49 CFR 392.33 - Obscured lamps or reflective devices/material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Obscured lamps or reflective devices/material. 392... REGULATIONS DRIVING OF COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES Use of Lighted Lamps and Reflectors § 392.33 Obscured lamps or reflective devices/material. (a) No commercial motor vehicle shall be driven when any of the lamps...

49 CFR 392.33 - Obscured lamps or reflective devices/material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Obscured lamps or reflective devices/material. 392... REGULATIONS DRIVING OF COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES Use of Lighted Lamps and Reflectors § 392.33 Obscured lamps or reflective devices/material. (a) No commercial motor vehicle shall be driven when any of the lamps...

49 CFR 392.33 - Obscured lamps or reflective devices/material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Obscured lamps or reflective devices/material. 392... REGULATIONS DRIVING OF COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES Use of Lighted Lamps and Reflectors § 392.33 Obscured lamps or reflective devices/material. (a) No commercial motor vehicle shall be driven when any of the lamps...

Obscure recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding: a revealed mystery?

PubMed

Riccioni, Maria Elena; Urgesi, Riccardo; Cianci, Rossella; Marmo, Clelia; Galasso, Domenico; Costamagna, Guido

2014-08-01

Nowadays, capsule endoscopy (CE) is the first-line procedure after negative upper and lower gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). Approximately, two-thirds of patients undergoing CE for OGIB will have a small-bowel abnormality. However, several patients who underwent CE for OGIB had the source of their blood loss in the stomach or in the colon. The aim of the present study is to determine the incidence of bleeding lesions missed by the previous gastroscopy/colonoscopy with CE and to evaluate the indication to repeat a new complete endoscopic workup in subjects related to a tertiary center for obscure bleeding before CE. We prospectively reviewed data from 637/1008 patients underwent to CE for obscure bleeding in our tertiary center after performing negative gastroscopy and colonoscopy. CE revealed a definite or likely cause of bleeding in stomach in 138/637 patients (yield 21.7%) and in the colon in 41 patients (yield 6.4%) with a previous negative gastroscopy and colonoscopy, respectively. The lesions found were outside the small bowel in only 54/637 (8.5%) patients. In 111/138 patients, CE found lesions both in stomach and small bowel (small-bowel erosions in 54, AVMs in 45, active small-bowel bleeding in 4, neoplastic lesions in 3 and distal ileum AVMs in 5 patients). In 24/41 (58.5%) patients, CE found lesions both in small bowel and colon (multiple small-bowel erosions in 15; AVMs in 8 and neoplastic lesion in 1 patients. All patients underwent endoscopic therapy or surgery for their nonsmall-bowel lesions. Lesions in upper or lower GI tract have been missed in about 28% of patients submitted to CE for obscure bleeding. CE may play an important role in identifying lesions missed at conventional endoscopy.

Mechanisms of action of the insecticide endrin.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1963-08-01

Cardiovascular effects of endrin insecticide are obscure. Experiments to investigate this phenomenon were carried out on dogs and suggested mechanisms of actions have been proposed. Results show that acute administration of endrin produces bradycardi...

Readability of self-illuminated signs obscured by black fuel-fire smoke.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1980-07-01

This study, using black fuel-fire generated smoke, is a partial replication of an earlier study using an inert white smoke as the obscuring agent in the study of the readability of smoke-obscured, self-illuminated emergency exit signs. : The results ...

NuSTAR Observations of Heavily Obscured Quasars Selected by WISE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Wei

2017-08-01

A key goal of the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) program is to find and characterize heavily obscured quasars, luminous accreting supermassive black holes hidden by gas and dust. Based on mid-infrared (IR) photometry from Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and optical photometry from the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys, we have selected a large population of obscured quasars; here we report the NuSTAR observations of four WISE-selected heavily obscured quasars for which we have optical spectroscopy from the Southern African Large Telescope and KECK Telescope. Three of four objects are undetected with NuSTAR, while the fourth has only a marginal detection. We confirm our objects have observed hard X-ray (10-40 keV) luminosities at or below ~1043 erg s-1. We compare IR and X-ray luminosities to obtain estimates of hydrogen column NH based on the suppression of the hard X-ray emission. We estimate NH to be at or greater than 1025 cm-2, confirming that WISE and optical selection can identify very heavily obscured quasars that may be missed in X-ray surveys.

Mildly obscured active galaxies and the cosmic X-ray background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, V.; Walter, R.

2016-05-01

Context. The diffuse cosmic X-ray background (CXB) is the sum of the emission of discrete sources, mostly massive black-holes accreting matter in active galactic nuclei (AGN). The CXB spectrum differs from the integration of the spectra of individual sources, calling for a large population, undetected so far, of strongly obscured Compton-thick AGN. Such objects are predicted by unified models, which attribute most of the AGN diversity to their inclination on the line of sight, and play an important role for the understanding of the growth of black holes in the early Universe. Aims: The percentage of strongly obscured Compton-thick AGN at low redshift can be derived from the observed CXB spectrum, if we assume AGN spectral templates and luminosity functions. Methods: We show that high signal-to-noise stacked hard X-ray spectra, derived from more than a billion seconds of effective exposure time with the Swift/BAT instrument, imply that mildly obscured Compton-thin AGN feature a strong reflection and contribute massively to the CXB. Results: A population of Compton-thick AGN larger than that which is effectively detected is not required to reproduce the CXB spectrum, since no more than 6% of the CXB flux can be attributed to them. The stronger reflection observed in mildly obscured AGN suggests that the covering factor of the gas and dust surrounding their central engines is a key factor in shaping their appearance. These mildly obscured AGN are easier to study at high redshift than Compton-thick sources are.

Half of the Most Luminous Quasars May Be Obscured: Investigating the Nature of WISE-Selected Hot Dust-Obscured Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Assef, R. J.; Eisenhardt, P. R. M.; Stern, D.; Tsai, C.-W.; Wu, J.; Wylezalek, D.; Blain, A. W.; Bridge, C. R.; Donoso, E.; Gonzales, A.; Griffith, R. L.; Jarrett, T. H.

2015-05-01

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission has unveiled a rare population of high-redshift (z = 1-4.6), dusty, hyper-luminous galaxies, with infrared luminosities {{L}IR}\\gt {{10}13} {{L}⊙ }, and sometimes exceeding {{10}14} {{L}⊙ }. Previous work has shown that their dust temperatures and overall far-infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs) are significantly hotter than expected to be powered by star formation. We present here an analysis of the rest-frame optical through mid-infrared SEDs for a large sample of these so-called “hot, dust-obscured galaxies” (Hot DOGs). We find that the SEDs of Hot DOGs are generally well modeled by the combination of a luminous, yet obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs) that dominates the rest-frame emission at λ \\gt 1 μ m and the bolometric luminosity output, and a less luminous host galaxy that is responsible for the bulk of the rest optical/UV emission. Even though the stellar mass of the host galaxies may be as large as 1011-1012 M⊙, the AGN emission, with a range of luminosities comparable to those of the most luminous QSOs known, require that either Hot DOGs have black hole masses significantly in excess of the local relations, or that they radiate significantly above the Eddington limit, at a level at least 10 times more efficiently than z ˜ 2 QSOs. We show that, while rare, the number density of Hot DOGs is comparable to that of equally luminous but unobscured (i.e., Type 1) QSOs. This may be at odds with the trend suggested at lower luminosities for the fraction of obscured AGNs to decrease with increasing luminosity. That trend may, instead, reverse at higher luminosities. Alternatively, Hot DOGs may not be the torus-obscured counterparts of the known optically selected, largely unobscured, hyper-luminous QSOs, and may represent a new component of the galaxy evolution paradigm. Finally, we discuss the environments of Hot DOGs and statistically show that these objects are in regions as dense as

Correcting the Relative Bias of Light Obscuration and Flow Imaging Particle Counters.

PubMed

Ripple, Dean C; Hu, Zhishang

2016-03-01

Industry and regulatory bodies desire more accurate methods for counting and characterizing particles. Measurements of proteinaceous-particle concentrations by light obscuration and flow imaging can differ by factors of ten or more. We propose methods to correct the diameters reported by light obscuration and flow imaging instruments. For light obscuration, diameters were rescaled based on characterization of the refractive index of typical particles and a light scattering model for the extinction efficiency factor. The light obscuration models are applicable for either homogeneous materials (e.g., silicone oil) or for chemically homogeneous, but spatially non-uniform aggregates (e.g., protein aggregates). For flow imaging, the method relied on calibration of the instrument with silica beads suspended in water-glycerol mixtures. These methods were applied to a silicone-oil droplet suspension and four particle suspensions containing particles produced from heat stressed and agitated human serum albumin, agitated polyclonal immunoglobulin, and abraded ethylene tetrafluoroethylene polymer. All suspensions were measured by two flow imaging and one light obscuration apparatus. Prior to correction, results from the three instruments disagreed by a factor ranging from 3.1 to 48 in particle concentration over the size range from 2 to 20 μm. Bias corrections reduced the disagreement from an average factor of 14 down to an average factor of 1.5. The methods presented show promise in reducing the relative bias between light obscuration and flow imaging.

Restoration of US Aid to Fiji: The Advantages of Obscurity

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-20

RESTORATION OF US AID TO FIJI: THE ADVANTAGES OF OBSCURITY Elizabeth McKune NWC Class of 󈨠 December 20, 1991 Report Documentation Page Form...COVERED 20-12-1991 to 20-12-1991 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Restoration of US Aid to Fiji: The Advantages of Obscurity 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b...unimportance were advantageous . PHASE ONE Background In the context of the South Pacific, however, Fiji was prominent, frequently cited as a model

The most luminous heavily obscured quasars have a high merger fraction: morphological study of wise -selected hot dust-obscured galaxies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fan, Lulu; Gao, Ying; Zhang, Dandan

Previous studies have shown that Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer -selected hyperluminous, hot dust-obscured galaxies (Hot DOGs) are powered by highly dust-obscured, possibly Compton-thick active galactic nuclei (AGNs). High obscuration provides us a good chance to study the host morphology of the most luminous AGNs directly. We analyze the host morphology of 18 Hot DOGs at z ∼ 3 using Hubble Space Telescope /WFC3 imaging. We find that Hot DOGs have a high merger fraction (62 ± 14%). By fitting the surface brightness profiles, we find that the distribution of Sérsic indices in our Hot DOG sample peaks around 2, whichmore » suggests that most Hot DOGs have transforming morphologies. We also derive the AGN bolometric luminosity (∼10{sup 14} L {sub ⊙}) of our Hot DOG sample by using IR spectral energy distributions decomposition. The derived merger fraction and AGN bolometric luminosity relation is well consistent with the variability-based model prediction. Both the high merger fraction in an IR-luminous AGN sample and relatively low merger fraction in a UV/optical-selected, unobscured AGN sample can be expected in the merger-driven evolutionary model. Finally, we conclude that Hot DOGs are merger-driven and may represent a transit phase during the evolution of massive galaxies, transforming from the dusty starburst-dominated phase to the unobscured QSO phase.« less

Characterizing the evolution of WISE-selected obscured and unobscured quasars using HOD models.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myers, Adam D.; DiPompeo, Michael A.; Mitra, Kaustav; Hickox, Ryan C.; Chatterjee, Suchetana; Whalen, Kelly

2018-06-01

Large-area imaging surveys in the infrared are now beginning to unlock the links between the activity of supermassive black holes and the cosmic evolution of dark matter halos during the significant times when black hole growth is enshrouded in dust. With data from the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and complementary optical photometry, we construct samples of nearly half-a-million obscured and unobscured quasars around redshift 1. We study the dark matter halos of these populations using both angular autocorrelation functions and CMB lensing cross-correlations, carefully characterizing the redshift distribution of the obscured quasar sample using cross-correlations. Independent of our measurement technique, we find that obscured quasars occupy dark matter halos a few times more massive than their unobscured counterparts, despite being matched in luminosity at 12 and 22 microns. Modeling the two-point correlation function using a four-parameter Halo Occupation Distribution (HOD) formalism, we determine that purely optically selected quasars reside in dark matter halos that are about half the mass of WISE-selected obscured quasars, and that satellite fractions are somewhat larger for obscured quasars. We investigate scenarios such as merger-driven fueling and Eddington-dependent obscuration to explore what combinations of physical effects can reproduce our observed halo mass measurements. This work was, in part, supported by NASA ADAP award NNX16AN48G.

Exploiting map plans as resources for action

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Payton, David

1989-01-01

When plans are used as programs for controlling the action of autonomous or teleoperated robots, their abstract representation can easily obscure a great deal of the critical knowledge that originally led to the planned course of action. An autonomous vehicle experiment is highlighted which illustrates how the information barriers created by abstraction can result in undesirable action. It is then shown how the same task can be performed correctly using plans as a resource for action. As a result of this simple change in outlook, problems requiring opportunistic reaction to unexpected changes in the environment can be solved.

The Halo Occupation Distribution of obscured quasars: revisiting the unification model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitra, Kaustav; Chatterjee, Suchetana; DiPompeo, Michael A.; Myers, Adam D.; Zheng, Zheng

2018-06-01

We model the projected angular two-point correlation function (2PCF) of obscured and unobscured quasars selected using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), at a median redshift of z ˜ 1 using a five parameter Halo Occupation Distribution (HOD) parametrization, derived from a cosmological hydrodynamic simulation by Chatterjee et al. The HOD parametrization was previously used to model the 2PCF of optically selected quasars and X-ray bright active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z ˜ 1. The current work shows that a single HOD parametrization can be used to model the population of different kinds of AGN in dark matter haloes suggesting the universality of the relationship between AGN and their host dark matter haloes. Our results show that the median halo mass of central quasar hosts increases from optically selected (4.1^{+0.3}_{-0.4} × 10^{12} h^{-1} M_{⊙}) and infra-red (IR) bright unobscured populations (6.3^{+6.2}_{-2.3} × 10^{12} h^{-1} M_{⊙}) to obscured quasars (10.0^{+2.6}_{-3.7} × 10^{12} h^{-1} M_{⊙}), signifying an increase in the degree of clustering. The projected satellite fractions also increase from optically bright to obscured quasars and tend to disfavour a simple `orientation only' theory of active galactic nuclei unification. Our results also show that future measurements of the small-scale clustering of obscured quasars can constrain current theories of galaxy evolution where quasars evolve from an IR-bright obscured phase to the optically bright unobscured phase.

Dust-obscured star-forming galaxies in the early universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkins, Stephen M.; Feng, Yu; Di Matteo, Tiziana; Croft, Rupert; Lovell, Christopher C.; Thomas, Peter

2018-02-01

Motivated by recent observational constraints on dust reprocessed emission in star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 6 and above, we use the very large cosmological hydrodynamical simulation BLUETIDES to explore predictions for the amount of dust-obscured star formation in the early Universe (z > 8). BLUETIDES matches current observational constraints on both the UV luminosity function and galaxy stellar mass function and predicts that approximately 90 per cent of the star formation in high-mass (M* > 1010 M⊙) galaxies at z = 8 is already obscured by dust. The relationship between dust attenuation and stellar mass predicted by BLUETIDES is consistent with that observed at lower redshift. However, observations of several individual objects at z > 6 are discrepant with the predictions, though it is possible that their uncertainties may have been underestimated. We find that the predicted surface density of z ≥ 8 submm sources is below that accessible to current Herschel, SCUBA-2 and Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) submm surveys. However, as ALMA continues to accrue an additional surface area the population of z > 8 dust-obscured galaxies may become accessible in the near future.

Is there still a role for intraoperative enteroscopy in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding?

PubMed

Monsanto, Pedro; Almeida, Nuno; Lérias, Clotilde; Figueiredo, Pedro; Gouveia, Hermano; Sofia, Carlos

2012-04-01

in 21st century, endoscopic study of the small intestine has undergone a revolution with capsule endoscopy and balloon-assisted enteroscopy. The difficulties and morbidity associated with intraoperative enteroscopy, the gold-standard in the 20th century, made this technique to be relegated to a second level. evaluate the actual role and assess the diagnostic and therapeutic value of intraoperative enteroscopy in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. we conducted a retrospective study of 19 patients (11 males; mean age: 66.5 ± 15.3 years) submitted to 21 IOE procedures for obscure GI bleeding. Capsule endoscopy and double balloon enteroscopy had been performed in 10 and 5 patients, respectively. with intraoperative enteroscopy a small bowel bleeding lesion was identified in 79% of patients and a gastrointestinal bleeding lesion in 94%. Small bowel findings included: angiodysplasia (n = 6), ulcers (n = 4), small bowel Dieulafoy´s lesion (n = 2), bleeding from anastomotic vessels (n = 1), multiple cavernous hemangiomas (n = 1) and bleeding ectopic jejunal varices (n = 1). Agreement between capsule endoscopy and intraoperative enteroscopy was 70%. Endoscopic and/or surgical treatment was used in 77.8% of the patients with a positive finding on intraoperative enteroscopy, with a rebleeding rate of 21.4% in a mean 21-month follow-up period. Procedure-related mortality and postoperative complications have been 5 and 21%, respectively. intraoperative enteroscopy remains a valuable tool in selected patients with obscure GI bleeding, achieving a high diagnostic yield and allowing an endoscopic and/or surgical treatment in most of them. However, as an invasive procedure with relevant mortality and morbidity, a precise indication for its use is indispensable.

Galaxies Detected by the Dwingeloo Obscured Galaxies Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivers, A. J.; Henning, P. A.; Kraan-Korteweg, R. C.

1999-04-01

The Dwingeloo Obscured Galaxies Survey (DOGS) is a 21-cm blind survey for galaxies hidden in the northern `Zone of Avoidance' (ZOA): the portion of the optical extragalactic sky which is obscured by dust in the Milky Way. Like the Parkes southern hemisphere ZOA survey, the DOGS project is designed to reveal hidden dynamically important nearby galaxies and to help `fill in the blanks' in the local large scale structure. To date, 36 galaxies have been detected by the Dwingeloo survey; 23 of these were previously unknown [no corresponding sources recorded in the NASA Extragalactic Database (NED)]. Among the interesting detections are three nearby galaxies in the vicinity of NGC 6946 and 11 detections in the Supergalactic plane crossing region. VLA follow-up observations have been conducted for several of the DOGS detections.

X-Ray Spectral Properties of Seven Heavily Obscured Seyfert 2 Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchesi, S.; Ajello, M.; Comastri, A.; Cusumano, G.; La Parola, V.; Segreto, A.

2017-02-01

We present the combined Chandra and Swift-BAT spectral analysis of seven Seyfert 2 galaxies selected from the Swift-BAT 100 month catalog. We selected nearby (z ≤ 0.03) sources lacking a ROSAT counterpart that never previously been observed with Chandra in the 0.3-10 keV energy range, and targeted these objects with 10 ks Chandra ACIS-S observations. The X-ray spectral fitting over the 0.3-150 keV energy range allows us to determine that all the objects are significantly obscured, with N H ≥ 1023 cm-2 at a >99% confidence level. Moreover, one to three sources are candidate Compton-thick Active Galactic Nuclei (CT-AGNs; I.e., N H ≥ 1024 cm-2). We also test the recent spectral curvature method developed by Koss et al. to find candidate CT-AGNs, finding a good agreement between our results and their predictions. Because the selection criteria we adopted were effective in detecting highly obscured AGNs, further observations of these and other Seyfert 2 galaxies selected from the Swift-BAT 100 month catalog will allow us to create a statistically significant sample of highly obscured AGNs, therefore providing a better understanding of the physics of the obscuration processes.

Quantitative Description of Obscuration Factors for Electro-Optical and Millimeter Wave Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-07-25

length 1. through an obscurant of Standard meteorological ineasurables include air knIown concentration. F-or nonuniform obscurants dlis- temaperature...Wavelengths -ya(X) are ’l 1111m precilpitatioi v’olun exft tct it ozi cot’fficiewi Visible (0..l-O.7pmii) lair . 3-2.2.1 for snoxv dp(U)(epeicids onl lain

Protein C deficiency related obscure gastrointestinal bleeding treated by enteroscopy and anticoagulant therapy.

PubMed

Hsu, Wei-Fan; Tsang, Yuk-Ming; Teng, Chung-Jen; Chung, Chen-Shuan

2015-01-21

Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding is an uncommonly encountered and difficult-to-treat clinical problem in gastroenterology, but advancements in endoscopic and radiologic imaging modalities allow for greater accuracy in diagnosing obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Ectopic varices account for less than 5% of all variceal bleeding cases, and jejunal variceal bleeding due to extrahepatic portal hypertension is rare. We present a 47-year-old man suffering from obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed multiple vascular tufts around the proximal jejunum but no evidence of cirrhosis, and a visible hypodense filling defect suggestive of thrombus was visible in the superior mesenteric vein. Enteroscopy revealed several serpiginous varices in the proximal jejunum. Serologic data disclosed protein C deficiency (33.6%). The patient was successfully treated by therapeutic balloon-assisted enteroscopy and long-term anticoagulant therapy, which is normally contraindicated in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Diagnostic modalities for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding, such as capsule endoscopy, computed tomography enterography, magnetic resonance enterography, and enteroscopy, were also reviewed in this article.

X-Ray Spectral Properties of Seven Heavily Obscured Seyfert 2 Galaxies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marchesi, S.; Ajello, M.; Comastri, A.

2017-02-10

We present the combined Chandra and Swift -BAT spectral analysis of seven Seyfert 2 galaxies selected from the Swift -BAT 100 month catalog. We selected nearby ( z ≤ 0.03) sources lacking a ROSAT counterpart that never previously been observed with Chandra in the 0.3–10 keV energy range, and targeted these objects with 10 ks Chandra ACIS-S observations. The X-ray spectral fitting over the 0.3–150 keV energy range allows us to determine that all the objects are significantly obscured, with N{sub H} ≥ 10{sup 23} cm{sup −2} at a >99% confidence level. Moreover, one to three sources are candidate Compton-thickmore » Active Galactic Nuclei (CT-AGNs; i.e., N{sub H}≥10{sup 24} cm{sup −2}). We also test the recent spectral curvature method developed by Koss et al. to find candidate CT-AGNs, finding a good agreement between our results and their predictions. Because the selection criteria we adopted were effective in detecting highly obscured AGNs, further observations of these and other Seyfert 2 galaxies selected from the Swift -BAT 100 month catalog will allow us to create a statistically significant sample of highly obscured AGNs, therefore providing a better understanding of the physics of the obscuration processes.« less

Obscurity and Gender Resistance in Patricia Duncker's James Miranda Barry

PubMed Central

Funke, Jana

2012-01-01

Since his death in 1865, military surgeon James Barry has alternately been classified as a cross-dressing woman or as an intersexed individual. Patricia Duncker's novel James Miranda Barry (1999) poses an important challenge to such readings, as it does not reveal any foundational truth about Barry's sex. Resting on obscurity rather than revelation, the text frustrates the desire to know the past in terms of gender binaries and stable sexual identity categories. Drawing on feminist and queer theorisations of the relation between gender and time, this essay demonstrates that Duncker's use of obscurity opens up alternative strategies of gender resistance. PMID:25400502

Speech masking and cancelling and voice obscuration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Holzrichter, John F.

A non-acoustic sensor is used to measure a user's speech and then broadcasts an obscuring acoustic signal diminishing the user's vocal acoustic output intensity and/or distorting the voice sounds making them unintelligible to persons nearby. The non-acoustic sensor is positioned proximate or contacting a user's neck or head skin tissue for sensing speech production information.

Unveiling Obscured AGN with X-ray Spectral Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LaMassa, Stephanie M.; Yaqoob, Tahir; Ptak, Andrew; Jia, Jianjun; Heckman, Timothy M.; Gandhi, Poshak; Urry, C. Megan

2014-06-01

With the recent advent of physically motivated, self-consistent X-ray models, the circumnuclear medium enshrouding AGN can now be investigated in unprecedented detail. We applied these models to 19 SDSS [OIII] 5007 Angstrom selected Type 2 AGN, where 9 are local Seyfert 2 galaxies and 10 are more luminous and distant Type 2 quasars. For the first time in a sample of AGN, we constrained both the line-of-sight and global column densities, finding that over half (11/19) are heavily obscured or Compton-thick (NH > 10^23 cm^-2). Four objects have different global from line-of-sight column densities. When correcting the observed X-ray luminosities for obscuration, the L_x/L_[OIII] ratio for these Type 2 AGN is essentially identical to the Seyfert 1 (i.e., unabsorbed AGN) value, which is consistent with both parameters cleanly probing AGN emission.

Detection of foliage-obscured vehicle using a multiwavelength polarimetric lidar

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tan, S.; Stoker, J.; Greenlee, S.

2008-01-01

Foliage obscured man-made targets detection and identification is of great interest to many applications. In this paper, the backscattered laser signals from a multiwavelength polarimetric lidar were used to detect a vehicle hidden inside a vegetated area. The Polarimetric reflectance data from the lidar at two separate laser wavelengths at 1064 nm and 532 nm revealed distinct target characteristics from both the vehicle and the vegetation. The results from this case study demonstrated the validity of the proposed lidar detection technique. Furthermore, the results could potentially lead to a lidar detection and identification technique for a wide variety of foliage-obscured man-made targets under various application scenarios. ?? 2007 IEEE.

Luminous Obscured AGN Unveiled in the Stripe 82 X-ray Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LaMassa, Stephanie; Glikman, Eilat; Brusa, Marcella; Rigby, Jane; Tasnim Ananna, Tonima; Stern, Daniel; Lira, Paulina; Urry, Meg; Salvato, Mara; Alexandroff, Rachael; Allevato, Viola; Cardamone, Carolin; Civano, Francesca Maria; Coppi, Paolo; Farrah, Duncan; Komossa, S.; Lanzuisi, Giorgio; Marchesi, Stefano; Richards, Gordon; Trakhtenbrot, Benny; Treister, Ezequiel

2018-01-01

Stripe 82X is a wide-area (30 deg2) X-ray survey overlapping the legacy Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82 field, designed to uncover rare, high luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGN). We report on the results of an on-going near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic campaign to follow-up reddened AGN candidates with Palomar TripleSpec, Keck NIRSPEC, and Gemini GNIRS. We identified 8 AGN in our bright NIR sample (K < 16, Vega), selected to have red R-K colors (> 4, Vega); four of these sources had existing optical spectra in SDSS. We targeted four out of 34 obscured AGN candidates in our faint NIR sample (K > 17, Vega), all of which are undetected in the single-epoch SDSS imaging, making them the best candidates for the most obscured and/or the most distant reddend AGN in Stripe 82X. All twelve sources are Type 1 AGN, with the FWHM of at least one permitted emission line exceeding 1300 km/s. We find that our nearly complete bright NIR sample (12/13 obscured AGN candidates have spectroscopic redshifts) is more distant (z > 0.5) than a matched sample of blue Type 1 AGN from Stripe 82X; these AGN tend to be more luminous than their blue, unobscured counterparts. Results from our pilot program of faint NIR-selected obscured AGN candidates demonstrate that our selection recovers reddened quasars missed by SDSS.

The Constant Average Relationship Between Dust-obscured Star Formation and Stellar Mass from z=0 to z=2.5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitaker, Katherine E.; Pope, Alexandra; Cybulski, Ryan; Casey, Caitlin M.; Popping, Gergo; Yun, Min; 3D-HST Collaboration

2018-01-01

The total star formation budget of galaxies consists of the sum of the unobscured star formation, as observed in the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV), together with the obscured component that is absorbed and re-radiated by dust grains in the infrared. We explore how the fraction of obscured star formation depends (SFR) and stellar mass for mass-complete samples of galaxies at 0 < z < 2.5. We combine GALEX and WISE photometry for SDSS-selected galaxies with the 3D-HST treasury program and Spitzer/MIPS 24μm photometry in the well-studied 5 extragalactic CANDELS fields. We find a strong dependence of the fraction of obscured star formation (f_obscured=SFR_IR/SFR_UV+IR) on stellar mass, with remarkably little evolution in this fraction with redshift out to z=2.5. 50% of star formation is obscured for galaxies with log(M/M⊙)=9.4 although unobscured star formation dominates the budget at lower masses, there exists a tail of low mass extremely obscured star-forming galaxies at z > 1. For log(M/M⊙)>10.5, >90% of star formation is obscured at all redshifts. We also show that at fixed total SFR, f_obscured is lower at higher redshift. At fixed mass, high-redshift galaxies are observed to have more compact sizes and much higher star formation rates, gas fractions and hence surface densities (implying higher dust obscuration), yet we observe no redshift evolution in f_obscured with stellar mass. This poses a challenge to theoretical models to reproduce, where the observed compact sizes at high redshift seem in tension with lower dust obscuration.

The Constant Average Relationship between Dust-obscured Star Formation and Stellar Mass from z = 0 to z = 2.5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitaker, Katherine E.; Pope, Alexandra; Cybulski, Ryan; Casey, Caitlin M.; Popping, Gergö; Yun, Min S.

2017-12-01

The total star formation budget of galaxies consists of the sum of the unobscured star formation, as observed in the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV), together with the obscured component that is absorbed and re-radiated by dust grains in the infrared. We explore how the fraction of obscured star formation depends on stellar mass for mass-complete samples of galaxies at 0< z< 2.5. We combine GALEX and WISE photometry for SDSS-selected galaxies with the 3D-HST treasury program and Spitzer/MIPS 24 μm photometry in the well-studied five extragalactic Cosmic Assembly Near-IR Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS) fields. We find a strong dependence of the fraction of obscured star formation (f obscured = SFRIR/SFRUV+IR) on stellar mass, with remarkably little evolution in this fraction with redshift out to z = 2.5. 50% of star formation is obscured for galaxies with log(M/M ⊙) = 9.4 although unobscured star formation dominates the budget at lower masses, there exists a tail of low-mass, extremely obscured star-forming galaxies at z> 1. For log(M/M ⊙) > 10.5, >90% of star formation is obscured at all redshifts. We also show that at fixed total SFR, {f}{obscured} is lower at higher redshift. At fixed mass, high-redshift galaxies are observed to have more compact sizes and much higher star formation rates, gas fractions, and hence surface densities (implying higher dust obscuration), yet we observe no redshift evolution in {f}{obscured} with stellar mass. This poses a challenge to theoretical models, where the observed compact sizes at high redshift seem in tension with lower dust obscuration.

Sensitive radio survey of obscured quasar candidates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexandroff, Rachael M.; Zakamska, Nadia L.; van Velzen, Sjoert; Greene, Jenny E.; Strauss, Michael A.

2016-12-01

We study the radio properties of moderately obscured quasars in samples at both low (z ˜ 0.5) and high (z ˜ 2.5) redshift to understand the role of radio activity in accretion, using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) at 6.0 GHz and 1.4 GHz. Our z ˜ 2.5 sample consists of optically selected obscured quasar candidates, all of which are radio-quiet, with typical radio luminosities of νLν[1.4 GHz] ≲ 1040 erg s-1. Only a single source is individually detected in our deep (rms˜10 μJy) exposures. This population would not be identified by radio-based selection methods used for distinguishing dusty star-forming galaxies and obscured active nuclei. In our pilot A-array study of z ˜ 0.5 radio-quiet quasars, we spatially resolve four of five objects on scales ˜5 kpc and find they have steep spectral indices with an average value of α = -0.75. Therefore, radio emission in these sources could be due to jet-driven or radiatively driven bubbles interacting with interstellar material on the scale of the host galaxy. Finally, we also study the additional population of ˜200 faint ( ˜ 40 μJy-40 mJy) field radio sources observed over ˜120 arcmin2 of our data. 60 per cent of these detections (excluding our original targets) are matched in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and/or Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and are, in roughly equal shares, active galactic nuclei (AGN) at a broad range of redshifts, passive galaxies with no other signs of nuclear activity and infrared-bright but optically faint sources. Spectroscopically or photometrically confirmed star-forming galaxies constitute only a small minority of the matches. Such sensitive radio surveys allow us to address important questions of AGN evolution and evaluate the AGN contribution to the radio-quiet sky.

Optically modulated fluorescence bioimaging: visualizing obscured fluorophores in high background.

PubMed

Hsiang, Jung-Cheng; Jablonski, Amy E; Dickson, Robert M

2014-05-20

Fluorescence microscopy and detection have become indispensible for understanding organization and dynamics in biological systems. Novel fluorophores with improved brightness, photostability, and biocompatibility continue to fuel further advances but often rely on having minimal background. The visualization of interactions in very high biological background, especially for proteins or bound complexes at very low copy numbers, remains a primary challenge. Instead of focusing on molecular brightness of fluorophores, we have adapted the principles of high-sensitivity absorption spectroscopy to improve the sensitivity and signal discrimination in fluorescence bioimaging. Utilizing very long wavelength transient absorptions of kinetically trapped dark states, we employ molecular modulation schemes that do not simultaneously modulate the background fluorescence. This improves the sensitivity and ease of implementation over high-energy photoswitch-based recovery schemes, as no internal dye reference or nanoparticle-based fluorophores are needed to separate the desired signals from background. In this Account, we describe the selection process for and identification of fluorophores that enable optically modulated fluorescence to decrease obscuring background. Differing from thermally stable photoswitches using higher-energy secondary lasers, coillumination at very low energies depopulates transient dark states, dynamically altering the fluorescence and giving characteristic modulation time scales for each modulatable emitter. This process is termed synchronously amplified fluorescence image recovery (SAFIRe) microscopy. By understanding and optically controlling the dye photophysics, we selectively modulate desired fluorophore signals independent of all autofluorescent background. This shifts the fluorescence of interest to unique detection frequencies with nearly shot-noise-limited detection, as no background signals are collected. Although the fluorescence brightness is

The Language of Medicine: The Ethics of Obscurity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jolly, Peggy

Because physicians are perceived as powerful and knowledgeable professionals, the language they use to address patients has a tremendous effect on a patient's mental and physical well-being. Physicians often speak to patients in "med-speak," obscure, highly technical terms that cloak the reality of the patient's condition and serve to reinforce…

Removal of central obscuration and spiders for coronagraphy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abe, L.; Nishikawa, J.; Murakami, N.; Tamura, M.

2006-06-01

We present a method to remove the central obscuration and spiders, or any kind of geometry inside a telescope pupil. The technique relies on the combination of a first focal plane diffracting mask, and a complex amplitude pupil mask. In this combination, the central obscuration and eventual spider arms patterns in the re-imaged pupil (after the diffracting mask) are filled with coherent light. Adding an appropriate complex amplitude pupil mask allows virtually any kind of pupil shaping (in both amplitude and/or phase). We show that the obtained output pupil can feed a high efficiency coronagraph (any kind) with a very reasonable overall throughput and good performance even when considering pointing errors. In this paper, we specifically assess the performance of this technique when using apodized entrance pupils. This technique is relevant for ground based telescopes foreseeing the advent of higher order (so called ExAO) adaptive optics systems providing very high Strehl ratios. Some feasibility points are also discussed. adaptive optics systems providing very high Strehl ratios. Some feasibility points are also discussed.

Unusual presentation of obscure Meckel diverticulum treated with robot-assisted diverticulectomy: A case report.

PubMed

Pandey, Sagar; Fan, Miao; Xu, Zhe; Yan, Chaogui; Zhu, Junfeng; Li, Xiuhong

2016-10-01

Meckel diverticulum (MD) is the most common congenital abnormality of gastrointestinal tract. Tough believed to occur in 2% of population, most of them remain veiled because majority are clinically asymptomatic and remain obscure in radiological examination. A 26-year-old male with episodic black colored stool since last 10 years. Tough symptomatic, diagnosis of pathological lesion, and the bleeding site could not be established with any of the sophisticated diagnostic technique. After 10 years, it was finally diagnosed as MD with careful observation of bowel loops on computed tomography enterography (CTE) where remnant of vitelline vessel and hyper-enhancing nodule are seen along the wall of diverticular loop. The patient underwent robot assisted laparoscopic surgery with excision of diverticular loop. To the best of our knowledge, this robot-assistant Meckel diverculectomy is probably the first reported surgical procedure in PubMed. Follow-up for 3 month showed no complication or recurrence. Every case is unique and we must be aware and remain alert in tracing the possible morphological variation of the case. Here, we present one unique but rare feature of MD, which helped us in making diagnosis.

Cut at eastern approach, with portal obscured by train entering ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Cut at eastern approach, with portal obscured by train entering tunnel, looking NNW. - Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, Black Rock Tunnel, Beneath Black Rock Hill, southwest of Black Rock Dam, Phoenixville, Chester County, PA

The Landmark Decision that Faded into Historical Obscurity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nance, Molly

2007-01-01

This article takes a look at the Mendez v. Westminster School District, a landmark case that faded into historical obscurity. In the 1940s, Gonzalo and Felicita Mendez wanted their three children to attend the school nearest their farm, which was the 17th Street Elementary School in Westminster. But in the Westminster, Orange County, El Medina,…

38. INTERIOR VIEW OF TANK. Suspended wooden platform obscures bottom ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

38. INTERIOR VIEW OF TANK. Suspended wooden platform obscures bottom of tank No date - U.S. Naval Submarine Base, New London Submarine Escape Training Tank, Albacore & Darter Roads, Groton, New London County, CT

Using WISE to Find Obscured AGN Activity in SDSS Mergers and Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weston, Madalyn; McIntosh, Daniel H.; Her, Xiachang; Rigby, Jane R.

2015-01-01

In simulations, major encounters between gas-rich galaxies are predicted to drive gas to the centers of interacting and merging systems triggering new star formation (SF) and fueling an active galactic nucleus (AGN). Depending on the rate of SF, large amounts of obscuring dust can make detection of merger-induced activity difficult and may be at the heart of the ongoing merger-AGN connection debate. To provide better constraints on the importance of obscured AGNs, we use data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) for a comprehensive sample of over 1000 major galaxy interactions and ongoing mergers visually selected from the SDSS with Mstar>1e10 Msun and 0.01 < z < 0.08. We examine the [3.4]-[4.6] versus [4.6]-[12] micron color-color plane and find that most interactions and mergers have the same colors as normal (non-interacting and non-merging) galaxies, which define a narrow [3.4]-[4.6] micron locus and span a wide range in [4.6]-[12] micron colors from spectroscopically quiescent (blue, no dust) to galaxies with SF emission (dust-reddened). We find that 2-6% of mergers (and 2-3% of interactions) have unusually red [3.4]-[4.6] micron colors, which are associated with dust-obscured (Type-2) AGNs. We note that mergers (interactions) are 4-15 (3-8) times more likely to host a buried AGN than normal galaxies. We also find that optical emission-line AGNs (Seyferts) identified as mergers are 3-7 times more likely to be obscured than non-merging Seyferts. We investigate whether the obscured AGN subset of our sample have unique properties and find that their stellar masses, mass ratios, pair separations, and environments are not statistically different from those of the bulk of mergers and interactions with normal WISE colors. We note that among mergers and interactions with an AGN, the WISE-selected AGN favor higher [OIII] luminosities associated with higher AGN power than their unobscured counterparts. Our findings support an AGN-merger connection.

The [O III] Profiles of Infrared-selected Active Galactic Nuclei: More Powerful Outflows in the Obscured Population

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DiPompeo, M. A.; Hickox, R. C.; Carroll, C. M.; Runnoe, J. C.; Mullaney, J. R.; Fischer, T. C.

2018-03-01

We explore the kinematics of ionized gas via the [O III] λ5007 emission lines in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) selected on the basis of their mid-infrared (IR) emission, and split into obscured and unobscured populations based on their optical‑IR colors. After correcting for differences in redshift distributions, we provide composite spectra of spectroscopically and photometrically defined obscured/Type 2 and unobscured/Type 1 AGNs from 3500 to 7000 Å. The IR-selected obscured sources contain a mixture of narrow-lined Type 2 AGNs and intermediate sources that have broad Hα emission and significantly narrower Hβ. Using both [O III] luminosities and AGN luminosities derived from optical‑IR spectral energy distribution fitting, we find evidence for enhanced large-scale obscuration in the obscured sources. In matched bins of luminosity we find that the obscured population typically has broader, more blueshifted [O III] emission than in the unobscured sample, suggestive of more powerful AGN-driven outflows. This trend is not seen in spectroscopically classified samples, and is unlikely to be entirely explained by orientation effects. In addition, outflow velocities increase from small to moderate AGN E(B ‑ V) values, before flattening out (as traced by FWHM) and even decreasing (as traced by blueshift). While difficult to fully interpret in a single physical model, due to both the averaging over populations and the spatially averaged spectra, these results agree with previous findings that simple geometric unification models are insufficient for the IR-selected AGN population, and may fit into an evolutionary model for obscured and unobscured AGNs.

Readability of self-illuminated signs in a smoke-obscured environment.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1979-11-01

This study investigates the ability of people with normal distant visual acuity to identify self-illuminated emergency signs in a smoke-obscured environment. The results indicate that signs whose background luminance meets or exceeds the requirements...

Galaxy and mass assembly (GAMA): dust obscuration in galaxies and their recent star formation histories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wijesinghe, D. B.; Hopkins, A. M.; Sharp, R.; Gunawardhana, M.; Brough, S.; Sadler, E. M.; Driver, S.; Baldry, I.; Bamford, S.; Liske, J.; Loveday, J.; Norberg, P.; Peacock, J.; Popescu, C. C.; Tuffs, R. J.; Bland-Hawthorn, J.; Cameron, E.; Croom, S.; Frenk, C.; Hill, D.; Jones, D. H.; van Kampen, E.; Kelvin, L.; Kuijken, K.; Madore, B.; Nichol, B.; Parkinson, H.; Pimbblet, K. A.; Prescott, M.; Robotham, A. S. G.; Seibert, M.; Simmat, E.; Sutherland, W.; Taylor, E.; Thomas, D.

2011-02-01

We present self-consistent star formation rates derived through pan-spectral analysis of galaxies drawn from the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey. We determine the most appropriate form of dust obscuration correction via application of a range of extinction laws drawn from the literature as applied to Hα, [O II] and UV luminosities. These corrections are applied to a sample of 31 508 galaxies from the GAMA survey at z < 0.35. We consider several different obscuration curves, including those of Milky Way, Calzetti and Fischera & Dopita curves and their effects on the observed luminosities. At the core of this technique is the observed Balmer decrement, and we provide a prescription to apply optimal obscuration corrections using the Balmer decrement. We carry out an analysis of the star formation history (SFH) using stellar population synthesis tools to investigate the evolutionary history of our sample of galaxies as well as to understand the effects of variation in the initial mass function (IMF) and the effects this has on the evolutionary history of galaxies. We find that the Fischera & Dopita obscuration curve with an Rv value of 4.5 gives the best agreement between the different SFR indicators. The 2200 Å feature needed to be removed from this curve to obtain complete consistency between all SFR indicators suggesting that this feature may not be common in the average integrated attenuation of galaxy emission. We also find that the UV dust obscuration is strongly dependent on the SFR.

Announcment: Conference on Obscured AGN Across Cosmic Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2006-12-01

Current deep surveys, notably in X-rays and the mid-IR, are making it possible to carry out a census of essentially all the luminous AGN in the Universe. By pene-trating the obscuration that, in Type 2 sources, hides the nuclear regions in the UV to the near-IR spectrum, these new surveys are finding the radio quiet coun-terparts of the powerful radio galaxies.

An unbiased view of X-ray obscuration amongst active galactic nuclei with NuLANDS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boorman, Peter Gregory; Gandhi, Poshak; Stern, Daniel; Harrison, Fiona; NuSTAR Obscured AGN Team

2018-01-01

Nearly all active galactic nuclei (AGN) are obscured in X-rays behind column densities of NH ≥ 1022 cm-2. Hard X-ray studies have proven very effective to quanitfy the levels of obscuration amongst AGN, up to and just above the Compton-thick limit (NH ˜ 1.5 × 1024 cm-2). However, Compton-thick sources with NH values beyond this limit are typically missed in hard X-ray all-sky surveys such as Swift/BAT, requiring many studies to apply considerable bias corrections to account for the loss. Incorrectly quanitfying the heavily obscured AGN population can have a dramatic effect on synthesis models designed to fit the Cosmic X-ray Background spectrum, due to their significant contribution to the peak flux of the background at ~30 keV. This is what motivated the NuSTAR Local AGN NH Distribution Survey (NuLANDS) - a NuSTAR 1 Ms legacy survey of an obscuration-independent, infrared selected sample of AGN, undetected by BAT and unobserved by NuSTAR before - a considerable number of which are predicted to be heavily obscured. NuSTAR is the first true X-ray focusing instrument capable of spectral analysis > 10 keV, and as such can and will place robust constraints on the NH values of these elusive AGN. In this poster, I will present the first results from NuLANDS, including multiple newly identified Compton-thick AGN, previously undetected in the Swift/BAT 70-month catalog. I will further highlight the exciting prospects for the complete NuLANDS sample, with the ultimate goal of constructing a representative NH distribution of AGN in the local Universe, requiring minimal bias corrections.

AGN Obscuration Through Dusty Infrared Dominated Flows. 1; Radiation-Hydrodynamics Solution for the Wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorodnitsyn, A.; Bisnovatyi-Kogan. G. S.; Kallman, T.

2011-01-01

We construct a radiation-hydrodynamics model for the obscuring toroidal structure in active galactic nuclei. In this model the obscuration is produced at parsec scale by a dense, dusty wind which is supported by infrared radiation pressure on dust grains. To find the distribution of radiation pressure, we numerically solve the 2D radiation transfer problem in a flux limited diffusion approximation. We iteratively couple the solution with calculations of stationary 1D models for the wind, and obtain the z-component of the velocity. Our results demonstrate that for AGN luminosities greater than 0.1 L(sub edd) external illumination can support a geometrically thick obscuration via outflows driven by infrared radiation pressure. The terminal velocity of marginally Compton-thin models (0.2 < tau(sub T) < 0.6), is comparable to or greater than the escape velocity. In Compton thick models the maximum value of the vertical component of the velocity is lower than the escape velocity, suggesting that a significant part of our torus is in the form of failed wind. The results demonstrate that obscuration via normal or failed infrared-driven winds is a viable option for the AGN torus problem and AGN unification models. Such winds can also provide an important channel for AGN feedback.

THE OBSCURED FRACTION OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI IN THE XMM-COSMOS SURVEY: A SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTION PERSPECTIVE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lusso, E.; Hennawi, J. F.; Richards, G. T.

2013-11-10

The fraction of active galactic nucleus (AGN) luminosity obscured by dust and re-emitted in the mid-IR is critical for understanding AGN evolution, unification, and parsec-scale AGN physics. For unobscured (Type 1) AGNs, where we have a direct view of the accretion disk, the dust covering factor can be measured by computing the ratio of re-processed mid-IR emission to intrinsic nuclear bolometric luminosity. We use this technique to estimate the obscured AGN fraction as a function of luminosity and redshift for 513 Type 1 AGNs from the XMM-COSMOS survey. The re-processed and intrinsic luminosities are computed by fitting the 18 bandmore » COSMOS photometry with a custom spectral energy distribution fitting code, which jointly models emission from hot dust in the AGN torus, from the accretion disk, and from the host galaxy. We find a relatively shallow decrease of the luminosity ratio as a function of L{sub bol}, which we interpret as a corresponding decrease in the obscured fraction. In the context of the receding torus model, where dust sublimation reduces the covering factor of more luminous AGNs, our measurements require a torus height that increases with luminosity as h ∝ L{sub bol}{sup 0.3-0.4}. Our obscured-fraction-luminosity relation agrees with determinations from Sloan Digital Sky Survey censuses of Type 1 and Type 2 quasars and favors a torus optically thin to mid-IR radiation. We find a much weaker dependence of the obscured fraction on 2-10 keV luminosity than previous determinations from X-ray surveys and argue that X-ray surveys miss a significant population of highly obscured Compton-thick AGNs. Our analysis shows no clear evidence for evolution of the obscured fraction with redshift.« less

Laboratory Evaluation of Light Obscuration Particle Counters used to Establish use Limits for Aviation Fuel

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

evaluation The major drawback to light obscuration particle counting is that the technology is unable to differentiate between solid particulate ...light obscuration particle counter technologies evaluated were able to properly measure solid particulate contamination and provide an indication of...undissolved water, Aqua-Glo, Particulate , Gravimetric 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT none 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 55 19a. NAME OF

Determining the relative toxicity and smoke obscuration of combustion products of mine combustibles. Report of Investigations/1990

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

De Rosa, M.I.; Litton, C.D.

1990-01-01

Combustible materials, when burned, produce toxic gases and smoke, which may vary dramatically from one material to another, with resultant different total toxicity and smoke obscuration levels. The U.S. Bureau of Mines report presents smoke property data acquired for a variety of mine combustibles and shows that there exists a correlation between the smoke properties, the relative toxicity, and the smoke obscuration levels of those combustibles tested. These correlations can be used to devise simple, standard tests for determining the toxic and smoke obscuration hazards of mine materials during fire.

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE MORPHOLOGIES OF z {approx} 2 DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES. II. BUMP SOURCES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bussmann, R. S.; Dey, Arjun; Lotz, J.

We present Hubble Space Telescope imaging of 22 ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) at z {approx} 2 with extremely red R - [24] colors (called dust-obscured galaxies, or DOGs) which have a local maximum in their spectral energy distribution (SED) at rest-frame 1.6 {mu}m associated with stellar emission. These sources, which we call 'bump DOGs', have star formation rates (SFRs) of 400-4000 M{sub sun} yr{sup -1} and have redshifts derived from mid-IR spectra which show strong polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission-a sign of vigorous ongoing star formation. Using a uniform morphological analysis, we look for quantifiable differences between bump DOGs, power-law DOGsmore » (Spitzer-selected ULIRGs with mid-IR SEDs dominated by a power law and spectral features that are more typical of obscured active galactic nuclei than starbursts), submillimeter-selected galaxies, and other less-reddened ULIRGs from the Spitzer Extragalactic First Look Survey. Bump DOGs are larger than power-law DOGs (median Petrosian radius of 8.4 {+-} 2.7 kpc versus 5.5 {+-} 2.3 kpc) and exhibit more diffuse and irregular morphologies (median M{sub 20} of -1.08 {+-} 0.05 versus -1.48 {+-} 0.05). These trends are qualitatively consistent with expectations from simulations of major mergers in which merging systems during the peak SFR period evolve from M{sub 20} = -1.0 to M{sub 20} = -1.7. Less-obscured ULIRGs (i.e., non-DOGs) tend to have more regular, centrally peaked, single-object morphologies rather than diffuse and irregular morphologies. This distinction in morphologies may imply that less-obscured ULIRGs sample the merger near the end of the peak SFR period. Alternatively, it may indicate that the intense star formation in these less-obscured ULIRGs is not the result of a recent major merger.« less

49 CFR 392.33 - Obscured lamps or reflective devices/material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY REGULATIONS DRIVING OF COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES Use of Lighted Lamps and Reflectors § 392.33 Obscured lamps or reflective devices/material. (a) No commercial motor vehicle shall be driven when any of the lamps...

Effect of Transitioning from Standard Reference Material 2806a to Standard Reference Material 2806b for Light Obscuration Particle Countering

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-01

Reference Material 2806b for Light Obscuration Particle Countering April 2016 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED Joel Schmitigal 27809 Standard Form 298 (Rev...Standard Reference Material 2806b for Light Obscuration Particle Countering 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6...Reference Material 2806a to Standard Reference Material 2806b for Light Obscuration Particle Countering Joel Schmitigal Force Projection

The distant red galaxy neighbour population of 1 <~ z <~ 2 QSOs and optically obscured sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bornancini, Carlos G.; García Lambas, Diego

2007-05-01

We study the distant red galaxy (DRG; J - Ks > 2.3) neighbour population of quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) in the redshift range 1 <~ z <~ 2. We perform a similar analysis for optically obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs; i.e. with a limiting magnitude I > 24) detected in the mid-infrared (24 μm) with the Spitzer Space Telescope and a mean redshift z ~ 2.2 in the Flamingos Extragalactic Survey (FLAMEX). Both QSOs and obscured AGN target samples cover 4.7 deg2 in the same region of the sky. We find a significant difference in the environment of these two target samples. Neighbouring galaxies close to QSOs tend to be bluer than galaxies in optically obscured source environments. We also present results on the cross-correlation function of DRGs around QSOs and optically faint mid-infrared sources. The corresponding correlation length obtained for the QSO sample targets is r0 = 5.4 +/- 1.6 Mpc h-1 and a slope of γ = 1.94 +/- 0.10. For the optically obscured galaxy sample, we find r0 = 8.9 +/- 1.4 Mpc h-1 and a slope of γ = 2.27 +/- 0.20. These results indicate that optically faint obscured sources are located in denser environment of evolved red galaxies compared to QSOs. Based on observations and/or data products by the Flamingos Extragalactic Survey. FLAMINGOS was designed and constructed by the IR instrumentation group (PI: R. Elston) at the University of Florida, Department of Astronomy, with support from NSF grant AST97-31180 and Kitt Peak National Observatory. E-mail: bornancini@oac.uncor.edu

GAMA/H-ATLAS: the ultraviolet spectral slope and obscuration in galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wijesinghe, D. B.; da Cunha, E.; Hopkins, A. M.; Dunne, L.; Sharp, R.; Gunawardhana, M.; Brough, S.; Sadler, E. M.; Driver, S.; Baldry, I.; Bamford, S.; Liske, J.; Loveday, J.; Norberg, P.; Peacock, J.; Popescu, C. C.; Tuffs, R.; Andrae, E.; Auld, R.; Baes, M.; Bland-Hawthorn, J.; Buttiglione, S.; Cava, A.; Cameron, E.; Conselice, C. J.; Cooray, A.; Croom, S.; Dariush, A.; Dezotti, G.; Dye, S.; Eales, S.; Frenk, C.; Fritz, J.; Hill, D.; Hopwood, R.; Ibar, E.; Ivison, R.; Jarvis, M.; Jones, D. H.; van Kampen, E.; Kelvin, L.; Kuijken, K.; Maddox, S. J.; Madore, B.; Michałowski, M. J.; Nichol, B.; Parkinson, H.; Pascale, E.; Pimbblet, K. A.; Pohlen, M.; Prescott, M.; Rhodighiero, G.; Robotham, A. S. G.; Rigby, E. E.; Seibert, M.; Sergeant, S.; Smith, D. J. B.; Temi, P.; Sutherland, W.; Taylor, E.; Thomas, D.; van der Werf, P.

2011-08-01

We use multiwavelength data from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) and Herschel-ATLAS (H-ATLAS) surveys to compare the relationship between various dust obscuration measures in galaxies. We explore the connections between the ultraviolet (UV) spectral slope, β, the Balmer decrement and the far-infrared (FIR) to 150 nm far-ultraviolet (FUV) luminosity ratio. We explore trends with galaxy mass, star formation rate (SFR) and redshift in order to identify possible systematics in these various measures. We reiterate the finding of other authors that there is a large scatter between the Balmer decrement and the β parameter, and that β may be poorly constrained when derived from only two broad passbands in the UV. We also emphasize that FUV-derived SFRs, corrected for dust obscuration using β, will be overestimated unless a modified relation between β and the attenuation factor is used. Even in the optimum case, the resulting SFRs have a significant scatter, well over an order of magnitude. While there is a stronger correlation between the IR-to-FUV luminosity ratio and β parameter than with the Balmer decrement, neither of these correlations are particularly tight, and dust corrections based on β for high-redshift galaxy SFRs must be treated with caution. We conclude with a description of the extent to which the different obscuration measures are consistent with each other as well as the effects of including other galactic properties on these correlations.

Sizzling Remains of a Dead Star

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-01-07

This new view of the historical supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, located 11,000 light-years away, was taken by NASA Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR. While the star is long dead, its remains are still bursting with action.

Eddington-limited Accretion in z ∼ 2 WISE-selected Hot, Dust-obscured Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jingwen; Jun, Hyunsung D.; Assef, Roberto J.; Tsai, Chao-Wei; Wright, Edward L.; Eisenhardt, Peter R. M.; Blain, Andrew; Stern, Daniel; Díaz-Santos, Tanio; Denney, Kelly D.; Hayden, Brian T.; Perlmutter, Saul; Aldering, Greg; Boone, Kyle; Fagrelius, Parker

2018-01-01

Hot, dust-obscured galaxies, or “Hot DOGs,” are a rare, dusty, hyperluminous galaxy population discovered by the WISE mission. Predominantly at redshifts 2–3, they include the most luminous known galaxies in the universe. Their high luminosities likely come from accretion onto highly obscured supermassive black holes (SMBHs). We have conducted a pilot survey to measure the SMBH masses of five z∼ 2 Hot DOGs via broad Hα emission lines, using Keck/MOSFIRE and Gemini/FLAMINGOS-2. We detect broad Hα emission in all five Hot DOGs. We find substantial corresponding SMBH masses for these Hot DOGs (∼ {10}9 {M}ȯ ), and their derived Eddington ratios are close to unity. These z∼ 2 Hot DOGs are the most luminous active galactic nuclei for their BH masses, suggesting that they are accreting at the maximum rates for their BHs. A similar property is found for known z∼ 6 quasars. Our results are consistent with scenarios in which Hot DOGs represent a transitional, high-accretion phase between obscured and unobscured quasars. Hot DOGs may mark a special evolutionary stage before the red quasar and optical quasar phases, and they may be present at other cosmic epochs.

Obscured Black Hole Growth at High Redshift and High Luminosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urry, C. Megan

We propose to complete the census of cosmic black hole growth by measuring luminous and/or distant quasars using Spitzer, Herschel, Chandra and XMM-Newton imaging in Stripe 82 the deepest Sloan Digital Sky Survey field, and now the premier legacy field among 100 deg2 survey areas. These extensive ancillary data offer unsurpassed sensitivity to accreting supermassive black holes in luminous quasars out to z 6, including obscured objects missed by optical/UV surveys. We address six science goals centered on the growth of supermassive black holes: 1) We will constrain the mass accreted in luminous quasars by determining the evolving luminosity function of high-luminosity X-ray-selected AGN, including obscured quasars, especially at high redshift, where previous surveys have limited statistics. 2) We will build a comprehensive multi-wavelength population synthesis model that describes cosmic black hole accretion across most of the history of the Universe, constrained by the wealth of data now available. This will be the first population synthesis model that is constrained at high luminosity and high redshift (courtesy of Stripe 82X). 3) We will characterize the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of luminous X-ray selected quasars, including obscured ones. We will assess the dust content in the host galaxies and diagnose the relative contributions of black hole fueling and star formation, using Herschel data to probe the cold molecular gas from which stars form and comparing X-rays from accretion onto the central black hole. We will also use high-quality optical imaging to disentangle nuclear from host galaxy emission in a representative sub-sample of quasars. 4) Using Spitzer, Herschel, Chandra, XMM-Newton, and optical data, we will identify candidates for the most heavily obscured black holes, which we will follow up with ground-based IR spectroscopy using Keck and Palomar (to which Yale has guaranteed access). In this way we will recover obscured AGN missed by

AGN Obscuration Through Dusty Infrared Dominated Flows. II. Multidimensional, Radiation-Hydrodynamics Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorodnitsyn, Anton; Kallman, Tim; Bisno\\vatyiI-Kogan, Gennadyi

2011-01-01

We explore a detailed model in which the active galactic nucleus (AGN) obscuration results from the extinction of AGN radiation in a global ow driven by the pressure of infrared radiation on dust grains. We assume that external illumination by UV and soft X-rays of the dusty gas located at approximately 1pc away from the supermassive black hole is followed by a conversion of such radiation into IR. Using 2.5D, time-dependent radiation hydrodynamics simulations in a ux-limited di usion approximation we nd that the external illumination can support a geometrically thick obscuration via out ows driven by infrared radiation pressure in AGN with luminosities greater than 0:05 L(sub edd) and Compton optical depth, Tau(sub T) approx > & 1.

The distant red galaxy neighbour population of 1obscured sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bornancini, C.; García Lambas, D.

We study the Distant Red Galaxy (DRG, J-Ks > 2.3) neighbour population of Quasi Stellar Objects (QSOs) selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) in the redshift range 1 < z < 2. We perform a similar analysis for optically obscured AGNs (i.e. with a limiting magnitude I > 24) detected in the mid-infrared (24 microns) with the Spitzer Space Telescope and a mean redshift z~2.2 in the Flamingos Extragalactic Survey (FLAMEX). We present results on the cross-correlation function of DRGs around QSOs and optically faint mid-infrared sources. The corresponding correlation length obtained for the QSO sample targets is r_0=5.4+/-1.6 Mpc. For the optically obscured galaxy sample we find r_0=8.9+/-1.4 Mpc. These results indicate that optically faint obscured sources are located in denser environment of evolved red galaxies compare to QSOs.

Anatomy of the AGN in NGC 5548. VII. Swift study of obscuration and broadband continuum variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehdipour, M.; Kaastra, J. S.; Kriss, G. A.; Cappi, M.; Petrucci, P.-O.; De Marco, B.; Ponti, G.; Steenbrugge, K. C.; Behar, E.; Bianchi, S.; Branduardi-Raymont, G.; Costantini, E.; Ebrero, J.; Di Gesu, L.; Matt, G.; Paltani, S.; Peterson, B. M.; Ursini, F.; Whewell, M.

2016-04-01

We present our investigation into the long-term variability of the X-ray obscuration and optical-UV-X-ray continuum in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548. In 2013 and 2014, the Swift observatory monitored NGC 5548 on average every day or two, with archival observations reaching back to 2005, totalling about 670 ks of observing time. Both broadband spectral modelling and temporal rms variability analysis are applied to the Swift data. We disentangle the variability caused by absorption, due to an obscuring weakly-ionised outflow near the disk, from variability of the intrinsic continuum components (the soft X-ray excess and the power law) originating in the disk and its associated coronae. The spectral model that we apply to this extensive Swift data is the global model that we derived for NGC 5548 from analysis of the stacked spectra from our multi-satellite campaign of 2013 (including XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and HST). The results of our Swift study show that changes in the covering fraction of the obscurer is the primary and dominant cause of variability in the soft X-ray band on timescales of 10 days to ~5 months. The obscuring covering fraction of the X-ray source is found to range between 0.7 and nearly 1.0. The contribution of the soft excess component to the X-ray variability is often much less than that of the obscurer, but it becomes comparable when the optical-UV continuum flares up. We find that the soft excess is consistent with being the high-energy tail of the optical-UV continuum and can be explained by warm Comptonisation: up-scattering of the disk seed photons in a warm, optically thick corona as part of the inner disk. To this date, the Swift monitoring of NGC 5548 shows that the obscurer has been continuously present in our line of sight for at least 4 years (since at least February 2012).

ALMA Detections of CO Emission in the Most Luminous, Heavily Dust-obscured Quasars at z > 3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Lulu; Knudsen, Kirsten K.; Fogasy, Judit; Drouart, Guillaume

2018-03-01

We report the results of a pilot study of CO(4 ‑ 3) emission line of three Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)-selected hyper-luminous, dust-obscured quasars (QSOs) with sensitive ALMA Band 3 observations. These obscured QSOs with L bol > 1014 L ⊙ are among the most luminous objects in the universe. All three QSO hosts are clearly detected both in continuum and in CO(4 ‑ 3) emission line. Based on CO(4 ‑ 3) emission line detection, we derive the molecular gas masses (∼1010‑11 M ⊙), suggesting that these QSOs are gas-rich systems. We find that the obscured QSOs in our sample follow the similar {L}CO}{\\prime }{--}{L}FIR} relation as unobscured QSOs at high redshifts. We also find the complex velocity structures of CO(4 ‑ 3) emission line, which provide the possible evidence for a gas-rich merger in W0149+2350 and possible molecular outflow in W0220+0137 and W0410‑0913. Massive molecular outflow can blow away the obscured interstellar medium and make obscured QSOs evolve toward the UV/optical bright, unobscured phase. Our result is consistent with the popular active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback scenario involving the co-evolution between the supermassive black holes and host galaxy.

Virtual chromoendoscopy improves the diagnostic yield of small bowel capsule endoscopy in obscure gastrointestinal bleeding.

