Dimethyl Acetals, an Indirect Marker of the Endogenous Antioxidant Plasmalogen Level, are Reduced in Blood Lipids of Sudanese Pre-eclamptic Subjects whose Background Diet is High in Carbohydrate

In Sudanese women with (n = 60) and without (n = 65) pre-eclampsia, circulating lipids, plasma and red cell saturated and monounsaturated fatty (MUFA) acids and dimethyl acetals (DMAs) were investigated. DMAs are an indirect marker of levels of plasmalogens, endogenous antioxidants, which play a critical role in oxidative protection, and cholesterol homeostasis. The pre-eclamptics had higher C18:1n-9 (p < 0.001) and ΣMUFA (p < 0.01) in plasma free fatty acids, C16:1n-7, C18:1n-9, ΣMUFA; 16:0/16:1n-7 (p < 0.01) in erythrocyte choline phosphoglycerides (ePC) and 16:1n-7, 18:1n-7 and 16:0/16:1n-7 (p < 0.01) in erythrocyte ethanolamine phosphoglycerides (ePE). In contrast, the DMAs 18:0, 18:1 and ΣDMAs in ePE, and 16:0, 18:0 and ΣDMAs in ePC were reduced (p < 0.001) in the pre-eclamptic women. This study of pregnant women with high carbohydrate and low fat background diet suggests pre-eclampsia is associated with oxidative stress and enhanced activity of the microsomal enzyme stearyl-CoA desaturase (delta 9 desaturase), as assessed by palmitic/palmitoleic (C16:0/C16:n-1) and stearic/oleic (C18/C18:1n-9) ratios.

Indirect Effects of Parental Coping on Children’s Psychosocial Adjustment in the Context of Pediatric Cancer

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08

'Enhanced Direct and Indirect Genetic Algorithm Approaches for a Mall Layout and Tenant Selection Problem'

During our earlier research, it was recognised that in order to be successful with an indirect genetic algorithm approach using a decoder, the decoder has to strike a balance between being an optimiser in its own right and finding feasible solutions. Previously this balance was achieved manually. Here we extend this by presenting an automated approach where the genetic algorithm itself, simultaneously to solving the problem, sets weights to balance the components out. Subsequently we were able to solve a complex and non-linear scheduling problem better than with a standard direct genetic algorithm implementation.

Measurements of small ice crystals in arctic cirrus: observations from the Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign (ISDAC)

In-situ observations on the size and shape of particles in arctic cirrus are less common than those in mid-latitude and tropical cirrus with considerable uncertainty about the contributions of small ice crystals (maximum dimension D<50 µm) to the mass and radiative properties that impact radiative forcing. In situ measurements of small ice crystals in arctic cirrus were made during the Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign (ISDAC) in April 2008 during transits of the National Research Council of Canada Convair-580 between Fairbanks and Barrow, Alaska and during Mixed Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment (MPACE) in October 2004 with the University of North Dakota (UND) Citation over Barrow, Alaska. Concentrations of small ice crystals with D < 50 μm from a Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer (CAS), a Cloud Droplet Probe (CDP), a Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe (FSSP), and a two-dimensional stereo probe (2DS) were compared as functions of the concentrations of crystals with D > 100 μm measured by a Cloud Imaging Probe (CIP) and two-dimensional stereo probe (2DS) in order to assess whether the shattering of large ice crystals on protruding components of different probes artificially amplified measurements of small ice crystal concentrations. The dependence of the probe comparison on other variables as CIP N>100 (number concentrations greater than diameter D>100 μm),temperature, relative humidity respect to ice (RHice), dominant habit from the Cloud Particle Imager (CPI), aircraft roll, pitch, true air speed and angle of attack was examined to understand potential causes of discrepancies between probe concentrations. Data collected by these probes were also compared against the data collected by a CAS, CDP and CIP during the Tropical Warm Pool-International Cloud Experiment (TWP-ICE) and by a CAS and 2DS during the Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling (TC4) missions. During ISDAC, the CAS and FSSP both overestimated measurements of small ice crystals compared to both the CDP and 2DS by 1-2 orders of magnitude. Further, the amount of overestimation increased with the concentrations from the CIP2 (N>100 > 0.1 L-1). There was an unexplained discrepancy in concentrations of small crystals between the CDP and 2DS during ISDAC. In addition, there was a strong dependence on RHice of the average ratios of the N3-50, CAS/N3-50,CDP, N3-50, FSSP096/N3-50,CDP, N3-50, CAS/N3-50,FSSP096, N10-50, CDP/N3-50,2DS, N10-50, FSSP096/N10-50,2DS. Continued studies are needed to understand the discrepancy of these probes.

A noise simulator for eLISA: Migrating LISA Pathfinder knowledge to the eLISA mission

We present a new technical simulator for the eLISA mission, based on state space modeling techniques and developed in MATLAB. This simulator computes the coordinate and velocity over time of each body involved in the constellation, i.e. the spacecraft and its test masses, taking into account the different disturbances and actuations. This allows studying the contribution of instrumental noises and system imperfections on the residual acceleration applied on the TMs, the latter reflecting the performance of the achieved free-fall along the sensitive axis. A preliminary version of the results is presented.