan, David [Nemours Children' s Hospital, Orlando, FL (United States); Grissom, Leslie E. [Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Department of Radiology, Wilmington, DE (United States)

2014-07-15

Biplanar digital slot-scanning allows for relatively low-dose orthopedic imaging, an advantage in imaging children given the growing concerns regarding radiosensitivity. We have used this system for approximately 1 year for orthopedic imaging of the spine and lower extremities. We have noted advantages of using the digital slot-scanning system when compared with computed radiographic and standard digital radiographic imaging systems, but we also found unexpected but common imaging artifacts that are the direct result of the imaging method and that have not been reported. This pictorial essay serves to familiarize radiologists with the advantages of the digital slot-scanning system as well as imaging artifacts common with this new technology. (orig.)

Embedded Prompting May Function as Embedded Punishment: Detection of Unexpected Behavioral Processes within a Typical Preschool Teaching Strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Heal, Nicole A.; Hanley, Gregory P.

2011-01-01

This study describes an unexpected behavioral process that influenced behavior during the teaching of concepts to a 4-year-old girl. The efficacy of and preference for three strategies that varied in teacher directedness were assessed in a multielement design and concurrent-chains arrangement, respectively. The strategy that involved the most…

A geochemical approach to distinguishing competing tectono-magmatic processes preserved in small eruptive centres

Science.gov (United States)

McGee, Lucy E.; Brahm, Raimundo; Rowe, Michael C.; Handley, Heather K.; Morgado, Eduardo; Lara, Luis E.; Turner, Michael B.; Vinet, Nicolas; Parada, Miguel-Ángel; Valdivia, Pedro

2017-06-01

Small eruptive centres (SECs) representing short-lived, isolated eruptions are effective samples of mantle heterogeneity over a given area, as they are generally of basaltic composition and show evidence of little magmatic processing. This is particularly powerful in volcanic arcs where the original melting process generating stratovolcanoes is often obscured by additions from the down-going slab (fluids and sediments) and the overlying crust. The Pucón area of southern Chile contains active and dormant stratovolcanoes, Holocene, basaltic SECs and an arc-scale strike-slip fault (the Liquiñe Ofqui Fault System: LOFS). The SECs show unexpected compositional heterogeneity considering their spatial proximity. We present a detailed study of these SECs combining whole rock major and trace element concentrations, U-Th isotopes and olivine-hosted melt inclusion major element and volatile contents to highlight the complex inter-relations in this small but active area. We show that heterogeneity preserved at individual SECs relates to different processes: some start in the melting region with the input of slab-derived fluids, whilst others occur later in a centre's magmatic history with the influence of crustal contamination prior to olivine crystallisation. These signals are deduced through the combination of the different geochemical tools used in this study. We show that there is no correlation between composition and distance from the arc front, whilst the local tectonic regime has an effect on melt composition: SECs aligned along the LOFS have either equilibrium U-Th ratios or small Th-excesses instead of the large—fluid influenced—U-excesses displayed by SECs situated away from this feature. One of the SECs is modelled as being generated from fluid-enriched depleted mantle, a source which it may share with the stratovolcano Villarrica, whilst another SEC with abundant evidence of crustal contamination may share its plumbing system with its neighbouring

The Dynamic Distribution of Small-Tail Han Sheep Microbiota across Different Intestinal Segments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Zhang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The sheep intestinal tract is characterized by a diverse microbial ecosystem that is vital for the host to digest diet material. The importance of gut microbiota (GM of animals has also been widely acknowledged because of its pivotal roles in the health and well-being of animals. However, there are no relevant studies on GM of small-tail Han sheep, a superior mutton variety domestic in China. In this study, the structure and distribution of gut microflora were studied by high-throughput sequencing technology. Results showed a significant difference between jejunum and cecum, jejunum, and rectum. Meanwhile, the cecum and rectum not only display higher species richness but also exhibit higher similarity of the bacterial diversity than that of the jejunum based on the results of abundance-based coverage estimator (ACE, Chao1, and Shannon indexes. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the predominant phyla in cecum and rectum, while higher relative abundances of Firmicutes and Cyanobacteria were observed in jejunum. At the genus level, Bacteroidetes, Ruminococcus, Lactobacillus, Flavonifractor, and Clostridium were the dominant genera in the cecum and rectum. An obvious dynamic distribution of Lactobacillus is continuously decreasing from the jejunum to the cecum, then to the rectum, whereas the result of Bacteroides is completely inverse. In addition, this study also found many kinds of bacteria associated with the production of volatile fatty acids (VFA colonized in the large intestine. This study is the first to investigate the distribution of intestinal flora in small-tail Han sheep. The findings provide an important indication for diagnosis and treatment of intestinal diseases in small-tail Han sheep, as well as offer a direction for the development of intestinal microecological preparations.

Unexpected Far-Ultraviolet Photometric Characteristics On Mimas

Science.gov (United States)

Royer, E. M.; Hendrix, A. R.

2013-12-01

While infrared and visible are the most common wavelength domains used to investigate planetary surfaces, ultraviolet (UV) data are significant and useful. Here, we present the first far-UV phase curves of Mimas, thus displaying another piece of the Saturnian System puzzle. Our preliminary results shows that, one more time, Mimas surface properties are far from what we was expected. Namely, we observe a leading hemisphere brighter than the trailing hemisphere at some far-UV wavelengths. We used the far-UV channel of the Cassini/UVIS instrument, ranging from 118 to 190 nm. Disk-integrated phase curves for the leading hemisphere and the trailing hemisphere, at 180nm, have been produced. Data points span from 0.5 to 163.5 degrees in phase angle. Mimas displays a leading hemisphere brighter than its trailing hemisphere, when theory and previous Voyager observations at longer wavelengths attest of a brighter trailing hemisphere due to the impact of the E-ring grains on this face of the satellite. Surprisingly, UVIS data show a very bright opposition effect on Mimas leading hemisphere, greater than what is observed on Tethys or Dione leading hemisphere at the same wavelength of 180 nm. Preliminary results of photometric properties modeling seem to indicate an important contribution of the coherent-backscattering process in the opposition surge. Exogenic processes such as bombardment by energetic electrons and/or E-ring grains are discussed to explain this unexpected surface property of Mimas.

Marketing policy of different forms of small business in agriculture

OpenAIRE

JAVORSKA T.I.

2011-01-01

Essence and features of the agricultural marketing is considered. The conducted description of elements of marketing and instruments of marketing policy is in activity of subjects of small business in agriculture.

Unexpected lines due to hyperfine interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, Martin

2009-01-01

Hyperfine interaction is often viewed as a small perturbation that only broadens or in some cases splits a line into many closely spaced lines. In this work, we present some cases where this picture is obsolete and where the hyperfine interaction makes drastic changes to spectra. Off-diagonal hyperfine interaction introduces a mixing between states which can differ in the J quantum number. In most cases this mixing is very small, but even so it could have a dramatic influence on the spectra. Some metastable levels are sensitive to the hyperfine interaction and we show this by presenting the results for hyperfine-dependent lifetimes of the 3d 9 4s 3 D 3 level along parts of the higher end of the Ni-like iso-electronic sequence. In the absence of a nuclear spin, this level can only decay through a magnetic-octupole transition, but in the presence of a nuclear spin, the off-diagonal hyperfine interaction introduces a mixing with the 3d 9 4s 3 D 2 level and a new electric-quadrupole transition channel is opened. It is shown that this new transition channel in many cases is the dominant one and that the lifetime of the 3 D 3 level is sensitive to hyperfine interaction all along the sequence. An example of other types of states that are sensitive to hyperfine interaction are those belonging to configurations of the type nsn'l' where l≥3. In such systems the levels are close in energy and the open s-shell gives rise to a strong hyperfine interaction. This in turn introduces a large mixing between the hyperfine levels and shows up in the spectra as a large intensity redistribution among the hyperfine lines. We present detailed results for the 4s4d 3 D 2 -4s4f 3 F 2 transitions in Ga ii, and show that by including the hyperfine interaction in a proper way, we could reproduce experimental spectra that had not been possible earlier.

Landscapes with different biodiversity influence distribution of small mammals and their ectoparasitic chigger mites: A comparative study from southwest China.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Pei-Ying; Guo, Xian-Guo; Jin, Dao-Chao; Dong, Wen-Ge; Qian, Ti-Jun; Qin, Feng; Yang, Zhi-Hua; Fan, Rong

2018-01-01

From a previous field investigation in Yunnan, southwest China between 2001 and 2015, we selected two types of landscapes to make a retrospectively comparative study on the distribution of small mammals and their ectoparasitic chigger mites. One landscape is "mountainous uncultivated land (MUL)" with higher biodiversity, which is located in a famous "World Nature Heritage Site", the Three-Parallel-Rivers Region in the northwest of Yunnan. The other is "cultivated flatland landscape (CFL)" with lower biodiversity, which is located in the south of Yunnan. The landscapes with different biodiversity apparently influenced the distribution of small mammals and their ectoparasitic chigger mites. Much more species of small mammals and mites were found in MUL than in CFL. A total of 3,177 small mammals captured from MUL were identified as 55 species, 30 genera and 10 families in five orders. From these small mammal hosts, 5,882 chigger mites were collected and identified as 127 species, 15 genera and 3 subfamilies in two families. A total of 1,112 small mammals captured from CFL were identified as 19 species, 12 genera and 5 families in three orders. From these hosts, 17,742 chiggers were collected and identified as 86 species, 12 genera and 3 subfamilies in two families. Both the species diversity (S = 55) and community diversity (H = 2.673) of small mammals in MUL were much higher than those in CFL (S = 19; H = 0.926). There were also higher values of β diversity in MUL than in CFL. Different main reservoir rodent hosts of zoonoses (including tsutsugamushi disease) were found in two types of landscapes. Rattus tanezumi (one main reservoir host) was most abundant in CFL, which accounted for 80.22% of all the small mammals. Another two main reservoir hosts, Eothenomys miletus and Apodemus chevrieri were the dominant species in MUL, but they were not as abundant as R. tanezumi in CFL. Different vector species of chigger mites also existed in MUL and CFL. Leptotrombidium

Small Hydropower - The comeback of small hydropower stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niederhaeusern, A.

2008-01-01

This issue of the 'Erneuerbare Energien' (renewable energies) magazine published by the Swiss Solar Energy Society takes a look at small hydropower projects in Switzerland. In a number of interviews and articles, various topics concerning small hydropower are dealt with. First of all, an interview with Bruno Guggisberg, previously responsible for small hydro at the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, examines the potential of small hydro and the various political, technical and economic influences on such projects. Further articles provide an overview of the various types of small hydro schemes, including power generation using height differences in drinking-water and wastewater installations. As far as the components of small hydro schemes are concerned, various types of turbines and further system components that are needed are examined. A further article takes a look at the small hydro market and the market players involved. Ecological aspects and research activities are discussed in further articles. In a second interview with Martin Boelli, presently responsible for small hydropower at the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, the unused potential for the use of hydropower in Switzerland is discussed. Examples of small-scale hydro schemes are examined and the support offered by the Small Hydropower Program is discussed. Finally the question is asked, if the small hydro market in Switzerland is overheated as a result of promotion schemes such as cost-covering remuneration for electricity from renewable energy sources.

76 FR 35719 - Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs Related to Libya and C[ocirc]te d'Ivoire

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-20

... June 8, 2011 Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs Related to Libya and C[ocirc]te d'Ivoire... laws of the United States, including section 2(c)(1) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of... amount not to exceed $15 million from the United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund...

Evidence against barium in the mushroom Trogia venenata as a cause of sudden unexpected deaths in Yunnan, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ying; Li, Yanchun; Wu, Gang; Feng, Bang; Yoell, Shanze; Yu, Zefen; Zhang, Keqin; Xu, Jianping

2012-12-01

This study examined barium concentrations in the mushroom Trogia venenata, the leading culprit for sudden unexpected deaths in Yunnan, southwest China. We found that barium concentrations in T. venenata from Yunnan were low and comparable to other foods, inconsistent with barium concentrations in this mushroom as a significant contributor to these deaths.

A "present" for the future: the unexpected value of rediscovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ting; Kim, Tami; Brooks, Alison Wood; Gino, Francesca; Norton, Michael I

2014-10-01

Although documenting everyday activities may seem trivial, four studies reveal that creating records of the present generates unexpected benefits by allowing future rediscoveries. In Study 1, we used a time-capsule paradigm to show that individuals underestimate the extent to which rediscovering experiences from the past will be curiosity provoking and interesting in the future. In Studies 2 and 3, we found that people are particularly likely to underestimate the pleasure of rediscovering ordinary, mundane experiences, as opposed to extraordinary experiences. Finally, Study 4 demonstrates that underestimating the pleasure of rediscovery leads to time-inconsistent choices: Individuals forgo opportunities to document the present but then prefer rediscovering those moments in the future to engaging in an alternative fun activity. Underestimating the value of rediscovery is linked to people's erroneous faith in their memory of everyday events. By documenting the present, people provide themselves with the opportunity to rediscover mundane moments that may otherwise have been forgotten. © The Author(s) 2014.

Wikiwijs: An unexpected journey and the lessons learned towards OER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Schuwer

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has funded a five years program to encourage the use, creation and sharing of Open Educational Resources (OER by teachers from various types of education. This program is known as Wikiwijs. Ultimo 2013, the program has come to an end. As some of the assumptions at the start of Wikiwijs proved to work out in unexpected ways the lessons learned could fuel the next steps in developing Wikiwijs. Besides, other national initiatives on opening up education may also benefit from the lessons learned reported here. The main conclusion from five years Wikiwijs was that to accomplish mainstreaming OER, the Wikiwijs program should go along with other interventions that are more oriented toward prescriptive policies and regulations. In particular: the Dutch government should be more directive in persuading executive boards and teachers on schools to adopt OER as an important part of educational reform and the acquisition of 21st century skills.

The crystal structures of EAP domains from Staphylococcus aureus reveal an unexpected homology to bacterial superantigens.

Science.gov (United States)

Geisbrecht, Brian V; Hamaoka, Brent Y; Perman, Benjamin; Zemla, Adam; Leahy, Daniel J

2005-04-29

The Eap (extracellular adherence protein) of Staphylococcus aureus functions as a secreted virulence factor by mediating interactions between the bacterial cell surface and several extracellular host proteins. Eap proteins from different Staphylococcal strains consist of four to six tandem repeats of a structurally uncharacterized domain (EAP domain). We have determined the three-dimensional structures of three different EAP domains to 1.8, 2.2, and 1.35 A resolution, respectively. These structures reveal a core fold that is comprised of an alpha-helix lying diagonally across a five-stranded, mixed beta-sheet. Comparison of EAP domains with known structures reveals an unexpected homology with the C-terminal domain of bacterial superantigens. Examination of the structure of the superantigen SEC2 bound to the beta-chain of a T-cell receptor suggests a possible ligand-binding site within the EAP domain (Fields, B. A., Malchiodi, E. L., Li, H., Ysern, X., Stauffacher, C. V., Schlievert, P. M., Karjalainen, K., and Mariuzza, R. (1996) Nature 384, 188-192). These results provide the first structural characterization of EAP domains, relate EAP domains to a large class of bacterial toxins, and will guide the design of future experiments to analyze EAP domain structure/function relationships.

Small-worldness and gender differences of large scale brain metabolic covariance networks in young adults: a FDG PET study of 400 subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Yuxiao; Xu, Qiang; Shen, Junkang; Li, Kai; Zhu, Hong; Zhang, Zhiqiang; Lu, Guangming

2015-02-01

Many studies have demonstrated the small-worldness of the human brain, and have revealed a sexual dimorphism in brain network properties. However, little is known about the gender effects on the topological organization of the brain metabolic covariance networks. To investigate the small-worldness and the gender differences in the topological architectures of human brain metabolic networks. FDG-PET data of 400 healthy right-handed subjects (200 women and 200 age-matched men) were involved in the present study. Metabolic networks of each gender were constructed by calculating the covariance of regional cerebral glucose metabolism (rCMglc) across subjects on the basis of AAL parcellation. Gender differences of network and nodal properties were investigated by using the graph theoretical approaches. Moreover, the gender-related difference of rCMglc in each brain region was tested for investigating the relationships between the hub regions and the brain regions showing significant gender-related differences in rCMglc. We found prominent small-world properties in the domain of metabolic networks in each gender. No significant gender difference in the global characteristics was found. Gender differences of nodal characteristic were observed in a few brain regions. We also found bilateral and lateralized distributions of network hubs in the females and males. Furthermore, we first reported that some hubs of a gender located in the brain regions showing weaker rCMglc in this gender than the other gender. The present study demonstrated that small-worldness was existed in metabolic networks, and revealed gender differences of organizational patterns in metabolic network. These results maybe provided insights into the understanding of the metabolic substrates underlying individual differences in cognition and behaviors. © The Foundation Acta Radiologica 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Whole Lyophilized Olives as Sources of Unexpectedly High Amounts of Secoiridoids: The Case of Three Tuscan Cultivars.

Science.gov (United States)

Cecchi, Lorenzo; Migliorini, Marzia; Cherubini, Chiara; Innocenti, Marzia; Mulinacci, Nadia

2015-02-04

The phenolic profiles of three typical Tuscan olive cultivars, Frantoio, Moraiolo, and Leccino, stored in different conditions (fresh, frozen, and whole lyophilized fruits), have been compared during the ripening period. Our main goals were to evaluate the phenolic content of whole freeze-dried fruits and to test the stability of the corresponding cake in oxidative-stress conditions. The comparison of fresh and whole freeze-dried fruits from the 2012 season gave unexpected results; e.g., oleuropein in lyophilized fruits was up to 20 times higher than in fresh olives with values up to 80.3 g/kg. Over time we noted that the olive pastes obtained from lyophilized olives contained highly stable phenolic compounds, even under strong oxidative stress conditions. Finally, it was also observed that the cake/powder obtained from unripe freeze-dried olives was very poor in oil content and therefore quite suitable for use in nutritional supplements rich in phenolic compounds, such as secoiridoids, which are not widely present in the human diet.

Polytypism and unexpected strong interlayer coupling in two-dimensional layered ReS2

Science.gov (United States)

Qiao, Xiao-Fen; Wu, Jiang-Bin; Zhou, Linwei; Qiao, Jingsi; Shi, Wei; Chen, Tao; Zhang, Xin; Zhang, Jun; Ji, Wei; Tan, Ping-Heng

2016-04-01

Anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) layered materials, with both scientific interest and application potential, offer one more dimension than isotropic 2D materials to tune their physical properties. Various physical properties of 2D multi-layer materials are modulated by varying their stacking orders owing to significant interlayer vdW coupling. Multilayer rhenium disulfide (ReS2), a representative anisotropic 2D material, was expected to be randomly stacked and lack interlayer coupling. Here, we demonstrate two stable stacking orders, namely isotropic-like (IS) and anisotropic-like (AI) N layer (NL, N > 1) ReS2 are revealed by ultralow- and high-frequency Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence and first-principles density functional theory calculation. Two interlayer shear modes are observed in AI-NL-ReS2 while only one shear mode appears in IS-NL-ReS2, suggesting anisotropic- and isotropic-like stacking orders in IS- and AI-NL-ReS2, respectively. This explicit difference in the observed frequencies identifies an unexpected strong interlayer coupling in IS- and AI-NL-ReS2. Quantitatively, the force constants of them are found to be around 55-90% of those of multilayer MoS2. The revealed strong interlayer coupling and polytypism in multi-layer ReS2 may stimulate future studies on engineering physical properties of other anisotropic 2D materials by stacking orders.Anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) layered materials, with both scientific interest and application potential, offer one more dimension than isotropic 2D materials to tune their physical properties. Various physical properties of 2D multi-layer materials are modulated by varying their stacking orders owing to significant interlayer vdW coupling. Multilayer rhenium disulfide (ReS2), a representative anisotropic 2D material, was expected to be randomly stacked and lack interlayer coupling. Here, we demonstrate two stable stacking orders, namely isotropic-like (IS) and

A Different Kind of Lexicon for a Different Kind of Cinema

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Županović

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Not just another dictionary in the well-known Rowman & Littlefield “Historical Dictionaries” series – South American Cinema is a special kind of book for anyone delving into the broad field of national and regional cinema encompassed by the term South American. Author Peter H. Rist is a professor at Concordia University in Montreal and his PhD thesis dealt with the early films of John Ford. Rist is better known within film circles as the author of several papers on experimental Japanese cinema, so his solo venture into South American cinema is quite unexpected. It is even more surprising that he has produced a 701 page book of this stature on his own – definitely a huge task.What is quite different about this book is evident right from the title – South American – not Latin American, Hispano-American, or any other expected paradigm based on the language or the hyper-cultural context. Rist, as he notes in the preface, tried to envision a book bordered by the notion of the whole continent of South America. This rather unusual approach (where almost all other titles on the subject focus on Latin or Hispanic broadens the horizon with an exotic array that includes Surinamese, French Guianese, and Guyanese cinema. Rarely are these nations even noted in serious books, so entries with their names, brief as they are, make a difference. This is also discussion on the cinema of small Hispanic nations such as Ecuador and Paraguay. On another level, the South American context includes French, English and Dutch language cinema alongside prevailing Spanish and Portuguese, albeit the output of these films is negligible in comparison with the bigger and traditionally more important films of Brazil or Argentina.

Unexpectedly rapid evolution of mandibular shape in hominins.

Science.gov (United States)

Raia, P; Boggioni, M; Carotenuto, F; Castiglione, S; Di Febbraro, M; Di Vincenzo, F; Melchionna, M; Mondanaro, A; Papini, A; Profico, A; Serio, C; Veneziano, A; Vero, V A; Rook, L; Meloro, C; Manzi, G

2018-05-09

Members of the hominins - namely the so-called 'australopiths' and the species of the genus Homo - are known to possess short and deep mandibles and relatively small incisors and canines. It is commonly assumed that this suite of traits evolved in early members of the clade in response to changing environmental conditions and increased consumption of though food items. With the emergence of Homo, the functional meaning of mandible shape variation is thought to have been weakened by technological advancements and (later) by the control over fire. In contrast to this expectation, we found that mandible shape evolution in hominins is exceptionally rapid as compared to any other primate clade, and that the direction and rate of shape change (from the ape ancestor) are no different between the australopiths and Homo. We deem several factors including the loss of honing complex, canine reduction, and the acquisition of different diets may have concurred in producing such surprisingly high evolutionary rates. This study reveals the evolution of mandibular shape in hominins has strong morpho-functional and ecological significance attached.

Homozygous and compound heterozygous mutations in the FBN1 gene: unexpected findings in molecular diagnosis of Marfan syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnaud, Pauline; Hanna, Nadine; Aubart, Mélodie; Leheup, Bruno; Dupuis-Girod, Sophie; Naudion, Sophie; Lacombe, Didier; Milleron, Olivier; Odent, Sylvie; Faivre, Laurence; Bal, Laurence; Edouard, Thomas; Collod-Beroud, Gwenaëlle; Langeois, Maud; Spentchian, Myrtille; Gouya, Laurent; Jondeau, Guillaume; Boileau, Catherine

2017-02-01

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is an autosomal-dominant connective tissue disorder usually associated with heterozygous mutations in the gene encoding fibrillin-1 (FBN1). Homozygous and compound heterozygous cases are rare events and have been associated with a clinical severe presentation. Report unexpected findings of homozygosity and compound heterozygosity in the course of molecular diagnosis of heterozygous MFS and compare the findings with published cases. In the context of molecular diagnosis of heterozygous MFS, systematic sequencing of the FBN1 gene was performed in 2500 probands referred nationwide. 1400 probands carried a heterozygous mutation in this gene. Unexpectedly, among them four homozygous cases (0.29%) and five compound heterozygous cases (0.36%) were identified (total: 0.64%). Interestingly, none of these cases carried two premature termination codon mutations in the FBN1 gene. Clinical features for these carriers and their families were gathered and compared. There was a large spectrum of severity of the disease in probands carrying two mutated FBN1 alleles, but none of them presented extremely severe manifestations of MFS in any system compared with carriers of only one mutated FBN1 allele. This observation is not in line with the severe clinical features reported in the literature for four homozygous and three compound heterozygous probands. Homozygotes and compound heterozygotes were unexpectedly identified in the course of molecular diagnosis of MFS. Contrary to previous reports, the presence of two mutated alleles was not associated with severe forms of MFS. Although homozygosity and compound heterozygosity are rarely found in molecular diagnosis, they should not be overlooked, especially among consanguineous families. However, no predictive evaluation of severity should be provided. 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/.

Maintenance of equilibrium point control during an unexpectedly loaded rapid limb movement.

Science.gov (United States)

Simmons, R W; Richardson, C

1984-06-08

Two experiments investigated whether the equilibrium point hypothesis or the mass-spring model of motor control subserves positioning accuracy during spring loaded, rapid, bi-articulated movement. For intact preparations, the equilibrium point hypothesis predicts response accuracy to be determined by a mixture of afferent and efferent information, whereas the mass-spring model predicts positioning to be under a direct control system. Subjects completed a series of load-resisted training trials to a spatial target. The magnitude of a sustained spring load was unexpectedly increased on selected trials. Results indicated positioning accuracy and applied force varied with increases in load, which suggests that the original efferent commands are modified by afferent information during the movement as predicted by the equilibrium point hypothesis.

How Small Businesses Market Their Products during the Different Phases of the Product Life Cycle: The Case of Swedish Ice Cream Manufacturers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Annika Hallberg

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The Swedish ice cream market of today is dominated by a few major market leaders, which makes it a challenge for small firms to make themselves visible and survive on a long-term basis. The aim of this article is to investigate and understand how small firms in the ice cream business market their products, based on the marketing mix and the portfolio matrix, during the different phases of the product life cycle. The combination of the two models for strategic planning enables the marketing manager to conduct a more complete analysis of existing products and their place on the market and in the product life cycle. Eight CEOs of small-scale ice cream companies were interviewed. This study found that the marketing activities and strategies of large companies cannot be transferred to and implemented in small-scale businesses. Different marketing theories are developed for big businesses that have many employees and expert knowledge, which small companies do not possess. They also have less resources and knowledge to invest in expensive marketing activities in the marketing mix, and therefore the marketing mix models need to incorporate more of inexpensive marketing.

Small RNA-based feedforward loop with AND-gate logic regulates extrachromosomal DNA transfer in Salmonella.

Science.gov (United States)

Papenfort, Kai; Espinosa, Elena; Casadesús, Josep; Vogel, Jörg

2015-08-25

Horizontal gene transfer via plasmid conjugation is a major driving force in microbial evolution but constitutes a complex process that requires synchronization with the physiological state of the host bacteria. Although several host transcription factors are known to regulate plasmid-borne transfer genes, RNA-based regulatory circuits for host-plasmid communication remain unknown. We describe a posttranscriptional mechanism whereby the Hfq-dependent small RNA, RprA, inhibits transfer of pSLT, the virulence plasmid of Salmonella enterica. RprA employs two separate seed-pairing domains to activate the mRNAs of both the sigma-factor σ(S) and the RicI protein, a previously uncharacterized membrane protein here shown to inhibit conjugation. Transcription of ricI requires σ(S) and, together, RprA and σ(S) orchestrate a coherent feedforward loop with AND-gate logic to tightly control the activation of RicI synthesis. RicI interacts with the conjugation apparatus protein TraV and limits plasmid transfer under membrane-damaging conditions. To our knowledge, this study reports the first small RNA-controlled feedforward loop relying on posttranscriptional activation of two independent targets and an unexpected role of the conserved RprA small RNA in controlling extrachromosomal DNA transfer.

Explaining the unexpected success of the smoking ban in Italy: political strategy and transition to practice, 2000–2005.

Science.gov (United States)

Mele, Valentina; Compagni, Amelia

2010-01-01

The approval (2003) and enforcement (2005) of a smoking ban in Italy have been viewed by many as an unexpectedly successful example of policy change. The present paper, by applying a processualist approach, concentrates on two policy cycles between 2000 and 2005. These had opposing outcomes: an incomplete decisional stage and an authoritative decision, enforced two years later. Through the analysis of the different phases of agenda setting, alternative specification and decision making, we have compared the quality of participation of policy entrepreneurs in the two cycles, their political strategies and, in these, the relevance of issue image. The case allows us to direct the attention of scholars and practitioners to an early phase of the policy implementation process – which we have named "transition to practice". This, managed with political strategy, might have strongly contributed to the final successful policy outcome.

Brain metabolite differences in one-year-old infants born small at term and association with neurodevelopmental outcome.