PubMed

Boal Carvalho, Pedro; Magalhães, Joana; Dias de Castro, Francisca; Gonçalves, Tiago Cúrdia; Rosa, Bruno; Moreira, Maria João; Cotter, José

2016-02-01

Small bowel capsule endoscopy represents the initial investigation for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Flexible spectral imaging colour enhancement (FICE) is a virtual chromoendoscopy technique designed to enhance mucosal lesions, available in different settings according to light wavelength-- FICE1, 2 and 3. To compare the diagnostic yield of FICE1 and white light during capsule endoscopy in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Retrospective single-centre study including 60 consecutive patients referred for small bowel capsule endoscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Endoscopies were independently reviewed in FICE1 and white light; findings were then reviewed by another researcher, establishing a gold standard. Diagnostic yield was defined as the presence of lesions with high bleeding potential (P2) angioectasias, ulcers or tumours. Diagnostic yield using FICE1 was significantly higher than white light (55% vs. 42%, p=0.021). A superior number of P2 lesions was detected with FICE1 (74 vs. 44, p=0.003), particularly angioectasias (54 vs. 26, p=0.002), but not ulcers or tumours. FICE1 was significantly superior to white light, resulting in a 13% improvement in diagnostic yield, and potentially bleeding lesions particularly angioectasias were more often observed. Our results support the use of FICE1 while reviewing small bowel capsule endoscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Copyright © 2015 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Uncovering Heavily Obscured AGN with WISE and NuSTAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hickox, Ryan C.; Carroll, Christopher M.; Yan, Wei; DiPompeo, Michael A.; Hainline, Kevin N.; NuSTAR Obscured AGN Team

2018-01-01

Supermassive black holes gain their mass through accretion as active galactic nuclei (AGN), but it is now clear that a large fraction of this growth is "hidden" behind large columns of gas and dust. Of particular interest are Compton-thick (CT) AGN, with columns NH > 1024 cm-2, that have been difficult to identify using optical or soft X-ray surveys. We will present two studies of heavily obscured AGN that aim to uncover more of the full population of "hidden" growing black holes: (1) Analysis of the spectral energy distributions of millions of galaxies with photometry from WISE (mid-IR), UKIDSS (near-IR), and SDSS (optical), that uncovers large populations of weak or heavily buried AGN, and (2) NuSTAR observations of a sample of candidate highly obscured AGN, selected from WISE and SDSS photometry,and confirmed using SALT and Keck spectroscopy. The NuSTAR data reveal the existence of powerful CT quasars with extremely large columns NH > 1025 cm-2, which may represent a significant fraction of previously hidden black hole growth. This work is supported by NASA grant numbers NNX16AN48G and NNX15AP24G, and the NSF through grant numbers 1515364 and 1554584.

Removal of central obscuration and spider arm effects with beam-shaping coronagraphy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abe, L.; Murakami, N.; Nishikawa, J.; Tamura, M.

2006-05-01

This paper describes a method for removing the effect of a centrally obscured aperture with additional spider arms in arbitrary geometrical configurations. The proposed method is based on a two-stage process where the light beam is first shaped to remove the central obscuration and spider arms, in order to feed a second, highly efficient coronagraph. The beam-shaping stage is a combination of a diffraction mask in the first focal plane and a complex amplitude filter located in the conjugate pupil. This paper specifically describes the case of using Lyot occulting masks and circular phase-shifting masks as diffracting components. The basic principle of the method is given along with an analytical description and numerical simulations. Substantial improvement in the performance of high-contrast coronagraphs can be obtained with this method, even if the beam-shaping filter is not perfectly manufactured.

Chemical plants remain vulnerable to terrorists: a call to action.

PubMed

Lippin, Tobi Mae; McQuiston, Thomas H; Bradley-Bull, Kristin; Burns-Johnson, Toshiba; Cook, Linda; Gill, Michael L; Howard, Donna; Seymour, Thomas A; Stephens, Doug; Williams, Brian K

2006-09-01

U.S. chemical plants currently have potentially catastrophic vulnerabilities as terrorist targets. The possible consequences of these vulnerabilities echo from the tragedies of the Bhopal incident in 1984 to the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 and, most recently, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Findings from a 2004 nationwide participatory research study of 125 local union leaders at sites with very large volumes of highly hazardous chemicals suggest that voluntary efforts to achieve chemical plant security are not succeeding. Study respondents reported that companies had only infrequently taken actions that are most effective in preventing or in preparing to respond to a terrorist threat. In addition, companies reportedly often failed to involve key stakeholders, including workers, local unions, and the surrounding communities, in these efforts. The environmental health community thus has an opportunity to play a key role in advocating for and supporting improvements in prevention of and preparation for terrorist attacks. Policy-level recommendations to redress chemical site vulnerabilities and the related ongoing threats to the nation's security are as follows: a) specify detailed requirements for chemical site assessment and security ; b) mandate audit inspections supported by significant penalties for cases of noncompliance ; c) require progress toward achieving inherently safer processes, including the minimizing of storage of highly hazardous chemicals ; d) examine and require additional effective actions in prevention, emergency preparedness, and response and remediation ; e) mandate and fund the upgrading of emergency communication systems ; and f) involve workers and community members in plan creation and equip and prepare them to prevent and respond effectively to an incident.

Chemical Plants Remain Vulnerable to Terrorists: A Call to Action

PubMed Central

Lippin, Tobi Mae; McQuiston, Thomas H.; Bradley-Bull, Kristin; Burns-Johnson, Toshiba; Cook, Linda; Gill, Michael L.; Howard, Donna; Seymour, Thomas A.; Stephens, Doug; Williams, Brian K.

2006-01-01

U.S. chemical plants currently have potentially catastrophic vulnerabilities as terrorist targets. The possible consequences of these vulnerabilities echo from the tragedies of the Bhopal incident in 1984 to the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 and, most recently, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Findings from a 2004 nationwide participatory research study of 125 local union leaders at sites with very large volumes of highly hazardous chemicals suggest that voluntary efforts to achieve chemical plant security are not succeeding. Study respondents reported that companies had only infrequently taken actions that are most effective in preventing or in preparing to respond to a terrorist threat. In addition, companies reportedly often failed to involve key stakeholders, including workers, local unions, and the surrounding communities, in these efforts. The environmental health community thus has an opportunity to play a key role in advocating for and supporting improvements in prevention of and preparation for terrorist attacks. Policy-level recommendations to redress chemical site vulnerabilities and the related ongoing threats to the nation’s security are as follows: a) specify detailed requirements for chemical site assessment and security; b) mandate audit inspections supported by significant penalties for cases of noncompliance; c) require progress toward achieving inherently safer processes, including the minimizing of storage of highly hazardous chemicals; d) examine and require additional effective actions in prevention, emergency preparedness, and response and remediation; e) mandate and fund the upgrading of emergency communication systems; and f) involve workers and community members in plan creation and equip and prepare them to prevent and respond effectively to an incident. PMID:16966080

High-z X-ray Obscured Quasars in Galaxies with Extreme Mid-IR/Optical Colors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piconcelli, E.; Lanzuisi, G.; Fiore, F.; Feruglio, C.; Vignali, C.; Salvato, M.; Grappioni, C.

2009-05-01

Extreme Optical/Mid-IR color cuts have been used to uncover a population of dust-enshrouded, mid-IR luminous galaxies at high redshifts. Several lines of evidence point towards the presence of an heavily absorbed, possibly Compton-thick quasar at the heart of these systems. Nonetheless, the X-ray spectral properties of these intriguing sources still remain largely unexplored. Here we present an X-ray spectroscopic study of a large sample of 44 extreme dust-obscured galaxies (EDOGs) with F24 μm/FR>2000 and F24 μm>1.3 mJy selected from a 6 deg2 region in the SWIRE fields. The application of our selection criteria to a wide area survey has been capable of unveiling a population of X-ray luminous, absorbed z>1 quasars which is mostly missed in the traditional optical/X-ray surveys performed so far. Advances in the understanding of the X-ray properties of these recently-discovered sources by Simbol-X observations will be also discussed.

Oil and gas: Oilfield class actions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McArthur, J.B.

1997-06-01

The use of class actions is getting alot of attention in the oilfield. Plaintiffs have filed class actions challenging two of the most rooted industry practices, oil posted prices and deregulated natural gas affiliate deduction and charges. The classes will include tens or hundreds of thousands of plaintiffs and may transform two of the industry`s most settled practices. The emotions surrounding the class action risk obscuring the fact that it is an old and oft-used tool in oilfield litigation. The class action {open_quotes}provides a means by which, where a large group of persons are interested in a matter, one ormore » more may sue or be sued as representatives of the class without needing to join every member of the class.{close_quotes} The procedure avoids waste by combining scattered disputes, even if some injured might sue individually, and it enables plaintiffs who could not afford to sue to be represented anyway. The lawyers draw their fees from any recovery. Almost all oilpatch class actions are brought to resolve a {open_quotes}common question{close_quotes} under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 23(b)(3) or state counterparts. The rule`s {open_quotes}opt-out{close_quotes} provisions give class actions a tremendous boost because members stay in unless they take steps to get out. This article discusses present and future class actions.« less

The black hole binary V404 Cygni: a highly accreting obscured AGN analogue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motta, S. E.; Kajava, J. J. E.; Sánchez-Fernández, C.; Giustini, M.; Kuulkers, E.

2017-06-01

Typical black hole binaries in outburst show spectral states and transitions, characterized by a clear connection between the inflow on to the black hole and outflows from its vicinity. The transient stellar mass black hole binary V404 Cyg apparently does not fit in this picture. Its outbursts are characterized by intense flares and intermittent plateau and low-luminosity states, with a dynamical intensity range of several orders of magnitude on time-scales of hours. During the 2015 June-July X-ray outburst a joint Swift and INTEGRAL observing campaign captured V404 Cyg in one of these plateau states. The simultaneous Swift/XRT + INTRGRAL/JEM-X + INTEGRAL/IBIS-ISGRI spectrum is reminiscent of that of obscured/absorbed active galactic nuclei (AGN). It can be modelled as a Comptonization spectrum, heavily absorbed by a partial covering, high column density material (NH ≈ 1-3 × 1024 cm-2), and a dominant reprocessed component, including a narrow iron Kα line. Such spectral distribution can be produced by a geometrically thick accretion flow able to launch a clumpy outflow, likely responsible for both the high intrinsic absorption and the intense reprocessed emission observed. Similarly to what happens in certain obscured AGN, the low-flux states might not be (solely) related to a decrease in the intrinsic luminosity, but could instead be caused by an almost complete obscuration of the inner accretion flow.

A Submillimeter Continuum Survey of Local Dust-obscured Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jong Chul; Hwang, Ho Seong; Lee, Gwang-Ho

2016-12-01

We conduct a 350 μm dust continuum emission survey of 17 dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) at z = 0.05-0.08 with the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO). We detect 14 DOGs with S 350 μm = 114-650 mJy and signal-to-noise > 3. By including two additional DOGs with submillimeter data in the literature, we are able to study dust content for a sample of 16 local DOGs, which consist of 12 bump and four power-law types. We determine their physical parameters with a two-component modified blackbody function model. The derived dust temperatures are in the range 57-122 K and 22-35 K for the warm and cold dust components, respectively. The total dust mass and the mass fraction of the warm dust component are 3-34 × 107 M ⊙ and 0.03%-2.52%, respectively. We compare these results with those of other submillimeter-detected infrared luminous galaxies. The bump DOGs, the majority of the DOG sample, show similar distributions of dust temperatures and total dust mass to the comparison sample. The power-law DOGs show a hint of smaller dust masses than other samples, but need to be tested with a larger sample. These findings support that the reason DOGs show heavy dust obscuration is not an overall amount of dust content, but probably the spatial distribution of dust therein.

Unveiling the Composite Nature of Dust-Obscured Galaxies (DOGs) with Herschel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riguccini, Laurie A.; Le Floc'h, Emeric; Mullaney, James

2015-08-01

DOGs are bright 24um-selected sources with extreme obscuration at optical wavelengths. Some of them are characterized by a rising power-law continuum of hot dust (T_D ~ 200-1000 K) in the near-IR emission indicating that their mid-IR luminosity is dominated by an AGN. Whereas DOGs with a fainter 24um flux display a stellar bump and their mid-IR luminosity is believed to be mainly powered by dusty star-formation. Another explanation is that the mid-IR emission still comes from AGN activity but the torus emission is so obscured that it becomes negligible with respect to the emission from the host component.In an effort to characterize the nature of the physical processes underlying their IR emission, we focus on DOGs (F24/FR>982) within the COSMOS field with Herschel data and derive their far-IR properties (e.g., total IR luminosities; mid-to-far IR colors; dust temperatures and masses and AGN contribution) based on SED fitting.Of particular interest are the 24um-bright DOGs (F24>1mJy). They present bluer far-IR/mid-IR colors than the rest of the sample, unveiling the potential presence of an AGN. The AGN contribution to the total 8-1000um flux increases as a function of the rest-frame 8um-luminosity irrespective of the redshift, with a stronger contribution at lower redshift. This confirms that faint DOGs (F24<1mJy) are dominated by star-formation while brighter DOGs show a larger contribution from an AGN.Is this FIR-selection technique allowing us to probe a new population of obscured AGN? Or does it corresponds to already known AGN in the X-rays, NIR or radio? The wealth of multi wavelength data in COSMOS will allow us to describe our results here.

Wide-Spectrum Microscope with a Long Working Distance Aspherical Objective Based on Obscuration Constraint

PubMed Central

Wang, Weibo; Wang, Chao; Liu, Jian; Tan, Jiubin

2016-01-01

We present an approach for an initial configuration design based on obscuration constraint and on-axis Taylor series expansion to realize the design of long working distance microscope (numerical aperture (NA) = 0.13 and working distance (WD) = 525 mm) with a low obscuration aspherical Schwarzschild objective in wide-spectrum imaging (λ = 400–900 nm). Experiments of the testing on the resolution target and inspection on United States Air Force (USAF) resolution chart and a line charge-coupled device (CCD) (pixel size of 14 μm × 56 μm) with different wavelength light sources (λ = 480 nm, 550 nm, 660 nm, 850 nm) were implemented to verify the validity of the proposed method. PMID:27834874

Geometrically Thick Obscuration by Radiation-driven Outflow from Magnetized Tori of Active Galactic Nuclei

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chan, Chi-Ho; Krolik, Julian H.

2017-07-01

Near-Eddington radiation from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) has significant dynamical influence on the surrounding dusty gas, plausibly furnishing AGNs with geometrically thick obscuration. We investigate this paradigm with radiative magnetohydrodynamics simulations. The simulations solve the magnetohydrodynamics equations simultaneously with the infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) radiative transfer (RT) equations; no approximate closure is used for RT. We find that our torus, when given a suitable sub-Keplerian angular momentum profile, spontaneously evolves toward a state in which its opening angle, density distribution, and flow pattern change only slowly. This “steady” state lasts for as long as there is gas resupply towardmore » the inner edge. The torus is best described as a midplane inflow and a high-latitude outflow. The outflow is launched from the torus inner edge by UV radiation and expands in solid angle as it ascends; IR radiation continues to drive the wide-angle outflow outside the central hole. The dusty outflow obscures the central source in soft X-rays, the IR, and the UV over three-quarters of solid angle, and each decade in column density covers roughly equal solid angle around the central source; these obscuration properties are similar to what observations imply.« less

The SCUBA-2 850 μm Follow-up of WISE-selected, Luminous Dust-obscured Quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Lulu; Jones, Suzy F.; Han, Yunkun; Knudsen, Kirsten K.

2017-12-01

Hot dust-obscured galaxies (Hot DOGs) are a new population recently discovered in the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer All-Sky survey. Multiwavelength follow-up observations suggest that they are luminous, dust-obscured quasars at high redshift. Here we present the JCMT SCUBA-2 850 μm follow-up observations of 10 Hot DOGs. Four out of ten Hot DOGs have been detected at >3σ level. Based on the IR SED decomposition approach, we derive the IR luminosities of AGN torus and cold dust components. Hot DOGs in our sample are extremely luminous with most of them having {L}{IR}{tot}> {10}14 {L}⊙ . The torus emissions dominate the total IR energy output. However, the cold dust contribution is still non-negligible, with the fraction of the cold dust contribution to the total IR luminosity (˜8%-24%) being dependent on the choice of torus model. The derived cold dust temperatures in Hot DOGs are comparable to those in UV bright quasars with similar IR luminosity, but much higher than those in SMGs. Higher dust temperatures in Hot DOGs may be due to the more intense radiation field caused by intense starburst and obscured AGN activities. Fourteen and five submillimeter serendipitous sources in the 10 SCUBA-2 fields around Hot DOGs have been detected at >3σ and >3.5σ levels, respectively. By estimating their cumulative number counts, we confirm the previous argument that Hot DOGs lie in dense environments. Our results support the scenario in which Hot DOGs are luminous, dust-obscured quasars lying in dense environments, and being in the transition phase between extreme starburst and UV-bright quasars.

X-ray constraints on the fraction of obscured active galactic nuclei at high accretion luminosities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Georgakakis, A.; Salvato, M.; Liu, Z.; Buchner, J.; Brandt, W. N.; Ananna, T. Tasnim; Schulze, A.; Shen, Yue; LaMassa, S.; Nandra, K.; Merloni, A.; McGreer, I. D.

2017-08-01

The wide-area XMM-XXL X-ray survey is used to explore the fraction of obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at high accretion luminosities, LX(2-10 keV) ≳ 1044 erg s - 1, and out to redshift z ≈ 1.5. The sample covers an area of about 14 deg2 and provides constraints on the space density of powerful AGNs over a wide range of neutral hydrogen column densities extending beyond the Compton-thick limit, NH ≈ 1024 cm - 2. The fraction of obscured Compton-thin (NH = 1022-1024 cm - 2) AGNs is estimated to be ≈0.35 for luminosities LX(2-10 keV) > 1044 erg s - 1, independent of redshift. For less luminous sources, the fraction of obscured Compton-thin AGNs increases from 0.45 ± 0.10 at z = 0.25 to 0.75 ± 0.05 at z = 1.25. Studies that select AGNs in the infrared via template fits to the observed spectral energy distribution of extragalactic sources estimate space densities at high accretion luminosities consistent with the XMM-XXL constraints. There is no evidence for a large population of AGNs (e.g. heavily obscured) identified in the infrared and missed at X-ray wavelengths. We further explore the mid-infrared colours of XMM-XXL AGNs as a function of accretion luminosity, column density and redshift. The fraction of XMM-XXL sources that lie within the mid-infrared colour wedges defined in the literature to select AGNs is primarily a function of redshift. This fraction increases from about 20-30 per cent at z = 0.25 to about 50-70 per cent at z = 1.5.

The ionization cone, obscured nucleus, and gaseous outflow in NGC 3281 - A prototypical Seyfert 2 galaxy?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Storchi-Bergmann, Thaisa; Wilson, Andrew S.; Baldwin, Jack A.

1992-01-01

Narrow-band images and long-slit spectroscopy of the central region of the highly inclined Seyfert galaxy NGC 3281 are presented. The image of the continuum-subtracted forbidden 4959 emission line shows a very clear conical morphology for the high-excitation gas. A possible similar structure can also be seen on the other side of the nucleus, but is dimmed by patchy obscuration in the dusk. The continuum images and long-slit spectroscopy are used to derive and map the extinction in the inner regions of NGC 3281; heavy obscuration is found along the present line of sight to the apex of the cone, suggesting that the true nucleus is located at the apex and is obscured. Low-resolution long-slit spectra are used to study the stellar population, which is found to be old, uniform within 2.5 kpc of the nucleus, and typical of the bulges of early-type galaxies. It is suggested that NGC3281 may be another example of a 'hidden' Seyfert 1, even though there is no direct evidence for a broad-line region in this particular galaxy.

A SUBMILLIMETER CONTINUUM SURVEY OF LOCAL DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Jong Chul; Hwang, Ho Seong; Lee, Gwang-Ho, E-mail: jclee@kasi.re.kr

We conduct a 350 μ m dust continuum emission survey of 17 dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) at z = 0.05–0.08 with the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO). We detect 14 DOGs with S{sub 350μm} = 114–650 mJy and signal-to-noise > 3. By including two additional DOGs with submillimeter data in the literature, we are able to study dust content for a sample of 16 local DOGs, which consist of 12 bump and four power-law types. We determine their physical parameters with a two-component modified blackbody function model. The derived dust temperatures are in the range 57–122 K and 22–35 K for themore » warm and cold dust components, respectively. The total dust mass and the mass fraction of the warm dust component are 3–34 × 10{sup 7} M {sub ⊙} and 0.03%–2.52%, respectively. We compare these results with those of other submillimeter-detected infrared luminous galaxies. The bump DOGs, the majority of the DOG sample, show similar distributions of dust temperatures and total dust mass to the comparison sample. The power-law DOGs show a hint of smaller dust masses than other samples, but need to be tested with a larger sample. These findings support that the reason DOGs show heavy dust obscuration is not an overall amount of dust content, but probably the spatial distribution of dust therein.« less

Evidence for Merger-driven Growth in Luminous, High- z, Obscured AGNs in the CANDELS/COSMOS Field

DOE PAGES

Donley, J. L.; Kartaltepe, J.; Kocevski, D.; ...

2018-01-23

While major mergers have long been proposed as a driver of both active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity and themore » $${M}_{\\mathrm{BH}}\\mbox{--}{\\sigma }_{\\mathrm{bulge}}$$ relation, studies of moderate to high-redshift Seyfert-luminosity AGN hosts have found little evidence for enhanced rates of interactions. However, both theory and observation suggest that while these AGNs may be fueled by stochastic accretion and secular processes, high-luminosity, high-redshift, and heavily obscured AGNs are the AGNs most likely to be merger-driven. To better sample this population of AGNs, we turn to infrared selection in the CANDELS/COSMOS field. Compared to their lower-luminosity and less obscured X-ray-only counterparts, IR-only AGNs (luminous, heavily obscured AGNs) are more likely to be classified as either irregular ($${50}_{-12}^{+12} \\% $$ versus $${9}_{-2}^{+5} \\% $$) or asymmetric ($${69}_{-13}^{+9} \\% $$ versus $${17}_{-4}^{+6} \\% $$) and are less likely to have a spheroidal component ($${31}_{-9}^{+13} \\% $$ versus $${77}_{-6}^{+4} \\% $$). Furthermore, IR-only AGNs are also significantly more likely than X-ray-only AGNs ($${75}_{-13}^{+8} \\% $$ versus $${31}_{-6}^{+6} \\% $$) to be classified either as interacting or merging in a way that significantly disturbs the host galaxy or as disturbed, though not clearly interacting or merging, which potentially represents the late stages of a major merger. Finally, this suggests that while major mergers may not contribute significantly to the fueling of Seyfert-luminosity AGNs, interactions appear to play a more dominant role in the triggering and fueling of high-luminosity heavily obscured AGNs.« less

Dust Properties of Local Dust-obscured Galaxies with the Submillimeter Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Ho Seong; Andrews, Sean M.; Geller, Margaret J.

2013-11-01

We report Submillimeter Array observations of the 880 μm dust continuum emission for four dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) in the local universe. Two DOGs are clearly detected with S ν(880 μm) =10-13 mJy and S/N > 5, but the other two are not detected with 3σ upper limits of S ν(880 μm) =5-9 mJy. Including an additional two local DOGs with submillimeter data from the literature, we determine the dust masses and temperatures for six local DOGs. The infrared luminosities and dust masses for these DOGs are in the ranges of 1.2-4.9 × 1011(L ⊙) and 4-14 × 107(M ⊙), respectively. The dust temperatures derived from a two-component modified blackbody function are 23-26 K and 60-124 K for the cold and warm dust components, respectively. Comparison of local DOGs with other infrared luminous galaxies with submillimeter detections shows that the dust temperatures and masses do not differ significantly among these objects. Thus, as argued previously, local DOGs are not a distinctive population among dusty galaxies, but simply represent the high-end tail of the dust obscuration distribution.

Duodenal plexiform fibromyxoma as a cause of obscure upper gastrointestinal bleeding: A case report.

PubMed

Moris, Demetrios; Spanou, Evangelia; Sougioultzis, Stavros; Dimitrokallis, Nikolaos; Kalisperati, Polyxeni; Delladetsima, Ioanna; Felekouras, Evangelos

2017-01-01

We are reporting the first-to our knowledge-case of duodenal Plexiform Fibromyxoma causing obscure upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Plexiform fibromyxoma triggered recurrent upper gastrointestinal bleeding episodes in a 63-year-old man who remained undiagnosed, despite multiple hospitalizations, extensive diagnostic workups and surgical interventions (including gastrectomies), for almost 17 years. During hospitalization for the last bleeding episode, an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed an intestinal hemorrhagic nodule. The lesion was deemed unresectable by endoscopic means. An abdominal computerized tomography disclosed no further lesions and surgery was decided. The lesion at operation was found near the edge of the duodenal stump and treated with pancreas-preserving duodenectomy (1st and 2nd portion). Postoperative recovery was mainly uneventful and a 20-month follow-up finds the patient in good health with no need for blood transfusions.Plexiform fibromyxomas stand for a rare and widely unknown mesenchymal entity. Despite the fact that they closely resemble other gastrointestinal tumors, they distinctly vary in clinical management as well as the histopathology. Clinical awareness and further research are compulsory to elucidate its clinical course and prognosis.

Mechanisms of action of brief alcohol interventions remain largely unknown - a narrative review.

PubMed

Gaume, Jacques; McCambridge, Jim; Bertholet, Nicolas; Daeppen, Jean-Bernard

2014-01-01

A growing body of evidence has shown the efficacy of brief intervention (BI) for hazardous and harmful alcohol use in primary health care settings. Evidence for efficacy in other settings and effectiveness when implemented at larger scale are disappointing. Indeed, BI comprises varying content; exploring BI content and mechanisms of action may be a promising way to enhance efficacy and effectiveness. Medline and PsychInfo, as well as references of retrieved publications were searched for original research or review on active ingredients (components or mechanisms) of face-to-face BIs [and its subtypes, including brief advice and brief motivational interviewing (BMI)] for alcohol. Overall, BI active ingredients have been scarcely investigated, almost only within BMI, and mostly among patients in the emergency room, young adults, and US college students. This body of research has shown that personalized feedback may be an effective component; specific MI techniques showed mixed findings; decisional balance findings tended to suggest a potential detrimental effect; while change plan exercises, advice to reduce or stop drinking, presenting alternative change options, and moderation strategies are promising but need further study. Client change talk is a potential mediator of BMI effects; change in norm perceptions and enhanced discrepancy between current behavior and broader life goals and values have received preliminary support; readiness to change was only partially supported as a mediator; while enhanced awareness of drinking, perceived risks/benefits of alcohol use, alcohol treatment seeking, and self-efficacy were seldom studied and have as yet found no significant support as such. Research is obviously limited and has provided no clear and consistent evidence on the mechanisms of alcohol BI. How BI achieves the effects seen in randomized trials remains mostly unknown and should be investigated to inform the development of more effective interventions.

Hookworm Infection: A Neglected Cause of Overt Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

PubMed

Wei, Kun-Yan; Yan, Qiong; Tang, Bo; Yang, Shi-Ming; Zhang, Peng-Bing; Deng, Ming-Ming; Lü, Mu-Han

2017-08-01

Hookworm infections are widely prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas, especially in low income regions. In the body, hookworms parasitize the proximal small intestine, leading to chronic intestinal hemorrhage and iron deficiency anemia. Occasionally, hookworms can cause overt gastrointestinal bleeding, but this is often ignored in heavily burdened individuals from endemic infectious areas. A total of 424 patients with overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding were diagnosed by numerous blood tests or stool examinations as well as esophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy, capsule endoscopy or double-balloon enteroscopy. All of the patients lived in hookworm endemic areas and were not screened for hookworm infection using sensitive tests before the final diagnosis. The patients recovered after albendazole treatment, blood transfusion, and iron replacement, and none of the patients experienced recurrent bleeding in the follow-up. All the 31 patients were diagnosed with hookworm infections without other concomitant bleeding lesions, a rate of 7.3% (31/424). Seventeen out of 227 patients were diagnosed with hookworm infections in the capsule endoscopy (CE), and 14 out of 197 patients were diagnosed with hookworm infections in the double balloon enteroscopy (DBE). Hookworm infections can cause overt gastrointestinal bleeding and should be screened in patients with overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) in endemic infectious areas with sensitive methods. Specifically, the examination of stool specimens is clinically warranted for most patients, and the proper examination for stool eggs relies on staff's communication.

Obscured and powerful AGN and starburst activities at z ~ 3.5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polletta, M.; Omont, A.; Berta, S.; Bergeron, J.; Stalin, C. S.; Petitjean, P.; Giorgetti, M.; Trinchieri, G.; Srianand, R.; McCracken, H. J.; Pei, Y.; Dannerbauer, H.

2008-12-01

Aims: Short phases of coeval powerful starburst and AGN activity during the lifetimes of the most massive galaxies are predicted by various models of galaxy formation and evolution. In spite of their recurrence and high luminosity, such events are rarely observed. Finding such systems, understanding their nature, and constraining their number density can provide key constraints to galaxy evolutionary models and insights into the interplay between starburst and AGN activities. Methods: We report the discovery of two sources at z=3.867 and z=3.427 that exhibit both powerful starburst and AGN activities. They benefit from multi-wavelength data from radio to X rays from the CFHTLS-D1/SWIRE/XMDS surveys. Follow-up optical and near-infrared spectroscopy, and millimeter IRAM/MAMBO observations are also available. We performed a multi-wavelength analysis of their spectral energy distributions with the aim of understanding the origin of their emission and constraining their luminosities. A comparison with other composite systems at similar redshifts from the literature is also presented. Results: The AGN and starburst bolometric luminosities are 1013 L⊙. The AGN emission dominates at X ray, optical, mid-infrared wavelengths, and probably also in the radio. The starburst emission dominates in the far-infrared. The estimated star formation rates range from 500 to 3000 M⊙/yr. The AGN near-infrared and X ray emissions are heavily obscured in both sources with an estimated dust extinction {A_V} ≥ 4, and Compton-thick gas column densities. The two sources are the most obscured and most luminous AGNs detected at millimeter wavelengths currently known. Conclusions: The sources presented in this work are heavily obscured QSOs, but their properties are not fully explained by the standard AGN unification model. In one source, the ultraviolet and optical spectra suggest the presence of outflowing gas and shocks, and both sources show emission from hot dust, most likely in the

Galaxy IC 3639 with Obscured Active Galactic Nucleus

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-01-07

IC 3639, a galaxy with an active galactic nucleus, is seen in this image combining data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory. This galaxy contains an example of a supermassive black hole hidden by gas and dust. Researchers analyzed NuSTAR data from this object and compared them with previous observations from NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory and the Japanese-led Suzaku satellite. The findings from NuSTAR, which is more sensitive to higher energy X-rays than these observatories, confirm the nature of IC 3639 as an active galactic nucleus that is heavily obscured, and intrinsically much brighter than observed. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21087

Amplitude variations of modulated RV Tauri stars support the dust obscuration model of the RVb phenomenon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiss, L. L.; Bódi, A.

2017-12-01

Context. RV Tauri-type variables are pulsating post-asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars that evolve rapidly through the instability strip after leaving the AGB. Their light variability is dominated by radial pulsations. Members of the RVb subclass show an additional variability in the form of a long-term modulation of the mean brightness, for which the most popular theories all assume binarity and some kind of circumstellar dust. Here we assess whether or not the amplitude modulations are consistent with the dust obscuration model. Aims: We measure and interpret the overall changes of the mean amplitude of the pulsations along the RVb variability. Methods: We compiled long-term photometric data for RVb-type stars, including visual observations of the American Association of Variable Star Observers, ground-based CCD photometry from the OGLE and ASAS projects, and ultra-precise space photometry of one star, DF Cygni, from theKepler space telescope. After converting all the observations to flux units, we measure the cycle-to-cycle variations of the pulsation amplitude and correlate them to the actual mean fluxes. Results: We find a surprisingly uniform correlation between the pulsation amplitude and the mean flux; they scale linearly with each other for a wide range of fluxes and amplitudes. This means that the pulsation amplitude actually remains constant when measured relative to the system flux level. The apparent amplitude decrease in the faint states has long been noted in the literature but it was always claimed to be difficult to explain with the actual models of the RVb phenomenon. Here we show that when fluxes are used instead of magnitudes, the amplitude attenuation is naturally explained by periodic obscuration from a large opaque screen, one most likely corresponding to a circumbinary dusty disk that surrounds the whole system.

DUST PROPERTIES OF LOCAL DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES WITH THE SUBMILLIMETER ARRAY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hwang, Ho Seong; Andrews, Sean M.; Geller, Margaret J., E-mail: hhwang@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: sandrews@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: mgeller@cfa.harvard.edu

We report Submillimeter Array observations of the 880 μm dust continuum emission for four dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) in the local universe. Two DOGs are clearly detected with S{sub ν}(880 μm) =10-13 mJy and S/N > 5, but the other two are not detected with 3σ upper limits of S{sub ν}(880 μm) =5-9 mJy. Including an additional two local DOGs with submillimeter data from the literature, we determine the dust masses and temperatures for six local DOGs. The infrared luminosities and dust masses for these DOGs are in the ranges of 1.2-4.9 × 10{sup 11}(L{sub ☉}) and 4-14 × 10{sup 7}(M{submore » ☉}), respectively. The dust temperatures derived from a two-component modified blackbody function are 23-26 K and 60-124 K for the cold and warm dust components, respectively. Comparison of local DOGs with other infrared luminous galaxies with submillimeter detections shows that the dust temperatures and masses do not differ significantly among these objects. Thus, as argued previously, local DOGs are not a distinctive population among dusty galaxies, but simply represent the high-end tail of the dust obscuration distribution.« less

The NuSTAR Serendipitous Survey: Hunting for the Most Extreme Obscured AGN at >10 keV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lansbury, G. B.; Alexander, D. M.; Aird, J.; Gandhi, P.; Stern, D.; Koss, M.; Lamperti, I.; Ajello, M.; Annuar, A.; Assef, R. J.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Baloković, M.; Bauer, F. E.; Brandt, W. N.; Brightman, M.; Chen, C.-T. J.; Civano, F.; Comastri, A.; Del Moro, A.; Fuentes, C.; Harrison, F. A.; Marchesi, S.; Masini, A.; Mullaney, J. R.; Ricci, C.; Saez, C.; Tomsick, J. A.; Treister, E.; Walton, D. J.; Zappacosta, L.

2017-09-01

We identify sources with extremely hard X-ray spectra (I.e., with photon indices of {{Γ }}≲ 0.6) in the 13 deg2 NuSTAR serendipitous survey, to search for the most highly obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs) detected at > 10 {keV}. Eight extreme NuSTAR sources are identified, and we use the NuSTAR data in combination with lower-energy X-ray observations (from Chandra, Swift XRT, and XMM-Newton) to characterize the broadband (0.5-24 keV) X-ray spectra. We find that all of the extreme sources are highly obscured AGNs, including three robust Compton-thick (CT; {N}{{H}}> 1.5× {10}24 cm-2) AGNs at low redshift (z< 0.1) and a likely CT AGN at higher redshift (z = 0.16). Most of the extreme sources would not have been identified as highly obscured based on the low-energy (< 10 keV) X-ray coverage alone. The multiwavelength properties (e.g., optical spectra and X-ray-mid-IR luminosity ratios) provide further support for the eight sources being significantly obscured. Correcting for absorption, the intrinsic rest-frame 10-40 keV luminosities of the extreme sources cover a broad range, from ≈ 5× {10}42 to 1045 erg s-1. The estimated number counts of CT AGNs in the NuSTAR serendipitous survey are in broad agreement with model expectations based on previous X-ray surveys, except for the lowest redshifts (z< 0.07), where we measure a high CT fraction of {f}{CT}{obs}={30}-12+16 % . For the small sample of CT AGNs, we find a high fraction of galaxy major mergers (50% ± 33%) compared to control samples of “normal” AGNs.

X-ray obscured AGN in the GOODS-N

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Georgantopoulos, I.; Akylas, A.; Rovilos, E.; Xilouris, M.

2010-07-01

We explore the X-ray properties of the Dust Obscured Galaxies (DOGs) i.e. sources with f24μ/fR>1000. This population has been proposed to contain a significan fraction of Compton-thick sources at high redshift. In particular we study the X-ray spectra of the 14 DOGS detected in the CDFN 2Ms exposure. Their stacked spectrum is fla with Γ = 1+/-0.1 very similar to the stacked spectrum of the undetected DOGs (Γ = 0.8+/-0.2). However, many of our X-ray detected DOGs present only moderate absorption with column densities 1022

Dust-obscured Galaxies in the Local Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Ho Seong; Geller, Margaret J.

2013-06-01

We use Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), AKARI, and Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) data to select local analogs of high-redshift (z ~ 2) dust obscured galaxies (DOGs). We identify 47 local DOGs with S 12 μm/S 0.22 μm >= 892 and S 12 μm > 20 mJy at 0.05 < z < 0.08 in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data release 7. The infrared (IR) luminosities of these DOGs are in the range 3.4 × 1010 (L ⊙) <~ L IR <~ 7.0 × 1011 (L ⊙) with a median L IR of 2.1 × 1011 (L ⊙). We compare the physical properties of local DOGs with a control sample of galaxies that have lower S 12 μm/S 0.22 μm but have similar redshift, IR luminosity, and stellar mass distributions. Both WISE 12 μm and GALEX near-ultraviolet (NUV) flux densities of DOGs differ from the control sample of galaxies, but the difference is much larger in the NUV. Among the 47 DOGs, 36% ± 7% have small axis ratios in the optical (i.e., b/a < 0.6), larger than the fraction among the control sample (17% ± 3%). There is no obvious sign of interaction for many local DOGs. No local DOGs have companions with comparable optical magnitudes closer than ~50 kpc. The large- and small-scale environments of DOGs are similar to the control sample. Many physical properties of local DOGs are similar to those of high-z DOGs, even though the IR luminosities of local objects are an order of magnitude lower than for the high-z objects: the presence of two classes (active galactic nuclei- and star formation-dominated) of DOGs, abnormal faintness in the UV rather than extreme brightness in the mid-IR, and diverse optical morphology. These results suggest a common underlying physical origin of local and high-z DOGs. Both seem to represent the high-end tail of the dust obscuration distribution resulting from various physical mechanisms rather than a unique phase of galaxy evolution.

Dust-obscured galaxies in the local universe

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hwang, Ho Seong; Geller, Margaret J., E-mail: hhwang@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: mgeller@cfa.harvard.edu

We use Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), AKARI, and Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) data to select local analogs of high-redshift (z ∼ 2) dust obscured galaxies (DOGs). We identify 47 local DOGs with S {sub 12μm}/S {sub 0.22μm} ≥ 892 and S {sub 12μm} > 20 mJy at 0.05 < z < 0.08 in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data release 7. The infrared (IR) luminosities of these DOGs are in the range 3.4 × 10{sup 10} (L {sub ☉}) ≲ L {sub IR} ≲ 7.0 × 10{sup 11} (L {sub ☉}) with a median L {sub IR} of 2.1more » × 10{sup 11} (L {sub ☉}). We compare the physical properties of local DOGs with a control sample of galaxies that have lower S {sub 12μm}/S {sub 0.22μm} but have similar redshift, IR luminosity, and stellar mass distributions. Both WISE 12 μm and GALEX near-ultraviolet (NUV) flux densities of DOGs differ from the control sample of galaxies, but the difference is much larger in the NUV. Among the 47 DOGs, 36% ± 7% have small axis ratios in the optical (i.e., b/a < 0.6), larger than the fraction among the control sample (17% ± 3%). There is no obvious sign of interaction for many local DOGs. No local DOGs have companions with comparable optical magnitudes closer than ∼50 kpc. The large- and small-scale environments of DOGs are similar to the control sample. Many physical properties of local DOGs are similar to those of high-z DOGs, even though the IR luminosities of local objects are an order of magnitude lower than for the high-z objects: the presence of two classes (active galactic nuclei- and star formation-dominated) of DOGs, abnormal faintness in the UV rather than extreme brightness in the mid-IR, and diverse optical morphology. These results suggest a common underlying physical origin of local and high-z DOGs. Both seem to represent the high-end tail of the dust obscuration distribution resulting from various physical mechanisms rather than a unique phase of galaxy evolution.« less

EVIDENCE FOR A WIDE RANGE OF ULTRAVIOLET OBSCURATION IN z {approx} 2 DUSTY GALAXIES FROM THE GOODS-HERSCHEL SURVEY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Penner, Kyle; Dickinson, Mark; Dey, Arjun

Dusty galaxies at z {approx} 2 span a wide range of relative brightness between rest-frame mid-infrared (8 {mu}m) and ultraviolet wavelengths. We attempt to determine the physical mechanism responsible for this diversity. Dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs), which have rest-frame mid-IR to UV flux density ratios {approx}> 1000, might be abnormally bright in the mid-IR, perhaps due to prominent emission from active galactic nuclei and/or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or abnormally faint in the UV. We use far-infrared data from the GOODS-Herschel survey to show that most DOGs with 10{sup 12} L {sub Sun} {approx}< L {sub IR} {approx}< 10{sup 13} L {submore » Sun} are not abnormally bright in the mid-IR when compared to other dusty galaxies with similar IR (8-1000 {mu}m) luminosities. We observe a relation between the median IR to UV luminosity ratios and the median UV continuum power-law indices for these galaxies, and we find that only 24% have specific star formation rates that indicate the dominance of compact star-forming regions. This circumstantial evidence supports the idea that the UV- and IR-emitting regions in these galaxies are spatially coincident, which implies a connection between the abnormal UV faintness of DOGs and dust obscuration. We conclude that the range in rest-frame mid-IR to UV flux density ratios spanned by dusty galaxies at z {approx} 2 is due to differing amounts of UV obscuration. Of galaxies with these IR luminosities, DOGs are the most obscured. We attribute differences in UV obscuration to either (1) differences in the degree of alignment between the spatial distributions of dust and massive stars or (2) differences in the total dust content.« less

Central Nervous System-Toxic Lidocaine Concentrations Unmask L-Type Ca²⁺ Current-Mediated Action Potentials in Rat Thalamocortical Neurons: An In Vitro Mechanism of Action Study.

PubMed

Putrenko, Igor; Ghavanini, Amer A; Meyer Schöniger, Katrin S; Schwarz, Stephan K W

2016-05-01

High systemic lidocaine concentrations exert well-known toxic effects on the central nervous system (CNS), including seizures, coma, and death. The underlying mechanisms are still largely obscure, and the actions of lidocaine on supraspinal neurons have received comparatively little study. We recently found that lidocaine at clinically neurotoxic concentrations increases excitability mediated by Na-independent, high-threshold (HT) action potential spikes in rat thalamocortical neurons. Our goal in this study was to characterize these spikes and test the hypothesis that they are generated by HT Ca currents, previously implicated in neurotoxicity. We also sought to identify and isolate the specific underlying subtype of Ca current. We investigated the actions of lidocaine in the CNS-toxic concentration range (100 μM-1 mM) on ventrobasal thalamocortical neurons in rat brain slices in vitro, using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings aided by differential interference contrast infrared videomicroscopy. Drugs were bath applied; action potentials were generated using current clamp protocols, and underlying currents were identified and isolated with ion channel blockers and electrolyte substitution. Lidocaine (100 μM-1 mM) abolished Na-dependent tonic firing in all neurons tested (n = 46). However, in 39 of 46 (85%) neurons, lidocaine unmasked evoked HT action potentials with lower amplitudes and rates of de-/repolarization compared with control. These HT action potentials remained during the application of tetrodotoxin (600 nM), were blocked by Cd (50 μM), and disappeared after superfusion with an extracellular solution deprived of Ca. These features implied that the unmasked potentials were generated by high-voltage-activated Ca channels and not by Na channels. Application of the L-type Ca channel blocker, nifedipine (5 μM), completely blocked the HT potentials, whereas the N-type Ca channel blocker, ω-conotoxin GVIA (1 μM), had little effect. At clinically CNS

On the relation of optical obscuration and X-ray absorption in Seyfert galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burtscher, L.; Davies, R. I.; Graciá-Carpio, J.; Koss, M. J.; Lin, M.-Y.; Lutz, D.; Nandra, P.; Netzer, H.; Orban de Xivry, G.; Ricci, C.; Rosario, D. J.; Veilleux, S.; Contursi, A.; Genzel, R.; Schnorr-Müller, A.; Sternberg, A.; Sturm, E.; Tacconi, L. J.

2016-02-01

The optical classification of a Seyfert galaxy and whether it is considered X-ray absorbed are often used interchangeably. There are many borderline cases, however, and also numerous examples where the optical and X-ray classifications appear to be in disagreement. In this article we revisit the relation between optical obscuration and X-ray absorption in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We make use of our "dust colour" method to derive the optical obscuration AV, and consistently estimated X-ray absorbing columns using 0.3-150 keV spectral energy distributions. We also take into account the variable nature of the neutral gas column NH and derive the Seyfert subclasses of all our objects in a consistent way. We show in a sample of 25 local, hard-X-ray detected Seyfert galaxies (log LX/ (erg / s) ≈ 41.5-43.5) that there can actually be a good agreement between optical and X-ray classification. If Seyfert types 1.8 and 1.9 are considered unobscured, the threshold between X-ray unabsorbed and absorbed should be chosen at a column NH = 1022.3 cm-2 to be consistent with the optical classification. We find that NH is related to AV and that the NH/AV ratio is approximately Galactic or higher in all sources, as indicated previously. However, in several objects we also see that deviations from the Galactic ratio are only due to a variable X-ray column, showing that (1) deviations from the Galactic NH/AV can be simply explained by dust-free neutral gas within the broad-line region in some sources; that (2) the dust properties in AGNs can be similar to Galactic dust and that (3) the dust colour method is a robust way to estimate the optical extinction towards the sublimation radius in all but the most obscured AGNs.

Remains of Homo erectus from Bouri, Middle Awash, Ethiopia.

PubMed

Asfaw, Berhane; Gilbert, W Henry; Beyene, Yonas; Hart, William K; Renne, Paul R; WoldeGabriel, Giday; Vrba, Elisabeth S; White, Tim D

2002-03-21

The genesis, evolution and fate of Homo erectus have been explored palaeontologically since the taxon's recognition in the late nineteenth century. Current debate is focused on whether early representatives from Kenya and Georgia should be classified as a separate ancestral species ('H. ergaster'), and whether H. erectus was an exclusively Asian species lineage that went extinct. Lack of resolution of these issues has obscured the place of H. erectus in human evolution. A hominid calvaria and postcranial remains recently recovered from the Dakanihylo Member of the Bouri Formation, Middle Awash, Ethiopia, bear directly on these issues. These approximately 1.0-million-year (Myr)-old Pleistocene sediments contain abundant early Acheulean stone tools and a diverse vertebrate fauna that indicates a predominantly savannah environment. Here we report that the 'Daka' calvaria's metric and morphological attributes centre it firmly within H. erectus. Daka's resemblance to Asian counterparts indicates that the early African and Eurasian fossil hominids represent demes of a widespread palaeospecies. Daka's anatomical intermediacy between earlier and later African fossils provides evidence of evolutionary change. Its temporal and geographic position indicates that African H. erectus was the ancestor of Homo sapiens.

Mid-infrared luminous quasars in the GOODS-Herschel fields: a large population of heavily obscured, Compton-thick quasars at z ≈ 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Moro, A.; Alexander, D. M.; Bauer, F. E.; Daddi, E.; Kocevski, D. D.; McIntosh, D. H.; Stanley, F.; Brandt, W. N.; Elbaz, D.; Harrison, C. M.; Luo, B.; Mullaney, J. R.; Xue, Y. Q.

2016-02-01

We present the infrared (IR) and X-ray properties of a sample of 33 mid-IR luminous quasars (νL6 μm ≥ 6 × 1044 erg s-1) at redshift z ≈ 1-3, identified through detailed spectral energy distribution analyses of distant star-forming galaxies, using the deepest IR data from Spitzer and Herschel in the GOODS-Herschel fields. The aim is to constrain the fraction of obscured, and Compton-thick (CT, NH > 1.5 × 1024 cm-2) quasars at the peak era of nuclear and star formation activities. Despite being very bright in the mid-IR band, ≈30 per cent of these quasars are not detected in the extremely deep 2 and 4 Ms Chandra X-ray data available in these fields. X-ray spectral analysis of the detected sources reveals that the majority (≈67 per cent) are obscured by column densities NH > 1022 cm-2; this fraction reaches ≈80 per cent when including the X-ray-undetected sources (9 out of 33), which are likely to be the most heavily obscured, CT quasars. We constrain the fraction of CT quasars in our sample to be ≈24-48 per cent, and their space density to be Φ = (6.7 ± 2.2) × 10-6 Mpc-3. From the investigation of the quasar host galaxies in terms of star formation rates (SFRs) and morphological distortions, as a sign of galaxy mergers/interactions, we do not find any direct relation between SFRs and quasar luminosity or X-ray obscuration. On the other hand, there is tentative evidence that the most heavily obscured quasars have, on average, more disturbed morphologies than the unobscured/moderately obscured quasar hosts, which preferentially live in undisturbed systems. However, the fraction of quasars with disturbed morphology amongst the whole sample is ≈40 per cent, suggesting that galaxy mergers are not the main fuelling mechanism of quasars at z ≈ 2.

Growing supermassive black holes in the late stages of galaxy mergers are heavily obscured

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ricci, C.; Bauer, F. E.; Treister, E.; Schawinski, K.; Privon, G. C.; Blecha, L.; Arevalo, P.; Armus, L.; Harrison, F.; Ho, L. C.; Iwasawa, K.; Sanders, D. B.; Stern, D.

2017-06-01

Mergers of galaxies are thought to cause significant gas inflows to the inner parsecs, which can activate rapid accretion on to supermassive black holes (SMBHs), giving rise to active galactic nuclei (AGN). During a significant fraction of this process, SMBHs are predicted to be enshrouded by gas and dust. Studying 52 galactic nuclei in infrared-selected local luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies in different merger stages in the hard X-ray band, where radiation is less affected by absorption, we find that the amount of material around SMBHs increases during the last phases of the merger. We find that the fraction of Compton-thick (CT, N H ≥ 1024 cm- 2) AGN in late-merger galaxies is higher (f_ CT=65^{+12}_{-13}{per cent}) than in local hard X-ray selected AGN (f CT = 27 ± 4 per cent), and that obscuration reaches its maximum when the nuclei of the two merging galaxies are at a projected distance of D12 ≃ 0.4-10.8 kpc (f_ CT=77_{-17}^{+13}{per cent}). We also find that all AGN of our sample in late-merger galaxies have N H > 1023 cm- 2, which implies that the obscuring material covers 95^{+4}_{-8}{per cent} of the X-ray source. These observations show that the material is most effectively funnelled from the galactic scale to the inner tens of parsecs during the late stages of galaxy mergers, and that the close environment of SMBHs in advanced mergers is richer in gas and dust with respect to that of SMBHs in isolated galaxies, and cannot be explained by the classical AGN unification model in which the torus is responsible for the obscuration.

The Geometry of the Infrared and X-Ray Obscurer in a Dusty Hyperluminous Quasar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrah, Duncan; Baloković, Mislav; Stern, Daniel; Harris, Kathryn; Kunimoto, Michelle; Walton, Dominic J.; Alexander, David M.; Arévalo, Patricia; Ballantyne, David R.; Bauer, Franz E.; Boggs, Steven; Brandt, William N.; Brightman, Murray; Christensen, Finn; Clements, David L.; Craig, William; Fabian, Andrew; Hailey, Charles; Harrison, Fiona; Koss, Michael; Lansbury, George B.; Luo, Bin; Paine, Jennie; Petty, Sara; Pitchford, Kate; Ricci, Claudio; Zhang, William

2016-11-01

We study the geometry of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) obscurer in IRAS 09104+4109, an IR-luminous, radio-intermediate FR-I source at z = 0.442, using infrared data from Spitzer and Herschel, X-ray data from NuSTAR, Swift, Suzaku, and Chandra, and an optical spectrum from Palomar. The infrared data imply a total rest-frame 1-1000 μm luminosity of 5.5 × 1046 erg s-1 and require both an AGN torus and a starburst model. The AGN torus has an anisotropy-corrected IR luminosity of 4.9 × 1046 erg s-1 and a viewing angle and half-opening angle both of approximately 36° from pole-on. The starburst has a star formation rate of (110 ± 34) M ⊙ yr-1 and an age of <50 Myr. These results are consistent with two epochs of luminous activity in IRAS 09104+4109: one approximately 150 Myr ago, and one ongoing. The X-ray data suggest a photon index of Γ ≃ 1.8 and a line-of-sight column density of N H ≃ 5 × 1023 cm-2. This argues against a reflection-dominated hard X-ray spectrum, which would have implied a much higher N H and luminosity. The X-ray and infrared data are consistent with a bolometric AGN luminosity of L bol ˜ (0.5-2.5) × 1047 erg s-1. The X-ray and infrared data are further consistent with coaligned AGN obscurers in which the line of sight “skims” the torus. This is also consistent with the optical spectra, which show both coronal iron lines and broad lines in polarized but not direct light. Combining constraints from the X-ray, optical, and infrared data suggest that the AGN obscurer is within a vertical height of 20 pc, and a radius of 125 pc, of the nucleus.

Chandra Reveals Heavy Obscuration and Circumnuclear Star Formation in Seyfert 2 Galaxy NGC 4968

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LaMassa, Stephanie M.; Yaqoob, Tahir; Levenson, N. A.; Boorman, Peter; Heckman, Timothy M.; Gandhi, Poshak; Rigby, Jane R.; Urry, C. Megan; Ptak, Andrew F.

2017-01-01

We present the Chandra imaging and spectral analysis of NGC 4968, a nearby (z = 0.00986) Seyfert 2 galaxy. We discover extended (˜1 kpc) X-ray emission in the soft band (0.5-2 keV) that is neither coincident with the narrow line region nor the extended radio emission. Based on spectral modeling, it is linked to on-going star formation (˜2.6-4 M⊙ yr-1). The soft emission at circumnuclear scales (inner ˜400 pc) originates from hot gas, with kT ˜ 0.7 keV, while the most extended thermal emission is cooler (kT ˜ 0.3 keV). We refine previous measurements of the extreme Fe Kα equivalent width in this source ({EW}={2.5}-1.0+2.6 {keV}), which suggests the central engine is completely embedded within Compton-thick levels of obscuration. Using physically motivated models fit to the Chandra spectrum, we derive a Compton-thick column density (NH > 1.25 × 1024 cm-2) and an intrinsic hard (2-10 keV) X-ray luminosity of ˜3-8 × 1042 erg s-1 (depending on the presumed geometry of the obscurer), which is over two orders of magnitude larger than that observed. The large Fe Kα EW suggests a spherical covering geometry, which could be confirmed with X-ray measurements above 10 keV. NGC 4968 is similar to other active galaxies that exhibit extreme Fe Kα EWs (I.e., >2 keV) in that they also contain on-going star formation. This work supports the idea that gas associated with nuclear star formation may increase the covering factor of the enshrouding gas and play a role in obscuring active galactic nuclei.

Chandra Reveals Heavy Obscuration and Circumnuclear Star Formation in Seyfert 2 Galaxy NGC 4968

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LaMassa, Stephanie M.; Yaqoob, Tahir; Levenson, N. A.; Boorman, Peter; Heckman, Timothy M.; Gandhi, Poshak; Rigby, Jane R.; Urry, C. Megan; Ptak, Andrew F.

2017-01-01

We present the Chandra imaging and spectral analysis of NGC 4968, a nearby (z = 0.00986) Seyfert 2 galaxy. We discover extended (approx. 1 kpc) X-ray emission in the soft band (0.5-2 keV) that is neither coincident with the narrow line region nor the extended radio emission. Based on spectral modeling, it is linked to on-going star formation [approx. 2.6-4 Mass compared to Earth yr(exp.- 1)]. The soft emission at circumnuclear scales (inner approx. 400 pc) originates from hot gas, with kT approx. 0.7 keV, while the most extended thermal emission is cooler (kT approx. 0.3 keV). We refine previous measurements of the extreme Fe K alpha equivalent width in this source (EW 2.5 + 2.6/-1.0 keV), which suggests the central engine is completely embedded within Compton-thick levels of obscuration. Using physically motivated models fit to the Chandra spectrum, we derive a Compton-thick column density [N(sub H) is greater than 1.25× 10(exp 24) cm(exp.- 2)] and an intrinsic hard (2-10 keV) X-ray luminosity of approx. 3-8× 10(exp. 42) erg s(exp. - 1) (depending on the presumed geometry of the obscurer), which is over two orders of magnitude larger than that observed. The large Fe K Alpha EW suggests a spherical covering geometry, which could be confirmed with X-ray measurements above 10 keV. NGC 4968 is similar to other active galaxies that exhibit extreme Fe K Alpha EWs (i.e., greater than 2 keV) in that they also contain on-going star formation. This work supports the idea that gas associated with nuclear star formation may increase the covering factor of the enshrouding gas and play a role in obscuring active galactic nuclei.

A spectroscopic survey of WISE-selected obscured quasars with the southern african large telescope

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hainline, Kevin N.; Hickox, Ryan C.; Carroll, Christopher M.

2014-11-10

We present the results of an optical spectroscopic survey of a sample of 40 candidate obscured quasars identified on the basis of their mid-infrared emission detected by the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Optical spectra for this survey were obtained using the Robert Stobie Spectrograph on the Southern African Large Telescope. Our sample was selected with WISE colors characteristic of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), as well as red optical to mid-IR colors indicating that the optical/UV AGN continuum is obscured by dust. We obtain secure redshifts for the majority of the objects that comprise our sample (35/40), and find thatmore » sources that are bright in the WISE W4 (22 μm) band are typically at moderate redshift ((z) = 0.35) while sources fainter in W4 are at higher redshifts ((z) = 0.73). The majority of the sources have narrow emission lines with optical colors and emission line ratios of our WISE-selected sources that are consistent with the locus of AGN on the rest-frame g – z color versus [Ne III] λ3869/[O II] λλ3726+3729 line ratio diagnostic diagram. We also use empirical AGN and galaxy templates to model the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for the objects in our sample, and find that while there is significant variation in the observed SEDs for these objects, the majority require a strong AGN component. Finally, we use the results from our analysis of the optical spectra and the SEDs to compare our selection criteria to alternate criteria presented in the literature. These results verify the efficacy of selecting luminous obscured AGNs based on their WISE colors.« less

Proceedings of the 1990 Scientific Conference on Obscuration and Aerosol Research Held in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland on 25 - 28 June 1990

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-06-01

UNDEREXPANDED SONIC JETS B.J. Jurclk and J. Brock ....... ................. .15 A NEW STATISTICAL MEASURE OF PLUME OBSCURATION EFFECTIVENESS: MEAN WAITING TIME...UNDEREXPANDED SONIC JETS B. J. Jurcik and J. Brock Chemical Engineering Department University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712 RECENT PUBLICATIONS, SUBMITTALS...Obscuration and Aerosol Research, CRDEC, U. S. Army, 1990 (with J. Carls) "Aerosol jet etching", Aerosol Sci. Tech.,12,842-856 (1990) (with Y. L. Chen

Galaxy gas as obscurer - I. GRBs x-ray galaxies and find an NH3∝ M_{star} relation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchner, Johannes; Schulze, Steve; Bauer, Franz E.

2017-02-01

An important constraint for galaxy evolution models is how much gas resides in galaxies, in particular, at the peak of star formation z = 1-3. We attempt a novel approach by letting long-duration gamma ray bursts (LGRBs) x-ray their host galaxies and deliver column densities to us. This requires a good understanding of the obscurer and biases introduced by incomplete follow-up observations. We analyse the X-ray afterglow of all 844 Swift LGRBs to date for their column density NH. To derive the population properties, we propagate all uncertainties in a consistent Bayesian methodology. The NH distribution covers the 1020-23 cm-2 range and shows no evolutionary effect. Higher obscurations, e.g. Compton-thick columns, could have been detected but are not observed. The NH distribution is consistent with sources randomly populating a ellipsoidal gas cloud of major axis {N^{major}H }=10^{23}cm^{-2} with 0.22 dex intrinsic scatter between objects. The unbiased SHOALS survey of afterglows and hosts allows us to constrain the relation between Spitzer-derived stellar masses and X-ray derived column densities NH. We find a well-constrained power-law relation of NH = 1021.7 cm-2 × (M⋆/109.5 M⊙)1/3, with 0.5 dex intrinsic scatter between objects. The Milky Way and the Magellanic clouds also follow this relation. From the geometry of the obscurer, its stellar mass dependence and comparison with local galaxies, we conclude that LGRBs are primarily obscured by galaxy-scale gas. Ray tracing of simulated Illustris galaxies reveals a relation of the same normalization, but a steeper stellar-mass dependence and mild redshift evolution. Our new approach provides valuable insight into the gas residing in high-redshift galaxies.

25 CFR 161.705 - How long will a written trespass notice remain in effect?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true How long will a written trespass notice remain in effect... NAVAJO PARTITIONED LANDS GRAZING PERMITS Trespass Notification § 161.705 How long will a written trespass notice remain in effect? A written trespass notice will remain in effect for the same action identified...

25 CFR 161.705 - How long will a written trespass notice remain in effect?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false How long will a written trespass notice remain in effect... NAVAJO PARTITIONED LANDS GRAZING PERMITS Trespass Notification § 161.705 How long will a written trespass notice remain in effect? A written trespass notice will remain in effect for the same action identified...

25 CFR 161.705 - How long will a written trespass notice remain in effect?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false How long will a written trespass notice remain in effect... NAVAJO PARTITIONED LANDS GRAZING PERMITS Trespass Notification § 161.705 How long will a written trespass notice remain in effect? A written trespass notice will remain in effect for the same action identified...

25 CFR 161.705 - How long will a written trespass notice remain in effect?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false How long will a written trespass notice remain in effect... NAVAJO PARTITIONED LANDS GRAZING PERMITS Trespass Notification § 161.705 How long will a written trespass notice remain in effect? A written trespass notice will remain in effect for the same action identified...

25 CFR 161.705 - How long will a written trespass notice remain in effect?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false How long will a written trespass notice remain in effect... NAVAJO PARTITIONED LANDS GRAZING PERMITS Trespass Notification § 161.705 How long will a written trespass notice remain in effect? A written trespass notice will remain in effect for the same action identified...

Obscuring ecosystem function with application of the ecosystem services concept.

PubMed

Peterson, Markus J; Hall, Damon M; Feldpausch-Parker, Andrea M; Peterson, Tarla Rai

2010-02-01

Conservationists commonly have framed ecological concerns in economic terms to garner political support for conservation and to increase public interest in preserving global biodiversity. Beginning in the early 1980s, conservation biologists adapted neoliberal economics to reframe ecosystem functions and related biodiversity as ecosystem services to humanity. Despite the economic success of programs such as the Catskill/Delaware watershed management plan in the United States and the creation of global carbon exchanges, today's marketplace often fails to adequately protect biodiversity. We used a Marxist critique to explain one reason for this failure and to suggest a possible, if partial, response. Reframing ecosystem functions as economic services does not address the political problem of commodification. Just as it obscures the labor of human workers, commodification obscures the importance of the biota (ecosystem workers) and related abiotic factors that contribute to ecosystem functions. This erasure of work done by ecosystems impedes public understanding of biodiversity. Odum and Odum's radical suggestion to use the language of ecosystems (i.e., emergy or energy memory) to describe economies, rather than using the language of economics (i.e., services) to describe ecosystems, reverses this erasure of the ecosystem worker. Considering the current dominance of economic forces, however, implementing such solutions would require social changes similar in magnitude to those that occurred during the 1960s. Niklas Luhmann argues that such substantive, yet rapid, social change requires synergy among multiple societal function systems (i.e., economy, education, law, politics, religion, science), rather than reliance on a single social sphere, such as the economy. Explicitly presenting ecosystem services as discreet and incomplete aspects of ecosystem functions not only allows potential economic and environmental benefits associated with ecosystem services, but also

Edgar Allan Poe: a case description of the Marfan syndrome in an obscure short story.

PubMed

Battle, Robert W

2011-07-01

In the obscure short story “A Tale of the Ragged Mountains,” Edgar Allen Poe meticulously described a character with features remarkably consistent with the Marfan syndrome. This description appeared in fiction >50 years before the celebrated index description in the published medical research by Professor Antoine Marfan in Paris in 1896.

Assessing Toxicity of Obscurant Grade Pan-Based Carbon Fiber Aquatic Species Chronic Tests

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-12-01

ASSESSING TOXICITY OF OBSCURANT GRADE PAN-BASED CARBON FIBER: AQUATIC SPECIES CHRONIC TESTS N. A. Chester, M. V. Haley, C. W. Kurnas and R. T...with minimal restrictions. To this end we are investigating the toxicity of PAN-based carbon fibers to the aquatic species Ceriodaphnia dubia (water... toxicity methods to provide ecotoxicological results for both lethal and sub-lethal parameters, including LC50 (24-, 48- and 96-h), IC50, EC20, and

AGN Obscuration from Winds: From Dusty Infrared-Driven to Warm and X-Ray Photoionized

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorodnitsyn, A.; Kallman, T.

