Radiation cooled MPD arc thruster

Radiation-cooled magnetohydrodynamic arc thruste

Tourette-like behaviors in the normal population are associated with hyperactive/impulsive ADHD-like behaviors but do not relate to deficits in conditioned inhibition or response inhibition

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Tourette Syndrome (TS) present as distinct conditions clinically; however, comorbidity and inhibitory control deficits have been proposed for both. Whilst such deficits have been studied widely within clinical populations, findings are mixed—partly due to comorbidity and/or medication effects—and studies have rarely distinguished between subtypes of the disorders. Studies in the general population are sparse. Using a continuity approach, the present study examined (i) the relationships between inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive aspects of ADHD and TS-like behaviors in the general population, and (ii) their unique associations with automatic and executive inhibitory control, as well as (iii) yawning (a proposed behavioural model of TS).One hundred and thirty-eight participants completed self-report measures for ADHD and TS-like behaviors as well as yawning, and a conditioned inhibition task to assess automatic inhibition. A sub-sample of fifty-four participants completed three executive inhibition tasks. An exploratory factor analysis of the TS behaviour checklist supported a distinction between phonic and motorlike pure TS behaviors. Whilst hyperactive/impulsive aspects of ADHD were associated with increased pure and compulsive TS-like behaviors, in attention in isolation was related to reduced obsessive-compulsive TS-like behaviors. TS-like behaviors were associated with yawning during situations of inactivity, and specifically motor TS was related to yawning during stress. Phonic TS and inattention aspects of ADHD were associated with yawning during concentration/activity. Whilst executive interference control deficits were linked to hyperactive/impulsive ADHD-like behaviors, this was not the case for inattentive ADHD or TS-like behaviors, which instead related to increased performance on some measures. No associations were observed for automatic conditioned inhibition

Study of arc-jet propulsion devices Final report, 20 Nov. 1964 - 19 Dec. 1965

Energy transfer mechanisms in radiation, water, and regeneratively cooled, and MPD arc jet propulsion device

Total coliform and Escherichia coli contamination in rural well water: Analysis for passive surveillance

With increasing stress on our water resources and recent waterborne disease outbreaks, understanding the epidemiology of waterborne pathogens is crucial to build surveillance systems. The purpose of this study was to explore techniques for describing microbial water quality in rural drinking water wells, based on spatiotemporal analysis, time series analysis and relative risk mapping. Tests results for Escherichia coli and coliforms from private and small public well water samples, collected between 2004 and 2012 in Alberta, Canada, were used for the analysis. Overall, 14.6 and 1.5% of the wells were total coliform and E. coli-positive, respectively. Private well samples were more often total coliform or E. coli-positive compared with untreated public well samples. Using relative risk mapping we were able to identify areas of higher risk for bacterial contamination of groundwater in the province not previously identified. Incorporation of time series analysis demonstrated peak contamination occurring for E. coli in July and a later peak for total coliforms in September, suggesting a temporal dissociation between these indicators in terms of groundwater quality, and highlighting the potential need to increase monitoring during certain periods of the year

Resilience and stability of a pelagic marine ecosystem

The accelerating loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services worldwide has accentuated a long-standing debate on the role of diversity in stabilizing ecological communities and has given rise to a field of research on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF). Although broad consensus has been reached regarding the positive BEF relationship, a number of important challenges remain unanswered. These primarily concern the underlying mechanisms by which diversity increases resilience and community stability, particularly the relative importance of statistical averaging and functional complementarity. Our understanding of these mechanisms relies heavily on theoretical and experimental studies, yet the degree to which theory adequately explains the dynamics and stability of natural ecosystems is largely unknown, especially in marine ecosystems. Using modelling and a unique 60-year dataset covering multiple trophic levels, we show that the pronounced multi-decadal variability of the Southern California Current System (SCCS) does not represent fundamental changes in ecosystem functioning, but a linear response to key environmental drivers channelled through bottom-up and physical control. Furthermore, we show strong temporal asynchrony between key species or functional groups within multiple trophic levels caused by opposite responses to these drivers. We argue that functional complementarity is the primary mechanism reducing community variability and promoting resilience and stability in the SCCS

Estimating Indoor PM2.5 and CO Concentrations in Households in Southern Nepal: The Nepal Cookstove Intervention Trials

