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PubMed2002

External contribution to urban air pollution.

Elevated particulate matter concentrations in urban locations have normally been associated with local traffic emissions. Recently it has been suggested that such episodes are influenced to a high degree by PM10 sources external to urban areas. To further corroborate this hypothesis, linear regression was sought between PM10 concentrations measured at eight urban sites in the U.K., with particulate sulphate concentration measured at two rural sites, for the years 1993-1997. Analysis of the slopes, intercepts and correlation coefficients indicate a possible relationship between urban PM10 and rural sulphate concentrations. The influences of wind direction and of the distance of the urban from the rural sites on the values of the three statistical parameters are also explored. The value of linear regression as an analysis tool in such cases is discussed and it is shown that an analysis of the sign of the rate of change of the urban PM10 and rural sulphate concentrations provides a more realistic method of correlation. The results indicate a major influence on urban PM10 concentrations from the eastern side of the United Kingdom. Linear correlation was also sought using PM10 data from nine urban sites in London and nearby rural Rochester. Analysis of the magnitude of the gradients and intercepts together with episode correlation analysis between the two sites showed the effect of transported PM10 on the local London concentrations. This article also presents methods to estimate the influence of rural and urban PM10 sources on urban PM10 concentrations and to obtain a rough estimate of the transboundary contribution to urban air pollution from the PM10 concentration data of the urban site.

Air Movements↗
PubMed1991

Composition of solar flare noble gases preserved in meteorite parent body regolith.

The isotopic composition (long-term average) of solar flare (SF) Ne has been determined by three isotope correlation techniques applied to data measured on chemically etched pyroxene separates prepared from the Kapoeta meteorite, which is known to contain implanted solar gases. The SF 20Ne/22Ne ratio obtained is 11.6 +/- 0.2 and confirms previous determinations of this SF ratio in lunar and meteoritic samples. The same SF Ne composition is also obtained by applying an ordinate intercept technique to the same data set. The ordinate intercept technique was also applied to the Ar and He data, on which the three-isotope correlation technique cannot be applied. The isotopic composition of SF Ar and SF He so obtained are SF 36Ar/38Ar = 4.9 +/- 0.1 and SF 4He/3He = 3800 +/- 200, which are significantly different from the solar wind (SW) Ar and SW He values of approximately 5.35 and approximately 2500, respectively. Correlation between 20Ne/22Ne and 36Ar/38Ar for the same data set also gives a similar SF 36Ar/38Ar ratio of 4.8 +/- 0.2. The determined SF He, Ne and Ar isotopic ratios differ from those in SW by 52%, 17% and 9%, respectively, but the elemental compositions of 4He/36Ar and 20Ne/36Ar do not show obvious differences between SF and SW. The concentration of the SF component in Kapoeta pyroxenes is approximately 20% that of the SW component, which is orders of magnitude higher than expected from SW and SF proton flux measurements. Variations in elemental and isotopic composition of He, Ne and Ar in SF relative to SW are found to correlate well with a (Z/A)2 dependence, indicating a rigidity-dependent particle spectrum in solar flares.

Argon↗
PubMed1996

Anticipating arrival: is the tau margin a specious theory?

A critical review is presented of previous studies that have examined the use of the tau margin (tau m) in the temporal judgment of arrival in natural contexts. This body of evidence is frequently cited as providing strong support for the use of Tau m for interceptive timing. Critical flaws are demonstrated in either the analysis or interpretation of many of these studies. It is suggested that temporal control in a number of these experiments could have been effected using a relative distance estimate (zeta ratio). Results are also presented and discussed that conflict with the tau m control hypothesis. It is concluded that although the tau m hypothesis provides an appealing account of interceptive timing, its broad acceptance is unwarranted on the evidence available.

Acceleration↗
PubMed2002

The optic trajectory is not a lot of use if you want to catch the ball.