2012-01-01

We present calculations of AGN winds at approximate parsec scales, along with the associated obscuration. We take into account the pressure of infrared radiation on dust grains and the interaction of X-rays from a central black hole with hot and cold plasma. Infrared radiation (IR) is incorporated in radiation-hydrodynamic simulations adopting the flux-limited diffusion approximation. We find that in the range of X-ray luminosities L=0.05 - 0.6L(sub Edd) the Compton-thick part of the flow (aka torus) has an opening angle of approximately 72? -75? regardless of the luminosity. At L 0.1 the outflowing dusty wind provides the obscuration with IR pressure playing a major role. The global flow consists of two phases: the cold flow at inclinations (theta) greater than or approximately 70? and a hot, ionized wind of lower density at lower inclinations. The dynamical pressure of the hot wind is important in shaping the denser IR supported flow. At luminosities less than or equal to 0.1L(sub Edd) episodes of outflow are followed by extended periods when the wind switches to slow accretion.

Mill and the right to remain uninformed.

PubMed

Strasser, M

1986-08-01

In a recent article in the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, David Ost (1984) claims that patients do not have a right to waive their right to information. He argues that patients cannot make informed rational decisions without full information and thus, a right to waive information would involve a right to avoid one's responsibility to act as an autonomous moral agent. In support of his position, Ost cites a passage from Mill. Yet, a correct interpretation of the passage in question would support one's right to remain uninformed in certain situations. If the information would hurt one's chances for survival or hurt one's ability to make calm, rational decisions, then one not only does not have a duty to find out the information, but one's exercising one's right to remain uninformed may be the only rational course of action to take.

THE GEOMETRY OF THE INFRARED AND X-RAY OBSCURER IN A DUSTY HYPERLUMINOUS QUASAR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farrah, Duncan; Harris, Kathryn; Baloković, Mislav

2016-11-01

We study the geometry of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) obscurer in IRAS 09104+4109, an IR-luminous, radio-intermediate FR-I source at z = 0.442, using infrared data from Spitzer and Herschel , X-ray data from NuSTAR , Swift , Suzaku , and Chandra , and an optical spectrum from Palomar. The infrared data imply a total rest-frame 1–1000 μ m luminosity of 5.5 × 10{sup 46} erg s{sup −1} and require both an AGN torus and a starburst model. The AGN torus has an anisotropy-corrected IR luminosity of 4.9 × 10{sup 46} erg s{sup −1} and a viewing angle and half-openingmore » angle both of approximately 36° from pole-on. The starburst has a star formation rate of (110 ± 34) M {sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} and an age of <50 Myr. These results are consistent with two epochs of luminous activity in IRAS 09104+4109: one approximately 150 Myr ago, and one ongoing. The X-ray data suggest a photon index of Γ ≃ 1.8 and a line-of-sight column density of N {sub H} ≃ 5 × 10{sup 23} cm{sup −2}. This argues against a reflection-dominated hard X-ray spectrum, which would have implied a much higher N {sub H} and luminosity. The X-ray and infrared data are consistent with a bolometric AGN luminosity of L {sub bol} ∼ (0.5–2.5) × 10{sup 47} erg s{sup −1}. The X-ray and infrared data are further consistent with coaligned AGN obscurers in which the line of sight “skims” the torus. This is also consistent with the optical spectra, which show both coronal iron lines and broad lines in polarized but not direct light. Combining constraints from the X-ray, optical, and infrared data suggest that the AGN obscurer is within a vertical height of 20 pc, and a radius of 125 pc, of the nucleus.« less

The Geometry of the Infrared and X-Ray Obscurer in a Dusty Hyperluminous Quasar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrah, Duncan; Balokovic, Mislav; Stern, Daniel; Harris, Kathryn; Kunimoto, Michelle; Walton, Dominc J.; Alexander, David M.; Arevalo, Patricia; Ballantyne, David R.; Bauer, Franz E.;

Measuring the Clustering Around Normal and Dust-Obscured Quasars at 2 in the Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (SERVS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Kristen M.; Lacy, M.; Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey Team

2014-01-01

Little is known about the environments of high redshift quasars, particularly those obscured by dust. Previous work suggests that dust-shrouded (type 2) quasars are at least as common as un-obscured optical (type 1) quasars; therefore, in order to fully understand the role quasars play in the evolutionary history of the universe, we must understand both types of objects. This project seeks to explore the environments in which obscured quasars form. In this poster, we present mid-infrared clustering measurements for a sample of 45 quasars with 1.3 < z < 2.5, a redshift range that is unexplored in the literature. The objects were selected using IRAC multi-color criteria to remove low-redshift starburst and quiescent galaxies, and subsequently had spectroscopy carried out to both obtain redshifts, and to distinguish between type 1 and type 2 quasars; the high-redshift sample presented in this paper is roughly evenly distributed between the two types. We use the SERVS galaxy catalogs to estimate the cross-correlation between each quasar and its surrounding galaxies. The amplitude of this function gives us the richness of the environments in which these quasars are found, and we compare our results with a matched sample with z < 1.3.

On suffering and sympathy: "Jude the Obscure," evolution, and ethics.

PubMed

Sumpter, Caroline

2011-01-01

This article links Thomas Hardy's exploration of sympathy in "Jude the Obscure" to contemporary scientific debates over moral evolution. Tracing the relationship between pessimism, progressivism, and determinism in Hardy's understanding of sympathy, it also considers Hardy's conception of the author as enlarger of 'social sympathies' - a position, I argue, that was shaped by Leslie Stephen's advocacy of novel writing as moral art. Considering Hardy's engagement with writings by Charles Darwin, T.H. Huxley, Herbert Spencer, and others, I explore the novel's participation in a debate about the evolutionary significance of sympathy and its implications for Hardy's understanding of moral agency. Hardy, I suggest, offered a stronger defence of morality based on biological determinism than Darwin, but this determinism was linked to an unexpected evolutionary optimism.

Risk Factors for Hepatitis C Virus Transmission Obscure in Nigerian Patients

PubMed Central

Obienu, Olive; Nwokediuko, Sylvester; Malu, Abraham; Lesi, Olufunmilayo A.

2011-01-01

Aim. To determine the prevalence of anti-HCV and risk factors associated with HCV infection in Nigerians. Materials and Method. Patients attending a general outpatient clinic were administered a structured questionnaire on the risk factors for HCV infection. They were also tested for anti-HCV using a third generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Result. The seroprevalence of anti-HCV was 4.7%. Among the risk factors evaluated, none was found to be significantly associated with anti-HCV seropositivity. Conclusion. The risk factors associated with HCV infection in Nigerian patients are obscure. This warrants further studies on the epidemiology of this important cause of liver disease. PMID:21785583

Heavily Obscured AGN: An Ideal Laboratory To Study The Early Co-Evolution of Galaxies And Black Holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Circosta, Chiara; Vignali, C.; Gilli, R.; Feltre, A.; Vito, F.

2016-10-01

Obscured AGN are a crucial ingredient to understand the full growth history of super massive black holes and the coevolution with their host galaxies, since they constitute the bulk of the BH accretion. In the distant Universe, many of them are hosted by submillimeter galaxies (SMGs), characterized by a high production of stars and a very fast consumption of gas. Therefore, the analysis of this class of objects is fundamental to investigate the role of the ISM in the early coevolution of galaxies and black holesWe collected a sample of six obscured X-ray selected AGN at z>2.5 in the CDF-S, detected in the far-IR/submm bands. We performed a multiwavelength analysis in order to characterize their physical properties, as well as those of their host galaxies (e.g. column density, accretion luminosity, stellar mass, SFR, dust and gas mass). I will present the results of the X-ray spectral analysis of these sources based on the 7Ms Chandra data - the deepest X-ray observation ever carried out on any field - along with their broad-band spectral energy distributions (SEDs), built up using the public UV to far-IR photometry from the CANDELS and Herschel catalogs. By comparing the column density associated with the ISM (estimated measuring the size of the system) with that obtained from the X-ray data, it is possible to understand whether the ISM in the host galaxy may be able to produce a substantial part of the observed nuclear obscuration.

Laboratory Evaluation of Light Obscuration Particle Counters used to Establish use Limits for Aviation Fuel

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

markings are indicated, follow agency authorization procedures , e.g. RD/FRD, PROPIN, ITAR, etc. Include copyright information. 13. SUPPLEMENTARY...Contamination in Distillate Fuels (Visual Inspection Procedures ), as a final check of fuel to ensure aviation fuel is clear and bright before flight...Laboratories at the Detroit Arsenal. The online procedure for evaluating the light obscuration particle counters was modified from the concepts found

Action Research: Trends and Variations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaulieu, Rodney J.

2013-01-01

Action research continues to grow as a research tradition, yet misconceptions about what it is and is not remains, even among scholars. For example, some mistakenly believe action research is only about professional development and is not a scholarly research approach. Some assume action research must be accomplished through a collaborative…

"Observation Obscurer" - Time Series Viewer, Editor and Processor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andronov, I. L.

The program is described, which contains a set of subroutines suitable for East viewing and interactive filtering and processing of regularly and irregularly spaced time series. Being a 32-bit DOS application, it may be used as a default fast viewer/editor of time series in any compute shell ("commander") or in Windows. It allows to view the data in the "time" or "phase" mode, to remove ("obscure") or filter outstanding bad points; to make scale transformations and smoothing using few methods (e.g. mean with phase binning, determination of the statistically opti- mal number of phase bins; "running parabola" (Andronov, 1997, As. Ap. Suppl, 125, 207) fit and to make time series analysis using some methods, e.g. correlation, autocorrelation and histogram analysis: determination of extrema etc. Some features have been developed specially for variable star observers, e.g. the barycentric correction, the creation and fast analysis of "OC" diagrams etc. The manual for "hot keys" is presented. The computer code was compiled with a 32-bit Free Pascal (www.freepascal.org).

Manual for obscuration code with space station applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marhefka, R. J.; Takacs, L.

1986-01-01

The Obscuration Code, referred to as SHADOW, is a user-oriented computer code to determine the case shadow of an antenna in a complex environment onto the far zone sphere. The surrounding structure can be composed of multiple composite cone frustums and multiply sided flat plates. These structural pieces are ideal for modeling space station configurations. The means of describing the geometry input is compatible with the NEC-BASIC Scattering Code. In addition, an interactive mode of operation has been provided for DEC VAX computers. The first part of this document is a user's manual designed to give a description of the method used to obtain the shadow map, to provide an overall view of the operation of the computer code, to instruct a user in how to model structures, and to give examples of inputs and outputs. The second part is a code manual that details how to set up the interactive and non-interactive modes of the code and provides a listing and brief description of each of the subroutines.

Radio Jet Feedback and Star Formation in Heavily Obscured, Hyperluminous Quasars at Redshifts ˜ 0.5-3. I. ALMA Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lonsdale, Carol J.; Lacy, M.; Kimball, A. E.; Blain, A.; Whittle, M.; Wilkes, B.; Stern, D.; Condon, J.; Kim, M.; Assef, R. J.; Tsai, C.-W.; Efstathiou, A.; Jones, S.; Eisenhardt, P.; Bridge, C.; Wu, J.; Lonsdale, Colin J.; Jones, K.; Jarrett, T.; Smith, R.

2015-11-01

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) 870 μm (345 GHz) data for 49 high-redshift (0.47 < z < 2.85), luminous (11.7\\lt {log}({L}{{bol}}/{L}⊙ )\\lt 14.2) radio-powerful active galactic nuclei (AGNs), obtained to constrain cool dust emission from starbursts concurrent with highly obscured radiative-mode black hole (BH) accretion in massive galaxies that possess a small radio jet. The sample was selected from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with extremely steep (red) mid-infrared colors and with compact radio emission from NVSS/FIRST. Twenty-six sources are detected at 870 μm, and we find that the sample has large mid- to far-infrared luminosity ratios, consistent with a dominant and highly obscured quasar. The rest-frame 3 GHz radio powers are 24.7\\lt {log}({P}\\text{3.0 GHz}/{{{W}} {Hz}}-1)\\lt 27.3, and all sources are radio-intermediate or radio-loud. BH mass estimates are 7.7 < log(MBH/M⊙) < 10.2. The rest-frame 1-5 μm spectral energy distributions are very similar to the “Hot DOGs” (hot dust-obscured galaxies), and steeper (redder) than almost any other known extragalactic sources. ISM masses estimated for the ALMA-detected sources are 9.9 < log (MISM/M⊙) < 11.75 assuming a dust temperature of 30 K. The cool dust emission is consistent with star formation rates reaching several thousand M⊙ yr-1, depending on the assumed dust temperature, but we cannot rule out the alternative that the AGN powers all the emission in some cases. Our best constrained source has radiative transfer solutions with approximately equal contributions from an obscured AGN and a young (10-15 Myr) compact starburst.

Investigating action understanding: inferential processes versus action simulation.

PubMed

Brass, Marcel; Schmitt, Ruth M; Spengler, Stephanie; Gergely, György

2007-12-18

In our daily life, we continuously monitor others' behaviors and interpret them in terms of goals, intentions, and reasons. Despite their central importance for predicting and interpreting each other's actions, the functional mechanisms and neural circuits involved in action understanding remain highly controversial. Two alternative accounts have been advanced. Simulation theory assumes that we understand actions by simulating the observed behavior through a direct matching process that activates the mirror-neuron circuit. The alternative interpretive account assumes that action understanding is based on specialized inferential processes activating brain areas with no mirror properties. Although both approaches recognize the central role of contextual information in specifying action intentions, their respective accounts of this process differ in significant respects. Here, we investigated the role of context in action understanding by using functional brain imaging while participants observed an unusual action in implausible versus plausible contexts. We show that brain areas that are part of a network involved in inferential interpretive processes of rationalization and mentalization but that lack mirror properties are more active when the action occurs in an implausible context. However, no differential activation was found in the mirror network. Our findings support the assumption that action understanding in novel situations is primarily mediated by an inferential interpretive system rather than the mirror system.

A New Black Hole Mass Estimate for Obscured Active Galactic Nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minezaki, Takeo; Matsushita, Kyoko

2015-04-01

We propose a new method for estimating the mass of a supermassive black hole, applicable to obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs). This method estimates the black hole mass using the width of the narrow core of the neutral FeKα emission line in X-rays and the distance of its emitting region from the black hole based on the isotropic luminosity indicator via the luminosity scaling relation. Assuming the virial relation between the locations and the velocity widths of the neutral FeKα line core and the broad Hβ emission line, the luminosity scaling relation of the neutral FeKα line core emitting region is estimated. We find that the velocity width of the neutral FeKα line core falls between that of the broad Balmer emission lines and the corresponding value at the dust reverberation radius for most of the target AGNs. The black hole mass {{M}BH,FeKα } estimated with this method is then compared with other black hole mass estimates, such as the broad emission-line reverberation mass {{M}BH,rev} for type 1 AGNs, the mass {{M}BH,{{H2}O}} based on the H2O maser, and the single-epoch mass estimate {{M}BH,pol} based on the polarized broad Balmer lines for type 2 AGNs. We find that {{M}BH,FeKα } is consistent with {{M}BH,rev} and {{M}BH,pol}, and find that {{M}BH,FeKα } correlates well with {{M}BH,{{H2}O}}. These results suggest that {{M}BH,FeKα } is a potential indicator of the black hole mass for obscured AGNs. In contrast, {{M}BH,FeKα } is systematically larger than {{M}BH,{{H2}O}} by about a factor of 5, and the possible origins are discussed.

Hot Dust Obscured Galaxies with Excess Blue Light: Dual AGN or Single AGN Under Extreme Conditions?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Assef, R. J.; Walton, D. J.; Brightman, M.; Stern, D.; Alexander, D.; Bauer, F.; Blain, A. W.; Diaz-Santos, T.; Eisenhardt, P. R. M.; Finkelstein, S. L.; Hickox, R. C.; Tsai, C.-W.; Wu, J. W.

2016-03-01

Hot dust-obscured galaxies (Hot DOGs) are a population of hyper-luminous infrared galaxies identified by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission from their very red mid-IR colors, and characterized by hot dust temperatures (T > 60 K). Several studies have shown clear evidence that the IR emission in these objects is powered by a highly dust-obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) that shows close to Compton-thick absorption at X-ray wavelengths. Thanks to the high AGN obscuration, the host galaxy is easily observable, and has UV/optical colors usually consistent with those of a normal galaxy. Here we discuss a sub-population of eight Hot DOGs that show enhanced rest-frame UV/optical emission. We discuss three scenarios that might explain the excess UV emission: (I) unobscured light leaked from the AGN by reflection over the dust or by partial coverage of the accretion disk; (II) a second unobscured AGN in the system; or (III) a luminous young starburst. X-ray observations can help discriminate between these scenarios. We study in detail the blue excess Hot DOG WISE J020446.13-050640.8, which was serendipitously observed by Chandra/ACIS-I for 174.5 ks. The X-ray spectrum is consistent with a single, hyper-luminous, highly absorbed AGN, and is strongly inconsistent with the presence of a secondary unobscured AGN. Based on this, we argue that the excess blue emission in this object is most likely either due to reflection or a co-eval starburst. We favor the reflection scenario as the unobscured star formation rate needed to power the UV/optical emission would be ≳1000 M⊙ yr-1. Deep polarimetry observations could confirm the reflection hypothesis.

HOT DUST OBSCURED GALAXIES WITH EXCESS BLUE LIGHT: DUAL AGN OR SINGLE AGN UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Assef, R. J.; Diaz-Santos, T.; Walton, D. J.

Hot dust-obscured galaxies (Hot DOGs) are a population of hyper-luminous infrared galaxies identified by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission from their very red mid-IR colors, and characterized by hot dust temperatures (T > 60 K). Several studies have shown clear evidence that the IR emission in these objects is powered by a highly dust-obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) that shows close to Compton-thick absorption at X-ray wavelengths. Thanks to the high AGN obscuration, the host galaxy is easily observable, and has UV/optical colors usually consistent with those of a normal galaxy. Here we discuss a sub-population of eight Hot DOGsmore » that show enhanced rest-frame UV/optical emission. We discuss three scenarios that might explain the excess UV emission: (i) unobscured light leaked from the AGN by reflection over the dust or by partial coverage of the accretion disk; (ii) a second unobscured AGN in the system; or (iii) a luminous young starburst. X-ray observations can help discriminate between these scenarios. We study in detail the blue excess Hot DOG WISE J020446.13–050640.8, which was serendipitously observed by Chandra/ACIS-I for 174.5 ks. The X-ray spectrum is consistent with a single, hyper-luminous, highly absorbed AGN, and is strongly inconsistent with the presence of a secondary unobscured AGN. Based on this, we argue that the excess blue emission in this object is most likely either due to reflection or a co-eval starburst. We favor the reflection scenario as the unobscured star formation rate needed to power the UV/optical emission would be ≳1000 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}. Deep polarimetry observations could confirm the reflection hypothesis.« less

ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS OBSCURATION FROM WINDS: FROM DUSTY INFRARED-DRIVEN TO WARM AND X-RAY PHOTOIONIZED

PubMed Central

Dorodnitsyn, A.; Kallman, T.

2016-01-01

We present calculations of AGN winds at ~parsec scales, along with the associated obscuration. We take into account the pressure of infrared radiation on dust grains and the interaction of X-rays from a central black hole with hot and cold plasma. Infrared radiation (IR) is incorporated in radiation-hydrodynamic simulations adopting the flux-limited diffusion approximation. We find that in the range of X-ray luminosities L=0.05 – 0.6Ledd, the Compton-thick part of the flow (aka torus) has an opening angle of approximately 72° – 75° regardless of the luminosity. At L ≳ 0.1 the outflowing dusty wind provides the obscuration with IR pressure playing a major role. The global flow consists of two phases: the cold flow at inclinations θ ≳ 70° and a hot, ionized wind of lower density at lower inclinations. The dynamical pressure of the hot wind is important in shaping the denser IR supported flow. At luminosities ≤0.1Ledd episodes of outflow are followed by extended periods when the wind switches to slow accretion. PMID:27642184

HerMES: The Far-infrared Emission from Dust-obscured Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calanog, J. A.; Wardlow, J.; Fu, Hai; Cooray, A.; Assef, R. J.; Bock, J.; Casey, C. M.; Conley, A.; Farrah, D.; Ibar, E.; Kartaltepe, J.; Magdis, G.; Marchetti, L.; Oliver, S. J.; Pérez-Fournon, I.; Riechers, D.; Rigopoulou, D.; Roseboom, I. G.; Schulz, B.; Scott, Douglas; Symeonidis, M.; Vaccari, M.; Viero, M.; Zemcov, M.

2013-09-01

Dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) are an ultraviolet-faint, infrared-bright galaxy population that reside at z ~ 2 and are believed to be in a phase of dusty star-forming and active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity. We present far-infrared (far-IR) observations of a complete sample of DOGs in the 2 deg2 of the Cosmic Evolution Survey. The 3077 DOGs have langzrang = 1.9 ± 0.3 and are selected from 24 μm and r + observations using a color cut of r + - [24] >= 7.5 (AB mag) and S 24 >= 100 μJy. Based on the near-IR spectral energy distributions, 47% are bump DOGs (star formation dominated) and 10% are power-law DOGs (AGN-dominated). We use SPIRE far-IR photometry from the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey to calculate the IR luminosity and characteristic dust temperature for the 1572 (51%) DOGs that are detected at 250 μm (>=3σ). For the remaining 1505 (49%) that are undetected, we perform a median stacking analysis to probe fainter luminosities. Herschel-detected and undetected DOGs have average luminosities of (2.8 ± 0.4) × 1012 L ⊙ and (0.77 ± 0.08) × 1012 L ⊙, and dust temperatures of (33 ± 7) K and (37 ± 5) K, respectively. The IR luminosity function for DOGs with S 24 >= 100 μJy is calculated, using far-IR observations and stacking. DOGs contribute 10%-30% to the total star formation rate (SFR) density of the universe at z = 1.5-2.5, dominated by 250 μm detected and bump DOGs. For comparison, DOGs contribute 30% to the SFR density for all z = 1.5-2.5 galaxies with S 24 >= 100 μJy. DOGs have a large scatter about the star formation main sequence and their specific SFRs show that the observed phase of star formation could be responsible for their total observed stellar mass at z ~ 2.

A black hole nova obscured by an inner disk torus.

PubMed

Corral-Santana, J M; Casares, J; Muñoz-Darias, T; Rodríguez-Gil, P; Shahbaz, T; Torres, M A P; Zurita, C; Tyndall, A A

2013-03-01

Stellar-mass black holes (BHs) are mostly found in x-ray transients, a subclass of x-ray binaries that exhibit violent outbursts. None of the 50 galactic BHs known show eclipses, which is surprising for a random distribution of inclinations. Swift J1357.2-093313 is a very faint x-ray transient detected in 2011. On the basis of spectroscopic evidence, we show that it contains a BH in a 2.8-hour orbital period. Further, high-time-resolution optical light curves display profound dips without x-ray counterparts. The observed properties are best explained by the presence of an obscuring toroidal structure moving outward in the inner disk, seen at very high inclination. This observational feature should play a key role in models of inner accretion flows and jet collimation mechanisms in stellar-mass BHs.

Actionability and Simulation: No Representation without Communication

PubMed Central

Feldman, Jerome A.

2016-01-01

There remains considerable controversy about how the brain operates. This review focuses on brain activity rather than just structure and on concepts of action and actionability rather than truth conditions. Neural Communication is reviewed as a crucial aspect of neural encoding. Consequently, logical inference is superseded by neural simulation. Some remaining mysteries are discussed. PMID:27725807

A physical model for z ~ 2 dust-obscured galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narayanan, Desika; Dey, Arjun; Hayward, Christopher C.; Cox, Thomas J.; Bussmann, R. Shane; Brodwin, Mark; Jonsson, Patrik; Hopkins, Philip F.; Groves, Brent; Younger, Joshua D.; Hernquist, Lars

2010-09-01

We present a physical model for the origin of z ~ 2 dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs), a class of high-redshift ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) selected at 24μm which are particularly optically faint (F24μm/FR > 1000). By combining N-body/smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulations of high-redshift galaxy evolution with 3D polychromatic dust radiative transfer models, we find that luminous DOGs (with F24 >~ 0.3mJy at z ~ 2) are well modelled as extreme gas-rich mergers in massive (~5 × 1012-1013Msolar) haloes, with elevated star formation rates (SFR; ~500-1000Msolaryr-1) and/or significant active galactic nuclei (AGN) growth , whereas less luminous DOGs are more diverse in nature. At final coalescence, merger-driven DOGs transition from being starburst dominated to AGN dominated, evolving from a `bump' to a power-law (PL) shaped mid-IR (Infrared Array Camera, IRAC) spectral energy distribution (SED). After the DOG phase, the galaxy settles back to exhibiting a `bump' SED with bluer colours and lower SFRs. While canonically PL galaxies are associated with being AGN dominated, we find that the PL mid-IR SED can owe both to direct AGN contribution and to a heavily dust obscured stellar bump at times that the galaxy is starburst dominated. Thus, PL galaxies can be either starburst or AGN dominated. Less luminous DOGs can be well-represented either by mergers or by massive (Mbaryon ~ 5 × 1011Msolar) secularly evolving gas-rich disc galaxies (with SFR >~ 50Msolaryr-1). By utilizing similar models as those employed in the submillimetre galaxy (SMG) formation study of Narayanan et al., we investigate the connection between DOGs and SMGs. We find that the most heavily star-forming merger-driven DOGs can be selected as submillimetre galaxies, while both merger-driven and secularly evolving DOGs typically satisfy the BzK selection criteria. The model SEDs from the simulated galaxies match observed data reasonably well, though Mrk 231 and Arp 220 templates provide

X-ray Obscured AGN in the GOODS-N

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Georgantopoulos, I.; Akylas, A.; Rovilos, E.; Xilouris, E.

2010-07-01

We explore the X-ray properties of the Dust Obscured Galaxies (DOGs) i.e. sources with f24μ / fR > 1000. This population has been proposed to contain a significant fraction of Compton-thick sources at high redshift. In particular we study the X-ray spectra of the 14 DOGS detected in the CDFN 2Ms exposure. Their stacked spectrum is flat with Γ=1±0.1 very similar to the stacked spectrum of the undetected DOGs (Γ=0.8±0.2). However, most of our X-ray detected DOGs present only moderate absorption with column densities 1022 < NH < 1024 cm-2. Only three sources (20%) present very flat spectra and are probably associated with reflection dominated Compton-thick sources. Our finding is rather at odds with papers which claim that the vast majority of DOGs are associated with Compton-thick sources. In any case, such sources at high redshift (z > 2) present limited interest for the X-ray background: the population synthesis models predict a contribution, for the z > 2 Compton-thick AGN, to the X-ray background flux at 30 keV, of less than 1 percent.

The fate of human remains in a maritime context and feasibility for forensic humanitarian action to assist in their recovery and identification.

PubMed

Ellingham, Sarah Theresa Dorothea; Perich, Pierre; Tidball-Binz, Morris

2017-10-01

The number of annual maritime fatalities reported in the Mediterranean has more than doubled in the last two years, a phenomenon closely linked to the increase of migrants attempting to reach Europe via the Mediterranean. The majority of victims reportedly never gets recovered, which in part relates to the fact that the mechanisms and interaction of factors affecting marine taphonomy are still largely not understood. These factors include intrinsic factors such as whether the individual was alive or dead at the time of submergence, the individual's stature and clothing, as well as extrinsic factors such including ambient temperature, currents, water depth, salinity and oxygen levels. This paper provides a compilation of the current literature on factors influencing marine taphonomy, recovery and identification procedures for submerged remains, and discusses the implications for the retrieval and identification of maritime mass fatalities as part of the humanitarian response, specifically humanitarian forensic action, to the consequences of the current migration phenomenon. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Molecular outflow and feedback in the obscured quasar XID2028 revealed by ALMA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brusa, M.; Cresci, G.; Daddi, E.; Paladino, R.; Perna, M.; Bongiorno, A.; Lusso, E.; Sargent, M. T.; Casasola, V.; Feruglio, C.; Fraternali, F.; Georgiev, I.; Mainieri, V.; Carniani, S.; Comastri, A.; Duras, F.; Fiore, F.; Mannucci, F.; Marconi, A.; Piconcelli, E.; Zamorani, G.; Gilli, R.; La Franca, F.; Lanzuisi, G.; Lutz, D.; Santini, P.; Scoville, N. Z.; Vignali, C.; Vito, F.; Rabien, S.; Busoni, L.; Bonaglia, M.

2018-04-01

We imaged, with ALMA and ARGOS/LUCI, the molecular gas and dust and stellar continuum in XID2028, which is an obscured quasi-stellar object (QSO) at z = 1.593, where the presence of a massive outflow in the ionised gas component traced by the [OIII]5007 emission has been resolved up to 10 kpc. This target represents a unique test case to study QSO feedback in action at the peak epoch of AGN-galaxy co-evolution. The QSO was detected in the CO(5 - 4) transition and in the 1.3 mm continuum at 30 and 20σ significance, respectively; both emissions are confined in the central (<2 kpc) radius area. Our analysis suggests the presence of a fast rotating molecular disc (v 400 km s-1) on very compact scales well inside the galaxy extent seen in the rest-frame optical light ( 10 kpc, as inferred from the LUCI data). Adding available measurements in additional two CO transitions, CO(2 - 1) and CO(3 - 2), we could derive a total gas mass of 1010 M⊙, thanks to a critical assessment of CO excitation and the comparison with the Rayleigh-Jeans continuum estimate. This translates into a very low gas fraction (<5%) and depletion timescales of 40-75 Myr, reinforcing the result of atypical gas consumption conditions in XID2028, possibly because of feedback effects on the host galaxy. Finally, we also detect the presence of high velocity CO gas at 5σ, which we interpret as a signature of galaxy-scale molecular outflow that is spatially coincident with the ionised gas outflow. XID2028 therefore represents a unique case in which the measurement of total outflowing mass, of 500-800 M⊙ yr-1 including the molecular and atomic components in both the ionised and neutral phases, was attempted for a high-z QSO.

Mechanisms of action of sacubitril/valsartan on cardiac remodeling: a systems biology approach.

PubMed

Iborra-Egea, Oriol; Gálvez-Montón, Carolina; Roura, Santiago; Perea-Gil, Isaac; Prat-Vidal, Cristina; Soler-Botija, Carolina; Bayes-Genis, Antoni

2017-01-01

Sacubitril/Valsartan, proved superiority over other conventional heart failure management treatments, but its mechanisms of action remains obscure. In this study, we sought to explore the mechanistic details for Sacubitril/Valsartan in heart failure and post-myocardial infarction remodeling, using an in silico, systems biology approach. Myocardial transcriptome obtained in response to myocardial infarction in swine was analyzed to address post-infarction ventricular remodeling. Swine transcriptome hits were mapped to their human equivalents using Reciprocal Best (blast) Hits, Gene Name Correspondence, and InParanoid database. Heart failure remodeling was studied using public data available in gene expression omnibus (accession GSE57345, subseries GSE57338), processed using the GEO2R tool. Using the Therapeutic Performance Mapping System technology, dedicated mathematical models trained to fit a set of molecular criteria, defining both pathologies and including all the information available on Sacubitril/Valsartan, were generated. All relationships incorporated into the biological network were drawn from public resources (including KEGG, REACTOME, INTACT, BIOGRID, and MINT). An artificial neural network analysis revealed that Sacubitril/Valsartan acts synergistically against cardiomyocyte cell death and left ventricular extracellular matrix remodeling via eight principal synergistic nodes. When studying each pathway independently, Valsartan was found to improve cardiac remodeling by inhibiting members of the guanine nucleotide-binding protein family, while Sacubitril attenuated cardiomyocyte cell death, hypertrophy, and impaired myocyte contractility by inhibiting PTEN. The complex molecular mechanisms of action of Sacubitril/Valsartan upon post-myocardial infarction and heart failure cardiac remodeling were delineated using a systems biology approach. Further, this dataset provides pathophysiological rationale for the use of Sacubitril/Valsartan to prevent post

77 FR 11583 - Notice of Inventory Completion for Native American Human Remains and Associated Funerary Objects...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-27

... Native American Human Remains and Associated Funerary Objects From Arizona in the Possession of San Diego State University, San Diego, CA; Correction AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice... funerary objects in the possession of San Diego State University, San Diego, CA. The human remains and...

Watching novice action degrades expert motor performance: Causation between action production and outcome prediction of observed actions by humans

PubMed Central

Ikegami, Tsuyoshi; Ganesh, Gowrishankar

2014-01-01

Our social skills are critically determined by our ability to understand and appropriately respond to actions performed by others. However despite its obvious importance, the mechanisms enabling action understanding in humans have remained largely unclear. A popular but controversial belief is that parts of the motor system contribute to our ability to understand observed actions. Here, using a novel behavioral paradigm, we investigated this belief by examining a causal relation between action production, and a component of action understanding - outcome prediction, the ability of a person to predict the outcome of observed actions. We asked dart experts to watch novice dart throwers and predict the outcome of their throws. We modulated the feedbacks provided to them, caused a specific improvement in the expert's ability to predict watched actions while controlling the other experimental factors, and exhibited that a change (improvement) in their outcome prediction ability results in a progressive and proportional deterioration in the expert's own darts performance. This causal relationship supports involvement of the motor system in outcome prediction by humans of actions observed in others. PMID:25384755

DETECTION OF THE INTERMEDIATE-WIDTH EMISSION LINE REGION IN QUASAR OI 287 WITH THE BROAD EMISSION LINE REGION OBSCURED BY THE DUSTY TORUS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Zhenzhen; Zhou, Hongyan; Wang, Huiyuan

2015-10-20

The existence of intermediate-width emission line regions (IELRs) in active galactic nuclei has been discussed for over two decades. A consensus, however, is yet to be arrived at due to the lack of convincing evidence for their detection. We present a detailed analysis of the broadband spectrophotometry of the partially obscured quasar OI 287. The ultraviolet intermediate-width emission lines (IELs) are very prominent, in high contrast to the corresponding broad emission lines (BELs) which are heavily suppressed by dust reddening. Assuming that the IELR is virialized, we estimated its distance to the central black hole to be ∼2.9 pc, similarmore » to the dust sublimation radius of ∼1.3 pc. Photo-ionization calculations suggest that the IELR has a hydrogen density of ∼10{sup 8.8}–10{sup 9.4} cm{sup −3}, within the range of values quoted for the dusty torus near the sublimation radius. Both its inferred location and physical conditions suggest that the IELR originates from the inner surface of the dusty torus. In the spectrum of this quasar, we identified only one narrow absorption-line system associated with the dusty material. With the aid of photo-ionization model calculations, we found that the obscuring material might originate from an outer region of the dusty torus. We speculate that the dusty torus, which is exposed to the central ionizing source, may produce IELs through photo-ionization processes, as well as obscure BELs as a natural “coronagraph.” Such a “coronagraph” could be found in a large number of partially obscured quasars and may be a useful tool to study IELRs.« less

[Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding due to gastrointestinal stromal tumors].

PubMed

Romero-Espinosa, Larry; Souza-Gallardo, Luis Manuel; Martínez-Ordaz, José Luis; Romero-Hernández, Teodoro; de la Fuente-Lira, Mauricio; Arellano-Sotelo, Jorge

The gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) are the most common soft tissue sarcomas of the digestive tract. They are usually found in the stomach (60-70%) and small intestine (25-30%) and, less commonly, in the oesophagus, mesentery, colon, or rectum. The symptoms present at diagnosis are, gastrointestinal bleeding, abdominal pain, abdominal mass, or intestinal obstruction. The type of symptomatology will depend on the location and size of the tumour. The definitive diagnosis is histopathological, with 95% of the tumours being positive for CD117. This is an observational and descriptive study of 5cases of small intestinal GIST that presented with gastrointestinal bleeding as the main symptom. The period from the initial symptom to the diagnosis varied from 1 to 84 months. The endoscopy was inconclusive in all of the patients, and the diagnosis was made using computed tomography and angiography. Treatment included resection in all patients. The histopathological results are also described. GIST can have multiple clinical pictures and unusual symptoms, such as obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. The use of computed tomography and angiography has shown to be an important tool in the diagnosis with patients with small intestine GISTs. Copyright © 2016. Publicado por Masson Doyma México S.A.

Tracking the Obscured Star Formation Along the Complete Evolutionary Merger Sequence of LIRGs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diaz-Santos, Tanio

2014-10-01

We propose to obtain WFC3 narrow-band Pa-beta imaging of a sample of 24 nearby luminous infrared (IR) galaxies (LIRGs) from the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG survey (GOALS) selected to be in advanced stages of interaction. LIRGs account for half of the obscured star formation of the Universe at z ~ 1-2, and they represent a key population in galaxy formation and evolution. We will use the Pa-beta images to trace the ionized gas in LIRGs and study its spatial distribution from scales of ~ 100 pc to up to several kpc, probing the youngest, massive stars formed in the most buried environments of LIRGs due to the interaction process. This will allow us to measure how the gas in the center of mergers is converted into stars, which eventually leads to the build-up of a nuclear stellar cusp and the "inside-out" growth of bulges. We will also create spatially-resolved Pa-beta equivalent width maps to search for age gradients across the galaxies and correlate the distribution of Pa-beta emission with that of un-obscured star clusters detected in the UV and optical with HST on the same spatial scales. Finally, we will combine our data with previous studies mainly focused on isolated and early-stage interacting LIRG systems to analyze the size and compactness of the starburst along the complete merger sequence of LIRGs. The requested data represent a critical missing piece of information that will allow us to understand both the physics of merger-induced star formation and the applicability of local LIRGs as templates for high-z interacting starburst galaxies.

FRET sensor-based quantification of intracellular trehalose in mammalian cells.

PubMed

Kikuta, Shingo; Hou, Bi-Huei; Sato, Ryoichi; Frommer, Wolf B; Kikawada, Takahiro

2016-01-01

Trehalose acts as a stress protectant and an autophagy inducer in mammalian cells. The molecular mechanisms of action remain obscure because intracellular trehalose at micromolar level is difficult to quantitate. Here, we show a novel trehalose monitoring technology based on FRET. FLIP-suc90μ∆1Venus sensor expressed in mammalian cells enables to quickly and non-destructively detect an infinitesimal amount of intracellular trehalose.

The hidden quasar nucleus of a WISE-selected, hyperluminous, dust-obscured galaxy at z ~ 2.3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piconcelli, E.; Vignali, C.; Bianchi, S.; Zappacosta, L.; Fritz, J.; Lanzuisi, G.; Miniutti, G.; Bongiorno, A.; Feruglio, C.; Fiore, F.; Maiolino, R.

2015-02-01

We present the first X-ray spectrum of a hot dust-obscured galaxy (DOG), namely W1835+4355 at z ~ 2.3. Hot DOGs represent a very rare population of hyperluminous (≥1047 erg s-1), dust-enshrouded objects at z ≥ 2 recently discovered in the WISE All Sky Survey. The 40 ks XMM-Newton spectrum reveals a continuum as flat (Γ ~ 0.8) as typically seen in heavily obscured AGN. This, along with the presence of strong Fe Kα emission, clearly suggests a reflection-dominated spectrum due to Compton-thick absorption. In this scenario, the observed luminosity of L2-10~ 2 × 1044 erg s-1 is a fraction (<10%) of the intrinsic one, which is estimated to be ≳ 5 × 1045 erg s-1 by using several proxies. The Herschel data allow us to constrain the SED up to the sub-mm band, providing a reliable estimate of the quasar contribution (~75%) to the IR luminosity as well as the amount of star formation (~2100 M⊙ yr-1). Our results thus provide additional pieces of evidence that associate Hot DOGs with an exceptionally dusty phase during which luminous quasars and massive galaxies co-evolve and a very efficient and powerful AGN-driven feedback mechanism is predicted by models.

Active Galactic Nucleus Obscuration from Winds: From Dusty Infrared-Driven to Warm and X-Ray Photoionized

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorodnitsyn, Anton V.; Kallman, Timothy R.

2012-01-01

We present calculations of active galactic nucleus winds at approx.parsec scales along with the associated obscuration. We take into account the pressure of infrared radiation on dust grains and the interaction of X-rays from a central black hole with hot and cold plasma. Infrared radiation (IR) is incorporated in radiation-hydrodynamic simulations adopting the flux-limited diffusion approximation. We find that in the range of X-ray luminosities L = 0.05-0.6 L(sub Edd), the Compton-thick part of the flow (aka torus) has an opening angle of approximately 72deg - 75deg regardless of the luminosity. At L > or approx. 0.1, the outflowing dusty wind provides the obscuration with IR pressure playing a major role. The global flow consists of two phases: the cold flow at inclinations (theta) > or approx.70deg and a hot, ionized wind of lower density at lower inclinations. The dynamical pressure of the hot wind is important in shaping the denser IR-supported flow. At luminosities < or = 0.1 L(sub Edd) episodes of outflow are followed by extended periods when the wind switches to slow accretion. Key words: acceleration of particles . galaxies: active . hydrodynamics . methods: numerical Online-only material: color figures

The Far-Infrared Luminosity Function and Star Formation Rate Density for Dust Obscured Galaxies in the Bootes Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calanog, Jae Alyson; Wardlow, J. L.; Fu, H.; Cooray, A. R.; HerMES

2013-01-01

We present the far-Infrared (FIR) luminosity function (LF) and the star-formation rate density (SFRD) for dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) in the Bootes field at redshift 2. These galaxies are selected by having a large rest frame mid-IR to UV flux density ratio ( > 1000) and are expected to be some of the most luminous and heavily obscured galaxies in the Universe at this epoch. Photometric redshifts for DOGs are estimated from optical and mid-IR data using empirically derived low resolution spectral templates for AGN and galaxies. We use HerMES Herschel-SPIRE data to fit a modified blackbody to calculate the FIR luminosity (LFIR) and dust temperature (Td) for all DOGs individually detected in SPIRE maps. A stacking analyses was implemented to measure a median sub-mm flux of undetected DOGs. We find that DOGs have LIR and Td that are similar with the sub-millimeter galaxy (SMG) population, suggesting these two populations are related. The DOG LF and SFRD at 2 are calculated and compared to SMGs.

Mode of action of mosquito repellents

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The mode of action of mosquito repellents remains a controversial topic. However, electrophysiological studies and molecular approaches have provided a better understanding of how repellents exert their effects. Here, we briefly discuss various notions of repellent action and present the current sta...

HerMES: THE FAR-INFRARED EMISSION FROM DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Calanog, J. A.; Wardlow, J.; Fu, Hai

Dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) are an ultraviolet-faint, infrared-bright galaxy population that reside at z ∼ 2 and are believed to be in a phase of dusty star-forming and active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity. We present far-infrared (far-IR) observations of a complete sample of DOGs in the 2 deg{sup 2} of the Cosmic Evolution Survey. The 3077 DOGs have (z) = 1.9 ± 0.3 and are selected from 24 μm and r {sup +} observations using a color cut of r {sup +} – [24] ≥ 7.5 (AB mag) and S{sub 24} ≥ 100 μJy. Based on the near-IR spectral energy distributions,more » 47% are bump DOGs (star formation dominated) and 10% are power-law DOGs (AGN-dominated). We use SPIRE far-IR photometry from the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey to calculate the IR luminosity and characteristic dust temperature for the 1572 (51%) DOGs that are detected at 250 μm (≥3σ). For the remaining 1505 (49%) that are undetected, we perform a median stacking analysis to probe fainter luminosities. Herschel-detected and undetected DOGs have average luminosities of (2.8 ± 0.4) × 10{sup 12} L{sub ☉} and (0.77 ± 0.08) × 10{sup 12} L{sub ☉}, and dust temperatures of (33 ± 7) K and (37 ± 5) K, respectively. The IR luminosity function for DOGs with S{sub 24} ≥ 100 μJy is calculated, using far-IR observations and stacking. DOGs contribute 10%-30% to the total star formation rate (SFR) density of the universe at z = 1.5-2.5, dominated by 250 μm detected and bump DOGs. For comparison, DOGs contribute 30% to the SFR density for all z = 1.5-2.5 galaxies with S{sub 24} ≥ 100 μJy. DOGs have a large scatter about the star formation main sequence and their specific SFRs show that the observed phase of star formation could be responsible for their total observed stellar mass at z ∼ 2.« less

Remembering Dr. George J. Apel, Jr: A Posthumous Tribute to an Innovative, Obscure Pioneer in Christian Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lumadue, Richard T.

2007-01-01

This paper is a belated tribute to George J. Apel, Jr., an innovative and obscure Christian higher educator. Peruse the name and subject indices of any and all books about Christian higher education, and nowhere will there appear even a reference to George J. Apel, Jr. Although Apel never finished high school or college, he was awarded an honorary…

Renewing the Fight against Affirmative Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roach, Ronald

2009-01-01

Some affirmative action and diversity program critics are cheering President Barack Obama's election because they believe his success dramatically undermines the argument that discrimination remains a significant barrier for minorities in American life. Ward Connerly Jr., arguably the most visible anti-affirmative action activist in the United…

The Spectral Energy Distribution of the Hyperluminous, Hot Dust-obscured Galaxy W2246–0526

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Lulu; Gao, Ying; Knudsen, Kirsten K.; Shu, Xinwen

2018-02-01

Hot dust-obscured galaxies (Hot DOGs) are a luminous, dust-obscured population recently discovered in the WISE All-Sky survey. Multiwavelength follow-up observations suggest that they are mainly powered by accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs), lying in dense environments, and being in the transition phase between extreme starburst and UV-bright quasars. Therefore, they are good candidates for studying the interplay between SMBHs, star formation, and environment. W2246‑0526 (hereafter, W2246), a Hot DOG at z ∼ 4.6, has been taken as the most luminous galaxy known in the universe. Revealed by the multiwavelength images, the previous Herschel SPIRE photometry of W2246 is contaminated by a foreground galaxy (W2246f), resulting in an overestimation of its total IR luminosity by a factor of about two. We perform the rest-frame UV/optical-to-far-IR spectral energy distribution (SED) analysis with SED3FIT and re-estimate its physical properties. The derived stellar mass {M}\\star =4.3× {10}11 {M}ȯ makes it among the most massive galaxies with spectroscopic redshift z > 4.5. Its structure is extremely compact and requires an effective mechanism to puff-up. Most of (>95%) its IR luminosity is from AGN torus emission, revealing the rapid growth of the central SMBH. We also predict that W2246 may have a significant molecular gas reservoir based on the dust mass estimation.

Phenytoin: 80 years young, from epilepsy to breast cancer, a remarkable molecule with multiple modes of action.

PubMed

Keppel Hesselink, Jan M; Kopsky, David J

2017-08-01

In 1908 phenytoin (5,5-diphenylhydantoin) was first synthesized as a barbiturate derivative in Germany by professor Heinrich Biltz (1865-1943) and subsequently resynthesized by an American chemist of the pharmaceutical company Parke-Davis in 1923 in Detroit. Screening phenytoin did not reveal comparable sedative side effects as barbiturates and, thus, Parke-Davis discarded this compound as a useful drug. In 1936, phenytoin's anticonvulsive properties were identified via a new animal model for convulsive disorders, developed by Putnam and Merritt, who also evaluated its clinical value in a number of patients in the period 1937-1940. For many diseases, mechanism of action of phenytoin remains obscure. The voltage-gated sodium channel was and is generally regarded as the main target to explain phenytoin's activity as an anticonvulsant and an anti-arrhythmic drug. This target, however, does not explain many of the other clinical properties of phenytoin. We will explore a number of original articles on phenytoin published in its 80 years history and give extra attention to the various hypothesis and experiments done to elucidate its mechanisms of action. Phenytoin has been explored in over 100 different disorders; the last two promising indications tested in the clinic are breast cancer and optic neuritis. Most probably, there are multiple targets active for these various disorders, and the insight into which targets are relevant is still very incomplete. It is remarkable that many pharmacological studies tested one dose only, mostly 50 or 100 μM, doses which most probably are higher than the non-plasma bound phenytoin plasma levels obtained during treatment.

Parsec-Scale Obscuring Accretion Disk with Large-Scale Magnetic Field in AGNs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorodnitsyn, A.; Kallman, T.

2017-01-01

A magnetic field dragged from the galactic disk, along with inflowing gas, can provide vertical support to the geometrically and optically thick pc (parsec) -scale torus in AGNs (Active Galactic Nuclei). Using the Soloviev solution initially developed for Tokamaks, we derive an analytical model for a rotating torus that is supported and confined by a magnetic field. We further perform three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamic simulations of X-ray irradiated, pc-scale, magnetized tori. We follow the time evolution and compare models that adopt initial conditions derived from our analytic model with simulations in which the initial magnetic flux is entirely contained within the gas torus. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the initial conditions based on the analytic solution produce a longer-lived torus that produces obscuration that is generally consistent with observed constraints.

Parsec-scale Obscuring Accretion Disk with Large-scale Magnetic Field in AGNs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dorodnitsyn, A.; Kallman, T.

A magnetic field dragged from the galactic disk, along with inflowing gas, can provide vertical support to the geometrically and optically thick pc-scale torus in AGNs. Using the Soloviev solution initially developed for Tokamaks, we derive an analytical model for a rotating torus that is supported and confined by a magnetic field. We further perform three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamic simulations of X-ray irradiated, pc-scale, magnetized tori. We follow the time evolution and compare models that adopt initial conditions derived from our analytic model with simulations in which the initial magnetic flux is entirely contained within the gas torus. Numerical simulations demonstrate thatmore » the initial conditions based on the analytic solution produce a longer-lived torus that produces obscuration that is generally consistent with observed constraints.« less

Additive Routes to Action Learning: Layering Experience Shapes Engagement of the Action Observation Network.

PubMed

Kirsch, Louise P; Cross, Emily S

2015-12-01

The way in which we perceive others in action is biased by one's prior experience with an observed action. For example, we can have auditory, visual, or motor experience with actions we observe others perform. How action experience via 1, 2, or all 3 of these modalities shapes action perception remains unclear. Here, we combine pre- and post-training functional magnetic resonance imaging measures with a dance training manipulation to address how building experience (from auditory to audiovisual to audiovisual plus motor) with a complex action shapes subsequent action perception. Results indicate that layering experience across these 3 modalities activates a number of sensorimotor cortical regions associated with the action observation network (AON) in such a way that the more modalities through which one experiences an action, the greater the response is within these AON regions during action perception. Moreover, a correlation between left premotor activity and participants' scores for reproducing an action suggests that the better an observer can perform an observed action, the stronger the neural response is. The findings suggest that the number of modalities through which an observer experiences an action impacts AON activity additively, and that premotor cortical activity might serve as an index of embodiment during action observation. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

Small bowel enteroscopy and intraoperative enteroscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding.

PubMed

Lewis, B S; Wenger, J S; Waye, J D

1991-02-01

Intraoperative endoscopy (IOE) is accepted as the ultimate diagnostic procedure for completely evaluating the small bowel in patients with obscure gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Small bowel enteroscopy (SBE) has been reported useful in the nonsurgical evaluation of the small intestine in these patients, but findings may be limited because of incomplete small bowel intubation and a lack of tip deflection. Twenty-three patients underwent 25 SBE exams and subsequently had 25 IOE exams during surgical exploration for continued bleeding. Patients' bleeding histories averaged 2 yr, with an average transfusion requirement of 27 units. Findings on IOE were the same as with SBE in 17/22 (77%) of examinations. We conclude that SBE and IOE are comparable in depth of insertion and ability to detect small vascular ectasias. Both procedures missed pathology due to limited visibility and the evanescent nature of ectasias. Long-term success in abolishing bleeding with these combined techniques can be expected in 55% of these patients. SBE should precede surgery, since the finding of diffuse ectasias precludes any benefit from operative intervention.

THE KILOPARSEC-SCALE STAR FORMATION LAW AT REDSHIFT 4: WIDESPREAD, HIGHLY EFFICIENT STAR FORMATION IN THE DUST-OBSCURED STARBURST GALAXY GN20

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hodge, J. A.; Riechers, D.; Decarli, R.

2015-01-01

We present high-resolution observations of the 880 μm (rest-frame FIR) continuum emission in the z = 4.05 submillimeter galaxy GN20 from the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI). These data resolve the obscured star formation (SF) in this unlensed galaxy on scales of 0.''3 × 0.''2 (∼2.1 × 1.3 kpc). The observations reveal a bright (16 ± 1 mJy) dusty starburst centered on the cold molecular gas reservoir and showing a bar-like extension along the major axis. The striking anti-correlation with the Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 imaging suggests that the copious dust surrounding the starburst heavily obscures the rest-frame UV/optical emission. A comparison with 1.2 mm PdBI continuummore » data reveals no evidence for variations in the dust properties across the source within the uncertainties, consistent with extended SF, and the peak star formation rate surface density (119 ± 8 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1} kpc{sup –2}) implies that the SF in GN20 remains sub-Eddington on scales down to 3 kpc{sup 2}. We find that the SF efficiency (SFE) is highest in the central regions of GN20, leading to a resolved SF law with a power-law slope of Σ{sub SFR} ∼ Σ{sub H{sub 2}{sup 2.1±1.0}}, and that GN20 lies above the sequence of normal star-forming disks, implying that the dispersion in the SF law is not due solely to morphology or choice of conversion factor. These data extend previous evidence for a fixed SFE per free-fall time to include the star-forming medium on ∼kiloparsec scales in a galaxy 12 Gyr ago.« less

Tuberculosis remains a challenge despite economic growth in Panama.

PubMed

Tarajia, M; Goodridge, A

2014-03-01

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease associated with inequality, and wise investment of economic resources is considered critical to its control. Panama has recently secured its status as an upper-middle-income country with robust economic growth. However, the prioritisation of resources for TB control remains a major challenge. In this article, we highlight areas that urgently require action to effectively reduce TB burden to minimal levels. Our conclusions suggest the need for fund allocation and a multidisciplinary approach to ensure prompt laboratory diagnosis, treatment assurance and workforce reinforcement, complemented by applied and operational research, development and innovation.

Evidence for Fluorescent Fe II Emission from Extended Low Ionization Outflows in Obscured Quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tinggui; Ferland, Gary J.; Yang, Chenwei; Wang, Huiyuan; Zhang, Shaohua

2016-06-01

Recent studies have shown that outflows in at least some broad absorption line (BAL) quasars are extended well beyond the putative dusty torus. Such outflows should be detectable in obscured quasars. We present four WISE selected infrared red quasars with very strong and peculiar ultraviolet Fe II emission lines: strong UV Fe II UV arising from transitions to ground/low excitation levels, and very weak Fe II at wavelengths longer than 2800 Å. The spectra of these quasars display strong resonant emission lines, such as C IV, Al III and Mg II but sometimes, a lack of non-resonant lines such as C III], S III and He II. We interpret the Fe II lines as resonantly scattered light from the extended outflows that are viewed nearly edge-on, so that the accretion disk and broad line region are obscured by the dusty torus, while the extended outflows are not. We show that dust free gas exposed to strong radiation longward of 912 Å produces Fe II emission very similar to that observed. The gas is too cool to collisionally excite Fe II lines, accounting for the lack of optical emission. The spectral energy distribution from the UV to the mid-infrared can be modeled as emission from a clumpy dusty torus, with UV emission being reflected/scattered light either by the dusty torus or the outflow. Within this scenario, we estimate a minimum covering factor of the outflows from a few to 20% for the Fe II scattering region, suggesting that Fe II BAL quasars are at a special stage of quasar evolution.

Evidence for the Automatic Evaluation of Self-Generated Actions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aarts, Kristien; De Houwer, Jan; Pourtois, Gilles

2012-01-01

The accuracy of simple actions is swiftly determined through specific monitoring brain systems. However, it remains unclear whether this evaluation is accompanied by a rapid and compatible emotional appraisal of the action that allows to mark incorrect actions as negative/bad and conversely correct actions as positive/good. In this study, we used…

Quick action clamp

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calco, Frank S. (Inventor)

1991-01-01

A quick release toggle clamp that utilizes a spring that requires a deliberate positive action for disengagement is presented. The clamp has a sliding bolt that provides a latching mechanism. The bolt is moved by a handle that tends to remain in an engaged position while under tension.

Near-infrared Variability of Obscured and Unobscured X-Ray-selected AGNs in the COSMOS Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez, P.; Lira, P.; Cartier, R.; Pérez, V.; Miranda, N.; Yovaniniz, C.; Arévalo, P.; Milvang-Jensen, B.; Fynbo, J.; Dunlop, J.; Coppi, P.; Marchesi, S.

2017-11-01

We present our statistical study of near-infrared (NIR) variability of X-ray-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the COSMOS field, using UltraVISTA data. This is the largest sample of AGN light curves in YJHKs bands, making it possible to have a global description of the nature of AGNs for a large range of redshifts and for different levels of obscuration. To characterize the variability properties of the sources, we computed the structure function. Our results show that there is an anticorrelation between the structure function A parameter (variability amplitude) and the wavelength of emission and a weak anticorrelation between A and the bolometric luminosity. We find that broad-line (BL) AGNs have a considerably larger fraction of variable sources than narrow-line (NL) AGNs and that they have different distributions of the A parameter. We find evidence that suggests that most of the low-luminosity variable NL sources correspond to BL AGNs, where the host galaxy could be damping the variability signal. For high-luminosity variable NL sources, we propose that they can be examples of “true type II” AGNs or BL AGNs with limited spectral coverage, which results in missing the BL emission. We also find that the fraction of variable sources classified as unobscured in the X-ray is smaller than the fraction of variable sources unobscured in the optical range. We present evidence that this is related to the differences in the origin of the obscuration in the optical and X-ray regimes.

A Submillimeter Survey of Dust Continuum Emission in Local Dust-Obscured Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jong Chul; Hwang, Ho Seong; Lee, Gwang-Ho

2015-08-01

Dusty star-forming galaxies are responsible for the bulk of cosmic star formation at 1obscured galaxies (DOGs) with the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory and the Submillimeter Array to study their dust properties. We determine the dust masses and temperatures for 16 local DOGs from the SED fit, and compare them with other dusty galaxies to understand a possible evolutionary link among them.

Obscured AGN at z ~ 1 from the zCOSMOS-Bright Survey. I. Selection and optical properties of a [Ne v]-selected sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mignoli, M.; Vignali, C.; Gilli, R.; Comastri, A.; Zamorani, G.; Bolzonella, M.; Bongiorno, A.; Lamareille, F.; Nair, P.; Pozzetti, L.; Lilly, S. J.; Carollo, C. M.; Contini, T.; Kneib, J.-P.; Le Fèvre, O.; Mainieri, V.; Renzini, A.; Scodeggio, M.; Bardelli, S.; Caputi, K.; Cucciati, O.; de la Torre, S.; de Ravel, L.; Franzetti, P.; Garilli, B.; Iovino, A.; Kampczyk, P.; Knobel, C.; Kovač, K.; Le Borgne, J.-F.; Le Brun, V.; Maier, C.; Pellò, R.; Peng, Y.; Perez Montero, E.; Presotto, V.; Silverman, J. D.; Tanaka, M.; Tasca, L.; Tresse, L.; Vergani, D.; Zucca, E.; Bordoloi, R.; Cappi, A.; Cimatti, A.; Koekemoer, A. M.; McCracken, H. J.; Moresco, M.; Welikala, N.

2013-08-01

Aims: The application of multi-wavelength selection techniques is essential for obtaining a complete and unbiased census of active galactic nuclei (AGN). We present here a method for selecting z ~ 1 obscured AGN from optical spectroscopic surveys. Methods: A sample of 94 narrow-line AGN with 0.65 < z < 1.20 was selected from the 20k-Bright zCOSMOS galaxy sample by detection of the high-ionization [Ne v] λ3426 line. The presence of this emission line in a galaxy spectrum is indicative of nuclear activity, although the selection is biased toward low absorbing column densities on narrow-line region or galactic scales. A similar sample of unobscured (type 1 AGN) was collected applying the same analysis to zCOSMOS broad-line objects. This paper presents and compares the optical spectral properties of the two AGN samples. Taking advantage of the large amount of data available in the COSMOS field, the properties of the [Ne v]-selected type 2 AGN were investigated, focusing on their host galaxies, X-ray emission, and optical line-flux ratios. Finally, a previously developed diagnostic, based on the X-ray-to-[Ne v] luminosity ratio, was exploited to search for the more heavily obscured AGN. Results: We found that [Ne v]-selected narrow-line AGN have Seyfert 2-like optical spectra, although their emission line ratios are diluted by a star-forming component. The ACS morphologies and stellar component in the optical spectra indicate a preference for our type 2 AGN to be hosted in early-type spirals with stellar masses greater than 109.5 - 10 M⊙, on average higher than those of the galaxy parent sample. The fraction of galaxies hosting [Ne v]-selected obscured AGN increases with the stellar mass, reaching a maximum of about 3% at ≈2 × 1011 M⊙. A comparison with other selection techniques at z ~ 1, namely the line-ratio diagnostics and X-ray detections, shows that the detection of the [Ne v] λ3426 line is an effective method for selecting AGN in the optical band, in

Screening Level Ecological Risk Assessments of Some Military Munitions and Obscurant-related Compounds for Selected Threatened and Endangered Species

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-10-01

species resulting from dispersion and deposi- tion of vapors and particles found in the fog oils, hexachloroethane smoke, colored smokes, white...dispersion and deposition of vapors and particles found in the fog oils, hexachloroethane smoke, colored smokes, white phosphorus, and obscurants...titanium dioxide colored smoke (red, green, yellow, purple) polyethylene glycol (PEG) brass flakes graphite flakes terephelatic acid For this

Elucidating Duramycin's Bacterial Selectivity and Mode of Action on the Bacterial Cell Envelope.

PubMed

Hasim, Sahar; Allison, David P; Mendez, Berlin; Farmer, Abigail T; Pelletier, Dale A; Retterer, Scott T; Campagna, Shawn R; Reynolds, Todd B; Doktycz, Mitchel J

2018-01-01

The use of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides provides a promising route to selectively target pathogenic agents and to shape microbiome structure. Lantibiotics, such as duramycin, are one class of bacterially produced peptidic natural products that can selectively inhibit the growth of other bacteria. However, despite longstanding characterization efforts, the microbial selectivity and mode of action of duramycin are still obscure. We describe here a suite of biological, chemical, and physical characterizations that shed new light on the selective and mechanistic aspects of duramycin activity. Bacterial screening assays have been performed using duramycin and Populus -derived bacterial isolates to determine species selectivity. Lipidomic profiles of selected resistant and sensitive strains show that the sensitivity of Gram-positive bacteria depends on the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in the cell membrane. Further the surface and interface morphology were studied by high resolution atomic force microscopy and showed a progression of cellular changes in the cell envelope after treatment with duramycin for the susceptible bacterial strains. Together, these molecular and cellular level analyses provide insight into duramycin's mode of action and a better understanding of its selectivity.

Finding η Car Analogs in Nearby Galaxies Using Spitzer. II. Identification of An Emerging Class of Extragalactic Self-Obscured Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Rubab; Kochanek, C. S.; Stanek, K. Z.; Gerke, Jill

2015-02-01

Understanding the late-stage evolution of the most massive stars such as η Carinae is challenging because no true analogs of η Car have been clearly identified in the Milky Way or other galaxies. In Khan et al., we utilized Spitzer IRAC images of 7 nearby (lsim 4 Mpc) galaxies to search for such analogs, and found 34 candidates with flat or red mid-IR spectral energy distributions. Here, in Paper II, we present our characterization of these candidates using multi-wavelength data from the optical through the far-IR. Our search detected no true analogs of η Car, which implies an eruption rate that is a fraction 0.01 <~ F <~ 0.19 of the core-collapse supernova (ccSN) rate. This is roughly consistent with each M ZAMS >~ 70 M ⊙ star undergoing one or two outbursts in its lifetime. However, we do identify a significant population of 18 lower luminosity (log (L/L ⊙) ~= 5.5-6.0) dusty stars. Stars enter this phase at a rate that is a fraction 0.09 <~ F <~ 0.55 of the ccSN rate, and this is consistent with all 25 < M ZAMS < 60 M ⊙ stars undergoing an obscured phase at most lasting a few thousand years once or twice. These phases constitute a negligible fraction of post-main-sequence lifetimes of massive stars, which implies that these events are likely to be associated with special periods in the evolution of the stars. The mass of the obscuring material is of order ~M ⊙, and we simply do not find enough heavily obscured stars for theses phases to represent more than a modest fraction (~10% not ~50%) of the total mass lost by these stars. In the long term, the sources that we identified will be prime candidates for detailed physical analysis with the James Webb Space Telescope.

