Associations between apolipoprotein e genotype and circulating F-2-isoprostane levels in humans

Apolipoprotein E (apoE), an important determinant of plasma lipoprotein metabolism, has three common alleles (ε 2, ε 3, and ε 4). Population studies have shown that the risk of diseases characterized by oxidative damage, such as coronary heart disease and Alzheimer's disease, is significantly higher in ε 4 carriers. We evaluated the association between apoE genotypes and plasma F-2-isoprostane levels, an index of lipid peroxidation, in humans. Two hundred seventy-four healthy subjects (104 males, 170 females; 46.9 ± 13.0 yr; 200 whites, 74 blacks; 81 nonsmokers, 64 passive smokers, and 129 active smokers) recruited for a randomized clinical antioxidant intervention trial were included in this analysis. ApoE genotype was determined by PCR and restriction enzyme digestion. Free plasma F2-isoprostane was measured by GC-MS. Genotype groups were compared using multiple regression analysis with adjustment for sex, age, race, smoking status, body mass index, plasma ascorbic acid, and β-carotene. Subjects with ε 3/ε 4 and ε 4/ε 4 genotype (ε 4-carriers) and with ε 2/ε 3 and ε 3/ε 3 (non-ε 4-carriers) were pooled for analysis. In subjects with high cholesterol levels (total cholesterol above 200 mg/dl), plasma F-2-isoprostane levels were 29% higher in ε 4 carriers than in non-ε 4-carriers (P= 0.0056). High-cholesterol subjects that are ε 4 carriers have significantly higher levels of lipid peroxidation as assessed by circulating F-2-isoprostane levels.

Circulating triacylglycerol and apoE levels in response to EPA and docosahexaenoic acid supplementation in adult human subjects

High doses of n-3 PUFA found in fish oils can reduce the circulating concentration of triacylglycerol (TG), which may contribute to the positive impact of these fatty acids on the risk of CVD. The present study aimed to establish the differential impact of EPA and docosahexaenoic (DHA) on plasma lipids and apo in adults. Forty-two normolipidaemic adult subjects completed a double-blind placebo controlled parallel study, receiving an EPA-rich oil (4.8 g EPA/d), DHA-rich oil (4.9 g DHA/d) or olive oil as control, for a period of 4 weeks. No effects of treatment on total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol or HDL-cholesterol were evident. There was a significant 22% reduction in TG level relative to the control value following the DHA treatment (P=0.032), with the 15% decrease in the EPA group failing to reach significance (P=0-258). There were no significant inter-group differences in response to treatment for plasma apoA1, -C3 or -E levels, although a significant 15% within-group increase in apoE was evident in the EPA (P=0.006) and DHA (P=0.003) groups. In addition, a within-group decrease in the apoAI:HDL-cholesterol ratio was observed in the DHA group, suggesting a positive impact of DHA on HDL particle size. The DHA intervention resulted in a significant increase in the proportion of EPA P=0.000 and DHA P=0.000 in plasma phospholipids, whilst significant increases in EPA P=0.000 and docosapentacnoic acid P=0.002, but not DHA P=0.193, were evident following EPA supplementation (P<0.05). Our present results indicate that DHA may be more efficacious than EPA in improving the plasma lipid profile.

Disparity with respect to a local reference plane as a dominant cue for stereoscopic depth relief

Earlier studies showed that the disparity with respect to other visible points could not explain stereoacuity performance, nor could various spatial derivatives of disparity [Glennerster, A., McKee, S. P., & Birch, M. D. (2002). Evidence of surface-based processing of binocular disparity. Current Biology, 12:825-828; Petrov, Y., & Glennerster, A. (2004). The role of the local reference in stereoscopic detection of depth relief. Vision Research, 44:367-376.] Two possible cues remain: (i) local changes in disparity gradient or (ii) disparity with respect to an interpolated line drawn through the reference points. Here, we aimed to distinguish between these two cues. Subjects judged.. in a two AFC paradigm, whether a target dot was in front of a plane defined by three reference dots or, in other experiments, in front of a line defined by two reference dots. We tested different slants of the reference line or plane and different locations of the target relative to the reference points. For slanted reference lines or plane, stereoacuity changed little as the target position was varied. For judgments relative to a frontoparallel reference line, stereoacuity did vary with target position, but less than would be predicted by disparity gradient change. This provides evidence that disparity with respect to the reference plane is an important cue. We discuss the potential advantages of this measure in generating a representation of surface relief that is invariant to viewpoint transformations. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pronominal and anaphoric reference in agrammatism