Science.gov (United States)

Simões, Rui V; Cruz-Lemini, Mónica; Bargalló, Núria; Gratacós, Eduard; Sanz-Cortés, Magdalena

2015-08-01

We assessed brain metabolite levels by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in 1-year-old infants born small at term, as compared with infants born appropriate for gestational age (AGA), and their association with neurodevelopment at 2 years of age. A total of 40 infants born small (birthweight growth restriction or as small for gestational age, based on the presence or absence of prenatal Doppler and birthweight predictors of an adverse perinatal outcome, respectively. Single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) data were acquired from the frontal lobe at short echo time. Neurodevelopment was evaluated at 2 years of age using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition, assessing cognitive, language, motor, social-emotional, and adaptive behavior scales. As compared with AGA controls, infants born small showed significantly higher levels of glutamate and total N-acetylaspartate (NAAt) to creatine (Cr) ratio at age 1 year, and lower Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition scores at 2 years. The subgroup with late intrauterine growth restriction further showed lower estimated glutathione levels at age 1 year. Significant correlations were observed for estimated glutathione levels with adaptive scores, and for myo-inositol with language scores. Significant associations were also noticed for NAA/Cr with cognitive scores, and for glutamate/Cr with motor scores. Infants born small show brain metabolite differences at 1 year of age, which are correlated with later neurodevelopment. These results support further research on MRS to develop imaging biomarkers of abnormal neurodevelopment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Examining Racial and Ethnic Differences in Nursing Home Quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Hefele, Jennifer Gaudet; Ritter, Grant A; Bishop, Christine E; Acevedo, Andrea; Ramos, Candi; Nsiah-Jefferson, Laurie A; Katz, Gabrielle

2017-11-01

Identifying racial/ethnic differences in quality is central to identifying, monitoring, and reducing disparities. Although disparities across all individual nursing home residents and disparities associated with between-nursing home differences have been established, little is known about the degree to which quality of care varies by race//ethnicity within nursing homes. A study was conducted to measure within-facility differences for a range of publicly reported nursing home quality measures. Resident assessment data on approximately 15,000 nursing homes and approximately 3 million residents (2009) were used to assess eight commonly used and publicly reported long-stay quality measures: the proportion of residents with weight loss, with high-risk and low-risk pressure ulcers, with incontinence, with depressive symptoms, in restraints daily, and who experienced a urinary tract infection or functional decline. Each measure was stratified by resident race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic), and within-facility differences were examined. Small but significant differences in care on average were found, often in an unexpected direction; in many cases, white residents were experiencing poorer outcomes than black and Hispanic residents in the same facility. However, a broad range of differences in care by race/ethnicity within nursing homes was also found. The results suggest that care is delivered equally across all racial/ethnic groups in the same nursing home, on average. The results support the call for publicly reporting stratified nursing home quality measures and suggest that nursing home providers should attempt to identify racial/ethnic within-facility differences in care. Copyright © 2017 The Joint Commission. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Unexpected Molecular Sieving Properties of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Chen; Lively, Ryan P.; Zhang, Ke; Johnson, Justin R.; Karvan, Oguz; Koros, William J.

2012-01-01

We studied molecular sieving properties of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) by estimating the thermodynamically corrected diffusivities of probe molecules at 35 °C. From helium (2.6 Å) to iso-C 4H 10 (5.0 Å), the corrected diffusivity drops 14 orders of magnitude. Our results further suggest that the effective aperture size of ZIF-8 for molecular sieving is in the range of 4.0 to 4.2 Å, which is significantly larger than the XRD-derived value (3.4 Å) and between the well-known aperture size of zeolite 4A (3.8 Å) and 5A (4.3 Å). Interestingly, because of aperture flexibility, the studied C 4 hydrocarbon molecules that are larger than this effective aperture size still adsorb in the micropores of ZIF-8 with kinetic selectivities for iso-C 4H 8/iso-C 4H 10 of 180 and n-C 4H 10/iso-C 4H 10 of 2.5 × 10 6. These unexpected molecular sieving properties open up new opportunities for ZIF materials for separations that cannot be economically achieved by traditional microporous adsorbents such as synthetic zeolites. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Unexpected Molecular Sieving Properties of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Chen

2012-08-16

We studied molecular sieving properties of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) by estimating the thermodynamically corrected diffusivities of probe molecules at 35 °C. From helium (2.6 Å) to iso-C 4H 10 (5.0 Å), the corrected diffusivity drops 14 orders of magnitude. Our results further suggest that the effective aperture size of ZIF-8 for molecular sieving is in the range of 4.0 to 4.2 Å, which is significantly larger than the XRD-derived value (3.4 Å) and between the well-known aperture size of zeolite 4A (3.8 Å) and 5A (4.3 Å). Interestingly, because of aperture flexibility, the studied C 4 hydrocarbon molecules that are larger than this effective aperture size still adsorb in the micropores of ZIF-8 with kinetic selectivities for iso-C 4H 8/iso-C 4H 10 of 180 and n-C 4H 10/iso-C 4H 10 of 2.5 × 10 6. These unexpected molecular sieving properties open up new opportunities for ZIF materials for separations that cannot be economically achieved by traditional microporous adsorbents such as synthetic zeolites. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Unexpected high-energy γ emission from decaying exotic nuclei

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Gottardo

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The N=52 Ga83 β decay was studied at ALTO. The radioactive 83Ga beam was produced through the ISOL photofission technique and collected on a movable tape for the measurement of γ-ray emission following β decay. While β-delayed neutron emission has been measured to be 56–85% of the decay path, in this experiment an unexpected high-energy 5–9 MeV γ-ray yield of 16(4% was observed, coming from states several MeVs above the neutron separation threshold. This result is compared with cutting-edge QRPA calculations, which show that when neutrons deeply bound in the core of the nucleus decay into protons via a Gamow–Teller transition, they give rise to a dipolar oscillation of nuclear matter in the nucleus. This leads to large electromagnetic transition probabilities which can compete with neutron emission, thus affecting the β-decay path. This process is enhanced by an excess of neutrons on the nuclear surface and may thus be a common feature for very neutron-rich isotopes, challenging the present understanding of decay properties of exotic nuclei.

Unexpectedly long hospital stays as an indicator of risk of unsafe care: an exploratory study

Science.gov (United States)

Borghans, Ine; Hekkert, Karin D; den Ouden, Lya; Cihangir, Sezgin; Vesseur, Jan; Kool, Rudolf B; Westert, Gert P

2014-01-01

Objectives We developed an outcome indicator based on the finding that complications often prolong the patient's hospital stay. A higher percentage of patients with an unexpectedly long length of stay (UL-LOS) compared to the national average may indicate shortcomings in patient safety. We explored the utility of the UL-LOS indicator. Setting We used data of 61 Dutch hospitals. In total these hospitals had 1 400 000 clinical discharges in 2011. Participants The indicator is based on the percentage of patients with a prolonged length of stay of more than 50% of the expected length of stay and calculated among survivors. Interventions No interventions were made. Outcome measures The outcome measures were the variability of the indicator across hospitals, the stability over time, the correlation between the UL-LOS and standardised mortality and the influence on the indicator of hospitals that did have problems discharging their patients to other health services such as nursing homes. Results In order to compare hospitals properly the expected length of stay was computed based on comparison with benchmark populations. The standardisation was based on patients’ age, primary diagnosis and main procedure. The UL-LOS indicator showed considerable variability between the Dutch hospitals: from 8.6% to 20.1% in 2011. The outcomes had relatively small CIs since they were based on large numbers of patients. The stability of the indicator over time was quite high. The indicator had a significant positive correlation with the standardised mortality (r=0.44 (p0.05)). Conclusions The UL-LOS indicator is a useful addition to other patient safety indicators by revealing variation between hospitals and areas of possible patient safety improvement. PMID:24902727

Inhibition of amyloid oligomerization into different supramolecular architectures by small molecules: mechanistic insights and design rules.

Science.gov (United States)

Brahmachari, Sayanti; Paul, Ashim; Segal, Daniel; Gazit, Ehud

2017-05-01

Protein misfolding and aggregation have been associated with several human disorders, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, as well as senile systemic amyloidosis and Type II diabetes. However, there is no current disease-modifying therapy available for the treatment of these disorders. In spite of extensive academic, pharmaceutical, medicinal and clinical research, a complete mechanistic model for this family of diseases is still lacking. In this review, we primarily discuss the different types of small molecular entities which have been used for the inhibition of the aggregation process of different amyloidogenic proteins under diseased conditions. These include small peptides, polyphenols, inositols, quinones and their derivatives, and metal chelator molecules. In recent years, these groups of molecules have been extensively studied using in vitro, in vivo and computational models to understand their mechanism of action and common structural features underlying the process of inhibition. A salient feature found to be instrumental in the process of inhibition is the balance between the aromatic unit that functions as the amyloid recognition unit and the hydrophilic amyloid breaker unit. The establishment of structure-function relationship for amyloid-modifying therapies by the various functional entities should serve as an important step toward the development of efficient therapeutics.

On the unexpected oscillation of the total cross section for excitation in He2+ + H collisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schultz, D.R.; Reinhold, C.O.; Krstic, P.S.

1996-01-01

Recent calculations and measurements have revealed unexpected oscillations of the total cross section for excitation in low- to intermediate-energy He 2+ + H collisions. A physical explanation of this behavior is given here stemming from analysis of classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulations, molecular orbital close coupling calculations, and solution of the time-dependent Schroedinger equation on a numerical lattice. These results indicate that the observed behavior should be characteristic of a wide range of reactions in ion-atom collisions

Unexpectedly high piezoelectricity of Sm-doped lead zirconate titanate in the Curie point region.

Science.gov (United States)

Seshadri, Shruti B; Nolan, Michelle M; Tutuncu, Goknur; Forrester, Jennifer S; Sapper, Eva; Esteves, Giovanni; Granzow, Torsten; Thomas, Pam A; Nino, Juan C; Rojac, Tadej; Jones, Jacob L

2018-03-07

Large piezoelectric coefficients in polycrystalline lead zirconate titanate (PZT) are traditionally achieved through compositional design using a combination of chemical substitution with a donor dopant and adjustment of the zirconium to titanium compositional ratio to meet the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). In this work, a different route to large piezoelectricity is demonstrated. Results reveal unexpectedly high piezoelectric coefficients at elevated temperatures and compositions far from the MPB. At temperatures near the Curie point, doping with 2 at% Sm results in exceptionally large piezoelectric coefficients of up to 915 pm/V. This value is approximately twice those of other donor dopants (e.g., 477 pm/V for Nb and 435 pm/V for La). Structural changes during the phase transitions of Sm-doped PZT show a pseudo-cubic phase forming ≈50 °C below the Curie temperature. Possible origins of these effects are discussed and the high piezoelectricity is posited to be due to extrinsic effects. The enhancement of the mechanism at elevated temperatures is attributed to the coexistence of tetragonal and pseudo-cubic phases, which enables strain accommodation during electromechanical deformation and interphase boundary motion. This work provides insight into possible routes for designing high performance piezoelectrics which are alternatives to traditional methods relying on MPB compositions.

Job Stress in the United Kingdom: Are Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Large Enterprises Different?

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Yanqing; Saridakis, George; Blackburn, Robert

2015-08-01

This paper examines the relationships between firm size and employees' experience of work stress. We used a matched employer-employee dataset (Workplace Employment Relations Survey 2011) that comprises of 7182 employees from 1210 private organizations in the United Kingdom. Initially, we find that employees in small and medium-sized enterprises experience lower level of overall job stress than those in large enterprises, although the effect disappears when we control for individual and organizational characteristics in the model. We also find that quantitative work overload, job insecurity and poor promotion opportunities, good work relationships and poor communication are strongly associated with job stress in the small and medium-sized enterprises, whereas qualitative work overload, poor job autonomy and employee engagements are more related with larger enterprises. Hence, our estimates show that the association and magnitude of estimated effects differ significantly by enterprise size. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Unexpected gender difference in sensitivity to the acute toxicity of dioxin in mice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pohjanvirta, Raimo, E-mail: raimo.pohjanvirta@helsinki.fi [Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 66, FI-00014 University of Helsinki (Finland); Miettinen, Hanna, E-mail: hanna.miettinen@crl.com [Department of Environmental Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 95, FI-70701 Kuopio (Finland); Sankari, Satu, E-mail: satu.sankari@helsinki.fi [Central Laboratory of the Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 57, FI-00014 University of Helsinki (Finland); Hegde, Nagabhooshan [Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 66, FI-00014 University of Helsinki (Finland); Lindén, Jere, E-mail: jere.linden@helsinki.fi [Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 66, FI-00014 University of Helsinki (Finland); Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 66, FI-00014 University of Helsinki (Finland)

2012-07-15

The acute toxicity of the ubiquitous environmental contaminant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) varies widely among species and strains. Previous studies in rats have established that females are approximately 2-fold more sensitive to TCDD lethality than males. However, there is a surprising gap in the literature regarding possible gender-related sensitivity differences in mice. In the present study, by using three substrains of TCDD-sensitive C57BL/6 mice and transgenic mice on this background, we demonstrated that: 1) in contrast to the situation in rats, female mice are the more resistant gender; 2) the magnitude of the divergence between male and female mice depends on the substrain, but can amount to over 10-fold; 3) AH receptor protein expression levels or mutations in the primary structure of this receptor are not involved in the resistance of female mice of a C57BL/6 substrain, despite their acute LD{sub 50} for TCDD being over 5000 μg/kg; 4) transgenic mice that globally express the rat wildtype AH receptor follow the mouse type of gender difference; 5) in gonadectomized mice, ovarian estrogens appear to enhance TCDD resistance, whereas testicular androgens seem to augment TCDD susceptibility; and 6) the gender difference correlates best with the severity of liver damage, which is also reflected in hepatic histopathology and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, especially IL-6. Hence, the two closely related rodent species most often employed in toxicological risk characterization studies, rat and mouse, represent opposite examples of the influence of gender on dioxin sensitivity, further complicating the risk assessment of halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons. -- Highlights: ► In contrast to rats, male mice are more sensitive to TCDD toxicity than female mice. ► The resistance of female C57BL/6Kuo mice matches or exceeds that of male DBA/2 mice. ► The resistance of female C57BL/6Kuo mice is not based on AHR structure or abundance. �

Unexpected gender difference in sensitivity to the acute toxicity of dioxin in mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pohjanvirta, Raimo; Miettinen, Hanna; Sankari, Satu; Hegde, Nagabhooshan; Lindén, Jere

2012-01-01

The acute toxicity of the ubiquitous environmental contaminant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) varies widely among species and strains. Previous studies in rats have established that females are approximately 2-fold more sensitive to TCDD lethality than males. However, there is a surprising gap in the literature regarding possible gender-related sensitivity differences in mice. In the present study, by using three substrains of TCDD-sensitive C57BL/6 mice and transgenic mice on this background, we demonstrated that: 1) in contrast to the situation in rats, female mice are the more resistant gender; 2) the magnitude of the divergence between male and female mice depends on the substrain, but can amount to over 10-fold; 3) AH receptor protein expression levels or mutations in the primary structure of this receptor are not involved in the resistance of female mice of a C57BL/6 substrain, despite their acute LD 50 for TCDD being over 5000 μg/kg; 4) transgenic mice that globally express the rat wildtype AH receptor follow the mouse type of gender difference; 5) in gonadectomized mice, ovarian estrogens appear to enhance TCDD resistance, whereas testicular androgens seem to augment TCDD susceptibility; and 6) the gender difference correlates best with the severity of liver damage, which is also reflected in hepatic histopathology and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, especially IL-6. Hence, the two closely related rodent species most often employed in toxicological risk characterization studies, rat and mouse, represent opposite examples of the influence of gender on dioxin sensitivity, further complicating the risk assessment of halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons. -- Highlights: ► In contrast to rats, male mice are more sensitive to TCDD toxicity than female mice. ► The resistance of female C57BL/6Kuo mice matches or exceeds that of male DBA/2 mice. ► The resistance of female C57BL/6Kuo mice is not based on AHR structure or abundance. �

Unexpected decline in tuberculosis cases coincident with economic recession -- United States, 2009

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Winston Carla A

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Since 1953, through the cooperation of state and local health departments, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC has collected information on incident cases of tuberculosis (TB disease in the United States. In 2009, TB case rates declined -11.4%, compared to an average annual -3.8% decline since 2000. The unexpectedly large decline raised concerns that TB cases may have gone unreported. To address the unexpected decline, we examined trends from multiple sources on TB treatment initiation, medication sales, and laboratory and genotyping data on culture-positive TB. Methods We analyzed 142,174 incident TB cases reported to the U. S. National Tuberculosis Surveillance System (NTSS during January 1, 2000-December 31, 2009; TB control program data from 59 public health reporting areas; self-reported data from 50 CDC-funded public health laboratories; monthly electronic prescription claims for new TB therapy prescriptions; and complete genotyping results available for NTSS cases. Accounting for prior trends using regression and time-series analyses, we calculated the deviation between observed and expected TB cases in 2009 according to patient and clinical characteristics, and assessed at what point in time the deviation occurred. Results The overall deviation in TB cases in 2009 was -7.9%, with -994 fewer cases reported than expected (P Conclusions Our assessments show that the decline in reported TB was not an artifact of changes in surveillance methods; rather, similar declines were found through multiple data sources. While the steady decline of TB cases before 2009 suggests ongoing improvement in TB control, we were not able to identify any substantial change in TB control activities or TB transmission that would account for the abrupt decline in 2009. It is possible that other multiple causes coincident with economic recession in the United States, including decreased immigration and delayed access to

Fatty acid oxidation disorders as primary cause of sudden and unexpected death in infants and young children

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Banner, Jytte; Kølvraa, S; Gregersen, N

1997-01-01

Disorders of fatty acid metabolism are known to be responsible for cases of sudden and unexpected death in infancy. At least 14 disorders are known at present. 120 cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) had been examined for a prevalent mutation (G985) causing medium chain acyl Co......A dehydrogenase deficiency, which is inherited in an autosomal recessive mode. No over-representation of either homozygous or heterozygous cases was found....

Peculiar time dependence of unexpected lines in delayed beam-foil X-ray spectra of V, Fe and Ni

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, Nissar; Karn, Ranjeet K.; Marketos, Pan; Nandi, T.

2005-01-01

Delayed beam-foil X-ray spectra of highly charged ions of V, Fe and Ni show a few lines at energies higher than the H-like Lyman α-line of the respective projectile ions. These can only be attributed to heavier ions. Further the time dependence of such unexpected lines display a peculiar behavior. This work presents the experimental observations systematically

Market size structure and small business lending : Are crisis times different from normal times?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Berger, Allen N.; Cerqueiro, G.M.; Penas, Maria

2015-01-01

Conventional wisdom holds that small banks have comparative advantages vis-à-vis large banks in serving small firms, while recent literature suggests this may not be the case. Using a panel of recent US start-ups, we investigate how small bank presence affects these firms in normal times (2004–06)

Out of Mind, Out of Sight: Unexpected Scene Elements Frequently Go Unnoticed Until Primed.

Science.gov (United States)

Slavich, George M; Zimbardo, Philip G

2013-12-01

The human visual system employs a sophisticated set of strategies for scanning the environment and directing attention to stimuli that can be expected given the context and a person's past experience. Although these strategies enable us to navigate a very complex physical and social environment, they can also cause highly salient, but unexpected stimuli to go completely unnoticed. To examine the generality of this phenomenon, we conducted eight studies that included 15 different experimental conditions and 1,577 participants in all. These studies revealed that a large majority of participants do not report having seen a woman in the center of an urban scene who was photographed in midair as she was committing suicide. Despite seeing the scene repeatedly, 46 % of all participants failed to report seeing a central figure and only 4.8 % reported seeing a falling person. Frequency of noticing the suicidal woman was highest for participants who read a narrative priming story that increased the extent to which she was schematically congruent with the scene. In contrast to this robust effect of inattentional blindness , a majority of participants reported seeing other peripheral objects in the visual scene that were equally difficult to detect, yet more consistent with the scene. Follow-up qualitative analyses revealed that participants reported seeing many elements that were not actually present, but which could have been expected given the overall context of the scene. Together, these findings demonstrate the robustness of inattentional blindness and highlight the specificity with which different visual primes may increase noticing behavior.

Morphological transitions of brain sphingomyelin are determined by the hydration protocol: ripples re-arrange in plane, and sponge-like networks disintegrate into small vesicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, H W; Bunjes, H; Ulrich, A S

1999-06-01

The phase transition of hydrated brain sphingomyelin occurs at around 35 degrees C, which is close to the physiological temperature. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy is used to characterize different gel state morphologies in terms of solid-ordered and liquid-ordered phase states, according to the occurrence of ripples and other higher-dimensional bilayer deformations. Evidently, the natural mixed-chain sphingomyelin does not assume the flat L beta, phase but instead the rippled P beta, phase, with symmetric and asymmetric ripples as well as macroripples and an egg-carton pattern, depending on the incubation conditions. An unexpected difference was observed between samples that are hydrated above and below the phase transition temperature. When the lipid is hydrated at low temperature, a sponge-like network of bilayers is formed in the gel state, next to some normal lamellae. The network loses its ripples during cold-incubation, which indicates the formation of a liquid-ordered (lo) gel phase. Ripples re-appear upon warming and the sponge-like network disintegrates spontaneously and irreversibly into small vesicles above the phase transition.

Dynamic Neuromuscular Control of the Lower Limbs in Response to Unexpected Single-Planar versus Multi-Planar Support Perturbations in Young, Active Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Malfait, Bart; Staes, Filip; de Vries, Aijse; Smeets, Annemie; Hawken, Malcolm; Robinson, Mark A; Vanrenterghem, Jos; Verschueren, Sabine

2015-01-01

An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury involves a multi-planar injury mechanism. Nevertheless, unexpected multi-planar perturbations have not been used to screen athletes in the context of ACL injury prevention yet could reveal those more at risk. The objective of this study was to compare neuromuscular responses to multi-planar (MPP) and single-planar perturbations (SPP) during a stepping-down task. These results might serve as a basis for future implementation of external perturbations in ACL injury screening programs. Thirteen young adults performed a single leg stepping-down task in eight conditions (four MPP and four SPP with a specified amplitude and velocity). The amplitudes of vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis (VM), hamstrings lateralis (HL), hamstrings medialis (HM) EMG activity, medio-lateral and anterior-posterior centre of mass (COM) displacements, the peak knee flexion and abduction angles were compared between conditions using an one-way ANOVA. Number of stepping responses were monitored during all conditions. Significantly greater muscle activity levels were found in response to the more challenging MPP and SPP compared to the less challenging conditions (p neuromuscular activity were found between the MPP conditions and their equivalents in the SPP. Eighteen stepping responses were monitored in the SPP versus nine in the MPP indicating that the overall neuromuscular control was even more challenged during the SPP which was supported by greater COM displacements in the SPP. The more intense MPP and SPP evoked different neuromuscular responses resulting in greater muscle activity levels compared to small perturbations. Based on the results of COM displacements and based on the amount of stepping responses, dynamic neuromuscular control of the knee joint appeared less challenged during the MPP. Therefore, future work should investigate extensively if other neuromuscular differences (i.e. co-activation patterns and kinetics) exist between MPP

Unexpected levels and movement of radon in a large warehouse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gammage, R.B.; Espinosa, G.

2004-01-01

Alpha-track detectors, used in screening for radon, identified a large warehouse with levels of radon as high as 20 p Ci/l. This circumstance was unexpected because large bay doors were left open for much of the day to admit 1 8-wheeler trucks, and exhaust fans in the roof produced good ventilation. More detailed temporal and spatial investigations of radon and air-flow patterns were made with electret chambers, Lucas-cell flow chambers, tracer gas, smoke pencils and pressure sensing micrometers. An oval-dome shaped zone of radon (>4 p Ci/L) persisted in the central region of each of four separate bays composing the warehouse. Detailed studies of air movement in the bay with the highest levels of radon showed clockwise rotation of air near the outer walls with a central dead zone. Sub slab, radon-laden air ingresses the building through expansion joints between the floor slabs to produce the measured radon. The likely source of radon is air within porous, karst bedrock that underlies much of north-central Tennessee where the warehouse is situated

Pathogenesis of sudden unexpected death in a clinical trial of patients with myocardial infarction and left ventricular dysfunction, heart failure, or both

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pouleur, Anne-Catherine; Barkoudah, Ebrahim; Uno, Hajime

2010-01-01

The frequency of sudden unexpected death is highest in the early post-myocardial infarction (MI) period; nevertheless, 2 recent trials showed no improvement in mortality with early placement of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator after MI....

Kappa-casein micelles: structure, interaction and gelling studied by small-angle neutron scattering.

Science.gov (United States)

de Kruif, C G; May, R P

1991-09-01

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements on dilute and concentrated dispersions of kappa-casein micelles in a buffer at pH = 6.7 were made using the D11 diffractometer in Grenoble. Results indicate that the micelles have a dense core with a fluffy outer layer. This outer layer appears to give rise to a steeply repulsive interaction on contact. In fact, the hard-sphere model best fits the measured scattering intensities. Adding chymosin to the dispersion initiated a fractal flocculation of the micelles and consecutively a coalescence of the micelles. This unexpected second process resembled that of spinodal demixing. The dispersion phase thus separates into a water and a protein phase on a time scale of hours. The observed phenomona contribute to the understanding of the cheese-making process.

18F-FDG PET/CT diagnosis of unexpected extracardiac septic embolisms in patients with suspected cardiac endocarditis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonfiglioli, Rachele; Nanni, Cristina; Morigi, Joshua James; Ambrosini, Valentina; Fanti, Stefano; Graziosi, Maddalena; Rapezzi, Claudio; Trapani, Filippo; Bartoletti, Michele; Tumietto, Fabio; Viale, Pier Luigi; Ferretti, Alice; Rubello, Domenico

2013-01-01

Acute infective endocarditis is a potentially life-threatening disease. Its outcome strongly depends on systemic embolization and extracardiac infections. When present, these conditions usually lead to a more aggressive therapeutic approach. However, the diagnosis of peripheral septic embolism is very challenging. 18 F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT has proven to be accurate for the detection of inflammatory diseases and occult infections. The aim of this study was to assess the added value of 18 F-FDG PET/CT in the detection of extracardiac embolisms in the evaluation of patients with suspected valvular endocarditis (VE). Seventy-one patients with suspected infective endocarditis, enrolled between June 2010 and December 2012, underwent 18 F-FDG PET/CT with the standard procedure on a dedicated PET/CT scanner. Extracardiac findings were subsequently evaluated with other imaging procedures. Of the 71 patients with suspicion of infective endocarditis, we found unexpected extracardiac findings in 17 patients (24 %) without any clinical suspicion. Extracardiac findings were subsequently evaluated with other imaging procedures. PET/CT detected unexpected extra sites of infection in 24 % of cases, leading to changes in therapeutic management in a very relevant percentage of patients. These findings may have important therapeutic implications. (orig.)

Small silencing RNAs: an expanding universe.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghildiyal, Megha; Zamore, Phillip D

2009-02-01

Since the discovery in 1993 of the first small silencing RNA, a dizzying number of small RNA classes have been identified, including microRNAs (miRNAs), small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). These classes differ in their biogenesis, their modes of target regulation and in the biological pathways they regulate. There is a growing realization that, despite their differences, these distinct small RNA pathways are interconnected, and that small RNA pathways compete and collaborate as they regulate genes and protect the genome from external and internal threats.

Small Business Financing: Differences Between Young and Old Firms

OpenAIRE

Alicia M. Robb

2002-01-01

Financial capital is necessary not only for business formation but also for business survival and expansion: its role is well documented in the literature. While venture capital and IPOs often make the popular press, the fact is most firms are unable to tap into this market. Instead, they depend on owner equity, other private equity, and debt financing. Survey data from the Federal Reserve Board allow an in depth look at the patterns of small business financing in the late nineties. Evidence ...

SU-F-T-577: Comparison of Small Field Dosimetry Measurements in Fields Shaped with Conical Applicators On Two Different Accelerating Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muir, B; McEwen, M [National Research Council, Ottawa, ON (Canada); Belec, J; Vandervoort, E [Ottawa Hospital General Campus, Ottawa, ON (Canada); Christiansen, E [Carleton University, Ottawa, ON (Canada)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To investigate small field dosimetry measurements and associated uncertainties when conical applicators are used to shape treatment fields from two different accelerating systems. Methods: Output factor measurements are made in water in beams from the CyberKnife radiosurgery system, which uses conical applicators to shape fields from a (flattening filter-free) 6 MV beam, and in a 6 MV beam from the Elekta Precise linear accelerator (with flattening filter) with BrainLab external conical applicators fitted to shape the field. The measurements use various detectors: (i) an Exradin A16 ion chamber, (ii) two Exradin W1 plastic scintillation detectors, (iii) a Sun Nuclear Edge diode, and (iv) two PTW microDiamond synthetic diamond detectors. Profiles are used for accurate detector positioning and to specify field size (FWHM). Output factor measurements are corrected with detector specific correction factors taken from the literature where available and/or from Monte Carlo simulations using the EGSnrc code system. Results: Differences in measurements of up to 1.7% are observed with a given detector type in the same beam (i.e., intra-detector variability). Corrected results from different detectors in the same beam (inter-detector differences) show deviations up to 3 %. Combining data for all detectors and comparing results from the two accelerators results in a 5.9% maximum difference for the smallest field sizes (FWHM=5.2–5.6 mm), well outside the combined uncertainties (∼1% for the smallest beams) and/or differences among detectors. This suggests that the FWHM of a measured profile is not a good specifier to compare results from different small fields with the same nominal energy. Conclusion: Large differences in results for both intra-detector variability and inter-detector differences suggest potentially high uncertainties in detector-specific correction factors. Differences between the results measured in circular fields from different accelerating

Morphological differences in the response of mouse small intestine to radiobiologically equivalent doses of X and neutron irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carr, K.E.; Hamlet, R.; Nias, A.H.; Watt, C.