Consequences of converting graded to action potentials upon neural information coding and energy efficiency.

PubMed

Sengupta, Biswa; Laughlin, Simon Barry; Niven, Jeremy Edward

2014-01-01

Information is encoded in neural circuits using both graded and action potentials, converting between them within single neurons and successive processing layers. This conversion is accompanied by information loss and a drop in energy efficiency. We investigate the biophysical causes of this loss of information and efficiency by comparing spiking neuron models, containing stochastic voltage-gated Na(+) and K(+) channels, with generator potential and graded potential models lacking voltage-gated Na(+) channels. We identify three causes of information loss in the generator potential that are the by-product of action potential generation: (1) the voltage-gated Na(+) channels necessary for action potential generation increase intrinsic noise and (2) introduce non-linearities, and (3) the finite duration of the action potential creates a 'footprint' in the generator potential that obscures incoming signals. These three processes reduce information rates by ∼50% in generator potentials, to ∼3 times that of spike trains. Both generator potentials and graded potentials consume almost an order of magnitude less energy per second than spike trains. Because of the lower information rates of generator potentials they are substantially less energy efficient than graded potentials. However, both are an order of magnitude more efficient than spike trains due to the higher energy costs and low information content of spikes, emphasizing that there is a two-fold cost of converting analogue to digital; information loss and cost inflation.

Disentangling Dominance: Obscured AGN Activity versus Star Formation in BPT-Composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trouille, Laura

2011-11-01

Approximately 20% of SDSS emission-line galaxies (ELG) lie in the BPT-comp regime, between the Kauffmann et al. (2003) empirically determined SF-dominated regime and the Kewley et al. (2001) theoretically predicted AGN-dominated regime. BPT-AGN, on the other hand, make up only 11% of the ELG population. Whether to include the significant number of BPT-comp in samples of AGN or samples of star-forming galaxies is an open question and has important implications for galaxy evolution studies, metallicity studies, etc. Using a large pectroscopic sample of GOODS-N and LH galaxies with deep Chandra imaging, we perform an X-ray stacking analysis of BPT-comp. We find the stacked signal to be X-ray hard. This X-ray hardness can be indicative of obscured AGN activity or the presence of HMXBs associated with ongoing star formation. In order to distinguish between these scenarios, we perform an IR stacking analysis using Spitzer 24 micron data. The stacked BPT-comp lies well above the expected value for L_x/L_IR for pure star-forming galaxies; similarly for the X-ray detected BPT-comp. We also find that the BPT-comp lie in the AGN-dominated regime of our new TBT diagnostic, which uses [NeIII]/[OII] versus rest-frame g-z colour to identify AGN and star forming galaxies out to z=1.4. [NeIII], which has a higher ionisation potential than other commonly used forbidden emission lines, appears to foster a more reliable selection of AGN-dominated galaxies. These findings suggest that both the X-ray and optical signal in BPT-comp are dominated by obscured or low accretion rate AGN activity rather than star formation. This is in contrast to claims by previous optical emission-line studies that the signal in BPT-comp is dominated by star-formation activity. Therefore, we recommend that groups carefully consider the impact of excluding or including BPT-comp on the interpretation of their results. For example, for studies involving determining the bolometric contribution from AGN activity

The COSPIX Mission: Focusing on the Energetic and Obscured Universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferrando, P.; Goldwurm, A.; Laurent, P.; Limousin, O.; Beckmann, V; Arnaud, M.; Barcons, X.; Bomans, D.; Caballero, I.; Carrera, F.;

Tip/tilt optimizations for polynomial apodized vortex coronagraphs on obscured telescope pupils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fogarty, Kevin; Pueyo, Laurent; Mazoyer, Johan; N'Diaye, Mamadou

2017-09-01

Obstructions due to large secondary mirrors, primary mirror segmentation, and secondary mirror support struts all introduce diffraction artifacts that limit the performance offered by coronagraphs. However, just as vortex coronagraphs provides theoretically ideal cancellation of on-axis starlight for clear apertures, the Polynomial Apodized Vortex Coronagraph (PAVC) completely blocks on-axis light for apertures with central obscurations, and delivers off-axis throughput that improves as the topological charge of the vortex increases. We examine the sensitivity of PAVC designs to tip/tilt aberrations and stellar angular size, and discuss methods for mitigating these effects. By imposing additional constraints on the pupil plane apodization, we decrease the sensitivity of the PAVC to the small positional shifts of the on-axis source induced by either tip/tilt or stellar angular size; providing a route to overcoming an important hurdle facing the performance of vortex coronagraphs on telescopes with complicated pupils.

76 FR 58037 - Notice of Inventory Completion for Native American Human Remains and Associated Funerary Objects...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-19

... Mexico; and Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico. History and Description of the Remains Upon preparation for... Historical Society (History Colorado), Denver, CO; Correction AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. ACTION...-10909, February 20, 2001). The Colorado Historical Society (History Colorado) completed an inventory of...

Obscure phenomena in statistical analysis of quantitative structure-activity relationships. Part 1: Multicollinearity of physicochemical descriptors.

PubMed

Mager, P P; Rothe, H

1990-10-01

Multicollinearity of physicochemical descriptors leads to serious consequences in quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis, such as incorrect estimators and test statistics of regression coefficients of the ordinary least-squares (OLS) model applied usually to QSARs. Beside the diagnosis of the known simple collinearity, principal component regression analysis (PCRA) also allows the diagnosis of various types of multicollinearity. Only if the absolute values of PCRA estimators are order statistics that decrease monotonically, the effects of multicollinearity can be circumvented. Otherwise, obscure phenomena may be observed, such as good data recognition but low predictive model power of a QSAR model.

An Imperfectly Passive Nature: Bright Submillimeter Emission from Dust-obscured Star Formation in the z = 3.717 “Passive” System, ZF 20115

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simpson, J. M.; Smail, Ian; Wang, Wei-Hao; Riechers, D.; Dunlop, J. S.; Ao, Y.; Bourne, N.; Bunker, A.; Chapman, S. C.; Chen, Chian-Chou; Dannerbauer, H.; Geach, J. E.; Goto, T.; Harrison, C. M.; Hwang, H. S.; Ivison, R. J.; Kodama, Tadayuki; Lee, C.-H.; Lee, H.-M.; Lee, M.; Lim, C.-F.; Michałowski, M. J.; Rosario, D. J.; Shim, H.; Shu, X. W.; Swinbank, A. M.; Tee, W.-L.; Toba, Y.; Valiante, E.; Wang, Junxian; Zheng, X. Z.

2017-07-01

The identification of high-redshift, massive galaxies with old stellar populations may pose challenges to some models of galaxy formation. However, to securely classify a galaxy as quiescent, it is necessary to exclude significant ongoing star formation, something that can be challenging to achieve at high redshifts. In this Letter, we analyze deep ALMA/870 μm and SCUBA-2/450 μm imaging of the claimed “post-starburst” galaxy ZF 20115 at z = 3.717 that exhibits a strong Balmer break and absorption lines. The rest-frame far-infrared imaging identifies a luminous starburst 0.″4 ± 0.″1 (˜3 kpc in projection) from the position of the ultraviolet/optical emission and is consistent with lying at the redshift of ZF 20115. The star-forming component, with an obscured star formation rate of {100}-70+15 {M}⊙ {{yr}}-1, is undetected in the rest-frame ultraviolet but contributes significantly to the lower angular resolution photometry at rest-frame wavelengths ≳3500 Å. This contribution from the obscured starburst, especially in the Spitzer/IRAC wavebands, significantly complicates the determination of a reliable stellar mass for the ZF 20015 system, and we conclude that this source does not pose a challenge to current models of galaxy formation. The multi-wavelength observations of ZF 20115 unveil a complex system with an intricate and spatially varying star formation history. ZF 20115 demonstrates that understanding high-redshift obscured starbursts will only be possible with multi-wavelength studies that include high-resolution observations, available with the James Webb Space Telescope, at mid-infrared wavelengths.

Agricultural Bioterrorism What Challenges and Actions Remain

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-03-10

African milk bush.29 In 1966, Bacillus subtilis was released in the New York City subway system to test the vulnerability of biowarfare.30 In 1984...These diseases include: Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Rift Valley Fever ( RVF ), Nipah Virus, Avian Influenza, Exotic Newcastle Disease, Classical Swine

Preliminary study of effects of military obscurant smokes on flora and fauna during field and laboratory exposures. Final technical report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schaeffer, D.J.; Lower, W.R.; Kapila, S.

1986-12-01

Since continued routine use of obscurant smokes could be detrimental to the native flora and fauna of training sites, a preliminary biological and chemical study of smokes was conducted to determine whether tests could be developed to demonstrate measurable changes in organisms exposed to smokes and to evaluate whether short exposures to smokes produced measurable changes in the organisms tested. Fog oil, hexachloroethane, and tank diesel smokes were tested. Tradescantia clones were examined for mutagenic effects indicated by micronuclei induction in developing pollen and pink somatic mutations in stamen hairs. Photosynthetic perturbations were measured in Tradescantia and Ambrosia dumosa usingmore » variable fluorescence induction. Animals were examined for sister chromatid exchanges and chromosome aberrations. It was found that all of the smokes tested exerted varying degrees of physiological and mutagenic effects in one or several of the assay systems at one or more of the exposure distances. These studies indicate that exposed ecological systems, or at least components of these systems, are at a higher risk than are control organisms for several types of damage attributed to obscurant smoke exposure.« less

Consequences of Converting Graded to Action Potentials upon Neural Information Coding and Energy Efficiency

PubMed Central

Sengupta, Biswa; Laughlin, Simon Barry; Niven, Jeremy Edward

2014-01-01

Information is encoded in neural circuits using both graded and action potentials, converting between them within single neurons and successive processing layers. This conversion is accompanied by information loss and a drop in energy efficiency. We investigate the biophysical causes of this loss of information and efficiency by comparing spiking neuron models, containing stochastic voltage-gated Na+ and K+ channels, with generator potential and graded potential models lacking voltage-gated Na+ channels. We identify three causes of information loss in the generator potential that are the by-product of action potential generation: (1) the voltage-gated Na+ channels necessary for action potential generation increase intrinsic noise and (2) introduce non-linearities, and (3) the finite duration of the action potential creates a ‘footprint’ in the generator potential that obscures incoming signals. These three processes reduce information rates by ∼50% in generator potentials, to ∼3 times that of spike trains. Both generator potentials and graded potentials consume almost an order of magnitude less energy per second than spike trains. Because of the lower information rates of generator potentials they are substantially less energy efficient than graded potentials. However, both are an order of magnitude more efficient than spike trains due to the higher energy costs and low information content of spikes, emphasizing that there is a two-fold cost of converting analogue to digital; information loss and cost inflation. PMID:24465197

[Mechanism of action of antiepileptic drugs].

PubMed

Saidón, Patricia

2003-01-01

Antiepileptic drugs (DAEs) act through different mechanisms of action: increase in central inhibition, inhibition of excitatorios mechanisms and modification of the excitability through their action on the ionic channels. Epilepsy is characterized by an abnormal and hypersynchronic unloading of a neuronal population. The activity of numerous drugs is associated to increase in gabaergic activity. Another group of drugs decreases excitatory mechanisms, through the inhibition of ionic channels, or through a decrease in the activity of the excitatory neurotransmitters. There are some of antiepileptic drugs, especially within the group of drugs of recent appearance, for wich the mechanism of action remains unknown.

Chaotic component obscured by strong periodicity in voice production system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Chao; Jiang, Jack J.

2008-06-01

The effect of glottal aerodynamics in producing the nonlinear characteristics of voice is investigated by comparing the outputs of the asymmetric composite model and the two-mass model. The two-mass model assumes the glottal airflow to be laminar, nonviscous, and incompressible. In this model, when the asymmetric factor is decreased from 0.65 to 0.35, only 1:1 and 1:2 modes are detectable. However, with the same parameters, four vibratory modes (1:1, 1:2, 2:4, 2:6) are found in the asymmetric composite model using the Navier-Stokes equations to describe the complex aerodynamics in the glottis. Moreover, the amplitude of the waveform is modulated by a small-amplitude noiselike series. The nonlinear detection method reveals that this noiselike modulation is not random, but rather it is deterministic chaos. This result agrees with the phenomenon often seen in voice, in which the voice signal is strongly periodic but modulated by a small-amplitude chaotic component. The only difference between the two-mass model and the composite model is in their descriptions of glottal airflow. Therefore, the complex aerodynamic characteristics of glottal airflow could be important in generating the nonlinear dynamic behavior of voice production, including bifurcation and a small-amplitude chaotic component obscured by strong periodicity.

Chaotic component obscured by strong periodicity in voice production system

PubMed Central

Tao, Chao; Jiang, Jack J.

2010-01-01

The effect of glottal aerodynamics in producing the nonlinear characteristics of voice is investigated by comparing the outputs of the asymmetric composite model and the two-mass model. The two-mass model assumes the glottal airflow to be laminar, nonviscous, and incompressible. In this model, when the asymmetric factor is decreased from 0.65 to 0.35, only 1:1 and 1:2 modes are detectable. However, with the same parameters, four vibratory modes (1:1, 1:2, 2:4, 2:6) are found in the asymmetric composite model using the Navier-Stokes equations to describe the complex aerodynamics in the glottis. Moreover, the amplitude of the waveform is modulated by a small-amplitude noiselike series. The nonlinear detection method reveals that this noiselike modulation is not random, but rather it is deterministic chaos. This result agrees with the phenomenon often seen in voice, in which the voice signal is strongly periodic but modulated by a small-amplitude chaotic component. The only difference between the two-mass model and the composite model is in their descriptions of glottal airflow. Therefore, the complex aerodynamic characteristics of glottal airflow could be important in generating the nonlinear dynamic behavior of voice production, including bifurcation and a small-amplitude chaotic component obscured by strong periodicity. PMID:18643315

FINDING η CAR ANALOGS IN NEARBY GALAXIES USING Spitzer. II. IDENTIFICATION OF AN EMERGING CLASS OF EXTRAGALACTIC SELF-OBSCURED STARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khan, Rubab; Kochanek, C. S.; Stanek, K. Z.

Understanding the late-stage evolution of the most massive stars such as η Carinae is challenging because no true analogs of η Car have been clearly identified in the Milky Way or other galaxies. In Khan et al., we utilized Spitzer IRAC images of 7 nearby (≲ 4 Mpc) galaxies to search for such analogs, and found 34 candidates with flat or red mid-IR spectral energy distributions. Here, in Paper II, we present our characterization of these candidates using multi-wavelength data from the optical through the far-IR. Our search detected no true analogs of η Car, which implies an eruption rate that is a fraction 0.01more » ≲ F ≲ 0.19 of the core-collapse supernova (ccSN) rate. This is roughly consistent with each M {sub ZAMS} ≳ 70 M {sub ☉} star undergoing one or two outbursts in its lifetime. However, we do identify a significant population of 18 lower luminosity (log (L/L {sub ☉}) ≅ 5.5-6.0) dusty stars. Stars enter this phase at a rate that is a fraction 0.09 ≲ F ≲ 0.55 of the ccSN rate, and this is consistent with all 25 < M {sub ZAMS} < 60 M {sub ☉} stars undergoing an obscured phase at most lasting a few thousand years once or twice. These phases constitute a negligible fraction of post-main-sequence lifetimes of massive stars, which implies that these events are likely to be associated with special periods in the evolution of the stars. The mass of the obscuring material is of order ∼M {sub ☉}, and we simply do not find enough heavily obscured stars for theses phases to represent more than a modest fraction (∼10% not ∼50%) of the total mass lost by these stars. In the long term, the sources that we identified will be prime candidates for detailed physical analysis with the James Webb Space Telescope.« less

Outcome in obscure gastrointestinal bleeding after capsule endoscopy.

PubMed

Cañas-Ventura, Alex; Márquez, Lucia; Bessa, Xavier; Dedeu, Josep Maria; Puigvehí, Marc; Delgado-Aros, Sílvia; Ibáñez, Ines Ana; Seoane, Agustin; Barranco, Luis; Bory, Felipe; Andreu, Montserrat; González-Suárez, Begoña

2013-11-16

To investigate the clinical impact of capsule endoscopy (CE) after an obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) episode, focusing on diagnostic work-up, follow-up and predictive factors of rebleeding. Patients who were referred to Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Spain) between 2007 and 2009 for OGIB who underwent a CE were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic data, current treatment with non-steroid anti-inflammtory drugs or anticoagulant drugs, hemoglobin levels, transfusion requirements, previous diagnostic tests for the bleeding episode, as well as CE findings (significant or non-significant), work-up and patient outcomes were analyzed from electronic charts. Variables were compared by χ (2) analysis and Student t test. Risk factors of rebleeding were assessed by Log-rank test, Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression model. There were 105 patients [45.7% women, median age of 72 years old (interquartile range 56-79)] and a median follow-up of 326 d (interquartile range 123-641) included in this study. The overall diagnostic yield of CE was 58.1% (55.2% and 63.2%, for patients with occult OGIB and overt OGIB, respectively). In 73 patients (69.5%), OGIB was resolved. Multivariate analysis showed that hemoglobin levels lower than 8 g/dL at diagnosis [hazard ratios (HR) = 2.7, 95%CI: 1.9-6.3], patients aged 70 years and above (HR = 2.1, 95%CI: 1.2-6.1) and significant findings in CE (HR = 2.4, 95%CI: 1.1-5.8) were independent predictors of rebleeding. One third of the patients presented with rebleeding after CE; risk factors were hemoglobin levels < 8 g/dL, age ≥ 70 years or the presence of significant lesions.

Alcohol: A Simple Nutrient with Complex Actions on Bone in the Adult Skeleton

PubMed Central

Gaddini, Gino W.; Turner, Russell T.; Grant, Kathleen A.; Iwaniec, Urszula T.

2016-01-01

Background Alcohol is an important nonessential component of diet, but the overall impact of drinking on bone health, especially at moderate levels, is not well understood. Bone health is important because fractures greatly reduce quality of life and are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. Regular alcohol consumption is most common following skeletal maturity, emphasizing the importance of understanding the skeletal consequences of drinking in adults. Method This review focuses on describing the complex effects of alcohol on the adult skeleton. Studies assessing the effects of alcohol on bone in adult humans as well as skeletally-mature animal models published since the year 2000 are emphasized. Results Light to moderate alcohol consumption is generally reported to be beneficial, resulting in higher bone mineral density (BMD) and reduced age-related bone loss, whereas heavy alcohol consumption is generally associated with decreased BMD, impaired bone quality and increased fracture risk. Bone remodeling is the principle mechanism for maintaining a healthy skeleton in adults and dysfunction in bone remodeling can lead to bone loss and/or decreased bone quality. Light to moderate alcohol may exert beneficial effects in older individuals by slowing the rate of bone remodeling but the impact of light to moderate alcohol on bone remodeling in younger individuals is less certain. The specific effects of alcohol on bone remodeling in heavy drinkers is even less certain because the effects are often obscured by unhealthy lifestyle choices, alcohol-associated disease, and altered endocrine signaling. Conclusions Although there have been advances in understanding the complex actions of alcohol on bone, much remains to be determined. Limited evidence implicates age, skeletal site evaluated, duration and pattern of drinking as important variables. Few studies systematically evaluating the impact of these factors have been conducted and should be made a

[Alcohol and work: remaining sober and return to work].

PubMed

Vittadini, G; Bandirali, M

2007-01-01

One of the most complex alcohol-driven problems is the job loss and the subsequent attempts to return to a professional activity. In order to better understand the issue, an epidemiologic investigation was carried out on a group of 162 alcoholics whilst hospitalised in a specialised clinic. The outcome shows the importance of remaining sober to keep or to be returned to one's own job. Unfortunately, local resources at hand, first of all joining an auto-mutual-help group, re still too little known and thus clearly underemployed. Therefore, an informative action within companies is highly desirable. Those alcoholics suffering from serious illnesses, especially mental ones represent a different issue. For these people a higher involvement of public authorities is desirable in creating protected job openings.

Concepts Within Reach: Action Performance Predicts Action Language Processing in Stroke

PubMed Central

Desai, Rutvik H.; Herter, Troy; Riccardi, Nicholas; Rorden, Chris; Fridriksson, Julius

2015-01-01

The relationship between the brain’s conceptual or semantic and sensory-motor systems remains controversial. Here, we tested manual and conceptual abilities of 41 chronic stroke patients in order to examine their relationship. Manual abilities were assed through a reaching task using an exoskeleton robot. Semantic abilities were assessed with implicit as well as explicit semantic tasks, for both verbs and nouns. The results show that that the degree of selective impairment for action word processing was predicted by the degree of impairment in reaching performance. Moreover, the implicit semantic measures showed a correlation with a global reaching parameter, while the explicit semantic similarity judgment task predicted performance in action initiation. These results indicate that action concepts are dynamically grounded through motoric simulations, and that more details are simulated for more explicit semantic tasks. This is evidence for a close and causal relationship between sensory-motor and conceptual systems of the brain. PMID:25858602

A code of ethics for evidence-based research with ancient human remains.

PubMed

Kreissl Lonfat, Bettina M; Kaufmann, Ina Maria; Rühli, Frank

2015-06-01

As clinical research constantly advances and the concept of evolution becomes a strong and influential part of basic medical research, the absence of a discourse that deals with the use of ancient human remains in evidence-based research is becoming unbearable. While topics such as exhibition and excavation of human remains are established ethical fields of discourse, when faced with instrumentalization of ancient human remains for research (i.e., ancient DNA extractions for disease marker analyses) the answers from traditional ethics or even more practical fields of bio-ethics or more specific biomedical ethics are rare to non-existent. The Centre for Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zurich solved their needs for discursive action through the writing of a self-given code of ethics which was written in dialogue with the researchers at the Institute and was published online in Sept. 2011: http://evolutionäremedizin.ch/coe/. The philosophico-ethical basis for this a code of conduct and ethics and the methods are published in this article. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dynamic nigrostriatal dopamine biases action selection

PubMed Central

Howard, Christopher D.; Li, Hao; Geddes, Claire E.; Jin, Xin

2017-01-01

Summary Dopamine is thought to play a critical role in reinforcement learning and goal-directed behavior, but its function in action selection remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that nigrostriatal dopamine biases ongoing action selection. When mice were trained to dynamically switch the action selected at different time points, changes in firing rate of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons, as well as dopamine signaling in the dorsal striatum, were found to be associated with action selection. This dopamine profile is specific to behavioral choice, scalable with interval duration, and doesn’t reflect reward prediction error, timing, or value as single factors alone. Genetic deletion of NMDA receptors on dopamine or striatal neurons, or optogenetic manipulation of dopamine concentration, alters dopamine signaling and biases action selection. These results unveil a crucial role of nigrostriatal dopamine in integrating diverse information for regulating upcoming actions and have important implications for neurological disorders including Parkinson’s disease and substance dependence. PMID:28285820

Dynamic Nigrostriatal Dopamine Biases Action Selection.

PubMed

Howard, Christopher D; Li, Hao; Geddes, Claire E; Jin, Xin

2017-03-22

Dopamine is thought to play a critical role in reinforcement learning and goal-directed behavior, but its function in action selection remains largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that nigrostriatal dopamine biases ongoing action selection. When mice were trained to dynamically switch the action selected at different time points, changes in firing rate of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons, as well as dopamine signaling in the dorsal striatum, were found to be associated with action selection. This dopamine profile is specific to behavioral choice, scalable with interval duration, and doesn't reflect reward prediction error, timing, or value as single factors alone. Genetic deletion of NMDA receptors on dopamine or striatal neurons or optogenetic manipulation of dopamine concentration alters dopamine signaling and biases action selection. These results unveil a crucial role of nigrostriatal dopamine in integrating diverse information for regulating upcoming actions, and they have important implications for neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease and substance dependence. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"Lansania Journal of Arachnology and Zoology" - a rare and obscure Japanese natural history journal.

PubMed

Tennent, W John; Yasuda, Masatoshi; Morimoto, Katsura

2008-01-01

Publication data relating to a rare and obscure Japanese journal "Lansania Journal of Arachnology and Zoology" (1929-1941) are examined. Available facts, together with a substantial body of circumstantial and anecdotal evidence suggest that many planned issues, including several cited by independent sources as having been published, were not published. Some biographical data relating to the editor, Kyukichi Kishida (1888-1968), are provided. Titles of all papers known to have been published in "Lansania," with page numbers and claimed publication dates are presented, together with a list of 113 new zoological names proposed in the journal. Known library holdings of the journal worldwide are indicated. Details are provided of unpublished manuscripts in proof obtained from Kishida in the 1960s. The strong probability that some printed publication dates are inaccurate is discussed in detail.

Preoperative diagnosis of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding due to a GIST of the jejunum: a case report.

PubMed

Gourgiotis, Stavros; Kotoulas, Dimitrios; Aloizos, Stavros; Kolovou, Aikaterini; Salemis, Nikolaos S; Kantounakis, Ioannis

2009-09-10

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours are rare mesenchymal neoplasms affecting the digestive tract or nearby structures within the abdomen. We present a case of a 66-year-old female patient who presented with obscure anemia due to gastrointestinal bleeding and underwent exploratory laparotomy during which a large gastrointestinal stromal tumour of the small intestine was discovered. Examining the preoperative results of video capsule endoscopy, computed tomography, and angiography and comparing them with the operative findings we discuss which of these investigations plays the most important role in the detection and localization of gastrointestinal stromal tumours. A sort review of the literature is also conducted on these rare mesenchymal tumours.

Preoperative diagnosis of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding due to a GIST of the jejunum: a case report.

PubMed

Gourgiotis, Stavros; Kotoulas, Dimitrios; Aloizos, Stavros; Kolovou, Aikaterini; Salemis, Nikolaos S; Kantounakis, Ioannis

2009-11-25

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) are rare mesenchymal neoplasms affecting the digestive tract or nearby structures within the abdomen. We present a case of a 66-year-old female patient who presented with obscure anemia due to gastrointestinal bleeding and underwent exploratory laparotomy during which a large GIST of the small intestine was discovered. Examining the preoperative results of video capsule endoscopy, computed tomography, and angiography and comparing them with the operative findings we discuss which of these investigations plays the most important role in the detection and localization of GIST. A sort review of the literature is also conducted on these rare mesenchymal tumours.

Suzaku  Observations of Heavily Obscured (Compton-thick) Active Galactic Nuclei Selected by the Swift/BAT Hard X-Ray Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanimoto, Atsushi; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Kawamuro, Taiki; Ricci, Claudio; Awaki, Hisamitsu; Terashima, Yuichi

2018-02-01

We present a uniform broadband X-ray (0.5–100.0 keV) spectral analysis of 12 Swift/Burst Alert Telescope selected Compton-thick ({log}{N}{{H}}/{{cm}}-2≥slant 24) active galactic nuclei (CTAGNs) observed with Suzaku. The Suzaku data of three objects are published here for the first time. We fit the Suzaku and Swift spectra with models utilizing an analytic reflection code and those utilizing the Monte-Carlo-based model from an AGN torus by Ikeda et al. The main results are as follows: (1) The estimated intrinsic luminosity of a CTAGN strongly depends on the model; applying Compton scattering to the transmitted component in an analytic model may largely overestimate the intrinsic luminosity at large column densities. (2) Unabsorbed reflection components are commonly observed, suggesting that the tori are clumpy. (3) Most of CTAGNs show small scattering fractions (<0.5%), implying a buried AGN nature. (4) Comparison with the results obtained for Compton-thin AGNs suggests that the properties of these CTAGNs can be understood as a smooth extension from Compton-thin AGNs with heavier obscuration; we find no evidence that the bulk of the population of hard-X-ray-selected CTAGNs are different from less obscured objects.

Relational information processing of novel unrelated actions by infants.

PubMed

Knopf, Monika; Kraus, Uta; Kressley-Mba, Regina A

2006-01-01

Declarative memory in infants is often assessed via deferred imitation. Not much is known about the information processing basis of the memory effect found in these experiments. While in the typical deferred imitation study the order of actions remains the same during demonstration and retrieval, in two experiments with n=30 respective n=25, 10- and 11-month-old infants, the order of novel unrelated actions in demonstration and retrieval was varied (same, reversed, mixed). This allowed a separation of item-specific from item-relational information processing. In both experiments best memory performance was found when the order of target actions remained the same during encoding and recall, demonstrating that infants seem to rely on item-specific as well as item-relational information which has to be ad hoc constructed while encoding.

ALMA observations of the host galaxy of GRB 090423 at z = 8.23: deep limits on obscured star formation 630 million years after the big bang

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berger, E.; Zauderer, B. A.; Chary, R.-R.

2014-12-01

We present rest-frame far-infrared (FIR) and optical observations of the host galaxy of GRB 090423 at z = 8.23 from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) and the Spitzer Space Telescope, respectively. The host remains undetected to 3σ limits of F {sub ν}(222 GHz) ≲ 33 μJy and F {sub ν}(3.6 μm) ≲ 81 nJy. The FIR limit is about 20 times fainter than the luminosity of the local ULIRG Arp 220 and comparable to the local starburst M 82. Comparing this with model spectral energy distributions, we place a limit on the infrared (IR) luminosity of L {sub IR}(8-1000more » μm) ≲ 3 × 10{sup 10} L {sub ☉}, corresponding to a limit on the obscured star formation rate of SFR{sub IR}≲5 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1}. For comparison, the limit on the unobscured star formation rate from Hubble Space Telescope rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) observations is SFR{sub UV} ≲ 1 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1}. We also place a limit on the host galaxy stellar mass of M {sub *} ≲ 5 × 10{sup 7} M {sub ☉} (for a stellar population age of 100 Myr and constant star formation rate). Finally, we compare our millimeter observations to those of field galaxies at z ≳ 4 (Lyman break galaxies, Lyα emitters, and submillimeter galaxies) and find that our limit on the FIR luminosity is the most constraining to date, although the field galaxies have much larger rest-frame UV/optical luminosities than the host of GRB 090423 by virtue of their selection techniques. We conclude that GRB host galaxies at z ≳ 4, especially those with measured interstellar medium metallicities from afterglow spectroscopy, are an attractive sample for future ALMA studies of high redshift obscured star formation.« less

Elucidating Duramycin’s Bacterial Selectivity and Mode of Action on the Bacterial Cell Envelope

DOE PAGES

Hasim, Sahar; Allison, David P.; Mendez, Berlin; ...

2018-02-14

The use of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides provides a promising route to selectively target pathogenic agents and to shape microbiome structure. Lantibiotics, such as duramycin, are one class of bacterially produced peptidic natural products that can selectively inhibit the growth of other bacteria. However, despite longstanding characterization efforts, the microbial selectivity and mode of action of duramycin are still obscure. We describe here a suite of biological, chemical, and physical characterizations that shed new light on the selective and mechanistic aspects of duramycin activity. Bacterial screening assays have been performed using duramycin and Populus-derived bacterial isolates to determine species selectivity.more » Lipidomic profiles of selected resistant and sensitive strains show that the sensitivity of Gram-positive bacteria depends on the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in the cell membrane. Further the surface and interface morphology were studied by high resolution atomic force microscopy and showed a progression of cellular changes in the cell envelope after treatment with duramycin for the susceptible bacterial strains. Together, these molecular and cellular level analyses provide insight into duramycin’s mode of action and a better understanding of its selectivity.« less

Elucidating Duramycin’s Bacterial Selectivity and Mode of Action on the Bacterial Cell Envelope

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hasim, Sahar; Allison, David P.; Mendez, Berlin

The use of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides provides a promising route to selectively target pathogenic agents and to shape microbiome structure. Lantibiotics, such as duramycin, are one class of bacterially produced peptidic natural products that can selectively inhibit the growth of other bacteria. However, despite longstanding characterization efforts, the microbial selectivity and mode of action of duramycin are still obscure. We describe here a suite of biological, chemical, and physical characterizations that shed new light on the selective and mechanistic aspects of duramycin activity. Bacterial screening assays have been performed using duramycin and Populus-derived bacterial isolates to determine species selectivity.more » Lipidomic profiles of selected resistant and sensitive strains show that the sensitivity of Gram-positive bacteria depends on the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in the cell membrane. Further the surface and interface morphology were studied by high resolution atomic force microscopy and showed a progression of cellular changes in the cell envelope after treatment with duramycin for the susceptible bacterial strains. Together, these molecular and cellular level analyses provide insight into duramycin’s mode of action and a better understanding of its selectivity.« less

Update on the X-Ray Variability Plane for Active Galactic Nuclei: The Role of the Obscuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González-Martín, Omaira

2018-05-01

Scaling relations are the most powerful astrophysical tools to set constraints on the physical mechanisms of astronomical sources and to infer properties that cannot be accessed directly. We reinvestigate here one of these scaling relations in active galactic nuclei (AGNs); the so-called X-ray variability plane (or mass–luminosity timescale relation). This relation links the power-spectral density (PSD) break frequency with the super-massive black hole (SMBH) mass and the bolometric luminosity. We used the available XMM-Newton observations of a sample of 22 AGNs to study the PSD and spectra in short segments within each observation. This allows us to report for the first time that the PSD break frequency varies for each object, showing variations in 19 out of the 22 AGNs analyzed. Our analysis of the variability plane confirms the relation between the break frequency and the SMBH mass and finds that the obscuration along the line of sight N H (or the variations on the obscuration using its standard deviation, ΔN H) is also a required parameter, at least for the range of frequencies analyzed here (∼ 3 × {10}-5-5× {10}-2 {Hz}). We constrain a new variability plane of the following form: {log}({ν }Break})=(-0.589 +/- 0.005) {log}({{{M}}}BH})+(0.10+/- 0.01) {log}({{{N}}}{{H}})-(1.5+/- 0.3) (or {log}({ν }Break})=(-0.549+/- 0.009) {log}({{{M}}}BH}) +(0.56+/- 0.06) {{Δ }}{N}{{H}}+(0.19+/- 0.08)). The X-ray variability plane found by McHardy et al. is roughly recovered when we use unobscured segments. We speculate that this behavior is well explained if most of the reported frequencies are related to inner clouds (within 1 pc), following Kepler orbits under the gravitational field of the SMBH.

The Nature of the Torus in the Heavily Obscured AGN Markarian 3: an X-Ray Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guainazzi, M.; Risaliti, G.; Awaki, H.; Arevalo, P.; Bauer, F. E.; Bianchi, S.; Boggs, S.E; Brandt, W. N.; Brightman, M.; Christensen, F. E.;

An emerging action science of social settings.

PubMed

Seidman, Edward

2012-09-01

Seymour B. Sarason's innovative ideas have influenced much of my work. These same ideas-in particular, his concepts of social settings, behavioral and programmatic regularities, and the universe of alternatives-also serve as the foundation for an action science of social settings. Questions regarding theory, measurement, intervention, and research design and data analysis are central to the development of this action science, and there have been recent innovations in each of these areas. However, future challenges remain for the field. We must continue to move forward to advance an action science of social settings and make a real difference in people's lives.

Synthesis, Properties, and Mechanism of Action of New Generation of Polycyclic Glycopeptide Antibiotics.

PubMed

Olsufyeva, Eugenia N; Tevyashova, Anna N

2017-01-01

The increased resistance of glycopeptide based antibiotics has become a serious problem for the chemotherapy of infections triggered by resistant Gram-positive bacteria. This has motivated the urgent sincere efforts to develop potent glycopeptide-based antibiotics in both academy and industry research laboratories. Understanding of the mechanism of action of natural and modified glycopeptides is considered as the basis for the rational design of compounds with valuable properties to achieve the fundamental results. Several hydrophobic glycopeptide analogues active against resistant strains were developed during the last two decades. Three drugs, namely, oritavancin, telavancin and dalbavancin were approved by FDA in 2013-2014. It was found that hydrophobic derivatives act through different mechanisms without binding with the modified target of resistant bacteria. Types: Different types of chemical modifications led to several glycopeptide analogues active against Gram-negative bacteria as advocated by in vitro studies or demonstrating potent antiviral activity in the cell models. A new class of glycopeptide antibiotics with potent activity against sensitive and resistant bacterial strains has been recently reported with the aim to overcome the resistance, however, there are a lot of obscure problems in the complete understanding of their mechanisms of actions. In this review, we summarized the achievements of synthetic methods devoted to the construction of new polycyclic glycopeptide antibiotics and described the studies related to their mechanism of actions. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Population remains top priority for China.

PubMed

Li, H

1998-04-01

China, whose population was 430 million in 1840, is facing a population total of 1.3 billion in 2000. Population increased rapidly in the country during the 1950s, but early efforts at population control were abandoned from the start of the Cultural Revolution in 1966 until the 1970s. Today, the importance of family planning (FP) is recognized throughout Chinese society. With 20 million newborns adding 13 million people to the population each year, controlling the population increase will remain a top priority of China's population policy. Other priorities include 1) increasing the quality of life of the population by improving health, promoting literacy, and developing human resources; 2) facing the impact of population aging; 3) struggling to overcome the poverty experienced by 50 million people; and 4) dealing with the imbalanced sex ratio of newborns. China has been attempting to institute strategies to implement the Program of Action adopted by the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development and is attempting to adopt an integrated approach to population programs that combines FP with development measures and the delivery of multiple services to enhance reproductive health. Since 1984, China has worked with Japan's JOICFP on an Integrated Project that offers FP, maternal and child health services, and parasite control.

THE STAR FORMATION HISTORIES OF z {approx} 2 DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES AND SUBMILLIMETER-SELECTED GALAXIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bussmann, R. S.; Dey, Arjun; Jannuzi, B. T.

The Spitzer Space Telescope has identified a population of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) at z {approx} 2 that may play an important role in the evolution of massive galaxies. We measure the stellar masses (M{sub *}) of two populations of Spitzer-selected ULIRGs that have extremely red R - [24] colors (dust-obscured galaxies, or DOGs) and compare our results with submillimeter-selected galaxies (SMGs). One set of 39 DOGs has a local maximum in their mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral energy distribution (SED) at rest frame 1.6 {mu}m associated with stellar emission ({sup b}ump DOGs{sup )}, while the other set of 51 DOGs havemore » power-law mid-IR SEDs that are typical of obscured active galactic nuclei ({sup p}ower-law DOGs{sup )}. We measure M{sub *} by applying Charlot and Bruzual stellar population synthesis models to broadband photometry in the rest-frame ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared of each of these populations. Assuming a simple stellar population and a Chabrier initial mass function, we find that power-law DOGs and bump DOGs are on average a factor of 2 and 1.5 more massive than SMGs, respectively (median and inter-quartile M{sub *} values for SMGs, bump DOGs, and power-law DOGs are log(M{sub *}/M{sub Sun }) = 10.42{sup +0.42}{sub -0.36}, 10.62{sup +0.36}{sub -0.32}, and 10.71{sup +0.40}{sub -0.34}, respectively). More realistic star formation histories drawn from two competing theories for the nature of ULIRGs at z {approx} 2 (major merger versus smooth accretion) can increase these mass estimates by up to 0.5 dex. A comparison of our stellar masses with the instantaneous star formation rate (SFR) in these z {approx} 2 ULIRGs provides a preliminary indication supporting high SFRs for a given M{sub *}, a situation that arises more naturally in major mergers than in smooth accretion-powered systems.« less

MAMBO observations at 240GHz of optically obscured Spitzer sources: source clumps and radio activity at high redshift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreani, P.; Magliocchetti, M.; de Zotti, G.

2010-01-01

Optically very faint (R > 25.5) sources detected by the Spitzer Space Telescope at 24μm represent a very interesting population at redshift z ~ (1.5-3). They exhibit strong clustering properties, implying that they are hosted by very massive haloes, and their mid-infrared emission could be powered by either dust-enshrouded star formation and/or by an obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN). We report observations carried out with the Max Planck Millimetre Bolometer (MAMBO) array at the IRAM 30-m antenna on Pico Veleta of a candidate protocluster with five optically obscured sources selected from the 24-μm Spitzer sample of the First-Look Survey. Interestingly, these sources appear to lie on a high-density filament aligned with the two radio jets of an AGN. Four out of five of the observed sources were detected. We combine these measurements with optical, infrared and radio observations to probe the nature of the candidate protocluster members. Our preliminary conclusions can be summarized as follows: the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of all sources include both AGN and starburst contributions; the AGN contribution to the bolometric luminosities ranges between 14 and 26 per cent of the total. Such a contribution is enough for the AGN to dominate the emission at 5.8, 8 and 24μm, while the stellar component, inferred from SED fitting, prevails at 1.25mm and at λ < 4.5μm. The present analysis suggests a coherent interplay at high z between extended radio activity and the development of filamentary large-scale structures.

From Service to Action? Students, Volunteering and Community Action in Mid Twentieth-Century Britain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brewis, Georgina

2010-01-01

Volunteering by higher education students in the UK has a long history which remains largely unexplored despite recent research and policy attention. This article offers a brief overview of the development of student volunteering before the 1960s and then discusses a shift from student social service to Student Community Action in the late 1960s…

Efficient computation of optimal actions.

PubMed

Todorov, Emanuel

2009-07-14

Optimal choice of actions is a fundamental problem relevant to fields as diverse as neuroscience, psychology, economics, computer science, and control engineering. Despite this broad relevance the abstract setting is similar: we have an agent choosing actions over time, an uncertain dynamical system whose state is affected by those actions, and a performance criterion that the agent seeks to optimize. Solving problems of this kind remains hard, in part, because of overly generic formulations. Here, we propose a more structured formulation that greatly simplifies the construction of optimal control laws in both discrete and continuous domains. An exhaustive search over actions is avoided and the problem becomes linear. This yields algorithms that outperform Dynamic Programming and Reinforcement Learning, and thereby solve traditional problems more efficiently. Our framework also enables computations that were not possible before: composing optimal control laws by mixing primitives, applying deterministic methods to stochastic systems, quantifying the benefits of error tolerance, and inferring goals from behavioral data via convex optimization. Development of a general class of easily solvable problems tends to accelerate progress--as linear systems theory has done, for example. Our framework may have similar impact in fields where optimal choice of actions is relevant.

Affirmative action and the Black women in South Africa.

PubMed

Serote, P

1994-02-01

An overview was given of how affirmative action for Blacks and women in South Africa in fact marginalizes Black women. The definition of the problem influences the solution; affirmative action obscures the complex nature of discrimination experienced by Black women by class, role, and culture and focuses only on gender and race. Secondly, the power of White women and Black men supercede the power of Black women. Apartheid benefitted White women over Black men. Affirmative action, as shifting power between groups, would solidify White women's power. The debates have taken place within university and academic contexts, a place where Black women have been excluded and the dominant groups are White men, followed by White women, and then Black men. The debate in the private sector also is devoid of Black women's voices; multinationals began to hire and train Black male managers, and there was criticism that standards were falling. Recruitment of Black women is unknown, but only 1.1% of managers are Black. Visibility within the academic and private sector debates has excluded Black women. In the articulation of ideas, most literature has been written by White men. The intersection of power and privilege belongs to males and White women as part of the larger dominant ideology. Black women's marginalization means their issues will not be addressed. The people who stand to benefit the most from affirmative action are those who are in need of improved living conditions, literacy, and employment, or those excluded from jobs and position in spite of being qualified. Black women without a societal power base have no bargaining power. To insure that Black women benefit, there is need to treat Black women as a distinctive group with priority. There is also a need to examine the myths that have been spun around Black women, their needs, abilities, and controlling images. There is a need to integrate Black womens ideas into the mainstream and recognize that maybe Black women need

X-ray View of Four High-Luminosity Swift-BAT AGN: Unveiling Obscuration and Reflection with Suzaku

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fiorettil, V.; Angelini, L.; Mushotzky, R. F.; Koss, M.; Malaguti, G.

2013-01-01

Aims. A complete census of obscured Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) is necessary to reveal the history of the super massive black hole (SMBH) growth and galaxy evolution in the Universe given the complex feedback processes and the fact that much of this growth occurs in an obscured phase. In this context, hard X-ray surveys and dedicated follow-up observations represent a unique tool for selecting highly absorbed AGN and for characterizing the obscuring matter surrounding the SMBH. Here we focus on the absorption and reflection occurring in highly luminous, quasar-like AGN, to study the relation between the geometry of the absorbing matter and the AGN nature (e.g. X-ray, optical, and radio properties), and to help to determine the column density dependency on the AGN luminosity. Methods. The Swift/BAT nine-month survey observed 153 AGN, all with ultra-hard X-ray BAT fluxes in excess of 10(exp -11) erg per square centimeter and an average redshift of 0.03. Among them, four of the most luminous BAT AGN (44.73 less than LogLBAT less than 45.31) were selected as targets of Suzaku follow-up observations: J2246.0+3941 (3C 452), J0407.4+0339 (3C 105), J0318.7+6828, and J0918.5+0425. The column density, scattered/reflected emission, the properties of the Fe K line, and a possible variability are fully analyzed. For the latter, the spectral properties from Chandra, XMM-Newton and Swift/XRT public observations were compared with the present Suzaku analysis, adding an original spectral analysis when non was available from the literature. Results. Of our sample, 3C 452 is the only certain Compton-thick AGN candidate because of i) the high absorption (N(sub H) approximately 4 × 10(exp 23) per square centimeter) and strong Compton reflection; ii) the lack of variability; iii) the "buried" nature, i.e. the low scattering fraction (less than 0.5%) and the extremely low relative [OIII] luminosity. In contrast 3C 105 is not reflection-dominated, despite the comparable column density

Predictive Movements and Human Reinforcement Learning of Sequential Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Kleijn, Roy; Kachergis, George; Hommel, Bernhard

2018-01-01

Sequential action makes up the bulk of human daily activity, and yet much remains unknown about how people learn such actions. In one motor learning paradigm, the serial reaction time (SRT) task, people are taught a consistent sequence of button presses by cueing them with the next target response. However, the SRT task only records keypress…

End or Means--The "What" and "How" of Observed Intentional Actions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hesse, Maike D.; Sparing, Roland; Fink, Gereon R.

2009-01-01

Action understanding and learning are suggested to be mediated, at least in part, by the human mirror neuron system (hMNS). Static images as well as videos of actions with the outcome occluded have been shown to activate the hMNS. However, whether the hMNS preferentially responds to "end" or "means" of an action remains to be investigated. We,…

Action adaptation during natural unfolding social scenes influences action recognition and inferences made about actor beliefs.

PubMed

Keefe, Bruce D; Wincenciak, Joanna; Jellema, Tjeerd; Ward, James W; Barraclough, Nick E

2016-07-01

When observing another individual's actions, we can both recognize their actions and infer their beliefs concerning the physical and social environment. The extent to which visual adaptation influences action recognition and conceptually later stages of processing involved in deriving the belief state of the actor remains unknown. To explore this we used virtual reality (life-size photorealistic actors presented in stereoscopic three dimensions) to see how visual adaptation influences the perception of individuals in naturally unfolding social scenes at increasingly higher levels of action understanding. We presented scenes in which one actor picked up boxes (of varying number and weight), after which a second actor picked up a single box. Adaptation to the first actor's behavior systematically changed perception of the second actor. Aftereffects increased with the duration of the first actor's behavior, declined exponentially over time, and were independent of view direction. Inferences about the second actor's expectation of box weight were also distorted by adaptation to the first actor. Distortions in action recognition and actor expectations did not, however, extend across different actions, indicating that adaptation is not acting at an action-independent abstract level but rather at an action-dependent level. We conclude that although adaptation influences more complex inferences about belief states of individuals, this is likely to be a result of adaptation at an earlier action recognition stage rather than adaptation operating at a higher, more abstract level in mentalizing or simulation systems.

Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 560: Septic Systems, Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Revision 0

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grant Evenson

2010-04-01

of the leach pit chamber and leach rock. The contamination present at CAS 06-05-03 within the leach pit was not feasible to remove. •The surface and subsurface soils within and surrounding the septic system at CAS 06-05-04 contained PCB concentrations above the FAL of 0.74 mg/kg. The lateral and vertical extent of COCs was determined for this CAS. Contaminated soils were removed up to within 18 ft of the building. The remaining contamination is confined to subsurface soils adjacent to and beneath Building CP-162 and was not feasible to remove. •The solid materials within the septic tank and soils immediately surrounding the inlet end of the tank at CAS 06-59-03 contained benzo(a)pyrene above the FAL of 0.21 mg/kg. The soils, tank contents, and tank were removed. Materials remaining at this CAS do not contain contamination exceeding FALs. •The solids contained within the septic tank and inlet pipe at CAS 06-59-05 contained the following contaminants above their respective FALs: PCBs, arsenic, lead, benzo(a)pyrene, and pesticides. The tank and inlet pipe contents were removed. Materials remaining at this CAS do not contain contamination exceeding FALs. Therefore, the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) provides the following corrective action recommendations: •No further action for CASs 03-51-01, 06-04-02, and 06-59-04, as no contaminants of potential concern were present that exceed FALs. •Closure in place for CAS 06-05-03 under a corrective action with a use restriction (UR) for remaining PCB- and arsenic-impacted potential source material (PSM). The UR form and map have been filed in the NNSA/NSO Facility Information Management System, the FFACO database, and NNSA/NSO CAU/CAS files. •Closure in place for CAS 06-05-04 under a corrective action with a UR for remaining PCBs in soil adjacent to and beneath Building CP-162. The UR form and map have been filed in the NNSA/NSO Facility Information

Knowledge into action for child survival.

PubMed

Claeson, M; Gillespie, D; Mshinda, H; Troedsson, H; Victora, C G

2003-07-26

The child survival revolution of the 1980s contributed to steady decreases in child mortality in some populations, but much remains to be done. More than 10 million children will die this year, almost all of whom are poor. Two-thirds of these deaths could have been prevented if effective child survival interventions had reached all children and mothers who needed them. Translation of current knowledge into effective action for child survival will require leadership, strong health systems, targeted human and financial resources, and modified health system to ensure that poor children and mothers benefit. A group of concerned scientists and policy-makers issues a call to action to leaders, governments, and citizens to translate knowledge into action for child survival.

Mini Review: Mode of Action of Mosquito Repellents

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

Mini review: Mode of action of mosquito repellents Joseph C. Dickens ⇑, Jonathan D. Bohbot United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural...Modulation a b s t r a c t The mode of action of mosquito repellents remains a controversial topic. However, electrophysiological studies and molecular...annoyance that can disrupt outdoor activities. The use of repellents decreases contacts between mosquitoes and their hosts, and may even lower the rate of

Design of off-axis four-mirror optical system without obscuration based on free-form surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Chenxu; Liu, Xin

2015-11-01

With the development of modern military technology, the requirements of airborne electro-optical search and tracking system are increasing on target detection and recognition. However, traditional off-axis three-mirror system couldn't meet the requirements for reducing weight and compacting size in some circumstances. Based on Seidel aberration theory, by restricting the aberration functions, the optical system could achieve initial construction parameters. During the designing process, decenters and tilts of mirrors were adjusted continuously to eliminate the obscurations. To balance off-axis aberration and increase angle of view, the free-form mirror was introduced into the optical system. Then an unobstructed optical system with effective focal length of 100 mm, FOV of 16°×16°, and relative aperture as F/7 is designed. The results show that the system structure is compact, with imaging qualities approaching diffraction limit.

Shared Mechanisms in the Estimation of Self-Generated Actions and the Prediction of Other's Actions by Humans.

PubMed

Ikegami, Tsuyoshi; Ganesh, Gowrishankar

2017-01-01

The question of how humans predict outcomes of observed motor actions by others is a fundamental problem in cognitive and social neuroscience. Previous theoretical studies have suggested that the brain uses parts of the forward model (used to estimate sensory outcomes of self-generated actions) to predict outcomes of observed actions. However, this hypothesis has remained controversial due to the lack of direct experimental evidence. To address this issue, we analyzed the behavior of darts experts in an understanding learning paradigm and utilized computational modeling to examine how outcome prediction of observed actions affected the participants' ability to estimate their own actions. We recruited darts experts because sports experts are known to have an accurate outcome estimation of their own actions as well as prediction of actions observed in others. We first show that learning to predict the outcomes of observed dart throws deteriorates an expert's abilities to both produce his own darts actions and estimate the outcome of his own throws (or self-estimation). Next, we introduce a state-space model to explain the trial-by-trial changes in the darts performance and self-estimation through our experiment. The model-based analysis reveals that the change in an expert's self-estimation is explained only by considering a change in the individual's forward model, showing that an improvement in an expert's ability to predict outcomes of observed actions affects the individual's forward model. These results suggest that parts of the same forward model are utilized in humans to both estimate outcomes of self-generated actions and predict outcomes of observed actions.

Prairie Conservation in Canada: The Prairie Conservation Action Plan Experience

Treesearch

Dean Nernberg; David Ingstrup

2005-01-01

In Canada, grassland conservation has been mobilized and directed through the development of Prairie Conservation Action Plans and Action Plan Committees in the three prairie provinces of Alberta (45 partner agencies and organizations), Saskatchewan (26 partners), and Manitoba (26 partners). In Alberta, 43 percent of the native prairie remains; in Saskatchewan and...

The institutional workers of biomedical science: Legitimizing academic entrepreneurship and obscuring conflicts of interest.

PubMed

Axler, Renata E; Miller, Fiona A; Lehoux, Pascale; Lemmens, Trudo

2018-06-01

Given growing initiatives incentivizing academic researchers to engage in 'entrepreneurial' activities, this article examines how these academic entrepreneurs claim value in their entrepreneurial engagements, and navigate concerns related to conflicts of interest. Using data from qualitative interviews with twenty-four academic entrepreneurs in Canada, we show how these scientists value entrepreneurial activities for providing financial and intellectual resources to academic science, as well as for their potential to create impact through translation. Simultaneously, these scientists claimed to maintain academic norms of disinterested science and avoid conflicts of interest. Using theories of institutional work, we demonstrate how entrepreneurial scientists engage in processes of institutional change-through-maintenance, drawing on the maintenance of academic norms as institutional resources to legitimize entrepreneurial activities. As entrepreneurial scientists work to legitimize new zones of academic scientific practice, there is a need to carefully regulate and scrutinize these activities so that their potential harms do not become obscured.

Woodworking & housing: Positive trends and actions

Treesearch

Urs Buehlmann; Matt Bumgardner; Karen Koenig

2016-01-01

This exclusive study looks at the housing market's impact on woodworking businesses and the actions taken to increase wood product sales. A majority of the woodworking industry remains intrinsically tied to the housing industry, particularly businesses involved in producing cabinetry, furniture, millwork and components. For that reason, construction market...

Neural basis of understanding communicative actions: Changes associated with knowing the actor's intention and the meanings of the actions.

PubMed

Möttönen, Riikka; Farmer, Harry; Watkins, Kate E

2016-01-29

People can communicate by using hand actions, e.g., signs. Understanding communicative actions requires that the observer knows that the actor has an intention to communicate and the meanings of the actions. Here, we investigated how this prior knowledge affects processing of observed actions. We used functional MRI to determine changes in action processing when non-signers were told that the observed actions are communicative (i.e., signs) and learned the meanings of half of the actions. Processing of hand actions activated the left and right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG, BA 44 and 45) when the communicative intention of the actor was known, even when the meanings of the actions remained unknown. These regions were not active when the observers did not know about the communicative nature of the hand actions. These findings suggest that the left and right IFG play a role in understanding the intention of the actor, but do not process visuospatial features of the communicative actions. Knowing the meanings of the hand actions further enhanced activity in the anterior part of the IFG (BA 45), the inferior parietal lobule and posterior inferior and middle temporal gyri in the left hemisphere. These left-hemisphere language regions could provide a link between meanings and observed actions. In sum, the findings provide evidence for the segregation of the networks involved in the neural processing of visuospatial features of communicative hand actions and those involved in understanding the actor's intention and the meanings of the actions. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The shape of the cosmic X-ray background: nuclear starburst discs and the redshift evolution of AGN obscuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gohil, R.; Ballantyne, D. R.

2018-04-01

A significant number of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are observed to be hidden behind dust and gas. The distribution of material around AGNs plays an important role in modelling the cosmic X-ray background (CXB), especially the fraction of type 2 AGNs (f2). One of the possible explanations for obscuration in Seyfert galaxies at intermediate redshifts is dusty starburst discs. We compute the two-dimensional (2D) hydrostatic structure of 768 nuclear starburst discs (NSDs) under various physical conditions and also the distribution of column density along the line of sight (NH) associated with these discs. Then the NH distribution is evolved with redshift by using the redshift-dependent distribution function of input parameters. Parameter f2 shows a strong positive evolution up to z = 2, but only a weak level of enhancement at higher z. The Compton-thin and Compton-thick AGN fractions associated with these starburst regions increase ∝ (1 + z)δ, where δ is estimated to be 1.12 and 1.45, respectively. The reflection parameter Rf associated with column density NH ≥ 1023.5 cm-2 extends from 0.13 at z = 0 to 0.58 at z = 4. A CXB model employing this evolving NH distribution indicates that more compact (Rout < 120 pc) NSDs provide a better fit to the CXB. In addition to `Seyfert-like' AGNs obscured by nuclear starbursts, we predict that 40-60 per cent of quasars must be Compton-thick to produce a peak of the CXB spectrum within the observational uncertainty. The predicted total number counts of AGNs in 8-24 keV bands are in fair agreement with observations from the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR).

Stage II Remedial Action Plan Deer Lake AOC

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality reports on actions taken that have resulted in the removal of two beneficial use impairments. Outlines plans to remove remaining BUI and to delist the Area Of Concern.

Variability in size-selective mortality obscures the importance of larval traits to recruitment success in a temperate marine fish.

PubMed

Murphy, Hannah M; Warren-Myers, Fletcher W; Jenkins, Gregory P; Hamer, Paul A; Swearer, Stephen E

2014-08-01

In fishes, the growth-mortality hypothesis has received broad acceptance as a driver of recruitment variability. Recruitment is likely to be lower in years when the risk of starvation and predation in the larval stage is greater, leading to higher mortality. Juvenile snapper, Pagrus auratus (Sparidae), experience high recruitment variation in Port Phillip Bay, Australia. Using a 5-year (2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011) data set of larval and juvenile snapper abundances and their daily growth histories, based on otolith microstructure, we found selective mortality acted on larval size at 5 days post-hatch in 4 low and average recruitment years. The highest recruitment year (2005) was characterised by no size-selective mortality. Larval growth of the initial larval population was related to recruitment, but larval growth of the juveniles was not. Selective mortality may have obscured the relationship between larval traits of the juveniles and recruitment as fast-growing and large larvae preferentially survived in lower recruitment years and fast growth was ubiquitous in high recruitment years. An index of daily mortality within and among 3 years (2007, 2008, 2010), where zooplankton were concurrently sampled with ichthyoplankton, was related to per capita availability of preferred larval prey, providing support for the match-mismatch hypothesis. In 2010, periods of low daily mortality resulted in no selective mortality. Thus both intra- and inter-annual variability in the magnitude and occurrence of selective mortality in species with complex life cycles can obscure relationships between larval traits and population replenishment, leading to underestimation of their importance in recruitment studies.

The quantitation of buffering action I. A formal & general approach.

PubMed

Schmitt, Bernhard M

2005-03-15

Although "buffering" as a homeostatic mechanism is a universal phenomenon, the quantitation of buffering action remains controversial and problematic. Major shortcomings are: lack of a buffering strength unit for some buffering phenomena, multiple and mutually incommensurable units for others, and lack of a genuine ratio scale for buffering strength. Here, I present a concept of buffering that overcomes these shortcomings. Briefly, when, for instance, some "free" H+ ions are added to a solution (e.g. in the form of strong acid), buffering is said to be present when not all H+ ions remain "free" (i.e., bound to H2O), but some become "bound" (i.e., bound to molecules other than H2O). The greater the number of H+ ions that become "bound" in this process, the greater the buffering action. This number can be expressed in two ways: 1) With respect to the number of total free ions added as "buffering coefficient b", defined in differential form as b = d(bound)/d(total). This measure expresses buffering action from nil to complete by a dimensionless number between 0 and 1, analogous to probabilites. 2) With respect to the complementary number of added ions that remain free as "buffering ratio B", defined as the differential B = d(bound)/d(free). The buffering ratio B provides an absolute ratio scale, where buffering action from nil to perfect corresponds to dimensionless numbers between 0 and infinity, and where equal differences of buffering action result in equal intervals on the scale. Formulated in purely mathematical, axiomatic form, the concept reveals striking overlap with the mathematical concept of probability. However, the concept also allows one to devise simple physical models capable of visualizing buffered systems and their behavior in an exact yet intuitive way. These two measures of buffering action can be generalized easily to any arbitrary quantity that partitions into two compartments or states, and are thus suited to serve as standard units for

Remaining Sites Verification Package for the 100-F-54 Animal Farm Pastures, Waste Site Reclassification Form 2008-015

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

J. M. Capron

2008-04-17

The 100-F-54 waste site, part of the 100-FR-2 Operable Unit, is the soil associated with the former pastures for holding domestic farm animals used in experimental toxicology studies. Evaluation of historical information resulted in identification of the experimental animal farm pastures as having potential residual soil contamination due to excrement from experimental animals. The 100-F-54 animal farm pastures confirmatory sampling results support a reclassification of this site to No Action. The current site conditions achieve the remedial action objectives and the corresponding remedial action goals established in the Remaining Sites ROD. The results of confirmatory sampling show that residual contaminantmore » concentrations do not preclude any future uses and allow for unrestricted use of shallow zone soils. The results also demonstrate that residual contaminant concentrations are protective of groundwater and the Columbia River.« less

[Mechanism of action and effects of corticoids in asthma].

PubMed

Lacronique, J; Russo-Marie, F; Marsac, J

1989-01-01

The value of oral or inhaled glucocorticoids (GCS) in asthma is well recognized. Their use has remained empirical for a long time. However, some progress has been achieved recently in the understanding of their general mode of action and of their bronchial effects suggesting that in the near future ther may be some new therapeutic perspectives. The fundamental action of GCS involves a close intracellular interaction between the specific glucocorticoid hormone receptor and the cellular genome which results in the activation of the genes coding the proteins responsible for the phenotypic response of the cell and thus for their biological action. The place of the extra-genomic mechanisms remains ill understood. The immunomodulating action of GCS is difficult to dissociate from their anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects which seem to predominate in asthma. They inhibit all stages of the inflammatory reaction in acting on the key mediators of the inflammatory response, the pharmacologically active lipids (LPA: prostaglandins, leukotrienes, PAF-acether) which are a result of the catabolism of arachidonic acid which occurs during the course of membrane activation. The phospholipid A2 (PLA2), a membrane enzyme responsible for the splitting of the phospholipids in the presence of calcium and leading to the liberation of LPA is the driving force of the reaction in such a way that the products of the nuclear activation subsequently reactivated. GCS is considered as a natural modulator of inflammation, inducing the synthesis of lipocortin, an inhibitory protein of PLA2, which explains the blockage in the generation of LPA and thus the inflammatory reaction. The regulation of the activity of these or of the lipocortin seems to lead to the intervention of the phosphorylation. But numerous questions remain concerning the precise action of PLO2, the existence of endogenous lipocortin, their secretion and their extra-cellular action. In spite of these unknown facts it is not

Are Ca2+ channels targets of praziquantel action?

PubMed

Greenberg, Robert M

2005-01-01

Praziquantel is the current drug of choice for the control of schistosomiasis. It is highly effective against all species of schistosomes and shows minimal adverse effects. Though introduced for the treatment of schistosomiasis more than 20 years ago, the mode of action of praziquantel remains to be elucidated. This review will focus on advances in defining the molecular target of praziquantel action, with particular emphasis on recent work indicating an important role for voltage-gated calcium channels.

Cranial Remain from Tunisia Provides New Clues for the Origin and Evolution of Sirenia (Mammalia, Afrotheria) in Africa

PubMed Central

Benoit, Julien; Adnet, Sylvain; El Mabrouk, Essid; Khayati, Hayet; Ben Haj Ali, Mustapha; Marivaux, Laurent; Merzeraud, Gilles; Merigeaud, Samuel; Vianey-Liaud, Monique; Tabuce, Rodolphe

2013-01-01

Sea cows (manatees, dugongs) are the only living marine mammals to feed solely on aquatic plants. Unlike whales or dolphins (Cetacea), the earliest evolutionary history of sirenians is poorly documented, and limited to a few fossils including skulls and skeletons of two genera composing the stem family of Prorastomidae (Prorastomus and Pezosiren). Surprisingly, these fossils come from the Eocene of Jamaica, while stem Hyracoidea and Proboscidea - the putative sister-groups to Sirenia - are recorded in Africa as early as the Late Paleocene. So far, the historical biogeography of early Sirenia has remained obscure given this paradox between phylogeny and fossil record. Here we use X-ray microtomography to investigate a newly discovered sirenian petrosal from the Eocene of Tunisia. This fossil represents the oldest occurrence of sirenians in Africa. The morphology of this petrosal is more primitive than the Jamaican prorastomids’ one, which emphasizes the basal position of this new African taxon within the Sirenia clade. This discovery testifies to the great antiquity of Sirenia in Africa, and therefore supports their African origin. While isotopic analyses previously suggested sirenians had adapted directly to the marine environment, new paleoenvironmental evidence suggests that basal-most sea cows were likely restricted to fresh waters. PMID:23342128

Affirmative action and the allocation of health care.