High concentrations of household air pollution (HAP) due to biomass fuel usage with unvented, insufficient combustion devices are thought to be an important health risk factor in South Asia population. To better characterize the indoor concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO), and to understand their impact on health in rural southern Nepal, this study analyzed daily monitoring data collected with DataRAM pDR-1000 and LASCAR CO data logger in 2980 households using traditional biomass cookstove indoor through the Nepal Cookstove Intervention Trial–Phase I between March 2010 and October 2011. Daily average PM2.5 and CO concentrations collected in area near stove were 1,376 (95% CI, 1,331–1,423) μg/m3 and 10.9 (10.5–11.3) parts per million (ppm) among households with traditional cookstoves. The 95th percentile, hours above 100μg/m3 for PM2.5 or 6ppm for CO, and hours above 1000μg/m3 for PM2.5 or 9ppm for CO were also reported. An algorithm was developed to differentiate stove-influenced (SI) periods from non-stove-influenced (non-SI) periods in monitoring data. Average stove-influenced concentrations were 3,469 (3,350–3,588) μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 21.8 (21.1–22.6) ppm for CO. Dry season significantly increased PM2.5concentration in all metrics; wood was the cleanest fuel for PM2.5 and CO, while adding dung into the fuel increased concentrations of both pollutants. For studies in rural southern Nepal, CO concentration is not a viable surrogate for PM2.5 concentrations based on the low correlation between these measures. In sum, this study filled a gap in knowledge on HAP in rural Nepal using traditional cookstoves and revealed very high concentrations in these households

Guanabenz repurposed as an antiparasitic with activity against acute and latent toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that persists as a chronic infection. Toxoplasma evades immunity by forming tissue cysts, which reactivate to cause life-threatening disease during immune suppression. There is an urgent need to identify drugs capable of targeting these latent tissue cysts, which tend to form in the brain. We previously showed that translational control is critical during infections with both replicative and latent forms of Toxoplasma. Here we report that guanabenz, an FDA-approved drug that interferes with translational control, has antiparasitic activity against replicative stages of Toxoplasma and the related apicomplexan parasite Plasmodium falciparum (a malaria agent). We also found that inhibition of translational control interfered with tissue cyst biology in vitro. Toxoplasma bradyzoites present in these abnormal cysts were diminished and misconfigured, surrounded by empty space not seen in normal cysts. These findings prompted analysis of the efficacy of guanabenz in vivo by using established mouse models of acute and chronic toxoplasmosis. In addition to protecting mice from lethal doses of Toxoplasma, guanabenz has a remarkable ability to reduce the number of brain cysts in chronically infected mice. Our findings suggest that guanabenz can be repurposed into an effective antiparasitic with a unique ability to reduce tissue cysts in the brain

Beyond birth-weight: early growth and adolescent blood pressure in a Peruvian population

Background. Longitudinal investigations into the origins of adult essential hypertension have found elevated blood pressure in children to accurately track into adulthood, however the direct causes of essential hypertension in adolescence and adulthood remains unclear.Methods. We revisited 152 Peruvian adolescents from a birth cohort tracked from 0 to 30 months of age, and evaluated growth via monthly anthropometric measurements between 1995 and 1998, and obtained anthropometric and blood pressure measurements 11–14 years later. We used multivariable regression models to study the effects of infantile and childhood growth trends on blood pressure and central obesity in early adolescence.Results. In regression models adjusted for interim changes in weight and height, each 0.1 SD increase in weight for length from 0 to 5 months of age, and 1 SD increase from 6 to 30 months of age, was associated with decreased adolescent systolic blood pressure by 1.3 mm Hg (95% CI −2.4 to −0.1) and 2.5 mm Hg (95% CI −4.9 to 0.0), and decreased waist circumference by 0.6 (95% CI −1.1 to 0.0) and 1.2 cm (95% CI −2.3 to −0.1), respectively. Growth in infancy and early childhood was not significantly associated with adolescent waist-to-hip ratio.Conclusions. Rapid compensatory growth in early life has been posited to increase the risk of long-term cardiovascular morbidities such that nutritional interventions may do more harm than good. However, we found increased weight growth during infancy and early childhood to be associated with decreased systolic blood pressure and central adiposity in adolescence

Addressing geographical variation in the progression of non-communicable diseases in Peru: the CRONICAS cohort study protocol

Background The rise in non-communicable diseases in developing countries has gained increased attention. Given that around 80% of deaths related to non-communicable diseases occur in low- and middle-income countries, there is a need for local knowledge to address such problems. Longitudinal studies can provide valuable information about disease burden of non-communicable diseases in Latin America to inform both public health and clinical settings. Methods The CRONICAS cohort is a longitudinal study performed in three Peruvian settings that differ by degree of urbanisation, level of outdoor and indoor pollution and altitude. The author sought to enrol an age- and sex-stratified random sample of 1000 participants at each site. Study procedures include questionnaires on socio-demographics and well-known risk factors for cardiopulmonary disease, blood draw, anthropometry and body composition, blood pressure and spirometry before and after bronchodilators. All participants will be visited at baseline, at 20 and 40 months. A random sample of 100 households at each site will be assessed for 24 h particulate matter concentration. Primary outcomes include prevalence of risk factors for cardiopulmonary diseases, changes in blood pressure and blood glucose over time and decline in lung function. Discussion There is an urgent need to characterise the prevalence and burden of non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries. Peru is a middle-income country currently undergoing a rapid epidemiological transition. This longitudinal study will provide valuable information on cardiopulmonary outcomes in three different settings and will provide a platform to address potential interventions that are locally relevant or applicable to other similar settings in Latin America