1984-01-01

A scale has been developed to describe the effects of radiation on small intestinal villi. The scale has been used to compare the damage done to the villi in the period 0-5 days after irradiation by X-irradiation or neutron irradiation, using 10 Gy X-rays and 5 Gy neutrons, doses which are radiobiologically equivalent when assessed by the microcolony assay method. Use of the scale indicates that the damage done to the villi by neutrons is greater than that produced by X-rays. This has implications for the interpretation of radiobiological equivalent doses (R.B.E.). Resin light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (T.E.M.) have also been used to examine small intestinal damage after 10 Gy X-irradiation and 5 Gy neutron irradiation. Differences include variations in crypt shape, mitotic activity and the proportion of crypts which are heavily parasitised. As well as the differences in villous shape which have been reflected in the different values on the scoring system, there are also variations in the response of the constituent cells of the epithelial compartment of the villi. In general, the effect of the neutron irradiation is more severe than that of the X-rays, particularly as would be suggested by a simple quantitation of crypt regeneration

Integrated Solid Earth Science: the right place and time to discover the unexpected? (Arthur Holmes Medal Lecture)

Science.gov (United States)

Cloetingh, Sierd

2013-04-01

The fascination of learning more about the way system Earth operates has driven generations of Earth scientists. This has been the case for early pioneers such as Arthur Holmes, focusing on the geological record in continental settings, as well as for the founding fathers of plate tectonics, who built upon the results of exploring the ocean floor. Two years ago we celebrated the centenary of the discovery by Mohorovicic of the seismic discontinuity that separates the crust from the mantle, which now carries his name. Reading the rocks and mapping the (sub)surface of the Earth has provided the foundation for a great deal of what we conceptually pursue today in developing and validating coupled deep Earth and surface processes. The unexpected is probably characterizing most of my scientific career. It started in 1968 when, as a student, entering the geology program of Groningen University headed by Professor Philip Kuenen, a pioneer in marine geology and sedimentology, the textbook of Arthur Holmes just happened to be my first purchase. It was during those years that plate tectonics drastically changed everything we were learning. I was also privileged to enter a few years later as an MSc student the Utrecht geophysics school at a time where Nico Vlaar as a young professor was developing a vigorous research program with a focus on seismology, attracting and stimulating many talented students. When he and Rinus Wortel started research on Tectonophysics in Utrecht, I decided to go for a PhD research project tackling the problem of the initiation of subduction, a first order problem in geodynamics, with still many aspects to be resolved. This research and the joint work with Rinus Wortel on modeling intraplate stresses in the Faralon, Nazca and Indo-Australian plates led quite unexpectedly to exploring, together with Kurt Lambeck, intraplate stress fluctuations in the lithosphere as possible tectonic causes for the origin of third-order cycles in relative sea

Seasonality in the dung beetle community in a Brazilian tropical dry forest: Do small changes make a difference?

Science.gov (United States)

Medina, Anderson Matos; Lopes, Priscila Paixão

2014-01-01

Dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Scarabaeinae) activity is influenced by rainfall seasonality. We hypothesized that rainfall might also play a major role in regulating the community structure of this group. In this study, we describe seasonal changes in the richness, composition, and structure of the Scarabaeinae community in a Brazilian tropical dry forest. A fragment of arboreal Caatinga was sampled using baited pitfall traps during the early dry season (EDS), late dry season (LDS), early wet season (EWS), and middle wet season (MWS). We compared the dung beetle community in each season in relationship to species richness, rank-dominance, curves, and composition. We collected 1352 Scarabaeinae individuals , belonging to 15 species. Dichotomius aff. laevicollis Felsche (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) was the dominant species, representing 73.89% of the individuals. There were no seasonal changes in the rank dominance curves; all had a single dominant species and a few species with low abundance, typical for arid areas. Estimated richness was highest in MWS, followed by EWS. Dry-season samples (EDS and LDS) had lower richness, with no significant difference between the dry seasons. Although species richness increased as the habitat became wetter, the difference between the wet and dry seasons was small, which differs completely from the findings of other studies in Neotropical dry forests, where almost all species cease activities in the dry season. Species composition changes were found in non-metric multidimensional scaling and sustained by analysis of similarity. All the seasons had pairwise differences in composition, with the exception of EDS and MWS, which indicates that the dung beetle community in this fragment requires more than three months of drought to trigger changes in species composition; this is probably due to small changes in the forest canopy. There was no difference in composition between EDS and MWS. As in other tropical dry forests, although

Detection of small conformational changes of proteins by small-angle scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durchschlag, H.; Purr, G.; Zipper, P.; Wilfing, R.

1991-01-01

In the past the technique of small-angle scattering has been a powerful tool for studying conformational changes of protein which occur, for example, upon binding with ligands. Results obtained by different authors from X-ray and neutron experiments on a variety of proteins and under various conditions have been compiled. This offers the possibility of comparing the extent of changes in the molecular parameters investigated (e.g. change of the radius of gyration). Problems encountered with the detection of small changes are discussed. As an example, conformational changes of the enzyme citrate synthase upon substrate binding (oxaloacetate) are presented. X-ray crystallography had already found distinct changes between open and closed forms of the enzyme. Small-angle X-ray scattering studies registered slight changes of some parameters in solution. These changes could be paralleled with the results of other solution techniques (UV absorption, fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopy, analytical ultracentrifugation). The results found for citrate synthase are also compared with previous findings for malate synthase, an enzyme of similar enzymatic function. Above all, this study shows that care has to be taken when studying small conformational changes. It is absolutely necessary to use different methods and conditions and to study the problem from different points of view to avoid pitfalls. (orig.)

IMPLEMENTING SMALL AND MEDIUM IT PROJECTS IN SMALL AND MEDIUM ENERPRISES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felix DUMITRESCU

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Information technology is essential nowadays for all companies. Small enterprises are an important part of the economy and this article aims at providing some useful insight in implementing modern IT projects to their benefit. Due to the limited funding available for the IT infrastructure in most start-ups and small businesses, the projects should be adapted to fulfill the needs of the company for the lowest cost. The paper will start by defining small and medium project management theory and outlining the target of the study, small and medium sized companies. Next it will show a number of case studies of IT projects implemented in different types of small companies in Romania. Based on these implementations the article will draw some conclusions relevant to most small companies which need to design or improve their IT infrastructure.

Comparison of micelle structure of glycolipids with different head groups by small angle neutron scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, Lizhong; Middelberg, Anton; Hartmann, Thorsten; Niemeyer, Bernd; Garamus, V.M.; Willumeit, Regine

2005-01-01

Full text: Glycolipids such as n-alkyl- beta-D-glucopyranoside and n-alkyl- beta-D-maltopyranoside can self-assemble into different structures depending on solution conditions. Their amphiphilic properties enable them to serve as biosurfactants in biology and biotechnology, especially for solubilizing membrane proteins. The physicochemical properties of glycolipids have attracted attentions from several research groups, aiming to better understand their application in biological and environmental processes. For example, small angle neutron and X-ray scattering have been used to study micelle structures formed by glycolipids. Our previous work has shown that n-octyl-beta- D-glucopyranoside and n-octyl- beta-D-maltopyranoside form micelles with different structure, suggesting an important role of the sugar head group in micelle formation. In the present work, we further compare micelle structures of n-octyl- beta-Dglucopyranoside and n-octyl- beta-D-galactopyranoside. These two glycolipids have the same hydrophobic tail and their head sugar groups differ only in the conformation with one hydroxyl group pointing to different direction. Our SANS data together with phase behaviours reported by other group have suggested that a slight alteration of head group conformation can significantly affect self-assembly of glycolipids. (authors)

Polymer nanoparticles for drug and small silencing RNA delivery to treat cancers of different phenotypes

Science.gov (United States)

Devulapally, Rammohan; Paulmurugan, Ramasamy

2013-01-01

Advances in nanotechnology have provided powerful and efficient tools in development of cancer diagnosis and therapy. There are numerous nanocarriers that are currently approved for clinical use in cancer therapy. In recent years, biodegradable polymer nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted a considerable attention for their ability to function as a possible carrier for target-specific delivery of various drugs, genes, proteins, peptides, vaccines, and other biomolecules in humans without much toxicity. This review will specifically focus on the recent advances in polymer-based nanocarriers for various drugs and small silencing RNA’s loading and delivery to treat different types of cancer. PMID:23996830

Left Ventricular Aneurysm: Sudden Unexpected Deaths in a 29-Year-Old Man.

Science.gov (United States)

Srettabunjong, Supawon

2018-05-01

Left ventricular aneurysm (LVA) is an abnormal dilated heart structure, either congenital or acquired. LVA is a rare cardiac condition with no symptoms in most cases, thus occasionally diagnosed during investigations of other diseases. Its association with certain cardiac complications and sudden cardiac deaths has been reported. However, its role as a cause of sudden unexpected death is rare. The author reported a sudden cardiac death in a 29-year-old man with LVA. Without a significant coronary artery disease and known etiologies of LVA, such an abnormal heart structure in the present case was considered congenital LVA. As no other possible mechanisms of death could be identified other than LVA with its associated pathologic lesions, mural thrombi, and dilated cardiomegaly, his death was attributable to fatal cardiac arrhythmia (most commonly ventricular tachycardia) secondary to LVA. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Family Planning Behavior and Small Family Concept Acceptance in Two Different Geographical Characteristics Municipality of South Klaten, Klaten, Central Java

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P Priyono

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The research aim to know the family planning behaviour, the acceptance small family norm and the influential factors in two villages that have different geographical aspect. The behaviour involve the knowledge, the attitude and the practice where as the influential factors involve education, accupation, values of children, income, children still born and family size desired. The research areas are chosen purposive in two villages that have different geographical aspect, social aspect and cultural aspect. The aspect are: 1 location and topography, 2 socialy  structure, and 3 the achievement of effective acceptor. Based on the three aspects, Ngalas village (developing and Sumberejo (developed are chosen as research areas. The recorded as ative acceptor (recordedin RI/PUS/1991 form. The respondents are chosen by cencus at two neighborhoord association at every village. There are six variables in this research are assumed influence the periode of the contraceptives use, such as education, occupation status, values of children, family income, children still born, and family size desired. There are three variables are assumed influence the small family norm, such as education, occupation status, and values of children. The data was analyzed by frequency table, crosee table, and statistical analysis (Q square and Regresion. The data was always compared between the two villages. The analysis use computer by Microsoft Program.  The research result showed that Sumberejo was better than Ngalas in the knowledge, the attitude, and the practice of family planning. Most of the people who live in Sumberejo understood the contraception device well (52,4%, where as in Ngalas (26,8%. Both of them agreed on using contraception device (more than 70%. The respondent who live in Sumberejo used IUD (40% and MOW/MOP (23,23%. They had used of the contraception device for 4.8 years on an average. Mean  while the respondents in Ngalas use IUD (23,68% and MOW/MOP (2

Small test SDHW systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vejen, Niels Kristian

1999-01-01

Three small test SDHW systems was tested in a laboratory test facility.The three SDHW systems where all based on the low flow principe and a mantle tank but the design of the systems where different.......Three small test SDHW systems was tested in a laboratory test facility.The three SDHW systems where all based on the low flow principe and a mantle tank but the design of the systems where different....

Slicer-independent mechanism drives small-RNA strand separation during human RISC assembly.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, June Hyun; Shin, Chanseok

2015-10-30

Small RNA silencing is mediated by the effector RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) that consists of an Argonaute protein (AGOs 1-4 in humans). A fundamental step during RISC assembly involves the separation of two strands of a small RNA duplex, whereby only the guide strand is retained to form the mature RISC, a process not well understood. Despite the widely accepted view that 'slicer-dependent unwinding' via passenger-strand cleavage is a prerequisite for the assembly of a highly complementary siRNA into the AGO2-RISC, here we show by careful re-examination that 'slicer-independent unwinding' plays a more significant role in human RISC maturation than previously appreciated, not only for a miRNA duplex, but, unexpectedly, for a highly complementary siRNA as well. We discovered that 'slicer-dependency' for the unwinding was affected primarily by certain parameters such as temperature and Mg(2+). We further validate these observations in non-slicer AGOs (1, 3 and 4) that can be programmed with siRNAs at the physiological temperature of humans, suggesting that slicer-independent mechanism is likely a common feature of human AGOs. Our results now clearly explain why both miRNA and siRNA are found in all four human AGOs, which is in striking contrast to the strict small-RNA sorting system in Drosophila. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Unexpected improvement in core autism spectrum disorder symptoms after long-term treatment with probiotics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enzo Grossi

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition that typically displays socio-communicative impairment as well as restricted stereotyped interests and activities, in which gastrointestinal disturbances are commonly reported. We report the case of a boy with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD diagnosis, severe cognitive disability and celiac disease in which an unexpected improvement of autistic core symptoms was observed after four months of probiotic treatment. Method: The case study refers to a 12 years old boy with ASD and severe cognitive disability attending the Villa Santa Maria Institute in resident care since 2009. Diagnosis of ASDs according to DSM-V criteria was confirmed by ADOS-2 assessment (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. The medication used was VSL#3, a multi-strain mixture of ten probiotics. The treatment lasted 4 weeks followed by a four month follow-up. The rehabilitation program and the diet was maintained stable in the treatment period and in the follow up. ADOS-2 was assessed six times: two times before starting treatment; two times during the treatment and two times after interruption of the treatment. Results: The probiotic treatment reduced the severity of abdominal symptoms as expected but an improvement in Autistic core symptoms was unexpectedly clinically evident already after few weeks from probiotic treatment start. The score of Social Affect domain of ADOS improved changing from 20 to 18 after two months treatment with a further reduction of 1 point in the following two months. The level 17 of severity remained stable in the follow up period. It is well known that ADOS score does not fluctuate spontaneously along time in ASD and is absolutely stable. Conclusions: The appropriate use of probiotics deserves further research, which hopefully will open new avenues in the fight against ASD.

Unexpected improvement in core autism spectrum disorder symptoms after long-term treatment with probiotics.

Science.gov (United States)

Grossi, Enzo; Melli, Sara; Dunca, Delia; Terruzzi, Vittorio

2016-01-01

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition that typically displays socio-communicative impairment as well as restricted stereotyped interests and activities, in which gastrointestinal disturbances are commonly reported. We report the case of a boy with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis, severe cognitive disability and celiac disease in which an unexpected improvement of autistic core symptoms was observed after four months of probiotic treatment. The case study refers to a 12 years old boy with ASD and severe cognitive disability attending the Villa Santa Maria Institute in resident care since 2009. Diagnosis of ASDs according to DSM-V criteria was confirmed by ADOS-2 assessment (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule). The medication used was VSL#3, a multi-strain mixture of ten probiotics. The treatment lasted 4 weeks followed by a four month follow-up. The rehabilitation program and the diet was maintained stable in the treatment period and in the follow up. ADOS-2 was assessed six times: two times before starting treatment; two times during the treatment and two times after interruption of the treatment. The probiotic treatment reduced the severity of abdominal symptoms as expected but an improvement in Autistic core symptoms was unexpectedly clinically evident already after few weeks from probiotic treatment start. The score of Social Affect domain of ADOS improved changing from 20 to 18 after two months treatment with a further reduction of 1 point in the following two months. The level 17 of severity remained stable in the follow up period. It is well known that ADOS score does not fluctuate spontaneously along time in ASD and is absolutely stable. The appropriate use of probiotics deserves further research, which hopefully will open new avenues in the fight against ASD.

Effects of different hydrocolloids on properties of gluten-free bread based on small broken rice berry flour.

Science.gov (United States)

Numfon, Rakkhumkaew

2017-06-01

Gluten-free bread formulations based on small broken rice berry using various types of hydrocolloids (xanthan gum, guar gum, and locust bean gum) at different concentrations (0, 1, 1.5, and 2 g/100 g) were tested in this study. The effects of hydrocolloid addition on the pasting properties of flour were also investigated, including the quality parameters of the breads. The pasting properties of small broken rice berry flour incorporated with guar gum were most affected. Gluten-free bread containing hydrocolloid showed improved qualities in terms of loaf specific volume, texture, sensory values, and microstructure. A 1 g/100 g of hydrocolloid addition was sufficient to improve the physical and chemical qualities of bread. The highest score of all attributes from the sensory evaluation was obtained by gluten-free bread containing 1 g/100 g guar gum.

Exploratory field trial of motorcycle autonomous emergency braking (MAEB): Considerations on the acceptability of unexpected automatic decelerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Savino, Giovanni; Pierini, Marco; Thompson, Jason; Fitzharris, Michael; Lenné, Michael G

2016-11-16

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) acts to slow down a vehicle when an unavoidable impending collision is detected. In addition to documented benefits when applied to passenger cars, AEB has also shown potential when applied to motorcycles (MAEB). However, the feasibility of MAEB as practically applied to motorcycles in the real world is not well understood. In this study we performed a field trial involving 16 riders on a test motorcycle subjected to automatic decelerations, thus simulating MAEB activation. The tests were conducted along a rectilinear path at nominal speed of 40 km/h and with mean deceleration of 0.15 g (15% of full braking) deployed at random times. Riders were also exposed to one final undeclared brake activation with the aim of providing genuinely unexpected automatic braking events. Participants were consistently able to manage automatic decelerations of the vehicle with minor to moderate effort. Results of undeclared activations were consistent with those of standard runs. This study demonstrated the feasibility of a moderate automatic deceleration in a scenario of motorcycle travelling in a straight path, supporting the notion that the application of AEB on motorcycles is practicable. Furthermore, the proposed field trial can be used as a reference for future regulation or consumer tests in order to address safety and acceptability of unexpected automatic decelerations on a motorcycle.

Unexpectedly large difference of the electron density at the nucleus in the 4p ^2{P}_{{1}/{2},{3}/{2}} fine-structure doublet of Ca^+

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, C.; Gebert, F.; Gorges, C.; Kaufmann, S.; Nörtershäuser, W.; Sahoo, B. K.; Surzhykov, A.; Yerokhin, V. A.; Berengut, J. C.; Wolf, F.; Heip, J. C.; Schmidt, P. O.

2017-01-01

We measured the isotope shift in the ^2{S}_{{1}/{2}} → ^2{P}_{{3}/{2}} (D2) transition in singly ionized calcium ions using photon recoil spectroscopy. The high accuracy of the technique enables us to compare the difference between the isotope shifts of this transition to the previously measured isotopic shifts of the ^2{S}_{{1}/{2}} → ^2{P}_{{1}/{2}} (D1) line. This so-called splitting isotope shift is extracted and exhibits a clear signature of field shift contributions. From the data, we were able to extract the small difference of the field shift coefficient and mass shifts between the two transitions with high accuracy. This J-dependence is of relativistic origin and can be used to benchmark atomic structure calculations. As a first step, we use several ab initio atomic structure calculation methods to provide more accurate values for the field shift constants and their ratio. Remarkably, the high-accuracy value for the ratio of the field shift constants extracted from the experimental data is larger than all available theoretical predictions.

Unexpected demography in the recovery of an endangered primate population.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karen B Strier

Full Text Available Assessments of the status of endangered species have focused on population sizes, often without knowledge of demographic and behavioral processes underlying population recovery. We analyzed demographic data from a 28-year study of a critically endangered primate, the northern muriqui, to investigate possible changes in demographic rates as this population recovered from near extirpation. As the population increased from 60 to nearly 300 individuals, its growth rate declined due to increased mortality and male-biased birth sex ratios; the increased mortality was not uniform across ages and sexes, and there has been a recent increase in mortality of prime-aged males. If not for a concurrent increase in fertility rates, the population would have stabilized at 200 individuals instead of continuing to grow. The unexpected increase in fertility rates and in adult male mortality can be attributed to the muriquis' expansion of their habitat by spending more time on the ground. The demographic consequences of this behavioral shift must be incorporated into management tactics for this population and emphasize the importance of understanding demographic rates in the recovery of endangered species.

Finding the unexpected: pathological examination of surgically resected femoral heads

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fornasier, V.L. [St. Michael' s Hospital, University of Toronto, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Battaglia, D.M. [St. Michael' s Hospital, University of Toronto, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); St. Michael' s Hospital, University of Toronto, Division of Pathology, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

2005-06-01

To study the clinically diagnosed disease process but also identify additional, clinically undetected pathologies in femoral heads resected for replacement arthroplasty. A retrospective review was carried out of the pathological findings in 460 surgically resected femoral heads. Serial sections were submitted to low-energy fine-detail radiography, then decalcified sections stained by the WHO method were examined. The preoperative clinical and imaging diagnoses were compared with the pathological findings and special interest was placed on assessing the clinical significance of any unexpected, clinically undetected findings. The most common findings included the presence of bone islands (solitary osteomas) and areas of avascular necrosis in addition to the primary joint disease for which the patient underwent surgery. The preoperative symptomatology did not distinguish between the known primary disease and the additional pathological findings. Some of the clinically unidentified lesions were of a size that fell below the ability of current clinical investigations to detect. However, the finding of lesions by tissue fine-detail radiography indicates that current, more sensitive clinical imaging techniques may identify them. Careful examination of surgically resected femoral heads is important to ensure that all pathologies are identified and assessed for clinical relevance. (orig.)

Finding the unexpected: pathological examination of surgically resected femoral heads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fornasier, V.L.; Battaglia, D.M.

2005-01-01

To study the clinically diagnosed disease process but also identify additional, clinically undetected pathologies in femoral heads resected for replacement arthroplasty. A retrospective review was carried out of the pathological findings in 460 surgically resected femoral heads. Serial sections were submitted to low-energy fine-detail radiography, then decalcified sections stained by the WHO method were examined. The preoperative clinical and imaging diagnoses were compared with the pathological findings and special interest was placed on assessing the clinical significance of any unexpected, clinically undetected findings. The most common findings included the presence of bone islands (solitary osteomas) and areas of avascular necrosis in addition to the primary joint disease for which the patient underwent surgery. The preoperative symptomatology did not distinguish between the known primary disease and the additional pathological findings. Some of the clinically unidentified lesions were of a size that fell below the ability of current clinical investigations to detect. However, the finding of lesions by tissue fine-detail radiography indicates that current, more sensitive clinical imaging techniques may identify them. Careful examination of surgically resected femoral heads is important to ensure that all pathologies are identified and assessed for clinical relevance. (orig.)

Canadian Wind Energy Association small wind conference proceedings : small wind policy developments (turbines of 300 kW or less)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The small wind session at the Canadian Wind Energy Association's (CanWEA) annual conference addressed policies affecting small wind, such as net metering, advanced renewable tariffs and interconnections. It also addressed CanWEA's efforts in promoting small wind turbines, particularly in remote northern communities, small businesses and within the residential sector. Small wind systems are typically installed in remote communities to offset utility supplied electricity at the retail price level. In certain circumstances, small wind and hybrid systems can produce electricity at less than half the cost of traditional electricity sources, which in remote communities is typically diesel generators. Small wind turbines require different materials and technologies than large wind turbines. They also involve different local installation requirements, different by-laws, tax treatment and environmental assessments. Small wind turbines are typically installed for a range of factors, including energy independence, energy price stability and to lower environmental impacts of traditional power generation. The small wind session at the conference featured 14 presentations, of which 4 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. tabs., figs

{sup 18}F-FDG PET/CT diagnosis of unexpected extracardiac septic embolisms in patients with suspected cardiac endocarditis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bonfiglioli, Rachele; Nanni, Cristina; Morigi, Joshua James; Ambrosini, Valentina; Fanti, Stefano [Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi, Nuclear Medicine, Bologna (Italy); Graziosi, Maddalena; Rapezzi, Claudio [Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi, Cardiology, Bologna (Italy); Trapani, Filippo; Bartoletti, Michele; Tumietto, Fabio; Viale, Pier Luigi [Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi, Infective Diseases, Bologna (Italy); Ferretti, Alice; Rubello, Domenico [Azienda Ospedaliera S. Maria della Misericordia, Nuclear Medicine, Radiology, Neuroradiology, Medical Physics, Rovigo (Italy)

2013-08-15

Acute infective endocarditis is a potentially life-threatening disease. Its outcome strongly depends on systemic embolization and extracardiac infections. When present, these conditions usually lead to a more aggressive therapeutic approach. However, the diagnosis of peripheral septic embolism is very challenging. {sup 18}F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT has proven to be accurate for the detection of inflammatory diseases and occult infections. The aim of this study was to assess the added value of {sup 18}F-FDG PET/CT in the detection of extracardiac embolisms in the evaluation of patients with suspected valvular endocarditis (VE). Seventy-one patients with suspected infective endocarditis, enrolled between June 2010 and December 2012, underwent {sup 18}F-FDG PET/CT with the standard procedure on a dedicated PET/CT scanner. Extracardiac findings were subsequently evaluated with other imaging procedures. Of the 71 patients with suspicion of infective endocarditis, we found unexpected extracardiac findings in 17 patients (24 %) without any clinical suspicion. Extracardiac findings were subsequently evaluated with other imaging procedures. PET/CT detected unexpected extra sites of infection in 24 % of cases, leading to changes in therapeutic management in a very relevant percentage of patients. These findings may have important therapeutic implications. (orig.)

Pseudotumoral ganglion cyst of a finger with unexpected remote origin: multimodality imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouilleau, Loic; Malghem, Jacques; Omoumi, Patrick; Simoni, Paolo; Vande Berg, Bruno C.; Lecouvet, Frederic E.; Barbier, Olivier

2010-01-01

The case of a ganglion cyst in the pulp of a fifth finger in an elderly woman initially mimicking a soft tissue tumor is described. Most typical sites of ganglion cysts are well documented at the wrist and in the vicinity of inter-phalangeal and metacarpo-phalangeal joints. In this case, ultrasonography (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a cystic lesion within the pulp of the fifth finger and indicated carpal osteoarthritis as the distant - and unexpected - origin of the lesion. The suggested diagnosis of ganglion cyst was confirmed by computed tomography arthrography (CT arthrography) of the wrist, which showed opacification of the cyst on delayed acquisitions after intra-articular injection into the mid-carpal joint, through the fifth flexor digitorum tendon sheath. The communications between the degenerative carpal joint, the radio-ulnar bursa, the fifth flexor digitorum tendon sheath and the pedicle of the cyst were well demonstrated. (orig.)

Impact of unexpected events, shocking news, and rumors on foreign exchange market dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, Mark; Suleman, Omer; Williams, Stacy; Howison, Sam; Johnson, Neil F.

2008-04-01

The dynamical response of a population of interconnected objects, when exposed to external perturbations, is of great interest to physicists working on complex systems. Here we focus on human systems, by analyzing the dynamical response of the world’s financial community to various types of unexpected events—including the 9/11 terrorist attacks as they unfolded on a minute-by-minute basis. For the unfolding events of 9/11, our results show that there was a gradual collective understanding of what was happening, rather than an immediate realization. More generally, we find that for news items which are not simple economic statements—and hence whose implications for the market are not immediately obvious—there are periods of collective discovery during which opinions seem to vary in a remarkably synchronized way.

Gender differences in leadership amongst first-year medical students in the small-group setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Wayne, Nancy L; Vermillion, Michelle; Uijtdehaage, Sebastian

2010-08-01

To investigate the extent of gender bias in the volunteerism of small-group leaders amongst first-year medical students, and whether bias could be eliminated with special instructions to the students. The gender of leaders in small-group sessions in a real academic setting was monitored under two conditions: control conditions, in which basic instructions were provided to participants, and intervention conditions, in which the same basic instructions were provided plus a brief "pep talk" on the importance of experiencing a leadership role in a safe environment. During the small-group sessions, an observer noted the gender and names of group leaders for later analysis. After a class debriefing, a subset of leaders and nonleaders from both the control and intervention groups were invited to be interviewed about their perceptions of the small-group experience. Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed for analysis. In 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, disproportionately fewer women than men volunteered to become small-group leaders under control conditions. This gender bias was eliminated under intervention conditions. The interviews illustrated how a subtle change in instructions helped some female students take on a leadership role. Gender bias in leadership in the small-group setting amongst medical students-even when women make up half of the class-may persist without targeted intervention. The authors suggest that frequent and consistent intervention during medical school could be an important factor in encouraging women to identify themselves as leaders, promoting confidence to consider leadership roles in medicine.

Gender nonconformity, discrimination, and mental health among Black South African men who have sex with men: A further exploration of unexpected findings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sandfort, T.; Bos, H.; Knox, J.; Reddy, V.

2016-01-01

Using data from a study about HIV risk among Black South African MSM, we aimed to ascertain whether unexpected findings about the relationship between gender nonconformity, discrimination, and mental health in this population, as reported by Cook, Sandfort, Nel, and Rich (2013), could be replicated,

Small-Angle Neutron Scattering investigations of ferrofluids with different carrier liquids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balasoiu, M.; Avdeev, M. V.; Hasegan, D.; Ghenescu, V.; Ghenescu, M.; Bica, D.; Vekas, L.

