196,153 research outputs found
Preliminary study about paraoxonase activity In canine serum : correlation between crp and paraoxonase acute phase proteins
No full textSerum paraoxonase 1 activity in dogs: preanalytical and analytical factors and correlation with C-reactive protein and alpha-2-globulin
No full textBackground: Serum activity of paraoxonase (PON1) decreases during inflammation in many species. Little information is available on paraoxon-based tests and the possible role of PON1 in dogs. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to validate an automated paraoxon-based assay to measure PON1 activity in canine serum, to determine its stability under different storage conditions, to determine a reference interval (RI) in healthy dogs, and to assess whether PON1 is of comparable diagnostic value as C-reactive protein (CRP) and α2-globulins. Methods: Intra-assay and inter-assay imprecision, linearity under dilution (LUD), interference, and storage artifacts were evaluated. A PON1 RI was determined for healthy dogs, and PON1 activity, sensitivity, and specificity were compared with CRP and α2-globulins. Results: Intra- and inter-assay CVs were below 1.6% and 7.8%, respectively. The LUD test fitted the linear model. PON1 activity measurements were increased after addition of hemolysates and lipids, and after storage for 12 hours at room temperature, 72 hours at 4°C, and 6 months at -20°C. PON1 activity and CRP or α2-globulins did not correlate well. PON1 activity decreased significantly only in dogs with very high CRP concentrations. In contrast to CRP and α2-globulins, PON1 activity was not significantly different between dogs with and without inflammation. Conclusions: The automated paraoxon-based method to assess serum canine PON1 activity was accurate and precise, but it was influenced by hemolysis, lipemia, and standard storage conditions. In this study, contrarily to CRP and α2-globulins, PON1 activity did not provide diagnostic value as a negative acute phase protein in dogs
Dr. Duane M. Jackson, Morehouse College, July 2011
No full textThis video is a conversation with Dr. Duane M. Jackson. Dr. Jackson talks about his paper, "Recall and the Serial Position Effect: The Role of Primacy and Recency on Accounting Students' Performance." Jackie Daniel, AUC Woodruff Library, is the interviewer
Characterizing autonomic response to arousing visual-auditory multi-modal task in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
No full textSensory abnormalities are widespread in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, their definition is still quite subjective and vague. Here we propose a novel approach for characterization of Autonomic Nervous System responses to sensory stimulation based on electrocardiogram (ECG) assessment. In particular, we develop a preliminary study where autonomic responses of both autistic (ASD = 5) and neurotypical (NT = 5) participants have been evaluated in terms of changes in responsiveness to repeated stimuli. Autonomic control has been estimated via high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) and low-frequency HRV (LF-HRV). Results show significant differences among groups for the HRV measures (p value = 0.0158), supported by expected changes of HF (p value = 0.0079) and LF (p value = 0.0079) trends over stimulations. We thus conclude that an overall decrease in autonomic arousal can give important insights for devising new habituation metrics in NT and ASD individuals
"Reflections on the subject of Emigration from Europe with a view to Settlement in the United States" By M. Carey.
No full text"Reflections on the subject of Emigration from Europe with a view to Settlement in the United States: containing bried sketches of the moral and political character of those states.
By M. Carey, member of the American philosophical, and of the American Antiquarian Society, and author of The Olive Branch, Cindiciae Hibernicae, essays on banking, on political economy, and on internal improvement.
