No description available.

This study evaluated the effects of programming a variability contingency on one object and the generalization of variability across other objects and contingencies when the defining features of the variable responses were topographical differences. A dog's interactions with five different objects were measured under both ANY (where any physical contact with the object would be reinforced on a fixed ratio schedule) and the VAR contingencies (where only the novel responses per trial would be reinforced). The ANY contingency produced stereotyped responding of behavior with all objects. When one of the dog-object interactions was changed to the VAR contingency, a marked decrease in stereotypic behavior and an increase in novel responses in the form of topographical combinations were observed across both contingencies.

Essentielle au développement de la civilisation pharaonique, l’eau a surtout été étudiée au travers de la place qu’elle occupe dans la religion mais rarement au travers de ses usages dans la vie quotidienne. Ainsi les aménagements hydrauliques ne sont-ils généralement que très brièvement mentionnés dans la littérature égyptologique. À partir des données fournies par l’archéologie (matériaux, modes de construction, etc.), cette thèse a donc pour premier objectif d’étudier dans le détail ces installations en s’appuyant sur un corpus qui recense, pour toute la période pharaonique, près de 400 structures, classées en quatre grandes catégories : puits, canalisations, bassins et aménagements sanitaires. Dans un second temps, cette analyse approfondie complétée d’un travail de synthèse, qui replace chacune de ces installations dans son contexte tout en les confrontant simultanément aux sources écrites et iconographiques, permet plus largement de comprendre comment l’eau s’intégrait dans la vie des Égyptiens. La présence ou l’absence de ces structures dans les maisons et plus largement dans l’agglomération reflète ainsi les besoins des habitants et les difficultés auxquelles il fallait faire face. Les installations hydrauliques se révèlent donc être une source d’informations à ne pas négliger puisqu’elles permettent d’appréhender sous un jour nouveau la ville pharaonique et la façon dont on y vit tout en dévoilant certains aspects de la société égyptienne. / Essential in the development of Pharaonic civilization, water was especially studied through the place it occupies in the religion but rarely through its everyday use. Generally, hydraulic layouts are thus only briefly mentioned in Egyptological literature. From the data supplied by archaeology (materials, construction methods, etc.), this thesis thus has for first objective to study these installations in detail by relying on a corpus which lists, for the whole Pharaonic period, more than 400 structures, classified in four categories: wells, pipes, ponds and sanitary layouts. In a second hand, this detailed analysis, completed by a synthesis work replacing each of these installations in its context while confronting them simultaneously with written and iconographic sources, allows more widely to understand how water became integrated into Egyptians life. The presence or absence of these structures in houses and more widely in town thus reflects the inhabitant’s needs and the difficulties they were facing. Hydraulic layouts therefore appear to be a source of information not to be neglected for they cast new light on the Pharaonic city and its way of life while revealing certain aspects of the Egyptian society.

Although there have been numerous investigations of laryngeal muscle activity during phonation in the chest and falsetto/head registers in trained and untrained classical singers and non-singers, no research has been conducted examining laryngeal muscle activity during phonation in the chestmix register, a register used extensively by many female commercial singers, particularly for the production of higher frequencies. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that commercial singers produce chestmix by maintaining or increasing adduction of the vocal processes and by engaging the thyroarytenoid muscle to a greater degree than they would to produce a head register sound. Simultaneous recordings of thyroarytenoid and cricothyroid muscle activity, videonasendosopy, and audio were obtained from seven female commercial singers (5 trained, 2 untrained) during sustained phonation and song phrases produced in chest, chestmix, headmix, and head registers. Thryoarytenoid and cricothyroid muscle activity was normalized to a percent of mean maximum activity and compared across registers and frequencies both within subjects and across subjects. Video stills of vocal processes adduction patterns were rated for degree of vocal processes adduction and also compared across register and frequency within and across subjects. All audio samples were rated for register by two singing teachers and audio samples of sustained phonation were analyzed via Fast Fourier Transform to measure the number and energy of the harmonics present in each sample. Interjudge and intrajudge reliability tests were performed for both the vocal processes adduction rating and audio sample rating tasks. Results from the study confirmed the hypothesis and showed that thyroarytenoid activity and adduction of the vocal processes was greater for chestmix than headmix or head, particularly during production of higher frequencies, but less than for chest productions. Cricothyroid activity was similar for chestmix, headmix and head during production of lower frequencies, but greater for chestmix during production of higher frequencies.