2004-01-01

The aim of this paper is to present a method to investigate the properties of magnetic fluids by means of small angle neutron scattering (SANS). Ferrofluids are dispersions of small, single-domain magnetic particles suspended in a fluid carrier. The neutron scattering methods have been largely used the last two decades for the determination of structural properties of magnetic liquids at microscopic level. There can be investigated the structure of the particle, the aggregation phenomena, the magnetic liquid dynamics, particle-surfactant interaction, surfactant liquid-base interaction and structure and magnetic behavior of the samples. SANS is often used in structural studies of ferrofluids exploring two specific features of neutrons, the possibility of wide contrast variation using protonated/deuterated components and high magnetic scattering from ferromagnetics. This method can be effectively used for determination of the structural parameters of ferrofluids at the scale interval of 1-100 nm. In previous SANS experiments with ferrofluids of the same type it was shown that the nuclear scattering is described well by the spherical core-shell model (magnetite core plus surfactant shell) in a wide interval of momentum transfer (0.05 - 5 nm -1 ) and no significant effects of aggregation and interparticle interaction were observed in this interval for the magnetite concentration up to 5 vol. %. Experiments on small angle neutron scattering were carried out on SANS instrument YuMO in function at IBR-2 high pulsed reactor at the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics, Joint Institute of Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia. (authors)

Unexpected ferromagnetic interaction in a new tetranuclear copper(II) complex: synthesis, crystal structure, magnetic properties, and theoretical studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Fondo, Matilde; García-Deibe, Ana M; Corbella, Monstserrat; Ruiz, Eliseo; Tercero, Javier; Sanmartín, Jesús; Bermejo, Manuel R

2005-07-11

The new tetranuclear carbonate complex [Cu2L)2(CO3)] x 8H2O (1 x 8H2O) (H3L = (2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1,3-bis[4-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-azabut-3-enyl]-1,3-imidazolidine) has been obtained by two different synthetic routes and fully characterized. Recrystallization of 1 x 8H2O in methanol yields single crystals of {[(Cu2L)2(CO3)]}2 x 12H2O (1 x 6H2O), suitable for X-ray diffraction studies. The crystal structure of 1 x 6H2O shows two crystallographically different tetranuclear molecules in the asymmetric unit, 1a and 1b. Both molecules can be understood as self-assembled from two dinuclear [Cu2L]+ cations, joined by a mu4-eta(2):eta(1):eta(1) carbonate ligand. The copper atoms of each crystallographically different [(Cu2L)2(CO3)] molecule present miscellaneous coordination polyhedra: in both 1a and 1b, two metal centers are in square pyramidal environments, one displays a square planar chromophore and the other one has a geometry that can be considered as an intermediate between square pyramid and trigonal bipyramid. Magnetic studies reveal net intramolecular ferromagnetic coupling between the metal atoms. Density functional calculations allow the assignment of the different magnetic coupling constants and explain the unexpected ferromagnetic behavior, because of the presence of an unusual NCN bridging moiety and countercomplementarity of the phenoxo (or carbonate) and NCN bridges.

The expected and unexpected benefits of dispensing the exact number of pills.

Science.gov (United States)

Treibich, Carole; Lescher, Sabine; Sagaon-Teyssier, Luis; Ventelou, Bruno

2017-01-01

From November 2014 to November 2015, an experiment in French community pharmacies replaced traditional pre-packed boxes by per-unit dispensing of pills in the exact numbers prescribed, for 14 antibiotics. A cluster randomised control trial was carried out in 100 pharmacies. 75 pharmacies counted out the medication by units (experimental group), the other 25 providing the treatment in the existing pharmaceutical company boxes (control group). Data on patients under the two arms were compared to assess the environmental, economic and health effects of this change in drug dispensing. In particular, adherence was measured indirectly by comparing the number of pills left at the end of the prescribed treatment. Out of the 1185 patients included during 3 sessions of 4 consecutive weeks each, 907 patients experimented the personalized delivery and 278 were assigned to the control group, consistent with a 1/3 randomization-rate at the pharmacy level. 80% of eligible patients approved of the per-unit dispensing of their treatment. The initial packaging of the drugs did not match with the prescription in 60% of cases and per-unit dispensing reduced by 10% the number of pills supplied. 13.1% of patients declared that they threw away pills residuals instead of recycling-no differences between groups. Finally, per-unit dispensing appeared to improve adherence to antibiotic treatment (marginal effect 0.21, IC 95, 0.14-0.28). Supplying antibiotics per unit is not only beneficial in terms of a reduced number of pills to reimburse or for the environment (less pills wasted and non-recycled), but also has a positive and unexpected impact on adherence to treatment, and thus on both individual and public health.

Unexpected Functional Divergence of Bat Influenza Virus NS1 Proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Turkington, Hannah L; Juozapaitis, Mindaugas; Tsolakos, Nikos; Corrales-Aguilar, Eugenia; Schwemmle, Martin; Hale, Benjamin G

2018-03-01

Recently, two influenza A virus (FLUAV) genomes were identified in Central and South American bats. These sequences exhibit notable divergence from classical FLUAV counterparts, and functionally, bat FLUAV glycoproteins lack canonical receptor binding and destroying activity. Nevertheless, other features that distinguish these viruses from classical FLUAVs have yet to be explored. Here, we studied the viral nonstructural protein NS1, a virulence factor that modulates host signaling to promote efficient propagation. Like all FLUAV NS1 proteins, bat FLUAV NS1s bind double-stranded RNA and act as interferon antagonists. Unexpectedly, we found that bat FLUAV NS1s are unique in being unable to bind host p85β, a regulatory subunit of the cellular metabolism-regulating enzyme, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K). Furthermore, neither bat FLUAV NS1 alone nor infection with a chimeric bat FLUAV efficiently activates Akt, a PI3K effector. Structure-guided mutagenesis revealed that the bat FLUAV NS1-p85β interaction can be reengineered (in a strain-specific manner) by changing two to four NS1 residues (96L, 99M, 100I, and 145T), thereby creating a hydrophobic patch. Notably, ameliorated p85β-binding is insufficient for bat FLUAV NS1 to activate PI3K, and a chimeric bat FLUAV expressing NS1 with engineered hydrophobic patch mutations exhibits cell-type-dependent, but species-independent, propagation phenotypes. We hypothesize that bat FLUAV hijacking of PI3K in the natural bat host has been selected against, perhaps because genes in this metabolic pathway were differentially shaped by evolution to suit the unique energy use strategies of this flying mammal. These data expand our understanding of the enigmatic functional divergence between bat FLUAVs and classical mammalian and avian FLUAVs. IMPORTANCE The potential for novel influenza A viruses to establish infections in humans from animals is a source of continuous concern due to possible severe outbreaks or pandemics. The

The unexpected decarbonylation of ionized 2,3-pentanedione and related diketones

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xian; Holmes, John L.

2006-03-01

The fragmentation of the 2,3-pentanedione radical cation gives rise to an unexpected composite metastable ion peak, m/z 72, resulting from the isobaric losses of CO and C2H4. These two fragmentation channels are energetically competitive (i.e., the transition states have similar energies). The two processes yield [CH3C(O)CH2CH3]+ and [CH3C(OH)CO]+, respectively. The latter new ion, which is produced by a McLafferty rearrangement, has [Delta]fH° = 604 kJ/mol, obtained from G3 calculations. The four competing processes for metastable [CH3COCOCH2CH3]+, the (intense) losses of CH3CO, CH3CH2CO and the weak losses of C2H4 and CO and their transition states were placed on a potential energy surface computed at the G3 level of theory. The homologous ionized diketone 2,3-butanedione also displays the decarbonylation channel and 3,4-hexanedione loses CO and C2H4.

A trial of team-based versus small-group learning for second-year medical students: does the size of the small group make a difference?

Science.gov (United States)

Willett, Laura Rees; Rosevear, G Craig; Kim, Sarang

2011-01-01

Team-based learning is a large-group instructional modality intended to provide active learning with modest faculty resources. The goal is to determine if team-based learning could be substituted for small-group learning in case sessions without compromising test performance or satisfaction. One hundred and sixty-seven students were assigned to team-based or small-group learning for 6 case discussion sessions. Examination scores and student satisfaction were compared. Instruction modality had no meaningful effect on examination score, 81.7% team based versus 79.7% small-group, p=.56 after multivariate adjustment. Student satisfaction was lower with team-based learning, 2.45 versus 3.74 on a 5-point scale, pgroups influenced the preference for small-group learning. Team-based learning does not adversely affect examination performance. However, student satisfaction may be inferior, especially if compared to instruction in very small groups of 10 or fewer students.

Tertiary and quaternary structural differences between two genetic variants of bovine casein by small-angle X-ray scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pessen, H.; Kumosinski, T.F.; Farrell, H.M. Jr.; Brumberger, H.

1991-01-01

The casein complexes of bovine milk consist of four major protein fractions, alpha s1, alpha s2, beta, and kappa. Colloidal particles of casein (termed micelles) contain inorganic calcium and phosphate; they are very roughly spherical with an average radius of 650 A. Removal of Ca2+ leads to the formation of smaller protein aggregates with an average radius of 94 A. Two genetic variants, A and B, of the predominant fraction, alpha s1-casein, result in milks with markedly different physical properties, such as solubility and heat stability. To investigate the molecular basis for these differences, small-angle X-ray scattering was performed on the respective colloidal micelles and submicelles. Scattering curves for submicelles of both variants showed multiple Gaussian character; data for the B variant were previously interpreted in terms of two concentric regions of different electron density, i.e., a compact core and a relatively loose shell. For the submicelle of A, there was a third Gaussian, reflecting a negative contribution due to interparticle interference. Molecular parameters for submicelles of both A and B are in agreement with hydrodynamic data in the literature. Data for the micelles, for which scattering yields cross-sectional information, were fitted by a sum of three Gaussians for both variants; for these, the corresponding two lower radii of gyration represent the two concentric regions of the submicelles, while the third reflects the average packing of submicelles within the micellar cross section. Most of the molecular parameters obtained showed small but consistent differences between A and B, but for submicelles within the micelle several differences were particularly notable: A has a greater molecular weight for the compact region of the constituent submicelle (82,000 vs 60,000) and a much greater submicellar packing number

Below Regulatory Conern Owners Group: Radiologic impact of accidents and unexpected events from disposal of BRC waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waite, D.A.; Dolan, M.M.; Rish, W.R.; Rossi, A.J.; McCourt, J.E.

1989-07-01

This report determines the radiological impact of accidents and unexpected events in the disposal of Below Regulatory Concern (BRC) waste. The accident analysis considers the transportation, incineration, and disposal of BRC waste as municipal solid waste. The potential greatest radiological impact for each type of accident is identified through the use of event trees. These accident events are described in terms of the generic waste property(ies) (e.g., flammability, dispersibility, leachability, and solubility) that cause the greatest radiological impact. 7 refs., 32 figs., 12 tabs

An anti-CCR5 monoclonal antibody and small molecule CCR5 antagonists synergize by inhibiting different stages of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 entry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Safarian, Diana; Carnec, Xavier; Tsamis, Fotini; Kajumo, Francis; Dragic, Tatjana

2006-01-01

HIV-1 coreceptors are attractive targets for novel antivirals. Here, inhibition of entry by two classes of CCR5 antagonists was investigated. We confirmed previous findings that HIV-1 isolates vary greatly in their sensitivity to small molecule inhibitors of CCR5-mediated entry, SCH-C and TAK-779. In contrast, an anti-CCR5 monoclonal antibody (PA14) similarly inhibited entry of diverse viral isolates. Sensitivity to small molecules was V3 loop-dependent and inversely proportional to the level of gp120 binding to CCR5. Moreover, combinations of the MAb and small molecules were highly synergistic in blocking HIV-1 entry, suggesting different mechanisms of action. This was confirmed by time course of inhibition experiments wherein the PA14 MAb and small molecules were shown to inhibit temporally distinct stages of CCR5 usage. We propose that small molecules inhibit V3 binding to the second extracellular loop of CCR5, whereas PA14 preferentially inhibits subsequent events such as CCR5 recruitment into the fusion complex or conformational changes in the gp120-CCR5 complex that trigger fusion. Importantly, our findings suggest that combinations of CCR5 inhibitors with different mechanisms of action will be central to controlling HIV-1 infection and slowing the emergence of resistant strains

Asymptotics of a Steady-State Condition of Finite-Difference Approximation of a Logistic Equation with Delay and Small Diffusion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. A. Kaschenko

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We study the dynamics of finite-difference approximation on spatial variables of a logistic equation with delay and diffusion. It is assumed that the diffusion coefficient is small and the Malthusian coefficient is large. The question of the existence and asymptotic behavior of attractors was studied with special asymptotic methods. It is shown that there is a rich array of different types of attractors in the phase space: leading centers, spiral waves, etc. The main asymptotic characteristics of all solutions from the corresponding attractors are adduced in this work. Typical graphics of wave fronts motion of different structures are represented in the article.

Observation of unexpectedly small E1 moments in sup 224 Ra

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poynter, R.J.; Butler, P.A.; Clarkson, N.; Hoare, T.H.; Jones, G.D.; White, C.A. (Liverpool Univ. (UK). Oliver Lodge Lab.); Cline, D. (Rochester Univ., NY (USA). Nuclear Structure Research Lab.); Connell, K.A.; Cunningham, R.A.; Simpson, J. (Science and Engineering Research Council, Daresbury (UK). Daresbury Lab.); Goettig, L. (Warsaw Univ. (Poland). Inst. Fizyki Doswiadczalnej); Hughes, J.R.; Jarvis, N.S.; Mullins, S.M.; Wadsworth, R.; Watson, D.L. (York Univ. (UK). Dept. of Physics); Juutinen, S. (Jyvaeskylae Univ. (Finland). Dept. of Physics); Pass, C.N. (Oxford Univ. (UK). Dept. of Nuclear Physics)

1989-12-14

The {alpha}-decay of {sup 228}Th and the reaction {sup 226}Ra({sup 58}Ni, {sup 60}Ni){sup 224}Ra have been employed to populate states in {sup 224}Ra up to I{sup {pi}}=12{sup +}. Values of the intrinsic electric dipole moment vertical strokeQ{sub 1}vertical stroke have been deduced from the observed B(E1)/B(E2) branching ratios. These values are < or approx.0.1 e fm for spins up to I{sup {pi}}=9{sup -}, and are thus smaller than those in {sup 218,220}Ra or {sup 226}Ra. The behaviour of Q{sub 1} suggests that shell effects are important in this mass region, although theoretical calculations which include these effects do not reproduce the observed pattern. (orig.).

Novel hydrated graphene ribbon unexpectedly promotes aged seed germination and root differentiation

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xiangang; Zhou, Qixing

2014-01-01

It is well known that graphene (G) induces nanotoxicity towards living organisms. Here, a novel and biocompatible hydrated graphene ribbon (HGR) unexpectedly promoted aged (two years) seed germination. HGR formed at the normal temperature and pressure (120 days hydration), presented 17.1% oxygen, 0.9% nitrogen groups, disorder-layer structure, with 0.38 nm thickness ribbon morphology. Interestingly, there were bulges around the edges of HGR. Compared to G and graphene oxide (GO), HGR increased seed germination by 15% root differentiation between 52 and 59% and enhanced resistance to oxidative stress. The metabonomics analysis discovered that HGR upregulated carbohydrate, amino acid, and fatty acids metabolism that determined secondary metabolism, nitrogen sequestration, cell membrane integrity, permeability, and oxidation resistance. Hexadecanoic acid as a biomarker promoted root differentiation and increased the germination rate. Our discovery is a novel HGR that promotes aged seed germination, illustrates metabolic specificity among graphene-based materials, and inspires innovative concepts in the regulation of seed development.

[Unexpected atrial fibrillation when monitoring in operating room. Case of the trimester].

Science.gov (United States)

2014-05-01

A real case reported to the SENSAR database of incidents is presented. In a patient scheduled for nose fracture repair surgery an unexpected atrial fibrillation was found when monitored in the operating room. The operation was not delayed. After induction of general anaesthesia heart rate suddenly increased and hemodinamic situation was impaired. Cardioversion was required. Two electric countershocks were given but sinus rhythm was not restored. Heart rate was controlled with amiodarone infusion. Optimal defibrillation characteristics are described in these cases. Increased risk of thromboembolism (1-2%) following cardioversion is present even if atrial thrombi are ruled out. The mainstay therapies of are rhythm and rate control and prevention of thromboembolic complications. We describe recommendations on the management of these critical situations with emphasis in learning through the creation of protocols and training practice in simulation. Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

A dual contribution to the involuntary semantic processing of unexpected spoken words.

Science.gov (United States)

Parmentier, Fabrice B R; Turner, Jacqueline; Perez, Laura

2014-02-01

Sounds are a major cause of distraction. Unexpected to-be-ignored auditory stimuli presented in the context of an otherwise repetitive acoustic background ineluctably break through selective attention and distract people from an unrelated visual task (deviance distraction). This involuntary capture of attention by deviant sounds has been hypothesized to trigger their semantic appraisal and, in some circumstances, interfere with ongoing performance, but it remains unclear how such processing compares with the automatic processing of distractors in classic interference tasks (e.g., Stroop, flanker, Simon tasks). Using a cross-modal oddball task, we assessed the involuntary semantic processing of deviant sounds in the presence and absence of deviance distraction. The results revealed that some involuntary semantic analysis of spoken distractors occurs in the absence of deviance distraction but that this processing is significantly greater in its presence. We conclude that the automatic processing of spoken distractors reflects 2 contributions, one that is contingent upon deviance distraction and one that is independent from it.

Costello Syndrome with Severe Nodulocystic Acne: Unexpected Significant Improvement of Acanthosis Nigricans after Oral Isotretinoin Treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leelawadee Sriboonnark

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We report the case of 17-year-old female diagnosed with Costello syndrome. Genetic testing provided a proof with G12S mutation in the HRAS gene since 3 years of age with a presentation of severe nodulocystic acne on her face. After 2 months of oral isotretinoin treatment, improvement in her acne was observed. Interestingly, an unexpected significant improvement of acanthosis nigricans on her neck and dorsum of her hands was found as well. We present this case as a successful treatment option by using oral isotretinoin for the treatment of acanthosis nigricans in Costello syndrome patients.

Transport of particles, drops, and small organisms in density stratified fluids

Science.gov (United States)

Ardekani, Arezoo M.; Doostmohammadi, Amin; Desai, Nikhil

2017-10-01

Sedimenting particles and motile organisms are ubiquitously found in oceans and lakes, where density stratification naturally occurs due to temperature or salinity gradients. We explore the effects of stratification on the fundamental hydrodynamics of settling particles, rising drops, and small organisms. The results of our direct numerical simulations of the sedimentation of particles show that the presence of vertical density gradients in the water column can substantially affect the settling dynamics of a particle, interaction between a pair of particles, and settling rates and microstructure of suspension of particles. We show that elongation of particles affects both the settling orientation and the settling rate of particles in stratified fluids, which will have direct consequences on the vertical flux of particulate matter and carbon flux in the ocean. We further demonstrate an unexpected effect of buoyancy, potentially affecting a broad range of processes at pycnoclines in oceans and lakes. In particular, stratification has a major effect on the flow field, energy expenditure, and nutrient uptake of small organisms. In addition, the role of stratification in pattern formation of bioconvection plumes of algal cells and in biogenic mixing is investigated. In particular, the numerical approach allows for considering the effects of background turbulence and hydrodynamic perturbations produced by swimming organisms, shedding light on the contribution of organisms in the mixing process in aqueous environments.

Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein Restricts Small Dye Iontophoresis Entry into Central Neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy, Tyler; Broadie, Kendal

2017-10-11

Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) loss causes Fragile X syndrome (FXS), a major disorder characterized by autism, intellectual disability, hyperactivity, and seizures. FMRP is both an RNA- and channel-binding regulator, with critical roles in neural circuit formation and function. However, it remains unclear how these FMRP activities relate to each other and how dysfunction in their absence underlies FXS neurological symptoms. In testing circuit level defects in the Drosophila FXS model, we discovered a completely unexpected and highly robust neuronal dye iontophoresis phenotype in the well mapped giant fiber (GF) circuit. Controlled dye injection into the GF interneuron results in a dramatic increase in dye uptake in neurons lacking FMRP. Transgenic wild-type FMRP reintroduction rescues the mutant defect, demonstrating a specific FMRP requirement. This phenotype affects only small dyes, but is independent of dye charge polarity. Surprisingly, the elevated dye iontophoresis persists in shaking B mutants that eliminate gap junctions and dye coupling among GF circuit neurons. We therefore used a wide range of manipulations to investigate the dye uptake defect, including timed injection series, pharmacology and ion replacement, and optogenetic activity studies. The results show that FMRP strongly limits the rate of dye entry via a cytosolic mechanism. This study reveals an unexpected new phenotype in a physical property of central neurons lacking FMRP that could underlie aspects of FXS disruption of neural function. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT FXS is a leading heritable cause of intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders. Although researchers established the causal link with FMRP loss >;25 years ago, studies continue to reveal diverse FMRP functions. The Drosophila FXS model is key to discovering new FMRP roles, because of its genetic malleability and individually identified neuron maps. Taking advantage of a well characterized Drosophila neural

The Galeta Oil Spill. II. Unexpected Persistence of Oil Trapped in Mangrove Sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Burns, K. A.; Garrity, S. D.; Jorissen, D.; MacPherson, J.; Stoelting, M.; Tierney, J.; Yelle-Simmons, L.

1994-04-01

Sediment chemistry studies, undertaken as part of the long-term assessment of the Bahía las Minas (Panamá) oil spill, showed the unexpected persistence of the full range of aromatic hydrocarbon residues of the spilled crude oil in anoxic muds of coastal mangroves. Mangrove muds served as long-term reservoirs for chronic contamination of contiguous coastal communities for over 5 years. One result of the repeated history of oil pollution incidents along this coast was an increased proportion of dead mangrove ( Rhizophora mangle) roots in sediment cores which was related to contaminant loading and was detectable for at least 20 years after major oil spills. We suggest that this is the minimum time-scale that is to be expected for the loss of toxicity of oil trapped in muddy coastal habitats impacted by catastrophic oil spills.

Concomitant loss of SMARCA2 and SMARCA4 expression in small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type.

Science.gov (United States)

Jelinic, Petar; Schlappe, Brooke A; Conlon, Niamh; Tseng, Jill; Olvera, Narciso; Dao, Fanny; Mueller, Jennifer J; Hussein, Yaser; Soslow, Robert A; Levine, Douglas A

2016-01-01

Small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type is an aggressive tumor generally affecting young women with limited treatment options. Mutations in SMARCA4, a catalytic subunit of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, have recently been identified in nearly all small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type cases and represent a signature molecular feature for this disease. Additional biological dependencies associated with small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type have not been identified. SMARCA2, another catalytic subunit of the SWI/SNF complex mutually exclusive with SMARCA4, is thought to be post-translationally silenced in various cancer types. We analyzed 10 archival small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type cases for SMARCA2 protein expression by immunohistochemistry and found that SMARCA2 expression was lost in all but one case. None of the 50 other tumors that primarily or secondarily involved the ovary demonstrated concomitant loss of SMARCA2 and SMARCA4. Deep sequencing revealed that this loss of SMARCA2 expression is not the result of mutational inactivation. In addition, we established a small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type patient-derived xenograft and confirmed the loss of SMARCA2 in this in vitro model. This patient-derived xenograft model, established from a recurrent tumor, also had unexpected mutational features for this disease, including functional mutations in TP53 and POLE. Taken together, our data suggest that concomitant loss of SMARCA2 and SMARCA4 is another hallmark of small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type-a finding that offers new opportunities for therapeutic interventions.

Preferences of Patients for Discussing Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sūna Normunds

2017-08-01

Full Text Available People with epilepsy have increased mortality rates, which is partially attributed to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy syndrome (SUDEP. Poor seizure control appears to be the strongest SUDEP risk factor. Management of epilepsy and adherence to therapy is critical to seizure control. The belief by caregivers of negative influence caused by being informed about the syndrome is the main reason SUDEP is not disclosed. There are no clear recommendations when to disclose the risk of SUDEP and how much information should be provided. We addressed the preferences of Latvian epilepsy patients for discussing SUDEP as well as awareness of the syndrome. Our study involved 55 epilepsy patients. We found that, as in other studies, our patients were relatively well informed about SUDEP. We found that a considerable proportion of patients preferred to receive information about SUDEP from a general practitioner. We note the belief of patients that the disclosure of SUDEP would either improve or have no effect on the quality of life. We were able to identify groups of patients with a self-reported belief of more frequent expected anxiety and poor adherence to medical treatment. Our data improves the understanding of preferences of patient for discussing the negative aspects of epilepsy.

Time integrated spectroscopy of turbid media based on the microscopic beer-lambert law: application to small-size phantoms having different boundary conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, H; Urakami, T; Tsuchiya, Y; Lu, Z; Hiruma, T

1999-01-01

Continued work on time-integrated spectroscopy (TIS) is presented to quantify absorber concentrations in turbid media. We investigated the applicability of the TIS method to small-size media that have different boundary conditions by measuring two 20×20×50 mm3 cuboid liquid tissue-like phantoms at various absorption levels (absorption coefficients of the phantom from 2.5×10-3 to 4.4×10-2 mm-1 at 782 nm and from 3.1×10-3 to 2.7×10-2 mm-1 at 831 nm). The scattering and absorbing solution was filled into ordinary and black-anodized aluminum containers to provide different boundary conditions. By means of a single equation, the absorber concentrations have been recovered within errors of a few percent in both cases. This demonstrates that the TIS method can quantify absorbers in small-size media having different boundary conditions. © 1999 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

Unexpected Decrease in Milk Production after Fenbendazole Treatment of Dairy Cows during Early Grazing Season.

Science.gov (United States)

Ravinet, Nadine; Chartier, Christophe; Bareille, Nathalie; Lehebel, Anne; Ponnau, Adeline; Brisseau, Nadine; Chauvin, Alain

2016-01-01

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) infection can impair milk production (MP) in dairy cows. To investigate whether MP would be optimized by spring targeted-selective anthelmintic treatment in grazing cows, we assessed (1) the effect on MP of an anthelmintic treatment applied 1.5 to 2 months after turn-out, and (2) herd and individual indicators associated with the post-treatment MP response. A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted in 13 dairy farms (578 cows) in western France in spring 2012. In each herd, lactating cows of the treatment group received fenbendazole orally, control cows remained untreated. Daily cow MP was recorded from 2 weeks before until 15 weeks after treatment. Individual serum pepsinogen and anti-Ostertagia antibody levels (expressed as ODR), faecal egg count and bulk tank milk (BTM) Ostertagia ODR were measured at treatment time. Anthelmintic treatment applied during the previous housing period was recorded for each cow. In each herd, information regarding heifers' grazing and anthelmintic treatment history was collected to assess the Time of Effective Contact (TEC, in months) with GIN infective larvae before the first calving. The effect of treatment on weekly MP averages and its relationships with herd and individual indicators were studied using linear mixed models with two nested random effects (cow within herd). Unexpectedly, spring treatment had a significant detrimental effect on MP (-0.92 kg/cow/day on average). This negative MP response was particularly marked in high producing cows, in cows not treated during the previous housing period or with high pepsinogen levels, and in cows from herds with a high TEC or a high BTM ODR. This post-treatment decrease in MP may be associated with immuno-inflammatory mechanisms. Until further studies can assess whether this unexpected result can be generalized, non-persistent treatment of immunized adult dairy cows against GIN should not be recommended in early grazing season.

Unexpected Decrease in Milk Production after Fenbendazole Treatment of Dairy Cows during Early Grazing Season

Science.gov (United States)

Ravinet, Nadine; Chartier, Christophe; Bareille, Nathalie; Lehebel, Anne; Ponnau, Adeline; Brisseau, Nadine; Chauvin, Alain

2016-01-01

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) infection can impair milk production (MP) in dairy cows. To investigate whether MP would be optimized by spring targeted-selective anthelmintic treatment in grazing cows, we assessed (1) the effect on MP of an anthelmintic treatment applied 1.5 to 2 months after turn-out, and (2) herd and individual indicators associated with the post-treatment MP response. A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted in 13 dairy farms (578 cows) in western France in spring 2012. In each herd, lactating cows of the treatment group received fenbendazole orally, control cows remained untreated. Daily cow MP was recorded from 2 weeks before until 15 weeks after treatment. Individual serum pepsinogen and anti-Ostertagia antibody levels (expressed as ODR), faecal egg count and bulk tank milk (BTM) Ostertagia ODR were measured at treatment time. Anthelmintic treatment applied during the previous housing period was recorded for each cow. In each herd, information regarding heifers’ grazing and anthelmintic treatment history was collected to assess the Time of Effective Contact (TEC, in months) with GIN infective larvae before the first calving. The effect of treatment on weekly MP averages and its relationships with herd and individual indicators were studied using linear mixed models with two nested random effects (cow within herd). Unexpectedly, spring treatment had a significant detrimental effect on MP (-0.92 kg/cow/day on average). This negative MP response was particularly marked in high producing cows, in cows not treated during the previous housing period or with high pepsinogen levels, and in cows from herds with a high TEC or a high BTM ODR. This post-treatment decrease in MP may be associated with immuno-inflammatory mechanisms. Until further studies can assess whether this unexpected result can be generalized, non-persistent treatment of immunized adult dairy cows against GIN should not be recommended in early grazing season. PMID

Studies on Aryl-Substituted Phenylalanines: Synthesis, Activity, and Different Binding Modes at AMPA Receptors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Szymanska, Ewa; Frydenvang, Karla Andrea; Pickering, Darryl S

2016-01-01

, not previously seen for amino acid-based AMPA receptor antagonists, X-ray crystal structures of both eutomers in complex with the GluA2 ligand binding domain were solved. The cocrystal structures of (S)-37 and (R)-38 showed similar interactions of the amino acid parts but unexpected and different orientations...

