Anti-Inflammatory Actions of Vitamin K

Naphthoquinone compounds have received attention for their ability to regulate diseases from bacterial and parasite infections through to chronic human diseases. Inflammation is widely considered to be at the root of many chronic diseases. The reports of anti-inflammatory activity of naphthoquinones, including vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and vitamin K2s (menaquinones), are of interest due to their very low toxicity. Most of the evidence for the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of vitamin K suggests a role in the inhibition of the cell signalling complex nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB)

Determinants of Physical Activity in an Inclusive Setting

The purposes of this study included (a) to determine if the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) predicted intentions of individuals with and without disabilities to be physically active, (b) to determine if the TPB predicted behaviors of individuals with and without disabilities to be physically active, and (c) to determine if significant differences were present in physical activity opportunities between inclusive and non-inclusive elementary physical education classes taught by the same teacher. Students (N = 114, ages 10-13) completed questionnaires assessing the TPB constructs and had four days of PA evaluated through pedometer measurements. Analyses revealed that subjective norm and perceived behavioral control predicted studentsʼ intentions to be active, while behavioral intention was the only significant predictor of activity level by step count accrued in PE classes. Finally, the inclusion of students with autism did not significantly affect overall physical activity

Vitamin K2 in Animal Health: An Overview

The role of vitamin K in animal health has not received much attention. Vitamin K studies have, for the most part, addressed the use of animals in the investigation of vitamin K physiology and pathophysiology, often using the rodent as a model system. However, vitamin K performs the same role in animals as it does in man and there are areas, such as animal nutrition, where a better understanding of animal requirements in general, and with ageing, could benefit animal health and continued well‐being

A Resolved Ring of Debris Dust around the Solar Analog HD 107146

We present resolved images of the dust continuum emission from the debris disk around the young (80-200 Myr) solar-type star HD 107146 with CARMA at λ = 1.3 mm and the CSO at λ = 350 μ. Both images show that the dust emission extends over an approximately 10" diameter region. The high-resolution (3") CARMA image further reveals that the dust is distributed in a partial ring with significant decrease in a flux inward of 97 AU. Two prominent emission peaks appear within the ring separated by ~140° in the position angle. The morphology of the dust emission is suggestive of dust captured into a mean motion resonance, which would imply the presence of a planet at an orbital radius of ~45-75 AU

Tropical cyclone projections: changing climate threats for Pacific island defense installations

Potential changing climate threats in the tropical and subtropical North Pacific Ocean were assessed, using coupled ocean-atmosphere and atmosphere-only general circulation models, to explore their response to projected increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Tropical cyclone occurrence, described by frequency and intensity, near islands housing major U.S. defense installations was the primary focus. Four island regions-Guam and Kwajalein Atoll in the tropical northwestern Pacific, Okinawa in the subtropical northwestern Pacific, and Oahu in the tropical north-central Pacific-were considered, as they provide unique climate and geographical characteristics that either enhance or reduce the tropical cyclone risk. Guam experiences the most frequent and severe tropical cyclones, which often originate as weak systems close to the equator near Kwajalein and sometimes track far enough north to affect Okinawa, whereas intense storms are the least frequent around Oahu. From assessments of models that simulate well the tropical Pacific climate, it was determined that, with a projected warming climate, the number of tropical cyclones is likely to decrease for Guam and Kwajalein but remain about the same near Okinawa and Oahu; however, the maximum intensity of the strongest storms may increase in most regions. The likelihood of fewer but stronger storms will necessitate new localized assessments of the risk and vulnerabilities to tropical cyclones in the North Pacific

Comparison of different wheelchair seating on thermoregulation and perceptual responses in thermoneutral and hot conditions in children

We examined the effects of 4 different wheelchair seatings on physiological and perceptual measures in 21 healthy, pre-pubertal children (9 ± 2 years). Participants were able-bodied and did not regularly use a wheelchair. Participants sat for 2 h in Neutral (∼22.5 °C, ∼40%RH) and Hot (∼35 °C, ∼37%RH) conditions. Four seating technologies were: standard incontinent cover and cushion (SEAT1); standard incontinent cover with new cushion (SEAT2) were tested in Neutral and Hot; new non-incontinent cover with new cushion (SEAT3); new incontinent cover and new cushion (SEAT4) were tested in Neutral only. Measurements included skin blood flow (SkBF), sweating rate (SR) and leg skin temperature (TlegB) on the bottom of the leg (i.e. skin-seat interface), heart rate (HR), mean skin temperature, tympanic temperature, thermal comfort, and thermal sensation. During Neutral, SkBF and TlegB were lower (∼50% and ∼1 °C, respectively) and SR higher (∼0.5 mg cm−2·min−1) (p  0.05). During Hot, HR and temperatures were higher than in Neutral but there were no differences (p > 0.05) between SEATs. New cover and cushion improved thermoregulatory responses during Neutral but not Hot. An impermeable incontinent cover negated improvements from cushion design. Seat cover appears more important than seat cushion during typical room conditions

