The Transcriptome of Human Epicardial, Mediastinal and Subcutaneous Adipose Tissues in Men with Coronary Artery Disease

The biological functions of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) remain largely unknown. However, the proximity of EAT to the coronary arteries suggests a role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD). The objectives of this study were to identify genes differentially regulated among three adipose tissues, namely EAT, mediastinal (MAT) and subcutaneous (SAT) and to study their possible relationships with the development of cardiovascular diseases.Samples were collected from subjects undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgeries. Gene expression was evaluated in the three adipose depots of six men using the Illumina® HumanWG-6 v3.0 expression BeadChips. Twenty-three and 73 genes were differentially up-regulated in EAT compared to MAT and SAT, respectively. Ninety-four genes were down-regulated in EAT compared to SAT. However, none were significantly down-regulated in EAT compared to MAT. More specifically, the expression of the adenosine A1 receptor (ADORA1), involved in myocardial ischemia, was significantly up-regulated in EAT. Levels of the prostaglandin D2 synthase (PTGDS) gene, recently associated with the progression of atherosclerosis, were significantly different in the three pairwise comparisons (EAT>MAT>SAT). The results of ADORA1 and PTGDS were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR in 25 independent subjects.Overall, the transcriptional profiles of EAT and MAT were similar compared to the SAT. Despite this similarity, two genes involved in cardiovascular diseases, ADORA1 and PTGDS, were differentially up-regulated in EAT. These results provide insights about the biology of EAT and its potential implication in CAD

Leistungssteigerung einer Impakt-Anlage zur Meteoritensimulation: Abschlussbericht zum DFG-Forschungsvorhaben Sti 68/1 - Sti 68/2-2.

Der vorliegende Bericht fasst die zur Leistungssteigerung einer Experimentierleichtgaskanone des Ernst-Mach-Instituts durchgefuehrten Optimierungsarbeiten und die dabei erhaltenen Ergebnisse zusammen. Er knuepft dabei an den EMI-Bericht 5/82 (Zwischenbericht zum DFG-Vertrag Sti 68/1) an. Zur Erreichung hoechster Projektilgeschwindigkeiten wurden sowohl konstruktive Optimierungsmassnahmen als auch eine Optimierung in den Betriebsbedingungen der Leichtgaskanone vorgenommen. Bislang wurden dadurch Geschwindigkeiten um 9,5 km/s erzielt. In Zusammenarbeit mit dem Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg, und mit dem NASA Johnson Space Centre, Houston, Texas, konnten damit Simulationsexperimente zum NASA-Projekt LDEF (long duration exposure facility) durchgefuehrt werden

Functional Fidelity, Context-Matching, And Individual Differences In Performance

Conventional personality questionnaires are often only weak predictors of operational performance. A major problem is that personality effects are moderated by contextual factors which may be mismatched across laboratory and real-world studies. Context mismatch threatens the \u27functional fidelity\u27 of laboratory performance tasks; the extent to which the individual behaves as they would in the operational environment. Three research strategies for enhancing the functional fidelity of laboratory studies of individual differences are proposed. First, contexts relevant to specific personality traits may be developed in the laboratory. For example, socially threatening environments may be necessary to find meaningful effects of neuroticism. Second, traits linked to a specific performance context may be employed. The validity of traits for driver stress vulnerability supports this approach. Third, psychophysiological responses to simulations of the cognitive demands of the work environment may be used. Our recent work shows that stress and hemodynamic responses to short high-workload tasks predict longer-duration sustained performance. Copyright 2010 by Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Inc. All rights reserved

The Functional Fidelity Of Individual Differences Research: The Case For Context-Matching

Applying basic research on individual differences in performance requires a kind of \u27functional fidelity\u27. That is, the laboratory environment must elicit individual differences in cognition and emotion similar to those seen in the operational setting. Studies of conventional personality traits and performance often lack this functional fidelity. Four research directions for enhancing functional fidelity are proposed. First, a greater focus on simulated operational tasks that require cognitive skills is requisite. Second, contexts relevant to specific personality traits, such as social demands, may be simulated in the laboratory. Third, traits linked to a specific performance context, such as vehicle driving, may be developed and validated. Fourth, psychophysiological responses to tasks that reproduce operational cognitive demands may be used as predictors, as exemplified in recent studies of vigilance. Enhancements to functional fidelity will assist human factors practitioners in accommodating the role of individual differences in operator selection, diagnostic monitoring and augmented cognition. © 2011 Taylor & Francis

Anwendung des ERREN-Verfahrens an einem Standardmotor zum Nachweis des Betriebsverhaltens Abschlussbericht

TIB: AC 6012. / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman

Task Engagement, Cerebral Blood Flow Velocity, And Diagnostic Monitoring For Sustained Attention

Loss of vigilance may lead to impaired performance in various applied settings including military operations, transportation, and industrial inspection. Individuals differ considerably in sustained attention, but individual differences in vigilance have proven to be hard to predict. The dependence of vigilance on workload factors is consistent with a resource model of sustained attention. Thus, measures of attentional resource availability may predict the operator\u27s subsequent vigilance performance. In this study, we investigated whether a diagnostic battery of measures of response to a cognitive challenge would predict subsequent sustained attention. Measures that may relate to the mobilization of resources in response to task demands include subjective task engagement and coping, and a novel psychophysiological index, cerebral bloodflow velocity (CBFV). A two-phase design was used. First, participants were exposed to a challenging battery of short tasks that elevated CBFV. Second, participants performed a 36-min vigilance task. Two subgroups of participants performed either a sensory vigilance (N = 187) or a cognitive vigilance (N = 107) task. Measures of task engagement, coping, and CBFV response to the short task battery were compared as predictors of subsequent vigilance. Both subjective and CBFV indices of energization predicted sensory and cognitive vigilance, consistent with resource theory. Structural equation modeling was used to develop a latent factor model of influences on sustained attention. It is concluded that measures of resources, conceptualized as multiple energization processes, are potentially useful for diagnostic monitoring in applied settings. Use of a diagnostic task battery in military and transportation settings is discussed, along with some potential limitations on validity of the diagnostic test. © 2010 American Psychological Association