Identification of subtypes of learning disabled children a multivariate analysis of patterns of personality functioning.

Dept. of Psychology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1980 .P678. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 40-07, page: . Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1980

β-adrenergic receptor activation in immortalized human urothelial cells stimulates inflammatory responses by PKA-independent mechanisms

BACKGROUND: Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a debilitating disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the urinary bladder, yet specific cellular mechanisms of inflammation in IC are largely unknown. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that β-adrenergic receptor (AR) signaling is increased in the inflamed urothelium, however the precise effects of these urothelial cell signals have not been studied. In order to better elucidate the AR signaling mechanisms of inflammation associated with IC, we have examined the effects of β-AR stimulation in an immortalized human urothelial cell line (UROtsa). For these studies, UROtsa cells were treated with effective concentrations of the selective β-AR agonist isoproterenol, in the absence or presence of selective inhibitors of protein kinase A (PKA). Cell lysates were analyzed by radioimmunoassay for generation of cAMP or by Western blotting for induction of protein products associated with inflammatory responses. RESULTS: Radioligand binding demonstrated the presence of β-ARs on human urothelial UROtsa cell membranes. Stimulating UROtsa cells with isoproterenol led to concentration-dependent increases of cAMP production that could be inhibited by pretreatment with a blocking concentration of the selective β-AR antagonist propranolol. In addition, isoproterenol activation of these same cells led to significant increases in the amount of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and the induced form of cyclooxygenase (COX-2) when compared to control. Moreover, preincubation of UROtsa cells with the selective PKA inhibitors H-89 or Rp-cAMPs did not diminish this isoproterenol mediated phosphorylation of ERK or production of iNOS and COX-2. CONCLUSION: Functional β-ARs expressed on human urothelial UROtsa cell membranes increase the generation of cAMP and production of protein products associated with inflammation when activated by the selective β-AR agonist isoproterenol. However, the increased production of iNOS and COX-2 by isoproterenol is not blocked when UROtsa cells are preincubated with inhibitors of PKA. Therefore, UROtsa cell β-AR activation significantly increases the amount of iNOS and COX-2 produced by a PKA-independent mechanism. Consequently, this immortalized human urothelial cell line can be useful in characterizing potential AR signaling mechanisms associated with chronic inflammatory diseases of the bladder

Scattering a pulse from a chaotic cavity: Transitioning from algebraic to exponential decay

The ensemble averaged power scattered in and out of lossless chaotic cavities decays as a power law in time for large times. In the case of a pulse with a finite duration, the power scattered from a single realization of a cavity closely tracks the power law ensemble decay initially, but eventually transitions to an exponential decay. In this paper, we explore the nature of this transition in the case of coupling to a single port. We find that for a given pulse shape, the properties of the transition are universal if time is properly normalized. We define the crossover time to be the time at which the deviations from the mean of the reflected power in individual realizations become comparable to the mean reflected power. We demonstrate numerically that, for randomly chosen cavity realizations and given pulse shapes, the probability distribution function of reflected power depends only on time, normalized to this crossover time.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figure

Institutional Critique: A Rhetorical Methodology for Change

We offer institutional critique as an activist methodology for changing institutions. Since institutions are rhetorical entities, rhetoric can be deployed to change them. In its effort to counter oppressive institutional structures, the field of rhetoric and composition has focused its attention chiefly on the composition classroom, on the department of English, and on disciplinary forms of critique. Our focus shifts the scene of action and argument to professional writing and to public discourse, using spatial methods adapted from postmodern geography and critical theory

Detection of efflux pump activity among clinical isolates of Staphylococcus and Micrococcus species

Purpose: To detect efflux pump activity (EPA) and screening a suspected efflux pump inhibitor (EPI) [1- (3-(trifluoromethyl)benzyl]-piperazine (TFMBP)], which could help in reducing multi-drug resistance (MDR).Methods: Eighteen isolates, viz, 14 S. aureus, 2 S. lentus, 1 S. xylosus and 1 Micrococcus species from various hospital infections of admitted patients were screened for antibiotics susceptibility to 11 classes of antibiotics including oxacillin and β-lactamase production. Efflux pump activity (EPA) was determined by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) technique in the presence and absence of TFMBP, the isolates were also screened for MDR genes.Results: All the isolates were resistant to ampicillin (10 μg) and penicillin (10 μg), but sensitive to bacitracin (10 μg). Majority of the isolates were MDR 12/18 (66.7 %), 10 (55.6 %) were inducible β- lactamase producers and 3 (16.7 %) were intrinsic β-lactamase producers. Seven (38.9 %) were resistant to oxacillin and also produced carbapenemase enzyme. Eight (66.7 %) of the 12 MDR isolates gave evidence of EPA with TFMBP. However, no MDR genes were detected.Conclusion: Staphylococcus and Micrococcus species exhibit EPA in antibiotic resistance while a suitable EPI such as TFMBP when combined with specific antibiotics could help combat this menace.Keywords: [1-(3-(Trifluoromethyl)benzyl]-piperazine, Efflux pump activity, Oxacillin resistant S. aureus, Multidrug resistant, Carbapenemas

Examining the Role of Churches in Adolescent Girls\u27 Physical Activity

Background: In adults, associations between church attendance and positive health behaviors exist; however, similar evidence among children and youth is lacking. The purposes of this investigation were to examine the associations between physical activity (PA) and church attendance, PA and use of church as a PA facility, and PA and proximity to churches among those who use church as a PA facility (while addressing racial and geographic differences). Methods: High school girls (N=915, age=17.7 ± 0.6 years, 56% African American) completed the 3-Day Physical Activity Recall and surveys including demographics and use of PA facilities. Geographic Information Systems data were used to spatially examine the number of churches within a 0.75-mile street network buffer around girls\u27 homes. Associations were examined using mixed model analyses controlling for demographic factors. Results: For the overall sample, total METs (56 versus 52) and proportion of girls meeting PA guidelines (62% vs. 52%) were significantly higher in church attendees versus nonattendees. Among participants who used facilities, having more churches close to home was associated with more PA. Conclusions: Church attendance and use are correlates of physical activity that should be further explored and addressed in future intervention research with adolescent girls

Identifying Spatial Variability in Greenland’s Outlet Glacier Response to Ocean Heat

Although the Greenland ice sheet is losing mass as a whole, patterns of change on both local and regional scales are complex. Spatial statistics reveal large spatial variability of dynamic thinning rates of Greenland’s marine-terminating glaciers between 2003 and 2009; only 18% of glacier thinning rates co-vary with neighboring glaciers. Most spatially-correlated thinning rates are clusters of stable glaciers in the Thule, Scoresby Sund, and Southwest regions. Conversely, where spatial-autocorrelation is low, individual glaciers are more strongly controlled by local, glacier-scale features than by regional influences. We investigate possible sources of local control of oceanic forcing by combining grounding line depths and ocean model output to estimate mean ocean heat content adjacent to 74 glaciers. Linear regression models indicate stronger correlation of dynamic thinning rates with ocean heat content compared to those with grounding line depths alone. The correlation between ocean heat and dynamic thinning is robust for all of Greenland except glaciers in the West, and strongest in the Southeast (R2 ∼ 0.81 ± 0.15, ρ = 0.009), implying that glaciers with deeper grounded termini here are most sensitive to changes in ocean forcing. In the Northwest, accounting for shallow sills in the regressions improves the correlation of water depth with glacial thinning, highlighting the need for comprehensive knowledge of fjord geometry