PubMed

Francis, L P

1999-09-01

The justifications of affirmative action, the compensatory, corrective and redistributive, have been widely recognized in legal thinking. They have been applied, principally, to employment practices. They can also be applied to health care. Arguments for affirmative action in health care allocation shift the burden of proof to those who deny that racism is the root cause of differential morbidity and mortality experienced by, for example, African Americans. At the very least, these arguments mandate much needed research into the causes of minorities' poor health. Without such research, racism remains the presumptive cause of, and affirmative action the appropriate remedy for, the health care problems minorities face.

Compensating Losses in Bridge Employment? Examining Relations between Compensation Strategies, Health Problems, and Intention to Remain at Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muller, Andreas; De Lange, Annet; Weigl, Matthias; Oxfart, Caroline; Van der Heijden, Beatrice

2013-01-01

In order to better understand the precursors of bridge employment, this study aimed to investigate whether individual action strategies in terms of selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC; Baltes & Baltes, 1990) are able to buffer the well-known negative impact of poor health on the intention to remain in the workforce. 784 employees (60-85…

Obscured Activity and Stellar Mass in z~0.7 Post-starburst Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rieke, George; Diamond-Stanic, Aleks; Moustakas, John; Tremonti, Christy

2008-03-01

We are proposing 3.6-24 micron imaging of a sample of z~0.7 post-starburst galaxies. These galaxies are presumed to be late-stage mergers that have evolved past their ULIRG/quasar phase and are in transition to becoming early-type galaxies. We have detected outflowing winds with velocities ranging from 500-2200 km/s for 2/3 of the sample, so it is tempting to conclude that these spectacular outflows are the result of feedback from an AGN that has expelled cold gas quenched star formation. However, it is not clear that the existing near-UV and optical data are telling the full story. With Spitzer, we can verify whether or not these 'post-starburst' galaxies are truly quiescent by measuring the amount obscured star formation and black hole activity. We will also be able to determine how significant the recent starburst event was by accurately measuring stellar mass using the red end of the stellar SED. If these galaxies do have non-negligible dust emission, we will be able to use broad-band colors as blunt tools to measure spectral features and compare to known star-forming galaxies, AGNs, and LIRGs. If not, we will have strong evidence that the feedback event has been able to halt galaxy-wide star formation.

Object words modulate the activity of the mirror neuron system during action imitation.

PubMed

Wu, Haiyan; Tang, Honghong; Ge, Yue; Yang, Suyong; Mai, Xiaoqin; Luo, Yue-Jia; Liu, Chao

2017-11-01

Although research has demonstrated that the mirror neuron system (MNS) plays a crucial role in both action imitation and action-related semantic processing, whether action-related words can inversely modulate the MNS activity remains unclear. Here, three types of task-irrelevant words (body parts, verbs, and manufactured objects) were presented to examine the modulation effect of these words on the MNS activity during action observation and imitation. Twenty-two participants were recruited for the fMRI scanning and remaining data from 19 subjects were reported here. Brain activity results showed that word types elicited different modulation effects over nodes of the MNS (i.e., the right inferior frontal gyrus, premotor cortex, inferior parietal lobule, and STS), especially during the imitation stage. Compared with other word conditions, action imitation following manufactured objects words induced stronger activation in these brain regions during the imitation stage. These results were consistent in both task-dependent and -independent ROI analysis. Our findings thus provide evidence for the unique effect of object words on the MNS during imitation of action, which may also confirm the key role of goal inference in action imitation.

Remaining Sites Verification Package for the 1607-B1 Septic System, Waste Site Reclassification Form 2007-015

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

L. M. Dittmer

2007-08-30

The 1607-B1 Septic System includes a septic tank, drain field, and associated connecting pipelines and influent sanitary sewer lines. This septic system serviced the former 1701-B Badgehouse, 1720-B Patrol Building/Change Room, and the 1709-B Fire Headquarters. The 1607-B1 waste site received unknown amounts of nonhazardous, nonradioactive sanitary sewage from these facilities during its operational history from 1944 to approximately 1970. In accordance with this evaluation, the confirmatory sampling results support a reclassification of this site to No Action. The current site conditions achieve the remedial action objectives and the corresponding remedial action goals established in the Remaining Sites ROD. Themore » results of confirmatory sampling show that residual contaminant concentrations do not preclude any future uses and allow for unrestricted use of shallow zone soils. The results also demonstrate that residual contaminant concentrations are protective of groundwater and the Columbia River.« less

Why the Affirmative Action Debate Persists: The Role of Moral Disagreement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moses, Michele S.

2006-01-01

This article concerns an issue that often remains implicit within the public debate about affirmative action and related race-conscious education policies: What role do contested moral ideals play in the disagreement about affirmative action? As background, the article first outlines what a moral disagreement is and then goes on to examine the…

Adipokines and insulin action

PubMed Central

Knights, Alexander J; Funnell, Alister PW; Pearson, Richard CM; Crossley, Merlin; Bell-Anderson, Kim S

2014-01-01

Obesity is a major public health concern and a strong risk factor for insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and cardiovascular disease. The last two decades have seen a reconsideration of the role of white adipose tissue (WAT) in whole body metabolism and insulin action. Adipose tissue-derived cytokines and hormones, or adipokines, are likely mediators of metabolic function and dysfunction. While several adipokines have been associated with obese and insulin-resistant phenotypes, a select group has been linked with insulin sensitivity, namely leptin, adiponectin, and more recently, adipolin. What is known about these insulin-sensitizing molecules and their effects in healthy and insulin resistant states is the subject of this review. There remains a significant amount of research to do to fully elucidate the mechanisms of action of these adipokines for development of therapeutics in metabolic disease. PMID:24719781

A family history of substance dependence obscures the group differences in brain function associated with HIV-1 and ART.

PubMed

Bauer, L O

2013-01-01

Recently, the NIH called for additional research on the topic of viral and host factors contributing to impaired cognitive and neural function in HIV/AIDS patients and their response to antiretroviral treatment. This investigation responds to that call by examining a host factor, a family history of substance dependence, often overlooked in cognitive and neuroimaging studies of HIV/AIDS. We categorized 146 HIV-1 seropositive patients receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) and 92 seronegative volunteers by the presence or absence of alcohol, cocaine, or heroin dependence affecting a biological parent. Seropositive patients were further categorized by the estimated ability of their individual ART regimens to penetrate the CNS. The indicator of brain function was a 3-7Hz oscillatory electroencephalographic response (theta ERO) evoked by target stimuli presented during a simple selective attention task. The analysis revealed that the presence of a family history of substance dependence obscured the reduction in frontal theta ERO power accompanying the presence of HIV-1 as well as the improvement in frontal theta ERO power accompanying treatment with ART agents estimated to have greater (n=41) versus lesser (n=105) CNS penetrance. Secondary analyses employing sLORETA source localization techniques revealed that the source of the theta ERO response was similarly reduced by the presence of either HIV-1 or a family history of substance dependence. We conclude that a family history of substance dependence complicates and obscures the subtle neurophysiological changes which typically accompany HIV/AIDS and ART. Studies of new therapeutic agents for HIV-1-associated cognitive and neurophysiological impairments must consider this complication and exclude or control it. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Shared Mechanisms in the Estimation of Self-Generated Actions and the Prediction of Other’s Actions by Humans

PubMed Central

Ganesh, Gowrishankar

2017-01-01

Abstract The question of how humans predict outcomes of observed motor actions by others is a fundamental problem in cognitive and social neuroscience. Previous theoretical studies have suggested that the brain uses parts of the forward model (used to estimate sensory outcomes of self-generated actions) to predict outcomes of observed actions. However, this hypothesis has remained controversial due to the lack of direct experimental evidence. To address this issue, we analyzed the behavior of darts experts in an understanding learning paradigm and utilized computational modeling to examine how outcome prediction of observed actions affected the participants’ ability to estimate their own actions. We recruited darts experts because sports experts are known to have an accurate outcome estimation of their own actions as well as prediction of actions observed in others. We first show that learning to predict the outcomes of observed dart throws deteriorates an expert’s abilities to both produce his own darts actions and estimate the outcome of his own throws (or self-estimation). Next, we introduce a state-space model to explain the trial-by-trial changes in the darts performance and self-estimation through our experiment. The model-based analysis reveals that the change in an expert’s self-estimation is explained only by considering a change in the individual’s forward model, showing that an improvement in an expert’s ability to predict outcomes of observed actions affects the individual’s forward model. These results suggest that parts of the same forward model are utilized in humans to both estimate outcomes of self-generated actions and predict outcomes of observed actions. PMID:29340300

The consequence of "doing nothing": Family caregiving for Alzheimer's disease as non-action in the US.

PubMed

Seaman, Aaron T

2018-01-01

This article adopts a discursive approach in order to examine how dominant US discourses shape both public and personal understandings of the caregiving work that families do, specifically in the context of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Family caregivers are an essential, increasingly recognized piece of the US health care system. Dominant discourses of AD and caregiving articulate family caregiving in contrast to biomedical intervention. The dichotomy privileges the ability to affect a biomedical outcome and, using that metric, minimizes caregiving's potential value as meaningful action. Family caregiving comes to be seen as what I term non-action, action that, while voluminous, is not perceived as meaningful in terms of its outcome. Drawing on over 26 months of ethnographic fieldwork in the Midwestern US with families living with early-onset AD (2011-2013), I focus on spousal caregivers to trace how these discourses shape the possibilities for family caregiving. I show how advocacy rhetoric is taken up and reproduced by family members, who learn to see their own caregiving labor through a biomedical lens. However, I also demonstrate that, obscured by dominant discourses, caregivers engage in relational labor, the continual work of making and unmaking social relations. Recognition of caregiving as part of longer-term relational endeavors, I argue, offers the potential to reframe caregiving discourses and reimagine the value the labor of caregiving as meaningful in its own right. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Where do those remains come from?

PubMed

Nociarová, Dominika; Adserias, M Jose; Malgosa, Assumpció; Galtés, Ignasi

2014-12-01

Part of the study of skeletal remains or corpses in advance decay located in the field involves determining their origin. They may be the result of criminal activity, accident, unearthed because of erosion, or they may also have originated from a cemetery. The discovery site, condition of the remains, and the associated artifacts, are factors that could be helpful for the forensic anthropologist to identify the origin of the remains. In order to contribute to this recognition, an analysis was made of the exhumations of 168 unclaimed human remains from the cemetery of Terrassa (Catalonia, Spain). This investigation presents a description of artifacts and conditions of remains that could indicate that the human remains may have originated from a cemetery. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vascular Function, Insulin Action and Exercise: An Intricate Interplay

PubMed Central

Zheng, Chao; Liu, Zhenqi

2015-01-01

Insulin enhances the compliance of conduit arteries, relaxes resistance arterioles to increase tissue blood flow and dilates precapillary arterioles to expand muscle microvascular blood volume. These actions are impaired in the insulin resistant states. Exercise ameliorates endothelial dysfunction and improves insulin responses in insulin resistant patients, but the precise underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The microvasculature critically regulates insulin action in muscle by modulating insulin delivery to the capillaries nurturing the myocytes and trans-endothelial insulin transport. Recent data suggest that exercise may exert its insulin-sensitizing effect via recruiting muscle microvasculature to increase insulin delivery to and action in muscle. The current review focuses on how the interplay among exercise, insulin action and the vasculature contributes to exercise-mediated insulin sensitization in muscle. PMID:25735473

Antidromic propagation of action potentials in branched axons: implications for the mechanisms of action of deep brain stimulation.

PubMed

Grill, Warren M; Cantrell, Meredith B; Robertson, Matthew S

2008-02-01

Electrical stimulation of the central nervous system creates both orthodromically propagating action potentials, by stimulation of local cells and passing axons, and antidromically propagating action potentials, by stimulation of presynaptic axons and terminals. Our aim was to understand how antidromic action potentials navigate through complex arborizations, such as those of thalamic and basal ganglia afferents-sites of electrical activation during deep brain stimulation. We developed computational models to study the propagation of antidromic action potentials past the bifurcation in branched axons. In both unmyelinated and myelinated branched axons, when the diameters of each axon branch remained under a specific threshold (set by the antidromic geometric ratio), antidromic propagation occurred robustly; action potentials traveled both antidromically into the primary segment as well as "re-orthodromically" into the terminal secondary segment. Propagation occurred across a broad range of stimulation frequencies, axon segment geometries, and concentrations of extracellular potassium, but was strongly dependent on the geometry of the node of Ranvier at the axonal bifurcation. Thus, antidromic activation of axon terminals can, through axon collaterals, lead to widespread activation or inhibition of targets remote from the site of stimulation. These effects should be included when interpreting the results of functional imaging or evoked potential studies on the mechanisms of action of DBS.

NuSTAR Observations of WISE J1036+0449, a Galaxy at z~1 Obscured by Hot Dust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ricci, C.; Assef, R. J.; Stern, D.; Nikutta, R.; Alexander, D. M.; Asmus, D.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Bauer, F. E.; Blain, A. W.; Boggs, S.; Boorman, P. G.; Brandt, W. N.; Brightman, M.; Chang, C. S.; Chen, C.-T. J.; Christensen, F. E.; Comastri, A.; Craig, W. W.; Díaz-Santos, T.; Eisenhardt, P. R.; Farrah, D.; Gandhi, P.; Hailey, C. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Jun, H. D.; Koss, M. J.; LaMassa, S.; Lansbury, G. B.; Markwardt, C. B.; Stalevski, M.; Stanley, F.; Treister, E.; Tsai, C.-W.; Walton, D. J.; Wu, J. W.; Zappacosta, L.; Zhang, W. W.

2017-01-01

Hot dust-obscured galaxies (hot DOGs), selected from Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer’s all-sky infrared survey, host some of the most powerful active galactic nuclei known and may represent an important stage in the evolution of galaxies. Most known hot DOGs are located at z> 1.5, due in part to a strong bias against identifying them at lower redshift related to the selection criteria. We present a new selection method that identifies 153 hot DOG candidates at z˜ 1, where they are significantly brighter and easier to study. We validate this approach by measuring a redshift z = 1.009 and finding a spectral energy distribution similar to that of higher-redshift hot DOGs for one of these objects, WISE J1036+0449 ({L}{Bol}≃ 8× {10}46 {erg} {{{s}}}-1). We find evidence of a broadened component in Mg II, which would imply a black hole mass of {M}{BH}≃ 2× {10}8 {M}⊙ and an Eddington ratio of {λ }{Edd}≃ 2.7. WISE J1036+0449 is the first hot DOG detected by the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, and observations show that the source is heavily obscured, with a column density of {N}{{H}}≃ (2{--}15)× {10}23 {{cm}}-2. The source has an intrinsic 2-10 keV luminosity of ˜ 6× {10}44 {erg} {{{s}}}-1, a value significantly lower than that expected from the mid-infrared/X-ray correlation. We also find that other hot DOGs observed by X-ray facilities show a similar deficiency of X-ray flux. We discuss the origin of the X-ray weakness and the absorption properties of hot DOGs. Hot DOGs at z≲ 1 could be excellent laboratories to probe the characteristics of the accretion flow and of the X-ray emitting plasma at extreme values of the Eddington ratio.

Disciplinary and Legal Actions Against Dermatologists in Canada.

PubMed

Nasseri, Eiman

2016-01-01

Dermatologists face a litany of professional and legal risks in practice. To review cases of disciplinary and legal action against dermatologists in Canada. The Canadian Medical Protective Association, all 10 provincial medical colleges, and the Canadian Legal Information Institute were contacted to obtain data on legal or disciplinary action taken against dermatologists in their records. A literature review was performed regarding litigation against dermatologists in other countries. Six dermatologists in Canada faced disciplinary action in the last 5 to 30 years. Seven dermatologists and 5 other specialists in Canada faced lawsuits relating to dermatology in the last 1 to 144 years. Procedures and therapy are the most frequently sources of lawsuits against dermatologists both at home and abroad. Dermatologists need to remain vigilant to avoid disciplinary action and lawsuits from their increasing and varied interactions with patients. © The Author(s) 2015.

"Ordinary men" or "evil monsters"? An action systems model of genocidal actions and characteristics of perpetrators.

PubMed

Hollows, Kerrilee; Fritzon, Katarina

2012-10-01

This study aimed to address the limitations of the existing genocide literature with the development of an empirically based classification system. Using Shye's (1985) action systems model, it was hypothesized that four types of perpetrators would exist and would be distinguishable by differences in the sources and target of individual criminal actions. Court transcripts from 80 perpetrators sentenced by the international courts were subject to content analysis and revealed 39 offense action variables, 17 perpetrator characteristic variables, and 6 perpetrator motive variables. A smallest space analysis using the Jaccard coefficient of association was conducted on the offense variables. The results supported the proposed framework, producing four distinct types of genocidal perpetrators. Correlational analyses were then conducted to examine the relationships between each of the perpetrator types and the remaining variables. The results of those correlations provided further support for the proposed framework. The implications of these findings are discussed. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

The biomedicalisation of war and military remains: US nuclear worker compensation in the 'post-Cold War'.

PubMed

Krupar, Shiloh

2013-01-01

This paper analyses the recent legislation and administration of United States nuclear worker compensation--the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Programme Act (EEOICPA)--in order to show the domestic impacts of war and the social order that has been established to respond to the Cold War legacy of occupational exposures, illness, and death. Examining the epistemological politics and material effects of compensation, an insufficiently analysed aspect of the Cold War, I argue that the system designed to redress the occupational exposures of nuclear workers accomplishes something else: obscuring the ethical problem of misinformation and missing data from the Cold War era; mobilising an industry of knowledge and market-economic opportunities in the arena of biomedical exposure assessment and dose reconstruction for parts of the former US nuclear complex; and, lastly, dematerialising and depoliticising geographies of the Cold War and its differential impacts through an individualistic epidemiological reprocessing of radiation exposures. The paper shows how the general claims procedure, combined with two methods mandated by EEOICPA--dose reconstruction and the probability of causation--effectively de-link workers from each other, and worksites from homes, pin compensation to a cost-benefit logic, implicate genuine scientific complexity and uncertainty in an ongoing denial of the toxic legacies of war, and ethically undermine the social justice aims of the legislation. The article ends by considering some of the ways that US nuclear workers have responded to living as the remains of both US bomb production and the compensation system.

The Nature of Faint Spitzer-selected Dust-obscured Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pope, Alexandra; Bussmann, R. Shane; Dey, Arjun; Meger, Nicole; Alexander, David M.; Brodwin, Mark; Chary, Ranga-Ram; Dickinson, Mark E.; Frayer, David T.; Greve, Thomas R.; Huynh, Minh; Lin, Lihwai; Morrison, Glenn; Scott, Douglas; Yan, Chi-Hung

2008-12-01

We use deep far-IR, submillimeter, radio, and X-ray imaging and mid-IR spectroscopy to explore the nature of a sample of Spitzer-selected dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) in GOODS-N. A sample of 79 galaxies satisfy the criteria R - [ 24] > 14 (Vega) down to S24 > 100 μJy (median flux density S24 = 180 μJy). Twelve of these galaxies have IRS spectra available, which we use to measure redshifts and classify these objects as being dominated by star formation or active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity in the mid-IR. The IRS spectra and Spitzer photometric redshifts confirm that the DOGs lie in a tight redshift distribution around z ~ 2. Based on mid-IR colors, 80% of DOGs are likely dominated by star formation; the stacked X-ray emission from this subsample of DOGs is also consistent with star formation. Since only a small number of DOGs are individually detected at far-IR and submillimeter wavelengths, we use a stacking analysis to determine the average flux from these objects and plot a composite IR (8-1000 μm) spectral energy distribution (SED). The average luminosity of these star-forming DOGs is LIR ~ 1 × 1012 L⊙. We compare the average star-forming DOG to the average bright (S850 > 5 mJy) submillimeter galaxy (SMG); the S24 > 100 μJy DOGs are 3 times more numerous but 8 times less luminous in the IR. The far-IR SED shape of DOGs is similar to that of SMGs (average dust temperature of around 30 K), but DOGs have a higher mid-IR-to-far-IR flux ratio. The average star formation-dominated DOG has a star formation rate of 200 M⊙ yr -1, which, given their space density, amounts to a contribution of 0.01 M⊙ yr-1 Mpc-3 (or 5%-10%) to the star formation rate density at z ~ 2.

Luminous, pc-scale CO 6-5 emission in the obscured nucleus of NGC 1377

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aalto, S.; Muller, S.; Costagliola, F.; Sakamoto, K.; Gallagher, J. S.; Falstad, N.; König, S.; Dasyra, K.; Wada, K.; Combes, F.; García-Burillo, S.; Kristensen, L. E.; Martín, S.; van der Werf, P.; Evans, A. S.; Kotilainen, J.

2017-12-01

High-resolution submillimeter line and continuum observations are important in probing the morphology, column density, and dynamics of the molecular gas and dust around obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs). With high-resolution (0.̋06 × 0.̋05 (6 × 5 pc)) ALMA 690 GHz observations we have found bright (TB > 80 K) and compact (full width half maximum size (FWHM) size of 10 × 7 pc) CO 6-5 line emission in the nuclear region of the extremely radio-quiet galaxy NGC 1377. The CO 6-5 intensity is partially aligned with the previously discovered jet/outflow of NGC 1377 and is tracing dense (n > 104cm-3) hot molecular gas at the base of the outflow. The velocity structure is complex and shifts across the jet/outflow are discussed in terms of separate overlapping kinematical components or rotation. High-velocity gas (Δv ± 145km s-1) is detected inside r < 2-3 pc and we suggest that it is emerging from an inclined rotating disk or torus of position angle PA = 140° ± 20° with a dynamical mass of 3 × 106M⊙. This mass is consistent with that of a supermassive black hole (SMBH), as inferred from the M-σ relation. The gas mass of the proposed disk/torus constitutes <3% of the dynamical mass inside a radius of 3 pc. In contrast to the intense CO 6-5 line emission, we do not detect 690 GHz dust continuum in the nuclear region of NGC 1377. The upper limit of S(690 GHz) ≲ 2 mJy implies an H2 column density N(H2) < 3 × 1023cm-2 (averaged in the central 6 × 5 pc beam). This is inconsistent with a Compton thick (CT) source and we discuss the possibility that CT obscuration may instead be occurring on smaller subparsec scales or in a larger foreground structure. From SED fitting we suggest that half of the IR emission of NGC 1377 is nuclear and the rest, mostly the far-infrared (FIR), is emerging from larger scales. The extreme radio quietness, and the lack of emission from other star formation tracers, raise questions on the origin of the FIR emission. We discuss the

Partial dust obscuration in active galactic nuclei as a cause of broad-line profile and lag variability, and apparent accretion disc inhomogeneities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaskell, C. Martin; Harrington, Peter Z.

2018-04-01

The profiles of the broad emission lines of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and the time delays in their response to changes in the ionizing continuum ("lags") give information about the structure and kinematics of the inner regions of AGNs. Line profiles are also our main way of estimating the masses of the supermassive black holes (SMBHs). However, the profiles often show ill-understood, asymmetric structure and velocity-dependent lags vary with time. Here we show that partial obscuration of the broad-line region (BLR) by outflowing, compact, dusty clumps produces asymmetries and velocity-dependent lags similar to those observed. Our model explains previously inexplicable changes in the ratios of the hydrogen lines with time and velocity, the lack of correlation of changes in line profiles with variability of the central engine, the velocity dependence of lags, and the change of lags with time. We propose that changes on timescales longer than the light-crossing time do not come from dynamical changes in the BLR, but are a natural result of the effect of outflowing dusty clumps driven by radiation pressure acting on the dust. The motion of these clumps offers an explanation of long-term changes in polarization. The effects of the dust complicate the study of the structure and kinematics of the BLR and the search for sub-parsec SMBH binaries. Partial obscuration of the accretion disc can also provide the local fluctuations in luminosity that can explain sizes deduced from microlensing.

Probing links between action perception and action production in Parkinson's disease using Fitts' law.

PubMed

Sakurada, Takeshi; Knoblich, Guenther; Sebanz, Natalie; Muramatsu, Shin-Ichi; Hirai, Masahiro

2018-03-01

Information on how the subcortical brain encodes information required to execute actions or to evaluate others' actions remains scanty. To clarify this link, Fitts'-law tasks for perception and execution were tested in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). For the perception task, participants were shown apparent motion displays of a person moving their arm between two identical targets and reported whether they judged that the person could realistically move at the perceived speed without missing the targets. For the motor task, participants were required to touch the two targets as quickly and accurately as possible, similarly to the person observed in the perception task. In both tasks, the PD group exhibited, or imputed to others, significantly slower performances than those of the control group. However, in both groups, the relationships of perception and execution with task difficulty were exactly those predicted by Fitts' law. This suggests that despite dysfunction of the subcortical region, motor simulation abilities reflected mechanisms of compensation in the PD group. Moreover, we found that patients with PD had difficulty in switching their strategy for estimating others' actions when asked to do so. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neurophysiology of action anticipation in athletes: A systematic review.

PubMed

Smith, Daniel M

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to provide a systematic review of action anticipation studies using functional neuroimaging or brain stimulation during a sport-specific anticipation task. A total of 15 studies from 2008 to 2014 were evaluated and are reported in four sections: expert-novice samples, action anticipation tasks, neuroimaging and stimulation techniques, and key findings. Investigators examined a wide range of action anticipation scenarios specific to eight different sports and utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalogram (EEG), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Expert-novice comparisons were commonly used to investigate differences in action anticipation performance and neurophysiology. Experts tended to outperform novices, and an extensive array of brain structures were reported to be involved differently for experts and novices during action anticipation. However, these neurophysiological findings were generally inconsistent across the studies reviewed. The discussion focuses on strengths and four key limitations. The conclusion posits remaining questions and recommendations for future research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Social interaction enhances motor resonance for observed human actions.

PubMed

Hogeveen, Jeremy; Obhi, Sukhvinder S

2012-04-25

Understanding the neural basis of social behavior has become an important goal for cognitive neuroscience and a key aim is to link neural processes observed in the laboratory to more naturalistic social behaviors in real-world contexts. Although it is accepted that mirror mechanisms contribute to the occurrence of motor resonance (MR) and are common to action execution, observation, and imitation, questions remain about mirror (and MR) involvement in real social behavior and in processing nonhuman actions. To determine whether social interaction primes the MR system, groups of participants engaged or did not engage in a social interaction before observing human or robotic actions. During observation, MR was assessed via motor-evoked potentials elicited with transcranial magnetic stimulation. Compared with participants who did not engage in a prior social interaction, participants who engaged in the social interaction showed a significant increase in MR for human actions. In contrast, social interaction did not increase MR for robot actions. Thus, naturalistic social interaction and laboratory action observation tasks appear to involve common MR mechanisms, and recent experience tunes the system to particular agent types.

Perennial Lakeshores as an Exploration Target for Microbial Remains on Mars Based on Earth Analogs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blair, T. C.

2013-12-01

is needed. Although Martian river delta plain, delta front, and prodelta deposits may contain the remains of microbial life if it existed at the time of deposition, the studied western Basin and Range lakes show that such remains are most abundant and concentrated along former coarse gravelly or rocky shorelines away from the delta, where clear water and a stable substrate prevailed, and fossil dilution by detrital input was low. The elevations of the delta plains provide the target levels for shoreline exploration elsewhere along the lake. The extinct western Basin and Range lakes, such as Lake Manly in Death Valley, further teach that former shorelines readily apparent on satellite imagery may lack a biological or sedimentary record, whereas less obvious or unapparent shoreline segments at key levels may have a bounty of microbial remains. The latter scenario results from partial obscuration of the former shoreline by post-lake weathering, including through erosion or the partial cover by eolian or gravity-driven colluvial sediment.

NuSTAR Observations of WISE J1036+0449, A Galaxy at Z Approx. 1 Obscured by Hot Dust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ricci, C.; Assef, R. J.; Stern, D.; Nikutta, R.; Alexander, D. M.; Asmus, D.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Bauer, F. E.; Blain, A. W.; Boggs, S.;

NuSTAR Observations of WISE J1036+0449, A Galaxy at zeta approx 1 Obscured by Hot Dust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ricci, C.; Assef, R. J.; Stern, Daniel K.; Nikutta, R.; Alexander, D. M.; Asmus, D.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Bauer, F. E.; Blain, A.W.; Zhang, William W.;

Extending experiences of voluntary action by association

PubMed Central

Khalighinejad, Nima; Haggard, Patrick

2016-01-01

“Sense of agency” refers to the experience that links one’s voluntary actions to their external outcomes. It remains unclear whether this ubiquitous experience is hardwired, arising from specific signals within the brain’s motor systems, or rather depends on associative learning, through repeated cooccurrence of voluntary movements and their outcomes. To distinguish these two models, we asked participants to trigger a tone by a voluntary keypress action. The voluntary action was always associated with an involuntary movement of the other hand. We then tested whether the combination of the involuntary movement and tone alone might now suffice to produce a sense of agency, even when the voluntary action was omitted. Sense of agency was measured using an implicit marker based on time perception, namely a shift in the perceived time of the outcome toward the action that caused it. Across two experiments, repeatedly pairing an involuntary movement with a voluntary action induced key temporal features of agency, with the outcome now perceived as shifted toward the involuntary movement. This shift required involuntary movements to have been previously associated with voluntary actions. We show that some key aspects of agency may be transferred from voluntary actions to involuntary movements. An internal volitional signal is required for the primary acquisition of agency but, with repeated association, the involuntary movement in itself comes to produce some key temporal features of agency over the subsequent outcome. This finding may explain how humans can develop an enduring sense of agency in nonnatural cases, like brain–machine interfaces. PMID:27436902

Do Stimulus-Action Associations Contribute to Repetition Priming?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dennis, Ian; Perfect, Timothy J.

2013-01-01

Despite evidence that response learning makes a major contribution to repetition priming, the involvement of response representations at the level of motor actions remains uncertain. Levels of response representation were investigated in 4 experiments that used different tasks at priming and test. Priming for stimuli that required congruent…

Simultaneous Chandra and NuSTAR Observations of the Highly Obscured AGN Candidate in NGC660.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Annuar, Ady

2014-09-01

We are using NuSTAR to undertake a detailed investigation of the obscured AGN population at D<15Mpc. Our latest target is NGC660 where the presence of an AGN has been ambiguous. However, recently it was observed to undergo a radio outburst which reveals a bright continuum source (Argo et al. 2015), coincident with Chandra 2-8 keV emission from one of the three point sources near the nucleus (<5"). This confirms and pinpoints the X-ray position of the AGN. Comparisons of the Chandra flux with the radio emission and other multiwavelength luminosity indicators indicate that the X-ray flux is suppressed, suggesting that it is absorbed by a high column of gas. A NuSTAR observation for this object has been scheduled as part of our program. The requested Chandra observation is essential to unambiguously constrain the AGN and isolate it from other sources at <8 keV. When combined with NuSTAR, we will then be able to accurately characterise the 0.5-30 keV spectrum of the AGN for the first time.

Understanding Participatory Action Research: A Qualitative Research Methodology Option

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacDonald, Cathy

2012-01-01

Participatory Action Research (PAR) is a qualitative research methodology option that requires further understanding and consideration. PAR is considered democratic, equitable, liberating, and life-enhancing qualitative inquiry that remains distinct from other qualitative methodologies (Kach & Kralik, 2006). Using PAR, qualitative features of an…

Invariant recognition drives neural representations of action sequences

PubMed Central

Poggio, Tomaso

2017-01-01

Recognizing the actions of others from visual stimuli is a crucial aspect of human perception that allows individuals to respond to social cues. Humans are able to discriminate between similar actions despite transformations, like changes in viewpoint or actor, that substantially alter the visual appearance of a scene. This ability to generalize across complex transformations is a hallmark of human visual intelligence. Advances in understanding action recognition at the neural level have not always translated into precise accounts of the computational principles underlying what representations of action sequences are constructed by human visual cortex. Here we test the hypothesis that invariant action discrimination might fill this gap. Recently, the study of artificial systems for static object perception has produced models, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), that achieve human level performance in complex discriminative tasks. Within this class, architectures that better support invariant object recognition also produce image representations that better match those implied by human and primate neural data. However, whether these models produce representations of action sequences that support recognition across complex transformations and closely follow neural representations of actions remains unknown. Here we show that spatiotemporal CNNs accurately categorize video stimuli into action classes, and that deliberate model modifications that improve performance on an invariant action recognition task lead to data representations that better match human neural recordings. Our results support our hypothesis that performance on invariant discrimination dictates the neural representations of actions computed in the brain. These results broaden the scope of the invariant recognition framework for understanding visual intelligence from perception of inanimate objects and faces in static images to the study of human perception of action sequences. PMID:29253864

Remaining Sites Verification Package for the 100-F-50 Stormwater Runoff Culvert, Waste Site Reclassification Form 2007-001

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

J. M. Capron

2008-04-15

The 100-F-50 waste site, part of the 100-FR-2 Operable Unit, is a steel stormwater runoff culvert that runs between two railroad grades in the south-central portion of the 100-F Area. The culvert exiting the west side of the railroad grade is mostly encased in concrete and surrounded by a concrete stormwater collection depression partially filled with soil and vegetation. The drain pipe exiting the east side of the railroad grade embankment is partially filled with soil and rocks. The 100-F-50 stormwater diversion culvert confirmatory sampling results support a reclassification of this site to no action. The current site conditions achievemore » the remedial action objectives and corresponding remedial action goals established in the Remaining Sites ROD. The results of confirmatory sampling show that residual contaminant concentrations do not preclude any future uses and allow for unrestricted use of shallow zone soils. The results also demonstrate that residual contaminant concentrations are protective of groundwater and the Columbia River.« less

Phosphatidylglycerol directs binding and inhibitory action of EIIAGlc protein on the maltose transporter.

PubMed

Bao, Huan; Duong, Franck

2013-08-16

The signal-transducing protein EIIA(Glc) belongs to the phosphoenolpyruvate carbohydrate phosphotransferase system. In its dephosphorylated state, EIIA(Glc) is a negative regulator for several permeases, including the maltose transporter MalFGK2. How EIIA(Glc) is targeted to the membrane, how it interacts with the transporter, and how it inhibits sugar uptake remain obscure. We show here that acidic phospholipids together with the N-terminal tail of EIIA(Glc) are essential for the high affinity binding of the protein to the transporter. Using protein docking prediction and chemical cross-linking, we demonstrate that EIIA(Glc) binds to the MalK dimer, interacting with both the nucleotide-binding and the C-terminal regulatory domains. Dissection of the ATPase cycle reveals that EIIA(Glc) does not affect the binding of ATP but rather inhibits the capacity of MalK to cleave ATP. We propose a mechanism of maltose transport inhibition by this central amphitropic regulatory protein.

The Coordination Dynamics of Observational Learning: Relative Motion Direction and Relative Phase as Informational Content Linking Action-Perception to Action-Production.

PubMed

Buchanan, John J

2016-01-01

The primary goal of this chapter is to merge together the visual perception perspective of observational learning and the coordination dynamics theory of pattern formation in perception and action. Emphasis is placed on identifying movement features that constrain and inform action-perception and action-production processes. Two sources of visual information are examined, relative motion direction and relative phase. The visual perception perspective states that the topological features of relative motion between limbs and joints remains invariant across an actor's motion and therefore are available for pickup by an observer. Relative phase has been put forth as an informational variable that links perception to action within the coordination dynamics theory. A primary assumption of the coordination dynamics approach is that environmental information is meaningful only in terms of the behavior it modifies. Across a series of single limb tasks and bimanual tasks it is shown that the relative motion and relative phase between limbs and joints is picked up through visual processes and supports observational learning of motor skills. Moreover, internal estimations of motor skill proficiency and competency are linked to the informational content found in relative motion and relative phase. Thus, the chapter links action to perception and vice versa and also links cognitive evaluations to the coordination dynamics that support action-perception and action-production processes.

Pavement Remaining Service Interval [Tech Brief

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-05-01

This document is a technical summary of the Federal Highway Administration reports, "Reformulated Pavement Remaining Service Life Framework" (FHWA-HRT-13-038) and "Pavement Remaining Service Interval Implementation Guidelines" (FHWA-HRT-13-050). At t...

Reference in Action: Links between Pointing and Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooperrider, Kensy Andrew

2011-01-01

When referring to things in the world, speakers produce utterances that are composites of speech and action. Pointing gestures are a pervasive part of such composite utterances, but many questions remain about exactly how pointing is integrated with speech. In this dissertation I present three strands of research that investigate relations of…

Remaining Sites Verification Package for the 100-F-46, 119-F Stack Sampling French Drain, Waste Site Reclassification Form 2008-021

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

J. M. Capron

2008-08-08

The 100-F-46 french drain consisted of a 1.5 to 3 m long, vertically buried, gravel-filled pipe that was approximately 1 m in diameter. Also included in this waste site was a 5 cm cast-iron pipeline that drained condensate from the 119-F Stack Sampling Building into the 100-F-46 french drain. In accordance with this evaluation, the confirmatory sampling results support a reclassification of this site to No Action. The current site conditions achieve the remedial action objectives and the corresponding remedial action goals established in the Remaining Sites ROD. The results of confirmatory sampling show that residual contaminant concentrations do notmore » preclude any future uses and allow for unrestricted use of shallow zone soils. The results also demonstrate that residual contaminant concentrations are protective of groundwater and the Columbia River.« less

Eccentric action of muscles: physiology, injury, and adaptation.

PubMed

Stauber, W T

1989-01-01

Eccentric muscle action deserves special consideration from the standpoint of physiology, adaptation, and training. The function of muscles as shock absorbers or springs seems to be quite different from other actions described in classical descriptions of muscle biology. This uniqueness certainly requires a more careful understanding of muscle as a unit consisting of myofibers and fascia which may work together or in opposition in response to chronic or acute stimuli. In addition, the stretch-shortening cycle is a special case of its own. However, from the standpoint of maximum human performance, there remain tremendous gaps in our understanding of the role of eccentric muscle action and its use in athletic training. How much is good? Does microfibrosis represent a problem of overtraining and eventually limit performance, or is it advantageous for success? Is the body-builder really developing muscle or connective tissue separating muscles? How does eccentric muscle action sometimes produce pain but not always? It would appear that much work is needed before a complete understanding of eccentric muscle action is obtained. This brief review has been designed to encourage research, argument, and discussion.

Storm in a Teacup: X-Ray View of an Obscured Quasar and Superbubble

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lansbury, George B.; Jarvis, Miranda E.; Harrison, Chris M.; Alexander, David M.; Del Moro, Agnese; Edge, Alastair C.; Mullaney, James R.; Thomson, Alasdair P.

2018-03-01

We present the X-ray properties of the “Teacup AGN” (SDSS J1430+1339), a z = 0.085 type 2 quasar that is interacting dramatically with its host galaxy. Spectral modeling of the central quasar reveals a powerful, highly obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) with a column density of N H = (4.2–6.5) × 1023 cm‑2 and an intrinsic luminosity of L 2–10 keV = (0.8–1.4) × 1044 erg s‑1. The current high bolometric luminosity inferred (L bol ≈1045–1046 erg s‑1) has ramifications for previous interpretations of the Teacup as a fading/dying quasar. High-resolution Chandra imaging data reveal a ≈10 kpc loop of X-ray emission, cospatial with the “eastern bubble” previously identified in luminous radio and ionized gas (e.g., [O III] line) emission. The X-ray emission from this structure is in good agreement with a shocked thermal gas, with T = (4–8) × 106 K, and there is evidence for an additional hot component with T ≳ 3 × 107 K. Although the Teacup is a radiatively dominated AGN, the estimated ratio between the bubble power and the X-ray luminosity is in remarkable agreement with observations of ellipticals, groups, and clusters of galaxies undergoing AGN feedback.

[PALEOPATHOLOGY OF HUMAN REMAINS].

PubMed

Minozzi, Simona; Fornaciari, Gino

2015-01-01

Many diseases induce alterations in the human skeleton, leaving traces of their presence in ancient remains. Paleopathological examination of human remains not only allows the study of the history and evolution of the disease, but also the reconstruction of health conditions in the past populations. This paper describes the most interesting diseases observed in skeletal samples from the Roman Imperial Age necropoles found in urban and suburban areas of Rome during archaeological excavations in the last decades. The diseases observed were grouped into the following categories: articular diseases, traumas, infections, metabolic or nutritional diseases, congenital diseases and tumours, and some examples are reported for each group. Although extensive epidemiological investigation in ancient skeletal records is impossible, the palaeopathological study allowed to highlight the spread of numerous illnesses, many of which can be related to the life and health conditions of the Roman population.

Responsible Action Research for the Pursuit of Justice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feldman, Allan; Bennett, Kory; Vernaza-Hernández, Vanessa

2015-01-01

The pursuit of justice has concerned human beings for centuries and, despite its importance, often remains outside the boundaries of our educational systems. This article reports on a study of an action research seminar for a group of teacher leaders in a position to instigate positive change within their educational context, and make their…

The Affirmative Action Myth. Policy Analysis. No. 540

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gryphon, Marie

2005-01-01

In the wake of the Supreme Court's 2003 decision upholding admissions preferences, affirmative action remains a deeply divisive issue. This tendency to frame the argument over preferences in terms of fundamental values is common to both sides of the debate. Because the nation's history with respect to race is so painful, the resulting argument is…

Is heterogeneity in stage 3 non-small cell lung cancer obscuring the potential benefits of dose-escalated concurrent chemo-radiotherapy in clinical trials?

PubMed

Hudson, Andrew; Chan, Clara; Woolf, David; McWilliam, Alan; Hiley, Crispin; O'Connor, James; Bayman, Neil; Blackhall, Fiona; Faivre-Finn, Corinne

2018-04-01

The current standard of care for the management of inoperable stage 3 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) using radiotherapy dose-fractionation and chemotherapy regimens that were established 3 decades ago. In an attempt to improve the chances of long-term control from cCRT, dose-escalation of the radiotherapy dose was assessed in the RTOG 0617 randomised control study comparing the standard 60 Gy in 30 fractions with a high-dose arm receiving 74 Gy in 37 fractions. Following the publication of this trial the thoracic oncology community were surprised to learn that there was worse survival in the dose-escalated arm and that for now the standard of care must remain with the lower dose. In this article we review the RTOG 0617 paper with subsequent analyses and studies to explore why the use of dose-escalated cCRT in stage 3 NSCLC has not shown the benefits that were expected. The overarching theme of this opinion piece is how heterogeneity between stage 3 NSCLC cases in terms of patient, tumour, and clinical factors may obscure the potential benefits of dose-escalation by causing imbalances in the arms of studies such as RTOG 0617. We also examine recent advances in the staging, management, and technological delivery of radiotherapy in NSCLC and how these may be employed to optimise cCRT trials in the future and ensure that any potential benefits of dose-escalation can be detected. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Barriers to women engaging in collective action to overcome sexism.

PubMed

Radke, Helena R M; Hornsey, Matthew J; Barlow, Fiona Kate

2016-12-01

Over centuries women have fought hard to obtain increasing gender equality, but despite these successes absolute equality remains an elusive goal. Theoretically, women's numerical strength makes them well-placed to take effective collective action, and millions of women engage in feminist collective action every day. In this article, however, we argue that women also face barriers to engaging in feminist collective action; barriers that are associated with the social construction and experience of what it means to be a woman. Our review synthesizes sexism research under a contemporary collective action framework to clarify our current understanding of the literature and to offer novel theoretical explanations for why women might be discouraged from engaging in feminist collective action. Using the antecedents of collective action identified by van Zomeren, Postmes, and Spears' (2008) meta-analysis, we critically review the sexism literature to argue that women face challenges when it comes to (a) identifying with other women and feminists, (b) perceiving sexism and expressing group-based anger, and (c) recognizing the efficacy of collective action. We then outline a research agenda with a view to investigating ways of overcoming these barriers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Shaping Attention with Reward: Effects of Reward on Space- and Object-Based Selection

PubMed Central

Shomstein, Sarah; Johnson, Jacoba

2014-01-01

The contribution of rewarded actions to automatic attentional selection remains obscure. We hypothesized that some forms of automatic orienting, such as object-based selection, can be completely abandoned in lieu of reward maximizing strategy. While presenting identical visual stimuli to the observer, in a set of two experiments, we manipulate what is being rewarded (different object targets or random object locations) and the type of reward received (money or points). It was observed that reward alone guides attentional selection, entirely predicting behavior. These results suggest that guidance of selective attention, while automatic, is flexible and can be adjusted in accordance with external non-sensory reward-based factors. PMID:24121412

Action Learning: Avoiding Conflict or Enabling Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corley, Aileen; Thorne, Ann

2006-01-01

Action learning is based on the premise that action and learning are inextricably entwined and it is this potential, to enable action, which has contributed to the growth of action learning within education and management development programmes. However has this growth in action learning lead to an evolution or a dilution of Revan's classical…

THE XMM-NEWTON WIDE-FIELD SURVEY IN THE COSMOS FIELD (XMM-COSMOS): DEMOGRAPHY AND MULTIWAVELENGTH PROPERTIES OF OBSCURED AND UNOBSCURED LUMINOUS ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brusa, M.; Cappelluti, N.; Merloni, A.

2010-06-10

We report the final optical identifications of the medium-depth ({approx}60 ks), contiguous (2 deg{sup 2}) XMM-Newton survey of the COSMOS field. XMM-Newton has detected {approx}1800 X-ray sources down to limiting fluxes of {approx}5 x 10{sup -16}, {approx}3 x 10{sup -15}, and {approx}7 x 10{sup -15} erg cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} in the 0.5-2 keV, 2-10 keV, and 5-10 keV bands, respectively ({approx}1 x 10{sup -15}, {approx}6 x 10{sup -15}, and {approx}1 x 10{sup -14} erg cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}, in the three bands, respectively, over 50% of the area). The work is complemented by an extensive collection of multiwavelength datamore » from 24 {mu}m to UV, available from the COSMOS survey, for each of the X-ray sources, including spectroscopic redshifts for {approx}>50% of the sample, and high-quality photometric redshifts for the rest. The XMM and multiwavelength flux limits are well matched: 1760 (98%) of the X-ray sources have optical counterparts, 1711 ({approx}95%) have IRAC counterparts, and 1394 ({approx}78%) have MIPS 24 {mu}m detections. Thanks to the redshift completeness (almost 100%) we were able to constrain the high-luminosity tail of the X-ray luminosity function confirming that the peak of the number density of log L{sub X} > 44.5 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is at z {approx} 2. Spectroscopically identified obscured and unobscured AGNs, as well as normal and star-forming galaxies, present well-defined optical and infrared properties. We devised a robust method to identify a sample of {approx}150 high-redshift (z > 1), obscured AGN candidates for which optical spectroscopy is not available. We were able to determine that the fraction of the obscured AGN population at the highest (L{sub X} > 10{sup 44} erg s{sup -1}) X-ray luminosity is {approx}15%-30% when selection effects are taken into account, providing an important observational constraint for X-ray background synthesis. We studied in detail the optical spectrum and the overall spectral energy

Peripheral metabolic actions of leptin.

PubMed

Muoio, Deborah M; Lynis Dohm, G

2002-12-01

The adipocyte-derived hormone, leptin, regulates food intake and systemic fuel metabolism; ob /ob mice, which lack functional leptin, exhibit an obesity syndrome that is similar to morbid obesity in humans. Leptin receptors are expressed most abundantly in the brain but are also present in several peripheral tissues. The role of leptin in controlling energy homeostasis has thus far focused on brain receptors and neuroendocrine pathways that regulate feeding behaviour and sympathetic nervous system activity. This chapter focuses on mounting evidence that leptin's effects on energy balance are also mediated by direct peripheral actions on key metabolic organs such as skeletal muscle, liver, pancreas and adipose tissue. Strong evidence indicates that peripheral leptin receptors regulate cellular lipid balance, favouring beta-oxidation over triacylglycerol storage. There are data to indicate that peripheral leptin also modulates glucose metabolism and insulin action; however, its precise role in controlling gluco-regulatory pathways remains uncertain and requires further investigation.

The composite nature of Dust-Obscured Galaxies (DOGs) at z ˜ 2-3 in the COSMOS field - I. A far-infrared view

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riguccini, L.; Le Floc'h, E.; Mullaney, J. R.; Menéndez-Delmestre, K.; Aussel, H.; Berta, S.; Calanog, J.; Capak, P.; Cooray, A.; Ilbert, O.; Kartaltepe, J.; Koekemoer, A.; Lutz, D.; Magnelli, B.; McCracken, H.; Oliver, S.; Roseboom, I.; Salvato, M.; Sanders, D.; Scoville, N.; Taniguchi, Y.; Treister, E.

2015-09-01

Dust-Obscured Galaxies (DOGs) are bright 24 μm-selected sources with extreme obscuration at optical wavelengths. They are typically characterized by a rising power-law continuum of hot dust (TD ˜ 200-1000 K) in the near-IR indicating that their mid-IR luminosity is dominated by an active galactic nucleus (AGN). DOGs with a fainter 24 μm flux display a stellar bump in the near-IR and their mid-IR luminosity appears to be mainly powered by dusty star formation. Alternatively, it may be that the mid-IR emission arising from AGN activity is dominant but the torus is sufficiently opaque to make the near-IR emission from the AGN negligible with respect to the emission from the host component. In an effort to characterize the astrophysical nature of the processes responsible for the IR emission in DOGs, this paper exploits Herschel data (PACS + SPIRE) on a sample of 95 DOGs within the COSMOS field. We derive a wealth of far-IR properties (e.g. total IR luminosities; mid-to-far-IR colours; dust temperatures and masses) based on spectral energy distribution fitting. Of particular interest are the 24 μm-bright DOGs (F24 μm > 1 mJy). They present bluer far-IR/mid-IR colours than the rest of the sample, unveiling the potential presence of an AGN. The AGN contribution to the total 8-1000 μm flux increases as a function of the rest-frame 8 μm-luminosity irrespective of the redshift. This confirms that faint DOGs (L8 μm < 1012 L⊙) are dominated by star formation while brighter DOGs show a larger contribution from an AGN.

Hierarchical processing in music, language, and action: Lashley revisited.

PubMed

Fitch, W Tecumseh; Martins, Mauricio D

2014-05-01

Sixty years ago, Karl Lashley suggested that complex action sequences, from simple motor acts to language and music, are a fundamental but neglected aspect of neural function. Lashley demonstrated the inadequacy of then-standard models of associative chaining, positing a more flexible and generalized "syntax of action" necessary to encompass key aspects of language and music. He suggested that hierarchy in language and music builds upon a more basic sequential action system, and provided several concrete hypotheses about the nature of this system. Here, we review a diverse set of modern data concerning musical, linguistic, and other action processing, finding them largely consistent with an updated neuroanatomical version of Lashley's hypotheses. In particular, the lateral premotor cortex, including Broca's area, plays important roles in hierarchical processing in language, music, and at least some action sequences. Although the precise computational function of the lateral prefrontal regions in action syntax remains debated, Lashley's notion-that this cortical region implements a working-memory buffer or stack scannable by posterior and subcortical brain regions-is consistent with considerable experimental data. © 2014 The Authors. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences published by Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of The New York Academy of Sciences.

Greater involvement of action simulation mechanisms in emotional vs cognitive empathy

PubMed Central

Oliver, Lindsay D; Vieira, Joana B; Neufeld, Richard W J; Dziobek, Isabel; Mitchell, Derek G V

2018-01-01

Abstract Empathy is crucial for successful interpersonal interactions, and it is impaired in many psychiatric and neurological disorders. Action-perception matching, or action simulation mechanisms, has been suggested to facilitate empathy by supporting the simulation of perceived experience in others. However, this remains unclear, and the involvement of the action simulation circuit in cognitive empathy (the ability to adopt another’s perspective) vs emotional empathy (the capacity to share and react affectively to another’s emotional experience) has not been quantitatively compared. Presently, healthy adults completed a classic cognitive empathy task (false belief), an emotional empathy task and an action simulation button-pressing task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Conjunction analyses revealed common recruitment of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), thought to be critical for action-perception matching, during both action simulation and emotional, but not cognitive, empathy. Furthermore, activation was significantly greater in action simulation regions in the left IFG during emotional vs cognitive empathy, and activity in this region was positively correlated with mean feeling ratings during the emotional empathy task. These findings provide evidence for greater involvement of action simulation mechanisms in emotional than cognitive empathy. Thus, the action simulation circuit may be an important target for delineating the pathophysiology of disorders featuring emotional empathy impairments. PMID:29462481

Computed tomography versus digital subtraction angiography for the diagnosis of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding.

PubMed

Wildgruber, Moritz; Wrede, Christian E; Zorger, Niels; Müller-Wille, René; Hamer, Okka W; Zeman, Florian; Stroszczynski, Christian; Heiss, Peter

2017-03-01

The diagnostic yield of computed tomography angiography (CTA) compared to digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for major obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) is not known. Aim of the study was to prospectively evaluate the diagnostic yield of CTA versus DSA for the diagnosis of major OGIB. The institutional review board approved the study and informed consent was obtained from each patient. Patients with major OGIB were prospectively enrolled to undergo both CTA and DSA. Two blinded radiologists each reviewed the CTA and DSA images retrospectively and independently. Contrast material extravasation into the gastrointestinal lumen was considered diagnostic for active bleeding. Primary end point of the study was the diagnostic yield, defined as the frequency a technique identified an active bleeding or a potential bleeding lesion. The diagnostic yield of CTA and DSA were compared by McNemar's test. 24 consecutive patients (11 men; median age 64 years) were included. CTA and DSA identified an active bleeding or a potential bleeding lesion in 92% (22 of 24 patients; 95% CI 72%-99%) and 29% (7 of 24 patients; 95% CI 12%-49%) of patients, respectively (p<0.001). CTA and DSA identified an active bleeding in 42% (10 of 24; 95% CI 22%-63%) and 21% (5 of 24; 95% CI 7%-42%) of patients, respectively (p=0.06). Due to the lower invasiveness and higher diagnostic yield CTA should be favored over DSA for the diagnosis of major OGIB. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Effects of dietary amylose/amylopectin ratio on growth performance, feed utilization, digestive enzymes, and postprandial metabolic responses in juvenile obscure puffer Takifugu obscurus.

PubMed

Liu, Xiang-he; Ye, Chao-xia; Ye, Ji-dan; Shen, Bi-duan; Wang, Chun-yan; Wang, An-li

2014-10-01

The effect of dietary amylose/amylopectin (AM/AP) ratio on growth, feed utilization, digestive enzyme activities, plasma parameters, and postprandial blood glucose responses was evaluated in juvenile obscure puffer, Takifugu obscurus. Five isonitrogenous (430 g kg(-1) crude protein) and isolipidic (90 g kg(-1) crude lipid) diets containing an equal starch level (250 g kg(-1) starch) with different AM/AP ratio diets of 0/25, 3/22, 6/19, 9/16 and 12/13 were formulated. Each experimental diet was fed to triplicate groups (25 fish per tank), twice daily during a period of 60 days. After the growth trial, a postprandial blood response test was carried out. Fish fed diet 6/19 showed best growth, feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratio. Hepatosomatic index, plasma total cholesterol concentration, liver glycogen and lipid content, and gluconokinase, pyruvate kinase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase activities were lower in fish fed highest AM/AP diet (12/13) than in fish fed the low-amylose diets. Activities of liver and intestinal trypsin in fish fed diet 3/22 and diet 6/19 were higher than in fish fed diet 9/16 and diet 12/13. Activities of liver and intestinal amylase and intestinal lipase, and starch digestibility were negatively correlated with dietary AM/AP ratio. Fish fed diet 3/22 and diet 6/19 showed higher plasma total amino acid concentration than fish fed the other diets, while plasma urea nitrogen concentration and activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase showed the opposite trend. Equal values were found for viscerosomatic index and condition factor, whole body and muscle composition, plasma high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, and activities of lipase and hexokinase and glucose-6-phosphatase in liver. Postprandial plasma glucose and triglyceride peak value of fish fed diet 12/13 were lower than in fish fed the low-amylose diets, and the peak time of plasma glucose was later than in fish fed the

Preliminary Investigation of Time Remaining Display on the Computer-based Emergency Operating Procedure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suryono, T. J.; Gofuku, A.

2018-02-01

One of the important thing in the mitigation of accidents in nuclear power plant accidents is time management. The accidents should be resolved as soon as possible in order to prevent the core melting and the release of radioactive material to the environment. In this case, operators should follow the emergency operating procedure related with the accident, in step by step order and in allowable time. Nowadays, the advanced main control rooms are equipped with computer-based procedures (CBPs) which is make it easier for operators to do their tasks of monitoring and controlling the reactor. However, most of the CBPs do not include the time remaining display feature which informs operators of time available for them to execute procedure steps and warns them if the they reach the time limit. Furthermore, the feature will increase the awareness of operators about their current situation in the procedure. This paper investigates this issue. The simplified of emergency operating procedure (EOP) of steam generator tube rupture (SGTR) accident of PWR plant is applied. In addition, the sequence of actions on each step of the procedure is modelled using multilevel flow modelling (MFM) and influenced propagation rule. The prediction of action time on each step is acquired based on similar case accidents and the Support Vector Regression. The derived time will be processed and then displayed on a CBP user interface.

Obscured AGNs in Bulgeless Hosts discovered by WISE: The Case Study of SDSS J1224+5555

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satyapal, S.; Secrest, N. J.; Rothberg, B.; O'Connor, J. A.; Ellison, S. L.; Hickox, R. C.; Constantin, A.; Gliozzi, M.; Rosenberg, J. L.

2016-08-01

observations suggest the presence of an AGN, we caution that identifying obscured AGNs in the low-luminosity regime is challenging and often requires multiwavelength observations. These observations suggest that low-luminosity AGNs can be heavily obscured and reside in optically quiescent galaxies, adding to the growing body of evidence that the fraction of bulgeless galaxies with accreting black holes may be significantly underestimated based on optical studies.

Constraining the noncommutative spectral action via astrophysical observations.

PubMed

Nelson, William; Ochoa, Joseph; Sakellariadou, Mairi

2010-09-03

The noncommutative spectral action extends our familiar notion of commutative spaces, using the data encoded in a spectral triple on an almost commutative space. Varying a rather simple action, one can derive all of the standard model of particle physics in this setting, in addition to a modified version of Einstein-Hilbert gravity. In this Letter we use observations of pulsar timings, assuming that no deviation from general relativity has been observed, to constrain the gravitational sector of this theory. While the bounds on the coupling constants remain rather weak, they are comparable to existing bounds on deviations from general relativity in other settings and are likely to be further constrained by future observations.

Controlling Attention through Action: Observing Actions Primes Action-Related Stimulus Dimensions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fagioli, Sabrina; Ferlazzo, Fabio; Hommel, Bernhard

2007-01-01

Previous findings suggest that planning an action "backward-primes" perceptual dimension related to this action: planning a grasp facilitates the processing of visual size information, while planning a reach facilitates the processing of location information. Here we show that dimensional priming of perception through action occurs even in the…

Contingency blindness: location-identity binding mismatches obscure awareness of spatial contingencies and produce profound interference in visual working memory.

PubMed

Fiacconi, Chris M; Milliken, Bruce

2012-08-01

The purpose of the present study was to highlight the role of location-identity binding mismatches in obscuring explicit awareness of a strong contingency. In a spatial-priming procedure, we introduced a high likelihood of location-repeat trials. Experiments 1, 2a, and 2b demonstrated that participants' explicit awareness of this contingency was heavily influenced by the local match in location-identity bindings. In Experiment 3, we sought to determine why location-identity binding mismatches produce such low levels of contingency awareness. Our results suggest that binding mismatches can interfere substantially with visual-memory performance. We attribute the low levels of contingency awareness to participants' inability to remember the critical location-identity binding in the prime on a trial-to-trial basis. These results imply a close interplay between object files and visual working memory.

Gravitational lensing reveals extreme dust-obscured star formation in quasar host galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stacey, H. R.; McKean, J. P.; Robertson, N. C.; Ivison, R. J.; Isaak, K. G.; Schleicher, D. R. G.; van der Werf, P. P.; Baan, W. A.; Berciano Alba, A.; Garrett, M. A.; Loenen, A. F.

2018-06-01

We have observed 104 gravitationally lensed quasars at z ˜ 1-4 with Herschel/SPIRE, the largest such sample ever studied. By targeting gravitational lenses, we probe intrinsic far-infrared (FIR) luminosities and star formation rates (SFRs) more typical of the population than the extremely luminous sources that are otherwise accessible. We detect 72 objects with Herschel/SPIRE and find 66 per cent (69 sources) of the sample have spectral energy distributions (SEDs) characteristic of dust emission. For 53 objects with sufficiently constrained SEDs, we find a median effective dust temperature of 38^{+12}_{-5} K. By applying the radio-infrared correlation, we find no evidence for an FIR excess that is consistent with star-formation-heated dust. We derive a median magnification-corrected FIR luminosity of 3.6^{+4.8}_{-2.4} × 10^{11} L_{⊙} and median SFR of 120^{+160}_{-80} M_{⊙} yr^{-1}} for 94 quasars with redshifts. We find ˜10 per cent of our sample have FIR properties similar to typical dusty star-forming galaxies at z ˜ 2-3 and a range of SFRs <20-10 000 M⊙ yr-1 for our sample as a whole. These results are in line with current models of quasar evolution and suggests a coexistence of dust-obscured star formation and AGN activity is typical of most quasars. We do not find a statistically significant difference in the FIR luminosities of quasars in our sample with a radio excess relative to the radio-infrared correlation. Synchrotron emission is found to dominate at FIR wavelengths for <15 per cent of those sources classified as powerful radio galaxies.

Annual Report on Our Call to Action: Strategic Plan for the Montgomery County Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery County Public Schools, 2004

2004-01-01

In June 2003 the Board of Education adopted "Our Call to Action, Pursuit of Excellence," the second edition of the school system's strategic plan. This update of the original November 1999 Our Call to Action, while remaining focused on the core mission of providing every student with a high-quality, world-class education, strengthened the…

Learning Difficulties and Ethnicity: Updating a Framework for Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poxton, Richard

2012-01-01

This update of the Framework for Action highlights the continuing relevance of its message as well as those raised by Valuing People Now. People with learning difficulties and their families from Black and minority ethnic (BME) communities have been highlighted as a priority group by Valuing People since 2001 and remain a priority for better…

Remaining Sites Verification Package for the 100-F-44:2, Discovery Pipeline Near 108-F Building, Waste Site Reclassification Form 2007-006

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

J. M. Capron

2008-05-30

The 100-F-44:2 waste site is a steel pipeline that was discovered in a junction box during confirmatory sampling of the 100-F-26:4 pipeline from December 2004 through January 2005. The 100-F-44:2 pipeline feeds into the 100-F-26:4 subsite vitrified clay pipe (VCP) process sewer pipeline from the 108-F Biology Laboratory at the junction box. In accordance with this evaluation, the confirmatory sampling results support a reclassification of this site to No Action. The current site conditions achieve the remedial action objectives and the corresponding remedial action goals established in the Remaining Sites ROD. The results of confirmatory sampling show that residual contaminantmore » concentrations do not preclude any future uses and allow for unrestricted use of shallow zone soils. The results also demonstrate that residual contaminant concentrations are protective of groundwater and the Columbia River.« less

Self-interest and the theory of action.

PubMed

Barbalet, Jack

2012-09-01

The concept of self-interest remains underdeveloped in sociology although central to economics. Recent methodological and social trends render sociological indifference to the concept untenable. The term has enjoyed historical predominance in the West since the sixteenth century. While it is seen in modern economics as a singular motivating force, Adam Smith regarded self-interest in economic action as necessarily moderated by sympathy. In addition to its problematic economic conceptualization self-interest has an experiential basis in unequal power relations. An alternative to the concept of self-interest is presented by Amartya Sen in his account of commitment; its inconsistencies, however, render Sen's statement unsatisfactory. Differences between present and future interests indicate that the distinction between self-interested and other-interested action is not sustainable. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2012.

Neural theory for the perception of causal actions.

