A field experiment to improve communications in a product engineering department : the non-territorial office

"March 1973." This report supersedes working paper no. 579-71 (1971) with title: Report of a field experiment to improve communications in a product engineering department: the non-territorial office, by Thomas J. Allen and Peter G. Gerstberger.Includes bibliographical references (p. 22).Thomas J. Allen and Peter G. Gerstberger

Diabetic neuropathy: inhibitory G protein dysfunction involves PKC-dependent phosphorylation of G oα

We examined the hypothesis that decreased inhibitory G protein function in diabetic neuropathy is associated with increased protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent phosphorylation of the G oα subunit. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were studied between 4 and 8 weeks after onset of diabetes and compared with aged-matched healthy animals as controls. Opioid-mediated inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP was significantly less in dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) from diabetic rats compared with controls. Activation of PKC in DRGs from control rats was associated with a significant decrease in opioid-mediated inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP that was similar to the decrease in inhibition observed in DRGs from diabetic rats. Both basal and PKC-mediated labeling of G oα with 32 P i was significantly less in DRGs from diabetic rats, supporting increased endogenous PKC-dependent phosphorylation of G oα . Probing of immunoprecipitated G oα with an anti-phospho-serine/threonine specific antibody revealed a significant increase in baseline phosphorylation in diabetic DRGs. Activation of PKC produced a significant increase in phosphorylation in control DRGs but no significant increase in G oα in diabetic DRGs. Phosphorylation of PKC-α was increased, PKC-β II was unchanged and PKC-δ decreased in diabetic DRGs. These results suggest that diminished inhibitory G protein function observed in DRGs neurons from diabetic rats involves an isoform-specific PKC-dependent pathway.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66385/1/j.1471-4159.2003.01912.x.pd

Clostridium difficile colitis in patients after kidney and pancreas-kidney transplantation

Limited data exist about Clostridium difficile colitis (CDC) in solid organ transplant patients. Between 1/1/99 and 12/31/02, 600 kidney and 102 pancreas–kidney allograft recipients were transplanted. Thirty-nine (5.5%) of these patients had CDC on the basis of clinical and laboratory findings. Of these 39 patients, 35 have information available for review. CDC developed at a median of 30 days after transplantation, and the patients undergoing pancreas–kidney transplantation had a slightly higher incidence of CDC than recipients of kidney alone (7.8% vs. 4.5%, P> 0.05). All but one patient presented with diarrhea. Twenty-four patients (64.9%) were diagnosed in the hospital, and CDC occurred during first hospitalization in 14 patients (40%). Treatment was with oral metronidazole (M) in 33 patients (94%)and M + oral vancomycin (M + V) in 2 patients. Eight patients had recurrent CDC, which occurred at a median of 30 days (range 15–314) after the first episode. Two patients (5.7%) developed fulminant CDC, presented with toxic megacolon, and underwent colectomy. One of them died; the other patient survived after colectomy. CDC should be considered as a diagnosis in transplant patients with history of diarrhea after antibiotic use, and should be treated aggressively before the infection becomes complicated

Nested Helmholtz coil design for producing homogeneous transient rotating magnetic fields

Citation: Podaru, G., Moore, J., Dani, R. K., Prakash, P., & Chikan, V. (2015). Nested Helmholtz coil design for producing homogeneous transient rotating magnetic fields. Review of Scientific Instruments, 86(3), 6. doi:10.1063/1.4908173Electromagnets that can produce strong rotating magnetic fields at kHz frequencies are potentially very useful to exert rotating force on magnetic nanoparticles as small as few nanometers in size. In this article, the construction of a pulsed high-voltage rotating electromagnet is demonstrated based on a nested Helmholtz coil design. The energy for the coils is provided by two high-voltage discharge capacitors. The triggered spark gaps used in the experiments show sufficient accuracy to achieve the high frequency rotating magnetic field. The measured strength of the rotating magnetic field is 200 mT. This magnetic field is scalable by increasing the number of turns on the coils, by reducing the dimensions of the coils and by increasing the discharge current/voltage of the capacitors. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC

Plasmoids and the E-to-H transition in an inductively coupled plasma

An Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) exhibits two distinct modes of operation. A low input power capacitive E-mode, and a high input power inductive H-mode. The gas initially breaks down m the E-mode, switching to H-mode as input power is increased above a certain threshold. This transition between the E and H modes is observed by a dramatic increase in light output from the plasma, and a ‘glitch3 in the antenna current as the load characteristics of the plasma change from capacitive to inductive. The transition between the E and H modes exhibits hysteresis. The effect of introducing small amounts of molecular oxygen in an argon plasma on the E-to-H transition has been investigated. It has been observed that the addition of small amounts of molecular gas increases the size of the hysteresis instability window in the system, and also increases the ignition current required for the inductive mode. Withm the E-to-H instability window, gross spatial mhomogeneities (plasmoids) have been observed. We report the observation of plasmoids in a cylindrical inductively coupled rf plasma. Observations show plasmoid lobes as regions of higher plasma density and light emission distributed symmetrically around the antenna. They may also rotate and the number of lobes may change depending of plasma power, pressure, and gas mixture. In order to explain the behaviour of plasmoids we present the discharge as plasma transmission line with associated line capacitance and inductance as defined by the plasma. Plasmoids may be shown to be standing waves showing density and absorbed power modulation consistent with observed experimental results. A plasma simulation coupled to the theoretical model also shows results consistent with experimental observation

