Establishing laboratory standards for biological flight experiments

The general objective of this research was to assess the effects of exposure to simulated microgravity on ultrastructural aspects of the contractile system in chicken skeletal muscle cells. This general objective had two specific experimental components: (1) the progression of changes in cell morphology, fusion, and patterns of contractile filament organization in muscle cell cultures grown in hollow fibers in the Clinostat were evaluated, with appropriate controls; (2) to initiate experiments in which muscle cells were grown on the surface of microcarrier beads. The ultimate objective of this second portion of the work is to determine if these beads can be rotated in a bioreactor and thereby obtain a more accurate approximation of the effects of simulated microgravity on differentiated muscle cells

Event-based record linkage in health and aged care services data: a methodological innovation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The interface between acute hospital care and residential aged care has long been recognised as an important issue in aged care services research in Australia. However, existing national data provide very poor information on the movements of clients between the two sectors. Nevertheless, there are national data sets which separately contain data on individuals' hospital episodes and stays in residential aged care, so that linking the two data sets–if feasible–would provide a valuable resource for examining relationships between the two sectors. As neither name nor common person identifiers are available on the data sets, other information needs to be used to link events relating to inter-sector movement.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Event-based matching using limited demographic data in conjunction with event dates to match events in two data sets provides a possible method for linking related events. The authors develop a statistical model for examining the likely prevalence of false matches, and consequently the number of true matches, among achieved matches when using anonymous event-based record linkage to identify transition events.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Theoretical analysis shows that for event-based matching the prevalence of false matches among achieved matches (a) declines as the events of interest become rarer, (b) declines as the number of matches increases, and (c) increases with the size of the population within which matching is taking place. The method also facilitates the examination of the trade-off between false matches and missed matches when relaxing or tightening linkage criteria.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Event-based record linkage is a method for linking related transition events using event dates and basic demographic variables (other than name or person identifier). The likely extent of false links among achieved links depends on the two event rates, the match rate and population size. Knowing these, it is possible to gauge whether, for a particular study, event-based linkage could provide a useful tool for examining movements. Analysis shows that there is a range of circumstances in which event-based record linkage could be applied to two event-level databases to generate a linked database useful for transition analysis.</p

Think By Making

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2015-12This thesis is an investigation into the use of model making in architectural design. This topic is supported by research into the historical development of model making and contemporary academic thought on physical representation. This thesis will also explore parallel fields of thought on the benefits of analogue inquiry in the fields of automotive design and developmental psychology. The goal of this thesis is to advocate the importance of physical exploration in architecture, as well as, understand the evolving role of model making in a contemporary design field dominated by digital media. This thesis is tested with an experiment in the architectural design process, where a given design problem is solved exclusively with the use of physical models. This experiment provides the opportunity to exploit the application of model building, and push the limits of how they can be used to explore, develop, analyze, and communicate design ideas

Back to Basics: The Importance of Measurement Properties in Biological Psychiatry

Biological psychiatry is a major funding priority for organizations that fund mental health research (e.g., National Institutes of Health). Despite this, some have argued that the field has fallen short of its considerable promise to meaningfully impact the classification, diagnosis, and treatment of psychopathology. This may be attributable in part to a paucity of research about key measurement properties (“physiometrics”) of biological variables as they are commonly used in biological psychiatry research. Specifically, study designs informed by physiometrics are more likely to be replicable, avoid measurement concerns that drive down effect sizes, and maximize efficiency in terms of time, money, and the number of analyses conducted. This review describes four key physiometrics (dimensionality, internal consistency, temporal stability, and temporal specificity), illustrates how lack of understanding about these characteristics imposes meaningful limitations on research, and reviews examples of physiometric studies featuring a variety of popular biological variables to illustrate how this research can be done and substantive conclusions about the variables of interest

Beyond Diagnoses and Total Symptom Scores: Diversifying the Level of Analysis in Psychoneuroimmunology Research

A short commentary accepted for publication in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity on the benefits of diversifying the level of psychopathology analyzed in psychoneuroimmunology research

Monoclonal antibody to human epidermal growth factor.

A monoclonal antibody directed to a species-specific determinant of human epidermal growth factor (h-EGF) was obtained by fusing murine myeloma cells with BALB/c mouse splenocytes sensitized to h-EGF. This antibody, referred to as 863.D4, did not react with either rat or mouse epidermal growth factor or with 11 other polypeptide hormones tested as shown by solid-phase radioimmunoassay (SPRIA), and immunoprecipitation followed by sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Scatchard analysis of the antibody binding to purified h-EGF revealed an apparent equilibrium dissociation constant of 1 X 10(-8) M. The antibody blocked both the binding of h-EGF and h-EGF stimulation of 3H-thymidine incorporation into DNA by greater than 90% in confluent cultures of human foreskin fibroblasts