Effect of a 12-Week Summer Break on School Day Physical Activity and Health-Related Fitness in Low-Income Children from CSPAP Schools

Background. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a 12-week summer break on school day physical activity and health-related fitness (HRF) in children from schools receiving a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP). Methods. Participants were school-aged children (; 624 girls and 608 boys; years) recruited from three low-income schools receiving a CSPAP. Physical activity and HRF levels were collected during the end of spring semester 2015 and again during the beginning of fall semester 2015. Physical activity was assessed using the Yamax DigiWalker CW600 pedometer. HRF measures consisted of body mass index (BMI) and the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER). Results. Results from a doubly MANCOVA analysis indicated that pedometer step counts decreased from 4,929 steps in the spring to 4,445 steps in the fall (mean difference = 484 steps; ; Cohen’s d = 0.30) and PACER laps decreased from 31.2 laps in the spring to 25.8 laps in the fall (mean difference = 5.4 laps; ; Cohen’s d = 0.33). Conclusions. Children from schools receiving a CSPAP intervention had lower levels of school day physical activity and cardiorespiratory endurance following a 12-week summer break

MRI-based Surgical Planning for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

The most common reason for spinal surgery in elderly patients is lumbar spinal stenosis(LSS). For LSS, treatment decisions based on clinical and radiological information as well as personal experience of the surgeon shows large variance. Thus a standardized support system is of high value for a more objective and reproducible decision. In this work, we develop an automated algorithm to localize the stenosis causing the symptoms of the patient in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). With 22 MRI features of each of five spinal levels of 321 patients, we show it is possible to predict the location of lesion triggering the symptoms. To support this hypothesis, we conduct an automated analysis of labeled and unlabeled MRI scans extracted from 788 patients. We confirm quantitatively the importance of radiological information and provide an algorithmic pipeline for working with raw MRI scans

Cell Cycle-Dependent Localization of Voltage-Dependent Calcium Channels and the Mitotic Apparatus in a Neuroendocrine Cell Line(AtT-20)

Changes in intracellular calcium are necessary for the successful progression of mitosis in many cells. Both elevation and reduction in intracellular calcium can disrupt mitosis by mechanisms that remain ill defined. In this study we explore the role of transmembrane voltage-gated calcium channels (CaV channels) as regulators of mitosis in the mouse corticotroph cell line (AtT-20). We report that the nifedipine-sensitive isoform CaV1.2 is localized to the “poleward side” of kinetechores during metaphase and at the midbody during cytokinesis. A second nifedipine-sensitive isoform, CaV1.3, is present at the mid-spindle zone in telophase, but is also seen at the midbody. Nifedipine reduces the rate of cell proliferation, and, utilizing time-lapse microscopy, we show that this is due to a block at the prometaphase stage of the cell cycle. Using Fluo-4 we detect calcium fluxes at sites corresponding to the mid-spindle zone and the midbody region. Another calcium dye, Fura PE3/AM, causes an inhibition of mitosis prior to anaphase that we attribute to a chelation of intracellular calcium. Our results demonstrate a novel, isoform-specific localization of CaV1 channels during cell division and suggest a possible role for these channels in the calcium-dependent events underlying mitotic progression in pituitary corticotrophs

The Pseudomonas syringae type III-secreted protein HopPtoD2 possesses protein tyrosine phosphatase activity and suppresses programmed cell death in plants