According to linear optic trajectory (LOT) theory, fielders use the direction of curvature of theoptic trajectory to control the way they run to intercept the ball. Data presented by D. M. Shaffer and M. K. McBeath (2002) as support for LOT theory show that the optic trajectory of balls that will fall behind the fielder provide the cue that LOT theory predicts would send the fielder running forward, not backward. In this article, the authors show that watching these balls would provide the fielder with the cue that the optic acceleration cancellation (OAC) theory of interception predicts would send the fielder running backward. It appears that the fielders studied by Shaffer and McBeath were following the cue predicted by OAC theory, not that predicted by LOT theory.

Cues↗
PubMed1994

Receiver-operating characteristics in recognition memory: evidence for a dual-process model.

Evidence is presented that recognition judgments are based on an assessment of familiarity, as is described by signal detection theory, but that a separate recollection process also contributes to performance. In 3 receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) experiments, the process dissociation procedure was used to examine the contribution of these processes to recognition memory. In Experiments 1 and 2, reducing the length of the study list increased the intercept (d') but decreased the slope of the ROC and increased the probability of recollection but left familiarity relatively unaffected. In Experiment 3, increasing study time increased the intercept but left the slope of the ROC unaffected and increased both recollection and familiarity. In all 3 experiments, judgments based on familiarity produced a symmetrical ROC (slope = 1), but recollection introduced a skew such that the slope of the ROC decreased.

Humans↗
PubMed1982

Retrieval processes in continuous recognition.

The accuracy and response latency of yes/no recognition decisions were measured in three experiments by the continuous recognition paradigm. The principal independent variable was lag, or the number of intervening items between target presentations. Lag was varied from 0 to 40. A logarithmic function provided a good description of the relation between lag and correct response latency. Item repetition affected the intercept of the logarithmic functions, with little effect on the slope. A noun/nonnoun stimulus manipulation affected the slope of the functions with no appreciable effect on the intercept. The latter result was obtained both for once-repeated and twice-repeated item functions, and both when the stimulus manipulation was a between-lists variable (Experiment 2) and a within-lists variable (Experiment 3). The results were found to be incompatible with Atkinson and Juola's (1973) model and Murdock's (1974) conveyor-belt model. The retrieval theory of Ratcliff (1978) and the multiple-observations model of Pike, Dalgleish, and Wright (1977) provide the most satisfactory account of the present results. However, both models may have difficulty in accounting for the obtained repetition effects.

Form Perception↗
PubMed2003

Differential prediction and the use of multiple predictors: the omitted variables problem.

Moderated regression is widely used to examine differential prediction by race or gender. When using multiple predictors in a selection system, guidance as to whether differential prediction analysis should be conducted on each predictor individually, or on the set of predictors in combination, is lacking. Analyzing predictors individually creates the possibility of an omitted variable problem. Army Project A data were used to examine differential prediction by race with the use of personality measures for 79 predictor-criterion combinations. Traditional analysis indicated predictive bias by intercept in 45 instances and by slope in 7 instances; the inclusion of an Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery general factor as an additional predictor changed the conclusion in 32 cases for the intercept and in 3 cases for the slope.

Forecasting↗
PubMed2003

Time-to-contact estimation of accelerated stimuli is based on first-order information.

The goal of this study was to test whether 1st-order information, which does not account for acceleration, is used (a) to estimate the time to contact (TTC) of an accelerated stimulus after the occlusion of a final part of its trajectory and (b) to indirectly intercept an accelerated stimulus with a thrown projectile. Both tasks require the production of an action on the basis of predictive information acquired before the arrival of the stimulus at the target and allow the experimenter to make quantitative predictions about the participants' use (or nonuse) of 1st-order information. The results show that participants do not use information about acceleration and that they commit errors that rely quantitatively on 1st-order information even when acceleration is psychophysically detectable. In the indirect interceptive task, action is planned about 200 ms before the initiation of the movement, at which time the 1st-order TTC attains a critical value.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Putting the individual back into individual growth curves.

