Examining the response programming function of the Quiet Eye: Do tougher shots need a quieter eye?

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this record.Support for the proposition that the Quiet Eye (QE) duration reflects a period of response programming (including task parameterisation) has come from research showing that an increase in task difficulty is associated with increases in QE duration. Here, we build on previous research by manipulating three elements of task difficulty that correspond with different parameters of golf-putting performance; force production, impact quality and target line. Longer QE durations were found for more complex iterations of the task and furthermore, more sensitive analyses of the QE duration suggest that the early QE proportion (prior to movement initiation) is closely related to force production and impact quality. However, these increases in QE do not seem functional in terms of supporting improved performance. Further research is needed to explore QE's relationship with performance under conditions of increased difficulty

C1 inhibitor deficiency: 2014 United Kingdom consensus document

C1 inhibitor deficiency is a rare disorder manifesting with recurrent attacks of disabling and potentially life-threatening angioedema. Here we present an updated 2014 United Kingdom consensus document for the management of C1 inhibitor-deficient patients, representing a joint venture between the United Kingdom Primary Immunodeficiency Network and Hereditary Angioedema UK. To develop the consensus, we assembled a multi-disciplinary steering group of clinicians, nurses and a patient representative. This steering group first met in 2012, developing a total of 48 recommendations across 11 themes. The statements were distributed to relevant clinicians and a representative group of patients to be scored for agreement on a Likert scale. All 48 statements achieved a high degree of consensus, indicating strong alignment of opinion. The recommendations have evolved significantly since the 2005 document, with particularly notable developments including an improved evidence base to guide dosing and indications for acute treatment, greater emphasis on home therapy for acute attacks and a strong focus on service organisation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Growth hormone receptor and IGF-1 receptor immunoreactivity during orthodontic tooth movement in the prednisolone-treated rat

Bone remodeling during tooth movement is regulated by local and systemic factors. Two regulators of bone metabolism are growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1). Their effects are mediated via binding to GH receptor (GHR) and IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) in target tissues. Corticosteroids may affect the activity of these growth factors. This study examined the effect of prednisolone on GHR and IGF-IR expression in dental tissues following orthodontic tooth movement. The corti ticosteroid-treated group (N = 6) was administered prednisolone ( 1 mg/kg,) daily and the control group (N = 6) received equivalent volumes of saline. An orthodontic force (30 g) was applied to the maxillary first molar. Animals were sacrificed 12 days postappliance insertion. Sagittal sections of the first molar were stained for GHR and IGF-IR immunoreactivity. GHR and IGF-IR cell counts were elevated following appliance-treatment. Orthodontic tooth movement appeared to up-regulate GHR and IGF-IR immunoreactivity, but this up-regulation was reduced following prednisolone treatment. The suppression of GHR and IGF-I immunoreactivity in steroid-treated animals infers the mechanism whereby bone resorption and deposition, necessary for orthodontic tooth movement, may be inhibited by prednisolone. However, at 12 days postappliance insertion. no difference in orthodontic tooth movement was observed following low-dose prednisolone treatment

Prostaglandin E2 enhances alveolar bone formation in the rat mandible

Prostaglandin E-2 (PGE(2)) induces bone formation in stress-bearing bones. The mandible, a stress-bearing bone, is loaded daily during mastication. The aim of this study was to determine if PGE(2) delivered locally to the mandible over 20 days enhances alveolar bone deposition. In 18 Lewis rats, controlled-release pellets containing PGE2 were implanted on the buccal aspect on the left-hand side of the mandible, mesial to the root of the first molar. Controlled-release pellets locally delivered 0.1, 0.05, or 0.025 mg/day of PGE2. The right side of the mandible was used as a matched control for each animal. Six sham-treated animals were implanted with a placebo pellet. On days 7 and 19, animals were injected with the bone markers tetracycline and calcein, respectively. On day 21, animals were sacrificed and undecalcified tissues obtained for morphometrical analysis. Morphometrical measurements were analyzed by paired t test to determine differences between the matched samples and one-way ANOVA to compare the different treatment groups. A significant increase in alveolar bone area was observed in mandibles treated with 0.1 and 0.05 mg/day when compared with matched controls and the placebo group. This was accompanied by a significant increase in alveolar bone height and width. The proportions of double-labeled surface (dLS), the mineral apposition rate (MAR), and bone formation rate (BFR) were significantly increased in mandibles treated with the two higher doses of PGE(2). The proportion of resorptive surface (RS) was significantly reduced in these two groups. It is concluded that PGE2 induces alveolar bone formation in the mandible when locally delivered at a dose of 0.1 or 0.05 mg/day for 20 days. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