SU-E-I-10: Investigation On Detectability of a Small Target for Different Slice Direction of a Volumetric Cone Beam CT Image

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, C; Han, M; Baek, J [Yonsei University, Incheon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-06-15

Purpose: To investigate the detectability of a small target for different slice direction of a volumetric cone beam CT image and its impact on dose reduction. Methods: Analytic projection data of a sphere object (1 mm diameter, 0.2/cm attenuation coefficient) were generated and reconstructed by FDK algorithm. In this work, we compared the detectability of the small target from four different backprojection Methods: hanning weighted ramp filter with linear interpolation (RECON 1), hanning weighted ramp filter with Fourier interpolation (RECON2), ramp filter with linear interpolation (RECON 3), and ramp filter with Fourier interpolation (RECON4), respectively. For noise simulation, 200 photons per measurement were used, and the noise only data were reconstructed using FDK algorithm. For each reconstructed volume, axial and coronal slice were extracted and detection-SNR was calculated using channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) with dense difference-of-Gaussian (D-DOG) channels. Results: Detection-SNR of coronal images varies for different backprojection methods, while axial images have a similar detection-SNR. Detection-SNR{sup 2} ratios of coronal and axial images in RECON1 and RECON2 are 1.33 and 1.15, implying that the coronal image has a better detectability than axial image. In other words, using coronal slices for the small target detection can reduce the patient dose about 33% and 15% compared to using axial slices in RECON 1 and RECON 2. Conclusion: In this work, we investigated slice direction dependent detectability of a volumetric cone beam CT image. RECON 1 and RECON 2 produced the highest detection-SNR, with better detectability in coronal slices. These results indicate that it is more beneficial to use coronal slice to improve detectability of a small target in a volumetric cone beam CT image. This research was supported by the MSIP (Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning), Korea, under the IT Consilience Creative Program (NIPA-2014-H0201

SU-E-I-10: Investigation On Detectability of a Small Target for Different Slice Direction of a Volumetric Cone Beam CT Image

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, C; Han, M; Baek, J

2015-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the detectability of a small target for different slice direction of a volumetric cone beam CT image and its impact on dose reduction. Methods: Analytic projection data of a sphere object (1 mm diameter, 0.2/cm attenuation coefficient) were generated and reconstructed by FDK algorithm. In this work, we compared the detectability of the small target from four different backprojection Methods: hanning weighted ramp filter with linear interpolation (RECON 1), hanning weighted ramp filter with Fourier interpolation (RECON2), ramp filter with linear interpolation (RECON 3), and ramp filter with Fourier interpolation (RECON4), respectively. For noise simulation, 200 photons per measurement were used, and the noise only data were reconstructed using FDK algorithm. For each reconstructed volume, axial and coronal slice were extracted and detection-SNR was calculated using channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) with dense difference-of-Gaussian (D-DOG) channels. Results: Detection-SNR of coronal images varies for different backprojection methods, while axial images have a similar detection-SNR. Detection-SNR 2 ratios of coronal and axial images in RECON1 and RECON2 are 1.33 and 1.15, implying that the coronal image has a better detectability than axial image. In other words, using coronal slices for the small target detection can reduce the patient dose about 33% and 15% compared to using axial slices in RECON 1 and RECON 2. Conclusion: In this work, we investigated slice direction dependent detectability of a volumetric cone beam CT image. RECON 1 and RECON 2 produced the highest detection-SNR, with better detectability in coronal slices. These results indicate that it is more beneficial to use coronal slice to improve detectability of a small target in a volumetric cone beam CT image. This research was supported by the MSIP (Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning), Korea, under the IT Consilience Creative Program (NIPA-2014-H0201

tri-n-butyltin hydride-mediated radical reaction of a 2-iodobenzamide: formation of an unexpected carbon-tin bond

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira, Marcelo T.; Alves, Rosemeire B.; Cesar, Amary; Prado, Maria Auxiliadora F.; Alves, Ricardo J.; Queiroga, Carla G.; Santos, Leonardo S.; Eberlin, Marcos N.

2007-01-01

The tri-n-butyltin hydride-mediated reaction of methyl 2,3-di-O-benzyl-4-O-trans-cinnamyl- 6-deoxy-6-(2-iodobenzoylamino)-α-D-galactopyranoside afforded an unexpected aryltributyltin compound. The structure of this new tetraorganotin(IV) product has been elucidated by 1 H, 13 C NMR spectroscopy, COSY and HMQC experiments and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The formation of this new compound via a radical coupling reaction and a radical addition-elimination process is discussed. (author)

Preparation of nucleoside-pyridine hybrids and pyridine attached acylureas from an unexpected uracil ring-opening and pyridine ring-forming sequence

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Xue Sen Fan; Xia Wang; Xin Ying Zhang; Dong Feng; Ying Ying Qu

2009-01-01

Novel pyrimidine nucleoside-3,5-dicyanopyridine hybrids (4) or pyridine attached acylureas (5) were selectively and efficiently prepared from the reaction of 2'-deoxyuridin-5-yl-methylene malonortitrile (1), malononitrile (2) and thiophenol (3) or from an unexpected uracil ring-opening and pyridine ring-forming sequence via the reaction of 1 and 3. It is the first time such a sequence has ever been reported.

How Small Businesses Market Their Products during the Different Phases of the Product Life Cycle: The Case of Swedish Ice Cream Manufacturers

OpenAIRE

Annika Hallberg; Susana Friberg; Paulina Myhrman

2014-01-01

The Swedish ice cream market of today is dominated by a few major market leaders, which makes it a challenge for small firms to make themselves visible and survive on a long-term basis. The aim of this article is to investigate and understand how small firms in the ice cream business market their products, based on the marketing mix and the portfolio matrix, during the different phases of the product life cycle. The combination of the two models for strategic planning enables t...

Field Measurements Indicate Unexpected, Serious Underestimation of Mussel Heart Rates and Thermal Tolerance by Laboratory Studies.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Morgana Tagliarolo

Full Text Available Attempts to predict the response of species to long-term environmental change are generally based on extrapolations from laboratory experiments that inevitably simplify the complex interacting effects that occur in the field. We recorded heart rates of two genetic lineages of the brown mussel Perna perna over a full tidal cycle in-situ at two different sites in order to evaluate the cardiac responses of the two genetic lineages present on the South African coast to temperature and the immersion/emersion cycle. "Robomussel" temperature loggers were used to monitor thermal conditions at the two sites over one year. Comparison with live animals showed that robomussels provided a good estimate of mussel body temperatures. A significant difference in estimated body temperatures was observed between the sites and the results showed that, under natural conditions, temperatures regularly approach or exceed the thermal limits of P. perna identified in the laboratory. The two P. perna lineages showed similar tidal and diel patterns of heart rate, with higher cardiac activity during daytime immersion and minimal values during daytime emersion. Comparison of the heart rates measured in the field with data previously measured in the laboratory indicates that laboratory results seriously underestimate heart rate activity, by as much as 75%, especially during immersion. Unexpectedly, field estimates of body temperatures indicated an ability to tolerate temperatures considered lethal on the basis of laboratory measurements. This suggests that the interaction of abiotic conditions in the field does not necessarily raise vulnerability to high temperatures.

Comprehensive study of unexpected microscope condensers formed in sample arrangements commonly used in optical microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Desai, Darshan B; Aldawsari, Mabkhoot Mudith S; Alharbi, Bandar Mohammed H; Sen, Sanchari; Grave de Peralta, Luis

2015-09-01

We show that various setups for optical microscopy which are commonly used in biomedical laboratories behave like efficient microscope condensers that are responsible for observed subwavelength resolution. We present a series of experiments and simulations that reveal how inclined illumination from such unexpected condensers occurs when the sample is perpendicularly illuminated by a microscope's built-in white-light source. In addition, we demonstrate an inexpensive add-on optical module that serves as an efficient and lightweight microscope condenser. Using such add-on optical module in combination with a low-numerical-aperture objective lens and Fourier plane imaging microscopy technique, we demonstrate detection of photonic crystals with a period nearly eight times smaller than the Rayleigh resolution limit.

Oral contrast agents for small bowel MRI: comparison of different additives to optimize bowel distension

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ajaj, Waleed; Goehde, Susanne C.; Ruehm, Stefan G.; Debatin, Joerg F.; Lauenstein, Thomas C. [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45122, Essen (Germany); Schneemann, Hubert [Institute of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University Hospital Essen, Essen (Germany)

2004-03-01

The purpose of this study was to compare two osmotic carbohydrate sugar alcohols (mannitol 2.5% and sorbitol 2.5%, 2.0%, and 1.5% watery solutions) in combination with 0.2% locust bean gum (LBG) for small bowel distension for MR imaging. Small bowel distension was quantified on coronal 2D TrueFISP images by measuring the diameters of 16 small bowel loops in each of 12 healthy subjects (age range 31-55 years). Additionally, the grade of small bowel distension was rated qualitatively. Patient acceptance concerning nausea, vomiting, flatulence, and diarrhea was noted for each solution, and all results were compared by a Wilcoxon test or t test, respectively. The ingestion of water combined with LBG and either 2.5% mannitol or 2.0% sorbitol showed the best distension of the small bowel. The lowest side effect rate was observed following ingestion of sorbitol in a concentration of 2.0 and 1.5%. Based on these data, we recommend a combination of LBG and 2% sorbitol use for optimal bowel distension and minimal side effects resulting in enhanced patient acceptance. (orig.)

Oral contrast agents for small bowel MRI: comparison of different additives to optimize bowel distension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ajaj, Waleed; Goehde, Susanne C.; Ruehm, Stefan G.; Debatin, Joerg F.; Lauenstein, Thomas C.; Schneemann, Hubert

2004-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare two osmotic carbohydrate sugar alcohols (mannitol 2.5% and sorbitol 2.5%, 2.0%, and 1.5% watery solutions) in combination with 0.2% locust bean gum (LBG) for small bowel distension for MR imaging. Small bowel distension was quantified on coronal 2D TrueFISP images by measuring the diameters of 16 small bowel loops in each of 12 healthy subjects (age range 31-55 years). Additionally, the grade of small bowel distension was rated qualitatively. Patient acceptance concerning nausea, vomiting, flatulence, and diarrhea was noted for each solution, and all results were compared by a Wilcoxon test or t test, respectively. The ingestion of water combined with LBG and either 2.5% mannitol or 2.0% sorbitol showed the best distension of the small bowel. The lowest side effect rate was observed following ingestion of sorbitol in a concentration of 2.0 and 1.5%. Based on these data, we recommend a combination of LBG and 2% sorbitol use for optimal bowel distension and minimal side effects resulting in enhanced patient acceptance. (orig.)

Citizen science reveals unexpected continental-scale evolutionary change in a model organism.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan Silvertown

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Organisms provide some of the most sensitive indicators of climate change and evolutionary responses are becoming apparent in species with short generation times. Large datasets on genetic polymorphism that can provide an historical benchmark against which to test for recent evolutionary responses are very rare, but an exception is found in the brown-lipped banded snail (Cepaea nemoralis. This species is sensitive to its thermal environment and exhibits several polymorphisms of shell colour and banding pattern affecting shell albedo in the majority of populations within its native range in Europe. We tested for evolutionary changes in shell albedo that might have been driven by the warming of the climate in Europe over the last half century by compiling an historical dataset for 6,515 native populations of C. nemoralis and comparing this with new data on nearly 3,000 populations. The new data were sampled mainly in 2009 through the Evolution MegaLab, a citizen science project that engaged thousands of volunteers in 15 countries throughout Europe in the biggest such exercise ever undertaken. A known geographic cline in the frequency of the colour phenotype with the highest albedo (yellow was shown to have persisted and a difference in colour frequency between woodland and more open habitats was confirmed, but there was no general increase in the frequency of yellow shells. This may have been because snails adapted to a warming climate through behavioural thermoregulation. By contrast, we detected an unexpected decrease in the frequency of Unbanded shells and an increase in the Mid-banded morph. Neither of these evolutionary changes appears to be a direct response to climate change, indicating that the influence of other selective agents, possibly related to changing predation pressure and habitat change with effects on micro-climate.

The Occurrence of the Recent Deadly Mexico Earthquakes was not that Unexpected

Science.gov (United States)

Flores-Marquez, L.; Sarlis, N. V.; Skordas, E. S.; Varotsos, P.; Ramírez-Rojas, A.

2017-12-01

Most big Mexican earthquakes occur right along the interface between the colliding Cocos and North American plates, but the two recent deadly Mexico earthquakes, i.e., the magnitude 8.2 earthquake that struck the Mexico's Chiapas state on 7 September 2017 and the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck central Mexico, almost 12 days later, killing more than 400 people and reducing buildings to rubble in several States happened at two different spots in the flat-slab in the middle of the Cocos tectonic plate which is considered a geologically surprising area [1]. Here, upon considering a new type of analysis termed natural time, we show that their occurrence should not in principle puzzle scientists. Earthquakes may be considered as critical phenomena, see Ref. [2] and references therein and natural time analysis [3] uncovers an order parameter for seismicity. It has been shown [2] that the fluctuations of this order parameter exhibit a universal behavior with a probability density function (pdf), which is non-Gaussian having a left exponential tail [3]. Natural time analysis of seismicity in various tectonic regions of the Mexican Pacific Coast has been made in Ref.[4]. The study of the order parameter pdf for the Chiapas area as well as for the Guerrero area shows that the occurrence of large earthquakes in these two areas was not unexpected. References A. Witze, Deadly Mexico quakes not linked, Nature 549, 442 (2017). Varotsos PA, Sarlis NV, Skordas ES, Natural Time Analysis: The new view of time. Precursory Seismic Electric Signals, Earthquakes and other Complex Time-Series (Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg 2011) P. Varotsos et al., Similarity of fluctuations in correlated systems: the case of seismicity. Phys. Rev. E 72, 041103 (2005) A. Ramírez-Rojas and E.L. Flores-Márquez, Order parameter analysis of seismicity of the Mexican Pacific coast. Physica A, 392 2507 (2013)

Enumeration of small collections violates Weber's law.

Science.gov (United States)

Choo, H; Franconeri, S L

2014-02-01

In a phenomenon called subitizing, we can immediately generate exact counts of small collections (one to three objects), in contrast to larger collections, for which we must either create rough estimates or serially count. A parsimonious explanation for this advantage for small collections is that noisy representations of small collections are more tolerable, due to the larger relative differences between consecutive numbers (e.g., 2 vs. 3 is a 50 % increase, but 10 vs. 11 is only a 10 % increase). In contrast, the advantage could stem from the fact that small-collection enumeration is more precise, relying on a unique mechanism. Here, we present two experiments that conclusively showed that the enumeration of small collections is indeed "superprecise." Participants compared numerosity within either small or large visual collections in conditions in which the relative differences were controlled (e.g., performance for 2 vs. 3 was compared with performance for 20 vs. 30). Small-number comparison was still faster and more accurate, across both "more-fewer" judgments (Exp. 1), and "same-different" judgments (Exp. 2). We then reviewed the remaining potential mechanisms that might underlie this superprecision for small collections, including the greater diagnostic value of visual features that correlate with number and a limited capacity for visually individuating objects.

An unexpected evolution of symptomatic mild middle cerebral artery (MCA stenosis: asymptomatic occlusion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Malferrari Giovanni

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The intracranial localization of large artery disease is recognized as the main cause of ischemic stroke in the world, considering all countries, although its global burden is widely underestimated. Indeed it has been reported more frequently in Asians and African-American people, but the finding of intracranial stenosis as a cause of ischemic stroke is relatively common also in Caucasians. The prognosis of patients with stroke due to intracranial steno-occlusion is strictly dependent on the time of recanalization. Moreover, the course of the vessel involvement is highly dynamic in both directions, improvement or worsening, although several data are derived from the atherosclerotic subtype, compared to other causes. Case description We report the clinical, neurosonological and neuroradiological findings of a young woman, who came to our Stroke Unit because of the abrupt onset of aphasia during her work. An urgent neurosonological examination showed a left M1 MCA stenosis, congruent with the presenting symptoms; magnetic resonance imaging confirmed this finding and identified an acute ischemic lesion on the left MCA territory. The past history of the patient was significant only for a hyperinsulinemic condition, treated with metformine, and a mild overweight. At this time a selective cerebral angiography was not performed because of the patient refusal and she was discharged on antiplatelet and lipid-lowering therapy, having failed to identify autoimmune or inflammatory diseases. Within 1 month, she went back to our attention because of the recurrence of aphasia, lasting about ten minutes. Neuroimaging findings were unchanged, but the patient accepted to undergo a selective cerebral angiography, which showed a mild left distal M1 MCA stenosis. During the follow-up the patient did not experienced any recurrence, but a routine neurosonological examination found an unexpected evolution of the known MCA stenosis, i.e. left M1 MCA

Unexpected dramatic increase in CD4+ cell count in a patient with AIDS after enfuvirtide treatment despite persistent viremia and resistance mutations.

Science.gov (United States)

Soria, Alessandro; Cavarelli, Mariangela; Sala, Stefania; Alessandrini, Anna Ida; Scarlatti, Gabriella; Lazzarin, Adriano; Castagna, Antonella

2008-06-01

An unexpected dramatic immune recovery was observed in a patient with full-blown AIDS receiving enfuvirtide-based antiretroviral therapy after multiple treatment failures. A complex interplay of viral and host factors, including the control of X4 viruses and proviral burden, may favor immune restoration with HIV neutralizing activity, despite persistent viremia.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of different devices used for the closure of small-to-medium-sized patent ductus arteriosus in pediatric patients

Science.gov (United States)

El-Saiedi, Sonia A; El Sisi, Amal M; Mandour, Rodina Sobhy; Abdel-Aziz, Doaa M; Attia, Wael A

2017-01-01

Aims: In this study, we examined the differences in cost and effectiveness of various devices used for the closure of small to medium sized patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Setting and Design: We retrospectively studied 116 patients who underwent closure of small PDAs between January 2010 and January 2015. Subjects and Methods: Three types of devices were used: the Amplatzer duct occluder (ADO) II, the cook detachable coil and the Nit Occlud coil (NOC). Immediate and late complications were recorded and patients were followed up for 3 months after the procedure. Statistical Methods: All statistical calculations were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Science software. P closure of small-to medium-sized PDAs. Calculations of the incremental cost-effectiveness. (ICE) revealed that the Cook detachable coil had less ICE than the ADO II and NOC. The NOC was more effective with fewer complications. PMID:28566822

Idiopathic infantile arterial calcification: a rare cause of sudden unexpected death in childhood.

Science.gov (United States)

Guimarães, Susana; Lopes, José Manuel; Oliveira, José Bessa; Santos, Agostinho

2010-07-27

Unexpected child death investigation is a difficult area of forensic practice in view of the wide range of possible genetic, congenital, and acquired natural and nonnatural causes. Idiopathic infantile arterial calcification (IIAC) is a rare autosomic recessive disease usually diagnosed postmortem. Inactivating mutations of the ENPP1 gene were described in 80% of the cases with IIAC. We report a case of a 5-year-old girl submitted to a forensic autopsy due to sudden death and possible medical negligence/parents child abuse. Major alterations found (intimal proliferation and deposition of calcium hydroxyapatite around the internal elastic lamina and media of arteries; acute myocardial infarct, stenotic and calcified coronary artery; perivascular and interstitial myocardial fibrosis; and subendocardial fibroelastosis) were diagnostic of IIAC. We reviewed IIAC cases published in the English literature and highlight the importance of adequate autopsy evaluation in cases of sudden child death.

Small business owners’ success criteria, a values approach to personal differences

OpenAIRE

Gorgievski, Marjan J.; Ascalon, M. Evelina; Stephan, Ute

2011-01-01

This study of 150 Dutch small business owners, identified through business/ network directories, investigated relationships between owners’ understanding of success and their personal values. Business owners ranked 10 success criteria. Per- sonal satisfaction, profitability, and satisfied stakeholders ranked highest. Multidi- mensional scaling techniques revealed two dimensions underlying the rank order of success criteria: person-oriented (personal satisfaction versus business growth) and bu...

Children and Trauma: Unexpected Resistance and Justice in Film and Drawings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheri M. Robinson

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This transnational study examines representations of and by children—whether literal wounds, psychological ones, or wounds transmitted through drawings—that manifest their capacity for unexpected resistance and justice. It considers the Mexican-American director Guillermo del Toro’s use of hauntings and wounds to explore violence during the 1936–1939 Spanish Civil War in the film El espinazo del diablo [The Devil’s Backbone] (2001 and its intersections on strategic and theoretical levels with the traumatic in archival children’s drawings produced during the 1976–1983 Argentine military dictatorship. The drawings illustrate the violence perpetrated against the child artists’ families and were produced in exile for the human rights organization COSOFAM. Utilizing diverse theories from film and trauma studies, among others, this article analyzes key scenes in El espinazo exhibiting commonalities with representations of traumatic violence in the children’s drawings, revealing that, in fiction and in fact, a strategic “showing” of the traumatic wound is designed to remind others of the imperative to intervene in situations of extreme violence, to appeal to/for justice, and to effectively testify from the inside.

Expected and unexpected achievements and trends in radiation processing of polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Czvikovszky, T.

2002-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. The last four decades produced exponential development in the polymer processing. Radiation processing yielded a similar pathway of development in the beginning, mostly in the radiation crosslinking of polymers and in the radiation sterilization of polymer products. Some expectations on several related fields such as radiation grafting, surface coating of polymer films, etc., have not really been fulfilled. There are some unexpected results in the developments of the radiation chemistry of polymers utilized well in the polymer processing today. The most dynamical developments of the microelectronics in our days is based on the efficient utilization of radiation-crosslinkable negative photoresist polymers and the radiation degradable positive photoresist polymers. Rapid prototyping and rapid tooling are indispensable methods in the continuously renewing manufacturing technologies of metal and plastic parts for almost all the industrial branches. Rapid prototyping allows to make a real polymeric part of an automobile or of a mobile phone directly from the computer assisted design draft on the monitor, without any human interference. The selective laser lithography is using radiation-reactive oligomers for this purpose. Polymer composite manufacturing is also profited in many ways from the experiences of radiation technology. High-tech composites of advanced fibers such as graphite, Kevlar, HOPE and other ones require well-engineered interface between reinforcing fiber and matrix. This interface is the key factor, especially in the case of injection-moldable composites of short fibers and thermoplastics, and this interface can greatly be improved through ionizing radiation. Our recent results in this field confirmed substantial benefits in the case of carbon fiber reinforced structures and in the case of natural fiber reinforced composites as well. Compatibilization through radiation-reactive monomers and oligomers is attacking

Water Loss in Small Settlements

OpenAIRE

Mindaugas Rimeika; Anželika Jurkienė

2014-01-01

The main performance indicators of a water supply system include the quality and safety of water, continuous work, relevant pressure and small water loss. The majority of foreign and local projects on reducing water loss have been carried out in the water supply systems of metropolitans; however, the specificity of small settlements differs from that of big cities. Differences can be observed not only in the development of infrastructure and technical indicators but also in the features of wa...

Growing medicine: small-scale cannabis cultivation for medical purposes in six different countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Hakkarainen, Pekka; Frank, Vibeke Asmussen; Barratt, Monica J; Dahl, Helle Vibeke; Decorte, Tom; Karjalainen, Karoliina; Lenton, Simon; Potter, Gary; Werse, Bernd

2015-03-01

The production and consumption of cannabis for the treatment of medical conditions is of increasing importance internationally; however, research on different aspects of the phenomenon is still scarce. In this article, we report findings from a cross-cultural study of small-scale cannabis cultivation for medical purposes. This kind of comparative study has not been done previously. The data were gathered with a help of web surveys conducted by the Global Cannabis Cultivation Research Consortium (GCCRC) in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany and the UK (N=5313). In the analysis we compare reports of medical motives, for what conditions cannabis is used, whether users have diagnoses for these conditions and whether the use of cannabis been recommended as a treatment of those conditions by a medical doctor. Descriptive statistics are used to show the main commonalities and noteworthy disparities across different countries. Findings from countries were quite similar, even though several national differences in details were found. Growing cannabis for medical purposes was widespread. The majority of medical growers reported cultivating cannabis for serious conditions. Most of them did have a formal diagnosis. One fifth had got a recommendation from their doctor, but in most cases cannabis use was self-medication which was not discussed with their doctors. There is a wider demand for licit access for medical cannabis than currently available in these countries. Ideologically, medical growers can be seen distancing themselves from both the legal and illicit drug markets. From a harm reduction perspective, it is worrying that, in the context of present health and control policies in these countries, many medical growers are using cannabis to treat serious medical conditions without proper medical advice and doctor's guidance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Unexpected inhibition of CO₂ gas hydrate formation in dilute TBAB solutions and the critical role of interfacial water structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nguyen, Ngoc N.; Nguyen, Anh V.; Nguyen, Khoi T.; Rintoul, Llew; Dang, Liem X.

2016-12-01

Gas hydrates formed under moderated conditions open up novel approaches to tackling issues related to energy supply, gas separation, and CO₂ sequestration. Several additives like tetra-n-butylammonium bromide (TBAB) have been empirically developed and used to promote gas hydrate formation. Here we report unexpected experimental results which show that TBAB inhibits CO₂ gas hydrate formation when used at minuscule concentration. We also used spectroscopic techniques and molecular dynamics simulation to gain further insights and explain the experimental results. They have revealed the critical role of water alignment at the gas-water interface induced by surface adsorption of tetra-n-butylammonium cation (TBA⁺) which gives rise to the unexpected inhibition of dilute TBAB solution. The water perturbation by TBA⁺ in the bulk is attributed to the promotion effect of high TBAB concentration on gas hydrate formation. We explain our finding using the concept of activation energy of gas hydrate formation. Our results provide a step toward to mastering the control of gas hydrate formation.

The impact of disappointment in decision making: inter-individual differences and electrical neuroimaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Tzieropoulos, Hélène; de Peralta, Rolando Grave; Bossaerts, Peter; Gonzalez Andino, Sara L

2011-01-01

Disappointment, the emotion experienced when faced to reward prediction errors (RPEs), considerably impacts decision making (DM). Individuals tend to modify their behavior in an often unpredictable way just to avoid experiencing negative emotions. Despite its importance, disappointment remains much less studied than regret and its impact on upcoming decisions largely unexplored. Here, we adapted the Trust Game to effectively elicit, quantify, and isolate disappointment by relying on the formal definition provided by Bell's in economics. We evaluated the effects of experienced disappointment and elation on future cooperation and trust as well as the rationality and utility of the different behavioral and neural mechanisms used to cope with disappointment. All participants in our game trusted less and particularly expected less from unknown opponents as a result of disappointing outcomes in the previous trial but not necessarily after elation indicating that behavioral consequences of positive and negative RPEs are not the same. A large variance in the tolerance to disappointment was observed across subjects, with some participants needing only a small disappointment to impulsively bias their subsequent decisions. As revealed by high-density EEG recordings the most tolerant individuals - who thought twice before making a decision and earned more money - relied on different neural generators to contend with neutral and unexpected outcomes. This study thus provides some support to the idea that different neural systems underlie reflexive and reflective decisions within the same individuals as predicted by the dual-system theory of social judgment and DM.

Hypotension due to Chemotherapy in a Patient with Small Cell Lung Cancer and Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome Undergoing Hemodialysis: A First Case Report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taiji Kuwata

2012-01-01

Full Text Available We present the first case of small cell lung cancer with Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome during hemodialysis (HD. A 72-year-old male patient receiving HD experienced progressive muscle weakness. He was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer with Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome due to an increased serum level of anti-voltage-gated calcium channel antibody and aspiration cytology on endobronchial ultrasonography for the swelling of a subcarinal lymph node. He received chemotherapy consisting of carboplatin (300 mg/m2 and etoposide (50 mg/m2, to which he had a partial response. However, the second therapy course could not be administered because of the unexpected development of severe hematological adverse events, which also prevented him from undergoing further HD. This case indicates that caution should be taken when using chemotherapy for such patients because of hypotension due to chemotherapy, with which it is impossible to undergo HD.

Influence of different land surfaces on atmospheric conditions measured by a wireless sensor network

Science.gov (United States)

Lengfeld, Katharina; Ament, Felix

2010-05-01

Atmospheric conditions close to the surface, like temperature, wind speed and humidity, vary on small scales because of surface heterogeneities. Therefore, the traditional measuring approach of using a single, highly accurate station is of limited representativeness for a larger domain, because it is not able to determine these small scale variabilities. However, both the variability and the domain averages are important information for the development and validation of atmospheric models and soil-vegetation-atmosphere-transfer (SVAT) schemes. Due to progress in microelectronics it is possible to construct networks of comparably cheap meteorological stations with moderate accuracy. Such a network provides data in high spatial and temporal resolution. The EPFL Lausanne developed such a network called SensorScope, consisting of low cost autonomous stations. Each station observes air and surface temperature, humidity, wind direction and speed, incoming solar radiation, precipitations, soil moisture and soil temperature and sends the data via radio communication to a base station. This base station forwards the collected data via GSM/GPRS to a central server. Within the FLUXPAT project in August 2009 we deployed 15 stations as a twin transect near Jülich, Germany. One aim of this first experiment was to test the quality of the low cost sensors by comparing them to more accurate reference measurements. It turned out, that although the network is not highly accurate, the measurements are consistent. Consequently an analysis of the pattern of atmospheric conditions is feasible. For example, we detect a variability of ± 0.5K in the mean temperature at a distance of only 2.3 km. The transect covers different types of vegetation and a small river. Therefore, we analyzed the influence of different land surfaces and the distance to the river on meteorological conditions. On the one hand, some results meet our expectations, e.g. the relative humidity decreases with increasing

Small Intestinal Infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Munot, Khushboo; Kotler, Donald P

2016-06-01

Small intestinal infections are extremely common worldwide. They may be bacterial, viral, or parasitic in etiology. Most are foodborne or waterborne, with specific etiologies differing by region and with diverse pathophysiologies. Very young, very old, and immune-deficient individuals are the most vulnerable to morbidity or mortality from small intestinal infections. There have been significant advances in diagnostic sophistication with the development and early application of molecular diagnostic assays, though these tests have not become mainstream. The lack of rapid diagnoses combined with the self-limited nature of small intestinal infections has hampered the development of specific and effective treatments other than oral rehydration. Antibiotics are not indicated in the absence of an etiologic diagnosis, and not at all in the case of some infections.