To which are now added the English editor's comments on the subject; together with Important Advice to Emigrants, and Cautions Against Impositions Practiced in the Outports
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Dr. Glendon Swarthout
No full textHosted by Roger M. Busfield, MSU Assistant Professor of Speech and Theater, Meet the Author is designed to introduce a general audience to a contemporary author and their work through in-depth interviews. This episode features a conversation between Dr. Glendon Swarthout, prolific author and English professor at MSU, and assistant professors Sam S. Baskett and Theodore B. Strandness
Assessment of the Autonomic Response to Sensory Stimulation in Autism Spectrum Disorder
No full textDefined as the ability of the nervous systems to reduce their response over repeated stimulation, habituation inflects its parameters in terms of frequency, intensity, recovery and anticipation of responses. Although its concepts have developed from the study of the Central Nervous System (CNS) in processing stimuli at the cortical level, we aim at defining habituation from an autonomic point of view, via heart rate and heart rate variability assessments. To this extent, by using a point-process approach, we devise a novel Autonomic Reactivity Function (ARF) describing the time-varying Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) response in terms of intensity and anticipation, whose reduction (or increment) over repeated stimuli can be ascribed to habituating (or sensitizating) patterns. We tested the mathematical formalization of such metrics in both neurotypical subjects and children with autism spectrum disorder. By eliciting autonomic responses via multisensory stimulation, we collected electrocardiography (ECG) signals, pulled ARFs out from them and performed the Persons coefficient between autonomic habituation metrics and participants sensory profiles and disorder severeness. Results show a relevant positive correlation with Short Sensory Profile (SSP-2) questionnaire (60%) and with Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) questionnaire (76%)
Simulation of thermal plant optimization and hydraulic aspects of thermal distribution loops for large campuses
No full textFollowing an introduction, the author describes Texas A&M University and its utilities system. After that, the author presents how to construct simulation models for chilled water and heating hot water distribution systems. The simulation model was used in a $2.3 million Ross Street chilled water pipe replacement project at Texas A&M University. A second project conducted at the University of Texas at San Antonio was used as an example to demonstrate how to identify and design an optimal distribution system by using a simulation model. The author found that the minor losses of these closed loop thermal distribution systems are significantly higher than potable water distribution systems. In the second part of the report, the author presents the latest development of software called the Plant Optimization Program, which can simulate cogeneration plant operation, estimate its operation cost and provide optimized operation suggestions. The author also developed detailed simulation models for a gas turbine and heat recovery steam generator and identified significant potential savings. Finally, the author also used a steam turbine as an example to present a multi-regression method on constructing simulation models by using basic statistics and optimization algorithms. This report presents a survey of the author??s working experience at the Energy Systems Laboratory (ESL) at Texas A&M University during the period of January 2002 through March 2004. The purpose of the above work was to allow the author to become familiar with the practice of engineering. The result is that the author knows how to complete a project from start to finish and understands how both technical and nontechnical aspects of a project need to be considered in order to ensure a quality deliverable and bring a project to successful completion. This report concludes that the objectives of the internship were successfully accomplished and that the requirements for the degree of Degree of Engineering have been satisfied
Intern experience at CH���M Hill, Inc.: an internship report
No full textIncludes author's vita"Submitted to the College of Engineering of Texas A&M University in partial
fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Engineering."Includes bibliographical referencesA review of the author's internship experience with CH���M HILL, Inc.
during the period September 1975 through May 1976 is presented. During this nine month
internship the author worked as an Engineer II in the Industrial Processes discipline of this
large consulting engineering firm... The author's prime responsibility was as one of three
lead design engineers on the design of a large wastewater treatment facility for a pulp mill
in Hoquiam, Washington owned by ITT Rayonier Inc. The work generally consisted of the design
of individual treatment units and associated piping and pumping. The purpose of the project
was to provide wastewater treatment capabilities that would satisfy the effluent limitations
(standards) imposed upon the mill by the State of Washington Department of Ecology and the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The author's assignment also entailed necessary
interaction with the project manager and other CH���M HILL design engineers and support staff
members, the client's representatives, and representatives of two other consulting engineering
firms working on the project. Thus, the internship position at CH���M HILL provided considerable
experience coordinating the author's work with the work of other engineers, guiding the design
and administrative efforts of a support staff, and interacting regularly with the client and
other consulting firms. This broad exposure to a variety of engineering and organizational
problems provided a valuable educational experience
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