PubMed

Fleischer, Falk; Christensen, Andrea; Caggiano, Vittorio; Thier, Peter; Giese, Martin A

2012-07-01

The efficient prediction of the behavior of others requires the recognition of their actions and an understanding of their action goals. In humans, this process is fast and extremely robust, as demonstrated by classical experiments showing that human observers reliably judge causal relationships and attribute interactive social behavior to strongly simplified stimuli consisting of simple moving geometrical shapes. While psychophysical experiments have identified critical visual features that determine the perception of causality and agency from such stimuli, the underlying detailed neural mechanisms remain largely unclear, and it is an open question why humans developed this advanced visual capability at all. We created pairs of naturalistic and abstract stimuli of hand actions that were exactly matched in terms of their motion parameters. We show that varying critical stimulus parameters for both stimulus types leads to very similar modulations of the perception of causality. However, the additional form information about the hand shape and its relationship with the object supports more fine-grained distinctions for the naturalistic stimuli. Moreover, we show that a physiologically plausible model for the recognition of goal-directed hand actions reproduces the observed dependencies of causality perception on critical stimulus parameters. These results support the hypothesis that selectivity for abstract action stimuli might emerge from the same neural mechanisms that underlie the visual processing of natural goal-directed action stimuli. Furthermore, the model proposes specific detailed neural circuits underlying this visual function, which can be evaluated in future experiments.

Task-Based Language Learning and Teaching: An Action-Research Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calvert, Megan; Sheen, Younghee

2015-01-01

The creation, implementation, and evaluation of language learning tasks remain a challenge for many teachers, especially those with limited experience with using tasks in their teaching. This action-research study reports on one teacher's experience of developing, implementing, critically reflecting on, and modifying a language learning task…

Structure and pharmacological actions of phyllocaerulein, a caerulein-like nonapeptide

PubMed Central

Anastasi, A.; Bertaccini, G.; Cei, J. M.; De Caro, G.; Erspamer, V.; Impicciatore, M.

1969-01-01

1. The South American amphibian Phyllomedusa sauvagei contains in its skin large amounts of a polypeptide closely resembling caerulein in its pharmacological actions. This polypeptide, called phyllocaerulein, was obtained in a pure form, and upon acid hydrolysis, enzymic digestion and end-group determination experiments it proved to be a nonapeptide of the following composition Pyr-Glu-Tyr(SO3H)-Thr-Gly-Trp-Met-Asp-Phe-NH2 It may be seen that caerulein and phyllocaerulein have in common the C-terminal heptapeptide and the N-terminal pyroglutamyl residue. 2. Phyllocaerulein is indistinguishable from caerulein even in parallel bioassay. However, the former polypeptide seems to be somewhat more potent than the latter on all the preparations tested. 3. In different batches of Phyllomedusa sauvagei skin the phyllocaerulein content ranged between 150 and 600 μg/g of fresh tissue. Phyllocaerulein or similar polypeptides occur also in the skin of several other Phyllomedusa species, among which are Phyll. burmeisteri, Phyll. dachnicolor, Phyll, helenae, Phyll. annae, Phyll. callidryas and Phyll. bicolor. 4. The qualitative identification and quantitative estimation of caerulein-like polypeptides in crude skin extracts may be complicated by the concomitant occurrence of other active polypeptides. These, however, are poorly effective on some test preparations which seem to respond selectively to caerulein. 5. Like that of caerulein, the biological significance of phyllocaerulein is completely obscure. PMID:5824931

Role of cyclophilins in somatolactogenic action.

PubMed

Rycyzyn, M A; Clevenger, C V

2000-01-01

Prolactin (PRL) and growth hormone (GH) are members of the somatolactogenic hormone family, the pleiotropic actions of which are necessary for vertebrate growth and mammary differentiation. The basis for the specific function of these hormones has remained uncertain; however, their action is associated with internalization and translocation into the nucleus. A yeast two-hybrid screen identified an interaction between PRL and cyclophilin B (CypB), a peptidyl prolyl isomerase (PPI) found in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), extracellular space, and nucleus. The interaction between CypB and PRL/GH was confirmed in vitro and in vivo through the use of recombinant proteins and coimmunoprecipitation studies. The exogenous addition of CypB potentiated the proliferation of PRL- and GH-dependent cell lines 18- and 40-fold, respectively. The potentiation of PRL action by CypB was accompanied by a dramatic increase in the nuclear retrotranslocation of PRL. Immunogold electron microscopy has revealed this retrotransport to occur via a vesicular pathway. A CypB mutant, termed CypB-NT, was generated that lacked the putative wild-type N-terminal nuclear localization sequence. Although CypB-NT demonstrated levels of PRL binding and PPI activity equivalent to wild-type CypB, it was incapable of mediating the nuclear retrotranslocation of PRL or enhancing PRL-driven proliferation. These studies reveal CypB as an important chaperone facilitating the nuclear retrotransport and action of the somatolactogenic hormone family.

Variability of human corticospinal excitability tracks the state of action preparation.

PubMed

Klein-Flügge, Miriam C; Nobbs, David; Pitcher, Julia B; Bestmann, Sven

2013-03-27

Task-evoked trial-by-trial variability is a ubiquitous property of neural responses, yet its functional role remains largely unclear. Recent work in nonhuman primates shows that the temporal structure of neural variability in several brain regions is task-related. For example, trial-by-trial variability in premotor cortex tracks motor preparation with increasingly consistent firing rates and thus a decline in variability before movement onset. However, whether noninvasive measures of the variability of population activity available from humans can similarly track the preparation of actions remains unknown. We tested this by using single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over primary motor cortex (M1) to measure corticospinal excitability (CSE) at different times during action preparation. First, we established the basic properties of intrinsic CSE variability at rest. Then, during the task, responses (left or right button presses) were either directly instructed (forced choice) or resulted from a value decision (choice). Before movement onset, we observed a temporally specific task-related decline in CSE variability contralateral to the responding hand. This decline was stronger in fast-response compared with slow-response trials, consistent with data in nonhuman primates. For the nonresponding hand, CSE variability also decreased, but only in choice trials, and earlier compared with the responding hand, possibly reflecting choice-specific suppression of unselected actions. These findings suggest that human CSE variability measured by TMS over M1 tracks the state of motor preparation, and may reflect the optimization of preparatory population activity. This provides novel avenues in humans to assess the dynamics of action preparation but also more complex processes, such as choice-to-action transformations.

Binding action and emotion in first-episode schizophrenia.

PubMed

Ferri, Francesca; Costantini, Marcello; Salone, Anatolia; Ebisch, Sjoerd; De Berardis, Domenico; Mazzola, Viridiana; Arciero, Giampiero; Ferro, Filippo Maria; Di Giannantonio, Massimo; Romani, Gian Luca; Gallese, Vittorio

2014-01-01

Several components of social cognition are compromised in schizophrenia (SCZ) from the early stage of the illness. In this study we first investigated whether mirror neuron-driven embodied simulation (mnES) is altered in first-episode SCZ. Second, we tested whether emotional cues impact on the mnES in SCZ patients. Twenty-two SCZ patients and 22 healthy controls (HCs) observed goal-related actions in either a neutral or emotional context during functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning. Observation of neutral action elicited a lower activity in the frontoparietal network in SCZ patients, as compared to HCs. Particularly, activation in the left inferior parietal lobule in response to the same condition negatively correlated with patients' self-experience disturbances. Moreover, observation of an action performed by an angry agent produced poorer neural activity in the right anterior insula in SCZ patients as compared to HCs. This difference was mostly due to the negative β-values shown by SCZ patients, which positively correlated with their empathy scores. No differences were found contingent upon the observation of an action performed by a happy agent. Our results show that emotional cues allow SCZ patients to partially recover mnES. However, their understanding of the emotional components of the actions of others will likely remain deficient. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Guidelines for the recognition of cemetery remains in Greece.

PubMed

Eliopoulos, Constantine; Moraitis, Konstantinos; Reyes, Federico; Spiliopoulou, Chara; Manolis, Sotiris

2011-06-01

Forensic pathologists frequently consult anthropologists for the identification of skeletonized human remains. These remains may be the result of criminal activity or remains that were unearthed because of erosion, or during construction projects. In some cases, human remains that had been previously buried in a cemetery may be the subject of a forensic investigation. Early recognition of cemetery remains prevents unnecessary efforts and conserves precious resources. One of the key characteristics of cemetery remains is the presence of embalmed tissue. However, there are countries where embalming is not a common practice, and other clues must be sought for identifying previously buried remains. Current funerary customs in Greece and, in particular, the tradition of exhumations result in a large number of misplaced human remains. The present study presents examples of cemetery remains from Greece and offers guidelines for recognizing changes on skeletal remains that may be indicative of a cemetery origin. Location of discovery, condition of the remains, and the types of associated artifacts are all factors that aid forensic anthropologists in identifying cemetery remains.

An Unlikely Alliance: Re-Examining the Architecture of Affirmative Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graves, Karen

2014-01-01

The "Bakke" decision marked a turning point in higher education. Tested again most recently in "Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin," affirmative action policy remains in place even as the Roberts Court shakes its foundation by demanding a degree of administrative oversight not pursued by previous Courts. In spite of…

Small-bowel mucosal injuries in low-dose aspirin users with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding

PubMed Central

Iwamoto, Junichi; Mizokami, Yuji; Saito, Yoshifumi; Shimokobe, Koichi; Honda, Akira; Ikegami, Tadashi; Matsuzaki, Yasushi

2014-01-01

AIM: To investigate the clinical differences between small intestinal injuries in low-dose aspirin (LDA) users and in non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) users who were examined by capsule endoscopy (CE) for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). METHODS: A total of 181 patients who underwent CE for OGIB were included in this study. Based on clinical records, laboratory data such as hemoglobin levels, major symptoms, underlying diseases, the types and duration of LDA and NSAID use, and endoscopic characteristics of CE were reviewed. RESULTS: Out of a total of 45 cases of erosive lesions, 27 cases were taking LDA or NSAIDs (7 were on NSAIDs, 9 were on LDA alone, 9 were on LDA and thienopyridine, and 2 were on LDA and warfarin).The prevalence of ulcers or erosion during chronic use of LDA, LDA and the anti-platelet drug thienopyridine (clopidogrel or ticlopidine), and NSAIDs were 64.3%, 80.0%, and 75.0%, respectively. Erosive lesions were observed predominantly in chronic LDA users, while ulcerative lesions were detected mainly in NSAID users. However, concomitant use of thienopyridine such as clopidogrel with LDA increased the proportion of ulcers. The erosive lesions were located in the whole of the small intestine (jejunum and ileum), whereas ulcerative lesions were mainly observed in the ileum (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our CE findings indicate that chronic LDA users and NSAID users show different types and locations of small-bowel mucosal injuries. The concomitant use of anti-platelet drugs with LDA tends to exacerbate the injuries from LDA-type to NSAID-type injuries. PMID:25278707

Action preferences and the anticipation of action outcomes.

PubMed

Mann, David L; Schaefers, Teuntje; Cañal-Bruland, Rouwen

2014-10-01

Skilled performers of time-constrained motor actions acquire information about the action preferences of their opponents in an effort to better anticipate the outcome of that opponent's actions. However, there is reason to doubt that knowledge of an opponent's action preferences would unequivocally influence anticipatory responses in a positive way. It is possible that overt information about an opponent's actions could distract skilled performers from using the advance kinematic information they would usually rely on to anticipate actions, particularly when the opponent performs an 'unexpected' action that is not in accordance with his or her previous behaviour. The aim of this study was to examine how the ability to anticipate the outcome of an opponent's actions can be influenced by exposure to the action preferences of that opponent. Two groups of skilled handball goalkeepers anticipated the direction of penalty throws performed by opponents before and after a training intervention that provided situational probability information in the form of action preferences (AP). During the training phase participants in an AP-training group anticipated the action outcomes of two throwers who had a strong preference to throw in one particular direction, whilst participants in a NP-training group viewed players who threw equally to all directions. Exposure to opponents who did have an action preference during the training phase resulted in improved anticipatory performance if the opponent continued to bias their throws towards their preferred direction, but decreased performance if the opponent did not. These findings highlight that skilled observers use information about action preferences to enhance their anticipatory ability, but that doing so can be disadvantageous when the outcomes are no longer consistent with their generated expectations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Adipokines and insulin action: A sensitive issue.

PubMed

Knights, Alexander J; Funnell, Alister Pw; Pearson, Richard Cm; Crossley, Merlin; Bell-Anderson, Kim S

2014-04-01

Obesity is a major public health concern and a strong risk factor for insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and cardiovascular disease. The last two decades have seen a reconsideration of the role of white adipose tissue (WAT) in whole body metabolism and insulin action. Adipose tissue-derived cytokines and hormones, or adipokines, are likely mediators of metabolic function and dysfunction. While several adipokines have been associated with obese and insulin-resistant phenotypes, a select group has been linked with insulin sensitivity, namely leptin, adiponectin, and more recently, adipolin. What is known about these insulin-sensitizing molecules and their effects in healthy and insulin resistant states is the subject of this review. There remains a significant amount of research to do to fully elucidate the mechanisms of action of these adipokines for development of therapeutics in metabolic disease.

Influence of action-effect associations acquired by ideomotor learning on imitation.

PubMed

Bunlon, Frédérique; Marshall, Peter J; Quandt, Lorna C; Bouquet, Cedric A

2015-01-01

According to the ideomotor theory, actions are represented in terms of their perceptual effects, offering a solution for the correspondence problem of imitation (how to translate the observed action into a corresponding motor output). This effect-based coding of action is assumed to be acquired through action-effect learning. Accordingly, performing an action leads to the integration of the perceptual codes of the action effects with the motor commands that brought them about. While ideomotor theory is invoked to account for imitation, the influence of action-effect learning on imitative behavior remains unexplored. In two experiments, imitative performance was measured in a reaction time task following a phase of action-effect acquisition. During action-effect acquisition, participants freely executed a finger movement (index or little finger lifting), and then observed a similar (compatible learning) or a different (incompatible learning) movement. In Experiment 1, finger movements of left and right hands were presented as action-effects during acquisition. In Experiment 2, only right-hand finger movements were presented during action-effect acquisition and in the imitation task the observed hands were oriented orthogonally to participants' hands in order to avoid spatial congruency effects. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that imitative performance was improved after compatible learning, compared to incompatible learning. In Experiment 2, although action-effect learning involved perception of finger movements of right hand only, imitative capabilities of right- and left-hand finger movements were equally affected. These results indicate that an observed movement stimulus processed as the effect of an action can later prime execution of that action, confirming the ideomotor approach to imitation. We further discuss these findings in relation to previous studies of action-effect learning and in the framework of current ideomotor approaches to imitation.

Influence of Action-Effect Associations Acquired by Ideomotor Learning on Imitation

PubMed Central

Bunlon, Frédérique; Marshall, Peter J.; Quandt, Lorna C.; Bouquet, Cedric A.

2015-01-01

According to the ideomotor theory, actions are represented in terms of their perceptual effects, offering a solution for the correspondence problem of imitation (how to translate the observed action into a corresponding motor output). This effect-based coding of action is assumed to be acquired through action-effect learning. Accordingly, performing an action leads to the integration of the perceptual codes of the action effects with the motor commands that brought them about. While ideomotor theory is invoked to account for imitation, the influence of action-effect learning on imitative behavior remains unexplored. In two experiments, imitative performance was measured in a reaction time task following a phase of action-effect acquisition. During action-effect acquisition, participants freely executed a finger movement (index or little finger lifting), and then observed a similar (compatible learning) or a different (incompatible learning) movement. In Experiment 1, finger movements of left and right hands were presented as action-effects during acquisition. In Experiment 2, only right-hand finger movements were presented during action-effect acquisition and in the imitation task the observed hands were oriented orthogonally to participants’ hands in order to avoid spatial congruency effects. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that imitative performance was improved after compatible learning, compared to incompatible learning. In Experiment 2, although action-effect learning involved perception of finger movements of right hand only, imitative capabilities of right- and left-hand finger movements were equally affected. These results indicate that an observed movement stimulus processed as the effect of an action can later prime execution of that action, confirming the ideomotor approach to imitation. We further discuss these findings in relation to previous studies of action-effect learning and in the framework of current ideomotor approaches to imitation. PMID:25793755

Commercial motor vehicles : significant actions remain to improve truck safety

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-03-02

Typically, about 5,000 people die each year in truck-related crashes. This Subcommittee and others have been critical of the Department of Transportation's (DOT) progress in reducing this death toll. In May 1999, in part as a response to this concern...

Remaining Sites Verification Package for the 118-C-3:3, 105-C French Drains, Waste Site Reclassification Form 2006-016

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

R. A. Carlson

2006-04-24

The 118-C-3:3 french drains received condensate from the steam heating system in the 105-C Reactor Building. The 118-C-3:3 french drain meets the remedial action objectives specified in the Remaining Sites ROD. The results demonstrate that residual contaminant concentrations do not preclude any future uses and allow for unrestricted use of shallow zone soils. The results also demonstrate that residual contaminant concentrations are protective of groundwater and the Columbia River.

Choosing Actions

PubMed Central

Rosenbaum, David A.; Chapman, Kate M.; Coelho, Chase J.; Gong, Lanyun; Studenka, Breanna E.

2013-01-01

Actions that are chosen have properties that distinguish them from actions that are not. Of the nearly infinite possible actions that can achieve any given task, many of the unchosen actions are irrelevant, incorrect, or inappropriate. Others are relevant, correct, or appropriate but are disfavored for other reasons. Our research focuses on the question of what distinguishes actions that are chosen from actions that are possible but are not. We review studies that use simple preference methods to identify factors that contribute to action choices, especially for object-manipulation tasks. We can determine which factors are especially important through simple behavioral experiments. PMID:23761769

Do as I … Did! Long-term memory of imitative actions in dogs (Canis familiaris).

PubMed

Fugazza, Claudia; Pogány, Ákos; Miklósi, Ádám

2016-03-01

This study demonstrates long-term declarative memory of imitative actions in a non-human animal species. We tested 12 pet dogs for their ability to imitate human actions after retention intervals ranging from 1 to 24 h. For comparison, another 12 dogs were tested for the same actions without delay between demonstration and recall. Our test consisted of a modified version of the Do as I Do paradigm, combined with the two-action procedure to control for non-imitative processes. Imitative performance of dogs remained consistently high independent of increasing retention intervals, supporting the idea that dogs are able to retain mental representations of human actions for an extended period of time. The ability to imitate after such delays supports the use of long-term declarative memory.

Heavily reddened type 1 quasars at z > 2 - I. Evidence for significant obscured black hole growth at the highest quasar luminosities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerji, Manda; Alaghband-Zadeh, S.; Hewett, Paul C.; McMahon, Richard G.

2015-03-01

We present a new population of z > 2 dust-reddened, type 1 quasars with 0.5 ≲ E(B - V) ≲ 1.5, selected using near-infrared (NIR) imaging data from the UKIDSS-LAS (Large Area Survey), ESO-VHS (European Southern Obseratory-VISTA Hemisphere Survey) and WISE surveys. NIR spectra obtained using the Very Large Telescope for 24 new objects bring our total sample of spectroscopically confirmed hyperluminous (>1013 L⊙), high-redshift dusty quasars to 38. There is no evidence for reddened quasars having significantly different Hα equivalent widths relative to unobscured quasars. The average black hole masses (˜109-1010 M⊙) and bolometric luminosities (˜1047 erg s-1) are comparable to the most luminous unobscured quasars at the same redshift, but with a tail extending to very high luminosities of ˜1048 erg s-1. 66 per cent of the reddened quasars are detected at >3σ at 22 μm by WISE. The average 6-μm rest-frame luminosity is log10(L6 μm/ erg s-1) = 47.1 ± 0.4, making the objects among the mid-infrared brightest active galactic nuclei (AGN) currently known. The extinction-corrected space density estimate now extends over three magnitudes (-30 < Mi < -27) and demonstrates that the reddened quasar luminosity function is significantly flatter than that of the unobscured quasar population at z = 2-3. At the brightest magnitudes, Mi ≲ -29, the space density of our dust-reddened population exceeds that of unobscured quasars. A model where the probability that a quasar becomes dust reddened increases at high luminosity is consistent with the observations and such a dependence could be explained by an increase in luminosity and extinction during AGN-fuelling phases. The properties of our obscured type 1 quasars are distinct from the heavily obscured, Compton-thick AGN that have been identified at much fainter luminosities and we conclude that they likely correspond to a brief evolutionary phase in massive galaxy formation.

From wine to pepper: rotundone, an obscure sesquiterpene, is a potent spicy aroma compound.

PubMed

Wood, Claudia; Siebert, Tracey E; Parker, Mango; Capone, Dimitra L; Elsey, Gordon M; Pollnitz, Alan P; Eggers, Marcus; Meier, Manfred; Vössing, Tobias; Widder, Sabine; Krammer, Gerhard; Sefton, Mark A; Herderich, Markus J

2008-05-28

An obscure sesquiterpene, rotundone, has been identified as a hitherto unrecognized important aroma impact compound with a strong spicy, peppercorn aroma. Excellent correlations were observed between the concentration of rotundone and the mean 'black pepper' aroma intensity rated by sensory panels for both grape and wine samples, indicating that rotundone is a major contributor to peppery characters in Shiraz grapes and wine (and to a lesser extent in wine of other varieties). Approximately 80% of a sensory panel were very sensitive to the aroma of rotundone (aroma detection threshold levels of 16 ng/L in red wine and 8 ng/L in water). Above these concentrations, these panelists described the spiked samples as more 'peppery' and 'spicy'. However, approximately 20% of panelists could not detect this compound at the highest concentration tested (4000 ng/L), even in water. Thus, the sensory experiences of two consumers enjoying the same glass of Shiraz wine might be very different. Rotundone was found in much higher amounts in other common herbs and spices, especially black and white peppercorns, where it was present at approximately 10000 times the level found in very 'peppery' wine. Rotundone is the first compound found in black or white peppercorns that has a distinctive peppery aroma. Rotundone has an odor activity value in pepper on the order of 50000-250000 and is, on this criterion, by far the most powerful aroma compound yet found in that most important spice.

What's she doing in the kitchen? Context helps when actions are hard to recognize.

PubMed

Wurm, Moritz F; Schubotz, Ricarda I

2017-04-01

Specific spatial environments are often indicative of where certain actions may take place: In kitchens we prepare food, and in bathrooms we engage in personal hygiene, but not vice versa. In action recognition, contextual cues may constrain an observer's expectations toward actions that are more strongly associated with a particular context than others. Such cues should become particularly helpful when the action itself is difficult to recognize. However, to date only easily identifiable actions were investigated, and the effects of context on recognition were rather interfering than facilitatory. To test whether context also facilitates action recognition, we measured recognition performance of hardly identifiable actions that took place in compatible, incompatible, and neutral contextual settings. Action information was degraded by pixelizing the area of the object manipulation while the room in which the action took place remained fully visible. We found significantly higher accuracy for actions that took place in compatible compared to incompatible and neutral settings, indicating facilitation. Additionally, action recognition was slower in incompatible settings than in compatible and neutral settings, indicating interference. Together, our findings demonstrate that contextual information is effectively exploited during action observation, in particular when visual information about the action itself is sparse. Differential effects on speed and accuracy suggest that contexts modulate action recognition at different levels of processing. Our findings emphasize the importance of contextual information in comprehensive, ecologically valid models of action recognition.

Neurons in Anterior Cingulate Cortex Multiplex Information about Reward and Action

PubMed Central

Hayden, Benjamin Y.; Platt, Michael L.

2010-01-01

The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) is thought to play a critical role in forming associations between rewards and actions. Currently available physiological data, however, remain inconclusive regarding the question of whether dACC neurons carry information linking particular actions to reward or, instead, encode abstract reward information independent of specific actions. Here we show that firing rates of a majority of dACC neurons in a population studied in an eight-option variably rewarded choice task were sensitive to both saccade direction and reward value. Furthermore, the influences of reward and saccade direction on neuronal activity were roughly equal in magnitude over the range of rewards tested and were statistically independent. Our results indicate that dACC neurons multiplex information about both reward and action, endorsing the idea that this area links motivational outcomes to behavior and undermining the notion that its neurons solely contribute to reward processing in the abstract. PMID:20203193

Proceedings of the Scientific Conference on Obscuration and Aerosol Research Held in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland on June 24 - 28, 1991

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-06-01

authorizing documents. form Approved REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 014 N, 0704-0188 ’ubhi rl | buwdcr fo, ths - ir c -( I MI N ,tv , -s• . l I C1, .C, 1...4jq I wl o 4A *soarq IhP I rt fn In, ....v. wlCrJ u tru, lnn t. i ,arsh-3q %I q dAIt,I viwl5C’ 1,I1-, l of ndr " s sdssl Ir1| A d’s h ro-lsq.g’ h r’ d...Obscuration Aerosol Absorption Infrared ’I- ,’ŕ<I (0Itr Scattering 3Izing SIIke (Continued on page 2) 1" TI U RtI1Y ,IA’,.¶It𔃻 • L ,s tI ’ •’’ (I •*,s

Black hole growth and starburst activity at z = 0.6-4 in the Chandra Deep Field South. Host galaxies properties of obscured AGN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brusa, M.; Fiore, F.; Santini, P.; Grazian, A.; Comastri, A.; Zamorani, G.; Hasinger, G.; Merloni, A.; Civano, F.; Fontana, A.; Mainieri, V.

2009-12-01

Aims: The co-evolution of host galaxies and the active black holes which reside in their centre is one of the most important topics in modern observational cosmology. Here we present a study of the properties of obscured active galactic nuclei (AGN) detected in the CDFS 1 Ms observation and their host galaxies. Methods: We limited the analysis to the MUSIC area, for which deep K-band observations obtained with ISAAC@VLT are available, ensuring accurate identifications of the counterparts of the X-ray sources as well as reliable determination of photometric redshifts and galaxy parameters, such as stellar masses and star formation rates. In particular, we: 1) refined the X-ray/infrared/optical association of 179 sources in the MUSIC area detected in the Chandra observation; 2) studied the host galaxies observed and rest frame colors and properties. Results: We found that X-ray selected (LX ⪆ 1042 erg s-1) AGN show Spitzer colors consistent with both AGN and starburst dominated infrared continuum; the latter would not have been selected as AGN from infrared diagnostics. The host galaxies of X-ray selected obscured AGN are all massive (Mast > 1010 M_⊙) and, in 50% of the cases, are also actively forming stars (1/SSFR < tHubble) in dusty environments. The median L/LEdd value of the active nucleus is between 2% and 10% depending on the assumed MBH/Mast ratio. Finally, we found that the X-ray selected AGN fraction increases with the stellar mass up to a value of 30% at z > 1 and Mast > 3 × 1011 M_⊙, a fraction significantly higher than in the local Universe for AGN of similar luminosities. Tables [see full textsee full textsee full text] and [see full textsee full textsee full text] are only available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Mechanisms of action of ligands of potential-dependent sodium channels.

PubMed

Tikhonov, D B

2008-06-01

Potential-dependent sodium channels play a leading role in generating action potentials in excitable cells. Sodium channels are the site of action of a variety of modulator ligands. Despite numerous studies, the mechanisms of action of many modulators remain incompletely understood. The main reason that many important questions cannot be resolved is that there is a lack of precise data on the structures of the channels themselves. Structurally, potential-dependent sodium channels are members of the P-loop channel superfamily, which also include potassium and calcium channels and glutamate receptor channels. Crystallization of a series of potassium channels showed that it was possible to analyze the structures of different members of the superfamily using the "homologous modeling" method. The present study addresses model investigations of the actions of ligands of sodium channels, including tetrodotoxin and batrachotoxin, as well as local anesthetics. Comparison of experimental data on sodium channel ligands with x-ray analysis data allowed us to reach a new level of understanding of the mechanisms of channel modulation and to propose a series of experimentally verifiable hypotheses.

Everyday robotic action: lessons from human action control

PubMed Central

de Kleijn, Roy; Kachergis, George; Hommel, Bernhard

2014-01-01

Robots are increasingly capable of performing everyday human activities such as cooking, cleaning, and doing the laundry. This requires the real-time planning and execution of complex, temporally extended sequential actions under high degrees of uncertainty, which provides many challenges to traditional approaches to robot action control. We argue that important lessons in this respect can be learned from research on human action control. We provide a brief overview of available psychological insights into this issue and focus on four principles that we think could be particularly beneficial for robot control: the integration of symbolic and subsymbolic planning of action sequences, the integration of feedforward and feedback control, the clustering of complex actions into subcomponents, and the contextualization of action-control structures through goal representations. PMID:24672474

Action-based flood forecasting for triggering humanitarian action

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coughlan de Perez, Erin; van den Hurk, Bart; van Aalst, Maarten K.; Amuron, Irene; Bamanya, Deus; Hauser, Tristan; Jongma, Brenden; Lopez, Ana; Mason, Simon; Mendler de Suarez, Janot; Pappenberger, Florian; Rueth, Alexandra; Stephens, Elisabeth; Suarez, Pablo; Wagemaker, Jurjen; Zsoter, Ervin

2016-09-01

Too often, credible scientific early warning information of increased disaster risk does not result in humanitarian action. With financial resources tilted heavily towards response after a disaster, disaster managers have limited incentive and ability to process complex scientific data, including uncertainties. These incentives are beginning to change, with the advent of several new forecast-based financing systems that provide funding based on a forecast of an extreme event. Given the changing landscape, here we demonstrate a method to select and use appropriate forecasts for specific humanitarian disaster prevention actions, even in a data-scarce location. This action-based forecasting methodology takes into account the parameters of each action, such as action lifetime, when verifying a forecast. Forecasts are linked with action based on an understanding of (1) the magnitude of previous flooding events and (2) the willingness to act "in vain" for specific actions. This is applied in the context of the Uganda Red Cross Society forecast-based financing pilot project, with forecasts from the Global Flood Awareness System (GloFAS). Using this method, we define the "danger level" of flooding, and we select the probabilistic forecast triggers that are appropriate for specific actions. Results from this methodology can be applied globally across hazards and fed into a financing system that ensures that automatic, pre-funded early action will be triggered by forecasts.

Proteomic and metallomic strategies for understanding the mode of action of anticancer metallodrugs.

PubMed

Gabbiani, Chiara; Magherini, Francesca; Modesti, Alessandra; Messori, Luigi

2010-05-01

Since the discovery of cisplatin and its introduction in the clinics, metal compounds have been intensely investigated in view of their possible application in cancer therapy. In this frame, a deeper understanding of their mode of action, still rather obscure, might turn crucial for the design and the obtainment of new and better anticancer agents. Due to the extreme complexity of the biological systems, it is now widely accepted that innovative and information-rich methods are absolutely needed to afford such a goal. Recently, both proteomic and metallomic strategies were successfully implemented for the elucidation of specific mechanistic features of anticancer metallodrugs within an innovative "Systems Biology" perspective. Particular attention was paid to the following issues: i) proteomic studies of the molecular basis of platinum resistance; ii) proteomic analysis of cellular responses to cytotoxic metallodrugs; iii) metallomic studies of the transformation and fate of metallodrugs in cellular systems. Notably, those pioneering studies, that are reviewed here, allowed a significant progress in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of metal based drugs at the cellular level. A further extension of those studies and a closer integration of proteomic and metallomic strategies and technologies might realistically lead to rapid and significant advancements in the mechanistic knowledge of anticancer metallodrugs.

Reconsidering Affirmative Action in Education as a Good for the Disadvantaged

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Liz

2008-01-01

Affirmative action in higher education remains a controversial topic in the US today, as it is tied in directly with citizens' varying conceptions of the larger society, and the importance of racial and other differences (in particular, socioeconomic class) in individual experiences and outcomes. This essay examines different arguments for and…

Move Your Audience to Action: Using YouTube to Teach Persuasion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quagliata, Andrew B.

2014-01-01

For more than 75 years, instructors have taught students to use Monroe's (1935) Motivated Sequence (MMS) when organizing speeches designed to move audiences to action. However, modern approaches to teaching the sequence are needed to help instructors remain relevant and effective. This activity advocates the use of constructivist pedagogical…

NuSTAR Observations of Heavily Obscured Quasars at z Is Approximately 0.5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lansbury, G. B.; Alexander, D. M.; Del Moro, A.; Gandhi, P.; Assef, R. J.; Stern, D.; Aird, J.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Balokovic, M.; Bauer, F. E.;

Molecular Gas in Obscured and Extremely Red Quasars at z ˜ 2.5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexandroff, Rachael; Zakamska, Nadia; Hamann, Fred; Greene, Jenny; Rahman, Mubdi

2018-01-01

Quasar feedback is a key element of modern galaxy evolution theory. During powerful episodes of feedback, quasar-driven winds are suspected of removing large amounts of molecular gas from the host galaxy, thus limiting supplies for star formation and ultimately curtailing the maximum mass of galaxies. Here we present Karl A. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) observations of the CO(1-0) transition in 11 powerful obscured and extremely red quasars (ERQs) at z~2.5. Previous observations have shown that several of these targets display signatures of powerful quasar-driven winds in their ionized gas. Molecular emission is not detected in a single object, whether kinematically disturbed due to a quasar wind or in equilibrium with the host galaxy and neither is molecular gas detected in a combined stack of all objects (equivalent to an exposure time of over 10 hours with the VLA). This observation is in contrast with the previous suggestions that such objects should occupy gas-rich, extremely star-forming galaxies. Possible explanations include a paucity of molecular gas or an excess of high- excitation molecular gas, both of which could be the results of quasar feedback. In the radio continuum, we detect an average point-like (< 5 kpc) emission with luminosity νLν[33 GHz]=2.2 x 1042 erg s-1, consistent with optically-thin (α ≈ -1.0) synchrotron with some possible contribution from thermal free-free emission. The continuum radio emission of these radio-intermediate objects may be a bi-product of radiatively driven winds or may be due to weak jets confined to the host galaxy.

Unmanned Aerial Systems: Further Actions Needed to Fully Address Air Force and Army Pilot Workforce Challenges

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-16

UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS Further Actions Needed to Fully Address Air Force and Army Pilot Workforce Challenges...Armed Services, U.S. Senate March 16, 2016 UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS Further Actions Needed to Fully Address Air Force and Army Pilot Workforce ...High-performing organizations use complete and current data to inform their strategic human capital planning and remain open to reevaluating workforce

Association between asthma and female sex hormones.

PubMed

Baldaçara, Raquel Prudente de Carvalho; Silva, Ivaldo

2017-01-01

The relationship between sex hormones and asthma has been evaluated in several studies. The aim of this review article was to investigate the association between asthma and female sex hormones, under different conditions (premenstrual asthma, use of oral contraceptives, menopause, hormone replacement therapy and pregnancy). Narrative review of the medical literature, Universidade Federal do Tocantins (UFT) and Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp). We searched the CAPES journal portal, a Brazilian platform that provides access to articles in the MEDLINE, PubMed, SciELO, and LILACS databases. The following keywords were used based on Medical Subject Headings: asthma, sex hormones, women and use of oral contraceptives. The associations between sex hormones and asthma remain obscure. In adults, asthma is more common in women than in men. In addition, mortality due to asthma is significantly higher among females. The immune system is influenced by sex hormones: either because progesterone stimulates progesterone-induced blocking factor and Th2 cytokines or because contraceptives derived from progesterone and estrogen stimulate the transcription factor GATA-3. The associations between asthma and female sex hormones remain obscure. We speculate that estrogen fluctuations are responsible for asthma exacerbations that occur in women. Because of the anti-inflammatory action of estrogen, it decreases TNF-α production, interferon-γ expression and NK cell activity. We suggest that further studies that highlight the underlying physiopathological mechanisms contributing towards these interactions should be conducted.

Hearing sounds, understanding actions: action representation in mirror neurons.

PubMed

Kohler, Evelyne; Keysers, Christian; Umiltà, M Alessandra; Fogassi, Leonardo; Gallese, Vittorio; Rizzolatti, Giacomo

2002-08-02

Many object-related actions can be recognized by their sound. We found neurons in monkey premotor cortex that discharge when the animal performs a specific action and when it hears the related sound. Most of the neurons also discharge when the monkey observes the same action. These audiovisual mirror neurons code actions independently of whether these actions are performed, heard, or seen. This discovery in the monkey homolog of Broca's area might shed light on the origin of language: audiovisual mirror neurons code abstract contents-the meaning of actions-and have the auditory access typical of human language to these contents.

Lawn Care Pesticides. Risks Remain Uncertain While Prohibited Safety Claims Continue

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-03-23

Trade Commission (FrC), under its own legislative authority to protect consumers against false and deceptive advertising , can take enforcement action...vides to the public about the safety of its products, federal enforcement actions taken against lawn care pesticide safety advertising claims, and...in reassessing the risks of these pesticides. FIFRA also authorizes EPA to take enforcement action against advertising claims made by pesticide

49 CFR 27.11 - Remedial action, voluntary action and compliance planning.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Remedial action, voluntary action and compliance....11 Remedial action, voluntary action and compliance planning. (a) Remedial action. (1) If the... discrimination not occurred. (b) Voluntary action. A recipient may take steps, in addition to any action that is...

Women's responses to intimate partner violence in Rwanda: Rethinking agency in constrained social contexts.

PubMed

Mannell, Jenevieve; Jackson, Sharon; Umutoni, Aline

2016-01-01

This paper explores instances of agency in women's responses to intimate partner violence (IPV) in Rwanda. The literature on women's responses to IPV conceptualises agency primarily as an individual's capacity to take action by reporting violence or leaving a relationship, obscuring other ways women may respond to violence in contexts where reporting or leaving are unlikely. We aim to replace this narrow conceptualisation of agency with a social constructivist focus on the meanings women attribute to possible IPV responses. We draw on data from a study of IPV in Rwanda, which includes semi-structured interviews with women experiencing violence and four focus group discussions with women community members (n = 39). Our findings highlight sociocultural, economic, political-legal and historical constraints that shape women's actions in this context. In relation to these constraints, women describe four possible responses to IPV: reporting the violence; seeking emotional support; 'fighting back' against violence; or remaining silent. While reporting and leaving violent relationships are identified, women also discuss the social constraints that make these actions extremely difficult. In designing effective strategies, we conclude that public health strategies need to consider women's understandings of their own actions, particularly in social contexts where certain actions may be constrained.

Identification of the remains of King Richard III.

PubMed

King, Turi E; Fortes, Gloria Gonzalez; Balaresque, Patricia; Thomas, Mark G; Balding, David; Maisano Delser, Pierpaolo; Neumann, Rita; Parson, Walther; Knapp, Michael; Walsh, Susan; Tonasso, Laure; Holt, John; Kayser, Manfred; Appleby, Jo; Forster, Peter; Ekserdjian, David; Hofreiter, Michael; Schürer, Kevin

2014-12-02

In 2012, a skeleton was excavated at the presumed site of the Grey Friars friary in Leicester, the last-known resting place of King Richard III. Archaeological, osteological and radiocarbon dating data were consistent with these being his remains. Here we report DNA analyses of both the skeletal remains and living relatives of Richard III. We find a perfect mitochondrial DNA match between the sequence obtained from the remains and one living relative, and a single-base substitution when compared with a second relative. Y-chromosome haplotypes from male-line relatives and the remains do not match, which could be attributed to a false-paternity event occurring in any of the intervening generations. DNA-predicted hair and eye colour are consistent with Richard's appearance in an early portrait. We calculate likelihood ratios for the non-genetic and genetic data separately, and combined, and conclude that the evidence for the remains being those of Richard III is overwhelming.

Identification of the remains of King Richard III

PubMed Central

King, Turi E.; Fortes, Gloria Gonzalez; Balaresque, Patricia; Thomas, Mark G.; Balding, David; Delser, Pierpaolo Maisano; Neumann, Rita; Parson, Walther; Knapp, Michael; Walsh, Susan; Tonasso, Laure; Holt, John; Kayser, Manfred; Appleby, Jo; Forster, Peter; Ekserdjian, David; Hofreiter, Michael; Schürer, Kevin

2014-01-01

In 2012, a skeleton was excavated at the presumed site of the Grey Friars friary in Leicester, the last-known resting place of King Richard III. Archaeological, osteological and radiocarbon dating data were consistent with these being his remains. Here we report DNA analyses of both the skeletal remains and living relatives of Richard III. We find a perfect mitochondrial DNA match between the sequence obtained from the remains and one living relative, and a single-base substitution when compared with a second relative. Y-chromosome haplotypes from male-line relatives and the remains do not match, which could be attributed to a false-paternity event occurring in any of the intervening generations. DNA-predicted hair and eye colour are consistent with Richard’s appearance in an early portrait. We calculate likelihood ratios for the non-genetic and genetic data separately, and combined, and conclude that the evidence for the remains being those of Richard III is overwhelming. PMID:25463651

Where is the action? Action sentence processing in Parkinson's disease

PubMed Central

Fernandino, Leonardo; Conant, Lisa L.; Binder, Jeffrey R.; Blindauer, Karen; Hiner, Bradley; Spangler, Katie; Desai, Rutvik H.

2013-01-01

According to an influential view of conceptual representation, action concepts are understood through motoric simulations, involving motor networks of the brain. A stronger version of this embodied account suggests that even figurative uses of action words (e.g., grasping the concept) are understood through motoric simulations. We investigated these claims by assessing whether Parkinson's disease (PD), a disorder affecting the motor system, is associated with selective deficits in comprehending action-related sentences. Twenty PD patients and 21 age-matched controls performed a sentence comprehension task, where sentences belonged to one of four conditions: literal action, non-idiomatic metaphoric action, idiomatic action, and abstract. The same verbs (referring to hand/arm actions) were used in the three action-related conditions. Patients, but not controls, were slower to respond to literal and idiomatic action than to abstract sentences. These results indicate that sensory-motor systems play a functional role in semantic processing, including processing of figurative action language. PMID:23624313

ParticipACTION: Baseline assessment of the capacity available to the 'New ParticipACTION': A qualitative study of Canadian organizations.

PubMed

Faulkner, Guy; McCloy, Cora; Plotnikoff, Ronald C; Bauman, Adrian; Brawley, Larry R; Chad, Karen; Gauvin, Lise; Spence, John C; Tremblay, Mark S

2009-12-09

Evaluation of the original ParticipACTION campaign effects focused on individual awareness, recall, and understanding. Less studied has been the impact such campaigns have had on the broader organizational capacity to mobilize and advocate for physical activity. With the relaunch of ParticipACTION, the purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore baseline organizational capacity to promote physical activity messages, programs, and services within the Canadian context. Using a purposeful sampling strategy, we conducted semi-structured telephone interviews with 49 key informants representing a range of national, provincial, and local organizations with a mandate to promote physical activity. Interview data were analysed using a thematic analytic approach. Key informants painted a generally positive picture of current organizational capacity to promote physical activity messages, programs, and services in Canada. Will and leadership were clear strengths while infrastructure limitations remained the greatest concern. Some specific challenges included: 1) funding issues: the absence of core funding in a climate of shifting funding priorities; 2) the difficulty of working without a national physical activity policy (lack of leadership); 3) inconsistent provincial and educational sector level policies; and 4) a persistent focus on obesity rather than physical inactivity. The data generated here can be utilized to monitor the future impact of ParticipACTION on enhancing and utilizing this organizational capacity. A range of indicators are suggested that could be used to illustrate ParticipACTION's impact on the broad field of physical activity promotion in the future.

A non-destructive method for dating human remains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lail, Warren K.; Sammeth, David; Mahan, Shannon; Nevins, Jason

2013-01-01

The skeletal remains of several Native Americans were recovered in an eroded state from a creek bank in northeastern New Mexico. Subsequently stored in a nearby museum, the remains became lost for almost 36 years. In a recent effort to repatriate the remains, it was necessary to fit them into a cultural chronology in order to determine the appropriate tribe(s) for consultation pursuant to the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Because the remains were found in an eroded context with no artifacts or funerary objects, their age was unknown. Having been asked to avoid destructive dating methods such as radiocarbon dating, the authors used Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) to date the sediments embedded in the cranium. The OSL analyses yielded reliable dates between A.D. 1415 and A.D. 1495. Accordingly, we conclude that the remains were interred somewhat earlier than A.D. 1415, but no later than A.D. 1495. We believe the remains are from individuals ancestral to the Ute Mouache Band, which is now being contacted for repatriation efforts. Not only do our methods contribute to the immediate repatriation efforts, they provide archaeologists with a versatile, non-destructive, numerical dating method that can be used in many burial contexts.

Corrective Action Decision Document for Corrective Action Unit 562: Waste Systems Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Revision 0

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mark Krause

2010-08-01

corrective action is required. Assessment of the data generated from investigation activities conducted at CAU 562 is shown in Table ES-1. Based on the evaluation of analytical data from the CAI, review of future and current operations at the 13 CASs, and the detailed and comparative analysis of the potential CAAs, the following corrective actions are recommended for CAU 562. • No further action is the preferred corrective action for CASs 02-60-01, 02-60-06, and 02-60-07. • Clean closure is the preferred corrective action for CASs 02-26-11, 02-44-02, 02-59-01, 02-60-02, 02-60-03, 02-60-04, 02-60-05, 23-60-01, 23-99-06, and 25-60-04. The preferred CAAs were evaluated on technical merit focusing on performance, reliability, feasibility, safety, and cost. The alternatives were judged to meet all requirements for the technical components evaluated. The alternatives meet all applicable federal and state regulations for closure of the site and will reduce potential exposures to contaminated media to acceptable levels. The DOE, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office provides the following recommendations: • No further corrective action is required at CASs 02-60-01, 02-60-06, and 02-60-07. • Clean closure is recommended for the remaining 10 CASs in CAU 562. • A Corrective Action Plan will be submitted to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection that contains a detailed description of the proposed actions that will be taken to implement the selected corrective actions.« less

Odor analysis of decomposing buried human remains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vass, Arpad Alexander; Smith, Rob R; Thompson, Cyril V

2008-01-01

This study, conducted at the University of Tennessee's Anthropological Research Facility (ARF), lists and ranks the primary chemical constituents which define the odor of decomposition of human remains as detected at the soil surface of shallow burial sites. Triple sorbent traps were used to collect air samples in the field and revealed eight major classes of chemicals which now contain 478 specific volatile compounds associated with burial decomposition. Samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and were collected below and above the body, and at the soil surface of 1.5-3.5 ft. (0.46-1.07 m) deep burial sites of four individualsmore » over a 4-year time span. New data were incorporated into the previously established Decompositional Odor Analysis (DOA) Database providing identification, chemical trends, and semi-quantitation of chemicals for evaluation. This research identifies the 'odor signatures' unique to the decomposition of buried human remains with projected ramifications on human remains detection canine training procedures and in the development of field portable analytical instruments which can be used to locate human remains in shallow burial sites.« less

Key findings and remaining questions in the areas of core-concrete interaction and debris coolability

DOE PAGES

Farmer, M. T.; Gerardi, C.; Bremer, N.; ...

2016-10-31

The reactor accidents at Fukushima-Dai-ichi have rekindled interest in late phase severe accident behavior involving reactor pressure vessel breach and discharge of molten core melt into the containment. Two technical issues of interest in this area include core-concrete interaction and the extent to which the core debris may be quenched and rendered coolable by top flooding. The OECD-sponsored Melt Coolability and Concrete Interaction (MCCI) programs at Argonne National Laboratory included the conduct of large scale reactor material experiments and associated analysis with the objectives of resolving the ex-vessel debris coolability issue, and to address remaining uncertainties related to long-term two-dimensionalmore » molten core-concrete interactions under both wet and dry cavity conditions. These tests provided a broad database to support accident management planning, as well as the development and validation of models and codes that can be used to extrapolate the experiment results to plant conditions. This paper provides a high level overview of the key experiment results obtained during the program. Finally, a discussion is also provided that describes technical gaps that remain in this area, several of which have arisen based on the sequence of events and operator actions during Fukushima.« less

Key findings and remaining questions in the areas of core-concrete interaction and debris coolability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farmer, M. T.; Gerardi, C.; Bremer, N.

The reactor accidents at Fukushima-Dai-ichi have rekindled interest in late phase severe accident behavior involving reactor pressure vessel breach and discharge of molten core melt into the containment. Two technical issues of interest in this area include core-concrete interaction and the extent to which the core debris may be quenched and rendered coolable by top flooding. The OECD-sponsored Melt Coolability and Concrete Interaction (MCCI) programs at Argonne National Laboratory included the conduct of large scale reactor material experiments and associated analysis with the objectives of resolving the ex-vessel debris coolability issue, and to address remaining uncertainties related to long-term two-dimensionalmore » molten core-concrete interactions under both wet and dry cavity conditions. These tests provided a broad database to support accident management planning, as well as the development and validation of models and codes that can be used to extrapolate the experiment results to plant conditions. This paper provides a high level overview of the key experiment results obtained during the program. Finally, a discussion is also provided that describes technical gaps that remain in this area, several of which have arisen based on the sequence of events and operator actions during Fukushima.« less

Collective action and the collaborative brain

PubMed Central

Gavrilets, Sergey

2015-01-01

Humans are unique both in their cognitive abilities and in the extent of cooperation in large groups of unrelated individuals. How our species evolved high intelligence in spite of various costs of having a large brain is perplexing. Equally puzzling is how our ancestors managed to overcome the collective action problem and evolve strong innate preferences for cooperative behaviour. Here, I theoretically study the evolution of social-cognitive competencies as driven by selection emerging from the need to produce public goods in games against nature or in direct competition with other groups. I use collaborative ability in collective actions as a proxy for social-cognitive competencies. My results suggest that collaborative ability is more likely to evolve first by between-group conflicts and then later be utilized and improved in games against nature. If collaborative abilities remain low, the species is predicted to become genetically dimorphic with a small proportion of individuals contributing to public goods and the rest free-riding. Evolution of collaborative ability creates conditions for the subsequent evolution of collaborative communication and cultural learning. PMID:25551149

Facility's employment practices reflect affirmative action commitment.

PubMed

Glaser, J W; Madden, M J

1984-04-01

The U.S. bishops' statements on racism over the last 40 years have addressed the structural as well as the personal aspects of racial discrimination. They have noted its persistence, described it as a moral and religious problem, and called for aggressive action among Catholics to combat it. "Meaningful equality" for blacks, however, remains a distant dream, the U.S. Supreme Court noted in a recent case involving institutional discrimination, because of the basically disadvantaged position into which blacks are born. As statistics on health, education, work, and standard of living illustrate, the socioeconomic opportunities available to blacks are markedly lower than those available to white Americans. Despite these odds, efforts to improve blacks' chances of contributing to society--through affirmative action programs--have achieved striking results in industry. Hospitals, as major workplaces, likewise should focus greater attention on developing and extending minority employment and advancement programs. Catholic health care facilities especially should evaluate their commitments to affirmative action. Increased efforts to eliminate discrimination in all aspects of a hospital's relationships with the business community as well as with its own employees will cause them to be recognized as symbols of justice not only in the workplace but also in society.

The Effects of Soil Texture on the Ability of Human Remains Detection Dogs to Detect Buried Human Remains.

PubMed

Alexander, Michael B; Hodges, Theresa K; Wescott, Daniel J; Aitkenhead-Peterson, Jacqueline A

2016-05-01

Despite technological advances, human remains detection (HRD) dogs still remain one of the best tools for locating clandestine graves. However, soil texture may affect the escape of decomposition gases and therefore the effectiveness of HDR dogs. Six nationally credentialed HRD dogs (three HRD only and three cross-trained) were evaluated on novel buried human remains in contrasting soils, a clayey and a sandy soil. Search time and accuracy were compared for the clayey soil and sandy soil to assess odor location difficulty. Sandy soil (p < 0.001) yielded significantly faster trained response times, but no significant differences were found in performance accuracy between soil textures or training method. Results indicate soil texture may be significant factor in odor detection difficulty. Prior knowledge of soil texture and moisture may be useful for search management and planning. Appropriate adjustments to search segment sizes, sweep widths and search time allotment depending on soil texture may optimize successful detection. © 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Thought-action fusion and anxiety disorders symptoms in normal adolescents.

PubMed

Muris, P; Meesters, C; Rassin, E; Merckelbach, H; Campbell, J

2001-07-01

The present study examined thought-action fusion (TAF) in a large sample of normal adolescents (n=427). Participants completed the Thought-Action Fusion Questionnaire for Adolescents (TAFQ-A) and scales measuring trait anxiety, symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, other anxiety disorders, and depression. Results showed that the TAFQ-A is a reliable instrument assessing two dimensions of TAF, viz. Morality (i.e., the belief that unacceptable thoughts are morally equivalent to overt actions) and Likelihood (i.e., the belief that thinking of an unacceptable or disturbing situation will increase the probability that that situation actually occurs). Furthermore, TAF was not only associated with symptoms of OCD, but also with symptoms of other anxiety disorders and depression. However, when controlling for levels of trait anxiety, most connections between TAF and anxiety disorders symptoms disappeared. Symptoms of OCD and generalised anxiety remained significantly related to TAF. Altogether, the data are supportive of the notion that TAF is involved in a broad range of anxiety disorders and in particular OCD.

Action potentials drive body wall muscle contractions in Caenorhabditis elegans

PubMed Central

Gao, Shangbang; Zhen, Mei

2011-01-01

The sinusoidal locomotion exhibited by Caenorhabditis elegans predicts a tight regulation of contractions and relaxations of its body wall muscles. Vertebrate skeletal muscle contractions are driven by voltage-gated sodium channel–dependent action potentials. How coordinated motor outputs are regulated in C. elegans, which does not have voltage-gated sodium channels, remains unknown. Here, we show that C. elegans body wall muscles fire all-or-none, calcium-dependent action potentials that are driven by the L-type voltage-gated calcium and Kv1 voltage-dependent potassium channels. We further demonstrate that the excitatory and inhibitory motoneuron activities regulate the frequency of action potentials to coordinate muscle contraction and relaxation, respectively. This study provides direct evidence for the dual-modulatory model of the C. elegans motor circuit; moreover, it reveals a mode of motor control in which muscle cells integrate graded inputs of the nervous system and respond with all-or-none electrical signals. PMID:21248227

Dissociable intrinsic functional networks support noun-object and verb-action processing.

PubMed

Yang, Huichao; Lin, Qixiang; Han, Zaizhu; Li, Hongyu; Song, Luping; Chen, Lingjuan; He, Yong; Bi, Yanchao

2017-12-01

The processing mechanism of verbs-actions and nouns-objects is a central topic of language research, with robust evidence for behavioral dissociation. The neural basis for these two major word and/or conceptual classes, however, remains controversial. Two experiments were conducted to study this question from the network perspective. Experiment 1 found that nodes of the same class, obtained through task-evoked brain imaging meta-analyses, were more strongly connected with each other than nodes of different classes during resting-state, forming segregated network modules. Experiment 2 examined the behavioral relevance of these intrinsic networks using data from 88 brain-damaged patients, finding that across patients the relative strength of functional connectivity of the two networks significantly correlated with the noun-object vs. verb-action relative behavioral performances. In summary, we found that verbs-actions and nouns-objects are supported by separable intrinsic functional networks and that the integrity of such networks accounts for the relative noun-object- and verb-action-selective deficits. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"Wuwei" (Non-Action) Philosophy and Actions: Rethinking "Actions" in School Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moon, Seungho

2015-01-01

This inquiry aims to enrich conversation regarding school reform. The author asks about what other discourses are possible when the action-oriented question of how to "act" is a major approach to "fix" current educational problems. Drawing from Taoist philosophy of "wuwei" (non-action), the author provides a frame to…

The Coordinated Actions of TIM-3 on Cancer and Myeloid Cells in the Regulation of Tumorigenicity and Clinical Prognosis in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinomas.

PubMed

Komohara, Yoshihiro; Morita, Tomoko; Annan, Dorcas A; Horlad, Hasita; Ohnishi, Koji; Yamada, Sohsuke; Nakayama, Toshiyuki; Kitada, Shohei; Suzu, Shinya; Kinoshita, Ichiro; Dosaka-Akita, Hirotoshi; Akashi, Koichi; Takeya, Motohiro; Jinushi, Masahisa

2015-09-01

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is one of most common cancers in urogenital organs. Although recent experimental and clinical studies have shown the immunogenic properties of ccRCC as illustrated by the clinical sensitivities to various immunotherapies, the detailed immunoregulatory machineries governing the tumorigenicity of human ccRCC remain largely obscure. In this study, we demonstrated the clinical significance and functional relevance of T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing molecule-3 (TIM-3) expressed on tumor cells and myeloid cells in patients with ccRCC. TIM-3 expression was detected on cancer cells and CD204(+) tumor-associated macrophages (TAM), and higher expression level of TIM-3 was positively correlated with shorter progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with ccRCC. We found that TIM-3 expression was detected on a large number of tumors, and there was significant correlation between an increased number of TAMs and high expression level of TIM-3 in patients with ccRCC. Furthermore, TIM-3 rendered RCC cells with the ability to induce resistance to sunitinib and mTOR inhibitors, the standard regimen for patients with ccRCC, as well as stem cell activities. TIM-3 expression was induced on CD14(+) monocytes upon long-term stimulation with RCC cells, and TIM-3-expressing myeloid cells play a critical role in augmenting tumorigenic activities of TIM-3-negative RCC cells. More importantly, treatment with anti-TIM-3 mAb suppressed its tumorigenic effects in in vitro and in vivo settings. These findings indicate the coordinated action of TIM-3 in cancer cells and in myeloid cells regulates the tumorigenicity of human RCC. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

A significant abiotic pathway for the formation of unknown nitrogen in nature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jokic, A.; Schulten, H.-R.; Cutler, J. N.; Schnitzer, M.; Huang, P. M.

2004-03-01

The global nitrogen cycle is of prime importance in natural ecosystems. However, the origin and nature of up to one-half of total soil N remains obscure despite all attempts at elucidation. Our data provide, for the first time, unequivocal evidence that the promoting action of Mn (IV) oxide on the Maillard reaction (sugar-amino acid condensation) under ambient conditions results in the abiotic formation of heterocyclic N compounds, which are often referred to as unknown nitrogen, and of amides which are apparently the dominant N moieties in nature. The information presented is of fundamental significance in understanding the role of mineral colloids in abiotic transformations of organic N moieties, the incorporation of N in the organic matrix of fossil fuels, and the global N cycle.

Components of action potential repolarization in cerebellar parallel fibres.

PubMed

Pekala, Dobromila; Baginskas, Armantas; Szkudlarek, Hanna J; Raastad, Morten

2014-11-15

Repolarization of the presynaptic action potential is essential for transmitter release, excitability and energy expenditure. Little is known about repolarization in thin, unmyelinated axons forming en passant synapses, which represent the most common type of axons in the mammalian brain's grey matter.We used rat cerebellar parallel fibres, an example of typical grey matter axons, to investigate the effects of K(+) channel blockers on repolarization. We show that repolarization is composed of a fast tetraethylammonium (TEA)-sensitive component, determining the width and amplitude of the spike, and a slow margatoxin (MgTX)-sensitive depolarized after-potential (DAP). These two components could be recorded at the granule cell soma as antidromic action potentials and from the axons with a newly developed miniaturized grease-gap method. A considerable proportion of fast repolarization remained in the presence of TEA, MgTX, or both. This residual was abolished by the addition of quinine. The importance of proper control of fast repolarization was demonstrated by somatic recordings of antidromic action potentials. In these experiments, the relatively broad K(+) channel blocker 4-aminopyridine reduced the fast repolarization, resulting in bursts of action potentials forming on top of the DAP. We conclude that repolarization of the action potential in parallel fibres is supported by at least three groups of K(+) channels. Differences in their temporal profiles allow relatively independent control of the spike and the DAP, whereas overlap of their temporal profiles provides robust control of axonal bursting properties.

Remaining Sites Verification Package for the 1607-F7, 141-M Building Septic Tank, Waste Site Reclassification Form 2006-040

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

L. M. Dittmer

2006-10-19

The 1607-F7, 141-M Building Septic Tank waste site was a septic tank and drain field that received sanitary sewage from the former 141-M Building. Remedial action was performed in August and November 2005. The results of verification sampling demonstrate that residual contaminant concentrations support future unrestricted land uses that can be represented by a rural-residential scenario. These results also show that residual concentrations support unrestricted future use of shallow zone soil and that contaminant levels remaining in the soil are protective of groundwater and the Columbia River.

Neural evidence for the intrinsic value of action as motivation for behavior.

PubMed

Miura, Naoki; Tanabe, Hiroki C; Sasaki, Akihiro T; Harada, Tokiko; Sadato, Norihiro

2017-06-03

The intrinsic value of an action refers to the inherent sense that experiencing a behavior is enjoyable even if it has no explicit outcome. Previous research has suggested that a common valuation mechanism within the reward network may be responsible for processing the intrinsic value of achieving both the outcome and external rewards. However, how the intrinsic value of action is neurally represented remains unknown. We hypothesized that the intrinsic value of action is determined by an action-outcome contingency indicating the behavior is controllable and that the outcome of the action can be evaluated by this feedback. Consequently, the reward network should be activated, reflecting the generation of the intrinsic value of action. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) investigation of a stopwatch game in which the action-outcome contingency was manipulated. This experiment involved 36 healthy volunteers and four versions of a stopwatch game that manipulated controllability (the feeling that participants were controlling the stopwatch themselves) and outcome (a signal allowing participants to see the result of their action). A free-choice experiment was administered after the fMRI to explore preference levels for each game. The results showed that the stopwatch game with the action-outcome contingency evoked a greater degree of enjoyment because the participants chose this condition over those that lacked such a contingency. The ventral striatum and midbrain were activated only when action-outcome contingency was present. Thus, the intrinsic value of action was represented by an increase in ventral striatal and midbrain activation. Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Disentangling representations of shape and action components in the tool network.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaoying; Zhuang, Tonghe; Shen, Jiasi; Bi, Yanchao

2018-05-30

Shape and how they should be used are two key components of our knowledge about tools. Viewing tools preferentially activated a frontoparietal and occipitotemporal network, with dorsal regions implicated in computation of tool-related actions and ventral areas in shape representation. As shape and manners of manipulation are highly correlated for daily tools, whether they are independently represented in different regions remains inconclusive. In the current study, we collected fMRI data when participants viewed blocks of pictures of four daily tools (i.e., paintbrush, corkscrew, screwdriver, razor) where shape and action (manner of manipulation for functional use) were orthogonally manipulated, to tease apart these two dimensions. Behavioral similarity judgments tapping on object shape and finer aspects of actions (i.e., manners of motion, magnitude of arm movement, configuration of hand) were also collected to further disentangle the representation of object shape and different action components. Information analysis and representational similarity analysis were conducted on regional neural activation patterns of the tool-preferring network. In both analyses, the bilateral lateral occipitotemporal cortex showed robust shape representations but could not effectively distinguish between tool-use actions. The frontal and precentral regions represented kinematic action components, whereas the left parietal region (in information analyses) exhibited coding of both shape and tool-use action. By teasing apart shape and action components, we found both dissociation and association of them within the tool network. Taken together, our study disentangles representations for object shape from finer tool-use action components in the tool network, revealing the potential dissociable roles different tool-preferring regions play in tool processing. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two Equals One: Two Human Actions During Social Interaction Are Grouped as One Unit in Working Memory.

PubMed

Ding, Xiaowei; Gao, Zaifeng; Shen, Mowei

2017-09-01

Every day, people perceive other people performing interactive actions. Retaining these actions of human agents in working memory (WM) plays a pivotal role in a normal social life. However, whether the semantic knowledge embedded in the interactive actions has a pervasive impact on the storage of the actions in WM remains unknown. In the current study, we investigated two opposing hypotheses: (a) that WM stores the interactions individually (the individual-storage hypothesis) and (b) that WM stores the interactions as chunks (the chunk-storage hypothesis). We required participants to memorize a set of individual actions while ignoring the underlying social interactions. We found that although the social-interaction aspect was task irrelevant, the interactive actions were stored in WM as chunks that were not affected by memory load (Experiments 1 and 2); however, inverting the human actions vertically abolished this chunking effect (Experiment 3). These results suggest that WM automatically and efficiently used semantic knowledge about interactive actions to store them and support the chunk-storage hypothesis.

A Common Force-Sharing Pattern in Joint Action That Consists of Four People.

PubMed

Masumoto, Junya; Inui, Nobuyuki

2017-12-20

The authors examined the force-sharing patterns in a joint action performed by a group of two, three, or four people compared with a solo action. In the joint actions, 28 participants produced periodic isometric forces such that the sum of forces they produced cycled between 5% and 10% maximum voluntary contraction with the right hand at 1 Hz. In both the three- and four-person tasks, the correlation between forces produced by two of the three or four participants was negative, and the remaining one or two participants produced intermediate forces. The errors of force and interval and force variabilities were smaller in four- and three-people groups than individuals. Four- and three-people groups thus performed better than individuals.

