A Subjective Evaluation of Fundamental Locomotor Movement in Modern Dance Using a Five Point Rating Scale

The purpose of the study was to develop a test of fundamental locomotor movement for students enrolled in the modern dance classes at South Dakota State University. A five point rating scale was used to subjectively evaluate students who took the test. The writer devised a test of fundamental locomotor movement and conducted a pilot study. As a result of the first pilot study, certain changes were necessary for successful administration of the test. A second test was devised using only locomotor movement in pattern combinations. A second pilot study was conducted. As a result of the second pilot study, all changes made appeared feasible, and the final testing periods were planned. The final form of the test contained two parts. Part I, consisting of six items, was for beginning students in modern dance. Part II, containing ten items, was for intermediate to advanced students in modern dance. Part I of the test was administered to 19 freshmen women. Part II of the test was administered to 17 women physical education majors. The test for each group was administered twice, with two days between the test and re-test. On both days of testing, three judges used the five point rating scale to evaluate the students who performed the tests in groups of three. The students received two test scores; one score for the first administration of the test, and one score for the re-test. The generalizations made by the writer, concerning her test, include the following: 1) It would appear that a classification test for students in modern dance is needed to determine the skill levels among beginning, intermediate, and advanced students. 2) It would appear that the test developed in this study is economical to administer and practical for use in modern dance classes, since an entire class of twenty students can be tested in one 40 minute class period. 3) It would appear that if a teacher of modern dance did not wish to use the entire test, items could be selected from the test for use as challenge, motivation, and/or enjoyment

Some parameters affecting respiratory control in Azotobacter vinelandii membranes

AbstractRCI :respiratory control index (state 3/state 4 rate of oxygen uptake)m-C1 CCP: carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazoneHQNO : 2-n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxidePIPES: piperazine-N,N′-bis 2-ethane sulphonic aci

Effect Of Pregnancy And Lactation On Lipoprotein And Cholesterol Metabolism In The Rat

Origins of hyperlipidemia and cholestasis that occur during pregnancy were investigated by examining expression of key elements related to plasma and hepatic cholesterol metabolism during pregnancy, lactation, and post-lactation in the rat model. Among major findings were: during pregnancy, the activities of hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, acyl coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase, acyl coenzyme A:diacylglycerol acyltransferase, cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase, cholesterol ester hydrolases, low density lipoprotein receptors, LRP, and mdr2 were significantly lower or similar to non-pregnant controls while SR-B1 was elevated. Once lactation began, reductase, cholesterol acyltransferase, 7 alpha-hydroxylase activities, low density lipoprotein receptors, and mdr2 increased while SR-B1 decreased. In later stages of lactation most hepatic elements returned to near control levels. Plasma cholesterol levels were higher than control at birth and during lactation with increase in LDL-size particles. By 24 h post-lactation, plasma triglycerides were 3.7-fold higher while cholesterol remained unchanged. Very large lipoproteins were present while LDL-size particles were now absent. Hepatic cholesterol acyltransferase had decreased to 27% of control while diacylglycerol acyltransferase increased 3-fold and low density lipoprotein receptors doubled. Most elements were normalized 3 weeks after weaning except for LRP and low density lipoprotein receptors which were elevated. These studies provide an integrated picture of expression of key elements of hepatic and plasma cholesterol metabolism during pregnancy and lactation and advance understanding of hyperlipidemia and cholestasis during these states

Profiling Sterols in Cerebrotendinous Xanthomatosis: Utility of Girard Derivatization and High Resolution Exact Mass LC-ESI-MSn Analysis

In this study we profile free 3-oxo sterols present in plasma from patients affected with the neurodegenerative disorder of sterol and bile acid metabolism cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX), utilizing a combination of charge-tagging and LC-ESI-MSn performed with an LTQ-Orbitrap Discovery instrument. In addition, we profile sterols in plasma from 24-month-old cyp27A1 gene knockout mice lacking the enzyme defective in CTX. Charge-tagging was accomplished by reaction with cationic Girard\u27s P (GP) reagent 1-(carboxymethyl) pyridinium chloride hydrazide, an approach uniquely suited to studying the 3-oxo sterols that accumulate in CTX, as Girard\u27s reagent reacts with the sterol oxo moiety to form charged hydrazone derivatives. The ability to selectively generate GP-tagged 3-oxo-4-ene and 3-oxo-5(H) saturated plasma sterols enabled ESI-MSn analysis of these sterols in the presence of a large excess (3 orders of magnitude) of cholesterol. Often cholesterol detected in biological samples makes it challenging to quantify minor sterols, with cholesterol frequently removed prior to analysis. We derivatized plasma (10μl) without SPE removal of cholesterol to ensure detection of all sterols present in plasma. We were able to measure 4-cholesten-3-one in plasma from untreated CTX patients (1207±302ng/ml, mean±SD, n=4), as well as other intermediates in a proposed pathway to 5α-cholestanol. In addition, a number of bile acid precursors were identified in plasma using this technique. GP-tagged sterols were identified utilizing high resolution exact mass spectra (±5ppm), as well as MS2 ([M]+→) spectra that possessed characteristic neutral loss of 79Da (pyridine) fragment ions, and MS3 ([M]+→[M-79]+→) spectra that provided additional structurally informative fragment ions. © 2010 Elsevier B.V

Nucleolar retention of a translational C/EBPα isoform stimulates rDNA transcription and cell size