The bacterial plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae possesses a type III protein secretion system that delivers many virulence proteins into plant cells. A subset of these proteins (called Avr proteins) is recognized by the plant’s innate immune system and triggers defences. One defence-associated response is the hypersensitive response (HR), a programmed cell death (PCD) of plant tissue. We have previously identified HopPtoD2 as a type III secreted protein from P. s. pv. tomato DC3000. Sequence analysis revealed that an N-terminal domain shared homology with Avr- PphD and a C-terminal domain was similar to protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs). We demonstrated that purified HopPtoD2 possessed PTP activity and this activity required a conserved catalytic Cys residue (Cys 378 ). Interestingly, HopPtoD2 was capable of suppressing the HR elicited by an avirulent P. syringae strain on Nicotiana benthamiana . HopPtoD2 derivatives that lacked Cys 378 no longer suppressed the HR indicating that HR suppression required PTP activity. A constitutively active MAPK kinase, called NtMEK2 DD , is capable of eliciting an HR-like cell death when transiently expressed in tobacco. When NtMEK2 DD and HopPtoD2 were co-delivered into plant cells, the HR was suppressed indicating that HopPtoD2 acts downstream of NtMEK2 DD . DC3000 hopPtoD2 mutants were slightly reduced in their ability to multiply in planta and displayed an enhanced ability to elicit an HR. The identification of HopPtoD2 as a PTP and a PCD suppressor suggests that the inactivation of MAPK pathways is a virulence strategy utilized by bacterial plant pathogens

Dedicated Energy Crop Supply Chain and Associated Feedstock Transportation Emissions: A Case Study of Tennessee

and Bradly Wilson This study minimizes total cost for single-feedstock supply chains of two dedicated energy crops, perennial switchgrass and biomass sorghum, in Tennessee using a spatial optimization model. Greenhouse gas emissions from the transport of feedstock to the conversion facility were estimated for respective feedstock supply chains. Results show that different demand for land types from two feedstocks and the geographically diverse landscape across the state affect the economics of bioenergy crops supply chains and feedstock transportation emissions. Switchgrass is more suitable than biomass sorghum for biofuel production in Tennessee based on the supply chains cost and feedstock hauling emissions

Associations between polygenic risk scores for four psychiatric illnesses and brain structure using multivariate pattern recognition

Psychiatric illnesses are complex and polygenic. They are associated with widespread alterations in the brain, which are partly influenced by genetic factors. There have been some attempts to relate polygenic risk scores (PRS) - a measure of the overall genetic risk an individual carries for a disorder - to brain structure using univariate methods. However, PRS are likely associated with distributed and covarying effects across the brain. We therefore used multivariate machine learning in this proof-of-principle study to investigate associations between brain structure and PRS for four psychiatric disorders; attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The sample included 213 individuals comprising patients with depression (69), bipolar disorder (33), and healthy controls (111). The five psychiatric PRSs were calculated based on summary data from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. T1-weighted magnetic resonance images were obtained and voxel-based morphometry was implemented in SPM12. Multivariate relevance vector regression was implemented in the Pattern Recognition for Neuroimaging Toolbox (PRoNTo). Across the whole sample, a multivariate pattern of grey matter significantly predicted the PRS for autism (r = 0.20, pFDR = 0.03; MSE = 4.20 × 10-5, pFDR = 0.02). For the schizophrenia PRS, the MSE was significant (MSE = 1.30 × 10-5, pFDR = 0.02) although the correlation was not (r = 0.15, pFDR = 0.06). These results lend support to the hypothesis that polygenic liability for autism and schizophrenia is associated with widespread changes in grey matter concentrations. These associations were seen in individuals not affected by these disorders, indicating that this is not driven by the expression of the disease, but by the genetic risk captured by the PRSs

A comparative study on the mineralogy, chemical speciation, and combustion behavior of toxic elements of coal beneficiation products