Action Monitoring Cortical Activity Coupled to Submovements

PubMed Central

Sobolewski, Aleksander

2017-01-01

Numerous studies have examined neural correlates of the human brain’s action-monitoring system during experimentally segmented tasks. However, it remains unknown how such a system operates during continuous motor output when no experimental time marker is available (such as button presses or stimulus onset). We set out to investigate the electrophysiological correlates of action monitoring when hand position has to be repeatedly monitored and corrected. For this, we recorded high-density electroencephalography (EEG) during a visuomotor tracking task during which participants had to follow a target with the mouse cursor along a visible trajectory. By decomposing hand kinematics into naturally occurring periodic submovements, we found an event-related potential (ERP) time-locked to these submovements and localized in a sensorimotor cortical network comprising the supplementary motor area (SMA) and the precentral gyrus. Critically, the amplitude of the ERP correlated with the deviation of the cursor, 110 ms before the submovement. Control analyses showed that this correlation was truly due to the cursor deviation and not to differences in submovement kinematics or to the visual content of the task. The ERP closely resembled those found in response to mismatch events in typical cognitive neuroscience experiments. Our results demonstrate the existence of a cortical process in the SMA, evaluating hand position in synchrony with submovements. These findings suggest a functional role of submovements in a sensorimotor loop of periodic monitoring and correction and generalize previous results from the field of action monitoring to cases where action has to be repeatedly monitored. PMID:29071301

Inferences about Action Engage Action Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Lawrence J.; Lev-Ari, Shiri; Zwaan, Rolf A.

2008-01-01

Verbal descriptions of actions activate compatible motor responses [Glenberg, A. M., & Kaschak, M. P. (2002). Grounding language in action. "Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 9", 558-565]. Previous studies have found that the motor processes for manual rotation are engaged in a direction-specific manner when a verb disambiguates the direction of…

As the pendulum swings--medical products class actions litigation in Canada: recent developments.

PubMed

Pliszka, Peter J; Armstrong, Sarah J

2013-03-01

During the relatively short history of class proceedings in Canada, developers and manufacturers of medical devices and pharmaceuticals ("medical products"), including medical products designed for patients with diabetes, have found themselves at the receiving end of a significant number of class action claims. As a result, medical products litigation has become the battleground for some of the most significant developments in Canadian class actions law. This article provides a broad overview of some of the most significant developments. The authors pay particular attention to developments regarding the test for class action certification and consider whether high-profile dismissals of certification motions represent a trend toward raising the threshold for plaintiffs seeking to obtain certification of a proposed class action. The authors also consider a decision arising out of a lengthy class action common issues trial in which the medical device company was victorious. In the authors' view, the class action pendulum in Canada, particularly as it relates to medical products claims, remains in motion. It behooves all affected players to keep their eye on this ball with rapt attention to see where it may move next. © 2013 Diabetes Technology Society.

Does the intention to communicate affect action kinematics?

PubMed

Sartori, Luisa; Becchio, Cristina; Bara, Bruno G; Castiello, Umberto

2009-09-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of communicative intention on action. In Experiment 1 participants were requested to reach towards an object, grasp it, and either simply lift it (individual condition) or lift it with the intent to communicate a meaning to a partner (communicative condition). Movement kinematics were recorded using a three-dimensional motion analysis system. The results indicate that kinematics was sensitive to communicative intention. Although the to-be-grasped object remained the same, movements performed for the 'communicative' condition were characterized by a kinematic pattern which differed from those obtained for the 'individual' condition. These findings were confirmed in a subsequent experiment in which the communicative condition was compared to a control condition, in which the communicative exchange was prevented. Results are discussed in terms of cognitive pragmatics and current knowledge on how social behavior shapes action kinematics.

Power and action in critical theory across disciplines: implications for critical community psychology.

PubMed

Davidson, Heather; Evans, Scot; Ganote, Cynthia; Henrickson, Jorie; Jacobs-Priebe, Lynette; Jones, Diana L; Prilleltensky, Isaac; Riemer, Manuel

2006-09-01

Although critical scholarship and community psychology share similar aspirations, the links between them remain unexplored and under-theorized. In this article we explore the implications of critical scholarship in various specialties for the field of community psychology. To understand the contributions of critical scholarship to a theory of power and action for social change, we conducted a systematic analysis of a ten-year period of publications in seven journals associated with the critical scholarship tradition. We created precise criteria for the concepts of power and action and applied them to the publications. Results indicate an interesting paradox at play. Whereas community psychology is more action oriented than critical scholarship, its actions fall short of challenging institutionalized power structures and the status quo; and whereas critical scholarship is more challenging of the status quo than community psychology in theory, it has failed to produce viable actions that challenge the status quo. We discuss the implications of this state of affairs for the development of a more critical community psychology.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: FIR data of IR-bright dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) (Toba+, 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toba, Y.; Nagao, T.; Wang, W.-H.; Matsuhara, H.; Akiyama, M.; Goto, T.; Koyama, Y.; Ohyama, Y.; Yamamura, I.

2017-11-01

We investigate the star-forming activity of a sample of infrared (IR)-bright dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) that show an extreme red color in the optical and IR regime, (i-[22])AB>7.0. Combining an IR-bright DOG sample with the flux at 22μm>3.8mJy discovered by Toba & Nagao (2016ApJ...820...46T) with the IRAS faint source catalog version 2 and AKARI far-IR (FIR) all-sky survey bright source catalog version 2, we selected 109 DOGs with FIR data. For a subsample of seven IR-bright DOGs with spectroscopic redshifts (0.07

Organization of Circadian Behavior Relies on Glycinergic Transmission.

PubMed

Frenkel, Lia; Muraro, Nara I; Beltrán González, Andrea N; Marcora, María S; Bernabó, Guillermo; Hermann-Luibl, Christiane; Romero, Juan I; Helfrich-Förster, Charlotte; Castaño, Eduardo M; Marino-Busjle, Cristina; Calvo, Daniel J; Ceriani, M Fernanda

2017-04-04

The small ventral lateral neurons (sLNvs) constitute a central circadian pacemaker in the Drosophila brain. They organize daily locomotor activity, partly through the release of the neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor (PDF), coordinating the action of the remaining clusters required for network synchronization. Despite extensive efforts, the basic principles underlying communication among circadian clusters remain obscure. We identified classical neurotransmitters released by sLNvs through disruption of specific transporters. Adult-specific RNAi-mediated downregulation of the glycine transporter or impairment of glycine synthesis in LNv neurons increased period length by nearly an hour without affecting rhythmicity of locomotor activity. Electrophysiological recordings showed that glycine reduces spiking frequency in circadian neurons. Interestingly, downregulation of glycine receptor subunits in specific sLNv targets impaired rhythmicity, revealing involvement of glycine in information processing within the network. These data identify glycinergic inhibition of specific targets as a cue that contributes to the synchronization of the circadian network. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 224: Decon Pad and Septic Systems Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Rev. No.: 0, with ROTC 1 and 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

David A. Strand

This Corrective Action Investigation Plan (CAIP) contains project-specific information including facility descriptions, environmental sample collection objectives, and criteria for conducting site investigation activities at Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 224: Decon Pad and Septic Systems, Nevada Test Site (NTS), Nevada. This CAIP has been developed in accordance with the ''Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order'' (FFACO) (1996) that was agreed to by the State of Nevada, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The NTS is approximately 65 miles (mi) northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada (Figure 1-1). Corrective Action Unit 224 is comprised of themore » nine Corrective Action Sites (CASs) listed below: 02-04-01, Septic Tank (Buried); 03-05-01, Leachfield; 05-04-01, Septic Tanks (4)/Discharge Area; 06-03-01, Sewage Lagoons (3); 06-05-01, Leachfield; 06-17-04, Decon Pad and Wastewater Catch; 06-23-01, Decon Pad Discharge Piping; 11-04-01, Sewage Lagoon; and 23-05-02, Leachfield. Corrective Action Sites 06-05-01, 06-23-01, and 23-05-02 were identified in the 1991 Reynolds Electrical & Engineering Co., Inc. (REECo) inventory (1991). The remaining sites were identified during review of various historical documents. Additional information will be obtained by conducting a corrective action investigation (CAI) prior to evaluating and selecting a corrective action alternative for each CAS. The CAI will include field inspections, radiological and geological surveys, and sample collection. Data will also be obtained to support investigation-derived waste (IDW) disposal and potential future waste management decisions.« less

Do good actions inspire good actions in others?

PubMed

Capraro, Valerio; Marcelletti, Alessandra

2014-12-12

Actions such as sharing food and cooperating to reach a common goal have played a fundamental role in the evolution of human societies. Despite the importance of such good actions, little is known about if and how they can spread from person to person to person. For instance, does being recipient of an altruistic act increase your probability of being cooperative with a third party? We have conducted an experiment on Amazon Mechanical Turk to test this mechanism using economic games. We have measured willingness to be cooperative through a standard Prisoner's dilemma and willingness to act altruistically using a binary Dictator game. In the baseline treatments, the endowments needed to play were given by the experimenters, as usual; in the control treatments, they came from a good action made by someone else. Across four different comparisons and a total of 572 subjects, we have never found a significant increase of cooperation or altruism when the endowment came from a good action. We conclude that good actions do not necessarily inspire good actions in others. While this is consistent with the theoretical prediction, it challenges the majority of other experimental studies.

Ionized Gas Outflows in Infrared-bright Dust-obscured Galaxies Selected with WISE and SDSS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toba, Yoshiki; Bae, Hyun-Jin; Nagao, Tohru; Woo, Jong-Hak; Wang, Wei-Hao; Wagner, Alexander Y.; Sun, Ai-Lei; Chang, Yu-Yen

2017-12-01

We present the ionized gas properties of infrared (IR)-bright dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) that show an extreme optical/IR color, {(i-[22])}{AB}> 7.0, selected with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). For 36 IR-bright DOGs that show [O III]λ5007 emission in the SDSS spectra, we performed a detailed spectral analysis to investigate their ionized gas properties. In particular, we measured the velocity offset (the velocity with respect to the systemic velocity measured from the stellar absorption lines) and the velocity dispersion of the [O III] line. We found that the derived velocity offset and dispersion of most IR-bright DOGs are larger than those of Seyfert 2 galaxies (Sy2s) at z< 0.3, meaning that the IR-bright DOGs show relatively strong outflows compared to Sy2s. This can be explained by the difference in IR luminosity contributed from active galactic nuclei, {L}{IR} (AGN), because we found that (i) {L}{IR} (AGN) correlates with the velocity offset and dispersion of [O III] and (ii) our IR-bright DOG sample has larger {L}{IR} (AGN) than Sy2s. Nevertheless, the fact that about 75% IR-bright DOGs have a large (>300 km s-1) velocity dispersion, which is a larger fraction compared to other AGN populations, suggests that IR-bright DOGs are good laboratories to investigate AGN feedback. The velocity offset and dispersion of [O III] and [Ne III]λ3869 are larger than those of [O II]λ3727, which indicates that the highly ionized gas tends to show stronger outflows.

All That Remains of Exploded Star

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-24

Infrared images from NASA Spitzer Space Telescope and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer are combined in this image of RCW 86, the dusty remains of the oldest documented example of an exploding star, or supernova.

Climate Action Team

Science.gov Websites

Science Partnerships Contact Us Climate Action Team & Climate Action Initiative The Climate Action . See CAT reports Climate Action Team Pages CAT Home Members Working Groups Reports Back to Top

Sites of action of elevated CO2 on leaf development in rice: discrimination between the effects of elevated CO2 and nitrogen deficiency.

PubMed

Tsutsumi, Koichi; Konno, Masae; Miyazawa, Shin-Ichi; Miyao, Mitsue

2014-02-01

Elevated CO2 concentrations (eCO2) trigger various plant responses. Despite intensive studies of these responses, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. In this work, we investigated when and how leaf physiology and anatomy are affected by eCO2 in rice plants. We analyzed the most recently fully expanded leaves that developed successively after transfer of the plant to eCO2. To discriminate between the effects of eCO2 and those of nitrogen deficiency, we used three different levels of N application. We found that a decline in the leaf soluble protein content (on a leaf area basis) at eCO2 was only observed under N deficiency. The length and width of the leaf blade were reduced by both eCO2 and N deficiency, whereas the blade thickness was increased by eCO2 but was not affected by N deficiency. The change in length by eCO2 became detectable in the secondly fully expanded leaf, and those in width and thickness in the thirdly fully expanded leaf, which were at the leaf developmental stages P4 and P3, respectively, at the onset of the eCO2 treatment. The decreased blade length at eCO2 was associated with a decrease in the epidermal cell number on the adaxial side and a reduction in cell length on the abaxial side. The decreased width resulted from decreased numbers of small vascular bundles and epidermal cell files. The increased thickness was ascribed mainly to enhanced development of bundle sheath extensions at the ridges of vascular bundles. These observations enable us to identify the sites of action of eCO2 on rice leaf development.

Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 561: Waste Disposal Areas, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mark Krauss

2011-08-01

CAU 561 comprises 10 CASs: (1) 01-19-01, Waste Dump; (2) 02-08-02, Waste Dump and Burn Area; (3) 03-19-02, Debris Pile; (4) 05-62-01, Radioactive Gravel Pile; (5) 12-23-09, Radioactive Waste Dump; (6) 22-19-06, Buried Waste Disposal Site; (7) 23-21-04, Waste Disposal Trenches ; (8) 25-08-02, Waste Dump; (9) 25-23-21, Radioactive Waste Dump; and (10) 25-25-19, Hydrocarbon Stains and Trench. The purpose of this CADD/CR is to provide justification and documentation supporting the recommendation for closure of CAU 561 with no further corrective action. The purpose of the CAI was to fulfill the following data needs as defined during the DQO process:more » (1) Determine whether COCs are present; (2) If COCs are present, determine their nature and extent; and (3) Provide sufficient information and data to complete appropriate corrective actions. The following contaminants were determined to be present at concentrations exceeding their corresponding FALs: (1) No contamination exceeding FALs was identified at CASs 01-19-01, 03-19-02, 05-62-01, 12-23-09, and 22-19-06. (2) The surface and subsurface soil within the burn area at CAS 02-08-02 contains arsenic and lead above the FALs of 23 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) and 800 mg/kg, respectively. The surface and subsurface soil within the burn area also contains melted lead slag (potential source material [PSM]). The soil within the waste piles contains polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) above the FALs. The contamination within the burn area is spread throughout the area, as it was not feasible to remove all the PSM (melted lead), while at the waste piles, the contamination is confined to the piles. (3) The surface and subsurface soils within Trenches 3 and 5 at CAS 23-21-04 contain arsenic and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) above the FALs of 23 mg/kg and 0.74 mg/kg, respectively. The soil was removed from both trenches, and the soil that remains at this CAS does not contain contamination exceeding the FALs. Lead bricks and

Neural and Computational Mechanisms of Action Processing: Interaction between Visual and Motor Representations.

PubMed

Giese, Martin A; Rizzolatti, Giacomo

2015-10-07

Action recognition has received enormous interest in the field of neuroscience over the last two decades. In spite of this interest, the knowledge in terms of fundamental neural mechanisms that provide constraints for underlying computations remains rather limited. This fact stands in contrast with a wide variety of speculative theories about how action recognition might work. This review focuses on new fundamental electrophysiological results in monkeys, which provide constraints for the detailed underlying computations. In addition, we review models for action recognition and processing that have concrete mathematical implementations, as opposed to conceptual models. We think that only such implemented models can be meaningfully linked quantitatively to physiological data and have a potential to narrow down the many possible computational explanations for action recognition. In addition, only concrete implementations allow judging whether postulated computational concepts have a feasible implementation in terms of realistic neural circuits. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dapagliflozin: glucuretic action and beyond.

PubMed

Balakumar, Pitchai; Sundram, Karupiah; Dhanaraj, Sokkalingam A

2014-04-01

Diabetes mellitus is a greatly challenging disease of the 21 century, and the mortality rate due to this insidious disease is increasing worldwide in spite of availability of effective oral hypoglycemic agents. Satisfactory management of glycemic control in patients afflicted with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains a major clinical challenge. Identification of potential pharmacological target sites is therefore continuing as an integral part of the diabetic research. The sodium-glucose co-transporter type 2 (SGLT2) expressed in the renal proximal tubule plays an essential role in glucose reabsorption. Pharmacological blockade of SGLT2 prevents glucose reabsorption and subsequently induces the elimination of filtered glucose via urine, the process is known as 'glucuresis'. Dapagliflozin is a selective inhibitor of SGLT2. The US FDA approved dapagliflozin in January 2014 to improve glycemic control along with diet and exercise in adult patients afflicted with T2DM. It has a potential to decrease glycated hemoglobin and to promote weight loss. Although the mechanism of action of dapagliflozin is not directly linked with insulin or insulin sensitivity, reduction of plasma glucose by dapagliflozin via induction of glucosuria could improve muscle insulin sensitivity. Moreover, dapagliflozin could cause diuresis and subsequently fall in blood pressure. In addition to general discussion on the pharmacology of dapagliflozin, we propose in this review the possibilities of dual antidiabetic effect of dapagliflozin and its possible additional beneficial actions in hypertensive-obese-T2DM patients through its indirect blood pressure-lowering action and reduction of body calories and weight. Long-term clinical studies are however needed to clarify this contention. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predicting the remaining service life of concrete

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clifton, J.F.

1991-11-01

Nuclear power plants are providing, currently, about 17 percent of the U.S. electricity and many of these plants are approaching their licensed life of 40 years. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy`s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are carrying out a program to develop a methodology for assessing the remaining safe-life of the concrete components and structures in nuclear power plants. This program has the overall objective of identifying potential structural safety issues, as well as acceptance criteria, for use in evaluations of nuclear power plants for continued service. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)more » is contributing to this program by identifying and analyzing methods for predicting the remaining life of in-service concrete materials. This report examines the basis for predicting the remaining service lives of concrete materials of nuclear power facilities. Methods for predicting the service life of new and in-service concrete materials are analyzed. These methods include (1) estimates based on experience, (2) comparison of performance, (3) accelerated testing, (4) stochastic methods, and (5) mathematical modeling. New approaches for predicting the remaining service lives of concrete materials are proposed and recommendations for their further development given. Degradation processes are discussed based on considerations of their mechanisms, likelihood of occurrence, manifestations, and detection. They include corrosion, sulfate attack, alkali-aggregate reactions, frost attack, leaching, radiation, salt crystallization, and microbiological attack.« less

Calcium responses to synaptically activated bursts of action potentials and their synapse-independent replay in cultured networks of hippocampal neurons.

PubMed

Bengtson, C Peter; Kaiser, Martin; Obermayer, Joshua; Bading, Hilmar

2013-07-01

Both synaptic N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and voltage-operated calcium channels (VOCCs) have been shown to be critical for nuclear calcium signals associated with transcriptional responses to bursts of synaptic input. However the direct contribution to nuclear calcium signals from calcium influx through NMDA receptors and VOCCs has been obscured by their concurrent roles in action potential generation and synaptic transmission. Here we compare calcium responses to synaptically induced bursts of action potentials with identical bursts devoid of any synaptic contribution generated using the pre-recorded burst as the voltage clamp command input to replay the burst in the presence of blockers of action potentials or ionotropic glutamate receptors. Synapse independent replays of bursts produced nuclear calcium responses with amplitudes around 70% of their original synaptically generated signals and were abolished by the L-type VOCC blocker, verapamil. These results identify a major direct source of nuclear calcium from local L-type VOCCs whose activation is boosted by NMDA receptor dependent depolarization. The residual component of synaptically induced nuclear calcium signals which was both VOCC independent and NMDA receptor dependent showed delayed kinetics consistent with a more distal source such as synaptic NMDA receptors or internal stores. The dual requirement of NMDA receptors and L-type VOCCs for synaptic activity-induced nuclear calcium dependent transcriptional responses most likely reflects a direct somatic calcium influx from VOCCs whose activation is amplified by synaptic NMDA receptor-mediated depolarization and whose calcium signal is boosted by a delayed input from distal calcium sources mostly likely entry through NMDA receptors and release from internal stores. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: 12th European Symposium on Calcium. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

49 CFR 845.51 - Investigation to remain open.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Investigation to remain open. 845.51 Section 845... § 845.51 Investigation to remain open. Accident investigations are never officially closed but are kept open for the submission of new and pertinent evidence by any interested person. If the Board finds that...

49 CFR 845.51 - Investigation to remain open.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Investigation to remain open. 845.51 Section 845... § 845.51 Investigation to remain open. Accident investigations are never officially closed but are kept open for the submission of new and pertinent evidence by any interested person. If the Board finds that...

49 CFR 845.51 - Investigation to remain open.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Investigation to remain open. 845.51 Section 845... § 845.51 Investigation to remain open. Accident investigations are never officially closed but are kept open for the submission of new and pertinent evidence by any interested person. If the Board finds that...

49 CFR 845.51 - Investigation to remain open.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Investigation to remain open. 845.51 Section 845... § 845.51 Investigation to remain open. Accident investigations are never officially closed but are kept open for the submission of new and pertinent evidence by any interested person. If the Board finds that...

49 CFR 845.51 - Investigation to remain open.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Investigation to remain open. 845.51 Section 845... § 845.51 Investigation to remain open. Accident investigations are never officially closed but are kept open for the submission of new and pertinent evidence by any interested person. If the Board finds that...

Impact of fecal occult blood on obscure gastrointestinal bleeding: Observational study

PubMed Central

Kobayashi, Yuka; Watabe, Hirotsugu; Yamada, Atsuo; Suzuki, Hirobumi; Hirata, Yoshihiro; Yamaji, Yutaka; Yoshida, Haruhiko; Koike, Kazuhiko

2015-01-01

AIM: To elucidate the association between small bowel diseases (SBDs) and positive fecal occult blood test (FOBT) in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). METHODS: Between February 2008 and August 2013, 202 patients with OGIB who performed both capsule endoscopy (CE) and FOBT were enrolled (mean age; 63.6 ± 14.0 years, 118 males, 96 previous overt bleeding, 106 with occult bleeding). All patients underwent immunochemical FOBTs twice prior to CE. Three experienced endoscopists independently reviewed CE videos. All reviews and consensus meeting were conducted without any information on FOBT results. The prevalence of SBDs was compared between patients with positive and negative FOBT. RESULTS: CE revealed SBDs in 72 patients (36%). FOBT was positive in 100 patients (50%) and negative in 102 (50%). The prevalence of SBDs was significantly higher in patients with positive FOBT than those with negative FOBT (46% vs 25%, P = 0.002). In particular, among patients with occult OGIB, the prevalence of SBDs was higher in positive FOBT group than negative FOBT group (45% vs 18%, P = 0.002). On the other hand, among patients with previous overt OGIB, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of SBDs between positive and negative FOBT group (47% vs 33%, P = 0.18). In disease specific analysis among patients with occult OGIB, the prevalence of ulcer and tumor were higher in positive FOBT group than negative FOBT group. In multivariate analysis, only positive FOBT was a predictive factors of SBDs in patients with OGIB (OR = 2.5, 95%CI: 1.4-4.6, P = 0.003). Furthermore, the trend was evident among patients with occult OGIB who underwent FOBT on the same day or a day before CE. The prevalence of SBDs in positive vs negative FOBT group were 54% vs 13% in patients with occult OGIB who underwent FOBT on the same day or the day before CE (P = 0.001), while there was no significant difference between positive and negative FOBT group in those who underwent

Impact of fecal occult blood on obscure gastrointestinal bleeding: observational study.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Yuka; Watabe, Hirotsugu; Yamada, Atsuo; Suzuki, Hirobumi; Hirata, Yoshihiro; Yamaji, Yutaka; Yoshida, Haruhiko; Koike, Kazuhiko

2015-01-07

To elucidate the association between small bowel diseases (SBDs) and positive fecal occult blood test (FOBT) in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). Between February 2008 and August 2013, 202 patients with OGIB who performed both capsule endoscopy (CE) and FOBT were enrolled (mean age; 63.6 ± 14.0 years, 118 males, 96 previous overt bleeding, 106 with occult bleeding). All patients underwent immunochemical FOBTs twice prior to CE. Three experienced endoscopists independently reviewed CE videos. All reviews and consensus meeting were conducted without any information on FOBT results. The prevalence of SBDs was compared between patients with positive and negative FOBT. CE revealed SBDs in 72 patients (36%). FOBT was positive in 100 patients (50%) and negative in 102 (50%). The prevalence of SBDs was significantly higher in patients with positive FOBT than those with negative FOBT (46% vs 25%, P = 0.002). In particular, among patients with occult OGIB, the prevalence of SBDs was higher in positive FOBT group than negative FOBT group (45% vs 18%, P = 0.002). On the other hand, among patients with previous overt OGIB, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of SBDs between positive and negative FOBT group (47% vs 33%, P = 0.18). In disease specific analysis among patients with occult OGIB, the prevalence of ulcer and tumor were higher in positive FOBT group than negative FOBT group. In multivariate analysis, only positive FOBT was a predictive factors of SBDs in patients with OGIB (OR = 2.5, 95%CI: 1.4-4.6, P = 0.003). Furthermore, the trend was evident among patients with occult OGIB who underwent FOBT on the same day or a day before CE. The prevalence of SBDs in positive vs negative FOBT group were 54% vs 13% in patients with occult OGIB who underwent FOBT on the same day or the day before CE (P = 0.001), while there was no significant difference between positive and negative FOBT group in those who underwent FOBT two or more days

Probing highly obscured, self-absorbed galaxy nuclei with vibrationally excited HCN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aalto, S.; Martín, S.; Costagliola, F.; González-Alfonso, E.; Muller, S.; Sakamoto, K.; Fuller, G. A.; García-Burillo, S.; van der Werf, P.; Neri, R.; Spaans, M.; Combes, F.; Viti, S.; Mühle, S.; Armus, L.; Evans, A.; Sturm, E.; Cernicharo, J.; Henkel, C.; Greve, T. R.

2015-12-01

We present high resolution (0.̋4) IRAM PdBI and ALMA mm and submm observations of the (ultra) luminous infrared galaxies ((U)LIRGs) IRAS 17208-0014, Arp220, IC 860 and Zw049.057 that reveal intense line emission from vibrationally excited (ν2 = 1) J = 3-2 and 4-3 HCN. The emission is emerging from buried, compact (r< 17-70 pc) nuclei that have very high implied mid-infrared surface brightness > 5 × 1013 L⊙ kpc-2. These nuclei are likely powered by accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and/or hot (>200 K) extreme starbursts. Vibrational, ν2 = 1, lines of HCN are excited by intense 14 μm mid-infrared emission and are excellent probes of the dynamics, masses, and physical conditions of (U)LIRG nuclei when H2 column densities exceed 1024 cm-2. It is clear that these lines open up a new interesting avenue to gain access to the most obscured AGNs and starbursts. Vibrationally excited HCN acts as a proxy for the absorbed mid-infrared emission from the embedded nuclei, which allows for reconstruction of the intrinsic, hotter dust SED. In contrast, we show strong evidence that the ground vibrational state (ν = 0), J = 3-2and 4-3 rotational lines of HCN and HCO+ fail to probe the highly enshrouded, compact nuclear regions owing to strong self- and continuum absorption. The HCN and HCO+ line profiles are double-peaked because of the absorption and show evidence of non-circular motions - possibly in the form of in- or outflows. Detections of vibrationally excited HCN in external galaxies are so far limited to ULIRGs and early-type spiral LIRGs, and we discuss possible causes for this. We tentatively suggest that the peak of vibrationally excited HCN emission is connected to a rapid stage of nuclear growth, before the phase of strong feedback. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM Plateau de Bure and ALMA Interferometers. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain). ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states

Interplay Between Conceptual Expectations and Movement Predictions Underlies Action Understanding.

PubMed

Ondobaka, Sasha; de Lange, Floris P; Wittmann, Marco; Frith, Chris D; Bekkering, Harold

2015-09-01

Recent accounts of understanding goal-directed action underline the importance of a hierarchical predictive architecture. However, the neural implementation of such an architecture remains elusive. In the present study, we used functional neuroimaging to quantify brain activity associated with predicting physical movements, as they were modulated by conceptual-expectations regarding the purpose of the object involved in the action. Participants observed object-related actions preceded by a cue that generated both conceptual goal expectations and movement goal predictions. In 2 tasks, observers judged whether conceptual or movement goals matched or mismatched the cue. At the conceptual level, expected goals specifically recruited the posterior cingulate cortex, irrespectively of the task and the perceived movement goal. At the movement level, neural activation of the parieto-frontal circuit, including inferior frontal gyrus and the inferior parietal lobe, reflected unpredicted movement goals. Crucially, this movement prediction error was only present when the purpose of the involved object was expected. These findings provide neural evidence that prior conceptual expectations influence processing of physical movement goals and thereby support the hierarchical predictive account of action processing. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Impulsive action and motivation.

PubMed

Frijda, Nico H

2010-07-01

This paper explores the way in which emotions are causal determinants of action. It argues that emotional events, as appraised by the individual, elicit changes in motive states (called states of action readiness), which in turn may (or may not) cause action. Actions can be elicited automatically, without prior intention (called impulsive actions), or intentionally. Impulsive actions reflect the simplest and biologically most general form in which emotions can cause action, since they require no reflection, no foresight, and no planning. Impulsive actions are determined conjointly by the nature of action readiness, the affordances perceived in the eliciting event as appraised, and the individual's action repertoire. Those actions from one's repertoire are performed that both match the perceived affordances and the aim of the state of action readiness. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Medial prefrontal cortex as an action-outcome predictor.

PubMed

Alexander, William H; Brown, Joshua W

2011-09-18

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and especially anterior cingulate cortex is central to higher cognitive function and many clinical disorders, yet its basic function remains in dispute. Various competing theories of mPFC have treated effects of errors, conflict, error likelihood, volatility and reward, using findings from neuroimaging and neurophysiology in humans and monkeys. No single theory has been able to reconcile and account for the variety of findings. Here we show that a simple model based on standard learning rules can simulate and unify an unprecedented range of known effects in mPFC. The model reinterprets many known effects and suggests a new view of mPFC, as a region concerned with learning and predicting the likely outcomes of actions, whether good or bad. Cognitive control at the neural level is then seen as a result of evaluating the probable and actual outcomes of one's actions. © 2011 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved.

Medial prefrontal cortex as an action-outcome predictor

PubMed Central

Alexander, William H.; Brown, Joshua W.

2011-01-01

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and especially anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is central to higher cognitive function and numerous clinical disorders, yet its basic function remains in dispute. Various competing theories of mPFC have treated effects of errors, conflict, error likelihood, volatility, and reward, based on findings from neuroimaging and neurophysiology in humans and monkeys. To date, no single theory has been able to reconcile and account for the variety of findings. Here we show that a simple model based on standard learning rules can simulate and unify an unprecedented range of known effects in mPFC. The model reinterprets many known effects and suggests a new view of mPFC, as a region concerned with learning and predicting the likely outcomes of actions, whether good or bad. Cognitive control at the neural level is then seen as a result of evaluating the probable and actual outcomes of one's actions. PMID:21926982

Evaluate and characterize mechanisms controlling transport, fate, and effects of army smokes in the aerosol wind tunnel: Transport, transformations, fate, and terrestrial ecological effects of hexachloroethane obscurant smokes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cataldo, D.A.; Ligotke, M.W.; Bolton, H. Jr.

1989-09-01

The terrestrial transport, chemical fate, and ecological effects of hexachloroethane (HC) smoke were evaluated under controlled wind tunnel conditions. The primary objectives of this research program are to characterize and assess the impacts of smoke and obscurants on: (1) natural vegetation characteristic of US Army training sites in the United States; (2) physical and chemical properties of soils representative of these training sites; and (3) soil microbiological and invertebrate communities. Impacts and dose/responses were evaluated based on exposure scenarios, including exposure duration, exposure rate, and sequential cumulative dosing. Key to understanding the environmental impacts of HC smoke/obscurants is establishing themore » importance of environmental parameters such as relative humidity and wind speed on airborne aerosol characteristics and deposition to receptor surfaces. Direct and indirect biotic effects were evaluated using five plant species and two soil types. HC aerosols were generated in a controlled atmosphere wind tunnel by combustion of hexachloroethane mixtures prepared to simulate normal pot burn rates and conditions. The aerosol was characterized and used to expose plant, soil, and other test systems. Particle sizes of airborne HC ranged from 1.3 to 2.1 {mu}m mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD), and particle size was affected by relative humidity over a range of 20% to 85%. Air concentrations employed ranged from 130 to 680 mg/m{sup 3}, depending on exposure scenario. Chlorocarbon concentrations within smokes, deposition rates for plant and soil surfaces, and persistence were determined. The fate of principal inorganic species (Zn, Al, and Cl) in a range of soils was assessed.« less

The role of Na-Ca exchange current in the cardiac action potential.

PubMed

Janvier, N C; Boyett, M R

1996-07-01

Since 1981, when Mullins published his provocative book proposing that the Na-Ca exchanger is electrogenic, it has been shown, first by computer simulation by Noble and later by experiment by various investigators, that inward iNaCa triggered by the Ca2+ transient is responsible for the low plateau of the atrial action potential and contributes to the high plateau of the ventricular action potential. Reduction or complete block of inward iNaCa by buffering intracellular Ca2+ with EGTA or BAPTA, by blocking SR Ca2+ release or by substituting extracellular Na+ with Li+ can result in a shortening of the action potential. The effect of block of outward iNaCa or complete block of both inward and outward iNaCa on the action potential has not been investigated experimentally, because of the lack of a suitable blocker, and remains a goal for the future. An increase in the intracellular Na+ concentration (after the application of cardiac glycoside or an increase in heart rate) or an increase in extracellular Ca2+ are believed to lead to an outward shift in iNaCa at plateau potentials and a shortening of the action potential. Changes in the Ca2+ transient are expected to result in changes in inward iNaCa and thus the action potential. This may explain the shortening of the premature action potential as well as the prolongation of the action potential when a muscle is allowed to shorten during the action potential. Inward iNaCa may play an important role in both normal and abnormal pacemaker activity in the heart.

SenseCam reminiscence and action recall in memory-unimpaired people.

PubMed

Seamon, John G; Moskowitz, Tacie N; Swan, Ashley E; Zhong, Boyuan; Golembeski, Amy; Liong, Christopher; Narzikul, Alexa C; Sosan, Olumide A

2014-01-01

Case studies of memory-impaired individuals consistently show that reminiscing with SenseCam images enhances event recall. This exploratory study examined whether a similar benefit would occur for the consolidation of memories in memory-unimpaired people. We tested delayed recall for atypical actions observed on a lengthy walk. Participants used SenseCam, a diary, or no external memory aid while walking, followed by reminiscence with SenseCam images, diary entries, or no aid, either alone (self-reminiscence) or with the experimenter (social reminiscence). One week later, when tested without SenseCam images or diary entries, prior social reminiscence produced greater recall than self-reminiscence, but there were no differences between memory aid conditions for action free recall or action order recall. When methodological variables were controlled, there was no recall advantage for SenseCam reminiscence with memory-unimpaired participants. The case studies and present study differ in multiple ways, making direct comparisons problematic. SenseCam is a valuable aid to the memory impaired, but its mnemonic value for non-clinical populations remains to be determined.

Imaging Extended Emission-Line Regions of Obscured AGN with the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Ai-Lei; Greene, Jenny E.; Zakamska, Nadia L.; Goulding, Andy; Strauss, Michael A.; Huang, Song; Johnson, Sean; Kawaguchi, Toshihiro; Matsuoka, Yoshiki; Marsteller, Alisabeth A.; Nagao, Tohru; Toba, Yoshiki

2018-05-01

Narrow-line regions excited by active galactic nuclei (AGN) are important for studying AGN photoionization and feedback. Their strong [O III] lines can be detected with broadband images, allowing morphological studies of these systems with large-area imaging surveys. We develop a new broad-band imaging technique to reconstruct the images of the [O III] line using the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Survey aided with spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The technique involves a careful subtraction of the galactic continuum to isolate emission from the [O III]λ5007 and [O III]λ4959 lines. Compared to traditional targeted observations, this technique is more efficient at covering larger samples without dedicated observational resources. We apply this technique to an SDSS spectroscopically selected sample of 300 obscured AGN at redshifts 0.1 - 0.7, uncovering extended emission-line region candidates with sizes up to tens of kpc. With the largest sample of uniformly derived narrow-line region sizes, we revisit the narrow-line region size - luminosity relation. The area and radii of the [O III] emission-line regions are strongly correlated with the AGN luminosity inferred from the mid-infrared (15 μm rest-frame) with a power-law slope of 0.62^{+0.05}_{-0.06}± 0.10 (statistical and systematic errors), consistent with previous spectroscopic findings. We discuss the implications for the physics of AGN emission-line regions and future applications of this technique, which should be useful for current and next-generation imaging surveys to study AGN photoionization and feedback with large statistical samples.

Repatriation of human remains following death in international travellers.

PubMed

Connolly, Ruairi; Prendiville, Richard; Cusack, Denis; Flaherty, Gerard

2017-03-01

Death during international travel and the repatriation of human remains to one's home country is a distressing and expensive process. Much organization is required involving close liaison between various agencies. A review of the literature was conducted using the PubMed database. Search terms included: 'repatriation of remains', 'death', 'abroad', 'tourism', 'travel', 'travellers', 'travelling' and 'repatriation'. Additional articles were obtained from grey literature sources and reference lists. The local national embassy, travel insurance broker and tour operator are important sources of information to facilitate the repatriation of the deceased traveller. Formal identification of the deceased's remains is required and a funeral director must be appointed. Following this, the coroner in the country or jurisdiction receiving the repatriated remains will require a number of documents prior to providing clearance for burial. Costs involved in repatriating remains must be borne by the family of the deceased although travel insurance may help defray some of the costs. If the death is secondary to an infectious disease, cremation at the site of death is preferred. No standardized procedure is in place to deal with the remains of a migrant's body at present and these remains are often not repatriated to their country of origin. Repatriation of human remains is a difficult task which is emotionally challenging for the bereaving family and friends. As a travel medicine practitioner, it is prudent to discuss all eventualities, including the risk of death, during the pre-travel consultation. Awareness of the procedures involved in this process may ease the burden on the grieving family at a difficult time. © International Society of Travel Medicine, 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Authenticated DNA from Ancient Wood Remains

PubMed Central

LIEPELT, SASCHA; SPERISEN, CHRISTOPH; DEGUILLOUX, MARIE-FRANCE; PETIT, REMY J.; KISSLING, ROY; SPENCER, MATTHEW; DE BEAULIEU, JACQUES-LOUIS; TABERLET, PIERRE; GIELLY, LUDOVIC; ZIEGENHAGEN, BIRGIT

2006-01-01

• Background The reconstruction of biological processes and human activities during the last glacial cycle relies mainly on data from biological remains. Highly abundant tissues, such as wood, are candidates for a genetic analysis of past populations. While well-authenticated DNA has now been recovered from various fossil remains, the final ‘proof’ is still missing for wood, despite some promising studies. • Scope The goal of this study was to determine if ancient wood can be analysed routinely in studies of archaeology and palaeogenetics. An experiment was designed which included blind testing, independent replicates, extensive contamination controls and rigorous statistical tests. Ten samples of ancient wood from major European forest tree genera were analysed with plastid DNA markers. • Conclusions Authentic DNA was retrieved from wood samples up to 1000 years of age. A new tool for real-time vegetation history and archaeology is ready to use. PMID:16987920

Remaining questions about clinical variola major.

PubMed

Lane, J Michael

2011-04-01

After the recent summary of World Health Organization-authorized research on smallpox, several clinical issues remain. This policy review addresses whether early hemorrhagic smallpox is disseminated intravascular coagulation and speculates about the cause of the high mortality rate among pregnant women and whether ocular smallpox is partly the result of trachoma or vitamin A deficiency. The joint destruction common in children with smallpox might be prevented by antiviral drugs, but intraarticular infusion of antiviral drugs is unprecedented. Development of highly effective antiviral drugs against smallpox raises the issue of whether postexposure vaccination can be performed without interference by an antiviral drug. Clinicians should consider whether patients with smallpox should be admitted to general hospitals. Although an adequate supply of second-generation smallpox vaccine exists in the United States, its use is unclear. Finally, political and ethical forces suggest that destruction of the remaining stocks of live smallpox virus is now appropriate.

Remaining Useful Life Estimation in Prognosis: An Uncertainty Propagation Problem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sankararaman, Shankar; Goebel, Kai

2013-01-01

The estimation of remaining useful life is significant in the context of prognostics and health monitoring, and the prediction of remaining useful life is essential for online operations and decision-making. However, it is challenging to accurately predict the remaining useful life in practical aerospace applications due to the presence of various uncertainties that affect prognostic calculations, and in turn, render the remaining useful life prediction uncertain. It is challenging to identify and characterize the various sources of uncertainty in prognosis, understand how each of these sources of uncertainty affect the uncertainty in the remaining useful life prediction, and thereby compute the overall uncertainty in the remaining useful life prediction. In order to achieve these goals, this paper proposes that the task of estimating the remaining useful life must be approached as an uncertainty propagation problem. In this context, uncertainty propagation methods which are available in the literature are reviewed, and their applicability to prognostics and health monitoring are discussed.

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 106: Areas 5, 11 Frenchman Flat Atmospheric Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Patrick Matthews

2011-07-01

Corrective Action Unit 106 comprises the four corrective action sites (CASs) listed below: • 05-20-02, Evaporation Pond • 05-23-05, Atmospheric Test Site - Able • 05-45-04, 306 GZ Rad Contaminated Area • 05-45-05, 307 GZ Rad Contaminated Area These sites are being investigated because existing information on the nature and extent of potential contamination is insufficient to evaluate and recommend corrective action alternatives (CAAs). Additional information will be obtained by conducting a corrective action investigation before evaluating CAAs and selecting the appropriate corrective action for each CAS. The results of the field investigation will support a defensible evaluation of viablemore » CAAs that will be presented in the Corrective Action Decision Document. The sites will be investigated based on the data quality objectives (DQOs) developed on January 19, 2010, by representatives of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office. The DQO process was used to identify and define the type, amount, and quality of data needed to develop and evaluate appropriate corrective actions for CAU 106. The presence and nature of contamination at CAU 106 will be evaluated based on information collected from a field investigation. The CAU includes land areas impacted by the release of radionuclides from groundwater pumping during the Radionuclide Migration study program (CAS 05-20-02), a weapons-related airdrop test (CAS 05-23-05), and unknown support activities at two sites (CAS 05-45-04 and CAS 05-45-05). The presence and nature of contamination from surface-deposited radiological contamination from CAS 05-23-05, Atmospheric Test Site - Able, and other types of releases (such as migration and excavation as well as any potential releases discovered during the investigation) from the remaining three CASs will be evaluated using soil samples collected from the

38 CFR 18.406 - Remedial action, voluntary action and self-evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., voluntary action and self-evaluation. 18.406 Section 18.406 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief... Basis of Handicap General Provisions § 18.406 Remedial action, voluntary action and self-evaluation. (a... treatment within the program or activity. (b) Voluntary action. A recipient may take steps, in addition to...

38 CFR 18.406 - Remedial action, voluntary action and self-evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., voluntary action and self-evaluation. 18.406 Section 18.406 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief... Basis of Handicap General Provisions § 18.406 Remedial action, voluntary action and self-evaluation. (a... treatment within the program or activity. (b) Voluntary action. A recipient may take steps, in addition to...

38 CFR 18.406 - Remedial action, voluntary action and self-evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., voluntary action and self-evaluation. 18.406 Section 18.406 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief... Basis of Handicap General Provisions § 18.406 Remedial action, voluntary action and self-evaluation. (a... treatment within the program or activity. (b) Voluntary action. A recipient may take steps, in addition to...

38 CFR 18.406 - Remedial action, voluntary action and self-evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., voluntary action and self-evaluation. 18.406 Section 18.406 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief... Basis of Handicap General Provisions § 18.406 Remedial action, voluntary action and self-evaluation. (a... treatment within the program or activity. (b) Voluntary action. A recipient may take steps, in addition to...

Goal Reconstruction: How Teton Blends Situated Action and Planned Action

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-11-03

DTIC FILE COPY CV), Goal reconstruction: How Teton blends N situated action and planned action N Tec~jcal Report PCG- 16 Kurt VanLehn I William Bali...situated action and planned action Technical Report PCG- 16 Kurt VanLehn William Bail Departments of Psychology and Computer Science Carnegie-Mellon...Research, under contract N00014-88-K-0086 and by the Information Sciences Division, Office of Naval Research, under contract N00014-K-0678

Goal Reconstruction: How Teton Blends Situated Action and Planned Action

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-11-03

DTIC FILE COPy 00 P 1n GOAL RECONSTRUCTION: HOW TETON BLENDS N SITUATED ACTION AND PLANNED ACTION Technical Report AIP 125 Kurt VanLehn William Ball...distribiikn unlimited. so 08 21 2 GOAL RECONSTRUCTION: HOW TETON BLENDS SITUATED ACTION AND PLANNED ACTION Technical Report AlP 125 Kurt VanLehn William Ball...Architectures for Intelligence. This is the final report on the research supported by the Computer Science Division, Office of Naval Research, under

Bringing Action Reflection Learning into Action Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rimanoczy, Isabel; Brown, Carole

2008-01-01

This paper introduces Action Reflection Learning (ARL) as a learning methodology that can contribute to, and enrich, the practice of action learning programs. It describes the Swedish constructivist origins of the model, its evolution and the coded responses that resulted from researching the practice. The paper presents the resulting sixteen ARL…

TMS-induced modulation of action sentence priming in the ventral premotor cortex.

PubMed

Tremblay, Pascale; Sato, Marc; Small, Steven L

2012-01-01

Despite accumulating evidence that cortical motor areas, particularly the lateral premotor cortex, are activated during language comprehension, the question of whether motor processes help mediate the semantic encoding of language remains controversial. To address this issue, we examined whether low frequency (1 Hz) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the left ventral premotor cortex (PMv) can interfere with the comprehension of sentences describing manual actions, visual properties of manipulable and non-manipulable objects, and actions of the lips and mouth. Using a primed semantic decision task, sixteen participants were asked to determine for a given sentence whether or not an auditorily presented target word was congruent with the sentence. We hypothesized that if the left PMv is contributing semantic information that is used to comprehend action and object related sentences, then TMS applied over PMv should result in a disruption of semantic priming. Our results show that TMS reduces semantic priming, induces a shift in response bias, and increases response sensitivity, but does so only during the processing of manual action sentences. This suggests a preferential contribution of PMv to the processing of sentences describing manual actions compared to other types of sentences. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring the early dust-obscured phase of galaxy formation with blind mid-/far-infrared spectroscopic surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonato, M.; Negrello, M.; Cai, Z.-Y.; De Zotti, G.; Bressan, A.; Lapi, A.; Gruppioni, C.; Spinoglio, L.; Danese, L.

2014-03-01

While continuum imaging data at far-infrared to submillimetre wavelengths have provided tight constraints on the population properties of dusty star-forming galaxies up to high redshifts, future space missions like the Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA) and ground-based facilities like the Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope (CCAT) will allow detailed investigations of their physical properties via their mid-/far-infrared line emission. We present updated predictions for the number counts and the redshift distributions of star-forming galaxies spectroscopically detectable by these future missions. These predictions exploit a recent upgrade of evolutionary models, that include the effect of strong gravitational lensing, in the light of the most recent Herschel and South Pole Telescope data. Moreover the relations between line and continuum infrared luminosity are re-assessed, considering also differences among source populations, with the support of extensive simulations that take into account dust obscuration. The derived line luminosity functions are found to be highly sensitive to the spread of the line to continuum luminosity ratios. Estimates of the expected numbers of detections per spectral line by SPICA/SpicA FAR-infrared Instrument (SAFARI) and by CCAT surveys for different integration times per field of view at fixed total observing time are presented. Comparing with the earlier estimates by Spinoglio et al. we find, in the case of SPICA/SAFARI, differences within a factor of 2 in most cases, but occasionally much larger. More substantial differences are found for CCAT.

HIGH-REDSHIFT DUST OBSCURED GALAXIES: A MORPHOLOGY-SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTION CONNECTION REVEALED BY KECK ADAPTIVE OPTICS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Melbourne, J.; Matthews, K.; Soifer, B. T.

A simple optical to mid-IR color selection, R - [24]>14, i.e., f {sub {nu}}(24 {mu}m)/f {sub {nu}}(R) {approx}> 1000, identifies highly dust obscured galaxies (DOGs) with typical redshifts of z {approx} 2 {+-} 0.5. Extreme mid-IR luminosities (L {sub IR} > 10{sup 12-14}) suggest that DOGs are powered by a combination of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and star formation, possibly driven by mergers. In an effort to compare their photometric properties with their rest-frame optical morphologies, we obtained high-spatial resolution (0.''05-0.''1) Keck Adaptive Optics K'-band images of 15 DOGs. The images reveal a wide range of morphologies, including small exponentialmore » disks (eight of 15), small ellipticals (four of 15), and unresolved sources (two of 15). One particularly diffuse source could not be classified because of low signal-to-noise ratio. We find a statistically significant correlation between galaxy concentration and mid-IR luminosity, with the most luminous DOGs exhibiting higher concentration and smaller physical size. DOGs with high concentration also tend to have spectral energy distributions (SEDs) suggestive of AGN activity. Thus, central AGN light may be biasing the morphologies of the more luminous DOGs to higher concentration. Conversely, more diffuse DOGs tend to show an SED shape suggestive of star formation. Two of 15 in the sample show multiple resolved components with separations of {approx}1 kpc, circumstantial evidence for ongoing mergers.« less

Inferences about action engage action systems.

PubMed

Taylor, Lawrence J; Lev-Ari, Shiri; Zwaan, Rolf A

2008-10-01

Verbal descriptions of actions activate compatible motor responses [Glenberg, A. M., & Kaschak, M. P. (2002). Grounding language in action. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 9, 558-565]. Previous studies have found that the motor processes for manual rotation are engaged in a direction-specific manner when a verb disambiguates the direction of rotation [e.g. "unscrewed;" Zwaan, R. A., & Taylor, L. (2006). Seeing, acting, understanding: Motor resonance in language comprehension. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 135, 1-11]. The present experiment contributes to this body of work by showing that verbs that leave direction ambiguous (e.g. "turned") do not necessarily yield such effects. Rather, motor resonance is associated with a word that disambiguates some element of an action, as meaning is being integrated across sentences. The findings are discussed within the context of discourse processes, inference generation, motor activation, and mental simulation.

Action Recognition Using Nonnegative Action Component Representation and Sparse Basis Selection.

PubMed

Wang, Haoran; Yuan, Chunfeng; Hu, Weiming; Ling, Haibin; Yang, Wankou; Sun, Changyin

2014-02-01

In this paper, we propose using high-level action units to represent human actions in videos and, based on such units, a novel sparse model is developed for human action recognition. There are three interconnected components in our approach. First, we propose a new context-aware spatial-temporal descriptor, named locally weighted word context, to improve the discriminability of the traditionally used local spatial-temporal descriptors. Second, from the statistics of the context-aware descriptors, we learn action units using the graph regularized nonnegative matrix factorization, which leads to a part-based representation and encodes the geometrical information. These units effectively bridge the semantic gap in action recognition. Third, we propose a sparse model based on a joint l2,1-norm to preserve the representative items and suppress noise in the action units. Intuitively, when learning the dictionary for action representation, the sparse model captures the fact that actions from the same class share similar units. The proposed approach is evaluated on several publicly available data sets. The experimental results and analysis clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

The nature of the dense obscuring material in the nucleus of NGC 1068

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tacconi, L. J.; Genzel, R.; Blietz, M.; Cameron, M.; Harris, A. I.; Madden, S.

1994-01-01

High spatial and spectral resolution observations of the distribution, physical parameters, and kinematics of the molecular interstellar medium toward the nucleus of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068 are reported. The data consist of 2.4 by 3.4 arcseconds resolution interferometry of the 88.6 GHz HCN J = 1 towards 0 line at 17 km/s spectral resolution, single dish observations of several mm/submm isotopic lines of CO and HCN, and 0.85 arcseconds imaging spectroscopy of the 2.12 micron H2 S(1) line at a velocity resolution of 110 km/s. The central few hundred parsecs of NGC 1068 contain a system of dense (N(H2) approximately 10(exp 5) cm(exp -3)), warm (T greater than or equal to 70 K) molecular cloud cores. The low density molecular envelopes have probably been stripped by the nuclear wind and radiation. The molecular gas layer is located in the plane of NGC 1068's large scale disk (inclination approximately 35 deg) and orbits in elliptical streamlines in response to the central stellar bar. The spatial distribution of the 2 micron H2 emission suggests that gas is shocked at the leading edge of the bar, probably resulting in gas influx into the central 100 pc at a rate of a few solar mass per year. In addition to large scale streaming (with a solid body rotation curve), the HCN velocity field requires the presence of random motions of order 100 km/s. We interpret these large random motions as implying the nuclear gas disk to be very thick (scale height/radius approximately 1), probably as the result of the impact of nuclear radiation and wind on orbiting molecular clouds. Geometry and column density of the molecular cloud layer between approximately 30 pc to 300 pc from the nucleus can plausibly account for the nuclear obscuration and anisotropy of the radiation field in the visible and UV.

7 CFR 12.11 - Action based upon advice or action of USDA.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Action based upon advice or action of USDA. 12.11... CONSERVATION General Provisions § 12.11 Action based upon advice or action of USDA. The provisions of part 718... it is determined by the appropriate USDA agency that the action of a person which would form the...

7 CFR 12.11 - Action based upon advice or action of USDA.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Action based upon advice or action of USDA. 12.11... CONSERVATION General Provisions § 12.11 Action based upon advice or action of USDA. The provisions of part 718... it is determined by the appropriate USDA agency that the action of a person which would form the...

7 CFR 12.11 - Action based upon advice or action of USDA.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Action based upon advice or action of USDA. 12.11... CONSERVATION General Provisions § 12.11 Action based upon advice or action of USDA. The provisions of part 718... it is determined by the appropriate USDA agency that the action of a person which would form the...

7 CFR 12.11 - Action based upon advice or action of USDA.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Action based upon advice or action of USDA. 12.11... CONSERVATION General Provisions § 12.11 Action based upon advice or action of USDA. The provisions of part 718... it is determined by the appropriate USDA agency that the action of a person which would form the...

7 CFR 12.11 - Action based upon advice or action of USDA.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Action based upon advice or action of USDA. 12.11... CONSERVATION General Provisions § 12.11 Action based upon advice or action of USDA. The provisions of part 718... it is determined by the appropriate USDA agency that the action of a person which would form the...

Juveniles' Motivations for Remaining in Prostitution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Shu-Ling; Bedford, Olwen

2004-01-01

Qualitative data from in-depth interviews were collected in 1990-1991, 1992, and 2000 with 49 prostituted juveniles remanded to two rehabilitation centers in Taiwan. These data are analyzed to explore Taiwanese prostituted juveniles' feelings about themselves and their work, their motivations for remaining in prostitution, and their difficulties…

Obscured hemorrhagic pancreatitis after orthotopic heart transplantation complicated with acute right heart failure and hepatic dysfunction: a case report.

PubMed

Lin, Ting-Wei; Tsai, Meng-Ta; Roan, Jun-Neng; Liu, Yi-Sheng; Tsai, Hong-Ming; Luo, Chwan-Yau

2016-12-01

Pancreatitis is a serious complication after cardiac surgery and can lead to significant morbidities and mortality. The incidence of pancreatitis is even higher in patients undergoing heart transplantation than in those undergoing other cardiac surgeries. Nevertheless, the clinical presentations of pancreatitis are frequently atypical in these patients. We report a heart recipient who was complicated with acute right heart failure initially after orthotopic heart transplantation and developed devastating unanticipated hemorrhagic pancreatitis 1 month after the transplantation. This crypto-symptomatic pancreatitis was not diagnosed until massive internal bleeding and hemorrhagic shock occurred, because the typical presentations of acute pancreatitis were masked by the intra-abdominal manifestations caused by right heart failure and congestive liver dysfunction. The patient underwent a successful transarterial embolization. The causes of pancreatitis after heart transplantation include low cardiac output, immunosuppressant use and cytomegalovirus infection. The typical symptoms of pancreatitis might be not apparent in patients after heart transplantation because of their immunosuppressive status. Furthermore, in patients complicated with right heart failure after transplantation, the manifestation of pancreatitis could be even more obscure. The prompt diagnosis is highly depended on the clinician's astuteness.

Contextual control of instrumental actions and habits

PubMed Central

Thrailkill, Eric A.; Bouton, Mark E.

2014-01-01

After a relatively small amount of training, instrumental behavior is thought to be an action under the control of the motivational status of its goal or reinforcer. After more extended training, behavior can become habitual and insensitive to changes in reinforcer value. Recently, instrumental responding has been shown to weaken when tested outside of the training context. The present experiments compared the sensitivity of instrumental responding in rats to a context switch after training procedures that might differentially generate actions or habits. In Experiment 1, lever pressing was decremented in a new context after either short, medium, or long periods of training on either random-ratio or yoked random-interval reinforcement schedules. Experiment 2 found that more minimally-trained responding was also sensitive to a context switch. Moreover, Experiment 3 showed that when the goal-directed component of responding was removed by devaluing the reinforcer, the residual responding that remained was still sensitive to the change of context. Goal-directed responding, in contrast, transferred across contexts. Experiment 4 then found that after extensive training, a habit that was insensitive to reinforcer devaluation was still decremented by a context switch. Overall, the results suggest that a context switch primarily influences instrumental habit rather than action. In addition, even a response that has received relatively minimal training may have a habit component that is insensitive to reinforcer devaluation but sensitive to the effects of a context switch. PMID:25706547

Agency alters perceptual decisions about action-outcomes.

PubMed

Desantis, Andrea; Waszak, Florian; Gorea, Andrei

2016-10-01

Humans experience themselves as agents, capable of controlling their actions and the outcomes they generate (i.e., the sense of agency). Inferences of agency are not infallible. Research shows that we often attribute outcomes to our agency even though they are caused by another agent. Moreover, agents report the sensory events they generate to be less intense compared to the events that are generated externally. These effects have been assessed using highly suprathreshold stimuli and subjective measurements. Consequently, it remains unclear whether experiencing oneself as an agent lead to a decision criterion change and/or a sensitivity change. Here, we investigate this issue. Participants were told that their key presses generated an upward dot motion but that on 30 % of the trials the computer would take over and display a downward motion. The upward/downward dot motion was presented at participant's discrimination threshold. Participants were asked to indicate whether they (upward motion) or the computer (downward motion) generated the motion. This group of participants was compared with a 'no-agency' group who performed the same task except that subjects did not execute any actions to generate the dot motion. We observed that the agency group reported seeing more frequently the motion they expected to generate (i.e., upward motion) than the no-agency group. This suggests that agency distorts our experience of (allegedly) caused events by altering perceptual decision processes, so that, in ambiguous contexts, externally generated events are experienced as the outcomes of one's actions.

On the Inclusion of Externally Controlled Actions in Action Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Jessica Chia-Chin; Knoblich, Gunther; Sebanz, Natalie

2011-01-01

According to ideomotor theories, perceiving action effects produced by others triggers corresponding action representations in the observer. We tested whether this principle extends to actions performed by externally controlled limbs and tools. Participants performed a go-no-go version of a spatial compatibility task in which their own actions…

Experiencing Action Evaluation's Cyclic Process: Partnering Conflict, Reflection, and Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burrows, Andrea C.; Harkness, Shelly Sheats

2016-01-01

In this article, the authors describe experiences in and offer suggestions from a course entitled "Educational Innovation for Excellence Through Action Research, Conflict Resolution, and Organizational Learning"--an action evaluation (AE). The class was taught using the principles of action research and AE. The authors explore the impact…

Root-Shoot Signaling crosstalk involved in the shoot growth promoting action of rhizospheric humic acids.

PubMed

Olaetxea, Maite; Mora, Verónica; García, Andrés Calderin; Santos, Leandro Azevedo; Baigorri, Roberto; Fuentes, Marta; Garnica, María; Berbara, Ricardo Luis Louro; Zamarreño, Angel Maria; Garcia-Mina, Jose M

2016-01-01

Numerous studies have shown the ability of humic substances to improve plant development. This action is normally reflected in an enhancement of crop yields and quality. However, the mechanisms responsible for this action of humic substances remain rather unknown. Our studies have shown that the shoot promoting action of sedimentary humic acids is dependent of its ability to increase root hydraulic conductivity through signaling pathways related to ABA, which in turn is affected in roots by humic acids in an IAA-NO dependent way. Furthermore, these studies also indicate that the primary action of humic acids in roots might also be physical, resulting from a transient mild stress caused by humic acids associated with a fouling-cleaning cycle of wall cell pores. Finally the role of alternative signal molecules, such as ROS, and corresponding signaling pathways are also discussed and modeled in the context of the above-mentioned framework.

Habits as action sequences: hierarchical action control and changes in outcome value

PubMed Central

Dezfouli, Amir; Lingawi, Nura W.; Balleine, Bernard W.

2014-01-01

Goal-directed action involves making high-level choices that are implemented using previously acquired action sequences to attain desired goals. Such a hierarchical schema is necessary for goal-directed actions to be scalable to real-life situations, but results in decision-making that is less flexible than when action sequences are unfolded and the decision-maker deliberates step-by-step over the outcome of each individual action. In particular, from this perspective, the offline revaluation of any outcomes that fall within action sequence boundaries will be invisible to the high-level planner resulting in decisions that are insensitive to such changes. Here, within the context of a two-stage decision-making task, we demonstrate that this property can explain the emergence of habits. Next, we show how this hierarchical account explains the insensitivity of over-trained actions to changes in outcome value. Finally, we provide new data that show that, under extended extinction conditions, habitual behaviour can revert to goal-directed control, presumably as a consequence of decomposing action sequences into single actions. This hierarchical view suggests that the development of action sequences and the insensitivity of actions to changes in outcome value are essentially two sides of the same coin, explaining why these two aspects of automatic behaviour involve a shared neural structure. PMID:25267824

43 CFR 10.11 - Disposition of culturally unidentifiable human remains.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... human remains. 10.11 Section 10.11 Public Lands: Interior Office of the Secretary of the Interior NATIVE AMERICAN GRAVES PROTECTION AND REPATRIATION REGULATIONS Human Remains, Funerary Objects, Sacred Objects, or... unidentifiable human remains. (a) General. This section implements section 8(c)(5) of the Act and applies to...

43 CFR 10.11 - Disposition of culturally unidentifiable human remains.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... human remains. 10.11 Section 10.11 Public Lands: Interior Office of the Secretary of the Interior NATIVE AMERICAN GRAVES PROTECTION AND REPATRIATION REGULATIONS Human Remains, Funerary Objects, Sacred Objects, or... unidentifiable human remains. (a) General. This section implements section 8(c)(5) of the Act and applies to...

43 CFR 10.11 - Disposition of culturally unidentifiable human remains.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... human remains. 10.11 Section 10.11 Public Lands: Interior Office of the Secretary of the Interior NATIVE AMERICAN GRAVES PROTECTION AND REPATRIATION REGULATIONS Human Remains, Funerary Objects, Sacred Objects, or... unidentifiable human remains. (a) General. This section implements section 8(c)(5) of the Act and applies to...

From conscious thought to automatic action: A simulation account of action planning.

PubMed

Martiny-Huenger, Torsten; Martiny, Sarah E; Parks-Stamm, Elizabeth J; Pfeiffer, Elisa; Gollwitzer, Peter M

2017-10-01

We provide a theoretical framework and empirical evidence for how verbally planning an action creates direct perception-action links and behavioral automaticity. We argue that planning actions in an if (situation)-then (action) format induces sensorimotor simulations (i.e., activity patterns reenacting the event in the sensory and motor brain areas) of the anticipated situation and the intended action. Due to their temporal overlap, these activity patterns become linked. Whenever the previously simulated situation is encountered, the previously simulated action is partially reactivated through spreading activation and thus more likely to be executed. In 4 experiments (N = 363), we investigated the relation between specific if-then action plans worded to activate simulations of elbow flexion versus extension movements and actual elbow flexion versus extension movements in a subsequent, ostensibly unrelated categorization task. As expected, linking a critical stimulus to intended actions that implied elbow flexion movements (e.g., grabbing it for consumption) subsequently facilitated elbow flexion movements upon encountering the critical stimulus. However, linking a critical stimulus to actions that implied elbow extension movements (e.g., pointing at it) subsequently facilitated elbow extension movements upon encountering the critical stimulus. Thus, minor differences (i.e., exchanging the words "point at" with "grab") in verbally formulated action plans (i.e., conscious thought) had systematic consequences on subsequent actions. The question of how conscious thought can induce stimulus-triggered action is illuminated by the provided theoretical framework and the respective empirical evidence, facilitating the understanding of behavioral automaticity and human agency. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Blowin' in the Wind: Both "Negative" and "Positive" Feedback in an Obscured High-z Quasar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cresci, G.; Mainieri, V.; Brusa, M.; Marconi, A.; Perna, M.; Mannucci, F.; Piconcelli, E.; Maiolino, R.; Feruglio, C.; Fiore, F.; Bongiorno, A.; Lanzuisi, G.; Merloni, A.; Schramm, M.; Silverman, J. D.; Civano, F.