African American Women\u27s Infant Feeding Choices: Analyzing Self-Efficacy and Narratives from a Black Feminist Perspective

Breast milk is the optimal form of nutrition for infants up to six months of age. Commercial formula is unequal to breast milk nutritionally, economically, and psychologically. African American women (AAW) continue to breastfeed the least compared to other populations. Few researchers conducting research related AAW\u27s infant feeding preferences have employed the Black Feminist philosophy or the theory of self-efficacy. This philosophy and theory may offer insight into factors that influence AAW\u27s infant feeding choices. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to examine prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy (confidence) and actively listen to and analyze AAW\u27s reports of factors influencing their infant feeding choice. Fifty-nine AAW in their 3rd trimester of pregnancy completed a Prenatal Self-Efficacy questionnaire. Three to four weeks postpartum, 17 women were re-contacted and participated in individual narrative interviews. Prenatal self-efficacy scores for women who intended to breastfeed were significantly higher (M = 82.59, SD =12.53) than those intending to bottle-feed (M = 70, SD 15.45), p = .001. Prenatal self-efficacy was predictive of intended feeding method (p = .004). During the individual postpartum interviews, women disclosed various reasons and personal explanations of how they arrived at their infant feeding choices. Four of the themes from the narrative were parallel to Bandura\u27s (1977) four sources of self efficacy: performance accomplishments, verbal persuasions, vicarious experiences, and physiological responses. Two additional themes were identified: social embarrassment and feelings of regret. Women\u27s actual feeding method was not always reflective of their feeding intention. Of the 11 women interviewed planning to breastfeed, seven were actually breastfeeding at 3-4 weeks postpartum. The levels of breastfeeding varied among the women. Seventy-one percent of the breastfeeding mothers reported using \u3c 1 bottle of formula per day. In previous studies, self-efficacy has been shown to have an effect on infant feeding initiation, and duration among AAW. The current studied examined prenatal self-efficacy during the prenatal period. The prenatal period is a favorable time for providers to evaluate breastfeeding self-efficacy. Then appropriate teaching may begin based on the mother\u27s confidence. The Black Feminist perspective revealed there is more to learn from AAW regarding their infant feeding decisions

Dynactin-dependent cortical dynein and spherical spindle shape correlate temporally with meiotic spindle rotation in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Oocyte meiotic spindles orient with one pole juxtaposed to the cortex to facilitate extrusion of chromosomes into polar bodies. In Caenorhabditis elegans, these acentriolar spindles initially orient parallel to the cortex and then rotate to the perpendicular orientation. To understand the mechanism of spindle rotation, we characterized events that correlated temporally with rotation, including shortening of the spindle in the pole-to pole axis, which resulted in a nearly spherical spindle at rotation. By analyzing large spindles of polyploid C. elegans and a related nematode species, we found that spindle rotation initiated at a defined spherical shape rather than at a defined spindle length. In addition, dynein accumulated on the cortex just before rotation, and microtubules grew from the spindle with plus ends outward during rotation. Dynactin depletion prevented accumulation of dynein on the cortex and prevented spindle rotation independently of effects on spindle shape. These results support a cortical pulling model in which spindle shape might facilitate rotation because a sphere can rotate without deforming the adjacent elastic cytoplasm. We also present evidence that activation of spindle rotation is promoted by dephosphorylation of the basic domain of p150 dynactin

The interaction of thin-film flow, bacterial swarming and cell differentiation in colonies of Serratia liquefaciens

The rate of expansion of bacterial colonies of S. liquefaciens is investigated in terms of a mathematical model that combines biological as well as hydrodynamic processes. The relative importance of cell differentiation and production of an extracellular wetting agent to bacterial swarming is explored using a continuum representation. The model incorporates aspects of thin film flow with variable suspension viscosity, wetting, and cell differentiation. Experimental evidence suggests that the bacterial colony is highly sensitive to its environment and that a variety of mechanisms are exploited in order to proliferate on a variety of surfaces. It is found that a combination of effects are required to reproduce the variation of bacterial colony motility over a large range of nutrient availability and medium hardness