Individual characteristics and career exploration in adolescence

The effects of gender, age and school grade on several career exploration dimensions measured by the Career Exploration Survey were investigated. Subjects were high school students facing an imminent career decision. Regression analyses indicated that sex and grade-level were the most significant and prevailing individual characteristics related to the adolescents’ career exploration behaviours, reactions and beliefs. Implications for career exploration interventions are discussed.JNICT -Junta Nacional de Investigação Científica e Tecnológica(PSU436-92)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A novel R-package graphic user interface for the analysis of metabonomic profiles

Background Analysis of the plethora of metabolites found in the NMR spectra of biological fluids or tissues requires data complexity to be simplified. We present a graphical user interface (GUI) for NMR-based metabonomic analysis. The "Metabonomic Package" has been developed for metabonomics research as open-source software and uses the R statistical libraries. /Results The package offers the following options: Raw 1-dimensional spectra processing: phase, baseline correction and normalization. Importing processed spectra. Including/excluding spectral ranges, optional binning and bucketing, detection and alignment of peaks. Sorting of metabolites based on their ability to discriminate, metabolite selection, and outlier identification. Multivariate unsupervised analysis: principal components analysis (PCA). Multivariate supervised analysis: partial least squares (PLS), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), k-nearest neighbor classification. Neural networks. Visualization and overlapping of spectra. Plot values of the chemical shift position for different samples. Furthermore, the "Metabonomic" GUI includes a console to enable other kinds of analyses and to take advantage of all R statistical tools. /Conclusion We made complex multivariate analysis user-friendly for both experienced and novice users, which could help to expand the use of NMR-based metabonomics

Evaluation of the anti-angiogenic potential of hydroxytyrosol derivatives

Angiogenesis, a process which allows the formation of new vessels from pre-existing ones, is an essential phenomenon for tumor survival since it allows cancer cells to obtain nutrients and oxygen. This explains the increasing interest showed by many groups of research and pharmaceutical companies to find compounds with potential to disrupt at least one of the steps within the angiogenic process. Hydroxytyrosol (3,4-dihydroxyphenyl ethanol) has been identified as the most important health-related phenolic compound of virgin olive oil because of its pleiotropic effects on multiple targets. In 2012, our group identified hydroxytyrosol as an anti-angiogenic compound able to inhibit several key steps in the angiogenic process. In the present study, the potential effects of six hydroxytyrosol derivatives are tested and compared with those exhibited by hydroxytyrosol by making use of several in vitro and in vivo assays. Results indicate that these are candidate new anti-angiogenic compounds with potential utility in anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic therapies.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech [Our experimental work is supported by grants BIO2014-56092-R (MINECO and FEDER) and P12-CTS-1507 (Andalusian Government and FEDER) and funds from group BIO-267 (Andalusian Government). The "CIBER de Enfermedades Raras" is an initiative from the ISCIII (Spain)]. This communication has the support of a travel grant

Esophageal temperature monitoring during radiofrequency catheter ablation: experimental study based on an agar phantom model