Subjects with Broca's aphasia have been shown to display difficulties in on-line and off-line tasks involving personal pronouns and reflexives. Off-line tasks have indicated more errors with pronouns than with reflexives while the reverse has been found in on-line studies. In the present off-line study, the comprehension of sentences containing personal pronouns and reflexives is examined in a group of 10 agrammatic participants. Results indicate that subjects had difficulties with both pronouns and reflexives, particularly with reflexives in sentences that contained a quantificational antecedent, as well as with pronouns in exceptional case marking constructions. It is argued that the low performance that subjects exhibited as a group in pronouns and reflexives indicates two distinct impairments, one that concerns coreference and one that concerns A-dependencies, the latter being a manifestation of a general processing failure to link positions. Poor performance on exceptional case marking constructions compared to simple transitive sentences is claimed to be interpreted within theories for reference assignment that distinguish between the two sentence types. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Building integration photovoltaic module with reference to Ghana: using triple junction amorphous silicon

This paper assesses the potential for using building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) roof shingles made from triple-junction amorphous silicon (3a-Si) for electrification and as a roofing material in tropical countries, such as Accra, Ghana. A model roof was constructed using triple-junction amorphous (3a-Si) PV on one section and conventional roofing tiles on the other. The performance of the PV module and tiles were measured, over a range of ambient temperatures and solar irradiance. PVSyst (a computer design software) was used to determine the most appropriate angle of tilt. It was observed that 3a-Si performs well in conditions such as Accra, because it is insensitive to high temperatures. Building integration gives security benefits, and reduces construction costs and embodied energy, compared to freestanding PV systems. Again, it serves as a means of protection from salt spray from the oceans and works well even when shaded. However, compared to conventional roofing materials, 3a-Si would increase the indoor temperature by 1-2 °C depending on the surface area of the roof covered with the PV modules. The results presented in this research enhance the understanding of varying factors involved in the selection of an appropriate method of PV installation to offset the short falls of the conventional roofing material in Ghana.

Short tandem repeat profiling provides an international reference standard for human cell lines

Cross-contamination between cell lines is a longstanding and frequent cause of scientific misrepresentation. Estimates from national testing services indicate that up to 36% of cell lines are of a different origin or species to that claimed. To test a standard method of cell line authentication, 253 human cell lines from banks and research institutes worldwide were analyzed by short tandem repeat profiling. The short tandem repeat profile is a simple numerical code that is reproducible between laboratories, is inexpensive, and can provide an international reference standard for every cell line. If DNA profiling of cell lines is accepted and demanded internationally, scientific misrepresentation because of cross-contamination can be largely eliminated.

Effects of dietary fatty acid composition on basal and hormonestimulated hepatic lipogenesis and on circulating lipids in the rat

Thirty male rats were randomly assigned to one of three dietary groups in which the source of dietary fat was either a mixed oil, maize oil or fish oil. Effects of dietary fatty acid composition on in virro rates of [U-'4C]glucose incorporation into hepatic total lipids and into hepatic triacylglycerol were measured under basal, insulin (4 nM)-, gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP; 6 mi)- and insulin + GIP (4 nM + 6 n ~ ) - stimulated conditions. Effects of the three diets on postprandial plasma triacylglycerol, cholesterol, insulin and GIP concentrations were also measured. The fish-oil diet decreased rates of basal glucose incorporation into hepatic total lipids (P < 0.05) and hepatic triacylglycerol (P < 0.01) compared with the mixed-oil diet. The presence of insulin + GIP in the incubation medium stimulated glucose incorporation into hepatic total lipids in the maize-oil (P < 0.01) and fish-oil groups (P < OW), as well as into hepatic triacylglycerol in the maize-oil group (P < 0.005). In addition, the fish-oil diet decreased postprandial plasma triacylglycerol levels compared with both other dietary groups (P < 0-05 both cases), and the mixed-oil diet markedly increased postprandial plasma insulin levels compared with the other dietary groups (P c 0.001).

Automatic tuning of PID controllers using model reference adaptive control techniques

This paper discusses the application of model reference adaptive control concepts to the automatic tuning of PID controllers. The effectiveness of the proposed method is shown through simulated applications. The gradient approach and simulated examples are provided.

PID autotuning using neural networks and model reference adaptive control

This paper describes the application of artificial neural networks for automatic tuning of PID controllers using the Model Reference Adaptive Control approach. The effectiveness of the proposed method is shown through a simulated application.

When's your birthday? The self-reference effect in retrieval of dates

Material encoded with reference to the self is better remembered. One interpretation of this effect is that the self operates to organise retrieval of memories. We were motivated to find out whether this organisational principle extended to everyday information and for material not explicitly related to the self. Participants generated friends' birthdays from memory and then gave their own birthday. We found that participants were particularly likely to recall birthdays from on or around the date of their own birthday. Thus, memory for birthdays clusters around self-relevant information, even when there is no specific attempt to recall self-related material. Birthdays clustered somewhat around the time of testing, important dates in the calendar, and for a close other, but not to the extent of the participants' birthdays. We suggest this is a demonstration of the organisational structure of the self in memory. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.