The messenger RNA of the intronless CEBPA gene is translated into distinct protein isoforms through the usage of consecutive translation initiation sites. These translational isoforms have distinct functions in the regulation of differentiation and proliferation due to the presence of different N-terminal sequences. Here, we describe the function of an N-terminally extended protein isoform of CCAAT enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα) that is translated from an alternative non-AUG initiation codon. We show that a basic amino-acid motif within its N-terminus is required for nucleolar retention and for interaction with nucleophosmin (NPM). In the nucleoli, extended-C/EBPα occupies the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) promoter and associates with the Pol I-specific factors upstream-binding factor 1 (UBF-1) and SL1 to stimulate rRNA synthesis. Furthermore, during differentiation of HL-60 cells, endogenous expression of extended-C/EBPα is lost concomitantly with nucleolar C/EBPα immunostaining probably reflecting the reduced requirement for ribosome biogenesis in differentiated cells. Finally, overexpression of extended-C/EBPα induces an increase in cell size. Altogether, our results suggest that control of rRNA synthesis is a novel function of C/EBPα adding to its role as key regulator of cell growth and proliferation

Small Satellite Platform Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) Mission Concept and Implementation

Scientists and astronomers world—wide have a great interest in exploring the hidden details of some of the most extreme and exotic astronomical objects, such as stellar and supermassive black holes, neutron stars and pulsars. However, one cannot directly image what’s going on near objects like black holes and neutron stars, but studying the polarization of X-rays emitted from their surrounding environments reveals the physics of these enigmatic objects. The goal of the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) Mission is to expand understanding of high-energy astrophysical processes and sources, in support of NASA’s first science objective in Astrophysics: “Discover how the universe works.” Polarization uniquely probes physical anisotropies—ordered magnetic fields, aspheric matter distributions, or general relativistic coupling to black-hole spin—that are not otherwise measurable. X-ray polarimetry is the focus of the IXPE science mission. The IXPE Observatory consists of Spacecraft and Payload modules built up in parallel to form the Observatory during system integration and test. The Payload includes three polarization sensitive, X-ray detector arrays, each paired with its corresponding grazing angle incidence mirror module assemblies (MMA). A deployable boom provides the correct separation (focal length) between the detector units (DU) and MMAs. These Payload elements are supported by the IXPE Spacecraft which is derived from the BCP-100 small Spacecraft architecture. A star tracker is a key element of the attitude determination and control system. It is mounted directly with the Payload to minimize alignment errors between the spacecraft and payload. This paper summarizes the IXPE mission science objectives and describes the Observatory implementation concept including the payload and spacecraft elements

Clinical and kidney structural characteristics of living kidney donors with nephrolithiasis and their long-term outcomes

Background: Nephrolithiasis in living kidney donors is concerning due to the potential impact on long-term postdonation kidney function. Methods: We performed a cohort study of living kidney donors from 2 centers with a baseline computed tomography scan and implantation renal biopsy. Donors (\u3e5 y since donation) completed a follow-up survey or underwent chart review to assess eGFR and incident hypertension. Stone formers were classified as symptomatic if they had a past symptomatic episode or asymptomatic if only incidental radiographic kidney stones were identified during donor evaluation. We compared baseline clinical, imaging, and biopsy characteristics by stone former status including review of metabolic evaluations in stone formers. Long-term risks of renal complications (low eGFR and hypertension) by stone former status were evaluated. Results: There were 12 symptomatic and 76 asymptomatic stone formers among 866 donors. Overall, baseline clinical characteristics and implantation biopsy findings were similar between stone formers and non-stone formers. After a median follow-up of 10 y, stone former status was not associated with eGFR \u3c60 mL/min/1.73 m2, eGFR \u3c45 mL/min/1.73 m Conclusions: Both asymptomatic and symptomatic SF have favorable histology findings at baseline. Long-term kidney outcomes were favorable in select stone formers with no evident increased long-term risk for decreased kidney function or hypertension after donation

Effects and mechanisms of mindfulness training and physical exercise on cognition, emotional wellbeing, and brain outcomes in chronic stroke patients : Study protocol of the MindFit project randomized controlled trial

Post-stroke cognitive and emotional complications are frequent in the chronic stages of stroke and have important implications for the functionality and quality of life of those affected and their caregivers. Strategies such as mindfulness meditation, physical exercise (PE), or computerized cognitive training (CCT) may benefit stroke patients by impacting neuroplasticity and brain health. One hundred and forty-one chronic stroke patients are randomly allocated to receive mindfulness-based stress reduction + CCT (n = 47), multicomponent PE program + CCT (n = 47), or CCT alone (n = 47). Interventions consist of 12-week home-based programs five days per week. Before and after the interventions, we collect data from cognitive, psychological, and physical tests, blood and stool samples, and structural and functional brain scans. The effects of the interventions on cognitive and emotional outcomes will be described in intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses. We will also explore potential mediators and moderators, such as genetic, molecular, brain, demographic, and clinical factors in our per-protocol sample. The MindFit Project is a randomized clinical trial that aims to assess the impact of mindfulness and PE combined with CCT on chronic stroke patients' cognitive and emotional wellbeing. Furthermore, our design takes a multimodal biopsychosocial approach that will generate new knowledge at multiple levels of evidence, from molecular bases to behavioral changes. , identifier NCT04759950