[EN] Although previous studies have established the feasibility of monitoring esophageal temperature during radiofrequency cardiac ablation using an esophageal temperature probe (ETP), some questions remain regarding its efficacy. The aims of this study were to study the effect of the location of the ETP on the temperature reached, and to test the characteristics of ETP as used in clinical practice. We constructed an agar phantom to model the thermal and electrical characteristics of the biological tissues (left atrium, esophagus and connective tissue). The ETP was positioned at 6.5 mm from an ablation electrode and at distances of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 mm from the catheter axis. A thermocouple was located on the probe to measure the actual temperature of the external esophageal layer during the ablations (55 degrees C, 60 s). The mean temperatures reached at the thermocouple were significantly higher than those measured by the ETP (48.3 +/- 1.9 degrees C versus 39.6 +/- 1.1 degrees C). The temperature values measured with the ETP were significantly lower when the probe was located further from the catheter axis ( up to 2.5 degrees C lower when the distance from the probe - catheter axis was 2 cm). The dynamic calibration of the ETP showed a mean value for the time constant of 8 s. In conclusion, the temperature measured by the ETP always underestimates the temperature reached in the thermocouple. This fact can be explained by the distance gap between the thermocouple and probe and by the dynamic response of the ETP. The longer the distance between the ETP and catheter axis, the higher is the temperature difference.We would like to thank the R+D+i Linguistic Assistance Office at the Universidad Politécnica of Valencia for its help in revising this paper. This work was partially supported by the Plan Nacional de Investigación Científica, Desarrollo e Innovación Tecnológica del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia of Spain (TEC 2005-04199/TCM) and by an R&D contract (CSIC-20060633) between Edwards Lifescience Ltd. and the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC).Rodriguez, I.; Lequerica, JL.; Berjano, E.; Herrero, M.; Hornero, F. (2007). Esophageal temperature monitoring during radiofrequency catheter ablation: experimental study based on an agar phantom model. Physiological Measurement. 28(5):453-463. https://doi.org/10.1088/0967-3334/28/5/001S453463285Berjano, E. J., & Hornero, F. (2005). What affects esophageal injury during radiofrequency ablation of the left atrium? An engineering study based on finite-element analysis. Physiological Measurement, 26(5), 837-848. doi:10.1088/0967-3334/26/5/020Hong Cao, Vorperian, V. R., Jang-Zem Tsai, Tungjitkusolmun, S., Eung Je Woo, & Webster, J. G. (2000). Temperature measurement within myocardium during in vitro RF catheter ablation. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 47(11), 1518-1524. doi:10.1109/10.880104Cappato, R., Calkins, H., Chen, S.-A., Davies, W., Iesaka, Y., Kalman, J., … Skanes, A. (2005). Worldwide Survey on the Methods, Efficacy, and Safety of Catheter Ablation for Human Atrial Fibrillation. Circulation, 111(9), 1100-1105. doi:10.1161/01.cir.0000157153.30978.67Cummings, J. E., Schweikert, R. A., Saliba, W. I., Burkhardt, J. D., Brachmann, J., Gunther, J., … Natale, A. (2005). Assessment of Temperature, Proximity, and Course of the Esophagus During Radiofrequency Ablation Within the Left Atrium. Circulation, 112(4), 459-464. doi:10.1161/circulationaha.104.509612D‘avila, A., Maldonado, P., Veronese, F., Mendonça, M. L. F., Colafranceschi, A. S., Colle, S., & Saad, E. B. (2005). Accuracy of esophageal temperature measurement and its correlation to microbubbles formation during catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. Heart Rhythm, 2(5), S9. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2005.02.040Doll, N., Borger, M. A., Fabricius, A., Stephan, S., Gummert, J., Mohr, F. W., … Hindricks, G. (2003). Esophageal perforation during left atrial radiofrequency ablation: Is the risk too high? The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 125(4), 836-842. doi:10.1067/mtc.2003.165Gillinov, A. M., Pettersson, G., & Rice, T. W. (2001). Esophageal injury during radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation. The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 122(6), 1239-1240. doi:10.1067/mtc.2001.118041Goldberg, S. N., Ahmed, M., Gazelle, G. S., Kruskal, J. B., Huertas, J. C., Halpern, E. F., … Lenkinski, R. E. (2001). Radio-Frequency Thermal Ablation with NaCl Solution Injection: Effect of Electrical Conductivity on Tissue Heating and Coagulation—Phantom and Porcine Liver Study. Radiology, 219(1), 157-165. doi:10.1148/radiology.219.1.r01ap27157YEN HO, S., SANCHEZ-QUINTANA, D., CABRERA, J. A., & ANDERSON, R. H. (1999). Anatomy of the Left Atrium:. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, 10(11), 1525-1533. doi:10.1111/j.1540-8167.1999.tb00211.xHORNERO, F., & BERJANO, E. J. (2006). Esophageal Temperature During Radiofrequency-Catheter Ablation of Left Atrium: A Three-Dimensional Computer Modeling Study. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, 17(4), 405-410. doi:10.1111/j.1540-8167.2006.00404.xJain, M. K., & Wolf, P. D. (2000). In Vitro Temperature Map of Cardiac Ablation Demonstrates the Effect of Flow on Lesion Development. Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 28(9), 1066-1074. doi:10.1114/1.1310218Kuwahara, T., Takahashi, A., Yokoyama, Y., Kobori, A., Sato, A., Iesaka, Y., … Aonuma, K. (2005). Importance of esophageal temperature monitoring for the avoidance of esophageal injury during circumferential left atrial ablation. Heart Rhythm, 2(5), S156. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2005.02.487Lemola, K., Sneider, M., Desjardins, B., Case, I., Han, J., Good, E., … Oral, H. (2004). Computed Tomographic Analysis of the Anatomy of the Left Atrium and the Esophagus. Circulation, 110(24), 3655-3660. doi:10.1161/01.cir.0000149714.31471.fdLobo, S. M., Afzal, K. S., Ahmed, M., Kruskal, J. B., Lenkinski, R. E., & Goldberg, S. N. (2004). Radiofrequency Ablation: Modeling the Enhanced Temperature Response to Adjuvant NaCl Pretreatment. Radiology, 230(1), 175-182. doi:10.1148/radiol.2301021512Meade, T., Razavi, M., Yang, D., Delapasse, S., Donsky, A., Ai, T., … Cheng, J. (2005). Real-time esophageal thermal profile during posterior left atrial radiofrequency ablation. Heart Rhythm, 2(5), S236. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2005.02.738Pappone, C., Oral, H., Santinelli, V., Vicedomini, G., Lang, C. C., Manguso, F., … Morady, F. (2004). Atrio-Esophageal Fistula as a Complication of Percutaneous Transcatheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation. Circulation, 109(22), 2724-2726. doi:10.1161/01.cir.0000131866.44650.46PERZANOWSKI, C., TEPLITSKY, L., HRANITZKY, P. M., & BAHNSON, T. D. (2006). Real-Time Monitoring of Luminal Esophageal Temperature During Left Atrial Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: Observations About Esophageal Heating During Ablation at the Pulmonary Vein Ostia and Posterior Left Atrium. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, 17(2), 166-170. doi:10.1111/j.1540-8167.2005.00333.xPiorkowski, C., Hindricks, G., Schreiber, D., Tanner, H., Weise, W., Koch, A., … Kottkamp, H. (2006). Electroanatomic reconstruction of the left atrium, pulmonary veins, and esophagus compared with the «true anatomy» on multislice computed tomography in patients undergoing catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. Heart Rhythm, 3(3), 317-327. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2005.11.027REDFEARN, D. P., TRIM, G. M., SKANES, A. C., PETRELLIS, B., KRAHN, A. D., YEE, R., & KLEIN, G. J. (2005). Esophageal Temperature Monitoring During Radiofrequency Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, 16(6), 589-593. doi:10.1111/j.1540-8167.2005.40825.xSánchez-Quintana, D., Cabrera, J. A., Climent, V., Farré, J., de Mendonça, M. C., & Ho, S. Y. (2005). Anatomic Relations Between the Esophagus and Left Atrium and Relevance for Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation. Circulation, 112(10), 1400-1405. doi:10.1161/circulationaha.105.551291SCANAVACCA, M. I., D’ÁVILA, A., PARGA, J., & SOSA, E. (2004). Left Atrial-Esophageal Fistula Following Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, 15(8), 960-962. doi:10.1046/j.1540-8167.2004.04083.xSolazzo, S. A., Liu, Z., Lobo, S. M., Ahmed, M., Hines-Peralta, A. U., Lenkinski, R. E., & Goldberg, S. N. (2005). Radiofrequency Ablation: Importance of Background Tissue Electrical Conductivity—An Agar Phantom and Computer Modeling Study. Radiology, 236(2), 495-502. doi:10.1148/radiol.2362040965Teplitsky, L., Perzanowski, C., Durrani, S., Berman, A. E., Hranitzky, P., & Bahnson, T. D. (2005). Radiofrequency catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation produces delayed and long lasting elevation of luminal esophageal temperature independent of lesion duration and power. Heart Rhythm, 2(5), S8-S9. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2005.02.038Tsao, H.-M., Wu, M.-H., Higa, S., Lee, K.-T., Tai, C.-T., Hsu, N.-W., … Chen, S.-A. (2005). Anatomic Relationship of the Esophagus and Left Atrium. Chest, 128(4), 2581-2587. doi:10.1378/chest.128.4.2581Wittkampf, F. H. M., Nakagawa, H., Yamanashi, W. S., Imai, S., & Jackman, W. M. (1996). Thermal Latency in Radiofrequency Ablation. Circulation, 93(6), 1083-1086. doi:10.1161/01.cir.93.6.108