Definition of Sudden Infant Death and Sudden Intrauterine Unexpected Death Syndromes (SIDS and SIUDS with Regard to the Anatomo-Pathological Examination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giulia Ottaviani

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Crib death, or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS, is the most frequent form of death in the first year of life, striking one baby in every 1,700–2,000. Yet despite advances in maternal-infant care, sudden intrauterine unexplained/unexpected death syndrome (SIUDS, has a six-eightfold greater incidence than that of SIDS. Frequent congenital abnormalities, likely morphological substrates for SIDS-SIUDS, were detected, mainly represented by alterations of the cardiac conduction system, such as accessory pathways and abnormal resorptive degeneration, and hypoplasia/agenesis of the vital brainstem structures. On the basis of these considerations, the new common definition of the SIDS-SIUDS complex is The sudden death of a fetus after the 25th gestational week or infant under one year of age which is unexpected by history and remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including examination of the death scene, performance of a general autopsy and examination of the fetal adnexa. Therefore, given that the general autopsy does not disclose any cause of death, a more in-depth histopathological analysis of the cardiac conduction system and autonomic nervous system by specialized pathologists will become necessary.

Acute Effects of Different Formats of Small-Sided and Conditioned Handball Games on Heart Rate Responses in Female Students During PE Classes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filipe Manuel Clemente

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of different formats (2-a-side, 3-a-side and 4-a-side on heart rate responses of female students during small-sided and conditioned handball games. The heart rate responses were measured using heart rate monitors during physical education classes. Eight female students participated in the study (15 ± 0.0 years. The one-way ANOVA showed statistical differences with moderate effect between the three different formats (F(2, 1674 = 86.538; p-value ˂ 0.001;  = 0.094; Power = 1.0. The results showed that smaller formats (2-a-side and 3-a-side increased the heart rate responses of female students during small-sided and conditioned handball games during physical education (PE classes. The results also suggested that 2-a-side games can be used for anaerobic workouts and the 3-a-side and 4-a-side games can be better used to reach lactate-threshold and for aerobic workouts of high intensity.

Nano-Structural Investigation on Cellulose Highly Dissolved in Ionic Liquid: A Small Angle X-ray Scattering Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takatsugu Endo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We investigated nano-structural changes of cellulose dissolved in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate—an ionic liquid (IL—using a small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS technique over the entire concentration range (0–100 mol %. Fibril structures of cellulose disappeared at 40 mol % of cellulose, which is a significantly higher concentration than the maximum concentration of dissolution (24–28 mol % previously determined in this IL. This behavior is explained by the presence of the anion bridging, whereby an anion prefers to interact with multiple OH groups of different cellulose molecules at high concentrations, discovered in our recent work. Furthermore, we observed the emergence of two aggregated nano-structures in the concentration range of 30–80 mol %. The diameter of one structure was 12–20 nm, dependent on concentration, which is ascribed to cellulose chain entanglement. In contrast, the other with 4.1 nm diameter exhibited concentration independence and is reminiscent of a cellulose microfibril, reflecting the occurrence of nanofibrillation. These results contribute to an understanding of the dissolution mechanism of cellulose in ILs. Finally, we unexpectedly proposed a novel cellulose/IL composite: the cellulose/IL mixtures of 30–50 mol % that possess liquid crystallinity are sufficiently hard to be moldable.

Cooperative behavior evolution of small groups on interconnected networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Keke; Cheng, Yuan; Zheng, Xiaoping; Yang, Yeqing

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Small groups are modeled on interconnected networks. • Players face different dilemmas inside and outside small groups. • Impact of the ratio and strength of link on the behavioral evolution are studied. - Abstract: Understanding the behavioral evolution in evacuation is significant for guiding and controlling the evacuation process. Based on the fact that the population consists of many small groups, here we model the small groups which are separated in space but linked by other methods, such as kinship, on interconnected networks. Namely, the players in the same layer belong to an identical small group, while the players located in different layers belong to different small groups. And the players of different layers establish interaction by edge crossed layers. In addition, players face different dilemmas inside and outside small groups, in detail, the players in the same layer play prisoner’s dilemma, but players in different layers play harmony game. By means of numerous simulations, we study the impact of the ratio and strength of link on the behavioral evolution. Because the framework of this work takes the space distribution into account, which is close to the realistic life, we hope that it can provide a new insight to reveal the law of behavioral evolution of evacuation population.

Can we trust small x resummation?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forte, Stefano [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Milano and INFN, Sezione di Milano, Via Celoria 16, I-20133 Milan (Italy); Altarelli, Guido [Dipartimento di Fisica ' E.Amaldi' , Universita Roma Tre and INFN, Sezione di Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, I-00146 Roma, Italy, CERN, Department of Physics, Theory Division, CH-1211 Geneve 23 (Switzerland); Ball, Richard D. [School of Physics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, Scotland (United Kingdom)

2009-06-15

We review the current status of small x resummation of evolution of parton distributions and of deep-inelastic coefficient functions. We show that the resummed perturbative expansion is stable, robust upon different treatments of subleading terms, and that it matches smoothly to the unresummed perturbative expansions, with corrections which are of the same order as the typical NNLO ones in the HERA kinematic region. We discuss different approaches to small x resummation: we show that the ambiguities in the resummation procedure are small, provided all parametrically enhanced terms are included in the resummation and properly matched.

Can we trust small x resummation?

CERN Document Server

Forte, Stefano; Ball, Richard D

2009-01-01

We review the current status of small x resummation of evolution of parton distributions and of deep-inelastic coefficient functions. We show that the resummed perturbative expansion is stable, robust upon different treatments of subleading terms, and that it matches smoothly to the unresummed perturbative expansions, with corrections which are of the same order as the typical NNLO ones in the HERA kinematic region. We discuss different approaches to small x resummation: we show that the ambiguities in the resummation procedure are small, provided all parametrically enhanced terms are included in the resummation and properly matched.

Thorium Fuel Utilization Analysis on Small Long Life Reactor for Different Coolant Types

Science.gov (United States)

Permana, Sidik

2017-07-01

A small power reactor and long operation which can be deployed for less population and remote area has been proposed by the IAEA as a small and medium reactor (SMR) program. Beside uranium utilization, it can be used also thorium fuel resources for SMR as a part of optimalization of nuclear fuel as a “partner” fuel with uranium fuel. A small long-life reactor based on thorium fuel cycle for several reactor coolant types and several power output has been evaluated in the present study for 10 years period of reactor operation. Several key parameters are used to evaluate its effect to the reactor performances such as reactor criticality, excess reactivity, reactor burnup achievement and power density profile. Water-cooled types give higher criticality than liquid metal coolants. Liquid metal coolant for fast reactor system gives less criticality especially at beginning of cycle (BOC), which shows liquid metal coolant system obtains almost stable criticality condition. Liquid metal coolants are relatively less excess reactivity to maintain longer reactor operation than water coolants. In addition, liquid metal coolant gives higher achievable burnup than water coolant types as well as higher power density for liquid metal coolants.

What is cerebral small vessel disease?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onodera, Osamu

2011-01-01

An accumulating amount of evidence suggests that the white matter hyperintensities on T 2 weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging predict an increased risk of dementia and gait disturbance. This state has been proposed as cerebral small vessel disease, including leukoaraiosis, Binswanger's disease, lacunar stroke and cerebral microbleeds. However, the concept of cerebral small vessel disease is still obscure. To understand the cerebral small vessel disease, the precise structure and function of cerebral small vessels must be clarified. Cerebral small vessels include several different arteries which have different anatomical structures and functions. Important functions of the cerebral small vessels are blood-brain barrier and perivasucular drainage of interstitial fluid from the brain parenchyma. Cerebral capillaries and glial endfeet, take an important role for these functions. However, the previous pathological investigations on cerebral small vessels have focused on larger arteries than capillaries. Therefore little is known about the pathology of capillaries in small vessel disease. The recent discoveries of genes which cause the cerebral small vessel disease indicate that the cerebral small vessel diseases are caused by a distinct molecular mechanism. One of the pathological findings in hereditary cerebral small vessel disease is the loss of smooth muscle cells, which is an also well-recognized finding in sporadic cerebral small vessel disease. Since pericytes have similar character with the smooth muscle cells, the pericytes should be investigated in these disorders. In addition, the loss of smooth muscle cells may result in dysfunction of drainage of interstitial fluid from capillaries. The precise correlation between the loss of smooth muscle cells and white matter disease is still unknown. However, the function that is specific to cerebral small vessel may be associated with the pathogenesis of cerebral small vessel disease. (author)

An Unexpected Diversity of Photoreceptor Classes in the Longfin Squid, Doryteuthis pealeii.

Science.gov (United States)

Kingston, Alexandra C N; Wardill, Trevor J; Hanlon, Roger T; Cronin, Thomas W

2015-01-01

Cephalopods are famous for their ability to change color and pattern rapidly for signaling and camouflage. They have keen eyes and remarkable vision, made possible by photoreceptors in their retinas. External to the eyes, photoreceptors also exist in parolfactory vesicles and some light organs, where they function using a rhodopsin protein that is identical to that expressed in the retina. Furthermore, dermal chromatophore organs contain rhodopsin and other components of phototransduction (including retinochrome, a photoisomerase first found in the retina), suggesting that they are photoreceptive. In this study, we used a modified whole-mount immunohistochemical technique to explore rhodopsin and retinochrome expression in a number of tissues and organs in the longfin squid, Doryteuthis pealeii. We found that fin central muscles, hair cells (epithelial primary sensory neurons), arm axial ganglia, and sucker peduncle nerves all express rhodopsin and retinochrome proteins. Our findings indicate that these animals possess an unexpected diversity of extraocular photoreceptors and suggest that extraocular photoreception using visual opsins and visual phototransduction machinery is far more widespread throughout cephalopod tissues than previously recognized.

An Unexpected Diversity of Photoreceptor Classes in the Longfin Squid, Doryteuthis pealeii.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandra C N Kingston

Full Text Available Cephalopods are famous for their ability to change color and pattern rapidly for signaling and camouflage. They have keen eyes and remarkable vision, made possible by photoreceptors in their retinas. External to the eyes, photoreceptors also exist in parolfactory vesicles and some light organs, where they function using a rhodopsin protein that is identical to that expressed in the retina. Furthermore, dermal chromatophore organs contain rhodopsin and other components of phototransduction (including retinochrome, a photoisomerase first found in the retina, suggesting that they are photoreceptive. In this study, we used a modified whole-mount immunohistochemical technique to explore rhodopsin and retinochrome expression in a number of tissues and organs in the longfin squid, Doryteuthis pealeii. We found that fin central muscles, hair cells (epithelial primary sensory neurons, arm axial ganglia, and sucker peduncle nerves all express rhodopsin and retinochrome proteins. Our findings indicate that these animals possess an unexpected diversity of extraocular photoreceptors and suggest that extraocular photoreception using visual opsins and visual phototransduction machinery is far more widespread throughout cephalopod tissues than previously recognized.

Heavy Metals, Cardiovascular Disease, and the Unexpected Benefits of Chelation Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamas, Gervasio A; Navas-Acien, Ana; Mark, Daniel B; Lee, Kerry L

2016-05-24

This review summarizes evidence from 2 lines of research previously thought to be unrelated: the unexpectedly positive results of TACT (Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy), and a body of epidemiological data showing that accumulation of biologically active metals, such as lead and cadmium, is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Considering these 2 areas of work together may lead to the identification of new, modifiable risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. We examine the history of chelation up through the report of TACT. We then describe work connecting higher metal levels in the body with the future risk of cardiovascular disease. We conclude by presenting a brief overview of a newly planned National Institutes of Health trial, TACT2, in which we will attempt to replicate the findings of TACT and to establish that removal of toxic metal stores from the body is a plausible mechanistic explanation for the benefits of edetate disodium treatment. Copyright © 2016 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Insights into the Activity and Deactivation of the Methanol-to-Olefins Process over Different Small-Pore Zeolites As Studied with Operando UV–vis Spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-01

The nature and evolution of the hydrocarbon pool (HP) species during the Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO) process for three small-pore zeolite catalysts, with a different framework consisting of large cages interconnected by small eight-ring windows (CHA, DDR, and LEV) was studied at reaction temperatures between 350 and 450 °C using a combination of operando UV–vis spectroscopy and online gas chromatography. It was found that small differences in cage size, shape, and pore structure of the zeolite frameworks result in the generation of different hydrocarbon pool species. More specifically, it was found that the large cage of CHA results in the formation of a wide variety of hydrocarbon pool species, mostly alkylated benzenes and naphthalenes. In the DDR cage, 1-methylnaphthalene is preferentially formed, while the small LEV cage generally contains fewer hydrocarbon pool species. The nature and evolution of these hydrocarbon pool species was linked with the stage of the reaction using a multivariate analysis of the operando UV–vis spectra. In the 3-D pore network of CHA, the reaction temperature has only a minor effect on the performance of the MTO catalyst. However, for the 2-D pore networks of DDR and LEV, an increase in the applied reaction temperature resulted in a dramatic increase in catalytic activity. For all zeolites in this study, the role of the hydrocarbon species changes with reaction temperature. This effect is most clear in DDR, in which diamantane and 1-methylnaphthalene are deactivating species at a reaction temperature of 350 °C, whereas at higher temperatures diamantane formation is not observed and 1-methylnaphthalene is an active species. This results in a different amount and nature of coke species in the deactivated catalyst, depending on zeolite framework and reaction temperature. PMID:28603658

Insights into the Activity and Deactivation of the Methanol-to-Olefins Process over Different Small-Pore Zeolites As Studied with Operando UV-vis Spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Goetze, Joris; Meirer, Florian; Yarulina, Irina; Gascon, Jorge; Kapteijn, Freek; Ruiz-Martínez, Javier; Weckhuysen, Bert M

2017-06-02

The nature and evolution of the hydrocarbon pool (HP) species during the Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO) process for three small-pore zeolite catalysts, with a different framework consisting of large cages interconnected by small eight-ring windows (CHA, DDR, and LEV) was studied at reaction temperatures between 350 and 450 °C using a combination of operando UV-vis spectroscopy and online gas chromatography. It was found that small differences in cage size, shape, and pore structure of the zeolite frameworks result in the generation of different hydrocarbon pool species. More specifically, it was found that the large cage of CHA results in the formation of a wide variety of hydrocarbon pool species, mostly alkylated benzenes and naphthalenes. In the DDR cage, 1-methylnaphthalene is preferentially formed, while the small LEV cage generally contains fewer hydrocarbon pool species. The nature and evolution of these hydrocarbon pool species was linked with the stage of the reaction using a multivariate analysis of the operando UV-vis spectra. In the 3-D pore network of CHA, the reaction temperature has only a minor effect on the performance of the MTO catalyst. However, for the 2-D pore networks of DDR and LEV, an increase in the applied reaction temperature resulted in a dramatic increase in catalytic activity. For all zeolites in this study, the role of the hydrocarbon species changes with reaction temperature. This effect is most clear in DDR, in which diamantane and 1-methylnaphthalene are deactivating species at a reaction temperature of 350 °C, whereas at higher temperatures diamantane formation is not observed and 1-methylnaphthalene is an active species. This results in a different amount and nature of coke species in the deactivated catalyst, depending on zeolite framework and reaction temperature.

Mobile Phone usage by Micro and Small Scale Enterprises in Semi-Rural Ghana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul Adjei kwakwa

2012-07-01

Full Text Available This work looked at the use of mobile technology among entrepreneurs/managers of micro and small scale businesses in the Akuapem North district of Ghana. The major findings were that entrepreneurs/business managers would use more than one mobile phone and/or subscribed to more than one network in order to make affordable calls, to enjoy excellent service from other network providers, for business purposes, security reasons and to have a place for their many contact numbers. Apart from marketing/sales purposes, the managers/entrepreneurs used phone for the gathering of information, for product delivery/procurement and managing internal affairs among others. A Chi square test confirmed that mobile phone has helped businesses improve customer services, improve communication with suppliers/customers, open up new branch, keep up with competitors and help increase profit. However, the respondents identified a number of occasional challenges such as no reception, poor sound/breaking up of sound and calls ending unexpectedly.

Unmanned systems win unexpected support

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schneiderman, R.

1991-09-01

A review of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is presented in which emphasis is given to recent mission accomplishments and current directions of research. Existing and new military UAV programs are listed with reference to funding, the type of vehicle, and level of development. Several trends are established including the reliance of UVAs on global positioning satellites and advanced electronics and the growth of the UVA industry. UVAs that are in advanced stages of development or have been deployed include short-range UAV such as the Pioneer, the Pointer, the Sky Owl, and the Hunter. Key UAV systems are described such as the Advanced Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance System, the Maritime Vertical Takeoff and Landing, and other VTOL systems. Very small UVAs and Exdrones are also discussed, and a weather reconnaissance system and surveillance systems are mentioned.

Heavy Metals, Cardiovascular Disease, and the Unexpected Benefits of Edetate Disodium Chelation Therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Lamas, Gervasio A.; Navas-Acien, Ana; Mark, Daniel B.; Lee, Kerry L.

2016-01-01

This review summarizes evidence from 2 lines of research previously thought unrelated: the unexpectedly positive results of the Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT), and a body of epidemiological data showing that accumulation of biologically active metals, such as lead and cadmium, is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Considering these 2 areas of work together may lead to the identification of new, modifiable risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. We examine the history of chelation up through the report of TACT. We then describe work connecting higher metal levels in the body with the future risk of cardiovascular disease. We conclude by presenting a brief overview of a newly planned National Institutes of Health trial, TACT2, in which we will attempt to replicate the findings of TACT and to establish that removal of toxic metal stores from the body is a plausible mechanistic explanation for the benefits of edetate disodium treatment. PMID:27199065

The Galeta oil spill: Pt. 2; Unexpected persistence of oil trapped in mangrove sediments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burns, K.A.; Jorissen, D.; MacPherson, J.; Stoelting, M.; Tierney, J.; Yelle-Simmons, L. (Bermuda Biological Station, Ferry Reach (Bermuda)); Garrity, S.D. (Coastal Zone Analysis, Sopchoppy, FL (United States))

1994-04-01

Sediment chemistry studies, undertaken as part of the long-term assessment of the Bahia las Minas (Panama) oil spill, showed the unexpected persistence of the full range of aromatic hydrocarbon residues of the spilled crude oil in anoxic muds of coastal mangroves. Mangrove muds served as long-term reservoirs for chronic contamination of contiguous coastal communities for over 5 years. One result of the repeated history of oil pollution incidents along this coast was an increased proportion of dead mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) roots in sediment cores which was related to contaminant loading and was detectable for at least 20 years after major oil spills. We suggest that this is the minimum time-scale that is to be expected for the loss of toxicity of oil trapped in muddy coastal habitats impacted by catastrophic oil spills. (author)

Critical properties of unlimited gliding: Unexpected flocking behavior driven by the exchange of information

Science.gov (United States)

Bigus-Kwiatkowska, Marta; Fronczak, Agata; Fronczak, Piotr

2018-03-01

Inspired by albatrosses that use thermal lifts to fly across oceans we develop a simple model of gliders that serves us to study theoretical limitations of unlimited exploration of the Earth. Our studies, grounded in physical theory of continuous percolation and biased random walks, allow us to identify a variety of percolation transitions, which are understood as providing potentially unlimited movement through a space in a specified direction. We discover an unexpected phenomenon of self-organization of gliders in clusters, which resembles the flock organization of birds. This self-organization is intriguing, as it occurs thanks to exchange of information only and without any particular rules that could favor the clustering of the gliders (in contrast to the causes well known in literature, like, for example, attractive forces used in the Vicsek-type models or fitness functions used in evolutionary computation).

Comparison of clinical outcome after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy in different types of KRAS mutated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mellema, Wouter W.; Masen-Poos, Lucie; Smit, Egbert F.; Hendriks, Lizza E. L.; Aerts, Joachim G.; Termeer, Arien; Goosens, Martijn J.; Smit, Hans J. M.; van den Heuvel, Michel M.; Wekken, van der Anthonie J.; Herder, Gerarda J. M.; Krouwels, Frans H.; Stigt, Jos A.; van den Borne, Ben E. E. M.; Haitjema, Tjeerd J.; Staal-Van den Brekel, Agnes J.; van Heemst, Robbert C.; Pouw, Ellen; Dingemans, Anne-Marie C.

2015-01-01

Objectives: As suggested by in-vitro data, we hypothesize that subtypes of ICRAS mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) respond differently to chemotherapy regimens. Methods: Patients with advanced NSCLC and known KRAS mutation, treated with first-line platinumbased chemotherapy, were retrieved

Unexpected metastasis of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the bile duct into thoracic cavity with direct extension: Case report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Eung Tae; Heo, Jeong Nam; Park, Choong Ki [Hanyang Univ. Guri Hospital, Guri (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Yo Won; Jeon, Seok Chol [Hanyang Univ. Seoul Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2012-08-15

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) is known to arise from intraductal proliferation of mucinous cells with findings of marked dilatation of the biliary or pancreatic duct. There are reports of the metastasis and extension of pancreatic IPMN. However, cases of biliary IPMN with direct metastasis, or metastasis to distant locations, are rare. We present a case of metastasis of biliary IPMN with unexpected direct extension into the thoracic cavity, and we attempt to account for the mechanism of this extension.

Unexpected metastasis of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the bile duct into thoracic cavity with direct extension: Case report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Eung Tae; Heo, Jeong Nam; Park, Choong Ki; Choi, Yo Won; Jeon, Seok Chol

2012-01-01

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) is known to arise from intraductal proliferation of mucinous cells with findings of marked dilatation of the biliary or pancreatic duct. There are reports of the metastasis and extension of pancreatic IPMN. However, cases of biliary IPMN with direct metastasis, or metastasis to distant locations, are rare. We present a case of metastasis of biliary IPMN with unexpected direct extension into the thoracic cavity, and we attempt to account for the mechanism of this extension

[Effectiveness of the GlideScope video laryngoscope in a case of unexpected difficult airway due to lingual tonsil hypertrophy].

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz, P; Alarcón, L; Del Castillo, T; Cabrerizo, P; Díaz, S

2015-05-01

Lingual tonsil hypertrophy can cause varying degrees of airway obstruction and is considered a risk factor for difficult mask ventilation and tracheal intubation. We report a case of unexpected difficult airway in a patient with unknown lingual tonsil hypertrophy that was solved with the use of the GlideScope video laryngoscope. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Torsional Performance of ProTaper Gold Rotary Instruments during Shaping of Small Root Canals after 2 Different Glide Path Preparations.

Science.gov (United States)

Arias, Ana; de Vasconcelos, Rafaela Andrade; Hernández, Alexis; Peters, Ove A

2017-03-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the ex vivo torsional performance of a novel rotary system in small root canals after 2 different glide path preparations. Each independent canal of 8 mesial roots of mandibular molars was randomly assigned to achieve a reproducible glide path with a new set of either PathFile #1 (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) and #2 or ProGlider (Dentsply Maillefer) after negotiation with a 10 K-file. After glide path preparation, root canals in both groups were shaped with the same sequence of ProTaper Gold (Dentsply Tulsa Dental Specialties, Tulsa, OK) following the directions for use recommended by the manufacturer. A total of 16 new sets of each instrument of the ProTaper Gold (PTG) system were used. The tests were run in a standardized fashion in a torque-testing platform. Peak torque (Ncm) and force (N) were registered during the shaping procedure and compared with Student t tests after normal distribution of data was confirmed. No significant differences were found for any of the instruments in peak torque or force after the 2 different glide path preparations (P > .05). Data presented in this study also serve as a basis for the recommended torque for the use of PTG instruments. Under the conditions of this study, differences in the torsional performance of PTG rotary instruments after 2 different glide path preparations could not be shown. The different geometry of glide path rotary systems seemed to have no effect on peak torque and force induced by PTG rotary instruments when shaping small root canals in extracted teeth. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the effects of different iodine concentrations on the characterization of small renal lesions detected by multidetector computed tomography scan: A pilot study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Hak Jong; Kim, Sang Youn; Cho, Jeong Yeon; Hwang, Sung Il; Moon, Min Hoan; Kim, Seung Hyup [Dept. of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2017-05-15

Our objective was to compare the effects of different iodine concentrations on characterizing small renal lesions. Thirty-eight patients were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent an initial CT scan using 370 mgI/mL iodinated contrast media. Patients were then randomized into two groups for a follow-up CT. Group A (n = 19) received 250 mgI/mL iodinated contrast media, and group B (n = 19) received 300 mgI/mL contrast media. The mean Hounsfield units (HU values) of small renal lesions with a maximum size of less than 2 cm were calculated. Signal to noise ratios (SNR values) were likewise evaluated. Three uroradiologists assessed the lesion's conspicuity and the diagnostic influence of the artifact's proximity to the adjacent renal parenchyma. In group A, there were significant differences between the HU values of renal lesions and those of the adjacent renal parenchyma between the initial and follow-up CT. Conversely, in group B, there was no significant difference. Moreover, SNR values showed no statistically significant difference between both groups. Regarding lesion conspicuity, only one reader identified a significant difference (p = 0.032) in group A; whereas in group B, there was no statistical difference. The artifact's proximity to the adjacent renal parenchyma did not appear to have any diagnostic influence on differentiating the two (p < 0.05). In evaluating small renal lesions, 300 mgI/mL instead of 370 mgI/mL contrast media can be used; however, it is important to note that the use of 250 mgI/mL contrast media may reveal different results from that of 370 mgI/mL contrast media.

Adaptive designs for dose-finding in non-cancer phase II trials: influence of early unexpected outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Resche-Rigon, Matthieu; Zohar, Sarah; Chevret, Sylvie

2008-01-01

In non-cancer phase II trials, dose-finding trials are usually carried out using fixed designs, in which several doses including a placebo are randomly distributed to patients. However, in certain vulnerable populations, such as neonates or infants, there is an heightened requirement for safety, precluding randomization. To estimate the minimum effective dose of a new drug from a non-cancer phase II trial, we propose the use of adaptive designs like the Continual Reassessment Method (CRM). This approach estimates the dose closest to some target response, and has been shown to be unbiased and efficient in cancer phase I trials. Based on a motivating example, we point out the individual influence of first outliers in this setting. A weighted version of the CRM is proposed as a theoretical benchmark to control for these outliers. Using simulations, we illustrate how this approach provides further insight into the behavior of the CRM. When dealing with low targets like a 10% failure rate, the CRM appears unable to rapidly overcome an early unexpected outcome. This behavior persisted despite changing the inference (Bayesian or likelihood), underlying dose-response model (though slightly improved using the power model), and the number of patients enrolled at each dose level. The choices for initial guesses of failure rates, the vague prior for the model parameter, and the log-log shape of weights can appear somewhat arbitrary. In phase II dose-finding studies in which failure targets are below 20%, the CRM appears quite sensitive to first unexpected outcomes. Using a power model for dose-response improves some behavior if the trial is started at the first dose level and includes at least three to five patients at the starting dose before applying the CRM allocation rule.

Value of multislice computed tomography angiography of the thorax in preparation for catheter ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation: The impact of unexpected cardiac and extracardiac findings on patient care

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wissner, Erik; Wellnitz, Clinton V.; Srivathsan, Komandoor; Scott, Luis R. [Mayo Clinic Arizona - Mayo Clinic Hospital, Cardiovascular Diseases, 5777 East Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix, AZ 85054 (United States); Altemose, Gregory T. [Mayo Clinic Arizona - Mayo Clinic Hospital, Cardiovascular Diseases, 5777 East Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix, AZ 85054 (United States)], E-mail: altemose.gregory@mayo.edu

2009-11-15

Objective: In patients referred for catheter ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, multislice computed tomography angiography of the thorax is routinely performed to assess pulmonary vein anatomy. We sought to investigate the incidence of unexpected cardiac and extracardiac findings in this select patient population and to establish how these findings influence subsequent patient care. Methods: Ninety-five patients (mean age 62 {+-} 10 years, 35% female) referred to our institution for ablation therapy for atrial fibrillation between July 2003 and October 2007 underwent multislice computed tomography angiography of the thorax. Radiologists interpreted all images. Need for additional testing, consultation and eventual diagnosis were assessed by electronic record review. Results: A total of 83 (5 cardiac, 78 extracardiac) unexpected findings were observed in 50/95 (53%) of patients. The findings prompted 23 additional tests (5 cardiac, 18 noncardiac) in 15/95 (16%) of patients and 8 subsequent referrals in 7/95 (7%) patients. In 6 patients the findings significantly altered future patient care and resulted in postponement of ablation therapy in 4 patients. In 2 patients, extracardiac findings (pulmonary emboli and adenocarcinoma of the lung) were of potentially life-saving consequence. Conclusions: In patients undergoing multislice computed tomography angiography of the thorax in anticipation of planned catheter ablation therapy for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, unexpected findings are common and of potentially significant value. In comparison, there is a higher prevalence of unexpected extracardiac, rather than cardiac findings. Further investigation of these findings may lead to postponement of ablation therapy, but may also be of potentially lifesaving consequence.

Value of multislice computed tomography angiography of the thorax in preparation for catheter ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation: The impact of unexpected cardiac and extracardiac findings on patient care

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wissner, Erik; Wellnitz, Clinton V.; Srivathsan, Komandoor; Scott, Luis R.; Altemose, Gregory T.