SOME ABSTRACT PROPERTIES OF SEMIGROUPS APPEARING IN SUPERCONFORMAL THEORIES

A new type of semigroups which appears while dealing with $N=1$ superconformal symmetry in superstring theories is considered. The ideal series having unusual abstract properties is constructed. Various idealisers are introduced and studied. The ideal quasicharacter is defined. Green's relations are found and their connection with the ideal quasicharacter is established.Comment: 11 page

The regulation of RhoA at focal adhesions by StarD13 is important for astrocytoma cell motility

Malignant astrocytomas are highly invasive into adjacent and distant regions of the normal brain. Rho GTPases are small monomeric G proteins that play important roles in cytoskeleton rearrangement, cell motility and tumor invasion. In the present study, we show that the knock down of StarD13, a GTPase activating protein (GAP) for RhoA and Cdc42, inhibits astrocytoma cell migration through modulating focal adhesion dynamics and cell adhesion. This effect is mediated by the resulting constitutive activation of RhoA and the subsequent indirect inhibition of Rac. Using Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF)-based Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET), we show that RhoA activity localizes with focal adhesions at the basal surface of astrocytoma cells. Moreover, the knock down of StarD13 inhibits the cycling of RhoA activation at the rear edge of cells, which makes them defective in retracting their tail. This study highlights the importance of the regulation of RhoA activity in focal adhesions of astrocytoma cells and establishes StarD13 as a GAP playing a major role in this process. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved

Changes in the relationship between self-reference and emotional valence as a function of dysphoria

The self-positivity bias is found to be an aspect of normal cognitive function. Changes in this bias are usually associated with changes in emotional states, such as dysphoria or depression. The aim of the present study was to clarify the role of emotional valence within self-referential processing. By asking non-dysphoric and dysphoric individuals to rate separately the emotional and self-referential content of a set of 240 words, it was possible to identify the differences in the relationship between self-reference and emotional valence, which are associated with dysphoria. The results support the existence of the self-positivity bias in non-dysphoric individuals. More interestingly, dysphoric individuals were able to accurately identify the emotional content of the word stimuli. They failed, however, to associate this emotional valence with self-reference. These findings are discussed in terms of attributional self-biases and their consequences for cognition

Anaerobic digestion of whole-crop winter wheat silage for renewable energy production

With biogas production expanding across Europe in response to renewable energy incentives, a wider variety of crops need to be considered as feedstock. Maize, the most commonly used crop at present, is not ideal in cooler, wetter regions, where higher energy yields per hectare might be achieved with other cereals. Winter wheat is a possible candidate because, under these conditions, it has a good biomass yield, can be ensiled, and can be used as a whole crop material. The results showed that, when harvested at the medium milk stage, the specific methane yield was 0.32 m3 CH4 kg–1 volatile solids added, equal to 73% of the measured calorific value. Using crop yield values for the north of England, a net energy yield of 146–155 GJ ha–1 year–1 could be achieved after taking into account both direct and indirect energy consumption in cultivation, processing through anaerobic digestion, and spreading digestate back to the land. The process showed some limitations, however: the relatively low density of the substrate made it difficult to mix the digester, and there was a buildup of soluble chemical oxygen demand, which represented a loss in methane potential and may also have led to biofoaming. The high nitrogen content of the wheat initially caused problems, but these could be overcome by acclimatization. A combination of these factors is likely to limit the loading that can be applied to the digester when using winter wheat as a substrat

Shaping electron wave functions in a carbon nanotube with a parallel magnetic field

A magnetic field, through its vector potential, usually causes measurable changes in the electron wave function only in the direction transverse to the field. Here we demonstrate experimentally and theoretically that in carbon nanotube quantum dots, combining cylindrical topology and bipartite hexagonal lattice, a magnetic field along the nanotube axis impacts also the longitudinal profile of the electronic states. With the high (up to 17T) magnetic fields in our experiment the wave functions can be tuned all the way from "half-wave resonator" shape, with nodes at both ends, to "quarter-wave resonator" shape, with an antinode at one end. This in turn causes a distinct dependence of the conductance on the magnetic field. Our results demonstrate a new strategy for the control of wave functions using magnetic fields in quantum systems with nontrivial lattice and topology.Comment: 5 figure