High-Resolution Indicators of Soil Microbial Responses to N Fertilization and Cover Cropping in Corn Monoculture

Cover cropping (CC) is the most promising in-field practice to improve soil health and mitigate N losses from fertilizer use. Although the soil microbiota play essential roles in soil health, their response to CC has not been well characterized by bioindicators of high taxonomic resolution within typical agricultural systems. Our objective was to fill this knowledge gap with genus-level indicators for corn [Zea mays L.] monocultures with three N fertilizer rates (N0, N202, N269; kg N ha−1), after introducing a CC mixture of cereal rye [Secale cereale L.] and hairy vetch [Vicia villosa Roth.], using winter fallows (BF) as controls. A 3 × 2 split-plot arrangement of N rates and CC treatments was studied in a randomized complete block design with three replicates over two years. Bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA and fungal ITS regions were sequenced with Illumina MiSeq system. Overall, our high-resolution bioindicators were able to represent specific functional or ecological shifts within the microbial community. The abundances of indicators representing acidophiles, nitrifiers, and denitrifiers increased with N fertilization, while those of heterotrophic nitrifiers, nitrite oxidizers, and complete denitrifiers increased with N0. Introducing CC decreased soil nitrate levels by up to 50% across N rates, and CC biomass increased by 73% with N fertilization. CC promoted indicators of diverse functions and niches, including N-fixers, nitrite reducers, and mycorrhizae, while only two N-cycling genera were associated with BF. Thus, CC can enhance the soil biodiversity of simplified cropping systems and reduce nitrate leaching, but might increase the risk of nitrous oxide emission without proper nutrient management. This primary information is the first of its kind in this system and provided valuable insights into the limits and potential of CC as a strategy to improve soil health.Fil: Kim, Nakian. University of Illinois at Urbana; Estados UnidosFil: Riggins, Chance W.. University of Illinois at Urbana; Estados UnidosFil: Zabaloy, Maria Celina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Allegrini, Marco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Agrarias de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Agrarias de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez Zas, Sandra L.. University of Illinois at Urbana; Estados UnidosFil: Villamil, Maria Bonita. University of Illinois at Urbana; Estados Unido

A Longitudinal Study of the Microbial Basis of Nitrous Oxide Emissions Within a Long-Term Agricultural Experiment

Much of the global nitrous oxide emissions are derived from agricultural management driving microbial N transformations. Crop rotation, no-till, and cover cropping are feasible conservation agronomic strategies used to prevent N losses to the environment, though their effect on soil microbial N cycling at the field scale remains relatively unknown. Our goal was to determine the effect of crop rotation (continuous corn [Zea mays L.], CCC; and continuous soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], SSS), tillage (no-till, NT; and chisel tillage, T), and cover crops (cover crop mixture, CC; and no cover crop, NCC) on the quantification of functional genes related to the N cycle from different times throughout the growing season. The study was conducted during the growing season of the cash crops following the first season of cover crops introduced after 23 years of management. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) techniques, we quantified nifH (N2 fixation), amoA (nitrification) and nirK, nirS, and nosZ (denitrification). Our results show that CCC increased nitrous oxide emissions by 44% compared to SSS and reduced soil pH by nearly 1 unit. The reduction in soil pH, coupled with an increase in fertilizer-derived ammonium, caused ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nirK copy numbers to increase. The SSS rotation showed opposite results. Bacterial denitrification via the nirK pathway was likely the N cycle mechanism behind nitrous oxide emissions in CCC. The cover crop mixture of cereal rye [Secale cereale L.] and hairy vetch [Vicia villosa Roth] reduced soil nitrate levels, though they did increase nitrous oxide emissions, likely due to priming and the inclusion of a legume in the cover crop mixture. Nitrous oxide emissions were affected by sampling date, crop rotation, and cover crop use, suggesting management factors that add abundantly available N alter the microbial N cycle directly or indirectly. Chisel tillage increased the abundance of all N cycle genes compared to no-till. Together, our work adds further insight into the microbial N cycle, especially nitrous oxide evolution, from three common conservation agricultural management practices, contributing to our understanding of key soil biogeochemical processes.Fil: Behnke, Gevan D.. University of Illinois at Urbana; Estados UnidosFil: Kim, Nakian. University of Illinois at Urbana; Estados UnidosFil: Riggins, Chance W.. University of Illinois at Urbana; Estados UnidosFil: Zabaloy, Maria Celina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez Zas, Sandra L.. University of Illinois at Urbana; Estados UnidosFil: Villamil, Maria Bonita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. University of Illinois at Urbana; Estados Unido