2009-01-01

Objective: In patients referred for catheter ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, multislice computed tomography angiography of the thorax is routinely performed to assess pulmonary vein anatomy. We sought to investigate the incidence of unexpected cardiac and extracardiac findings in this select patient population and to establish how these findings influence subsequent patient care. Methods: Ninety-five patients (mean age 62 ± 10 years, 35% female) referred to our institution for ablation therapy for atrial fibrillation between July 2003 and October 2007 underwent multislice computed tomography angiography of the thorax. Radiologists interpreted all images. Need for additional testing, consultation and eventual diagnosis were assessed by electronic record review. Results: A total of 83 (5 cardiac, 78 extracardiac) unexpected findings were observed in 50/95 (53%) of patients. The findings prompted 23 additional tests (5 cardiac, 18 noncardiac) in 15/95 (16%) of patients and 8 subsequent referrals in 7/95 (7%) patients. In 6 patients the findings significantly altered future patient care and resulted in postponement of ablation therapy in 4 patients. In 2 patients, extracardiac findings (pulmonary emboli and adenocarcinoma of the lung) were of potentially life-saving consequence. Conclusions: In patients undergoing multislice computed tomography angiography of the thorax in anticipation of planned catheter ablation therapy for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, unexpected findings are common and of potentially significant value. In comparison, there is a higher prevalence of unexpected extracardiac, rather than cardiac findings. Further investigation of these findings may lead to postponement of ablation therapy, but may also be of potentially lifesaving consequence.

Counter-current flow limitation at hot leg pipe during reflux condensation cooling after small-break LOCA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Hae Yong; Ha, Sang Jun; Jo, Yung Jo; Jun, Hwang Yong

1999-01-01

The possibility of hot leg flooding is evaluated in case of a small-break loss-of-coolant accident in Korean Next Generation Reactor (KNGR) operating at the core power of 3983 MW normally. The vapor and liquid velocities in hot leg and steam generator tubes are calculated during reflux condensation cooling with the accident scenarios of three typical break sizes, 0.13 %, 1.02 % and 10.19 % cold leg break. The calculated results are compared with the existing flooding correlations. It is predicted that the hot leg flooding is excluded when two steam generators are available. It is also shown that the possibility of hot leg flooding under the operation with one steam generator is very low. Therefore, it can be said that the occurrence of hot leg flooding is unexpected when the reflux condensation cooling is maintained in steam generator tubes

Unexpected Type of Failure of Thermal Battery Resulting in a Near Miss to a Serious Injury

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Richter, Daena Kei [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2015-10-01

On 6/26/2015 at 1445 in 894/136, a thermal battery (approximately the size of a commercial size C cell) experienced an unexpected failure following a routine test where the battery is activated. The failure occurred while a test operator was transferring the battery from the testing primary containment box to another containment box within the same room; initial indications are that the battery package ruptured after it went into thermal runaway which led to the operator receiving bruising to the palm of the hand from the pressure of the expulsion. The operator was wearing the prescribed PPE, which was safety glasses and a high temperature glove on the hand that was holding the battery.

Dealing with the unexpected: consumer responses to direct-access BRCA mutation testing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Uta Francke

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Background. Inherited BRCA gene mutations convey a high risk for breast and ovarian cancer, but current guidelines limit BRCA mutation testing to women with early-onset cancer and relatives of mutation-positive cases. Benefits and risks of providing this information directly to consumers are unknown.Methods. To assess and quantify emotional and behavioral reactions of consumers to their 23andMe Personal Genome Service® report of three BRCA mutations that are common in Ashkenazi Jews, we invited all 136 BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation-positive individuals in the 23andMe customer database who had chosen to view their BRCA reports to participate in this IRB-approved study. We also invited 160 mutation-negative customers who were matched for age, sex and ancestry. Semi-structured phone interviews were completed for 32 mutation carriers, 16 women and 16 men, and 31 non-carriers. Questions addressed personal and family history of cancer, decision and timing of viewing the BRCA report, recollection of the result, emotional responses, perception of personal cancer risk, information sharing, and actions taken or planned.Results. Eleven women and 14 men had received the unexpected result that they are carriers of a BRCA1 185delAG or 5382insC, or BRCA2 6174delT mutation. None of them reported extreme anxiety and four experienced moderate anxiety that was transitory. Remarkably, five women and six men described their response as neutral. Most carrier women sought medical advice and four underwent risk-reducing procedures after confirmatory mutation testing. Male carriers realized that their test results implied genetic risk for female relatives, and several of them felt considerably burdened by this fact. Sharing mutation information with family members led to screening of at least 30 relatives and identification of 13 additional carriers. Non-carriers did not report inappropriate actions, such as foregoing cancer screening. All but one of the 32 mutation

Dealing with the unexpected: consumer responses to direct-access BRCA mutation testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Francke, Uta; Dijamco, Cheri; Kiefer, Amy K; Eriksson, Nicholas; Moiseff, Bianca; Tung, Joyce Y; Mountain, Joanna L

2013-01-01

Background. Inherited BRCA gene mutations convey a high risk for breast and ovarian cancer, but current guidelines limit BRCA mutation testing to women with early-onset cancer and relatives of mutation-positive cases. Benefits and risks of providing this information directly to consumers are unknown. Methods. To assess and quantify emotional and behavioral reactions of consumers to their 23andMe Personal Genome Service(®) report of three BRCA mutations that are common in Ashkenazi Jews, we invited all 136 BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation-positive individuals in the 23andMe customer database who had chosen to view their BRCA reports to participate in this IRB-approved study. We also invited 160 mutation-negative customers who were matched for age, sex and ancestry. Semi-structured phone interviews were completed for 32 mutation carriers, 16 women and 16 men, and 31 non-carriers. Questions addressed personal and family history of cancer, decision and timing of viewing the BRCA report, recollection of the result, emotional responses, perception of personal cancer risk, information sharing, and actions taken or planned. Results. Eleven women and 14 men had received the unexpected result that they are carriers of a BRCA1 185delAG or 5382insC, or BRCA2 6174delT mutation. None of them reported extreme anxiety and four experienced moderate anxiety that was transitory. Remarkably, five women and six men described their response as neutral. Most carrier women sought medical advice and four underwent risk-reducing procedures after confirmatory mutation testing. Male carriers realized that their test results implied genetic risk for female relatives, and several of them felt considerably burdened by this fact. Sharing mutation information with family members led to screening of at least 30 relatives and identification of 13 additional carriers. Non-carriers did not report inappropriate actions, such as foregoing cancer screening. All but one of the 32 mutation-positive participants

Bardet–Biedl syndrome: expect the unexpected, suspect the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

in BBS but across a spectrum of syndromes that impact airway management. Congenital .... patients and non-BBS paediatric patients with similar phenotypic manifestations are ... Dental crowding/hypodontia/small roots/high arched palate. 51.

Analysis of Differences in the Motivation of the Owner-Managers and Hired Managers of Regional Enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Valentinovna Mukhacheva

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the differences in the motivation of owner-managers and hired managers. The purpose of the article is to identify the signs of the differences and similarities in the motivation of hired managers and owner-managers on the basis of the analysis of the results of the study of these issues by other authors, as well as with the help of our research. The hypothesis of the study consists in the assumption that the motivational profile of owner-managers differs from the motivational profile of hired managers in greater riskiness and thrift. The research methodology involves conducting a sociological survey of 100 managers of small and medium-sized enterprises in Kemerovo, half of which are employed and the other half are business owners. Questioning was carried out by several methods: oral, by e-mail, in writing through the Center for Business Support and through other means. The data we processed in the SPSS Statistic program. The results of the study unexpectedly have rejected a basic hypothesis: the average data for the degree of risk and thrift of hired managers is highly competitive with the received indices of owner-managers. There is the only difference in the distribution of characteristics. The level of riskiness and thrift of the hired managers tends to the be average among them and has a slight variation in the estimates, while the owner-managers much differ from each other on these parameters, have a large variation in the values of indicators, show a lot of the diametrically opposed estimates. The study of the motives of of owner-managers activity allows to the authorities to develop recommendations on the improvement of the existing and new programmes for the support of small and medium-sized business; on the formation of executive candidate pool. It also can contribute to revealing the categories of population with expressed entrepreneurial and managerial motivational profiles at a stage of professional education

Ingested bread clip as an unexpected diagnostic tool.

Science.gov (United States)

Jay, Sharon M; Russell, Michael J; Lau, Yee C; Dunn, Joel W; Roberts, Ross

2018-03-23

We describe a case where a bread clip has in fact became lodged adjacent to a portion of small bowel affected by a deposit of previously undiagnosed metastatic serous carcinoma of likely ovarian origin.

Unexpected Decrease in Milk Production after Fenbendazole Treatment of Dairy Cows during Early Grazing Season.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadine Ravinet

Full Text Available Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN infection can impair milk production (MP in dairy cows. To investigate whether MP would be optimized by spring targeted-selective anthelmintic treatment in grazing cows, we assessed (1 the effect on MP of an anthelmintic treatment applied 1.5 to 2 months after turn-out, and (2 herd and individual indicators associated with the post-treatment MP response. A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted in 13 dairy farms (578 cows in western France in spring 2012. In each herd, lactating cows of the treatment group received fenbendazole orally, control cows remained untreated. Daily cow MP was recorded from 2 weeks before until 15 weeks after treatment. Individual serum pepsinogen and anti-Ostertagia antibody levels (expressed as ODR, faecal egg count and bulk tank milk (BTM Ostertagia ODR were measured at treatment time. Anthelmintic treatment applied during the previous housing period was recorded for each cow. In each herd, information regarding heifers' grazing and anthelmintic treatment history was collected to assess the Time of Effective Contact (TEC, in months with GIN infective larvae before the first calving. The effect of treatment on weekly MP averages and its relationships with herd and individual indicators were studied using linear mixed models with two nested random effects (cow within herd. Unexpectedly, spring treatment had a significant detrimental effect on MP (-0.92 kg/cow/day on average. This negative MP response was particularly marked in high producing cows, in cows not treated during the previous housing period or with high pepsinogen levels, and in cows from herds with a high TEC or a high BTM ODR. This post-treatment decrease in MP may be associated with immuno-inflammatory mechanisms. Until further studies can assess whether this unexpected result can be generalized, non-persistent treatment of immunized adult dairy cows against GIN should not be recommended in early grazing season.

Differences in strength and speed demands between 4v4 and 8v8 small-sided football games

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rebelo, António Natal Campos; Silva, Pedro; Rago, Vincenzo

2016-01-01

The aims of this study were (i) to characterise the acceleration demands of two different formats of small-sided game (SSG), i.e., 4v4 + goalkeepers (4v4 + GK) and 8v8 + goalkeepers (8v8 + GK); (ii) to analyse the correlation between performance in power-based tests and acceleration-based physica...... to repetitions and fatigue development of muscle power-based actions than 8v8 + GK. It may therefore be logical to use the former type of SSG to target development of power-related football actions....

Safe sleep practices in a New Zealand community and development of a Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI) risk assessment instrument

OpenAIRE

Galland, Barbara C; Gray, Andrew; Sayers, Rachel M; Heath, Anne-Louise M; Lawrence, Julie; Taylor, Rachael; Taylor, Barry J

2014-01-01

Background Interventions to prevent sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) have generally been population wide interventions instituted after case?control studies identified specific childcare practices associated with sudden death. While successful overall, in New Zealand (NZ), the rates are still relatively high by international comparison. This study aims to describe childcare practices related to SUDI prevention messages in a New Zealand community, and to develop and explore the utilit...

The Structure of Pre-Transitional Protoplanetary Disks. II Azimuthal Asymmetries, Different Radial Distributions of Large and Small Dust Grains in PDS 70

Science.gov (United States)

Hashimoto, J.; Tsukagoshi, T.; Brown, J. M.; Dong, R.; Muto, T.; Zhu, Z.; Wisniewski, J.; Ohashi, N.; Kudo, T.; Kusakabe, N.;

Hemisphere- and gender-related differences in small-world brain networks: a resting-state functional MRI study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Lixia; Wang, Jinhui; Yan, Chaogan; He, Yong

2011-01-01

We employed resting-state functional MRI (R-fMRI) to investigate hemisphere- and gender-related differences in the topological organization of human brain functional networks. Brain networks were first constructed by measuring inter-regional temporal correlations of R-fMRI data within each hemisphere in 86 young, healthy, right-handed adults (38 males and 48 females) followed by a graph-theory analysis. The hemispheric networks exhibit small-world attributes (high clustering and short paths) that are compatible with previous results in the whole-brain functional networks. Furthermore, we found that compared with females, males have a higher normalized clustering coefficient in the right hemispheric network but a lower clustering coefficient in the left hemispheric network, suggesting a gender-hemisphere interaction. Moreover, we observed significant hemisphere-related differences in the regional nodal characteristics in various brain regions, such as the frontal and occipital regions (leftward asymmetry) and the temporal regions (rightward asymmetry), findings that are consistent with previous studies of brain structural and functional asymmetries. Together, our results suggest that the topological organization of human brain functional networks is associated with gender and hemispheres, and they provide insights into the understanding of functional substrates underlying individual differences in behaviors and cognition. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Phylogenetic Analysis of Bacterial Communities in Different Regions of the Gastrointestinal Tract of Agkistrodon piscivorus, the Cottonmouth Snake.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timothy J Colston

Full Text Available Vertebrates are metagenomic organisms in that they are composed not only of their own genes but also those of their associated microbial cells. The majority of these associated microorganisms are found in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT and presumably assist in processes such as energy and nutrient acquisition. Few studies have investigated the associated gut bacterial communities of non-mammalian vertebrates, and most rely on captive animals and/or fecal samples only. Here we investigate the gut bacterial community composition of a squamate reptile, the cottonmouth snake, Agkistrodon piscivorus through pyrosequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. We characterize the bacterial communities present in the small intestine, large intestine and cloaca. Many bacterial lineages present have been reported by other vertebrate gut community studies, but we also recovered unexpected bacteria that may be unique to squamate gut communities. Bacterial communities were not phylogenetically clustered according to GIT region, but there were statistically significant differences in community composition between regions. Additionally we demonstrate the utility of using cloacal swabs as a method for sampling snake gut bacterial communities.

Experimental and Computational Study of an Unexpected Iron-Catalyzed Carboetherification by Cooperative Metal and Ligand Substrate Interaction and Proton Shuttling

KAUST Repository

El-Sepelgy, Osama; Brzozowska, Aleksandra; Azofra, Luis Miguel; Jang, Yoon Kyung; Cavallo, Luigi; Rueping, Magnus

2017-01-01

An iron-catalyzed cycloisomerization of allenols to deoxygenated pyranose glycals has been developed. Combined experimental and computational studies show that the iron complex exhibits a dual catalytic role in that the non-innocent cyclopentadienone ligand acts as proton shuttle by initial hydrogen abstraction from the alcohol and by facilitating protonation and deprotonation events in the isomerization and demetalation steps. Molecular orbital analysis provides insight into the unexpected and selective formation of the 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran.

Experimental and Computational Study of an Unexpected Iron-Catalyzed Carboetherification by Cooperative Metal and Ligand Substrate Interaction and Proton Shuttling

KAUST Repository

El-Sepelgy, Osama

2017-09-26

An iron-catalyzed cycloisomerization of allenols to deoxygenated pyranose glycals has been developed. Combined experimental and computational studies show that the iron complex exhibits a dual catalytic role in that the non-innocent cyclopentadienone ligand acts as proton shuttle by initial hydrogen abstraction from the alcohol and by facilitating protonation and deprotonation events in the isomerization and demetalation steps. Molecular orbital analysis provides insight into the unexpected and selective formation of the 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran.

Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy Among Patients With Benign Childhood Epilepsy With Centrotemporal Spikes.

Science.gov (United States)

Doumlele, Kyra; Friedman, Daniel; Buchhalter, Jeffrey; Donner, Elizabeth J; Louik, Jay; Devinsky, Orrin

2017-06-01

Children with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) have traditionally been considered to have a uniformly good prognosis. However, benign may be a misnomer because BECTS is linked to cognitive deficits, a more severe phenotype with intractable seizures, and the potential for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). To determine if cases of BECTS are present in the North American SUDEP Registry (NASR). The NASR is a clinical and biospecimen repository established in 2011 to promote SUDEP research. The NASR database, which includes medical records, results of electroencephalographic tests, and interviews with family members of patients with epilepsy who died suddenly without other identifiable causes of death, was queried from June 3, 2011, to June 3, 2016, for cases of BECTS. The patients with epilepsy had died suddenly without other identifiable causes of death (eg, drowning, trauma, exposure to toxic substances, or suicide); SUDEP classification was determined by the consensus of 2 epileptologists. Cases of SUDEP among children who received a diagnosis of BECTS among patients reported in the NASR. Three boys (median age at death, 12 years; range, 9-13 years) who received a diagnosis of BECTS by their pediatric epileptologist or neurologists were identified among 189 cases reported in the NASR. The median age of epilepsy onset was 5 years (range, 3-11 years), and the median duration of epilepsy was 4 years (range, 1-10 years). Two deaths were definite SUDEP, and 1 was probable SUDEP. Independent review of clinical and electroencephalographic data supported the diagnosis of BECTS in all 3 patients. None of the patients was prescribed antiseizure drugs, either owing to physician recommendation or mutual decision by the physician and parents. All 3 patients were found dead in circumstances typical of SUDEP. The 3 patients spanned the spectrum of BECTS severity: 1 had only a few seizures, 1 had more than 30 focal motor seizures, and 1 had 4 witnessed

An empirical assessment of generational differences in basic human values.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyons, Sean T; Duxbury, Linda; Higgins, Christopher

2007-10-01

This study assessed generational differences in human values as measured by the Schwartz Value Survey. It was proposed that the two most recent generations, Millennials and Generation Xers, would value Self-enhancement and Openness to Change more than the two older generations, Baby Boomers and Matures, while the two older generations would value Self-transcendence and Conservation more. The hypotheses were tested with a combined sample of Canadian knowledge workers and undergraduate business students (N = 1,194). Two hypotheses were largely supported, although an unexpectedly large difference was observed between Millennials and Generation Xers with respect to Openness to Change and Self-enhancement. The findings suggest that generation is a useful variable in examining differences in social values.

Literature investigation of air/steam ingress through small cracks in concrete wall under pressure differences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, J.T.

2008-01-01

Traditionally within CANDU safety analysis, a loss coefficient of ∼2.8 is used to characterize turbulent flow leakage through narrow, sharp-edged cracks into, and out of Steam Protected Rooms (SPRs). In the event of main steam line break (MSLB), the pressure differences observed between SPRs and the surrounding area of the powerhouse range from 0.01kPa to 0.1 kPa. The relatively low pressure differences, coupled with narrow crack sizes, for instance, below 1 mm, may result in laminar flow leakage pathways as opposed to the turbulent variety assumed in analysis. The main purpose of this paper is thus (a) to calculate the loss coefficient for laminar flow through small cracks; and (b) to assess the effect of steam ingress to SPRs when the flow through some or all of the room leakage area is assumed to be laminar. Based on the literature review, the loss coefficient for laminar flow, through 1 mm crack size at 0.1 kPa pressure difference, ranges from 10 to about 65. This value represents an increase in loss coefficient of 3 ∼ 22 times the loss coefficient used for SPR safety analysis. The actual volumetric leakage rate is therefore 3 ∼ 8 times smaller than the amount previously applied. This paper demonstrates how the traditional loss coefficient used in safety analysis is extremely conservative in the analysis of the SPRs steam ingress phenomenon. (author)

Literature investigation of air/steam ingress through small cracks in concrete wall under pressure differences

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, J.T. [McMaster Univ., Engineering Physics Dept., Hamilton, Ontario (Canada)], E-mail: jiangj3@mcmaster.ca

2008-07-01

Traditionally within CANDU safety analysis, a loss coefficient of {approx}2.8 is used to characterize turbulent flow leakage through narrow, sharp-edged cracks into, and out of Steam Protected Rooms (SPRs). In the event of main steam line break (MSLB), the pressure differences observed between SPRs and the surrounding area of the powerhouse range from 0.01kPa to 0.1 kPa. The relatively low pressure differences, coupled with narrow crack sizes, for instance, below 1 mm, may result in laminar flow leakage pathways as opposed to the turbulent variety assumed in analysis. The main purpose of this paper is thus (a) to calculate the loss coefficient for laminar flow through small cracks; and (b) to assess the effect of steam ingress to SPRs when the flow through some or all of the room leakage area is assumed to be laminar. Based on the literature review, the loss coefficient for laminar flow, through 1 mm crack size at 0.1 kPa pressure difference, ranges from 10 to about 65. This value represents an increase in loss coefficient of 3 {approx} 22 times the loss coefficient used for SPR safety analysis. The actual volumetric leakage rate is therefore 3 {approx} 8 times smaller than the amount previously applied. This paper demonstrates how the traditional loss coefficient used in safety analysis is extremely conservative in the analysis of the SPRs steam ingress phenomenon. (author)

New developments in microbial interspecies signaling.

Science.gov (United States)

Shank, Elizabeth Anne; Kolter, Roberto

2009-04-01

There is a growing appreciation that in addition to well-documented intraspecies quorum sensing systems, small molecules act as signals between microbes of different species. This review will focus on how bacterial small molecules modulate these interspecies interactions. We will particularly emphasize complex relationships such as those between microbes and insects, interactions resulting in non-antagonistic outcomes (i.e. developmental and morphological processes), how co-culture can lead to the discovery of new small molecules, and the use of known compounds to evoke unexpected responses and mediate crosstalk between microbes.

Copper imbalances in ruminants and humans: unexpected common ground.

Science.gov (United States)

Suttle, Neville F

2012-09-01

Ruminants are more vulnerable to copper deficiency than humans because rumen sulfide generation lowers copper availability from forage, increasing the risk of conditions such as swayback in lambs. Molybdenum-rich pastures promote thiomolybdate (TM) synthesis and formation of unabsorbable Cu-TM complexes, turning risk to clinical reality (hypocuprosis). Selection pressures created ruminant species with tolerance of deficiency but vulnerability to copper toxicity in alien environments, such as specific pathogen-free units. By contrast, cases of copper imbalance in humans seemed confined to rare genetic aberrations of copper metabolism. Recent descriptions of human swayback and the exploratory use of TM for the treatment of Wilson's disease, tumor growth, inflammatory diseases, and Alzheimer's disease have created unexpected common ground. The incidence of pre-hemolytic copper poisoning in specific pathogen-free lambs was reduced by an infection with Mycobacterium avium that left them more responsive to treatment with TM but vulnerable to long-term copper depletion. Copper requirements in ruminants and humans may need an extra allowance for the "copper cost" of immunity to infection. Residual cuproenzyme inhibition in TM-treated lambs and anomalies in plasma copper composition that appeared to depend on liver copper status raise this question "can chelating capacity be harnessed without inducing copper-deficiency in ruminants or humans?" A model of equilibria between exogenous (TM) and endogenous chelators (e.g., albumin, metallothionein) is used to predict risk of exposure and hypocuprosis; although risk of natural exposure in humans is remote, vulnerability to TM-induced copper deficiency may be high. Biomarkers of TM impact are needed, and copper chaperones for inhibited cuproenzymes are prime candidates.

A novel reducing graphene/polyaniline/cuprous oxide composite hydrogel with unexpected photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Congo red

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miao, Jie; Xie, Anjian; Li, Shikuo; Huang, Fangzhi; Cao, Juan; Shen, Yuhua

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: Excellent photocatalytic activity of the RGO/PANI/Cu_2O composite hydrogel for CR degradation under UV–vis light irradiation. - Highlights: • The RGO/PANI/Cu_2O composite hydrogel was first synthesized via a facile method. • Photocatalytic performance was studied under UV–vis light. • The ternary composite hydrogel shows unexpected photocatalytic activity. • A possible photocatalysis mechanism was illustrated. - Abstract: In this work, a novel reducing graphene/polyaniline/cuprous oxide (RGO/PANI/Cu_2O) composite hydrogel with a 3D porous network has been successfully prepared via a one-pot method in the presence of cubic Cu_2O nanoparticles. The as-synthesized ternary composites hydrogel shows unexpected photocatalytic activity such that Congo red (CR) degradation efficiency can reaches 97.91% in 20 min under UV–vis light irradiation, which is much higher than that of either the single component (Cu_2O nanoparticles), or two component systems (RGO/Cu_2O composite hydrogel and PANI/Cu_2O nanocomposites). Furthermore, the ternary composite hydrogel exhibits high stability and do not show any significant loss after five recycles. Such outstanding photocatalytic activity of the RGO/PANI/Cu_2O composite hydrogel was ascribed to the high absorption ability of the product for CR and the synergic effect among RGO, PANI and Cu_2O in photocatalytic process. The product of this work would provide a new sight for the construction of UV–vis light responsive photocatalyst with high performance.

Lateralized speech perception with small interaural time differences in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Locsei, Gusztav; Santurette, Sébastien; Dau, Torsten

2017-01-01

and two-talker babble in terms of SRTs, HI listeners could utilize ITDs to a similar degree as NH listeners to facilitate the binaural unmasking of speech. A slight difference was observed between the group means when target and maskers were separated from each other by large ITDs, but not when separated...... SRMs are elicited by small ITDs. Speech reception thresholds (SRTs) and SRM due to ITDs were measured over headphones for 10 young NH and 10 older HI listeners, who had normal or close-to-normal hearing below 1.5 kHz. Diotic target sentences were presented in diotic or dichotic speech-shaped noise...... or two-talker babble maskers. In the dichotic conditions, maskers were lateralized by delaying the masker waveforms in the left headphone channel. Multiple magnitudes of masker ITDs were tested in both noise conditions. Although deficits were observed in speech perception abilities in speechshaped noise...

Small-group, computer-mediated argumentation in middle-school classrooms: the effects of gender and different types of online teacher guidance.

Science.gov (United States)

Asterhan, Christa S C; Schwarz, Baruch B; Gil, Julia

2012-09-01

Research has shown the importance of careful teacher support during collaborative group work to promote productive discourse between students (Webb, 2009). However, this research has traditionally focused on face-to-face communication. The role of online teacher guidance of small-group computer-mediated discussions has received little attention, especially in secondary school classroom settings. Researchers of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), on the other hand, have traditionally focused on software-embedded features, such as scripts, to support a-synchronous peer dialogue, and less so on human guidance of synchronous group discussions. The main aim of the present in vivo, experimental study is to examine whether online teacher guidance can improve the quality of small-group synchronous discussions, and whether different types of guidance (epistemic or interaction guidance) affect these discussions differently, when compared to an unguided condition. The second goal of this study is to explore potential differences between all-female and all-male discussion groups. Eighty-two 9th graders (three classrooms) and six teachers from a rural high school in Israel. Whereas epistemic guidance only improved aspects of the argumentative quality of the discussion, interaction guidance only improved aspects of collaboration. Discussions of all-girls groups scored higher on aspects of collaboration and argumentative quality, compared to all-boys groups. The findings show that teacher guidance of synchronous, online discussions in classrooms is realizable and reasonably reaches its intended goals. Training should be focused on acquiring various guidance strategies to augment their beneficial effects. Furthermore, future research should pay more attention to potential gender differences in peer-to-peer argumentation. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

Unexpected Leiomyosarcoma 4 Years after Laparoscopic Removal of the Uterus Using Morcellation

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J. R. Prins

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Laparoscopic hysterectomies are increasingly popular; a morcellation device is often used. Although there are some clear benefits, morcellation of tissue does have potential risks. Case Presentation. In this case report we present a 55-year-old woman with an abdominal tumour 4 years after a laparoscopic hysterectomy using a morcellation device. Postoperative histological analysis, compromised by morcellated tissue, showed benign myoma. Because of the benign tumour no follow-up was performed. The patient presented now with an abdominal tumour, and she was scheduled for surgical removal of the tumour. During abdominal surgery the tumour appeared malignant and biopsies were taken. Histological analysis showed leiomyosarcoma, and the patient was referred to a third care centre for further treatment. The patient recovered quickly after abdominal removal of the tumour; however, after 7 months the patient had complaints and a CT scan showed a large intra-abdominal tumour with possible lung metastasis. The patient received palliative chemotherapy and died after 10 months. Conclusion. This case shows that although unexpected after a hysterectomy, a leiomyosarcoma has to be considered in case of a suspect tumour in the lower abdomen.

Unexpected dehydrogenation behaviors of the 2LiBH4-MgH2 composite confined in a mesoporous carbon scaffold

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Wang, K

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Chemistry C Vol. 118(46) Unexpected Dehydrogenation Behaviors of the 2LiBH4−MgH2 Composite Confined in a Mesoporous Carbon Scaffold Kuikui Wang,†,‡ Xiangdong Kang,*,‡ Yujie Zhong,‡ Chaohao Hu,§ Jianwei Ren,⊥ and Ping Wang*,‡ †University... of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, P. R. China ‡Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, P. R. China §Guangxi Key Laboratory of Information Materials...

Unexpected high genetic diversity in small populations suggests maintenance by associative overdominance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schou, Mads F.; Loeschcke, Volker; Bechsgaard, Jesper

2017-01-01

fragmented populations. More genetic diversity was retained in areas of low recombination, suggesting that associative overdominance, driven by disfavoured homozygosity of recessive deleterious alleles, is responsible for the maintenance of genetic diversity in smaller populations. Consistent...