Dancers spend many years practicing repetitive movements in order for their bodies to gain flexibility, strength and muscle memory. This thesis investigated the biomechanics of a dance student's knee motion during a tendu to the front in first, third, and fifth positions. A dancer will often perform 75 or more tendu closing actions during one technique class - particularly in ballet technique. During a tendu the moving foot moves along the floor but the toes never leave the floor. The tendu is used to strengthen the leg muscles, particularly the quadriceps and gluteal muscles. Flexion/extension, abduction/adduction, and rotation angles of the knees during a traditional flat footed closing were compared to the knee angles during pli#233; and relev#233; closing. These movements were performed by 10 healthy dance students from USF. The dancers' movements were tracked using the VICON Nexus motion analysis system and 27 passive reflective markers placed on bony landmarks. Visual 3D software was used to calculate the knee angles. There were statistically significant the differences between knee angles during the traditional and pli#233; closings and between the relev#233; and pli#233; closings for all positions. There were only 4 conditions in which there was statistical significance between traditional and relev#233; closings. Knee flexion difference between the traditional and relev#233; closings was unanticipated, as the expectation of the tendu movement is to maintain a fully straight knee throughout the full range. This result suggests that the students may be bending the knees to achieve greater outward rotation, particularly in the third and fifth positions. The pli#233; had the largest range of motion (ROM) for all of the angles tested including abduction/adduction in which the subjects used the abduction at the knee to hold the feet in a turned out position. The collected data gives better insight into the biomechanics of the knee movement and will be used as feedback for improving muscular strength and preventing injuries in dancers.

Quinones represent an important class of endogenous compounds such as neurotransmitters and coenzyme Q10, electrophilic xenobiotics and environmental toxicants that have known reactivity based on their ability to redox cycle and generate oxidative stress, as well as to alkylate target proteins. 1,4-Benzoquinone (BQ) is a reactive quinone that we have used to help predict target residue covalent binding by such compounds. Hydroquinone glutathione conjugates (HQ-GSH) cause renal cell necrosis by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and by adducting proteins preferentially localized in the S3 segment of the renal proximal tubules. In vitro experimentation using model peptides and proteins have identified cysteine, lysine, arginine, and glutamic acid as amino acids targeted for quinone-thioether adduction. By mimicking a standard protein digestion protocol (100 mM ammonium bicarbonate pH 7.5, or 50 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.5), we demonstrated that cysteine-BQ adducts are unstable. Taken together, these results indicate that BQ-adduct formation on cysteine residues may be a transient interaction, where physiological conditions may play a role in adduct stability. In vivo experimentation following administration of 2-(glutathion-S-yl)HQ (MGHQ, 400 μmol/kg, iv, 2 hr) to Long Evans rats identified the specific site of quinone-thioether protein adduction on a number of proteins. Urinary proteins were isolated, and either trypsin digested en masse and analyzed by multi-dimensional protein identification technology (MuDPIT) or, following SDS-PAGE, single immunopositive bands were excised, trypsin digested and analysed by LC-MSMS. Following site-specific identification of adducts, 3-dimensional protein modeling of adducts on the protein was performed as a way to reveal the potential structural consequence of the modification on 3D structure. The outer stripe of the outer medulla (OSOM) is the target site of protein adduction caused by quinone-thioethers. Using a 2DGE-Western blot approach, in combination with an extensive knowledge of quinol-thioether chemistry, LC-MSMS, and the latest MSMS analysis software, we identified the specific amino acid site of adduction on 17 unique peptides from 34 target proteins within the OSOM. Of the 22 bands analyzed, adducted peptides were identified in 11 of them. Many of the target proteins identified have previously been identified as a target of other electrophiles, producing additional evidence that such protein adduction is selective rather than random. The site-specific identification of covalently adducted proteins is a prerequisite for understanding the biological significance of chemical-induced PTMs and the subsequent toxicological response.