The huge demand for high-quality coal in China has resulted in increased generation of preparation plant wastes of various properties. A series of beneficiation products collected from a preparation plant were characterized to understand their petrographic and mineralogical characteristics, as well as thermochemical and trace element behavior during combustion. The minerals in the Luling preparation plant wastes from Huaibei coalfield mainly included kaolinite and quartz, with minor calcite, ankerite, pyrite, illite, chalcopyrite, albite, K-feldspar, anatase/rutile, and iron-oxide minerals. Massive clay lumps of terrigenous origin, cleat-infilling carbonate, and pyrite of epigenetic origin were prone to be enriched in the middlings and coal gangue. Minor or trace heavy minerals also reported to the preparation plant wastes. The contents of low-density density vitrinite and liptinite were enhanced in the clean coal, while inertinite-maceral group were enriched in the middlings. The modes of occurrences of toxic elements differed between raw coal and the waste products; and their transformation behavior during heavy medium separation is largely controlled by clay minerals (V, Cr, Co, Sb, and Pb), carbonate minerals (Co and Pb), sulfide minerals (As, Cu, Ni, Cd, and Zn) and organic matters (V, Cr, Se, and Cu). Three groups were classified based on the volatile ratio (Vr) of toxic elements. Group 1 includes the highly volatile element Se with Vr &gt; 85%; Group 2 contained elements As, Pb, Zn, Cd and Sb, with the Vr in the range of 20&ndash;85% and V, Cr, Co, Ni and Cu with Vr less than 20% were placed into Group 3. Thermal reactivity of coal inferred from the combustion profiles could be significantly improved after coal beneficiation, whereas the increased inorganic components probably inhibited the thermal chemical reaction of wastes.<br style="line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /

Salt storage and induced crystallisation in porous asymmetric inorganic membranes

The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Australian Research Council ( DP1901002502 ) and ( DP190101734 ) grants. Publisher Copyright: © 2021Processing brines to recover strategic mineral salts using evaporation ponds requires large surface areas and are slow, even in arid climates. Here we show a novel membrane macropore storage mechanism that induces fast salt crystallisation in mesoporous top-layers in inorganic asymmetric membranes, stemming from 789 million nucleation points per metre square of surface area. During membrane pervaporation, dissolved salts are retained mainly in the macropores of the substrate which subsequently provide ideal conditions for crystal nucleation and growth on the membrane surface upon drying. This novel pore storage mechanism is attained owing to the solution flow modulation of the mesoporous titania and gamma-alumina layers that is counterbalanced by the flow of water during pervaporation. Therefore, pore size control is imperative to avoid flooding in the macroporous substrate. This work further shows the fundamental properties of the salt storage mechanism described by a single salt production coefficient, and a global salt production coefficient for metal chloride salts. This technology could potentially be considered for unlocking and process strategic global minerals from brines.publishersversionpublishe

Metrology Camera System of Prime Focus Spectrograph for Subaru Telescope

The Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) is a new optical/near-infrared multi-fiber spectrograph designed for the prime focus of the 8.2m Subaru telescope. PFS will cover a 1.3 degree diameter field with 2394 fibers to complement the imaging capabilities of Hyper SuprimeCam. To retain high throughput, the final positioning accuracy between the fibers and observing targets of PFS is required to be less than 10um. The metrology camera system (MCS) serves as the optical encoder of the fiber motors for the configuring of fibers. MCS provides the fiber positions within a 5um error over the 45 cm focal plane. The information from MCS will be fed into the fiber positioner control system for the closed loop control. MCS will be located at the Cassegrain focus of Subaru telescope in order to to cover the whole focal plane with one 50M pixel Canon CMOS camera. It is a 380mm Schmidt type telescope which generates a uniform spot size with a 10 micron FWHM across the field for reasonable sampling of PSF. Carbon fiber tubes are used to provide a stable structure over the operating conditions without focus adjustments. The CMOS sensor can be read in 0.8s to reduce the overhead for the fiber configuration. The positions of all fibers can be obtained within 0.5s after the readout of the frame. This enables the overall fiber configuration to be less than 2 minutes. MCS will be installed inside a standard Subaru Cassgrain Box. All components that generate heat are located inside a glycol cooled cabinet to reduce the possible image motion due to heat. The optics and camera for MCS have been delivered and tested. The mechanical parts and supporting structure are ready as of spring 2016. The integration of MCS will start in the summer of 2016.Comment: 11 pages, 15 figures. SPIE proceeding. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1408.287