Black Hole Scattering from Monodromy

We study scattering coefficients in black hole spacetimes using analytic properties of complexified wave equations. For a concrete example, we analyze the singularities of the Teukolsky equation and relate the corresponding monodromies to scattering data. These techniques, valid in full generality, provide insights into complex-analytic properties of greybody factors and quasinormal modes. This leads to new perturbative and numerical methods which are in good agreement with previous results.Comment: 28 pages + appendices, 2 figures. For Mathematica calculation of Stokes multipliers, download "StokesNotebook" from https://sites.google.com/site/justblackholes/techy-zon

Sorbent coatings for solid-phase microextraction targeted towards the analysis of death-related polar analytes coupled to comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography: comparison of zwitterionic polymeric ionic liquids versus commercial coatings

Decomposition of bodies generates several types of polar volatile organic compounds (VOCs), whose types, patterns and ratios change during the various stages of decomposition and, therefore, their determination has huge potential to provide useful information to disclose events related to the time of death, or body surrounding environment. As sample preparation is a mandatory key-point in a method development, this research aims to develop a simple, accurate and rapid approach to study death-related polar VOCs based on headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-ToFMS) analysis. The performance of zwitterionic PIL-based fibers (containing a [VIm+C9COO−] monomer and a [(VIm)2C122+]-2Br− crosslinker), tailored for polar compounds, was evaluated for a set of 19 analytes associated with the unique odour created by decomposing bodies, and it was compared to the commercially-available fibers: divinylbenzene/carboxen/poly(dimethylsiloxane) – DVB/CAR/PDMS, poly(dimethylsiloxane)/divinylbenzene – PDMS/DVB and polyacrylate (PA). Fibers with absorptive-type mechanism, such as PA and PIL, showed the best results in the balance of the parameters studied, being able to detect analytes at ng level and providing a profile representative of the headspace composition, thus they may represent a useful tool to respond to current challenges in forensic taphonomy. The reproducibility (with relative standard deviation lower than 18%, depending on the analyte) and relative recoveries (higher than 99.1%) were similar and acceptable for both fibers. The zwitterionic PIL, with ca. 4 times smaller film thickness than PA, still has potential to have the best performance, supported by the efforts to obtain thicker sorbent coatings.publishe

Conference on the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, Panel 3: The Allocation of Discretion Under the Guidelines

The guidelines have shifted the locus of discretion from the judge to the prosecutor. This transfer has drastically changed sentencing because the prosecutor\u27s role is very different from the judge\u27s role. Before the guidelines, the prosecutor\u27s role in sentencing was minimal. The prosecutor could put a cap on the sentence by accepting a plea to a charge with a low maximum, but there was virtually no instance in which the charge would put a floor under the judge\u27s sentence. The judge, on the other hand, could sentence however he liked. Not only was the judge\u27s decision correct because it was final – there was no appellate review of sentences within the statutory maximum – it was correct because there was no law by which it could be called incorrect. Absent a few factors that were statutorily excluded from consideration, the judge could take into account any factor he thought relevant, and weigh it to whatever degree he thought it counted. The judge could be harsh or lenient, a retributivist or a utilitarian, a believer in deterrence or rehabilitation