Dynamically Driven Evolution of the Interstellar Medium in M51

Massive star formation occurs in giant molecular clouds (GMCs); an understanding of the evolution of GMCs is a prerequisite to develop theories of star formation and galaxy evolution. We report the highest-fidelity observations of the grand-design spiral galaxy M51 in carbon monoxide (CO) emission, revealing the evolution of GMCs vis-a-vis the large-scale galactic structure and dynamics. The most massive GMCs (giant molecular associations (GMAs)) are first assembled and then broken up as the gas flow through the spiral arms. The GMAs and their H_2 molecules are not fully dissociated into atomic gas as predicted in stellar feedback scenarios, but are fragmented into smaller GMCs upon leaving the spiral arms. The remnants of GMAs are detected as the chains of GMCs that emerge from the spiral arms into interarm regions. The kinematic shear within the spiral arms is sufficient to unbind the GMAs against self-gravity. We conclude that the evolution of GMCs is driven by large-scale galactic dynamics—their coagulation into GMAs is due to spiral arm streaming motions upon entering the arms, followed by fragmentation due to shear as they leave the arms on the downstream side. In M51, the majority of the gas remains molecular from arm entry through the interarm region and into the next spiral arm passage

A comparison of magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological examination in the diagnostic distinction of Alzheimer’s disease and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia

The clinical distinction between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) remains challenging and largely dependent on the experience of the clinician. This study investigates whether objective machine learning algorithms using supportive neuroimaging and neuropsychological clinical features can aid the distinction between both diseases. Retrospective neuroimaging and neuropsychological data of 166 participants (54 AD; 55 bvFTD; 57 healthy controls) was analyzed via a Naïve Bayes classification model. A subgroup of patients (n = 22) had pathologically-confirmed diagnoses. Results show that a combination of gray matter atrophy and neuropsychological features allowed a correct classification of 61.47% of cases at clinical presentation. More importantly, there was a clear dissociation between imaging and neuropsychological features, with the latter having the greater diagnostic accuracy (respectively 51.38 vs. 62.39%). These findings indicate that, at presentation, machine learning classification of bvFTD and AD is mostly based on cognitive and not imaging features. This clearly highlights the urgent need to develop better biomarkers for both diseases, but also emphasizes the value of machine learning in determining the predictive diagnostic features in neurodegeneration

Salinity and temperature balances at the SPURS central mooring during fall and winter

Author Posting. © The Oceanography Society, 2015. This article is posted here by permission of The Oceanography Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Oceanography 28, no. 1 (2015): 56-65, doi:10.5670/oceanog.2015.06.One part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper-ocean Regional Study (SPURS) field campaign focused on understanding the physical processes affecting the evolution of upper-ocean salinity in the region of climatological maximum sea surface salinity in the subtropical North Atlantic (SPURS-1). An upper-ocean salinity budget provides a useful framework for increasing this understanding. The SPURS-1 program included a central heavily instrumented mooring for making accurate measurements of air-sea surface fluxes, as well as other moorings, Argo floats, and gliders that together formed a dense observational array. Data from this array are used to estimate terms in the upper-ocean salinity and heat budgets during the SPURS-1 campaign, with a focus on the first several months (October 2012 to February 2013) when the surface mixed layer was becoming deeper, fresher, and cooler. Specifically, we examine the salinity and temperature balances for an upper-ocean mixed layer, defined as the layer where the density is within 0.4 kg m–3 of its surface value. The gross features of the evolution of upper-ocean salinity and temperature during this fall/winter season are explained by a combination of evaporation and precipitation at the sea surface, horizontal transport of heat and salt by mixed-layer currents, and vertical entrainment of fresher, cooler fluid into the layer as it deepened. While all of these processes were important in the observed seasonal (fall) freshening at this location in the salinity-maximum region, the variability of salinity on monthly-to-intraseasonal time scales resulted primarily from horizontal advection.J.T. Farrar, A.J. Plueddemann, J.B. Edson, and the deployment of the central mooring were supported by NASA grant NNX11AE84G. L. Rainville, C. Lee, C. Eriksen, and the Seaglider program were supported by NASA grant NNX11AE78G. R. Schmitt was supported by NSF grant OCE-1129646. B. Hodges and D. Fratantoni were supported by NASA grant NNX11AE82G. The Prawler moorings were funded by PMEL. The data analysis was also supported by NASA grant NNX14AH38G