A mapping of drug space from the viewpoint of small molecule metabolism.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Corey Adams

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Small molecule drugs target many core metabolic enzymes in humans and pathogens, often mimicking endogenous ligands. The effects may be therapeutic or toxic, but are frequently unexpected. A large-scale mapping of the intersection between drugs and metabolism is needed to better guide drug discovery. To map the intersection between drugs and metabolism, we have grouped drugs and metabolites by their associated targets and enzymes using ligand-based set signatures created to quantify their degree of similarity in chemical space. The results reveal the chemical space that has been explored for metabolic targets, where successful drugs have been found, and what novel territory remains. To aid other researchers in their drug discovery efforts, we have created an online resource of interactive maps linking drugs to metabolism. These maps predict the "effect space" comprising likely target enzymes for each of the 246 MDDR drug classes in humans. The online resource also provides species-specific interactive drug-metabolism maps for each of the 385 model organisms and pathogens in the BioCyc database collection. Chemical similarity links between drugs and metabolites predict potential toxicity, suggest routes of metabolism, and reveal drug polypharmacology. The metabolic maps enable interactive navigation of the vast biological data on potential metabolic drug targets and the drug chemistry currently available to prosecute those targets. Thus, this work provides a large-scale approach to ligand-based prediction of drug action in small molecule metabolism.

A mapping of drug space from the viewpoint of small molecule metabolism.

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, James Corey; Keiser, Michael J; Basuino, Li; Chambers, Henry F; Lee, Deok-Sun; Wiest, Olaf G; Babbitt, Patricia C

2009-08-01

Small molecule drugs target many core metabolic enzymes in humans and pathogens, often mimicking endogenous ligands. The effects may be therapeutic or toxic, but are frequently unexpected. A large-scale mapping of the intersection between drugs and metabolism is needed to better guide drug discovery. To map the intersection between drugs and metabolism, we have grouped drugs and metabolites by their associated targets and enzymes using ligand-based set signatures created to quantify their degree of similarity in chemical space. The results reveal the chemical space that has been explored for metabolic targets, where successful drugs have been found, and what novel territory remains. To aid other researchers in their drug discovery efforts, we have created an online resource of interactive maps linking drugs to metabolism. These maps predict the "effect space" comprising likely target enzymes for each of the 246 MDDR drug classes in humans. The online resource also provides species-specific interactive drug-metabolism maps for each of the 385 model organisms and pathogens in the BioCyc database collection. Chemical similarity links between drugs and metabolites predict potential toxicity, suggest routes of metabolism, and reveal drug polypharmacology. The metabolic maps enable interactive navigation of the vast biological data on potential metabolic drug targets and the drug chemistry currently available to prosecute those targets. Thus, this work provides a large-scale approach to ligand-based prediction of drug action in small molecule metabolism.

Increasing the Stimulation Dose of rFSH in Unexpected Poor Responders Is Not Associated with Better IVF Outcome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Levent Tutuncu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this retrospective study is to determine whether increasing the stimulation dose of rFSH in unexpected poor responders is associated with better in vitro fertilization (IVF outcome or not. A total of forty eligible women who fulfilled our definition of poor responders and who did not achieve an ongoing pregnancy in the first cycle and returned for a second higher rFSH dose IVF cycle with a long-agonist protocol were included to the study. The first low-dose cycles and the second high-dose cycles were compared to each other. Main outcome measures of the study were duration of stimulation, number of follicles, number of oocytes retrieved, number of embryos, and E2 level on day of hCG injection. There were no significant differences in duration of stimulation, number of follicles, number of oocytes retrieved, number of embryos, and E2 level on day of hCG injection between the first low- and second high-dose cycles. Daily dose and total dose of rFSH were significantly higher in the second high-dose cycles. Increasing the dose of rFSH in a second stimulation cycle after first unsuccessful treatment cycle will add only to the cost and discomfort of the treatment and might adversely affect pregnancy rates.

Unexpected formation and crystal structure of tetrakis(1H-pyrazole-κN2palladium(II dichloride

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Thomas Wagner

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The title salt, [Pd(C3H4N24]Cl2, was obtained unexpectedly by the reaction of palladium(II dichloride with equimolar amounts of 1-chloro-1-nitro-2,2,2-tris(pyrazolylethane in methanol solution. The Pd2+ cation is located on an inversion centre and has a square-planar coordination sphere defined by four N atoms of four neutral pyrazole ligands. The average Pd—N distance is 2.000 (2 Å. The two chloride anions are not coordinating to Pd2+. They are connected to the complex cations through N—H...Cl hydrogen bonds. In addition, C—H...Cl hydrogen bonds are observed, leading to a three-dimensional linkage of cations and anions.

Monte Carlo simulation of small field electron beams for small animal irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Chung-Chi; Chen, Ai-Mei; Tung, Chuan-Jong; Chao, Tsi-Chian

2011-01-01

The volume effect of detectors in the dosimetry of small fields for photon beams has been well studied due to interests in radiosurgery and small beamlets used in IMRT treatments; but there is still an unexplored research field for small electron beams used in small animal irradiation. This study proposes to use the BEAM Monte Carlo (MC) simulation to assess characteristics of small electron beams (4, 6, 14, 30 mm in diameter) with the kinetic energies of 6 and 18 MeV. Three factors influencing beam characteristics were studied (1) AE and ECUT settings, (2) photon jaw settings and (3) simulation pixel sizes. Study results reveal that AE/ECUT settings at 0.7 MeV are adequate for linear accelerator treatment head simulation, while 0.521 MeV is more favorable to be used for the phantom study. It is also demonstrated that voxel size setting at 1/4 of the simulation field width in all directions is sufficient to achieve accurate results. As for the photon jaw setting, it has great impact on the absolute output of different field size setting (i.e. output factor) but with minimum effect on the relative lateral distribution.

Psychological impact of unexpected explicit recall of events occurring during surgery performed under sedation, regional anaesthesia, and general anaesthesia: data from the Anesthesia Awareness Registry.

Science.gov (United States)

Kent, C D; Mashour, G A; Metzger, N A; Posner, K L; Domino, K B

2013-03-01

Anaesthetic awareness is a recognized complication of general anaesthesia (GA) and is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although complete amnesia for intraprocedural events during sedation and regional anaesthesia (RA) may occur, explicit recall is expected by anaesthesia providers. Consequently, the possibility that there could be psychological consequences associated with unexpected explicit recall of events during sedation and RA has not been investigated. This study investigated the psychological sequelae of unexpected explicit recall of events during sedation/RA that was reported to the Anesthesia Awareness Registry. The Registry recruited subjects who self-identified as having had anaesthetic awareness. Inclusion criteria were a patient-reported awareness experience in 1990 or later and availability of medical records. The sensations experienced by the subjects during their procedure and the acute and persistent psychological sequelae attributed to this explicit recall were assessed for patients receiving sedation/RA and those receiving GA. Among the patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria, medical record review identified 27 sedation/RA and 50 GA cases. Most patients experienced distress (78% of sedation/RA vs 94% of GA). Approximately 40% of patients with sedation/RA had persistent psychological sequelae, similar to GA patients. Some sedation/RA patients reported an adverse impact on their job performance (15%), family relationships (11%), and friendships (11%), and 15% reported being diagnosed with PTSD. Patients who self-reported to the Registry unexpected explicit recall of events during sedation/RA experienced distress and persistent psychological sequelae comparable with those who had reported anaesthetic awareness during GA. Further study is warranted to determine if patients reporting distress with explicit recall after sedation/RA require psychiatric follow-up.

The Impact of Disappointment in Decision Making: Inter-Individual Differences and Electrical Neuroimaging

Science.gov (United States)

Tzieropoulos, Hélène; de Peralta, Rolando Grave; Bossaerts, Peter; Andino, Sara L. Gonzalez

2011-01-01

Disappointment, the emotion experienced when faced to reward prediction errors (RPEs), considerably impacts decision making (DM). Individuals tend to modify their behavior in an often unpredictable way just to avoid experiencing negative emotions. Despite its importance, disappointment remains much less studied than regret and its impact on upcoming decisions largely unexplored. Here, we adapted the Trust Game to effectively elicit, quantify, and isolate disappointment by relying on the formal definition provided by Bell's in economics. We evaluated the effects of experienced disappointment and elation on future cooperation and trust as well as the rationality and utility of the different behavioral and neural mechanisms used to cope with disappointment. All participants in our game trusted less and particularly expected less from unknown opponents as a result of disappointing outcomes in the previous trial but not necessarily after elation indicating that behavioral consequences of positive and negative RPEs are not the same. A large variance in the tolerance to disappointment was observed across subjects, with some participants needing only a small disappointment to impulsively bias their subsequent decisions. As revealed by high-density EEG recordings the most tolerant individuals – who thought twice before making a decision and earned more money – relied on different neural generators to contend with neutral and unexpected outcomes. This study thus provides some support to the idea that different neural systems underlie reflexive and reflective decisions within the same individuals as predicted by the dual-system theory of social judgment and DM. PMID:21258645

The impact of disappointment in decision making: Inter-individual differences and electrical neuroimaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helène eTzieropoulos

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Disappointment, the emotion experienced when faced to reward prediction errors, considerably impact decision making. Individuals tend to modify their behavior in an often unpredictable way just to avoid experiencing negative emotions. Despite its importance, disappointment remains much less studied than regret and its impact on upcoming decisions largely unexplored. Here, we adapted the Trust Game to effectively elicit, quantify and isolate disappointment by relying on the formal definition provided by Bell’s in economics. We evaluated the effects of experienced disappointment and elation on future cooperation and trust as well as the rationality and utility of the different behavioral and neural mechanisms used to cope with disappointment. All participants in our game trusted less and particularly expected less from unknown opponents as a result of disappointing outcomes in the previous trial but not necessarily after elation indicating that behavioral consequences of positive and negative reward prediction errors are not the same. A large variance in the tolerance to disappointment was observed across subjects, with some participants needing only a small disappointment to impulsively bias their subsequent decisions. As revealed by high-density EEG recordings the most tolerant individuals - who thought twice before making a decision and earned more money – relied on different neural generators to contend with neutral and unexpected outcomes. This study thus provide some support to the idea that different neural systems underlie reflexive and reflective decisions within the same individuals as predicted by the dual-system theory of social judgment and decision making.

Outbreak of NDM-1-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Dutch Hospital, with Interspecies Transfer of the Resistance Plasmid and Unexpected Occurrence in Unrelated Health Care Centers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosch, Thijs; Lutgens, Suzanne P M; Hermans, Mirjam H A; Wever, Peter C; Schneeberger, Peter M.; Renders, Nicole H M; Leenders, Alexander C. A. P.; Kluytmans, Jan A. J. W.; Schoffelen, Annelot F; Notermans, Daan; Witteveen, Sandra; Bathoorn, Erik; Schouls, Leo M.

In the Netherlands, the number of cases of infection with New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM)-positive Enterobacteriaceae is low. Here, we report an outbreak of NDM-1-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae infection in a Dutch hospital with interspecies transfer of the resistance plasmid and unexpected

Outbreak of NDM-1-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Dutch Hospital, with Interspecies Transfer of the Resistance Plasmid and Unexpected Occurrence in Unrelated Health Care Centers.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosch, Thijs; Lutgens, Suzanne P M; Hermans, Mirjam H A; Wever, Peter C; Schneeberger, Peter M; Renders, Nicole H M; Leenders, Alexander C A P; Kluytmans, Jan A J W; Schoffelen, Annelot; Notermans, Daan; Witteveen, Sandra; Bathoorn, Erik; Schouls, Leo M

In the Netherlands, the number of cases of infection with New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM)-positive Enterobacteriaceae is low. Here, we report an outbreak of NDM-1-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae infection in a Dutch hospital with interspecies transfer of the resistance plasmid and unexpected

Costly hide and seek pays: unexpected consequences of deceit in a social dilemma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szolnoki, Attila; Perc, Matjaž

2014-01-01

Deliberate deceptiveness intended to gain an advantage is commonplace in human and animal societies. In a social dilemma, an individual may only pretend to be a cooperator to elicit cooperation from others, while in reality he is a defector. With this as motivation, we study a simple variant of the evolutionary prisoner's dilemma game entailing deceitful defectors and conditional cooperators that lifts the veil on the impact of such two-faced behavior. Defectors are able to hide their true intentions at a personal cost, while conditional cooperators are probabilistically successful at identifying defectors and act accordingly. By focusing on the evolutionary outcomes in structured populations, we observe a number of unexpected and counterintuitive phenomena. We show that deceitful behavior may fare better if it is costly, and that a higher success rate of identifying defectors does not necessarily favor cooperative behavior. These results are rooted in the spontaneous emergence of cycling dominance and spatial patterns that give rise to fascinating phase transitions, which in turn reveal the hidden complexity behind the evolution of deception. (paper)

Comparison of different threshold 18FDG PET with computer tomography for defining gross tumor volume in non-small cell lung carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Shaoqing; Yu Jinming; Xing Ligang; Gong Heyi; Fu Zheng; Yang Guoren

2006-01-01

Objective: Under different standard uptake value(SUV), to assess gross tumor volume (GTV) definition for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with 18-fluoro-deoxy-glueose positron emission tomography( 18 FDG PET) both under definite threshold (42 percent threshold) and various relative threshold (threshold SUV/maximum SUV) derived from the linear regressive function, threshold SUV=0.307 x (mean target SUV) + 0.588, with computer tomography(CT). Methods: Of 20 patients with non-small cell lung cancer, the CT GTV (GTV CT ), PET GTV with 42 percents threshold (GTV 42% ) and PET GTV with relative threshold (GTV relate ) were obtained and compared. Results: The mean GTV 42% , mean GTV relate and mean GTV CT was (13 812.5±13 841.4), (24 325.3±22 454.7) and (28350.9± 26 079.8) mm 3 , respectively, with the difference in mean GTV among these three methods significant (F =. 10, P 42% was smaller than the GTV relate and the GTV CT (P relate and GTV CT (P = 0.125 ). Conclusion: The relative threshold is more suitable to define the gross tumor volume than the definite threshold. (authors)

Detection of gunshot primer residue on bone in an experimental setting-an unexpected finding.

Science.gov (United States)

Berryman, Hugh E; Kutyla, Alicja K; Russell Davis, J

2010-03-01

Pork ribs with intact muscle tissue were used in an experimental attempt to identify bullet wipe on bone at distances from 1 to 6 feet with 0.45 caliber, full metal jacket ammunition. This resulted in the unexpected finding of primer-derived gunshot residue (GSR) deep within the wound tract. Of significance is the fact that the GSR was deposited on the bone, under the periosteum, after the bullet passed through a Ziploc bag and c. 1 inch of muscle tissue. It is also important to note that the GSR persisted on the bone after the periosteum was forcibly removed. The presence of primer-derived GSR on bone provides the potential to differentiate gunshot trauma from blunt trauma when the bone presents an atypical gunshot wound. In this study, the presence of gunshot primer residue at a distance of 6 feet demonstrates the potential for establishing maximum gun-to-target distance for remote shootings.

Fish consumption, contaminants and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: many more benefits than risks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

FA. Scorza

Full Text Available People with epilepsy have an increased risk of dying prematurely and the most common epilepsy-related category of death is sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP. SUDEP is mainly a problem for patients with chronic uncontrolled epilepsy. The ultimate goal of research in SUDEP is to develop new methods to prevent it and actions other than medical and surgical therapies that could be very useful. Nutritional aspects, i.e., omega-3 fatty acids deficiency, could have an interesting role in this scenario. Some animal and clinical studies have suggested that omega-3 fatty acids could be useful in the prevention and treatment of epilepsy and hence SUDEP. It has been ascertained that the only foods that provide large amounts of omega-3 are seafood (fish and shellfish; however, some fish are contaminated with methylmercury, which may counteract the positive effects of omega-3 fatty acids. Our update review summarises the knowledge of the role of fish consumption on epilepsy research.

How to engage small retail businesses in workplace violence prevention: Perspectives from small businesses and influential organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruening, Rebecca A; Strazza, Karen; Nocera, Maryalice; Peek-Asa, Corinne; Casteel, Carri

2015-06-01

Small retail businesses experience high robbery and violent crime rates leading to injury and death. Workplace violence prevention programs (WVPP) based on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design reduce this risk, but low small business participation limits their effectiveness. Recent dissemination models of occupational safety and health information recommend collaborating with an intermediary organization to engage small businesses. Qualitative interviews with 70 small business operators and 32 representatives of organizations with small business influence were conducted to identify factors and recommendations for improving dissemination of a WVPP. Both study groups recommended promoting WVPPs through personal contacts but differed on other promotion methods and the type of influential groups to target. Small business operators indicated few connections to formal business networks. Dissemination of WVPPs to small businesses may require models inclusive of influential individuals (e.g., respected business owners) as intermediaries to reach small businesses with few formal connections. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

THE STRUCTURE OF PRE-TRANSITIONAL PROTOPLANETARY DISKS. II. AZIMUTHAL ASYMMETRIES, DIFFERENT RADIAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF LARGE AND SMALL DUST GRAINS IN PDS 70 {sup ,}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hashimoto, J.; Wisniewski, J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Oklahoma, 440 West Brooks Street, Norman, OK 73019 (United States); Tsukagoshi, T. [College of Science, Ibaraki University, Bunkyo 2-1-1, Mito 310-8512 (Japan); Brown, J. M. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, MS 78, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Dong, R. [Astronomy Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Muto, T. [Division of Liberal Arts, Kogakuin University, 1-24-2, Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-8677 (Japan); Zhu, Z. [Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Ohashi, N.; Kudo, T.; Egner, S.; Guyon, O. [Subaru Telescope, 650 North A' ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); Kusakabe, N.; Akiyama, E. [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Abe, L. [Laboratoire Hippolyte Fizeau, UMR6525, Universite de Nice Sophia-Antipolis, 28, avenue Valrose, F-06108 Nice Cedex 02 (France); Brandner, W.; Carson, J.; Feldt, M. [Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Brandt, T. [Astrophysics Department, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ (United States); Currie, T. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 50 St. George Street, Toronto, ON (Canada); Grady, C. A., E-mail: jun.hashimoto@ou.edu [Eureka Scientific, 2452 Delmer, Suite 100, Oakland, CA 96002 (United States); and others

2015-01-20

The formation scenario of a gapped disk, i.e., transitional disk, and its asymmetry is still under debate. Proposed scenarios such as disk-planet interaction, photoevaporation, grain growth, anticyclonic vortex, eccentricity, and their combinations would result in different radial distributions of the gas and the small (sub-μm size) and large (millimeter size) dust grains as well as asymmetric structures in a disk. Optical/near-infrared (NIR) imaging observations and (sub-)millimeter interferometry can trace small and large dust grains, respectively; therefore multi-wavelength observations could help elucidate the origin of complicated structures of a disk. Here we report Submillimeter Array observations of the dust continuum at 1.3 mm and {sup 12}CO J = 2 → 1 line emission of the pre-transitional protoplanetary disk around the solar-mass star PDS 70. PDS 70, a weak-lined T Tauri star, exhibits a gap in the scattered light from its disk with a radius of ∼65 AU at NIR wavelengths. However, we found a larger gap in the disk with a radius of ∼80 AU at 1.3 mm. Emission from all three disk components (the gas and the small and large dust grains) in images exhibits a deficit in brightness in the central region of the disk, in particular, the dust disk in small and large dust grains has asymmetric brightness. The contrast ratio of the flux density in the dust continuum between the peak position to the opposite side of the disk reaches 1.4. We suggest the asymmetries and different gap radii of the disk around PDS 70 are potentially formed by several (unseen) accreting planets inducing dust filtration.

Sudden unexpected infant death (SUDI in a newborn due to medium chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD deficiency with an unusual severe genotype

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lovera Cristina

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Medium chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCAD is the most common inborn error of fatty acid oxidation. This condition may lead to cellular energy shortage and cause severe clinical events such as hypoketotic hypoglycemia, Reye syndrome and sudden death. MCAD deficiency usually presents around three to six months of life, following catabolic stress as intercurrent infections or prolonged fasting, whilst neonatal-onset of the disease is quite rare. We report the case of an apparently healthy newborn who suddenly died at the third day of life, in which the diagnosis of MCAD deficiency was possible through peri-mortem blood-spot acylcarnitine analysis that showed very high concentrations of octanoylcarnitine. Genetic analysis at the ACADM locus confirmed the biochemical findings by demonstrating the presence in homozygosity of the frame-shift c.244dup1 (p.Trp82LeufsX23 mutation, a severe genotype that may explain the unusual and very early fatal outcome in this newborn. This report confirms that inborn errors of fatty acid oxidation represent one of the genetic causes of sudden unexpected deaths in infancy (SUDI and underlines the importance to include systematically specific metabolic screening in any neonatal unexpected death.

Morphometric Characterization of Small Cell Lymphocytic Lymphoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chisoi Anca

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The morphometry in histopathology is used to characterize cell populations belonging to different tissues and to identify differences in their parameters with prognostic implications. To achieve morphometric examination were selected 6 of 24 cases identified as small cell lymphocytic lymphoma. For each case analysis was done on five fields, for each field measuring the parameters of 20 cells. The studied parameters were for cytoplasm: cytoplasmic area, maximum and minimum cytoplasmic diameter, cytoplasmic perimeter; for nucleus were measured: nuclear area, minimum and maximum nuclear diameter, nuclear perimeter, nuclear contour index, nuclear ellipticity index, nuclear irregularity index. Also the nucleocytoplasmic ratio was calculated in all studied cases. Small cell lymphocytic lymphoma is characterized in morphometric terms having a small cytoplasmic area (average 29.206 and also a small nuclear area (mean 28.939 having a nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio appearance suggestive for adult lymphocyte. A nuclear contour index small value (3.946, ellipticity index value also small (3.521 and small nuclear irregularity index (3.965. Standard deviations, in any of the studied morphometric categories, is around or below 1 suggesting monomorphic cell appearance. These morphometric and microscopic features characterized mainly by a small population of adult lymphocytes, monomorphic, with rounded hipercromic nuclei, dense chromatin, support the framing into indolent lymphoma group in terms of clinical outcome.

Small intestine diverticuli

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pomakov, P.; Risov, A.

1991-01-01

The routine method of contrast matter passage applied to 850 patients with different gastrointestinal diseases proved inefficient to detect any small-intestinal diverticuli. The following modiffications of the method have been tested in order to improve the diagnostic possibilities of the X-ray: study at short intervals, assisted passage, enteroclysm, pharmacodynamic impact, retrograde filling of the ileum by irrigoscopy. Twelve diverticuli of the small-intestinal loops were identified: 5 Meckel's diverticuli, 2 solitary of which one of the therminal ileum, 2 double diverticuli and 1 multiple diverticulosis of the jejunum. The results show that the short interval X-ray examination of the small intestines is the method of choice for identifying local changes in them. The solitary diverticuli are not casuistic scarcity, its occurrence is about 0.5% at purposeful X-ray investigation. The assisted passage method is proposed as a method of choice for detection of the Meckel's diverticulum. 5 figs., 3 tabs. 18 refs

Transposable-element associated small RNAs in Bombyx mori genome.

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Yimei Cai

Full Text Available Small RNAs are a group of regulatory RNA molecules that control gene expression at transcriptional or post-transcriptional levels among eukaryotes. The silkworm, Bombyx mori L., genome harbors abundant repetitive sequences derived from families of retrotransposons and transposons, which together constitute almost half of the genome space and provide ample resource for biogenesis of the three major small RNA families. We systematically discovered transposable-element (TE-associated small RNAs in B. mori genome based on a deep RNA-sequencing strategy and the effort yielded 182, 788 and 4,990 TE-associated small RNAs in the miRNA, siRNA and piRNA species, respectively. Our analysis suggested that the three small RNA species preferentially associate with different TEs to create sequence and functional diversity, and we also show evidence that a Bombyx non-LTR retrotransposon, bm1645, alone contributes to the generation of TE-associated small RNAs in a very significant way. The fact that bm1645-associated small RNAs partially overlap with each other implies a possibility that this element may be modulated by different mechanisms to generate different products with diverse functions. Taken together, these discoveries expand the small RNA pool in B. mori genome and lead to new knowledge on the diversity and functional significance of TE-associated small RNAs.

The association effect of human serum albumin under different zinc ion concentrations studied by small angle of neutron scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Jian; Xu Yanping; Yang Tonghua; He Jintian; Li Lianzhi; Zhou Yongqia

1997-01-01

The microscopic parameters of the HSA-Zn 2+ , R g and I(0), are obtained directedly by small angle of neutron scattering (SANS) under different concentrations of zinc ion. Comparing with other relevant experimental results, e.g. equilibrium dialysis, we can determine and distinguish the apparent interactive subsequences into more detailed sub-actions, such as self-association, inter-association, disintegration and deconformation et al., or even certain combination of them, other than some indirect and microscopic results. Results obtained by SANS can qualitatively and readily interpret the characteristics from the viewpoint of microscopic process

Non-targeted analysis of unexpected food contaminants using LC-HRMS.

Science.gov (United States)

Kunzelmann, Marco; Winter, Martin; Åberg, Magnus; Hellenäs, Karl-Erik; Rosén, Johan

2018-03-29

A non-target analysis method for unexpected contaminants in food is described. Many current methods referred to as "non-target" are capable of detecting hundreds or even thousands of contaminants. However, they will typically still miss all other possible contaminants. Instead, a metabolomics approach might be used to obtain "true non-target" analysis. In the present work, such a method was optimized for improved detection capability at low concentrations. The method was evaluated using 19 chemically diverse model compounds spiked into milk samples to mimic unknown contamination. Other milk samples were used as reference samples. All samples were analyzed with UHPLC-TOF-MS (ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry), using reversed-phase chromatography and electrospray ionization in positive mode. Data evaluation was performed by the software TracMass 2. No target lists of specific compounds were used to search for the contaminants. Instead, the software was used to sort out all features only occurring in the spiked sample data, i.e., the workflow resembled a metabolomics approach. Procedures for chemical identification of peaks were outside the scope of the study. Method, study design, and settings in the software were optimized to minimize manual evaluation and faulty or irrelevant hits and to maximize hit rate of the spiked compounds. A practical detection limit was established at 25 μg/kg. At this concentration, most compounds (17 out of 19) were detected as intact precursor ions, as fragments or as adducts. Only 2 irrelevant hits, probably natural compounds, were obtained. Limitations and possible practical use of the approach are discussed.

Analysis on an illusion unexpected occurred on a moving statue leaving in fact but approaching by environmental judgment

Science.gov (United States)

He, Youwu; Li, Zhifang; Qiu, Yishen; Li, Hui

2017-08-01

Earlier this year we visited Sanya, Hainan Province, China. There is a huge statue, the South Sea Avalokitesvara (南海观世音菩萨), at Sanya Nanshan Buddhism Cultural Tourism Resort. When we were gazing at the statue on a leaving car on gradually rising road, an unexpected visual illusion took place in which the statue seemed running after us. In this presentation, an optical model is developed to explain the illusion occurred on a moving object leaving in fact but approaching by environmental judgement. Such an interesting illusion analysis will play a significant role in having students understood the main principles in geometrical optics.

A novel reducing graphene/polyaniline/cuprous oxide composite hydrogel with unexpected photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Congo red

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miao, Jie; Xie, Anjian; Li, Shikuo; Huang, Fangzhi; Cao, Juan; Shen, Yuhua, E-mail: yhshen@ahu.edu.cn

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: Excellent photocatalytic activity of the RGO/PANI/Cu{sub 2}O composite hydrogel for CR degradation under UV–vis light irradiation. - Highlights: • The RGO/PANI/Cu{sub 2}O composite hydrogel was first synthesized via a facile method. • Photocatalytic performance was studied under UV–vis light. • The ternary composite hydrogel shows unexpected photocatalytic activity. • A possible photocatalysis mechanism was illustrated. - Abstract: In this work, a novel reducing graphene/polyaniline/cuprous oxide (RGO/PANI/Cu{sub 2}O) composite hydrogel with a 3D porous network has been successfully prepared via a one-pot method in the presence of cubic Cu{sub 2}O nanoparticles. The as-synthesized ternary composites hydrogel shows unexpected photocatalytic activity such that Congo red (CR) degradation efficiency can reaches 97.91% in 20 min under UV–vis light irradiation, which is much higher than that of either the single component (Cu{sub 2}O nanoparticles), or two component systems (RGO/Cu{sub 2}O composite hydrogel and PANI/Cu{sub 2}O nanocomposites). Furthermore, the ternary composite hydrogel exhibits high stability and do not show any significant loss after five recycles. Such outstanding photocatalytic activity of the RGO/PANI/Cu{sub 2}O composite hydrogel was ascribed to the high absorption ability of the product for CR and the synergic effect among RGO, PANI and Cu{sub 2}O in photocatalytic process. The product of this work would provide a new sight for the construction of UV–vis light responsive photocatalyst with high performance.

Microincision versus small-incision coaxial cataract surgery using different power modes for hard nuclear cataract.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Eun Chul; Byun, Yong Soo; Kim, Man Soo

2011-10-01

To compare the efficacy of microincision and small-incision coaxial phacoemulsification in treating hard cataracts using different ultrasound power modes. Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. Randomized clinical trial. Eyes with hard cataract were randomized to have an initial incision of 1.80 mm, 2.20 mm, or 2.75 mm. The eyes in each group were equally randomized to treatment with burst, pulse, or continuous mode. Ultrasound time (UST), mean cumulative dissipated energy (CDE), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), surgically induced corneal astigmatism, incisional and central corneal thickness (CCT), and endothelial cell counts were evaluated. The study enrolled 180 eyes, 60 in each group. Two months postoperatively, there were no statistically significant differences in UST, CDE, CDVA, CCT, or percentage endothelial cell loss between the 3 incision groups. The 2.75 mm incision induced more astigmatism at 2 months and less incisional corneal edema at 1 week than the 1.80 mm or 2.20 mm incision (Phard cataract. The intraoperative energy use and ocular damage was less with the pulse and burst modes than with the continuous mode. No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned. Copyright © 2011 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.