Scaling of time (age) in latent growth curve (LGC) models has important implications for studies of development. When participants begin a study at different ages, sample means and covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) approaches produce biased estimates of the variance of the intercept and the covariance between the Intercept and Slope factors. However, individual data vector-based SEM approaches produce proper estimates of these parameters that are identical to those produced by multilevel modeling (MLM). Scaling of the time variable also raises issues regarding the interpretation of within- and between-persons effects of time that parallel those associated with centering of predictor variables in MLM. A numerical example is used to illustrate these issues, and an Mx script for fitting individual data vector-based LGC models is provided.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Psychophysics: how fielders arrive in time to catch the ball.

Tracking an object moving in three dimensions, whether as an insect pursuing a mate on the wing or as a batsman aiming to hit an approaching ball, provides the spatial and temporal information needed to intercept it. Here we show how fielders use such tracking signals to arrive at the right place in time to catch a ball - they run so that their angle of gaze elevation to the ball increases at a decreasing rate while their horizontal gaze angle to the ball increases at a constant rate (unless the distance to be run is small). Allowing the horizontal angle to increase minimizes the acceleration that the fielder must achieve to reach the interception point at the same time as the ball.

Humans↗
PubMed1990

Graphical analysis of reversible radioligand binding from time-activity measurements applied to [N-11C-methyl]-(-)-cocaine PET studies in human subjects.

A graphical method of analysis applicable to ligands that bind reversibly to receptors or enzymes requiring the simultaneous measurement of plasma and tissue radioactivities for multiple times after the injection of a radiolabeled tracer is presented. It is shown that there is a time t after which a plot of integral of t0ROI(t')dt'/ROI(t) versus integral of t0Cp(t')dt'/ROI(t) (where ROI and Cp are functions of time describing the variation of tissue radioactivity and plasma radioactivity, respectively) is linear with a slope that corresponds to the steady-state space of the ligand plus the plasma volume,.Vp. For a two-compartment model, the slope is given by lambda + Vp, where lambda is the partition coefficient and the intercept is -1/[kappa 2(1 + Vp/lambda)]. For a three-compartment model, the slope is lambda(1 + Bmax/Kd) + Vp and the intercept is -[1 + Bmax/Kd)/k2 + [koff(1 + Kd/Bmax)]-1) [1 + Vp/lambda(1 + Bmax/Kd)]-1 (where Bmax represents the concentration of ligand binding sites and Kd the equilibrium dissociation constant of the ligand-binding site complex, koff (k4) the ligand-binding site dissociation constant, and k2 is the transfer constant from tissue to plasma). This graphical method provides the ratio Bmax/Kd from the slope for comparison with in vitro measures of the same parameter. It also provides an easy, rapid method for comparison of the reproducibility of repeated measures in a single subject, for longitudinal or drug intervention protocols, or for comparing experimental results between subjects. Although the linearity of this plot holds when ROI/Cp is constant, it can be shown that, for many systems, linearity is effectively reached some time before this. This analysis has been applied to data from [N-methyl-11C]-(-)-cocaine ([11C]cocaine) studies in normal human volunteers and the results are compared to the standard nonlinear least-squares analysis. The calculated value of Bmax/Kd for the high-affinity binding site for cocaine is 0.62 +/- 0.20, in agreement with literature values.

Brain↗
PubMed2006

Plant litter decomposition in a semi-arid ecosystem controlled by photodegradation.

The carbon balance in terrestrial ecosystems is determined by the difference between inputs from primary production and the return of carbon to the atmosphere through decomposition of organic matter. Our understanding of the factors that control carbon turnover in water-limited ecosystems is limited, however, as studies of litter decomposition have shown contradictory results and only a modest correlation with precipitation. Here we evaluate the influence of solar radiation, soil biotic activity and soil resource availability on litter decomposition in the semi-arid Patagonian steppe using the results of manipulative experiments carried out under ambient conditions of rainfall and temperature. We show that intercepted solar radiation was the only factor that had a significant effect on the decomposition of organic matter, with attenuation of ultraviolet-B and total radiation causing a 33 and 60 per cent reduction in decomposition, respectively. We conclude that photodegradation is a dominant control on above-ground litter decomposition in this semi-arid ecosystem. Losses through photochemical mineralization may represent a short-circuit in the carbon cycle, with a substantial fraction of carbon fixed in plant biomass being lost directly to the atmosphere without cycling through soil organic matter pools. Furthermore, future changes in radiation interception due to decreased cloudiness, increased stratospheric ozone depletion, or reduced vegetative cover may have a more significant effect on the carbon balance in these water-limited ecosystems than changes in temperature or precipitation.