2015-01-01

Quasar feedback in the form of powerful outflows is invoked as a key mechanism to quench star formation in galaxies, preventing massive galaxies to overgrow and producing the red colors of ellipticals. On the other hand, some models are also requiring "positive" active galactic nucleus feedback, inducing star formation in the host galaxy through enhanced gas pressure in the interstellar medium. However, finding observational evidence of the effects of both types of feedback is still one of the main challenges of extragalactic astronomy, as few observations of energetic and extended radiatively driven winds are available. Here we present SINFONI near infrared integral field spectroscopy of XID2028, an obscured, radio-quiet z = 1.59 QSO detected in the XMM-COSMOS survey, in which we clearly resolve a fast (1500 km s-1) and extended (up to 13 kpc from the black hole) outflow in the [O III] lines emitting gas, whose large velocity and outflow rate are not sustainable by star formation only. The narrow component of Hα emission and the rest frame U-band flux from Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging enable to map the current star formation in the host galaxy: both tracers independently show that the outflow position lies in the center of an empty cavity surrounded by star forming regions on its edge. The outflow is therefore removing the gas from the host galaxy ("negative feedback"), but also triggering star formation by outflow induced pressure at the edges ("positive feedback"). XID2028 represents the first example of a host galaxy showing both types of feedback simultaneously at work.

Discovery of an Extremely Luminous Dust-obscured Galaxy Observed with SDSS, WISE, JCMT, and SMA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toba, Yoshiki; Ueda, Junko; Lim, Chen-Fatt; Wang, Wei-Hao; Nagao, Tohru; Chang, Yu-Yen; Saito, Toshiki; Kawabe, Ryohei

2018-04-01

We present the discovery of an extremely luminous dust-obscured galaxy (DOG) at z spec = 3.703, WISE J101326.25+611220.1. This DOG is selected as a candidate of extremely luminous infrared (IR) galaxies based on the photometry from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. In order to derive its accurate IR luminosity, we perform follow-up observations at 450 and 850 μm using the Submillimetre Common User Bolometer Array 2 on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, and at 870 and 1300 μm using the Submillimeter Array, which enable us to pin down its IR Spectral Energy Distribution (SED). We perform SED fitting using 14 photometric data (0.4–1300 μm) and estimate its IR luminosity, L IR (8–1000 μm), to be {2.2}-1.0+1.5 ×1014 L ⊙, making it one of the most luminous IR galaxies in the universe. The energy contribution from an active galactic nucleus (AGN) to the IR luminosity is {94}-20+6%, which indicates that it is an AGN-dominated DOG. On the other hand, its stellar mass (M *) and star formation rate (SFR) are {log}({M}* /{M}ȯ ) = {11.2}-0.2+0.6 and {log}({SFR}/{M}ȯ {yr}}-1) = {3.1}-0.1+0.2, respectively, which means that this DOG can be considered a starburst galaxy in the M *–SFR plane. This extremely luminous DOG shows significant AGN and star-forming activity that provides us with an important laboratory to probe the maximum phase of the coevolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes.

Mechanism of action of hypotensive prostaglandins in patients with essential hypertension.

PubMed

Michibayashi, Tsutomu

2002-06-01

Despite extensive investigation, the biological mechanisms causing essential hypertension (EHT) remain unclear. To clarify the means by which hypotensive prostaglandins (Hypo-PGs, mainly PGE1 and PGE2) act in patients with EHT, the interaction between intravenously infused Hypo-PGs and pressor substances such as an adrenergic neurotransmitter, noradrenaline (NA) and angiotensin II (AII) was examined both in patients with EHT and in perfused isolated rabbit ear artery preparations. In patients with EHT, Hypo-PGs were shown to reduce the pressor responses to intravenously infused NA or AII, although no significant difference was found between the pressor responses to NA under basal conditions and the responses during intravenous infusion of Hypo-PGs. Animal studies were undertaken to investigate the inhibitory action of Hypo-PGs on the vasoconstrictive responses to electrical stimulation of the perivascular sympathetic nerves (VSNS) and to exogenous NA at pre- and postjunctional sites in blood vessel walls. The suppressive action of Hypo-PGs on the response to VSNS was shown to be more potent than that to their action on the response to exogenous NA. Thus, it was concluded that the hypotensive action of intravenously infused Hypo-PGs in patients with EHT may be more dependent on prejunctional sites than on the postjunctional sites in the walls of blood vessels.

Why Do Some Cores Remain Starless?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anathpindika, S.

2016-08-01

Prestellar cores, by definition, are gravitationally bound but starless pockets of dense gas. Physical conditions that could render a core starless (in the local Universe) is the subject of investigation in this work. To this end, we studied the evolution of four starless cores, B68, L694-2, L1517B, L1689, and L1521F, a VeLLO. We demonstrate: (i) cores contracted in quasistatic manner over a timescale on the order of ~ 105 yr. Those that remained starless briefly acquired a centrally concentrated density configuration that mimicked the profile of a unstable BonnorEbert sphere before rebounding, (ii) three cores viz. L694-2, L1689-SMM16, and L1521F remained starless despite becoming thermally super-critical. By contrast, B68 and L1517B remained sub-critical; L1521F collapsed to become a VeLLO only when gas-cooling was enhanced by increasing the size of dust-grains. This result is robust, for other starless cores viz. B68, L694-2, L1517B, and L1689 could also be similarly induced to collapse. The temperature-profile of starless cores and those that collapsed was found to be radically different. While in the former type, only very close to the centre of a core was there any evidence of decline in gas temperature, by contrast, a core of the latter type developed a more uniformly cold interior. Our principle conclusions are: (a) thermal super-criticality of a core is insufficient to ensure it will become protostellar, (b) potential star-forming cores (the VeLLO L1521F here), could be experiencing dust-coagulation that must enhance gasdust coupling and in turn lower gas temperature, thereby assisting collapse. This also suggests, mere gravitational/virial boundedness of a core is insufficient to ensure it will form stars.

Social Mimicry Enhances Mu-Suppression During Action Observation.

PubMed

Hogeveen, Jeremy; Chartrand, Tanya L; Obhi, Sukhvinder S

2015-08-01

During social interactions, there is a tendency for people to mimic the gestures and mannerisms of others, which increases liking and rapport. Psychologists have extensively studied the antecedents and consequences of mimicry at the social level, but the neural basis of this behavior remains unclear. Many researchers have speculated that mimicry is related to activity in the human mirror system (HMS), a network of parietofrontal regions that are involved in both action execution and observation. However, activity of the HMS during reciprocal social interactions involving mimicry has not been demonstrated. Here, we took an electroencephalographic (EEG) index of mirror activity-mu-suppression during action observation-in a pretest/post-test design with 1 of 3 intervening treatments: 1) social interaction in which the participant was mimicked, 2) social interaction without mimicry, or 3) an innocuous computer task, not involving another human agent. The change in mu-suppression from pre- to post-test varied as a function of the intervening treatment, with participants who had been mimicked showing an increase in mu-suppression during the post-treatment action observation session. We propose that this specific modulation of HMS activity as a function of mimicry constitutes the first direct evidence for mirror system involvement in real social mimicry. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 106: Area 5, 11 Frenchman Flat Atmospheric Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Patrick Matthews and Dawn Peterson

2011-09-01

verification samples. Results of verification samples show that remaining soil does not contain contamination exceeding the FALs. Therefore, the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) provides the following recommendations: (1) No further corrective actions are necessary for CAU 106. (2) A Notice of Completion to NNSA/NSO is requested from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection for closure of CAU 106. (3) Corrective Action Unit 106 should be moved from Appendix III to Appendix IV of the FFACO.« less

Determination of cable parameters in skeletal muscle fibres during repetitive firing of action potentials

PubMed Central

Riisager, Anders; Duehmke, Rudy; Nielsen, Ole Bækgaard; Huang, Christopher L; Pedersen, Thomas Holm

2014-01-01

Recent studies in rat muscle fibres show that repetitive firing of action potentials causes changes in fibre resting membrane conductance (Gm) that reflect regulation of ClC-1 Cl− and KATP K+ ion channels. Methodologically, these findings were obtained by inserting two microelectrodes at close proximity in the same fibres enabling measurements of fibre input resistance (Rin) in between action potential trains. Since the fibre length constant (λ) could not be determined, however, the calculation of Gm relied on the assumptions that the specific cytosolic resistivity (Ri) and muscle fibre volume remained constant during the repeated action potential firing. Here we present a three-microelectrode technique that enables determinations of multiple cable parameters in action potential-firing fibres including Rin and λ as well as waveform and conduction velocities of fully propagating action potentials. It is shown that in both rat and mouse extensor digitorum longus (EDL) fibres, action potential firing leads to substantial changes in both muscle fibre volume and Ri. The analysis also showed, however, that regardless of these changes, rat and mouse EDL fibres both exhibited initial decreases in Gm that were eventually followed by a ∼3-fold, fully reversible increase in Gm after the firing of 1450–1800 action potentials. Using this three-electrode method we further show that the latter rise in Gm was closely associated with excitation failures and loss of action potential signal above −20 mV. PMID:25128573

The identification of submerged skeletonized remains.

PubMed

Byard, Roger W; Both, Katrin; Simpson, Ellie

2008-03-01

Examination was undertaken of skeletonized remains contained within 2 rubber boots dredged by a fishing boat from a depth of 145 m, approximately 185 km off the southern Australian coast in the Great Australian Bight. The boots had been manufactured in Australia in July 1993 and were of a type commonly used by local fishermen. Examination of the lower legs and feet revealed well-preserved bones with arthritic changes in keeping with an older male. DNA analyses using reference samples taken from relatives of fishermen who had disappeared in the area resulted in the identification of the victim as a 52-year-old prawn fisherman who had been swept off a boat over a decade earlier. DNA stability had been maintained by the low light, cold temperatures, and alkaline pH of the ocean floor. Integration of pathologic, anthropologic, and biologic analyses with police investigations enabled a positive identification to be made despite the unusual nature of the location of the remains and the time lapse since the disappearance of the victim.

THE SWIFT BAT SURVEY DETECTS TWO OPTICAL BROAD LINE, X-RAY HEAVILY OBSCURED ACTIVE GALAXIES: NVSS 193013+341047 AND IRAS 05218-1212

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hogg, J. Drew; Winter, Lisa M.; Mushotzky, Richard F.

2012-06-20

The Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) is discovering interesting new objects while monitoring the sky in the 14-195 keV band. Here we present the X-ray properties and spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for two unusual active galactic nucleus sources. Both NVSS 193013+341047 and IRAS 05218-1212 are absorbed, Compton-thin, but heavily obscured (N{sub H} {approx} 10{sup 23} cm{sup -2}), X-ray sources at redshifts <0.1. The SEDs reveal these galaxies to be very red, with high extinction in the optical and UV. A similar SED is seen for the extremely red objects (EROs) detected in the higher redshift universe. This suggests that thesemore » unusual BAT-detected sources are a low-redshift (z << 1) analog to EROs, which recent evidence suggests are a class of the elusive type II quasars. Studying the multi-wavelength properties of these sources may reveal the properties of their high-redshift counterparts.« less

Increasing Speed of Processing With Action Video Games

PubMed Central

Dye, Matthew W.G.; Green, C. Shawn; Bavelier, Daphne

2010-01-01

In many everyday situations, speed is of the essence. However, fast decisions typically mean more mistakes. To this day, it remains unknown whether reaction times can be reduced with appropriate training, within one individual, across a range of tasks, and without compromising accuracy. Here we review evidence that the very act of playing action video games significantly reduces reaction times without sacrificing accuracy. Critically, this increase in speed is observed across various tasks beyond game situations. Video gaming may therefore provide an efficient training regimen to induce a general speeding of perceptual reaction times without decreases in accuracy of performance. PMID:20485453

Conservation Action Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Rifle Association, Washington, DC.

Conservation problems are identified, with some suggestions for action. General areas covered are: Wildlife Conservation, Soil Conservation, Clean Water, Air Pollution Action, and Outdoor Recreation Action. Appendices list private organizations or agencies concerned with natural resource use and/or management, congressional committees considering…

Egocentric Temporal Action Proposals.

PubMed

Shao Huang; Weiqiang Wang; Shengfeng He; Lau, Rynson W H

2018-02-01

We present an approach to localize generic actions in egocentric videos, called temporal action proposals (TAPs), for accelerating the action recognition step. An egocentric TAP refers to a sequence of frames that may contain a generic action performed by the wearer of a head-mounted camera, e.g., taking a knife, spreading jam, pouring milk, or cutting carrots. Inspired by object proposals, this paper aims at generating a small number of TAPs, thereby replacing the popular sliding window strategy, for localizing all action events in the input video. To this end, we first propose to temporally segment the input video into action atoms, which are the smallest units that may contain an action. We then apply a hierarchical clustering algorithm with several egocentric cues to generate TAPs. Finally, we propose two actionness networks to score the likelihood of each TAP containing an action. The top ranked candidates are returned as output TAPs. Experimental results show that the proposed TAP detection framework performs significantly better than relevant approaches for egocentric action detection.

β-glucans and eicosapolyenoic acids as MAMPs in plant–oomycete interactions: past and present

PubMed Central

Robinson, Sara M.; Bostock, Richard M.

2015-01-01

Branched β-1,3-glucans and the eicosapolyenoic acids (EP) are among the best characterized oomycete elicitors that trigger innate immune responses in plants. These elicitors were identified over three decades ago, and they were useful in the study of the sequence of physiological, biochemical and molecular events that induce resistance in plants. However, in spite of the cross-kingdom parallels where these molecules are well-characterized as immune system modulators in animals, their perception and modes of action in plants remains obscure. Oomycetes are among the most important plant pathogens, responsible for diseases that devastate crops, ornamentals, and tree species worldwide. With the recent interest and advances in our understanding of innate immunity in plants, and the redefining of many of the classical elicitors as microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs), it seems timely and important to reexamine β-glucans and EP using contemporary approaches. In this review, we highlight early studies of β-glucans and EP, discuss their roles as evolutionarily conserved signals, and consider their action in relation to current models of MAMP-triggered immunity. PMID:25628639

Modularity and hierarchical organization of action programs in children's acquisition of graphic skills.

PubMed

Manoel, Edison de J; Dantas, Luiz; Gimenez, Roberto; de Oliveira, Dalton Lustosa

2011-10-01

The organization of actions is based on modules in memory as a result of practice, easing the demand of performing more complex actions. If this modularization occurs, the elements of the module must remain invariant in new tasks. To test this hypothesis, 35 children, age 10 yr., practiced a graphic criterion task on a digital tablet and completed a complex graphic task enclosing the previous one. Total movement and pause times to draw the figure indicated skill acquisition. A module was identified by the variability of relative timing, pause time, and sequencing. Total movement to perform the criterion task did not increase significantly when it was embedded in the more complex task. Modularity was evidenced by the stability of relative timing and pause time and sequencing. The spatial position of new elements did not perturb the module, so the grammar of action may still have been forming.

Magnetic Helicities and Dynamo Action in Magneto-rotational Turbulence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bodo, G.; Rossi, P.; Cattaneo, F.

We examine the relationship between magnetic flux generation, taken as an indicator of large-scale dynamo action, and magnetic helicity, computed as an integral over the dynamo volume, in a simple dynamo. We consider dynamo action driven by magneto-rotational turbulence (MRT) within the shearing-box approximation. We consider magnetically open boundary conditions that allow a flux of helicity in or out of the computational domain. We circumvent the problem of the lack of gauge invariance in open domains by choosing a particular gauge—the winding gauge—that provides a natural interpretation in terms of the average winding number of pairwise field lines. We usemore » this gauge precisely to define and measure the helicity and the helicity flux for several realizations of dynamo action. We find in these cases that the system as a whole does not break reflectional symmetry and that the total helicity remains small even in cases when substantial magnetic flux is generated. We find no particular connection between the generation of magnetic flux and the helicity or the helicity flux through the boundaries. We suggest that this result may be due to the essentially nonlinear nature of the dynamo processes in MRT.« less

The importance of sensory integration processes for action cascading

PubMed Central

Gohil, Krutika; Stock, Ann-Kathrin; Beste, Christian

2015-01-01

Dual tasking or action cascading is essential in everyday life and often investigated using tasks presenting stimuli in different sensory modalities. Findings obtained with multimodal tasks are often broadly generalized, but until today, it has remained unclear whether multimodal integration affects performance in action cascading or the underlying neurophysiology. To bridge this gap, we asked healthy young adults to complete a stop-change paradigm which presented different stimuli in either one or two modalities while recording behavioral and neurophysiological data. Bimodal stimulus presentation prolonged response times and affected bottom-up and top-down guided attentional processes as reflected by the P1 and N1, respectively. However, the most important effect was the modulation of response selection processes reflected by the P3 suggesting that a potentially different way of forming task goals operates during action cascading in bimodal vs. unimodal tasks. When two modalities are involved, separate task goals need to be formed while a conjoint task goal may be generated when all stimuli are presented in the same modality. On a systems level, these processes seem to be related to the modulation of activity in fronto-polar regions (BA10) as well as Broca's area (BA44). PMID:25820681

Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 375: Area 30 Buggy Unit Craters, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Patrick Matthews

2011-08-01

undertaken that consisted of removing the PSM. Use restrictions and warning signs were implemented for the remaining radiological contamination at CASs 25-23-22 and 30-45-01. These use restrictions were recorded in the FFACO database; the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) Facility Information Management System; and the NNSA/NSO CAU/CAS files. Therefore, NNSA/NSO provides the following recommendations: (1) No further corrective actions are necessary for CAU 375; (2) A Notice of Completion to NNSA/NSO is requested from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection for closure of CAU 375; and (3) Move CAU 375 from Appendix III to Appendix IV of the FFACO.« less

A Call to Action to Address Gender Equity Within Our Specialty: Time's Up on Waiting for Change.

PubMed

Baecher-Lind, Laura; Abbott, Jodi; Atkins, Katharyn Meredith; Nijjar, J Biba; Royce, Celeste; Schiff, Lauren; Ricciotti, Hope A

2018-06-01

Although national attention has been focused on sexual harassment and gender inequity in the United States, leaders within the obstetrics and gynecology community have remained relatively silent. Sexual harassment and gender inequity remain pervasive in our specialty. This article serves as a call to action for leadership as well as physicians within obstetrics and gynecology to implement ethical and evidence-based approaches to reduce gender inequity and improve workplace culture within our specialty.

Detachable glass microelectrodes for recording action potentials in active moving organs.

PubMed

Barbic, Mladen; Moreno, Angel; Harris, Tim D; Kay, Matthew W

2017-06-01

Here, we describe new detachable floating glass micropipette electrode devices that provide targeted action potential recordings in active moving organs without requiring constant mechanical constraint or pharmacological inhibition of tissue motion. The technology is based on the concept of a glass micropipette electrode that is held firmly during cell targeting and intracellular insertion, after which a 100-µg glass microelectrode, a "microdevice," is gently released to remain within the moving organ. The microdevices provide long-term recordings of action potentials, even during millimeter-scale movement of tissue in which the device is embedded. We demonstrate two different glass micropipette electrode holding and detachment designs appropriate for the heart (sharp glass microdevices for cardiac myocytes in rats, guinea pigs, and humans) and the brain (patch glass microdevices for neurons in rats). We explain how microdevices enable measurements of multiple cells within a moving organ that are typically difficult with other technologies. Using sharp microdevices, action potential duration was monitored continuously for 15 min in unconstrained perfused hearts during global ischemia-reperfusion, providing beat-to-beat measurements of changes in action potential duration. Action potentials from neurons in the hippocampus of anesthetized rats were measured with patch microdevices, which provided stable base potentials during long-term recordings. Our results demonstrate that detachable microdevices are an elegant and robust tool to record electrical activity with high temporal resolution and cellular level localization without disturbing the physiological working conditions of the organ. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Cellular action potential measurements within tissue using glass micropipette electrodes usually require tissue immobilization, potentially influencing the physiological relevance of the measurement. Here, we addressed this limitation with novel 100-µg detachable

Metastability and emergent performance of dynamic interceptive actions.

PubMed

Pinder, Ross A; Davids, Keith; Renshaw, Ian

2012-09-01

Adaptive patterning of human movement is context specific and dependent on interacting constraints of the performer-environment relationship. Flexibility of skilled behaviour is predicated on the capacity of performers to move between different states of movement organisation to satisfy dynamic task constraints, previously demonstrated in studies of visual perception, bimanual coordination, and an interceptive combat task. Metastability is a movement system property that helps performers to remain in a state of relative coordination with their performance environments, poised between multiple co-existing states (stable and distinct movement patterns or responses). The aim of this study was to examine whether metastability could be exploited in externally paced interceptive actions in fast ball sports, such as cricket. Here we report data on metastability in performance of multi-articular hitting actions by skilled junior cricket batters (n=5). Participants' batting actions (key movement timings and performance outcomes) were analysed in four distinct performance regions varied by ball pitching (bounce) location. Results demonstrated that, at a pre-determined distance to the ball, participants were forced into a meta-stable region of performance where rich and varied patterns of functional movement behaviours emerged. Participants adapted the organisation of responses, resulting in higher levels of variability in movement timing in this performance region, without detrimental effects on the quality of interceptive performance outcomes. Findings provide evidence for the emergence of metastability in a dynamic interceptive action in cricket batting. Flexibility and diversity of movement responses were optimised using experiential knowledge and careful manipulation of key task constraints of the specific sport context. Copyright © 2012 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Analysis of “Natural” Food Litigation to Build a Sesame Allergy Consumer Class Action.

PubMed

Shaker, Dana

In a world where food allergy is still an incurable disease, law and regulation stand as necessary mechanisms to provide food-allergic consumers with the information they need to protect their health. The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 provided specific labeling requirements for the “Top Eight” allergens in the U.S.: milk, soy, gluten, egg, tree nut, peanut, fish, and Crustacean shellfish. Since then, sesame has become more prevalent as an allergen and remains just as dangerous, inducing anaphylactic shock in some sesame-allergic individuals. Yet sesame remains unregulated, despite advocates and congressional members arguing for its inclusion. This note entertains one solution to this problem by exploring the most strategic way to bring a sesame allergy class action against a private food company under California’s consumer protection statutes. Because this kind of class action does not have much, if any, precedent, this note analyzes the basic, preliminary issues that any litigant would have to navigate around to certify a class, including preemption, standing, and the claim itself, by focusing on how courts have examined these issues in the recent “natural” class action litigation. It also analyzes the legal, moral, and practical aspects of choosing a type of relief, as well as whom to include in the class. Finally, this note briefly considers how FDA itself can ensure sesame is regulated on the labels of food products, given that some of the legal issues may well be insurmountable for this particular class action. This note explores the potential solutions to difficult legal hurdles in constructing a sesame allergy class action, arguing that litigating a sesame allergy class action—even if it is not ultimately successful—could start a productive conversation that might lead Congress or FDA to provide greater public health and consumer protection for those with sesame allergy.

Towards an understanding of the adjuvant action of aluminium

PubMed Central

Marrack, Philippa; McKee, Amy S.; Munks, Michael W.

2011-01-01

The efficacy of vaccines depends on the presence of an adjuvant in conjunction with the antigen. Of these adjuvants, the ones that contain aluminium, which were first discovered empirically in 1926, are currently the most widely used. However, a detailed understanding of their mechanism of action has only started to be revealed. In this Timeline article, we briefly describe the initial discovery of aluminium adjuvants and discuss historically important advances. We also summarize recent progress in the field and discuss their implications and the remaining questions on how these adjuvants work. PMID:19247370

Participatory Action Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Martha Lentz

1993-01-01

Describes aspects of participatory action research and considers advantages of using participatory action research in research by disabilities and rehabilitation researchers. Notes that participatory action research can be built into any rehabilitation research design but that it rests upon the recognition of persons with disabilities as integral…

Objects tell us what action we can expect: dissociating brain areas for retrieval and exploitation of action knowledge during action observation in fMRI

PubMed Central

Schubotz, Ricarda I.; Wurm, Moritz F.; Wittmann, Marco K.; von Cramon, D. Yves

2014-01-01

Objects are reminiscent of actions often performed with them: knife and apple remind us on peeling the apple or cutting it. Mnemonic representations of object-related actions (action codes) evoked by the sight of an object may constrain and hence facilitate recognition of unrolling actions. The present fMRI study investigated if and how action codes influence brain activation during action observation. The average number of action codes (NAC) of 51 sets of objects was rated by a group of n = 24 participants. In an fMRI study, different volunteers were asked to recognize actions performed with the same objects presented in short videos. To disentangle areas reflecting the storage of action codes from those exploiting them, we showed object-compatible and object-incompatible (pantomime) actions. Areas storing action codes were considered to positively co-vary with NAC in both object-compatible and object-incompatible action; due to its role in tool-related tasks, we here hypothesized left anterior inferior parietal cortex (aIPL). In contrast, areas exploiting action codes were expected to show this correlation only in object-compatible but not incompatible action, as only object-compatible actions match one of the active action codes. For this interaction, we hypothesized ventrolateral premotor cortex (PMv) to join aIPL due to its role in biasing competition in IPL. We found left anterior intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and left posterior middle temporal gyrus (pMTG) to co-vary with NAC. In addition to these areas, action codes increased activity in object-compatible action in bilateral PMv, right IPS, and lateral occipital cortex (LO). Findings suggest that during action observation, the brain derives possible actions from perceived objects, and uses this information to shape action recognition. In particular, the number of expectable actions quantifies the activity level at PMv, IPL, and pMTG, but only PMv reflects their biased competition while observed action unfolds

Year 2000 Computing Challenge: Education Taking Needed Actions but Work Remains. Testimony before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Education and the Workforce, House of Representatives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willemssen, Joel C.

This document provides testimony on the U.S. Department of Education's efforts to ensure that its computer systems supporting critical student financial aid activities will be able to process information reliably through the turn of the century. After providing some background information, the statement recaps prior findings and the actions that…

Distinct Sources of Deterministic and Stochastic Components of Action Timing Decisions in Rodent Frontal Cortex.

PubMed

Murakami, Masayoshi; Shteingart, Hanan; Loewenstein, Yonatan; Mainen, Zachary F

2017-05-17

The selection and timing of actions are subject to determinate influences such as sensory cues and internal state as well as to effectively stochastic variability. Although stochastic choice mechanisms are assumed by many theoretical models, their origin and mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we investigated this issue by studying how neural circuits in the frontal cortex determine action timing in rats performing a waiting task. Electrophysiological recordings from two regions necessary for this behavior, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and secondary motor cortex (M2), revealed an unexpected functional dissociation. Both areas encoded deterministic biases in action timing, but only M2 neurons reflected stochastic trial-by-trial fluctuations. This differential coding was reflected in distinct timescales of neural dynamics in the two frontal cortical areas. These results suggest a two-stage model in which stochastic components of action timing decisions are injected by circuits downstream of those carrying deterministic bias signals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Root-Shoot Signaling crosstalk involved in the shoot growth promoting action of rhizospheric humic acids

PubMed Central

Olaetxea, Maite; Mora, Verónica; García, Andrés Calderin; Santos, Leandro Azevedo; Baigorri, Roberto; Fuentes, Marta; Garnica, María; Berbara, Ricardo Luis Louro; Zamarreño, Angel Maria; Garcia-Mina, Jose M.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Numerous studies have shown the ability of humic substances to improve plant development. This action is normally reflected in an enhancement of crop yields and quality. However, the mechanisms responsible for this action of humic substances remain rather unknown. Our studies have shown that the shoot promoting action of sedimentary humic acids is dependent of its ability to increase root hydraulic conductivity through signaling pathways related to ABA, which in turn is affected in roots by humic acids in an IAA-NO dependent way. Furthermore, these studies also indicate that the primary action of humic acids in roots might also be physical, resulting from a transient mild stress caused by humic acids associated with a fouling-cleaning cycle of wall cell pores. Finally the role of alternative signal molecules, such as ROS, and corresponding signaling pathways are also discussed and modeled in the context of the above-mentioned framework. PMID:26966789

Differentiation between decomposed remains of human origin and bigger mammals.

PubMed

Rosier, E; Loix, S; Develter, W; Van de Voorde, W; Cuypers, E; Tytgat, J

2017-08-01

This study is a follow-up study in the search for a human specific marker in the decomposition where the VOC-profile of decomposing human, pig, lamb and roe remains were analyzed using a thermal desorber combined with a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer in a laboratory environment during 6 months. The combination of 8 previously identified human and pig specific compounds (ethyl propionate, propyl propionate, propyl butyrate, ethyl pentanoate, 3-methylthio-1-propanol, methyl(methylthio)ethyl disulfide, diethyl disulfide and pyridine) was also seen in these analyzed mammals. However, combined with 5 additional compounds (hexane, heptane, octane, N-(3-methylbutyl)- and N-(2-methylpropyl)acetamide) human remains could be separated from pig, lamb and roe remains. Based on a higher number of remains analyzed, as compared with the pilot study, it was no longer possible to rely on the 5 previously proposed esters to separate pig from human remains. From this follow-up study reported, it was found that pyridine is an interesting compound specific to human remains. Such a human specific marker can help in the training of cadaver dogs or in the development of devices to search for human remains. However, further investigations have to verify these results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Healthcare stocks expected to remain strong.

PubMed

Pallarito, K

1991-05-27

While healthcare stocks are likely to remain at the top of Wall Street's list of favorites, healthcare analysts and money managers say they don't expect to see the same quality of healthcare companies issuing stock the rest of the year. They say that in the coming months, more companies of lesser quality will sell stock at inflated prices, compared with their earnings.

Broca's area processes the hierarchical organization of observed action

PubMed Central

Wakita, Masumi

2014-01-01

Broca's area has been suggested as the area responsible for the domain-general hierarchical processing of language and music. Although meaningful action shares a common hierarchical structure with language and music, the role of Broca's area in this domain remains controversial. To address the involvement of Broca's area in the processing action hierarchy, the activation of Broca's area was measured using near-infrared spectroscopy. Measurements were taken while participants watched silent movies that featured hand movements playing familiar and unfamiliar melodies. The unfamiliar melodies were reversed versions of the familiar melodies. Additionally, to investigate the effect of a motor experience on the activation of Broca's area, the participants were divided into well-trained and less-trained groups. The results showed that Broca's area in the well-trained participants demonstrated a significantly larger activation in response to the hand motion when an unfamiliar melody was played than when a familiar melody was played. However, Broca's area in the less-trained participants did not show a contrast between conditions despite identical abilities of the two participant groups to identify the melodies by watching key pressing actions. These results are consistent with previous findings that Broca's area exhibits increased activation in response to grammatically violated sentences and musically deviated chord progressions as well as the finding that this region does not represent the processing of grammatical structure in less-proficient foreign language speakers. Thus, the current study suggests that Broca's area represents action hierarchy and that sufficiently long motor training is necessary for it to become sensitive to motor syntax. Therefore, the notion that hierarchical processing in Broca's area is a common function shared between language and music may help to explain the role of Broca's area in action perception. PMID:24478668

Spinal Cord Stimulation in Chronic Pain: Mode of Action.

PubMed

Vallejo, Ricardo; Bradley, Kerry; Kapural, Leonardo

2017-07-15

Literature review. A review of the literature that presents a perspective on mechanisms of actions behind spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy for chronic pain. SCS is an effective therapeutic alternative for the treatment of intractable chronic pain. Its application has been mostly based on the gate control theory of pain. Computational models have been fundamental on the understanding of clinical observations and the design of therapies that provide optimal neuromodulation. Research has provided insight into the involvement of specific neurotransmitters that support segmental and supraspinal mechanisms of action. A literature review was performed with emphasis on mechanisms of action for SCS including the effects of electrical fields on spinal cord structures based on computational models and preclinical and clinical explorations. This review provides background on the development of SCS, which has been driven around a paresthesia-based paradigm as a result of the gate control theory. A review of computational models emphasizes their importance on our current understanding of the mechanism of action and clinical optimization of therapy. Electrophysiology and molecular biology have provided a closer, yet narrow, view of the effect of SCS on neurotransmitters and their receptors, which have led to the formulation of segmental and supraspinal mechanisms. Literature supporting the involvement of glial cells in chronic pain and their characteristic response to electrical fields should motivate further investigation of mechanisms involving neuroglia. Finally, a review of recent results paresthesia-free strategies should encourage research on mechanisms of action. The mechanisms of SCS have been extensively studied and several consistent phenomena have emerged. The activation of A-beta fibers to induce paresthesia also involve neurotransmitter release via segmental and supraspinal pathways. Despite advancements, much remains to be understood, particularly as new

Supporting clinical leadership through action: The nurse consultant role.

PubMed

Rosser, Elizabeth; Grey, Rachael; Neal, Deborah; Reeve, Julie; Smith, Caroline; Valentine, Janine

2017-12-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of an action learning set to enhance clinical leadership and extend their scope and confidence more strategically. As the most senior clinical role in most healthcare systems, the consultant nurse role is a solitary one. They are required to develop personal resilience, commitment and a belief in their ability to lead, with new consultants needing a strong support network to succeed. Following a 2-year action learning set, four nurse consultants, one therapy consultant, and a university educationalist engaged in a cooperative inquiry approach using four cycles of discussion, reflection, analysis and action over an 18-month period from March 2015-July 2016, to learn how to change and enhance their working practices. Data were analysed thematically. Four themes emerged where the action learning set (i) offered structure and support, (ii) enabled a wider influence and (iii) empowered them to lead. The cooperative inquiry helped them realise how much they had gained from their collective learning and they felt empowered to lead. Their motivation to "make a difference" remains palpable. The outcomes of the cooperative inquiry included an enhanced understanding of the importance of openness and trust and a willingness to share and learn from each other in a respectful and confidential environment with a receptiveness to change. Self-leadership has clearly been accepted and embraced, and their collaboration has improved communication across the organisation, enhanced their strategic leadership capability and given confidence to disseminate externally. The action learning set offered structure to support these clinical leaders to keep them focused across the breadth of their role. Additionally, peer review with external facilitation has enabled these clinical leaders to gain a wider influence and empowered them to lead. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The costs of changing an intended action: movement planning, but not execution, interferes with verbal working memory.

PubMed

Spiegel, M A; Koester, D; Weigelt, M; Schack, T

2012-02-16

How much cognitive effort does it take to change a movement plan? In previous studies, it has been shown that humans plan and represent actions in advance, but it remains unclear whether or not action planning and verbal working memory share cognitive resources. Using a novel experimental paradigm, we combined in two experiments a grasp-to-place task with a verbal working memory task. Participants planned a placing movement toward one of two target positions and subsequently encoded and maintained visually presented letters. Both experiments revealed that re-planning the intended action reduced letter recall performance; execution time, however, was not influenced by action modifications. The results of Experiment 2 suggest that the action's interference with verbal working memory arose during the planning rather than the execution phase of the movement. Together, our results strongly suggest that movement planning and verbal working memory share common cognitive resources. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Yersinia pestis Orientalis in Remains of Ancient Plague Patients

PubMed Central

Drancourt, Michel; Signoli, Michel; Dang, La Vu; Bizot, Bruno; Roux, Véronique; Tzortzis, Stéfan

2007-01-01

Yersinia pestis DNA was recently detected in human remains from 2 ancient plague pandemics in France and Germany. We have now sequenced Y. pestis glpD gene in such remains, showing a 93-bp deletion specific for biotype Orientalis. These data show that only Orientalis type caused the 3 plague pandemics. PMID:17479906

The Action Event (Notes on the Development of Object-Oriented Actions II)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elkonin, B. D.

2015-01-01

The article critically rethinks and refashions conceptions of object-oriented actions. The author introduces the concept of an action event, which relies on the work of D. B. Elkonin. The essence of an action event lies in its transition to a new form of activity, that is, an action mediated by a pattern that is given to a child by an adult. An…

Infrared Luminosities and Dust Properties of z ≈ 2 Dust-obscured Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bussmann, R. S.; Dey, Arjun; Borys, C.; Desai, V.; Jannuzi, B. T.; Le Floc'h, E.; Melbourne, J.; Sheth, K.; Soifer, B. T.

2009-11-01

We present SHARC-II 350 μm imaging of twelve 24 μm bright (F 24 μm > 0.8 mJy) Dust-Obscured Galaxies (DOGs) and Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA) 1 mm imaging of a subset of two DOGs. These objects are selected from the Boötes field of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey. Detections of four DOGs at 350 μm imply infrared (IR) luminosities which are consistent to within a factor of 2 of expectations based on a warm-dust spectral energy distribution (SED) scaled to the observed 24 μm flux density. The 350 μm upper limits for the 8 non-detected DOGs are consistent with both Mrk 231 and M82 (warm-dust SEDs), but exclude cold dust (Arp 220) SEDs. The two DOGs targeted at 1 mm were not detected in our CARMA observations, placing strong constraints on the dust temperature: T dust > 35-60 K. Assuming these dust properties apply to the entire sample, we find dust masses of ≈3 × 108 M sun. In comparison to other dusty z ~ 2 galaxy populations such as submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) and other Spitzer-selected high-redshift sources, this sample of DOGs has higher IR luminosities (2 × 1013 L sun versus 6 × 1012 L sun for the other galaxy populations) that are driven by warmer dust temperatures (>35-60 K versus ~30 K) and lower inferred dust masses (3 × 108 M sun versus 3 × 109 M sun). Wide-field Herschel and Submillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array-2 surveys should be able to detect hundreds of these power-law-dominated DOGs. We use the existing Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer/InfraRed Array Camera data to estimate stellar masses of these sources and find that the stellar to gas mass ratio may be higher in our 24 μm bright sample of DOGs than in SMGs and other Spitzer-selected sources. Although much larger sample sizes are needed to provide a definitive conclusion, the data are consistent with an evolutionary trend in which the formation of massive galaxies at z ~ 2 involves a submillimeter bright, cold-dust, and star

INFRARED LUMINOSITIES AND DUST PROPERTIES OF z approx 2 DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bussmann, R. S.; Dey, Arjun; Jannuzi, B. T.

We present SHARC-II 350 mum imaging of twelve 24 mum bright (F{sub 24m}u{sub m} > 0.8 mJy) Dust-Obscured Galaxies (DOGs) and Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA) 1 mm imaging of a subset of two DOGs. These objects are selected from the Booetes field of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey. Detections of four DOGs at 350 mum imply infrared (IR) luminosities which are consistent to within a factor of 2 of expectations based on a warm-dust spectral energy distribution (SED) scaled to the observed 24 mum flux density. The 350 mum upper limits for the 8 non-detected DOGsmore » are consistent with both Mrk 231 and M82 (warm-dust SEDs), but exclude cold dust (Arp 220) SEDs. The two DOGs targeted at 1 mm were not detected in our CARMA observations, placing strong constraints on the dust temperature: T{sub dust} > 35-60 K. Assuming these dust properties apply to the entire sample, we find dust masses of approx3 x 10{sup 8} M{sub sun}. In comparison to other dusty z approx 2 galaxy populations such as submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) and other Spitzer-selected high-redshift sources, this sample of DOGs has higher IR luminosities (2 x 10{sup 13} L{sub sun} versus 6 x 10{sup 12} L{sub sun} for the other galaxy populations) that are driven by warmer dust temperatures (>35-60 K versus approx30 K) and lower inferred dust masses (3 x 10{sup 8} M{sub sun} versus 3 x 10{sup 9} M{sub sun}). Wide-field Herschel and Submillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array-2 surveys should be able to detect hundreds of these power-law-dominated DOGs. We use the existing Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer/InfraRed Array Camera data to estimate stellar masses of these sources and find that the stellar to gas mass ratio may be higher in our 24 mum bright sample of DOGs than in SMGs and other Spitzer-selected sources. Although much larger sample sizes are needed to provide a definitive conclusion, the data are consistent with an evolutionary trend in which the formation of massive

Effects of Ventral Striatum Lesions on Stimulus-Based versus Action-Based Reinforcement Learning.

PubMed

Rothenhoefer, Kathryn M; Costa, Vincent D; Bartolo, Ramón; Vicario-Feliciano, Raquel; Murray, Elisabeth A; Averbeck, Bruno B

2017-07-19

Learning the values of actions versus stimuli may depend on separable neural circuits. In the current study, we evaluated the performance of rhesus macaques with ventral striatum (VS) lesions on a two-arm bandit task that had randomly interleaved blocks of stimulus-based and action-based reinforcement learning (RL). Compared with controls, monkeys with VS lesions had deficits in learning to select rewarding images but not rewarding actions. We used a RL model to quantify learning and choice consistency and found that, in stimulus-based RL, the VS lesion monkeys were more influenced by negative feedback and had lower choice consistency than controls. Using a Bayesian model to parse the groups' learning strategies, we also found that VS lesion monkeys defaulted to an action-based choice strategy. Therefore, the VS is involved specifically in learning the value of stimuli, not actions. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Reinforcement learning models of the ventral striatum (VS) often assume that it maintains an estimate of state value. This suggests that it plays a general role in learning whether rewards are assigned based on a chosen action or stimulus. In the present experiment, we examined the effects of VS lesions on monkeys' ability to learn that choosing a particular action or stimulus was more likely to lead to reward. We found that VS lesions caused a specific deficit in the monkeys' ability to discriminate between images with different values, whereas their ability to discriminate between actions with different values remained intact. Our results therefore suggest that the VS plays a specific role in learning to select rewarded stimuli. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/376902-13$15.00/0.

A Mirror in Which to Practice--Using Action Learning to Change End-of-Life Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winterburn, Kathryn; Hicks, Fiona

2012-01-01

While action learning is a familiar tenet of much management and leadership development activity within the NHS it is not commonly utilised within the education and development of doctors where didactic methods remain the preferred mechanism to impart factual knowledge necessary to fulfil the autonomous practitioner role. Within the specialism of…

The Nature of Deeply Buried Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies: A Unified Model for Highly Obscured Dusty Galaxy Emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshall, J. A.; Elitzur, M.; Armus, L.; Diaz-Santos, T.; Charmandaris, V.

2018-05-01

We present models of deeply buried ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and use them to construct a three-dimensional diagram for diagnosing the nature of observed ULIRGs. Our goal is to construct a suite of SEDs for a very simple model ULIRG structure, and to explore how well this simple model can (by itself) explain the full range of observed ULIRG properties. We use our diagnostic to analyze archival Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Spectrograph data of ULIRGs and find that: (1) in general, our model does provide a comprehensive explanation of the distribution of mid-IR ULIRG properties; (2) >75% (in some cases 100%) of the bolometric luminosities of the most deeply buried ULIRGs must be powered by a dust-enshrouded active galactic nucleus; (3) an unobscured “keyhole” view through ≲10% of the obscuring medium surrounding a deeply buried ULIRG is sufficient to make it appear nearly unobscured in the mid-IR; (4) the observed absence of deeply buried ULIRGs with large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) equivalent widths is naturally explained by our models, showing that deep absorption features are “filled-in” by small quantities of foreground unobscured PAH emission (e.g., from the host galaxy disk) at the level of ∼1% the bolometric nuclear luminosity. The modeling and analysis we present will also serve as a powerful tool for interpreting the high angular resolution spectra of high-redshift sources to be obtained with the James Webb Space Telescope.

38 CFR 18.406 - Remedial action, voluntary action and self-evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., voluntary action and self-evaluation. 18.406 Section 18.406 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief... Basis of Handicap General Provisions § 18.406 Remedial action, voluntary action and self-evaluation. (a...-evaluation. (1) A recipient shall, within one year of the effective date of this part: (i) Evaluate with the...

Distinct spatio-temporal profiles of beta-oscillations within visual and sensorimotor areas during action recognition as revealed by MEG.

PubMed

Pavlidou, Anastasia; Schnitzler, Alfons; Lange, Joachim

2014-05-01

The neural correlates of action recognition have been widely studied in visual and sensorimotor areas of the human brain. However, the role of neuronal oscillations involved during the process of action recognition remains unclear. Here, we were interested in how the plausibility of an action modulates neuronal oscillations in visual and sensorimotor areas. Subjects viewed point-light displays (PLDs) of biomechanically plausible and implausible versions of the same actions. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), we examined dynamic changes of oscillatory activity during these action recognition processes. While both actions elicited oscillatory activity in visual and sensorimotor areas in several frequency bands, a significant difference was confined to the beta-band (∼20 Hz). An increase of power for plausible actions was observed in left temporal, parieto-occipital and sensorimotor areas of the brain, in the beta-band in successive order between 1650 and 2650 msec. These distinct spatio-temporal beta-band profiles suggest that the action recognition process is modulated by the degree of biomechanical plausibility of the action, and that spectral power in the beta-band may provide a functional interaction between visual and sensorimotor areas in humans. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of cable parameters in skeletal muscle fibres during repetitive firing of action potentials.

PubMed

Riisager, Anders; Duehmke, Rudy; Nielsen, Ole Bækgaard; Huang, Christopher L; Pedersen, Thomas Holm

2014-10-15

Recent studies in rat muscle fibres show that repetitive firing of action potentials causes changes in fibre resting membrane conductance (Gm) that reflect regulation of ClC-1 Cl(-) and KATP K(+) ion channels. Methodologically, these findings were obtained by inserting two microelectrodes at close proximity in the same fibres enabling measurements of fibre input resistance (Rin) in between action potential trains. Since the fibre length constant (λ) could not be determined, however, the calculation of Gm relied on the assumptions that the specific cytosolic resistivity (Ri) and muscle fibre volume remained constant during the repeated action potential firing. Here we present a three-microelectrode technique that enables determinations of multiple cable parameters in action potential-firing fibres including Rin and λ as well as waveform and conduction velocities of fully propagating action potentials. It is shown that in both rat and mouse extensor digitorum longus (EDL) fibres, action potential firing leads to substantial changes in both muscle fibre volume and Ri. The analysis also showed, however, that regardless of these changes, rat and mouse EDL fibres both exhibited initial decreases in Gm that were eventually followed by a ∼3-fold, fully reversible increase in Gm after the firing of 1450-1800 action potentials. Using this three-electrode method we further show that the latter rise in Gm was closely associated with excitation failures and loss of action potential signal above -20 mV. © 2014 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2014 The Physiological Society.

Position-dependent patterning of spontaneous action potentials in immature cochlear inner hair cells

PubMed Central

Johnson, Stuart L.; Eckrich, Tobias; Kuhn, Stephanie; Zampini, Valeria; Franz, Christoph; Ranatunga, Kishani M.; Roberts, Terri P.; Masetto, Sergio; Knipper, Marlies; Kros, Corné J.; Marcotti, Walter

2011-01-01

Spontaneous action potential activity is crucial for mammalian sensory system development. In the auditory system, patterned firing activity has been observed in immature spiral ganglion cells and brain-stem neurons and is likely to depend on cochlear inner hair cell (IHC) action potentials. It remains uncertain whether spiking activity is intrinsic to developing IHCs and whether it shows patterning. We found that action potentials are intrinsically generated by immature IHCs of altricial rodents and that apical IHCs exhibit bursting activity as opposed to more sustained firing in basal cells. We show that the efferent neurotransmitter ACh, by fine-tuning the IHC’s resting membrane potential (Vm), is crucial for the bursting pattern in apical cells. Endogenous extracellular ATP also contributes to the Vm of apical and basal IHCs by activating SK2 channels. We hypothesize that the difference in firing pattern along the cochlea instructs the tonotopic differentiation of IHCs and auditory pathway. PMID:21572434

Position-dependent patterning of spontaneous action potentials in immature cochlear inner hair cells.

PubMed

Johnson, Stuart L; Eckrich, Tobias; Kuhn, Stephanie; Zampini, Valeria; Franz, Christoph; Ranatunga, Kishani M; Roberts, Terri P; Masetto, Sergio; Knipper, Marlies; Kros, Corné J; Marcotti, Walter

2011-06-01

Spontaneous action potential activity is crucial for mammalian sensory system development. In the auditory system, patterned firing activity has been observed in immature spiral ganglion and brain-stem neurons and is likely to depend on cochlear inner hair cell (IHC) action potentials. It remains uncertain whether spiking activity is intrinsic to developing IHCs and whether it shows patterning. We found that action potentials were intrinsically generated by immature IHCs of altricial rodents and that apical IHCs showed bursting activity as opposed to more sustained firing in basal cells. We show that the efferent neurotransmitter acetylcholine fine-tunes the IHC's resting membrane potential (V(m)), and as such is crucial for the bursting pattern in apical cells. Endogenous extracellular ATP also contributes to the V(m) of apical and basal IHCs by triggering small-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (SK2) channels. We propose that the difference in firing pattern along the cochlea instructs the tonotopic differentiation of IHCs and auditory pathway.

From action intentions to action effects: how does the sense of agency come about?

PubMed Central

Chambon, Valérian; Sidarus, Nura; Haggard, Patrick

2014-01-01

Sense of agency refers to the feeling of controlling an external event through one’s own action. On one influential view, agency depends on how predictable the consequences of one’s action are, getting stronger as the match between predicted and actual effect of an action gets closer. Thus, sense of agency arises when external events that follow our action are consistent with predictions of action effects made by the motor system while we perform or simply intend to perform an action. According to this view, agency is inferred retrospectively, after an action has been performed and its consequences are known. In contrast, little is known about whether and how internal processes involved in the selection of actions may influence subjective sense of control, in advance of the action itself, and irrespective of effect predictability. In this article, we review several classes of behavioral and neuroimaging data suggesting that earlier processes, linked to fluency of action selection, prospectively contribute to sense of agency. These findings have important implications for better understanding human volition and abnormalities of action experience. PMID:24860486

The role of action control and action planning on fruit and vegetable consumption.

PubMed

Zhou, Guangyu; Gan, Yiqun; Miao, Miao; Hamilton, Kyra; Knoll, Nina; Schwarzer, Ralf

2015-08-01

Globally, fruit and vegetable intake is lower than recommended despite being an important component to a healthy diet. Adopting or maintaining a sufficient amount of fruit and vegetables in one's diet may require not only motivation but also self-regulatory processes. Action control and action planning are two key volitional determinants that have been identified in the literature; however, it is not fully understood how these two factors operate between intention and behavior. Thus, the aim of the current study was to explore the roles of action control and action planning as mediators between intentions and dietary behavior. A longitudinal study with three points in time was conducted. Participants (N = 286) were undergraduate students and invited to participate in a health behavior survey. At baseline (Time 1), measures of intention and fruit and vegetable intake were assessed. Two weeks later (Time 2), action control and action planning were assessed as putative sequential mediators. At Time 3 (two weeks after Time 2), fruit and vegetable consumption was measured as the outcome. The results revealed action control and action planning to sequentially mediate between intention and subsequent fruit and vegetable intake, controlling for baseline behavior. Both self-regulatory constructs, action control and action planning, make a difference when moving from motivation to action. Our preliminary evidence, therefore, suggests that planning may be more proximal to fruit and vegetable intake than action control. Further research, however, needs to be undertaken to substantiate this conclusion. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stereoscopically Observing Manipulative Actions

PubMed Central

Ferri, S.; Pauwels, K.; Rizzolatti, G.; Orban, G. A.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of stereopsis to the processing of observed manipulative actions. To this end, we first combined the factors “stimulus type” (action, static control, and dynamic control), “stereopsis” (present, absent) and “viewpoint” (frontal, lateral) into a single design. Four sites in premotor, retro-insular (2) and parietal cortex operated specifically when actions were viewed stereoscopically and frontally. A second experiment clarified that the stereo-action-specific regions were driven by actions moving out of the frontoparallel plane, an effect amplified by frontal viewing in premotor cortex. Analysis of single voxels and their discriminatory power showed that the representation of action in the stereo-action-specific areas was more accurate when stereopsis was active. Further analyses showed that the 4 stereo-action-specific sites form a closed network converging onto the premotor node, which connects to parietal and occipitotemporal regions outside the network. Several of the specific sites are known to process vestibular signals, suggesting that the network combines observed actions in peripersonal space with gravitational signals. These findings have wider implications for the function of premotor cortex and the role of stereopsis in human behavior. PMID:27252350

Negotiating action

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2017-12-01

After years of working towards a climate accord, the Paris Agreement of 2015 marked the shift from negotiating to reach consensus on climate action to implementation of such action. The challenge now is to ensure transparency in the processes and identify the details of what is required.

Mechanism of action of recombinant Acc-royalisin from royal jelly of Chinese honeybee against gram-positive bacteria

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The antibacterial activity of royalisin, an antimicrobial peptide from the royal jelly produced by honeybees has been addressed extensively. However, its mechanism of action remains unclear. In this study, a recombinant royalisin, RAcc-royalisin from the royal jelly of Chinese honeybee Apis cerana...

Forensic considerations when dealing with incinerated human dental remains.

PubMed

Reesu, Gowri Vijay; Augustine, Jeyaseelan; Urs, Aadithya B

2015-01-01

Establishing the human dental identification process relies upon sufficient post-mortem data being recovered to allow for a meaningful comparison with ante-mortem records of the deceased person. Teeth are the most indestructible components of the human body and are structurally unique in their composition. They possess the highest resistance to most environmental effects like fire, desiccation, decomposition and prolonged immersion. In most natural as well as man-made disasters, teeth may provide the only means of positive identification of an otherwise unrecognizable body. It is imperative that dental evidence should not be destroyed through erroneous handling until appropriate radiographs, photographs, or impressions can be fabricated. Proper methods of physical stabilization of incinerated human dental remains should be followed. The maintenance of integrity of extremely fragile structures is crucial to the successful confirmation of identity. In such situations, the forensic dentist must stabilise these teeth before the fragile remains are transported to the mortuary to ensure preservation of possibly vital identification evidence. Thus, while dealing with any incinerated dental remains, a systematic approach must be followed through each stage of evaluation of incinerated dental remains to prevent the loss of potential dental evidence. This paper presents a composite review of various studies on incinerated human dental remains and discusses their impact on the process of human identification and suggests a step by step approach. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

47 CFR 11.13 - Emergency Action Notification (EAN) and Emergency Action Termination (EAT).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Emergency Action Termination (EAT). 11.13 Section 11.13 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION... Action Termination (EAT). (a) The Emergency Action Notification (EAN) is the notice to all EAS... Emergency Action Termination (EAT) is the notice to all EAS Participants and to the general public that the...

Reading about the actions of others: biological motion imagery and action congruency influence brain activity.

PubMed

Deen, Ben; McCarthy, Gregory

2010-05-01

Prior neuroimaging research has implicated regions within and near the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) in the visual processing of biological motion and of the intentions implied by specific movements. However, it is unknown whether this region is engaged during the processing of human motion at a conceptual level, such as during story comprehension. Here, we obtained functional magnetic resonance images from subjects reading brief stories that described a human character's background and then concluded with an action or decision made by the character. Half of the stories contained incidental descriptions of biological motion (such as the character's walking or grasping) while the remaining half did not. As a second factor, the final action of the story was either congruent or incongruent with the character's background and implied goals and intentions. Stories that contained biological motion strongly activated the pSTS bilaterally, along with ventral temporal areas, premotor cortex, left motor cortex, and the precuneus. Active regions of pSTS in individual subjects closely overlapped with regions identified with a separate biological motion localizer (point-light display) task. Reading incongruent versus congruent stories activated dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and bilateral anterior insula. These results support the hypothesis that reading can engage higher visual cortex in a content-specific manner, and suggest that the presence of biological motion should be controlled as a potential confound in fMRI studies using story comprehension tasks. 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Bt: mode of action and use.

PubMed

Whalon, Mark E; Wingerd, Byron A

2003-12-01

The insecticidal toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) represent a class of biopesticides that are attractive alternatives to broad-spectrum "hard" chemistries. The U.S. Food Quality Protection Act and the European Economic Council directives aimed at reducing the use of carbamate and organophosphate insecticides were expected to increase the use of narrowly targeted, "soft" compounds like Bt. Here we summarize the unique mode of action of Bt, which contributes to pest selectivity. We also review the patterns of Bt use in general agriculture and in specific niche markets. Despite continued predictions of dramatic growth for biopesticides due to US Food Quality Protection Act-induced cancellations of older insecticides, Bt use has remained relatively constant, even in niche markets where Bt has traditionally been relatively high. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The Action Observation System when Observing Hand Actions in Autism and Typical Development.

PubMed

Pokorny, Jennifer J; Hatt, Naomi V; Colombi, Costanza; Vivanti, Giacomo; Rogers, Sally J; Rivera, Susan M

2015-06-01

Social impairments in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may be in part due to difficulty perceiving and recognizing the actions of others. Evidence from imitation studies, which involves both observation and execution of an action, suggests differences, in individuals with ASD, between the ability to imitate goal-directed actions involving objects (transitive actions) and the ability to imitate actions that do not involve objects (intransitive actions). In the present study, we examined whether there were differences in how ASD adolescents encoded transitive and intransitive actions compared to typically developing (TD) adolescents, by having participants view videos of a hand reaching across a screen toward an object or to where an object would be while functional magnetic resonance images were collected. Analyses focused on areas within the action observation network (AON), which is activated during the observation of actions performed by others. We hypothesized that the AON would differentiate transitive from intransitive actions only in the ASD group. However, results revealed that object presence modulated activity in the right inferior frontal gyrus and supramarginal gyrus of the TD group, a differentiation that was not seen in the ASD group. Furthermore, there were no significant group differences between the TD and ASD groups in any of the conditions. This suggests that there is not a global deficit of the AON in individuals with ASD while observing transitive and intransitive actions. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Capsule Endoscopy in the Assessment of Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding: An Evidence-Based Analysis

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Background Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) is defined as persistent or recurrent bleeding associated with negative findings on upper and lower gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopic evaluations. The diagnosis and management of patients with OGIB is particularly challenging because of the length and complex loops of the small intestine. Capsule endoscopy (CE) is 1 diagnostic modality that is used to determine the etiology of bleeding. Objectives The objective of this analysis was to review the diagnostic accuracy, safety, and impact on health outcomes of CE in patients with OGIB in comparison with other diagnostic modalities. Data Sources A literature search was performed using Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid Embase, the Wiley Cochrane Library, and the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination database, for studies published between 2007 and 2013. Review Methods Data on diagnostic accuracy, safety, and impact on health outcomes were abstracted from included studies. Quality of evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). Results The search yielded 1,189 citations, and 24 studies were included. Eight studies reported diagnostic accuracy comparing CE with other diagnostic modalities. Capsule endoscopy has a higher sensitivity and lower specificity than magnetic resonance enteroclysis, computed tomography, and push enteroscopy. Capsule endoscopy has a good safety profile with few adverse events, although comparative safety data with other diagnostic modalities are limited. Capsule endoscopy is associated with no difference in patient health-related outcomes such as rebleeding or follow-up treatment compared with push enteroscopy, small-bowel follow-through, and angiography. Limitations There was significant heterogeneity in estimates of diagnostic accuracy, which prohibited a statistical summary of findings. The analysis was also limited by the fact that there is no

Enforcement actions: Significant actions resolved individuals actions. Semiannual progress report, July--December 1996

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

This compilation summarizes significant enforcement actions that have been resolved during the period (July - December 1996) and includes copies of Orders and Notices of Violation sent by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to individuals with respect to-these enforcement actions. It is anticipated that the information in this publication will be widely disseminated to managers and employees engaged in activities licensed by the NRC. The Commission believes this information may be useful to licensees in making employment decisions.

Action Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1996

These four papers were presented at a symposium on action learning moderated by Lex Dilworth at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development. "Developing an Infrastructure for Individual and Organizational Change: Transfer of Learning from an Action Reflection Learning (ARL) Program" (ARL Inquiry) reports findings…

Body posture modulates action perception.

PubMed

Zimmermann, Marius; Toni, Ivan; de Lange, Floris P

2013-04-03

Recent studies have highlighted cognitive and neural similarities between planning and perceiving actions. Given that action planning involves a simulation of potential action plans that depends on the actor's body posture, we reasoned that perceiving actions may also be influenced by one's body posture. Here, we test whether and how this influence occurs by measuring behavioral and cerebral (fMRI) responses in human participants predicting goals of observed actions, while manipulating postural congruency between their own body posture and postures of the observed agents. Behaviorally, predicting action goals is facilitated when the body posture of the observer matches the posture achieved by the observed agent at the end of his action (action's goal posture). Cerebrally, this perceptual postural congruency effect modulates activity in a portion of the left intraparietal sulcus that has previously been shown to be involved in updating neural representations of one's own limb posture during action planning. This intraparietal area showed stronger responses when the goal posture of the observed action did not match the current body posture of the observer. These results add two novel elements to the notion that perceiving actions relies on the same predictive mechanism as planning actions. First, the predictions implemented by this mechanism are based on the current physical configuration of the body. Second, during both action planning and action observation, these predictions pertain to the goal state of the action.

Noise Enhances Action Potential Generation in Mouse Sensory Neurons via Stochastic Resonance

PubMed Central

Onorato, Irene; D'Alessandro, Giuseppina; Di Castro, Maria Amalia; Renzi, Massimiliano; Dobrowolny, Gabriella; Musarò, Antonio; Salvetti, Marco; Limatola, Cristina; Crisanti, Andrea; Grassi, Francesca

2016-01-01

Noise can enhance perception of tactile and proprioceptive stimuli by stochastic resonance processes. However, the mechanisms underlying this general phenomenon remain to be characterized. Here we studied how externally applied noise influences action potential firing in mouse primary sensory neurons of dorsal root ganglia, modelling a basic process in sensory perception. Since noisy mechanical stimuli may cause stochastic fluctuations in receptor potential, we examined the effects of sub-threshold depolarizing current steps with superimposed random fluctuations. We performed whole cell patch clamp recordings in cultured neurons of mouse dorsal root ganglia. Noise was added either before and during the step, or during the depolarizing step only, to focus onto the specific effects of external noise on action potential generation. In both cases, step + noise stimuli triggered significantly more action potentials than steps alone. The normalized power norm had a clear peak at intermediate noise levels, demonstrating that the phenomenon is driven by stochastic resonance. Spikes evoked in step + noise trials occur earlier and show faster rise time as compared to the occasional ones elicited by steps alone. These data suggest that external noise enhances, via stochastic resonance, the recruitment of transient voltage-gated Na channels, responsible for action potential firing in response to rapid step-wise depolarizing currents. PMID:27525414

Noise Enhances Action Potential Generation in Mouse Sensory Neurons via Stochastic Resonance.

PubMed

Onorato, Irene; D'Alessandro, Giuseppina; Di Castro, Maria Amalia; Renzi, Massimiliano; Dobrowolny, Gabriella; Musarò, Antonio; Salvetti, Marco; Limatola, Cristina; Crisanti, Andrea; Grassi, Francesca

2016-01-01

Noise can enhance perception of tactile and proprioceptive stimuli by stochastic resonance processes. However, the mechanisms underlying this general phenomenon remain to be characterized. Here we studied how externally applied noise influences action potential firing in mouse primary sensory neurons of dorsal root ganglia, modelling a basic process in sensory perception. Since noisy mechanical stimuli may cause stochastic fluctuations in receptor potential, we examined the effects of sub-threshold depolarizing current steps with superimposed random fluctuations. We performed whole cell patch clamp recordings in cultured neurons of mouse dorsal root ganglia. Noise was added either before and during the step, or during the depolarizing step only, to focus onto the specific effects of external noise on action potential generation. In both cases, step + noise stimuli triggered significantly more action potentials than steps alone. The normalized power norm had a clear peak at intermediate noise levels, demonstrating that the phenomenon is driven by stochastic resonance. Spikes evoked in step + noise trials occur earlier and show faster rise time as compared to the occasional ones elicited by steps alone. These data suggest that external noise enhances, via stochastic resonance, the recruitment of transient voltage-gated Na channels, responsible for action potential firing in response to rapid step-wise depolarizing currents.

[Effects of sustained and stopped hand actions on sensible/nonsensible judgments of verbal phrase of action: comparison between actual action and viewing a movie].