INTRODUCTION: The knee joint is one of the most frequently injured structures in the game of golf. The loads experienced by the knee during the golf swing are typically greater than those experienced during walking. In particular, a heightened lead limb peak external knee adduction moment has been linked to the progression of medial compartment knee osteoarthritis (OA). Altering movement patterns is a common strategy that can be used to reduce loading on the knee joint but has received little attention during the golf swing. Also, while such manipulations may be beneficial from an injury prevention perspective, they may have implications on golf performance. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects altering stance has on the peak knee adduction moment and swing speed during the golf swing. METHODS: Twenty healthy subjects were recruited for a 3-dimensional biomechanical analysis wherein participants hit three golf shots using different stance positions in which either foot angle or stance width was altered. The following stance conditions were used: self-selected, 0º foot angle (perpendicular to target line), 30º foot angle (externally rotated), wide stance width, and narrow stance width RESULTS: Both the 30º foot angle and the wide stance width significantly decreased (p < 0.001) the lead limb peak external knee adduction moment compared to the self-selected golf stance. In contrast, the narrow stance width significantly increased (p = 0.023) the peak knee adduction moment when compared to the self-selected stance. No significant differences were found in the peak knee adduction moment between the 0º foot angle and self-selected stance. Lastly, no significant differences (p = 0.109) were found in swing speed between any of the stance conditions. CONCLUSION: The externally rotated foot position and wider stance width decreased the lead limb peak knee adduction moment without hindering performance. Considering the prevalence of injury to the lead limb knee joint, modifying a golfer’s stance could potentially be used to increase the longevity of their playing career.

No description available.

Cette étude se propose de revenir sur la gestion urbaine de l'eau aux dix-septième et dix-huitième siècles, c'est-à-dire au moment où se développe une perception suspicieuse du milieu humide. Portée par les enjeux contemporains, l'approche historiographique de l'eau évolue depuis près de trente ans. Aujourd'hui, l'eau est devenue un sujet d'étude à part entière. Le contexte de la Bretagne n'est pas neutre ; ses caractéristiques environnementales, institutionnelles et culturelles jouent un rôle dans l'élaboration des ouvrages hydrauliques. La situation évolue au cours des deux siècles. Les enjeux locaux sont marqués par la municipalisation des équipements hydrauliques et l'installation de l'intendance comme tuteur des affaires urbaines. Dans son sillage, la mission de conception passe d'une responsabilité d'artisan à une mission d'ingénieur. Cette translation de l'origine professionnelle du concepteur a des répercussions sur l'organisation du chantier et la morphologie des équipements. Cette redéfinition des tâches administratives et techniques influencent la fonctionnalité des ouvrages

A new “best match” match model has been developed to account for adduct formation on multiply charged peptides observed in negative ion electrospray mass spectrometry. To obtain a stable adduct, the model necessitates an approximate matching of apparent gas-phase basicity (GBapp) of a given proton bearing site on the peptide with the gas-phase basicity (GB) of the anion attaching at that site. Evidence supporting the model is derived from the fact that singly charged adducts were only observed for lower GB anions: HSO4-, I-, CF3COO-. Ions that have medium GBs (NO3-, Br-, H2PO4-) only form adducts having -2 charge states, whereas Cl- (higher GB) can form adducts having -3 charge states. Hydrogen bonds are the main interactions pertinent to the “Best Match” model, however, ion-ion interactions formed between peptides ([Glu]Fibrinopeptide B, Angiotensin I or [Asn1,Val5]-Angiotensin II) and low GB anions (ClO4- or HSO4-) have been established by CID-MS/MS. Evidence for ion-ion interactions comes especially from product ions formed during the first dissociation step, where, in addition to the expected loss of the anion or neutral acid, other product ions that require covalent bond cleavage (i.e., H2O or NH3 loss) are also observed. In this study, the “Best Match” model is further supported by the decomposition behavior of adducts formed when Na+/H+ exchange has occurred on peptides. Na+/H+ exchanges were found to occur preferentially at higher acidity sites. Without any Na+/H+ exchange, F- and CH3COO- can hardly form observable adducts with [Glu]Fibrinopeptide B. However, after multiple Na+/H+ exchanges, F- and CH3COO- do form stable adducts. This phenomenon can be rationalized by considering that Na+ cations serve to “block” the highly acidic sites, thereby forcing them to remain overall neutral. This leaves the less acidic protons available to match with higher GB anions. According to the "best match" model, high GB anions will match with high GBapp sites on the peptide, whereas low GB anions will match with low GBapp peptide sites. High charge states readily augment GBapp of the peptide (through-space effect). Na+/H+ exchanges substantially decrease GBapp by neutralizing charged sites, while slightly increasing intrinsic GBs by the inductive effect.