Argentina↗
PubMed2000

Comparison of zinc reduction with platinum reduction for analysis of deuterium-enriched water samples for the doubly labeled water technique.

OBJECTIVE: Isotope ratio mass spectrometry of hydrogen and oxygen is frequently used to determine total energy expenditure (TEE) using doubly labeled water. Conventionally, hydrogen isotope ratio is determined in hydrogen gas generated from water samples using zinc reduction. We compare this with a new automated platinum method to determine the ratios of hydrogen isotopes in deuterium-enriched water samples. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The platinum method of sample preparation was compared with the zinc method in three ways: analytical variation in deuterium enrichment (within sample; n = 51), analytical variation in TEE estimates (within sample set; n = 10), and level of agreement of TEE estimates between both methods (n = 14). RESULTS: For the zinc method, the standard deviation for multiple sets of triplicate 2H2O sample analysis was +/-4.36 per thousand and +/-2.07 per thousand for platinum. The correlation between TEE estimates when sample sets were analyzed in duplicate was r = 0.89 for zinc and r = 0.83 for platinum. The intercept and slope of the regression line were significantly different from the line of identity for duplicate TEE estimates by zinc but were not different from the line of identity for platinum. After correction for the intra-assay variation of each method, the correlation between zinc and platinum for TEE was 0.77, and the intercept, but not the slope, of the regression was significantly different from the line of identity. The mean difference between the zinc method and the platinum method was 56 kcal/day, and the 95% confidence interval was -438 to 550 kcal/day. DISCUSSION: These data suggest that the platinum method is at least as reliable as the zinc method as a sample preparation technique for isotope ratio mass spectrometry of deuterium-enriched water samples. The platinum method is also less costly and less labor-intensive than the zinc method.

Autoanalysis↗
PubMed2004

The yellow agouti mutation alters some but not all responses to diet and exercise.

OBJECTIVE: Effects of ectopic expression of the agouti signaling protein were studied on responses to diet restriction and exercise in C57BL/6J (B6) mice and obese B6 mice congenic for the yellow agouti mutation [B6.Cg-Ay (Ay)]. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Adult male Ay mice were either kept sedentary or exercised on a running wheel and fed ad libitum or diet restricted until weight matched to ad libitum-fed B6 control mice. Body composition, plasma lipids, leptin, and adiponectin were measured. mRNA levels for leptin, adiponectin, lipoprotein lipase, and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 were measured in a visceral (epididymal) and a subcutaneous (femoral) fat depot by real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Correlations among traits exhibited one of three patterns: similar lines for B6 and Ay mice, different slopes for B6 and Ay mice, and/or different intercepts for B6 and Ay mice. Correlations involving plasma leptin, mesenteric and epididymal adipose weights, or low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol were most likely to have different slopes and/or intercepts in B6 and Ay mice. mRNA levels for leptin, Acrp30, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4, and lipoprotein lipase in epididymal adipose tissue were not correlated with corresponding levels in femoral adipose tissue. DISCUSSION: The agouti protein interferes with leptin signaling at melanocortin receptors in the hypothalamus of Ay mice. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that the melanocortin portion of the leptin-signaling pathway mediates effects primarily on certain fat depots and on some, but not all, components of cholesterol homeostasis.

Adiponectin↗
PubMed2024

Longitudinal characterization of impulsivity phenotypes boosts signal for genomic correlates and heritability.

