1,723 research outputs found

    Musculoskeletal adaptation to PWS

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    Thesis (Ph. D.)--Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, 2007.Includes bibliographical references.As human spaceflight extends in both duration and scope, it is critical to better understand the physiologic effects of this novel environment. In the weight bearing structures of the body, bone loss and muscle atrophy far in excess of age-related declines are hallmarks of microgravity adaptation. However, while the physiological effects of such disuse unloading are well-described, the effects of partial weight bearing, such as expected on the moon (16% of Earth's gravity) and Mars (38% of Earth's gravity), have yet to be quantified. In these environments, the risks of musculoskeletal atrophy and accompanying orthopedic injury are uncertain, and a means of further investigation is needed. To address this need, we developed a novel model of Partial Weight Suspension (PWS) that supports investigation of the physiologic effects of chronically reduced quadrupedal loading in mice. Validation of the PWS system was conducted using a gait analysis treadmill and high-precision force platform. These studies showed that peak ground reaction forces were significantly reduced under conditions of partial weightbeari:ng, and changes in gait dynamics were consistent with previous studies of human locomotion. Using the PWS system, we conducted the first known studies of chronic musculoskeletal adaptation to Mars and lunar levels of weight bearing. Adult female BALB/cByJ mice underwent 21 days of partial weight bearing or control treatment. Relative to controls, suspended animals showed significant bone and muscle loss. In particular, bone formation rate was decreased, leading to deterioration of both cortical and trabecular bone structure in mice exposed to weight bearingtbearing. Although material properties of the bone were largely unaffected, structural and geometric changes resulted in lower bone strength.weight bearinged weight bearing at Mars and lunar levels led to similar losses of muscle and bone relative to controls. Comparison with previous literature suggests that adaptation to partial weight-bearing associated with both Mars and lunar loading provided some protection relative to the deconditioning seen in full unloading. Although additional studies are needed, the data also indicated that the musculoskeletal deterioration was not linearly related to the degree of unloading. Altogether, this model provides a validated, controlled system for investigaweight bearingof partial weightbearing and countermeasures on musculoskeletal deconditioning. Our initial findings have practical applications for bioastronautics, suggesting that physiological investigations on the surface of the moon may not be fully predictive for future Mars exploration.by Erika Brown Wagner.Ph.D

    The Grizzly, October 8, 1991

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    1991 Parents\u27 Day a Great Success • Homecoming Festivities Planned • Is the Soviet Union Dead? • Teacher Appreciation Dinner a Success • Tortorelli at NASA • What About Recycled Paper? • Movie Review: Misery • Jane Powell Returns • Saffire: Uppity Blues Women • The Aggressive Couple • Homecoming Queen Nominees • Ethnic Degradation • Unsafe City • Appreciate Today • Construction Blues • Letter: Come On, Harley! • Bears Maul Swarthmore • Lady Bears Run to Victory • Volleyball Gets Spiked • Field Hockey Drives for Victory • Too Early to Tell? No Way • Cross Country Takes 2nd • Soccer Team Struggles Among Tough Competition • Flag Football Follieshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1279/thumbnail.jp

    The Grizzly, November 12, 1991

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    Evaluations Show Drop in Pledge Grades • SAC Changes to AFAC • Voters Choose Wofford • Tri-Lamba Meets • Salk to Speak on Founders\u27 Day • Haley Visits Nearby High School • Crucible Captivates • WVOU at Music Marathon • Environmental Corner • Bench Art • Killer CAB Comedy • Fantasia • National Chemistry Week Unveils The Alchemist • Changing Life\u27s Blueprints • The Trouble With Wofford • The Black Hole of Greek Life • Face Off: Pros and Cons of GALA • Adopt a Flower Bed • IFC and The Illusion of Good Faith • Bears Squeak by King\u27s Point • Lady Bears Run Strong • Field Hockey Ends Season with a Tie • \u27Mers Submerge • Lady Swimmers Defeat Dickinsonhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1283/thumbnail.jp

    Mitochondrial physiology

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    As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

    TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

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    Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

    Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

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    Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

    Mitochondrial physiology

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    As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

    Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

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    Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

    Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

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    One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI
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