Genomic correlates of impulsivity have been identified in several genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using cross-sectional designs, but no studies have investigated the molecular genetic correlates of impulsivity phenotypes using longitudinally constructed traits. In 3860 unrelated European participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), we constructed longitudinal phenotypes for delay discounting and impulsive personality traits (as measured by the UPPS-P impulsive behavior scales) via assessment at ages 24, 26, and 28. We conducted GWASs of impulsivity using both cross-sectional and longitudinal phenotypes, estimated heritability and their phenotypic and genetic correlations, and evaluated their association with recently-developed polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for the impulsivity indicators themselves and also related psychiatric conditions. Latent growth curve modeling revealed a stable intercept over time for all impulsivity phenotypes. High genetic correlation of cross-sectional measures over time suggested a stable genetic component for delay discounting (rg = 0.53-0.99) and sensation seeking (rg = 0.99). Heritability estimates of the stable longitudinal phenotypes substantively improved as compared to their cross-sectional counterparts, revealing a significant SNP-heritability for delay discounting (0.22; p = 0.03) and sensation seeking (0.35; p = 0.0007). Consistent with previous reports, GWAS and gene-based analyses revealed associations between specific longitudinal impulsivity indicators and CADM2 and NCAM1 genes. The PRSs for the impulsivity indicators and disorders related to self-regulation were also significantly associated with longitudinal impulsivity traits. Finally, we validated the associations between longitudinal impulsivity phenotypes and their PRSs in an independent 13-wave longitudinal study (n = 1019) and the benefit of longitudinal phenotypes in simulation studies. In this first longitudinal genetic study of impulsivity traits, the results revealed stable genomic correlates of delay discounting and sensation seeking over time and further validated the utility of recently-developed PRSs, both in relation to the observed traits and in connecting them to psychiatric disorders. More generally, these findings support using latent intercepts as novel longitudinal phenotypes to boost signal for heritability and genomic correlates of mechanisms contributing to psychiatric disease liability.

Humans↗
PubMed1998

In vitro characterization of tachykinin NK2-receptors modulating motor responses of human colonic muscle strips.

1. Human in vitro preparations of transverse or distal colonic circular smooth muscle were potently and dose-dependently contracted by neurokinin A (EC50, 4.9 nM), the tachykinin NK2-receptor selective agonist [beta-Ala8]neurokinin A (4-10) ([beta-Ala8]NKA (4-10)) (EC50, 5.0 nM), neurokinin B (EC50, 5.3 nM) and substance P (EC50, 160 nM), but not by the tachykinin NK1-receptor selective agonist [Sar9Met(O2)11] substance P, or the NK3-receptor selective agonists, senktide and [MePhe7] neurokinin B. No regional differences between transverse and distal colon were observed in response to [beta-Ala8]NKA (4-10). 2. Atropine (1 microM) and tetrodotoxin (1 microM) did not significantly inhibit responses to [beta-Ala8]NKA (4-10), neurokinin A, substance P or neurokinin B. 3. The newly developed non-peptide antagonists for tachykinin NK2-receptors SR 48968, SR 144190 and its N-demethyl (SR 144743) and N,N-demethyl (SR 144782) metabolites, were used to challenge agonist responses, as appropriate. SR 144190 and the metabolites all potently and competitively antagonized the response to [beta-Ala8]NKA (4-10), with similar potency (Schild plot pA2 values 9.4, 9.4 and 9.3, slope = 1). SR 48968 antagonism was not competitive: the Schild plot slope was biphasic with a high (X intercept approximately 9.3) and a low (X intercept 8.4, slope 1.6) affinity site. Co-incubation of SR 48968 (10, 100 nM) and SR 144782 (10 nM) produced additive effects; in this experimental condition, SR 48968 apparent affinity (pKB) was 8.2. In addition, SR 144782 (0.1 microM) antagonized responses to neurokinin A, substance P and neurokinin B, with pKB consistent with its affinity for tachykinin NK2-receptors. The potent and selective NK1 and NK3-receptor antagonists, SR 140333 and SR 142801 (both 0.1 microM), failed to inhibit contractions induced by SP or NKB. 4. In conclusion, the in vitro mechanical responses of circular smooth muscle preparations from human colon are strongly consistent with the presence of non-neuronal tachykinin NK2-receptors, but not tachykinin NK1- or NK3-receptors. Our findings with SR 48968 suggest the existence of two tachykinin NK2-receptor subtypes, that it seems to distinguish, unlike SR 144190 and its metabolites. However, the precise nature of SR 48968 allotopic antagonism remains to be elucidated, since allosteric effects at the tachykinin NK2-receptor might well account for the complexity of the observed interaction.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Influence of methods used in body composition analysis on the prediction of resting energy expenditure.

OBJECTIVE: There are considerable differences in published prediction algorithms for resting energy expenditure (REE) based on fat-free mass (FFM). The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of the methodology of body composition analysis on the prediction of REE from FFM. DESIGN: In a cross-sectional design measurements of REE and body composition were performed. SUBJECTS: The study population consisted of 50 men (age 37.1+/-15.1 years, body mass index (BMI) 25.9+/-4.1 kg/m2) and 54 women (age 35.3+/-15.4 years, BMI 25.5+/-4.4 kg/m2). INTERVENTIONS: REE was measured by indirect calorimetry and predicted by either FFM or body weight. Measurement of FFM was performed by methods based on a 2-compartment (2C)-model: skinfold (SF)-measurement, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), Dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), air displacement plethysmography (ADP) and deuterium oxide dilution (D2O). A 4-compartment (4C)-model was used as a reference. RESULTS: When compared with the 4C-model, REE prediction from FFM obtained from the 2C methods were not significantly different. Intercepts of the regression equations of REE prediction by FFM differed from 1231 (FFM(ADP)) to 1645 kJ/24 h (FFM(SF)) and the slopes ranged between 100.3 kJ (FFM(SF)) and 108.1 kJ/FFM (kg) (FFM(ADP)). In a normal range of FFM, REE predicted from FFM by different methods showed only small differences. The variance in REE explained by FFM varied from 69% (FFM(BIA)) to 75% (FFM(DXA)) and was only 46% for body weight. CONCLUSION: Differences in slopes and intercepts of the regression lines between REE and FFM depended on the methods used for body composition analysis. However, the differences in prediction of REE are small and do not explain the large differences in the results obtained from published FFM-based REE prediction equations and therefore imply a population- and/or investigator specificity of algorithms for REE prediction.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1997

Supported liquid membrane enrichment combined with atomic absorption spectrometry for the determination of lead in urine.

Supported liquid membrane (SLM) methodology was used for sample clean-up and enrichment of lead in urine prior to determination by AAS. Lead ions at pH 3 were extracted across a membrane solution containing 40% m/m di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid dissolved in kerosene and back-extracted into an acceptor solution of 1 mol l-1 nitric acid. The mechanism of mass transfer is a proton gradient across the membrane. The concentration range investigated was between 5 and 80 ng ml-1 and the extraction time was varied between 0.5 and 4 h, leading to enrichment factors of up to 200. The extraction efficiency was about 95%. The detection limit, expressed as 3 sigma of five replicate determinations, using a 45 min enrichment of a urine sample low in lead, was 0.1 and 6.0 micrograms l-1 for ETAAS, and FAAS respectively. The results obtained by the developed method agreed with those obtained by direct ICP-MS determinations for reference urine samples and samples from occupationally lead-exposed workers. The linear correlation coefficient was 0.97, the slope of the regression line was 1.06 and the intercept was -0.37 microgram l-1. The 95% confidence intervals for the slope and the intercept were 0.95 to 1.18 and -3.9 to 3.1, respectively. The results at the 95% confidence level for reference urine material were of 91 +/- 1.5 and 92 +/- 2.0 micrograms l-1 for ICP-MS and SLM-AAS, respectively, which agreed well with the recommended value of 90 micrograms l-1 (range 83-97 micrograms l-1).

Lead↗